ST Report: 09-Mar-90 #410

From: Len Stys (aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 03/21/90-11:48:26 AM Z


From: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
Subject: ST Report: 09-Mar-90  #410
Date: Wed Mar 21 11:48:26 1990


  
                *---== CPU NEWSWIRE ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
                       """"""""""""""""""""""""""""
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                   _____________________________________
                                   from
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  March 09, 1990                                                  No.4.10
  =======================================================================
  
                       CPU NewsWire Online Magazine?
                                 featuring
                             STReport ~ Online?
                        __________________________
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                          Jacksonville,  Florida
                               32205 ~ 6672
  
                               R.F. Mariano
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             carrying CPU NewsWire for their users  enjoyment
    __________________________________________________________________ 
    
 > 03/09/90: CPU Newswire? #410  The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! 
   ---------------------------- 
     - The Editor's Podium    - CPU REPORT        - CPU STATUS REPORT
     - MVP Finalist Lists     - PCD2 - Whew!      - NEW Diabetes Forum
     - VT 52/ANSI Codes       - MAXWELL Releases  - DynaCADD p VI
     - LYNX is HOT!           - WOA Anaheim Info  - CPU CONFIDENTIAL
    
        --==**  SAM TRAMIEL DEMANDS STRONG SUPPORT FOR WOA  **==--
                 ---===** AVANT-GARDE SHIPS PALS! **===---

 ==========================================================================
                               CPU  NEWSWIRE?
                  "Only UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
                              -* FEATURING *-
        Current Events, Up to Date News, Hot Tips, and Information
             Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
 ==========================================================================
 CPU/STR's support  BBS, NODE  # 350  invites systems using Forem ST BBS to
 participate in  Forem BBS's  F-Net mail  network.   Or, Please  call # 350
 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about
 the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST Mail Network.
 ==========================================================================
       AVAILABLE ON:      COMP-U-SERVE  ~  DELPHI  ~  GENIE  ~  BIX
 ==========================================================================
    
 > The Editor's Podium?

     Well, another week gone by and  now we  find that  Atari is supporting
 the Anaheim  World of  Atari Show  with great vigor.  Its good to see such
 active, outgoing participation on the part of Atari Corp.

     As ardent supporters of Atari computers, most users and ourselves find
 that at  times like  this we  are facing  a rather puzzling situation.  Is
 Atari moving  forward  in  the  computing  community  or  are  they simply
 treading water  while the  creek rises?   We  like to  think that they are
 moving forward but in reality the only things on the positive side  in the
 USA are  the Portfolio  and Lynx.   All  other promised major products are
 atrociously late and some are now in doubt altogether.   The furor started
 on usenet  about SIMMS  and SIPPS has cast great dark clouds over the STE.
 Although members of Atari Corp. had  posted  that  Atari  was  using SIMMS
 (socketed) and  heralded the  advent of  an upgradable Atari computer, the
 bottom line is "this  information did  not come  as a  direct announcement
 from Atari Corp. and therefore, must be regarded as heresay even though it
 came from  an  Atari  employee.    Also,  the  ONLY  computer specifically
 designed to be upgradable is the TT.
  
     Judging from  the above,  it becomes  very easy  to see why certain of
 Atari's online people should not be taken seriously  unless they emphasize
 that what  they are  posting is  the "official  Atari line".   In fact, it
 would probably make  good  sense  if  they  did  just  that,  prefaced and
 suffixed such  posts with such a declaration.  Then if the declaration was
 not present, the information  could be  taken for  casual conversation and
 not an official line.

     Don't  miss  next  week's  STReport  MVP  winners  in  the  first  two
 categories...
                                Thanks again for your strong support!

                                                  Ralph.....






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                THE GENIE ATARI ST ROUNDTABLE - AN OVERVIEW
                ___________________________________________

 The Roundtable is an area of GEnie specifically  set aside  for owners and
 users of Atari ST computers, although all are welcome to participate.

 There are  three main  sections to the Roundtable: the Bulletin Board, the
 Software Library and the Real Time Conference area.

 The Bulletin Board contains messages from Roundtable members  on a variety
 of Topics,  organized under  several Categories.   These  messages are all
 Open and available for all to read (GEnie Mail should be used for private
 messages).  

 If you have a question, comment, hot rumor or an answer to  someone else's
 question, the Bulletin Board is the place to share it.

 The Software  Library is  where we  keep the  Public Domain software files
 that are available to all Roundtable members.   You can  'download' any of
 these files  to your own computer system by using a Terminal Program which
 uses the 'XMODEM' file-transfer method.  You can also share  your favorite
 Public Domain  programs and  files   with   other  Roundtable  members  by
 'uploading' them to the Software Library. Uploading on  GEnie is  FREE, so
 you are encouraged to participate and help your Roundtable grow.

 The Real  Time Conference  is an area where two or more Roundtable members
 may get together and 'talk' in    'real-time'.    You  can  participate in
 organized  conferences  with  special  guests,  drop in on our weekly Open
 COnference, or simply join  in  on  an  impromptu  chat  session.   Unlike
 posting messages  or Mail  for other  members to  read at some later time,
 everyone in the Conference area can see what you type immediately, and can
 respond to you right away, in an 'electronic conversation'.



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

   Issue # 57
   ----------


 by Michael Arthur


 Remember When....
  
       In September  1970, a computer hacker (as opposed to a "cracker", or
 a malicious hacker) called John Draper discovered that a toy whistle which
 used to  come with  "Captain Crunch"  cereal perfectly simulated the sound
 that AT&T USED to use to specify a call as being toll-free,  and when John
 Draper  later  became  known  as "Captain Crunch" after demonstrating this
 discovery?


 CPU Systems Roundup? XXIV
 ========================= 

          IBM's RISC System/6000:  Industry Standard, or Last Stand?
          ----------------------------------------------------------

 Part II

       Recently, IBM  introduced the  RISC System/6000,  their second entry
 into both  the lucrative workstation market, and the already-crowded field
 of RISC-based  computers.    While  the  workstation  industry  is quickly
 growing, with  an estimated  worth of  $10 billion dollars a year by 1992,
 the many players in the "RISC  Wars"  (the  struggle  in  the  industry to
 establish a  dominant RISC chip standard) is only intensifying.  In Part I
 of this Essay, the RISC System/6000's main abilities  and operating system
 features  were  explored.    Now  let  us  take  a  look  at  the hardware
 capabilities of the RISC System/6000, so as to gain a fuller understanding
 of its impact on the computer industry...         

     The IBM RISC System/6000 uses a new RISC chip architecture, called the
 "Performance Optimization with Enhanced  RISC",  or  POWER  chip.    It is
 capable of processing from 27 - 41 million instructions per second (MIPS),
 and comes with a built-in Floating Point Unit capable of 7.5 -  13 million
 floating point  math instructions  per second  (MFLOPS).  Meaning that the
 POWER chip will be 2-4 times as fast as the  Intel 80486  chip, Motorola's
 68040 chip, or any other microprocessor currently available.
         
     However, a large part of a computer's performance is based more on the
 data transfer speed of  its  bus  architecture  than  its  MIPS  or MFLOPS
 rating.   When IBM  introduced the  MicroChannel bus in 1987, it indicated
 that its use wouldn't be restricted to the  microcomputer arena.   So with
 the  RS/6000,  IBM  is  using  an improved version of the MicroChannel Bus
 Architecture.  

 This version features:         

     - 64-bit data/address bus width.   Formerly, the  MicroChannel was  a 
       32-bit bus architecture, but IBM has introduced a 64-bit version for
       the low-end PowerStation line.  Interestingly enough, high-end      
       models of  the RISC System/6000 even use a 128-bit version of the   
       MicroChannel Architecture....        

