*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" from STR Publishing """""""""""""" April 17, 1992 No.8.16 ========================================================================== 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 Support BBS Network System * THE BOUNTY ST BBS * FNET 350 ~ Fido 112:35 ~ TNET 100:2/0 904-786-4176 USR/HST 16.8 DUAL STANDARD 1200 - 19.2bps V.32 - 42 bis 16.8 FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST ----------------------------------------- FNET.. 18 ~ TNET 100:3/0: ///Turbo Board BBS Support...1-416-274-1225 FNET.. 75 ~ TNET 100:28/0 Bloom County BBS.............1-415-965-9347 FNET. 350 ~ TNET 100:2/0 The Bounty **...1-904-786-4176 FNET. 489 ~ TNET 100:20/0 Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981 FNET 1031 ~ TNET 100:1/0 <<< INTERNET - UK>>>.... 011-44-296-395-935 _____________________________________________________________________ > 04/17/92: STReport #8.16 "The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!" ------------------------- - The Editor's Desk - CPU REPORT - PORTFOLIO NEWS - MSTE Benchmarks - JRI SIMM UG - CT. Show News - BRACE UPDATES! - PURE C HERE! - NEODESK OFFER! - O. STEINMIER CONF. - TURBO BBS OFFER! - STR Confidential -* FLOW CONTROL - FIXED? *- -* EXCLUSIVE TAF EYEWITNESS REPORT *- -* SILHOUETTE 1.37 SHIPS! *- ========================================================================== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE The _Number One_ & Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, 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! ========================================================================== GENIE ~ CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ FNET ~ TNET ~ INTERNET EURONET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-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 (April 17) NEW IN ATARI VENDORS FORUM """""""""""""""""""""""""" Oxxi Software announces that registered Atari users of Superbase Personal/2 and Professional/3 can update to the latest version of the program. Please read message # 25350 for details. CodeHead Technologies announces the release of Warp 9, formerly known as Quick ST. This product has been revamped for usability, speed, compatibilty, and features. See WARP_9.TXT in Library 16, CODEHEAD SOFTWARE for a full description, availability, and ordering information. Oxxi, Inc. has acquired the Atari Product line formerly offered by Precision Software and has begun development on an upgrade to Superbase Professional. Oxxi is interested in your comments on new features for this upgrade. Please read and respond to message # 25112 in the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN), or send a message to Pat @ Oxxi at User ID number 76711,457 in Section 4 ("OXXI/Precision") of ATARIVEN. CONTEST IN APORTFOLIO """"""""""""""""""""" We are now running a NEW CONTEST for Portfolio Programmers. You can submit any program you have written, in any language, in either compiled or source form. Prizes will include free CompuServe connect time, ROM cards, and a subscription to "Take it With You." Please read message # 28538 for complete details. THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM" *********************************************************************** > ACE '92 STR SHOW NEWS ** EXCLUSIVE EYEWITNESS REPORT!! ** ===================== TORONTO ATARI FEDERATION ATARI FESTIVAL 1992 April '92 Editor Note; This overview of ACE '92 was so nice as it came in, including the cover note I decided to leave it there for all to enjoy. by Bill Devonshire CIS 73707,1656 Dear Ralph: I wanted to write to you some impressions of ACE 92, but have been extremely busy. Although almost a week has past I still feel the desire to comment on this latest Atari Exposition. I have never had the opportunity to attend any Atari functions of any size shape or diameter, and it is a real thrill to actually see, touch and test the products I have salivated over in Atari magazines for so many years. Instead of just looking and imagining what lies behind that packaging, you could get your hands on it, and actually converse with the authors or manufacturers of the devices. This is unique, having attended many IBM based conferences, shows and exhibitions, in that most of the authors of the products were actually at the show. The depth of conversation was excellent and spanned well beyond the superficial salesperson/customer interface. I enjoyed the show very much because of this one fact, but found that time flew much too quickly and left me wanting more. ACE 92 overwhelmed me with the untouched potential of the ST/TT computers. There were some very impressive hardware and software products that easily rival and out shine similar products on other platforms. Why the DOS platform ever attracted so many people to it is beyond me!! They must have used mirrors and smoke to do it. It's like a big snowball (Canadian analogy) rolling down a hill, collecting more and more people as it goes. However, at ACE it brought one thought to mind, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, some all the time but never all the people all the time". By the looks and sounds of it Atari supporters are mostly in that later category. It was interesting to see the type of people who attended ACE. There was a common thread of appearance and interest. It would seem that Atari computers appeal to the more avante garde members of society. Almost a "jazz" orientation in the world of Computers. How many people like Pop music and how many like Jazz. For the most part, a Jazz musician will not expect to make the same millions that their counter parts in Pop will. They are more concerned with the highly technical side of their profession, and strive to do more than the ordinary. Jazz-Atari! Knowing that the ST is a prime "Music" oriented computer this realization is not so astonishing, however there would appear to be a common thread of artistry and the search for the unique and obscure in the Atari supporter. I am so glad to see Atari out in force, supporting their machines and tantalizing us with the future. Before I get into this topic I would like to comment on a few things about the dealers and products that really caught my attention. This is not in order of importance or likes or dislikes but rather my routing through all the literature and brochures I picked up and taking it as it comes: Gadgets: the SST ----------------- What a dynamite product! but unfortunately too expensive for me. Watching the SST animate screen images into a blur was exciting. I am an ST/e owner and can only oooh and aaaaah at the SST. Not only is it too big for my pocket book but its also too big for my machine, and I'd have to either find a new home for my ST or find a new home for the SST (a Mega). For those who have the cash and the machine to accommodate it I have one thing to say "I'm envious". Gemulator: the Atari ST emulator for MS-DOS and Windows -------------------------------------------------------- The Gemulator is a neat idea but will never find its full potential under the guidance of Darek. I had great anticipation when I went to see this "gem" and looked forward to chatting with Darek about his latest idea. It might have been that way if Darek hadn't of been so defensive and argumentative. It was apparent that he has had a rough time in the Atari community, and may have faced a deluge before I stumbled (literally) into his booth. He was running the Gemulator on a 486. Neat idea but who wants to spend $500.00 bucks to put something you already have into another machine? Well, when you "upgrade" to a PC you won't have to loose your present software investment? Sounds good, but, even if I did buy a PC I'd still have my ST (or is someone offering trade in's to "upgrade"). If I did buy a PC, wouldn't that $500.00 go a long way outfitting my new machine with software? The Gemulator does not support any of the hardware potential of the PC, no VDI drivers to use Super VGA or whatever else may come along. If developed a little more (but I doubt if it will) it may attract my attention, until then, nice try. Hyperlink - excellent product. Very well presented! ---------------------------------------------------- Every known size and shape of ST was represented in this booth, displaying the prowess of Hyperlink. Especially on the TT hires it was exceptional. I can think of several applications for HL that will spin a few PC contemptible heads. Nice work, very flexible and easy to use. (even Linda liked it!) Lynx - better than I thought it would be. ---------------------------------------- I had never tried one, but next to the display of Lexicor's 24 bit color board was an active Lynx setup. After pulverizing my racing car several times, I put it back down and headed out to look at more goodies. As far as hand-held video games go, I liked it. Crazy Dots - really nice product, but it brought up the same feelings as the SST, too expensive and won't work on my STe. OH well. Its nice to see this card out, and if I had a Mega I'd be real happy, but my pockets are too deep to reach the coin levels required to make this a reality. For those that have one - "enjoy". Neo Desk 3.0 - far exceeded my expectations ------------------------------------------- This is a great software package. I had to see it to believe it. Anyone with a hard drive shouldn't be without it. Neodesk helps bypass all the inflexibilities of standard desktop operations and makes the Computer an easy to use tool. It really does make applications no more than a click away. For the non-technically inclined, a definite shoe-in. PC's and MAC's eat your heart out on this one. Cyrel Sunrise - the M16-1280 has been rumored for some time now --------------------------------------------------------------- I have called and talked to the developers several times throughout the year to see how things are going. At first I thought "How can these guys develope this extremely powerful and expensive product for the ST line?" What market do they have? The fact that Atari equipped their latest machines with VME is very significant. The VME bus is "big", and presently supports a very large market (and a market that is quickly expanding). Their system was breath-taking. It rivals anything I have seen yet on any platform, even the Video toaster (it makes the VT look like a bun warmer). Fast, crisp, clean and clear are the words that come to mind describing the video output of this "Cube". It's expensive but for its intended market and class, quite low priced. Actually lower cost than the Video Toaster. GramSlam - helps with having 5 school aged kids ----------------------------------------------- Linda and I are kept pacing back and forth between schools trying to maintain some stability for our kids in this presently crumbling educational system. More and more we are looking towards new ways to approach the education of our kids, including home schooling. GramSlam and its cohort Grammar Expert meet all our criteria for "Educational" software. In a society where spelling and grammar are taking a beating.. thank you Phil Comeau Software for a step in the right direction. ADspeed - I love this accelerator --------------------------------- Not only does it fit my pocket book, it also fits in my STe, and for $32 lets me math coprocessor myself to oblivion. This is a nice product, developed more for the affordable ST crowd. The acceleration is obvious on screen, easy to install, easy to use, speed switchable and (reportedly) 100% compatible. Nice product! With Math copro it comes in at about $325 Canadian. D.A. Brumleve - Good Stuff! --------------------------- Everything we said about GramSlam above goes double for these products. Friendly and informative presentation of a very solid product line impressed Linda and I. Multi-Play, KidPainter, KidPublisher Pro (and Dot to Dot) are very well designed educational games, that really do interest our kids. Even the smallest in our troop (Willy and Katie - 2 and 3) will sit and play with the ST for hours. (on rainy days of course). Thank you for your unique software. Tiny Turbo - can't say enough good things about this one -------------------------------------------------------- Excellent hardware product! The price is still too high for me but if I squeeze hard enough and earn my allowance, I just might be able to get one, and YES it will fit inside my STe. Please keep the price down!! (I know, I know it cost lots to develop). Well at least it is within the edge of my reach. Set your ST on fire with this one. Well, that's just a few of the goodies. The large TT monitors are nice. 19" does make a difference. I had never set eyes on a TT before until this show, I hope they become a little more popular. Its a very solid machine, and mostly downward compatible with lots of flexibility for upgrading. The TT will probably make its big hit in the Music area and then turn DTP on its head. I would like to get one but (that's right) its too pricey yet. Compared to a MAC its cheap, but to a 386DX - expensive. When it drops down (will it?) I'll get one. The rumored machines may divert me, but then I like the VME port concept. If I learned anything at all from ACE, it was that it is imperative to get out to these shows and get hands on with the various products. I hope it was financially successful enough to warrant another show real soon. If you are close enough to attend one, please do. Thanks alot to TAF for all the organization (and I'll be signing up very soon). The new version of Flash is great. Missionware seems to have taken their name seriously and they have produced a very satisfying upgrade to old Flash 1.6. I didn't get a chance to test Warp 9 (and forgot my disk for upgrade) but I'll be sending out for the upgrade. One last thing: with all the talk about how the ST line is failing, don't believe it. Life is change, nothing stays the same, and so it is with the ST. Version 1.0 becomes version 2.0. 512 colors becomes 4096, 320x200 becomes 640x480x256. Tos 1.0 becomes Tos 3.0. Get what you need, use what you have to its fullest, and if you can afford what you need then get it. You should have seen the screens on that 24 bit color Leonardo board from Lexicor, Lee Seiler put together some true color graphics that would curl your hair,.... Loved it!! *********************************************************************** :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. AK, HI, No. CA, Northwest US - Possible Outage 4/18/92....... 2. Today is a GEnie Holiday..................................... 3. San Angelo, TX - Access Number Change........................*PHONE 4. Get into the Spring spirit...hop along with EASTER.BUNNY.....*BUNNY 5. Ferries will get you to HALIFAX-but GEnie's got a LOCAL #....