SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. December 16, 1994 No. 1051 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano Publisher-Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS * NOW Featuring well over * 45GB * of Downloads available! Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! BBS v4.01 * Fully Networked with the following Nets ITCNet 85:881/253 JAX HUB ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:301/3 Delivered Personally via Internet 904-786-4176 MULTI-NODE 24hrs-7 days 2400-115.2 bps V.32-34 v.42 bis 28.8 Hayes Optima 28.8 V.FC Data/FAX USRobotics Dual Standard 28.8 V.FC Ready Fax FAX: 904-783-3319 12am-6am EST ----------------------------------------- Fido 1:374/147.3 The Bounty STR Support Central 1-904-786-4176 FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734 FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493 FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981 MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642 ______________________________________________________________________ > 12/16/94 STR 1051 "The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine!" """"""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - Apple Game Machine - Pentium NEWS - Apple Sueing AGAIN - THUMBS PLUS UPDATE! - AWE32 Wins! - Suzy B CD Offer - Frankie's Corner - COREL DATES! - NEW LC SCREEN - People Talking - JAGUAR NewsWire -* INTEL Critical of IBM! *- -* LOTUS PENTIUM FIX! *- -* PERFECTOFFICE SHIPS! *- ========================================================================== STReport International OnLine Magazine The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC/Internet/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:374/147.3, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. ========================================================================== CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ AOL ========================================================================== SOFTWARE CREATIONS BBS is proud to distribute Silicon Times Report STReport International OnLine Magazine -------------------------------- With more than 130 Lines of PCBOARD access, Internet, Telnet and X.25 local access in every major city world-wide through SprintNet Software Creations delivers the files! -------------------------------------------------- Silicon Times Report joins names like Apogee Software, Borland, id Software, TriSoft, Interactive Gaming, PC Techniques, Coriolis, Fastgraph, PC Information Group, and many more. -------------------------------- Real-Time Credit Card Approval and Membership Upgrades The Software Download Store - for on the spot purchase/approval and download ability! -------------------------------- Call 1-800-4SWCBBS (479-2227); Fax 1-508-365-7214 for more information! ----------------------------------------------------- So, Get the latest releases from SOFTWARE CREATIONS BBS "Home of the Authors" * Software Creations, Voted #1 BBS for 1993 & 1994 * 1200/2400 V.42/MNP Lines : (508) 365-2359 2400-14.4k HST US Robotics Lines : (508) 368-7036 2400-16.8k V.32/V.42bis US Robotics lines : (508) 368-7139 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.fc Hayes Optima lines: (508) 365-9352 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.32terbo/V.fc US Robotics lines: (508) 368-3424 ======================================================================== COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit OnLine Magazine" NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY! CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be OnLine in no time at all! "Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" Well now, here we are with one week to go. Next Saturday being Christmas Eve. This is one Christmas I shall remember for the rest of my life. In fact, its going to be a Christmas for me like they used to be as a young man. A Christmas with Christ very much a part of the Season. Here are the reasons why. Yesterday, at about 6:30pm I received a call from one of my four sons, Charles to be exact. Charles informed me of the fact that two of my other sons, who are electricians and work together, were involved in an industrial accident. Charles went on to say he had little or no other information than to say they were at University Hospital being cared for in the burn trauma unit. He told me he'd call me as soon as he had more information. Shortly after I spoke to Charles, I contacted Ralph and Victor's main office to obtain more information. I was told to expect a call from the man at the scene. He called shortly thereafter. He informed me that the power distribution room was virtually destroyed and the main 440 volt panel was disintegrated. I needn't tell you how that made me feel about the physical condition of my sons but at least I was grateful for the man being truthful with me. I called Charles back and one of his children informed me that he had already gone to the hospital. At this point I too, was on my way. Once having gotten past the screaming emotional jolt that hit me as I saw the condition of my two injured sons I realized that now was a time for love and support not sorrow and pity. Shortly thereafter I was told by one of the surgeons that their burns would have little or no scarring effects except for a few small spots on their hands. They were both admitted, room 609, we went to the room and shared small talk for a while. It was obvious they were both in pain. Ralph was hooked up to an intravenous morphine supply. I guess, indirectly, I'm trying to say Ralph's condition was and is serious. Victor's was not as bad. Both of them were hurting. They were at least five shades darker from the burns. While their faces were dark, the doctors assured me they'd have no marks. They did however have third degree burns on their hands. Fortunately, there will be no losses of any digits, senses or faculties. While at the hospital, I discovered that the Fire & Rescue Emergency Team #23, headed by Cap't McAllister, that cared for my sons were the very same folks my sons and I had been assisted by a little over a year and a half ago when we three had saved a little girl's life (Sara Clarke) who had drowned. They remembered us too. As I went home to try to get some rest, I quietly thanked the Lord for the blessings he had given my sons in this time of their need. I arrived at the hospital today at about eleven am and both my sons were up. Ralph was still looking rough and obviously feeling the effects of the morphine. But Victor was up, dressed and already looking forward to going home. (A good sign) I spent a considerable amount of time talking to their doctors and the bottom line is that Ralph bore the brunt of the explosive flash-over. Victor did come home today and his fianc‚, Heather, has assured me she'll take the very best of care of him. (She's a Nurse) The doctors told me that if Ralph settles down overnight he'll be able to come home tomorrow. If not, for sure Sunday. As I type this, I can only reflect on how really fragile our lives can be. I thanked God for my sons and will continue do so. During this Christmas time, I can now sincerely appreciate the meaning of "keeping of Christ" in Christmas. Thank you for listening to me, Ralph... Of Special Note: ---------------- STReport will be branching out further to Internet's userbase in the very near future. We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addresses. As a result, we're putting together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wish to receive STReport on a regular basis, and we'll UUENCODE each issue and mail it to you. If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send your requests to either "dpj@delphi.com" or, RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM. Look for mailings to begin by October first. We are also considering a number of Internet ftp sites in which to post our issues for as well. Whatever we can do to make STReport available to you. we'll try it! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! """""""""""""""" Publisher -Editor """""""""""""""""" Ralph F. Mariano Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors """"""""""""""" PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION ---------- ------------- ----------- ------------- R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Tom Sherwin Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe................... 70007,4454 Delphi......................... RMARIANO GEnie......................... ST.REPORT BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET..................... 1:347/147.3 FNET........................... NODE 350 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 America OnLine..................STReport Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM IMPORTANT NOTICE ---------------- STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Staff & Editors """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS """"""""""""""""""" IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I) =========================== Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Issue #51 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* ** Atari Releases Five Jaguar Games ** Hammered by critics over delays in getting software titles out, Atari Corp. has responded with release of five new games for its 64-bit Jaguar game system in time for the holidays. This brings to about 20 the number of titles for the Jaguar, which sells for about $250. Among the new games are "Kasumi Ninja," "Zool2," " "Iron Soldier", "Busby" and "Val d'Isere Skiing & Snowboarding." Atari recently intro- duced a version of the popular "Doom" game. Prices range from $60 to $70. ** Sharp Unveils New PDA ** Sharp Electronics Corp. has introduced its keyboard-enhanced Zaurus personal digital (PDA). The company says Zaurus will be marketed to corporations as a produc- tivity tool. It will also be positioned as a vertical application solu- tion in fields such as medical, pharmaceutical. Sharp notes that target customers -- primarily mobile professionals -- can send and receive e- mail, send faxes, access online services, exchange information with local and remote PCs, take notes on an electronic note pad, create maps and drawings, generate documents and manage their time and information. The PDA offers 1MB of RAM -- 750K of which is available for user data and add-on software programs. Zaurus combines a pen for note taking, drawing and accessing information and a keyboard for text intensive applications like messaging and word processing. Connected to a regular or cellular phone, Zaurus users can send or receive messages and data using public e-mail services such as AT&T Mail and access online services such as CompuServe. Users can also fax docu- ments. An optional Zaurus Mail system allows small work groups to exchange messages and data using a single Windows- based PC as an electronic post office. Zaurus measures 6.7 by 3.9 by 1.0 inches and weighs 13.6 ounces. Set to ship in late January, the base Zaurus will sell for $749. A model that includes a data/fax modem will cost $849. ** Matsushita Creates New Circuitry ** A breakthrough is being claimed by Japan's Matsushita Electric Indus- trial Co. Ltd. in developing denser circuitry that it says will allow manufacture of smaller portable phones, camcorders, computers and other electronic goods. Reports say the development, called "ALIVH" ("Any Layer Inner Via Hole"), can reduce the size of circuitry by 30% to 50% and initially will be used in-house for Matsushita's own products, allowing time to perfect mass production using the technology. Saying sample shipments of the ALIVH multi-layered wiring board will be available in the second half of next year, company officials said first applications could be for PCs, camcorders, portable phones, pagers and CD-ROMS. ** Windows 95 to Get MIDI Support ** Microsoft Corp. says it plans to integrate Open Music System MIDI architecture from Opcode Systems Inc. into its forthcoming Windows 95 operating system. Microsoft notes that the move will extend Windows 95's Plug and Play support to MIDI devices such as keyboards, synthesizers, effects processors and drum machines. Opcode states that it plans to bring its suite of professional music software and hardware solutions, including Vision, Galaxy and Studio 4, to Windows 95 in 1995's second quarter. OMS is an industry standard for professional musicians, multimedia developers and music enthusiasts that provides an environment for MIDI programs and hardware to work together. OMS-compatible software enables communication with a wide range of hardware devices such as external MIDI and SMPTE interfaces, sound cards and MIDI synthesizers. The first OMS MIDI implementation for Windows 95, including Plug and Play, will be available as an extension to Windows 95 after the oper- ating system has shipped. Subsequent versions of Windows will include OMS MIDI as an integrated feature of the operating system. ** Combo Audio/CD-ROMs Planned ** Philips Media and Ardent Records say they plan to release a series of combination audio/CD-ROM disks. The AudioVision CD products will feature a full album playable on a standard CD player and an interactive audio-visual section playable on a standard Macintosh computer. The first releases, due out next year, will feature the sights and sounds of two of Ardent Records' recent signings: 2 Minutes Hate and Techno-Squid Eats Parliament. The releases will be distributed through PolyGram Group Distribution in record and video outlets, and through Philips Media Distribution to software retailers. ** WordPerfect Ships PerfectOffice ** WordPerfect's PerfectOffice applications suite is to begin shipping tomorrow, two months after the redesigned software was first promised but a month before some analysts' expectations. The suite - word processing, spreadsheet and database programs - will offer new technology, including Envoy, a workgroup publishing program that allows users to send documents with formatting that crosses computer platform boundaries. ** Apple Unveils Game Machine ** Apple Computer says it is developing a new CD-ROM game system that's based on the PowerPC microprocessor and its Macintosh operating system. Apple plans to license the platform, dubbed Pippen, to a variety of vendors in different fields. The system is due out in late 1995. "Now multimedia technology has the potential of reaching the penetra- tion levels of audio CD players and VCRs," says Satjiv Chahil, vice president of Apple Computer's New Media Group. Apple believes that Pippin will provide significant advantages over current CD-ROM- based multimedia players, many of which are focused simply on playing game software. The company says Pippin will support a wide array of multimedia titles. Bandai Co. Ltd., a Japanese entertainment conglomerate, will offer a multimedia player based on Pippen technology in late 1995. ** Researchers Develop New Screen ** A new flat-screen computer display is being developed by researchers at Kent State University in Ohio, who say it might soon replace paper- printed newspapers, magazines and books. Director J. William Doane of Kent State's Glenn Brown Liquid Crystal Institute said, "The display industry is looking for a flat-panel display screen that's purely reflective, so it looks just like a piece of paper, but has the potential for full color." Reports are that KSU researchers, supported by a nearly $2 million, three-year federal grant, invented a material (polymer-stabilized cholesteric textures) "that produces high-contrast images without backlights, now needed in liquid crystal display technology." Institute Associate Director John West said the new screens produce a display about the size of an average piece of paper and are about only one-quarter of an inch thick, adding, "The new technology's main appli- cation will be in electronic devices, such as portable faxes, electronic books, magazines and newspapers, as well as a range of new portable communication devices coming on the market within the next few years." West said the image will be much better than TV pictures, using about 4 million pixels per page-size display as compared with current television's some 300,000 pixels per screen. The technology also will eliminate the expense of placing transistors at each pixel site, he said. KSU researchers say they expect a high-speed display using light- weight, plastic material to be ready by mid-1995, that each "page" will appear in a fraction of a second, the equivalent of turning a paper page by hand. The work is supported by the Center on Advanced Liquid Crystalline Optical Materials, a consortium of Kent State, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Akron. ** Apple Sues Over QuickTime Code ** Apple Computer Inc. has sued San Francisco Canyon Co., alleging the small software publisher infringed on a video copyright in code that Apple says now is being used by rivals Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. The suit says Apple had asked Canyon to make a version of its Quick- time video software that could run on computers using Microsoft's Windows environment. Apple alleges Canyon took Quicktime code written for Apple and gave it to chipmaker Intel, which, the suit says, used the code in some of its video-related software and also turned the code over to Microsoft. The suit contends Microsoft included the code in its product, Video for Windows version 1.1D. ** HP, Microsoft Eye Infrared System ** Hewlett-Packard Co. and Microsoft Corp. say they are developing a Windows 95 infrared communications solution that will address the growing need for low-cost, wireless communication between PCs, printers and other peripheral products. The software is being designed for PCs and peripherals with IrDA- compliant infrared ports. Infrared interoperability will provide users with "point- and-shoot" file transfer, printing and other communication capabilities without requiring cables or other accessories. "Our overall goal for Windows 95 Mobile Services is to make using PCs away from the desk easier and more powerful for everyone," says Brad Chase, general manager of Microsoft's Personal Systems Group. "Today's mobile PC users desperately want a low-cost, hassle-free way to transfer files, print on-the-go and quickly share information between devices," says Andy Seybold, editor of Outlook on Mobile Computing. "Infrared communication looks like the best and nearest-term solution to fill those needs." ** NEC Makes 1-Gigabit Breakthrough ** A tiny memory cell that can be used to make computer memory chips able to store one gigabit -- a billion units -- of information has been developed by Japan's NEC Corp. Quotes from NEC officials say the firm will distribute samples of the chips in 1998 and begin mass production in 2000. NEC says a single chip of the new design could store 16 complete works of William Shakespeare or four hours of music. ** PC Shipments Up 23%, IDC Says ** Researchers predict PCs shipments in the U.S. will hit 18.4 million this year, up 23% from 1993. In fact, says International Data Corp., unit shipments will top 20% growth for the third year in a row. Replacement of older-model PCs continued at a rapid pace and the consolidation among the bottom tier of vendors that was rampant in 1993 has subsided this year. IDC released this list of the top 10 vendors, their unit shipments, market share and growth from 1993 to 1994: 1. Compaq, 2,355,000 units, 12.8% share, 61% growth. 2. Apple, 2,224,000 units, 12.2% share, 8% growth. 3. Packard Bell, 1,995,000 units, 10.8% share, 100% growth. 4. IBM, 1,868,000 units, 10.2% share, minus 8% growth. 5. Gateway 2000, 937,000 units, 5.1% share, 40% growth. 6. Dell, 780,000 units, 4.2% share, 4% growth. 7. AST, 733,000 units, 4% share, 18% growth. 8. Toshiba, 687,000 units, 3.7% share, 108% growth. 9. Acer, 465,000 units, 2.5% share, 88% growth. 