*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" December 20, 1991 No.7.50 ========================================================================== STReport International Online Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205 ~ 6672 R.F. Mariano Publisher - Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST BBS: 904-786-4176 USR/HST DUAL STANDARD FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST ----------------------------------------- STR East: FNET 350 - The Bounty ST BBS 1-904-786-4176 STR West: FNET 075 - Bloom County BBS 1-415-965-9347 STR Canada: FNET 018 - ///Turbo Board Support 1-416-274-1225 STR Europe: FNET 1031 - <<>> 011-44-296-395-935 __________________________________________________________________ > 12/20/91: STReport #7.50 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! ------------------------- - The Editor's Desk - CPU REPORT - APPLE on TV - FSMGDOS - RSN? - SANTA'S HELPERS - ARCSHELL 3.1 - SST UPDATE - MIGRAPH OCR - STR Confidential -* MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL! *- -* *- -* X-BOOT ANNOUNCED! *- * HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL! * ========================================================================== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE The _Number One_ Online Magazine -* FEATURING *- "UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Hot Tips, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's support BBS, NODE 350, invites BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the Fido/F-Net Mail Network. Or, call Node 350 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information relative to the Atari ST computer arena through an excellent International ST Mail Network. All registered F-NET - Crossnet SysOps are welcome to join the STReport Crossnet Conference. The Crossnet Conference Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All systems are welcome and invited to actively participate. Support Atari Computers; Join Today! ========================================================================== AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON: GENIE ~ CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ F-NET ========================================================================== COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY! CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be online in no time at all! WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (December 20) "HIDDEN" TREASURES IN ATARI PRODUCTIVITY FORUM (GO ATARIPRO) DO YOU HAVE THIS FILE? PRIME personality analyzer. Reports on compatibility between mates and partners, describes a person's innate talents, inner desires, survival tactics, how others may see them, etc. Produces lengthy and detailed reports. Always fun but sometimes spooky! File: PRIME.ARC in Library 10 ("Program Demos"). DO YOU HAVE THIS FILE? KDOODLER Degas-like drawing program. Supports all resolutions! Features magnify, screen effects such as contrast, blurr and speckle, and handy "undo" command. Four working screen with cut and paste! File: KDLDR1.ARC in Library 5 ("Applications"). FRENCH ANIMATION PROGRAM Rob Rasmussen has uploaded an incredible little animation that is really worth a look. It's in French, and has a rather awkward ending, but its something that I found amazing in such a small file (68k). Try out AWORLD.LZH now available in LIBRARY 17 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS). PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CODEHEAD SOFTWARE Some great new product announcements from Codehead Software in LIBRARY 16 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN): TEC.TXT - Upgrade your 520, 1040, or Mega ST to TOS 2.06! QUICK.TXT - CodeHead Software assumes support of Quick ST 3! MEGSLM.ARC - Patch to let MegaPaint print on US SLM804s MEGMOD.ARC - Package of external modules for MegaPaint Pro NEW VERSION OF ARCSHELL Charles Johnson has uploaded his newest version of ARCSHELL, version 3.1, to LIBRARY 4 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO). This version has significant new features and supports the latest version of Questor's LHARC utility. ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM (GO APORTFOLIO) Its finally here! The first test version of PortCIS-- an automatic navigator program for the Portfolio-- is available for testing and comments. See file PRTCIS.ARC now in LIBRARY 1. The second half of the forum programming marathon has begun. In the first half, we accumulated 87 new files -- almost triple the original estimates! A big thanks to our three marathoners, BJ Gleason, David Stewart, and Don Messerli, and all the other forum members who have participated in the program. Our intrepid programming marathoners need your help! We need ideas for the team to work on. If you've ever needed custom programming done, you know how expensive it can be. Here's a golden opportunity for you to get custom programs written for free! Please submit any ideas you have to our programmers by posting a message in section 15 *WISH LIST* THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM" *********************************************************************** > CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS ================= Issue #50 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. -- Apple Develops TV Computer Series Apple Computer has developed a series of television shows that will be broadcast via satellite to universities, colleges and schools throughout the United States. The five programs in the 1992 Imagine The Apple Education TV Series will focus on how technology can be effectively integrated in education. Real-world examples of technology in the classroom, software demons- trations and a live, call-in question and answer segment will be included in the broadcasts. Topics to be covered include: -:- Innovations in Technology, Jan. 23, 1992, 10- 11 a.m. PST. -:- How Computers are Changing the Way We Learn, Feb. 20, 1992, 10-11 a.m. PST. -:- Macintosh Solutions for Math and Science, March 19, 1992, 10-11 a.m. PST. -:- Multimedia in Language and Literacy, April 16, 1992, 10-11 a.m. PDT. -:- Client/Server Architecture and Information Access and Analysis, May 21, 1992, 10-11 a.m. PDT. -- AMD to Ship 2 Millionth AM386 Processor by Year's End In less than three months after shipping its 1 millionth unit, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) says it expects to ship its 2,000,000th Am386 micro- processor by the end of the year. The AM386 microprocessor was intro- duced last March. -- Fujitsu to Expand Overseas Production In a move to improve labor and site costs, Fujitsu Ltd. plans to open new chip assembly operations in Malaysia, Singapore and Ireland by the summer of 1992. Both facilities will manufacture four-megabit DRAM chips. -- IBM and Siemens Develop New Dram Chip Siemens and IBM have succeeded in jointly developing what they term the first 64-million-bit semiconductor chip model. The firms, which have been cooperating in the work since January 1990, produced the first laboratory model of the 64-meg DRAM earlier this month. -- Mitsibushi to Export 1/3 of 1-Meg Chips One third of the one-megabit chips produced at Mitsubishi Electric Corp.'s plant in North Carolina will be exported with the remaining two- thirds distributed in the United States, the Japanese firm says. The plant is currently producing a million DRAM chips a month. -- Toshiba Shipping New Notebook Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. says it now is shipping its 7.25-pound T4400SX notebook computer, powered by the Intel Corp. 486SX processor. The system costs $5,899 for a gas plasma display model or $5,599 for one with a black and white liquid crystal display. It has an 80MB hard disk and measures 11.7 inches by 2.2 inches. The system offers an 8KB internal cache running at 25MHz (upgradable to a 25MHz 486DX), 2MB of RAM (expandable to 10MB) and a standard 9.5-inch diagonal VGA-compatible screen. Other features include a 1.44MB 3.5-inch floppy drive, an internal dedicated modem slot, optional memory cards and a NiCd rechargeable battery. Thieves Nab $250,000 In Acer Notebooks According to reports, $250,000-worth of Acer 386 notebook computers were stolen on the way to the company's San Jose, California factory. The San Jose Police Department has already recovered about a quarter of the missing notebooks. Acer is advising potential customers to look out for "special" deals around the holiday season." The Acer 386 notebook lists for $2,395 and comes with four megabytes (MB) of RAM and a 40MB hard drive. The company maintains that buyers can expect a few hundred dollars off this price but no deep discounts. Additionally, the company also suggests that potential buyers only purchase the Acer 386 notebook from authorized Acer dealers, who are the "only sellers allowed to legally market these computers." -- Logitech Intros Way to Merge 4 Scans Logitech says it is more than "bridging the gap" between hand-held and desktop scanners by introducing "Virtual Page Scanning" capability for its Scanman modem 256 hand-scanner so a user can automatically merge up to four scans. Called Autostitch, this new feature intelligently adjusts image attri- butes to allow for seamless, transparent images. In addition, Ansel, the image editing software previously shipped with the Scanman Model 256 is being upgraded to include Autostitch (as well as other new features) and is being renamed Fototouch, Logitech said. Other new features for Fototouch include; an audible beep to signal scanning speed is too fast; Autostop, which senses a pause in scanner head motion and allows the user to continue scanning anyway without manually terminating the scan and starting over, on-screen tonality control; and improved printing, Logitech said. The new Fototouch software will ship with Scanman Model 256 beginning in January 1992, at the same retail price, the company said. Users who already have Scanman Model 256 may upgrade for $49 and users of older Logitech scanners may upgrade for $79. Fototouch requires an IBM personal computer (PC) or compatible running Microsoft Windows 3.0 or higher. Scanman Model 256 and Fototouch require 1 megabyte (MB) of random access memory (RAM) and a hard disk, Logitech added. *********************************************************************** :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ To sign up for GEnie service: Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and weekend access to more than 100 services including electronic mail, online encyclopedia, shopping, news, entertainment, single-player games, and bulletin boards on leisure and professional subjects. With many other services, including the biggest collection of files to download and the best online games, for only $6 per hour. