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Silicon Times Report Issue 0084
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
-------------------------------
April 21, 1989 Volume III No.84
=========================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine ½
------------------------------
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32236 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
** F-NET/FIDOMAIL NODE 350 **
Our support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport¿
and
An International list of private BBS systems
carrying STReport¿ for their users enjoyment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Issue: #84 STReport¿
-------------------
- CPU REPORT
- Gadgets Conference
- PIRACY IS THEFT! - PLAIN and SIMPLE!
- MEGA ST1 DEAD - STacy GETS FACELIFT & Name Change.
- Witch Hunts and Hysterical Accusation always FAIL
- Shiraz Shivji's Replacement is "A Very Positive Move"
- Three * NEW * MAC EMULATORS TO DEBUT!
- STReport Online (New Feature)
- PHREAKER-HACKER-PIRATE <GETS JAIL TERM>
- ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
=========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE
=========================================================================
> The Podium¿
Here we are a week after Comdex, and lo and behold, Atari is now "on
the stick", for the next few months it will amount to show after show. It
really is nice to see the all out push being made by Atari to occupy it's
justifiable place in the US market. Here, at STReport we breathe a sigh
of relief every time we think of last year and the "no end in sight"
attitude compared to this year's "Atari has arrived".
Atari is making a genuine attempt to keep it's commitments to the
userbase, we feel the Portfolio and the other neat goodies coming forth
for the US market are a solid indication of their positive attitude toward
rebuilding the US market.
Once heard from a wise elder: "You could slay 'em with a sword of
pure gold and they would squawk" It seems that there are those who, in
'their' finite wisdom, began nitpicking about Atari's appearance at Comdex
from day one ..forgive them dear readers, for these court jesters know not
of what they speak. In reality, Atari has done more this year than in any
previous years to mend broken fences and rebuild burned bridges. Our
opinion is simple, Atari is on the move and that is the NEWS. In
badmouthing these events, it begins to looks like a feeble attempt at
trying to make the news instead of reporting it.
Hopefully, the new folks like A. Salerno, R. Miller and J. Mandolia
can bring about some real changes for the better in a short while, it is
desperately needed. We wish both of them all the luck and success
possible.
Thanks again for your support,
Ralph.....
"1989 - ATARI'S QUEST!"
************************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
---------------------------------
To sign up for GEnie service: Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN.
The system will prompt you for your information.
THE GENIE ATARI ST ROUNDTABLE - AN OVERVIEW
-------------------------------------------
The Roundtable is an area of GEnie specifically set aside for owners and
users of Atari ST computers, although all are welcome to participate.
There are three main sections to the Roundtable: the Bulletin Board, the
Software Library and the Real Time Conference area.
The Bulletin Board contains messages from Roundtable members on a variety
of Topics, organized under several Categories. These messages are all
open and available for all to read (GEnie Mail should be used for private
messages). If you have a question, comment, hot rumor or an answer to
someone else's question, the Bulletin Board is the place to share it.
The Software Library is where we keep the Public Domain software files
that are available to all Roundtable members. You can 'download' any of
these files into your own computer by using a Terminal Program which uses
the 'XMODEM' file-transfer method. You can also share your favorite Public
Domain programs and files with other Roundtable members by 'uploading'
them to the Software Library. Uploading on GEnie is FREE, so you are
encouraged to participate and help your Roundtable grow.
The Real Time Conference is an area where two or more Roundtable members
may get together and 'talk' in 'real-time'. You can participate in
organized conferences with special guests, drop in on our weekly Open
COnference, or simply join in on an impromptu chat session. Unlike posting
messages or Mail for other members to read at some later time, everyone in
the Conference area can see what you type immediately, and can respond to
you right away, in an 'electronic conversation'.
----======***======----
The World of Atari show is this weekend at the Disneyland Hotel.
Atari, GEnie and many other exhibitors will be there.
Join us Saturday from 10-6pm or Sunday from 10-5pm.
This should be a great show!
************************************************************************
> CPU REPORT¿
==========
Issue # 17
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
In 1968, Arthur C. Clarke, in his book 2001: A Space Odyssey, called
its main computer HAL, for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer,
and spent the next 20 years trying to disprove the false accusations that
popped up when people discovered that when the letters which make up the
acronym 'HAL' are replaced with the letters directly following them, the
resulting acronym is IBM?
CPU INSIGHTS¿
=============
Looks like another Computer Virus Article to me....
---------------------------------------------------
One topic in the microcomputer industry that has recently come under
much attention is the subject of computer viruses. Much has been said
about them, as every computer-related magazine or column from Infoworld to
Time Magazine has discussed them at some length. But in the attempt to
educate the computing world about their dangers, much of the current
published information has been repetitive, doling out basic facts about
computer viruses without either going much into how they work, or giving
more than "common sense" information on how to prevent them from
infiltrating your computer system. This, in turn, has caused computer
users who should have a healthy concern about viruses to become paranoid
about their systems being infected with one, becoming overly suspicious of
any and all sources of computer data, including BBS's and Online Services
(which would normally screen for viruses anyway in order to prevent any of
their users from "catching" one), and eventually thinking that every
program bug or fault in TOS (such as the 40 folder bug) was indisputable
evidence of a virus infection. In order to fully understand viruses,
though, as well as to see how informative the current articles about them
really are, let us go through a general outline of a typical essay about
computer viruses.
Generally, many articles first start with a preface, in which they
bring up some evidence that computer viruses are dangerous, in order to get
the reader's interest. After this, they attempt to describe what a
computer virus actually is, and how it operates, usually in this manner:
A computer virus is a program that enters your computer by stealth
(that is, without your knowledge), is self-replicating, so as to spread
itself throughout a system's disks, and, once a triggering condition has
been met, causes some damage to a component of your system or its
operation. Usually, this damage is to a floppy or hard drive, but it can
also be something like crashing your system, manipulating a weak aspect of
the operating system so as to trigger a bug (like causing the 40 Folder
Bug, or fragmenting system memory so the OS eventually runs out of usable
memory), or stealing CPU time away from other tasks....
There are two categories of these programs: Worms, and Viruses. The
main difference between Worms and Viruses is that a virus NEEDS to use
another program to both enter a system and replicate itself, while a worm
is a self-contained program, and does not necessarily depend on attaching
itself to another program for its operations, working more like a parasite
or bacteria. Even though it is not a completely accurate description, both
worms and viruses are generally classified as computer viruses, because
viruses (such as the AIDS or flu virus) are typically more damaging than
worms. There are currently three main types of microcomputer viruses:
Boot Block Viruses
------------------
The boot sector of a disk is a section reserved for any program or
instruction to run when the system is first booted up. Since ANY code can
go in the boot block, most viruses are designed to replicate themselves so
as to occupy this sector. This has MANY advantages, among them being that
since it is the first program to run on a system, a virus is able to
monitor EVERY operating system command, and (if it involves accessing a
disk drive or a LAN/mainframe networking link) replicate itself onto
another boot sector through that device, as well as checking to see if the
triggering condition that would put it into operation has been met. Not
surprisingly, since the virus has to STRICTLY adhere to a system's
programming guidelines in order to pull this off, they are generally
compatible with most systems running that operating system. But since they
are in a localized region of a disk, anti-viral utilities can EASILY detect
and remove boot block viruses by simply clearing the boot sector of ANY
code. And as only disk-based operating systems or self-booting games NEED
to put any code into a disk's boot sector, this procedure is almost always
safe....
Shell Viruses
-------------
A shell virus is actually a worm that attaches itself to the
beginning of a program so as to ensure that when that particular program
is run, the virus is executed before the program. Well written viruses of
this type do not usually damage the program itself, but use it to hide the
virus's existence to the user. This type of virus, though not easy to
detect, CAN be removed rather easily.
However, some types of shell viruses actually DO modify the program,
by first analyzing its instruction code to find a code segment that would
be suitable to make the program load the virus. Then it modifies that
particular code segment, inserting a subroutine call to transfer program
execution to the virus. In this case, while the virus is difficult to
write properly so as to give it compatibility with most to all programs,
it is VERY difficult to remove....
Hidden Worms
------------
Barring any of these eventualities, a worm (after entering the system
through other means) could just simply not rely on using the boot sector
or another program, but act as a self-contained program that is hidden from
the user's sight. Since a directory reading would reveal the virus through
its filename, the worm simply ensures that it has no official file name, or
anything else that may be spotted by a directory reading. On the Atari ST,
a worm could do this by simply acting as an unseen program in a disk's
AUTO folder, and after being automatically loaded into the system, acting
in a manner not unlike that of a boot virus. On the Amiga or IBM machines,
such a program hides in either the CLI's Startup Sequence, or DOS's
COMMAND.COM file. On the Macintosh, such a virus would be an INIT file
(the Mac's equivalent of an AUTO program). Once found, these viruses can
be removed by just deleting them like any other file....
