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Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE Issue #91-36 August 31, 1991 Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc. Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs Editors: John Nagy, Jon Clarke ======================================================================= * See Sign-up information for CompuServe and GEnie at bottom of issue * ======================================================================= CONTENTS THE EDITORS DESK..........................Ron Kovacs Z*NET SPECIAL REPORT: PIRATES.............Jon Clarke DUSSELDORF ATARI FAIR..................D.A. Brumleve SUMMERTIME READS - PART TWO................Andy Eddy FOREM DISCOUNT COUPON............................... SOFT-LOGIK UPGRADES PAGESTREAM............Vern Smith TRACKER-ST UPDATE......................Press Release MODEMS - THE BEST CHOICE..........Intersect Software TX2 FORMAT EXPLAINED....................David Holmes ======================================================================= THE EDITORS DESK ---------------- by Ron Kovacs ======================================================================= Piracy As you have been reading over during the summer, we have been focusing some attention of BBS pirating and will continue with more reports in the months ahead. This week Jon Clarke takes a break from his World Tour reports and focuses on a pirate bbs. We have included an actual capture in this week issue. We have started an FNET conference called Anti-Piracy which has been pretty active during the last few weeks. Last week that AUA came out in support of Anti-Pirating, (see issue #91-35), and we continue to seek support for the cause. I have received 5 captures of pirate BBS systems and working on sending a complete package to the proper authorities. In future weeks, we are going to publish this information and let you know where the pirates are located in this community. If you know of a BBS system pirating any type of software, please forward us the information. Please don't edit out any information and provide the password. If possible, videotape your session so those who claim your capture was doctored, fail to have an excuse. Put a timer or analog clock near the screen, have a corner clock active, or even have the time stamped while taping. These help the cause and will get pirate systems closed down. Dusseldorf Report Next week we will have more information on the show. This week we have included the report filed by Dorothy Brumleve on GEnie. Z*Net Newswire The newswire has been suspended this week due to the length of articles we are publishing this week. Next week an expanded newswire digest and the regular Z*Net Newswire! ======================================================================= Z*NET SPECIAL REPORT: PIRATES -------------------------------- Special Report by Jon Clarke ======================================================================= A Pirate BBS in God'z'own {Please Note: This file contains _real_capture_data that has been edited due the size. A full copy is available on the Z*NET BBS and the Z*NET Pacific BBS. It is 60K in length. This article could be classed as cutting and is aimed at one creature, "THE PIRATE"} "Sort your act out guys!" That about summarises my thoughts in one short simple statement. We have been reading a lot latterly about the Z*NET FNET Anti-piracy thread and how the AUA have joined in to support ANTI-PIRACY. Congratulating to the AUA for putting their teeth into this touchy subject. Why touchy? Well we have all at some time or another either seen, used or know of someone who has a pirated file, disk or logs onto to a pirate bbs. You say "No". Opps there stands a person of strong moral fibre who still believes in the tooth fairy. Sound like a big dig? It is and intended to be just that. I can remember reading in Z*NET last year when a few of the developers had several problems with local pirate bbs distributing their software. I sat here some zillion miles and half a world away thinking "only in the USA." It could never happen here in New Zealand. Yes well (cough cough) I think we all think this is the case. "A pirate bbs in my city? No who told you that rubbish? I use it all the time and I should know!" Does this sound familiar? Being the Sysop of the Z*NET Pacific BBS here in Auckland I too thought I knew most of the BBS's around the country. Up until this week I would have openly defended the honour of all the New Zealand Atari BBS's. Things change fast. Now this was no undercover secret sloth discovery. One of the users here happened to ask me if I know what was happening on one of the ST Express BBS's in town? Being a naturally curious sort of a chap, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I said "no, what is happening?" "Oh if you happen to donate over $30 to the sysop he will allow you into the _private_areas_ on his bbs." Now I have a pet hate with having to pay for BBS's so the old grey cells started to tick over. "Would you mind popping over and showing me?" I asked. To my surprise he was here in a few minutes. We fired up Flash. Turned the buffer on and proceeded to logon to the BBS. [Below are real captures.] You have logged onto............ The Dark Wizards Guild /\ /\ / \ / \ /\ / \ /\ /\ /\ / \/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \/ \/ \/ \ \ /\/ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___\ /\ \ / \ |_|_|_|_|_| |_|_|_|_|_| \ / \ \/\ / \ | |_________________| | \ / \ / \/ \ | [] [] | [] [] | [] [] | \/ \ -------/ \ \_| | _____ | | \ \ |_______|______| | |______|_______| \ \___ (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) ********************************* (*) (*) * The Dark Wizards Guild * (*) ******* ********************************* ******* | | | | | | 120 Megabytes of | | | | online Data | | | | | | | | * Amazing Online Games | | | | * Message Bases - Including Undead Realms | | | | * Files for ST, IBM, Amiga | | | | * Extra Things - Profiler | | | | * The Never Ending Story | | | | | | \ | Never Ring Between 5:30pm and 8:30 pm on Weekdays | / \| Co-sysops: Zombie Boy |/ Enter Your User Number, Handle, or NEW If A New User: [logon deleted] I was sitting here thinking this guy is wasting my time. He is about to show me a file that some poor user has uploaded by mistake thinking it was Public Domain. (Yes this does happen from time to time). "Yike!" I muttered when he selected the files section. This is no mistaken upload. This is a pirate section! Normal users. Users like you and me do not see options 8,9,11,12,13 listed below. But users who have "donated" $30 or more get full access to these selected files. I was recalling Charles Johnsons' comments re pirate BBS's when I saw this. I guess I know how he felt when he discovered them. [1] ST General [2] ST communications [3] ST Virus Utils [4] Packing and hacking (ST) [5] ST Sound [6] ST Games [7] IBM [8] IBM Private [9] Sysops and SigOps [10] Temp [11] Amiga Private [12] ST Private Pt 1 [13] ST Private Pt2 [14] GIF [15] Docs Pt 1 [16] Docs Pt 2 [17] ST Pictures & Utilities [18] ST Utilities [19] MOD files [20] Text-General (Not Docs) [21] Amiga [selections delted] Having seen this I decided to see just was in here. The chap who was piloting me around this system must have woundered what hit him. I was grabbing the keyboard out of his hands and taking over the controls. [Most of the files below will be familiar to you. I leave you to draw your own conclusions] Enter File Area, Or [L]ist? 13 [13] ST Private Pt2: Catalog Listing Enter Filemask To Search On (RETURN For '*.*'): ID: --- Name --- - Size - - Date - - Partial Description - === ============ ======== ======== ====================================== |A| PP72_PT1.MSA 385824 8/09/91 No Description... |B| FALCON .LZH 231424 8/03/91 Falcon,the F16 flight simulator. Very |C| A192_PT2.LZH 338189 8/10/91 Automation 192. |D| PHAN3 .LZH 251946 7/06/91 Phantasie 3 |E| PP62_PT1.LZH 395465 7/24/91 Pt 1 of Pompey Pirates menu 62 |F| PP62_PT2.LZH 364508 7/24/91 Pt 2 of Pompey Pirates menu 62 |G| PP72_PT2.LZH 369734 8/09/91 Pompey Pirates Menu 72 Pt 2 |H| GFA3 .LZH 258238 8/13/91 GFA Basice version 3. |I| A192_PT1.LZH 345609 8/10/91 Automation 192. [12] ST Private Pt 1: Catalog Listing Enter Filemask To Search On (RETURN For '*.