ST Report: 24-Aug-90 #634

From: Len Stys (aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 09/05/90-01:32:39 AM Z


From: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
Subject: ST Report: 24-Aug-90  #634
Date: Wed Sep  5 01:32:39 1990


  
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  August 24, 1990                                                 No.6.34
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                          Jacksonville,  Florida
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 > 08/24/90: STReport? #6.34  The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! 
   ------------------------- 
     - The Editor's Desk      - CPU Report        - CPU MacNews
     - MS DOS FOR YOU?        - BOSTON ATARIFEST  - WAACE UPDATES
     - LEXICOR MIFFED!        - F-19 Review!      - STR CONFIDENTIAL

                  * STOCK MARKET TELLS THE REAL TALE!! *
                 * LEXICOR MAKES DEAL WITH ATARI JAPAN! *
                       * PHONEY FAX SOURCE KNOWN! *

 ==========================================================================
                         ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE?
                  "Only UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
                              -* FEATURING *-
        Current Events, Up to Date News, Hot Tips, and Information
             Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
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 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about
 the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST Mail Network.
 ==========================================================================
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 ==========================================================================

 > The Editor's Podium?

     School's open, so please drive especially  careful in  and near school
 zones.   This time  of year  also brings to mind the great shows coming up
 this fall.  Atari users, all of us,  should try  to make  at least  one of
 these  shows.    The  information  for  the shows is carried in our humble
 offering for your convenient reference.

     A  special  announcement:    Beginning  next  week,  STReport  will be
 uploaded to GEnie on Sunday mornings.  We are trying to give the users the
 opportunity to obtain our magazine at a convenient  time, and  still allow
 us to  bring the very latest news and happenings to your attention as fast
 as possible.  Also, we are  hoping  to  preserve  the  originality  of our
 weekly issues through this change in our release schedule.
  
     Although the  Atari stock is making like a rock swimming, it is not as
 serious as it seems.... or is it?   Some have  compared the  action of the
 stock to  that of  other similar  companies.   This is  ok, if all you are
 interested in is a loose comparison.   The  bottom line  to the  owners of
 Atari stock  and the  owners of Atari computers is what the stock is going
 to do in the next few weeks.  Also, many  prospective NEW  buyers of Atari
 computers are  sure to  be paying  attention to the stock and allowing its
 behavior to weigh heavily on their decision to  purchase the  equipment or
 not.   In any  case, life  goes on and we who already own the hardware can
 look at the "leaders"  at Atari  and quietly  murmur 'so,  you thought you
 knew what you were doing?'

     WE'll be  here when  the smoke  clears, but will the guys who made all
 the noises in Sunnyvale for the  last  three  years?    The  incessant Bad
 mouthing, accusing, threatening, enjoying vendettas etc... yessir, they've
 put on quite show.  The party's over now though...  Elie is here and he is
 quietly taking notes.....


                                                  Ralph....




       Hey Antonio, how yer Aircraft Carrier??  Fix yer rudder yet??





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 > CPU REPORT?
   ==========


   Issue # 80
   ----------



 by Michael Arthur


 Remember When....
        In February  1979, Intel  introduced the 8088 microprocessor, which
 had an 8-bit internal bus architecture, but was  considered a  16-bit chip
 because of its 16-bit external bus?

       Or how,  after refusing  to use  Zilog's Z-80 microprocessor because
 Zilog was owned by a competitor, IBM introduced  the 8088-based  IBM PC in
 August 1981?


 CPU MacNews?          ****  COVERAGE OF THE MACWORLD EXPO TRADE SHOW  ****
 ===========




                   THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES
                         MACWORLD EXPO/BOSTON 1990


       The recent MacWorld Expo/Boston 1990 was a study in contrasts.  This
 was one of the largest MacWorld  Expos  ever,  in  terms  of  both product
 announcements, and the number of Macintosh developers/vendors found at the
 show.  This was also the first MacWorld Expo in  which the  general public
 could attend  all four  days of the show.  In previous MacWorld Expos, the
 show's first day (called Industry Day) was closed  to the  general public,
 so the  computer industry press and "invited guests" could have unhindered
 access to the showroom floor.

       Despite all this, attendance at this year's show was only marginally
 higher than  last August's  Expo.   While over  60,000 people attended the
 April 1990 MacWorld Expo, only 48,000 attended MacWorld Expo/Boston.

       Also, while the MacWorld Expo  is  sponsored  by  MacWorld Magazine,
 Mitch  Hall  Associates  (who  manages  the  MacWorld  Expos)  stirred  up
 considerable controversy by its treatment of members of the computer press
 who used press passes.

       In previous MacWorld Expos (like in most industry trade shows), some
 people who weren't members of the press had tried to get press  passes for
 the Expo by claiming to be journalists.  In order to stop this, Mitch Hall
 Associates first tried to exclude all  freelance writers  (read: those who
 weren't part of the staff of any large Macintosh publication) from getting
 press passes. After vehement protests from many computer industry analysts
 and writers, this policy was dropped.  For the MacWorld Expo, press passes
 were only given to members of the Computer Press Association.  The  CPA is
 an  industry  group  that  represents  many  computer industry writers and
 journalists.

       At the MacWorld Expo, all press passes were checked at the entrances
 using ultraviolet light.  Legitimate press passes would glow when exposed,
 while counterfeits would not.   However,  Mitch  Hall  Associates  did not
 reveal how many (if any) counterfeits were ever found.  Curiously, several
 unofficial press ribbons were seen at MacWorld Expo,  with statements like
 "Illegitimate PRESS  Corp.".   In fact,  Laurie McLean (head of the McLean
 Public Relations Firm) was passing out ribbons labeled, "rePRESSed"....


       Despite the controversy over press passes,  MacWorld Expo/Boston was
 a  goldmine  for  industry  news,  being  the  scene  of  numerous product
 announcements.  Among the products introduced were Adobe  Illustrator 3.0,
 Version 2.1  of the  4th Dimension SQL database, Adobe Type Manager 2.0, a
 color desktop scanner marketed  by Animus  Inc., and  Spinnaker Software's
 Plus (a Hypercard clone).  Other products being announced were:

       -  Version 2.5 of the Fastback II hard disk backup program.  Made by
          Fifth Generation Systems (maker of Suitcase  II and  Pyro!), Ver-
          sion 2.5  provides an improved user interface, and File Director,
          a new file management utility.

       -  Ashton Tate's FullWrite Professional 1.5.    This update provides
          sophisticated  page  layout  features,  expanded support for file
          conversion, and improved Online Help.  Ashton Tate  also provides
          a series of guides to help users in learning and using the progr-
          am.  Cost: $395.00....

       -  Heizer  Software's  ConvertIt!     .     This series of utilities
          translates Hypercard  stacks into  files readable  by ToolBook, a
          Hypercard clone available for Microsoft Windows 3.0.  A Macintosh
          program  first  converts  Hypercard  files  into HIFF (Hypermedia
          Interchange File Format) files.  One then uses  a DOS  Utility to
          convert the  HIFF file  into ToolBook's  file format.  ConvertIt!
          will be available in October 1990.  Cost: $200.00....

       -  The Ultimate Portable for the Mac.       Made by Computer Friends
          Inc.,  this  consists  of  an  Atari  Portfolio, the Atari Serial
          Interface, a cable for connecting the  Portfolio to  a Macintosh,
          and the  Message Mover  utility.  With this program, one can per-
          form file transfer operations  between a  Portfolio and  a Macin-
          tosh, or  use a  modem to  call Bbss  and Online  Services with a
          Portfolio.  Cost:  $600.00 with a Portfolio.
          Computer Friends  also  sells  a  $250.00  package,  which allows
          current Portfolio  users to  interface their "ultimate portables"
          with Macs....

       -  PixelPaint Professional Version 2.0.   Made  by SuperMac Technol-
          ogy, this release features a completely redesigned interface that
          (among other things) uses floating color palettes and "pressure--
          sensitive" drawing tools.  PixelPaint Professional 2.0 also has a
          color gradient editor, allows  users to  work with  multiple pic-
          tures, and  can move/change  shapes or  text in a picture.  Cost:
          $800.00, but only $125 for upgrading from PixelPaint Professional
          1.0.

       -  Version 2.0  of the DiskLock file protection utility.   Also made
          by Fifth Generation Systems, this product will automatically lock
          (or write-protect)  files after a system crash, and supports DES,
          a Data Encryption Standard developed by the US Government.

       -  Ashton Tate's dBASE IV Runtime Plus.   This  product allows users
          to use,  create, or  modify programs made using the dBASE IV lan-
          guage.  It is compatible  with  dBASE  IV  Version  1.1  for DOS,
          meaning that programs made using the dBASE IV Runtime can be used
          by DOS  systems unchanged.   However,  since dBASE  IV 1.1 (which
          began shipping  for the  PC last  week) still has several bugs in
          it, the complete dBASE IV software won't be  available for Macin-
          tosh or Unix systems for at least another year....