While not actually being classified as a virus, but serving the same
purpose, Trojan Horse programs were perhaps the precursors to computer
virus programs. Disguised as a normal PD Utility, desk accessory, or game,
a Trojan Horse program functions just like any other piece of software
UNTIL the triggering condition is met (such as 75 percent of a system's
hard disk being filled). Once that condition is met, then the program
causes some serious damage (such as reformatting the hard disk). In one
case, a Disk Cataloger program (which was actually a Trojan Horse) would
give prompts for you to "let" it catalog all of your disks. While the user
thought his/her disk library was being organized, the Disk Cataloger was
trashing the FAT tables of each disk. Once it was "finished", the user's
disk library was more organized than he/she expected....However, Trojan
Horse programs have not appeared much recently, as more stringent security
measures (and the fact that once the word gets out about a Trojan Horse
program, not many people will use it....) have made it less efficient and
effective than today's computer viruses....
After giving a description of viruses, practically all of the essays
on computer viruses give tips on how to prevent users' systems from being
infected. Here is a list of some topics:
Checking PD Software Sources
----------------------------
Even though the very safest way of not contracting a computer virus
is to buy ONLY commercial packages, the very existence of Online Services,
ARC.TTP, and Megaroids (as well as your reading CPU Report now) is proof
that this is often not possible or preferable. Therefore, the main
objective is to minimize the chances of infection.
Actually, Online Services such as CompuServe or GEnie would be the
best alternative in this area, mainly for two reasons: Online Services
have extensive facilities/methods for ensuring that PD files online are
virus free, and of course, more Public Domain files are available for the
downloading. However, the MOST important reason that Online Services are
uncommonly safe from viruses is that, simply enough, the people who write
computer viruses are conscious of the Online Services' security, and are
less psychologically inclined to make a (futile) attempt to spread viruses
through there than on a Bulletin Board Station....
However, even though BBS's are more vulnerable to virus-infected
programs than Online Services, one can still take preventive measures. The
most sensible method is to ONLY download software from BBS's that check
all uploaded files for validation. A good indication of such a responsible
BBS is if you find that the BBS's Sysop checks the BBS's hard disk(s) for
viruses whenever he/she backs the BBS up. Also, if you buy a software
package "second hand", or use another person's disks on your system, be a
little bit more careful....
Performing Generational Software Backups
----------------------------------------
Even though most users ALWAYS backup their commercial software, and
backup their hard disks at regular intervals, it is important to remember
that viruses (and Murphy's Law) have long incubation periods. Even though
that hard disk may have been backed up a week ago, the computer system
may have been infected by a virus (or shown signs of hard disk troubles) a
couple of days before that. Therefore, one may need to retrieve backup
copies done weeks before the incident occured in order to obtain a "safe"
file. But one problem is that most users, instead of periodically buying
new media for backing up their software, usually just reformat and reuse
their old backup disks. In order to solve this dilemma, it is recommended
that in addition to any normal software backup procedures, one occasionally
make a SECOND backup of all system software, storing the extra backup in a
safe place instead of reusing it the next time a hard disk backup needs to
be done. Even though it may cost more to buy extra disks for backup
purposes, the economic strain will be negligible to any occuring if both
your regular disks AND your backups are messed up....
Also, even though this may not help in combating viruses, since
backups made by most hard disk backup software cannot be restored without
use of a hard disk, if your system's hard drive ever becomes damaged and
needs repairing, then you will be out of commission for as long as the
dealer takes to repair that hard drive. Since most hard disk users keep
ALL of their software on their hard disk, this scenario is NOT that
impossible. To prevent such tragedies from occuring, it is recommended
that ALL computer users keep one or two "doomsday disks", with any programs
necessary for efficient use of your system (NOT games, mind you) kept on a
couple of floppy disks. For hard disk users, running from floppies may be
a hardship or a bother (especially having to run from emergency floppies),
but not being able to use your computer while your hard disk is in the shop
MAY be a worse hardship....
Protection on the Home Front
----------------------------
Even though ALL of these precautions, chances are that your system
still stands a good chance of being infected by a virus. In order to make
SURE that none of your disks has a virus, one, logically enough, needs an
anti-viral utility. The Computer Virus Industry Association, an
organization devoted to the study of viruses, has developed a three-level
classification system for these programs:
- Class 1 programs monitor the system to prevent illegal disk access
(presumably caused by a virus), and to detect viruses before they can
infect software.
- Class 2 programs analyze disks to detect software that has already been
infected by a virus, and .
- Class 3 programs both detect software viruses, and repair infected disks
while erasing the virus.
While there are many suitable anti-viral utilities out for the IBM
and Macintosh, VirusX, a Class 3 public domain utility, is currently the
best viral defense in the Amiga market. In the Atari ST arena, the best
suitable anti-viral utility is VKILLER (short for Virus Killer), a Public
Domain Utility written by Bob Woodside. The latest revision of this
program, VKILLER 2.01, is a Class 3 program that currently can combat many
of the worst ST viruses now available.
Also, it would be a good idea to keep all of your newly downloaded
Public Domain files on a separately designated disk, so you could both test
out all of your PD files to make sure they are bug-free, and so you could
lessen the risk of a computer virus by using an anti-viral utility to run
a daily check on that disk to make sure none of the files on it are virus
infested....
With the advent of viruses and Trojan Horse programs, computer users
of all types need to know as much as possible about not only their dangers,
but their internal operation, so as to take preventive measures against
the infection of their computer systems. One aspect about viruses that is
not so easily answered is the type of person that would knowingly develop
programs intended to cause havoc on any and all computers. In companies,
the most likely person would be a disgruntled employee. However, in most
other situations viruses are created by either a misguided or malicious
person who has a grudge towards another person, and in an attempt to exact
revenge on that person, inadvertently spreads it to others, or an ordinary
programmer who designs either a worm or a mild virus in an attempt to
either test his/her prowess at code writing, or to run an "experiment"
seeing where his "creation" will end up. While this may be just an
innocent attitude, if that worm/virus is not bug-free....
But while viruses ARE a potentially dangerous threat, the best advice
in protecting against one is to maintain a rational standpoint, analyzing
all suspicious occurrences calmly and logically, and not becoming overly
frightened or paranoid of catching one. Given that the chances of actually
catching a virus are not overly large, and that certain viruses may have
been written to act as terrorist devices, so as to induce fear and
suspicion among computer owners, taking reasonable preventive measures, as
well as eliminating ALL other possibilities before suspecting a viral
infection, would simply be the sensible thing to do....
But ponder, if you will, on this question:
1) Will viruses become, like the weather, something that's ranted and
complained about but not controllable?
------========-------
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
San Jose, CA Nexgen Microsystems is reportedly making a new, high
------------ speed chipset that will be compatible with Intel's 80386
chip. While not much is known about this chip, given
that CPU Report #15 featured an article about a new
80386 clone being made by VM Technologies, a Japanese
company, and that there are at least TWO other efforts
(both based in the US) to clone the 80386 chip....
San Francisco, CA Insignia Solutions, the makers of SoftPC (a software
----------------- IBM PC XT emulator for the Mac II and certain Unix
workstations) have announced a new version of SoftPC for
A/UX (Apple's version of AT&T Unix), and that they may
also port SoftPC to the NeXT computer.
But oddly, there has been little demand from A/UX Users
for SoftPC, and since it is a MAJOR initiative to port
SoftPC over to any computer (costing in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars), the NeXT market may be too small
to support SoftPC....
Carrolton, TX Applied Engineering has just introduced Transwarp GS, a
------------- new accelerator card for the Apple IIgs which allows it
to run at 7 MHZ, using a 7 MHZ 68516 chip. While that
may seem slow to ST'ers, seeing as the ST runs at 8 MHZ,
since the Apple IIgs runs at 2.8 MHZ with a 3 MHZ 68516
chip, its speed is actualy TRIPLED. Also, when 10 MHZ
and faster versions of the 68516 chip are introduced,
IIgs Users will be able to use them by just plugging
them into Transwarp GS. Cost: $400.00....
Given that the IIgs has both a graphical user interface,
and a 4096 color palette, does TransWarp GS give the
Apple IIgs the capability to outperform the Atari ST and
Amiga?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> GADGETS GCR CO STR FOCUS¿
========================
GEnie Information Services
Gadgets by Small GCR Conference 04-19-89
----------------------------------------
Job City Room Sta Mail-Address
1 Indianapolis,IN 1 L [Holly] HS
2 Joplinm,MO 1 N [joel] J.DANNELLEY1
3 Mulberry,FL 1 N R.ROLLINS
4 Offutt afb,NE 1 N [Robert] R.GLOVER3
5 Englewood,CO 1 N DAVESMALL
6 Jacksonville,FL 1 N [Ralph] ST.REPORT
7 Westford,MA 1 N D.HALLOWELL
8 Piedmont,CA 1 N DMAY
9 Redondo beach,CA 1 N A.HASKELL
12 Humble,TX 1 N S.SWENA
13 Santa rosa,CA 1 N DOUG.W
14 Middlesex,NJ 1 N [_WK Whitton_] ZMAGAZINE
15 Crotononhudso,NY 1 N [Pete] DIPLOMACY-1
17 Brighton,MA 1 N W.CHOW
18 Cudahy,CA 1 N R.GILLIES
19 Hawthorne,CA 1 N W.GALLAGHER
20 Campbell,CA 1 N E.CHILD
23 Titusville,PA 1 N GARY.ATMEN
24 Lake grove,NY 1 N G.TRECARTIN
27 New york,NY 1 N D.OCHIVA
[----------------------------------------]
<[Holly] HS> Room is now listen-only.
