ST Report: 1-Jul-94 #1027

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 07/03/94-12:10:08 AM Z


From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 1-Jul-94 #1027
Date: Sun Jul  3 00:10:08 1994



                            SILICON TIMES REPORT
                            ====================
                        INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
                        =============================
                                                        
                                    from
                       STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
                                     
                                     
   July 01, 1994                                                 No. 1027
   ======================================================================
                                       
                            Silicon Times Report
                        International Online Magazine
                            Post Office Box 6672
                      Jacksonville, Florida  32221-6155
                                                         
                                R.F. Mariano
                              Publisher-Editor
                  -----------------------------------------
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   ______________________________________________________________________

 > 07/01/94 STR 1026  "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
   """""""""""""""""
 - CPU INDUSTRY REPORT    - HAYES UG V.34 INFO     - SCES Coverage!
 - PC EXPO Coverage!      - VIDEO Blaster          - Apple DOS Card
 - Mario's Fun            - CANVAS for WINDOWS     - BlkBuster & Virgin
 - Jaguar @ SCES!!        - People Talking         - STR Confidential!

                    -* FREEHAND 4.0 FOR WINDOWS SHIPS! *-
                     -* IBM TO BREAK POWERPC 1M MARK! *-
                   -* MACINTOSH PC EXCHANGE 2.0 SHIPS!! *-

   ======================================================================
                   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 BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to
 participate  in  the  ITC/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks.  You
 may  also  call  The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176.  Enjoy the wonder
 and  excitement  of exchanging all types of useful information relative to
 all  computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International
 Networking  Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join
 STReport's  International  Conferences.   ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido
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 > From the Editor's Desk             "Saying it like it is!"
   """"""""""""""""""""""



      Ah.... another well deserved three day weekend.  Coming on the heels
 of PC EXPO in NYC.  And... Summer CES in Chicago.  Rumored to be the last
 of its kind.  A revamping is in the works.

      Amazingly, a few weeks ago, there was praise in this column about the
 copious quantities of great hardware and software in the PC arena.  It was
 mentioned the splinter markets veritably had the "backs to the wall" as
 they were all drying up.  It was also mentioned that niche market groups
 like Apple were also on the forefront of the second great shakeout and
 that if they didn't "get with it" they too would join a long line of great
 but very defunct computer types.  We received hate mail for having offered
 an editorial opinion!  The opinion stands.  Those who came "out of the
 woodwork"... thanks for reading. 
   
      This week's issue is busy trying to offer information about a number
 of new products and innovations that appeared at both shows.  Some
 shipping some not as of yet.  Please enjoy your fourth of July weekend in
 all its glory but if... you're going to imbibe, please don't drive.

                                                   Ralph...



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



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

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

                  Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs


 Section Editors
 """""""""""""""
      PC SECTION     AMIGA SECTION       MAC SECTION    ATARI SECTION
      ----------     -------------       -----------    -------------
      R.D. Stevens     R. Niles           J. Deegan     D. P. Jacobson
      

 STReport Staff Editors:
 """""""""""""""""""""""

           Michael Arthur           John Deegan         Brad Martin    
           John Szczepanik          Dan Stidham         Joseph Mirando
           Doyle Helms              Frank Sereno        John Duckworth
           Jeff Coe                 Steve Keipe         Guillaume Brasseur
           Melanie Bell             Jay Levy            Jeff Kovach    
           Marty Mankins            Carl Prehn          Paul Charchian

 Contributing Correspondents:
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""
           Tim Holt            Norman Boucher           Clemens Chin   
           Eric Jerue          Ron Deal                 Mike Barnwell  
           Ed Westhusing       Glenwood Drake           Vernon W.Smith
           Bruno Puglia        Paul Haris               Kevin Miller   
           Craig Harris        Allen Chang              Dominick J. Fontana

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

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                  America Online..................STReport
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                  NEST........................ 90:21/350.0
                  GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
                  Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM

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



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



                         IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I)
                         ===========================
                   


                   Computer Products Update - CPU Report
                   ------------------------   ----------
                  Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
   
                                Issue #27
   
                         By: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.



                  ******* General Computer News *******
  
  
                  ** Is Atari Heading for Bankruptcy? **
                                       
    News reports say Atari Corp. is denying broadcast comments that it 
 might go bankrupt. But a company official told the news service that he 
 no longer expected the company to be profitable overall in 1994.
  
    "We're a long way from bankruptcy," Atari chief financial officer 
 August Liguori said, adding that the Sunnyvale, Calif.- based video game 
 firm has $35 to $37 million in cash and readily marketable securities.
  
    Liguori observed, "I certainly do feel that the profitability will 
 occur in the first quarter of 1995 when we will not have as much advert-
 ising expenditure relative to sales."
  
    CNBC correspondent Dan Dorfman had quoted Wall Street analyst Martin 
 Sass as saying that Atari has no earnings, no way to make money, an 
 obsolete product line, insufficient software and a dud in its Jaguar 
 Multimedia home entertainment system.


                 ** Blockbuster Ups Game Firm Holding **

    Video rental giant Blockbuster Entertainment says it will acquire 
 another 55% of software publisher Virgin Interactive Entertainment next 
 month, a move seen as strengthening Blockbuster's position in the video 
 game field.

    The acquisition will increase Blockbuster's holdings in VIE to 75%, 
 most of which will come from Virgin founder Richard Branson's Family 
 Trusts.
  

                    ** Mac Interface for Kids Ships **
  
    Berkeley Systems Inc has shipped Launch Pad, an animated, interactive 
 Macintosh desktop for kids. The software publisher notes that Launch Pad 
 lets kids freely use and explore a computer while key files remain safe 
 and separate.
  
    By allowing kids access to only those files and applications pre-
 selected by parents, Launch Pad preserves parents' sanity and their 
 investment in the family computer, says Berkeley. A Windows version is 
 set to ship in early 1995.
  
    "Launch Pad is a natural purchase for any parent who wants to share 
 their computer with a child," says Geoff Zawolkow, Launch Pad's product 
 manager. "We've created a desktop environment that has CD quality 
 graphics and performance and yet comes on only three disks and requires 
 no additional memory."
  
  
                    ** Apple Demonstrates DOS Card **

    Apple Computer Inc. has demonstrated a Power Macintosh system running 
 a prototype DOS compatibility card featuring a 50MHz 486 DX2 micro-
 processor.
  
    Apple says the demonstration illustrates a potential hardware solu-
 tion that provides DOS and Windows compatibility on the Power Macintosh 
 platform. It notes that when installed in a Macintosh computer, the card 
 would allow people to run thousands of Macintosh, DOS and Windows 
 programs as well as exchange files with DOS and Windows users.
   
    Apple currently provides DOS and Windows compatibility for its Power 
 Macintosh line through Insignia Solutions' SoftWindows software product. 
 Cross-platform compatibility has also been provided by Apple's Macintosh 
 Quadra 610 DOS Compatible system.
  
    "Apple will continue to be relentless in making it easier for DOS and 
 Windows users to come over to Macintosh, as well as making it easy for 
 Macintosh users to fit into mixed computing environments," says Ian 
 Diery, executive vice president and general manager of Apple's Personal 
 Computer Division.
  
   
                   ** Macintosh PC Exchange 2.0 Ships **
  
    Apple Computer Inc. has started shipping Macintosh PC Exchange 2.0, a 
 compatibility-software utility for computer users working in a mixed 
 platform environment.
  
    Macintosh PC Exchange, a part of Apple's new Utility Series product 
 line, allows users to exchange files between an Apple Macintosh and a 
 PC-compatible computer. The software recognizes DOS, Windows, OS/2 and 
 Apple II ProDOS formatted floppy disks. The new version recognizes SCSI 
 fixed and removable storage drives, including units made by Bernoulli 
 and SyQuest.
  
    Macintosh PC Exchange 2.0 can be used by customers with an Apple Mac-
 intosh or a PowerBook with a minimum of 3MB of RAM, or a Power Macintosh 
 computer with a minimum of 8MB of RAM. Also required is an Apple Super-
 Drive or compatible floppy disk drive and a hard disk. Macintosh PC 
 Exchange runs on any version of the System 7 operating system.
  
    Macintosh PC Exchange 2.0 costs $79.
  
  
                     ** IBM to Break PowerPC 1m Mark **

    IBM Corp. says it will ship its one millionth PowerPC 601 micro-
 processor in July.
  
    The milestone will be reached after 10 months of production. IBM says 
 the accomplishment makes the PowerPC microprocessor the leading RISC 
 microprocessor in the personal computer market and represents one of the 
 fastest production ramp-ups of any microprocessor in the computer 
 market.
  
    "By shipping more than a million microprocessors in less than a year, 
 IBM has exceeded industry estimates for the ramp-up of the PowerPC pro-
 cessor, demonstrating both the accelerating demand for high-performance, 
 industry-standard processors at a reasonable price and the growing
 success of the PowerPC family," says Michael J. Attardo, senior vice 
 president and general manager of IBM's Microelectronics Division.
  
    The PowerPC 601 microprocessor is currently offered in 100MHz, 80MHz, 
 66MHz and 50MHz versions.
  
    Other processors planned for the PowerPC family include the PowerPC 
 603, PowerPC 604 and PowerPC 620.
  
    The PowerPC line was jointly developed by IBM, Apple Computer Inc. 
 and Motorola Inc.
  
  
                    ** IBM Behind on PowerPC Units? **
  
    Word along Wall Street is IBM is months behind schedule on computers 
 based on the PowerPC chip it developed with Apple Computer Inc. and 
 Motorola Inc. and that the firm is planning a lower profile introduction 
 of the systems.
  
    The Wall Street Journal says the PowerPC computers will be marketed 
 as one of several PC models, instead of giving the new line its own 
 identity, adding that models of IBM's PowerPC computers are not expected 
 to reach the market until the fourth quarter. (Earlier, IBM executives 
 predicted a summer release of the machines.)
  
    Apple has been selling the PowerPC machines since March.
  
  
                   ** Cirrus Offers New Modem Chips **
  
    Two new data/fax/voice modem chip sets that are said to support all 
 international communications standards have been introduced by Cirrus 
 Logic Inc.
  
    Cirrus officials are quoted as saying the new chip sets, the CL-
 MD1414UN and CL-MD1414UNP, offer data and fax operations, voice 
 functions such as answering machine and phone emulation, and support 
 cellular phone communications and flash memory.
   
    "Cirrus said flash memory support allows the technology to be used 
 for international and cellular telephone applications,"  "It said the 
 new chip sets will fit in Personal Computer Memory Card International 
 Association (PCMCIA) modem cards, commonly used in portable computers, 
 and provide the smallest modem of its type for domestic and 
 international applications."
  
  
                  ** Compaq Offers Rack-Mounted Units **
  
    A new line of ProLiant servers mounted in equipment racks instead of 
 encased in their own metal boxes is being rolled out this week by Compaq 
 Computer Corp.
  
    Compaq said the new servers, which connect and control PC networks, 
 are designed to provide networks with the centralized management now 
 available to mainframe and minicomputer users.
  
    Powered by the same '486 or Pentium microprocessors as desktop mach-
 ines, the rack-mounted computers "respond in part to a trend at corpor-
 ate management information system, or MIS, departments to gain control 
 of groups of PCs in varied departments," Ramstad added. "Companies find 
 it's harder to keep on top of data in systems with independent groups of 
 PCs, and it's more costly."
  
    He added the new servers are technically little different than 
 Compaq's ProLiant brand floor models, but they are more compact.
  
    Gary Stimac, the Compaq senior vice president in charge of servers, 
 told the wire service, "You have far more serviceability with this, far 
 more density. It's what the MIS people are used to looking at."
  
    Prices range from $6,000 to $15,000, placing the machines at the high 
 end of the PC spectrum.
  
  
                    ** Novell and WordPerfect Merge **
  
    Novell Inc and WordPerfect Corp. say they have completed their merger 
 and the acquisition of Borland's Quattro Pro spreadsheet business.
  
    Novell's pooling of interest merger with WordPerfect is the largest 
 software acquisition in the industry's history. The companies' combined 
 1993 revenue was $1.8 billion, which would have made it the third 
 largest software vendor after Microsoft and Computer Associates.
  
    WordPerfect and the Quattro Pro business are now the WordPerfect/ 
 Novell Applications Group, a new business unit within Novell. Ad 
 Rietveld, the former WordPerfect CEO, is now president of the new Novell 
 group.
  
    "With Novell and WordPerfect technology Novell intends to lead the 
 industry's evolution to network applications. Applications that improve 
 our ability to access networked data, create easily shared information, 
 collaborate and communicate over the network whether from an at-home 
 office, on the road or within a global corporation," says Bob 
 Frankenberg, Novell's president and CEO.
  
  
                   ** Freehand 4.0 for Windows Ships **
   
    Aldus Corp. says it has started shipping a Windows version of Aldus 
 FreeHand 4.0. The program, previously available only for Macintosh 
 systems, provides graphic design and illustration support.
  
    New capabilities in Aldus FreeHand 4.0 for Windows include upgraded 
 text functions, a customizable user interface, color control and multi-
 page layout functions.
  
    The recommended system configuration consists of a 486 or Pentium 
 computer, a 15-inch SVGA or better monitor, DOS 5.0 or higher, Windows 
 3.1 or higher, 12MB or more of RAM, at least 20MB of available hard disk 
 space and a mouse or digitizing tablet with stylus.
  
    Aldus FreeHand 4.0 for Windows costs $595 in the U.S. and Canada. 
 Localized versions for other markets will be announced later.
  
    Registered users of previous versions of Aldus FreeHand can upgrade 
 to the new software for $150.
  
  
                  ** Dell's New Pentium: Under $2,000 **
  
    Dell Computer Corp. this week introduced a fully configured Pentium-
 based desktop system for less than $2,000.
  
    Reports say that the Dell Dimension XPS desktop system is well suited 
 for home users and small- to medium-sized businesses. Features include a 
 60-megahertz Pentium processor, 340-megabyte hard drive, 8-megabytes of 
 memory, a 15-inch monitor, DOS 6.22, Microsoft Windows 3.1 and a mouse.
  
    Meanwhile, reports say that one of Dell's top executives said the 
 Dell Dimension is one step the company is taking to refocus its efforts 
 on establishing dominance once again in the direct marketing, or mail 
 order, area.
  
    "We took our eye a little off that ball as we focused on corporate 
 (sales)," said Joel Kocher, Dell's president of worldwide sales and 
 marketing.
  
    He also said that the computer industry is in a rapid transition from 
 Intel Corp.'s '486 microprocessor to the Pentium processor. Kocher said 
 that in the first quarter, 10 percent of Dell's system revenues were 
 Pentium-based PCs.
  
    "The market is posed for a rapid transition (to the Pentium chip)," 
 Kocher said.
  
  
                  ** Raids Yield 13,000 Counterfeits **
  
    More than 13,000 packages of counterfeit Microsoft Corp. software, 
 valued at some $2 million, have been seized in four months of police 
 raids in California, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Texas and Virginia.
  
    On cracking what is described as a large-scale counterfeiting ring 
 operating across the U.S., Microsoft corporate attorney Anne Murphy 
 said, "We're outraged by the scope of the operation and the fact that 
 our honest customers are being duped into believing they are acquiring 
 legitimate Microsoft software."
  
    The raids uncovered software such as MS-DOS and Windows operating 
 systems and the Bookshelf CD-ROM reference library and Works. The 
 Bookshelf and Works products were found in CD-ROM format. The others 
 appeared as packaged product with floppy diskettes.



                    ____________________________________



 > CANVAS for WINDOWS STR Spotlight             "Move over Corel..."
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""





                             CANVAS for Windows
                             ==================




 Part 1 
 ------



 INTRODUCTION
 ------------
 Canvas - is a precision drawing program for designing, publishing, and
 presenting professional-quality illustrations on personal computers
 operating with Microsoft Windows'.  Canvas is tailored for the technical
 professional and ideally suited for general office usage.

 Canvas establishes new standards for graphics applications and enhances
 creativity and productivity with a set of diverse tools.  Canvas is the
 only Windows program that integrates bitmap editing (painting) with vector
 objects (drawing).  In addition, the program boasts such high-end text
 features as dynamic scaling, columnar flow and style sheets.  This
 versatility means that the great majority of Canvas users will have no
 need for any other drawing, painting, or page layout program.

 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
 ----------------------
 When Canvas for the Macintosh first shipped in 1987, it was widely lauded
 for bringing revolutionary, sophisticated new features to the Macintosh
 drawing arena.  While other high-end drawing programs focused on the
 graphic designer market, Canvas targeted the precision drawing
 professional.  The simplicity with which Canvas automated routine tasks
 soon caught the attention of companies looking for a general-purpose
 drawing program.  As Canvas gained steam in the general-purpose
 marketplace, Deneba began to directly attack Claris MacDraw, the default
 leader in this market.  Early on, Deneba became known for aggressive
 marketing of its product against the established market leader.

 With the release of version 2.0 for the Macintosh, Canvas evolved into a
 multi-purpose drawing application with 24-bit true color, unlimited
 layers, powerful Bezier curve capabilities, precision drawing tools, a
 spelling checker, and a full color separation utility.  While rich with
 useful features, it retained its friendly interface.  Canvas 2.0 was
 applauded for its superior color handling, its comprehensive drawing
 environment, and its support for a variety of file formats.  As one
 reviewer said, "Deneba Software's Canvas, like fine wines, violins and
 Sean Connery, just keeps getting better with age." Another reviewer wrote:
 "If [Canvas] continues to evolve, there may not be many programs left on
 the market that approach its capabilities."