*PHONE 6. Astronomy vs. Astrology -- Astro-Mania RTC...................SPACE 7. Sun enters TAURUS, and now you can really depend on the......STARS 8. Copyright Online: Expert Gerry Elman 4/19 9pm RTC in.........PF 9. LIVE Reports from UAC '92, 04/16-21/92 ......................ASTROLOGY 10. Order MICROSOFT WINDOWS 3.1 or WINDOWS 3.1 Upgrade...........EXPRESS 11. GNU GNU GNU: Unix Help Desk now available in Chat Lines.....UNIX 12. Easter Bunny visits adult space fantasy with prizes..........FED 13. $AVE on Monthly Values at....................................SEARS 14. Find EASTER/SEDER recipes this week in.......................*FOOD 15. Hot games, big fun, huge value - new for April...............SOFTCLUB Welcome ****** ******** ** ** ** To the ** ** ** ** ** GEnie ****** ** ST ** ** ** ATARI ** ** Roundtable ** ** ** ****** ** ** ** ** *** ** *** The Official Online Resource of Atari Corporation *** ** *** *********************************************************************** Regular Open Conference every Wednesday night, 10PM EDT, 7PM PDT DTP conference every Monday at 10PM eastern in room 3. New Files in Your Library No. File Name Address Description ----- ------------ ----------- ------------------------------------- 23746 PUREC.TXT GRIBNIF At long last...PURE C! 23745 NEO_SALE.TXT GRIBNIF NeoDesk 3 now HALF PRICE! 23744 MIST_IV.LZH D.WARD10 MIST Atari Fest IV information. 23743 OCRRVEW.LZH W.PIKE Review of Migraph OCR 23742 STWEL47.LZH B.NOONAN ST Writer Elite v.4.7 Word Processor 23740 TGATOSPC.LZH J.STANFORD2 Targa to Spectrum picture converter 23735 NCAE_PRS.ASC M.WARNER8 NORTHERN CALIF ATARI EXPO 23734 DAREK.GIF BRUCENELSON Gif of Darek Mihocka 23732 REHBOCK.GIF BRUCENELSON Gif of Bob Rehbock 23731 TROY.GIF BRUCENELSON Gif of David Troy 23730 JOHNSON.GIF BRUCENELSON Gif of Charles F. Johnson 23726 CAL62B.LZH V.PATRICELL1 Cal 6.2b calendar accessory update. 23725 BOOTYME2.ARC D.SIMPSON7 Latest version of BootTyme. 23724 BOOTYME2.TXT D.SIMPSON7 New features of BootTyme II. 23720 MENUMK22.LZH GRMEYER MenuMaker v2.2 for GFA programs 23719 DL_TOTAL.LZH GRMEYER Totals DL's for QuickBBS 23718 A_CRUNCH.LZH GRMEYER Auto Crunch util for QuickBBS 23717 MKFBBS25.LZH GRMEYER Make Files.BBS v2.5 for QuickBBS 23713 DARLAH.GIF BRUCENELSON Gif of Darlah & Charlie Townsley 23708 JOUTE.LZH O.OKTAL 2 Players tank color game (ST,TT) 23707 UISTITLE.ARC RANDYB Pass Title to UIS3 from GFA Basic 23705 PATCH201.ARC JMGSOFT Patch to HyperLINK 2.01 23704 GS231UPD.ZOO B.ZAWALSKI1 GS 2.3 REVISION 3/31/92 23703 HDINFO16.LZH M.MAXEY RENAMES HARDRIVE ICONS /W DISK SPACE 23702 OMEGA.ZOO J.ROY18 Omega version 2.01 23700 MINT094S.ZOO J.ROY18 MiNT 0.94 source code. Don't forget to look for bargains in the For Sale/Wanted Library (26) Sale/Wanted is also available in the Bulletin Board Category 27. Looking for an old message? Miss an RTC? Need an answer? Check out the Atari Archives in Library 13. GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission *********************************************************************** > The Flip Side STR Feature ".... a different viewpoint..." ========================= A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT ================================== by Michael Lee ---------------- From Rich Tietjens at The Conqueror Connection - From the STReport FNet Conference... I received my Mega 2 STe on Friday, 3 April, 1992, and wanted to try to find the relative speeds of the various possible configurations. Using NBM (NBM - The Ness Benchmark, v1.2, by J. Ness), I ran a series of tests to determine how the Mega STe stands up to the "old Atari ST line. Here are my findings: Test Name Test Number Math Routines 1 Memory fetch/store 2 Dialog box draw 3 Floppy read/write 4 Other Drive read/write 6 Graphics 7 Config 1: 16Mhz, cache on, Blitter on, QSTe 3 on Config 2: 16Mhz, cache on, Blitter off, QSTe 3 on Config 3: 16Mhz, cache on, Blitter on, QSTe 3 off Config 4: 16Mhz, cache off, Blitter off, QSTe 3 off Test Config 1 Config 2 Config 3 Config 4 1 9.03 182% 9.05 181% 9.11 180% 14.75 111% 2 10.44 154% 10.43 154% 10.47 154% 14.47 111% 3 10.46 462% 9.71 497% 19.23 251% 31.45 153% 4 44.41 162% no significant variation in any configuration 5 16.28 92% no significant variation in any configuration 6 28.75 278% 27.44 292% 59.57 134% 13.53 70% Config 5: 16Mhz, cache off, Blitter on, QSTe 3 off Config 6: 16Mhz, cache on, Blitter on, Turbo ST 1.6 on Config 7: 16Mhz, cache on, Blitter off, Turbo ST 1.6 on Config 8: 16Mhz, cache on, Blitter on, QSTe 3 on, Turbo ST 1.6 on Test Config 5 Config 6 Config 7 Config 8 1 9.03 182% 8.99 183% 9.00 183% 9.02 182% 2 10.44 154% 10.42 154% 10.42 154% 10.44 154% 3 10.46 462% 12.67 381% 12.92 374% 11.59 417% 4 44.41 162% 67.36 107% 67.54 107% 67.56 107% 5 16.28 92% 18.12 82% 18.08 82% 18.33 81% 6 28.75 278% 58.58 136% 64.53 124% 28.88 277% All results are in seconds, with a percentage of the speed of a plain- vanilla 520ST, 8Mhz, machine as the baseline. Conclusions: 1. The Mega STe is capable of speed ranging from about 130% to 250 of the ST, depending on the operation, without any extra software. Re- asonable expectation would be an average of 150% in normal operation. 2. Running Quick STe 3.04 with the Blitter increases performance dramatically, and in the artifical environment of the benchmark program, Quick ST is actually a little faster with the Blitter turn off. Subjective performance is unaffected by the Blitter, however, because Quick ST is so much faster than the built-in routines that the Blitter is not noticed, regardless if it is on or off. 3. Turbo ST affects only Dialog Box Draw. It is not effective in combination with Quick STe, and in fact seems to slow graphics some- what, as compared to what QSTe can do alone. In addition to the above tests, I have tried some software for com- patability. Most of the normal programs (not copy-protected) run as usual; a few act inconsistently, and some will not fully function, if they work at all, on the Mega STe. Examples: All of my shareware games work as expected (although quite a bit faster than before). MegaTraveller 1 ran from Hard Disk once; afterward, I was forced to set up a boot floppy in order to get into the program. However, the 1.44 meg floppy makes that less onerous than it seems, since both of the DSDD disks that come with MT1 will fit on the single 1.44 ;-) ! Also, today it ran from the HD again, so apparently it was a software conflict with a DA or AUTO folder program. Days of Thunder would run the soundtrack, but the screen became a green "snow" pattern, and the game would go no further. R-Type will run, but your ship and all objects on the screen except stars and shots are invisible. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the Mega 2 STe. It is attractive to the eye, and provides an excellent value for the cost. Performance is improved over my old 520ST, and far superior to the Zenith AT clone I am forced to use at the office. Rich Tietjens "Captain Blade" ---------------- From A.BITTON1 - Cat. 9, Topic 28, Msg. 104 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... ...I got a list of upcoming ST Releases from Paul Moodie, marketing director at Microprose UK, and it lists 2 Spectrum Holobyte titles: SuperTetris (April '92) Crisis In The Kremlin (May '92). I read in several mags that Specrum had signed with Microprose UK after the demise of Mirrorsoft. This clinches it. ---------------- Comments about the Princeton Ultra 1400 monitor - Cat. 4, Topic 34, Msgs 77, 83-84 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... From Rob Glover... I got the latest Damark catalog yesterday, and saw the Princeton Ultra 1400 monitor advertised for $389. According to Damark Technical Dept., the freq. range is 15-36.5KHz, and the refresh rate is 45-120Hz, which is suited to the ST. I seem to remember someone else talking about this monitor a while back, so I hope I haven't repeated anything. Also, they didn't know if the monitor has setting memory, so you don't have to keep fooling with the adjustments when you change resolutions. If it doesn't, I guess it would best compare to the Acer monitor. Does anyone know how well it compares to the Acer? Answer from Mike Drysdale (Team Computers)... The Princeton is excellent. And the Damark price is below dealer cost. (How the **** can they DO that!) :-( Comments from Joe Ceklosky... I am also interested in the Princeton Ultra 1400 monitor. I know that it will work on the ST, but have also been trying to get input on it. That is a great price on the monitor!!! I saw it for $475 in Computer Shopper. ---------------- From VANDENHEUVEL - Cat. 9, Topic 47, Msg. 106 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Bad news all. The news from OCEAN is that EPIC has been put back several weeks. It won't be out for about a month. This is the line I got from my distributor, who in turn got it from his sales rep at OCEAN. Oh well, we've waited this long...maybe they're making it even better. ---------------- Comments about LEGEND from John Hoffman - Cat. 9, Topic 26, Msg. 1 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Legend is a new fantasy role playing game. The game system is generally 3D isometric. The game is played by manipulating four charaters through various dungeons. Dungeons are located in various Cities, Keeps, and Castles. Evil minions are constantly attacking cities, friendly troups, or characters as they travel cross country. Legend features real-time animated monsters, unique magic system, and dungeon master type puzzles. This is an excellent game. ---------------- From Alan Hamilton (Starfall Software) - Cat. 4, Topic 4, Msg. 99 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... I just installed a board from JRI that uses 1meg SIMMS. The SIMMS can be had for about $40 each (check your local computer dealers, or look through COMPUTER SHOPPER -- either 8 bit (Macintosh) or 9 bit (IBM) will work). The board itself was $120 from JRI, plus $12 shipping, COD, and 2nd day delivery charges. Use of the board avoids the need for chip stacking and other tricky stuff. You can't just remove the 256k chips and put in 1meg chips. The 1meg chips have extra address lines that must be connected. Further- more, I shudder at the thought of unsoldering 16 (512k) or 32 (1meg) 256k chips. At 16 pins each, that's 256 or 512 connections. The installation requires clipping a few resistors (to disable the motherboard memory), unless you are going to 2.5meg rather than 4 meg. In that case, the 512k becomes the .5meg. The instruction sheet notes that on a few 520STs (motherboard Revisions 2, 2A, A, B, and C) two traces must be cut for a 4meg installation, since those models don't have the resistors. The other connections are: seven wires soldered to various points on the motherboard, power and ground connections, a cable plugged into the video shifter socket, and a header piggybacked onto one of the motherboard RAM chips. If you have clipped any resistors or traces, one side of them has to be connnected to +5v to deativate the old RAM. The memory options for a 520ST are 2meg, 2.5meg, or 4meg. The 2meg option is pointless, since that's just the 2.5meg with the motherboard RAM disabled. The 2.5meg option uses 2 1meg SIMMs, and the 512k on the motherboard. The 4meg uses 4 1meg SIMMs, and the motherboard RAM is disabled. I installed the 4meg option into my 1040STf, and it's worked great. No bombs or problems at all. On the 1040STf, at least, the board will fit underneath the RF shield. BTW, it's normal for programs to take much longer to load with more memory. Download Charles F. Johnson's PINHEAD to fix this (see CAT 32, TOP 17). The only real advantage of chip stacking over using the daughterboard is saving the $137 it cost me to get the board. OTOH, the chip stacking involves *much* more soldering. If you're comfortable doing this, find. I myself am not. There are also solderless boards, but I've heard bad things about them. They all have to use some sort of wonky method to disrupt the MMU connections, since you aren't clipping any resistors. I've heard lots of stories about bad connections from these schemes. ---------------- About DBman from Jeff Wisniewsk - Cat. 6, Topic 16, Msg. 69 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... NOTE to all users who have upgraded to the latest version of DBman, I was talking to them today and they said that they have found some major bugs and are recalling all upgrades that they have sent out. They also said that the fixed version will ship at the end of the month. ---------------- Looking for a good, quiet and inexpensive fan for your hard drive? WALLY has some help for you - Cat. 4, Topic 39, Msg. 61 - from the ST Round- table on Genie... ...I've got this little RS (RatShak) fan (Cat. No. 273-243b) hooked up to my 1040STe, and it does a nice job (quietly) at 6vdc. It is rated at 12vdc, .16A, 1.9W (but I run it at 6 volts). Even at 12 volts it was a bit more quiet than the Hurricane-fan in my HD. I paid $18.00 for this fan (and that is the Sitka, Alaska, price). Also, it is the _standard_ (?) 