<DAVESMALL> Hi folks!
<[Holly] HS> HI everyone!
<DAVESMALL> Preliminary statement time?
<[Holly] HS> I just love this feeling of POWER! *grin* Well, as you all
know we're here for a formal conference on Spectre GCR with Dave Small.
If you have a question for Dave, please use the /RAIse command to
get my attention and get into line. I'll try to Ack your /RAIse as soon
as I can. If you don't know what you're doing, try a /SENd 1 question.
And that will send it to me, whereby I will try to answer... give
me time. It gets hectic! If all else fails... try /HELP... *grin* When
you're done with your question, use GA (go ahead) to let us know and if
you would tell me you're done, it helps me move things along. Other than
that... you pretty much know... :-)
<[Holly] HS> Okay, Dave... go for it!
<DAVESMALL> Well hiya all, and thanks for coming! Tonight's CO is mostly
about the Spectre GCR, and a fair amount of news. I'll try to keep the
news short, so you can ask questions. First, yes, the GCR is here and
alive, and cookin'... it turns out to be even faster than Spectre's
native disk mode, which is no slouch. For instance, copying an 780K file
from floppy to hard disk, in Spectre floppy, takes 1:45; on GCR, it takes
1:15. It seems extremely well behaved even with drives that gave the
Translator fits (of which I have a few). The price is $299.95; present
registered Spectre owners will get a $100 (not $75) rebate. We're trying
to express our appreciation to our early buyers with the rebate. (Oh, by
the way, the 1:15 timing is off a Mac double sided disk.) Now
originally, we were going to ship June 1. Alas, Here's the story: we
contacted local FCC, they said we didn't need to be tested. We said,
HmmMMmmm. We contacted another FCC office, they said we did. We tried
two consultants, got yes/no. We decided to err on the side of caution,
and get it tested. This takes 6 weeks, add 2 weeks for Murphy's law, and
we'll thus be shipping first part of August. We're really sorry for the
delay, but it's best to be sure when dealing with the the FCC, as I'm
sure you know. We're going to use the time between June and August for
something we'll call the Gamma test, which is post-Beta test; that'll be
putting a limited number of GCR's into the field, for testing under wide
varieties of drives, machines, etc. We think we have all the oddball
problems taken care of, but this will make sure of it.
Registered owners get first chance at the GCR's, then people who sign up
at World of Atari, then other people. (We're very much behind our
present owners!). Order of priority is first come first served. We're
mailing out registered owner upgrade forms now. The Spectre GCR
completely replaces the Spectre 128, and takes up the cartridge slot. It
is also the fastest I've ever made a disk drive go. Finally, to bring to
a halt some rumor mongering that's going on, I need to make a short
statement; yes, Happy Computers has filed suit against Gadgets by Small.
We have examined the suit and feel it is without merit, and are looking
into a countersuit. I can't say anything more on the topic, okay?
Okay, that's all for announcements (unless I've forgotten something!)
(always possible!) Thanks for bearing with me. And now, behind door #1:
(*grin*)
<[Holly] HS> Thanks, Dave. If you folks have a question, please use /RAI.
<[Holly] HS> R.GLOVER...
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> How does GCR accomplish reading MAC disks off IBM
mechanisms, which cannot be slowed down and sped up like Mac drives, without a
significant speed loss? GA
<DAVESMALL> Well, Atari drives run at 300 RPM always. Mac drives run at
one of five speeds, between 300 and 600 RPM, depending on which track
you're on. When I read a disk recorded at 600 RPM on an Atari drive (e.g., a
Mac disk), the data comes off twice as fast. So what we do is vary *our
read circuit rate* to match what's coming off the disk. It works very,
very well; for instance, I can crank a 300 RPM drive down to 240 RPM, and
still read the disk! Super reliable data separator circuit. Does that
explain things a little?
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Sure does. Thanks.
<DAVESMALL> In other words, if the data comes off the disk fast, I read fast;
if it comes off the disk slow, I read slow. Oh.. I did forgot one portion
of the announcement. The version 2.0 Spectre will include a variety of
drivers to push the SLM804 laser printer, including a really spiffy 360 x
360 positioning mode (NEC P6). I'll tell you, Brooke Shields looks
*really* good at 300 DPI. Also, we may have built-in drivers for the
Epson, etc -- no more need for Softstyle. All these WILL work with
Hypercard. Finally, we've found a way to nearly double Spectre disk speed.
2.0 will be with the GCR. (Sorry I skipped that.)
Okay, back to "door #2": *grin*
<[Holly] HS> Whee fun! That was worth hanging on for! Mark...
<[Mark] STACE> Thank you Holly! Dave, One of the things that I really
liked about Spectre was its small size. Nice and compact! Can you tell
us a little about the actual dimensions of Spectre GCR. Height..length..
etc?
<DAVESMALL> The Spectre GCR is about the size of a floppy disk -- slightly
longer than square (rectangular). It has one end that slides into the
cartridge port, and two disk connectors on the back, which are about an
inch high -- they determine the height. It's got about 10 chips on the
board, plus two ROM sockets. I could give you exact inches if you like,
but "the size of a floppy" is pretty darn close. ga.
<[Mark] STACE> Naw..that's close enough! On a related note.. Dave, You
mentioned TWO drive connectors, will GCR have a 'pass-thru' connector??
<DAVESMALL> As in, for cartridge connections, or for disk connections?
Good question!)
<[Mark] STACE> Disk drive connections! Will GCR have to be LAST in the
chain?
<DAVESMALL> Okay, I'll do both (grin). There won't be a pass through cartridge
connection; we're using up all 128K of space available, so there's no
point. We have 2 disk drive ports. It is best to put the Spectre on the
end of the chain of disk drive connections for termination reasons, but
in practice, it works well about anywhere, except for super-twitchy
drives. We do want to leave the user's options open, and there do seem to
be some drives that only have 1 connector. (By the way, on a 1040 or
other machine, you just plug the GCR into the "external drive" port; it
accesses the *internal* drive just fine.) The 2-connectors is in direct
response to a user suggestion, by the way; we originally had 1.
<[Mark] STACE> So, this is a change from the original design? (In
response to users requests??) Yeah!
<DAVESMALL> We try. Still to be seen: Can we put one of these inside the
Stacy laptop? (We would *LOVE* to !!!) If there's the room, we can
probably do it, and that would be a seriously great hack.
<[Holly] HS> Thanks, Mark...
<D.OCHIVA> Dave, could you comment on the MacWeek article about a Tawainese
Mac clone maker Akkord Technology. Will this company muddy the waters?
<DAVESMALL> (in what way, exactly?)
<D.OCHIVA> They seem to want to challenge Apple in court, but I'm not sure
exactly how this would work.
<DAVESMALL> Well ... essentially, the "guts" or "soul" of the Mac is in
those two ROM chips. As we proved with Spectre, that's really all it
takes.
<D.OCHIVA> Has Apple been breathing heavy
<DAVESMALL> If the Taiwanese have re-engineered the ROMs legally, and
Apple even has guidelines to do so (!), then it could be interesting
indeed.
<D.OCHIVA> or is this Microsoft thing taking up their time
<DAVESMALL> Apple has never contacted us at all ... never heard a word from
them. (Rumour to the contrary, grin)
<D.OCHIVA> Thanks for now, and keep up the great work! GA
<DAVESMALL> Ah, yes, someone wants me to point out that yes, having the Atari
hardware be so zippy was certainly a help! True, true; 1:1 hard disks are
*great*!
<[Holly] HS> Thanks!
<DAVESMALL> Well, let me run with it for just a moment. There were a
couple of clones shown at Comdex, but they seem to require a motherboard
from a Mac to be put in them (with ROMs, of course). I really don't think
there's much that can be done about them. And alas, my subscription to
MacWeek ran out a few months back.. *grin*. ga.
<[Holly] HS> Joel.
<[joel] J.DANNELLEY1> back to STacey do you have any plans to market
Spectre as a laptop mac? Either officially from Atari or through dealers
(will it work with the STacey?)
<DAVESMALL> It's already been tested with Stacey; it works. GRIN!
<[joel] J.DANNELLEY1> thanks ga
<DAVESMALL> We haven't really been approached to market it as a laptop Mac
(hint, hint!), but would certainly think about it! Like I say, I'd love
to have one inside a STacy; it would be a great little laptop.
<DAVESMALL> .ga.
<[Holly] HS> Thanks, Joel...
