ST Report: 11-Aug-95 #1132
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 08/13/95-06:39:00 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 11-Aug-95 #1132
Date: Sun Aug 13 18:39:00 1995
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STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #32
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
General Computer News
Compaq Takes Monitor Lead
Compaq Computer Corp., which has led the PC market in shipments for the
past six quarters, has also taken the lead in the PC monitor market, finds
an industry study. According to a Dataquest survey of the 1994 worldwide
monitor market, Compaq increased its monitor shipments 55.4% from 1993 and
captured the number one spot among the top 10 monitor vendors. Surpassing
IBM Corp., NEC Corp. and Apple Computer Inc., Compaq led with a 15% unit
share of the top 10 monitor brands.
Pinnacle Sets CD-R Price Break
Pinnacle Micro Inc. says it has become the first company to offer a
recordable CD (CD-R) system for under $1,300. Pinnacle's RCD-1000 will
retail for $1,295, down from $1,695, for the internal PC version; and
$1,495, down from $1,695, for the Macintosh model. Street prices are
estimated to be between $1,100 to $1,200.
System prices include both mastering software and a backup utility, as
well as two blank compact discs. Each blank CD holds 650MB of data or 74
minutes of audio. A multimedia CD with over 100 startup and
motivation videos will also be provided with the system.
Claris to Ship Graphics Program
Claris Corp. reports that ClarisImpact 2.0, its charting and diagramming
program for Windows and Macintosh computers, will begin shipping later
this month.
The software is designed to help users create a variety of business
graphics, including connected diagrams such as organizational charts,
flow charts, computer diagrams, brainstorm charts and total quality
management charts. The program also permits the creation of project time
lines, calendars, data charts and free-form graphics.
Claris, the software subsidiary of Apple Computer Inc., notes that
ClarisImpact 2.0 is both a native Power Macintosh application and a 32-
bit application ready for Windows 95. ClarisImpact 2.0 is scheduled to
ship by the end of August for $129. ClarisImpact 1.0 users will be able
to upgrade for $59. A trade-up from a competing graphics product, such as
FileMaker Pro or ClarisWorks, will cost $69.
Feds Won't Block Win95 Release
Antitrust regulators with the U.S. Justice Department say they won't take
action on the Microsoft Network or Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 95
software before the new products' release in two weeks.
Justice Department officials this week released a two-sentence statement
saying a probe of the Microsoft Network "and other issues associated with
possible anti-competitive practices relating to Windows 95 is ongoing,
(but that) the department does not expect to complete its investigation or
reach a decision on possible enforcement action" before the Aug. 24
release.
Microsoft Network Sets Limit
Microsoft Corp. says it will limit initial membership to its new Microsoft
Network online service to 500,000 subscribers, because it is concerned too
many people could sign on before the network and billing structure are
ready to handle a heavy load. "Microsoft doesn't want to alienate those
first visitors to its service," said editor Dwight Davis of the Windows
Watcher newsletter.
The 500,000 charter members will be charged $39.95 per year for three
hours of use per month, with each additional hour billed at $2.50.
(Various other membership plans range in price from $4.95 per month for
three hours of online time, plus $2.50 for additional hours, to $19.95 a
month for 20 hours.) MSN is to debut with the company's Aug. 24 release
of its new operating system, Windows 95.
MCI, Delphi to Marry Online
Rumors say that MCI Communications Corp. is set to merge its online
business with News Corp.'s Delphi system. Reports quote executives
familiar with the negotiations as saying British Telecommunications Plc is
holding talks to buy a stake in the joint venture. The joint venture will
include 250 employees of MCI and 450 from Delphi Internet Services Co. and
its online game unit Kesmai Corp. and combine the more than 200,000
MCIMail customers with the 100,000 Delphi subscribers.
NEC Unveils Big LCD
NEC Electronics has introduced a 11.3-inch color SVGA LCD, the largest
flat panel display that can fit into a notebook computer. NEC notes that
the new active-matrix thin film transistor (TFT) panel offers a 6-bit per
color (18-bit) display with a palette of 262,000 colors.
Samples of the 11.3-inch display are expected to become available this
month, with production shipping estimated to begin in this fall. Pricing
is slated to start at $2,200 each in single-unit quantities. "Most
desktop computers have 14- or 15-inch color monitors, which have a display
area that is only two or three inches larger than the 11.3-inch TFT LCDs,"
says Omid Milani, senior marketing manager at NEC Electronics. "NEC's
11.3-inch LCD displays applications at nearly the same size as people are
used to seeing on their desktop system."
Games for Her Changes Name
American Laser Games' nine- month-old Games for Her division, which
creates interactive software products for girls and women, has switched
its name to Her Interactive. The unit provides CD-ROM games for girls;
Her On-Line, an on-line service for girls that's slated for a fall launch;
and informational and educational CD-ROM products. Other projects under
development include book properties and retail showcase CD-ROMs.
"When we started this new division in November, 1994, the name Games For
Her was a logical extension of American Laser Games' entertainment
orientation," explains Robert Grebe, president of American Laser Games,
which is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Her Interactive'
reflects the growing scope of projects under development, including
interactive products other than games."
Apple Drops Power Mac Prices
Seen as an attempt to close the gap with its IBM-compatible rivals, Apple
Computer Inc. is cutting prices of its flagship Power Macintosh PCs,
offering reconfigured machines with different components and
microprocessor speeds in three lines. Reporting in The Wall Street
Journal this week, writer Jim Carlton says new low-end Power Macs and
medium-priced models are roughly 35% to 40% cheaper than slightly faster
predecessor models. The high-end models have been reduced in price by
about 25%.
"The low-end models, which compete in the most price-sensitive segment of
the market, are now comparable in price to those of most competitors using
Intel Corp.'s microprocessors and Microsoft's operating systems, the
so-called Wintel standard," Carlton said.
He added, "The cuts trail by 17 months Apple's introduction of its Power
Mac line, when the company promised that its computers would be
consistently priced below those of rivals. Instead, Apple kept its prices
high in an attempt to maximize profits, and because a lack of components
restricted production. As a result, its share of the world-wide market
dwindled last year to 8% from 15% or more in the late 1980s."
All this leads some to say the price cuts are too little, too late, noting
only two of the three lines are priced close to the competition, the
Journal says.
"A Dataquest analysis forecasts that Apple's market share will drop to
about 5% over the next five years, under an assault from Windows 95," the
paper adds, "and Apple concedes it is still struggling with component
shortages that will constrain production for at least the next two
months." Still, some industry experts think that if Apple can eventually
deliver enough machines, the new Power Macs "are enticing enough to give
the company a chance of at least holding on to its existing share of the
global PC market," Carlton comments.
Also, "Apple can now brag that it has high-speed computers in the low
range that are less expensive than most of the competition," the paper
reported. "The low-end Power Mac 7200 model, equipped with a 75-megahertz
PowerPC chip and multimedia gear, is priced at $1,699, about $100 to $300
below comparably configured computers from International Business Machines
Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. It is just slightly more
expensive than models offered by the most aggressive price cutters, such
as Packard Bell Electronics Inc. and AST Research Inc., when comparisons
are adjusted to include a color monitor and bigger hard drives."
Toshiba Combines Modem, Camera
A digital still camera equipped with a modem and communications
software for sending recorded images via standard phone lines is to be
introduced on the Japanese market next month by Toshiba Corp.
Toshiba officials in Tokyo say the new Proshot is the world's first still
camera with built-in communications functions. It incorporates a
16-megabit NAND flash memory and 2MB of data storage and has a microphone
that will allow users to record audio signals. The camera, which is 15.2
cm wide and 3.55 cm high, also features
fully automated focusing and a built-in automatic flash.
It can be connected with equipment such as liquid crystal displays,
printers and television monitors, allowing instant monitoring and
production of images. The Proshot's memory capacity of 40 digital images
can be enhanced more than tenfold by inserting an optional computer memory
card in the camera's built-in slot." Toshiba officials said the firm
expects to sell 12,000 units per year in Japan and will market similar
models overseas in future.
Sharp Offers New Flat-Screen TVs
Japan's Sharp Corp., world biggest maker of liquid crystal displays, is
building on its LCD technology by bringing out four flat, panel-display
televisions to the Japanese market next month. Reports from Tokyo say
Sharp will launch 43-inch and 36-inch rear projection TV sets that use a
four-inch panel of thin film transistor
LCD to project images on the screen, and are about half the weight of
conventional models. Sharp also will introduce smaller 10.4-inch and
8.4-inch TVs.
Major Japanese electronics companies are focusing on development of
large-screen flat TV sets before the start of full-scale broadcasting of
high-definition television programs, expected about 1997 in Japan.
Meanwhile, NEC Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. are developing flat-panel displays
based on plasma display panel technology, while Sony Corp. is developing
flat displays based on plasma addressed liquid crystal technology, a
mixture of PDP and LCD technologies.
Dataquest Says Compaq Is Top Vendor
Compaq Computer Corp. remained in first place among PC vendors during the
second quarter this year, where it has been since the first quarter of
1994. That is the finding of Dataquest Inc. analysts who also say IBM
ranked second, followed sequentially by Apple Computer Inc., NEC Corp.,
Packard Bell and Hewlett-Packard Co.
Dataquest found Compaq out-paced all rivals by nearly 400,000 shipments in
the second quarter "and is well positioned to lead the market at year-end
for the second consecutive year."
Findings included:
-:- Compaq shipped 1.45 million units in the second quarter, up 25% from
the previous second quarter.
-:- IBM shipped 1.06 million units, up 24.7%, and Apple shipped 1.01
million units, up 19.5%.
-:- NEC shipped 645,000 units, up 38.7%.
-:- Packard Bell shipped 585,000 units, up 31.5%.
-:- Hewlett-Packard shipped 520,000 units, up 55.2%.
Fujitsu Targets 3-D Market
Fujitsu Microelectronics Inc. plans to aggressively develop products that
will bring high- quality 3-D graphics to the mainstream PC market. The
company says it will develop several 3-D product lines for PC systems. The
firm will target all segments of the 3-D marketplace from CAD engineers
and multimedia developers to players of 3-D- based games such as Doom and
Myst. Fujitsu believes that as performance, price and memory barriers are
overcome, demand for powerful and affordable tools to support
3-D-intensive applications and game software will increase dramatically.
"Continued growth in 3-D acceleration for the PC will be driven by the
entertainment and games markets," says Mark Kirstein, senior analyst at
the industry research firm In-Stat. "Performance improvements provided by
hardware acceleration solutions will drive the state-of-the-art in
visualization, high-quality imaging and interaction."
"In this emerging market, users will be looking for 3-D graphics
performance at the right price," adds Jim Evert, vice president of
Fujitsu's graphics unit. "The release of Windows 95 and further support
for the Plug and Play standards will attract more of the mainstream market
to 3-D graphics applications."
Sybex to Publish New Game Books
Interactive Magic, the multimedia simulation and strategy game company,
has reached a publishing agreement with Sybex Computer Books. Sybex, a
leading publisher of computer strategy guides, will publish companion
books for a number of Interactive Magic's upcoming titles. The first
Strategies & Secrets book published under the agreement will be a guide to
Apache, Interactive Magic's new helicopter simulation. Sybex will later
publish guides for Interactive Magic's Capitalism and Star Rangers titles,
as well as additional releases in 1996.
Sybex works with leading computer game companies and has produced guides
for such titles as Doom and Myst. The Strategies & Secrets guides will
feature a "Walkaround" format, allowing readers to gain an understanding
of the game without giving away vital secrets.
Robotics Unit Ships PC Card
The new CruiseCard PC Card modems specifically designed for Power-Books
made by Apple Computer Inc. has been introduced by Megahertz Corp., a
subsidiary of U.S. Robotics Corp. Reports quote Megahertz officials as
saying two versions of the CruiseCard PC Card modem will be available the
week of Aug. 28. The 14.4Kbps CruiseCard has a suggested retail price of
$249 and the 28.8Kbps CruiseCard has a suggested retail price of $399.
Frankie's Corner STR Feature
Is Christmas Around the Corner?
The Kids' Computing Corner
by Frank Sereno
Sitting here in Illinois with the temperatures above the 90-degree mark
again, my thoughts turn to Christmas. It's never too early to plan ahead
for your holiday gift-giving and the kind folks at Sanctuary Woods have
provided a list of tips for Christmas software purchases.
Santa's CD-ROM Software Buying Tips
1) Look for products that are easy to install. Most software products
are purchased by computer novices. Santa always recommends CD-ROM
based software and research shows that CD-ROM software is the
easiest to install and run. Check the software system requirements
and make sure the product is compatible with your computer.
2) Purchase sequels of popular disk-based products. The installed base
of computer-based CD-ROMs has more than double, from 5.4 million in
1993 to 10.5 million in 1994 and projections for 1995 have the
installed base reaching over 15.0 million. (Source: The Market
Intelligence Report, April 1995) CD-ROM's offer enhanced graphics
and sound. Many popular disk-based products have been upgraded to
the CD-ROM format, including Oregon Trail II and Kid Pix Studio.
3) Find out what's new. Ask your child's teacher to recommend both
educational and entertainment software appropriate for your child.
Find out what software they are using in the classroom, both
educational and reference, and ask for recommendations. If school
is out holiday recess, ask family members and neighbors for their
favorite software. (Frank's note: Or continue to read this
column!)
4) Search for interactive products. Many educational and reference
software comes bundled with almanacs or read-along books that
reinforce what kids learn on the computer while off the computer.
Seek out products that foster creativity with options that let
children print out and color their own stories, compose and record
their own music, or read a book about a character in the game.
5) Evaluate products by their teaching methods. Concept-based learning
is a very popular teaching method that uses real-life situations to
teach math, science, and English. One product that incorporates
this teaching principle along with the popular sports genre is
Sanctuary Woods' NFL Math. Kids use their math skills to calculate
Troy Aikman's average yards gained per pass or identify the greatest
attendance at an NFL game.
6) Look for product incentives and promotions. During the holidays
many publishers offer two products for the price of one or dollars
off coupons through local retailers. Check out Sanctuary Woods'
year-round Buy One, Give One program; where you buy any educational
product and give a free copy to the school of your choice.
7) Check out the return policy. Find out the publisher's return policy
so you're not stuck with a product your child won't use. Some
publishers offer a 30-Day money-back guarantee. This allows you and
your child to try the product and determine if the product is
appropriate for your child's development.
8) Software based on popular licensed characters. Products based on
award-winning books and PBS programs from Scholastic Inc., such as
Franklin's Reading World and The Magic School Bus or from Disney
movies are sure favorites.
9) Read holiday buying guides. For an idea of the latest products on
the market, check out holiday buying guides and round-ups. Most
computer magazines review and recommend software for every member of
your family in their November and December issues.