3 1/8" square. ---------------- From Paul Wu (Omnimon Peripherials) - Cat. 4, Topic 12, Msg. 20 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... **** ATTENTION ***** If you are using GENWAVE with the DEKA, you may find that the hardware key does not work. Don't panic! there is a very easy fix and it is very similar to the resister fix we had posted here some messages back. Just connect the same type of resisters to pin number 11, 13, 15, and 17 of IC2 to pin 20 (VCC). This should also work with any hardware key device that hooks up to the joystick port. Again, if you feel uncomfortable doing the mods yourself, you can always send it back to us and we'll do it for you free of charge. However, please call first to get an RMA#. Our phone number again is (714) 753-9253 and our new business hours are M/W/F 10:00am-4:00pm Tues/Thu 10:00am-3:00pm ---------------- From D.FINCH7 - Cat. 11, Topic 14, Msg. 12 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... ATARI USERS ANNOUNCE UPCOMING SHOW Local Atari computer user groups are joining forces to stage a two-day computer show later this year in Hartford, Conn. An umbrella organization representing Atari users in Fairfield County and the Danbury and New Haven regions has announced dates and site for Connecticut AtariFest '92. The event is scheduled for August 15 and 16, 1992 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Conn. The show is being sponsored by the ACT Group [Affiliated Connecticut (CT) Groups], an umbrella organization comprised of these Atari user groups: F.A.C.E. (Fairfield County) S.T.A.R.R. (New Haven area) D-BUG (Danbury area) To date, the following exhibitors have agreed to participate in Connecticut AtariFest '92: Atari Computer Corporation, Atari Explorer magazine, the Boston Computer Society, GEnie, Gribnif Software, GFA Basic, Joppa Computer Products, Sam Ash Music Inc., Step Ahead Software, Soft-Logik-Publishing, Tidbit Software, Toad Computers, and ICD Inc. Organizers say the show will showcase the latest Atari products and services, and will include seminars on desktop publishing and video production, hands-on instruction from manufacturers and software developers, MIDI demonstrations, giveaways, a swap room and much more. For more information about attending or exhibiting at Connecticut AtariFest '92, contact Brian Gockley, chairman, 18 Elmwood Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 [Phone (203) 332-1721]. ---------------- Some interesting comments about Atari and the Midi market from John J. (Atari Explorer) - Cat. 14, Topic 3, Msg. 31 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Mike: WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! "Flashy advertising sells!" ... not true. Musicians are notoriously immune to flashy endorsements, because 1) they don't make a lotta- lotta money to spend on stuff that Paula Abdul likes, and 2) They're smart enough to know that what's going to grab an A&R person's interest is musical quality -- NOT "what kinda system I own." In other words, this guy's future is wrapped up in PERFORMANCE SPECS and PRICE. NOT "Elton John uses my system." This was confirmed, five minutes ago, when I got off the phone with Alan Garvey, manager of PMC ("Dangerous on the Dance Floor" -- #1 RAP single NYC Jan/Feb '92), who says to me: "John, we need to do business. The boyz are *sick* of these Macs. I'll send you a report on PMC and my other new acts, and let's talk." Nice guy, Alan Garvey. Smart guy. Making money. In music. Shortly with Atari systems, I'm forced to assume. I mean, if the sale walks in the door, and holds out the money, I should refuse? (Grin) As far as advertising goes, my ex-from-France-girlfriend told him to call me. As far as I know, Atari didn't have to pay her anything. (grin) To SM [Music<>MIDI]: The point is, we're NOT starstruck. Frankly, anybody who thinks Mick Fleetwood is still a star ought to listen to the radio more. We're NOT that impressed with triple-plat (I mean, Madonna uses Atari systems, okay?), because triple-plat is only 20 systems, worldwide. What we're impressed with is the idea that there are FIVE music markets, out there, from largest to smallest: 1) People who want to learn to play an instrument. By pushing MIDI- based Atari ST music solutions on these people, we're saving them megabucks and giving them the BEST training tools on the market. 2) Serious working musicians. I'm talking weddings and Bar Mitzvah's, here. VERY price-performance sensitive. You make $20,000/year working six nights a week, you ain't into digital on a Macintosh platform. You're into "the ST plays the accordion parts, and I play the keyboard parts." 3) People about to break. See above. Money is still a problem, but we're talking image, now, so the PERFORMANCE aspect of Atari systems is still attractive. Let's face it ... Apple doesn't HAVE a reliable, cheap, four-track digital system for under $5,000. Warner A&R *will* notice. 4) Stars. These people only care if their lives are made easier. Atari systems make their lives easier. They make better MUSIC. Currently, Atari's marketing plans for the music market depends on advertising to attract groups one and two, and personal contacts to attract groups three and four. It's WORKING. PMC's manager JUST CALLED ME. My advice is: wait until the stats are in, but don't bet the farm on Apple. If you aren't Billy Joel, you can't afford it. To OUTRIDER: The thing is, Atari can GET endorsements. You think Peabo Bryson ("Beauty and the Beast," #1-selling album on Billboard's R&B charts, October '91 "Can you Stop the Rain") was PAID to tell me what he told me in the February issue of Explorer? Bryson's people call me every two weeks to ask WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR ATARI! We're talking "brand loyalty," here. Okay, Peabo wants a four-meg ST Book, but still. Don't YOU? *I* sure do. (grin) ---------------- Until next week..... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International Online Magazine is available every week in the ST Advantage on DELPHI. STReport readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of the friendly community of Atari enthusiasts there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN -- DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's Basic Plan offers access for only $6.00 per hour, for any baud rate. The $5.95 monthly fee includes your first hour online. If you spend more than 200 minutes online a month, you'll save money by enrolling in DELPHI's optional 20/20 Advantage Plan. You'll enjoy up to 20 hours online each month for the ridiculously low price of just $20.00! And if you go over that 20 hours, the rate goes up to only $1.20, still 1/5th the price of other services. There is no signup fee for joining the Basic Plan. There is a fee of $39 when you join the 20/20 Advantage Plan, a one-time $19 signup fee and your first month's $20 fee. These connect rates apply for access via Tymnet or SprintNet (within the continental United States) during home time (7 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays and all day weekends) or via direct dial around the clock. Telecom surcharges apply for daytime or international access via Tymnet or SprintNet. See Using DELPHI online for detailed information on telecom surcharges. For more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005 DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass. DELPHI- It's getting better all the time! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > DELPHI ONLINE STR OnLine ** OLIVER STEINMEIER CONFERENCE ** ======================== Transcript of a formal Conference, held Tuesday, April 14, 1992. SPECIAL GUEST - OLIVER STEINMEIER +++++++++++++++ .Gordie> First, let me welcome Oliver to DELPHI. We tried to get him to join us for a formal Conference last year, but couldn't find a date he hadn't already committed elsewhere. So, when we found out he was going to be In the USA this spring, we wisely got him lined up well ahead of time. For those of you who don't know who Oliver is, let me tell you just a bit about him. Oliver lives in Karlsruhe, Germany and is an active Atari owner there. He somehow manages to write 20 pages for the German magazine ATARI JOURNAL each month. He has also written or co-authored more than 16 computer oriented books, is one of the co-developers of KBS (an cross-platform operating system of some kind), did the translation of DC's DataDiet for the German market, and has reviewed all three MC68030 boards for the ST that are available (SST, Turbo 030, Hypercache 030). And, most recently, he had a chance to put MultiTOS through its paces, and wrote a review of what he found for Atari Journal. Oliver, do you have any opening comments you'd like to make? .Oliver> Hi folks, it's nice to be here! This is my first conference, not only the first I attend on this side but also the first I see live in action at all... So please excuse any problems that I might cause here! It's all my fault :-) .Gordie> I'll start it out by asking if you have any observations on how Atari is doing in Europe. ga .Oliver> Atari in Europe? Well, I have no idea what Atari is doing in other countries but Germany. Back home in Germany they are not as strong as they used to be, but compared to here it's still a big market. Well, I know, this answer isn't full of details, but what exactly do you want to know? GA .Gordie> Can developers still make enough money to stay in business in Germany? ga .Oliver> Yes, they can, if their products are good, and if their products are needed. Actually there are still new companies getting on the market with new ideas and products. GA .Gordie> Thanks. .Jerry> What is MultiTOS??? I never heard of it before. GA .Oliver> Good question. MultiTOS is supposed to be a new operating system for the Atari 680xx line that allows the use of more than one program at a time (i.e. multitasking). GA. .Dana@STReport> Could you elaborate on that a little more, Oliver? GA .Oliver> Okay Dana, as you probably know there are operating systems that allow the use of only one program at a time. TOS/GEM used to be something like that (let's forget about ACCs). Then there are operating systems that have multitasking capabilities. For the ST there have been systems like OS/9 and Minix on the market for quite a while already. The thing is, though, that they wouldn't allow the use of your favorite GEM word processor or any other software you used to use. MultiTOS now allows the use of more than one GEM program at a time, i.e. wwhile you are writing a letter using xyz-word you can have your C-compiler doing some work for you. GA. .Gordie> Okay, Dana did you have an 'official' question? .Dana@STReport> yep... A 2-parter, of sorts... How do you view Atari Germany's response to the users in Germany compared to what you hear about the U.S.? ...and 2) Could one learn something from the other to improve their image? GA .Oliver> I don't see that Atari Germany is doing what users want them to do. There have been delays in shipments lately, so TT's weren't available, for example. The Book wasn't available when I left Germany, it was said that it would be in the stores in April, though, so I'm looking forward to see if they kept that promise this time. There isn't really a dialog between Atari users and Atari going on in Germany, one reason might be that online services aren't as important as they are here. The print magazines are pretty important, though, and they have been criticizing Atari lately. Now that the Falcon /030 has been shown to selected developers and press representatives there is some hope that something is gonna change. GA. .Dana@STReport> So what's the reason behind the massive turnout at shows like CeBIT and others in Germany? Are that many more Atari users there than here? GA .Oliver> Yes, there are a lot more ST users in Germany than here. And it's no problem at all, for example, to find 'the friendly neighborhood Atari dealer'. In Karlsruhe, for example, there are 5 or 6 dealers who sell Atari computers or related products. Karlsruhe is about 250,000 people. GA. .Bryan> Is DC Data Diet very popular in Germany? Is the magazine you work for very popular? What kind of Atari system do you own and use? And, lastly, is the LYNX hand-held game system very popular? GA .Oliver> DC Data Diet is brand new on the German market. I translated the manual, and the program came out at CeBIT about a month ago. There were a lot of people at the Artifex table showing interest in the program. There are four ST magazines currently on the German market. We (Atari Journal, sorry :-) started as a magazine that focused mainly on the public domain market. Since last fall we are a full blown magazine, and people like us. The Lynx? It's a good toy, I don't have one, though. The Game Boy is selling a lot better, though. They even have radio commercials for games... I still use my old 520ST+ (bought in 1986) with 2.5 MB, monochrome screen, and 240 MB hard disk space. GA. .Hudson> Oliver, welcome to Massachusetts! Two questions.. Is your "journal" available in the U.S.? How sophisticated was MULTITOS? Was it on the same lines as Multifinder, or more like what the Amiga runs? .Oliver> Atari Journal is not available in the US, but you can subscribe to it, if you want. It's in German, though. As for MultiTOS, we got a betatest version of MultiTOS, which I reviewed for Atari Journal. I haven't had the chance to make any detailed tests, but from what I saw I can tell you that it seems to be a major improvement - as soon as it comes out... It still has bugs, and lots of programs don't like it, because they are not expecting other programs to run at the same time, but once it is out on the market the developers should have updates ready. GA. .Hudson> Thanx,GA .Paul P.> This is gonna be kinda lengthy...sorry. You mentioned that there are still new companies getting on the market with new ideas. How will that sit with us older ATARIANS (ST users pre-1985)? Seems as though some overseas software either locks up my keyboard and/or monitor goes heywire. Will this be corrected when they are imported to here in the USA or will we have to upgrade to the next generation ATARI system?? Thanks! (GA) .Oliver> What problems are you having? .Paul P.> The monitor flickers occasionally upon boot up and sometimes the keyboard locks up too. As far as specific programs, I can't remember their names. Sorry to say I sold them to a friend with an STe and he had no problems. Sorry I can't be more specific. ga .Oliver> And that happened with European programs only? I have no clue what that might come from. As I said I'm still using my old 520ST+, and it works fine. One general problem for German/European companies is, though, that the US market isn't as big as the one at home, so they sometimes aren't sure whether it's worth it to make special versions for overseas. GA. .Paul P.> Oh! well, maybe cause of TOS 1.0? Thanx for the help. I will still save for the FALCON (dedicated ATARIAN on board) ehehehe! Thanx! .Oliver> Yes, TOS 1.0 might be the reason. Get yourself something nice, TOS 2.06, for example :-) GA. .Paul P.