 As the Canvas user base expanded and diversified, it required more
 specialized tools, enhancements of existing tools, and ease of use
 improvements.  Canvas 3, released in 1991, became the dominant force in
 graphics applications for business and personal use, while achieving
 editorial success unmatched by any other Macintosh drawing program.  The
 major awards won by Canvas include:

 Windows Magazine WIN 100 Award, January 1994
 MacUser Editors' Choice, Drawing Program of the Year, 1991
 MacUser Editors' Choice, Graphics Program of the Year, 1989
 MacUser 5-Mice Rating, January 1992
 MacWEEK Editors' Choice Target Award,
 Business Graphics Product of the Year, 1991
 MacWEEK Editors' Choice Diamond Award,
 Business Graphics Product of the Year, 1992
 lnfoworld Buyer's Assurance Seal, December 1991
 Macworld, Australia, Reader's Choice Award, Best Drawing Program, 1992
 SVM Macintosh, France, Editors' Choice, Graphics Product of the Year, 1992
 MacUP, Germany, Editors' Choice, Drawing Program of the Year, 1992
 MacUser, Spain, Editors' Choice, Graphics Product of the Year, 1992
 Macworld, Switzerland, Reader's Choice Award, Graphics Program of the
 Year, 1992

 STReport International OnLine Magazine, in an ongoing comparison of
 popular draw programs finds, at this time, that "Deneba Software's Canvas
 is the top choice of pros needing an object-oriented drawing program." And
 Byte Magazine, in its analysis of business graphics applications, stated,
 "Like the great da Vinci, this program is at home in the spheres of art,
 science, and business.  If one wished to buy one powerful, all 'round
 graphics package, Canvas would most certainly be the Top Choice."


 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
 -------------------
 While Canvas has been written to maximize its performance in the Windows
 environment, the application is virtually a carbon copy of its Macintosh
 counterpart and fulfills the wish-list of PC illustrators.  Canvas users
 do not have to be retrained.  Complete file compatibility between the
 Windows version and the Macintosh solidifies the program's mixed-platform
 operation.

 Canvas is based on a programmable, configurable and extensible core.  This
 "Open Architecture" design opens Canvas to a world of new tools and
 emerging technologies.  Canvas users can simply place new tools released
 by Deneba or third party developers into a designated directory and take
 immediate advantage of the added functionality.  The same Application
 Programming Interface (API) that Deneba uses to create all Canvas tools is
 also available to third parties.  The Canvas API allows independent
 software developers, consultants and VARs to respond to the specialized
 needs of individual customers and entire vertical markets, ensuring
 customer satisfaction, repeat business, and a competitive advantage.

 Technical illustrators will find 1/65,000th-inch precision and a wealth of
 drawing tools designed specifically for their work.  The intuitive Smart
 Mouse automatically displays hairlines that indicate when objects are
 perfectly aligned, centered, tangential etc., then snaps them into perfect
 position.  Canvas supports all popular engineering specifications for
 applying automatic dimensioning and hatch patterns to objects.  The
 program can find and select objects by their object type, color and other
 attributes, greatly reducing the amount of time illustrators must spend
 "shuffling" to select groups of objects.  Canvas also lets users easily
 customize parallel lines and curves, and configure object duplication,
 rotation and other routines often used by technical artists.

 Text-handling capabilities in Canvas rival those in page-layout programs. 
 Canvas can convert PostScript and TrueType 'fonts to Bezier curves, bind
 text to any curve or shape, wrap text around any object, and encrust text
 inside any shape.  Canvas supports fractional leading and kerning, left,
 center, right, and decimal tabs within text blocks, full justification of
 text objects, slanted margins, character-by-character font scaling, and
 subscript, superscript and small caps text styles.

 Design graphic productivity features include the ability to create and
 edit in preview mode; custom gradient color fills; object binding to any
 line, curve or shape; unlimited object blending capabilities; PANTONE
 color support; adding, subtracting, combining and slicing objects; object
 extrusions and enveloping; and custom dashed lines, curves, and other draw
 objects.  Designed to make complex tasks easy, Canvas has an integrated
 CMYK and spot color separator and offers freehand Bezier curve creation
 with the ability to simultaneously edit specific anchor points on multiple
 curves.  Canvas sports an auto-trace feature with timesaving center line
 tracing capabilities.

 Unlike other drawing programs for Windows, Canvas allows users to scan
 graphics and photos and manipulate scanned images directly.  With 24-bit
 pixel-level editing, Canvas users have convenient built-in capabilities
 never available before in a single Windows application.  Users can create
 multi-layer documents in Canvas and transform these illustrations into on-
 screen presentations.  With the Canvas Slide command, they can print and
 display multi-layer illustrations as on-screen slide shows.  And for users
 with compound OLE documents, individual objects can be shared across
 networks.

 Canvas is compatible with all major file standards.  Canvas users can
 share files with their co-workers who use MacIntosh and can import or
 export illustrations with file translators for: Adobe Illustrator, color
 and black-and-white bitmaps, CGM, CorelDRAW! (import only), Micrografix
 Designer (import only), DCS, DXF, EPS, HPGL (export only), IGS, PCX,
 MacIntosh UltraPaint (import only), TIFF, Windows Metafile, and
 WordPerfect Graphics (import only).  Users can also open files from
 MacIntosh and Windows as plain text and in Rich Text Format.

 WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
 --------------------
 Since its introduction, Canvas for Windows has won the praise of the PC
 press:

 PC/COMPUTING
 ------------
 "Canvas for Windows takes the tedium out of technical drawing with a
 handful of features that ease and automate precision drawing tasks ....
 There's something for everyone in Canvas - precision for technical
 .illustrators, paint and draw capabilities for designers, and a wide range
 of features for general graphics artists and desktop publishers." -Anita
 Dennis, January 1994.

 PC MAGAZINE
 -----------
 "Deneba Software's Canvas for Windows 3.5 bridges the gap between low-cost
 and high-powered drawing programs .... Canvas distinguishes itself with
 the unique ability to edit bitmapped elements side by side with vector
 objects .... Technical illustrators will love the program's collection of
 specialized drawing tools." - Luisa Simone, November 9, 1993.

 PC WORLD
 --------
 "Corel Draw and Micrografx Designer had better take notice - there's a new
 gunslinger in the Windows illustration market and it's aiming to become
 top draw.  Deneba Software's Canvas, a leading illustration package on the
 MacIntosh, comes to Windows armed to the teeth with top-notch design
 tools." - Dan Tynan, February 1993.

 COMPUTER SHOPPER
 ----------------
 "Canvas is a thoroughly likeable program.  Few programs can match the
 precision illustration features in this package .... Canvas is an
 excellent buy." - Susan Glinert, April 1994.

 WINDOWS MAGAZINE
 ----------------
 "Deneba Software's Canvas Windows provides a wealth of sophisticated draw-
 program features with a standard bitmap editor to provide a truly
 versatile drawing and illustration package." - William Harrel, March 1993.

 PC WEEK
 -------
 "[Canvas is] one of the first products to integrate precision drawing with
 bit-mapped paint capabilities, geared specifically for engineers and other
 technical professionals." - Sandra Miller, October 5, 1993.

 "In addition to basic paint and drawing functions, Deneba Systems Inc.'s
 Canvas for Windows features page layout capabilities, text wrap and
 dynamic scaling .... Beta testers praised this features as well as the
 program's ability to edit multiple curves or multiple points on a line." -
 Paula Rooney, March 1, 1993.

 WINDOWS USER
 ------------
 "With an extended feature set that includes morphing and slide-show
 capabilities, Canvas can fulfill the graphics needs of a variety of users
 .... It retains the features of its MacIntosh predecessor .... But most
 important, files are compatible between the Windows and Mac versions." -
 Stan Miastkowski, June 1993.

 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
 -------------------
 Canvas for Windows needs the following system configuration:

      An IBM PC compatible computer with an 80286 (or faster) processor
                       Microsoft Windows 3.0 or higher
                                 A hard disk
                      A 3 1/2" double-sided disk drive

                 minimum of 2mb RAM; 4mb or more recommended
                                    mouse

            Video Graphics Array (VGA) graphics card and monitor


 (c) 1994 Deneba Systems, Inc.  Canvas is a trademark of Deneba Systems,
 Inc.  All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of
 their respective holders.



                     __________________________________




 > Which One? STR InfoFile
   """""""""""""""""""""""





                       COMPUSERVE "AUTOPILOT" SOFTWARE
                       ===============================



 (A consumer guide to automated online navigators)



 by Robin Garr, Associate Sysop, Bacchus WineForum

      If you're thinking about visiting this and other CompuServe forums 
 regularly -- and we hope you do -- you'll want to consider one of the
 popular "autopilot" programs to maximize your efficiency (and thus
 minimize the costs) for your time online.


 WHAT IS AN AUTOPILOT?

      While there's a considerable variety of such programs, all of the 
 "autopilots" operate in roughly the same way: They AUTOMATE your online 
 actions, so everything you need to do while CompuServe's meter is ticking
 is done automatically, at the highest speed your modem will allow.


 HOW DO THEY WORK?

      Rather than logging on manually, reading and replying to messages
 online and then logging off, autopilots make it possible for you to select
 IN ADVANCE the forums you want to visit and the actions you want to take
 there, whether it's to read all new messages ... all new messages only in
 certain sections ... only messages addressed to you ... or even just new
 message HEADERS, allowing you to select which "threads" of interest you
 want to mark for later download.  Once you've made these choices, then all
 it takes is one keystroke or mouse click to order your software to do its
 job.  It will dial CompuServe, make the connection, go to all the forums
 you've selected, carry out its instructions there, and then log off ...
 all at your choice of modem speeds right up to 14400 bps.

      Then, at your leisure and without worrying about online charges, you
 can read, consider and reply to all the forum traffic.  Only when you've
 finished do you send the computer back online to post your replies and log
 off ... again, at your computer's highest speed!

      In addition to reading and replying to messages, most autopilots can
 also be set up to gather catalogs of library files and to download the
 files you choose.  Many offer scripts, either built-in or add-on, to
 automate other services.


 HOW MUCH DO THEY SAVE?

      While individual mileage may vary, most users who switch to
 autopilots from visiting forums "live" report significant savings,
 reducing their monthly CompuServe bill to as little as one-fourth of their
 previous charges!  (One warning, though ... when you see how much you're
 saving, you'll be sorely tempted to increase your participation in forums. 
 But even in this case, if your bill doesn't go down, you'll be getting far
 more for the same amount of money.)


 IS AN AUTOPILOT BETTER THAN CIM?

      Define "better."  The CompuServe Information Manager (CIM) products
 for Windows, MS-DOS and Macintosh offer an excellent introduction to
 CompuServe, and CIM may be THE best choice for interactive communications,
 including forum conferencing and visits to the Basic Services (flat-rate)
 areas like Weather, News and the Zagat Restaurant Guides.  But CIM is not
 fully automated for forum visits. Even if you take full advantage of its
 procedures for collecting forum messages in your Inbox and reading them
 offline, it is still less efficient with your time and money than any full
 autopilot.  (As widely discussed in the computer press, an undocumented,
 automated feature for WinCIM is available as of this writing, but it is
 strictly experimental, very buggy, not supported by CompuServe and NOT
 recommended.)

      Nevertheless, because of CIM's clear advantages for NON-Forum work
 and its attractive price -- actually free if you download it online, as
 the credit for online time fully offsets its cost -- makes it well worth
 adding to your collection for use in the appropriate areas of CompuServe. 
 The CIMs are available in French and German as well as English.

      To order CIM, GO ORDER (a free area) and follow the menus to get
 disks and a manual sent to you in the mail, or GO CISSOFT (also free) and
 follow the menus to download the software.


 HOW HARD ARE THEY TO SET UP?

      It wouldn't be honest to tell you that getting an autopilot up and 
 running is a no-brainer.  They're complex programs, and it takes a while
 to get them configured to fit your exact setup and your personal choices
 of online actions.  But it's not rocket science, either; and if you read
 the manual -- a procedure we strongly recommend even to people who don't
 usually read manuals (i.e., 99 percent of computer users) -- you should be
 able to get any autopilot working for you in an afternoon.  Again, there's
 plenty of support, not only from the experts in the various support
 forums, but from people who use them in this forum or just about any
 other.


 HOW MUCH DO THEY COST? WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

      Most of the autopilot programs are available for downloading from 
 CompuServe, either as shareware or, in a few cases, for free!  A few are
 sold commercially.  See the detailed reports on specific programs below
 for more information on where to find them.

      Costs vary from free to $99, not counting download time.  However,
 even the largest downloadable programs can be retrieved in less than an
 hour at 2400 bps or a fraction of that at 14400, an investment of under $5
 in either case.  That's a mighty moderate price to pay for quality
 software that will start saving you money as soon as you use it.


 WHICH ONE SHOULD I USE?

      Users of MS-DOS machines have by far the widest choice of autopilots,
 but one popular commercial program, Navigator, is available for the
 Macintosh, and shareware programs are available for the Amiga, the Atari,
 Hewlett-Packard palmtop machines, Unix-based systems and many more. If in
 doubt, check in with the CompuServe support forum for your computer ...
 and please let us know what you find, so we can update this file! 

      The following includes both basic information and REVIEWS, current as
 of the date of this file, covering all the autopilots that I've been able
 to find on CompuServe.  I've listed the MS-DOS and Windows autopilots
 first, because of their predominance in the online world.  Autopilots for
 all other computers follow after those, listed in alphabetical order.

      The basic information about the autopilots, where to find them, and
 how much they cost, is objective and, as far as I can ensure it, accurate
 as of this writing.

      The reviews include my opinions, and I make no apology for that. For
 the record, however, I'm a CompuServe sysop, a journalist and writer by 
 profession, and I have no connection with any of the autopilot developers.
 I tried to test-drive as many of the autopilots as possible myself. I
 solicited the help of friends and other experts for the rest, but will
 take personal responsibility, credit or blame for all the opinions
 included in this article. Constructive criticism is welcome; flames will
 be silently ignored.

      For more information about any autopilot listed here, I suggest that
 you visit the forums that support them; or for that matter, post a
 question about them in WineForum's Friends & Fun section, or the "chat"
 section of just about any CompuServe forum.  You'll get plenty of
 testimony from satisfied customers!


          ***** THE "BIG THREE" AUTOPILOTS FOR MS-DOS COMPUTERS *****

 [TAPCIS]

      Perhaps the most well-known of all autopilot programs, TAPCIS is 
 relatively streamlined (it can even be run from a floppy disk on a
 laptop), and having been through five major revisions, it has stood the
 test of time and eliminated most known bugs since the first introduction
 by its creator, the late Howard Benner.

      TAPCIS is shareware, with a requested price of $79, payable if you 
 continue using it after a trial period.  Registered users can also get 
 printed, professional-quality documentation and free upgrades.  TAPCIS 
 does not include sophisticated thread-mananagement utilities for handling 
 collected forum messages, but good add-on programs like Tappet and ReCon 
 are popular.  Visit TAPCIS Forum for more details on these.

      TAPCIS, now in Version 5.42, is downloadable from Library 1 (TAPCIS
 [R]) of TAPCIS Forum (GO TAPCIS).  Look for the file TAPCIS.INF (20K
 bytes) for more information about the program or download TAP.EXE (198K),
 the self-extracting program files, and TAPDOC.EXE (157K), the manual.

      (A major update to TAPCIS, Version 6.0, is reportedly in the works,
 as is a long-rumored Windows version. We'll update this file with
 information as it becomes available.)


 [OzCIS]

      OzCIS is extremely popular with people who have modern, fast MS-DOS
 computers with lots of RAM.  It has a Windows-like look and feel, with
 pulldown menus and dialog boxes, and it supports (but does not require) a
 mouse.  Quite frankly, it has more features than TapCIS, including
 extensive thread-management capability; and it's much less expensive. 
 Version 1 (which remains available) is FREE, and the current version is
 just $20 as shareware.

     The downside to OzCIS is that it is very large, requiring a couple of
 megs of RAM and ample hard-disk room to operate at all.  Here's the
 official word from the program developers: "OzCIS Version 2 is a
 protected-mode DOS application, requiring a minimum of 2Mb of free system
 RAM as either 'raw' memory or XMS.  EMS memory is not used.  A minimum of
 256K of free 'low' memory (below the 640K DOS barrier) is required. 
 Minimum processor is a 386sx/16, with a 386/25 or better recommended.  (In
 general, if your system can run MS Windows effectively and meet the above
 hardware requirements, it can run OzCIS.) An EGA or better color video
 system is required for display of GIF graphics images; otherwise any video
 system is fine.  Mouse not absolutely required, but strongly encouraged."

      OzCIS is not guaranteed to perform well under Windows. While many
 users are doing so without incident, success is not universal. I had
 problems with earlier releases of V2, but the current release seems more
 stable.  Be sure to read all the documents, and to set up your Windows
 Program Item to call the OZCIS.PIF file, not OZCIS.EXE. If you don't
 insist on Windows, of course, Oz runs flawlessly in the straight DOS
 environment.

      OzCIS, now in version 2.0c(5), is available from its own forum, GO
 OZCIS, which also provides full support for the program. It's a good idea
 to read the "brochure" files first (OZCIS2.BRO in Library 1, General
 Information, 11K, for information on Version 2, and OZCIS1.BRO in Library
 9, OzCIS V1 Files, 8K, for details on Version 1).  Then go to OzCis Forum
 Library 2 (OzCIS V2 Files) for the self-extracting program files,
 OZ2D1.EXE (717K) and OZ2D2.EXE (483K).  In addition to the $20 shareware
 price for V2, printed documentation is available by mail for an additional
 $20. 

      OzCIS author Steve Sneed is reportedly working on many future 
 enhancements, including a "lite" version for laptop computers, a Windows 
 version, and a version which uses CompuServe's HMI interface - the same 
 interface that CIM uses to allow such things as file downloads and message 
 downloads to occur at the same time.


 [AutoSig (ATO)]

      Another FREE autopilot, and one of the oldest and most time-tested 
 programs available, is ATO, a gift to the online community by programmer
 Vern Buerg, now largely programmed by Jim McKeown.

      Although system hackers endlessly debate the differences between
 TAPCIS and Autosig, in my opinion, they're as similar as, well, Ford and
 Chevrolet. Different style, but essentially the same features.  For most
 users, the preference seems to rest largely on which of the programs you
 tried first. 'Nuff said. The people who use ATO love it and speak highly
 of it. Ditto for the partisans of TAPCIS. You can't get better testimony
 than that.

