Crawly Crypt Collection 1/crawlyvol1.bin/magazine/znet/znet9221/znet9221.asc

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                       Z*NET: ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
                       ----------------------------

    December 5, 1992          Issue #21          Volume 7, Number 21

             Copyright (c)1992, Syndicate Publishing Company

          ~ Publisher/Editor..........................Ron Kovacs
          ~ Senior Editor..............................John Nagy
          ~ Assistant Editor...........................Ed Krimen
          ~ Writer............................Michael R. Burkley
          ~ Writer.....................................Bob Smith
          ~ Z*Net News Service NZ.....................Jon Clarke

          $ GEnie Address..................................Z-NET
          $ CompuServe Address........................75300,1642
          $ Delphi Address..................................ZNET
          $ Internet/Usenet Address................status.gen.nz
          $ America Online Address......................ZNET1991
          $ AtariNet Address...........................51:1/13.0

      * Z*Net: News Service FNET 593  AtariNet 51:1/13 [phone]
      * Z*Net: Golden Gate  FNET 706  AtariNet 51:1/9  [phone]
      * Z*Net: S. Pacific   FNET 693  New Zealand

                             **--CONTENTS--**

           - The Z*Net Newswire................................
           - First RTC From Hong Kong On GEnie.......Jon Clarke
           - Perusing GEnie...........................Ed Krimen
           - Z*Net Computer Calender.................Ron Kovacs
           - The Unabashed Atariophile..........Michael Burkley
           - Sales Door...........................Press Release
           - The Tech Room...................AtariUser Magazine
           - SCSI Backup for the Atari ST......................



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


 SPECIAL LYNX PROMOTION ON NOW
 Atari is just beginning an advertising campaign and offer for the Atari
 Lynx Portable.  For a limited time you can purchase an Atari Lynx for
 just $79.95 and not even have to step out of your home to do so.  By
 calling [phone], you can purchase an Atari Lynx, charge it to
 your credit card and get FREE Federal Express delivery.  You can call
 until December 21, 1992 for Christmas delivery.  This special Atari
 offering will expire on January 31, 1993.  For anyone without a credit
 card, you can send a check or money order to Atari Lynx, PO Box 61657,
 Sunnyvale, California 94088-1657.  There are over 50 games currently
 available for the Lynx.


 INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE CATALOG UG OFFER
 The 1992 International Software Catalog (Item# C303288-001) is now
 available from Atari Corporation.  The catalog has more than 400 pages,
 contains nearly 500 entries, and features almost 175 screen shots.
 Categories covered include Publishing and Graphics; Multimedia and
 Hypertext; Personal Productivity; Connectivity and Communications;
 Music; Business; Education; Entertainment; Computer Aided Design;
 Medical; Development Tools and System Software; and Peripherals.  Atari
 Falcon030 listings are also included.  Along with the product
 description the reader is provided with developer information designed
 to help them acquire the product if it is unavailable from thier local
 dealer.  Suggested retail prices are also listed.  If your local dealer
 runs out of catalogs you may order your catalog directly from Atari by
 writing to:  Atari Customer Relations, International Software Catalog,
 PO Box 61657, Sunnyvale, CA  94088.  The price is $12.00 per book.  Add
 8.25% sales tax if ordering from California, Illinois, or Texas.  Also
 include $5.00 shipping and handling per order.  Payment may be made by
 check, money order, MasterCard, or VISA.  (Allow 2-4 weeks additional if
 paying by personal check)  For a limited time, any registered user group
 may purchase the catalog in lots of 10 books.  When ordering a lot of 10
 books the cost would be $10.00 per book plus $8.00 shipping for the lot.


 FALCON PRICES
 An Atari dealer in Wisconsin has released its prices for the Falcon030.
 They report that initial machines will only be available with 4-meg RAM
 and a 65meg internal IDE hard drive.  Availability is expected in
 December.  Down payment is required for reservation, and first come,
 first served.  Falcon 1 Meg RAM, No Hard Drive $749, Falcon 4 Meg RAM,
 No Hard Drive $929, Falcon 4 Meg RAM, 65 Meg Hard Drive $1199 and a
 Falcon 14 Meg RAM, 65 Meg Hard Drive $1899.


 WINTERTREE SPELLING SENTRY ANNOUNCED
 Wintertree Software recently announced the release of Spelling Sentry
 version 1.10.  This new version incorporates many new features suggested
 by Spelling Sentry owners.  Spelling Sentry is a desk accessory that
 adds spell-checking capability to virtually all other accessories and
 GEM programs.  A key feature of Spelling Sentry is its ability to detect
 spelling errors in real time, while you type.  It can also check disk
 files and the GEM clipboard, and can expand abbreviations in real time.
 Spelling Sentry's dictionary contains over 100,000 words.  The price of
 Spelling Sentry 1.10 remains at $59.95. Spelling Sentry is available
 from Atari dealers, or directly from Wintertree Software Inc.
 Registered owners of Spelling Sentry 1.00 get a free upgrade.  Patches
 to convert Spelling Sentry 1.00 to 1.10 are available on CompuServe and
 GEnie.  Or, you can send your original Spelling Sentry disk and a check
 or money order for $3.00 to cover postage and handling.  For more
 information, contact: Wintertree Software, 43 Rueter St.Nepean, Ontario
 Canada K2J 3Z9 [phone].


 OUTBURST 3.0 ANNOUNCED
 OutBurST! is a program that reduces the time that Pagestream takes to
 print data to HP LaserJet and HP Deskjet compatible printers.  With
 OutBurST! installed on your ST, the time to send a page of data to the
 printer from Pagestream can be as short as 13 seconds!  This compares to
 times as long as 323 seconds using the standard built-in TOS routines.
 Version 3.0 of OutBurST! contains a unique "Auto-switch" printer spooler
 that can optimize not only your graphic output, but also text based
 output.  Also new to version 3.0 is a clearly written 16 page manual
 that will lead you through the installation and operation of OutBurST!
 Among the new features is the setup editor (OBSET) that will allow you
 to set the spooler size and select programs that should not utilize the
 spooler (Pagestream, Calamus, Touch-up, Desktop Publisher ST, etc.).  If
 you wish to override the automatic spooler status, the OutBurST! Control
 Accessory can be used to change the setting while in any GEM
 application.  OutBurST! version 3.0 is available from: Straight Edge
 Software, PO Box 6407, Nashua, NH 03061.  To order send $25 plus $2
 shipping and handling.  If you are a registered user of previous
 versions, send original disk and $10.


 FTC CLOSES INVESTIGATION
 The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has closed a sweeping antitrust
 investigation of Nintendo without taking any action against the
 companies.  The FTC opened its investigation in 1990 in an apparent
 effort to determine possible validity in allegations in the media,
 courts and Congress that Nintendo's success came about by monopolization
 and other unfair methods of business competition.  In September, the New
 York Attorney General's Office closed its separate antitrust
 investigation of Nintendo and in May a San Francisco jury vindicated
 Nintendo in a monopoly action brought by Atari Corp.


 WORDPERFECT SHIPPING VERSION 5.2
 WordPerfect began shipping WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows, an upgrade to
 WordPerfect 5.1 for Windows that began shipping a year ago.  WordPerfect
 5.2 for Windows ships with Grammatik 5 from Reference Software
 International, as well as Adobe Type Manager and a selection of fonts
 created specifically for WordPerfect.  Other enhancements include a
 graphical installation, better network installation, conversion for
 Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0 and Lotus Ami Pro 2.0, and an enhanced
 RTF conversion.  The Speller has a simplified interface and also finds
 and displays misspelled words and suggestions faster.