     - Vastly improved Data Transfer rates.   Previously,  the MicroChannel
       was only  capable of  transmitting 20  Megabytes of data per second.
       However, this version utilizes a Streaming DMA Burst Mode to achieve
       data transfer  rates of 40 Megabytes per second, with sustained     
       transfer rates of 25 - 30 Mbps (Megabytes Per Second).        

     Most computer bus architectures (like NuBus or certain implementations
 of VME)  are only  capable of  10 - 20 Mbps.  Also, the EISA Bus, which is
 quickly becoming  standard on  high-end IBM  Clones, currently  has a data
 transfer rate  of 33  Mbps.   However, Sun's  new S-Bus (which will become
 standard fare in its future workstations) has a data transfer rate of over
 60 Megs  Per Second,  and it seems that faster implementations of the EISA
 Bus are possible....


              ECC RAM, Silicon Graphics, and POWERstations
              --------------------------------------------

     In addition, IBM has licensed Silicon Graphics' Geometry  Engine chip,
 which  can  generate  91,000  3-D Vectors/second, and an optional graphics
 adapter board (called  the  SuperGraphics  Processor  Subsystem)  that can
 generate almost  a million  3D Vectors  a Second.   Both  feature a 24-bit
 color palette.

     The RS/6000 also uses Silicon Graphics'  GL Graphics  Library. Meaning
 that 3-D animation, CAD and other workstation graphics programs can easily
 be ported from SG's  Personal Iris  graphics workstations  to the RS/6000,
 and that  IBM's new  workstations will be VERY competitive in the field of
 Engineering Workstations.  And given  that  this  is  one  of  the fastest
 growing segments of the workstation market....


     The  IBM  RISC  System/6000  has  a 1280*1024 graphics resolution, and
 comes with SCSI and Ethernet LAN Ports, as well as 8 Megabytes  of ECC RAM
 (which  can  automatically  find  and  correct  memory  parity  errors) as
 standard.  IBM will  be selling  several models  of the  RISC System/6000,
 including these systems:

 PowerStation 320
 ----------------
     The low-end  model of  IBM's RISC  System/6000 line,  it uses a 20 MHZ
 POWER chip to achieve speeds of 27 MIPS and 7.5 MFLOPS.   It comes  with 8
 Megs of  RAM standard,  6 Expansion Slots (2 of which are Memory Slots), a
 120 Meg Hard Drive, and a monochrome display w/256 levels  of gray shades.
 Cost:  $13,000,   which  is  FAR  below  the  cost  of  similarly-powerful
 workstations. 

 PowerServer 540
 ---------------
     Meant for the upper-end of  the  traditional  workstation  market, the
 PowerServer 540 uses a 30 MHZ POWER chip, enabling it to achieve 41.5 MIPS
 and 13.0 MFLOPS.  Coming with 16 MicroChannel  Slots (8  of which  are for
 expansion memory),  it has  64 Megs of RAM standard, a 640 Meg Hard Drive,
 and a 128-Bit MicroChannel Bus.  Cost:  Don't even THINK about it....
  
 PowerStation 730
 ----------------
     The High-end Model of the POWERStation  line, it  uses a  25 MHZ POWER
 chip to  achieve 35 MIPS and 11 MFLOPS.  It comes with 16 Megs of RAM, and
 is the ONLY model to use the SuperGraphics  Processor Subsystem,  for over
 16 million  displayable colors.   Cost:  $74,000.  Of course, such a thing
 from IBM wouldn't exactly be cheap, so....

     In general, the hardware capabilities of the RISC System/6000 are just
 as spectacular as its operating system versatility.  With this workstation
 line, it seems that IBM has a product  which is  truly capable  of quickly
 dominating  the  Workstation  Industry.   With over 175 software companies
 already developing for it, and 1500 Third-Party software programs expected
 to ship by the middle of 1991, and IBM's still powerful industry clout, it
 seems as if IBM's chances are  great.   But interestingly  enough, several
 workstation vendors  are reportedly  gearing up for introductions of their
 new workstations.... 


 CPU INSIGHTS?
 =============

      C-Cube, Digital Data Compression, and Fancy Graphics/Sound Demos
      ----------------------------------------------------------------


     C-Cube Microsystems has  recently  introduced  the  C-Cube  CL550, the
 first  VLSI  Chip  to  use  the  new  CCITT  standard  for  digital  image
 compression.  Two versions of this  chip will  be available:   The  10 MHZ
 model, which  can compress/decompress a "still" color image in less than 1
 second, and the 27 MHZ model, which is  capable of  handling "live" motion
 video in real-time, at a rate of 30 frames per second.  Cost:  $90 for the
 10 MHZ model, and $160 for the 27 MHZ model....        

     The CL500 uses the  proposed JPEG  (Joint Photographic  Experts Group)
 image compression  standard, which  can produce an image compression ratio
 of 20  to 1,  but is  capable of  compressing an  image up  to 1/200th its
 original size.  Using this protocol, several minutes of motion film (which
 would otherwise  take up  gigabytes of  digital data)  can now  fit in the
 space  of  a  CD-ROM.    Meaning  that  large  multimedia applications (or
 demonstrations which simultaneously  use  graphics,  video,  and  sound in
 computers) will be more feasible.        

     Also, the JPEG standard holds extreme potential for 24-bit Color Image
 Processing, HDTV Television, as well  as  other  aspects  of  the graphics
 arena.    In  this  way,  the  CL-500 could become the first example of an
 "enabling  technology"  for  the  field  of  computing  now  known  as the
 multimedia industry....


          Microsoft, TrueType (Royal) Fonts, Windows, and OS/2 PM
          -------------------------------------------------------


       Microsoft has  recently announced that Apple's TrueType Outline Font
 Technology  (previously  known  as   the  Royal   Font  Format)   will  be
 incorporated into  both the  upcoming Microsoft  Windows 3.0,  and in OS/2
 Presentation Manager Version 2.0.   Also,  as part  of the cross-licensing
 agreement  between  Apple  and  Microsoft, TrueImage (the Postscript Clone
 recently bought by Microsoft) will also be made available by  Microsoft.  
     
     Microsoft  is  also  making  a TrueType Rasterizer (or font generator)
 available for licensing  by  Third-Party  Software  Vendors,  in  order to
 enable TrueType  font support  on other  systems (like  normal DOS and old
 versions  of  Windows)  where  TrueType  isn't  parts  of   the  operating
 environment.  WordPerfect and Aldus will be licensing TrueType (primarily,
 it seems) to support TrueType  fonts  in  the  OS/2  1.1  and  Windows 2.0
 versions of PageMaker and WordPerfect.        

     Interestingly enough,  while IBM  has said that its OS/2 Font "Engine"
 will support Apple/Microsoft's TrueType fonts, IBM  has also  said that it
 intends  to  use  Adobe's  Display  Postscript  across  its entire line of
 computers.  Therefore, it seems that (contrary to opinions of  a few), IBM
 may support  both TrueType  and Display  Postscript as  Font Standards for
 OS/2.... 

 But ponder, if you will, these questions:


 1)  Given the  recent controversy  over OSF  Motif, AT&T's  Open Look, and
     several  other  GUI's  for  Unix,  what  will  it  take  for any given
     Graphical User Interface to become THE industry standard Unix GUI?

 2)  Is the Trade Deficit as dire an economic issue for the US  as the lack
     of "capitalistic innovation" in American businesses?