> Thank you! .Vic> How does multitos differ from multigem, another multi tasking product we have over here in the states? They both seem to access the programs running via the desk accessory area on the desk top. GA .Oliver> I have reviewed/tested both products. Both seem to be similar, since they both list processes in the 'Desk' menu, but internally they are totally different. As you might know MultiGEM only allows the use of up to 6 processes. MultiTOS has no limit (except for the RAM limitations, of course). Also, MultiTOS has something like a round- robin scheduler that gives each process a certain amount of CPU time according to its priority. MultiGEM doesn't have something like that, but uses GEM calls to switch processes. If one of the tasks doesn't call operating system functions frequently (like ARC) the multitasking doesn't really work, because the other processes don't get the chance to do their work. There will be a new version of MultiGEM coming out soon. It's called MultiGEM II (what a surprise :-). There is also a product called Mag!x That seems to be similar to MultiGEM. GA. .Vic> chuckle :) thank you. GA .Gordie> We're also going to be trying something new this time. Oliver, being the generous guy he is, has offered to provide some door prizes that we will be giving away through the course of the Conference. How we award those prizes is still in the air. One option is a straight random drawing, where pure luck will be the deciding factor. That's the easy one. Our other option is asking a trivia question, and giving the prize to the first correct answer that we get. That method is a little trickier, and requires one simple rule. If we ask a trivia question, everyone should type in their answer, but NOT press the return key, until I give the proper signal, which will look something like this: .Gordie says HIT RETURN NOW! That will give everyone an equal chance at having their answer appear first, with no handicap for slow typing abilities. Any answer that 'jumps the gun' will be disqualified, by the way, even if it's correct. We want it to be fair for everyone, so please abide by that one simple rule. Our first drawing will be a random drawing, and we'll save the bigger prize for later on. The first prize is a program called ST Guide, by the way. Oliver, can you briefly describe it? .Oliver> When I was invited to this conference (and told about the door prize I'd have to bring :-) I thought that it would be hard to find a German program that is a) unknown here, or at least not available, and b) Useful for someone who doesn't speak German. I found a program called ST Guide, which is a useful tool for people who want to create or organize an online help system. It is said to be similar to PC programs such as Norton Guide. A text file can be turned into a help file that then can be used from the ST Guide accessory. The program is useful for shareware authors, for example, who would like to provide a help system with their program (there is a freeware version coming with it!). And the best thing about ST Guide is that I could get an English version with English docs from the developer. GA. .Gordie> I'll do a quick /who to get a list of who's here, then have DELPHI pick a random number to decide which person will receive the program. Hang on a sec... And the winning number is... 11. Steve, that's you! .Kevin> Yay! .Paul P.> Right on Steve!! .Gordie> How did I get there? I had DELPHI roll a 17 sided die and Steve was the number 11 person on the list of who's here. Steve, send me your mailing address in e-mail, and I'll get it to Oliver. .Oliver> Congrats, Steve! I don't have the program right here (didn't feel like carrying it through the US...), but send me your address, and it's on the way as soon as I get back home (May). GA. .Kevin> Sounds like Atari U.S! Just kidding! .Steve> Thanks!! .Gordie> Okay. That out of the way, we'll continue with the questions. Jerry, you want to try again? .Jerry> In Gordie's opening statement about you writing for a Journal... Q - Are you like a Bata tester EX...MultiTOS... And are there some NEW items in the horizon that the general public don't know about? .Oliver> If the public doesn't know about it then there is a reason for that :-) Have you heard about Pure Pascal, the new Pascal compiler from Application Systems, that is supposed to be compatible to Turbo Pascal (and even faster than Pure C)? .Jerry> No. .Oliver> Okay, Pure Pascal was shown at CeBIT, and it will come out soon. It has been developed by the same people who already swept the C market with Pure C... (which used to be called Turbo C). ga .Jerry> Another Q -> Do you know if & when some of these software eople will write the software to operate for 60 hrz instead of 50 hrz? 60 hrz is the USA norm. .Oliver> You talk about games, right? I'm not interested in games at all :-( no time for that... .Jerry> Some of these are games and some utilities....The DEMOS .Oliver> Well, it's the problem that I mentioned earlier. Some companies just don't see chances on the market here... GA. .Gordie> Jerry, anything that doesn't autoboot can be run after using one of the various programs that change the rates. .Jerry> I've tried that AND they reset to 50 hrz. I have TOS 1.4. .Gordie> Oh, well, I don't know what to tell you then. E-mail me the names, and I'll see if I can find anything out. .Oliver> Bad habit :-) There are lots of people in Germany who also use the 60 Hz mode, because it's no problem with good color TV sets, and it provides a much better image (less flickering). GA. .Jerry> ok ga .Sky> Tell us some about the "030" boards, and in your opinion, do you believe that they are the wiser route to go than a TT or waiting for the new Falcon. Last, Please try to get someone to translate the program NVDI into English, and sell it in the US. GA .Oliver> As for NVDI I'll try to get this message to Bela, the developer of NVDI... Maybe there is a change, I doubt it, though. There is no easy answer on whether one should get a TT, a 68030 board or a Falcon 030. First there aren't too many details out about the Falcon yet. The 68030 boards that I reviewed worked pretty good (detailed questions?). If you already have a Mega ST with an expensive graphics card and other stuff, it might be wiser to get one of those boards. If you still hang around with your old 1 MB 520 and the good old SC1224, a TT might be the cheaper solution (and also the more compatible one). GA. .Sky> Last, is NVDI still the fastest? thanks, GA .Oliver> I can't confirm that, because I didn't see the CodeHeads' new Warp 9 yet. GA. .Allen> Is OS-9 used on the ATARI? I have been told it is the popular OS in Europe on the ATARI and Amiga, but I was there and saw a lot of Ataris and Amigas but no OS-9...... .Oliver> I haven't seen it either, but it is available. There are ads for it, or at... .Allen> btw OS-9 is an OS that is used on the Tandy CoCo. .Oliver> ...least there were ads in the magazines some time ago. But since it isn't TOS/GEM compatible, the masses didn't care about it (and neither did the press). GA. .AP7> Has the reunification of Germany provided for much growth in the Atari market as a whole? GA .Oliver> Atari had been selling 130XEs and 800XLs to the former GDR, and after the reunification there are 16 Million people who have been waiting for real computers. After the first euphoria about the reunification was over most families found out, though, that a computer system costs a lot of money, money which was actually needed for other stuff (like new cars, VCRs, ...) So the big run for new computers didn't really happen, and also PCs are pretty popular in the former GDR now, because they provide the same power for less money... GA. JDBARNES> Oliver, I would like to say that I think ST Journal is an extremely professional product even if it's not chock full of glitzy ads. Is the "power user" population in Germany really as strong as ST Journal would seem to indicate (from its content)? .Oliver> We try to make a magazine that is understandable for most of the Atari owners. If you compare Atari Journal with other German magazines you'll find that we have less articles for the 'real programmer' than the other mags. Instead, we hope to find a good mixture between basic introductory articles on various topics (such as 'What is multitasking?') and reviews of new hard- and software. GA. JDBARNES> ST Journal is the only German Mag that I read (it's actually Current Notes' exchange copy), so my perceptions may be biased. Second, there are some top-notch US products that seem to work better than European ones - UIS III is one example. Hotwire is another. What kind of reception do these get in Europe? .Oliver> UIS III is available in Germany (just saw an ad :-), but I haven't seen (or written) any reviews. Hotwire I love, but since Gemini is _very_ popular and the new TOS 2.06 is a big success it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. GA. JDBARNES> Thanks, Oliver, that's all for me. GA. .Kevin> Atari seems to be getting more mention in U.S. publications lately - even a little advertising! What is the state of Atari advertising in Germany and Europe as a whole? Thanks! GA (Get Atari) :^) .Oliver> There are ads in Atari magazines. I don't know about other non- computer related magazines, though. What I'm always surprised about is that they have radio commercials in which they tell us how good the ST can be used for video games. They claim that the world's best games are available for the ST, and that it is just as perfect for playing games as for serious work. What businessman is gonna buy an ST for his office after that? GA .Steve> Do public perceptions of the various computers (e.g. Ataris, Macs, IBM/clones, Amigas, etc.) differ much between here and Europe? (GA) .Oliver> In Germany the Amiga is widely know as a game machine. GFA BASIC wasn't a big success for the Amiga, for example. The ST is used by students, small businesses, and universities (yes, that's true!). GA. .Steve> So the Atari in Europe is like the Mac here? .Oliver> I don't really know what the Mac is doing here. A couple of years ago the Mac was quite expensive, so the average user couldn't afford to get one.. This has changed now, and many people who would have bought an Atari get themselves a Mac... Good bye, JackIntosh! GA. .Gordie> Dana wanted me to ask if Atari Journal has considered expanding it's readership by producing an English version? I'll add that I think it'd be nice to see some translated articles in some of the existing US magazines, if that would be possible. .Oliver> Naa, I don't think that there will be a chance for an English version. Translated articles? Hmm, I can't make any decisions on that, but I'll forward that proposal. .Gordie> Thanks. .Paul P.> Since the Deutsch Mark fluctuates like the English Pound, how can we be sure the prices quoted in catalogs/magazines like ST Format, ST User, etc. are current? Like when I call, will they give me a US dollar amount? (sorry, call me naive I guess) :) GA .Oliver> I don't think that many companies will accept payments in US dollars. One problem is that credit card orders are not common in Germany (I don't know any company on the Atari market that accepts credit card orders.) GA. .Paul P.> So then what are we to do? Any Suggestions? .Oliver> Open your own business, import the particular program and sell it here! No, seriously, I don't know how you can order stuff in Germany that is not available here. Maybe you have friends over there who could send you the stuff? GA. .Paul P.> Wouldn't I have to pay a "duty" too? .Oliver> Not in Germany, as far as I know, but maybe the US customs wants to see some money. .Paul P.> Thanx. GA. .Gordie> AP7, do you have a solution here? .AP7> The gentleman who needs to know about paying in a foreign currency, I suggest correspondence first, then send foreign denomination travelers cheques. .Oliver> Yes, travelers cheques in German marks do exist! GA. .AP7> I got MasterSound from England that way, no probs with customs, either. .Gordie> Kev, you have a comment? .Kevin> Send a letter first, like AP7 said - I just sent money once and got burned. .Gordie> Excellent point. .Gordie> It's running a little late, so why don't we have another door prize drawing? We'll try a trivia question here, so... Here's the rule for the Trivia contest. Type your answer as soon as you have one. But DO NOT press RETURN until you get the signal to do so. That will provide a fair chance to any of us who don't have especially good typing skills. Any answer that 'jumps the gun' will be disqualified, and we'll have to ask another one, which will probably be tougher. So please, wait for the signal. This time, the prize is some kind of keyboard enhancers. Oliver, can you explain a bit better? .Oliver> Okay, you have noticed that I had some problems with this keyboard. (* Which have been edited out to enhance readability- Gordie *) A German company has developed new key caps for the ST that improve that feedback. Unfortunately these caps are for German STs with all those nasty umlaut characters etc. They also have a brand new product which improves the touch even more. As you might know there are little pieces of rubber with a graphite ring under each key which close an electrical circuit whenever that particular key is pressed. The quality of the original Atari keyboard is so bad, because those rubber things (I have no clue what they are called) are so weak. The prize I'm gonna give away now is a replacement set for those rubber things. It's easy to install them, and it is really good (not as good as a PC keyboard with DEKA, though :-) GA. .Gordie> Okay, you all know the Rule, so we'll have Oliver ask his question now. Do NOT press that RETURN key until I give the signal. .Oliver> Norm, I'm sorry, but you can't participate, because it would be unfair if you did :-) NORMW> Rats! .Gordie> I'll give you all about a minute to answer. .Oliver> Okay, here's the question: How many keys are there on German ST keyboards? I can see you guys searching for photos of German STs :-) GA. .Gordie says PRESS RETURN NOW! .Steve> 84 .Jerry> ??? .Paul P.> 75 .AP7> 95 .STeaser> 109 .Sky> 108 MICKEYANGELL> 115 .AP7> 101 .Terry> 118 .Gordie> Any other answers? .AP7> 102 .Sky> 91 .Gordie> No fair giving more than one! .AP7> 97 MRBURKLEY> 93 .AP7> ok .Steve> 1 through 200 (kidding) :) .Gordie> Anyone right yet, Oliver? .Kevin> 92 .Gordie> No more guessing! .Oliver> Yes, I think there is a correct answer, what do you think, Norm? GA. NORMW> I am typing on a PC keyboard with a DEKA..I haven't got one to check, but it is one more than an American ST keyboard! .Oliver> Yes, that's right. And since this keyboard right in front of me has 94 keys (we counted 3 times!) the correct answer is 95! GA. .Gordie> AP7, you won! .AP7> my first guess .Gordie> E-mail me your address and I'll forward it on to Oliver. .Steve> Congrats! (Ok, what's the extra key??) .Paul P.