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Silicon Times Report Issue 0718
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May 03, 1991 No.7.18
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> 05/03/91: STReport #7.18 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
-------------------------
- The Editor's Desk - CPU REPORT - MAC REPORT
- SEURAT-COLORSCAN - Delphi Panel - Quantum Profits
- ACCEPT UG Offer - The Flip Side - PRODIGY & LA D.A.
- SIMMS UPGRADES - PORTFOLIO NEWS - STR Confidential
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> The Editor's Podium
Yessir, Spring is finally here. The Windsor show is on this weekend
and the faithful are trekking from all over the North American Continent
to 'pay attention' to the new products and of course get an eyeful of the
new offerings from Atari Corp. The STe/TT/MegaSTe computers. STReport
will carry extensive, in-depth reports about the Windsor Show in next
week's issue.
This month has some new and different things going on like a review of
the TT in Byte magazine by Jerry Pournelle. Seems there are a few folks
who were unhappy with Jerry's remarks. Strange, though, many others
thought he was fair and right on the mark. And then... to find people
threatening not to buy Byte magazine or organize some kind of letter
campaign because they didn't care for Pournelle's remarks is truly in bad
taste. The man did exactly what he was supposed to do.. A hardware REVIEW
of the TT030. STReport felt his remarks in the review, considering its
being done with such short notice, were absolutely fair to Atari and the
TT, after all a software review it wasn't intended nor meant to be. The
TT is a wonderful machine and really needs a stronger software base of
support. Although it will run most software written for the ST, it still
needs a software platform written expressly for it where the software
takes full advantage of all the TT's advanced features.
Speaking of magazines, there are a number of rather upset folks in the
Atari community over non-payment of software royalties, commissions and
column fees. These are very credible people in our userbase. In fact,
this reporter spoke to a few of these folks and it would appear that the
information is very true. Look for another magazine to fade away into
the sunset. The NEW AtariUser magazine made it to the east coast this
week and I must say, "its pretty nifty!" Be sure to get your copy. There
seems to be some kind of controversy over a certain type of ad in the new
magazine, but then you can't 'please' everyone. As far as STReport is
concerned the ads were fine and of course any attempts to contain or
restrain those folks who paid for the ads could possibly lead to FTC
headaches. In any case, we are fully in support of AtariUser Magazine and
we did not see where any ad copy was out of order.
While on the subject of software, Word Perfect has a new minor update
out (04/18/91) for the now very familiar and most likely last version for
the Atari platform, version 4.1. Yes, that's right folks even the "Ger-
man" update thing has been dropped. And Word Perfect is really a terrific
word processor. It should be the premier WP for the ST/TT/STe platform
yet WP Corp. in not inclined to do so. Why?
The warehouse has inventory and its just about to start shipping in
earnest. The major distributors all 'round the USA will have product in
about two week.
Thing ARE getting much better!
Ralph......
TODAY'S NEWS ..TODAY!
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> STReport's Staff The regulars and this week's contributors!
================
Publisher - Editor
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Ralph F. Mariano
Staff Editors:
--------------
Michael Arthur Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. Dana P. Jacobson
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Walter Daniel
Oscar Steele Robert Allbritton John Szczepanik
Contributing Correspondants:
----------------------------
Michael Lee Richard Covert Roger Stevens
Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Ed Krimen
Tim Holt Andrew Learner
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> CPU REPORT¿
==========
Issue #109
----------
by Michael Arthur
CPU INSIGHTS
============
RJ Mical, and the Rise and Fall of Amiga Computer Inc.
======================================================
Gary Oberbrunner recently provided a great source of knowledge about
this, by writing and posting this essay on the Amiga newsgroup (or message
base) of Usenet. It is a transcript of a talk given by R.J. Mical, the
programmer who designed and developed the Intuition graphical user
interface for the Amiga, before the Boston Computer Society in March,
concerning the history of both the Commodore Amiga itself, and Amiga Inc.,
the company who created it. Except for modifications in its formatting,
or presentation, and various notes placed in this text to provide more
information on certain subjects, the content of Gary Oberbrunner's text is
identical....
The Early Days, Game Boxes, and the Guru Meditation
---------------------------------------------------
On Monday March 2, 1989, RJ Mical (=RJ=) spoke at the Boston Computer
Society meeting in Cambridge. Fortunately I was momentarily possessed
with an organizational passion, and I took copious notes. I present them
here filtered only through my memory and my Ann Arbor. My comments are in
[square brackets]. What follows is a neutron-star condensed version of
about three and one half hours of completely uninterrupted discussion....
Amiga Computer Inc. had its beginnings, strangely enough, RJ
began, with the idea of three Florida doctors who had a spare $7
million to invest.
They thought of opening a department store franchise, but (as
RJ said) they wanted to try something a bit more exciting. So
they decided to start a computer company. "Yeah, that's it! A
computer company! That's the ticket! :-)"
They found Jay Miner, who was then at Atari, and Dave Morse, the
VP of sales (you can see their orientation right off..) they
lifted from Tonka Toys. The idea right from the start was to
make the most killer game box they could. That was it, and
nothing more. However Jay and the techies had other ideas.
Fortunately they concealed them well, so the upper management
types still thought they were just getting a great game machine.
Of course the market for machines like that was hot in
1982...
They got the name out of the thesaurus; they wanted to convey the
thought of friendliness, and Amiga was the first synonym in the
list. The fact that it came lexically before Apple didn't hurt
any either, said RJ.
However, before they could get a machine out the door, they
wanted to establish a "market presence" which would give them an
established name and some distribution channels - keep thinking
"game machine" - which they did by selling peripherals and
software that they bought the rights to from other vendors.
Principal among these was the Joyboard, a sort of joystick that
you stand on, and you sway and wiggle your hips to control the
switches under the base. They had a ski game of course, and some
track & field type games that they sold with this Joyboard. But
one game the folks at Amiga Inc. thought up themselves was the
Zen Meditation game, where you sat on the Joyboard and tried to
remain perfectly motionless.
This was perfect relaxation from product development, as well as
from the ski game. And in fact, this is where the term Guru
Meditation comes from; the only way to keep sane when your
machine crashes all the time is the ol' Joyboard. The execs
tried to get them to take out the Guru, but the early developers,
bless 'em, raised such a hue and cry they had to put it back in
right away.
(Note: Recently, Commodore announced that the Term, "Guru Meditation"
would not be in AmigaDOS 1.4....)
When RJ interviewed with Amiga Computer (he had been at Williams)
in July 1983, the retail price target for the Amiga was $400.
Perfect for a killer game machine. By the time he accepted three
weeks later, the target was up to $600 and rising fast. Partly
this was due to the bottom dropping completely out of the game
market; the doctors and the execs knew they had to have something
more than just another game box to survive. That's when the
techies' foresight in designing in everything from disk
controllers to keyboard (yes the original Amiga had NO
KEYBOARD), ports, and disk drives began to pay off.
The exciting part of the Amiga's development, in a way its
adolescence, that magical time of loss of innocence and exposure
to the beauties and cruelties of the real world, began as plans
were made to introduce it, secretly of course, at the Winter CES
on January 4th, 1984.
CES, THE AMIGA'S ADOLESCENCE, AND "BUSINESS IS WAR"
---------------------------------------------------
The software was done ten days before the CES, and running fine on
the simulators. Unfortunately when the hardware was finally powered up
several days later, (surprise) it didn't match its simulations. This
hardware, of course, was still not in silicon. The custom chips were in
fact large breadboards, placed vertically around a central core and wired
together round the edges like a Cray. Each of the three custom 'chips'
had one of these towers, each one a mass of wires. According to RJ, the
path leading up to the first Amiga breadboard, with its roll-out
antistatic flooring, the antistatic walls just wide enough apart for one
person to fit through and all the signs saying Ground Thyself, made one
think of nothing so much as an altar to some technology god.
After working feverishly right up to the opening minutes of the CES,
including most everybody working on Christmas, they had a working Amiga,
still in breadboard, at the show in the booth in a special enclosed gray
room, so they could give private demos. Unfortunately if you rode up the
exhibit-hall escalator and craned your neck, you could see into the room
from the top.
The Amiga was, RJ reminisced, the hardest he or most anyone there had
ever worked. "We worked with a great passion...my most cherished memory
is how much we cared about what we were doing. We had something to
prove...a real love for it. We created our own sense of family out
there." RJ and Dale Luck were known as the "dancing fools" around the
office because they'd play really loud music and dance around during
compiles to stay awake.
