*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original Online ST Magazine" ------------------------------- February 03, 1989 Volume III No.73 ========================================================================== ST Report Online Magazine ½ ------------------------------ Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236 ~ 6672 R.F. Mariano Publisher - Editor _________________________________________ Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST BBS: 904-786-4176 ~ 12-24-96 HST _________________________________________ ** F-NET/FIDOMAIL NODE 350 ** Our support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport¿ and An International list of private BBS systems carrying STReport¿ for their users enjoyment -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights ---------- ~ From the Editor's Desk ~ CPU Report ~ ShareWhat?? - ShareWare!! ~ NEC P2200 ~ Kosmic Krieg ~ How's Yer Dongle?? ~ Calamus ~ HST ROM Update ~ ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL ~ Falcon & Piracy ~ The Indelible MARK! ~ TurboST Offer **** PHREAKERS-HACKERS-PIRATES EXPOSED! **** ======================================================================== AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE ======================================================================== From the Editor's Desk: ----------------------- Thump, thump, thump,...we hear the fist hit the table, well, "almost", it's about time the obviously mundane nonsense about seeking the utopian solution to the Discovery - Spectre relationship must come to an end. We, at STR, have resolved ourselves to the fact that the two companies, Happy Computers and GBS will go their own ways. The whoopla being raised will do nothing but fan the flames of downhill controversy. A simple observation shows that this situation is best served by letting it go to sleep. In our opinion, anybody who would deliberately rekindle this old issue of just "what the Discovery Cart can or cannot do" or, "Who said what about whom" is looking to just plain "make trouble". Let's follow the lead of the respondents in this matter and "let it die". Ultimately, the overall sales of the products will "tell the tale of the tape". So please, let's finally put this thing to bed. In response to the questions concerning CPU Report. We have no intention of carrying 8 bit Atari information in a magazine dedicated to 16 bit computers, we considered it but decided we would let others pursue that direction. CPU Report is designed to give you the opportunity to know what is going on in the computer world in general, hopefully, this will allow the reader to compare the "so-called" giants against our great ST machine. I don't know where to begin to thank you for all the support mail we have been receiving. I will try though, on behalf of Myself, Michael Arthur, Bill Baugh, Richard Bennett, Neil Bradley, Myles Goddard, Tom Rinaldi and all the other folks who have contributed to the continued success of the "NEW" STReport. We extend to all our readers a heartfelt thank you! Ralph...... "1989 - ATARI'S QUEST" ************************************************************************** NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE NEW USERS SIGN UP TODAY! Call any of the St Report Official BBS numbers or Leave E-mail to St Report - R.Mariano Be sure to include your full mailing address so your Compuserve kit can be immediately mailed to you! NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE ************************************************************************** CPU REPORT ½ ============ Issue #7 By Michael Arthur Remember When.... Five years ago on January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple Macintosh, heralding the future of personal computing. CPU INSIGHTS¿ ============= CPU Report Special Edition: CPU Systems Roundup I -------------------------------------------------- CPU Report is dedicated to providing concise and accurate information about current happenings in the computer industry. This usually manifests itself in CPU INSIGHTS, where recent innovations now on the market are analyzed and discussed to see what impact it will have on the computing world. But in the quest to succinctly cover each facet of a current development, some information (usually technical) on a certain topic must necessarily be omitted. Since this technical information is often needed for a full understanding of a topic, it is vital that such material be available. But given CPU INSIGHTS' size and format, sometimes it is not possible to fully provide it within an article. Thus I have created a new section to CPU Report, called CPU Systems Roundup. It will not only provide a more comprehensive and detailed analysis of current technologies (mainly in a technical viewpoint) that provides the type of data that otherwise could not be contained in CPU INSIGHTS, but will also have in-depth studies of new innovations, such as the Atari 68030 TT, when they are introduced. But since CPU Report is currently made up of two sections, CPU INSIGHTS and CPU STATUS REPORT, CPU Systems Roundup will at first only appear from time to time, as a feature of CPU INSIGHTS. This will enable CPU Report to further elaborate on the technologies discussed in CPU INSIGHTS with CPU Systems Roundup, while having the option of making CPU Systems Roundup a new section of CPU Report in the future. In this series, CPU Systems Roundup will attempt the subject of multitasking in the microcomputer world. In future issues, CPU Systems Roundup might include studies on such things as the operating systems of the Macintosh and Amiga, Readysoft's Max Emulator (which lets the Amiga emulate a Macintosh), and maybe even Unix.... An Ode to the Nuts and Bolts of Multitasking -------------------------------------------- Part I There seems to be much confusion in the microcomputer industry over the various facets of and techniques used in multitasking. While phrases such as MMU's, virtual memory, and priority schemes help to describe its services, they also tend to confuse the issue. Therefore, there is a need to fully understand this very complex issue. Multitasking, as you may know, is a way of making more than one application share system resources in such a way that they appear to run at the same time. This involves two things: Resource Management, and (to a lesser extent) Interprocess Communication. Resource Management Resource management is the method by which the system distributes the computer's CPU time, system I/O, and memory between tasks. The most important of these functions (at least to a multitasker) is CPU time. Distributing the CPU's time between each process is done by first dividing the CPU's time into segments called time slices, and then distributing enough time slices each second (using a processor scheduler) to each process (or task) that is running on the system so as to give each task a certain amount of time to use the CPU. The scheduler must give out time slices in such a way that: 1) All processes are able to use the CPU for a certain amount of time. 2) Heavily CPU-intensive tasks get as many time slices as possible. 