SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing August 06, 1993 No. 9.32 ========================================================================= Silicon Times Report International Online Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. 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"""""""""""""""" - The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - PORTFOLIO NEWS - NO COMPETITION? - CP ANTI Virus - ELVIS AT BRACE! - NORTON COMMANDER - STACKER 3.1 - PEOPLE TALKING - EXPERT WITNESS? - SLM & FALCON NOT! - STR Confidential -* FLASH II UPGRADE RELEASED!! *- -* PAGESTREAM 3 FOR WINDOWS? *- -* SPEEDO + SIGNUM VIRUS ON DISK 3? *- ========================================================================= 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/PROWL/ITC/USENET/NEST/F-Net Mail Networks. You may also Phone The Bounty BBS direct @ 904-786-4176. 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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 (August 06) ATARI IN THE NEWS This is a GREAT TIME for Atari-related announcements. First, the alliance between ATari and IBM for the new Jaguar, and now Gribnif Software announces GENEVA, their new multi-tasking environment. See the GENEVA press releases in LIB 15 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) or go to the Gribnif section/library in the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN) for additional info. NEW JAGUAR AREA IN ATARI 8-BIT FORUM With the announcement from Sunnyvale on the new JAGUAR Multimedia Entertainment System, we've added a Message Section and Library to the ATARI8 Forum. We invite you to join us in sharing news and views of what promises to be an exciting machine. GO ATARI8 for Section 15 [Jaguar]. TWENTY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FALCON ... ANSWERED BY ATARI CORP. Download file 20Q_01.TXT from LIBRARY 15 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for the first 20 QUESTIONS file of questions submitted by the members to Atari Corp and answered by Bob Brodie, James Grunke and Bill Rehbock. AGITATION PUZZLE GAME Download file AGIT.ZIP from LIBRARY 2 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for Agitation. Agitation is easy to learn, tough to solve. This is the most indescribably difficult, infuriatingly impossible program you could choose to run! * create custom puzzles * upload and share * point and click puzzle solving * multiple cheat, peek and help modes * watch the computer solve puzzles * custom graphics and dialogs * check out the other puzzles here online! mono freeware B/STAT VERSION 2.46 NOW AVAILABLE Download file BSTAT4.LZH from LIBRARY 5 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) for version 2.46 of B/STAT. B/STAT is a shareware statistical analysis and business graphics program. It requires a 1 megabyte machine and double sided drive at a minimum. B/STAT makes use of GDOS or SPEEDO GDOS if installed but requires neither. This is version 2.46 of B/STAT and offers some improvements in graphing over earlier versions. B/STAT may be registered online by GOing SWREG and selecting ID # 263. OREGON RESEARCH JOINS ATARIVEN! Message Section 12 and Library 12 have been established for online support of Oregon Research's products. Please read OREGON.TXT in Library 12 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN) for an overview of the company. Also, be sure to check out the other files in the Library for in-depth information on their entire product line. NEW SOFTLOGIK DEMO IN ATARIVEN Download file FLAGS.LZH from LIBRARY 11 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN) for Sample EPS (Adobe Illustrator) files of the new Flags of the World clipart collection now being sold by Soft-Logik Publishing. The archive contains four flags. THE PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM" "ENJOY CIS' ATARI FORUMS WHERE CENSORSHIP IS A DIRTY WORD! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" The "dog days of summer are here for some of us. Heat waves galore and floods galore. What a combo! Oh well, sort of reminds one of the type of wacky pandemonium we find in the Atari platform these days. So, what's new? From the debacle the IAAD pulled on Lexicor to the ongoing lack of a DMA device to allow current Atarians to connect their SLM Laser printers to the "new" Falcon computers. Its wild. From developers in every direction they've expressed embarrassment over the IAAD's recent actions regarding Lexicor. Its also been rumored that only three of the IAAD board members voted on the expulsion matter. We checked on the ST$ address D.A. Brumleve wanted Lexicor to send its defenses to... it's a cumulative address for ALL the STRT sysops on Genie including Atari personnel. That's incredible! Should Lexicor be required to send its statement of defense to the charges made by the IAAD to these NON-IAAD members?? ST$ lists out as STRT Sysops! Something is not quite right with all this. In fact, it reeks! Its now up to you, the readers and users... should Lexicor have been "done" the way they were?? There is absolutely nothing about the way the IAAD conducted itself that can be considered fair and democratic. If you feel the IAAD should reconsider its actions let the IAAD know at the following address on compuserve 76004,3655 or, your favorite developer know. After all, you do cast the final votes with your support. When we first made mention (last year) of the lack of an adequate DMA port for SLM owners, we were told by Atari; (I have the captures) "it'll be taken care of... inexpensively". It's been taken care of ok, for whom we'll never know. The matter certainly hasn't been taken care of for the loyal Atari users who invested the thousand or so dollars in support of Atari. Then, there is the cart port matter.... watch and see... there'll be NO cart port on the next generation of Falcons. If there is such a thing at all. At the rate they're selling Falcons right now, there is much apprehension about the future of Falcons. Meanwhile, on other platforms the new software is pouring out in box fulls for everyone. From the commercial to the shareware its all top drawer stuff worthy of everyone's attention. With the new software and constant hardware advancements and improvements there is no wonder why people are converting over in droves. Dungeon Mast for the PC is superb and I might add, all the spell commands we already learned work just fine. The sound is awesome though. It just keeps getting better. PageSTReam 3 is rumored to be getting set for Windows too. Keep cool during these hot August days... enjoy the summer fun while its here. But please do it safely. Ralph... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! ** STReport ** NOW AVAILABLE FOR ELECTRONIC HOME DELIVERY DIRECT TO YOUR (E-)MAIL BOX The Editorial Staff of STReport International Online Magazine is proud to announce the highly successful and continued availability of STReport through GEnie E-Mail subscription delivery. STReport will be E-Mailed to any GEnie subscriber who requests it as an archived (in LZH format) attached file. Instructions for downloading an attached file are provided on page 200 on GEnie (Type M200). Downloading E-Mail utilizes the very same transfer protocols as the GEnie RT Libraries, so there is little or no difference between downloading from a Library and downloading an attached file (also called F-Mail). To request STReport be E-Mailed to you, send subscription request in E-Mail to J.MIRANDO1 requesting such and you will be put on our "paper route" beginning with the next issue. Each issue will be uploaded by Saturday evening and will be available to you immediately. It simply appears in your E-Mail queue! Wait no more for the REAL news and FULL information from the wonderful and sometimes wacky world of computing... Ask for your STReport deliveries to begin today! *** 337 SUBSCRIBERS AND GROWING! *** 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 Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor Emeritus 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 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........................ 1:112/35 FNET........................... NODE 350 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 GEnie......................... ST-REPORT """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando Hidi ho good neighbors. Another week has come and gone, and Falcons are starting to make their way into the States... slowly, but they are coming. If you haven't seen a Falcon yet, find a dealer that has one. It really is a good, entry level, home machine. Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, look for Lee Benjamin's review of the BRACE AtariFest. Its really neat, and I guess that I gave him the beginning of an idea for it. Well, let's get to the business at hand: The tips and information that abounds in the Atari Forums on CompuServe... From the Atari Productivity Forum ================================= Henry Tremblay asks: "What's the news on Atari Works. Will it be ready for Christmas? I have the opportunity to buy LDW Power in French from France for about 35 $ US. Should I wait for Atari Works?