Silicon Times Report The Original Independent OnLine Magazine" (Since 1987) December 15, 1995 No.1150 Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 STR Electronic Publishing Inc. A subsidiary of STR Worldwide CompNews Inc. R.F. Mariano, Editor Featured in ITCNet's ITC_STREPORT Echo Voice: 1-904-268-3815 10am-4pm EST STReport WebSite http://www.streport.com STR Publishing Support BBS THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS Featuring: * 5.0GB * of File Libraries Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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YAHOO & ZIFF NEW Mag STREPORT INTERNATIONAL 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, Fido, Internet, PROWL, USENET, USPOLNet, NEST, F-Net, Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1- 904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:112/35, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial, on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. WEB SITE: http//www.streport.com CIS ~ PRODIGY ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX ~ USENET USPOLNET CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ PROWL ~ FNET ~ AOL Florida Lotto _ LottoMan v1.35 Results: 12/02/95: 3 matches in 1 play From the Editor's Desk... Less than ten days to go. `til Christmas. All the reliable software and hardware houses now have their Holiday offerings out there in full view with the promise of a future and support for the coming year. The software goodies are so abundant that no matter where one goes, the question is not when but which one? Of course to those who have recently migrated from dead or dying platforms this must seem like heaven. It is. The hardware end of the marketplace has something for most everyone at one level or another on the technological ladder. In this issue and subsequent issues, we are going to try to point out a few of the more outstanding products that are most needed in the marketplace today. Of course with the sheer numbers of great goodies available, its a given that we shall be busy with this long after Christmas has come and gone. That's ok though. because by then we'll be looking at the powerful software that's available for use with all the new hardware treasures that were found under the Christmas trees and Chanukah bushes everywhere. Be sure to take a look at our preliminary blurb about ARCsolo SCSI Tape Backup Software. It exciting to see the real thing is now available. ARCsolo is the best. Ralph.. Of Special Note: Make STReport's Home Page YOUR Home Page! http//www.streport.com STReport is now ready to offer much more in the way of serving the Networks, Online Services and Internet's vast, fast growing site list and userbase. We now have our very own WEB/NewsGroup/FTP Site and although its in its early stages of construction, do stop by and have a look see. Since We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addressees, we were compelled to put together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wished to receive STReport on a regular basis, the file is ZIPPED, then UUENCODED. Unfortunately, we've also received a number of opinions that the UUENCODING was a real pain to deal with. So, as of October 01,1995, you'll be able to download STReport directly from our very own SERVER & WEB Site. While there, be sure to join our STR list. In any case, our current Internet mailing list will continue to be used for at least the next eight weeks. Each of our readers will have by then, received their information packet about how they may upgrade their personal STR News Services. STReport's managing editors DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! Ralph F. Mariano, Publisher - Editor Dana P. Jacobson, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors PC Section Mac Section Atari Section R.F. Mariano J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson Portable Computers & Entertainment Kid's Computing Corner Marty Mankins Frank Sereno STReport Staff Editors Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Vincent P. O'Hara Contributing Correspondents Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Angelo Marasco Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Leonard Worzala Tom Sherwin Please submit ALL letters, rebuttals, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe 70007,4454 Prodigy CZGJ44A Delphi RMARIANO GEnie ST.REPORT BIX RMARIANO FIDONET 1:112/35 ITC NET 85:881/253 AOL STReport Internet rmariano@streport.com Internet CZGJ44A@prodigy.com Internet RMARIANO@delphi.com Internet 70007.4454.compuserve.com Internet STReport@AOL.Com WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.streport.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. 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Send your subscription to: BBS Press Services, Inc. 8125 S.W. 21st Street Topeka, KS 66615 Or, to order by phone, Please Call: 1-913-478-3157 (Voice) 1-913-478-9239 (Data) 1-913-478-1189 (FAX) Checks, Mastercard & Visa ok, Please include Full Name, Address, home Number, Card type, number & expiration date when ordering. If by mail, please _sign_ your personal order. STReport Headline News LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson GE Info Services Forms I-Net Unit GE Information Services, a major supplier of electronic commerce services, has formed an Internet division. GEIS, based in Rockville, Maryland, says the division will deliver Internet-based services to its online trading community of more than 40,000 companies worldwide. The firm notes that it will make the first in a series of Internet services available next month. "The Internet is changing the face of computing as we know it today," says Bruce Chovnick, the GEIS vice president in charge of the new division. "Internet-based electronic commerce will give corporations a quantum leap in productivity as they streamline key processes like supplier management and logistic management." Less than five percent of companies who could benefit from electronic commerce take advantage of it, says GEIS, which wants to expand the number of small and medium businesses using business-to-business electronic commerce. "The Internet, with its standard protocols and incredible reach, offers a key distribution channel to attract small and medium companies," says Chovnick. Microsoft, NBC in News Talks Reports continue to circulate that NBC and Microsoft Corp. are negotiating on a deal to provide a 24-hour news channel linked to an interactive online video service. United Press International reports from Microsoft's Redmond, Washington, headquarters that the software giant has no comment on an earlier Wall Street Journal report that cited unnamed industry insiders saying GE and Microsoft have been discussing the project secretly for two months. There's talk of startup investments of up to $100 million over several years. The wire service says the companies reportedly have overcome distribution hurdles, "including NBC's tentative agreement to cancel its year-old America's Talking cable network and using the slot on cable systems for the new news service." UPI notes about 20 million U.S. homes receive America's Talking, "making it likely to be a break-even proposition at best." Also, the venture is said to include a link between the cable network and an online service that Microsoft would send to personal computers so that each would carry messages for the other. "For example," says UPI, "a news report on the channel could carry information on how to obtain more details from the online service." It has yet to be decided whether to deliver the channel to anyone over the Internet, though a published report earlier this week said NBC would insist on editorial control over the venture. New Web Magazine Announced Miller Freeman Inc., publisher of Dr. Dobb's journal and several other high-tech magazines, has announced Web Techniques, a monthly technical magazine for people who design, develop and maintain World Wide Web sites. The magazine is set to debut in February at a paid circulation of 30,000. According to a statement issued by Miller Freeman, Web Techniques will feature columns on legal issues, Web site design, HTML coding and Web administration, as well as a how-to section, technical features, case studies and a new products section. Miller Freeman will augment Web Techniques with a new conference and trade show -- Web Development '96. The event will coincide with the company's Software Development West conference and exhibition, slated for March 26-28 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Forrester Research predicts economic activity on the Internet at $45.8 billion by the year 2000 -- a twentyfold increase over the $2.2 billion generated in 1995. "This level of activity will require a significant technical infrastructure, and Web Techniques readers are the professionals who will build it," says Peter Hutchinson, the magazine's publisher. Oracle Building New England Site Oracle Corp.has broken ground on a new database technology research and development facility in Nashua, New Hampshire. Planned in two phases, the 120,000 square foot center is scheduled to be completed by March 1997. The facility will initially house 200 employees in a 60,000 square foot building. By the end of phase two, the building will have the capacity to hold up to 500 employees. "New England is one of the top three regions worldwide for software talent, and Oracle is committed to playing a significant role here," says Jerry Held, senior vice president of Oracle's server technologies division. "At the New England Development Center we intend to give current and new Oracle employees the opportunity to apply their creativity and technical expertise to develop leadership products in some of the fastest growing technology arenas, including the Internet, multimedia databases and data warehousing." Oracle first came to the New England in 1994, when it acquired Digital Equipment Corp.'s relational database management system product family. Since the acquisition, Oracle has leased space in Digital's Spit Brook location in Nashua. Diamond Boosts Offer for Hayes Diamond Multimedia has increased its offer to acquire struggling modem maker Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. Reporting from San Jose, California, the Reuter News Service says the new offers calls for creditors to continue to get cash, but equity holders would receive $92 million in stock and $8 million in cash. As reported, Diamond previously offered to acquire Hayes, currently in Chapter XI bankruptcy reorganization, by paying creditors $85 million in cash, representing a full pay-out of pre-petition creditors' claims, plus interest. Equity holders were to receive $73 million cash. "Concurrent with the filing of the plan amendment," says Reuters, "Melita Hayes, a 9.4 percent shareholder in Hayes, ex-wife of founder Dennis Hayes and the second largest shareholder in the company, filed a ballot with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court voting in favor of the Diamond plan and opposing reorganization plans filed by Hayes and U.S. Robotics Corp." Apple Said to be Eyeing Layoffs Word around the industry is that Apple Computer Inc. is considering up to 2,000 employee layoffs at the beginning of the year. Computergram International reports this morning the cuts "are thought to be triggered by the need to bring operating costs in line with continuing low margins." The newsletter notes sources have told MacWeek magazine the furloughs are expected to be scattered across the company, but, says CI, "Apple Americas, the sales and marketing division for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America, is expected to be hardest hit, taking up to half the cuts." The newsletter says the unit may contract its phone support out to meet the cuts. IBM Licenses Sun's Java Language IBM Corp. says it has licensed Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s Java programming language and intends to use it to enhance the way customers view and interact with content on the Internet's World Wide Web. IBM says it plans to implement the Java technology in products that exploit the Internet, such as Web browsers and Web servers, as well as in its Lotus Notes integrated messaging and groupware software. IBM also notes that it intends to port the Java technology to its OS/2 and AIX operating systems, as well as to Windows 3.1, and will make those ports available over the World Wide Web. Java, developed by Sun, is an object-oriented programming language that operates independently of any operating system or microprocessor. Java programs, called applets, can offer the multimedia richness of a CD-ROM over corporate networks and the Internet. Applets provide World Wide Web users with ready access to additional Web page content that can be delivered in a more visually compelling way, such as through the use of animation. IBM expects to make its ports of Java to OS/2, AIX and Windows 3.1 available on the World Wide Web starting in the first quarter of next year. "Java is a very innovative software technology that will help us expand the functionality of our Internet access products and related offerings," says Irving Wladawsky- Berger, general manager for IBM's Internet Division. Netscape Drops 20% on Downgrade The 1995 investment darling Netscape took a big hit yesterday, losing nearly 20 percent of its value after an analyst downgraded the issue. The stock of the Internet software specialist fell $28.75 to $132.50 in heavy Nasdaq trading after an analyst at Smith Barney recommended selling the stock, saying it is overpriced. More than 2.56 million shares changed hands. Despite the decline, Netscape is now trading at nearly five times the $28 price of its Aug. 9 initial public offering," United Press International notes, adding, "Its market value is about $5 billion, even though its financial performance is modest -- third-quarter earnings of $1.4 million, or 4 cents a share, compared with a loss of $1.6 million in the year-ago quarter, with sales up 75 percent to $20.8 million." Netscape, which went public at $28 four months ago, hit $171 on Tuesday in the wake of its announcement of an alliance with Sun Microsystems Inc. to create an easy-to-use programming language for the Internet's World Wide Web. The companies are distributing the language, called JavaScript, over the Internet free of charge. Feds Probe Robotics' Bid on Hayes Word is modem maker U.S. Robotics Corp.'s proposed acquisition of rival Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. has drawn the attention of federal trade officials. Reporter Mark Boslet of Dow Jones News Service quotes industry sources as saying Federal Trade Commission officials have made a second request for information from U.S. Robotics. At least one source told him the request, filed Nov. 30, is extensive. DJNS says, "Industry analysts said they weren't surprised by the request for data under the antitrust authority of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act," adding that according to International Data Corp.'s market research, U.S. Robotics now has about 35 percent of the modem market, while Hayes retains about 18 percent of the market. When combined market shares climb above 50 percent, regulators take an extra hard look," Boslet comments. As reported, last October U.S. Robotics offered to buy Hayes for creditors claims of about $85 million and $97.5 million in Robotics stock, topping an offer for the company from Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. Hayes, which is seeking to emerge from bankruptcy court, has opted to try to remain independent, but U.S. Robotics has remained steadfast in its interest. Bill to Target Net's 'Dirty' Words If some federal lawmakers have their way, there will be seven "dirty" words you can't say on the Internet. Working out differences between House and Senate telecommunications proposals to negotiate a reform bill, the legislators took steps to ban seven words and other "indecent" material from the Net. Reporting for United Press International, writer Rex Nutting says House conferees approved a computer anti-pornography amendment sponsored by Rep. Rick White, R-Washington, and that Sen. James Exon, D-Nebraska -author of a much tougher provision included in the Senate bill -- said he will accept the House provision, calling it "a reasonable position." Sen. Larry Pressler, R-South Dakota, chairman of the conference committee working out differences between the House and Senate telecommunications bills, said the committee staff will draft the White amendment into legislative language before the conference reconvened to consider it. Pressler told the wire service his conference committee could report a bill within a few days, noting the conferees resolved 33 differences between the bills before tackling pornography. UPI says the White amendment protects access providers, such as CompuServe and America Online, from legal liability for indecent material they transmit. (The providers have argued that they could not possibly screen the millions of connections made on their networks each day.) "But under the reform bill," adds Nutting, "content providers, such as companies that create World Wide Web pages or consumers posting e-mail to a public bulletin board, would not be able to legally provide indecent materials unless they made good faith efforts to screen the material away from minors." Said White, "It's exactly like a 7-Eleven. The material is available behind the counters to adults." Unlike Exon's proposal -- which was widely denounced in cyberspace -White's amendment does not give the Federal Communications Commission authority to police the Internet for pornography. As White told UPI, "Nobody wants the federal government to decide what you can see. I'm happy to have that discussion with my wife, but I don't want to have that discussion with the FCC." The House members of the conference committee rejected on a 20-13 vote a stronger proposal from Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Illinois, and backed by the Christian Coalition, then voted 17- 16 to toughen the language in the White proposal, substituting an "indecency" standard for the "harmful to minors" standard. Says Nutting, "The change, while seemingly minor, throws the bill into murky constitutional waters, according to civil liberty activists." Jerry Berman, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an advocate for civil liberties on the Internet, said he was "extremely disappointed" in Reps. Pat Schroeder, D-Colorado, and John Conyers, D- Michigan, who voted for the "indecency" standard, adding his organization will fight the bill in court if it is enacted. Nutting notes the FCC has defined "indecency" as "language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards ... sexual or excretory activities or organs." He added the "indecency" standard was applied when the FCC ruled that radio stations could not broadcast George Carlin's comedy routine "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on TV." UPI adds the "harmful to minors" standard appears mainly in state laws restricting sales or displays of materials to minors and is analogous to the "obscenity" standard for adults, in that it takes into account the literary, artistic, political or scientific value of a work. Net 'Smut' Bill Draws Opponents A bill that would make it illegal to make "indecent" material available to minors on the Internet is drawing opposition from some 60 civil rights groups, privacy activists and others here and abroad through an online campaign. Reporting from Washington, the Reuter News Service notes electronic mail messages went out to computer users across the Net yesterday saying the groups are preparing a "National Internet Day of Protest" today that targets lawmakers fashioning a big telecommunications bill. The action comes after House lawmakers agreed last week to make it a crime for anyone to knowingly display "indecent" material that could be viewed by a minor over a computer online service or on the Internet computer network. Those found guilty could face up to two years in prison and fines of as much as $100,000. As noted, the U.S. Senate has passed similar legislation. House and Senate conferees finalizing the telecommunications bill must now resolve the differences in language. Said the circulating e-mail, "Outrageous proposals to censor the Internet demand that the Internet Community take swift and immediate action. We must stand up and let Congress know that we will not tolerate their attempts to destroy this medium." Reuters says protesting groups include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Centre for Democracy and Technology, the National Writers Union, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The electronic message urges people to contact House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, and various congressmen and Senators who sit on the conference panel. Reuters comments, "The religious right has been behind efforts to push for a tougher standard," and quotes Carl Raschke, a religion professor at the University of Denver, saying the legislation represents an effort by the religious right to "further their economic interests and silence a communications medium that signifies to them the 'mark of the beast.'" Web Inventor Fears Browser Role Tim Berners-Lee, who created the Internet's World Wide Web five years ago, is warning that the system's future development may be hurt if too much information becomes dependent on the popular "browser" software people use to navigate it. Saying software companies should take a different approach to browsers than they did with operating systems and other PC programs, Berners-Lee said, "The browser is becoming a large, monolithic thing. From a software engineering point of view, that doesn't work. If you want to evolve, you have to divide that into manageable pieces and make those pieces independent." Business writer Evan Ramstad of the Associated Press says Berners-Lee's comments at the Fourth International World Wide Web Conference in Boston "highlight the clash that sometimes occurs between engineering efficiency and commercial goals." Notes Ramstad, "Critics say the performance of other software has been compromised by the successive revisions to add more features, many of which have marginal value to most users." Executives with Netscape Communications Corp. and Microsoft Corp. -both of which are staking out territory in the browser business -- told AP they believe no company will be able to dominate technological changes that affect the Web, as happened in mainframe and personal computers. Saying Berners-Lee did not criticize them directly, AP observes that both companies and more than 60 others are members of the W3 Consortium, a technical standards body he now directs. "They're all sitting around the table fixing it," Berners-Lee said. "At the end of the day, it's important that it's a worldwide web. When you come to the point that you're going through the Web and it says, `I'm sorry you just cannot read this site unless you are using particular software,' then the Web is no longer worldwide. Everybody loses." AP says the Web now is used by an estimated 18 million people. And there are more than 55,000 Web sites. More than 3,000 programmers are attending this week's conference, which is the largest gathering of people who are doing the technical work behind the Web. Information on the conference and Berners-Lee's speech may be found at Web address http://www.w3.org/WWW4/. Yahoo, Ziff Strike a Deal Internet search engine specialists at Yahoo Corp. have struck a deal with magazine giant Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. to