ST Report: 16-Apr-93 #916

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 04/17/93-09:40:24 PM Z


From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 16-Apr-93 #916
Date: Sat Apr 17 21:40:24 1993



            *---== STReport International Online Magazine ==---*
                  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                   "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
                                    from
                              STR Publishing 
                               """"""""""""""


 April 16, 1993                                                     No.9.16
 ==========================================================================

                   STReport International Online Magazine
                           Post Office Box   6672
                           Jacksonville,  Florida
                                32205 ~ 6672
                                      
                                R.F. Mariano
                             Publisher - Editor
                 -----------------------------------------
                   Voice: 904-783-3319  10 AM - 4 PM EST

                         Support BBS Network System
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              1200 - 19.2bps V.32 - 42 bis 16.8 Dual Standard
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          FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981
   _____________________________________________________________________


> 04/16/93 STR 916    "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
  """"""""""""""""
     - The Editor's Desk      - CPU Report        - PORTFOLIO NEWS
     - 2mil DOS 6 Ship!       - EDITOR'S MAIL     - FALCON BROCHURE
     - CANON NOTEBOOK INTRO   - ASHEVILLE FEST    - PERFORMA EXPANDED
     - CTFEST'93 NEWS         - FASTMICRO RIP!    - STR Confidential

                    -* REVOLVING DOOR EXTREMELY BUSY! *-
                     -* ATARI STOCK VALUE PLUMMETS! *-
                   -* "FALCONWAIT" THE TRICKLE BEGINS! *-

===========================================================================
                   STReport International Online Magazine
                The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
                           -* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
                 "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
      Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
             Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
===========================================================================
STReport's BBS, The Bounty, invites  BBS systems, worldwide, to participate
in the Fido/NEST/Atari F-Net Mail  Network.  You may also phone  The Bounty
BBS direct @ 904-786-4176, and enjoy the wonder &  excitement of exchanging
information relative  to computers, worldwide, through the use of excellent
International Networking Systems.  SysOps,  worldwide, are quite welcome to
join  the STReport International Conferences.  The Crossnet Code is #34813,
and the "Lead  Node" is # 350.  All BBS  systems are welcome and invited to
participate.  Support your favorite computer!  Teleconference Today!
===========================================================================
           CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ NVN ~ GENIE ~ FIDO ~ FNET ~ NEST
               EURONET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET
===========================================================================

                               =============
                             * ATARI EDITION *
                               =============


     COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME

                             to the Readers of;
                                      
                  ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
                  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                  "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"

                         NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!

                CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198

                  You will receive your complimentary time
                                    and 
                        be online in no time at all!

                 WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (April 16)

                   PARTICIPATE IN GO GRAPHICS DIRECTORY!

The Atari Forums will be participating in the fifth update  of GO GRAPHICS,
a picture catalog  of some of the finest GIF  images available for download
from  CompuServe!    We'll be  compiling  our  listing  for inclusion  THIS
WEEKEND!  Be sure to upload your new GIF pictures as soon as possible!

                       NEW PRINTER DRIVER FOR DESKJET

Download PrintAll  Version 1.1 (file  PRTALL.LZH in LIBRARY 9  of the Atari
Productivity Forum  -- GO ATARIPRO).   A Printer driver program  for the HP
Deskjet   500  and  500C.  Prints   multiple  file  formats   in  color  or
black-and-white in  multiple sizes and  orientations.  Latest  version adds
Prism  Paint  PNT   support,  Tiny  low  and    medium-res   .TNY  and  Sun
Microsystems'  "Rasterfile"  .RAS support.    Also  numerous bug-fixes  and
speedups,  ability to cancel  without quitting and  cancel long operations.
This version supersedes PrintAll 1.0.

New "CMYK" output options simulates Deskjet 550C output on 500C printers!

                  SHAREWARE FROM DOUBLE CLICK IN ATARIVEN

Double  Click Software has decided to release  DC Xtract Plus as SHAREWARE!
Included in the LZH  file are DC Xtract Plus 2.1v and a doc file.  Download
file XTRPLS.LZH from LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN).

Double Click Software has also decided to release DC SEA as SHAREWARE! Make
ARC/LZH/ZIP/ZOO into a self-extracting file.

Download file DCSEA.LZH  from LIBRARY  13 of  the Atari  Vendors Forum  (GO
ATARIVEN).

                        MANY NEW FILES IN ATARIPRO!

Lots of  new files in  the Libraries  of the Atari  Productivity Forum  (GO
ATARIPRO).  Type BRO LIB:ALL to check out the most recently entries!!

                   REVISED PRINTER DRIVERS FROM SOFTLOGIK

SoftLogik  has made  the following  two files  available for  download from
LIBRARY 11 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN):

PS2299.ARC  -   PostScript  printer  driver  for   ImageSetters  and  Color
PostScript printers version 2.2.99.  This  is a temporary driver that fixes
problems with v2.2.11 printing to Linos and Color PS printers.

PS2211.ARC - Newest PostScript  printer driver version 2.2.11.  This driver
is good   for users  printing to PostScript  lasers.  For users  needing to
print to  Color PS and  high-rez imagesetters,  you should use  the v2.2.99
driver.


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

            "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"




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> From the Editor's Desk             "Saying it like it is!"
  """"""""""""""""""""""


     STReport  seems to bring  out the "very  best" in people  from time to
time.  This past  week for instance, we  found an Atari aeo  rep addressing
mail directly to us in public demanding  that it not be for re-print.  Cute
eh?  It's sad to see educated people resorting to "throwing rocks" and then
declaring that  nobody  may see  them  doing it  except  in their  "closed"
environment.   It's not a real  bother to STR since  paraphrasing allows so
much in the lines  of "eloquent interpretation".  The sad  part is it leads
to  so much  unnecessary non-sense  proffered by  those suffering  from the
empty barrel syndrome. (rolling downhill with  a loose nut inside).  To get
back  to the gist  of this matter,  its very evident the  smoke and mirrors
efforts  have been stepped up considerably.  What with the maligned, direct
accusations being made by one aeo  rep claiming STR turned a "positive into
a negative"  by our spotlighting  Atari's "pressure  plea".  Which,  by the
way, was made  directly to  users imploring them  to aggressively  persuade
their dealers into signing the new ADA.  

     Nowhere was it mentioned that,  even though the Falcon product  may be
shipped  through a  distributor, Atari  will not  permit the  "intro level"
product to be sold  by anyone they do not first approve of.  Also, they are
prohibiting the sale of  these intro devices via "mail order".   In and for
itself  the concept is  ok, but this is  1993 and its  been proven time and
again  that such practices are not productive  at all.  Apple and the Clone
markets have  proven which is  the right way to  go.  In  Atari's case, the
lack  of marketshare or even  mediocre penetration with  be heightened when
the insipid politics Atari aspires to intrudes, then and only then will the
users understand  the full scope of the  new ADA.  The  mail order question
has  always been a sore  point but if  one stops to think  for a moment, by
prohibiting  that mode  of sales,  Atari may  either be  planning to  do so
itself  or, they  possibly have  reservations about  being able  to deliver
large quantities  of said  product.   Of course, the  last big  question is
where  is all the  fancy promotions we were  told would happen coincidently
with the advent of the Falcon030 shipping in the USA?

     In the  remainder of aeo rep's  remarks, it was stated  that those who
were  mentioned as having left Atari's employ  were, in fact, "still in the
driver's  seat  at Explorer".   Really?   STReport  stands by  its original
report.  He then  continues to carry on about "real" news  and which online
magazine  can  do what  for  whom but  never  points out  the  bottom line.
STReport will never be an "Atari mouthpiece".  We will however, continue to
tell the users exactly like it  is.  The good, the  bad and the ugly.   For
example, we  also reported the Book  and the Laser printers  cancelled, you
don't see the reps saying anything about that.  Not a peep!  Of course not,
there is no possible  way of "stretching" the truth  as it was done  in the
case of the revolving door.  Still, when the smoke clears those people will
be just as gone from Atari as they were when it was reported.  As for "spin
doctors",  a term used by the aeo rep,  nobody but nobody lays out a spread
of smoke and mirrors like those who dare to try applying a label to others.
    
