Atari Explorer Online Newsletter Collection/aeo9209.txt

Text File | 1992-01-01 | 99KB | 1,972 lines

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                      ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE MAGAZINE

         July 25, 1992      Volume 1, Number 9      Issue #92-09

        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
    ~ Contributing Writer..............................Ron Berinstein
    ~ Contributing Writer.................................Stan Lowell
    ~ AtariUser Magazine Editor.............................John Nagy
    ~ Atari Corporation....................................Bob Brodie



                     | | |  TABLE OF CONTENTS  | | |

       |||  The Editors Desk.............................Ron Kovacs
            AEO Update

       |||  Z*Net Newswire.........................................
            Atari News Update from the Z*Net News Service

       |||  The Blue Ridge Atarifest.....................Ron Kovacs
            GEnie messages reprinted about the event

       |||  AtariUser Reviews......................................
            Reprints from the July 1992 Edition

       |||  Growing Up With Atari - Part 3................Bob Smith
            Final installment of series

       |||  New Supra Modems - SysOp Offer.........................
            Reprint from Z*Net Atari Online Magazine

       |||  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine...............Walter Wilbury
            Frequent Asked Questions answered

       |||  FoReM Net Nodes........................................
            BBS Listing

       |||  Perusing GEnie................................Ed Krimen
            FSM, Spectrum, Macsee and more....


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


 Changes are taking place behind the scenes here are new editors for
 Atari Explorer Magazine settle into new responsibilities.  You will
 here more about this in future issues as I am sure "they" are going to
 want to address our readers.  So stay tuned for more details.

 Bob Brodie will be attending the MIST Atarifest THIS WEEKEND and will
 share the details next week.  The Blue Ridge Atarifest took place last
 weekend and we have included reports from attendees from the GEnie ST
 RT Bulletin Board.

 Falcon rumors are still flying all over the place.  And though there are
 members of the staff "in the know" on facts about the machine, we are
 not at liberty to share them.  The Z*Net Newswire however has attempted
 to search out information and has included a report on the rumors and
 some information from the upcoming Atari Advantage exclusive article on
 the Falcon.

 And last, for Star Trek fans, we have included a column about the new
 series "Deep Space Nine" that answers some questions frequently asked.
 Don't worry though, it isn't that long and is interesting reading. (At
 least I think so!)

 Thanks for reading!!



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


 (Editors Note:  The following article produced for the Z*Net Newswire
 was NOT discussed with Atari directly.  This feature is an independent
 column.  Comments and views presented here are those of the Z*Net News
 Service and does not reflect the views of Atari Corporation.)


 IN SEARCH OF THE ATARI FALCON 030

 Even though no official word is available, even though Atari has
 maintained a lid on details, and even though some leaks claim that the
 new computer to be unveiled this fall won't bear the name FALCON, the
 rumor mill has provided ample pseudo-information on what is expected to
 be a remarkable machine.

 Atari held an invitation-only Falcon developer conference in London on
 June 27th, attended by over 120 developers.  Sam Tramiel, Bill Rehbock,
 and John Skruch were among those attending the conference for Atari.  In
 addition to the Atari personal, a few experts were brought along to
 discuss features of the Falcon and programming the Digital Signal
 Processor.  Reactions from the intense one day affair varied from the
 positive to the wildly enthusiastic.  A number of the developers that
 attended are not currently working on Atari platforms, but the
 demonstrations and discussions appear to have convinced all of them to
 either reconsider their position or to immediately add Atari to their
 development programs.

 Sam Tramiel has planned to reveal the Falcon technical details in live
 conferences on the GEnie and Delphi telecommunications networks in early
 August.  This will be in preparation for the huge Dusseldorf Atari Messe
 ("fair") in Germany, August 21-23, where the public should see the
 Falcon for the first time.  Commercial availability for the units is
 projected for later this fall.

 A first look almost came early, through the efforts of Atari Advantage
 Magazine.  An exclusive Falcon story, complete with photographs of the
 outside and even the motherboard of the Falcon, was planned for their
 June issue.  However, delays in production caused that issue to become
 the June/July issue, and then negotiations with Atari Corp regarding
 non-disclosure matters caused the photographs to be dropped and the
 printing to be further delayed until late July.  The photographs will
 instead be featured in an upcoming issue of Atari Explorer (see related
 story, below).  The Atari Advantage Falcon article remains generally
 complete, and is recommended reading, even getting "thumbs up" from
 Atari officials.  The Falcon issue should be available at Atari dealers
 well into August.

 Speculative Specs

 The Falcon 030 (it may still be called something else when released, but
 this name is now seeming to stick) will feature a 68030 running at
 16mHz, be in the 1040-style one piece cabinet, and feature "more colors
 than you can see, more sounds than you can hear", and use a Motorola
 Digital Signal Processor DSP 56001 (like in NeXT).  It will have an
 updated TOS operating system that will include MultiTOS multitasking.
 That much is official.  The rest is via leak and speculation, and as
 such, subject to change.

 MultiTOS was developed by ATARI Corp. in cooperation with Eric Smith of
 the Mathematics Department at the University of Western Ontario.  Eric
 designed the multitasking kernel called MiNT, which forms the basis for
 MultiTOS, a combination of ROM code in the TOS and extensions on disk.
 Message pipelines exist between parallel running applications, allowing
 controlled interaction of simultaneous processes in different windows.
 Old-standard desk accessories now unnecessary due to CPX modules and the
 ability to run programs simultaneously, in effect, making every
 application work like an accessory.  Under MultiTOS, if one of many
 parallel running applications should crash, the others remain protected
 and safe.  A more limited version of MultiTOS for older ST computers is
 expected to be available as software.

 According to the Atari Advantage Falcon story, the Falcon case will be a
 dark grey, similar to the color of the Portfolio and STacy.  It will
 feature an STe/TT compatible LAN port plus and industry standard SCSI II
 peripheral port, stereo microphone and headphone jacks,  STe extended
 joystick ports, a DSP port, and a built-in speaker.  This last item is
 important as the Falcon will be able to use standard high resolution
 color multisync monitors which typically have no audio.  Older Atari
 monitors will also be usable with an adaptor.  Broadcast quality TV
 compatible video is offered with built-in genlock and "true color"
 32,768 color capacity plus a variety of other modes (including all ST
 modes).

 Sound?  Yikes.  Sixteen-bit digital record/playback in resolution up to
 50 kHz (better than an audio CD) in up to eight channels, with direct-
 to-hard-disk recording, with a DSP port allowing digital audio transfer
 rates of up to a megabyte per second.  And STe 8-bit and ST three-voice
 sound will be supported, making the Falcon as close to 100% backwards
 compatible as possible.

 Also in the copyrighted Advantage article are observations of on-board
 sockets that appear ready for addition of alternate CPU devices, such as
 PC or MAC emulators.  With the dramatic speed and PC compatible video,
 emulation should be a snap.  Other internal items included a fan and an
 internal hard disk--a 2.5" 40 meg unit in the one Advantage cracked
 open.  A daughter board held 16 meg of RAM in a plug-in module.

 Price?  It is rumored that the Falcon 030 will start at under $700.


 ATARI EXPLORER TAKES ADVANTAGE

 Atari Advantage has ceased publishing operations after only three
 issues, as the publisher and editor have been hired to take over
 production of Atari's in-house magazine, Atari Explorer.  Mike Lindsay
 and Darren Meers are relocating to Sunnyvale to pilot the glossy bi-
 monthly Explorer after their short but well-received stint producing
 their own Atari magazine.  According to Lindsay, many subscriptions were
 either not billed or charged in anticipation of the move.  Paid
 subscribers will be given options on conversion to a subscription to
 Atari Explorer.

 Lindsay and Meers were part of ST-INFORMER for four years, and both left
 Informer in January 1992 over a dispute regarding ownership and control.
 Their own magazine, Atari Advantage, had established a respectable
 circulation, but Atari Corp. elected not to bring Advantage in-house as
 an additional magazine.

 The naming of editorial staff for Explorer ends months of conjecture
 about who would take over for John Jainschigg.  John declined to move to
 Sunnyvale from his New York offices where he produced Explorer for the
 last two years.

 Bringing Atari Explorer to the home offices is part of an overall
 consolidation of executive effort and attention at Atari.  Overseeing
 the magazine operation will be Atari's Bernie Stolar.


 LYNX GOES WEST
 As Atari gears up for the Jaguar game console to be released in 1993,
 the Lombard Illinois offices of Atari Entertainment are being relocated
 to Sunnyvale.  Home of the Lynx development team, Lombard will remain
 open as a programming center, but sales, marketing, and support for the
 Lynx and soon the Jaguar will be part of the California operation under
 the guidance of Bernie Stolar.  Leaving Atari are Larry Seigal and Dana
 Plotkin, who did not wish to relocate.


 ATARI IN FORBES
 The August 3, 1992 issue of Forbes Magazine recounts the Atari story in
 a two-page article called "Cheap Didn't Sell" by Dyan Machan.  The famed
 business/industry reporting magazine blames Atari's troubles on the
 Tramiel family's penny pinching.  Machan claims that second-quarter 1992
 financial statements (unavailable at press time) will be far worse than
 the first quarter when Atari lost $14 million on $44 million in sales.
 Further, the article says that Jack Tramiel has personally taken over
 day-to-day operation of the company, moving his son Sam out of his
 former office.  The article does mention the new line of Falcon
 computers and the Jaguar game console, but speculates that Atari has
 less than half of the cash needed to perform an appropriate roll-out of
 the new products.  Atari officials aren't happy with the Forbes
 article's tone, but some observers are saying, "Any press is more press
 than we have had.  A lot of readers will discover that Atari is not
 dead, at least."


 NEW SUPERBASE COMING
 Superbase database systems for the Atari have been acquired by Oxxi Inc.
 who now offer upgrades for the popular line of software.  The charge to
 upgrade either version of Superbase Personal to SB Pro 3 is $85,
 available only through Oxxi.  The upgrade includes full product, manuals
 and all.  A new product, Superbase 4, is expected in the near future.
 Oxxi Inc., P.O. Box 90309, Long Beach, CA  90809-0309, USA, FAX (310)
 427-0971.


 NEW HOST BRINGS CD, FLOPTICAL TO ATARI
 ICD Inc. has announced a new host adaptor that will enable standard ST
 computers to use industry standard SCSI devices, including hard drives,
 CD ROM drives, and flopticals designed for IBM, MAC, and Amiga.  Pricing
 has not been announced, but "The Link" will be a self-powered molded
 cable-box affair that will connect to Atari's DMA (ACSI) port and plug
 directly to standard 50-pin centronics style SCSI ports, giving instant
 and complete access to virtually any peripheral using SCSI, with up to 8
 devices at one time being supported.  Better yet, MS-DOS formatted
 devices will read and write directly and transparently from the ST
 without modification, using ICD's driver software.  CD-ROMs are now
 supported through The Link's extended SCSI commands, with a re-written
 MetaDOS driver to support the SCSI-2 standard for CD-ROM players.  The
 ICD Link will be premiered at the Atari Messe in Dusseldorf, Germany in
 August.  ICD is taking orders now with shipments expected in mid-August.
 For further information, contact Thomas Harker at ICD by phone (815)
 968-2228 extension 120, or FAX [phone].


