Floppyshop 2/Floppyshop - 2.zip/Floppyshop - 2.iso/diskmags/3565-4.665/dmg-3565/aeo11.txt

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                      ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE MAGAZINE

        August 8, 1992      Volume 1, Number 11      Issue #92-11

        Published and Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation
                     1972-1992 (20 Years Of Service)

    ~ Editor In-Chief......................................Ron Kovacs
    ~ Contributing Editor...................................Ed Krimen
    ~ Contributing Writer...................................Bob Smith
    ~ AtariUser Magazine Editor.............................John Nagy
    ~ Atari Corporation....................................Bob Brodie



                     | | |  TABLE OF CONTENTS  | | |

          |||  The Publisher's Workstation............Bob Brodie
               More Atari News!

          |||  The Editors Desk.......................Ron Kovacs
               Rumor Update - FNET

          |||  The Z*Net Newswire...............................
               Atari and Industry Update

          |||  GEnie News..........................Jeff Williams
               RT Conference Schedule

          |||  Epic Reviewed....................Andreas Barbiero
               Software review

          |||  Connecticut Atarifest 1992.......................
               Final update to next weeks event!

          |||  Line Noise: GEnie.......................Ed Krimen
               Messages and News from GEnie

          |||  The Joy Of Serial Cables................Bill Graf

          |||  The Joy Of Kids and Computers...........Bob Smith

          |||  The Mysterious TT................Andreas Barbiero
               Questions and commentary about the TT

          |||  AtariUser ST Boards..................John Lockard
               Listing of Atari ST boards around the world....



 | | |  THE PUBLISHER'S WORKSTATION
 | | |  by Bob Brodie, Director of Communications, Atari Corporation
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 This is an exciting time to be an Atarian!  This coming week will
 culminate all of the excitement that has been building since the CeBIT
 Show in March.  Atari gave the first public glances of the Falcon 030 in
 CeBIT, and has given a few private showings since then.  GEnie will host
 Sam Tramiel in a live online conference on Wedensday, August 12th.  Sam
 promises to give all the long awaited details on the Falcon in this
 conference.  Be sure to be there!!  If you're not a member of GEnie, we
 have GEnie sign up information at the end of this article.

 Sam will follow up on this conference with another live online
 conference the following night on Delphi.  This marks the first
 appearance by Sam on Delphi, and is eagerly looked forward to by the
 membership of the ST Advantage area there.  Between the two conferences,
 I'm confident that a large amount of information will be given to the
 userbase as the shipping of the Falcon comes closer.

 For those of you without access to either of these fine pay services,
 we'll be issuing transcripts of both conference in the FNET, via the
 Atari Explorer Online Conference.  We've added even more nodes to the
 conference, presently over 70 bbs's are participating in the fast
 growing AEO Conference!!  Contact me at Node 706 if you're interested in
 participating in the Atari Explorer Online Conference.

 This coming weekend is the 2nd Annual Connecticut Atarifest, being held
 this year in the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport in
 Hartford, CT.  I look forward to seeing all of our east coast Atarians
 at this show.  Show organizer Brian Gockley has been a tireless worker
 in getting this show moved up to the next level from last years small
 event.  I predict that this years show will serve as a launch pad to
 make the CT. Atarifest one of the premier shows in the US!  Over 40
 vendors have taken booth space in this show, and moving it from
 Bridgeport to Hartford places the show at a major airport for easy
 access, and makes it a step closer to the New England Atarians.

 Brian has gotten fabulous rates for attendees that are staying at the
 Sheraton, and the hotel is right next to the airport.  This all shapes
 up to making the show VERY attractive, for locals and out of towners
 alike.  Atari is providing show stock for a portion of this years event,
 making it even more attractive for developers to come to.  I'll be
 there, and giving at least one seminar as well.  Be sure to stop by and
 say hello!!!

 Since this show will follow so closely on the heels of Sam Tramiel's
 online conference, it's only natural to expect that the Falcon will be a
 hot topic of discussion at the show.  Please be sure to stop by and
 share your thoughts about this exciting new product with me.  I'm VERY
 excited about the Falcon!!  It will be wonderful to talk with each and
 every one of you about this fabulous new computer.

 The next week shapes up to be even more exciting.  On the heels of
 Atari's disclosure of the Falcon's specifications, comes the Duesseldorf
 Atari Messe.  This show promises to be a showcase for developers that
 have developed new applications designed to take advantage of the
 Falcon's capabilities.  Even Atari is expecting to have a few surprises
 presented to them by the developers that have been working feverishly on
 Falcon products.  Knowing that the machine is coming is terrific, but
 it's even better to be able to see new applications so quickly after the
 introduction of this new machine.  The Duesseldorf Atari Messe will be
 the beginning of our rollout of the Falcon to the Atari Community.

 Just as the Duesseldorf Atari Messe is the site of the Atari rollout of
 the Falcon, prepartions are underway for the rollout of the Falcon to
 the North American marketplace.  The North American rollout will
 commence at the Boston Computer Society, on September 23rd.  Atari is
 working closely with the BCS for this meeting.  Bob Grenoble of the BCS
 predicts that they will have close to 1,000 people in attendance at this
 user group meeting.  Since the New England Hall where the BCS meets only
 hold 600-700 people, BCS has made arrangements to have the presentation
 shown via video in an ajoining room.  We're very excited to be returning
 to the Boston Computer Society.  The last presentation we made there was
 in 1985, when the ST was launched.

 The next major Falcon presentaion will be at COMDEX, held in Las Vegas
 from November 16-20.  Atari has again secured a prime spot in the Sands
 Convention Center for this annual event.  While our plans are
 preliminary at this point, I expect to see a coming together of the
 developers and our exciting new hardware showcased at COMDEX.  Atari is
 VERY excited about this years COMDEX!  We have made special arrangements
 to obtain passes to this years event far in advance of the normal time.
 They are already in my office, and you may obtain your passes for COMDEX
 by writing to me via EMAIL or at the office in Sunnyvale.  These passes
 will allow you access to this trade only exhibiton for FREE, as special
 guests of Atari Corporation.  The passes are good for the entire
 exhibition, the entire week.  If you've ever wanted to attend this
 showcase of computing, this will be there year to do it!  Don't let the
 opportunity to utilize these free passes slip by!

 Atarians with musical inclinations should be certain to pickup the
 September issue of KEYBOARD Magazine.  There are a couple of articles in
 this issue of special interest to Atarians.  The Keyboard Clinic feature
 is "Just Say Notator" with a in depth article on this fine product from
 C-Lab.  This is part one of this particular clinc.  Keyboard indicates
 that they will pick up the rest of the clinic in a couple of months.
 Geoffrey Ryle, in his computers online column, gives great Atari
 coverage on the TT030 benefits in music.  Geoff also gives a well
 deserved plug to Warp 9, from CodeHead Technologies.

 With all these great things going on, it truly is a great time to be an
 Atarian!!!  I hope to see lots of you online this week on GEnie, our
 offical online service, for Sam Tramiels Conference.

 Thanks for reading Atari Explorer Online!!



 | | |  THE EDITORS DESK
 | | |  By Ron Kovacs
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Thanks for reading another edition of Atari Explorer Online Magazine.
 Contrary to rumors being released via ST Report Online Magazine this
 week and last, the Atari Explorer Online Conference is enjoying high
 productivity and healthy discussion.  There are over 75 FNET nodes
 carrying the conference along with future support for the AtariNet
 Network.  Stay tuned for further details.  If you are interested in
 getting the conference on your local BBS system, please send email in
 FNET to node 706 and request conference 20448.

 Z*Net PC Online Magazine was recently awarded the second runner up of
 the 1992 Quill Awards for Technical/News Online Magazine.  We are
 pleased to be recognized and appreciate the support from all those that
 votes for us.  The Quill Awards are presented by the DiskTop Publishing
 Association.  For more information on the DPA, read last week's edition
 of AEO.



 | | |  Z*NET NEWSWIRE
 | | |  Atari News and Industry Update
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 CONSUMER ALERT! - MAIL ORDER TT PURCHASERS CAUTIONED
 Atari's Director of Communications reports that he has recently had a
 number of complaints about a certain mail order firm based in Florida.
 It seems that this particular firm, which does not have authorization
 to purchase TT030's directly from Atari, has been taking orders AND
 PAYMENT of TT030s and TT030 monitors.  In one case, the user reporting
 this to Atari indicated that he had been awaiting delivery of a PTC1426
 monitor for TEN MONTHS after he had paid for it.  Another user purchased
 a TT030, and after demanding his money be returned, was given a number
 of *bad checks* before finally settling for a portion of his money back,
 and a Mega STE.  Atari's legal department will be advised of this
 situation, and their advice sought.  Atari has ample stock of TT030's
 and TTM-195 monitors.  They are no longer carrying the PTC1426 monitor.
 If you are buying mail order, please be certain that you are purchasing
 your TT from an authorized Atari dealer.  If you're wary, ask if the
 dealer will ship COD.


 MAXWELL MOVES EAST
 Maxwell C.P.U., the developers of Silhouette, Fractal Fantasy, Expose
 and Megstenders, have moved east.  Having resided in Colorado for the
 past four years, Maxwell has moved to  Maryland for professional
 reasons - jobs.   Moving to Maryland is offering some great
 opportunities for Maxwell.  While having resided here only 3 weeks,
 they have already participated in two Atari shows and are preparing to
 display at the Connecticut and WAACE shows.  Furthermore, there is an
 abundance of Atari dealers in this area not the least of which is Toad
 Computers.  Maxwell CPU, 1533 Meyer's Station Rd., Odenton, MD 21113,
 Phone: [phone].


 GXR SYSTEMS CHANGES NAME - From Email
 Please be advised that I have changed my GEnie address from the long-
 suffering <R.GRANT11> to the new, improved, <GXR.SYSTEMS>.  Without the
 brackets, of course.  Mail addressed to R.GRANT11 will still reach me,
 but as of August 31, 1992, the address will list as Not Available or
 something...in other words, the account will be closed.  I'm still
 active on GEnie, of course (though not as vociferous as I used to be),
 but the name change reflects the fact that my computer pursuits are
 becoming more and more a professional activity, and since the business
 pays the VISA bill......well, time to hang up the numbered moniker.


 APPLE'S SUIT NOT RECONSIDERED!
 A federal judge has decided that he will not reconsider most of Apple
 Computer's copyright infringement suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-
 Packard that he had previously thrown out.  The core of Apple's four-
 year-old suit sought copyright infringement damages from Microsoft's
 operating system and Hewlett's New Wave software, which give the basic
 commands for personal computers. Apple claims the graphical interfaces
 in those programs infringed on Apple's visual displays for its Apple
 Macintosh personal computer.  Walker had thrown out most of Apple's case
 earlier this year, but agreed on May 12 to an Apple request to
 reconsider his ruling based on additional information.  Apple had been
 seeking $5.55 billion in damages from Microsoft, which dominates the
 computer software industry.


 DISNEY AND ELECTRONIC ARTS FORM ALLIANCE WITH FUTUREKIDS
 Walt Disney Computer Software and Electronic Arts have formed separate
 marketing alliances with FUTUREKIDS, the world's largest chain of
 children's computer schools.  FUTUREKIDS ia a privately held company
 based in Los Angeles, and operates 152 franchised learning centers and
 provides instruction in approximately 1,200 locations throughout the
 United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia and Indonesia.