After the first successful night of the CES, all the marketing guys
got dollar signs in their eyes because the Amiga made SUCH a splash even
though they were trying to keep it "secret." And so, they took out all
the technical staff for Italian food, everyone got drunk and then they
wandered back to the exhibit hall to work some more on demos, quick bug
fixes, features that didn't work, and so on. At CES everyone worked about
20 hours a day, when they weren't eating or sleeping.
Late that night, in their drunken stupor, Dale and RJ put the
finishing touches on what would become the canonical Amiga demo, Boing.
At last! ...The true story is told.
THE COMMODORE YEARS: AMIGA FUTURES, AND BUSINESS AS USUAL
----------------------------------------------------------
After the CES, Amiga Inc. was very nearly broke and heavily in debt.
It had cost quite a bit more than the original $7 million to bring the
Amiga even that far, and lots more time and money were needed to bring it
to the market. Unfortunately the doctors wanted out, and wouldn't invest
any more. So outside funding was needed, and quick.
The VP of Finance balanced things for a little while, and even though
they were $11 million in the hole they managed to pay off the longest
standing debts and keep one step ahead of Chapter 11. After much
scrounging, they got enough money to take them to the June CES; for that
they had REAL WORKING SILICON. People kept peeking under the skirts of
the booth tables asking "Where's the REAL computer generating these
displays?"
Now money started flowing and interest was really being generated in
the media. And like most small companies, as soon as the money came in
the door it was spent. More people were added - hardware folks to
optimize and cost-reduce the design; software people to finish the OS.
Even the sudden influx of cash was only enough to keep them out of
bankruptcy, though; they were still broke and getting broker all the time.
How much WOULD have been enough? RJ said that if he were starting
over, he'd need about $49 million to take the machine from design idea to
market. Of course Amiga Inc. had nowhere near that much, and they were
feeling the crunch. Everybody tightened their belts and persevered
somehow. They actually were at one point so broke they couldn't meet
their payroll; Dave Morse, the VP of Sales, took out a second mortgage on
his house to help cover it, but it still wasn't enough.
They knew they were going under, and unless they could find someone
quick to buy them out they were going to be looking for jobs very shortly.
They talked to Sony, to Apple, to Phillips and HP, Silicon Graphics (who
just wanted the chips) and even Sears. Finally...they called Atari. (Boo!
Hiss! [literally - the audience hissed at Jack Tramiel's name!] Trying
to be discreet, RJ's only personal comment on Jack Tramiel was (and it
took him a while to formulate this sentence) "an interesting product of
the capitalist system." Ahem.
Apparently Tramiel has been quoted as saying "Business is War."
Tramiel had recently left Commodore in a huff and bought Atari
"undercover" so that by the time he left C= he was already CEO of Atari.
Realizing that Commodore was coming out with their own hot game machine,
Tramiel figured he'd revenge himself on them for dumping him by buying
Amiga Inc. and driving C= down the tubes with "his" superior product. So
Atari gave them half a million just for negotiating for a month; that
money was gone in a day.
Of course Tramiel saw that Amiga Inc. wasn't in a very good
bargaining position; basically unless they were bought they were on the
street. So he offered them 98 cents a share; Dave Morse held out for
$2.00. But instead of bargaining in good faith, every time Morse and
Amiga tried to meet them halfway their bid went down!
Amiga Inc.: "Okay, $1.50 a share."
Jack Tramiel: "No, we think we'll give you 80 cents."
Amiga Inc.: "How about $1.25?"
Jack Tramiel: "70 cents."
And so on...
Even Dave Morse, the staunchest believer in the concept that was the
Amiga, the guiding light who made everyone's hair stand on end when he
walked into the room, was getting depressed. Gloom set in. Things looked
grim.
Then, just three days before the month deadline was up, Commodore
called. Two days later they bought Amiga Inc. for $4.25 a share. They
offered them $4.00, but Dave Morse TURNED THEM DOWN saying it wasn't
acceptable to his employees; he was on the verge of walking out when they
offered $4.25. He signed right then and there.
Commodore gave them $27 million for development; they'd never seen
that much money in one place before. They went right out and bought a Sun
workstation for every software person, with Ethernet and disk servers and
everything. The excitement was back.
Commodore did many good things for the Amiga; not only did they
cost-reduce it without losing much functionality, they had this concept of
it as a business machine; this was a very different attitude from what
Amiga Inc. had been working with. Because of that philosophy, they
improved the keyboard [ha! - garyo] and made lots of other little
improvements that RJ didn't elaborate on.
What could Commodore have given them that they didn't? The one thing
RJ wanted most from them was an extra 18 months of development time.
Unfortunately Commodore wasn't exactly rich right then either, so they had
to bring out the product ASAP [and when is it ever any different?] Also,
he said, they could have MARKETED it. (applause!). If he'd had that
extra 18 months, he could have made Intuition a device rather than a
separate kind of thing; he could have released it much more bug-free.
The Future
----------
RJ's advice for A1000 owners: "Keep what you've got. It's not worth
it to trade up. The A1000 is really a better machine." This may be sour
grapes on RJ's part, since the Amiga 2000 was designed in Braunschweig,
West Germany, and the version of the A2000 being worked on in Los Gatos
was rejected in favor of the Braunschweig-Commodore version. However the
A1000 compares to the A2000, though, the Los Gatos 2000 would have
certainly been better than either machine. C= management vetoed it
because Braunschweig promised a faster design turnaround (and, to their
credit, were much faster in execution than the Los Gatos group would have
been) and more cost-reduction, which was their specialty. Los Gatos, on
the other hand, wanted a dream machine with vastly expanded capabilities
in every facet of the machine. The cruel financial facts forced C= to go
with the Business Computer Group, who did the Sidecar in Braunschweig as
well, and quickly and cheaply.
So they fired more than half the staff at the original Los Gatos
facility, one by one. That trauma was to some extent played out on the
net; no doubt many of you remember it as a very difficult and emotional
time. There are now only six people left in Los Gatos, and their lease
expired in March, so thus expires the original Amiga group.
And..that's how RJ ended his talk; the rise and fall of Amiga
Computer Inc. The future of the Amiga is now in the hands of Westchester
and Braunschweig, and who knows what direction it will take?
Q & A Session: Boston Computer Society and RJ Mical
----------------------------------------------------
I'll just make this part a list of technical questions and
answers, since that was the format at the talk anyway. This part is part
technical inquiries and part total rumor mill; caveat emptor.
Questions are from the audience, Answers are =RJ=.
-----------------------------
Q: Can you do double buffering with Intuition?
A: Pop answer: No. Thought-out: well, yes, but it's not easy. Use
MenuVerify and don't change the display while menus are up. It's
pretty hairy.
Q: How big is intuition (source code)?
A: The listings (commented) are about a foot thick, 60 lpp, 1 inch
margins.
Q: Where did MetaComCo come into the Amiga story?
A: MCC's AmigaDOS was a backup plan; the original Los Gatos-written
AmigaDOS was done with some co-developers who dropped out due to
contract and money hassles when C= bought Amiga. Then MCC had to crank
EXTREMELY hard to get their BCPL DOS into the system at the last
possible minute.
Q: Why no MMU (support in the Amiga's Operating System)?
A: Several reasons. Obviously, cost was a factor. MMUs available at the
time the Amiga was designed also consumed system time [this is what he
said- I'm just the scribe]; although newer MMUs solve this problem they
were too late for the Amiga.
Second, the original goal of the Amiga was to be a killer game machine
with easy low-level access, and an MMU didn't seem necessary for a game
machine.
Third [get this!] with an MMU, message-passing becomes MUCH
hairier and slower, since in the Amiga messages are passed by just
passing a pointer to someone else's memory. With protection, either
public memory would need to be done and system calls issued to allocate
it, etc., or the entire message would have to be passed. Yecch. So
the lack of MMU actually speeds up the basic operation of the Amiga
several fold.
Q: Why no resource tracking?
A: The original AmigaDOS/Exec had resource tracking; it's a shame it died.
Q: How is your game coming? [??]
A: It's just now becoming a front-burner project. It's number crunch
intensive; hopefully it will even take over the PC part of the 2000 for
extra crunch. It's half action, half strategy; the 'creation' part is
done, only the playing part needs to be written. Next question. :-)
Q: Will there ever be an advanced version of the chip set?
A: Well, Jay Miner isn't working on anything right now... [RUMOR ALERT]
The chip folks left in Los Gatos who are losing their lease in March
were at one time thinking about 1k square 2meg chip space 128-color
graphics, although still with 4 bit color DACs though...and even stuff
like a blitter per plane (!!) They were supposed to be done now, in the
original plans; the chip designers will be gone in March, but the
design may (?) continue in West Chester. Maybe they'll be here two
years from now.