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! Any time during your first month of membership if you are not completely satisfied, just ask for your $4.95 back. GEnie Announcements (FREE) 1. GEnie year-end holidays mean more online time for less..... 2. Don't Open until December 23, 1991 at 6:00PM...............OAG 3. Stargazing of a =different= sort debuts in.................ASTROLOGY 4. --->>> Lands' End will get it there on time................LANDSEND 5. NEW STORE in GEnie Mall: Shareware Depot..................SHAREWARE 6. Daily horoscopes now available... check out the............STARS 7. Fun, friends, & motorcycles, a new holiday tradition =o&o>..MOTO 8. The NEW GEnie User's Manual now available in...............*LIBRARY 9. Ontario, CA - Access Number Change............................ 10. Black Dutch Ancestors-How to Know If You Have Them.........GENEALOGY 11. Help BETA TEST new SHAREWARE on the........................PSRT 12. He's making his list and checking it twice on..............*SANTA 13. Get the skinny on =Word 5.0= in conference at..............MAC 14. If you're looking for a musical Christmas check into ......MIDI 15. If you need a last minute musical gift idea, check out ....MUSIC GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission *********************************************************************** > 'TIS THE SEASON STR FOCUS "Takin' a look around" ========================= 'TIS THE SEASON...!! ==================== by Dana P. Jacobson 'Tis the season... It's hard to believe (unless you look outside!) that the holidays are here. 1991 is about to come to an end. This has been an interesting year for Atari. There have been a good deal of new products that are more than vaporware. The TT and MegaSTe are available. The ST Book is a reality, though not currently available. TOS 2.06 will be available shortly. Atari held its first co-sponsored show with the LCACE folks in the Chicago area. Although the economy is still floundering, things appear to be looking up for Atari users. Let's hope that '92 brings even more news and products from Sunnyvale. Even on the developer front, there has been a lot of interesting news and product announcements. Apparently the Dusseldorf show was a success for the U.S. developers because a number of them have acquired the rights to distribute European titles. This is certainly a feather in the cap of folks such as CodeHead Software and Gribnif Software, to name just a couple. Both companies are distributing some quality high-end graphics programs, and a few others. While on the subject of CodeHead Software, I must take a moment to tip my hat to the CodeHeads, John Eidsvoog and Charles Johnson. These two guys have really provided the Atari community with a bunch of great software over the years. Their support is tremendous. Existing software keeps getting better and better over time. John and Charles have proved over and over again their dedication. Most companies might provide one or updates and then disappear into the woodwork; but these guys keep making their programs better. That, and the many shareware and freeware programs that they produce, is a clear indication to this user that these two individuals are a unique entity in a dwindling group of Atari supporters. John and Charles deserve a lot of credit for their continued support. It was nice to hear that at the Chicago show, they received one of the three MARC awards. They should receive even more. Atari users had quite a number of Atari shows to visit this past year. I hope that the shows continue to flourish into '92. Usually, by this time we would know the dates for next year's Glendale and WAACE shows. I hope these fine folks are just late announcing the dates! It's still early to learn if LCACE will decide on another show. It appears that Atari would like to co-sponsor three such shows in the future; per- haps all three groups are weighing that possibility. Personally, I like the "flavor" of each of the shows as long as Atari can provide relatively equal support. We've seen the rise and fall of a few Atari magazines over the past year. STart, ST-Log, and Atari Journal are gone, but AtariUser is here. Atari Explorer has been sporadic (again), but John Jainschigg says that the mag is here to stay. I'm still waiting for my first issue since subscribing at WAACE, however. But, Bob Brodie promised to send me the issues I may have missed, so I guess I can't complain too much (thanks, Bob!!). Current Notes, ST Informer, and Atari Interface Magazine are all still doing an excellent job keeping us informed. All three of the aforementioned magazines continue to improve the quality of their magazines, and it shows! Congratulations to these fine people for their continued dedication! I guess that the only real sad notes to report during the past year are the continued decline of dealers, developers and user groups. I guess it's indicative of the lack of real growth of Atari that plays a major role in this decline. With the decline of an existing userbase, and little or no numbers of new users, it's easy to see why. News from the Chicago show that there were quite a few non-Atari users in attendance shows that promotion works. I hope that Atari realizes this and improves their promotion campaign. It's obvious that they cannot just play up to the existing userbase; they must find a way to attract new users. Without new "blood", existing users are finding it difficult to survive. There are a number of examples to prove this predicament. Read messages on the online services and local bulletin boards. User group membership is rapidly falling. Groups that used to have 40-50 members are lucky to have half that now. Meeting attendance is even lower. In the recent issue of Current Notes magazine, the Junkyard Pussycat (a.k.a. John Barnes) wrote an interesting article called "The Fourth Criterion". I've told John online that I think this month's column has to be one of his best. He describes the decline of the userbase quite effectively, although its focus leans toward putting on an Atari show. Nevertheless, the reasons can be used to explain the decline for both problems. Let's hope Atari can help provide the means for user groups to flourish once again. Will this Christmas season will a good one Atariwise? It can be, for the users. I didn't see much of a Christmas campaign this year (last year we saw a big Lynx promotion). Economically, I guess it was a good decision not to market, but somehow it doesn't seem Christmas without seeing Atari advertised a little. Let's hope that the economy gets better in 1992 (hey, it should, it's an election year!). Let's hope that 1992 brings an incredible amount of great news for Atari users everywhere. Here's to '92!! Until next time... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= As a reader of STReport International 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 subscrip- tion 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! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > The Flip Side STR Feature "...a different viewpoint.." ========================= A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT ================================== by Michael Lee With Christmas next week, I might not have time to write another column this year, so this might be the last time this year that I have to talk to you. I want to wish everyone of you a very, happy holidays and thank everyone that helped make this column as successful as it's been. With- out the hundreds of people on-line who are willing to share their know- ledge and experience with us, this column would be very empty. Since this is the time of year for giving, how about giving something to your favorite shareware authors? I know it's real easy to keep putting off sending in that check for $10-$20 but there comes a time when we need to stop procrastinating. If we want to continue to recieve good shareware products, we need to pay for them. ---------------- From Charles Johnson (CodeHead and Little Green Football Software) - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Wow. I just checked the download count for ARC Shell 3.1 --and there have been well over 600 downloads in just four days! That's great! What's not so great: the number of names in my shareware database is not even close to that amount...and that's for ALL my shareware programs, not just ARC Shell. There sure are an awful lot of you folks out there using ARC Shell without paying for it; and I'll bet that a lot of you use the program almost every day. How about it, guys? It's Christmas -- a great time to pay the ARC Shell shareware fee, and get that off your conscience. I've gotta tell you -- if shareware