News - Undated - II

From: Len Stys (aa399)
Date: 01/23/90-04:08:05 PM Z


From: aa399 (Len Stys)
Subject: News - Undated - II
Date: Tue Jan 23 16:08:05 1990


      Undated Time Capsule
      --------------------

"Atari Update", Sam Tramiel
Federated Compu-Centers
Atari's Home Office Target
Frank Foster Joins Atari
Atari's Calendar
Computer and Video Sales
Atari Corp. Net Sales
Diamond Operating System
Diamond Conference Transcript
1988 Year End Results
SEA Vs. Us (maybe)


     "Atari Update", Sam Tramiel
     ---------------------------

-From:aa399:news:601415026:604007026:"Atari Update", Sam Tramiel.
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 017

Sam Tramiel, "Atari Update", THE ATARI
REPORT, Winter 1988, p.1.

"BUSINESS IS WAR. A strong statement to
be sure, but true. This sometimes
misconstrued saying was first publicly
coined in 1983 by CEO Jack Tramiel
during an interview on the McNeil/
Lehrer News Hour. It reflects a
business philosophy, not an
endorsment of war and its astrosities.
According to Jack, 'I compare business
to war because each much be approached
in the same manner. It takes strategic
planning, good organization, and total
commitment to win. It's not a sport
or a game. Every minute, every hour,
you face competition...there are
always others much smarter than you.
You have to work harder and serve the
customer better to get your share of
the business.' Lately, the 'Business
is War' slogan has been adopted by
other companies in their advertising
campaigns. It's no surprise. A
disciplined, militaristic approach
couldn't be more applicable as
business faces the tough competition
of today's market.
   Business is war, and Atari is armed
with the latest in tecnology and
compelling new products to be a major
factor in both the computer and video
game markets. Our weapons are the
skill and experience of our designers,
engineers and developers. Our
ammunition is the increasing ability
to keep a market fully suplied and
well served. We are aware that highly
developed and well executed marketing
strategies are vital to secure Atari's
position in the minds of the ultimate
target--the costumers.
   Having just recently returned from
COMDEX, the largest domestic computer
conference and trade show, I believe
we are well positioned for the year-
end push, as well as next year. Atari
commanded an imposing presence by
solely occupying a 6,600 square foot
display hall for presentation of new
products and software. Among the
show's highlights were the new Atari
PC4 MS-DOS compatible personal
computer; the PC5 OS/2 compatible,
the Atari Transputer Workstation
(ATW), and an ST laptop computer to be
released in summer, 1989.
   THE QUARTER RESULTS. The growth
of the computer segmented continued
to be constrained by the continuing
shortage and high price of DRAMs. Our
margins were negatively impacted by
adverse movements in exchange rates
and high component costs. A recently
signed contract with a major DRAM
supplier will assure an expanded,
stable supply of components which will
allow us to expand our computer
business in 1989.
   The overall results at Federated
are disappointing. We have improved
our gross margins significantly from
24 percent to 28 percent since the
beginning of the year. Also, we have
reduced our variable operating costs,
including head office overheads, by
approximately 40 percent since the
beginning of the year. However, while
these trends are favorable, the
tradeoff for establishing control in
this newly acquired enterprise has
been an erosion of sales volume.
Expect for its severity, this decline
was anticipated. During the fourth
quarter, Federated, with the
assistance of DDB Needham Retail, our
recently appointed advertising agency,
is launching an aggressive marketing
campaign. We anticipate a much
improved fourth quarter in our retail
segment."

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


       Federated Compu-Centers
       -----------------------

-From:aa399:news:601432839:604024839:Federated Compu-Centers
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 018


"Federated Opens Compu-Centers",
THE ATARI REPORT, winter 1988, p.3.


   "Soon all Federated customers will
know that not only is this the place
to buy their consumer electronic
products, but it is also the
best place to purchase their computer
business systems.
   A new concept for Federated stores,
called Compu-Centers, was started
this past summer. The 'store-within-a-
store' concept consists of about
1500 square feet of retail space. The
small office center offers computers,
disk drives, printers, modems, FAX
machines, copiers, business phones and
related supplies.  In addition to
computer hardware, the Compu-Center
carries a full line of Atari ST and
8-bit software, MS-DOS software, and
peripherals.
   Five vertical markets are being
targeted with this new program:
Desktop Publishing, Graphics, Music,
Education, and the Home Office
(specifically small business in the
home or homes that are used as an
extension of the regular workspace).
These markets will be reached through
onsite seminars and outside sales.
   There are now 16 Compu-Centers
operating in California, Arizona and
Texas. Eventually all 60 stores will
adopt this concept."

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


      Atari's Home Office Target
      --------------------------

-From:aa399:news:601450499:604042499:Atari's Home Office Target
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 019

"Atari Targets Home Office Market",
THE ATARI REPORT, Winter 1988, p.7.