*'): ID: --- Name --- - Size - - Date - - Partial Description - === ============ ======== ======== ====================================== |A| NEO2 .ARC 80107 7/14/91 Neochrome |B| BE_ZORK .LZH 230016 6/22/91 Zork an Infocom game |C| SEWER3 .LZH 582021 4/15/91 Sewer Util Disk 3 |D| UIS_III .TOS 20949 7/10/91 Universal Item Selector 3. |E| PM_PLUS .LZH 139987 6/23/91 Print Master Plus.. |F| MAXIFILE.TOS 36651 7/10/91 This is a great little program. This i |H| KNIFE_ST.LZH 59831 6/25/91 Knife ST |I| DATAMGR .MSA 336754 8/11/91 Datamanager. |J| MAIN .LZH 269849 7/14/91 Harlekin.. |K| DCK_ARC .TOS 35331 7/10/91 Lets you ARC, ZIP, ZOO, and LZH using |L| DASH .TOS 14425 7/10/91 A bit like Fast Copy 3, try it out... |M| LDWPCALC.LZH 192784 8/11/91 LDW Spreadsheet, a really good one. |N| NEODESK .LZH 191819 8/11/91 Neodesk 2.05 |O| MAGIC_U .LZH 68068 8/11/91 Magic Utility. [Other file areas removed due to space. See note] Here is one for the heart. How many readers out there logon to BBS that has a files section like this? What can you do about it? Will you do something about it? I asked the now co-pilot what he thought and why had he taken so long to do something about it? I must confess he raised a few things I had not thought of (even if I do not agree with them) so here is a summary........ - The only reason I am showing you this is because I have fallen out with the Sysop. - If I had potted him where would I get the new software from? I do not make alot of money to buy software. - He has the best stuff in town and I can swap the modem files for disks. - I thought I would try it first and if I liked it I would buy it. This was great! What he was telling me was for $30.00 all he had to do was logon to the bbs and STEAL hundreds of dollars worth of commercial software. Not only that but if he had not fallen out with him he could have morally justified this thief to himself. I sometime wonder about my fellow creatures (sigh). Back to the questions of a few paragraphs ago. How to justify this sort of thief to yourself? I wonder if it will stand up in court. Those thoughts of yours. More and more countries these days have units that deal with this very subject. In most countries world wide you have the Software Publishers Association who will field all your calls on the subject. Here in the Pacific the Australian Software Publishers Association have been taking positive action in Melbourne. Last week saw them take the letter of the law in raid on a dealer who supplied pirated software to the purchases of new PC's. The same is happening over here in New Zealand. In the USA readers have already seen and heard what the FBI are doing not only in Z*NET but also on CNN. Those of you in the UK have your F.A.S.T teams out in force and advertising in computer magazines. So what do we do now? - Only you the reader can answer this. {The above bbs is currently under investigation} 8/29- ANTI-PIRACY NEWSWIRE: Microsoft Siezes Counterfeit Software Microsoft and UIS Marshalls recently made one of the largest domestic seizure of counterfeit software in history. Nearly 20,000 illegal packages worth more than $1 million were siezed from 10 businesses in a Los Angeles-based counterfeiting scheme. The raid uncovered illegal packages of Microsoft products, as well as separate look-alike copies of disks, packaging, manuals, warranty cards, other product components and the equipment used to manufacture them, software included three versions of the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system, including the latest -- version 5 -- and the Microsoft Windows environment version 3.0. ======================================================================= DUESSELDORF ATARI FAIR ---------------------- Article by Dorothy Brumleve ======================================================================= Copyright (C)1991, Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN. The system will prompt you for your information. Category 11, Topic 12 Message 1 Wed Aug 28, 1991 D.A.BRUMLEVE [kidprgs] at 11:58 EDT My trip to the AtariMesse in Duesseldorf Up and down major thoroughfares in Duesseldorf, banners and posters announced the commencement of the fifth annual AtariMesse at the city's exhibition complex, an amazingly extensive facility with fifteen exhibition halls, restaurants, snack bars in each hall, entertainment facilities, etc. I saw billboards at the airport and on kiosks out in the community as well. Every cab driver knew about the AtariMesse. The AtariMesse is not at all what we North Americans think of when we hear "AtariFest"; in fact, it's much closer to the image conjured up by the word "Comdex". Two huge halls were filled with vendors. The show brochure lists 184 vendors by name, but there were also "specialty booths", huge displays in which vendors in related areas were grouped together, and the vendors in these booths sometimes were not given separate mention on the main vendor list. The specialty themes for such grouped booths this year focussed on the Portfolio, Atari and Music, Atari and Computer Graphics, Atari in Education and Science, and Games. A basic small booth provided 12 square meters of space. While the Germans regarded such booths as too small, the North American exhibitors enjoyed that kind of space for the first time -- and some of us had trouble filling it. Most of the vendors opted for larger booths, some outfitted with private consultation rooms. Atari's own central stand included a large room for press conferences and a welcome center for the press. Of course, there was also a lecture hall devoted to demonstrations and workshops. It seemed odd to me that there would be a _need_ for consultation rooms, but this show has another feature in common with Comdex besides its sheer scale; it provides a meeting place for distributors, developers, dealers, and Atari personnel from throughout the world. There was certainly plenty for the casual or serious Atari enthusiast to see, do, and buy, but another focus of the show was on opportunities for professional industry contacts. Many North American vendors already have representation in Germany. Jim Allen of FastTech and Rick Flashman of Gribnif showed their products from the booths of their German distributors, for example. This year, Atari US facilitated the participation of North American vendors who have not already established distribution in Germany. A row of booths was provided to US developers. ST developers participating included D.A. Brumleve (yours truly), CodeHead, Double-Click, JMG Software, and Wuztech Omnimon Peripherals. One of the more impressive booths was that of 3K ComputerBild, the German distributors of WordFlair. GoldLeaf representatives John Fox and Lauren Flanegan-Sellers were assisting users in that booth. The booth had a huge black wall; on one side of the wall were alcoves with demonstration computers manned by experts who could provide hand-holding as users experimented with their high-end offerings. On the other side of the wall, an actor presented lectures several times a day in both German and English to an appreciative audience. One booth specialized in Atari-related paraphenalia on a grand scale. Various articles of clothing, elegant backpacks, etc. were available with the Atari logo. PD booths and dealer booths seemed to do a bang-up business; although the aisles were wide, it was often hard to get through in these areas. I saw an industrial ST etching circuit boards. There were more utilities and applications related to high-end MIDI and DTP than you could shake a stick at. There were many booths with specialized hardware, such as for overscan, color high-rez, and the like. There were relatively few offerings for the games-player. You'll notice I can't report terribly much on products shown at the show. As a vendor, I was responsible for manning my booth most of the time, and had only a little time available for browsing on my way to and from the snack bar or the bathroom. I hope that others who had more time to devote to show-going can contribute more detailed information on new products. Because