payments don't start picking up, version 3.1 will very likely be the LAST version of ARC Shell. I simply do not have the time to devote any more energy to this program, if the majority of the people who use it won't bother to pay the very reasonable $15.00 fee. If you'd like to see further support of ARC Shell, you have to do your part too. P.S. Thanks very much to those of you who _have_ done the honorable thing and paid the shareware fee. ---------------- Important news about the TEC, the new board being sold by Codehead Software that will allow all of us older ST owners to use TOS 2.06 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... A large number of people have asked us whether it's possible to use the TEC with _two_ sets of ROMs, and switch between them. Well...the answer is a big YES. All you need to do is get a switch and a little bit of wire (which we'll also supply for a nominal charge). It requires a little more soldering to install the TEC without removing your existing ROMs; the TEC manual will describe this in detail. So if you're worried about compatibility with your existing software, don't be .... with the TEC, you can have the best of both worlds. ---------------- Do you need a CPU Case? Here's some info from R.SYKES2 - Cat. 4, Topic 36, Msg. 229 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... To all interested, TECH SPECIALITES has a CPU CASES FOR 520/1040 MEGAS. It comes with 150 watt power supply, a case for keyboard, and fits 5 drives. It is 18w x 12d x 8d made and made of steel. It costs 249$. It also has a case to hold ST and PC in case, and a high speed bus to connect CPUs to same drives TECH SPECECIAILITIES 909 W.Crosstimbers Street Houston,TX 77022 For a 35 page catalog, phone: 713-691-45278 fax 713-691-7009 ---------------- Question about floppy drive speed from GEORGECYR on Delphi... I downloaded and ran Disktest's speed.prg and discovered my B disk drive (Atari sf354) was spinning at 305-306 rpm!!!! Way too fast. It performs erradically at best, and now I know why! How do I slow it down? Is there an adjustment screw inside? Help! Any suggestions aprreciated. If there is a file here explaining how to correct this, let me know! Thanks. Reply from Norm Weinress on Delphi.... George, 305-306 rpm is only 2% fast, and the magnetic recording techniques the floppies use can handle that. If your drive is erratic, it is much more likely to be a problem of alignment. The drives can be realigned, it's a mechanical process very similar to front-end alignment on your car, but you have to find a qualified repair place to do it. The good part is that it doesn't have to be an _Atari_ repair place... But, it can also just be a dirty head, so try cleaning it before seeking further repair. ---------------- PageStream question from Michael Brandon on CIS... As a steadfast user and proud owner of PageStream (Atari), as well as an occasional user of Calamus, I have a question about fonts. With the proliferation of font styles and formats, I have become somewhat interested in the various font 'converters' available. My question is this: What, if any, are the legal issues surrounding font format conversions? Are there copyright laws involved in say, converting DMF outlines to Calamus, or Calamus to Type1, etc.? What is Soft-Logik's stand on this issue? Or is this an issue? Just curious. Answer from Mike at Soft Logic... Font conversion legalities are an issue, but are pretty simple. You cannot take a commercial font in one format and convert it into another. You can take a PD font in one format and convert it into anything else you like, as long as you still give the original author credit, if known, and explain in a readme that it is converted from the original format. You can do the same thing with shareware as long as you retain the original author's shareware fee notice and all original files. (Unless the shareware notice specifically forbids this. Some will say no conversion. Some will say the files cannot be distributed in any other format than the current arc.) You can convert commercial fonts into any format you like as long as they are for your own use. For example, if there's a really neat Calamus font you like, but can't get for PageStream, you could buy it and convert it for your own use, as long as the converted and original versions are only used on one machine. ---------------- Some interesting misc. information from Bill Rehbock (Atari) from Cat. 14 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Topic 7, Msg. 164... TOS 3.06 and the 1.44 meg drives have absolutely nothing to do with FCC Class B machines. The Class A machines with 3.06 and 1.44 meg drives have been shipping since the Chicago show. Right now, the expected schedule for delivery of Class B machines is Mid December to early January. There is no functional difference bet- ween the Class A & Class B machines. By the way, I was just looking at my PLI (Peripheral Land Inc.) Atari/ Macintosh/Next 88 megabyte removeable Syquest drive, and guess what? It's FCC Class A Topic 18, Msg. 174... The "real" FSM GDOS will have Atari Packaging. (Even if it is done with Crayons :-) I might get my nephew to help, although we'd wind up with Ninja Turtles on the packaging. (Other than the packaging, there is no difference between the disks Goldleaf is publishing and the January issue) Topic 3, Msg. 168... ...Has anybody mentioned the very favorable write up on Atari, ISD, Softlogik, Codehead, and Goldleaf in the December issue of SEYBOLD REPORTS ON DESKTOP PUBLISHING? It is a 6 page article (out of a 50 page issue) title "Atd, "Atari Makes Bold Push in U.S. Market" The response so far has been very good. This is a very good spring board for 1992 and proves that dollars spent on marketing were dollars well spent. It makes the last year worth it:-) Topic 4, Msg. 21... Just a few quick programming considerations so that software written can keep in step with product developments... 1) Your user interface should always be made up of MOVEABLE windows and a MENU BAR. Static Dialog boxes are bad, very bad, and really really, really, irritate users on a multi-tasking system, because they generally take control, and leave the user with no ability to get at their other applications. 2) If the window is not being used specifically for status output (such as the up/download status in STalker) or as a toolbox (the toolbox in PageStream or Touch-Up), you should allow the user to resize it, and supply the user with scrollers and arrows. 3) For consistency, you should have at least Desk-File-Edit menu items in your menu bar. (unless completely unappropriate, of course :-) (It's ok to replace "Desk" with the Fuji.) 4) The keyboard equivalents for Cut, Copy, Paste, and Print should ALWAYS be (NOT ) X,C,V, and P, respectively. 5) If your program has a status box for anything, like upload/download or printing progress, it should be in a window, and not continuously bracketed in a wind_update. Please use wind_update as little as possible. (TOS 2.xx/3.xx gives the user 7 windows, future versions will have no limit) 6) Make no assumptions on what type of system the user will have. Be able to deal with everything. There are many 24-bit color solutions in the works, going up to 1280x960. (As far as I know, but I'm sure bigger will be coming soon :-) There will always be monochrome systems also, so it can't be ignored either. The two third-party 24-bit VDI's that I've seen both virtualize the normal 256 color TT palette. That is, once a palette color is set, then used to draw with, changing the color of that palette register does not change the color on the screen. This keeps applications from doing palette-shift animation, (such as Neochrome) but does not effect any other color-oriented applications in an adverse way. (Calamus SL and PageStream and Chronos and Prism Paint should all be just fine.) I hope this points people a little bit better in the right direction. There is a lot of neat stuff coming down the pipe from third parties for the TT and MegaSTE in 1992. We would like to avoid the kind of compatibility problems that people had when the Moniterm first was introduced. When multitasking hits, there is no reason whatsoever that applications written today shouldn't work immediately with it. Topic 7, Msg. 172... STBOOK has a CMOS version of Yamaha's PSG, the speaker is located under the keyboard, around the key. Registered developers have all received the pin-out for the expansion connector. It is a super-set of the MegaBUS that was in the MegaST2 & MegaST4. The first, logical thing that should appear for it should be a ST Cartridge Port Adapter. I would expect somebody like Paul Wu from Wuztek to jump on this right away. The adapter is totally passive; just connect one one pin to the other. I was showing a prototype adapter at the Chicago show and using it with the Migraph Hand Scanner. The adapter is an absolute no-brainer for a third-party to build. Originally, we had considered doing one, there were a few developers that said that Atari should leave that market for third parties to make money on, and we listened. Other possibilities for the expansion port include: Networking, Color Video expansion, and data aquisition. Topic 11, Msg. 113... The GDOS Laser Printer driver requires about 1.25 megs of free ram to rasterize the page. You may have to trim back the number of installed fonts and desk accessories. Wordflair itself is about 500K, not including document size. I strongly suggest that you think about the 4 meg upgrade. ---------------- Some comments about Falcon 3.0 from No.19 (Holobyte) - From Cat 9, Topic 34, Msg. 67 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Unfortunately, there are 2 barriers for doing FALCON 3.0 on the Atari ST. The biggest is