3) CPU time is used as efficiently as possible. 4) All tasks are completed as quickly as possible. 5) The program in the foreground (that is, the program that the user is currently interacting with) functions as quickly as possible, so as to increase the system's responsiveness to the user. These goals are often contradictions within themselves, as the only way to make programs run faster in the foreground is to steal time slices that would be used by programs running in the background, and if programs in the background are CPU-intensive (or if there are many programs being run at the same time) the scheduler must dole out a reasonable amount of time slices to each program. But as this process necessarily limits the speed with which all tasks are completed, the system runs into many difficulties in the attempt to be more efficient. Obviously, the life of a multitasking operating system is not easy.... Fortunately, System I/O can often be done while the CPU is doing other things, meaning that processes must relinquish the CPU while performing I/O operations. The scheduler then has more time slices to give to other programs, and this speeds up system operation. One catch, though: As System I/O is comparatively slow in the first place, perceived system performance (especially for foreground programs that are doing I/O operations) drops markedly, as System I/O must also be multitasked. This, predictably, tends not to be efficient. In such cases, a large (32K-128K) I/O Cache (like a Print Spooler or Disk Cache) can become necessary. The system's job of allocating all available memory to the various running tasks, while not as apparent to the end user as managing CPU time or System I/O, is just as essential. All operating systems must fairly and efficiently distribute memory to any program(s) running on that computer. But while singletasking operating systems just allocate all RAM to the application currently running, multitaskers not only have to make all memory available to the tasks currently running, but to conserve as much memory as possible for programs that will be run later. In order to do this, after the operating system has allocated enough memory for a process to run in, it designates the rest of the computer's RAM as a big pool of Shared Memory. This special segment of RAM is where the system gets memory to allocate for new tasks, and to allow current tasks to use as much memory as they need, PROVIDED that the system gives the tasks permission. Since the system controls what memory is allocated to all processes, Shared Memory makes memory management a lot easier for multitaskers. When the system has allocated all the RAM in the computer, for example, it simply deallocates all memory that is not currently being used by running tasks to replenish its supply of Shared memory. It is relatively simple to implement shared memory in multitasking systems built from the ground up, as processes in such systems have to ask the system for memory before they can use it. In add-on multitaskers, however, the system tells the task that the segment of memory that it allocated to it is all the memory that is available, and as the task needs more memory, the system allocates more to it if possible. Likewise, if a task does not need a certain section of RAM allocated to it, the system deallocates that section of RAM, adding it to its supply of Shared Memory. Since the system can only deallocate so much memory from tasks, however, a multitasking OS must find other ways to conserve memory. One excellent way is to have built-in code libraries. These are functions that an application generally performs (such as floating point operations, screen handling, etc.) that the system makes available to programmers for their use, which have MANY benefits. Some are that the resulting program is much smaller than it would normally have been (which conserves memory), the operating system can manage tasks much more quickly and efficiently (since these Libraries are part of the OS itself), resulting in quicker execution of those tasks, and compatibility is ensured, so that hardware products (such as math co-processors) can work with all programs, and so improvements made to the operating system directly benefit the system's applications. InterProcess Communications Resource Management is a vital component of multitasking operating systems, doing the integral functions required of them. But even though a multitasking system can be designed using just it, the potential uses of multitaskers are squandered if it doesn't provide some way for all running tasks to communicate and exchange information with each other. This capability (called InterProcess Communications, or IPC) is of great advantage to any serious multitasker. Just about any aspect of computing, from sending data from a database to a spreadsheet, to E-Mail services on a Local Area Network can be made more efficient when applications can work together. And since those applications are all running at the same time, things that aren't possible on normal systems (such as a spreadsheet constantly being updated with financial data from a database) become easy for multitasking systems. While the possible implementations of Interprocess Communications are incalculable, here are some of the ones that are most commonly used in multitasking operating systems: Semaphores: When a word processor is printing a document in a multitasking system, you usually want it to finish before another program starts printing something else. In order for a scheduler to efficiently handle when two tasks compete for a certain system resource, it assigns a semaphore to the resource. A semaphore is a variable (such as a yes/no flag, or integer) that can be read or manipulated by any task, so it can gain sole use of that resource. When a task tries to access a resource with a semaphore, the scheduler first makes sure that no other task is currently using the resource. If the semaphore is not set to indicate that the resource is being used, then the task is given access to the resource. The system then lets the task set the semaphore to show that a task is currently using the resource. After the task is finished, it then restores the semaphore's setting to normal, so other tasks can use the resource that it regulates. Pipes: One of the more touted uses for multitaskers has been to download a