we were virtually chained to our booths, most of us would not have had the chance to fight the crowds and have some hands-on experience with the ST Book (five production models were on display). On Saturday morning, Atari's Bob Brodie, Bill Rehbock, and Tracy Hall brought both the Book and the Stylus around to the US devs for a personal view. I must say it's an incredibly neat little machine. I understand that it will run off its internal rechargeable battery for over 5 hours, certainly enough for most users. The battery recharges in place. The look is elegant, the keyboard size is perfect for hands the size of mine (it's just a bit more compressed than the regular ST keyboard), the mouse-replacement is ingenious, the size is tiny! I was impressed with the ergonomic design and the obvious thought devoted to users' needs. Bob Brodie also escorted the major ST-specific magazine editors and reporters to the booths of US-based developers. Germany has four major glossy ST magazines: TOS, ST Computer, ST Magazin, and AtariJournal (formerly PD Journal). There is also a German-language Atari magazine from Austria called XEST. I had a chance to visit several newsstands while in Duesseldorf. Every stand had at least two ST-specific magazines to offer; when I questioned the proprietor of one shop, he said he carried all four magazines from Germany, but had sold out of the September issue of two of them already. PC and Amiga magazines were also in evidence, and sometimes the number of PC offerings exceeded the ST offerings. A few times I spotted magazines devoted to the Mac. In addition to the ST-specific magazines, ST products are also covered by the general computer press. Even with the knowledge that there was good press support for the ST in Germany, I was very surprised to find a reporter for the Frankfurter Allgemeine dropping by my booth. I read his show wrap-up on the airplane on the way home; nearly a quarter page of the newspaper was devoted to this final show report, and the focus of the article was innovative DTP products. For the uninitiated, the Frankfurter Allgemeine has the same kind of respect and influence in Germany that the New York Times has here. The support is there from publishing houses as well. While the computer sections of our bookstores are filled with books about living with MS-DOS and mastering Windows, German STers have a multitude of books to choose from. Some are basic beginner books of the same variety as Ralph Turner's series, and there are primers for getting the most out of general-use programs such as 1st Word Plus. But there are also a variety of books for the high-end musician or desktop publisher, for the programmer, for the hardware hacker. Many of these could be found at department store bookstores, and, indeed, the same stores are likely to offer STs in their electronics department. If you'll remember the debate in the US over whether children should use calculators, you'll better understand the current German controversy over computers in schools. There is a large segment of the population which views computers as anti-creative and inappropriate for schools; fortunately, most educators do not share this point of view. There has been a major effort in the past year to put the ST into German schools. One academic organization has declared the ST _the_ best choice for schools and software support has begun to emerge. While most emphasis is being placed on software for junior-high-level students and older, there are efforts to use STs with young children, and I am hopeful that my products will be well-received by paedagogues and the early childhood and primary-level academic community. At my booth, I met teachers from Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Denmark, who were all most eager to use my products in their classrooms. My products are currently available only in English, German, and Icelandic, but I was able to make contacts at the show which should ultimately result in translations to Dutch/ Flemish, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish as well. I made it a point to visit (briefly) the Education and Science specialty display. In one booth, I found my own philosophy of computer use with children prominently displayed on the wall. I immediately sought out the booth's representative for a lengthy discussion. It is really wonderful to know that there are like-minded folks halfway around the world. On the personal side, it was a terrific trip! My husband, left at home to see our five children off to their first day at school, was absolutely furious, but I didn't let that stop me from having a great time. I spent an hour of madness and confusion as Dave and Sandy Small and Dave Troy and I tried desperately to locate my hotel; nothing like getting lost to start off a fun evening. The CodeHeads are always good for an interesting evening, and as their booth was next to mine, we were also able to make evening chit-chat extend into the next day. I met for the first time a Dutch friend with whom I've corresponded for some time, and he helped me out in my booth sporadically. My Australian distributor, Phil Reeves, was there, as was Michelle from Atari Australia. In fact, representatives from Atari Italy, Norway, Sweden, Holland, and of course Germany came by my booth. A few of my customers from Germany dropped by as well. I spent an evening with GEnie online personality MIKE.SCHUETZ, who with some friends has started a software company in Germany. We ate at the first good Greek restaurant I've ever been to. Tom Harker of ICD, Nathan Potechin of ISD, the gang from Atari US...all of these contributed to my enjoyment of the trip, socially and professionally. The tv set in my hotel room provided the German view of goings-on in the USSR. And Star Trek in translation seems new all over again. Meeting the "public" is always interesting, but it becomes even more interesting when you don't know which language to use when first addressing another. An American and I carried on a five-minute conversation in German before it occurred to us that we might communicate more effectively in English. I tried English on Germans, German on Dutchmen, Dutch on Britons, Norwegian on Americans, all with about the same effectiveness and lack of grace. Fortunately, I am strongest in the two languages nearly everyone understood, but I found that my German skills varied greatly from hour to hour. I could nearly always understand what was asked, but couldn't always formulate a comprehensible reply. It seems my German was most effective with cab drivers and waiters, and not so effective with professional contacts. If I go next year, and even if I don't, I think a refresher conversation course would be in order, with an emphasis on vocabulary related to computers, software, distribution, and business. In the US, I've often heard the German ST market pooh-poohed (God, did I say "pooh-poohed"?) by the cynics. Is Germany _really_ Atari Heaven? At the AtariMesse, I heard a few Germans and Dutchmen say they thought Atari was "slipping". I even met a fellow who had switched to the IBM a year ago and was now unhappy he had. His six children spent an hour at my booth, all the while asking him if "der neue Computer" had any "wunderbare Programme" like mine. I also met people who were extremely enthused about the Messe and, especially, the DTP-related products shown. I can't make comparisons with last year. I wasn't there. I didn't see evidence that the ST is the #1 computer in Germany, but I saw plenty of evidence that it is a respected line with a sizeable market share. And that, to me, _is_ Atari Heaven. The AtariMesse is, indeed, the mother of all road trips. ======================================================================= SUMMERTIME READS - ATARILAND STYLE ---------------------------------- by Andy Eddy ======================================================================= The following article is reprinted in Z*Net by permission of AtariUser magazine and Quill Publishing. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without specific permission of Quill. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine, available by subscription for $18 a year. For more information on AtariUser, call 800-333-3567. (From the August 1991 issue of AtariUser Magazine) (Part Two) [EDITOR'S NOTE: AtariUser originally planned to include a monthly guide to the contents of the major Atari support magazines. However, the only magazine that was willing to cooperate was STart, and of course, they are now history. So, we commissioned Andy Eddy, a magazine professional with Atari experience, to do an objective look at Atari publications. We promised a free hand, and he shared his opinions frankly. We didn't think it was quite right to include a review of AtariUser with these, so make up your own!] Atari Interface 3487 Braeburn Circle Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (313) 973-8825 Frequency: Monthly Issues Reviewed: February, March, April/May 1991 Editorial Slant: Overall yet lightweight coverage. 3.5 STARS ***1/2 Summary--Atari Interface Magazine (AIM) bills itself as "a monthly publication that also serves as an official newsletter of several independent Atari user groups." Several? It lists over 60 participating Atari user groups. Look and Feel--AIM is an attractive package, from its color cover to its basic layout design. (The great cover of the March issue, created on the TT, looks like a painting.) It gets its information across quite well, without many hitches along the way. The production of the magazine is good, too. It's printed on good paper, and the typography is clean--showing that the ability of the ST in DTP is adequate. Writing and Editing--The articles in AIM are friendly, for the most part informative (more on this in a second) and easy reading. And, similarly, the editing doesn't impose on the writers' musings. One other thing that jumped out at me was an article called "Public Domain, It Doesn't Have to be Sold to be Good!" While the article starts off describing the benefits of PD software, it turns into an AIM Monthly Disk pitch. Editorial should be clear of advertising, and a magazine must be careful with that regard. Utility--While issues of AIM I looked at are over 50 pages of editorial material and advertising, I came away feeling like I was missing something--there didn't seem to be enough "information" in there. For example, the February issue had about 20 pages of ads out of the 55 pages, a sizable chunk. Add to that about a dozen pages of club news (mainly listings of when the clubs meet and where, which would be best run on an occasional basis, as opposed to every month). And the table of contents spans two pages, including the 60-plus clubs that contribute. This really doesn't leave much for the reader to sink their teeth into. Also, some of the editorial material seemed to be, as described in the Atari Explorer review, somewhat limited in its focus. For instance, the February issue included a 1-1/2-page "review" of Vampire Empire, an aged ST game, which doesn't so much review the game as describe it. In that same issue, there is also a long article comparing two MIDI keyboards. Given the limited editorial space in AIM, I think it could have offered a better mix of material to suit the reader. In all fairness, the March issue seems to be a little better balanced with articles on the STe, the issue of Byte magazine not covering Atari products in its DTP overview, a piracy test and an article on London's 16-bit Computer Faire, among others. It still seemed to be a tad "thin." Overall Rating--Though AIM is pleasing to read, I can't overlook the fact that there just doesn't seem to be enough to dig into. Perhaps this will change in future issues, and the foundation is there if it does. 3.5 STARS. Puget Sound Atari News P.O. Box 110576 Tacoma, WA 98411-0576 (206) 566-1703 (Jim Chapman, coordinator) Frequency: Monthly Issues Reviewed: February, March/April 1991 Editorial Slant: Potpourri 2.5 STARS. **1/2 Summary--Self-described, the Puget Sound Atari News is the newsletter of the "participating non-profit Atari computer users groups. The contents of PSAN are a compilation of club news, hobby and industry news and articles about Atari computers and supporting software and hardware." Look and Feel--Being a newsletter, PSAN is understandably rougher in its appearance, and more basic in its layout. This doesn't hinder its ability to pass on information, and the publication's staff does a good job of putting it together. Also, the magazine is created using Atari computers and related software. On the critical side, some of the articles were composed at an uncomfortably small point size. At the same time, there were some filler cartoons unrelated to computers that could have been lifted for a better, easier-to-read layout. The editor could also drop a story in favor of a cleaner magazine. But the bottom line is that the PSAN is a nice-looking package considering that it's not a professionally created magazine (like Atari Explorer), and is fairly comfortable and clean for a laser-printed publication. Writing and Editing--Much of the writing comes from other sources, such as GEnie and other club publications, so some leniency needs to be given for consistency of writing and editing. The expected quantity of typos and grammatical errors are found, however they don't diminish from the information that PSAN passes on. PSAN also builds itself up by adding some supplements, such as Z*Net ("The International Atari Newsletter") and a Club News section. Utility--Newsletters not only try to provide reviews and news within the world the club was formed to partake in, but also cover the club news itself. PSAN is no different, and does the job well. In the issues looked at, there were articles and reviews on such subjects as database programs, color printing, hardware projects and program reviews--there was even a review of the same game by two different people for better perspective. PSAN also includes the 8-bit user, devoting space to that often-neglected community. Overall Rating--Again, I don't want it to appear as a strong criticism, but the PSAN is a newsletter in magazine format, and it suffers from some minor attendant problems. However, its strength is that it offers something for everyone. 2.5 STARS. ST Informer 280 Peach Street Merlin, OR 97532 (503) 476-0071 Frequency: Monthly Issues Reviewed: March, April 1991 Editorial Slant: Wide and agressive. 4.5 STARS ****1/2 Summary--It's easy to spot ST Informer because it's the only newspaper- style ST publication that's out. And its cover page is newspaper-like also, featuring some newsier items like press releases and reports. Look and Feel--ST Informer is a really nice presentation of material, and jams a lot of information into its pages. Though it offers almost no color to speak of, its neat four-column layout is smooth to follow articles through. It appears that ST Informer keeps the same style from month to month, placing new-product announcements and a feature on the front page, columns near the front, etc. This makes the reader feel at home with each issue, much like you'd feel driving the roads of your home town. Writing and Editing--The content of ST Informer is all top drawer, and the editors make sure there is a good quantity of material for everyone, as well as the specialty stuff. For instance, the April 1991 issue contained articles on new Atari products in the works, the new NeoDesk 3.02, the second part of a RAM upgrade article, as well as a study of electrostatic discharge and its effect on computers, in addition to many reviews of ST products. It also appears that the editorial staff has a good idea of what they are doing. The material is showcased well and grammatically correct. Utility--Even though there is a fair amount of advertising in ST Informer, the staff still seems to put a load of stuff in there. Each issue is chock full of reviews, product announcements, tutorials and columns, among others. The columns in particular cover most of the regular needs of the reader: game reviews, new products of interest, a rumor column and a Q&A help section. The latter two are quite helpful-- the rumor column gives the readers a fill of hot tidbits (for instance, did you know that a STacy was used on-stage at a Sting concert), potential stories and insight, while "The Help Key" provides some basic ST-specific techniques and answers questions that most users don't have anyone handy to answer. It's apparent that ST Informer can fill one other gap that most other publications can't: timeliness. It would appear that ST Informer has almost no lead time (the time it takes for a magazine to get into readers' hands after it is completed) because the April '91 issue featured a reader letter commenting on a review in the March '91 issue. What this means is that ST Informer is more like a newspaper because the editors can place stories into it at the last minute. Overall Rating--ST Informer has something for everyone, and presents special-interest material in a way that can draw in those readers who may not normally raise their eyelids. This is a well-produced publication. 