*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" _____________________________________ from STR Publishing Inc. """""""""""""""""" August 10, 1990 No.6.32 ======================================================================= STReport Online Magazine¿ Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205 ~ 6672 R.F. Mariano Publisher - Editor _________________________________________ Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT BBS: 904-786-4176 USR/HST Dual Standard FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT _________________________________________ ** F-NET NODE 350 ** 500mb Online ** STR'S owned & operated support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport Online Magazine and An International list of private BBS systems carrying STReport Online Magazine for their users enjoyment __________________________________________________________________ > 08/10/90: STReport¿ #6.32 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! ------------------------- - The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - CPU MacNews - GFA GONE? - LCACE Updates - ISD Fonts - IBM or ST? - BUG HUNT!! - STR CONFIDENTIAL * WHATS UP WITH PC DITTO II? * * EYEWITNESS REPORTS (2) WOA SAN JOSE!! * * DEVELOPER MIFFED AT FOSTER! * ========================================================================== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE¿ "Only UP-TO-DATE News and Information" -* FEATURING *- Current Events, Up to Date News, Hot Tips, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's support BBS, NODE # 350 invites systems using Forem ST BBS to participate in Forem BBS's F-Net mail network. Or, Please call # 350 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST Mail Network. ========================================================================== AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ========================================================================== > The Editor's Podium¿ Ah yes..... WOA is behind us once again and GENCON is this weekend. Fantastic! The exposure Atari is getting of late is sure to put the computer line on everyone's lips yet. The big 'inside story' is that the TT030 is ready and awaiting approval, in fact, the monitor has FCC approval now and the TT itself is in the process. The 32Mhz version is a daughter board and has been seen in operation, of course, behind closed doors. We will see the TT030 this fall. The STe DMA thingy is about to become a thing of the past, it seems its a problem of REFLECTED SIGNALS.. on the amplified DMA line that is causing the problems. To make a long story short, a range of 10-20pf will bring an end to this situation. incidently, ICD has found that three caps strategically placed on the host also corrects the reflection problem. With the new amplified system, the DMA can handle up to a ten meter cable length. The reflection was spotted with a 150Mhz scope at maximum sensitivity and slowdown. Another suggested method of eliminating the reflection is through proper termination packs. Check the LS/244/245 circuit. Oh well it is soon to become a thing of the past. Please keep those letters flowing toward Atari asking that they please pay more attention to the US market... it the language they understand. Keep the letters pleasant and positive but above all else, keep them flowing. Remember a single letter has the impact of 20 phone calls or so we are told by the analysts. Thanks for your support! Ralph...... Hey Antonio..... Be NICE!! *********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= As a reader of STReport Online Magazine, you are entitled to take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. For only $29.95 ($20 off the standard membership price!), you will receive a lifetime subscription to DELPHI, a copy of the 500-page DELPHI: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE and over $14 worth of free time. NOTE: Special offers can be found in your favorite Atari magazines: START CURRENT NOTES ST INFORMER ATARI INTERFACE MAGAZINE SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call. JOIN -- DELPHI -------------- 1. Dial 617-576-0862 with any terminal or PC and modem (at 2400 bps, dial 576-2981). 2. At the Username prompt, type JOINDELPHI. 3. At the Password prompt enter STREPORT. For more information, call DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005, or at 617-491-3393 from within Massachusetts or from outside the U.S. DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -------------------- Beginning September 1, 1990, DELPHI will begin offering a new plan that will save you money! The new plan is called the 20/20 Advantage Plan and it features 20 hours online for just $20 a month! The $20 is a monthly fee that covers your first 20 hours online via direct dial into one of DELPHI's two direct-access lines, or via a special Tymnet 20/20 Access code. It also gets you additional hours at just $1.20 per hour. And you get free access to several services on DELPHI as part of the Advantage Perks. Other telecom services may have additional charges. Canadian Tymnet users have an additional telecom charge. Office Time access (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays) may have an additional charge. And of course, other restrictions may apply. But this is still an amazing deal! For more information, contact DELPHI at 1-800-544-4005 and ask for Member Services. DELPHI- It's getting better all the time! *********************************************************************** > CPU REPORT¿ Issue # 79 ---------- by Michael Arthur Remember When.... In September 1979, Motorola introduced the 68000 microprocessor, or when, in January 1983, Apple announced the Lisa microcomputer, and then introduced the Macintosh in January 1984? Or how Atari introduced the 520 ST in January 1985, with Commodore announcing the Amiga 1000 in July? CPU Dream Systems VII ====================== UNIX MACHINES, LOW-END WORKSTATIONS, AND A 68030 PARADE ------------------------------------------------------- Part I of this Series featured a list of "Peripherals of Note", or computer peripherals and systems which are both innovative in the microcomputer industry, and are unique in their perspective markets. While there were probably newer computers and peripherals that could have been included, the list was generally accurate. In this section, a list of "Dream Systems", or configurations of several powerful computer systems, has been formed in order to analyze how far current computers can truly approach the "State of the Art" using current hardware peripherals. I have chosen not to include variables like operating systems and software in this analysis, and to concentrate on the actual computers' hardware capabilities, the greatest amount of mass storage you could attain, and the best graphics that system could provide. While operating systems and software are a definite factor in a computer system, software can generally be easily added or ported to a computer system. Also, I wanted to aim for the best hardware itself, to which you could add the necessary software. However, since many of the high-end microcomputers featured here are beginning to rival workstations in both performance and price, this essay will now include some low-end workstations in its analysis, in order to both study the state of high-end microcomputers as compared to low-end workstations, and to see whether these microcomputers outperform some workstations in certain aspects.... After doing some research, I found several configurations that could truly claim to be "Dream Systems". Shown in no particular order, here is my list: (Warning: Do not be surprised by the Retail Prices Shown.) System #1 --------- - Cheetah Gold 425 with Hercules Graphics Station Card - Total Cost of System: $17,500.00 Dollars This IBM Compatible is a system with a 25 MHZ 80486 chip, 8 Megabytes of RAM onboard, 3 PC AT and 3 EISA Expansion Slots, and a SmartConnex/ISA Floppy/Hard Disk Controller from DTP Inc. To further enhance this system, I would add a 1 Gigabyte Magneto Optical Drive made by Maxtor, which uses Removable Cartridges to store data, a Hercules Graphics Station Card with a TI 34010 Graphics Processor, a 3Com Etherlink II Card, which provides an Ethernet port, and an NEC Multisync 4D Monitor. So with this system, you would have: Cheetah Gold 425 w/8 Megs of RAM (Cost: $6000.00) DPT SmartConnex/ISA Disk Controller (Cost: $365.00) Maxtor 1 Gigabyte Magneto-Optical Cartridge Drive (Cost: $8000.00) Hercules Graphics Station Card (Cost: $1024.00) 3Com EtherLink Card (Cost: $345.00) NEC Multisync 4D Monitor (Cost: $1800.00) VGA Graphics Resolution: 320x200 with 256 Colors out of 256,000 640x480 with 16 Colors Displayable out of 256,000 SuperVGA Resolutions: 640x480 with 256 Displayable Colors out of 256,000 800x600 with 16 Colors out of 256,000 TIGA Resolutions: 512x480 w/16 Million Displayable Colors 1024x768 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million Faults with System: None whatsoever. System #2 --------- - Macintosh IIfx w/SuperMac Video Board - Total Cost: $23,750.00 This Macintosh uses a 40 MHZ 68030 with a 40 MHZ 68882 Math Chip, Four Megabytes of RAM (and a 32K CPU Cache), 6 NuBus Expansion Slots, and a 1.44 Meg High Density Disk Drive. It uses the SWIM (Sander-Woz Integrated Machine) Disk Controller chip to allow the Mac to read/write to MS-DOS and OS/2 formatted disks. Also added is a Mac IIfx DRAM Expansion Board, with 4 Megs of RAM. To FURTHER enhance this system, I would add Mirror Technologies' RM600 Magneto-Optical Drive, which uses 650 Megabyte Removable/Erasable Cartridges like those found for the NeXT drive, an Adaptec Nodem, which is an Ethernet LAN Interface Unit that plugs into the SCSI slot, and a National Semiconductor Maccelerate Board, which