*---== STReport International Online Magazine ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" from STR Publishing """""""""""""" March 04, 1993 No.9.10 ========================================================================== 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 BBS * * TURBO BOARD BBS SYSTEM * FNET 350 ~ Fido 112:35 ~ Nest 90:21/350.0 904-786-4176 USR/HST 24hrs - 7 days 1200 - 19.2bps V.32 - 42 bis 16.8 Dual Standard FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST ----------------------------------------- FNET.. 18 : ///Turbo Board BBS Support...1-416-274-1225 FNET.. 75 : Bloom County BBS.............1-415-965-9347 FNET. 350 : The Bounty **...1-904-786-4176 FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981 _____________________________________________________________________ > 03/04/93 STR 910 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!" """""""""""""""" - The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - PORTFOLIO NEWS - WEMBLY SHOW REPORT - VME READY? - PC HOME USE UP - DIRECT DRIVE SHIPS! - BBS ETHICS - CT FEST'93 NEWS - OXYD REVIEW - CYREL NEWS - STR Confidential -* ST MICROWORLD WINS DECISION *- -* SOFTWARE COUNTERFEITERS BUSTED! *- -* EXCLUSIVE! SIG HARTMAN INTERVIEW! *- ========================================================================== STReport International Online Magazine The Original * Independent * Online Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS, The Bounty, invites BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the Fido/NEST/Atari F-Net Mail Network. You may also call our BBS direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information relative to all computers, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps, worldwide, are quite welcome to join the STReport International Conferences. The Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All BBS systems are welcome and invited to actively participate. Support your favorite computers; Join Today! ========================================================================== CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ NVN ~ GENIE ~ FIDO ~ FNET ~ NEST EURONET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ========================================================================== ============= * ATARI EDITION * ============= 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 (March 5) COMPUSERVE LOWERS CONNECT-TIME RATES Hourly connect-time rates are now lower for Standard Pricing Plan members when using extended services. The new charges are $6/hour for 300 bps, $8/hour for 1200/2400 bps and $16/hour for 9600 bps access. The monthly membership fee, which includes unlimited connect-time in more than 30 basic services, has increased $1 to $8.95 (this pricing change is not applicable in all countries). FundWatch Online by Money magazine, a powerful mutual fund screening and reporting service, is now part of basic services, which also includes CompuServe Mail, The Electronic Mall, news, weather and sports, member support services, reference and travel services. Rates for Alternative Pricing Plan members will remain at $6.30/hour for 300 bps, $12.80/hour for 1200 and 2400 bps, and $22.80/hour for 9600 bps. Also, the Membership Support Fee under the Alternative Pricing Plan increases 50 cents to $2.50. Members currently under the Standard Pricing Plan will automatically be billed at the new rates starting 28-Feb. For more information on the new rates or to join the Standard Pricing Plan, GO CHOICES. COMPUSERVE CUTS EUROPEAN SURCHARGES Members can now access via European CompuServe nodes and pay no communication surcharges during non-prime time (19:00-8:00 local time). The resulting $2.20/hour savings is in addition to the reductions in connect-time charges available for all members on the Standard Pricing Plan. For European access numbers, GO PHONES. FORUM MESSAGE CAPACITY INCREASED CompuServe has enhanced its forum software to allow an increase in the size of messages. The maximum message size was formerly 96 lines or 2,000 characters. With this change, the size increases to a maximum of 10,000 characters. Also, the message board capacity has been increased. CONDENSED WORD PERFECT MANUAL Download file WP_MAN.ARC from LIBRARY 17 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) for a condensed WordPerfect manual. The 600 page manual condensed into 92 pages which takes you step by step (Keyboard OR Mouse) through most every text operation. Included are Maps to help you place text at precisely where you want. NEW CENTIPEDE GAME FROM SCOTLAND! Download file CENTPD.LZH from LIBRARY 2 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for an excellent shareware version of Centipede from Scotland. This game is FULL of bugs (Spiders, Flies and of course, Centipedes!) Great sound, great graphics, great fun! COLOR ONLY. RTS/CTS FLOW CONTROL FIX Download file SERFX2.LZH from LIBRARY 2 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) for Serial Fix 2 - RTS/CTS flow control with any TOS. This patch for properly handling RTS/CTS flow control in the ST's serial port works on all TOS versions from 1.00 to 4.01. It also includes the TOS14FIX.PRG code for TOS 1.04 and 1.06 users. Use with Atari's eXtensible Control Panel (XCONTROL). SCREEN SAVERS Download file SAVER1.LZH from LIBRARY 4 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) for a package of 6 shareware screensaver modules for Warp 9, by John Dillenburg. Modules included are Freckles, Pyro Deluxe, Random Lines, Roaming Shapes, Random Shapes, and Fractal Symmetries. LASERJET 4 DRIVER FOR PAGESTREAM 2! Download file NEWPRT.LZH from LIBRARY 11 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN) for the New HP LaserJet 4, HP DeskJet 550c, HP DeskJet 500c, and PostScript printer drivers for Pagestream 2. OPERATE PORTFOLIO FROM PC Operate your Portfolio by using the keyboard and screen of your desktop PC? Check out the file BIG.ZIP from master programmers BJ Gleason and Don Messerli, now available in LIBRARY 2 of the Atari Portfolio Forum (GO APORTFOLIO). THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" Here it is another week closer to the release of the fabled Atari Falcon030 and what do we find?? Atari people getting antsy and challenging those who ask where is the machine? Why is it shipping and selling in Europe? The users ask. What these people don't realize is there were only 180 approx shipped in Europe. This is no sizable quantity but it is shipping and that's a positive. Rumor has it that there will be "new" money coming into the picture very shortly. This inflow should "lubricate" the channels and facilitate a strong flow of Falcons. We are now told the Falcon will ship by the third week of March and that too, is great news. But why are there certain dealers saying look for the Falcon in early April. Do they know something special? Who knows!?! The true consolation is that we've waited so long for the Falcon now, what's a few more weeks or a month?. A drop in the bucket compared to the time we have waited already. The only thing that hurts is when looking back at those early online conferences, Sam made it a point to tell us he was making it a point to change their ways and get this machine to market on time. What is it that clobbers Atari with each and every release of a new product? Whatever it is, Lord knows it has to go. Oh well, here we sit waiting for the Falcon to soar.... or. is that sore? 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 Robert Glover R. ALBRITTON STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur John Deegan Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor Emeritus Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Michael Lee Richard Covert Scott Birch Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele Clemens Chin 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 Delphi........................ RMARIANO BIX........................... RMARIANO FIDONET....................... 112/35 FNET.......................... NODE 350 NEST.......................... 90:21/350.0 GEnie......................... ST-REPORT """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR'S "BELIEVE IT? OR.. WHAT?" <>###############################<> "There is no comparison! The Atari Falcon is far superior to the PC platform." Sam Tramiel, 08/92 "My new office, which has a better view than my old one, is so far quite satisfactory. And Richard Miller is in my old office. The Forbes article was a mish-mash and misconstrued article full of half truths. We are anxiously awaiting the release of the Atari Falcon to bring us back to the forefront. The article has given us some laughs, but otherwise has not affected us." Sam Tramiel, 08/92 "As I said before, all marketing announcements will be made at Duesseldorf. I will not comment on future models of the Falcon. WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT A MACHINE..... WHICH WILL BE SHIPPING NEXT WEEK." Sam Tramiel, 08/92 "I've just returned from Asia, where I saw the first Atari Falcon production coming off the lines. Let's hope this new offering will make it in North America. I know that the specs are great." Sam Tramiel, 08/92 "We have not yet even given the machine to the FCC. And we are only applying for Class B approval. According to our "experts", it should pass Class B." Sam Tramiel, 08/92 "...... We are not working for Wall Street but to make money for our shareholders and only think long term." Sam Tramiel, 11/92 psssst. FYI.... The Shareholder's equity is fine.... NOT! The Stock is hovering around $1.12 CHRISTMAS '92 has COME and GONE... FALCONS ....anyone? By the Way.... Does the Falcon work well with any... of the SLM Laser Printers?? NOPE! NOT YET! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS ================= Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Issue #10 By: John Deegan VERBATIM OFFERS NEW "P-ROM" DISKS - A new 3.5-inch partial-ROM (P- ROM) disk has been introduced by Verbatim Corp., which calls this the first image and data storage optical product "to combine both magneto- optic and read-only functionality." John Stevens, manager of Verbatim's optical storage products market- ing, said, "The ROM portion of the media may be embossed permanently with data, such as a software application, and the rewritable portion of the disk is left available for user files." The disks provide a total combined ROM and rewritable capacity of 128MB. MICROSOFT SAYS FAKE DOS, WINDOWS SOFTWARE SEIZED BY GOVERNMENT - Re- cent government raids in California uncovered large amounts of counter- feit MS-DOS 5 and Windows 3.1 operating systems, officials with publis- her Microsoft Corp. said today. Microsoft said raids in San Jose and Concord yielded counterfeit items produced under the trade names OEM's Spring Circle and BTI. Microsoft did not place a dollar value on the seized items in the raids which the company said were staged by local and federal authori- ties on Jan. 20, Jan. 21 and Feb. 3 in San Jose and on Feb. 18 in Concord. SURVEY HAS HOME COMPUTER ON RISE - A new consumer survey finds home computerists last year spent more time at their PCs and worked with a broader spectrum of applications than they did a year earlier. Also, more than 42% of the 2,500 PC owners surveyed for Packard Bell by California Research Tabulations Inc. said their primary use for the computer is personal (such as letter writing) or pleasure (game playing). Another 37% said their PCs are used primarily for business, while 21% said their PC is used by household members for school work. In a statement from Chatsworth, Calif., Fred Kern, vice president of product marketing at Packard Bell, said, "We're seeing more diversity in how computers are being utilized in the home. Users are spending more time at their PCs and are increasing their use of many popular types of applications." Other findings: -:- Almost half the respondents said they spent more than 10 hours per week at the computer, compared with 30% in 1991. Nearly one in 10 said they use their computers more than 30 hours per week. -:- More than 80% classified themselves as having at least some computer knowledge and half said they are relatively knowledgeable or "power users." -:- Word processing increased as the application used "most of the time" by 14 points to 57.2%. Desktop publishing products usage rose 6.7% to 11.2%, while spreadsheets saw a moderate increase as the primary application to 21.1% from 18%. -:- Personal/business finance software and entertainment software were designated as applications people use most of the time by 28.5% and 27.4%, respectively. -:- Database software, at 16.2%, and telecommunications software at 15.7%, showed up for the first time in the survey. -:- Citing the single factor that most influenced their purchase decision, about a third of the respondents chose "features" as most important, another third mentioned "price," while one-tenth cited "reliability." -:- When asked to named several factors that greatly influenced their purchase decision, four out of five answered "features" and "price," seven out of 10 placed weight on "reliability" and three out of five on "warranty." Meanwhile, "recommendation of friend" held less weight than the other factors with one out of five taking this into consideration. Finally, many respondents either added accessories to their systems or will do so in the next 12 months. Heading the list were additional RAM, a laser printer, a math coprocessor, a CD-ROM drive, a larger hard disk drive and a modem. _____________________________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando 73637,2262 Hey there friends. I hope this past week has treated you and your favorite computer well. I've noticed of late that this column has grown longer and longer in the past few weeks, so I'm going to try to a manageable size. In keeping with this philosophy, let's get right to the good stuff. From The Atari Productivity Forum ================================= Aren't computers wonderful (especially Atari computers)? There is almost nothing they can't do. But why does it always seem that one of the few things they can't do is the thing you most want to do? Aidan Heritage tells us: "I am trying to transfer files from my good old commodore 64 to my Atari Ste. The C64 uses 5.25" disks, the Atari of course doesn't - at least, mine doesn't. So, it's a null modem cable I suppose. But the C64 is non standard as far as a serial port is concerned. So, how do I do it - and when (if!) I get the cable, how do I get the C64 to send the files and the STE to read them? Speaking as a complete klutz you understand!!!" One of the most helpful, knowledgeable people around (and a pretty good Sysop to boot), Bob Retelle tells Aidan: "I don't have my C64 any longer, so I don't have the technical details on how to make up a null-modem cable for it.. if there's a Commodore dealer near you, they might be able to help you, or possibly someone on the Commodore Forums here on CompuServe could come up with the pin numbers to make a C64 to standard RS-232 null modem cable. Once you have the cable plugged between the C64 and the ST, you'll need to run a telecommunications program on each of them, which allow XMODEM or better protocol transfers. Essentially you'll be uploading