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


 - London, England         IDRIS OS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE TRANSPUTER
   ---------------

     Quintek  has  recently  introduced  a  version  of IDRIS, a multiuser,
 multitasking Unix-based operating  system,  for  transputer-based systems,
 called transIDRIS.  To be used with Transputer systems using the IBM PC as
 I/O processors  (like the  ATW uses  the Mega  ST motherboard  as its host
 machine), transIDRIS  allows both  DOS and IDRIS sessions to be accessible
 concurrently, with  extensive  support  for  communications  links between
 them.   transIDRIS is capable of supporting parallel processing between 32
 Transputers.  Given  that  the  ATW's  introduction  has  been  stalled by
 problems in  developing and  debugging Helios,  another OS being developed
 for the Transputer chip....        

     Available for the PDP-11, Intel 80x86, and Motorola 68x00 chips, IDRIS
 is   an   IEEE   POSIX-based   operating  system  with  sophisticated  IPC
 (interprocess  communications   facilities),   multiuser   utilities,  and
 X/Windows  support.    Interestingly  enough,  IDRIS was available for the
 Atari ST from 1987 - 1989, and helped the Atari ST to become widespread in
 Control Data  Corporation for  designing new supercomputers.  However, now
 IDRIS is  available for  the Macintosh  due to  several factors, including
 problems with "Developer Support" from Atari.


 - Cambridge, England     X.DESKTOP GUI AVAILABLE FOR 88000, 68030 TT
   ------------------

       Motorola  Corp.,   and  Opus   Systems  (a  workstation/minicomputer
 company) have announced that they will be using X.desktop 2.0,  a GEM-like
 Graphical  User   Interface  for  Unix  based  on  X/Windows,  in  current
 88000-based RISC Workstations.  Ixi Ltd.,  Motorola, and  Opus Systems are
 all members  of the 88open Software Consortium (a group of companies which
 are establishing a Unix standard for the Motorola 88000 RISC  chip).  Opus
 intends to  use both  X.desktop and 88open's Binary Compatibility Standard
 in their  Personal  Mainframe  line  of  workstations,  while  Motorola is
 bundling it  with their newly introduced line of 88000-based systems....  
     
     Interestingly enough, several major Unix companies  have also licensed
 X.desktop  2.0.    IBM  has  licensed  it,  and  recently  the  Santa Cruz
 Operation (the makers of SCO Xenix,  which dominates  the 80386-based Unix
 market) introduced  the Open  Desktop GUI, which uses X.desktop.  Also, it
 seems that X.desktop 2.0 will also be used as the  GUI for  the 68030 TT's
 version of AT&T Unix....  





        __________________________________________________________



 > MVP AWARDS CPU/STR Spotlight?   Saying "Thanks" to the "GOOD GUYS"
   ============================



                          MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER
                          =======================


 CATEGORY ONE
 ============

                                ATARI CORP.
                                ==========


 MVP CANDIDATES
 --------------
 Finalist List

          E. Shook                                G. Johnson
          J. Townsend                             D. McNamee
          K. Badertscher                          R. Brodie
          D. Brown                                A. Pratt
          C. Cherry                               A. Salerno



 DECISIVE FACTORS
 ----------------

 Helpful-> Factors deciding this category are;
  
 A)   Is the  candidate willing  to go  the "extra  mile" to  help the user
     achieve an equitable solution...  

 B)  Is the candidate willing to question certain policies when they appear
 to  not be in the best interests of both the company and the user....

 C)  Is the candidate straight forward and "obviously committed" to helping
     the user...

                                  --===--

 Courteous -> Factors deciding this category are;

 A)  Is the candidate capable of "keeping their cool" when facing a hostile
     or irritated user...

 B)    Is  the  candidate  willing  to  continue to try to help the user by
     telling themselves "the customer is always right"....

                                  --===--

 KNOWLEDGABLE -> Factors deciding this category are;

 A)  Is the candidate willing to share his knowlege  in the  true principle
 of  sharing knowlege...

 B)  Is the candidate always "ready willing and able" to offer explanations
     and help regardless of his/her candidateal attitudes...

 C)  Is the candidate able to reach a "higher  authority" easily  to obtain
     information not readily accessable..

                                  --===--

 SINCERITY -> Factors deciding this category are;

 A)  Is this candidate treating all users equally, offering help to all the
     users to the best of their ability...

 B)  Is this candidate held in high regard by the users for keeping his/her
     word and does this candidate take pride in keeping promises...

 C)   Is this  candidate willing to speak their mind instead of feeding the
     users the "company line" of usual pablum..

 D)  Is this candidate using the priciples of fair play and honest dealings
     as a guideline...

 E)  Is this candidate always "up front and on the line" with the users...

 F)   Is this candidate willing to bring user suggestions to the higher ups
     in hopes of having the suggestions considered.. 





                          MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER
                          =======================


 CATEGORY TWO
 ============

                                DEVELOPERS
                                ==========


 MVP CANDIDATES
 --------------
 Finalist List

          Fast Technology                    Blue Chip Software
          Gribnif Software                   Spectrum Holobyte
          Strata Software                    Maxwell
          ISD Marketing                      Timeworks
          MichTron                           Intersect
          Soft-Logik                         Avant Garde
          Migraph                            Codehead Software
          Word Perfect                       Gadgets by Small
          Image Systems                      Imagen
          FTL                                Regent Software


 DECISIVE FACTORS
 ----------------

 Helpful-> Factors deciding this category are;
  
 A)  Is the candidate willing  to go  the "extra  mile" to  help the caller
     achieve an equitable solution...  

 B)  Is the candidate straight forward and "obviously committed" to helping
     the user...

 C)  Is the candidate willing to  help  until  a  user's  problem  is fully
     resolved  even  if  the  problem  is  not  a  direct  result  of their
     program...

 D)  Is the  candidate willing  to make  serious but  helpful revisions and
     changes to their program without insistant urging..

                                  --===--

 Courteous -> Factors deciding this category are;

 A)  Is the candidate capable of "keeping their cool" when facing a hostile
     or irritated user...

 B)  Is the candidate willing to  continue  to  try  to  help  the  user by
     telling themselves "the customer is always right"....

                                  --===--

 KNOWLEDGABLE -> Factors deciding this category are;

 A)  Is the candidate willing to spend the time familiarizing a user in the
     use of their program in the true spirit of sharing knowlege...

 B)  Is the candidate always "ready willing and able" to offer explanations
     and help user... 

 C)   Is the  candidate able to reach a "higher authority" easily to obtain
     information not readily accessable..

                                  --===--

 SINCERITY -> Factors deciding this category are;

 A)  Is this candidate treating all users equally, offering help to all the
     users to the best of their ability...

 B)  Is this candidate held in high regard by the users for keeping his/her
     word and does this candidate take pride in keeping promises...

 C)  Is this candidate using the priciples of fair play and honest dealings
     as a guideline...

 D)  Is this candidate always "up front and on the line" with the users...

 E)   Is this candidate willing to bring user suggestions to the higher ups
     in hopes of having the suggestions considered.. 


     The winners from the two above categories WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK.
 Next week, we  will  present  the  MVP  selections  from  the  userbase in
 general, that being folks who have gone out of their way to help others in
 the use of their  computers -  software -  hardware etc...   Additionally,
 those also  being considered in this category will be the shareware and PD
 developers along with new, lesser  known,  commercial  developers  who are
 supporting the  Atari ST  computer.   Lastly, and  certainly not the least
 thought of are the unsung heros of our  userbase, the  sysops who  make it
 all happen.  You will get to meet all of them here, in STReport.





