ST Report: 02-Aug-91 #731

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 08/10/91-12:11:37 AM Z


From: aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 02-Aug-91 #731
Date: Sat Aug 10 00:11:37 1991



           *---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
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 August 02, 1991                                                    No.7.31
 ==========================================================================

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 > 08/02/91: STReport  #7.31  The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
   -------------------------
     - The Editor's Desk      - CPU REPORT        - MAC REPORT
     - FOLIO MODEM?           - AMY EXPO REPORT!  - The Flip Side!
     - LZH, ZOO or WHO?       - PORTFOLIO NEWS    - STR Confidential

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 > The Editor's Podium

     Conference?  What Conference?  <grin>  This saturday night 8/3/91
 10pm EDT, I will be in conference on GEnie, Room 5 come on by and
 participate.  It should be fun.

     Back in the Atari world, it said that there is a boatload of Mega STe
 machines due within the next 10-15 days.  Reportedly there are few if any
 TT machines on board.  The success of the Mega STe, in terms of user
 excitement, is wonderful.  Its overall success is very strong.  Its a
 solid, reliable machine that will deliver "the goods" with little or no
 difficulty on the part of the user, new or seasoned.  Atari has a real
 winner on its hands... Now if only they ship them to every clamoring
 distribution site and thus, get back into the fray.

     Over the course of the past few months we have been hearing more and
 more about the pursuit of the "top end" Atari platform. Which is, realis-
 tically speaking, "nice."  However, I hope Atari never forgets just how
 many of its loyal users make up that small portion of the platform and how
 many of "the others" make up the main body; the 'foundation, walls and
 roof'.  Nobody can ask or even hint that the pursuit of the high end
 market and the resulting respect gained for the Atari name is not in the
 best interests of the company and ultimately the users.  But, I fervently
 hope Atari does not FORGET to pursue the rest of the marketplace (Midi -
 Application - Entertainment) with equal vigor and determination.  Sure,
 there are flashy ads for the Portfolio and the Lynx but that hardly add-
 resses the ST/TT/STe computer market.

     Now comes the "NEW" plan; 'Aegis Strategic Partner'... not bad, but it
 sounds all too much like the old deal where a dealer had to meet certain
 "minimum" standards ie; size of order, monthly sales volume, etc..  Remem-
 ber all those dealers who were so proud of meeting all the minimum
 requirements to handle the Mega ST, "Flagship" of the Atari line?  Where
 are they NOW?  Atari needs DEALERS now and plenty of them.  Is this really
 the time to introduce elitist requirements that will only serve to slow
 down the acquisition of dealers because of the "requirements".  Haven't we
 heard all this before under a different heading and similarly watched it
 fail?  The name of the game at this point in time is to get as much
 product out there into the US marketplace as humanly possible, increase
 penetration thus enlarging the userbase.  This will, in turn, provide an
 opportunity for ALL developers not just a few at the top who have
 "cornered" the high end market.  Who, at Atari forgot all about the "lit-
 tle guy?"   Yup! it sure looks that way out here.    Hey WANG!!!   Move
 over!

                                     Thanks for your support!!

                                                Ralph.....







                           TODAY'S NEWS ..TODAY!

  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



 > STReport's Staff              The regulars and this week's contributors!
   ================

                            Publisher - Editor
                            ------------------
                             Ralph F. Mariano


          PC DIVISION         AMIGA DIVISION           MAC DIVISION
          -----------         --------------           ------------
          Robert Retelle      Charles Hill             R. ALBRITTON


 STReport Staff Editors:
 -----------------------
          Michael Arthur      Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.     Dana P. Jacobson
          Lucien Oppler       Brad Martin              Walter Daniel
          Oscar Steele        Robert Allbritton        John Szczepanik
                              Dan Stidham

 Contributing Correspondants:
 ----------------------------
          Michael Lee         Richard Covert           Roger Stevens
          Brian Converse      Oliver Steinmeier        Ed Krimen
          Tim Holt            Andrew Learner           Norman Boucher
                              Ben Hamilton


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                 WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (August 2)

 WIN $25 COMPUSERVE CONNECT-TIME CREDITS

 Traditionally, summertime has been the slowest time of the year for online
 activity in the Atari telecommunications community.  The CompuServe Atari
 Forums would like to help boost this activity with a promotion that just
 about anybody can win!

 We're looking for new and interesting files for the file libraries of
 Atari ST Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) and the Atari ST Productivity Forum (GO
 ATARIPRO).  Twice each month, during the months of July, August, and Sep-
 tember, the sysops of the Atari Forums will award a $25 CompuServe connect
 time credit to the individual who uploads the best new file to Library 1
 ("NEW UPLOADS").  This $25 credit can be applied to *ANY* service on Com-
 puServe, not just time spent inside the Atari Forums!

 What defines the "best" new upload?  Factors in judging will be
 uniqueness, general interest (the number of downloads received), quality
 of graphics (if applicable), usefulness or entertainment value.

 All uploads to Library 1 ("NEW UPLOADS") will automatically be entered
 into this promotion.  Of course, uploads of files already existant in our
 libraries do not count.  (Although, new versions of previous entries are
 eligible.)   You do not need to be the author of the upload to win, but
 you MUST have sufficient rights to the program to make it an acceptable
 upload according to CompuServe operating rules (public domain and
 shareware programs are acceptable, for example.)

 In case of duplicate uploads of the exact same file, the sysops will ac-
 cept files based upon time of the first uploaded copy.  The first upload
 period will run from July 1st thru July 15th (inclusive).  Judging will be
 done by the sysop staff of the Atari Forums (influenced by comments from
 the membership, so be sure to let us know which new files you like and
 why!)

 One credit will be awarded to the best new upload in ATARIARTS and another
 for the best new upload in ATARIPRO.   Please address any questions to Ron
 Luks [76703,254] via CompuServe Mail (EMAIL) or a message in any of the
 Atari Forums.

 MAXWELL C.P.U.

 Maxwell C.P.U. announces a new price offer for Silhouette Version 1.0.
 Maxwell offers a price reduction and details upgrade plans for Silhouette,
 a bit-image and vector graphics program with auto-tracing feature.  Read
 SILOFF.TXT in Library 6, Maxwell CPU, of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO
 ATARIVEN).

 PROGRAM OF THE WEEK FROM DOUBLE CLICK

 Double Click Software's latest Program of the Week helps cure your hard
 disk stiction blues! DC No-Stic will prevent hard disk stiction from
 happening. Stiction was such a problem with Seagate drives that they put
 in circuitry to move the hard disk heads after a length of disk
 inactivity.  DC No-Stic emulates this logic. Be sure and get DCNOST.ARC
 from Library 13, Double Click Software, in the Atari Vendor's Forum (GO
 ATARIVEN)!


 ANNOUNCING THE NEW COMPUSERVE PALMTOP FORUM

 The CompuServe Palmtop Forum will cover all palmtop organizers and
 computers other than the Portfolio, which will remain in its own forum.
 Please drop by and take a look around.  Type GO PALMTOP at any CompuServe
 service prompt.


                  THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
                            HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
                OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION

            "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"


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




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

    Issue #31

    Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.


  --Milton Keynes, England          ANDEST DESIGNS POCKET MODEM FOR
    ----------------------          ATARI PORTFOLIO

 Andest Communications has designed and manufactured a pocket modem for
 the Atari Portfolio palmtop PC.  The modem, which supports 300 and 1200
 baud, is being bundled with the Atari Portfolio PC for UKP 399.95. Bun-
 dled with the hardware is a copy of Andest's telecommunications package
 for the Portfolio, which supports VT52, VT100 and teletype terminal
 emulations, as well as Kermit, X-Modem and ASCII file transfers.

 DIP, the developers of the Atari Portfolio, is pleased with the pocket
 modem. Commenting on the modem, Peter Baldwin, DIP's co-founder, said:
 "The ultimate challenge in portable computing is to provide the
 travelling businessman with the capabilities of his office counterpart,
 while retaining a portable product.  The development of the Pocket modem
 means we can offer travelling businessmen immediate access to office-
 based computer records and provide a portable E-mail system with a
 product weighing less than two pounds for under UKP 400".

 According to company claims, the pocket modem was specifically designed
 for the Portfolio, drawing power from the Portfolio's battery pack --
 this saves on weight, as the modem does not require a battery.


  --Necadah, Wisconsin              WHERE DO POWER PROBLEMS COME FROM?
    ------------------              SURPRISES FROM STUDY

 Some surprises have been found in a five-year study conducted by the
 National Power Laboratory, a division of Best Power Technology.  The
 study if of the origins and effects of power line problems on computers.
 Utilities, sunspots, and lightning are commonly blamed, but NPL's recent
 study shows that many problems occur within the user's facility.

 Using dual Dranetz monitors at both residential and commercial sites,
 both entry point and use point measures of power disturbances are made,
 and comparisons of the two readings help pinpoint the origin of pro-
 blems.

 A recent three-month study showed 32 power disturbances at the points of
 entry, and 130 at the end-user sites. Point of entry is where power is
 supplied by the electric utility and user sites are where the computers
 are located, so fewer than 25 percent of the disturbances recorded were
 due to line problems outside those created within the buildings.

 Of four undervoltage incidents, all were created inside the buildings.
 Almost exactly half the voltage sags were created inside the building,
 the others being due to external line conditions, while 69 of 74 voltage
 impulses were caused by something inside the user's building.

 Sags and undervoltages cause both system crashes and physical damage,
 just as do overvoltages and surges.


  --Tokyo, Japan                    3-D FACIAL GRAPHIC SYSTEM DEVELOPED
    ------------                    BY MATSUSHITA

 Matsushita Electric has developed a 3-dimensional computer graphic sys-
 tem which can flexibly process pictorial data of human faces. With this
 system, for instance, the face of an expected baby could be drawn by
 mixing photographs of the parents.

 The device basically consists of a personal computer, a scanner, a VCR,
 and software. The countenance of faces can be aged, as well, says Mat-
 sushita. The face of a 1-year-old baby can be changed to a 70-year old
 man. An ordinary face can be depicted as smiling or crying.

 The device is expected to be useful in simulation for hospitals and law
 enforcement, where photomontages are often used.


  --Los Angeles, California         WORLD'S FASTEST DSP CHIP DOES MATH
    -----------------------         BACKWARDS

 A new digital signal processing (DSP) chip capable of performing 250
 million multiplications and additions per second -- up to 10 times fas-
 ter than other commercially available programmable DSP chips -- has been
 announced by the Industrial Development Board of Northern Ireland.

 The new chip, a CMOS Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter, can be used
 in applications such as communications systems, high definition tele-
 vision (HDTV), aerospace, and radar, the IDB said. The stated advantage
 of the chip is it can use digital techniques for filtering, at much
 higher frequencies than previously possible.

 The way the chip processes faster is a result of a design it took five
 and a half years of research to develop, the IDB said.  The patented
 technologies used in the chip are said to overcome what was perceived as
 a fundamental limitation in high speed numerical computation. The limit-
 ation was the how to speed up recursive calculations, or calculations in
 which one result is needed for the next calculation to begin.  Recursive
 calculations are widely used in general purpose computing as well as
 digital signal processors.

 The new concept came when the Queen's University research team realized
 the limitation came from the conventional approach of starting with the
 least significant bit and then moving to higher order bits, the IDB
 said. The team decided to try a method of arithmetic in which the cal-
 culations are performed in the opposite of the conventional manner. So
 rather than waiting for a complete result and feeding that back, the
 results of interim calculations are fed back immediately, using the
 "redundant number systems" technique, the IDB said.

 This new concept has been applied to other DSP systems and applications
 and the resulting new circuits prove whole families of these signal
 processing devices can be speed up significantly, the IDB said. One of
 the new circuits includes square root, multiplication and division, and
 can perform 100 million operations per second, said the IDB.


  --Mountain View, California       1ST POSTSCRIPT LEVEL 2 COLOR PRINTER
    -------------------------

 Tektronix has announced that the Phaser II PXi, the first thermal wax
 color printer to have a PostScript Level 2 interpreter, is now available
 through Tektronix retailers in the U.S.  The printer takes advantage of
 Adobe's new PostScript language capabilities in its incorporated Post-
 Script Level 2 interpreter.