      ATO Version 6.9a is available for downloading from IBM Communications 
 Forum (GO IBMCOM), Library 1 (Autosig [ATO]).  Look for the
 self-extracting program file, ATOSIG.EXE (135K) and user's manual,
 ATODOC.EXE (71K).  Want a shell to run ATO under Windows?  Grab WATO15.EXE
 (178K).

      If you'd like to join in late beta testing (as of the date of this 
 article) for a new version of ATO that includes Latin-1 support, contact 
 the developer, Jim McKeown [76702,1102].


                     ***** OTHER MS-DOS AUTOPILOTS *****

 [CISOP]

      One more option, CISOP, is a script that adds CompuServe autopilot 
 functions to the commercial (MS/DOS) comms programs CrossTalk Mark 4 or 
 Communicator. I haven't tried it, but I've been impressed with the near-
 evangelistic attitude of many of its users.  Says Marte Brengle: "CISOP is 
 without a doubt the most sophisticated autonav, even outclassing Oz in
 what it 
 can do."

      With limited marketing and some glitches in its support, however,
 CISOP remains a relatively minor player in the autopilot universe. At one
 point, CISOP's developer Dean Ammons withdrew from active support of the
 program, causing it to fall behind changes in the CompuServe message
 software. However, now that it has been taken over by Dean Gibson, CISOP
 remains available and is supported on the CrossTalk Forum (GO XTALK),
 where it is an outstanding option for CrossTalk users.

      CISOP Version 5.03a is available in CrossTalk Forum in both Library 4 
 (CrossTalk Mark 4) and Library 7 (XTALK Communicator), where you'll find 
 identical copies of the program file CISOP.ZIP (423K), and the help and 
 documentation files CISHLP.ZIP (167K) and CISDOC.ZIP (102K).  It's
 shareware, requested price $40.


 [NavCIS]

      Although primarily a Windows application, NavCIS from Dvorak
 Development is also available in both freeware and timed shareware
 GUI-based (graphics interface) version for MS-DOS.  For more information,
 see "NavCIS" under "Autopilots for Windows."


 [TeePee]

      Largely supplanted by WigWam for Windows, TeePee is a British offline 
 reader for DOS from Ashmount Research. For more information, see "TeePee
 and WigWam" under "Autopilots for Windows."


                ***** CONFERENCING AUTOPILOTS FOR MS-DOS *****

 [CISCO and CoExpert]

      While most autopilot programs are dedicated mostly or entirely to
 forum message areas and libraries, these two first-rate programs automate
 the forum CONFERENCE areas.  No, they won't write snappy bon mots or
 automate your wine or beer tasting notes <grin>, but they will, once set
 up with your parameters, log you on to CompuServe, take you to the forum
 conference room of your choice, set your "handle" and present you with an
 easy-to-follow split screen for online communications.

      CISCO is very simple, compact, and easy to use. CoExpert is similar,
 but with lots more bells and whistles.  Both are in Library 2 [Help &
 Information] of the Zenith Data Systems Forum (GO ZENITH), and they'll
 work on all MS-DOS machines, not just Zenith portables.

      You'll find Version 1.3 of CISCO as the compressed file CISCO.ZIP
 (40K).  Version 1.1b of CoExpert is CEXPRT.ZIP (47K).  They're free,
 although CoExpert is billed as "attaboyware," meaning that if you think
 it's a goodie, it's appropriate to EMail the developer and tell him so.


                     ***** AUTOPILOTS FOR WINDOWS *****

      The field of autopilots for Windows has blossomed since the last
 edition of this article, with a variety of shareware and free programs
 becoming available, and the expected rivalries and debate about which
 one's best, and how they compare with the Big Three MS-DOS autopilots,
 OzCIS, TAPCIS and ATO.

      Here's a cautionary view of the Windows-autopilot category, thanks to 
 WineForum Section Leader Arnd Wussing: "All of the Windows product support
 forums, regardless of the product type, are full of complaints and
 comments regarding speed. It seems as if most application users think that
 text mode and GUI (i.e. Windows) applications are basically identical.
 This is definitely not the case. Most of the CPU time in a text-based
 program is spent working on the program; under Windows most of the
 processor capacity is usually occupied updating the screen objects as well
 as in process control/switching; what little is left goes towards the
 application. What applies to processing power is doubly important
 regarding memory usage. Basically, you pay for the comfortable, colorful
 and detailed picture with both CPU and memory. I think the appropriate
 term coined by Heinlein is TANSTAAFL [There ain't no such thing as a free
 lunch]."

      In short, if the color and graphics look-and-feel of Windows
 applications appeals to you, that's fine, but don't expect the speed or
 simplicity of the DOS-based autopilots.

      Here, listed alphabetically, are the current options:


 [CSNav]

      CSNav, The CompuServe Navigator(tm) for Windows, version 1.0, is 
 CompuServe's own offline navigator for Windows.  It's available by mail,
 with documentation, by GO ORDER ($79.95, on sale for $50, less a $25
 credit for online time); and it can be downloaded online, GO CISSOFT, for
 $30 less a $10 online credit.

      Comments by Arnd Wussing:

      "CSNav is BIG. You'll need to download two files totaling 2.3 megs! 
 However, CISSOFT is a free forum, so you're not charged for the download
 time.  CSNav can be installed in the same directory as WinCIM; the two
 products coexist perfectly. In fact, with WinCIM in use, the full CSNav
 installation does not require a single keystroke! Everything can be done
 with a mouse. The term "highly graphical" is a true understatement in this
 case; and this is one of the few times that the user interface is truly
 intuitive. The scripts to be run online can all be generated completely by
 mouse: merely click on appropriate forum in the services window to add it
 to the session, then open up the forum and choose the type of actions to
 be executed. After the script is completed a click on the "run" icon fires
 up the modem.

      "The ease of use is exceptional.  For those who already know WinCIM, 
 CSNav is definitely THE solution. Unfortunately the extended graphical
 front-end exacts its price. Compared to GoCIS I have seen performance of
 1/3 longer up to twice as long at 9600 bps. The *FREE* support Forum
 (WNAVSUPPORT) contains a number of messages to this effect, along with the
 promise that upcoming versions will address the online performance issue."

      Other CompuServe users have given CSNav mixed reviews:

      Tim Wallace: "I can't say enough good about it. I use CSNav almost 
 exclusively now. It's incredibly easy to use, full of useful features, as 
 automated as I could want it to be."

      Bob McCracken: "It's pretty slick, but it is not quite as polished as
 it should be. It is powerful, but not as intuitive, and some of the
 options don't work the way they should. Lately mine has been giving me
 fits at home, so I  am a little prejudiced. Maybe the thing to say is that
 since it is a V1.0, it needs to be refined."

      Russ Nixon: "I used it for quite a while, and it caused General 
 Protection Faults on a daily basis and corrupted my file cabinet several 
 times. It's better than no Autopilot at all, as long as it's not causing 
 problems. It's okay if the user is computer literate enough to recover
 data that occasionally gets lost or deleted.  Once the authors get all the
 bugs out of the software it will be an excellent autopilot for novices."


 [FlexCIS]

      Although it's one of the least-known of the Windows autopilots,
 FlexCis Off-line Browser 1.3 for CompuServe has received good reviews from
 those who use it. It is available from Windows Shareware Forum (GO
 WINSHARE) Library 3 (Comm/Fax Apps), where you can review the information
 file CISOBR.TXT (3K) before downloading the program files, CISOBR.ZIP
 (445K) and the necessary support files, CISSUP.ZIP (520K).  It's $65
 shareware.


 [GoCIS]

      After a long period of public beta testing and a name change from
 WinCIS to GoCIS, the production version of this package has been released
 as "GoCIS Version 1.01." You'll need 1.5 megs of free disk space to
 install GoCIS, and its space requirements will grow quickly with use if
 you keep forum messages and library descriptions around for a long time. 
 Initial setup is not complex, but the learning curve is a bit steep. 
 Thread-handling is rather limited, but message searches and, particularly,
 library search and download features are simple and powerful.

      GoCIS is $59 shareware. It can be downloaded from Windows User Group 
 Forum (GO WUGNET) Library 12 (GoCIS), where you'll need the program file, 
 GOCIS.ZIP (777K) and, if you don't have it, VBRUN3.ZIP (230K), a Windows
 DLL library file that GoCIS requires.


 [NavCIS]

      A controversial Windows autopilot from Dvorak Development, NavCIS has
 its ardent supporters and noisy foes.  If you've noticed messages on
 CompuServe forums with a long string of "garbage" characters as the last
 line, NavCIS is probably the culprit: It's a string that NavCIS users send
 to activate attractive screen fonts when reading each other's messages;
 but if they leave it toggled on in general forums, it imposes an ugly line
 on all other members, a situation that I consider poor cyber-citizenship
 on the part of the developers. In its early development, NavCIS also
 offered a large "crippleware " download, a less-than-fully featured
 version, another move not calculated to win friends and supporters. This
 approach, however, has been modified in the current release, which offers
 the user a choice of SE ("Special Edition") versions, billed as
 "less-than-full-featured" but FREEWARE, or TE ("Timed Edition") versions,
 which are fully functioning but quit working after 30 days. They can be
 brought back to life by registering them for the $69 shareware fee.

      For more information, join the Dvorak Development Forum (GO DVORAK or
 GO NAVCIS), Library 1 (NavCIS Software) and download the Windows Help File 
 DVORAK.EXE (80K) for a colorful and graphic description of the program 
 options. 

      Then you've got a choice of four downloads:  WPROTE.EXE (778K) is the
 30-day test version of the full-featured NavCIS Pro 1.1 for Windows. 
 WNAVSE.EXE (564K) is the freeware NavCIS SE Windows version 1.15. 
 DPROTE.EXE (790K) is the 30-day test version, full-featured NavCIS Pro 1.1
 for DOS, and DNAVSE.EXE (749K) is the freeware NavCIS SE DOS version
 1.11A.


 [TeePee and WigWam]

      Two programs designed by the British developer Edward Hasted and 
 supported on the United Kingdom Communications Forum (GO UKCOMMS) are
 worth a look by PC users in any part of the world.  Ashmount Research
 supports TeePee (for DOS) in Section and Library 13 (TeePee) and WigWam
 (for Windows) in Section and Library 12 (WigWam).  For basic descriptions
 of these programs, download TPDES.TXT (2K) and WWDES.TXT (7K) for TeePee
 and WigWam, respectively.

      You'll find WigWam Version 2.00f in the self-extracting file
 WW2DEM.EXE (924K).  It's $99 shareware.

       TPEVAL.ZIP (312K) is the latest evaluation copy of TeePee, Version
 1.30, a complete offline reader for CompuServe using MS/DOS.  For
 documentation, download TPMAN.ZIP (59K).


                   ***** AUTOPILOTS FOR THE AMIGA *****

 [AutoPilot]

      The venerable Whap! program for the Amiga has apparently been 
 discontinued, replaced by the newer and much more full-featured AutoPilot.
      
      AutoPilot Version 1.72 is available in Amiga Vendor Forum (GO AMIGAV) 
 Library 9 (AutoPilot).  You'll need the self-extracting program file
 AP.LHA (393K) and either of two documentation files, ADDOCS.ASC (109K) or
 the compressed version ADDOCS.LHA (43K).  AutoPilot is $69.95 shareware.


                  ***** AUTOPILOT FOR THE ARCHIMEDES *****

      For British users of the Archimedes, a RISC-based computer developed
 by Acorn in the U.K. (not IBM-compatible), the autopilot of choice is
 Richard Proctor's ARCTIC.

      ARCTIC is available from Library 8 (Acorn/Z88) of UK Computing Forum
 (GO UKCOMP), where you'll need the compressed files ARCTIC.ARC (109K) and 
 RUNIMG.ARC (178K).  It's shareware, registration 15 pounds ($22.50), plus
 5 pounds ($7.50) for a copy on floppy disk.


                  ***** AUTOPILOTS FOR THE ATARI *****

 [ST/Forum]

      A popular autopilot for Atari users.  Release 2.0 of ST/Forum is 
 available from Atari Computing Forum (GO ATARICOMP) Library 2 
 (Telecommunications) as the compressed file FORUM.ARC (78 K). Also look 
 for TUTOR.STF (15K), the tutorial.  This program is free~!


 [QuickCIS]

      Also free to the Atari community, Jim Ness's QuickCIS for the Atari 
 68000/68030 is available from ATARICOMP Library 2 (Telecommunications). 
 Download the file QWKCIS.TXT (4K) for program information, and the program 
 files QWKCIS.TOS (126.K).


               ***** AUTOPILOT FOR THE COMMODORE 128 *****

 [CIS.EXE]

      This quick download contains a simple script package that works with 
 the commercial program Dialogue 128 on Commodore 128s.
   
      You'll find it in CBM Applications Forum (GO CBMAPP) Library 13 (C128 
 Telecom) as the self-extracting file CISEXE.SFX (18K).  It is free.
  
      Commodore users will also find useful hints for quick system
 navigation without autopilots in the text file OFFLIN.HLP (18K) in CBMAPP
 Library 2 (ARC/Help/Forum Util).


                 ***** AUTOPILOTS FOR HP PALMTOPS *****

 [acCIS]

      acCIS SM V2.0, used with the FastComm! or Commo communications
 programs for automated access to CompuServe, is small but quick, and gets
 good reviews from its users on the HP95LX and HP100LX. It's available from
 HP Handheld Forum (GO HPHAND) Library 5 (95LX Datacomm) as the file
 ACCIS9.ZIP (121K). It's shareware, $35.

      acCIS 2.35 for DOS, requiring the Commo program and an editor, is
 found in the same library, filename ACCIS.ZIP (80K). It's free.

 [MESSAGE]

      MESSAGE 2.0, a competitive program using FastComm! or Commo, is also
 in the same library, filename MESSG.ZIP (88K). This one is $20 shareware.


                ***** AUTOPILOT FOR THE MACINTOSH *****

 [Navigator]

      CompuServe Navigator(tm) for the Macintosh is the ONLY full autopilot
 for the Mac. It's commercial software, marketed by CompuServe.
     
      You can't download Navigator, but you can order it online directly
 from Compuserve; and once you've got a registered copy, you can download
 future upgrades online.  Version 3.2.1, with a list price of $70, is
 currently available for $50 sale price, and it comes with a $25 online
 credit, bringing the effective price down to just $25.  GO ORDER and
 follow the menus to place an order and have it billed to your CompuServe
 account. 

      Navigator is also sold by software retailers.


                      *****  AUTOPILOT FOR OS/2 *****

 [Golden CommPass]

      If you're running OS/2 on your computer, you'll definitely want to 
 consider Golden CommPass (GCP) Version 2.1, a slick program that began
 life as TAPCIS dressed up to run under OS/2 but has matured into an
 independent program with exceptional multitasking power.  It's
 particularly easy for TAPCIS users simply to port over TAP's parameters
 and sections files to configure GCP instantly, and once you master the
 intuitive GUI-type interface, you'll find all the familiar TAPCIS elements
 available in new, high-tech form.

      As you'd expect with an OS/2 program, GCP is bulletproof in
 multitasking situations.  You can let it run in the background while doing
 other work, or if you're capturing multiple forums, you can start reading
 and replying to messages in the first forum it reaches while it's still
 moving along to the next.

      GCP is commercial software, available for $99 from Creative Systems 
 Programming Corp., POB 961, Mount Laurel, N.J. 08054-0961. For more 
 information call (609) 234-1500 or EMail Creative Systems at UserID
 71511,151.  It is also available, often at a significant discount, from
 mail-order OS/2 suppliers like Indelible Blue and the Corner Store, as
 well as retailers.

      A demo version can be downloaded from the Golden CommPass Support
 Forum (GO GCPSUPPORT), where you'll find the information file COMPAS.FAQ
 (11K) and the program file GCP21D.ZIP (930K) in Library 1 (Golden
 CommPass).  WARNING: This application, despite its size is limited to
 visiting only the IBM, OS2, Golden CommPass and Practice Forums. The
 full-featured version is available ONLY with registration.


                 ***** AUTOPILOT FOR UNIX COMPUTERS *****

      Unix hackers have their own autopilot program now.  The program XC,
 which runs on Xenix, SVR3 Unix, SVR4 Unix, Sun, Coherent, AIX, and other
 variants, is available in two forms on Unix Forum (GO UNIXFO) Library 4
 (Communications):  XC.SHK (148K), a self-extracting ASCII file, or SC.TAG
 (79K), a Gzipped tar archive.  Either way, XC is free except for the
 download time.


               ***** HEY!  MY COMPUTER'S NOT LISTED!! *****

      Unfortunately, I haven't been able to discover any online autopilots
 for a few machines, mostly older models like the Apple ][ and Commodore
 64.  If you're using one of these computers, I have two suggestions:  

      First, try visiting the support forum for your machine or its
 cousins, and ask if anyone has developed and is willing to share scripts
 for the communications program you use. 

      Second, visit The Practice Forum (GO PRACTICE), a free area, and
 download the text file FAST.DOC from Library 1 (Forum Help & Info).  This
 immensely popular article (more than 25,000 downloads) offers lots of tips
 about how to use forums as efficiently as possible by downloading and
 responding to messages in batch form.

                                May 20, 1994

                                 ----------

 This file last revised May 20, 1994.  Thanks go in particular to WineForum 
 Section Leader Arnd Wussing for his extensive assistance; and also to the
 many CompuServe sysops and members who joined in the research, including
 Ed Flinn, Tom Pinkerton, Kathy Morgret, Marte Brengle, Steve Szabo, Bob
 McCracken, Russ Nixon, Tim Wallace, Bob Cohen and many more.

                                 ----------

 (c) Copyright 1994 by Robin Garr.  May be reproduced freely and without 
     charge, provided that WineForum is mentioned as the source.