 XEROX RECEIVES TOP HONORS
 Xerox took high honors as its copiers topped a national user preference
 survey administered by an independent research firm.  The Xerox 5090
 duplicator and the 5065 work-group copier have been named gold medalists
 in their respective classes in the Summer 1992 issue of "Hanson's
 Guidelines."  "Hanson's Guidelines," an industry rating guide published
 by Perceptual Evaluations, and is the copier industry's recognized
 authority in ranking copier performance based on user preference.
 Perceptual Evaluations is based in Setauket, N.Y.


 HOUSE PASSES BILL
 The US House gave final congressional approval this week to a measure
 that attempts to further curb "indecent" television and radio
 programming.  The bill would direct the FCC to extend to midnight its
 current 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. ban on such programs.  The amendment, sponsored
 by Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., was adopted by the Senate without debate.
 Previous efforts to restrict programming on commercial television and
 radio, such as a 1988 amendment by Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., have been
 overturned by the federal courts, and Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.,
 predicted the same fate for the Byrd amendment.  The House, by voice
 vote, approved the Senate changes in the bill and sent it on to the
 White House for President Bush's expected signature.


 NOT VERY INNERPRIS-ING
 Battle Squadron will not be appearing for the ST any time soon.
 Innerprise US has decided to drop the ST altogether.  Some of you might
 remember them changing their minds about releasing Sword Of Sodan a few
 months back.  Battle Squadron was the only other thing in the works for
 the ST.  Both of those games are out on the Amiga and Genesis, and
 they're not exactly blockbusters, but still, it's always annoying to see
 somebody drop us again.  - From August 1992 ST Gamers Digest


 MICROPROSE KNUCKLES UNDER
 Proof positive that letter-writing campaigns do work!  Microprose UK was
 deluged with letters from ST gamers who wanted to play Civilization on
 their machines, so they gave in.  Look for Civilization sometime around
 October '92, 1 meg required.  - From August 1992 ST Gamers Digest


 MARC FEST 1992
 The Midwest Atari Regional Council, a coalition of Midwestern users
 groups, will present MARC Fest '92 at 7pm on August 11, 1992 in
 Collinsville, IL, just east of St. Louis.  The event will feature
 speakers D.A. Brumleve, a developer of commercial software for children
 and an astute observer of the Atari scene, and Ron Robinson, a frequent
 contributor to various ST-related magazines who is currently on the
 staff of Atari Advantage.  A swapmeet will round out the evening's
 activities, and participants are encouraged to bring their software and
 hardware cast-offs.  MARC Fest '92 will be held in the Collinsville
 Quality Inn at the intersection of I-55/70 and Illinois Route 157.
 Please contact David Pintar of EAUG (East Alton, IL) at 618 345 5979 for
 further information.



 | | |  GENIE NEWS
 | | |  By Jeff Williams
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 This is a brief note to let you know about some of① the exciting
 Realtime Conferences coming up in the next several weeks in the ST
 Roundtable on GEnie.

 On Monday, August 10th, ABC Solutions will be on hand to talk about
 Publisher 2, the first major upgrade to the Timeworks Desktop Publishing
 application.  Publisher 2 is NOT the same old DTP program anymore.

 On Wednesday, August 12th, we will have Sam Tramiel (President of Atari
 Corporation) as our special guest.  Mr. Tramiel will be giving all of us
 the first official preview of Atari's new Falcon 68030-based computer
 system!  You will get to hear directly from Atari all about the machine
 that has Atari, Atari developers, and Atari users so excited.  Please
 come and get you own questions answered by Sam Tramiel.

 This will be a busy conference with a lot of people eager to ask their
 questions.  In order to accommodate as many of you as possible, I'll be
 asking each guest to ask only one question during each of their turns.
 But you can have as many turns as we have time to allow.

 On the following week, Wednesday, August 19th, meet and greet the new
 publisher of Atari Advantage Magazine, Neal Symms.  With the former
 publishers of Atari Explorer moving over to Atari Explorer magazine,
 subscribers to Atari Advantage will be happy to know that the magazine
 will continue.  Publisher Neal Symms will let us know all about his
 plans for Atari Advantage.

 Further down the road, on Wednesday, September 3rd, we'll① have the Fair
 Dinkum Software Realtime Conference.  Fair Dinkum will be announcing a
 new product to their line of Atari software offerings, so don't miss
 this one.

 All of these conferences begin at 10:00 pm Eastern time.

 And join us on our regular informal conferences each Monday (DTP) and
 Wednesday (ST General Interest) at 10:00 pm Eastern.  For folks needing
 general or specific help with getting the most out of GEnie, the ST
 Roundtable, and your Atari computer, stop by on Sunday evenings at 7:00
 pm Eastern for the ST Help Desk RTC.

 I hope to see you soon!

 Regards,
 Jeff Williams
 Atari ST Roundtable



 | | |  EPIC -- A SCI-FI EXTRAVAGANZA
 | | |  By Andreas Barbiero
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 "A legend is born, a supremely advanced one-man starfighter of awesome
 destructive capabilities that, in the right hands will wreak havoc
 amongst inter-galactic transgressors - that legend is EPIC."

 That's what the box says.  Is it true? Is this a game that actually
 lives up to the hype on the packaging?  Yes, and no.  EPIC is one of the
 rare games that isnt so much a game as it is a simulator of what it
 actually would be like to do what the game is about.  Some games only
 remotely let you feel like you are really doing whatever it is you are
 supposed to be doing.  Killing aliens is one of the oldest scenarios in
 the blasting pixels genre, and on the movie screen too.  This game
 bridges the two nicely.  From the moment you boot up the first disk and
 the credits scroll by like in a feature film, to the first strains of
 the "Mars, bringer of War" soundtrack, you get the feeling that you are
 sitting in a darkened room with a twenty foot high screen in front of
 you.  But this is more than a $45 graphics demo.  YOU are the hero, and
 the game lets you know it in no uncertain terms.

 The game revolves loosely around the old "Battlestar Galactica" TV show.
 The human race is forced to bridge vast distances of the galaxy to avoid
 certain doom, not from the Cylons this time, but from the Rexxon Empire.
 The local sun is about to go super-nova, which will eliminate the entire
 human populated area of the galaxy, and humankind is forced to remove
 itself to Ulysees 7, some 260 light years away from the eventual
 supernova.  The manual goes into some detail about how this is to happen
 and how Man undertakes this huge adventure. (dare I say 'epic'? Naw...)
 And the entry screens show it in stunning 3D vector animation, the likes
 of which have never been paired up with a game this good.  So, to make a
 long story short (and it is a LONG story) you are the pilot of one of
 three Epic starfighters, leading the rest of the fleet into battle.

 There are eight scenarios which are smoothly linked with animated segues
 which contain sights of the battle fleets, aliens talking (a kind of
 'third person' movie scene) and your EPIC ship doing victory rolls, with
 other fighter craft being launched in the background.  Some of these are
 'SOLO' missions, fighting through mine fields, striking deep into the
 heart of enemy camps, the basic Star Wars type stuff.  Enemy fighters
 move with almost intelligent tactics, the feeling of actually flying
 around a fleet in the big battle scenes is stunning.  You see other
 friendly fighters battling and dying around you, as you hunt down enemy
 ships with one eye on the weapons display and one eye on the ever
 present timer, ticking off the seconds till the scenario has gone too
 long.  Another counter ticks off the percentages of the mission
 completion.  This is the real enemy in some missions; getting, finding,
 killing enough to complete the mission in time, is more deadly than any
 of the shooting kind.

 You might think that I am speaking like one who is in love with this
 game, yes I am.  BUT (there is always a BUT) there are a few problems
 with this program.  The controls are a bit touchy.  I found the mouse to
 be the best, the program requires one hand on the keyboard and the arrow
 keys won't let you line up the computer sights accurately enough.  The
 manual, while wordy (and interesting enough) doesn't tell you the first
 thing about flying your ship.  In the first mission you have to blow
 away the single enemy fighter and enough mines to get the counter to
 100%.  Then you have to fly towards the planet till the 100% turns red,
 otherwise you are standing (floating) around while the game tells you
 that you have lost.  There is really nothing out there that can KILL
 you.

 Refueling is accomplished by either capturing a fuel ship in the battle
 area, which is almost impossible, or by pressing ENTER on the keypad.
 This also gives you full access to the complete panoply of weapons, and
 recharges the shield.  There is no real way to capture the fuel scoops
 in the missions (this is also not mentioned in any way HOW to do it in
 the manual) and meet the timing deadline, so the enter key it is.  Once
 you master the weapons (I recommend using photon 4) just shooting enough
 enemy spacecraft or buildings is all you need.  In this way the game
 fails, while the feeling of flying and fighting it excellent, swapping
 weapon control is awkward with only the return key to scroll through
 them, a function key for each one would be better.  And without the
 threat of imminent death, even from the elite forces of the enemy, the
 brooding tension of game play loses a bit.

 The sounds are excellent, the graphics are wonderfully smooth, clean and
 fast.  Game play is good, except for the aforementioned defects, and
 Ocean gets an A+ for mood.  But (there is that 'but' again) a little more
 sense of mortal danger would be better.  I appreciate a game that
 requires thought rather than a manic joystick, but there are a few more
 things to pound out to really ice the cake.  I give it an overall 92 out
 of 100.  If you would rather play a game that has a bit of thought
 behind it, and would like to play a simulation of what a starfighter
 might actually be like, this is it.  I recommend it highly.  Consider
 this the trainer for whatever magic Ocean has in store for us to follow
 up.  It's great but it can only get better!!!

 This article may be reprinted as long as it appears in its entirety and
 with this message. (c) Andreas Barbiero Originally printed in the BAAUG
 newsletter.  3691 Eastwood Circle, Santa Clara, CA 95054  BBS- 408-986-
 0215



 | | |  CONNECTICUT ATARIFEST '92 - SHOW UPDATE
 | | |  Final News and Update
 | | |  --------------------------------------------------------------


 More exhibitors have added their names to the list of hardware
 manufacturers, software developers, retail dealers and regional Atari
 user groups that plan to participate in Connecticut AtariFest '92 on
 August 15 and 16.

 The show, sponsored by the ACT Atari Group and several user groups
 throughout the Northeast in cooperation with Atari Corporation, will
 be staged at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport in
 nearby Windsor Locks, Conn.

 The following exhibitors and demonstrators plan to participate:

 ABC Solutions
 Publisher ST2, First Word, First Graph, tbxCAD, Kuma's KSpread4/Lite.

 American Radio Relay League
 Learn about operating a phone-less BBS, how to send and receive faxes
 and files via HAM radio.

 Application & Design Software
 Universal Item Selector, Universal NETwork, networking consultation and
 affiliate of MacDonald Associates, publisher of ST Informer.

 Atari Computer Corporation
 Where it all started, evolving from 'Pong' to a 'Power Without the
 Price' company.  Desktop publishing, MIDI, Portfolio and Lynx
 specialties.  Falcon is next.

 Atari Interface Magazine
 Flagship monthly of Unicorn Publications that is by, for and about
 official Atari user groups throughout the world and their computers.

 BaggettaWare
 Educator Albert Baggetta demonstrates children's drawing programs and
 assists in a desktop publishing experiment as we create a newsletter
 at the show.

 Barefoot Software (Hybrid Arts)
 Producers of Genedit, Easy Score, SMPTE Track, SMPTE Mate, MIDI Plexor
 Ludwig; music software.