       Networking products  were plentiful at Macworld/Boston 1990.  Novell
 introduced Version 2.0 of their Netware for the Mac.  Netware is a "System
 Fault Tolerant" network operating system that is the dominant LAN standard
 in the IBM industry.  This release allows Macs to be used  as file servers
 and system  administrators in a LAN Network, as well as providing improved
 error protection.  Oracle also announced their new  Oracle Database Server
 for Macintosh.   This  SQL Relational  database server lets Macintoshes be
 used as database servers for Macintosh-only LANs, as well as using Macs to
 access  databases  on  the  80  types  of  microcomputer,  mainframe,  and
 minicomputer systems for which Oracle software is available.

       One notable no-show at  this Macworld  Expo was  Jasmine Inc.   This
 company was  one of  the most  popular Macintosh hard drive vendors, until
 mismanagement, lawsuits with its hard disk suppliers, and  power struggles
 among  its  top  management  drove  it into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Early
 1990.  Jasmine is  now a  division of  Chess S.A.,  a French  maker of Mac
 peripherals.    Jasmine  did  not  have  a booth at MacWorld Expo, but did
 announce a new line of hard disk drives during the show....


       Several Apple officials were  among  the  featured  speakers  at the
 show.   Apple CEO  John Sculley gave the keynote address, while Jean-Louis
 Gassee gave his last speech as outgoing President of Apple  USA.  Notably,
 Ian  Diery  (President  of  Apple  Pacific)  gave  a  seminar  in which he
 emphasized  that  products  must  be  "positioned   differently,  marketed
 differently, and supported differently throughout the world", according to
 the societies found in the countries that they are targeted towards.

       Apple had experienced tremendous problems in  this regard  in Japan,
 where mismanagement,  lack of  R&D efforts  to "localize" products for the
 Japanese marketplace, and efforts  to run  Apple Japan  "as a  US company"
 almost ruined  the Macintosh  in Japan.  However, Apple Japan has now made
 the Macintosh one of the most popular computers  in Japan,  with companies
 like Microsoft  writing Japanese  versions of  their software.  Diery also
 stressed that Apple has become a truly international firm, and  noted that
 "with  computer  sales  rising  faster internationally than within the US,
 that is extremely important for (Apple's) long term growth."





 > CPU STATUS REPORT?              >>> LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS <<<
   =================



 - Ithaca, NY         NEW STUDY SHOWS HOW TO REDUCE EYESTRAIN FROM MONITORS
   ----------

       Cornell University has completed a new study into reducing eyestrain
 among VDT  (video display  terminal) users.   It compared the reactions of
 computer users working under indirect fluorescent lighting (or uplighting)
 to those  working under conventional "overhead" (or parabolic) fluorescent
 lighting.

       The study found that 25 percent of the computer users  working under
 "overhead" lighting  lost more  than 15  minutes a  day because of trouble
 focusing their eyes.  In contrast, only 1  percent of  those working under
 indirect  "uplighting"  had  similar  eyestrain difficulties.  The Cornell
 study also found that 71  percent  of  the  users  working  under indirect
 lighting preferred it, while 74 percent of those using "overhead" lighting
 liked the indirect lighting better....

       "Uplighting" consists of directing  the light  of lensed fluorescent
 lights towards  the ceiling.  It is now being used by AT&T, IBM, and other
 companies for employees that  use computers.   The  most significant thing
 about the Cornell study is that it shows the ineffectiveness of "overhead"
 lighting....




 - Glenview, IL             DEFENSE DEPARTMENT FUNDS ZENITH'S HDTV RESEARCH
   ------------

       The US Department of Defense has announced that  DARPA (its advanced
 research and development division) will be co-funding segments of Zenith's
 HDTV (High Definition Television) research  pertaining  to  its  FTM (flat
 tension mask) color display technology.

       FTM  displays  are  extremely  rugged,  glare-free, and renowned for
 their effectiveness in high resolution displays.  Zenith is now working to
 develop new  manufacturing processes to produce large-screen FTM displays,
 which DARPA  is interested  in for  military workstation  displays.  Worth
 over $1 million dollars, the joint DARPA/Zenith effort could revolutionize
 the manufacture of color monitors.  Interestingly enough, the effort funds
 an essential part of Zenith's HDTV Research....

       Zenith,  the  last  remaining  independent  US  TV  maker,  sold its
 personal  computer  division  to  Groupe  Bull  of  France,  in  order  to
 concentrate on  the HDTV Field.  The market for High Definition Television
 technology is expected to blossom in  the 1990s,  and to  become essential
 for  many  21st  Century  technologies.    Several  Japanese  and European
 companies have made strides in the field, but the DOD  chose to  work with
 Zenith because  of national  security interests.   Meaning  that having US
 companies in the HDTV field will  be vital  to having  a steady  supply of
 technology for US military equipment....




 - Hayward, CA          SECURITY FIRM DARES CRACKERS TO "BEAT" THEIR SYSTEM
   -----------

       Leemah  DataCom  Security  Corp.,  which  develops personal computer
 security systems,  has issued  a challenge  to all  computer "crackers" to
 successfully "beat"  its TraqNet security system.  Leemah is providing the
 password for accessing its computer system, and is  giving "contestants" 2
 weeks  to  try  to  crack  the  4 levels of security that are protecting a
 Secret Message hidden  in  its  computer  system.    The  first  person to
 successfully  access  the  Secret  Message  will win a vacation for two to
 Tahiti or St. Moritz, Switzerland....

       This is being done to prove that security systems (like TraqNet) can
 be  "invulnerable"  to  unauthorized  intruders.  Leemah offered a similar
 challenge last year, and  had 7,476  unsuccessful attempts.   Many  of the
 "contestants"  (some  of  whom  thought  Leemah  was  being  arrogant  and
 overconfident) complained that Leemah won last  year's contest  because it
 had only set up ONE phone line for handling the thousands of calls made to
 the system.  This year, Leemah  is adding  5 extra  lines to  the computer
 system,  so  that  it  can  take  ALL  incoming attempts to break into its
 system.  Leemah believes that the odds of defeating the  various levels of
 security protecting the Secret Message are 1 in 72 quadrillion....

       Interestingly enough,  this contest is at odds with industry efforts
 to discourage computer cracking,  with some  computer Hackers  saying that
 Leemah is advocating the activities of computer Crackers.  However, Leemah
 maintains that  this contest  will show  that much  can be  done to defeat
 computer cracking activities....




 - West Chester, PA          COMMODORE PROFITS DROP AS AMIGA SALES CLIMB UP
   ----------------

       Commodore International has reported a loss of $3.5 million in their
 fourth quarter, on revenues of $198 million.  This loss  was attributed to
 expenses related  to the  recent $20 million dollar Amiga ad campaign that
 Commodore launched.  But  interestingly,  Commodore  reported  earnings of
 $3.5 million on revenues of $887 million.  Also, Amiga computer sales rose
 by 40  percent  in  the  fourth  quarter,  while  sales  of  the  C-64 and
 Commodore's line of PC Clones dropped considerably....





       ____________________________________________________________





 > LEXICOR MIFFED!  STR NewsPlus?   Glendale Show Reps irk Developer Group!
   =============================



 Dateline:  Fairfax Ca. 8-18-90


     LEXICOR software sets date for WORLD WIDE release of it's forth coming
 PHASE-4 Desktop Video graphics software.

     Recently concluded  contract negotiations  with Rio  Datel USA, Condor
 Computers  of  England  and  ATARI  Japan  resulted  in a release date for
 PHASE-4 of NOVEMBER 1st, 1990.  While LEXICOR's  decision to  release it's
 products through  exclusive distributors  has delayed release 60 days, the
 users are ensured faster service and more support through these well known
 and long established distributors.

     The most  recent development  in PHASE-4  distribution was an interna-
 tional FAX request from Tony  Toki  president  of  ATARI  Japan  Corp. for
 PHASE-4 bundling  with ATARI  machines for  Japanese marketing in the ISAC
 1024X768 environment. 

     The ISAC produces a  "SUPER HIGH RES" screen using a multi sync monit-
 or.   PRISM-PAINT 1024  programs designed  for LEXICOR's  own color boards
 produce 49,152 colors on the screen at the same time when used  with IMAGE
 systems  color  board.  This  is  the  least  expensive way to "full color
 graphics atari".
  
     Currently available directly from LEXICOR at $775.00 + $5.25 for ship-
 ping  and  handling  and  available  through RIO DATEL after November 1st,
 1990.  (includes Hardware and software).

 The ISAC requires  both  an  Atari  MEGA  ST  and  TOS  1.4  to  use PRISM
 COLOR-1024.


                            ON A SAD NOTE.....

     Lexicor wishes  to apologize  to all  those ATARIANS  who were looking
 forward to seeing the new PHASE-4 graphic arts applications and  hard ware
 scheduled  for  release  NOV.  1st  1990  through Rio Datel in the USA and
 Condor Computers in Europe.
  
     LEXICOR had accepted an invitation to present a  two day  work seminar
 featuring Desktop video and animations at the GLENDALE SHOW.