              ________________________________________________



 > Mario's Fun STR Review
   """"""""""""""""""""""

 Kids' Computing Corner
 ----------------------


                          MARIO'S FUN WITH NUMBERS
                          ========================


 by Frank Sereno


      Mario's Fun with Numbers is one of the programs in Software
 Toolwork's Mario series of educational programs.  This particular program
 is intended for preschoolers ages 2 to 5.  Available for IBM compatibles,
 this DOS program requires a 286 or higher CPU, 640k of ram, a VGA display,
 a mouse, and a sound card capable of reproducing digitized voices.  Fun
 with Numbers occupies a whopping 10.2 megs of hard drive space.  Children
 learn many math and language concepts during gameplay.

      Fun with Numbers main screen shows 10 islands or worlds.  Nine of the
 worlds are games for the child to play, the tenth is the home of Mario and
 the Princess.  The child may choose either Mario or the Princess to be his
 on-screen persona by clicking on the character.  Play begins by clicking
 on one of the islands.  In many of the games, the child must click on
 Mario's brother Luigi to wake him up to get audible instructions and begin
 the game.

      SINGSONG World is represented by an animal character and some musical
 notes.  Once in SINGSONG World, the child may choose to listen to one of
 four songs dealing with numbers.  These are "This Old Man", "Ten Little
 Koopas", "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on
 the Bed."  The songs are very cute and entertaining.  Animated video is
 presented along with the music showing the activities described in the
 songs as well as showing the number symbols.  In the case of the "Monkeys"
 animation, it is not in sync with the lyrics of the song.

      Number World is represented by an island containing the numbers zero
 through three.  The child's task is to lead Mario to the correct number as
 called for by the program.  On the first level, the numbers are shown in
 proper sequence above room doors.  Mario must pass the numbers on to Luigi
 at his conveyor belt.  At higher levels, numbers are displayed in a random
 order making it more difficult to find the correct answer. This game will
 teach the relationship between the number names and symbols.
 Counting World is designated by an island containing a pair of gloved
 hands with the numbers one through ten placed on the corresponding digits. 
 Upon choosing this game, the child will then get to choose between
 counting items in Mario's bedroom or his kitchen.  Various objects in each
 room can be selected.  Move the white cursor around the room and it will
 turn red when over an interactive object.  Clicking on these objects will
 cause the computer to count the number of each object using the voices of
 a group of children.  The child is encouraged to count along aloud as
 well.  This game will teach counting and numbers.

      Comparing World is represented by an island holding three buckets of
 differing sizes.  In this game the child will learn vocabulary by
 comparing and contrasting items by size, number and position.  On the
 first level, children are asked to compare items based on size as short,
 long and medium.  On the second level, children will compare and choose
 items based on numerical concepts such as more or pair.  On the third
 level, children will choose items based on the items position relative to
 other items such as above a shelf or under a branch.  These lessons will
 help a child learn how to better express concepts.

      Pattern World is illustrated by a geometric rope on an island.  The
 child makes no on-screen choices in this game, but is encouraged to recite
 aloud with the computer's chorus as they describe the patterns.  Patterns
 are made in shapes, words, numbers and finally with animals drawn slowly
 on the screen.  In the shapes section, the computerized children will
 recite the shapes being placed on the screen such as circle, triangle,
 circle triangle and then ask the child what will come next.  For words,
 the screen may show a pig with a shovel to create the pattern of "pig-
 dig".  Numbers are counted aloud in normal order and then in twos in both
 even and odd numbers.  Finally, in the animal section the different
 pictures are drawn on the screen and the child is encouraged to guess the
 animal from the shape.  Then the interior pattern of the animal is drawn,
 the picture is colored and finally it is animated to leave the screen. 
 This portion is entertaining but unfortunately the same four animals are
 used over and over and over again.

      Categorization and organization are taught in Sorting World.  Sorting
 World is represented by an island containing three watermelon wedges and
 three cookies.  On screen there will be many objects of  various geometric
 shapes, sizes and colors.  On the first level, the child must sort the
 items by shape, on the next level by size, on the succeeding level by
 color, then another level where sorting is done by color and shape,
 another level based on size and shape and then the final level asks for
 the items to be sorted by size, shape and color.  I think this part of the
 program would have been more instructional if it had the child sort more
 than one category on each screen.  For example on the first screen, while
 several shapes may be represented, the program only asks for the child to
 find one particular shape, perhaps a triangle.  Soon the child will learn
 of the repetitious nature of the program after the first or second
 triangle and he will not have to think very much to find the next object
 as it will be another triangle.

      Shape World is indicated by an island holding various colored
 geometric blocks.  The child will learn the four basic shapes of geometry
 (circle, triangle, square and rectangle) by building trains with these
 shapes.  On the first level the child will be asked merely to find the
 correct shape, but in higher levels the items asked for will be
 differentiated by size and color as well as shape.  This is a good game
 for learning colors, sizes and shapes.

      Same and Different World is represented by an island with three fish
 and a shopping cart on it.  This game teaches similarities and differences
 between objects as well as building language skills and vocabulary.  Eight
 levels of gameplay will keep a child entertained.  On the first four
 levels, the child must determine which object is different or unrelated of
 four objects.  On the first level, three objects are identical and one is
 different.  The next level has three objects that are closely related such
 as a pen, crayon and pencil are all used for writing or drawing.  The
 third level consists of three items which are still related but more
 abstractly.  For example, the objects may be a beach ball, a shell, a sand
 castle and a car.  The car does not belong but the relationship between
 the other objects takes a bit more thought to find.  On the fourth level.
 three items are part of a whole and the fourth is unrelated.  For example,
 a lamp shade, a bulb and an electrical plug which are parts of a lamp may
 be shown along with an unrelated hammer.  On the next four levels, the
 object is to find the items that are related and leave the unrelated item
 by itself.  The levels are the same as for finding the different or
 unrelated item.

      Finally we come to the last game, How Many World.  It is designated
 by an island with peanut bags.  Children learn the number symbols and
 names as Mario helps at the zoo.  On the first level, Mario must feed the
 elephant the correct number of peanuts.  The computer will ask for a
 number.  On the screen there are several peanut bags with a number symbol
 beside each one and the corresponding number of peanuts in the bag.  On
 the next level, the child completes a picture of an animal by adding the
 requested number of stripes, whiskers, etc.  Again the number symbol is
 place next to the corresponding number of items.  On the third level,
 three kinds of animals will be shown on the screen in differing numbers
 with the number symbols displayed.  The child will then be asked to choose
 a specific number of specific animals.  For example, there may be five
 monkeys, two lions and seven zebras and the child will be asked to find
 seven zebras.  Finally the child will be asked to match numbers to the
 animals that are pictured.  The numbers will be represented symbolically
 and with a corresponding number of dots.

      Graphically, this program breaks no new ground.  The colors are nice,
 but some of the characters are a bit blocky.  Some of the animations are
 not smooth enough.  On sound, this program uses many excellent digitized
 sound effects, voices and music but there is a problem.  The voice that is
 used for asking the child to make selections was recorded in one word and
 short phrase clips that are pieced together to make full sentences.  These
 sentences are not smoothly flowing and do not sound natural.  The
 interface does not allow access to audible help.  The child will receive
 audible instructions on how to play each world when he enters it, but he
 cannot get help after that point.  On the plus side, text help and
 information is available to the parent by pressing the F1 key.  This text
 help will tell the purpose of each lesson as well as give helpful hints on
 games to play away from the computer to reinforce the lessons of Fun with
 Numbers.  Playing the games is a simple matter of pointing and clicking
 with the mouse.  This program has a lot of play value as it has many
 levels of interest for younger children.  Most children will come back to
 this program for many hours of fun.  Educational value is quite good as
 many valuable lessons are taught.  I believe this is a good program for
 its cost.  It's available for around $25.

                          Graphics            7.0
                          Sounds              7.0
                          Interface           8.0
                          Play Value          8.5
                          Ed. Value           8.0
                          Bang for theBuck    8.0
                          Average             7.75

      In this week's mail, I received an offer from TRO Learning, Inc. 
 This offer included a coupon worth $10 towards the purchase of several
 Plato mathematics courses which are claimed to offer 258 lessons covering
 over 925 learning objectives for students from second grade through
 college studies.  I'm going to try to get more information about the
 available courses and report the information here at a later date.  If you
 wish to investigate on your own, you may contact them at:

                       1-800-44-PLATO (1-800-447-5286)

 or write them at:

                             TRO Learning, Inc.
                            4660 West 77th Street
                           Minneapolis, MN  55435

      Be sure to mention Silicon Times Report as your source for this
 information.  This might influence TRO to send out a review copy to this
 scribe.  As always, I thank you for reading!


                    _____________________________________



 > THUMBS+PLUS 2.0!! STR FOCUS!   YOU'VE TRIED THE REST, NOW TRY THE BEST!
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""



                           THUMBS+PLUS VERSION 2.0
                           =======================


 ANNOUNCING:
 ----------

      Thumbs+Plus version 2.0, the only effective, elegant and inexpensive
 way to locate  and organize  your  graphic files.  You  will be amazed by 
 this sleek, fast, efficient graphics browser, which includes the following
 features. New or significantly enhanced features are marked with a "+".

 o  Fast and accurate thumbnail generation -- by individual file, directory
    or entire disk.  Disk/directory scans can be done in the background,
    allowing you to continue working.

 +  Support for many image and clip-art formats, both raster and vector,
    including:

 .BMF       Corel Gallery clip-art        .MND       Mandelbrot for Windows
 .BMP,.DIB  Windows or OS/2 bitmaps       .PAT       *Corel pattern files
 .CDR       *CorelDRAW!                   .PCD       Kodak PhotoCD
 .CGM       Computer Graphics Metafiles   .PCX,.PCC  Zsoft PC Paintbrush
 .CMX       *Corel Presentation Exchange  .RAS,.SUN  Sun Raster files
 .CPT       Corel PhotoPaint              .RAW       Raw Grayscale
 .EPS       *Encapsulated Postscript      .RLE       Compressed Win Bmps
 .GEM       GEM Metafiles                 .TGA,.WIN  Targa TrueVision(TM)
 .GIF       CompuServe GIFs               .TIF       Tagged Image Format
 .ICO       Windows Icon files            .TTF       TrueType fonts
 .IFF,.LBM  Amiga Images, Deluxe Paint    .WAV       Sound files
 .IMG       GEM Images                    .WMF       Windows metafiles
 .JPG       JPEG (JFIF) files

 * Only the preview image is accessibly directly for those types marked
   with a (*).  The complete image may be available if an OLE server for
   the type is loaded on your system.

 +  Using Aldus Rev 1 graphic filters, which Thumbs+Plus can automatically
    locate on your hard disk, you may be able to handle the following
    formats (and others)

    .DRW      Micrographx Designer/Draw      .PIC      Lotus 1-2-3 Pictures
    .DXF      AutoCAD (2-D) files            .PLT      AutoCAD Plot files
    .HGL      HP Graphics Language           .WPG      DrawPerfect graphic
    .PCT      Macintosh PICT files

 +  Using OLE, Thumbs+Plus can thumbnail and view any file for which an OLE
    server is present on your system. Some possible types include:

 .AVI      Video for Windows animation    .PPT      Power Pnt presentation
 .DOC      Word for Windows document      .PUB      Microsoft Publisher
 .GRA      Microsoft Graph 

 +  Multiple graphic viewing windows with file save (BMP, GIF, JPG, TGA,
    PCX, TIF, WMF), print, copy, paste, crop, auto-crop, convert metafiles
    to bitmaps and more.

 +  On-the-fly gamma correction and quick dithering of 24-bit images for
    8-bit (256-color) displays.

 +  Zoom-in (2x - 9x), stretch to fit, and stretch to fit width.

 o  Enhanced solid color metafile viewing with 8-bit (256-color) drivers,
    which eliminates that ugly dithering which Windows does by default.

 +  Image editing and conversion capabilities:
    - Color adjustment (contrast, gamma, brightness, RGB)
    - Color depth (bi-level, 4 to 256-color,  grayscale, truecolor) with
      several palette selections and dithering options.
    - Rotate and re-size with interpolation (anti-aliasing)
    - Miscellaneous: Invert,flip vertical,flip horizontal, auto-crop,
      swap red and blue.
    - Edit or add comments to supported types (TIF, GIF, JPEG).
    - Batch (unattended, background) mode to edit and convert multiple
      files, while still using your computer for other tasks.

 +  For saving JPEG files, Thumbs+Plus provides a "loss preview" so you can
    see an indication of the difference between the original and the
    compressed file. (Requires 16- or 24-bit display.)

 +  Install and remove TrueType fonts quickly and easily-while looking at
    them.

 +  Support for drag-and-drop from File Manager to view, drag-and-drop to
    other applications (like File Manager), and DDE support for using 
    Thumbs+Plus to view files (or open Thumbs+Plus databases) from File
    Manager.

 o  File management capabilities, including drag-and-drop for file
    organization, a color-coded directory tree for quickly locating
    directories with graphics, directory creation and file renaming,
    copying, deleting and moving.

 o  Off-line (removable) device support, for cataloging floppies, CD-ROMs
    or other removable media.  The thumbnails are available even when the
    disk is not on-line -- and Thumbs+Plus can even label disks.

 o  Complete or partial catalog printing, with scaleable thumbnails, file
    captions (if desired), and user layout control.

 o  User-specified  editors let you pick the  editor of your choice -- by
    file type, or use the File Manager association.

 +  "Automatic Clipboard Save" provides the ability to automatically  save
    clip-board contents to disk files.  Thumbs+Plus saves each time the 
    clipboard changes.

    - Select format (BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, TGA).
    - Clipboard metafiles can be saved as .WMF or converted to a raster
      format.
    - Specify the desired path and file name prefix.
    - Useful for screen or window capture too (using PrintScreen and
      ALT+PrintScreen).
    - Unobtrusive -- you don't have to activate the program for each
      capture.

 o  A built-in  Windows Wallpaper hanger (centered or tiled) for any
    supported file type, and a customizable full-screen slide show.

 o  A toolbar and keyboard shortcuts for common functions.

 o  Extensive on-line help and customization of many aspects of the
    program.


      Thumbs+Plus is distributed as shareware and may be evaluated free of
 charge for up to thirty days.  If you continue to use Thumbs+Plus after
 the thirty days have elapsed, you must register.  The price for an
 individual license is US$50.  Site and corporate licenses are available. 
 Further information about licensing and ordering is available in the
 on-line help file.


 To obtain Thumbs+Plus version 2.0:

 CompuServe:     THMPLS.EXE in GRAPHSUP forum, library 3 (GIF viewers)
                 THMPLS.EXE in WINFUN forum, library 9 (Graphics Utilities)
                 Also available in other forums.

 America Online: THMPLS.EXE in the Windows area

 Internet:       cerious/thmpls.exe via anonymous ftp from vnet.net

 Installation is simplicity itself: Simply run the program and it will set
 up and configure itself automatically.

 Note: GOOD STUFF!!  STReport -> ****  This is a MUST HAVE.





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

                     :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
                      _________________________________

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

                  Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.

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

                                      
                                       
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                                 
        ___   ___    _____     _______
       /___| /___|  /_____|  /_______/           The Macintosh RoundTable
      /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/                 ________________________
     /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/
    /__/|____/|__|________|__/
   /__/ |___/ |__|_/   |__|_/____                  Managed by SyndiComm
  /__/  |__/  |__|/    |__|______/

          An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group
    
                    *** STReport available in MAC RT ***
                                 ASCII TEXT
                            for ALL GEnie users!



                           MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
                           ======================
                         John Deegan, Editor (Temp)




 > HAYES V.34 STR InfoFile                 How FAST did you SAY??
   """""""""""""""""""""""

                                                  
   

                HAYES TO SUPPORT V.34 IN 230,400 BIT/S MODEMS
                =============================================


         ATLANTA, GA, 27 June 1994 -- Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. 
 today announced its plans to provide high-speed data and fax modems that 
 support both the ITU-T V.34 standard and the V.FC interim industry
 standard for 28,800 bit/s data transmission.  Hayes plans to make these
 products available to the global marketplace beginning this fall to
 coincide with the ITU-T final approval of the V.34 standard.  This
 decision was based on the 9 June 1994 ITU-T approval for letter ballot of
 this standard and Hayes commitment to support international standards. 
 Hayes also announced its plans to offer an upgrade to V.34/V.FC for its
 existing V.FC customer base in the United States and Canada.

           Right now everyone is focused on modem modulation because of the 
 recent ITU-T vote,  said Hayes President Dennis C. Hayes.  "What the
 industry needs to focus on is not only the new standard but also on issues
 such as managing the transition to V.34, support of the current 288
 installed base as well as the speed and performance of modem
 applications."  

         By September 1994, within the first year of being in the market, 
 V.FC modems are estimated to gain an installed base of approximately one 
 million units.   In addition, more than 4,000 bulletin board lines support 
 V.FC modulation using Hayes modems.  "V.34 is more complex than any
 previous modem specification and it has taken longer than anyone expected
 to define the standard.  Interoperability of different implementations of
 the standard may be a problem for the first few months of availability. "
 added Hayes.  "Because of the large installed base of V.FC modems and
 initial concern about V.34 interoperability, users should ensure that
 their 288 modems support both V.34 and V.FC."

         For the first 90 days after Hayes begins shipping V. 34/V.FC
 modems, Hayes is offering a free upgrade for OPTIMA 288 V.FC + FAX and
 ACCURA 288 V.FC + FAX customers with the purchase of a like Hayes
 V.34/V.FC product.  

 During that time customers who choose not to purchase a Hayes V.34/V.FC
 modem can upgrade for only US $49.  Hayes will provide free upgrades to
 Hayes BBS SysOps who have obtained their product through the Hayes Sysop
 program.

         Once the upgrade is available customers should ship their modems
 to Hayes, at which time Hayes will upgrade the product and ship the modems
 back to the customer within the same day.  For those customers using
 modems to run mission-critical applications that must remain in service,
 Hayes is offering a "hot-swap" program.  These customers should contact
 Hayes Customer Support and Hayes will pre-ship V.34/V.FC modems to them. 
 Upon receipt of the V.34/V.FC modems, customers should then ship their
 V.FC modems to Hayes.  