<DAVESMALL> Certainly, if dealers want to bundle them, we're not going to
resist it! (It would be a good idea).
<[Holly] HS> Dot...
<D.A.BRUMLEVE> I bought the original release of Spectre and snapped the
ROMs shut. Am I correct in assuming I'm going to have to tear apart to
upgrade, and it's ok to tear it apart?
<DAVESMALL> If it's going to be a laptop, though, ideally it should be
internal .. I wonder how much space there is. Dot > It's really not that
bad to get it apart. Use a screwdriver as a wedge, take your time (a
pocketknife works well, too) and it'll ease apart. Work it up all around
a little at a time, and before you know it..zing!
<DAVESMALL> Now about the upgrade.. we don't want to leave people without
their Spectre, so we're doing this. You send us the payment for the GCR;
we send you the GCR and a rebate coupon. At your convenience, you do the
ROM swap, and get things running. Then, send us back the Spectre 128
cart and the coupon, and a check is on the way to you.
<D.A.BRUMLEVE> How much are we talking about again?
<DAVESMALL> It's the best way we could think of from the customer's point
of view. Purchase price is $299.95; rebate is $100. We don't want you to
have to like mail in your cart and wait for us...also, honestly, if you
have more than one ST at your site, you may only need one GCR -- so this
lets you keep your Spectre if you want to.
<D.A.BRUMLEVE> I would need more ROMs though, right?
<DAVESMALL> Certainly..We just want to make it as hassle-free as possible.
<D.A.BRUMLEVE> Thanks. ga
<[Holly] HS> Thanks, Dot...
<DAVESMALL> (Naturally, please don't copy your ROMs to EPROM.. that's
illegal.)
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> I'd read in one of the online magazines that GCR will
have some hardware onboard to help handle sound, possibly with a sampling
rate up to 100kHz. Will this improve the speed an reliability of using
sound, and in effect, give ST owners better sound than ST owners have now
with their own hardware chip...? GA
<DAVESMALL> There is indeed a chip that could be used to make sound, but
it's not in the current design to use it. We haven't decided yet on this
issue, to be honest with you; fine tuning the GCR has had priority. It
was a definite thought, though. Sorry I can't be more exact on this one.
11 khz sound is really pretty good! (And how many users really want to
plug an external amplifier into their ST? Some do, but...)
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Thanks. Also, if I may, will hard disk use be more
reliable, without the need to use the slow-down method?
<DAVESMALL> Hmmm, is there a problem with sound and hard disks? I've not
seen general mention of it. Oh, sorry, I misunderstood, The Seagate
drives need to be slowed down, that's about it. We're just running their
socks off, and they can't handle it at 1:1.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Joy. Mines an ST-138N...
<DAVESMALL> So we have the SLOW SCSI option, as per the 1.9F menu. It'll
still be there, and solves the problem.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Thanks, GA
<[Holly] HS> Thanks!
<DAVESMALL> It's only Seagates that end with ** "N" ** .. others are okay.
ST-277N seems to be the biggest troublemaker.
<V.BUI> well, robert just took my question so I'll ask you this one.
<DAVESMALL> *heh*
<V.BUI> will the GCR help in reading copy protected software?
<DAVESMALL> To some extent. It depends on the level of protection. It works
like this: Yes, the GCR will read virtually anything. But, When the
protected Mac program goes out to find the "mark" on the disk that says
it's legit, the s/w often goes to the Mac floppy controller -- the IWM
chip. I can't handle that. If it's something simple, like bad sectors, I
can handle it. In other words, if they "follow the rules", it works.
Many games, alas, don't. ga.
<V.BUI> oh well, since when did most people follow the rules
<DAVESMALL> Actually, they're getting pretty good about them. We're
seeing lots of new Macs, with new architectures, and the ROMs are due to
be upgraded soon (Apple is rewriting them, I hear,
<V.BUI> can't wait and please consider the sound option.
<DAVESMALL> in C++). So it's getting to be a bad option to ignore the
"rules".
<V.BUI> I wonder if we can upgrade our roms <GRIN>
<DAVESMALL> It'll be interesting to see how much ST software works on the
Atari 68030 machine, too. *grin*
<V.BUI> ga
<DAVESMALL> (See how many ST developers followed the rules). A little bird
tells me the Spectre fails.. *blush* .. on the TT. We'll fix that ASAP.
<D.OCHIVA> Okay, I confess, I missed the beginning of the conference.
Where can a late comer get the news?
<DAVESMALL> It's usually collected and posted later, right Holly?
<[Holly] HS> Yup... We'll be posting a transcript...
<D.OCHIVA> thanks ga
<DAVESMALL> Hence, stick around if you'd like to ask a question,
otherwise, d/load the transcript in a day or two, okay?
<S.SWENA> Do you have any plans, or is it even possible, to make the GCR
an internal board for the mega?
<DAVESMALL> Well, we need access to the disk drive connector, to sample
the read and write wires, and we need access to something really *fast*,
like the expansion port on the Mega. I don't know if I can get to the
floppy wiring "easily" on the Mega. Hang on just one sec, I'll look.
Well, it's possible, alright. I see several places to tap in. This is a
very good idea.. do you mind if we use it? *grin* (We've been thinking
more about the laptop internal, but the Mega is a very good possibility.)
Of course, we'll have to work with the Supra internal drive and the
Moniterm board..
<[Holly] HS> Robert...
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> I haven't really tried it yet, as I just got my 128K
ROMs, but, will other printers besides the Imagewriter be usable from
software, such as PageMaker, or will your Epson driver still be required?
I have a Panasonic KX-P1124...
<DAVESMALL> but I think a piggyback board for the Atari TOS ROMs would be
just the trick. HmmMMMmmm. I'm not familiar with that model of Panasonic;
does it have a more or less Epson LQ mode? (Most printers do). It's a 24
pin, right?
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> yes. It's LQ Compatible...
<DAVESMALL> Okay.. Dan Moore is writing some nifty, internal (e.g., no
Epstart) drivers that will work right off. Hopefully, we can not have to
use Epstart anymore, and let it die a quiet, lingering death. *grin*.
He's got the laser printer doing really well, and working on the other
printer's output.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Very good. I'm really looking forward to a REAL DTP
program...
<DAVESMALL> At present, we cover Imagewriter, Epson MX, FX, LQ, and NEC P6.
Not bad! I understand. On a related note, we're talking with Imagen,
to get PostScript printing into one clean, smooth step, like the new
lasering stuff will be. That'll be one neat package. Just got to work out
some technical snags. (I live for technical snags.. *grin) okay, ga.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Thanks. This question is purely hypothetical...
What are the possibilities of a Mac II emulator for the 68030 TT or ATW?
<DAVESMALL> Excellent on the 68030 machine. The Transputer machine,
probably not. It's a different architecture and processor. The Spectre
has already been tested on the TT; it fails at present, but I know why
(I disabled the 68020/030 code). I can take out a few asterisks in the
source code (which were messing up my debugger), and I expect it'll fly
from there. I'm *really* looking forward to that.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Can you cheat and tell us a little about the TT?
<DAVESMALL> Anyone happen to know when Atari is planning on shipping first
developer units? Heck, I don't know that much, to be honest with you.
Atari doesn't share its secrets with me anymore than anyone else. Now
Holly here is a real source on it.. (just kidding!)
<[Holly] HS> *laugh*
<DAVESMALL> I believe it's due to be out in developer unit this summer,
and you can bet we'll be working on it. 16 mhz Macs *move* right along.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> I thought perhaps since it'd been tested on it, you
knew some more about it. I'd heard the same...
<DAVESMALL> Oh, someone at Atari just passed that along to me.
<[Robert] R.GLOVER3> Well, thanks a lot for all your time... Really
appreciate it. Ga.
<DAVESMALL> BTW, it may be August release.(which tells you how little I
know. Grin!)
<[Holly] HS> John...
<JLS> Hi Dave, Holly.. This may have already been covered (I got here
late) but what is the current release of Spectre, what's the update
procedure, is there any update process to go to the GCR?
<DAVESMALL> that's okay. Certainly. Current version is 1.9F. We sent out
a form to all registered customers with the 1.9F upgrade request; it's
free to them. We're filling them. Now, the GCR costs $299.95. If you
are a registered Spectre 128 owner, you get a rebate of $100 when
purchasing the Spectre GCR.. sort of our way of saying thank you.
<JLS> I sent in my card, but haven't received anything.
<DAVESMALL> JLS > Please call in, then, and make sure the US Postal People
didn't eat the card.
<JLS> I did order directly thru you.
<DAVESMALL> Believe me, we literally get *vats* of mail. Anywho,
registered owners, then world of-atari showgoers, get first crack at
Spectre GCR. We'll charge a $50 deposit until we ship, then balance.
(And be sure to call in on that card, okay? We don't want to lose ya off
our list.)
<JLS> I'm sure... Ok.. When will we see the Epson driver?
<DAVESMALL> JLS > It'll be in version 2.0, which will ship with the GCR.
Yes, SANDYSMALL would be good.