10) Look for products the whole family can use. Some products offer
different levels of game play that range from novice to expert that
the whole family can enjoy.
Did you know that...
From The Market Intelligence Report, 5/95
The largest growth in the home PC market is attributable to CD-ROM usage,
either upgrades of existing machines or replacements of older PCs with new
CD-ROM computers. Nearly 4 in 10 PC households today own a CD-ROM-
equipped PC.
From The New York Times, 5/8/94
65% of households in America with family incomes over $100,000 have a
personal computer.
From The Role of Technology in American Life, 5/94
Approximately 40% of all households with children have a personal
computer.
From Anderson, Computers in American Schools 1992: An Overview
Over 90% of all children at least occasionally use a computer. Whether
that be in their or a friend's home, in a relative's home or in an office.
From EIA 9/11/94
33% of U.S. households own at least one PC.
18% have more than one.
10% of all U.S. households plan to buy a PC by the end of 1995.
People who purchased computers with the past year...
a. 47% upgraded for speed and power
b. 33% were first time buyers
As Christmas nears, I plan to highlight several of the titles I have
reviewed in the past that I feel will be excellent Christmas presents. If
you have any recommendations you would like to make for such an article,
please send them to fsereno@matrix.uti.com and I'll be glad to include
them in this column.
Travelrama USA Deluxe
available on separate CD-ROMs for Windows and Macintosh
for ages 7 & up
MRSP $29.95
from Sanctuary Woods
1825 S. Grant St.
San Mateo, CA 94402
415-286-6000
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
CPU: 386DX-40 CPU: LC III
RAM: 4 megs RAM: 4 megs
OS: Windows 3.1 OS: System 7.0
Hdisk: 6 megs Hdisk: 6 megs
Video: SVGA, 640 by 480, 256 colors Video: 256 colors, 13" mon.
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Misc.: Sound card, speakers, mouse Misc.: Mouse
Travelrama USA Deluxe is a multimedia gaming experience for your entire
family. You and your children will enjoy collecting postcards and
learning geography as you drive and fly across the U.S.A. The game has
three difficulty levels which allow players of differing abilities to play
on relatively equal footing.
The object of the game is to collect the five postcards which the program
assigns to you. You must locate the city or state which associated with
that landmark. For players designated as Student or Learner's Permit
Drivers, they can learn the location of the needed postcards by clicking
on their list. Licensed Drivers can't peek.
In a multiplayer game, each player starts with 500 miles. The player's
turn will end when he either takes a postcard or runs out of travel miles.
Upon his next turn, he will spin for up to 750 travel miles or airplane
tickets. The destinations for the airplane tickets are chosen randomly.
At times none of the destinations will be to the player's advantage. In
these cases, he can choose no destination but he will lose his ticket.
Along the way, the player's travels will bring him to rest areas denoted
by yellow triangles. All rest stops have an associated game card. These
cards have artwork reminiscent of those found in Monopoly. Most of the
cards carry good consequences such as free miles, but some times they call
for the loss of all your travel miles or allowing another player to steal
one of your postcards.
Players can use many strategies to win the game. First, they must use the
least mileage between cities and use the most direct route possible. Game
cards are not hidden for the other player's views, so each player can plot
strategy against his opponents. They can land on the same city as an
opponent and force a trade. It's a good idea to carry an unwanted card
to trade for a card you do need. You can also force a trade on a player
who already has his five postcards but hasn't returned to his point of
origin. As you play the game, you will develop new strategies.
The game also has a solo mode in which a player is given 5000 miles. He
will then be given a score based on postcards collected and leftover miles
after he has collected the five postcards. This will allow a player to
familiarize himself with the more than 600 different postcards.
Travelrama is a bit weak on educational content. Players do get to learn
a little bit about each state, but only enough to whet their interest in
geography. Some of the postcards are of sites that most people would not
be familiar so it is difficult to play as a Licensed Driver. It would
have been better if the program included a small encyclopedia-type study
of each state complete with topographical maps, state history, famous
citizens, points of interest, population data and more. Creating an
interest in geography and travel is good, but children will have to use
another product to learn more.
The program is graphically pleasing. The audio portion is done well. The
host has an amiable and pleasant voice making the gaming experience
enjoyable. The program features fifty toe-tapping theme songs. The
interface is user-friendly and easy. Included is an audible help section
and a guided tour of the program.
Play value is excellent. The game is different each time it is played as
the program automatically rotates the postcards in each state and assigns
new postcards to each player. The entire family from the first-grader to
great-grandma can enjoy a game of Travelrama.
Travelrama USA Deluxe is backed by a 30-Day moneyback guarantee. With its
low price and high fun factor, it is an excellent choice for families
looking an entertaining and educational diversion.
Ratings
Graphics 8.0
Sounds 9.0
Interface 8.5
Play Value 9.5
Educational Value 6.5
Bang for the Buck 8.5
Average 8.33
New Magazine Debuts
"Family Time Computing" is a new magazine dedicated to assisting parents
in choosing the best software for their children. It is published by
Family Time Computing, Inc. and is edited by Marsha Lifter. A paid
subscription allows readers to ask up to five technical questions per
month via e-mail which will be answered by the editor.
The first issue is professionally designed. Eight programs are reviewed.
The reviews usually include a screenshot or box art graphic along with a
very concise but detailed article. At the end of the reviews section is
"Software Report Card" which grades the programs on a checklist of
important criteria for outstanding children's software. Interspersed
among the reviews are quick tips on hardware and software. This issue's
final article was an extensive listing of new software releases including
target ages, pricing, publisher and telephone number.
I am quite impressed with this debut offering. But don't take my word for
it! Contact the publisher for your FREE copy by calling 1-309-664-1742 or
write to:
Family Time Computing, Inc.
P.O. Box 1361
Bloomington, IL 61702-1361
Please include your name and address along with a short note requesting
the free premiere issue. Paid subscriptions are $14.95 per year for ten
issues. Tell them that Frank at Silicon Times Report sent ya!
That's all for this week. Once again, I thank you for reading!
Gateway News STR InfoFile
Gateway 2000 Announces ISO 9002 Certification
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D., August 2, 1995 -- Gateway 2000, Inc. today
announced that its desktop and portable computer manufacturing
headquarters in North Sioux City, South Dakota has been assessed and
certified as meeting the requirements of the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) 9002/ANSI/ASQC Q9002. The ISO 9002 certificate
insures the company's compliance to standard requirements for quality
assurance.
Gateway's ISO 9002 certificate was issued by International Certification
Services, Inc. (SGS) which is accredited by the ANSI-RAB (American
National Standards Institute-Registrations Accreditation Board). The RAB
certificate number is US95/0251.
ISO 9000 provides a foundation for continuous improvement through
consistent procedures, regular internal audits and corrective action
plans. said John d'Auguste, vice president of manufacturing. Gateway 2000
implemented the ISO 9002-based manufacturing management system to improve
internal manufacturing processes and to insure consistent quality within
our entire manufacturing facility.
Gateway's ISO 9002 certification applies to its entire manufacturing
division in North Sioux City, including its production, quality,
shipping, inventory, scheduling, transportation, portables operations,
and purchasing departments.
We recognized ISO as an opportunity to add more value to Gateway's PCs,
said Bill Shea vice president of corporate sales. Many of our corporate
customers are required to purchase PCs built under an ISO 9002 certified
system, so we are very pleased to announce this certification to meet
their needs and to maintain our strong customer satisfaction and
loyalty.
A recent survey conducted by Computer Intelligence InfoCorp (CII)
reinforces this commitment to our customers and their loyalty to us. The
study found that among the Intel/Windows PC manufacturers, Gateway 2000
was the clear-cut winner in repeat purchases or brand loyalty ratings
during 1994. More than 82 percent of those purchasing Gateway 2000 PCs
indicated that they would purchase a Gateway again and strong customer
loyalty was evident across all user segments--the home, self-employed,
and business environments.
About Gateway 2000
Gateway 2000, a Fortune 500 company founded in 1985, currently sells more
PC-compatible systems through the direct market channel in the United
States than any other PC manufacturer. A recent study by Computer
Intelligence/InfoCorp shows that PCs from Gateway 2000 led the PC
industry in repeat purchase or brand "loyalty" ratings during 1994.
Gateway's rating far out-distanced its nearest competitors. The company's
1994 sales were $2.7 billion. Gateway 2000 is listed on the Nasdaq market
as GATE.
MICROGRAFX STR Spotlight
Micrografx Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End Results
Richardson, Texas (August 8, 1995) - Micrografx(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:
MGXI), a leading graphics software developer, today reported income of
$0.2 million, or $0.03 per share, on revenues of $14.5 million for the
fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30, 1995. For the three months ended
June 30, 1994, the company reported revenues of $13.6 million and a net
loss of $1.4 million, or $0.15 per share.
For the year ended June 30, 1995, the company reported revenues of $60.4
million and net income of $1.8 million, or $0.20 per share. This compares
to revenues of $60.7 million and a net loss of $4.8 million, or $0.56 per
share, for the year ended June 30, 1994, which included a one-time
pre-tax restructuring charge of $3.8
million in December 1993.
"Fiscal 1995 was a very good year for Micrografx," said J. Paul Grayson,
Micrografx chairman and chief executive officer. "We have improved our
financial performance while transitioning to more value-oriented business
and consumer product offerings."
Revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 1995 included localized versions
of new product offerings: ABC FlowCharter(R) 4.0 in French; Micrografx
Designer(TM) 4.1 in French, Spanish and Japanese; Picture Publisher(R)
5.0 in Japanese; and Designer Power Pack in French and Japanese.
Chief Financial Officer Gregory A. Peters added, "We are pleased with the
revenue growth experienced this quarter, particularly given the general
softness in overall software sales resulting from the impending release of
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95. More importantly, we have seen substantial
increases in unit shipments
following the availability of our two recent suite offerings, Designer
Power Pack and ABC FlowCharter 4.0. Unit shipments of the professional
graphics products (Designer, Picture Publisher and Designer Power Pack)
and the ABC Product Family were up 124% and 27%, respectively, from the
same quarter last year."
Geographically, for the quarter ended June 30, 1995, the Americas region
contributed 41% of consolidated revenue. Europe contributed 38%, and the
Pacific Rim represented 21% of total revenues. International revenue
growth as a percentage was greatest in Japan, which showed a 39% increase
over the quarter ended June 30, 1994. For the year ended June 30, 1995,
revenues from the Americas region comprised 42% of total revenues; 43%
were from Europe, and 15% from the Pacific Rim.
In connection with the company's ongoing common stock repurchase program,
which was approved by the company's board of directors in May 1994, the
company purchased 40,000 shares of the company's common stock during the
quarter ended June 30, 1995. As of June 30, 1995, approximately 235,000
shares have
been repurchased under the plan.
Subsequent to year-end, the company announced the Micrografx ABC Graphics
Suite(TM) designed for the upcoming Windows 95 operating system. The ABC
Graphics Suite is an integrated offering of diagramming, flowcharting,
clipart management, painting, image editing, and drawing tools, with an
interface designed for Microsoft Office for Windows 95. Toolbars, dialog
boxes and command lists are all designed to Office 95
specifications, allowing people to "use what they know" with Micrografx
ABC Graphics Suite. The Micrografx ABC Graphics Suite is expected to be
available 30 to 45 days after the scheduled August 24 release of Windows
95.
"The launch of Windows 95 is an excellent vehicle for expanding the use of
graphics by the PC business customer," said J. Paul Grayson. "The ABC
Graphics Suite is the first Office compatible graphics suite that has been
designed to specifically fill the graphics needs of business users. By
combining best-of-breed applications and extensive content at an
attractive price, we believe there is no better value in the graphics
market."
Micrografx Launches Creativity Software for Every PC User
Value-Priced ABC Graphics Suite to Anchor Complete Line of Business and
Home Software
Richardson, Texas (August 8, 1995) - Micrografx(R), Inc. (NASDAQ: MGXI)
today announced its entire line of creativity-enhancing software for PC
users worldwide. Micrografx provides a full range of Windows 95 software
applications to increase the graphics abilities of everyone from a three
year-old experiencing a computer for the first time to a Fortune 100 CFO.
Experts Predict Tidal Wave of Windows 95 Opportunities
According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft(R) could ship nearly 30
million copies of Windows 95 during its first four months on the market,
and by 1998 may be selling an additional 100 million copies every year.
In addition, Computerworld's IT Buying Trends newsletter summarized the
Windows 95 market opportunity by saying: "According to IDC, the software
industry will realize a $2 billion spike in U.S. software sales in
1996 as a direct result of Windows 95."
Value-Packed Creativity for the Office
The Micrografx ABC Graphics Suite(TM) is the first integrated offering of
award-winning diagramming, flowcharting, content management, painting,
image editing, and drawing tools, with an interface designed
for Microsoft Office for Windows 95. By giving every Windows 95 user
instant access to the fullest range of graphics capabilities, Micrografx
ABC Graphics Suite provides unlimited creative capabilities
to PC users worldwide.
The Micrografx ABC Graphics Suite integrates native Windows 95-based
versions of Micrografx's best-of-breed graphics applications including:
Micrografx Designer(TM) 6.0; ABC FlowCharter(R) 6.0;
Picture Publisher(R) 6.0; and ABC Media Manager(TM) 6.0. All components
are written to the full Win32 API, and provide performance up to 2 to 3
times faster than 16-bit applications in operations such as
file open, graphic importation/creation, and filter application.
In addition to leading-edge Windows 95 technology, ABC Graphics Suite is
the premier value in the graphics suite market. ABC Graphics Suite's
street price will be $299.95 (USD), and will be available on CD-ROM only.
The upgrade price will be $149.95 (USD), and will be available to current
Micrografx customers, Microsoft Office customers, and customers of
competing graphics applications such as CorelDraw and Adobe Photoshop.
"The Micrografx ABC Graphics Suite is an ideal addition to Microsoft
Office for Windows 95," said Chris Peters, vice president, Microsoft
Office Business Unit. "Micrografx's support for Office 95 compatibility
will provide Microsoft Office 95 customers with a wide range of
leading-edge graphics functionality in a familiar Office look and feel. We
are enthusiastic that Micrografx is fully supporting Office 95."
Value-Packed Creativity for the Home
Also a leader in home creativity software, Micrografx is preparing new
versions of its top-selling Windows Draw(R) and Crayola(TM) Art
Studio(TM) applications, and a new application called Hallmark
Connections(TM) Card Studio(TM) . Windows Draw alone enjoys
considerable success in both U.S. and international markets with an active
user base of more than 400,000 people worldwide. Similar to the
company's value orientation in office software, Micrografx will offer
premier home applications at compelling prices.
Windows Draw 4.0 is an integrated graphics software product for the home
computer user, and is based extensively on templates oriented to the most
common home graphics projects such as newsletters, deck
design, banners, maps and flyers.