         Hayes has been shipping modems that provide 28,800 bit/s with 
 230,400 bit/s throughput capability since last October with increased 
 compression on OPTIMA 288 V.FC + FAX modems from 4:1 to 8:1.  This
 enhanced implementation of V.42bis allowed the serial port on OPTIMA 288
 V.FC modems to run at 230,400 bit/s instead of 115,200 bit/s. allowing for
 significantly shorter transmission times for many forms of data in PCs and
 local area networks.

         Hayes complements its high-speed modems with Hayes ESP 
 Communications Accelerator products, enhanced serial boards that support 
 speeds up to 921,600 bit/s.  Hayes ESP maximizes throughput by
 implementing the Hayes COM-bic chip which supports 1K byte FIFO buffers,
 16-bit bus interface and automatic flow control to overcome the receive
 overrun errors and throughput bottlenecks of popular UART chips such as
 the 16550.  The boards work with most standalone high-speed modems and
 ISDN terminal adapters, are fully compatible with Windows 3.1
 communications software, and are available for ISA and Micro Channel Bus
 PCs.  Other drivers, including Novell AIO, OS/2 and Windows NT, will be
 available later this year.

         Hayes also plans to roll out modems supporting the V.34/V.FC 
 modulation in the countries in which Hayes OPTIMA and ACCURA V.FC modems
 are currently offered.  Product will be available in these countries once 
 approvals are received from the appropriate regulatory authority.  Upgrade 
 procedures may vary on a country-by-country basis.


                               HAYES TO DELIVER 
                      AFFORDABLE VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEM
                     -------------------------------------
                         ANNOUNCES BUSINESS ALLIANCE 
                      WITH WORKSTATION TECHNOLOGIES INC.


        Atlanta, GA, 27 June 1994 -- Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. 
 today announced its plans to deliver a personal videoconferencing product 
 to PC users that will leverage the capabilities of high-speed modem or 
 ISDN communications to deliver desktop quality video applications.  

        In order to increase Hayes technology base in the videoconferencing
 market, Hayes today also announced a business alliance with Workstation
 Technologies Inc. (WTI), developers of the first color videoconferencing
 solution to operate over a single standard telephone line.  This strategic
 alliance will include ongoing product development and the cooperative
 development of products to be delivered by Hayes in this market.

        High-speed communications is driving the increasing number of 
 multimedia applications for PCs and allowing them to flourish,  Hayes 
 President Dennis C. Hayes said.   We ve chosen to work with WTI because 
 desktop videoconferencing will be a major contributor to the expansion 
 of this part of the market and they are experienced in video compression 
 and videoconferencing technologies.  Our plan is to combine WTI s 
 technology base with Hayes strengths in high-speed communications and 
 distribution management to establish a strong presence in the 
 videoconferencing market. 

        The Hayes/WTI partnership will produce video communication 
 solutions that are accessible to anyone with a telephone and desktop 
 computer,  said Chris Miner, President of WTI.  For the first time, 
 users will be able to conduct real time video conferences that integrate 
 video and audio capabilities on a standard telephone line.                 
  
        The alliance between Hayes and WTI will include ongoing development
 of new products in the rapidly growing video communications market.  Hayes 
 and WTI will first deliver a personal, point-to-point videoconferencing 
 product that operates over standard analog phone lines, and will later 
 support ISDN.

         Workstation Technologies, Inc. (WTI) based in Irvine, California, 
 is a leader in the development of hardware, software and system solutions 
 that integrate computers and communications.  WTI works with system 
 integrators, OEMs and corporate clients to create innovative analog and 
 digital video communication applications for PC, PS/2 and Macintosh 
 platforms.

         Best known as the leader in microcomputer modems, Hayes develops, 
 supplies and supports computer communications equipment and software for 
 personal computers and computer communication networks.  The company 
 distributes its product in more than 65 countries through a global network 
 of authorized distributors, dealers, mass merchants, VARs, systems 
 integrators and original equipment manufacturers.

 For additional product information, customers should contact Hayes
 Customer Service:


                        Workstation Technologies Inc.
                        Tim Dubes - Marketing Manager
                          Telephone:  714/250-8983
                          Facsimile:  714/250-8969
                            Video:  714/253-6940 


         Best known as the leader in microcomputer modems, Hayes develops, 
 supplies and supports computer communications equipment and software for 
 personal computers and computer communications networks.  The company 
 distributes its product in more than 65 countries through a global network
 of authorized distributors, dealers, mass merchants, VARs, systems
 integrators and original equipment manufactures.

 Hayeses, OPTIMA, ESP, and Smartmodem are trademarks of Hayes Microcomputer 
 Products, Inc.  V.FC is a trademark of Rockwell International Corporation. 

 Other trademarks mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies.

 For additional product information, customers should contact Hayes
 Customer Service Dep't STR:

      Telephone                       OnLine with Hayes BBS
      ---------                       ---------------------
      404/441-1617 (U.S.)             800/US HAYES (U.S.)
      519/746-5000 (Canada)           800/HAYES CA (Canada)
      +33 1 34 22 30 15 (France)      404/729-6525 (ISDN U.S.)
      +44 252 775544 (Europe)         +44 252 775599 (Europe)
      +852-887-1037 (Hong Kong)       +44 252 812560 (ISDN Europe)
                                      +852-887-7590 (Hong Kong)
                                      +61 2 9595287 (Australia)

                ____________________________________________



 > CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY NEWS! STR InfoFile         "On the Cutting Edge"
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


      
             CREATIVE INTRODUCES SOUND BLASTER MULTIMEDIA OFFICE
             ===================================================



        New Multimedia Upgrade Kit Features Creative's Best-Selling 
                      16-Bit Audio and CD-ROM Hardware 
             and Microsoft Office Professional Business Software
      
 SINGAPORE -- June 21, 1994 -- In its continuing effort to provide a broad
 range of products for the multimedia marketplace, Creative Technology Ltd.
 today extended its multimedia kit family with the announcement of Sound
 Blaster Multimedia Office.  Designed to deliver multimedia and CD-ROM
 technology to the corporate and SOHO (small office/home office)
 environments, Multimedia Office (S.R.P. $749.95) features Creative's
 best-selling multimedia hardware and premier speech technology as well as
 Microsoft Office Professional, the top-selling suite of professional
 business applications, plus productivity tools and business audio tools on
 CD-ROM.

 Sound Blaster Multimedia Office features Sound Blaster 16 with Advanced
 Signal Processing, a Creative double speed CD-ROM drive, Microsoft Office
 Professional 4.3 which includes Word 6.0, Excel 5.0, PowerPoint 4.0,
 Access 2.0, and a workstation license for Mail 3.2), Microsoft Encarta
 Encyclopedia, Microsoft Sound System 2, as well as Creative's
 Windows-based speech-enabling applications -- Creative VoiceAssist, a
 speech recognition program, and Creative TextAssist, a text-to-speech
 system.  Also included are high quality audio compression software and
 hardware for voice annotation, various audio software utilities, a
 hands-free microphone, and stereo headphones.  

 "Sound Blaster Multimedia Office is the 1st comprehensive multimedia kit
 offering for the business environment," said Rich Buchanan, director of
 marketing, multimedia kits for Creative Labs, Creative Technology's U.S.
 subsidiary.  "Software suite applications and multimedia kits are both
 enjoying great success as the market recognizes the tremendous value of
 these packages.  By combining Creative's standard-setting hardware with
 Microsoft's best-selling business software solutions, we expect to capture
 a market that at present is virtually untapped."

 Sound Blaster Multimedia Office will be available to Creative's worldwide
 network of distributors and retailers in July, 1994.


                       CREATIVE LAUNCHES SHAREVISION 
           DESKTOP VIDEO CONFERENCING PRODUCTS FOR THE PC PLATFORM

 ShareVision PC300 and ShareVision PC3000 to Ship in August

 SINGAPORE - June 21, 1994 -- Creative Technology Ltd. (NASDAQ: CREAf) and
 its subsidiary ShareVision Technology, Inc. today launched ShareVision
 PC300 and ShareVision PC3000, two new desktop video conferencing products
 for the PC platform. Each ShareVision product operates as a screen-based
 telephone, interactive on-line whiteboard, application sharing tool and
 high-speed data and fax modem over an analog phone line.  ShareVision
 PC300 and ShareVision PC3000 will begin shipping in August to Creative's
 extensive network of retailers and distributors.

 ShareVision PC300, which has an SRP of $749, features an audio compression
 card, external fax/modem, ShareVision's application software and a
 headset.  ShareVision PC3000, which retails for $1599, features all of the
 components of ShareVision PC300 as well as a color video camera and a
 video capture and compression board, Video Blaster RT300.  Also announced
 today, Video Blaster RT300 is a real-time video capture and compression
 card that takes advantage of Intel's 82750PE video processor and Indeo
 video technology. 

 Benefits of ShareVision
 ----------------------- 
 While other products require ISDN, switched 56 or T1 transmission lines,
 the ShareVision family of products provide an inexpensive, readily
 available method of communication for the personal computer over an analog
 phone line.  ShareVision PC300 and ShareVision PC3000 are programmable and
 thus fully upgradeable, enabling users to take advantage of emerging
 standards.  In addition, ShareVision products will be compliant with the
 future Personal Conferencing Specification.

 "Since the acquisition of ShareVision a year ago, Creative has made an
 extensive effort to port this innovative technology to the PC platform,"
 said Hock Leow, vice president of video product marketing for Creative
 Technology.  "We are extremely excited to be introducing a cost-effective
 PC version of this popular desktop video conferencing product in order to
 meet the demands of the personal computer marketplace."

 Hundreds of users in federal government agencies, universities,
 multinational corporations, and the military are currently using
 ShareVision's Macintosh-based products to collaborate and improve
 productivity.  The demand for PC versions of these products has been
 overwhelming.

 "We are very enthusiastic about entering the desktop video conferencing
 market for the PC platform, which we feel will experience tremendous
 growth," added K.S. Chay, president and COO of Creative Technology. 
 "These new products, which only require an analog phone line, are ideal
 for communication between Fortune 500 companies, advertising agencies,
 creative service contractors, military and government agencies as well as
 telecommuters in the SOHO (small office/home office) environment.  From
 virtually anywhere in the world, companies can greatly increase
 productivity by saving money and time spent on travel expenses."

 Applications of the ShareVision PC family
 -----------------------------------------
 ShareVision's collaborative computing technology allows users to
 simultaneously collaborate on documents, even if the software is installed
 on only one user's system.  For example, both users can edit files in
 real-time in software programs such as word processors, database
 management programs, spreadsheets, presentations programs, and
 whiteboards.  

 In addition, ShareVision PC3000's video capabilities allow users to
 communicate in real-time through live color video and audio, simulating an
 actual face-to-face meeting.  Users can also capture from either party's
 camera for on-line editing or archiving.  ShareVision PC300 users can
 upgrade to full video conferencing capabilities using Video Blaster RT300
 and a video camera.  



            CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES VIDEO BLASTER RT300, 
          A HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMABLE VIDEO COMPRESSION ENGINE

 30 Frames Per Second Real Time Compression and Capture Under $500

 SINGAPORE -- June 21, 1994 -- Creative Technology Ltd., the leading
 provider of multimedia products for the PC environment, today announced
 Video Blaster RT300, its most advanced video capture card to date.  This
 new card, which takes advantage of Intel's 82750PE video processor and
 Indeo video technology, features real time capture and compression of
 analog video.  Ideal for CD-ROM publication, presentations, training
 materials and desktop video, Video Blaster RT300 will begin shipping in
 July at an SRP of $499.95.

 "Video Blaster RT300 has been developed for the most demanding PC video
 end-users," said K.S. Chay, president and COO of Creative Technology.  "By
 featuring real-time capture and compression as well as superb image
 quality and resolution, Video Blaster RT300 answers our customers' demand
 for a high-quality real time video compression  solution."  

 Hardware and Software Features
 ------------------------------
 Together, the Intel 82750PE video processor and Indeo technology utilized
 by Video Blaster RT300 form a programmable video compression engine that
 digitizes and compresses video data at 30 frames per second.  Video
 Blaster RT300 is unique in that it compresses data in one-step, unlike
 other products that store video data to RAM and then compress it off-line. 

 The Intel 82750PE provides the power to capture 320X240 video clips at 30
 frames per second, compressing in real time the raw 200 MB per minute
 digital video stream to an extremely compact 30 MB per minute.  This file
 can be further optimized and compressed off-line for even greater storage
 economy.  The digital video file can then be replayed from storage devices
 such as CD-ROMs.

 Software-Only Playback
 ----------------------
 The enabling technologies provided by Video Blaster RT300 support
 "software-only" playback of Indeo video files on 386, 486 and Pentium
 processor-based PCs without requiring special hardware accelerators.  
 Files recorded using Indeo can be distributed to one or many users and
 immediately played back from the currently available storage media.

 Scalable Playback
 -----------------
 Video Blaster RT300's scalable playback feature allows video clips to be
 played back regardless of the system configuration.  The frame rate of the
 video is automatically adjusted when the file is played, facilitating
 distribution of video on CD-ROM.  No special hardware acceleration is
 needed for playback.

 Additional Features
 -------------------
 In addition to capturing full-motion video, Video Blaster RT300 can
 capture full-screen still images.  It also supports multiple video sources
 and standards, composite and S-Video in both NTSC and PAL formats. 
 Bundled with the board is Adobe Premiere, the leading digital
 video-editing tool for the PC. 

 Desktop Video Conferencing
 --------------------------
 The programmability of the 82750PE allows the Video Blaster RT300 to be
 more than a video capture and compression board.  When used in conjunction
 with a video camera and ShareVision PC300, announced today by Creative
 Technology Ltd., Video Blaster RT300 enables a PC to provide full
 video-conferencing capabilities over a standard analog phone line.



            AST AND CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY COMBINE FORCES TO DEVELOP
                      INDUSTRY'S MOST HIGHLY INTEGRATED
                     MULTIMEDIA AND TELEPHONY SOLUTIONS

    Strategic Partnership Will Provide Customers with High-Quality, 
 Affordable Multimedia Products that Make PCs Easier than Ever to Use

 IRVINE, Calif. & SINGAPORE -- June 23, 1994 -- AST Research Inc. and
 Creative Technology Ltd., the leading providers of multimedia solutions
 for the PC marketplace, announced today a joint development and marketing
 agreement to create the industry's most highly integrated, technologically
 advanced, yet easy-to-use audio, telephony and software multimedia
 solutions.

 The strategic partnership, which is expected to further AST's and
 Creative's stronghold in the consumer marketplace, will combine the best
 of both companies' technological expertise.  AST's multi-functional PCs
 featuring AST Works, the industry's most comprehensive and easy-to-use
 software interface that combines instant video help, numerous productivity
 tools and unsurpassed telephony capabilities, turn PCs into deluxe
 information and communication centers.  Creative's Sound Blaster audio
 platform has set the standard for high-quality audio in the PC
 environment.  Over 15,000 titles have been written for compatibility with
 its best-selling family of Sound Blaster audio boards, which comprise over
 60 percent of the sound board market.

 This relationship will allow each company to extend the success it has
 experienced in delivering multimedia products to the home user and develop
 multimedia solutions for the home office and small business user.

 Family members of all ages, who use PCs from everything from word
 processing and personal finances to video games and accessing the
 information superhighway, will benefit from the expanded multimedia,
 software and telephony capabilities of their PCs resulting from this
 relationship.

 "We are committed to providing high-quality, easy-to-use multimedia
 products that continually expand a PC's inherent versatility to benefit
 every member of the family," said Howard Elias, AST's vice president of
 worldwide marketing.  "Our strategic partnership with Creative Technology
 allows us to continue to provide our customers with groundbreaking audio,
 software and telephony products that come standard when they buy an
 Advantage! Adventure multimedia computer."

 "Creative is continuously investing in solutions that expand the uses 
 of multimedia.  With AST, we have a common goal to create exciting,
 cutting-edge technology that offers superior consumer value," said Sim 
 Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative Technology Ltd.  "This agreement,
 which takes advantage of both companies' strong retail brand recognition,
 established distribution channels and manufacturing resources will provide
 a comprehensive and affordable multimedia solution to the consumer
 marketplace."

 AST Corporate Background
 ------------------------
 AST Advantage! Multimedia personal computers with AST Works user interface
 are available at more that 1,400 retail locations, including Circuit City,
 Computer City, CompUSA, Fretters, Silo, PriceCostco, Sam's Wholesale Club
 and Incredible Universe. 

 AST Research Inc. is the world's fifth-largest personal computer
 manufacturer.  The company develops PC products ranging from handheld
 portable systems to superservers under the Advantage!, Bravo, Premmia,
 Manhattan SMP, Ascentia, and GRiDPAD brand names.  Revenues for the first
 nine months of fiscal 1994 totaled $1.78 billion, a 78 percent increase
 over the prior year period.  The company reported sales of $1.4 billion
 and record volume shipment increases of 69 percent for fiscal year ended
 July 3, 1993.

 Ranked number 287 on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest industrial
 companies, AST is represented in 100 countries and operates 43
 subsidiaries and sales offices worldwide.

 Corporate headquarters is located at:
                          16215 Alton River Parkway
                               P.O. Box 57005
                         Irvine, Calif. 92619-7005.
                          Telephone: (714) 727-4141
                                     or
                               (800) 876-4278 
                             FAX:(714) 727-9355.

 CONTACT INFORMATION
 -------------------
 Steffanee Foster              Hollie Chriss Chronin (714) 727-7977
 Creative Labs, Inc.           Ann Foster Dupuis  (714) 727-8588
 (408) 428-6600 ext. 6430      AST Research, Inc. 


 Creative Technology Corporate Background
 ----------------------------------------
 Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a family of
 sound and video multimedia products for IBM-compatible PCs.  The company's
 Sound Blaster sound enables IBM-compatible PCs to produce high-quality
 audio for entertainment, educational, music and productivity applications,
 and has been accepted as the industry standard sound platform for PC-based
 software.

 Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in
 Singapore.  Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative Labs,
 Inc., E-mu Systems, Inc. and ShareVision Technology, Inc.  Creative also
 has other subsidiaries in China, Europe, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.  The
 company's stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol
 CREAf and on the Stock Exchange of Singapore.  Creative Labs is located at
 1901 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, Calif., 95035.  Telephone: (408) 428-6600. 
 FAX: (408) 428-6611.


