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 Z*NET: ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE  Copyright (c)1993, Syndicate Publishing
     Volume 8, Number 10    Issue #494    March 21, 1993   File:93-10

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Publisher/Editor..........................................Ron Kovacs
  Writer............................................Michael R. Burkley
  GEnie Online Editor........................................Ed Krimen
  CompuServe Online Editor............................Michael Mortilla
  Contributing Writer.........................................Len Stys
  Article Contribution......................................Nick Berry
  Contributing Writer........................................Bob Smith
  AtariNet Coordinator\Telecommunications...................Bill Scull
  Contributing Editor...................................Dr. Paul Keith
  Z*Net News International Gateway - New Zealand............Jon Clarke
  Z*Net News Service\AtariUser Magazine-Publisher\Editor.....John Nagy
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 GEnie..............Z-NET  CompuServe....75300,1642  Delphi.........ZNET
 Internet...status.gen.nz  America Online..ZNET1991  AtariNet..51:1/13.0
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 CONTENTS


        |#|  The Editors Desk...........................Ron Kovacs
        |#|  Z*Net Newswire.......................................
        |#|  Delphi Multi-Tos Online Conference Transcript........
        |#|  The Unabashed Atariophile.............Michael Burkley
        |#|  Flash II Update.........................Press Release
        |#|  Kidprgs From Brumleve....................Announcement
        |#|  AtariNet Update............................Bill Scull
        |#|  Spelling Sentry Update..................Press Release
        |#|  Quest For The Falcon.......................Nick Berry
        |#|  Perusing CompuServe.....................Mike Mortilla
        |#|  Z*Net Calender.............................Ron Kovacs
        |#|  Outline Art 3.0.........................Press Release
        |#|  Adventions..............................Press Release
        |#|  New Falcon Magazine Coming..............Press Release
        |#|  Closing Commentary.....................Dr. Paul Keith




 ######  THE EDITORS DESK
 ######  By Ron Kovacs
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 It is nice to be back especially after the horrible weekend and the
 "Blizzard of '93."

 This is an expanded edition containing the Unabashed Atariophile, a
 short story submitted by Nick Berry, and numerous press releases.

 I also want to pass along some strange feelings just experienced this
 week.  From time to time when putting together these weekly issues,
 (when we are weekly), I go back over previous issues produced during or
 close to the same date in previous years.  Having not pursued this task
 in the last few months, I found an issue from 1988 where I announced the
 birth of my son Adam.  Well, Adam just turned five a few weeks ago, and
 it is hard to believe that I am still performing the same task.

 Way back in 1986, I announced the birth of my daughter Jessica.  Later
 this year we will turn seven!  Time really does fly when your having
 fun!

 While were on the subject of "old material", if you are interested in
 any of the archived editions, you can still find them on GEnie in the
 ST RT Library.  We have also placed many back issues up on the Z*Net
 BBS.

 Lastly, at the end of this edition, there is a special guest editorial
 from our Contributing Editor Dr. Paul Keith pertaining to his thoughts
 on ABCO Computer.



 ######  Z*NET NEWSWIRE
 ######  Latest Industry News Update
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 FINAL BETA VERSION OF NT SHIPS
 Microsoft has announced shipment of the second pre-release version of
 the Microsoft Windows NT operating system to 70,000 customers and
 software developers.  The second beta contains significant improvements
 in the areas of performance, application support, networking and
 hardware compatibility, installation and ease of use.  Windows NT is
 aimed at providing the power, reliability and openness required for
 client-server computing.  Windows NT is also compatible with a large
 number of peripheral devices, including 268 printers, 44 SCSI devices,
 12 display adapters, 23 network adapters and more than 800 hardware
 platforms.


 PURPLE MOUNTAIN UPDATE
 Purple Mountain Computers (PMC) has developed a recycling program for
 computer books, magazines and software.  Users can buy, sell and trade
 their unwanted items for ones they do want.  Trial testing of the
 CompuCycle program has been a success.  All computers are supported
 including PC, Mac, Amiga, Atari ST and 8 bit, Apple, Commodore 64, CP/M,
 and others.  PMC publishes CompuNews which includes the list of
 available recycled software.  It also has current news and articles (the
 next issue includes an interview with members of the Floptical
 Technology Association).  CompuNews is free to anyone who requests it.
 Thousands of books are listed on disk to conserve paper; this disk
 catalog is available for just $1.  Software is listed in CompuNews which
 is free.  Users can make requests by contacting: Purple Mountain
 Computers, Inc. (PMC), 15600 NE 8th St. Ste. A3-412, Bellevue, WA 98008
 [phone], GEnie E-mail: PMC.INC, CompuServe: 72567,302.


 NEXT'S CO RESIGNS
 NeXT has announced that Peter van Cuylenburg, president and chief
 operating officer of the company since March 1992, is resigning and will
 be departing at the end of April.  Now that NeXT is becoming a software
 company, NeXT and van Cuylenburg mutually agreed that the restructured
 200-person company no longer requires both a CEO and president/COO.


 ACCOLADE GETS $11 MILLION INVESTMENT
 Accolade has received an $11 million investment from Prudential Equity
 Investors.  The investment is a combination of $4 million in common
 stock and $7 million in convertible preferred stock.  It represents the
 first major venture capital investment in Accolade's eight-year history.
 In 1993, a strong line-up of games, both for leading personal computers
 and video game consoles, will include "Jack Nicklaus Power Challenge
 Golf," "Brett Hull Hockey," "Pele' Soccer," "Mike Ditka Football," "Al
 Michaels Announces HardBall" and Accolade's own "Bubsy Bobcat," which
 has already been acclaimed as one of the year's best video games.


 JUDGES RULES AGAINST FEDS
 A federal judge has ruled that the Secret Service broke the law when it
 seized computer records from an Austin publishing company.  The ruling
 by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks was hailed as a ground breaking
 decision by computer buffs and civil libertarians who have been watching
 the case for the last three years.  It was seen as a test case for
 extending First Amendment protections to computer information.  The
 judge awarded more than $50,000 and attorneys fees to Steve Jackson
 Games and $1,000 to other plaintiffs who sued because their private
 electronic mail was seized and read by federal agents.


 US ROBOTICS CUTS PRICES
 U.S. Robotics has announced a dramatically reduced pricing schedule on
 its Sportster fax and data modems.  The company reduced list prices on
 the entire product line; prices on high-speed Sportster models were
 lowered 42 to 52 percent.  The new pricing is effective immediately.

     New Pricing Effective Immediately

 Product                      New List   Previous      Percent
 Name                         Price      List Price    Reduction

 Sportster 14,400 Fax         $299       $549             46
 Sportster 14,400 Fax/PC      $259       $499             48
 Sportster 14,400 Mac&Fax     $329       $599             45
 Sportster 14,400             $259       $519             50
 Sportster 14,400/PC          $229       $475             52
 Sportster 9600 Fax           $249       $439             43
 Sportster 9600 Fax/PC        $239       $409             42
 Sportster 9600               $229       $399             43
 Sportster 9600/PC            $219       $379             42
 Sportster 2400 Fax           $169       $249             32
 Sportster 2400 Fax/PC        $159       $229             31
 Sportster 2400 Mac&Fax       $199       $329             40
 Sportster 2400 V.42 bis      $149       $229             35
 Sportster 2400 V.42 bis/PC   $139       $199             30
 Sportster 2400               $129       $199             35
 Sportster 2400/PC            $119       $179             34

 For more information about US Robotic modems and Fax modems call:
 1-800-DIAL-USR.



 ######  DELPHI - MTOS CONFERENCE
 ######  MARCH 9, 1993
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 This transcript is copyright 1993, DELPHI and DELPHI's Atari Advantage
 SIG.  Permission to reprint is granted, as long as the transcript is
 left intact and unchanged.  To try DELPHI for 5 hours free, use your
 modem to call 1-800-365-4636.  Press <RET> once or twice.  At Password:
 type IP26 and press <RET>.  If you have questions about DELPHI, call
 1-800-695-4005 and ask for member services.


 Official Transcript - MTOS Formal Conference   DELPHI's Atari Advantage

 .Gordie> Welcome to DELPHI's Atari Advantage, and tonight's special
 Formal Conference.  The topic tonight is MultiTOS, and we have with us
 some Atari staffers who can tell us everything we want to know about
 MTOS.  I'd like to welcome John Townsend back to DELPHI after an absence
 of a couple years.  And, I'd like to welcome Eric Smith to our friendly
 little community for the first time.  And, it's always nice to have Bob
 Brodie with us.

 For those of you who don't get out much, Eric is the author of MiNT, the
 basis for MultiTOS.  MiNT originally stood for MiNT is Not TOS, but has
 evolved into MiNT is Now TOS.  <G>  John is a longtime TOS programmer,
 and between the two of them, they know MTOS better than any other two
 people.  Maybe any other 5 people...

 .Bob @ Atari> Once again, I'm delighted to be here on Delphi!  It's been
 quite a while since COMDEX when I last participated in a formal live CO
 here!  Our correspondent for Atari Explorer Online Magazine, Andreas
 Barbiero has been instrumental in encouraging us to arrange tonight's CO
 here on Delphi, along with Gordie Meyer of the Atari Advantage SIG.
 Thanks to both of you for your efforts at making this evening possible!

 Tonight, I'm pleased to welcome two of the engineers from our software
 group, Eric Smith and John Townsend to join us online to discuss
 MultiTOS.  I know that you're all very anxious to hear as much as
 possible about the capabilities of MultiTOS, and Eric and John are well
 equipped to answer those questions about MultiTOS.  As many of you may
 know, Eric developed a program called MiNT (which stood for Mint is NOT
 TOS).  Originally, MiNT didn't multitask with GEM applications, but
 rather gave users a multi-tasking environment to operate TOS
 applications from.  MiNT is now incorporated into MultiTOS, and has
 changed dramatically since Eric first wrote it.  Obviously, we were
 impressed enough with his efforts to offer him a position within Atari!
 Tonight, Eric is using the Ataritech account here on Delphi.

 John Townsend has been with Atari over five years now, and has been an
 important member of the software engineering group during the last 3
 years of his tenure with us.  John has also been one of our stalwart
 online support people as well, and I know that he's excited to be here
 with us tonight on Delphi!!  John is using the AtariCorp account
 tonight!

 Before we begin with the MultiTOS portion of our CO, I'm sure that you
 are all very interested in the status of the delivery schedule for the
 Atari Falcon030 here in the US.  We have had a small setback in the
 manufacturing of the unit.  One of our suppliers is running about 10
 days behind in providing us with a couple of components that we need for
 the US machines.  This means that the machines will probably arrive in
 late March to early April.  We expect to be able to provide our dealers
 with demo units this month, and quickly follow that up with a better
 supply of units that can be sold to the public.  All of the units that
 we will have during the month of March will be configured with four megs
 of ram, and sixty-five megabyte hard disks.

 The reception that we've had for the machines has been nothing short of
 sensational!!  The phone has been ringing constantly, with many, many
 people interested in signing up as Atari dealers.  As you might expect,
 a significant amount of interest is coming from the music field, as few
 other computer systems can match the digital sound capabilities of the
 Atari Falcon030 right out of the box!!  We have enough orders in hand
 that we expect to be sold out quickly.

 This is the same type of reception that the Falcon030 has gotten in the
 rest of the world, for instance in Germany, where it was literally sold
 out in a matter of hours!!!

 Much of our efforts here in Sunnyvale over the course of the last month
 has revolved around finalizing plans for dealer agreements.  It is our
 hope that we'll be able to restore the value of an Atari dealership, and
 help the dealers be able to be more profitable.  We will be soon going
 over the new arrangements with all of our current dealers, as we release
 the pricing, and other sales related information to our current dealers.

 This means that we will be speaking to every one of our existing
 dealers, either directly ourselves or via one of our rep firms.  Among
 the very firm requirements that we will have is that the dealer must
 have a storefront in order to sell the Atari Falcon030.

 Now, we'd like to tell you a little bit about MultiTOS! After all,
 that's the main thrust of our visit tonight here on Delphi is to discuss
 MultiTOS with you!

 MultiTOS provides your Atari computer with multitasking, the ability to
 run more than one application at a time.  Since your computer spends
 much of its time waiting for user input, multitasking makes more
 efficient use of processing power--when one application, say, your word
 processor, is waiting for input, the rest of your computer's attention
 is turned to other tasks.

 MultiTOS includes several important features that make multitasking
 reliable and efficient.  Adaptive prioritization gives the most
 processing power to the most important program running-- the word
 processor you're typing into receives higher priority than the processor
 -hungry compression program running simultaneously in the background.
 Memory protection prevents one program from interfering with another
 active program's data in memory.  And if one program quits unexpectedly
 or "crashes," MultiTOS protects other applications, which continue to
 run; only in the most extreme circumstances will you need to restart
 your computer.

 MultiTOS runs existing, correctly-written TOS programs--as many as your
 computer's memory allows.  Some programs are already being upgraded to
 take advantage of MultiTOS features, and more programs written
 especially for MultiTOS are on their way, from Atari and third-party
 companies.

 MultiTOS can run as many programs simultaneously as will fit in memory;
 GEM programs, Desk Accessories, and TOS programs can all peacefully
 coexist under MultiTOS.  You can move from one to the other, using
 whichever you need.  When one program is busy, you can set it aside and
 work on something else until it's done.  When you finish with a program
 and exit it, the memory it occupied is freed for other tasks.

 All running programs share the screen, each putting up its own windows;
 with several programs running, windows may overlap or be hidden
 altogether by one another.  The application that receives input, like
 keystrokes, from you is called the foreground or topped application, and
 other programs running simultaneously are background, or untopped
 applications.

 Unlike TOS, MultiTOS allows you to operate any window's gadgets to move,
 resize, or scroll the window, even if the window is not topped.  When
 you click within a window (but not on its gadgets), that window is
 topped, and so is the application that owns it.  The topped application
 menu bar is displayed, unless it doesn't have a menu bar--in that case,
 the menu bar is unchanged.

 Running GEM programs under MultiTOS is straightforward: simply double-
 click the program's icon. The MultiTOS Distribution Kit includes two
 simple GEM programs, "Clock" and "Lines."  Double-click on CLOCK.APP,
 and an analog clock appears in a window, but the Desktop's icons and
 menu bar are still visible.  Double-click on LINES.APP, and a graphics
 demonstration appears in a window.  Resize the Lines window so that you
 can see the clock and some of the Desktop.  Both programs and the
 Desktop are running simultaneously!  From here, you can run still other
 programs, or perform Desktop operations like file copies.

 As with TOS, you can access your Desk Accessories from the "Desk" menu.
 Unlike TOS, MultiTOS can load Desk Accessories as you need them.  Double
 -click on a ".ACC" file to run it, just as you would another GEM
 application.  You may want to keep only the essential Accessories loaded
 at all times, and load others when needed.  You can do this by putting
 your ".ACC" files in a directory other than the root of drive C:\.

 TOS programs present a special problem for multitasking, because they
 usually assume they are the only programs running, and that they have
 the whole screen to themselves. Since TOS programs don't know how to
 share the screen, MultiTOS does it for them, by giving them their own
 "screen," within a window.  When you double-click a ".TOS" or ".TTP"
 program, MultiTOS runs another program, "MINIWIN," which sets up a
 window in which the TOS program runs.  MINIWIN lets you select the size
 of the window TOS programs are given, and the font they use.  You can
 change this information by choosing "Configure..." in the leftmost menu
 when running a TOS program.  Note: TOS programs assume they're using a
 "monospaced" font, where all characters are the same width.

 MINIWIN allows you to choose "proportionally spaced" fonts, where a "w"
 is wider than an "i," for example.  If you choose a proportionally
 spaced font, the program may look strange, but is otherwise fine.

 When several applications are running, the topped application presents
 its menu bar and receives your keystrokes.  The others are in the
 background, where you can still move and resize their windows, but you
 can't click on their menus or give them keyboard commands.  MultiTOS
 provides several ways to manage all the applications you may have
 running, and to choose which of them is topped.

 The leftmost menu in the menu bar is called the "Desk" menu, because
 that's what it's called when the Desktop is topped.  When another
 MultiTOS-friendly application is run, and the application has its own
 menu bar, the application's name replaces "Desk" in the menu bar--this
 is one way to tell which program is topped.  Some older applications
 will not do this, but will otherwise work fine.