     The presentation  was to  show for the first time 24-Bit true color on
 standard un-modified Atari computers, with demonstrations  and visitor use
 of LEXICOR  applications on  the New  TT030/8 and ISAC/Mega computers. The
 seminar was intended to teach and  inform the  user with  a published han-
 dout which  included many  helpful tricks of the trade and marketing hints
 to aspiring computer artist.

     Demonstrations of photo realistic rendering and  motion control rival-
 ing the  most expensive  high end  systems was planned along with compari-
 sons of past atari works and computer animation show. 

     Candidly speaking, LEXICOR can not attend  the GLENDALE  show and make
 the  time  and  manpower  commitment  required  to  provide a professional
 seminar on simply a "standby speaker basis", which  was presented  to     
 LEXICOR by  GLENDALE show  representative J.K. Tarpinian after LEXICOR had
 accepted and made commitments based  on  an  EARLIER  invitation,  with no
 strings attached,  by J.  Nagy on  behalf of  Glendale.  Lexicor was to be
 Guest speakers  and  fully  demonstrate  our  complete  line  of  fine new
 products for the Atari computers.






          _______________________________________________________






 > The FLIP SIDE STR Feature?            A different view point....
   =========================




                    A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT
                    ==================================



 by Michael Lee


 You're going to be seeing some minor changes in my column in the next few 
 weeks  as I play with different formats to see which one is  the  easiest 
 for our readers to read.   This week,  to save space,  I've stripped  the 
 headers  from the messages and have just put the senders name at the  end 
 of each post.  Let me know what you think of this format.

 This  week's  column consists of a few odds and ends posts  that  I  felt 
 contained  general information that would be of interest to most  of  our 
 readers.

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

 "What exactly is the difference, if any, between a 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" hard 
 disk drive...." - Jason Saffer

 "The laws of physics make a well designed 3 1/2" drive  quieter,  faster, 
 and  more reliable than a similar size 5 1/4" mechanism.  There  is  less 
 mass  to move for the spindle motor and the stepper has less  travel  and 
 requires less speed to achieve the same step rate.  This results in lower 
 power  motors which are inherently quieter.  Less power means  less  heat 
 which should result in longer life."

 "Nearly  all drive manufacturers have migrated towards 3 1/2"  mechanisms 
 and they will soon replace the 5 1/2" mechanism for annual drive  volume. 
 (If  they haven't already).  The newest technologies also are put into  3 
 1/2" mechanisms.   Usually a comparable 5 1/4" mech will be a year or two 
 older in design."

 "BTW Most drive manufacturers have a 2 1/2" mech design program in  place 
 today." - Tom at ICD, Inc.

      (From Genie)

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

 "....I found out two things,  one is that the CDAR504 (Ed's Note: Atari's 
 CD Rom player) is really a CHINON DC431. I also found out that the SLM804 
 is really an Office Automations Systems Inc. printer - the Laserpro 5308. 
 So  if you need tech specs,  toner,  drums,  you now have an  alternative 
 source."

 "The SLM804  uses the TEC LB1301 write white engine, NOT the Ricoh engine.

 You  can  interchange  the toner/drum with  the  Oaysis  LaserPro  series 
 without  problem and  usually at  noticeable savings  I might  add."  Toad
 Computer

      (From Genie)

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

 "There's a rumor of a new upgrade from ICD that makes their host  adaptor 
 compatible  with  both Talon's SuperCharger and fixes the STe  hard  disk 
 problem." - from Gregg Anderson

 "We  just added some capacitors to smooth out noise on the DMA  bus  that 
 was  a real problem on the STE.  That fixed 99% of our STE  problems  and 
 doesn't cause any problems on other computers (which is always a danger). 
 The  other 1% which is not fixed is the mysterious data shifting that  we 
 have  seen  only  once in our office.  I would guess that  is  caused  by 
 defective DMA chips and is not very common." - Tom at ICD

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

 "I  phoned  my contact in Germany today,  and he says  that  the  release 
 version of Tempus Word is promised in September." - Norm Weinress

 (Ed's Note: Tempus is one of the fastest editors available for the ST. It 
 is assumed that a word processor from the same company would be fast  and 
 full featured.)

      (From Genie)

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

 There is an ad from Beswick Engineering in the Computer Shopper.  This is 
 for an 'Inkjet Reinker Kit' and it includes equipment,  instructions, and 
 60 ml of black ink for HP Deskjet family.  The ad also mentions bulk  ink 
 both in black and colors. "Prepay $29.00 to:"

      Beswick Engineering
      Box 602
      Ipswich, MA  01938
      800-354-5014.

 In the same issue,  a simple classified ad mentions cartridge  re-inking. 
 $7  per cartridge,  and they pay the shipping with an order of more  than 
 one.

      Sensor Based Systems
      17010 NE 190th
      Woodinville, WA  98072
      206 827-8794


 Until next week.....






       ____________________________________________________________




 > Stock Market ~ STReport Online?     Computer Stocks Zapped by Oil Crisis
   ==============================

                                                     THE TICKERTAPE
                                                     ==============

 Week I
 ------

 by Michael Arthur


     The price of Atari stock stayed the same price on Monday, Tuesday, and
 Wednesday.   It went  down by  1/8 of  a point  on Thursday,  and was down
 another 1/8  of a point on Friday.  Finishing up the week at 4 3/4 points,
 Atari stock had gone down 1/4 of a point since Friday, August 3rd.

       Interestingly enough, it seems  that Atari  and Commodore  fared the
 best on this week.  The stock selloff from the Iraq/Kuwait Crisis, at this
 time, affected major computer stocks the worst.

      Apple Stock was down 2 1/2 points from Friday, August 3, 1990.
           Commodore Stock was down 1/8 of a point from 8/03/90.
               IBM Stock was down 6 1/8 points from 8/03/90.


                Stock Report for Week of 8/06/90 to 8/10/90

 _________________________________________________________________________
 STock|    Monday    |  Tuesday   |  Wednesday | Thursday  |    Friday    |
 Reprt|Last      Chg.|Last    Chg.|Last    Chg.|Last   Chg.|Last      Chg.|
 -----|--------------|------------|------------|-----------|--------------|
 Atari|  5      ---- |  5     ----|   5   ---- |4 7/8  -1/8|4 3/4    - 1/8|
      |              |            |            |           |  44,500 Sls  |
 -----|--------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------------|
  CBM |6 1/8    - 1/4|5 7/8  - 1/4|6 3/8   +1/2|6 5/8  +1/4|6 1/2     -1/8|
      |              |            |            |           |  68,500 Sls  |
 -----|--------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------------|
 Apple|39 1/2  -1 3/4|39 1/2  ----|40 1/8  +5/8|39 1/2 -5/8|38 3/4   - 3/4|
      |2,401,500  Sls|            |            |           | 917,000 Sls  |
 -----|--------------+------------+------------+-----------+--------------|
  IBM |103 7/8 -4 1/4| 103   - 7/8|103 1/8 +1/8|103 1/4    | 102   - 1 1/4|
      |3,549,200  Sls|            |            |       +1/8|1,448,500 Sls |
 -----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'

       'Sls' refers to the # of stock shares that were traded that day.
       'CBM' refers to Commodore Corporation.
       '----'  means that the stock's price did not change for the day.




 THE TICKERTAPE - Week II       And the Band Marches On....
 ------------------------

 by Michael Arthur


       On Monday, Atari stock went up 1/4 of a point, and dropped  1/8 of a
 point on Tuesday.  It went down by 1/8 of a point on Wednesday, and stayed
 the same price on Thursday.  The price of Atari stock went  down 1/2  of a
 point on  Friday.   Finishing up the week at 4 1/4 points, Atari stock has
 gone down 5/8 of a point since August 10, 1990.

       This week, most computer  stocks fell  sharply in  price, as worries
 over the  price of  oil caused stockholders to turn towards other types of
 investments (gold, platinum, etc.).  As  in last  week, Apple  stock fared
 the worst,  but Atari  stock reached  a 52-week  low, at 4 1/4 and the end
 does not appear to be in sight.


      Apple Stock was down 2 1/4 points from Friday, August 10, 1990.
           Commodore Stock was down 1/2 of a point from 8/10/90.
              IBM Stock was down 5/8 of a point from 8/10/90.


                Stock Report for Week of 8/13/90 to 8/17/90

 _________________________________________________________________________
 STock|    Monday    |  Tuesday   | Wednesday |  Thursday  |    Friday    |
 Reprt|Last      Chg.|Last    Chg.|Last   Chg.|Last    Chg.|Last      Chg.|
 -----|--------------|------------|-----------|------------|--------------|
 Atari|  5      + 1/4|4 7/8   -1/8|4 3/4  -1/8|4 3/4   ----|4 1/4    - 1/2|
      |              |            |           |            |  65,500 Sls  |
 -----|--------------+------------+-----------+------------+--------------|
  CBM |6 1/2    ---- |6 3/8   -1/8|6 3/8  ----|  6    - 3/8|  6      - 3/8|
      |              |            |           |            |  96,500 Sls  |
 -----|--------------+------------+-----------+------------+--------------|
 Apple|39 7/8  +1 1/8|39 3/4  -1/8|39 1/4     |38 1/2  -3/4|36 1/2    - 2 |
      |              |            |       -1/2|            |2,197,400 Sls |
 -----|--------------+------------+-----------+------------+--------------|
  IBM |103 3/4 +1 3/4|104 3/8     | 105  + 5/8|103 3/4     |101 3/8 -2 3/8|
      |              |        +5/8|           |      -1 1/4|2,640,600 Sls |
 -----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'

       'Sls' refers to the # of stock shares that were traded that day.
       'CBM' refers to Commodore Corporation.
        '----'  means that the stock's price did not change for the day.