 CONTACT INFORMATION
 -------------------     
      Theresa Pulido                     Matt Afflixio
      Creative Labs, Inc.                Cunningham Communication, Inc.
      (408) 428-6600 ext. 6416           (408) 982-0400

 ShareVision Technology, Inc., a subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd.,
 was formed in 1991 to develop and market personal desktop video
 conferencing systems.  The company's ShareVision products are sold and
 serviced through authorized resellers nationwide. 

    Creative TextAssist, Creative VoiceAssist, Sound Blaster, and Sound 
    Blaster Multimedia Office is a trademark of Creative Technology Ltd.
       Video Blaster RT300 is a trademark of Creative Technology Ltd.

   82750PE is a registered trademark and Indeo, 386, 486, and Pentium are
                      trademarks of Intel Corporation.

                      Premiere is a trademark of Adobe.
            E-mu is a registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc.
    ShareVision is a registered trademark of Sharevision Technology, Inc.

                        IBM is a registered trademark
                                     of
                International Business Machines Corporation.




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                           ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
                           =======================
                            Dana Jacobson, Editor


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


      The Summer Consumer Electronics Show is over for another year.
 From all reports that I've seen, whether from our own staff here at
 STReport, or via various messages online, Atari had a successful show.
 Depending on your perspective, "successful" is certainly a subjective
 term.

      If your definition of success is an imminent large selection of
 new Jaguar games, you may be right.  Other than the two games already
 in production (Wolfenstein 3D and Brutal Sports Football), there are no
 new games ready.  But hold on.  There are quite a few titles that are
 close.  You'll see a list of titles announced at the CES of upcoming
 titles, either done or in some stage of completion, further along in
 this issue.

      If your definition of success is a wide assortment of publicity
 for Atari, you may be right again.  The media certainly covered Atari's
 presence.

      If you listen to those who attended the show, the press and other
 visitors, you'll note that the various reports have been glowing.  That
 would include those from STReport staffers.

      So what are the aspects of the show for Atari that doesn't show
 success?  There really isn't anything except for the fact that there's
 been no "breakthrough" announcements; everything is essentially status
 quo.  The difference from pre-CES and post-CES is that Atari has gained
 much-needed publicity.  For Atari, this was a critical point to be made
 at this year's show.  Atari had to show that they were serious; I think
 that they managed to do just that.

      STReport had two staff members at CES: Paul Charchian and Craig
 Harris.  We had hoped to have reports in last week's issues, but
 circumstances beyond our control didn't let it happen.  However, we
 will have those reports this week and in upcoming issues; they kept
 themselves quite busy talking with Atari personnel, Jaguar developers,
 and more!  Craig is also busy putting together the CES video that he
 shot while at the show, including footage from a number of CES
 participants.  We hope that you enjoy the coverage and find it
 informative.

                                        Until next time...

         __________________________________________________________




 > CES Video Offer! STR Offer!  -  See the CES From Your Own Home!!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""


                         Pointless Productions LTD. 
                - in association with STReport Online Magazine -
                              Proudly Presents

                           The Generically Titled
                          Summer CES Video Cassette

      All the fun of the Chicago show wrapped up in a single, 7.5"x4" VHS
                               video cassette.

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


 So you couldn't make it to the show, eh?  No problem.

 Why wait 2 months for a publication that can only offer blurry snapshots
 that could be mistaken for the latest Elvis sightings. This tape will
 bring you footage of games on a format they belong...on VIDEO.

        For the amazingly, affordable low price, you get these features:

        - Video cassette complete with plastic casing, cardboard box, and
          magnetic tape wound on plastic spools. Label included as a
          special bonus!

        - Professionally edited 2-day footage of all the popular
          systems and games. Not-so-popular systems and games included as
          a special bonus!

        - Quick turn-around...video will be available 1-2 weeks after the
          show!
               All this for $15.00...how can you possibly go wrong?

               Shipping is included.

                 If interested, send cash, check or money-order to:

                                 Craig Harris
                                 Pointless Productions, LTD.
                                 14 Harrowgate Drive
                                 Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

                 (Make Check and Money Orders out to Craig Harris)


                                    ****

                       Delphi's Atari Advantage!
                      TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (6/29/94)                       
                                                                            

       (1) AEO NEWS! #4                  *(6) TAZ-16 COLOR TERMINAL         
       (2) SPEED OF LIGHT VIEWER V3.1     (7) GEMRAM V.1.6                  
       (3) STARBALL                       (8) WYRD WAYS                     
       (4) DATELINE ATARI JUNE 94         (9) XAES-NEW LETEMFLY             
      *(5) STREPORT SCES BULLETINS      *(10) GO UP!                        
                                                                           
                              * = New on list                               
                              HONORARY TOP 10                               
                                                                            
   The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently   
   out-performing every other file in the databases.                      
                                                                            
                 STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT #10.26)               
       ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO - VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9)      
         Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.         


                                    ****


 > Metamorphosis 24!! STR InfoFile! - Create Morphed Animations!!
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


                  LEXICOR SOFTWARE IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
                  =====================================
                                     
                 ***************************************
                 *** M E T A M O R P H O S I S   2 4 ***
                 ***************************************
  
         The first 2-Dimensional Morpher for Atari ST/TT/Falcon
  
 Metamorphosis 24 can morph between two same TIFF pictures and create an
 intermediate morph of the two images. After having loaded your source
 and target frames you can not only produce single frames but tween
 whole keyframe animations in 24bit.
  
 Using set points to determine the morphing control points you can
 tell the program what points need to be morphed from the source and
 the target frame, the more points you add, the more detailed the
 morph will be.
  
 Some features are:
  
 - Easy and User Friendly Interface
 - Intuitive Toolbox (5 basic tools)
 - 4 levels of morphing depth
 - Toggle rip on/off
 - Multitos/Mag'X Compatibility and Support
 - Complete GEM Windows Interface
 - TIFF Support
 - FPU Support
 - ST/TT/Falcon/Clones Support
  
 - * Suggested Retail is only 99 U$D * -
  
 ******** Special Offer is 79 U$D ***********

 (Distributors of the English Version)

 LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION
 1726 Francisco Street
 Berkeley, CA 94703
 U.S.A.
 Tel: (510) 848 7621
 Fax: (510) 848 7613
  
 US Dealers please contact Lexicor Software
  
 Email: services@lexicor.com
  
 on Compuserve: 75300,763 or visit us in the atari area (go atariven)
 on DELPHI    : LEXICORWORLD or visit us in go com atari
 on GENIE     : LEXICOR or visit us in the GRAPHICS RTC (m1415) cat 22
  
 * A short description of Morphing
  
 A Morph converts one object into another over several frames (tweening).
 To morph between two images the area that you wish to morph/change needs
 to be outlined in the source and target frame which become your
 "key"-frames. Over a specified number of frames in a process known as
 tweening Metamorphosis 24 moves the points set in the "key"-frames and
 while changing, will retain a certain percentage of each of the
 intermittent frames.
  
 * What do I need to run this program

 Metamorphosis is a product that will run on any Atari ST, STe, TT (with
 Graphics Board), Falcon in up to 256 colors. The final results are
 stored as 24bit Truecolor Tiff's, even if you run the program in
 monochrome mode, Metamorphosis will always work in a True Color mode and
 save off it's files as such. Minimum requirements are a 1040 ST with 1
 Megabyte but a 4 Megabyte System is recommended. Depending on your depth
 of calculation, it could take some time to render one frame, ultimately
 a TT or a Falcon would be ideal (with FPU). Metamorphosis supports the
 FPU, but does not require one.
  
 * What about animations?
  
 Metamorphosis can not only tween from one frame to another, but it will
 also tween from as many frames as the user decides (99 max). The whole
 process is automatic, once the user has defined the key-frames of the
 animation.
  
 * How do I play them back?
  
 Metamorphosis has a player that will run in 256 color modes on nearly
 every Graphic Board for the TT, Mega STe or Falcon.
  
 * Why would I want it?
  
 Metamorphosis is a unique product in the Atari platform. People who
 enjoy doing graphic work will find a new and innovative tool of
 graphic manipulation on their atari (for painters and animators), but
 Metamorphosis requires no artistic skills what-so-ever to make
 stunning results. The final results can be used to print in
 Newsletters or any other DTP application, put on Video or make
 presentations on your Atari. This product is for anyone remotely
 interested in graphics work on their atari for hobby users and
 professionals.
  
 One of the most famous examples of this kind of Morphing was the
 Michael Jackson Video "Dangerous", the end sequences featured
 several faces morphing into and onto each other. These kinds of
 effects are now possible on your Atari System using Metamorphosis 24.
  

                     __________________________________



 > From the Editor's Controller  -  "Playin' It Like It Is!"
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""  


      In my opening editorial, I stated that the overall feeling from
 most was that Atari's participation in the Chicago SCES was successful.
 The next few months will really paint the true picture as sales of
 existing products as well as many more new games (and sales!) will
 determine how well Atari's efforts at CES succeeded.
    
   Personally, I think that Atari has to follow through on its
 perceived goals and really push to make the Jaguar the winner that it
 appears to be.  More games and add-ons need to arrive quickly to
 maintain the interest of the current and future users.  Lag times of no
 new games is going to hurt regardless of promises of pending new
 titles.  As a former Atari employee so poignantly stated a few months
 ago: "People want to see games, not titles!"  I couldn't agree more.

      One disappointment that hasn't been discussed online as far as
 I've seen is the lack of CES publicity of Jaguar hardware add-ons.  I
 asked our two reporters what they had seen other than games as I had
 figured that the Jaguar CD-ROM attachment and other announced hardware
 items would also be promoted at the show.  According to STReport's Paul
 Charchian: "The hardware wasn't that interesting.  The voice/modem was
 there, but not in anything close to final form.  The cd-player was
 interesting, but it only played the VLM and movies, so interaction with
 it was limited.  The Cat Box wasn't there when I was there.  I guy
 showed up from JagDaptor, but (get this) he DIDN'T THINK TO BRING ONE
 with him to the show.  Duh.  Oh well."  I was hoping to learn that some
 of these products were closer to reality.

      In this week's issue, we're continuing to provide you with
 coverage from the CES, "side-stepping" our usual Jaguar edition
 schedule to keep the information as current as possible.  We'll
 continue with next week's regular issue with even more CES/Jaguar
 coverage.


                       _______________________________



                             SPECIAL SCES UPDATE
                                   for the
                               Atari Jaguar!!




 > STR Show Report!  
   """"""""""""""""



                               "LIVE FROM CES"
                               ===============



 by Paul Charchian

 Everyone expected a bevy of surprises at SCES. I refused to get overly
 optimistic even as I took the 6:00 am flight from Minneapolis to Chicago
 to attend the first day of SCES, Thursday.  For those not familiar with
 McCormick Place, Chicago's convention center, let me explain the layout.
 Most of the larger shows, such as CES, must be held in two different
 buildings connected by a cavernous tunnel running under Lake Shore Drive.
 Oddly, the 3D0 was the *only* game company in the West building.  The
 impact of this decision left only Atari and Nintendo as the only major
 system manufacturers in the North building, along with countless software
 publishers.  

 Immediately upon entering the convention hall, the very large Atari
 display area was present.  I was shocked at the magnitude of the Atari
 area.  Atari employees later confirmed that this was their largest
 showcase ever.  Nevertheless, Atari's area paled in comparison to the
 Nintendo vista that claimed almost a quarter of the hall by itself. 

 Ignoring all else, I quickly headed for the field of Jags.  Like a kid
 in a candy store, I didn't know where to begin.  I took a quick glance
 at each machine and found that an amazing number of them offered titles
 that I had never even heard of.   Ah ha! Atari had been keeping some
 secrets, and as you'll see in a second, some good ones.

 I visited each game numerous times and came up with the follow synopsis
 of each game present:

 Kasumi Ninja
 ------------
      By now most of us have heard enough to know quite a bit about the
 game, but I want to shed some light on some features that I wasn't aware
 of until know.  The background sports very vivid parallax scrolling
 backgrounds.  Backgrounds include digitized scenes from the Grand Canyon,
 an oriental motif and a Comanche Indian round of teepees.  Of course, if
 you take a even a second to enjoy them, you'll be decapitated.  The
 characters are large and very detailed. You can even discern the creases
 in the clothing.  Blood stays on the ground during each fight.  It doesn't
 magically disappear as it does in other games.  The amount of blood has
 been reduced since earlier versions, although it is still a very bloody
 game.  Shadows are rendered for each character in real-time.  The shadows
 matched player movements wonderfully.  There were four or five working
 characters with another 3-5 coming.  Included in these are a Comanche
 Indian, a Goth, and standard ninja-types.

      Because Project Manager Ted Tahquechi is of Comanche background,
 everything about the Comanche character and background is authentic.
 His uncle, an actor, was used in video taping the role.  It is nice to
 know that everything from the clothing to the insignias on the teepees
 are real.  (For more on Ted, be sure to check out my interview with him
 in the next STR!)  Ted confirmed that there will be many secret
 characters and Easter eggs.  Many of the characters come with projectile
 weapons.  The Indian throws a knife and the ninjas can cast fireballs.
 There are unique fatalities as well.  When the Goth lost to a ninja, the
 ninja jumped on his skull pushing his gray matter out of his brain pan.
 The crowds around the two machines demonstrating KN were wide-eyed and
 excited.  I asked Andrew Lundstad of St. Paul, MN about  KN: "It doesn't
 feel as fast as the arcade version of Mortal Kombat, but the graphics
 are prettier.  Mortal Kombat was tougher to learn at first.  KN has a
 lot of special moves.  I'd pay to play it in the arcade.  I wouldn't be
 surprised if I saw it in an arcade."  While I promised not to get into
 details, one of the most exciting aspects of KN is its plot.  That's
 right, a fighting game with a plot, and a cool one at that.  It will
 really help KN stand out from the pack of fighting games.  I'd estimate
 that KN is 90 - 95% finished.

 Rayman
 ------
      Like many of you, I hadn't even heard of Rayman before.  I was
 pleasantly surprised.  This UBI Soft game stars a bird-like creature,
 presumably Rayman, dressed in a cape and purple outfit.  The game is
 very reminiscent of Mickey Mouse's Castle of Illusion for the Genesis
 in theme.  Of all of the games present, this one may have had the best
 graphics.  The color was breathtaking.   I was stunned by the graphics.
 Rayman has over 50 different animations that he can perform such as
 dancing, walking on his hands and sticking out his tongue.  It is already
 moving at 25 fps, however collision detection hasn't been worked out yet.
 I'd estimate that this game is 50% finished.

 Arena League Football
 ---------------------
      This one was the first dog of the show.  It barely had a heartbeat of
 code in its poor little EPROM frame.  All that was present in this title
 was a big green blob to represent the field (no white lines or yard
 markers), along with the 6 on 6 characters.  They sorta ran a play, but
 when they did it was numbingly slow.  I'd estimate that this game is 5%
 finished.

 Ruiner
 ------
      Another title I hadn't heard of, I was surprised to see a functional
 pinball game for the Jag.  A company called High Voltage Software was on
 hand to help demonstrate the game.  Unfortunately, it suffered from SNES
 graphics and a remarkably barren playing area.  There were, a grand total
 of zero targets to shoot at.  I can only assume that they will be coming. 
 The game contains a horror motif as the ball is a skull, and there is a
 haunted house in the playing field.  I'd estimate that this game is 30%
 completed.

 Blue Lightning
 --------------
      I was surprised to see this title because I was under the impression
 it would be a CD title.  I'd guess it will be on CD by the time it gets to
 stores, but it was on cart for the SCES.  I loved the Lynx version of Blue
 Lightning, and the Jag version is faithful in feel to the original.  If
 you can imagine the Lynx version with souped-up graphics, you'd pretty
 much have it.  Collision detection already was in working order, but not
 all of the graphics were in place.  Much of the graphics were bit-mapped. 
 I'd estimate that it is 40% finished.

 Brutal Sports Football
 ----------------------
      I'm a football nut, so I was really hoping that this would be a
 sports title of some merit, but after trying hard to like it, I was
 resigned to feeling as though the Jag had been reduced to a SNES.  It fits
 in better with the first four Jag titles than the fifth.  The term
 "football" shouldn't be in the title.  There is no similarity to football,
 American or otherwise, to be found in this cart.  It is reminiscent of the
 computer game "Speedball."  Featuring unending six on six action, your
 goal is to throw the ball through a soccer-style goal without getting
 tackled first.  The game lacks the brutality that its title suggests it
 should have.  I wanted to see limbs falling off, and heads rolling, but
 the only thing rolling were my eyes.  BSF is 100% finished, and in
 manufacturing.

 Checkered Flag
 --------------
      Despite being a polygon-based product , CF has some nice attributes
 that suggest that it could be a decent title.  There are plenty of
 user-definable options such as the weather (fog, rain or sun), car color,
 size of air foils, manual or automatic shifting and tightness of the
 steering wheel.  The game's motion was still jerky and a tad slow.  The
 polygons left the game feeling antiseptic.  There were no fun billboards
 or scenery.  Just blocks, and not that many at that.  I'd estimate that CF
 is 55% done.

 Bubsy
 -----
      Why Atari chose to make this the first Accolade title instead of a
 sports title (Hardball III) I'll never know.  Bubsy is similar to the
 aforementioned Rayman, but not as graphically stunning.  You control
 Bubsy (he's a bobcat if anyone cares; I'm not sure why I asked, but I
 did) around desert-style scenery that reminded me of Taz Mania for the
 Genesis.  I was able to kill Bubsy by drowning him in quicksand a number
 of times.  An Atari rep said that the game was 15% done, and probably
 wouldn't be available by Christmas.