 Branch Always Software
 Emulation specialist and creator of GEMulator (ST-to-PC operation),
 8-bit, Apple emulators and cables.

 CodeHead Software
 Midi Spy, TOS Extension Card, Megapaint II Pro, Hot-wire, G+Plus,
 LookIt/PopIt, etc.

 Compo Software
 Publisher of That's Write, Write On, CompoScript and C-Font software
 packages.

 Computers Etc.
 Atari dealership of Fairfield, Connecticut.  Carries full ST/TT/Mega/
 Portfolio lines.  CAF '91 co-sponsor.

 Computers a la Carte
 Lawrence, Mass., computer dealer with extensive line of SCSI drives,
 external modems and peripherals.

 Derric Electronics
 Hamden, Conn., dealer with discounted Atari products, printers,
 monitors, modems, laptops, supplies, etc.

 East Hartford Computer Repair
 How-to demonstration by repair/upgrade expert focuses on memory &
 speed upgrades for 8- and 16-bit Ataris.  Some on-the-spot upgrades by
 appointment.

 GEnie
 General Electric's online subscription service with many Atari
 Roundtables, restructured bulletin boards, niches for every interest.

 Goldleaf Publishing
 Creators of Wordflair, distributors of Retouche, Didot Line Art and
 the Image Speeder System.

 Golf in Connecticut
 Author-programmer Brian Harvey explains how he used Calamus & dbMAN
 programs to publish and market his own golfing guide.

 Gribnif
 NeoDesk, STalker, STeno, CardFile, X-Boot, Arabesque Professional and
 Convector Professional and leading importer of Atari software.

 ICD
 Hard drive systems, host adapters, accelerator boards and software for
 ST/TT.  Provides tech support on GEnie with 'ICD' at page prompt.

 Joppa Software
 Maker of STraight FAX! which turns ST into send/receive FAX machine,
 and drivers for FAX use from Calamus, Pagestream and GDOS programs.

 KMT Computers
 Full-service computer store with offices in Connecticut and
 Massachusetts.

 LaSalle Music & Sound
 One of the premier Hartford area music centers, LaSalle is also the
 newest Atari dealer in Connecticut.

 Maxwell CPU
 Expose, Fractal Fantasy and Silhouette, a bit-image and vector
 graphics drawing program that now uses FSMGDOS and supports 19"
 monitor.

 Megatype Software
 Creator of font creation/conversion programs like Font Designer,
 Bitmaker and Fontverter.  Maintains hand-crafted PageStream and
 Calamus font libraries.

 PLI
 Black hard drives, removable cartridge drives, 3.5" optical drives
 storing 120 MB of data per cartridge & more.

 Pro Musica / Oktal
 New England sales representatives for Atari, Oktal and other top
 companies.

 SKWare
 Makers of the Seurat paint program and Colorscan.

 Soft-Logik Publishing
 PageStream 2.2, popular desktop publishing system for ST/STe/TT.
 Typeface library boasts 600 PostScript Type 1 fonts, lots of graphics.

 Step Ahead Software
 Tracker/ST 3.0, a sophisticated package featuring address book, mail
 merge and label printing.  Nevin Shalit, GEnie Pagestream RT Sysop &
 president of IAAD, to demonstrate.

 Steinberg/Jones
 What desktop publishing systems do for text, Cubase does for music.
 Compose, read, write, tape and control instruments with Cubase & MIDI.

 Taylor Ridge Books
 Publisher of Clayton Walnum's C-Manship Complete! and his recently-
 released ST Assembly Language Workshop, Vol 1. GEM Program due out
 soon.

 Thin Air Labs
 Demonstrations by BJ Gleason, author of over 100 utilities for the
 Portfolio including PBASIC 4.9, FTMENU and PREAD.

 Toad Computers
 Toadfile hard drives and accessories for Ataris.  Makes Little Toad
 20MB hard drive for light use.

 Wizztronics
 Designer of The Cartridge Port expander, which allows for the
 installation of multiple cartridge devices.

 The following groups will display home-grown user talents through
 intriguing demonstrations and will provide show goers hands-on
 assistance:

 ASTMUM .................................. Montreal, PQ
 AUGOGH .................................. Hartford, CT
 BCS ..................................... Boston, MA
 BASIC ................................... Brooklyn, NY
 CCCC .................................... Central Connecticut
 DBUG .................................... Danbury, CT
 FACE .................................... Fairfield, CT
 LIAUG ................................... Long Island, NY
 MACH1 ................................... Vernon, CT
 NAACC ................................... North Attleboro, MA
 NVACUS .................................. Nashua Valley,
 STARR ................................... New Haven, CT
 SAAUG ................................... Scranton, PA
 SSAG .................................... South Shore/Boston, MA
 WACO .................................... Westmoreland, PA
 WMAUG ................................... Western Massachusetts

 Other Atari developers, dealers, technical experts and speakers who
 plan to appear but have not signed final agreements will be listed in
 updates the week of August 10 to 15.  Ticket prices: $5 one day, $8
 both days.

 ATARIFEST DINNER TO INCLUDE FAMILIAR MUSICIANS

 Connecticut AtariFest '92 will present an "AtariFeast" Saturday August
 15 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport.  In fact,
 when the curtain comes down at the end of the first day of the
 computer show, several activities will continue through the night.

 Registration for the event in the Windsor Locks, Connecticut, hotel
 will take place both days between 9 and 10 a.m., when the main
 ballroom doors open for business.  Visitors to the AtariFest will have
 until 5:30 p.m. to do their window shopping, select some bargains and
 take in the many seminars scheduled.  The ballroom doors will close
 for the night at 6 p.m.

 That much of the schedule is identical for August 15 and 16.

 On Saturday, visitors are invited to a 6 p.m. cocktail reception (cash
 bar) in the mezzanine foyer of the hotel, right outside Amelia's
 lounge.  The hour-long get-together will be followed by a special
 dinner-dance in the club, which overlooks the airport terminal.

 The dinner-dance will feature a deli buffet and entertainment provided
 by professional musicians.  The dinner menu will include: soup of the
 day; two specialty salads; platters of cold roast beef, ham, turkey,
 salami, Swiss and New York cheddar cheese; sliced tomatoes, lettuce,
 gherkins, olives; assorted breads and rolls; dessert of the day and
 coffee.  A cash bar will be operated by Amelia's staff.

 Between 9 p.m. and midnight, names well known in Atari circles will
 take to the bandstand to show another facet of their talents, and to
 provide the live entertainment.  Professional musicians John
 Jainschigg and Peter Donoso of Jainschigg Communications and former
 editors of Atari Explorer Magazine will join Fadi Hayek of Sam Ash
 Music Stores to offer sounds hot off the MIDI.  During the buffet,
 recorded electronic works performed by Atari user-musicians will be
 played for your listening pleasure.  JD&H have invited other Atari
 musicians on the scene to join them for an informal "jam session"
 during the evening.

 The cost of the buffet dinner-dance is $25 per person.  Those planning
 to attend should make reservations as soon as possible because of the
 limited seating available.  Tickets will be sold at the registration
 desk or door only if any are unsold the morning of the dinner-dance.

   U S E R   G R O U P   D I S C O U N T  --  L A S T   C H A N C E ! !

 If you're a member of one of the following Atari User Groups, you're
 entitled to a $1 discount when you attend Connecticut AtariFest '92.
 The following PARTICIPATING user groups plan to exhibit their skills,
 software libraries, hardware and other resources at the show.  Every
 member of these groups will be given $1 off the price of a single-day
 ticket, if they are part of the member list submitted to Connecticut
 AtariFest by an authorized club official.  User group officers should
 send a club roster to show officials who must receive it no later than
 August 10, 1992.  The following groups are eligible:

 ASTMUM - Montreal, Canada             AUGOGH - Hartford, Connecticut
 Boston Computer Society (Atari)       BASIC - Brooklyn, New York
 Central Connecticut Computer Club     D-BUG - Danbury, Connecticut
 FACE - Fairfield County (Conn.)       LIAUG - Long Island, New York
 MACH1 - Vernon, Connecticut           NAACC - North Attleboro, Mass.
 NVACUS - Nashau Valley, Mass.         STARR - New Haven, Connecticut
 SAAUG - Scranton, Pennsylvania        SSAG - South Shore (Boston Area)
 WACO - Westmoreland, Pennsylvania     WMAUG - Western Massachusetts

 If you belong to one of these PARTICIPATING USER GROUPS, make your
 membership work for you.  Ask your User Group president, vice-
 president, secretary or membership director to send us a valid
 membership roster immediately.  When you check in at CONNECTICUT
 ATARIFEST '92, you'll receive a $1 discount if your name is on the
 list.  Tickets sold at the door are priced at $5 for a one-day pass,
 $8 for both days.

 If you're planning on visiting the show both days, make a room
 reservation now.  Bookings at the host Sheraton Bradley are picking
 up, and you'll want to be close to the action, which extends into the
 evening on Saturday.  For Sheraton reservations, call [phone]
 or [phone].  Directions to the hotel and related travel
 information is available in the Atari library section of this service.

 STUMP JOCKS AND WIN A PORTFOLIO
 Radio Giveaway to Promote Hartford Atari Show

 Whether you're an experienced computerist who uses MS-DOS files or a
 beginner who needs a computer on the factory floor or in a desert
 wildlife refuge, a Hartford area radio promotion might help you get
 what you need -- for free.

 WHCN Radio (106 on the FM dial in the Hartford area) in cooperation
 with ACT Atari Group, sponsor of the upcoming Connecticut AtariFest
 '92 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport, will give
 away five brand-new Atari Portfolio computers during the week of
 August 10.  The powerful palmtop computers will be awarded to winners
 of a trivia contest hosted by 106-WHCN radio personalities "Picozzi &
 the Horn" during the weekdays leading up to the August 15 & 16 Atari
 computer show.

 The giveaways will serve to publicize the AtariFest which features
 more than 40 exhibitors, educational demonstrations, contests, a
 desktop publishing center and more.  Some attenders who have only seen
 Atari ST/Mega/TT and 8-bit computers in action will want to visit the
 booth reserved for Portfolio demonstrations.  The Portfolio is a
 unique "palmtop" category computer weighing less than one pound that
 uses MS-DOS (IBM compatible operating system) commands and is
 expandable to 640K RAM.

 The Portfolio contains built-in text editing, spreadsheet (Lotus 1-2-3
 compatible), address/phone directory with auto-dialer, calculator and
 diary functions.  Another important advantage that the Portfolio has
 over limited "organizers" and expensive laptop models is its power
 system that runs on three AA alkaline batteries for six to eight weeks
 of normal operation; many laptop units will run on internal power for
 only a few hours before requiring a recharge.

 The Portfolios will be awarded as part of a regular game feature of
 the 106-WHCN morning team Picozzi & "The Horn."  Each day the duo,
 known to their Connecticut and western Massachusetts listeners as
 "resident 'HCN couch potatoes and Hartford 'kings' of television
 trivia," will be challenged by telephone callers who try to "Stump
 Picozzi & The Horn" with TV trivia questions.  The game is usually
 played in the morning "drive time" slot.

 As they award the Portfolio prizes to trivia quiz winners, the radio
 "jocks" will also dispense some information about the Portfolio and
 Connecticut AtariFest '92, which will open in the Hartford area the
 Saturday and Sunday following the contests.  The promotion might also
 occur during two other Picozzi & Horn regular contests: "Dead or
 Alive" and "Elevator from Hell."