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells Henry: "Atari Works is available from some dealers in the USA I believe as well as Multi-TOS. I guess the real issue is on what are needs in a spreadsheet?" In a conversation about hard disk problems Jay Craswell tells Grosvenor Barber: "I would not rain on ICD parade but I had something similar happen. Ok here is what I "think" may be the problem. Drives that you want to load must load in order without gaps. Thus ASIC drive 0 by itself is fine. However if you strap your single drive system with only a drive 3 it will never find it. There is a one byte patch to mae the system scan thru all unit numbers. Don't ask I don't remember. Plus I prefer it not to look for things I know are not hooked up Hope that helps and the very best to you and yours." Grosvenor tells Jay: "Thanks. Here is how I fixed up a real mess..... I gave up. Running the latest Atari hard drive software from CServe proved somewhat inadequate. Perhaps it was me, perhaps not. After a day of playing with the settings, I choose to get the latest ICD drivers on DL from ATARIVEN. Although this "fix" is more akin to taking a drink to "cure" a hangover (a bit of the hair of the dog that bit ya), it did do the job. I now have a fast and, so far, reliable hard drive again. I do not think I will optimize the drive again. I do believe the Oregon product is good and capable and the people there were terrific. On the other hand, their product along with whatever I own just did not get along. I see no reason to try again. I have learned that the probability of this problem occurring again with the latest ICD drivers is significantly less than with my earlier copies. However..... I am bloodied and wish to crawl away and heal. Fragged drives will be handled with a mass click and drag to any empty partition; erase the original partition; and return the files. That seems to work pretty good based on my viewing of the drive files with the Oregon partition graphical drive/file viewer. And let me add one last point in this monologue: BACK UP YOUR DRIVES. Yet another computer junkie who knows the truth but is too dumb to follow The Way" Jay replies: "Glad you are on the mend. I have done pretty much the same thing. I use a big external Opto drive and just copy the whole schmere and then format and copy back the "good" files. " Greg Kopchak tells everyone interested in viewing PhotoCD pictures on a Falcon: "If you live in the Midwest, we will have Photo Show up and running at MIST this weekend. Due to a sports car, I'm only bringing a VGA monitor with me. Would have liked to show it on a large screen TV." Boris Molodyi tells Greg: "Unfortunately, can't go to the show. I'll take a look at local dealership, tho, when he gets it. BTW, will it work on TT with 24 bit graphic card?" Greg tells Boris: "You can do conversions to TIF, EPS, or RAW 24 bit color with a TT, color card, and Photo Show, but you can not view the images. For viewing, a Falcon is required. If I had access to a 24 bit card, I can add viewing as an option, but I'm smart enough not to try doing it blind. If you would like to test a 24 bit viewing routine for the TT, leave me E-mail. It's on my list right now, but not on the top of the list yet. Ask your dealer. Our US distributor is shipping the program now. We got a call from a dealer setting up his Photo CD drive tonight, so the program is hitting the streets as we speak. Our booth at MIST was non-stop from opening to closing at MIST. It was really nice to get a chance to put a face together with so many familiar names over the weekend. We would like to thank everyone who stopped by. Wish we had more time in the day. I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to check out the color cards being shown by Gribnif and Lexicor at the show. I really wanted to see the new version of my old favorite, Flash. Never got a chance to see any of them. Missed Geneva too. Needed an extra Atari monitor, saw a couple and never got a chance to pick one up. I guess I was just overwhelmed by the large group of enthusiastic Atari users at the show. Hope to catch everything I missed at the next show." Boris tells Greg: "Viewing option would be nice, indeed. With TT/graphic card combo having better graphics than Falcon, it seems rather reasonable. I'd be glad to help in testing, but I'll be getting the card only in September. If you'll be still needing testers by then, I'm always glad to help." Frank Wilson tells us all: "I have a 1040ST that I have recently retired. It has a 1 meg RAM, a double-sided floppy drive, and NO hard drive. I want to give it to my daughter for use as a word processor. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could recommend a word processing program that would be suitable and also tell me where I can order it. It does not need to have extensive features. It needs to have good documentation. It needs to be able to be loaded at startup and not require a lot of disk swapping while in use." John Damiano of Transierra tells Frank: "I think you would like STWriter which is on here and is free other than DL charges. I have used it for 7 years now and still like it for most things." John Randone tells Frank: "You should also consider WordWriter b Timeworks...This commercial program is probably available for around $50 or less. It is extremely easy to use, and even has some features the big ones don't--like having 4 documents open simultaneously. I have recently put away my copy of Word Perfect 4.2, and use WordWriter for _all_ my regular word processing." John Devlin asks: "Can anyone tell me what the following error codes mean when the ICD util. 5.2v is run... The error codes are sense error code $10 or $14" Mike Mortilla tells John: "$10=ID or CRC Error $1=No record found" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells John: "You should consider getting the newer version of the utilities. The version is in the library 6.0.7 and it may solve your problem quicker." John Amsler asks about converting word processing files: "There's no way to convert a WordPerfect file to First Word Plus format, is there? (I know -- or suspect -- that it can be converted to ASCII format and then imported to First Word Plus, but a friend of mine wants to print out a resume on my laser printer, and he's got Word Perfect whereas I've got First Word Plus.)" Rick Flashman of Gribnif Software tells John: "About two years ago I had seen on Genie a shareware program that did just what you wanted. However, I don't have it any more. Maybe someone else is more familiar with what I am talking about (converting documents between WordPerfect and 1stWordPlus). I even sent the writer a shareware fee (though I never heard from him again)." I'd just like to point out that, on other services, a message of this type would probably have been deleted, or the writer admonished, because the message refers to another on-line service. Well, at any rate, Carl Barron tells John: "Have your friend install a WP driver for your laser. Then print the file to disk with that driver. Giving you the file printing it is as simple as copying that file to your printer without another word processor. If your laser is HPLJ2 compatible there is a driver for your laser." John tells Carl: "THANKS for the info! Yes, I have a HPLJ IIIp, so it maybe it will work." John Randone tells John Amsler: "There was (is) a program called WP switch. It converts to and from a variety of word processors to Word Perfect compatible...but I don't know if your application is supported. But, it may be just what you are looking for." Dick Paddock asks: "Have you used the CPX control panel to set (or verify the setting) of the MegaSTe to 16MHz with cache on? I think that's the default setting, but if you haven't checked, you should." Shawn Laughlin tells Dick: "I have an STe, so I'm quite certain I'm on 8Mhz . Next computer I'll buy will be a 486 or 586 . Sorry, but I will no longer support a platform that can't (or wont) compete. "I surrender". 8mhz, 16 mhz whatever- is a might too tame in this world. Gimme 40+ mhz,24 bit graphics etc. I am glad that I purchased this STe in January for he sake of the software I've compiled over the years. I expect, that from as much as I should use it should las me 20 years. Sorry to admit it, but with the current price wars, Atari is not a bargain. I've owned a computer for 10 years and still haven't had one that came with a hard drive! Thank you, Atari. It really is disgusting. I'll see you al on the "other -PC compatible- side" . Sorry to sound so cynical, but I've grown weary of dead horses. I quit drinking 2 months and I'm in a 486 SVGA! So what was that about a 16 mhz cache?" John Damiano tells Shawn: "Actually...my 16mhz Mega feels just as fast as my 486DX50. And its WAY more easier to use." Shawn asks John: "How does 16mhz feel faster than 50? (that little "50" behind the DX does mean 50 mhz,eh?). Just curious, do the TT's, Mega or Falcon come with a hard drive? When you add the price of a hard drive to an STe, it is cheaper to get a PC ( and you run 4 times as fast!). Atari is probably easier to use right out of the box, ( like that Apple commercial) but if you see the computer as an investment, the setting up time might be well worth it considering the solidity of the platform." John tells Shawn: "It just feels faster when you are using it. I don't know why...its perception. I like the 486 (its a Gateway machine) but I always use the ST stuff because its just more fun/easier to work with. Of course...having years of experience may prejudice me somewhat :>}" Rick Flashman at Gribnif Software tells Shawn: "You can't compare megahertz between a Motorola and Intel processor. There is no basis for the comparison. I can tell you flat out that my 16MHz Mega STE *is* faster than the 486DX 33MHz that I am using right now. Heck, my 8MHz STacy is probably faster." Shawn asks Rick: "Funny, I thought hertz was hertz no matter *what* was being measured (sound, radio signals etc.). Is 16mhz not 16 million cycles per second? Is 33 mhz no 33 million cycles per second? Is 440 Hz no middle A ? What good is the unit if it can't be used for comparison? Explain how 16 million cycles per second can be faster than 33 million per second. Another good test is to run a program like Falcon on both machines and watch the difference in the frame rates. I did some animation work for a video company a couple of years ago on a 386. I know that was faster than an ST." Phil Jensen tells Shawn: "On both processors there is not a one-to-one correspondence between hertz and instructions - the more involved instructions, or more involved addressing modes take more "ticks". Further, there is no assurance that similar tasks will involve the same number of instructions on the two processors. One thing that can be said is that Motorola, from the original 68000 up, has more hardware register bandwidth than Intel: 16 32-bit registers, versus 8 (or 11, depending what you count) 16-bit registers on the machines below the 386, and still only 8 (or 13) 32-bit registers on the 386 and beyond. How well all this is used depends on the compilers being used. The 386/486 are "real machines", but Intel software is still crippled by the heritage from the older processors with no alternative to the segmented address space." Shawn Laughlin thanks Phil: "Oh, I think I understand a little better. To move a 32 bit address would take more instructions on the Intel processor than on the Motorola? I seem to remember some talk about the weird addressing modes on the PC (least significant word, most significant ?) Perhaps this goes back to having 16 bit registers? Also, for future reference, is there a way to tell from the model numbers if has 8 or 13 registers." On the technical side, Phil tells Shawn: "Right - PC software that was written for the pre-386 machines is full of sequences like MOV AX,[059C] MOV DX,[059E] MOV [BP-8],AX MOV [BP-6],DX which takes 13 bytes (as opposed to 8 for "move.l thing,-8(a6)" on 68K). They all only have 8 "general" registers: AX,BX,CX,DX,SI,DI,BP,SP. I was being generous talking about 11-13: the old chips have three "segment" registers (besides CS which is really part of the PC) - DS,ES, and SS. The 386 also has FS and GS, but again (aside from the fact that the whole idea of segmented addresses is wrongheaded) not much code uses them, for compatibility. Little-Indian versus big-Indian is a whole 'nother can of worms..." Shawn tells Phil: "All of a sudden, the TT doesn't look too bad ." Jim Ness tells Rick Flashman: "The STE is faster? Nah, you gotta qualify that. Run any pure cpu benchmark, and your 486 will turn out to be 6-8 times faster. Sieve, dry, wet, anything like that. Where the STE seems faster is in the reaction to commands on the desktop. Especially when you DON'T install MultiTOS. And, especially when you DON'T use an equal resolution. I'm sure you've seen how slow the Falcon can be, when you use 640x480x256, which would be equivalent to the second lowest Windows rez. One good test is to uncompress an .LZH file on both machines. Compare the times." Sysop Bob Retelle adds this bit of info: "The way Atari made the Mega STe a "16 Mhz" machine is a trick that's a lot like the way the Intel DX2 "speed doubler" chips work. ONLY the CPU chip and its cache run at 16 Mhz, the rest of the computer.. the memory, the I/O, the disks, the DMA... all run at the regular 8 Mhz. So the speedup you'll see will be far less than double... it depends on what the software you're running is doing. If it spends a lot of time in tight loops, it will run fast.. if it jumps around so the cache has to be refilled constantly, or does a lot of I/O, it won't run much faster than a regular 8 Mhz ST." Walter Henzel asks: "Would someone please tell me if ANY 3.5 inch drive would work with my ST520? Or must it be an Atari drive? It seems to me that any drive should store any information sent to it, period. So if I format a disk with my ST everything should be cool? Sort of like a tape recorder. No matter what you plug into it, microphone, guitar, synth, whatever brand, it all works. But, this all being logical and simple usually means it won't work like that. Could someone please inform me?" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Walter: "Walter, almost any 3.5 inch disk drive *mechanism* can be used with an ST... The problem would be interfacing it with your 520 ST. If you have the ST with no internal disk drives, you'd need a case and power supply, and a cable with a special Atari plug on it to connect it all to the ST. But yes, once connected, you should be able to format and write to disks. (If you're thinking of using say an external floppy drive for a PC or a Mac, the interface is probably what would stop you. While you're right that the disk drive would work, the computer needs to know how to control the drive.)" Robert Aries tells Walter: "I installed a 3.5" DS mechanism into my old Atari SF354 (single-sided) case. It wasn't as easy as "plug & play". I had to wire a new ribbon connector. I may have a circuit diagram somewhere if you need it. Also, be warned that the Atari OS doesn't use the standard disk change detect protocol (whatever that is). If you swap disks the computer may not know it; writing to the new disk will probably screw up the FAT and the whole thing will be trashed. A related problem is that pressing doesn't update the directory; you have to open and close the window on the desktop to do that. I just installed the TEC board in my 520st (If you're not familiar with this product, it's a board that updates the OS to the latest version, 2.06). It seems the routines dealing with disk change detection have changed, because the problems I just mentioned are corrected (as far as I can tell)." Ken Slauson tells us: "I'm looking for a good source for STe parts. Right now I think I need a new 1772 chip, as my A and B drives are acting squirrely. But I'd like to nail down spares for some of the more proprietary chips before Atari cashes in all their chips. Atari repair shops are few and far between these days, especially in Alaska. Anybody got any favorite sources? How about schematics?" Good ol' Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells Ken: "I like TCN (The Computer Network) in Glendale,CA myself. I don't have their phone number off the top of my head. Wait ... its right here on my mouse pad. (818)-500-3900" From the Atari ST Arts Forum ============================ David Burns posts: "I am new here, and most delighted to see all the Atari activity. Am running a MEGA/STE with 4-meg, B & W Monitor, SF 314 B Drive, Supra Modem 2400, Panasonic (HP Laser) Printer. I came looking for MGIF40, but the directory at library 14 says it can't be found. I visually scanned to find it, and confirm. It's dadgum hot here today, thank you." Sysop Brad Hill tells Dave: "Welcome to the Atari Forums! Glad to have you with us. There is a newer version of the MGIF program in library 14. Will that do, or do you specifically need 4.0? Anyway, the file is named MGIF42.ZIP. If you BROwse with the keyword MGIF, it'll be the first program you see in library 14." Chas Cartwright asks: "Does anyone else think now is the right time to buy an STe or am I mad?" John Devlin asks Chas to qualify: "...what do you want to do with the Ste ???? If you list on here what you want from the STe we will be able to help you, I take it you are also thinking of getting a Falcon ?? Finally, where are you ??" Chas tells John: "What do I want from the STe? What don't I want! Actually I want it to do everything my venerable TOS 1 STf 1040 does only better. A number of my ST owning friends have recently upgraded there TOS but with the recent price cuts on the STe I think a completely new machine is a better deal. For the record the type of things I do with my current machine are: Games, DTP, Programming (APL), Games, Video digitizing and of course Games. As for the Falcon - it's tempting but there is always a risk with such a new (immature?) product. Where am I? Hampshire, England." John Devlin tells Chas: "I have an Ste 4Mb, which i have upgrade the to TOS 2.06, far better operating system. From what you have describe a STE would suit your needs, no doubt someone will disagree... I am into DTP, i use Timeworks Publisher Two, i also have a video digitizer which i uses for a friends wedding video co. By the way was is APL, i have never heard of such a language... I agree 100%, i shall be waiting for at least another year... I live in Wimbledon, London." Chas tells John: "It does not look as if anyone is going to try and persuade me to buy a Falcon. Which is just as well as I am typing this on my new STe! All the same I hope everyone is not as sensible as us. We need lots of intrepid souls to rush out and buy it so that it will still be there in a years time... Never heard of APL?? That is not unusual, we are a very select group. APL is an acronym for "A Programming Language" and it is seriously weird. It has its own character set and if you thought C was cryptic it has nothing on APL." Henri Tremblay asks: "Is there a way to join two scanned portions of the same image into one image. I tried it for a while just now, the Clip function in TouchUp doesn't allow to move the clipped area to fit it with the outer portion. Now I know that I've seen something advertised to do that. I tried other drawing package like Hyperpaint, but il will not allow to select a block larger than the screen (oh, how I miss the Mc here). Any suggestion?" Carl Barron tells Henri: "Coalaese from WIZ WORKS, and merge it from MIGRAPH are two da's proported to join two vertical scans horizontal into one. Requires very close to the same scan rate on each chunk. Both of the above developers, also have a scan accessory, if you desire one as well. Some scanning 'tray' is highly recommended, as is a flat bed or MIGRAPH's wand, to do the trick in one pass of the scanner if you plan on doing this quite often..." Henri tells Carl: "Thanks for the info. I knew there was something. It's just too bad that no art package seems to handle large images. Hyperpaint does it, but as I said the block function won't allow you to select a block larger than one screen. I ordered my upgrade to TouchUp recently. I could have bought Merge It at the same time." From the Atari Vendors Forum ============================ Gordon McLennan posts: "I've currently got V6.0.8 of 'The Link' ICD software, and I have to say that it's so bug ridden it's making the use of my new floptical drive next to impossible. Partitions on my hard drive disappear with monotonous regularity, read and write errors crop up all the time, all of which can lead to a few problems, as you would expect... So what I want to know is, why is the latest version of the software on CIS from >last December 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! DELPHI- It's getting better all the time! *********************************************************************** > "EXPERT" WITNESS? STR Spotlight Sadly... "The Lines are being drawn.." """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ITS NO SECRET.. IT'S FOR ALL TO SEE FOIA ---- Preface ------- WHAT ..ARE WE REALLY WITNESS TO??? a commentary by R.F. Mariano The following item was brought to our attention as a result of a seemingly questionable action on one