     Additionally, we find  other Atari "mouthpieces" are  very busy trying
to raise more sand over the FCC's class B certification processes.  One can
only wonder if they  really desire pushing this matter to  the "wall".  Its
amusing  to see these  events unfolding as  it points to  frivolous acts of
sheer desperation and indeed reflects hours and hours  of time being wasted
by those consumed with an obviously destructive and negative obsession.   I
can just imagine the results if the same energies were placed in an  effort
to get product out on time.  The least they could do is read the rules  and
regulations before spewing forth non-sense.
  
     Atari's people have announced  that the Falcons are here  and shipping
this week, in fact as of yesterday thursday April 15.  If its true  and the
resale units are really  shipping its great to  see happening.  If not  and
its  only dealer  demo units  shipping then  shame on  them for  once again
raising  the  hopes of  the  faithful  only to  be  let  down with  further
disappointment.  You see, we've  been told the units that shipped  are from
those on hand and are intended as dealer demo units and that the units that
arrived earlier  this week must pass  the QC checks and  should ship within
three weeks.  These are reported to be  the resale units.  In any case,  at
least they're here in the good ole USA.


               Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine




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



 STReport's Staff                      DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
 """"""""""""""""

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


          PC DIVISION         AMIGA DIVISION           MAC DIVISION
          -----------         --------------           ------------
          Roger D. Stevens    Robert Glover            R. ALBRITTON


 STReport Staff Editors:
 """""""""""""""""""""""
          Dana P. Jacobson    Michael Arthur           John Deegan
          Lucien Oppler       Brad Martin              Judith Hamner
          John Szczepanik     Dan Stidham              Joseph Mirando
                    Steve Spivey        Doyle C. Helms

                      Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor Emeritus

 Contributing Correspondents:
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""
          Michael Lee         Richard Covert           Scott Birch
          Brian Converse      Oliver Steinmeier        Tim Holt
          Andrew Learner      Norman Boucher           Harry Steele
          Clemens Chin        Neil Bradley             Eric Jerue
          Ron Deal            Robert Dean              Ed Westhusing
          James Nolan         Vernon W. Smith          Bruno Puglia



                              IMPORTANT NOTICE
                              """"""""""""""""
      Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
                               via E-Mail to:

                    Compuserve.................... 70007,4454
                    Delphi........................ RMARIANO
                    BIX........................... RMARIANO
                    FIDONET....................... 112/35
                    FNET.......................... NODE 350
                    NEST.......................... 90:21/350.0
                    GEnie......................... ST-REPORT


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                      STR'S "BELIEVE IT?  OR.. WHAT?"
                    <>###############################<>

                 "There is no comparison!  The Atari Falcon
                    is far superior to the PC platform."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92

About the scathing Forbes Magazine Critique of Atari;

     "My  new office, which has  a better view  than my old one,  is so far
     quite satisfactory.   And Richard  Miller is  in my old  office.   The
     Forbes article was a  mish-mash and misconstrued article full  of half
     truths.  We are anxiously awaiting  the release of the Atari Falcon to
     bring us back to the forefront.  The article has given us some 
     laughs, but otherwise has not affected us."

                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92

About marketing plans and the future....

     "As  I  said  before, all  marketing  announcements  will  be made  at
     Duesseldorf.  I will not comment on future models of the Falcon.

                 WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT A MACHINE.....
                     WHICH WILL BE SHIPPING NEXT WEEK."

                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92

A fantastic observation, considering the date it was made...

     "I've just returned from Asia, where I saw the first Atari Falcon
     production coming off the lines.  Let's hope this new offering will
     make it in North America.  I know that the specs are great."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92

Again, the dates of the statement conflict with the facts now known....

     "We have not  yet even given the machine to the  FCC.  And we are only
     applying for Class B approval.   According to our "experts", it should
     pass Class B."

                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92


             "......  We are not working for Wall Street but to
         make money for our shareholders and only think long term."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 11/92

psssst.
              FYI.... The Shareholder's equity is fine.... NOT!

                  The Stock is NOW HOVERING around $0.81 

                     CHRISTMAS '92 has COME and GONE...
AS HAS...

                       JANUARY 1993, FEBRUARY 1993...

                           FALCONS    ....anyone?

                  By the Way.... Does the Falcon work well
                                    with
            any... of the SLM Laser Printers??  NOPE!  NOT YET!

                         Wanna bet there won't be any?  

Better yet... 

             Which _MAJOR_ US Software Developers & Publishers
                                    are
                producing NEW Software for Atari's FALCON???

               Besides, who _needs_ a CARTRIDGE PORT anyhow!




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

 
                 Computer Products Update - CPU Report
                 ------------------------   ----------
                Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
 
                               Issue #16
 
                            By: John Deegan
 
 
   CANON OFFERS NEW NOTEBOOK - Canon Computer Systems Inc. has introduced a
new notebook computer with a built-in laser-quality printer.  The NoteJet
486 weighs 7.7 pounds and incorporates a miniature Bubble Jet printer that
prints laser-quality text and graphics at 360 dots-per-inch resolution on
plain paper.  An optional fax-data modem that can be plugged into one of
the unit's two Personal Computer Memory Card Interface slots allows users
to receive and print faxes on plain paper.

   Prices range from $2,499 to $2,999. Prices for the optional data/fax 
modem -- available in May -- range from $399 to $899, depending on 
speed.
 
 
   ADDITIONS TO PERFORMA LINE - Apple Computer Inc. is adding three systems
to its Macintosh Performa line. The new computers -- Performa 405, 430 and
450 -- include a modem to connect with phone lines and come with America 
Online and Checkfree services.  They also come with more educational
software and games than the earlier Performa models. Apple said it expects
the new machines to range from $1,300 to $1,850.
 
 
   MICROSOFT SHIPS 2 MILLION DOS 6 UNITS - Since its March 30 unveiling,
the new MS-DOS 6 upgrade has been shipped to a record 2 million customers,
publisher Microsoft Corp. says.  The numbers does not include DOS 6
versions supplied to hardware manufacturers to ship with new PCs.
 
 
   DELL TO OFFER NextStep-BASED SYSTEMS - Dell Computer Corporation says it
will offer buyers of its Intel 486-based personal computers and future
products the option of equipping the system with Next Computer's NextStep
for Intel processors.
 
 
   REPORT SEES PC SALES SLOWING - A new research report by InfoCorp
predicts growth in worldwide PC sale will fall to 15.9% in 1993 from 17.6%
in 1992. The study sees the second half of 1993 registering flat to
negative year-to-year growth, compared to the second half of 1992.
 
 
   ABUSE OF A POLICE COMPUTER PROBED - Authorities are investigating a
report that an Anaheim, Calif., Police Department computer was misused to
find private information about a man targeted by abortion foes.

   Police Chief Joseph Malloy has been quoted as saying an unidentified
employee used the computer to gain access to confidential Department of
Motor Vehicles records for Chris Criner, who volunteers at a family
planning clinic. The information included Criner's home address. 
Protesters picketed in front of Criner's home in February.
 
   "Civil-rights experts and abortion-rights advocates said releasing
private information could endanger lives in light of last month's slaying
of a Florida doctor by an abortion foe. Under state law, unauthorized
disclosure of DMV records is a misdemeanor with penalties up to one year in
jail plus a fine of $5,000."
 
 
   WRIST, HAND SITE OF MOST WORK-RELATED INJURIES - The reported incidence
of repetitive stress injuries (RSI), the pain and related weakness caused
by constant small movements such as those experienced by computer keyboard
operators, have tripled in the past ten years, making RSI the number one
cause of worker complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.
 