4.5 STARS. ST World 2463 Latona Court NE Salem, OR 97303 (503) 393-9688 Frequency: Monthly? Issue Reviewed: April 1991 Editorial Slant: Too early to tell. 2 STARS ** Summary--After a hiatus with a strange story behind it, ST World seems to be back with new management, though there is some doubt that it has returned to a regular monthly schedule. Look and Feel--ST World is mainly a black-and-white publication, printed on newsprint--some of the ink will end up on your hands after a good read-through. It also employs a fairly large point size, which not only makes it easy to read (like a kid's book), but also lets each article take up more space, thus filling the magazine quicker. Otherwise, the layout is very simple: three-column layout for most of the magazine, switching to two-column for a feature article. The magazine employs very few graphics, but offers an "identity" by showing pictures of its columnists next to their work. Writing and Editing--This is a problem area, one that the editors should address in future issues. For instance, ST World uses the straight quote marks that signal a less-than-professional look. Also quirky is the schizophrenic mix of punctuation inside quotes in some articles, while being placed outside quotes in others. This leads me to believe that the editors are leaving it up to the writers, again showing editing to be below standard. The writing could also use some tweaking, but a few of the articles show great promise. One thing that really bothered me was the Errata section. While error gremlins always manage to creep into even the best publications, ST World (with a long history of typos and layout errors) seems to dwell too much on the mistakes of the previous issue. Apparently, the titles on four articles were switched, which is bad enough on the surface, but becomes worse when too much attention is paid to it. As a reader, I'm not too concerned with the mechanics of why a mistake happened. But as an editor, on the other hand, I can't subscribe to the explanation that these were flukes--even the most difficult, four-color magazines have room to check proof pages for mistakes, particularly those in headlines. 'Nuff said. Utility--Unfortunately, this department didn't help my view of ST World. While there are some attractive articles in the issue I reviewed, there are also some pieces that are well-written but hit a very small audience. How many of you are interested in a super-techie article called "V.32, the CCITT and the Tale of the 9600 Baud Modem"? How about an article on "Clients and Servers"? I'm not saying that technical articles don't have their place in general-interest magazines, but this stuff belongs in Byte or InfoWorld more than an Atari magazine, in my view. A magazine that wants to gain subscribers can't overestimate its market. This is not to say that ST World is empty of helpful or well-directed writings. It features a good mix of game reviews (both for Lynx and ST), a smattering of press releases and a preview section, among the previously mentioned articles. A better mix of game coverage, "serious" hardware/software reviews and other articles of interest is needed. Overall Rating--Suffice it to say that I wasn't that pleased with the "new" ST World. It would be good to see more issues; I only had one to work with, and couldn't prove the rumors of it being monthly. 2 STARS. Hey, what about the "online" magazines? These are "free," electronically transferred, available on CompuServe, GEnie, Delphi, F-Net, UseNet, and countless private bulletin boards. ST Report Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6672 (904) 783-3319 Frequency: Weekly Issue Reviewed--May 24, May 31, June 7, 1991 Editorial Slant--"A Current Affair" Meets the ST. 3 STARS *** Summary--One "publication" takes the prize as the National Enquirer of the ST world, and that's the electronic ST Report. Though over time it has been proven to be a rumor monger, it has also been counted on by many each week for insight and no-holds-barred reporting. What the heck is ten minutes of downloading worth to you? Look and Feel--Well, the look is what you make it. After all, ST Report is a text file, so looks aren't really under consideration. But its "flow," how the magazines moves from article to article and the choice of articles in each issue is smooth enough. ST Report also features its share of regular columns that cover all subjects. Writing and Editing--Room has to be given to a weekly publication for some sloppiness. ST Report does a good enough job of making the articles readable, though there are some of the traditional mistakes in punctuation, grammar and spelling. Another benefit about ST Report is the fact that there isn't much advertising in it, though there are ads just the same. However, advertisements for CompuServe, Delphi and GEnie help more people get into a position of downloading ST Report--and getting involved with online activities--so it's easy to overlook. Besides, the best thing about an electronic publication is the reader's ability to skip ahead if an article or advertisement annoys. Utility--Wait a minute. Isn't the name of this publication ST Report? Why, then, are there extensive articles on other PCs ("CPU Report") and the Macintosh ("Mac Report")? It's certainly a change from when I used to read ST Report regularly, and I'm not sure it's appropriate. However, when I used to read it regularly, it was ST specific--and about 50K in size. Now the ST Report files fill about 120K each, so I guess the readers can handle the extraneous non-ST filler. It's up to them to determine whether other industry news is required reading--even though I find it to be inappropriate for a magazine named ST Report. Yet, the articles are in-depth, particularly the "CPU Report", which is packed with technical insights and views on the industry. On the ST side, there are some helpful sections, such as the "A Little of This, A Little of That" column, which singles out some of the more important threads on the online services. This not only gives readers who aren't online cruisers a view of what type of action takes place there, but also answers some of the questions of the day, like what the status of GCR and System 7-compatibility is and aging troubles with particular hard drives. If only the rest of the "magazine" was more beneficial. Finally , the editor, Ralph Mariano, is one of Atari's biggest fans--and detractors. He is brutally honest about when Atari messes up, perhaps to a fault, which is something of a wake-up call for the company at times. Though the readers get a benefit out of his rantings, they often go overboard, and have at times made him look like he is trying to create headlines. Again, the National Enquirer provides an apt comparison. Overall Rating--If you can get by the snooty, smarmy rumor-slinging theatrics, the "I know something you don't know" reporting (which attempts to bring people back week after week like a soap opera) and the non-ST text, ST Report isn't really that bad for what it tries to accomplish. And it's pretty painless to download or have copied from another ST user. 3 STARS. Z*Net P.O. Box 59 Middlesex, NJ 08846 (908) 968-2024 Frequency: Weekly Issue Reviewed--May 17, May 24, 1991 Editorial Slant--All the News That Fits. 4 STARS **** Summary--Ron Kovacs started ST Report as an offshoot of his ZMAGAZINE, and