is a DMA (Direct Memory Access) Controller that makes data transfer operations up to three times faster than before. Also, I would add a Taxan Ultravision 1000 Monitor to accompany the SuperMac Spectrum/24 Video Card, which lets the Mac have a 1024x768 display with 16 Million colors at the same time, and makes Mac Quickdraw operations display 5 - 10 times faster than before. So with this system you would have: Macintosh IIfx w/4 Megs of RAM (Cost: $9900.00) One Apple Mac IIci 4 Meg DRAM Expansion Kit (Cost: $1000.00) Maccelerate DMA Controller Card (Cost: $600.00) Adaptec Nodem Ethernet Unit (Cost: $500.00) Mirror RM600 Magneto-Optical Cartridge Drive (Cost: $3500.00) Spectrum/24 III Video Board (Cost: $4500.00) Taxan 980 20-Inch Monitor (Cost: $3700.00) Macintosh II Resolution: 640x400 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million With Spectrum/24 it has 1024x768 with 16 Million colors at the same time. Faults with System: An extreme amount of add-in peripherals. But other than that, it is a SUPERB system.... System #3 --------- - Atari TT030/2 (32 MHZ Version) with 8 Megs of RAM - Total System Cost: $10,700.00 This is an Atari TT030/2, with 2 Megs of RAM, 1.44 Meg Disk Drive, AppleTalk Port, and 1 VME Expansion Slot as Standard. Since the TT has SIMM Slots, I would add six 1 Megabyte SIMM Modules, for a total of 8 Megs of RAM onboard. To improve on this system, I would add a Sony 650 Megabyte Magneto-Optical Cartridge Drive, with an ICD Host Adapter to interface it with the TT, a Spectre GCR (with 128K Mac ROMs) from Gadgets By Small, and a PARSEC Video Board from Datel Computers, for a 1024*768 resolution with 4096 simultaneously displayable colors.... So with this system you would have: Atari TT030/2 (Cost as stated by Atari in Europe: $3200.00 US) Sony 650 Meg Removable Drive with ICD Host Adapter (Cost: $5000.00) Six 1 Megabyte SIMM Modules (Cost: $600.00) Spectre GCR Mac Emulator (Cost: $300.00) Mac 128K ROMs (Cost: Around $100.00) Datel PARSEC Color Board (Cost: $1500.00) Atari STe Resolutions: (Supported by TT) 320*200 with 16 displayable colors out of a 4096 color palette 640*200 with 4 Colors out of 4096 640*400 in Monochrome Atari TT Resolutions: 320*480 with 256 Displayable Colors outof 4096 640*480 with 16 Colors out of 4096 1280*960 in Monochrome PARSEC Resolution: 1024*768 with 4096 colors displayable at the same time Faults with System: There are VERY few hardware peripherals out for the Atari ST, STe, or TT, thereby making expansion VERY difficult. However, since the ST/STe/TT have most of the functions that third-party peripherals provide already built-in, this is somewhat alleviated. System #4 --------- - Amiga 3000/16 w/33 MHZ CSA Mega-Midget Racer - Total Cost of System: $12,000.00 This is an Amiga 3000 with a 16 MHZ 68030 and a 16 MHZ 68881 Floating Point Math Chip, 2 Megs of RAM (with no CPU Cache) onboard, 2 PC AT Expansion Slots and 4 Zorro III (32-bit) Slots. It also has an improved version of the Amiga's Enhanced Chip Set, which both boosts its graphics capabilities and features a Display Enhancer Chip (known in the Amiga world as the Amber "FlickerFixer" chip). The reason I featured the CSA Midget Racer Accelerator instead of the A3000/25 (which has a 25 MHZ 68030) is because the Amiga 3000 has a 16 Mhz memory subsystem that slows down system performance by inserting waitstates on a A3000/25. Meaning that the A3000/25 only provides an increased processor clock speed (and a relatively minor speed increase) compared to the A3000/16.... With this system would be a GVP Impact SCSI Hard Disk Controller with 6 Megs of RAM Onboard, a 650 Meg Magneto-Optical Tape Drive from Briwall Inc., a CSA Mega-Midget Racer with a 33 MHZ 68030 and a 33 MHZ 68882 Math Coprocessor, an NEC Multisync 4D Monitor, and Commodore's Ethernet board for the Amiga. So with this system you would have: Amiga 3000/16 with Enhanced Chip Set (Cost: $3500.00) GVP Impact SCSI HD Controller w/6 Megs of RAM (Cost: $1200.00) CSA Mega-Midget Racer Accelerator (Cost: $1700.00) Briwall 650 Meg Magneto-Optical Drive (Cost: $4500.00) Commodore 1950 Multisync Monitor (Cost: $800.00) Amiga Ethernet Board (Cost: $300.00) Amiga Resolutions: (Not including Overscan) 320x200 with 32 colors out of 4096 320x200 with 64 colors out of 4096 (Extra Half-Brite) 320x200 with 4096 colors at the same time (HAM Mode) 640x200 with 4 to 32 colors 640x400 with 2 to 16 colors (interlaced) With Enhanced Chip Set: (most capable graphics modes shown) 640x256, with 64 displayable colors out of 4096 1280x400, with 4 colors out of 64 (interlaced) Faults with System: None.... System #5 --------- - IBM RISC System/6000 Model 320 - Total System Cost: $17,000.00 This is a IBM PowerStation 320, with a 20 MHZ POWER Processor Chipset, 8 Megs of RAM (and a 32K CPU Cache), 4 "Enhanced MicroChannel" Expansion Slots, a Color Graphics Adapter with a Geometry Engine Chip and a color monitor, and a 1.44 Meg Disk Drive. Along with this would be a 3Com Ethernet Card for the RS/6000, and a 240 Megabyte Hard Drive. Interestingly enough, while the POWER Chipset does NOT use either ROM Chips or Microcode, it IS installed into the RISC System/6000 as a CPU Planar Board. Meaning that one can easily upgrade from a 20 MHZ Unit to 25 MHZ or 30 MHZ performance by simply replacing the CPU Planar Board, but that the POWER Chipset itself cannot be upgraded via the use of faster ROM Microcode.... So with this system you have: IBM RS/6000 PowerStation Model 320 (Cost: $17,000.00) 3Com Ethernet Card (Bundled with System) 240 Megabyte Hard Drive (Bundled with System) Color Graphics Adapter w/Monitor (Bundled with System) RISC System/6000 Resolution: 1280x1024 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million Faults of System: Hard disk storage is comparatively weak, but an excellent system, for the cost.... System #6 --------- - Abaq Transputer w/300 Meg Hard Disk - Total Cost of System: $30,000.00 This is an Abaq Transputer with a 20 MHZ T800 Chip having a built-in Math Coprocessor, 4 Megs of RAM, and 4 Expansion Slots. Along with this would be two Abaq M112 Expansion Cards, each having 4 T800 Chips and 4 Megs of DRAM onboard, and one Abaq F104 Expansion Card, with 1 T800 chip and 1 Meg of RAM standard, for a total of 10 T800 chips and 13 Megs of System RAM. Since Helios can read/write to MS-DOS disks, and the ATW uses a Mega ST Motherboard as an I/O processor, an ABCO 300 Megabyte Hard Drive for the ST should be able to be used. So with this system you have: Abaq Transputer w/4 Megs of RAM (Cost: $8000.00) Two ATW M112 Expansion "Farm" Cards (Cost: $12,000.00 total) ATW F104 Expansion "Farm" Card (Cost: $2000.00) ATW X100 Ethernet Interface Card (Cost: $1100.00) ABCO 650 Megabyte Hard Drive for the ST (Cost: $3200.00) Taxan Ultravision 1000 Monitor (Cost: $3700.00) Abaq Resolutions: 1280x960 with 16 Colors out of 16 Million 1024x768 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million 512x480 with 16 Million Colors at the same time 640x480 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million (this mode has double-buffered screens for high speed animation) Faults of System: Hard disk storage is decent, but comparatively weak. Also, it is the highest-costing system.... Here is a Graph of the features of each Dream System: Dream Systems List: (Comparison of each Systems' Optimal Features) _________________________________________________________________________ Dream |Main Chips,|MHZ Rate|Mass |Expansion|Graphics Displays/ | System |Megs of RAM| & MIPS |Storage | Slots |Best Resolution(s) | -----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------| IBM 486 |Intel 80486| 33 MHZ |1 Gigabyte|Three (6)|512*480,16 Million | System |Eight Megs | |Tape Drive|PC/AT Bus|1024*768,256 Colors| -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------| Mac IIfx |68030/68882| 40 MHZ |650 Meg | Four (6)|640x400, 256 Colors| System |Eight Megs | |Tape Drive|NuBus |1024x768,16 Million| -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------| Atari TT030|68030/68882| 32 MHZ |650 Meg | One (1) |640x480, 16 Colors| System |Eight Megs | |Tape Drive|VME Bus |1024*768,4096Colors| -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------| Amiga 3000 |68030/68882| 33 MHZ |650 Meg | Two (4) |640x256, 64 Colors| System |Eight Megs | |Tape Drive|Zorro III|1280x200, 4 Colors| -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------| IBM RS/6000| POWER | 20 MHZ |240 Meg |Three (4)| 1280x1024 | System |Eight Megs | |Hard Drive|M-Channel| 16 Million Colors | -----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------| ATW | 10 T-800s | 20 MHZ |300 Meg | Zero (4)|512*480, 16 Million| System | 13 Megs | |Hard Drive|Abaq |1280*960, 16 Colors| -----------'-------------------------------------------------------------' In the Mass Storage column, Tape stands for removable storage, and HD stands for fixed, or hard disk storage. VAX MIPS is approximately 1750 Dhrystones per Second. Also, the Expansion Slot Column now measures the number of available expansion slots in each Dream System AFTER installing the various add-in boards in each System Configuration. The number in parentheses is the total number of expansion slots in the system. Dream Systems List: Basic System Performance List _________________________________________________________________________ Dream |Dhrystones |Data Transfer| Linpack |Size of Bus|Size,Type of| System |in VAX MIPS| Rate | MFLOPS |Architectr.