   "Recent articles in industry
publications indicate that retailers
stand to benefit from the multi-
billion dollar home office market,
the fastest growing segment of the
U.S. personal computer market. Home
computing has become much more than
entertainment and education. Home
Computing now means business, with
business-oriented applications such
as word processing and finance.
   Atari finds its economical, high-
performance computer creating strong
inroads into the explosive home office
marketplace.  The Atari MEGA and
ST computers are naturals for the
home office, due to their low prices,
performance, and versatility. Software
is available for any application, and
PC and Mac emulation capabilities
offer compatibility with any system.
Whether the home office is used for
a busy household, small business, or
an extension of the workplace, Atari
computers are the best choice.
   The Federated Group, Atari's chain
of electronics stores has targeted
the home office as one of five
vertical markets for Federated's
Compu-Centers.  In addition to Atari
computers, IBM PC clones, and the
Amiga, Federated's Compu-Centers
carry copiers, FAX machines, business
phones, and typewriters to meet the
needs of the small business person.
   Research has shown that one out
of three new businesses is being run
from the home.  In fact, in 1987, one-
third of all personal computers were
shipped to homes. Also, approximately
one-third of the U.S. labor force
works full- or part-time in their
homes. The number of people working
in the home has doubled again by
1992 (Computer Reseller News, 11/21/
88).  The personal computer itself is
largely responsible for these changes,
by bringing productivity to an
affordable level, accessible to the
average person.
   According to the Dataquest study
conducted early this year, word
processing is the software application
most oftwn used in home, by nearly
half of those surveyed. Databases,
file management, spreadsheets, and
games are also very popular.
Increased usage is found for database
managers, spreadsheets, and business
accounting packages, due to the
increasing number of computers being
used for a home office.  Dataquest
has found that the traditional game/
education system is yielding to
serious business machines in the home.
   Other applications for the home
office include graphics programs,
household finance, education,
programming languages, and bookkeeping
packages.  Software from Atari
and its third-party developers is
available for all of these needs.
And the price for Atari software
always fits the home office budget.
   Atari offers additional benefits
because of its unique emulation
capabilities. Using Atari MEGA or
ST can run most Apple Macintosh
software--twenty percent faster
than the Macintosh itself!  The Atari
also offers a monitor screen that is
thirty percent larger than the
Macintosh display.  Users can use
Spectre 128 to run such programs
as Hypercard, pageMaker, and Adobe
Illustrator, and still switch back
to Atari's TOS system to run the wide
variety of software written for Atari.
   Avante Garde Systems offers IBM
PC emulation with their software-only
package, PC-Ditto. PC-Ditto enables
the Atari ST to imitate an IBM PC XT.
No extra hardware is required,
although a 5.25-inch drive is required
for programs on 5.25-inch disks.
Programs such as Lotus 1-2-3,
Framework, Symphony, dBase II and
III+, Sidekick, TurboPascal, and
hundreds more, will work "out of the
box." PC-Ditto sells for $89.95.
   Atari software also excels at file
portability.  Word processors and
desktop publishing packages for the
Atari accpet ASCII text files
transferred from any personal
computer. Spreadsheets like LDW Power,
from Logical Design Works, and VIP
Professional, from ISD Marketing,
both accept files from the popular
MS-DOS program Lotus 1-2-3/
   A number of word processors are
available for the Atari MEGA and ST
computers.  WordPerfect is a popular
choice among users seeking a powerful
package."

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


       Frank Foster Joins Atari
       ------------------------

-From:aa399:news:601515206:601515206:Frank Foster Joins Atari.
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 020

"Frank Foster Joins Atari Computer",
THE ATARI REPORT, Winter 1988, p.6.


  "Atari's new manager of specialty
markets is no stranger to the MIDI
industry. Frank Foster is probably
best-known as one of the founders
of the music software company, Hybrid
Arts, where he helped build the
initial Atari 8-bit market back in
1983. Foster has been one of the most
vocal proponents of the ST since its
introduction. He worked closely with
Sam Tramiel to run Atari's first
music industry ad in 1986 and in
expanding Atari's dealer network to
music retailers.
   Foster notes that users can look
for continued high visibility by Atari
in music stores and publications.
'Atari plans to continue sponsorship
of concert tours and other events,
such as the Tangerine Dream North
American tour,' he said."

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


            Atari's Calendar
            ----------------

-From:aa399:news:601616319:601616319:Atari's Calendar
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 021

"Calendar", THE ATARI REPORT, Winter
1988, P.3.


"JANUARY 1989
  20-22: California. Winter NAMM
International Music Market. Anaheim
Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.
Call National Association of Music
Merchants, (619) 438-8001 for more
information.

APRIL
 22-23: California. World of Atari
Show, sponsored ST WORLD. Game
machines, 8-bit computers, MEGA and
STs, seminars, workshops, exhibits.
Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA. Call
(503) 623-2259 for more information.

MAY
 6-7: Michigan. MACE Atarifest,
Detroit. Call Patty Rahl at (313)
973-8825 for more information.

 13-14: Massachusetts. Atarifest,
Boston. Call Jerry Feldman at (603)
881-1135.

JUNE
  3-6: Illinois. Summer CES, McCormick
Place, Chicago. Call National
Association of Music Merchants, (619)
438-8001, for more information."

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


       Computer and Video Sales
       ------------------------

-From:aa399:news:601691855:604283855:Computer and Video Sales
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 022

"Computers and Video Games", ATARI
REPORT, Winter 1988, p.5.

   "Atari's computer and video game
division reported net sales for the
quarter of $97.0 million compared to
$80.4 million for the same quarter
last year, an increase of 21 percent.
Operating income was $11.9 million
compared to $15.0 million, a decrease
of 20 percent. Net sales for the nine
months were $296.3 million compared
to $216.2 million for the same period
last year, an increase of 37 percent.
Operating income was $44.3 million
for the nine months compared to $40.7
million, an increase of 9 percent."

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


        Atari Corp. Net Sales
        ---------------------

-From:aa399:news:602034796:604626796:Atari Corp. Net Sales
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 023

"Atari (Consolidated)", THE ATARI
REPORT, Winter 1988, p.5.