set up a site on the Internet's World Wide Web and publish an electronic magazine together. According to United Press International, the new publication will be called Yahoo Internet Life and will be released first over the Internet. The firms also will release print and CD-ROM versions. "The new electronic magazine will allow users to read about Web sites before clicking on to them," UPI says. "The web site, ZD/Yahoo Computing, will be a guide to Web sites dealing with computer hardware, software and related topics." Yahoo is the Mountain View, California, firm incorporated last April by two Stanford University graduate students and has become one of the Internet success stories as perhaps the best known searchable directory of Web sites. UPI says Yahoo's site (reached at Web address http://www.yahoo.com) has more than 800,000 visitors a day, has taken in $1 million in advertising since August and recently sold 12 percent of itself to five investors, including Softbank Corp. In the new deal, Ziff-Davis will have full responsibility for selling ads for the print and electronic versions. Yahoo has appointed Ziff-Davis as its exclusive ad representative for computer-related companies on the main Yahoo guide. The print version of the publication is to debut on in February with a paid circulation of 100,000. CD-ROM Celebrates The Who's Tommy The Who's Tommy, the rock opera that has experienced incarnations in album, movie, concert and stage versions, is now headed to CD-ROM in the form of a multimedia documentary. Interplay Productions Inc., an Irvine, California-based multimedia software publisher, says it will release Pete Townsend Presents Tommy: The Interactive Celebration in Windows and Macintosh versions this spring. No price was announced. According to a statement issued by the company, the CD-ROM will take users on a non-linear journey through all of Tommy's various versions. The CD-ROM will offer music, photo images and video clips. The disc also will feature original handwritten notes by Townsend, a variety of "surprise guest celebrity" performances and interviews with The Who's John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey. "The release of this title combines all the elements that have gone into making Tommy an ongoing success and allows the user to access them at a touch of the finger," says Brian Christian, the title's producer. AT&T to Supply ISDN to NYNEX AT&T Network Systems says it is completing negotiations with NYNEX to provide ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) hardware and software for NYNEX switching centers in New York and New England. Under the proposed deal, extending over the next several years and valued at several hundred million dollars, AT&T Network Systems will become a major supplier of ISDN equipment and software to NYNEX. AT&T Network Systems will split off from AT&T Corp. in 1996 to become a separate systems and technology company. "We are pleased that NYNEX chose AT&T Network Systems to help meet the explosive customer demand for ISDN services," says Rich Moscioni, a sales vice president with AT&T Network Systems. "We believe we can supply NYNEX with the most technologically advanced and reliable equipment that the industry has to offer." AT&T Network Systems equipment serves about 80 percent of the ISDN lines now operating nationwide, and has deployed enough equipment to support nearly two million ISDN lines. SPA Taps Anti-Piracy Expert The Software Publishers Association has appointed a former Levi Strauss & Co.anti-counterfeiting expert to head its ongoing anti-piracy campaign in the Asia/Pacific region. As director of the SPA's Asia/Pacific anti-piracy, Elisha Lawrence, will set strategy and coordinate local counsel and public relations firms to expand SPA's anti-piracy education and enforcement efforts throughout the region, including Singapore, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Lawrence most recently headed the Asia/Pacific anti-counterfeiting operations of Levi Strauss & Co. which is known as a leader in fighting counterfeiters. Lawrence's previous experience also includes stints in both private practice and government. She received her juris doctorate degree from Hastings College of Law and undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University. Lawrence will be based in San Francisco. The SPA is the principal trade association of the desktop software industry. Its 1,200 members represent major publishers in the business, consumer and education markets. The SPA has offices in Washington and Paris. Adaptec SCSI Hosts STR Focus AHA(r)-1540CP Family Easiest way to add high-performance Plug-and-Play SCSI to your system PRODUCT FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS * High-performance bus master DMA design * Compatible with DOS, Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT, NetWare, OS/2, and UNIX operating systems * SCSISelect(tm) optimization utility * Plug-and-Play SCSI AHA-1540CP: Bus master ISA-to-Fast SCSI host adapter AHA-1542CP: Bus master ISA-to-Fast SCSI host adapter with floppy controller SCSI Master(r) kit: AHA-1542CP, Adaptec(r) EZ-SCSI(tm) software, internal SCSI cable, and complete documentation OVERVIEW For performance, ease of use and compatibility, the AHA-1540CP family of SCSI host adapters is the ideal choice for PCs that run in today's multitasking environments. The AHA-1540CP family combines a powerful multithreaded SCSI I/O interface with a high-performance bus-mastering Direct Memory Access (DMA) architecture. The result is faster data throughput and higher overall system performance that enables you to run multiple applications. As the first bus master SCSI host adapter that is fully plug-and-play capable, the AHA-1540CP family also advances the state of the art for ease of use. Installation and configuration of the adapter and Plug-and-Play SCSI peripherals is virtually automatic. Users can count on the compatibility of the AHA-1540CP family of host adapters. Providing the same level of compatibility as the industry-standard AHA-1540 family of host adapter, the AHA-1540CP family has been enhanced to support major multitasking operating systems, including Windows 95. KEY BENEFITS High performance for multitasking environments Fully compatible with the major multitasking operating systems, including Windows 95, OS/2, and NetWare, the AHA-1540CP host adapters make true multitasking possible. The AHA-1540CP family provides a multithreaded, 10- MByte/sec Fast SCSI interface to the ISA bus for the seamless concurrent I/O operations that multitasking requires. In addition, these host adapters feature bus master DMA, which takes over I/O processing and frees CPU power for other tasks. With this combination of high-performance features, the AHA-1540CP family affords the overall system performance that 32-bit applications and multitasking demand. Now you can run one or more of today's powerful applications, such as those for desktop publishing, document imaging, or multimedia authoring, and, at the same time, download a file, receive a fax, or back up a drive to tape. Easy to install and use The AHA-1540CP family is the first bus master host adapter family to offer the convenience of true plug-and-play functionality. The AHA-1540CP family meets all the requirements of ISA bus and Plug-and-Play SCSI specifications, making installation of the adapter and up to seven SCSI devices quick and easy. When the board is installed, resources such as BIOS and port addresses are automatically assigned to prevent conflicts. Used with Plug-and-Play SCSI peripherals and cables, the AHA-1540CP adapter automatically locates all connected SCSI devices and instantly resolves any SCSI resource conflicts. It also automatically terminates the SCSI bus, eliminating the need to handle jumpers and termination resistors. In addition, with Adaptec EZ-SCSI software for DOS and Windows, you can install SCSI devices in minutes by following simple menu-driven instructions. And, when you want to add or remove external peripherals, the Adaptec SCSISelect optimization utility lets you quickly modify AHA-1540CP configuration settings from the keyboard. Unparalleled compatibility AHA-1540CP host adapters are fully compatible with the earlier AHA-1540 family, making it easy for you to add plug-and-play convenience while preserving your investment in peripheral devices and third-party software. The AHA-1540CP family is designed to be compatible with any peripheral device that complies with the SCSI-2 standard and with any computer that adheres to the ISA or EISA specifications. Compatible with major operating systems, the family is now enhanced with embedded support for the Windows 95 multitasking operating system, in addition to OS/2, UNIX, and NetWare. Support for DOS and Windows operating systems is provided by Adaptec EZ-SCSI software. To ensure the highest level of compatibility, Adaptec conducts thousands of hours of tests in a broad range of environments and maintains strong development relationships with operating system vendors, third-party software developers, and system OEMs. SCSI Master kit-Everything necessary to get started The SCSI Master kit provides you with everything necessary to add high- performance Plug-and-Play SCSI devices to PC systems. The kit features the AHA-1542CP host adapter with a floppy drive controller, complete user documentation and Adaptec EZ-SCSI software for simple installation. Adaptec EZ-SCSI software applications let you play audio CDs, view photo CDs, perform tape backups, benchmark SCSI peripheral devices, and more. Quality and reliability In addition to comprehensive compatibility testing, AHA-1540CP host adapters undergo thousands of hours of functional and reliability inspections and tests. Adaptec's manufacturing facility has earned ISO-9002 international certification, which ensures compliance to a high level of product quality in product design, development, and production. Trusted for quality and reliability, Adaptec IOware(r) products are incorporated into the products of virtually all major computer and peripheral manufacturers around the world. IOware products by Adaptec Adaptec's IOware products combine hardware and software technology into solutions that are critical to ensuring the level of performance needed by today's data- and graphics-intensive applications. Resident in both the computer and peripherals, Adaptec's IOware products speed the flow of data from one part of the system to another, significantly improving overall performance. ADAPTEC AHA-1540CP and AHA-1542CP COMPLETE KIT CONTENTS * AHA-1542CP bus master host adapter with floppy controller * Manager Set software for OS/2 and NetWare * Adaptec EZ-SCSI software for DOS and Windows * SCSI application software: o Advanced Power Management o SCSIBench o SCSI Disk Partitioner o SCSI Interrogator o SCSI Scanner o Photo CD Viewer (Magic Lantern(tm)) o CD Player o SCSI Tape Backup (Backup Basics) o SCSITutor * Standard internal SCSI ribbon cable (external cable not included) * Complete documentation TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Computer Bus: ISA Interface Protocol: Bus Master DMA Device Protocol: SCSI-2 Peripheral Device Support: Up to seven (7) single-ended SCSI peripheral devices Simultaneous synchronous and asynchronous peripheral support Hard Disk Capacity: Supports drive capacity up to eight (8) gigabytes (unless limited by operating system) Adaptec BIOS: For standard fixed disk emulation; supports up to seven (7) disks under DOS 5 and later Floppy Drive Support: AHA-1542CP only; supports two floppy drives (3.5" and 5.25") Advanced SCSI Features: Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) compliant, disconnect/reconnect, multitasking, multithreaded I/O (up to 255 tasks simultaneously), parity checking, scatter-gather, Plug-and-Play SCSI, synchronous and asynchronous data transfer, zero latency reads (ZLR) and linked commands Bus Width: 8 and 16-bit Host Bus Data Transfer Rate: From 3.3 to 10.0 MByte/sec burst rate Maximum SCSI Data Rate: 10 MByte/sec Fast SCSI Electrical Termination: Single-ended, active, software-controlled Operating System Support: 1. Microsoft DOS 2. Microsoft Windows 3. Microsoft Window 95 4. Microsoft Windows NT 5. Microsoft and IBM OS/2 6. IBM OS/2 Warp 7. UNIX (SCO, Sunsoft, USL, Univel) 8. Banyan Vines 9. Sunsoft Solaris MTBF: 376,130 hours (AHA-1540CP)(per TR-NWT-000332, Method I, QL-I) PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS Length: 6.3 inches (16.5 cm) Height: 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) Internal Connector: 50-pin, flat cable External Connector: 50-pin, high density (alternative 2) Operating Temperature: 0ø C to 55ø C Storage Temperature: -55ø C to 85ø C Humidity (operating): 10% to 90%, non condensing POWER REQUIREMENTS +5.0 ñ 0.25 volts at 0.51 amps, excluding terminator power AHA(r)-2940 PCI-to-Fast SCSI Family The highest performance I/O technology available for demanding desktop and server applications PRODUCT FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS ú Delivers high-performance SCSI I/O for demanding, multitasking PCI applications ú New 10 MIPS PhaseEngine(tm) ú RISC processor, Fast SCSI and bus master DMA support transfer rates of up to 133 MB/second across the PCI local-bus ú Compatible with DOS/Windows, Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, OS/2(r), NetWare(r), and UNIX(r) operating system environments, as well as third-party software and SCSI-2 devices ú Easy to install using the BIOS-resident SCSISelect(tm) configuration utility ú Supports both 8-bit and 16-bit Wide SCSI devices (AHA-2940W) OVERVIEW The AHA-2940 host adapter family brings the highest performance SCSI I/O technology to the fast PCI local-bus. Based on Adaptec-designed RISC technology, the AHA-2940 maximizes system I/O performance and utilizes the PCI local-bus to transfer data up to 133 MB/second. This series of high- performance, intelligent host adapters supports advanced SCSI features and bus master direct memory access (DMA) data transfers. Combined with the high performance of SCSI and the fastest system bus available, the AHA-2940 family delivers maximum I/O throughput for demanding desktop and network server applications. The AHA-2940 PCI host adapter family brings compatibility, reliability and ease-of-use to the desktop or server PC. The AHA-2940 is compatible with all major operating systems, SCSI-2 and SCSI-3 peripherals, as well as industry- standard application software. Adaptec's extensive testing program ensures compatibility between the PCI system and the SCSI host adapter. The AHA-2940 features the BIOS-resident SCSISelect configuration utility which eliminates the need to handle jumpers or terminators while installing the board or adding peripherals. All configuration and terminator settings are controlled via the keyboard. This means that once the host adapter is installed, the PC chassis need never be opened again. KEY BENEFITS RISC-based SCSI - the key to maximum performance The AHA-2940 is the newest addition to the Adaptec line of RISC-based SCSI host adapters. At the core of this new host adapter family is the Adaptec- designed PhaseEngine RISC processor. The 10 MIPS PhaseEngine processor minimizes the time it takes to process SCSI commands by automating SCSI phase changes and advanced SCSI features. This allows the CPU to perform other tasks and improves overall system efficiency and performance. The programmable PhaseEngine RISC processor also executes self-contained microcode, which is downloaded by the main CPU at system initialization. This enables quick and easy microcode upgrades. Further, a 64-byte scratch memory stores configuration information established by the BIOS-resident SCSISelect configuration utility. With the Adaptec-designed RISC processor, the AHA-2940 host adapter maximizes system I/O performance by utilizing the PCI local-bus to process data at transfer rates of up to 133 Mbytes/second. This new technology is essential in meeting the demands of high-performance applications. Wide SCSI support for increased performance The AHA-2940W PCI-to-Wide SCSI host adapter provides connectivity to 16-bit as well as standard 8-bit SCSI devices. This connectivity increases I/O performance by doubling the maximum SCSI bus band-width from 10 Mbytes per second for standard 8-bit SCSI to 20 Mbytes per second for Wide 16-bit SCSI. Simple installation and easy, flexible configuration The AHA-2940 family of host adapters is easily installed and configured. Simply install the board in the PCI slot, then run the menu-driven SCSISelect configuration utility resident on the host adapter. The SCSISelect configuration utility eliminates the need to handle jumpers, making host adapter installation quick and easy. In addition, the programmable active termination featured in the AHA-2940 family and con- trolled by the SCSISelect utility makes installation of external SCSI peripherals fast and simple. When upgrading the PCI system with external SCSI peripherals, there is no need to open the PC chassis. Adaptec's SCSISelect utility provides key information on-screen, including the host adapter version and current configuration. Active termination and other host adapter settings may then be reconfigured on-screen through menus rather than handling jumpers and changing switch settings on the hardware. Proven Adaptec quality and reliability The hardware for the AHA-2940 family of host adapters is based on state-of- the-art VLSI technology, providing maximum performance and reliability. To ensure compatibility with PCI systems, the AHA-2940 family has undergone exhaustive testing in Adaptec's compatibility test lab. In addition, each board is subjected to extensive functional and mechanical inspections and tests to ensure the highest quality and reliability. As the PCI standard becomes established in the industry, Adaptec recognizes the need to work with core technology providers to ensure long-term compatibility. Adaptec has been proactive in building relationships with leading BIOS, core chip-set and system providers to assure compliance and compatibility with the PCI 2.0 specification. Our on-going testing and reporting procedures allow us to provide users with the most current PCI compatibility data. In support of its commitment to quality, Adaptec's manufacturing facility has earned ISO-9002 certification. This international quality standard, established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ensures a high level of product quality, production, testing and service. IOware(r) products by Adaptec Adaptec's IOware products combine hardware and software technology into I/O solutions which ensure the level of performance required for today's data- and graphics-intensive applications. Resident in both the computer and the peripherals, Adaptec IOware products speed the flow of data from one part of the system to another, significantly improving overall performance. ADAPTEC AHA-2940 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Computer Bus: PCI local-bus Interface Protocol: Bus master DMA Host Bus Data Transfer Rate: Up to 133 Mbytes/sec burst rate SCSI Synchronous Data Rate: 10 Mbytes/sec (Fast SCSI, AHA-2940) 20 Mbytes/sec (Fast and Wide SCSI, AHA-2940W) SCSI Asynchronous Data Rate: 3 Mbytes/sec (AHA-2940) 6 Mbytes/sec (AHA-2940W) Device Protocol: SCSI-2 (AHA-2940) SCSI-3 (AHA-2940W) Advanced SCSI Features: Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) compliant, multi-threaded I/O, scatter/gather, tagged queuing, disconnect/reconnect, synchronous and asynchronous Fast and Wide Electrical Drivers: Single-ended, active, programmable via SCSISelect configuration utility Bus Width: 32-bit Hard Disk Capacity: Extended translation scheme supports up to eight (8) Gbytes per disk Adaptec BIOS: Supports up to seven (7) disks under DOS 5.0 Floppy Drive Support: N/A I/O Operating Environment: Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, OS/2, NetWare, UNIX (SCO(r), UnixWare) MTBF: TBD (calculated per Mil Spec 217 E) PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS Length: 5.8" Height: 3.9" Operating Temperature: 0øC to 55øC 32øF to 131øF Storage Temperature: -40øC to 75øC -40øF to 167øF Humidity (operating): 10% to 95% non-condensing Power Requirements: +5.0 ñ 0.25 Volts at 2.0 amps maximum Adaptec, Inc. 691 South Milpitas Boulevard Milpitas, California 95035 Adaptec Singapore Block 1002 Jalan Merah Central #07-18/20 Singapore 0315 Telephone: (65) 278-5213 FAX: (65) 273-0163 Adaptec Brussels Dreve Richelle 161 Bldg. A, 2nd Floor B1410 Waterloo Belgium Telephone: (32) 2-352-34-11 FAX: (32) 2-352-34-00 Literature: 1-800-934-2766 (USA and Canada) or 510-732-3829 Ordering Software: 1-800-442-7274 (USA and Canada) or 408-957-7274 Interactive FAX: (408) 957-7150 Internet ftp server: ftp.adaptec.com World-Wide Web: http://www.adaptec.com CompuServe: GO ADAPTEC Adaptec USA Bulletin Board: 408-945-7727 (up to 28,800 baud, using 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity) Copyright (c) 1995 Adaptec, Inc. All rights reserved. Adaptec, the Adaptec logo, IOware, the IOware logo, AHA, SCSISelect, EZ-SCSI and SCSI Master are trademarks of Adaptec, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. The Photo CD logo is a registered trademark of Eastman Kodak Company used under license. Magic Lantern is a trademark of In-Cat System srl. All other trademarks used are owned by their respective owners. Information supplied by Adaptec, Inc. is believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of printing, but Adaptec, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. Adaptec, Inc. reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in product design or specifications. Information is subject to change without notice. ARCsolo TBU STR Focus The "Rolls Royce" of Tape Back- up Software SCSI Tape Back Up Software that WORKS! ARCsolo for Windows 95 From; Cheyenne Software Inc. by Ralph F. Mariano Every once in a while, a "Masterwork" in software comes along. This software package is a top notch "event" in the lines of software released in support of Windows 95. After having gone through the "Death Valley" gauntlet with the wanna be TBU software that has been impersonating Windows 95 support software, ARCsolo 95 is truly a breath of fresh air. The actual review will be next week, but... if your sweetheart is contemplating getting you a SCSI Tape Back-up software package. please let this small note of advice be found "in time" to help in the decision of what to buy. I am enthusiastic because this puppy WORKS! Works as promised and works as designed. For the very short time its been in our "hot little hands", ARCsolo has "strutted its stuff" like a seasoned Win95 Trooper. Backups and restores are fast. The backup of Drive "C" and Windows 95 went fast and without all the annoying stops, beeps and silly can't back this up and can't back notices and bleeps the other TBU software packages offer up because of what ever number of dimwitted reasons. ARCsolo backed up ANYTHING I wanted it to backup. And. it did it fast. Now, the best part.. It most certainly does have FULL DISASTER RECOVERY! This program has it down pat. It doesn't simply say it does.. it PROVES it does and does it well. It has the speed, the ease of use, the Win95 style information boxes and indicators to keep you fully aware of everything its doing. as its doing it. This program's wizards make running it for the first time a pleasant experience. If you're in the market for reliable SCSI Tape Backup Software written by Computerists for Computer User from the beginner to the wizened power user.. Don't hesitate this is what we've been waiting for. ARCsolo is this Editor's Choice! Once you use it for the first time, it will be your choice too. Want more Info?? Call Cheyenne Software Inc., at 1-516-484-5110 ask for Paul Clapman he's a great guy. . Let `em know you "discovered" ARCsolo here. Wildcat Annihilator STR Infofile Mustang ..Staying on TOP Wildcat! 