Crayola Art Studio 2.0 is a single CD-ROM integrating both the
award-winning Crayola Amazing Adventure (ages 3 to 6) and Crayola Art
Studio (ages 6 to 12) for multiple operating systems including Windows 95,
Windows 3.1 and Macintosh.
Hallmark Connections Card Studio is a CD-ROM offering an easy and
enjoyable way to create high quality, uniquely personal greeting cards,
announcements, invitations, signs and certificates.
Pricing, features and availability for all products will be available
during the coming months, with all products scheduled to ship in time for
the holiday season.
"Micrografx's mission is to enhance the creativity of anyone using a
personal computer, regardless of their age or skill level," said J. Paul
Grayson, chairman and CEO of Micrografx. "With a balanced mix of
leading-edge Windows 95 technology and strong brand names such as Crayola
and Hallmark, Micrografx is uniquely positioned to deliver the most
comprehensive, strongest value in creativity software to PC users
worldwide."
Value-Packed Creativity for Windows 3.1
In addition to the leading-edge 32-bit solutions offered by Micrografx,
customers can also purchase the company's award-winning, top-selling
Designer Power Pack and ABC FlowCharter 4.0. The applications,
which have garnered awards and strong sales throughout the world, will
continue to be available including current user and competitive upgrades.
Designer Power Pack was recently awarded Japan's DOS/V
Magazine "Tester's Choice" and "Observer's Choice" awards, while ABC
FlowCharter 4.0 is No. 9 on the Computer 2000 German reseller list.
Micrografx develops and markets graphics software to meet the creative
needs of everyone who uses a personal computer. Founded in 1982,
Micrografx has become a leading software publisher by responding quickly
to customer and worldwide market needs. The company's U.S. operations are
based in Richardson, Texas with a development office in San Francisco.
International subsidiaries include Canada, the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and Japan.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Crayola Art Studio is a trademark of Binney & Smith Properties, Inc.
Hallmark, Connections and Card Studio are trademarks of Hallmark
Licensing, Inc.
Additional information can be accessed via the Internet at
http://www.micrografx.com.
OS/2 WARP STR FOCUS!
GETTING TO KNOW OS/2 WARP
by Micheal Restivo
One of my favorite features that OS/2 Warp offers is it's very flexible
interface configuration. Almost everything, from the background picture to
the window frame's border width, can be changed to suit your needs.
Getting Started
A good place to begin is with the appearance of your desktop. If you
installed the optional bitmaps, take a quick run through them to see if
any of them interest you. (Right-click on the desktop, select Settings,
tab or choose the Background page, deselect the "Color Only" option, and
then browse the bitmaps.) If you find one that you like, half the work is
done already.
But you think that those bitmaps are all pretty cheesy, and for the most
part, you're right. At this point, you decide that you'd like a solid
background color. Simply select the "Color Only" option, click on "Change
Color", and then pick whatever color you like.
Now that you've changed your background, you notice that the dark blue
color you have chosen makes it difficult to read the text below your
icons. Not a problem! Choose the first page, View, which gives you a
number of options. From this page, you can change the size, color, and
font of your icon's text.
(To keep this article smaller than Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, I
won't go into detail on how to use each option. For the most part, though,
OS/2 remains consistent: once you learn how to change the color of
something once, the same procedure works for all other options which
allows you to change the color.)
While you're on the View page, try the options for Icon View Format and
Display size. These change the way your icons are positioned and displayed
on your desktop.
Advanced Features
Try the Solid Color Palette (OS/2 System-->System Setup folder), which
allows you to change the color of a large number of parts of any OS/2
window.
Practice on the Solid Color Palette window! It's easy: Simply drag (hold
the right mouse-button) any color to any location within the window. (When
you drag a color, the icon changes to a paint bucket.) The obvious parts
of the window (the background, title bar, scroll bars) can be colored, as
well as other parts. In fact, you can even change the colors of any
buttons!
Now, if you find a combination that you like, it's simple to change the
colors of every window in OS/2, all at once! Simply hold down the Alt key
while dragging a color to a part of the window. By doing this, OS/2 will
change the color in not only the one window, but the entire system.
More Advanced Features
The Launchpad lets you start programs with one simple click. In addition
to this, there are drawers which can hold program icons as well. (I have
to admit, it took me quite a while to figure out that you can put more
than one icon in each drawer.)
To add any program to the Launchpad, simply drag the icon to the empty
space next to an icon already on the Launchpad. When you see a vertical
black bar appear on the Launchpad, as well as a thin black line between
the icon's previous location and the Launchpad, you're ready to drop the
icon (just release the
button) and voila!
Adding programs to the drawers is a little different, but if you
successfully add programs to the Launchpad, it is not a problem. Drag an
icon to the small button above a Launchpad icon; you'll know it's "going
in the drawer" if you see a the button surrounded by heavy black lines. By
dropping the icon there, it enters the drawer.
You can also delete programs from the Launchpad. Simply drag any icon
(from directly on the Launchpad or in a drawer) to the Shredder. Don't
worry, your original program icon will not be deleted; this will just
delete the icon from your Launchpad.
If you like a clean desktop, it is possible to set up the Launchpad to
replace the icons on your desktop. First of all, before you do this, make
sure you have all the programs and folders that you need either on the
Launchpad or in Launchpad drawers.
Once your Launchpad is set up, it's time to clean up the desktop. Open the
Settings for your desktop (right-click on an empty part of the desktop;
select Settings.) Once you have done this, select the page Include.
What this page does is determine what icons are going to be displayed on
your desktop. For instance, you could set it so that only icons with the
word "OS/2" in the description text will be displayed.
Highlight the default criteria, and then select "Change". The only value
on this next menu that you have to alter is "Use of Criteria"; change
this to Exclude (the bottom option) instead of Include. Then, click on
"Change", and there you have it. None of your icons will be displayed on
your desktop. To change back, simply click on "Default" and all your
original options will be back.
Really Advanced Options -- Only Proceed If You Are Very Brave
This is one last, more dramatic way to change the way OS/2 works for you.
Be careful, though, because this of these don't have a "Default" button,
and could dramatically change the way your OS/2 system looks and
feels...and it doesn't always work the way you like.
Now that I've scared everyone away, here it is:
The Scheme Palette (found in the same folder as the Solid Color Palette)
will let you change a large number of options all at once. There are a
bunch of schemes already set for you (again, try them on the Scheme
Palette window before choosing to using them to change all the system
defaults.) If you didn't see anything you like, there are a number of
schemes which let you configure them the way you like; I won't go through
all the details, but these options are very powerful. Selecting a scheme
to change the system defaults will wipe out
anything you have done previously with the Solid Color Palette and other
options, so be careful!
There are many other ways to configure OS/2, but hey, I need to save some
stuff for next week, don't I?
That's it for this issue. As always, please direct any feedback to our
editor, Ralph Mariano (whose e-mail addresses can be found near the
beginning of Silicon Times Report), or directly to me at
mike.restivo@np.newpower.com
VISIO NEWS STR InfoFile
VISIO DESIGNS 5-FOR-95 PRODUCT BUNDLE TO BENEFIT USE
Partnership With Industry Leaders Provides Users
With Essential Windows 95-Based Products
SEATTLE, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Visio Corp. today announced 5-for- 95(TM),
a unique multibrand product bundle including four essential applications
for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95 users and a highly useful book focusing on
critical information about Windows 95. This high-value bundle, containing
approximately $450 worth of category-leading products, will be available
for an estimated street price of $195.
"Visio's reputation as a leading-edge developer for Windows and our
ability to deliver Visio 4.0 on the launch day of Windows 95 have enabled
us to drive this high-value retail promotion and successfully partner with
other industry leaders," said Gary Gigot, vice president of marketing at
Visio. "The 5-for-95 bundle is a great win for customers seeking out
`must-have' products for Windows 95." The 5-for- 95 products include the
following:
-- Visio(R) 4.0, from Visio Corp., is the industry-leading business
diagramming program, designed to provide users with the ability to easily
create, edit and share organizational charts, flowcharts, office layouts,
timelines, block diagrams and more. Unrivaled consistency with Windows 95
and other Windows(R)-based applications, such as Microsoft Office for
Windows 95, makes Visio 4.0 a highly usable, core desktop application.
-- Norton Navigator(TM), from Symantec Corp., is a robust set of
32-bit file-management tools and time-saving desktop enhancements for
Windows 95 that make it easier and faster to manage files and get around
the new desktop metaphor in Windows 95. Tightly integrated with Windows
95, Norton Navigator is a natural
extension of the new operating system, designed for users who demand more
speed, functionality and operating convenience.
-- Remove-IT(R) 2, from Vertisoft Systems, provides expert online
guides and automatic features that help users increase available hard-
disk space and enhance system performance by removing unneeded
applications, files, drivers, fonts and more. Upgrade Assistant for
Windows 95, a unique feature of Remove-IT 2, enables
users to prepare their systems for Windows 95, configures applications
into Windows 95, and cleans up after the Windows 95 upgrade.
-- SimCity 2000(R), from Maxis Inc., takes urban planning into the
next century with a new level of realism and sophisticated game play that
takes full advantage of today's high-powered computers. Users can work
with new features -- such as underground water and transportation systems,
elevated landscapes, comprehensive
city services, stunning three-dimensional 256-color graphics, and
realistic sound -- to design and build cities.
-- "Using Windows 95," from Que Corp., the leading computer-book
publisher, is written by industry expert Ed Bott to help users get the
most out of Windows 95. The book addresses the needs of both casual and
experienced users who want fast access to the best way to accomplish tasks
with Windows 95. Tips, cautions, notes and troubleshooting Q&As
throughout the book help readers take advantage of Windows 95, including
managing fonts, using multimedia, accessing the Internet, managing
networks and systems, and more.
"The 5-for-95 bundle complements Windows 95 with an impressive offering of
quality applications that are ideal for users of Windows 95," said Brad
Chase, general manager of the personal systems division, at Microsoft
Corp. "This bundle is an excellent example of how software companies can
partner together to take advantage of the industrywide impact of Windows
95."
"We believe the 5-for-95 bundle will have a high customer demand because
it contains some of the best-selling products in the industry," said Marc
Chouaniere, buyer at Egghead Software. "At the retail level, we're
excited about the 5-for-95 offer and anticipate it will help us take
advantage of the rush-to-retail phenomenon we expect with Windows 95 by
generating incremental sales."
Pricing and Availability
The 5-for-95 bundle will begin shipping on Aug. 22, 1995 (appearing in
retail stores approximately one to two weeks later). This bundle is a
limited-time offer that will be available from leading national
distributors and retail channels through early 1996. The U.S. estimated
street price of 5-for-95 is $195. Each 5-for-95 product includes a
complete set of disks and documentation.
Customers can contact Visio at 800-24-VISIO1/8248-4746 3/8, ext. 93W, to
obtain more information on 5-for-95, the location of a 5-for-95 reseller
or information on any Visio product.
About Visio Corp.
Visio Corp., the leading drawing and diagramming software developer, was
founded in October 1990. The Seattle-based company pioneered the drawing
the drawing and diagramming market with the release of Visio 1.0 in
November 1992. Since then, Visio has released additional Windows- based
drawing and diagramming products designed for business, technical and
consumer users. The company markets the Visio product line in the United
States, North America, Europe and Asia.
Visio is a registered trademark and 5-for-95 is a trademark of Visio Corp.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Norton
Navigator is a trademark of Symantec Corp. Remove-IT is a registered
trademark of Vertisoft Systems. SimCity 2000 is a registered trademark of
Maxis Inc.
A T T E N T I O N--A T T E N T I O N--A T T E N T I O N
FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent
to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY
600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed
Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to:
STReport's Fargo Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior
to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as
much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this
sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please,
allow at least a one week turn-around)
A T T E N T I O N--A T T E N T I O N--A T T E N T I O N
___ ___ _____ _______
/___| /___| /_____| /_______/
/____|/____| /__/|__| /__/
/_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/
/__/|____/|__|________|__/
/__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/_____
/__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/
________________________________________
/_______________________________________/
MAC/APPLE SECTION John Deegan, Editor (Temp)
Photoshop Update STR InfoFile
UPDATE FOR ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
FOR
MACINTOSH AND WINDOWS
VERSION 3.0.4
Adobe Systems Incorporated announced the immediate availability of an
update for Adobe Photoshop for Macintosh and Windows. The Version 3.0.4
update provides both enhancements for Windows 95 and new
604-based Power Macintosh systems. Other enhancements for both platforms
include:
* Added Scratch Disk Efficiency indicator that lets users know amount of
time Adobe Photoshop spends hitting
their scratch disk
* Added Float Controls feature
* Improved import of Adobe Illustrator files
* Added support for TWAIN 36/48-bit scanners
* Added support for on-line registration
Windows Update
* Improved performance on Windows 3.1 in regard to Win32s issues
* Improved optimization for Windows 95, including:
- Right mouse button configuration to Adobe Photoshop Commands
palette
- Support for long file names (up to 256 characters)
- Registry of application and file icons
- Support for Universal Naming Convention (UNC) pathnames
- Improved support for many 16-bit plug-ins and the HP 16-bit TWAIN
scanning module
Although the current version of Adobe Photoshop 3.0 for Windows runs on
Windows 95 without modification and is a 32-bit application, the update is
specifically designed to take fuller advantage of the power and
ease-of-use built into Windows 95. In addition, Adobe is developing a
version that will meet the Windows 95 logo certification requirements to
become available within 90 days of the final release of Windows 95.
Macintosh Update
* Improved support for the new Power Macintosh computers using the
Motorola 604 processor. When Adobe Photoshop 3.0.4 is run on a 604-based
Power Macintosh machines, several functions including Skew, Rotate,
Gaussian Blur and various Path functions will execute much faster than
version 3.0.
* Added support to allow moving of Adobe Photoshop preferences files
among systems
* Inclusion of HSB/HSL plug-in, new fat Kodak PhotoCD plug-in and fat
version of ATM
* New fat DirectBits plug-in to improve speed of editing paths on Power
Macintosh
* Added support for Edit Graphic Object (EGO) AppleEvent, allowing users
to embed Adobe Photoshop images in compliant word processing documents
Availability
The Adobe Photoshop Version 3.0.4 update available now is being sent
automatically on CD-ROM to registered users of Adobe Photoshop 3.0 for
Windows or Macintosh free of charge. The update is also available on
floppy disk for $19.95. Unregistered users of Version 3.0 can also receive
the update free of charge until October 15, 1995, by sending in their
version 3.0 registration card or calling 1-800-87-ADOBE to register.