 Wolf 3d
 -------
      When you start up the Jag version of Wolf 3D, you are treated to a
 big spinning ball with pictures of Hitler, bosses, the Fuji symbol and
 id's logo.  The cart in the Jag was a finished product, with shell and
 labeling as it will appear on the shelves.  The cart allows for saving 3
 different games, as well as an option to automatically pull-up your last
 game played.  As soon as you start the game, it is clear that the graphics
 are much better.  There are noticeably more colors and virtually no
 pixelization even with your nose to the wall.  The layout of the castle is
 similar to the PC version, but not identical.  Like the PC version, there
 is no floor or ceiling.  The controls of the game were the most difficult
 part because it runs soooooo darn fast.  Much faster than my 486/66 runs
 the PC version.  While it was hard to hear from all of the background
 noise, it sounded as though the voice was clearer, while the sound was
 about the same as the PC version.  I also noticed that you can now have
 more than 100 pieces of ammo.   While there are other guns available, I
 wasn't able to play it long enough to earn one of the non-standard arms. 
 Wolf 3D is 100% completed. 

 AvP
 ---
      Along with Kasumi Ninja, Alien vs Predator stole the show.  There
 wasn't a moment when someone wasn't playing this game, and at times,
 there were crowds surrounding the monitors.  Easily, AvP sports the best
 3D effects that I've ever seen.  The interior of the ship is unbelievably
 realistic.  The ceiling lighting and bit-mapped walls were absolutely
 stunning.  I can't help but wonder if there has ever been a more intensely
 realistic setting in a video game, home or arcade.  The gameplay is
 fundamentally fine, with one sticking point.  When playing the marine or
 Predator, the game feels like it is reacting a hair too slow.  However, as
 the Alien, you can rip down the corridors at fast speeds.  In light of
 the Jag showcase that AvP has become, I'd rather have all of the
 characters be able to move quickly, and find a different advantage to
 give the Alien instead of speed.  This is a very minor critique for an
 otherwise fine game.  When you shoot the Alien, he explodes in a
 disgusting mash of yellow and green blobs.  Look out for face-huggers.
 The little buggers adhere themselves onto your head and only a vigorous
 attack on the directional will get him off.  Much like shaking a tackler
 in many football games.  AvP will not be linkable in any way.   Jason
 Poggioli of Franklin Park, IL had this to say about it: "AvP is very
 excellent.  It scrolls very smoothly without any pixelation on the sides.
 It really shows off its power.  I'd give it a 7 with potential for higher
 depending on what happens between now and when it is released.  It's
 better than DOOM."  I also asked Kevin Lehning, of Park Ridge IL about
 it: "The graphics are outstanding. I can really feel the 3D effect.  The
 game is easy so far."  However, he did add that "The hardware felt
 sluggish in parts, and lacks the elements of action that are present in
 Wolf 3D."  I'd estimate that AvP is 90-95% completed.

 Double Dragon 5
 ---------------
      Next to Kasumi Ninja and Ultra Vortex, this one is easy to forget. 
 It features cartoon characters rather than digitized images.  The total
 number of moves is limited and you have to use the numeric pad to perform
 some of the specials.  I'd love to see this game come out at a reasonable
 price ($30-40) to give people a better option.  You'd never know you
 weren't on a SNES.  I'd estimate that the game is 75% done. 

 Doom
 ----
      After reading stories that Doom was running slowly, I was braced
 for the worst.  I was surprised to see it running pretty damn fast.  Not
 at 486/66 speed, but quickly nonetheless.  The frame rate seemed okay
 as well.  The knock on it was that the resolution was noticeable worse
 than on the PC.  I was informed that Atari hadn't yet received a current
 version of Doom from id, so they were showing an older one.  People
 attending the show over the weekend may find different results than what
 I saw.  As most of you already know, Doom is going to be voice/modemable.

 Club Drive
 ----------
      Surprisingly, Club Drive is slated to work with the voice modem as
 well.  Purple Hampton tried to get the unit working without success while
 I was there.  Like, Checkered Flag, it is a polygon game, with few if any
 bit-maps.  I found that the game was much more enjoyable when the camera
 was moved out of the cockpit.  The overhead was especially fun when the
 car was buzzing around the house (and into the fireplace!).  The game is
 in need of optimization.  I'd estimate that the game is 65% finished.

 Troy Aikman Football
 --------------------
      Reports of this game's summer arrival are grossly exaggerated.  Based
 on the demo cart that was shown, this game has a LONG way to go.  There
 were only three different plays being shown in the demo and they were
 running very slowly.  The graphics were in need of improvement as well. 
 The play selection area looked solid, as did the title screen.  All 28
 teams and logos are accounted for, but it will not sport real players. 
 I'd estimate that this game is 10% done. 

 Ultra Vortex
 ------------
      In my eyes this product was the most pleasant surprise of the show. 
 Ultra Vortex is another fighting game ala Mortal Kombat.  Get this, of the
 people that I talked to half of them actually preferred UV to KN!  And KN
 is great!  If you love fighting games, you are going to flip out over
 these two.  The backgrounds are especially intense, featuring really
 twisted, demented imagery.  We were able to see 3 working characters.  My
 favorite was the mechanical man called "Buzzsaw" whose torso can spin with
 his arms extended to turn his upper body into his monicker.  According to
 the reps that I talked to, virtually all of the code is done.  They just
 need to add more characters.  I'd estimate that this game is 85%
 completed.  Wonderfully, both KN and UV smoke the 3D0's 'Way of the
 Warrior.'   

 Iron Soldier
 ------------
      I hadn't heard of this title before, but get used to hearing about
 it.  It is going to be turning a lot of heads in the next months.  It is a
 battletech type of game.  You are inside a huge armored mech blowing up
 anything that moves (and a lot of things that don't!).  The city that you
 tromp on is largely polygon, but the enemies are bit mapped.  One of the
 really cool effects happens when you blow up a building.  It explodes into
 a hundred cubes that come back to earth and bounce in the most amazingly
 lifelike way.  You are so large in your mech outfit that you can stomp on
 small buildings, trees and cars.  It is somewhat reminiscent of Crush,
 Crumble and Chomp.  As you are doing these things you take fire from
 choppers, planes and ground-based missiles.  The Atari staff loved this
 game, and seemed intent on sharing their enthusiasm.  More than one person
 walked away feeling like it was going to be a big hit.  I'd estimate that
 it is 50% completed.  

 Zool 2
 ------
      This game is a blend of Sonic the Hedgehog with Mickey Mouse's
 Castle of Illusion where you travel through a land of candy.  It is side
 scrolling like those two, but features a character that looks a little
 like Marvin the Martian from Warner Brothers cartoons.  One unique
 feature that I really liked was the ability to play either a male or
 female zool.  The graphics were very nice and worthy of a 64-bitter.
 The game will greatly appeal to kids, but also to adults, much as Sonic
 has.   Collision detection was operable, so I'd guess that this product
 is 60% done.

 Space War
 ---------
      I recently read that Star Raiders had been split into two.  If that
 is true, then this must be one of the two.  The scrolling stars are right
 out of the Atari 800 version of Star Raiders.  Space War is a two-player,
 split-screen shooter that puts you in the place of a gunner on a space
 ship.  It is reminiscent of Chewbacca shooting Tie Fighters from the
 Millennium Falcon in Star Wars.  It was still in the early stages, with
 very little depth yet.  I'd estimate that this product is 10% done. 

 Rally
 -----
      Another title that I had never heard of, Rally is reminiscent of
 Super Sprint.  It is an off-road racing game that puts you behind the
 wheel of a 4x4 in the desert.  The view is overhead, making your car
 look a little like a Matchbox car in a sandlot.  There are some nice
 touches in this game including billboards and on-lookers.  This game
 appears to be about 25% completed.

 Overall I think that Atari did a fine job at the show.  With Sega having
 only a minimal presence and 3D0 being stuck in a different building, it
 gave Atari a great chance to show their continuing support for the
 Jaguar.  

 In our next issue be sure to check out my interview with Jeff Minter as
 he talks about his new Virtual Light Machine, Tempest and his future
 with Atari.  We'll also be talking about everything that I've missed up
 until this point.


                    _____________________________________



 > Star Battle! STR InfoFile!            New Jaguar Developer, 4Play
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  
               Star Battle(TM) Announced for Atari Jaguar
                   4Play Among Atari Jaguar Developers
                     Gaming Will Never Be The Same!

  
  
  
  
  CHICAGO, IL -- June 23, 1994 -- Consumer Electronics Show
 -- A talented new design group, called 4Play, today announced their first
 title which will fully exploit Jaguar's 64-bit capabilities. 
  
  Six hundred years in the future, several spacefaring races are battling
  for domination of the galaxy.  To avoid unnecessary loss of life and
  destruction, it is agreed that the best warriors and military minds will
  be sent to a small uninhabited quadrant of the galaxy to settle the
 score.
  Some of the races have endured years of torment and oppression and with
  the galaxy at stake, nothing short of eradication of the enemy is
  acceptable.
  
  Star Battle is a first person perspective game designed to put fun back
  into gaming.  Star Battle's multi-player action allows head to head
  challengers over modem or network.  The Jaguar makes this possible with
  64-bit power and outstanding connectability.
  
  Tom Harker, president of 4Play, commented, "Our custom game tools afford
  no compromises.  With advanced features like a warp polygon engine, gouraud
  shading, texture mapping, networking and modem support, Star Battle will
  be setting new standards in excellence for a long time to come".
  
  Look for Star Battle to be released on cartridge in the 4th quarter of
  1994.

 For more information, contact:
 ------------------------------
                           Thomas D. Harker, 4Play
                          (815) 968-2228 ext. 222 
                             Fax (815)-968-6888
  
                                  
      Star Battle is a trademark of 4Play. Other products named may be
       trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies.

                  ________________________________________



 > CatBox! STR NewsFile!  - Black Cat Proves It Has The Right Stuff!
   """""""""""""""""""""

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                       CatBox(TM) tames the Jaguar
                 Black Cat proves it has the right stuff

 CHICAGO, IL -- June 23, 1994 -- Consumer Electronics Show -- Black Cat
 Design, a designer of computer peripherals and accessories today announced
 CatBox and CatBox+, feature-packed interface adapters for the Atari
 Jaguar 64-bit game system.

 CatBox plugs directly into the AV/DSP ports on the back of the Jaguar.
 Its custom case measures just 6 x 2.5 x 1.25 inches and perfectly
 accents the sleek Jaguar design.  CatBox provides all of the standard
 connections that Jaguar customers desire.  Standard ports include:
 S-Video, Composite Video, Left & Right Audio Out, Dual Stereo Headphones,
 Analog RGB Video, RS-232, ComLynx, and pass-through DSP.  All connectors
 are "industry standard".

 Standards are a big part of CatBox and connectivity is the key.  The
 RS- 232 port will connect to standard modems.  The ComLynx port will join
 other Jaguar and Lynx game systems for multi-player games and other
 networking ideas.  Black Cat Design is actively working with game
 developers to ensure support for these ports.

 CatBox+ offers two powerful new features in addition to the standard
 CatBox features.  Stereo headphone amplification with volume control
 provides a more powerful sound.  The new differential pair network uses
 standard RJ-11 phone wiring to create a low cost networking system which
 allows systems to be separated up to 300 feet.

 An imaginative, well thought out design includes flexibility for the
 future.  Internal expansion connectors for future add-in cards ensure
 that CatBox will be as useful then as it is now.  Future products under
 consideration include a Midi interface and an internal modem.

 Thomas Harker, president of Black Cat Design, explained, "This product
 is an unbelievable value.  I wouldn't be surprised if all Jaguar owners
 buy a CatBox.  My family is really thankful for the headphone jacks when
 our twin boys are playing Raiden.  Finally, peace and quiet again in the
 game room.  The boys can't wait for the next generation of multi-player
 games to arrive.  Imagine, dual Jaguars head to head.  CatBox will help
 make this possible.  It makes so much sense, I don't know why it wasn't
 done before."  CatBox will begin shipping late this quarter at an MSRP
 of $49.95.  CatBox+ will have an MSRP of $69.95.  ICD, Inc., a well known
 developer of Atari computer products will be marketing CatBox.  ICD is
 taking orders now with shipments expected in August.

                                 
                       For more information, contact:
                     Thomas D. Harker, Black Cat Design
                           (815)968-2228 ext. 222 
                              Fax (815)968-6888

                 CatBox is a trademark of Black Cat Design.
         All other trademarks are those of their respective holders.
      

                 ___________________________________________



 > Jaguar '94 Titles! STR InfoFile!  -  Prospective Games For 1994!
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

 Below is a list of software titles planned for release in 1994 by Atari or
 third party.  Data obtained from printed sources provided at the Summer
 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held June 23 through June 25 in Chicago
 (1994).  Titles marked by "*" were demonstrated as complete or "work in 
 progress" at the show.

 Clearly, all of this will not meet our 1994 release goals, however, much
 of it will and the remainder will follow soon thereafter.

                                  -- Don Thomas
                                     Atari Corporation



  *Alien vs. Predator (AvP)      Atari Corporation
  *Battlezone                    Atari Corporation
   Battlemorph                   Atari Corporation
  *Blue Lightning (CD-ROM)       Atari Corporation
  *Bubsy                         Atari Corporation
  *Checkered Flag (was Red Line) Atari Corporation
  *Club Drive (voice/modem)      Atari Corporation
  *Cybermorph                    Atari Corporation
   Demolition Man (CD-ROM)       Atari Corporation
  *Dino Dudes                    Atari Corporation
   Doom (Network, Voice/Modem)   Atari Corporation
   Highlander (CD-ROM)           Atari Corporation
  *Iron Soldier                  Atari Corporation
  *Jack Nicklaus Cyber Golf (CD) Atari Corporation
  *Kasumi Ninja                  Atari Corporation
  *Raiden                        Atari Corporation
  *Space War                     Atari Corporation
  *Tempest 2000                  Atari Corporation
  *Trevor McFur/Crescent Galaxy  Atari Corporation
  *Wolfenstein 3D                Atari Corporation
   Pinball Dreams                21st Century
  *Starbattle (working title)    4-Play
   Hosenose and Booger           All Systems Go
   BIOS Fear                     All Systems Go
   BattleWheels                  Beyond Games Inc.
  *Ultra Vortex                  Beyond Games Inc.
   Nanoterror (working title)    Delta Music Systems
   Droppings (working title)     Delta Music Systems
   Lester the Unlikely           DTMC
  *Zool 2                        Gremlin Graphics
  *Ruiner                        High Voltage Software
   Kickoff 3/World Cup           Imagineer
   Valus Force                   JVC Muc\sical Undustrie Inc.
   Gunship 2000                  Microprose UK
   Commando                      Microids
   Evidence                      Microids
   Air Cars                      MidNite Entertainment Inc.
   Dungeon Depths                MidNite Entertainment Inc.
   Assault                       MidNite Entertainment Inc.
   World Cup Soccer              Millenium/Teque
   Ape Sh_t (working title)      Ocean Software Ltd.
   Lobo                          Ocean Software Ltd.
   Theme Park                    Ocean Software Ltd.
   Soccer Kid                    Ocean Software Ltd.
   Syndicate                     Ocean Software Ltd.
   Galatic Gladiators            Photosurealism
   Neurodancer                   PIXIS Interactive
  *Rally (working title)         Rage
   Dragon's Lair                 Readysoft
   Robinson's Requiem            Silmarils
  *Brutal Sports Football        Telegames
   Ultimate Brain Games          Telegames
  *World Class Cricket           Telegames
  *White Men Can't Jump          Trimark Interactive
   Flashback                     U.S. Gold Ltd.
  *Rayman                        UBI Soft
   Horrorscope                   V-Real
  *Arena Football                V-Real
   Cannon Fodder                 Virgin Interactive
   Creature Shock                Virgin Interactive
   Extreme Skiing/Snowboard      Virtual Studios
   Zozziorx (working title)      Virtual Experience
   Indiana Jags (working title)  Virtual Experience
  *Double Dragon V               Williams Entertainment Inc.
  *Troy Aikman NFL Football      Williams Entertainment Inc.

             All titles are trademarks of their owning companies.

                 __________________________________________



 > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile    -    Online Users Growl & Purr!
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""

 (Editor's note)

      There was a down side to Atari's successful showing at the SCES. 
 Shortly after the show's close, CNBC's stock market analyst, Dan Dorfman
 reported that Atari was close to bankruptcy amid reports from Wall Street
 analyst Martin Sass claiming that Atari had no earnings, no money, and
 that the Jaguar was a dud.  Needless to say, Atari stock took a nosedive
 shortly afterward.  There's been a great deal of discussion going on in
 Compuserve's Atari Gaming forums about this topic.  Here's just one of
 those messages from CIS:
    

 "On another note...Now that the summer CES is over and Wall Street has
 had a chance to consider what they saw it doesn't appear that ATARI
 impressed anyone. I see it's down 25% today.  That's an amazing whack
 for one day."

 Got a note from Sam Tramiel tonight.  He talked to Dan Dorfman (who
 reported the news that sent the stock spiralling today), and they
 clarified that the drop was caused by rumors started by short position
 money managers--they will be working to put to rest this rumor.  IOW, it
 was a b.s. story started by profit-seekers that caused the stock to drop.

 Why?

 Because the stock was about to go UP, and it would've cost those who are
 making their money based on short position drops a real profit--remember,
 Sass, who engineered this drop, has already put money on the line saying
 that Atari's value will plummet.  This sleazy maneuver prevented the good
 news from CES from having any effect whatsoever, and rustled up money in
 Sass' pockets.  It's so transparent that it's scary--if I were a
 stockholder, I'd be furious at this bottom-feeding based on lies and
 innuendo, which cost Atari the hard-won gains it was due after the CES."


                   **Atari Denies Bankruptcy Report**

      Reuters says Atari Corp. is denying broadcast comments that it might
 go bankrupt.  But a company official told the news service that he no
 longer expected the company to be profitable overall in 1994.

     "We're a long way from bankruptcy," Atari chief financial officer
 August Liguori told Reuters, adding that the Sunnyvale, Calif.- based
 video game firm has $35 to $37 million in cash and readily marketable
 securities.

     Liguori observed, "I certainly do feel that the profitability will
 occur in the first quarter of 1995 when we will not have as much
 advertising expenditure relative to sales."