 The Desk menu contains the names of all installed Desk Accessories and
 below, the names of all applications currently running, with the topped
 application indicated by a check mark.  You can top another program by
 clicking on its name in this menu; its windows (if it has any) spring to
 the front, and its menu bar (if it has one) appears.

 You can run as many programs as your available memory allows, but there
 are reasons why you may not want to.  Often, there is very little
 difference in system performance with several programs running, since
 many of these programs are just waiting for input.  When programs are
 actively processing, or reading and writing data on a disk, they consume
 more of your Atari's processing power.  You may be tempted to leave
 things running in the background because it's so easy, but if they make
 too many demands on the system, performance will suffer.  It's best to
 shut down any programs you're not planning to use, just as you would
 exit them in TOS.  This makes the most memory and "computing horsepower"
 available for the programs you really need.  Experiment, and see what
 combinations of programs work well together.

 Shut programs down with MultiTOS the same way you would with TOS: save
 whatever you're working on, then select "Quit," click the "close" gadget
 on a window, type "exit," or whatever.  This gives the program a chance
 to save and close any files it has open and exit cleanly, returning your
 computer to its normal state.  As always, it's best to save your work
 and exit from all running applications before restarting or turning your
 computer off.

 Occasionally, a program may "hang" in a state where it is no longer
 running correctly, but does not exit.  When this happens, you can shut
 the program down from the Desktop.  Select "Install Devices" under the
 "Options" menu, then open drive U:\, and then the "PROC" folder.  This
 folder contains "files" that represent all the programs currently
 running under MultiTOS, along with parts of MultiTOS itself.  To stop or
 "kill" a program, simply drag it to the trash.  Be very careful with
 this technique.  Kill only programs which have not responded otherwise,
 or are otherwise behaving incorrectly.  Be careful what you throw away,
 because it is possible to shut down a part of MultiTOS itself, after
 which it can be difficult to recover without restarting.  If you aren't
 sure what something is, don't kill it.

 Although Atari has made every effort to accommodate even ill-behaved TOS
 programs, you may occasionally encounter programs that are not
 compatible with MultiTOS.  These programs may "crash," (exit
 unexpectedly) or "hang," (keep running without accepting input, refusing
 to exit).  Usually when this happens, MultiTOS continues unharmed, along
 with any other programs running at the time of the crash.  Sometimes, if
 a program crashes in an especially spectacular way, it can interfere
 with other parts of MultiTOS operation, or other programs.  If you see
 error messages on your screen, or if you notice peculiar behavior from
 other programs, save your work and reboot your computer.  Try to isolate
 the problem to the particular program and action that caused the crash,
 and report the problem to the program's authors or publisher.

 When you encounter a program which doesn't run under MultiTOS under any
 circumstances but you need to run nevertheless, you can temporarily
 disable MultiTOS, and restart your computer with TOS.  To do this, save
 any work in progress, shut down any running applications, and restart
 your computer.  You can use the Reset button, or hold down <Control> and
 <Alternate> and press <Delete>.

 Immediately after restarting, hold down the left <Shift> key.  You will
 be asked, "Load MultiTOS?  (y)es  (n)o." Press the <n> key, and your
 computer will start up without MultiTOS.

 With the power of MultiTOS comes responsibility.  Since some older
 programs expect to be the only thing running, they may not guard against
 some things which can happen "when their backs are turned."  You can
 avoid these problems by not using one program or the Desktop to
 interfere with another active program.  For example, don't move
 configuration or open document files for your word processor while it's
 running; the program may assume the files are in their original place,
 and behave unpredictable.  Similarly, be careful with programs that
 manipulate disk data directly; don't run a hard disk defragmentation
 program in the background and save a file to the same disk, or the
 results could be unpleasant.  As more MultiTOS-aware programs become
 available, these problems will be minimized.

 It was hoped that we would be able to simply upload MultiTOS to the
 online networks, and "allow nature to take it's course."  During the
 course of that discussion, it was pointed out that we have an
 arrangement that requires the payment of a royalty for each copy of GEM
 that we sell, which makes the uploading of MultiTOS impossible to do.
 Pricing on MultiTOS hasn't been set, but it would not be unreasonable
 for you to expect it to be selling at a suggested list price of $75 US.

 At this point, we're ready to take on all your questions about MultiTOS,
 or any other Atari specific topic that you might want to ask about.

 .Bill in ATL> Thanks Bob, I am indeed excited about the MultiTOS as
 everyone else.  And was curious as to whether the dealers would be the
 first or would that be strictly a distributorship handling affair.

 .Bob @ Atari> The first people that we will be dealing with is the
 dealers.  We are crafting a separate agreement with the distributors.

 .Hudson> Will Multi_TOS work with all versions of TOS?

 .Eric @ Atari> It should work, but we haven't tested it with TOS 1.0.
 We strongly recommend that users upgrade if they're still using such an
 old version of TOS.

 .Joseph T.@ATA> Would you consider supporting the idea of, if necessary,
 helping ensure that MultiTOS can work on an Atari emulator running on an
 Amiga?  I'm certain that if it was done, there would be plenty of
 "Workbench's" ditched in favor of a better OS and more powerful
 computer, I know this because the SysOp of a local Amiga BBS seems very
 interested in the Falcon, particularly the DSP and the MultiTOS
 operating system....<It's nice I CoSysop both a 486/33 and Amiga 2000
 BBS, this gives me access to many potential new customers!!!!>

 I love my ORPHAN, STill!!!!  >>>

 .Towns @ Atari> I don't think so ;-)

 .Joseph T.@ATA> Why not?

 .Bob @ Atari> I don't think so either,...

 .Joseph T.@ATA> Think of it, stick 'em with something they can't touch
 unless they get the real thing!!!!

 .Towns @ Atari> Why should we bother supporting Hardware that we don't
 sell?

 .Joseph T.@ATA> And, couldn't you sell MultiTOS in a way that it'd be
 an upgrade of GEM, and perhaps bypass royalties?

 .Towns @ Atari> Royalties isn't the issue.  It's licensing.  Atari can't
 just give away other people's property on an online service.

 .Gordie> What are the minimum requirements to run MTOS, and what's the
 maximum number of programs that can be run?

 .Eric @ Atari> MultiTOS will run on any ST, STE, TT, or Falcon.  We
 suggest that users have at least 2 megabytes of memory and a hard disk,
 but it will run on a 1 megabyte system with a floppy disk.  You can run
 as many programs as memory will hold.

 .Nick> I understand that MultiTOS is disk-based.  How much space will it
 occupy on a hard drive (approximately)?

 .Eric @ Atari> It takes up about 800K or so. (Actually a bit less; it
 will fit on a double sided floppy.)

 .Nick> Does MultiTOS work equally well with programs whose flag bits are
 set to load and/or allocate from ST RAM (on a TT), as with those set to
 use TT RAM?

 .Eric @ Atari> Yes.

 .Hudson> Since software sells hardware, maybe you can give a little
 insight on the players (Microsoft, NeXT) that you've rounded up to
 produce some high profile software for the Falcon and other Atari
 Computers.

 .Bob @ Atari> We presently don't have anything in the queue with
 Microsoft, or NeXT.  We do have some other very interesting discussions
 underway with other developers, especially on the game side of things.
 However, since those products are still in development, it wouldn't be
 prudent to mention those names at this time.

 .Gordie> Can you comment on rumors about video manipulation software
 (Toaster-type) from anyone?

 .Bob @ Atari> Are you referring to the post from the German non devs in
 Germany that was on Usenet a couple of weeks ago?

 .Gordie> I was thinking about someone a little closer to home, actually.
 Lexicor?

 .Bob @ Atari> Ah, gotcha!  Lexicor has a number of very interesting
 products in line for the Falcon030.  For example, Phoenix Render...which
 looks very fast, and is very, very fast!  I've heard that Lee Seilor has
 plans for a product (working title of Toaster Roaster) which should blow
 the doors off of the Video Toaster.

 .Gordie> LOL!  I asked because that kind of thing would fit in perfectly
 with the concept of Personal Integrated Media that Atari has developed.
 (Which, by the way, is a big enough subject for a whole other CO...)

 .Bob @ Atari> Which we'll be happy to do at another time with Lexicor.

 .Paul> What type of manual will accompany MultiTOS?  Will it be just a
 user's guide, or will it have some meat in it?  I.E. technical/
 programming info?

 .Eric @ Atari> The guide that comes with MultiTOS is for users (it's
 similar to the manuals that come with other Atari products).  We will
 have extensive documentation for developers.

 .Bill in ATL> Bob, What type of support can the new user to the Atari
 platform reasonably expect Atari Support via an 800 number?

 .Bob @ Atari> Bill, I think I have the gist of your question now.  We
 have had discussions about adding an 800 number for customer support.
 At this point, the dealer is still going to need to be the forefront of
 the support effort, and as business improves, we'll be able to add
 additional support mechanisms, like 800 numbers.

 .Gordie> That seems to fit in with the requirement that dealers have a
 storefront.

 .Bob @ Atari> Exactly, Gordie.  We're very set on that requirement, too.

 CMILLAR> You mentioned that the expansion bus is a "Direct Parallel
 Processor" slot.  Does this mean that a 486 emulation card would allow
 DOS and TOS apps to be run concurrently?

 .Bob @ Atari> To be honest, Chris, I don't see anything to prevent it.
 But I have only seen it demo'ed with one or the other running.  You sure
 started a discussion here in the office with that one. <grin>  I have
 seen the PC Card, as did Gordie, at COMDEX.

 .Towns @ Atari> The slot wouldn't prevent such a thing, but the emulator
 software would have to support it. That's up to Compo.

 AMWILLIAMS> Can programs needing to be run in different resolutions be
 run at the same time?

 .Towns @ Atari> Sorry.. When you are running programs under MultiTOS,
 they must all be running in the same resolution.  Does that answer your
 question?

 AMWILLIAMS> yes

 .Towns @ Atari> Atari encourages its developers to make their
 applications work in any resolution  ;-)

 .Gordie> Run in, or be launched from?

 .Towns @ Atari> same thing, Gordie.

 BONDSERVANT> Will larger IDE drives w/software be available from Atari
 or Dealers later?

 .Bob @ Atari> Hi Richard, there will be larger drives available from
 Atari, as well as many other PC vendors that sell standard IDE 2.5"
 mechanisms.  We're planning on getting 80, 120, 200 meg units and they
 will come with Speedo GDOS, and MultiTOS on each of the drives that we
 will be selling here at Atari, to add an incentive to purchase the drive
 from us.

 .Gordie> If the hypothetical 2 piece cased Falcon were to come out,
 would it still be restricted to a 2.5" drive?  Hypothetically?

 .Bob @ Atari> Gordie, sorry...we can't comment on non-existent product.

 .**JJ**> In light of the recent second shipment of falcons to Germany
 that is bouncing around the Internet, what kind of numbers can we expect
 to see on the first shipment to the US?

 .Towns @ Atari> Shipments of Falcon's bouncing around the Internet?
 Wow! ;-)

 .Bob @ Atari> Hi JJ, first of all, I doubt that the Falcons are on the
 Internet although the idea of it is really interesting...<grin>

 .Bob @ Atari> Second, we're not confirming or denying how many shipments
 we have made to any of the countries that we do business with.  Our
 initial shipment for Falcons in North America will be for dealer units
 and perhaps some review units, or perhaps even some support people
 (Hello, Gordie!).  After that, there will be a good supply of units
 going out for sale.  Overall, we're really pleased with the amount of
 demand that we are getting for the product, and very pleased that there
 is good press as well.

 .Hudson> What is Atari planning planning for advertisement (Print as
 well as TV, etc.) to help hype the US debut (selling debut at least:))?

 .Eric @ Atari>   Just a sec...

 .Bob @ Atari> OK, I ran out to check with Garry Tramiel our GM for the
 US to make sure that I had everything down right for this answer, and
 apologize for the delay in responding.  At this point, as we have
 started re-signing our dealers, we are making arrangements er...that
 should be provisions for advertising plans by our dealers via a market
 development fund.  Then, as production continues to ramp up, and we can
 supply the demand that we will create with the advertisements, we will
 be doing print ads on a national basis.  I don't foresee TV at this point
 it's a truly extraordinary expense.  Although via the market development
 fund program, we'd be pleased to do things like local cable TV ads,
 which can be done in some areas of the country for a very, very
 reasonable amount of money.

 .Joseph T.@ATA> You mention that tasks should be turned off if unused,
 is there a feature that allows you to "turn off" a program, yet it still
 be ready and waiting to resume, sort of like a pause mode?

 .Eric @ Atari> Joseph: You can just "ignore" a program.  Every program
 has its windows on the same screen, so you can very easily switch
 between programs.  They're all ready and available all the time.  If the
 program isn't doing anything, it won't take up any processor time.  Does
 that answer your question?

 .Joseph T.@ATA> I think so, but can MTOS pause or shut it down and leave
 it intact while doing nothing, with MTOS in control?

 .Eric @ Atari> The MultiTOS desktop is always available, so in some
 sense MTOS is always "in control".  The Desk menu has a list of all
 accessories and applications, and you can switch to a different
 application by selecting it from the menu (or by clicking on one of its
 windows).

 .Andreas@AEO> Eric, I was wondering if you could expound on the need for
 an 030 to run MTOS and the less-than-stellar results that can happen
 from running MTOS on a 68000.

 .Eric @ Atari> On a 68000 based machine (like an ST or STE) there will
 be no memory protection (since the 68000 doesn't provide this feature).
 On a 68030 (a Falcon or TT) programs can be protected from one another.

 .Andreas@AEO> Just so no-one has any doubts or misunderstandings.

 .Eric @ Atari> That generally means that badly behaved applications will
 crash only themselves on a 68030 machines, whereas on a 68000 they can
 cause trouble for other applications that are running at the same time
 (or even crash the system).  Plus, if you have several applications
 running at the same time, the extra speed of the 68030 will really help.

 .Andreas@AEO> On my Mega STE, programs would run nicely together several
 times in a row, and then when a spurious bit of data would be
 encountered blammo!  It was STILL a REALLY nice experience to have
 several programs ALIVE at once, and have those Atari Falcon030 icons
 around.  I know all the hackers out there will be happy to run it on
 their venerable STs!!!

 .Eric @ Atari> ATARIPOWER7: There is no "pause" feature such as you
 describe built into the desktop, but the OS could support this if a 3rd
 party supplied it.

 AMWILLIAMS> I hear that its better to run MultiTOS on a 68030 rather
 than a 68000.  If this is true do you know of any problems with using
 MultiTOS with the SST board ( P.S. I love my Mega ST ).

 .Eric @ Atari> MultiTOS should work fine on 68030 boards.  I don't know
 about the SST specifically, but I'm sure it would be OK.  (I know that
 some of our developers were running MultiTOS on 68030 equipped ST's.)

 .Bob @ Atari> We're really excited about the amount of interest that has
 been exhibited by our user groups for the show schedule this coming
 summer.  KCAC is planning on having a terrific show, as our many other
 groups throughout the US.  At this point, because our plans for CES are
 unclear, it's difficult to project what our exact participation will be
 at ALL the shows upcoming this summer.  In particular, June looks to be
 a VERY busy month, with events in Indy, Asheville, and Kansas City.
 From time to time, I do like to spend a weekend at home (and my family
 still likes it, too), so we'll see what happens.  I certainly want to
 take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get out to as many of
 these events as they possibly can...in particular the KC Show, as it is
 their very first effort at a show.  I wish you every success!

 .Bill in ATL> Bob, as director of Communications would it be impractical
 to ask for a more frequent presence here on DELPHI even though The "G"
 is the Official Atari Online service?