   "Atari Corporation net sales for
the quarter were $153.9 million
compared to $80.4 million for the same
quarter last year, an increase of
91 percent. Operating income was
$5.2 million compared to $15.0
million, a decrease of 65 percent,
while net income was $.9 million
compared to $9.9 million. Net sales
for the nine months ended October 1,
1988 were $487.8 million compared
to $216.2 million for the same period
last year, an increase of 126 percent.
Operating income was $24.2 million
compared to $40.7 million, a decrease
of 40 percent. Net income was $121.1
million compared to $38.7 million,
a decrease of $26.6 million.
   Reflecting on the past nine months
and the status of the company as we
entered the fourth quarter, we are
extremely confident about prospects
for the coming year. From all of us
at Atari, we send best wishes to
everyone for a healthy and successful
New Year!"

Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop


       Diamond Operating System
       ------------------------

-From:aa384:news:602220937:604812937:Diamond Operating System
-From: DOUG WOKOUN (aa384)
-Indx: 024

The following was taken from Zmagazine
Issue #139.

 
 
 ##############################
 <*> DIAMOND UPDATE
 ##############################
 
  Press Release: Diamond OS SuperCart
  From: Alan Reeve/Reeve Software
  
 Attention Atarians,
  
 It has been a little over six months
 since our first press release for
 our
 Diamond OS. Since then a lot has
 changed. We initially intended to
 ship
 Diamond as a disk based product and
 it was to require at least 64K.
  
 In August of 1988 we were contacted

 by Shelly Merrill of Merrill Ward &
 Associates. Originally Diamond was
 going to compete against their
 product,
 however, things fell apart with the
 developer and Shelly has been
 assisting us with the marketing of
 Diamond.  We elected to unite as I
 felt
 that his marketing knowledge could
 greatly boost the sales of our
 product,
 and also create a resurgence of
 interest in the Atari computer.
 Shelly has
 since moved on, formed USA Media, and
 has been very helpful in the
 marketing of Diamond.
  
 We shipped our disk based version of
 Diamond at the end of September. It
 did much of what we said that it
 would, however we have received many
 comments and criticisms regarding
 some areas. The most common
 complaint
 was that the disk version functioned
 solely with Atari DOS 2.0.
 
 Since the release of our disk based
 version of Diamond we have spent the
 last ten weeks adding to it in order
 to create our much more powerful
 cartridge version of Diamond. The
 cartridge version adds a lot of
 power
 over our initial disk version:
 
 * Supports two windows on the
 DeskTop.
 * Supports Quit to Basic and direct
 return to the DeskTop.
 * Supports most DOS types (Atari DOS
 2.X, DOS XE, and SpartaDOS).
 * Supports folders (subdirectories)
 and time/date stamping.
 * Windows have sliders, and fullers
 that support full reversing.
 * It's on cartridge and consumes
 minimal system memory to function.
 * Much more...
 
 Diamond is also completely
 programmable. We initially intended
 to have a
 separate Programmer's Kit, however,
 along with the cartridge will come
 complete documentation for
 programming the environment...it can
 even be
 programmed in Atari Basic.
 
 The disk version was also to have
 memory drivers and be followed up by
 many external applications. Due to
 our continued work on creating such
 a
 powerful environment we have delayed
 the applications until the cartridge
 was completed. We will now be
 releasing the applications and they
 will
 support the cartridge, however,
 Diamond Paint and Diamond Write will
 also
 include versions that support the 64K
 disk version.
 
 We are now pleased to announce that
 the cartridge version of Diamond is
 100% done and will be shipping very
 soon as we produce the cartridges.
 It
 will first be available to users that
 wish to upgrade from the 64K disk
 version, and will then be available
 in stores nationwide. Please contact
 us
 for more information:
  
 Contact:
  
  REEVE Software
  29W150 Old Farm Lane
  Warrenville, IL  60555
  (312) 393-2317
  
  or
  
  USA Media
  7810 Malcolm Road
  Clinton, Maryland  20735
  (301) 868-5494
  
  
  GEnie ID: REEVE.SOFT
  CIS ID: 71521,2200
  
 The separate applications will be
 arriving shortly as Diamond acts as
 a
 very solid foundation for external
 programs. The first Diamond based
 program will be Diamond Paint.
 Diamond Write, News Station, Diamond
 Publish and more will follow. The
 first three are almost complete.
 
 Lastly, we'd like to thank those of
 you that have been supportive of our
 efforts to revitalize the Atari
 community. I believe that Diamond is
 the
 most powerful program written for any
 8-bit computer and will lead the
 Atari 8-bits into the 1990's.
 
 We hope that you will join us and
 Diamond as your Atari 8-bit soars to
 new
 heights.
 
 Doug Wokoun
 Atari SysOp


    Diamond Conference Transcript
    -----------------------------

-From:aa384:news:602299074:604891074:Diamond Conference Transcript
-From: DOUG WOKOUN (aa384)
-Indx: 025

The following was taken from the
Jan.16 issue of ZMagazine (#140)...

 ##############################
 <*> Alan Reeves Conference
 ##############################
 Ctsy GEnie Atari8 RT
 
 <[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> Welcome to Alan
 and Shelly, and thanks for joining
 us here on GEnie to discuss your new
 Diamond OS cart.  I think that there
 has been a LOT of excitement about
 this product.  Would you like to
 make
 an opening statement?
 