Q: What will happen to the unused Los Gatos A2000 design?
A: ??????
(Note: Reportedly, this design eventually became the Amiga 3000's
Enhanced Chip Set.)
Q: Should I upgrade from my 1000 to a 2000?
A: Probably not. The 2000 isn't enough better to justify the cost. Unless
you need the PC compatibility, RJ advocated staying with the
1000. After all the 2000 doesn't have the nifty garage for the
keyboard...:-) The A1000 keyboard is better built; you can have
Kickstart on disk; it's smaller and a LOT quieter, [maybe not than the
old internal drives!!!] and uses less power; the 2000 has no composite
video out, plus the RGB quality is a tad worse. Composite video (PAL
or NTSC) is an extra-cost option with the 2000.
Q: Have you ever seen a working Amiga-Live!?
A: Yes, I've seen it taking 32-color images at 16fps, and HAM pictures at
something like half that. [!!] It's all done and working. I don't
know why it's not out. It sure beats Digiview at 8 seconds per image!
Q: What do you use for Amiga development tools?
A: DPaint and Infominder, Aztec C, Andy Finkel's Microemacs.
Q: What's the future of the A1000?
A: They aren't making any right now; they're just shipping from stock.
But they do claim that they intend to continue making them.
Note: Shortly after RJ Mical's talk, news surfaced that Commodore had
decided to not make anymore Amiga 1000s, but to make a unified
front with the Amiga 2000....)
Q: Who is the competition for Amiga right now?
A: The new Macs are so expensive, they're not a threat to the 2000, much
less the 1000. Atari's new stuff "doesn't impress me." [that's all he
said.]
Q: Why are the pixels 10% higher than wide?
A: The hardware came out that way, and it would have been a pain to do it
any other way due to sync-rate-multiple timing constraints.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
As a reader of STReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to
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NOTE: Special offers can be found in your favorite Atari magazines:
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SPECIAL NOTICE
--------------
On Tuesday, May 21st, the ST Advantage will host the
first ST Online Panel Discussion ever.
The topic will be 'Atari - Here today, gone tomorrow?'
The following ST developers have committed:
John Eidsvoog - CodeHead Software
DA Brumleve - DA Brumleve Software
Tom Harker - ICD, Inc.
The following ST developers have expressed interest:
Charles F. Johnson - CodeHead Software
Nathan Potechin - ISD Marketing
Jim Allen - Fast Technologies
Additional ST developers are being invited.
The Online Panel Discussion will begin at 10 p.m.
(Eastern Time)
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> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
=================
Issue #19
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
- Merlin, Oregon LOCAL AREA NETWORKING FOR THE ST
--------------
A&D Software has announced The Universal Network for the Atari ST. The
the networking system, which costs $89.95 per node, takes place in the
background, thus freeing the user to run normal ST tasks in the
foreground. Any number of ST stations can be linked using The Universal
Network which runs on any Atari ST, although 1-meg of RAM is recommended
so as to let all software to run effectively within the network
environment.
- Long Beach, California NEW LASER PRINTER UTILITY FOR THE ST
----------------------
Software Development Systems (SDS) has released the Deskjet Utilities
Pak for the Atari ST. The $34.50 package allows ST users to set up the
fonts, character sets, and printer attribute configurations on the HP
Laserjet (and compatible) laser printers. Deskjet Utilities Pak only
uses 9k of RAM and can be set up to work with the ST's new extensible
control panel.
Deskjet Utilities Pal allows Degas Elite, Macpaint and Gem .IMG (ST
proprietary format) files to be printed on the laser printer in all
their glory. Also, because the package can be loaded alongside existing
Atari ST word processing software, it can be set so as not to permit
other software to reset the laser printer's configurations.
- Washington, D.C. IBM AND ASYMETRIX CHALLENGED BY
--------------- ZOOMRACKS INVENTOR
Paul Heckel, inventor of Zoomracks, and who defeated Apple in a legal
challenge over Hypercard, is now challenging both IBM and Asymetrix over
the alleged use of his patented software in a product called Toolbook,
which is produced by Asymetrix and bundled with some PS/2 computers.
Mr. Heckel is the president of Quickview Systems, which he founded in
1982 to market Zoomracks and received patent protection in 1984.
- Milpitas, California QUANTUM PROFITS ALMOST DOUBLE
--------------------
Quantum, an independent manufacturer of mass storage systems used in a
variety of computers including desktop workstations, personal computers,
notebook and laptop computers, reported a 97% increase in sales for the
fiscal year ending March 31, 1991, resulting in $877.7 million in sales
and a net income of $73.9 million for the year. Much of the increase was
attributed to Apple's inclusion of the 1-inch high, 3.5-inch 40MB and
80MB drives in the new Apple Classic and LC computers.
- Norcross, Georgia HAYES CUTS 9600 BAUD MODEM PRICES
-----------------
Responding to growing competition in the 9,600 bit/second modem arena,
Hayes cut prices about $200 on its V-Series and Ultra 9,600 modems. The
V-Series dropped to $799 and the Ultra to $999. The price cuts are in
line with those of Hayes' major competitors, including US Robotics.
- Redmond, Washington MICROSOFT EXPANDS WINDOWS SUPPORT
-------------------
Users wishing to turn themselves into Windows gurus can now purchase the
200-page Windows Resource Kit from Microsoft for $14.50 (plus $5.50
shipping and handling.)
The kit includes a collection of supplemental and technical material
that has been produced since the release of Windows 3.0. The kit also
includes several software packages, including the hDC Memory Viewer, two
utilities for creating or copying icons, and a screen saver utility.
- Washington, D.C. ARE DESKTOP COMPUTERS DEAD?
----------------
According to a recent survey taken of nearly 1,000 people at the Lap &
Palmtop '91 show in New York, the vast majority indicated that their
companies would buy notebook or laptop computers as a substitute for
desktop computers. Only 22% replied that their companies would not
choose the battery-operated systems over desktop PCs.
Dataquest, a Silicon Valley-based research firm, has predicted a 20-30%
increase in laptop and notebook sales over the next three years, while
desktop sales will drop from the present 89% of the market to slightly
above half.
- Austin, Texas NEW 486'S FROM DELL COMPUTER CORP.
-------------
Dell Computer Corporation has shown two new systems based on Intel's
newly released stripped-down 20 mhz 486SX and souped up 50 mhz 486DX
chipsets. Both models use the 32-bit EISA bus, and use a BIOS that can
be upgraded by software instead of by changing chips.
- Washington, D.C. PRESIDENT LEARNING ABOUT COMPUTERS
----------------
President Bush is striving to show his concern for continuing education
and the White House's appreciation of the need for computer literacy, by
learning to use a recently installed IBM PS/2. The president is learning
to turn the computer on and off and exploring the ins and outs of how to
write memos in WordPerfect 5.0.
First Lady Barbara Bush is said to be partially responsible for
convincing the chief executive to learn something about computers - Mrs.
Bush already carries a computer with her on trips.
- San Francisco, California BORLAND WORKING ON DBASE-LIKE
------------------------- MS-WINDOWS PROGRAM
According to Borland International's President and founder Philippe
Kahn, Borland will produce a Windows-based database front end that is
compatible with the dBASE language from both a 'dialect' and data access
standpoint within the next 12 months. The software technology will use
Borland's existing Paradox database engine as its 'back-end' and will
handle both existing dBASE-language applications as well as dBASE data
files.
- Manhasset, New York RESELLERS SKEPTICAL ABOUT IBM AND
------------------- COMPAQ PRICE CUTS
Attempting to be more competitive with clone manufacturers, Compaq and
IBM have recently lowered prices on their 386SX systems. Compaq lowered
dealer prices on a 386SX system with a 40-meg hard drive to $1,399 and
IBM brought its Model 55SX with its 386SX microprocessor and 30-meg hard
disk to $1,797.
Even though these are big price drops, dealers are still not happy since
their costs on the systems are still above the list prices of comparable
computers from respected clone manufacturers such as Dell and Zeos
International.
IBM and Compaq have always been viewed as a good buy because of their
reliability and support, a major survey of users published in the Sept.
25, 1990 PC Magazine showed that, while both companies enjoy a solid
reputation, some clone makers rated higher in reliability and service.
_______________________________________________________
> ACCEPT UG OFFER! STR InfoFile Free ACCEPT Membership offer
=============================
***************A Special Offer from ACCEPT****************
The Advanced Computer Club of El Paso, Texas is having a once in a
lifetime special offer: Free Membership!
That's right, from now until the end of June, 1991, ACCEPT is
offering a free 3 month trial membership to any Atari user in the
United States of America.