 NINTENDO GAMES PIRATED
 Nintendo stated this week that Hong Kong customs agents raided 40
 wholesalers and retailers and three manufacturers of pirated Nintendo
 video game cartridges.  The raids, which took place between Nov. 24-29
 and involved over 130 Hong Kong Customs officials, resulted in the
 seizure of infringing video game cartridges and accessories, components
 and containers for infringing video games valued at about HK $30
 million, and 30 persons arrested.


 NEW POLL SHOWS VIDEO GAMES TOP LIST
 According to a Gallup Poll, a telephone survey of approximately 500
 children, ages 7-16, 63 percent of responding children said they "really
 want" a video game system for the holidays, followed by portable video
 games (54 percent) and video game software (43 percent).  Remote-control
 vehicles ranked fourth in popularity (31 percent), just ahead of pre-
 recorded video tapes (29 percent).  Despite the winter weather, 28
 percent said they really want a water gun, ranking ahead of board games
 (21 percent).  The North Pole Poll was conducted independently by The
 Gallup Organization in November for Nintendo.


 NEW MONTHLY CONFERENCES
 Bob Brodie recently informed Z*Net about NEW monthly RTC's (Real Time
 Conferences) that will take place on GEnie.  The first Friday of every
 month in the GEnie ST RT beginning at 10pm eastern.  This series of
 conferences are titled, Dateline: Atari.


 AEO RETURNS
 Atari Explorer Online Magazine will return December 5, 1992 with
 exclusive COMDEX coverage by Bob Brodie, columns from other AEO regulars
 Ron Robinson and Travis Guy.




 ######  FIRST RTC ON GENIE FROM HONG KONG
 ######  By Jon Clarke
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 Over the last seven years I have been involved in the Banking Industry,
 in a division called Electronic Banking.  Basically this involves a
 client of the bank communicating via a PC and a modem to the bank to
 send and receive banking related instructions.  Many of you may know of
 it as some form of Electronic Cash Management, here in my bank we call
 it Hexagon.

 Recently I changed banks and was able to take a flying world trip around
 the world to meet my offsiders and to learn about the banks products.
 (This trip was in Z*NET International 1991)  Being able to take this
 opportunity to travel to countries I would other wise never visit I
 decided it would be a great idea to keep in contact with my household as
 well as my many friends in the Global Village via the GEIS network,
 GEnie.

 This I did with great success in the United States, United Kingdom
 (London), and from Frankfurt in Germany.  (A belated thanks Mike)  The
 last part of the trip took me to Hong Kong and our Head Office (I work
 for HongkongBank, the tenth largest bank in the world).  While I was in
 Hong Kong I was able to logon to GEnie via the Local GEIS ports (as most
 users in the USA do on a daily basis) after a quick call to GEIS HK to
 have the port BAR removed.

 Well here we are now some 13 months later and it is time for our annual
 Hexagon Conference in Hong Kong.  Having connected to GEnie last year
 from Hong Kong, I decided it would be a great idea if we could get a
 RoundTable Conference (RTC) going in the Atari section this time.  So I
 dropped some email to Darlah the Chief bottle washer and Head Sysop of
 the Atari RoundTables.   I pointed out to Darlah apart from my email and
 posting to the Atari Bulletin Board (BB) on GEnie last year a live RTC
 from Hong Kong would be a real first for GEnie.  Firsts are something in
 this day and age there are not a lot left to do.

 With the banner placed on the Atari RT front door and my plane tickets
 burning a hole in my pocket, on Sunday the 18OCT92 I was off for an
 eleven hour flight to Hong Kong.

 I left here (New Zealand, next stop the South Pole) on a very nice
 spring day, sunny and 15 degrees Celsius.  When I arrived six hours
 after I left home (time zones are great things) it was 26 degree Celsius
 and the beginning of winter.  I wish our winters were as warm.

 I went through immigration and customs without to much hassle and headed
 of to the hotel on Hong Kong Island.  I think I should point out here
 very quickly a few little points about Hong Kong.

 -  Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong Island, Kawloon and the New
    Territories governed as a protected territory by the United Kingdom.
 -  Population is about 6 million in the size of Lake Taupo (look on your
    globes, maps, at middle of the North Island of New Zealand)
 -  Work hours (average) 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday (9am to 1pm)
 -  One US Dollar equals roughly seven point eight Hong Kong Dollars
    ($USD1 = $HKD7.8)
 -  There is nothing you can not get in Hong Kong except fresh MILK
    (grin)
 -  They have some of the best telecommunications in the world, from X25
    to Satellite TV (Star TV in NICAM Stereo, I loved it)
 -  The time difference is 12hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (sorry
    Darlah)
 -  They play a great game of Rugby not NFL!

 I saw some friends on Sunday night and arranged to be in the office
 early next morning to test the local GEIS PADS.  I had to be at another
 office where I had a two day attachment prior to the conference which
 started on Wednesday, by 9:30am.

 So it was a flying trip to our Group Head Office Global Electronic
 Banking centre and onto a terminal and there I was calling GEIS HK at
 8am on Monday morning.  All is well I thought, up came the CONNECT 2400.
 Now I thought remember the HHH (we do not do this on PDN connections to
 GEnie).  So it was HHH and there was home the "U#" prompt.

 I entered in my ID and PASSWORD, up came the Welcome to GEnie and I let
 out a big sigh of relief as it was going to work for tomorrows RTC.

 Then up came the tell tale local access bar *LOCAL CALL PROHIBITED* .

 "Ah heck" were not quite the first words I uttered but I knew this may
 happen.  So with the help of Owen Choi (Chief Wizz kid and all round
 nice guy) we managed to get a hold of Mr Sze Wai (pronounced C Y) Leung,
 Manager of Client Services and Development at GEIS Hong Kong (HK).  I
 told Sze Wai of the problems I was having but alas he could not
 understand what I was referring to. (ever had a day you should have
 stayed in bed?)

 I explained at great length the problem was at the GEIS HK local port,
 it had a bar on it and he could remove it in about ten minutes.  I will
 give Sze Wai his credit as he is a customer service person and not a
 telecommunications techo.  He said he would get in contact with their
 (GEIS) techo's and I could ring back in 30 minutes.

 "Ah heck " for the second time in 10 minutes came the cry.

 I was now overdue for my attachment so I suggested he call Owen and I
 would pop back at lunch time and give it another go.  He told me "no
 problems" it will all be sorted out by then and I can relax.  (Just what
 I needed to hear).

 Twelve o'clock came and I shot upstairs (18 stories) and asked Owen what
 the outcome was?  He said it was all go but he could not try it as I
 took my codes with me (opps).  So we popped on and the same problem
 again.  Now I have a loooooong fuse but this was getting to me a little
 to say the least.  So another call and this time we had the techo's
 monitor my call and logon to GEnie.

 They (GEIS Techo's) saw the problem, great but it was afar as they were
 concerned was a USA problem not a Hong Kong problem.

 After ten minutes of me saying it is a Hong Kong problem and them saying
 no it is a USA one I gave up and asked how they can fix it.  They said
 they would have it all fixed by 4pm and I should try then.  At this
 point I suggested if they can not fix the local pads I would need to be
 in their office by 9:30am the next morning to do the RTC from there.

 Sze Wai said "OK, but you will not need to."  (grin.. hind site is a
 great thing!)

 Come 4pm on Monday afternoon, we were still no where and the ports were
 still barred.  However Sze Wai mentioned GEIS had on-sold the GEnie
 access to the local carrier in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Telecom, Datapak.

 There was it turned out X25 access to GEnie and I could access via
 Datapak as a last resort.