   Although more progressive European companies have made an effort to
prevent such injuries through special regulations, outside San Francisco
and affluent Suffolk County, New York, few local governments here in the US
have given any serious attention office regulations that might reduce RSI
injuries.

   The following steps are recommended to avoid such injuries:
 
   Computer operators should be encouraged to stretch frequently, moving
head, neck, shoulders, and arms briefly to balance muscle tension.
 
   The worker should be seated properly with the chair providing firm
support for the back, with either adjustment capability or shape that
allows for the addition of a cushion. The seat height should be adjustable
so that, with the operator seated, the keyboard can be used with the elbows
in about 80- to 90 degrees of flexion. A freely adjustable footrest should
be used to prevent fatigue.
 
   The keyboard should be positioned so that the operator's wrists are
supported with an appropriate wrist rest, which maintains the wrists in a
neutral position with the fingers comfortably on the keys.
 
   Work should be placed slightly behind, and to the side of, the keyboard
at a comfortable reading distance and at the proper height to prevent a
stoop-shouldered position. The computer screen should also be positioned at
proper eye level.
 
   And, in some situations, specific keyboards or other adaptive equipment
may be suggested for individual workers.

 
        ____________________________________________________________




> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine          The wires are a hummin'!
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""
         
          
              
                           PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
                           =====================

            
              
 On CompuServe
 -------------
 compiled by Joe Mirando
             73637,2262





     Hi there friends.  I don't know about you, but I've had a busy week. 
What is it about springtime that both exhilarates and exhausts us?  Maybe
it's just the springtime equivalent of winter's cabin fever.

     Well at any rate, it's time for us to check out all of the great help
offered by the Atari community here on CompuServe.  Okay folks, it's time
to rock and roll!



>From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================



On the subject of using ICD's LINK with an existing hard drive case, Frank
Hence posts:


     "I have modified several cases to use the Link with a SCSI drive.

     Basically all you have to do is run the SCSI ribbon cable out the back
     a little with the appropriate LINK connector, its A standard SCSI
     connector. Then plug the LINK in externally, connect the DMA cable and
     away you go. If you have a distance problem the e SCSI ribbon can be
     longer than the back of the case. If you plug the LINK in externally
     then you can use it for other stuff if you wish....

     Modifying a case outlet is no problem, Radio Shack sells a low priced
     nibbler, less than $10, just trim your hole to the size you need.

     Its my understanding that all Mega files are RLL, the SH204 was MFM.
     The Atari host adapter would work with either the Adaptec 4000a --MFM
     or 4070 RLL...

     The only far out problem you might encounter is the lack of power for
     the LINK, but most SCSI hard drives provide the right stuff..."


Ian Burton asks Frank:

     "would that work with, say, a STacy? I want SCSI on my stacy, but I
     don't want any cables hang off the edge( though if I have to...)"


On the subject of Atari Works spreadsheets, Carl Barron tells Albert Dayes:


     "ATARI's Works is only excel command not file compatible.  I do not
     think I ever saw mentioned that it exports wk? files.  It does import
     db3 files in the database part, so they can be imported into the
     spreadsheet.  I use a spreadsheet rarely and only for fairly simple
     things, but I have found that lotus import valuable when grabbing
     software from other platforms."


See that folks?  Even Albert needs to ask questions on occasion.  It's good
to know that he doesn't know everything about computers (he knows most of
it though).  While we're talking about spreadsheets, Charles Eckert asks:


     "Does anyone have the file format for LDW Power .LDW files ?  I've
     searched here and even in the Lotus forum for .WKS format but find
     nothing? I need the format in order to use LDW Power with another
     application. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!"


Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells Charles:


     "The older WKS format is in development library in the Lotus
     Spreadsheet former.  (GO LOTUS) choose spreadsheet and then choose
     development for the library.

     I haven't looked at *.LDW files yet but I assume they are similar if
     not the same as WKS files."


Bob Wilson jumps in and posts:


     "Unfortunately they are not remotely the same. I tried twice to get
     the format from LDW when they were still around and got no response
     either time."


Albert tells Bob:


     "File formats other than Lotus WKS (like WK3) require a NDA from
     Lotus.  When you wrote (to) LDW did you ever follow up with a phone
     call?  Or was this all via voice?"


Bob replies to Albert:


     "All via letter. I figured if they did not care enough to have me
     support their native format that I certainly wasn't going to give a
     s--- either. B/STAT can read data from .WK1 files so support of the
     native LDW is not a high priority."


In the spirit of inter-service cooperation, Rick Meredith posts:


     "I posted this on GEnie as part of a discussion of SDS's CPX Icon
     Editor and I though my friends on CIS would appreciate as well.

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

     I spent the past weekend messing with the CPX Icon Editor and I've
     learned more about it, DESKICON.RSC and NEWDESK.INF than I would ever
     want to know.<g> I thought I would pass on what I learn so everyone
     could benefit from my experience.

     For those who thought differently, YOU CAN DELETE AND CUT ICONS
     WITHOUT MESSING UP YOUR INSTALLATIONS! The following should be in the
     manual in 24 point type.  The problem is cause by delete or cutting an
     icon that is installed. The solution is to make sure that you delete
     the file installation before you delete or cut the icon. This,
     however, has no effect on program icons that are installed on the
     desktop. Apparently, instead of using the filespec for these icons,
     they use the icons location the RSC file. You will need to re-install
     these icons from the desktop to get the correct icon on your desktop.
     Since you will most likely have considerably more window icons than
     desktop icons, this is not much of a problem.

     Icons installed earlier in the NEWDESK.INF file have less priority
     over those which are installed later. This is how I found this out; I
     had an icon for WARP9*.* and an icon for *.ACX. I wanted the window to
     display WARP9*.* icon when the accessory was turned on and the *.ACX

     icon when the accessory was turned off. When I first did the
     installation, the WARP9*.* icon would show regardless of the
     extension. This was because the *.ACX icon was installed before the
     WARP9*.* icon. By deleting the *.ACX install (but not the icon itself)
     and reinstalling it, it worked as wanted it to.

     Going on the above information, I took my DESKICON.RSC file and cut
     and pasted it so that the icons that I wanted to have the least
     priority were at the beginning of the file and the most priority at
     the end of the file. Don't forget that the first 10 icons are "system"
     icons so start this with the 11th icon. I then went through the icons
     from front to back and did all of my installations.

     Now all of my icons are installed with the priority I want. Later,
     when I get a new program/file/folder that I want to installation, I
     just cut and paste the icon into the DESKICON.RSC file at the
     location that reflects the priority that I want to give it. I then
     install the icon to the file. That is followed by deleting and then
     reinstalling the icon links until I reach the end of the DESKICON.RSC
     file and once again everything is as I want it.

     Some other tips, the bigger your DESKICON.RSC and NEWDESK.INF files
     are, the slower your disk access, etc. will be. Try to keep these
     files as small as possible by using as few icons as possible and
     naming your folders and files so that you can use wildcards, and use
     one link to install several files to one icon. i.e. Instead of having
     one icon and one link for WARP9_ST.PRG and a different icon and link
     for WARP9_CP.ACC, use one icon for both files and use the link
     WARP9*.* so both files are assigned one icon with one link. If you do
     this for all of your links, you'll wind up with much smaller
     DESKICON.RSC and NEWDESK.INF files and a faster system.

     The CPX Icon Editor is great for this as it allows you to concurrently
     modify both your DESKICON.RSC and NEWDESK.INF files.

     I should mention that I have no connection to SDS other than being a
     very satisfied purchaser of their program."

     P.S. I did find a small bug in the CPX. If you select load file, bring
     up the file selector, decide that you don't want to load a file, hit
     cancel on the file selector, then hit the close button, the mouse
     buttons and keyboard don't work. There is no problem if you use the
     cancel button instead of the close button.

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

     P.P.S. This message can be reprinted as long as it is
     reproduced in it's entirety and Rick Meredith, the Atari Computer
     Association of Orange County (A.C.A.O.C.) and CIS receive credit for
     it.