 .Bob @ Atari> Actually, it's not unreasonable to ask, but at this point
 I cannot commit to it.  With the work load of the dealer agreements and
 dealing with the press, I actually haven't been posting on any of the
 online services very much at all.  Part of the reason that we have
 obtained the extra accounts for use on Delphi is to have another group
 of people that we can send online to provide you with the support that
 you deserve.  We certainly enjoy being on Delphi...but you are also
 correct when you note that GEnie is our number one online service.  I
 expect our arrangement with GEnie to remain a VERY long term one, but
 will make every effort to be on Delphi as much as time permits.  At this
 point, the ATARIMUSIC account has been assigned to one of the Music
 staff, and Mike Fulton from Developer support will be using the
 AtariTech account here.  So, we are TRYING...but one of the more
 precious commodities that we have here at Atari right now is PEOPLE, and
 TIME.  We must be certain that we use both of them as wisely as
 possible.

 WIMP> What do you see as the demographics of the Falcon market?  And
 what platforms do you see as competition for the Falcon?

 .Eric @ Atari> There really is no competition <grin>

 .Bob @ Atari> The intent of the Falcon is to finally penetrate the home
 market with a machine that brings the promise of multimedia to the home
 user, and provides them FINALLY with a reason for them to purchase a
 computer.  Many thousands of people (unlike you and I) still fail to
 find a compelling reason to purchase a computer.  We believe that the
 Falcon030 will give those people a new reason to consider purchasing a
 computer.  In addition, there are some compelling professional
 applications that will make people that have specific professional needs
 (like MUSIC) that will place the Atari Computer line in the limelight of
 the computing world.

 WIMP> so you think the Falcon can compete with the Mac and PC clones on
 their turf?

 .Bob @ Atari> Re Competition...the part of me that is the company man
 says there is no competition...we have the superior product!  On the
 other hand, the realist in me says that the competition is the PC Clones
 and they are not doing anything that is in any form technically
 innovation in their hardware.  All of the innovation is coming in
 software.  This is where we have an advantage...we have innovative
 hardware, and compelling software applications as well!

 BONDSERVANT> any news on prices on the various Falcons considering the
 market changes since fall?

 .Bob @ Atari> The MSRP for the Falcon is unchanged since fall, with the
 exception of the additional pricing for two models:  The Atari Falcon030
 with four megs of ram, and no hard disk will retail for $999, and the 14
 meg with 65 meg hard disk will retail for $1899.  We have also expanded
 the accessory line to include things like SCSI-II cables, hard disk
 drives, and added a composite video adapter for people (like G44!) to
 use with their monitors.

 .Glenn> I read an article about how you can plug a guitar in and use it
 as a de facto multi effects machine, and record direct to disk and
 master to DAT.  What kind of software is complete for this type of
 application and what is planned?

 For comparison, the SGX-2000, the top of the line guitar processor, is
 nearly as much as what the Falcon costs, and it is not a full fledged
 computer.  By touting the Falcon's ability to be a "studio in the box"
 it would certainly get people to buy, me included, since as long as the
 applications are there, conforming to some MS-DOS or MAC standard (a
 business concern) is not important.

 .Bob @ Atari> Glenn, thank you for your question!  You're referring I
 believe to the article in BYTE Magazine, where Tom Halfhill of BYTE
 described plugging his electric guitar directly into the Atari Falcon030
 and using Musicomm, from COMPO Software to do all of the special effects
 that he did.  BTW, Musicomm's list price is just $69!  In addition to
 Musicomm, you can probably do similar effects with things like the Audio
 Fun Machine, which is one of the eight software titles that we bundle
 together with the Atari Falcon030.

 .Glenn> Is the Falcon capable of multitrack recording without an
 interface?  What is needed?

 .Bob @ Atari> Yes, it can record two tracks out of the box.  For more
 than two tracks, you need an external box connected to the DSP port,
 like the product that Singular Solutions is offering.  The Atari
 Falcon030 ships with a product called FalconD2D that will allow you to
 do direct to disk hard disk recording.  With the addition of the
 external boxes, you can do up to eight tracks at the present, although
 technically it is possible to do 16 tracks.  One of the limitations on
 the number of tracks is the speed of the hard disk (actually, the access
 time of the HD).  As the HDs get faster, it will be easier for our
 developers to create more tracks to be recorded at once.

 .Gordie> Okay, we've been going for almost 2 1/2 hours.  Time to wrap it
 up.  I'd like to thank John, Eric and Bob for their time tonight.  I
 learned a few things, I know, and I hope they enjoyed themselves as much
 as I did.  Closing comments, guys?

 .Bob @ Atari> We're very excited to have been here with all of you here
 tonight and look forward to the opportunity to come back again in a few
 months to discuss things with you.  I hope to be online more often, and
 if there is anything that you wanted to ask tonight and didn't have a
 chance to, please send EMAIL to me.  Eric is just using the AtariTech
 account for the night...and I will be happy to forward any of your
 questions on to him for his review.  Thanks again for coming....and
 good night!

 .Towns @ Atari> Good Night everyone!

 .Eric @ Atari> Thanks for having us here!


 Some minor editing of the transcript was done to facilitate readability,
 and correct minor spelling and grammar errors.  Portions were omitted to
 enhance readability, and to cover up any glitches DELPHI was having.
 <g> -- Gordie Meyer <BIBLINSKI>



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


 The wind is howling as I write these words.  The snow covers the window
 screens and the snow drifts are threatening to cover my car.  I spent
 just a few minutes outside today "playing" with my kids, and I came back
 inside watery-eyed and snowy bearded, looking like an under dressed
 arctic explorer.  It was cold!  It was snowy.  The wind was blowing at
 40 mph!  Isn't Spring supposed to begin in just a few days?

 And yet...here I am, sitting in front of my STE, warm and comfortable,
 with a full stomach after a delicious meal of Nubby burgers (one
 hamburger, one toasted roll with mayo, one fried egg, cheese, and
 lettuce--yumm!).  I don't have anywhere to go, because I can't go
 anywhere.  It's a very comfortable situation.  Really, all I need to do
 now is finish this article so I can go and spend time being with my
 family.

 May God bless you all.  Listen to each other; care for each other, and
 be family to each other.  Don't follow the example of so many who hate,
 and kill, and ignore each other.  You know who they are.  Live instead.

 Now on to the greatest PD and SHAREWARE software available for any
 computer!


 3D2POV is the 3D2 to POV v.1.0 Converter by Bill Devonshire (dated March
 ------ 4, 1993).  POV is an excellent RayTracer whose C source code can
 be found on line (but not the compiled program as of yet--you need to do
 that yourself).  It can output 24 bit Targa pictures (viewable with
 PhotoChrome). POV is "programmed" via ascii text files that describe
 objects and light sources, creating intricate, realistic 3 dimensional
 scenes, complete with shadows, reflections, textures and anti-aliasing
 (standard RT functions), from mathematical object modelling. 3D2 to POV
 program inputs a *.3D2 object (from Cad 3D) and spits out an ascii text
 file describing the object in the POV format.  Of course, you can
 specify all sorts of parameters in the conversion.  ST--TT compatible.
 Color only?  Docs included.

 4GEM_SND is another set of sounds in .SMP format for all of you Gem
 -------- Sound fans out there.  Adapted to the .SMP format by R.
 Stutzman, these sound files are just waiting to be used!  They are:
 VIDEOGAM; PLANCRSH; PHONE; OPENDOOR; JETOVER; DORCLOSE; CLOSDOOR;
 CHIMES; CARSTART; CARHORN, and BEEPBEEP.

 AEO_0205 is the March 6, 1993 issue of Atari Explorer Online.  Atari
 -------- Works' WordProcessor - Andreas dives in!; Modem Madness, or
 just what do Bell and "vee dot" standards mean?; Bob Brodie and Eric
 Smith' GEnie RTC; Atari's Falcon030 & MultiTOS plans; Caesar reviewed;
 UNIX and the Internet: Part 4; Ron's Random Ramblins--Falcon Shareware;
 New upgrades to great programs!, and Snapshot Specials:  3 Atari Works
 WordProcessor shots (.PI3).

 ARTIS3 is the ARTIS 3 Demo.  ARTIS 3 is a modular drawing program.  As
 ------ with many German programs it is icon based.  I like that because
 it keeps everything right in front, before you. This program, which runs
 in all rez and on any ST to the Falcon, allows you to access almost any
 drawing tool you can imagine.  Load pictures of any rez into any rez and
 the program automatically converts them.  It supports FSMGDOS, Signum!
 and the system font for inserting text into your pictures.  Save is
 disabled in this version.  Docs and program are in German, but Dorothy
 Brumleve has provided a simple English guide to the program (thanks
 Dorothy!).  Requires at least one meg of RAM.  Ordering info included.

 ASA_9302 is the February, 1993 issue of the Electronic Journal of the
 -------- Astronomical Society of the Atlantic.  The main thrust of this
 issue is an excellent article by Larry Klaeson on the exploration of
 Venus by both the US and former Soviet Union's deep space probes.  Well
 done.

 CARTMAST is a series of programs for CartMaster owners (the hardware
 -------- device that allows multiple cartridges to be connected to the
 cartridge port at one time).  These programs will allow ports to be
 switched without any user input.  Docs included.

 CB is CB Ver 3.1, the C/C++ Beautifier and Source Code Formatter by Drew
 -- Wells (dated Oct. 13, 1992).  CB tries to change your source file as
 little as possible while still imposing a standard format on it (and the
 standard is not someone else's standard, but one you design!).  It will
 correct all the indenting and add some line-feeds here and there to
 pretty things up.  CB also works with POV-Ray scene files.  Docs and C
 source code included.

 CCOLORD is the Cyber Color v.1.0 Demo by John C. Stanford.  This program
 ------- is a save disabled demonstration version of Lexicor's Cyber
 Color object coloring utility Cyber Color is a three dimensional object
 coloring tool for editing your 3D2 format objects which then may be used
 with Phoenix Object Renderer, Chronos Keyframe Animator, or CAD-3D 2.0.
 Cyber Color allows you to change the color of any face in your object
 using a simple point and click interface.  Objects will be displayed
 using their actual colors on compatible color systems.  Individual faces
 may also be subdivided for adding finer detail.  Though unrelated to the
 actual coloring of the object, Cyber Color also has the capability of
 flipping the direction of a face to repair any "holes" which may have
 occurred during the modeling process.  ST--Falcon compatible.  At least
 one meg of RAM needed.  Color or mono.  Docs included.

 CNF_3 is the text summary of the Third International Conference on Cold
 ----- Fusion written by Peter L. Hagelstein of MIT.  This summary was
 presented on Jan. 16, 1993 and refers to the conference held in Nagoya,
 Japan between October 21 and 25, 1992.  I remember when the first Cold
 Fusion results were heralded, and then debunked by most of the
 "established" scientific field.  This paper presents reproducible
 evidence (or so it is stated) for all sorts of "cold fusion" effects.  I
 found it very interesting.  I wish there would be more research in the
 field.  Oh well, it will all be found out in time!

 DBF_INFO is DBF_INFO v.1.0 by Albert Dayesa (dated Feb. 11, 1993).  The
 -------------------- program DBF_INFO.TOS is a designed to display all
 the fields in a dBASE III data file.  The main reason for writing this
 program is to view the structure of HyperLink database files which are
 dBASE III compatible.  It also contains two utilities that provide dBASE
 data file creation, load ascii data in, unload dBASE data to ascii and
 finally the removal of all records in any given database.  ST--TT
 compatible in all resolutions.  Docs included.

 DRAC_TIL is a .TIL file for use with Mahjong 3.0 from Cali-Co software.
 -------- Just place this in the TILE folder and play away.  It is for
 all of you who liked playing DRACHEN.  I haven't checked to see if this
 will run under their demo.

 D_SOUND by Vince Valenti is a GFA Basic program (.GFA, .EXE AND .SPL
 ------- files) that allow you to program your GFA programs to play
 digitized sounds in an interrupt.  ST--TT compatible (though some
 problems with the TT).  Docs included.

 FAL_BOOT is FALCON BOOT, a FALCON freebie from Mike of SINISTER
 -------- DEVELOPMENTS.  The program on the disk installs a boot sector
 onto the disk in drive A that, when re-booted, gives you the following
 options: 1 - Toggle the 68030's cache,  2 - Toggle the Falcons internal
 speaker, 3 - Autoboot a boot disk - must be present in drive!  4 - Quit
 and bypass hard drive, 5 - Quit and continue as normal.  If you don't
 have a Falcon, don't bother with this file, because it won't work on
 anything other than a Falcon.

 FANTASY1 is a fantasy scenario for the Strategem.  The author has added
 -------- a new "weapon" to this scenario, and created the map with the
 FRACLAND fractal landscape generator.  Requires Strategem to be of any
 use.

 FINDER20 is Finder v.2.0 Text File Locator by Bill Aycock (dated Oct. 1,
 -------- 1992).  Finder is a simple GEM based utility that can help you
 locate a file that contains a particular combination of words or
 phrases.  You can specify up to three phrases to look for, and Finder
 will search all the files in a folder, including subfolders if you wish,
 looking for one which contains any or all of the phrases.  You can limit
 the search according to file size or date stamps, and if you wish you
 can create a report file on disk that shows the results of your search.
 Finder runs as a program or desk accessory on any ST or TT in any
 resolution, and uses under 55K of memory (including a 16K file buffer).
 Mouse and/or keyboard controlled.  Docs included.  SHAREWARE.

 FRG_DC by Bill Devonshire (dated Feb., 1993).  This .TTP program allows
 ------ you to input coordinates of a 3D object and then let FRG perturb
 the vertices creating a fractal .3D2 output file.  Example files are
 included.  Works on all ST/TT computers in any resolution.

 FULLYEAR is a Calamus SL file by D. McAndrew that allows you to print
 -------- out a full-year calendar (1993) that fits on a single sheet of
 paper.  Use it with fliers and announcements to pinpoint your even.  Six
 months are printed vertically on one side of the paper, a large blank
 space is left in the middle for your imported information, and the
 remaining six months are printed on the opposite (still facing) side.

 GFASCRL2 by Vince Valenti is a GFA .LST file (commented) that shows you
 -------- how to scroll through a picture file.  The graphics have been
 modified from the game (and an excellent game at that!) Cops and Robbers
 Too by Kevin Scott.  This program requires a joystick in Port 1.

 GFA_4_PD is a new and tasty tidbit from GFA Germany (dated Dec. 12,
 -------- 1992) for all of you GFA Basic fans.  They have released the
 editor for their soon-to-be-released GFA Basic 4.0 into the public
 domain.  It is fully windowed, MultiTOS compatible, and uses icons for
 its functions, in addition to the drop down menus.  Up to 256 editing
 windows can be open at once, and each one has its own drop down menu!
 Only ASCII source code is supported at this time.  It can even use non-
 proportional GDOS fonts!  The program and docs are in German, but an
 English translation should be found wherever you find this file (like
 on GEnie--hint).  ST--MultiTOS/MiNT compatible in all resolutions.

 KILL201 is Maxi*Kill v.2.01 by Erik Williams (dated March 10, 1993).
 ------- Maxi*Kill is mainly for those BBS sysops who want to fine-tune
 their control over how they delete files automatically.  But even if
 you're not a SysOp, you will still find Maxi*Kill if you have files that
 you regularly delete.  ST-TT compatible.  Color or mono.  Extensive docs
 included.

 LIGHTOFF by Lars Rohrbach (dated March 8, 1993) is a small program that
 -------- solves the problems of the floppy drive light A remaining on
 after you boot up with your hard disk.  This doesn't happen to everyone,
 but if it happens to you, and it bugs you, then this AUTO folder program
 is for you.  Docs included.

 LUSCHER is the Luscher Color Test developed a number of years ago by Dr.
 ------- Max Luscher of Switzerland and (recently) programmed by Alan
 Denison.  Here's the idea behind it (of which I am a bit sceptical, but
 seems OK as long as you don't swallow it whole, hook, line, and sinker):
 This text purports to detect personality traits based on prejudices and
 preferences of very specific colors.  Unfortunately, those colors aren't
 the same as the ST low rez palette, which throws the test results for a
 loop!  The author points that out, and as well cautions that this is
 really designed to be coupled with professional observations.  But it's
 still fun.  Make sure to take the results with a grain of salt (unless,
 of course, that the program tells you that you are absolutely the best
 thing that has ever shown up on this planet (well, that is, for at least
 2000 years!).  Color only.  GEM based.  Docs included.