 Great, success at last I thought.  But we did not have the Datapak login
 code (Network User Identification, NUI) and after a quick call to
 Datapak it would take 3 weeks to get one (why did I get up today?)  We
 rang GEIS and told them of our demise and they suggested we go over to
 their offices in the morning and do it all from there.

 At this point a simple RTC was turning into a nightmare, as Sze Wai also
 mentioned he had not been notified by GEIS USA about this access and now
 needed a fax or PC MAIL to say it was OK for me to do this RTC from
 their offices in HK.

 So with an appointment at 6pm pending I rang Darlah in the United States
 and woke her up as it was only 5:55am EST.  After getting down on bended
 knee over the phone and apologizing for waking her up at this ungodly
 hour, I proceeded to spout forth what had transpired with GEIS HK I then
 asked if she could arrange for a fax to GEIS HK and GEIS OZ with all the
 RTC details.

 I would like to state for the record my sincere thanks to Darlah for her
 help, and Nathan yes she does sound a million dollars at 6am (grin).

 Well I missed my 6pm appointment needless to say, so a group of us
 decided to go and visit the old computer haunts in Kawloon.  Brain and
 Linda from London along with Isabel from the Channel Islands joined us
 and we set forth to Sham Shu Po on the MTR (subway).

 Now imagine if you will a small three story shopping mall full with not
 20 not 100 but in its heyday 1200 computer stores.

 The Golden Shopping Centre has long been a Mecca to computer users of
 all sorts for many years.  They deal with every thing from Game Boys,
 cd-roms, software, hardware, and every conceivable computer related item
 and part in between.  All the latest computers are on show and for sale
 either as a complete unit or as sub systems.

 I liken this and the Mong Kok computer centres as the closest thing to
 computer heaven there is on earth.  (I think this about covers it)

 Want software.. OK what do you want it for.  Remember like many
 countries most of it is targeted at the IBM and clone markets but a
 sample of things catered for are ..

 - MS-DOS     - Windows       - OS/2      - Unix      - Mac
 - Atari  (16bit an 8Bit)     - Amiga (16bit and 8bit)
 - Hand held games machines   - Gameboy, Lynx and many more
 - Home Games consoles 2600 and many more

 What sort of software do you want

 - Word processors            - Communications        - Games
 - CAD                        - Utilities
 - etc etc etc etc etc etc etc

 When do you want it?  Did I hear you say "WHAT?"  Yes it is a sad fact
 but a lot of the software, manual and hardware for the matter are
 pirated!  Produced while you wait for an average of $USD3 to $USD10 per
 package.  Don't get me wrong here NOT all places are doing this just a
 few.

 What hardware do you want?  Want a cloned or as the chap said "a
 reversed engineered MAC " for 2/3rds of the USA price.  The hardware is
 very good value indeed.  I brought a modem, mouse and a few other bits
 and pieces for the systems here at home at 2/3rds the local retail
 price.

 I am not going to spring any revelations on you here but if there is
 anything you want I suggest it is only a matter of looking for it. (See
 the GEnie ATARI RTC file for more details)

 After four hours of touring Sham Sho Poo we headed to Mong Kok and then
 off to Jordan to the "Night Markets".  A few thousand Hong Kong Dollars
 later I was back in the hotel room hoping that Darlah and GEIS USA had
 managed to get the fax off to Hong Kong.

 My early morning call duely arrived and I was off to work.  A quick call
 to GEIS HK and yes they had received the fax and were expecting me down
 at Taikoo Shing at 9:30am.

 I had a local chap assigned to me to get there and off we went.  A $HK80
 taxi ride later we arrived.  If I did not have the local chap I would
 have been lost as GEIS are on level 9 and access is from level one.

 When I did arrive at the reception desk I must say I was surprised
 indeed.  My hats off to the GE management for the presentation of their
 reception area.  A big marble GE behind the receptionist certainly set
 the flavour of this operation.

 Sze Wai arrive and asked me to follow him to his office.  Here he has
 set up a PC, modem and the old reliable GE software "TSI" (yuck I
 personally hate TSI- Time Share Interface).

 A quick call to Datapak, and after entering the NUI here is what
 appeared ..

 Datapak: call cleared - remote request Datapak: 5500 066
 Communications disconnect
 Error code = 5060
 NO CARRIER

 Opps, what was happening?  After another re-try we were on GEnie and
 underway with the RTC.  I would like to apologize for my typing on the
 RTC at this point.  I often make mistakes when typing and rely heavily
 on the delete or backspace key (don't we all?) and this version of TSI
 did not have one nor did have a chat option so I lost where I was typing
 a few times.

 Lou managed to get ahold of me and we were underway with the RTC for
 just over an hour and a half.  (see transcript for details)

 I would like to thank the following people for allowing me to get the
 RTC from Hong Kong together after a nerve racking 24hours..

 - Darlah Potechin Atari RTs
 - Nathan Potechin
 - Mr Sze Wai Leung Manager GEIS HK
 - The staff of GEIS Hong Kong
 - Mr Jim Starr, GEIS Network Manager Sydney Australia
 - The GEnie crew.
 - The GEB crew at HSBC GHO




 ######  PERUSING GENIE
 ######  Compiled By Ed Krimen
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


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


 GENIE POST OF THE YEAR
 ----------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Magazines" category (15)
 -=> from the "Z*Net Atari Online Magazine" topic (9)

 Message 12        Sun Nov 29, 1992
 S.WINICK                     at 06:39 EST

 Bob, Thanks for clearing up the FCC certification questions.  It's great
 to have you back online on a regular basis once again, providing
 everyone with accurate and timely information.  Of course, I'm sure the
 instigators of the rumor mills will just look for other areas to find
 criticism and frustration.

 Giving Atari's Director of Communications back the ability to do his job
 most efficiently and provide the Atari community near instant
 accessibity through the online services is definitely another move in
 the correct direction.

 I did a demo for a nice couple who came in yesterday looking for a new
 PC-clone to replace their aging 286.  Of course they were drawn to the
 PC-cludge we keep on hand for just that occassion.  And, like the
 typical PC shopper, they of course "didn't want an Atari".  As the
 discussion progressed, they eventually got around to asking my opinions
 on various aspects of hardware and software and when they discovered
 that I really "used" the Atari platform myself for everything, asked to
 see one.  ;-]

 Needless to say, by the end of the session they, like the large majority
 of shoppers we see, kept asking over and over again why Atari doesn't
 let everyone know about their systems.  They were blown away by the TT's
 power and speed.  How 'bout Word Perfect?  Click.... there it was.  How
 'bout Lotus123.  Click.... there was LDW Power! How 'bout desktop
 publishing.  Click.... there was Calamus. Goodness... look how fast and
 it's REALLY What You See is What You Get!  Oh, but printing on their
 laser printer at work takes forever.  Click.... now watch this......
 <grin>,  How long does that flatbed scanner take to scan in a page......
 click..... <another grin>.  How 'bout graphics and sound?  Click.....
 Oh, but he has to do some CADD work also.  <biggest grin of the day>
 Click..... DynaCADD!  Ah, but how much does that 19" TTM195 montor cost
 and how much does the graphics card cost that must also be needed?  <yet
 another big grin>.  What, "you mean to tell me that's a STANDARD monitor
 for this system?"

 As usual, they left believers!  The systems are great; always have been.
 The problem has always been in finding an effective means of making them
 visible and accessible to the public.  Getting the information out....
 that's part your job, Bob.  As Director of Communications you must be
 allowed to communicate!  It's great to see that you're once again being
 allowed to do that job in the most effective manner.