the files from the C64 (just like you were sending them to a bulletin board), and downloading them on the ST (just like downloading from a BBS). Using XMODEM, or another download protocol like YMODEM BATCH will insure that the files are transferred between the computers without any errors. A "batch" protocol like YMODEM BATCH would be even better, because it lets you specify a whole group of files to send, without having to send each one individually. Another solution, although not as inexpensive, would be to use the C64 to upload the files to your PERsonal file space here on CompuServe, then logging in with the ST to download them. Let us know if you have any problems getting this to work, and we'll try to help..!" Rob Nicholson jumps in and offers some info: "Well, here's the pinouts of the serial port on the C64 but I don't think it's going to help much :-( 5 1 Pin 1 SRQ in FLAG of CIA 1 6 Pin 2 Ground 4 2 Pin 3 ATN in Pin 9 of user port 3 Pin 3 ATN out PA3 of CIA 2 Pin 4 CLK in PA6 of CIA 2 Pin 4 CLK out PA7 of CIA 2 Pin 5 Data in PA7 of CIA 2 Pin 5 Data out PA5 of CIA 2 Pin 6 Reset Connected to C64 reset The reason I say I don't think it'll help much is the serial port in the C64 is totally non-RS232. It's a modification of the IEEE-488 standard. Unlike RS232, the C64 uses full handshaking - there is no concept of baud rate (apart from an effective throughput). If memory serves me right, nobody succeeded in connecting a serial RS232 type interface to the C64 *without* the addition of extra hardware. When interfacing to the C64, we used the user port which can be connected directly to the PC's parallel port. This only worked in output mode but when managed to throw together a real fudge that allowed data to be transferred back from the C64 a bit at a time. I can't quite remember this was because of the C64 or because most PC's don't have bidirectional parallel ports - the later I think. Once you do get an RS232 interface running, XMODEM is probably you're best bet. Goodness knows where you'll get that from though!" Usually I'd leave these next few posts for the Vendors area. But they seem to fit here better. John Amsler posts: "...MultiDesk Deluxe, GPlus+, and Warp 9 have made my MegaSTe an even better computer than it inherently was ... and MegaPaint II Professional is a joy to use!" John Zangrando joins the chorus of CodeHead devotees and adds: "Just to add my two cents worth, I agree with John. My girlfriend just bought a $3,000 Mac Notebook and I am VERY happy with my MEGASTE w/Warp 9, Multidesk Deluxe, and Midimax. Nobody gives support and upgrades like the CodeHeads. They know how to get something out of this Great Hardware and O.S. that we have." Now that's what _I_ would _LOVE_ to have. Huh? No, not a Mac Notebook. A girlfriend that could afford a Mac Notebook! ;^) John Amsler adds a few more names to the list: "Yup! The Codeheads, Gribnif, Migraph, Double Click in the "old days," the guy who created Flash II, and a new company (Oregon Research) all give OUTSTANDING support. In fact, I personally have yet to run into ANY Atari dealer who's given me anything less than outstanding support (although, over the years, I've read articles about some who have really ripped customers off, e.g., PC-Ditto). We Atarians are d_mn lucky to have such a family of dealers and developers--small in quantity but consistently sky-high in quality!! (I've owned ST computers since 1986, so I've dealt with a LOT of dealers over the years; the ones I mentioned above are just a representative sample -- there are others just as good!)" Meanwhile, Robert Birmingham tells us about his latest feat: "Hello, I just uploaded the latest version of Direct-Drive (1.1), a shareware application which helps you manage the files on your floppy disks and hard drive partitions. If you're not familiar with the program, here's a quick overview of what it can do. Direct-Drive lets you read in information about every file, from every folder, from any floppy disk or hard drive partition recognized by TOS. It's nearly automatic too, all you have to do is click a mouse button! (There is virtually no limit to the number of disks you can read in, you can have information for more than 32000 files in memory at once!) Once you've had it read in the information from your disks, Direct-Drive can now perform many operations with your file database. Here are some examples: Sorting... You can sort the information in the database in a variety of different ways. Including; by the name of the file, by the file extender, by the time and date the file was created, and by the size of the file. And one of the nicest things about Direct-Drive is that it can sort an entire disk directory and still keep it's "tree structure" intact. In other words, all the files and folders in the ROOT directory will be sorted, and all the files that are in their own folders will be sorted as well! Searching... You can search forwards or backwards through the database for a specific file, or you can search for a group of files using the "?" and "*" wildcard characters. Also, since you can attach a line of text up to 40 characters in length to every item in the database, Direct-Drive lets you search for words in these comment fields using wildcard characters! Printing... You can send the entire list of files in the database to the printer, or you can also 'print' it to an ASCII file on disk. You can control how the listing is formatted by setting top and left margins, and the number of lines you want printed on each page. You can even give the program a heading line that it will print at the beginning of each page! Direct-Drive lets you enter all the information it needs to communicate with your printer, as a result it can work with almost any type of printer available! Three printer configuration files are included with the program, these are for the Panasonic 1080, the NEC 2200, and the Panasonic 1124 printers. Disk Labels... You can print a label for any disk that has been read into the database. This includes HD partitions, but I don't recommend putting labels on a hard disk! A disk label can have up to 45 filenames and will also tell you important information about the disk like; the amount of free space remaining, how many files and folders it contains, a 40 character comment field, and several more useful items! DOS functions... Direct-Drive lets you delete files from disks, view files, format single and double sided disks with 9 or 10 sectors per track, and create or rename a disk volume label. All so you don't have to return to the desktop, or rely on another program to do that for you. And believe it or not, there's more...a lot more! Direct-Drive is intended to be _the_ complete disk organizer and disk labeler. We have made every effort to make it just that! You may have seen some of the features I described above in various other programs, but probably not all in one place. Or, with a complete GEM interface. Direct-Drive is without a doubt a commercial quality program that rivals or exceeds the capabilities of similar programs that you can _buy_ for the Macintosh and the IBM PC. We hope you find the program as useful as we do! Enjoy it, and we'll be happy to provide support here and answer any questions you have! I just wanted to add that if you have already registered Direct-Drive by sending in your shareware payment, you don't need to spend the time to download the new version. I'll be sending all registered users copies of the program via U.S. Mail early next week. Also, my Miami address is no longer valid, so if you're planning to send me any mail (say...for example a check for registering a program? :-) please send it to the address below. Also note that checks should no longer be made to CetaWare since I no longer have a bank account for cashing them. Instead make them out to "Robert M. Birmingham". My new address is: Robert M. Birmingham P.O. Box 16 Clarendon Hills, IL 60514" Dazzz Smith asks Robert: "Can you register your software on CIS, then those of us overseas can register on-line rather then sending cheques etc to the states, its so much easier, and so much more likely to get a payment. :-) I forget what the keyword is, but i'm sure someone will remember." Jim Ness, another helpful type, adds: "That's a good point, Dazzz. Few of our members are taking advantage of the ability to have CIS act as their broker, for shareware. It's GO SWREG, by the way. The author agrees to give CIS 15% of the proceeds, and CIS takes the money out of the account of the customer, and mails a check to the author. It is a very nice way to do it, especially for overseas users. By the way, I haven't seen it mentioned here, but I understand your CIS rates went down even more than ours, in the new rate schedule?" Aidan Heritage adds: "I second that emotion - I have some great shareware programs from the states, but the hassles involved in getting dollar cheques have to be seen to be believed. Any means of relatively painless registering must be viewed as a positive step, and one destined to get me to register more than I have currently done!" I'd like to take a line or so here to remind you that Shareware is cool! You get to try out the program before you buy it. If the Shareware programmers don't feel appreciated, they'll either stop programming or go commercial. Send in those payments folks. Okay, okay, public service announcement over. Matt Laur asks for help with an old hard drive: "I have a 20MB Supra HD that's been sitting on a shelf for about 2 years. I just recently fired up the ol' 1040ST, and the hard disk is quite unhappy. I have used the Supra Utilities to attempt a re-format, and I'm getting a "too many bad sectors" message. I'm guessing that it needs a low-level re- format, but it's hard to say. Does anyone know where I can get a low-level format utility that will work on these older drives? Any thoughts would be appreciated." Another one of those veritable wells of knowledge, Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine, tells Matt: "It depends what type of drive you have. I assume that the 20 meg supra is a miniscribe model? You might also download the latest version of Supra's hard disk utilities and/or format utilities. You can find it in the Atari Vendors forum (GO ATARIVEN) under Supra's section in the library." Matt replies: "I certainly will check out the newer format app from Supra. Hope it does the trick. Indeed, I believe that it is a Miniscribe drive. I'm hoping that the newer format program can fix what ails it. Would hate to have to buy another drive for the occasion." From 20 meg hard drives, we jump over to the latest thing to hit the ST world; the "floptical". A floptical disk is the same size as a regular ST-type disk, but it holds up to 21 meg. That's right! 21 megabytes! They can also format regular 720K (double density) and 1.44 meg (high density) disks. Last year at the Connecticut ACT Atari computer show, I asked Bob Brodie why the Falcon would not have an external floppy port. His reply was that, with flopticals becoming so common, they figured that they would be the 'external of choice' for most users. I have to agree with that. Who wouldn't want a 21 meg floppy drive? (okay, you Amiga users can put your hands down) I then wondered in passing if you would be able to access the floptical as either drive "A" or "B". David Hagood posts: "You cannot set up a floptical as drive A or B: drives A and B are controlled by the 1772 or Ajax chip, while a floptical is a SCSI device. You just might be able to fudge the standard disk vectors and make a floptical look like it's drive B, but that would only work for programs that go through GEMDOS, and any program that goes through GEMDOS would happily work on a drive other than A and B. Any copy protected stuff bypasses the system entirely and goes directly to the 1772, and when it gets a big "What you talkin' about, there ain't no drive B" from the 1772 the software is going to figure it's a pirate copy and die a horrible death." From The Atari ST Arts Forum ============================ Kim Gardner tells us: "Hello out there. I've down-loaded some Graphic/.spc files. Is there a program that will allow me to convert these to GIF or BMPs? I don't know what this forum is about. Atari? Is that a special operating system as opposed to IBM/DOS which I run." Hey, a DOS user! Who lets these people in here? Well, no matter. Once Kim sees how happy we all are with our operating system and with GEM, there'll be one more of us. In the meantime, Mike Mortilla of ZNET Online Magazine tells Kim: "I can't answer you question about the picture files, but the forum is like the Mac or IBM forums (ie- one big, happy users group). We're the kids who kept our old toys while the rest of the class went out and bought Beamers and 'Stangs! All kidding aside, most of us use Atari computers (yes, they are still in business. In my own case, I'm a composer and use it for music production (film, theatre and modern dance, etc). But don't abandon your quest for an answer to you question just yet. There are also those in this forum who use other platforms and might have an answer for you. I just don't do *any* graphic work, so can't help. I think there is a GIF forum or something like that. You could ask CompuServe to 'Find Pictures' at any command prompt and probably find the right area." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Kim: "Unfortunately I don't know of any PC utilities to convert the .SPC files you downloaded into either .GIF or .BMP (or actually, anything else) format... Those files are produced by a graphics program called Spectrum 512, which runs on the Atari line of computers. Atari computers are based around the 68000 family of CPU chips, like the Macintosh and NeXT computers. There ARE utilities which can convert .SPC files into .GIF, but only if you're running on an Atari computer. (If you're really in the dark about Atari, it's the company that originally started the "Video Game" revolution both with its coin-op video arcade games, and it's highly successful 2600 VCS home videogame console. They still make some video games, but this forum supports the computers the company is making now...)" Have you seen PhotoChrome yet? Well, if you remember how impressed you were the first time you saw Spectrum512, you'll love PhotoChrome. Check it out when you get the chance. Dom Alvear posts: "I am having a weirdo problem with PhotoChrome myself. I have two Mega ST4's. One has a 2-chip TOS 1.04 set and the other has a 6-chip TOS 1.04 set. The problem I am facing is that PhotoChrome thinks the machines are different! How? On the 2-chip machine it gives me six conversion options, while on the 6-chip machine it gives me four options, deleting the PCS-STe and the PCS 32K modes. Now I would think that since I don't have an "e" machine anyway, that it would nuke those two options on both machines. The big reason this is a problem to me is that the 6-chip machine also has the JRI 4K color board installed, but I can't get access to the 4096 colors since PhotoChrome won't let me. Is it possible that the program is doing some weird computer determination by using the number of TOS chips??? Please let me know." Greg Wageman asks Dom: "Are the dates in the two chipsets different? The official Atari recommendation is to check the second word of the OS header, which is pointed to by _sysbase at 0x4f2. This has the familiar values 0x0100 for the original ROMs, 0x0104 for Rainbow TOS, etc. According to Atari, the date can vary from country to country while the version number does not. (It would be interesting to know if it varies by chipset too.)" Another very helpful guy, Sysop Jeff Kovach, tells Dom: "I tried Photochrome on a friend's ST with the 6 chip TOS 1.04, and encountered the same results as you. Strange... Photochrome must be trying to determine what TOS you have, but is not doing it properly. I have to ask, what happens when you try to use the STe options on the non-STe machine?" Dom adds this info: "On my non-STe Mega ST4 with the 2-chip TOS 1.04 set, PhotoChrome converts the pictures and "does stuff", but I am sure I am not getting the full palette since I don't have the right hardware. I will try popping my JRI color board in the 2-chip Mega since this has been bugging me. AFAIK, the "dates" in both TOS chipsets are the same since they are both TOS 1.04 sets? I just sold my 6-chip set (not the same one Greg ) so I can't find out anymore. I will be buying a 2-chip set soon and will see if that changes anything." From The Atari Vendors Forum ============================ One of the nice things about using a DOS machine is that you soon appreciate the ST and GEM. But let's face it: DOS is here to stay for a while. Using a DOS machine is pretty much a necessity for people in business. Luckily, you can transfer text files and such back and forth between ST and DOS easily. Andy Luke asks about it: "I have some files on my atari I want to transfer to my PC, they are ASCII. The disks that these are on cannot be read by my PC. I could copy all the files to a new disk, however this would take too long. Is there a basic comms program I could DL to transfer the files via the COM port?" Sysop Ron Luks tells Andy: "Format a blank floppy disk ON THE PC (not the Atari ST) (as 720k or even 360k if your Atari drive is single sided) and then copy the files from your old Atari floppy to this newly formatted floppy. (This should only take a moment). Then the PC will be able to read the files off the disk." That's right folks, it's that easy. But nothing is ever perfect. Andy tells Ron: "I was trying to avoid floppies as there are *several* files. Oh well, looks like a job for a ramdisk!" David Hagood tells ICD about a possible bug in one of their new programs: "There seems to be a bug in the SCSI.PRG program supplied with ICD PRO V6.0.8: The last command byte of a 10 byte command is always sent as a 0, even when the unit is told otherwise. I found this out when I was trying to tell my CD-ROM to play an audio CD (the final byte is important when selecting track number). The ROM is SCSI 9, unit 0. I am running TOS 3.06/MiNT 0.95." Knowing ICD, I'll bet they put a new, improved, bug-fixing, speed-increasing, awe-inspiring version in short order. In the Soft-Logik area, Dick (Grosvenor) Barber asks: "Have the reported bugs in the new drivers been worked out? Any news???" Mark at Soft-Logik tells Dick: "We are working on the drivers now, several are being tested. I'll post them as soon as they are ready. (BTW: After talking with you for literally years, you never mentioned you went by the nickname Dick. Well anyway, it's good talking to you again.)" From the Atari Portfolio Forum ============================== Ronald Grias tells us: "I have acquired a serial interface for my Port and would like to use it with my modem to connect to Compuserve and to call into my office network. Where can I get communication software for the Port? can I somehow use PC Anywhere with it? Where do I go from here?" Sysop Ron Luks tells Ronald: "We have two telecomm programs for the Portfolio in our Telecomm library here. Try Xterm2 and ACOM (docs included)." BJ Gleason adds: "...Due to hardware differences, PC Anywhere will not work on the Portfolio." Roland Chia posts: "I just got my Portfolio parallel interface yesterday from a guy, and the manual is missing. I've been trying to transfer files to my portfolio, but all I get is the "waiting for connection" for my PC and portfolio. I'm using the ft.com program -- my pc is set to transmit, and the portfolio is set to receive." Peter Bennett tells Roland: "I believe one of the computers needs to be set as the 'server' (rather than 'receive'). I usually set the Portfolio to 'server' and handle the transfer from the PC end. It'll also be worth downloading 'FTMenu' which is in the libraries here as ftm11.exe (I think!). Load it on your PC in the same directory as ft.com and it gives you a friendly front end for transferring files." Sysop BJ Gleason adds: "Set the Portfolio to SERVER instead of receive, and then you can control the whole thing from the PC..." Well, folks, so much for keeping this column shorter. I hope you found something of use. Tune in again next week, same time, same channel, kick those shoes off, put your feet up, and listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING ____________________________________________________________ > VME CARDS? STR FOCUS! WHAT'S THE REAL STORY ABOUT VME CARDS? """"""""""""""""""""" A VME CARD IN YOUR FUTURE? ========================== The following few paragraphs appeared on Compuserve in the Atari message area written by Bob Retelle. Bob long known for his truthful answers to questions about computing sheds some reliable light on the "thousands of VME cards" available for the MSTE and TT. #: 37775 S17/Community Square 05-Mar-93 01:42:06 Sb: #37771-VME boards Fm: SYSOP*Bob Retelle 76702,1466 To: Michael Smith 76004,526 Oh.. VME is an Electronics Industry standard bus definition. It's used extensively in electronics instrumentation and control technology, military, and scientific applications. Where I work, we're installing high-speed communications nodes based around Motorola 68030 CPU boards on VME cards, with multiplexing and demultiplexing processors on other VME cards, all mounted in industry standard card cages. There are three standardized sizes the boards come in.. the smallest is the 3U form factor, about 3" high and 6" deep. The second is the 6U board, about 6" x 6", and there's also a 9U size, about 9" high. The 6U board is the most widely used, because of the larger board area and it's ability to use the expanded bus specification. The 3U board Atari adapted, because the Atari implementation of the "VME standard" is non-standard) is used mostly in military applications because it can be more rugged, and in control applications where less circuitry is needed. Unfortunately though, while we've been told there are "literally thousands of VME boards available" (which IS strictly true), there are virtually NONE that an Atari owner would want to use. Most of them are communications processors, or instrumentation controllers (want to control a robotics assembly plant with your ST..?), or other very specialized applications. There ARE a very few boards that have been specially designed for the ST/TT in the VME 3U form factor, but they're not from the pool of "literally thousands of VME boards available"... they're custom designs that are very expensive, and yes, as you asked, they're mostly video boards. The Atari implementation of the VME bus eliminates most of the useful applications because it does not allow the VME board to take control of the system. Anything you put in your Atari "AVME" slot must be passive, like a graphics card or serial port. Actually, as far as I'm concerned, it was more a marketing device than anything useful for the Atari owner. BobR _________________________________________________________________ > CT FEST'93 STR SHOW NEWS """""""""""""""""""""""" THE CT ATARIFEST '93! ===================== JUNE 12 & 13, AT THE WINDSOR COURT HOTEL WINDSOR, CT. (JUST ABOVE HARTFORD) Free Parking! Low Room Rates! More Vendors! More Floor Space! Yep, that ACT Atari Group is running another major NorthEast computer event. Last year's successful CT Fest had over 700 attendees, which merited a larger location, so we've moved a mile away (exit 42 on I-91) into bigger and better quarters. We're just as convenient to reach as ever, and only two hours from Boston or New York! The new hotel has excellent room rates ($35.00 per room), free and plentiful parking, easy access from Interstate 91, I-95, I-90, I-84, I-80, an in house Sports Bar, a bigger ballroom and is located just 1 mile from Bradley International Airport (free shuttle service for hotel guests). We expect that an even greater number of vendors this year, surpassing the excellent turnout of the past shows. We already have tentative commitments from A&D Software, Gribnif Software, Barefoot Software, Toad Computers, Computer Studio, Baggetaware, Derric Electronics, E.Hartford Computer Repair, MegaType Software, Wizztronics and GFA Software Technology. Last year we had FOURTEEN user groups, this year we should have even more (We also expect an exciting 8 Bit contingent)! We'll have our annual New England Lynx Competition, with multiple Comlynxed competitions underway at all times. Last year's winners took home prizes ranging from games to accessories to complete Lynx Systems! Bring your best player and join the fun. We'll have the Portfolio Corner, staffed with industry pundits and filled with every imaginable palmtop peripheral! Last year we had a few Portfolios disassembled at the booth, a real insight into surface mount technology! For those of you with an eye towards seminars, we'll have them in abundance, last year's question and answer session with Bob Brodie drew standing only crowds! In addition, we had John Eidsvoog's walk through the Codehead graphic tools, Jeff Naideau of Barefoot Software showing off EdiTrack Platinum, Dave Troy of (Guess[ribbet]) Computers and many, many others. And to top things off, come out and see the Falcon 030 in all its glory. By then we expect to see some rad new programs out and some really excitement! All in all, we hope to have the best Northeast show yet, and we look forward to your participation. Make your plans now for the most exciting Atari Weekend this spring! For further information, call Brian Gockley at 203-332-1721 or Doug Finch at 203-637-1034. We can also be found on GEnie in Category 11 or on Compuserve in the Atari arenas. E-mail can be directed to B.GOCKLEY or D.FINCH7 on GEnie or to 75300,2514 or 76337,1067 on CIS. *********************************************************************** 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. For more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005 DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, MA. Try DELPHI for $1 an hour! For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI! Tuesday, March 9th, we will host a special formal Conference with John Townsend, Eric Smith and Bob Brodie, all from Atari, on MultiTOS It will begin at at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Don't miss it! DELPHI- It's getting better all the time! *********************************************************************** > BBS ETHICS STR InfoFile A good rule of thumb for all.... """"""""""""""""""""""" Ethics For BBS Users (Source Unknown) The following are a few points of general BBS etiquette. If you wish to maintain your welcome on whatever system you happen to call, it would be to your advantage to observe these few rules. 1. Don't habitually hang up on a system. Every SysOp is aware that accidental disconnections happen once in a while but we do tend to get annoyed with people who hang up every single time they call because they are either too lazy to terminate properly or they labor under the mistaken assumption that the 10 seconds they save online is going to significantly alter their phone bill. "Call Waiting" is not an acceptable excuse for long. If you have it and intend to use the line to call BBS systems, you should either have it disconnected or find some other way to circumvent it. In some areas a *70 before dialing, will disable call waiting for that call! 2. Don't do dumb things like leave yourself a message that says "Just testing to see if this thing works". Where do you think all those other messages came from if it didn't work? Also, don't leave whiney messages that say "Please leave me a message". If ever there was a person to ignore, it's the one who begs someone to leave him a message. If you want to get messages, start by reading the ones that are already online and getting involved in the conversations that exist. 3. Don't use the local equivalent of a chat command unless you really have some clear cut notion of what you want to say and why. Almost any SysOp is more than happy to answer questions or offer help concerning his system. Unfortunately, because about 85% of the people who call want to chat and about 99% of those people have absolutely nothing to say besides "How old are you?" or something equally irrelevant, fewer SysOps even bother answering their pagers every day. 4. When you are offered a place to leave comments when exiting a system, don't try to use this area to ask the SysOp questions. It is very rude to the other callers to expect the SysOp to carry on a half visible conversation with someone. If you have a question or statement to make and expect the SysOp to respond to it, it should always be made in the section where all the other messages are kept. This allows the SysOp to help many people with the same problem with the least amount of effort on his part. 5. Before you log on with your favorite pseudonym, make sure that handles are allowed. Most SysOps don't want people using handles on the system. There is not enough room for them, they get silly games of one-upmanship started, it is much nicer to deal with a person on a personal basis, and last but not least, everyone should be willing to take full responsibility for his actions or comments instead of slinging mud from behind a phoney name. 6. Take the time to log on properly. There is no such place as RIV, HB,ANA or any of a thousand other abbreviations people use instead of their proper city. You may think that everyone knows what RIV is supposed to mean, but every BBS has people calling from all around the country and I assure you that someone from Podunk Iowa has no idea what you're talking about. 7. Don't go out of your way to make rude observations like "Gee, this system is slow". Every BBS is a trade off of features. You can generally assume that if someone is running a particular brand of software, that he is either happy with it or he'll decide to find another system he likes better. It does nobody any good when you make comments about something that you perceive to be a flaw when it's running the way the SysOp wants. Constructive criticism is somewhat more welcome. If you have an alter- native method that seems to make good sense then run it up the flagpole. 8. When leaving messages, stop and ask yourself whether it is necessary to make it private. Unless there might be some particular reason that everyone shouldn't know what you're saying, don't make it private. We don't call them PUBLIC bulletin boards for nothing, folks. It's very irritating to other callers when there are blank spots in the messages that they can't read and it stifles interaction between callers. 