 If you live in the Hartford, Connecticut/Springfield, Massachusetts
 region, keep your radio dial tuned to 106 FM during the week of August
 10 and bone up on TV trivia.  With any luck, you could be the owner of
 a new Portfolio computer from Atari.

 For more information about Connecticut AtariFest '92, contact:

 Brian Gockley, Chairman            Doug Finch, Vice Chairman
 Connecticut AtariFest '92          Connecticut AtariFest '92
 GEnie: B.GOCKLEY                   GEnie: D.FINCH7
 CompuServe: 75300,2514             CompuServe: 76337,1067
 18 Elmwood Avenue                  46 Park Avenue
 Bridgeport, CT 06605               Old Greenwich, CT 06870
 [phone]                     [phone]



 | | |  LINE NOISE: GENIE
 | | |  Compiled and Edited by Ed Krimen
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Some messages may have been edited for content, correct spelling, and
 grammar.


 OH, JUST YOUR EVERYDAY FALCON SPECS
 -----------------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Magazines" category (15)
 -=> from the "Atari Advantage - Feedback" topic (5)

 Message 93        Sat Aug 01, 1992
 AD-VANTAGE                   at 13:25 EDT


       ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
      ///  A T A R I   A D V A N T A G E   M A G A Z I N E        ///
     ///            Contents  --  June/July 1992                 ///
    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 FALCON'030 REVEALED!  --  The next generation of home computer is
 """"""""""""""""""""      on the way and the Falcon'030 leads the
                           pack with power and features.
 FALCON'030 at a GLANCE:
  * Motorola 68030 Microprocessor running at 16MHz,
    multi-tasking capable
  * Motorola 68881 or 68882 16MHz Floating point co-processor
  * Motorola DSP 56001 Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
  * 1 to 16MB of memory and 512KB of ROM
  * 16 bit BLiTTER Graphics co-processor running at 16 MHz
  * Enhanced Broadcast TV quality Video
    -- "True Color" 320x200 resolution, 32,768 colors or 640x480
       resolution, 256 colors from a 264,144 color palette
    -- VGA or Video 320 or 640 by 200 or 400 resolution, 2, 16, or
       256 colors from a 262,144 color palette
    -- Standard STe video modes with a 4096 color palette
    -- RF modulator and VGA monitor connections
    -- Overscan support
    -- Genlock and multi-media capable
    -- Graphics overlay and video tiling
    -- Enhanced high speed 16MHz Blitter graphics co-processor
    -- STe horizontal scrolling
  * "CD quality" stereo sound
    -- Stereo 16 bit Analog to Digital inputs
    -- Stereo 16 bit Digital to Analog outputs
    -- Eight channel stereo DMA sound engine with 16 bit PCM digital
       record/playback with up to 50KHz sample rates
    -- Stereo 8 bit STe compatible PCM sound
    -- ST compatible 3 channel PSG sound
    -- Multiplexer to connect Codec, DSP and DMA sound engine
    -- Stereo microphone inputs and headphone outputs connected to a
       16 bit stereo codec
    -- DSP digital audio connector, up to 1MHz data transfer rate
    -- Built-in monophonic speaker
  * 1.44MB floppy drive
  * Built-in IDE 2 1/2" hard drive interface (drive optional)
  * SCSI II peripheral interface (hard drive, tape drive, etc.)
  * Mega STe/TT compatible local area network (LAN) interface
  * Enhanced modem/RS232 port
  * ST and STe compatible joystick/controller ports
  * Built-in "processor direct" expansion connectors
  * On board real time clock and battery backed up RAM
  * MIDI input and output
  * Parallel printer port
  * Enhanced keyboard controller allows 300 DPI mice

 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW -- Atari expects to have over 80 Lynx
 """""""""""""""""""""""""    titles available and 2 million cats sold
                              by the end of the year.
 COLUMNS
 """""""
 == Editors Desk ...... Just a few words from the humble staff.
 == Rumor City ........ What's new and what's not.
 == MIDI Notes ........ Discover the world of MIDI.
 == EuroGames ......... Reports from our European correspondent.
 == Lynx Line ......... Hints, tips, and reviews on those hot games.

 FEATURES
 """"""""
 == New & Improved .... New and improved products announced
 == Briefs ............ Late breaking news
 == Events ............ What's coming up?

 REVIEWS
 """""""
 == Abaresque Professional.. Powerful bitmap/vector illustration tool.
 == Multiplay .............. Math exploration, discovery and practice.
 == Blues and Jazz ......... Blues, jazz and rock keyboard skills.
 == MEGA Check ............. ST/TT finance management.
 == WARP 9 - v3.60 ......... Software screen acceleration to the max.
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 A closing note from Darren Meer:

 There is one area of transition that I need to tell you about -- that
 being the world of magazines.  This issue is not only historical in its
 content, it also marks the last issue of "Atari Advantage" Mike and I
 will be involved in.  We have been asked to join the "Atari Explorer"
 staff and bring our style of coverage and production values.  "Atari
 Advantage" will be left in the hands of a very capable and extremely
 energetic group of writers and users who will introduce themselves in
 next month's issue.  We are really excited about the opportunity to join
 "Explorer", and feel confident that the Atari market will be well served
 by both magazines for a long time to come.

 If any of you have any concerns as to how this affects your
 subscriptions, articles or advertisements, please don't hesitate to call
 or write us to express your feelings.  We want you to get your money's
 worth and will do what ever we can to make sure your do.

 And finally, we want to thank all of you who have waited so patiently
 for this issue to arrive.  Between the Falcon coverage and negotiations
 with Atari, our schedule got completely thrown out of whack.  Those
 things along with the intense Murphy field that has been hovering over
 our offices, combined to make this an especially memorable issue for us
 as well (he said with a big twisted smile).      RjR  8/92
 ----------
 Message 102       Mon Aug 03, 1992
 C.PUBLISHING                 at 23:46 EDT

 Hello everyone!

 My name is Neal Symms, and I am the new editor-in-chief of Atari
 Advantage magazine.  I just uploaded a press release to the library, so
 please download file #25153.  I tried to make it to the conference this
 evening, but found it empty when I arrived. :-(

 Our account name will be changing soon to the more familiar AT-VANTAGE
 as soon as GEnie says we can have it.  In the mean time, you can reach
 us here at C.PUBLISHING.

 We're working hard to get the next issue out the door and to put the
 magazine back on a timely schedule.  You can look forward to the next
 issue which will have the second half of our Falcon preview including
 the internals pictures which didn't make the current issue due to legal
 problems with Atari.  >:-(

 We are also looking for writers and reviewers!  If you know how to use a
 pen, word processor, or crayola crayon (tm) you may have a future at
 Atari Advantage!  :-)  :-)   Seriously, though, we are looking for
 knowledgeable Atari enthusiasts who like to see their name and efforts
 read worldwide.  We'll upload more information later.

 Thanks for your time.  We like to hear any and all comments.
 We look forward to setting The New Standard for Atari magazines.
 The staff at the NEW Atari Advantage
 ======================================


 MORE FALCON INFO (AS IF THE PREVIOUS STUFF WASN'T ENOUGH)
 ---------------------------------------------------------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from the "Atari 'Falcon' Project" topic (20)

 Message 171       Thu Jul 30, 1992
 RJROBINSON [ Ron ]           at 23:23 EDT

 Jim,

 I may get shot for pointing this out, but I hate to see anyone with
 false expectations.  The Falcon does not have SIMMs.  There appear to be
 very good reasons for this.  Of course Atari could make a liar out of me
 with a last minute board tweak :-)

 The info I have shows memory in the Falcon consisting of surface mount
 DRAM on both sides (16 per side) of a 2" X 4" daughter board connected
 to the main board by a pair of connectors.  This board is smaller than
 a pair of SIMMs, but when maxed out looks to be capable of holding up to
 16 MB (?possibly more?).

 The setup reminds me of memory expansion used in some of the laptops.
 Looks like a great opportunity for after market vendors to me :-)

 Considering the keyboard style case, built-in supply, hard drive, and
 with all the other goodies in the birdie, there just isn't much vertical
 room for big, clunky SIMMs ;-)  I hope people will think about this
 before flaming Atari for not using SIMMs if it turns out to be true.

 I agree with your comments on the basic design and have the opinion
 that Atari has effectively quadrupled the overall computing horsepower/
 buck with the Falcon.  It will take some time for the software
 developers to hit the wall running this critter.

 -- Ron
 ----------
 Message 231       Tue Aug 04, 1992
 RJROBINSON [ Ron ]           at 23:07 EDT

 Just a reminder, the Advantage article was presented as a "Preview" of
 the computer.  Several of the final specifications were yet to be
 decided when the article was pulled together.  Other information was
 collected from several sources -- often this information was not
 consistent even when from people "in- the-know."

 On the other hand, Atari read the article before printing, and hired the
 two guys in charge of pulling the issue together.  This happened even
 *after* Atari read the article.  Me thinks that is a good sign :-)

 There was confusion over the empty socket.  A couple of sources
 indicated a 386SX chip could drop into the socket.  Sort of a potential
 built-in "AT- Speed" perhaps?  This feature was to my knowledge not
 verified before press time.

 There is one "Processor Direct" via two connectors, looked like enough
 pins for all the CPU bus signals, interrupts, etc. were available.  The
 memory board connectors could be a handy second expansion port as Jim
 mentioned, very much a hardware hackers dream.

 Since several people have requested the specs from the preview article,
 I'll repost them here.  Apologies to those who read them again.  The
 next issue may have photo's of the insides for all to see.  Atari
 requested the photo's be held until the formal intro in Germany this
 month.  I suspect Atari Explorer will also contain detailed info on the
 new computer in the next issue.

 [The original message included the same specification listing that is in
 CAT 15, TOP 5, MES 93 printed above.]
 ======================================


 LEXICOR AT GLENDALE
 -------------------
 -=> In the "Lexicor Product Support" category (25)
 -=> from the "Lexicor - Newsletter" topic (10)

 Message 153       Tue Aug 04, 1992
 LEXICOR2 [Ringo]             at 00:14 EDT

 Lexicor Software will be attending this year's GLENDALE show, September
 12 & 13.  We will have many new surprises for all.

 Ringo
 ------------
 Message 154       Wed Aug 05, 1992
 LEXICOR [Lee]                at 04:06 EDT

 Many surprises is not the half of it!  You will see Atari animations
 running of top-of-the-line graphics systems.  You will see top-of-the-
 line graphics running on Ataris.  You will see animations on video tape,
 on assorted computers, etc. and so on.  There will be some new toys and
 two new versions of Chronos, V1.50 and V2.0.  You will see 24bit slide
 shows from the TT and have a chance to see and run the new Falcon030
 using LEXICOR programs!  How's that for starters?

 Lee
 ======================================


 PRE-PURCHASE MEGA STE QUESTIONS
 -------------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Mega STE" topic (14)

 Message 53        Sat Aug 01, 1992
 D.GLISH [DAVE GLISH]         at 09:46 EDT

 I am considering getting either a Mega STe or a Falcon when it comes
 out.  I have a few questions about the Mega STe.  I have heard that if
 you get a Mega STe without a built-in hard drive you can't use an
 external hard drive for booting.  Is this correct?  Also are the newer
 Mega STe's shipping with the HD disk drives?  If so do they have TOS 2.5
 or 2.6?
 ----------
 Message 54        Sat Aug 01, 1992
 S.WINICK                     at 10:29 EDT

 Dave,

 Don't go by the 'rumors'.  Most of the time they're simply NOT true.
 Contact any reputable dealer and get the straight facts -- and get the
 Mega STe configured exactly the way you want it.