 PostScript Level 2 is an attempt at a concept explained by John Warnock,
 Adobe's founder and chairman, at Spring COMDEX in April as "device in-
 dependent color" or color that is the same no matter what device it is
 displayed or printed on.

 Tektronics has taken the Device Independent Color concept and added its
 own TekColor PS color management capability so users can adjust color
 output from screen to printer in the Phaser II PXi, the company said.

 The Phaser II PXi has a Reduced Instruction Set Chip (RISC) processor
 that actually speeds up the printing process, a spokesperson for
 Tektronix said.


  --Sydney, Australia               "APPLE NEEDS IBM" SAYS APPLE EXECUTIVE
    -----------------               VISITING AUSTRALIA

 According to Apple's Pacific region vice president, Ian Diery, IBM is
 crucial to the future of Apple.

 When asked about the consequences should the Apple-IBM deal fail, he
 said "I don't like to think!" He said, however, that Apple wasn't the
 poor relation in the agreement, "because we've got the volume - we're
 selling more personal computers than IBM." He is reported as saying
 Apple was bringing valuable expertise to the marriage, including
 multimedia, education computing, and consumer-level technology. He said
 he expected the IBM ties to add at least $1 billion per year to Apple
 sales, though it would be two or three years before product reached the
 marketplace.

 Apple revenue is still 56 percent US-derived, though Australia represents
 four percent of total.  Apple Australia recently trimmed some of the "old
 guard" from staff but no further significant cuts are expected this year.
 However, around 1800 positions are to go over the next few months in other
 countries.


  --Boston, Massachusetts           SALES TAX RULING SCARING OFF MACWORLD
    ---------------------           EXHIBITORS

 Mail order companies are thinking twice about exhibiting at the upcoming
 MacWorld show in Boston because of a decision by the state's Department
 of Revenue. The department has decided that any company that sells goods
 at MacWorld will be liable for collecting Massachusetts sales tax for
 the rest of the year.


  --Correction                      ATARI AT CEBITT
    ----------

 In CPU Report #13, based on information received from the Genie News-
 Bytes news agency, we reported that "For the third year in a row, Atari
 has announced the launching of the Atari TT, a successor to the Atari
 ST."

 Mr. Bob Brodie, Director of Communications for Atari, recently notified
 us that this information was incorrect.  He informed us that Atari did
 not announce the launching of the TT at the CeBITT show, that the TT had
 already been released in Germany several months before the show.

 We apologize for any inconvience this might have caused.




 > CPU PC STATUS REPORT               LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
   ====================

    Issue #5

    Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.


  --New for the PC                  NEW VERSION OF MASS BREAKOUT
    --------------

 PC Communications has launched two new versions of its Mass Breakout
 communications package: Mass breakout 2.0 and Mass Breakout Network.

 Mass Breakout 2.0 allows up to four host sessions to be established
 simultaneously via modems attached to an IBM PC, PS/2 or compatible.
 Users who need to be linked to several computers at one time, such as
 banks and dealing rooms, are able to hot key between each session or
 display multiple sessions using the package's online windowing system.

 Mass Breakout 2.0 now supports all of the standard communications ports
 on PCs and PS/2s. Running in the background, Mass Breakout 2.0 allows a
 PC to communicate with up to four other PCs or host mainframes at any
 one time, providing a more efficient method of transferring and
 retrieving data across a large number of remote locations.

 Another key feature of the new version of Mass Breakout is the inclusion
 of the Z-Modem file transfer protocol, as well as a full implementation
 of the VT220 terminal emulation. The package retails for UKP 250.


  --New for the PC                  FASTER PRENTICE HALL TAX SOFTWARE
    --------------

 Prentice Hall Professional Software has introduced faster, more auto-
 matic business tax software modules for 1991.  Due to possible last-
 minute changes in the laws, the new versions of 1120, 1120S, and 1065
 business tax software will not be available until January 1992.

 Aimed at CPA or other tax professionals, the Prentice Hall tax software
 will now feature look-alike government forms on screen, more auto-
 matically calculated fields, faster calculation, more input flexibility,
 and greater detail in depreciation calculations.

 The new modules can accept data directly from more than 70 general led-
 ger and spreadsheet programs using Prentice Hall's link module.


  --New for the PC                  NORTON DESKTOP FOR WINDOWS
    --------------

 Symantec has announced the Norton Desktop for Windows product has begun
 shipping. Symantec claims the product allows users to copy, move, view,
 launch, delete and print files. Files are printed by dragging the icon
 for the file to the printer icon, viewing by dragging the file icon to
 the viewing icon, and copying and other functions are accomplished in
 the same manner, the company said.

 The company says the product also includes an automated data backup,
 data recovery and network support. Background operation is offered so
 backups can be run while the user is working, and a Norton scheduler
 allows backups and other routine activities to be run unattended at
 predesignated times, Symantec said.

 The Norton Disk Doctor for Windows is included in the product and allows
 users to diagnose and often solve common disk problems, Symantec said.
 An Emergency Disk allows users to repair, unformat or optimize disks and
 recover erased files even when Windows cannot be accessed, the company
 claims.

 The Norton Desktop for Windows retails for $149 and includes The Norton
 Backup which is a stand-alone product retailing for $129 if purchased
 separately. The product requires an IBM personal computer (PC) AT (286)
 or higher, DOS 3.1 or higher, Windows 3.0 and a minimum of 1 megabyte
 (MB) of random access memory (RAM) although 2 MB of RAM are recommended.


  --New for the PC                  AUTODESK ANIMATOR PRO FOR MULTIMEDIA
    --------------

 Autodesk is shipping its new Animator Pro software package, a two dimen-
 sional (2D) software package for the IBM personal computer (PC) 386 and
 486 or compatible computers.

 With screen-resolution independence, animated cells and text handling,
 advanced tweening and paint features, Autodesk says Animator Pro gives
 graphics and video professionals real-time animation capabilities.

 The company says Animator Pro is a mid-range product, a step up in
 capabilities from the entry-level Autodesk Animator software, but does
 not have three-dimensional (3D) capability Autodesk 3D Studio software
 has.

 The Autodesk Multimedia Division, the division producing Animator Pro,
 was created last August and has introduced Autodesk 3D Studio. The 3D
 Studio allows 3D modeling and animation and also requires a 386 or 486
 PC.

 Autodesk is perhaps most well-known for its package AutoCAD, available
 on PC's and workstations and used by engineering and drafting pro-
 fessionals for computer-aided design (CAD).

 Animator Pro retails for $795, the company said.


  --New for the PC                  SYSTEM TRACKS CUSTOMS RULINGS
    --------------

 Importers, exporters, brokers, and their attorneys can now more easily
 keep up to date on US customs rulings with a new PC system introduced by
 two companies.

 John V. Carr and Sons, a customs broker and freight forwarded in Detroit
 and World Library, Inc., a California software company, have developed
 the Customs Library System (CLS). The system stores the thousands of US
 Customs administrative rulings on CD-ROM.

 Carr spokesperson Chet Wilson, the company's in-house counsel, says the
 US Customs Service is moving towards automation and requires accuracy in
 the adherence to the rulings. CLS makes this easier, says Wilson.

 Carr says the system was originally developed for internal use, then the
 company recognized the benefits to the international trading community,
 and obtained rights to distribute CLS.

 Wilson says using CLS can help reduce the likelihood of penalties
 assessed by US Customs agents for inaccurate classification, avoiding
 post-entry cost adjustments. "It has worked well for us and we felt that
 others should have equal access to the product," said Wilson.

 Users receive monthly updates of information, which impacts bonds,
 carriers, drawback, entry/liquidation, marking, quota, restricted
 merchandise, trademark, copyright and patent, valuation and the Canadian
 Free Trade Agreement. Enhancements to the program, which will include
 Customs regulations, tariff schedules, court cases, and freight rates,
 are planned.

 Ralph Kilp of Carr & Son said that CLS has an annual subscription price
 of $1,195 per year, including the monthly updates. Kilp said the company
 demonstrated the product at a broker convention in Miami in March, and
 will market CLS through a direct mail effort.

 CLS runs on any IBM or compatible with 640K of RAM, monochrome or color
 display and a CD-ROM drive. The company can also provide a CD-ROM drive
 is necessary, at $500.


  --New for the PC                  MYSOFTWARE OFFERS TWO-FOR-ONE PROMO,
    --------------                  PRICE CUT

 Mysoftware, publishers of software designed for small businesses and
 home offices, announced it is offering MyCheckbook free in special pac-
 kages of the company's MyAdvancedMailList program.

 The company said that its MyAdvancedMailList program has been Certified
 Gold by the Software Publishers Association with sales of over 150,000
 units, while the MyCheckbook program has been Certified Silver with
 sales in excess of 50,000 copies.

 Both packages together would retail for $49.90 each, but MySoftware is
 offering the two packages in a single unit for $24.95 through resellers
 Egghead, Babbages, Software Etc., Electronics Boutique and other soft-
 ware resellers.

 Other products by MySoftware include MyMailList, MyPhonebook, MyLabel
 Maker, MyInvoices and MyBackup.


  --New for the PC                  WINDOWS OCR READS FRENCH, GERMAN
    --------------

 Ocron has announced that the new version of its optical character recog-
 nition (OCR) software, Perceive 1.1, can now read French and German, as
 well as English text.

 "Perceive is differentiated from other OCR software by the wide range of
 documents it can read. With version 1.1 we've extended that lead with
 recognition of dot matrix printing and support for two additional lan-
 guages," said Larry Kubo, marketing vice president at Ocron.

 Ocron says Perceive is the first OCR software to combine automatic
 (omnifont) and learning character recognition. Ocron is claiming
 Perceive can learn new fonts, problem characters, and special symbols on
 the fly.

 "This double engine design makes OCR practical where it never was before
 -- even for poor-quality copies and for documents produced using some of
 the very unusual fonts now available to desktop publishers," Kubo said.

 Ocron said other enhancements include reading text set in columns (auto-
 matic page decomposition), scanning and storing of documents for batch
 processing and conversion into a variety of data formats including
 WordPerfect and Microsoft Word.

 The retail price of Perceive 1.1 is $595. The software is available
 through the Programmer's Shop and regional distributors, Orcon said.

 The software requires a minimum of an 80286 IBM compatible personal
 computer (PC) with at least 2 megabytes (MB) of random access memory
 (RAM), the company said. The software supports scanners from Hewlett-
 Packard, Canon, Panasonic, and other companies, Ocron said.


  --New for the PC                  PILOT UPDATES LIGHTSHIP
    --------------

 Pilot Executive Software has updated its executive information system
 (EIS) software for Microsoft Windows 3.0 and introduced an add-on tool
 providing access to data stored in popular database formats. LightShip
 3.0 is available now, while LightShip Lens will be shipping by the end
 of August, a spokesman said.

 Pilot launched LightShip 3.0, which adds support for Dynamic Data
 Exchange (DDE), allowing data in LightShip to be updated automatically
 when the source data changes. This feature will be useful for tracking
 real-time data such as stock prices, the company said.

 For working with data sources that do not support DDE, Pilot added,
 technically oriented LightShip authors can now create dynamic link
 libraries.

 The latest version also adds about 50 computational functions, similar
 to those available in spreadsheet programs, for manipulating data.

 Pilot also announced LightShip Lens, which provides direct access to
 popular PC and local area network (LAN) file types, including text,
 dBASE, Paradox, SQL Server, and Oracle Server. By pointing and clicking
 with a mouse, LightShip users can view, select, and retrieve data
 without programming or using a data query language. LightShip Lens also
 lets users sort and view data by different criteria, such as region,
 time, and so forth.

 LightShip 3.0 is priced at US $795, and LightShip Lens will cost US $195.





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                             =================

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     2. At the Username prompt, type JOINDELPHI.
     3. At the Password prompt enter STREPORT.

 For more information call:
                 DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005
                                    or
    at 617-491-3393 from within Massachusetts or from outside the U.S.

 DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass.


                           SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
                           --------------------

 The 20/20 Advantage Plan IS FANTASTIC!  And it features 20 hours online
 for just $20 a month!  The $20 is a monthly fee that covers your first 20
 hours online via direct dial into one of DELPHI's two direct-access lines,
 or via a special Tymnet 20/20 Access code.  It also gets you additional
 hours at just $1.20 per hour.  And you get free access to several services
 on DELPHI as part of the Advantage Perks.

 Other telecom services may have additional charges.  Canadian Tymnet users
 have an additional telecom charge.  Office Time access (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
 weekdays) may have an additional charge.  And of course, other restric-
 tions may apply.  But this is still an amazing deal!


                              IMPORTANT NOTICE!
                              =================

 As a reader of STReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to
 take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. DELPHI has waived the
 sign-up fee!   For a limited time, you can join the World's Premier Online
 Service for FREE!  Members can access DELPHI worldwide through hundreds of
 local access lines.


 For more information please contact:

           DELPHI at 1-800-544-4005 and ask for Member Services.

                 DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!



  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""





 > The Flip Side STR Feature          "...a different viewpoint..."
   =========================



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


 by Michael Lee

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

 To show you that not all posts online are serious, here's one you might
 like from PSIA on Delphi...


    ACQUAINTANCE:  Someone we know well enough to borrow from...but not
                   well enough to lend to.

    ALIMONY:       The high cost of leaving.

    ATHEIST:       A teenager who doesn't believe in Rock'n Roll.

    BACHELOR:      A man who comes to work from a different direction
                   every morning.

    BANK:          Where you can borrow money, if you can prove that you
                   don't need it.

    BORE:          A person who has nothing to say...and says it. <why
                   are you looking at me like that???>

    BIGAMIST:      A man who has taken one too many.

    COMEDIAN:      A person who know a good gag when he steal one.

    CONFERENCE:    A group of people who individually, can do nothing,
                   but as a group, can meet and decide that nothing can
                   be done.

    DECORATION:    My ex-girlfriend got rid of me because I clashed with
                   the drapes.

    DEMOCRATS:     I made so much money betting on the Democrats that I
                   became a Republican.

    DIPLOMAT:      Who talk interestingly for one hour and say nothing.

    EGGHEAD:       Someone who has found something more interesting than
                   a woman/man.

    EGOTIST:       A person who always talks about themselves...when you
                   want to talk about yourself. <so shut up!!!>

    EXECUTIVE:     I am so dedicated to my work that I keep my secretary
                   near my bed in case I get an idea during the night..

    FAN:           A group of people who tell an actor/actress they not
                   alone in the way they feel about themselves.

    FLIRT:         A girl who believe it's every man for herself.

    GAG WRITER:    Have a good memory and hopes you haven't.

    HONESTY:       Fear of being caught.

    I.O.U.:        A paper wait.

    LIBERAL:       Someone who has both feet firmly planted in the air.

    JOKES:         I hope to live to be as old as my jokes.

    KARATE:        I am a karate student..the lessons are only $200 a
                   year, but I break $2000 worth of boards.

    KIDS:          Strike your child every day...if you don't know why
                   ....he does.

    KISS:          He who kisses and runs a away will live to kiss
                   another day.

    LANGUAGES:     Kisses are the language of love....I'll talk to any
                   girl. <grin>

    LAS VEGAS:     I go there every year to visit my money....and leave a
                   little interest.

    LAUNDRY:       Marriage is the most expensive way to get your laundry
                   free.

    MONEY:         The poor man's credit card.

    MISTRESS:      Like a wife...only she don't have to do dishes.

    OFFICE:        I'll have to fire my secretary soon...she always
                   interrupts my dictation and asks me to spell the
                   simple words...it just gets embarrassing to keep
                   saying, "I don't know"...

    POLITICIAN:    A man who divides his time running for office and
                   running for cover.

    QUOTATION:     Gen. Custer--"I never saw so many Gahdam Indians."

    RADICAL:       Anyone who's opinions is different than your.

    RELATIVES:     Blood is thicker than water...and my relatives are
                   alway punching each other in the nose to prove it.

    RICH:          He's so rich....he have monogrammed garbage.

    SADIST:        A guy who does nice things to a masochist.

    SECRETS:       NO don't be ridiculous, I didn't tell anybody....
                   I didn't know it was a secret. ;)

    SIGN:          I'd like to help you out...which way did you come in?

    SOC. SEC:      Where the government guarantees you a steak...when all
                   your teeth are gone.

    TACT:          Ability to describe others as they see themselves.

    UGLY:          When she walks into the room...the mice jump on the
                   chair.

    UNDERTAKER:    The last guy to let you down.

    VACATIONS:     A honeymoon is a vacation a man takes before going to
                   work for a new boss.

    WALL ST:       The only thing I learned about stock market is that
                   you have to be patient...and the way it's going
                   lately...I'm going to become one.

    WEATHER:       California is great...on a clear day when the fog
                   lifts.....you can see the smog.

    WHISKEY:       The stuff that takes away the taste of water.

    X-RAY:         P-"How much are you going to charge me for the
                      operation?"
                   D-"Five Hundred."
                   P-"Listen, maybe for fifty dollars you could touch up
                      my X-rays."

    ZOO:           A place where animals look at silly people.

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

 A few weeks ago DAMARK announced a great deal on Atari 1200 baud modems.
 Well, the deal just got better.  From JBEAU on Delphi....

    Does everyone remember us not too long ago remarking about that GREAT
    DEAL from DAMARK on the ATARI 1200 Baud Modem for $29.95?  I just got
    the new DAMARK catalog and the ATARI modem is now _$19.99)!!!

 From DCURREY on Delphi...
    ...I got the number for you. Its 1-800-729-9000.  Item No. B-475-
    181504.  The price is $19.99 with $5.50 shipping and handling.

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

 Some interesting comments from BIBLINSKI (sysop) on Delphi...
    Well, this week I found Atari in two unexpected places. The first was
    a Sears catalog supplement that arrived in my mailbox. Buried within
    was a full page devoted to the Lynx. Nice big picture and lots of
    accessories and games. Full list prices, though. But at least it was
    there!

    The other place was a network tv show called 'Davis Rules'. The pro-
    gram is a sitcom about a single father, who happens to be the prin-
    cipal at the school his kids attend. It's fairly funny, if you like
    Jonathon Winters and Randy Quaid. Anyway, in one scene that was in
    the school, the Japanese secretary was seen carrying a computer
    keyboard. It was an ST! You couldn't see the Atari logo or anything,
    but those diagonal function keys jumped right out! Granted, only we
    naaf'ers would recognize what it was, but it's a step in the right
    direction.

    p.s. naaf'ers are members of the highly unofficial North American
    Atari Faithful cult. <g>

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

 Announcing a new Online Animation Class on CIS by Lexicor...
    Lexicor Software and CompuServe's Atari Forums Begin Online Animation
    Classes

    Fairfax, CA -- Lexicor Software, maker of the new Phase-4 animation
    products currently available on the Atari ST/TT computer, has
    announced the start of their online animation classes. The classes
    will be held each Saturday at 5 PM Eastern time in the Atari Vendor's
    Forum on CompuServe.

    The classes are open to the public, with no special fees being
    charged. Users of all computer systems interested in learning more
    about animation are invited to attend and participate. The classes
    are not Atari-specific and deal with concepts and information useful
    to all computer animators.

    The first introductory class is scheduled for August 1 at 10 PM
    Eastern in the ATARIARTS Forum, Conference Room #1. This class is
    merely to "get to know" each other. It is not essential that you
    attend this first class in order to participate.

    Formal classes begin on Saturday, August 3 at 5 PM Eastern in the
    Atari Vendor's Forum (GO ATARIVEN). Classes are currently planned to
    run from August to December. Specific animation topics will be dealt
    with in in-depth lectures written by Lexicor's Lee Seiler, an EMMY
    award winning animator.

    All lectures, homework assignments, animations and picture files
    necessary for each class will be made available for download in the
    Lexicor Library (LIB 9) of ATARIVEN prior to the lecture. Files will
    be supplied in a number of formats so they may be usable by many
    different computer platforms -- such as GIF, IFF, PI1 for picture
    files.

    So, you'll be able to get all the text and stuff you'll need if you
    just can't make it to class...just don't try to use the old "my dog
    ate my animation" excuse!

    If you're a novice animator or just a user with an interest in
    computer animation, these classes will teach you the animator's
    "tricks of the trade." If you're a traditional "pen and ink"
    animator, these classes show you how you can use the computer in
    place of the traditional paper, pencils, film and paint. Regardless
    of your level of computer animation expertise, these classes should
    have something for everyone!

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

 Some comments on different brands of hard drives - From Mark at Supra -
 Cat 4, Topic 39, Message 149 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
    We have just started using a 80M Maxtor in our Amiga line.  At this
    time we do not have enough experience with it to know how good they
    are.  We have used Quantums (Pro and LPS line), Seagate (5.25 and 3.5
    line), Conner, CDC, Rodime, MiniScribe and possibly a few others. The
    most reliable has been the Quantum.  The others had had various prob-
    lems ranging from minor to major.  It is also hard to totally write
    off a particular manufactor as each one will typically have some
    lines that have alot of problems and some HDs that are great. Or a
    line of HDs will have problems in the beginning, but later on the
    problems are resolved.  Quantum is about the only manufacture that
    has virtually no naysayers.

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

 Two reports on the MIST show held last weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana
 - first report from the folks at AIM magazine on CIS...
    The third annual MIST show held the weekend of July 27th was a good
    little show! The three clubs hosting the show had obtained a large
    conference area, with a large room for vendors/developers, a smaller
    room for club displays, and finally a good-sized seminar room.

    The seminars included talks about Lexicor Software, Editing with
    EdHak, CompuServe and Telecommunications, Fonts from MegaType, and to
    top it off, a talk by Atari's Bob Brodie.

    Bob Brodie's table was featured prominently amoung the 21 different
    vendor booths. These included Atari dealers One Stop, Randall's Home
    Computers, Computer Works, CAL COM, and Mars Merchandising. Hardware-
    oriented companies were represented by ICD, Inc., Touch Technologies
    and AT/Com Electronics. Graphics-oriented companies at the show were
    Wiz Works, M-S Designs, MegaType, Electronic Spinster Graphics and
    SKWare One. Application-oriented companies included Soft-Logik,
    Gribnif, MP Graphics Systems (representing ISD), Clear Thinking, DA
    Brumleve, and Apprentice Software. That leaves the CompuServe booth
    and the Atari Interface booth.

    Cin'tari, LCACE, STar, EAUG, MAST as well as the three hosting clubs,
    ASCII, BLAST and PAUG all had booths demoing various PD and graphics
    programs and demos.

    About 275-300 people attended this one-day show, coming from
    Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
    probably more states! The show itself was held in Indianapolis, IN.
    Vendors were happy with the show. ICD sold out of several products
    they brought. Clear Thinking did better at the MIST Show than at
    either day at the Windsor show, according to Craig Harvey. Bob Brodie
    said his hand was still attached to his arm at the end of the day, so
    it was a good show! Bob Retelle said he "sold a lot of CompuServes."
    As for Bill and I, we had fun talking to a lot of people from clubs
    participating in the magazine.

 Now we hear from Bob Brodie (Atari) - Cat. 11, Topic 11, Message 83 -
 from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
    I am grateful to all of our friends in Indiana for making me feel so
    welcome at this event. It was very heartening to check in my seminar
    and find that fully half of the people present had not been to an
    event that I was at before...so I got to meet a lot of new people!

    Thanks to Dan Ward for meeting me at the airport, Bill Loring for
    helping me out during showtime, and Mario Perdue for hauling me all
    over town, including trips to Purdue University and of course, back
    to the airport! Mario, I've always noticed that it's easy to get a
    ride from the airport, but much more difficult to get out of town! :)
    Thanks for being such a gracious host.