Linux Line STR Feature
LINUX LINE
by Scott Dowdle
Welcome back to the Linux Operating System column here in STR. Due to
family medical problems, it's been a little hard for me to get this column
written but I hope to keep it going in a timely fashion from now on. :)
Errata
I need to make a few corrections from my first column. First of all, my
email address is dowdle@mcn.net... NOT dowdle@mcn.com. Secondly, I
accidentally left out the address for LINUX JOURNAL, as I quoted their
definition of Linux with the condition that I include their subscription
address. Opps! I subscribe to Linux Journal and it's a great magazine.
For those with Internet access check out www.ssc.com for more info.
Anyways, without further ado... the address to Linux Journal is: 7723
24th NW, Seattle, WA 98117, (206)782-7733 voice, (206)782-7191 fax... or
send email to subs@ssc.com.
This week, I'd like to discuss the Free Software Foundation and their GNU
software. Why? Well, as I mentioned in the last column, the GNU tools
make up a very substancial portion of most Unix OS implimentations
including Linux. As in the past, I'm going to quote direct sources
whenever I can find them. :)
Origins of the Free Software Foundation
Check out this posting from the usenet newsgroup
net.unix-wizards,net.usoft from 1983!
From: RMS%MIT-OZ@mit-eddie
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards,net.usoft
Subject: new UNIX implementation
Date: Tue, 27-Sep-83 12:35:59 EST
Organization: MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA
Free Unix!
Starting this Thanksgiving, I am going to write a complete Unix-compatible
software system called GNU (for Gnu's Not Unix), and give it away free to
everyone who can use it. Contributions of time, money, programs and
equipment are greatly needed.
To begin with, GNU will be a kernel plus all the utilities needed to write
and run C programs: editor, shell, C compiler, linker, assembler, and a
few other things. After this we will add a text formatter, a YACC, an
Empire game, a spreadsheet, and hundreds of other things. We hope to
supply, eventually, everything useful that normally comes with a Unix
system, and anything else useful, including on-line and hardcopy
documentation.
GNU will be able to run Unix programs, but will not be identical to Unix.
We will make all improvements that are convenient, based on our experience
with other operating systems. In particular, we plan to have longer
filenames, file version numbers, a crashproof file system, filename
completion perhaps, terminal-independent display support, and eventually a
Lisp-based window system through which several Lisp programs and ordinary
Unix programs can share a screen.
Both C and Lisp will be available as system programming languages. We
will have network software based on MIT's chaosnet protocol, far superior
to UUCP. We may also have something compatible with UUCP.
Who Am I?
I am Richard Stallman, inventor of the original much-imitated EMACS
editor, now at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT. I have worked
extensively on compilers, editors, debuggers, command interpreters, the
Incompatible Timesharing System and the Lisp Machine operating system. I
pioneered terminal-independent display support in ITS. In addition I have
implemented one crashproof file system and two window systems for Lisp
machines.
Why I Must Write GNU
I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must
share it with other people who like it. I cannot in good conscience sign
a nondisclosure agreement or a software license agreement.
So that I can continue to use computers without violating my principles, I
have decided to put together a sufficient body of free software so that I
will be able to get along without any software that is not free.
How You Can Contribute
I am asking computer manufacturers for donations of machines and money.
I'm asking individuals for donations of programs and work.
One computer manufacturer has already offered to provide a machine. But
we could use more. One consequence you can expect if you donate machines
is that GNU will run on them at an early date. The machine had better be
able to operate in a residential area, and not require sophisticated
cooling or power.
Individual programmers can contribute by writing a compatible duplicate of
some Unix utility and giving it to me. For most projects, such part-time
distributed work would be very hard to coordinate; the independently
written parts would not work together. But for the particular task of
replacing Unix, this problem is absent. Most interface specifications are
fixed by Unix compatibility. If each contribution works with the rest of
Unix, it will probably work with the rest of GNU.
If I get donations of money, I may be able to hire a few people full or
part time. The salary won't be high, but I'm looking for people for whom
knowing they are helping humanity is as important as money. I view this
as a way of enabling dedicated people to devote their full energies to
working on GNU by sparing them the need to make a living in another way.
For more information, contact me.
Arpanet mail:
RMS@MIT-MC.ARPA
Usenet:
...!mit-eddie!RMS@OZ
...!mit-vax!RMS@OZ
US Snail:
Richard Stallman
166 Prospect St
Cambridge, MA 02139
Sortly thereafter, the Free Software Foundation was incorporated by Mr.
Stallman. Here is an explaination on what the Free Software Foundation is
directly from their latest newsletter...
What Is the FSF?
The Free Software Foundation is dedicated to eliminating restrictions on
people's right to use, copy, modify and redistribute computer programs.
We do this by promoting the development and use of free software.
Specifically, we are putting together a complete, integrated software
system named "GNU" (pronounced "guh-new", "GNU's Not Unix") that will be
upwardly compatible with Unix. Most parts of this system are already
being used and distributed.
The word "free" in our name refers to freedom, not price. You may or may
not pay money to get GNU software, but either way you have two specific
freedoms once you get it: first, the freedom to copy a program and give it
away to your friends and co-workers; and second, the freedom to change a
program as you wish, by having full access to source code. You can study
the source and learn how such programs are written. You may then be able
to port it, improve it and share your changes with others. If you
redistribute GNU software you may charge a distribution fee or give it
away, so long as you include the source code and the GPL; see ``What Is
Copyleft'', for details.
Other organizations distribute whatever free software happens to be
available. By contrast, the Free Software Foundation concentrates on the
development of new free software, working towards a GNU system complete
enough to eliminate the need to use a proprietary system.
Besides developing GNU, the FSF distributes GNU software and manuals for a
distribution fee and accepts gifts (tax-deductible in the U.S.) to support
GNU development. Most of the FSF's funds come from its distribution
service.
The Board of the Foundation is: Richard M. Stallman, President;
Robert J. Chassell, Secretary/Treasurer; Gerald J. Sussman, Harold
Abelson,
and Leonard H. Tower Jr., Directors.
What Is Copyleft?
The simplest way to make a program free is to put it in the public domain,
uncopyrighted. But this permits proprietary modified versions, which deny
others the freedom to redistribute and modify; such versions undermine the
goal of giving freedom to *all* users. To prevent this, "copyleft" uses
copyrights in a novel manner. Typically copyrights take away freedoms;
copyleft preserves them. It is a legal instrument that requires those who
pass on a program to include the rights to use, modify, and redistribute
the code; the code and the freedoms become legally inseparable.
The copyleft used by the GNU Project is made from the combination of a
regular copyright notice and the "GNU General Public License" (GPL). The
GPL is a copying license which basically says that you have the
aforementioned freedoms. An alternate form, the "GNU Library General
Public License" (LGPL), applies to a few GNU libraries. This license
permits linking the libraries into proprietary executables under certain
conditions. The appropriate license is included in each GNU source code
distribution and in many manuals. Printed copies are available upon
request.
We strongly encourage you to copyleft your programs and documentation, and
we have made it as simple as possible for you to do so. The details on
how to apply either form of public license appear at the end of each
license.
***
To date, all of the software offered by the Free Software Foundation has
been ported to just about every computer operating system known to man...
and the public availability of the source code for all of their tools is
what has made this possible. The list of software available from the FSF
is a very long one including such things as a multiplayer flight
simulator, Optical Character Recognition, a multitude of programming
languages including GNU C, C++, and Objective C. About the only thing
that the FSF hasn't gotten completely accomplished is their GNU Operating
System. Today it's called the HURD, and it is currently in the later
stages of development. I'll not bother to go into the status of Hurd but
I'll be happy to send more information via email for those that are
interested. At the same time they are working on Hurd, the FSF is also
working on their official Linux distribution called the Debian
Linux Distribution.
WIRED magazine had an article about Richard Stallman and his Free Software
Foundation which I can't reprint (it can be found on WIRED's WWW page
www.wired.com) but it basically said that donations to the Free Software
Foundation have declined over the past few years, and that they have had
to layoff a few full time employees. The FSF is still going strong today,
and once the Hurd OS is released, it can officially fold having
accomplished everything it set out to do. Many commercial flavors of Unix
have adopted most of the GNU software as part of their system software...
and have donated heavily to the FSF... including IBM, Hewlett Packard, and
other well known Unix vendors... because the GNU software is better than
most everything out there in the commercial market. Weird, huh?
The FSF has created copylefted clones of many very popular application
programs including a World Wide Web brower module for their GNU Emacs text
editor.
There is also a clone of Adobe's PostScripting language called GNU
Ghostscript. GNU Emacs has to be the FSF's most prolific software title.
It is so popular and feature filled that it is jokingly said that there is
an Emacs Religion. Emacs has so many extensions or modules that it's
almost on the order of a computer operating system in its own right.
In closing this discussion of the FSF, I'd like to say that it is obvious
that the Linux Operating System wouldn't be a complete system without the
aid of all of the GNU tools provided by the Free Software Foundation.
Changing gears for the closing of this edition of the Linux column, I'd
like to present the list of credits for the Linux Operating System. Why?
Well, because most people, upon first hearing that Linux is a freeware
Unix clone operating system, they assume that it's written by one person
or a small handful of people... and they aren't as impressed by it because
it isn't a commercial offering by some big company with some huge group of
factory programmers. Take a look at the credits for Linux and change your
mind about the number of professionals who have contributed to the birth
and continuing development of the Linux OS. Sorry for the length of this
list, but what can I say? :)
Linux Contributors: The CREDITS File
(Available upon request)
ATARI/JAG SECTION Dana Jacobson, Editor
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Y'know, I find it difficult, after having three week's worth of
vacations this summer already, that I need another one real bad! It's
tough getting back into the swing of things at work after a relaxing
week here and there. But, I'm dragging to make it to my next (and last)
one this summer. Hey, I deserve it! I'm looking forward to some more R &
R.
You may have noticed that last week's issue of STReport had a
different look to it (unless you "stayed" with the ASCII version like I
did). STReport is catching up with the times, finally. I took the
"enhanced" version to work this past week to load onto my PC there to see
what all of the hullabaloo was all about. It looked nice, and
promises to look even better with time.
So what happens to us, some of you may be saying, that still want the
plain ol' "vanilla wrapping". Well, we haven't forgot you, trust me!
We're still working to provide an ASCII version to those of you on the
Internet mailing list, as well as those of you (us!) that don't want to,
or can't, use a PC or Mac. And, there is, at least, an Atari reader
program in the works so that Atari (and hopefully others) can take
advantage of the new look. That's still another couple of months away
yet, but it will be available, and FREE!
I recently installed a CD-ROM in my system, but I'm still waiting for
software to arrive so that I can enjoy it. So, since we really haven't
seen too much in the way of reviews of CDs on the Atari line, we hope to
be able to fill you in on what's available. We'll be working with It's
All Relative and others (hopefully) to bring you some
information and reviews of existing and future CDROM offerings. So, we
hope that you'll stay tuned for that and other news as it happens!
Until next time...
Delphi's Atari Advantage
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (8/9/95)
(1) MEMWATCH 4 (6) DIAMOND EDGE PATCH -> V2.03
(2) EASY MONEY 1.0 (7) CD_LIST UPDATE - JULY 1995
(3) IN-TOUCH 1.52 (8) ATARI COMMUNITY EMAIL LIST
(4) MARIANT 1.0 (9) CALENDAR TEMPLATE*
(5) HCOPY 1.6S (10) FLASH II 2.23 UPGRADE
* = 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 11.31
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 4, ISSUE 5)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database
It's All Relative WWW! STR InfoFile! IAR's Correct Web Page URL!
From IAR's Greg Kopchak:
On our announced Web Page yesterday, we published an incorrect URL:
It should be:
http://www.charm.net/~toad/iar/iar_home.htm
We apologize to all who failed in their connect attempts and invite you
back using the correct URL.
It's All Relative
Lexicor News! STR NewsFile! Lexicor Announces Summer Sale!
Medusa Summer Sale
The Medusa, a powerful system running on a 68040 at 32Mhz speed (64)
advertised by Medusa Systeme in germany) is selling for around 5-7000 U$D
around the world (Lexicor USA price used to be 3,600 for
a basic system no monitor).
Now Lexicor is offering a sale on this powerful system:
68040
8 Megs of FastRAM (expandable to 128)
TOS 3.06
Starter's Animation Pack and Drawing Program
Medusa Utilities
Digital Arts Render Utilities
ST Input Output Board
It comes in a tower (baby size) and has built in graphics of an
ET-4000 Tseng that can go as high as 1024x768 in 256 colors.
A 1 Gigabyte hard drive is included
ONLY 2,800 U$D Brand new
with a 14" Monitor: 3,000 U$D
with a 17" Monitor: ONLY 3,200 U$D
Lexicor Software offers special deal on high-end Monitors
$559 for brand new 17" Monitors
$1400 for new 21" monitors
$100 dollars off for NOVA Users!!
21", EPA compliant Digital Monitors (up to 1600x1280 24-82Hkz) 3 Year
warranty costs now ONLY 1,400 U$D.
17", EPA compliant Digital Monitors (up to 1280x1024 24-82Khz) 3 year
warranty costs now ONLY 559 U$D.
I forgot to mention that *existing* NOVA Users can get a 100 dollar rebate
on the 17" Monitor with one free Raystart as well. This one is a .28"
monitor and can do 1280x1024 no problem and is digital.
Cheers
Yat @ Lexicor
STR NewsPlus
MCI, Delphi to Marry Online
Word on Wall Street is that MCI Communications Corp. is set to merge
its online business with News Corp.'s Delphi system in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Reporter Jared Sandberg of The Wall Street Journal this
morning
quotes executives familiar with the negotiations as saying British
Telecommunications Plc is holding talks to buy a stake in the joint
venture.
The paper says the joint venture will include 250 employees of MCI
and 450 from Delphi Internet Services Co. and its online game unit Kesmai
Corp. and combine the more than 200,000 MCIMail customers with
the 100,000 Delphi subscribers. The Journal also reports Scott Kurnit,
who recently left the IBM/Sears Prodigy system to join MCI, becomes CEO of
the venture to create online services for businesses and consumers that
will exist wholly on the Internet's World Wide Web rather than providing
customers with separate access.
Sandberg calls this, "The first major outgrowth of MCI's planned $2
billion investment in the media company," adding British
Telecommunications is said to be in negotiations to purchase a stake in
the yet-unnamed venture. BT, which already owns a 20 percent stake in MCI,
"could provide the venture with additional capital as well as access to
overseas markets," Sandberg comments. As reported, media czar Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp. bought Delphi in October 1993 with highly publicized
plans to revamp the service and
infuse it with News Corp. "content," such as guest appearances by
characters from shows on News Corp.'s Fox television network, "but," says
Sandberg, "the plans haven't turned out as News Corp. expected and
Delphi's executive suite was reshuffled as News Corp. looked for a fix.
(The) media company appears to be putting Delphi in MCI's hands and
letting MCI take the lead."
