SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. December 23, 1994 No. 1052 ====================================================================== 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 * Featuring well over * 45GB * of Download Files Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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""""""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - Christmas Tale - MS & Vatican Hoax - Frankie's Corner - dBase 5 WIN - Sharp Pulls Newton - False Virus - Trekkie Christmas - Club Drive Review - Win95 & New CD - People Talking - JAGUAR NEWSWIRE! -* NEW Pentiums Flowing! *- -* WIN'95 = August'95 *- -* French Pirates NAILED! *- ========================================================================== 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. 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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!" """""""""""""""""""""" A full week has gone by and my two sons are "on the mend". While we still have to be at the hosital every day for twice daily treatments and re-dressing of their injuries, they are both looking wonderful. I thank each and everyone of you for sending along your well wishes and prayers. Please, if anyone wishes to send along a card to Ralph & Victor, send it care of; STReport International Online Magazine at POB 6672 Jacksonville, FL 32205. They were thrilled with the cards and letters so far. All I can say is its certainly boosted their spirits. My heartfelt thanks to you all once again. Christmas is upon us. All that need be said is .... We Wish.... A very Holy, Healthy, Peaceful and Serene Christmas Holiday to each and every one of you. God Bless you All. 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 #52 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* ** Intel Changes Pentium Policy ** After weeks of criticism concerning its replacement policy, Intel this week said that they will exchange the processor for any owner of a Pentium-based system who is concerned about the flaw in the device's floating point. Intel notes that the offer will be in effect for the lifetime of a user's PC. The chip maker says it's making a rapid manufacturing tran- sition to the updated Pentium version, and expects to be able to ship sufficient replacement parts to meet demand during the next few months. "The past few weeks have been deeply troubling. What we view as an extremely minor technical problem has taken on a life of its own," says Andrew Grove, Intel's president and CEO. Intel will take a charge against fourth quarter earnings to cover costs associated with the replacement program. ** Windows 95 Delayed -- Again ** Microsoft Corp this week announced that the debut of its long-awaited Windows 95 operating software, originally set for release last spring, will be further delayed, possibly until August. Reports say that large corporate purchases of the new operating system may not begin until 1996, since many companies will undergo an evaluation process that could last several months once the product is released. "We have always said we will ship this product when it is ready, and that is what we are committed to do," Brad Silverberg, senior vice president of the personal systems division, said in a statement. "We want Windows 95 to meet the high standards for product excellence that our customers expect." Industry analysts didn't seem bothered by the delay, noting that such software product delays are not uncommon. "It's a very sophisticated product the company is working on," said Rick Owens, vice president of research for Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon. "It's not completely shocking that a major project such as Windows 95 has faced ongoing delays." However, Owens acknowledged that as long as the delays were caused only by bugs, it shouldn't be too worrisome. "If it's just bugs I would be less concerned. But if there are architectural issues involved, then it becomes more of an issue," he said. Already in beta testing with some 48,000 participants, Windows 95 will receive additional testing in the spring when several hundred thousand customers are asked to evaluate it. The newest operating system will be faster and less complicated than Windows 3.1 and will be able to run without DOS. ** Windows 95 to Support New CD Format ** Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows 95 operating system will support a new audio-CD format that will allow users to view video clips, photographs, animation and text along with music using the same discs that can be played on standard audio CD players. Reports are that Microsoft is working with Sony Corp. and Philips Electronics NV in the development of stamped multisession technology, which will allow easier use of CD-ROMs in audio-CD players. CD-ROM titles currently use the first track of a compact disc for data that produces static and can potentially cause speaker damage when played in audio-CD players. This new format will be supported by Windows 95. Microsoft will provide the record industry with a broad set of tools to help make the enhanced audio-CD title discs. ** Pioneer Cuts CD-ROM Prices ** Pioneer New Media Technologies Inc. has cut the prices on its six disc CD-ROM changers. The price of the DRM-602X, a double-speed reader, has been lowered from $1,250 to $495. The DRM-604X, a quadruple-speed reader, is now priced at $995, down from $1,895. The Pioneer DRM-602X and DRM- 604X changers allow users to load six CD-ROM discs simultaneously with a patented six-disc magazine. Both changers support the SCSI-2 interface and hold up to 4GB of data. ** Packard Bell Ordered to Pay ** A Texas district court has ordered Packard Bell Electronics Inc. to pay a customer $1,000 in damages for selling a PC that didn't have a certain graphics feature as advertised. The court also ordered Packard Bell to pay $500 in attorney's fees to the plaintiff. Sources say that the case involves personal computers with Cirrus Logic 5434 video chips. According to the judgment, the company falsely advertised that these computers were capable of providing extended VGA resolution of as much as 1280 x 1020. Also, the court ordered Packard Bell to produce within 30 days a list of the customers who purchased these machines. The court ordered a hearing within 120 days to determine class-action status on the case. ** Firm Predicts 200M Internet Users ** A high-tech tracking firm is predicting the number of computer users with access to the Internet will grow from its current level of 25 million worldwide to more than 200 million by the year 2000. Peter Cunningham, president of INPUT, is quoted as saying an explo- sion in access to the Internet will change the way people relate to each other, adding, "The Internet will do for personal networking what the microcomputer did for personal computing." The firm forecasts the consumer market will far exceed the business- to-business market. "As entertainment, education and personal communi- cations explode on the Internet," INPUT says "the consumer markets could potentially exceed $200 billion by the end of the decade." Cunningham said that he believes business-to-business electronic commerce volumes transacted over the Internet may reach over $50 billion by 2000 in the U.S. alone, and about half that amount internationally. He said, "The Internet phenomenon is already creating overnight mil- lionaires. It also poses a challenge for established services companies who are being dragged 'kicking and screaming' into the Internet." INPUT has studied the network services market for 20 years, and is continuing its research with major studies and services in Internet, CALS and electronic commerce. ** CorelDRAW May Be Delayed ** Corel Corp. says that as a result of Microsoft's decision to delay the release of Windows 95 until August, the general availability of its CorelDRAW 6 software may also be delayed. Currently being developed to run on Windows 95, CorelDRAW 6's origin- ally planned release date of late May may now be extended to reflect the new Microsoft Windows 95 ship date, says Corel. CorelDRAW 6 provides tools for graphic design, desktop publishing and photo retouching. It also offers support for business presentations, charting and animation. ** ZDS Cuts Notebook PC Prices ** Zenith Data Systems says it has cut prices on its entire line of Z- NOTEFLEX notebook PCs. The reductions range up to 18% and result in a new base system price of $2,369. ZDS has also introduced new performance upgrade and configuration options, including support for the 100MHz version of the IntelDX4 microprocessor. Additionally, the company is offering extended service and support hours plus an expanded LCD protection policy. Under the terms of the annual policy, ZDS will replace up to two LCD panels per year to cover accidental damage. The Z-NOTEFLEX line offers a range of interchangeable VGA monochrome, passive-matrix and active-matrix displays. The notebook comes standard with a 3.5-inch diskette drive that can be swapped for a second battery pack, upgradeable FLASH BIOS and two Type II PCMCIA expansion slots that form a single Type III slot. The standard 4MB or 8MB of RAM can be upgraded to a maximum of 24MB using 4MB, 8MB or 16MB memory modules. ** Sharp Yanks U.S. Newton Product ** Sharp Electronics Corp. has pulled from the U.S. market the hand-held computer it derived from Apple Computer Inc.'s Newton and has replaced it with a Zaurus communicator similar to the one it sells in Japan. Sources say, "A key difference between the Japanese and the U.S. version, which sells for $750, is that the latter has an attachable keyboard to make serious writing easier." The unit can send and receive electronic mail, operate as a pager, receive and facsimile messages, exchange data with personal computers and store handwritten notes as graphics using an electronic ink program. ** Apple, IBM Shipping Multimedia ** Kaleida Labs Inc., the joint venture by Apple Computer Inc. and IBM, finally is ready to begin shipping interactive multimedia software. Kaleida representatives are quoted as confirming the firm will unveil ScriptX, a programming language designed for multimedia software devel- opers, and a software "player," called Kaleida Media Player Version 1.0., to help run ScriptX. Sources say the player was developed by Apple and Toshiba Corp., adding, "Analysts say at this point it appears ScriptX, once aimed at running on PCs, game players and TV set-top boxes, has been scaled back to running on just PCs. The Kaleida spokesperson would not discuss what platform ScriptX will run on." ** French Crack HUGE Pirate Ring ** Paris police have arrested 37 people and seized large stocks of computers and software in what they describe as a large-scale ring of electronic game pirates. The pirated games were mostly produced by Nintendo and Sega. Reports say the arrests follow a two-year police investigation which involved specialized inquiries into computer operations. One of the alleged leaders of the gang is a 22-year-old Frenchman, currently held in Virginia ... under another charge. The suspects are accused of "cracking" programs with electronic equipment obtained in Hong Kong and Taiwan in order to copy the games that were then sold either as disks or delivered electronically to users. ** Microsoft Outpaces Software Market ** Market researcher Dataquest says its preliminary estimates of the 1994 worldwide PC business software market show that Microsoft's revenue growth outpaced the entire market. The worldwide PC business software market grew by more than $550 million in 1994, while Microsoft s related revenue grew by more than $650 million. "Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, dBASE, Paradox, and Harvard Graphics once dominated their respective categories. Today, Microsoft products have replaced each of these one-time product category leaders," says Karl Wong, principal analyst of Dataquest's PC Software service. "Microsoft's Office suite has captured its competitors' leadership positions in nearly every significant business application category." The worldwide 1994 PC business software market grew by more than 7% over 1993. Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec, Intuit, Corel, and Delrina all exhibited double- digit growth during the year. ** 'Good Times' Virus Called a Hoax ** Virus experts are dismissing current rumors that a new computer virus called "Good Times" is attached and spread by an electronic mail message. The virus doesn't exist, the message is a hoax, and you can't get a virus from opening e-mail," David Schwoegler, a public information officer at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, told writer Tim Moran of the Modesto (California) Bee. The problem is, Schwoegler said, well-intentioned people keep sending along messages about the alleged virus, forming a kind of a chain letter intended to warn people, and now tens of thousands of messages have circulated on various systems. Schwoegler said the labs' Computer Incident Advisory Capability Team, which deals with security issues, determined the message was a hoax because the description of what the virus does is technically impossible. "You have to execute a program to catch a virus," he said. "You are practicing safe computing if you just open e-mail." Moran notes that on most online systems a file can be attached to an e-mail message, but a user would have to download the file and try to execute it in order to risk getting a virus. Phil Talsky, manager for the anti-viral software products of McAfee Inc. also told Moran that "Good Times" is a hoax. He said his company discovers 200 to 300 new viruses a month, including 100 to 200 samples sent in by users of its anti-virus software. "If it were real, one of our users would have found it and sent it to us," he said. ** GOOFY HOAX EXPOSED ** ** Gates Didn't Buy Catholic Church ** Flash: Bill Gates isn't acquiring the Roman Catholic church. In the shaggiest shaggy dog story to hit the cybersphere in long time, a prankster has circulated around the Internet a dispatch faked to look as if it came from The Associated Press saying the software giant was eying the Vatican. Under a Vatican City dateline, the phony story went on, "If the deal goes through, it will be the first time a computer software company has acquired a major world religion," adding the purported deal called for: -:- Microsoft to get exclusive electronic rights to the Bible. -:- Pope John Paul II to become the senior vice president of the combined company's new religious software division. -:- Two Microsoft senior vice presidents to be invested in the College of Cardinals. The yarn also said Microsoft chief Gates promised to use a Microsoft network to "make the sacraments available online for the first time." Well, you guessed it: enough people called Microsoft this week thinking the tale might be true that the company had to release a statement labelling it all a hoax. __________________________________ > Frankie's Corner STR Feature """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Memphis Math *** The Kids' Computing Corner ========================== by Frank Sereno I'd like to add my wishes to those of the STR staff and management to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May you enjoy love and friendship on this and every day in the coming year. Peace! Memphis Math by WordPerfect Main Street 1555 N. Technology Way Orem, UT 84057-2399 phone 800-451-5151 Windows CD-rom MRSP $59.95 ages 8 to 14 IBM Requirements CPU: 486SX Graphics: 256-color VGA Hard disk: 4 megs RAM: 4 megs OS: Windows 3.1 CD-rom: double-speed Sound: MPC compatible sound card Developed by WordPerfect with the Waterford Institute, Memphis Math is an adventure game with math lessons and some history too. Using a combination of detailed and interesting visuals, an entertaining sound track and tricky puzzles, Memphis Math is sure to intrigue and delight many children. The child will play the game as Dr. T. C. King, a college math professor and collector of Egyptian antiquities. The goal is to find the three pieces of the Sacred Scarab and find the path to the tomb of Tahp Ra-Men. The tomb has been rumored to hold incredible treasures and the secret equations of the pyramids. The child will have to explore three ancient ruins to find the three pieces of the Sacred Scarab. To enter each ruin, the child will make a proper math equation from the stones of the ruin. If the child answers incorrectly, he will lose health points and his character will die after several incorrect answers. The child has three lives to solve the mystery. Once inside each ruin, he can gather ancient artifacts by successfully solving math problems. By checking his inventory, he can learn about the history and usage of the artifacts. Upon finding a piece of the scarab, the child will be confronted by an Egyptian god who will challenge him with math story problems. If the player answers five questions correctly, he retains the scarab piece. If he answers wrongly, he will lose a life. Upon obtaining the third part of the scarab, the player will be rewarded with an end game animation showing the discovery of the tomb. Memphis Math is very pleasing visually. Some animations are slow when run from the CD-rom. Still screens are very detailed and colorful. This is one of few programs that recommends using a 32,000 color display but it looked great in 256 colors. The sound has excellent quality but it isn't used to full advantage. Once the player is inside a site, no sound is used. Background music is only used in the opening credits, the introductory story and the end of game animation. All voices are spoken with excellent diction. The interface has many rough edges. No audible help is given, but the program uses the standard Windows Help interface. Unless you are familiar with Windows, it is easy to get lost searching for information. Another problem is the program moves from one kind of math problem to another but it never explains the math problem before launching into a new series. I would like to see an animated example solved for the player so he will understand the concept before he attempts to solve problems. The interface does have its good points as well. The program can track the progress of ten students. Each student can have his own settings for speed and accuracy to progress. The program automatically moves the student from one category of math problem to another as he builds skills. Memphis Math is fairly entertaining. I think it needs to better use multimedia to be more attractive to children. The game is an enjoyable challenge the first few times through, but it doesn't change much from play to play except having to solve new kinds of math problems. Positive feedback is very subtle and this may discourage younger children. Educational value is good. The program will teach over one hundred math concepts including fractions, decimals and percentages. Memphis Math has over 1800 math problems. The program will graduate a child from one concept to another or a specific set of problems can be chosen at program startup. I do feel that Memphis Math could have used better multimedia means to explain the concepts. Memphis Math has high suggested retail price. I would hazard a guess that it could be found for near $40 at discounters. If the game changed more from play to play I would give it a higher score here but I fear many children will lose interest after a few plays. It will take many plays to go through all the math concepts that Memphis Math can teach. Ratings Graphics ........... 