 MCGUN is Machine Gun by Harlan Hugh.  It is an .ACC that has been around
 ----- for awhile now, but has recently been uploaded again.  It's
 designed for use just after you have really ruined something.  Use this
 .ACC, it's cheaper than getting a new ST.  Color or mono.

 MIDIKEY2 is the Midi Keyboard Desk Accessory v.2.0 by David Schwinn
 -------- (dated March 10, 1993).  This .ACC allows you to play your MIDI
 sound modules while running any program (that allows access to .ACCs).
 It allows you to select any Midi channel, note number, and key velocity.
 The playing area is "velocity sensitive" depending on where you click
 your mouse.  A MIDI instrument is required.  I'm a bit puzzled by this
 in that it seems that you ought to be able to load and play MIDI sound
 modules, but the .ACC seems geared towards playing your own music by
 clicking on the displayed piano keyboard.  Color or mono.  ST--TT
 compatible.  Docs included.

 MTRLACPU by Ken Baum is a technical comparison between Atari's new
 -------- Falcon 030, Commodore's new Amiga 1200 and Apple's new
 Performa 400.  Do you want to see how the Falcon measures up?  Read
 this!

 OL3_DEMO is the full-featured demo of Outline Art 3 from ISD (the
 -------- Calamus people).  Dated Feb. 24, 1993, this demo of this superb
 vector graphics package allows you to create high quality vector drawing
 that you can then save in Outline Art format (.OL), Calamus Vector
 Graphics (.CVG), Encapsulated PostScript (.EPS) This version works in ST
 mono, TT med. and high and supports external video boards.  This demo
 requires at least 4 meg of RAM.  Save and export are disabled, and the
 online context sensitive help has been left out, but the remaining parts
 of the program are fully accessible.  I have the old version of Outline
 Art and love it, but this looks so much better!

 P12 is P - The Source Code Printer v. 1.2 by Andrew P. Studer of
 --- Pandamonium Software (dated March 6, 1993).  P allows you to print
 text files in ASCII format to your printer, screen, or RS-232 device.
 You can specify printing with line numbers, page header, left margin,
 tab size, etc..  You can run P with or without a command line, or if you
 have Neodesk or TOS 2.06 (or above) you can just drop your text file
 into P's icon and print away.  Docs included.  ST--TT compatible.  Color
 or mono.

 PASCALII is JB's Pascal Shell v.2.0 by John Buchanan.  It is a freeware
 -------- replacement shell for use with Personal Pascal.  If you use
 P.P. this program looks like it might be useful to you.  Docs included.

 PICSW101 is PicSwitch v.1.0.1 the Graphics File Viewer/Printer by John
 -------- Brochu.  Do you remember PicSwitch v.0.7? This is the long-
 awaited update.  Now GEM based (with enhancements!).  While PicSwitch
 v.0.7 was a conversion utility that allowed you to freely convert
 between a large variety of picture formats this new version is primarily
 a very FAST display and print utility, though it does allow you to
 convert your various picture formats to .IMG for importation into your
 DTP programs.  Many new picture formats have been added, as well as a
 new 'Adjustments' control panel, windowed displays, and much-enhanced
 printing support for Epson 9-pin, 24-pin and HP LaserJet compatibles
 (tiling available with the HP's).  There are many types of dithering,
 for best output on monochrome displays, fully adjustable brightness,
 contrast, and scaling, and color optimization for excellent color
 rendition in any of the ST video modes.  TT and Crazy dots video card
 support as well.  It displays the following picture formats, and does it
 fast and well! Neochrome [NEO]; Degas [PI1-3]; Degas Elite [PC1-3]; Tiny
 [TNY, TN1-3]; Art Director [ART]; Spectrum 512 [SPC, SPU]; Prism Paint
 [PNT]; GEM IMG [IMG]; Atari Image Manager [IM]; Compuserve GIF [GIF];
 Compuserve RLE [RLE]; PC Paintbrush (Monochrome, 16-color, 256-color)
 [PCX]; Amiga IFF (1-5 planes HAM) [IFF]; MacPaint [MAC]; Mac Startup
 Screen [MAS]; Atari Portfolio Graphics File [PGF, PGC]; Atari 8-bit
 Koala [KOA]; Atari 8-bit MicroPainter; [MPT] Atari 8-bit Graphics 8
 [GR8], and Atari 8-bit Graphics 9 [GR9]!!  Yikes!  What a list!  It does
 more as well.  It allows you to access your .ACCs, tells you the
 statistics about your picture files, and much, much more.  Docs are
 included.  Color or mono.  I recommend this program.  SHAREWARE.

 PTPLAY12 is the PT-PLAYER v.1.02, a Protracker Mod player by Petri
 -------- Kuittinen and Martin Griffiths (dated Feb. 24, 1993).  This
 program will play Noise- and Protracker .MOD files using your ST's
 Yamaha-2149 sound chip.  The sound output is very good, being 17.1 Khz
 mono PCM sound with 11 bits linear dynamics.  This program works on all
 resolutions and on all screen refresh rates. ST/STE/TT (with TT you must
 turn off cache) compatible (even with 512K RAM, though you won't be able
 to play very large .MODs).  It hopefully works on Atari Falcon (but not
 tested).  Mouse and keyboard controlled.  Docs included.

 PUNKMAN1 is PunkMan v.1.2D by Robert Quezada (March 10, 1993).  This
 -------- PacMan clone allows you to create your own boards (up to 50),
 save your high-scores, and play (though I have to say PunkMan is quite
 slow, and the ghosts go faster that he does!).  This game was programmed
 in STOS and is compatible with any ST--TT!  Color only.  Docs included.

 PYRAMID is a welcome screen and a stereo digitized sound sample for use
 ------- with Super Boot.  The picture is of a glowing, cycling rainbow
 colored pyramid, sphere, and cylinder floating over a grid.  The sound
 sample is of Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine."  STE, TT, or Falcon
 (DMA) required to play the sound.

 TJSBPIC1 is a SuperBoot startup digitized sound/picture combo compiled
 -------- by T.J. Girsch.  This file shows you Bugs Bunny eating a carrot
 and saying "What's Up Doc?"  Color.

 TJSBPIC3 contains two SuperBoot startup digitized sound/picture combos
 -------- compiled by T.J. Girsch.  This file shows you:  Duck Dodgers
 (Daffy Duck) saying:  "I claim this planet in the name of the Earth!",
 and Duck Dodgers yelling:  "Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a halfth
 cennnnturyyyy!" Color.

 TJSBPIC4 is a SuperBoot startup digitized sound/picture combo compiled
 -------- by T.J. Girsch.  You might have to play with the sample speed
 on an 8-MHz ST/e to get this to sound right.  This file shows you Marvin
 Martian, saying "I claim this planet in the name of Mars....ooooh...
 isn't that lovely?!?"  Color.

 WHATIS65 is the WHATIS File Identifier v6.5 by Bill Aycock (dated Nov.
 -------- 12, 1992).  WHATIS is a simple program that will identify over
 125 different types of files (why bother listing them--if you have them,
 this program will likely identify them!).  It is mouse-driven and is
 easy to use; everything is done from a single dialog box.  Why use
 Whatis?  Let's say you're on your local BBS, and download a file called
 SIMPSON.ARC.  You fire up your favorite Arc Shell to get the file, and
 it says "I don't know how to handle this file!". Whip out Whatis and
 take a look, and you find out the file is really an LHarc archive - the
 uploader used the wrong extender!  Just rename the file and you're all
 set.  Another, darker scenario...a virus sneaks into your system and
 erases your hard drive's directory.  Fortunately, you have a program
 that can recover your files - unfortunately, it names all the files
 FILE0001, FILE0002, and so on! Spend a little time with Whatis, and you
 may not figure out each file's original name, but at least you'll know
 which are programs, which are .PI1s, which are Calamus docs... a real
 help if you need it. It runs as either a .PRG or .ACC (just rename it)
 and will work with any ST, STe, or TT.  Do you wonder what in the world
 that .???  file is?  This program can tell you!  Color or mono.  Docs
 included.

 It's time to send this off and then spend some winter-time warmth with
 my family!

 All of these files can be found on one or more of the following on-line
 services:  GEnie (M.BURKLEY1), Delphi (MRBURKLEY), The Codehead BBS
 (213-461-2095), Toad Hall (617-567-8642), and The Boston Computer
 Society's Atari BBS (617-396-4607) (Michael R. Burkley).  Drop me a
 line!

 Michael lives in Niagara Falls, NY.  He is a former Polyurethane
 Research Chemist and is presently the pastor of the Niagara Presbyterian
 Church.




 ######  FLASH II UPDATE
 ######  Press Release
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 Now shipping version 2.1!

 FROM:
 MISSIONWARE SOFTWARE
 354 N. Winston Drive
 Palatine, Illinois   60067-4132
 phone [phone]


 Missionware Software is pleased to announce the release of version 2.1 of
 Flash II.  This is our second update in the past year.  Flash II
 originally went up for sale in April of 1992.  Version 2.0 was our first
 release, followed a few months later by version 2.01.  Version 2.1 fixes
 a number of problems discovered by our customers and beta testers over
 the past few months.  It's also our first full upgrade, and as promised,
 it is being sent out to all currently registered customers *for free* on
 a brand new disk.  We'll be sending these disks out during the next
 couple of weeks in order of serial number.  Those with low numbers will
 get their upgrades first.  If you haven't received your upgrade by the
 middle of April, please contact us to make sure you are properly
 registered.

 In addition to the enhancements listed below, this upgrade is being sent
 out with our new installation program.  You'll need to re-register (on
 your disk only!) this version of Flash II.  Future maintenance upgrades
 will be handled online (you'll be able to download a patch file) so it's
 imperative that you properly register your new version.

 Flash II is the update to the most popular Atari ST telecommunications
 program ever!  It's available exclusively from Missionware Software and
 at an affordable price!  Flash II is completely rewritten by Paul
 Nicholls of Clayfield, Australia.  But don't let that fool you!  Flash
 II has the same look and feel as previous versions of Flash...plus a
 slew of new features to boot!  And it's just as easy and fast to use for
 the telecommunications beginner or pro!  Take a look below for just some
 of what Flash II can offer you now...

 ∙ DO script files compatible with older versions of Flash!

 ∙ All macros use the familiar Flash DO script format!

 ∙ Easily setup the parameters for each BBS you call...this includes
   everything from ASCII upload/download options to baud rate!

 ∙ You can program up to 20 individual and separate macros for each BBS
   plus an additional 10 global macros!

 ∙ Displays RLE & GIF pictures either on or off line!  You can also save
   or load these pictures for later review!

 ∙ Supports the following terminal types:  TTY, VIDTEX, VT52, ANSI,
   VT100, VT101, VT102, VT200, VT300 & PRESTEL.

 ∙ Now includes full support for RTS/CTS.  This mode can now be turned on
   and off by the user.

 ∙ Includes Automatic Answer mode!

 ∙ Includes Auto Boards mode - Preselect the board(s) you wish to dial
   and when Flash II is launched either manually from the desktop by you,
   or automatically by some other program launcher, Flash II will wake up
   and dial the board(s) you've got selected.  It will also wait for the
   proper time to dial these boards.

 ∙ Includes full featured GEM text editor with: merge, block commands,
   cut & paste, search & replace, paragraph reformatting; user tab
   settings, page width, full keyboard cursor and delete control and
   more!

 ∙ Supports the ST, IBM and DEC character sets, including IBM graphics
   characters!

 ∙ Includes Silent Line for background file transfers!

 ∙ Supports the following upload/download protocols: ASCII, Xmodem,
   Ymodem, Ymodem-G, Zmodem, Modem7, WXmodem, CIS B, Kermit and SEAlink!
   And all of these protocols are built into the program...no external
   modules required!!!

 ∙ Zmodem now supports the selection of AutoStart and Streaming options.
   If you prefer to use an external Zmodem protocol with Flash II, you
   can now force Flash II's Zmodem autostart mode to off.  For BBS' that
   don't support "streaming", this too can now be turned off.

 ∙ Logs all on line time and calculates your approximate costs for you!

 ∙ New version written in assembler!  Fast!

 ∙ Runs on all ST, STe and TT's

 ∙ Now supports "Install Application".  You can create a DO script that
   can be used to launch Flash II from the desktop and force it to dial
   up and go online for you, all automatically!

 ∙ Both the Terminal and Editor have been enhanced significantly for both
   speed and ease of use.  You'll be amazed at how fast the new Flash II
   is!

 ∙ A new "BReak" script command is added which permits the sending of a
   terminal break to the host computer while a script is running.

 Missionware Software's upgrade policy remains the same for the new
 Version 2.1!  We will continue to upgrade any old version of Flash!
 (copyright Antic Software) for just $30 US, plus $4 shipping and
 handling (US and Canada), $8 worldwide.  Or, you can purchase Flash II,
 version 2.1 outright, for only $49.95 US plus the shipping and handling
 charges applicable to your area.  To order, or for more information,
 contact:

 Missionware Software
 354 N. Winston Drive
 Palatine, IL   60067-4132
 phone [phone]




 ######  KIDPRGS FROM DA BRUMLEVE
 ######  Announcement
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 D.A. Brumleve's kidprgs all share a uniquely kid-friendly user
 interface.  Consistent use of color coding, large targets for the mouse,
 simplified options, auditory and visual verification of selections,
 limited use of alert boxes, and automatic loading and saving combine to
 make these programs easy to learn and a joy to use.  The programs
 described below offer your budding journalist, artist, or mathematician
 purposeful activities that will challenge as well as entertain.  Kidprgs
 grow with your child; parents and teachers can configure the child's
 disk to match the child's current needs, and the disk can be
 reconfigured as those needs change.

 Kidpublisher Professional
 A Desktop Publishing Program for Young Writers
 (for ages 5-11) version 6.4--US$40
 ------------------------------------------------
 * publish your own illustrated stories, posters, etc.
 * instantly transform messages to a secret code to share with your
   friends!
 * four built-in font styles
 * extensive drawing program now includes mirror-imaging!
 * title page option with title, date, author's and illustrator's names
 * 32 columns and 7 lines of text per page
 * 5 pages on a 520ST, 10 on a 1040ST
 * word wrap feature, underlining, mouse control of cursor aid later
   transition to adult word processors

 Multiplay
 Math Exploration, Discovery, and Practice
 (for ages 5-11) version 3.4--US$40
 ------------------------------------------------
 * think about numbers in new ways!
 * practice multiplication and addition facts while playing self-
   motivating games
 * make your own picture puzzles for use in a math facts game
 * print number patterns and fact tables
 * configurable to appeal to the entire age range: choose to deal with
   the numbers 0-9, 0-19, or (with a 1040 or greater) 0-29; addition
   only, multiplication only, both multiplication and addition; etc. --
   even choose the symbol for the multiplication operator!
 * includes puzzle game, math patterning activities, test, puzzle maker,
   more!

 Kidpainter
 A Paint Program for Young Artists
 (for ages 5-11) version 2.3A--US$35
 ------------------------------------------------
 * create intricate onscreen patterns and colorful pictures
 * print your own coloring books, puzzles, posters, paper dolls, etc.
 * add text in several sizes and styles within pictures
 * make and solve your own onscreen puzzles
 * extensive drawing tools
 * horizontal and/or vertical mirror-imaging
 * "rubber stamp" option offers unique experiences in patterns and shapes
 * "blind" drawing and other unusual activities
 * 3 pictures in memory on a 520ST/STe, 9 on a 1040 or greater

 Super Kidgrid
 For Creative Graphics Design
 (for ages 3-11) version 1.6--US$25
 ------------------------------------------------
 * create beautiful onscreen designs and pictures
 * print color-by-number pictures
 * modify twelve challenging built-in samples
 * fourteen colors to choose from
 * automatically save/load up to 10 pictures
 * challenges and supports creative thinking skills

 Telegram
 The Silly Song Player
 (for readers only) version 2.5--US$25
 ------------------------------------------------
 * a you-can't-do-that-in-software program: music, math, reading, and
   humor all in one unique game
 * use coordinates to deliver singing telegrams around a little onscreen
   town
 * practice reading skills while singing along with the computer

 Program Collections
 (each includes disk box and instructions)

 Creative Discovery Packet: 11 programs especially designed for use in
 Early Childhood Classrooms -- $120

 Learning Games Packet: A compilation of 10 educational programs from PD
 and shareware realms -- $40

 ATARI ST/STe WITH COLOR MONITOR OR TELEVISION REQUIRED.
 PRINTER MUST ACCEPT AN ST SCREEN DUMP.