> darn! Missed it buy that much eheheeheh! Right on AP7!! .STeaser> Congrats AP7 (and Steve) .Kevin> Yay! .Oliver> Congrats! I hope you don't have a DEKA so that you can use this prize (actually I hope you do have a DEKA :-) GA. .AP7> It was a guess, I knew more, thought one, but when no congrats figured I might be wrong and.... MRBURKLEY> Congrats, (but isn't 93 close too .AP7> It's an extra alphabetic character, right...? MRBURKLEY> Umlaut? NORMW> All European keyboards have one extra key, whose use varies by country. .Kevin> self-destruct? .Gordie> Okay, we're over 2 hours, so we'll have a couple more questions, and then draw for the big prize. Which... is a PC Speed. Aren't you glad you all hung around this long? .Oliver> The one key that we were looking for is the '<>' key which is located on the left side of the 'y' (which is located where you guys have the 'z'). Did you get that? It's QWERTZ in the top line, and YXCV in the bottom line. GA. NORMW> It is located next to the left SHIFT key, which is shorter! .Gordie> Oliver, do you have any feelings as to why new products appear on the horizon in Europe before anywhere else? (Dana asked me to ask that one.) .Oliver> New products? European products, or new Atari machines? GA. .Gordie> Atari products, I'd guess. ga .Oliver> Probably because the market is _a lot_ bigger. I don't really like that, though, because this policy ruins the US market entirely. They should get the machines out everywhere at the same time. I know, FCC regulations are a problem, but other companies don't have that problem, right? GA. .Gordie> Good observation. Other companies do seem to break new products everywhere at the same time without a problem. .AP7> What is the Falcon I've seen mention of... a computer, or a game? .Oliver> I didn't see the Falcon myself. Jack Tramiel called it a workstation for your home. Since it is said to be compatible with the old ST line I'd call it a computer :-) GA. .Jerry> In the USA, Atari is suing another company [Nintendo I think]... Is this company having any influence in Europe & Germany or is this a press stunt for exposure? .Oliver> The story has been in the news in Europe, actually in the 'News from USA section of Atari Journal :-)', but I don't think that this is gonna have a big influence in Europe (unless Atari makes a lot of money by winning the lawsuit). Nintendo is big in Europe, too. GA. .Jerry> ok and thank you for appearing here on Delphi tonight.....ga .Gordie> I think we'll give away that PC Speed, and take this informal. We're running about 2 1/2 hours and it's approaching 1 on the east coast. .Kevin> ich bin fertig! .Oliver> Great! GA. .Gordie> We'll do the random method, so give me a sec to do a /who to get the list. .Paul P.> Just a comment to say thanks and to say it is good to see the ATARI still supported. Thanks Oliver for coming tonite!!!! MRBURKLEY> Thanks! .Terry> I'll second that. Thanks! .Gordie> Oh, does anyone have an objection to including our two previous winners in this drawing? (* There were several conflicting views on the matter... *) .Gordie> Looks like a vote is in order. /send biblinski with your vote to exclude or include. Let me take this brief pause to thank Oliver for being our guest tonight, and for providing the door prizes. .Gordie> Gotta do a count here... hang on... Okay, we got more includes than excludes. .Oliver> It was great being here tonight and talking to you. A very nice experience, I guess it's time we get something like this in Germany, too. The Atari is not dead, and with your support it won't die that soon! .Gordie> And the winning number is... Number 4, who is... Terry! .Kevin> .Kevin> Yay! .Kevin> Huzzah! .Kevin> stomp! .Gordie> No, I got it wrong. .Kevin> oops .Steve> Corn-gratulations! .Gordie> Sorry, Terry. Forgot to exclude myself and Oliver. The winner is Paul P. He's the fourth on my list after me and Oliver. .Terry> It was nice for awhile! :^) .Oliver> Why can't I win my own prize? That's unfair - at least it would save me some postage :-) .Kevin> Yay again! .Paul P.> I won?? .AP7> wanna trade? .Steve> Yeah, Wanna?? .Gordie> Paul, send me your address in e-mail, and I'll get it to Oliver. .Paul P.> No prob. Wow! The first time I ever won! Thanx, I'll do it!!! .Kevin> cool! .Terry> Way to go Paul!! .STeaser> Congrats Paul! .Steve> All right Paul! Sheeya! .AP7> Congrats!!!! Paul, now you can find out how clumsy DOS is and how great TOS is in person!!! NORMW> I've got a book on using the PC Speed written by Oliver Steinmeier, in English! Interested Paul?? .Oliver> Hey Norm, don't forget that Fred McGhee, a US Atari expert did most of the work on the translation of the book (so it is written in perfect US English!) .Paul P.> Thanx! You betcha! I was gonna get it but couldn't afford since I got laid off last Tuesday. .Gordie> And it's time to bring the formal portion of this CO to a close. Thanks again, Oliver, and enjoy the rest of your visit to the USA! .Gordie declares the CO officially over! ************************************************************************* This conference transcript is the exclusive property of the ST Advantage on DELPHI. Permission to reprint is granted only if this notice is included and the transcript is left unchanged. ************************************************************************* > STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date... ================================ THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ========================= On CompuServe by Judith Hamner 72257,271 EXTRA! EXTRA! """"""""""""" The forum staff announces a new programming contest. Any program in any language is eligible. Programs must be submitted by midnight April 30 to lib 1. See message #28538 for details. Don't forget to include your name in the file description so I can give you credit. ______________________________________________________ > BLUE RIDGE ATARIFEST STR SHOW NEWS "THE SUMMERTIME ATARI EVENT!" ================================== 1992 Blue Ridge ATARIFEST """"""""""""""""""""""""" Where: Westgate Shopping Center - Asheville, N.C. Take any major highway into Asheville (US 19-23, US 26 or I-40) to the I-240 loop, then take the "Westgate/Hilton Inn Drive exit" into the Westgate Shopping Center parking lot. When: 18, July 1992 Time: 10:am to 6:pm Points of contact: Van Estes, BRACE Pres. Clifford E. Allen, V.Pres. 704-685-8358 GEnie: C.Allen17 INTERNET: callen@UNCA.EDU 704-258-3758 Sheldon Winick GEnie: S.WINICK Computer STudio 704-251-0201 Come for the day or come for the weekend, but do come and enjoy yourself. Great Smokies Hilton Resort Hilton Inn Drive (704)254-3211 Toll-free reservation phone number 1-800-733-3211 Radisson One Thomas Wolf Plaza (704)252-8211 Rate: $62.00 per room (1-4 people) ====== Additional Hotel / Motel Information =========== Days Inn I-26 and Airport Road (704)684-2281 I-40 Exit 55 (704)298-5140 Econo Lodge US 70 East, I-40 Exit 55 (704)298-5519 Holiday Inn 275 Smoky Park Hwy (704)667-4501 Toll-free reservation phone number1-800-HOLIDAY Red Roof Inn I-40 and US 19-23 Exit 44 (704)667-9803 Toll-free reservation phone number1-800-843-7663 Buget Motel I-40 Exit 44 (Enka-Chandler) West Asheville Exit (704)665-2100 Best Western Asheville Central 22 Woodfin St (704)253-1851 ========= Local Bed & Breakfast lodging Information ========= Aberdeen Inn 64 Linden Ave (704)254-9336 Albemarle Inn 86 Edgemont Road (704)255-0027 Applewood Manor 62 Cumberland Circle (704)254-2244 The Bridle Path Inn Lockout Road (704)252-0035 Cairn Brae B & B 217 Patton Mountain Rd (704)252-9219 Carolina B & B 177 Cumberland Ave (704)254-3608 Cedar Crest Victorian Inn 674 Biltmore Ave (704)252-1289 Corner Oak Manor 53 St. Dunstan (704)253-3525 Cornerstone Inn 230 Pearson Dr (704)253-5644 Flint Street Inn 100 & 116 Flint Street (704)253-6723 The Lion and The Rose 276 Montford Ave (704)255-7673 The Ray House B & B 83 Hillside St (704)252-0106 Reed House 119 Dodge St (704)274-1604 The Wright Inn 235 Pearson Drive (704)251-0789 (1-800-552-5724) A more complete listing of Bed & Breakfasts can be obtained through the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. Reservations should be made immediately, as July is the height of our tourist season. =========== CAMP GROUNDS ================ (reservations are a must during this time of season): Mount Pisgah: About 20 miles southwest of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile post 408.6 (National Park Service). 690 acres. Elevation 5000'. One of the nicest campgrounds in Western North Carolina. 67 tent sites, 70 RV sites. For reservations: P.O.Box 749, Watnesville, N.C. 28786 phone (704) 235-9109. No showers Groceries and resturant Nature program 14 day stay limit. Lake Powhatan: 4 miles south of Asheville on State road 191, 3.5 miles west on FR 806. 30 acres. 98 tent/rv sites. Reservation available thru Mistix 1-800-283-CAMP. Disposal station. No showers. Swimming; lifeguard; fishing; nature trails; bicycles. 14-day stay limit. While in the area, you might want to consider a little sightseeing, and include a visit to the Biltmore House here in Asheville (the largest single family residence ever built in the U.S.--its a "castle"). A visit to the Biltmore can be a full-day's activity as you will want to view the house, visit the winery, and walk some of the grounds and gardens. Hours: The House 9 am to 6pm The Gardens 9am to 7pm Conservatory 9am to 5:30pm The Winery Monday-Saturday 11am to 7pm Sunday 1pm to 7pm Other areas of interest include; the Thomas Wolf home (adjacent to the Raddison), the Blue Ridge Parkway and Folk Art Center. A drive up the Blue ridge Parkway to enjoy the higher elevations and incredible views of our mountains. Perhaps a hike up to Mount Pisgah and look back down to Asheville(you can see Mt. Pisgah from most anywhere in Asheville). A short drive from Mt. Pisgah will take you to Sliding Rock (for those of you travelling with kids who are still kids at heart), the Cradle of Forestry (first forest school in the country), waterfalls, trout hatchery, etc. For the adventurous, white water rafting on the Natahala River near Bryson City (approx one and a half hours from here). There's obviously loads more to see and do around Asheville (in addition to the Blue Ridge AtariFest and a visit to Computer STudio :-). If any of y'all would like maps and additional tourist info of the area I might suggest contacting the Chamber of Commerce: Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce 151 Haywood Street P.O. Box 1010 Asheville, NC 28802 704-258-6111 FAX: (704)251-0926 ___________________________________________________________________ > PURE C NOW! STR InfoFile Application Systems Heidelberg's Pure C ======================== Pure C - The Complete C Development System """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Gribnif Software is proud to announce the availability of Application Systems Heidelberg's Pure C in the North American Atari market. This is the newest version of Turbo C Professional, previously from Borland Germany. While the package remains in its original German form, the entire program's interface is in English. The system includes an editor, compiler, linker, and a debugger. It works on all Atari ST & TT computers, fully supporting high resolution and extended color displays. The Pure C environment includes a complete context sensitive help system which can provide information on any selected function. The sample code and information from the help system can be even pasted directly into the editor. The Project Manager makes it easy to handle all your C sources, assembly sources, and object files. Only those files which have been modified are re-compiled or assembled. The ANSI standard Compiler supports type checking and function prototyping. When an error is found during compiling, simply double-clicking on the error message places the cursor directly on the offending source code line. Libraries are included for the TT's math co-processor, FSM-GDOS support, and the Borland BGI Graphics Library for compatibility with PC programs. The Assembler is five times faster than before, and supports local labels and longer symbol names. It can also generate code for all 680x0 processors, up to the 68040. It also generates code for the 68881 and 68882 FPUs. The Debugger is a full source level debugger with its own graphical environment. It allows any number of windows to be open at once. Windows can include source code, variables, assembly, CPU/FPU registers, memory dumps, watched expressions, and the system stack. Breakpoints can be configured for a variety of specialized situations. There's even a special "animation" mode, where you can watch the program execute one line at a time. Feature List ------------ o Fully Integrated Development Environment o Fast GEM-based Editor o Integrated Compiler and Linker o Easy Project Management o File Cache for Include and Object files o Quick Turnaround Time o Context-sensitive Help System for C definitions and user-defined functions o Compiler is ANSI standard o Lightning fast compiling, at about 9000 lines/minute o Generates code for 68000, 68010, 68020, 68030, 68040, 68881, and 68882 o Amazingly fast assembler with macros, modules, and long symbol names o Linker supports DRI and Pure C object files o Simple library creation o Pure Debugger for Pure C and external programs o Debugger has its own graphical windowing system o Debugger displays processor and FPU registers, plus all variables within the program o Resource construction set included o Help System compiler lets you to create your own context-sensitive help o PC-HELP accessory for accessing help outside of the developer environment o 3 manuals, 650 pages total Requirements: ------------- o Any Atari ST, STE, TT or compatible computer o At least 1 megabyte of memory o Any resolution (80 columns or greater), including high resolution and extended color display Pricing: -------- $275 U.S. (plus shipping and handling) Turbo C Upgrades: $175 (must include original Turbo C master disks) Shipping and handling: $7 within the US, $10 to Canada Gribnif Software P.O. Box 350, Hadley, MA 01035 Tel: (413) 584-7887 Fax: (413) 584-2565 NeoDesk 3 The Ultimate Desktop's Amazing Spring Promotion Gribnif Software is happy to announce its new Spring Promotion of the best selling desktop replacement for the Atari ST, STE, and TT computers. The Regular Suggested Retail is $69.95. Through this special promotion, you can get the popular NeoDesk 3 for only: $35.00 -------- 50% off the Regular List Price! ------- Only limited quantities will be offered at this special price, and once they are gone, the price will go back to the original $69.95, so order fast! Try out the desktop that beats the competition hand down. It offers many more features, capabilities, and power than even Atari's new desktop (TOS 2.0 and above). NeoDesk 3 is a complete replacement for the built-in desktop. It is the easiest and most affordable way to reach your Atari's true potential. NeoDesk 3 adds many new features and enhancements over the original desktop, while remaining compatible with your other software. There's no hardware to buy, no ROMs to plug in. Just install it on your system and off you go. Gribnif Software P.O. Box 350, Hadley, MA 01035 Tel: (413) 584-7887 Fax: (413) 584-2565 Shipping and handling: $4 within the US, $5 to Canada. Dealer Inquiries Invited (Promotion Applies to You Too!) _________________________________________________________________ > ///TURBO BOARD BBS VER. 2 STR Spotlight ======================================= TURBO BOARD ST VERSION 2 INFORMATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Turbo Board ST Version 2 is a total rewrite of our original BBS program. Over a year's work has gone into the total rewrite of Version 1, and Bill Miller has really outdone himself this time! We think we have a very good BBS program indeed! The ///Turbo Board Support bbs is running at bps rates from 