    The pace at this show was pretty constant, enough so that I never
    really had a chance to walk the aisles in leisure to see all of the
    displays. However, there was a good level of excitement, and sincere
    appreciation by most of the attendees. I was very impressed at the
    distances some people came from: Huntsville, Alabama, Kentucky,
    Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Ohio were counted among the
    attendees.

    Now, if only Dr. Bob had sent his Migraph hand scanner modules for
    MVG, the show would have been a complete success! (Guess what I
    wanted to buy!) I also enjoyed the MARC Meeting held later in the
    day. I feel that this is an organization whose time has come.
    Hopefully, others will recognize the wonderful opportunities that
    MARC offers to midwestern Atari groups. Hank Vize et all are
    providing a careful, guiding hand in developing MARC. Best of luck
    with it!

    Thanks again for allowing me to participate in this event!

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

 From Richard Betson (Rimik Enterprises) - Cat. 2, Topic 3, Message 1 -
 from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
    Rimik Enterprises is now importing That's Write and Write ON from
    Compo Software (Europe). For information on these two products please
    contact;

    Rimik Enterprises (619) 630-1217 or FAX (619) 630-5869

    For those who have already bought That's Write or Write ON, we will
    be glad to answer any technical questions.

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

 Until next week.....




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


                    :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
                     _________________________________

                       To sign up for GEnie service:

      Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
                     Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
               Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
                         Wait for the U#= prompt.

                 Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.


 GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and weekend access to
 more than 100 services including electronic mail, online encyclopedia,
 shopping, news, entertainment, single-player games, and bulletin boards on
 leisure and professional subjects.  With many other services, including
 the biggest collection of files to download and the best online games, for
 only $6 per hour.

 MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!  Any time during your first month of membership if
 you are not completely satisfied, just ask for your $4.95 back.

                       **-IMPORTANT NEWS FLASH!!!-**
 Join us on August 3rd, this Saturday evening at 7pm western - 10pm eastern
 in room 5 in the conference rooms.  Joining us will be Ralph Mariano,
 editor and Publisher of STReport International Online Magazine, talking
 about current events.

     Regular Open Conference every Wednesday night, 10PM EDT,  7PM PDT
          DTP conference every Monday at 10PM eastern in room 3.

                *****GENIE ALADDIN ART COMPETITION!*****

 Win free time online. See Topic 22 in Category 1 here for more
 information, or Topic 5 in Category 1 of the ST Aladdin RoundTable for
 complete details.  Just type STALADDIN or m1000 to get there.


 The DEMO version of SILHOUETTE is available as file #20302.  Silhouette is
 a new bit-image and vector graphics program with auto-tracing feature from
 Maxwell CPU.  The demo program offers in-line help to acquaint you with
 Silhouette's features. GDOS and at least 1 meg of memory required.


         GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
            Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission


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






 > STR Feature  ** EXCLUSIVE! EYEWITTNESS REPORT ORLANDO'S AMY EXPO! **
   ===========         "Lookin' at what the other guy's doing!"



                COMMODORE AMIGA EXPOSITION ORLANDO FLORIDA
                ==========================================



 FROM: AMReport's Expo Issue
        Amiga World Expo
        Orlando, Florida
         (July 26-28)


 by Charles Hill


 The show happened, and it looked  like a success to me.  Granted,  this
 is only the second computer show I've  ever been to, there were  crowds
 on the two days that I was there  and almost  every booth was  jumping.

 There were three  companies  showing off a total  of four  68040  based
 accelerator boards for the Amiga  2000 and 3000 computers.  There  were
 24-bit graphics boards  galore (HAM-E, Colorburst, DCTV, Toaster, GVP),
 new software, new hardware...heck, you could even buy Toaster t-shirts,
 Amiga hats, towels, tote bags, etc!

 Nearly EVERYBODY had some form of give-away  going on, and  both  Amiga
 World and Amazing Computing were giving out complimentary copies of the
 current issue of each magazine.

 The dealers I talked to were quite happy  with the level  of excitement
 and the number of people who brought  negotiable items  (cash, check or
 credit cards).

 This issue lists all of the  exhibitors present, what  they were  doing
 and what they said they thought of  the show.  Special interest is paid
 to GVP, EA, and  Amazing Computers (the store, not the magazine) due to
 the new *major* products they unveiled at the show.

 For those who weren't  there, your bank accounts will  thank you (there
 were so  many NEAT items  for sale)!   I was smart  and told my wife on
 Thursday night to hide all the credit cards, check book and excess cash
 until Monday.  She put up with a lot of pleading and begging Friday and
 Saturday night!

 Large screen monitors (20"+), matrix  displays and wall  displays  were
 everywhere.  Last time Amiga Expo was in Orlando, a person could easily
 spend $10,000 on gadgets. Now, you could easily spend $50,000 and still
 be wanting for more!

 Read and enjoy!


   """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


                              LIST OF EXHIBITORS
                              ------------------


 Amazing Computers ------------------ Dealership (Orlando & Tampa, FL)
 Amazing Computing ------------------ Magazine (Fall River, MA)
 Amiga Video Magazine --------------- Video Magazine (New York, NY)
 AmigaWorld ------------------------- Magazine (Peterborough, NH)
 Avid ------------------------------- Magazine (Sunnyvale, CA)
 Amiga Video Graphics Guild --------- User Group (Simi Valley, CA)
 Axiom ------------------------------ Software (Rochester, MD)
 Blue Ribbon Soundworks ------------- Software (Atlanta, GA)
 Breadbox --------------------------- Newsletter (North Hollywood, CA)
 Centaur Software ------------------- Software/Hardware (Lawndale, CA)
 Central Coast Software ------------- Software (Austin, TX)
 Computer System Associates (CSA) --- Hardware (San Diego, CA)
 Creative Computers ----------------- Dealership (Lawndale, CA)
 Creative Equipment ----------------- Dealership (Miami, FL)
 Cryogenic Software ----------------- Software (Rochester, MD)
 Eagle Computers -------------------- Dealership (Melbourne, FL)
 Electronic Arts -------------------- Software (Tampa, FL) *
 Graphically Speaking --------------- Software (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
 Great Valley Products (GVP) -------- Software/Hardware (King of Prussia,
 PA)
 Haitex Resources ------------------- Hardware (Charleston, SC)
 Helpdisk --------------------------- Software/Video (Jupiter, FL)
 I.DEN ------------------------------ Hardware/Video (New Britain, CT)
 ICD -------------------------------- Hardware (Rockford, IL)
 Inovatronics ----------------------- Software (Dallas, TX)
 JVC Professional Products ---------- Hardware/Video (Elmwood Park, NJ)
 Kids Computers News ---------------- PD Software (Westbury, NY)
 M.A.S.T. --------------------------- Software/Hardware (Lawndale, CA)
 Memory World ----------------------- Dealership (Bensalem, PA)
 Merlin's Software ------------------ Software (Orlando, FL)
 Microsearch ------------------------ Hardware (Houston, TX)
 Moonlighter Software --------------- Software (Orlando, FL) *
 New Horizons Software -------------- Software (Austin, TX)
 NewTek ----------------------------- Software/Software (Topeka, KS)
 Programs Plus and Video ------------ Dealership (Chatham, Ontario, Canada)
 RGB Computer & Video --------------- Hardware (Riveria Beach, FL)
 Roctec ----------------------------- Hardware (Orlando, FL) *
 Safe Harbor ------------------------ Dealership (Waikesha, WI)
 Soft-Logik Publishing -------------- Software (St. Louis, MO)
 Space Coast Amiga Users Group ------ User Group (Cocoa, FL)
 Supra ------------------------------ Hardware (Albany, OR)

 * EA isn't really in Tampa but they were sharing a booth with Amazing
 Computers (the dealership) whose main store is in Tampa, FL so that is
 how they were listed in the program.

 * Moonlighter Software was sharing the same booth as EA, GVP and Amazing
 so they were listed as being in Tampa.  However, I know Moonlighting is
 in Orlando as the main programmer is active on local BBSes.

 * Roctec really isn't in Orlando and the address they listed was that of
 a local Orlando dealership (AmiComp Multimedia Center).


                                     STATS
                                     ~~~~~
 40 exhibitors from 16 different states and two countries.

  ======================================================================


                                 STEP-BY-STEP
                                 ------------

 AMAZING COMPUTERS
 -----------------
 Amazing Computers is a computer dealership  with it's  headquarters in
 Tampa, Florida and a second store in Orlando.  They have a small ad in
 the back of Amiga World and Amazing normally.  They are NOT affiliated
 with Amazing Computing, the magazine.

 I am familiar with Amazing as they  are my key dealer here in Orlando.
 They are Amiga specific (the Orlando store  carries MS-DOS PD software
 in a back room) and keep a good stock of items on hand.  For the Expo,
 they went all out.

 Amazing Computers shared the booth with Roctec,  Moonlighter Software,
 GVP and Electronic Arts and  thus had the  second biggest booth at the
 show (behind  Creative Computers).  They had an array of  professional
 video hardware (cameras, editing  tape decks, computers, etc.) out and
 plenty of people on hand who knew how to use it all.  Demos  were non-
 stop, except when they answered questions or took requests.  They were
 taking pre-orders for Deluxe Paint IV (see the EA notes) and the A3000
 PVA from GVP (see the GVP notes).

 Being a dealership, there isn't much to tell  about them.  They didn't
 release any software or hardware (though their booth-mates had a field
 day!). I did interview the Orlando manager to try and get his feelings
 about the show.  The summary is in a separate article.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 AMAZING COMPUTING
 -----------------
 Everybody knows these guys.  Amazing  is the magazine that  also puts
 out AC/Tech Journal and the AC/Guide to the Amiga.

 Amazing had a subdued booth in the middle of  things where you  could
 subscribe to  either  magazine (the  regular  or the tech);  purchase
 certain  back issues; pick  up a complimentary copy of the  latest AC
 (not tech, though); or  just stop and chat.   The folks were friendly
 and seemed pleased with the crowd.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 AMIGA VIDEO MAGAZINE
 --------------------
 Amiga Video Magazine  is a one-hour television  show dedicated to the
 Amiga.  It broadcasts the first Tuesday of every month on Satcom F1R,
 channel 11 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.   A subscription to  AVM on video
 tape is also available.

 AVM had back issues of  their program  for sale  on VHS format  video
 tapes  as  well  as  a  new   product  tape  entitled   "Multimedia?"
 for order and a video  on the Expo  itself (still in prodcution) that
 could be ordered.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 AMIGAWORLD
 ----------
 Everyone knows  these  folks, too.  AmigaWorld  puts  out  AmigaWorld
 magazine as well as AW Tech Journal (bimonthly).   AW also has a host
 of video tapes on most every subject dealing with the Amiga.  AW also
 has books on Amiga Vision and AmigaDOS 2.0.

 AW had the first booth through the door (it was there show!)  and was
 giving away free copies of the August issue.  They  had a sale  going
 on their Amiga videos (reduced prices) and were showing demo tapes on
 a large TV monitor (about 30").

 AW had a drawing where you could win a set of video tapes.  As in all
 the drawings, I don't know who won but I know who *didn't*!

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 AVID
 ----
 Avid is short for Amiga  Video Journal dedicated to -- you guessed it
 -- Amiga Video!

 Avid is in a magazine format  on newsprint  quality paper  using  two
 colors (black  on white) with a  third on the cover.  It is  about 34
 pages long, lists for $4.95/$5.95 (US/Can)  cover and $36/$44  for 12
 issues.

 Avid was at the Expo selling the current issue and back issues of the
 magazine and answering questions. The booth wasn't all thay busy, but
 that was because Avid is a relative unknown and  customers were being
 hogged by the "glamour guys" of NewTek, GVP and the rest.

 The copy I picked  up (May 1991)  looked pretty good.  Granted, video
 isn't my  strong  point,  I am  interested in it.   There  were eight
 major articles, an editorial and some  advertising  (video specialist
 companies like Kara Computer Graphics and Microsearch).  The articles
 were well written, though  Avid is more of a  newsletter than a full-
 fledged magazine -- don't expect Art Buchward.  There were one or two
 typesetting errors I noticed,  and also a type or two  but everything
 was readable (and accurate as far as I could tell).