of the major online services. Apparently the following item, presented herein in its entirety, was uploaded to a well known Atari "support" area for all the users to see. The premise being that since its a matter of public record and available for anyone to scrutinize at will, there should be no problem. SURPRISE!! It was promptly and UNCEREMONIOUSLY DELETED! By now, you must be wondering just which service and area this occurred in. I'll give you a hint.. Which ST area on one service in particular, has been repeatedly in the "spotlight" for exhibiting the seemingly "presumptive audacity" to decide what is or is not "beneficial" to its users. Now... Do you really need to ask? As an afterthought, the operators of this particular area are seemingly destined for the rude awakening. From all indications, users are growing very tired of the perceived blatant censorship, playing favorites and less than desirable sleazy politics that appear to be ever present and a perceived part of this "support" area alone. The big joke is the promoting of this particular area as "where the action is!" Among many, many users its allegedly stated like this; "You wanna see expert backstabbing, superb baiting, vicious fights, delightful rank out sessions and knock down, drag 'em out slamfests? Go to the STxx.. on XXxxx... You'll find plenty of that trash!" All apparently organized and staged by the now infamous _clique_ to intimidate, formulate and control user's public opinions and comments. If that's what they mean by "where the action is" ..they can not only keep it, they can stuff it. What ever happened to good, old fashioned, user and product support. Not to mention the free, unencumbered exchange of useful information? Apparently, they're losing grasp of the original, well thought out concept of telecommunications. Perhaps.... its more 'pleasurable' to propagandize, patronize, ostracize, stigmatize and alienate at will. They had better prudently remember, "What goes around... comes around." ----====---- From Dave Small; For some time, Gadgets by Small, Inc. and IEC have been involved in legal action. It has become the focus of quite a bit of activity recently, which is where I've been ... :-) Jim Allen has agreed to be an expert witness for IEC *against* Gadgets by Small, and in fact is scheduled to be deposed personally shortly. I am not qualified to say what an expert witness is. I have typed in this rather long document so that *you* may *see* it. I feel that freedom of information exchange is very important. **Please note** that I did not type in Gadgets' reply to this document. *This is not a competitive note between developers.* It is informational; again, I make no attempt to reply to this. (Look, in any event, I have no more SST's to sell; we shipped them all beginning last February. Sysop: I feel this document belongs here because it contains information *relevant to the topic* as per the base note. For instance, the usage of a 68EC030 processor in the TinyTurbo is mentioned herein. = = = = = = = = This document is sworn under oath and notarized. = = = = = = = = I have, to the best of my ability, typed in *verbatim* the contents of the following affadavit. Errors in the original text, or page breaks, are marked with "[sic]". There is always the possibility that even after my doublecheck, I made an error; it was not intentional if so, and will be corrected if pointed out. = = = = = = = = DISTRICT COURT, COUNTY OF ADAMS, STATE OF COLORADO civil Action No. 91CV2518 Division C ----------------------------------------------------------------- AFFIDAVIT OF JAMES C. ALLEN ----------------------------------------------------------------- INTEGRATED ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, a Colorado corporation, PLAINTIFF, v. GADGET BY SMALL, INC., a Colorado corporation, Defendant. ------------------------------------------------------------------ THE UNDERIGNED, of lawful age, being first duly sworn, upon oath, deposes and says the following: 1. The undersigned is the Owner of Fast Technology, located at 14 Lovejoy Road, Andover, MA 01810, telephone (508)-475-3810. 2. The undersigned is in the business of designing, producing, and selling computer equipment and software with 12 years experience, with particular experience in Motorola 68030 accelerator design for use in Atari "ST" computer market conditions. 3. I am familiar with the product of Gadgets by Small, Inc. identified as a 68030 SST accelerator board for the Atari "ST" computer, which uses as component parts the Motorola 68030 chip and the Samsung KS84C31-33 Dram controller chip. 4. My familiarity with the product of the defendent is based [sic] my analysis of the hardware board and software for the product which I was able to purchase on the open market. I am also familiar with the design by Gadgets by Small, Inc. as a result of my previous technology license relationship with the defendent in the development project for the purpose of creating an accelerator board for use in Atari "ST" computers. 5. As a result of my experience in the industry as well as my past association with David Small, Research and Development Engineer for Gadgets by Small, Inc., I am aware and consider David Small to be an expert in the field of design and implementation of accelerator products for use in Atari "ST" computers which use the Motorola 68030 chip and the Samsung KS84C31-33 dram controller chip. 6.[sic]The product, hereby known as the "Turbo030", which I have developed and market for the Atari "ST" computer is an accelerator board which uses the Motorola 68030 chip, but uses a proprietary dram controller design which vastly outperforms the Samsung KS84C31-33 chip in flexibility and maximum processor speed, 50 Mhz vs. 33 Mhz. The product also incorporates advanced architectural features such as a high speed external cache memory to increase data throughput to the processor, and an auxiliary 68000 processor which enhances software backward compatibility to nearly 100%. These design differences constitute a "super set" of features beyond those of the defendents [sic]product. [ sic: End of Page One of Affadvit ] 7. The product developed by the undersigned is not competitive with the product of the defendent, Gadgets by Small, Inc., for the following reasons: A. The product of the undersigned has all of the design elements of the Gadgets by Small. Inc. [sic] product, but is vastly enhanced in both speed and compatibility with the additional components such as: external high speed processor cache memory, auxiliary 68000 processor, and proprietary dram controller. B. The product of the undersigned operates at a much higher clock rate of 50 MHz (Megahertz) as opposed to the 33 Mhz speed of the Gadgets by Small, Inc. product, and is therefore much faster and more competitive in the acceleration marketplace. C. The product of the undersigned as well as the product of Gadgets by Small, Inc., both use 32bit wide dynamic ram and a Motorola 68030 chip, but the product of the undersigned represents the next generation of accelerator products due to the additional features employed. D. The products are not competitive in price since the product of Gadgets by Small, Inc., sells for one half the price of the product of the undersigned. E. The products are not competitive in marketing methods employed, as the product of the undersigned is marketed through direct mail methods to "high end" software application users and through electronic online services, rather than through ordinary retail advertising and distribution methods, such as those employed by Gadgets by Small, Inc. for its product. F. The second Motorola 680X0 based product offered by the undersigned, hereby known as "Tiny Turbo030", is of a very different design than that of the product of Gadgets by Small, Inc., it does not employ the use of any 32bit dynamic ram, has a lower selling price, uses Motorola's 68EC030 low cost processor, and is targeted at a different typer of customer than the product of Gadgets by Small, Inc. 8. The undersigned is no threat to Gadgets by Small, Inc., with regard to competition for the following reasons: A. The undersigned has a superior product in the marketplace which exceeds the ability of the product by Gadgets by Small, Inc. in speed, efficiency, and compatibility. B. The undersigned has purchased on the open market the product of Gadgets by Small, Inc. and has reviewed same and has found no technology in the hardware or software which represents a competitive advance in the marketplace of accelerator boards for Atari "ST" computers. C. The hardware and software design of the Gadgets by Small, Inc. product represents olf technology which has been replaced with faster and more efficient technology such as the updated Samsung KS84C31-40 40 Megahertz dram controller chip, as well as memory controllers from other manufacturers such as AMD and Texas Instruments, or proprietary designs such as used by the undersigned. D. The software associated with Gadgets by Small, Inc. [sic: End of Affadavit Page Two] 68030 SST product contains no encoded or otherwise obscure and proprietary methods of initializing the Samsung KS84C31-33 dram controller chip, nor does the Gadgets by Small, Inc. 68030 SST product contain any encoded or otherwise proprietary method of testing the dynamic ram controlled by the Samsung KS84C31-33, therefore the undersigned will gain no beneficial information from the Gadgets by Small, Inc. product which will make the undersigned more competitive. E. The undersigned has been involved in a technology licensing agreement with Gadgets by Small, Inc., on a project to design an accelerator board for Atari "ST" computers, and is aware of the nature of the design theory and philosophy employed by Gadgets by Small, Inc. and as a result of the knowledge of the undersigned, the undersigned has no desire whatsoever to appropriate or otherwise emulate the work of Gadgets by Small, Inc. F. The undersigned has no need whatsoever for access to Gadgets by Small, Inc. customer lists, or Gadgets by Small., Inc., Mototola [sic] 68030 setup software, or Gadgets by Small, Inc. Atari Operating System modification software in