 CD's, PHOTOS, AND ATARI
 Atari's been dodging the CD-ROM technology for almost three years, and
 now it looks like the wait might pay off.  New CD technology is becoming
 available that makes most older disk players obsolete.  The Kodak Photo
 CD system provides a way for consumers to have their color photographs
 printed to a CD in resolutions exceeding all but the most sophisticated
 computers and monitors.  But the new format can't be read by many
 current CD player drives.  The new system is called Mode 2, XA, multi-
 session capable.  If you are buying a CD ROM, look for those
 specifications to preserve your value.  New format drives might be
 readable using the ICD LINK (see story above) or by using ICD's revised
 MetaDOS on a TT or Falcon.


 PHOTO CD CONVERSION FOR ATARI
 Picking up the torch of CD photos and accessibility to quality color
 conversions of photographs, Randall Kopchak of It's All Relative is
 offering to make ST-readable STe Spectrum format files of any photograph
 on a Kodak CD for only fifty cents each (PC standard GIF files will be
 made at $1 each).  The first ever published STe conversion is of a
 fountain in Keiner Plaza in Saint Louis, Missouri, and shows dramatic
 detail in the water and sky.  Originally shot on standard film, it was
 converted to CD by Kodak, stored in 24-bit RGB at a resolution of 2048
 by 3072 pixels.  Kopchak says that when Atari settles on the CD driver
 systems, his company will offer a direct view software system for the
 Kodak CD's.  In the meantime, the company does offer software to convert
 CD photographs to GIF format via "Virtual BookMaker PC", available for
 $25, and requiring a 386 or better PC with VGA or better, 2 meg or
 better memory, XA CD ROM drive, running Windows 3.1 or higher.  For
 processing CD's to regular computer disk files, enclose the required
 payment plus $3 per order for postage and handling, and send your Kodak
 CD to Randall Kopchak, It's All Relative, 2233 Keeven Lane, Florissant,
 MO 63031, [phone], GEnie address: GREG, CIS address: 70357,2312.


 ATARIUSER REDUCES SUBSCRIPTION RATE
 AtariUser Magazine, a monthly Atari publication with coverage of the
 entire Atari line of computer products, has announced a promotional
 price cut in their home subscription rates.  New and renewal subscribers
 can take a $5 discount and pay just $15 for one year, 12 issues of the
 magazine with standard 3rd class delivery.  A new offering of FIRST
 CLASS DELIVERY is now also available for only $5 more than the standard
 rate, or $25.  "We had complaints from parts of the country where 3rd
 class takes three or more weeks to deliver," said AtariUser Editor John
 Nagy, "and since we publish our issues in real-time rather than
 'newsstand time', our August issue is shipped July 30.  That allows us
 to include news we receive as late as July 24.  But it means that a few
 subscribers get the August magazine on August 24."  Dealers and user
 groups are shipped their copies of AtariUser via UPS, which takes about
 one week to cross the USA.  The FIRST CLASS HOME DELIVERY OPTION will
 allow home subscribers to get the magazine within three days of printing
 at a total yearly (12 issue) subscription rate of $25.  The $15 standard
 and $25 First Class subscription rates will be good for orders received
 by October 1, 1992.  For this promotional rate, payment must be included
 (by check, money order, or VISA/MASTERCARD number and signature) and
 orders may ONLY be by mail.  Be sure to include your complete address
 and phone number.  Send your order to QUILL PUBLISHING CO., 113 W.
 College Street, Covina, CA 91723-2008.


 I DON'T LIKE YOUR TONE
 It can happen to you: replace your toner in your Atari SLM laser printer
 (or others!) and suddenly you get light print with streaks.  You can
 keep increasing the toner darkness dial inside the SLM until it's all
 the way on, to the point of spooning toner onto the drum, and your
 printouts are still light and streaky.  Woe is you, you need an
 expensive new drum.  NOT.  Although it is a little known fact, all toner
 is not created equal--even name brands.  Differences between production
 runs, age, storage, etc. can each affect the quality of the toner, and
 your new toner may be the culprit.  Before you shell out for a drum,
 replace the toner again with a fresh box, bought somewhere or sometime
 other than the first box.  You are likely to find, once the new toner
 circulates, that your printer is happy again.  And you can't lose if the
 drum is to blame after all, just use the replaced toner later.  But
 store it carefully--its a mess.




 | | |  BLUE-RIDGE ATARIFEST
 | | |  Compiled by Ron Kovacs from the GEnie ST RT
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 174       Sun Jul 19, 1992
 C.ALLEN17 [Cliff]            at 00:39 EDT

 Just got back from the Banquet. For some reason, I am sitting a little
 further away form my computer.  (Must still be full from all the food I
 ate, 3 helpings of everything except dessert).

 Thanks to all those that attended and those that wished for use a good
 show.  One of the reasons I like these shows, is that I get a chance to
 meet the people behind the software I am using.

 For those that couldn't attend the show, I think you missed one of the
 best little shows in the south.

 A special thanks to the following;

 Accusoft-ST:
 I will be spending quite a few days looking through all the Clip-Art
 disks I got.

 ABC Solutions:
 Sorry I was unable to visit your booth.  Every time I started over your
 way, I was called to do something else.

 Clear Thinking:
 Will try the Metapsychology Primer in a couple of days.  I hope I don't
 prove to be sane, it's more fun when your slightly crazy.

 CodeHead Software:
 John, thanks for checking on my version numbers.

 DSA:
 Every time I looked, your booth was full of kids playing your software.

 Joppa Software Development:
 Sorry I didn't get a chance to visit your booth until close to closing
 time.  From what I could see, your product does look like the one for
 me.  Have a safe trip back.

 KAUG:
 Thanks for the assist with the registration desk.

 Erik White (KAUG):
 Good seminar.

 Lexicor Software:
 Thank you again for the door prize.

 Maxwell CPU:
 With all the IMG clip art I got at the Accusoft-ST booth, your program
 will get a work out.

 Read mountain Press:
 For the second year in row, you've packed the seminar.  Am looking
 forward to reading your new book.

 Software Development System:
 As soon as I pick up my new MegaSTE tomorrow, I will install the NewDesk
 ICON CPX.

 ST Report:
 Another packed house in the seminar room.

 Step Ahead Software:
 Nevin, sorry to hear about the flight snafu, but glad you made it.  Your
 southern drawl is getting better.

 Twilight Zone Software:
 Glad you make to the show this year.

 Applied Audio Marketing Steinberg/Jones:

 Thanks to developers for submitting door prizes.

 Once again, thanks to all for making this show winner.

 Cliff
 ------------
 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 179       Sun Jul 19, 1992
 HAINES                       at 17:37 EDT

 Well, after a few hours sleep, I thought I would post here for any
 monitoring this topic as to what was shown at the show.

 Starting at the front door was Accusoft, which has some really excellent
 and very clean monochrome img files on a very wide variety of topics.  I
 bought a sample pak from them, consisting of 8 of their most popular
 disks, each with a viewer program, for $24.  It also came with a nice
 disk holder.

 Next was Worldcomm, with Chris Roberts. I saw him inside at several
 booths, but never saw him outside.  He might have decided to look more
 than sit.

 Registration desk next, with the Knoxville Atari Users Group (KAUG)
 table beside it.  They were showing some nice demo stuff when I went by,
 but I don't think they were showing any product.

 When you went in the front door to the main hall area, all the booths
 were on your left.  The first was Lexicor Software, which was showing
 the Phase 4 paint and rendering software.  They were running a videotape
 showing previous efforts, and these could only be described as stunning.
 Some were done on the Matrix card, some on their 24 bit video card.
 These videos were incredible.  You would never believe the video.  If
 you ever saw the movie Tron, you would have a idea of the possibilities.
 They just started there.  The video was a little worn, but running at
 every show would make it so, because anyone that looked at it stayed for
 a while.  Very impressive.

 Next was SDS, showing the Deskjet Utilities pack, Newdesk icon editor,
 and a product I was very excited about, the Logitech Fotoman Camera.
 This is a new product, to be on the market August 15.  It is a 372 by
 256 pixels 256 gray-scale camera than can take and digitally hold 32
 pictures.  The software was very nice, and controlled the camera, though
 it still has a few features they want to add.  The SDS fellow (can't
 read his name) told the guys at the Lexicor booth to smile, and snapped
 their picture.  He placed the Fotoman in its cradle, and selected the
 directory function in the software.  In a few seconds, a thumb-nail
 preview of all the pictures in the camera appeared on screen.  They can
 be saved in TIFF, EPS, and another I don't remember (IMG?).  It connects
 to the serial port, and runs at 9600 baud now, release version will
 possibly run at 14 to 19k, depending on how reliable they find these to
 be.  At 9600 it is really fast. A seamless, quick, and impressive way to
 get pictures in to the ST.  They hope to have a Calamus SL import module
 later.  Priced at $700 for complete system, to $100 if you already own
 the hardware.  Separate versions for ST or TT though, some specific
 functions needed for each.

 Next was Step Ahead Software, showing Tracker ST and Gemvelope.  I think
 Nevin was a little late getting in, but he did make it, and showed these
 excellent products to many interested users.

 Craig Harvey of Edhak fame was next at the Clear Thinking booth, showing
 his fast and excellent file/memory/disk/next editor.  He was also
 showing a Metapsychology primer program (?) which several people bought
 as a package along with Edhak, I think it allows you to look at (I don't
 know about editing) your head.  Nothing really like it in the ST market,
 one of the buyers can explain it more easily than I.

 ABC Solutions was showing First Publisher 2, tbxCad, Kspread 4 and
 Kspread Lite, First Word Plus, and the one I really liked, Firstgraph.
 If you have played with he demo, you know this is an extremely powerful
 graphing package.  It is also very fast.  They showed me the current
 versions speed by having a 3d bar graph drawn, with a perspective view
 shown from off center.  He then grabbed a camera view icon, and dragged
 it around, changing the perspective.  Redraw was basically
 instantaneous.  Very fast, very clean.  You can place labels anywhere on
 the graph, rotate then, etc.  Very powerful for the price.  They were
 upgrading the other packages at the show.