       Curiously, Atari lost 15 percent of its stock's value over this two
 week period.  Here is a list of computer stock price changes over the
 reported two-week period:

          Atari:  Down 0.75 (US$)           IBM:  Down 6.75 (US$)
       Apple:  Down 4.75 (US$)           Commodore:  Down 0.37 (US$)




     ________________________________________________________________







 > F-19!!  STR Review?         "The top secret F-117A was actually..."
   ==================




                           F-19 STEALTH FIGHTER
                                   from
                         MicroProse Software, Inc.




 by Paul Varn


 This  recent  addition  to  the  air  combat  simulation  game  market was
 anticipated with  a great  deal of enthusiasm by the ST computer  world of
 air battle players since its successful  introduction to   the  IBM world.
 The version I have purchased was the one for the  ST in the UK imported to
 the US.  The timing is a little curious  as the  formal US  version is due
 to be  released the end of August  '90 and this import arrived here only a
 few weeks earlier.   The   information I  have read  is that  the European
 import version  will not  differ from the US version except for some small
 packaging  details and registration card.  It  is the  most costly  of the
 simulations to  date for the ST and the most elaborate.  Truly a no-holds-
 barred effort to produce a contemporary  and realistic  simulation (really
 hard to  call this one a "game" anymore) that  provides exhaustive mission
 possibilities, complex graphics,  uncompromising sound, and a  manual that
 can be used as a  reference of modern warfare and rival illustrated infor-
 mation books in your library.

 THE GAME:

     Research in 1989 on the possible performance, shape, and mission  of a
 US  stealth  fighter,  and  speculation  as  to  it's name resulted in the
 programming of F-19.  The top secret F-117A was actually  deployed in 1983
 but  openly  disclosed  only  this  year.   Both  shapes (the one based on
 guesses and the real F-117A) are included in the simulation  but are iden-
 tical in performance.

     You can  select between  two types of missions; air or ground  strike,
 or fly the same  missions in  "training" mode  where being   shot  down or
 failing a mission won't affect your permanent pilot log.  There are always
 primary and secondary targets.  Note here that  air attack  missions often
 include a  ground mission  which is most likely reconaissance photography.
 F-19 has four choices for   areas of  the real  world in  which to battle:
 Central Europe,  North Cape  of Arctic Ocean (Finland, Sweden, Norway, and
 USSR), Persian Gulf, and Libya.   The terrain  image detail  is astounding
 and geographically accurate.

     You can  choose between  four levels of enemy competence (really  dumb
 to nearly unbeatable) and four levels of flight  characteristic difficulty
 (no crashes  and ground  proximity   protection to realistic performance).
 Choosing the most difficult  of  all  the  options  (real  missions, elite
 enemy, and  real landings)  yield the highest point scores upon completing
 the  mission.  Successful completion must always include a safe landing.

     Upon embarking on a mission (assisted by CRT displayed way points  and
 maps) you  will find  yourself confronted by a vast array of enemy ground,
 air, and sea defenses  armed with  an equally  daunting stockpile  of mar-
 ginal and  sophisticated weaponry.  To   counter, you have no less than 17
 types of  weapons to  choose from  and additionally,  external fuel, 135mm
 camera, and the ability to air drop supply and equipment packages.

     After completing a mission, a detailed graphic debriefing pictorial of
 your  successes  or mistakes along  with  accumulated score is  presented.
 Also, an  entertaining  animated bar scene with  your other  flying buddys
 which changes depending  on the effectiveness of  your completed  mission.
 Ranking  and medals  are included.    If you ditch  your plane  and eject,
 there's an excellent animation of a rescue helicopter.

 PACKAGING:

     You  get  four,  three-color  glossy  maps,  a keyboard overlay, (very
 similar  to  Red  Storm   Rising)  manual,   computer  specific  technical
 supplement, registration card, and three disks.  Hard disk installation is
 not available on this version and has copy  protection on  all three disks
 as well  as picture  identification from  the manual.   When  you format a
 standard disk from the  desktop, you create  a fourth  disk which  is used
 for pilot  records.  This file is hidden on the disk and not recognized by
 TOS.  There cannot be enough said about the manual.   It  is very complete
 (192 pages)  with full  page art,  crystal clear  examples of game images,
 well explained game play,  and  extensive  friend/foe,  craft/weapon data.
 Contents  table  and  elaborate  index are accurate and invaluably useful.
 The technical supplement omits Cntrl-N to toggle night  flying in training
 mode, and specifies two  controls: (Cntrl-Q, and Cntrl-B that don't work).
 Another minor  error specifies  lines when  it should  be boxes describing
 EMV  symbols.     The  fact  that  it  alone  is  19  pages  suggests  the
 comprehensiveness of the detail involved.

 WHAT I LIKE:

     Unparalleled detail and unique  external views  are a  standout  miles
 above any ST simulation I've seen (I've played them all). Screen scrolling
 is acceptable considering the detail and  does not  in any  way hamper the
 smoothness of  play.   It's really  fun to  sight see!  Clouds, along with
 fire and smoke from successful  strikes  are  handled  in  a  way  that is
 unique, adding  a lot  of realism  and long  term interest  factors to the
 game.  At night, real star formations and  a beautiful  moon fill  the sky
 except   where hidden  by clouds  (real nice!).   The sound is synthesized
 except for the digital opening theme.  Nothing lackluster here!  The sound
 of  your  missile  launch  is  wonderful.   Power and wind sound change to
 reflect the changing flight dynamics of  your plane.   There  are friendly
 aircraft of  all kinds (even commercial) around most of the time.  Carrier
 launch and landing are  authentic and  exciting.   Flight controls  can be
 Keys, mouse,  or joystick  with three  selectable levels of sensitivity. I
 enjoy the joystick play so much I haven't tried the others.

 STEALTH FIGHTER?

     If you're after rich  dogfighting play,  this may  not be  the one for
 you.  The combination necessary to provide low profile and speed to radars
 and visual sighting does not make this a great dogfighting machine.  These
 same attributes  though can bring you nose to tail against the best of the
 dogfighting Migs without  them knowing you're there.  Once your formidable
 and varied   weapons  are brought  to bear,  it won't matter if a 550 knot
 plane is up against a 750 knot afterburner.   A  full set  of modern coun-
 ter-measure gizmos help to further even the odds.

 PROBLEMS:

     OK, in  a game  this complex  what are the bugs?  Unfortunately, there
 are a couple semi-serious ones.  There is an unpredictable 180 degree flip
 that leaves  you instantly  flying inverted.   Night flying can complicate
 the problem by making it  more  difficult  to  recognize  the  problem and
 correct it  by rolling upright again.  When this happens at altitude under
 200 feet, avoiding collision is even more difficult.  A  couple of players
 have  reported  mountains  suddenly  appearing  out of the ocean causing a
 collision although I haven't run into  this one  yet (North  Cape area) in
 many  hours  of  play.    The  copy  protection may render a whole disk or
 portions of data to be unreadable to the  program and  the game  will lock
 up with  a scrambled  screen and  error codes displayed.  Replacing a disk
 with a new one solved one such problem for me.  Although the documentation
 hints otherwise,  crashes with the ground in training mode will "KIA" your
 pilot log forcing you to  start  again  with  another  pilot.    If you're
 unsure of  your skill,  select "no crash or "easy landing".  MicroProse is
 looking into these problems and will no doubt come up  with solutions.   I
 still consider  the game  playable and  I'm willing to tolerate them until
 they come up with some solution.  If  you want  a bug  free game,  I don't
 know how  long you'll  have to  wait.  The chance to experience a hallmark
 computer simulation that  can  fully  entertain  even  critical simulation
 enthusiasts might  be worth jumping in early.  I don't regret the purchase
 feeling that the obvious effort in  this project  and the  good reputation
 of  MicroProse  will  eventually  produce  a  more  concrete  product.   A
 conspicuous label on the box assures buyers of STE compatibility.

     I consider myself a critical though  avid  simulation  flier.    I own
 Gunship,  (another  fine  Microprose  game) F16 Combat Simulator,  Falcon,
 Battlehawks 1942, Flight Simulator II, Jet, and Harrier  Combat Simulator.
 I  also  admit  to  owning  F15 Strike Eagle (another MicroProse product).
 Don't judge F-19 using Strike Eagle though.  There's no  comparison whate-
 ver.   I consider  this game in a world of it's own.  It breaks new ground
 in game programming in the way Falcon did when it was new.