 The Mega STe is an excellent machine -- and DEFINITELY works just fine
 with an external hard drive.  If your external is a typical 3.5" SCSI
 mechanism, it can also be removed from its external case and installed
 inside the Mega STe as well.  All recent shipments of the Mega STe are
 coming with a high density floppy drive -- but -- the operating system
 is still TOS 2.05.  The high density drive should be de-activated unless
 the machine is upgraded to TOS 2.06.  If the system is delivered without
 an internal hard drive, the correct jumpers should be installed by the
 selling dealer (if not already done at the factory) so an external hard
 drive will work properly.  Select a quality dealership to purchase your
 new equipment from and you shouldn't have any problem with it being
 configured properly.

 Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)
 ======================================


 POST-PURCHASE MEGA STE QUESTIONS
 --------------------------------
 Message 55        Sat Aug 01, 1992
 D.GILLOGLY1 [FunkyKitchen]   at 12:19 EDT

 Hello all -- I'm the proud owner of a Mega 4STE.  However I can't get
 anything to work.  I can't call out on the modem.  I haven't been able
 to get Notator to work. I tried turning off the <cache> on the Control
 Panel. I'm basically clueless on this stuff.  I've never worked w/ a HD
 before.  I need your help, folks.  Thanks.  P.S.  I'm running a Mega STE
 w/ 4 megs'o'ram, a 1.44 hi-dens drv,& 50mgHD.  Do I have to re-format my
 DD disks?  -- FunkyDan
 ----------
 Message 56        Sat Aug 01, 1992
 S.WINICK                     at 20:53 EDT

 FunkyDan,

 Call the dealer you purchased the MegaSTe from and ask for a little
 support in getting the system up to full speed.  You made an excellent
 choice in that system, but as you've already discovered, it offers a
 host of new features that may require a little re-learning of how
 everything must be set up to run properly.

 Make sure you have TOS 2.06 in the system if the high density drive
 option has been activated -- otherwise you'll be facing problems and
 aggravation.  The Mega STe's have been shipping with the high density
 drives but with TOS 2.05 installed.  Dealers should either deactivate
 the high density option or upgrade the system to TOS 2.06 and change the
 AJAX controller chip for proper operation.   But..... some dealers
 apparently are not doing that since we're hearing of so many problems
 from end users.

 You do NOT need to reformat your DS/DD diskettes; they should work just
 fine the way they are.  Enjoy your new system.

 Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)
 ======================================


 WHERE, OH WHERE IS LEONARDO?
 ----------------------------
 -=> In the "Lexicor Product Support" category (25)
 -=> from the "Leonardo Board" topic (17)

 Message 38        Thu Jul 30, 1992
 REALM [Joey]                 at 01:53 EDT

 Bill,  I'm not sure if any of the cards will work with a SC1224?  I just
 called about a month ago and checked on the Crazy Dots, I think it was
 $899 for the 256 color board and $999 for the 15,000 color board, both
 were 16 million total colors.  There are some files in the library on the
 Gribnif cards.

 From what I can tell there are several Matrix models.  I think the one I
 have retails for about the same price as the Crazy Dots.  Everything on
 the Matrix is in German.  A minor pain but after the first couple days
 it really doesn't bother you any more.  The ACC that came with it allows
 you set everything down to the MHZ of the scan rates.  You can set your
 resolution and scan frequency to whatever your monitor can handle.
 Possible you could get it to work on a SC1224 since everything's
 adjustable down to the pixel.

 I'm still waiting for the Leonardo myself but as you can see, I'm not
 very good at waiting either.:-)  Of course there's always...  the
 Falcon.:-)
 ----------
 Message 39        Thu Jul 30, 1992
 LEXICOR [Lee]                at 03:36 EDT

 Bill,  Thanks for your message and consideration.  If you think you are
 tired of waiting, think how we must feel?  Frankly, I would not blame
 you if you did take a hike to another platform, and in fact, in a way
 we have.  We have become Silicon Graphics developers in order to stay in
 business.  Without that market and the income it will produce we would
 have to call it quits.  I know this will sound a bit contradictory but
 although most developers are reporting declines in business of up to 50%
 in the past months, and in spite of the fact, ours has steadily grown.

 The plain truth is that at the moment the ATARI market is in deep
 trouble.  This is not restricted to just the US.  I have heard that one
 of the largest German developers, 3K, is in serious financial trouble
 and may vanish in as little as 3 weeks.

 If you want to help, this would be a good time.  May I suggest that you
 write to "Jack Tramiel" at ATARI and tell him in a simple, straight,
 honest, non-complaining one-page letter what you are considering and
 what you think he can do to help you.

 Things have changed but unless you and others don't take a moment and
 write to Jack he will only hear what those around him want him to hear.

 I cannot tell you what to write or even if doing will do any good.  What
 I can tell you is I have done all I can.  I don't think that any more
 letters, suggestions, or direct pressure will make the least bit of
 difference at ATARI.

 Now I haven't given up and assure you and all our very loyal customers
 that we will do everything we can to support the existing users and
 their Ataris.

 Lee
 ----------
 Message 40        Thu Jul 30, 1992
 J.COLE18 [John Cole]         at 17:54 EDT

 Bill,  Leo is close, but not finished yet.  We are waiting for two
 things, an AMD chip and an Atari VDI.  As soon as we get those, off they
 ship! ;-)  Till then, we are working on other projects, like Spectrum
 animation support in Chronos and Mona Lisa. ;-)

 John @ Lexicor
 ======================================


 BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
 ----------------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from "The Soapbox: Editorials about Atari" topic (2)

 Message 190       Wed Aug 05, 1992
 TOWNS [John@Atari]           at 02:24 EDT

 Things are VERY busy around the office right now. As you know, the
 Dusseldorf show is less than 3 weeks away.  Take away a week in Germany
 to prepare for the show, and that leaves two weeks.

 Not much time and lots of stuff to do.

 -- John Townsend, Atari Corp.

 PS. I think I have been working 60-80 hour work weeks the last three
 weeks or so. July has been a very long month! ;-)
 ======================================




 | | |  THE JOY OF SERIAL CABLES
 | | |  By Bill Graf
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 When I first started playing around with projects that had to connect
 into the joystick ports of my first ATARI computer, an XE 130, I
 discovered how neat Radio Shack Joystick Extension Cables were they come
 about 10 feet long and have D9 connectors made on to the ends [one male
 and one female].  You just chop off the proper end, with enough cable
 for your project, strip back the outer covering and connect up the
 9 wires however you wish.

 Now joystick ports don't use all the pins but these cables have all 9
 wires.  So when I decided to make two serial cables for the Portfolio, I
 naturally used extension cables Part # 270-1705, one reason is that they
 provide a nice neat connection in proportion to the size of the PF
 serial adapter.  My only problem seems to be I always have plenty of
 male ends left over.  No big deal since the cost is only $5.49 for the
 whole cable.  The other parts needed are D25 female ends and covers Part
 #'s 276-1548 & 276-1549 respectively.  I always use the solder type,
 however a crimp type D25 connectors are available.  Only use about 3 to
 3-1/2 feet of cable to limit resistance and prevent interference [the
 cables are unshielded but I have had no problems with them].

 The wire colors are generally as follows, however, since nothing is
 certain in this world, you should always check the pin to pin
 continuity.

    PIN 1 = BROWN               PIN 2 = RED
    PIN 3 = ORANGE              PIN 4 = YELLOW
    PIN 5 = GREEN               PIN 6 = BLUE
    PIN 7 = GREY                PIN 8 = WHITE
    PIN 9 = BLACK

 NOW TO MAKE A SERIAL CABLE FOR A PRINTER OR A MODEM CONNECT THE D25 as
 follows:

 MALE D9  COLOR WIRE IN CABLE connect to  FEMALE D25 PINS*

 PIN 1 = BROWN ---------------------------->PIN 8       ALL
 PIN 2 = RED ------------------------------>PIN 3
 PIN 3 = ORANGE --------------------------->PIN 2       OTHER
 PIN 4 = YELLOW --------------------------->PIN 20
 PIN 5 = GREEN ---------------------------->PIN 7       PINS
 PIN 6 = BLUE ----------------------------->PIN 6
 PIN 7 = GREY ----------------------------->PIN 4       LEFT
 PIN 8 = WHITE ---------------------------->PIN 5
 PIN 9 = BLACK ---------------------------->PIN 22      EMPTY

 * Some applications will need a gender changer or a male D25 could be
   substituted.


 NOW TO MAKE A NULL MODEM CABLE TO CONNECT THE PORTFOLIO SERIAL PORT WITH
 AN ST, MEGA, OR AN IBM or COMPATIBLE PC or XT CONNECT THE D25 AS FOLLOWS

 MALE D9  COLOR WIRE IN CABLE connect to  FEMALE D25 PINS

 PIN 1 = BROWN  (NOT CONNECTED AT ALL)

 PIN 2 = RED ------------------------------>PIN 2
 PIN 3 = ORANGE --------------------------->PIN 3
 PIN 5 = GREEN ---------------------------->PIN 7

 PIN 4 = YELLOW -------------)              PIN 4----)
           & connect together|                       | jumper wire
 PIN 6 = BLUE ---------------)              PIN 5----) connect 2
                                                       pins

 PIN 7 = GREY ---------------)              PIN 6----)
           & connect together|                       | jumper wire
 PIN 8 = WHITE --------------)              PIN 8----) connect 3
                                                     |  pins
                                            PIN 20---)
 PIN 9 = BLACK  (NO CONNECTION AT ALL)

 That's it, put the hoods on the D25's and you're in business, BUT, check
 the connections with an ohm meter or battery and bulb circuit tester
 before to try it, No guarantees if you blow up your gear, but it works
 for me! ..........Bill Graf

 GEnie E mail  ABGRAF   - (This file downloaded from GEnie - 1990)



 | | |  THE JOYS OF KIDS AND COMPUTERS
 | | |  By Bob Smith
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Have you ever watched your child explore something unknown or foreign to
 him or her?  Especially, if they don't know their being observed?
 Children are the most natural when they are left to themselves.

 My two little girls, ages 13 and 9, each have their very own Atari 8-
 Bit computers.  Jenny, my older one, has an Atari 800XL and also
 peripherals and loves to draw.  When she first received her computer,
 the various game disks got the usual major workout.  She learned how to
 reach levels on Boulderdash that I didn't even know existed and Pacman
 and his family were no match for her and soon she moved on.  The more
 she tried, the more she wanted and she started to teach herself the
 concept of programing.  Well, this led to two new areas that she is now
 exploring.  One is learning how to write programs in 'Basic" and the
 other is drawing.

 She had found a book titled "Atari Basic" by James S. Coan and Richard
 Kushner among my dusty archives and then proceeded to devour it.  She
 is learning the rudimentary skills that she will need to become the
 world's greatest Basic programmer.  (A father's poetic license here.)
 Jenny has actually progressed well into the book and to think that she
 actually uses some of this newly received skill in her school computer
 class.  Although her school uses one of those other unmentionable
 computers, she has been able to use the principals that she has taught
 herself to her advantage in class.