On the management front, the Journal says:
-:- Anthea Disney, who recently left as editor of News Corp.'s TV
Guide magazine to join Delphi in the new post of editor in chief, now will
report to Kurnit.
-:- Delphi CEO Alan Baratz is stepping aside to become president of
News Technology Ventures, a new post at News Corp., though he also will
sit on the board of the new joint venture. Sandberg says the idea in
setting up the new service entirely on the Internet is that it may enable
it "to hook subscribers who are meandering about the Web, even though they
got there via rivals."
Diamond Acquiring Supra
Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. is acquiring Supra Corp., the Vancouver,
Washington-based modem maker. Supra shareholders will receive a
combination of cash and stock with a value of approximately $54 million.
Combined sales for both companies topped $255 million in fiscal year 1994,
and was over $200 million (unaudited) for the first six months of 1995.
In addition to his role as Supra's president, John Wiley will also become
a vice president of Diamond Multimedia, heading the firm's new
communications division, and will join Diamond's board of directors.
The Supra product line will continue to be sold under the Supra brand
name.
"Supra's strength in delivering state-of-the-art, high-speed fax modem
technology positions Diamond to take advantage to the expanding personal
computer connectivity market, which is growing due to users' desire to
access the Internet and other online electronic services," says William
Schroeder, president and CEO of Diamond Multimedia. The company,
headquartered in San Jose, California, is a multimedia products developer.
IBM Considered Apple Buyout
An unidentified IBM executive says his employer was close to buying
Apple Computer Inc. last summer, but dropped the idea after "we decided we
already have a Number 2 operating system so why buy another Number 2
system." Writer Susan Moran of the Reuter News Service, reporting from
Palo Alto, California, also quotes an unidentified industry analyst
familiar with Apple's operations as confirming the discussions.
"Yes, that's true, they did hold talks," he told her, "and the pattern of
activity in Apple's stock recently once again suggests somebody knows
something" about a possible business combination.
Moran notes IBM's OS/2 and Apple's Macintosh operating systems face
stiffening competition from Microsoft Corp., whose operating systems
together run about 80 percent of PCs sold worldwide. And of
course, Microsoft is expected to tighten its grip on the market with
release of its Windows 95 operating system upgrade Aug. 24.
"IBM has spent up to $2 billion to develop OS/2 but it has never made the
huge market penetration once hoped for," Moran comments. "And while
Apple's Macintosh software is still widely revered as the best in the
industry, it has failed to help Apple gain market share in a PC world that
is increasingly centered around Microsoft's software and Intel Corp.'s
microprocessors."
As reported, rumors circulated last October that IBM and Apple had
held merger talks, though both companies have refused to comment on
speculation at the time. Rumors persist that IBM, as well as other
companies, might be pursuing Apple have been circulating for months.
Other companies analysts have cited over the past several months as
potential bidders for Apple include AT&T Corp., Oracle Corp. and Japan's
Canon Inc.
Meanwhile, Moran notes that in a rare interview with a few reporters
recently, Apple CEO Michael Spindler said Apple never held talks with
Oracle executives. Asked if Apple had even considered a merger with IBM,
Spindler said, "I don't want to talk about acquisitions... I want to say
this company is not for sale. But can anything be sold? You just have to
look at the movie 'Indecent Proposal.'" (In that film, a wealthy older man
pays $1 million to sleep with another man's beautiful young wife, played
by Demi Moore.)
House Accepts Cox-Wyden Plan
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a rewrite of U.S.
telecommunications laws that includes an amendment to shield online
computer system operators from liability should they take steps to limit
objectionable content on the Internet. House acceptance of the proposal
by Rep. Chris Cox, R-California, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon -- which also
prohibits the FCC from setting decency guidelines for cyberspace, leaving
the computer industry and parents to deal with the problem as they saw fit
-- immediately drew praise from online executives.
"The online community is just coming into its own as a vast resource
for people around the world," said CompuServe President/CEO Robert J.
Massey. "By taking steps to empower parents and to encourage
the marketplace to address issues such as child safety online, Reps.
Christopher Cox and Ron Wyden, along with the U.S. House of
Representatives, have taken a leadership role in addressing challenging
Issues associated with this emerging technology."
Massey added the Cox-Wyden amendment "helps enable us to expand the
quality and character of our service. And, it allows us to continue to
deploy technologies that will empower parents -- without compromising the
rights of our members or being forced into the impossible task of
controlling or censoring content." The House package also includes
wording requiring TV manufacturers to install a computer chip that screens
out objectionable programs. The bill, which Ian Christopher McCaleb of
United Press International describes as "the most sweeping revision of
U.S. communications law since enactment of the Communications Act of
1934," passed the House by a final vote of 305-117, more than enough to
override a threatened presidential veto.
The measure is similar to a version the Senate passed in June, except
that the Senate proposal calls for regulation of content on the Internet.
McCaleb notes a bipartisan group of lawmakers rode "an openly
emotional legislative roller coaster" yesterday afternoon in their
attempts to have the violence chip or "V-chip" language inserted into the
bill.
The initial amendment, sponsored by Rep. Edward Markey,
D-Massachusetts, would have required TV makers who sell sets in the U.S.
to install a V-chip into every new set as soon as the bill is signed into
law. (The chip is designed to allow parents the ability to block out
programming they deem objectionable, making it inaccessible to children
who do not know how to override the chip's programming.)
However, House Republican Leader Dick Armey, speaking against the
amendment, said, "Kids are kids. They will figure out how to override that
chip, and they will probably use it to hack into the Pentagon's computers
by the time their parents come home." At one point, the measure was
replaced by a softer amendment that only recommended the use of blocking
devices, and called on the FCC to conduct studies into their
effectiveness.
"But," reports UPI, "Markey and his co-sponsors, using a bit of
parliamentary trickery, managed to insert their language by 'recommitting
the bill with instructions,' effectively using a legislative back-door to
include the chip proposal in the bill." The bill, officially known as the
Communications Act of 1995, aims to deregulate local telephone and cable
television service, while repealing certain broadcast ownership
restrictions.
Some Urge No Halt to Windows 95
Executives of three software firms -- Symantec Corp., Egghead
Software Inc. and Corel Corp. -- are urging the U.S. Justice Department
not to block the scheduled release of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95
operating system later this month. The Associated Press says that in
letters to Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne K. Bingaman last week concerning
her department's antitrust investigation of Windows 95, the three said
they have
millions of dollars at stake in the program's timely release.
As reported, Bingaman is investigating whether Microsoft has violated
federal antitrust laws by combining software for its proposed online
service, Microsoft Network, with the new version of Windows. AP reports
the executives say they anticipate the Aug. 24 release of the program will
serve as a major boost to software programs they've developed.
Symantec President/CEO Gordon E. Eubanks Jr. warned Bingaman of "the
extraordinary market disruption that would follow a delay in the
commercial release of Windows 95 and the products designed to run on
it." Noting his firm has developed new versions of its popular Norton
Utilities software to run under Windows 95, Eubanks added, "The expense
and effort will be largely wasted if Windows 95 is not available on
August 24th, and the competitive effort we put in, to be timely in our own
product release, will be squandered." Egghead Software, the large
software retail outlet, said it has "incurred millions of dollars in
front-end costs," including building up inventories, preparing for release
of Windows 95.
Feds Won't Block Win95 Release
Antitrust regulators with the U.S. Justice Department say they won't
take action on the Microsoft Network or Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 95
software before the new products' release in two weeks. Justice
Department officials late yesterday released a two-sentence statement
saying a probe of the Microsoft Network "and other issues associated with
possible anti-competitive practices relating to Windows 95 is ongoing,
(but that) the department does not expect to complete its investigation or
reach a decision on possible enforcement action" before the Aug. 24
release.
Business writer Rob Wells of The Associated Press said the Justice
Department "gave few hints when the large-scale investigation will
conclude." Microsoft spokesman Greg Shaw told Wells, "We are pleased the
Justice Department decided not to challenge the August 24 launch" and the
company is proceeding "full speed ahead."
As noted, the federal regulators are examining whether combining
Microsoft Network access software with Windows 95 will give the company an
unfair advantage over other online services. Says Wells, "There's been
abundant speculation within the computer industry that the department
would have to decide before the Aug. 24 launch of Windows 95 whether to
bring a case against Microsoft. Industry experts say it would be easier
and less expensive for Microsoft to rewrite the software code and separate
the online service from Windows 95 prior to the program's public release.
However, Microsoft went into final production of Windows 95 last month,
making such a rewrite less likely."
CompuServe attorney Steve Heaton told AP the Justice Department
statement is evidence the government has decided to prepare a "thoughtful
and well-prepared case." Heaton, who is providing material to Justice
investigators, said he has received no indication the government is
backing off its investigation, adding, "The activity we have had with the
Department of Justice investigators has expanded into activities
concerning Internet access, the role of Windows 95 and how it affects
other Internet providers." In the Wall Street Journal this morning,
reporter Don Clark notes the Justice Department doesn't ordinarily provide
guidance on the status of a pending antitrust investigation, "but an
agency spokeswoman explained that after being bombarded by inquiries from
the computer industry, the press and the public, department officials felt
it would be appropriate to clarify that the Aug. 24 date wasn't a critical
deadline for the decision on what action the government bill take, if
any."
Said Clark, "The move underscores the complexity of the agency's
investigation," which has included subpoenas to PC makers, software
publishers and competing online services. As reported, the department
also recently asked competitors about Microsoft's plans to include
software for navigating a portion of the Internet called the World Wide
Web.
Analyst David Readerman of Montgomery Securities in San Francisco
told the paper, "Had they chosen to delay Windows 95, it would have
created disruption through the entire PC industry food chain, not to
mention the carnage that would have taken place in the tech stock sector."
He predicts Microsoft's cost to recall Windows 95 before Aug. 24 at up to
$315 million, and says a delay until October could have cost $900 million.
Meanwhile, CompuServe spokesman Pierce Reid is quoted in this
morning's Journal as saying the company is confidence the investigators
still will take action after further investigation. "It would seem to
indicate that they want to make sure they have all their ducks in a row
before they file suit," Reid said. "This doesn't change our
position that we consider Microsoft's practices anti-competitive."
BBS Users Challenge Government
In what is believed the first courtroom challenge to government
seizure of computer hardware and software, seven bulletin board system
subscribers have filed a class action suit in federal court in Cincinnati.
The suit, filed yesterday, was brought against Sheriff Simon Leis on
behalf of several thousand subscribers to the Cincinnati Computer
Connection BBS, according to United Press International.
As reported earlier, the county Computer Crimes Task Force -- formed
by Leis -- raided CCC's offices on June 16 and seized the entire computer
system, including private electronic mail belonging to subscribers. UPI
says, "A search warrant justifying the raid gave the task force
investigators permission to search hundreds of thousands of public and
private electronic messages to locate 45 allegedly obscene computer
images."
However, plaintiffs' attorney Scott Greenwood told the wire service,
"Whether the sheriff and the computer 'net police' like it or not, the
Bill of Rights is not optional just because they don't like it or
understand it. Shutting down a computer system and seizing people's
private communications makes a mockery of the First Amendment."
The suit, which seeks actual statutory and punitive damages, contends
Leis and the task force violated the free speech provision of the First
Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, several provisions of the federal
Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and Ohio common privacy
rights. Says the suit, "The faces of the CCC subscribers were the faces
of Greater Cincinnati -- working men and women, retirees, mothers,
fathers, grandparents and children, Republicans, Democrats and
independents." Greenwood characterized the task force's actions as a move
to "shut down a constitutionally protected forum for speech and
association."
Editor's Note...
Although I never considered myself a "Dead Head", I have a number of fond
memories of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. The concerts, the albums
(yes - albums!), Dead concert tour shirts, and other memorabilia. The
Grateful Dead influenced an age of more gentleness, a kind of inner peace.
The world is a little smaller with his passing. Even cyberspace users
mourn his passing:
Cyberspace Mourns Jerry Garcia
Plugged-in America is mourning the loss of rock legend Jerry Garcia,
founder of the Grateful Dead who passed away this week of a heart attack
at 53. The Dead always has been hugely popular on the Net, where fans
have used computers to find tickets, discuss songs, line up places to
sleep while following the band on the road. Now they are using the same
data links for electronic memorials. A message at the electronic front
door of The Well, the hometown system in Garcia homebase San Francisco,
said the system was experiencing a slowdown because of an influx of users
to discuss the passing.
"It's a very busy day on The Well," spokeswoman Melissa Walia told
entertainment editor Valerie Kuklenski of United Press International
yesterday morning. "It peaked midmorning as the news got out and people
learned that it was not just a rumor." On CompuServe, a special page of
features (GO GARCIA) was established by yesterday afternoon, linking to
news and commentary around the system, including Rolling Stone Online,
People Online, Rock Online, RockNet and the Fan Club Forum. Meanwhile,
Associated Press writer Elizabeth Weise quotes one message on the Well
with this tribute:
"There's a helluva jam goin' on right now! Janis, Pigpen, Brent, Zappa,
Jerry, Hendrix ... Dancin' in the streets, jammin' at the Pearly Gates! I
hear Bach and Garcia are gonna blow the roof off tonight."
Weiss also notes RockWeb Interactive set up a Jerry Garcia Tribute
page with text, graphics, songs and photos on the World Wide Web within
hours of getting the news. It included artwork by Stanley Mouse, who
designed the original skull and roses icon that appeared on many Grateful
Dead album covers and has become a symbol for Deadheads everywhere. The
Web address is http://www.shore.net/~aiko.
Jerry Garcia Remembered
Members of the RockNet Forum's Message Section 7, "The Dead," are
remembering the life and music of Grateful Dead co-founder and lead
guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died Wednesday at 53. Shortly after word of
Garcia's death was reported by the news media, members gathered in the
forum to share their memories, provide
support and look toward the future.
Member Susan York stated that she's been a fan since the early 1970s.
"Thanks to Jerry for the music and the memories," she wrote. "I'm going
to miss new music evolving, but I'm going to enjoy the legacy he's left
us."
Member Kirsten M. Beck said Garcia's death taught her a lesson. "I
realized upon learning this that I have so many regrets -- never took my
son to see a show, didn't get to see the last show with my very best
deadhead friend because she had other -- not so important -- plans. We
just kept saying there will always be next time. Another lesson in life:
"sometimes there is no next time."
Member Eric Thompson stated that writing about Garcia's death brought
tears to his eyes. "It was in '78 that I was introduced to the band in
Syracuse -- while attending school at SUNY/Cortland -- by my roommate. We
saw the band at the Palace in Michigan last year and now, I am beginning
to realize, for the last time -- that we will never be able to experience
it in the same way again." Thompson added, "It was my friend that told me
(about Garcia's death), and now he has introduced me, once again, to a new
set of feelings."