 Next was DSA, showing their new product, the DP graphics engine.  This
 is program for drawing graphics, sprites, background screens and more,
 for inclusion in your GFA Basic programs, somewhat similar to the
 utilities in STOS, but more full featured.  They were showing 3 games
 programmed in the engine, for a total of less than 30 hours programming
 time.  One was Ms Pacman, the other an invaders clone, the other a nice
 platform game, as good as anything I have seen out of Europe.  Smooth
 graphics, detailed sprites, and nice sounds.  Looks good.  They are also
 going to mail out a shareware drawing program, they showed a version of
 it at the show, but it was not complete enough to let loose.  It has
 several functions not present in any of the drawing programs I have
 seen, including the ability to grab any portion of a picture and create
 an instant border around it.  It has text, and very interesting gradient
 fill brushes that can change gradients as they move, making very nice
 pictures.  It looks like a good replacement for Printmaster.

 Next was a music booth, but I can't read what I have written.  I don't
 know much about the music scene, but the software was very professional
 looking, and the sounds very nice.  Someone else can cover this.

 Next was the Codehead double table.  They needed it.  From the time John
 got there and set up, till he left, there was a group of people around
 him two, and sometimes three deep, watching him put Calligrapher,
 Megapaint II, and Avant Vector through their paces.  If he sold as much
 as people were interested, it should have been very successful.

 Across the way was Joppa Software, showing their Straight Fax software
 for the ST.  They held a seminar, telling of the possible future
 features to be included in the software as newer Fax modems come to the
 market, and invited anyone to come over to their booth and try the fax
 software, using a hand scanner or a page scanner.  They have Pagestream
 and Calamus export drivers, and the fax pages produced from these are
 virtually indistinguishable from the original produced on a laser
 printer.

 Beside them was Maxwell CPU, showing off Silhouette, the American, low
 priced alternative to the European programs, combining auto-tracing and
 editing of bitmap and vectors in one program.  Very impressive.

 Mobile Ohm Software was next, they got in a little late, I only got a
 peek, showing some music software.

 Twilight Zone Software was showing Transcendence BBS, which looking very
 nice and full featured.

 Steinberg-Jones had a seminar room set up, where they showed their wares
 and held their seminar.  Very interesting abilities with their programs.
 The demo they held was like something off a rock concert stage.  I may
 have missed someone, as I jumped around some.

 Ralph from ST Report did have a table, and was handing out No More Real
 Soon Now badges.  He was a very interesting person to talk to.  A lot of
 people think he is down on Atari, but I found him to be up on Atari,
 kind of down on the people at Atari, or certain ones anyway.

 The seminars were well attended.  Don Terp of Reed Mountain Press spoke
 some on publishing, but mainly on how to use your system to run a
 business, and stay in business.  Joppa spoke on the features they have
 in their software, and future development.  A KAUG member put on an
 interesting beginning Midi demo, as he is the leader of his church
 choir, and uses his ST and midi software and keyboards to make church
 music!  Definitely a long way from the Rock and Roll we usually
 associate with the St and Midi.  Steinberg-Jones had a very nice seminar
 demonstrating the abilities of their products, with very wild sounds
 issuing forth.  Ralph of ST Reports seminar was very well attended.  He
 is pretty upbeat about Atari this year, with the wait for the new
 machines, and feels that Atari can make a real comeback, but they have
 to push the new machine.  If they wait, they will loose the advantage of
 the advanced technology for the price like they used to have.  He more
 or less stated that a lot of the details everyone has been hearing from
 Europe about the Falcon contain a lot of the truth.  He also urges
 everyone to write to Atari to encourage them to push now.  When he asked
 who plans to buy one of the new machines, almost the entire room raised
 their hands.

 Mike Groh of Atari had no formal presentation, but instead had a
 question and answer period.  He would not confirm or deny the Falcon and
 its release date, but stated that if others in the company had stated it
 might have a fall 92 release, that there might be a release then, as
 Atari is always in product development, he just was not able to say
 what.  He stated the ST Stylus had been dropped because of the extreme
 manpower needed to get market penetration with this type of new product.
 He stated that the ST Book would not be sold here now, but is being sold
 in other parts of the world.  A 4 meg version, maybe or maybe not with
 back-lighted screen will be available here later in the year, possibly
 fall 92.

 FSM GDOS is to be rewritten so that it can use fonts that can be
 obtained at any PC store, though he did not say which, Ralph thinks
 Bitstream.  He spoke about the advertising Atari is doing, and markets
 they thing they can move into.  A lot of questions, many of which he
 could not give real answers to, as the questioners knew, they were just
 hoping for a little slip, but Mike was on top of it.  Other than the
 above, and a little info on Multitos, nothing new was released.

 Well, I probably missed as much as I saw.  I thought it to be a very
 successful show.  I don't know about how many attended, but every time I
 left a seminar, the hallway was packed.  Computer Studio had a line at
 the cash register each time I went in.  I know I enjoyed it, and hope it
 was good for the developers.
 ------------
 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 181       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 L.W.BENJAMIN [Koloth]        at 06:35 EDT

 Well!  The Blue Ridge AtariFest was a great success for me and I'll be
 sure to attend again next year!  I got updates, I got demos, I spent
 money!  Who could ask for anything more!

 It was great to actually meet Ralph Mariano, John Eidsvoog, Sheldon
 Winick, Craig Harvey, and all the rest of the crowd!
 ------------
 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 182       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 S.WINICK                     at 07:15 EDT

 Doug,

 Thanks much for the well-wishes.  I'm just getting back to catching up
 on the past few day's messages.  It has been a little 'busier than
 usual' around here lately.  ;-]

 The Blue Ridge AtariFest was a fantastic success.  Everything ran
 smoothly, the crowds were heavy and sales were brisk.  The developers
 who exhibited at the show were kept busy all day showing off their
 latest products.  Seminars were well-attended and interesting, and the
 door prizes graciously donated by our exhibitors and developers who
 couldn't make it as well, were a fantastic bonus.

 A good time was had by all.  As you know, it takes an awful lot of hard
 work by dedicated volunteers and developers to put on a successful show
 and keep it running smoothly.  Our thanks to everyone who helped make
 this year's event so memorable.  And our thanks especially to all those
 fine Atarians who supported our efforts with their attendance and
 participation.  Without them, it would all have been for naught.  Their
 support of has made all of this possible.

 Now it's your turn, Doug.  From what I've seen posted so far about the
 Connecticut AtariFest '92, it looks like you 'Yanks' are fixin' for a
 fine 'Fest yourselves.  I may very well just drop in myself for the
 party.  I know y'all are going to be very busy during the next few weeks
 making sure the Atari community will be treated to another fantastic
 event.  ;-]

 Message 189       Wed Jul 22, 1992

 John,

 There's nothing finer than 'wall-to-wall Atarians'!!  You know the great
 feeling after a successful show when the feedback keeps coming back so
 positive.  All the hard work and dedicated efforts of our show staff
 payed off with all aspects of the show running so smoothly.  And the
 great attendance by loyal Atarians here in the southeast (and some from
 even further away ;-) made it a fantastic success.

 Sales were definitely brisk -- we had our best day ever at Computer
 STudio!

 Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)
 ------------
 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 190       Wed Jul 22, 1992
 BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp.]     at 19:22 EDT

 Mary,

 Those fellers down in Houston have be acallin' me Bubba for a couple of
 years now.  I'm fixin' to head back down there in October. :)

 I'm glad to hear that the BRACE Show lived up to everyones expectations.
 I've already gotten a phone call from inspired southerners that are
 anxious to talk about trying something similar in their neck o' the
 woods.

 Hopefully, things will work out better next year so I can return to
 Asheville for BRACE IV.
 ------------
 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 192       Wed Jul 22, 1992
 NEVIN-S                      at 22:15 EDT

 I had a great time, even though:

 My first US Air flight was delayed by 1 1/2 hours, so I missed my
 connection;

 They lost my box with my TT and all the software I was going to sell,
 and put me in a panic until they found it;

 They sent me to a hotel for a free night in Charleston, but did not
 check to see that the hotel was sold out!  So I had to switch to a
 SECOND hotel;

 My flight on Saturday morning was about 45 minutes late in leaving, and
 I had the thrill of seeing them working on the engine right there at the
 gate.  Gave me lots of confidence!

 Sales were very slow, because there are so few new Atari users that I
 had already sold to all area ST enthusiasts (it was nice to see them,
 though it was sad to see that the market really is shrinking in a big
 way);

 On my flight back, we landed on time in NY, only to sit 50 yards from
 the gate for 45 minutes since all gates were full.

 Seriously, even with these bad points, I had a very good time. Thanks a
 TON to John Eidsvoog for letting me share his room on Saturday night,
 and thanks to Sheldon and his crew for all of their hospitality.

 --Nevin
 ------------
 Category 11,  Topic 7
 Message 199       Fri Jul 24, 1992
 K.HOUSER [Kevin MQ Def]      at 02:09 EDT

 I'll be uploading a NEW demo of the latest DrumKitz (Alesis D4 ed/lib)
 and another NEW application soon.  I'm sure everyone will like the
 quality of these applications TBA.

 --Kevin (Mobile Ohm Development)

 PS. I'd like to find out about any other Atari Fests (hint, hint) in the
 Southern region well in advance so I can plan ahead.  Hopefully, at the
 next one I won't have so many hardware problems (monitor dying, computer
 tiring out, lack of sleep, etc.)
 ------------



 | | |  ATARIUSER REVIEWS
 | | |  From the July 1992 Edition
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 The following article is reprinted in Atari Explorer Online by
 permission of AtariUser magazine.  It MAY NOT be further reprinted
 without specific permission of AtariUser.  AtariUser is a monthly Atari
 magazine, available by subscription by calling [phone].


 HotteST Game of the Month: EPIC (ST, STe, TT)
 /////////////////////////////////////////////
 After months of advertising and teasing, the "Wing Commander" for the ST
 is finally here.  But EPIC is more like a flight simulator crossed with
 that old TV series Battlestar Galactica.  Not bad, but not what we
 expected.

 The sun of your home system is about to go super-nova, so a huge fleet of
 assorted spaceships is assembled, and the entire population is evacuated
 to a new planet in a different system 560 light years away.  Problem is,
 to get there, the fleet must go through Rexxon territory, and the Rexxon
 Empire doesn't believe in the super-nova story.  So you must fly a
 series of missions against Rexxon installations planet side and defend
 your fleet from enemy ships.

 Those of you who have played F-29 Retaliator (Ocean) will feel instantly
 at home, since this was also programmed by Digital Image Design, and has
 the same overall structure: it's mission-driven, has access codes, all
 the data for the missions is in the manual only, you can fly out of the
 game world, and your ship has a normal airplane-style compass (000
 through 359 degrees).  The manual devotes a lot of space to background
 story and information, but doesn't fully explain the mechanics of the
 game.  So, you'll spend a lot of time just flying around and shooting
 things experimentally to see what makes your mission completion gauge
 (percentage) go up.  Refueling is particularly difficult in space, as
 the fuel modules are rather small.  I still haven't figured out how to
 refuel from fuel ships!  But that skill must be mastered, as your Epic
 fighter is one heck of a gas guzzler.