file using a terminal program in the background, while typing text in a word processor. If a person using this setup wanted to send all the messages on a BBS to the word processor, so as to read and answer them at his/her own convenience, a multitasking system would need a way for the term program to send the messages to the word processor. Pipes provide a one-way method for a task to send data a character at a time to another task. They are commonly used to take the output of one task and send it to another task as input. Queues: Queues are simply a larger type of pipe. While pipes only send data a character at a time from one task to another, queues allow whole segments of data (such as a picture or E-Mail message) to be sent from one task to another. As in pipes, this method is purely one way.... Named Pipes: Named pipes can be considered a step above ordinary pipes or queues. Like queues, they allow tasks to send blocks of data to to each other, but unlike ordinary pipes, they allow data to be sent in both directions. You could also do this with a pair of ordinary pipes, but Named Pipes are more efficient. Named pipes are especially useful in a LAN or multiuser system, as each computer in such networks needs to communicate with the others in this fashion. Signals: Signals, or software interrupts, tell tasks to immediately handle an asynchronous event, regardless of whatever it is doing at the time. Shared memory can also be used for Interprocess Communications, by letting two programs use a segment of memory to exchange data. This has the advantages of speed (as this would essentially be a direct data transfer) and the ability for both programs to directly manipulate the contents of this type of shared memory. In Part I of this series, We covered the inner workings of most multitasking operating systems, describing what a multitasking scheduler must go through, while showing how Interprocess Communications help make applications (and indirectly, multitasking) more efficient. In Part II, We will explore the different implementations of multitasking, while showing some of the other utilities, such as virtual memory, that are used with multitasking to bring it more flexibility and power, and examining some of the problems associated with multitasking systems. But ponder, if you will, this question: 1) When are singletasking operating systems more useful than multitasking operating systems? ---=====***=====--- CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿ ======================= Mountain View, CA NASA's Ames Research Center recently became one of the ----------------- first purchasers of the new Cray Y/MP. It uses eight parallel processors to execute more than 1 billion instructions per second in sustained operation, and has achieved a peak speed of 2.37 billion per second, or 2370 MIPS. Cost: Around 15-20 million, but.... The Cray-2, which WAS the fastest supercomputer, can execute over 250 million instructions per second in sustained operation. Detroit, MI Super Soft is currently developing a new monitor for ----------- the ST that has a 1024*1024 resolution, 4096 colors at the same time, and stereo ST sound. It will first be used in conjunction with their port of Berkeley Unix 4.2/4.3 for the ST, but specially written ST programs will also be able to use it. Current plans are to start shipping it in the Third Quarter of 1989. Cost: 1995.95. Redmond, WA Microsoft has released QuickBasic for the Macintosh, ----------- which is one of the first major versions of Basic for that computer. But as HyperCard already provides many of the benefits of Basic for the Mac.... Cupertino, CA Apple has introduced a new version of the Macintosh, ------------- called the Mac SE/30. It uses a 16 MHZ 68030 chip with with Motorola's 68882 math coprocessor, to achieve up to four times the performance of a normal Mac SE, along with floating point calculations up to 100 times faster than before. Errata: In Issue 5 of CPU Report I said that the Cray X/MP was capable of ====== 680 million instructions per second. The peak speed of the Cray X/MP is 170 MIPS, and the top speed of a X/MP-48 (the fastest version of the X/MP) is only 420 million instructions per second. Kinda slow, don't you think? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Features¿ ------------ SHAREWHAT? - SHAREWARE! ======================= by R.F.Mariano George Woodside, Gordon Moore, Charles Johnson, Lloyd Pulley, Tom Hudson and the list is almost without end (ad infinitum). To name just a few of the "good guys" in the ST programming arena who have utilized the shareware concept and produced outstanding software intended for use with the ST is just one of the "small" ways to pay a little homage to the most courageous of all the programmers ..those who ask for a "small" stipend to offset their expenses are slowly going the way of the DoDo Bird. Why? well that's easy...the users who are enjoying the fruits of these guys labors have not responded with the offerings. Contrary to popular belief, programmers do not survive on "small" bytes or a little bits and morsels. They too must use funds to provide for themselves those needs we all find so necessary. So, fellow users, let's "get with the program" and "hit the hip", shell out a few bucks and participate in the shareware concept. Many times I reflect how thankful I am for Turtle, SuperBoot, Mystic, DCFormat, Picswitch, Desk Manager, etc...here are absolutely superb programs brought to us via the shareware channel and yet these programs which just about everyone uses at one time or another have generated "small" amounts of dollars compared to their popularity. Maybe the users would rather have the dongles, dingles, dollups, bad sectors and all the other nonsense coupled with commercial programs like; "well you will need the special drivers for an additional fee" and you will need this and that and ...oh yes, the ever present ninety day upgrades "send in your fifteen bucks and we will send you the new upgrade....we corrected a few obscure bugs"!!! The real facts are simple, if a programmer does go commercial, he IS most certainly deserving of our full support if, in fact, that support is reciprocal. My hat's off to PageStream's Soft Logik folks, they have the right idea, sell the program reasonably, sell many copies and post the upgrades on the services. The trickle down effect is superb in the computer community, any "informed" corporate exec will agree that the day of the modem has arrived. Recently, we saw where at least 12 of every twenty users had one or more modems (this is for the uninformed execs). Let's not forget the shareware concept, in the coming months we will see more fine programs coming from this "small" niche in the market. Perhaps we all can do our bit in showing support for the honest to goodness programmers out there trying to satisfy and make a living at the same time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ STR Review¿ ========== NEC P2200 ========= A Low Cost 24-Pin Printer. By Thomas A. Martz If you are in the market for an inexpensive but capable 24- pin printer for text and desktop publishing try the NEC P2200. I have had one for about a year and am very satisfied with its performance. Cost was around $335.00. Although it is not a fast printer, (HS Draft-170cps, LQ- 47cps) it makes up for it in print quality. Up to 360 by 360 dpi resolution. Some other features include: --------------------------- Pull or push tractor feed. Single sheet or optional cut sheet feeder. Front or rear paper feed. Easy to use front controls. 