then...well, it's not important. After too much bad blood, Ron abandoned ST Report to Ralph Mariano, and now does Z*Net. It does its best to stick to reporting, both the visible on the behind the scenes stuff. Look and Feel--Again, as with ST Report, Z*Net's layout is nothing more than what you get when you load the file in your text editor of choice. Hey, you can make it two or three columns if you want, but its the content that matters. The "Feel" of Z*Net is comfortable, the kind of vision you get by peering in on the evening news on TV. Z*Net tries to keep the reader informed of what the happenings are in the Atari community, without too much fluff or non-specific reportage. In comparison to ST Report, Z*Net also has its share of columns, though much better focused to the Atari world. And no advertising at all. Writing and Editing--The columns we just spoke of are nicely written and, again, well focused. For example, the "Z*Net Software Shelf" by Ron Berinstein is a regular porthole to the new software appearing for the ST owner. Not only does this column offer a listing of new products and what they can be expected to do, but it also leads in the body of the article with some humorous and friendly--okay, sometimes eccentric-- chatter. As mentioned before, this adds personality and freshness to a publication. Z*Net also has a nice mix of technical and non-technical coverage. The editing is subject to the usual breaks in consistency, but Z*Net also features a good amount of reprinting--the issues I looked at included transcripts of online conferences and reprints of features from AtariUser--so it is pretty clean grammatically. Utility--The fact that material is reprinted from other sources makes Z*Net's utility rating suffer somewhat, although most conference transcripts are mercifully condensed by the Z*Net editors. An important issue, though, is that Z*Net features almost entirely Atari-related news, with the exception of the "Z*Net Newswire," which is industry-wide coverage, though a lot less intense or technically oriented than ST Report. (It, however, turned my head to see news stories in the May 17, 1991, issue on the death of John Maher, publisher of Down Beat magazine, the retirement of Harry Reasoner from the 60 Minutes TV show and the recent changes in Zenith computer prices. Hmmm, must've been a slow Atari-news week.) A major benefit is that 95% of Z*Net is solid Atari coverage, and the issues generally were less than 50% the size of the similar ST Report, clicking in at about 55K in size. Overall Rating--Most of Z*Net is meaty Atari reporting, something that makes it a big draw for Atari-computer owners. It doesn't take much time out of your week to download and scan through it, and you'll probably walk away with a few tidbits of knowledge that will help you be a more-informed user. 4 STARS. That about covers the regular periodicals, both print and electronic. Certainly the cost wouldn't preclude you from getting a hold of a few to receive the varied benefit that some of these publications offer. And, needless to say, one man's ceiling may be another man's floor. For that reason, you should look into the content of the magazines I covered here to see if you get something out of them that I didn't--or even simply disagree with me. Finally, there are many European Atari coverage magazines being imported with varied regularity. When reading foreign mags, understand that the ST is treated differently in other parts of the world, and may feature products not available or usable in North America. Also keep in mind that the cover prices only indicate the price in their respective countries; import costs may not enter into the equation. Check with your local Atari store or contact the publishers directly for more information on how you can get a copy. A pair of British magazines and one German magazine were in my grab-bag: ST Format, The Old Barn Somerset, Somerset, England TA11 7PY0458 74011. Monthly, in English. Atari ST User, Europa House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield, England SK10 4NP0625 878888. Monthly, in English. Atari PD Journal, HolbeinstraBe 606000, Frankfurt am Main 70, Germany 06151 56057-8. Monthly, all in German. Happy reading! BIO: Andy Eddy, a long-time Atari journalist, is currently Executive Editor for VideoGames & Computer Entertainment and TurboPlay magazines. He can be reached on Delphi as VIDGAMES (where he is sysop for the World of Video Games SIG), CompuServe at 70007,3554 or GEnie at VIDGAME. ======================================================================= Z*NET USER OFFER - FOREM DISCOUNT COUPON ---------------------------------------- Clip Out And Print Off ======================================================================= (clip here) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *-*-*-*-* Special Discount Coupon Offer *-*-*-*-* For a limited time only you may use this special coupon order form to obtain your copy of the world's leading Atari ST BBS program. This offer expires September 15th 1991. To use this coupon just print this portion of this weeks Z*Net Online, fill out and mail. $10.00 off the regular price of FoReM ST with this coupon only!! Regularly $79.95 including shipping, only $69.95 with this offer. Your Name ____________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip _______________________________________________ Your voice phone _____________________________________________ Your BBS Name ______________________________________________ Mail completed coupon with $69.95 to: Stephen Rider 20 Cargill Ave Worcester MA 01610 Orders must be postmarked no later than 9/15/91 *-*-*-*-* Special Discount Coupon Offer *-*-*-*-* Z*NET ONLINE - 08319136 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (clip here) ======================================================================= SOFT-LOGIK UPGRADES PAGESTREAM 2.1 SLM804 PRINTER DRIVER --------------------- by Vernon W. Smith ACE of Syracuse Newsletter Contributing Editor ======================================================================= Soft-Logik Publishing, 11131F S. Towne Sq., St. Louis, MO 63123 (314/894-8608) has upgraded its printer driver for the Atari SLM804 Laser Printer. The new driver corrects two problems which I reported in earlier review articles about PageStream 2.1: 1. The squiggled type 1/8th inch deep which occurred about 1/2 inch from the top of all pages printed after the first page. This squiggle occurred in all programs used on the ST after one page had been printed on the SLM804 from PageStream 2.1. The only solution with the old driver was to turn the printer off and on before printing the next page or to widen the margin at the top of the page to bring the first line of type below the squiggle area. 2. The inability to print from UltraScript. If one page had been printed to the SLM804 printer, any subsequent pages printed to disk as PostScript files would invoke an error message in UltraScript. The only solution was to turn the printer off an on before using the UltraScript program to print the PostScript disk files. I notified Soft-Logik of these problems Monday, July 15 and I received the corrected printer driver Saturday, August 24. It is nice to know that Soft-Logik continues to provide backup support for PageStream 2.1 as it has done for earlier versions of the program. In preparing an article for the ACE of Syracuse September/October Newsletter, I have found improvements in the graphics import capabilities of PageStream 2.1 over 1.8. GEM files which would not import to 1.8 properly (they either produced random lines or exploded into parts on the 1.8 screen), now come into PageStream 2.1 correctly. I have imported GEM files from EasyDraw, GEMDraw, and Calamus clip art collections. PostScript EPS files which can only be printed out with a PostScript printer or with UltraScript import correctly to PageStream 2.1 and look fine when printed out with UltraScript. Macintosh MacPaint pictures transferred to the ST as MAC extender files import to PageStream 2.1 in full depth (twice the depth of a normal ST screen) and print out completely. I continue to be impressed with the way in which Soft-Logik has qualitatively