9. If your favorite BBS has a time limit, observe it. If it doesn't, set a limit for yourself and abide by it instead. Don't tie up a system until it finally kicks you off and then call back with another name. This same rule applies to downloading or playing games. Only one person at a time can be logged on to a BBS and it isn't fair to everyone else if you overstay your welcome. Remember, a BBS is best when it can be left wide open. If you try and cheat the rules you just hurt everybody by forcing the SysOp to adopt more stringent policies. I can't count the number of BBS's that are now locked tighter than a drum because of people who cheat and abuse. 10. Don't call a BBS just to look at the list of other BBS numbers. Most especially don't call a system as a new user and run right to the other numbers list. There is probably very little that's more annoying to any SysOp than to have his board completely passed over by you on your way to another board. 11. HAVE THE COMMON COURTESY TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT PASSES IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE. When a BBS displays your name and asks "Is this you?", don't say yes when you can see perfectly well that it is mispelled. Also, don't start asking questions about simple operation of a system until you have thoroughly read all of the instructions that are available to you. I assure you that it isn't any fun to answer a question for the thousandth time when the answer is prominently displayed in a system bulletin or instructions. Use some common sense when you ask your questions. The person who said "There's no such thing as a stupid question" obviously never operated a BBS. 12. If by some chance you should encounter an error while you are online (Heaven forbid!), ALWAYS take the time to leave the SysOp a message describing the circumstance. Don't just say "There was an error". That is not helpful in the least. Chances are that he knows there was an error. What he needs to know is what you were doing when the error occurred so that he can have some chance of finding and correcting it. If the error happened after you input something, tell him what it was. Remember that a BBS can't improve unless you're willing to help. 13. Don't be personally abusive. It doesn't matter whether you like a SysOp or think he's a jerk. The fact remains that he has a large investment in making his computer available, usually out of the goodness of his heart. If you don't like a SysOp or his system, just remember that you can change the channel any time you want. Calling a SysOp names or making uninformed comments about his lifestyle only shows you for the child you really are. 14. Keep firmly in mind that you are a guest on any BBS you happen to call. Don't think of logging on as one of your basic human rights. Every person that has ever put a computer system online for the use of other people has spent a lot of time and money to do so. While he doesn't expect non stop pats on the back, it seems reasonable that he should at least be able to expect fair treatment from his callers. This includes following any of the rules for system use he has laid out without grumping about it. Every SysOp has his own idea of how he wants his system to be run. It is really none of your business why he wants to run it the way he does. Your business is to either abide by what he says, or call some other BBS where you feel that you can obey the rules. *********************************************************************** :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. 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. All The Sports, All The Time -- From The Sports Network.....SPORTSNEWS 2. Stay warm in your new GEnie Sweatshirt......................GENIESTORE 3. WWIV Support TalkAbout Mar 9 10PM ET..........................BBS 4. It's CRUISE Night RTC - 3/10 Get your Cruise information in..TRAVELRT 5. Don't miss the UNIX TUTORIAL Sunday at 9pm about KERMIT.......UNIX 6. Comparison Shop For PC Products The Easy Way................PC CATALOG 7. STUDENTS - REGISTRATION Is OPEN For Spring Term COURSES.......CALC 8. GRAND OPENING SWEEPSTAKES - Win Beautiful.....................JEWELRY 9. 10% OFF EVERYTHING - Coffee, Tea, Gourmet Gifts at............COFFEE 10. Five Flavors of Real Time Conferences every week in...........GERMANY 11. IDITAROD Race. Join us and our special guest in..............PET 12. Join the GEnie BEER SWAPPERS in ..............................FOOD 13. Special Offer - for MEMBERS ONLY..............................SOFTCLUB 14. The Case AGAINST Patents......................................PSRT 15. 1ST Annual GEnieLamp Magazine *SWIMSUIT* issue in............GENIELAMP Welcome to... |"""| |"""| |"""""""""""""""""""""""| | | | ||"""""| | Your | | T ||"""""|| L || R | | Computing RT | | H || || A || O | | Resource! | | E || G || M || U | | ~ | | || E || P || N | | GEnieLamp Magazine | | || n || || D | | Electronic Publishing | | || i || || T | | Ed_NET | | || e || || A | | Bookettes! | | || || || B | | Online Magazines | | || || || L | | ~ | | || || || E | | Home Of The | | || || || | | Digital Publishing | | || || || | | Association! | |"""||"""""||"""||"""""| |"""""""""""""""""""""""| |B33||B34.4||B35|| B64 | | C65.4132 | |===||=====||===||=====| |=======================| Your RT Hosts: John Peters [GENIELAMP] Jim Flanagan [JFLANAGAN] & Mike White [M.WHITE25] THE MARCH *SWIMSUIT* ISSUES OF GEnieLamp ARE NOW ONLINE! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" And They're GEnie*Basic! (On Page 515) NEW FILES IN THE LIBRARY! """"""""""""""""""""""""" 1137 DPANEW13.ZIP "Digital" newsletter - DOS/EGA/VGA 1136 DPANEW13.DOC "Digital Publishing News" - March,93 1133 OPR1.EXE ONLINE POETRY REVIEW VOL 1 NO. 1 1132 DPATOOL2.GIF DPA Toolkit Full package Proof 1128 V6I7.ASC The Teleputing Hotline (Vol. 6, #7) 1115 BBR0293.ZIP Feb, 1993, The Bell Business Report 1109 SEE.EXE "SEE" File Utilities 1108 GARLIC-MAGIC.ZIP "Garlic Magic" - by George Knoblauch 1107 EFORUM11.ZIP Electronic Publishers Forum - #11 1106 ANSIMOUS ANSI Editor for Macs (SEA) 1105 V6I6.ASC The Teleputing Hotline (Vol. 6, #6) 1104 REXXCOM-DPA.ZIP REXXCOM - ASCII Publishing System 1100 CANE0293.ZIP CANE calendars of events in N.E. 1099 DPANEW12.ZIP REXXCOM version of "News" for 2/93 1097 EP-WIN.EXE DEMO W/Graphics E.Publishing Windows 1096 ORPH141C.ZIP Orpheus v.1.41 - Disk 3 of 3 1095 ORPH141B.ZIP Orpheus v.1.41 - Disk 2 of 3 1094 ORPH141A.ZIP Orpheus v.1.41 - From Hyperion PACIFIC EDGE ON GEnie! The Pacific Edge Magazine has joined the """""""""""""""""""""" GEnieLamp RoundTable. Watch for new issues in the library and reader support in the bulletin board. FILE OF THE WEEK The Teleputing Hotline Newsletter is this week's """""""""""""""" selection. Catch up on what's happening in the telecommunications world, quickly and easily with The Teleputing Hotline! This page, option #7. DIGITAL PUBLISHING NEWS The March issue of Digital Publishing """"""""""""""""""""""" Association is now available on the menu (Option #5) on page 515 as well as in the library. GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission *********************************************************************** > CyReL SUNRISE! STR InfoFile CYBERCUBE NEWS & UPDATES """"""""""""""""""""""""""" PRESS RELEASE Cybercube Research Ltd., Canada introduces the ._____. __ __ .______. .______. ._. / .___. \ \ \ / / | .___. \ | .____! | | | | !_! \ \_/ / | !___! | | !__. | | | | ._. \ / | .__. ./ | .__! | | | !___! | | | | | \ \ | !____. | !____. \._____./ !_! !_! \_\ !______! !______! ._____. ._. ._. .__ ._. .______. ._. ._____. .______. / .____! | | | | | \ | | | .___. \ | | / .____! | .____! | !___. | | | | | . \ | | | !___! | | | | !___. | !__. \.___. \ | | | | | |\ \| | | .__. ./ | | \.___. \ | .__! .____! | | !__! | | | \ ! | | | \ \ | ! .____! | | !____. !_____./ \.____./ !_! \__| !_! \_\ !_! !_____./ !______! .__ __. _. ._. _. .____. .____. .____. | \ / | / | / / / | !___. \ / .__. \ / .__. \ | . \/ . | /_ | / /__. .____. /_ | .__! | | !__! | | | | | | |\ /| | | | / .__. \ !____! | | / .__./ | .__. | | | | | | | \/ | | | | | !__! | | | | !___. | !__! | | !__! | !_! !_! !_! \______/ !_! !_____! \.____./ \.____./ The True Color High Resolution VME Bus Graphics Card for the Atari TT030 and Mega STE The CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 incorporates a versatile and fully programmable Color Video Controller with 2 MB of fast 32-bit video RAM to form a high speed graphics system. By employing the latest technologies, custom designed components and more than 70 video clock frequencies up to 120 MHz, the CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 cards achieve a new level of performance and integration. It offers a wide range of operating modes from economic Monochrome displays to dazzling True Color imaging capabilities. The CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 can be operated with any industry standard analog monitor, ranging from small 12" analog greyscale to 17" VGA monitors and even to high end multi-sync monitors up to 37". The built-in expansion connectors provide further opportunities for enhancements and a represent a flexible way for future upgrades. Multi-media applications can take advantage of the new and exciting CyReL VidiMix8 Desktop Video expansion module. It allows every SUNRISE card to record live video clips, instantly resize and capture True Color video images in real-time. The VidiMix8 encode computer generated pictures, animations and images in 12 different international TV standards while providing a host of special effects. The CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 comes complete with its own custom True Color capable VDI drivers, offering compatibility with almost all GEM applications available. A number of system accessories increase the comfort and ease of configuring the various features of the cards. The cards are being distributed by DMC Publishing Inc. and have a SRP of US $1,499. Visit our new GEnie Support area (Category 16, Topic 12). FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ---------------------------- DMC Publishing Inc. 2800 John Street, Suite 10 Markham, ON, L3R 0E2, Canada Tel. (416) 479 1880 Fax (416) 479 1882 or Cybercube Research Limited 126 Grenadier Crescent Thornhill, ON, L4J 7V7, Canada Tel. (416) 882 0294 Fax (416) 886 3261 Cybercube Research Ltd., Canada introduces the ._____. __ __ .______. .______. ._. / .___. \ \ \ / / | .___. \ | .____! | | | | !_! \ \_/ / | !___! | | !__. | | | | ._. \ / | .__. ./ | .__! | | | !___! | | | | | \ \ | !____. | !____. \._____./ !_! !_! \_\ !______! !______! ._____. .______. .______. ._. __ ._. / .____! | .____! | .___. \ | | / \ | | | !___. | !__. | !___! | | | / /\ \ | | \.___. \ | .__! | .__. ./ | | / /__\ \ | | .____! | | !____. | | \ \ | | / ______ \ | !____. !_____./ !______! !_! \_\ !_! /_/ \_\ !______! .__ __. .____. ._. ._. ._____. .______. | \ / | / .__. \ | | | | / .____! | .____! | . \/ . | | | | | | | | | | !___. | !__. | |\ /| | | | | | | | | | \.___. \ | .__! | | \/ | | | !__! | | !__! | .____! | | !____. !_! !_! \.____./ \.____./ !_____./ !______! .__ __. __ .__ ._. __ .______. .______. .______. | \ / | / \ | \ | | / \ / ._____! | .____! | .___.\ | . \/ . | / /\ \ | . \ | | / /\ \ | | .__. | !__. | !___!| | |\ /| | / /__\ \ | |\ \| | / /__\ \ | | !_ | | .__! | .__../ | | \/ | | / ______ \ | | \ ! | / ______ \ | !___! | | !____. | | \ \ !_! !_! /_/ \_\ !_! \__| /_/ \_\ \.___/!_! !______! !_! \_\ The current release supports these device types: Microsoft(R) MS-Mouse (serial type) MSC(R) Mouse Systems Corporation PC-Mouse SUMMAGRAPHICS(R) MM961 GRAPHICS TABLETS SUMMAGRAPHICS(R) MM1201 GRAPHICS TABLETS SUMMAGRAPHICS(R) BitPadII GRAPHICS TABLETS SummaSketch(R) PLUS GRAPHICS TABLETS and compatible products for ATARI(R) ST(TM), STe(TM), MEGA(TM), MEGA STE(TM), TT030(TM) and Falcon 030(TM) Current Release: 1.02c Date: 2/93 This press release contains information on the CyReL Serial Mouse Utility and device driver that enhance the performance of any ATARI system. A utility program supports the operation of the computer by providing system management capabilities. It extends the scope of the features provided by the built-in operating system, making the working environment more responsive and comfortable to use. A device driver is software that controls and communicates directly with system hardware, hardware expansion modules and other peripherals. The CyReL Serial Mouse Manager software offers these features: = Customizes and enhances the GEM operating system. = Allows the use of industry standard high resolution serial mice compatible with the MS-Mouse or PC-Mouse format. = Uses any of the built-in serial ports. = Automatic serial port configuration depending on the selected input device. = Supports 'dual mouse' operation. The original mouse and serial mouse can both be used at any time. = Provides advanced mouse speed control features including ballistic response, dynamic speed regulation and mouse resolution compensation. = Enables the use of any graphics tablet compatible with the Summagraphics MM series. = Improves the performance of the operating system and interaction accuracy with GEM application programs. = Easy configuration of all system input devices for optimum performance. = Supports the CyReL M16-1280 True Color High Resolution Graphic Cards. = 3 Utilities in one: mouse accelerator, screen saver and serial mouse driver. = User friendly GEM based configuration utility. = No soldering, no hardware add-ons, no patch cables, no system modifications required. The CyReL Serial Mouse Manager files are being distributed as a commercial product. A free demonstration package is available through many BBSs and information services/networks such as GEnie. PRICES ------ Order Code Description Quantity Canada U.S./Foreign --------------------------------------------------------------------- ACSM12 CyReL Serial Mouse Manager & Driver 1- Cdn $15.00 US $13.00 Release 1.02 ACPM36 CyReL Palette Master 1- Cdn $20.00 US $17.00 Release 3.6e SHIPPING & HANDLING CHARGES --------------------------- Quantity U.S. / Canada Foreign US $ / Cdn $ US $ ------------------------------------------- 1 $1.00 $2.50 2-5 $2.50 $5.00 5-10 $5.50 $10.00 10-over* $10.00 $20.00 METHODS OF PAYMENT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- All orders must be prepaid. Check/Money Order in Canadian or U.S. funds only. FOR ORDERS OR INFORMATION CONTACT --------------------------------- Cybercube Research Limited 126 Grenadier Crescent Thornhill, ON, L4J 7V7, Canada Cybercube Research Ltd., Canada introduces the ._____. __ __ .______. .______. ._. / .___. \ \ \ / / | .___. \ | .____! | | | | !_! \ \_/ / | !___! | | !__. | | | | ._. \ / | .__. ./ | .__! | | | !___! | | | | | \ \ | !____. | !____. \._____./ !_! !_! \_\ !______! !______! .______. __ ._. .______. ._________. ._________. .______. | .___. \ / \ | | | .____! !___. .___! !___. .___! | .____! | !___! | / /\ \ | | | !__. | | | | | !__. | .____./ / /__\ \ | | | .__! | | | | | .__! | | / ______ \ | !____. | !____. | | | | | !____. !_! /_/ \_\ !______! !______! !_! !_! !______! .__ __. __ ._____. ._________. .______. .______. | \ / | / \ / .____! !___. .