 Avid looks promising.  While I  don't  know  enough  about  video  to
 recommend a magazine, I'd suggest  looking at it for  yourself if you
 are into that sort of thing.   Avid can be reached at (408) 252-0508.
 They are a monthly magazine (12 issue a year) and claim a publication
 rate of 10,000 copies a month.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 AMIGA VIDEO GRAPHICS GUILD
 --------------------------
 I must've overlooked these guys.  The program listed them as being in
 booth  #226 --  but   there  was  no   booth  #226  on  the  diagram!

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 AXIOM
 -----
 Axiom was showing off version 2.0 of their program, Pixel 3D. The new
 version included a number of improvements  over 1.x and also included
 input/output to  all major  3D formats.  I was pretty  impressed with
 the look of  Pixel 3D, but couldn't  push my way  in to get a  closer
 look as the booth was usually pretty crowded.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 BLUE RIBBON SOUNDWORKS
 ----------------------
 Blue Ribbon was showing Bars & Pipes Pro and had a studio musician by
 the name of Mike Torres on hand to demo it properly. The music coming
 from their booth was good, and Mike seemed familiar with the product,
 as everything went smooth when I was there.

 There was a wide array of sound equiment on hand to back up the soft-
 ware.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 BREADBOX
 --------
 Breadbox is a newsletter  dedicated to the  Video Toaster and Toaster
 users.  Actual  copies I could  not find,  but brochures  were at the
 NewTek booth and  were being  handed out to  anyone who  would  stand
 still long enough.

 The Breadbox style is similar to that of NewTek -- hip in a computer-
 nerd sort  of  way.   It looks  interesting  and IS the only  Toaster
 specific mag on the market.

 A 12-issue (monthly)  subscription is  $30  and a  four-page  preview
 issue is free for the asking by calling (818) 505-1464.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 CENTAUR SOFTWARE
 ----------------
 Centaur Software is a distributor for a lot of European games as well
 as the "official" North  American  distributor of  M.A.S.T. products.
 Colorburst was  there (see M.A.S.T.), as were  new versions of B.A.D.
 and Pixound as well as some videos and other software.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 CENTRAL COAST SOFTWARE
 ----------------------
 Central Coast  Software (CCS) is now a  division of New  Horizons and
 was  showing  off  Quarterback,  QB Tools,  Mac-2-Dos and  Dos-2-Dos.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 COMPUTER SYSTEM ASSOCIATES
 --------------------------
 CSA was  there  showing off their  68030 based  accelerators for  the
 Amiga line (A500, A1000 & A2000).   They had special  discount prices
 on these accelerators for the Expo.

 CSA was supposed to show off their 40/4 Magnum  68040 accelerator for
 the A2000, but I  must've missed it.  68030 accelerators  were every-
 where but I didn't see the Magnum.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 CREATIVE COMPUTERS
 ------------------
 This dealership is the world's largest  Amiga dealer and had  by  far
 the biggest booth of the bunch.   Everything imaginable for the Amiga
 (except the esoteric stuff) was laid  out on long tables and on sale.
 CC always seemed to have a big crowd.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

 CREATIVE EQUIPMENT
 ------------------
 Commodore's largest  Amiga  Dealer in the  Eastern U.S. was  doing  a
 brisk business selling everything from software and hardware to caps,
 towels, shirts and bags  with the Amiga logo.  The  GVP A3000 PVA was
 on display and CE was taking advance orders ($1,995).  They said that
 they were expecting them in by August 26th.  GVP seemed to agree with
 that date.  (See GVP)

 Creative (based in Miami) was selling  A3000 16/50s for  $1799, which
 is $50 less that  the Power  Up price!  A3000 25/50s were  going  for
 $2,199 which is also less than Power Up!  Needless  to say, they sold
 out pretty quickly.  CDTV was there ($899 the first two days, $799 on
 the third) doing the Psygnosis demo.

 Creative always had a large crowd.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 CRYOGENIC SOFTWARE
 ------------------
 Cryogenic was sharing a booth  with  Axion (Pixel 3D) and was showing
 off their 3D  Professional  2.0 software.   The Axiom  and  Cryogenic
 products compliment each other  nicely  (Pixel 3D is  a  renderer and
 3D Pro is a  model designer).  Again,  this  booth  was  cramped  and
 crowded (with  both  people and equipment)  so  it was hard for me to
 get a good look in.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 EAGLE COMPUTERS
 ---------------
 Another dealer, Eagle had a  spiffy booth  that  was attracting a lot
 of attention with their  running demos of  DCTV and others on a large
 screen  television (about 30").   They  seemed  to be doing  a  brisk
 business.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 ELECTRONIC ARTS
 ---------------
 EA was sharing a booth with  Amazing Computers  (Orlando & Tampa) and
 demoed DPaint IV in a  seminar.  Spec sheets  on DP IV were there for
 the taking.  The spec sheet had the following facts:

 DPaint IV ($179 Retail -- $60 upgrade from DPIII)
 shipping  in August  for the Amiga and it works with v1.3 and v2.0 of
 the operating system.  1 Mb of RAM  is  required and a hard  drive is
 recommended.

 New  features  include:  HAM,  morphing,  enhanced  gradients,  a new
 color  mixer,  tinting  &  translucency,  stencil  paint mode,  a new
 animation control panel (VCR-style)  and  a  light-table  effect  for
 "seeing through"  frames  of animation  (similar to Disney's Studio).

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING
 --------------------
 This Amiga newcomer  was  showing  off  a  seven-disk  collection  of
 fonts (regular  and Toaster  fonts),  animated  backgrounds, clip-art
 and other video goodies.   Video  Clipse, Vol. I  is  worth a  closer
 look if you are into fonts.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 GREAT VALLEY PRODUCTS
 ---------------------
 GVP was sharing a booth  with  EA , Moonlighter,  Amazing  Computers,
 Roctec and others  and  drawing a large crowd to see their new 24-bit
 graphics board.

 The A3000 PVA (Professional  Video  Adaptor) is a...well, it is a lot
 of boards combined into one.

 First off, it is designed for  the A3000,  utilizing  both  the Zorro
 bus and the video bus  (plugs into both,  since they are inline).  An
 adaptor for the A2000 is available.

 What does it do?  What  doesn't  it do!  The PVA  gives  true  24-bit
 color  to  existing  Amiga  resolutions  (up  to  768x525)  including
 overscan.  The PVA outputs RGB at  31.468 KHz (multisync)  and 15.734
 (VGA) rates; composite video  (NTSC or PAL  depending  on the board);
 or S-Video Y/C  output.  [So  claim  the  specs,  only  the  two  RGB
 connectors are on the back of the board.]

 The 24-bit graphics  are a  frame  buffer -- 12  bit  double-buffered
 graphics are available for animation.

 The PVA acts as a scan-doubler/deinterlacer  when  used  through  one
 of the two RGB ports.  External live  video can  be grabbed in  real-
 time (1/30 sec  per  frame) with  24-bits of  color accuracy.  An RGB
 *and* an analog genlock are  provided for  overlaying PVA graphics on
 video.

 Picture-in-Picture (PIP)  can be  viewed in a  window but  the source
 must be RGB, not  composite.   The PVA is bundled  with the following
 software:  Macro Paint-PVA,  Caligari-PVA  and Scala-PVA.  These  are
 PVA aware  counterparts of the normal  Amiga  versions.  The Caligari
 demo was impressive.

 GVP has been shipping  beta-test units to  developers, and expects to
 ship consumer units in August.  Retail  price is $1,995  and a couple
 of dealers at the show were  taking  orders  for  that  exact  price.
 Dealers expect to have units for sale by August 26th.

 GVP and two  dealers were  demoing  the  board, and damn  did it look
 impressive.  $1,995 is  a bit steep,  but  this board does a LOT.  No
 mention was made as to  whether the  A2000  adaptor would cost extra.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 HAITEX RESOURCES
 ----------------
 These  guys were demoing X-Specs 3D  and  X-Specs TV,  which included
 a  television   interface.   There  was  some  interesting  software,
 including something  that did quick  3D wireframe models of equations
 for viewing by X-Specs.  Real neat effect.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 HELPDISK
 --------
 Helpdisk was showing off their  series  of  interactive  tutorials of
 DPaint III, Imagine  and  PageStream.  They are  soon to  release one
 for AmigaDOS 2.0.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 I.DEN
 -----
 These people were  showing  off  matrix  monitor  displays  and  wall
 display for use in video.  They did have some  good stuff  going  and
 it looks as if a couple of  the other  exhibitors  took  them  up  on
 some of their ideas.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 ICD
 ---
 ICD was showing off  their  line  of  products  for  the  Amiga.  All
 their RAM expanders, drive  controllers, accelerators, etc. were  on
 display and for sale at some GOOD prices.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 INOVATRONICS
 ------------
 Inovatronics was showing off  a new  version  of CanDo  and seemed to
 be generating  a  lot of  interest.  Also  for display  and  sale was
 their  line  of programming  tools,  including  PowerWindows, Cape68k
 and InovaTools 1.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS
 -------------------------
 JVC was  showing off  some  rather  expensive  editing  equipment and
 cameras.  There  were  two Amiga 2000HDs there, but most  of the time
 they were  sitting  idle (if not OFF)  and it gave me the  impression
 that they were there only 'cause it was an Amiga show.

 Granted, they DID have some nice equipment.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 KIDS COMPUTER NEWS
 ------------------
 A massive PD collection for th e Amiga,  this  booth  was very active
 and constantly had a couple of Amigas  displaying  the  X-Copy screen
 while duplicating PD disks for customers.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 M.A.S.T.
 --------
 Memory and Storage Technologies had  a  booth right  next  to Centaur
 Software and was displaying  CDTV (not sure why),  their line of disk
 drives, SCSI controllers  and ColorBurst.   Yes,  I actually saw this
 product working,  and it  does what  it  says  (24-bit Amiga screens)
 though M.A.S.T. had it hooked   up to an  A3000  and a 1084S  of  all
 things!  I would think  that a multisync  would be much better (there
 was some color crawl  noticable, but  only  if you were  less than 3"
 from the screen).

 The specs on Colorburst are as follows:

 24-bit graphics display in  Amiga  hires  (640 x 400) including over-
 scan (768 x 480).  A  24-bit  overlay is  also possible  when using a
 384 x 480 screen for a total of 48-bits of graphics.

 Colorburst is an external  box that  hooks up to  the  RBG  out  port
 on an Amiga and contains its  own RAM and video  processor.  It comes
 in NTSC and  PAL (also, I  think,  SECAM) flavors  and outputs  to  a
 15.75 KHz (VGA) monitor.

 Colorburst claims full 24-bit  scrolling  and  that the  display  are
 accessable by the  custom chips.  The  demo  I  saw displayed  static
 images only (but they were impressive).

 I did notice a "rippling" effect in  some elements of  some pictures,
 but I assume a better monitor  would handle that.   Colorburst  ships
 with CBPaint,  a 24-bit paint  program  that  operates in  real time.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 MEMORY WORLD
 ------------
 Chips, chips and more  chips.   These folks had  some  good  deals on
 SIMMs, ZIPs, GVP  4 meg SIMMS, math  processors, main  cpus, crystals
 and most anything else made of silicon.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 MERLIN'S SOFTWARE
 -----------------
 Supposedly sharing a booth with EA, GVP, Amazing  & the  gang, I must
 have overlooked this  one, too.  Merlin's  was  supposedly  showing 3
 new  software  titles:   ProTextures, a collection of  IFF24 textures
 designed for  mapping;  Transporter, an  animation  control  program;
 and Store Manager, a  point-of-sale  program with  inventory control.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 MICROSEARH
 ----------
 Showing off  ChromaKey, a device that  allows the Amiga to use Chroma
 Key type effects.  This booth  was hopping,  with live demonstrations
 going on at all times.