     My aim in posting this review is to aid prospective buyers in purchase
 decisions about  expensive and complex software where a five minute tryout
 in the store comes far short  of providing  detail necessary  to feel con-
 fident in your interest and entertainment value. 






      _______________________________________________________________





 > ATARI STOCK WOW! STR PROBE?          The Atari Saga    ...continues
   ==========================




  ->aka: "The Rude Awakening"




                  WHY THE RABID DECLINE OF ATARI'S STOCK
                  ======================================



                         :QUESTION OF THE DECADE:
                          ----------------------
     How,  can  a  company  release  such a tremdously great and successful
     machine as the ST and few years later be considered the "joke"  of the
     decade in the computer industry?

                                 :ANSWER:
                                  ------
     This is  a question only Sam Tramiel can answer, since he is "the man"
 responsible for the success or failure of Atari.


                 :MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION OF THE DECADE:
                  --------------------------------------
     What do you consider to be the primary cause of the tragic  decline in
     the value of Atari and its stock?

                         :MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWER:
                          ----------------------
          a - The deadly lack of a solid dealer network.
          b - Particularly poor dealer support.
          c - Little or no National sales efforts.
          d - The STe problem.
          e - The lack of advertising.
          f - The bad attitude of certain of Atari's representatives.
          g - The reputation Atari has built in the industry.
          h - A totally inept corporate leadership.
          i - Corporate leaders with inappropriate priorities.
          j - Outrageously high Jr. executive turnover
          k - ALL of the above.

     The real  answer has  been known  by many of the industry analysts for
 quite some time.  Many have  expressed:   "you cannot  place this  type of
 operation into  the hands  of those who are strict idealists and expect it
 to survive.. let alone be a success."  

     While the Tramiel sons may have the 'best of educations' they certain-
 ly have  shown that "experts in the computer business they are not."  From
 the time they assumed relative freehanded control of Atari, there has been
 a foreboding  attitude exhibited  by them.  Unfortunately, at the time the
 shining light of the ST and its successors the Mega 2 and  4 were  a posi-
 tive distraction for what was slowly developing.
  
     For the  last 36  months, there  has been  a steady  procession of the
 brightest software and hardware developers away  from the  Atari ST arena.
 Granted,  the  same  thing  is  happening  in the other related arenas but
 nowhere near the scale it is happening in the Atari arena.  Why?  Although
 it would  be nice to give a straight forward, easy answer, there really is
 none.  Except perhaps,  to reflect  on the  treatment both  developers and
 dealers have received over the past three years.  In no other platform has
 the dealer and the developer both been horsed around as much as  they have
 in the  Atari arena.   The  developers and dealers are like the oil fields
 and refineries are to the auto makers.  Without the developers and dealers
 Atari computers will have nothing to run.
  
     Sure, there are those who say well, there are six thousand programs to
 use already in the ST arena.  All this is well and good, but  they are all
 dated and  fast becoming  examples of  how programs  "used to be written".
 For Atari computers to gain a decisive leading  edge, programming  for the
 Atari computers  must be  on the  cutting edge of the future.  There is no
 compromise here that is the way it is.  Once in this  position, Atari will
 enjoy the sales its excellent hardware should justifiably generate.
  
     There  is   no  question,   that  Atari's  hardware  (except  for  the
 STe..eeek!) has an excellent track record.   Now  however, with  the stock
 exchange going  nuts.   Atari's task  has not  been made any easier but it
 still can be done.  The hardware speaks for itself.  ITS GOOD STUFF.   The
 company must  put away  the negative image it has established of being run
 by three vindictive, uncaring  young men  who have  no idea  what the real
 world is  all about.   There  are those  of us who know or, at least would
 like to believe that such is not the case, but when the bottom line  is as
 plain as the value of the stock, there is little argument left.

     On the  bright side,  there will  be sweeping changes made both in or-
 ganization and  personnel and  most should  have occurred  before Oct. 01,
 1990.





      ______________________________________________________________






 > Not That Bad.. STR Mail Call?       Reader opinions reflected....
   ============================


 ctsy CIS


 22472 S17/Community Square
 23-Aug-90  23:32:45
 Sb: #22463-Atari Profit/Loss
 Fm: TIM REYES 73377,220
 To: Michael Arthur @ STR/CPU 72510,672

      It doesn't  appear that  Atari has  driven itself  to Chapter 11. Teh
 quarterly report apparently didn't help its stock's value and so  also the
 middle east  crisis. The latter has damaged all high tech stocks. Although
 they lost alot in the Federate Group debacle  and have  had no  design for
 pushing their  pc computer further, it seems to me that it would take more
 to push it off the deep end. Furthermore, there are enough moles around so
 that we would know of something so wrong and urgent.

      My own  feeling is that the Tramiel family is setting up the corpora-
 tion for putting it up for sale. For example putting  the new  fellow from
 Atari France   in  charge of  the U.S., Canada and out of the Tramiel sons
 hands, might be one indication of their preparation.  Also the development
 of the  Atari TT  with its  unix (&  TOS) capability,  once on the market,
 might make the corporation  much more  marketable. The  Tramiel sons could
 take there  millions and  easily start again, each in their own directions
 perhaps.

      If it goes up for sale, so to speak, from watching the stock of other
 bought out corporations in the past decade, it would seem to me that Atari
 stock would easily double it present value. And I agree  that the upcoming
 holiday buying  season and  the imminent  release of  the TT will push the
 price up considerably.

                                             Tim Reyes





    __________________________________________________________________





 > MS DOS?? STR Feature?            An honest look by an ST'er
   ====================



                                             So, What's the Big Deal?
                                              =======================


 by Peter T. Szymonik


     Last month I faced a crisis.  The Mega 4 was fine, but I  couldn't use
 it!   As her  semester was  drawing to a close, my fiancee confiscated the
 machine to finish her research papers.  It was almost too much to bear.  

     I couldn't  log onto  to networks,  I couldn't  write letters  ...  NO
 SPECTRE GCR!!  The computer  had become part of my daily routine, everyday
 for years  I switched  on the  ST to  check mail,  read news,  and to post
 messages.   But the  sacrifice was necessary, so I supplied the coffee and
 encouragement while she typed.  The story continues....


     Last year I was wandering around  New York  City doing  freelance work
 while trying to decide what to do with my life.  I landed a couple of jobs
 that required Mac knowledge and read through some  Mac books  and within a
 week I became a Mac "power user." 

     The work  was nice,  the pay  ok, but  New York City ...  , well let's
 just say that its  hardly what  I would  call an  ideal place  to live and
 work.   I soon  realized that most New Yorkers spend their lives trying to
 get out of New York City, so I decided to escape while  I still  could and
 headed back for Connecticut.   

     In  Connecticut  I  landed  computer  jobs  working  for  a non-profit
 company that helps American Indians, a law firms and also for ESPN (what a
 great place  to work!)   It  became obvious  that my  Mac knowledge was in
 demand, but that it wouldn't be enough to  keep me  occupied full  time in
 the corporate  world.   Kicking and  screaming all  the way,  I started to
 learn MS-DOS.  I know you're all in shock.  I'll give you a few minutes.

     Strapping myself behind a Dell '286, within a  few days  I became part
 of  the  millions  of  lost  souls  who  use this brain dead ten-year old,
 operating system.  The  situation was  grim my  friends, every  day I dove
 deeper and  deeper into the dark world of MS-DOS.  I was lost, I was weak,
 then it happened.  April 21st ...  a Saturday ...  at 11:23pm  ...   I saw
 the ad  and I  snapped, I  grabbed the  Visa card  and did  it.   In a few
 minutes it was all over, I had bought  Northgate Slimline  '386.   (Oh the
 shame!) My fate was sealed.  The story you are about to read is true...


     This article  is about  the world  of MS-DOS and my experiences on the
 other side of the fence.  ST  owners  are  forced  to  listen  to  all the
 MS-DOS people  telling us  how great MS-DOS is and what we're missing.  We
 hear about '386 systems running at  a  blazing  20Mhz  or  more, fantastic
 screen resolutions  that put  the ST  monitor to  shame, and software that
 appears to be growing on trees.  Well, I've been  in the  MS-DOS world for
 six months  now and I'd like to give you a taste of what it's really like.
 This not to knock  MS-DOS  machines or  to start  a "my  machine is better
 than your  machine" argument,  I did  shell out  over $3,500 on one of the
 suckers after all.  This is simply to show that  even the  MS-DOS world is
 hardly the computer users paradise everyone makes it out to be.

     Lots of  homework has  to done before buying an MS-DOS machine without
 getting burned in the process.  Armed with  the latest  issues of Computer
 Shopper, PC Magazine, and PC World, I started to shop for my dream system.

     Lesson Number  One: forget  the prices  splattered all over the flashy
 multi-colored ads.  By the time a decent system is put together  the final
 price can  easily be  TWICE what ad says.  Watch the small print and there
 is plenty of it.  Choices in the ST world are simple.  Pick a machine with
 the amount  of memory  you want  or can afford, pick a color or monochrome
 monitor, buy a hard drive, and your  off  and  running.    Not  so  in the
 MS-DOS world.   First  you need  to pick the type of processor you want to
 your system to run; 286? 386SX? 386? 486?  PC magazines say  the 286  is a
 dead end,  or is  it? Recent articles tell us that the latest crop of high
 speed 286 chips can outperform 386 chips.  How about a 386SX?  Everyone is
 pushing it  as a low cost alternative to the 386, but is buying a crippled
 chip a smart move? Is a 486 worth  the extra  money? Articles  are already
 showing up saying the 386 may be an orphan.  