---===Membership includes:===---
A three month subscription to Atari Interface Magazine
A three month subscription to Atari User Magazine
Access to our entire pd library of over 250 megs of software!
A free disk listing our entire library
A free disk sampling of pd software
($2.00 shipping fee. Sorry, we aren't made of money!)
Special access to our private BBS: STE-EP at 915-821-9220
Discounts from Jenkins' Computer Store
(When you order from their toll free line, 1-800-880-6938, let 'em
know you are a member, and receive an automatic 10% discount!)
Technical help from the only Atari user computer group in all of West
Texas, southern New Mexico, and eastern Arizona!
What's the catch? Nothing! We are just attempting to gain a few new mem-
bers, and hope that you will be impressed enough to join us full time once
your trial membership expires. If you do not have a user group in your
area, why not join us? Membership fees are only $20.00 per year, and
include all of the above, except for a year, not 3 months!
Simply fill out the form below, detach it, and mail it in. Once we get
you in our computer, you will be receiving all the club stuff for the next
three months,for free! But you have to hurry, this offer expires on June
30, 1991.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-CLIP-
Free ACCEPT Membership offer
NAME __________________________________________DATE: ___/___/___
ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________
CITY: _____________________________ STATE: _______ ZIP:_________
TYPE OF COMPUTER: ________________
WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS OFFER? ____________________________
PLEASE RETURN THIS COUPON TO:
ACCEPT USERGROUP
10953 YOGI BERRA
EL PASO, TEXAS
79934
ATT: TIM HOLT
OFFER EXPIRES 6-30-91.
VALID ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
ACCEPT IS A PRIVATE, NON-PROFIT COMPUTER USER GROUP, FOUNDED IN 1987.
OFFER SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Current members exempt from offer.
-CLIP-
-----------------------------------------------------------------
> STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date...
================================
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
=========================
On CompuServe
by Walter Daniel 75066,164
The big news this week was David Stewart's program 60COLS.EXE. This
program is a demo of software he is developing that reduces the size of
each character in order to have a 60 column by 10 row screen. The library
filename is 60BY10.ZIP; it includes the program, documentation, and a
character data file. The demo allows you to type upper- and lower-case
characters on the screen. I tried it and found the display readable, but
then I still have young eyes. David reports that he is working on a word
processor and a Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) utility that will allow
other programs to use the 60 by 10 display.
Keith Comer tried 60COLS and decided he could improve it. His upload,
CDATA.DAT is a new font file for 60COLS that must be renamed CHARDATA.DAT
to replace the original one. I found the display more legible with Kei-
th's fonts.
David Stewart also uploaded 40COLS.ZIP, a program that will format
text files for the Portfolio 40 column screen. (Is this guy busy or
what?) He's also working on a file viewer that uses the 60 by 10 screen
code. You may recall that David also uploaded a program named 80COLS a
while back that allowed flipping the display between columns 1-40 and
41-80.
A complete list of the files in the libraries of the Atari Portfolio
Forum was uploaded this week (see PFCISL.ZIP). The file unzips to 128k,
so don't even try to do so on your Portfolio.
The ever-prolific BJ Gleason uploaded a short program that will dis-
play the number of days since you installed the batteries (see BM.ZIP).
I've always kept a slip of paper inside the battery compartment with the
date of battery installation written on it, but the advantage of BJ's
program is that you can tell your Portfolio to remind you every time you
boot. The program is a regular EXE file, but it can be called by your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
_____________________________________________________________
> STE Memory UG STR FOCUS Using SIMMS successfully
=======================
UPGRADING THE MEMORY IN YOUR STE/MEGASTE
========================================
by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
It seems some of the most asked questions by STe/MegaSTe owners is how
to upgrade their memory, what type of SIMMS to use, where to get them,
and what is the best price. In this article I'll attempt to answer some
of these questions using information compiled from one of the major on-
line networks.
Computer Shopper has ads for some of the lowest SIMMS prices around.
Pick up one and browse though it and you'll find 100's of places that
have SIMMS on sale at 100's of different prices. One place that keeps
getting mentioned for having the lowest prices on SIMMS is The Chip
Merchant. Their prices fluctuate almost daily, so call to double-check
before ordering, don't trust that the prices in a magazine are still
current.
(NOTE: I recently read of someone having a bad experience with The Chip
Merchant, but most people, myself included, have not had any problems
with them.)
Since December, SIMMS prices have been rising, so expect to pay
somewhere in the $43-$50 range (per chip - you will need 4 chips to go
to 4-megs). That means you will pay somewhere between $170-$200 to up-
grade to a full 4-megs.
Now onto the hardware stuff...
FIRST - Remember, upgrading your memory will void your warranty, so it
is always best to wait until after your warranty expires. Always unplug
your system before working on it and ALWAYS make sure you don't touch
the power supply (it can still 'bite' even if the system is unplugged).
Also, make sure that you are properly grounded so that no stray static
electricity can inadvertently kill some part.
SECOND - Some basic information about SIMMS (remember, you want to buy
SIMMS, not SIPS). SIMMS are eight chips that come on a little card and
are approximately 1" high x 3" to 4" long.
There are two basic types of SIMMS available that will work in the
STe/MegaSTe, the 8x1mb (megabit) Macintosh type and the 9x1mb IBM type.
The 8x1mb usually is a little cheaper but the 9x1mb will work in an IBM
(if you would ever anticipate that need). But make sure they are either
8x1mb or 9x1mb SIMMS and not 8x4x256k or something else.
SIMMS come in both low- and high-profile models. Again, it doesn't
matter which one you get as both will work just fine in the STe/MegaSTe.
Also, since the STe/MegaSTe will handle any SIMMS faster than 150ns, and
since no-one sells SIMMS slower than that, it doesn't matter what speed
you buy.
THIRD - Removing the old SIMMS (on a STe, I assume the MegaSTe will be
similar). Open the case (this will void your warranty), with the
keyboard facing you. You will see two metal RF shielding covers, a large
one that covers the main mother-board and a smaller one (towards the
rear) that covers the SIMMS. The smaller one is the only one you will
need to remove.
Once you have taken off the smaller metal shield, you will see four 256k
SIMMS in four slots. Make a note of which direction they are facing.
They are easy to remove but you will need to exercise some caution while
removing them. There is a little plastic clip on each side of each SIMMS
which locks them in place. Just move the clip to the side, which unlocks
it. (NOTE: This clip is easy to break off if you are not careful! I know
of a local Atari tech who found this out the hard way on his personal
STe and now has rubber bands holding his SIMMS in place.) Gently 'rock'
the SIMMS toward you, and they should pull out easily. (NOTE: Don't use
force, they are easy to pull out once the tabs/clip is unlocked.)
FOUR - Installation (for a STe but the MegaSTe should be similar).
Just do the reverse of the above procedure. Just snap the 1meg SIMMS in
place, making sure they face the same direction as the originals did and
re-lock the plastic tabs/clips.
If you are upgrading to 4-megs, just put one of the new SIMMS into each
socket, lock them back in and go to procedure number FIVE. If you are
just upgrading to 2-megs, install one SIMMS in the first socket and the
other in the third socket (the first socket is the one at the rear,
furthest away from the keyboard).
One thing that you need to know if you're only upgrading to 2-megs, you
can't use your old 256k SIMMS in the other banks (i.e., slots) to get
2.5-megs of memory. The STe/MegaSTe's hardware just won't allow it.
There is some software floating around that supposedly will allow you to
access the extra .5 megs of memory, but it has had 'mixed reviews' and
many people report problems when they use it.
FIVE - You are almost through! Now just re-install the metal RF shield
and put your case back together and you're all done.
Before doing this you might want to power up your system and make sure
all of your connections are tight. If you only upgraded to 2-megs and
find that you don't get video when you power-up, you probably installed
the two SIMMS in the wrong sockets. Unplug the system again, remove the
two SIMMS and put both of them in the opposite sockets.
The actual removal and installation is much simpler than what it seems
to be in this article. It will probably only take you 10-15 minutes to
do the whole upgrade.
Credits To:
J.Douglas
Ron Grant - GXR Systems
Johnathan Budil - Fiction Collective Two
Brien King
Cory Chapman
__________________________________________________________
***********************************************************************
: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: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
**** SIGN UP FEE WAIVED ****
The system will now prompt you for your information.
