Z*Magazine: 21-Sep-88 #124

From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 09/12/93-05:14:47 PM Z


From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: Z*Magazine: 21-Sep-88 #124
Date: Sun Sep 12 17:14:47 1993


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         Syndicate ZMagazine    Issue #124     September 21, 1988        
                      | HOT Atari News and Reviews |

-----------------| American Publishing Enterprises, Inc |----------------
-----------------| Post Office Box 74                   |----------------
-----------------| Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0074     |----------------

    PUBLISHER     GENERAL MANAGER     ZMag EDITOR     ASSISTANT EDITOR
    Ron Kovacs     R. F. Mariano      John Deegan     Carlos Hernandez
=========================================================================
    Available on: * CompuServe * GEnie * Delphi * The Source * F-Net *
=========================================================================
        Copyright (c) 1988  APEInc, SPC -- All Rights Reserved --

                                ZMAG NORTH
                            The Launch Pad BBS
                              (201) 343-1426
                                 H143-201

                               ZMAG MIDWEST
                            Stairway To Heaven
                              (216) 784-0574
                                 H002-216

                                ZMAG SOUTH
                           Bounty Atari ST BBS
                              (904) 786-4176
                                 H014-904

                                ZMAG WEST
                     Shadow Haven Information Service
                              (916) 962-2566
                                 H009-916


                              *-[CONTENTS]-*

                 *=* Publishers Desk       by Ron Kovacs

                       *=* ZMAG Weekly News Roundup           

                     *=* New Book on Computer Viruses

                 *=* Line Noise Revisited Ctsy CIS Atari

                         *=* Circuit Maker Review               

                      *=* SAM TRAMIEL in Conference          

                         *=* 8 Bit Owners Update                
=========================================================================
PUBLISHER'S DESK
by Ron Kovacs


Originally planned for preview in this space was an article written by the 
Editors of Michigan Atari Magazine.  I have cancelled this segment while I 
research and produce our official position on the matter.  Stay tuned to 
these pages in the next few weeks for an indepth look at MAM.

Starting October 2, 1988, ZMAGAZINE will release issues on Sunday 
evenings.  We will also debut a new section devoted to User Group Updates 
and news.  Stay tuned for more details on this next week.

                      SCHEDULED RELEASES FOR OCTOBER

                       Issue #125  October 2,  1988
                       Issue #126  October 9,  1988
                       Issue #127  October 16, 1988
                       Issue #128  October 23, 1988
                       Issue #129  October 30, 1988

Due for release in October....Update of the official ZMAG/ST-REPORT BBS 
listing.  If your BBS has not appeared, or you think you might be missing, 
Please send a post card with your BBS information and a phone number so we 
can contact you and give you your official ZMAG Registration number.  The 
ZMAG 1988 Reader Survey is near completion.  I need your address to send 
you the survey!!  Please send that post card off today!!  The survey is 
presently 8 pages long.

Enjoy your vacation John Deegan!

***************************************
ZMAG NEWS ROUND-UP 9/14-9/21
Compiled by the Staff of ZMagazine
***************************************

(Comments detailed in the following article are NOT those of ZMagazine or 
it's editors.  Readers opposed to any comments here are welcome to submit 
a reply by 9-30-88.  Any opposing commentary on this article will NOT be 
accepted for publication.)


                          PRESS RELEASE  9/15/88

In an article called Atari News and Comment in the September Michigan Atari
Magazine (MAM), editor Bill Rayl again blasted a non-participating local
Michigan Atari users group for policies not in tune to MAM's liking.

MAGIC, the eastern Michigan Atari users group who has stead fastly refused
advances to join the MAM consortium, was sharply condemned for charging
"50 cents to $1 admission" to attend a special meeting hosting Atari execs.
"I was strongly misquoted by Mr. Rayl," says Sourcerer's Apprentice Editor
Mike Lechkun.  "I went out of my way to call Bill Rayl long distance to
share and report this bit of local Atari news.  I was shocked to see it
turned into a negative slam against us (MAGIC)."