10. (tie) Hewlett-Packard, 445,000 units, 2.4% share, 92% growth, AT&T GIS, 445,000 units, 2.4% share, 93% growth. All others, 5,446,000 units, 29.6% share, 3% growth. ******* Updated Pentium Bug News ******* -- Intel Team Tackles Pentium Flaw An Intel Corp. scientist says the chipmaker has pulled together a group to work on software to work around the flaw in versions of its Pentium microprocessor. Scientist Richard Wirt announced the plan this week in a message in an Internet newsgroup where scientists have been discussing the problem for more than a month. Intel said the program will detect when one of the calculations that results in an incorrect answer is about to be made and will calculate the correct answer. -- IBM Halts Pentium PC Shipments IBM says it has stopped shipping all PCs based on the Intel Pentium microprocessor. The computer maker reports that its decision is based on tests con- ducted by the IBM Research Division, stimulated by growing customer concern that Pentium-related problems are more frequent than previously estimated. IBM says the tests indicate that while Intel's descriptions of the flaw are technically accurate, there are many situations in which the risk of error may be significantly higher. IBM says it is working with customers on interim solutions and will resume shipments upon request by its customer and business partners. IBM says it will offer replacement Pentium chips at no cost to its customers. It adds that it is working with Intel to help resolve Pentium-related problems as quickly as possible. -- Intel Calls IBM's Move Unwarranted Intel Corp. said IBM Corp.'s decision to halt shipments of IBM compu- ters using Intel's Pentium chip was "unwarranted." Intel again said its own tests on the Pentium concluded that the frequency of encountering the flaw is about once in every nine billion random division operations. "Intel does not agree with the conclusions reached by IBM," Andrew Grove, president and CEO of Intel, said in a statement in response to IBM's announcement. "You can always contrive situations that force this error. In other words, if you know where a meteor will land, you can go there and get hit." Grove reiterated the company's policy to replace Pentium chips for any customers who might encounter the problem in the course of their applications. -- Lotus: Change 1-2-3 for Pentium Use Lotus Development Corp. said this week that users of its Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet working on computers with Pentium microprocessors can still perform accurate floating point calculations. Reports are that Lotus has issued instructions for making a minor change in the 1-2-3 software that circumvents the floating point flaw in the Pentium so that the floating point calculations are handled by 1-2-3 and not the Pentium chip. To make the change, Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows users should follow this simple, four-step process: --Highlight the 1-2-3 icon in the Program Manager. --Select File Properties. --Add 1/8space3/8 -s after the last character in the 1-2-3 Command Line path. --Choose OK. Lotus said this will work every time the user loads Lotus 1-2-3. The 1-2-3 workaround has been tested by Lotus and already runs in all copies of 1-2-3 for DOS release 3.4 and 4.0 and 1-2-3 for Windows release 4, 4.01, and 5. -- Industry Torn Over Pentium "Somebody is wrong. Who do you believe? If I were a consumer, I'd be totally confused." So says publisher Richard Shaffer of ComputerLetter, speaking with Wall Street Journal reporters Bart Ziegler and Don Clark this week about the growing controversy over Intel Corp.'s flawed Pentium chip. "It could damage the credibility of the industry," Shaffer added. "My biggest concern is this will cause consumers to have some real Christmas doubts about the Pentium." -:- Software giant Microsoft Corp. says the Pentium flaw does not affect its Windows operating system and that the company still has confidence in the Intel flagship chip. -:- Digital Equipment Corp. joined computer makers Gateway 2000, Dell Computer, Compaq Computer Corp. and Packard Bell in backing Intel, saying it will continue selling PCs with Pentiums. -:- NEC Corp., Japan's biggest PC maker, said it found the Pentium flaw caused negligible harm, and that it would continue shipping computers. -:- However, Japan's Nomura Research Institute said it had found technical problems in test financial programs and had asked makers -- including Compaq -- to replace free about 150 Pentium-based PCs. -- Gateway Continues Pentium Sales Gateway 2000, the leading direct-sale PC marketer, says it won't halt Pentium PC shipments. "The Pentium processor is the most tested, most analyzed processor in history, and we think it is as reliable as any microprocessor ever put in a PC," says Ted Waitt, chairman and CEO of Gateway. -- How Many Pentium Designers...? D'ya hear the one that asks, "How many Pentium designers does it take to change a light bulb?" "0.99904274017, but that's close enough for non-technical people... or alternatively, we're not actually quite sure, but don't worry, light bulbs don't blow very often..." ________________________________________________________ > THUMBSPLUS NEWS!STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""""""""""" THUMBSPLUS VERSION 2.0C ======================= Announcing ThumbsPlus version 2.0c, the only effective, elegant and inexpensive way to locate and organize your graphic files. You will be amazed by this sleek, fast, efficient graphics browser, which includes the following features. Version 2.0 features are marked with a "+"; features added in 2.0c are marked with "++". o Fast & accurate thumbnail generation by individual file, directory or entire disk. Disk and directory scans can be done in the background, allowing you to continue working. + Support for many image and clip-art formats, both raster and vector, including: .BMF Corel Gallery clip-art .PAT *Corel pattern files .BMP,.DIB Windows or OS/2 bitmaps .PCD Kodak PhotoCD .CDR *CorelDRAW! .PCX,.PCC Zsoft PC Paintbrush .CGM Computer Graphics Metafiles .PSD ++ Adobe Photoshop 2.5 .CMX *Corel Presentation Exchange .RAS,.SUN Sun Raster files .CPT Corel PhotoPaint .RAW Raw Grayscale .EPS *Encapsulated Postscript .RLE Compressed Win Bmps .GEM GEM Metafiles .TGA,.WIN Targa TrueVision TM .GIF CompuServe GIFs .TIF Tagged Image Format .ICO Windows Icon files .TTF TrueType fonts .IFF,.LBM Amiga Images, Deluxe Paint .WAV Sound files .IMG GEM Images .WMF Windows metafiles .JPG JPEG (JFIF) files .WPG ++ WPerfect (v1 & v2) .MND Mandelbrot for Windows * Only the preview image is accessibly directly for those types marked with a (*). The complete image may be available if an OLE server for the type is loaded on your system. + Using Aldus Rev1 graphic filters, which Thumbs+Plus can automatically locate on your hard disk, you may be able to handle the following formats (and others) .DRW Micrographx Designer/Draw .PIC Lotus 1-2-3 Pictures .DXF AutoCAD (2-D) files .PLT AutoCAD Plot files .HGL HP Graphics Language .WPG DrawPerfect graphic .PCT Macintosh PICT files + Using OLE, Thumbs+Plus can thumbnail and view any file for which an OLE server is present on your system. Some possible types include: .AVI Video for Windows animation .PPT P Point presentation .DOC Word for Windows document .PUB Microsoft Publisher .GRA Microsoft Graph + Multiple graphic viewing windows with file save (BMP, GIF, JPG, TGA, PCX, TIF, WMF), print, copy, paste, crop, auto-crop, convert metafiles to bitmaps and more. + On-the-fly gamma correction and quick dithering of 24-bit images for 8-bit (256-color) displays. + Zoom-in (2x - 9x), stretch to fit, and stretch to fit width. o Enhanced solid color metafile viewing with 8-bit (256-color) drivers, which eliminates that ugly dithering which Windows does by default. + Image editing and conversion capabilities: - Color adjustment (contrast, gamma, brightness, RGB) - Color depth (bi-level/4 to 256-color/grayscale,truecolor) w/several palette selections and dithering options. - Rotate and re-size with interpolation (anti-aliasing) - Miscellaneous: Invert/flip vertical/flip horizontal/autocrop/swap red and blue. - Edit or add comments to supported types (TIF, GIF, JPEG). - Batch (unattended/background) mode to edit & convert multiple files, while still using your computer for other tasks. + For saving JPEG files, Thumbs+Plus provides a "loss preview" so you can see an indication of the difference between the original and the compressed file. (Requires 16- or 24-bit display.) + Install and remove TrueType fonts quickly and easily -- while looking at them. ++ It also shows which fonts are currently installed (by font name). + Support for drag-and-drop from File Manager to view, drag-and-drop to other applications (like File Manager), and DDE support for using Thumbs+Plus to view files (or open Thumbs+Plus databases) from File Manager. o File management capabilities, including drag-and-drop for file organization, a color-coded directory tree for quickly locating directories with graphics, directory creation and file renaming, copying, deleting and moving. o Off-line (removable) device support, for cataloging floppies, CD-ROMs or other removable media. The thumbnails are available even when the disk is not on-line -- and Thumbs+Plus can even label disks. o Complete or partial catalog printing, with scaleable thumbnails, file captions (if desired), and user layout control. o User-specified editors let you pick the editor of your choice -- by file type, or use the File Manager association. + "Automatic Clipboard Save" provides the ability to automatically save clipboard contents to disk files. Thumbs+Plus saves each time the clipboard changes. - Select format (BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, TGA). - Clipboard metafiles can be saved as .WMF or a raster format. - Specify the desired path and file name prefix. - Useful for screen or window capture too (using PrintScreen and ALT+PrintScreen). - Unobtrusive -- you don't have to activate the program for each capture. o A built-in Windows Wallpaper hanger (centered or tiled) for any supported file type, and a customizable full-screen slide show. ++ Now you can remove wallpaper from the program, too. o A toolbar and keyboard shortcuts for common functions. o Extensive on-line help and customization of many aspects of the program. ++ Automatic (or manual, by directory tree or disk) removal of "orphaned" thumbnails (thumbnails for files which were moved or deleted from another program). ++ Customization of the file list, so that it can include the date and time or size of the files, and for sorting by date, size, extension or name. ++ Selection of files to display, or files to select, by file name mask. ++ Export selected thumbnails to Windows bitmap files. **** Thumbs+Plus is distributed as shareware and may be evaluated free of charge for up to thirty days. If you continue to use Thumbs+Plus after the thirty days have elapsed, you must register. The price for an individual license is US$50. Site and corporate licenses are available. Further information about licensing and ordering is available in the on-line help file. **** To obtain Thumbs+Plus version 2.0c: CompuServe: THMPLS.EXE in GRAPHSUP forum, library 3 (GIF viewers) THMPLS.EXE in DTPFORUM, library 6 (PC DTP Utilites) THMPLS.EXE in WINFUN forum, library 9 (Graphics Utilities) Also available in other forums. America Online: THMPLS.EXE in the Windows area Internet: cerious/thmpls.exe via anonymous ftp from vnet.net The Bounty BBS THMPLS.EXE in Graphic Programming Installation is simplicity itself: Just run the program and it will set up and configure itself automatically. ______________________________________________ > Frankie's Corner STR Feature """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" THE KIDS' COMPUTING CORNER ========================== by Frank Sereno Wallobee Jack "The Secret of the Sphinx" dual format CD-rom for Windows/Mac Ages seven & up MRSP $29.95 WordPerfect Main Street 1555 N. Technology Way Orem, UT 84057-2399 phone 800-451-5151 IBM Requirements Mac Requirements CPU: 486SX or higher CPU: Color Mac or higher Graphics: 256-color VGA Graphics: 256 colors Hard disk: 1 meg Hard disk: 0 k RAM: 4 megs Ram: 2.5 megs OS: Windows 3.1 OS: System 7.0 CD-rom: Double-speed CD-rom: Double-speed Sound: MPC compatible sound card Wallobee Jack "The Secret of the Sphinx" is a blending of cartoon and gaming action over three-dimensional computer graphics. The animations and visuals in the program are unique and beautiful. The game portion consists of solving visual and audio logic puzzles to gather clues. If you gather enough clues, you will solve the "Secret of the Sphinx." The game features two heroes. Wallobee Jack is a kangaroo from the Australian Outback and Francesca Fellini is a savvy American cat. They must outwit their foes in the quest for the missing nose of the Sphinx. Dagon is a vile crocodile who seeks the nose to sell it for a fortune in money. Cleocatra is a priestess who seeks world domination by using the nose to call on the power of the Egyptian god, Seth. She will use two bumbling henchmen to prevent Wallobee and Francesca from solving the mystery. The graphics are excellent. The cartoon animations use vibrant colors and smooth movement. The backdrops are three-dimensional digitized renderings of photographs. The audio portion is very good. Native music is used to set the mood. Sound effects were expertly digitized and are used liberally throughout the program. The voice tracks are clear and distinct. The voice acting is very credible with suitable emotion. "Sphinx" features a very simple user interface. It is point and click with a twist. For much of the game, the cursor will be the normal arrow. When it is time to help Wallobee and Francesca solve a puzzle, the cursor will become a hand which will be used to click on the correct answers. In scenes featuring Dagon, you can impede his progress by finding bombs which are hidden by hotspots on the screen. You must move the mouse until the cursor becomes a bomb and then click it. If you aren't fast enough, Dagon will find the clue and be one step closer to obtaining the nose. The game has two difficulty settings for puzzle difficulty and clicking skill. The higher clicking skill allows less time to solve the puzzle. My opinion is that an option should be available for no time limits on solving the puzzles to make it easier for younger children. Another problem with the interface is that no save game or pause features are included. You can pause the game by task-switching to another application but you cannot save a game in progress. Every time you make a mistake in the game, you must start over from the beginning. I find the verbal abuse in this game to be disconcerting. Cleocatra is constantly haranguing her henchmen. Dagon always insults the player personally. Sensitive children and the politically correct may not enjoy the humor of being called "a loser" or "slug." The program also has many long loading periods. The program's documentation includes no recommendations for speeding up this portion of the game. I was running the program on a 486DX2-66 with eight megs of RAM and a fairly large permanent swap file. Loading periods could last up to ten seconds. Play value for "Sphinx" is fairly good for older children. I believe younger children will become too frustrated with the interface and Dagon's dissing. This could be a good program for adults because the program does have some jokes oriented for them. If you have younger children, you can play the game and they will enjoy watching the cartoon adventure. The program does have a randomization feature so the game is different each time it is played. This gives the game good replay value. This program has limited educational value. It may pique children's curiosity in geography and social studies. The program does use music and graphics from Egypt. Information is given about the customs and history of that land also. The puzzles may help children develop logic skills and the program also teach mouse skills and develop coordination. This program is not suitable for everyone due to the shortcomings in the interface and the abusiveness of the insults spoken. It is reasonably priced and it does have a 90-day money back guarantee. My suggestion is to try it before you buy it or check the store's return policy since not all stores will honor WordPerfect Main Street's policy. Ratings Graphics ........... 9.0 Sounds ............. 9.0 Interface .......... 6.0 Play Value ......... 7.5 Educational Value .. 5.0 Bang for the Buck .. 7.0 Average ............ 7.25 ### Read with Me 1 & 2 IBM Windows CD-rom with video cassette Ages three to seven MRSP $59.95 WordPerfect Main Street 1555 N. Technology Way Orem, UT 84057-2399 phone 800-451-5151 IBM Requirements CPU: 486SX or higher Graphics: 256-color VGA Hard disk: 1 meg RAM: 4 megs OS: Windows 3.1 CD-rom: Double-speed Sound: MPC compatible sound card This package combines two floppy-based programs into a value-priced CD-rom offering. Rusty and Rosy Raccoon lead children on a fascinating and entertaining voyage of discovery. Four learning games are included plus a computer video segment. Catch-A-Match teaches children to match numbers, letters, colors, shapes and sizes. Children receive visual and audio cues to select matching objects on the screen. The parent or child can choose an individual category or work with all concepts at random. The child progresses to higher level of difficulty as he completes each screen correctly. Three backdrops are included to keep the program interesting and fresh for the child but the games remain the same in concept. The program "bookmarks" each child's progress so that he may continue from the level last played. Coloring Box is a nice painting program which encourages creativity and teaches color and letter concepts. Children can use fifteen different colors to color the provided backgrounds or they can use a blank template to create their own masterpieces. The program also includes sixty-eight graphic stamps and twenty-four shapes to place in the pictures. Children can also select many patterns for filling solid objects. Text can be placed on the picture by clicking on a letter and then clicking on the desired location on the picture. Nine pictures may be saved per child. The program could use an undo button to undo the last action and a warning on the trash can icon because clicking on it results in the instant destruction of the picture. Treasure Hunt is a variation on concentration. Children will match rhyming words, pictures to word names, shapes, letters, and more. This activity will strengthen memory skills, teach vocabulary, shapes and names, recognition of rhymes and more. The game allows individual, two player and individual against the computer playing modes. The deck starts with six cards and will increase to thirty cards as the child's skill increases. Children will be enticed to continue playing to uncover the scene beneath the cards. If the cards are matched quickly enough, the child will earn a prize. The final game is Word Traveler. Children will construct words using the phonemes (speech sounds) which make up words. This activity is hosted by a pair of friendly robots who will properly pronounce each part of the word and then the whole word. The game features three levels of play. The easy level features single-letter beginning sounds and two-letter ending sounds. Pictures of words that can be made with the sounds are shown below the letters. If the child clicks on the picture, a robot will pronounce the name. The medium game features beginning, middle and ending sounds. The child can choose from eight beginning sounds, two middle (vowel) sounds and six ending sounds. These sounds can use one or two letters. When a word is formed, one robot will speak a sentence which will define the word. The hard level allows children to use all twenty-six letters to form words of up to eleven letters. On all levels, each time a word is made it is added to the child's word list. He can go to the list and have words pronounced, print the list and more. The final activity is Watch with Me. It consists of short, animated movies which teach children the alphabet by name, shape and sound. The animations even show how to write letters. Watch with Me is composed of ABC Songs, Songs and Rhymes, and Trace a Letter. The videos are shown in a small window. They can be enlarged but they become blocky and pixelized. ABC Songs features ten renditions of the ABC Song. Songs and Rhymes features twenty-six rhymes, poems or songs. Each features an individual letter of the alphabet. Trace a Letter teaches how to draw uppercase letters. The animation will begin with a character which has a name starting with the letter. Eventually the character will become that letter. The program will then ask the child to trace the shape of the letter as it is drawn on the computer screen. These animations are done well and many are quite amusing. The same animations used in Watch with Me are included on a VHS video cassette included in the package. The animations don't look quite as good on the larger screen of most televisions as they did on the computer but they still have good educational value. I did notice that the linear presentation of the video tape is not as entertaining as the unstructured nature of viewing the animations on the computer. One can view the animations in any order on the computer, viewing favorites as often as one may please. The graphics are very colorful. They are not as detailed on some programs but they are quite good. The animated movies in Watch with Me are very good while some animated sequences in other portions of the program are jerky. The sounds are very good. All voice tracks are well-spoken with excellent diction and cheeriness. Sound effects are used often. The program features classical music for the Trace a Letter section and folk songs for the Songs and Rhymes portion. The child's interface is point and click. Many sections provide audible help for the child. The parent's controls are accessed by typing control- shift-s. Various menus allow the parent to select the activities the child will play and whether the printer can be used. The parent's section also includes on-line help and information on educational goals for each section. The manual is very thorough in describing the methods and objectives of each activity. Its troubleshooting section is very short. WordPerfect does offer limited free technical support by calling to a specific number at their headquarters. Children should find plenty to entertain and amuse them in this fine product. The arcade-type games are fun to play and the animations are fun to watch. Read with Me 1 & 2 has great educational value for preschool children. It teaches numbers, colors, shapes, letters, sounds, counting, vocabulary and more. The program packs in many learning concepts. Bang for the Buck is quite good. This program can be found for under $50 at many discounters. It isn't cheap, but it is chock full of value and entertainment. With Novell/WordPerfect's 90-day money back guarantee, you can't go wrong. Ratings Graphics ........... 