-> NOW! GENIE STAR SERVICE IS IN EFFECT!! <-
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
***********************************************************************
> The Flip Side STR Feature ".... A different viewpoint"
=========================
A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT
==================================
by Michael Lee
There have been some interesting discussions on the various major on-
line services recently. These discussions cover a wide variety of
subjects and sometimes get quite lengthy. Starting this week, I'm going
to attempt to 'digest' and compile some of the ones that I found the
most interesting (this weeks is about laser printers from the SoftLogik
RoundTable on Genie). Keep in mind when you read these 'digested'
topics, that many covered 10-30 different posts from 2-10 different
people. Not being a professional writer, I only hope that I can keep the
original 'flavor' intact.
Also, I've re-started including some posts from the ST RoundTable on
Genie. But due to their new rules and the normal limitations this column
is subject to, I will be forced to do more paraphrasing and thus, I will
not be able to give the original poster proper credit. (If I give him
credit, then I'm quoting from him - a Catch-22 situation.)
----------------
About the new DC Shower, from AGASSI on Delphi...
...my DC Shower arrived yesterday and I had a chance to try it out
today. I've got to say that the folks at Double Click always seem to
develop the absolutely most innovative utilities that seem to be
EXACTLY something that I can use. DC Shower is definitely no
exception! It will view 17 different picture types, [it has]...an
excellent text file viewer (including a hex mode), as well as
extracts ARC, LZH, ZIP and ZOO files faster than anything else on the
market (except for DCopy, which is only a few seconds faster per
megabyte...).
...[viewing] text files is very quick...since all of the modules are
memory resident, yet [the modules] take up very little memory. Also,
since each portion is a module, Double Click is promoting the
addition of more "modules" to the system, suggesting that even a full
fledged text editor could replace the current text viewer...Hot
stuff!
----------------
Some misc. comments by STACE - Mark Booth - (RT Sysop) from the Gadgets
RoundTable on Genie...
I've had a couple of other folks that had some printing problems
right after they installed System 6.0.5. In these cases, however,
they weren't able to get ANY output at all. In both cases, going back
and re-installing the System software again (6.0.5) fixed their
problems. I think I will stick with 6.0.4 for a while.
About problems with Touch Up saved Macpaint files from STACE - Mark
Booth - (RT Sysop)...
From what I have read, apparently Touch-Up saves MacPaint files in a
slightly incompatible format. In other words, it doesn't save in a
"true" Mac format. I believe everyone has been saving files out of
Touch-Up as .PI3 Degas pics and then converting them to MacPaint
format using PI32MAC.PRG (available in the ST RT libraries).
----------------
About new GFA support, from John Barger (GFA-Software) on CIS...
...I'm now running the software support section of GFA-Software
Technologies Inc. (a US subsidiary of the German company GFA-
Systemtechnik). We produce, among other things, a product called GFA-
BASIC. It combines the intuitive syntax of BASIC with the structured
programming of PASCAL and C, while possessing a speed of execution
similar to C or ASSEMBLER. C and ASSEMBLER code can be bound in to
GFA-BASIC programs as well. GFA-BASIC is extremely portable. Code
written with one version of GFA-BASIC can be ported, with little or
no modification, to any of over nine versions (including: ATARI ST
and TT, AMIGA, MS-DOS, WINDOWS 3.0, OS/2 and UNIX)...If you have ANY
questions write or call:
John Barger
GFA-Software Technologies Inc.
27 Congress St.
Salem, MA 01970
Tel: (508) 744-0201
FAX: (508) 744-8041
...Right now ALL ATARI users can buy the MS-DOS version of GFA-BASIC
for 50% off. Give us a call for more info.
Question from Gary Gray (Megabyte Plus) on CIS...
I am interested in the availability of GFA TT. I am a dealer at this
point my primary distributor is Pacific Software. Will I need to wait
till they have GFA TT in stock, or can I order direct from the above
address.
Answer from John Barger (GFA Software) on CIS...
At the moment the ONLY way to get ANY GFA-Product is from us direct.
We are still wondering whether or not to go through secondary dist-
ributors. (That...does not include anything that they bought BEFORE
we stopped using ANTIC as the US distributor.)
AS for the TT version (3.6) I'm not sure how we are going to work
that. (IE: Upgrade, separate product, or something else.) Give me a
call Friday next week (MAY 3rd) and I should have and answer.
----------------
Paraphrased and compiled posts from the ST RoundTable on Genie about the
Quantum LPS105S...
The Quantum LPS105S, 105-meg hard drive that has been discussed
recently on Genie and in ST Report (issue 716) is a bare drive that
still requires a host adaptor, case, power supply, cables, etc. You
cannot just buy one and plug it into the back of your computer. ICD
sells a hard drive kit that has all of the needed items included in
it.
Since the Quantum LPS105S is so fast, quiet, small, inexpensive and
has such a low-power demand, it makes an excellent internal hard
drive for the MegaST and is recommended by ICD. ICD also sells an
internal hard drive installation kit for the MegaST.
One thing you should know, if you put an internal hard drive inside
the MegaST, you will not be able to use the Atari laser printer.
----------------
Which Postscript Laser printer to buy? Here's some questions and
answers from the Soft Logik RT on Genie (Note: many of the replies were
compiled from 2-4 posts)...
Question from M.Buckhold...
...I'm wanting to buy a postscript laser, but can't decide which one.
I am a freelance typesetter and designer, working with Pagestream on
a Mega ST4, with ultrascript and SLM804. I need to upgrade to a good
Postscript Laser that does well with small type. I'm currently
looking at:
* QMS PS-410
* NEC Silentwriter2 L-90 (great price at only $1595.00)
* HPIII with Adobe ps cartridge or Pacific Page cartridge
Answer from Mike Angier...
I use the NEC Silentwriter II Model 90 and have nothing but praise
for this machine. Compared to the Cannon-based machines (HP et al),
the NEC has some of the best quality blacks that I have seen. The NEC
is 6 ppm and can be connected either serial, parallel or LocalTalk.
The toner/photodrum unit is more expensive than the HP equivalent,
but per page it is very close...The NEC toner drum unit (one piece)
sells for about $170 but is rated at 8000 pages and 5% coverage (be
careful with IBM, they rate their carts at 2.8% coverage)..
Compared to the HP's, the NEC uses true Adobe Postscript v52.2 with a
16.7 MHz 68000 cpu...much faster than emulator cart's. The only
problem that I've had with the NEC is that some large type-3 files do
not print on legal size paper with only 2 meg. Upgrade memory on the
NEC to 4 megs lists for $499 and sells for about $350. This problem
only occurs with 8 or 9 of my 120 or so fonts.
Answer from FRED.M...
...I think the HP-III would be a good choice with its "Resolution
Enhancement" to provide 600 dpi looking output (though it's still 300
dpi). From what I've heard, if you go the cartridge route get the
ADOBE Postscript cartridge for best compatibility plus its faster.
Answer from David B...
I agree with Fred in regard to the ADOBE PS cart. My school, due to
budgeting and the mix of computers we have, selected the Pacific cart
and while it isn't at all bad, there have been a few times I've had
to either take a file to a friend's house or redo a drawing due to a
very fancy fill or mask.
From John & Dee Dee Martin...
Good luck with your decision on buying a laser printer. I know what
Dee Dee and I went thru when we "bite the bullet". You want to make
sure you make the right choice.
After looking at quite a few sample printouts and comparing all the
cost factors, we kept going back to the HP III with the Adobe (NOT an
emulator) cartridge. 2 extra megs of RAM (it comes with 1) and we
felt like we configured it about as best we could...One nice feature
of the HP III is that the toner/drum assembly is one unit. You
replace both at the same time for approx. $60-75 mail order.
Do yourself a favor and get a sample printout of the same page before
you make a decision. The appearance of 400-600 dpi from the HP III
made the particular sample(s) we looked at, stand out like a sore
thumb.
Answer from Mike Loader...
The QMS 410 has a couple of advantages:
First, auto HP/PS sensing. No buttons to push to switch emulations.
It 'tastes' the docs to find out what they are.
Second, it's fast. Real fast. 68020 at 16MHz. If you go the cart-
ridge route, you will be looking at least 3 times longer for
printouts.
Third, there's only 1 disposable, and it's clean.
Fourth, it has SER, PAR and AppleTalk built in, and if you are net-
working, it'll queue incoming docs from different sources. Wow!
Fifth, it has 45 fonts, not 35. Plus 2 font slots.
Sixth, it has 2MB expandable to 6.
Seventh, it's designed to take a PostScript level 2 upgrade board,
which few of the other available printers advertised as capable of.
And lastly, eighth, it's a great little printer!
(But don't expect to print legal to it from PageStream without a
legal cartridge yet!)
----------------
Paraphrased from a post from the ST RoundTable on Genie about the where
to find the cheapest price for 1040STe...