order to examine the use by Gadgets by Small, Inc. of the Samsung KS84C31-33 dram controller for design flaws on the part of Gadgets by Small, Inc. Therefore, there is no threat of exposure of these key assets items to any potential competitor to Gadgets by Small, Inc. 9. The undersigned, freely and without reservation covenants and warrants to the court that the undersigned shall not disclose to any third party any information acquired by the undersigned while serving as expert witness for the Plaintiff in this case. 10. The only technical information required to be disclosed to the undersigned, in order to analyze the claims by the Defendent of a defect in the Samsung KS84C31-33 dram controller chip, are the software source listings to the final "production" releases of the following: A. The 32 bit dram initialization and setup software. B. The 32 bit dram testing software. C. The schematic diagrams of the circuit design of the Gadgets by Small, Inc. product known as the 68030 SST board. D. The programmable logic chip "PAL" equations for the chips involved in the dynamic ram circuit, including the chips that initialize and control the Samsugn KS845C31-33 dram controller chip. [sic: End of Page Three] 11. The undersigned has no need for the customer lists of Gadgets by Small, Inc. for the purpose of giving expert opinion as to the Gadgets by Small, Inc. 68030 SST accelerator board for Atari "ST" computers. (signature on paper) --------------------- James C. Allen COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS } } ss. COUNTY OF ESSEX } THE FOREGOING AFFIDAVIT was subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of December, 1992, by James C. Allan. Witness my hand and official seal. THOMAS L. BRYANT NOTARY PUBLIC My commission expires Oct. [sic: unreadable on FAX] --------------------- Notary Public [sic] End of document. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am rather interested in your reactions to this document. If you wish, I am available for reply via EMAIL for privacy, to David M. Small [76606,666] on Compuserve, DAVESMALL on GENIE or dsmall@gadgets.com on the Internet. (If the Internet has me all set up -- unsure.) This document is NOT COPYRIGHTED and may be freely copied, subject only to its being copied completely and accurately for fairness. END OF DOCUMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ______________________________________________________________ > COMPETITION? STR Spotlight Tiny Turbo & Turbo 030 """""""""""""""""""""""""" Jim Allen owner and operator of Fast Technologies... posted the following message back in March of 1992. Proclaiming the benefits of the acclerators he designs and manufacturers for sale on the Atari platform. The ONLY OTHER accelerator for sale until recently on the Atari platform was the SST from Gadgets by Small. The exchanges between the two designers, Dave Small and Jim Allen, have been vitriolic at best and at least, slightly entertaining. Many of the exchanges between the two gents are on file at STReport. A number of which clearly indicate the high level of aggressive competition between the two gents, their companys and their products. To Wit: Category 4, Topic 11 Message 1 Tue Mar 10, 1992 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH] at 23:56 EST Finally....... FAST TECHNOLOGY proudly announces..... Tiny TURBO030 TinyTurbo030 is our entry level 68030 based accelerator for the Atari ST and STE computer line. There are two versions, one for the ST, the STE (including MegaSTE). They are identical in function and feature, differing only in physical layout. The TinyTurbo030 has the following features: * Motorola's advanced "030" running at 40Mhz!!!! * a spot for an optional 68882 FPU chip running at 60Mhz!!! * Onboard 8Mhz 68000 chip for _100%_ compatibility, hard/software * The most compact 030 accelerator design available anywhere * Fits all models of the ST and STE line, even the STacy * Optional Virtual Memory software for up to 128Megabytes of "ram" * Super fast static ram cache design to speed up program AND video!! * Makes your ST or STE up to 6 TIMES faster in real world use * Equipped with Atari's new TOS 2.06, with some further enhancements!! * Bundled with CodeHead Technology's QuickST acceleration software * Specially designed to support and speedup Mega ST/VME video boards * Fully BLiTTER chip compatible, works with them all!!! * No auxiliary or replacement power supply needed!!!! * Only 3.5" by 2.5", fits in the palm of your hand!!! Fast Technology has been honing this design to perfection for a full year now, we have numerous beta test sites and customers around the world, so TinyTurbo030 customers are assured of solid performance and a no-hassle installation and above all a _very_ high degree of compatibility in 030 mode, and total compatibility in 68000 mode. When you buy a TinyTurbo030 you are buying a proven design from the leaders in Atari accelerator design!!! The 68000 onboard the TinyTurbo030 lets the user boot up as a stock machine, able to run any software, or use any peripheral which isn't compatible with an 030 chip...simply at the flip of a switch!! The 68000 may also be set to boot off your original TOS roms, just in case TOS 206 compatibility is in doubt. The 030 is running at a minimum of 40Mhz, when the final printed circuit boards are here, we'll decide on 40...42...46...... The Virtual Memory option is a sneaky software way of making your system "think" it has lots more than the standard 4Megabytes of ram ST/STE computers are capable of. This does require you to have 4 Megabytes of real ram in your ST/STE, but for those who need ooooodles of memory, that's no big deal. The Virtual Memory option also includes an upgrade to the 50Mhz 030 chip and perhaps a bit high clock speed ;-) There is a spot for a 68882 math coprocessor. We say "spot" because due to height restrictions a socket is not possible in most ST/STE systems. Here at Fast Technology we have the ability to install and remove PGA chips easily, so being soldered in is not a problem. We use the PGA...pin grid array...package because that's the only one the 50Mhz 882 chip is available in. We've been using 50Mhz 882's at 60-75Mhz for months without a single failure. The temperature range that desktop ST/STE computers live at is low enough to allow this. The TinyTurbo030 has been tested with Moniterm, ISAC, Matrix, Crazy Dots, and a few other obscure video addon boards. When you dive into the world of serious DTP and CAD work, and have invested in a big screen setup, you REALLY NEED an accelerator. The basic design of the TinyTurbo030 is similar to that of the now "World Famous" Turbo25. A small super highspeed static ram cache combined with a very fast 030 processor produces a very healthy speed increase in a Tiny package. Combining the proven design of the Turbo25, with the tremendous speed of the 030 chip seemed a natural, and the TinyTurbo030 was born. Using Atari's TOS 2.06 the TinyTurbo030 brings you the latest and greatest of Atari's operating systems. This new OS has been enhanced and made immune to speed, your system will feel like it was designed from scratch, custom, just for you!! We've added some nice features too, like a user settable boot delay, and other "goodies". How fast is it? Take a look... QINDEX 2.2, MegaST4, Blitter on, ST high resolution, QuickSTE(TT) speed comparison versus Tos 1.4 Test TinyTurbo030 AtariTT ---- ------------ ------- Memory 497 812 Register 1024 827 Divide 1268 1024 Shift 4457 3661 Text 1032 894 String 5121 4756 Scroll 158 426 Draw 1508 1003 Tos 2.06 3.06 Mhz 40 32 Dynacadd 3D Cup 43seconds 50seconds In real world use, like CalamusSL, the TinyTurbo030 is without question faster than a fast ram equipped TT, just ask a Tiny user!! How much does it cost? The TinyTurbo030 has a list price of $999.00 US, compared to other accelerators of similar speed on other platforms, like the Amiga and Mac, this is a very reasonable price. But wait.... For a limited time only...till April 30th, 1992...the TinyTurbo030 introductory price is $599 !!!! Yes, only $599 will get upgrade your ST/STE to the latest technology, with a massive speed increase, the new Atari TOS, and still allow you to maintain total compatibility with your favorite oldies!!! The only requirement to lock in this price is that we receive your deposit for 50%...$300...before April 30th. The other 50% due when your TinyTurbo030 is shipped. The FPU option is $299 ($50 deposit) and the Virtual Memory option is also $299($50 deposit). Include with your order a COMPLETE description or your system, and your option choices if any. ------------ ____________________________________________________________ > FLASH II NEWS! STR InfoFile Flash II upgrade....... """"""""""""""""""""""""""" MISSIONWARE SOFTWARE FLASH II UPDATE Missionware Software is pleased to provide an online upgrade for all current Flash II owners. We're now releasing Flash II version 2.11, which is a maintenance upgrade for all owners of Flash II version 2.1. However, even if you never upgraded to version 2.1, you'll still be able to upgrade your version 2.0 and 2.01 with this patch! The file to look for is called "F211UPGD.LZH". Flash II version 2.11 fixes a number of minor bugs that our beta testers and users discovered in version 2.1. You only need to upgrade to 2.11 if any of the following affected your operation: * Type Ahead Backspacing: When Rubout was selected and backspace was used, the wrong character got erased from Flash II's internal TA buffer. The text looked ok on the screen but was garbled when sent to the port. * Capture Clear: When clearing a capture that had a marked block, when the capture filled a second time with new data, the marked block reappeared. * Silent Line with 0K Buffer: Silent Line would crash during initialization if its buffer size was set to 0K bytes. * Wait For String Command: This was ignoring case when it should have been case sensitive. * Keypad Enter: When using Keypad Application mode, the ENTER key was sending the wrong escape sequences in the VT and ANSI modes. * "DL AS" Script Command: Added for compatibility with older versions of Flash!. You can now download text