improved PageStream not only by adding new features but by smoothing out the operation of old ones. ======================================================================= TRACKER/ST UPDATE ----------------- Press Release ======================================================================= Tracker/ST and MultiGem: A Tiny Update I wanted to let Tracker/ST owners know that we have made Tracker/ST just a little more MultiGem compatible. As it is, all versions of Tracker/ST run perfectly with MultiGem. Depending on how much memory you have, you can run Tracker/ST along with your favorite telecommunications program, desktop publishing program, and so on, switching between them with just a single mouse click. The only problem is that since Tracker/ST does not allow you to resize the window, accessing your other applications is a bit more difficult than it need be (you must use the Accessory Menu Bar). We will send a new version of Tracker/ST to any registered owner of our program who also owns MultiGem and wants to be able to resize their Tracker/ST screen. No other changes have been made to Tracker/ST, and this update is really very minor. To receive your new version of Tracker/ST just send a check or money order for $3.00 (to cover our mailing and disk costs) to us at the address in the Tracker/ST manual. If you have not registered your copy of Tracker/ST you must include your registration card at the same time. If you have any version below 2.5, you must sent $7.50 instead of $3.00, as that is our update fee to upgrade to version 2.5. I hope this is clear. It is a very small update, but since MultiGem is apparently selling quite well, I wanted to make this offer to any new MultiGem owners. For more information about Tracker/ST, the leading Atari mailing list/ mail merge program, contact Step Ahead Software at 212-627-5830. --Nevin Shalit Step Ahead Software, Inc. ======================================================================= MODEMS - THE BEST CHOICE ------------------------ from Intersect Software via CompuServe AtariPro Forum ======================================================================= Ready to buy your first modem or upgrading? The following paper tries to explain BRIEFLY about the various choices available. In order of cost, least to most: 1200 Hayes Compatible (Atari has a sale on this) $39.00 2400 Hayes Compatible (This is the most common choice) $89.00 2400+ Hayes Compatible (This modem has MNP5) $120.00 9600 Hayes Compatible (V.32 MNP5 V.42 V.42bis) $350.00 The above prices are as of 08/23/91 and may be more or less at your local dealer. The modems are all External and don't include a RS-232 cable (average cost $8.00) or communications software. Your choice will depend on your pocketbook and what you intend to use it for. Your online time will be less, of course, with the faster modems (more cost). If you do a lot of long distance BBS'ing then your best buy in the long run would be the 9600 baud modem provided that the BBS you call supports it with one of their own. (9600 baud modems just came down in price about $100 and we expect to see more of them installed in BBS systems over the standard 2400 baud modems) If you plan to connect to systems using higher level terminal emulations like VT-100 thru VT-300 or GUI interfaces (Graphical User Interface) you would be advised to purchase a modem with error correction. Transmission Errors can severely affect one of these types of terminal emulations. Line noise and data error when telecomputing are quite common so a special modem is necessary, a modem with ERROR CORRECTION built in. Several types are available; MNP (Microcom networking Protocol) and V.42. Almost all nodes for Genie and Compuserve are now supported by MNP level 4 modems. These provide error free communications when two such modems are connected to each other. One would almost think <grin> that they have something planned for the future in the way of GUI interfaces. MNP level 5 provides data compression as well as error correction. With uncompressed files or ASCII transfers you can usually get a 2:1 compression ratio or an effective transfer rate twice the connect rate. For example at 2400 baud your transfer rate could approach 4800 baud. V.42 is an International error correction protocol and is found in the more expensive modems. In any case it's a better and more expensive protocol than MNP4. Usually the more expensive 9600 baud modems have both MNP and V.42 support. V.42bis is an International error correction (V.42) and data compression protocol that provides 4:1 compression on uncompressed data. With ascii or uncompresed files you can get an effective (best case) transfer rate of four times your connect rate or 38,400 baud. Very few computers are capable of transfers over the RS-232 port at 38,400 baud. The ST sure isn't and most 386 and 486 PC's can't either (note: one of the TT's Rs-232 ports can transfer at 91000 baud). For now it's kind of wasted except where your modem falls back to a lower speed because of bad telephone line conditions and your modem carrier is at 2400 instead of 9600 baud. In this case you are still transferring data at an effective rate of 9600 baud when using V.42bis. V.32 is an International standard for 9600 baud modems. In the USA 1200 and 2400 modems are pretty standard but if you are really using the long distance phone lines and calling Europe you may have a problem connecting. There are several standards in Europe that US modems can't connect to unless they support those standards. Most 9600 baud modems support both US and European telecommunication standards. When two modems are connected to each other over the phone line the first thing they have to do is to talk to each other to find out what speed (baud rate) or error correction and Compression protocols they have in common (so they can be used). This is the warbling computer associated tone you hear upon connecting with the other modem. With a 9600 baud modem a try at communication at 9600 baud is attempted. If the correct answering tone isn't received in a few seconds or is corrupted (bad phone line) a 2400 baud tone is generated/sent. This is called fall back. If connection can't be made at 2400 baud then a fall back to 1200 baud takes place. Once the modems establish a common carrier speed the 9600 baud modem tries to establish a common error correction/compression protocol. Starting with V.42bis falling back to v.42 then MNP5 then MNP4 through MNP1. Another nice feature of the 2400+ and 9600 baud modems is that they Auto baud detect and convert the carrier speed to a fixed Rs-232 speed. You can leave your Rs-232 speed at 19,200 and the modem takes care of the rest. You no longer have to watch for the connect speed and change your RS-232 settings. **************************************** In summary if you plan on buying a 9600 baud modem make sure it supports the following: V.32, V.42bis, V.42, MNP 5 Or if a 2400 baud modem connected to a UNIX or other Mainframe then by all means get the 2400+ modem with MNP error correction. If just hobbying over the phone line and the wife controls the purse strings <grin> then the Atari 1200 baud modem is probably the only one she will let you buy....but try for the 9600 baud, tell her that you will really be saving money by reducing your on-line (long distance) time <grin>. ======================================================================= TX2 FORMAT EXPLAINED -------------------- Copyright (c) 1991 David Holmes GEnie: D.HOLMES14 ======================================================================= This file will describe the complete TX2 format. You can read this just out of curiousity, or if you want to add TX2 support to your programs. All new TX2 files should be level 4. Levels 2 and 3 were used in the old shareware version of the TX2 File Viewer. Following are the codes for level 4 files, followed by the changes that were made from levels 2 and 3. The codes will be listed as hex, preceded with a dolar sign. Every TX2 file starts with a header. The first byte must be $14. The second byte indicates the level of the file. Level 4 files use $04. This is followed by a carriage return and line feed ($0D0A), as every line should. Evey line which contains any TX2 code must start with a null ($00). If not present, the program will ignore any codes that might appear on that line. $01 Color 1 (not used very often) $02 Color 2 $03 Color 3 $04 Bold $05 Light $06 Italics $14 Double Size $1402 Half Size $16 Underline $1E Outline Each of the above is a toggle. The first time it apears will turn it on; the next time will turn it off. Note: If the code for italics ($06) comes before an underline character, the "_" will not be printed. This is because most people use this character to represent italics when in plain text mode. A very important code is $10. This signifies that there are no more codes on the line, so the program can blit the rest of it very quickly. This also turns off all of the special effects except different colors. (Note: the TX2 Editor does not use this code.) $0F is the ignore code. If found, the program will ignore the rest of the text on the line, and not print it. $1102, $1103, $1104, $2002, $2003, and $2004 are codes reserved for GEnie Lamp magazine. They are for the titles and Quick_Quotes that appear within this online magzine. $12 is for a divider. It was designed for GEnie Lamp, but can be used elsewhere. It is a small design (about 50 pixels wide) meant to separate sections. It also signifies the end of a line. $13 is for a line. It is a thick (shadowed in color) line meant to be used in place of "------------", etc. The first $13 indicates the start of the line; the second is for the end. Make sure that you end the line before the next carriage return; otherwise, you can create problems. $1C if for a full external picture. It is followed by the number of the picture to be displayed, using the translation table (see below). In the text, the program will create a small [** PICTURE **] icon. By pressing [P], the picture will be called up. (See the section on the index below for more information.) $17 is for an integrated picture. This is followed by the number of the picture to be used, using the translation table. The next code is the line of the picture to be displayed, also using the translation table. That's it for the codes. The translation table is used to number items without using displayable codes. They are as follows: 1 $02 2 $03 3 $04 4 $05 5 $06 6 $0E 7 $0F 8 $10 9 $11 10 $12 11 $13 12 $14 13 $16 The program only allows for up to 13 of each type of picture. However, integrated pictures can use more than 13 lines. For numbers beyond 13, they use $17 plus the table all over again. Simply add the 13 to the next code. For example, $1706 is the code for line #18. These are all of the codes that would appear within a TX2 file. There is also a separate index file, which has the same filename, except with the ".IDX" extension. If contains a list of sections, plus filenames of pictures to be added to the text. If there are no pictures, the first line only contains the number of items in the index. Then, each following line contains the section name, enclosed in quotation marks (". . ."), followed by a comma, followed by the line on which the section starts in the file. If there are pictures, then it is a little more complicated. The first line must contain the string, "PICS", no quotes. The next line contains four numbers, separated by commas. They are number of external pictures, number of integrated pictures, number of clipped DEGAS pictures, and the last one is reserved for future use. Then, list the filenames of all of the pictures. External pictures are full-sized NEO or DEGAS (compressed or uncompressed) pictures. List these first, if there are any. If there is more than one picture for different resolutions, use "x" and "y" (note lowercase) in place of the "1," "2," or "3." An "x" means that there is a picture for medium and high resolution. A "y" means that there is a picture for low and high resolution. (see example at end of section.) Integrated pictures are those stored in the GFA BASIC PUT format. These take the extension "PTM" for medium resoltion, and "PTH" for high resolution. You can also use the "x" to indicate that a picture is available in more than one resolution. Clipped DEGAS pictures aren't used much, but they are useful for compressing integrated pictures. List the filename, followed by the width and length of the area to be clipped. (The picture must start at the 0,0 coordinate.) For example, "PICTURE.PCx,100,50". Here is an example of an actual index file taken from issue #2.23 of GEnie Lamp magazine. (Comments as shown cannot be included.) PICS ; required string 8,5,0,0 ; there are eight full pics and five integrated ones MODEM2.PIy ; this picture works in high and low resolutions MODEM3.PIy FIGURE1.PI3 ; this picture only works in high resolution FIGURE2.PI3 FIGURE3.PI3 FIGURE4.PI3 FIGURE5.PI3 FIGURE6.PI3 GELMP.PTx ; this integrated picture works in high and medium resolutions LGSMAIN.PTx LGSPATH.PTx LGSINFO.PTx TECHNOL.PTx 17 ; there are seventeen sections "TOP",2 ; name of sections is in quotes, followed by the staring line "FROM MY DESKTOP",93 ; note: 2 should be added to any starting line "SYSOP'S CORNER",182 "HEY MISTER POSTMAN",331 "HUMOR ONLINE",928 "DEALER VIEWPOINT",1045 "MEL'S MANOR",1222 "ATARI_QWIK_TIPS ",1452 "PD_QUICKVIEW ST",1555 "THE ONLINE LIBRARY",1672 "TELETALK ONLINE",1929 "ST ALADDIN ONLINE",2062 "GEnie Online",2314 "HACK'N ATARI",2592 "OFF THE RECORD",2906 "ST ELSEWHERE",2990 "LOG OFF",3067 If you have any questions on anything mentioned in this file, please let me know at "David Holmes, 13124 Rose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066- 2223". Or, send E-Mail on GEnie to [D.HOLMES14]. I am willing to work with you to get TX2 supported in other programs. ABOUT LEVEL 2 AND 3 FILES Level 2 and 3 files had a few differences. First, level two files started with $1402, and level three files started with $140303. The two are identical in every way except that level three files support an index, while level two files don't. In these files, lines with codes either started with $00 or $0000+ another code. The double null signified to search for the following character. For example, $00 $00 $06 This is a test of $06_italics$06_$10... This was replaced in level four files by an automatic search feature. Also, "lines" starting with $13 did not end with another $13, but rather a space, $20. Underline was $07 (but this rang the system bell). Integrated pictures used $1F. Quick_Quotes used $20, $22, and $23. The translation table used $0C for six, and everything else was moved up one. $14 followed by another would be 14 plus the other. ---------- Note: This format is in the public domain. Anyone may write a program which supports TX2 files to any extent without my permission. However, I would appreciate it if you would let me know. I am also available if you need any help understanding how it works. ---------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GENIE To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMPUSERVE To sign up for CompuServe service, call 800-848-8199. Ask for operator 198. You will be sent a $15.00 free membership kit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari and related computer community. Material contained in this edition may be reprinted without permission except where noted, unedited and containing the issue number, name and author included at the top of each article reprinted. Opinions presented are those of the individual author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of Z*Net Online. This publication is not affiliated with Atari Corporation. Z*Net, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net News Service are copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059. Voice (908) 968-2024, BBS (908) 968- 8148 at 2400/9600 Baud 24 hours a day. We can be reached on Compuserve at PPN 75300,1642 and on GEnie at address: Z-Net. FNET NODE 593 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Publicity: Four Corners Communications, 160 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, 10010 (212) 924-4735 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET Atari Online Magazine Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~