"I told his wife (and MAM co-editor) Pattie that MAGIC was asking for a
donation to help defray costs of starting up another Atari fest effort [as
well as to pay for the increase in space needed for the meeting].  It
seems to me," commented Mike, "that MAM is allowed to rake in money for
it's own ventures, but others trying to serve the Atari community are, in
their words, 'tasteless'."

Mike concluded that he'd "be more than happy to make a donation in the
Rayls' name if they couldn't cough up a couple of bucks!"  It was MAM,
over a year ago, who slammed then-non-participating club MACE when they
proposed charging non-members to attend the monthly meetings.  MACE was
(and is) losing money rapidly by providing services to non-members who
were sponging off the group.  Because of the article, MACE was embarrassed
into changing their newly adopted policy.

The members of MAGIC have always felt that a user group's newsletter helps
to define and add personality and individuality to the club.  The
newsletter is the club's identity to the outside world.  It is a shame
that MAM feels that their viewpoint is the only valid one in Michigan, and
that any other club's views are "considered extremely bad taste."

Quote from MAM, 9/88

Atari News and Comment

"In a move that can only be considered extremely bad taste, MAGIC is
planning to charge 50 cents or $1 admission to attend this meeting [with
Atari's execs]! The meeting takes place on their normally scheduled
meeting night, and MAGIC's meetings are generally open to all. But, in
this case, MAGIC proposes to charge admission from the very people they
are going to need assistance from if another show will occur. MAGIC can't
pull off an AtariFest on their own, but if any other clubs want to get
involved at this first meeting, they'll have to pay to do so? Hopefully,
MAGIC will change the tune before October..."

                        ATARI KILLS DETROIT VISIT

ATARI CORP.'s proposed visit to Detroit user group MAGIC has been
cancelled.  Sam Tramiel said that such a visit would "excite group
members", but with no product to deliver and because we are right before
Comdex, there's really nothing that could be said.  ATARI has promised
full support for a Detroit AtariFest, which the MAGIC group is still
considering.  Sig Hartmann commented that the November Comdex show would
be "an opener to a revitalized U.S. market presence", and indicated a
proposed resurgance after the first of the year.  But as to not discourage
those who would attend a large scale meeting from afar, Atari will not
make a local apperance until the show.


                           ** NEWS BULLETIN **

Attention all persons that have a program being called "Master Cruncher"
or any alterations of that. It seems that a group of pirates have edited
out the Copyright notice and have claimed the program as there own.  This
Utility is not Public Domain nor a Pirate utility, it is a Commercial
program that was going to be sold in The Federal Republic of Germany.
There were plans to market it in the USA, but due to the massive spreading
of the utility, there is no hope of making any kind of profit nor will
there be any other such utilities produced due to these problems, it is
not cost effective to try and track down who did this terrible thing, so
you can just thank who ever the persons involed for screwing up the future
of such useful utilities you might have had. Please notify all sysops or
board operators that this file should be deleted from file sections and
not posted again.

I was really surprised to hear that it was posted on 2 major commercial
networks, I would have thought they would have questioned this utility
because of no documentation or origin of source. I would have thought the
sysops would be a little more responsible to there amiga comunity and
check things that are questionable out first.

A final note, the version that seems to have made it's way all over the
United States is still a beta version and has a Serious! bug in it, I do
not accept any responsiblity for any damage caused by the faulty program.
"it is not my fault everyone pirated it" I strongly suggest you uncrunch
everything crunched with it or things might begin to happen you wish
didn't. You have been warned of the problem. Please spread this file as
fast as my program was spread to warn people against the possible
destruction of all there data.

                          Bit Soft Programing (BSP)
                          Hans Mayor
                          Post Fach 1123
                          8623 Staffelstein
                          West Germany




NEW BOOK ON COMPUTER VIRUSES

Compute!'s COMPUTER VIRUSES

Author:    Ralph Roberts
Price:     $14.95
ISBN:      0-87455-178-1
On Sale:   November, 1988
Publisher: Compute! Books, a Capital Cities/ABC Company

Why are the big computer companies keeping quiet about the problem of
computer viruses?