___! | .____! | .___. \ | . \/ . | / /\ \ | !___. | | | !__. | !___! | | |\ /| | / /__\ \ \.___. \ | | | .__! | .__. ./ | | \/ | | / ______ \ .____! | | | | !____. | | \ \ !_! !_! /_/ \_\ !_____./ !_! !______! !_! \_\ The Ultimate Color Handling Utility Works in any mode ranging from Monochrome to True Color Features Smooth Shading, Cut & Paste Color Clips, Swap, Copy, Rainbow, Save & Load, Color & Greyscale Conversion, Palette or Profile Operation with multiple Undo Functions, Gamma Correction and Color Level Adjust Runs on all Atari computer systems with 512 KB and more. Minimum screen resolution required: 320x200. Copyright (c) 1993 by Cybercube Research Limited, Toronto Canada The PALMASTR.ACC or PALMASTR.PRG is an interactive color handling utility originally designed to facilitate all color controlling functions of the CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 High Resolution True Color Graphics Cards for the Mega STE and TT030. The newly released version now runs on ANY Atari machine and allows the operation in all of these modes: monochrome, 4 colors, 16 colors, 256 colors, Falcon High Color Modes and even in the dazzling True Color Modes of the CyReL M16-1280 Graphics Cards. The program provides on-line help functions to familiarize the user with all menu functions and features available. Although the utility was designed for high resolution displays, this version now also runs on small screens like 320x200. A special screen layout is used whenever the resolution drops below a certain threshold. Some features are not available in modes with less than 16 colors. The CyReL Palette Master makes extensive use of icons and sub-menus to present all the options. The installation of the PALMASTR.PRG as an replaces and surpasses all existing color handling utilities. The CyReL Palette Master files are being distributed as a commercial product. It comes complete with installation instructions, help file, tutorial and more than 30 predefined color palettes to customize any desktop. A free demonstration package is available through many BBSs and information services/networks such as GEnie. PRICES ------ Order Code Description Quantity Canada U.S./Foreign --------------------------------------------------------------------- ACSM12 CyReL Serial Mouse Manager & Driver 1- Cdn $15.00 US $13.00 Release 1.02 ACPM36 CyReL Palette Master 1- Cdn $20.00 US $17.00 Release 3.6e SHIPPING & HANDLING CHARGES --------------------------- Quantity U.S. / Canada Foreign US $ / Cdn $ US $ ------------------------------------------ 1 $1.00 $2.50 2-5 $2.50 $5.00 5-10 $5.50 $10.00 10-over* $10.00 $20.00 METHODS OF PAYMENT ------------------ All orders must be prepaid. Check/Money Order in Canadian or U.S. funds only. If you would like to know more about our products, please contact us as shown below and we will be glad to be of service. Mail/Orders: Cybercube Research Limited 126 Grenadier Crescent Thornhill, Ontario, L4J 7V7 Canada Telephone: (416) 882 0294 Fax: (416) 886 3261 BBS: (416) 882 5895 GEnie: CYBERCUBE All product names and brand names appearing in this document are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. Copyright (c) 1993 Cybercube(TM) Research Limited, Toronto, Canada ____________________________________________________________ > WEMBLY ATARI SHOW STR SHOW NEWS A UK EYEWITNESS SHOW REPORT.... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" THE 16 BIT SHOW FROM WEMBLEY A PERSONAL VIEW By Peter Sharpe Arriving at Wembley on a freezing cold friday morning I parked my trusty motorbike outside the conference centre and made my way round to exhibition hall 1, the home of this years 16 Bit Show. After visiting the show last year, I commented on this network about just how poor computer shows had become, how they had been overrun by games, and the poor support shown for the Atari. So I was shocked to find that there was a queue of people going half way round the building !! As a matter of fact there were two queues, one for pre-paid ticket holders, and another for those without. The show was filled to capacity, the man on the door said. A maximum of 2000 people are allowed in at any one time, and until more people came out, no more could go in, with the pre-paid ticket holders getting priority. I was faced with a dilemma. I could either join the queue, with the prospect of waiting a couple of hours to get in, or I could go back home and come back later in the afternoon. Yup, you guessed it, I joined the queue. I don't know what it is about us British, but we seem to love queuing. The prospect of standing outside in the freezing cold for an hour or so doesn't seem to bother us. If anyone had set up a hot dog stand down there that morning they would have made a killing. At least it isn't raining, said one particularly cheerful individual as we stood around waiting. Quiet, said someone else, don't tempt fate. I could continue on this vain for a few more pages, but to cut a long story short(ish) I got chatting to the people around me and after about an hour we were in. After all that queuing I was expecting something fairly spectacular. What a disappointment. The show didn't even fill the first hall. There was a time when it filled 3 halls, with 500+ exhibitors. This time there were less than 100. Determined to get value for my 6 ukp entry ticket, I ignored the opportunity to waste another pound on a show guide, and went for a wander round. The first stand you see on entering the show is HiSoft, always a stand worth a look at, as they are usually at the sharp end of Atari technology. Naturally they had a Falcon, in fact they had two, one running a very short demo from CD-ROM, and another running TruePaint, busy loading in various still images, mostly from Star Trek-The Next Generation. And very nice they were too. Very pretty. Boring, but pretty, none the less. And that sums up the whole show really. Very nice, but nothing of particular interest. Further round I was surprised to see yet another group of Falcons (I am sure some clever sort will tell me what the collective word for Falcons is). One was running a very boring slideshow routine, a second was connected though a genlock to a video camera, overlaying a still image onto the video signal, while a third was running Windows 3.1, though not very well. So although the Falcon was in attendance, there was no sign of any serious software for it, or at least none that worked well enough to demonstrate. Watching all this Falconry from a discreet distance was System Solutions, or whatever they are calling themselves. Aha I thought, they will have some TOS 1.4 ROMS for me. Nope, not a dicky bird. They had 2.06 though, as did lots of people. I don't want 2.06 I said, I have NeoDesk and 2.5Meg of memory to play with. I only want 1.4 for its hard disk routines and its file move commands. Nothing doing till March they said, something about Atari not allowing it to be distributed yet. Typical Atari again, no wonder they are in trouble. Okay, I'd seen the Falcon, I'd totally failed to get hold of TOS 1.4, time to see what else there was around. I was glad to see Analogic were there, showing the new 8Meg expansion for the Mega ST/STe/TT. They said they didn't have TOS 1.4 with them, but they might have it back at the shop. A visit to Kingston on monday. A good little company, who will bend over backwards to help you out if you just ask them nicely. Another company who helped me out was Deal Direct. I went there in search of a monitor stand (8ukp), a printer stand (2.99) and a disk box (2.50). Unfortunately I somehow managed to forget to pick up the monitor stand, and it wasn't until I got home that I realized my mistake. I gave them a ring. "Never mind", they said, come back tomorrow and pick it up. I'm impatient, so I went back that evening and got it, but the fact that they trusted me, even though I had no receipt said that this was a company worth dealing with in the future, so if you need any computer stationary, disks, boxes, stands etc then you could do worse than give them a ring. I'll put the details at the bottom. I don't know if you've noticed, but modems seem to be all the rage at the moment. You only need to open a computer magazine to find 14k4 modems for 300 quid. They all seem to be jumping on the bandwagon. There were at least 4 different makes of a speed modem on offer, none BT approved (naughty). Maybe they will have some cheap fax software. Fat chance. All that was on offer was Tele Office, a snip at 60ukp mono only. Since I didn't have 60 quid or a mono monitor I passed. I can't believe there isn't some bright spark out there who has written a PD fax program. I only want it to fax the odd letter or two, so 60 quid is a bit much really. Well, what else was there. Virtual Reality of course. Two people with funny hats trying to shoot each other in a virtual room. Talk about looking silly. They were like Thunderbird puppets without the strings. Still got a bit of work to do there me thinks. 16/32 PDL were there as well. They had FzT 2.12. When I asked when they would be getting 2.20 they said it would be a while yet. Ha Ha. So that was it apart from lots of stands selling Amiga (pah) parts, the usual collection of games stands, the NASA pens, and an odd little stand who's name escapes me but was selling various bits and bobs for the Atari. Memory, plugs and sockets, even whole motherboards. He didn't have any TOS 1.4 ROMs though. What he did have was a confidential draft copy of the technical spec for the Falcon. Interesting reading. Very interesting. More interesting even than '20 things you didn't know about Steve Davis'. It was manned by an oriental gentleman who's name also escapes me, but his stand was on the far right of the hall, and if anyone knows which stand I mean, would they let me know, as I wouldn't mind getting a catalogue. Another stand worth a look was R J Simulations (I think that was their name), they had a very nice simulation of a remote control helicopter, with a proper 'radio' control unit to fly it with. I first saw this stand at the Model Engineers show at Olympia in January. The graphics are simple but functional, and the simulation is VERY good. It really flies like a real model ( I don't own one, but I was watching someone who did, and he said so). And of course it doesn't matter if you crash, you just reset it and start again. It can be adjusted for different models and different weather. You view it from a fixed viewpoint on the ground, just like you would if it was real. If you fly it directly towards you, you can crash it into yourself. A nice touch of realism. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to take up model flying. I was getting bored by now, fed up with seeing stand after stand of Amiga games and hardware, so I was pleased when I came across Air Warrior. This is flight combat over the phone. You download a program, then dial into a central computer and try to shoot down other players, who are also connected. I know some of you lot already play. They gave me a card, which you send off and they give you 3 hours free play time. Hasta la vista baby !! Thanks again to Deal Direct mail order for being so helpful when I was so careless, I said I'd give you a plug. Future Computing 62C London Road Oadby Leicester LE2 0PF Tel: Leicester (0533) 718191 ____________________________________________________________________ > OXYD STR Review Oxyd is unique....... """"""""""""""" Oxyd ==== A Challenge in Creativity and Coordination ========================================== by Dana P. Jacobson Oxyd, a new game from Dongleware Software, reminds me quite a bit of Atari's "Chip's Challenge" on the Lynx, a little like Psygnosis' "Lemmings", and PacMan (being chased) - all wrapped into one. It's truly one of those games that you will consider addictive. Oxyd is unique in that it is available as a downloadable demo. The game is fully functional. The game consists of 200 levels (100 for single-player and 100 for dual-player modes). The "demo" portion of the game allows you to play the first 10 levels with just your talents being the only restriction. Complete a level and move on to the next, _until_ you get to the eleventh level. From here, the commercial part of the program takes effect. You cannot complete Level 11 (or beyond) without the Oxyd Book. More on this later, let's talk about the game itself! Boot the game and you've entered the world of Oxyd. It consists of 100 different landscapes. As the player, you assume the role of a black marble, roaming through the various mazes or challenging scenery while encountering various magic tokens and other objects of unknown qualities. In each landscape, it is your goal to locate the Oxyds which, mysteriously, have "closed" and shut off the Oxyd world's oxygen. You must touch each Oxyd with the black marble, "opening" them up and revealing different colors or patterns. To be successful, you must touch two of the same pattern or color so that they will remain open and provide oxygen. The tricky part is that while these Oxyds are closed, they all appear exactly the same until touched. When an unmatched Oxyd is touched, it will open and blink until you either touch another and making a matching pair, or touch another of a different color or pattern. If you don't find a pair, you must remember which colors are where so that once you find the match, you can return and get its mate! Once all of the Oxyd pairs are opened, you've completed that level, and ready for the next. Sound easy? It isn't, usually. While the premise of the game is quite simple, there are barriers to overcome. Many of the surfaces found on the landscapes vary and you need to move accordingly. Some have different texture, are curved, or break apart as you roll over them! There are "swamps", water, ice, deep chasms, passageways, and unmovable blocks. There are various objects along the way which may be "picked up" by rolling over them. Most can be used in a manner to allow you to make progress in your quest. For example, that unmovable block you've encountered may be "blown up" with that stick of dynamite you found earlier in the landscape. Just make sure that you're not sitting next to it, as the explosion is powerful enough to leave a crater! Or, that chasm you've encountered is quite deep. How do you get across? Hmmm, perhaps you can float across using that umbrella you found under that last movable tile? Yep, that would work! In addition to those I've mentioned, there are numerous other tokens and objects that will be encountered. Each one has its own unique, and unknown affect. On occasion, you will have to combine the affects of one object with another to gain the necessary final goal. Curiosity and guts is the name of this gameplay; you must take chances and try different things to progress. Once you learn the characteristics of certain objects, you can use that knowledge in the future. As I mentioned earlier, the manual becomes absolutely necessary after reaching the 11th level. Starting at Level 11, you will encounter (the first of many throughout the rest of the game) a magic token. This token is in the shape of an unmovable tile, usually blocking your path toward the completion of a specific needed task or movement. Written on the top of each of these tokens are "magic