<JLS> Current best estimated aprox ETA?
<DAVESMALL> Oh, we were all set to get them out in June, but we're getting FCC
tested. That's basically 6 weeks, +2 for Murphy's Law, so we're saying
1st part of August. Our office is basically awash in parts, etc. ga.
<JLS> Ok. Thanks. Thanks for all the extra hours. & .ga.
<R.GILLIES> Dave, I've been following up on the ST accelerator board chat
on your BBS, and am wondering if you are familiar with it's source and
it's status?. GA
<DAVESMALL> Incidentally, if anyone out there sent for 1.9F and hasn't gotten
it, PLEASE let us know; we'll hustle you one out. The John Russell one?
<R.GILLIES> I think so. GA
<DAVESMALL> As I understand it, it's a low cost 16 mhz 68000, which should
speed up the operations that don't require memory cycles end to end (which
<DAVESMALL> is a LOT OF the time on the 68K). I've been told the Spectre
works on it already, but if it doesn't, *it will*, as soon as I can buy
one. I'd love to get one.. assembly time is LONG on a megabyte of source
code. That help? I've heard rumours it'll be shown at WOA this weekend.
<R.GILLIES> Thanks Dave! GA
<DAVESMALL> By the way, looks like I'm finally going to get the Moniterm
monitor rolling for the Spectre; Sandy's had it for awhile and is
addicted.
<D.HALLOWELL> I know it's off topic .. but .. can I ask why I see 'OLD
FILE FORMAT when trying to run Hypercard on Spectre ?
<DAVESMALL> .. wow, that one's out of my league. Someone here know? /SEN
me, please! I remember something about a hypercard file format upgrade,
but can't recall the details. Perhaps it was when they went to 1.2.1..?
Tell you what.. why don't we hold that till after the CO is done; someone
will probably know. Or, post it over in the Gadgets RT.
<D.HALLOWELL> no problem , thank you ... ga
<[Holly] HS> Well, that's about it for this evening's Co! Thank you, Dave!
I'm VERY excited about GCR! And I think I speak for a LOT of the users
when I say thanks for the GREAT upgrade path! Any parting remarks?
<DAVESMALL> Thanks for taking the time to come by; I appreciate it. We'll
be showing the GCR at World of Atari, .. whups!, typing too fast!
As well as the next in the series of "I've met Sandy Small" buttons.
We'll also be showing off a new product, Jamie 1.0 - who is one year old
today! see you there!
<[Holly] HS> Remember, we have a special RTC tomorrow night! The
Programmers RTC... 10PM EDT/7PM PDT... On Thursday the 27th, we have a
special User Group RTC! Chat about problems, ideas and solutions with User
Groups from all over!
<DAVESMALL> Thanks again for hosting the CO, Holly, and for the ST RT
people for having me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Software Theft STR FOCUS¿
========================
*** WARNING ***
---------------
-The issues addressed in this article are volatile-
-and ARE guaranteed to generate some hot tempers!-
PIRACY IS THEFT - PLAIN and SIMPLE
==================================
In the wake of accusations by a software company that the Atari
community is a den of thieves, it is perhaps time to step back and take a
long look at the issues and the basis of the complex problem of piracy,
which is rampant in today's society. In addition to the software industry,
it dominates the music and video recording industry as well as cable and
satellite television. The most frustrating aspect of piracy is that, like
shoplifting, the ultimate cost is passed on to the legitimate paying
consumer.
A recent magazine review appeared in which the writer states that his
usergroup's bulletin board no longer carries STReport because of a past
issue that "shows how to copy any ROMS including Macintosh ROMs for the
Discovery Cartridge ... and we at --- take piracy seriously". Of course,
nobody noticed that all those who own an EPROM BURNER remained silent about
the fact the software supplied with this type of device will dump just
about any chip to disk or memory so it can be written into another chip.
Anyone ever hear of the ProBurner by Thompson Industries? When run through
the cartridge slot of an Atari 8bit, it will write to most eproms
available today.
However, as of this date, that bulletin board has a sub-board
specifically for Magic-Sac users. The Magic-Sac also uses Macintosh ROMs
to allow the ST to run Macintosh programs. What is the difference between
the two? In both cases, the required ROMs are purchased over the counter
from a dealer. They are sold with a stipulation (license agreement) as to
how or where they are to be installed (ONLY IN APPLE MACHINES).
If * Eproms * are used, or if any method of copying the Apple Roms
from point A to point B is accomplished, then the use or retrieval of this
data is a copyright violation plain and simple. No ifs, maybes, buts,
excuses or talk arounds. Or, is it? You tell us. Hopefully, someone "in
the know" with facts beyond reproach will come forward.
So, what makes the Discovery a "pirate cartridge" and not the Magic Sac,
Alladin, Spectre, or any other device not made by Apple but using Apple
Roms? As far as the FACTORY ROMS are concerned, it is a licensing
agreement violation between Apple, the dealer and ultimately the user.
Then what, exactly, is "piracy"?
Piracy is a very slippery issue. What one person thinks is piracy,
another thinks is perfectly fine. To demonstrate this, what follows is a
series of scenarios illustrating some of the more vague technicalities of
piracy. Make a note of those that you consider piracy and those you may
consider a valid use of software. Keep in mind that most software says
that it is authorized for use on ONE station.
1) Your program is installed on the hard drive on your laptop which you
carry back and forth between your peripherals (monitor, printer, modem,
etc.) at home and work.
2) Your program is on a floppy disk, which you carry back and forth to
work.
3) Your small company buys one copy of an $500 database and installs it
on both computers.
4) Your big company buys one copy of a $500 database and installs it on
all 20 computers in the building.
3) Your work specific program is installed on your hard drives at work
and home from the same floppy disk.
4) You take a copy of the latest release of an expensive word processor/
database/cad program for personal use at home.
5) You use a shareware program/accessory regularly, but do not register
it with the programmer.
6) Your program is on a floppy disk (the original, no backup, no hard
disk) which you take to a friends house to show him how well it works.
7) You take a back-up (or it is on a hard drive) to a friends house.
8) You take the original disk (no backup/no hd) and leave it with him
to try out for a couple days.
9) You take a backup to a friend and leave it for a few days. He is
impressed, and buys a copy for himself.
10) You take a backup to a friend and leave it for a few days. He is
not impressed and formats the disk.
11) You take a backup to a friend and leave it for a few days. He is
impressed and keeps it but does not buy a copy.
12) You use an emulator at home with the factory ROMS installed to allow
it to work.
Pretty easy to decide, eh? STReport would like to know what your
opinions are on this subject and so we are conducting a poll. Send us the
numbers that you picked as being piracy (as well as any other comments you
have) to us at:
E-MAIL: CIS 73710.1052
Genie ST.REPORT
Delphi RMARIANO
FNET/FIDOMAIL Node 350
US SNAIL: STReport INC. - PO BOX 6672, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32205-6672
ALL responses will remain confidential, so please indicate what you
REALLY believe to be piracy. In addition, if you have any suggestions as
to why piracy persists, or how to stop piracy, (or why it shouldn't be
stopped), feel free to include them.
I repeat, all responses will remain confidential.
Why do people pirate software, even though it is illegal? One obvious
reason is to avoid paying money for the use of a program. But if asked
whether they would take a computer off of a display stand and walk out of
the store with it, most would say NO; "because that's stealing!". What's
the difference? Probably because he could be caught and prosecuted by the
police if he is caught carrying merchandise out of the store, whereas in
the case of piracy, who is there to run from? Is the solution to start up
a bureau of computer crimes and start prosecuting, as is being done with
phone freaking?
But it just isn't that simple. How many times have you gone out and
bought a program based on the claims or pictures on the cover, or based on
a review or a recommendation, and had it turn out to be a dog. The program
didn't do what it claimed to do, or do it as well as described, or you fell
asleep at the keyboard playing that exciting new game that you paid $30-50
for. Can you sell it to someone else? Return it and get your money back?
Doubtful to say the least. What can you do to avoid this? You can try a
demo at the store which, although helpful, is not sufficient to decide if
the program is what you need/want. What can you do? What many people turn
to is really one form of piracy or another.
It may be that they obtain a pirated copy of a software package that
looks interesting and try it for a few days or weeks. At some point in
time the person will decide whether or not to continue to use the program.
Some will go out and purchase any program they intend to continue to use
in order to express support for the developers for producing a worthwhile
program. The rest, unfortunately, not only refuse to buy the software, but
in fact rarely pay for software unless it has unbreakable copy protection
(very rare), or is so complicated that it requires extensive documentation.
Is the solution more copy protection? Or programs so complex that it
requires documentation to do the simplest task?
Part of the whole problem is the attitude of "the little guy" that sees
that he has a chance to take a shot at the faceless corporation. He
rationalizes it by mumbling
a) How can they realistically charge $500 (or whatever) for this
program?, or
b) I'm only going to use it once or twice a month! or,
c) I'll buy a copy when the final version is out/when I have the
money/when they get a version I can put on my hard drive or,
d) (there is no end to excuses).