      _______________________________________________________________
  






 > NEW DIABETES FORUM CPU/STR Spotlight?  CIS opens NEW Diabetic Forum
   ====================================

                 New Diabetes Support & Info Forum on CIS
                           Headed by Dave Groves



     After  a  full  year  in  preparation,  Atari  SYSOP  Dave  Groves has
 fulfilled a dream.  On March  14, 1990  at about  4:00am a  new CompuServe
 forum will  be opened  to the public.  The data libraries contain over 3.3
 megabytes of up to  the minute  information on  diabetes and hypoglycemia,
 and the membership is raring to expand it.  Topics range from funny places
 to take insulin and how to use used syringes for darts and missles, to how
 to  manage  diabetes  during  pregnancy  and recently noted concerns about
 "human" insulin.  The forum itself  is not  just another  place to  hear a
 lecture on  diabetes and  control, but rather an interactive, online self-
 help group  of  diabetics,  hypoglycemics,  their  families,  friends, and
 health care  professionals.  It is a warm and friendly online community in
 which we  share anecdotes  and experiences  with diabetes  instead of just
 enumerating food  exchanges, though  there is always a user around who can
 help with the math and calculations.   Basic  forum layout  is as follows.
 It will  be accessible  with GO DIABETES and one or more other quick words
 to be determined. 

               WELCOME TO THE DIABETES & HYPOGLYCEMIA FORUM


 GRAND OPENING Targeted 3/14/90.

     Please, take a moment  to  use  the  ANN  command  for  all  7  of the
 available  ANNouncements  and  the  DES  command  to  review  all 3 of the
 DEScription sets for the 13 Message Sections, 12  Library sections,  and 5
 Conference  Sections  and  let  us  know your thoughts!  Libraries will be
 installed later this week.

 Of Special Note:
 ---------------
 Upload time to the Diabetes Forum is Free of CompuServe connect charges so
 please add to our Libraries of Diabetes information whenever you can!


 WARNING AND  DISCLAIMER: Diabetes  and hypoglycemia are serious conditions
 requiring professional medical  attention  that  cannot  be  given through
 telecommunications.  Although we take reasonable efforts to ensure 
 accuracy and timeliness, readers must not consider opinions expressed here
 as medical advice.

                                   Sorry, the Lawyers made us say that! 
  

                              ---===000===---


                      OVERVIEW OF THE DIABETES FORUM


                           WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

 MESSAGES

     This is an  overview  of  the  "Bulletin  Board"  area  of  the Forum.
 Messages posted  in the  Message area  will generally  survive for about 7
 days, and individuals addressed  by  User  ID  (UID)  are  advised  of the
 waiting messages  when they  enter the forum.  Since the messages are long
 lived and do not require you to be online at the same  time as  the person
 you are  communicating with,  you can  log on  at any time and read new or
 waiting messages and respond when it is convenient for you.   This  is the
 best method for meeting new people worldwide who share your interests.


 Type (Enter) MES at any Forum ! prompt or select Menu Item # 2  MESSAGES. 
 Message Sections Available:

  1 General Information
    - How to use this Forum and CompuServe most effectively, and General
      Forum Business.

  2 Beginners' Topics
    - Matters of interest to newcomers to diabetes and Hypoglycemia. 
      Ages 6 to 106.

  3 Friends & Family
    - Matters of interest to family, friends, neighbors, & coworkers of
      diabetics and hypoglycemics.

  4 Hypoglycemia
    - Low Blood Sugar (Glucose) as a result of either medications for
      diabetes or other endocrine problems.

  5 Insulin
    - Anything relating to the medication Insulin in all of its possible
      permutations.

  6 Oral Meds
    - Oral medications without Insulin, but stimulating its production
      or use or activity in type II diabetes.

  7 Diet & Exercise
    - Exchange lists, recipes, tips and techniques for balancing the
      diabetes tripod.

  8 Complications
    - Footcare, Hygiene, and side-effects of diabetes.

  9 Paraphernalia
    - BG Meters, test techniques, infusers, pumps and the newest
      mechanical, electronic and software items.

 10 Hot Topics
    - News of political, fund raising, or general interest.

 11 Tech & Theoretical
    - Tech data, lit surveys, computer models, simulation & programming
      for clinical & research needs relevant to diabetes.

 12 Pregnancy
    - Messages regarding pregnancy for diabetics and gestational
      diabetes as a complication of pregnancy as well as sexual matters as
      affected by diabetes.

 13 NOT Diabetes!
    - This is a section for anything but diabetes and hypoglycemia.
      Obviously there are other things in life, and this is where we can
      discuss them, without disrupting the trains of thought in the other
      sections.

                        DIABETES FORUM SYSOP ROSTER
                        ===========================

 The  Forum  Manager/SYSOP  and  Contract  Holder for the Diabetes Forum on
 CompuServe is:

                  Dave Groves            76703,4223

     Dave has been an insulin dependent, type I diabetic since  1954 at the
 age of  9.   Over the  years, he  has seen  and been treated under several
 opposing theories of diabetes (DM) management.

     Assisting the Manager in maintaining the Diabetes Forum are:

                  Joanna Ermilio         73517,3042

     Joanna has had "Adult Onset Diabetes Mellitus" since 1986 and  has had
 a  classic  family  history  with  type  II Diabetes. She has worked as an
 insurance claims examiner and is on  oral  meds,  working  towards  a diet
 only  regimen.    She  knows  the  ups  and downs of diabetes (DM) and how
 important support, understanding and encouragement is every day  in living
 with diabetes. Jo is pledged to help other DM's in any way she can.

                  E. Bruce MacDougall    71545,1520

     Bruce has  had diabetes  since May, 1986, when he was 46 years old. He
 has been on insulin since the fall of 1986.  Bruce is  a professor  at the
 University of  Massachusetts, and  former Dean  of the College of Food and
 Natural Resources at that institution.

                  Martin Wehlou          72047,2444

     Martin is a  General  Pratice  Medical  Doctor  accessing  from Ghent,
 Belgium.    He  has  identical  twin  daughters,  one  of  whom has type I
 diabetes.  His interest in Diabetes Practice and theory.

                  Joel D. Wilk           73747,3144

     Joel is a general  and vascular  surgeon practicing  in the Dallas-Ft.
 Worth area.  His expertise is in the surgical complications of diabetes
 and the special problems of wound care.

                  Robert S. Pataki       71257,1441

     Robert is a Family Practice Resident recently moved from New York City
 to Wheeling, WV. He is interested in diabetes,  hypoglycemia, and diabetic
 education.    In  addition  to  years  of CompuServe expertise, he answers
 questions   and   provides    medical    literature    on    topics   from
 genetic/autoimmune diseases and allergies to diabetes and hypoglycemia.


 STReport  and  all  its  affiliates  offer their warmest well wishes for a
 successfull and rewarding Forum for these folks.  Another fine  example of
 good ST people helping people.





        __________________________________________________________




 > DynaCadd 1.7  CPU/STR Review?  Part Six in our ongoing presentation...
   ============================




                           DynaCadd  Vs  AutoCad
                           =====================


 by Myles Goddard
   

       The next  selection on  the Drop Down Menus is the SET UP MENU. This
 lets you configure your drawing or change a previously saved drawing scale
 or other parameters.

       <Alt N>  Displays the System level dialog box.
       <Alt D>  Displays the dimension parameter box.

       Note:  Each  of  the  above  entries  was  discussed  in  an earlier
 installment.


       The next option on the menu is Track/Grid/Axis selection.  This lets
 you set  up your  dynamic tracking,  grid and axis drawing aids.  The next
 selection is your Pen  Indexes. It  will let  you choose  your pen number,
 style,  width  and  color.    It  can  be  accessed  by <Alt P>.  The next
 selection is your Hatch patterns.  Finally, we  come to  Define Pen Style.
 This lets  you create or edit line types for the pens you will be using on
 your drawings.