formulas" which can help remove these roadblocks. Actually, these really aren't formulas, but references to a specific page, column and line within the manual. Locating the page and correct column & line will give you a 3- character code. If you've located this code correctly, typing it in will result in that once unmovable block blowing up and allowing you to pass. So, you can see how it is necessary to get the manual; there are 100+ pages of just codes!! To add to this type of copy protection, the codes are protected even more by being printed, in printer's terms, in non-repro blue. This means that it's extremely difficult to xerox these pages, if not impossible. You may get a few codes, but definitely not all. Without them all, they are useless. Along the way, you come across some unusual landscapes, called meditation landscapes. In each of these, instead of moving your marble in search for the Oxyds, you must move several (usually four) green balls into various shallow pits. It sounds easy, but the problem is that ALL of the balls are controlled by a single movement of the mouse! Move one left, and they all go left. Unfortunately, to make things even more complicated, all of the balls don't start at the same position. And then (what else could you possibly do to make it more difficult?), the landscapes are designed so you may be surrounded by a chasm or other obstacle! Remember those toys when you were young that had those small silver balls within a plastic case? You had to shake the case in order to move the balls so that each one ended up in a hole or slot? This is very similar. You can get one ball in the pit and while moving another you knock the first one out!! All of the balls must end up in a pit, and not moving, before you've completed these landscapes. And you thought finding all of the Oxyds was hard! Oxyd has a number of variations which can enhance the game play (as if it need it!). You can play against the clock. Beat the "best" time and you can enter your own initials in the list. You can also play with a friend, using two computers. This can be accomplished with a null modem, connecting with MIDI cables, modem to modem, or by network. Oxyd is available for the Atari ST/TT/Falcon computer, as well as for the Mac, IBM, Amiga, and NeXT. On the Atari line, Oxyd is available separately for color, monochrome, and TT/Falcon systems. If you don't want to download the program (usually 500 - 800K), you can order the disk directly from Dongleware, by phone. The disk, and manual, are available worldwide. Even bookstores carry it (American version: ISBN 3-928278-12-6). It's also available in England, France, and Germany. Dongleware Publishing Cambridge, MA (617) 497-1130 Toll free orders: 800-228-OXYD Great Britain CACHET UK, Inc. PO Box 170 Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3NG Telephone/Fax - 0795-435594 France Application Systems Paris Rue Germain Dardan F-92120 Montrouge Telephone (1)40.92.80.81 Fax (1)40.92.04.01 Germany Dongleware Verlags GmbH Postfach 1163 D-W6903 Neckargemuend Telephone/Fax 06223 / 8740 Questions and/or help: OXYD SOS Telephone: (617)497-1130 Thursdays 5-8 pm, or contact Thomas Tempelmann on Compuserve at (72377,351). There may be Oxyd reps on Delphi and GEnie in the near future. Oxyd is one game that I highly recommend. It provides hours on end of enjoyment, mixed in with the inevitable temporary frustration which makes for a challenging game. See you all at the end when the world of Oxyd is restored; I'm currently on Level 31! Until next time.... ___________________________________________________________________ > NVN WANTS YOU! STR InfoFile Another Network Supports Atari! """"""""""""""""""""""""""" National Videotext Network (NVN) has recently added an Atari ST Forum to it's growing lists of available services. The Atari ST Forum is ready and waiting for you! The future of NVN will be one which continues to remain sensitive and responsive to market needs. Additional services and advances in electronic information will continue to be added, to provide unique and interesting services on an on-going basis. NVN service offerings can be broken into three categories: Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus. **************************************** **************************************** ** 9600 BAUD acious! ** ** For users with 9600 baud modems ** ** SAME PRICE AS 2400 BAUD! ** ** TRUE on line savings! ** **************************************** **************************************** Basic Services -------------- Most of the Basic services are available 24 hours a day with no connect time charges beyond the basic membership fee. However, a select group have functions for which transaction fees are charged. Basic services are accessible through a flat rate charge of $5.95 per month. Premium Services ---------------- For Premium services, Members pay connect charges for the amount of time spent in a particular service. Premium services are accessible Monday through Friday for a connect time charge of $9.00/hour from 8 am to 6 pm, and $6.00/hour from 6 pm to 8 am; and on Saturday and Sunday for a connect time charge of $6.00 all day (6 pm Friday til 8 am Monday), central time zone. 9600 Baud access is available at no additional cost! Think of the advantages of downloading at 9600 baud for 9.00 hr Prime Time or 6.00 hr non-prime time! Order an extended NVN Membership of 6 or 12 months, pay for it in advance and receive a bonus in connect time at no additional charge. Choose from two subscription plans: 6-Month Membership Pay just $30 for a 6-month Membership and receive a usage credit that entitles you to $15 of connect-time in the Premium services of your choice. Your total savings using this plan would be over $20!* 12 Month Membership Pay $50 for a full year's Membership and get even more free time on-line. We'll give you a $25 usage credit to use in your favorite Premium services or try out new ones. You could save as much as $45.* For more information about either of these plans, give us a call at 1-800-336- 9096. *Both extended Membership options, including free usage credits are nonrefundable/nontransferable. Members are responsible for all Premium charges over the $15 or $25 usage credit. You can join NVN one of two ways. By voice phone 1-800-336-9096 (Client Services) or via modem phone 1-800-336-9092. You will be issued an Account # (usually within 24 hours) National Videotex Network and the Atari ST Forum will be waiting for you. _____________________________________________________________ > TAX WIZARD II STR InfoFile Program is ready for '92 Taxes """""""""""""""""""""""""" Tax Wizard II ============= PRESS RELEASE ------------- Tax Wizard II Program ready for '92 taxes For the third year in a row, A&D Software, a subsidiary of MacDonald Associates Publishers, is providing a tax preparation program under the name of Tax Wizard II. This program handles tax forms filing and includes helpful preparation information. No complicated overlays are necessary as the total program is contained on one disk. Tax Wizard II is a stand alone GEM oriented tax preparation program for the 1992 tax year. The program will serve the needs of most individual and joint return taxpayers, including those taxpayers who are self employed and have capital gains, home offices expenses or run a sole proprietor business. More than 25 forms are supported with the 1992 year version. The program is much improved over the 1991 tax year version, and is easy to use. Both ST and TT compatible (no support for ST Low or TT Low rez), once you backup the program, you can use the backup disk for the program and saving of your data. The Tax Wizard II developers recommend that you work from a back up, and indicate that you can use either the single disk approach or move the program files to a WIZARD II folder on your hard drive. When printing, no user prompting is necessary. The program does NOT support electronic filing. Supporting a wide scope of tax forms, Tax Wizard II can help users prepare taxes with ease. Regular 1040 and 1040A support is provided along with Schedules A,B,C,D,E,EIC,F,R,SE and Forms 1116, 2106, 2441, 3800, 3903, 4562, 6198, 6251, 8582, 8829, in addition to 1040A support Schedules 1,2,3. The package includes the new 8829 home office expense form. Other forms are continually being added to the program as the government and the IRS continue to make filing more difficult and as the scope of filing returns gets more complicated. The current selection should handle the bulk of private and sole proprietor business returns filed under the present federal tax system. Each form is uniformly displayed on screen with complete cursor and page view control of your work. The program transfers needed information between forms and does all the math needed to complete your forms. The program uses a unique variables data system. You do not need to work forms in any particular order as the program contains an UPDATE feature that instantly updates all forms with information that is needed from any previously filled out forms. ITEMIZATION is available on the appropriate lines of any form. The A separate Itemization dialog is enabled allowing the taxpayer to list with some specifics, the expense type and amount to be included. Itemization printout is included when the all forms print cycles takes place, so that your return will be complete with supporting itemization lists. The itemization is printed out during final printout to be included with your return and with the form the listing supports. You can save your data on disk and recall it later for correction. A ROUGH COPY Form 1040 (by user request) is included with this years program so that users can check their data before entering on the submittable 1040 form. All other forms are submittable as printed out and should be attached to your Form 1040 before filing. Forms title information and taxpayer identification is automatically included from information provided by the user in the file start up dialog that is completed with the start of a NEW file. This allows efficient final printout without intervention by the user. As a preparation guide, all forms supported by the program are included in hard copy form within the Tax Wizard II package, along with the documentation. Users can check against the actual hard copy forms during preparation. Tax Wizard II, from A&D Software is priced at $49.95 for new purchasers, or $39.95 for prior registered owners (Plus $2.90 postage). Registration cards of non-registered users is sufficient to claim the discount. A&D Software 909 NW Starlite Place Grants Pass, OR 97526 Support or questions (503) 476-0071 Orders at 1-800-800-2563 Shipping started March 1, 1993 and will continue. ____________________________________________________________________ > STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips" """"""""""""""""""""" - San Francisco, CA ST MICROWORLD WINS ARBITRATION ----------------- Reports are filtering in that ST MicroWorld, owned by Bill Yerger, has won a decision in arbitration sessions. Yerger brought suit against Atari for wrongfully revoking his dealership. Pending appeal, the decision has reportedly awarded ST Microworld $200,000.00. - Hannover, Germany ATARI DTP CENTERS DROP IN NUMBERS ----------------- According to our sources, the DTP centers in Germany that are Atari related used to be as high as 585, now the latest count is they're down to between 50-60 DTP service centers. The reason is alleged to be the lack of advertising, support and a total lack of public awareness. Analysts seem to favor that under the current conditions, there is little hope for improvement. - Chicago, IL LYNX ALL BUT ASLEEP ----------- "The fabled Atari Lynx game machine, really a very good one, never really achieved the marketshare it had the potential for. Many of the larger outlets have stopped carrying the Lynx. The Lynx is all but asleep. Its sad to see happening.. it had everything going for it." This was a portion of a letter sent to our reporter by a developer for the Lynx who wanted to remain unsigned. In his letter the dev said the Lynx was of a superior design to anything on the market when it was released but it too, was never given the real push it needed to take off. He also expressed his lack of confidence in the new person appointed to head up developer relations and Atari for the Lynx. - Santa Clara, CA BANKRUPTCY COURTHOUSE RENDEZVOUS SAVES DAY? --------------- As snoop rumor reports go, this one is quite interesting, it seems there was a meeting in a courtroom corridor this past week involving a very special courier carrying a few certified bank checks that apparently nipped certain proceedings (about to begin) in the bud. - Los Angeles, CA SIG HARTMAN SPEAKS UP --------------- Recently, STReport had the wonderful opportunity to talk to Mr. Sig Hartman. Hartman, best known as Mr. Atari in years gone by, took a few moments to reflect on the times. We asked Mr. Hartman a few questions about the past and of course the future. Rather than go for the usual question and answer array, we'll present this in an informal, conversation type presentation. Sig was asked what he thought about the new Falcon and its chances in the US marketplace. He began by telling us about how he met and spoke to Jack for the first time in almost two years at Comdex. Sig thought the Falcon was a great idea but at the same time he expressed concerns over the lack of substantial US Developer support for the machine. He added that the machine would seemingly have to fend for itself until it established itself then the big developers may respond. When asked why he hadn't spoken to Jack in so long, especially since everyone knew they were such good friends, he responded it was because I had left Atari with some very hard to get over feelings because of the tough time I had with one of his sons. When asked which of the sons it was, his answer came as no surprise. Sig replied Leonard. Back to the Falcon, Sig continued to comment about the Falcon and the fact that it was an impressive machine. In fact, he made it a point to wish Jack and the company all the luck in the world with its USA release. When asked about his involvement with Goldleaf, and the "credit card incident" he said the bank had cleared the problem up for him and he has heard no more about the matter. Sig began to illustrate what he's doing "these days"... he went on to report he is now heavily involved in Multi-Media and CD Rom production. Additionally, he pointed out that is a "booming business" and he expects to sell "jillions!" It was good to talk to Sig, we reminisced about the "good old days" talked about the current state of the Atari market and of course, we parted with the promise of more of the same. Sig made our day letting us know he understood what STReport was all about in trying to say it like it really was and not how certain folks would've liked it to be told. To take moment or two, one can't help but wonder what heights Atari may have attained had Sig Hartman stayed on with them.. Of course, his dynamic personality kept the peace in the Atari community and it also provided a cohesive element we haven't seen since his departure. If anything, Jack ought to seriously consider bringing Sig back in. It