 Things went nicely, but  something  must've been  misadjusted  on the
 monitor I was watching, because there  was an  aweful "zipper" effect
 on the edges of a  black jumpsuit  a  woman was  wearing.  Funny, she
 absolutly refused  to  cooperate in  locating  the error by  removing
 the jumpsuit.  :-)

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 MOONLIGHTER SOFTWARE
 --------------------
 Showing off AmiBack 1.04, the  hard  drive  backup software,  ML  was
 sharing the booth with GVP, EA, et al.   This  section of  the  booth
 was always busy, but it is hard to  tell  about what,  since  ML is a
 local outfit and many  of the  locals (Orlando area)  stopped  by  to
 say "hi".

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 NEW HORIZONS SOFTWARE
 ---------------------
 Showing off their  own  line (ProWrite,  QuickWrite, DesignWorks)  as
 well as the newly  acquired Central Coast  line  (Quarterback & Tools,
 Mac & DOS 2 DOS) they  were quite  busy.   A beta version of Flow 3.0,
 and idea organizer was being displayed quietly.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 NEWTEK
 ------
 The Toaster was there, in both incarnations.   NewTek was giving away
 stuff (drawings),  but not a  Toaster.  A  lovely lady named KiKi was
 "manning" the booth.   A 4x4 matrix display was  showing  off Toaster
 demos and effects.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 PROGRAMS PLUS AND VIDEO
 -----------------------
 This Canadian dealership was showing off  Real 3D Professional/Turbo,
 a European ray-tracer;  and CAPS XL, a European  computer aided video
 presentation system.  Both looked nice, and I  was impressed with the
 quality of the renderings of Real 3D.

 The Fusion 40 from RCS Management (also Canadian) was on  display and
 for sale.  This is a 25 MHz 68040  board for  the A2000.   Specs  are
 available in  their  ads  in  leading  magazines.  (Yes, it is FAST!)

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 RGB COMPUTER & VIDEO
 --------------------
 Showing off video edit systems (AmiLink) that  control both consumer
 and professional VTRs & production peripherals.  AmiLink can control
 of NewTek's Toaster, too.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 ROCTEC
 ------
 Roctec had a minor display in with the  Amazing gang which consisted
 of their line of drives, mice and RAM cards.  The RocGen genlock was
 also on display.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 SAFE HARBOR
 -----------
 Showing items and selling stuff. A smaller booth than other dealers,
 but no less active.  Good deals, too.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 SOFT-LOGIK PUBLISHING
 ---------------------
 Showing off PageStream  2.1 to  anyone  who would  stand  still  long
 enough.  They also had  drawings  for  a PS 2.1 giveaway.  Extras and
 font disks were everywhere.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 SPACE COAST AMIGA USER GROUP
 ----------------------------
 Selling PD, signing up members and offering  free advice.  These guys
 were just generating good will all around.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 SUPRA
 -----
 Quietly showing off  their line  of  products and handing out fliers.
 While their booth was directly across from AmigaWorld's one, and thus
 the first in the door, it was pretty much quiet. I doubt Supra cares,
 though.  With five dealers  within 500' selling Supra  products less
 than Supra, how could they expect to sell a lot?  There was no stock
 evident, so I  assume  they  realized this beforehand and  were just
 there to answer questions (which they did cheerfully!)

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



                              68040 ACCELERATORS
                              ------------------

 While both Progressive and RCS Management 68040 boards were there for
 display and sale, I couldn't find the CSA Magnum board.

 Since the RCS Fusion board has been  advertised  so heavily,  and the
 spec sheet  readily  available in  the ads,  I'll only  touch  on  it
 lightly.

 A 25 MHz 68040 board with 4 Mb to 32 Mb of 32-bit RAM on an A2000 cpu
 card, the Fusion 40 claims  to be  about 3 1/2 times faster  than the
 A3000/25.  Tests  were made  by rendering  the  same 24-bit scenes on
 different machines.

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


 Progressive Peripherals & Sofware had two different boards available.
 One, the Progressive 040/2000  is a 25 MHz  68040 board  that goes in
 the A2000 cpu slot.  It is  software switchable between the 68000 and
 68040, can use 16-bit RAM  or 32-bit  RAM (Static Column  SIMMs) with
 2, 4 or 8 megs of 16-bit  RAM and 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 megs of 32-bit
 RAM.  The board runs at 28 MHz asynchronously.

 The 040/3000 plugs into  the A3000 cpu  slot and  uses the RAM on the
 motherboard.  A 20+  year whisper  fan is  included on  the board for
 extra  cooling.  The  board  runs  at  25  MHz  synchronously  and is
 switchable between the 68030 and 68040 on  the 25 MHz  version of the
 A3000 ONLY!  The 16 MHz model can't software switch!

 NOTE:  The brochure states  that both  versions of the boards REQUIRE
 ADOS 2.0 *IN ROM* TO WORK. A 1 year warranty is given on both models.

 I didn't get prices on any of the above boards.  (Sorry!)


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


 The dealers I talked to  (Amazing Computers,  Eagle & Creative) were
 all pretty pleased with the response.   People were  spending money,
 even ordering products not yet released (DPaint IV & the A3000 PVA).

 Things were busy all three days,  with the exception of the first 45
 minutes after opening each day. Everyone seemed to want to sleep in.

 I didn't get any "official" attendence or sales figures, and I won't
 speculate. Things just seemed busy all the time, and exhibitors were
 kept on their toes.

 Keep an eye out for the GVP  PVA board,  it is  a beauty.  DPaint IV
 looks good, too,  as  do  some  of  the  European  software  titles.

  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

 That's it for my review of the show. I hope those who attended liked
 what they saw and  that the  exhibitors got  what they  expected.  I
 enjoyed it and woud definately  go out of  my way  to attend another
 one.

 Questions  on  specific  products  should   be  directed   to  their
 manufacturers  for exact answers --  I  can only tell you what I saw
 and heard.

  -Chas

    __
 __///
 \XX/ AMReport International

         ________________________________________________________





 > STR InfoFile    A quick look a some of the compression routines
   ============


                WHAT'S A LITTLE COMPRESSION AMONG FRIENDS?
                ==========================================


 by J. Roy

   Here's some comparison's I made...

              ORG     LH1     LH5     ZIP     ZOO   ZOO(HC)   ARC

  NH30J      834889  424626  403505  438831  533194  ??????  556133
  QUAN0791   213508   95386   87746   91089  104524   87891  108466
  WILDWEST   211370  129519  126556  184603  146342  126701  148570
  DARTH       78711   62758   61742   66366   70684   61887   72410

  NH30J = BINARY+ASCII, QUAN0791 = ASCII, WILDWEST = ST MOD,
  DARTH = SND/SPL

  Results: LH5 is the best by far, and ZOO(HC) is a close 2nd.

  Some notes:
    1) LH1 files made with LZH200A were ~2K larger than LH1 files made
       with LHA 1.30, so I used LHA 1.30 on all LH1 listings.
    2) LH5 files were made with LZH200A.
    3) ZIP files were made with ST ZIP 0.8
    4) ZOO files were made with ZOO_BIN.TTP
    5) ARC files were made with ARC 6.02
    6) LHA 1.30 and LZH200A have "graphic" displays of amount
       completed.
    7) LHA 1.30, LZH200A, ARC 6.02, and ST ZIP 0.8 support
       sub-directory compression. I'm unsure about ZOO 2.1.
    8) LHA 1.30 does not support LH5. LZH200A (de)compresses both LH1
       and LH5 files, but the LH1 files are ~2K larger than LHA 1.30's.
    9) ZOO(High Compression) files were made with ZOO 2.1.

      If you have any other file formats you'd like to see included,
  feel free to mail me.  I plan to include comparisons of full disk
  compression programs in the next text file... (MSA, ULT, CDC, etc..)

                  Internet: as666@cleveland.freenet.edu
                            GENIE: J.ROY18


          ______________________________________________________





 > STR Portfolio News & Information                Keeping up to date...
   ================================



                         THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
                         =========================

 On CompuServe


 by Judith Hamner  72257,271

     It's been a big week for uploads on the forum. There's something here
 for everyone:

  ACODE.ADR   cross-reference area codes to State and section
  BATTRY.THR  excerpts from a thread on battery useage. YOU need this info.
  ATFLAS.SYS  ver 1.061 of the Flashcard device drivers
  ATPART.EXE  ver 1.061 of the Flashdrive partitioning utility
  PCAL21.ZIP  improved version of a program to share .dry files with Win
              dows calendar
  PCRD20.ZIP  improved version of a program to share .adr files with Win
              dows cardfile
  PGFMAK.ARC  utility to extract images from Degas to PGF format so they
              can be viewed with PGShow on the Port
  PPPMDM.TXT  one user's experiences with the Practical Peripherals Pocket
              Modem
  SCI.ZIP     a shareware program for solving scientific equations
  PKWIO.SIT   utility to backup and restore files to the MAC using White
              Kight
  DEVINF.TXT  information on how to become a developer.

     The scuttlebutt is that PowerBasic will be available by Sept 1 from
 Atari.  See message #14222 for vital information from Don Thomas on how to
 revive a dead Portfolio.  He also explains why they appear dead when the
 batteries are allowed to run down.

     Message #14263 describes one user's attempt to consolidate by putting
 a modem inside of his serial port.  Message # 14413 offers Portfolio
 T-shirts for those who want to advertise their favorite palmtop.



        __________________________________________________________



 > MAC REPORT
   ==========

   Issue #014
   ----------



 by Robert Allbritton


 MAC NEWS
 --------

               *** Hydra Systems ships Mac Emulator for IBM.

     For a long time, IBM emulators have been popular products for other
 computer platforms such as the Macintosh, with soft PC, and the Atari ST,
 with various different IBM emulators.  Now comes a new twist: Hydra Sys-
 tems has shipped ANDOR ONE, a Macintosh emulator for all PCs from the XT
 to 486 class on a full length card.  ANDOR ONE uses the IBM's screen,
 keyboard, hard drive, mouse, and 3.5" floppy drive for Macintosh
 operations, but includes an AppleTalk connector on the back of the card so
 that ANDOR ONE can be connected to Apple laser printers and networks. The
 card has a 16Mhz 68000 on board but requires ROMs from a Macintosh Plus
 (128K ROMs) and Apple System software, much like the Spectre emulator for
 the Atari ST.  Suggested retail is $995 without ROMs or Apple System
 software, which would tend to make the card rather unattractive when com-
 pared with current retail prices for Macintosh Classic computers.

                   *** MASS Microsystems goes Hollywood.

     The Macintosh has always been controversial, but there is always one
 thing that the Mac is constantly given credit for: it introduced Desk Top
 Publishing to millions of people.  Today, DTP is commonplace, and
 MultiMedia is the current $10,000 buzzword, but on the Amiga, and now the
 Mac, Desktop Video is beginning to catch on.  Desktop Video is simply the
 ability to quickly and easily create professional (not broadcast) quality
 presentations on videotape. This is done by combining real world footage
 with computer generated images to make a better impact on presentations,
 sales, or instructional videos.

     MASS Microsystems has added a new product to its line that will fur-
 ther enhance its position in the desktop video market. VideoToGo produces
 "flicker free" 8-bit images in NTSC or PAL format that can be synched to
 professional video recorders for exceptional video quality at a low price.
 The card will retail for under $1,000 and has connections for composite
 video and the new S-Video format. Unlike many Macintosh video products,
 VideoToGo was designed to make NTSC signals from the start, thus its pic-
 ture quality, and price, should be better than the competition; however,
 it is important to remember that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and
 many more Mac to TV products will be coming out in the next 6 months as
 this emerging market heats up.


                 ===--- NEW PRODUCTS DUE THIS FALL ---===

     As we head into August, its time to take an un-official preview tour
 of what's cooking in the Mac world.  Fall is traditionally the time when
 new products are released, and it looks like this fall is going to be
 another big one.  Last year the record breaking Macintosh Classic was
 released, this year will also probably have another big winner, but it may
 be late to the party.