8.5 Sounds ............. 9.0 Interface .......... 8.5 Play Value ......... 9.0 Educational Value .. 9.5 Bang for the Buck .. 9.0 Average ............ 8.91 ### MECC Announces Holiday Specials In the last few weeks MECC, a developer of award-winning educational software, has released several new titles. These releases include four new CD-rom titles. All products are available for IBM compatible and some are available for the Macintosh as well. Museum Madness is a mystery-solving game designed for children ages ten to thirteen. Children help a robot to learn about science, interact with historical figures and solve puzzles. They will test their logic skills, history and science knowledge, and attempt to solve the mystery. Estimated retail pricing is $27.50 and the product is available for IBM computers and color Macintoshes running System 7.0. Trouble Troggle Math offers a learning experience within colorful cartoon worlds. For children ages six to twelve, the program graduates each student through sixty levels of difficulty as his skill increases. A special calculator is used to save a kidnaped Muncher. Available for Windows and Macintosh, estimated retail price is $39.50. Yukon Trail is the third in the trail series of adventure simulations. Players ages ten and up will become gold prospectors participating in the Klondike Strike. Players learn history and geography facts as they make critical decisions in their quest for gold and glory. Yukon Trail is available for both Windows and Macintosh in floppy and CD-rom formats. The CD-rom version features digitized speech and period photographs. Retail price is estimated at $39.50 for floppy disks and $46.50 for the CD-rom version. Amazon Trail has been enhanced for release on CD-rom. This new version will feature new digitized voices and sounds to enrich a learning adventure for players ages ten and older. Estimated price is $39.50 and the program will be available for Windows computers. Storybook Weaver DELUXE combines two successful floppy-based products into one CD-rom. The original Storybook Weaver is combined with My Own Stories and adds a text-to-speech capability, a Spanish language feature, a drawing tool and more. Designed for children ages six to twelve, Storybook Weaver DELUXE will be available for Windows at $39.50. Oregon Trail II is a CD-rom simulation of early pioneers fulfilling the dream of America's Manifest Destiny. Players ages ten and up will experience life on the Oregon Trail by interacting with dozens of realistic characters and making life-and-death decisions. Oregon Trail II features three-dimensional graphics, video footage and sound effects to give the simulation more realism. The retail price is approximately $57.50. Contact MECC at 6160 Summit Drive North, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55430-4003 or call Customer Service at 1-800-685-6322, extension 529. ### Thinkin' Things Collection 2 floppy disk or CD-rom for IBM or Mac ages six to twelve estimated retail $42 Edmark P.O. Box 3218 Redmond, WA 98073-3218 phone: 206-556-8484 IBM Requirements Mac Requirements CPU: 386DX-25 CPU: Color Mac or higher Graphics: 256-color VGA Graphics: 256 colors Hard disk: 13 megs for floppy Hard disk: n/a RAM: 4 megs Ram: 4 megs, 5 for SYS 7.5 OS: DOS OS: System 6.0.7 CD-rom: Double-speed CD-rom: Double-speed Sound: MPC compatible sound card Optional but recommended is a microphone Thinkin' Things Collection 2 carries forward the ideals and agenda of Thinkin' Things Collection 1 to help children create strong thinking skills by developing problem solving, memory, visual thought, listening skills, creativity and more. TT2 does not teach children by drilling them to memorize facts, but encourages them to think creatively by allowing them explore and use various tools and instruments in five activities. The main screen features the icons for the five activities. Simply click on an icon to start an activity. Oranga Banga's Band is represented by the band. 2-3D BLOX is represented by a cylindrical map of the earth. A cube featuring unique animals is the icon for Frippletration. A picture of Toony the bird is the entrance to Toony's Tunes. The final activity is Snake BLOX which has an icon of a snake of squares moving through a window in a cube. Oranga Banga's Band lets children write three-part rhythm using nine different instruments in explore mode. The Question and Answer mode will ask the child to listen to the music and then identify a band member with his particular rhythm line. These exercises will teach children rhythm, learn to read and write rhythm patterns and will enhance auditory discrimination. 2-3D BLOX encourages three-dimensional visualization by having the children work with a variety of rotating 3-D objects. The child can use the rudimentary painting tools to create artwork which will be instantly mapped to the rotating shapes, create his own backdrops or he can use the stock items. Children can make a customized shape by using a lathe tool. Background music and text can be added to the 3-D masterpiece which can be saved for later viewing. The program even provides suggestions to aid creative thought. Frippletration is concentration with a twist. Players can choose to play with audio or visual clues to build auditory or visual memory and discrimination. The game is for one or two players. Unfortunately there is no computer opponent option. The game will progress from sixteen cards to thirty-six to sixty-four. Toony's Tunes' create mode allows children to play and save their own original songs while playing one of four unique xylophones. Most interesting is the Sheep-a-phone which is reminiscent of Monty Python. Children can also listen to Toony play fifteen classic children's songs. In the Learn-A-Tune Mode, the child must follow Toony's example to learn a song. This will strengthen auditory memory, listening skills and recognition of pitch. The final activity is Snake BLOX. This activity allows children to layer background and foreground layers. This creates a perception of depth when snakes are run under and over the various features. Many tools are available to create background art. Numerous background music tracks can be used to give the creation a music video appearance. The Ideas section includes many designs that will fascinate and inspire the creativity in anyone. Masterpieces can be saved for later viewing and editing. This activity will enhance visual analysis and synthesis skills. TT2 features very good animation and graphics. Animations are very smooth. Vibrant colors are used throughout the program. The sounds are excellent. The songs for the BLOX activities are very interesting and are great for establishing a mood. Digitized sound effects are very lifelike. The voices are well-done with plenty of enthusiasm. The interface is point and click. Audible directions are provided in Toony's Tunes, Frippletration and Oranga Banga's Band. Vocal encouragement is used generously and enthusiastically. The BLOX activities have no audible or visual help screens. The child is free to explore and learn the tools and icons from his own experience. The user's guide does explain all these tools and suggests activities for parents to share with their children to enhance the learning process. The guide also includes a thorough troubleshooting guide. If this fails, technical support is available via a toll call. The program includes an Adults Section to set preferences for the program and to monitor the child's progress in non-BLOX activities. The program is KidDesk aware so using TT2 with KidDesk is very simple. This program is both fun and fascinating. The non-BLOX activities are filled with humor, interesting sound and lots of vocal encouragement. The BLOX activities have an almost infinite number of creativity possibilities. This program will inspire children to play and create for many hours. TT2 has excellent educational value. It encourages creative thought, enhances auditory and visual skills, increases musical appreciation and provides auditory and visual memory training. The BLOX activities should fascinate everyone, even adults. It would be interesting to see if people will trade BLOX files in the future. If only these created gems could be made into executable files that anyone could run! Bang for the Buck is great. TT2 is reasonably priced. It represents a great leap forward in computer methodology for educational programs. It inspires children to think creatively. Fact memorization will always be necessary, but creative thought is that which allows us to progress in science and the arts. And don't forget Edmark's holiday special! KidDesk Family Edition is included in specially marked packages of Edmark products. Enjoy file security, ease of operation and many great features in KidDesk Family Edition. Ratings Graphics ........... 9.0 Sound .............. 9.5 Interface .......... 9.0 Play Value ......... 9.5 Educational Value ..10.0 Bang for the Buck .. 9.5 Average ............ 9.41 ### The mailing list is still under construction. Maybe we will work out all the bugs for the new year. I'm still accepting applications for software reviewers. Send a sample article to the addresses listed below. If the title has not been reviewed before in this magazine, your article may be published with full credit to you. If your writing is good and you accept the challenge, I'll send an evaluation copy of a recent program to you. You write a review and get to keep the software. I pay for the costs of shipping the software. Details on how to submit articles can be finalized later. Addresses: Internet: frank.sereno@uti.com FidoNET: Frank Sereno, 1:2235/10 U.S. Mail: 528 West Ave. Morris, IL 60450-1768 As always, I thank you for reading! ___________________________________________ > Delrina Award STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""""""""" DELRINA WINS 1994 STAR AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN TECHNICAL AND SOFTWARE SUPPORT Industry Unanimous in Selecting Delrina as the Most Improved SAN JOSE, CA and TORONTO, ONT -- December 13, 1994 -- Delrina Corporation (Nasdaq:DENAF, TSE:DC) the world+s leading vendor of PC communications and electronic forms software, today announced receipt of the prestigious 1994 Software Technical Assistance Recognition (STAR) Award from the Software Support Professionals Association (SSPA) during ceremonies held at the recent Software Support +94 Conference in Monterey, CA. Delrina won the award for illustrating the greatest improvement in customer satisfaction along with overall gains in support productivity. The STAR Awards are given annually to recognize excellence in four categories of software and technical support. Competing companies undergo a rigorous self-nominating process, and winners are selected by SSPA+s Advisory Board members. There are more than 360 member companies in the SSPA including Microsoft, Lotus, WordPerfect/Novell, IBM, Sun, and Apple. "This award is a tribute to the hard work and dedication that the technical support team has put into delivering superior customer support," said Jim Moore, Director of Operations at Delrina. "With the commitment of our executive management team we have built an environment that has empowered Delrina employees to treat customers as if they were the only customer in a business that belonged to them. We have many stories where our people have put in the extra effort to satisfy our customers." "In all the years that we have been presenting these awards, I have never seen a company win so big," said Bill Rose, SSPA founder and Executive Director. "This year, all 12 members of the board unanimously agreed on Delrina as their number one selection." "We are pleased to be singled out for this excellence by our peers," said Dennis Bennie, Delrina Chairman and CEO. "Our investment in high quality support is a major success factor in maintaining leadership in our markets. We are an example for others to follow." Since 1992, Delrina+s customer service contacts increased rapidly from 250 telephone calls per day to more than 4,000 contacts today. Delrina+s Technical Support Centre in Toronto now handles more than 100,000 customer contacts per month. For every 10,000 contacts Delrina receives only two complaints. The Company was able to improve service quality through extensive customer surveys and responding with innovative services, instituting a pay for performance plan to focus employees on delivering a high quality service, and investing substantially in training, technology, and facilities. This included the development of specialized knowledge databases, call tracking systems, fax on demand information distribution, diagnostic tools, extended support services, and the operation of Radio Delrina which provides telephone traffic reports, music, and other useful information on Delrina products and services while callers hold for a Delrina representative. Founded in June 1988, Delrina is a high-profile Canadian success story and ranked among the fastest growing software companies in North America. The company develops, markets and supports PC-based software products and services for fax, voice, data communications, electronic forms processing, and consumer markets. Delrina employs more than 550 people with headquarters in Toronto, Canada, and offices in San Jose, CA, Washington DC, Kirkland, WA, the U.K., France, and Germany. **** Press Contact: Josef Zankowicz Delrina Corporation, (416) 441-4658 Internet: josefz@delrina.com ____________________________________ > STR InfoFile """""""""""" Creative Reflects on Another Award Winning Year =============================================== Sound Blaster AWE32 Receives PC Computing's Most Valuable Product Award in the Multimedia Hardware Category SINGAPORE -- December 12, 1994 -- With the holiday season fast approaching, Creative Labs, Inc., a subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF) might be thinking of decking its halls with another showcase. This year the leading PC audio provider received awards from many organizations including industry publications and distributors, among others. In Las Vegas, at COMDEX/Fall, the largest computer trade show in the United States, it was announced that Sound Blaster AWE32 earned PC/Computing's prestigious "Most Valuable Product" (MVP) Award in the multimedia hardware category. Sound Blaster Value Edition also received an award in the consumer hardware/add-in-board category from Merisel, Inc., at its annual "Hot Performers" ceremony at COMDEX. "We're delighted with PC/Computing's selection of Sound Blaster AWE32 as an MVP. To be awarded first place from an extensive list of multimedia hardware products is the best endorsement any product can receive," said W.H. Sim, Creative Technology's chairman and CEO. "Both the AWE32 audio card and the AWE32 Value Edition have been extremely successful in furthering Creative's goals. These products clearly offer consumers high performance features at great price points and deliver the type of superior sound and speech quality that they expect from Creative," he said. Sound Blaster AWE32 combines the powerful features of Creative's award- winning Sound Blaster 16 Advanced Signal Processing card with the great sounding Advanced WavEffects digital sample playback synthesis capabilities of E-mu Systems' EMU8000 integrated audio DSP. AWE32 Value offers users a cost-effective means of obtaining all of the Advanced WavEffects realistic instruments and sound effects capabilities of the AWE32 audio card. The recognition that Creative received this year from PC/Computing and Merisel represents exciting new developments in Creative's wealthy list of achievements. The company has won much acclaim through the many awards its products have received since Creative sold its first sound card in 1989. The following are highlights of the numerous awards that Creative received in 1994. Sound Cards ------------ Computer Shopper's Best Buy of 1994, Computability Sound Board -- Sound Blaster AWE32 Infoworld Buyer's Assurance Seal -- Sound Blaster AWE32 WordPerfect for Windows Magazine Reader's Choice (Best Sound Card) -- Sound Blaster Series PC World's Best Buy -- Sound Blaster AWE32 WordPerfect Magazine Reader's Choice (Best Sound Card) -- Sound Blaster Series Windows Magazine Reader's Choice (Best Sound Card) -- Sound Blaster Series Multimedia World Reader's Choice (Sound Board Under $200) -- Sound Blaster 16 Multimedia World Reader's Choice (Sound Board Over $200) -- Sound Blaster 16 Advanced Signal Processing Windows Magazine's WIN 100 Award -- Sound Blaster 16 Advanced Signal Processing HOMEPC Magazine Editor's Choice 100 Top Products Award -- Sound Blaster 16 Advanced Signal Processing PC/Computing (Best 200) -- Sound Blaster 16 SCSI-2 PC Magazine Editor's Choice -- Sound Blaster 16 Basic Edition Multimedia World Reader's Choice Finalist -- Sound Blaster 16 Advanced Signal Processing Multimedia/Video Products ------------------------- PC World, World Class Award (Best Multimedia Upgrade Kit) -- Sound Blaster Discovery CD 16 Multimedia World Reader's Choice (Best Multimedia Upgrade Kit) -- Sound Blaster Discovery CD 16 New Media Magazine's Thumbs Up Award -- Video Blaster RT300 Multimedia World Reader's Choice (Best Voice Recognition Software) -- Creative VoiceAssist Multimedia World Reader's Choice Finalist (Best Video Digitizer) -- VideoSpigot For Windows CONTACT INFORMATION Sandra O'Halloran Creative Labs, Inc. (408) 428-6600, ext. 6405 Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a family of sound and video multimedia products for PCs under the Blaster family name. The company's Sound Blaster sound platform enables PCs to produce high quality audio for entertainment, educational, music and productivity applications, and has been accepted as the industry standard sound platform for PC-based software. Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in Singapore. Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative Labs, I n c ., E-mu Systems, Inc., Digicom Systems, Inc. and ShareVision Technology, Inc. Creative also has other subsidiaries in China, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The company's stock is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol CREAF and on the Stock Exchange of Singapore. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Technology Ltd. Advanced WavEffects, Creative VoiceAssist, Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound Blaster Discovery CD 16 and Video Blaster RT300 are trademarks of Creative Technology. VideoSpigot is a registered trademark of Supermac Technology, Inc. E-mu is a registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc. and ShareVision is a registered trademark of ShareVision Technology, Inc. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners and hereby recognized as such. _____________________________________________ > PerfectOffice Ships!STR Spotlight """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" NOVELL SHIPS PERFECTOFFICE 3.0 FOR WINDOWS New suite receives acclaim from beta users and early reviews; Novell offers special $199 upgrade price OREM, Utah Dec. 14, 1994 Novell, Inc. today announced that PerfectOffice 3.0, its first desktop applications suite, is shipping on schedule and will be available on retail shelves before the end of the year. PerfectOffice 3.0 combines WordPerfect, the best-selling word processor of all time, with award-winning applications in six different categories. The new product goes beyond traditional suites by offering superior program integration with PerfectFit technology, task automation with the first cross-application scripting language and network benefits for both end users and IS managers. PerfectOffice 3.0 is also the first suite to include workgroup publishing tools for collaborative computing. PerfectOffice 3.0 has already received industry acclaim since its announcement in June 1994. PC/Computing gave the product a 4.5 (out of five) star rating, the highest score in its suite review (November 1994) and called it "the best all-around suite for integration." The Nov. 14, 1994 issue of InfoWorld claimed that the product "has a definite shot at the office suite title." The Oct. 25 issue of PC Magazine predicted that "PerfectOffice may well change what we expect from suites." "We are thrilled to see such a tremendous early response to this product," said Ad Rietveld, president of WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group. "We are confident that PerfectOffice offers the best integrated software solution on the market and will begin to define the next generation of network applications." Beta Users Discover Innovations in PerfectOffice ------------------------------------------------ "The installation routine was easy, especially for a network administrator, said Tim Hickernell of Commonwealth Edison Co. in Chicago. "It provides centralized management of user defaults in far more detail than in other suites." "The user interface makes sense," said Bruce Norton of Norton Innovation in Lititz, Pennsylvania. "There are QuickTasks and Experts all over the place so you can spend more time using the product and less time learning it." "The scripting language, PerfectScript, is like nothing else I've seen in other office suites," said Paul Dalton, of Jackson & Walker, a Texas law firm. "It's a really nice, easy-to-learn, cross-application approach." Two Versions of PerfectOffice Now Shipping ------------------------------------------ PerfectOffice is now shipping in two versions Standard and Professional. PerfectOffice Standard includes the following products: - WordPerfect 6.1 (word processor) - Quattro Pro 6.0 (spreadsheet) - Presentations 3.0 (presentation graphics) - InfoCentral 1.1 (personal information manager) - Envoy 1.0 (workgroup publishing tool) - GroupWise 4.1 client license and QuickLook (integrated e-mail, calendaring and scheduling) PerfectOffice Professional will include all of the above products as well as Borland International's Paradox 5.0, a relational database, and Novell AppWare (formerly Visual AppBuilder), a fifth-generation visual custom development tool. A third version, PerfectOffice Select, will offer the industry's first "create your own" suite solution and is scheduled for release in first quarter 1995. Using new CD-ROM-based technology, customers will be able to select from any of the applications in the Standard and Professional versions, as well as certain Novell GroupWare applications, WordPerfect Main Street products, and a variety of integrated third-party applications. PerfectFit Integration Dramatically Improves Ease of Learning ------------------------------------------------------------- PerfectFit technology provides each of the PerfectOffice components with unparalleled program integration including a consistent user interface, common tools, and PerfectScript, the first cross-application scripting language to be included in a suite. Each of the programs in PerfectOffice shares consistent toolbars, pull-down menus and common key dialog boxes. PerfectFit ensures that each PerfectOffice program looks and feels alike, so users can easily learn each of the applications. PerfectFit technology also provides PerfectOffice users with the most extensive set of common suite tools in the industry. The speller, thesaurus, drawing module, grammar checker, file manager, Coaches, Experts and QuickCorrect feature are shared among applications. In addition to consistency, users benefit from conservation of system resources and memory. In addition to PerfectFit technology, PerfectOffice is the first suite to offer support for Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) 2.0 functionality in five applications. Users can easily drag and drop data among PerfectOffice programs. With "in-place" editing, users can edit "objects" (such as a Quattro Pro spreadsheet) directly from WordPerfect or other PerfectOffice applications. QuickTasks Help Users Focus on Tasks Rather than Applications ------------------------------------------------------------- PerfectOffice goes beyond the traditional ease-of-use features found in competing suites to automate entire tasks for users, independent of individual applications. New QuickTasks, accessible from the Desktop Application Director (DAD), automatically perform simple and complex tasks directly from the desktop, letting users concentrate on tasks rather than applications. QuickTasks don't force the user to open individual applications in order to get work done. Users can access more than 50 QuickTasks to automatically create letters, faxes, spreadsheets and slide shows; update InfoCentral records; schedule meetings; open e-mail; generate mail merges or perform other common tasks. Users can also use the QuickTask Expert to create their own customized QuickTasks. PerfectOffice Leverages the Network to Help Users Work Together Better ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "The merger of WordPerfect and Novell, and the acquisition of Quattro Pro, has helped the new Novell create the industry's first network suite," said Mark Calkins, general manager of Novell's Business Applications Division. "Being the first network suite means much more than just running on a network. PerfectOffice is the first suite to begin to integrate network and workgroup services with desktop applications, making it the best solution for end users, as well as for system administrators who manage software across an enterprise." PerfectOffice is the only suite to include a workgroup publishing tool for collaborative computing. Envoy lets users electronically view, annotate and distribute documents across the network while keeping all graphic design elements intact even if they don't have the software that was used to create the document. The innovative compression technology in Envoy often reduces files to one-third their size, conserving network resources as documents are distributed. PerfectOffice integrates all of its products with GroupWise, Novell's leading groupware solution. From within each of the PerfectOffice applications, users can access GroupWise to send e-mail, schedule personal and group appointments, check calendars, and assign and manage workgroup tasks. For system administrators, PerfectOffice supports Novell's NetWare Navigator, giving them the ability to easily install and update software across a network. PerfectOffice includes two network installation models: the Corporate model allows administrators to control the settings for an enterprise from a central location and the Professional model lets users define their own settings. Industry's Best Toll-Free Customer Support ------------------------------------------ Novell is the only software vendor to offer toll-free, no-fee support for its business applications (Microsoft and Lotus offer toll support only). PerfectOffice users can receive six months of toll-free, no-fee Classic Service, after which they can choose from a variety of other support options. Pricing and System Requirements ------------------------------- Until March 31, 1995, users of any version of Novell applications (WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, etc.) or NetWare can upgrade to PerfectOffice Standard 3.0 for $199 (US) and users of competitive products can upgrade for $239 (US). For new users, the suggested retail price (SRP) of PerfectOffice Standard is $659 (US). Users of competitive products can upgrade for an SRP of $299 (US). The suggested retail price of PerfectOffice Professional is $859 (US) and users of competitive products can upgrade for an SRP of $399 (US). PerfectOffice requires a 386-25MHz machine or better with 8MB RAM, and Windows 3.1 or higher. For more information about PerfectOffice 3.0 for Windows, customers can call (800) 451-5151. The business of Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) is connecting people to other people and the information they need, enabling them to act on it anytime, anyplace. Novell is the world's leading network software provider. The company's software products provide the distributed infrastructure, network services, advanced network access and network applications required to make networked information and pervasive computing an integral part of everyone's daily life. *** WordPerfect and Quattro are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. P e r fectOffice, PerfectFit, PerfectScript, Presentations, Envoy, InfoCentral, GroupWise and AppWare are trademarks of Novell, Inc. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Paradox is a registered trademark of Borland International. ________________________________________ > COREL ON THE ROAD! STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ROAD SHOW! ========== The Product Specialist Team of Corel Corporation is scheduling a North American, UK and Germany blitz during January and February. These events are planned for most major cities to give our existing registered users and prospective new users a chance to watch our exciting product demonstrations and find out about Corel's direction and plans for the future. If you plan to attend, you must RSVP as space is limited, by calling 613-728-0826 ext: 85090. Please leave the location of the show you plan to attend and your name and telephone number. January 30, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Marriott Boston Copley 110 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA January 31, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) New York Vista 3 World Trade Center New York, NY February 1, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Rittenhouse Hotel 210 W Rittenhouse Sq. Philadelphia, PA February 2, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Omni Inner Harbor Htl 110 West Fayette St. Baltimore, MD February 3, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Sheraton City Ctr Hotel 1143 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington, DC February 6, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Hyatt Regency Dallas 300 Reunion Blvd. Dallas, TX February 6, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Queen Elizabeth Hotel 900 Rene Levesque W Montreal, PQ February 7, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Westin Galleria 5060 W Alabama St. Houston, TX February 7, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Inter Continental 200 Bloor Street West Toronto, ON February 8, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Marriott KC Downtown 200 West 12th Street Kansas City, MO February 9, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Delta Bow Valley 209 4th Avenue SE Calgary, AB February 9, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Hyatt Regency Milwaukee 333 West Kilbourn Av. Milwaukee, WI February 10, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Four Seasons 791 West Georgia St. Vancouver, BC February 10, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Forum Hotel Chicago 525 N Michigan Av. Chicago, IL February 10, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Atlanta Hilton & Tower 255 Courtland St NE Atlanta, GA February 14, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Marriott Biscayne 1633 N Bayshore Drive Miami, FL February 15, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Sheraton Inn Tampa 7401 E Hillsborough Av Tampa, FL February 17, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) The Westin Hotel 1900 Fifth Avenue Seattle, WA February 21, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Marriott Portland OR 1401 SW Front Street Portland, OR February 21, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Inter Continental 251 South Olive Street Los Angeles, CA February 22, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Omni Detroit Hotel 333 E Jefferson Avenue Detroit, MI February 22, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) The Mark Hopkins 1 Nob Hill San Francisco, CA February 23, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Marriott Minneapolis 30 South Seventh St. Minneapolis, MN February 23, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Ritz Carleton 2401 E Camelback Rd Phoenix, AZ February 24, 1995 (9:30am-12pm) Brown Palace 321 17th Street Denver, CO """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's Fargo Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around) A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. Fire up that high-speed modem and head for your favorite GEnie Software Library! Effective October 10, 1994, you'll be able to participate in an open beta test, offering access to GEnie Services at 9600 bps for as little as $5.00 per hour. As a result of an arrangement with Sprint, GEnie will be offering 9600 bps access from almost 300 SprintNet locations. Best of all, this high-speed access will not be subject to high-priced surcharges. The normal $2.00 per hour SprintNet surcharge will apply...even at 9600 bps! This open beta test is expected to run through the end of the year. To find the number of the SprintNet access number nearest you, simply type PHONES at any GEnie menu prompt (or use the "Move To Keyword" option in GENIE for Windows and type PHONES). Remember, this rate applies only to 9600 bps access via SprintNet. So be sure to choose the access number showing "9600" in the "Baud Rate" column AND "SprintNet" in the "Network" column. From the "Fine Print" department, please note that the $2.00 per hour surcharge for SprintNet access is applicable even during your initial four hours of monthly usage. So, whether you're into downloading software, reading bulletin boards, or accessing databases, it's about to become cheaper to do it faster! GENIE Information Services copyright 1994 by General Electric Information Services/GENIE, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group *** STReport available in MAC RT *** ASCII TEXT for ALL GENIE users! MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > WRECKED LIVES STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""" OF HEARTBREAK AND SORROW ======================== MATT DEATHERAGE UPDATE - 12/94 ============================== Matt Deatherage, who is in prison right now, is going to have a very lonely Christmas without our help. (If this whole prison thing is news to you, you need to see the information files sent out earlier this year. To get them, ftp to ftp.netcom.com and look in /pub/dl/dland/, or just send mail to dland@netcom.com and I'll mail them back to you.) This file, written by Eric Mueller and expressing some views of Matt's family and other friends, explains a little about what happened since those two files and what is going on right now. WHAT HAPPENED IN JULY ===================== After Matt was arrested in March, we made a public plea for letters to the judge, asking you to explain who you were, your relationship with Matt and how you felt about the situation. Over 150 letters were received by the judge---and for that, we sincerely thank you. This is a small excerpt from the news story that ran on July 9th in the San Jose Mercury News: ------ ------- CUPERTINO MAN GETS 3 YEARS IN SEX-VIA-COMPUTER CASE Just months after his sexual exploits startled computer users nationwide, a remorseful Cupertino man was sentenced to more than three years in prison Friday for his sadomasochistic encounter with a boy he met through an on-line service. "I apologize to this court and this county," Donald "Matthew" Deatherage told a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge. Deatherage's March arrest sparked debate on computer bulletin boards throughout the country as well as a letter-writing campaign in his defense. But more significant, it alerted parents to the potential danger in what many thought was an innocent way for their children to communicate with others. Shackled at the waist and wearing a jail-issued brown shirt reserved for inmates in special, protective custody, Deatherage said he had been racked with guilt over what he had done and understood the fear that his case generated. "I can only submit to you the evidence that you've read -- that this evil is not me and is not in me," Deatherage, 27, said. "I made a terrible mistake. I became attached to and involved, falling in love with a person who is not legally able to express the consent that he did." Despite Deatherage's professed remorse, Judge Charles Gordon sentenced him to three years and four months in prison, one year shy of the maximum. 'Love is not just sex' "Many of your feelings are misguided," said Gordon, who received more than 150 letters seeking leniency for Deatherage. "Love is not just sex." Gordon said he did not give Deatherage the maximum term because he took into consideration the Apple Computer engineer's lack of criminal history and early no-contest plea to two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor and one count of sodomy. Still, Gordon mentioned the vulnerability of the 14-year-old boy -- who went by the computer tag "Mr. Alone" -- and the prosecutor noted the concern the case brought to parents who buy computers for their children. "In the minds of people in this community, they've purchased computers so their children can be educated and use them for their benefit, not so that they would be subject to the kind of acts that the defendant perpetrated on the victim on this case," Deputy District Attorney Hector Moreno Jr. said. 