6 print modes. 8 form settings. 7 interface settings. 10, 12, 15, & 20 cpi in draft. 10, 12, 15, 17, 20 cpi in ltr quality and proportional spacing. 4 selectable internal fonts and several optional fonts. 8k buffer (4k if user defined characters installed). Compatible with Epson LQ series and NEC pinwriter series printer drivers. Prints on a stationary flat platen. Not on the roller. You can also disengage the tractor feed so that single sheets can be loaded through the front convenience door while the tractor feed paper stays attached. (Nice feature) There was a problem with line spacing using some drivers but NEC offered a free warranty Atari upgrade that seems to have fixed it. The help and service from NEC was very professional. All I paid was the cost of shipping to them. They paid the return. Except for being a little noisy and a little slow, this printer is well worth the price. If you want high quality printouts and can't afford a laser printer, 24-pin is the way to go. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Spotlight¿ ============= HATS OFF TIME! ============== The Atari Exchange program has been in place for some time now, and we are receiving mail about it's triumphs and we wish to make sure all the users are aware of it's existence and have the needed information on how to take advantage of of the benefits this program offers. Diana Goralcznyk of Atari Customer Relations is the person to contact to resolve any problems you are having with any Atari hardware in or out of warranty. Please call 408-745-2000 for further info and exchange rates. It really is quite simple to use, you send in your defective item and Atari will, for a small fee, exchange it for a similar unit in good working order. Do NOT send any upgrades along they will not reinstall them, remove them and reinstall them yourself or have a local tech do so. Looking at the big picture we applaud Atari for the job it is doing in the customer support area. If one were to consider the folks in Tech support and Customer support, one would readily see where the "front lines" are for Atari and the clamoring customer base. I wonder how many calls per day are handled by the two departments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Review¿ ========== Kosmic Krieg ============ A Space-Age Version of "Battleship" by Neil Bradley I recently visited the offices of Alpha Tech, a small 2-man company located in Minneapolis Minn. While there, I met the authors of Kosmic Krieg, a "Battleship" type game written and compiled in GFA Basic. Kosmic Krieg is not in the same class as Dungeon Master or EMPIRE!, but it is an enjoyable game. The main selling point is that it allows you to play another person via modem, or else against a BBS that has a Kosmic Krieg shell, available from major networks or direct from Alpha Tech. The game has two modes: Barrage and Five-Shot. Barrage allows you one shot per drone(ship) piece which decreases as your ships are destroyed. Five-shot gives you five shots no matter how beat-up your fleet is. Another interesting aspect of the game allows you the opportunity to send your opponent messages at the end of each turn, and also send him messages while he is plotting his shots. Sending a message to your opponent while he is plotting sends him a dialog box, forcing him to stop what he is doing and acknowledge the box. This can be very distracting, breaking your opponents concentration. The graphics in the game are not awe-inspiring, but not poor either. The entire game is mouse-driven, with the exception of messages you type to the other player. Bottom line: A nice game to pass 10 minutes or so, with the option of playing others via modem, which I hope to be a standard feature on many more games to come. To obtain your copy: Call or Write..... ALPH TECH COMPUTERS 2901 Wayzata Blvd. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405 Voice: 612-374-3232 Data : 612-374-5307 (PCP:MNMIN) Tell 'em you saw it here! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Spotlight¿ ============= HOW'S YER DONGLE? ================= by R.F.Mariano DONGLE aka P.S.K. (Program Security Key) There sat John Q. User, in front of his Mega4 ST with the SLM804 Atari Laser Printer on the right and his 24 pin Dot Matrix printer on the left. On it's own stand off to the left stood the Korg Midi keyboard and directly in front of him on top of the Mega4 were his GTS 100 and his HST modem, of course, under the Mega4 was the customized Hard Disk in a Megafile cabinet with 132mb of storage. Impressive system? Dream System? Nope! Not a dream system, this is a real system and not too unlike many of the ST systems out there in use by serious users. The entire point of the graphic description is to show just how involved the back panel of the Mega4 can become. Also, it all sits on a lowboy riser so the Monitor Master and the Mouse Master are easily accessible then, there are two possibly three midi cables, an RS232 cable, Printer cable, DMA cable, Tweety cables, Floppy Drive cable, monitor cable and of course, all the transversing wiring associated with this equipment. This fellow readily points out that he OWNS all the previous releases from this company, in fact, two copies of Easy Draw and the documentation are on the shelf. Again this fellow has the Touchup program in it's IBM type box, grey in color etc....(he OWNS it too.) He bought this one on blind faith and because of previous product satisfaction. When he SAW the dongle ..his heart sank, and after he went through the "installation of same" the decision was made to repack the P.S.K. and the program in it's original packing and wait for a P.S.K.