     Apple's current portable has been a bomb.  It is too heavy, and too
 bulky to be of much use.  Apple knows this and is busy creating its
 replacement with the help of Sony, but because of the complexity of the
 relationship, it might not have a product ready until the first of the
 year.  But what a product it will be: the new portable will measure 8.5 x
 11 x 1.75 inches and weight 5.5 lbs. That's the same length and width as a
 piece of paper!  It will have battery power for 3 hours of operation and
 include a keyboard, trackball, backlit supertwist LCD screen, internal 40
 Mb hard drive and 2 megs of RAM for about $2,500.  Sounds perfect with one
 problem: NO INTERNAL FLOPPY!!!  Seems there just was not enough room, but
 fear not an external floppy will be available, and lets face it, how much
 do you really need a floppy on the road? Sounds like a logical choice to
 me (and I'm half vulcan, or at least that's what my girlfriend accuses me
 of all the time.)

     At the other end of the spectrum, it looks like Apple will have a pair
 of 68040 based high end machines ready around November 1.  Two models will
 be available that will be similar, but not identical.  Both '040s will be
 based on a 25Mhz 68040 CPU that should deliver anywhere from 25% to 100%
 improvement on processing power over the current top of the line Macintosh
 IIfx (which has a 40Mhz '030.)  The more math intensive the task, the bet-
 ter the '040 does, which will tend to make it the platform of choice for
 CAD work and such.  Both '040s will offer 32-bit on board video on the 13"
 color screen.  And both '040s will have an improved SCSI interface that
 should double the current throughput of the IIfx.  Both '040s will also
 conform to the new NuBus 90 specification, that allows properly equipped
 cards to double the speed at which they communicate, and both have Ether-
 net built into the motherboard, but an external transceiver is needed.

     The desktop '040 will be in the same size case as the Mac IIci and Mac
 IIcx. It will have the same power supply, floppy, and hard drive
 configuration as the IIci / IIcx. The desktop '040 will have 4 megs of RAM
 soldered on the motherboard and 4 SIMM slots allowing memory
 configurations of 4, 8, 20, and 68 Megs.  In addition the desktop '040
 will have only TWO expansion slots.  One for a NuBus card, and the other
 for either a second NuBus card or a Processor Direct card. A motherboard
 upgrade will be offered to current IIci and IIcx owners.

     The tower configuration of the '040 will be Apple's first floor stan-
 ding model.  It will have a 300 watt power supply, and four 3.5 inch ex-
 pansion bays, as well as five NuBus slots.  This will make an ideal high
 end engineering station or network server.

     Prices will be in the high $5,000 range for the desktop '040 to the
 low $7,000 range for the tower '040.  Suggested retail prices for the Mac
 IIfx will drop to make room for the new top of the line.

     On the software front, Microsoft should have Microsoft Word upgraded
 to take advantage of System 7 features such as publish and subscribe and
 Apple events by fall And Claris continues to make upgrades towards System
 7 compatibility.  Quark is getting XPress 3.1 ready with its own System 7
 enhancements and WordPerfect is doing the same.

     But the BIG NEWS IS FROM LOTUS. 1-2-3 for the Mac will be on the
 streets in October and promises to give Microsoft Excell a run for its
 money.  Everyone who has seen the new product says that it is the best
 implementation of 1-2-3 ever seen on any platform, and maintains full DOS
 1-2-3 compatibility of both files and programs while taking advantage of
 the best of Macintosh's interface and System 7 features like Publish and
 Subscribe, Balloon Help, and Apple Events.

     Last but not least, Apple is getting two new LaserWriter printers
 ready.  Based on the current LaserWriter II Cannon engine, the new
 controller cards will offer true greyscale printing. While text printing
 will remain at 300 DPI, Greyscale pictures can be sent to the printer at
 150 DPI with 8 bits of greyscale data per pixel.  The printer can then use
 variable dot sizes (similar to the HP LaserJet III) to image the picture
 at resolutions over 600 DPI, giving a true greyscale print.

     One of the printers will have a 20 Mhz 68030, while the other will
 have a 25 Mhz 68030, a 68882 Math Co-Processor and Ethernet on the card.
 Upgrades will be available for current LaserWriter IINT, IISC, and IINTX
 owners (all of those printers and the new ones are the same LaserWriter II
 engine with different controller cards.)



      ______________________________________________________________





 > MIST SHOW STR Feature        ** EXCLUSIVE EYEWITNESS REPORT! **
   =====================



                       THIRD ANNUAL MIST ATARI SHOW
                       ============================


 by Patti Rayle

     The third annual MIST show held in Indianapolis, IN the weekend of
 July 27th was a good little show!  The three clubs hosting the show had
 obtained a large conference area, with a large room for vendors,
 developers, a smaller room for club displays, and finally a good-sized
 seminar room.

     The seminars included talks about Lexicor Software, Editing with Ed-
 Hak, CompuServe and Telecommunications, Fonts from MegaType and, to top it
 off, a talk by Atari's Bob Brodie.

     Bob Brodie's table was featured prominently amoung the 21 different
 vendor booths.  These included Atari dealers One Stop, Randall's Home Com-
 puters, Computer Works, CAL COM, and Mars Merchandising.

     Hardware-oriented companies were represented by ICD, Inc.,  Touch
 Technologies and AT/Com Electronics. Graphics-oriented companies at the
 show were Wiz Works, M-S Designs, MegaType, Electronic Spinster Graphics
 and SKWare One.  Application-oriented companies included Soft-Logik, Grib-
 nif, MP Graphics Systems (representing ISD), Clear Thinking, DA Brumleve,
 and Apprentice Software, leaving only the CompuServe booth and the Atari
 Interface booth.

     Cin'tari, LCACE, STar, EAUG, MAST as well as the three hosting clubs,
 ASCII, BLAST and PAUG, all had booths demoing various PD/shareware
 programs and graphics demos, though many other clubs were represented in
 the crowd of show-goers.  About 275-300 people attended this one-day
 show, coming from Kentucky,  Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio,
 Pennsylvania and probably more states!

     Door Prizes included a Migraph Hand Scanner with TouchUp, a copy each
 of Calamus, Outline Art, ISD's Font Editor, the Guide to Calamus Desktop
 Publishing, and DynaCADD.  Soft-Logik donated a copy of PageStream 2.1 and
 two copies of Font Pack 1, Font Plus Pack and Business Forms.  Other font
 packages awarded included fonts from Sol Gruber and M-S Designs Multi-Font
 Pack (with 34 differnt fonts).  MissionWare gave away a copy of LottODDS
 and their Printer Initializer; Kyle Cordes awarded three copies of his
 Abbreviator ST; and DA Brumleve donated a copy of KidPublisher
 Professional.  Clear Thinking awarded EdHak; SKWare One gave away Seurat;
 and Computer Works donated two arcade games.

     Vendors were happy with the show. ICD sold out of several products
 they brought.  Clear Thinking did better at the MIST Show than at either
 day at the Windsor show, according to Craig Harvey.  Bob Brodie said his
 hand was still attached to his arm at the end of the day, so it was a good
 show!  Bob Retelle said he "sold a lot of CompuServes."  Talk about
 high-finance!  All the vendors talked to expressed satisfaction with this
 seven-hour show.  M-S Designs had some techinical difficulties though.
 They were having trouble getting their "souped-up" ST enough power from
 the lines to work, but this was the only glitch spoken of at the show.

     Officers of the three clubs said later online that they're trying to
 get the St. Louis clubs involved in having a show next year.  Let's wish
 them the best of luck, and with MIST's sucessful track record, it's sure
 to be a hit!


             ________________________________________________





 > SILHOUETTE NEWS STR InfoFile   Silhouette Price changes & UPG policy
   ============================





                      THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME...
                      ==============================


 by Doyle Helms


      I just received a copy of SILHOUTTE version 1.0a few hours ago and I
 can't go in-depth with this overview this week.  I will go a LOT deeper on
 the next installment when I have had time to REALLY dive into the profes-
 sional looking application.  Let it suffice to say for the NEWLY announced
 price DECREASE (to $69.95) and what little I have gotten to use this new
 program, the new price is worth the AUTO-TRACE feature alone!  Ah, but
 there is much more to this program than AUTO-TRACING(mucho more!!).

 The drawing tools seem to be up to standard and then some.  By that I mean
 you  get the 'standard' tools(line,circle ellipse etc.) PLUS some very
 interesting additions.  For example elliptical arc, circular arc,
 polygons, stars, parabolas and more.  After drawing/editing with these
 tools, you can save the finished work in GEM(vector-Calamus, Pagstream and
 Easy Draw compatible)  *OR*  IMG(Raster- Calamus, Pagestream, Touchup
 etc.) *OR* DXF(DynaCadd,AutoCadd compatible)!!

      Input formats are even more varied. These include DEGAS, IMG, TINY,
 MacPaint and GEM.

       I would be overstepping my experience with the program if I report
 any more on this program at this time.  So let me say in closing that if
 you are ready for some TRUE Mac type graphic software, then give Maxwell
 a call and get this little baby before they change their minds on the
 price and raise it (it would still be a deal at the old $109.95 price
 though).

                            MAXWELL CPU
            (303) 666-7754 (8am-6pm MST Monday-Saturday)






                  Silhouette Version 1.0 Price Reduction
                  --------------------------------------
                            Atari ST/TT Users,

     Maxwell CPU and Silhouette are at a crossroad.  We need to generate
 revenue in order to continue development of Silhouette for the Atari
 ST/TT.  To encourage sales we are going to offer Version  1.0  of
 Silhouette for $69.95 + $3.00 shipping/handling (U.S.POST SERVICE).


     The ST/TT user will receive version 1.0 with the in-line help file.
 Also on diskette will be additional text files describing the programs
 features and usage.  The user will be able to learn quickly all the
 programs features by referencing the help info from inside the program;
 using the HELP key.  When not needed the help file can be moved away and
 the program will boot without loading the help file.

    Below I will detail the next two upgrades I have planned for the
 program.  Upgrade #1 will include the case, binder and manual. Maxwell is
 cash poor and while a quantity of a 1000 cases and binders are waiting in
 a storage house, we do not have the cash to pay for the printing of the
 manuals and to complete packaging.

 Shipping cost will cover updates - $3.00.  Updates will involve bug fixes
 to the program.  Upgrades will involve major improvements and are
 described below.  If you are a registered user and a GEnie or Compuserve
 user you can receive directly the update versions at no cost.  Below is a
 description of version 1.0, how to order and then followed by the upgrade
 plan for Silhouette version 1.25 and 1.5.

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

 SILHOUETTE VERSION 1.0:


 * Auto-tracing : Raw or splined auto-tracing with adjustable
                  parameters. Background bit-image display. Output
                  as GEM 2.0 beziers, polylines for as bspline
                  polylines. Tracing process monitors direction of
                  the outline and identifies curves and corners.

 * Drawing tools: clipper, freehand, line, polyline, circle, ellipse,
                  elliptical arc, circular arc, polygons, stars,
                  parabolas, spray can, text (supports FSM GDOS),
                  pixel editor tool.

 * Smoothing:     B-splines, Bezier curves. Convert polylines into
                  either splines and visa-versa. Convert Circles or
                  Ellipses into bezier curves (GEM 2.0 format).
                  Multi-point or 4 point (GEM 2.0) beziers supported.

 * Magnification: Magnify the vector window image up to 16 times.
                  Drawing resolution achieves up to 3200 DPI.

 * Graphics
     Input:       Bit image formats IMG, DEGAS, TINY, MACPAINT. Vector
                  graphics GEM format.

 * Graphics
     Output:      Bit images as IMG files. Vector graphics as GEM
                  meta files or DXF universal CAD format.

 * Clipboard:     Two clip buffers for the raster (bit-
                  image) graphics.
                  Separate cut and copy buffers for vector graphics.
                  Will accumulate copied or cut objects. Clip buffers
                  are saved to disk and can be re-loaded during
                  future sessions.

 * Duplicate,
     Reshape :    Duplicate vector objects in four ways (freehand,
                  rotationally, radially or cartesian). Reshape
                  objects in several ways: size, stretch, free corner
                  warp, skew (parallogram), skew (trapezoid).

 * Rotate:        Rotate polyline objects to a 1/10th of a degree.

 * Splice and
     Cut:         Splice together or  cut in half polyline objects.