'A good man' Deatherage's lawyer, Dennis Alan Lempert, painted a different picture of the defendant, describing him as a "good man who had done a lot of good throughout his life." Lempert also lashed out at the media and prosecutor, who he says vilified Deatherage. Kent Fillmore, who appeared in court to lend emotional support to Deatherage, expressed some dismay over the sentence. "I don't think he's a threat to anybody," said Fillmore, adding that it was he who first introduced Deatherage to America Online, the computer service Deatherage used to meet the boy through electronic mail. "I think it was kind of severe." ------ ------- I heard some interesting tidbits from Matt's sister after the sentencing, who said that Matt told her the judge refused to read any of those many supportive letters he received on Matt's behalf. I don't know if that's true or not, but with that many letters, you'd think the judge would be a little more understanding... In any case, the next step for Matt was "processing" at San Quentin State Prison. This is where he's moving to SQ (which is in Northern California) and they determine the final location for him. He won't be staying at SQ because he's considered a sex offender. Here's where things get screwy. Matt was supposed to be in an out of SQ in 60 days---from the end of June to around September, at the latest. However, he's still there, and we don't have ANY idea why he hasn't been moved or when he will be moved (one theory is that everyplace he would be moved to is full and they're waiting for a bed to open up). We don't receive any advance notice that he will be moved; neither does he. THE CURRENT SITUATION ===================== I received a letter from Matt today (12/12/94)---he's lonely, very bored, and believes his friends have abandoned him. He explained things at San Quentin a little more to me; my comments are in brackets: "I have a 'restricted custody' designation--I must be held in a secure perimeter under a gun and/or constant supervision. Most Level I yards are minimum/no security; you could walk away if you were so inclined. CDC [San Quentin?] has a habit of overriding people in my position to Level III to provide extra security, putting them in with lifers or those in for 15 years or so. "All illegal male/male sexual acts of any kind quality for these restrictions, where male/female or female/female acts only quality if violent or with children under 14. If I'd been with a 14-year-old girl or I was a woman, my time would be much easier. As it is, in the CDC's eyes I'm equated with rapists, sexual assaulters and people who sodomize 6-year-old girls. "The law also gives inmates several rights, but CDC ignores them as they see fit. For example, penal code section 2601 gives inmates the absolute right to receive books except when it would jeopardize safety. San Quentin, though, refuses to let people in the 'reception center' have them, even though such a policy is illegal. They barely let us use the law library, which is our only access to the courts, and we're locked up 150 of 168 hours each week. No church, either, for protective custody. If we get sick, we can see a doctor in 4-5 weeks. Very few phone calls: 1 per month or so. "We are allowed non-contact visits [a glass wall between Matt and the visitor], 15 per month, but no one has visited. Only a few people have written---regular letters from some Apple II folk from around the world and from Dave [Lyons]. Occasional letters from other friends but none from the GEnie staff [where he worked for a while] and none from anyone at Apple. What I do get is usually 2-3 weeks late from the mail room, if it's not withheld altogether on some flimsy 'contraband' pretext." So, it's not a pretty situation right now, that's clear. Based on this letter and other things I've heard from his sister and his parents, Matt is _lonely_ and could really do with some pen pals or at least some correspondance. And that leads to... A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR MATT ========================= What we have in mind for a Christmas gift to Matt is simple and easy to do---but would mean so very much to him. We like everyone who reads this to send him a picture postcard. This postcard can be of anything you want: your home town, a funny cartoon, a local tourist attraction, you decide. On the postcard, you can write whatever you want: anything from "Happy holidays" to a long letter (in very, very tiny handwriting!). So, pick up something cute, slap a 19 cent stamp on that puppy, *be sure your name and return address is on the postcard*, and mail it to: M. Deatherage - 2C38 P. O. Box J-26463 San Quentin State Prison San Quentin, CA 94974 If you really want to make his day, send him two postcards. Or three. Or send him a dozen over the next 12 weeks or 12 months. The point is not that it's a postcard (though that makes it kind of neat)---the point is that you write to him and he'll know we're thinking of him. (And, if you're inclined to send him more, Matt is not allowed to receive books or magazines while he's "being processed." A real letter written by a real person would mean much, much more to him, I believe.) MORE DETAILS ============ I'll send out more detail as I have them. Like I said, we don't really know much, not the least of which is when he'll be moved out of San Quentin. I can pass on letters to Matt's sister, parents and close friends, if you wish to contact them for whatever reason. I wish I had more information to tell everyone, but I'm afraid that's it. QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? GOOD JOKES? ================================ Send 'em to the author of this document, Eric Mueller, at . HAPPY HOLIDAYS ********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International OnLine Magazine is available every week for your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic computer users there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN --DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan 20 Hours for Only $20! ----------------------------- Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20 hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone OnLine or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage is only $1.80 per hour. 20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI which are clearly marked with a "$" sign. Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by Delphi Internet Services Corporation. It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply OnLine -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20 Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the first billing day of the following month. The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does not carry forward into the next month. Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given OnLine. TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR! For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI! DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time! ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Brrrr!! Winter is here! A couple of brief snow squalls and below freezing temperatures....and 'tis the season. I keep "threatening" Ralph that I'm going to send him some nice, cold snow down to Florida one of these days. I just know he misses the stuff! Thinking back over this past year (boy, did it fly by!), it's really strange to think about a year gone past without Atari in the computer business. We've been fortunate, in a sense, that Atari computing news has been adequate for us to maintain an Atari section here within STReport. "Within" STReport sounds strange in itself! I recall the good old days when STReport was primarily Atari news; and there was plenty of it. The number of dedicated supporters has dwindled, but there are still "many" continuing in the Atari tradition and their offerings are still coming our way. Granted, a lot of the names that we grew to appreciate and expect some fantastic things have moved on. 1995 is going to be an interesting year; and I can only hope that Atari computing will still be an enjoyable pastime. Reality tells me that things will probably get a lot worse before (if) they ever get better. However, I know that I'll continue to enjoy the machine that I started using eight years ago and never regretted making the initial plunge. And while I'm doing so, I hope to still be right here every week providing you the latest informative news possible to help your computing needs. The holiday celebrations have already started with office parties and family gatherings. Please, play it safe and be responsible. Do NOT drink and drive. We'll see you all just before the holiday with our next to last issue of the year! Until next time... ________________________________ Delphi's Atari Advantage!! TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (12/14/94) (1) ATARI INTERNATIONAL FTP SITES (6) OUTSIDE 3.3 DEMO *(2) CAIN 11/94 (7) WARP 9 NVDI DISPLAY FONTS *(3) CRACK ART V. 1.36 (8) SOFT-SCI SCREENSAVER V.2.7 *(4) SIRCWARE VIRUS KILLER (9) RECENT CHECK BOOK PROGRAM *(5) SYSTEM SPEED CHECKER *(10) STARBALL V.1.6, PINBALL! * = New on list HONORARY TOP 10 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 10.50) ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 13) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. ______________________________________ > CDSELECT! STR InfoFile! - CD-ROM Access for BBS SysOps! """"""""""""""""""""""" Press Release ============= December 11, 1994 Finally, what every Atari FoReM, Turbo, and Transcendence BBS SysOp has been waiting for: * * * * * * * * * * * * CDSELECT * * v1.1 * * * * * * * * * * * * Now, you too can hook up a CD ROM to your BBS!!! CDSELECT is a program that will let any Atari FoReM, Turbo, or Transcendence BBS SysOp operate a CD ROM (or actually ANY type of removable media) for file downloading. That's right, make THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of files available to your users without having to spend lots of $$$ on purchasing additional hard drives. After the initial CD ROM drive purchase (some drives as low as $99), it will be like adding a removable 600 Meg hard drive to your system already loaded with files for only $10-$40 each! Here are some of the features of v1.1: - Users are able to browse and download files from any CD. - SysOps can easily browse and copy files from CD to the hard drive. - Inactivity time and time remaining on BBS are monitored. - Optional monitoring of Upload/Download ratio's - I/O redirection and carrier detection are provided. - Access level protection. - All downloads performed are accurately recorded and correctly updated in your BBS files. - Xmodem, Xmodem-1K, Ymodem, Ymodem-G, and Zmodem protocols are ALL supported for downloading. - Displays the name of currently featured CD - Calculates the number of download blocks and approximate transfer time - Allows text files to be viewed online - Compatible with TOS 2.05 and TOS 2.06 - 24 hrs a day support BBS for assistance, suggestions, and updates. - Inexpensive and easy to install. If you have been waiting to add a CD ROM to your BBS, the time is NOW, and CDSELECT is for YOU! CDSELECT v1.1 is available now for only $15.00 US ($20.00 Canadian) which includes shipping and handling. Send a check or money order to: Dennis Peters 10 Fourth St. Pittston, Pa. 18640 ~~~~ ORDER TODAY!!! ~~~~ For all of you who would like to try CDSELECT for yourself, just call The SAAUG BBS at (717) 655-6483 and apply for a password. Call back a day or so later, and select menu option 'O' for Online CD ROM access. For all of you current owners of CDSELECT v1.0, you can call The SAAUG BBS now and download your FREE upgrade to v1.1! My fellow Delphinians: The previous press release was provided to me by our club president, who has worked diligently for thousands of hours on this program! It's the answer if you operate one of the above BBS's and want to add CD-rom technology to it. Try it! _______________________________ > SARA Debuts! STR NewsFile! - CD Search & Retrieve Software Available! """""""""""""""""""""""""" SARA Search and Retrieval Software For the Atari Computer SARA Search and Retrieval Software will allow you to search and view the information on many CD's currently available on other platforms. SARA has support for the following CD's The Family Doctor - DOS Version Sherlock Holmes on Disc Multimedia Audubon Animals Wayzata World Fact Book Time Man of the Year The Art History Encyclopedia Software Toolworks Reference Library Text can be accessed with any Atari computer from the ST to the Falcon and TT using either a monochrome or color monitor in 80 column mode. Graphics can be viewed on any Atari with 16 colors available in 80 column mode (TT and Falcon). You will find having the Software Toolworks Reference Library at your fingertips very handy. SARA requires a CD rom driver. We suggest ExtenDOS Pro by Anodyne Software for best use. SARA is available for $59.99, postpaid, from It's All Relative Software, 2233 Keeven Lane, Florissant MO 63031 USA. Or ask for it by name at your favorite Atari dealer. _________________________________________ > Suzy B's On CD! STR InfoFile! - Suzy B's Software on CD Released! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" NEW FROM SUZY B's SOFTWARE: TWO VOLUME CD SET PUBLISHED BY TOAD COMPUTERS! **** Suzy B's Software has been collecting and cataloging Atari Public Domain/Shareware programs and files for the past five years. Known for the "Honey of a Deal" they offer their customers by allowing them to customize the disks they order, Suzy B's now offers, in teamwork with Toad Computers, an even sweeter deal. Their complete software library is being released in a two volume, 11,000 file, 1,300 meg CD collection. These CDs are not not 11,000 files of fluff either. Suzy B's has removed all the outdated versions of programs unless an older version has some specific features that make it useful in and of itself. This library is all the evidence needed to show how busy they've been in combing through the online services throughout the country. We had one amusing...and very frustrating...problem in in getting all of our software onto these two CD's. The people we were working with could not get their software to recognize all of the files we gave them. It was incapable of handling that many files at one time (around 70,000!). Finally, after much work on their part (they really are nice guys) they were able to finish the job. They were stung by all of our files, but we don't think that will happen to you! Each file is individually described, sometimes with a description reaching over a page (the main catalog is over 3.4 megabytes of ASCII text!). You are likely already familiar with the quality of the descriptions, since they have all been written by Michael Burkley, "The Unabashed Atariophile" himself. The files are grouped in such ways as to allow you to easily buzz through the CDs. There are 51 separate categories, and each file within a category resides in its own folder, with a catalog description within each folder. Since all of the files are uncompressed, you can run them directly from the CD, saving a lot of hard drive or floppy disk space! What's the cost? Not much at all. You can get our two volume CD for only $69.95, either from Suzy B's Software or through Toad Computers. Now that's "a honey of a deal!" And what do you get when you order this amazing 2 CD set? A double CD jewel case with 2 custom-made CD ROMs packed inside! It's attractively packaged and a must-have for any serious Atari user! It's compatible with all ST computers. ExtenDOS is recommended for accessing the disks and may be purchased from Toad Computers for $19.95. Suzy B's Software 3712 Military Road Niagara Falls, NY 14305 716-298-1986 Toad Computers 570 Ritchie Highway Severna Park, MD 21146 (800) 448-8623 Orders (410) 544-6943 Information Other interesting stuff you might like to see... Suzy B's Software..."A Honey of a Deal" Suzy B's Software is buzzing onto the scene of the Public Domain/ Shareware supply services with a difference. Supplying single- or double-sided disks as requested, we will fill the disks full with compressed self-extracting files (compatible with all TOS versions). That in itself gives you a good deal, but Suzy B's goes on to give you what the owner, Susan Burkley, calls "a honey of a deal." She asks, "How many times have you wanted a utility and a game from a P.D. service but had to buy two disks to get them both? With Suzy B's we put your individual selections on a single disk so you can pick and choose and get more of what you want. Do you want a game, a children's program, a picture file or two, the most recent version of ST Writer, and a NASA press release? You can have them all on one disk! All our files are compressed in a self-extracting format to give you even more of what you want. Right now we have about 11,000 files from which to choose--our catalog is over 1,400 pages long--THREE POINT FOUR Megabytes of ASCII text, and it keeps growing! It's a lot more work for us, but you get a honey of a deal!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How did Suzy B's Software come about? One day in 1989 Susan and Michael Burkley ordered twenty single-sided disks from a major PD disk supplier. After getting the disks and sorting them and discarding the "stuff" they couldn't use, well, they didn't have much left. And so, an idea was conceived. After nearly two years of work, Suzy B's Software was born. Susan, with the help of her husband, runs Suzy B's Software out of their home. Dividing up the labor between them, Susan runs the administrative end of the business while her husband Michael combs through the 1000's of online files to bring you the best in Public Domain/Shareware offerings. Susan manages both home and business while Michael is the pastor of the Niagara Presbyterian Church and the author of "The Unabashed Atariophile," an ongoing series of articles in Atari Explorer Online. To All Shareware Authors (please pass this along!): Suzy B's Software is offering you an opportunity to increase your Shareware registrations. If you will place a brief text description of our service in your software's documentation (see below) we will give a free two disk Suzy B's Software catalog (value $2) _and_ a $3 discount on a Suzy B's Software disk to each person who registers one of your programs. If they register two they will get a total of $6 in credits. Even if a person is just _upgrading_ your software (and if you charge money for the upgrade!) they still get the $3 discount! Please get in touch with us if you wish to participate in this program, or if you wish to get one of our catalogs and see our selection first hand. Maybe we can help each other! Suzy B's Software 3712 Military Road Niagara Falls, NY 14305 716-298-1986 Suzy B's carries an ENORMOUS selection of Atari PD/SHAREWARE software as well as having a VERY unique approach to software distribution. Call today for a catalog, I think you'll be pleased! Suzy B's Software puts your individual selections on a disk so you can pick and choose and get more of what you want. Do you want a game, a children's program, a picture file or two, the most recent version of almost any PD Program, and a NASA press release? You can have them all on one disk! Right now they have about 11,000 compressed files from which to choose! With Suzy B's software you get "a honey of a deal!" Good News! Everyone who registers one of my Shareware programs will receive a free two disk Suzy B's Software catalog (value $2) _and_ a $3 credit towards the purchase of a disk from the Suzy B's Software collection. Register two programs, get a $6 credit towards the purchase of two or more disks; register three programs, get a $9 credit towards the purchase of three or more disks...and so on! What if you've already registered, but have an older version of my software? Just upgrade for a fee of $x and you'll still get the Suzy B's discount. Now that sounds like "a Honey of a Deal!" Just include a SASE with your registration fee so that I can mail a certificate of registration back to you for use with Suzy B's. ___________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== T2K Audio CD! CatBox! Syndicate! Time Warner Cable Debuts! New Games! And Much More! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" It's getting close to the end of the year. What I usually like to at this time of year is to give a rundown of the past year, the good and the bad. I will be doing so, but not this week. I think it's important to reflect on what's happened with Atari and the Jaguar's successes and/or failures. Suffice to say, it's been an unusual year for Atari; and to be quite honest, a "qualified" different one than we've seen in recent years. We'll get into it more the next couple of weeks. We've some interesting items for you this week. Included in this issue is some interesting news about the CatBox. We haven't heard much about this Jaguar add-on for quite some time. It's currently in production and should be available next month. We've included some informative material regarding its capabilities and specifications. Tom Sherwin joins us this week with his debut article. Tom offers us a commentary on the newly-released Tempest 2000 Audio CD. Tom joins our growing STReport Jaguar team and anxious to be involved with future game reviews and commentaries. Atari and the Jaguar have been making business headlines a lot these past few weeks. Sam Tramiel has been focused in a recent article in "PC Week," an interesting article in the December 5th issue. The Boston Globe has had articles about the Jaguar (among other consoles) and also an article regarding Time Warner's interactive cable station. Everything was extremely positive. It seems that the momentum, later than we all had hoped, is building. Barring any foolish mistakes, and giving the impression that they can't shake their historical stigma, Atari can have a banner year starting quite early with a good number of new games at the start of the new year. But first, let's see what this week brings us! Until next time... > Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's """"""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out. Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp. J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp. J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp. J9001 Trevor McFur/ Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp. J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp. J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp. JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp. Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER CatBox $69.95 ICD Theme Park TBD Ocean Syndicate TBD Ocean Troy Aikman Football$69.99 Williams Sensible Soccer J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Cannon Fodder TBD Virgin Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Bubsy $49.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $249.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 _________________________________________ > Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" CONTACT: Atari, Sunnyvale Ron Beltramo, 408/745-8852 Edelman Public Relations David Harrah, 415/968-4033 9-DEC-1994 10:32 Atari releases more Jaguar game titles; five new games available for holiday giving SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 1994--Continuing to add momentum to its growing catalog of software, Atari Corp. (AMERICAN:ATC) Friday announced the release of five new games for the holiday-selling season. The exciting array of coming new games includes "Kasumi Ninja," "Zool2," "Bubsy," "Iron Soldier" and "Val d'Isere Skiing & Snowboarding." "We're adding more Jaguar games every month and we'll continue to add to our library of titles throughout 1995," stated Sam Tramiel, president and chief executive officer of Atari. "Consumers can buy the affordable Jaguar knowing that a wide variety of compelling games will be available to exploit the revolutionary technology of the only 64-bit system on the market." With Jaguar's cutting-edge graphics, 24-bit true color and CD-quality sound, game players experience the latest in video game technology. Following is an outline of planned Atari releases for early December 1994: Game Title Game Category MFG,SRP Kasumi Ninja Combat $69.99 Zool2 Action/Adventure $59.99 Bubsy Action/Adventure $49.99 Iron Soldier Action/Strategy $59.99 Val d'Isere Skiing & Snowboarding Sports $59.99 More than 200 third-party developers have agreed to create new titles for the Atari Jaguar and a steady stream of titles are in process for release in 1995. Other Jaguar titles expected in the first quarter include, "Hover Strike," "Space War 2000," "Troy Aikman NFL Football," "Rayman," "Double Dragon V," "Theme Park," "Syndicate" and "Fight for Life." Since its release, Atari's Jaguar game system has been named the industry's "Best New Game System" (VideoGames Magazine), "Best New Hardware System" (Game Informer) and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" (DieHard GameFan). Atari markets interactive multimedia entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's only 64-bit system, and the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered at 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089. Contact: Ron Beltramo Tammy Lindsay David Harrah Atari Time Warner Edelman P.R. 408/745-8852 407/667-2034 415/968-4033 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ATARI JAGUAR ON THE LOOSE IN TIME WARNER CABLE'S FULL SERVICE NETWORK Orlando, FL . . . December 14, 1994 . . . Atari Corporation's Jaguar 64-bit interactive video game system went on-line today with the initiation of Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network (FSN) in Orlando, Florida. Atari Corporation's CEO Sam Tramiel joined Time Warner Chairman Gerald Levin at today's inauguration event in Orlando. Jaguar, the world's first and only 64-bit interactive game system features high-speed animation, textured three-dimensional color images and graphics, and CD-quality sound. Consumers will access the Atari games on the Full Service Network using the 64-bit Jaguar game system device, which processes more than 100 times as much data at one time than 16-bit games, and twice as much as 32-bit game systems. This significantly increases speed and lets the game player experience superior graphic performance and animation action. Through the Full Service Network, the Atari games are digitally compressed and stored on magnetic hard drives, and downloaded to the game device at the consumers' request. "Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network is the most advanced interactive network ever built, and it gives subscribers the most advanced interactive gaming system available -- the 64-bit Atari Jaguar," said Atari President and CEO Sam Tramiel. "Atari's Jaguar system brings the most sophisticated hardware and games to the network." Atari Jaguar Interactive Multimedia Systems are also in use at the "Home of the 21st Century, " a model home equipped with Full Service Network capabilities, and other state-of-the-art home services located in the Sweetwater, Wekiva, Lake Brantley and Springdale community near Orlando. Five 64-bit Atari Jaguar Interactive Multimedia systems are in use in the home, which is sponsored by Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network and Southern Living Magazine. "We're proud to offer consumers the Atari Jaguar system because it's the most advanced and powerful system available today," said Full Service Network President Tom Feige. "When we compared the graphics and capabilities of the game systems on the market, Atari Jaguar was the clear choice for us." Since its release in November 1993, Atari's Jaguar system has been named the industry's "Best New Game System" by Video Games Magazine, "Best New Hardware System" by Game Informer, and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" by DieHard GameFan. Time Warner Cable is the nation's second largest cable television operator with 7.3 million customers in 34 states, and serves more than 500,000 customers in its Florida division. Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network is a digital, interactive television network which merges cable, computer and telephone technologies to provide customers greater choice, control and convenience in accessing information and services. Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's only 64-bit game system, and the only video game system manufactured in the United States. ___________________________________ > 3DO & Hard Times? STR NewsFile! - 3DO Broke in 7 Months? """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The Sunday, Dec. 12, New York Times had an article about 3DO in its business section. The article basically said that 3DO had a lot of start-up momentum because of its CD-ROM game format and modest ($3/ game sold) licensing fees. But now that everyone else, including established players Nintendo and Sega, are have or are about to introduce 32-bit, CD-ROM-based systems and 3DO has raised its licensing fee to $6/game 3DO is in big trouble. The following are excerpts from that article: "Mr. Hawkins has to demonstrate soon that his supposedly superior technology can catch on with consumers, who during its first year on the market held back because of a lack of software, and developers, whom Mr. Hawkins expects not only to create dazzling games that run on 3DO's systems but also pay for the privilege of doing so. Otherwise, by next Christmas, more firmly established players - Nintendo and Sega, to name a few - will have vastly improved systems of their own, at the same time that Sony, the consumer-electronics giant, and possibly Apple Computer, will have waded into the market." "Wall Street analysts, once red-hot on Mr. Hawkins company, have cooled, and 3DO's stock trades at $10.625, far from the $47.75 peak it hit in October 1993, and even below where it was trading a week ago. On Monday, Mr. Hawkins warned a group of financial analysts that the company would run through its modest $21M cash cushion in seven months unless a runaway consumer purchases replenishes its coffers." > Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer News! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" CatBox Short Fact Sheet ======================= version 12/13/94 ---------------- CatBox was designed for all Jaguar owners and adds features to your Jaguar that are not available on any other game system. This stylish device plugs directly into the back of your Jaguar console. CatBox provides standard connections for Audio.... Video.... and Communications. (AUDIO) The Audio section includes RCA type stereo output jacks to connect the Jaguars true stereo sound directly to your stereo, TV, or VCR. CatBox includes a high performance stereo headphone amplifier with volume control and twin headphone jacks. You won't believe the sounds of your favorite games through headphones. The separation and dynamic range are incredible. The audio signal is also passed through the Analog RGB monitor connector to support monitors with built-in sound. (VIDEO) CatBox has the video connections to make your Jaguar show its stuff! You can select composite video, S-Video, or Analog RGB and use them in any combination. Composite and S-Video are commonly found on better TVs, VCRs, and video cameras. The standard connectors are used on CatBox. Analog RGB monitors are color monitors with a horizontal sync rate of 15.75 kilohertz. These are normally the monitors found on Atari ST and Amiga computers and will give the highest quality picture at a very reasonable cost. (COMMUNICATIONS) CatBox has the power for multi-player games with CatNet,... RS232,... and a DSP pass through connector. CatNet supports up to 32 players in a local network using low cost RJ11 telephone extension cables. RS232 supports standard connections to computers, modems, and other serial devices. The DSP pass through is provided for the Atari Voice modem and other future communications devices. Of course, the game cartridge must support communications for it to work. Doom from Atari and Aircars from MidNite Entertainment Group are two examples of games that network with CatBox communications ports. You may order CatBox directly from Black Cat Design or from your local Jaguar dealer. If your dealer is not offering CatBox, please have him contact us. CatBox is presently in production and will begin shipping in early January 1995. The suggested retail price is $69.95. Monitor adapters, cables and other accessories are also available. You may reach us by fax at 815-968-6888 Send questions to: Black Cat Design, Inc. 1220 Rock Street Rockford, Illinois 61101 For more detailed information, see the CatBox Preliminary manual. - TOM - CatBox Preliminary Manual - December 13, 1994 CatBox is a low cost, high value peripheral designed to plug into the Jaguar AV/DSP connectors on the rear of the console and provide standard ports for connectability. CatBox consists of two printed circuit boards (PCBs) mounted inside a stylish case. The larger lower main board is called the I/O PCB. The upper board is called the AVC PCB and holds the logic, amplifier, signal conditioning, and patchwork in order to make everything work. The AVC PCB also has space for future expansion and custom designs. CatBox power is provided by the Jaguar game console. There are two LEDs on CatBox which illuminate to show power and flicker to show communications activity. Cleaning the CatBox If you need help with this, call a cat lover. We like dogs. Opening the CatBox There may be a need to see what is really inside the CatBox. Most developer types wouldn't have read this far so this is really intended for the novice and it will not void your warranty. Remove the volume knob by gently prying it off with a screwdriver or knob extractor. There are two screws that hold the CatBox metal case together and two more that hold the circuit boards in place. Remove the two philips screws on the case bottom and slide off the top. Remove the two inner screws that hold the boards in place. Lift the board assembly out of the case bottom and pull the two boards apart with your fingers. The top AVC board which looks like it is mounted upside down has all the electronics on it that make CatBox work. The bottom I/O board has most of the connectors on it and the LEDs. The user moveable jumper plugs are all on the AVC board. Wow! Besides looking extremely cool, CatBox provides three main functions for Jaguar owners. These are Audio, Video, and Communications (AVC). Each has three sections for a total of nine features! AUDIO SECTION Audio signals are distributed on CatBox in three different places. These are the RCA type line level audio output jacks for left, right, or mono output, the mono line level RGB monitor output, and the amplified stereo headphone jacks. Line level audio. The I/O PCB has two RCA phono jacks that pass high quality line level audio signals (600 ohm) from the Jaguar to other audio devices such as audio pre-amplifiers. The red colored jack passes right audio while the white colored jack passes either left or mono audio. The left/mono switching logic works in the following manner. When an RCA cable is plugged into the right audio jack, the white jack passes the left audio signal. When there is no plug inserted into the right audio jack, the white jack passes the sum of left and right audio which is called mono. Use standard RCA stereo audio cables. RGB monitor audio. Pin 9 of the Analog RGB connector also carries the mono audio signal. This signal is used for Atari SC1224 or SC1435 monitors or any other monitor that has an audio amplifier and passes mono audio through its monitor signal cable. Since most users will prefer to use stereo audio, this mono signal is automatically disconnected when an RCA cable is plugged into the right/mono (red) audio jack or when headphones are installed. This function can also be disabled by removing jumper J1 (RGB Audio). For more information, see Analog RGB in the Video Section. Headphones. CatBox includes dual stereo headphone jacks on the AVC PCB. These support the common 3.5mm (1/8 inch) size headphones as used with most portable stereo equipment. Low noise amplification is provided to match the 32 or 16 ohm loads common with headphones. We have found that headphones with a sensitivity rating of about 100 dB SPL/1mW work very well with the CatBox. Headphones with lower sensitivity numbers usually have lower quality sound and lower volume. The headphone jacks take top audio priority and will disconnect all other audio output signals when a 3.5mm plug is inserted. There is a volume control knob on the rear of the CatBox. Take care when adjusting this level as higher volume levels for extended periods of time may cause permanent hearing damage. Optional headphone extension cables are also available for your convenience. VIDEO SECTION The three video outputs from CatBox are Composite Video, S-Video, and Analog RGB. These three and the Jaguar RF output may all be used at the same time or in any combination to connect multiple displays. Analog RGB has the best quality display while Jaguar RF has the lowest quality. Composite is much better than RF and S-Video is better than Composite. The output you will use depends on the capabilities of your television or monitor. Composite Video The yellow RCA jack provides composite video out. This signal is commonly available on VCRs and may be used for recording purposes. Since composite video has no provisions for audio, be sure to use one of the CatBox audio sources as well. S-Video S-Video used to be called S-VHS but was often confused with the totally different S-VHS high definition video tape standard. S-Video has also been called Composite Chroma and Composite Luminance and was used in the early 1980s on the Atari 800 XL and the C-64 computers. Today the standard S-Video connector is the 4 pin round mini DIN as found on many high end VCRs, TVs, video cameras, and CatBox. S-Video cables are commonly available at Audio/Video stores. S-Video provides an extremely sharp picture that is surpassed only by a good analog RGB monitor. Analog RGB This connector is a female (holes instead of pins) DB9 located between the composite video and S-Video connectors. Don't confuse this with the other DB9 on the CatBox I/O PCB which is male (pins) and provides RS232. The Jaguar supports Analog RGB monitors with a Horizontal Sync rate of 15.75 KHz. These monitors were very popular around 1985 but are not all that common anymore since VGA which has an H-Sync of 31.5 KHz became the new standard. Look in the older used market for some great bargains. An H-Sync rate of 15.75 KHz was found more commonly on monitors made between 1984 and 1990. The Atari ST color monitors and the Amiga color monitors both required this slower H-Sync rate. Since there is no one standard for RGB connections, custom RGB cable adapters are available to adapt most monitor cables. These include Atari SCxxxx, Amiga, DB9, and DB15. If you would like to make your own cable adapter, the pin connections follow. DB9S 1 Red 2 Green 3 Blue 4 Horizontal Sync 5 Vertical Sync/Composite Sync 6 Ground 7 Ground 8 Ground 9 Mono Audio/NC Note that jumper J7 (VS CS) on the AVC PCB allows you to select Vertical Sync (VS) or Composite Sync (CS) which is a combined sync signal not to be confused with Composite Video. The CatBox default is set for VS. If the vertical screen keeps rolling after adjusting vertical hold, try moving this jumper to the CS position. The mono audio signal which feeds to the Analog RGB connector may also be disabled by removing the audio jumper J1 on the AVC PCB. Although there is built in protection so that leaving this jumper enabled will not cause any problems, it is a good idea to disconnect J1 if you do not plan to use the Atari13 monitor adapter. The following is a list of compatible Analog RGB monitors that have been tested and the adapter requirements. 