 Fuji (Atari logo) Rubber Stamps - Small fuji--$5      Large fuji--$6

 D. A.  B R U M L E V E
 P.O. BOX 4195 / URBANA, IL 61801-8820 / USA
 Telephone: [phone]   FAX: [phone]
 MasterCard and Visa accepted!


 Our Development Team

 D.A. Brumleve, M.A., is involved with computers and kids in a variety of
 ways.  She has written some two-dozen kidprgs for various age-groups.
 She and Dr. T.R. Brumleve (co-author of Kidpublisher Professional) have
 five children ages 6-14.  T.R. Brumleve, Ph.D., a research chemist by
 profession, contributes to many kidprgs as a programming consultant.

 M.L. Marks, M.Ed., is the Director of Creative Discovery School in
 Champaign, Illinois.  He has worked with preschool- through elementary-
 aged children for the past twelve years.  He is concerned with tapping
 the best qualities of the computer and with making useful programs of
 educational and creative value accessible to young children.




 ######  ATARINET UPDATE
 ######  Compiled by Bill Scull
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 So, you've heard about AtariNet.  This is a network for any BBS that
 supports the Atari platform of home computer.  There are already several
 bulletin board systems worldwide participating and more are joining.  If
 you are a Sysop and would like more information of would like to join,
 simply contact the Host that is nearest you.  If you're a user and would
 like more information, ask your Sysop to contact the Host nearest him.
 A listing of the current BBS's that are participating and the echoes that
 are available follow:

 Zone 51 AtariNet Headquarters
 Region 100
 Host 1 - Twilight Zone, Longwood FL, Bill Scull       1-407-831-1613

 4  - Steal Your Face, Brick NJ, Ed Lynch              1-908-920-7981
 6  - MySTery BBS, Goose Creek, SC, David Blanchard    1-803-556-9730
 8  - Alien BBS, Burlington NC, Mark Cline             1-919-229-4334
 9  - Z*Net Golden Gate, Sunnyvale CA, Bob Brodie      1-510-373-6792
 10 - Atari Base, Sunnyvale CA, Robert Brodie          1-408-745-2196
 13 - Z*Net News Service, Middlesex NJ, Ron Kovacs     1-908-968-8148
 14 - Information Overload, Riverdale GA, Ed June      1-404-471-1549
 15 - Flightline BBS, Minneapolis MN, Craig Peterson   1-612-544-5118

 Host 4 - Hologram Inc, Old Bridge NJ, Dean Lodzinski  1-908-727-1914

 3  - Assasins Grove, Oshawa Canada, Jeff Mitchell     1-416-571-6965
 4  - Aces High BBS, Matawan NJ, Richard Guadagno      1-908-290-1133
 5  - StormShadow, Pasadena MD, Robert Lovelace        1-410-437-0243

 Host 102 - Sunfox's Realm, Raleigh NC, Erik Williams  1-919-867-1844

 Region 200 - AtariNet Headquarters II

 Host 2 - AtariNet Nevada, Las Vegas NV, Terry May     1-702-435-0786

 4  - Sports Line BBS, Henderson NV, Nick Hard         1-702-565-5271
 5  - Left Over Hippies, Toronto Canada, Lesley Dylan  1-416-466-8931
 10 - STarship, Lake Charles LA, Rich Tietjens         1-318-474-9432
 11 - The Choice BBS, Las Vegas NV, Mark Woolworth     1-702-253-6527
 12 - Thunder Hold, American Fork UT, Todd Harrington  1-801-756-2901
 13 - Conqueror Connection, Fort Hood TX, John Curtis  1-817-539-1469
 137 - The VORTEX BBS, Fort Towson OK, Jim Jackson     1-405-873-9361

 Host 201 - The DarkSTar BBS, Salt Lake City UT, Randy Rodrock
            1-801-269-8780

 4  - The Halls of Asguard, Orem UT, Gerald Homeyer    1-801-221-1150
 5  - Acme BBS, Salt Lake City UT, Eric Nikolaisen     1-801-272-4243
 6  - Thunder Hold, American Fork UT, Todd Harrington  1-801-756-2901
 7  - The City Of Nimrod, SLC UT, Dave Marquardt       1-801-969-5485

 Host 202 - The Wylie Connection, Wylie TX, Wes Newell 1-214-442-6612

 7  - Aaron's Beard, Dallas TX, Troy Wade              1-214-557-2642
 13 - The Wylie Connection, Wylie TX, Wes Newell       1-214-442-6612
 20 - Outland Station, Ft Worth TX, John Stiborek      1-817-329-1125
 21 - Psychlo Empire, Irving TX, Mark Corona           1-214-251-1175
 30 - The Foundation BBS, Azle TX, CR Hamilton         1-817-444-0155

 Host 203 - AtariNet Midwest, Indianapolis IN, Bill Jones
            1-317-356-5519

 1  - The Zoo BBS, Indianapolis IN, Bill Jones         1-317-356-5519
 2  - The Music Station, Webb City MO, Chris Richards  1-417-673-4926
 3  - The Maligned ST, Urbandale IA, Mike O'Malley     1-515-253-9530
 4  - The Crawly Crypt, Joplin MO, Jim Collins         1-417-624-1887
 5  - BLAST BBS, Bloomington IN, Steve Johnson         1-812-332-0573
 6  - Bear Swamp BBS, Marysville OH, Mark Antolik      1-513-644-0714
 7  - The Dugout BBS, Independence MO, Brient Leslie   1-816-373-9589

 Region 300 - AtariNet Headquarters_III
 Host 3 - The Space Station, Canyon Country CA, Tony Castorino
          1-805-252-0450

 3  - Atari ST Connection, Fresno CA, Brian Watters    1-209-436-8156
 4  - Autoboss Atari Elite, Bunola PA, John Graham     1-412-384-5608
 5  - The Yakima Atari ST BBS, Yakima WA, Pat Moffitt  1-509-965-2345
 6  - FIDOdoor Support BBS, Vandenberg AFB, Bryan Hall 1-805-734-4742
 7  - cyberSecT BBS, Cheney WA, Chuck Aude             1-509-235-4875
 9  - The Mosh Bit, Vancouver WA, Mark Wallaert        1-206-574-1531
 10 - Target Range, Paramount CA, Alan Dietrich        1-310-634-8993
 11 - Sanctuary From The Law, Inyokern CA, Sean Price  1-619-377-3611
 12 - MASATEK, Torrance CA, Valeriano Meneses          1-310-518-9524
 13 - The Mind Keep, Citrus Heights CA, Jeff Fehlman   1-916-723-1657
 15 - ST-Keep, Citrus Heights CA, Andrew Studer        1-916-729-2968
 16 - H.B. SMOG, Huntington Beach CA, Jim Thingwold    1-714-969-5486
 17 - Acey BBS, Yakima WA, Dick Grable                 1-509-966-8555
 18 - Dusty Atcic, Riverside CA, Rodney Bennett        1-909-656-3707

 Region 400 - AtariNet Headquarters IV
 Host 5 - The Brewery, Ajax ON Canada, Don Liscombe    1-416-683-3089

 3  - Rather Digital, Sudbury ON Canada, Steve Barnes  1-705-560-3115

 Region 500 - AtariNet UK
 Host 6 - AtariNet NW England, Stockport Cheshire UK, Daron Brewood
          44-61-429-9803

 2  - STun NeST Central, Stockport Cheshire UK         44-61-429-9803
 3  - DigiBBS, Nykobing F Denmark, Flemming Nielsen    45-54-858385
 4  - System ST BBS, Leicester UK, Mark Matts          44-533-413443
 5  - Black Cat Penarth, Penarth Wales UK, Mark Butler 44-222-707359

 Region 600 - AtariNet Headquarters VI
 Host 601 - AtariNet Germany, Koeln Germany, Frank Brodmuehler
            49-221-248285

 8  - Apolonia, Essen, Peter Kaszanics                 49-201-237509

 Hub 100 - Hub AC, Aachen, Benedikt Heinen             49-241-408593
     101 - Firemark BBS, Aachen, Benedikt Heinen       49-241-408593
     102 - Dao-Lin-H'ay, Luegde, Joerg Spilker         49-5281-79372

 Region 700 - AtariNet Headquarters VII
 Host 701 - Peace Counter Computers, Fort ST John BC Canada
            1-604-785-9512

 2  - Prime BBS, Fort ST John BC Canada, Bill Marsh    1-604-785-7098

 Host 710 - Temple of Doom, Edmonton Alta Canada, Barry Torrance
            1-403-436-0328

 2  - Bill's BBS, Edmonton Canada, Bill Butler         1-403-461-2222

 Region 800 - AtariNet Headquarters VIII
 Host 801 - Znet South Pacific, Wellington New Zealand, Chris Thorpe
            64-4-4762853

 2  - Waikato Amiga, Hamilton, Barry Blackford         64-7-846-6918
 3  - Southern Vortex, Dunedin, Chris Pheloung         64-3-454-3900
 5  - Cyberlink 2, Palmerston North, Dean Richards     64-6-359-2658
 12 - Wizards Lair, Wellington, Shane Storey           64-4-233-8538
 21 - InterAction One, Hamilton, John Lawrence         64-7-855-0293
 22 - Ice Cave, Hamilton, Vaughan Irwin                64-7-846-7236
 31 - Jail Break BBS, Invercargill, Willy Hemopo       64-3-216-2042
 32 - Lands End, Invercargill, Ken Sutton              64-3-214-1021
 40 - On Line Support, Christchurch, John Clarke       64-3-366-7324

 Host 802 ACE BBS, Coogee NSW Australia, Ian Mackereth    61-2-898-0873
 102 - OGRE BBS Mercy College, Koondoola WA,Craig Valli    61-9-247-1249
 106 - That Which is Not, Adelaide Sth Aust, Michael Smith 61-8-232-5722

               |||   AtariNet Message Echo Backbone   |||
              / | \  Compiled by Terry May @ 51:2/0  / | \

                        * EFFECTIVE 28-Dec-92 *

 -> The following echo is _required_ for ALL AtariNet sysops.
 -> ONLY AtariNet sysops may have access to this echo.

 Echo Name        Description                    Moderator
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 A_SYSOP          AtariNet SysOps                51:1/0  - Bill Scull

 -> The following echoes are _required_ for AtariNet moderators
 -> and hosts, but may be picked up by ANY AtariNet sysop.
 -> ONLY AtariNet sysops may have access to these echoes.

 Echo Name        Description                    Moderator
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 A_ECHO           AtariNet echoes discussion     51:2/0  - Terry May
 A_TEST           AtariNet test echo             51:1/0  - Bill Scull

 -> The following echoes are available to all interested AtariNet sysops.
 -> These echoes can and should be accessible to all users and points.

 Echo Name        Description                    Moderator
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 A_4SALE          Atari products for sale/wanted 51:102/1 - Erik Williams
 A_ATARI          Atari general discussion       51:2/4   - Nick Hard
 A_BBS_ADS        Atari supported BBSes          51:2/0   - Terry May
 A_BBS_DOORS      Atari BBS doors (externals)    51:1/6   - Dave Blanchard
 A_COMMERCIAL_ADS Atari commercial ads           51:102/1 - Erik Williams
 A_DTP            Atari DeskTop Publishing       51:102/1 - Erik Williams
 A_EXPLORER       Atari Explorer Magazine        51:1/13  - Ron Kovacs
 A_FDS            AtariNet FDS announcements     51:203/0 - Bill Jones
 A_FIDODOOR       FIDOdoor support               51:3/6   - Bryan Hall
 A_GENERAL        General discussion             51:2/4   - Nick Hard
 A_GRAPHICS       Atari graphics                 51:2/0   - Terry May
 A_MAXI_SUPT      MaxiDoor/PhidoQwk Support      51:5/4   - Shawn Smith
 A_PROGRAMMING    Atari programming              51:5/0   - Don Liscombe
 A_SOUND          Atari sound/music              51:2/0   - Terry May
 A_TECH           Atari hardware tech talk       51:202/0 - Wes Newell
 A_BINKLEY        BinkleyTerm ST support         [* Gated from Zone  1 *]
 A_FIDO_ST        FidoNet ST discussion          [* Gated from Zone 90 *]
 A_IOS_HELP       IOSmail Support                [* Gated from Zone  1 *]

                     AtariNet File Distribution System

 The following file areas are either currently on the AtariNet FileBone,
 or are awaiting approval.  If you'd like to receive one of these areas,
 please contact your host.  Hosts are not required to carry all areas,
 however all areas will be available from 51:203/0.

 Current File Echoes:

 FileEcho     Description                          Origination at
 =======================================================================
 A_NODES      AtariNet node administration         Bill Scull, 51:1/0
 ABBSUTIL     BBS-Related Utilities                Bill Jones, 51:203/0
 ABBSGAME     BBS-Related Games (Doors)            (open)
 ABBSOTHR     BBS-Related other software           (open)
 AFDOOR       FidoDoor Updates (includes ST-QWK)   Bryan Hall, 51:3/6
 AUTILS       ST Utilities                         (open)
 AGAMES       ST Games                             Rich Tietjens, 51:2/10
 ANETWORK     FidoNet-Related Software             Bill Jones, 51:203/0
 AZNET        Z*Net On-line magazine               Ron Kovacs, 51:1/13
 AOTHER       Other ST Software                    (open)
 AGRAPHIC     Graphics and related programs        Terry May, 51:2/0
 ASOUND       Sounds, samples and related programs Terry May, 51:2/0
 =======================================================================

 Any questions or comments should be directed to me at 51:203/0.
 Bill Jones, AFDS Coordinator




 ######  SPELLING SENTRY UPDATE
 ######  Press Release
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 Wintertree Software Inc.
 43 Rueter St.
 Nepean, Ontario Canada K2J 3Z9
 Phone: [phone]


 NEPEAN, ONTARIO -- Bigger, better, faster.  These three words describe
 Spelling Sentry 1.20, Wintertree Software's latest upgrade to the
 popular spelling checker for Atari computers.

 Spelling Sentry is a spell-checking desk accessory.  It watches
 keystrokes as you type into other GEM programs and accessories, and
 alerts you when you make a spelling error.  Spelling Sentry can also
 check disk files and the GEM clipboard. Spelling Sentry includes a built
 -in abbreviation expander that can substitute a text string whenever you
 type its abbreviation.

 BIGGER

 Wintertree has added over 11,000 words to Spelling Sentry's dictionary,
 bringing the total word count to over 115,000.  At the same time,
 Wintertree reorganized the internal structure of the dictionary to make
 it both smaller and faster.  The result: While the number of words in
 the dictionary increased by 10.5%, the size of the dictionary increased
 by only 6.2%.

 BETTER

 Wintertree listened to requests and suggestions made by Spelling Sentry
 owners.  Spelling Sentry 1.20 contains a host of new features and
 improvements:

 * 16 alternative words are now displayed instead of eight.
 * Spelling Sentry can now optionally locate alternative words that are
   phonetically similar to the misspelled word.  For example, Spelling
   Sentry correctly suggests "Atari" in place of "Uhtarry."  Spelling
   Sentry's original method of locating alternative words, based on
   typographical similarity, is still available.
 * You can now try a new spelling for a misspelled word, and Spelling
   Sentry will check it for correctness.
 * Spelling Sentry's abbreviation feature can now substitute the contents
   of a disk file wherever an abbreviation is used.
 * Spelling Sentry's new keyboard capture feature saves time when
   defining new abbreviations.  The keyboard capture feature magically
   inserts the last few words you typed into the dialog field used to
   define abbreviations.

 Other improvements:

 * Screen flashing now works on all monitors
 * Improved compatibility with Calamus
 * Undo key now works reliably when checking disk files
 * Maximum size of an abbreviation expansion (including files and
   chaining) is now 1024 characters.

 FASTER

 When Wintertree reorganized Spelling Sentry's dictionary to make it
 smaller, they also made it faster -- 15% faster.  When optimally
 configured, Spelling Sentry can check 2400+ words per minute on a stock
 ST.