1200-14400 if you would like to give us a call, the number is 416-274-1225 Our F-net number is node 18, if you are calling from an ST bbs in the Fnet. John Miller, Bitblit Systems Turbo Board Version 2's NEW Features ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -Expanded User privileges and Bitmaps for Passwords -KByte/File Ratio System -Smart Batch uploading & User File Description Editing -Ymodem-g uploads for HST users -BBS Handles/Real Name system -Full User File Editor -Masked Sysop commands (For Co-sysops) -Many NEW Sysop Functions, including new File Editor and Password Editor -Execute files from Main menu commands -Sysop definable Menus and Prompts -Main Menu commands and functions fully programable (also Submenus) -Many New Copy and Save Functions for Fmail, and other files -Quick help edit prompt in message editor -Modular BBS, (Main Module only uses about 80K of memory) for greater free memory -lots- when running Binkley (Fido Mailer) -NEW Database, you can use archives, and users can easily upload new database entries, entries have access levels -BBS handles line answering instead of modem -NEW SIG system for grouping message bases, fully configurable by Sysop -Quick Chat and DOS keys from local console -NEW Turbo System Generator with expanded features -UPDATE program for Turbo V1 and Forem ST Sysops to convert to V2 -New Version 2 Manual (addendum for Version 1 Turbo Owners) -And many other new small features not listed here that are improvements over our Version 1.0 Additional Features of Turbo 2.1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Version 2.1 running Version 2.0 New features include: -New Gem BBS Executive Version 3.0 Totally rewritten and enhanced version -QWK compatible Qmail system in Message Bases -Integrated Full Screen Editor, with Merge and Copy file features for sysop -Binkley Mailer may be run as front door, or from BBS -New Event Scheduler for all batch files -Many smaller enhancements Under Developement ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have been promising this for a long time, and the Next version of Turbo Board will contain -fully- Fidonet Compatible message bases. No need to run Fifo, or Fidodoor. This new version is presently under developement. $89.95 US - USA and International List price for new Sysops $69.95 US - Special price for Current BBS Sysops (Supply current BBS number and information) $29.95 US - Special Update offer for Registered Turbo Version 1 Sysops (Turbo 2 addendum instead of Turbo 2 manual) Write or call for more information. In Canada: The US: Europe & UK: Bitblit Systems ABCO Computer Consultants L.B. Van Bokkem 1580 Liveoak Dr PO Box 6672 100 Broughton Ave Mississauga, ON Jacksonville, FL Aylesbury, Bucks Canada L5E 2X6 USA 32205-6672 England HP20 1QB 800-562-4037 bbs# bbs# bbs# 416-274-1225 904-786-4176 +44-296-395935 ____________________________________________________________ > SILHOUETTE V1.37 STR InfoFile SILHOUETTE V1.37 RELEASED! ============================= SILHOUETTE V1.37 RELEASED ========================= American ST/TT software developer Maxwell C.P.U. is releasing Version 1.37 of the bit-image, vector graphics drawing program Silhouette. For registered users of versions 1.25 or higher, this release is offered as an update - free of charge. Registered users on GEnie and Compuserve receive updates direct. Silhouette's retail price remains just $94.95. Maxwell is keeping in line with Atari's philosophy of "Power without the Price". Silhouette is a comprehensive drawing program with auto-tracing at 1/5 the price of the auto-tracing program Avant Vector and half the price of the nearest competitor. Enhancements to Version 1.37 of Silhouette include: Advanced bezier curve handling, shipment of Silhouette with FONT-GDOS, direct Silhouette print function and convertibility of FSM outline fonts to vector objects. Bezier improvements include improved drawing and editing functions unique among computer graphics programs. Silihouette's bezier and b-spline curve handling is independent of GDOS but supports the GDOS format and also outputs bezier curves as postscript. FONT-GDOS by Atari Corp. is now offered with Silhouette. This is the new replacement for GDOS. It offers bit-image fonts with advanced memory management that greatly simplifies GDOS use. Silhouette now ships with the full complement of GDOS drivers including: HP DeskJet 500, HP LaserJet, HP PainJet, HP BubbleJet, SLM80x, SMM804, Star NB15, NX1000, Epson FX-80, NEC Okidata printers. Silhouette offers a direct print function. The OUTPUT program of the original GDOS has been eliminated. Silhouette also supports the new FSM-GDOS with outline fonts. FSM offers the same memory management as FONT-GDOS. Outline and bit-image fonts are installable together but the great advantage of FSM is its scalable fonts. Silhouette supports the rotation and skew options to 1/10th degree. And FSM fonts in Silhouette are now convertible to bezier vector objects which can be warped into impressive designs. QINDEX Benchmarks of GDOS: GDOS 1.1 G++ FONT-GDOS FSM-GDOS -------------------------------------------------------------- GEM Draws 76%(293) 96%(294) 91%(294) 91%(294) Text Sroll 100%(135) 100%(135) 100%(135) 100%(135) Tests with QST-3 Installed are in parentheses. Benchmarks show that the new GDOS does not retard the system as the old GDOS did. With a software accelerator, any GDOS does not affect system performance. Test done on a MEGA4 with TOS 1.4 blitter off. Upcoming Improvements to Silhouette! Silhouette will soon offer the option of interfacing with the ScanLite desk accessory by the WizWorks. This will allow owners of handscanners and ScanLite to scan images directly into Silhouette. CVG output is presently in the works. And the present postscript output is being converted to the Adobe Illustrator format viewable and editable in Pagestream. Silhouette's auto-tracing function continues to be advanced. Expect a quantum leap improvement very soon with a mild $15 price increase. Through assistance from Atari Corp. developer support, Silhouette's interface has undergone major improvements since the initial version 1.07. The Toolbox is now anchored on the left-side of the screen and menu options and boxes have been standardized. Maxwell will not try to impress you with a sea of icons and an unorthodox interface. Silhouette will soon be supporting the new TT video modes, beginning with the TT medium resolution 640x480. Silhouette V1.37, $94.95. Available direct: Maxwell C.P.U. P.O. BOX 576 Louisville, CO 80027-9998 (303)666-7754 or through your nearest Atari Dealer. ____________________________________________________________________ > FLOW CONTROL - FIXED? STR FOCUS "Atari now knows what the problem is.." =============================== FLOW CONTROL - IS IT FIXED? =========================== by John Deegan TOS 2.06/3.06 does fix the need for the SERPTCH2 program, which fixed other problems related to when the additional serial ports were added. I have been reading many messages on the FNET about people having taken some of the flow control patches out with TOS 2.06/3.06 only to find out that it does not truly work. This and other problems have been pointed it out to Atari recently, they are working on these problems but seem reluctant to openly discuss these and other problems that still exist in TOS 2.06 (like the double mouse event bug and some file selector bugs, etc.) Atari now knows what the problem is with the RTS/CTS and maybe now they will be able to fix it once and for all. The many patch programs that exist to fix this bug DO NOT FIX IT 100%. I have disassembled many of these to see what they were doing and they don't address the true problem. Ironically, it was an issue of STReport earlier this year that caused me to re-investigate the problem and find the solution. This issue had a very nice explanation of flow control and the RTS/CTS problems. Using a serial bus analyzer I found that the ST continues to send data in the hardware flow control mode after the CTS signal goes high. Software flow control always worked. I disassembled the built in RS-232 handlers in TOS 1.04 and TOS 2.06 and the code "looks" correct. It _should_ work. But it does not! The real problem with the RTS/CTS flow control is not in the software but it is in the hardware! No one at Atari had ever considered the real problem as my guess is that they have software and hardware people, but few if any Systems people. The hardware people never went back to look at the problem and the software people could not find any thing that looked wrong from their side. The problem is that the priority of the CTS interrupt is too low. The MFP (68901 Multi-Function Peripheral) has a 16 level interrupt controller and a UART in it. The UART is the heart of the ST's RS-232 port. In the interrupt controller, several levels are hard-wired for use by the UART. The remaining are free to use as the system designers choose. Atari placed the CTS interrupt at level 2 (0 is the lowest, 15 the highest priority). This goes all the way back to the original ST design. Level 12 is the interrupt that occurs when a new byte has arrived in the UART and Level 10 is the interrupt that occurs when a byte has been sent out of the UART and it is empty and ready for a new byte to be loaded. These are some of the fixed interrupt levels. During software flow control, the XOFF byte is sent by the Modem (Data Communications Device or DCE) and the Level 12 interrupt occurs. Level 12 is always processed before Level 10. The XOFF byte is detected by the Level 12 handler and it sets an internal flag that says that no more data should be transmitted. In the mean time a byte may be in progress of being clocked out of the UART, when this byte is completely clocked out the Level 10 interrupt occurs. The Level 10 interrupt handler will check the internal flag and if it says that no output should occur, it returns doing nothing further. If the flag indicates that a byte may be transferred, it sends the next byte (if any) in the output buffer by loading in into the UART to be clocked out. The software flow control mode works as designed. The hardware flow control mode does not. Why? The DCE will raise the CTS line to signal the DTE to stop sending data, this will cause a Level 2 interrupt on the ST. However Level 2 is well below Level 10 and when the system is backed up, it is possible that the Level 10 interrupt may occur several times before the Level 2 handler is ever serviced. The Level 2 handler may not get the chance to set the internal flow control flag until it is too late, i.e. several extra bytes have leaked out. At 19200 baud, the Level 10 interrupt handler can occur as often as every 521 uSec, thats about 521 instructions on an 8 MHz 68000. With the other interrupt levels and the fact that an interrupts are sometimes disabled, statistically the problem is likely to occur. The early flow control patches may have worked at lower baud rates, but could not keep up at the higher rates. The real fix is to "read the interrupt register that indicates if a Level 2 interrupt has occurred before attempting to output a byte in hardware flow control mode, i.e. don't rely of the software flag as it may not be up to date, check the hardware register directly before attempting to output a byte." Atari now knows this and can, undoubtedly, fix the problem. In addition, Atari needs to address the fact that the RS-232 speed tops out at 19200 baud. This limits current modems that have a DTE-DCE link rate of 38400 baud as my USR Courier Dual Standard 16.8 does. The newer V.32bis modems can talk at 57600 baud. The new "Voice Mail" extensions to the Supra FAX Modems require 38400 baud to send the compressed voice data. This is a major limitation. I have seen patches that allow higher baud rates, of 38400 on STs and Atari says that two of the extra serial ports on the Mega STe and TT/030 that use the Zilog SCC chip can go faster, but unfortunately, this is not supported in the BIOS. Hopefully, the next generation of machines will finally address this aggravating problem. _______________________________________________________________ > SAN JOSE SHOW Show STR SHOW NEWS Northern California Atari Show ================================ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ATARI EXPO ================================== JULY 25th - 26th Sacramento, Ca The first Northern California Atari show in two years was announced today by a coalition of three local Atari user groups, Atari Bay Area Computer Users Society, the Sacramento ST users group, and the San Leandro Computer Club. The show will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 25th and 26th in Atari's own backyard at the Exhibit Hall in San Jose, California. This is the second Northern California Atari Expo, the first was highly attended and very successful. The show will run from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. each day and admission is just $5. The Exhibit Hall is located at 145 W. San Carlos, San Jose. A Variety of dealers and developers are expected to attend, showing and selling their software and hardware products for the ST/TT and 8-bit family of computers as well as the Portfolio and Lynx. For additional information on the show including exhibition space availability, please contact us at: Northern California Atari Expo c/o SLCC P.O. Box 1506 San Leandro, Ca 94577 GEnie Address - M.WARNER8 or call at (510) 352-8118 or (510) 534-2197 There will be further press releases as more information becomes available. ______________________________________________________________ > USR SETTINGS STR Spotlight USRobotics Dual Standard 16.8 HST Modem ========================== After noticing how many folks were having one kind minor problem or another setting up their modems, I decided to place my own "S" register settings in this issue as a reference. *** THIS SETTING LIST IS FOR A GENERAL PURPOSE MODEM (CALLING OUT) ati4 USRobotics Courier 16800 HST Dual Standard Settings... B1 C1 E1 F1 M1 Q0 V1 X7 BAUD=19200 PARITY=N WORDLEN=8 DIAL=HUNT ON HOOK TIMER &A3 &B1 &C1 &D2 &G0 &H1 &I0 &K1 &L0 &M4 &N0 &P0 &R2 &S0 &T5 &X0 &Y1 %R0 S00=000 S01=000 S02=043 S03=013 S04=010 S05=008 S06=002 S07=060 S08=002 S09=006 S10=007 S11=050 S12=050 S13=000 S14=001 S15=000 S16=000 S17=002 S18=000 S19=007 S20=000 S21=010 S22=017 S23=019 S24=150 S25=005 S26=001 S27=000 S28=008 S29=020 S30=000 S31=000 S32=005 S33=000 S34=000 S35=000 S36=000 S37=000 S38=000 LAST DIALED #: T OK ati5 USRobotics Courier 16800 HST Dual Standard NVRAM Settings... DIAL=TONE B1 F1 M1 X7 BAUD=19200 PARITY=N WORDLEN=8 &A3 &B1 &G0 &H1 &I0 &K1 &L0 &M4 &N0 &P0 &R2 &S0 &T5 &X0 &Y1 %R0 S02=043 S03=013 S04=010 S05=008 S06=002 S07=060 S08=002 S09=006 S10=007 S11=050 S12=050 S13=000 S15=000 S19=007 