as a file. * Memory Options: If "User" was selected and the memory specified was 256K or a multiple thereof, then the setting got chnaged to "All" and 128K at boot time. * Terminal Timer: The timer now counts all the time, not just when you dial a number or board. It resets to zero (0) when you use Dial Number or Dial Board. * Cursor Position: In Vidtex and VT52 modes, if the host positioned the cursor beyond the end of the screen the program crashed. Missionware Software continues to strive to provide you with the best support anywhere! Remember, version 2.11 is only an interim version. We're planning on releasing version 2.2 fairly soon which adds even more capabilities for all Atari machines and new features as well. Version 2.2 will also be uploaded as a patch upgrade for all current owners. If you have any questions about any of our products or about this patch upgrade, you can contact us right here. You can also contact us by mail or phone. Our address is: Missionware Software 354 N. Winston Drive Palatine, Illinois 60067-4132 USA phone: 708-359-9565 Thank you for supporting our products and the Atari line of computers! _________________________________________________________ > ELVIS? STR Feature Neat doin's at BRACE! """""""""""""""""" ELVIS PRESLEY -- ABDUCTED BY ALIENS =================================== ...while buying used Atari equipment at the Blue Ridge Atarifest! by Lee & Other Lee - Asheville, N.C. After having been sighted in the swap room at last year's WAACE show in Washington, Elvis was again sighted at the Blue Ridge Atari Computer Enthusists Atarifest. He was seen skulking among the used 8-bit and ST systems. Cliff Allen of Computer Studio reported that Elvis came in with a broken CDAR-504. He said, "I had to tell him that I couldn't repair it because I can't get parts for it. He didn't seem interested in a newer unit." At some point during the show an alien spacecraft was seen emerging from the Lexicor videotape presentation and witnesses said it went directly to the swap room and abducted the unsuspecting Elvis. "I just knew this would happen!" - Joe Mirando of ST Report John Eidsvoog, of Codehead Technologies, said he saw the craft departing at approximately Warp 9. Joe Mirando, of ST Report who was present at the Washington Elvis sighting said, "I just knew this would happen! Having Elvis in the Atari Community was just too good to be true." John Cole of BRACE was heard to say, "Dang! He was going to buy the SLM804!" Sheldon Winick of Computer Studio commented that he had hoped to sell a Falcon to The King. Sheldon went on to say, "With a Falcon in the hands of The King, Atari could get all the free advertising they wanted." Rick Ladoge, who was representing Barefoot Software, claimed to have demoed Barefoot's software for Elvis, but this could not be independently confirmed. Gregg Anderson of Computer Studio and "Atari Explorer Online" reportedly had an interview scheduled with Elvis for his "Atari Asylum" column. He said, "I was gonna see if the Falcon ran any faster or slower with Elvis at the keyboard and get timing tests of using direct-to-disk to record the low frequency vibrations of Elvis' voice." The present whereabouts of Elvis and the alien craft are unknown but they departed to the west with Glendale, California a likely destination. -- This article was written by Lee Benjamin & Lee Mavity of the Middle Georgia Atari User's Group (MGAUG) with thanks to Joe Mirando for the initial report from WAACE, and to everyone at the Blue Ridge Atarifest for a great show! ______________________________________________________ > NORTON COMMANDER STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" SYMANTEC'S NEW VERSION OF NORTON COMMANDER ========================================== --Norton Commander 4.0 is the Fastest and Easiest Way to Manage, View, Compress and Uncompress Files-- KEY FEATURES OVERVIEW o File compression for the most popular formats o Over 50 viewers for application, graphics and compressed files o High-speed file and directory transfer from laptop to desktop and vice versa o Send faxes, telexes and paper mail with Commander Mail o All file, copy, move and delete dialog boxes include subdirectories o Support for 300% larger directories o Available now - $99 SRP Norton Commander 4.0, is the world's best-selling DOS shell that provides the fastest and easiest way to manage, view, compress and uncompress files. Norton Commander 4.0 brings significantly greater speed and convenience to file management, file viewing, application launching, electronic mail and PC-to-PC file transfer. No other comprehensive DOS file management software is as fast, as easy-to-use and as small in memory and disk space requirements as Norton Commander 4.0. Norton Commander increases a user's productivity by providing immediate access to and a complete view of directories and their contents. One keystroke or mouse click can launch applications, view, copy, move and delete files and directories. Commander lets the user view over 50 different kinds of files, including both DOS and Windows application files, graphics files and compressed files. Commander Link, with new file-only transfer capability, transfers files between two PCs via both serial and parallel connector cables. "The fourth generation Commander is not only fast and lean, making it ideal for portables, but it's also powerful, versatile and feature-rich," said Grant Johnson, Symantec's business unit director for the Peter Norton Group. "It contains improvements with recommendations and suggestions from users all over the world. The Norton Commander 4.0 transforms the DOS environment into one that is easily managed by the everyday user, yet robust enough for the advanced user." NEW FEATURES File Compression in the World's Most Popular Formats Norton Commander lets the user copy, move and delete to and from compressed files. Commander has built in support for PKZIP 2.04x, and seamless external support for ARJ, ARC, PAK, LHARC and ZOO. With simple modifications, additional external compression programs can also be supported. Over 30 New File Viewers Added Norton Commander 4.0 users can view more than 50 file formats including Q&A, Paradox 3.5, Lotus 1-2-3 3.x, Excel 3.x and 4.x, MS Word for Windows 1.x and 2.x and more. In addition to PCX, several new graphical viewers including GIF, BMP, TIFF and ICO have been added. Enhanced Commander Link The addition of parallel link support in Commander Link lets users apply the high-speed parallel port to transfer files and directories from their laptop to their desktop PC and vice versa. "New File" transfer capability saves times by only transferring new files. A new cloning feature allows Commander to easily duplicate itself over a serial connection. Commander Mail Enhancements Commander Mail lets MCI Mail users send faxes, telexes and paper mail to recipients who do not need to be MCI Mail subscribers. Commander Mail automatically files e-mail messages and stores frequently used fax numbers and e-mail ID numbers in an address book. Quick View Quick View lets users browse through a list of files in one panel while displaying the contents of any highlighted file in the other panel. Without first loading the parent applications, the new Quick View feature allows the user to view spreadsheet, database, graphics, word processing or compressed files in one keystroke or mouse click. When a directory is highlighted, Quick View will show the total number of the files and subdirectories of that directory and the amount of space used. Quick View is available from both the Left and Right menus. The Zoom feature lets the user zoom a half-screen file view to full screen and back again with a single keystroke. ADDITIONAL FEATURES Directories can now be three times larger than before, containing more than 1,600 files per directory. For greater efficiency and convenience, all file copy, move and delete dialog boxes have an "include subdirectories" check box. This allows the user to include both directories and sub-directories with all file operations. A more proficient Editor supports block operations and includes printing capability, letting the user create and edit existing documents without leaving Commander. An enhanced Find/File capability lets the user search for text contained in a file. It can also copy, move and delete found files. In addition to allowing access to the DOS prompt at any time, Commander also provides a DOS history, recalling and displaying the last 15 DOS commands in a pop-up window for quick selection and re-running. Users can easily edit the command line and copy file names to it. The Norton Commander 4.0 is network compatible, allowing users to access and manage data over any PC compatible network. Commander also provides system information, making a hardware and memory information summary available from a menu option. PRICING AND AVAILABILITY Norton Commander 4.0 is available at a suggested retail price of $99. Upgrades to registered users of Norton Commander are available for $39, plus shipping and handling, and include a free copy of Norton Speedcache+, the fastest hard disk and CD-ROM cache for DOS and Windows. Norton Commander 4.0 requires DOS 3.1 or higher. It runs on IBM PC XT, AT, PS/2 and compatibles, requires 512K RAM, a serial or parallel cable for Commander Link, and an MCI Account for Commander Mail. Symantec Corporation develops, markets and supports a complete line of applications and system software products for IBM personal computers and compatibles, and Apple Macintosh computers. Founded in 1982, the company has offices in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Information on the company and its products can be obtained by calling (800) 441-7234 toll free, or (408) 252-3570. Brand and product references herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. CONTACT: Ana Shannon/Christiane Petite Symantec Corporation 310-449-4140/310-449-4141 Rebecca Fuller Wilson McHenry Company 415/592-7600 ________________________________________________________ > NVN WANTS YOU! STR InfoFile A great NEW Network! """"""""""""""""""""""""""" NVN - THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK! =============================== The Atari computer platform has support on yet another top notch telecommunications service! National Videotex Network (NVN) maintains an area just for our favorite computers. Type GO ATARI, 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. NVN lowers its connect time charges! $5/hour non-prime time (EST. 7pm - 9am weekdays and all day weekends) $8/hour prime time (EST 9am - 7pm weekdays) Choose from two great 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. NVN now offers Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). For a $2 per month service charge, customers may have their NVN online charges automatically debited from their personal checking accounts. Please contact Client Services for this new feature! For more information about either of these plans.. Please, give us a call at; 1-800-336-9096. 