 Welcome Back!!
 Sheldon (IADA/Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)
 =======================================


 350,000 BIRDS?!
 ---------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)

 Message 85        Fri Nov 27, 1992
 BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp.]     at 18:22 EST

 I'm a little at a loss where the current projections of Falcon
 production is coming for?  Who's the source for this rumor???  Our
 production forecast is for approx. 350,000 machines for 1993.  Half of
 those are earmarked for the US. Crunch all you want, and we'll make
 more.

 :)

 Re the PC emulator for the processor slot...the one that was shown at
 COMDEX was an early working prototype of a 286.  The 286 version will be
 sold very inexpensively, and there will be a 486SX version available by
 January.  In color.

 regards,
 Bob Brodie
 =======================================


 I WANT MY ATARI EXPLORER!
 -------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Explorer" topic (30)

 Message 112       Fri Nov 27, 1992
 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve]          at 04:33 EST

 I know there are changes going on, but WHEN will Atari Explorer resume
 publishing and ON A REGULAR (bi-monthly) BASIS?
 ----------
 Message 113       Fri Nov 27, 1992
 EXPLORER.1 [ Ron ]           at 15:40 EST

 Steve, The objective is to get Explorer back on a regular publishing
 schedule early next year.  The first Lindsay/Meers issue is at the
 printers now.  Articles for the following issue (MIDI theme) are in edit
 now, and planning is taking place for the third issue.

 I know the delays are frustrating but everyone really is doing the best
 they can to get things back on track.  The patience of our subscribers
 is very much appreciated.

 Ron @ Atari Explorer
 =======================================


 BITSTREAM SPEEDO
 ----------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Speedo GDOS" topic (35)

 Message 62        Fri Nov 27, 1992
 EXPLORER.5 [Bob]             at 17:07 EST

 Bob, I agree with your headache over yet another proprietary font
 system.  It's an old story, however, and the argument in favor of a
 unified font system doesn't seem to have made much impression on
 developers.

 Until now.  Bitstream Speedo fonts are not proprietary in the sense that
 only a limited number of applications use them.  Bitstream is an
 established font foundry that has a wide enough market base to provide
 some security in the format.  Bitstream provides _real_ support to
 application developers wishing to access their fonts.  Calamus probably
 won't support Speedo format, but I'll bet real money that PageStream
 does.

 Now here's where the GDOS concept shows its beauty, maybe the only
 beauty it has.  Any application that supports GDOS doesn't have to go
 through the development cycle to support scalable Speedo fonts.  Once
 Atari releases the new GDOS, applications such as Wordflair can
 immediately use the new fonts, including any fonts you can get from
 third parties.

 I'll agree that using the Speedo format instead of the more common Type
 1 format may be questionable.  The only reason I can think of for doing
 that would be to improve screen display speed, and there hasn't been an
 asnwer from Atari on that yet.  But it's better than using Imagen's
 format, and better than anything we've had before.

 Now all Atari has to do is actually release a working version.
 Hopefully soon.
 =======================================


 WHERE'S THE LYNX?
 -----------------
 -=> In the "Lynx - The Game Machine" category (36)
 -=> from the "General Lynx Info And Discussion" topic (5)

 Message 61        Mon Nov 30, 1992
 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve]          at 01:54 EST

 Well, it's the end of the BUSIEST shopping weekend of the year and my
 local Toys 'R' Us (Atari's seemingly 'pride & joy' of Lynx outlets)
 STILL has no Lynxes to sell (and hasn't for at least 2 1/2 MONTHS).  I
 guess it's about time I sell mine while it's still worth something???
 And yes, I'm a bit pissed off.  Things like this don't make me feel any
 more optimistic about Atari management FINALLY getting the hang of how
 to run a company.
 ----------
 Message 62        Mon Nov 30, 1992
 REALM [Joey]                 at 04:39 EST

 Steve, No offense, but how is the lack of Atari management even remotely
 related to your happiness with the Lynx?   Atari could fall over dead
 tomorrow and I'd still be playing mine.  I've already had enough fun to
 cover the cost.  If you've played it 15 or 20 hours it's already cheaper
 per hour then going to the movies.:-)
 ----------
 Message 63        Mon Nov 30, 1992
 FAIRWEATHER [David]          at 10:16 EST

 Right now, Toys R Us in Ventura, CA actually has their best selection of
 Lynx machines and carts since they started carrying the Lynx, so I don't
 think you can generalize too far from your local store, Steve.
 ----------
 Message 64        Mon Nov 30, 1992
 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird]        at 18:25 EST

 It really sucks to get a Toys R Us flier in the paper twice a week or
 more, with whole pages taken up by the Game Toy and another two page
 spread of the Game Gear, and no sign of the Lynx.

 I understand that these fliers are paid for by the companies whose
 products are being featured, and do not reflect the attitudes of the
 Toys R Us staff.  In other words, Sega and Nintendo pay Toys R Us to
 place the ads in their flier.

 Don't complain to the store if you don't feel they are giving the Lynx a
 fair shake.  They are.  Someone else is at faultless.
 ----------
 Message 65        Mon Nov 30, 1992
 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=]             at 18:35 EST

 That really is a silly position.  Umm, err, then again...  Say, Steve,
 I'll pay you $30 for that worthless LYNX system you have there.  Yeah,
 that's the ticket!

 Say they may go belly up next week... it's value could drop to $10...
 Better jump on that $30 offer!!
 ----------
 Message 66        Mon Nov 30, 1992
 JOHN.KING.T [JOHN KING T]    at 21:37 EST

 Steve, I was at my local Toys R Us this weekend in Burbank, CA.  They
 DID have LYNX's in stock.  I looked behind the "cage" and my guestimate
 was about three dozen.

 The Babbage's in my local mall in Glendale, CA has given the LYNX
 priority over the other hand-held game systems by putting the LYNX "up
 front."  The Electronic Boutique, in the same mall, even has a custom
 LYNX sign.

 I guess you don't live in the right part of the country.
 =======================================




 ###### THE Z*NET COMPUTER CALENDAR 1992-1993
 ###### Schedule of Shows, Events and Online Conferences
 ###### ----------------------------------------------------------------


 ### December 4-6, 1992
 The Computer Graphics Show 1992 at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center
 in New York City.  This is a CMC event.  For more information call;
 [phone], extension 234.


 ### December 12, 1992
 Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts (LCACE) will hold the 1992 LCACE
 Christmas Party and Swap meet.  It will be held in the Auditorium of the
 Waukegan Public Library on County Street in Waukegan.  The LCACE MIDI
 sig is planning a "jam session", there will be a door prize raffle, and
 games and other activities for everyone.  In addition to the party,
 there will be a hardware and software Swap meet.  No admission and No
 table charge!  Doors open at 1:00pm.  For more information information,
 call Pegasus BBS at 708-623-9570.


 ### December 15, 1992
 Zenobot, GEnie user and writer for AtariUser Magazine and publisher/
 Editor of the ST Gamers Digest Online Magazine will be the GEnie ST RT
 guest for a night of game discussion.  Zarth will answer your questions
 concerning which games to buy for Christmas.  This conference begins at
 10:00pm EDT.


 ### December 20, 1992
 Eugene, Oregon.  Atari SWAP MEET planned at the GATEWAY MALL MEETING
 PLACE.  The hours have not been finalized yet but tentively they will be
 10am - 5pm.  There may be a small admission fee this year (no more than
 $1.00) and there may be a table fee.


 ### December 24-25, 1992
 Christmas 1992!  Spend time with your loved ones!  Hope you bought an
 Atari product for your favorite person!


 ### December 31/January 1,1993
 New Years Eve, New Years Day!  Happy New Year!  Make those resolutions
 stick this time around!