Brian Gockley of ST Informer and the Connecticut ACT (Affiliated
Connecticut) users groups posts:


     "Excellent, I always wondered about that. I wish that Atari would just
     buy the darn program and use it to make ALL of the icon assignments."


Jay Craswell, one of the best developers ever to grace the Atari platform,
tells us:


     "I know next to zip about flopticals but... Real Opticals I have.  If
     you need 128 Meg per disk (40 to 50$ a piece) and a drive that speeds
     along like a HD then give me a call (or in your case E-mail) the
     drives are a little pricey but since you can use them as main store."


Wow!  Imagine a 128 meg removable drive.  Now THAT'S impressive.  Hard
drives, hard drives.  Everybody wants one, or a bigger one than they
already have.  Rafael Hermoso asks about hard drives for his Mega:


     "I have a Mega 2 ST upgraded to 4 megs with PC Speed inside. I would
     like to add an internal hard drive and was wondering what I needed
     besides ICD's micro host adapter. Which hard drives are best? Also, is
     a controller necessary?  Which are recommended?"


John Damiano at Transierra tells Rafael:


     "I like the Maxtor drives.  They make a 130 meg one...very tiny."


Ian Burton tells Rafael:


"I called ICD a few weeks back and they said that they don't produce the
micro adaptor anymore... hmmm I could have been misinformed. I needed it(
still do) for my STacy 4..."


And the debate over the exact meaning of "True Color" rages on.  Tom Roscoe
tells us:


     "In the rest of the world, true color is 24 bit color, 
     8 per R, G & B." 


Yeah, right.  Would someone please tell Tom that this isn't the rest of the
world... this is Atari!  What makes it all the more disheartening is the
fact that Tom happens to be correct.  Charles Smeton posts:


     "In the "rest of the world" 24 bit color allows 16777216 color
     possibilities.  Most people in the real world live in an analog
     system, where things are not quantized into digital steps. Who is to
     say that 162777216 is the maximum number of colors that allows us to
     assign a "True Color" to something?"


Sysop extraordinare, Bob Retelle tells charles:


     "Charles, from everything I've read, it's Medical Science which has
     determined the maximum number of colors the human eye can
     differentiate.  That number closely approximates the number of shades
     available with 24 bits, ie: 16 million.

     Any finer steps and the human eye can't detect them, any broader and
     it can. That's the whole point behind "true" color."


Pattie Rayl of Atari Interface and Connect Magazines asks Bob:


     "If that's true, where the heck did the definition of true color being
     non-palatted colors come from?"


Bob Retelle replies to Pattie:


     "I think that was an Atari invention..."


Alex Kiernan jumps in and tells Pattie:


     "AFAIK Truevision (they of the Targa graphic cards, and .TGA files),
     back in about '84. They defined three classes (I may get this wrong as
     the specs are in the office):  

     Indexed color - i.e. palette modes True color - no palette Direct
     color - a per-gun color palette

     (Direct color is basically true color, but allows you to build
     something like gamma correction into the hardware)."


Alan Willford adds:


     "Sorry....but you really can tell the difference between 32k and 16
     million colors.  I have a ATI Ultra Pro at home and when I switch from
     65k to 16 million there is a BIG difference on how much better images
     look.  Not just advertising hype, it is a real difference."


Alex Kiernan thinks aloud:


     "... If you had 32K colors all settable to (8, 8, 8) bits of
     resolution (or better (12, 12, 12) bits) you would (almost certainly)
     see no difference between 15 & 24 bit color, but we only have 32K
     colors at (5, 5, 5) bits, so for example in a blue sky, with a
     blue->white blend, we only have 5 bits of accuracy which gives _very_
     banded results. With a 24 bit color card, you're getting 8 bits of
     accuracy (which can still show bands very effectively under the right
     conditions), with 36 bits you need monster images to start to see the
     problem."



>From the Atari ST Arts Forum
============================



Nigel Holmes pleads:


     "Please could some one help!
     How do I down Load a file to a apple mac Then convert it so that my
     Atari 1040st can run the program I have tried formatting the disk
     using apple file exchange so that it has the same format as a pc and
     then copping the down loaded software to the floppy but when it is put
     into the atari at home it read's the file as a document file not a
     program file,has anyone got any clues??"


Sysop Bob Retelle tells Nigel:


     "The Atari looks at the filename extender to determine what kind of
     file it is.  The only ones it will display with a program icon that
     will let you run them are files ending in  .PRG,  .TTP, and  .TOS 

     The problem is that most files you'll be able to download have been
     compressed with a utility like .ARC   or  .LZH  to make them smaller
     and faster to download.

     Before you can use these files, you need to run the corresponding
     utility to expand them back to their original form.  We have those
     utilities in Library 4 of the ATARIPRO Forum.  You should download a
     file called  ARCLZH.PRG   that is a "self expanding" file which will
     uncompress itself when you run it, and will create both the  LZH
     utility and the  ARC  utility, along with a handy  "shell"  program
     for running both these utilities.

     Let us know if you have any problems getting these things set up..!"


Philippe Ciaric posts:


     "I am trying to write a Spectrum files viewer that would work on a PC
     with a VGA card.  My concern is to get the colors working.  l think I
     decompress the palette ok since the tones of color that are displayed
     make out how pixel colors map into the three 16 words palettes   there
     is for one line.  If somebody already wrote this, or know about such a
     utility program that would run on a PC, please let me know by mail."


Ron Luks, the head honcho of Atari Forum sysops, tells Philippe:


     "I know of no such Spectrum viewer for a PC, but there is a
     considerable amount of interest in a program like this.  Please keep
     us posted as to your progress."


Alex Kiernan adds:

     "You need to grab the ST Picture Formats doc, I'm pretty sure its
     available on CIS, try searching for 'format' in ATARIFF."


Now that's what I call cooperative people.  Where else would you find
people willing to take the time to help out someone who is writing a
program for another computer platform?


Peter Joseph posts:


     "Ok, if there must be a place here to discuss future options for Atari
     computer users then we should set up a section specifically for that,
     and if anyone (like me) doesn't want to hear about those options at
     this time, we have the option of deselecting that section when reading
     messages.

Fair enough? :)

     I understand that you want your friends to have the best information
     possible in regards to buying a computer.  However, the manner in
     which some are doing it here is very negative.  They _are_ selling
     Macs and PCs over Atari, regardless of there reasons or ways of
     looking at it.  I have nothing against that if that's how they feel,
     but I believe they should do it either in those respective forums or
     through CIS Mail, so as not to discourage those that still have some
     amount of hope for Atari.  You know, contrary to popular belief, since
     we don't all make money from Atari computers, we don't all hate Atari
     Corp.  Ralph continually rants about Atari's 'vendettas', yet that's
     exactly what he's been doing right along, although he doesn't seem to
     see it that way.

     My cousin recently told me he's considering buying a computer.  Now
     he's had an Atari 8 bit for several years, and has probably turned it
     on about six times; I know 'cause that's about how many times he's
     called me to ask me how to use it. :o  Anyway, he said he's looking at
     a PC and asked me what Atari was doing these days.  I told him that it
     all depended on what he wanted in a computer.  I told him that Atari
     is on kinda shaky ground right now.  I told him that if he wanted to
     have compatibility with what the business world was doing, he'd need a
     PC compatible.  I also told him that the PC was not going to be a
     cakewalk to use like his Atari was (which was more like a cliffwalk to
     him :) ).  I didn't tell him that the PC will do a lot more than the
     Falcon, because that is much too subjective and I personally don't
     like to compare two completely different platforms. That's what I
     consider informative advice.  He'll probably buy a PC because like
     millions of others, he feels he needs compatibility with the PC world.