5 - Project Annihilator - Preview Information Sheet October 1, 1995 This document is composed of two parts. The first provides an overview of Project Annihilator, what it is and how it operates. The second section contains specific installation instructions for installation and use of the Preview CD. The second section is also duplicated in a help file on disk that will be displayed for review and printing after the installation. Part 1 - The Overview Interactive Multimedia Reaches the On-line Application Market Mustang Software is developing a system to empower the corporate, business, small office and hobbyist community to offer full on-line multimedia to customers, staff and prospects. The development name of the project is Annihilator and it has entered beta testing at several hundred locations. It will be released as Wildcat! 5 for Windows 95 and Windows NT. Annihilator is a true Windows 95 or Windows NT client/server application designed to provide a BBS-based solution for a broad range of customers. It delivers an exciting interactive multimedia experience for callers by allowing the system operator to make use of familiar multimedia tools, including JPEG and GIF editors, for customization of the caller interface. For backward compatibility all aspects of the system are accessible via standard ANSI connectivity but when accessed using the free remote client, the caller is greeted with an exciting multimedia experience. The support engine for offering remote graphics to the caller is included at no additional cost, and the remote graphical client suite is slated for free distribution. Annihilator takes full advantage of the new multitasking in Windows 95 and the robust server operations in Windows NT to provide a solution for every online need. The Windows 95 platform has been selected to support small to medium load systems while the Windows NT platform was chosen to provide high performance on-line solutions utilizing its single and multi-processor support. True Client/Server Technology The Bulletin Board System arena is the latest market segment to be courted by advertisements touting the benefits of "client/server" technology. However, upon closer inspection, "client/server" is often used to refer to the use of a proprietary remote program (the client) to dial into a BBS application (the server). While the use of a remote graphic client is an exciting aspect of many of the newer BBS technologies including `Annihilator', it does not represent true client/server functionality at the application program level, the location where its true power can be unleashed. So What is Client/Server? Client/server, at its simplest level, is an architecture that involves client processes requesting service from server processes. Client/server computing recognizes that those client modules need not all be executed within the same memory space, that is, the processes that distribute the information need not all be a part of the same single program. Separation of the client and server modules provides improved security and performance. By implementing a BBS with a core information server, and routing that information using a number of application clients at the sysop's location, a system can be established that delivers more information at greater speed, even on a single PC running Windows 95. Isn't It Complicated? Client/server can be as simple as running two or three familiar programs on a single PC or as intricate as a multiple-PC network running several applications on each PC. The beauty of client/server model is that once you understand the relationship between the different executable programs (the clients and the server) you can set it up in any of several ways that best meet your needs. he client/server model of Annihilator above is a simple setup with the server and all clients running on a single PC (inside the dotted line). The computer can operate under Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation or Server. This configuration offers the most compact system and allows for total management from the single BBS computer. An alternative to operating all client executables on a single PC is to distribute the processing over a Microsoft Network. The server executable runs on a Windows NT (workstation or server) PC while the client modules can be run on either the server PC or networked PCs running either Windows 95 or Windows NT. The advantage of separating some client operations from the server is increased power through distributed processing. For example, in an extremely active system the sysop may find it advantageous to establish three PCs, one for the Server and TCP/IP connectivity, including WWW access, and two others, each running a rack of 32 modems with its own copy of the Modem Controller Client. Use of the client/server model provides a number of advantages: ú 32-bit Windows multitasking means no additional multitasking software is needed and 16-32 lines can be run easily without loading multiple copies of the BBS. ú The entire BBS configuration in our client/server model can be modified even while in full operation, but only by authorized personnel. The system server accepts change requests and implements them as soon as usage permits. ú The number of inbound sessions on a single computer is significantly increased. Thanks to the enhanced multitasking of both 32-bit Windows platforms, a much larger number of connections is possible on any given PC. As inbound access (via modem, telnet, HTTP, etc.) reaches the processor limits for any given PC, additional client PCs can be added which communicate automatically with the server. Clients for modems, HTTP, telnet and other activities can be operated on a single PC or on a variety of additional systems, depending on load. ú This new generation BBS can truly isolate the core of the host activities, providing secure, private system access even to local users. The server portion of the system is established in an area on disk with restricted user access. The server controls all access to messages, files and other system information. Requests are submitted to the server by all support programs and third-party utilities through an easily adopted application program interface (API). This methodology has the added advantage of allowing the actual BBS program-flow code to be written in wcCODE and to be fully customizable. True Client/server technology provides total flexibility. It allows the sysop to offer a BBS on a desktop platform and to expand the system capabilities as desired. Standard Annihilator Modules Included With Every BBS Create a Foundation The following modules and clients come with the standard Annihilator Wildcat! 5 package. Server module This module provides the base functionality for processing all database and configuration requests through a published API structure. Local or LAN Client This module is included with every package and is used by anyone connecting at the host PC. It can also be used by anyone on the network for local login. It is an ANSI text connection. Note that the Graphical Client used for remote connection also can be used locally for a graphical local connection. Online Client This module is included with every package and answers the phone for all dial-in lines. It can present the BBS information to a caller in ANSI, ASCII or in full graphics when called with the free remote graphical client. QWK Echo Client This module is included with every package and handles QWK mail exchange processing between the host and other BBSs. TAPI Client This module is included with every package and provides a link to the Windows Telephony Application Program Interface. It talks to TAPI-aware add- on cards or hardware that offer ISDN, X.25 or other connectivity. Remote Graphical Client This module is a set of freely-distributable Windows programs for callers to experience full multimedia when connected. This program suite operates on Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT and any OS/2 release with Windows support. It can also be run locally, over a LAN or via a telnet connection. The core language of the remote graphical client is HTML, the language of the World Wide Web. Optional Annihilator Modules Increase Client/Server Power The following modules are optional add-on accessories and are purchased separately. Internet Connectivity Package This optional accessory package handles Internet connectivity and includes several individual clients UUCP Module [wcUUCP] This module handles dial-up Internet email and newsgroup support. It includes a dial-out program and mail tosser, allowing callers to send and receive Internet email and newsgroup messages. It also supports feeding messages to downline nodes. It can be used to toss internet mail regardless of whether it is obtained via dial-up or direct connection. (WC4's wcGATE) Telnet Module This module enables the Online Module to also answer inbound telnet callers. It connects callers to the BBS when they connect from a remote internet site. In this mode it acts as a telnet server. With the telnet module installed the BBS also supports outbound telnet sessions requested by callers, connecting them to other locations on the internet. In this mode the BBS acts as a telnet client for the caller. Inbound telnet connections support ANSI, ASCII and the remote graphical client interface. FTP Module This module enables the Online Module to also answer FTP connection requests. It responds to inbound FTP file requests and functions as a FTP server. Requests can be made anonymously for a restricted file set, or using a name and password on the BBS for FTP access to files based on the caller's access profile. Internet Service Provider Package This optional accessory package expands Internet connectivity and allows the system operator to operate as an ISP. It provides features beyond those in the Internet Connectivity Package and consists of several additional clients. PPP Module This module allows callers to make a connection to the BBS with any Winsock layer to establish a path for true TCP/IP connectivity. With a PPP connection callers can run their choice of applications while connected to the net, including browsers (Netscape), mail apps (Eudora), telnet clients and much more. WWW Module This module provides BBS connectivity to callers connecting using a WWW browser. It functions as an HTTP server that dynamically creates HTML files for file and message data and is fed by a set of display files in HTML format customized by the sysop. IRC Module This module provides a link to internet relay chat to expand the live discussion capabilities of the BBS. It functions as an irc client for callers. Note that standard inter-node chat is supported without this module. SMTP Module This module provides support for simple mail transfer protocol. It provides full management for sending and receiving internet email. NNTP Module This module provides support for network news transfer protocol messaging and processes mail from an Internet NNTP server (many providers offer nntp mail services). It provides the link to allow callers to read and reply to usenet newsgroups. MAPI Client This optional module provides a link to the Windows Mail Application Program Interface. It provides a mechanism to exchange messages between any application that supports MAPI such as Microsoft Mail, cc:Mail, Lotus Notes, etc. With MAPI support the sysop can easily establish a single repository for all messages by routing e-mail to Microsoft Exchange or any favorite mail package. CODE Development Package [wcCODE] This optional package is a new, enhanced high-speed 32-bit development language so powerful that all standard BBS functions are written in it. The CODE package allows the sysop to create custom BBS operations and programs to be run by the caller. Source Code For total customization of all online activity the wcCODE source for all BBS functions is available for purchase. (Requires wcCODE) Database Client This optional module provides remote connectivity to database processing using the ODBC standard, accessible via wcCODE applications. Reports Client [wcPRO] This optional module provides extensive reporting on BBS usage and activities. Billing Client [wcBILLING] This optional module provides a complete billing for pre-pay or post-pay systems. How Do I Set Up a Client/Server BBS? The configuration of Annihilator is very similar to the DOS Wildcat! BBS except that all configuration programs are 32-bit graphic Windows applications. Once you have run the installation and configuration programs you maintain the BBS using other Windows applications that provide functionality similar to the DOS Wildcat! MAKEMENU, MAKEWILD, MAKEQUES, wcFILE, and other support programs. How Do Callers Connect? There are several methods for callers to connect to your Annihilator (Wildcat! 5 ) BBS and several types of presentation: ú Dial-in modem callers using a standard comm package receive standard ANSI screens, just like WC4. ú Dial-in modem callers using the Graphical Remote Client package receive a full graphical HTML presentation. The BBS main "page" and all other informational pages such as bulletins, etc. are created by the sysop as HTML (www) documents using any HTML editor. We expect to bundle an editor with the package. ú Telnet inbound connections using a standard telnet or comm package receive ANSI screens, just like WC4. (requires the Internet Connectivity Package) ú Telnet inbound connections using the Graphical Remote Client package receive a full graphical HTML presentation. (requires the Internet Connectivity Package) ú FTP inbound connection requests can log in as "guest" or "anonymous" for limited file access as set by the sysop, or can log in as a BBS user with the correct password for full file lists based on BBS access profiles. (requires the Internet Connectivity Package) ú HTTP inbound can be made using any browser (Netscape, Mosaic, etc.) and will receive dynamically generated HTML pages for files and messages, with other information and other "pages" prepared by the sysop as HTML documents. (requires the Internet Service Provider Package) What Internet Services Can I Offer? If you add the Internet Connectivity Package your callers can make use of a number of Internet services by dialing in using the Remote Graphical Client or by using any ANSI terminal. By connecting to you over a standard phone line they are able to establish an internet email address, telnet to any other internet location, access files via ftp at any other location, and they can participate in internet newsgroup discussions. If you also add the Internet Service Provider Package your callers can expand their Internet connectivity to allow them full use of any applications they desire since you will be able to provide them with a PPP connection. What Hardware Will I Need? Annihilator was designed to provide a platform for everything from a single line BBS to a 1,000 line corporate connectivity server. The same set of client/server modules are used in all installations. For a simple one or two line BBS the easiest installation platform would be a 486/66 PC with 8 MB of memory running Windows 95. The standard communications ports in the PC can be used and the sysop just needs to run the Server Module and the Online Client. Minimize these two programs on the desktop and your BBS is operational. To login locally you run the Graphical Client for a full graphical BBS session. As the BBS expands the sysop might add a multiport card from Digi, Comtrol, Stallion, Equinox or any other manufacturer that offers Windows 95 or NT support. A 4 or 16 port card can be installed in the same 486 PC to increase line count and the only additional hardware changes might be to add additional memory to 16 MB. The same Modem Client will handle the additional lines with the installation of a line count increase module. Further expansion of the BBS can be accomplished in many ways. As line count increases the power of the PC can be increased to handle the added load by moving to a Pentium 90-120 MHz CPU. With the technology available today it is entirely possible to operate a single-box PC that can address hundreds of incoming lines and other connections by taking advantage of the multi- processor capabilities of the Windows NT platform. Multiport cards from 16 to 128 ports are readily available for the NT platform. For those that would rather make use of a LAN environment for BBS connectivity the Annihilator project also has a solution. By using Windows NT (Server or Workstation) the sysop can establish a server PC that handles the core server duties and allows separate PCs to handle different aspects of the remote connection. Each Client module can be operated on a networked PC running Windows 95 or NT, and will communicate with the server PC automatically. No messy drive mappings and no specific Networking components are required, other than those that come with Windows NT (workstation or server) and Windows 95. This type of distributed processing system really make sense for large systems with several different types of access, including local, TCP/IP, modem, X.25 and ISDN. Different client processes can be run on less-powerful PCs depending on their load. What about Novell and LANtastic Networks? Annihilator is totally compatible with NetWare or LANtastic. A workstation PC on a LAN can run Windows 95 or Windows NT and operate the complete BBS. Other LAN PCs can access the BBS using the Local/LAN client. Although the BBS PC can access files located on the NetWare or LANtastic server drives, all BBS server and client files must be located on PCs running NT or 95 with the exception of the downloadable files, which can be located anywhere on the LAN. The same cabling for NetWare or LANtastic connectivity (ethernet is assumed) is automatically used by the Windows networking to share BBS client/server data using TCP/IP. Can it Run Doors? Annihilator supports DOS-based doors on all port connections, and includes a program for DOS program redirection. However, operation of 16-bit DOS doors does limit the number of lines that can be supported on any given PC. Programs specifically written in the new 32-bit wcCODE are an exception, and do not cause this system degradation. Testing is the only method to determine the actual impact of a specific DOS door on your Annihilator system. Each DOS door affects system performance differently depending on the language it was developed in and what resources it uses. Doors under Windows NT Doors do not require any modification and operate in their own memory session for each node. Door operation is virtualized, a process that isolates the door itself from the port, and prevents it from knowing whether it is talking to a standard com port, a DigiBoard or a telnet connection. All doors all think they are talking to a standard COM 1. For specifics on how to run doors, see Part 2 of this document. Doors Under Windows 95 Doors must be able to talk to the actual port in use for each node via DOS. Unless the door is written in wcCODE it will not be able to access multiport boards that use a Windows 95 driver. For specifics on how to run doors, see Part 2 of this document. Release Information and Pricing No specific release date has been set for project Annihilator, but the target date is year end. The majority of the program modules are expected to be available in fourth quarter `95 but some optional modules will not become available until early 1996. The remote Graphical Client will be posted for download and wide-area testing in November. A patch upgrade to the wcSERVER component of the Preview CD ROM will also be made available at that time to enable CD owners to make use of the Remote Graphical Client for their callers. Product MSRP* 75% 66.6% Availabi off* off* lity Wildcat! 5 M2 (two node $149 $37 $49 4th qtr. + local) `95 Wildcat! 5 M16 (16 node) $349 $87 $115 4th qtr. `95 Wildcat! 5 M32 (32 node) $699 $174 $230 4th qtr. `95 8 Pack Node Increase $199 $49 $65 4th qtr. `95 32 Pack Node Increase $699 $174 $233 4th qtr. `95 Internet Connectivity $249 $62 $83 4th qtr. Package `95 Internet Service $599 $149 $199 early Provider Package `96 MAPI Client $799 $199 $265 early `96 CODE Development $149 $37 $49 4th qtr. Language & IDE `95 BBS Source Code $799 $199 $265 4th qtr. `95 ODBC Database Client $799 $199 $265 early `96 Reports Client [wcPRO] $149 $37 $49 early `96 Billing Client $149 $37 $49 early [wcBILLING] `96 * MSRP - Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price; 75% off - to participants in the special Pre-Release Annihilator CD program; 66.6% off - to any Wildcat! sysop with a valid registration number What are the Plans for the DOS Version of Wildcat!? The current DOS version of Wildcat! will continue to be supported and updated by its own separate team of engineers. We have no current plans for a native OS/2 BBS system and do not anticipate such development in the foreseeable future. Part 2 - The CD Instructions What is on the Preview CD? The CD contains three main items: ú The Annihilator Slide-Show Presentation (don't miss it!) ú The Annihilator Preview Information Sheet and Instructions (this document) ú The Annihilator Installation and Program Files The CD is configured to auto-start when inserted into a drive in Windows 95, however you will need to start it manually under Windows NT. The first program to run is SETUP.EXE which is located in the root directory. It presents the three items above as menu choices and performs the actual installation of files after you have viewed the Slide-Show and Information & Instructions. Getting the Files From the CD To your Hard Disk The Preview CD version of Wildcat! 5 (Annihilator) includes an installation program that extracts the compressed files from the CD and copies them to the correct location on your local drive. WC5 cannot be operated directly from the CD. This task must be done from the main SETUP.EXE program. The third button on screen performs the installation from CD to your hard disk. Once the files have been installed to your hard drive you are ready to begin setup of your Annihilator system. Please follow the instructions so that you won't be lost later on - Wildcat! 5 is quite different from what you may be used to! Should I Convert My WC4 System or Start New? We strongly suggest that you first set up and explore WC5 (Annihilator) before you convert your current system, even as a test BBS. You can perform the conversion of users, file and messages at any time later on using the WCSETUP.EXE program in the WC5 directory. About the programs All Wildcat! 5 (Annihilator) programs are placed in a Program Group (if running NT 3.51) or in a Folder (Windows 95). In this folder you will find icons for running the various programs needed. If you are familiar with the naming convention of Wildcat! 4 you will notice a lot of similarity, but some changes are noteworthy. ú WCSETUP.EXE - This is an initial setup program that can be used to either create a fresh new configuration, or upgrade an existing configuration. Note that creating a new configuration or upgrading an existing configuration will overwrite all data files that exists in the directory where the creation or upgrade is being made (the new directory). ú WCCONFIG.EXE - This is a single program that is very much like the old MAKEWILD, but it now includes all configuration activities. It is a full GUI application which works much like a "control panel" for Wildcat!. It now includes functionality that was previously in wcDRAW for ANSI file maintenance, ú MAKEMENU for menu creation, MAKEGATE for QWK configuration, MAKEQUES for creating questionnaires, and much more. ú WCSERVER.EXE - This is the program that is the 'heart' of Wildcat! 