Joppa (1-800-876-6040), Toad Computers (1-800-448-TOAD) and Zepher/
STPlu
s (1-800-759-1110) are three places that have some of the lowest
prices around for the 1040 STe's. Their prices are usually in the
$385-$399 range, but could fall lower. If you want a STe and don't
need a local dealers support (or don't have a local dealer), you
might check these two places out.
-----------------
Question from John Fournier about TT/GCR problems on the Gadgets Round-
Table on Genie..
How many other TT030 owners out there have not been able to get GCR
to work? Mine freezes up after pressing [RETURN] to go into Mac
mode. It lights the floppy lights on both drives, sends something to
the modem, and freezes. [It] also seems to relocate the screen for an
instant. Anyone else have this problem....
Answer from STACE - Mark Booth - from the Gadgets RoundTable on Genie...
My local dealer has been unable to make Spectre GCR work on his TT as
well. A Spectre 128, however, is reported to work fine. I suggested
he try disconnecting the floppy cable on the GCR, just to see if that
made a difference. I have not talked to him since to see what results
he had.
Apparently, some TT's are more incompatible with Spectre GCR than
others. I have personally used a TT that worked just fine with
Spectre GCR. Unfortunately, your report of problems is not the first
report. One fellow in Canada had to exchange his way through 3 TT's
to find one that worked with Spectre GCR. In his case, Spectre 128
worked just fine as well.
I don't know what steps (if any) Gadgets is taking to try to solve
this mystery. I honestly don't think the "blame" is in the lap of
Gadgets. It seems pretty obvious that something about the design in
the TT is causing the problem. The very same GCR that wouldn't work
with my dealer's TT worked just fine on two different ST's. Since
some TT's work fine and others don't, my best guess would be
something along the lines of weak bus drivers or similar. Perhaps the
TT, by its very design, just can't handle as much "load" on the
cartridge port as the ST???
----------------
Some comments about 'Just Another War In Space' from John Thornburgh on
the ST RoundTable (Cat. 9, Topic 6, Message 17) on Genie...
I decided to try this game out. I really wouldn't say it's too
complicated; getting the basic controls down wasn't that hard. The
tutorial is no problem.
But the game is definitely hard. After the tutorial, I tried scenario
#2. At the default difficulty (750), I got blown away! So I turned it
down to 100, and managed to win. The I tried 300. The problem there
is the enemy disappears (goes into hyperspace) when I start to do
well, so I've never won, though I don't lose either. This is a bit
frustrating.
All in all, looks to be an interesting game. I do wish some of the
controls were a little better. I'd like the ability to program a
course, not just a heading and thrust setting, for example.
----------------
Until next week.....
____________________________________________________________
> PRODIGY - FOR REAL? STR Spotlight Problems in La-La Land
=================================
MORE OF A PRODIGY THAN WE THINK?
================================
By Linda Houser Rohbough
The Los Angeles County D.A's Office made known that it is considering
additional charges against Prodigy, a computer information service oper-
ated by Sears Roebuck & Co and IBM. The D.A.'s office said its investiga-
tion into Prodigy to include possible criminal and civil violations invol-
ving alleged unfair business practices and unauthorized access to com-
puters and computer data. They said a file called STAGE. DAT created by
Prodigy software to facilitate processing is the file in question and the
reason for the expanded investigation.
The L. A. County District Attorney is formally investigating PRODIGY
for deceptive trade practices. Computer users nationwide, are free to an-
nounce the fact of the investigation. Anyone can file a complaint. From
anywhere.
The address is:
District Attorney's Office
Department of Consumer Protection
Attn: RICH GOLDSTEIN, Investigator Hall of Records
Room 540320 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Please, Goldstein doesn't want phone calls, he wants simple written
statements and copies (no originals) of any relevant documents attached.
He will call the individuals as needed, he doesn't want his phone ringing
off the hook, but you may call him if it is urgent at 1-213-974-3981.
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION EXTRA CAREFULLY. YOU NEED NOT BE IN CALIFORNIA
TO FILE!! THE COUNTY IS REPRESENTING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. This ISN'T
limited to L. A. County and complaints are welcome from ANYWHERE in the
Country or the world. The idea is investigation of specific Code Sections
and if a Nationwide Pattern is shown, all the better.
The stigma that haunts child prodigies is that they are difficult to
get along with, mischievous and occasionally, just flat dangerous, using
innocence to trick us. I wonder if that label fits Prodigy, Sears and
IBM's telecommunications network?
Those of you who read my December article know that I was tipped off
at COMDEX to look at a Prodigy file, created when Prodigy is loaded ST-
AGE.DAT. I was told I would find in that file personal information from
my hard disk unrelated to Prodigy. As you know, I did find copies of the
source code to our product FastTrack, in STAGE.DAT. The fact that they
were there at all gave me the same feeling of violation as the last time
my home was broken into by burglars.
I invite you to look at your own STAGE.DAT file, if you're a Prodigy
user, and see if you found anything suspect. Since then I have had nume-
rous calls with reports of similar finds, everything from private patient
medical information to classified government information.
The danger is Prodigy is uploading STAGE.DAT and taking a look at your
private business. Why? My guess is marketing research, which is expen-
sive through legitimate channels, and unwelcomed by you and I. The ques-
tion now is: Is it on purpose, or a mistake? One caller theorizes that
it is a bug. He looked at STAGE.DAT with a piece of software he wrote to
look at the physical location of data on the hardisk, and found that his
STAGE.DAT file allocated 950,272 bytes of disk space for storage.
Prodigy stored information about the sections viewed frequently and
the data needed to draw those screens in STAGE.DAT. Service would be
faster with information stored on the PC rather then the same information
being downloaded from Prodigy each time.
That's a viable theory because ASCII evidence of those screens shots
can be found in STAGE.DAT, along with AUTOEXEC.BAT and path information.
I am led to believe that the path and system configuration (in RAM) are
diddled with and then restored to previous settings upon exit. So the
theory goes, in allocating that disk space, Prodigy accidently includes
data left after an erasure (As you know, DOS does not wipe clean the space
that deleted files took on the hard disk, but merely marked the space as
vacant in the File Allocation Table.)
There are a couple of problems with this theory. One is that it as-
sumes that the space was all allocated at once, meaning all 950,272 bytes
were absorbed at one time. That simply isn't true. My STAGE.DAT was
250,000+ bytes after the first time I used Prodigy. The second assumption
is that Prodigy didn't want the personal information; it was getting it
accidently in uploading and downloading to and from STAGE.DAT. The E-mail
controversy with Prodigy throws doubt upon that. The E-mail controversy
started because people were finding mail they sent with comments about
Prodigy or the E-mail, especially negative ones, never arrive. Now Pro-
digy is saying they don't actually read the mail, they just have the
computer scan it for key terms, and delete those messages because they are
responsible for what happens on Prodigy.
I received a call from another user group who read our newsletter and
is very involved in telecommunications. He installed and ran Prodigy on a
freshly formatted 3.5 inch 1.44 meg disk. Sure enough, upon checking
STAGE.DAT he discovered personal data from his hard disk that could not
have been left there after an erasure. He had a very difficult time
trying to get someone at Prodigy to talk to about this.
There's a file called 'fraudigy.Zip' that I suggest all who use the
prodigy service take very seriously. The file describes how the Prodigy
service seems to scan your hard drive for personal information, dumps it
into a file in the prodigy sub-directory called 'STAGE.DAT' and while
you're waiting and waiting for that next menu come up, they're uploading
your stuff and looking at it.
Today while in Babbages's, I was talking to a friend when a gentleman
walked in, heard our discussion, and piped in that he was a columnist on
Prodigy. He said that the info found in 'fraudigy.Zip' was indeed true
and that if you read your on-line agreement closely, it says that you sign
all rights to your computer and its contents to Prodigy, IBM & Sears when
you agree to the service.
I tried the tests suggested in 'fraudigy.Zip' with a virgin 'Prodigy'
Kit. I did two installations, one to my often used hard drive partition,
and one onto a 1.2Mb floppy. On the floppy version, upon installation
(without logging on), I found that the file 'stage.Dat' contained a lis-
ting of every .Bat and setup file contained in my 'c:' drive boot direc-
tory. Using the hard drive directory of Prodigy that was set up, I
proceeded to log on. I logged on, consented to the agreement, and logged
off. Remember, this was a virgin setup kit.
After logging off I looked at 'stage.Dat' and 'cache.Dat' found in
the Prodigy subdirectory. In those files, I found pointers to personal
notes that were buried three sub-directories down on my drive, and at the
end of 'stage.Dat' was an exact image copy of my pc-desktop appointments
calender. Check it out for yourself.