     That's fine with me, I'll just tell him when he calls me that I don't
     know anything (even though I do) about how the PC's work.  That way
     maybe he'll read the darn manuals. :)

      Anyway, maybe we'll have Falcons soon, and all this bantering will be
     as they say, fundamental?  :)  Until then, I'll take you up on that
     kick if I see you doing any counter-advertising.  :)  Later."


Jim Ness tells Peter:


     "I agree that putting a subject like this into its own section is a
     good idea.  Later this year, CIS is supposed to add more section
     capability to these forums, so that might be the best time.

     There are CIS rules against holding discussions here that are better
     held in one of the other forums.  But, I think that if we keep to the
     topic of "Where, after Atari?" it would be legal.  They're doing it on
     another online service, at the request of myself and some others of
     like mind."


Sysop Brad Hill replies to Jim:


     "Hmm, I don't know.  I'm not sure I could cast a vote in favor of a
     section with that title.  That seems to presuppose that members will
     move on to another platform.  "Other Platforms" seems better, though I
     understand that may not be possible.  "Other Voices" is a section I've
     seen used in other forums for discussions that go against the grain." 


Dazzz Smith jumps in and says:

     "I think a better title would be "IF!".

     Plenty of scope there I think....:-)"


Jim Ness comes back and posts:


     "Well, maybe the title isn't perfect, but it would be nice to have a
     place to post messages on what other platforms are out there, at least
     until Atari can offer a full line of computers.

     This would allow those who would rather not consider other platforms
     to ignore those messages.

     As long as that section does not do hardware or software support, it
     wouldn't be stepping on the toes of the other forums."


Sysop Brad Hill posts:


     "Oh I agree, a separate section for discussions of other platforms
     makes sense.  Maybe "Diving Off" would work? <g>"




>From the Atari Vendors Forum
============================



Ron Krysak asks about Spectre GCR:


"A few years ago I purchased a GCR with hopes that I could make my
daughters mega 2 ST emulate a MAC.  Well it never got beyond the smiley
face on the screen before it crashed.  The Atari dealer was of no help at
all, and wouldn't even take it (the GCR) back.  My daughter took the mega
to college and now that she's graduated, I have the computer and would like
to make my investment in the GCR pay off, finally.  At the time that we got
it, there were a lot of problems.  Have they been resolved and where do I
go from here? My software is version 2.65, I think.  Thanks for any help."


Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells Ron:


     "The most current version of GCR is version 3.0 from the software
     point of view.  What version of the system software (MAC OS) do you
     have?  Do you have version 6.0.5 which is the recommended one?  Did
     you install the software versus copy?  If the system software is not
     installed it will not work very well if at all.

     Also since it is a Mega 2 has it been upgraded in any way?  Has the
     ram been upgraded to 4 megs?  What version of TOS are you using?  It
     might also be a problem with the floppy being able to read the MAC
     disks themselves.  Also what are you booting the machine from?  A
     floppy disk or a hard drive?

     IN version 3.0 of the (GCR software) it includes some test programs
     which might be of some use for you.

     With regards to hardware.  Is the roms inserted correctly (oriented to
     the correct direction)?  Does the cartridge have a snug fit against
     you mega 2? Have you booted up clean with no desk accessories or auto
     folder programs? What type of host adapter (ICD/BMS/SUPRA/ATARI) do
     you have?  What type of hard disk do you have?"


Mark at Gadgets by Small tells Ron:


     "First, the current software version for Spectre is 3.0.  However,
     while there were many bug fixes and improvements in Spectre 3.0, the
     problems with crashing you describe were not one of the "fixes".  It
     sounds like you have a problem with:

     A) Bad set of system files
     B) Some hardware incompatibility
     C) Bad Spectre GCR cartridge.

     If you can give me a bit more info about your system (hard drive make
     and model, monitor, etc.) then I might be able to track it down. 
     Also, give me more info as to the type of crash page you are
     receiving.  Does it lockup or is it a Spectre page crash?"



>From the Atari Portfolio Forum
==============================



Reed Early asks:


     "Have you heard if there is to be a new 1 MB card for the Portfolio? 
     I understood a few months ago that OPTROL USA was to begin
     manufacturing one for about $200 US.  If so I would like to know."


Brian Johnson tells Reed:


     "I believe that there was a shortage of the chips required to make
     those cards, so they are not yet available.  Optrol has come out with
     a 524K Flash Memory card.  I recently purchased one, and am still
     putting it "through its paces".

     First impressions:
     (1)  The card works!
     (2)  My old port (ROM Ver. 1.052) has some small problems
          with some of the utilities.
     (3)  The PC Card driver works, but is only set up for the default I/O
          address.
     (They have promised to teach me how to change that, but I have not yet
     received that info.)

     It needs a bit of polish, but shows a lot of promise for low-cost
     portfolio storage."


Marcus Smaby tells us:


     "My aging portfolio is on its last legs. What is a good but not too
     expensive replacement for my trusty port that I can move some of my
     apps to.

     Is Atari considering a new version of the Portfolio?"


Ron Luks tells Marcus:


     "Atari has not indicated that they have any interest in a new version
     of the Portfolio."


BJ Gleason, sysop and programming genius, adds:


     "Atari [as far as we know] is not going to develop a Portfolio II. 
     The closest you could get is the PC-3000 with the Portfolio emulation
     software from Atari [60 bucks]...  The PC-3000 has the same internal
     applications, with the same file formats.  The emulation software will
     allow you to run other non-graphics applications...."


Sysop Marty Mankins jumps in as well and says:


     "The best replacement that will take your Portfolio files without too
     much trouble is the Sharp PC-3000.  Unfortunately, it's been
     discontinued, but Damark (the closeout mail order place) still may
     have a few left at $399.95."


     Well friends and neighbors, that's it for this week.  Now that the
Falcon is supposed to be shipping, things should get pretty busy in the
coming weeks and months.  So remember to tune in each week right here and
listen to what they are saying when...


                             PEOPLE ARE TALKING



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                 DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!



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> CT FEST'93 STR SHOW NEWS               The Summer Atari Event!
  """"""""""""""""""""""""



                           THE CT ATARIFEST '93!
                           =====================


                  JUNE 12 & 13, AT THE WINDSOR COURT HOTEL
                     WINDSOR, CT. (JUST ABOVE HARTFORD)


     Free Parking!
          Low Room Rates!
               More Vendors!
                    More Floor Space!

     Yep,  that ACT Atari Group is running another major NorthEast computer
event.   Last  year's successful  CT  Fest had  over  700 attendees,  which
merited a  larger location, so  we've moved a  mile away (exit 42  on I-91)
into bigger  and better  quarters.   We're just as  convenient to  reach as
ever,  and only  two hours  from  Boston or  New  York! The  new hotel  has
excellent  room rates ($35.00 per  room), free and  plentiful parking, easy
access from Interstate 91, I-95, I-90,  I-84, I-80, an in house Sports Bar,
a bigger  ballroom and is  located just 1  mile from Bradley  International
Airport (free shuttle service for hotel guests).

     We expect that an even greater number of vendors this year, surpassing
the  excellent turnout  of  the past  shows.    We already  have  tentative
commitments from  A&D Software,  Gribnif Software, Barefoot  Software, Toad
Computers, Computer  Studio,  Baggetaware, Derric  Electronics,  E.Hartford
Computer  Repair,   MegaType  Software,   Wizztronics   and  GFA   Software
Technology.   Last year we  had FOURTEEN user  groups, this year  we should
have even more (We also expect an exciting 8 Bit contingent)!

     We'll  have our  annual New  England Lynx  Competition, with  multiple
Comlynxed competitions underway  at all  times.  Last  year's winners  took
home prizes ranging  from games  to accessories to  complete Lynx  Systems!
Bring your best player and join the fun.

     We'll have the  Portfolio Corner,  staffed with  industry pundits  and
filled  with every  imaginable palmtop peripheral!  Last year we  had a few
Portfolios disassembled at  the booth,  a real insight  into surface  mount
technology!