 The graphics use nice 3-D polygons for just about everything, and
 gorgeous pictures for the animated game sequences.  The various ships
 are easily recognizable, so the risk of gunning down a friendly by
 mistake is limited.  The space battles can get pretty exhilarating as
 you whiz past ships of all shapes and sizes while gunning down enemy
 crafts.  There is one little bug though: sometimes, a ship jumps around
 for no apparent reason when you fly fast toward it.  Something wrong
 with the graphics system I guess.  The screen update is fast, and you
 can adjust the amount of detail to suit.

 EPIC's controls are extremely sensitive, so the joystick is next to
 useless.  You're better off using the mouse.  The thrust system is weird
 --you seem to have to choose between "crawl" and "Warp 9".  I haven't
 found a way to set the throttle at any point in between.

 Overall, EPIC is a nice game, but it's not the earth-shattering
 blockbuster it has been made out to be in the promotions.  It works on
 everything from a 520STm to a TT (make sure your TT boots in low
 resolution though), but you need 1 meg of RAM to listen to the digitized
 score.  Epic comes on two double-sided disks and supports two floppy
 drives.   From Ocean UK, $54.95 -- Eric Bitton


 BATMAN RETURNS (Lynx)
 /////////////////////
 Bruce Wayne's back in this superlative Lynx treatment of the 1992 summer
 movie with Keaton, Pfeiffer, and DeVito.  While almost all other
 platforms will wait until Fall or even Christmas for their versions, the
 Lynx "Batman Returns" premiered the same week as the movie itself.  In
 what may be the most complex and realistic game for the Lynx yet,
 Catwoman and the Penguin have formed an alliance, with a plan to defame
 Batman and place themselves in power.  Now Batman must save both the
 town and his reputation, and bring in his opponents.

 Closely mirroring the movie's plot, Batman Returns makes you the
 defender of Gotham City, as you run, jump, and fight.  Your enemies are
 a motley crew of thugs, police, and penguins, while you fight back with
 weapons and fists.  Even with battle armor, Batman has a limited amount
 of health, and if he takes too much damage, the game ends.

 This is a hard game, as the deck is clearly stacked against you.  While
 the general location of Batman's enemies is fixed, their actions and
 appearances are not, making pattern learning impossible.  You have one
 life, no continues, and no passwords to defeat a seemingly endless
 number of opponents and their various attacks.  You have four scrolling
 levels to complete: The Red Triangle Circus Gang; Batman Confronts
 Authorities; Beneath Gotham City; Batman Discovers the Artic World.
 Though four levels might not sound like much, each level holds dozens of
 screens, and the high difficulty of this game will make finishing even
 the first stage a major accomplishment.

 The graphics on Batman Returns can do no wrong.  The images and actions
 of the characters are remarkably accurate.  Gotham City on the Lynx
 perfectly captures the unique architecture and moody atmosphere of the
 movie.  The enemies are distinctive and easily identified, and Batman's
 acrobatic flips and cape-flapping jumps are among the best effects ever
 on a Lynx.  A repetitive theme music plays in the background, while the
 majority of game sounds are recognizable but not noteworthy.  It's all
 remarkably good use of 256K of card memory.

 Batman Returns is a respectable action game, and the Lynx version would
 be equally enjoyable on any other platform.  It offers basic fight
 action and a serious challenge in a hot package that's guaranteed to
 sell Lynxes.  Atari Corp., $49.95. -- Robert Jung.


 EdScheme: Learning Language (ST, STe, TT)
 /////////////////////////////////////////
 Scheme, developed in 1975, is a dialect of Lisp, a list processing
 language whose strengths lie in the evaluation of symbolic rather than
 numeric data, the use of highly flexible data structures, and the use of
 recursion.  It's the basis for many artificial intelligence
 applications.  EdScheme, from Schemers Inc., offers a complete package
 with an editor and a 128 page fully indexed User's Reference Manual.
 Two interpreters (one with full editor, turtle graphics interface and
 debugger) come on a single 3 1/2-inch disk and work on all ST/TT models
 regardless of memory.  The disk also contains two game utilities and
 various other utility files.  A comprehensive 328 page tutorial designed
 for novice and experienced programmers is available separately.

 EdScheme greets you with an arrow prompt and a blank screen on which
 statements and commands are typed and evaluated.  Despite its DOS-like
 appearance, the interpreter employs an automatic indentation and bi-
 color code system in which EdScheme evaluates black functional
 expressions into red data expressions.  The integrated editor features
 WordStar-like editing commands, automatic indentation of program lines,
 highlighting of expression subgroups and parenthesis matching by showing
 the user the code for which the closing parenthesis must match.

 EdScheme excels as a teaching tool.  The available tutorial introduces
 Scheme and nurtures good programming practices.  It introduces the
 reader to the algorithmic process by first diagraming operations in an
 organized manner even before tackling the code syntax--no mindless
 typing programs into the computer, enforcing ritual before reason.  The
 exercises and sample answers in the tutorial are plentiful.

 The advantages of a list processing language like Scheme over the
 standard BASIC or PASCAL is in its ease.  The novice can be writing
 powerful programs in Scheme sooner than in BASIC or PASCAL, and the
 expert can explore more advanced programming techniques such as
 recursive and curried functions, procedural abstraction, and binary
 trees.  Scheme itself is a more user-friendly language than the widely
 distributed XLISP, making EdScheme an easier language to debug.

 EdScheme is efficient, easy-to-learn, and inexpensive.  The versatility
 of Scheme has made it the language of choice for those just learning
 computer programming.  Scheme is already being taught in freshman
 classes at Universities such as Columbia, Yale and U.C.L.A.  EdScheme,
 $49.95; Tutorial, $29.95; from Schemers Inc., 4250 Galt Ocean Mile,
 Suite 7u, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308. -- Kevin Festner


 RAMPART (Lynx)
 //////////////
 Longtime players remember when flashy graphics and sound didn't matter
 as much as a solid idea with good game play.  Such is the case with
 Rampart, an adaptation of the Atari Games' arcade title.  The player is
 the war-lord of an enclosed castle; cannons are placed behind the walls
 and used to repel enemy attacks.  After each battle, holes in the wall
 must be patched with Tetris-like pieces before the next attack, else the
 game ends.  One player can compete against a computer-controlled navy
 through eight levels, or two players can fight each other, with or
 without the computer.

 Lynx Rampart is moderately hard to win, and a near-complete copy of the
 original.  The Lynx controls are a respectable substitute for the
 arcade's trackball.  In a one-player game, a level ends after enduring a
 number of attacks, and survival is the final goal.  A two-player game
 ends when one side loses, and all games have a limited number of
 continues.  There is one difference that devoted fans will notice: on
 the Lynx, all ships can drop off ground forces, which makes defending
 your shoreline very important.  This makes the game more difficult, but
 not unplayable.

 Rampart in the arcade used simple and uninspired graphics, which the
 Lynx duplicates exactly.  To compensate, this version also shows a
 number of elegant animated and still images between breaks in the
 action.  There are not too many sounds, but the ones present are well
 done, with explosions, musical themes and dirges, and digitized voices.

 Rampart on the Lynx is a good adaptation and a welcome change from
 today's recycled arcade themes.  For those who have never tried this
 unusual game, its original blend of action and strategy can be quite
 addictive, and is well recommended.  Atari Corp., $29.95. -- Robert Jung


 STRAIGHT FAX! (ST, STe, TT)
 //////////////////////////
 STRAIGHT FAX! allows your ST/TT to send and receive FAX files using a
 Class 2 FAX/modem.  This will enable you to send ASCII, monochrome IMG,
 and DEGAS (PI3 or PC3) files directly from your Atari computer to a
 Group 3 FAX machine (most all of them).  A minimum of 2 meg of RAM in
 your ST is "recommended."  STRAIGHT FAX! has the added feature of being
 able to convert Calamus, Calamus SL and PageStream documents to a FAX
 format that can be sent using STRAIGHT FAX!  Most FAX machines operate
 at 9,600 bps, but you are able to use FAX speeds up to 14,400 bps if
 your modem and the receiving machine can both operate at that speed.

 STRAIGHT FAX! keeps a log of incoming and outgoing FAX's, and can send
 scheduled FAX events.  Operation is within a somewhat standard GEM
 screen, with ten function keys across the bottom for easy access of
 standard commands.  All the function key commands are also available
 from the drop down menus or as keyboard commands.  The Phone/dialer
 list, FAX log, and Scheduler are easy to understand and straightforward
 in operation.

 FAX files can be created on disk for later use.  You also have the
 ability to convert an IMG to FAX, Degas to FAX, ASCII to FAX and FAX to
 IMG.  With the ability to convert a FAX document to an IMG, you can
 easily import a document into other DTP or Document Processors.  You can
 view am IMG, DEGAS or FAX on the screen or print an IMG or FAX document
 using GDOS.  There's support for directly scanning images into the FAX
 software.

 A great manual (but no index), handy on-line help files along with the
 expected set-up screens make things even easier.  Dialing Preferences
 are similar in nature to the setup in a terminal program.  These are
 FAX/modem settings that can also be set with AT commands as are some of
 the Receive FAX Preferences of Answer After and Receive path.

 I've been using this software for about a month now and I'm completely
 satisfied with its ease of use and versatility.  This software is on an
 equal or higher par with any PC or MAC FAX software I've seen.
 Background operation for receive or scheduled sends would be a great
 feature, but are neither available in this release nor predicted for the
 immediate future.  Joppa has a software package they can be proud of as
 is, but they have upgrades in the works even as you read this.  $79.95,
 Straight FAX! is by Joppa Software (not Joppa Computer Products, a
 Maryland retailer), P.O. Box 214, Dallastown, PA  17313-0214, 717-428-
 3231. -- John King Tarpinian


 Supra FAXModem (all computers)
 //////////////////////////////
 Warning: techie language ahead.  If necessary, skim along until you see
 parts that make sense to you.  You don't need the rest--yet.

 The modem I used to test the STRAIGHT FAX! software is the SupraFAXModem
 V.32bis.  This is their top-of-the-line FAX/modem.  You can set this
 FAX/modem for speeds up to 14,400 bps with up to 57,600 bps throughput
 with its V.42bis capacity.  It supports levels 2-5 MNP and has
 compatibility with the AT command set.  The FAX/modem supports Group 3,
 CCITT V.27ter and V.29 which are the FAX machine standards in common use
 today, as well as the Class 1 and Class 2 FAX standards.  The
 SupraFAXModem is the same super-compact size as their 9,600 bps modem,
 so desk space is not a consideration.

 There are a few cautions that apply to all modems above 2400 bps.  You
 may need a new, more heavily shielded cable that safeguards data
 compression and error correction.  And, if you have a MEGA STe with TOS
 below 2.06 or a TT with TOS below 3.06, you will need a patch program
 such as SERPATCH.PRG in your auto folder, and will have to set up flow
 control.