Over one percent, or about a quarter of a million IBM PC's and
compatibles are already infected,'' says Larry DiMartin, president of
Computer Integrity Corporation, the makers of the commercial viral
protection program, Vaccinate.

Finally there's a book that shows why software and hardware manufacturers
--in some cases selfishly and intentionally--have their heads in the sand.
Finally there's a book that helps you protect your system from computer
viruses. A book that answers the questions the industry has been ducking.

Like a biological virus, a computer virus can replicate itself and be
spread (through the use of Trojan horse'' programs) from system to
system. Trade a floppy disk with a friend and you may unwittingly be
destroying all the data in your system, whether it's a single person
computer or a large, networked system of 20,000 terminals. It's not even
enough to have good backup--a timed release virus can also be in the
backup disks or tape, destroying data time after frustrating time.

The destructive rampages of these small hidden programs from sick minds
are not limited to high risk'' users who download indiscriminately from
pirate'' electronic bulletin boards. AP and UPI reports in recent months
have reported that such major institutions as NASA, Lehigh University,
Miami (Ohio) University, ARCO Oil, Hebrew University in Israel, and others
have had computer virus attacks.

Whether you are a single computer owner or a manager of a large area
network, Compute!'s COMPUTER VIRUSES offers relief from the fear and the
very real danger of a viral infection in your system.

Topics Covered:

*  How your system can become infected (risky practices and how to practice
   safe computing,'' and minimize exposure.
*  The history of viruses, including some infamous infections such as the
    Brain'' virus, the Sunnyvale Slug,'' the Scores,'' and the
   Macintosh Peace'' virus.
*  How viruses work and what they can do to your system.
*  The kind of programs that can hide viruses.
*  How to detect a virus or viruses in your system and erase them.
*  Protection from virus infection.
*  Reviews and tips on viral protection systems, both commercial and
   public domain.
*  Sections with specific protection information for IBM and compatibles,
   Macintosh, Apple, Amiga, Atari, and other systems.

Contents:

                        Your Computer May Be Sick!
                        History and Famous Viruses
                             How Viruses Work
                        Practicing Safe Computing
                    How The Experts Deal With Viruses

                 Corporate Initiatives for Data Security
               (by Pamela Kane, President of Panda Systems)

                     The Case of the Gerbil'' Virus
         (by Raymond M. Glath, President of RG Software Systems)

                           IBM and Compatibles
                                Macintosh
                                  Apple
                                  Amiga
                                  Atari
                   The Only Good Virus is a Dead Virus.

For Additional Information:
                              Ralph Edwards
                              P.O. Box 8549
                           Asheville, NC 28814
                              (704) 254-3972


LINE NOISE REVISITED

Ctsy CompuServe Atari SIG

#: 47388 S2/CompuServe & BBSs    27-Dec-86  22:10:29
Sb: #Interlink
Fm: Jeff Rigby/Intersect Sof 74615,323
To: Dave Groves 76703,4223

I have never had the pleasure of taking apart a Courier 2400 but most
modems use the same input transformer ( FCC Regulations ).

Below is a schematic drawing of the Input transformer circuit:

               ----) || (------
     Input from    ( || )     output to
     phone line    ) || (       modem   
               ----( || )-----
                     ||
                     ||  (------>  600 ohm Inpedance matching  
                     ||  )      <     resistor
                     ||  (------>

                 Transformer

You change the 600 ohm ( blue black brown ) resistor, to a lower value by
tacking a resistor in parallel.  Try values from 1000 ohms to 600 minimum.
This is a quick and dirty method, it works by making the transformer less
efficient and therby reducing the sensitivity of the circuit.  The resistor
is there to cause the input transformer to match the phone line (600 ohms)
impedance.  When you have an impedance match you have maximum transfer of
energy.  Choose the highest value resistor that gives the fewest errors.