Member Bill Savage recalled his days working with the Dead. "Having
worked for Bill Graham from 1986 up until his death, I was caught without
a net into the Dead lifestyle," he remembered. "Those days of Dead at
Henry J. Kaiser, Oakland Coliseum, The Shoreline and others will live with
me forever. I shall cherish my passes that I have kept through the years."
"I'll miss Jerry and the boys very much," commented member Robert
Armstrong. "The band may keep on playing, but the music won't be the same.
Jerry, we'll see you on the other side."
"Thus passes another great soul," stated member Dennis M. Williams.
"The light that was his will never be matched. The memory lives on. Let
the light shine on me!" To participate in the discussion in the RockNet
Forum, GO ROCKNET. Jerry, even up there at the pearly gates....Keep on
Truckin'!
Jaguar Section
CATnips - Squared! Flashback!
Rayman Hits Production! Feedback!
Tips and Cheats! And much more!
From the Editor's Controller Playin' it like it
is!
Rayman, the long-awaited and touted platform game from UbiSoft, has
landed in production. Scheduled release is for September 9th. White Men
Can't Jump and Super Burnout are still getting a lot of activity online!
I'm looking forward to getting my bike out on the tracks next week and
test out SBO! And, I want to hear some trash talkin' and play some hoops
with WMCJ! I can tell that there's going to be a lot of gaming this next
week I'm in the mood!
We have another winner!! Yes folks, we held another drawing from all
of our STReport Internet mailing list subscribers. The prize is a copy of
the newly published "The Jaguar Gamers Guide", published by Sandwich
Island Publishing. The winner....drum roll please......
brupert@mci.net
[We'll have that "translated" for you into english in next week's issue!
<g>]
Let's get to the news and information for this week. It appears that
we're in a "semi-calm before the storm" this week. And remember, JaguarCD
arrives in two weeks!
Until next time...
Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile What's currently available, what's coming
out.
Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $29.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 T McFur/Cresc Galaxy $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp.
J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp.
JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames
J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp.
J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp.
J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9007 Checkered Flag $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp.
J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp
J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp
J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp
J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp.
Cannon Fodder $49.99 Virgin/C-West
Syndicate $69.99 Ocean
Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams
Theme Park $69.99 Ocean
Sensible Soccer Telegames
Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams
J9009E Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp.
J0144E Pinball Fantasies $59.99 C-West
J9052E Super Burnout $59.99 Atari
White Men Can't Jump $69.99 Atari
Flashback $59.99 U.S. Gold
Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
Ultra Vortek $69.99 Atari
Flip-Out TBD Atari
Rayman TBD UBI Soft
Power Drive Rally TBD TWI
Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari
Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (complete) $189.99 Atari Corp.
J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $159.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable $ 19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad $ 24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable $ 19.95
CatBox $ 69.95 ICD
Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile Current Developer Lists & Titles
Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher
Air Cars TBA Racing/Combat $59.99MidNite Ent.
Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99Atari
Alien vs Predator CD 2/96 Role Play/Adventure TBD Atari
Arena Football 10/95 Sports TBD V Reel
Assault 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99MidNite Ent.
Atari Kart 11/95 TBD TBD Atari
Att. of Mut. Penguins 10/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Baldies (CD) 09/95 Action/Simulation TBD Atari
Batman Forever (CD) 04/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Battlemorph (CD) 09/95 Flying/Action $59.99Atari
Battlesphere 09/95 Space/Combat TBD 4-Play
Battlestar 11/95 Space/Combat TBD ?
Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games
Black ICE/White Noise 12/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Blue Lightning (CD) 08/95 Flying/Action $59.99Atari
Braindead 13 (CD) 10/95 Action/Adventure TBD ReadySoft
Breakout 2000 11/95 Puzzle TBD Atari
Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 11/95 Sports TBD Atari
Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99Telegames
Bubsy NOW Action/Adventure $49.99Atari
Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adventure $49.99Virgin
Chas Barkley Basketball 09/95 Sports TBD Atari
Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99Atari
Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99Atari
Commando (CD) 11/95 Action (3D) TBD Atari
Commander Blood (CD) 11/95 RPG TBD Atari
Creature Shock (CD) 08/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi TBD Atari/Virgin
Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Dactyl Joust 11/95 Action TBD Atari
Dante (CD) 06/96 Action TBD Atari
Deathwatch 11/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Defender 2000 10/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Demolition Man (CD) 09/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari
Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari
Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams
Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari
Dragon's Lair (CD) 08/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft
Dragon's Lair 2 (CD) 10/95 Adventure TBD ReadySoft
Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari
Dune Racer (CD) 01/96 Racing TBD Atari
Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99MidNite Ent.
Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Fight For Life TBA Combat TBD Atari
Flashback NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 US Gold
Flip-Out 08/95 Puzzle TBD Atari
Formula Racing (CD) 12/95 Racing TBD Atari
Frank Thomas Baseball 04/96 Sports TBD Atari
Gotcha! 01/95 Challenge TBD Unknown
Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari
Highlander I (CD) 11/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Highlander II (CD) 02/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Highlander III (CD) 04/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel
Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari
Hover Strike CD 09/95 Action/Combat TBD Atari
Hyper Force TBA Unknown TBD Comp. West
Ironman/XO-Manowar 04/96 Action TBD Atari
Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari
Iron Soldier II (CD) 01/96 Action/Strategy TBD Atari
Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari
Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari
Magic Carpet (CD) 12/95 Action/RPG TBD Atari
Max Force 09/95 Action TBD Atari
Mindripper (CD) 02/96 Adventure TBD Atari
Mortal Kombat 3 04/96 Fighting TBD Atari
Myst (CD) 08/95 Interactive Novel TBD Atari
NBA Jam T.E. 12/95 Sports TBD Atari
Phase Zero 10/95 Action/Arcade TBD Atari
Pinball Fantasies NOW Arcade $59.95Comp. West
Pitfall 09/95 Arcade TBD Activision
Power Drive Rally 08/95 Driving TBD TWI
Primal Rage (CD) 12/95 Fighting TBD TWI
Rage Rally 2Q/95 Racing TBD Atari
Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Rayman 09/95 Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft
Redemption (CD) 11/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Rise of the Robots (CD) 11/95 Action/Arcade TBD TWI
Robinson's Requiem (CD 09/95 Adventure TBD Atari
Rocky Horror Inter.(CD) 04/96 Adventure TBD Atari
Ruiner Pinball 09/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Sensible Soccer NOW Sports TBD Telegames
Sky Hammer (CD) 12/95 Flying/Action TBD Atari
Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean
Soul Star (CD) 09/95 Action/Sci-Fi TBD Atari
Space Ace (CD) 09/95 Space/Combat TBD ReadySoft
Space War 09/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Starlight BowlaRama CD 10/95 Simulation/Sports TBD Atari
Star Raiders 2Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari
Sudden Impact 12/95 Action TBD Atari
Super Burnout NOW Racing $59.99Atari
Supercross 3D 09/95 Sports TBD Atari
Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean
Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Thea Relm Fighters (CD) 10/95 Action/Fighting TBD Atari
Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean
Tiny Toon Adventures 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Towers II 12/95 RPG TBD JV Enter.
Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Troy Aikman NFL Ftball NOW Sports $69.99 Williams
Ultimate Brain Games 2Q/95 Puzzle TBD Telegames
Ultra Vortek 09/95 Action/Adventure $69.99Beyond Games
Val D'Isere Skiing.. NOW Sports $59.99 Atari
Varuna's Forces (CD) 11/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
VidGrid (CD) 08/95 Puzzle/Music Video TBD Atari
Wayne Gretzky NHL (CD) 12/95 Sports TBD TWI
White Men Can't Jump NOW Sports (w/Team Tap) $69.99 TriMark
Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari
Zero 5 01/96 Unknown TBD Unknown
Zool2 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are verified from Atari
- all are subject to change
Jaguar Easter Eggs/Cheats & Hints STR InfoFile Solving Those Riddles!
From CompuServe's Atari Gaming Forum, Doug M. Atkins provides us with the
level codes to Flashback:
Just finished Flashback for the Jag. Here are the level codes if anyone
is interested.
L1: Rising
L2: Ordo
L3: Profit
L4: Prize
L5: Shaeps
L6: Hitter
L7: Twin
We've seen a number of messages, public and private, asking for some help
with the special Super Dunks. Well, there are a number of them, but we're
not going to give them all away. After all, the game is still new!!
Since we're all gentlemen here, let's talk about the female players of
WMCJ and how they do their Super Dunks!
All of the female characters possess the same Super Dunks. They are
described here, along with the proper button presses to activate them.
Remember that the button presses must be done quickly, and while the "B"
action button is held down. When the "B" action button is released, the
player will perform the Super Dunk. Timing is critical to getting off the
more complex Super Dunks.
The following Super Dunks are for all female characters.
A. To perform the OVERHAND slam, press the D-PAD RIGHT.
B. To perform the TWISTER-SPIN slam, press the D-PAD LEFT TWICE.
C. To perform the BEHIND-THE-BACK slam, press the D-PAD LEFT, THEN
RIGHT.
D. To perform the FLIP slam, press the D-PAD DOWN, THEN UP.
E. To perform the SPASTIC-SPIN slam, press the D-PAD DOWN, THEN
RIGHT, THEN UP.
We had some e-mail published in last week's issue looking for the
invincibility code for Hover Strike. Well, here it is:
The Hover Strike development team does not recommend using this cheat.
They feel being invincible does not allow you to enjoy the full spectrum
of game situations, or its many challenges. However, enter this code at
the mission select screen for unlimited missile weapons, unlimited energy,
and unlimited shields.
Press 3+4+6+7+DOWN simultaneously.
Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
CATnips... Jaguar Tidbits from Don Thomas (95.08.03)
I thought you might all like this story.
As Director of Customer Service, my staff may sometimes refer me to
specific callers which have unusual viewpoints, exceptional praise or
simply wish to register a comment (so to speak). <g> I take such calls
as frequently as possible and I enjoy absorbing what a lot of people have
to say.
One such call came in this afternoon. I shouldn't tell you the caller's
name, but I'll share that it was a "he" and that his initials were J.B.
(no relationship to lunch hour in the department <g>). J.B. told me that
he was in our mailing list because he had purchased a Jaguar a long while
back and also owned quite a few Jaguar games. Understandably, J.B. has
gaming in his blood and he loved our system, but ultimately decided to
trade it in for another system to see what they had to offer.
Over the past two weeks, J.B. has received post cards from Atari and he
has heard from friends how "cool" the new games coming out for the Jaguar
really are. Consequently, J.B. felt compelled to register a complaint that
we (Atari) were forcing him to buy a Jaguar all over again. The postcards
were just too much for him to handle.
Of course I empathized with J.B. and reminded him where in New Jersey he
could buy a new system.
I hate it when we disappoint a customer. <g>
I know I miss these predictions frequently, but Travis has promised me a
new issue of Atari Explorer Online this coming weekend (probably Monday).
Look for an exclusive Ted Hoff interview as well as an early look at VLM
on the Jaguar CD-ROM.
In case you've been in a cave <g>, "White Men Can't Jump" *IS* in stores!
Here's a comment from Prodigy...
Service: PRODIGY
Board: VIDEO GAMES BB
Topic: ATARI JAGUAR
Subject: GAME DEVELOPMENT
Time: 07/28 9:41 PM
To: CHRIS ALLEN (QDAP95B)
From: RICHARD CATTERALL (DCPX77A)
White Men Can't Jump is now shipping, here is a comment.
>We have just had a look at White Men Can't Jump. I think
>Atari has another winner. The game has the look, feel and
>AI of a 64 bit title. There is no way this game could have
>been done on any of the 16-bit platforms.
>
>Dave Bits of Fun
Richard
Remember, for a limited time, "White Men Can't Jump" is pre-packaged with
a FREE Team Tap peripheral.
A special mailing of the new Jaguar Strategy Guide has shipped today to
Atari's internal list of Rep Firms and Distributors. I spoke to the
publisher, Sandwich Islands Publishing, and they tell me that the chains
are already submitting sizable reorders. Ask your retailer to show you a
copy. It is very well done.
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.08.07)
"White Men Can't Jump" seems to be the talk of the town and well it should
be. It's the first "trash-talkin" game of two on two basketball of it's
kind and, for a limited time, comes with a FREE Team Tap(tm) peripheral
exclusively for the Atari Jaguar 64.
So you say what is that I'm talkin' 'bout? We'll let's see what Frans
Keylard says off the Internet. Frans is a regular Atari Explorer Online
contributor and has sent this review to me to supplement another review
running in the next issue of AEO.
Title: White Men Can't Jump
Publisher: Atari 1995
Programmers: High Voltage
Players: 1 to 4
Introduction
WMCJ is loosely based on the movie with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson,
neither of which appear in this adaptation. Of course it's Rosie Perez
that I really miss! Just about everyone has seen multiple copies of the
mailing announcements for both Super Burnout and WMCJ. These mailings
are tied to your mailed-in warranty cards, and since I diligently filled
out those, I received about nine pairs of cards. This is okay, since it
gives me the chance to hand out the excess at my next Atari club meeting.
I do think that the buffoon who wrote the excruciatingly annoying
"trash-talking" wannabe text on the WMCJ flyer and in the manual, should
be exposed to it in a Clockwork Orangesque fashion. Let the punishment fit
the crime! I guess it just doesn't work when it's watered down. I wish
there were a parental lockout feature on the cart so actual phrases from
the movie could be used. Trash-talking only works effectively when it's
not cleaned up for the "Barney the Dinosaur" audience. As it stands, there
are quite a few phrases being bantered about during gameplay.
Like a good boy I read the manual first before playing the game, it just
happens to be that my nearest Jaguar dealer is 30 miles away and someone
else was driving! As it turns out, this gave me a tremendous advantage
over some not so thorough and vociferous internet peers. It sure helps to
turn on the arrow above your own players so you can keep track of them
more easily. The court is three dimensional and the camera has a
swooping and zooming viewpoint. This initially is quite bewildering, but
after a while it becomes predictable.
The characters all have humorous names, backgrounds and motivations for
winning the $5000. There are fourteen pairs to choose from, twenty of
which are black players, but the rest seriously need to lay off the
embalming fluids! They are a curious shade of death-gray which makes it
kind of hard to call them white. Nevertheless, they could be purple and it
would probably also be politically correct - who am I to judge?
There are four courts to choose from in VS. Mode, and Tournament mode
cycles through these until you reach the Slam City Tournament. The object
is to earn the tournament entry fee of five thousand dollars by hustling
other teams. You borrowed the initial money from your friendly local
financiers, Tangle and Cash, aka the Breakleg Brothers. These gentlemen
want their money back as soon as possible with an absurd interest rate.
They, in turn, want to start their own credit card business. If you
threaten to deter them from this lofty entrepreneurial goal, they will
personally demonstrate their knowledge of anatomy. Okay, so I made the
credit card bit up, the fact remains that it's "game over" when you lose
their cash.