-less revision to come along... Citing piracy as a reason for the P.S.K. is like saying an Eskimo needs a freezer. All of Migraph's fine products are documentation dependant and therefore, preclude the wholesale piracy so hinted at with the P.S.K. We respectfully submit that the P.S.K. is for the "honest and legit" business user who has more than one work station in the same location. It puts the honest user in a position of "get the special license and hardware keys" or buy more than one complete package. What about the casual user? Well, it remains to be seen, perhaps, over the next few months we shall find out how they feel seeing their computer begin to look like it is growing quills of dongles in series, each a key, for some future program. A keen observation would be that if Migraph realizes a decent amount of sales over the next few months and receives a squawk call from just about every private (noncommercial or school) user. It could spell the end of the P.S.K. in time for future releases of a higher magnitude. Actually, Touch-Up HAS to be the most documentation sensitive program yet released by Migraph. Dongles are NOTHING more than a CHALLENGE to the hackers. Migraph's best interests would be served if they concentrated on the users instead of P.S.K.s etc....put simply, the users do not want P.S.K.s or any other inane dollups to keep track of....just ask some of the folks who had to mess with the dongles of programs in the past. Or, check out the sales records for those same programs. Please, do not, under any circumstances, misunderstand our position relating to commercial software offered to the ST marketplace, support of commercial software houses is quite vital to the survival of the ST as a viable home computer and we fully comprehend that fact. What we are alarmed at (quite strenuously) is the commercial software house who simply disregards or, fails to take into consideration the wants, likes and dislikes of the userbase and forces "their way" upon all of us and perhaps set a precedence in the production and application software field that will burst open the flood gates and allow all the Dongles and outrageous protection schemes imaginable to flood the marketplace! Somewhere along the line someone forgot to ask the customer how they felt about EXPENSIVE P.S.K.s. Saving the best for last is usually something one does when one has something great to enjoy. Oh, how I wish that were the case now, however, it isn't...The Dongle we have been talking about is shipped with the new, and by the majority of opinions, excellent image editor Touch-Up, by Migraph. This is the part that really saddens the entire situation about this confounded Dongle ...IT'S BATTERY POWERED! To me, that translates to (a) guaranteed renewable built in expense, [who changes this battery when needed] (b) loss of data when the battery needs replacement. In addition, this goodie costs approximately twenty five dollars each to manufacture. Migraph wants us to believe they absorbed the cost of the P.S.K. and that the price of Touch-Up does not reflect this jewel's expensive price tag .. this is believable? Also, it appears the P.S.K. is totally aimed at the business and scholastic communities. Therefore, it must be applicable to them and not the "little guy" involved in the cottage computer DTP areas.. Please, Migraph reconsider your position on this P.S.K. issue, you really must because of the gross inconvenience placed upon the users with this "thing". If only it were not Migraph involved here, in plain language, you have presented the ST community with such fine programs in the past that it is VERY difficult to even be slightly upset over the P.S.K...but at this time we must sincerely ask that an end be put to this noble but unwarranted effort. Come now, piracy among the users is not the issue here ..how many pacman enthusiasts want to rework an image file? The real issue is the folks who are using your software to earn handsome profits. They should purchase a special license allowing them to install the program in more than one work station. Also, the schools should be sold under a separate program where the consideration paid to Migraph is sufficient to cover the inevitable that occurs in schools with the supervision's blessings (in most cases). The bottom line is that protection of application and productivity software is deplorable. Most of the userbase will not copy or exchange high quality programs under any circumstances. Since your programs actually require the documentation, it is unlikely that the P.S.K. is really needed. Remember how most of the users felt about "Final Word" and it's goofy protection scheme? "SOFTWARE PROTECTION SCHEMES HAVE NO PLACE IN PRODUCTIVE SOFTWARE" .....psssst, Touch-Up is quite good! Ed.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Review¿ ========== Calamus Part I ============== An Overview ----------- By William Y. Baugh This weeks review is actually a brief overview of a spectacular new Desktop Publishing program from ISD, Calamus. Due to the enormity of the program, this review has been separated into two parts to allow a presentation of what Calamus has to offer; then delving on into the more technical areas of the program. Calamus fits into the category of a "new breed" of DTP in that it runs independently of GDOS. This allows a much more flexible working environment with font sizing along with saving memory (and headaches) when not having to use GDOS. One of the drawbacks to Calamus is that you must have a 1040 or above to run it (sorry 520's), plus a monochrome monitor. Granted, anyone seriously considering desktop publishing should own a monochrome monitor, but for those who cannot afford it... Once the program is up and running, you are greeted with an array of icons lining the top and right side of the desktop. From these icons almost every aspect of Calamus may be executed. The number of icons may seem to be overwhelming at first, but after using the program for awhile, they become second nature. The manual is quite comprehensive on all facets of the icons' uses, plus when you move the mouse arrow over any icon, a short description of its function appears in the upper right corner of the screen. Also lining the top of the screen is the "all too familiar" menu bar where the more mundane functions (such as save, load, etc) are chosen. Keyboard equivalents are also shown as you move across the options under the drop down menus. Lining the top left are five icons that allow the user to select between differing modes of operation. These are Page Setup, Frames, Text, Lines and Raster Planes. When each icon is highlighted, its associated "sub-icons" appear in an area underneath the five. All the functions used for working with the desktop of Calamus are nested within these five icons. The first icon, Page Setup, allows different layouts to be loaded, saved and created, along with the ability to insert, delete, etc. of pages. A layout is similar to a Master Page in that it only displays the defined work area, usually no "work" may be