Jeff Rigby c/o SOTA Computers 
3949 Sawyer Rd.
Sarasota, Fl. 33583
813-922-6244

****************** UPDATE *********************

    17-Sep-88  09:21:43
Sb: #110696-2400 baud problem
Fm: INTERSECT Software 76004,1577
To: SYSOP*Dave Groves 76703,4223

The resister will reduce the sensitivity of the modem to incoming noise.  If
the problem is only periodic and does not get worse after warmup then this is
the method to use.  If it does get noisy after warmup then open the modem and
look for an 8 pin chip with X2444 on it.  It's an XR chip that sometimes causes
the line noise problem at 2400 baud.

Since 2400 baud does push the Florida phone lines to the limit, neither method
may work for you.


CIRCUIT MAKER        by Bill Pike (PAC)


My field of endeavour, that which I do when not using a computer, involves
a lot of logic circuit design.  Well anyhow I was going thru the local
software store and happened to see a program on the shelf that immediately
caught my eye.  The name of the program is CircuitMaker and it was written
by Ozzie Boeshans. The cost is $69.95, why not make it a even $70?.  The
program is published by ILLIAD Software.

For those who havn't used this type of program in the past, this includes
until now me, this is the cats meow.  No more breadboarding of circuits.
No more burning out chips.  No more tangles of wire, piles of parts, and
general mess laying all over the place.  Also, for those who are married,
no spouse telling you to clean up your mess.

Version 1.2 of the program allows you to design various logic circuits on
screen and TEST AND DEBUG THE CIRCUITS ON SCREEN.  The program then will
print the circuit on your Epson compatible printer.  You can also go back
to the last saved version of the circuit if you have made a mistake.  The
next version, 2.0, is said to allow you to specify and make a library of
your own favorite IC's.  Didn't I say that the program comes with 1 library
of various logic gates and IC's?  Well if I didn't, it does.

Here is what is in the library: All of the various types of gates
including, a inverter, 2-4 input AND & NAND, 2 input ORs, 2 input NORs,
and 2 input exclusive ORs, LED's, seven segment displays including the BCD
to 7-Segment decoder, switches, two types of quad latches, 7474, 74138,
74151, 74168, 74169, 74109, and 74194 IC's.

There is a snap-to-grid feature so everything looks neat.  The various
logic devices can be rotated in 90 degree increments, you can label either
vertically or horizontally.  When you are wiring the circuit the curser is
accompanied, once you move out of the device area, by a set of full screen
cross-hairs that show you where the wire will end up both vertically and
horizontally if you extend it the full screen.  This allows you to be much
neater in the layout of wiring.  There is also a dot placed where wires
join so that you are sure of the connection.  You can also move devices 
around or delete them if you decide that the location is bad.  You are
working in a window of the design, the window is approximately 15% of the
working area.  You can wire outside of the screen area.
  
I find that you should make a printout of just the device placement so you
are able to easily find the devices not on screen when you start to wire.
A zoom command would have been nice.

There are programmable pulse generators for signal inputs, each generator
is independently programmable as to waveform and start time as well as
well as when it starts. The speed is variable in common.  There is a four
input oscilloscope that can be used to check any four points in the
circuit simultaneously..  You are able to either use a continous run or
set for 5 or 10 cycles.  The various wires show you the logic level on
that wire by either being solid black (logic 1), dark dotted (logic 0),
or light dotted (not active) as the test is running.  If you are using a
color monitor the colors of the lines change to indicate the same
conditions.  You are able to move around the screen during the run so you
can see the functioning of the entire circuit.

There is a tutorial on fundamental logic circuit design included in the
small 50+ page manual.  The tutorial doesn't go into much depth and those
who are unfamiliar with logic design should pick up a book on the subject
as well as a TTL Device handbook so you can figure out just what the
various chips are and what they require to work.  The program doesn't go
into microprocessor logic and if it did it should/would probably cost about
10 times as much, if not more.

This program is designed for the average designer and builder not for
someone who does this for a living, he/she would probably have the $700 to
$7000 version of this type of program and a main frame to run it on.  This
is a MUST HAVE program for anyone who designs logic circuits including
those in college level logic design courses.  It is also a must have for
anyone who just does logic design at home for their computer interfaces or
anything else, this is most logical (sorry about that it slipped out). So
dig into your pocket and BUY THIS ONE.    