The game moves at 15 to 18 fps and is adequate enough, but the background
crowds (when applicable) are stationary cardboard figures. Perhaps this
is a trade-off, but I probably would not have noticed this were it not for
the spectators with their arms stuck up in the air. That would get very
tiring after a while. Overall the graphics are very good, there are lots
of in between game digitizations and renderings.
Pros
TEAM TAP!!! The ability to hook up four joypads and play against three
other friends is what gives this game it's "keeper" status. The device has
four joypad slots and connects to the player two plug-in. The first three
plug-in will be used by WMCJ along with the player one joypad. The fifth
plug-in is not supported by this particular game since WMCJ is two-on-two,
and everybody knows that adds to three. If you hook up two team taps, one
to each joypad plug-in, you can hook up eight joypads in total, which
should be more than enough for any forthcoming game. The Team Tap is a
freebie, a "WMCJ special promo." The package retails for $69.95 or less. I
have always been a fan of multiplayer games, because as fun as solo games
might be, they do not improve your social life, or give you a chance to
beat up on your friends. When these meat-for-the-slaughter friends come
over, WMCJ is now THE game to play. Hey, I want to show my Jag off, and
what better way then by being able to show something that allows
multiplayer mayhem? Alien vs. Predator only goes so far. There are
plenty of options to choose from. The speech, music, and effects can be
independently controlled. The graphics are somewhat oddly colored, but
very good nevertheless.
Cons
The moving camera is a technical show-off, but the option to have a fixed
camera angle at about 45-60 degrees behind the top of the key would
definitely have been welcome. I guess I still love the old game
One-on-One, featuring Dr. J. and Larry Bird. However, if that were
allowed, people wouldn't turn on the roving camera and there goes the
show-off factor. Dilemma's galore! The odd zombie-like colors of the
non-black players (I don't know what else to call them!) could have been
better. The super-dunk sequence is not very easy to execute, and
it being player specific is worse. It just figures that you also have to
have adequate energy to perform a super-dunk. However, I have a feeling
that this game has not surrendered its secrets yet, not by a long shot!
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fair, but easy to beat, even without
super-dunks. I say fair, because in NBA Jam, the computer cheats like
crazy when it's behind. WMCJ does not do such things, and comes out the
moral victor in the process. At any rate, the multiplayer aspect is what
this game is all about. However, this game is not about the computer as an
opponent. The computer is an excellent team-mate because it always marks
your opponent.
Tips
Playing against the computer is easy if you dribble the ball up to the top
left or right hand side and shoot from three-point range. Wait for your
team mate to get close to the basket for rebound purposes.
Conclusion
WMCJ is obviously the first game to offer more than two player
simultaneous play and in that respect it ushers in a new era for the
Jaguar. It is a total blast to play with multiple players. Its pros far
outweigh the cons, and I like this game, I like it a lot! Some people will
love this game like I do, and others won't. This game certainly
draws its strength from the ability to invite a bunch of friends over to
play. Noteworthy is that the lead programmer, Adisak Pochanayon, will
probably never want to hear the word "basketball" again after he gets done
with his next project; NBA Jam, Tournament Edition.
Graphics ****
Sound ****
Control ***
Fun Factor *****
Overall **** (a very solid 4 stars!)
Explanation:
***** Excellent!
**** Very Good
*** Good
** Sub par
* Forget It!
Let's see what our friends on Delphi say about "White Men Can't Jump"...
To: 75300.1267@compuserve.com
From: XMILLAR@delphi.com
Date: Fri, 4 Aug 95 23:22 PDT
Subject: WMCJ
Well, I finally managed to get back to Babbages and ... after several
hours of play, here is my preliminary review:
Graphics
All four areas of play are very pleasing to the eye. Be it the burned out,
graffiti strewn court of Compton to the NBA style of the Inglewood Forum,
the ground, backboard, and courtside textures are all very well done. The
several layers of scrolling, raytraced, bitmap backgrounds are also very
nice, albeit an interesting stylistic change from the real look of the
rest of the court. All of the players are nicely digitized, but have a
washed out look to them, most likely due to heavy compression. The number
of frames per move is adequate and the frame rate is roughly 15fps, akin
to JagDoom. Definitely one of the prettiest games for the Jag in recent
memory.
Music
Great music, IMO. The theme tune absolutely _sucks_, but the in-game
music is really, really cool. Obviously not of Tempest quality (although
I like the style better) but superior to Val D'Isere and Iron Soldier.
The style fits very well with the game.
Control
Controls seem very responsive, although I have had some trouble pulling
off the "SuperDunks"...it just doesn't seem to be an intuitive movement to
me and I can only seem to perform one in every 5 tries or so. This is
probably due to my own cluelessness, however. :) Also, I don't know if it
is just my copy or not, but it seems that whenever I get into a
punch-fest, randomly throwing my dukes out in a vain attempt to level my
opponents, the pause feature gets activated. I _know_ I am not
inadvertently hitting pause, and as the pause feature shows off a nice
transparency effect and keeps the music going, it isn't the big of a deal,
but mildly irritating, nonetheless.
Gameplay
In my opinion, WMCJ is a blast to play! Lots of frantic action and subtle
strategy in this game. The problem is that the computer just isn't very
tough. After only two hours of play, I've already won the "Slam City
Tournament" and beaten half the other teams in versus mode on the highest
skill level. Obviously, this game will shine as a multiplayer game. Having
up to four friends together will _make_ this game.
Misc
I feel that the onscreen text is best left turned off - thank god for this
feature. It distracts from what is going on on-court, and I often found
myself just reading the text instead of paying attention to what was going
on on the court. :) The in-game chatter is very humorous, and although it
does get somewhat repetitive, spices the game up.
Granted, there are only two voices and a limited number of phrases, but
cart space is at a premium, so anyone who freaks out over this needs to
RELAX. And you can zero the volume on the chatter if it bothers you
that much. I think the chatter will be especially nice in multiplayer
games, as it seems like it will elicit all sorts of accompanying
commentary from the crowd. :) Although this will sound lame, I hope there
is a hidden profanity code..."Get off me bitch!" just would seem more
appropriate than "Get off me chump!" Maybe it's just me. :)
Finally, it would have been nice if the backgrounds were animated with
people running around, jumping up and down, etc. But it doesn't matter
that much...I'm always too damn busy trying to drain a three or knock
"Egghead" on his ass to pay much attention to the backgrounds. :)
As far as the Team Tap goes, this is one quality peripheral. It's a very
sturdy construction and looks like they chopped a slice out of the Jag
casing, added the ventilation grill things onto the back and strung a
controller extension out the back. :) And, it works _great_ as a
controller extension.
To sum things up, WMCJ is an excellent new title for the Jaguar. Buy it,
chumps!
- Chris Millar
To: 75300.1267@compuserve.com From: Sal Manfredonia
Subject: White Men Can't Jump first impressions
Date: Fri,4 Au g 95 18:45 PDT
I bought WMCJ a few hours ago, and I've been playing it almost non-stop
ever since.
The game is really fun to play. The graphics are great, with large,
detailed players and beautifully rendered courts. The camera views are
sensible and do a nice job of following the action. Besides the scaling
of the court, there is also a bit of rotation. The only real complaints
are that the animation is somewhat choppy, and some of the skin tones seem
to have a grayish, washed-out look, but it's not really that bad and IMHO
the other graphical flairs more than make up for these few deficiencies.
One of the coolest features is the inclusion of "trash talking." The
characters comment on baskets being made or missed, stolen balls, blocked
shots, and the like. The voice samples are not only crystal clear, but
also very numerous. Someone guessed that there were about ten samples, but
he couldn't be more wrong. I think I heard more than ten samples in my
first MINUTE on the court. The phrases are also very cool, and coordinate
nicely with the action.
The gameplay is great. It's kind of like a 3-D half court NBA Jam on the
streets. The controls are similar to NBA Jam, and the buttons can be
reconfigured. A double-tap on the "turbo" button allows you to switch to
your computer-controlled teammate at any time. This is cool, because if
you're not good at passing (and the computer WILL get in your
face...OFTEN), you can switch control of the man with the ball to the
computer, and let him pass to you. Another nice feature is the inclusion
of "super dunks," which are performed by holding down the
"shoot" button and doing motions similar to fighting games like Primal
Rage. Each character has one super dunk listed in the manual, but can have
additional super dunks for players to discover. It's a great way
to show off!
Oh yeah, in case you haven't heard, the game also includes the Team Tap,
which looks like it was designed well and seems to have a cord of good
length (though I haven't taken off the twist-tie yet).
I would certainly recommend WMCJ. It's a fun game, and one which appears
to have long-term playability as well. "Rockin'!"
--Sal Manfredonia (hysteria@gti.net)
"It's hard work being this good!"
-- White Men Can't Jump for Atari Jaguar
Even CATscan members love "White Men Can't Jump"...
Message: = Open Discussion = #204 of 204 [8 Lines]
Sent On: August 6, 1995 at 7:01pm
Sent By: Brian Mccleary - Loyal Jaguarian
Sent To: All
Replies: None
Subject: Flashback and White Men Can't Jump
Well, Flashback is cool, it's a good game on any system.
I've noticed a few differences with items etc. than the Sega or Snes
version. Speed of the controls is definitely better on my kitty. White
Men can't jump the super slams have really got me stumped, I think
practice will help. The "Urban Angels" are my favorite. Does anybody have
a "secret bike" code for Super Burnout? Let me know and keep playing
Jaguar, it's coming on strong!
Here's three WMCJ comments from the dudes on GEnie.
SVC: GEnie
Category 40, Topic 21, Message 13
DATE: Thu Aug 03, 1995
FROM: S.SLUK at 05:03 PDT
Just got WMCJ and after playing it with a friend for 5 hours I found it to
be a lot of fun. The rotation takes some time to get used to but after a
small learning curve, the game becomes really fun. As a matter of fact, it
is one of the most addicting games that are available for the Jaguar. I
recommend the game to anyone that has been waiting for a basketball game
that is truly unique.... the team tap is just a bonus...
SVC: GEnie
Category 40, Topic 21, Message 16
DATE: Fri Aug 04, 1995
FROM: P.FLETCHER4 [STumped] at 11:16 EDT
I also bought WMCJ and the game is really fun. It has a very unusual
floating camera view that is a bit weird to get used to, but it is a real
neat effect once you get used to it.
I still have a problem pulling off the Jams when I want to. It requires
quite a bit of timing. The game also has hidden Jams that your players can
learn, but I'm having too much trouble with the one assigned to the
players to worry about finding new ones at this time.
Four player play is a real blast. If Atari can continue to produce quality
games like this you won't hear me complaining very often. I'm sure the
magazines will hate it and thus I've stopped even looking at the damn
things. Atari....good job.
Pete
SVC: GEnie
Category 40, Topic 21, Message 24
DATE: Sun Aug 06, 1995
FROM: R.JONES82 [Bob Jones] at 23:37 CDT
Purchased WMCJ today. This is a really fun game, I agree with others that
it takes 30 minutes or so to get the hang of the controls. Once past the
initial learning curve the game starts to rock. I like all the digitized
voices of the players, some pretty funny comments are made. As for the
frame rate, it is on par with AVP, its easy to look beyond it. I don't
agree that it makes the game unplayable, a few frames more and this game
would be perfect, but its great as is.
Bob J.
Hey, our buddies on Prodigy say...
SVC: PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service
Date: 08/08 Time: 0:44 AM
Board: VIDEO GAMES BB
Topic: ATARI JAGUAR
Subject: WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP
To: RYAN BULLOCK (PBCR91B)
From: JERY DRANZIG (PSFT55A)
Time: 08/05 1:24 PM
WMCJ rocks; player and camera moves are very realistic. It does take a
little getting used to view and controls, but you get the hang of both
with a little practice. This game looks like it would be a blast playing
against up to three friends with Team Tap adapter included. Check it out!
Here's the buzz on CompuServe...
SVC: CompuServe
FRM: Craig Harris 73733,231
DAT: Tuesday, August 01, 1995
Since I received so much positive feedback on my feedback to Super
Burnout, I've decided to do the same thing for White Men Can't Jump. This
is my first impression based on about an hour of play and about 2 mm of
sweat scooped off of the controller. <g>
I just want to say, this is probably one of the first "polished" Jaguar
games I've played since Tempest. A decent menuing system, tight controls,
tons of speech samples and animation frames, and nice, gritty music. The
game itself is a cross between NBA Jam, Barkley: Shut up and Jam, and
Jammit. (get the connection?) But instead of the side-scrolling view most
video streetball players are used to, you get a free-floating, halfcourt
camera view from behind the midcourt line.
The constant zooming out, in, around, and through is more gimmicky than
helpful; but it does put to rest the debate whether or not the Jaguar can
do realtime texture mapping at a decent, playable clip...almost. Because
the graphic detail is so high, with multiple background layers, 4 hi-res
players, and a 3-dimensional rim on a backboard, the Jaguar flinches a
bit, trying to keep everything moving smoothly. I was afraid that the
slightly low frame-rate was going to hinder the gameplay... initially, it
does, but only until you get your eyes adjusted to the
speed of play. I'd say give it about 10 minutes of hard play before you
throw your controller away in frustration.
Now, about the gameplay: Basically, you just punch and maul and shove your
way to two or three-point baskets. Oh, as a secondary option you can pass
the ball, too. So *that's* what that other player's for... You can also
perform Super Dunks (tm) by pushing a Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat-ish
motion on the pad while shooting the ball. These aren't easy to do, but
they *are* possible...and kind of cool to watch, because the camera zooms
in as tight as possible to display your ego-ness. Each player has one (or
two, or three...) and the manual assist in helping you perform one for
each team.
My only gripe about the gameplay itself is the fact that you absolutely
CANNOT perform a standard, under-the-basket dunk or lay-up. All non-Super
Dunk baskets must be jumpshots, which can get annoying when
the two opponents trap you under the basket.
One thing I *absolutely* had to do was eighty-six the annoying text that
pops up every half-second during the game. Luckily, I wasn't the only one
that found it distracting, so the programmers offer the ability to disable
them in the OPTIONS menu. Yes, you heard correctly...an options menu in a
Jaguar game. Who would've thunk it?
But...all-in-all, this is a great street-ball game. And the best part?
They give you the multi-player Team Tap for free. (But if it's a 4 player
game, why does it state on the box "1 or 2 player game"? hmmm...) Oh,
and Manual error alert! In the graphic representation of the Team Tap
hooked up to the Jaguar, the 2nd player controller is labeled "3" and the
3rd player is labeled "2." Whoops...
Great game, great indication of greatness from High Voltage. And aren't
they doing a TON of Jaguar releases? Better fill up your wallet, boys and
girls...