 The list price of Spelling Sentry 1.20 remains at $59.95.

 Registered owners who purchased Spelling Sentry on or before 31 December
 1992 can upgrade to 1.20 by sending a check or money order for $10.00 to
 Wintertree Software Inc.  Customers who purchased Spelling Sentry 1.00,
 1.10, or 1.11 on or after 1 January 1993 can upgrade to version 1.20 at
 no charge (proof of purchase date is required).  All update requests
 should include the original Spelling Sentry diskette.

                                # # #

 For more information, contact Wintertree Software Inc. at the number or
 address listed above.




 ######  QUEST FOR THE FALCON
 ######  By Nick Berry
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 An adventure with the great Detective Fuji Holmes and his able
 assistant, Dr. Tos Watson.

 ACT ONE

 Our story unfolds at the home of our fearless detective at 21 Baker
 Street in busy Sunnyvale, California.  The sound of a violin frantically
 playing away Beeth oven's Flight of the Bumblebee.  Inside there is not
 a violin in sight but rather Detective Holmes hunched over a synthesizer
 keyboard madly flailing away at the keys.  A gray computer sits next to
 the keyboard, musical notes dancing about its screen, and a pair of
 wires connecting the computer to keyboard.

 Dr. Watson enters the room and although the good doctor has not made a
 sound, Holmes immediately straightens up and turns to look at him.
 Then, strangely, although he removes his hands from the synthesizer, it
 continues to play.  Holmes reaches over and touches a key on the
 computer and the music stops, the last note echoing in the air.

 "Did you find any?", asks Holmes.  "This is the last one of the pack,
 I'm afraid.", says Dr. Watson as he holds out a brightly colored can
 with the letters J-O-L-T emblazoned upon it.  Then he adds, "And we ran
 out of Twinkies days ago, but I did manage to find these." offering in
 his other hand two small round black cookies with a white center layer.
 Holmes quickly snatches the cookies and munches them down, then opens
 the can and 'shotguns' the beverage in a single gulp.  "Really Holmes,
 you ought to do something about this caffeine and sugar addiction of
 yours, its truly getting out of hand." exclaims Watson. "Don't worry
 about my sweet tooth" Holmes barks back, "and the caffeine beverages
 help me keep my sharp edge!".

 "We both need all our wits about us today Watson, we've a tremendous
 task ahead of us." says a now calm Holmes.  "Whatever do you mean? I
 thought we were to spend the day formatting disks and backing up the
 hard drive?  We've been putting it off for weeks now." the good doctor
 responds.  "The hard drive can wait for another day.  We have to . . ."
 Holmes is interrupted by a hideous noise.  A sort of rattling and
 crashing and crunching, followed by an abbreviated yet ear piercing
 screech, then silence, all emanating from the small gray computer.
 Holmes continues, "You see my old friend, the dilemma has solved itself.
 No need to bother backing up the hard drive now."

 "So just what is this tremendous task which you mentioned lies ahead of
 us?" questions Dr. Watson.  "It is a quest, not unlike that which the
 knights of old set upon in their search for the Holy Grail." says Holmes
 mysteriously.  "A quest!?" exclaims Watson, "I certainly hope it is not
 wrought with dangers like killer rabbits and powerful knights who say
 'neee' to us.  Tell me, Holmes, just what is it that we must search for?
 "The FALCON" says Holmes, almost whispering it as he gazes out the
 window.  B-B-But Holmes!" sputters Watson, "I thought that the FALCON
 was simply a legend, a mere fairy tale.  Certainly something as wondrous
 and powerful as the FALCON would bring the holy words of old back into
 people's hearts."  The doctor hesitates a moment, then continues, "Power
 Without The Price".  They both bow their heads at the mention of the
 sacred words.

 Holmes jumps to his feet and commands the doctor, "Grab your coat
 Watson.  We haven't a moment to waste!"  The two courageous comrades
 make their way downstairs and out into the morning air filled with the
 unburned hydrocarbons spewed forth from the passing motorcars.  They
 hail a taxi and jump inside, speeding off to a destination determined by
 the ingenious Detective Holmes.

 ACT TWO

 The taxi carrying our two heroes pulls up to a storefront in the high
 tech 'silicon district'.  The garish neon sign above the store reads a
 flashing 'CompuBlah', a store known for its advertisements proclaiming
 itself as the leading edge in computers and peripherals.  Detective
 Holmes and Dr. Watson exit the cab and enter the store in the first stop
 of their quest.

 "I say Holmes, is this where we will find the FALCON?" quizzes Watson.
 "Anything is possible old friend, but don't get your hopes up.  I'm
 really hoping that these people, if they are as informed and current as
 they claim, will be able to lead us in the right direction." answers
 Holmes as he looks about for an intelligent looking salesperson.  Dr.
 Watson walks over to an innocent looking beige box and begins examining
 it.  "Would the wondrous FALCON look something like this computer here?"
 asks Watson.  "Certainly not!" answers Holmes, "A computer as logical as
 the elusive FALCON would not be contained in such a brutish monstrosity.
 Firstly, examine the back of the box and notice it has but one parallel
 port, two serial ports and a monitor port.  The FALCON sports all this
 PLUS SCSI II, DSP, two joysticks, two enhanced joysticks, MIDI in and
 out, microphone in, stereo sound out . . ."  Watson cuts Holmes off in
 mid sentence, "But Holmes, how can this be?  Surely with all these extra
 ports and related hardware the box MUST be bigger."  "All the more proof
 of the superiority of the FALCON." retorts Holmes.  "Notice too the mis-
 shapen mouse of this poor clone.  Three buttons rather than two.  A sure
 sign of inbreeding and an outward indication of the machine's inherently
 unstable design.  Rather like someone with six toes.  The extra digit
 has no real use and simply gets in the way."  Just then a salesman walks
 up and says "Is there something I can help you two gentlemen with
 today?"  Holmes quickly evaluates the fellow noting his three-piece suit
 and a name tag with one word, 'BOB'.  Dr. Watson blurts out "We seek a
 wondrous new computer and wonder if you might be able to help us locate
 it."  "You have come to the right place friends" says salesman Bob,
 "surely you are seeking the new 486DX2-66/50 EISA SVGA system.  We're
 blowing them out today only for just $2899." "I'm afraid you don't quite
 understand" interjects Holmes, "we seek the FALCON a powerful new
 computer designed for the home user.  Your 486 whizbang is designed and
 priced for the business community."  Without batting an eye, salesman
 Bob replies, "Look, we all get our parts and cases from the same factory
 in Taiwan.  It doesn't matter if the label says FALCON or CompuBlah or
 anything else.  What you're really looking for is the best price and
 good service which we offer in spades.  And if its a less expensive home
 style computer you desire, then the 386sx/33 SVGA for a killer price of
 only $1199 should do you nicely."  Detective Holmes grabs a verbally
 dazed Dr. Watson and begins pulling him towards the store's exit.
 Salesman Bob continues spouting off irrelevant numbers and specs,
 quoting system configurations and Winflops numbers as our intrepid
 travellers escape out the door, the salesman's words and numbers still
 ringing in their ears.

 "Good God Holmes! I thought we weren't going to make it out of there
 alive!" croaked Watson, still staggering from the verbal assault.  "This
 is going to be a tougher case than I had anticipated." sighed Holmes,
 "But we must press on in our quest."  Then Holmes and Watson proceed
 down the avenue going from computer store to computer store in search of
 clues which would lead them to their goal.

 ACT THREE

 The dauntless duo have spent the better part of the day in countless
 computer stores receiving much the same response and treatment as in the
 first.  Row after row of indistinguishable beige boxes performing
 pointless parlor tricks.  They were growing weary when they entered a
 store which seemed somehow different.  "Look Holmes!" cried Dr. Watson,
 "I believe we've found the FALCON!  The case is smaller and the desktop
 display on the screen seems familiar.  And see the sign here, it makes
 mention of '68030'.  Is that not the secret number inside the FALCON?"
 Detective Holmes rushes over, takes a close look and breathes a large
 sigh, "I'm afraid 'tis not the FALCON dear Watson.

 Look closer and you will see the aberrations.  Look again to the mouse.
 You remember the mutant clones with their deformed three button mice.
 See how this one only has a single button, a sign of a less advanced and
 incomplete design.  See also the picture of the partially consumed
 fruit.  It is a warning to all that while it looks appealing, one bite
 proves it is unripe and not worthy of consumption.  They turn to leave
 the store only to find a snappily dressed salesman standing directly in
 their path.  Dr. Watson nudges Holmes in the side and whispers "I say
 Holmes, this fellow's nametag says BOB just as each of the past store's
 salesmen have also been named.  Is it a conspiracy of some sort?"
 Before Holmes can even open his mouth the salesman starts in, "Hi there
 boys, you havin' a Mac attack?  Well you've come to the right place.
 We've got 'em all, from the Classic to the Performa to the Bacon Double
 Cheese.  Ooops, you'll have to excuse my slip there.

 Just last week I was flippin' Macs, now I'm Assistant Manager here at
 Whack-A-Mac Computer Discount Center.  Anyway, these babys are loaded to
 go with the latest File Finder Foozle, Hyper Whachoozle and System
 Bamboozle 7.6, or is that 6.7.  Well it doesn't matter anyway since we
 expect an new system file upgrade soon so you can get the latest semi-
 functional O.S. - for a nominal fee, of course.  Did I mention that we
 have a wonderful new plan where you simply leave your credit cards with
 us and then we automatically send you all the new system and program
 updates so that you don't have to bother coming back every few weeks."

 "Actually," relates Holmes, "we were searching for the new FALCON.
 Would you by chance know anything about it?" Salesman Bob scratches his
 chin for a moment and says "My uncle had a Falcon once.  He claimed it
 was the best car Ford ever made.  I didn't know they were bringing it
 back out."  This time Watson grabs Holmes and makes haste for the door
 as salesman Bob recollects about his uncle's Falcon getting 23 miles to
 the gallon on a trip through the Ozarks.

 Back outside our despondent explorers sit at the edge of the road, their
 heads in their hands, wondering if perhaps the FALCON is really nothing
 more than a wishful tale.  Like the end of the rainbow, always just
 beyond reach and never physically graspable.

 ACT FOUR

 While plodding their way back to 21 Baker St., Holmes and Watson stop at
 an intersection and await for the crosswalk sign to flash 'Walk'.  A
 beleaguered Watson leans up against a utility pole only to jump back
 with a shout when a staple from a poster attached to the pole pricks his
 arm.  "It ought to be illegal to post things like that!" cries Watson.

 "On the contrary" exclaims Holmes, "You have found the clue we've been
 searching for all day.  See for yourself what the poster says!"  Dr.
 Watson dons his spectacles and reads, 'Now Open.  Professor Moriarty's
 Computer STation.  Come see the powerful new FALCON.'  "Eureka!"
 screeches Watson, "We've found it at last."  "Yes Watson," replies
 Holmes, "the game is afoot."

 ACT FIVE

 The sun is starting to set as we find both Doctor and Detective entering
 Professor Moriarty's Computer STation.  Standing in the center of the
 small but well kept store, Holmes and Watson scan the computer displays
 all around them in an attempt to discern which one might be the
 fantastic FALCON.  A man emerges from behind the main counter and
 approaches them.  He is casually dressed and does not bear a name tag
 with the name BOB, so they wonder if this person could actually be a
 salesman.

 "Good evening gentlemen" says the man, "I am Professor Moriarty,
 proprietor of this establishment.  How may I help you?" "We seek the
 FALCON!" says an exuberant Dr. Watson. "Quite so" interjects Holmes,
 "we have spent the entire day in numerous computer shops trying to find
 the new FALCON when we saw one of your posters nearby.  We had nearly
 given up hope of ever finding our goal."  "Your search has come to end
 my friends" declares the professor, "I am the only dealer in town to
 carry the FALCON."  Moriarty pauses and looks about nervously.
 "However, the shipment I've been expecting has not arrived yet.  Perhaps
 you would like to place your name on our waiting list.  There are quite
 a few people who have placed their order and paid in full to ensure they
 receive one from the first shipment.  If you were to give me a check or
 credit card for the full amount today, I can guarantee you a FALCON from
 the first batch I receive . . . which should be by the end of the week."

 "So you don't actually have any FALCONs right here and now to see and
 buy?" questions a now suspicious Holmes.  "Well, no, not really." states
 Moriarty, now fidgeting noticeably.  "I would have some right now but
 the ah - ah - the UPS truck got in an accident, yeah that's it, the
 truck got rear ended, flipped over, rolled off a cliff crashed into a
 deep ravine, exploded and burned down to the axles.  Anyway, there's a
 big demand for these FALCONs so it may be a while but definitely by the
 end of the week if you pay me now."  Professor Moriarty stares at them
 intently, seeming as though he is at the verge of foaming at the mouth.

 Detective Holmes quickly surmises that the Professor is hiding something
 and is more likely interested in taking his money than in delivering any
 goods. "I'm afraid we are just shopping at this time and are not truly
 ready to make a purchase." says Holmes, carefully choosing his words,
 "We were just hoping to see a FALCON and determine what it can really
 do." "Suit yourself!" bellows Moriarty, his words nearly exploding as he
 speaks, "but if you don't get your prepaid order in today you'll be
 waiting a looong time to get one."  Moriarty turns and stomps back
 towards the counter.  Realizing their quest had led to another dead end,
 the two adventurers make their their way out of the store.

 ACT SIX

 Back at 21 Baker Street, our battered brothers puzzle over what path to
 take next.  "I fear we may have exhausted all our avenues of finding out
 about the FALCON." sighs Dr. Watson, "I just wish we had some sort of
 clue."  I wish we did too." echoes Holmes, "Wait a moment Watson!
 You've just given us our clue." "Whatever do you mean Holmes?  asks the
 bewildered doctor, "I didn't speak of anything which might help us."
 "On the contrary," counters an exhilarated Holmes, "you were making a
 wish.  And who can grant wishes?  A genie!" "Good grief Holmes, have you
 lost all your senses?" cries the exasperated Dr. Watson, "First we go
 looking for a computer which we're not sure is anything more than a
 fairy tale.  Now you want to make a wish to some fictional being which
 lives in a lamp!"  But Detective Holmes doesn't respond to the good
 doctor's words.  He is busy searching the room for something obviously
 important to his plan.  Finally, after uncovering several weeks worth of
 laundry lying in a pile on the floor, he stoops down and picks up a dark
 gray laptop computer, a dirty sock still hanging off the parallel port.
 He knocks loose the sock, places the computer on his desk and opens it
 up.  "How could I have left you sit unwanted for so long." he whispers
 to the computer, "Quickly Watson, remove the modem cable from our now
 disabled Mega and bring it over here." Watson, though still oblivious to
 Holmes' plan, removes the modem cable, snakes it through a tangle of
 power cords hanging off the back of the desk and inserts it into the
 Stacy computer. "I beg of you Holmes, please tell me what on earth you
 are going to do?"  "We are going to do what we should have done in the
 very beginning." replies Holmes as he boots up the computer.  "I suspect
 that the answers to our questions lie within a vast store house of
 knowledge and assistance.  I speak of GEnie, the online service, not of
 some vaporous character in a bottle.

 The dauntless Detective spends much of the night at the keyboard of the
 Stacy, gathering and reading an abundance of messages and news files
 regarding the FALCON.  The good Doctor sleeps soundly curled up on the
 couch, a pile of empty beer cans heaped on the floor.  Finally, as the
 early morning light begins to filter in through the windows, Holmes
 turns off the computer and rubs his weary, bloodshot eyes.  "Watson,
 wake up!  Today is our date with destiny." Dr. Watson sits up grimacing
 and clutching his throbbing head.  "Please don't shout so." pleads the
 unsteady Doctor, "I'm afraid I partook of too many malt beverages last
 night, and my head is . . ."  Holmes cuts him short shoving a bottle of
 aspirin at him.  "We must get underway as soon as possible Watson, we've
 a long drive ahead of us."