would be a darn sight better than the rank amateurs managing the company's public relations and sales now. There isn't a soul out there who will not agree that Sig certainly has his act together and could easily be the catalytic ingredient in driving Atari into holding a major marketshare and a strong corporate recovery. __________________________________________________________ > STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard" """"""""""""" STReport's MailBag """""""""""""""""" Messages * NOT EDITED * for content ----------------------------------- Presented below is the latest tirade from Jerry Cross. It appears he has taken off the "kid gloves" and outrightly called myself and STReport liars. That's good.. as there is nothing as good as a direct accusation to prove definitely wrong and put an end to his non-sense and double talk. Please overlook his use of expletives.... An Open letter to the editor of ST-Reports. I am requesting that this message be published but hold little hope it will be. Permission is granted to reprint as long as entire message is left intact. =================== Mr. Mariano, I have requested several times that we discuss this matter in the Genie message bases in hopes that we could somehow resolve this nonsense. Instead, time after time you refuse to reply to my messages, and you now resort to replying to my concerns in the pages of STR. Unfortunately this is a one-way dialog since I have no way to reply to your comments in a public forum. You constantly refuse to publish any of my messages, and therefore your readers only know your side of the story. Your recent commentary in Issue 9.09 of STR has finally forced me to come forward as forcefully as possible. You have now resorted to defaming me in public, and I no longer will allow this. In short, Mr. Mariano, I am now publicly calling you a liar. It's time to sh** or get off the pot. For the benefit of those who don't read your newsletter, let me reprint your comments and I'll give my side of the story. From Issue #9.09 =============== "To our readers; "Mr. Cross decided to resurrect an old and very tired matter about the FCC and Atari with his outrageous claims that STReport didn't have the facts, was blowing smoke, etc.. STReport's contention is its Mr. Cross who's very busy "blowing smoke" in an attempt to cloud the entire matter for some unknown reasons. One can only wonder who or what is "prompting" him. The information STReport obtained from the FCC is obtainable by anyone caring to take the time and initiative to seek it out. Anyone doing so will soon discover STReport did indeed present the whole truth." =============== Nothing was resurrected. I have been attempting to get the facts about this story out since November, when Ralph first made public statements on the F-Net that the Falcon was not FCC certified. Even though Mr. Mariano had a statement from Mr. Bob Brodie that the story in Z-Net was not accurate, Mr. Mariano continued to spread this story without any serious attempt to investigate it. I'll explain about this later. Mr. Mariano implies that I am being put up to this by some unknown source. This is not true. I am a serious Atari supporter who is tired of constantly trying to stop the spread of rumors published in STR. This rumor was spread for one purpose only. To discredit Mr. Bob Brodie and make him look bad by implying that he was lying about the statis of the Falcon's certification. No one encourage me to speak up about this, and I'm insulted that Mr. Mariano constantly implies this every time I have the nerve to speak up and challenge something he reports on. And yes, the information reported on is readily available to anyone who cares to seek it out. It only takes a phone call. I strongly encourage anyone who doubts the accuracy of what I'm reporting to verify it yourself. Mr. Mariano made the mistake of believing that most of his readers believes what he says with unquestionable loyalty. I am not one of them. Therefore, he must now be asked to explain his sloppy reporting. Mr. Mariano then went on to question why I objected to having my messages printed in STR. As explained, I have no problem with that. The trouble is I have sent him dozens of messages over the past two months, and he has constantly refused to publish them. Most of the messages posted on Genie were simply ignored altogether. The message that he has reprinted in Issue #9.09 and #9.07 were actually messages sent to another person. It's curious how he can find the time to answer other people's mail and not have time to answer my messages to him. To continue... ======= "Mr. Cross continues to accuse and bleat nonsense about the accuracy of our presentation relative to the FCC and the events surrounding the certification of Atari computers and in particular, the Falcon030. Rest assured, STReport would not dare to misquote the Federal Communications Commission. Extreme care was exercised in composing the reports and we guarantee accuracy in their presentation." ======== As I have stated to Mr. Mariano in the past, I do not question his facts, only his interpretation. I have made every attempt to try and show him he was wrong. I have supplied him with a number of sources I have called at the FCC. I was willing to give Ralph the benefit of the doubt. It was possible his source gave him inaccurate information. It was possible that a misunderstanding had occured. Either way, all I wanted was to clear this matter up and make everyone happy. After all, the information was public knowledge. There was simply no reason for him to withhold his sources at the FCC. But instead this is the reply I get... ============== "In the meantime, we welcome anyone's input in this matter. In fact, we would be pleased to assist anyone caring to verify the information by providing the telephone numbers in Washington D.C. and in Laurel MD. where the individuals are located. Mr. Cross, in the ever so usual litany, is demanding we reveal our "sources" within the FCC. How very original. Simply put, STReport will not, as always, comply with such requests. Our sources are just that.... OURS!" =========== Gosh, you can just about SMELL the smoke, can't you? On one hand he's willing to assist anyone wanting to verify the information, but then he turns around and says it's STR's practice NEVER to honor such requests. This message was followed by this.... ============== "STReport's source(s) at the Commission are STReport's business not yours or anybody else's for that matter. As you good and well know, STReport will only release a source ID if that source approves of such action. But then, why should those sources be revealed? To make it easier for others to obtain info? STReport's sources at the FCC are not at all in question _except in your mind_. You can stand on your interpretation all you wish. However, facts are facts and history bears that out to the tee in this matter. As for you giving me your sources at the FCC, all you gave me was, incredibly, a FIRST NAME! Again, you try to color the truth with your interpretations of what you think you 'heard'. Stick to the facts. They will, as always, prevail." ================= Now then, let me explain the last part of his statement. When this story first began to unfold, Mr. Marian was insisting that Atari supply him with the FCC Certification number. This was important so that Ralph could continue to spread around his lies concerning the certification. It goes like this..... Ralph's sole source of information at the FCC was the FCC BBS. This is a publicly accessable service supplied by the FCC so the public could access certification records. In order to access this information it was necessary to have the certification number. Now, that in itself is quite funny. Stay with me with this....You need a certification number to prove there is a certification number. Now what would happen I gave Ralph the FCC number. He would call the FCC BBS, of course, and search for a file on the Falcon. As he later found out, the FCC BBS is not quite up to date. The information is not input by the FCC labs but is gathered by the public information office. It takes time for this information to flow down to it, so the information had not yet been posted. Now the next step would be Ralph not finding the files. That's all the proof he needed to verify his claim it was not verified. Anyway, Ralph wanted the number. So I did what should have been quite simple for Mr. Mariano to do, I called the FCC myself. After about three hours of being bounced around I finally was put in touch with someone named Dave at the FCC's Technical Specifications department. Dave agreed to search for the certification number for me, which he supplied after about 10 minutes of searching. Now, nice guy that I am, I tried to pass this information on to Ralph. I made it as simple as I could. I informed Mr. Mariano that he could get his much sought after proof of certification by simply calling the number I supplied and asking for Dave. Unfortunately, I underestimated Mr. Mariano's ability to do simple investigative work. After all, there could be more then one Dave there, right? So he didn't call the number. Instead, he continued to spread the false rumor that the Falcon was not certified, and continued to do so until a number of messages on Genie finally forced him to follow through and get the proof. Incredible as it may sound, he still refused to call up Dave. Instead, he finds someone at the FCC labs to search for it. His original report, as printed in a January issue of STR, claimed that they couldn't even FIND a file on the Falcon. They later managed to stumble across the information and it was published a week later. But here is the problem. The last thing Mr. Mariano wanted to prove was that the Falcon was actually certified in November. HE COULDN'T! He was reporting for over a month at it wasn't certified. To now say it was actually certified all along would require that he appolize to Mr. Brodie for calling him a liar, and to appolize to the readers of ST-Reports, the users, and myself, for spreading false rumors. He even tried to cover up his mess by blaiming Atari for not giving the number out, and even the publisher of Z-Net for starting this mess in the first place! We now come to the good stuff....here is another excert...... ================= "Jerry, we've known each other for quite some time and I must say your insistence upon this tack of my not having the real facts concerning the FCC is ludicrous! The information was dictated to STReport and presented verbatim in STReport 902. No embellishments, nothing but the facts just the way we got them from the Engineer in Charge. You proved nothing, absolutely nothing except that of an attempt to build a facade of smoke and mirrors. The Falcon was class B certified on January 8th. Since the previous certification with its requirements were appealed by Atari, that certification was rendered invalid. You failed to understand that point of information." =========== Note the phrase "The Engineer in Charge". Also referred to in past messages to me as "The Head Engineer". I sent Ralph a messages about this question. Unfortunately, it ended up in the pile of other unpublished messages he received from me. In it, I requested the source for his information. You have already read the reply I got. So I was forced to once again get on the phone and verify Mr. Mariano's story. Let me clarify this again. The "facts" that I am trying to find is what happened to the November certification. Here is Mr. Mariano's interpretation of the "facts". ============= "Atari indeed had certification in late November 1992 for a very, very short time. Counted in days. Once the appeal over the special monitor cable was made, the certification was gone. Gone at the time we brought the matter to the attention of our readers. Gone until the Falcon030's re-certification on January 8th 1993. In fact there was no certification at all during Comdex Fall'92 it was only _applied for_. You cannot possibly have any idea of when STReport or myself first contacted the FCC. Yet, you try to give the readers the illusion you do. The fact is this allegation is pure fantasy on your part. Another of your many statements made with no basis in fact. You see, STReport was in contact with the FCC from the time period right after Comdex Fall'92 when the first indications began surfacing about the Falcon030 having NO FCC Class B certification. STReport stayed in close contact with the FCC relative to this matter until such time as we posted the most recent certification (01/08/93). As for sources, we simply ignored your repeated feeble attempts at confusing the matter by demanding we (as usual) reveal our sources of information at the Commission and elsewhere. In a nutshell; In late November, the Falcon030 was NO LONGER CERTIFIED! THEREFORE; NO CLASS B CERTIFICATION!! Atari did not gain Class B certification for the Falcon030 until January 8th 1993! And now, that certification may be in question also. How many times must this 'minor' fact be illustrated to you before it _finally_ sinks in?????" =============================== In a nutshell, this statement is full of lies. Mr. Mariano was never in contact with the FCC. If he was, then he certainly would have had the certification number. His constant request for it is proof that he had not contacted the FCC on this matter. I contacted the FCC labs once again in hopes of finding this mysterious "head engineer". Nobody had a clue who to transfer me to. I was shuffled around to 5 differant engineers in hopes of verifying Mr. Mariano's story. One engineer, named Art Busch, confirmed that what I was saying all along was true and reputed what Ralph said. I sent this information to Ralph last week in hopes that he would try to verify his "facts". You saw the result of this request in this weeks issue of ST-Reports. Note that he makes no referance at all to Mr. Busch. Needless to say, I have had enough of this liplashing character assassination by Mr. Mariano. On Monday morning, March 1, I once again called the FCC labs. I requested to talk to the head of the labs (yup, it was that easy) and I was connected with Mr. Charlie Cobb, the Branch Chief for the FCC Labs. This is the closest thing to a "head engineer" at the FCC, since Mr. Cobb is in charge of the entire FCC lab. Since he ran the labs I would get the correct "facts". Mr. Cobb informed me that he has never talked to Mr. Mariano, Lloyd Pulley, or any individual representing ST-Reports, nor has he answered any questions concerning the Atari Falcon or any other Atari product. Mr. Cobb pulled the files on the Atari Falcon. He informed me that the original certification was "modified" by the FCC for Atari. A big difference! As long as the computer in question was unchanged, the appeal was a simple matter of proceedure. The original certification was never canceled, as Mr. Mariano claims. It remained in effect throughout November and December, and once the appeal process was finished the original certification was then ammended to show the changes. On the other hand, if Atari had modified the original computer and then attempted to "recertify" it, then the original certification would have been canceled. Since the computer would no longer exist, no