| CPU Cache | -----------|-----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------| IBM 486 |13-16 MIPS | 33 Megabytes| 1.2 - 1.5| 32 Bits |No CPU Cache| System | | Per Second | MFLOPS | Wide | | -----------|-----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------| Mac IIfx |7 - 8 MIPS | 10 Megabytes| 0.29 | 32 Bits | 32K SRAM | System | | Per Second | MFLOPS | Wide | | -----------|-----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------| Atari TT030|6 - 8 MIPS | N/A | N/A | 16/24 Bits| N/A | System | | | | Wide | | -----------|-----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------| Amiga 3000 | 5.8 - 7 |Up to 33 Megs|.12 - .15 | 32 Bits |No CPU Cache| System | MIPS | Per Second | | Wide | | -----------|-----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------| IBM RS/6000| 27.5 MIPS | 40 Megabytes|7.4 MFLOPS| 32 Bits | 32K SRAM | System | | Per Second | | Wide | | -----------|-----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------| ATW | 60 MIPS | 20 Megabytes|125 - 150 | 32 Bits |4K SRAM Per | System | Sustained | Per Second | MFLOPS | Wide | Transputer | -----------'-------------------------------------------------------------' MFLOPS - Million Floating Point math Operations performed Per Second SRAM - Static RAM memory (many times faster than DRAM chips) MIPS - Million Instructions performed Per Second CPU AmigaNews¿ ============= READYSOFT'S AMAX II: IMPROVED MAC EMULATION FOR THE AMIGA --------------------------------------------------------- Here's some information on A-Max II, primarily from ReadySoft's press releases: Version II of A-Max is available in 2 configurations: A-Max II and A-Max II Plus. A-Max II is a cartridge that plugs into the Amiga's external disk drive port and has a connector for an Apple 800k external drive. A-Max II Plus is an Amiga 2000 (or greater) card that gives you AppleTalk and Mac MIDI program compatability as well as allowing Mac format disks to be used in Amiga drives. A-Max II's features include: - Access to partitions on hard drives during Mac emulation (supports most Amiga HD controllers - Access to Mac SCSI peripherals such as the LaserWriter IISC, hard drives, and scanners through your Amiga hard drive controller's SCSI port. - Improved handling of Amiga accelerator boards, for maximum speed and compatability - software runs up to 5 times faster. - Plays Mac digitized sounds. - Supports the use of the Amiga Mouse, keyboard, serial, and parallel ports. - Reads Magic Sac and Spectre disk formats (Atari ST and Mac emulators) - Supports these monochrome resolutions: 640x400, 640x200 (scrolling), and 512x342 (Mac standard size). Also supports 1008x800 resolution with the A2024 or Moniterm Viking monitor and overscan is also supported. - Supports PAL (640x512) - Uses all available Amiga RAM during Mac emulation. - A-Max II cartridge can be left connected to Amiga during Amiga use. - Built-in Apple Imagewriter emulation for 9 and 24 pin Epson & Epson compatable printers. - Transfer software included to convert files from AmigaDos TO & FROM A-Max & Mac formatted disks. - Built in recoverable bootable RAM disk. A-Max II Plus (includes all of above and the following): - Compatability with Appletalk networks and peripherals, for things such as direct Laserwriter printing. - Ability to read, write and format Mac 3.5 disks with standard Amiga 3.5 disk drives. - 2 fully compatable Mac serial ports. - Greater compatability with Mac MIDI sequencer programs. - Board installs internally - no need for an external cartridge. A-Max II Plus will be available in Fall 1990. Readysoft (who also makes Space Ace and Dragon's Lair for the ST and STe) can be contacted at: ReadySoft Inc. 38 Wertheim Court Unit 2 Richmond Hill Ontario, Canada L4B 1B9 1-416-731-4175 CPU MacNews¿ =========== CLARIS BECOMES WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF APPLE ----------------------------------------------- Apple Computer has announced that Claris Corporation is now a wholly owned, independent subsidiary of Apple. In April 1987, Apple had spun off its applications software efforts into a majority-owned subsidiary of Apple, called Claris Corp. Now, while Claris remains an independent entity (with separate facilities and personnel), its top management will report to Apple.... Claris Corporation makes Appleworks for the Apple II/IIgs line of computers, as well as MacWrite II, MacPaint II, MacDraw, and other applications for the Macintosh. Now that it is fully under Apple's ownership, Claris will continue developing and marketing its "flagship applications" (like Appleworks and MacWrite), producing extensions to the Macintosh System Software, and developing products to link Macs with other computer systems. ________________________________________________________________ > WOA SAN JOSE!! STR SHOW NEWS¿ "lots of new and exciting things to buy!" ============================ TWO EYEWITNESS REPORTS!! WORLD OF ATARI SHOW =================== San Jose, California ~ August 4th & 5th 1990 by Jay Pierstorff The World of Atari show in San Jose was a small, but high quality show. Although not the largest event, in the Atari community, this show still garnered 20+ dealers & developers and well over 2000 attendees. Sales were excellent for all the vendors and the general consensus was that northern california was very much in need of an Atari show! AMONG THE DISPLAYS AT THE SHOW: Best Electronics San Jose Computer Beckemeyer Development Zubair Interfaces STart Magazine Codehead Software Carter Graphics Branch Always Software BRE Software Computer Safari Sliccware Software Michtron Paradise Computers John Russell Innovations B & C Computers and more! There was lots of new and exciting things to buy at the show. Stacies and STE's were available from San Jose Computer, and lots of deals on Epyx Software titles. BRE Software had the Lynx video games, and tons of public domain disks. Zubair Interfaces was selling their Z-Ram memory upgrades and they introduced a new plug-in board that allows any ST to use an IBM/XT style keyboard. The Codeheads were selling Lookit! and Popit!. Branch Always was moving lot's of Quick ST IIs and Quick Utilities. Computer Safari had every Pagestream font imaginable, including Softlogik's new font disks 17,18, and 19. Atari owners had a huge selection of items to choose from, and great prices to tempt them! Atari did not have a display, but personnel showed up in full force. A scheduling conflict had their show display enroute to Milwaukee for the GenCom show. Among the Atari personnel Attending were Sam, Leonard and Gary Tramiel, Bob Brodie, and Dan McNamee. In all, WOA San Jose was a successful show. Vendors had brisk sales, and Atarians got great deals on the latest hardware and Software! Well, it's over and boy am I tired! A good time was had by all. Most of the dealers and vendors I spoke with felt that even though the attendance wasn't quite up to the usual, people were spending more money than usual. ! We will definitely be back! Saturday morning Sam & Leonard Tramiel, Bob Brodie, Dan McNamee & Gail Fisher from Atari were on hand talking to lots of folks! Sam Tramiel even bought a new joystick from us! Now it's known as the Sam Tramiel model! Well gang if you missed it this time, don't miss another one! Jay @ Computer Safari REPORT II --------- M.MOTOGAWA [MEL] at 20:59 PDT *** Do you know the way to San Jose? I was able to spend some time at the WOA in the San Jose Hyatt hotel over the weekend and must say that I had a pretty good time. It was a small show, from what I've read about other WOA's, this being my first. (Probably a couple of hundred people in the room when I was there. Didn't hear what the actual body count through the doors was over the two days.) But there are a lot of good buys and activity and from what I saw the dealers and developers were busy. Some of the prices were so good that I couldn't resist the urge to take the plunge, I'm now an STe enthusiast. B&C Computervisions and San Jose Computers had *busy* booths and you should have seen how many people lining up to buy old games at $5 a pop. B&C had super deals on hardware and that's where I picked up my STe. So who was there, Mel? The Codeheads were selling LookIt and PopIt, their newest in a long line of superb assembly language miracles. They sure go out of their way to explain their programs and help you out. The booth was busy every time I checked. Darek, representing Branch Always Software, was there selling Quick ST II and Quick Tools Vol. I. His booth was pretty busy too, but I did get a chance to check out Quick Tools a little bit. If I remember right, I think he was showing Quick ST 2.2 which has the ability to enable/disable Quick ST and is even faster. Carter Graphics was selling a bunch of those removeable-media hd's. Had some real low fire-sale prices on software too. Zubair Interfaces were very helpful and had their full line of memory expanders and Z keys, the IBM keyboard interface. They had a mean deal on STe simms, so I picked up two. They were offering a $5 rebate on your old 256k simms and a 1 year warranty for the 1 meg 80ns simms. Michtron was selling all their stuff at great prices. JRI was there on Sunday showing their nice looking line of memory upgrades and accelerator boards. STart had a booth and was selling subs, old issues and answering questions about the new look, STart and Antic combined. Sounds like the new STart is going to be even better. Megamax had Script and Sculpt on sale and could answer your questions about Script 2.0. Sounds good and is supposed to be out real soon. I was surprised at how fast Script was in screen redraws. Talon Technology featured Supercharger on a multisync. BRE and the Kings Den had all the pd software you could think of. Beckemeyer Developement showed their line and their multitasking system. Of course, ST World was there giving away complementary issues and hosting the affair. Sliccware was showing Slicctop. I've never heard of it, but it appears to be a new type of desktop with some interesting features. Paradise Computers was there on Sunday. Don't know if they were selling SGS, but they looked busy too. Best had their