 ### January 4, 1993
 Dateline: Atari RTC on GEnie.  Bob Brodie will be the guest speaker at
 this regular monthly ST Roundtable conference.  Scheduled start times
 for all GEnie conferences are 10pm EDT.


 ### January 6-9, 1993
 MacWorld Expo in San Fransisco California, Sponsored by MacWorld
 Magazine.  Titled San Fransisco '93 at the Moscone Center.


 ### January 7-10, 1993 (Corrected Date)
 The Winter Consumer Electronics Show comes to Las Vegas, Nevada.  CES is
 an electronic playground, with everything in the way of high tech toys
 for kids and adults.  Game consoles and hand-held entertainment items
 like the Atari Lynx are big here, and Atari will attend with a hotel
 suite showroom.  Contact Atari Corp for more information on seeing their
 display at 408-745-2000.


 ### January 12-14, 1993
 Networld '93 in Boston, Massachusettes


 ### January 15-18, 1993
 NAMM is the largest conclave of musicians each year.  Held in Los
 Angeles at the Anaheim Convention Center, the variety of sights at the
 National Association of Music Merchandisers is wilder than at
 Disneyland, just next door.  Atari was the first computer manufacturer
 to ever display at NAMM in 1987, and has become a standard at the shows.
 A trade show for music stores, distributors, and professionals of every
 strata, entertainers are seen everywhere at NAMM.  Contact James Grunke
 at Atari Corp for more information at 408-745-2000.


 ### February 2-4, 1993
 ComNet '93 in Washington, DC.


 ### March 1993
 CeBIT, the world's largest computer show with 5,000 exhibitors in 20
 halls, is held annually in Hannover, Germany.  Atari traditionally
 struts its newest wares there, usually before it's seen in the USA or
 anywhere else.  In '93, the Atari 040 machines should be premiering, and
 this is the likely venue.  Third party developers also use this show to
 introduce new hardware and software, so expect a wave of news from CeBIT
 every year.  Atari Corp and the IAAD coordinate cross-oceanic contacts
 to promote worldwide marketing of Atari products, and this show is an
 annual touchstone of that effort.  Contact Bill Rehbock at Atari Corp
 for information at 408-745-2000.


 ### March 13-14, 1993
 The Sacramento Atari Computer Exposition is to be sponsored by the
 Sacramento Atari ST Users Group (SST) at the Towe Ford Museum in
 Sacramento, California.  This show replaces the earlier scheduled, then
 cancelled Northern California Atari Fest for the Bay Area, to have been
 held in December 1992.  A major two day effort, the SAC show is being
 held in the special events area of the Towe Ford Museum, home of the
 worlds most complete antique Ford automobile collection.  As an added
 bonus, admission to the museum is free when you attend the Expo.  The
 museum is located at the intersection of Interstates 5 and 80, just 15
 minutes from the Sacramento Metropolitan Airport.  Contact Nick Langdon
 (Vendor Coordinator) C/O SST, P.O. Box 214892, Sacramento, CA 95821-
 0892, phone [phone], GEnie: M.WARNER8, ST-Keep BBS (SST) 916-729-
 2968.


 ### March 21-24, 1993
 Interop Spring '93 in Washington DC.


 ### August 3-6, 1993
 MacWorld Expo at the Boston World Trade Center, Bayside Exposition
 Center and sponsored by MacWorld Magazine.  This event is titled Boston
 '93.


 ### September 18-19, 1993
 The Glendale Show returns with the Southern California Atari Computer
 Faire, V.7.0, in suburban Los Angeles, California.  This has been the
 year's largest domestic Atari event, year after year.  Contact John King
 Tarpinian at the user group HACKS at 818-246-7286 for information.


 ### September 20-22, 1993
 The third MacWorld Expo, titled Canada '93 at the Metro Toronto
 Convention Centre, sponsored by MacWorld Magazine.


 ### September 21-23, 1993
 Unix Expo '93 in New York City, New York.


 If you have an event you would like to include on the Z*Net Calender,
 please send email vai GEnie to Z-NET, CompuServe 75300,1642, or via
 FNET to node 593 or AtariNet node 51:1/13.0




 ######  THE UNABASHED ATARIOPHILE
 ######  By Michael R. Burkley
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 I survived my vacation.  To keep the peace in my family I didn't even
 take my ST along ("Greater love has no one than this...).  I have to
 admit though, that the morning after I arrived in Saugus, MA found me in
 the local Lit'l Peach perusing the magazine racks.  I finally found what
 I was after--a copy of "The Want ADvertiser."  I bought it "just in
 case" there were some good deals to be found.  When I brought it home my
 wife's only comment was "I expected as much."

 Have you ever noticed that there are loads of used IBM's, Mac's, and
 Amiga's for sale, but not many ST's?  Of course, part of that just might
 be that there are fewer ST's out there to start with, but I think that a
 major factor in that dearth of used Atari's is that once a person grabs
 on to an ST he or she tends to hold on to it!

 This week I thought I would write about a series of programs by Uncle
 Carl, or as the world at large knows him, Carl J. Hafner.  Uncle Carl is
 a capable and multi-faceted individual.  He is a performing musician,
 the owner of a music business, a nice guy, and much more.  Part of the
 "much more" is that he programs his ST using GFA Basic, and he shares
 his programs with others.  I am personally aware of over 26 programs and
 files that he has produced (he updates them continuously as well).
 Ranging from time traveling detective text adventures to GFA Programming
 helps, to superb applications like his disk librarian or Hard Disk
 security system, these programs show his wide range of interests and his
 considerable skills in programming (and excellent imagination as well!).

 Have you ever used one of those programs that (supposedly) allow you to
 convert all of your archived files to another format, only to find out
 that the program didn't work?  That's because most (if not all) of such
 programs before now were tied to a specific version of an archiver.
 BELEF (pronounced: BELL*EFF) is Uncle Carl solution to that problem.  He
 has created a program that will work on compression programs past,
 present, and future.  Now if you have a zillion ARC (or other format)
 files and want to save space you can just convert them over to LZH with
 minimal effort.  Docs included.  SHAREWARE.

 Another useful program, especially for you musicians out there, is
 MidiNote v.1.6.  MidiNote displays incoming MIDI notes, pressure,
 program change, pitch bend, channel and sustain.  This can be useful for
 determining MIDI values from within programs which do not display this
 information until you've already recorded something.  It works as either
 a program OR accessory, in ALL resolutions, and can be repositioned
 anywhere on the screen so that it does not interfere with the screen
 information you may need.  ST/STe/TT compatible (includes TOS 2.06).
 SHAREWARE.

 Ocultar v.2.5D is a program that will protect your Hard Disk from
 unauthorized access through the use of a User Defined Password.  You can
 make your disk _secure_ if you want.  No one is getting into your
 computer if they don't have the password.  This version adds a new even
 more feature-packed interface that allows up to 10 users with their own
 passwords, bootup configuration and file maitenance options.  Color or
 mono.  ST/STe/TT (in ST rez) compatible (this includes TOS 2.06).  Docs
 included.  SHAREWARE.

 The final utility program I'll mention (though he has written many more)
 is UNCLE v.3.8D.  This is a fully working copy (NOT a demo) of Uncle
 Carl's Famous Disk Librarian Version 3.8D (revised April 17, 1992 to
 make it ST/STe/TT, TOS 2.06 compatible in all ST rez).  Uncle Carl's
 Famous Disk Librarian, is a SHAREWARE disk cataloging utility.  This is
 simply the most capable disk librarian that I have ever seen.  It does
 everything you want it to do (that is, in regard to disk cataloging!).
 It allows you to SHOW or PRINT COMPLETE disk directories.  Selectively
 search through drives A-P.  You can SAVE the information you retrieve to
 any of 3 file types, all of which are saved in ASCII format!  He has
 even included a full Text Editor!  The original description I wrote went
 on for two pages!  I highly recommend this file.  Color or mono.  Docs
 included.