just economics. It just would cost us too much to develop FALCON 3.0 for the ST considering the size of the market. The 2nd problem is the technological problems. FALCON 3.0 requires a 12MHz 80286 minimum and takes up 11MB of hard disk space. To run comfortably, you nee d a 20MHz 80386, 4MB RAM, a fast 16-bit VGA card and a fast hard drive. ---------------- From Dave Small (Gadgets by Small) - Cat. 4, Topic 44, Msg. 220 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Sorry for being quiet, folks. Mah kids brought home something extra from school. (You parents out there know the true purpose of schools is for kids to swap diseases to take home). Got sicker than a dog, had to cancel on the Chicago show at last minute. Gee, almost got myself stuck on an IV for dehydration. SST is WAY closer than Real Soon Now. Probably if I had not have gotten the current version of the biological warfare test virus it would have shipped already. Recently we got in hundreds of defective GAL chips from those good, kind, virtuous raving idiots at National Semiconductor. They "spike" unexpectedly. Our sales rep was good enough to let us know about this well, complete disaster AFTER we had programmed and installed every $%^#$%^$#%&*^&*%^&* one of the chips. This entire problem is now past-tense. (Humorous: They just sent us 400 more of the bad ones ... AFTER notifying the world of how to figure out if they were bad. I mean, like, duh. Let's walk down to the stockroom of the distributor and pull the National parts. Of course, all we did was check the chip's lot number and send them back. Lessee. Software is looking good; I have a couple minor changes to make (it doesn't look "neat" enough in low res while booting, okay). Manual is looking good, Sandy is digging out the final few typos in it, even my Mom read through it and understood it -- and my mom prides herself in not grokking computers. (She's a good draftsman, though). The packaging is ready, the packaging *place* knows any ol' day now, and I am NOT going to say Wednesday because if I do, Murphy's Law will bite me, and something ELSE will have to be fixed. Many an SST board hanging around the office begging to be shipped. They've been tested. They murmur at night, keeping the dog awake. I really look forward to this, because independent, skeptical people getting their hands on the SST is what's needed to let readers know it's real and does what we've always said it would do. And I've already got the next software cut outlined! ---------------- From Bill Loring - Cat. 4, Topic 6, Msg. 23 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... I've got the Gravis MouseStick that you talked about. It is the only controller I know of that will give you the kind of performance you want (and need) in a flight simulator. The MouseStick is GREAT in Falcon. I'm sure it will be good in FOTI, and F-19 as well. I remember a controller for FS-II, that was quite expensive, but I don't think it's around anymore... I forget the name. ---------------- From Dan McNamee (Atari) - Cat. 9, Topic 47, Msg. 119 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... According to the Maxis rep over in Scorpia, SimEarth for the ST is on it's way. No release date set yet. ---------------- About the Migraph hand scanner and other Migraph prorducts from MUSE - Cat. 5, Topic 10, Msg. 4 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... The introductory special price for current customers (for the next 45 days) is $229.00 if you have a scanner. Suggested retail will be $299.00 for the software alone, "half the price of comparable packages for the PC." Similar savings are available for nearly all other Migraph products. Migraph OCR software utilizes an Omnifont engine. Additional characters, sizes and typefaces can be "learned" by the software. Files are saved as regular ASCII. IMG and TIFF files created with other scanners can be imported into the program. Graphic regions can be saved in IMG and TIFF formats. Requires at least 2 megs and a hard disk. Runs on ST/Ste/Mega/TT. The package requires a hardware dongle which will be eliminated with a free update after 5000 units have been sold. Migraph 1-800-233-3729 FAX 1-206-838-4702 ---------------- A mini-review of VROOOM from C.GEEROMS - Cat. 9, Topic 5, Msgs 1&3 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Here's my review of VROOM: Buy it. It's fantastic. No, really...the best driving game on the ST bar none. Sound, graphics, control, sensation of racing...it's all there folks. Arcade mode, competition mode, modem link, mouse or joystick mode. Manual is typically European and sparse. But WHAT a game! Examples: realistic engine noises which aren't irritating; passing noises, both cars and objects along the side of the road when you pass a sign; zeplin moves across the sky; Mt. Fuji backgrounds; you hit something and a wheel flies off your car; sometimes you hit a roadside object and it throws you INTO THE AIR with a convincing engine revving sound as you lose the friction with the ground. A totally realistic feel to the whole game (didn't this guy do Stunt Driver?) THIS IS THE ONE YOU'VE been waiting for. Lankhor makes it and it runs on my Mega 4st with TOS 1.4. Digitized sounds, of course, no dinky plinks here. Got the picture here? ...it's a really good game. and I've only just started playing it...about $40 at a dealer near you, hopefully. Also, on box "save option available for championship races". Like the guy in the gameboy commercial says when he learns that he's missed his flight: "COOL!" and goes back to playing his game.... More about VROOM from Gary Gray.... This game is the best driving game I have ever seen. I have sold nine copies. If I had a game like this to sell 3 years ago when the market was so much better I could have sold 200 copies during the Christmas period. As it is I will still sell 20. This is the hit of the season make mo mistake. Heh I don't even play games. But with Vroom I was hooked the minute they put the joystick in my hand. Won't work on the TT. If it did it would be way too fast to deal with anyway. I ran it on a early T16 equipped Mega, it had a harware switch. The game would not load at 16 mghz but you could switch after the game was running. I would suggest a lot of practice at 8 mghz before trying 16 Vroom..... ---------------- Some information about the new FAIR-DINKUM products - Cat. 29, Topic 4, msgs. 21-23 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Crossword Creator II is a utility designed to allow the user to quickly and easily create crossword puzzles on any ST, STE, or TT (in ST medium or high res mode). It meets a fairly wide audience in that educators, newsletter editors, and puzzle nuts seem to enjoy it. You can create really large puzzles up to 30x20 in size and up to 100 words, though most puzzles will use far fewer words. Puzzles and puzzle solutions may be saved in DEGAS PI2 or PI3 format and the latest version may save clues as an ASCII text file for easy incorporation into most desktop publishing apps (I'm sure that Calamus accepts DEGAS files). Puzzles and solutions may be output to any printer that supports screen dumps but we also include a FINAL quality print mode for all Epson compatible printers...makes a _really_ nice printout. There is a wide range of options and features including manual or automatic word placement, move/delete/undelete/relocate words, symmetrical templating, interactive or a _fast_ word list entry method, etc, etc. "Feature Laden", I believe, is an overused term which is probably appropriate in this case. We've tried to keep the price really low so most anyone could enjoy it. Even so, we still include a 12 page, illustrated manual (I _hate_ software which makes me print my own documentation!). Word Search Creator is the companion to Crossword Creator II. WSC allows the user to easily create true word search type puzzles interactively from the keyboard or via a _fast_ word list method (may use the same word lists with Crossword Creator II as well). Puzzles may be up to 24 x 13 in size with up to 100 words. As in CWCII, you may save puzzles as DEGAS files for use in page layout programs. Many other features are supported such as relocate/delete/ undelete, etc. And of course, you may print puzzles and solutions to most any printer and the solution puzzles feature circled words, just like you find in the magazines and puzzle books. As in CWCII, a comprehensive manual adds to the on-line help within the program. And oh yes, both CWCII and WSC permit the user to input most commands with the mouse OR keyboard. Elementary school teachers should find Word Search Creator of great help in encouraging students to study their vocabulary words. It can also be used in Sunday School classes and one of our customers used it for a class reunion icebreaker. Ooops, I almost forgot... PUZZLE PACK is a specially priced bundle of both CROSSWORD CREATOR II and WORD SEARCH CREATOR for those who want both puzzle utilities. ---------------- Until next week..... ____________________________________________________________ > STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date... ================================ THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ========================= On CompuServe by Judith Hamner 72257,271 2TIC.ZIP is a 2 player TicTacToe game by BJ Gleason. The game is played on two Portfolios connected via their serial ports. BJ hints that there may be more to come. Jim Ness has uploaded two samples of source code for PowerBASIC. PRIMES.BAS will find all prime numbers between 0 and 30000. COM.BAS is a simple terminal program that demonstrates stripping of the 8th bit and flow control. Robert Kelsoe also has uploaded terminal source code. TERM.ZIP contains two programs