5. The server controls access to all the databases and configuration files, but does no direct communication with users or modems. ú WCONLINE.EXE - This is the program that handles incoming calls, either via modem, telnet, or ftp. You can configure which kinds of calls are accepted on which lines in the node configuration section of wcCONFIG. ú WCLOCAL.EXE - This is what you run when you want to log on to your BBS locally. The other alternative is to use a telnet connection using QmodemPro for Windows 95, or other telnet application (assuming you have a tcp/ip network established) ú WCVIEW.EXE - This program allows you to view the caller's screen for a node. The only command line parameter accepted is a node number. Exit this program with Alt+X. The same view can be called up by double-clicking on a node in the wcONLINE window. Note that use of either view method slows down the processing for all nodes. ú WCFILE.EXE - This utility is used for file database maintenance. It is a Wizard that can add files to your database from CDs and much more. ú WCUUCP.EXE - This provides the functionality of what used to be called wcGATE, and is used to import/export UUCP mail. It is configured using wcCONFIG in the same way you would set it up for Wildcat! 4, but the operation is a little different. Just run wcUUCP and it will automatically check for new incoming and outgoing messages. The idea is to just leave it running. When new files appear in the spool directory or new messages appear on the board, it will automatically toss them right away. It has some logging that is written to wcUUCP.LOG (check this file often, as it can quickly get large). One thing you need to do is make sure that your newsgroup names are exactly what the newsgroup name is on the net, no truncations or prefixes or anything like that. This way you don't need to set up a conference-to- newsgroup mapping because wcGATE can just look it up directly. You will want to turn on the newsgroups that you want sent back up to your provider, which is done in wcCONFIG. If you change any of the wcGATE configuration in wcCONFIG, you will need to shut down and restart wcUUCP, which is safe to do at any time, even while it's tossing mail. ú WCIDE.EXE - Integrated editor/compiler for wcCODE. ú WCC.EXE - Command-line compiler for wcCODE ú WCQWK.EXE - This is a QWK/REP tosser for echomail. Type WCQWK by itself to see its command line syntax (basically just Import, Export, or Reset followed by the host name). You need to set up the hosts in wcCONFIG, under QWK Networking. It does not handle translations or attachments at this time. There is also no logging, we'll be adding this before release. It also only supports ZIPped packets right now. ú QUIKGATE.EXE - This is a simple utility that will import a list of newsgroups in a plain text file into Wildcat!. You tell it where to start and it goes. For help run QUIKGATE with no parameters. ú UTI*.EXE - UTI programs for use with Postlink. You will find it convenient to know that these programs do not need to be run from the Wildcat! home directory, but you will have to have the WCSRV.DLL available in the path or in the directory from which these programs are run. Not needed unless you are a Postlink system. ú WCREPAIR.EXE - This program repairs damaged database indexes. You cannot run this while the server is running. ú KICKUART.EXE - This is a small program that is automatically run before doors under Windows 95 to forcibly raise DTR back up. This is needed for some modems so they will accept input from the caller. First Look & Some Comments This program is based on a client-server architecture. This means that all access to the Wildcat! data files is controlled through WCSERVER.EXE. This even includes support programs like wcCONFIG. If you try to start one of these programs without the server running, you'll get a message saying that no Wildcat! server was found. If you shut down the server while something is still using it, any programs using the server will terminate abnormally with Windows exception errors. Start the wcSERVER program now: Run WCSERVER (if you're running NT, type START WCSERVER). Run WCCONFIG. WCCONFIG is the equivalent to MAKEWILD in Wildcat! 4. Take a look around and make use of the HELP system when you need more information. The security system has changed a little bit and extends the Wildcat! 4 idea of secondary security profiles. Security is divided into two sections, security profiles and access profiles. Security profiles contain all the options like time online, file ratios, and so on. Access profiles contain flags which control whether or not the person gets access to any particular part of the system (conference, file area, doors, etc.). They also contain information on what kind of access people have (read-only, write, etc.). For each security profile, there is always an access profile of the same name. This means that a user with the security profile "Registered" will also have all the access given by the access profile "Registered". You will be able to assign only one security profile to a user, but up to 9 additional access profiles. This gives you a very flexible security system. To actually start answering the phone and telnet/ftp connections run WCONLINE. There are only two ways to upgrade your security level at this time (the release will be different). If you log on with WCLOCAL you can use the Security button to change your security level. Once you're sysop, you can go to the sysop menu and edit the user database to change other users' security levels. You'll notice there are a large number of .WCC and .WCX files in your directory. The whole BBS system is based on wcCODE, from the moment you log on to the moment you log off. Only a few things like the protocols, full screen editor, and the low level QWK routines are not in wcCODE. This means that if you're so inclined, you can have an endless amount of fun tweaking the system. We haven't prepared much documentation on the functions available to wcCODE except for that available in the help files in wcIDE, the Integrated Development Environment (Editor and Compiler). If you are a competent Basic programmer you may be able to figure out how they operate through context. In the final product, the source code will be provided as an add-on option. This should go without saying, but we'll mention it anyway - don't try to run any Wildcat! 4 utilities or programs with this system! The file formats have changed, and they will NOT work. Chances are that nothing bad will happen if WCSERVER is running (since it doesn't let anybody else access its files while it is running) but you could potentially cause all kinds of problems if you were to shut the server down first. Unlike previous versions of Wildcat!, one running copy of WCONLINE.EXE can handle all your dial-up lines. If you set up a node in WCCONFIG with a communications port, it will be initialized and used by WCONLINE.EXE when it starts. If you only want to bring up a specific node, WCONLINE.EXE accepts command line parameters to tell it which nodes to bring up. If you are going to set up QWK you must install a 32-bit ZIP/UNZIP program that avoids running under DOS. We have included UNZ512XN.EXE and ZIP201XN.ZIP in your Wildcat! directory, but you must extract them and read the distribution notices before use. Supporting FTP If you set up one or more nodes in WCCONFIG/Node settings as FTP nodes, then you will be able to FTP into your BBS. To allow anonymous FTP, set up a user account in your database (do this from the sysop menu) called ANONYMOUS FTP with a password of just FTP (there is code to prevent this user from logging on interactively). For this user, turn on the "Allow multiple logins" flag so you can have more than one anonymous FTP user at one time. The access that anonymous FTP users get is controlled by the access profile(s) of the ANONYMOUS FTP user. Supporting Telnet The CD release includes the Internet Connectivity Package and therefore supports inbound and outbound telnet. All you need to do is set up specific nodes for telnet access and wcONLINE will dynamically assign connections as they are needed. Note that FTP access can also be set for the same nodes as telnet access if desired. Usually the dial-in nodes are separately configured and reserved from internet connections. Message Packing (removing deleted mail) The server automatically packs message databases based on the configuration set in wcCONFIG. This requires no effort from the sysop. Packed conferences are logged in WILDCAT.LOG as they are processed. wcCODE Programs & Running the BBS Almost all the BBS operation is controled by wcCODE programs. The source for the programs is contained in a large number of .WCC files in your home directory. The .WCX files are packed up into a WILDCAT.WCL file (a library). If a .WCX file is found on disk it is executed rather than the version in the .WCL library, assuming that the sysop has modified the .WCC source code and changed the .WCX version. Door Setup & Operation - Windows 95 (only) Most Doors are operational under Windows 95. Follow these steps: ú Make sure your batch file directory in wcCONFIG is pointing to the correct location ú In wcCONFIG, set up the door batch file name, no path, just XXXXX.BAT ú Create a Door Menu and give access to the desired security profiles to your door menu. ú Make sure your doors are configured to look in the node work directory for their drop files and such. The only drop file created at this time is DOOR.SYS so you need to configure your doors to look for that file. The path would be the same kind of thing as Wildcat 4, for example C:\WILDCAT\WCWORK\NODE1. ú Unlike the NT door setup, the doors must be set to access the actual comm port for their node (DOOR.SYS will reflect this) ú You MUST configure your modem so that S-register S2=43 (ie. the modem escape sequence is the default +++). This is because Wildcat must program your modem to ignore DTR, so that Wildcat can close the port and run the door without the modem hanging up. If you don't do this, Wildcat will hang up as it tries to run the door. An alternative to this is in development Under Windows 95 doors can only be operated on standard ports, not on 95- specific port cards.. Door Setup & Operation - Windows NT (only) Doors are easily run under NT. Here's what you need to do: ú Make sure your batch file directory in wcCONFIG is pointing tot he correct location ú In wcCONFIG, set up the door batch file name, no path, just XXXXX.BAT ú Create a Door Menu and give access to the desired security profiles to your door menu. ú Make sure your doors are configured to look in the node work directory for their drop files and such. The only drop file created at this time is DOOR.SYS so you need to configure your doors to look for that file. The path would be the same kind of thing as Wildcat 4, for example C:\WILDCAT\WCWORK\NODE1. ú If your doors need to set up the comm port stuff for each node, have ALL the nodes look for COM1 at the standard address BASE=3F8, IRQ=4. This is necessary because all door access is virtualized. Do this even if you're not running any nodes on COM1. This is put in the DOOR.SYS too so your doors will probably automatically read it. On a NT system your doors should work from any node, locally, and even via telnet! Doors as Menu Items You can also run doors directly off the menu tree without having to go through the door menu. In the menu program (in wcCONFIG), just run the wcCODE program "RUN A DOOR" with the parameters as either the name of the door as configured in wcCONFIG, or the name of the batch file. Don't forget to set the appropriate security for the "RUN A DOOR" program in wcCONFIG, as well as setting the security in wcCONFIG for the door itself. @ Codes for use in display files @CLS@ @OTHERUSER.MSGSWRITTEN@ @CONF.NAME@ @OTHERUSER.NAME@ @CONF.NUMBER@ @OTHERUSER.NETMAILBALANCE@ @DATE@ @OTHERUSER.PACKETTYPE@ @DAYOFWEEK@ @OTHERUSER.PHONENUMBER@ @FILE.AREA@ @OTHERUSER.PROTOCOL@ @FILE.COPYBEFOREDOWNLOAD@ @OTHERUSER.QUOTEONREPLY@ @FILE.COST@ @OTHERUSER.SECURITY@ @FILE.DATE@ @OTHERUSER.SEX@ @FILE.DESCRIPTION@ @OTHERUSER.SORTEDLISTINGS@ @FILE.DLTIME@ @OTHERUSER.STATE@ @FILE.DOWNLOADS@ @OTHERUSER.SUBSCRIPTIONBALANCE@ @FILE.FAILEDSCAN@ @OTHERUSER.TERMINALTYPE@ @FILE.FILETIME@ @OTHERUSER.TIMELEFTTODAY@ @FILE.FREEFILE@ @OTHERUSER.TIMESON@ @FILE.LASTACCESSED@ @OTHERUSER.TITLE@ @FILE.NAME@ @OTHERUSER.TOTALDOWNLOADKBYTES@ @FILE.NEVERDELETE@ @OTHERUSER.TOTALUPLOADKBYTES@ @FILE.NEVEROVERWRITE@ @OTHERUSER.UPLOADS@ @FILE.OFFLINE@ @OTHERUSER.ZIP@ @FILE.PASSWORD@ @PAUSE@ @FILE.SIZE@ @SUB1@ @FILE.STOREDPATH@ @SUB2@ @FILE.TIME@ @SUB3@ @FILE.UPLOADER@ @SUB4@ @MSG.DATE@ @SUB5@ @MSG.FROM.NAME@ @SUB6@ @MSG.NUMBER@ @SUB7@ @MSG.PRIVATE@ @SUB8@ @MSG.REFERENCE@ @SUB9@ @MSG.SUBJECT@ @SYSTEM.BBSNAME@ @MSG.TO.NAME@ @SYSTEM.FIRSTCALL@ @OTHERUSER.ADDRESS1@ @SYSTEM.SYSOPNAME@ @OTHERUSER.ADDRESS2@ @TIME@ @OTHERUSER.ALIAS@ @USER.ADDRESS1@ @OTHERUSER.BIRTHDATE@ @USER.ADDRESS2@ @OTHERUSER.CHATAVAILABLE@ @USER.ALIAS@ @OTHERUSER.CITY@ @USER.BIRTHDATE@ @OTHERUSER.COMPANY@ @USER.CHATAVAILABLE@ @OTHERUSER.CONFERENCE@ @USER.CITY@ @OTHERUSER.COUNTRY@ @USER.COMPANY@ @OTHERUSER.DOWNLOADCOUNTTODAY@ @USER.CONFERENCE@ @OTHERUSER.DOWNLOADKBYTESTODAY@ @USER.COUNTRY@ @OTHERUSER.DOWNLOADS@ @USER.DOWNLOADCOUNTTODAY@ @OTHERUSER.EDITOR@ @USER.DOWNLOADKBYTESTODAY@ @OTHERUSER.ERASEMOREPROMPT@ @USER.DOWNLOADS@ @OTHERUSER.EXPIREDATE@ @USER.EDITOR@ @OTHERUSER.FILEDISPLAY@ @USER.ERASEMOREPROMPT@ @OTHERUSER.FIRSTCALL@ @USER.EXPIREDATE@ @OTHERUSER.FIRSTNAME@ @USER.FILEDISPLAY@ @OTHERUSER.FROM@ @USER.FIRSTCALL@ @OTHERUSER.HELPLEVEL@ @USER.FIRSTNAME@ @OTHERUSER.HOTKEYS@ @USER.FROM@ @OTHERUSER.ID@ @USER.HELPLEVEL@ @OTHERUSER.LANGUAGE@ @USER.HOTKEYS@ @OTHERUSER.LASTCALL@ @USER.ID@ @OTHERUSER.LASTCALLDATE@ @USER.LANGUAGE@ @OTHERUSER.LASTNEWFILES@ @USER.LASTCALL@ @OTHERUSER.LINESPERPAGE@ @USER.LASTCALLDATE@ @OTHERUSER.MENUCLEARSCREEN@ @USER.LASTNEWFILES@ @OTHERUSER.MINUTESLOGGED@ @USER.LINESPERPAGE@ @OTHERUSER.MSGDISPLAY@ @USER.MENUCLEARSCREEN@ @USER.MINUTESLOGGED@ @USER.MSGDISPLAY@ @USER.MSGSWRITTEN@ @USER.NAME@ @USER.NETMAILBALANCE@ @USER.PACKETTYPE@ @USER.PHONENUMBER@ @USER.PROTOCOL@ @USER.QUOTEONREPLY@ @USER.SECURITY@ @USER.SEX@ @USER.SORTEDLISTINGS@ @USER.STATE@ @USER.SUBSCRIPTIONBALANCE@ @USER.TERMINALTYPE@ @USER.TIMELEFTTODAY@ @USER.TIMESON@ @USER.TITLE@ @USER.TOTALDOWNLOADKBYTES@ @USER.TOTALUPLOADKBYTES@ @USER.UPLOADS@ @USER.ZIP@ Color codes Note the use of Single-Digit color codes as defined in wcCONFIG. See the explanation of the advantages of these types of codes in the ANSI DRAW (wcDRAW) section of wcCONFIG Code Description Default @N@ Normal color Yellow @0E@ @H@ Highlight letter White @0F@ @T@ Title color Cyan @0B@ @A@ Alternate title Green @0A@ @F@ Field color White @0F@ @U@ User input color White @0F@ @L@ Lowlight color Gray @07@ @E@ Error color Red @0C@ @R@ Reverse color Reverse @70@ How to Make the Bulletin Menu Work The bulletin menu doesn't automatically know how to display bulletins. What you need to do is edit your BULLETIN.BBS file and place special "link" codes in it that tell Wildcat! which files to load for which selections. Suppose you want to make your bulletin menu look like this: * This is a bulletin menu * [1] BBS Phone Numbers [2] Last ten callers [3] Newsletter This is how you might construct the BULLETIN.BBS file (leaving out color codes so they don't confuse the issue): * This is a bulletin menu * [1] @LINK SEL=1 TITLE="BBS Phone Numbers" GOTO=BULL1@ [2] @LINK SEL=2 TITLE="Last ten callers" GOTO=LASTTEN@ [3] @LINK SEL=3 TITLE="Newsletter" GOTO=WC:\DISP\NEWSLTR@ The first selection will load BULL1.BBS from the bulletin directory. Actually, it will be loaded from the same directory that BULLETIN.BBS is in, which would be the bulletin directory. The second selection will load LASTTEN.BBS from the bulletin directory. Note that it's not necessary to name your bulletins BULLxx.BBS. However, Wildcat will only scan for new bulletins if they have names of the form BULLxx.BBS where xx is a number. The third selection will load the NEWSLTR.BBS file out of the display directory. Note that this is not necessarily a directory called "DISP", but is whatever is actually defined in wcCONFIG as the display directory path. The name "WC:\DISP\..." is a special path that translates to the current display directory. If you get into poking around in the *.WCC code, you'll see a lot more of that kind of path. Wildcat! v4.12 Following is a list of new features and fixes in Wildcat! v4.12. This release will be sent free to all subscribers to the Auto-Update Plan ($50/yr US, $75/yr outside US). Individual updates from any v4.xx are $30 plus shipping. Sysops with v3.xx or older may update for $50 plus shipping. Call Mustang Software toll-free 1-800-999-9619 (805-873-2500) to order your Wildcat! v4.12 update today. Wildcat! v4.12 New Features ú Wildcat now supports message groups, you set these up in Makewild and if you have groups created Wildcat will prompt the user to select a group before it gives them a list of conferences to join or select for new mail scans. The user can select a default group that works just like the one for file areas, if they select it then they can choose all the conferences they want. If you do not add any conference groups Wildcat! behaves as before and the user never knows about the new option. ú Added the ability to search for conference names when displaying conferences. ú Added the ability for Wildcat! to dial up another 4.12 system and transfer mail packets and certain files automatically, we have added a new program called wcDIAL which allows you to setup all the dialing information that Wildcat! will use when calling other systems ú Added the code for charging for viewing a file or reading a file, this corresponds to the new commands added in wcBILLING. ú Added the code to charge for a wcCODE app, Wildcat! will only charge for the first code program if you are chaining or running other code apps from your code app. ú Added three new @-codes: @ COUNTRY @ - Displays the Users Country stored in the user record. @ LFIRST @ - Displays the Users first name all in lower case. @ LLAST @ - Displays the Users last name all in lower case. ú Added a new flag to the Nodeinfo settings for each node that allows you to turn off the ability for wcNET nodes to dial in. The flag is off by default and can be set with either the new wcNODE or the new wcrepair, if you have nodes dialing in you MUST set this flag. ú When the sysop inits a local chat Wildcat! will now log the lines typed by both sides with a "UserName>" so you can tell who is typing what! ú Added the ability to lock devices based on the file path. You set this up from the new option in Makewild for extended CD-Rom paths, Wildcat! checks for matching paths when copying files off of disk, if it finds a match in the pathlock file it then locks that device until it has finished copying the files. This is the same method that it uses for the locking CD- Rom letters except it works with paths. ú Added a new page feature that will Uppercase the Page flag field at the bottom of the screen and make it flash until you either enter chat with the user or they logoff. ú Wildcat! now prompts you when forwarding a message as to whether you want the message private or not. ú Wildcat! now logs all the invalid phone numbers that a user entered when they fail the password verification. ú You can now have BYEXXX display files, where XXX is the current node number, Wildcat! will look for this file first and if not found then display the standard GOODBYE.BBS file. ú When a user fails to logon Wildcat! now records all the information it can get so the sysop has more information to work with. ú Expanded the Your settings screen to have a new section called "User Settings". This section will be used for all the new flags and options that do not fit on the standard your settings screen. ú Wildcat! now allows you to jump within an area while listing files by the first letter that you want to look at, this feature ONLY works when listing file areas, it does not work in searching or if you are looking by date. ú If Wildcat! runs across a conference that it cannot open and cannot get a name for (say it is a blank conference) it will use the conference number when reporting that the conference is unavailable. ú Wildcat! now logs the date the node was started as well as the time. ú Wildcat! now logs the time and date of illegal login attempts. ú Wildcat! will now word wrap a message that has been uploaded into the message editor. ú Wildcat! will now add a line to the error.log when it does find a file in the file area not on disk, it logs the name of the file and the area so you can go track it down and either remove it, flag it off-line or whatever. ú Wildcat! now supports highlighting of searched text when searching files, it will display it in all the file display modes including the TRU and the full file info. ú Added a new At code feature called the "Pop Color Code" This color code returns you back the "Last" color before the color code you just entered, it works like this: You have a line that goes @ 0E @ blah! blah! blah! @ 0C @ BLAH! @ XX @ blah! blah! The second set of blah!'s will go back to @ 0E @. ú Added a never delete flag to the message flags, from the Sysop menu you can make a message non deletable. ú Added the ability for the Sysop to turn off the deletion of file attachments on a message be message basis. ú Added the ability to send group mail to ANY file that ends with the .LST extension, the file MUST exist in the display path for conference 0. ú Wildcat! now looks in the drive table and attempts to determine if a device is a CD-ROM or not before looking up it's size from the ALT-T command on the waiting for calls screen. ú Added the ability for Wildcat! to process Secondary profiles in the IFSEC commands. ú Wildcat now logs the search string that the user enters when searching for files. ú Added the ability to run WCX files from the waiting for calls ALT-D screen, the program MUST end with the extension of WCX, you can also pass parameters ú You can now run events from the command line by using the /E XXX command, where XXX is the event number. ú Wildcat will now increment the user's file download and byte counters for a request file that is downloaded as an attachment. ú You can now turn off the password prompt for uploads from the users security profile (see makewild). ú Added the ability the limit the number of File requests a user can make by their security profile. ú Added the ability for the user to get a detailed listing of their currently marked files when downloading ú Added new fields to the caller id code, Wildcat will now pick up the Name, Address and the Business name. In order to make this work you need to add the extra fields in your CallerId field of the modem profile, seperate each field with a vertical bar, so for instance a standard CID string would look like: NMBR = |NAME = |ADDRESS = |COMPANY = ú Wildcat will then grab all the input between the first and second rings, if it does not get all the information before 17 seconds elapses or the line rings again it will continue on with the call. Wildcat uses the vertical bars to seperate the caller id strings, it then checks the modems CID output against the CallerId String and fills in the fields one by one. Wildcat! will then place all the information in the activity log behind the standard caller id