       The Tracking option merely lets you know where the cursor  is at any
 given point  on the  screen.   Autocad's equivalent  is Coordinates On and
 Coordinates Off.  When Tracking is  selected, you  are presented  with the
 Tool Parameter Dialog Box.  This lets you use Absolute Cartesian, Relative
 Cartesian, Absolute Polar or Relative Polar  coordinates and  also permits
 the size of your grid and axis points.


       The Grid  Values are defined by selecting your Major and Minor marks
 from the Tool Parameter Dialog Box.  For example, let's set our  screen to
 have 1"  grid spacing between major points with 1/4" spacing between minor
 points.  It would look like the following -

                            |<----  1" ---->| 
                            o   .   .   .   o 
   o = Major points                           
   . = Minor points         .   .   .   .   . 
                                              
                            .   .   .   .   . 
                                              
                            .   .   .   .   . 
                                              
                            o   .   .   .   o 


       While the Grid is on, the cursor will " Snap  " to  the closest grid
 point on  the screen.   When  the Axis  option is  activated, it will make
 your screen look like a piece of graph paper with  large and  small dotted
 squares.           

     By hitting <Alt P>, you can determine the pen number, color, line type
 and thickness.  This corresponds with each pen on your plotter.  There are
 16 pens, ranging from 1 to 9 and A through E.         

     The hatch  patterns are probably familiar to most of you.  Even though
 the phrase " Hatch patterns " sounds a bit complicated, just think of them
 as fill  patterns, you  know, like  in DEGAS or other ST drawing programs.
 There are numerous patterns  in DynaCadd  but there  is also  an editor in
 DynaCadd that lets you be creative.         

     Next, we  come to the TOOLS MENU.  Here we may edit the display to our
     liking.  

 For instance;
  
     Hit <Alt Z> and you can toggle between and white  background and black
     lines or black background and white lines.  

     Hit <Alt  F> and you can display the frame on or off.  You can have up
     to 5 frames visible at one time.  

     Hit <Alt J> and you get to turn the GCP view on or off.  

     <Alt O> and your drawing origin  is displayed  in the  lower left hand
     corner of the frame.  

     <Alt G> will toggle between Grid On or Off.  

     <Alt A>  does the same as <Alt G> except it affects the axis lines and
     reference points.  

     <Alt Y> displays the  control points  and direction  of your b-splines
     and Bezier curves. 

     <Alt  T>  displays  the  coordinate  readout  at  the top right of the
     screen. 

     <Alt H> turns on or off the display of command names and help messages
     at the top of the screen.  To get HELP from any highlighted icon, just
     hit the HELP key and help is on the way.  

     <Alt B> will " Box " your text so when  your drawing  is displayed the
     text will  be blank  and represented  by a skinny bowtie symbol.  This
     saves screen memory but when printed out to  your printer  or plotter,
     the text will be where it is supposed to be.  

     One of  the most  desirable features  in DynaCadd  is the Printer Echo
 option, which is brought about by hitting <Alt E>.  This sends the command
 history directly  to the  printer port and is therefore printed out as you
 work.         

     We have covered the basic segments  of the  Command Menus  in the last
 four installments  of DynaCadd  Vs Autocad.   The  next part in our series
 will be an actual  drawing,  using  DynaCadd  and  Autocad.    We  will be
 comparing the  differences between  setting up both programs and the final
 drawing.  We will compare the command history of each program and see what
 the  drawbacks  and  advantages  are  to  each product.  It should be very
 interesting.






     _________________________________________________________________




 > CPU/STR Tech Notes?      ANSI and VT 52 Color codes....
   ==================


 Here, we present the most popular Ansi Color Codes.

 Ps represents a  selective  parameter.  This  is  a  decimal  number which
 identifies  a   subfunction.  You  may  select  multiple  subfunctions  by
 separating the parameters with semicolons.

 You should know all about the [  (very necessary for Ansi esc codes).

 Set Graphics Rendition  (SGR)

 Esc[Ps;...;Psm

 This  sequence  invokes  the  graphic  functions  specified  by   the  SGR
 Parameters (Ps;...;Ps)   The  graphic functions remain in effect until the
 next occurance of an SGR escape sequence.

 SGR Parmeters

 0   All attributes off
 1   Bold on
 4   Underscore on (Monochrome displays only)
 5   Blink on
 7   Reverse Video on
 8   Concealed on
 30  Black Foreground
 31  Red Foreground
 32  Green Foreground
 33  Yellow foreground
 34  Blue Foreground
 35  Magenta foreground
 36  Cyan foreground
 37  White foreground
 40  Black Background
 41  Red Background
 42  Green Background
 43  Yellow Background
 44  Blue Background
 45  Magenta Background
 46  Cyan Background
 47  White Background

 Example  Esc[1;31;44m    will set Bold, Red Foreground, Blue Background

 You change colors with each new escape sequence, and the  last colour code
 in each sequence for background or foreground will be the one used.  Again
 this is for ANSI graphics, Interlink's  Ansi emulator  will hack  in color
 codes, but it is not as nice as EGA (or better) on the PC.


                          VT-52 ESCAPE CODE GUIDE
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        A. Screen positions   
           The  following  functions control a cursor's position on
           screen.

           <ESC>A  Cursor Up, the horizontal position stays same.
           <ESC>B  Cursor Down.
           <ESC>C  Cursor Right.
           <ESC>D  Cursor Left.
           <ESC>H  Cursor Home,  move cursor to the  upper  left 
                   corner of the screen.
           <ESC>I  Reverse Line Feed, same as <ESC>A except  if the
                   cursor  is in the  top line,  a  blank  line  is 
                   inserted  and  the  remainder  of  the  text  is 
                   scrolled down.
           <ESC>L  Insert  Line,  insert   a  blank  line  and  the 
                   remainder of the  text is  scrolled down and the
                   lowest line is lost.
           <ESC>Y rowcolumn, move  cursor  to  any   place  of  the 
                   screen.  The row  and column are  calculated  in 
                   this way, take the  row or column number and add
                   32, then  find  the  character in ASCII decimal.
                   For example,  <ESC>Y+A  moves cursor to 11th row 
                   33th column since '+' in ASCII is decimal 43 and 
                   'A' is 65. Note that the upper left  corner(home 
                   position) is 0,0 and  the  other corner  is  23,  
                   79  in  the meduim resolution.
           <ESC>j  Save cursor, to be restored by the next function
           <ESC>k  Restore cursor,  move cursor to the position the 
                   last <ESC>j is called.
                   
        B. Erase functions
           The following functions perform erasing screen functions.
      
           <ESC>E  Clear whole screen, and move cursor home (0, 0).
           <ESC>J  Clear below  cursor,  from the cursor to the end
                   of the screen and the cursor position unchanged.
           <ESC>K  Clear to end of line, including the character at
                   the current position but cursor position is  not 
                   changed.
           <ESC>M  Delete line,  and move  the remainder of text up
                   one line.
           <ESC>d  Clear  screen to the cursor, from  home position
                   to current position, a complementary  of <ESC>J.
           <ESC>l  Clear line, same as <ESC>M except the  remainder
                   is not scrolled up.
           <ESC>o  Clear line from start, from the beginning of the
                   line to current position, a complementary of
                   <ESC>K.
      