 ACT SEVEN

 Detective Holmes struggles to keep his bleary eyes focused on the road
 as he pilots the motorcar borrowed from a neighbor. "Well Watson, I'm
 glad you were able to convince our neighbor of our need to use his
 vehicle.  I find it quite appropriate that we should journey to find the
 FALCON while driving a Falcon." "Quite so Holmes." replies Watson, "Bob
 is quite a talker, he wouldn't give me the keys to this auto until he
 finished telling me about how great a car it is and that it got 23 miles
 to the gallon on a trip through the Ozarks.  By the way, I'm getting a
 bit famished.  After all, you didn't even give us a chance to eat
 breakfast before we left."  "Don't worry old boy." reassures Holmes, "I
 wired a can of chili to the engine's manifold and it should be piping
 hot by the time we stop for gas."  "I say Holmes," counters Watson, "if
 that's the case, then I wager we'll end up with more gas than we
 bargained for."

 Several hours and many miles after they started out, Holmes steers the
 wheezing Ford into the parking lot of the Gemtown Convention Center.
 The sign out front reading 'Atari Party Today'.  "Holmes," announces
 Watson, "I do believe we've reached our ordained objective."  Detective
 Holmes and the Doctor quickly make their way into the convention center
 and begin moving excitedly from booth to booth like hyperactive
 children.  Stopping just long enough to pick up a pamphlet and see what
 was truly new and interesting.  There would be time enough to make a
 second round and look closer at some of the hardware and software.  They
 did take a few extra minutes at the CodeNoggin' booth to get the latest
 version of their WarpedNein software and then another stop at Towed
 Computers for a good deal on a new hard drive to replace their dead one.

 But at the center of all the hubbub was their goal, their 'holy grail'.
 The Atari display and the FALCON!  There were over a dozen machines
 running various programs and demos.  The main display consisting of a
 FALCON hooked to a big screen television and huge speakers.  The audio
 and visual assault was so intense it brought them to their knees with
 tears in their eyes.  The FALCON was even more than they had expected
 and after all the toil and trouble and delays they had endured, it was
 worth it!  Their quest was fulfilled.

 - THE END -

 (c)1993, Nick Berry.
 Permission to reprint entire text unaltered.

 About the author:

 Nick is a machinist living in Vaughn, Washington.  He bought his first
 Atari, an 800XL, in 1985.  Since then he has acquired a 1040ST and a MEGA
 ST4.  He still owns and uses them all.  Nick is past president (3 terms)
 of S*P*A*C*E, the Seattle area Atari computer group.  He can be reached
 on GEnie as 'NBERRY'.




 ######  PERUSING COMPUSERVE
 ######  By Michael Mortilla
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


        "What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies."

                                          Aristotle [384-322 B.C.]


 It's not surprising that there is an Atari area in the MIDI Forum, given
 the MIDI capabilities built into ST line.  Covering Atari activity on
 CIs, it's impossible to ignore the music area (especially as I am a
 musician for a living).  Recently, however, there has been a rash of
 activity in the Atari area of the MIDI Forum.

 It seems there is a renewed interest in the old "game" computer and this
 is a very good sign, indeed!  Not only are folks asking about the Falcon
 030 and beyond, but they are very curious about what's available in
 screen accelerators, music programs, and a whole bunch of topics.
 Perhaps it's all the recent articles in Keyboard, Electronic Musician
 and other music publications, all of which seem very positive.  But
 whatever the cause, it's is refreshing to see Atari activity outside the
 Atari forums on CIs.  That might indicate that more people will end up
 with an Atari and there will be an increase in *our* members in the
 Atari forums.

 Not all the Atari discussions in the MIDI forum revolve around music,
 and you might want to pay a quick visit over there and check out the
 action. Maybe even field a few Atari questions in the process?  AND BE
 SURE TO MENTION THE ATARI FORUMS ON CIS!  This kind of cross activity
 can only serve to enhance all our experiences on CIs.  And if we can
 pick up a few new forum members in the process, all the better.

 As reported in the last issue, the "for sale" items in the Atari area
 are on the upswing, and based on the messages we've read, our members
 are checking out other STuff off-line as well.  One CIs user "dropped
 in" to say he was doing a job some place where, previously, a large
 number of STs were networked.  They went to another platform, and the
 STs were just "sitting around."  Not having used an Atari before, he
 asked what they were and if they had any value.  Now how many of you
 reading this wouldn't mind making *that* discovery?

 When it comes to used equipment, it seems that the most requested
 information is price (not surprising), and this is something that just
 cannot be easily determined.  How bad do you need it?  How bad does the
 seller need the money?  Condition of the unit and demand, as well as
 supply, are all additional factors to be considered.  But the rule of
 the jungle applies.  The buyer wants to get it for as little as possible
 and the seller wants to get as much as he can for it.

 Original pricing of the unit is, at the very least, a starting point,
 and unlike a Steinway grand piano or fine wine, the price of computer
 hardware generally goes down with age.  But beyond that, it's a crap
 shoot, of sorts.  Most of the time the seller will ask for the best
 offer (a practice I personally dislike) or will set what they think is
 the highest fair price they can get.  But people do make mistakes and
 you can end up paying way too much or wind up saving a bundle and
 getting a lot for it.

 I mention this issue of resale because of the increased activity and
 because it would appear that as more of us upgrade to the newer models
 of Atari, we'll be wanting to sell off our old STuff (maybe to some of
 the MIDI users who will be swarming to the Atari Forum?).  It's also
 good to keep track of how your investment is faring in the market place,
 so that when upgrade time comes, you won't be shocked by how much you
 can actually get for your hard/software.

 Having bought several items which I "found" in the Atari area, I might
 also add that it is important for the buyer and seller to agree on who
 pays shipping and how it is accomplished.  Fortunately, I have never
 been burned.  But I have always required that if I am selling something,
 it will be sent UPS C.O.D.  Cash, which means the UPS delivery person
 will only accept cash or a certified check before leaving the package;
 then UPS will send a check to the seller.  This is a very convenient way
 to assure the seller gets their money and the buyer gets the goods.

 Also, don't forget that CIs in an international network.  If you are
 buying something from someone outside your country, make sure it will
 work on your voltage system.  You might not get burnt, but the equipment
 might!

 See you next week!




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


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


 ###  March 30 - April 1, 1993
 Intermedia 93 at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose CA.


 ###  April 2, 1993
 Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie on GEnie.  This online conference begins
 promptly at 10pm EST.


 ###  May 3-5, 1993
 Digital Video New York/MultiMedia Exposition at the New York Sheraton
 in New York City.


 ###  May 4-5, 1993
 The 3rd Annual Networks and Communications Show returns to the Hartford
 Civic Center.  Companies such as Intel, Microsoft, DEC, DCA, IBM, and
 MICOM will be exhibiting.  For more information, contact:  Marc Sherer
 at Daniels Productions, 203-561-3250; fax: [phone].


 ###  May 7, 1993
 Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie on GEnie.  This online conference begins
 promptly at 10pm EST.


 ###  May 11-13, 1993
 SunWorld '93 exposition and conference, held in San Francisco at the
 Moscone Center.  The second annual event is the largest trade show in
 North America dedicated to the Sun, SPARC and Solaris industry.
 SunWorld '93 will feature a full day of in-depth tutorials, which are
 being developed in association with Sun Educational Services, to be
 followed by three days of conference sessions and an exposition.  The
 three-day exposition will feature more than 175 leading vendors in the
 industry including Adobe Systems, AT&T, Computer Associates, Hewlett-
 Packard, Informix Software, Insoft, SAS Institute, Solbourne, SPARC
 International, Sun Microsystems, SunPro, SunSoft and WordPerfect.  For
 more information about attending SunWorld '93 call Lynn Fullerton at
 [phone] or to receive information about exhibiting contact David
 Ferrante at (800) 545-EXPO.


 ###  May 22-23, 1993
 Pacific Northwest Atari show will be held in Vancouver Canada.  The
 Vantari User Group will be sending out developers kits in the very near
 future with more details and pricing.  The show will be held in the
 Metrotown Centre Mall, which is the 2nd largest in Canada with over 400
 stores.  The traffic in the mall is amazing!  In addition the Holiday
 Inn Hotel is attached to the mall as well so travel time is nil.  If you
 have any questions in the meantime leave email (G.Norton) on GEnie.


 ###  May 24-27, 1993
 Spring COMDEX in Atlanta Georgia.


 ###  June 3-6, 1993
 Summer Consumer Electronics Show, (CES), in Chicago, Illinois.


 ###  June 12-13, 1993
 CT Atarifest '93 at the Windsor Court Hotel in Windsor Connecticut.
 This year the Atarifest has relocated to a new hotel with excellent room
 rates ($35.00 per room), free and plentiful parking, easy access from
 Interstate 91, I-95, I-90, I-84, I-80, an in house Sports Bar, a bigger
 ballroom and is located just 1 mile from Bradley International Airport
 (free shuttle service for hotel guests).  Tentative commitments from A&D
 Software, Gribnif Software, Barefoot Software, Toad Computers, Computer
 Studio, Baggetaware, Derric Electronics, E.Hartford Computer Repair,
 MegaType Software, Wizztronics and GFA Software Technology.  For further
 information, call Brian Gockley at 203-332-1721 or Doug Finch at 203-637
 -1034.  E-mail can be directed to B.GOCKLEY or D.FINCH7 on GEnie or to
 75300,2514 or 76337,1067 on CIS.


 ###  June 22-23, 1993
 Lap & Palmtop Mobile Computing Expo at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim,
 California.  Exhibitors will show the latest in mobile computing,
 software, pen, peripherals and communications from the industry's
 leading manufacturers.  In conjunction with the exhibits is the Mobile
 Systems Solutions Conference series.  Featuring over 80 leading industry
 experts speakers, the conference provides vital information needed to
 build or improve your world of mobile computing.


 ### June 26-27, 1993
 The Kansas City AtariFest '93.  The location for the show is Stadium
 Inn, 7901 E 40 Hwy.  Ticket prices at the door will be 5.00 dollars each
 day.  Advance tickets will be 4.00 dollars each, for advance tickets,
 please send 4.00 dollars per ticket to: Kansas City AtariFest, P.O. Box
 1653, Lee Summit, MO 64063 or if you belong to a user group please mail
 a request for a user group information pack.  To make room reservations
 please call 1-800-325-7901, we are also working with a local travel
 agent to get special airfares for the show.  You may call 1-800-874-7691
 to take advantage of the special fares.  For more information please
 leave Email as follows; GEnie, B.welsch, J.krzysztow, for CompuServe,
 Leave for Jeff Krzysztow at 74027,707, or you can call [phone], or
 mail to the address listed above.


 ### 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.


 ###  October 7-8, 1993
 Lap & Palmtop Mobile Computing Expo at the Chicago Mart/Expo Center in
 Chicago, Illinois.  Exhibitors will show the latest in mobile computing,
 software, pen, peripherals and communications from the industry's
 leading manufacturers.  In conjunction with the exhibits is the Mobile
 Systems Solutions Conference series.  Featuring over 80 leading industry
 experts speakers, the conference provides vital information needed to
 build or improve your world of mobile computing.


 ### October 27-29, 1993
 CD-ROM Exposition at the World Trade Center, Boston MA.


 ### October 27-29, 1993
 EDA&T Asia '93.  The Electronic Design and Test Conference Exhibition
 at the Taipei International Convention Center in Taiwan.  Exhibit space
 is still available.  For more information contact: Betsy Donahue,
 Chicago, fax: [phone].


 ###  November 7-10, 1993
 GeoCon/93, an international conference and showcase for software
 products developed outside the U.S. at the Royal Sonesta Hotel,
 Cambridge, Mass.  The conference program will include three days of
 workshops on topics of interest to overseas developers entering the
 U.S. market.  Workshop presenters will discuss such issues as how to
 negotiate distribution and licensing contracts, setting up a business in
 the U.S., manufacturing and fulfillment, technical support, packaging,
 research sources, and how to market through direct, retail, and catalog
 channels.  For additional information, contact Tom Stitt, associate
 publisher, Soft letter, 17 Main St., Watertown, Mass. 02272-9154;
 telephone [phone]; fax [phone], or Colleen O'Shea, director,
 Soft letter Europe, 2 um Bierg, 7641 Chirstnach, Luxembourg, telephone
 35.2.87119; fax [phone].


 ### November 15-19, 1993
 COMDEX Fall '93. Las Vegas Nevada.


 If you have an event you would like to include on the Z*Net Calender,
 please send email via GEnie to Z-NET, CompuServe 75300,1642, or via
 FNET to node 593 or AtariNet node 51:1/13.0.  Show listings are also
 published in AtariUser Magazine.




 ######  OUTLINE ART 3.0
 ######  Press Release
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 PRESS RELEASE   February 25, 1993

 DMC Publishing
 2800 John Street, Unit 10
 Markham, Ontario
 Canada L3R 0E2   Tel: [phone]   Fax: [phone]
 GEnie:      ISD
 Compuserve: 76004,2246
 Delphi:     ISDMARKETING
 Contact:    Nathan Potechin


 DMC Publishing is proud to announce the release of Outline Art 3.0.
 This long-awaited upgrade to the original Outline Art standard includes
 all the features that made the original famous, plus color, eps/ps
 export, macro keys, user-definable UNDO, context-sensitive help which
 explains each and every feature and more.  Two variations of this
 program are currently available, in two megabyte or four megabyte
 configurations depending upon your existing hardware.  When placing your
 upgrade or order, please indicate your specific Atari computer.

 To all of our existing registered owners of Outline Art, the
 introductory upgrade charge until May 30, 1993, is US $49.95 or $59.95
 Canadian.

 The introductory retail price of Outline Art 3.0 is US $149.95 or
 $175.00 Canadian.

 Effective immediately, the new price for the industry-standard Outline
 Art 1.0 is US $89.95 or $109.95 Canadian.

 The July/August 1992 issue of Atari Explorer carried the winners of the
 second annual Outline Art contest.  The contest attracted entries from
 professional and amateur Outline Art users, worldwide and is indicative
 of the position long held by this vector graphic drawing program from
 DMC.  (Note: All winning entries are available for downloading from our
 library #30 in the Atari Roundtable Library on GEnie.)

 The 4 Megabyte DEMO version of Outline Art 3.0 is now available for
 downloading.  Although Save and export functions have been disabled, and
 the context sensitive help has been left out, the program is entirely
 functional and will give you a complete preview of the capabilities that
 have made DMC's Outline Art famous.

 For further information, please do not hesitate to contact your nearest
 Atari Dealer or DMC directly.  We will be pleased to answer any
 questions you might have.

 Nathan Potechin
 President
 DMC Publishing




 ######  ADVENTIONS
 ######  Press Release
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 *** THE BIG NEWS THIS TIME:

 ADVENTIONS announces the release of their new games, "Unnkulia One-Half:
 The Salesman Triumphant," and "Unnkulia Zero: The Search for Amanda".
 To find out more about them, read on.  Or, if you're *really* impatient,
 forget the rest of this note and grab the exciting new wares pronto from
 ftp.gmd.de:

 PC (MS-DOS) version:

  ftp.gmd.de: if-archive/games/adventions/unnkhz10.zip

 Others:

  ftp.gmd.de: if-archive/games/adventions/unnkhz10.tar.Z

 Note that for the "others" you will need the TADS 2 run-time for your
 machine.  (Look for these on the same site in if-archive/programming/
 tads.)

 The .tar.Z file must be extracted with the tar and compress programs,
 which run on most Unix machines:

  uncompress unnkhz10.tar.Z
  tar xvf unnkhz10.tar

 The resulting .gam files will run on any machine that runs TADS 2.  (Be
 sure to transfer files in binary mode!)

 Mac users will have to set the file owner and type of the .GAM files to
 TADR and TADG to get the TADS run-time to recognize them.  This is
 temporary; we will post special Mac versions to ftp.gmd.de within in a
 few days.

 Unix ports of TADS 2 are in the works and should be ready very soon.
 (Specifically, we have it running on a Sparc, but it still needs a bit
 of tuning.  Ports to other Unix boxes should be straightforward, and can
 hence be expected soon.)

 An Amiga port is also in the queue.


 The Unnkulian Unventure Series
 Interactive Fiction for the 90's

 Remember the good old days, when adventure games challenged you with
 great puzzles and evocative descriptions without resorting to any
 graphics at all?  We really miss that emphasis on game play rather than
 glitz, so we've decided to write our own adventure games along the lines
 of the early text games we liked so much.