 Somewhere along the way, Jenny's considerable artistic talent came to
 the surface and she suddenly realized the benefits of having a computer
 in the painting and drawing area.  She came to me one day and asked I
 had a good drawing program by the name of "Atari Paint".  Not wanting to
 disappoint her, I proceeded to do a search of my 8-Bit library and lo
 and behold, I found it.  When I mentioned it to her that I did indeed
 have it, her face lit up as only a 13 year old face can.  For those of
 you that have never experienced the pure happiness and gratitude of a
 child, it's a treat that words do not do justice to.  At any rate, she
 proceeded to put in her new found treasure and looked at the demo that's
 included and her eyes went wide with anticipation.  Now came the moment
 of truth, she was going to paint her Rembrandt.  It didn't quite turn
 out that way the first time, but she kept at it and the progress was
 quite measurable.  She figured out how the program works, but needed
 help in understanding graphics.  You guessed it, back to dad she came
 and the next request was "Daddy, do you have any graphics books that I
 can use and read?"  This request came with the full complement of
 fluttering eyelashes, hugs, kisses and the "pleading, don't let me
 down, Daddy look".

 Back to the achieves I went and came up with two excellent books,
 "Compute!'s First Book Of Atari Graphics" and "Atari Color Graphics" by
 Joseph W. Collins.  When told of these, she gave me the usual hug, kiss
 and thank you and in a flash she and the books were gone back to her
 computer.  In writing this piece, I had to sneak the books out of her
 room for the titles and author information.  If she catches me with
 them, I'm on restriction for a week.  Her progress has been excellent
 and I truly expect to see her "Rembrandt" one of these days very soon.

 My other daughter, Beth, at age 9 has become the wizard of the games
 department and  I will hear her in happy delight as she defeats some
 villain or other and the triumphs clearly register in her face.  Beth is
 also showing strong signs that she will closely follow in her sister's
 footsteps and possibly produce her own masterpiece in the near future.
 Obviously, all of this talent stems from their father. (Self serving
 comment from the proud papa.) I better get ready for another raid on the
 Atari archives as Beth gets older.

 Yes, there is joy in kids and computers!!!!!



 | | |  MYSTERIES OF THE TT
 | | |  By Andreas Barbiero
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Although available for quite some time now, the TT remains a bit of a
 mystery to some.  We are all aware of the statistics, they have been
 quoted heavily in the trade magazines, newsletters and have been debated
 almost unto death on the BBS networks.  I hope to answer many questions
 that are constantly posed to me and those that are posted on the various
 online services.

 A processor by any other name...

 Many nasty battles have ensued over whether or not the TT is a match for
 the newer Clone machines.  Direct comparisons are not easy to make
 between the 80486 and the 68030 as they are used in their respective
 computers.  A computer is no more definable on CPU alone as a car is no
 more definable by just its engine size.  Of course the larger the engine
 the more powerful it is, but does that necessarily mean that a more
 powerful engine makes for a faster vehicle?  There is a very interesting
 parallel between performance auto buffs and computer enthusiasts in this
 manner.  Which is better a 302cid or 305cid?  A 80486 or 68030?  The
 natural answer is 'it depends' on the car, on the computer, and,
 basically the system in which the processor is employed.

 Avoiding the problem.

 I am not going to attempt to explain the intricacies of the myriad of PC
 systems here.  I'll let that go to someone else with a stronger stomach
 than I have for the mind bending plethora of ways to get that little C:
 prompt on the screen.  This is not to say I won't attempt a few basic
 comparisons, but this will not be a PC VS TT article; I'll let you
 decide that one for yourselves.

 The heart of the ST's big brother.

 The TT is a 32Mhz, 68030 MHz computer with expanded graphics resolutions
 and other custom hardware bits jammed in.  That off-white case holds a
 great deal of power for your ST applications.  But the machine that
 exists today is different that was originally intended when it was first
 announced, and while it is an excellent machine with the next generation
 of technology, there are a few weak spots.

 When Atari decided to up-rate the clock speed to 32MHz from the original
 16MHz a few things had to be done to make this work, and not all of them
 work as well as they could.  A doubling of clock speed should result in
 an increase in performance of about 60 to 80%  On my Mega STe with a
 16MHz clock rate, I can see an increase of anywhere from 65 to 120% in
 rated operations done by indexing programs.  Now, the cache in the MSTe
 helps it push the performance envelope a great deal, and being only 16K,
 one wonders what a nice 32K or 64K cache could do.  There is a limit to
 the usable size of a cache, and a point where the gain in speed would
 not be proportional to the expense and effort to put one in.  I have to
 laugh when I read of 512K caches on clones... there is only a fractional
 increase in real system speed once the cache 'hit' percentage rises to
 around 90%. Any more bogs down the memory access, I guess the more DOS
 you can fit on the cache, the faster it will run.  On the TT the up-rated
 clock speed only results in about a 40% increase in speed!!  This is due
 to the small 512 BYTE (256 byte data and 256 byte instruction) cache
 contained on the chip itself. So one would think that a LARGER cache,
 say about 128K of VERY fast RAM would enhance the performance
 significantly.  In fact I know of at least one person who is attempting
 to create just such an item.  Lets hope all this can be fixed easily, as
 it will eat up the distance between the TT030 and the MAC Quadra.  The
 040 is another matter, it has a rather substantial cache on chip which
 should preclude these hacks in the future.

 Data, data, everywhere, but not a drop to byte!

 It would seem the 16MHz past of the TT is still evident, most of the
 busses run at 16MHz and require the CPU to be synced to them.  This
 seems to be a very PC like method of doing things. I have worked on 386s
 which ran at very respectable speeds, but resulted in lost performance
 when forced to squeeze data through busses and band-widths a fraction of
 the CPU's size.  The TT uses a method of interleaved data rates in order
 to feed the video ram and utilize ST and TT ram.  64Bit wide ram is
 supplied, up to 4 megabytes, for the ST or 'slow' ram.  This wide ram is
 interleaved down into 32 bit and then 16 bit for the 030 to chew on and
 run video and audio. Dave Small, in the genesis of his SST had to
 address the same dilemma as Atari.  In the ST, ram is split between the
 video and processor, and that is the major bottleneck which keeps the ST
 down to the prehistoric speed of 8 MHz... video is one heck of a leech!
 It requires fully half the speed of the CPU and memory!  Remember back
 to the 8bit days when you could turn off the display to garner about 20%
 increase in speed?  No?  Buy an old Atari 800, or just take my word for
 it!  In this case you'd be doing yourself and injustice by taking my
 word.  Not that my word is no good, but the 8bit was a great piece of
 equipment, and like the ST, was better than the competition, whether or
 not they knew it.

 How then to run software intended for the ST on a TT?  Isolate it!  The
 TT can add RAM to the ST-ram side by the addition of a daughter board
 which contains its own MMU chip.  If you count the slots on these cards,
 and substituted 1 Meg SIMMS, a 16Meg ST system could be born!!  I know
 of no-one who has done this, but it should be possible.  I suspect the 4
 meg limit on the ST is gotten from the MMU and that nasty video/processor
 ram contention.

 OK, so what's TT ram then?  TT-RAM is a way of placing aside more ram for

 higher speed and burst mode access.  Bust mode allows the TT (or the 030
 actually) to grab four long words of data in about half the time required
 for the normal memory fetch.  With a larger cache the access of the
 relatively slow memory chips would also be enhanced, where's that cheap
 10ns RAM when you need it?

 TT ram is controlled by MMU equipped daughter boards and there are boards

 which will allow you 128 Megs of TT RAM.  Try to fill that up with the
 info tucked away in your little black book!  The 030 can address up to 4
 Gigabytes directly, but the power draw of the quantity of the SIMMS
 required would be prohibitive, and for the most ambitious home user any
 more than this at the present time is a little outrageous.  Even at a
 cheap $30.00 a megabyte, we are talking about $3,840.00 for memory alone.

 A bit about processors...

 The TT uses an advanced DMA system allowing it to map 8 bit devices from
 its' 32 bit bus, just like the ST converts data out from the 68000's 16
 bit bus.  This is good since the 030 is a bit slow with the interrupts
for
 stuff like floppy access.  The DMA is great for this type of thing,
 allowing the processor to get on with its schedule without having to wait
 for the 8 bit devices to catch up, one bit at a time.  The Falcon's specs
 call for some pretty wild DMA sound engine band-width.  An 8 channel
stereo
 DMA, running at 16 bits indicates a real 32 bit bus. (two 16 bit
outputs!)
 Hooked up to the DSP 56001 - 1 Megabit/sec output some really fast high
 quality sound should be available.  Lets just hope that this speed can be
 used for other applications like REAL high speed modem emulation, (with a
 small box holding the protocol chips interfacing the phone line) or high
 speed printing.  1200+ DPI can chew up a lot of memory, and a DSP driven
 output line could really speed data transfer and crunching.

 There is no blitter on the TT, the old ST blitter would just slow things
 down on the 030.  The blitter helps greatly when you have to move data to
 DMA control, and a 16 bit blitter, like that on the Falcon, could help
out
 greatly.

 Put it in, Take it out!

 SCSI is supported on the TT, a NCR5380 chip backs up the SCSI port on the
 TT.  This should allow you to use ANY SCSI device available.  ICD
 announced a similar system for the ST line, including a revision of
 MetaDos, the CD-ROM driver, to let you use any PC style CD-ROM.  With
this
 software the TT should be able to do the same.  A standard MAC HD can be
 plugged in and run directly this way, which allows a more stable supply
of
 hard drives for those out of range of an Atari dealer.  I would like to
 see direct support of floptical style 3.5in disk drives.  These optically
 guided drives can utilize 720K and 1.44 meg floppies like any other drive
 (maybe even 2.88) and support the use of $20.00, 20 meg floppies.  A very
 inexpensive way to combine an external high density drive and Syquest
 style power in a single unit.  As these devices are SCSI, it would not be
 hard to implement them.

 The Falcon is quoted as having the SCSI II standard, as I must confess a
 bit of ignorance about this, this successor to the SCSI family has
support
 for the older standard and allows double the data rates.  Sure beats
 those cheap IDE drives included on clones.

 Now that the 1.44meg floppy upgrades have been rectified, a new standard
 has emerged with TOS 2.06/3.06; the ability to read/write standard PC
 style 1.44 disks.  Great for those of you who need to transfer files back
 and forth to PCs, and the new generation of Atari word processors fully
 support reading and writing Word Perfect 5.1 files as well as some of the
 other popular PC word processors.

 Pretty Pictures.

 The TT supports all the old ST graphics modes as well as a few new ones.
 320 X 200 X 256 colors, 640 X 480 X 16, and an outstanding 1280 X 960 in
 monochrome.  This is nice, but not up to the GIF crazy PC world
standards.
 The Falcon supports a 320 X 200 X 32,768 color, 640 X 480 X 256, and
 several other combinations out of an 18 bit color palette (262,144
colors)
 while I would have preferred to see 1280 X 960 in at least 16 bit color
 (65,5536 colors) that would be much more expensive.  With all the extras
 mentioned before either machine should be able to handle such graphics
 power.  But since we don't have all the really intimate details on the
 Falcon's graphics expendability, I won't kibitz about what I don't know
 about yet!

 The TT graphics power is substantial, I have seen 3D animations scream by
 under realtime control.  And with the dozens of VME graphics boards
 available, in the never ending contest on who can display the prettiest
 pictures, the TT (and its little brother the Mega STe) can keep up with
 the PC crowd without straining your wallet or sanity.