S21=010 S22=017 S23=019 S24=150 S25=005 S26=001 S27=000 S28=008 S29=020 S32=005 S33=000 S34=000 S35=000 S36=000 S37=000 S38=000 STORED PHONE #0: #1: #2: #3: OK *** THIS SETTING LIST IS FOR A DEDICATED BBS MODEM ati5 USRobotics Courer 16800 HST Dual Standard NVRAM Settings... DIAL=TONE B0 F1 M1 X7 BAUD=19200 PARITY=N WORDLEN=8 &A3 &B1 &G0 &H1 &I0 &K1 &L0 &M4 &N0 &P0 &R2 &S0 &T5 &X0 &Y1 %R0 S02=043 S03=013 S04=010 S05=008 S06=002 S07=060 S08=002 S09=006 S10=007 S11=050 S12=050 S13=000 S15=008 S19=007 S21=010 S22=017 S23=019 S24=150 S25=005 S26=001 S27=000 S28=008 S29=020 S32=005 S33=000 S34=000 S35=000 S36=000 S37=000 S38=000 STORED PHONE #0: #1: #2: #3: ati4 USRobotis Courier 16800 HST Dual Standard Settings... B0 C1 E1 F1 M1 Q0 V1 X7 BAUD=19200 PARITY=N WORDLEN=8 DIAL=HUNT ON HOOK TIMER &A3 &B1 &C1 &D2 &G0 &H1 &I0 &K1 &L0 &M4 &N0 &P0 &R2 &S0 &T5 &X0 &Y1 %R0 S00=000 S01=000 S02=043 S03=013 S04=010 S05=008 S06=002 S07=060 S08=002 S09=006 S10=007 S11=050 S12=050 S13=000 S14=001 S15=008 S16=000 S17=000 S18=000 S19=007 S20=000 S21=010 S22=017 S23=019 S24=150 S25=005 S26=001 S27=000 S28=008 S29=020 S30=000 S31=000 S32=005 S33=000 S34=000 S35=000 S36=000 S37=000 S38=000 LAST DIALED #: T OK I've seen where some folks have complaints of 24oo baud callers not making good connections or no connections at all. Believe me, with two of these modems, it was easy to test all baud rates. Then to make sure of myself, I had 15 of my locals call the BBS at 1200 and 2400 using different brands of modems a number of times. They did so without difficulty. If anyone is having any kind of 'connect' problem, it would be a very wise and prudent decision to call USR and get an RMA number. (Return Merchandise Authorization) Get the modem exchanged or repaired. When the USRobotics Dual Standard 16.8 is working it is an exercise in perfection and speed. I hope my setting help in acting as a reference point. If you are considering a modem purchase, I highly recommend the USRobotics Dual Standard 16.8. High Speed Modem. Especially if you are a Sysop as you will be offering the very finest performance to your users/callers. The USR DS connects at 14.4 with most any modem out there capable of doing so with v.32 and its quite fast. ______________________________________________________ > STR Support BBS List STR InfoFile The STReport Conference ================================= CrossNet Conference Node Listing - as of 04/17/92 at 05:20 PM ============================================================= Conference: "STReport Online" (34813) Generated From "Lead" Node: 350 - * THE BOUNTY ST BBS * Last Node List generated on: 04/01/92 18 - ///Turbo Board Support 19 - Autoboss/Atari Elite BBS 46 - Cheyenne Mountain 75 - Bloom County BBS 80 - Bit Heaven 99 - The Time Warp BBS 135 - Batcave BBS 266 - The Patch House 287 - Starlight BBS 299 - Critical Mass 307 - PayBax BBS 321 - microTalk 322 - ACEY 345 - RAM Wasteland 350 - * THE BOUNTY ST BBS * 363 - ComNet Luxembourg 378 - Little Lulu's Playground 410 - ACE Information Service 422 - Virtual Reality (PRIVATE) 429 - MASATEK 440 - {{{{ Realm of Chaos }}}} 442 - CMFM Blaster-Mix BBs 462 - The Atari ST Connection 469 - The Outer Region BBS 475 - Top Gun Systems #1-Las Vegas, 478 - Spectrum Atari Group of Erie 484 - microTalk II 489 - STeal Your Face 504 - Media 2000 508 - The SenTinel BBS 512 - The Asylum BBS 513 - The Forgotten Realms 532 - Bill's BBS 546 - Bear Swamp BBS 548 - The Metal Shop 555 - The Grid BBS 556 - Thieves Guild 557 - The Software Syndicate 595 - Temple of Doom 602 - Cartoon Haven BBS - FNET 602 610 - The Songwriter's Den BBS 618 - The Sword's Blade 620 - Leif's World 625 - Phil's Hangout 633 - The Dark STar BBS 637 - The Source Machine BBS 639 - The Million Dollar Saloon 642 - Hero's Haven 643 - The Ringworld 647 - E.H.C.R. 648 - The Mosh Bit 657 - The Round Table BBS 668 - ARGONAUT'S BBS 669 - Dateline: Atari BBS 675 - Motherboard 678 - A.C.O.R.N. 680 - The Revolution 681 - {-The STation 681-} 687 - R.A.T. III 689 - Speedy's Raceway 690 - Progressive Atari ST Enthusia 701 - The Conqueror Connection 702 - The Mother of All BBSs 707 - RevelSTone BBS 709 - Excalibur BBS 712 - H. B. Smog 715 - //The Fast ST Connection\\ 716 - The STronghold 722 - Alcatraz Prison 731 - The Gamers Guild 735 - Rick's Beach Hut 736 - The MIDI Clinic BBS 1010 - Micro-Mola 1027 - Track 83 1029 - System X BBS 1031 - <<>> 1042 - The Tavern 1047 - -[> T.G.M <]- 1049 - < Fortress BBS > 1054 - STatic BBS Simply our way of recognizing these fine systems & sysops and saying "thank you" for their continued support! _________________________________________________________________ > STReport's Editorial Page "Saying it like it is." From the Editor's Desk ---------------------- May the warmth and joy of the Holiday Season belong to each and every one of you. Happy Easter and Passover to everyone. There is really not too much going on other than the great vibes still emanating from the echos of the recent TAF ACE '92 Show in Toronto. In this week's issue we have an exclusive eyewitness report from the ACE'92 show that is really very good reading. Flow Control is covered in this week's issue and its sure to become a topic of discussion as high speed modems become more and more common place in our telecommunicating world. It is reported that 4 out of every 12 modem users aare now acapable of speed above 2400 bps... not bad. Thank you for your strong support! Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! ---------------- Publisher - Editor ------------------ Ralph F. Mariano PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION ----------- -------------- ------------ Roger D. Stevens Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON STReport Staff Editors: ----------------------- Lloyd E. Pulley Sr. Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms Contributing Correspondents: ---------------------------- Michael Lee Richard Covert John Deegan Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele Ben Hamilton Neil Bradley Eric Jerue Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia 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 "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips" ===================== - London, UK FRONTIER SOFTWARE GOES DOWN ------------ A bit of news from the UK, Frontier Software is no more. They are a UK company who were generally agreed in this country to provide the best in memory ugrades etc. The good news however is that 2 former managers have taken over the operation under a new name. OLD COMPANY was Frontier Software PO BOX 113 Harrogate N. Yorks HG2 0BE They made and supplied Printer buffers, Cartridge Port Clocks and Ram upgrades for the ST. The Ram upgrades were cheap, of good quality and generally considered the very best available for the ST. Apparently, they went under about two weeks ago. The new company, MARPET Developments is now operated by two former Frontier managers and is running from temporary premises and a temporary phone number until they can set things up on a permanent basis. ____________________________________________________ > STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard" ============= STReport's MailBag ================== From the FNET Msg #29180 ( 53 of 53) Date: 04-11-92 (19:19) To : LES PHILIPS From: MARK K. Subj: VARIOUS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - wow - you made your mark there mark !! - So where was i unintelligent ?? - Just dont whack me with the fact i am leaving unintelligent messages - - tell me why !! - I am just trying to get some debate going on here - which i have not - seen you doing too much of !! I have been contributing to the Atari community for quite a while. In case you are not aware, this are a few to mention: Review of the "Profibuch" (USENET), help/suggestions to Mr. Varela who is the author of the "German-To-English Translator" and some more. I am currently majoring in Computer Eng. and have worked with systems ranging from VM/CMS to IBM RISC/6000. I have seen Multitasking at it's best and they certainly worked nicely. I posted my article on MultiTOS AFTER I had seen it and tried it out. It had bugs and at that stage was slow considering it was running on a TT68030. How can someone claim that MultiTOS is the best if he/she never tried it? The Atari lines of computers are nice but lack good support and more professional software. Some great products are Notator, Calamus SL, TurboASM, Tempus and a few more that certainly deserve positive ratings. I have never claimed that PCs are superb but they have more to offer in terms of software. I don't want to put any product/company down but Atari will have a though time competing in the future. I am very neutral and there are pro/contra arguments that I could bring up (which I did prior) but Atari users have to be realistic. The "My Computer is the best in the world" mentality doesn't belong into the professional world. Those are child-like statements and have and will not lead anywhere. There should be great respect to other computers and companies that try to compete on this market. If you want to start an intelligent discussion than this are not topics that should be discussed. I would like to see are more info-"hungry" discussion. Could anyone from the Atari Corporation answer the following questions, or if any readers know the answers please send them to me: 1) Is there any particular reason why Atari has choosen a very similar (actually they are the same) TT-SCSI pin layout as the Macintosh? 2) Why did Atari choose to use a non-standard cartridge slot format? I am aware that some third party developers are producing adaptors that will convert their 0.7087 inches "standard" to the more common Insert Cut-Out of 1/10 inch. It seem also that not all manufacturers carry the 40-pin dual readout card-edge receptacles. More common onces are the 36 or 44 pin. The data has been taken from EDAC Series connectors. 3) I have seen numerous complaints about the Monitor female and male adaptors. Since this are very hard to obtain, many hobbiest are having problems to make modifications/designs. A more typical connector that could replace the "non-standard" connector on the Atari would be the 13-pin Amphenol 92 Series Connectors. It's a 13-pin connector with 1 1/4-18 coupling thread. Is there any movement by Atari Corporation to adapt more easily obtainable parts for their future lines of computers? There has been a change in the ST(E) and TT lines. Atari has adopted an industrial standard D-Sub Solder Cup - 15 pin connector. It should be available in electronic business but it will certainly be harder to find than the 2 row versions (8+7). 4 ) In the future lines of Atari computers, will there be a move towards the engineering of a RISC system? Example would be Motorola's equivalent of the Intel 80960 (80960KA, 80960KB and 80960MC). A cost/performance ratio should be considered. 5) Bootable disks use several purposes which people should be aware of. In the first process, BIOS "analyses" the bootsector during the System initialization stage and jumps to the vector that is contained in LONG $47A( hdv_boot) which specifis the routine of the bootsector. The routine is used by the BIOS to see if there is a bootsector and if it's bootable. The sector is loaded into a buffer and the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) is checked. If the result turns out to be $1234 a jump into the first byte of the sector occurs. The address of this buffer is not documented (I have checked several sources including the released notes) thus a position independant routine must be written. Where (address) is the buffer? 6) Why Atari doesn't use the full horz. space of a line but instead only 75% in the Atari TT is still a mystery. There would be no problems (from the design point of view) to allow 800 to 900 pixels per line instead of the current maximum of 640. This are a few thoughts that just went through my mind. I would certainly like to see all/some of the questions answered. Even though it is easy to blame a company for their mistakes (and I will be the first one to admit that they made a few), some aspects that never surfaced should be kept in mind: - The reason why the Atari TT is not as cheap as some people would like to see is, they decided to use most of the ST parts in the TT thus the final release came rather late (new design) and rather unnecessary high cost (the usage of recent developed VLSI would have cut down the cost dramatically). - NOTE: FOR PROGRAMMERS [Reference: Atari Profibuch - SYBEX Germany] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Your fingers adopt very slowly to keyboard combinations. In August 1989 at the Developers Conference there were certain guidelines set by the commision in order to make it more easy to the user. This guidelines are universal thus should be adopted for every system including PC, Atari, Macintosh, Amiga e.t.c. Keyboard Combination | Function ---------------------|-------------------------- Ctrl-C | "copy" Ctrl-F | "find" Ctrl-O | "open" Ctrl-Q | "quit" Ctrl-V | "paste" Ctrl-X | "cut" Shift-"Arrow Up" | Page back Shift-"Arrow Down" | Page up (next page) Shift-"Arrow Left" | Beginning of line Shift-"Arrow Right" | End of line Ctrl-"Arrow Left" | One word back Ctrl-"Arrow Right" | One word forward Home | Beginning of the document Shift-Home(Clr) | End of document Keyboard Combination | Function ---------------------|-------------------------- Ctrl-A | Select all Ctrl-G | Next (for searching) Ctrl-M | Save as Ctrl-N | New document Ctrl-P | Print Ctrl-S | Save Ctrl-R | Replace Ctrl-U | Close above window Ctrl-W | Next window Ctrl-Y | Delete line Ctrl-Z | Start shell There are a few Multitasking programs for the Atari on the market: - Micro-RTX by Beckemeyer Development Tools, allows real-time multitasking. - MiNT ("MiNT Is Not TOS") by Eric Smith which tries to "imitate" Unix. Some of the Unix-like features include Pipes, Redirection... Latest version is 0.93 and the source code is also available. - MultiGEM which was available since the CeBit '91. It will run on a TT. With 6 GEM programs running on a TT there is only a small amount of speed decrease noticeable. To switch between processes the activation on a window is required or selection of a ACC. You can run all "CLEAN" (very crutial in any of the above/below) programs) programmed GEM programs and TOS programs (help of additonal programs required). - Minix was originally developed for the PC but ported to the Atari market. - MultiTOS is Atari's entry point into the multitasking world. It still requires work in order to improve it. Atari took Eric Smith's concept and tries currently to expand on it. As you can see, Multitasking on the Atari computers is NOT new as some people still assume. Multitasking