usual huge cornucopia of ST, 8-bit stuff. Computer Safari had some of the latest UK mags and font disks for Pagestream. (Convinced me to pick up the Lightline series - nice!) I almost bought WordUp 3.0. When I went back on Sunday, I didn't see any copies left. That's about all that I can remember right now. A couple of user groups had booths outside the main floor. Got a chance to see a bunch of people you only read about. Sunday was more relaxed and not as crowded as Saturday when I dropped by around 11 a.m., which was nice. Overall I think it was a fine show. Everyone I talked to seemed happy and everyone who was there Saturday appeared to be there Sunday exhibiting again. Hope there will be another one in the area. _________________________________________________________ > IBM or ST/TT STR SOUND OFF¿ WHY ARE WE FACED WITH HAVING TO CHOOSE? ========================== WHY MUST WE CHOOSE? ================== by R.F. Mariano As most of us have noticed over the last few months, there are more and more STers going 'over' to MS-DOS. The reason we don't mention Apple is easy, those STers that have the GCR MAC emulator seem to be content for the most part the way they are. The only major complaint we hear there is the SLM 804 support. Now, back to the users switching to IBM's MS-DOS world. Since the WELL PUBLICIZED release of Windows 3.0 and the powerful AD CAMPAIGNS detailing the many features of Windows, a great many more of the GEM preferring users are migrating to IBM. The sad part is; no matter how many new suits you place on MS-DOS, its still the same old banana right? Wrong. Not according to the new spec sheets and promotions telling us that the Windows environment and MS-DOS 4.1 will soon be released on a card thus giving it the speed and much desired protection against virii. Ok, so what does all this have to do with the current situation in the ST marketplace? For openers, its easy to see why Windows has had such an impact on the US Market.. Advertising. Yessir, plain and simple they (Microsoft) are beating their drum and tooting their horn. And the whole country knows about the availability of the product known as Windows 3.0 as well as what it can do. We (the ST owners and users) sure know what our computers can do, in fact, most of us will agree that our platform is far more powerful than most and the software available for it is, without a doubt, far more stable and reliable than most other platforms. Why don't those prospective buyers know these things? That's an old, old story Atari simply will not advertise these facts. Instead, they promote everything but the power of the ST computer and its related software. Oh sure there will be those who jump up and holler; "But they advertise the power of the ST for midi!" This is true but then, where do they do this? In the midi magazines. How very original it is to preach to the choir. Repeatedly, we have seen where many of the staunch Atari supporters have literally begged Atari to advertise in magazines like People, Reader's Digest and other non-computer or music related publications where the vast majority of non-computer owners can be reached. But no... we see the few and far between ads in ST dedicated magazines and publications. It appears that these publications are reaching folks who already own Sts! Does Atari do this to afford themselves an opportunity to proclaim to all; "See we DO advertise!" This is now the twilight zone for the ST and Atari, yet they fail to see the handwriting on the wall. Or is it?? After having interviewed a number of folks who have purchased "386 clones", the "jury" still is not in. The reasons are many but the predominant opinion is; "It's like using the old 8 bit, it's clumsy, it has too many commands one must memorize." Truth is most of these complaints are fairly accurate. Of course, with time any user can become accustomed to the 'quirks' of using MS-Dos. For myself, I find that MS-DOS, even while there is a tremendous attraction because the size of the userbase and its support, is crude and rather unfriendly. Additionally, one can readily find that the software available in the Atari ST userbase is far more stable (crashes are virtually non-existent) and of a very high calibre. Why? The best answer there is that the software and hardware developers are more involved than just as a 'money making' effort. They really care and have a very strong desire to provide products that are clearly superior that which is available to the other platforms. "Atari's lackluster performance and apparent lackadaisical attitude toward the USA Market has left most of us between a rock and a hard place." STReport's staff hears this almost every day. From most dealers, developers and existing ST owners/users. This is, in our opinion, easily rectified and should be the foremost priority on Atari's list. Advertising, (who cares if Amiga's last ad campaign failed! The ads themselves were flawed.), is the foremost answer. New users/customers cannot be garnered if they don't know of the company or the fine computer products it offers. The ST, Stacy, Portfolio, Lynx, TT030, SLM 804, SLM 605 Epson Laser Printer, CDROM 504, Megafile 60 and the Megafile 44 removable media hard disk are just a limited list of fine hardware products that all provide a strong testimonial for Atari's hardware. The shame is nobody, other than STers, KNOW about the terrific hardware and the level of application available. Atari must advertise. How many times in the last three years have you read or heard that? I know, many, many times. The BIG question is; "If we have heard it so many times, from every corner of the country, why hasn't Atari?? Perhaps its time, once again, to begin a massive letter writing campaign directed at Atari, not to TV stations or third party hardware and software developers, straight to Atari. Overload their mail room, inundate Sam's desk with positive, suggestion filled mail. Show Atari that we, the enthusiastic users DO care and want to see this company succeed in the USA. As I sit in this office, surrounded by Atari computer equipment, it becomes very important to try and induce Atari to do the right thing in the USA. So, let's all try by sending in positive, suggestion oriented letters to Sam. Please, ask that they ADVERTISE and sell large quantities of computers through or by whatever means possible. ps; there really is no choice, the ST series of computers is still #1! ___________________________________________________________ > ISD FONTS STR InfoFile¿ Professional Fonts from ISD ====================== August 7, 1990 PROFESSIONAL FONTS FOR USE IN CALAMUS!! All the following AGFA Compugraphic fonts are available now. COMPUGRAPHIC FONTS ------------------ Antique Olive Baskerville II Bauer Bodoni Brush CG Century Schoolbook CG Omega CG Palacio CG Times CG Triumvirate Coronet Dom Casual Eras Friz Quadrata Futura II Garamond Garth Gothic Greek and Math San Serif Greek and Math Serif Helios Rounded ITC American Typewriter ITC Avant Garde Gothic ITC Garamond ITC Korinna ITC Lubalin Graph ITC Novarese Book ITC Souvenir ITC Zapf Chancery Isabella Lucia Script Modern Blackletter Old English Park Avenue Quill Raphael Revue Schneidler Signet Roundhand Sovenir Gothic Typewriter Large Elite Uncial Univers Wedding Text Zapf Dingbats These Linotype Fonts will be available for use in Calamus in September 1990. LINOTYPE FONTS -------------- Aachen Antique Olive Bodoni Broadway Clarendon Cooper Black Eurostile Frutiger Italic Futura Futura Condensed Futura Italic Glypha Goudy Old Style Helvetica I Helvetica II Helvetica III Linotype Centennial Linotype Centennial Italic New Century Schoolbook News Gothic Optima Palatino Peignot Stempel Garamond Times Ten Trump Medieaval Trump Medieaval Italic Univers Univers Condensed VAG rounded These URW fonts will also be available for use in Calamus in September 1990 URW FONTS --------- Aachen Accolade Albertus Algerian Alte Schwabacher Alternative Gothic American Uncial Americana Annlie Antique Olive Arnold Boecklin Arsis Aster Augusta Open Balloon Balloon Drop Shadow Balmoral Barbedor Baskerville 90 Baskerville Old Face Belshaw Belwe Bembo Berling Bernard Antique Bernard Fashion Beton Binner Blippo Black Blizzard Bodoni Bodoni 90 Bottleneck Bramley Brighton Britannic Broadway Broadway Engraved Brody Bronx Brush Script Buster Buxom Candice Candida 90 Carousel Caslon Black Caslon Graphique Castle Caxton Century Century Old Style Century Schoolbook Chelmsford Cheltenhem Chesterfield Chisel Chromium One Clearface Gothic Columna Solid Commercial Script Compacta Conference Congress Cooper Black Copperplate Corinthian Cortez Countdown Croissant Data 70 Davida Dom Casual Dynamo Edwardian Egizio Egyptian 505 Egyptienne Eihorn Eurostile Fette Fraktur Fette Gotisch Flange Folio 90 Frankfurter Frankfurter Highlight Frankfurter Inline Franklin Gothic Freestyle Script Futura (letreset) Futura 90 Futura Black Futura Display Futura Script Fyler Galadriel Garamond 90 Gill Kayo Gill Sans Gill Serie Gothic Outline Title Goudy Catalogue Goudy Handtooled Goudy Serie Hadfield Harlow Harlow Solid Hawthorn Horatio ITC American Typewriter ITC Avant Garde Gothic ITC Barcelona ITC Bauhaus ITC Benguiat ITC Benguiat Gothic ITC Berkeley Old Style ITC Bolt ITC Bookman ITC Caslon # 224 ITC Century ITC Cheltenham ITC Clearface ITC Cushing ITC Elan ITC Eras ITC Esprit ITC Fenice ITC Flora ITC Franklin Gothic ITC Friz Quadrata ITC Galliard ITC Gamma ITC Garamond ITC Giovanni ITC Golden Types ITC Goudy Sans ITC Honda ITC Isadora ITC Italia ITC Jamille ITC Kabel ITC Korinna ITC Leawood ITC Lubalin Graph ITC Machine ITC Manhatten ITC Mixage ITC Modern #26 ITC New Baskerville ITC NewText ITC Novarese ITC Pacella ITC Panache ITC Pioneer ITC Quay ITC Quorum ITC Serif Gothic ITC Slimbach ITC Souvenir ITC Stone Informal ITC Stone