Many users have low opinions of software companies in general because
of past problems with other companies such as bad disks, inadequate
documentation, non-existent customer support, (insert your personal
frustrations here), and just plain lousy programs. Many times companies
garner hostility via bad/lousy public relations like the recent blasting of
the Atari community for piracy before a piece of software had even left the
starting gate.
Another part of the problem is that a few of those who scream the
loudest about piracy are, (a la Shakespeare 'methinks he doth protesteth
too much) attempting to direct attention away from themselves.
Surprisingly, a few of these (known by members of the staff of STReport)
are actively involved on pirate boards, hiding behind handles to remain
anonymous. (No, we will not say who).
Yet another part of the problem is that businesses will buy one copy
of an expensive software package and install it on all of it's computers.
What is an honest computer user to do? Go into the boss' office and
sternly inform him that piracy is illegal and that he must spend another
$6,000 to install dBaseIII on each station, and $5,000 to install
Wordperfect, and...? And threaten to quit if it isn't done? Go out and
spend $2,000 of his own money so that he can feel righteous while
remaining compatible with the rest of the office?
So what is the solution to the problem of piracy? A novel approach to
the situation has been the advent of 'shareware' which relies the honor
system. A program is distributed to all potential users via bbs's with an
attached note requesting donations/registration for support in developing
further versions, or for a more advanced version, or for documentation. An
applaudable effort, but the vast majority of shareware authors seems to be
that support is skimpy, especially considering the low cost and high value
of many of these programs. How many of you reading this article, tsk
tsking about how terrible piracy is, regularly use a shareware program
(dcformat, turtle, superboot, arcshell, etc.) but have not registered it?
Hmmmm??
So what is the solution? Let's do a little brainstorming, devise
some good ideas, and write them down, no matter how crazy they sound at
first. For example ..We could:
Try and enthusiastically enforce copywrite laws? Perhaps require
the registration of all computers and start up a Computer Crime Bureau
complete with teams to conduct random inspections of registered computers
for stolen software? (I can see it now, "knock knock, computer cops, open
up" .. "Quick, format the floppies, I'll beat them off with my disk
drive!").
Perhaps we can ostracize pirates from 'our polite computer society'?
Or ignore them and hope they'll go away. They'd probably enjoy the
notoriety.
Develop better methods of copy protection? It hasn't worked in the
past.
Develop software that requires lengthy documentation to use? That
would either make the software less marketable because it's too complex,
or just increase the sales of photocopiers.
Lower the prices of software and hope that the increased sales
would generate enough increased revenue to keep the bottom line the same?
A nice thought, and I'm sure sales would go up, but considering the lack
of support of shareware, the increase probably wouldn't be that much.
Develop a system of "try before you buy" to allow users to really
try software before they spend the bucks? A nice thought, but such places
have gained the reputation of supporting/spreading piracy by allowing
customers to "decide not to buy" while keeping copies of the software.
Piracy is a problem that affects all legitimate purchasers and users
of software. Pirates are not using free software, they are using software
paid for by those who have paid for it themselves. There is no simple
solution to this problem, indeed there is no answer in sight. Only by
fully understanding what causes and nurtures piracy and the reason that it
is so widespread can we attempt to stop it. This article is intended to
provoke a deliberate consideration of the problem of piracy, and hopefully
generate some feedback from the Atari community. Next week, we will report
the results of the survey on what our readers believe as well as what
legally constitutes piracy. We will also convey some of the suggested and
reasons and solutions that accompany the surveys.
----===----
Courtesy of CIS Fora
--------------------
Fm: SYSOP * Dave Groves 76703,4223
One of the developers called me to task on the concept that I am
looking through 'rose colored glasses'. His contention is that since my
associates and I are so avidly anti-pirate, the pirates have simply avoided
showing their colors here and/or have gone to other services. This is
probably true, but the simple fact is that the more we reduce their
exposure and the more we force them to be careful who they let in, the less
damage they can do.
Nine years ago, you could call most any BBS in the country and find
some stolen software. Time was you could get the number of a pirate board
and get free admission to some of the less sought after areas with 'old
warez'. Now you need to get a system password from a member of the system,
provide stolen software to get on as a regular, and get a reference from
another pirate board in good standing in order to get full privileges.
If we can get the honest BBS's and the honest user groups to delete
pirate advertising and throw out pirate members and keep them from even
thinking 'pirate' online in the commercial services, they will ultimately
die of inbreeding. The idea of threatening to turn in and expose the
user logs, etc. is right on target.
There is no cure for a pathological thief, BUT if we can prevent
him-her-it from having any place to 'fence' stolen goods and if we can
deprive him of the joys of being nationally known, then we can take much of
the 'fun' out of his game.
Ostracize a pirate today! Also, to those who feel that anyone who
has ever stolen software should be banned for life, I would like to point
out that reformed pirates like reformed smokers, drinkers, whatever often
make the BEST crusaders.
We will never stop 100% of all piracy, but a unified effort will
sure help us reduce their impact, damage and existence.
----===----
Ed Note: While in full agreement with Dave, we cringe at the idea of
continually tarnishing the "Swashbucklers of Olde" by using the
term "Pirate" and other terms that are associated with 'Ole Long
John Silver'. THEREFORE;
NOTICE: For the next four [4] weeks; STReport will hold a contest. NOTICE
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
>>>> "You supply the best name to use instead of Pirate" <<<<
RULES:
=====
(1) All entries must be "Printable" <grin>
(2) All entries will be placed in Public Domain.
(3) All entries are judged for originality.
(4) All entries must be in no later than 06-02-89.
(5) Winner will be announced 06-09-89.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> SH Reply STR Feature¿
====================
A REPLY TO SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE
=========================
===
courtesy: CIS forums
Fm: Ed Waldorph 73637,42
To: Spectrum HoloByte 76004,2144
Mr. Louie:
Thank you for writing. I have been basically off-line for a while
and missed your first note. I did not, however, miss the response. You
appear to be a very outspoken and forthright person-- a rare commodity in
marketing these days, and it seems to have evoked a like response. It is
unfortunate that this medium is black and white and nuances often go
unnoticed. Hopefully your people will not take any remarks personally.
While I feel here have been several very serious errors committed
in the Atari community, by all parties, they are, with the exception of
software theft, not torts and certainly not crimes against the people. We
have not been unscathed by the general degeneration of ethics in the
business world. Basically I am saying that while bad things have happened,
there is no real blame to be laid.
The software thieves (I will not use the term 'Pirate') are not to
blame for declining sales. After all, how many of them would actually
_buy_ a program if they didn't steal it? Seriously, how can you quantify
this?
Software companies are not to blame for making responsible business
decisions based on expectations of return on investment.
Users are not to blame for expecting Rolls Royce features,
performance and service for Yugo prices.
Atari is not to blame for trying to set a standard in Europe when
they had no hope of setting one here.
I have said before, and I will say again, software theft is not as
much of a problem as it is _perceived_ as a problem. This has acted as a
smoke screen and prevented the direction of pressure towards the real
problem, where it would do the most good; Atari Corp. itself.
Why is it Atari's burden? Because they chose to break from the
mainstream and create their own niche. If they had produced IBM clones or
Mac clones we would have nothing to say. The standards were set, they
would be another scavenger scrambling after Big Blues scraps.
But, they didn't do that.
-------------------------
They decided to set their own standards. Now there's nothing wrong
with this. Apple did it. Next did it. But those companies did something
more. Not only did they release a machine that had fully functioning
software; they actively recruited, supported and encouraged third party
hardware and software companies to produce for their machines. They
created markets by dumping their machines (not ethical but definitely the
American way) into the academic mainstream.
What did Atari have to show? A half completed paint program, a
crippled word processor and a hysterically laughable BASIC programming
language. (We won't even mention Logo.) They sold hardware to developers
at inflated prices and then ignored them. They made statements like "No
software program over $100." A legion of established eight-bit users rushed
into the void thinking they would get great programs for next to nothing,
from the same eight-bit programmers who did it for love and the hope it
would buy food and pay the rent. Talk about setting the stage for
disaster
So after abandoning the established computer market and striking
out on their own, then abandoning the developer community (and _not_
striking out on their own), Atari then committed the ultimate sin: they
abandoned the entire U.S. market, dealer and user alike.
So what now? Where does that leave us? Where does that leave you?
Well, things _are_ turning around. But let's put our energies where they
can do the most good; and that is not beating up scumbag software thieves.
You are not going to make a profit unless there are enough users to buy
your programs. Atari is not going to sell many machines unless there are
some dynamite programs to run on them. (Power without the price went out
the window with $100 software)
Anyone can buy an XT clone complete with hard disk for under $900.
Atari is going to have to do some selling to convince us to pay between
$1,000 and $5,000 for an ST or Mega or TT. The only way they are going to
do that is with the help of developers. The only way developers can do it
is with the help of Atari. As one of the premier developers this is where
you should be putting the pressure.