 The Supra FAXModem comes with a Getting Started Manual, a Reference
 Manual and a Reference Card, and has a five year warranty.  It's
 virtually as simple to use as any other modem, although I initially had
 a problem using the SupraFAXModem with Aladdin on GEnie.  The profusion
 of commands required to operate modern feature-rich modems make it
 necessary to set up the initialization with care.  The simple fix is to
 change the ATZ command in Aladdin to AT or ATZ1.

 After only a week of use, my SupraFAXModem started to have intermittent
 problems.  I called Supra's customer assistance number and explained
 what my FAX/modem was doing.  I was told, "No problem," and was given a
 choice of sending the modem back for replacement, or of giving them my
 credit card number as a deposit they would send me a replacement FAX/
 modem by UPS Red Label and include a prepaid Federal Express return
 mailer.  I opted for the latter and had the replacement the next
 business day.  All this at NO cost to me.  I give this type of customer
 service an A+.  The replacement unit operates flawlessly, and I can move
 data at breakneck speed without breakneck prices.  That's a winning
 combination.  Retail: $399 for the top of the line FAXModem, other
 models available at lower prices.  Supra Corporation, 7101 Supra Drive
 SW, Albany, OR  97321, 503-967-2410.  -- John King Tarpinian




 | | |  GROWING UP WITH ATARI - PART III
 | | |  By Bob Smith
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 As I had previously mentioned, it had been a real pleasure to be
 involved with the Atari Computer and all of the outstanding people that
 I have met along the way.  These people range in all sizes, shapes,
 walks of life and have all had the common interest of this fine machine,
 in whatever form.

 One of these people that I had the pleasure of meeting is Bob Brodie.
 As most of you know, Bob is the multi-talented high profile person of
 the Atari Corporation.  In the several years that I was president of the
 Mid-Florida Atari Computer Club, I spoke to Bob by phone on a fairly
 regular basis and he always had time for our conversations and was most
 patient with me.  I gained an insight into the Atari Corporation from
 Atari's side.  Bob has been candid and straight forward in his dealings,
 both from a public relations standpoint and more to the point, a
 humanistic standpoint.

 As a case in point, early last year I had spoken to him about the
 possibility of his taking part in our booth at the Great Southern
 Electronics and Computer Expo.  He said that because of the time at
 which it would take place, October, he had other commitments, but would
 visit our Club on regular meeting night.  It was set up to take place in
 the early summer and the membership and a lot of other people were
 notified.  Due to some conflicts in scheduling it was reset finally for
 September.  Being the upstanding type of person that he is, he
 apologized and said that he would make it up to us at the September
 meeting.  Well, Bob came loaded for 'Bear'.

 This particular meeting was nothing like we had ever seen.  The
 equipment that Bob brought with him made everyone drool, including and
 especially me.  He put on a show which included a tape of his visit to
 the Atari Fest in Germany.  He had taken this tape himself and might
 have a career in the future as TV camera man, if it were not for the
 beard.  (Just kidding, Bob).  The demos were outstanding and his
 expertise in making presentations on behalf of Atari truly showed
 through.  Too bad I wasn't successful in getting him to forget to take
 some of the equipment that he brought from California.  The next night I
 was privileged to have dinner with Bob, one on one and I learned more
 about the man than I had hoped for.

 One of the fun things that a person can do with a computer is to "go
 online".  What this means is that you can use your computer and modem
 and connect with a Bulletin Board.  On a BBS you will usually find
 message bases that cover everything from Politics to Cooking, to
 Fashion, to computer help.  I am fortunate that I live in an area that
 has several Atari bulletin boards, which cater to both the 8 Bit and ST
 computers.  I use these facilities to increase my enjoyment and limited
 knowledge of my computers.  I have also learned that there are many
 differing types of personalities that run these boards.

 These people are called SYSOPS and it took me quite awhile to figure out
 what that meant. (Sysops = System Operators).  These people range from
 passionate to downright fanatical about their systems and setups.  They
 remind me of the classic car owners, who spend all day just polishing
 and primping over their 65 Corvette or 37 Chevy.  Sysops provide a
 service to the computer community which is unique in many ways.  Where
 else can someone get the latest news and as many differing opinions on a
 given topic in one source.

 The message bases on the BBS can provide many different points of view
 not often available to the general populace and usually at no more cost
 than a local phone call.  You can play many types of games, get
 technical help in abundance with a particular computer problem that you
 just cannot figure out and get a variety of programs for your computer.
 Sysops by and large invest a good deal of money in this passion and the
 only reward is the Bulletin Board user's thanks.

 In my education, I have been fortunate and lucky to have had the
 opportunity to learn how to be a backup and co-sysop.  Believe me, this
 can be a very enlightening and happy experience.  At the same time, it
 can be the most frustrating thing in the world, especially when you
 cannot find that very small error that is causing all of the problems
 with the board.

 As I have stated before, one of the advantages of growing up with a
 computer, such as Atari, is that you meet a very diverse group of
 people.  It has been and will continue to be a very illuminating
 experience for me and I continue to marvel at the lengths that people
 will go to be of help with problems, ideas, and just plain being
 friendly.  I have met by way of the computer, people from almost all
 over the world, in such places as England, Canada, South America,
 Europe, United States, etc.  I still have a great deal of growing up
 with the computer to do and I hope I never stop but it is nice to know
 that I'm not alone.

 I can watch my children start their learning and growing with their
 computers and at the same time relive my own very shaky beginnings.  I
 guess that is what "computering" is all about.

 We hope you have enjoyed this three part series of articles.




 | | |  SUPRA'S NEW 9600 MODEMS
 | | |  From Supra - Reprint from Z*Net Atari Online Magazine
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Supra has released 2 new 9600 modems - the 9600 Supra FaxModem v.32 and
 the 14400 Supra FaxModem v.32bis at a retail price of $299.95 and
 $399.95 respectively.  Supra is offering these NEW modem at special
 prices for BBS SysOps.

 Both modems support 300-2400bps (Bell 103/212A, V.21 / 22A&B / 22bis /
 23), v.32 (9600bps), MNP 2-5/10, V42bis, 9600 send/receive fax (v.27ter/
 29), class 1/2 (fax software-fax modem communication standard), caller
 ID and voice. (Voice and caller ID can be enabled through low-cost, user
 -installable firm-ware upgrades available mid-1992.) The v.32bis model
 adds v.32bis (14400bps) and v.17 (14400 fax).  This is all packaged in
 Supra's famous small case (1" high x 4.5" wide x 6.5" long).

 The modems have 4 lights (RD/SD/OH/TR) and a LED display.  The display
 will show the connection rate, compression protocol, error correction
 protocol, etc. in a rotating fashion.

 HOW CAN SUPRA SELL A 9600 MODEM FOR 1/2-1/3 THE PRICE OF CURRENT MODEMS?

 This year the price of v.32/v.32bis technology will tumble to new lows.
 Supra is continuing its proud tradition of being a leader in using new
 chip-sets to lead the modem industry to a new price point.

 IF SUPRA IS USING A NEW CHIP-SET, HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT THE NEW MODEMS
 WILL NOT HAVE SOME PROBLEMS WHEN THEY ARE RELEASED?

 Supra is using a new Rockwell chip-set which condenses several of their
 older chips into 1 chip.  Rockwell is the leader in building modem
 chip-sets.  A majority of current 9600 modems are based upon the older
 Rockwell v.32 technology.  We do not foresee any problems, but if a
 problem does occur, Supra is committed to solving it as quickly as
 possible.  Supra also offers a 30 day Money Back Guarantee for products
 that are purchased directly from Supra.

 MY LOCAL USERS USE USR HST MODEMS.  WILL I BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AT
 9600 BAUD WITH THEM?

 The maximum baud rate you will connect at with a HST modem is 2400.
 Depending on the age of the HST modem, you may also get a v42bis data
 compression connection.  If the user uses the USR Dual Standard modem,
 and it is setup correctly, you will connect at a baud rate of 9600 (or
 14400 if using v.32bis).  We expect that most owners of the HST modems
 will be upgrading to v.32 modems.

 I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SUPRA.  HOW RELIABLE ARE THEIR MODEMS?

 Supra Corporation has been providing personal computer users with high-
 quality, low-cost peripherals since 1985.  In addition to manufacturing
 a very successful line of modems, Supra makes a variety of peripherals
 for Mac, IBM, Amiga and Atari computers.  Supra has excelled because of
 its unique combination of quality products, competitive prices, and
 excellent customer support.

 Supra has a complete line of modems from a standard 2400 modem to a 2400
 v.42bis, a 2400 FaxModem, a 9600 FaxModem and a 14400 FaxModem.  We have
 internal versions of most of these modems for the IBM and Amiga.  As
 with most of our products, every modem that we manufacture is tested and
 burned in on our test machines.

 To obtain one of the new modems under this Sysop offer, please complete
 the following information, include a copy of your phone bill for your
 BBS phone line and send them to:

 Supra Corporation
 ATTN: Sysop Order
 7101 SW Supra Dr.
 Albany, OR  97321  or FAX the information to 503-967-2401.
 (Orders will take 3-4 weeks to be processed.)

 ATTENTION! SYSTEM OPERATORS FROM FINLAND

 The price for finnish SupraFaxModem v.32bis version is FMK 2.300,00
 including VAT.  For further information, please contact directly WestCom
 System OY, telephone [phone].  All sales to Finland will need to go
 through WestCom.

 If you have any questions, please contact either Supra's Sales
 Department or the Technical Support Department at:

 503-967-2400  (main 8-5pst)
 503-967-2401  (Fax)
 503-967-2410  (Sales 7-5pst)
 800-727-8772  (Sales 7-5pst)
 503-967-2440  (Tech Support 9-4pst)
 503-967-2444  (BBS, 2 lines, v32bis)
 CompuServe       76004,565
 GEnie            SupraTech
 Bix              SupraCorp
 American Online  SupraCorp2

 SYSOP INFORMATION

 BBS Name:________________________   BBS Software:________________
 BBS Phone:_______________________   Type of System:______________
 No. of Phone Lines:______________   Type of Modem used:__________
 No. Calls per Month:_____________   No. of Modems:_______________
 How long in operation:___________

 ORDER INFORMATION  Date______________

 BILL TO:_________________________________________________________
 Address__________________________________________________________
 City______________   State_____   Zip________   Phone____________
 Contact Name:____________________________________________________
 Circle one of the following:     VISA     MASTERCARD     Pre-Pay
                                  Cashiers Check ($5.00 charge)
 Card Numbers__________________________   Expiration Date_________

 SHIP TO:_________________________________________________________
 Address__________________________________________________________
 City______________   State_____   Zip________   Phone____________
 Referred by:_____________________________________________________

 PRODUCT

 Model:                    Price:                   Quantity:
 SupraFAXModem V.32        $199.95 (modem only)     _____
 SupraFAXModem V.32bis     $249.95 (modem only)     _____

 SHIPPING

 Route:             Price:       Quantity:   Billing:
 ___ Ground         $ 8.00/pc     _____      VISA _______________ exp___
 ___ Blue Label     $14.00/pc     _____      M.C. _______________ exp___
 ___ Red Label      $30.00/pc     _____      COD Cashiers Check ($5 chg)
 ___ CANADA Mail    $16.25/pc     _____      Pre-Pay
 ___ CANADA Express $43.25/pc     _____

 COMMENTS:______________________________________________________________
 _______________________________________________________________________
 _______________________________________________________________________
 _______________________________________________________________________




 | | |  STAR-TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
 | | |  By Walter K. Wilbury
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 In an effort to help solve problems for those who aren't "in the know,"
 here's something that may become a weekly feature like the Echo Rules if
 the response is good (and if the moderators like it as well!).


 STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file
 (information culled from Brian Hall, Joe Siegler, Robert Heyman, and
  sundry others)

 (warning - parts of this are written almost as if to cue in someone
 who's missed a year or two of "The Next Generation," but that's just to
 make sure everyone's running at the same speed while reading this)

 Just what is this "Deep Space Nine" we keep hearing about?

 "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" is a new, hour-long series produced by
 Paramount.  The show will not be seen anywhere until January 1993, when
 it will premiere with a 2-hour television movie (rather like "The Next
 Generation" debuted with 'Encounter at Farpoint').  The show was created
 by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, both executive producers of "The Next
 Generation."  (By all accounts so far, "Deep Space Nine" WAS examined by
 Gene Roddenberry, who approved it before he died in 1991.)  Piller plans
 to spend most of his time on the new series, and the supervising
 producer of "The Next Generation," Jeri Taylor, will take on whatever
 work Piller is unable to complete on "The Next Generation."

 Where and when can I see "Deep Space Nine?"

 Currently, the series has been sold to 84 stations across the U.S. (see
 list below).  It is likely that "Deep Space Nine" may be uplinked via
 satellite around the same time as "The Next Generation" on Sundays, but
 there is no concrete confirmation of that as yet.  (One might also
 assume "Deep Space Nine" will be transmitted via the same satellite as
 "The Next Generation," but that's really academic unless you've got a
 satellite dish.)  Television stations carrying "Deep Space Nine" include
 to date:

 Abilene - KRBC           Los Angeles - KCOP     Albany (New York) - WXXA
 Louisville - WDRB        Albuquerque - KGSW     Lubbock - KJTV
 Amarillo - KCIT          Madison - WISC         Atlanta - WGNX
 Memphis - WLMT           Augusta - WRDW         Miami - WCIX
 Baltimore - WNUV         Milwaukee - WCGV       Birmingham - WTTO
 Minneapolis - KMSP       Boise - KTRV           Monterey - KNTV
 Buffalo - WUTV           Nashville - WZTV       Cedar Rapids - KCRG
 New York City - WPIX     Charleston - WVAH      Norfolk - WGNT
 Charleston (SC) - WTAT   Oklahoma City - KOKH   Chicago - WGN
 Orlando - WCPX           Cincinnati - WXIX      Philadelphia - WTXF
 Cleveland - WUAB         Phoenix - KNXV         Colorado Springs - KOAA
 Portland (Oregon) - KPTV Columbus (SC) - WLTX   Providence - WNAC
 Corpus Christi - KDF     Raleigh - WLFL         Dallas - KTXA
 Reno - KAME              Dayton - WRGT          Richmond - WRLH
 Denver - KWGN            Roanoke - WSET         Des Moines - KDSM
 Rochester (NY) - WUHF    El Paso - KVIA         Rockford - WQRF
 Eugene - KEZI            Sacramento - KTXL      Fargo - KVRR
 St. Louis - KDNL         Fort Myers - WFTX      Salt Lake City - KSTU
 Gainesville - WOGX       San Antonio - KRRT     Grand Rapids - WXMI
 San Diego - XETV         Greensboro - WNRW      San Francisco - KBHK
 Greenville (NC) - WFXI   Savannah - WJCL        Greenville (SC) - WHNS
 Seattle - KCPQ           Harlingen - KRGV       Shreveport - KMSS
 Harrisburg - WPMT        Spokane - KXLY         Hartford - WTIC
 Syracuse - WSYT          Honolulu - KHNL        Tampa - WTOG
 Houston - KTXH           Toledo - WUPW          Huntsville - WZDX
 Tucson - KMSB            Indianapolis - WXIN    Waco - KWTX
 Kansas City - KSHB       D.C. - WDCA            Las Vegas - KVVU
 Wichita Falls - KJTL     Little Rock - KTHV     Wilkes-Barre - WOLF

 The first season of "Deep Space Nine" will feature the premiere two-hour
 episode, followed by 18 or 19 regular hour-long episodes.  There's no
 word on what kind of timetable "Deep Space Nine" will run on in relation
 to "The Next Generation."

 What will "Deep Space Nine" be about?

 The series will take place aboard a Cardassian-built space station,
 designated Deep Space Nine, which orbits the planet Bajora (Ensign Ro
 Laren's home world, by the way).  Fed up and weakened by Bajoran
 terrorists, the Cardassians vacate the station, and Starfleet - in an
 effort to gain a foothold in the strategically important area around
 Bajora - assigns a crew to take over the station (characters are
 described below).  Rumor has it that Deep Space Nine may be the seedy
 place seen in the "Star Trek" universe to date, complete with casinos,
 holo-deck brothels, and lots of low-life characters lurking about in the
 lower levels.

 As if that isn't enough for the crew of Deep Space Nine to worry about,
 a stable worm hole in space suddenly opens up right next to Bajora,
 leading to parts of the galaxy previously unreachable within any
 starship crew's life span.  Trying to regulate the flow of traffic into
 the worm hole - and dealing with whatever new life and representatives of
 new civilizations emerge from the other side of the galaxy through the
 worm hole - will be the crew's main concern.

 Michael Piller, co-creator of the series, has stated that "Deep Space
 Nine" will be darker in tone than "The Next Generation," allowing the
 writers to tell stories that the usually stable and healthy environment
 of the Enterprise would not support.  There are also hints that "Deep
 Space Nine" may have more violence than an average "Next Generation"
 episode.

 What does the space station look like?

 According to Paramount's press releases to date, the station will be the
 same Space Dock model seen in "Star Trek III" and "Next Generation"
 episodes such as '11001001.'  If the promotional materials are any
 indication - keep in mind, it's very early on and the model could be
 changed by the time the series is broadcast - the space station model
 will look almost exactly the same.

 Who will be aboard Deep Space Nine?

 (This is the sketchist part - very few names are available at the time
 I'm writing this, so don't hinge any bets on this part...)  The
 commanding officer of Starfleet's team on Deep Space Nine will be
 Captain Cisco, a seasoned commander whose wife was killed by the Borg
 when (as told in the "Next Generation" episodes 'The Best of Both
 Worlds' parts I & II) the Borg ran the Federation blockade at Wolfe 359.
 Cisco himself barely escaped the same attack, and he still harbors a
 grudge against Captain Picard for that incident, as Picard was subdued
 by the Borg at that time and the Borg had excised the information
 necessary to defeat the blockade from Picard's mind.  Cisco has a young
 son named Jake.

 Another interesting character will be the science officer (although some
 reports have described the following as the security officer instead),
 who will be a "shapeshifter" whose natural form is not unlike a pool of
 jello.  Supposedly this character will, like Data and Spock before him,
 examine humanity from a puzzled alien perspective.

 According to other reports, the rest of the crew will include a
 Starfleet engineer who is constantly agitated by the unending ability
 of the station's non-Starfleet technology to elude his attempts to make
 it work right.  The chief medical officer is rumored to be a Trill -
 seen in the "Next Generation" segment 'The Host,' the race of parasites
 who live within voluntary human hosts.

 There were reports early on that the chief medical officer was going to
 be a woman born on a low gravity world who has to use a special low-G
 wheelchair for mobility in normal gravity; however, this concept has
 been dropped due to the concept of the wheelchair in this character's
 every scene being too costly to realize.

 (There are other faces among the main crew - but see the next question
 for that answer.)

 In the lower levels, most of Deep Space Nine's casinos, concessions and
 holo-brothels will be owned and operated by the Ferengi was all know and
 love, and two Ferengi in particular will be recurring characters.  One,
 an adult male Ferengi who's a real stinker, is in charge of most of
 those facilities and quite a few of the other Ferengi on board.  The
 other recurring Ferengi character is his son, a teenager with a nasty
 streak who is hellbent on getting Jack Cisco into trouble.

 Is anyone from "The Next Generation" moving over to "Deep Space Nine?"

 At the moment, one confirmed move is that of Ro Laren, who will
 reportedly be promoted to lieutenant early in the sixth season of "The
 Next Generation" and will transfer to Deep Space Nine from the
 Enterprise for a number of reasons - the station orbits her home world,
 Picard advises Cisco that Ro's knowledge of Bajorans may come in handy
 when dealing with the natives, and so on.  (Recently there has been a
 rumor that Michelle Forbes, who plays Ro, may not be joining "Deep Space
 Nine" after all; if anything like this happens, you'll hear about it
 here.

 Numerous rumors have said that Chief O' Brien, Keiko and their baby will
 be moving to "Deep Space Nine," but so far this is still just a rumor.
 Another character who is often mentioned as moving to Deep Space Nine is
 Wesley Crusher, but that too is still a rumor at the moment (aside from
 the obvious question of "how would they justify assigning Wesley to this
 station?").

 Will we hear about or see the Enterprise crew on "Deep Space Nine?"

 The answer is a resounding YES! <grin>  The two-hour series opener will
 heavily involve the Enterprise, as she drops the Starfleet team off at
 Deep Space Nine.  We can probably expect to hear Captain Cisco mention
 Picard a few times as well.  There WILL be crossover stories involving
 both crews as well.

 According to TV Guide, Guinan will visit Deep Space Nine every once in a
 while to visit an inmate in the station's jail: her son.  (Nothing
 concrete on that at the moment, however.)

 Other reports say that Lwaxana Troi will be a recurring character on
 "Deep Space Nine" when she develops a crush on the shapeshifting science
 officer - but again, watch this space, because we're all running on
 conjecture here.

 (Speaking of conjecture: when "The Next Generation" leaves TV and
 becomes strictly a movie venture, you can count on "Deep Space Nine"
 having a "lead-in" story, much like the 'Unification' two-parter on "The
 Next Generation" hinted at events in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered
 Country.")

 What will become of "The Next Generation?"

 "The Next Generation" is, of course, moving on to its sixth season right
 now.  After that, we can expect one more season, and that will probably
 be the final year for NCC-1701-D on television.