Sans ITC Stone Serif ITC Symbol ITC Tiepolo ITC Tiffany ITC Usherwood ITC Veljovic ITC Weidemann ITC Zapf Book ITC Zapf Chancery ITC Zapf International Jenson Old Style Kalligraphia Knightsbridge Lazybones Le griffe Lindsay Litera Magnus Nimbus Sans Text Octopuss Odin Paddington Palace Script Perpetua Phyllis Phyllis Intitials Plantin Plaza Plaza Initials Plaza Swash Pricetown Proteus Pump Revue Rialto Rockwell Roman Script Romana Display Romic Schneidler Amalthea 90 Schneidler Mediaeval 90 Serifa 90 Serpentine Shamrock Shelley Slogan Springfield Squire Stencil Stentor Stilla Stop Stratford Stymie Superstar Tango Tarragon Thorowgood Thunderbird Timeless Times Titus URW Antiqua Univers University Vag Rundschrift Van Dijk Victorian Vivaldi Vladimir Script Volta 90 Washington Weiss Rundotisch Windsor Zipper These fonts may be obtained by contacting us directly at: ISD Marketing, Inc., 2651 John John Street, Unit #3, Markham, Ontario, Canada, L3R 2W5 Tel: (416) 479-1880 * Fax: (416) 479-1880 or in Email on CIS or GEnie. ________________________________________________ > LCACE STR SHOW NEWS¿ "Chicago Area AtariFest" =================== **** Chicago Area AtariFest Announced **** Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts are proud to announce "Chicago Area AtariFest" to be held November 11th (Sunday) 1990 at the American Legion Gurnee Post located at W. Grand and Il. Rt. 21. The show will open to the public at 10:00 AM and will run until 4:00 PM. General admission will be $2.00 in advance, $3.00 at the door. Children under 6 will be admitted free with a paying adult. All paid admissions will have a chance at one of several valuable door prizes to be awarded at various times during the day. For more information on advance ticket sales, commercial and individual exhibition space availability, as well as general show information, please contact LCACE at P.O. Box 8788, Waukegan, IL 60079-8788. A special show message base is available on the Python BBS, 708-680-5105 300/1200/2400 24hrs. Vendors and Developers! A great way to build awareness of your products is to hold a product seminar at the Chicago Area AtariFest. Please contact the show organizers at the above address for more information on participating in a show seminar. _________________________________________________________ > GFA GONE! STR InfoFile¿ ====================== ctsy GEnie WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WORLD ANYMORE! Why we have to close the complete Categorie! The following post from Rolf Hilchner, is untouched and complete. Message 1 Mon Aug 06, 1990 HILCHNER [Rolf] at 11:58 EDT Explanation, why we have to close the complete categorie on GFA Data Media! ----------------------------------------------------------- As Rolf Hilchner was the founder of GFA Systemtechnik, he decided - as the sysop of the Deutschland RT - to start a categorie on GFA and GFA products like GFA-BASIC. As he did know, that GFA was not represented in the US anymore since the 10th of July, he wanted to provide the interested US user of GFA products with latest information and other ideas! For that reason and for the reason, to have english GFA- software, Rolf Hilchner phoned Les Player, the managing director of GFA Data Media UK. Ltd. in England up. Les was very interested in having a path to the states. After that call the GFA Data Media CORNER was installed. Users were quite happy to see this category on the Deutschland RT. So questions on GFA products began to be placed in this category. Rolf Hilchner got all the questions printed out and send by FAX to GFA Data Media immediatly! But he did not get any response from GFA, except two information sheets on new GFA Data Media program on paper. (So the sysop had to type it in on his on! As no feedback came on technical question Rolf Hilchner decided to phone up his former company, GFA Systemtechnik in Dusseldorf. Dr. Buscher, the Vice President of GFA explained, that GFA was not interested in the US user at this time (GFA want's to open up it's own subsidiary in the states at the end of this year). And also, he said is GFA going to charge German users for technical support. Therefor Dr. Buscher said, would it be unfair to German users, if GFA would give technical support free of charge on GEnie! But, if GFA Data Media UK Ltd. wants to do this, it would be fine to him. That was, were the conversation for logical reason stopped. Hilchner once again gave Les Player in England a ring. One agreed to wait up to today, either GFA data Media will give the requested information to US users or Hilchner would close the category down. Today, Hilchner phoned Les Player up once again, and heard, that nothing has been done so far. So Hilchner said, the only decicion he now can make is to close to category. Les Player agreed to that in a not very friendly way. SO, THERE IS NO OTHER POSSIBILITY AS TO CLOSE THE CATEGORY!!! I am really sorry for that. Rolf Hilchner P.S.: This announcement will stay for about 2 weeks, until the category will be closed! ------------ Topic 6 has been closed. No replies allowed Topic 7 Mon Aug 06, 1990 D.A.BRUMLEVE at 23:40 CDT Sub: GFAese, a variant of German & English This topic has been created for the discussion of GFAese. Please understand that this topic is destined to disappear with the others in this category in due course... Last reply in this topic Category 13, Topic 7 Message 4 Tue Aug 07, 1990 HILCHNER [Rolf] at 05:27 EDT Dorothe, I do not agree to the fact, you stated out, that GFA did allways NOT cared on their users in the US, up to mid 88, with me still beeing on top of GFA management, we were very happy with our UD distributor MichTron, and we DO had a very good opinion on giving support to all of GFA users worldwide, we had a one support division with up to 3-4 employees, who did support either by telephone or mail. And the did "nothing else" than support" But in mid 88 it was ME, Rolf Hilchner, who did a big mistake! I thought of changing all distributors worldwide into GFA onwned subsidiaries. This brought MichTron into a bad situation of loosing it's major selling products, so the moved to HiSoft, which i can understand right now (of course you Gordon know, what exactly hapened and that i am not that bad [:)] ). After MichTron did that, a lot of things crossed the GFA plans, to open up the US subsidiary and I was looking for another US distributor, because i was upset about MichTron! This was a real hard job to find a new one. So finally we did find Antic. This was the time, when i changed the job, or better to say i had to change the job. And the rest you know........ So what i learned out of this is, stay with what you have, it is NOT allways better to get 100% of the pie, sometimes only a piece of the pie is better than the whole pie! BTW, MichTron is the exclusive distributor for TEXT III Layout and WordLayout 6.0 in the US for our new company, the HILCHNER Daten & Medien! WordLayout 6.0 is a program on the PC, which is very simular to SIGNUM for the ST, it even can convert SIGNUM fonts to WordLayout fonts. The output on either 24 dot printer or inkjet- ot laserprinter comes VERY close to the SIGNUM output, but is much much faster and the program has more features! So enough for promotion..... I finally found my way back to Michtron. Gordon and me are friends again (true Gordon?). But as i see, that there is a demand for GFA product help, i would like to leave this category in our Deutschland RT, if someone like you Dorothe would do the sysoping for this category (with a free flag of course!). So Dorothe, if you would like to do that, than leave me a message E-Mail to HILCHNER or anybody else, who is interested of doing this can E-Mail and this category will stay! Rolf Hilchner P.S.: I think that a GFA category withhin the Deutschland RT is a good idea for the reason, that we are IN Germany and therefor get the information much faster! ------------ ______________________________________________________________ > C-Manship STR Spotlight¿ "....teaches both C and GEM" ======================= Taylor Ridge Books P.O. Box 48 Manchester, CT 06040 (203) 643-9673 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: TAYLOR RIDGE BOOKS (203) 643-9673 LEARN TO PROGRAM THE ATARI ST WITH C-MANSHIP COMPLETE ===================================================== Manchester, CT. August 8, 1990--Taylor Ridge Books has announced the release of C-manship Complete, the popular C and GEM programming tutorial originally published in ST-Log magazine. Written by Clayton Walnum, the former editor of ST-Log, C-manship Complete guides readers through both the basics of C programming and the complexities of the GEM operating system. The 400-page book is $19.95. A disk version, which includes both the book and two single-sided disks, is available for $29.95. "C-manship is the only book that teaches both C and GEM4 programming," says Clayton Walnum. "Everything you need to know to program your Atari ST in C is covered in C-manship Complete." C-manship Complete begins with the basics of C programming, then progresses to such advanced topics as the VDI, alert boxes, customized mice, file selectors, raster operations, dialog boxes, windows, desk accessories, animation, and more. The book concludes with an in-depth "take-apart" of a large-scale GEM application. Dozens of sample programs are included. C-manship Complete can be ordered from Taylor Ridge Books, P.O. Box 48, Manchester, CT 06040 at the prices listed above plus $2.00 P&H. Connecticut residents must include 8% sales tax. _________________________________________________________ > DEVELOPER MIFFED! STR FOCUS¿ "just a marketing guy". =========================== DEVELOPER MIFFED AT ATARI! ========================== by David Beckemeyer In the August 1990 issue of Start magazine there is an article called "Multitasking On The ST". In this article Frank Foster from Atari Corp. is quoted as saying that Micro RTX and MT C-Shell "[work] but not very well" and that all current multitasking systems for the ST are "kludges". Micro RTX and MT C-Shell are products developed and marketed by Beckemeyer Development. These are multitasking software products for the Atari ST. They were first released in 1986 and have been steadily updated and improved upon since that time. Beckemeyer Development recently released a shareware version of Micro RTX so that all Atari ST users could have access to true multitasking. As anyone who uses these programs knows, the statement that they don't work very well is simply untrue. Aside from that issue, is this any way to run a business Atari? Beckemeyer Development released their first Atari ST software product in 1985. Beckemeyer Development is one of the few vendors that has been able to survive the turbulent Atari years. As we are all too well aware, most Atari ST software developers that existed at the beginning of 1986 are no longer in the Atari ST business. Many simply couldn't handle Atari Corp. policies and politics. In fact, it seems like only a handful of Atari personnel were able to stick with Atari all these years. Frank Foster wasn't at Atari Corp. in 1986. (He was with another company, which I believe no longer focuses on the ST market.) Do you think this is an appropriate way for Atari to treat their long-term loyal software developers? Atari expects vendors to produce software for their system and support it, while at the same time, they attack those same vendors in official Atari Corp. statements to the press. I spoke with Frank Foster at the San Jose World of Atari show this past weekend, and he admitted to me that he has never actually seen Micro RTX nor MT C-Shell and that he doesn't really know anything about them. He also said that he is "just a marketing guy". Well we all know it's really good marketing strategy to tell the world your own possibly someday to be released product that doesn't actually exist for sale yet is better than sliced toast and anything that already exists which might be mentioned as possible competition to your own product is a "kludge" and doesn't work very well. This is especially recommended when you don't actually know anything about the product you need to discredit. I don't remember seeing a disclaimer that "Frank Foster doesn't really know what he's talking about" in the Start article. I guess they're assuming that this will be perfectly clear to anyone who reads the article. I don't think so. Some people might just read that article and assume that Frank Foster, the Atari Corp. representative, is the expert and that he would know what works and what doesn't work. Since this issue has surfaced I have received numerous letters and telephone calls of encouragement. Many users of my software have contacted me to tell me how useful they find MT C-Shell and/or Micro RTX. I have no idea how many people haven't called or ordered MT C-Shell because they read the Start article. While demonstrating MT C-Shell with the GEM Visual Shell, we did have a number of people who had the courage to mention that "Atari says this operating system doesn't work". I was able to prove to those people that came to the booth that it does indeed work by showing them and letting them try it themselves. Who knows how many I couldn't convince because they ignored the booth entirely based on the comments in the article. I am outraged by the comments in the Start article. Not only are they untrue, but they are without any basis at all. Frank Foster admitted that he was unfamiliar with the products -- how could he know how well they work if he has never even used them and knows nothing about them? Beckemeyer Development is an official registered Atari developer, has been since 1985. Atari now calls the members of the developer program the "Atari Development Partners". Now I see just how Atari treats their "partners". Does this seem like a wise thing for Atari to do? If you think this isn't the way you would like to see Atari representatives behave, please write Frank Foster, or even Jack or Sam Tramiel and tell them so. Also, if any of you users out there using MT C-Shell and/or Micro RTX would like to help me dispute Atari's claims that they don't work very well, please contact me at (415) 530-9637, or here via email, or by US Mail at: Beckemeyer Development PO Box 21575 Oakland, CA 94620 We've been in the Atari St business since 1985 and they have done a lot of things to us, but this really is going too far! Thanks for your support. David Beckemeyer President - Beckemeyer Development Editor Note: While it is disturbing to find that such remarks occurred, it becomes painfully apparent that Frank Foster may very well have been mis-informed or just plain given bad information. It has been brought to our attention that there is an individual (a lesser executive) who would like to send Frank Foster through the revolving door. In fact, after having looked into this situation, it certainly looks like this is more of Mr X's handy work. Please bear in mind, Frank Foster has done more positive image enhancement for Atari Corp. in just the last year than Mr X has in his two years at Atari. In reality, all Mr X has managed to do is give the entire userbase a bag full of empty promises and doubletalk. Not to mention the number of folks this corporate warrior has alienated with his slimy "behind the scenes finagling. _______________________________________________________ > PCD II STR Spotlight¿ Are they still there??? ==================== ctsy GEnie JSCROGGINS posts; Tomorrow will be 11 months since my son sent his money order for PC-Ditto II. He has not received anything. His messages to A/G went unanswered. They apparently cannot be reached by telephone and apparently don't care much about their customers. Two questions: 1. Has anybody out there waited longer? 2. Are they still in business and honoring requests for refunds? ------------ DARLAH [RT~SYSOP] posts; JSCROGGINS: We are in the process of trying to confirm wether AG is still in business or not. I will let you know as soon as we do. ------------ RRWELDIN posts; Gordon, I have two products that I feel stuck with and PCD II is NOT one. In fact both problem products were distributed by MichTron! I do not regret the purchase of PCD II and would not hesitate to buy another today weather AvantGarde has survived the garbage (like yours) they have been put through or not. They had a timing problem with SOME ST's and a Bliter problem when the boards were first released and both were fix in a prompt and professional manor. I have been using pc-Ditto II for five month now without a hitch. pc-Ditto II has performed flawlessly and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm using some DOS programs now more than ST programs because they work faster with pc-Ditto II than the advertised equivalent? Atari programs. I have read ALL of the messages on Genie and CIS in the pc-Ditto II topics and all the belly aching, complaining, irascible people were treated with respect and had the REAL problems taken care of by AvantGarde. When I see an HONEST HARD WORKING company dumped on the way AvantGarde has been so often in the past few month it really turns my stomach. Proud and happy pc-Ditto II owner!! .........Ron ------------ A.VACHON posts; I haven't received my PC Ditto II yet, either. ------------ GAM posts; Well GORDON!!! There are many of us who I pass these msgs onto 100% agree with Jim - Lots are completly happy with our PCDITTO-II. An all who have followed this topic blow by blow are well aware of the arrows you tossed AVANTGARDE's way, and I think were all aware of your motives. If AVANTGARDE has gone by the wayside, I would have to blame a lot of the bologna passed around on this board as the cause. AVANTGARDE has their share of problems, Were all aware its people like you who have helped a tense situation become even worse.. I think you'll find you have lossed more friends then you made. ------------ GAM posts; If you havent received your PCDITTOII I recommend spending a buck and send ing a certified return receipt letter to AVANTGARDE asking status. I c called them about 3 weeks ago because I hadn't received mine ordered early Oct. they responded withing 3 days with my board. It appears there down to just a handful of people who's order haven't been filled yet... later gary ------------ J.ALLEN27 posts; I saw a good man and a good company go to developer hell. You help push them there Gordon, I expressed my confidence in AG through past experience. As opposed to trashing someone out of hatred. The new ATonce emulator is exactly the HW I envisioned based on Bills goals. I only wish Bill had the HW design expereiience to have built what he set out to build. Next time you build a product Gordon, let us know and we'll take a look. Hope you have a better time of it then Bill did. ------------ COMMENTARY ========== It is a sad day indeed when one finds one developer wishing ill to another in an extremely veiled manner. The real culprit, as Harry Truman used to say, was where the buck stops. There is no way anyone can be blamed for the problems AG is experiencing. It has been brought on by themselves and they have only themselves to blame. In a competitive market a rather questionable practice known as clamping or locking the market down is looked upon as a rather outrageous and money loosing practice. It is designed to preclude the incursion of any competitor no matter how enticing the offering may be. Why? Because the original product, though not delivered, is fully paid for. This is exactly what AG did when they came into the hardware IBM emulator market with a "fantastic offer" of $150.00 to current