     Let's move  on, pick  the amount  of memory  you want, sorry, not that
 simple.  When buying  memory for  an MS-DOS  machine remember  to consider
 such things  as extended and expanded memory.  Wait, before we go on, what
 speed chips do you want? Do  you want  SIMMS or  have them  on the mother-
 board? There is also carded memory if you'd prefer.  Some applications are
 severe memory hogs, but remember that no matter how much memory the system
 has, the 640K DOS limit is always there starting you in the face!
   
     Well,  lets  skip  that,  what's  next?  Which  operating system do we
 chose, MS-DOS 3.3 or 4.01? OS/2 is around the corner, Windows 3.0  is out.
 Be aware  that some  OS systems  need LOTS  of memory.   With MS- DOS 4.01
 you'll find some applications that just  won't run  because of  the memory
 4.01 requires.   On  the other  hand some  new memory- hungry applications
 require MS-DOS 4.01!   Don't forget  about extended  memory (or  is it ex-
 panded memory?)  You can  also throw  some stuff into high memory, not the
 640K high memory, the other  high  memory.    Multitasking?  That requires
 Desqview 386  or Windows  3.0 and  lots of  memory.  Windows and OS/2 also
 require lots of memory, and applications designed to use them.  

     Confused yet?  Well, let's pick a monitor, that should be easy.    VGA
 is the  one to have, right? or is it Super VGA?? What's that? BOTH 800x600
 and 1024x768 are Super VGA? What's this 8514/A everyone is  talking about?
 What do  you mean  I have  to be careful? If my monitor isn't standard, no
 software will  take full  advantage of  it...   What is  the standard? You
 don't know  ...    well  ok, I'll  go with  Super VGA  because that's what
 everyone is advertising ... interlaced or non-interlaced? ARGH!! What does
 that mean?  I need  a VGA  card, I knew that, 128K, 256K, or 512K!?! 'Cuse
 me?? I thought I could only use 640K under DOS!!  That doesn't  leave much
 room for  programs! Huh?  It's in protected memory not real memory?!? What
 does that mean?? ARGHH!!

     Remember that every "must  have" option  is another  couple of hundred
 added to the final price...

     Mind  you  that  you'd  be  *very*  lucky  to  find  a salesperson who
 understands all this and even more fortunate if  he or  she is  willing to
 take the  time to explain it all to you.  Most vendors, even the reputable
 ones, will try to sell you a "standard" bundled system where they make all
 the decisions  for you  - bad  move.  You'll end of up a great system with
 many little annoyances they didn't  tell  you  about,  things  like screen
 flicker, slow drive operation, etc.  

     A color  monitor with  1024 x  768 resolution  may sound great - until
 you realize that its an interlaced monitor and  its flicker  drives you up
 the wall.   The price on that "special" 100-meg drive may sound good to be
 true, and it is.  When it arrives you discover  the thing  is a  5.25 inch
 full height monster running at 40ms! This is much more common than you may
 believe.  I've seen NEC systems with four  different types  of hard drives
 under the  hood running  anywhere from  19 to 50ms! If you don't ask ques-
 tions about every component in your system there will be many nasty little
 surprises waiting for you when your system arrives.

     I skipped  all the no-name companies, I didn't feel like taking a risk
 no matter what they said they'd  give me  "for free."   I'd  read too many
 horror stories about systems made from cheap parts, like motherboards that
 flap in the wind and three year old 200ns memory chips no one else wanted.
 I stayed with the big name companies that could afford the nice big ads in
 magazines like PC Magazine, Byte, and  PC  World.    Companies  like Zeos,
 Austin, Northgate,  PC Brand,  Sunnyvale Memories,  to name a few.  Then I
 hunted down some reviews and started reading.  Armed with semi-intelligent
 questions, I  started calling.   Every  vendor was  very friendly and more
 than willing to sell  me a  system, but  one company  impressed me  a lot,
 Northgate.   Why? They  answered the  phone on the second ring and a human
 was on the other end of the line.  The human then spent the next half hour
 answering every question I threw at him in gory detail.   

     More than  that, Northgate  happily acknowledged  that other companies
 offered lower prices!  They listed them for me by  name and  explained the
 shortcuts they  use to get those lower prices.  The salesperson encouraged
 me to call the others and told me the questions I should  ask: what brands
 of monitors  do you  use?   What speed  memory chips do you use and who is
 your supplier? What rating did the  FCC  give  your  machine,  etc.   VERY
 impressive!  I called the other places and Northgate did seem to offer the
 best designed system for the money.  So  I ordered  a '386  with a  NEC 2A
 color Super  VGA color  monitor and  two megs  of RAM.   Windows 3.0 and a
 MicroSoft mouse were promised to me as soon as MicroSoft  shipped them and
 they arrived  the week  after MicroSoft publically announced availability.
 Total price: $2,900, ouch! 

     [Note: When I ordered the demand for the Slimline was so great that it
     was backordered  two weeks.  Every Northgate is also assembled by hand
     and burned in for 48-hours before shipping.  Northgate's president was
     obviously concerned  about the  situation, he  personally called EVERY
     customer ordering the  Slimline  and  offered  his  apologies  for the
     wait!]
  
                    Ok, the Northgate plug is over.
  
     The  system  arrived  and  was  easy  to setup.  The documentation was
 typical -  adequate,  but  hardly  the  easiest  to  follow.    The entire
 computer industry  could use good tech writers with NO computer background
 whatsoever, it would make life much easier!



                       ......part 2 next week......




         ________________________________________________________






 > NE FEST!! STR SHOW NEWS?          NEW ENGLAND ATARIFEST NEWS!
   =======================



  
                   //////NEW ENGLAND ATARIFEST '90\\\\\\
                                U*P*D*A*T*E

                                17-Aug-1990


 Scheduled to attend:


 Atari Corp.          In  the  personage  of  Bob  Brodie,  and  anyone (or
                    anything)  he  may  bring  along  with  him. Bob may be
                    hosting a seminar, or  at  least  one  of  his infamous
                    question-and-answer sessions.


 BCS/Atari               The Boston  Computer Society's Atari Group will be
                    there, and why shouldn't they? Not only is  the BCS the
                    world's largest  computer interest  group, they're also
                    sponsoring this event.


 Bit Bucket           The oldest  surviving Atari  dealer in Massachusetts,
                    with  locations  in  West  Newton  and Sudbury. The Bit
                    Bucket will have a  massive  booth  for  the AtariFest,
                    featuring software  and hardware.  The Bucket is also a
                    Roland authorized dealer, so don't be  surprised if the
                    booth has a strong musical bent to it.


 Computer  Zone            A  dealer, from North Attleboro, MA. Bob will be
                    bringing a  wide  variety  of  software,  magazines and
                    other goodies.


 Fast Technology      Jim  Allen, everyone's favorite jovial techie will be
                    there, fresh from his sojourn to  Germany. Turbo16s and
                    friendly  tech-talk  are  expected in abundance. Jim is
                    tentatively scheduled to host a seminar.  More  details
                    as they become available.


 Granite  Computers    Hard  Drives  and  modems  for every occasion is the
                    specialty of this  company  from  out  neighbor  to the
                    north: New Hampshire (did you think I meant Canada?).


 Gribnif  Software  Those "wild 'n crazy",  desktop  crusaders from Western
                    Mass. will be on hand, undoubtedly  with a  good supply
                    of NeoDesk 3: The Ultimate Desktop.


 Chor-Ming Lung     The author of "Sheet", a  commercial-quality  shareware
                    spreadsheet. Sheet has been  called "The  most powerful
                    PD spreadsheet bar none" (ATARI ST USER magazine).


 NAACC              "North Attleboro Atari Computer Club."    A user  group
                    based in North Attleboro (you never  would have guessed
                    THAT, right?), MA.


 NaVAUS             "The Nashoba Valley Atari Users Society,"  a user group
                    from Massachusetts' Nashoba Valley (of course). Former-
                    ly known  as ABACUS (Acton-Boxboro Atari Computer Users
                    Society).


 Nevin Shalit       ST INFORMER's  "Rumor City"  columnist will  be on hand
                    for  the  'Fest.  Nevin  may  bring along copies of his
                    mail-merge/person-tracking  utility,  Tracker/ST. Nevin
                    is tentatively  scheduled to  host a seminar, either on
                    Color DTP with PageStream,  or on  Tracker/ST, or maybe
                    both!


 SSAG               "South Shore Atari Group." A usergroup that began South
                    of Boston, but  whose  membership  has  since  grown to
                    represent virtually  the entire Greater Boston area, as
                    well as portions of the NORTH  Shore, and  Southern New
                    Hampshire.