 This hopefully was a clarification of some of  the mysteries of the TT.
 There are more things to discuss, like the VME slot and LAN ports, but
 I'll leave that up to more enterprising individuals to take on.  I
 touched on the Falcon here and there, and after some more information is
 available I can go on about that machine.  The 68030 is a powerful chip
 when backed up by the appropriate support hardware.  The command
 structure should support a great deal of 68000 coded software, giving the
 TT and Falcon a great deal of the ST's more notable software legacy, and
 allowing potential upgrades the ability to ease into another world of
 user-friendly power computing. If you have any addendum or corrections to
 this article please feel free to drop me a note!

 Delphi: Abarbiero
 Mail:   BAAUG
         3691 Eastwood Circle
         Santa Clara, CA  95054




 | | |  ATARIUSER BBS LISTING
 | | |  By John Lockard
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 I started a list of ST bulletin boards back in the spring of 1987 as a
 message with only ten bulletin boards on it.  It's now grown to some 400
 bulletin boards of the probably 1,000 ST boards in operation today.  The
 listing here in AtariUser is a reduced version of the list I publish
 quarterly, as the main file contains more baud rate, bulletin board
 software, and PC Pursuit out-dial information.  The Spring 1992 edition
 of this list will be uploaded on Atari Corporation Online bulletin board
 and available on some FNET boards in the last week of March, and will
 eventually be posted on most major services and boards.

 I check and update the list every three months because I have found that
 about 11% of the boards in that time have gone down.  Yep, about one
 half the numbers on this list won't work next year.  Since most are run
 as a hobby, BBS systems come and go, due to whim or hardware changes (or
 failures).

 Many of the numbers in this list have FNET numbers attached.  This means
 that they can network with other boards to exchange files and messages.
 FoReM and Turbo boards have access to FNET, and also some Express boards
 can do FNET in addition to their own special network.  Citadels or
 Stadels have their own network called CitaNet that exchanges mainly
 messages.  Michtron software doesn't network except for limited exchange
 of private electronic mail, although recently an MBBS Network file was
 released and available on CompuServe and GEnie.  Some systems listed
 here are multi-line, in which case the main number is the only one
 listed.

 Please help my list grow and stay accurate.  Let me know if your board
 isn't here, or if any of these are gone.  Your help will make the next
 list better.  I can be reached at Atari Corporation Online and other
 FNET boards on the Z*Net news conference and on some CitaNet
 conferences.  PC Pursuit users can reach me by typing C PURSUIT at the
 "@" prompt.  Of course, you can even use a post card!  Provide whatever
 information you can, including bulletin board names, phone numbers, baud
 rates supported, and bulletin board software and version number to:

 John K. Lockard
 4 Red Oak Circle
 Johnson City, TN 37604-7616


 Notes:

  A - Board Supports: 300, 1200, Or 2400 Baud.
  B - Board Supports: 9600, 14400, Or 19200 Baud.
  C - Reachable From A PC Pursuit Out-dial.

 Software:

  E - Express
  F - Forem
  M - Michtron
  O - Other
  R - Remote Access
  S - Stadel/Sanctum
  T - Turbo
  W - Wildcat