 I don't want to give the impression that Uncle Carl has only written
 serious, hard-working applications.  He also lets us have a lot of fun!
 Here are some of my favorites among the many he has written.

 CopyCats 2 is a "Simon" type game in which you are challenged to mimic a
 computer generated sequence of selected boxes. Difficulty levels and
 presentation speeds are ALL user definable, making it absolutely
 impossible to lose all the time!  CopyCats can also be picked up and
 moved anywhere on the screen.  ST/STe/TT compatible (TOS 2.06, too!) in
 all ST/TT resolutions.

 "A Journey In The Past," is the first adventure in the Grampa Howard
 Mysteries.  In this program you are transported 100 years back in time
 in an attempt to help Grampa Howard find and defeat Dr. Malvert.  All is
 not as it seems however, due in part to the time displacement drag
 coefficient (of all things).  Therefore, what seems to be obvious may
 not be that way at all!  This text adventure makes you work!  I like it!
 SHAREWARE.

 MIDI Strobe Version 1.4 is a program that interprets a note on/off
 command as an instruction to generate a random color.  Therefore, the
 faster you play, the faster the program changes the screen's colors.  It
 will run on a color or mono ST (but the color changes do get boring with
 a mono monitor!).  It requires a MIDI keyboard to be connected to your
 ST to run.

 That's it for this week!  What are your favorite PD/Shareware programs?
 Please let me know.  I'm always looking for programs to boast about.
 After all, I'm the _Unabashed_ Atariophile!  It's time to fire up the
 modem and send this off.



 ######  SALES DOOR V4.00
 ######  Press Release
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 (c)1992, PERIGEE SOFTWARE CORPORATION

 The On-Line Sales Door   Perigee Software Corporation

 The The On-Line Sales Door is a software package that allows people to
 remotely access your computer's database of information with their
 computer, a modem and a telephone line, without leaving the comfort of
 their home or office.

 They have the ability to view pictures of what is in your database,
 place orders (if you install it as an on-line sales system), and obtain
 as much detailed, visual and/or text information that you would like to
 present to them.

 This software package can help you open up a world of contacts and
 customers that you never dreamed of being able to reach before.  It's
 inexpensive, easy to install, and a snap to use, even if you have no
 data communications experience.

 For you more technically inclined individuals, the software was
 programmed using a combination of Turbo Pascal *, QuickBasic *, BTrieve
 * Btree * and Assembler *.  It has a fully functional relational
 database, is Novell and DOS Share * compatible, supports high-speed data
 transmission and operates in the MS-DOS * environment.

 Minimum hardware requirements are as follows :

 DOS v 3.3 or higher
 512K FREE conventional memory
 40 MB Hard Drive
 4 MB must be free to install to the hard drive
 Monochrome monitor with ANSI loaded

 Features and Benefits :

 Handles Up To 10 Telephone Lines Before Upgrade Required
 High Resolution Item Picture Viewing
 Unlimited Item Database Capacity
 On-Line Order Placement
 Downloading of Orders
 Keyword and Category Searching
 Automated Credit Card Verifications
 Multiple Tax, Freight and Weight Calculations
 Automatic Printing of Orders/Invoices
 Multi-Node and Network Compatible
 Multiple Languages Supported, English, French, etc.
 Stores and Retrieves Customer Data On-Line
 High Level of Security
 24 Hour Order Taking Capability
 Customer Product Browsing at their leisure
 Minimal Staffing for Inquiries and Order Taking
 Multiple Tax Tables and "Foriegn Order Awareness"
 User Definable Invoices
 Automatically Detects Your Systems' Hardware Upon Install

 For More Information, Contact Perigee Software Corporation
 Tel [phone]
 BBS [phone]

 ADDITIONAL FEATURES

 Other functionality, too extensive to detail here, includes multicountry
 tax tables, full relational database technology, user controllable
 installation and configuration, full mouse and modem support,
 maintenance and conversion programs for database management, multikey
 search capability, and a complete online help system.  The commercial
 version of the product comes with bound manual and a full one year
 telephone support service.

 Another big plus to our system is that it has been in the 'shareware
 world' for the past four years and is viewed there as one of the best
 products of it's kind.  It is because of this response to our product
 that has lead us to the decision to produce a commercial version as well
 this year.  We still continue to enjoy a large success in the shareware
 world, hence this documentation refers to both versions of the software.

 SALES DOOR BBS SUPPORT

 The following is a list of BBSes now directly supported by both
 VisuaLink Database System and The On-Line Sales Door.

 Should your BBS be one of the systems that does not support User
 Membership Upgrades and/or Message Base Access, please contact THEM and
 ask their techinical support staff to supply us with the database
 structures for their user and message databases.  We will attempt to
 include this functionality in future releases.

 COMPATIBILITY

 No Door Manager Required, Supports BBS User Membership Upgrades On-line
 and Message To Sysop That Orders Have Been Placed.

 BBS Type                       File Used
 ========                       =========
 PCboard 14.x                   PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 Feathernet                     PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 QuickBBS 1.0x - 6.2x           DORINFO1.DEF
 RemoteAccess 1.10/1.11         DORINFO1.DEF
 RyBBS                          CURRUSER.BBS
 SuperBBS                       DORINFO1.DEF
 Telegard BBS                   DOOR.SYS
 Wildcat 3.xx                   DOOR.SYS
 QuickBBS 2.75                  DORINFO1.DEF
 Swift BBS                      DORINFO1.DEF

 Supports BBS User Membership Upgrades BUT NO Message Importation

 BBS Type                       File Used
 ========                       =========
 GAP Communications             DOOR.SYS

 NO BBS User Membership Upgrades AND NO Message importation

 BBS Type                       File Used
 ========                       =========
 PCBoard 12.x                   PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 2AM-BBS                        JUMPER.DAT
 Auntie BBS                     AUNTIE.SYS
 Doorway (All Versions)         DOOR.SYS,GRAPHICS.SYS
 EIS-PC                         DORINFO1.DEF
 Emulex                         PCBOARD.SYS
 FCP/Emulex                     PCBOARD.SYS
 Fido BBS                       DOOR.SYS
 Force! (tm)                    DOOR.SYS
 FoReM                          DORINFO1.DEF
 Forum-PC                       USERINFO.TXT
 GT Power Host                  GTUSER.BBS
 Genesis Deluxe                 CALLINFO.BBS
 Magpie                         DOOR.SYS
 Maximus 2.0                    DORINFO1.DEF
 Milton Gameworks               USERINFO.TXT
 ModuleX                        NUMBER.TXT
 Odessey BBS                    NUMBER.TXT
 Omegacom BBS                   DORINFO.DEF
 Opus-CBCS                      DOOR.SYS
 Phoenix RCS                    INFO.BBS
 PILOT BBS                      CHAIN.TXT
 Professional OLEcom            DORINFO1.DEF
 RBBS-PC16.x                    DORINFOx.DEF
 RBBS-PC17.x                    DORINFOx.DEF
 Searchlight BBS                PCBOARD.SYS
 Spitfire BBS                   SFDOORS.DAT
 TAG BBS                        DOOR.SYS
 TP-Board                       DORINFO1.DEF
 Wildcat 1.xx                   CALLINFO.BBS
 Wildcat 2.xx                   CALLINFO.BBS
 WWIV                           CHAIN.TXT
 XBBS                           USERINFO.XBS
 DCI                            DORINFO1.DEF
 MaxiHost                       DORINFO1.DEF
 Osiris                         DOOR.SYS
 Executive Host                 DORINFO1.DEF
 TriTel                         TRITEL.SYS
 PowerBoard BBS                 DOOR.SYS
 Citadel BBS (TurboCit)         OUTPUT.APL
 Citadel BBS (FredCit)          OUTPUT.APL
 Virtual BBS                    CHAIN.TXT
 TriBBS 3.0                     DOOR.SYS
 Boyan                          DOOR.SYS
 Dark Star                      PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 Eazi Host                      DORINFO1.DEF
 Fornax                         DOOR.SYS
 GS BBS Ver 3.02                DORINFO1.DEF
 JDR BBS                        PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 Lora BBS                       DORINFO1.DEF
 LA - BBS                       DORINFO1.DEF
 Mach-10                        DORINFO1.DEF
 Max!BBS                        DOOR.SYS
 MaxiHost                       DOOR.SYS
 MegaHost                       DOOR.SYS
 ProBBS                         PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 ROS BBS                        DOOR.SYS
 ROVER BBS                      PCBOARD.SYS,PCBOARD.DAT
 TurBoard                       DORINFO1.DEF
 TPBoard                        DOOR.SYS
 Ultra BBS                      CALLINFO.BBS
 ProBoard BBS                   DOOR.SYS