number. ú You can now display help files by a security profile menu level, so if your main menu is MAIN9 you can have a help file of MAINHLP9 as well. ú Added the ability to pass in a Caller Id string on the command line, the format is /b BaudRate MNP(optional) EventTime(optional) CID:CallerIdString Wildcat will look directly for the 'CID:' and then take the rest of the string as the Caller Id information as if it picked it up from the modem. ú Added a new At code called @ DLLEFT @ that displays the number of Downloads the user has left for today. ú Added the ability to match on files by their date in the sys/file area, this allows you to look for new files. Wildcat! v4.12 Fixes ú Wildcat! will now give a user access to the sys/file area from the full info screen if they have the option enabled from their sec profile menu settings. ú Changed the billing routines to start charging a user AFTER they have entered their password, the problem with the old way was that if a user tried to login to a different account, Wildcat! would charge them from the time they entered the name to the time it logged them out (they could leave a message to sysop in that time span). ú Wildcat! will now log the conference change when it is changed by a menu with a conference parameter. ú Fixed a problem with matching on a user name in the sys/file screen showing extra characters at the end. ú Fixed a problem with the list of file areas in the sys/file menu not handling previous correctly. ú Fixed a problem with Wildcat! showing a user just the Press Enter to Cont prompt when doing a full info on some files, It was not taking into account that you can now mark from the full info screen. ú Fixed a problem in the Ansi lister that if you pressed END and then paged back up to the top it would get confused and think that the top was the bottom as well. ú Fixed a problem where if you hungup on a caller in a LOGON.WCX Wildcat! would not process the POSTCALL.WCX file. ú Fixed a problem where if a user had the mail door turned off and logged in with a ! (or fast login) Wildcat! would go ahead and let them in anyway. ú Fixed a problem with the upload area prompt sometimes accepting bad characters as upload areas. ú Fixed a problem when entering negative numbers for paging a node that would cause Wildcat! to error out with a #100 on the nodeinfo file. ú Fixed a problem with using the SendPage function from wcCODE and specifying no header, Wildcat would display the page twice. ú Fixed a problem with the GetFirstTransaction and GetNextTransaction commands in wcCODE, they would only return a blank record. ú Fixed a problem with searching for a users name when entering a message, if you entered just the first name previous versions of Wildcat! Would display all the users with that first name ú Fixed a problem with Wildcat! reporting that a message attachment was successful even when you aborted the file transfer. (this is from remote login) ú Fixed a problem with using node 0 and then trying to have other nodes logging in using the AutoNode feature. Wildcat would check node 0's work directory for a profile.dat BEFORE it set the autonode, since node 0 was active it would fail and not let the user on. ú Fixed a problem with Wildcat requiring double the credits for downloading a file that had the cost field set. ú Changed the Ansi lister so that when you hit return on a file area to view it, the lister will return you to that area when you are finished instead of the top of the area listings. ú Fixed a problem with the AT command @ BALLLEFT @ that would show extremely large numbers. ú Fixed the sys/user password routines so that if you just hit enter it does not blank out the users password when you are not allowed to see the password. ú Fixed a problem with a user sending carbon copy's from an alias conference and Wildcat! showing the users real name as the person who copied the msg. ú Fixed a problem with importing display files from a prompt and Wildcat! not honoring the users current language, this effects ALL the RIP prompts and any prompt that pulls in a display file. ú Fixed a problem with NewUsers not getting their billing profiles activated till they logged in a second time. ú Fixed a problem in the Ansi lister that if you had 17 files, the lister would only show sixteen till you added one more file, then you can go to the next page and see the two files. ú Fixed a problem with the set File Display type showing the wrong entry prompt when called from a questionairre, it was showing 652 instead of 1671. ú Fixed a problem with the sys/user/mail, option 10 would change both 10 and option 11 and option 11 would not work at all. ú Wildcat now strips all non alphabetic characters off the end of an auto- generated keyword when adding files. ú Adjusted the SendPage function for wcCODE so that it no longer adds an extra #13 at the end of the string. ú Fixed a problem that if you logged in with a bad first name, then hit return on the second name prompt and then attempted to enter the full name (plus password) again on the first prompt Wildcat would not recognize the full name. ú Fixed a cosmetic problem with scanning conferences that required a new prompt. ú Fixed a problem in the sys/file menu that would cause Wildcat to not find a file that started with two or more !'s as the first file, you could still do a Find on the file. ú Fixed a problem with scanning messages requiring you to hit S twice to stop the scan. ú Changed the logout routines so that Wildcat logs how the user logged out BEFORE calling LOGOUT.WCX, this means that LOGOUT.WCX programs can now process how the user logged out of the system. ú Fixed a problem with Wildcat constantly scanning the event file when a soft event was due to go off within five minutes. ú Fixed a problem where if you had the Ansi lister selected as your file display type and you typed in "L L" for your stack command Wildcat! Would return an Invalid command instead of listing the file areas. ú Fixed a problem when you were listing files and deleted a file from the list, the list display would jump numbers (say from 3 to 5), Wildcat! Now handles the files correctly when listing the page. ú Fixed the Full Screen Editor so that when reformatting a block it will attempt to make the lines a full 72 characters. ú Fixed a problem with Wildcat! not setting the default group correctly when passed in as a parameter from makemenu. ú Fixed a problem when you used the sys/user [W]rite command and the user did not have access to any conferences Wildcat! would create a TPROFILE.DAT and not release it causing Wildcat! to report an unable to create file error the next time someone tried the command. ú Fixed a problem with doors changing a users security profile and the user not getting all the group access. ú Fixed a problem with the option to turn off new file scans for groups only working on the first file area of a group. ú Fixed a problem with the Ansi File lister showing "Request sent to Filename" instead of the sysops name. wcCHAT v4.12 Fixes ú If you used the remove command on a user from another channel, wcCHAT would report that the user was removed even though they were not. ú Fixed a problem with wcCHAT not reporting the correct times when a user logged out, this is the same problem that Wildcat! had. ú wcCHAT would prompt you to enter a users number when responding to a /TALK command even if it was just one user, Fixed. ú If a sysop did a /SYSJOIN wcchat would not let anyone know the sysop was lurking in the conference until they joined another conference. If the sysop uses /SYSJOIN to go to another conference then wcCHAT will not show that they have left the channel. ú If a user dropped carrier or was forced off by time or the sysop, wcCHAT would not notify the other users that the user left. Fixed. ú If you whispered to a user with a name that was similar to another users (say "Unique Dude" and "Unique D00D" and you whispered to "Unique"), wcCHAT would report bad command instead of saying that there are more than one user with that name. Fixed. Makewild v4.12 New Features ú The mailmenu will now grey out file areas that do not have a path set or are part of a CD-ROM database. ú Added two new fields to the sec profile screen 1. The first is the ability to disable the password prompt when uploading files to Wildcat! 2. The second allows you to set the number of Offline file requests that a user can make in a single day. ú There is a new option from the conference menu to create conference groups. Also on the General menu is a field for setting the default conference group name, it works the same as the file groups do. ú Added the ability for you to define Extended paths for locking CD-Rom devices in the General menu. There is help for this function as well. ú Added the command to change the starting paths for file areas, what you do is select the F5 option, enter the path to search for and then the path to change it with and Makewild will process and change all the paths. Makewild v4.12 Fixes ú Fixed Makewild so that it no longer hangs when you use UNC paths for files areas or conferences. ú Fixed the external protocols so that when you use the file dialog to select a batch file it defaults to the batch directory. ú If you selected the F2 option for expired profiles in the sec/global page and then hit escape it would put a NONE in the field, Fixed. ú The display path in the chat/channels was not working, fixed. ú The action words select option in chat/channels was not defaulting to the language path, fixed. ú Fixed a problem with the idle programs menu not allowing you to add a new idle program. ú Fixed a cosmetic problem with changing the prescan area in the mail menu. ú Fixed a problem with the sec profile conference screen that would cause it to report that no conferences had any access when in fact a number of them did. ú Fixed a problem with Makewild not adjusting the menu bits when you removed a secondary profile. ú Fixed a problem with the global profile routines not setting confs or file areas correctly. ú Fixed a problem with Makewild not clearing one of it's temp files when it was resizing conferences, it was causing an error with conf groups. ú Makewild now checks [DATABASE] paths IF they are set to a fixed device it will then check to see if the path exists, otherwise it skips that path. wcMAIL 4.12 New Features ú Add groups to wcMail, if you have created groups in Makewild wcMAIL will prompt the user to select a group before setting their conferences. ú wcMAIL will now put the From and Subject in the first line of the message if either is over 25 characters long, this allows you to reply to the full address instead of one that is chopped to 25 characters. wcMAIL v4.12 Fixes ú If wcMAIL scans a conference that's high msg pointer is higher than the users last read pointer, it resets the user last read pointer for that conference. ú Fixed a problem with the rip import prompts. ú Fixed a problem with dated display files getting sent even if they were not actually new. wcNODE v4.12 New Features ú Added a flag that allows you to set certain nodes to not accept incoming wcNET nodes. ú Added a new command, 'N' that forces the node all the way down and resets the autonode settings for that node. wcPACK v4.12 New Features ú wcPACK now honors the never delete flag set by Wildcat. If a message is encountered that has the flag set wcPACK will skip that message unless the message has aleady been deleted then it will be removed. ú wcPACK now allows you to hit the ESC key to abort a pack that is in process, the program will finish what it is doing and then stop, so if you stop it while it is renumbering conferences it will finish the current conference, adjust the USERCONF.DAT file and then exit. wcPACK v4.12 Fixes ú Fixed a problem with wcPACK not processing the last MPF file it found. ú wcPACK now handles commas on the command line so you specify conferences in the fashion of 1,2,3. ú Fixed a problem were if pack removed all the messages from a databse it would not preserve the high message number. Makemenu v4.12 Fixes ú Fixed a bug with MakeMenu losing 2 file handles each time it shelled to wcDRAW. MakeMenu would eventually report an Error 4 and return to DOS. ú Fixed a bug with MakeMenu's test feature not handling 2character stacked commands. For example J 12 B would Join conference 12 and then go to the Bulletin menu. In MakeMenu it would get confused because it would process 12 B as the conference number. MakeMenu would then stop and ask the user for the conference number. ú Fixed the test mode to honor the Pause Prompt option for Display Text File menu commands (4.00->4.11). ú Fixed the editing of wcCODE Program Menu Command Type so if the command doesn't have parameters it doesn't append the old path to the new path. ú Fixed a bug added above with "Run wcCODE program menu command". This version should fix that problem. wcPROMPT v4.12 Fixes ú Fixed a problem with wcPROMPT skewing the characters and wrapping the line if the text line was too long. wcREPAIR v4.12 New Features ú When reporting an error while rebuilding of messages, wcRepair will now give the conference number, so the sysop can review the data files wcRepair crashed on. This change will also appear within wcPACKX. ú Added new node flag for wcDIAL. ú Added a command line option '/d' to provide the ability to 'fix' the extended description in a file record. Prior to this version that functionality was not available. The problem essentially was an invalid total bytes value for the extended description. ú When reporting the error that it was unable to open a specific file database during the 'calibration' operation, wcREPAIR will now report the file database name and not the description. ú Added command line option of /S that will disable checking for disk space prior to rebuilding the Files/Users/Message databases. This is only useful if you have over 2 Gigs of drive storage available and wcRepair is reporting an 'Insufficient disk space' warning. wcPRO v4.12 New Features ú Added new user field 'File requests' to the user editor/change/list/ match screens and save files. Added new user flag 'Detailed List' to the user editor/change/list/match screens and save files... ú Added a new Alt Command from within the Files browser. You can now use Alt-O (Oh not Zero) to move files to another area. ú Added new option to preserve the date & time on file move operations within the file editor. This option has been added to the Setup menu as 'Update date on file moves' and should default to 'Y' for yes, we want to update the date of the physical file when it is moved within the database. ú Improved the performance of changing the sort in the message browser. If the entire message database has been read into the cache and you press the Alt-S to change the sort, wcPRO will immediately reverse the cache and return you to the currently selected choice. wcPRO v4.12 Fixes ú Fixed a bug with wcPRO's 'Full' file listings when there is not an extended description and the short description is > than 45 characters. wcPRO will now display the 'overflow' text as it should! ú Fixed a bug in the 'move' file change option where it would delete the file in the destination directory when the file didn't exist in the original directory. ú Fixed a bug with wcPRO's full file listings not always listing the last line of the extended description. ú Fixed a bug with wcPRO handling improperly formatted messages while listing marked messages. Although rare, this problem can occur, and is now resolved. ú wcPRO will now complain if the confirmation on a users password does not match. Of course changes are not saved. ú Fixed a bug with File Editor/Alt-U not finding the user to edit when the users alias name is put in the Uploader field. ú Change operations with a marked list would lose memory, and multiple attempts would make wcPRO crash! ú Batch operations with all message operations with matches based upon text within the message body did not work, and would sometimes lock up the system ú The baud rates graph in statistics would cram all baud rates together. ú Fixed some help file problems, as well as changing the text in the user editor for flags 'No private mail' and 'No deleted mail' to 'Hide private' and 'Hide deleted' respectively. ú Fixed a bug in the Files/Change process. wcPRO 4.00-4.11 would not honor the change for 'Upload In Progress' as it should. ú Fixed a bug with the Alt-X option in the File Editor. wcPRO would update the date & time for the file on disk, but it would not update the date & time of the file in the database, as it should have. ú Fixed a bug with Message Lists not supporting Marked Items from the browser. wcPRO would list all messages in the database, even when the sysop marked X Number of messages. wcGATE/wcECHO v4.12 New Features ú Added new network type 'WCN' to go along with the new wcNET feature in Wildcat! wcGATE/wcECHO v4.12 Fixes Removed some duplicate code in the attachment processing routines within the Rep Processor, Rep Processor for MHS packets, and the Qwk processor. ú Had to rearrange the /? Online help screen for wcGATE in order to keep it from scrolling due to the number of items increasing. Please review this and make sure I didn't misspell anything obvious. ú Fixed a bug with wcGATE/wcECHO on importing EMail messages and not 'always' properly terminating the messages. This revision fixes the problem by simply deleting all CR and Spaces at the end of the message and tacking on the proper bytes to terminate the message. This will also save a very small amount of space in the message database. ú Fixed a bug with wcGATE/wcECHO's QWK/MHS and the new WCN format with the destinations user ID in the message being set to random values. This problem was only seen when the user the message was written to was not on the system. This bug didn't cause any problems other than putting garbage in the message itself. ú Fixed a bug with wcGATE 4.11 which would not set the errorlevel to 10 as it should when messages have been exported. ú Fixed a bug with wcGATE set up with two providers and wcGATE exporting mail that should be forwarded when that mail is addressed to the secondary domain name. (8/07) In other words, the system had two domain names. A message comes in addressed to the secondary domain name and is correctly inserted into the database, upon export of the other provider, the message is extracted and sent up rather than being either forwarded or left alone. Both cases were fixed. ú Fixed a bug in wcGate/wcECHO which would cause it to not handle some messages in QWK packets that weren't correctly terminated within the QWK packet. wcCODE v4.12 New Features ú Added some new commands: CallerIdName CallerIdDate CallerIdTime ChangeDefaultGroup GetDefaultGroup GetDefFileGroupName GetDefConfGroupName PopCommand ResetStats ClearSysopPage SysopPaged ScrollBack AddFax wcBILLING v4.12 New Features ú Added new configuration item to allow charging for viewing of files. You can find this new feature in the file billing rates editor. ú Added new profile type: You can now charge by the minute or for entering a wcCODE program, just like entering a door. ú Added 10 new miscellaneous transaction types for 3rd Party authors to add their own transactions to the transaction database. Make sure if you use any one of these, you specify within the Comment field of the transaction what the charge was for and who assesed the charge. ú Added the following @Codes to handle the new transaction types... // Overall totals follow @BTECODTOT@ @BTECODCST@ // Entering Code app total & cost @BTRCODTOT@ @BTRCODCST@ // Time in Code app total & cost @BT3RD1TOT@ @BT3RD1CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 1 Total & cost @BT3RD2TOT@ @BT3RD2CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 2 Total & cost @BT3RD3TOT@ @BT3RD3CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 3 Total & cost @BT3RD4TOT@ @BT3RD4CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 4 Total & cost @BT3RD5TOT@ @BT3RD5CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 5 Total & cost @BT3RD6TOT@ @BT3RD6CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 6 Total & cost @BT3RD7TOT@ @BT3RD7CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 7 Total & cost @BT3RD8TOT@ @BT3RD8CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 8 Total & cost @BT3RD9TOT@ @BT3RD9CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 9 Total & cost @BT3RD10TOT@ @BT3RD10CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 10 Total & cost @BTFVIEWTOT@ @BTFVIEWCST@ // Viewing a file total & cost // User totals follow @BUECODTOT@ @BUECODCST@ // Entering Code app total & cost @BURCODTOT@ @BURCODCST@ // Time in Code app total & cost @BU3RD1TOT@ @BU3RD1CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 1 Total & cost @BU3RD2TOT@ @BU3RD2CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 2 Total & cost @BU3RD3TOT@ @BU3RD3CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 3 Total & cost @BU3RD4TOT@ @BU3RD4CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 4 Total & cost @BU3RD5TOT@ @BU3RD5CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 5 Total & cost @BU3RD6TOT@ @BU3RD6CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 6 Total & cost @BU3RD7TOT@ @BU3RD7CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 7 Total & cost @BU3RD8TOT@ @BU3RD8CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 8 Total & cost @BU3RD9TOT@ @BU3RD9CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 9 Total & cost @BU3RD10TOT@ @BU3RD10CST@ // 3rd Party Transaction type 10 Total & cost @BUFVIEWTOT@ @BUFVIEWCST@ // Viewing a file total & cost 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 Apple/Mac Section John Deegan, Editor USRobotics ISDN Modems STR Infofile Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 Access both high-speed ISDN networks and analog modems or fax devices. Courier I-modem family of ISDN terminal adapters is ideal for any application requiring analog or ISDN connectivity because it allows users to connect with the ISDN and maintain compatibility with existing analog services. The Courier I-modem is designed to connect to analog devices such as modems and fax machines or ISDN devices through the ISDN at the highest possible speed. By combining ISDN performance features with an integral V.Everything/V.34 Courier modem, the I-modem provides connectivity to analog applications such as online services, mobile traveler correspondence, Bulletin Board Services (BBS), telephone banking, local electronic records access and higher speed ISDN applications such as graphical Internet access, high speed file transfers and remote access to a corporate LAN. Desktop (external) and ISA Card (internal) versions available The Courier I-modem integrates an ISDN terminal adapter, NT-1 device, an analog device port, and a Courier V.34 modem into a single unit that is physically connected to the Basic Rate Interface (BRI) ISDN wall jack provided by the telephone company. Courier I-modem is available in two different form factors. The desktop versions feature a choice of S/T interface, for use with an external NT-1, or U-interface with an integrated NT-1 with convenient LED status light indicators that instantly provide connection status, B-channel usage, connection rate, plus the full range of modem status indicators found on the Courier modem. It is small enough for placement on the desktop. The space saving ISA card version, installed directly into a PC, supports Microsoft Plug 'n Play functionality to autoconfigure the card in a PC running Windows r 95. Applications Expansions in the mobile and telecommuter workforce, and increases in bandwidth intensive file transfers, Internet access, and LAN-to-LAN connections