 <REEVE.SOFT> First I would like to
 thank Marty for setting up this
 conference.  First, I (Alan) will
 speak and the appropriate name will
 appear in the [].  I would also like
 to thank all of the many customers
 that now own a Diamond cartridge for
 their support.  As some of you
 recall
 our first conference back in July was
 geared at discussing the up and
 coming Diamond...much has happened
 and now Diamond is a cartridge based
 system...  I believe that the new
 cartridges addresses many (if not
 all)
 of the comments and suggestions that
 the dedicated Atari users have made.
 
 We initially released our disk based
 version of Diamond to show the Atari
 world that the creation of such an OS
 for the 8-bit is possible and the
 disk has proven itself to be a
 powerful system...the new cartridge
 was
 aimed at pleasing those of you that
 are 'power' users. The cartridge
 does
 all of what the disk did...adds many
 new features and consumes less
 memory
 due to it's ROM based nature...  the
 first batch of Diamond cartridges
 we're shipped out 2 days ago...the
 second batch will be sent out on
 Monday.
 
 For this conference we are here to
 answer your Questions about Diamond
 and
 the future of Diamond...  ga Marty
 
 <[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> OK!  Well, on to
 the questions....  First off, we
 have Bob Puff....  ga Bob!
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> Hi Alan!
 Well, my congratulations go out on
 completing such a large project!  A
 couple Qs here (which are probably
 fully explained in the stuff when it
 comes, but for the benefit of all..)
 
 What memory restrictions does the
 cart put on programs?  Like, is
 there
 any code that relocates to LOMEM, or
 is the top 8K always reserved, etc.?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Basically it's in
 hi memory...this is so we do not
 conflict with the numerous little
 drivers that are out there for
 printers,
 Ram Disks...etc..  The cartridge
 leaves approximately 19K free for
 programs, but that's why we used our
 new memory driver system...most code
 doesn't really need to use 19K it's
 usually large clumps of data that
 occupy the majority of this
 region...the memory drivers allow
 larger
 system to take full advantage of
 their capabilities.
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> I see. ok
 does it mess around with the
 operating
 system?  Will it work with modified
 operating systems?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> It's a good thing
 I tried that last weekend!  When I
 tried it out on the 400/800
 series...works with both the 400/800s
 and the
 modified OS...believe it was the
 three-in-one OS from CSS.
 
 <ALFRED> I have the disk version and
 since it comes with essentially zero
 documentation, can anything be
 written for diamond without the
 programmer
 kit?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Theoretically one
 could write applications for the
 disk... but as you know we have
 decided to include the programmer's
 kit
 with the cartridge...the reason being
 that the disk and the cartridge are
 not compatible from a programming
 standpoint at the present and we do
 not
 wish to have to have two versions of
 each application be made...one for
 disk and one for cartridge. 
 
 Incidentally I hope that you have
 sent your warranty card in to us so
 that
 we can send you the needed upgrade
 information.
 
 <ALFRED> Ok. Can diamond support
 multiple applications, like gem? Not
 yet
 on that warranty card.
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> If you mean
 multitasking no...the closest to
 multitasking for Diamond is the desk
 accessories...in reality a desk
 accessory could be used as a full
 blown application...it would consume
 a
 lot of memory though and would
 require a memory upgrade.
 
 Diamond has been written with the
 future in mind...it is a very open
 ended system so many things are
 possible that may not be yet
 implemented.
 I don't think a switcher would be
 very appropriate for Diamond though
 due
 to the excessive Ram constraints that
 it puts on an ST.
 
 <[Dominick] TUBBY.TOAD> How will you
 be working with the new 16bit board
 for the now 8bits? And do you think
 you could incorporate MTOS with
 Diamond to get a Kickstart/Workbench
 thingie going?  Since the new board
 can address so much memory.
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> I think the 16
 bit board offers a lot of potential
 for the future of the Atari 8-bit and
 we've indicated our desire to work
 with it and have sent Chuck a
 cartridge.
 
 As for MTOS I'm not really familiar
 with it for doing such things as
 mutiple applications a user must have
 a lot of memory and a relatively
 fast system...it may be done in the
 future but at present the cartridge
 was not designed for that.
 
 <[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> ok, Hi alan,
 I was pleased to see the well
 organized docs in the programmers kit
 and it gave me lots of ideas of
 things to do with it, but I see no
 help for the basic programmer...now
 BASIC is mentioned on the cover but I
 am lost once inside will there be
 more?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> As you know with
 the initial batch of carts there are
 Mac/65 libraries.  I have designed
 the needed Basic routine to call
 Diamond and will U/L after the
 conference along with a few other
 things.
 We are also working on getting the
 needed Action! library together.
 
 <[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> Thanks!  I
 know that users will see that there
 is
 a lot more to DIAMOND than a desk.
 
 <P.CLUB> I was just wondering how
 well diamond supports the memory
 upgrades for the various machines. 
 Such as the Scott Peterson and the
 130 upgrades to beyond one meg?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Diamond's memory
 support routines are among its more
 powerful capabilities...all upgrades
 that I am aware of can be supported
 and as I have indicated in the BB
 topic I'm looking for people that
 have
 the various memory upgrades to test
 them out on.
 
 Most upgrades perform banking via
 $CFFF or $D301 (tech jargon) but
 Diamond
 does not fix this...the cartridge
 includes a default driver, but
 another
 driver can be loaded in...this is
 also the case for the mouse drivers.
 nothing is hard wired.
 