     For those  of you with  an eye  towards seminars, we'll  have them  in
abundance, last year's  question and  answer session with  Bob Brodie  drew
standing only crowds!  In addition, we had John Eidsvoog's walk through the
Codehead  graphic tools,  Jeff  Naideau of  Barefoot  Software showing  off
EdiTrack Platinum, Dave Troy  of (Guess[ribbet]) Computers, STReport's Dana
Jacobson and Joe Mirando and many, many others.

     And to top  things off, come  out and see  the Falcon  030 in all  its
glory.  By then we expect to see some rad new programs out and  some really
excitement!   All in all, we hope to have  the best Northeast show yet, and
we look forward to  your participation.  Make  your plans now for  the most
exciting Atari Weekend this spring!

     For further information,  call Brian Gockley  at 203-332-1721 or  Doug
Finch at 203-637-1034.  We can also be found on GEnie in Category 11  or on
Compuserve  in the Atari  arenas.  E-mail  can be directed  to B.GOCKLEY or
D.FINCH7 on GEnie or to 75300,2514 or 76337,1067 on CIS.


   _____________________________________________________________________



> TAKIN' A GOOD LOOK STR FOCUS!    What is the Brochure really saying?
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""




                            THE FALCON BROCHURE
                            ===================



by Bryan Edwards

Today I picked up a Falcon Brochure at my local dealer, and after reading
it, I've decided to do a little review of it. Why, cause I'm bored, but I
hope you'll find this to be a valid analysis.

 The opening paragraph states:

       "Most computer manufacturers seem to think that the real world
        is black & white, or drawn from a limited palette of colors."

This may have been true at one time, but certainly not in 1993, or even

1992 when this brochure was designed.

       "That sounds are nothing more than lo-fi noises"

This is true, but I don't think this is a proper sentence.  

       "And that the real world consists of people who don't care
        about cost, compatibility of new machines with older software,
        or 'improved' operating systems that cause problems instead
        of solving them, and who never need to work on more than one
        task at a time."

What computer company is THIS referring to? Maybe some european computer?

I think the introduction should have been more;

"Up with Falcon" and less "Down with some vague unnamed computer maker".

 The next paragraph states:

       "At Atari, we know better."

Finally! (that is)
That rest is exciting and motivating until we get to the 2nd paragraph of
"Proven Technology, Proven Software":

       "For video, the Atari Falcon030 doesn't just offer Super VGA
        graphics, but also true color 16-bit mode (up to 640x480
        resolution, and up to 65,536 on-screen colors)."

Reading from my F030 hardware manual, I'm under the impression that
Truecolor is limited to 640x400 + overscan.  Later in this section:

       "This level of integration and performance is what you'd expect
        from a company that has been making personal technology since
        1985."

This would have been the time to blur the facts. Most people know Atari has
been around much longer than this. I would have said;

       "A name known for great computer products for two decades".

       "...as well as soon-to-be-released '386 PC emulation, or
        Macintosh emulation..."

Is Atari going to release Macintosh emulation? Atari's brochures should not
rely on third party products that have yet to be released. (Dave's Spectre
for the Falcon isn't ready yet)

The "A Sound Investment" section is fine, touting the DSP & 16 bit audio.
The "A Colorful Sight" section, however, states:

       "That's why the Atari Falcon030 can display more than 65,000
        colors from a palette of 262,144 colors..."

According to the hardware manual, this is not possible. The most colors one
can have from a palette of 262,144 is 256. The True-color modes don't use a
palette, and are limited to a range of 65,536 colors.

"The Fun Factor" section is short & sweet, and is purely motivational.
The "Power Without the Price" section states:

       "Our audience is not the pinstripe clones or "blind lemmings",
        but those who want powerful, efficient, cost-effective tools."

I like this one. Sounds kind of "elitist".

       "It marries the business experience we've gained with the Mega
        and TT line, the musical edge that the ST series has always
        had, and the incredible color and speed that remain the
        hallmark of our video game technology."

I thought the ST, the Mega, and the TT were already "married". I wouldn't
sub-divide the Atari line so much. I would emphasize evolution of computers
over parallelism.

Also, the Specifications list the data bus as being 32 bits. What was the
final verdict on this one?

One last note:
I would have chosen a halfway attractive screen shot for the front cover.
The monitor is showing what looks like a low resolution space game that is
not in keeping with the multi-media theme, nor is it very colorful.
Something splashy to go with the background of the cover (which is splashed
with paint) would be better.

If you read this all, thanks for the patience. If you have seen this
brochure and have a different view, please share your ideas. This
brochure has to keep me happy until my F030 comes in! :)
           
                                                       Bry



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> BLUE RIDGE ATARIFEST'93 STR SHOW NEWS    "The Summertime Atari Event!"
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



 
                         1993 Blue Ridge ATARIFEST
                         """""""""""""""""""""""""



 
 FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""

The  Blue Ridge  Atari  Computer Enthusiasts  (BRACE)  and Computer  Studio
invite you  to participate  in the  Fourth Annual  Blue Ridge  AtariFest in
beautiful Asheville, North Carolina.  Show dates and times are:


                     Saturday July 24, 1993  10am - 6pm
                     Sunday   July 25, 1993  Noon - 5pm


Just as in  previous years, we have arranged for FREE Booth space for Atari
developers!!  (We're only requesting the donation of a door prize).

We can promise  both developers  and show-goers an  energetic and  exciting
show with as enthusiastic a crowd of Atarians as you'll find anywhere, plus
the support of Computer Studio in the mall.

We're once  again taking  over the Courtyard  Shop (mall) area  at Westgate
Shopping Center for the show (location of Computer Studio), plus the use of
vacant store spaces  for seminar  sessions.   Seminar sessions  will be  45
minutes in length, and developers are welcome to conduct a seminar on their
product  line or  approved  topic of  their  choice (seminar  sessions  are
limited, so first come, first served).

This year's show  dates also  coincide with Asheville's  annual Bele  Chere
street festival, when downtown Asheville is closed to vehicular traffic and
becomes  what  must be  one of  the largest  street  fairs in  the country.
Westgate Shopping  Center  is  one of  the  primary  Park-and-Ride  shuttle
centers for transporting people to and from downtown, and we've arranged to
have the shuttle service pick up at the front entrance of the mall and drop
off at the rear entrance, so everyone taking the service from Westgate WILL
walk  through the AtariFest exhibition area  sometime during the day.  This
will be a great  opportunity to showcase  Atari and Atari related  software
and  peripherals, and  introduce them  to people  who aren't  already Atari
owners.  Bringing in NEW blood is  the key to the growth of this  platform,
and  this will  be our  opportunity to  begin that  process with  a captive
audience.

Additional  discussions of  the  show, as  well  as confirmations  of  your
participation, are welcome in GEnieMail and in the Blue Ridge
AtariFest topic 13 in Category 11 here on GEnie.

               HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.
                         HAPPY ATARI COMPUTING.
                                   IT'S HAPPENING IN ASHEVILLE!

Where: Westgate Shopping Center - Asheville, N.C.

Take any major  highway into Asheville  (US 19-23,  US 26 or  I-40) to  the
I-240  loop,  then  take the  "Westgate/Hilton  Inn  Drive  exit" into  the
Westgate Shopping Center parking lot.

                            When: 24-25, July 1993
                          Time: 10:am to 6:pm SAT
                               12 Noon 'til 5pm SUN

Points of contact:



                  Come for a day or come for the weekend,
                      but do come and enjoy yourself.