have called for faster, more accurate and reliable transmissions. I-modem allows users to take advantage of the high speed ISDN networks while maintaining compatibility with an established base of analog applications. ISDN achieves faster, more accurate and reliable transmissions than the analog system. Intelligence built into the I-modem allows the user to send or receive data without worrying about whether their remote device is analog or ISDN. The transition to ISDN is transparent because I-modem uses the standard AT command set and requires no special communications software. This allows users to utilize their current application software to connect to ISDN or analog-based devices, particularly in these areas: Telecommuting. Telecommuters can use the I-modem to establish high speed connections to their corporate LAN. Applications such as e-mail, database access, image and graphics transfer all benefit from the high bandwidth provided by an ISDN connection. An integrated analog device port and NT-1 telco connection provide a completely integrated office solution which allows analog equipment such as fax machines, telephones and answering machines to be connected to the ISDN network. Internet access. With the I-modem, Internet users can dramatically improve throughput by utilizing ISDN capabilities for faster file transfer, which is particularly important when downloading large graphic files. File/imaging transfers. Especially popular in the medical, insurance, and real estate markets, the I-modem can send large files or images, such as X- Rays in a matter of minutes. Features Software Downloadable Flash ROM preserves an investment in a Courier I- modem. The newest performance and capability features may be downloaded from U.S. Robotics. Integrated V.34 Fax/Modem translates analog data or fax transmissions for seamless connectivity between the ISDN and PSTN. Fax support includes V.17 at 14,400 bps; V.29 at 9600 bps; Group III; TIA/EIA 578 Class 1, and TIA/EIA 592 Class 2.0. Award-WinningV.Everything incorporates the true ITU-T V.34 standard (33.6 and 28.8 Kbps), Rockwell's proprietary V.FC (28.8 Kbps), and AT&T's proprietary V.32 terbo (19.2 Kbps), as well as V.32 bis, V.32, and other ITU-T standards down to 300 bps. It is the only feature set in the market today that includes all three high speed data transmission protocols, providing the fastest possible connections to other modem devices. Universal Connect automatically connects incoming and outgoing calls at the highest digital or analog rate possible. Integrated NT-1 provides a "single box" solution for direct connection to an ISDN wall jack without the requirement of a stand alone network termination device. This saves space and the cost of an external NT-1. (Not available with the S/T model.) Multi-Vendor Interoperability is achieved between other vendors' products by supporting a wide variety of ISDN standards. It supports both the V.120 (North American) and V.110 (European) Rate Adaption standards for compatibility with other ISDN devices. Rate adaption occurs when a connection is made at less than 64 Kbps, either through the ISDN or at the terminal connected to the ISDN device. Sync PPP is the protocol supported by most dial-up services using ISDN. Analog Device Port is an additional port for plug-in of analog telephone, facsimile or answering machine devices. Full ringing support is available for automatic answer of incoming calls with the desktop version only. User Configurable Dial Security verifies passwords prior to passing a remote originated call or initiates dialback based on device configuration. Asynchronous/Synchronous Communication is configured as an EIA RS-232 (V.24) interface or optionally as a V.35 interface (external only). Capable of asynchronous operation configurable via AT commands; also capable of syncrhonous operation configurable via V.25 bis. Plug and Play Support allows an IBM compatible PC running Windows r 95 to automatically detect and configure the ISA card during installation. Notice The I-modem communicates over ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) line. You must order a BRI line from your local telephone company before you can use your I-modem. You may also call the I- Team at 1-800-550-7800. The U.S. Robotics I-Team is a service organization that supports U.S. Robotics ISDN products. Services include: ú Determining ISDN line availability and tariffing information ú Determining installation costs ú Determining installation lead time ú Ensuring that CPE to central office configurations are matched for optimal interoperability. System Requirements ú An IBM-compatible computer (with an available ISA bus full-length expansion slot for internal version only) ú SDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) line ú NT-1 and power supply (required for I-modem S/T only) ú Any third party communications software (QuickLink II is provided with the product) ú Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or later (for Windows interface to configure Courier I-modem) ú Sync PPP stack (if using ISA card in NIC emulation mode) Technical Information D-Channel Signaling ú ISDN data link layer ITU-T Q.921 ú ISDN call control signaling ITU-T Q.931/I.451 Central office switch types supported ú AT&T 5ESS Custom, Northern Telecom supported DMS-100, National ISDN-1 and 2 Digital data compatibility ú ITU-T V.120/I.463 and ITU-T V.110/I.462 for transmission over ISDN at 56 or 64Kbps ú Sync PPP for connection to ISDN-based services Analog data compatibility ú ITU-T V.34 at 33.6 and 28.8 Kbps ú V.FC at 28.8 Kbps ú V.32 terbo at 19.2 bps ú ITU-T V.32 bis at 14.4 and 12 Kbps; 9600, 7200, and 4800 bps (symmetrical and asymmetrical full duplex) ú ITU-T V.32 at 9600 and 4800 bps ú ITU-T V.22 bis at 2400 bps ú ITU-T V.22 at 1200 bps ú ITU-T V.23 at 1200/75 bps ú ITU-T V.21 at 300 bps ú Bell 208B at 4800 bps (synchronous) ú Bell 212A at 1200 bps ú Bell 103 at 300 bps ú Quick Connect technology ú Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL) Fax compatibility ú V.17 at 14,400 bps; V.29 at 9600 bps; Group III; TIA/EIA 578 Class 1, and TIA/EIA 592 Class 2.0 ú Error correction for ISDN originated/received calls ú ISDN(end-to-end) V.120/I.463 ú Error correction for analog originated/received calls ú MNP 2, MNP 3, or MNP4 connection ú ITU-T V.42 (LAPM) or HST Data compression for analog originated/received calls ú MNP Level 5 ú ITU-T V.42 bis ISA interface ú Asynchronous and synchronous operation supported DTE interface ú Supports standard DTE rates up to 115.2 Kbps - Asynchronous Operation ú Synchronous Operation (DCE supplies Tx clock) - Electrical: EIA RS232 or V.35 ú Port rates: 115.2 Kbps-300bps Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL) (analog) ú 21.6 Kbps-4800 bps ISA Card Power (internal version only) ú 1.2A @ 5VDC ú .32A @ 12VDC Desktop Power Supply ú 30 W @ 110VAC Ringer Equivalence (desktop version only) REN: 3 [Note: Ringer equivalence is defined as the maximum sum of REN values for attached analog devices. A typical telephone would have an REN value of 0.6, therefore the Courier I-modem would support up to five phones connected through the analog device port.] Physical Dimensions ú Approx 6.375" width by 10.30" length by 1.337" height ú Approx 4.092" height by 11.803" length (ISA card) Physical Interfaces ú S/T RJ-45 ú U RJ-45 ú Analog Device Port RJ-11 ú Serial Port DB-25 (Desktop only) Regulatory/Agency Approvals ú FCC approved (Part 15) ú IC (formerly DOC) approved ú UL listed ú CSA approved Courier I-modem Family Model Numbers/Part Numbers ú Model 1 includes an Analog Device Port, integrated NT-1, and U- interface: SKU# and Description ú 000698-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 and Analog Device Port (External) ú 000700-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 and Analog Device Port (Internal) Model 2 includes an integrated NT-1 and U-interface, but do not have an Analog Device Port: SKU# and Description ú 000699-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 (External) ú 000701-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 (Internal) Model 3 utilizes an S/T interface, but do not include an NT-1 or Analog Device Port: SKU# and Description ú 001102-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 (S/T Only) External ú 001101-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 (S/T Only) Internal Optional Cable (external versions only): SKU# and Description ú 001279 DB-25 to 34-pin conversion cable assembly Warranty ú Two-year limited warranty; factory repair or replacement Sportster ISDN 128K High Speed Internet Access and Telecommuting Experience blazing fast Internet access. Work from home, yet feel like you're in the office with the Sportster ISDN 128K, a PC-based terminal adapter that takes full advantage of ISDN's bandwidth. Designed specifically for telecommuting and Internet access, Sportster ISDN 128K provides connectivity to an ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and allows simultaneous voice and data communications. Equipped with an RJ-11 jack, the Sportster ISDN 128K can be used with a standard telephone or fax machine to communicate over the digital network. Two versions available The Sportster ISDN 128K is an internal card for PC-compatible computers with an ISA/EISA interface. The product offers a choice of an integrated NT-1 interface, for a complete ISDN connection with no other device required, or an S/T interface, for use with an external NT-1. Applications Internet access. With the increase of bandwidth-intensive graphical content on the Internet, users can dramatically improve performance by utilizing ISDN for faster World Wide Web access and file transfers. Less time is spent waiting for graphics and files to download; plus ISDN provides shorter connect times. Telecommuting. Telecommuters can use the Sportster ISDN 128K to establish high speed connections to their corporate LAN. Applications such as e-mail, database access, image and graphics transfer all benefit from the high bandwidth provided by an ISDN connection. An integrated analog device port and NT-1 telco connection (U-interface only) provide a completely integrated office solution allowing analog equipment such as fax machines, telephones and answering machines to be connected to the ISDN. File/imaging transfers. Especially popular in the medical, insurance, and real estate markets, Sportster ISDN 128K can send large files or images, such as X-Rays in a matter of minutes or seconds. Features TurboPPP is a unique set of high-performance ISDN standards-based features developed by U.S. Robotics to give users maximum ISDN performance on every call no matter what ISDN device they're connecting to. With TurboPPP: ú Multilink PPP combines the two 64 Kbps B-channels of an ISDN BRI line into a single 128 Kbps channel. ú Multiple Compression Types (Stac, Microsoft, and Ascend) supported in software, allow Sportster ISDN 128K to adjust the compression type based on what is supported by the equipment on the other end of the call. Other devices, which execute compression in hardware, are limited to supporting a single type. ú Windows 95 Enhancements open the potential of ISDN to Windows 95-based applications that do not support Multilink PPP or multiple compression types. In these applications, TurboPPP enhancements provide the performance benefits of Multilink PPP and compression (up to 512 Kbps), even when the application supports only PPP (64 Kbps). ú Integrated Analog Device Port is an additional port for a standard home telephone. Ringing occurs on the Sportster ISDN 128K board and attached devices function when computer is on. ú Full Ringing Support is available with the optional external ring generator cable (purchased separately), allowing attached fax machines and answering machines to answer incoming calls. ú Simultaneous Voice and Data allows users to talk on the telephone or send/receive faxes while running data at 64 Kbps. A special ISDN phone is not required. ú Dynamic Voice Override assigns bandwidth to a voice call only when the call is being made or received. As soon as the voice call is completed, the Sportster ISDN 128K automatically and transparently returns the bandwidth to the data application. ú Integrated NT-1 provides a complete solution for direct connection to the ISDN service provider's wall jack, without a stand alone network termination device. This saves the space and cost of an external NT-1 (not available with the S/T version). ú TAPI (Telephony Applications Programming Interface) provides "personal telephony" to users of the Microsoft Windows environment. With the use of third party off-the-shelf applications, such as phone managers, it provides for the integration of computing and telephony functions, allowing users to computerize their telephones and use their computers as complete communication devices. ú Diagnostics and Logging Features including protocol monitoring, diagnostics, and logging features, for quick resolution to service provider problems. ISDN line diagnostics and self-tests will determine if the ISDN line is configured correctly. The D-channel monitor translates network signalling messages for easy interpretation of the interface to the public network. A logging function enables troubleshooters to see activity histories and trace potential problems. ú Multiple Interfaces including NDIS, ODI (for IPX), Packet Driver, WinISDN (for Internet access), Windows95 and TAPI interfaces allow Sportster ISDN 128K to be used with today's most popular, off-the-shelf Internet, remote LAN access, and data communication software packages. Notice The Sportster ISDN 128K communicates over an ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) line. You must order a BRI line from your local telephone company before you can use your adapter. You may also call the I-Team at 1-800-550-7800. The U.S. Robotics I-Team is a service organization that supports U.S. Robotics ISDN products. Services include: ú Determining ISDN line availability and tariffing information ú Determining installation costs ú Determining installation lead time ú Ensuring that CPE to central office configurations are matched for optimal interoperability. System Requirements ú ISDN BRI phone line (available through local phone company) ú PC 386 CPU-based or higher ú ISA or EISA Slot ú One of the following operating systems: Windows3.x, DOS,Windows for Workgroups, Windows95 ú 4 MB RAM (8 MB for Windows95) Note: Software drivers for Windows NT, Novell NetWare Connect, Novell MultiProtocol Router, are available separately from U.S. Robotics. UNIX drivers available from a third party vendor. Technical Information D-Channel Signaling ú ISDN data link layer ITU-T Q.921 ú ISDN call control signaling ITU-T Q.931/I.451 Central office switch types supported ú AT&T 5ESS Custom, Northern Telecom supported DMS-100, National ISDN-1 and 2 ISA/EISA Interface ú Synchronous operation supported ISA Card Power (internal version only) ú 1.2A @ 5VDC ú .32A @ 12VDC ú .1A @ -12 VDC Ringer Equivalence ú Sportster ISDN 128K supports one analog device connected through the analog device port. Physical Dimensions ú Approx 4.092 inches height by 8 inches length (ISA card) Physical Interfaces ú S/T version RJ-45 ú U version RJ-45 Analog Device Port ú RJ-11 Regulatory/Agency Approvals U-interface ú FCC approved (Part 15) ú CL Listed ú CUL Listed S/T CE Mark Sportster ISDN 128K Model Numbers/Part Numbers SKU# and Description ú 000903-00 Sportster ISDN 128K with S/T interface ú 000904-00 Sportster ISDN 128K with integrated NT-1 and U-interface ú 000905-00 NT-1 backup kit ú 000906-00 External Ring Generator Additional Software Drivers Available SKU# and Description ú 001293-00 Windows NT driver for Sportster ISDN 128K-Internal ú 001296-00 Novell NetWare Connect and NetWare MultiProtocol Router driver for Sportster ISDN 128K-Internal Warranty ú Five-year limited warranty, factory repair or replacement. Services U.S. Robotics' customers are backed by a full-range of customized technical support services including the I-Team. The I-Team is a customer support group focused on providing pre-sales information, installation services and post-sales support programs for ISDN related products. For more information, call 1-800-550-7800. U.S. Robotics and the U.S. Robotics logo are registered trademarks of U.S. Robotics. All products and technologies mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. United States Contacts For Corporate Accounts and Corporate Resellers U.S. Robotics Corporate/Systems Division 8100 N. McCormick Blvd. Skokie, IL 60076-2999 Phone: 1.800.USR.CORP Fax: 708.933.5800 For Retail Distributors, Resellers, and Consumers U.S. Robotics Personal Communications Division 7770 N. Frontage Road Skokie, IL 60077-2690 Phone: 1.800.DIAL.USR Fax: 708.676.7320 Fax on Demand 1.800.762-6163 708.676.8536 European Contacts France U.S. Robotics, s.a. Cityparc, 3 Rue Lavoisier F-59650 Villeneuve d'Ascq Phone: 33-20-19-19-39 Fax: 33-20-91-99-59 United Kingdom U.S. Robotics, Ltd. 650 Warfdale Road Winnersh, Wokingham Berkshire RG41 5TP England Phone: 44-1734-228200 Fax: 44-1734-695555 Technical Support: 44-1734-441000 BBS 44-1734-692200 R.09.95 75-DS-201 Kids Computing Corner Frank Sereno, Editor The Kids' Computing Corner by Frank Sereno First, I want to give proper credit to Angelo Marasco for the fine review Read, Write & Type in last week's magazine. Somewhere in the editing of the column his byline was lost. Sorry about that Angelo! His next review will be on The Student Writing and Resource Center from The Learning Company. I don't have any reviews ready for this week. I am currently working on several impressive titles. The foremost is Adi's Comprehensive Learning System. It is indeed one of the most complete educational programs I have experienced. Adi's is collection of six programs for children in second through fifth grades. The system teaches math, English and science. Each course costs about $50. The programs are so comprehensive and intensive that each occupies two CD-ROMs. A friendly and intelligent tutor leads children through lessons and fun games. This learning system is terrific and I hope to complete a full review for next week's Christmas issue. Speaking of Christmas, the season for gift shopping is nearly over. I have reviewed dozens of programs over the last two years here at STR. Some programs have been exceptional and would be fantastic gifts for the children in your life. Edmark makes some of the finest programs in edutainment today. They have excellent programs for children of all ages and cover many learning topics and skills. But first, buy a gift from Edmark for yourself. KidDesk Family Edition is available for Macintosh, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. It provides a secure shell so that your child can launch his favorite applications without needing to learn DOS or possibly do damage to your files. KidDesk also includes many useful and entertaining accessories such as voice mail, e-mail and personal calendars. Each member of the family can have a personal desktop and shell that he can customize to his tastes. At about $30, KidDesk is a great bargain. Edmark's House series is a wonderfully inventive way to interest your child in math, reading, science, geography and time. The series consists of four titles. Millie's Math House is an introduction to mathematics; Bailey's Book House will develop your child's reading skills; Sammy's Science House is an innovative attempt to enhance your child's natural scientific inquisitiveness; Trudy's Time & Place House allows young children to learn the concepts of time and location. Each title sells for about $40. Edmark currently offers a bundle of Millie, Bailey and Sammy for $80. This is a fantastic bargain. Edmark's Thinkin' Thing series is designed to help older children to develop various thought processes. Intuitive and logical thinking are developed. Creative thinking is also featured and rewarded. The three "Collections" in this set really help the minds of children ages six and older to expand. Portions of these programs will even entertain the most jaded adult. Another Edmark series that I can recommend is Imagination Express. The four available "Destinations" help children to write interactive stories and movies. Children can explore an urban neighborhood, a medieval castle, a Central American rain forest and the California Pacific coast. Imagination Express provides wonderful video and animation tools which result in beautiful-looking books. The books can be augmented with sound effects and music. Each destination includes a fact book which helps your child learn about that location or time. Even pre-readers will have fun making stories with this program. I've had some wonderful times helping my son organize his pages and writing the text for his stories. Edmark backs all programs with a moneyback guarantee. The Learning Company is another producer of excellent software. The programs are nested so your child can graduate from one Learning Company product to another to build more skills and knowledge. Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey receives my highest recommendation. This entertaining program will teach children four and older how to read while they have fun. This package also contains forty paperback books to reinforce the lessons from the program. TLC's Reading Development Library will allow your child to continue his journey to literacy as he reads these interactive books. Read, Write & Type received a glowing review from Angelo. This program features over 200 activities which teach reading, phonics, language skills and typing. And if your child is too young for these programs, you should consider Let's Start Learning! It is an excellent primer for basic learning skills such as letter recognition, identifying patterns, sorting and more. All TLC programs carry a thirty-day money-back guarantee. Another company which makes fantastic learning programs is Sierra On- Line. Probably best known for their adventure games (King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry), Sierra has also produced excellent educational software. Alphabet Blocks and Beginning Reading are two excellent choices for teaching children the alphabet, phonics and reading skills. Early Math is an entertaining way for children to learn numbers and mathematics. The Monker and Hickory series of programs published by Golden Books and Western Publishing were produced by Sierra as well. These four titles provide more language and math fun for children ages five to eight. For older children and adults, The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain is a puzzling good time which develops seven distinct types of thought. And though I haven't completed my evaluation of Adi's Comprehensive Learning System, I feel that it will be an excellent addition to the software library for second through fifth graders. All these programs feature amazing animation and digitized voices. Character's mouths actually form the sounds as they are spoken. And best yet, all are guaranteed to satisfy you and your child or your money back. If you have younger children who have difficulty using a mouse, then you should consider the purchase of a Microsoft EasyBall. This large trackball can sit on your desktop or can be held comfortably in a child's lap. The large ball allows the child to use gross motor skills to position the pointer rather the fine motor skills and high level of coordination needed when using a mouse. A single, large button acts as a left mouse button to open programs, close windows, etc. EasyBall includes a Pointerland game which enables children to build trackball skills and to select from several humorous and fun pointers. EasyBall is currently being bundled with Microsoft Explorapedia: The World of Nature. If you are thinking about upgrading computers, I won't recommend any particular brand, but a speed. Nothing less than a 100MHz Pentium or an 80MHz PowerPC. I'm not saying that a 486DX2-66 is not a good computer, but it is nowhere near the powerhouse it used to be. The recommended speeds above are not cutting edge. They are reasonably priced and should be more than adequate for most multimedia software for two or more years. And I hate to say it, but it looks like every two years or so we have to look at upgrading our systems, AGAIN, if we want to be able to run the newest software. I believe that there will be some excellent sales on computer equipment AFTER Christmas. And the worst thing about buying electronics of any kind is that you know that a day or a week or a month after you make your purchase, prices will go down again or some great feature will be added that you wished you could have had. Do as much research as you can, make your decision and then go with it, because at some point you have to make your move. At some point you have to jump in with both feet and take your chances. One hedge you can use is to shop at a store with a price guarantee that they will match the lowest advertised price on your system over the next thirty days. Or you can just sit on the sidelines. At some point you have to figure that the added enjoyment of a new system and higher productivity will outweigh the loss of cost savings. The replace/upgrade cycle on computers is aggravating and frustrating. I can't think of another consumer item that seems to have such a short cycle. That's it for this week's feature. I hope you found it informative and entertaining. You can send comments, questions or suggestions to fsereno@matrix.uti.com. Until next week, I thank you for reading. ClickART Handwritten Fonts TrueType Fonts for Windows and Macintosh on CD-ROM and ClickART Incredible 25,000 Image Pak Clip art images and fonts separate versions available for Windows and Macintosh from T/Maker 1390 Villa Street Mountain View, CA 94041 1-800-9-TMAKER reviewed by Frank Sereno Most computer owners, whether they use computers for work or pleasure, do some desktop publishing. One might need to design a company newsletter or restaurant menu for business or one might design a birthday card for a loved one. Many of us become clip art and font junkies, always looking for that special touch that can make our works more eye-appealing and interesting. T/Maker has recently released two outstanding products that would be a welcome addition for any DTP enthusiast. T/Maker is the largest maker of font and clip art packages in the United States. First, let's look at Handwritten Fonts. It has a fantastic selection of 300 fonts which were made from the handwriting of 300 people. All fonts are sharp and scalable. Each font is as distinctive as a set of fingerprints. I am not a handwriting analyst, but these fonts seem to have characters of their own. Some are serious, some happy. Some fonts would look beautiful in a formal invitation while others express joy suitable for a child's birthday party. T/Maker has included fonts that are ornate, simple, expressive and personal. The package includes a discount offer to have your own handwriting turned into a TrueType font. At $45 plus shipping, it may seem a bit pricey for most home users. With 300 fonts to choose from, you can probably find one much like your own handwriting anyway. The program includes an excellent manual which details the installation of the fonts on Macs with system 6.0.x or system 7.0.x and for Windows 3.1 or Windows 95. The manual also includes printed samples of each font which makes choosing that special font much easier. Free technical support is available for the cost of a phone call. T/Maker guarantees complete satisfaction. At $30, Handwritten Fonts is an excellent value and must have for DTP. Incredible 25,000 Image Pak T/Maker has been offering clip art bundles for several years. As time has passed, the collections have grown larger and more features have been added. The latest edition of the Image Pak includes a gargantuan 25,000 .WMF images, 1000 TrueType Fonts and the Kudo image browser on three CD-ROMs. All of this for an amazingly low $49.95! (Note: the Macintosh version's images are in EPS format.) The Image Pak comes with a small manual which describes the Kudo image browser and how to install fonts on your system. Also included is a 574- page book containing a visual index of every image and font plus it contains a section filled with desktop publishing hints. These helpful hints are a great addition and are a wonderful reference for inexperienced designers. The clip art is arranged into many categories for easy retrieval. The visual guidebook is indexed to help find the correct category quickly. The only thing lacking from the book is that the graphics are shown in black and white. The Kudo browser displays thumbnail images of the clip art in catalogs also. Color images are displayed in color. Images can be displayed in three different sizes. The number of images displayed on the screen depends on your screen resolution and the size of the Kudo window. You can even print a catalog from Kudo. The images cover every imaginable event, holiday, occupation and more. Hundreds of banners and borders are included for styling flair. Clip art suitable for business use and for home use is abundant. Categories include art, animals, business and office, cartoons, celebrations, clothes, education, farming, fitness, holidays, people, religion, sports and more. There are 125 total categories available. It would take years for most people to use all the images in this collection. It features outstanding variety and excellent quality. Whether you are a novice or a pro desktop publisher, the Incredible 25,000 Image Pak offers outstanding value. If you have family or friends who do design work, the Image Pak would make an excellent gift. T/Maker backs this product with a satisfaction guarantee so you can't go wrong with this product. Portable Computers & Entertainment Section Marty Mankins, Editor Reptile X's Sony PSX Game Review Review #: Nov/95_R001 All ratings are based on the opinions of Reptile X at 102332,1306. Title: DOOM: Custom PlayStation Edition Manufacturer: Williams Entertainment and Id Software Distributor: Williams Entertainment Type: 1st person-perspective shooter Brief Description: "The Obsession Continues!" This is a 2-in-One of ULTIMATE DOOM and DOOM II. Featuring improved sound graphics and incredible lighting and "see-through" effects that take full advantage of the Sony PSX's technology! Ratings:(out of 100%) Control - 99% Graphics - 99% Sound - 98% Music - 100% Challenge - 100% Storyline - 100% Comments by the X This is one of the greatest PSX releases and member of the DOOM series to date. You get 2 games that would cost double on the PC in total and upgraded graphics, sound, and effects that take advantage of the greatest system around all for the price of a single PSX game! The lighting effects are very well done and the music can make you jump outta your seat! Try playing this one in a small dark room! Turn the volume up and attack an Imp or fire your BFG-9000 with the PSX connected to a surround-sound system! AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! ))))))))) One of the greatest PSX games to date, great work, Williams! "PlayStation - Best Hardware, easy to program for, and BEST GAMES!" - Ed Boon Sony Playstation, PSX, and it's designs, etc. are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment.(C)1995 Sony Computer Entertainment of America,inc. All other names and likenesses are trademarks of their respective owners. Writen and distributed by Reptile X (102332,1306@compuserve.com) Comments and suggestions are welcome, e-mail the address in brackets. SONY PLAYSTATION Games Listing (43 Titles - Updated 12/14/95) (c)1995 John Ricciardi This is a complete listing of all Sony PlayStation games that have been released to date. Updated frequently. Any comments, e-mail me at <75162.2212@compuserve.com>. NEW ADDITIONS SINCE 12/09/95 -Gex (Crystal Dynamics/Action) -Loaded (Interplay/Action) -NBA In the Zone (Konami/Sports) -Title-(Publisher) #/Players Genre Rating- -3D Lemmings (Psygnosis) 1 Puzzle K- A -Agile Warrior F-IIIX (Virgin) 1-2 Shooter T -Air Combat (Namco) 1-2 Shooter K- A -Battle Arena Toshinden (SCEA) 1-2 Fighting Action T -Criticom (Vic Tokai) 1-2 Fighting Action T -CyberSpeed (Mindscape) 1 Racing K- A -Cyber Sled (Namco) 1-2 Action K- A -Defcon 5 (Data East) 1 Action K-A -Destruction Derby (Psygnosis) 1-2 Racing K-A -Discworld (Psygnosis) 1 Adventure T -DOOM (Williams) 1-2 Action M -ESPN Extreme Games (SCEA) 1-2 Racing K-A -FIFA Soccer '96 (Electronic Arts) 1-8 Sports K-A -Gex (Crystal Dynamics) 1 Action K- A -Jumping Flash! (SCEA) 1 Action K- A -Jupiter Strike (Acclaim) 1 Shooter K- A -KILEAK: The DNA Imperative (SCEA) 1-2 Action T -Loaded (Interplay) 1-2 Action M -Mortal Kombat 3 (SCEA) 1-2 Fighting Action M -NBA In the Zone (Konami) 1-8 Sports K-A -NBA JAM T.E. (Acclaim) 1-4 Sports K-A -NFL GameDay (SCEA) 1-2 Sports K-A -NHL Face Off (SCEA) 1-2 Sports K- A -Novastorm (Psygnosis) 1 Shooter K-A -Off-World Interceptor Extreme (Crystal Dynamics) 1-2 Action M -PGA Tour '96 (Electronic Arts) 1-4 Sports K-A -Power Serve 3D Tennis (Ocean) 1-2 Sports K-A -Rayman (Ubi Soft) 1 Action K- A -Ridge Racer (Namco) 1 Racing K-A -Shockwave Assault (Electronic Arts Studios) 1 Shooter K-A -Space Griffon VF-9 (Atlus) 1 Action K-A -Street Fighter: The Movie (Acclaim) 1-2 Fighting Action T -Tekken (Namco) 1-2 Fighting Action T -The Raiden Project (SCEA) 1-2 Shooter K-A -Theme Park (Bullfrog) 1 Simulation K- A -Total Eclipse Turbo (Crystal Dynamics) 1 Shooter K-A -Twisted Metal (SCEA) 1-2 Action T =Viewpoint (Electronic Arts) 1 Shooter K-A -Warhawk (SCEA) 1 Shooter K- A -WipEout (Psygnosis) 1-2 Racing K-A -WrestleMania: The Arcade Game (Acclaim) 1-2 Action K-A -X-COM: UFO Defense (MicroProse) 1 Strategy K-A -Zoop (Viacom Newmedia) 1 Puzzle K- A ESRB Ratings are as follows: EC Early Childhood (Ages 3+) K-A Kids to Adult (Ages 6+) T Teen (Ages 13+) M Mature (Ages 17+) AO Adults Only (Adults Only) For more information on ratings, call the ESRB at 1-800-771-3772 Atari Jaguar/Computer Section Dana Jacobson, Editor From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" I'm still trying to make it through the latest two CDs that I've received, in the ever-growing numbers for the Atari computer. "All Things Falcon" is an incredible collection of Falcon-specific software. Some of what I've seen of it so far has been duplicated in other Atari CDs, but with over 600 megabytes of software, who really cares! There's a LOT of stuff on here that I haven't seen anywhere else; and I have a number of CDs in my collection so far. Although I haven't looked it over enough to write a small article with some descriptions, I'd recommend this one as a gift for that favorite Falcon user, for Christmas. The other CD that I've been looking over is the PD Clipart Collection by Electronic Spinster Graphics. A lot of clipart! Desktop publisher users would benefit by this one, from what I've seen so far. Both CDs are distributed by It's All Relative; and I'm sure available from other well- stocked dealers. The holidays are rapidly approaching and there will be a few Atari computer items under my Hanukkah bush this year, I'm sure. I hope that you manage to find something waiting for you, as well. Happy Holidays! Until next time... Delphi's Atari Advantage! TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (12/13/95) *(1) WWW BROWSER V.1.5 *(6) "OH NO!" RESET SOUND *(2) DOCTOR BOB'S GUIDE *(7) LAUNCHER V.2 BY F10 SOFTWARE (3) ESSCODE64 UUE DECODER/ENCODER (8) ROLLER COASTER EXPERIENCE *(4) NUMBER TEST BRAIN TEASER *(9) LPS, SOUND PLAYER *(5) TCACHE64.ZIP *(10) 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH * = 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 1149 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 4, ISSUE 7 Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. Future of Online ASCII! STR NewsFile! CIS, One of Many to Switch! From the Atari Forums on CompuServe: The following was released by CIS for "publication" this afternoon. This forum is not on the near term list for changeover, so don't fret. We are providing this info so you are not surprised when one of your other favorite forums switches over... WHAT ARE THE NEW FORUMS? New software is on its way to a forum near you. The forums will be run from a different kind of computer system than it used to be, and the forum software has been completely rewritten to clean up the code and make it more robust and flexible for the future. Even though the forum software is completely rewritten, it's going to largely look just like the old forums did, at least at the beginning. The new forum software offers a wealth of benefits, from the immediate gains like more space for members, libraries, and messages, to longer-term advantages of more flexibility for new features, new presentations of the forum software, and expandability for the future. The new forum software will be a product that can only be used by HMI- compatible applications. HMI stands for Host Micro Interface, which is a special protocol communications programs can use to communicate with CompuServe. Terminal Emulation programs - programs that support text only - will not be able to use these new forums. WHAT PROGRAMS SUPPORT THE NEW FORUMS? The following programs are HMI-compatible: n CompuServe Information Manager (CIM for Windows, Mac, DOS, or OS/2) n CompuServe Navigator (CSNav for Windows or Macintosh) n OzWIN n CISComm All of these programs will be able to use the new forum software without any upgrade of their software; new forums will look pretty much the same as the old forum software did. The following programs offer immediate upgrades to HMI-compatible software: ú TAPCIS (upgrade to version 6.1; GO TAPCIS) Other programs, such as Golden Commpass and NavCIS, are working on updates to their software that will support the new forums. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I TRY TO ACCESS THE NEW FORUMS WITH SOFTWARE THAT DOESN'T SUPPORT IT? If a member tries to enter a new forum with software that does not support HMI, he or she will see a special bulletin that explains that their software cannot use that product and a list of places to go to get upgrades to their software. WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT IN THE NEW FORUMS? To begin with, the forums will not look very different. The following things will be changed in the new forums: GENERAL Searching for a membership directory entry will always bring up the requested member's User ID and forum name, akin to the WHO command in ASCII. (Date of access is planned to be added soon.) A new notice (announcement) has been created called "User Log." It gives the same information as the ULOG command in ASCII; the names and times of everyone who has accessed the forum in the past 24 hours. MESSAGES Message boards will be immediately updated, so that members will be able to see messages and replies they post during the same visit to the forum. The High Message Number will not be updated, though, so they will also see those messages on their next visit. LIBRARIES Filenames can be in upper or lower case. However, this only affects the display of the filename; searches are not case-sensitive. (Searches for TEST.TXT and test.txt will return the same file.) Files may have as many keywords as needed, and no limit is in place for the length of each keyword. Keywords will not need to be all in upper case (searches for keywords will still not be case-sensitive). CONFERENCING Moderated conferences will be available (only supported in WinCIM 1.4 and future versions of all compatible software). The ROLL command has been removed. HOW LONG WILL IT BE BEFORE FORUMS ARE CONVERTED? The first few forums will begin converting in December. Most of the forum conversions to the new software will start in January and continue through the first half of 1996. WILL ALL FORUMS USE THIS NEW SOFTWARE? No. The old forum software will not be getting future upgrades and support for it will lessen as time goes on. However, we will continue to offer the old forum software for any forums that require it. Examples of these are forums that cater to platforms that do not currently have HMI-compatible software, such as Unix, Amigas, and Ataris. GO FEEDBACK for any questions about the new forums. Also, contact your software author for any specific questions about the communications program you use to call CompuServe. Jaguar Section Jaguar, 1996 - Ted Hoff! More Games Coming! Missile Command 3D! Ruiner Pinball Review! $99.00 Jag!! And Much More! From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! Nine more shopping days until Christmas..... The games are picking up again as we get closer and closer to the holidays. I-War, Fever Pitch Soccer, and Myst are on the way to dealers and should be available any day now. If things go as planned, we'll see ten more games come out from Atari in time for the holiday; I have no definitive numbers for 3rdªparty games coming out as it's up to them to make those announcements. There are plenty of quality games out, and coming, to make this a good holiday for the users. How many new users will there be this Christmas.........? Perhaps a little late, but a good move regardless, is the news that Atari has reduced the price of the Jaguar to $99.00. Since I haven't heard an official statement to this effect, I'm going to assume that this is for the base unit only, with no pack-in games. This price reduction should attract some new sales if the dealers push them. But, without some visible marketing by Atari and the dealers, people may not realize it. Atari is showing ads on cable television, so maybe the new price will help. There may not be enough time left to generate any significant sales for the holidays, though. Brisk holiday sales for the Jaguar would mean good after- the-holiday sales for new games ª a shot in the arm that Atari and the developers really need. Will it happen? I guess we'll see. The infomercial is being re-run with a few minor changes. Instead of the $199 immediate price tag sale pitch, buyers will be able to make payments in four installments ($49.75 ea). This may help those with credit card crunches on their limits! We've got a Ruiner Pinball review for you, as promised. We're still in the process of completing others; most of our reviewers are either frantically finishing up their holiday shopping or digging out from the numerous snow storms to hit lately! Whichever, reviews have appeared to have been delayed with a number of apologies to the readers. All of the recent releases, along with those coming out in the next few weeks, will appear in reviews in upcoming issues ª stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy the games that you have, and expect to have more shortly. I think it will be a great holiday for current Jaguar owners; and I hope that there will be a number of new users coming into the fold during the holiday season that's upon us .we can only hope that it will happen. Happy Hanukkah to all of those who celebrate! Until next time... Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! ATARI EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT TO PC AND OTHER PLATFORMS Amidst a flurry of rumors and speculation about the future of Atari Corp.'s Jaguar game system, Atari, in an exclusive interview with MMWIRE, says it is not abandoning the Jaguar. In a talk with Ted Hoff, pres. North American ops., MMWIRE learned that the company is expanding its reach, developing for PC, Mac, PlayStation and Saturn platforms. The move is meant to prevent the company from being "locked-in" to the Jaguar platform and create additional revenue streams. Atari has "got to fish where the fish are," says Hoff, in reference to the installed base of PCs. Atari says it will release approx. 20 titles for the PC (4 in 1Q96, 4-6 in 2Q96, with remaining titles to be negotiated) and 20 for the Jaguar in the '96 calendar year. Atari PC titles will focus on action, RPG, and arcade genres. None of the titles currently being developed for the PC are being developed in-house, says Hoff. Outside development is also the norm for Jaguar titles. While PC titles do make up 50% of 96 titles, Atari is still putting the "preponderance" of the company's funds behind development for the Jaguar, say Atari officials. Mac, PlayStation and Saturn titles -also expected for 96 -- take priority in the order listed, says Hoff. Atari will begin marketing its PC titles in Feb. What about the rumored lay off of 15-25 members of Atari's development staff? Hoff explained that the developers released (approx. 11) were 2 separate incidents. The first group of developers were let go due a 2 1/2 year project that never saw any results, and the other group was released after completing the title it was assigned. All title producers, which manage outside development projects, remain at Atari, says Hoff. Atari also acknowledged that it has "shelved" its head-mounted VR set for the home. The company said the last round of optics, the key element in the headset, sent to the company were not commercially acceptable, making users "woozy." Arcade Favorite Receives New Mission Atari Corporation Launches "Missile Command 3D" for Jaguar 64 SUNNYVALE, CA (December 12, 1995) -- Load your lasers, mark your missiles and secure your smart bombs, your colony is under alien attack. Gamers are gearing up after Atari Corporation's announcement that "Missile Command 3D" is the latest artillery in the Atari Jaguar 64 software arsenal. Based on the arcade classic, the Jaguar update of "Missile Command 3D" features both fiercer firepower and nastier bad guys. It takes more than missiles, lasers and smart bombs to defeat these aliens---gamers must employ a quick and accurate fighting style to protect their neighborhoods from the outer space invasion. "Missile Command 3D" contains three different game options: Original Missile Command, 3D Missile Command and Virtual Missile Command. The "Virtual" and "3D" game options boast a number of 3-dimensional worlds found undersea, in the clouds and in outer space. Stereo sound, texture mapped graphics and multiple backgrounds compliment the power of the Jaguar 64 system. "Atari Corporation continues to provide Jaguar owners with top-quality, exciting games for their Jaguar 64 systems," said Ted Hoff, Atari's President of North American Operations. "'Missile Command 3D' is another outstanding title in our lineup of software releases for the Atari Jaguar 64 and CD peripheral this holiday season." "Missile Command 3D" is available in stores nationwide, has a suggested retail price of $59.99, and is rated K-A (appropriate for kids to adults). CONTACT: Patricia Kerr or Jennifer Hansen Shandwick USA (800)444-6663 or (310)479-4997 For more than twenty years, Atari Corporation has provided consumers with high quality, value-priced entertainment. Atari Corporation markets Jaguar, the only American-made, advanced 64-bit entertainment system and is located in Sunnyvale, California. Joystick Maker Files Patent Suit PC joystick maker ThrustMaster Inc. says it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against WICO Corp., the parent company of competitor Suncom Technologies. In its suit, filed last month in the Portland, Oregon, U.S. District Court, ThrustMaster charges that Suncom is infringing its patent covering reconfigurable game and simulation controllers. ThrustMaster says the technology was invented to help computer game enthusiasts change the settings on their joysticks. ThrustMaster is seeking unspecified damages and has requested that the court enjoin Suncom from making or selling any joysticks using the disputed technology. Microsoft Buys Flight Sim Firm For undisclosed terms, Microsoft Corp. has acquired the organization that produces its most successful games package, the famed Microsoft Flight Simulator. Computergram International reports this morning most of the 30 or so employees of the Bruce Artwick Organization will make the trek to Microsoft offices in Washington state from their present base in Champaign, Ill. "Bruce Artwick clearly reckons it is finally time for him to cash in," the newsletter commented. "He will not become a Microsoft employee, but will continue to consult for the company. Microsoft reckons that Flight Simulator is the most successful entertainment title for personal computers with over 3 million copies sold." CI notes the software runs only under MS-DOS, but that Microsoft now plans a Win95 version. Internet Casino to Make Debut Net surfers will soon be able to waste more than their time. Sports International Ltd., in a deal with Daleen Technologies Inc., says it will begin beta-testing a Global Casino in late June. Sports International, a sports wagering firm based on the Caribbean island of Antigua, says the casino will offer all of the games available in an actual casino, including blackjack, roulette and slot machines. Daleen is developing the site's software, which will allow players to place wagers on the various games. Players will first have to establish a prepaid account with Sports International before their wagers can be accepted. Sports International's Web page address is http://www.gamblenet.com/bet. A slot machine demo is scheduled to go online in January. Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher Air Cars TBA Racing/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent. Alien vs Pre+dator NOW Role Play/Adv $69.99 Atari Assault 2Q/96 Action/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent. Atari Karts 12/95 Driving $59.99 Atari Att. Mutant Penguins 12/95 Arcade $59.99 Atari Baldies (CD) 12/95 Action/Sim $59.99 Atari Battlemorph (CD) 12/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Battlesphere 12/95 Space/Combat TBD 4-Play Battlestar TBA Space/Combat TBD ? Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games Blue Lightning (CD) NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Braindead 13 (CD) 12/95 Action/Adv TBD ReadySoft Breakout 2000 3/96 Puzzle $49.99 Atari Brett Hull NHL Hockey 2/96 Sports $69.99 Atari Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 3/96 Sports $69.99 Atari Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames Bubsy NOW Action/Adv $19.99 Atari Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adv $49.99 Virgin Chas Barkley Bball 1Q/96 Sports $59.99 Atari Checkered Flag NOW Racing $19.99 Atari Club Drive NOW Racing $29.99 Atari Commander Blood(CD) 2/96 RPG $69.99 Atari Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Dactyl Joust TBA Action TBD Atari Dante (CD) 6/96 Action TBD Atari Defender 2000 1/96 Arcade $59.99 Atari Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adv $59.99 Williams Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $29.99 Atari Dragon's Lair (CD) NOW Adventure $69.99 ReadySoft Dragon's Lair 2(CD) 12/95 Adventure TBD ReadySoft Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adv $59.99 MidNite Ent. Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adv $19.99 Atari Fever Pitch Soccer NOW Sports $59.99 Atari Flashback NOW Action/Adv $59.99 US Gold Flip-Out NOW Puzzle $49.99 Atari Formula 1 (CD) 1Q/96 Racing TBD Atari Highlander I (CD) NOW Action/Adv $59.99 Atari Highlander II (CD) 3/96 Action/Adv TBD Atari Highlander III (CD) 5/96 Action/Adv TBD Atari Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $39.99 Atari Hover Strike CD NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Hyper Force TBA ? TBD Comp. West Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $29.99 Atari Iron Soldier II (CD) 1Q/96 Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari I-War (aka Netwar) NOW Action/Adv $49.99 Atari Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $29.99 Atari Magic Carpet (CD) 3Q/96 Action/RPG TBD Atari Max Force (CD) 12/95 Action $59.99 Atari Missile Command 3D NOW Action/Arcade $59.99 Atari Mortal Kombat 3 4/96 Fighting TBD Atari Myst (CD) NOW Interactive Novel $59.99 Atari NBA Jam T.E. 12/95 Sports $69.99 Atari Phase Zero 2/96 Action/Arcade $59.99 Atari Pinball Fantasies NOW Arcade $59.95 Comp. West Pitfall/Mayan Adv. NOW Arcade $59.99 Activision Power Drive Rally NOW Driving TBD TWI Primal Rage (CD) 12/95 Fighting TBD TWI Raiden NOW Action/Adv $29.99 Atari Rayman NOW Action/Adv $69.99 Ubi Soft Rise of the Robots(CD) 12/95 Action/Arcade TBD TWI Robinson's Requiem 2/96 Adventure $59.99 Atari Rocky Horror (CD) 4/96 Adventure TBD Atari Ruiner Pinball NOW Arcade $59.99 Atari Sensible Soccer NOW Sports Telegames Sky Hammer (CD) 3/96 Flying/Action TBD Atari Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean Soul Star (CD) 1996 Action/Sci-Fi TBD Atari Space Ace (CD) 12/95 Space/Combat TBD ReadySoft Super Burnout NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Supercross 3D 12/95 Sports $59.99 Atari Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adv $39.99 Atari Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adv $19.99 Atari Troy Aikman Football NOW Sports $69.99 Williams Ultimate Brain Games TBD Puzzle TBD Telegames Ultra Vortek NOW Action/Adv $69.99 Beyond Games Val D'Isere Skiing NOW Sports $39.99 Atari VidGrid (CD) NOW Puzzle/Music Atari Wayne Gretzky (CD) 2/96 Sports TBD TWI White Men Can't Jump (w/Team Tap) NOW Sports $49.99 Atari/TriMark Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $29.99 Atari Zero 5 2/96 Space/Combat TBD Atari Zool2 NOW Action/Adv $19.99 Atari Zoop 1/96 Puzzle TBD Viacom [Editor's Note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are verified from Atari - all subject to change] Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Ruiner Pinball" Ruiner Pinball Developed by: High Voltage Published by: Atari Corp. Price: $59.99 by Dana P. Jacobson Ruiner Pinball is not your typical game of pinball. The game consists of two different games, Ruiner and Tower, with multiple levels; Ruiner even has dual tables within the same game. I'm a huge pinball game fan, but I can't say how I really feel about this game; and I've played it for hours on end! There are a lot of things I like about the game, and a number of things that I dislike. Since I want to like it because it's pinball, I keep going back to it to see if it improves over time. The final verdict is still out, at the moment. As mentioned above, Ruiner Pinball is actually two separate games: Tower and Ruiner - I like Ruiner a little more than Tower...so far. Tower reminds me a little of the "Stones and Bones" table in Pinball Fantasies in that the theme is based on ghosts and goblins and the like. Other than that, the games aren't much alike! Tower consists of "panels" of action; the "higher" you are on the table, the more action occurs. Unless you have incredible flipper control, once you're playing in the lower panel, consider that ball soon down the tubes! The object of the table is to "cast three spells and topple the tower." Easier said than done! Getting there is challenging, but fun. Ruiner has a military/nuclear Armageddon theme to it. The object to the game, from what I can tell, is to get to DEFCON 1 (I've managed to get to DEFCON 4 only, starting at 5!). In both tables, you need to hit everything, blast everything, access all of the ramps/tubes, flip-outs, and god-knows whatever else. The graphics are excellent, especially in Tower. Tower has a lot of moving sprites which depict such things as bats, bugs, eyes that follow your ball's movements, and more. Special effects, such as the "teleport" sequence as you travel from the middle panel to the top one, are really nice. The stationary areas of the table is also nice, with a variety of different graphics. On the other hand, I found the graphics in the Ruiner table only mediocre. The circling array of planes that you need to destroy are probably the best that this table has to offer. Other than the "dropping parachutists", there are very few other moving targets/graphics to speak of. I also found the stationary areas of the two levels to be boring and lackluster with regard to graphics. The music and sound effects for both games were very well done. You'll always know that you've done something well or important because of the sound effects (you may not know what, but you'll know you did something!). I found the control to be average - it wasn't great. There are what I consider to be a lot of "dead" areas in both games. You hit some targets or bumpers and there's just little or no action. The games can be very fast and then all of the sudden you hit a "dead" area and the game almost stops. The action of the flippers is also weak, for the most part. As a longtime pinball player, I know that a well-timed flip is going to get a good reaction and the ball will travel where I hit it - not necessarily so in these games. I've often had really well-hit flips just "float" halfway up the table and then fall straight back. Very frustrating and untypical for pinball. Like most pinball players, I use a lot of "body english" and an occasional "nudge" of the table. Well, you can "push" this virtual pinball game also, but it's difficult to control. Tilting the game is easy with too strong a "nudge". Then again, that's pinball for you! The manual, in my opinion, stunk. It tells you very little about the game. The game tips and strategies are very vague. For the Ruiner table, here's this little tip, in small print, to help your game: "There are tons of ways to increase your score. Try different ramp and target combinations and find mystery awards." How about this one, for Tower: "There are many other targets and ramp combinations to find in the Tower so go rattle a few bones." Hmmmmm...... There are other less vague tips, but not by much. In a normal pinball table, you can look it over and check out the various targets and figure out what needs to be done. Or, there's an explanation of various combinations that will have specified results; and you can look over the table to see what's been explained. In Ruiner Pinball, this is usually not the case. You can't see the whole table and see what needs to be done, overall. Most required moves are flashed on the score bar, but who can look up while the ball is moving all over the place or about to drop down the middle? I don't know about you, but I very rarely look up to look at my score while playing; I wait until after the ball gets sucked down the middle! My preference would have been a manual that explains and shows more. I don't expect the manual to tell me everything, but definitely more than it did. I don't need a manual to tell me to hit anything that moves, hit all drop-down targets, light all possible targets, go up all ramps, and the like. But, I want to know what will happen when these things are done. I still have no idea, in most cases. Entertainment value is actually quite good, especially if you enjoy pinball games. I want to keep playing this game and trying to better my scores. I want to get to know more about the various plays in the games. Having the ability to play "multi-ball" is also a lot of fun even though it's difficult to see what's happening, as you really only get to "see" the ball that's active and lowest on the table. I feel like I have to keep flipping in the blind hopes that I can keep the active balls on the upper panels in the game to stay there longer. It's a game that I know I'll continue to play even though I feel that at this moment it's likely to be frustrating because I don't know "all the moves" yet, if ever. Bottom line is that it is fun. Graphics: 8.0 Sound FX/Music: 8.0 Control: 6.0 Manual: 4.0 Entertainment: 7.0 Reviewer's Overall: 6.5 Overall, I'd have to say that Ruiner Pinball is a good game. It's not a great game, at least yet. My expectations for this game were very high and I feel a little letdown, but not overly disappointed. Ruiner is a game that everyone can play and enjoy. My wife is a closet Jaguar player, playing at times when I'm not home (so I don't pick on her playing!). She hasn't come close to my Tower high score yet, but she has beat my Ruiner high score recently! If you like pinball games, I would recommend this game. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this game more after some more time with it, but I'm certainly going to find out. ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! PEOPLE... ARE TALKING On CompuServe compiled by Joe Mirando 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Another week has come and gone and our numbers keep shrinking. But you've got to admit, it's not like it's unexpected. Heck, Atari hasn't made a computer in years. That means that there is no expanding userbase, therefore no flood of new, exciting products, therefore folks are leaving for "bluer" pastures. It's quite sad to see because, in its time, the ST was a cutting-edge computer. Had it been supported by the manufacturer and followed by more advanced, faster, more powerful versions as technology progressed, we might be seeing people leaving the PC platform for GEM/TOS colored pastures right now. But that was not to be. Who do I blame? Would it make any difference right now? I think not. So what's the use? I'm content, for the most part, to stick with my trusty ST and use PCs only when I have to. They just don't have a personality. My machine on the other hand, has personality in spades. I know that it's not a good reason for picking a computer, but I didn't find out about the personality part until after I went ST. The other reason I stay with my Atari is the people I've met. Folks like Albert Dayes, Myles Cohen, Sysops Ron Luks, Bob Retelle, and Jim Ness are a great inducement to stay right here in this forum. I consider these folks friends, and I've never even met four out of the five people I just mentioned. Well, let's get on with the reason for this column in the first place. All the great news, hints, and tips available every week right here on CompuServe. From the Atari Computing Forums Jon Pruitt asks: "Is it true, as I've heard, That CIS plans to stop supporting text based interfaces in a few months??? What happens to us atari users? ? Is this the end??" The big Kahuna himself, Chief Sysop Ron Luks tells Jon: "The Atari Computer Forum will contnue to run the old forum software as long as they will let me. You wont have access to the newest forum features, but at least you will have ASCII access." Jon tells Ron: "Thanks. It looks like the writing is on the wall, though...." Ron replies: "Oh yeah. The writing is on the wall.... The fat lady has sung.... Whatever cliche you prefer, its time to use it." Sysop Jim Ness adds: "As Ron says, we'll still be here. What's happened is that CIS has decided to switch to new host hardware and a new operating system (Windows NT) for most of the service. The new hosts will allow larger forums - more messages, more message sections, more and larger libraries, larger and moderated conferences, and we're told no loss of speed with the larger size. Since they had to entirely rewrite the software, for the new hosts, they had to decide what "legacy" stuff they were going to support. The decision was made to no longer support ASCII, or terminal program, access to CompuServe, on the new hosts. They'll be accessible only via programs written for CIS' proprietary protocol (called HMI). Examples of HMI programs are WinCIM, MacCIM, CIS Navigator for Windows, etc. There is no HMI for anything but DOS/Windows, OS/2, and Mac, which covers over 90% of the people who use CIS. As a compromise, CIS will continue to offer some products on the old host hardware. So, this forum, the Amiga forums, the UNIX forums, etc, will continue to exist, and will continue to be accessible via both terminal programs and HMI. But that means if you have no HMI programs, you'll find a declining number of services you can access on CIS. The changeover to new hosts is time consuming - message and library files are copied to new hosts and converted to new database formats, etc. CIS expects only a few forums will be done each week. It could take 6 months to convert everything that's going to be converted. CIS Mail is going the same route. In the next few weeks, you'll be asked to decide whether you want to switch to the new HMI mail hosts or stay where you are. The new hosts will be supporting a ton of new features, the old hosts will continue to do what they already can do." Jon tells Jim: "Thanks for the update. I'm depressed. I guess I'll be looking for that new computer sooner rather than later. curiously, it'll probably be getting a new computer that will take me off of CIS. Internet providers are becoming cheaper and cheaper, while CIS looks comparitively more expensive." Ron Luks tells Jon: "CIS rates are down to $1.95/hour. At increasing baud rates, you can get a LOT of CompuServe access in the 5 hours per monthly subscription. Are you really finding Internet providers that are significantly cheaper than this?" Jon tells Ron: "It's a question of how much you access. Net.com has a $20/month packagwe that includes umpteen prime / and super umpteen non prime hours. Digex has a $35/month package that includes up to 6 hrs/daily access. If I stay with CIS, it'll be because I am so comfortable here, and maybe once I switch platforms I'll find a wealth of stuff for my new 'puter. But really, CIS is slowly becoming cheaper in order to be more in line with other services, yet CIS is not as cheap as they are, provided you have the knowledge to get at what you want. I used more than 20 hours last month (1st time ever) with the super value plan, it is a good deal, but My bill was high anyway." Ben Eby asks for assistance: "I need your help. I recently bought a Samsung SP-2412 printer to go with my Atari ST, and I have some problems. It seems that it only allows me to print on the first 61 lines of the page, leaving the last 5 for the next page. I'm using WordWriter 2, and while my printer is supposed to be emulating an Epson printer, the Epson (nor any of the other) driver does not work right. It puts my bottom margin on the second page!!! I should probably tell you that I'm using single sheets, not feed paper. My manual mentions (veerryy briefly) two settings that I am unfamiliar with. LQ Vtel and DT Vtel. Although those settings probably arent relavent to my problem, it would be nice to know what they mean, anyway. Specifically, the manual says that we are emulating an Epson LQ850. The settings I referred to look like this in the manual: LQ Vtcl -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 +0.5 +1 +1.5 <+2> +2.5 Does this stand for something like Vertical Line Quantity or something? The manual leaves me completely in the dark." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Ben: "Unfortunately I don't have any experience with Samsung printers, but if it's truely emulating an Epson LQ850, you may be able to find printer drivers for the Epson that will allow your system to print properly to the new printer... Do you have this problem just when you're printing from WordWriter, or does it affect all printing from the Atari system..? Possibly some experimenting with the "lines per page" settings in WordWriter might help..." Ben tells Bob: "This problem with my printer seems to be effecting everything... I've tried printing on my IBM clone with the same results. I talked to the place where I bought it, and they are going to look at it. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is the paper sensor. I'm going to experiment with some tractor feed paper to see if the same problem occurs. Luckily, I bought the printer (reconditioned) with a 45 day warranty.... EUREKA!!!!!!! I BOUGHT SOME tractor feed paper tonight (and risked life and limb doing so) and fed it into my samsung and viola! no more problem. It now puts my page breaks where they are supposed to be...at the page breaks! What a relief. It's bad enough having a failed floppy drive on my XE, without having a non- operative STe also. I may be weird, but I love these little Atari machines!" Stephen Wilson asks for help: "Can anyone give me advice on addressing the centronics port on an STE. I've written a routine that uses the printer port on the Atari to transmit display data via a pic microcontroller chip to a remote lcd screen BUT there's a teensy weensy little problem - the data is getting through ok, but the pic is reading each byte more than once: 5 or 6 times to be precise! It's probably something to do with the handshaking, but inspite of a deal of experimentation with the pic code, I can't restrain its enthusiasm. We're talking about 2 handshaking signals here: * strobe - atari output - goes low when data is valid at the atari end, and * busy - atari input - indicates that the pic (or printer in the normal run of things) is busy and cannot accept another byte. Both deduction and induction have led me to the following code - * pic puts 'busy' low to indicate readiness * pic then polls 'strobe' until that goes low * whereupon it recovers the byte from the bus * pic immediately puts 'busy' high to disable further output from atari * and then processes byte before outing to lcd * repeats whole process ad infinitum I've tried postponing putting busy low until after the polling loop, but this simply doesn't work - the atari simply won't output a byte under these conditions." Sysop Bob Retelle replies: "Hmm... not really having any idea what a pic chip is, or exactly how it operates, this will be just a guess... but... It almost sounds as if the pic is very much faster than the signal transitions on the Atari parallel port... that is, it sees the strobe from the Atari go low, grabs the byte, raises the busy line, processes the byte then pulls the busy line low again... all much faster than the Atari can respond. After it pulls the busy line down, it finds the strobe line low (from the previous byte) so it reads the byte again thinking it's a new byte and repeats until the Atari finally gets around to putting a new byte on the bus. Does the pic actually watch for a high to low transition on the Atari strobe line, or does it just poll for a low signal level..? If the latter, that may be the problem... Can the pic be interrupt driven..? That is, could the high to low on the Atari strobe generate an interrupt to signal the pic that a new byte is present..? That would be far preferable to trying to tweak in a delay loop that would let the Atari parallel port complete a full cycle of the handshaking signals before the pic tried to pick up a new byte. Most of all, remember I'm just guessing here..!" Well folks, between the long, hectic week I've had and shoveling out from this latest snow storm, I'm tired and sore. So, I'm going to stop here and say good night. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING EDITORIAL QUICKIES YIKES! $99.00!!! But I PAID $250.00!! Oh NO!! Not AGAIN!! STReport International OnLine Magazine [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport HTTP://WWW.STREPORT.COM AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 100,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. STR OnLine! YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE December 15, 1995 Since 1987 Copyrightc1995 All Rights Reserved Issue No. 1150