 = United States =
 =================

 STATE         PHONE               CODES          BBS NAME
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Alabama       [phone]      A..T           H.A.U.G.
 Alaska        [phone]      A..E           Midnight Sun
 Arizona       [phone]      A.CO           ST Base Express
               [phone]      ABCO           Ompher's
               [phone]      A.CO           Star-Linx
               [phone]      A..E           Danish Tower
               [phone]      .BCT           0440 Realm of Chaos
               [phone]      ABCR           Paragone
 California    [phone]      AB.T           0462 ST Connection
               [phone]      A..E           The Vace Base
               [phone]      ABCT           ST Jungle
               [phone]      ABCM           Code Head Quarters
               [phone]      ABCT           0592 O'mayer V
               [phone]      A.CF           Torrance Forem
               [phone]      ABCO           Hitch Hikers Guide
               [phone]      AB.T           0429 M.A.S.A.T.E.K.
               [phone]      ABCO           The Travelling
               [phone]      ABCE           Target Range
               [phone]      A.CT           M.I.D.I. World Network
               [phone]      ABCT           0506 Zoo Station ST
               [phone]      A.CF           Online Club
               [phone]      ABCE           Realm Of Wonder
               [phone]      A.CO           The Paladin's Temple
               [phone]      A.CM           Crime Bytes
               [phone]      A.CM           Compucat
               [phone]      A..F           Bit Stream
               [phone]      A.CO           The Rat
               [phone]      A.CF           Atari Base USA
               [phone]      A..O           S.C.A.U.G.
               [phone]      A.CR           Top Gun
               [phone]      A.CO           B.A.A.U.G.
               [phone]      A.CM           Dog House
               [phone]      A.CF           The Asylum
               [phone]      A.CO           W.C.S.
               [phone]      A.CE           A.B.A.C.U.S.
               [phone]      A.CO           The Wishing Well
               [phone]      A.CM           The Tavern
               [phone]      A.CO           Computer Rock
               [phone]      A..E           Castle of Blackthorn
               [phone]      A.CO           The Zone
               [phone]      ABCT           0075 Bloom County ST
               [phone]      A.CW           Trembler
               [phone]      A.CF           The Grid
               [phone]      A.CE           S.L.C.C.
               [phone]      AB.F           0706 Z*Net Golden Gate
               [phone]      ABCR           Claw Marks
               [phone]      A.CE           ST Synchronicity
               [phone]      ABCE           Owl's Nest
               [phone]      A.CM           The Enchanter
               [phone]      ABCE           The Sword In The Stone
               [phone]      A.CF           Microworld
               [phone]      A..M           S.D.A.C.E.
               [phone]      A..E           Solano Station
               [phone]      A..M           Decatur Galaxy Class
               [phone]      A..O           Gamer's Guild
               [phone]      A..M           Star Trek
               [phone]      A..S           Interface
               [phone]      A..F           The Vortex
               [phone]      AB.T           Argonaut's
               [phone]      ABCT           0694 L.A. S.M.O.G.
               [phone]      ABCT           0632 London Smog
               [phone]      A..E           A.A.A.U.G.
               [phone]      A.CT           0016 B.A.T.S
               [phone]      ABCO           Starlink
               [phone]      ABCT           0712 H. B. Smog
               [phone]      AB.T           0248 Space Station
               [phone]      A..T           R.A.M. Of Ventura
               [phone]      A..E           Wizardy
               [phone]      AB.T           0652 Pengo Land
               [phone]      ABCT           0576 Loch
               [phone]      ABCT           0559 Warehouse
               [phone]      A..F           Port Royal
               [phone]      AB.F           The Software Bank
               [phone]      A..E           Alternate Reality
               [phone]      A.CE           Axolotl
               [phone]      A.CS           The Mind Keep
               [phone]      A.CO           ST Keep
               [phone]      A..O           Merlyn's Realm
 Colorado      [phone]      A.CO           Atari Club
               [phone]      A.CE           Tardis
               [phone]      A.CO           The Web
               [phone]      A.CE           Bavarian's GastHaus
               [phone]      .BCT           0005 Mile High
               [phone]      .BCT           0186 Grave Diggers Tomb
               [phone]      ABCF           Skyline
               [phone]      A.CS           Four Wheeling
               [phone]      ABCT           0643 Ring World
               [phone]      A.CO           Carina II
               [phone]      A..F           0602 Cartoon Haven
 Conneticut    [phone]      A.CO           Ultra Project
               [phone]      AB.T           0474 Heaven 'N' Hell
               [phone]      AB.F           0185 Billboard
               [phone]      AB.E           Star
               [phone]      AB.T           0079 S.T.A.R.R.
               [phone]      A.CF           0647 E.H.C.R.
               [phone]      AB.E           Terripin Station
               [phone]      A..E           New Haven
               [phone]      A.CE           Silicon Palace
               [phone]      A..O           Sinkhole Utopia
 Delaware      [phone]      A..E           ST Delaware
               [phone]      AB.F           0307 Pay Bax
 Florida       [phone]      ABCM           A.S.I.M.
               [phone]      A..E           B.U.B.B.A.
               [phone]      A.CF           0494 Top Gun
               [phone]      A.CF           0213 Crooked Dragon Inn
               [phone]      A.CO           Starship
               [phone]      ABCT           0304 Twilight Zone
               [phone]      A.CM           McDonald's Computer
               [phone]      A.CO           Bullwinkle's Corner
               [phone]      A..S           The Darkest Realm
               [phone]      A..E           Tampa Bay Oracle
               [phone]      A..O           Tut's
               [phone]      A..T           0350 The Bounty ST
 Georgia       [phone]      ABCF           Marietta
               [phone]      A.CO           Fortress R & D
               [phone]      ABCS           Overmind
               [phone]      A..F           0675 Motherboard
               [phone]      A..W           U Want What?
 Hawaii        [phone]      A..W           Muskrat's Den
               [phone]      A..E           The Black Hole
               [phone]      A..O           Dragon Masters
               [phone]      A..E           A.C.E.'s HI
 Idaho         [phone]      A..M           Rattle Snake Station
               [phone]      A..O           Eagles Nest
 Illinois      [phone]      ABCF           Rune Quest II
               [phone]      AB.F           0123 East Side
               [phone]      AB.F           0621 The Garage
               [phone]      ABCE           Northwest Passage
               [phone]      A.CM           S.C.A.T.
               [phone]      ABCT           0585 The Graveyard
               [phone]      ABCT           0202 Outpost
               [phone]      A.CF           0562 Midwest Connection
               [phone]      A.CF           0557 ST Center
               [phone]      A.CE           Blue Moon
               [phone]      A.CE           Pegasus
               [phone]      A.CE           Python (L.C.A.C.E.)
               [phone]      A.CR           Code One
               [phone]      ABCF           ST Scruncher
               [phone]      ABCT           Software Syndicate
               [phone]      A.CF           Rick's Cafe
               [phone]      A..E           I.C.D.
 Indiana       [phone]      AB.F           0456 Tippy
               [phone]      A..E           M.O.U.S.E.
               [phone]      A..E           Mouse
               [phone]      AB.F           0678 A.C.O.R.N.
               [phone]      A.CM           ST Archive
               [phone]      A.CO           Indy Serve
               [phone]      A..E           The Next Generation
               [phone]      A..T           0141 B.L.A.S.T.
               [phone]      AB.E           The Phoenix
 Kansas        [phone]      ABCT           0067 H.Q.
               [phone]      A..E           The Flagbase
 Kentucky      [phone]      A..E           Triv Atari
               [phone]      A..E           The Atari Scene
               [phone]      A..O           Twilight Zone
 Louisiana     [phone]      A..F           Conqueror Connection
               [phone]      A.CE           French Quarter
 Maine         [phone]      A..M           MFS Computing
 Maryland      [phone]      A.CO           The Eighth Dimension
               [phone]      ABCT           0556 Thieves Guild
               [phone]      A.CO           Hallucination
               [phone]      AB.T           0504 Media 2000
               [phone]      AB.F           0501 Storm Shadow
               [phone]      AB.T           0080 Bit Heaven
               [phone]      A..E           Lighting Rod
               [phone]      AB.F           0500 Battlezone
 Massachusetts [phone]      A..E           Red-Eye Express
               [phone]      AB.F           Ye Olde Cookie Shoppe
               [phone]      A..F           0720 East of Moon
               [phone]      A..E           Microsystems Software
               [phone]      A..F           0661 Vanguard Fortress
               [phone]      A.CM           Question Mark
               [phone]      A.CM           B.C.S.
               [phone]      A.CM           Toad Hall
               [phone]      A.CO           Bay State
               [phone]      A.CE           Outer City Limits
               [phone]      A.CS           The Blade
 Michigan      [phone]      AB.E           The Nine Planes
               [phone]      A..E           The Carnival
               [phone]      A.CO           Molin's Den
               [phone]      AB.O           0137 Doc's Place
               [phone]      A.CE           Bloom County
               [phone]      AB.F           0294 Game Room
               [phone]      A.CM           Treasure Chest
               [phone]      A..O           The Computer Dungeon
               [phone]      A..O           C.H.A.O.S.
               [phone]      A..E           C.A.C.E.
               [phone]      A..O           E.X.T.E.
 Minnesota     [phone]      A.CF           0637 Source Machine
               [phone]      ABCF           0452 Inner City
               [phone]      A.CS           M.A.S.T.
               [phone]      A.CE           S.P.A.C.E
               [phone]      ABCF           Flight Line
               [phone]      A.CS           MIDIapolis
               [phone]      A.CS           *** POOF ***
 Missouri      [phone]      ABCF           0224 Flash
               [phone]      A.CF           0624 Paradox
 Nevada        [phone]      A..T           0475 Top Gun
               [phone]      AB.E           The Rebel
               [phone]      A..F           Ground Zero
               [phone]      A..E           The Sports Line
               [phone]      A..F           0680 The Revolution
               [phone]      AB.F           0189 Syclone
               [phone]      AB.M           Wild Life
               [phone]      AB.F           Bud Lite
               [phone]      A..E           The Tommy Line
 New Jersey    [phone]      A..E           Hotel Paradise
               [phone]      A.CF           0685 J.A.C.G.
               [phone]      ABCT           0439 The Strand
               [phone]      AB.T           The Underworld
               [phone]      A..S           J.A.C.S.
               [phone]      AB.F           0677 Space Station One
               [phone]      AB.F           0168 Cumberland County
               [phone]      A..O           Mystics Realm
               [phone]      A..F           Night Beat
               [phone]      A..E           A.C.E.'s High
               [phone]      ABCR           R.C.'s Place
               [phone]      A.CO           S.A.B.B.S.
               [phone]      ABCT           0133 Hologram Inc.
               [phone]      AB.F           0610 Songwriter's Den
               [phone]      AB.T           0489 Steal Your Face
               [phone]      ABCF           0593 Z*Net Online
 New Mexico    [phone]      A..F           0430 Atari C.A.L.C.
               [phone]      A..F           Asylum
 New York      [phone]      ABCF           The Midnight Caller
               [phone]      ABCT           0266 Patch House
               [phone]      A..E           Backstairs
               [phone]      A..M           Star Scan (L.I.A.U.G.)
               [phone]      A.CO           Byteways
               [phone]      AB.O           Bandits Hideout
               [phone]      .BCT           The Shire
               [phone]      A.CE           B.A.C.K.
               [phone]      A..E           C.D.A.C.E.
               [phone]      A..E           The Soccer Base
               [phone]      AB.T           0299 Critical Mass
               [phone]      A..E           The Enterprise
               [phone]      A..O           C.S.S. Support
               [phone]      A..O           Computer World
               [phone]      A..F           Cobblestone Manor
               [phone]      A..O           Moose
               [phone]      A.CE           Corner Pub
               [phone]      ABCF           0467 Sherwood Forest
               [phone]      ABCF           0669 Dateline
 North Carolina(919) 425-9421      AB.E           Center City Express
 Ohio          [phone]      A.CO           Computer Professionals
               [phone]      A..E           Rubber City Atari
               [phone]      .BCE           D.C.S.
               [phone]      A.CE           Center Ice
               [phone]      A.CE           ST Nerd
               [phone]      A..F           0410 A.C.E. Information
               [phone]      AB.E           Starbase
               [phone]      AB.T           0689 Speedy's Raceway
               [phone]      AB.T           0657 Round Table
               [phone]      A..T           0658 Cin'Tari OnLine
               [phone]      A..E           Magic Kingdom
               [phone]      .B.T           0681 Station
               [phone]      A.CE           Ultimate Connection
               [phone]      A.CE           Cool Wave
 Oregon        [phone]      A.CS           3cpu
               [phone]      A.CO           Missing Persons League
               [phone]      A.CF           0670 Puddle City
               [phone]      ABCF           0072 S.T.E.P.
               [phone]      A..F           Progressive Atari ST
               [phone]      A..O           Oak Circle
 Pennsylvania  [phone]      A..E           A.C.U.T.E.
               [phone]      A.CM           Celler Dweller N.E.A.T.
               [phone]      A.CM           Buffaloe's
               [phone]      AB.F           ST Emporium
               [phone]      A.CT           0135 The Bat Cave
               [phone]      ABCT           0483 ST World
               [phone]      A..E           Westex
               [phone]      ABCT           0287 Starlight
               [phone]      AB.F           Threshold
               [phone]      A.CM           Star Station
               [phone]      A.CT           0625 Phil's Hangout
               [phone]      A.CE           P.A.C.E.
               [phone]      AB.E           The Keep
               [phone]      AB.E           C & R
               [phone]      A..E           Sarge's
               [phone]      AB.T           0099 Time Warp
               [phone]      A..E           Traveller's Inn
               [phone]      A..F           0478 S.A.G.E.
               [phone]      A..E           New Sights and Sounds
 Rhode Island  [phone]      A..T           0345 R.A.M. Wasteland
               [phone]      A..E           R.I. A.C.E.
 South Carolina(803) 469-6988      AB.F           0655 Wizzard's Castle
               [phone]      A..F           0390 Bear's Den
               [phone]      A..F           Hyperspace I
               [phone]      A..F           0538 Dragon Lair
               [phone]      AB.E           Mystery
 Tennessee     [phone]      A..O           K.A.U.G.
               [phone]      A.CE           Doghouse-8
 Texas         [phone]      ABCE           The Psychlo Empire
               [phone]      A.CE           Alein
               [phone]      A.CE           Vortex
               [phone]      ABCT           0591 The Melting Pot
               [phone]      ABCE           Professional Forum
               [phone]      A.CT           The Best Of Both Worlds
               [phone]      AB.E           W.B.B.S. F.M.
               [phone]      AB.T           0709 Excalibur
               [phone]      A..E           The Eagle's Nest
               [phone]      AB.E           Quantum Thump
               [phone]      A.CO           Musicians In Deep
               [phone]      ABCF           0003 Atari-Oh!
               [phone]      A.CE           USS Kencom
               [phone]      A.CF           0663 Anchor
               [phone]      A.CF           0181 Bit Bucket #1
               [phone]      A.CO           Bit Bucket #2
               [phone]      A.CF           The Floppy Wizard
               [phone]      A.CM           H.A.S.T.E.
               [phone]      A.CM           Double Click Software
               [phone]      A.CT           Dark Side Of The Moon
               [phone]      ABCF           0548 The Metal Shop
               [phone]      AB.E           Shade Tree Express
               [phone]      A.CE           Outland Station
               [phone]      A..F           Barsoom Project
               [phone]      A..E           Telephone Company
 Utah          [phone]      ABCF           0633 Dark Star
               [phone]      A.CF           0587 Acme
               [phone]      A.CO           The Only
               [phone]      ABCF           0030 FACP-ST
               [phone]      ABCE           The Repair Shop
               [phone]      A.CF           0078 Stun Bolt
 Vermont       [phone]      A..E           Whispering Winds
 Virginia      [phone]      ABCF           Merlin's Litterbox
               [phone]      ABCF           0579 Dreaming City
               [phone]      A.CO           Hallucination
               [phone]      A.CM           A.R.M.U.D.I.C.
               [phone]      A.CF           0646 Corporate Network
               [phone]      A.CF           Gallifrey
               [phone]      A.CM           T.A.S.K.
               [phone]      AB.T           0564 P.B.M. Gamers
               [phone]      A..E           G.R.A.S.P.
 Washington    [phone]      A.CO           Budget Board
               [phone]      A.CF           0182 Hillside
               [phone]      A..E           Sub - S.P.A.C.E.
               [phone]      A..O           Bear Cavern - S.W.A.G.
               [phone]      A..F           0648 Mosh Bit
               [phone]      A..E           The Reef
               [phone]      ABCT           0159 Baker Street
               [phone]      ABCT           0596 Super 68
               [phone]      A..E           Cybersect
               [phone]      AB.T           0542 Yakima Atari ST
               [phone]      A..T           0322 A.C.E.Y.
 West Virginia [phone]      A..T           0642 Hero's Haven
 Wisconsin     [phone]      A.CO           P.S.A.
               [phone]      A.CE           M.A.S.T.
               [phone]      A..F           0617 Stable
 Wyoming       [phone]      AB.F           0045 Prairie Chip II
               [phone]      AB.F           0635 Storm Bringer

 = Canada =
 ==========

 Alberta       [phone]      A..O           Channel 23
               [phone]      AB.T           0595 Temple Of Doom
               [phone]      A..T           0236 B.E.A.C.H.
               [phone]      A..T           0672 Last Call
Brit Columbia  [phone]      A..O           H.I.L.
               [phone]      AB.T           0659 Wizard's Warren
               [phone]      AB.E           Court House
               [phone]      A..O           Mars Hill
               [phone]      A..E           1040 Midi/Music
               [phone]      AB.T           Peace Country Computers
 Manitoba      [phone]      A..F           The Game Trade
 Nova Scotia
 Prince Edward
 Island        [phone]      A..S           B.A.U.D.
 Ontario       [phone]      AB.T           0038 Evil Empire
               [phone]      AB.F           0018 Turbo Support
               [phone]      AB.T           0111 Conan's Den
               [phone]      A..T           Mother Of All Boards
               [phone]      AB.T           0619 Tron 2
               [phone]      A..F           0523 Leftover Hippies
               [phone]      A..R           Atari Canada
               [phone]      A..E           The Grand Hotel
               [phone]      AB.E           Assassins' Grove
               [phone]      A..O           Java's Hide Away
               [phone]      AB.F           0623 Radio Station
               [phone]      A..E           Sanitarium
               [phone]      A..E           The Digital Centre
               [phone]      A..E           Noah's.ARC
               [phone]      A..T           0511 Hammerlab
 Quebec        [phone]      A..E           M.A.C.A.M.
 Saskatchewan  [phone]      AB.F           0686 Sewer Rats Domain

 = International =
 =================

 England       44 296-395-935      AB.F           1031 Internet
               44 480-403-375      A..T           1051 Sanitarium
               44 742-325-232      AB.T           Sheffields Alt Solution
               44 842-762-136      AB.R           Sounds Digital
 Germany       49 7031-275698      A..T           0484 Micro Talk II
               49 711-813-480      A..T           0321 Micro Talk I
 Luxembourg    35 2-222-534        AB.T           0363 ComNet Luxembourg
 Netherlands   31 1751-13128       AB.O           The Dutch Connection
 New Zealand   64 4-4762-852       AB.F           Z*Net South Pacific
 Norway        47 2-13-26-59       AB.O           A.B.K.
 Spain         34 3-430-5653       A..M           Ikaria
 Sweden        46 31-24-7701       A..M           Dagg Skimmer
               46 8-771-0280       A..F           0682 The Strapper Board


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                   "The Official Atari Online Journal"
               Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation
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