          ***********   SAM TRAMIEL IN CONFERENCE   ***********

The Atari Forums on CompuServe will be sponsoring a world-wide electronic
teleconference with Sam Tramiel, President and Chief Operating Officer of
Atari Corporation, on Monday, September 26 at 9:00 PM EDT.  Your
participation in this conference is welcomed and encouraged!

The Sam Tramiel Conference is going to be held in CompuServe's Electronic
Convention Center(tm).  The Electronic Convention Center(tm) was designed
specifically for special conferences of this nature and can have as many
as 300 people participating simultaniously without causing the slightest
speed decrease.  In addition, the Electronic Convention Center(tm) offers
the capability of holding a more structured conference, making it possible
for you to ask your questions and be answered by Mr. Tramiel without any
interruptions.  Top performance is absolutely guaranteed!  Lastly, the
Electronic Convention Center(tm) offers additional conveniences (discussed
later in this text) that will make your participation in this conference
amazingly easy.  If you've participated in other national conferences of
this type before and have been underwhelmed at the way it was conducted
and the performance of the service during 'heavy' usage, this conference
is your opportunity to experience the communication power of a professional
-quality global information network.

                     ACCESSING THE CONVENTION CENTER

As mentioned above, the Sam Tramiel conference will be held in CompuServe's
Electronic Convention Center(tm) -- NOT the conference area of the Atari
16-Bit Forum.  To access the Convention Center, type GO CONVENTION at any
CompuServe command prompt.

When you type GO CONVENTION, CompuServe will display the following menu:

     Electronic Convention Center(tm)

     INFORMATION/RESERVATIONS
      1 Instructions
      2 List Conferences/Make Reservations
      3 Review/Cancel Reservations
      4 Conference Etiquette

     Enter choice !

Choice 1 allows you to view the complete instruction guide for using the
Convention Center.  Choice 2 and Choice 3 allow you to list upcoming
special conferences and any advance "reservations" (NOT NECESSARY FOR THIS
CONFERENCE!) you might have made.  Lastly, choice 4 provides some
information on the etiquette followed by participants in an electronic
conference.

On Monday, September 26, at 8:30 PM EDT (a half hour before the Sam Tramiel
conference is scheduled to begin), the Convention Center menu will appear
as shown above with the addition of menu choice 5 which will allow you to
enter the Sam Tramiel conference.  An example of how the Convention Center
menu will appear from 8:30 through the end of the conference on September
26 appears below:

     Electronic Convention Center(tm)

     INFORMATION/RESERVATIONS
      1 Instructions
      2 List Conferences/Make Reservations
      3 Review/Cancel Reservations
      4 Conference Etiquette

     JOIN CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
      5 Atari Sam Tramiel Conference

     Enter choice !

All you will need to do is select choice 5 in order to join the conference.
Once you select choice 5, CompuServe will prompt you to enter your name:

   What is your name? John Doe

Enter your name and press a <CR> as shown in the above example.

If you enter the conference area before 9:00 PM EDT, you can chat briefly
with other early arrivers until the moderated conference begins.

                            ASKING A QUESTION

Once the moderated conference begins, only the moderator and guest speaker
will be allowed to openly communicate at all times.  Other participants
must signal that they would like to ask a question or make a comment by
using the /QUESTION (or /QUE) command.  Once you issue the /QUE command,
CompuServe will add your name (in order) to the queue. When it is your
turn to speak, CompuServe will beep your terminal and display a message
explaining that it is your turn and you may now ask your question.  If you
attempt to openly communicate before it is your turn to speak, the
Convention Center will send you a reminder that in order to ask a question
or make a comment, you must enter the /QUE command and wait for your turn.

If you issue the /QUE command and change your mind about asking a
question, you can enter the /UNQUE command to remove your place from the
queue.

                             USING THE BUFFER

The Electronic Conference Center(tm) makes it possible for you to compose
or upload your question or statement into a buffer area, followed by giving
you the option of editing the text using standard CompuServe EDIT commands
(explained in detail in EDIT.TXT, available in LIBRARY 1 of the Atari 16-
Bit Forum).  Then, you can send your pre-composed buffer when it is your
turn to speak in the conference. Here are the commands you will need to
know in order to use the buffer feature of the Convention Center:

  /BUFFER EDIT  -  Brings you into "edit" mode where you can
                   compose, ASCII-upload, or edit your text.