certification would be needed. This is not a special situation with electronic devices. It is a comman practice and it happens all the time. Therefore, Mr. Mariano's source is either grossly uninformed about the policies at the FCC, or Mr. Mariano concocted the whole story to cover his past lies. You decide. At this time I would also like to expose another of Mr. Mariano's upcoming false rumors. Mr. Mariano reported a while ago that Atari was being investigated by the FCC for submitting a "queen", or a specially handled computer, for FCC certification. The implication is that by doing this, they could ensure that their computer passed all of the tests. In an effort to enforce this rumor, Mr. Mariano published the following: ========= From STR Issue 9.07 February 12 "- Washington, DC FCC DILIGENT OVER "QUEENS" -------------- In a recent discussion with its field engineers, the commission's brass made mention of the fact they were highly concerned over the practice of submitting special versions of hardware or of hardware receiving certification while the actual units offered for sale were not exactly the same as those submitted for certification. Its been decided that "in the field" acquisition and re-inspection of certain devices, computers and many type 15 devices will be placed under high priority. A number of incidents in the last 18 months involving "Queens" and other 'substitution' abuses have made this action necessary." ================ You will note that Ralph has been careful not to get Atari's name in this story, but this is exactly the thing that Ralph implied Atari was doing in a past message posted on one of the services. Now, while submitting a "queen" for testing is not illegal, it is frowned upon by the FCC. In order to police this practice, they do random tests of various products. This is not an indication that the company did anything wrong! It is a normal procedure performed by the FCC all of the time. It should also be noted that since the Falcon was not even in production at the time the computer was submitted it would be pretty hard to send them a "production line" unit. After explaining this to me, I informed Mr. Cobb that Mr. Mariano had reported that the FCC was looking into re-testing the Falcon because they suspected a "queen" had been submitted. Mr. Cobb looked into this matter for me. What a surprise! Not one thing was mentioned in the Atari file about it. Mr. Cobb then contacted a field investigator to see if they knew anything about Ralph's claims, and they stated they were not investigating Atari at all! What we have here is yet another example of Mr. Mariano creating a false rumor, then hiding behind his sources. Finally, while it's against Mr. Mariano's policy to list his sources, I am not afraid to do so. If anyone wishes to verify any of these comments please do so. I request that you post your findings on a public message source for all to see, since I'm sure Mr. Mariano will not believe a word I have said here. Matter of fact, I can expect yet another tounge lashing in his next issue. Mr. Charlie Cobbs can be reached at 301-725-1585, extension #204. Mr. Art Busch can be reached at the 301-257-3217. There are four other engineers who will be happy to field your questions. I'm sorry that I didn't write their names down but you can reach them on extensions 211, 214, 229 and 230. Mr. Mariano can supply you with Daves phone number since I have since lost it, and the messages have been deleted off the bbs. Other helpfull sources are the FCC Technical Standards Division, and the FCC's Public Information service. You don't need the number, the FCC Lab can transfer you. Be sure to refer to the following certification number : EBAF030FT. This number was later changed on the new certification certificate to include the letters "ST" at the end, so whoever you talk to be sure to mention it if they can't find the file. Conclusion... Mr. Mariano. You have taken me to task. I have done your work for you. How many more reliable sources must I present in order for you to stop your lies! I must now insist that you either present evidence that what you have been saying is true. If you can not do this, I demand that you issue an appology to Mr. Brodie, the readers of ST-Reports, and to myself for your recent defamatory comments against me. I believe that I have done everything possible to help you report this story accurately, and you have done nothing but call me names, threaten to have my bbs expelled from your Crossnet conferences, and assult my character publicly in the pages of ST-Reports. It's now up to you Mr. Mariano, get off the pot! IN REPLY....... Jerry, After reading your reply, I am so embarrassed for you. For ultimately you have proven nothing except that you take some kind of warped pleasure in taking STReport to task. As a result of your latest effort, I took the time and trouble to re-contact my sources of information at the FCC and while I spoke to them I asked permission to reveal them in STReport for verification purposes. The following is exactly what transpired. On Wednesday morning (03/03/93) of this week, I once again, called Arlan K. Van Dorn, Deputy Chief, Field Operations at the FCC in Washington D.C. because of your outrageous accusations placed in public this past week. The results of the conversation are presented herein along with the results of other conversations with another representative of the FCC in Laurel, MD. During my conversation with Mr. Van Dorn, I read your missive to him in its entirety. Needless to say he was not amused at all at your accusations and claims. I also read the entire report detailed by us in STR902. Mr. Van Dorn first concluded that our entire presentation was factually accurate. He then researched the FCC listings for an "Art Busch" at 301-257-3217, firstly the area code was incorrect and has been for some time, secondly there is a Donovan family listed for that number and that's who answers. (not even remotely associated with the FCC) Lastly, there is _no_ Art Busch listed at all with the FCC either in Washington D.C. or Laurel Md. We then discussed the matter of queens again. I then read the piece about queens we placed in STR Confidential and he stated it was factually correct. Mr. Van Dorn then referred me to Mr. Charlie Cobbs at 301-725-1585 X204. As our conversation progressed, Mr. Van Dorn stated quite clearly that as far as he was concerned everything we have ever presented concerning the FCC had always been meticulously accurate and above reproach. He also stated that in his experience he has seen such things occur in the past, they are usually done by those trying to protect something or other. Its quite common, he added. As for myself, I was rather surprised to find that STReport was outrightly accused of "lying" when in fact, we reported the entire scenario exactly as it happened. I then thanked Mr. Van Dorn for his time, assistance and information. I then called Laurel Md. to speak to Mr. Cobbs. His line was on the voice mail system, I left a message. Mr. Cobbs returned my call later that afternoon. After the usual greetings... I asked Mr. Cobbs if he could possibly recall our telephone conversation that took place on the afternoon of January 8th. (the actual day Atari received Class B certification for the Falcon030) To which he replied; "I speak to an average of one hundred people a day here its difficult at best to recall one or two conversations." However, when I reminded Mr. Cobbs of the "patch call" from Mr. Van Dorn, he immediately remembered the specific conversation. I thanked him and asked if it would be ok to read Cross' reply to our article as Cross was accusing us of "lying". He said please do. After I read the article to him he agreed that our representation of what occurred (which Cross included above in various excerpts) and how it went down was indeed very accurate. I then went on to ask him if he recalled his conversation with me relative to "QUEENS" and he said "yes, he did." Additionally, Mr. Van Dorn and myself had discussed submission of queens to the commission and I had, in my conversation of January 8th with Mr. Cobbs, brought the subject up. Mr Cobbs and Mr. Van Dorn again agreed that my information relative to "Queens" and the presentation of same was accurate. I might add that nowhere, was any company name mentioned. I do know that machines offered for sale to the public in the USA are purchased by the FCC for retesting and comparison to the machines originally submitted for certification. I know no "Dave" as you say and have no inclination to start any rumors. The facts were presented and only the facts. Sometimes they are quite hard to handle and people tend overreact. In closing, its again a sad day when hysterical accusation and innuendo permeates a particularly touchy topic as it tends to cloud the issues severely. The bottom line is, perhaps there was some type of miscommunication or misunderstanding on Mr. Cross' part. As STReport stands pat on everything we presented relative to the FCC, the certification of both the Falcon030 and the TT030 and finally the presentation of the information about the submission of "QUEENS" for FCC certification. As editor of STReport I must apologize for appearing to drag this matter out as the topic re: who, how, why, about the certification of the Falcon030 is rather menial, the questions raised by Jerry Cross relative to journalistic integrity are not and as such, it became necessary to re- contact the FCC and verify everything we presented that was pertinent to the situation. As a result, STReport has been shown to be accurate. We now consider the matter closed. Sources of Verification: ------------------------ Arlan K. Van Dorn, Deputy Chief, Field Operations 1-202-632-7200 Julius Knapp, Acting Chief, FCC Testing Labs, 1-301-725-1585 Charlie Cobbs, Branch Chief, FCC Testing Labs, 1-301-725-1585 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" "...REALLY?? AWWW GEE!!...." """"""""""""""""" Among _other_ things Bob Brodie has informed us of in his celebrated online conferences he clearly stated on Friday, January 8th, 1993 about the pending release of MultiTos; "In speaking to the TOS group, they feel confident that they will have a shippable version of MultiTOS next week." To continue, about the time of release and shipping of the Falcon030 we are also told during the same January 8th conference; "Sam indicated to me that he was meeting with a representative from another factory to bring on board another manufacturer to produce Falcons for us. We expect this to delay significant shipments of Falcons until March." It would appear that one can conclude that by saying "until March" its easier to deduce it means "until March commences as opposed to "sometime in March". Ah... what the hey, March is March... ... The Ides of March """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > ABCO SPECIALS! STR InfoFile * 1992 SPRING Prices! MORE Products! * """"""""""""""""""""""""""" ------------------------------------ ** 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 & DESIGNS 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) - Available for all Platforms - -* ICD LINK & ADSCSI PLUS HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY *- *_*_*_* *** NEW!!! ULTRA MODERN "SUPER STYLE" ABCOFILE CASE *** DELUXE 2 bay Cabinet W/65w Auto PS & Blower $119.00 <<>> Case & ICD LINK or ADSCSI PLUS Host [Hard Disk Ready] $259.95 -STAND ALONE PRODUCTS- Model Description Autopark Price ================================================== SGN4951 51Mb Y CALL! SQN1096 85mb Y CALL! SQN2055 130mb Y CALL! SQN1296 213mb Y CALL! SQN4055 340mb Y CALL! ================================================== Standard "Shoebox Cabinet style is also available Call for pricing applicable to IBM - MAC - AMIGA IDE - SCSI - ESDI MODERN TOWER CABINETS AVAILABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! Many other configurations available. 20mb - 3.5gb NOTICE - NOTICE - NOTICE - NOTICE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SPECIAL PURCHASE! * 83mb - 1345mb * Hard Disk Mechanisms Call for SUPER PRICING!! Limited Time Only!! IDEAL FOR USE IN: IBM - MAC - AMIGA! FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES w/o ICD LINK Available 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 << MAC PRODUCTS - AMIGA PRODUCTS - PC PRODUCTS Call for ABCO's * HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PRICING! * ABCO COMPUTER SYSTEMS * STILL THE BEST VALUE! ***** If you don't see what you want listed here, call us. Odds are, we either have it or, can get it for you! * GUARANTEED * AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE! * "WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL" ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCOFILE "44" & "88" * * REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES * --->> LIMITED TIME SPECIAL! NOW ONLY 44MB $ CALL! <<--- SCSI port READY 88MB $ CALL! with ICD Link add 80.00 COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! ONE Cart Included! 44mb CARTS: $ 69.50 88mb CARTS: $ 109.50 44mb MECH ONLY: $ 319.95 88mb MECH ONLY: $ 419.95 ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED ** $ CALL! ** Includes: * TWO * cartridges! * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - ** 50mb SQG51S $ CALL! 105mb SQG105S $ CALL! ** Or, YOUR choice of Hard Disk Mechanism! LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE Listed above are a sampling of the systems available. Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited) * IBM/MSDOS - AMIGA - ATARI - APPLE/MACINTOSH * ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - AT/PC SPEED - GCR LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations) *** --> COMPLETE IBM CLONE SYSTEMS AVAILABLE! <-- *** CUSTOM BUILT TO YOUR SPECS! CALL FOR PRICING & AVAILABILITY 386/486 25 MHZ - 33Mhz - 50Mhz - 66Mhz From $839.95 **** SPECIAL SPRING TIME OFFER **** 486 64K CACHE, 4MB RAM, 174MB HD, 1.2FLOP, 1.44FLOP 1MB SVGA CARD, 101 KEYBOARD, DOS 5.0, WINDOWS 3.1 & MOUSE 1350.00! - W/NI 14" 28DP SVGA MONITOR; 1550.00! *>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<* 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-$187.95 * 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. ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED Now Available BUSINESSES, - LEASE TO OWN WITH AT&T - -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *- (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE) QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE! _________________________________________ DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED! please, call for details COD, Personal and Company Checks accepted. ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY! CALL: 1-904-783-3319 Customer Orders & Service 9am - 8pm EDT TUES thru SAT ABCO is EXPANDING!! CALL FOR INFORMATION! SEND FOR YOUR NEW ABCO CATALOG TODAY! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" March 04, 1993 Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-92 All Rights Reserved No.9.10 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff of STReport International Online Magazine. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name . STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""