done on it. The layout forms the page where the actual work is done. The Frame mode is where you'll find a myriad of icons that enable you to draw and modify frames that will enclose the work being done on the desktop. Text Mode is just as it sounds, it allows you to input text into the layout. ISD has a great feature in that they included a text editor with the program. From here, you may type all of your text without having to bother with proportional spacing and sluggish response when using large fonts. In the editor, you are able to see and edit control codes embedded in your text, as well as being able to set font sizes, justifications, all formatting features (margins, tabs, etc), along with clipboards, footnote entries, and a hyphenation dictionary. With all of these features, ISD has added one more brilliant one; the ability to define text macros! You may set up to 22 active macros that are selected by hitting the control plus whatever key you defined as the macro, or by using the mouse. These macros may be saved and loaded in for future use. Fonts are selected from the text icon. Only two fonts come with the package, with more being available from ISD along with a Font Editor. As mentioned before, since Calamus runs GDOS independent,you may set the point size of the font as large as you want. I have defined an 'A' to be the size of the entire page! It is amazing the speed, power and versatility available with these fonts. The Lines functions allow you to accentuate your layout with a variety of line sizes, types and widths. The last function, Raster Planes allows geometric and other graphical shapes to be incorporated into the layout. Options include the shapes, predefined fill patterns (you may make your own), setting the grey scale, line thickness and "shadow" options and other effects to make your document look spectacular. The functions mentioned above are an integral, but not all of the fine features of Calamus. I hope this overview has "whetted" your appetite for a more in depth review next week. Until then... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Tech Notes¿ ============== Courier HST Supervisor ROM ========================== INSTALLATION ------------ To establish whether or not you have the latest ROM chip in your HST, type the following; ATIn where "n" is a 0 thru 7 ...those will give you all the info needed to determine the status of your modem and the version of ROMS you have...the latest version has (2)Two extra "S" registers 23 and 38. The latest ROM revision nomenclature: SV930/HST 09-30-88 The procedures listed below should be followed to the letter. 1)- To open the case, remove the two rear rubber feet, doing so will expose the access screws. Remove the two access screws and lift the bottom plate out. ____________________________________________________________ | | | SPEAKER ---------- | | __________ | | _______ _______ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | XXX | | | | | REPLACE THIS^ | | CHIP | | v notch | | ----- | |____________________________________________________________| 2)- The printed circuit board is attached to the top case through the LED panel. The two are connected through a series of standoffs (metal support pins). Care should be taken when removing or reinstalling, so that the pins are not bent and all are connected properly. To remove the circuit board pull straight up with even pressure at both the front and back. 3)- The chip you will be replacing is labeled as SV96n (n= Rom rev. #). Care should be exercised when removing or installing chips, making absolutely sure NO pins are bent or misaligned. Also, one should note the location of the notch on the chip as this indicates where pin #1 is. Be sure to install the new chip with the notch facing the same direction. 4)- Repeat steps 1,2, and 3 in reverse order to reassemble. 5)- Before powering the modem, with the new chip installed, turn Dip switch 10 in the down/on position, to load factory settings. Execute the following command: AT &Z0= [RET] (DO NOT put any value after the = sign) then: AT &W [RET] (each command is terminated by a carriage return). Now, the modem is ready to be custom configured to your specifications. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿ ====================== > Cambridge, MA ***** INFOCOM GOES GRAPHIC! ***** ------------- Infocom, the folks who made the word ZORK a household word among computer enthusiasts has made the leap to using graphics in their unique and highly entertaining adventure games. The latest is SHOGUN, based on James Clavell's novel and adapted to the computer scene through a cooperative effort between Mr. ZORK, Dave Lebling, and J. Clavell, this baby has stunning graphics, totally enhanced and beyond "state of the art". Sure hope we see "ZORK ZERO"!! > Los Angeles, CA **** DUNGEON MASTER STILL # ONE! **** --------------- Dungeon Master has advanced to the highest possible level on the Adventure Game Ratings Charts in the Action/Adventure Top 50 in the nation. The sequel, is expected to thrust Dungeon Master fans worldwide into the agony and ecstasy of triumph and defeat all over again. > San Diego, CA **** The SEQUEL to DM DELAYED **** ------------- The much anticipated sequel to Dungeon Master will make a later appearance than expected, look for it near the end of Feb. or the beginning of March. > Sunnyvale, CA ***** ATARI READIES IT'S "SECRET" WEAPONS ***** ------------- Atari, in keeping with it's posture of, "closed mouth and ready with the new product", has a few neat goodies prepping for the show across the sea in Hanover. By all indications Atari sure plans to make 1989 the year of the Fuji! > San Francisco, CA **** ORIGIN SYSTEMS HAS ANOTHER WINNER **** ----------------- "There were 18 copies on the shelf yesterday, now, they're all gone!" That's what the complaint was about "TIMES OF LORE"..."It is selling like hotcakes". According to a few of the folks who have booted this new release, the graphics are simply stunning. "Move over Ultima" > Chicago, IL **** KING'S QUEST IV RELEASED **** ----------- Sierra has released King's Quest IV and from all indications this is a beautiful programming job with 3D graphics (no glasses) and excellent sound controls including Midi MT-32 etc...this is their best yet... ***** Defcon 5 Demo may have a virus ***** -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STR Spotlight¿ ============= An Interesting Exchange on CIS ============================== FALCON and Piracy The Real Cost of Software Piracy -------------------------------- When the Atari ST first came out, many of us thought that the Atari would become the best selling personal computer. Just like when the Commodore C64 first came out, the Atari ST represented state of the art technology