 If you're looking for top-quality interactive fiction comparable to
 1980's commercial offerings, check out the Unnkulian Unventure series,
 available from an archive site near you!

 In _Unnkulian Underworld: The Unknown Unventure_ you play the part of
 Kuulest's slave, and must recover the Orb of Studosity from the evil
 Unnkulians.  Kuulest, the old geezebag, has died and left you with
 nothing to go on but a cryptic message about saving the planet.  You'll
 encounter amazing Acme products, the infamous Guardian, those witty
 creatures known as Drolls, a giant beaver, and even the Dread Unnkulian
 Warrior.  <Gasp!>

 In _Unnkulian Unventure II: The Secret of Acme_ your adventure continues
 as you try to create some good press for yourself -- wouldn't want to
 fade into anonymous obscurity, now would you?  Along the way, you'll
 find the answers to these compelling questions, and more:

        o What happened to the Unnkulians?
        o Why are Acme products so bad?
        o What is this cheez stuff, really?

 Plus, you'll get to explore Dawg Rock, a Duhdist Retreat, Acme's
 clandestine prototypes laboratory, and even pay a visit to Acme HQ.

 In _Unnkulia One-Half: The Salesman Triumphant_, you'll play the role of
 a down-and-out Acme salesman, forced to work out of the Golden Dragon
 Inn, dangerously near Dread Unnkulia.  Will you accumulate enough loot
 in this frightful backwater berg to turn your fortunes in your favor?

 And, in _Unnkulia Zero: The Search for Amanda_, will you, the Valley
 King's most trusted warrior, rescue his Lady Amanda from the gruesome
 clutches of the evil Unnkulians?

 Along the way to victory (or, <shudder>, defeat!), you will:

        o Find out about the ancient days of the Valley,
        o Meet the King's faithful (but not so bright) Valley Patrol,
        o Explore *beautiful* Lake Draounheer,
        o Discover the ancient burial ground of your ancestors,
        o Become frustrated with the pesky Stoll and his Stoll Bridge,
        and, of course,
        o Meet that wondrously wacky Wowsa Willy!

 The Unnkulian Unventures have already gotten rave reviews from numerous
 adventure game connoisseurs around the world, so why not give them a
 try?

 The games are available for FTP from ftp.gmd.de:

 PC and compatibles:
 ------------------
     if-archive/games/adventions/pc/unnk1v30.zip
     if-archive/games/adventions/pc/unnk2v30.zip
     if-archive/games/adventions/pc/unnkhz10.zip

 Mac:
 ---
     if-archive/games/adventions/mac/unnk1v30.sit.hqx
     if-archive/games/adventions/mac/unnk2v30.sit.hqx
     [Special Mac versions of One-Half and Zero coming soon!]

 Atari ST/TT/Falcon:
 ------------------
     if-archive/games/adventions/others/uu1v20.tar.Z
     if-archive/games/adventions/others/uu2v30.tar.Z
     if-archive/games/adventions/others/unnkhz10.tar.Z

 Amiga and Unix:
 --------------
 Don't worry, we fully intend to support these machines!  Unix versions
 should be available very soon.  Amiga versions are in the works.

 Unnkulian Unventures I and II are shareware ($10 registration fee each);
 registering gets you spiffy maps and agony-sparing hint sheets.

 Unnkulia One-Half is free -- don't pay us for it!  Consider it our gift
 to you -- guilt-free!

 Unnkulia Zero is US$25 and is available via mail order from ADVENTIONS
 or via phone (credit card order) through High Energy Software.  Unnkulia
 One-Half comes with a playable demo of Unnkulia Zero, which includes
 information on how to order the complete version.

 Happy adventioning!

 Dave Baggett
 ADVENTIONS

 Internet:   [e-mail]
 Compuserve: 76440,2671
 GEnie:      ADVENTIONS
 DELPHI:     internet%"[e-mail]"


 A Word About TADS
 -----------------
 We at ADVENTIONS use a programming language called TADS to write our
 games.  TADS is a product of High Energy Software, and you can get it
 via FTP.

 TADS (and TADS goodies) are available for the PC, Mac, and Atari ST,
 from ftp.gmd.de.  Look in the if-archive/programming/tads directory.

 TADS is also shareware, and we strongly encourage you to register it if
 you use it, since we feel it is a powerful, innovative, and very
 inexpensive development system that deserves to be paid for.




 ######  TWO WORLDS PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES MAGAZINE
 ######  Press Release
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 Public Announcement
 by Two Worlds Publishing
 on March 9, 1993


 Two Worlds Publishing is currently developing the first domestic Falcon
 magazine, titled Processor Direct.  The magazine will be dedicated to
 giving the latest news and reviews of software and hardware add-ons that
 will be available for the Atari Falcon030.  The first issue will be
 published in July, 1993.  Expected prices are as follows:

     o $3.00, newsstand
     o $7.50, 3 issue trial subscription (will be limited offer)
     o $12.00, 6 issue subscription
     o $20.00, 12 issue subscription

 The magazine will include sections on:

     o Editorial                      o Reader Mail
     o News/Events                    o Hints/Tips
     o Future Products                o Product Reviews
     o Columns                        o Help Desk
     o Online Computing               o Closing Comments

 The contents of Processor Direct will also be relevant to ST/STe/TT
 users, not only Falcon030 users.  Due to the Falcon030's high
 compatibility with the ST and the existing base of ST/STe/TT users, it
 is very likely that software will still be written to run on these older
 machines.  We plan to include as many software reviews and news items as
 the magazine allows.

 Are you interested in contributing articles to Processor Direct?  We are
 looking for interested reviewers and column writers for all subjects.
 Contributors will be compensated for published articles.  Are you
 interested in advertising in Processor Direct?  Quarter, half, and full
 page space is available at low prices.  Do you operate a store and are
 interested in stocking Processor Direct?  Contact via one of the methods
 listed below for more information on all of these.

 Mailing:                  GEmail:
 Processor Direct          S.DOUGHERTY1
 c/o Sean Dougherty
 4722 Windflower Circle
 Tampa, FL  33624

 **********   Do not send money at this time. If you would like to
 * NOTICE *   subscribe, send us a letter and your mailing address as
 **********   soon as possible by one of the above methods.  Information
 for subscribing to Processor Direct will be sent to you as soon as
 publishing details can be finalized.

 Contents are Copyright 1993, Sean Dougherty, Timothy Miller, Robert
 Fernandez, and David Prichard.  Reprints of this public announcement are
 allowed only if reproduced in its entire unmodified form.  Above prices
 and rates are subject to change.  The Two Worlds Publishing name is
 Copyright 1993, Sean Dougherty.  The label Processor Direct is Copyright
 1993, Sean Dougherty, Timothy Miller, Robert Fernandez, and David
 Prichard.  The names Atari, Falcon030, ST, STe, and TT are the property
 of Atari Corporation.  Neither Two Worlds Publishing (TWP) nor the
 publishing staff of TWP is in any way affiliated with Atari Corporation.





 ######  OPINION - WHY DOES THIS MAN HAVE A COMPUTER SYSTEM
 ######  Guest editorial by Dr. Paul Keith
 ######  ---------------------------------------------------------------


 It's been sometime now since the first signs of trouble with ABCO
 Computer Consultants surfaced.  You might recall that a number of users
 appeared on GEnie, claiming that Ralph Mariano of ABCO Computer
 Consultants had taken money from them, but had failed to deliver the
 promised goods.  Some of you might know Ralph Mariano better as the
 publisher of the on-line magazine ST Report.

 In some instances, the customers had been sold hard disk drive systems,
 others modems, and one poor fellow had actually been sold TWO TT030
 systems.  It turned out that the systems Mariano was selling were USED,
 not new like the customer expected. And it also turned out that ABCO
 Computer Consultants was not an authorized Atari dealer, so there would
 be no factory warranty with the TT030s sold by ABCO.

 Among the people that had been mistreated by ABCO, was a fellow named
 Don Harris, who actually lived in Jacksonville, Florida.  Since Don was
 local to Ralph Mariano, he filed a lawsuit against Ralph Mariano and
 ABCO Computer Consultants.  Don "told all" in a text file that he
 uploaded to GEnie, entitled "Customer Support - The Continuing Saga of
 Caveat Emptor".  Quickly, a topic opened up in the Category 18 of the
 GEnie RT to debate the situation about Mariano and his ABCO business
 problems.

 At first, there was no commentary from Ralph Mariano himself.
 Predictably, then came his followers who tried to separate the Ralph
 Mariano of ABCO from Ralph Mariano of ST Report.  In fact, as many
 on-line persons noted, ABCO's ads primarily appear in ST Report.  In a
 conference on DELPHI a few years ago, Mariano himself stated that ST
 Report's existence was funded by ABCO!  To say that there is no
 connection between the publisher and the chief advertiser is absurd!
 They are in fact the same person, and use ST Report as the primary
 advertising vehicle for ABCO Computer Consultants.

 So, now that Mariano has had some time to rectify things, just how are
 they proceeding?  Sadly, it's apparent that as long as the wheel isn't
 squeaking, there isn't any need for any grease.  Don Harris was
 fortunate, a dealer who read of his plight sent him a TT030 at no
 charge.  While Don had a benefactor that provided him HALF of the
 product that Ralph owed him, Don acknowledged that Ralph had promised a
 payment plan to refund his money.  But what about the others?

 In an article in ST Applications, a well respected UK Atari Journal
 published by The ST Club, the chant was "Don't Trust This Man!" in an
 article entitled the same in the March '93 edition.  It would appear
 that Mariano's misdeeds are not limited just to America, but rather
 include Scotland, Britain, and even Luxembourg.

 Serge Weber of Luxembourg described in the International Communications
 conference in Turbonet and the FNET how his user group had purchased
 hard disk systems worth more than $3000 from Mariano, only to receive a
 _used_ hard disk drive and a defective syquest mechanism without
 cartridges.  He also complained that when they made the purchase, they
 were assured that they would get fully assembled systems.  Instead, the
 few systems that were actually delivered had a European power supply
 simply thrown in the box, not installed and ready to go.

 One of the members of Serge's user group visited Ralph's home while on
 vacation in the US, and attempted to get satisfaction.  Instead, he was
 given a tour of ABCO Computer Consultants, which he described as "...a
 trash house, with nothing but a TT system, a fax machine, and a modem.
 ABCO had _nothing_ in stock.  It looks as though Ralph takes the money,
 and then buys the products and re-sells them." He returned to his
 homeland empty handed, convinced that they would probably never see
 their money, nor their product.

 Complaints to Mariano via the ST Report Conferences in the FNET and
 Turbonet only resulted in Mariano dropping the complaining nodes from
 his conferences, and ultimately cutting the link between the UK and
 North America.  Undeterred, sysops in New York and Canada began picking
 up the slack to call the UK to re-connect the networks, and added
 additional conferences that began telling the tales of Mariano's
 business practices.

 During the outcry on GEnie, Mariano dropped his advertisements for ABCO
 in ST Report.  GEnie's Atari ST Roundtable revoked Mariano's free
 account, closed his library, deleted his message bases, and refused to
 accept future editions of ST Report.  A brief exodus by Mariano to the
 GEnie Lamp Roundtable followed, but was short lived.  There is no place
 on GEnie where ST Report is presently being accepted.  Mariano's
 longtime friend Ron Luks, head sysop of the Atari Forums on CompuServe
 seemed nonplused by the entire events, and renewed his support for
 Mariano and his magazine. ST Report editor emeritus Lloyd Pulley
 commented on CIS that apparently "...they (the ST Report publication and
 staff) were not politically correct enough for GEnie."  Luks replied
 "...that's one of the things about you that I like the best!"  And now,
 after his exile from GEnie, the ads for ABCO Computer Consultants are
 again appearing in ST Report!

 Despite a statement from Atari's legal department that "...ABCO Computer
 Consultants is not an authorized Atari dealer"  Mariano advertises in ST
 Report that he sells Atari products.  Perhaps in a technical sense, this
 is correct.  He does sell products that can be used with Atari
 Computers.  But the phrase "Atari products " also conjures up images of
 an authorized Atari dealer, which ABCO is not.

 But why is ST Report being distributed anywhere with these
 advertisements?  Why hasn't Mariano satisfied the claims of his current
 customers that are still awaiting their products?  What guarantee do we
 have that he isn't going to look for new sheep to shear?  We have no
 such guarantee.  All that Mariano ever stated regarding his problems
 with ABCO is that "...ABCO will satisfy their customers."  But as to
 when they will satisfy them, and via what means, we're left to our
 imaginations.  No time frame for compensation, no shipment schedule.
 Lee Seilor of Lexicor Software reported that ABCO sent him a package
 purported to contain the Syquest cartridges that he purchased.  In fact,
 the box was empty!  Another unfortunate error by Mariano, or a new low?
 Remember the story of the burning UPS truck Ralph told one of his
 customers?  The customer became suspicious, contacted UPS, and found
 that there had been no such incident.  Once again, Mariano had acted
 dishonestly.

 There has been enough time for Mariano to begin taking care of his
 customers.  He owes the userbase explanations for how he has used ST
 Report to get customers for ABCO.  He owes explanations about how he
 plans to make remunerations to customers around the world.  And in the
 meantime, it's my opinion that ALL the networks should refuse to carry
 ST Report until ABCO has in fact satisfied all their customers.   I
 cannot see any sysop of good conscience allowing the magazine to be
 distributed via their system with the continuance of the ABCO
 advertisements.  It's clear that he hasn't acted in good faith with his
 customers.

 The time for Mariano to make right is NOW.  If he no longer has neither
 the means to acquire the products that he sold, then he should begin
 filling the orders from his personal equipment!!

 Ralph's BBS, The Bounty BBS operates with a US Robotics Dual Standard
 Courier HST modem, in fact Ralph has boasted publicly that he has two of
 them.  They should be shipped out to the customers that Ralph owes
 modems to.  Ralph owes Don Harris a TT030,  yet Ralph owns one.  He
 should give it to Don Harris!  According to Ralph, The Bounty BBS has
 over 500 megabytes of hard disk storage.  Those drives should be taken
 down, and shipped to the users in Luxembourg that haven't gotten their
 products.

 Simply put, Mariano has made the rest of the world wait long enough.  He
 should fill the orders with whatever he has on hand, and make up the
 difference for the used equipment later.  If that means that The Bounty
 BBS goes down until he can afford new modems, so be it.  If it means
 that Ralph himself no longer has a computer for his personal use, so be
 it.  If that means that Ralph has to pass the baton for ST Report to one
 of his staff members, so be it.  The time for patience is through.  The
 time for excuses is over.  No more burning UPS trucks, Ralph.  Ship the
 customers what they paid for.  Do it today!!!


                               # # # # # #

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        =========================================================
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                           --------------------
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 ========================================================================
 Reprints from the GEnie  ST  Roundtable   are  Copyright (c)1993,  Atari
 Corporation and the GEnie ST RT.  Reprints  from CompuServe's AtariArts,
 AtariPro,  AtariVen,  or Aportfolio Forums  are  Copyright (c)1993, CIS.
 ========================================================================
 Reprints from AtariUser  Magazine  are  Copyright(c)1993, AtariUser.  NO
 AU  article  MAY  BE  REPRINTED  without  the  written permission of the
 publisher.  You can subscribe and read ALL of the  informative  articles
 each and every month by contacting AU at [phone].  For $15.00 you
 will receive 12 issues.   Send your  payment to AtariUser Magazine,  249
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 ========================================================================
 Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation.   Atari Falcon030,
 TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk and BLiTTER, are trademarks of Atari Corporation.
 All  other  trademarks  mentioned in this publication  belong  to  their
 respective owners.
 ========================================================================
                 **--** Z*NET OFFICIAL INFORMATION **--**
        =========================================================
 Z*Net Atari Online Magazine is a weekly online publication covering the
 Atari and related computer community.  Material published in this issue
 may be reprinted under the following terms only: articles  must  remain
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 article reprinted.  Reprint  permission  is  granted, unless  otherwise
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                       Z*Net Atari Online Magazine
           Copyright (C)1993, Syndicate Publishing - Ron Kovacs
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