 There are numerous reasons for this.  Both series will be enormously
 expensive: "The Next Generation" costs an average of nearly $2 million
 PER EPISODE to produce, and "Deep Space Nine" is expected to have a
 budget of about $1.6 million per episode (not counting the series
 premiere, which will probably be twice as expensive since it will
 involve building many of the show's standing sets).  That's nearly $4
 million of "Star Trek" between the two shows, and popular as it may be,
 it is not practical financially for Paramount to produce two such
 ambitious shows simultaneously.  And once it leaves television, "The
 Next Generation" will almost certainly work its way to the big screen.

 "Deep Space Nine"'s first season will begin in January '93, about
 halfway through the sixth season of "The Next Generation."  Assuming, of
 course, that "Deep Space Nine" survives to see a second season, that
 will begin and end at roughly the same time as the final season of "The
 Next Generation."  At that point, "Deep Space Nine" - again, if it meets
 with viewer approval - will be the only new "Star Trek" series on TV.
 "The Next Generation"'s 278 hours will be put into strip syndication
 (most of the first four seasons already are, with the fifth on the way
 this fall), plus it'll be available on videotape.  "Deep Space Nine"
 will likely follow that path in time as well.

 Walter "Puck" Wilbury
 [self-appointed/self-inflicted keeper of the DS9 FAQ file!]



 | | |  FOREM NET NODES
 | | |  Created Jul 5, '92
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Please note that NOT all of these systems are operating.  It is provided
 as a service.  Any system knowingly down or temporarily out of service
 has been removed.

 NODE  SysOp             BBS Name             Number         ST  BAUD
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 3     David Chiquelin   Atari-OH!            713-480-9310   TX  DS 14.4
 5     Jim Goedhart      Mile High            303-431-1404   CO  DS 14.4
 18    John Miller       Turbo Board Support  416-274-1225   ON  DS 14.4
 19    John G.           Atari Elite BBS      412-384-5609   PA  DS 14.4
 66    Don Liscombe      The Brewery          416-683-3089   ON  HST 96
 74    Lamarr Kelley     HAUG BBS             205-722-0900   AL  V.14.4
 78    Neal Baker        The Stun Bolt!       801-968-3921   UT  2400
 111   Len Waller        Conan's Den          416-285-9328   ON  HST 96
 133   Dean Lodzinski    Hologram Inc.        908-727-1914   NJ  HST 96
 168   Bob Dolson        C.C.B.B.S.           609-451-7475   NJ  V.14.4
 181   Brett Hainley     NovelConcepts BBS    713-729-7555   TX  2400
 185   Bill Turner       Billboard BBS        203-598-0354   CT  2400
 204   Steve Rider       Full Moon            408-736-0563   CA  HST 96
 209   Rick Kerns        Ez STreet            609-724-9503   NJ  2400
 213   Nate Orzoff       Crooked Dragon Inn   407-382-5275   FL  4800
 224   Dick Pederson     Flash BBS            314-275-2040   MO  HST 96
 304   Bill Scull        The Twilight Zone    407-831-1613   FL  DS 14.4
 319   Bob Brodie        Atari Base           408-745-2196   CA  DS 14.4
 345   Jay Carter        RAM Wasteland        401-295-2710   RI  V.9600
 350   Ralph Mariano     The Bounty ST BBS    904-786-4176   FL  DS 14.4
 390   Joe Burke         Bear's Den           803-574-6738   SC  2400
 422   Ben Hamilton      Virtual Reality      817-547-1734   TX  DS 14.4
 423   White Seeker      BILINE BBS           303-791-2592   CO  2400
 429   Valeriano Meneses MASATEK              213-518-9524   CA  HST 96
 437   Scorpion Stinger  STinger BBS          805-834-9405   CA  HST 96
 440   Uncle Albert      Realm of Chaos       602-789-9426   AZ  DS 14.4
 441   Don Dettmer       The Boiler Room BBS  313-562-1142   MI  HST 96
 442   Craig Milton      CMFM Blaster-Mix BBs 416-637-5001   ON  2400
 448   Raymond Skibo     Crash BBS            604-299-6581   BC  HST14.4
 478   Dennis Mcguire    Spectrum Atari Group 814-833-4073   PA  2400
 479   Al Cummings       Cave Creek BBS       206-525-7046   WA  2400
 489   Alan Kloza        STeal Your Face      908-920-7981   NJ  HST 96
 494   Ray Baggs         Top Gun BBS          407-381-5403   FL  V.9600
 497   Tim Mccoy         Prime Time           805-987-6985   CA  HST 96
 500   Mike Austin       Battlezone           410-969-0621   MD  HST14.4
 501   Obliterator       STormShadow          410-437-0243   MD  HST14.4
 504   Quartermaster     Media 2000           410-360-1356   MD  HST14.4
 508   Dave Best         The SenTinel BBS     403-782-7835   AB  V.9600
 511   Steve Barnes      Hammerlab            705-560-3115   ON  2400
 512   Big Brother       The Asylum BBS       415-362-8470   CA  2400
 523   Lesley-dee Dylan  Leftover Hippies BBS 416-466-8931   ON  DS 14.4
 555   Larry Anderson Jr The Grid BBS         510-351-1385   CA  HST14.4
 557   Mike Berngard     Software Syndicate   708-894-9241   IL  DS 14.4
 564   Neil Bradley      PBM GAMERS           302-791-0518   DE  DS 14.4
 574   Nathan Murff      Asylum               505-897-4306   NM  2400
 576   The Scottsman     The Loch BBS         818-766-5277   CA  2400
 592   Drazil Reptillian The O-Mayer V BBS    213-732-0229   CA  HST 96
 593   Ron Kovacs        Z*Net News Service   908-968-8148   NJ  DS 14.4
 595   Barry Torrance    Temple of Doom       403-436-0328   AB  DS 14.4
 596   Jay L. Jones      Super 68             206-630-1261   WA  DS 14.4
 602   Bruce Faulkner    Cartoon Haven BBS    719-574-7406   CO  HST 96
 610   Frank Kish        The Songwriter's Den 908-859-5999   NJ  HST 96
 621   Tom Guelker       The Garage           618-344-8466   IL  HST 96
 625   Philip Hanze      Phil's Hangout       412-331-2795   PA  2400
 632   Clueman           London Smog BBS      714-546-2152   CA  HST 96
 633   Randy Rodrock     Dark STar BBS        801-269-8780   UT  DS 14.4
 635   White Dragon      STormbringer         307-638-7036   WY  HST14.4
 643   Ron Debug         The Ringworld        303-699-0402   CO  HST 96
 645   J.d. Knight       Orion Spaceport      407-830-8962   FL  2400
 648   Waltzer           The Mosh Bit         206-574-1531   WA  HST 96
 668   Michael Bacon     ARGONAUT'S BBS       714-361-1112   CA  DS 14.4
 669   Al Petersen       Dateline: Atari BBS  718-833-0828   NY  DS 14.4
 677   Ray Paladino      Space Station One    609-426-4472   NJ  DS 14.4
 678   Kim Stahn         A.C.O.R.N.           219-744-1396   IN  DS 14.4
 680   Rex Hewitt        The Revolution       702-644-8857   NV  DS 14.4
 681   Sandman           The STation 681      513-753-3001   OH  DS 14.4
 685   Gary Gorski       JACG BBS             201-690-5224   NJ  9600
 686   Jerry Bechard     Sewer Rats Domain    306-522-1959   SA  HST 96
 690   Kerry Bowman      Progressive Atari    503-686-3276   OR  2400
 693   Chris Thorpe      Z*Net South Pacific  644-4762-852   NZ  HST 96
 702   Long John Silver  Mother of All BBSs   416-332-5810   ON  2400
 705   Charles Riley     Hacker's Haven       512-653-3056   TX  V.9600
 706   Bob Brodie        Z*Net Golden Gate    510-373-6792   CA  DS 14.4
 711   Steve Scott       Spider-Man's Web     607-844-3744   NY  HST14.4
 712   Jim Thingwold     H. B. Smog           714-969-5486   CA  DS 14.4
 720   Ethan Rider       East of The Moon     508-393-1362   MA  2400
 733   Anthony Lee       Gay Atari BBS        415-771-8867   CA  2400
 736   Jason Alexander   MIDI Clinic BBS      613-523-6434   ON  2400
 745   Warren Lerner     MyABBS               703-938-8125   VA  2400



 | | |  PERUSING GENIE
 | | |  By Ed Krimen
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------


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


 FSMGDOS's FUTURE
 ----------------
 -=> In the "Goldleaf" category (35)
 -=> from the "Wordflair II support" topic (3)

 Message 142       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 B.GOCKLEY [Brian G.]         at 09:17 EDT

 Hi John,

 Mike Groh announced at BRACE that FSM was being rewritten to utilize a
 new font format.  It is rumored that it is Bitstream, but I am
 interested in how we end users will go about trading in our Lucida fonts
 for the new ones.  I don't imagine that they will still be usable, or
 am I wrong?  Maybe a conversion program is out there to help us?

 BTW, if anyone is interested, Wordflair is an ideal companion to
 STraight FAX from Joppa.  You just use the FAX driver instead of your
 usual one, and ANY Wordflair page can be saved as a FAX.  People have
 commented that the FAXes I have sent using this method are the best
 they've seen!  Of course, the fact that WF follows the GDOS rules
 (unlike MANY pseudo-GDOS programs) makes this work so well.

 Thanks for the great product, keep on improving!

 Brian D Gockley ST Informer
 ----------
 Message 150       Wed Jul 22, 1992
 WORDFLAIR [Lauren]           at 21:39 EDT

 Hello:

 Regarding new FSM versions: we are pleased to know that Atari has made a
 public statement regarding new technology going into FSM.  We have been
 promised that the final *public* release of FSM will be able to use
 other font formats besides the current one based on QMS's.  Brian
 Gockley's reference to Atari's post mentioned Bitsream.  Bitstream is US
 company that has developed a font scaling technology called Speedo,
 which consists of source code for a font scaler/rasterizer, and a new
 file format for outline fonts.  Speedo is meeting with a lot of industry
 interest by different hardware and software vendors.  Since Bitstream
 already sells an extremely large catalog of outline fonts in Type 1
 format, I assume that any new scaler based on Speedo will be able to use
 Type 1 fonts, even if only through the use of a conversion program.

 The fall out of all this for FSM users is still not exactly clear.  Our
 opinion is that any technology from Atari that respects industry
 standards is a welcome thing.  We will do all we can to make sure that
 Wordflair II/FSM users are "rewarded" for their patience.  If this means
 font conversion programs, or advantageous pricing, or whatever, we will
 make sure that our users are cared for in whatever new direction FSM
 takes.

 As soon as we have concrete details, we'll pass it on.