 ######  THE TECH ROOM
 ######  Reprint from October AtariUser Magazine
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 The following article is reprinted in Z*Net by permission of AtariUser
 magazine.  It MAY NOT be further reprinted without specific permission
 of AtariUser.  AtariUser Magazine, 249 North Brand Boulevard, Suite 332
 Glendale, CA 91203  Telephone/Voicemail: 818-246-6277, FAX: [phone]


 "Thanks for the memories...."


 Have you heard terms like cache memory, TT fast memory and TT slow
 memory, and wondered what they meant?  Well, they aren't really hard to
 understand, and knowing what they mean will give you a better feel for
 how your Atari computer works.

 Several kinds of memory reside in your Atari ST or TT, and the computer
 moves information from one kind of memory to another.  The information
 stored and moved makes up both programs and the output data of those
 programs.  Inside the computer there are also permanent programs, called
 the operating system.  In Atari's case, it's named TOS ("The Operating
 System" or "Tramiel Operating System", your choice).

 TOS is built into a kind of memory called read-only memory (ROM), which
 may be read but not rewritten.  It was set up at the factory, and can
 never be changed except by chip replacement.  The rest of the memory in
 you computer is "random access memory" or RAM.  This memory can be read
 or written to, and is used to store all the temporary programs and data.

 While the ROMs retain their information even when the power is turned
 off, the RAMs lose everything they hold if the power is off.  The word
 "volatile" is used to describe this capacity; RAM is volatile, ROM is
 non-volatile.

 Inside an Atari computer, the RAM is theoretically divided further into
 two functional parts, although in reality, the memory area is
 continuous.  One part is the screen memory, which holds all the data
 needed to describe what is being seen on the monitor.  The rest of RAM
 is used for general storage.

 Killing Time

 The central processing chip (CPU), the 68000, needs to read and write
 the memory all the time while operating.  The display system also needs
 to read the screen memory all the time, to constantly redraw the picture
 you are seeing.  Since the Atari ST screen memory is really just a part
 of the regular memory, the CPU changes the picture by simply rewriting
 the RAM portion that is used as screen memory.  But, both the CPU and
 the screen display circuits are running at the same time.  They can't
 both read the memory at the same time, so they share!

 Inside the standard ST, the RAM is capable of being accessed (read or
 written) four million times a second.  The processor and the display
 system take turns, each accessin memory two million times per second.

 One of the differences between an ST and TT is that the TT may have a
 lot more RAM than the ST.  But, to make the software written for the ST
 work on the TT, Atari made the first four Megabytes of RAM in the TT
 operate the same as in the ST.  In other words, software written for the
 TT must keep the screen memory within the first four megabytes, which is
 the maximum size memory the ST was designed to use.  But this means that
 any additional RAM in the TT may follow new rules, and it does!

 The first four megabytes are now called standard memory.  Anything
 beyond that is called fast memory.  Because it doesn't need to share its
 access times with the screen, fast RAM can be accessed at the full four
 million times per second.

 When your computer contains the regular 8 MHz 68000 processor, those two
 million accesses per second are all it can handle.  But, if you have an
 Atari with a faster processor, whether because it came with one (the TT
 or Mega STe) or you bought a third-party accelerator, that slow memory
 rate is slowing you down.  If your processor is twice as fast, using TT
 fast memory will speed up operations.  But if you have an even faster
 processor, you're stuck again!

 By the way, this bottleneck is not only an Atari phenomenon.  All those
 PC's out there suffer from this in spades.  One answer to the problem is
 to move processes that are "normally" done in the bottlenecked RAM to
 other, faster memory.

 Now, ROM chips (for TOS) that are fast enough to be accessed at a higher
 rate are expensive.  In the ST and TT, TOS is always accessed at the
 slower (original ST) rate, so cheaper chips can be used.  But, a copy of
 the operating system can be written into very fast RAM, so that the
 processor can read there for operating routines, instead of ROM.  And
 since this memory is as fast as the CPU, there is no slow down.  Fast
 memory used for this ROM copy purpose is called "shadow RAM".

 Fast memory is still too expensive to be used to replace all RAM.  But
 no program uses the entire RAM at any one time, so it's possible to copy
 a portion of regular RAM containing program code and/or data to fast
 chips, so that the processor can access them much faster.  Fast memory
 used in this manner is called "cache RAM".

 The complications of cache RAM involve deciding which portions of RAM to
 copy, and when, and when to put the data back into RAM.  So there is
 software (and sometimes special hardware) to manage the very fast RAM.
 Of course, shadow and cache RAM only are useful when your CPU is capable
 of faster processing than your standard RAM can support.

 Another kind of memory we should mention is "virtual" memory.  Sometimes
 a program requires a great deal of RAM to operate, usually to hold a
 large amount of data to be processed.  But the program may need to read
 only a portion of this at any one time.  So, some clever supervisory
 software can jump in, grab the data in RAM and write it out to a
 temporary file on the hard drive, and then read in the next data to
 worked on from the drive and put it in RAM.

 Reading and writing to hard drives can be so quick that you don't notice
 it.  The program you're using doesn't know that it is swapping memory to
 disk--it's as though the computer had as much memory in it as your hard
 drive has available.  Some Atari programs, like Calamus SL and Touch Up,
 do this operation by themselves.  Virtual memory is also what makes
 Windows on the PC's possible.

 "Memories are made of this..."

 So far, we've described the different uses of memory in Atari computers.
 Now let's sort out the alphabet soup of the memory chips themselves:
 DRAM, SRAM, VRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, and the latest, Flash RAM.

 Above, we spoke of RAM and ROM.  These stand for Random Access Memory
 and Read Only Memory, which says something about them, but not
 everything.  Though it might be confusing, a ROM is also "random access
 memory!"   That only means you may access (read or write) any memory
 location on the chip with no regard to the last, previous access you
 made.

 There are non-random access memories too.  In a "shift register," for
 example, all the data is stacked up, like in a tube.  You can shove data
 in at the top, and take it out at the bottom, but to get at something in
 the middle, you have to push out everything in front of it.  This is
 fine if you will be using the data only sequentially, in the order it
 was stored.