 * Data:          Object information is continuously updated on the
                  information line while an object is being created.
                  The bit-image and vector window are size adjustable.
 * Quick
     Keys:        Operate Silhouette with a set of quick key controls.

 * Hardware
     Support:     Operates on the ST, STacy and TT. 1 megabyte
                  required but 2 megabytes recommended. ST high
                  resolution supported on the ST and TT.

 * GDOS           Supports the old GDOS and new FSM GDOS fonts
                  (1/10th degree rotation and skew).


 AVAILABILITY:

     Silhouette is now available directly from Maxwell CPU for $69.95 plus
 $3.00 shipping (US Post in U.S. and Canada).  Shipping by UPS overseas is
 available upon request.  We accept VISA and MASTERCARD or will ship COD or
 accept personal check.

 CALL:  (303)666-7754  between 8AM and 6PM(MST), Mondays-Saturdays.

 WRITE TO:  Maxwell CPU
            P.O. BOX 576
            Louisville, CO 80027-9998


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

 SILHOUETTE  VERSION 1.25 UPGRADE:
 ---------------------------------

         1) Further improvements will be made to the Auto-tracing
         feature.  Images  with  intersecting  outlines  will  be
         processed  even more discernably.  Memory usage  by  the
         auto-tracing  feature will be reduced  dramatically  and
         allow auto-tracing of objects over 2000 pixels wide  and
                        high by 2 megabyte systems.

         2) The  ruler and grid feature will be  added.  A  menu
         option  will display the grid and/or  rulers.  Plus  one
         ruler will be movable by the mouse.  With ruler  control
         points  the  user will be able to size  and  rotate  the
         ruler to any angle and use the ruler to set  independent
                               snap points.

         2a)Snapping to grid or a vertical/horizontal line  will
         be a part of the grid system.  Also one will be able  to
         set  independent  snap points  on  screen.  Snapping  to
         vector  objects symmetry points will be an  option.  For
         objects selected their corner,  side, center pt. and end
                        points will be snap points.

         3) I  will  be  adding to  the  duplication  and  object
                  shaping functions on a continual basis.

         4) DXF  output,  a  universal CAD file  format  will  be
         expanded to handle not just polyline output (like  auto-
         traces) but also complex shapes such as  text,  ellipses
                       and  circles and their arcs.

         5) CVG  output will be made available for those  Calamus
                          and Outline Arts users.

         6) All  complex  curves -  parabolas,  elliptical  arcs,
         circular arcs, spirals will be automatically convertible
         to  bezier  arcs.  Presently ellipses  and  circles  are
         convertible  to  beziers  as  well  as  other  types  of
                             polyline objects.

         All  of  these improvements will take  place  relatively
         quick.   Silhouette   is  at  a  point   where   further
         improvements will develop more quickly.  The  algorithms
         for  auto-tracing  exist as well as the  most  difficult
         portions  of the graphical interface.  The  improvements
         mentioned above are additons rather than completely  new
                                identities.

           RELEASE DATE FOR VERSION 1.25 => September 15, 1991.
            UPGRADE COST:  $25.00 including the shipping cost.




 SILHOUTTE UPGRADE VERSION 1.5:
 ------------------------------

         1) The  coordinate system will continue to be  enhanced.
         The grid metric unit will be expanded to include  metric
               system units (millimeters, centimeter, etc.).

         2) The vector object information box will be expanded to
         allow  the user to modify the object shape and  position
                                 manually.

         3) The  Iso-contouring  function  will  be  added.  Iso-
         contouring  will  work on bit-images and create  a  iso-
         contour  of  the  bit-image  in  vector  graphics.  Iso-
         contours   are   like  the  elevation  contours   on   a
         topographical map.  Iso-contouring of images creates the
         contour   lines  according  to  the  bit-image   density
         pattern.  The  code for this feature is complete but  is
                      awaiting a thorough debugging.

         4) Duochrome support.  Before I convert my program to  a
         multi-color  drawing  program,  it will first  have  the
         ability to run on color screens in a two color mode. Two
         colors will function as black and white;  TT users  will
         benefit because the new high resolution color modes will
         be usable (640x480,  etc.  ). Presently Silhouette works
         in  the  ST  high rez mode on any  ST/TT  and  any  size
         monitor  and  works on the third  party  monochrome  big
                             screen monitors.

         5) A 2nd bit-image window will be added.  It is valuable
         to   have  the  two  clip  buffers  as  now  exists   in
         Silhouette; however, a 2nd bit-image window will allow a
          added degree of freedom while manipulating bit-images.

         6) The Shaping/Warping function will be able to warp any
         object including FSM GDOS fonts.  I might be able to add
         font  reshaping into version  1.25.  Reshaping  features
         will  continue to advance much further and will  include
                       shadowing of vector objects.

         7) There  are some better C compilers on the market  and
         with version 1.5 I will adjust my code to recompile with
         most  likely  Lattice C.  For  curious  programmers  out
         there,  Silhouette is constructed of roughly 75% C code,
         20% FORTRAN and 5% assembly using Prospero compilers and
         DevPac2.  All  the  FORTRAN  was used  to  avoid  double
         precision  math  inherent in  C  calculations.  Prospero
         compilers  are  very  well  made  but  lack   optimizing
         features  that Lattice C and Turbo C are  now  offering.

             RELEASE DATE FOR VERSION 1.5 => November 1, 1991.
                 UPGRADE COST: $20.00 including shipping.



     _________________________________________________________________





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




 - Chicago, IL.               LCACE WAIT & WAITS & WAITS......
   ------------


 CTSY GEnie...
 Category 11,  Topic 10
 Message 89        Mon Jul 29, 1991
 M.BROWN56 [Mike Brown]       at 20:07 EDT

 Several people have asked me for an update on the show progress here's a
 status report for you all-

 This past week, we received a letter from the Ramada O'Hare hotel stating
 that our "word of mouth" reservation for the Convention Center, ballrooms,
 meeting rooms, and reserved "tower" sleeping rooms will run out on August
 1st.  A formal contract must be signed by that date or the facilities will
 be made available to other groups, and all outstanding sleeping room
 reservations will be cancelled (with no penalty to those making the reser-
 vations).

 Atari management has stated that they will not sign for the hotel until at
 least 50% of the floor space has been sold. As of today, we have 7
 exhibitors signed and paid on the main floor, and one in the 8-bit area.
 We would need to have about 4 times this number to meet Mr. Tramiel's re-
 quirement. In our past shows, the majority of exhibitors sign up within
 the last 30-60 days prior to a show; time is not on our side to get the
 number of exhibitors required before August 1st.

 LCACE has spent a considerable amount of time and money in the organizing
 and promotion of the Chicago Computerfest by Atari, it is a shame that an
 event holding the potential to rival the European Atari-specific shows in
 terms of attendance, is withering on the vine.

 At this point, I, Bob and LCACE have done as much as possible to assure
 that the Chicago Computerfest by Atari will be a success. It is now up to
 the potential exhibitors and Atari management to determine what the
 ultimate fate of the show will be.

 Mike \ LCACE

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




 - London, UK                  ST FORMAT MAGAZINE TALKS ABOUT "FALCON"
   ----------

     No bunkie, its not the game or a game machine, its the name of a very
 special project.  Atari not allowing any "grass to grow under its feet."
 Falcon, as mentioned in our now famous 'crystal ball', is well under way
 and from all recent indications the darling of Atari will debut at
 Fall/Comdex in Las Vegas.  This puppy is being push HARD to make all cer-
 tifications and be ready as planned.




 - Lexington, KY                CERTAIN TT030 MACHINES TROUBLESOME
   -------------

     According to a source in this area, there has been a number of rumors
 of failures reported in the TT type machines.  Most failures are reported
 to be power supply related.  Of course, this does not mean the majority of
 the machines are giving trouble, it does mean that if you are experiencing
 any strange 'happenings', including rigor mortis, you're not alone.




 - Sunnyvale, CA           BOB BRODIE GETS MORE TO DO, A RAISE & TITLE!
   -------------

     It has come to pass, Bob Brodie has been recognized as a real asset
 for Atari.  Since the departure of Marken Communications, Bob has been
 assigned the duties of PR in the computer related areas, Don Thomas is
 handling the Portfolio Area and James Grunke in the "Midi Man".  With the
 added duties, Bob has received a well deserved raise and new title.

                       "DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS"

     Congratulations Bob, you have lived up to the expectations of every
 user out there who knows you.  As the saying goes....

                           "WAY TO GO! ...BOB!!"




         ________________________________________________________





 > Hard Disks STR InfoFile          ***** ABCO SUMMER '91 SPECIALS! *****
   =======================




                       ** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! **

                      ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
              P.O. Box 6672  Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
                                Est.  1985
                 _________________________________________

                   Voice: 904-783-3319  10 AM - 4 PM EDT
                     BBS: 904-786-4176   12-24-96 HST
                    FAX: 904-783-3319  12 PM - 6 AM EDT
                 _________________________________________

                   HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
                 _________________________________________

   All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
                 are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).

            *-ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE-*
                 (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
                   (all cables and connectors installed)

    * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
      * ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED *
                  * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *

                   WE PAY SHIPPING!!!  >BLUE LABEL UPS!<

               Deluxe 2 bay Cabinet w/65w auto-switching PS
                   TIME PROVEN to be the most reliable!
            Model        Description      Autopark       Price
            ==================================================
            SGN4951      51Mb 24ms   3.5"    Y          479.00
            SGN1096      85Mb 24ms   5.25"   Y          549.00
            SGN2055     105mb 12ms   3.5"    Y          649.00
            SGN6277     120Mb 12ms   3.5"    Y          789.00
            SGN1296     170Mb 12ms   3.5"    Y         1019.00
            ==================================================
                 FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00
               ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS
              EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAIALABLE Call for Info!
              PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only!

          CPU ACCELERATOR & MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED

        >> ABCO is now taking orders for 1040 & MEGA STe Computers! <<
                Call for VERY special Introductory prices!
                  ATARI COMPUTERS * STILL THE BEST VALUE!

           If you don't see what you want listed here, call us.
                Odds are we have it or, can get it for you!
                        AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE!

                 "We service what we sell. (IF necessary)"

                      ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******

       * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *

          - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE         - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A
          - ICD Utility Software        - 3' DMA Cable
          - Fan & Clock                 - Multi-Unit Power Supply
                          (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
                --->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 645.00__ <<---
                   **** SCSI UNITS -> ONLY $585.00 ****

                   WE PAY SHIPPING!!!  >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
                  COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN!
                    Cart and Utility Software Included!

                        EXTRA CARTS:      $  74.50
                        DRIVE MECH ONLY:  $ 349.95

                      ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******

   * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
                       SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1019.00 **
                         Includes TWO cartridges!

    * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
         - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -

             50mb SQG51   $ 819.00     85mb SQG96    $ 1019.00

                 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
                      CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE

                   WE PAY SHIPPING!!!  >BLUE LABEL UPS!<

           Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
      Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
    (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)

      ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - AT/PC SPEED - GCR
           LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations)

                      *>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<*

       - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets -

            * SLM 804 Replacement Toner Cartridge Kits $42.95 *
                       * Toner Starter Kits $49.95 *
                       * Replacement Drums $183.95 *

               >> MANY other ATARI related products STOCKED <<
                      ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED

                       -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
                         (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)

                   WE PAY SHIPPING!!!  >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
                 QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
                 _________________________________________

                     DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
                         please, call for details

                 Personal and Company Checks are accepted.

                        ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY!

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

                ABCO is EXPANDING!!  CALL FOR INFORMATION!




       ____________________________________________________________




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




            "Whaddaya Mean; THE pond is now ONLY a mud puddle?!"

                                     ....Nayfin Flipfling




 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                  STReport International Online Magazine
     Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide!
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 STReport              "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE"         July 26, 1991
 16/32bit Magazine          copyright = 1987-91                     No.7.31
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
 the editors/staff, PCReport, STReport, AMReport, MCReport.  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 entire contents, at the
 time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate.  The editors,
 contributors and/or staff are not responsible for the use/misuse of infor-
 mation contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


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