15.75KHz Horizontal Sync monitors that have been tested and their general requirements. Monitor/Model Adapter J7 Position J1 Position Atari SC1224 JVC Atari13 VS or CS ON Atari SC1224 Goldstar Atari13 VS Only ON Atari SC1224 Samsung Atari13 VS or CS ON Atari SC1435 Magnavox Atari13 VS or CS ON Commodore 1084D Magnavox Amiga23 CS Only OFF Commodore 1084S Magnavox Amiga23 CS Only OFF Commodore 1950 Amiga23 OFF Magnavox Professional RGB 80 OFF NEC Multisync Color Monitor None VS Only OFF NEC 3D HD15S VS Only OFF Sony 1302 OFF Princeton Graphics Ultra 14 None VS Only OFF Please write or send a fax if you have any questions about other monitors or would like a custom adapter made. Please also send us your positive experiences with other RGB monitors that we have not listed so we can let others know. Please do not ask us to support VGA and SVGA monitors that can't sync down to 15.75KHz. The required scan doubling adapter would cost more than the Jaguar even if manufactured in high volumes. There are exceptions to the above rules. For example if an Atari ST monitor cable for a Commodore 1084 monitor then naturally you should use the Atari13 adapter instead of the Amiga23. Atari SC1224 & SC1435 History The following information is an attempt to clear up the confusion in identifying the three different SC1224 monitors made for the Atari ST. These are all 12 inch color monitors and were later replaced by the SC1435 14 inch color stereo monitor which was made by Philips/Magnavox. The oldest was made by JVC and is identified by the 'Made in Japan' label on the back. These were mostly made in 1985. The FCC ID number is EBA90YSC1224. The signal cable and power cables both unplug from the rear of the monitor. The case top has ventilation slots. The JVC has a two-tone color scheme with a dark gray bezel (around the tube face) and a light gray casing. The push On/Off power switch is on the front bottom next to volume and contrast knobs. The JVC monitor is the best of the SC1224s. Next came the Goldstar monitor which was 'Made in Korea'in 1986. The FCC ID is EBA9QKSC1224. The signal cable does not unplug from the rear. The case top is solid and the entire case is light gray in color. There are three knobs all on the right side of the case. These are On/Off/Volume, contrast, and brightness. The last SC1224 was also 'Made in Korea' in 1987 by Samsung. The FCC ID is A3L9QNSC1225. Perhaps they had intended to call this the SC1225 when it was registered. Both the signal and the power cables are fixed in the case and cannot be unplugged. Like the JVC monitor, the Samsung is back to the two-tone color scheme with a dark gray bezel and light gray casing. The push On/Off power switch is on the front bottom next to volume, brightness, and contrast knobs. This is the least desirable and ugliest of the SC1224 monitors but it does work. In 1990 the SC1435 was "Made in Taiwan" for Atari by Philips/Magnavox. This is a 14 inch stereo monitor. Both cables unplug in the rear. The color is all light gray and a nice swivel stand is available. The push On/Off switch is on the rear. This is the best color monitor made by Atari for the ST and also works quite well with the CatBox. COMMUNICATIONS SECTION Two new communications methods are available on CatBox along with a DSP pass through. These are called CatNet and RS232. Communications allow you to connect two or more Jaguars together for multi-player games either directly or with modems. Each method is exclusive depending on the toggle switch position on the rear. The three position communications toggle switch next to the RJ11 jacks, points to the port which is enabled. UP = CatNet. Center = DSP Pass though. Down = RS232. The dual purpose power LEDs (lights) also show communications activity. The left LED blinks off when the Jaguar transmits data. The right LED blinks off when the Jaguar receives data. The activity should be visible to the human eye up to about 57.6K baud. You will need bionic eyes to see the activity on higher baud rates. Naturally since the Jaguar is a cartridge based system and not user programmable, drivers, baud rates and protocols are set by game developers. Check your game manual for more information on communications support. RS232 Simple RS232 is provided on CatBox through a male DB9 on the I/O PCB. This is connected as in the IBM AT standard as follows. DB9P 1 NC 2 RXD (receive data) 3 TXD (transmit data) 4 NC/DTR 5 Ground 6 NC (DSR) 7 NC (RTS) 8 NC 9 NC Note that there is no hardware handshaking. DTR is fixed on. An IBM AT type null modem cable may be used to connect two Jaguars together by their RS232 ports. An IBM AT type modem cable may be used to connect CatBox to a modem. CatNet The communications toggle switch should be up for CatNet support CatNet is a new dual-differential type of communications which is based on RS485. CatNet connects Jaguars together with standard 4 or 6 wire telephone cabling and RJ11 plugs. Although common telephone extension cables may be used, two conductor cables are not supported. Because of the wiring scheme used, plug polarity is not important. Cable runs of 1000 feet have been successfully tested but it is more practical to keep cable runs under 100 feet between Jaguars. Terminators should be left in the unused CatNet ports (ends) when running a network. Low cost 25 foot cables and replacement terminators are available from Black Cat Design. CatNet is a half duplex network which requires arbitration. CatNet uses 6P4C RJ11 phone type connectors and cabling and is reliable up to 120K baud per second with very long cable lengths. Up to 32 devices will work under CatNet although we expect to see it used more commonly in small local networks with a maximum of 4 or 8 players. DSP pass through port A DSP pass through port has been provided for compatibility with future devices that may require it. A prototype of Atari's Jaguar Voice Modem has been successfully tested while plugged into the DSP port. The communications switch should be in the center neutral position when using devices plugged into the DSP port. Options and miscellany. The following parts and accessories are available from Black Cat Design and better dealers: CatBox $69.95 Atari13 adapter $14.95 Amiga23 adapter $14.95 HD15S adapter $9.95 Custom adapter $19.95 (please supply pinouts) Headphone extension cable $9.95 Null modem cable $9.95 CatNet cable 25ft. $4.95 CatNet terminator $4.95 (standard equipment) Every effort has been made to make this a cost effective, innovative, indispensable peripheral for your Jaguar system. We would like to hear your comments and suggestions. Please write. CatBox is a product and trademark of Black Cat Design, Inc. Copyright 1994 All rights reserved. For more information contact Tom Harker at: ICD, Inc. 1220 Rock Street Rockford, IL 61101 815-968-2228 ext. 222 fax 968-6888 GEnie ICDINC CompuServe 76004,1600 _______________________________ > Tempest 2000 CD Audio Soundtrack! STR Commentary! - T2K "Techno-Rave" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Tempest 2000 CD Audio Soundtrack! ================================= by Tom Sherwin Ever since T2K appeared, everyone that played it knew that the music should stand on its own. That time has arrived with the advent of the Tempest 2000 Soundtrack CD. The game soundtrack has been re-mixed and enhanced to make it more stand-alone music than background tunes. There are also some completely new track mixes which are in the same vein as the original soundtrack. The Music --------- The "Old" - The re-mixed versions of the game soundtrack are just super! Take what you've already heard, make it "deeper", add a few variations to keep it from getting irritating, and you've got what you wanted and more. None of the CD versions are "verbatim" copies of the game, so if you're a purist, you may not care for some of the "artistic liberties". But the essence is certainly there and all of them have added bits which give them more than "just some game music" feel. The New - There's something in there for everyone. The basic rhythm ranges from the mildly soothing to wild and frantic. Some of it is just plain WEIRD... very much something that would appeal to John Cage fans. Incoherent, VERY fast, and no real melody. Some of it would appeal to the "hip-hop rappin'" crowd... repetitious, low bass beats, "scratchin'" effects, and a good dance music quality. Some of it is very difficult to describe. It has no real common theme. It seems to be more of an "exploratory" type of music. FWIW, my personal faves are the re-mixed warp stage tracks (warp stages one and two). Tres cool! As a warning, you have to like this kind of music to warrant buying the CD. If you're happy leaving Tempest tunes in the background, or really don't get into "techno-rave" (their term, NOT mine), the soundtrack may just sound like a bunch of synthesized schlock. But if you love the game music or get into the techno beat, the T2K soundtrack is a worthy title. The Packaging ------------- The cover is almost the same as the T2K box cover, but all it has is the demon. I think they should have used the actual box cover with all of the other goodies, but that's just MHO. Anyway, it is very professional- looking, not like it came out of the back of someone's garage. I do have a couple nitpicks. First, the little insert is more of an advertisement for T2K (the game) than anything else. I would like to have seen something that went into how the soundtrack was made, what equipment was used, pictures of the recording session, etc. They don't need to sell the game in there. Odds are that you bought the soundtrack because you already have the game and liked the music so much. An interview with Jeff Minter would have provided extra value. Second, most CDs have a listing of the tracks on the back jewel case insert. This is not the case with the soundtrack. You have to leave the jewel box open or remove the insert to see the track listing. OK, so I'm anal, but leaving it open just increases the chances of me stepping on it or something getting in there which can scratch the CD. Removing the insert puts it at greater risk of getting lost or accidentally being used as a coaster. Summary ------- If you really like the T2K soundtrack, this CD will not disappoint. There will probably be some new stuff that you'll like, too. There's a lot of "broadcast-quality" music in there so don't be surprised if you tune into your favorite progressive radio station and hear some Tempest tunes blaring. You may not like all of the tracks, but you're sure to find some favorites. So pop in the CD, sit back, and feed your head to the Web all over again... From Atari's Don Thomas: This review of the Tempest 2000 Soundtrack was posted publicly and passed on to me for my enjoyment... I thought I'd share it with all of you. -- Don Thomas Atari Corporation ========= From: Eric Elias Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari Subject: Review: T2K Soundtrack CD Date: Sun, 11 DEC 94 19:19:44 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Lines: 107 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: bos1g.delphi.com Hi all. I received the Tempest 2000 Soundtrack on Saturday and I have listened to it constantly, along with Pear Jam's Vitalogy(I have 'diverse' music tastes), and I have a review for those who are thinking of buying it. Here is a breakdown of every track and my opinion of it. At the end, I will give an overall grade to the sound quality of the disk and the package itself. Here are the tracks... Thermal Resolution - This track is a mix of all the new sequences added to the game soundtrack. It starts with the mood of the game and adds a more club oriented rave to the underlying soundtrack. Mind's Eye - The music found in the first BLUE level of T2K is presented here. Extra music is added to make a more fluent, song-like track. Extra dubbing enhances the feel of this track to a point where you will want to play this track instead of listening to the game's score. T2K - A dubbed track featuring some of the sound bits from the game. It is a fast paced feature that has vocals replying, "Let's GO!" and "1999!" Ease Yourself - A trance-like track with more sound bits from the game. More club oriented and has a logical flow from start to end. Tracking Depth - A 100+ BPM track featuring some really good sequences. This track is one of my three favorites due to way the techno is performed. This track has the feel of older, well known techno tracks by other groups in the UK. Constructive Demolition - The music from the YELLOW level is featured here. It starts off sounding like the game exactly. It is then blended with variations that fade into another techno melody that enhances the feel of the track. Very nicely done! Future Tense - An offbeat techno-track which is blend of synthesizer and voice samples. A moody track. Digital Terror - The music from the RED level makes itself known here. This is a powerful track that is a hit! The strength of the tune is enhanced with a funky approach that is excellent. This is my favorite track... from the game and on this CD. Excellent use of mixing to create a feel unlike any other. Hyper Prism - This track is what I call Digital Terror, part two. If you could add to the sound of Digital Terror then this would be it. It has voice samples and a good rocking beat. Glide Control - The music introduced at the first Warp stages is heard here. It is accompanied by a mixture of sound effects and beats that have to be heard. This one sounds like a movie sequence. And how did they get those llamas and Yaks to sing on cue? ;) Ultra Yak - The music from what I call the RAINBOW stages (the ones where you can see through the web and the web's color rotates the entire spectrum) is presented here. This one would make a good sound bit to wake up on. The sound is less harsh than the cart and it has a nice rock oriented feel. 2000 Dub - This track features the music from the Second WARP stages. It is mostly a reggae mix that is enhanced with trumpets and a nice clean beat. This song ends in a funky beat mode that wraps up the whole CD nicely. Sound Quality is very clear with full stereo. I, er, made a tape of the T2K music from the game and I was comparing it to the CD. I am happy to report that I can throw away that tape and listen to the CD because the CD is a highlight of the carts tunes. The tracks mixes have me wishing that they were on the cart. The dynamic range of the tracks are good with an equal dosage of bass. Very nicely done! Overall package is excellent. If only there was a way to put the CD box in the game box and keep them together...oh well. Inside the 2 page booklet are T2K game explanations, some reviews from magazines and newspapers, and screen shots of the different levels within the game. Color and picture quality are very high. My hat's off to Atari. Their first venture into a Game Soundtrack is exceptional and may set a standard by which other companies will have to match if they want to publish a CD of their carts tunes. My only gripe with the overall package is that I want more of it. I hope that in the future (Defender 2000...hint...hint...hint...) the IDI Musicians are used again to produce more music. If this CD is any indication of their talent...watch out! That's it. Respectfully, Eric Elias (eelias@delphi.com) ________________________________________ > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" From Compuserve's ATARIGAMING Forums: STReport Jaguar staffer, Dominick J. Fontana offers: *** Brutal Sports Football *** I just confirmed from Telegames that the first batch of Brutal Sports Football carts didn't work properly with some early versions of the Jaguar game unit. They stated that neither the early Jaguar consoles nor the first batch of BSF carts were defective, but that there were some minor changes to later Jaguar consoles. BSF was tested on the later consoles and it was found out afterwards that they would crash on earlier Jaguar consoles. That's why Telegames didn't release any BSF carts for a few months. They changed it slightly so it will work on all Jaguar consoles and are now shipping it again. However, they stated that they never recalled the first batch of carts. The bottom line is that if BSF isn't crashing, then you don't have a problem. If it is, then you should call Telegames, and they will allow you to exchange it for the newer cart, which should work fine on all Jaguar consoles. Dom Fontana Neil Jenkins offers some comments from a UK gaming mag, regarding the soon-to-be-released Syndicate: All, This is the UK Jaguar Syndicate Review from Computer & Video Games. I have only included the review parts specific to the game, points on actual fun on killing people etc have been removed. "Some of the more infamous moments of british gun lore tend to feature such incidents as the loner who's pushed too far, then pushes back at the first person he meets - or the cop who thought the safety was on before blowing the top of some guys head off. And with such incidents in mind, its a wonder that Syndicate never struck a controversial chord with anyone. The potentials still there. While the SNES and Megadrive versions, whether through technical limitations, or higher forces are fronted with cartoon-like graphics, the jag version is a bullet-by-bullet match to the PC Original. Obviously with such small graphics, there's not much gore potential, but programmers Bullfrog succeeded in squeezing out every bloody drop while giving innocent bystanders more occupational hazards than a skinny dipper in a piranha pool. As well as a few more inventive, if less painful, ways to die. The object is to simply take your company to the top of the corporate table by for more: killing or kidnapping execs from rival companies. Its a lot simpler than pretending they've been up to no good on the stock exchange, or with their secretaries. One day all businesses will be run this way, until then we just have to content ourselves with buying just enough shares to turn up at the AGM and Heckle the director. Reviewer 1 - Jaguar Syndicate is a perfect conversion of the Amiga and PC originals, although to my ear at least, some of the sound effects are not quite as meaty as the PC version. Still thats a minor fault in an otherwise excellent game. Using the jag pad takes some getting used to as the controls make full use of the telephone pad (!), but once you've got that cracked the games just as playable as ever. Uncensored, unaltered and by far the best version of Bullfrog's Syndicate to hit any console. Mark Patterson. Reviewer 2 - Compared to the 16-Bit versions, this is leagues ahead. It retains the dark, moody atmosphere of the original, although the new zoom features are tricky to use and frankly pointless. Using the Jag's over complicated pad takes some getting used to, especially if you've played the game before with a mouse. Along with JagDoom, this is one of the best games you can get for the Jag at the moment, and as for the violence - bloody great, isn't it? Graphics 75 Sound 82 Playability 91 Value 91 Overall 91 If you like action strategy games and haven't played this on PC it sounds like an excellent buy. If you haven't played it and have a PC with CD Rom you'd probably be better off buying Syndicate CD which is this version + the American Revolt addin missions for PC at about the same price. IMHO, the good news is that this is another solid excellent game that has been ruined on SNES and Mdrive and is great on Jag. If Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder are just as playable the jag will get a library of excellent games in the next two months. Neil. _________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando CIS ID: 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, I'm still playing with my Jaguar... and loving it! It's a really great machine and does everything that it's supposed to. I read an interesting article in Friday's USA TODAY. It was about today's crop of video games and mentioned just about all the major names in the arena. Sega, 3DO, Nintendo, Panasonic, Atari, and Sony. The gist of the story was that today's games are awesome, and that companies like Sega should get as much mileage out of their current offerings as they can before Nintendo comes out with its 64 bit system. The article also said that Atari was counting on the Jag to "resurrect it from the ashes", but that if they don't really push it into the marketplace, they could "go down in flames". Hmmm, where have I heard that before?? At any rate, they were impressed with the machine. Take that, Mr. Dorfman. Things are much quieter on the Computer side than I'd like to see, but there are still a lot of questions being asked and answers being given right here on our favorite online service... CompuServe. Let's take a look... From the Atari Computing Forums =============================== When John Amsler uploads a encryption program for the ST that provides an encryption system known as PGP, Sysop Ron Luks tells him: "Thanks for the upload of PGP for the Atari, but I have been informed by the powers that be, that PGP programs cannot be uploaded to CompuServe because they would be eligible for downloading by foreign citizens and that violates some US laws. I regret that we cannot have the file, but the authorities have required CompuServe to remove previously uploaded copies." John tells Ron: "OK, but that begs two questions: 1. It's on the Internet -- foreign citizens can get it there! 