8.5 Sounds ............. 8.0 Interface .......... 7.5 Play Value ......... 7.0 Educational Value .. 9.0 Bang for the Buck .. 7.5 Average ............ 7.91 ### Mental Math by WordPerfect Main Street Floppy diskette for IBM compatibles MRSP $49.95 Ages six to fourteen IBM Requirements CPU: 8088 Graphics: 256-color VGA Hard disk: 8 megs RAM: 640K OS: DOS CD-rom: none Sound: sound card recommended Mental Math uses seven arcade games to teach children to solve math problems without pencil and paper or a calculator. The program covers hundreds of math concepts and variations and allows each child to progress at his own pace. The program can track the budding math skills of ten students or each child can choose his own concepts to study. Moon Flight is a rocket launching game. Solving math problems will boost the rocket toward orbit while incorrect answers will cause the rocket to fall back to earth. Correctly answer enough problems and the rocket will land on the moon. Math Match is a concentration game which requires players to not only find matching cards but also to solve the math equations on the cards. If the cards do not match or the problem is answered incorrectly, the cards will be turned back over. Match all twenty cards to see an animated picture. Tip-a-Duck is a simulation of a shooting arcade. The child answers math problems as they move across the screen on the sides of tin ducks. Each round has twenty questions and children can earn various "prizes" depending on the number of correct answers. Maze requires mental agility, logic and dexterity. Children guide a mouse around a maze by solving math problems to change directions to gather cheese and avoid traps. The game is completed when five levels have been finished or the child has run into three traps. Fraction Fish involves fraction math problems. The game is a version of checkers played on a smaller board. The child will play against the computer. If the child answers a problem correctly, he will get to move one of his fish checkers. If he cannot provide the correct answer within fifteen seconds, he will lose his turn. Mental Blocks is a variation of Tetris. The blocks are numbers and math symbols. The object is to assemble valid math equations in horizontal, vertical and diagonal rows as the blocks fall. To prevent the game from being impossible, wild card blocks can be used to represent any number or math symbol to form a valid equation. The final game is the raccoon race. Children race the clock to solve twenty math problems. The reward for successfully completing the problems is a short animation of Rusty Raccoon. Each successful race will bring Rusty one step closer to home. Mental Math has pleasant, colorful graphics but these are not state of the art. The images appear to have jagged edges and are not finely detailed. The animations are passable. The program looks several years old. Setting up the program to use your sound card is not as easy as many other programs. It does not automatically detect IRQ or addresses or even recognize the card. The sounds are quite good once you have the program set up properly. The program uses no digitized speech. The interface has no audible help. Help screens are provided but the font is difficult to read. Moving to various portions of the program is done with the mouse. The escape key can be used to exit the games in progress. The program does track ten students and moves them to more difficult math concepts when they are ready. The program does lack a parent's section to gauge each child's progress or to make individual settings. To make adjustments, the parent must run a utility program and type arcane command lines. Mental Math wants to be user friendly but it has a lot of rough edges. Children should find Mental Math to a fun challenge. I would like to see more variations in the incentives and encouragement because the games will become repetitious after a time. Beating previous high scores will only work for so long. It will take many hours of play to cover the many concepts covered in the program. Mental Math does have great educational value. It covers a wide range of math concepts from early elementary to junior high school topics. Bang for the Buck is fair. The program is priced high with outdated graphics and a user interface in need of improvement. Similar programs are available that are much easier to use and enjoy. Ratings Graphics ........... 6.0 Sounds ............. 7.0 Interface .......... 6.5 Play Value ......... 7.0 Educational Value .. 9.0 Bang for the Buck .. 7.0 Average ............ 7.08 ### Troggle Trouble Math by MECC 6160 Summit Drive North Minneapolis, MN 55430-4003 phone 612-569-1500 Floppy diskette for IBM and Macintosh approximate retail $39 for ages six to twelve IBM Requirements Macintosh Requirements CPU: 386-25 CPU: Color Macintosh RAM: 4 megs RAM: 4 megs Video: SVGA Video: 256 color CD-ROM: no CD-ROM: no H disk: 9 megs H disk: 9 megs OS: Windows 3.1 OS: System 7.0 Windows compatible sound card Troggle Trouble Math is an enticing combination of adventure gaming and math learning in the Muncher software series. Cartoon-like graphics and humorous animations will encourage your child to aid Magenta and her dog Sparky on a quest to save the Muncher from evil Dr. Frankentroggle. The program has sixty levels of difficulty and can detect and track each child's progress. Your child will guide Sparky through five worlds looking for clues to thwart Dr. Frankentroggle. He will use a new device which Magenta has invented called a troggulator. It consists of a calculator, a radio, a shield generator and a power button for renewing the power level of the troggulator. Your child directs Sparky by moving the bone cursor around the screen. Sparky must not run into objects or he will lose dog biscuits. The Troggles will steal the dog biscuits also. If Sparky runs out of dog biscuits, then Magenta will take him home and the game is over. More dog biscuits can be found on each world and can be collected by guiding Sparky to them. When Troggles appear, Sparky will howl and his force field must be engaged by clicking the button on the troggulator or by pressing the space bar. The child must then count the Troggles or have Sparky count them by feeding him a dog biscuit. The Troggulator will then show the sign for one math operation and the child must create a math equation using that operation that will equal the number of Troggles. Once that is done, the Troggles will disappear. Unfortunately, this takes power. When the troggulator gets low on power, the child must press the power up button. He will then be shown an equation and he must supply the correct answer. The troggulator cannot be used to compute the answer so the math must be done mentally or with paper and pencil. The player is not penalized for incorrect answers but time is limited. Troggles will not attack during a power up. To find clues, Sparky must enter sheds, caves and other openings. Once inside, story problems will be presented to the child. He can use the calculator function of the troggulator to do the math since these problems can involve complex numbers and multiple calculations. When enough questions have been answered, a chest will open and the child will be prompted to "look outside" where he will find a clue or a flashing dog biscuit. If the player needs a clue, he can call Magenta on the troggulator but this will use up power. The game consists of eight levels which become increasingly more difficult. The child will progress on a grade scale as he becomes more proficient. A report can be shown on the screen which details the player's current grade level skill and proficiency. The child can choose a grade level when he starts the game. Troggle Trouble Math has colorful and amusing graphics. The main viewing screen is rather small. It was six inches square on my 14-inch monitor. The animations of the Sparky and the Troggles were quite amusing. I was a bit disappointed that no effort was made to sync Magenta's mouth with her speech. The program has very good sound. Sound effects are used often and to good effect. Magenta's voice is very pleasant and enthusiastic. The music is better than average. This program is aimed at a wide range of children and it comes up short for younger children. The program provides no audible help. Audible encouragement is only provided when the child finds a clue to locate Dr. Frankentroggle. Visual encouragement is provided for answering math problems but younger children may not be able to read all the words. This is true for the story problems also. I feel that an option should be available to have the problem read aloud. Hearing the problem may aid the child in solving the problem even if he can adequately read. Another problem is the loading and saving of game files. Younger children will not be familiar file naming conventions. In short, children under eight will most likely need parental assistance in operating this program. On the upside, the program is easy to install. The documentation is complete with a thorough troubleshooting guide. On-line help is available on a myriad of subjects. The interface is very easy for older children. The program does provide positive feedback although it is visual rather than audible. Play value is above average. The quest to rescue the Muncher is entertaining and amusing. One drawback is long gaming sessions can be very hazardous to the wrist. Educational value is excellent. The program provides several methods for learning math skills and gradually increases the difficulty of problems and introduces new concepts as your child gains math mastery. This program has excellent value because your child can use it for several years. With an estimated street price of $39, this program carries a mid- range price but has top-line value. MECC offers a 30-day money back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with this product. Ratings Graphics ............. 8.0 Sounds ............... 8.5 Interface ............ 7.5 Play Value ........... 8.5 Educational Value .... 9.5 Bang for the Buck .... 9.0 Average .............. 8.5 _______________________________________ > CREATIVE Leads the WAY! STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" LEADING SOFTWARE COMPANIES SUPPORT SOUND BLASTER AS THE MULTIMEDIA SOUND STANDARD Over one million software boxes will carry the Sound Blaster Compatibility Logo this Christmas. An increasing number of companies are now participating in Creative Technology's Sound Blaster Compatibility Logo Program. The Program, launched last September, provides testing and verification for PC-based software to ensure that software titles tested are 100 percent Sound Blaster(tm) compatible. Creative has signed on more than 30 firms that are licensing the use of one of three different Sound Blaster compatibility logos for incorporation onto packaging and collateral material. As a result, both end-users and retailers are now offered the assurance that these developers' software titles are truly Sound Blaster compatible. According to Arnold Waldstein, director of software product marketing for Creative Labs, Inc., Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiary, there has been broad acceptance of the Sound Blaster Compatibility Logo Program among the software community. "The overwhelming success of the Sound Blaster Compatibility Logo Program proves that Sound Blaster, as an industry standard, is growing in value to both the software community and the retail marketplace." Leading software companies are aligning with Creative and the Sound Blaster Compatibility Logo Program to ensure customers the best sounding product. "Our involvement in the Sound Blaster Compatibility Logo Program is one of the many ways we uphold our commitment to consumers," says Rand Bleimeister, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Virgin Interactive Entertainment. "By displaying the Sound Blaster compatibility logo on our boxes, we're assuring our end-users of our product's tested compatibility with Sound Blaster's PC audio standard." "Creative Labs has set the PC audio industry standard with its Sound Blaster family of products," says Jill Goldworn, director of contract sales at Interplay Productions, Inc. "Our participation in its Compatibility Logo Program assures our customers of our compliance with this standard and our commitment to quality products and service." In addition to Interplay Productions, Inc. and Virgin Interactive Entertainment, the growing list of participating registered developers includes Electronic Arts, Mindscape (formerly The Software Toolworks), Sony Electronic Publishing Company, Westwood Studios, 7th Level, Asymetrix, Davidson & Associates, Opcode Interactive, T/Maker Company, The Blue Ribbon SoundWorks, Ltd., The Music Factory and Twelve Tone Systems, among others. To further increase the Program's visibility, an extended marketing campaign has been launched for the retail channel. The campaign provides posters, shelf-talkers, buttons & stickers to retail outlets. INFORMATION UPDATE ------------------ CONTACT: Benita Kenn Creative Labs, Inc. (408) 428-6600 ext. 6406 For information about these Sound Blaster compatibility logos and participation in the Program, please contact Scott D. Taylor at Creative Labs, Inc. at (408) 428-6600, ext. 6402. 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(tm) 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, Inc., E-mu 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 trademark of Creative Technology Ltd. E-mu is a registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc. and ShareVision is a registered trademark of ShareVision Technology, Inc. ________________________________________ > IBMAPP's FAVORITES! STR Spotlight """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Top downloads from Compuserve's IBMAPP Forum during the period of 15-Nov-94 thru 15-Dec-94. [76336,114] Lib: 7 FNWRD.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 2135, Count: 1787, 05-May-94(06-May-94) Title : Phone Words; make words out of telephone numbers Keywords: PHONE NUMBERS WORDS SHAREWARE This shareware zip file contains phonword.doc and fonwrd.com. Want to know what words are possible from your phone number? Get all 3^7 possibles. Want to know the phone number from a given word. Get that too. [71610,661] Lib:10 VUIMAG.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 118272, Count: 3076, 19-Mar-93(03-May-93) Title : VUIMAGE(tm) Ver 3.40 GIF/PCX/TIFF Viewer/Printer Keywords: GIF TIFF PCX FAX MAP PIC IMAGE VIEWER PRINT LASERJET Zoom/Pan/Scale almost unlimited on almost any size image in 180K memory on CGA/EGA/Herc/VGA/SVGA/VESA_SVGA/8514. Print full image/print screen to user set size on laserjet/8-24-pin dotmatrix/ postscript. Auto/manual filetype, video-mode, scaling, print size etc. Variable zoom/pan, dither options, adj bright/contrast. Call from other software, XMS support, 600 dpi laserjet. Shareware from Offe. [73567,1547] Lib: 7 KITKIN.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 349966, Count: 858, 15-May-94(16-Aug-94) Title : KITH AND KIN FOR WINDOWS v2.03 Keywords: GENEALOGY WINDOWS FAMILY TREE PEDIGREE OLE Kith & Kin V2.03 : Windows genealogy (ASP). A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON YOUR FAMILY TREE. Excellent shareware program for documenting and storing family trees. Has an easy to use graphical interface & powerful editing tools. Pictures, maps, diagrams, sounds, etc may be embedded in or linked to a person or family. This release has several bug-fixes. 