 John Fox
 ======================================

 LYNX HARDWARE ISSUES
 --------------------
 -=> In the "Lynx - The Game Machine" category (36)
 -=> from the "General Lynx Info and Discussion" topic (5)

 Message 192       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 E.GINNER                     at 03:49 EDT

 The maximum Lynx cartridge size is 2 megabytes.  The hardware can
 support up to 18 players, but the comlynx software may support a maximum
 of 16 players.
 ----------
 Message 193       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 K.DRAKE [SirFransis]         at 07:56 EDT

 Eric,

 About screen graphics, I note that even when there are a ton of sprites
 on the screen, the characters never flicker.  How does the graphic chip
 manage so many sprites on 1 scan line with no flicker (or have the
 programmers just been very careful)?  Also, what are the max number and
 max size of a given sprite.

 Thanks, Sir Fransis of the Software Seas
 ----------
 Message 194       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 J.JENKINS19                  at 18:30 EDT

 SirFrancis,

 The info in the book (the Lynx instructions that come with it) says that
 "unlike any other portable system, the Lynx is not limited to a finite
 number of objects that can appear on the screen at one time, and the
 size of screen objects is limited only by the borders of the spacious
 Lynx screen" (Lynx owners Manual page 1 INTRODUCTION paragraph 2)
 ----------
 Message 195       Mon Jul 20, 1992
 E.GINNER                     at 23:24 EDT

 There is no maximum number of sprites that can be drawn, but a game will
 slow down at some point if you draw too many.  You can easily draw
 hundreds of sprites and still have reasonable speed.  I don't know the
 technical reason why there is no flickering.  The Amiga program that
 converts Dpaint brushes to source code limits brushes to a size slightly
 bigger than the Lynx screen.  The limit is because of ram usage on the
 Amiga.  If you scale a sprite really big on the Lynx, it can be many
 times larger than the screen.  The maximum width or height is 65535
 pixels.
 ======================================

 IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD DOS WORLD
 -----------------------------------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from the "Atari 'Falcon' Project" topic (20)

 Message 41        Thu Jul 16, 1992
 C.HERBORTH [-Chris-]         at 00:58 EDT

 After installing myself a '486/33 Micro Channel at work (8M, 200M hard
 drive) in "only" 10.5 hours, I will never, EVER buy a klone.  No way
 hose.  30,000,000 users in the user-base, they must all be STUPID to put
 up with that sort of crap.

 At least Widoze 3.1 now runs as fast as GEM on my "toy" 8Mhz ST... DOS
 is still running at 4Mhz speeds...

 -Chris-
 ----------
 Message 89        Mon Jul 20, 1992
 C.KLIMUSHYN                  at 23:06 EDT

 Greetings All,

 Since it's almost been a year to the day that I smugly left the Atari
 World for DOS, it's fitting I write this letter.

 I return from the dark side battered, bruised, and broke.  It's not that
 I couldn't handle the PC's operation.  I learned to write my own
 CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.  I learned the difference between
 expanded and extended memory (when is a 1 meg of RAM not a meg of RAM
 <grin>), and I even had DR. DOS's graphic interface, Viewmax (which is
 stripped down GEM anyway), doing a reasonable imitation of my ST.

 The problem was I always needed one more thing, be it a sound card or an
 extra meg of RAM.  The last straw came when I found myself walking out
 of a trade show with a new motherboard to replace the one in my eight
 month old computer so I could run Wing Commander II "smoothly."

 I really don't care if another program ever comes out for the ST, I'm
 content with my system as it is.  If Falcon comes out and looks like it
 will give me another 4 years of minimal needs to upgrade like my
 faithful ST, I will strongly consider buying one no matter if the rest
 of the world has gone DOS-Mad....

 Best Regards, -Chuck-
 ----------
 Message 90        Mon Jul 20, 1992
 C.HERBORTH [-Chris-]         at 23:14 EDT

 Jerry,

 I have a '486/33 8M RAM (Micro Channel) at work.  When running Windoze,
 it feels as fast as my 8Mhz 1040, which has 2.5M RAM.  That's pathetic.

 Turn off the virtual memory, it feels like a 16Mhz Atari.  I've only got
 3.5M of free RAM then though.

 Since the File Mangler is like using oven mits for brain surgery, I have
 to do all my file maintenance in DOS.  Isn't the point of Windoze to
 rip off the Mac interface?  When will Microsloth decide that THE WAY THE
 ST AND MAC HAVE ALWAYS HAD IT is the right way to do it?  Never, they're
 Microsoft, and their way is Law.

 The "multitasking" under Windoze is a joke, too.  Open a DOS window.
 You'll probably have to make DOS into a window by typing Alt-Enter
 (since it defaults to gross, vile, full screen).  Make sure there's no
 floppy in A:.  Type "dir a:".  WHAM.  DOS is full screen again.  Can you
 say "bug"?  Open a DOS window, and use zoo or lharc to make an archive
 with lots of files.  While it's archiving the files, switch to something
 else.  The DOS application STOPS COMPLETELY until you switch back to it.
 Bleh.  And for this we paid at least $200? (since we had 3.0 before we
 had 3.1)

 Stick a 16Mhz '386 running Windoze beside a 16Mhz "Falcon".  The
 "Falcon" will sell, unless the twit is there to get a Wing Commander II
 compatible machine.  Even then the '386/16 is too slow.

 -Chris-
 ----------
 Message 92        Tue Jul 21, 1992
 N.WEINRESS [Norm]            at 00:24 EDT

 I did my best to convince my doctor he should be using an ST.  To the
 point, I _gave_ him a 520.  He bought a 386 clone and multisync monitor, and I set it up as a dual system.  Yesterday, I went there
 to install Windows 3.1 and Word for Windows.  Those two programs occupy
 _half_ of his 40 MB hard drive, and I advised him to get a second drive.
 What incredible inefficiency!
 ======================================

 GEMULATOR AND LAPTOPS
 ---------------------
 -=> In the "Emulation for the ST" category (19)
 -=> from the "GEMULATOR (Atari ST emulator)" topic (15)

 Message 175       Wed Jul 22, 1992
 J.E.DONOHUE                  at 08:27 EDT

 Will the Gemulator work on any of the PC Notebooks? (room?)  I've gotten
 tired of waiting for the ST Notebook and have been contemplating the
 purchase of either a NEC or Toshiba notebook.

 IF the Gemulator will run on one of these, are there minimum system
 requirements I should look for?

 Thanks!

 john
 ----------
 Message 176       Wed Jul 22, 1992
 BRASOFT [Darek]              at 22:10 EDT

 J.E., for notebooks and laptops, the same requirements apply as for
 desktop machines, i.e. 4 meg of RAM minimum, a 386 or 486 processor, and
 a VGA display.  The machine must also have an empty slot to plug the
 Gemulator board into.  Most notebooks don't have any slots, but a lot of
 laptop machines do.  For example, the machines I carried to Toronto and
 will be showing on this weekend at the MIST show is a 10 pound 486
 portable that is smaller and lighter than a Stacy.  So if you can
 tolerate a machine that's bigger than a notebook but smaller than a
 Stacy, just get a Computer Shopper magazine and there are plenty of such
 machines available.

 - Darek
 ======================================

 MACSEE READS MAC FILES
 ----------------------
 -=> In "The Software Library and Other Utilities" category (2)
 -=> from the "MacRead: Mac to ST Transfer Program" topic (29)

 Message 25        Sun Jul 19, 1992
 REEVE.SOFT                   at 13:24 EDT

 No, there will not be a Demo version.  I'm sorry that MacRead was
 released the way it was, but that was not my decision.  My job was to
 write a program that reads Mac files and MacRead worked.  The
 forthcoming MacSee has the GEM interface, the translation modes, and the
 ability to copy TO a Mac disk as well.  A Demo might convince you to
 purchase the program immediately, but as word of mouth spreads and
 magazine reviews appear I'm sure that if it's the type of program that
 you're looking for you'll buy it.  I'm not worried about making a few
 overnight sales.

 I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but there will also be a DOS and
 Windows version of MacSee.  All three programs are in working order.
 MacSee, for the Atari ST, will go through final testing this week and
 assuming no flaws are uncovered it will start shipping next Monday.  I
 will post with further details as the time comes.  The program will be
 marketed through CompuSeller West as I personally don't have the time
 to do so with my big move coming up and all (any S. Carolinans out
 there?).

 I will say that the following bugs have been corrected:

 A bug involving reads on hard disks of sectors beyond 32767 (the magic
 number).

 A bug involved in reading disks with a large number of files (latter
 files wouldn't be shown).

 Inability to recognize/find all Spectre formatted partitions on a hard
 disk.

 Wouldn't handle QuikCore/Ontrack formatted hard disks.

 I'll post the final specs on the program and if possible send up a
 picture of the program when it's shipping.

 Alan
 ======================================

 SPECTRUM 512 ADDITIONS TO LEXICOR'S SOFTWARE
 --------------------------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari's new TOS 2.06" topic (8)

 Message 71        Tue Jul 21, 1992
 J.COLE18 [John Cole]         at 15:08 EDT

 Spectrum is a hack and is no longer supported.  That being said, Lexicor
 is adding Spectrum animation file support to Chronos and Monalisa.
 While you will not be able to edit in Spectrum mode, people who have a
 320x200x256 (or better) will be able to edit Spectrum pictures and
 animations (or transfer older 256 animations to Spectrum types)  This
 gives all the older ST's a chance at creating some fantastic animations
 directly from Chronos and all the new-fangled computers to create
 something that can be appreciated by all the 'outdated' folks ;-)  When?
 RSN ;-)  (let's see how this holds up to the RSN test, shall we? :-)

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

 FALCON TALK
 -----------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from the "Atari 'Falcon' Project" topic (20)

 Message 40        Thu Jul 16, 1992
 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH]        at 00:15 EDT

 The Falcon has the potential with some software and a simple genlock
 device of being a Toaster Jr for a lot less than a comparable Amiga
 setup would cost.  Also, a 33Mhz 040 of immense speed can be slapped
 inside real easy ;-)
 ----------
 Message 51        Fri Jul 17, 1992
 LEXICOR [Lee]                at 01:59 EDT

 SJ,

 I don't think that doing a "COMPUTER CHRONICLES" Falcon vs AMIGA show is
 a very good idea.  Not yet anyway.  There are some very good animation
 packages and 24Bit cards for the AMIGA.

 In six months or a year, after the new ATARI systems can mature that
 idea might be first rate.  Bear in mind many users make great
 assumptions about a system's value based on very brief observations and
 reviews.  If the Falcon is not well along the way, it could do more harm
 than good.

 But the idea is sound and you might consider writing to ATARI proper
 with a brief one-page letter outlining your idea.  If you keep it brief
 and to the point, I am sure it will be read and considered.  Don't be
 offended if you don't get a reply.  I can assure you from personal
 knowledge that if you address such a letter to Bill Rehbock or Sam
 Tramiel it will be read.

 Lexicor
 ======================================

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