 <P.CLUB> thank you.  Also which DOS's
 will Diamond support?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Diamond supports
 DOS 2.X, DOS XE, SpartaDOS and most
 others such as 2.0, 2.5, and
 SpartaDOS XE.
 
 <[LARRY=>)] THE.LION> Alan, how is it
 going.  How well will Diamond work
 with a 512K 800.  It is a RamCharger
 Board?  And I assume you meant
 Sparta X ?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Is what a
 RamCharger board?
 
 <[LARRY=>)] THE.LION> Sorry it is a
 RamCharger Board.
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> To support the
 RamCharger I believe the switch
 location is $CFFF...at present the
 included utilities disk have memory
 drivers for the 48K, XL and XE
 machines...but for other memory
 upgrade the
 routines only have to be modified
 slightly.
 
 <[Dominick] TUBBY.TOAD> ok, I've got
 two here, so lets go...  1st, about
 windows: will the full gadget now
 shrink them back to the smaller
 size,
 and can you have more than one open
 now?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes to
 both...clicking the fuller twice does
 a full
 reverse and the system supports four
 windows, and two on the desktop.
 
 <[Dominick] TUBBY.TOAD> 2nd, are the
 icons still oversized, and have you
 kept the ST GEN idea of the 3 icons
 or gone with, the Workbench/GOE idea
 of multiple icons stored as files?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> The desktop icons
 have been reduced and redesigned
 and we have kept the three icons (as
 on the ST) for icon displays in a
 window.
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> ok another
 tech question Alan... When accessing
 the extra memory via your memory
 drivers, is there a "window", and if
 so,
 where and how big is it?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> it's not so much
 a window Bob...we sent up new MemLo
 and MemHi pointers for the extra
 memory and when things are moved to
 it.
 One just sends a four byte address to
 the appropriate memory driver
 routine...  That should be set up.
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> so if you
 want to store data in the extra
 memory
 of say a 320K XE at location $100000,
 how would you go about that?  (if
 it is too complex, don't bother
 here)
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> just tell diamond
 the soure and dest ($100000) address
 and and it's done! for more detailed
 things I'd recommend waiting until
 (probably) tomorrow when you get it
 via UPS.
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> sounds good.
 so its like a memory move then?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes it's exactly
 that... a memory move...
 
 <P.CLUB> I have a couple: first how
 about hard drive support?  Is it
 dependent on what DOS you happen to
 be using?  Second how about support
 for the ICD MIO board and the Supra
 hard drive?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes...Diamond
 supports the DOS types...and the DOS
 types support the various drive
 types...  I know John Nagy has tested
 it
 out and it works on the MIO and it
 should work with the Supra.  OK...we
 don't tamper with DOS so if Sparta
 supports 'em them we do.
 
 <P.CLUB> Third I noticed you were
 speaking of using routines from a
 disk
 utility to What memory locations are
 being used for drivers Page6?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> I don't
 understand the question...are you
 asking if we
 use page 6? 
 
 <P.CLUB> I was wondering if you are
 vectoring your routines to page 6
 locations for the various drivers.
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Page 6 is not
 used by Diamond...nothing below
 $8E00
 is...
 
 <P.CLUB> Thanks much for that we use
 that page a LOT.  Lastly I have
 heard
 a rumor that Atari is evaluating
 Diamond for possible inclusion with
 its
 8-bit line is this true?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes
 
 <P.CLUB> What kind of reception are
 you getting or can you say yet?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Warm and
 coordial.
 
 <DATAQUE.1> Hi, all, and Alan..... I
 have a few Q's concerning file
 management...  1) does Diamond extend
 the size and addr range of binary
 files? 
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> No
 
 <DATAQUE.1> 2) does it take care of
 paging when a program is loaded on a
 boundry (16k)?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> I don't
 understand the question exactly?
 
 <DATAQUE.1> 3) does Diamond use
 published OS vectors only ?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes...it makes
 legitimate calls only.
 
 <DATAQUE.1> 2)Clarification:  if a
 file is being loaded by Diamond
 which
 is using your mem manager, will it
 take care of any size file up to
 64k?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> the memory
 manager is not involved when files
 are
 loaded..the memory manager is a tool
 to be used by the software. We
 retain
 compatibility with existing files
 that way.
 
 <[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> I wanted to
 affirm MIO support and a hppy HD.
 Also, tell about the COM line
 Parameter passing...  It is a
 important
 feature.
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> The cart you have
 sets aside the needed space to have
 its own parameter line (e.g. TTP
 files on the ST), and also retains
 compatibility with Spartas command
 line.
 
 <[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> thats all
 here.  I am pleased with the
 handling,
 particularly with the mouse
 movement.
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> Anyways,
 here's my last Q...  You said
 nothing
 below $8E00, right?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yep...
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> where's
 screen memory (8k worth, right?)?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> The screen is at
 $8000 down to around $6000.
 
 <[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> what's from
 $8000 to $8E00 then?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Open program
 space.
 
 <MR.GOODPROBE> Hiya, Alan! How are
 you doing on the extended memory
 handlers?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> We've got the
 48K, XL, and XE ones... the basic
 skeleton is the same for all of them
 though.
 
 <MR.GOODPROBE> how about, like, 256k
 xls and stuff like that?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> That's down the
 road... I don't have one so I'm
 recruiting testers.
 
 <MR.GOODPROBE> (ahem) I have several,
 here and at ATARI, so "fire away".
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> How about a
 loaner.
 
 <MR.GOODPROBE> I can give you a
 NEWELLed XL for a loaner, what say?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Sure...
 