286+, Windows 3.1+, VGA+. SpanSoft/Scotland. Auth: Nick J. Hunter, SpanSoft [100101,1155] [71450,254] Lib: 7 LEGAL8.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 704293, Count: 577, 10-Jul-94 Title : Your Personal Legal Guide - V.8 Keywords: LEGAL SELFHELP LAW DIVORCE CONTRACTS ATTORNEY With over 130 legal forms; plus tutorials & the complete annotated text of relevent statutes, this may be the most complete legal self-help software available. Includes an artificial-intelligence forms generator that will create divorce, bill-of-sale, loan, power of attorney, wills, corporate, and other legal forms for you--you just fill in the blanks. Shareware by PSG-HomeCraft. [71470,3236] Lib:10 VUEPRI.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 218419, Count: 1411, 02-Jan-94(23-Nov-94) Title : VuePrint 3.3 - Fast JPEG/GIF Viewer for Windows Keywords: JPEG JPG GIF BMP PCX TGA VIEW PRINT VuePrint 3.3 is a fast Windows JPEG/GIF viewer which can: - view & save 5 file types (GIF, BMP, PCX, TGA, JPG) - copy/paste images and image comments - install a screen saver (formerly VueSav) - read/write uuencoded files - display multiple images in a window - display 24-bit images on a 256-color display - use 12 effects for repainting screen VuePrint is the most-downloaded Windows program on both CompuServe and America Online. Requires Windows 3.1 and 386+. Shareware. [73542,256] Lib: 6 QTC24I.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 567676, Count: 193, 06-Jul-94 Title : QuickTrax TimeCard! Keywords: EMPLOYEE TIMECLOCK TIME CARD ATTENDANCE SCHEDULE QTC! 2.4I is a full featured, Network ready Time Clock program. Features include a 3 level user interface, including a Quick Clock mode. Track up to 9,999 employee records with Emergency, Schedules, To Do Lists, E-Mail and messaging. Over 20 reports with QBE filters. Prints and accepts Bar Code name badges. Track time by Dep't, Account and Attendance codes. Uploaded by author, Michael E. Messier. Call (510) 277-1502 for more info. Shareware $39 [72154,761] Lib:12 GS261E.ZIP/Bin Bytes:1202251, Count: 1609, 27-Jul-93 Title : Ghostscript ver. 2.6.1 DOS, Windows and DOS/386 Keywords: GHOSTSCRIPT POSTSCRIPT CONVERT VIEW PRINT EPS PS Ghostscript is a Postscript compatible interpreter. It will allow you to view Postscript files onscreen and print them to non-Postscript printers. GS261F.ZIP is recommended if using Postscript documents containing text. Supported file output formats: gif pcx Supported Printers: Laserjet, deskjet, IBM proprinter, epson 9 and 24 pin printers. More can be added via the available source code [73567,1547] Lib: 7 YHIRED.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 210542, Count: 458, 07-Jun-94 Title : You're Hired! 1.32: Great Job Interview Simulator Keywords: JOB EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW WORK RESUME CAREER ASP YOU'RE HIRED! v1.32 - Informative job interview simulator that provides realistic training to prepare you for your next job interview. "You're Hired!" asks you common challenging questions and records elapsed times as you verbally respond. Press a key to receive professional advice and to review your own reminder notes. Also add, change, and print the questions and advice. Practice makes perfect. 512K RAM. From DataWell $26.95 ASP Shareware. [70451,2734] Lib:10 GWSWIN.EXE/Bin Bytes: 980992, Count: 841, 03-Apr-93(07-Nov-94) Title : Graphic Workshop 1.1N Keywords: GRAPHIC GIF TIFF TARGA JPG CONVERT VIEW THUMBNAIL WINDOWS Converts, prints, views, dithers, transforms, flips, rotates, scales, crops, colour adjusts, catalogs, quantizes and wreaks special effects on MAC IMG PCX GIF TIFF JPG PCD WPG MSP IFF/LBM BMP RLE FLI FLC WMF CLP ICO AVI CUT ART CGM PLT DIB HRZ RAS TGA CPT CDR Preview FITS uuencoded graphics EXE & TXT files. Has thumbnail previews & Photo-CD support. From Alchemy Mindworks Inc. [75300,2710] Lib: 1 QEDIT3.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 211934, Count: 951, 02-Feb-94(07-Dec-94) Title : QEdit 3.0c Shareware release Keywords: QEDIT ASP SHAREWARE EDIT EDITOR WORD PROCESSOR MACROS QEDIT ADVANCED v3.00C - Blazingly fast, multi-file, multi-window, compact DOS text editor, both powerful and EASY to use. Includes macros; column blocks; variable, smart, and fixed tab support; basic word- processing features. Configurable, including keyboard, colors, and initial settings. Data Based Advisor Readers Choice as Best Program/ Text Editor. Over 120,000 licensed users in 70+ countries prefer QEdit! [72154,761] Lib:12 GSVU08.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 201391, Count: 1182, 09-Jul-93 Title : Ghostview for Windows - a front end for Ghostscr Keywords: POSTSCRIPT GHOSTSCRIPT PS EPS VIEW PRINT FRONTEND Ghostview for Windows. Needs Ghostscript 2.6. Source included. Ghostview for Windows is a graphical interface for MS-Windows Ghostscript. Ghostscript is an interpreter for the PostScript page description language. For documents following the Adobe PostScript Document Structuring Convention, it will allow you to view pages in an arbitrary order, create eps previews of individual pages, etc. See the README file for more information [71613,2654] Lib: 1 EDITPR.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 171538, Count: 85, 15-Nov-94 Title : EditPro v1.31 - Text/Hex Disk based editor Keywords: WINDOWS HEX EDIT EDITOR EDITPRO DISK FILE DRAG DROP EditPro is a professional disk based Windows editor. EditPro has all the standard editor features and HEXadecimal editing capability. Features include: Unlimited file size, Insert/Overstrike, MACROS, bookmarks, auto indentation, line and column display, drag and drop, HEX find, HEX insert/delete, edit 15 files at once, add/remove indents, page margins/headers/footers, page break, goto, help and more. An excellent NOTEPAD replacement. Register online by typing "GO SWREG" and registering ID 2662 [72561,1632] Lib: 7 2000QU.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 210390, Count: 114, 11-Nov-94 Title : 2000 Great Quotations (Windows) Keywords: QUOTATIONS WRITING SPEAKING 2,000 Great Quotations -- Teachers, Students, Writers, Speech-Makers, Lawyers, and Marketing and Business Professionals will love this classic collection. State-of-the-art retrieval software is included: you can search by author, subject, or keyword, or browse via hyper-links. It's a great way to help make your point, and it's fun, too! Freeware. Requires Windows 3.1. [76130,1463] Lib: 1 MEGAED.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 136865, Count: 2852, 01-Jun-92(26-May-94) Title : MegaEdit text editor ver 2.11 for large files Keywords: EDITOR WINDOWS MACINTOSH UNIX ASCII TEXT PROGRAMMERS BINARY NOTEPAD "An elegant, powerful text editor for Windows." Chosen in April '93 PC World's roundup of 45 *best* programs for < $50! PC Computing "WinApp of the Month", Oct '93; featured in Windows's Gizmos (NY Times best selling technical book), Info-World, Windows's user, and many other publicationjs. NO LIMITS on file sizes. Split screen editing of one or multiple files. Formated display of binary files. Import/Export of UNIX/Mac files. Word- wrap, lots of other great features. Shareware, v2.08 [75334,3714] Lib:10 SMRTDR.ZIP/Bin Bytes: 476095, Count: 71, 16-Nov-94 Title : SmartDraw v1.01 Windows Drawing Program Keywords: WINWORD SMARTDRAW DRAW WINDOWS FLOWCHART MSWORD SmartDraw: easy-to-use program for Windows that lets anyone draw great looking flowcharts, diagrams & other business graphics. Better value & easier to use than Visio, more powerful than SnapGrafx, SmartDraw provides drag & drop drawing, automatic connecting lines between shapes, built-in design styles, shape libraries. Works with Microsoft Office & other programs as a OLE Server. You don't have to be an artist to get professional results when you use SmartDraw. Req: Windows 3.1 & a 386+ Shareware. ______________________________________________________ > dBase 5.0 STR Spotlight First Class Assistance """"""""""""""""""""""" Installing dBASE 5.0 for Windows ================================ OVERVIEW -------- Under certain conditions, a software program may not behave as expected. For example, a programmer may use commands and functions that work in some, but not all, environments. Some times a hardware problem may appear to be software related. In the programmer's case, there is usually a different means of achieving the desired result; a hardware problem may involve system reconfiguration, or perhaps data recovery. The solution to such problems may involve quite a few steps, therefore a step-by-step approach to troubleshooting and working around problems is warranted. This Tech Info article provides suggestions for resolving a specific problem you may haveencountered. INTRODUCTION ------------ This document steps needed to install dBASE 5.0 for Windows, what to do if you encounter problems and some advantages of dBASE for Windows over dBASE IV. What are the advantages of a Windows version of dBASE? ------------------------------------------------------ The dBASE family of products has a history filled with technological advancements. This trend continues with the release of dBASE 5.0 for Windows. Windows is an advanced graphical user interface that allows applications to share available system resources. This requires that the applications abide by set standards when communicating with your system hardware, and allows them to trade information using standard communication protocols. dBASE 5.0 for Windows is backward compatible, allowing applications created in earlier dBASE versions to run in the Windows environment. Databases, reports, forms, labels and programs from earlier versions can all be utilized. This eases the transition from DOS to Windows. The user interface implemented in dBASE 5.0 for Windows has been designed to be intuitive to the user. As the pointer floats from one icon to the next, a description of the icon's purpose is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the screen. Furthermoree, many commonly used menu options have been implemented as SpeedBar buttons. Once the user becomes familiar with the button functions, working within dBASE becomes effortless and efficient. Perhaps the single most important factor in the long standing success of dBASE has been its programmability. dBASE allows users to design, create, and implement custom applications by using the powerful dBASE programming language. In dBASE 5.0 for Windows, object oriented extensions have been added to the language, giving users the means to create event driven applications under Windows. Event driven applications perform operations on events, such as a clicking the mouse on a pushbutton. Critical System Components -------------------------- In order to install and use dBASE 5.0 for Windows, certain minimum system requirements must be met. These are: o An IBM compatible computer with at least an 80386 processor o A minimum of 6 MB RAM (8 MB or more is recommendeed) o 25-30 MB of available hard disk space o EGA or VGA/SVGA monitor and graphics adapter o MS-DOS 3.1 or later (or a compatible operating system) o Windows 3.1 in Enhanced Mode Of the hard disk space mentioned above, approximately 5 MB of that space must be available on the same drive that Windows is stored on. This space is used for DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) and temporary installation files. Installation Made Easy ---------------------- Before installing dBASE 5.0 for Windows, take the time to gather the necessary materials below. o A complete disk set (7 disks) o A copy of the README.TXT o A set of manuals o The phone number for technical support (408-431-9060) 1. Print and read the README.TXT file located on Disk #1. This file contains any last minute information that may be required to properly install dBASE 5.0 for Windows. 2. Insert Disk #1 into your A: drive, or the appropriate drive for yourr system. Then do one of the following: a. From the DOS prompt type: A: (or the appropriate drive letter). Once the system has acknowledged you have switched drives, type: WIN INSTALL Windows will start and then the install will start. b. From inside Windows, choose File|Run in the Program Manager. Enter A:INSTALL into the Run dialog box, and click the OK button. c. Using the Windows File Manager, switch to the appropriate drive, and double-click on INSTALL.EXE 3. A dialog box appears that asks where to install. Enter the path for where you wish dBASE to be installed. C:\DBASEWIN is the default, but you can choose another by simply retyping the required text. 4. Another dialog box will appear requesting your name and company name. Enter anything you wish in these boxes, but bear in mind that what you enter will appear on the splash screen each time you open dBASE. You may leave the company line empty, but you must enter a name. 5. Next, a box will appear asking you what level of installation you require. For most users, the default option is the appropriate choice. Selecting the custom installation option allows the user to decide which program elements to install and which to ignore. Click the Install button when done, and the installation will begin. 6. As the information is transferred from the floppy disks to your hard drive, you will be prompted to insert the next disk in the series. When asked, wait for the drive light on your floppy drive to go out before you remove the previous disk and replace it with the next. Press the Continue button to go on. 7. At the end of the installation, the user is asked if they wish dBASE to create a program group and icons. If you want tthe icons, click the Next button. If you wish to create them yourself manually, click the Skip button. 8. Next, you are asked if you wish to read the text file included on the disks. If you have already read it, click the Skip button. If not, and now is as good a time to do so, click the Next button. 9. Once installation has finished, exit Windows and reboot to make sure there are no erroneous program modules still residing in memory. If you chose the full installation, you should now have a \DBASEWIN directory with the following subdirectories: \BIN \CRYSTAL \DOC \IDAPI \INCLUDE \SAMPLES \UTILITY To start dBASE, simply double click on the dBASE 5.0 icon. After a short wait, you will see the splash screen (with your name and company), and dBASE will appear. Common Problems --------------- Disk Space dBASE 5.0 for Windows requires 28 MB of disk space to install. If you are installing on a drive other than the one on which Windows is installed, make sure there is at least 5 MB of free disk space on your Windows drive. dBASE uses this space for temporary storage, decompression and DLLs (Dynamic Link Librarys). Screen Savers The use of screen savers while installing dBASE 5.0 for Windows will greatly slow the installation process. To minimize the time required to install, it is recommended that you turn off any screen savers you may be using while you install dBASE 5.0 for Windows. Unusual Installation Errors --------------------------- Errors stating that "dBASE is unable to combine split files", or that you require a 386 (or better) machine when you in fact have a 386 (or better), for example, are often caused by an unusual mix of device drivers. Should you encounter any of these problems, run the Winndows Setup utilities to reconfigure your system to run as a basic environment. Obtain Tech Info document #2533 "Simplify your Windows System" for information on doing this. Many of these problems are due to display and sound drivers (though others, such as CD-ROMs or MIDI, can cause these problems also). For example, if you are using a high resolution display driver, and you encounter these installation problems, Set your display to the generic Windows display driver, and re-install. Once the installation has been completed, reload the appropriate drivers, and run dBASE. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ---------------------- The information listed above is intended to be a helpful suggestion in resolving a software/hardware problem. Approaches to data recovery will work depending on the severity of corruption. In addition, there are data recovery utilities available at your local software retailer's store. We hope this information is helpful in resolving the problem you encountered, of course, we cannot guarantee success in every situation. If you wish further assistance, you may choose from a Borland Assist support package or use one of the Advisor hotlines. Please refer to Technical Information document 9800 for information on Borland Assist, or call (800) 523-7070. For a listing of books on dBASE for Windows, please refer to Technical Information document 2520. For a listing of books on dBASE IV, please refer to document 1644. Borland provides toll-free automated technical advice, 24 hours a day, at (800) 524-8420. A number of non-supported utilities are also available on both our bulletin board and our CompuServe forum. DISCLAIMER: You have the right to use this technical information subject to the terms of the No-Nonsense License Statement that you received with the Borland product to which this information pertains. _________________________________________ > Another Twist STR FOCUS! On an Old, Familiar Tale... """""""""""""""""""""""" 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the shop, the computers were whirling, they never do stop. The power was on and the temperature just right, in hopes that the input would feed back that night. The system was ready, the program was coded and memory drums had been carefully loaded. While adding a Christmasy glow to the scene, the lights on the console flashed red, white and green. When out in the hall there arose such a clatter, the programmer ran out to see what was the matter. Away to the hallway he flew like a flash, forgetting his key in his curious dash. He stood in the hallway and looked all about, when the door slammed behind him and he was locked out. Then, in the computer room, what should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. And a little old man, who with scarcely a pause, chuckled "My name is Santa...the last name is Claus." The computer was startled, confused by the name. Then it buzzed as it heard the old fellow exclaim, "This is Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, and Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen". With all these odd names, it was puzzled anew. It hummed and it clanked and a main circuit blew. It searched in its memory core, trying to think", then the multi-line printer went out on the blink. Unable to do it's electronic job, it said in a voice that was almost a sob, "Your eyes - how they twinkle, your dimples - so merry. Your cheeks so like roses, your nose like a cherry. Your smile - all those things, I've been programmed to know, and at data-recall, I am more than so-so. But your name and your address (computers can't lie), are things that I just cannot identify". "You've a jolly old face, and a little round belly, that shakes when you laugh like a bowl full of jelly. My scanners can see you, but still I insist, since you're not in my program, you cannot exist." Old Santa just chuckled a merry "Ho-Ho", and sat down to type out a quick word or so. The keyboard clack-clattered, it's sound sharp and clean, as Santa fed this "data" to the machine. "Kids everywhere know me, I come every year. The presents I bring add to everyone's cheer. But you won't get a thing--that's plain to see, too bad your programmers forgot about me." Then he faced the machine and said with a shrug, "Happy Christmas to all!", as he pulled out it's plug. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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) > STR InfoFile """""""""""" Epson America Inc, News Release EPSON STYLUS COLOR INK JET PRINTER SURPASSES COMPETITION IN INDEPENDENT COST-PER-PAGE TESTS Printer Offers Users Least Expensive Cost of Operation Over Life of Product TORRANCE, Calif., -- EPSON released data from an independent analysis recently completed by National Software Testing Laboratories, Inc. (NSTL), showing that the company's new color ink jet printer, the EPSON Stylus COLOR, is four times less expensive to operate than Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet 560C and 38 percent cheaper than the Canon BJC-600 on a per-page basis. The NSTL results clearly demonstrate that the popular 720 x 720 dots per inch (dpi) color printer from EPSON is the price/performance leader of home and office color printers currently on the market. NSTL is the leading independent testing and evaluation facility in the microcomputer industry, and offers computer hardware and software testing services through two business operations: private contract testing and non-advertising-based publications. Based upon a page that has 15 percent coverage each for cyan, magenta, yellow and black, for a total of 60 percent coverage, the NSTL report found that the EPSON Stylus COLOR had a cost per page of 13.2 cents for color and 5.3 cents for black. By comparison, the Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 560C was found to have a cost per page of 58.8 cents for color and 15 cents for black. Canon's BJC-600 measured in at 22.6 cents per page for color and 7.1 cents per page for black. All figures were based upon the respective manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRPs) for ink cartridges to eliminate discrepancies based upon ink cartridge pricing. The figures as tested included Canon MSRPs of $8 each ($24 total) for three color cartridges and $7.50 for the black cartridge; Hewlett-Packard MSRPs of $34.95 for the color cartridge (three colors combined) and $31.95 for black; and EPSON MSRPs of $35 for color (also three colors combined) and $17 for black. EPSON recently redefined the color personal printer marketplace with the introduction of the EPSON Stylus COLOR, the only color ink jet printer capable of delivering 720 x 720 dpi resolution in both color and monochrome. The printer utilizes EPSON's proprietary Stylus printhead technology specifically designed to deliver the finest text and graphics available from an ink jet printer. Offered through Epson's network of dealers for $699 (MSRP), the EPSON Stylus COLOR delivers the industry's most cost-effective and unsurpassed quality color prints, unrivalled by any desktop laser or ink jet printer on the market today. The EPSON Stylus COLOR, and all EPSON Stylus ink jet printers, are covered by EPSON's standard two-year limited warranty. Extended warranties are also available. EPSON products are supported by the company through the EPSON Connection, a toll-free customer support and technical assistance line available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST. For more information, call 800.289.3776 (800-BUY-EPSON). Epson contracted with NSTL to conduct an independent comparative analysis of the yield differential between ink cartridges of three brands of color ink jet printers. The NSTL study concluded "On a straight yield basis, and a cost per page basis, the EPSON Stylus COLOR cartridge outperformed the cartridges of the two competitive printers." The cost per page comparisons are calculated from the yield of cartridges at MSRP prices. Founded in 1983, NSTL is a division of McGraw Hill. NSTL pioneered the use of objective, comparative testing of personal computer hardware and software. Beginning in 1993, hardware testing for BYTE Magazine has been conducted at NSTL. NSTL also conducts performance tests for other McGraw-Hill publications including BUSINESS WEEK, LAN TIMES and OPEN COMPUTING. EPSON offers an extensive array of technology products including full lines of ink jet, laser and dot matrix printers, color flatbed scanners, portable and desktop computers, PCMCIA products, and for the OEM market, a variety of component and electronic devices. Founded in 1975, Epson America, Inc. is an affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration, and energy efficiency. **** Brand or patent names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. NSTL makes no recommendation or endorsement of any product. Report available from EPSON upon request _____________________________________________________ > CHRISTMAS! STR FOCUS .......A familiar tale, with a new twist! ==================== THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ========================== 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the ship Not a circuit was buzzing, not one microchip; The phasers were hung in the armory securely, In hopes that no aliens would get up that early. The crewmen were nestled all snug in their bunks (Except for the few who were partying drunks); And Picard in his nightshirt and Bev in her lace, Had just settled down for a neat face-to-face... When out in the halls there arose such a racket, That we leapt from our beds, pulling on pants and jacket. Away to the lifts we all shot like a gun, Leapt into the cars and yelled loudly, "Deck One!" The bridge Red-Alert lights, which flashed through the din, Gave a lustre of Hades to objects within. When, what, on the viewscreen, should our eyes behold, But a weird kind of sleigh, and some guy who looked old. But the glint in his eyes was so strange and askew That we knew in a moment it had to be Q. His sleigh grew much larger as closer he came. Then he zapped on the bridge and addressed us by name: "It's Riker! It's Data! It's Worf and Jean-Luc! It's Geordi! And Wesley, the genetic fluke! To the top of the bridge, to the top of the hall! Now float away! Float away! Float away all!" As leaves in the autumn are whisked off the street, So the floor of the bridge came away from our feet, And up to the ceiling our bodies they flew, As the captain called out, "What the hell is this, Q?!" The prankster just laughed and expanded his grin, And, snapping his fingers, he vanished again. As we took in our plight and were looking around, The spell was removed, and we crashed to the ground. Then Q, dressed in fur from his head to his toe, Appeared once again, to continue the show. "That's enough!" cried the captain, "You'll stop this at once!" And Riker said, "Worf! Take aim at this dunce!" "I'm deeply offended, Jean-Luc," replied Q, "I just want to celebrate Christmas with you." As we scoffed at his words, he produced a large sack. He dumped out the contents and took a step back. "I've brought gifts," he said, "just to show I'm sincere. There's something delightful for everyone here." He sat on the floor and dug into his pile, And handed out gifts with his most charming smile: "For Counsellor Troi, there's no need to explain. Here's Tylenol-Beta for all of your pain. For Worf I've some mints as his breath's not too great, And for Geordi LaForge, an inflatable date. For Wesley, some hormones, and Clearasil-Plus; For Data, a joke book; for Riker, a truss. For Beverly Crusher, there's sleek lingerie, And for Jean-Luc, the thrill of just seeing her that way." Then he sprang to his feet with that grin on his face And, clapping his hands, disappeared into space. But we heard him exclaim as he dwindled from sight, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good flight!" Based on "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore Adaptation Copyright 1990, Eric R. Rountree ********************************************************************** 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!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, it's been one big roller coaster ride for me this past year. For just over a year, I've been managing the Atari section of STReport. I have to admit, I was very skeptical of what I'd be able to accomplish considering the fact that Atari has ceased all computer activity. But, knowing that software support was still ongoing, I figured that there would be "enough" news to keep readers interested - supplemented by the other platform sections within STReport (most of our readers now support more than one platform these days). Then, a few months later, I considered adding the latest Atari product, the Jaguar, to our meager Atari offerings in STReport. To do so effectively, it was a necessity to re-establish ties with Atari. Hesitantly, at first, lines of communication were established with the cooperation with Sam Tramiel and Don Thomas. I don't think that any of those involved, myself included, have regretted this "bold" move. The levels of support have been phenomenal over the past year. I'd like to single out Atari's Don Thomas with a special thanks for hours of telephone conversations getting things rolling, not to mention the many hours of calls, online support, and informative mailings. Don also helped to establish a line of communications with Edelman Public Relations so that we'd have a continuous flow of hard copy information to supplement the online material. Don also provided us with an ongoing game review process which has allowed us to have current games, as they're available, to test and review for our readers. It's been a long and tough year, but according to the responses over the past 12 months, we've been a success and our readers have been extremely supportive of our efforts. We hope to continue this trend into 1995 and beyond. The Atari Jaguar, as well as the Atari line of computers, is the best. It can only get better in time! I'd like to take a moment to thank the folks who have helped me to make the Atari section the success that it's been. Many thanks and holiday greetings to the entire Atari section's editorial and support staff - with a special thanks to Joe Mirando, Marty Mankins, Dominick Fontana, Paul Charchian, Craig Harris, and Tom Sherwin. Without the terrific support by these folks... I'd also like to thank Ralph Mariano who had the confidence in my keeping the Atari area informative although he had some misgivings as to what may have been laying in store for me. With this being our Christmas issue, I'd like to extend the best of holiday greetings to all of our readers - worldwide!! You're the best! Until next time... _________________________________________ Delphi's Atari Advantage!! TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (12/21/94) (1) ATARI INTERNATIONAL FTP SITES (6) STARBALL V.1.6, PINBALL! (2) CAIN 11/94 (7) WARP 9 NVDI DISPLAY FONTS (3) SIRCWARE VIRUS KILLER *(8) FRANTICK DEMO (4) SYSTEM SPEED CHECKER (9) SOFT-SCI SCREENSAVER V.2.7 (5) CRACK ART V. 1.36 (10) RECENT CHECK BOOK PROGRAM * = 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 10.51) ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 13) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. _________________________________________________ > STR Software Review! - NeoDesk 4 """""""""""""""""""" NeoDesk 4 Graphic User Interface (GUI) by Staff Editor Joe Mirando I can still remember back to the first time I saw an Atari ST in operation. It was like a dream come true. The thought of always having to type in all of those cryptic commands made me nauseous. The ST used a faster processor than the IBM machines of that time, had a built-in numeric keypad, and used a Graphic User Interface (GUI) instead of a Command Line Interface (CLI) like the IBM did. I saved all of my pennies, bought an ST, and computed away to my heart's content. For a while, anyway. I soon noticed that, although having a mouse controlled, icon-based, interface was much easier than having to remember all of those silly truncated commands, it could still be inconvenient to have to search through directories and sub-directories for a particular program. You could of course have open windows on the desktop showing the directories necessary but, with the addition or subtraction of files, the positions of the files you're looking for can change. And, in Icon mode, all of the programs looked the same. Other than the file name below the icon there was nothing to differentiate any particular program from another. I also noticed that the plain old desktop was just that: Plain. Gee, but it would be nice to be able to show a picture or a pattern of some sort just to break the monotony. Another thing that tended to tick me off was the fact that there was no way to show files in un-sorted order. Evidently, I wasn't the only one that saw these shortcomings, because at about the same time, a college student bought an ST and decided to write a new desktop program for it. That program was NeoDesk and provided several enhancements over the stock desktop. Three major revisions later, NeoDesk 4 stands as the premier desktop replacement for the ST series of computers. Let's take a look at some of the reasons why. Aside from being designed to work in conjunction with a multi-tasking system such as Gribnif Software's GENEVA (see next week's issue for a review) or, if you decide to set your sights a bit lower, Multi-TOS from Atari, it provides solutions to the problems I mentioned earlier, plus many more useful enhancements. Upon first running NeoDesk 4 (hereafter referred to simply as "Neo"), you will notice several differences between it and the standard ST desktop. The first is that the disk drive icons look different. While this is not significant in and of itself, it should be noted that Neo provides an integrated icon editor to allow you to customize, or replace any icon. Icon height and width can also be adjusted through the Icon editor. In this way, you can also create specialized icon for each of your commonly used programs. One of the other things you'll notice is that the Menu Bar across the top of the screen now says NeoDesk (instead of the standard "DESK), File, Settings, and Options. This is not so different from the standard: Desk, File, View, and Options. What is different is the list of options available under these menus. We'll go into more detail about these menus in just a little while. But before we do, let's finish taking a look at the desktop. Someone looking at my computer monitor would see a "desktop picture" of a terminal display from STAR TREK: The Next Generation with all sorts of icons lined up in standard 24th century order (Okay, so I'm a Trekkie... so what?). An ST user who had never seen Neo would ask "Are all those icons for drive partitions?" The answer is "no". Neo allows you to place icons directly on the desktop regardless of whether the icon represents a drive, folder or file. Because to this, commonly used programs are easily accessed without having to open windows to their paths. This is true "point and click" computer usage. Neo also provides for icons for your printer, the Neo Clipboard (more on this later also), RamDisks, and the Trashcan. These are specifically supported because they are accessed