designed to contact DTC DUAT which may be modified for other uses. Craig Davis has uploaded MET_IM.WKS, a worksheet for metric conversions. RPN.ZIP is a reverse Polish Notation calculator by BJ Gleason. Adrian Simonian has modified BJ Gleason's FTI.BAS for PowerBASIC. FT2IN.COM adds, subtracts and figures area and volume. A number cruncher of a different sort is VCARD.ZIP by BJ Gleason. This little program will check the validity of a credit card number. Card numbers are coded for Visa, Master Card, Am Ex. There is also a routine for formattig designed to detect simple errors such as number transpositions. David Stewart has two versions of his banner program. BANNER.ZIP will scroll small letters across the screen. BIGBAN.ZIP uses larger letters to scroll. The programming marathon is producing a variety of useful utility programs. MUTE.ZIP by David Stewart lets you mute (or unmute) the Portfolio from the command line rather than going through the menus. DRIVES.COM by BJ Gleason will list the disk drives that are active on the system. This will be useful to those who use several configurations. WHEREI.COM is a small file finder uploaded by Marty Mankins. It will accept wildcards. QT.COM is a time program with a different twist. It spells out the current time in words. A new version of PGfliX has been uploaded by Don Messerli. This version includes the ability to set the number of repeats of the animation sequence from the command line. Other features include embedded repeats and random delays. PCSHOW.ZIP also by Don, will run PGC graphics on a desktop PC. BJ Gleason has created a program to compress text files and convert them to .COM format for reading. PREAD.ZIP will help save disk space. PBDOC.COM is a PBREAD example containing the docs for PBasic. SPELL1.ZIP is a spell checker which runs on the Port. Uploaded by Pete Bennett, this program uses an external dictionary file and thus it can be customized by the user. I would like to express my thanks to Don Messerli for filling in as reporter while I was on vacation last week. ______________________________________________________ > ZEPHYR STR Spotlight Is this for real? ==================== Zephyr/ST Plus - Friend or Foe ============================== By Staff Editor: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. Our last issue (STR749) contained a partial listing of product sources for the ST. ST Report does not necessarily endorse any of the companies that were contained in our product listing. The listing was just that, a listing of product sources. It is up to each user to investigate each product and company before investing their hard-earned money. Included in our product list was a major ST dealer and mailorder house, Zephyr/ST Plus computers. Zephyr/ST Plus advertises in many of the major ST magazines (i.e., Ataru User, Current Notes). It has been brought to our attention that Zephyr/ST Plus is not an "AUTHORIZED" Atari dealer and that there have been a lot of complaints posted on Genie about Zephyr/ ST Plus. The following is the Thread from the ST Roundtable on Genie about the problems that some users experienced with Zephyr/ST Plus. This thread is being printed as information only. PLEASE BE ADVISED: STReport offers no opinions in this matter and presents this information strictly for informational purposes. STReport does not encourage or discourage the readers from patronizing this, or any other establishment so listed herein. --------------------------- Category 18, Topic 3 Wed Sep 25, 1991 G.ANDERSON42 [GA] at 22:45 EDT Sub: Zephyr Computers Has anyone encountered problems with Zephyr Computers? They are also known as Microworld and ST Plus. If so, please share it with us here. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 1 Wed Sep 25, 1991 G.ANDERSON42 [GA] at 22:50 EDT I have ordered a TT030 from Zephyr Computers (used to be Microworld) and I have been given the royal runaround. First they said Atari wasn't shipping. Then after I had already given them $1700, a rep told me they have never handled the TT!! Will anyone help me out on this? Has anyone else had problems with these people? ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 4 Thu Sep 26, 1991 BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp] at 20:12 EDT Zephyr Computers does not purchase directly from Atari. The only way that they would be able to purchase a TT030 is if they purchased it from another Atari dealer, and then re-sold it to you. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 5 Thu Sep 26, 1991 R.STUTZMAN2 [RUSS] at 22:36 EDT I also ordered a TT from Zephyr back in July. I used my VISA card which they charged without shipping any product. I went around and around with them until Sept 6. At that point I requested my credit reinstated and was told as soon as Atari gave them their money back I would get mine back. They told me next week which I've heard for two months. Every phone call they said TT's next week. Well I filed papers with my bank and they got my VISA money back. If you paid by cash or check I think you better get a lawyer. I under- stand they have charges of credit card fraud and suspicion of software piracy already pending. I feel bad for anyone who has dealt with this company. I mistakenly blamed Atari for not providing before I found out the truth. I do hope things work out for you, if I can help just leave a msg. To All STAY AWAY FROM ZEPHYR! ! ! ! ! bad news company. It's a shame that companies like this are around and can continue to do business. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 6 Fri Sep 27, 1991 D.BECKEMEYER [David @ BDT] at 03:09 EDT While I have no evidence to back up their claims, I have had customers tell me that Zephyr has a habit of charging to credit cards semi- randomly. In other words, if you bought something from them, watch your VISA/MC statements for charges to any of the Microworld companies! ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 7 Sun Sep 29, 1991 DARLAH [RT~SYSOP] at 08:56 EDT Remember that unless you can substantiate your claims, do not post. Hearsay etc can be considered libelous unfortunately. I want to hear about your personal problems/and or success with the company above. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 8 Sun Sep 29, 1991 D.BECKEMEYER [David @ BDT] at 14:44 EDT Darlah, of course you can get sued whether the person has a leg to stand or not. Just because you can substantiate your claims, doesn't mean you won't get sued, but it MIGHT mean you won't lose the case. And you can always counter-sue. Of course, there are seldom any "winners" in such cases, except for the lawyers. I have copies of the letters which I based the statements in my posts on and I know who the people are that sent me those letters. I quoted representations from those letters and I said so in the posts. I do have direct experience with one Zephyr incident which I will (perhaps stupidly) describe here. It amounted to them selling a Micro C-Shell package ($49.95 MSRP) with pirated MT C-Shell disks ($129.95 MSRP) as a legitimate MT C-Shell package. The disks were hand labeled and serial numbers were incorrect for an MT C-Shell package; parts of the MT C-Shell documentation were completely missing. We had to give the customer the benefit of the doubt, since it is unlikely that they were in on it. So Zephyr buys a $49.95 MSRP product, copies a few disks, and sells to the unsuspecting customer as a totally different $129.95 MSRP product. The customer has to hassle trying register the pirated copy, and in the long run, I eat the cost of it. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 11 Sun Sep 29, 1991 GRMEYER [Gordon Meyer] at 18:03 EDT I spent a couple of months in the Bay Area, and visited the MicroWorld store a few times while I was there. Lots of product, some stuff you wouldn't find elsewhere, but a strange staff. My experience was one of frustration and amazement that they managed to sell any hardware at all. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 13 Sat Oct 05, 1991 T.YURICK [T.YURICK] at 11:14 EDT I had a bad experience with ST-Plus about two years ago. I called and ordered a software package that they assured me was in stock. After waiting about a month, I called and was told that it was backordered, and that they would ship it RSN. I waited another two weeks and got the same runaround. When I told them that I wanted to cancel the order, they suddenly weren't so friendly and told me that I couldn't cancel. I called my credit card company (that had been billed and had paid ST-Plus already) and told them that I never received the product. They told me that I was not the only complaint that they had received about this particular retailer, and that they would take care of it. The full amount was credited on my next bill. Needless to say I haven't ever felt the urge to patronize them again. Just my own experience, but it does seem to be a common one. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 14 Mon Oct 07, 1991 E.KRIMEN [Ed Krimen] at 10:01 EDT I was in Microworld/Zephyr/ST-Plus/Whatever-you-want-to-call-it a couple of months ago for the first and only time. I wanted to see what the store was like. After I asked him about TT030s and Mega STEs, Bill Yerger, the owner, proceeded to explain to me that Atari was going out of business, the TT was a piece of junk, and that 486s were the best thing on the market. I looked around his store for a bit -- while he told me Atari software was 10% off -- and then I left. What a scam. Strangely, while he has written a two part article about the history of Atari in the last couple of issues of Current Notes, his bio at the end of the articles mention that he's in litigation with Atari. Wonders will never cease. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 15 Mon Oct 07, 1991 ISD [Nathan] at 10:41 EDT I suspect that it is entirely possible that Current Notes was unaware of the reputation Mr. Yerger has earned for himself in some circles. Mr. Yerger's store was cut off by Atari before they went the distribution route. Now that they are again using distributors, Mr. Yerger can buy from anyone that carries the product. I have heard it said that he is in litigation with Atari but I have no idea if this is in fact correct. Regardless, as we clearly see from the above posts, any "history of Atari" by Mr. Yerger must be taken with a grain of salt. :-) ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 21 Wed Oct 09, 1991 E.KRIMEN [Ed Krimen] at 10:09 EDT Microworld is in Berserkeley, California on University Avenue. Bill has a couple of big trucks with "Atari," the Fuji logo, and "Microworld" splashed all over it. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 23 Sat Oct 12, 1991 BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp] at 13:30 EDT If you have any further questions about any of the issues concerning Zephyr, I suggest that you contact Adron Beane, General Counsel of Atari Corp. He can be contacted at our many corporate address: 1196 Borregas Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302 ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 24 Sun Oct 13, 1991 JNEWTON [john newton] at 22:21 EDT Hmm...and to think I drove 30 miles through rush hour traffic to buy my 1040ste from these guys just so I could support a local dealer. They did seem a little strange but I personally didn't have any problems with them. I don't think I'll be back though. ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 25 Sat Nov 23, 1991 E.AUGUSTINE at 08:42 EST Well, guys, add my name to the rapidly-growing list of dissatisfied Zephyr customers. To state my case in a nutshell, I ordered Deluxe Paint ST and was charged $100+. I received my product in a box that looked like it had been tampered with, wound up waiting 3 weeks for my credit card order(!), and to make matters worse, discovered that I had been charged twice for it! All Zephyr patrons, beware. (By the way by, is anyone else as saddened as I that Computability has stopped selling Atari software?) ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 26 Mon Nov 25, 1991 P.CARMACK [CASMOCK] at 01:14 EST Add me to the list of severly disatisfied customers, too. I ordered a TT back in the summer and paid for it up front (like a fool!). I kept getting the run around and excuse after excuse. They said Atari wasn't shipping them TTs because the order had been screwed up or Atari was going to ship them, and on and on. I finally got fed up with them and decided to find out who they really are. They are known by at least 3 different names (Zephyr, MircoWorld and ST Plus). I also called Mike Groh(?) at Atari and found out that they are NOT Atari authorized dealers and understand that they sell pirated software. I also understand (heresay) that they are locked in a lawsuit w/Atari and another computer company in the bay area (ATY computers). Not to mention numerous credit fraud suits. Note: all of this is heresay. I do know that I won't EVER deal with them again. One time I called them and got a secretary that said that they never were getting TT computers and were not Atari dealers anymore. That's when I started to really worry about my money. After several threats (mail fraud, ect.), they finally coughed up a TT (runs nicely too, I might add). ------------ Category 18, Topic 3 Message 28 Sat Dec 14, 1991 P.LOUIE1 at 17:37 EST An interesting event happened recently to this store. They seems to have expanded into a second store! Now they have two stores in the same city and this new store is only a couple of blocks from another Atari dealer. I wonder where this place got the money to open up a new store with all these complaints in this topic. Amazing... ------------------------- ________________________________________________________ > X-Boot STR InfoFile =================== NEWS RELEASE Gribnif Software P.O. Box 350 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hadley, MA 01035 Tel: (413) 584-7887 Fax: (413) 584-2565 ========================== = = = XBoot - The Boot Manager = = = ========================== Gribnif Software has announced for imminent release the amazing new "XBoot - The Boot Manager" program for the Atari ST, TT and compatible personal computers. This program has been designed to let the user regain control of the increasing number of AUTO folder programs, desk accessories, and configuration files that are used when booting the Atari computer. Running as the first program in the AUTO folder, it lets the user independently control each AUTO folder program or desk accessory. XBoot also lets you configure special setups, which allow you to customize the system for different applications, all at the click of a button. Unlike any other program of its type, XBoot has a true GEM-like interface, which is available directly from the AUTO folder at bootup. You work with a real mouse pointer, dialog boxes, scroll bars, buttons, and alert boxes, just as if you were in a regular GEM program. Its numerous features include: o Complete GEM-like interface with dialog boxes, scroll bars, mouse, and buttons. o Fully controlled from either the mouse or keyboard. o Automatically runs in 80 column mode (on a TT color display, it runs in TT Medium). o Often used setups (for different purposes) can be saved as a SET. o The execution order of AUTO folder programs and desk accessories can be changed at will. o The programs and accessories can be listed as sorted or unsorted. o The system date and time can be set. It can even optionally prompt you for this information whenever it runs. o Even without a battery backed-up clock, maintains the correct time and date after a system reset. o Configuration of DESKTOP.INF & NEWDESK.INF options, such as key-click, keyboard-repeat, RS-232 parameters, etc. o Installation of any info file (like ASSIGN.SYS, DESKTOP.INF, etc.) can be changed on the fly. o Autostart any GEM program, regardless of TOS version. o Ability to copy, delete, and rename files, create & remove directories, check for files, and execute TOS programs from special command scripts. Useful for setting up ramdisks or directories. o A password can be specified to prevent unauthorized access to the computer. o Includes a complete, easy to read, illustrated manual. XBoot will carry a list price of $39.95. A special introductory price of only $29.95 is currently available, on orders placed directly with Gribnif Software. Shipments will begin the first week in January, 1992. To place an order, or for more information, please contact Gribnif Software directly. ==========[ XBoot Order Form ]=========[ US and Canada Only ]=========== Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City: ______________________ State: _________________ Zip: ____________ Please send me ____ copies of XBoot at the low intro price of $29.95 Also enclosed is $3.00 to cover all shipping and handling costs. I've enclosed the following payment: [ MINI INVOICE ]========== [ ] Check [ ] Credit Card (MasterCard & Visa only) XBoot Special .... $29.95 S & H ............ $ 3.00 Card# _______ - _______ - _______ - _______ ------ Total (Pay this).. $32.95 Expiration Date: ____ / ____ ========================= Signature: ________________________________ Please return this order form to: Note: Attn: XBoot Order Please wait 2-3 weeks for Gribnif Software your order to arrive. Any P.O. Box 350 questions? Call us at Hadley, MA 01035 (413) 584-7887 ======================================================================= """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > SANTA'S HELPERS STR InfoFile WHERE TO FIND THOSE GOODIES! ============================ PRODUCT SOURCES FOR ATARI ENTHUSIASTS ===================================== ATARI CORPORATION Computer Studio 1196 Borregas Avenue 40 Westgate Parkway Sunnyvale, CA. 94086 Asheville, NC 28806 (408) 745-2000 (800) 253-0201 Mft. Hardware/Software Authorized Atari Dealer ABCO Computer Consultants Gribnif Software P.O. Box 6672 P.O. Box 350 Jacksonville, FL. 32221 Hadley, MA 01035 (800) 562-4037 (413) 584-7887 Full Line Dealer & Mass Storage NeoDesk-Turbo C-Stalker-Steno Rising Star Computers Horizon Computers P. O. Box 20038 695 S. Colorado Blvd., #10 Dayton, OH 45420-0038 Denver, CO 80222 (800) 252-2787 (303) 777-8080 Full Line Dealer Authorized Atari Dealer A & D Software ISD Marketing Inc. 226 NW 'F' Street 2800 John St., Unit #15 Grants Pass, OR 97526 Markham, Ontario, CA *L3R 2W5 (503) 476-0071 (416) 479-1880 Universal Item Selector Calamus, DynaCadd etc... Alpha Systems L & Y Computers 1012 Skyland 13644c Jefferson Davis H'wy. Macedonia, OH 44056 Woodbridge, Va. 22191 (216) 467-5665 (703) 494-3444 16 and 8 bit Support Atari products and Software ASDE Inc. Maxwell CPU 151 Rue Jolicoeur 2124 W. Centennial Dr. Hull, Quebec Canada J8Z1C8 Louisville, CO 80027 (819) 770-7681 (303) 666-7754 Geography Tutor etc... Expose - Silhouette Atari Interface Magazine Step Ahead Software Inc. 3487 Braeburn Circle 496-A Hudson Street Suite F39 Ann Arbor, MI 48108 New York City, N.Y. 10014 (313) 973-8825 (212) 627-5830 Atari Magazine and Monthly Disk Tracker ST B&C ComputerVisions Mars Merchandising 3257 Kifer Road 1041b St. Charles Rd. Santa Clara, CA 95051 Lombard Il. (408) 749-1003 (817) 589-2950 Atari Products & Supplies Atari Products & Accs. Branch Always Software Lantech 14150 N.E. 20th St. PO Box R Bellevue, WA 98007 Billerica, MA 01821 (206) 885-5893 (508) 667-9191 Quick Tools, Software 10 Megabit Local Area Network Best Electronics Migraph Inc. 2021 The Alameda Suite 290 200 S. 333rd St. San Jose, CA 95126 