2. It's on probably several hundred BBSes and, again, "bad" people (i.e., foreigners ) can get it there with impunity. (I know that the export of PGP to foreign countries violates certain national security laws, because encryption software is classified as munitions. The Ph.D.s in math at the NSA should simply work harder! And to think: Last year I applied to work at the CIA! Maybe it's better I didn't get a response. I might not have been happy working in an organization of intellectually moribund people such as those who make such policies.)... (A recent issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal had the C code for the heart of PGP: its random number-generating routines. With that, someone could essentially write their OWN encryption software and accomplish the same thing as PGP!)" Sysop Jim Ness tells John: "Yeah, you can get PGP all over the place, but CIS does not want to be the one made an example of, when the gov't cracks down. Of course, CIS still faces some exposure if somebody uses the new FTP faciliy here to get PGP via Internet." Ron tells John: "All the points you raise are correct, but nontheless my hands are tied. You cant use the defense of "other people exceed the speed limit" when you are pulled over by a radar trap. (I know-- I tried it. [g]) There are a lot of illegal files on the Internet, which puts legitimate network services on an unfair footing, but again, there's nothing I can do about that. [sigh]" Sysop Bob Retelle adds: "It's pretty much the same situation as when Wolfenstein 3D couldn't be made available on CompuServe because it violated German law, and CompuServe has direct nodes in Germany. It's a problem, and something that's going to be happening more and more as we open up the "Information Highway", but CIS has to play by the rules, even if not everyone else does." Food for thought, huh folks? Meanwhile, Albert Majkrzak asks: "I have many ST data floppies that I would like to read on my PC. Is there a way to convert to files? They were made on Word Writer ST.... I want to use them with Windows 3.1" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells the other Albert: "If you format a 720K (3.5 inch) floppy on the PC you can move the data between both your ST and PC without any problems. For Word Writer files I think the only option is to save in ascii format. There is a program in the library called Marcel (sp??) that can import several different file formats. It can also output RTF which can be used with many windows programs." Andrew Fletcher warns both Alberts: "But be careful! If you use floppies formatted on a PC on the ST, they will all have the same serial number as far as the ST is concerned. The ST uses the serial number to determine if a floppy disk has been taken out of the drive and changed for another. What this can mean is that if you are using IBM formatted disks on the ST some sectors meant for one disk can end up on another, probably corrupting some of your important data. You can avoid this by only using one IBM formatted disk and making sure all the others were formatted on an ST, or by putting a serial number on an IBM formatted disk using an ST disk editor. I have a (home-brewed) program that will do this too. I will upload it if you wish. Hope this helps (and doesn't confuse!)." Hartmut Hoss asks... "Who can help? I need a CompuServe information manager for a Atari ST with monochrome monitor. Please tell me the name and where I can get it." Andrew Fletcher tells Hartmut: "I'm fairly new to CompuServe myself so maybe there are information managers I don't know about. The one I'm using at the moment is QuickCIS which seems quite good. I downloaded ST/Forum as well but didn't use it as it didn't seem to have any advantages over QuickCIS. Both of them are the libraries in this forum. I found them by doing GO ATARIFF." Sysop Ron Luks tells Hartmut: "There is no CompuServe Information Manager (CIM) released by CompuServe for the Atari ST. Only a PC, MAC and OS/2 version." Simon Churchill adds: "Do a Library search with the word 'QUICKCIS' There are about 6 files, I have yet to unpack them myself, but will hopfully get round to it." Benjamin Eby posts: "I am a new STE owner and a new compuserve member. This is all pretty new to me. My comm. software is ST Talk V. 1.1. My modem is a quicktel Xeba. Question #1: how do I get this to run at 9600bd? The modem requires the software to compress data. Can I do this with my software? Q #2: This software runs VT52 mode. Am I missing out on some features available on other software? (I kind of picked up on this in the message section.) In conclusion, I am very excited to be part of this forum. I think it is great!" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Benjamin: "Hi... welcome to the CompuServe Atari Forums..! I'm not familiar with your Xeba modem... I assume that the software you mentioned needing would be to implement MNP data compression and error correction..? ST-Talk is a rather old program.. I'm pretty sure it was released before the MNP standards were implemented, so I doubt it supports any level of MNP protocols. We have several good telecommunications packages here in our software library that you might want to check out... and there are still a number of commercially available telecom programs from the vendors here online too. I'm sure the other members in the Forum will have some suggestions for their favorites...!" Simon Churchill tells Benjamin: "Hello and welcome to the forum, I am Simon Churchill and travel around the forum's most night's in the U.K. If you are looking for Comm's program's then look for 'STORM' or 'QUICKCIS', use these word's to search the libraries. Quickcis is an off-line reader, this mean's the program is told what to do and then Logs on, read's messages, down loads any files then logs off. This saves you money as you read your messages off-line. It also saves on your Compuserv acount." Benjamin asks: "Why is it that when I download a program using x-modem, I can only read it, but it will not run? I'm puzzled. Do I need something else to run the file?" Carl Barron asks Benjamin: "Which file did you download, 90% or more of the files here are compressed with something. most likely lzh,zip or arc. There are few ready to run programs here. Heres a couple arclzh.* [I forget what its called] and stzip26.* I think they are both self extracting files. Compression saves dl $$ and makes sure all needed files are enclosed in a 'neat' package." Benjamin tells Carl: "Thanks for the info. I need arc. uncompression progr. Where do I get this?" Sysop Bob Retelle explains Arc to Benjamin: "Almost all of our files here are compressed to save you time (and money) when you download them. But before you can RUN them, you will have to uncompress them back to their original size. There are several popular compression schemes used for Atari files. You will need to download the uncompression utility programs for the particular type of compression used on the files you're interested in. If you can tell us which files you downloaded, we can give you the exact uncompression utility you'll need to process the files so you can run them." Bob tells Benjamin: "The file you need to get is in Library #4 here. It's called ARCLZH.PRG After you download it, put it in a folder or on a floppy disk of its own and double click on it. The program will "self-extract" into a number of files and programs, including the unARC utility you need. Included in the group of files is the ARC utility, the LZH compression utility, some documentation files and a shareware "shell" program that can make using the compression utilities a lot easier. Be sure to read the documentation for the ARCSHELL program carefully, if you decide to try it..." Benjamin tells Bob: "I have already downloaded Storm and will need LZH to un- it. I can hardly wait. This is like opening Christmas presents!" Bob Waxer asks: "Is there a way to connect a VGA monitor to a 1040ST? I seem to remember reading about a way to do this some time ago. Any help would be appreciated." Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Bob: "You need a switch box that handles the monitor or you can make your own cable. I think TOAD computers sells switch boxes to handle VGA monitors. Porbably available at other dealers as well." Simon Churchill adds: "If you intent to use a standard VGA monitor please remember it can only display in high resolution. This is because the ST gives out colour at 15.5Khz which requires a special monitor to cope. If you got a special multi-frequency monitor then you would ned to buy a switch box cable. If you have a normal VGA monitor with a 15 way 'D' connector and am happy with High res only then send me any detail's you have about the monitor and I can then check the info I have. If it matches then I can supply you with the required detail's to make a cable yourself." Yat Siu of Lexicor tells Simon: "The other alternative is to attack a graphics board onto your atari (even 520 or 1040 ST, ST(e)) then you can get high end graphics even on a regular ST. Otherwise you will need to get a very flexible monitor, I believe the ones from NEC (older series, 2D, 3D) can sync to 15.5khz." Simon tells Yat: "There are some monitor call 'MICROVITEC' They can handle the 15.5Khz but personaly I would like a Graphics card and monitor. I am looking at one called the NOVA Graphics Card. There is talk of a interface for the ST series machines but I would need to contact the company to find out how thing's are progressing." Yat tells Simon: "Funny you should ask... me, the MICROVITEC Monitors are of very high quality. The NOVA Board can infact fit into the regular ST with a 50 U$D extra (about 35 Pounds) device that need sto be soldered into your ST and you ST also needs to be put into a tower casing. In the U.K. the NOVA Board is available through 16/32 which is Lexicor Software's UK representative. THeir number is (634) 710 788, however if you have anymore specific questions feel free to ask me or anyone else at Lexicor Software." Benjamin Eby asks: "I just wanted to find about any hardware upgrades available for my 1040 STe. Accelerators, video cards, sound cards/chips, anything! I also need to know about copatability. I'm using Warp 9 screen speeder upper, and Shadow, and Pinhead. Long live Atari! Hail to the Chief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Brian Gockley of ST Informer fame tells Benjamin: "Yikes, there are too many to list! Why don't you call Toad Computers and get their catalogue? 1-800-448-8623. Once you've seen the catalogue, you'll have more ideas. Your only problem is the bottlenecks of the 1040; the closed architecture makes it hard to upgrade sometimes. A number of folks just take t he whole thing and put it into a tower case; that leaves room for anything." Benjamin exclaims: "I can put my Atari into a tower case? Where do I get it? pleeeeeeze tell me!" Simon Churchill tells Benjamin: "Look in Lib 6 (I think) for a file called 'TOWER2.TXT' (Again I think) or D/L ST1050. My report about the fun I had putting my ST into a proper ST Tower case can be read in all it's glory. It's one fun txt file." On the subject of the Jaguar, Atari's hot new game machine, Michael Montsko posts: "There may be some good news on the STOCK Front. Although the Jaguar may not be selling as well as expected in the states I hear the oversea sales are quite strong. 4th quarter earnings may be up do to great software sales(nice profit in software). Lets just hope promotional costs don't cut into the 4th quarter earnings too much." Geoff Boyle asks: "Does anyone know where i can buy joystick controllers for the old Atari console system ? Is anyone still making them. These are the switched joysticks with a square base. (I'm new to this forum so apologies if i've left this in the wrong location!)" Albert Dayes tells Geoff: "You can try Toad Computers or Best Electronics for the joysticks." Sysop Bob Retelle adds: "I've had problems finding the good old Atari joysticks myself before.. every now and then I find a store selling out their old stock, but usually these aren't the Atari brand (which I greatly prefer), but one of the add-on kind from another company. At any rate, finding closeouts like that are about the only way to find the joysticks in stores. Be aware that the same joysticks work in Commodore-64 and VIC-20 computers, or any of the Atari computers, so if you find joysticks labelled for those, you can use them on the Atari 2600 game console too. (I even have a joystick that works on these systems that's shaped like a hand grenade.. the stick comes out the top, and you squeeze the handle down the side for the fire button..!) For mail-order, the sources Albert mentioned are a good place to start. We have a text file in the software library here named SUPORT.TXT which gives the names and addresses of companies which still support products like the joysticks you want... check it out.." Joseph Vottis tells us that he... "...Just bought the Jan 95 issue of GAME FAN magazine. There is a news item on an Atari press release. "Atari has joined forces with Virtuality to offer home virtual reality games by Christmas 1995." Sam Tramiel is quoted as saying " By Christmas 95, Jaguar owners will already be wearing the VR headsets and playing VR games at home. While others in the industry play catch up trying to offer 32 and 64 bit systems, Ataris is extending our technological advantage over our competitors by delivering a high quality VR experience." Picture of a great looking girl with a super cool head mounted display and a smile as big as Baltimore. OK. Why wasn't I told about this! ?. Anyone got the scoop?. I looked in the library but saw no press release. Can anyone from Atari comment on this??" Cody Maloney tells Joseph: "Yes, its true. I known about it for about close to 2 months. I was on late last night and I saw Sam Tramiel come online. I was talking to him. He told me and about 5 other people the news about the VR helmet. Pretty cool eh?" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Joseph: "I guess nobody got around to putting the Press Release about the VR units from Virtuality for the Jaguar into the library... It was posted here in the message base a few weeks ago, but it's probably scrolled off by now." Sysop Bob Retelle asks: "I think I missed this before... you said the monsters *don't* respawn in the Nightmare level of Jag DOOM..? Ouch..! What is it that makes it "Nightmare" then..? Do they still move faster on that level..?" Sean Fitzpatrick tells Bob: "Well there seems to be a lot more baddies(than the other modes). There also speeded up and about 10xmore aggresive. I'd also say that the baddies missile weapons move a lot faster. Then again this seems to be a feature of jag doom. I never remeber having this much trouble fighting a cacodemon(they constantly kill me where as on the PC it was faily easy to take one with a pistol given time). This coupled with the slightly slower chain gun/Plasma gun and having no real save option make nigtmare a much harder proposition(You always restart with that little old pistol remeber):( I'd go as far as saying the ultimate doom challange. If anyone thinks the above comments where of base for any reason please correct me? One thing I've noticed is that a lot more of the textures are missing(some nice new Doom 2 ones) than I first thought but most of the levels are nearly intact(with the occasional total butchery). I am however amazed at how well the jaguar handles doom(I do think it would have problems with doom 2 now(then again so did my DX2 at points)). Lastly, This may sound odd, but the jaguar seems version seems very robust speed wise until the game morph's a wall/object. The PC seemed prone to slowdown for different reasons! BTW They both slow down if you can see too much of the level at once or have a truly stupid number of baddies on screen(the jag seems better than most PC's here):) All in all given ID's comments about not utilising the system fully the jaguar must be capable of some truly awesome things." Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, not only for this column, but for this year's edition of my Christmas talk with my niece, Samantha. Sammy is now six years old and she's been asking questions that are even more involved than the ones she asked just last year. I first began with an editorial two years ago entitled "Yes Samantha, there is a Santa Claus... He Just Won't Be Bringing Falcons This Year". If you have the time next week, check it out. And, as always, be prepared to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" It keeps getting better and better.... """"""""""""""""" I submit the following defintion to the American Lexicon.... Pentium (Pen*ti*um); verb. To make a mistake, and poorly handle the after effects, regardless of public opinion. Often coupled with technical double talk minimizing the problem. Common usage "To pull a Pentium". For example: "GM pulled a Pentium over their pickup truck recall." "The Democratic party pulled a Pentium in explaining the recent election results." "Orange County pulled a Pentium with their bankruptcy." "The UN is pulling a Pentium in Bosnia." ....Andrew Carol 71350,3646 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings * """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" --------------- ABCO Incorporated ================= P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 Est. 1985 1-904-783-3319 1994 HOLIDAY SPECIALS NOW IN EFFECT! Take Advantage of the Holiday Specials --------//*\\-------- ABCO manufactures custom storage devices! TEN PERCENT OFF (10%) with this ad (clip) * INTEL * 32 BIT 486DX66, VLB w/Math CoProcessor 8MB ram upgradable to 64MB * 1MB SVGA VESA VIDEO CARD Sound Blaster Compatible Stereo Sound Card DOS 6.22 - Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Included 256K CACHE - 1.44 FLOPPY Drive, Mouse & 101 deluxe Keyboard 340MB IDE hd - 2 SERIAL, 1 PARALLEL, 1 GAME PORT - 14.4 Data/Fax Modem 250W POWER SUPPLY TOWER SYSTEM - 14" SVGA 1024x768, NI 28dpi Monitor 66Mhz, S&H Incl 1395.00 - 695.00 with order, Checks OK, balance COD Other higher powered packages available or, design your own! 90Mhz - Pentium Call for value added pricing! Call: 904-783-3319 Anytime, Voice Mail =====******===== Syquest Removable SCSI Drives(ALL Priced Right!) All Size Platters Available One Platter included with each Drive free! Bernoulli! Call for Prices! ATI Mach 8/32/64 High Performance Video Cards 1-4mb Diamond Computer High Speed Video Cards w/1-4mb VRAM Greatly Enhances Windows SPEED and EFFICIENCY Diamond High Performance Sonic Sound Cards Available Soundblaster Cards and compatibles 8 & 16 bit Creative Technologies' Sound Blaster Pro 16 SCSI & Sound Blaster * AWE 32 * SUPER Powerhouse Sound Card Media Vision Line - True Multi-Media IDE Super IO cards & 16550 UART 2 & 4 Port Cards SCSI ADAPTER CARDS & SCANNERS COLOR & MonoChrome Call: 904-783-3319 Anytime, Voice Mail """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" COMPUTER STUDIO =============== WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER 40 Westgate Parkway -Suite D Asheville, NC 28806 1-800-253-0201 Orders Only 1-704-251-0201 Information FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" EAST HARTFORD COMPUTER ====================== 202 Roberts St. East Hartford CT. 06108 1-203-528-4448 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" MEGABYTE COMPUTERS ================== 907 Mebourne Hurst, TX 76053 1-817-589-2950 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SAN JOSE COMPUTER ================= 1278 Alma Court San Jose, CA. 95112 1-408-995-5080 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" CompuSeller West ================ 220-1/2 W. Main St. St. Charles, IL., 60174 Ph. (708) 513-5220 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" (DEALERS; to be listed here FREE OF CHARGE, drop us a line in Email.) """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International OnLine Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 70,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" December 16, 1994 Since 1987 copyright 1994 All Rights Reserved No.1051 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""