in special ways by Neo and the specific icons provide an easy means for Neo to see what's what. Neo also allows you to change the size and font for text on the desktop. Desktop fonts become important with the addition of NeoDesk's Desktop Notes. Desktop Notes enable you to actually type notes to yourself right on the desktop (boy, that brings me back to my school days). Simply click anywhere on the desktop and a flashing cursor appears. You can now type a note to yourself and save it so that it comes up every time you run Neo. Once the need for a particular note has passed, another mouse click enables you to backspace over or delete the note (A lot easier than the cleanser and steel wool I had to use back in Miss Minervini's class). Okay, let's get to those menu options. Under "File" there are the standard options such as "open", "show info", and "format", but Gribnif has added some other useful options such as "Quick Disk Info", which quickly shows you only the drive size, available memory, and the track and sector information. "File" is also where you will find options to print the desktop and send a form-feed to your printer. The Neo "Format Floppy" Option provides a wide array of options such as which disk to format (either A or B), whether to format single or double sided, the number of sectors and tracks, normal or high density (you need a 1.44 meg drive for high density), and whether to format in normal, twister, or fast 11 format. There's even an Auto option that will decide which type is best for the number of tracks and sectors you've selected. Using these options, you can format a double density disk to a maximum of 830 kilobytes. And you can even format disks in the background. This may not seem like a big deal, but it does come in handy on occasion (as a matter of fact, I'm doing it right now; while I'm typing this, the ST is formatting a disk so that I can make sure of the maximum disk size). Also under the "File" menu is the search option. When a window is open or a drive or folder is selected, search allows you to find a file by its size, date, time stamp, read/write attribute or any combination of them. The "Templates" option allows you to specify which file names to include or exclude in the search and can be "stacked" so that multiple criteria can be used. Files that fit the criteria can be sent to a "Group", another NeoDesk innovation. A group looks like a directory, but can actually consist of files from any drive. Using this option, you can have Neo search all drives for Degas picture files except for the ones in medium resolution unless they begin with the letter "M" or have a date earlier than 10/01/86 and put them in a group which is then saved. The group can then be opened like a folder and files can be selected from the group instead of having to go the actual drive and folder where the file resides. By the way, Neo also allows you to view Degas pictures directly from the desktop simply by double-clicking on them. Any resolution picture can be viewed in this way. The same is true for Neo, Tiny, BMP bitmap, and IMG picture files. The "Files" menu is also where you can quit NeoDesk, but who would ever want to quit? The "Settings" menu holds options for configuring Neo to the way you want it. "Memory" tells you how much memory you have, how much you have free, how much Neo is using and allows you to tell Neo how much it can use. "File" lets you tell Neo whether to confirm before copying, deleting, or overwriting files, whether to pause after exiting a TOS application, whether or not to unload itself when running a program to conserve memory, and whether or not to alert you before it quits. You can also have Neo copy bad files to the clipboard, and tell it whether to use copy or move as the default dragging mode (this can be changed in the copy dialog on-the-fly). You can also set the speed of background operations such as copying files or formatting disks. The "Desktop" sub-menu allows you to choose a picture file to display as the desktop picture. These can be Tiny, NeoChrome, Degas, IMG, or MicroSoft Windows style BMP files. This menu is also where you can set options for how Desktop Notes are displayed. The Window Preferences dialog allows you to set the patterns, text size and style for drive and folder windows and also provides an option to use real-time scroll bars, which actually move the files in the window as you move the scroll bar. This allows you to see exactly where you are in the directory. MicroSoft Windows could use an option like this especially since their sliders are not proportional to the length of the directory. The "Dialogs" dialog sets the option to display dialogs in a window, which allows them to be moved or closed easily, and also defines whether a dialog will "pop up" wherever the mouse pointer is, in the center of the screen, or whatever position was used last (which is where displaying them in a window comes in handy. The "Paths" settings tell Neo where to look for a Batch File interpreter, Auto-execute programs, and alternate file viewers. The "Extensions" menu allows you to define any file extension type as an executable file. For instance, if you make use of self-extracting LZH files, which typically have the TOS extension, you could rename them as LZX and define LZX as an executable TOS program. From then on, simply double-clicking on an LZX file will cause it to self-extract. This comes in handy, since you will immediately know that an LZX file is a self-extracting archive and not the actual application file. The "INF Files" menu defines what INF files are active for which resolutions. A new INF file is automatically created each time Neo encounters a new resolution, so you don't actually have to deal with this at all. The "Accessories" menu defines accessories that are specifically designed to access features of NeoDesk to make using them easier. These accessories can be called either through the "NeoDesk Menu option, or by holding the key and pressing one through zero for a total of 10 possible installed Neo Accessories. The "Environment" menu allows you to set environment variables. Since I've never had to install any of these variables, I can't really give you an in-depth explanation of this one. The "Miscellaneous" menu allows you to tell Neo whether to show true file consumption, whether or not to check disks for executable boot sectors, check for bad file names, and whether format floppies for disk copies as normal, twisted, fast 11, or auto. It also allows you to decide if Neo will report program exit status and how to do so, and how to display dates. The last option, "Reload NeoDesk?.INF will re-load the current INF file. This is useful if you have modified the INF file and wish to return it to its original condition. The "Options" menu contains the following...well, options: "Install Desktop Icon" allows you to install one of the pre-selected desktop icons (Floppy, Hard Drive, RamDisk, Clipboard, Printer, or Trash Can), give it a name and drive letter, and install all devices available. "Install Application" lets you set up programs so that they be run simply by double-clicking on a file with either of two file extensions. For instance, if you installed a word processor with the extensions TXT and DOC, then any time you double-click on a file with either of those extensions, the word processor would be activated and, if the program itself allows it, the document would automatically be loaded into it. "Program Info File" allows you to set up a program to accept variables passed to it and to use temporary environmental variables. This is another option that I've never had occasion (or the need) to use. "Begin Macro" activates a macro recorder that will record everything you do until you end the macro. Using this option, you can record macros to automate common cyber-chores. "Execute/Change Macro" allows you to select a macro to run (this can also be done with keyboard combinations) or change a macro. "Save" and "Load" "Configuration" act upon the information files that control the Desktop setup, Desktop Notes, and Macros. "Edit Icons" calls NeoDesk's superb icon editor, about which an entire review could be written. "Snap Icons to Grid" is a very handy option that aligns all icons on the desktop. The final "Options" option, "Set Video Mode" allows you to change resolutions on monitors that allow it (such as switching from ST low to ST medium on a color monitor). Now that we've looked through the desktop menu options (albeit briefly), you've probably noticed that the familiar options to deal with how files are displayed in a window are missing. That's because NeoDesk 4 now supplies those options in a menu bar within the window itself. The now familiar "File View Sort Options" menu bar inside each window provides all of the usual options, plus a bunch more ("bunch" is a technical term, folks). To save some time and space, let's just look at some of the "extras". Under "File" you'll find most of the options in the desktop "File" menu, plus "Create" and "Close" "Folder", "Close Window", "Select All Items", and "New Group". Under "View" you can choose to show files either as text or icons, in large or small text (for text display), 1 column or as many columns as will fit across the window, whether or not to show time, size and date, options for "filtering" the files, printing the directory to printer or disk, and two ways to update the contents of the directory. "Sort" allows you to sort by time, date, size, name, or not to sort at all, and also allows you to reorder the files permanently. "Options" allows you to Install an Application, Create, Modify, or Delete a Program Information File, and Load a configuration file. Along the bottom of the window are buttons that allow you to open an identical window, change between text and icon display, select all items in the window, move an item to the root directory, or delete an item. This is also where the disk label, if any, is displayed. A small capital "E" is also displayed here if an executable boot sector was found. Another useful feature of Neo windows is the "Split Window" bar which allows you to view different parts of the directory in the same window. This is especially handy for re-ordering files. NeoDesk 4 also utilizes a Hyper-text-style help utility that explains almost all facets of the program so help is never more than a window away. There are many more features to NeoDesk 4, but listing and explaining them all would result in a review of about the same size as the manual that is included with the program, so I'll stop here and hope that I haven't missed anything major. Next week we'll take a look at Geneva, Gribnif's Multi-tasking program and how it works in concert with NeoDesk 4 to provide a powerful, yet easy to use environment for the ST series of computers. Program Information File ------------------------ Product: NeoDesk 4 from: Gribnif Software P.O. Box 779 Northampton, MA 01061-0779 (413) 247-5620 _________________________________________ > STR InfoFile """""""""""" STR Industry NewsFile Update! -/- BBS Operator Admits Piracy -/- The operator of the Massachusetts-based Davey Jones Locker computer bulletin board has pleaded guilty to violating copyright protections of commercial software. Richard D. Kenadek, 43, of Millbury, Massachusetts, is scheduled for sentencing March 9 by federal judge Mark L. Wolf, facing up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. In a statement from Boston, U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern said copyright law also calls for forfeiture of all computer equipment used in the operation of the copyright infringement activity. "During its investigation," said the statement, "FBI agents conducted a search of Kenadek's house pursuant to a federal search warrant and seized large-scale computer and telephone equipment Kenadek had used to operate the bulletin board." In proceedings before U.S. District, Kenadek admitted charging fees to give subscribers to the BBS access to dozens of copyrighted programs. The statement added that once online, "subscribers were permitted and encouraged by Kenadek to download commercial software packages without paying the owners of the software for the use of their copyrighted programs. He also increased his inventory of copyrighted software, without paying fees to the owners of the computer programs, by directing subscribers to upload additional software to Davey Jones Locker, giving subscribers 'credits' in the form of extra downloading time for each software program they added to his bulletin board." Stern says Kenadek received about $40,000 from the operation. The case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Software Publishers' Association. _______________________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== Club Drive Review! Kasumi Ninja Out! AvP Trivia Winners! More Posters! More Games Imminent! Merry X-Mas!! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" If I try to describe the last 12 months with regard to the Jaguar's success, it'd be difficult. As I write this week's editorial (or actually, finish it/them up), the 13th game for the Jaguar has just been released: Kasumi Ninja. Numbers 14 & 15 are days away. That's really not that many considering that the Jaguar has been available for over a year now. So, as I look back over the promises made by Atari's Sam Tramiel, first for 30-50 games by Christmas, and then reduced to at least 20 - I have to say that from a perspective of available games, the Jaguar has not been the success that we all thought possible. However, I feel that there are many factors that should be considered to really evaluate the success (or lack of it) of Atari and the Jaguar. The majority of the first-generation games that are currently available have, in my opinion, been good. Some can be considered great while others (a paltry few) as less than what we'd expected. Games such as Tempest 2000, Aliens vs. Predator, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Kasumi Ninja, and even Cybermorph - are excellent games. More are on the way - there's no doubting that whatsoever! Something that Atari hasn't done in YEARS is to advertise. Just tonight, I saw no less than SIX ads for the Jaguar during a 1-hour syndicated show: a repeat of an old ST:TNG episode! The "teacher" ad, AvP, and Doom ads are phenomenal!! I've heard Jaguar promotions on the radio and have even seen some ads in the newspaper. The coverage on television has also been quite good. And, the gaming magazines have reportedly carried tons of advertisements!! I really expect that Atari will do even more next year. One of the things that Atari has to do next year is make the availability of the Jaguar greater. It seems some areas of the country might not have the support that others do. The Jaguar needs to become another Atari household name again. Those that I've spoken to at Atari know what they have to do. They're all excited and very positive. This attitude hasn't been a prevalent factor in years past. Let's all hope that the momentum carries us into a successful new year! In this week's issue, we've got some interesting news and information. New staff member Tom Sherwin offers his second review in as many weeks: Club Drive. As I mentioned earlier, Kasumi Ninja has just hit the streets; and we've included the announcement a little later on. Poster collectors rejoice, Iron Soldier posters are now available! For those who have entered, or considered entering, our "Guess the 1st 20 Jaguar Games" contest, we've extended the deadline until mid-February. There are still a number of current entries that are right on target with the first 13 games, so we thought that we'd extend the contest to give them the opportunity to see how they did with the last 7 games! So, you still have a chance even though our original deadline was a few days ago! Get your entries in soon. We'll post an updated contest announcement in future issues and on the onlines to serve as another reminder. With Christmas rapidly approaching, I hope that all of you find something Jaguar-related under your tree! I know that I'll have something new to play this long holiday weekend; and I hope that you do too!! Have a safe and enjoyable holiday - we'll see you again just before the new year begins! 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. J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp. Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER CatBox $69.95 ICD J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Bubsy TBD Atari Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Cannon Fodder TBD Virgin Hover Strike $59.99 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 Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Corp. ________________________________________ > Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Contact: Ron Beltramo Patrick Toland Atari Edelman Public Relations 408/745-8852 415/433-5381 For Immediate Release JAGUAR LAUNCHES FIERCEST FIGHTING GAME EVER Kasumi Ninja sets a new standard in 3D reality and 64-bit power SUNNYVALE, CA (December 21, 1994) -- Kasumi Ninja, the fiercest fighting game of all time, is the latest in Atari's arsenal of high power titles for the 64-bit Jaguar system. Blood fills the screen and body parts fly through the air as warriors fight to the death in this new combat thriller. "For Kasumi Ninja, Atari exploited the 64-bit technology of the Jaguar system to create the most realistic hand-to-hand combat game ever, both in terms of player control and character action," said Ted Tahquechi, Atari game producer. Atari also shows off its superior technology with the game's spectacular photo-realistic true color, which features a Comanche camp, an ancient Asian temple, modern day San Francisco and the lochs of Scotland. (Attentive players may even catch a glimpse of "Nessie", the Loch Ness monster, swimming through the mist in the background of the scene.) "As with most fighters, Kasumi Ninja offers a variety of characters and battle venues," said Manny LaMancha in the July 1994 GamePro Magazine. "The graphics are stunning, featuring layer after layer of 3D imagery." But players be warned -- Kasumi Ninja is not for the faint at heart. That is why Atari has included a special "Parental Lockout Feature" in the game. This feature allows parents to program a personal six digit password code so that only people who know the code can play the game with the more violent death moves. Kasumi Ninja players fight to the death with a series of great warriors, including Pakawa, the Comanche Chief; Danja, the Urban Vigilante; Angus MacGregor, the Scottish brawler; Thundra, the Amazon Queen; Chagi, the Kickboxer; Aleric, King of the Goths; and the Ninja Twins, Habaki and Senzo. As they defeat each of these great fighters, players earn the right to assume these characters' persona and use their special weapons, fighting style, and powers Once players have beaten all of their opponents, they are ready to challenge the mortal enemy Gyaku. But players must be prepared -- a fatal error can allow Gyaku to unleash his Demon Minions and destroy the world. Kasumi Ninja retails for $69.99 and is available at Electronic Boutique, Babbages and other electronics and toy stores nationwide. Since its release in November 1993, Atari's Jaguar game system has been named the industry's "Best New Game System" (Video Games Magazine), "Best New Hardware System" (Game Informer) and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" (DieHard GameFan). 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. # # # Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. # # # END OF FILE # # # _________________________________________ > Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Cars 1Q/95 Racing $59.99 Midnight Ent. Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99 Atari Arena Football 1Q/95 Sports TBD V Reel Assault 1Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Midnight Ent. Barkley Basketball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Battlemorph 1Q/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Battle Wheels 1Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games Blue Lightning (CD) 1Q/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames Bubsy 12/94 Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Burnout 1Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Cannon Fodder 12/94 Action/Adventure TBD Virgin Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Creature Shock (CD) 1Q/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi TBD Atari/Virgin Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Dactyl Joust 2Q/95 Action TBD Atari Demolition Man 1/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari Double Dragon V 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari Dragon Lair (CD) 1Q/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Dungeon Depths 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Midnight Ent. Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari Flashback 1Q/95 Action/Adventure TBD US Gold Fight For Life 1Q/95 Combat TBD Atari Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Highlander (CD) 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Horrorscope 1Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel Hover Strike 1Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Iron Soldier 12/94 Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari Rage Rally 1Q/95 Racing TBD Atari Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Rayman 1Q/95 Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft Robinson Requiem 1Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Soccer Kid 1Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean Space War 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Star Raiders 1Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari Syndicate 1Q/95 Simulation TBD Ocean Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Theme Park 1Q/95 Simulation TBD Ocean Tiny Toon Adventures 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Troy Aikman NFL Ftball 1Q/95 Sports $69.99 Williams Ultimate Brain Games 1Q/95 Puzzle TBD Telegames Ultra Vortex 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $69.99 Beyond Games Val D'Isere Skiing... 12/94 Sports $59.99 Atari White Men Can't Jump 1Q/95 Sports TBD TriMark Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari Zool2 12/94 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari [Editor's note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are verified from Atari and Edelman Public Relations - all subject to change] ____________________________________________ > Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Club Drive" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" CLUB DRIVE ========== -= Available Now =- by Thomas Sherwin Have you ever wanted to race through the streets of San Francisco or burn rubber through the Old West? Ever wanted to drive in a skateboard park made for a car? Or have you ever wondered what being a Matchbox car is like? Now you can with Atari's Club Drive, the first one or two player car game for the Jaguar. Unlike "track-style" games, Club Drive allows you complete freedom to go wherever your car can take you. One player can race against the clock between two checkpoints, or collect randomly scattered "powerballs" as quickly as possible. Two players can race each other, compete for the most powerballs, or play Tag where the object is to be "it" for the least amount of time. You can do all of this in any of four scenarios: Old West - Drive in Old West towns and on twisty canyon roads. For tag and powerball, this area is limited to one town area. San Francisco - Speed through the hilly SF area (watch out for the trolley!) and through some mountain passes over to the beach. For powerball and tag, this area is limited to a two-level parking garage, Jerome's Pad - Be a Matchbox car in someone's duplex apartment. Navigate behind furniture, drive up on the coffee table, or slam into the toilet. You can even terrorize a cat and mouse. For powerball and tag, this area is limited to a smaller area (more like a studio apartment). Velocity Park - For a race, be a toy car on those old Hot Wheels tracks (remember those?). For tag and powerball, race around a skateboard park for cars. Drive up the curved walls or take flight from one of the ramps. You can also choose from several "camera" angles: Driver's Seat - Self explanatory Fixed Point - You watch everything as if from a camera mounted on a stationary tower. Behind the car - See everything from a fixed point behind your car. Chase Copter - Similar to behind the car but the distance from the car varies depending on your speed. If you suddenly stop, the camera comes slamming into the back of you. As you hit the gas, your car starts to leave the camera behind. Other options include choice of music, choice of car color/shape, and adjustable sound FX/music levels. NOTE: I have yet to find a "Club Drive" partner so all reviews are biased towards the single player perspective. I'll note other people's comments where appropriate. Graphics -------- A mixed bag, depending on the location and the camera angle you choose. In the SF town, the frame rate seems to drop dramatically, almost to the point of making the game completely annoying. But the other locations and the SF mountain passes/beach are all done fairly smoothly. Still, the graphics look a little rough and probably could use some more smoothing out. The shading DEFINITELY could have been done better. Hills in the Old West canyon are IMPOSSIBLE to detect... that is, until your car goes tumbling into the mountain wall. In the behind the car view, colliding with something sometimes wreaks havoc with the graphics. You can find yourself seemingly "stuck" in a wall, building, or rockface until you find the right way to get out. This does not seem to happen with the other viewpoints. I find it hard to believe that anyone put any significant amount of play-testing in using this viewpoint. The smoothest graphics seem to come from the fixed point camera angle. Unfortunately, I found this to be the hardest to use. Driver's seat view restricts how much you can see and chase copter can sometimes be disorienting. Other Minor Quirks: The "cat" and "mouse" in Jerome's pad are VERY crude. You'd never know what they were until you ran into them. Nice Touches: The TV in Jerome's Pad either plays a Pong game or shows YOU driving... in real time! When a game is over, it will show you what your driving was like as it actually happened. What you think was normal driving may look pretty ridiculous when seen afterwards. Two player play supposedly slows the graphics down a lot. General consensus so far is that the frame rate is "acceptable". Sound FX/Music -------------- The background tunes range from some funky Jazz to some really weird piano bar music. Each tune seems to be well suited to a certain location, but you can change it with a tap of a keypad button. If the music is annoying, you can adjust the volume to your liking. Except for Jerome's Pad, the sound FX could have used a LOT more work. Collisions illicit a quiet little crash and the engine is just WAY too annoying. It sounds very little like a car and the volume is only adjustable as "noisy" and "silent". The other sound FX are adjustable, but there's so few to warrant lowering the volume. In Jerome's pad, hitting the cat gets you an anguished "meow". Running over the mouse causes it to squeak in protest. Hitting the toilet causes it to flush. Slamming the piano gets a few odd key notes. And doors that you push open make a terrible creak. Pretty neat. Control ------- For me, the controls took a little while to get used to. At first, they just don't seem too logical. The directional thumb pad is used for varying degrees of steering (up-left = slow left turn, left = left turn, down-left = quick left, etc.). The ABC buttons are used for brakes, gas, and reverse. I'm used to left=left, right=right, one button for brakes and one for gas. But after a while, I grew quite fond of the controls. If you think about it, this layout makes the MOST sense. Use the directional pad as if you were turning a steering wheel off center. The farther from center-up you are, the more sharp of a turn you'll make. My only complaint is that the brakes are too quick to stop the car. You can set the maximum speed of the car to about 60 and about 100. The faster speed is just TOO fast for me. It would provide a challenge for more seasoned gamers. You can also adjust the button layout. Manual ------ Tells you what you need to know. Entertainment ------------- For one player, it's an OK game. Not bad, not great, but OK. Racing can get a bit tedious for most locations as there is really only one good route to go and no "drones" in your way to stop you. But Jerome's Pad is kind of fun since it is more 3D than the rest and there can be multiple paths to the same destination. Plus, if you don't care about the clock, you can always terrorize the cat and mouse or take jumps off of the coffee table. Powerball is by far the most fun in Velocity Park. The VERY 3D layout makes it loads of fun to drive up the walls and jump over ramps. The others aren't as neat since your driving area is so restricted. The cat and mouse also disappear from Jerome's Pad :(. The Old west is the worst for powerball. Rumour has it that Club Drive becomes infinitely more fun when you play it with a friend. Can you say "Brutal Sports Football" boys and girls... Hype Factor ----------- Huh? Let me explain... Club Drive was one of the top ten most anticipated titles back in the summer. The concept was very original and early releases showed a lot of promise. People made it out to be a "64-bit" game from its inception. The result was just an OK game that fell WAY short of expectations. The dropped modem feature REALLY hurts (IMHO). I think it would have fared better overall if kept under wraps and quietly introduced. CD seems to be synonymous with "disappointment". Graphics: 6.0 Sound FX/Music: 7.5 Control: 9.0 Manual: 8.0 Entertainment: 7.0 (maybe higher for 2P) Reviewer's Overall: 6.5 Summary ------- For solitary gamers, it is an OK game. It's better than what the Genesis or SNES could do, but it hardly screams "64-bit". A few more months in development would have helped this game a lot as the released product seems unpolished. It does have its redeeming qualities but $60 is a lot to spend on "OK". If you get a chance, try before you buy. If you don't, pass. For gamers with lots of gaming friends, this might have infinitely more value. People that have played CD with a friend claim it's a blast. Perhaps someone with first-hand experience could shed better light... Developed by: Atari Published by: Atari Price: US $57.99 ________________________________________ > Jaguar Easter Eggs/Cheats/Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" From Compuserve's Atari Gaming Forums, Atari's John Skruch offers this little Checkered Flag tidbit: For you Checkered Flag fans, here's a little Christmas present. At the weather option, input 8473 on the keypad. It will now have a new Dark option. Sort of a Night Driver 2000. Enjoy and Merry Christmas. _____________________________________ > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" CATnips ..... Jaguar notes from Don Thomas I am pleased to announce the winners of the Alien Vs. Predator (AvP) trivia contest. The contest was announced and the questions released by Atari's own Ron Beltramo at CompuServe's AvP conference on November 29 and on GEnie's AvP conference on November 30. The contest was open to all onliners who attended the conferences and/or obtained a transcript of either/both conference from the Atari Jaguar forum libraries. Here are the answers to those mind boggling questions ... 1) Alien Vs. Predator by Atari for the 64-bit Jaguar interactive multimedia system features the ability for the player to become any one of three characters. What are those characters? Answer: B. An Alien, a Predator and a Marine 2) Which film studios produced the Alien and Predator films? Answer: C. Twentieth Century Fox and Twentieth Century Fox 3) Alien Vs. Predator is a virtual world challenge which is described in the manual to be: Answer: A. a tactical simulator depicting the events following the fall of Camp Golgotha Colonial Marine Training Base. 4) An effective tool to be used while playing Alien Vs. Predator is the H.U.D. which offers status displays. What does H.U.D. stand for? Answer: A. Heads-Up Display 5. One of the many obstacles to avoid is referred to as a Facehugger. A Facehugger is which of the following? Answer: A. A creature that attaches itself to the face of its host. ----------------------------------------------------------- METHOD OF RANDOM DRAWING.... All names were alphabetized and duplicates were removed so all entries had an equal opportunity to win. A computer program written by Mr. Michael Fulton picked three random numbers which were used to count through the huge stack of entries ... AND THE WINNERS ARE ... PRIZE WINNER ONLINE ADDRESS ------------------------------------------------------------ Jaguar 64-bit Ewen Wheeler howard_saunders@porthole.entnet.nf.ca game system Autographed AvP Cartridge Pete Ahles ahles@gate.net Jaguar Clay Halliwell ehalliwe@emh.kunsan.af.mil T-Shirt Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for entering. The prizes have been shipped and are on their way. Don't forget.... Tempest 2000 Soundtracks (on compact disc) are available as well as Jaguar software preview tapes and Alien Vs. Predator Posters! Contact your SysOp for more information or contact: Don Thomas at JAGUAR$@genie.geis.com or 75300.1267@compuserve.com CATnips ..... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas NEW IRON SOLDIER POSTERS!!!! Atari Corporation will soon be taking delivery of a cinema-quality Iron Soldier promotional poster. For those who don't know about Iron Soldier, the phenomenal new 64-bit Jaguar game due to arrive in stores as early as this week, you are in for possibly the most incredible game of 1994. As the pilot of a mammoth robot, you have been assigned one of many challenging missions... sometimes to protect and often to destroy. Look down at your feet as you walk, but not too long, there are virtually real helicopters, tanks and convoys out to get you within the crowded cities and open countryside. Mr. Greg LaBrec was so highly praised for his work on the Alien Vs. Predator Poster that he has been inspired to produce an awesome poster for Iron Soldier. The poster looks just like a poster you would see at a theater and is intended for retail store windows and promotions. Okay... that's enough good news. Here's some bad news... I will be on vacation beginning December 22 through January 2, so the posters will have arrived a couple of days before I'll get my hands on them for us onliners! GOOD NEWS... Marketing will let me reserve as many as I need *IF* I tell them about how many right after I get back from vacation... So here's the online deal!.... It's DRIVE DON CRAZY WEEK! If you want one of these great Iron Soldier posters, I'll send you one FREE if you prepay Atari's minimum shipping and handling charge of $4.95. That covers the tube, postage and the raw costs to get it out the door. All you have to do is request your copy at any time beginning right now through January 2nd. The more you onliners want the more I'll go crazy trying to catch up when I get back from vacation! So fill my mail box while I'm away. I will try to keep my E-mail open for more requests and make sure the fax machine is full of paper. All you have to do is tell me you want one and be patient for a couple weeks. Here's how to request an Iron Soldier poster (or an Alien Vs. Predator poster)... Send $4.95 ($6.95 U.S. funds for Canada) in the EXACT amount. Payment may be received in Money order, check, MasterCard or Visa. Please remember to include mailing name and address, online address and daytime phone number. REQUESTS BY EMAIL with CREDIT CARD: 75300.1267@compuserve.com -or- jaguar$@genie.geis.com REQUESTS BY BBS with CREDIT CARD: private SysOp mail on CATscan @ 209/239-1552 REQUESTS BY FAX with CREDIT CARD: 408/745-2088 REQUESTS BY MAIL: (checks payable to Atari) Drive Don Crazy Iron Soldier Poster Sellout P.O. Box 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1657 (offer good while quantities last and limited to North American mailing addresses only.) Note that the posters will be delivered to Atari one per tube. I cannot double up posters. Everyone can request as many tubes they like at $4.95 S&H per tube, but please do not request for more than one per mailing tube. Don't forget these other items too..... Tempest 2000: The Soundtrack 12 outstanding tracks from the hit video game. The cost is $12.99 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. (The shipping and handling is reduced from Atari's normal $4.95 for a limited time.) That's a total of $16.49 ($17.56 in California) ($18.49 in Canada). Software Preview VHS Video It features over 30 professional video captures PLUS Atari's recent television commercials. The price is $8.95 plus $4.95 S&H or a total of $13.90 ($14.64 in California) ($15.90 in Canada). Alien Vs. Predator posters There is one FREE for each shipping and handling fee of $4.95 ($6.95 in Canada). You can help a LOT by passing this offer electronically to another Forum, Roundtable or BBS or make a hard copy and give to friends. Thanks! ********************************************** HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (parting comments to 1995....) ********************************************** This is a special Holiday for me. For the first time in many years, my entire family will be together for Christmas in Chicago. My wife and son are there already waiting for me with her family and I will be chasing after them on Thursday (tomorrow). It's hard for me to look back at just this one year as is common at this time of year. For me, I will be compressing many years of precious moments away from family into little more than one complex week. Likewise, I cannot imagine what the Jaguar would have been without years of development and hard work and an evolutionary process that brought Atari into existence and the people who have kept the name alive. This year I am particularly proud to be working at Atari. I am equally proud of Atari's online family who has supported us all the way. We have shared some teasing about software releases, but we have all enjoyed the rewards that patience offers to us. When I finally sit back and realize there is no other way to express the enjoyment I have had selling the greatest interactive machine in the world.... ...all I can say is "Thank you!". You are very special to Atari. You have helped us wrap up a great holiday season and propel us into a promising new year! --Don Thomas Atari Corporation ___________________________________________ > FFL FAQ STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""" FIGHT FOR LIFE FAQ Vers 1.1 by Danny Miskin If you have any questions send E-Mail to me at 74067,53 or leave a message in either the Video Games or Atari Gaming Forum. I will try to answer your questions in the next version of the FAQ which should be out soon enough (the sooner I receive the info the sooner the FAQ goes out). If you send in some questions it will allow you to get the information YOU want on the game, although I hope this FAQ will answer most of those question as it keeps on being posted. Oh, if anyone has access to the Internet and could post the FAQ somewhere that would be great. If so please contact me, thanks. Also anyone who has access to other networks contact me I'd like to get the information on the game wide spread. _________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the 2nd FFL FAQ. For those of you who don't know Fight For Life is a new VF style fighting game being worked on now for the Jaguar. It's being developed by Francois who worked for Sega's AM2 R&D staff who have made games like Virtua Fighter 1 and 2, Daytona and many other games. He actually worked on VF1 and 2, and also on the Saturn version of Virtua Fighter. He has been working on FFL for about 8 months now. Now of course as many of you are thinking it's just a VF clone for the Jag but that is where you're all VERY WRONG. The only similarities that I can think of are that it's a VR fighter and uses 3 buttons, a punch, a kick and a defence button and that's where the similarities start to end. Well since the Jag only has 3 buttons I guess it really isn't a similarity is it. Does any know how many VF style games are now being worked on or being released? I can think of around 8 maybe more. Sony has one or two lined up for the Playstation one is called TO-SHI-DEN, Namco is releasing a VF style fighter in the arcades soon it was previewed at either the AMOA or JAMMA called Tekken. There's also a 2nd VF style game coming to the Jag by Rainmaker who no one seems to have heard from in a while. Then there's that game BALLZ which I think just looks slightly pathetic for Genesis. So that's only 5 but there are more. - Story - So far the story is this. Because of their bad attitudes, these 8 fighters have been sent to hell for the rest of their dead lives. Every year, there is a tournament in hell, and the winner may encounter the son of the devil. A victory against this guy means a life, a new life. Welcome to Fight For Life. Yes, I know it's very basic but that's how Francois explained it to me. It should get more into it later on but for now that's it. I still don't have any more then that. - The Characters - Here's the list of the 8 characters you will be able to choose from and some character descriptions. - Sarah O'C. (She's in the Game Fan pixs) Francois has been forced to change her name because of the similarity between her name and the Sarah in VF. I told him that would happen. Oh, he did say she has the coolest background so we now have something we know to look for. So far I don't know what her name has been changed to. - Ian : Ian has blonde hair and is fully decked out in Army clothing. He seems to have a small heart tattoo on his left arm. I have a bad feeling about him... - Pog : Pog wears shades, rip jeans, white shirt and a hat. For those of you who have the Demo Tape he's in the first pixs when they start to show the game with Ian. Francois says that he's the best character in the game. Oh, it's really cool Francois designed him to look like a friend of his in France maybe that's the reason? - Muhali - M.J : I think he's the black boxer but I'm not sure, it could be Muhali though. Oh, the reason I think he is, is because the boxer on the tape seems to have the initials MJ on his gloves. - Lun - Kimura - Jenny -------- - Junior Well would anyone like to guess who Junior is? He's the Devil's son of course and he sounds deadly. For those of you who have seen the FFL pixs in the December Game Fan you might notice a character name has changed. There is no longer a character named Bill. - Game play - Here is where Fight For Life starts to begin it's journey away from Virtua Fighter. When you begin you will only have BASIC moves (Punching and Kicking). Now you must be thinking well then we LEARN new moves as we play, no that is not the case in FFL... YOU STEAL moves from your opponents. Meaning after you win a fight you get the choice of picking moves from your opponents arsenal. In Francois words if we begin the game with the same character, were not going to finish it with the same. Now here's something to add to this. There is a Password Option, so we will be able, if we fight against each other to see who made the best choices and who has the best fighter. Again his words. FFL has been designed to be FULL 3D Fighting. What this means is the characters not only walk straight or jump straight they can walk sideways and jump in different directions. Francois hopes that this will give the game a much better VR feel. VF does not have this style of play and as I said Francois hopes this will make the game even better. Special moves No, I'm not listing any BUT here's how they will be performed. Francois has just recently made this change to the game and hopefully I won't screw up explaining it. There are 3 ways of performing moves in FFL. 1. Hold down a certain button then do a motion. 2. Do a motion then press a button (ie Up, Up, Right + A) Ok the 3rd I guess isn't how you perform it but I'm a little confused in how I should explain it. Say you were going to do a left punch then a right punch. You'd have to wait until your left punch is finished before being able to get the right punch in. Well I'm still confused about it. I should have been recording our conversation... There are a total of 40 special moves in the game. Each character has 5. So after you win a match you'll have a choice of 2 or 3 moves from the character you just beat. What this means is that by the time you reach Junior you may have between 14 and 21 special moves at your disposal (boy is it going to be hard to keep track of the motions but won't it be fun). The order in which you'll have to fight your opponents is preset. Meaning each character will go through their opponents in a different order to get to Junior. - Graphics - Resolution : 320 x 240 FFL uses an over scan screen. FPS : 20 (Francois has told me the FPS is up there) 1000 Polygons Per Frame, but here is a little note about that, that Francois told me. "By the way when I say I have 1000 polygons per frame, it means I DRAW 1000 polygons on the screen, but I calculate a lot more (hidden, face, clipping...)." Colour : 16-bit colour (65536 colours) Now to the REAL information on the graphics. There will be MORPHING in the game!!! yes Shang Tsung style except I haven't been able to get any thing out of him on who will be using it but I'm betting the last boss will be (JUNIOR!). All Light is calculated in real time, and both the texture mapped and flat polygons are shaded depending on the light source. *Now here comes ONE of the things that those of you who have been reading my messages should know by now things have changed and like said could keep changing. Francois DID put in Gouraud Shading. Sean F., that was going to be for you, but he was forced to remove it for now. He did say it was in one version of the Game but that the because of the data, the calculation time was going to be too large so like I said he had to remove it. It does not look like the Gouraud Shading will make it into the game...at least for the version that will be at the WCES. There may still be hope for it though in the final version. Each character is made up of around 800 polygons. The Polygons at this point are from 25 to 50% done depending on the character. So for those of you who have seen the latest Demo Tape I'm guessing that there's been a lot done since then. The platform the characters fight on is made up of around 100 polys. I noticed some connection problems with the polys on the tape with one of the characters. Francois has told me that there may very well be some connectivity problems because of the way he had to setup the game. He did say that VF for Saturn has the same problem but so far I haven't heard any complaints about it. He is expecting some people to complain about this but he said it shouldn't be too noticeable. "If Francois didn't do the artwork, who did?" Q - from Kerry G. AOL A - Richard Ho has done the rest of the graphics and artwork on the game. However because the CES is so close he was joined recently by a 2nd graphic artist. Richard is now working on the motion of the characters. Sorry Sean still haven't gotten an answer about the PAL tv deal. I'll keep trying. - Notes - Francois has done all of the coding in the game alone but he said he has done less then 1% of the graphics and now we know who as done the rest. Francois is now working on the AI and I'm hoping the CPU opponents will not be push overs like in most fighting games. The game will be a 32 meg Cart. So think about this, VF on Saturn is on a CD of course and has all of that memory to make the game. FFL is on a cart and so far pixs wise comes very close to the FINISHED version of VF and technically speaking is somewhat beyond VF. Any one want to see Francois make a game using the CD for the extra memory? with the rumour that the CD will have a texture-mapping chip. I think I read that somewhere... Someone else has recently joined the team from Atari and...what they may be working on is a *Modem* version of the game. No big deal there. Oh, this is still only rumoured to be happening even though I get the information direct from Francois it's not a guarantee that it will be in the game. Would be cool though don't you think? Oh, Steve W. since this is an Atari game do you think it could very well be a Voice Modem game, although this is still just speculation. For those of you who read the message that I said who ever has seen the Demo Tape I'm betting a lot had be done since that had been taped. I was right. I'm still trying to find out though what version of the game it was but I've been told that it wasn't the latest and that a lot has been done since then. Francois did not say that but, it was someone that I of course trust more then anyone else at Atari. Well folks like I said to someone I've been speaking to for the past little while about the game and other stuff forget I even mentioned there being some other information, consider it none existent. Sorry, I was told to more or less do the same. No, this does not concern me doing the FAQ so it will keep on being posted even after we get the game, only then it will have special moves and everything in it until we know everything there is to know about it. Francois is working straight through the holidays. So everyone should wish him a merry Christmas, he's very dedicated to bringing us one of the best VR fighters around. MERRY Christmas Francois, Joyeux fetes. :) - Credits - I'd like to thank the following people. Francois : for making the game...as you read this, and of course for answering all of my questions and giving me all the info. John K. : well since he drove me crazy constantly talking about Tempest. I bought the system... he was right Tempest RULES! Jeff Minter : for showing me why I bought the system in the first place, TEMPEST!!! I WANT MORE MINTER!!! Oh, THE VLM RULES!!! MORE MINTER!!! Don Thomas : For just helping me out with the Mag and being very honest about everything. Richard Ho : for doing a great job on the graphics so far and I'm sure he'll continue to do so. I'd also like to thank rest of the people who are working on FFL and finally Sam Tramiel why? well for getting the system out in the first place, and for hopefully getting Atari to finally succeed, since the Tramiels took over. I hereby acknowledge all companies and games mentioned in this FAQ. Everyone have a merry christmas and a happy new year. :) cya next time, and remember don't thank me for the FAQ thank Francois. MORE QUESTIONS, SEND THEM IN IF YOU WANT ANSWERS!!! (c) copyright 1994, ahh who cares! _________________________________________ > A Christmas Story STR Feature """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" YES SAMANTHA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS ==================================== by Joe Mirando Some of you may remember that last year my five year old goddaughter Samantha had several questions about why I wanted a Falcon030 (because my old ST already did far more than her daddy's DOS computer did), and why the folks who made the Falcon didn't let people know about it. Yes, she was a precocious five year old and, as some great philosopher no doubt once said, a year will make a precocious five year old a precocious six year old. About a week and a half ago, Samantha came over to my place (she brought her parents with her of course), and was amazed to see me sitting on the floor in front of my television playing a video game. I just gotten a Jaguar and was putting it through its paces. I used to play with the Atari 2600 game system years ago, but thought that I'd outgrown video games. A few minutes with a friends Jaguar convinced me that I was wrong. Sammy looked at me with her big green eyes (My nickname for her is Junior Mint) and said "Hey Unka Joe, can I play"? Now, I was playing Wolfenstein 3-D. If you haven't seen it, Wolf 3-D is a game where you basically just shoot Nazis with a variety of different weapons and listen to them yell as they fall down and die. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive about letting my favorite six year-old play it. "No," I said, "But I've got a game here that I think you'll like. I popped CyberMorph into the Jag and showed her quickly which controls did what and pointed a few of the points of interest. As she joyfully piloted the ship between mountains and discovered how to climb and dive, I went into the kitchen to have a cup of coffee with my wife and Sammy's parents. After coffee, I went back in to see how Sammy was doing in Cybermorph. I guess that kids really do have a natural aptitude for games, because she had beaten my best score. Seeing that I was back in the living room, Sammy stopped playing and said "This is cool, Unka Joe". Sammy currently has three major phrases in her conversational vocabulary. They are: "Cool", "No Way", and "NOT". I was glad that I got the "Cool". "Is this the game that my daddy saw in the green part of the paper"? asked Sammy. I knew instantly what she was talking about. My brother-in-law reads USA TODAY every day and the "Money" section of USA TODAY uses a green banner. This is the section of the paper where Dan Dorfman works his magic... magic that he has worked on Atari several times in the past year. "Yes Sammy," I said, "this is the one. Do you like it"? "Yeah," she said, "It's lots of fun. This is way better than 'tendo. Maybe I'll ask Santa for one of these for Christmas". Just then, Sammy's parents came into the living room and saw that their daughter was enthralled with this new contraption and took a close look at the television. Both of them enjoyed watching Sammy play Cybermorph. I then popped in Wolf 3-D and let my brother-in-law play for a while. He was impressed with the color, sound and smooth movement. Sammy then asked "Unka Joe, did Santa bring this for you early"? "Yes," I said, "You see, Santa gave this to me so that I could play with it and then tell people if it was any good". Sammy then said "Greggy says that there is no such thing as Santa Claus". "Sammy," I said, "If there wasn't any Santa, where would I get the Jaguar"? My logic had her stumped. Her cousin Greg is several years older than she is and was no doubt more than eager to show off his worldliness. She thought for a moment and said "Then there is a Santa"! Yes Samantha, there is a Santa Claus. Merry Christmas one and all. __________________________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando 73637,2262 Hidi Ho Ho Ho, friends and neighbors. This is the week that the fat jolly guy makes the rounds and leaves you bunches of stuff that you didn't even know that you needed. I'm sure that you've got as much to do as I have, so let's get right to the reason for this column... All the great news, hints, and tips available right here on CompuServe. From the Atari Computing Forums =============================== Chris Roth asks: "What about the ftp feature on CIS? Could you please tell me where to look? In the Internet forum? Or usenet?" Carl Barron tells Chris: "If you have a PC or MAC and the corresponding CIM software GO FTP. If you don't have such CIM forget CIS's FTP for now at least! GO FTP will get you a you need a CIM message, if you don't have a CIM. What it does, I can not say." Sysop Jim Ness jumps in and says: "CIS now supports Internet FTP, but only with it's graphical interface (CIM, WinCIM, MacCIM). I think that their philosophy is that Internet is slowly but surely going all graphical (via World Wide Web, for instance), and CIS itself is slowly doing the same, so that's the way most of their new services will be set up. In the case of FTP, you tell CIS where you want to look for files, and a big file selector box comes up. It's like looking for them on your own computer. You just click on the directory, then on the file in that directory, and it's transferred to your computer via a CIS B+ file transfer. We've been pushing them to add an old-fashioned ASCII-style interface, but haven't convinced them to commit the resources, yet." Rob Rasmussen tells us: "Well, the battery in my Deskcart finally ran out. I have a replacement battery for it, and I opened up the DC. You told me awhile back how to change the battery, but I wanted to ask again. The battery is held in place by what looks like a tiny wire on top that attaches to it, and something else underneath. Am I supposed to slice through this with an exacro knife to take it out? I guess that is the terminal that needs to be re-attached with the new one. Does this have to be soldered back in?" Mike Mortilla tells Rob: "Gosh, that was sooooo long ago! I don't remember! I think it screwed out (the clip that is). Duh! Sorry! But if you get stuck, I try to find mine and open it up." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Rob: "I've never seen the insides of the DeskCart, but I do remember reading references to its battery being soldered in. It sounds from your description as if the wire on top should be unsoldered from the old battery, and resoldered to the new one. Not sure about the bottom.. if the top is soldered on, the bottom probably is too." Rob tells Bob and Mike: "I guess I should try to install the new battery in the DC - it's not doing any good sitting here with a dead battery, and I need it for the clock on my ST - but I am puzzled why it has to be soldered in. Especially on the bottom, where the guy at Radio Shack said it looks like I would damage the board if I just pulled it out. A few remote control devices for my new VCR use these kind of lithium batteries, but no soldering was involved. (Strange too, because a remote gets moved around a lot more than a plug-in cartridge) All I have is a cheapo soldering 'pencil' and rosin solder. Don't know how I could get it underneath in the tight space to un-solder it, or to re-attach it. Mike, yep it was 2 yrs ago I had asked you about the DC battery. You had said > The battery solders in and out and comes w/terminals attached. These bend very easily, so be careful.< So maybe you unsoldered the top one, then could get to the bottom one easier. The reason I'm asking in detail about all of this is cause I don't want to destroy it if I attempt it myself ." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Rob: "The DeskCart was produced "on a shoestring", so the cheaper the hardware the better... it's a lot cheaper to solder a wire onto the battery than to have to provide some kind of socket. Can you tell if there's something holding the battery down onto the circuit board..? That would make the bottom contact, and would only require soldering onto the top of the battery. Your pencil soldering iron should work OK.. be sure to clean the top of the new battery so the solder will adhere with the least possible heat. You want enough heat to assure a good electrical connnection, but not enough to damage the battery. I still remember being at the Allentown, PA AtariFest (back in 1987, I think it was), and John DeMar talking about staying up all night soldering DeskCarts together on Saturday night because he'd completely sold out during the day and had none left to sell on Sunday..! It shouldn't be too difficult to replace the battery if you're careful..." Rob tells Bob: "I guess my next question is, how do I unsolder this little silver wire that is holding down the battery on top? It comes up from the base and at a right angle clamps over the battery and is _very_ attached to it. With my soldering pencil I heated up the wire for a few minutes where it attaches but it is not coming loose. Maybe I need to do it a longer time? I see no solder to unsolder, just the attached wire. John DeMar obviously was very good with a soldering gun! (BTW his name sounds familiar, did he used to write for STart magazine?) The battery looks to be attached with a wire on the bottom too." John Damiano at Transierra tells Rob: "Maybe you can unsolder the wire itself where it attaches to the board. Then solder new wires to the battery and to the holes. I have two Deskcarts I am not using in case anyone wants one. I just don't need them now. Make me an offer I can't refuse." Mike Mortilla adds: "Yeah! No well dressed ST wears a DeskCart anymore . Sort of likde wearing platform shoes, bell-bottoms and leisure suits! I still have mine too, but I'll hang on to it as a door stop!" Chris Gray posts: "I'm a bit surprised to see no reference to the new 'official' MiNT. Should I upload it?" Callum Lerwick tells Chris: "Go ahead! I'm looking for a good multitasker, I wish I could find a copy of MX2 or something, I need something that can multitask GEM prog rams, I found something called MultiGEM which looked like it would work for me, but when I was installing it, I got a 'TOS too new' error! (on my TOS 1.0 machine) Can anyone help! I've been diddling with MiNT, it's great* for UL/DL with XYZ int the background, but thats about the extent of its usability for me...." Brian Gockley of ST Informer Magazine tells Callum: "For the money, you can't go wrong with Geneva. It has worked perfectly for me, allowing me to run PageStream, AtariWorks, Touchup, and the Desktop simultaneously! With the ability to have more than six desk accessories, you should be able to do just about anything you want to." Yat Siu of Lexicor tells Callum: "Mint version 1.12b will open up your system to multitasking, and Mint is in itself freely available in that version, however you require a shell package to run Mint with or else you have this great multitasking operating system but no shell to take advantage of ;) and so effectively no real multitasking. The most popular shell is Multitos, but it's commercial and costs a few bucks, the other option is to use bash or minix, Both are freeware shells for use with Mint that will allow you to multitask." Dan Danilowicz tells us: "I recently purchased a 9600 baud fax modem used. I think it was heavily used, actually. When I try to connect here, or anywhere else at 2400, it performs fine. When I try at 9600 (to the correct access node), I'll hear the modem make the appropriate sequence of connect sounds (more like screeches), but just as I think I'll be seeing the "CONNECT AT 9600" sign, all goes quiet and I get "NO CARRIER". I thought at first I was running out of hook-up sequence time (I get 30 seconds before the program times out) but I don't think that's the case. Anybody guess what's going on?" Sysop Jim Ness asks Dan: "What brand modem do you have? There was once a competing 9600bps standard which eventually got dropped in favor of v32, the current standard. It may be that your modem only supports that discontinued 9600bps standard, and therefore cannot connect with modern modems." Dan tells Jim: "What I purchased is called a Dallas Fax, produced by a company that is no longer in business. It has a sticker on it proudly announcing V.32 V.42bis, so I think I'm in the ballpark. I've tried dialing in on my two favorite programs, Vanterm and the Freeze Dried terminal, both of which do the same "NO CARRIER" thing. I ran the Toad modem test program and everything seemed to check out fine with it." Callum Lerwick tells Dan: "Yep, look out for those old modems..." Jim Ness adds: "The thing about modems is that they all operate on variations of the same basic command set. So, they're frustratingly close to all using the same commands, but they usually have small differences. A command that sets my modem up properly probably won't do the same for yours. But, we can at least try. Why don't you turn on your capture buffer and type AT&V (while offline). This should tell your modem to display its current stored settings. In fact, it will probably show three sets of settings. Save the first set and upload it in a message here. Be sure to indent each line by one space to preserve the formatting of the table of settings." Frank Hense tells Dan: "30 Seconds may not be enough negoiating time for the hi-speed modems. try 45-50 seconds an see if that helps. Also Try an At&f&C1&d2 just for fun. An AT&V will give you all the loaded commands, you might post it here and one of the modem wizzards may see something out of order. I sometimes have trouble connecting at 9600 and 2400 will work fine. I think it may be something flaky at the node here in San Antonio." Michael Evans asks: "Can anyone help me with the following problem - I have a 486 PC running DOS 6 and want to transfer some data to my ST. Is there any way to connect the two together ? I have DOS 6 on the 486 and a PC Emulator running DOS 3.3 fitted to the ST. Can the two be networked together in any way?" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Michael: "The easiest way to transfer data between a PC and an ST is to use a 720K floppy formatted on the IBM and just "sneakernet" it between the two computers. The ST will read the IBM formatted disk with no problems. If the files are too big for floppies, or if there are a lot of them, you can use a "null modem cable" between the serial ports of the two systems and just use regular terminal programs to download from the PC to the ST. At 19.2K baud (the highest speed the ST serial port runs), it shouldn't take very much time, and would be the most economical solution. Unfortunately there are no "real" networks for the ST, in the sense of Ethernet or Token Ring. There have been reports of networking applications from Germany, but these are awfully expensive and very difficult to obtain." Michael tell Bob: "Thanks for your help. I may sound stupid but which is the serial port on the ST ? I have a null-modem lead. Do I just act as if I am sending files via a modem - what prog do you recommend on the ST to do it ?" Bob tells Michael: "Yes.. a null modem cable is exactly what you need... The serial port on the ST is marked as "Modem" on the back, and should be a Male DB-25 connector. Any ST terminal program that uses a protocol like YMODEM or ZMODEM will work well.. we have some here in our software libraries that should work for you in this application... try the one called STORM... Essentially what you'll need to do is to set up the computer that you want to SEND the files from as if you were going to do an UPLOAD to CompuServe.. and set up the other as if you were going to DOWNLOAD the file. (Usually you can set up the upload end first, and it will wait while you set up the download end. The transfer should start when both ends are ready.)" Benjamin Eby sends up an S.O.S.: "Does anyone know if Notator or Notator SL require a key of some sort (like cubase) to operate? I have the program, but the mouse locks up on the title screen. Help!" Myles Cohen tells Benjamin: "It absolutely needs a such a hardware key...I have been told that the software has been written so that almost every line in the program checks to see that the key...called a dongle...is present in the cartridge port...or the program crashes... Sad news..." Benjamin tells Myles: "Oh well...I don't know why they had it on the bulletin board in Genie if it wouldn't run! Seems to be the story of my life right now. Very exauSTing, you know?" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Benjamin: "You might want to contact the Sysop where you obtained Notator and find out why it's publically available if it needs a dongle to run." Frank Heller tells Benjamin: "There is a remote possiblity that it is posted as an "update"..in which case registered owners (who already possess the dongle) may download it and use it. Steinberg regularly does this sort of thing in their forum. A small bit of background info on the Notator dongle: The program "looks" for the dongle on a constant basis. Sometimes the program will stop or crash. This usually turns out to be dirty contacts (Atari port and/or dongle) or that the dongle is not properly seated. Lightly burnishing, with a pencil eraser usually cures it." Sysop Bob tells Frank: "That's what I was thinking... the file could be an update as you mentioned, or it could be a demo version. The true nightmare of any Sysop though is to have an illicit version of a program inadvertently released for download." Frank tells Bob: "Without a doubt, it's an illicit version. The program hasn't been produced since EMAGIC released the Logic series. I'm pretty certain it's not supported any longer...heck...I don't even know who owns the rights...C-LAB or EMAGIC. I didn't notice any mention of where this program was uploaded to. In a way, it is kind of moot...as you have to own the dongle to use the program...and all the dongle owners already have the program. Now I'm wondering what the point of uploading, in the first place, was? Since it doesn't work without a dongle...it is obvious that it isn't a "cracked" program. Go figure." Well folks, I know that you've got other things to do this week, so I'll just end here and wish everyone a happy holiday. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" """"""""""""""""" Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward all Men..... Its the Yuletide Season Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > 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! 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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. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""