        C. Display attributes
           The following fuctions change display attributes.

           <ESC>e  Cursor on, turn on the flashing cursor.
           <ESC>f  Cursor off, turn off the flashing cursor.
           <ESC>p  Reverse on, the foreground and background colors
                   are changed. For example, the status line on the 
                   bottom of Flash! is in reversed video.
           <ESC>q  Reverse off, return back to normal video.
           <ESC>v  Wrap on, output beyond the edge of screen will
                   be wrapped.
           <ESC>w  Wrap off.
           <ESC>bColor_number  Foreground color, color for character 
                   display. In medium resolution, 0-white, 1-red, 
                   2-green, and 3-black.
           <ESC>cColor_number  Background color. Be careful not to
                   set the foreground color the same as background.
           
      
            Code   Function           DEC's VT52       Vidtex
      -----------------------------------------------------------
           <ESC>A  Cursor Up              *               *
           <ESC>B  Cursor Down            *               *
           <ESC>C  Cursor Right           *               *
           <ESC>D  Cursor Left            *               *
           <ESC>H  Cursor Home            *               * 
           <ESC>I  Reverse Line Feed      *
           <ESC>L  Insert  Line           
           <ESC>Y row column              *               *
           <ESC>j  Save cursor            *
           <ESC>k  Restore cursor         *
      
           <ESC>E  Clear screen           *
           <ESC>J  Clear below cursor     *               *
           <ESC>K  Clear end of line      *               *
           <ESC>M  Delete line
           <ESC>d  Clear screen to the cursor
           <ESC>l  Clear line
           <ESC>o  Clear line from start

           <ESC>e  Cursor on              *               *
           <ESC>f  Cursor off             *               *
           <ESC>p  Reverse on             *
           <ESC>q  Reverse off            *
           <ESC>v  Wrap on
           <ESC>w  Wrap off.
           <ESC>b color_number Foreground color
           <ESC>c color_number Background color
      


 ctsy of Turbo Board Support BBS....





    __________________________________________________________________




 > Stock Market ~ CPU NewsWire?   Watchin' the scheckles grow...
   ===========================


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

 by Michael Arthur

 Concept by Glenn Gorman


       On Monday,  Atari stock went down 1/4 of a point, and stayed even on
 Tuesday.  It went down 1/8 of a point on Wednesday, and  went down another
 1/8 of a point on Thursday.  On Friday Atari stock stayed even.  Finishing
 up the week at 6 3/4 points, Atari stock is down 1/2  of a  point from the
 last report.


     Apple Stock was up 1/2 of a point from Friday, February 23, 1990.
            Commodore Stock was up 1/2 of a point from 2/23/90.
                IBM Stock was up 2 1/4 points from 2/23/90.


               Stock Report for Week of 2/26/90 to 3/02/90

 _________________________________________________________________________
 STock|   Monday   |   Tuesday   |  Wednesday  |  Thursday  |   Friday    |
 Reprt|Last    Chg.|Last     Chg.|Last     Chg.|Last    Chg.|Last    Chg. |
 -----|------------|-------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
 Atari| 7     - 1/4|  7     ---- |6 7/8   - 1/8|6 3/4   -1/8|6 3/4   ---- |
      |            |             |             |            | 41,300  Sls |
 -----|------------+-------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
  CBM |8 1/8  + 1/8|  8     - 1/8|8 1/4   + 1/4|8 1/4  ---- |8 1/2   + 1/4|
      |            |             |             |            | 147,300 Sls |
 -----|------------+-------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
 Apple| 34    + 3/4|33 1/2   -1/2|  34    + 1/2|34 1/4  +1/8|33 3/4   -1/2|
      |            |             |             |            | 936,600 Sls |
 -----|------------+-------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
  IBM | 104  +1 3/8|103 3/4  -1/4|103 7/8  +1/8|  104   +1/8|104 7/8  +7/8|
      |            |             |             |            |1,422,500 Sls|
 -----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'

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





         _________________________________________________________







 > PCD2 - WHEW!  CPU/STR OnLine?    The PALS are shipping...
   ============================


 J.PIERCE5 posts;
  
     Jeff.W if  it isn't clear to them what I want by now (all these E-mail
 letters later) than they aren't as on the ball as I thought.   All  I want
 is  a  direct  response  to  the questions I've posed. My e-mail requested
 Avant Garde to send the product with  the  new  PALS  as  I  have  tried a
 friends  pc-ditto  II  and  it  doe  sn't work (no, not a bad connection).
 blic....perhaps I can get a response that way.


 J.NAVARY                     at 23:07 EST
  
     After reading the last few messages in this topic I find that I am not
 alone in  my wait for the UPS man.  I ordered PC-DITTO II back in the fall
 and nary a word since receiving the post card.  I also do not  really want
 a refund...just  the product.   What's up?  I've tried calling about 25-30
 times during the past 2 weeks and the phone at  Avant Garde  is constantly
 busy...hmmmmm?  Would certainly appreciate some action. 
 Jim Navary, 914 Conjurers Drive, Colonial Heights, VA  23834



 Message 145       Fri Mar 09, 1990
 J.ALLEN27                    at 01:37 EST
  
     Jim....The 68000  can suck down UP TO 1.5 Amps!!!! But that is dynamic
 power usage and will not result in 7.5 watts of heat. The CMOS 68000 won't
 go over  100 mA.  That is  one mighty big difference...and if you use your
 index  finger  to  check  the  operating  temperatures....you'll  feel the
 difference. All  the 68000  needs to  do is  blast over the power supplies
 capacity for longer than the caps hold a reserve for and...BANG!!!! Try it
 you'll like  it.   Rod, no  sweat we'll fix you right up!!!  Old 520s have
 really weak power supplies, you may need to beef it up to  support a bunch
 of enhancements  like memory,  T16, TOS  1.4 and PCDII. Just measure the %
 Volts and make sure it reads above 4.9 Volts. Anything below that  and you
 can have problems....nothing fatal, just crashes.



 Category 19,  Topic 2
 Message 148       Fri Mar 09, 1990
 RHINOBREATH                  at 04:48 PST
  
     AvantGarde...We  are  looking  forward  to  receiving the new PALs and
 getting this thing on the road.  Thanks for  hanging in there.  I knew you
 would!   To all  those complaining  about being Beta testers..remember you
 got this thing for half price.  I doubt that  they have  made anything off
 it yet.  Try a little patience.  Actually, its gotten fairly quiet.  There
 was  real ranting and raving going on for a while. 
                                        John...Transierra Technology




 Editor Note:

     While finding it very easy  to  agree  with  John's  (from Transierra)
 note.   We have  in front  of us  a form  letter that asks for the ols PAL
 chips to be returned to AG at the user's expense.  Again,  not such  a big
 thing.   We then  read on  and found  that if  one wanted  the software to
 correct the blitter problem, one had to include a disk  and return postage
 to obtain  this program(s).   This, to us and in our opinion, could be the
 straw that will push most right  over the  edge....   This software should
 and must  be made  readily available  to the users without their incurring
 any additional expense.
  
     While we fully realize that, in the hardware arena, things  happen and
 usually  do!    And  that  most  unexpected  things  can  cause  seriously
 aggravating  problems.    AG  must  supply  this  software  through  every
 conceivable  channel   of  distribution  to  alleviate  the  cost  of  its
 acquisition by the users.  We fully expect to see this happen  in the near
 future.   Also we  have verification that the PALS are in shipment and are
 being received by the users.  Hopefully, those who have not received their
 boards yet will  ..with the new PALS already installed.





   _____________________________________________________________________


  


 > MAXWELL NEWS! CPU/STR InfoFile?   Maxwell's NEWEST offerings!
   ==============================



                    MAXWELL COMPUTER PRODUCTS UNLIMITED


 PRODUCT NEWS RELEASE:  FRACTAL FANTASY

     Maxwell is  proud to  release Fractal Fantasy, a new Atari ST  program
 producing countless designs from  the Mandelbrot  Set -  complex  artistic
 shapes  produced   from  the  chaotic  behavior  of  special  mathematical
 equations. Fractal Fantasy will peak  your  interest  in  the mathematical
 discipline called  Chaos and  present intricate designs for use in desktop
 publishing.       