You were surprised at the response of the Atari community to your
comments. Believe me, if we didn't care about you or your company, you
wouldn't have heard a peep.
Ed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STReport OnLine¿
===============
"Online, where the action is."
---------------------------
GET THE DUNKIN' CHAIR READY!
============================
A situation began unfolding last week that was quite disturbing. An
individual hiding behind the initials LYC, claiming to be the savior of the
software world, proceeded to crucify a well known user on the major
services, XORG. The part that was most offensive is that this individual
waged this private little war under the flag of SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE which
initially lead people to believe that what was being done was with the
blessings of SH and Mr. Louie. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
According to Gilman Louie, LYC's actions were and are as a loner, without
the blessings or direction of SH. In fact, LYC is a volunteer beta-tester
who gained unauthorized access to the SH online support console and
proceeded to accuse XORG of being a software thief.
After having gone over all the material relative to this situation,
it becomes easy to find the accusations to be lacking in any real
substance. There is an alleged file that was 'supposed' to have been
uploaded by XORG to the Happy Pirate Ship BBS. In the meantime, those of
us who operate a forem bbs know all to well how simple it is to rework any
file used by forem. We are not alluding to this but, since it is a
distinct possibility, a valid question cast on the presentation of "Xorg
is the uploader".
In this day and age there are many individuals who are exposed to
unsavory characters in many walks of life. To incriminate and accuse on
the grounds of guilt by association borders on pure and unmitigated
insanity. In many instances, there is much more to a situation that meets
the eye, for example, a militant user, dead set against piracy, volunteers
to infiltrate and document his/her activities for the authorities. Yes,
there are a few agencies that will, when fraud or computer B&E is
involved, arrest and prosecute. This type of individual is known as a
cooperating individual (CI).
Perhaps by the indications represented in the information we now
have, this may very well be the case. LYC may have managed to blow the
"cover" of an ongoing investigation involved in eliminating BBSs that
specialize in phreaking and hacking codes, hot credit cards and software
theft. Something about international telecommunications fraud and an
agency of the Federal Gov't.
Furthermore, we find ourselves hard pressed not to ask the question
of LYC, why??? What gain is there for either you or SH. Surely, the
answer is NOT in retaliation for XORG disagreeing with G. Louie's letter.
(see STReport #83) The answer may lie in our finding out MORE about LYC and the
real bottom line as to why XORG was in that userlog. It would be nice to
know the reason for exposing ONLY XORG and NOT the remainder of the userlog
represented to be in LYC's care.
Now it's time to set the record straight. Besides, two wrongs do
not make a right! Clearly, by LYC uploading a copy of Falcon, (by your own
admission), to the Happy Pirate Ship simply to gain access could possibly
create a seriously doubtful situation as far as a successful prosecution
is concerned. "Evidence gained by illegal means ...etc..." Thank goodness
this BBS is history, for the precedent setting behavior and examples you
have left behind need to be forgotten. You are not the investigative team,
the judge, and the jury.
To Pete and others in this board's userlog, you were wrong in being
a promoter of this BBS by calling it. Even though you may not have
participated in it's main activity, by calling you became an indirect vote
of approval. There is no need to call a BBS for two years in an attempt to
shut it down. To the other people in that userlog, be prepared and
forewarned, STReport has obtained a copy of the userlog in question and a
series of E-Mail diatribes, making quite clear, the purpose and intentions
of another regular on the services. We are going to wait for a short
period of time to see if this person wishes to come forward with a
reasonable explanation of why his presence was necessary there and on
Tumbleweeds.
Regrettably, while sitting here looking at this material, serious
reservations have arisen about the real purpose of LYC's actions concerning
this matter. Frankly, it is easy to see where more harm than good may
have been the NET result.
----=======----
Response to Letters
===================
Since we received close to 15 phone calls and 21 letters in E-Mail
concerning the "permissions" letter, posted by Darlah on GEnie, we have
decided to answer 'en masse' here.
To all our friends who voiced concern over whether GEnie was
miffed at us last week over the COMDEX re-print (the one posted by Jeff
Williams), such is not the case. In fact, it was STReport who asked for
and obtained permission to re-print from both Jeff and Darlah.
Once again, thanks for all your wonderful support. Let's all stand
behind Atari and help with this US market recovery.
The Editor and Staff
STReport Online Magazine
---------------
?QUESTION OF THE WEEK?
====================
WHO IS KNOWN AS THE "PIRATE'S PIRATE" IN SAN DIEGO?
---------------
WHO ELSE IS IN THE HAPPY PIRATE SHIP'S USERLOG?
.......Mr. ?? and ...??
CURRENT EVENTS COMMENTS
=======================
STReport is put together and released with one purpose in mind,
that's to let the users know what's going on when it is happening not three
months late when the entire story has unfolded and been polished for
release. We will continue to 'say it like we see it' in our editorials
and we will attempt to verify all news items and rumors. We do not and
cannot condone any 'off the wall' commentary, misleading information or
plain double talk. The only area in STReport where you will find
"unverified" rumors that shouldn't be taken seriously, is the "hot gossip"
(spoof) area in STReport Online.
Once again, we must emphasize we are concentrating on solid
information, reviews, original articles and we will not inflate the size of
our issues with re-released material unless it is part of an ongoing issue
and then, it will be abbreviated and have a reference to where it can be
found in it's entirety.
Finally, we understand the fact that online representatives of
Atari must follow the company line and will, at times, become adversaries
on certain issues. Needless to say, this comes with the territory. We at
STReport will attempt to follow in the best traditions of professionalism
by not allowing emotion to enter into our presentations. (At times it's
not easy, but we will try.)
On the question of verification, every effort is taken to verify,
and we will call whomever it takes to obtain the truth. We reserve the
right however, to choose whom we call for said verifications.
We respectfully reserve the right to keep confidential the sources of
our news and tips.
* Since our assumption of control and responsibility for STReport *
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A)- we will not be a "company stooge" for 'any' company.
B)- we do check/verify the stories we run.
C)- non-verified items originate from credible sources only.
D)- we give ALL credits and by-lines. ---------------------
E)- we earn NO INCOME from STReport Online Magazine.
F)- we are NOT associated with any other online magazine.
In further consideration, we pledge to the readers that our
editorial content will not be influenced by any outside pressures and that
they will focus on current issues. In addition, all articles that appear
in STReport will be new and/or original. There will be no old canned
articles resurrected and used for filler. The major portion of our
material will focus on the issues and not on fluff and hype.
----======----
"HOT GOSSIP"
=========
Before the end of the year, Atari will have close to 750,00 machines
in use across the USA.....
"By the end of the year, (1989), a number of respected folks in the
Atari community will have been accused of being Software Thieves."
(Fearless Fosdick)
Before the end of the last quarter of 1989 a number of important
changes at the executive level of Atari Corp. will have occurred.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Atari Stock ~ STReport¿
======================
THE TICKERTAPE
==============
by Glenn Gorman
ATARI Corp. has been quoted as one of the stocks, on the American
Stock Exchange, to watch. So, I've been keeping track of it and thought
that others would also be interested.
Atari Stock went up an 1/8 of a point on Tuesday, dropped an 1/8 on
Wednesday, and up 1/8 on Thursday. Winding up the week at 6 5/8 points.
+---------------------+
| ATARI STOCK WATCH |
| Week 04-10 to 04-14 |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Sales | 216 | 307 | 105 | 431 | 483 |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Last | 6 1/2 | 6 5/8 | 6 1/2 | 6 5/8 | 6 5/8 |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Chg. | ----- | +1/8 | -1/8 | +1/8 | ----- |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| From -> THE CAVE ST BBS <-> 609-882-9195 <-> 3/12/2400 <-> F-NET #351 |
+=======================================================================+
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> SPECTRE 128 STR Review¿
======================
SPECTRE 128
===========
Version 1.9F
------------
by Roger Stevens
Like probably every owner of SPECTRE 128 who received the
announcement of the 'free' upgrade to version 1.9 - I broke a few land
speed records mailing my original disk back to Gadgets By Small Inc. The
one capability that I found totally irresistable in this new revision was
the inclusion of SOUND! Yes, that which Dave Small himself had previously
proclaimed IMPOSSIBLE was now a reality. MacSound coming from my ST!!! What
a tempting thought!
In much less time than I anticipated (approx. 7 days), the postman
delivered my anxiously awaited upgrade. Being in a hurry to hear my ST make
MAC sounds, I ran the new program without bothering to read the
documentation file included on the disk. Honest now, how many of you
really read that README.1ST file before trying something out? Had I read
the file first, I would have been aware that the enabled sound driver in
version 1.9F was really a Beta test version just to get the capability into
the hands of the users clamoring for it. I was expecting perfection and
anything less was disappointing.
Let me say right up front....the sound driver DOES work... The cost
for this sound is a drastically slowed-down processor. Occasionally the
two do not produce a happy balance. As Dave points out in the docs, the
sounds from Crystal Quest (arcade game) are really great. This is all too
true!! However, having become a Crystal Quest addict BEFORE sound, I was
saddled with a game that slowed down to the point of making the play
completely boring because of the slowness. The sounds are great but the
game is too slow to play.