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. NVN Highlights -------------- 1. For the newcomers .... 2. NEW (MODIFIED) REFERRAL PROGRAM LET'S YOU EARN $10 USAGE CREDITS! 3. A library built *just* for business people 4. Board Certified Psychiatrist heads up the new Substance Abuse Forum 5. VETERANS: Please report to the Military Forum for C&D. 6. Step out into the Great Outdoors Forum 7. We've got just the cure for your medical information needs 8. The Diabetes & Hypoglycemia Support Forum is now online. 9. SOUND OFF!!! Take our Game Survey 10. Let's talk about Coins 11. Call all DISNEYphiles! Join the gang! . 12. Amiga Forum now available for Amiga and Desktop Video enthusiasts! 13. NEW Email enhancements are on-line. Including personal mailing lists! ____________________________________________________________________ > NOVA CARD NEWS! STR InfoFile NOVA SPECS and UPDATE NEWS! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" SPECIAL NOVA CARD UPDATE ======================== Announcement from Lexicor Software Corp. ---------------------------------------- As of Monday 19th July 1993, the Special NOVA Deal offered by Lexicor Software for the NOVA Graphics Card is over. The NOVA Mega and the NOVA VME 16M will now both have the same price of 599.99 U$D. The price for the SUPERNOVA has not changed and will cost: 999.99 U$D The 32K Graphic Card is only available on Special Order and will cost 429 U$D both the Mega and the VME. For these Card's there may be an added handling Price. Shipping cost are excluded from these prices. Technical Specifications ------------------------ NOVA Megabus 16M ---------------- Maximum Frame Rate : 90Mhz Video RAM : 1 Megabyte RAMtype : DRAM Maximum Color's : 16,7 Million Colors (24bit) Maximum Resolution (>70Hz): 1024x768 in 256 Color's Maximum Resolution (15bit): 768x512 Maximum Resolution (24bit): 640x400 Virtual Resolution : YES Automatic REZ Switch : YES Upgradeable : YES VDI for 24bit : YES VMG : YES HARDWARE Accelerator : NO NOVA VME 16M ------------ Maximum Frame Rate : 90MHz Video RAM : 1 Megabyte RAMtype : DRAM Maximum Color's : 16,7 Million Colors (24bit) Maximum Resolution (>70Hz): 1088x832 in 256 Color's Maximum Resolution (15bit): 800x600 Maximum Resolution (24bit): 640x480 Virtual Resolution : YES Automatic REZ Switch : YES Upgradeable : YES VDI for 24bit : YES VMG : YES HARDWARE Accelerator : NO SUPERNOVA --------- Maximum Frame Rate : 135MHz Video RAM : 2 Megabytes RAMType : VRAM Maximum Color's : 16,7 Million Colors (24bit) Maximum Resolution (>70Hz): 1280x1024 Maximum Resolution (15bit): 1024x768 Maximum Resolution (24bit): 800x600 Virtual Resolution : YES Automatic REZ Switch : YES Upgradeable : YES VDI for 24bit : YES VMG : YES HARDWARE Accelerator : YES For more information check our previous releases on the NOVA Card. The Virtual Resolution are programmable via the VMG. The VDI of the NOVA has proven to be very compatible with our Software and many other Software applications as well. There is also a NOVA Special disk available soon that has some NOVA Specific program's on it, including NOVA Mines, the game, and the special Calamus SL driver that will enable Calamus SL to run in 15/16bit in 15/16bit color mode. Yat Siu Lexicor Software Europe LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORP. 1726 Francisco ST. Berkeley, CA 94703 Phone 510-848-7621 FAX 510-848-7613 ________________________________________________________ > CPAV 2.0 STR InfoFile Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 """"""""""""""""""""" CENTRAL POINT ANTI VIRUS 2.0 ============================ BEAVERTON, Ore. Central Point Software, Inc. is shipping Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0, a new version of its advanced, DOS-based virus protection program that introduces groundbreaking technology for protection against unknown viruses. Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 provides PC users up-to-date protection against existing and future viruses without requiring frequent updates. With the introduction of a unique expert system for generic detection capabilities - designed by Central Point anti-virus technologists - the product takes a giant technology leap over both previous versions and competing products. In addition, the new release defends against the more than 2,000 known viruses and offers increased performance and reduced memory requirements to provide comprehensive virus protection. "The Virus Analyzer included in Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 arms organizations such as ours with a powerful weapon to fight the onslaught of destructive viruses facing corporations today," said John Johnston, manager of network operations for a Fortune 500 company. "As we move more of our mission-critical business applications onto the network, it is essential to have the up-to-date and continuous virus protection that Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 provides." Generic Virus Detection and Cleaning Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 employs the use of a unique expert system, Virus Analyzer, to provide generic detection of unknown viruses. Unlike the generic detection touted by other anti-virus products, the Virus Analyzer requires no prior information about files in an uninfected state. Instead, it uses a built-in expert system to compare the files it analyzes against what is currently known about computer viral code characteristics to make positive, but non-specific identification of virus infection. "The Virus Analyzer feature is quite extraordinary," said Dr. Simon Shepherd of the UK Computer Virus Certification Centre. "The advent of a system that eliminates the task of frequent upgrading is such a significant development that I cannot envision anyone buying anything else." Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 also utilizes an enhanced proprietary checksum engine and checksum format, SmartChecks', to distinguish between legitimate file changes and file changes caused by a virus. Additionally, SmartChecks allow users to clean both known and unknown viruses without virus-specific information. When viruses are removed using SmartChecks, the file is perfectly restored to its original, uninfected state. Increased Detection of Known Viruses The Civil Defense, WinVir 1.4 and TPE 1.x viruses are just a few of the new viruses now detected and cleaned by Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0. In addition, Central Point Anti-Virus adds virus removal capabilities to its signature format via the new Smart Signatures' feature. "Signature-based detection and cleaning has definitely not been abandoned with the implementation of our generic detection technology," said Tori Case, product marketing manager for Central Point Anti-Virus. "The best defense is still a known defense, and signature-based detection allows for the best removal options." Smart Signatures allow for easy updating of both detection and cleaning capabilities throughout an organization. In addition, the Network Update feature in Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 allows a custom network directory to be created for network installation and automatic updating of Central Point Anti-Virus. New Smart Signatures can be placed in this directory for transparent distribution to users with Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 on their workstations. New Compressed File Scanning In addition to supporting the standard disk compression schemes, such as DoubleSpace, Stacker and SuperStor, Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 now supports the most popular file compression formats, including PK Zip, PK Lite, LZEXE and ARJ. When using this option, Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 opens compressed files in memory and scans each file individually to determine if it contains a virus, preventing any viruses from hiding in compressed files. Increased Performance and Reduced Memory Requirements Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 incorporates several new and enhanced features to increase performance, as well as to make the product more functional for users working in a RAM-constrained environment. New features include the following: Fast Verify. This feature increases scanning speed from four files per second to more than 60 files per second by verifying the checksum of a file only if the file's size has changed. Use of Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs) by terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs). The VSAFE and VWATCH memory-resident programs reduce conventional RAM requirements by loading the entire program into UMBs, if available. If UMBs are used, no conventional memory will be used by the TSRs. Enhanced features include the following: Enhanced memory scanning. A new scanning algorithm provides protection against more viruses in memory. Also, the memory scanner now can be updated for new viruses between program upgrades via signature files. Reduced program size. Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 reduces RAM usage by more than 50K over previous versions. Pricing and Availability Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 will be available in June from major software distributors and resellers in North America for a suggested retail price of $129.95. Registered users of previous versions of Central Point Anti-Virus can upgrade to Version 2.0 for $29.95. Additionally, there is an optional subscription plan available to provide customers four consecutive updates for $49.95. Customers in the United States and Canada can order their upgrades or obtain more information by sending a private email to CPS KimS, or calling (800) 964-6896. For information on corporate licenses, call (800) 305-0936. Central Point Software, Inc. has been developing, marketing and supporting virus management software since March 1991. The only two-time winner of the PC Magazine Editor's Choice award, Central Point Anti-Virus is available for DOS, Windows, Macintosh and Novell NetWare platforms. Central Point was also selected as the anti-virus vendor of choice by Microsoft for inclusion in MS-DOS 6. With more than 2 million customers, Central Point Anti-Virus offers users the most advanced virus protection available. Central Point Software, Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, develops, markets and supports a complete line of utility software products for DOS, Windows and Macintosh on the desktop, as well as the Novell NetWare platform. Founded in 1981, the company now has a worldwide customer base of five million users. Central Point's products are translated into six foreign languages and are available in more than 30 countries. _________________________________________________________ """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :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 Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STACKER 3.1 STR InfoFile DOS 6 Compatible """""""""""""""""""""""" STACKER TECHNOLOGY ================== What is Stacker? The Stacker device driver implements a virtual disk with twice the capacity of the physical disk. It works by reducing the number of sectors required to hold a cluster and compressing the data with the Stacker LZS algorithm, the industry standard. How Stacker Works. As the Stacker device driver is called upon to write a cluster of data, it calls upon the Stac Compression technology in either hardware or software to compress the data in the cluster. Once compressed, the data is allocated to the minimum integral number of sectors necessary to contain the compressed cluster. Stacker uses either a 4K, 8K, 16K, or a 32K byte cluster. Normally, MS-DOS would require eight 512-byte sectors to store a 4K cluster. By compressing the data by a factor of 2, on the average, Stacker uses only half the number of sectors to store the same amount of data. In the case of a 4K cluster, 2:1 compression yields four sectors per cluster rather than eight. The result is a doubling of capacity on a compressed volume. The Stacker Algorithm Consists of Two Elements. * A device driver that compresses all data before it is written to a storage device and decompresses all data as it is read. * Stacker LZS(tm), a high-speed lossless compression algorithm, is implemented in a coprocessor chip or in software. The Stacker LZS algorithm looks for repeated strings in a window. This window, within which string matches can be found, always contains the most recently processed 2,048 bytes. The technique employed gets its name, sliding window, because the window slides forward through a file as bytes are processed. Living With Stacker You treat your Stacker drive like an ordinary drive, except that it is twice as large now. All of your files appear in their normal size and location. All compression and decompression is automatic and invisible. You can use your normal DOS and utility functions (like Norton Disk Doctor and PCTOOLS DISKFIX) on the Stacker drive. Types of Stacker Installations Stacker provides two flexible configurations. The default installation compresses your existing data into one large, hidden file. This file is then "mounted" as the next available drive letter. We then "swap" this newly created drive letter with the original drive letter. This makes your applications run normally, without having to reconfigure them. The second installation option is to compress empty drive space that exists on your drive now. For example, if you had 40MB of space available on drive C:, we would turn this into an 80MB drive D:. Contact Information Stac Electronics Lois Leslie (619) 431-7474 Jennings & Company Greg Spector (415) 349-8400 Stacker 3.1 Now Shipping, Includes Integrated Data Compression for MS-DOS 6.0 Competitive Upgrade Also Offered CARLSBAD, Calif., Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC), began shipping Stacker 3.1 for Windows & DOS. The latest release of Stac's award-winning data compression software is compatible with all versions of MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, plus achieves new levels of safety and ease of use by taking advantage of special features in Microsoft Corp.'s new DOS 6.0. "With Stacker you get safe, proven, full-featured data compression no matter what version of DOS you're most comfortable with," said John Bromhead, Stac's director of marketing. "And, if you do choose to upgrade to DOS 6.0, Stacker will tightly integrate with your new operating system." Stacker 3.1 for Windows & DOS has a suggested retail price of $149. Registered users of Stacker 3.0 can upgrade to Stacker 3.1 directly from Stac for $19.95. Users who purchased Stacker 3.0 after March 30, 1993 qualify for a free upgrade with proof of purchase. For people who are already running MS-DOS 6.0, but are not currently Stacker users, Stac is offering a special competitive upgrade to Stacker 3.1 for the suggested retail price of $79.95. "All users of MS-DOS 6.0 can now take advantage of our hassle-free competitive upgrade and they can get safe, full-featured compression that tightly integrates with the operating system," added Bromhead. "And if you are using MS-DOS DoubleSpace, our new Stacker 3.1 will instantly convert your system to use our safer Stacker LZS_ technology that has three levels of data integrity checks built in." Although both Stacker and DoubleSpace double the storage capacity of system hard disks, only Stacker 3.1 provides the additional functionality and features that made its predecessor one of the best-selling software products worldwide. Features unique to Stacker include: * DoubleSpace Conversion: Converts data compressed using DoubleSpace, the utility bundled with MS-DOS 6.0, to Stac's patented Stacker LZS technology. * The Windows Stackometer_: Graphical gauges that allow Windows users to continuously monitor disk capacity, compression ratio and fragmentation levels. * Stacker Anywhere_: Allows users to read and write to any removable media on any PC, even one where Stacker is not installed. * Stacker Automount_: Makes Stacker removables immediately available for use. * Unstack: Automatically returns a Stacker disk system to its original state. * Stacker AutoProtect_: Detects disk errors dynamically and at boot time, and immediately protects Stacker volumes. * Stacker AutoRecovery_: Automatically repairs errors on the disk. * Two-gigabyte Stacker drives: Allows users to compress large drives without having to set up multiple partitions. The Company, Stac Electronics, is the leading supplier of high performance data compression products for DOS, Windows, Macintosh and OS/2 personal computers. Implemented in software and silicon, Stac's products are sold direct from the company and through retail and OEM sales distribution channels worldwide. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" What'd he say??? Wha??? """"""""""""""""" "IF YOU'RE THERE YOU AREN'T THERE!" & YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE!" J.B. Lennon Esq. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings * """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" --------------- ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS ========================= P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 Est. 1985 1-904-783-3319 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER IBM/MSDOS-PC-CLONES-MAC-AMIGA-ATARI CUSTOM - MADE TO ORDER HARDWARE SOFTWARE, SUPPLIES & INSTRUCTION """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" COMPUTER STUDIO =============== WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER 40 Westgate Parkway - Suite D Asheville, NC 28806 1-800-253-0201 Orders Only 1-704-251-0201 Information FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER Authorized Atari Dealer """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" EAST HARTFORD COMPUTER ====================== 202 Roberts St. East Hartford CT. 06108 1-203-528-4448 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER Authorized Atari Dealer """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" MEGABYTE COMPUTERS ================== 907 Mebourne Hurst, TX 76053 1-817-589-2950 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER Authorized Atari Dealer """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SAN JOSE COMPUTER ================= 1278 Alma Court San Jose, CA. 95112 1-408-995-5080 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER Authorized Atari Dealer """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" CompuSeller West ================ 220-1/2 W. Main St. St. Charles, IL., 60174 Ph. (708) 513-5220 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER Authorized Atari Dealer """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" (DEALERS; to be listed here, please drop us a line.) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- AVAILABLE ON OVER 20,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" August 06, 1993 Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-93 All Rights Reserved No.9.32 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Messages quoted in whole or in part are done so under the Fair Use provision of the US Copyright Laws. USPC Title 17. 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. STR, STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. STR, STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STR, 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. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""