     Its GEM based options, its manual and help function will guide you  to
 developing fractal  designs without  the need  for an  advanced degree  in
 mathematics. Develop fractals in two and three dimensional   perspectives,
 save your images as DEGAS high or low resolution format. Contouring of the
 images can be defined  by creating  and saving  your own  color palette or
 defining the  type of fill patterns. One can also cycle 512 colors through
 the image for pschedelic  effects reminiscent  of the  safe and  sane 60s.
 Stop and resume fractal development at will.       

     There  are  several  options  for  developing  a  fractal:  Set  Zoom,
 Texturing, Tightening, Projection, Monitoring, Distance Estimation,  Level
 Set  Method,  Traditional  Method,  Revert, Maximum Iterations,  Overflow,
 Pixel Precision, Stretch Factor, Color Spread, Color palette.      

     Fractal Fantasy suggested retail is $23.95  with future  upgrades just
 $4.00. Future upgrade plans include Spectrum format and color printout.


                          MAXWELL PRODUCT UPDATE:

 GOGO-ST:

     GoGo-ST  is  a  GEM  based  program  that  relieves  ST users from the
 drudgery of  searching  through  desktop  windows  and  folders  for every
 program to execute. GoGo  presents a  single menu  from which the user can
 click on a program name installed in any  one of  50 selector  buttons and
 instantly run  the program. After completion the ST returns to the GoGo-ST
 menu. GoGo also presents a editable digital clock and date and full access
 to desktop  accessories. Select the log function and GoGo  will maintain a
 log of the time and files used while in each of your programs.       

     Presently, GoGo-ST is at version 1.3.  If you  have a  earlier version
 please  send  $4.00  and  your  registration  card  and we will be glad to
 upgrade your system.


 MEGSTENDER:

     If you would like to give your Mega ST keyboard more freedom  to move,
 then  MegSTender  is  what  you  need. MegSTender Mega keyboard  extension
 cords come in lengths of 6,  8, 12  and 25  feet and  we have  LOWERED OUR
 PRICES!

     Prices  are   now  only   $11.95,  $12.95,   $14.95  and  and  $16.95,
 respectively. MegSTender is great  for MIDI  oriented Mega  systems or for
 Megas with peripheral RF modulator connections for TV gaming ... just move
 your keyboard to your TV/ST game activities.

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

 SILOUETTE, LASERPR & SMOKEOUT! :

 Look in the next issue of CPU Newswire for information on the new 
 MaxWell products, LaserPR, Silouette and Smokeout!

                                MaxWell CPU
                              507 W. Baseline
                            Lafayette, CO 80026
                             1-(303)-666-7754.





     _________________________________________________________________





 > CPU NEWSWIRE CONFIDENTIAL?     Sayin it like it is..
   =========================



 - Sunnyvale, CA.            ******  SAM TRAMIEL LAYS DOWN THE LAW!  ******
   --------------

     According  to our  "inside"  sources, Sam  Tramiel had to  initiate  a
 conference call  to a  number of  folks within  Atari to  ensure their co-
 operation in  getting  this  year's  Anaheim  WOA  off  to  a  good start.
 Apparently there  were a few who were "dragging their feet".  At this time
 however, it is expected that things will be "moving right along".



 - Anaheim, CA.         ***** RUMORS OF HEADACHES AT DISNEYLAND REAL! *****
   ------------

     The actual story has been around for almost a year, yet it lay dormant
 until  now.    A  inquiry  was  made  concerning  these rumors and this is
 basically what we found; it appears that there  is an  outstanding balance
 from last  year's show stemming from the saturday night show.  When we dug
 further, it seems the man in  charge that  night was  Frank Foster.   When
 attempts were  made to  reach Mr.  Foster for  further information, he was
 unavailable and has not returned our calls.



 - San Diego, CA.           ***** FTL TO ENHANCE QUALITY EVEN FURTHER *****
   --------------

     Currently at  FTL, they  are finishing  up a  new revsion  of the game
 engine which  will make many new features possible for future games.  Such
 as, much  more varied  settings (i.e.  exterior settings  such as forests,
 cities, etc.)  however, they  are still  trying to complete their sweep of
 getting the basic system onto more CPUs such as the IBM PC  and Macintosh.

     As  they  increase  the  revenue  base  it will help make better games
 possible for all computers since their game designs are independent of the
 CPU type once the basic game engine is running on a particular CPU. 

     Regarding rebooting  inside the game.  This is popular request and FTL
 fully plans on adding it to future games.  As for double  sided disks this
 is still  undecided, but probably they will make the switch to DS disks at
 some point in the future.  Also, they are developing a way  to make better
 endings without  sacrificing disk  space so desparately needed to make the
 game scenarios as good as possible.




 - Philadelphia, PA.              **** ATARI SHOPPING FOR US FACILITY ****
   -----------------

     There was an interesting  first page  in the  business section  of the
 Philadelphia  'Inquirer'  this  past  week.    ATARI  HAD  THE  TOP STORY!
 Apparently, they are looking to buy an old  COMMODORE factory  in the area
 for  the   manufacture  of  LCDs  for  LAPTOPS  and  VIDEO  GAME  SYSTEMS.
 Hopefully, this means a  stronger  east  coast  represenmtation  by Atari.
 There was a big picture of 'UNCLE JACK' also.







     ________________________________________________________________





 > THE LYNX IS HOT! CPU/STR OnLine?     The Lynx and its wares...
   ===============================

 From the STReport support BBS, The Bounty 

 Conf : Atari 16/32 Bit
 Msg# : 6766  Lines: Extended  Read: 1
 From : SILVERTHORN at <- C.F.B. Atari -> Node 68
 Subj : Re: THE LYNX

  
     I also  have BLUE  LIGHTNING and GATES OF ZENDOCON for the LYNX.  BLUE
 LIGHTNING is a jet fighter shoot-em-up,  sort of  like Sega's Afterburner,
 with fantastic  3-D graphics.   You  can see  all sorts  of objects on the
 ground as you fly over them.   Things  like trees,  fields, rivers, roads,
 cars, trucks,  mountains, etc.   You  also see clouds that move in perfect
 3-D.  The graphics are very  smooth and  fast.   The graphics  chip in the
 LYNX is  an abolute  wonder, one  of it's  many features  is automatic 3-D
 scaling.  The scrolling is also very smooth and fast.
  
     GATES OF ZENDOCON is a super  shoot-em-up.   A great  stress reliever.
 Each level  has a  password so  you can skip levels that you have mastered
 and go directly to the one you are interested in.  
  
     The speed of the LYNX is  astounding and  the sound  is fantastic.   I
 love this  machine, I'm having a lot of fun with it.  A read in the latest
 ST WORLD magazine that Atari has signed up  15 quality  dealers to develop
 games for  the LYNX.   There  is going  to be a lot of games for this baby
 throughout this year.
  
     The one thing that impresses me the most about the LYNX is  it's built
 in  networking.    You  can  hook  up  many LYNX's together for some great
 head-to-head play with other LYNX owners.   I  think  you  can  hook  up a
 maximum of 16 LYNX's.  The only software that I am aware of that uses this
 networking feature is California Games.    When  you  are  in  the surfing
 section you  can land  on the  other guys  head and put him out of action,
 plus in the footbag game you can trip  the other  player.   The networking
 definitely  increases  the  FUN  factor  of  the LYNX.  Coming in March is
 GAUNTLET III which will allow 4 LYNX's to be hooked up.  I got  my LYNX at
 a local  Atari dealer  right here  in Toronto,  Canada.   They got them in
 about 2 weeks ago.  All of the Atari dealers around town  have them.   The
 availability  of  the  LYNX  will  be  as  follows  according  to ST WORLD
 magazine.
  