Great Smokies Hilton Resort  Hilton Inn Drive        (704)254-3211
                 Toll-free reservation phone number 1-800-733-3211


Radisson                    One Thomas Wolf Plaza    (704)252-8211
                 Rate: $62.00 per room (1-4 people)

          ====== Additional Hotel / Motel Information ===========

Days Inn                       I-26 and Airport Road     (704)684-2281
                               I-40 Exit 55              (704)298-5140

Econo Lodge                    US 70 East, I-40 Exit 55  (704)298-5519

Holiday Inn                    275 Smoky Park Hwy        (704)667-4501
                   Toll-free reservation phone number    1-800-HOLIDAY

Red Roof Inn                   I-40 and US 19-23 Exit 44 (704)667-9803
                   Toll-free reservation phone number   1-800-843-7663

Budget Motel                    I-40 Exit 44 (Enka-Chandler)
                                  West Asheville Exit    (704)665-2100 Best
Western Asheville Central  22 Woodfin St                 (704)253-1851

       ========= Local Bed & Breakfast lodging Information =========

Aberdeen Inn                64 Linden Ave                (704)254-9336
Albemarle Inn               86 Edgemont Road             (704)255-0027
Applewood Manor             62 Cumberland Circle         (704)254-2244
The Bridle Path Inn        Lockout Road                  (704)252-0035
Cairn Brae B & B           217 Patton Mountain Rd        (704)252-9219
Carolina B & B             177 Cumberland Ave            (704)254-3608
Cedar Crest Victorian Inn  674 Biltmore Ave              (704)252-1289
Corner Oak Manor            53 St. Dunstan               (704)253-3525
Cornerstone Inn            230 Pearson Dr                (704)253-5644
Flint Street Inn           100 & 116 Flint Street        (704)253-6723
The Lion and The Rose      276 Montford Ave              (704)255-7673
The Ray House B & B         83 Hillside St               (704)252-0106
Reed House                 119 Dodge St                  (704)274-1604
The Wright Inn             235 Pearson Drive             (704)251-0789]
                                                         (1-800-552-5724)

A more complete listing of Bed & Breakfasts can be obtained through the
Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Reservations should be made immediately, as July is the height of our
tourist season.


                 ===========  CAMP GROUNDS ================

           (reservations are a must during this time of season):

Mount Pisgah:
     About  20 miles southwest  of Asheville on  the Blue Ridge  Parkway at
mile post 408.6 (National Park Service). 690 acres. Elevation 5000'. One of
the nicest  campgrounds in  Western North  Carolina. 67  tent sites, 70  RV
sites. For reservations: P.O.Box 749, Watnesville,  N.C. 28786; phone (704)
235-9109. No showers.  Groceries and  restaurant. Nature program.   14  day
stay limit.

Lake Powhatan:
     4 miles south  of Asheville on  State road 191, 3.5  miles west on  SR
806.  30  acres.  98  tent/rv  sites.  Reservation  available  thru  Mistix
1-800-283-CAMP. Disposal station. No showers. Swimming; lifeguard; fishing;
nature trails; bicycles. 14-day stay limit.

     While in the area,  you might want to  consider a little  sightseeing,
and include  a visit to the  Biltmore House here in  Asheville (the largest
single family residence ever built in the U.S.--its a "castle"). A visit to
the  Biltmore can be  a full-day's  activity as you  will want to  view the
house, visit the winery, and walk some of the grounds and gardens.

Hours:

          The House 9 am to 6pm         The Gardens 9am to 7pm
                         Conservatory 9am to 5:30pm 
          The Winery Monday-Saturday   11am to 7pm Sunday 1pm to 7pm

     Other areas of interest include; the Thomas Wolf home (adjacent to the
Raddison), the Blue Ridge Parkway and Folk Art Center. A drive up  the Blue
ridge Parkway to enjoy  the higher elevations  and incredible views of  our
mountains.  Perhaps  a hike  up  to  Mount Pisgah  and  look  back down  to
Asheville(you can see Mt. Pisgah from most anywhere in Asheville).  A short
drive from  Mt. Pisgah  will take  you to  Sliding Rock  (for those  of you
travelling with kids  who are still kids at heart),  the Cradle of Forestry
(first  forest school in the country), waterfalls, trout hatchery, etc. For
the adventurous,  white water rafting   on the  Natahala River near  Bryson
City (approx one and a half hours from here).

     There's  obviously loads  more  to see  and  do around  Asheville  (in
addition to the Blue Ridge AtariFest and a visit to Computer Studio :-). If
any of  y'all would  like maps and  additional tourist info  of the  area I
might suggest contacting the Chamber of Commerce:

                     Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
                             151 Haywood Street
                               P.O. Box 1010
                            Asheville, NC 28802
                      704-258-6111 FAX: (704)251-0926


    ___________________________________________________________________



> NVN WANTS YOU! STR InfoFile       Another Network Supports Atari!
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""



                      NVN - THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK!
                      ===============================


     Atari's ST/STe/TT/Falcon Computer platform has  support on yet another
     telecommunications service!  National Videotex Network (NVN) maintains
     an area just for our favorite computers.  Type GO ATARI

     Order an  extended NVN  Membership of 6  or 12  months, pay for  it in
     advance and receive a  bonus in connect time at  no additional charge.

     Choose from two subscription plans:

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

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     entitles you to $15  of connect-time in the  Premium services of  your
     choice. Your total savings using this plan would be over $20!*

                            12 Month Membership
                            ===================

     Pay  $50 for  a full  year's Membership  and get  even more  free time
     on-line.  We'll give you  a $25 usage credit  to use in your  favorite
     Premium services or try out new ones. You could save as much as $45.*

     NVN  now offers  Electronic Funds Transfer  (EFT). For a  $2 per month
     service  charge,   customers  may   have  their  NVN   online  charges
     automatically debited  from their personal checking  accounts.  Please
     contact Client Services for this new feature!/s

             For more information about either of these plans..
                         Please, give us a call at;
                              1-800-336-9096.

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                    You can join NVN one of two ways...
              By voice phone 1-800-336-9096 (Client Services)
                                   or via
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                               NVN Highlights
                               --------------

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 3. Get your copy of DOS 6.0 Upgrade - FREE -!
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12. Refer to NVN for all of your reference needs...
13. Enjoy NVN services while saving time and money!


      _______________________________________________________________



> STR Editor's Mail Call        "...a place for the readers to be heard"
  """"""""""""""""""""""


                              Editor's MailBag
                              """"""""""""""""


                    Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
                    -----------------------------------



Date:  10-Apr-93 19:15 EDT
From:  Bill Halvorsen [70347,1713]
Subj:  Going, Going, Get Out!

Hi, Ralph.  I'm sure you heard this a zillion times but in case you didn't
Stacker is supposed to do a 3.1 release in a couple months that uses the
same hooks into DOS that DoubleSpace does, so we'll be free of the
synchronized config.sys/autoexec.bat and all that junk.   I took Stacker
off (used its uninstall utility which worked flawlessly once I had enough
room to store my decompressed data) when I got a larger drive and think
I'll wait for the update to compress again (still have 65 megs free but
would like to have a lot more for future silliness).

Anyway, I really enjoyed last night's STR because for so long you have
shown incredible restraint in calling a spade a shovel, but now it seems
you are going to show the company Atari's true colors, including less than
wonderful escapades of its Wonder Man.

Ah, the eloquent defending of each and every move, like that STUPID posting
about dealerships, which shows beyond the shadow of a doubt what a lame,
crippled and dead company we are talking about, astound me.  They always
have astounded me, left me wondering why people defend Papa J and his boys
when all they have ever done is make one great machine for its time and
then let its userbase be damned ever since.  Yes, we're told you don't need
dealers, you don't need support, you don't need ANYTHING AT ALL "as long as
the machine does what you want it to."  Yes, Ralph, I've been told
WordPerfect 4.1 for the ST is vastly superior to 5.1 on the PC, that every
Windows iteration is poison, and that the video capabilities of the ST blow
away any/all PC's regardless of how they might be configured.  Amazing
stuff.

I know there has been a lot of **** on GEnie but I don't subscribe and
can't afford to, but would love to read some of the Minister's recent
scriptures to the following flocks.  Is there any way I could get some of
the magic, vaunted ST musings from GEnie?  I've just stayed interested
because since I got the PC I've hated all the lies STers tell each other in
order to keep themselves in the dark and happy (mushrooms).  I have Current
Notes back to 2/85 and sometimes think I should assemble all the
misstatements. 