has been around for MANY years on other platforms and it's just now that Atari Corporation (and not a third party developer(s)) realized the users wishes to have one. For people who own a Monochrome monitor and would like to view color only programs on it, here is a small job you can do to achive it: ----------------------------- | Pin 7 | R ---------270R-----+ | Pin 6 | | G ---------120R-----+ | Pin 10 | | B ---------820R-----+ | Pin 2 | | H+V---------47R------+-------------- > To Coax =========> To Mono Sync +--------- > Cable =========> Monitor Pin 13 | | GROUND -------------------+ | | ----------------------------- *Origin: Fnet Node 66, The Bre(/\)ery _ Ajax_Canada _ From GEnie Category 32, Topic 11 Message 72 Sun Apr 12, 1992 C.F.JOHNSON [CodeHead] at 12:53 EDT Boy oh boy! Am I ever excited about something. I can't get specific just yet, folks ... but we've got something incredible waiting in the wings, being groomed for its debut. And when I say "incredible," I _mean_ unbelievable, unprecedented, and incomparable. (I know, it sounds like hype - - but I am absolutely certain that when this one comes out, you'll agree with me.) I'll say one thing about it -- if you're in the market for a word processor, you just might want to wait a little while before buying any of the currently available products. If you already own a word processor -- start looking for a buyer. A *MAJOR* announcement is on the way. Stay tuned. - Charles From the FNET Msg # 23 ( 3 of 10 ) Date: 04-12-92 (13:08) To : RON KOVACS From: JOHN MILLER Subj: NON DISCLOSURE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previously L.Ron Kovacs wrote: - - John, I do not wish to debate you. What you call a lie is just your - oposing opinion to my comments. However, your reply is not a problem - and I sincerely hope this is not going to become a NEW feature. I am - annoyed that I have to read messages from this conference in ST_REPORT. - Although it really doesn't surprise me since the fool reprinting them - doesn't have the balls to get up here and refute any alledged rumor, - only call members here names and spray silling childlike comments all - over the place. My View? Comments that you have expressed regarding our BBS software, constitute slander in my opinion, and could be used as a basis for a lawsuit to compensate us for any damages resulting from such slander. But you don't want to debate this. Instead, let's discuss this conference. Ralph would have gladly debated any of your views, if you hadn't deleted his node (350) out of this conference. Lulu at node 378 would also have gladly debated any of your opinions had you not deleted her node from this conference also. If _you_ had any _balls_, you would apologize to both these Sysops for deleting their nodes, and you would enter their nodes back into this conference. You would prefer instead, to scare folks into believing the following: Behold L.Ron Kovacs and the Holy Doctrine, and obey all His commandments, or face excommunication from the Holy Church of Znetology... Right... I hope that Ralph continues to use Qmail to capture any messages from this conference. I hope he continues to publish any message from this conference he feels like publishing. I hope he continues to make you look like a fool. I hope this message ends up in STReport... This or any other Fnet conference cannot be copyrighted as they are freely networked and, any user can do what he likes with any and all messages found in public conferences on a public bbs. Unless you delete every node in this conference, I don't see how you are going to stop anyone from capturing these messages, and doing what they like with them. John @ Turbo Board Support 416-274-1225 Turbonet 100:3/0 Fnet 18 From GEnie Category 7, Topic 14 Message 19 Tue Apr 14, 1992 JEFF.W [ST Sysop] at 16:21 EDT I just downloaded and read Doyle Helm's two part review of Silhouette in the past couple of issues of STReport. I strongly suggest that anyone looking for more information on Silhouette and a hands-on guided tour of the program to do likewise. Doyle has done a nice job on the product overview. STR814.LZH is file #23552. STR815.LZH is file #23655. Ralph, are there more segments of the Silhouette review coming in the next few issues of STReport? While the overview of the product is covered very nicely, the review doesn't go deep enough (for me) into the actual performance of the program. I assume (uh-oh!) this is due to space considerations. I'd like to see some real world examples of how Doyle has tested the program, how fast it performed, how good the results were, how is the learning curve, etc. I can appreciate the difficulty of doing a review of a full-bodied product like Silhouette without turning over an entire issue or two over to a comprehensive and exhaustive review. But additional segments that go into more detail spanning future issues would be great! Editor Note: Jeff... there will definately be further segments to Mr. Helms' review of Tim Reyes' Silhouette. From the FNET Conf : Atari Technical Msg# : 9975/9987 Lines: Extended Read: 2 Sent : Apr 13, 1992 at 06:30 AM To : All From : Clemens Chin at Fnet Node 467, SHERWOOD FOREST Subj : TT Tower & TOS 3.06/AJAX Well, I finally put my TT into a tower case (along with my external floppy drive and SyQuest drive). Instead of picking up a clone case, I decided to pick up a case specificly designed for the TT from a company in London (the case is made by a German company). I was lucky enough to track down a set of the TOS 3.06/AJAX/1.44 floppy upgrade at the same time. Here's a review of my new "T^3"... Installing the TT into the tower case was pretty much straight foward and self explainitory (luckily since the english documentation wasn't complete and I had half of the english docs and the german docs)... The case includes a board that allows users to connect additional floppy drives easily, adds an additional reset button to the front of the case and monitors the thermosensor (which continuously monitors the system for overheating). Towards the front of the case there is a bay for the original 3.5" hard drive (this bay is hidden, therefore, removable media will not be suitable for this bay). There are also 3 exposed bays. Here is where I put my new 1.44 meg floppy, 720 meg floppy and SyQuest mech. All bays are verticle. Installing the SyQuest was as simple as removing the old 50 pin ribbon cable and replacing it with a longer one with an additional IDE plug. TOS 3.06 and AJAX went in within minutes. No problems at all. II. Power Supply Though everything is working flawlessly after running this set up for four days non-stop, the power supply concerns me. Everything is powered by the original TT power supply. It is rated at 64.6 watts (not much at all). Still, it seems to be handling everything nicely; two floppies, a hard drive, a SyQuest, an ST RAM board and a TT RAM board. III. Future Upgrades This case definitely has room for upgrading. The manufacturer of the case even has an option for an internal VME card cage (with its own power supply), Octobus (adds ability to drive up to four floppies, monitor switching, bi-directional printer buffer and system protection) and power outlets for 4 additional external peripherals (sort of like having a power strip on your tower, no power surge supression though). IV. Fit & Finish The fit and finish is EXCELLENT. The holes for the TT's ports in the rear are a perfect, vergin fit. Access to the Lan prt, Midi port, Cartridge port and original reset button are not lost as opposed to going with a clone case. Adding any of the above mentioned upgrades would require prying off of part of the metal casing. At 20" high x 6" wide x 16" deep, this case is not small. But it has reduced to footprint of my original set up considerably (as well as reduced the number of cables and power cords behind my desk). Also, the case is very sturdy. V. Problems and Difficulties None! Installation went perfectly, the most difficult part being, trying to align the drives so that the face plates are flush with the face plate of the case! Having done T16 upgrades, TOS upgrades, etc. Installation of the new TOS 3.06 and AJAX were a snap. I am also happy to announce that there is absolutely no visible RF interference with the monitor as I had with the original TT case. VI. Performance Everything is performing as it should, no problems anywhere. Even after continuous use (without powering down for four days), no heat problems, no power problem, nothing. TOS 3.06 is great, AJAX is excellent and the case is superb. The case was flat out expensive. It cost 145 pounds (1 pound=$1.70, estimate). Was it worth it? Well, I'm in love, so, I say "YES!" (You don't know how long I've been trying to clear the clutter and cables from my desk!) TOS 3.06/AJAX/1.44 floppy cost me $185. Was it worth it? No doubts about it! Selling my old hard drive case, floppy drive, etc. should reduce the cost somewhat... Interested in the case? (ST/Mega/STe/MSTe versions available) Contact: System Solutions 19 Sumner Workshops 80 Sumner Road London SE15 6LA UK Phone: 753-832212 Looking for TOS(2.06/3.06)/AJAX/1.44 floppy upgrade? Contact: Best Electronics 2021 The Alameda, Suite 290 San Jose, CA 95126 Phone: (408)243-6950 From GEnie Category 4, Topic 11 Message 149 Fri Apr 17, 1992 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH] at 00:55 EDT I've decided to let people who want 50Mhz chips for sure go get them from a mail order source. We'll knock $95 off the Tiny030 price for those who supply thier own 030 chip. We'll also test your chip for you right away so you know you got a good one. Just buy it...$130? great...and send it in, we'll test it immediately, then put it aside for your unit. We'll also cover the unit including the chip under the normal warranty. How's that for flexibility? All 50Mhz 030 equipped units will ship at 50Mhz, we've thoroughly tested the design now at 50, so away we go!! Further tuning report...Turbo030 running at 40Mhz: NBM mem = 1.78 math = 2.23 dial = 5.05 graf = 10.83 QI 2.2 memory 1110 reg 1024 div 1268 shf 4457 txt 1084 str 5053 scr 160 draw 1792 Dynacadd 3D cup.... 30 secs Nevin's Pagestream test: 8Mhz ST.........161 secs 32Mhz TT..........31 secs 40Mhz Turbo030-4..20 secs 50Mhz Turbo030-4..16 secs I still need to get the blitter talking to the 32bit ram, page mode turned on, and the 32bit video turbocharging on. Also need to test my "rom-ram" utility. Should be a long weekend ;-) __________________________________________________________________ STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" "A true artist of DoubleSpeak." ================== "WE want to make PEACE..., Let's forget the ugly past... ...even though we think we're innocent of all wrong doing" ....ZIGGY SADDAM ZAGNUT (The Original Zircon) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > ABCO SPECIALS! STR InfoFile * NEW 1992 Prices! MORE Products! * =========================== -------------------------------- ****** SPRINGTIME SPECIAL!! TAKE 10% OFF _ANY_ PACKAGE!! ***** """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! ** NOTICE: ABCO will BEAT OR MATCH * ANY * Advertised or 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 * * MAXTOR - SEAGATE - QUANTUM * WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE!!! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) VISA - MASTERCARD - NO SURCHARGE! *** NEW!!! ULTRA MODERN "SUPER STYLE" CABINET *** DELUXE 2 bay Cabinet W/65w Auto PS & Blower *** 90 DAY LIMITED OFFER!! *** - AT NO EXTRA COST! - Model Description Autopark Price ================================================== SGN4951 51Mb 3.5" Y 439.00 SGN1096 85Mb 5.25" Y 519.00 SQN1055 105mb 3.5" Y 534.95 SQN1065 120mb 3.5" Y 584.00 SQN2055 170mb 3.5" Y 689.00 SQN3055 240mb 3.5" Y 839.00 SQN4055 426mb 3.5" Y 1310.00 ================================================== Standard "Shoebox Cabinet style is also available FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY "SUPER CABINET" w/250+w PS MODERN TOWER CABINETS AVAILABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! NOTICE - NOTICE - NOTICE - NOTICE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SPECIAL PURCHASE! * LPS 120 - 240 * Hard Disk Mechanisms Call for SUPER PRICING!! Limited Time Only!! FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAILABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! FAST TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATOR UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED ***** >> ABCO proudly offers ATARI PRODUCTS << Call for ABCO's * HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PRICING! * ATARI COMPUTERS * STILL THE BEST VALUE! ***** Original Atari Mouse replacement: $35.00 NEW! If you don't see what you want listed here, call us. Odds are, we either have it or, can get it for you! * GUARANTEED * AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE! * ** 800-562-4037 ** "WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL" ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCOFILE "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. --->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 639.00__ <<--- **** SCSI UNITS -> ONLY $529.00 **** WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! Cart and Utility Software Included! EXTRA CARTS: $ 69.50 DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 339.95 ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED ** $895.95.00 ** Includes: * TWO * cartridges! * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - ** 50mb SQG51S $759.00 105mb SQG105S $959.00 ** Or, YOUR choice of Hard Disk Mechanism! LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE ** ANNOUNCING THE NEW! -> ABCO CD-ROM! ** :Special Introductory offer: ABCO CD-ROM $359.95 (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 Facsimile ** $41.95 shipping included ** -- ALL TONER KITS * IN STOCK * -- * Toner Starter Kits-$62.95 * * Replacement (804) Drums-$186.95 * ABCO is PROUD to announce the acquisition of the exclusive U.S.A. distribution rights for ** Bitblit Software's; ///Turbo Board BBS. ** This fine Atari ST BBS system software and user support is available through ABCO to all Turbo customers in the USA. Call for current pricing. >> 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 VISA - MASTERCARD - NO SURCHARGE! Personal and Company Checks 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! SEND FOR YOUR NEW ABCO CATALOG TODAY! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" April 17, 1992 16/32bit Magazine copyright 1987-92 No.8.16 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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 STR editors, contributors and or staff are not responsible for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""