 Syntronics         The  "only" Atari dealer  physically located  in Boston
                    proper. John K. carries the  full  line,  and  is well-
                    versed in the musical aspects of the Atari Experience.


 TidBit Software    Jeff Lomicka, author of The "GOOD Backup Utility", will
                    be on hand to  discuss, well,  "good" backup practices,
                    and I'm  sure he'll  be more  than happy  to show you a
                    certain utility  that makes  "good" backups practically
                    second nature.


      Things are  shaping up  nicely...I DO hope you'll be able to join us!
 Remember the date:  October  27,  1990,  from  9:00am  to  4:00pm,  at the
 University of  Massachusetts (Harbor  Campus), Boston.  See the previously
 uploaded announcement (NEA_ANNC.ARC, file  #16141)  for  more  details, or
 pursue the following options:

      GEnie:  Send E-mail to D.ANDERSON22 or check Cat 11 Topic 20 in the
              ST RoundTable.

      DELPHI: Send E-mail to DPJ or NORMAN238, or check the SSAG area on
              DELPHI/Boston.

      BCS/Atari BBS: (617) 396-4607. 300/1200/2400/9600 baud, 24 hours.

      Write to:  New England AtariFest '90
                 c/o The Boston Computer Society
                 One Center Plaza
                 Boston, MA 02108




    __________________________________________________________________

  




 > WAACE FALL/'90 STR SHOW NEWS?        WAACE Updates & News
   ============================




                      WAACE  AtariFest 90 update.....

     The following  Vendors and  Developers have  committed to space in the
 Sales area of the WAACE AtariFest....

                               Alpha Systems
                             Atari Corporation
                             Best Electronics
                          Branch Always (Canada)
                          Chuck Levin Music Store
                              Computer Digest
                               D.A. Brumleve
                      Debonair Diverse Data Products
                           Double Click Software
                    Frontier Software (United Kingdom)
                                   GEnie
                                 Goldleaf
                                 ICD Inc.
                                   Joppa
                             L & Y Electronics
                                 SLICCware
                                ST Informer
                            Step Ahead Software
                              Strata Software
                              Toad Computers
                                 Wizworks

 Additional Developers will be at the  show in  the demo  and seminar Rooms
 This Vendors/Developers include...

                              ISD Marketing 
                             Gribnif Software 
                 ST Report Online Magazine (Ralph Mariano)
                        Current Notes (Joe Waters)


 Seminars are scheduled as follows:

 Saturday 1100    Double Click Software 
          1200    Nathan Potechin Desktop Publishing with Calamus
          1300    Bob Brodie
          1400    Lauren Flanagan-Sellers 
                    Everything  you've  Wanted  to know about Wordflair and
                    Wordflair II
          1500    Rick Flashman & Dan Wilga Neodesk 3: The Ultimate Desktop
          1600    Ralph Mariano   ST Report Online Magazine
          1700    David Troy   Mass Storage Devices

 Sunday   1100    Joe Waters Introduction to Desktop Publishing
                    using Timeworks Publisher ST 
          1200    D.A. Brumleve Kid Prgs
          1300    Atari Tech Person             
          1400    Darek Mihocka Software Acceleration
          1500    TBD  
          1600    J. Wrotniak The Tools We Are Missing
          1700    IAAD The Independent Association of Atari
                    Developers (IAAD) Meet the Public

     In  addition  to  the  Seminar  schedule Jim Pierson-Perry, Music/Midi
 editor of Start Magazine will be in the Midi Demo room.

 The banquet speaker will be  Charles  Johnson  of  Codehead  Software. His
 topic will be "Atari Through the Looking Glass"

                                        See you at the Fest

                                     Russ Brown WAACE Chairman





       ____________________________________________________________







 > PIRACY SUX II STR Spotlight?              A reply....
   ===========================





                            "PIRACY IN EL PASO"
                            ===================



 A Reply

 By Lloyd Pulley


 I just finished reading Tim Holt's interesting article about piracy in El 
 Paso area. While I don't advocate piracy or pirate BBSes and while I have 
 no doubt that the pirate BBS that Tim reported does exist,  I do question 
 some of the conclusions that Tim arrived at.   His logic reminds me  very 
 much  of Chicken Little's.   Was it a piece of the sky or just a hunk  of 
 wood  that hit Tim in the head?  Is piracy the cause of all of  of  Tim's 
 problems  or are there other causes and piracy is just the one  that  hit 
 him on the head?  Let's examine some of Tim's "pieces of the sky".....

 1) "Jim and Tom  at  Jenkins' Computer Store feel that  there  have  been 
 1,000 ST's sold in the El Paso area." - "In July, 1990, Jenkins' Computer 
 Store sold 10 Atari programs."

    But what wasn't said is how many of these 1,000 units are still  being 
 used.   Just 10 sales out of 1,000 customers does indeed sound bad but if 
 the ST's are only in use in only 100 homes,  then the 10 sales isn't  too 
 bad.

    How many of them belong to people that have moved out of the  El  Paso 
 area?  How many have been sold second-hand to people that wanted a second 
 system  for their homes?   (People that have 2-5 ST's in their home  only 
 buy ONE piece of software to run on all their systems.)  How many of them 
 belong to people that shoved them into the closet.  How many of them have 
 been 'junked' and are just being used as spare parts?  If El Paso is like 
 the majority of the country,  I would hazard a guess that there are  only 
 400-500  homes  that still have ST's in use...not  the  1,000  originally 
 sold.

 2) "In July, 1990, Jenkins' Computer Store sold 10 Atari programs."
    a) "Jenkins' normally sells their software at full retail,  but for  a 
 short period of time have offered a buy two and get one free."
    b) "....you see the $199 version of PageStream,  10 copies of Dragon's 
 Lair,  15 copies of Space Ace,  2 copies of ChronoQuest II, Hammerfist... 
 all sitting there, gathering dust, it becomes obvious what is going on."
    c) "I know you have been into Jenkins',  looked  at the selection, and 
 said to yourself "Geesh,  they have had that program  sitting there for 2 
 years.  Don't they get any NEW stuff?""

    Let's  take the last one first,  it sounds as if Jenkins' has  a  wall 
 full  of old software.   People get tired of seeing the same  old,  dusty 
 software on the shelf week after week,  these people are forced to  start 
 buying  mail order so they can get the "latest and greatest" when  it  is 
 first released and before it developes dust.

    I wonder why Jenkins' still has all of these old copies of  unsaleable 
 software?   Haven't they ever heard of stock balancing?   Most  reputable 
 software  wholesalers allow you to return unsold stock (within a  certain 
 time period) and give the dealer credit for them.

    Yes,  it  is obvious what's going on.   Jenkins' purchasing and  sales 
 policies are atrocious. When people can buy PageStream for $120-$140 from 
 20 different mail order houses (and probably get a newer version than the 
 one that's been developing dust), why should they pay Jenkins' $199 (plus 
 tax) for their old copy?   Fifteen copies of Space Ace on hand shows that 
 someone  was  a good sales person but it wasn't Jenkins'...it  was  their 
 distributor.

    I've got news for Jenkins', once you lose a customer, it's hard to get 
 them  back,  even with a short time sale.   Especially one that forces  a 
 customer to buy three pieces of software to get the discount.  People who 
 have forced into buying their software via mail order and getting  30-50% 
 discounts on ONE piece just aren't going to be that impressed with a  33% 
 discount (plus sales tax) and be forced to buy three programs.

    Also,  one thing that wasn't mentioned is that July and August are two 
 of the worst months of the year for software sales...for any system.

 3) There's little or no money in the new STE system.

    Atari  has  never been known as a company where dealers  make  a  high 
 markup on their hardware.   It has been that way since day one and hasn't 
 changed  since then.  Atari dealers make their money on selling  software 
 and additional hardware.   But if you have chased most of your  customers 
 into the mail order market, you don't even have that profit any longer.

 4) Why would they stop repairing St's? Simple: NO MONEY IN IT.

    Huh??   Repairs are one of the few areas where a dealer can still make 
 money (see #3).   According to Tim, there is no other place in El Paso to 
 get  ST's repaired and the next closest dealer is in  Tucson.   My  local 
 dealer keeps two full-time technicians busy,  they are usually 4-14  days 
 behind on repairs.   This month his sales are down, on all the systems he 
 carries,  but  his repair technicians are still busy.   Why aren't  these 
 1,000   customers,  or  even 400,  coming to Jenkins' for  their  repairs?

 Could  it  be  they have found some way to pirate the  repairs  (Tim  and 
 Jenkins' seem to want to blame the pirates for everything else)?  I don't 
 think so.  Or could it be that....

    a) There isn't 1,000 owners left in the El Paso area?  Or even 400?
    b) Jenkins' repairs are too expensive?
    c) Jenkins' techs aren't reliable?
 ....I would lean towards the first option.

 5) "The  reason  no one is buying is because the darn  things  are  being 
 given away free on pirate BBS's around town."