Federal Way, WA 98003 (408) 243-6950 (206) 838-4677 THE Atari parts source & Supplies Top Notch Graphical Products Computer Garden MicroTyme WestSide Mall 4049 Marshall Road Edwardsville, PA 18704 Kettering, OH 45429 (800) 456-5689 (800) 255-5835 Discount Software Discount Hardware & Software Carter Graphics & Computers MS Design 914 W. Sunset Blvd. 611 West Illinois St. George, UT 84770 Urbana, Il. 61801 (801) 628-6111 (217) 384-8469 Atari Products Custom Font Designs CodeHead Software Prospero Software P.O. Box 74090 100 Commercial St. Los Angeles, CA 90004 Suite 306 Portland, ME 04101 (213) 386-5735 (207) 874-0382 Software Products "Codekeys" Software Products Comput-Ability Rio Datel Computers P.O. Box 17882 3430 E. Tropicana Ave., #65 Milwaukee, WI 53217 Las Vegas, NE 89121 (414) 357-8181 (800) 782-9110 Atari Products & Distributor International Products CompuServe Information Service San Jose Computers P. O. Box 20212 640 Blossom Hill Road Columbus, OH 43220-0212 San Jose, CA 95123 (614) 457-0802 (408) 224-8575 Online Services Atari Products D.A. Brumleve Seagate Technology 607 West Illinois Street 920 Disc Drive Urbana, IL 61801 Scotts Valley, CA 95066 (217) 337-0674 (800) 468-3472 High Quality Kiddie Software Hard Drive Mechanisms Debonair Software Sideline Software P.O. Box 521166 840 NW 57th Court Salt Lake City, UT 84152 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 EL CAL The Math Machine (305) 771-9035 Atari Support Products International Software Source Zephyr/STPlus SofTrek P.O. Box 1197 P.O. Box 5257 Berkeley, CA. 94701 Winter Park, FL 32793 (800) 759-1110 (407) 657-4611 Atari Support Products TurboST "The Software Blitter" Double Click Software ST Informer P.O. Box 741206 909 NW Starlite Place Houston, TX 77274 Grants Pass OR 97526 (712) 977-6520 (503) 476-0071 Software Developer Monthly Newspaper Duggan DeZign Inc. Computer Publications Unltd. 16 Oak Ridge Dr. P.O. Box 2224 West Warwick RI 02893 Arvada, CO. 80001 (401) 826-2961 (303) 423-6805 "Designs with Fun in Mind!" ST Connection Shareware Fast Technology Talon Technology P.O. Box 578 243 N. Hwy. 101, Ste 11 Amdover, MA 01810 Solana Beach, CA 92075 (508) 475-3810 (619) 792-6511 16Mhz 68000 Accelerator Supercharger IBM Emulator Gadgets by Small Zubair Interfaces 40 W. Littleton Blvd. 5243b Paramount Blvd. #210-211, Littleton, CO 80120 Lakewood CA. 90712 (303) 791-6098 (213) 408-6715 Spectre GCR MAC Emulator Ass't Atari upgrades Goldleaf Publishing, Inc. Omnimon Peripherals Inc. 700 Larkspur Landing Circle, One Tech Dr. Bldg. 1E, #301 Suite 199 Larkspur, CA 94939 Irvine, CA 92718 (415) 461-5703 (714) 753-9253 WordFlair Document Processor WuzTek Atari support products Dr. Bobware Wiz Works! 180 N. Hazeltine Avenue P.O. Box 45 Campbell, OH. 44405-1024 Girard, OH. 44420 (216) 743-4712 (216) 539-5623 MVG & Modules Graphics Image Cat - MugShot! GEnie Information Services Taylor Ridge Books 401 N. Washington Street P.O. Box 48 Rockville, MD 20850-1785 Manchester, Ct. 06040 (800) 638-9636 (203) 643-9673 Online Services Cmanship 'C' programming Hayes Microcomputer Inc. US ROBOTICS INC. 705 Westech Drive 8100 No. McCormick Blvd. Norcross, GA 30092 Skokie, IL 60076 (404) 662-7100 (800) 982-5151 Modems - TeleCom Modems-BBS Sysop Program ICD Inc. Soft Logik 1220 Rock St. 11131F S. Towne Sq. Rockford, Il. 61101-1437 St Louis, MO 63123 (815) 968-2228 (314) 894-8608 Hardware Peripherals PageStream 2.1 DTP Software Innovative Concepts (I.C.) Hybrid Arts Inc. 31172 Shawn Drive 8522 National Blvd. Warren, MI 48093 Los Angeles, CA 90232 (313) 293-0730 (213) 841-0340 Full Service Dealer Software for the Musician Mirrorsoft Ltd Supra Corp. 118 Southwark St. 1133 Commercial Way London, UK SEI OSW Albany, OR 97321 011-43-928-1454 (503) 967-9075 UK Software Dev. Modems - Hard Drives GT Software Word Perfect Corp. 12114 Kirton Avenue 1555 Technology Way Cleveland OH 44135 Orem, UT 84057 (216) 252-8255 (801) 222-5800 Sofware Dev. Word Perfect wp Paradigm Software Atari Explorer Magazine 1369 Concord Place, Suite 3-B P.O. Box 6488 Kalamazoo, MI 49009 Duluth, MN 55806 (616) 372-5972 x313 (218) 723-9202 Universal MIDI Librarian Dedicated Atari Magazine Spectrum HoloByte STR International. 2061 Challenger Dr. PO Box 6672 Alamedo, CA 94501 Jacksonville, FL 32205 (415) 522-3584 (800) 562-4037 Falcon F16 Software STReport Online Magazine ______________________________ > STReport's Editorial Page "Saying it like it is." From the Editor's Desk ---------------------- Ole St. Nick will be making the rounds a few days from now. The one thing I always enjoyed watching was the glow of anticipation on the children's faces. Undoubtedly, the warmth from their expressions is far more a delight than any roaring hearth. While all of us are enjoying the pleasantries of the holiday season, I hope we find a moment or two to consider the plight of the men, women and children caught up in the vicious cycles the economy has been taking. When one finds folks without a roof over their heads who, just a scant 6 months ago, were seemingly in relatively good shape financially speaking it gets scary .. real scary. These times remind me of the horror stories my father told me about the so-called "Great Depression". While many of us are in good shape, it would be neat if we made it our business to find a way to lighten the heavy hearts of the homeless in each of our communities. This year is unique in that there are many more families with children involved. I know, you're thinking this isn't Ralph talking, but it is. I swore to myself that I'd never allow STR to get into "real politics" but this year is a cornerstone in world history. Aside from the wars around the globe, Desert Storm, the collapse of USSR, the admitted failure of Communism and of course global warming many families in the USA will long remember being "Bushwhacked". Christmas 1991 is going to be long remembered for many things. In this household, it will mainly be remembered as a golden opportunity to begin thinking about the needs of others. Brotherly love and goodwill to all men. Try it folks... you'll find its the only way to real success. Merry Christmas to one and all, Ralph...... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STR Mail Call "...a place for folks to be heard" ============= STReport's MailBag ================== 14-DEC-1991 03:58:53.32 NEWMAIL From: BOS1A::ATARIPOWER7 To: RMARIANO CC: Subj: Tos 2.06 Would you please post a complete listing of the advantages of TOS 2.06... Of greatest interest to me is: Does it fix the Flow Control (RTS/CTS) problem? Will it directly support 1.44 meg floppies, and does it offer expanded formatting options, such as up to 83 tracks and perhaps 11, but at least 10 sectors per track? I appreciaty your help, and thanks for your great newsletter!!! ------------------ Conf : STReport Online Msg# : 17301/17305 Lines: Extended Read: 1 Sent : Dec 11, 1991 at 11:40 AM To : Bill Merik From : PAT MCDERMOTT at The SAGE BBS! Subj : Re: <17158> ST Software In reply to: - ST software is not be coming out in the quantities that stuff for the - MAC and DOS boxes (don't call 'em IBMs, less than one in five sold is - made for big blew) but it is coming out, and it's generally better and - cheaper than stuff for other OSes. Do you ever read the STReport - magazine on this base? Tucked in among all the non-Atari news and - press releases are occasional announcements about ST software. Just - look! And then please go away. We more than enough people on here who - get their kicks out of announcing their preferences to us like they're - doing us a favour. Do you think ST users I have found a way to solve that problem. I keep getting offers for good software. But it is all PC. The publishing companies are persistant, so I devised a way to get to them. I received an offer for a legal advice program last month. I sent the offer back (in its postage prepaid envelope) with a letter stating that I need their offering and would love to purchase it as soon as they come out with an ATARI ST version. They have since sent me three more offers on different software. And each time I send it back telling them I will the ATARI ST version when they publish it. Not only does it hopefully garner ATARI ST support BUT it hits the DOS and MAC only publishers right where it hurts, THE WALLET. ____________________ Item 0029156 91/12/15 02:06 From: J.RISKIN Jacob Riskin To: ST.REPORT Ralph F. Mariano Sub: Phantom Typest In your last issue of STreport (749). A user wrote about the problem with STalker and other programs that use GEM causing keyboard problem while uploading. I personally have a TT with TOS 3.01 and the bug has NOT been fixed and it gets UNBEARABLE at high speed! STalker 3.0 works great on a TT at high speed and with two modems I like being able to D/L on my HST a and call a local Chat board to talk at the same time. Unfortunately thats almost impossible to do because if you touch the mouse it loses the complete mouse messages and what you end up with is your system pinging to death or sending many ESC characters. Unfortunately I'm not sure if this even can be ever fixed. But it definately is a limitation. I would appreciate it if you brought up this issue and find out where Atari truly stands on this point. Another similar and probably related point is that ALL ST/STe/MSTe/TT computers lose time while uploading. The system time "skips beats" and that is why you will get weird looking CPS rates like 2200CPS, when the TOS only supports 19.2K which translates into 1920CPS max. (1 start bit, 1 stop, and 8 data bits = 10bits, divide 19,200/10 = 1920CPS). Please try and address these important issues. ------------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 30 Sat Dec 14, 1991 M.CARTER9 [Mac] at 23:06 EST T-Bird knows what he is talking about! ERIDDLE and I worked (past tense) for one of the biggest Atari dealers on the East Coast and have been spreading the "Word of Atari" for about 10-15 years. I finally got tired of talking to myself until I turned blue, so I did like everyone else and sold my TT030 Graphics Workstation and all other one million pieces of Atari equipment and bought and IBM. We know all the "SAD" stories from Atari, and I just got tired of defending them without getting any help form Atari to back me up. The only thing I own now is the LYNX which is doing good. I hope Atari makes it big one day, but I doubt if that day will be in my lifetime. Mac Carter @ Home ------------------- 15-DEC 01:16 8-bit Atari RE: TC8 Update? (Re: Msg 33772) From: 2LYON To: TO: DATQUE (NR) I am pleased that the chicago fest was profitable enough for you to make trans & expenses. It was pretty slow in the 8-bit room. We were wondering how you vendors did. The fest was successful in spite of many difficulties, but was not profitable for LCACE. Ask the officers in six months if they want to sponsor another Chicago Fest. Yes, I'm still a beginner 8-bitter, but it seems to be the most active sig at our monthly meetings. Lawrence Sr is a good sig sys, and most helpful to anyone. Dick. 2 Lyon. LCACE. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff The regulars and this week's contributors! ---------------- Publisher - Editor ------------------ Ralph F. Mariano PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION ----------- -------------- ------------ Robert Retelle Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON STReport Staff Editors: ----------------------- Michael Arthur Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. Dana P. Jacobson Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando Doyle C. Helms Contributing Correspondents: ---------------------------- Michael Lee Richard Covert Roger Stevens Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Ben Hamilton Neil Bradley Eric Jerue Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing James Nolan Vernon W. Smith IMPORTANT NOTICE ================ Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: Compuserve.................... 70007,4454 GEnie......................... ST.REPORT Delphi........................ RMARIANO BIX........................... RMARIANO FIDONET....................... 112/35 FNET.......................... NODE 350 NEST.......................... 90:19/350.0 ____________________________________________________________ > STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Reporting ABOUT Atari...not FOR Atari!" ===================== * "Rumors - Tidbits - Predictions - Observations - Hot Tips" * ======================================================== The Beat Goes On... Rumors coming out of Europe are not very complimentary of Sunnyvale ... seems the German subsidiary is down to a very lean crew. This move seems to have sent shock waves throughout the European Community. How extensive? Time will tell. It appears the "wizard of the telephone" is still busy at work. (this individual taught STR how to use the phone effectively) A certain mid- atlantic states dealer received a call from this "wizard" griping about an article that appeared in a particular show program. It seems this program had a few articles in it that were not very complimentary of Atari and ruffled a few feathers among the whigs at Atari. They didn't like what they read. The truth can, at times, be ugly but quite helpful. Perhaps Atari needs to rethink its objectives. If the folks out east saw things the way they wrote about them, then Atari needs to re-work its image making process. The vendettas, politics and schemes must be brought to a screeching halt before irreparable harm is done to the overall Atari Community. STReport has repeatedly offered to 'bury the hatchet' but it seems we no sooner do so then another caustic comment appears in a post somewhere. Once again, in the true spirit of cooperation and a hope of building toward the future, we offer the olive branch at this time of the year when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Time for an atta-boy! Seems a fellow needed a motherboard for his mega4, when he called Atari for one they had none. Instead they offered him an exceptional deal on a MSTE4/50. To make a long story short, Atari's Greg Pratt intervened to expedite matters, and the customer was pleased as punch with his new machine. ____________________________________________________ > A "Quotable Quote" ================== "'TIS BETTER TO REMAIN SILENT AND BE THOUGHT A FOOL.. ...THAN TO OPEN ONE'S MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT!" ....Ziggy "The Zigster" Zircon __________________________________________________________ > ABCO SPECIALS! STR InfoFile * NEW HOLIDAY Prices! MORE Products! * =========================== *** SUPER *** HOLIDAY SPECIALS! ** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! ** NOTICE: ABCO will beat or match * ANY * Invoiced price. We will NOT be undersold! ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS 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) (all cables and connectors installed) - Available for all Platforms - * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS * * ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED * * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS * -- QUANTUM: THE "ROLLS ROYCE" OF HARD DRIVES -- WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE!!! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) Deluxe 2 bay Cabinet w/65w auto-switching PS TIME PROVEN to be the most reliable! Model Description Autopark Price ================================================== SGN4951 51Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 439.00 SGN6277 65Mb 28ms 5.25" Y 469.00 SGN1096 85Mb 28ms 5.25" Y 549.00 SQN2055 105mb 12ms 3.5" Y 599.95 SQN1296 210Mb 12ms 3.5" Y 879.00 ================================================== FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAIALABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAIALABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! CPU ACCELERATOR & MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED >> ABCO proudly offers the fabulous 1040 & MEGA STe Computers << Call for ABCO's Introductory prices! ATARI COMPUTERS * STILL THE BEST VALUE! If you don't see what you want listed here, call us. Odds are, we either have it or, can get it for you! * GUARANTEED * AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE! ** 800-562-4037 ** "We service what we sell" ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCOFILE "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. --->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 645.00__ <<--- **** SCSI UNITS -> ONLY $549.00 **** WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! Cart and Utility Software Included! EXTRA CARTS: $ 74.50 DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 349.95 ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED ** $995.95.00 ** Includes: * TWO * cartridges! * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - ** 50mb SQG51S $789.00 105mb SQG105S $989.00 ** LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE ** ANNOUNCING THE NEW! -> ABCO CD-ROM! ** :Special Introductory offer: ABCO CD-ROM $389.95 (limited time only) 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) * IBM - MSDOS - AMIGA - ATARI - APPLE - MACINTOSH * ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - AT/PC SPEED - GCR LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations) *>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<* - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - Atari SLM 804, SLM 804PCV Laser Toner Kits Memorex 2108, 5287 Oasys Laserpro 5287, 5308, Express 830, Express Series II Silver Express, Gold Express ** $41.95 shipping Included ** Atari SLM 605 Laser Toner Kits AT&T 593, CAF Laser, DSI Laser, DTP Systems, Epson EPL-6000 Facit P6060, Fontx Syslaser, Harris3M 2006, M-Tally MT905 Microtek Turbo PS, OAS Laserpro Executive, Packard Bell 9500 TEC LB 1305, Toshiba PageLaser 6 ** $41.95 shipping included ** (TWO Toner Carts Incl.) Panasonic Laser Toner Kits Panasonic KX -P 400 series, Panafax UF-750 Facimile ** $41.95 shipping included ** -- ALL TONER KITS * IN STOCK * -- * Toner Starter Kits-$62.95 * * Replacement (804) Drums-$186.95 * ABCO's Replacement Toner Advantages =================================== >> MANY other ATARI related products STOCKED << ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *- (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE) WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) 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 ABCO is EXPANDING!! CALL FOR INFORMATION! GOOD NEWS! ========== ABCO Computer Consultants now has a SUPER computer goodies catalog available. Drop us a note and we will mail your copy to you! You'd be surprised at the variety of products we offer at substantial savings. Don't wait! Send for your catalog now and get the great Christmas Discount Coupons. It'll make Santa feel great about the holidays! ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS ========================= P.O. BOX 6672 Jacksonville, Florida, 32205-6672 904-783-3319 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" DECEMBER 20, 1991 16/32bit Magazine copyright 1987-91 No.7.50 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff, PCReport, STReport, AMReport, MCReport. 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 entire contents, at the time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors, contributors and/or staff are not responsible for the use/misuse of infor- mation contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""