owners of the software version of the product. No where did anyone say that the wait would be close to a year, and that the device(s) would not even closely resemble the prototype shown at its announcement. The most significantly important occurance was the time lag between the first unit shipped, "to the press" and the actual shipping of the mass produced product to the users. Once this began, there was an immediate flood of failed units. Then, folks found that the phone line into AG were "very busy" or as the operators told many users, they were out of order. Many individuals volunteered their services to help AG along with their public relations overload and in all cases but a few, there was no response to the offers and those who did get a response were rebuffed. Additionally, AG literally "dropped out" from GEnie and the other online services without so much as an announcement, reassuring or other wise. Instead they let it be known indirectly, that they were 'annoyed' with the complaints they were receiving online. ...therefore the dropout. There are those who submit that AG played the "delay game" to the hilt thus eating up the 30 day refund rule.... Others say they never had any intention to do the right thing once the PCD II units began dropping like flies. Nobody made any of the decisions for AG, they did this themselves. When Bill Teal was spotted at a movie theatre during the business day on friday 8/10, an attempt was made to ask about the current situation the inquiring individual (known well to Teal) was ignored completely. In closing, not Gordon or anybody else had any direct or indirect influence on the current AG situation .... The glory or in this case the sadness is only theirs. AG is responsible for this situation sad as it may be. All the posturing and finger pointing will change nothing. _________________________________________________________ > THE FLIP SIDE! STR FOCUS¿ A different viewpoint! ======================== A LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE ========================= By Michael Lee I am sorry that I missed putting out a column last week but I warned you folks that I might miss a week every once in a while. But there has been enough new, exciting and positive happenings in this last week to more than make up for it. --------------- Do you remember what I told you in my first column? "...who knows, Atari still might give some support to the WOA show". That's exactly what they did last weekend. Despite the conflict with the Gencon show, Atari still was able to supply some equipment to the WOA show. Not only that, but Sam and Leonard Tramiel, Elie Kenan, John Townsend, Dan MacNamee, Bob Brodie and other Atari personnel were also in attendance at the show, talking to people, buying products and getting a general feel for what the American user had to say. I will not go into too much detail about the show as I am sure that there will be a more detailed report about it elsewhere in this issue but some of the bright spots were Charles and John, The Codeheads, introducing and selling their new LookIt and PopIt programs. Darek Mihocka of Branch Always Software was showing and selling his new Quick Tools Vol 1 and was showing a Quick ST 2.2 which has the ability to enable/disable Quick ST and is even faster than the current version. One vendor that was selling Word Up 3.0, sold out of all their units by Sunday and wished that they had brought more. Michtron sold out of 3 or 4 titles and had good sales on all of their software. Almost every vendor was expressed pleasure with their sales and most wished they'd brought more stock. It was estimated that the total attendance for the show was 2,000. When you figure in the negative publicity that preceded the show, that it was also competing with the county fair, and the Glendale show is next month, I'd have to say that it was a resounding success. The announced death of the Atari market and shows may have been premature, to say the least. --------------- Here is something that might interest some of our readers, according to Sheldon Winick (of Computer Studio - Asheville, NC), Atari had a bad run of SC1224 (color) monitors 1 to 1 1/2 years ago. If you own one of the serial numbered units in question and it fails because of the defect, Atari will still replace the unit free of charge even though it is past it's 90 day warranty. How's that for a company standing behind it's product!!! Category 14, Topic 40 Message 204 Fri Aug 03, 1990 S.WINICK at 05:21 EDT Recall, if you will the problem with the new design SC1224 monitors a year and a half or so ago. Atari stood behind that one fully, including voluntarily extending the warranty period for the serial numbered units in question. I had many customers carry back dead SC1224's long after the original 90-day warranty had expired expecting a large repair bill, only to find they were immediately given a NEW replacement color monitor on the spot. Category 14, Topic 40 Message 210 Sat Aug 04, 1990 S.WINICK at 07:57 EDT There was one run of what turned out to be defective SC1224's a while back. As soon as the defect was detected, Atari notified its dealers of the problem and voluntarily offered to extend the warranty period for any customer who had one of the units in question. Your dealer has all the details and its really a matter that will be handled directly between each customer and his or her local dealer. The decision to either repair the monitors or replace it with a new one is strictly a matter between the dealer and his customer, but we have replaced quite a few of those units with new monitors under Atari's extended warranty. --------------- Are you a STe owner or thinking of buying one? It looks as if the Hard drive "trashing" problem that has been reported on some STe's is starting to get narrowed down. Here's what one user on Genie reported.... Category 14, Topic 40 Message 227 Tue Aug 07, 1990 R.STEFFA at 21:40 MDT ...I have a homemade drive with the old ICD host adaptor. I tried it with about eight STe's and it worked with none. I took the STe that had performed best with the hard drive home to work on the problem, which turned out to be in the host adaptor. ICD used 74HC logic to receive the critical Chip Select and Acknowledge signals. This is a poor choice for a line receiver on a cable, as the guaranteed high switching voltage is 3.15 volts. TTL logic may not have an output that goes that high. In addition, the pullup resistors used on those two lines were 10Kohms. If you change those 10K resistors to 2K or less, your problem is very likely to go away, as mine did. If you have more than one device on the DMA bus only the last one should have these terminators. 74LS244's are a perfectly good choice for driving the cable. The only thing I can fault Atari on is not specifying receivers and terminators for the DMA bus. These two signals are to be found on pins 9 and 14 of the 19 pin connector. --------------- Until next week....remember, things are getting better every day in every way. _________________________________________________________________ > BEST MOUSE MOD STR InfoFile¿ "designed for total comfort" =========================== MODIFICATION OF "BEST MOUSE" FOR USE WITH A MOUSE PAD. ====================================================== by Mark Bombard This modification is not authorized by Best Electronics. Any damage to the mouse or it's parts due to inept craftsmanship is not my, nor Best Electronic's responsibility. It works for me, and it will work for you. If you take your time. "BEST MOUSE" is a replacement mouse for the ST from "BEST ELECTRONICS." It surpasses the ST mouse by a hundred fold. The shape, rounded edges and top, is designed for total comfort. It fits right in the palm of your hand. The buttons are tight, silent, and precise. The cord is longer and more flexable. And all internal parts are user serviceable, available from Best Electronics 2021 Alameda Suite 290, San Jose, Ca. 95126. Phone# (408) 243-6950. All things considered this mouse is a dream come true for any ST user. (EXCEPT FOR ONE THING!!!!!). This mouse does not like mouse pads. The kind with a 1/4 inch foam rubber backing and nylon surface anyway. It has a tendency to rock, and for some unknown reason it doesn't glide smoothly on the pad. These problems only happen when you use a mouse pad. I however like mouse pads, so I set out to fix this annoying design flaw. First, the rocking. The Best Mouse only has (3) feet. So I figured to stop the rocking I could add (2) more feet. I just called Best Electronics and ordered a set of (3) teflon replacement feet. Actually I had to order 2 sets because the minimum order was $5.00. One set cost $3.00. When they came I just peeled off the paper backing and stuck them on, and no more rocking. That was easy. Second, getting it to move more freely on a mouse pad. After close examination with a straight edge and a flash light, the problem was clear. The door on the bottom that lets you insert the mouse ball sticks out too far. And when the weight of your hand is on the mouse, that door drags on the pad making it real sluggish. An obvious design flaw. I took the door off and proceeded to sand it down (on the side that faces me). I used #120 grit paper. This took a while, even using a belt sander. "A NOTE OF CAUTION.") (Although this piece is made from high quality plastic there are small tabs on it that can, if your not careful, break off. So handle it with care. And if you use an electric belt sander to sand this door, only apply gentle pressure to the piece. It gets warm fast.) Every once in a while check your progress by thoroughly cleaning any dust from the door and testing the fit. The object is to get the door flush with the bottom of the mouse. After you get the door to your liking, reassemble it and check it out. I think you'll be very happy with the result. Oh! by the way, I'm not sure, but I think the sanding part of this mod. could void your 90 day warranty. Not that you'll need it. "This mouse is built to last!" Mark Bombard Flying Monkey Studios _____________________________________________________________ > BUG HUNT! STR FOCUS¿ "We dare you to find a bug!" =================== *--------------------------------* | | | THE CODEHEAD SOFTWARE BUG HUNT | | | *--------------------------------* CodeHead Software's "LookIt! & PopIt!" comes with a "NO-STING" guarantee. We think this software is pretty bug-free (but we've been wrong before). Don't take our word for it. We dare you to find a bug. If you do, we'll give you 50% off on the purchase of any CodeHead Software product. Here's what to do: 1. Buy a copy of "LookIt! & PopIt!" from any dealer, mail-order house, or directly from CodeHead Software. 