 Phase I: began last month with shipments to retailers in Chicago and Los
          Angeles.
          This month consumers in Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco
          will begin seeing the LYNX on shelves of retailers.
  
 Phase II: (Second Week of April) markets are Detroit,Dallas, Houston,
           Washington,D.C., Cleveland, Atlanta, Denver, Miami,
           Minneapolis, Seattle, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Salt Lale City,
           Phoenix, Indianapolis and San Diego.
  
     If you don't live in one of the  marketing areas  slated for  the Lynx
 and would  like to  buy one now, B.N. Genius, (800) 468-4410 has it listed
 in their mail order catalog for  $199.95.   This price  is about  $20 more
 then the suggested retail price (179.95).
  
                                                  Silverthorn




     ________________________________________________________________




 > WOA ANAHEIM STR FOCUS?             The show must go on!
   =====================


                                       WORLD OF  ATARI SHOW -> ANAHEIM, CA.
                                       ===================================



                              WORLD OF ATARI
                              ============== 
                             APRIL 7 & 8 1990
                          

 WORLD OF ATARI will be held at the Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim California,
 on April 7th and 8th.  For Reservations, Car Rentals  and Airline tickets,
 call:  1-800-842-9034.    The  hours  of  the  show  are 10 am till 6pm on
 Saturday, the 7th and on Sunday; 10am till 5pm.   Admission is $5.00 per
 day or $7.00 for both days.
   
 Atari Corporation will feature their full  line of  products.   Of course,
 many of  the companies  we are  all familiar with will be displaying their
 latest products. 

 Exhibitor Listing;
 -----------------
               Atari Computer                Avant Garde                   
               Best Electronics              Beckemeyer Development 
               Brumeleve Software            Computer Games +
               Codehead Software             Double Click Software
               Gadgets by Small              DataFree Industries
               FAST TECHNOLOGY               ICD INC.
               Imagen Corporation            LucasFilms Software
               Maverick Creations            Migraph Inc.
               Megamax Inc.                  MichTron Inc.
               Mid-City Compu-Soft           Micro Creations
               Prospero Software             Sierra Online                 
               Seymor/Radix                  Slicc Software
               Softrek Marketing             San Jose Computer
               Talon Technology              Word Perfect Corp.
                                   Wuztech Inc.

  plus many more...


                           <*- SPECIAL OFFER -*>

                 for the readers of CPU NewsWire/STReport

     ST WORLD MAGAZINE has offered to the readers  of our  humble offering,
     an  opportunity  to  enjoy  their  monthly publication, featuring such
     notables as Dave Small, Dr. Dave Brewton, Joe Speigel, Earl  Hill, Bob
     Mulholland, George  Miller, Milt  Creighton, Brian  Miller, Mike Rosen
     and of course, Larry Payne and Charlie Young.

     For a limited time only, the readers of  STReport may  subscribe to ST
     World Magazine  for the  low, low  price of  $12.00  (REG $18.00!) per
     year.   To take  advantage of  this offer,  you must  include the name
     STReport in your subscription form.  Or, use the one provided below:

  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
                              ----(clip)----

 ST WORLD    Subscription                    Mail To:
                                                    ST WORLD MAGAZINE
                                                    2463 LANTONA CT. ne
 Please enter my subscription to ST World for       SALEM, OR.,  97303
 a period of (1)one year @ $12.00 { }                 1-503-393-9688
  FOREIGN:   (1)one year @ $15.00 { }

 Name: _______________________________________________________________

 Address: ____________________________________________________________

 City:______________________State:____Zip:_____________Apt:___________

 Phone:______________________Computer System:_________________________

 Amount:$______________Check#__________Money Order#________DO NOT SEND
                                                               CASH!!
 American Express - VISA - MasterCard#_______________________exp:__/__

 Signature____________________________________________date:___________


 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
                              ----(clip)----





            __________________________________________________






  

 > Hard Drive Info STReport InfoFile?      Affordable Mass Storage
   =================================
  


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


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

                   Voice: 904-783-3319  10 AM - 4 PM EDT
                     BBS: 904-786-4176   12-24-96 HST
                    FAX: 904-783-3319  12 PM - 6 AM EDT
                 _________________________________________
                                        
                   HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
                   _____________________________________
                                        
   All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
                 are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
                                        
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                 (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
                   (all cables and connectors installed)
                                        
              RUGGED, RELIABLE SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS 

   * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS * 
                  * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *

         32mb #SG32238   519.00              42mb #SG44710   579.00
         51mb #SGN4951   619.00              65mb #SG60101   679.00
         80mb #SGN296    719.00             100mb #SG84011D  939.00

               CALL FOR SUPER SAVINGS ON LARGER CUSTOM UNITS

               ============================================
                            :IMPORTANT NOTICE:
               ============================================
                         TAX REFUND SPECIAL OFFER!
                         =========================

         ORDER YOUR HARD DRIVE NOW AND GET A SECOND COMPLETE UNIT!
                      ****** for $100.00 LESS! ******
                 That's right! A custom two for one sale.
                     Buy with a friend and save money!
                        CALL TODAY and ORDER YOURS!
                                 --==*==--
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                   -offer good for a limited time only-
               ============================================

               * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *

     - SYQUEST 44 MB removable media drive     - ICD ST Host Adapter
     - ICD Mass Storage Utility Software       - 3' DMA Cable 
     - Fan & Clock                             - Multi-Unit Power Supply
                          (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.

                  Completely Assembled and READY TO RUN!
                  in a sh   As of 3/90 NOW ONLY __$869.00__

                      *** SPECIAL SYQUEST OFFER!! ***
        ORDER YOUR SYQUEST UNIT NOW AND GET A SECOND COMPLETE UNIT!
                      ****** for $100.00 LESS! ******

      -> DO IT YOURSELF BARE SYQUEST UNITS $600.00ea  2 for $1100.00

   * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
                        SPECIALLY $1339.00           85mb SQG96    $1399.00
                       
                 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS

            *****  COMING SOON!   INSITE FLOPTICAL DRIVE  *****
                          August-September, 1990

             20 MB 3.5 FLOPPY DISK MASS STORAGE OPTICAL DRIVE!
            uses standard 3.5" floppy disks and Floptical disks
           Will access and read your present library of floppys
                              $789.95 approx.  

                      CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
           Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
      Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
    (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
                                     
            *** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***

  ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
             LARGER units are available - (special order only)

                           NO REPACKS OR REFURBS
   
       - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - 
                   Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info
                      ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED

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

                 QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
                 _________________________________________

                     DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
                         please, call for details

                 Personal and Company Checks are accepted.

                            ORDER YOURS TODAY!

                       904-783-3319    9am - 8pm EDT

  




      _______________________________________________________________



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



           "An ounce of IMAGE is worth a pound of PERFORMANCE!!"


                                           ....Tony "The Rug" Salami






 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 CPU/STR?           "Your Independent News Source"           March 09, 1990
 16/32bit Magazine         copyright = 1990                      No.4.10
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
 the editors, staff,  CPU  NEWSWIRE?  CPU/STR?  or  CPU  Report?.   Reprint
 permission is  hereby granted,  unless otherwise noted.  All reprints must
 include CPU NEWSWIRE, CPU/STR or CPU  Report and  the author's  name.  All
 information presented  herein is  believed correct,  the editors and staff
 are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained herein.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 

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