I had my lawyer check his STAGE.DAT file and he found none other than
CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT INFO in it. Needless to say he is no longer a Prodigy
user.
Note:
This item was forwarded to STReport as a service to all readers, we hope
we got the credits right, if not let us know and we will correct same.
STReport felt that due to the sensitive nature of these points of infor-
mation, it would be best to get this out to the users as soon as possible.
______________________________________________________
> SEURAT UPDATE STR InfoFile UPDATES GALORE!
==========================
=========================================================================
PRESS RELEASE SKWare One / P.O. Box 277
April 30, 1991 Bunker Hill, IL 62014 USA
=========================================================================
THE COLORSCAN PROGRAM TURNS YOUR MiGRAPH HANDSCANNER INTO A
C O L O R S C A N N E R ! !
An AMAZING New Product from SKWare One!
IT DOES WHAT NO OTHER PROGRAM CAN!
Don't you wish your MiGraph Handscanner could SCAN IN COLOR as easily
as it does in Black-and-White? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Well, guess
what, IT CAN!
No, it doesn't require hardware modification. ALL YOU NEED is the
Amazing New COLORSCAN program from SKWare One! COLORSCAN converts those
scanned monochrome .IMG files that the Handscanner produces into sharp,
detailed brilliant COLOR PICTURES!
COLORSCAN's Great Color Conversions can be saved in virtually every
Atari Picture Format, eight in all! You choose from Degas, NeoChrome,
TINY, Deluxe Paint .IFF, Atari HyperPaint, the NEW GEM COLOR .IMG files
(in ST/TT format), & extended range (20-color) SPECTRUM Files (in STe
colors)!
COLORSCAN is fully STe-4096-Color Capable and contains a powerful
multi-featured palette editor so you can customize your colors! Yet,
COLORSCAN is simple to use, with a host of convenient features (like
self-scrolling windows) and lots of options.
I can't compare the COLORSCAN program to any other program, because
the totally NEW COLORSCAN is UNIQUE! There simply is NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT!
And, it's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3! Just load your scanned .IMG file, click on
the Convert button, and watch as COLORSCAN's fast and powerful algorithms
turn black bits into a dazzling color picture that develops right before
your eyes! Just save your great picture and you're ready for another...
and another!
COLORSCAN produces remarkable results at a surprisingly affordable
price! (Have you priced a color scanner lately?) If you own the MiGraph
Handscanner, the COLORSCAN program is a MUST BUY!
C O L O R S C A N
IS ONLY $59.95!
With 6,000-word User's Manual on-disk (prints two-side on DeskJet).
(Requires Color Monitor and 1-Meg ST/STe)
MasterCard/VISA accepted
THE ONLY WAY you can get the Amazing COLORSCAN
is to send your Check, Money Order, or Credit Card Information to:
SKWare One / P. O. Box 277 / Bunker Hill, Illinois 62014 USA
Order Yours Today!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SHIPPING: SKWare One pays postage on all USA AND CANADIAN orders.
For overseas orders (not on North American continent), include an addi-
tional $3.00 for surface mail or an additional $4.00 for air mail deliv-
ery.
(All prices given in US dollars.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
UPGRADE POLICY:
All Upgrades Are Free For Six Months From Date of Purchase!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
GEM, GEM Desktop and GDOS are Trademarks of Digital Research, Inc.
ATARI, ST, STe, TT, and NeoChrome are Trademarks of the Atari Corp.
DEGAS and DELUXE PAINT are Trademarks of Electronic Arts.
MiGraph Handscanner a Product of MiGraph, Inc.
COLORSCAN is a Trademark of SKWare One, Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
COLORSCAN will debut at the Windsor-Detroit International Atari Fest, May
4-5. Come see it in action if you want to see if it's as good as I say!
(It is!) Or, download the COLRIMG8.LZH from GEnie or other major national
BBS (requires IMGVIEWR.PRG to view). Having pre- viewed COLORSCAN at a
local show last week, what I heard was "You made THAT picture with this
program? Uhh, how can I get a copy?" If you have to see it to believe it,
then you'll be convinced by seeing COLORSCAN!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCING
S E U R A T V E R S I O N 2 . 2
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The BEST BARGAIN in Atari ST Graphics Programs CONTINUES to get BETTER!
SEURAT Version 2.20 adds UNIQUE FEATURES to what was already a GREAT DEAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Now you can Create and Edit Graphics in virtually EVERY ATARI PICTURE
FORMAT: Degas, TINY, NeoChrome, Deluxe Paint .IFF, MacPaint, and GEM IMG
files, including the NEW GEM COLOR .IMG files (any size color .IMG, in
ST/TT format; SEURAT is the first program to support these Color .IMG
files)! Yes, Now SEURAT Loads and Saves Eight Atari Picture Formats!
EIGHT Image Buffers! Instead of having to work on only a single .IMG file
in a single image window, with SEURAT you can edit and exchange between up
to eight .IMG (and Degas and Tiny and IFF...) files at once!
Whether you are using the full resources of SEURAT to create and edit Mono
.IMG's for your Desktop Publishing or giant Color .IMG's, you can use
powerful raster tools and work in a familiar Paint Program environment
with full-screen access to .IMG's! Enjoy the best of both worlds!
NOW STE-4096-COLOR Capable! SEURAT's Powerful Palette Editor, with video--
like color controls which modify whole palettes with a single mouse str-
oke, now works in BOTH STe AND ST modes. And, if you work on a ST, it
will save your pictures with STe-compatible colors!
SEURAT will load lo-rez COLOR pictures directly into the MONO program and
convert them to mono .IMG files, and loads mono .IMG and pix into COLOR
and converts them into medium-rez Color .IMG! Lo-rez color converted with
editable dithers for superbly detailed printing of color images! SEURAT
re-scales color pix to correct for monitor aspect ratio, automatically
reproducing the true proportion of color images. No more squashed conver-
sions!
PRINT FROM SEURAT! With built-in drivers for HP DeskJet (and LaserJet &
all HP-compatibles), and Epson Nine-pin, too! DeskJet driver outputs at
75/150/300 dots-per-inch in BOTH Portrait and Landscape orientation, and
it's positionable on the page to the dot! But that's not all...
Complete PRINTIMG.PRG (it's included with SEURAT) for GDOS printing!
PRINTIMG.PRG offers the same capabilities as desktop publishing programs
like PAGESTREAM and CALAMUS. Images can be scaled to ANY size, from Full
page down to "thumbnail-sketch," re-proportioned, stretched or squished to
fit, can be placed anywhere on the page you want it, and in either port-
rait or landscape orientation, all on any printer for which a GDOS driver
exists! (GDOS program not supplied.)
With BOTH BEZIER and SPLINE CURVE DRAWING Tools! Lets your ST draw for
you, with a virtually infinite variety of natural-looking curved lines.
Quick and easy-to-use, they really speed up your drawing! And SlowMouse,
variable-speed mouse makes free-hand drawing easier, too!
FAST Multi-Ratio Zoom (2X to 8X) and BEST ZOOM Interface!
SO MANY FEATURES! System, Degas and GDOS TEXT fonts to scale, style, color
and rotate! 11 block functions to shape & twist image blocks; 92 color &
mono fill patterns; 42 brushes including user-defined and multi-colored
brushes; 4 graphic write modes & 21 block & mask write modes; circle,
ellipse & filled disc in free, repeat & concentric modes; round & square-
cornered rectangles & solids; rays; airbrush; clear-circle & clear-box;
vertical, horizon- tal & free lines; polylines & polygons in line-edge or
spline-curve; area & seed fill; user-set clipping; color remap; mirror;
screen shift, flip, invert & rotate; fill editor; brush editor; line
editor; gobs of great disk functions like Format and a Super File Direc-
tory; and a hundred or so other features & tools that there's no room to
mention here... Whew!
INDISPENSIBLE for GEM .IMG graphics for your Desktop Publishing! More
graphic tools and operations for creating and editing .IMG files than ANY
OTHER PROGRAM (no matter how much it costs)! And NOW COLOR .IMG FILES,
TOO! SEURAT Loads and Saves Almost EVERY Atari Picture Format!
DON'T BE MISLED by SEURAT's continued LOW PRICE! VERSION 2.2 is a POWER
TOOL that out-performs many of the "big-name" programs!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SEURAT VERSION 2.20
IS ONLY $39.95!
Two-disk set, with 36,000-word User's Manual on-disk:
COLOR AND MONO Programs! You Get BOTH!
Plus 195 utility and application files (fonts, fills, pix)!