 <[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> Thanks, Jack!
 The last question is another from
 Jeff.
 
 <ALFRED> one quick q. Are there hard
 and fast rules about accessories
 installing themselves. For example
 could a large accesory hide part of
 it
 self under the cart and disable it at
 times?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Like what kinds
 of rules?  Diamond handles where the
 ACCs are stored.... and accessories
 can do everything that an
 application
 does.
 
 <ALFRED> Are the ACCs always memory
 resident?
 
 <[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes.
 
 <[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> Well, that about
 wraps it up here for tonight. Did
 you have any thing that you would
 like to say in closing, Alan?  <or
 Shelly!>
 
 <[Shelly] REEVE.SOFT> Does anyone
 have any marketing questions?
 
 <[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> I think that the
 biggest thing would be just how to
 get Diamond?  And the various support
 files.
 
 <[Shelly] REEVE.SOFT> Diamond is
 available at your local Atari
 retailer.
 In some locations there is no dealer,
 so call us.
 
  Doug Wokoun
  Atari SysOp
     aa384


        1988 Year End Results
        ---------------------

-From:aa399:news:606198877:608790877:1988 YEAR END RESULTS
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 026

March 8, 1989              PAGE 1 OF 3
      
               Contact: GREG PRATT
                      ATARI CORPORATION
                      1196 Borregas Ave
                    Sunnyvale, CA 94086
                      (408)745-2349

          1988 YEAR END RESULTS

   SUNNYVALE CA: Atari Corporation
reported results of operation for the
year ended December 31, 1988.

   As of year end, Atari began treating
its wholly owned subsidiary, the
Federated Group, as a discontinued
operation. Commensurate with its
discontinued status, Atari management
is studying the viability of several
options including sale, spinoff, or
leverage buyout.

   Atari reported net sales for the
year of $452.2 million compared to
$362.6 million. Operating income was
$59.6 million compared to $72.0
million. Net sales for the quarter
ended December 31, 1988 were $152.6
million compared to $146.4 million for
the same quarter last year. Operating
income was $15.2 million compared to
$31.3 million. Net income for the year
before extraordinary items and
discontinued operations was $39.4
million compared to $46.6 million.
For the quarter, net income before
extraordinary items and discontinued
operations was $9.3 million compared
to $21.2 million last year.

   According to Atari management,
"The decrease in operating income for
the year and particularly the quarter
was mostly attributable to DRAM
shortages combined with escalating DRAM
costs. The DRAM shortage appears to
have peaked in early quarter 1988."

   An Atari spokesperson said, "To
insure that going forward Federated
will no longer have any negative
financial impact on Atari, management
as of December 31, 1988, established
reserves and recorded writeoffs related
to Federated in excess of $100 million.
After provision for these reserves,
as of December 31, 1988, Atari's
tangible net worth was $83.2 million.
Cash and temporary investment position
alone of $91.9 million nearly equalled
total outstanding short and long-term
debt of $93.5 million as of December
31, 1988."

   It was further stated, "Looking
ahead there are indications of an
improving environment. Product
development activity has remained
strong. A number of new items designed
to complement the existing ST and MS
DOS product lines will be announced
this year. Federated will no longer
have a negative impact on Atari's
financial and managerial resources.
The supply of DRAMS is slowly
increasing. We expect profit margin
improvements as we proceed into 1989.
If anticipated demand for our products
grows and our new products meet with
success in the marketplace, 1989 should
be a good year."

   Atari Corporation is a leading
manufacturer and marketer of personal
computers, video game systems, a
broad line of peripherals and a growing
library of computer and video game
software. Atari Corporation is located
at 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA
94086. Telephone: (408) 745-2000.
Fax:(408) 745-4306.  Atari's stock
is listed on the American Stock
Exchange and trades under the ticker
symbol ATC.

Len Stys
(Atari Co-Sysop)


         SEA Vs. Us (maybe)
         ------------------


-From:aa400:news:607576415:610168415:SEA vs. Us (maybe)

This file does not concern Atari directly but I figured that we in the
Atari Community should here this....

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


---------------------------------------------------------



SEA vs. PKWARE

Shareware Company Threatens BBS World That Gave It Life


Last April, System Enhancement Associates, vendors of the archive

utility ARC, filed suit against Phil Katz, author of the archive

programs PKARC and PKXARC, and his company PKWARE.  SEA claimed

trademark infringement on the name "ARC," and violation of their

copyright on the "look and feel" of ARC's command-line user-

interface, in addition to charging Katz with appropriating ARC

program code.



The company demanded all profits from PKARC and PKXARC, treble

damages, statutory damages at the highest level allowed, and

attorney fees.  It also requested that all copies of PKARC and

PKXARC, from those owned by bulletin board users to those

licensed by businesses, be impounded, and that Katz be barred

from ever again selling or distributing the programs.

  

In August, SEA and PKWARE settled out of court.  SEA obtained the

source code for PKARC and PKXARC, and PKWARE's customer list, and 

Katz was required to pay SEA royalties on the program back to 1985, 

in addition to attorney's fees and legal expenses--an amount that, 

according to documents on file at the Milwaukee County Federal

Courthouse, totals $62,500.



He also agreed not to use the word "arc" in a trademark sense.  

Under the settlement Katz is permitted to license his PKARC and 

PKXARC programs (or PKPAK and PKUNPAK, as they are now called) from 

SEA until January 31, 1989.  (Anyone who licenses PKPAK and/or

PKUNPAK from Katz prior to then may continue to use those versions

of the program perpetually, even after January 31, 1989.) 