    Really?   Is  Tim saying that all 1,000 ST owners own modems and  have 
 access to the pirate BBSes? Locally we've found that less than 50% of our 
 ST owners have modems.  Oh I know, the 50% that have modems spread all of 
 the software to the ones that don't have one.   That would mean that  990 
 of the 1,000 ST owners in the El Paso area are "dyed in the wool" thieves 
 and are all interconnected.  I find that one hard to believe.

    Tim  seems  to  be blissfully ignorant of the  fact  that  there  were 
 probably MORE pirate ST BBSes around the country 2-4 years ago than there 
 are today.   But 2-4 years ago,  dealers like Jenkins' were still selling 
 a  lot of software to ST owners.   Tim implies that 99% of the ST  owners 
 are pirating all of their software today,  why wasn't the same percentage 
 pirating  2-4  years  ago (did all of the honest  ST  owners  sell  their 
 systems to crooks)?

 6) "Tom   and Jim can't figure out why the good customers from  the  past 
 aren't coming in anymore to buy programs."

    a) "Clones are the way  to go.  Go in,  ask Tom how many IBM  software 
 packages they sold last  month.  Then ask them how many ST packages  they 
 sold. You will be shocked."

    b) "You  start selling less and  less Atari software.  It  only  makes 
 sense. Start selling more and more  IBM software, and IBM machines."

    As you take more and more of the store to sell clones,  you give  your 
 ST customers less and less reason to shop there.  Now figure in that much 
 of  your  ST  software is ancient,  dusty and over-priced  and  you  have 
 another reason why people are not shopping there.   Also, ask Tom and Jim 
 how many of their current clone customers used to be ST customers (I  bet 
 they didn't subtract those users from the 1,000 figure).

    Tim  says that Jenkins' is selling more IBM software  than  ST.    Why?

 Don't they realize that for every ST pirate BBS,  there are probably four 
 pirate IBM boards?   (I know of 4-5 pirate IBM boards here in Phoenix but 
 I have only heard a rumor of one ST pirate board.)  If the ST owners  are 
 not buying because they can get it free from pirate boards,  why are  the 
 clone  owners buying their software?   They have more sources for  "free" 
 software than the ST owners do.

 I could continue but I think I've made my point.   It's easy to blame the 
 pirates  for everything bad that's happened in the ST marketplace but  if 
 you do,  you're imitating Chicken Little.   While piracy is a problem for 
 _all_ computer owners,  no matter which brand,  it is not THE problem  in 
 the ST market.

 Tim  doesn't tell us how many ST systems that Jenkins' sold in  the  same 
 month when they only sold 10 ST software packages but I'd wager that  the 
 number was very small.   Tim doesn't tell us that back when Jenkins'  was 
 selling a lot of ST software,  they were probably also selling 2-10 times 
 as many ST systems every month as they currently do.  Tim doesn't tell us 
 that  80-90% of all software sales are made to new owners within 90  days 
 of the purchase of their system.   When there are no, or few, new owners, 
 there  are  few  software  sales (how  many  terminal  programs  or  word 
 processors  do _you_ need).   Tim doesn't tell us why there are more  IBM 
 pirate boards around than ST boards but Jenkins' still seem to be able to 
 sell  software for the IBM/clones.   Tim doesn't tell us that the  _real_ 
 problem is lack of sales,  advertising and support from Atari.   I wonder 
 how many new pieces of ST software Tim has _bought_ (not given to him for 
 reviews,  etc.)  in the last year and how many did he buy the first  year 
 that he owned his ST.




       ____________________________________________________________





 > STReport CONFIDENTIAL?                   "BLOCKBUSTER ATARI NEWS FIRST!"
   =====================






 - Moscow, USSR                   RUSSIAN PROGRAMMERS TO TRANSLATE CPU DOCS
   ------------

     A Moscow-based  youth computer  center Variant is willing to translate
 computer docs to Russian for a  small  fee.    Dimitry  Pashkov, Variant's
 executive,  expressed   that  "although  other  translation  services  are
 available, they are not Russian or employ people who have no idea  of what
 a computer  is, thus  resulting in  what looks  like anything but software
 documentation," he said.



 - Sunnyvale Ca.                             BRODIE  - "ON THE ROAD AGAIN!"
   ------------
  
     I will  be in  Houston, appearing at The Atari Safari '90 Swap Meet on
 Saturday, Spetember 1, 1990.  The Swap Meet  will be  held at  the Quality
 Inn, located at Southwest Freeway (59) and Weslayan. 

     For further  information, please contact Bill Kithas, President of the
 Houston Atari Computer Enthusiasts at 713-855-0815  (home) or 713-650-1994
 (office).   Admission to the swap meet is FREE. User groups in the Houston
 area are encouraged to attend and have a table for the swap meet. The swap
 meet will run from 1:00PM-6:00PM.




 - Moscow, USSR           INEXPENSIVE RUSSIAN-MADE ATARI SOFTWARE AVAILABLE
   ------------

     According to  Dimitry Pashkov,  Variant, a  youth computer center, has
 written several  programs for  the Atari  computer and  translated a dozen
 manuals  into  Russian  for  eager  Atari  users including disc interface,
 Russian spreadsheet/text editor, graphics editor, electronic secretary and
 games.   "We try to keep our prices for these products and services as low
 as possible," Pashkov emphsized. 




 - Sunnyvale, Ca.                       CERTAIN DEALERS ARE *ANGRY* ...WHY?
   -------------

     A strange but very interesting story is circulating  through the atari
 community.   It goes  like this,  it seenms that B & C Computervisions and
 San Jose  Computer are  getting the  COLD SHOULDER  from certain atarifest
 representatives for  having exhibited  at the  San Jose WOA show.  We pur-
 posely have not mentioned any names here but..  These two  dealers will be
 MORE THAN  HAPPY to  tell any interested party the whole story... give 'em
 a call.



 - Butte, Mo.                                  PHONEY FAX ORIGINS NOW KNOWN
   ----------

     A number of rather concerned parties, including the staff at STReport,
 have been  activily investigating  that "Phoney  Fax" of a few weeks back.
 It seems that the finger pointing of J. Townsend of Atari Corp. was total-
 ly unwarranted and grossly irresposible.  Townsend, in a message posted on
 GEnie insinuated  that the  "fax" had  been uttered  by one  of the online
 magazines.   At this  time, we  believe its only right and proper to allow
 time for the originator of the fax to  come forward  and offer  an apology
 for the  crummy tactic.  If such does not come to pass, then and only then
 will the  originator be  identified by  us along  with our  source of this
 information.   And it  would also  be very  proper for Atari's Townsend to
 come forth with an apology  for  his  having  wrongly  accused  the online
 magazines.






        __________________________________________________________






 > Hard Disks STR InfoFile?             Affordable Mass Storage....
   =======================


    EFFECTIVE: 08/27/90


                      NEW LOW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
                      ===============================


                      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 ADVANTAGE+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED *
                  * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *

                           Conventional Shoe Box
            Model        Description      Autopark       Price
            ==================================================
            SGN4951      51Mb 28ms   3.5"    Y          519.00
            SGN6177      62Mb 24ms   3.5"    Y          619.00
            SGN1096      85Mb 24ms   3.5"    Y          649.00
            SGN6277     120Mb 24ms   3.5"    Y          889.00
            SGN1296     168Mb 24ms   3.5"    Y         1069.00
            SGN4077     230Mb 24ms   3.5"    Y         1669.00
            ==================================================

          WE HAVE A COMPLETE LINE OF 3.5 LOW PROFILE HARD DRIVES
                                    for
           USE IN MEGA ST COMPUTERS AND RELATED CONFIGURATIONS.

         20mb #AI020SC   379.95              30mb #AIO3OSC   419.95
         50mb #AI050SC   449.95              65mb #AI065SC   499.95
                           85mb #AI085SC  $559.95
                        MEGA ST Internal Hard Drives
                    CONNOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MECHANISMS

               >>> ALL ABCO DRIVES ARE HIGH SPEED UNITS <<<
                      (500 - 600k per sec @ 23 -33ms)

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          - 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.

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                 --->> SPECIAL NOW ONLY __$719.00__ <<---

                      *** SPECIAL SYQUEST OFFER!! ***
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                       ***** for $50.00 LESS! *****

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                       SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1339.00 **

    * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
         - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
          50mb SQG51   $1079.00           30mb SQG38    $1039.00
          65mb SQG09   $1119.00           85mb SQG96    $1129.00
                       
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                       SIDE BY SIDE - TOWER CABINETS
                      CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
           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 - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
             LARGER units are available - (special order only)

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                   Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info
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           CALL: 1-800-562-4037   -=**=-    CALL: 1-904-783-3319
           Customer Orders ONLY               Customer Service
                                9am - 8pm EDT
                                Tues thru Sat




  **********************************************************************


                    :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.



  **********************************************************************


 > A "Quotable Quote"?
   =================




            "You can fool some of the people all of the time..
                                    and
                   all of the people some of the time...
                                    but
                 NEVER all of the people all of the time!"

                                                       .......Honest Abe




 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 STReport?             "Your Independent News Source"       August 24, 1990
 16/32bit Magazine           copyright = 1990                   No.6.34
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
 the editors, staff, STReport?  CPU/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.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 


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