at a cost that everybody could afford. Programmers naturally gravitated towards the ST because of its low cost and high performance. But the Atari ST suffered both from a lack of software and a poor market positioning. Those who bought Atari STs quickly banded together through networks and users groups. In many ways, the Atari ST suffered from the same fate as the Atari 400/800 (which by the way, was light years ahead of the C64 in many ways): great machine with little or no support. After talking to Atari users at user groups and network services such as GEnie and CompuServe, many had wanted to see our best selling air combat simulator, FALCON, converted to the Atari ST. They also wanted us to take full advantage of the machine's capability and not do just a simple conversion job from the Macintosh or IBM like the way many other titles were converted. Many of our competitors warned us about releasing an ST product as being a money loser. We were told that within weeks the product would be up on the bulletin boards and sales would fall to zero. We chose to disregard these comments and felt that a majority of Atari ST users really wanted new products and that the piracy problem only existed with a small handful of users. Within thirty days of releasing FALCON for the Atari ST, pirates had the product up on the bulletin boards complete with diagrams for the code wheel, keyboard layout, and mission maps of the product. Many of us did not want to put copy protection on the product. Basically, we feel that copy protection is inconvenient and is a hassle for the honest user. Copy protect is also expensive adding about $0.50 to our cost of production. ***The real cost of software piracy is not the lost $49.95 sale, but rather the lost industry support Spectrum HoloByte Corp. ----=====***=====---- :A Reply: ========= FALCON and Piracy ----------------- Thanks for your support and glad to see you here online with us. You reflect the position that the SYSOPs here and on other services have held for 9 years that I know of! I suspect that there is some very _real_ confusion in the "outside" world as to what the problem with Atari Software sales in the US is. 4 years (pre-ST) I concur that it was piracy. With the ST, it has been an absolute lack of hardware sales and support. We are approaching the proverbial chicken and egg situation. There are not enough Atari owners in the US to tolerate _any_ piracy and still sell a product at a reasonable price, and Atari SW prices tend to run half that of the other computers. If we ever reach "critical" mass, the piracy "problem" will mitigate to a level where we can tolerate the sort of rampant piracy that exists on other systems, till then, you will see a _lot_ or piracy talk on most Atari related BBS's. It is not that we have more pirates (we have far fewer per capita) it is that we are much more sensitive to YOUR needs! Our concerns may be scaring developers like yourself, but if they do, YOU are misreading the Atari Market. Sam Tramiel recently committed to a MAJOR increase (30,000 units/month) in hardware availability in the US. With outstanding software like yours, he will sell them and you will sell software! Stick by us and with us, display some faith in our personal integrity. You will be rewarded. Thanks! Dave Groves.... Addendum: For the sake of the "silent majority" of Atari ST owner/users we extend to Spectrum HoloByte this thought, The vast majority of the Atari users have been, on the whole, quite honest and straight forward on every issue, many of the software developers who have been critics of the Atari market are really "sour grapes" as a result of the userbase "getting on their case". The direction that you took in releasing Falcon to the ST community only weakens their argument and thus, proves there are indeed a good percentage of honest users of Atari computers. 1989 will be the year of the Atari ST and thankfully, you WILL be a part of this gratifying experience. Again on behalf of the "silent majority" many thanks for your terrific support. Ed. STReport -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Indelible MARK ================== by R. F. Mariano A few observations... As far as I am concerned, it is time to close the door on the "Elwood" matter. Actually, the Michigan State Police have done this. They confiscated all of his equipment, disks, papers, notes and related materials. An important note to make is that his BBS userlog (The Crypt) is now in the hands of Law Enforcement and all his "buddies", innocent or otherwise, will be scrutinized. Having had the opportunity to discuss the "materials" confiscated with Elwood, (Exedore to most of the BBSing world), he stated.. "they got everything..handles, names, phone numbers, addresses.. ..all of my papers" Considering the "incident" Elwood provoked on CIS, I still feel sorry for him, he is just around 18-20 years of age and already he will have the stigma of a criminal record. It's sad to think that when that record is accessed, it won't say, "he was a nice kid who made a silly mistake" it will, instead, say; "he broke the law" and to be sure, this will have a very negative effect on the future of this young man. Perhaps the course of current events will send a loud and clear message to the younger and newer users...DON'T PHREAK AND HACK OUT CODES!! Hacked out LD codes are, in fact, account numbers to charge accounts belonging to others. Telecommunications is fascinating and ultra fast, but theft of service and fraud is devastating. It certainly is NOT cool! In fact, it's plain dumb. Think twice, there are plenty of automated devices out there just waiting to record your every electronic move..they are by the sheer nature of reliability error free and therefore relied upon by Law Enforcement to assist along with many other means to NAIL you. Certainly the thrill (of sorts) of communicating with some remote part of the globe is not worth a lifetime of embarrassment and "closed doors". Please, don't phreak or hack out codes..remember, if you place a call against a credit card or account that's not your own it's the same as charging merchandise against a "hot credit card". The dollar amount climbs very fast when one is connected to Europe.. go over 100.00 and the penalties become quite severe. As a final note, we have learned that the traced calls to and from Elwood's number are being sorted out and checked..."this could just be the tip of the iceberg" one investigator noted. The calls are all over the USA, Canada and Europe. In Europe, mostly Germany and England. Also, his friends, their connections and associates are being checked out. The whole sordid affair is being closely looked into. It was also alleged that he had entry codes to Gov't computer