 ROMs

 A ROM (sometimes called Masked ROM) is a memory chip whose data is
 etched in place during manufacture, and can never be changed.  A PROM
 (Programmable ROM) comes without anything written to it.  The user
 "burns" in the data he wants, but then it cannot be rewritten.  An EPROM
 (Erasable PROM) has a mechanism that can erase all the programmed info
 at one time, so that the PROM can be reused.  An EEPROM (Electrically
 Erasable PROM) can also erase old data, but usually one byte at a time,
 so you can selectively rewrite only portions of it.

 RAMs

 Nearly all of the RAMs most people have ever seen are either DRAM or
 SRAM.  DRAM (Dynamic RAM) is made from cells of one transistor for each
 bit it stores.  SRAM (Static RAM) is made of cells that use four to six
 transistors for each bit.

 The data stored in a dynamic cell will fade and be lost in just a few
 thousandths of a second if the computer doesn't read the row of bits
 where it resides.  The reading causes the electrical charge on the cell
 to be refreshed and renewed for another few thousandths.  The need to
 keep reading every bit of data over and over (whether you're using the
 data or not) makes for slower access to the data you really want.  But
 dynamic RAM chips are denser, able to store more bits on the same size
 chip than static RAMs, so they're cheaper.

 Static RAMs cost more, but since they don't need to be refreshed, they
 can let you work much faster.  You don't need to keep addressing all the
 rows all the time, making memory fetches both time and power efficient.
 Because they can be made so very fast, SRAM is used for cache and shadow
 memories.  Although it's not done in any Atari computers except the ST
 Book, the static RAM's power can be backed up using a battery.  This
 means you can retain the information even if the computer is off, using
 SRAM as a form of non-volatile memory.

 Another kind of RAM you sometimes hear mentioned is VRAM or Video RAM.
 This is really a regular DRAM combined with a shift register.  These
 devices are useful for holding the screen data for computers like PC's
 that can't keep up with the screen while doing other business, a
 function that isn't needed in ST/TT's.  What makes them faster for this
 work is the VRAM's ability to transfer a whole bunch of words between
 the two kinds of memory in one access time, all within the same chip.
 Instead of having just sixteen or thirty-two data lines between them to
 transfer information, there can be a thousand or more!

 Some new RAM devices of which you're likely hear more soon, are Flash
 memory and synchronous dynamic cache RAM.  Flash RAM is a cross between
 ROM and RAM.  It uses only one transistor per bit, and a captured
 electrical charge tells it whether to be a one or a zero, but it doesn't
 have to be recharged every few milliseconds.  The write process takes a
 lot longer than the read, and the electrical charge must be really
 heavy.  Flash memory keeps its data when the power is off, like a ROM,
 but it's possible and reasonable to rewrite individual bytes, like RAM.
 Flash memory won't replace regular RAM because writing takes too long,
 but it'll be used in special situations like floppy and hard disk
 replacements.

 We spoke of cache RAM, usually made of SRAM, with cost keeping us from
 using very large cache memories.  A new device, the synchronous dynamic
 RAM, is a large DRAM combined with a smaller, fast SRAM.  Called EDRAM
 by some manufacturers, the SRAM part is used as a cache memory, like
 normal, and the DRAM part is used for regular RAM memory.  But, like the
 VRAM, there can be a thousand data lines inside, connecting them, and
 lots of data can be exchanged in one access time.  This means the cache
 memory can work much more efficiently than with two separate chips.
 This idea should make cache memory cheaper and more popular in new
 computers.

 Here's to pleasant memories! -- Norm Weinress

 BIO:  Norman Weinress is AtariUser's electronic elder statesman.  A
 veteran of the early days of computing, his current projects include
 enhanced graphics systems for the Atari computers.




 ######  SCSI TAPE BACKUP FOR ATARI ST
 ######  Captured from the GEnie ST RT
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 There are two major technologies in today's desktop tape drive market;
 QIC (Quarter Inch Cartridge) at the low end and midrange, and DAT
 (Digital Audio Tape) at the high end.  The dividing line is about 1MB
 capacity.

 DAT is a new technology.  DAT drive capacities are quoted in gigabytes.
 Conventional QIC drives have capacities up to 525 megabytes.

 Common Tape Drive Interfaces:

        QIC-02     --- intelligent hardware tape interface
        QIC-36     --- simple hardware tape interface
        QIC-104/11 --- SCSI-1 tape interface
        QIC-121    --- SCSI-2 tape interface

 These standards describe the drive controller.  The SCSI standards are
 only rarely cited by number; usually, QIC-104 and QIC-121 devices are
 referred to simply as "SCSI drives".

 Common Recording formats:

        QIC-24     --- 9-track  60-Mbyte tape format
        QIC-120    --- 15-track 125-Mbyte tape format
        QIC-150    --- 18-track 150-Mbyte tape format
        QIC-525    --- 26-track 525-Mbyte tape format

 Common media:

        DC600A     --- for QIC-24 and QIC-120 drives
        DC6150     --- for QIC-150 drives
        DC6525     --- for QIC-525 drives

 All 150MB QIC type drives can do 250MB on extended-length tapes, though
 some manufacturers discourage you from doing this to avoid excessive
 head wear.

 The interface used on the Atari ST is SCSI.  Beckemeyer Development
 offers "SCSI Tape Kit" software that allows one to use a standard SCSI
 compatible tape drive with the Atari ST computer; virtually any SCSI
 QIC tape drive should work.  Most SCSI DAT drives will also work with
 the Atari ST "SCSI Tape Kit".

 QIC-36 drives may be used by using a separate SCSI controller.  Most
 QIC-02 drives have a separate QIC-02 to QIC-36 controller board which
 may be replaced with a SCSI controller board.  Older 60MB QIC drives are
 available on the surplus market, typically at a very low cost (often
 under $200).

 Compatible SCSI controllers for using older QIC-36 drives:

        Adaptec ACB-3530
        Emulex MT-02

 These SCSI to QIC-36 controllers were often used in early Unix
 workstations, such as Sun, HP, Apollo, Silicon Graphics etc.

 When assembling your own tape subsystem, it is a good idea to use
 standard SCSI connectors.  This way your tape drive can be use with any
 SCSI system, including IBM compatibles, Macintosh, Sun, Next, and
 others.

 Common SCSI external cable connectors:

        Centronix  --- IBM-compatible (recommended)
        50-pin D   --- older Sun equipment, obsolete
        SCSI-2     --- Sun Sparc, Next, others
        25-pin D   --- Macintosh "SCSI"

 Centronix cables are the most common and the least expensive.  The older
 50-pin D-type connectors are not recommended, nor are the Mac style
 25-pin D-type connectors.  The newer SCSI-2 cables and connectors are
 more expensive and more difficult to obtain than Centronix cables.

 SCSI Tape Product Listings:

 Beckemeyer Development offers pre-wired SCSI drive enclosures, including
 all internal cables, SCSI ID selector switch, 50-pin Centronix-type
 connectors, Centronix external cable, and power cable.  Beckemeyer
 Development also offers bare SCSI drives and complete tape subsystems.

 Software:
 SCSI Tape Kit Plus Hard Disk Toolkit       $ 49.95
 SCSI Tape Kit (drivers only, no backup SW) $ 20.00

 Drive Enclosures:
 5.25" half-height                          $119.00
 5.25" full-height                          $199.00

 Bare Drives:
 Wangtek 5150ES 150MB (refurbished)         $375.00
 Wangtek 5150ES 150MB (new)                 $658.00
 Archive Viper 150MB (new)                  $661.00

 Complete Tape Subsystems:
 Wangtek 150MB (new case, refurb. drive)    $499.00
 Wangtek 150MB (new)                        $864.00
 Archive 150MB (new)                        $950.00


 This article downloaded from the GEnie ST Roundtable!

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