2. Find a bug! If you can find anything in the Lookit Program or the PopIt accessory that doesn't work like we say it does (make sure you read the manual AND the README file on the disk), you've found a "bug". 3. Decide which product you'd like to purchase for 50% off and report the bug to CodeHead Software using the form below. If you print this file, the report form will line up as page 2. The following products are available: Product Name List Price Hunter's price! ------------ ---------- --------------- G+Plus $34.95 $17.48 MultiDesk 29.95 14.98 HotWire 39.95 19.98 HotWire Plus 59.95 29.98 MaxiFile 34.95 17.48 CodeHead Utilities 34.95 17.48 MIDIMAX 49.95 24.98 Lookit! & PopIt! 39.95 19.98 4. Send your Bug Report Form, a check or credit card number, and proof of LookIt! & PopIt! purchase (registration card, receipt, or master disk) to: CodeHead Software P.O. Box 74090 Los Angeles, CA 90004 5. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (213) 386-5735. Our hours are 9am-1pm (Pacific time) Monday through Friday. This offer expires on December 31, 1990. ----==== JOIN THE CODEHEAD BUG HUNT NOW! ====---- CODEHEAD SOFTWARE BUG REPORT FORM --------------------------------- Name: _____________________________________________________ Street: _____________________________________________________ City: ____________________ State: _____ Zipcode: __________ Phone: ______________________________ Product you are purchasing at 50% off: ______________________ Bug Hunter's Price: _________ Shipping (US-$2, Canada-$3, Overseas-$5): _________ Total: _________ Credit Card: _____________________________ Expires: _________ BUG DETAILS: Type of computer (520ST, 1040ST, MegaST): ___________________ System memory (512K, 1 MEG, 2 MEG, 2.5MEG, 4 MEG): __________ Operating system version, if known (1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6): ____ Which program contains the bug (LookIt, PopIt)? _____________ Is the bug repeatable? _______ List the AUTO programs present when the bug occurred: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ List the desk accessories installed when the bug occurred: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Describe the bug: ___________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ > STReport CONFIDENTIAL¿ "BLOCKBUSTER ATARI NEWS FIRST!" ===================== - Sunnyvale, CA. ASCII GROUP TO HANDLE ATARI PRODUCTS -------------- OVERHEARD at WOA.... An Atari rep saying that they had recently signed on THE ASCII GROUP with over 400 stocking locations nationwide. Apparently, the ASCII Group is a wholesale sales operation gearing up to sell Atari hardware (computers, etc..) - Sunnyvale, CA. ON THE ROAD AGAIN........ ------------- Off to Milwaukee tomorrow for the GENCON game convention. I'll be out of the office 'till next Tues. Rumor has it that a delegation from Chicago is going to spirit me away to a Lake County ACE meeting on Saturday. - New York City, NY MOV DEVICES MAY HAVE SHORT LIFE ----------------- MOVs are almost universally used in surge protectors both for the AC line and modems on Ma Bell lines. They range from 3.95 Radio Shack types to very expensive units like American Power,they all use MOV devices and all will fail in time. MOVs, Metal Oxide Varistors, work fine for a while but seem to have a finite lifespan and eventually will fail, often without any indication of failure. The shame is a $20,000 piece of test equipment is needed to establish if the MOV is still up to par. - Sunnyvale, CA. ELIE KENAN IS CAPABLE OF MIRACLES -------------- Considering the enormous task... what about the size of France compared to the USA? These are the comments most heard about the task ahead of Elie. STReport has the utmost confidence in Elie and once again affirms its wholehearted support for him. In the rumor mill, we are willing to bet he has a firm grip on the situation and has Atari well on the road to recovery before Fall Comdex. Also, forget about Boston. - Chicago, IL. ULTRASCRIPT GCR IS REAL! ------------ According to our roving reporter, easy now, we said roving! Ultrascript is about to release a version that is GCR specific!! That is, it will allow the GCR to take full advantage of the SLM series of Laser printers while the ST is in MAC mode. This is definitely good news to all the GCR enthusiasts. __________________________________________________________ > Hard Disks STR InfoFile¿ Affordable Mass Storage.... ======================= NEW LOW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!! =============================== ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC. P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672 Est. 1985 _________________________________________ Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT _________________________________________ HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET _____________________________________ All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s). -ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE- (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!) (all cables and connectors installed) * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS * * ICD ADVANTAGE+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED * * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS * 51mb #SGN4951 519.95 65mb #SG60101 649.95 80mb #SGN296 709.95 100mb #SG84011D 839.95 120mb #SGN120FH 989.95 120mb #SG120DD 1128.95 170mb #SGN2962 1369.95 260mb #SG60102 1849.95 WE HAVE A COMPLETE LINE OF 3.5 LOW PROFILE HARD DRIVES for USE IN MEGA ST COMPUTERS AND RELATED CONFIGURATIONS. 20mb #AI020SC 379.95 30mb #AIO3OSC 419.95 50mb #AI050SC 449.95 65mb #AI065SC 499.95 85mb #AI085SC $559.95 >>> ALL ABCO DRIVES ARE HIGH SPEED UNITS <<< (500 - 600k per sec @ 23 -33ms) CALL FOR SUPER SAVINGS ON ALL OUR OTHER CUSTOM UNITS FROM 30mb @ $419.00! Ask about our "REBATE SPECIALS" --==*==-- SHIPPING AND INSURANCE INCLUDED ============================================ * SYQUEST 44MB (#555)>> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADVANTAGE PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! >> SPECIAL NOW ONLY __$849.00__ << >> W/O CART __$799.00__ << *** SPECIAL SYQUEST OFFER!! *** ORDER YOUR CUSTOM SYQUEST UNIT NOW AND GET A SECOND COMPLETE UNIT! ***** for $50.00 LESS! ***** -> DO IT YOURSELF BARE SYQUEST UNITS $600.00ea 2 for $1100.00 Syquest Mechanism - 2 year warranty * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED $1539.00 * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - 50mb SQG51 $1179.00 30mb SQG38 $1099.00 65mb SQG09 $1239.00 85mb SQG96 $1299.00 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE Listed above are a sampling of the systems available. Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited) *** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms *** ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR LARGER units are available - (special order only) NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *- (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE) QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE! _________________________________________ DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED! please, call for details Personal and Company Checks are accepted. ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY! CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319 Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service 9am - 8pm EDT Tues thru Sat *********************************************************************** NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; STREPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE """""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY! Call any of the STReport Official BBS numbers (Listed Above) or Leave E-mail to STReport - R.Mariano Be sure to include your full mailing address so your Compuserve kit can be immediately mailed to you! NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE *********************************************************************** > A "Quotable Quote"¿ ================= "WHAT GOES AROUND, .....COMES AROUND" ....An old Country Boy Truth! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STReport¿ "Your Independent News Source" August 10, 1990 16/32bit Magazine copyright ½ 1990 No.6.32 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors, staff, STReport¿ CPU/STR¿ or ST Report¿. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Each reprint must include the name of the publication, date, issue # and the author's name. The entire publication and/or portions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. The contents, at the time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors, contributors and/or staff are not responsible for either the use/misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. --------------------------------------------------------------------------