facilities. Apparently, one of the investigators is aware of computer piracy and has alerted the proper agencies for that facet of the investigation. "This is going to be a lengthy and thorough investigation, we are confident numerous indictments will follow". From all the comments we have heard, both on and off the record, it becomes quite clear that this investigation will have far reaching effects both in the US and Europe. The copious quantity of verifiable information obtained by the warrant is apparently being checked in every minute detail. BEWARE - PHREAKERS - HACKERS - PIRATES - BEWARE ----------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- USERGROUP SPECIAL OFFER! ----------------------- TURBO ST Ver 1.4 ================ DISCOUNT OFFER -------------- We now offer the following user group discount on Turbo ST, the software blitter that makes your Atari 520/1040 ST outrun a Mega ST in most text applications. Until April 1, 1989, legitimate Atari ST user groups may order Turbo ST for only $35 a copy. To qualify, the following form must be filled out and an order placed for at least three copies. If the order is sent to one address, you can enter zero for the shipping and handling charge. The shipping and handling charge will also be waived if at least ten members of your user group order Turbo ST. Number of copies ordered: _________ at $35 each = _____________ Add 5% for shipping and handling (see above) = _____________ Subtotal = _____________ Florida Usergroups add 6% state sales tax = _____________ Total = _____________ Payment must be in U.S. funds and can be composed of checks and/or money orders. We can accept payment by MasterCard or VISA, however we request that each MasterCard or VISA number be contained in a separate sealed envelope along with the member's expiration date, billing address, and signature. Please answer the following about your Atari ST user group. The address listed will be used as the shipping address unless you specify otherwise. Turbo ST can be shipped individually to user group members, if a mailing list is included with the order. User Group Name: ________________________________________________ President: ______________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ City: _______________________ State: _____________ Zip: _________ Country _________________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________ Number of members: ____________ If your user group is associated with any Atari ST dealers, please list them below. Dealer 1 Dealer 2 Name: _________________________ Name: _________________________ Address: ______________________ Address: ______________________ City: _________________________ City: _________________________ State: __________ Zip: ________ State: _________ Zip: _________ Country _______________________ Country _______________________ Phone: ________________________ Phone: ________________________ Owner: ________________________ Owner: ________________________ Members who are ordering Turbo ST (please print or type names): 1) ___________________________ 2) ______________________________ 3) ___________________________ 4) ______________________________ 5) ___________________________ 6) ______________________________ 7) ___________________________ 8) ______________________________ 9) ___________________________ 10) _____________________________ 11) __________________________ 12) _____________________________ 13) __________________________ 14) _____________________________ 15) __________________________ 16) _____________________________ 17) __________________________ 18) _____________________________ 19) __________________________ 20) _____________________________ As an incentive to buy Turbo ST, we offer user groups the following additional bonus. If ten of your members register or have registered their purchase of Turbo ST and are listed below, we will automatic- ally send your user group one free update disk to the mailing address listed on this form, whenever Turbo ST is improved. The user group can then use this disk to update all original Turbo ST disks that belong to members at no charge. Members who have previously registered their Turbo ST purchase: (if available, please also list their Turbo ST serial number or zip code, it will help us to verify the information furnished). 1) ___________________________ 2) ______________________________ 3) ___________________________ 4) ______________________________ 5) ___________________________ 6) ______________________________ 7) ___________________________ 8) ______________________________ 9) ___________________________ 10) _____________________________ Please send this form, along with payment, to Softrek, P.O. Box 5257, Winter Park, FL 32793. If you have any questions, please call (407) 657-4611. Orders are normally shipped within three days of receipt. However, should demand exceed supply, your order could be delayed by up to four weeks. I certify that the names listed above are current active members in our user group. President's signature: _________________________ Date: _________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WELCOME ABOARD!! ================ The entire staff of STReport extends a warm welcome to the following Bulletin Board Systems who have recently joined the ranks of the successful STReport team. Fox's Den 44-0689-27085 Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom Twilight Zone II 44-01-608-1485 London, United Kingdom The Madhouse 412-821-1802 Pennsylvania The Golden Gate 817-865-6352 Texas RattleSnake Station 208-587-7603 Idaho BBS Sysops....please note, to carry STReport for your callers, just leave us the information pertaining to your BBS in E-Mail or in the STReport message area on the home BBS of STReport: The Bounty Atari ST BBS 904-786-4176 12-24-48-96oo baud HST -------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK'S 'QUOTABLE QUOTE' ============================ Diabolical Truth ================ "IMITATION IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FLATTERY" or, "IMITATION CLEARLY ESTABLISHES THE LEADERS & THE FOLLOWERS!" "1989 - ATARI'S QUEST" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ST-REPORT¿Issue #73 "Your Independent News Source" February 03, 1989 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1989 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of ST Report¿ or CPU Report¿. Reprint permission granted, unless noted otherwise. All reprints must include ST Report or CPU Report and the author's name. All information presented herein is believed correct, ST Report or CPU Report, it's editors and staff are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained in this publication. --------------------------------------------------------------------------