     CNBC correspondent Dan Dorfman had quoted Wall Street analyst Martin
 Sass as saying that Atari has no earnings, no way to make money, an
 obsolete product line, insufficient software and a dud in its Jaguar
 Multimedia home entertainment system, says Reuters.

     For more news from Reuters, visit the Executive News Service
 (GO ENS).

                    ____________________________________



 > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine          The wires are a hummin'!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""""
         
          
              
                            PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
                            =====================
             
              
  On CompuServe
  -------------
  compiled by
  Joe Mirando




   Hidi ho good neighbors.  Another week has come and gone and there's a
 new crop of hints, tips and information here on CompuServe.

   And then there is Aerosmith's previously un-released song "Head First"
 which is available by typing GO AEROSMITH.  The file is a long one...
 2.2 megabytes for the monaural version; twice that size for the stereo
 version.  Although CompuServe says that the song, which is in Microsoft
 WAVE format, can only be played on a DOS machine with Windows and a
 sound card, I was able to play it on my STacy (4 meg) using DMJ's
 program, SoundLab and nothing else.  Its quite a feeling to be able to
 do something on my lowly stock ST computers that would take several
 hundred dollars worth of software, a few hundred more for CPU power and
 at least another hundred for a sound card on that other platform.  Hey,
 ya gotta take victories wherever ya find 'em, right?

   Well anyway, let's get on with the purpose of this column:  All the
 great news, hints, tips and information available on CompuServe this
 week...


 From the Atari Computing Forum
 ==============================

 Jonnie Santos asks:

   "Why are the prices of modems dropping so quickly?  I've heard new
   modems are in the works that will use the coax line from the cable
   company and data speeds are something like 10-times faster than today's
   speeds using the new setup.
   
   I'm now at 14.4 and while it is fast, speed is addicting (like food,
   money, and a few other things I can think of)...<grin>"

 Sysop Jim Ness tells Jonnie:

   "The main reasons for low modem costs are competition and volume.
   
   Everything in the online world is exploding with growth, as the world
   becomes more computer literate and interested in the "Info Highway."
   CompuServe just announced a record year, and I'm sure most of the other
   online services will be doing the same.

   That means lots of people buying new modems, which results in more
   manufacturers being interested in that business.  More competition,
   high volume:  lower prices.
   
   As you say, cable companies are experimenting in telecom.  CompuServe
   itself is participating with a cable company (some undisclosed
   location) in providing high speed access via a special interface box
   with RS232 connector. No modem, as such."

 Isaac Clevenger Moore sends up an SOS:

   "Help  I'm new to compuserve, and can't seem to download anything. I'm
   using the Atari STe, a real cheap modem, and the VT52 Emulator from the
   language disk.  When I try to download, I get as far as the pathname
   (A:/...), then the compu locksup. the cursor blinks but I can't write
   anything."

 Sysop Bill Aycock tells Isaac:

   "Welcome aboard!  Your problem is that the VT52 emulator doesn't
   support any kind of file transfers.  If you know of a local Atari user
   group, you may be able to get a copy of a good shareware terminal
   program that will download."

 Isaac tells Bill:

   "Thanks for a quick response. I'm really glad to know that the VT52
   dosen't transfer files. (Iwas beginnig to get mad that I couldn't
   figure it out). I live in the charlotte area. Any additional help would
   be appreciated."

 On the subject of the possibility of Atari building a computer based on
 their kick-the-competition-in-the-butt video machine, the Jaguar, Dazzz
 Smith speaks his mind:

   "...nah forget it, wait 5 years for Atari to get a prototype Jag
   computer out...."

 Bill Devonshire replies to Dazzz:

   "...do you really think it would take them 5 years to put together a
   Jag based computer?  The basic premise of the topic is to stop the
   constant obsolecensce of technology.  The ST series is still a viable
   and useable technology.  Typewriters still exist and they do much less
   than what an St can do.  Hooking it up to a Jaguar benefits in both
   ways in that the Jag benefits from the Computer related functions and
   the ST from the higher powered hardware.  It would be nice to run two
   monitors at the same time.  One in 16 color and the other in 16 million
   colors.  Look at Windows, we can run it in 256 color mode, but most
   people run it in 16 color for faster screen redraws.  Although money is
   the key to putting an interface together the task itself is not so hard
   to achieve.  The ST could remain as a cost effective computer front end
   for Atari's Jaguar as well as the Jag being a powerful upgrade for the
   ST user."

 Dazzz tells Bill:

   "No it wouldn't take 5 years to put together a Jag based computer, but
   my time scale was allowing at least 2 years of non computer work at
   Atari (Probably 3) before the Jag makes or breaks the company, and they
   even thought of getting back into computers, add in time for R&D and
   missed schedules and I reckon its a pretty good guess...."

 Having followed the trials and tribulations that Atari Corp has gone
 through over the past several years, I tend to agree with Dazzz.

 Meanwhile, Jody Golick asks:

   "Has anyone tried using an ST with Atari laser printer as a printer
   for a PC?  I know I can transfer ASCII back and forth easily enough via
   floppy but I am trying to avoid re-formatting on the ST.  And what if I
   want to print non-text?
   
   But I was wondering if there isn't perhaps a port-to-port method where
   the PC would think the ST was simply a printer.  I would probably need
   to concoct the appropriate driver on the PC end, but what would the
   Atari be thinking?
   
   On the other hand, the laser printer would make a dandy anchor.  Maybe
   I should just get a boat and forget the whole crazy idea..."

 Sysop Bob Retelle tells Jody:

   "That's not such a crazy idea... it's occurred to a lot of people ever
   since the SLM laser printers appeared...
   
   Unfortunately...
   
   There has to be something running on the ST that will take the input
   from the PC and send it to the SLM printer...  and that's where the
   problem lies.
   
   Apparently the Diablo Emulator that comes with the SLM laser DOES have
   a limited ability to do exactly what you want to do...  but... only if
   you want to print in Diablo emulation.
   
   Another idea, although it's not exactly a "plug and play" printer
   replacement like you had in mind, would be to print your files into
   PostScript, then transfer the files to the ST and use UltraScript or
   GhostScript to print them.
   
   What we need is someone to write a "printer emulator" for the ST, on a
   plug-in ST cartridge that would just take input from the ST's parallel
   port, build the page in the ST's memory, then send it out the DMA port
   to the printer...  essentialy turning the ST/SLM combination into a
   "laser printer".
   
   (Then again, maybe your boat idea would be more likely to happen..."

 Jodi tells Bob:

   "I thought someone might suggest something like that.  I don't really
   understand what PostScript is.  But you imply it is compatible with
   GhostScript and UltraScript - and the SLM.  Can graphics be printed
   too? If this solution could be made to work transparently it might come
   close to suiting my purposes.  The main thing, for me, is not to have
   to spend hours and hours fiddling around just to get a decent printout.
   
   But why on a cartridge?  I am no programmer, but it doesn't sound like
   a horribly complex piece of work, especially if it just sat quietly in
   memory and did its thing...
   
   Are there any Atari programmers left out there?"

 Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Jody:

   "UltraScript and GhostScript are PostScript clones.  Of the two
   GhostScript is much better at being compatible with true PostScript
   also.
   
   PostScript is general purpose programming language like basic and C.
   It has a closer feel to Forth than the other languages.  PostScript is
   also good at generating output and that is where it earned a very good
   reputation."

 Jody trys to pull all of this new information together:

   "Lemme see if I've got this straight.  Word processing software on the
   PC can generate output - instead of to a printer - to a PostScript file
   which GhostScript can then print beautifully on the SLM804?  Does it
   work with graphics as well as text?  Have you or (anyone else) actually
   tried it?  Is it relativey hassle free?
   
   I still think turning the ST/SLM combo into a "printer" is a more
   elegant solution to my problem.  Would it be possible to write a
   program in GhostScript that would achieve this result?"

 Bob Retelle tells Jody:

   "You've essentially got it right...
   
   A wordprocessor or DTP program which has a Postscript output option
   can convert its output directly into a "Postscript file", which can be
   either sent directly to a printer, or saved on disk and processed
   indirectly (as we were discussing doing).
   
   As Albert mentioned, Postscript is an interpreted language which was
   developed specifically for this application (it's called a "page
   description language").  A Postscript output file is actually an ASCII
   text file.. you can literally read it, and even put it into an editor
   and edit its commands to tweak the output if you wanted to.
   
   Essentially the language tells the output device what the final page
   should look like by describing where all the different elements of the
   page, the type, the fonts, lines and graphics, and any other features,
   should be positioned, and how they should appear.
   
   Postscript was developed by Adobe, and licensed to various
   manufacturers so a printer could have the Postscript interpreter built
   in.  Unfortunately this used to add a considerable amount to the cost,
   but in recent years Adobe has released the core of Postscript into the
   Public Domain.
   
   In the meantime, several "clones" of Postscript interpreters were
   developed, including Ultrascript on the Atari ST, which is a commercial
   product, and the Ghostscript project, which is a Public Domain effort
   by the GNU C folks...
   
   Using "Postscript" on an Atari ST with an SLM printer is a two-step
   process.  (unfortunately not "transparent", as you were hoping for).
   First your application has to create the Postscript file on disk, then
   you run the interpreter, either Ultrascript or Ghostscript, which
   converts the Postscript commands to a page which can be sent to the SLM
   and finally printed.
   
   What you could do is to have your PC application print a Postscript
   file to a floppy and then have the ST print the file to the SLM using
   Ghostscript.  (Unfortunately another "gotcha" is that many Postscript
   files, especially those with graphics embedded in them, are VERY large
   and might not fit on an ST disk even if compressed).
   
   Whew.. long story..!
   
   (Oh.. the reason I thought about having the "ST printer emulator" on a
   cartridge is that it wouldn't require any disk drives attached to the
   ST... you could just plug in the cartridge and the ST and SLM would act
   like a dedicated "laser printer"...)"

 Albert Dayes adds:

   "PostScript does not have text mode ... everything is graphics.  A
   PostScript file is commands on how draw what every the object is.  But
   you have the right idea of generating a PostScript file on any computer
   and printing it on an Atari via GhostScript.
   
   GhostScript v2.6.1 does have a driver for the SLM printer on the Atari
   so it should work okay.  I only use GhostScript for viewing PostScript
   (PS) files not printing them since I have a real Adobe PostScript
   printer.  GhostScript should work with almost everything but it is
   still a clone of PostScript (by Adobe ...  not the real thing).  Almost
   everything I have thrown at it generated on a PC or Atari seems to work
   without any problems at all.
   
   GhostScript requires fonts to generate the output correctly.  You can
   use PC compatible fonts (Like *.pfb) files for those.  If you are just
   using it mostly for graphics then fonts are probably not a big issue.
   There are some GhostScript fonts in the library as well if you don't
   have commercial fonts from Adobe's ATM for example.
   
   The version 2.6.1 is in the library and it is around 380K to download.
   It has an easy to use GEM interface with a command/console window and
   another window for the image itself (for screen display).  Output can
   be re-directed to a printer like the SLM printer and other devices as
   well."


 From the Palmtop Forum
 ======================


 Dirk Zeller posts:

   "I just ordered my portfolio today and Im excited to see there is a
   Portfolio-section here on compuserve.
   
   Since everything is absolutely new to me its hard to put suggestions,
   but I hope I can play an active roll in the future.  btw, are there
   some other german members in this section?"

 George Rios asks Dirk:

   "Can I ask some questions?  How much was it?  where did you order it
   from?  did you order any thing additional? (ie, Memory)"

 Dirk tells George:

   "Hi George, its not a brand new one, i got it from a friend..  i paid
   200 DM, thats about 120 us$ for the port + 128KB memcard + serial bus.
   i think thats alright."

 David Martin posts:

   "My Portfolio quit working. I heard that Atari will replace it as a
   repair. Does anyone know how much they charge?"

 Sysop Marty Mankins tells David:

   "The charge to replace a broken Portfolio is $110.  This will get you
   a brand new Port.  It's worth it if you use the Portfolio all the
   time."

 On the subject of finding a source of ramcards for the Casio Z-7000 (or
 the Tandy Z-PDA), Peter Chin posts:

   "I've found a source of cheap 1MB SRAM card that can be used on the
   Zoomer.  MacZone have around 15 of the Apple Newton 1MB storage cards
   still in stock for $42.98!!! plus $3.00 for overnight Airbourne
   shipping. I just got 2 of them and it works just fine, I even got the
   CIS for Geos transfer to it and the other one I'll use for backup. If
   anyone is interested, just call 1-800-248-0800 and ask for Mike,
   extension 3626. The catalog number is 97809 and for $43 + $3 you really
   can't go wrong."

 Master Sysop Ron Luks, reporting from the Summer Consumer Electronics
 Show, tells us:

   "Although CASIO was not on the CES/PCC show floor with their Z-7000
   unit, I did manage to talk to some of the folks in that division and
   wanted to share the latest info with you.
   
   CASIO remains behind the Zoomer units, but they are currently pursuing
   vertical markets more aggressively than in the past. (Makes sense,
   because every pen manufacturer seems pointed in this direction).
   However, they have no plans to discontinue the horizontal marketing of
   the Zoomer.

   Contrary to statements made last January by top management, it doesnt
   look like there will be any new Zoomer hardware models out this year
   (1994). There are no plans in the works for a ROM upgrade ala the
   Newton at this time.
   
   There will be more software available (4th Qtr 94), some of which will
   be "very, very significant."  (I was told what some of the offerings
   are, but cant talk about them under non-disclosure, but they do sound
   significant.)
   
   I talked about the performance of the Z-7000 (as compared to the
   Newton) and was told that the "horsepower" of the CPU wasnt the main
   stumbling block.  I was told that it is possible to write much peppier
   software for the present software, even with the current ROMS, and that
   customers should be seeing this by the end of the year."

 Sysop Marty Mankins tells Ron:

   "Well, the news of no new Zoomers is not good news, but the new
   software that Casio says will be out later this year sounds
   interesting.
   
   And knowing your view on this market, I'd say these new apps are going
   to be killer ones, maybe even the kind that will sell the Zoomer."

 Well folks, that's about it for this week.  Again, we didn't get to the
 Video Game Publishers' Forum.  There's just so much information
 available that its hard to fit everything in each and every week.  I
 know that you understand, but why not drop me a line and tell me what
 you think?  My CompuServe address is 73637,2262 so let's hear from you.

 Be sure to tune in again next week and be ready to listen to what they
 are saying when...


                             PEOPLE ARE TALKING


                ____________________________________________




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


 - New York City, NY                      DORFMAN CLOBBERS ATARI'S STOCK?
   -----------------

      NEW YORK, June 28 (Reuter) - Money manager Martin Sass of MD Sass
 Investors has reinforced his short position on Atari Corp and sees the
 company possibly going bankrupt, Dan Dorfman reported on CNBC-TV.

      Dorfman quoted Sass as saying "Atari has no earnings, no way to make
 money, its old product line is obsolete, there is insufficient software,
 and the Jaguar Multimedia home entertainment system touted by Atari has
 failed."

     Sass expects Atari stock to become worthless, ..Dorfman said.

             Spokesmen at Atari were not available for comment.


                      _________________________________



 - Chicago, IL              JAGUAR DEVELOPER PANS JAGUAR'S NEW GAMES!
   -----------

      You want the scoop ? I was at CES and I'll throw my two cents worth
 out for public consuption.  My opinions are not biased in this sense:
                
                1 - I am a licensed Jag developer 
                2 - I have written 2 games for the Lynx 
                3 - I like the look of the Jag system hardware 
                4 - I think the world of Williams Electronics

 so here it goes.... 

 TROY AIKMAN FOOTBALL
      It was showing a demo only. It was running slow ! It was similar to
 John Madden football in layout but graphically it didn't say much for the
 Jags capabilities. Double Dragon 5 ...who cares....enough said.

 AvP
      Slow but smooth graphics. What I played had a huge and boring
 endlessly large level. If you played as the marine you could walk
 backwards down a hall faster than anything could walk forward after you.(
 what's the deal ????) The predator weapons seamed pretty lame. If you
 played as the alien it crashed the game !!!! Not much animation to
 anything. If an alien and a predator were behind a door they could not
 open it and when in the same room they just stood around and didn't attack
 each other. What is all the hype about.

 DOOM
      I saw it running with no weapons and no monsters and it didn't run as
 smooth as I have seen it run on a good 386. Graphics weren't much
 different from the IBM version. Good but not special.

 Wolf 3D
      Looks and plays just like the IBM version. NO big deal. They should
 have redone the graphics.

 Kasumi Ninja and Ultra Vortex
      Both had fairly choppy animation and KN had way too much blood. Every
 time you hit your opponent it left a blood spot on the ground. They went
 overboard on the blood and it will likely backfire on them.  I'm not
 saying I don't like blood, I have no problem with that, but every move
 shouldn't have it.  Nothing spectacular.  Wait and play MK II on Genesis
 or SNES it looks great.

      That's enough for now. I'll report more later this week. If you have
 requests just let me know. Don't hold your breath though... nothing looks
 that close to completion.

                                         Dave Dies Shadowsoft Inc.

                        ____________________________


 - San Francisco, CA                JAY MINER DIES OF HEART FAILURE!
   -----------------

 [From    ] Gary Chow                        [MSG 50 OF 51]
 [To      ] All                              [Has Reply 51]
 [Date    ] Sun 26 Jun 94 13:18
 [Subject ] Jay Miner

 Jay Miner passed away June 20, 1994, at the El Camino Hospital in
 MountainView.  The actual cause of death was heart failure, but it was the
 result of kidney complications.  A private memorial service will be held
 in early July.

 He'll be greatly missed and much remembered.

 David Czaya                                          ...via AutoPilot
 73445,407





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

 > A "Quotable Quote"              "The Dan Quayle Follies!"
   """"""""""""""""" 


 December 6, 1991 
 ----------------
 Quayle says of John Sununu's departure from the White House:



                    "THIS ISN'T A MAN WHO IS LEAVING....
                     ...WITH HIS HEAD BETWEEN HIS LEGS."


Note:  ...and Quayle wants to run for President?? 


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