     You know I don't claim any great computer knowledge, but have learned
by leaps and bounds since 8/90 when the ST went out the door, and I'm still
appalled when hearing of the ST still "kicking everyone else's ***" when in
fact it doesn't.  It was good back then, though I never thought QUALITY to
be a factor in its manufacture.  But the loyalists never concede an inch,
and proclaim the vintage, broken software to be still vastly superior to
that awful PC stuff.  You and I know better, we have steenking PC's. 
Windows is no longer slow, crash prone, or awful if you have the machine
and memory.

But the misinformation, the delays... and I just don't get it.  Back in '87
I had the $$$ to get a Mega and was VERY anxious to get it.  I began to
watch how the dealers were being mistreated, and watched them fold.  I
endured floppy drive/hard drive/monitor shortages when I wanted to upgrade.

Now the Falcon.  The Promise of Atari.  A few neat things, others on the
cutting edge when it was announced, now passe'.  And folks telling other
folks that essentially Atari has redefined what PCers know as SVGA, and
last night on a local board a very knowledgeable gentleman redefined video
motion standards for me.  Yes, that the Falcon could do spectacular
animations.  I reminded him of my runtime Video for Windows, and that it
distinctly doesn't show animations.  It attempts (g) to show full motion
video.  Doesn't matter, whatever Atari does, it's better.  Now I want to
know:  why have these people defended this Wall Street crusher of a
company, who employs very few Americans but has parted with many talents.

Oh, well.  Ralph, what's the status of PC Report????  The glossies all
suck, they're light years behind what a weekly can do.  At any rate, what
you have done with ST Report is tell the truth, and proven that the
loyalists can't handle that.  Gee, all the hype behind the high end DTP
thing.  Guess it swept America away...

Type at you later.  Bill (not an employee or spy for MS, but someone who
has experienced CUSTOMER SUPPORT through their company - it's GREAT).


                                                       Bill


Bill;
  
     Thank you for the "observations" and candid comments.  I'm sure
there'll be those who will swear I put you to this letter.  Truth is folks
it came as a surprise to me.  But then so the other twenty or so letters
also.  It seems people are indeed getting tired of Atari's shenanigans and
especially of the "Good Director's" fun and games being played out in a
number of directions.  One can't help but ask the question; What is this
guy trying to prove? He's playing a very sorry game mild in front of folks
and downright dirty behind the scenes.  He'll soon be known as a giant
among PR failures.

     As for the "stuff" on GEnie, let me explain.. It's not really GEnie.
It appears the contract holder in the ST RT who has seemingly permitted, if
not indirectly and directly encouraged all the non-sense.  GEnie has been
very good to STReport and myself.  I have no complaints with GEnie itself. 
As for the politics in the ST RT they're about as rampant and rabid as they
get.  Soon.. the piper will collect his just due.  You can be sure of that.

The whole story of what went on and who were the major players will be made
public.  If for no other reason than to set the record straight.  They've
had a wonderful time with their high rolling campaign of disinformation,
but the truth will be known.  I might add it'll go all the way back
Comdex'89 where some very interesting stories began.  The whole story about
the failure of the World of Atari Shows will also be presented.
   
     PCReport is coming along just fine.  I'll keep you and all the other
ex-Atarians we know in the PC community posted as to when we are releasing
our next issue.  Take care and please stay in touch.
   
                                             Ralph..


     __________________________________________________________________



> STReport CONFIDENTIAL    "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
  """""""""""""""""""""


- Sunnyvale, CA                              REVOLVING DOOR VERY BUSY!
  -------------
    
     According  to  our sources,  Mike Lindsay  and  Darren Meer,  of Atari
Explorer  Magazine, Gail  Bicani developer support person and  Bruce Powell
have  left Atari's  employ.   Additionally, our  reporters find  that Atari
Explorer  Magazine may also have been shut down.  Subsequently, Lindsay and
Meer  were  reportedly  offered  "commissioned  employment"  consisting  of
selling subscriptions to the  Explorer magazine which was reported  to have
been refused.
 
     In the last three weeks, Atari laid off twenty two employees including
Mel  Stevens the  man who  organized most  all of  Atari's show  efforts, a
veteran employee of nineteen  years.  Reportedly, about  half of the  Atari
headquarters building is relatively  devoid of people and the  warehouse is
alleged to be shutdown.
 
     "For all  intents and purposes,  Atari may as  well be shutdown,  even
though  they may claim to have about one hundred and fifty Falcons on hand"
said one observer  who asked to remain anonymous.   Amidst these events and
all the Falcon  shipping delays  and excuses, Atari's  userbase is  growing
quite  uneasy as  to the  final outcome.   Further  developments reportedly
include information stating they've recently received a shipment of Falcons
(last Tuesday) destined for shipment in the USA.  But it was  further added
they must first  go through Atari's  QC thus, causing  a possible three  to
four week delay in shipping these units.



- New York City, NY                       ATARI STOCK HITS ALL-TIME LOW!
  -----------------

     This past week, Atari Stock,  being traded on the open market,  hit an
all time low of 81 cents per share!  While this may be regarded by some  as
inconsequential, to  the wizened "wall streeters", this is "not good".  The
significance of the  drop is its  occurrence at a time  when Atari is  very
busy "trying"  to introduce  a new  design (The  Falcon030) to  the world's
computer marketplace.



- Phoenix, AZ                             FASTMICRO CEASES OPERATIONS!
  -----------

     IBM/Clone computer giant  FASTMICRO closed its doors around  the first
of  APRIL, they had a super duper clearance  sale April 3rd and 4Th.  Proof
that the CLONE market is competitive enough to be considered vicious!  Even
though the competition is to the user's advantage. 



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



                       STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
                       """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""



> A "Quotable Quote"           "WHAT'D HE SAY????  WHA????"
  """""""""""""""""



             "......  We are not working for Wall Street but to
         make money for our shareholders and only think long term."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 11/92



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



> DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile        * Dealer Listings *
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""          ---------------



                         ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS
                         =========================
                               P.O. Box 6672
                      Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
                                 Est. 1985

                               1-904-783-3319
                         ATARI-AMIGA-PC-CLONES-MAC
                       HARDWARE, SOFTWARE & SUPPLIES

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

                              COMPUTER STUDIO
                              ===============
                          WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER
                       40 Westgate Parkway - Suite D
                            Asheville, NC  28806
                               1-800-253-0201
                                Orders Only
                               1-704-251-0201
                                Information
                          Authorized Atari Dealer

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

                             MEGABYTE COMPUTERS
                             ==================
                               907 Melbourne
                              Hurst, TX 76053
                               1-817-589-2950
                          Authorized Atari Dealer

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

                             SAN JOSE COMPUTER
                             =================
                              1278 Alma Court
                            San Jose, CA.  95112
                               1-408-995-5080
                          Authorized Atari Dealer

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

                              CompuSeller West
                              ================
                            220-1/2 W. Main St.
                          St. Charles, IL., 60174
                             Ph. (708) 513-5220
                          Authorized Atari Dealer

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

            (DEALERS; to be listed here, please drop us a line.)


"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                   STReport International Online Magazine
                      -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *-
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STR Online!           "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE"        April 16, 1993
Since 1987      copyright (c) 1987-92 All Rights Reserved          No.9.16
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Views,  Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors/staff of STReport International Online Magazine.  Permission to
reprint  articles is  hereby granted,   unless  otherwise noted.   Reprints
must, without  exception, include the name of the  publication, date, issue
number  and the  author's name.   STReport and/or  portions therein may not
be edited in any way without prior written  permission.   STReport,  at the
time  of publication, is believed reasonably accurate.  STReport, its staff
and  contributors are not and  cannot be  held responsible  for the use  or
misuse of information  contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


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