  /BUFFER SEND  -  Send buffer to all participants.

                   OTHER COMMANDS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

The following list of commands are available to you in the Convention
Center:

  /BUFFER EDIT  Edit text buffer
  /BUFFER SEND  Send text buffer
  /BULLETIN     Display short bulletin
  /COMMANDS     Show list of commands
  /DAY          Show date and time
  /DISPLAY      Change message display
  /ECHO         Show input as it is typed
  /EXIT         Exit the conference
  /NOECHO       Do not show input
  /HELP         Command help text
  /NAME         Change your name
  /NOSEND       Refuse private "send" messages
  /OFF          Log-off
  /SEND         Send a private message
  /STATUS       User/guest count
  /WHO          Show last speaker
  /USERS        List users
  /LOOK         Question status (how many people are in the queue)
  /QUESTION     Question request
  /UNQUEUE      Cancel a question

If you have any questions, please feel free to post a message to the
Sysops of the Atari Forums.  Otherwise, hope you found this introduction
file useful and we're looking forward to seeing you at the big conference!


8 BIT OWNERS UPDATE


There have been many mentions in the almost decade since the original
Atari 400/800 Personal Computers hit the dealers shelves about there
being a future upgrade to meet the user's needs, and new and more
challenging applications.  Finally that upgrade is available....... The
Turbo-816 by DataQue, for the Atari 400/800/XL/XE.

DataQue Software is pleased to announce a powerful new upgrade which was
co-designed by Ron Shue, and Chuck Steinman.  This upgrade will be
available in two forms.  There will be a replacement CPU board for the
original 400/800 Computer system, and a plug in module for the XL/XE
series.  In either case, there usually is no need for any modifications
to the existing hardware.  The only exception to this is with XL/XE systems
which have their CPU soldered in place, which will require the removal of
the existing CPU, and the addition of a standard 40 pin I.C. socket is
suggested.  Also included is the Turbo-OS, by DataQue for use with the
Turbo-816 CPU boards.

The Turbo-816 will not only increase the potential speed of the computer,
but also break the 64k memory barrier of the existing systems.  Not with
the awkward paged memory, but with a fully linear decoded address space of
up to 16 megabytes.  Benchmarks have put the Turbo-816 into a performance
range ABOVE many of the 'other" PCs/!! Special memory boards will be
available to take advantage of the new extended addressing range.  These
will be mounted internal to the computer cabinet, and in most cases
require no hardware modifications.

And here is the amazing feature..... While adding all this power and all
this expanded addressing, the Turbo-816 for the Atari 8-bit computer
systems will maintain compatibility with most currently available
commercial and user written software.  Using the Turbo-816 even those
older programs will enjoy a speed increase!

The Turbo-OS is a replacement operating system for use with the Turbo-816
which will release the 16-bit processor to its full power.  Increased
speed will be the most obvious change, but hidden in its code, will be an
advanced new floating point library that will speed even the original Atari
BASIC to new levels of performance.  Again, on most systems it will be
just a matter of replacing the existing ROM(s) with the Turbo-OS.

The future holds many more products for the Turbo-816 systems including:

1) a real-time multi-tasking operating system kernal
2) a new assembler-editor-debugger package which supports the new assembly
   level instructions and addressing modes
3) a new BASIC which will speed past the fastest of the current BASICs for
   the 8-bit machines
4) a new K&R compatible C development package
5) a new Turbo-GOS operating system (graphical based)
6) a developers development kit for new applications

The NEW Atari Turbo-816 should be available by November of 1988 For more
information contact your local Atari Dealer or, write:

                             DataQue Software
                               Dept. T-816
                               P.O. Box 134
                            Ontario, OH  44862

*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
  ZMagazine  Issue #124  September 21, 1988  (c)1988 APEInc, SPC, Kovacs
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*


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