(Requires 1-Meg ST with doublesided drive)
MasterCard/VISA accepted
THE ONLY WAY you can get a copy of SEURAT
is to send your Check, Money Order, or Credit Card Information to:
SKWare One / P. O. Box 277 / Bunker Hill, Illinois 62014 USA
Order Yours Today!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SHIPPING: SKWare One pays postage on all USA AND CANADIAN orders. For
overseas orders (not on North American continent), include an additional
$3.00 for surface mail or an additional $4.00 for air mail delivery.
(All prices given in US dollars.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
DeskJet DOC Printer Disk Also Available: You can print out a self col-
lating two-sided copy of the 92-Page User's Manual on the Hewlett Packard
DeskJet in draft mode with this print package. (You just print the LEFT.-
DOC, put the stack of paper back in without re-arranging it, then print
the RIGHT.DOC, and end up with a collated copy of the User's Manual pri-
nted on front and back sides, with staggered margins, ready for binding.
If you want a copy of this print package, just ask for the "DeskJet DOC
Printer Disk" and include an additional $3.00 ($4.00 overseas air mail).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
UPGRADE POLICY: All Upgrades Are Free For Six Months From Date of Pur-
chase! And, yes, SEURAT owners, announcement of Version 2.2 means that
YOUR upgrade disks will be coming in four to six weeks!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GEM, GEM Desktop and GDOS are Trademarks of Digital Research, Inc.
ATARI, ST, STe, TT, and NeoChrome are Trademarks of the Atari Corp.
PAGESTREAM is a Trademark of SoftLogick, Inc.
CALAMUS is a Trademark of DMC/Diteck International.
DEGAS and DELUXE PAINT are Trademarks of Electronic Arts.
SEURAT, COLORIMG, MONSURAT, and PRINTING are Trademarks of SKWare One
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "ATARI NEWS & EVENTS FIRST!"
=====================
- Waltham, Ma. SYQUEST TO FACE SOME COMPETITION!
-----------
Ricoh is now offering a 50mb removable hard disk that is directly compared
with the Syquest 44mb. Features of Ricoh versus Syquest are, improved
dust seals, smoother operating ejection mechanisms, cooling air intake
filter, better service is offered and of course, 6mb of higher capacity.
The unit is somewhat more expensive, but it is detailed as a far superior
unit. The bottom liner is the benefits to the user, as competition be-
comes keener, the user can only benfit.
- Ann Arbor, MI THE WINDSOR SHOW -> THIS WEEKEND!
-------------
The Windsor Atari Users Group of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and the Wash-
tenaw Atari Users Group of Ann Arbor, MI are hosting the Windsor/Detroit
International AtariFest on May 4-5, 1991 at the St. Clair College of Arts
and Technology in Windsor. Don't miss this show -- it's a BIG one!!!
Thirty-Six Exhibitors!
Exhibitors attending the show include:
Atari US Atari Canada Branch Always Software
Canoe Computer Channel One Computer C-HQ, Inc.
Clear Thinking CodeHead Software Computer Services & Supply
Computers Plus Consortium Software DA Brumleve
DataQue Software Double Click Software Gadgets By Small
Gribnif Software Goldleaf Publishing ICD, Inc.
Intrinsic Software ISD Marketing JMG CompuShoppe
JMG Software MegaType Micro Creations
MS Designs Musicode Software Nice & Software
PDC Distributors Phil Comeau Software Rimik Enterprises
Sav-Tech SKWare One Taylor Ridge Books
Unicorn Publications What's This? Wiz Works
Seminars!
Seminars will be held throughout both days by companies such as Branch
Always, CodeHead Software, DataQue Software, Gadgets By Small, Gribnif
Software, Goldleaf Publishing and ISD Marketing to name just a few! Jeoff
Earle, general manager of Atari Canada and Bob Brodie, manager of User
Group Services for Atari US will hold a joint seminar on each day as well.
Door Prizes!!
Don't forget to drop your ticket stub in the Door Prize barrel at the
WAUG user group booths. Door prizes include a Grand Prize drawing on
Saturday for a complete Calamus, Font Editor and Outline Art package
donated by ISD Marketing and a Grand Prize drawing on Sunday for a
complete 1040STE system with color monitor donated by Atari Canada!
(Note: You do not have to be present to win the 1040STE system. Info on
door prize drawings is contained in the show brochure.)
Highlights
Come see the new SST 68030 upgrade from Gadgets By Small in action! Stop
in at the JMG Software booth for the first public showing/release of
HyperLINK. See the new Hotwire and MultiFile updates at the CodeHead
booth...and bring your original CodeHead software disks for upgrading at
the show! Check out the many new products being carried by Goldleaf
Publishing. Get your copy of Menu Plus at the Rimik Enterprises booth.
Stop at the Gribnif booth to see their Call NeoDesk accessory, NeoDesk
3.02, NeoDesk CLI, CardFile 3.0 and more! In fact, there's so much to see
at the show we can't possibly tell you about it all. Come on out and see
it all for yourself!
For more information on the show, contact:
Craig Harvey, President of WAUG - Ann Arbor at (313) 994-5619
or
Brian Cassidy, President of WAUG - Windsor at (519) 966-0305
Windsor/Detroit International AtariFest
Seminar Schedule
Time Saturday Sunday
--------- ------------------------ -----------------------
10:45 Atari Users Association DataQue Software
11:30 JMG Software Rimik Enterprises
12:15 Branch Always Software Gadgets By Small
1:00 Atari Canada and US Goldleaf Publishing
1:45 DataQue Software CodeHead Software
2:30 Gribnif Software Atari Canada and US
3:15 Goldleaf Publishing Branch Always Software
4:00 ISD Marketing ISD Marketing
4:45 Gadgets By Small
_______________________________________________________________
> Hard Disks STR InfoFile TAX TIME SPECIAL OFFERINGS!....
=======================
NEW LOW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
===============================
>> INCOME TAX REFUND SPECIALS <<
** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! **
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
_________________________________________
All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
*-ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE-*
(you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
(all cables and connectors installed)
* ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
* ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED *
* SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
Conventional Shoe Box
ADD 35.00 for 4 BAY TURBO Cabinet w/250w PS
Model Description Autopark Price
==================================================
SGN3038 31Mb 28ms 3.5" Y 419.00
SGN4951 51Mb 28ms 3.5" Y 479.00
SGN6277 65Mb 24ms 5.25" Y 519.00
SGN6177 62Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 549.00
SGN1096 85Mb 24ms 5.25" Y 575.00
SGN1098 96mb 25ms 3.5" Y 649.00
SGN2055 105mb 19ms 3.5" Y 762.00
SGN6277 120Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 889.00
SGN1296 168Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 1019.00
==================================================
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
---- FOR USE IN MEGA, MEGA STe & TT030 SYSTEMS ----
>>>> 96mb SCSI HARD DRIVE Mech 25-28ms 3.5" ...ONLY $349.00!! <<<<
16mhz CPU UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED
ABCO is now taking orders for MEGA STe Computers!
Call for special Introductory prices!
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
>>> ALL ABCO DRIVES ARE HIGH SPEED UNITS <<<
(500 - 600k per sec @ 16 - 33ms)
CALL FOR SUPER SAVINGS ON ALL OUR OTHER CUSTOM UNITS
FROM 30mb 28MS @ $419.00!
--==*==--
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555)>> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADVANTAGE PLUS H/A
- ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN!
--->> SPECIAL NOW ONLY __$ 645.00__ <<---
EXTRA CARTS: $ 74.50
DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 349.95
* TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1229.00 **
* SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
- Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
50mb SQG51 $ 939.00 30mb SQG38 $ 819.00
65mb SQG09 $ 969.00 85mb SQG96 $1059.00
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
*** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***
ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - AT/PC SPEED - GCR
LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations)
*>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<*
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets -
* SLM 804 Replacement Toner Cartridge Kits $42.95 *
* Toner Starter Kits $49.95 *
* Replacement Drums $183.95 *
MANY other ATARI related products STOCKED
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
-* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
please, call for details
Personal and Company Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319
Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service
9am - 8pm EDT
Tues thru Sat
ABCO is EXPANDING!! CALL FOR INFORMATION!
____________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quotable"
====================
"MANY A TROJAN HORSE WAS FOUND...
...TO BE A PAPER TIGER!"
...Ziggy Zagnut
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport International Online Magazine¿
Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport¿ "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" May 03, 1991
16/32bit Magazine copyright ½ 1987-91 No.7.18
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors, staff, STReport¿ CPU/MAC/STR¿ or ST Report¿. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Each reprint
must include the name of the publication, date, issue # and the author's
name. The entire publication and/or portions therein may not be edited in
any way without prior written permission. The contents, at the time of
publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors,
contributors and/or staff are not responsible for either the use/misuse
of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