Recently SEA filed contempt of court charges against Katz.  While

the company has kept details of their allegations under seal, they

appear to be alleging that any use of the word "arc" by Katz, 

even as a descriptive or generic term (for instance, to refer to the 

act of achiving a file--whether one is using SEA's ARC or ZOO or

any other archiving utility--as "arcing" it) is in violation of the 

settlement.  



SEA has lately been contacting other software developers whose

products make use of the ARC file format and threatening legal

action.  Gary Conway, author of NARC, an archive extraction

utility, was contacted by the company, which tried to pressure him

to license the ARC format and turn over the source code of NARC.

Don Kinzer of Polytron received a similar call from Thom

Henderson of SEA.  Henderson told Kinzer that if a software

product had the ability to read an ARC file--not create or

extract it, merely read it--SEA would require the vendor to

obtain a license from SEA.

  

Settlement Issues and Rumor Mongering

  

As part of the PKWARE-SEA settlement, both parties agreed to

refrain from any comment on the settlement.  Not surprisingly,

unfounded rumors about the settlement have proliferated.  One

such rumor is that the judge in the PKWARE-SEA case had an outside

consultant compare SEA's and Katz's source code.  When the

consultant found plagiarized code in PKARC, the story goes, Katz

settled quickly to save face.  Not true.  No attorneys for either

SEA or Katz had ever met with the judge prior to the settlement,

and at no time did the judge ever retain an expert or himself see

the source code. 



The real issues in the case were SEA's charges that Katz had copied

ARC's program code and that he had violated the company's trademark 

on the word "arc."



In regard to the first complaint, there are only two pieces of

code in ARC with non-trivial algorithm:  the squeeze code and the

crunch code.  SEA copied these almost verbatim from public domain

sources.  Katz's use of the same public domain sources resulted

in a program that ran four times faster than the then current version

of SEA's ARC.  No competent programmer could ever conclude that Katz

had plagiarized SEA code.

  

SEA's claim that it owns a trademark on the word "arc" is, as one

UUCP mail user noted, like Digital Equipment insisting that it

owns the word "equipment."  The word "arc" as an abbreviation for

"archive" has been in the public domain long before either SEA or

PKWARE entered the scene.  Any word which has become a part of

popular parlance, as "arc" has, cannot be protected as a

trademark.

  

Nevertheless, SEA claims that no one else can use this word to

describe their archive utilities, and that Katz used it to

intentionally confuse users and capitalize on the popularity of

SEA's ARC.

  

Finally, SEA claimed in its lawsuit that Katz violated the

copyright on the "look and feel" of ARC's user-interface.  Anyone

who has ever used both ARC and PKARC knows that neither touts an

interface that is anything more than a few commands and switches

entered at the DOS command line.  There are no menus.  There are

no full-screen displays.  There is nothing artistic or seminal in

the interface of either.

  

Yet, SEA argued in its suit that Katz "substantially copied and

plagiarized the entire appearance and user interface and screens

which result when a computer user interacts with or uses [ARC]."

By the same logic the author of Fido bulletin board software may

as well sue the designer of RBBS.

  

(Note:  If you have any questions about the SEA suit, please see

the copy of the complaint filed in that suit which has been

circulating on bulletin boards and on-line services.  A press

statement concerning the settlement is also in circulation.)





Why You As a User Should Care



  

Over the past year the popularity of Katz's PKARC/PKXARC programs

among both bulletin board and business users surpassed that of

SEA's ARC by a wide margin.  Many consider the suit that SEA

waged against PKWARE, as well as the company's subsequent legal

bullying of other shareware archive software developers, as legal

coercion intended solely to drive its competitors out of

business--a tactic not unheard of in the computer industry.



Defending your software against a suit such as the one filed by

SEA against PKWARE can run from $100,000 into the millions, as

copyright and patent suits are the most costly forms of

litigation to defend against.  If your product is not grossing

over a million in sales, you will be advised (nay, forced by

economics) to seek an early settlement--as Katz did.

  

Consider what this means if you're a Dan Bricklin-type

programmer running a small software operation out of your

home.  The program you slaved over for months so that it might

win you emancipation from your 9-to-5 job, you might be forced to

destroy in a "legal settlement" over a bogus suit.  (Some of us

know people besides Katz to whom this has happened.)

  

Consider what this means if you're a user.  Your choice in

software is being dictated, not by a software package's intrinsic

merits, but legal manipulation.  Legal manipulation that favors

the litigant with the most money as opposed to the one with the

best product.

  

It also means that great programmers are spending their time in

court when they could be busy creating better products for the

marketplace.  Unfortunately, legal experts are predicting an

escalation in such suits over the next decade.

  



What Can We Do?

  

As a user you can stand up and say that you're not going to put

up with companies that use the courts to strangle their

competition, that employ lawyers and lawsuits to bully companies

and independent programmers out of existence, that dish out

frivolous suits rather than decent products.

  

No, you do not have to take it anymore, and yes, you do have the

power to change things.

  

A number of bulletin board operators, to protest SEA's legal

bullying of its competitors, have stopped using SEA's ARC to

archive programs on their systems.   Some have pulled SEA 

products from their file collections.  We suggest that you 

likewise boycott SEA's ARC, as well as the company's SEADOG 

mail program, until the company desists its harassment of archive 

authors.