I went back and read the documentation and see the reasons for the
speed decreases. Making that poor 68000 do all the sound that is handled
by other hardware in a real MAC really takes its toll on processor speed.
Bottom line folks....SOUND WORKS---for a speed trade-off. Since there are
always two sides to every story, I'll give you a 'plus' for the slow game
play in Crystal Quest. When you start the game, turn sound OFF by pressing
ESC once. Then, when you start to get in trouble, just hit ESC again
(turns sound on) to slow the action down and give you time to out-run the
'bad guys'.
Another upgrade in this version allows 'auto-mounting' of all your
MAC Hard Drive partitions. This is a helpful feature and can be disabled
if you choose to do it manually. The arrow keys have been enabled for
cursor movement within those word processors. Dave fixed a number of small
but nasty 'bugs' (undocumented features) from version 1.75 and even added
Atari Laser Printer support to this package. Since I am not the proud
owner of an Atari Laser printer, I cannot comment on the capabilities of
this part of the upgrade. What I can do is step back, look long and hard
at what is involved in this upgrade and give Gadgets by Small a big
ATTABOY for the upgrade and a double ATTABOY for making it free.
Macintosh emulation has come a long way from the early Magic Sac
days when 'crashes' were the accepted norm. SPECTRE 128 is a pleasure to
use.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> A Profile - STR Feature¿
=======================
Richard Adams' Autobiography
============================
From time to time, people have asked me about my background, so I've
included this brief autobiography.
I am currently married. My family includes children, horses, canines,
felines, water fowl, plus other various furry and aquatic critters. I
enjoy scuba diving, video taking, and downhill skiing.
Let's set the time portal back about 21 years. At age 12 I was awarded
"boy of the year" by a public service organization in Miami Florida. This
was for my school Science Fair project; a video system I constructed.
At age 14 I began learning computers with an IBM 360 computer, using
the APL language. I soon became proficient at programming the IBM in
machine language as well, and at age 15 went to work after school for one
of the first "time share" computer companies. I had a terminal at home to
do some of my work. This was a 300 baud selectric.
During high school, my time wasn't strictly devoted to computers and
electronics. I had to go where the girls were. So, I developed my talents
in "race car" engineering. My pride and joy was a 66 Mustang that I used
to race at the 1/4 mile drag strip. I've even driven a full blown rail
dragster. Did this only once though; too fast for me!
In college during the early 1970's, I interfaced an electronic organ to
the university's giant computer, and created one of the first computer
controlled "all electronic" (nonmechanical) musical instruments. This was
my first big project. I wrote all of the software, and designed and built
the hardware interface.
As my college senior project, I designed and built a complete video
digitizer system. The system interfaced a video camera to a computer. The
software even allowed reading music, so I didn't have to type it in for the
organ to play. The optical music reader allowed the organ to play Bach's
T&F in d minor (Phantom of the opera), without me having to type in the
whole bloody thing.
I got tired of having to wait in line to utilize the school's computers.
I designed and built one of the first home built 16 bit computers. This
was several years before there was an 8 bit TRS-80 or Apple.
My brother Scott Adams, who started one of the first famous computer
software companies, Adventure International, wrote his first game for a
microcomputer on my home built 16 bit computer. It was called "SPACE WARS".
Two players utilized the keyboard to play against each other. I still
have this computer, but since the time I moved to Morgan Hill in 1983, I
haven't taken it out of the attic. For nostalgia, I can watch a video tape
I made of Scott's "SPACE WARS".
I graduated college and went to work for a major IC manufacturer. I was
involved in various aspects of microprocessor design and testing. In this
job, I assisted in the design and test implementation of the 1771 chip.
This was one of the first floppy disk controller chips.
Later, I went to work for the most famous (at the time) manufacturer of
computer controlled IC test systems. I became a member of their elite SWAT
team. In this Sales Worldwide Applications Team, I traveled throughout the
world helping many IC manufacturers and IC users learn to operate our
systems. I invented newer, more efficient testing methods for various
chips, and presented a paper on this. I assisted in the development and
testing of the 68000 chip at Motorola.
In 1982 I started Happy Computers. Happy is my father in law's nickname.
The Happy boards and software I designed for the Atari 8 bit drives, have
provided tens of thousands of users high speed, disk backup, and IBM file
transfer.
The Discovery Cartridge and HART chip represent many years of experience
in electronic, computer, IC, and disk system design and usage. Thousands
of people throughout the world are already completely satisfied with its
impressive performance.
My record speaks for itself. The systems I design all have one thing in
common. They really work!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
======================
- Sunnyvale, CA ***** THE MEGA ST1 IDEA IS IN TROUBLE! *****
-------------
Not surprisingly, the Mega ST1, shown at Hanover this year, has
been placed in jeopardy in favor of the newer units planned for release
later this year. The name of the STacey has been changed to something VERY
imaginative 'TRANSPORTABLE' (cute) and it now will have a superior
backlit screen.
- Sunnyvale, CA ****** LASERBRAIN IS NOT A MYTH! *****
-------------
Laserbrain is a fine Epson emulator, and it's available in Europe
and elsewhere, this set of files gives the SLM804 the ability to become
even more versatile. Why is it being kept under wraps here in the states?
According to our information, the latest version of Laserbrain is
excellent and has very few undocumented features. So, what in heaven's
name is the reason for the holdup? Mr. Reluctant is at it again....!
- Sunnyvale, CA **** SHRAZ SHIVJI'S POSITION FILLED ****
-------------
Coming from the UK, and according to all reports, more than capable,
is one of the designers of the TT and a custom chip used in the STacey,
Richard Miller. By all indications, he is, "just what the doctor
ordered". All the userbase is behind you, good luck to you. Meanwhile
Shivji, gone but certainly not forgotten, can be reached at Tandon Corp.
- Green Bay, WI **** HACKER - PHREAKER GETS "STIFF" PENALTY ****
------------
David Kelsey, (AKA Stagehand) after pleading guilty to two counts of
class 'E' felonies, has received a 90 day jail term. Once the jail term
is served, (with work release), he will serve three years probation. He
must also pay restitution to Schneider Communications ($511.00) of Green
Bay, WI. Kelsey was given all his computer equipment back as part of the
plea bargain. Missing were any materials considered to be ill gotten.
- New York City, N.Y. **** NEW STs SHIP WITH GERMAN CHIPS ****
-------------------
A major reason why Atari is having little or no DRAM and other chip
availability problems is simple, all the chips in the new machines being
shipped at this time are manufactured in Germany.
- San Francisco, CA **** MAC EMULATION ALA SUPREME!!! ****
-----------------
According to Mr. James McHugh of C.E.K.A., they will be debuting
two new internal MAC emulators for both the MEGA series and all other ST
computers. The great thing about these emulators is that they use NO MAC
ROM CHIPS! Now that Apple has instructed it's dealers that they are not to
sell any ROM chips into a non-APPLE environment, things will be getting
very interesting. These emulators will read, write and format ala MAC
while in the emulation mode. (No special drives or extra devices needed)
For further information call: 415-474-2641.
- Ann Arbor, MI ***** M.A.C.E. TO HOST ATARI CORP. *****
------------
To eliminate any further confusion, a further clarification of
whether or not Atari Corp. will have a booth at the MACE Show, we wish to
make this perfectly clear: - ATARI WILL HAVE A BOOTH AT THE MACE SHOW. -
Apparently, a small, inconsequential notice stating that Atari would not be
there has created some consternation and confusion. We certainly hope this
notice, (which we verified with S. Hartmann), helps alleviate the
confusion.
- Baton Rouge, LA **** MITSUBISHI & ATARI ROMANCE COOLS ****
--------------
A Local ST usergroup was caught in a "squeeze play" this past month
when the Mitsubishi Shopping Center Auto Show thingy was to take place and
they were asked to man the machines. No software, no HELP from Atari and
the car folks knew nothing about running the machines. They reported that
when they called Atari for help and direction, they were told ..WE QUOTE:
"Drop the whole thing, it's Mitsubishi's Ball, it's their machines, don't
get involved!" Pretty sad when a usergroup has it's people out and ready
to do the job of trying to "back and help Atari" then somebody just leaves
them there with "egg on the face". Now, both the Atari dealer and the
usergroup in that area have just cause to look at Sunnyvale and exclaim,
WHY?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> A "QUOTABLE QUOTE"¿
==================
"Quantity is NEVER a substantive indication of Quality"
and
"Quality is never substituted by Quantity"
"1989 - ATARI'S QUEST"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT¿Issue #84 "Your Independent News Source" April 21, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1989
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those
of ST Report¿ or CPU Report¿. Reprint permission granted, unless noted
otherwise. All reprints must include ST Report or CPU Report and the
author's name. All information presented herein is believed correct, ST
Report or CPU Report, it's editors and staff are not responsible for
any use or misuse of information contained in this publication.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