  

But boycotts alone are rarely effective.  We also ask that you

write to SEA.  Accompanying this file is a "form letter" to SEA

(in the accompanying file LETTER.TXT) that you can print out, 

sign your name to, and mail.  Feel free to add to or change 

anything in the letter.  

  

In addition, please upload this file and the accompanying file

LETTER.TXT onto any bulletin board or on-line system that you

call.  If you are a sysop who supports this campaign we ask that

you mention it in your board's introductory screen and ask users

to download these files.

  

If enough of us speak up and let it be known that we are opposed

to this kind of misuse of the legal system, we will be sending a

loud message to software vendors that the computer user community

will not tolerate firms that attempt to drive their competitors

out of business through legal harassment.

  

Remember that together we have built the PC community into the

most vibrant computer user community in history, and by uniting

we can make it even better.





Matt Anderson

Sysop, Alaska EMS RBBS

Fairbanks, Alaska

907/463-4988



Rod Bowman

Sysop, PC Spectrum

San Bernardino-Area, California

714/945-2612



Ed Branley

Sysop, Minas Trinith RBBS

New Orleans, Louisiana

504/455-8665



Danyaon Coston-Clark

Sysop, ACCESS: ONLINE BBS

Malverne, New York

516/887-5804



Mike Coticchio

Sysop, Beginnings BBS

Levittown, New York

516/796-7296



Juan Davila

Sysop, Mega-D RBBS-PC

Puerto Rico or Thereabouts

809/751-7728



Michael Davis

Sysop, Horizon RBBS-PC

Dallas, Texas

214/881-9346



Ron Fowler

Author of MEX-PC Communications Program

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin  



John Friel III

Author of Qmodem / Sysop, Qmodem PCBoard

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 

319/233-6157



Judy Getts 

Contributing Editor/Telecommunications

PC World Magazine



David Gibbs

Sysop, The Midrange System

Chicago, Illinois

312/439-9679



James A. Grettum

Sysop, RBBS-PC of Fargo

Fargo, North Dakota

701/293-5973



Chris Harrower

Co-Sysop, Lancaster Area BBS

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

717/394-1357



Andrew Hoag

Sysop, Satellite RBBS

North Dakota

701/232-3811



Jerry Hunter

Sysop, DMC Switchboard Network RBBS-PC

Arkansas

501/636-2810 



Andy Jones

Sysop, Everglad RBBS-PC

Tampa-Area, Florida

813/992-5993



Bob Jones

Sysop, BJ's RBBS-PC

Pasadena-Area, California

818/248-1087



Loren Jones

Sysop, RBBS-PC of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

312/352-1005



Henry Kisor

Sysop, Word Processing BBS

Chicago, Illinois

312/491-6995



Jeff Krueger

Sysop, A Different BBS

Chicago, Illinois

312/589-0074



Rick Lawsha

Sysop, STORK RBBS

Galesburg-Area, Illinois

309/342-0637



*.* Loban

Sysop, Oregon Net

Anaheim-Area, California

714/945-2612



Gene Lowry

Sysop, Bigfoot II RBBS-PC

Arizona 

602/886-7943



Robert Mahoney

Sysop, Exec-PC BBS

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

414/964-5160



Sal Manaro

Sysop, Underdog's Mininet

Seattle, Washington

206/725-9233



Jon Martin

Sysop, Aircomm

Bay Area, California

415/689-2090



George Maynard

Sysop, OBIE RBBS-PC

Cleveland-Area, Ohio

216/684-2059



Jim Oswell

Sysop, The Grapevine RBBS-PC

Charlotte-Area, North Carolina

704/364-3632



Michael Part

Sysop, The Wicked Scherzo

Pasadena, California

818/906-8683



Tim Pearson

Sysop, LANStar RBBS-PC

Springfield, Missouri

417/673-2283



Terry Rossi

Sysop, RTC-BBS

New Jersey

609/654-0999



Jerry Shenk

Co-Sysop, Lancaster Area BBS

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

717/394-1357



Don Smith

Sysop, NorthWest Ohio RBBS

Toledo, Ohio

419/448-1421



Phil Stults

Sysop, The LANS Multi-Node BBS #1

Gary, Indiana

219/884-9508



Maurice Thaler

Sysop, Power Board BBS and Audio Projects BBS

Madison, Wisconsin

608/221-8422



Bill Tulles

Sysop, AV-SYNC

Atlanta, Georgia

404/320-6202



Paul Waldinger

Sysop, Sound of Music BBS

Oceanside, New York

516/536-8723



Bob Westcott

Sysop, Stateline BBS

New Hampshire

603/424-5497



Randall Young

Sysop, ATT-PAC BBS

The Bay Area, California

415/829-6062





Posted September 5, 1988. 



[Note:  Please do not alter or augment this file.  If you are a sysop 

or software author and would like to add your name to this list of 

endorsers, please leave a message containing your name, phone number,

name of your BBS and/or product, and the name of the city that your

board resides in, to Judy Getts on one of the following boards:  Exec-PC

in Milwaukee at 414/964-5160; Loren Jones' RBBS-PC in Chicago at 

312/352-1035; or the Sound of Music in Oceanside, New York at 

516/536-8723.  We thank you.] 



---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want the letter, just ask.


____-______-______-______-______-______
This Time Capsule file was produced by
Len Stys.  It may only be reposted with
the following information included:

REPOSTED FROM:  The Cleveland Free-Net
                      Atari-SIG
                   (216)/368-3888
                  type 'Go Atari' at
                      any menu
                     (C.A.I.N.)
____-______-______-______-______-______


-- 


-----------------------------------------
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