-Craig-
SVC: CompuServe
FRM: Edward Mazmanian 102211,2662
DAT: Wednesday, August 02, 1995
Well Well Well...It's about time.
Ever since Iron Soldier I've been waiting for a solid Jag title. Sure Val
D'Isere and Super Burnout are fun, but they are also pretty much straight
forward. It's only weakness seems to be that you want to move the players
faster but you can't, unless of course you are always pressing the speed
button. However, WMCJ makes up for this totally with great Voice Overs,
Excellent Graphics (The players move so realistically, you just have to
watch them and you won't believe it), and exciting gameplay. The Zooming
feature which you might think would be annoying is anything but. It adds
to the gameplay and keeps you glued to the screen. My favorite part is
playing for money and trying to work your way up to the big contest,
otherwise you are dead meat. Anyway, I'm really enjoying it. I've played
it for about 3 hours straight getting the hang of the dunks and getting
used to the 3rd perspective, which takes a while, as well as getting used
to the speed at which the players move.
Overall I'd give it a B-.
I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a Basketball game that
isn't an NBA Jam Clone. I'm really looking forward to Thea Realm Fighters
and Dactyl Joust now. Go High Voltage. For a first game I'll
give you guys an A.
Here is another WMCJ impression from AOL
SVC: America OnLine
Subject: WMCJ, we have a winner
From: thom21@aol.com (Thom21)
Date: 2 Aug 1995 12:07:31 -0400
Message-ID: <3vo7s3$ckk@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
Here are my impressions after 2 hours of playing WMCJ. This game is one of
the few but growing list of titles for Jaguar in which one does not ask
the question, could my SNES of Genesis do this just as easy (a la Double
Dragon V, Flashback, etc, etc). WMCJ is a visual feast. The graphics are
extremely detailed and the game zooms in and out very smoothly. I have not
been able to play with others, but the Jag AI is a very worth opponent. I
recommend that you go to the options screen and set turn on the option
that constantly marks your player with a blue arrow. It makes it easy to
follow your players around the court. This game is a must have for Jaguar
owners thirsting for quality sports action.
Graphics 9
Playability 7
Sound/music 8
Overall 8 (A very worthy effort !!)
From the Internet, concerning Rayman:
Well According to the Folks at UBI soft...Sept 9th, ON STORE SHELVES.
Sweet :> I can hardly wait (good thing this is LESS THAN 1 MONTH!) here's
the message
Hi Scott,
Rayman just got approved by Atari last week. So production is in full
steam and we expect it on store shelves on 9 September. Thanks for
checking out the site.
- James
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
compiled by
Joe Mirando
CIS ID: 73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Jeez, do I feel dumb! For the last two
weeks, I've been venting steam about online services that require you to
use a special terminal program to access their service. If you've been
paying attention, you know that I'm against it. I've been hearing
rumblings that my three favorite services were considering changing their
format to remove ASCII support for generic terminal programs (including
support for ANSI, TTY (ASCII), and the whole "VT" family). It was my hope
that, by voicing my opinions, I would force some of these folks to at
least take another look at we "non-mainstream" users.
Little did I know then that our publisher was considering using a format
that would give us the ability to apply all the bells and whistles to our
humble offering. As you probably know by now, our primary format is
MicroSoft Word. Or should I say "our Editor's" primary format is MS Word.
You see, I don't have a DOS machine. That's by choice. My trusty Atari
ST serves me in good stead. Because I don't have a DOS machine (or a
Mac), I have no way to generate "Word" code. Neither do I have any way to
read it. I was as surprised as you were last week when I downloaded
STReport and found all those nasty little control codes in the file.
But no, STReport will not leave our loyal Atari users out in the cold. I
can't say too much about this yet (perhaps one of the other editors can),
but suffice it to say that before too long, we Atari users will be able to
view STReport (and anything else in Word format) without having to bug a
friend or relative to use their DOS machine. It's still WAY too early to
mention anything about this viewer such as who's coding it (although it is
someone well known in the Atari world), what it will be able to do,
whether it will have font support, how much memory it will require, as
these things all remain uncertain. The one thing that is fairly certain
is that it will be freeware.
I know that many of you are thinking the same things that I was when I
first got this rude awakening: It'll add to the size of the file... It'll
make it harder to "cut" articles out... It'll reduce my flexibility...
It'll change the course of civilization!
All true. Including the last one. Imagine being able to download news
from your favorite online service or BBS and being able to see pictures,
captions, headlines, graphs, and pie charts all right there... and some of
it perhaps only HOURS old. Yes my friends, this IS the future of online
publication.
But until the viewer is ready, we will continue to provide STReport in the
ASCII format that you are used to. There's and old Chinese curse that
goes: "May you live in interesting times". Well folks, we've all been
cursed! <grin>
Now let's get on with the reason for this column: All the great news,
hints, tips, and information available every week right here on
CompuServe.
From the Atari Computing Forums
CompuServe recently announced price reductions. Peter Joseph asks:
"RE: CIS' new pricing. Although it's wonderful news, it kind of
scares me. The only reason I can see for CIS to do such a thing is to
retain the market, but this seems almost a drastic move. Can you shed
some light on this? Is CIS slipping or what? How can they survive with
this kind of pricing. Or is it really that they've been ripping us off
big time and now they've decided to stop it. <grin>"
Sysop Jim Ness tells Peter:
"Well, they HAVE claimed record profits for the last couple of
reporting periods. And, AOL recently went ahead in overall
membership numbers, so the sleeping giant has awakened. Stockholder
info indicates that several million $$ have been earmarked for
"marketing" purposes.
The new pricing "just happens" to match that of AOL."
Peter tells Jim:
"...I never realized AOL was that popular (it's no wonder with them
blanketing the nation with free disks; I've gotten three just in the
last few months). I don't know what it is but I have never found AOL
to be as user friendly as CIS. Maybe I'm just so used to CIS that it
seems weird.
Our own editor-in-chief, Ralph Mariano tells Peter:
"Its not weird.... I feel the same way. AOL is far too structured.
Its like you're on a tramway with no _real_ control. Besides IMHO,
AOL is the "Teenage Network" and Steve Case seems to promote a self
destructive, elitist attitude over there. Spend some time reading the
messages there... they have no real content. All noise. <g>
I like CIS... At one time I was elsewhere in a big way but that soon
ended at the hands of a coupla .... in any case, I am here since.
Those two did me and about a dozen others the biggest favor. CIS is
where its at, where it will be in the future, and where I will be.
The plans for this network in the near and distant future are simply
amazing. No... crushing is a better word. Especially to and for the
competition. One service cannot seem to get their Front End working
right. Its like a "sooner" dog, sooner _crash_ than work correctly.
Yet they brazenly continue to tout the trash. Oh well, at the rate
they're going.... they'll soon follow NVN."
Mark Szamrej posts:
"I'm looking for technical information on Atari's TOS operating
system.
I'm interested in anything I can find on the subject but would be
especially interested in:
OS Roots - Is TOS based on DOS, CP/M, etc.
OS Type - 16 or 32-bit. What about multitasking capability
Memory - Maximum memory TOS could support
GUI - Gem I know. Did TOS support anything else?
Anything would be helpful!!"
Albert Dayes tells Mark:
"I will give it a try:
OS roots ... CP/M-68K ... the filesystem is almost like exactly like
MS-DOS GEM is based on DRI (now part of Novell) GEM on the PC.
OS - it does support single tasking ... with other 3rd party
multi-tasking products available for it.
The cpu is based on the Motorola 680x0 family of processors
Max memory depends on model (most of the older ones had 4 meg limit)
some of the later models could go to 128 megs (using some 3rd party
memory expansion boards)
There are some other filesystems supported like Minix for example.
There is also the ability to run X-windows on the Atari as well.
There was an Atari version of Unix System v Release 4 but it was
never released to the public."
Mark tells Albert:
"Looks good to me! I appreciate the response. A friend has a Atari
(520?) that he is looking to get rid of. He doesn't know much about
it (was left to him) and I was wondering if it would be a good
machine for me."
Mark asks Albert:
"I was reading over your TOS info again and I had a couple of
questions:
Was TOS a 16-bit or 32-bit OS?
Have you ever heard of something called 'msh' (read mesh)
(micro-shell)? Is it some kind of Unix-like shell??"
Albert tells Mark:
"16 or 32-bit OS ... I guess it depends the way you look at it. If
looking at it from the cpu one could say it is a 32-bit or 16-bit os.
Atari did have multi-tasking version called Multi-TOS (uses a Mint
kernal) which provided in general the same type of services that
similar 32-bit OSes (on other platforms) provided.
Micro C-shell .... is a Unix shell which gives one a standard Unix C
shell. There is also a multi-tasking version called MT-C shell.
There is one in the library (pd/shareware unix shell) called Gulam.
There is also the GNU one called bash. The first two Unix C shells
listed above are commercial products while the later are freeware,
pd, or shareware type."
Mark asks:
"You said that the file system is almost identical to DOS.
Does this mean that it has the same limitations as DOS in respect to
8.3 filenames and such??"
Albert replies:
"The filesystem (on floppies) is 99% the same as MSDOS. If you format
a 720K disk on the PC one can use it to move files back and forth
between both systems (Atari & PC). Quite a few of the GEMDOS calls
are very similar to their DOS function calls as well.
The filesystem on hard drives is similar in the directory and fat
area but the partitioning is different. But one can use a Syquest to
move files between both systems provided one has the right software
and limits partitions to 32 megabytes. I believe ICD software is the
one with this capability. There might be some others that provide
similar functionality.
The DOS 8.3 filename is a common sight on the Atari also."
Ralph Kalatucka asks for help:
"I have just purchased an HP 540 Deskjet printer, and I have
downloaded a few Compuserve printer drivers, found in Atari File
Finder. I used keywords >Deskjet< and >Deskjet,Printer,Driver<.
When I went to download the files, some that sounded really good said
>File not found<. I double-checked my syntax carefully. (I love
writing things down on paper while I look through CIS. Isn't that why
I bought a computer in the first place?)
Anyway, I could not download 2COLMS.LZH, PAMFLT.LZH, PRHP14.LZH and
one other, I forget the name. Do I have these names correct, or
should I be in another forum or something?
Another question...is there any file to download to drive EZDRAW with
G+PLUS? Migraph is on vacation for August and won't answer the phone.
And is there a commercially available package to run my Deskjet 540
that is better than the CIS files? It seems absolutely silly for HP
to think that ONLY IBM? Compatable computer owners would be using
their printers, so they provide IBM driver software with it. When I
finally got a human at HP on the phone and asked if they had printer
driver info so I could tailor my own drivers, the line goes very
quiet until they figure out who I should call next?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Ralph:
"All three of the files you mentioned by name are in Library #4 here.
Possibly you had chosen a different library when you tried to find
them before...
If you select Library 4, then issue a DOWNLOAD command for each of
the files you should find them."
Ralph tells Sysop Bob:
"Do I have to be in each individual library to download the file?
Sorry, when I would write down a filename, I didn't write down the
library number. I thought I only needed the file name. Oops.
PS. BTW, the file named HPDRVR.ARC does NOT work with with my HP 540
and STWRITER Elite or 1stWord. With 1stWord, I just get a couple of
"dingbats" then a page eject, and STWRITER Elite doesn't use an
XYZZ-data file. And PRTALL.LZH (Print All) does NOT print all; No
Monochrome monitor support and no .GEM (Easy Draw) files. ENVELO.ARC
won't work with the HP 540, because HP decided that envelopes were
too wide, and they want your envelopes rotated 90 degrees for
inserting into the printer. Frustrated? No, not me! an hour of searches
and downloads with nothing that works. grrr"
Greg Kopchak of It's All Relative Software tells Ralph:
"We just hooked up a 540 last week too. So far it has worked with
everything we tried using our old DeskJet 500 Plus drivers. Haven't
attempted color yet. All you need to convert the 540 to a color
printer is the color cartridge. So far we have been happy with it."
Ralph replies:
"So glad that the HP 540 works with HP 500 drivers. I don't have any
of those either, so I'm still stuck. I am going to ask Jim Ness a few
questions, so perhaps you may be able to offer some further input if
he doesn't already answer it."
Jim Ness tells Ralph:
"As BobR[etelle] indicated, the files are in Library #4 here. We've
moved things around a bit, and the File Finder may not have been
updated in awhile."
Ralph tells Jim:
"Thank you for the help. However, I'm still stuck. I have not yet
downloaded the files you directed me to library 4 in order to get
them, but the ones that I did download don't work, either with my HP
540 or my software.
So, what would you recommend, if anything, to drive the HP 540
Deskjet, whether it be a Compuserve-available or commercial program,
for the following programs (Yes, they are oldies, but goodies! They
work fine so I still use'em!)
* ST Writer Elite
* 1st Word (I don't think it's a "plus")
* EZ Draw (.GEM extenders with G+PLUS)
And a screen dump utility.
I don't care if there are pull-down or pop-up menus or if its
something that I have to configure myself. If the instructions are
clear enough, I can usually figure it out, but some software authors
think I'm a full time programmer, so they think I know what they're
talking about.
Or should I chuck it all in and get new software? I am saving to buy
a FalconST, but I feel more and more alone in the IBM/MAC universe,
and this HP 540 printer makes me feel even more so.
But Mr. Ness, you have been around as long as the ST, so I respect
your judgement and welcome your help. Thank you for your years of
support."
Simon Churchill tells Ralph:
"I use a HP 520 and have had little problems with drivers, If I
remember you can write your own drivers for ST Writer Elite and 1st
Word.
I had to do this when I owned an 8 Pin (Yes you do see EIGHT written
there) printer and got both programs working fine. As for Easy Draw,
that uses GDOS if I'm not mistaken, doesnt it? I take it G+PLUS is a
replacement? Have you tried a normal GDOS setup instead. Anyway you
should find most Deskjet or Laserjet II drivers will work. I have
found a good Laserjet driver from within FontGDOS and use it with
timeworks, I get TWICE the print speed.
What's the screen dump util?
If your thinking of new software how about Paparus for a Document
editor? It's one of the latest and is very good.
Hope this helps, I know your app's quite well (used them myself when
money was tight!!)."
Ralph tells Simon:
"I guess I lost some of the README docs that came with ST WRITER
ELITE, when I transferred it to my hard drive when I finally got one.
But Version 4.1 uses no XYZZ.DAT file like the earlier versions,
which I do recall could configure printers quite easily. I have used
the CONFIG.TXT that I have on the same drive as my ST WRITER ELITE,
and have changed some of the printer codes, but boy, all I get is
that stupid typewriter-looking font called "courier", named after the
old typewriter itself.
I'll look into the CIS Atari libraries and see if there is a more
recent version of ST WRITER in there, that I can configure.
And yes, G+PLUS is a faster and more memory efficient replacement to
GDOS, and I left a message on Codehead's answering machine, and we'll
see if they get back to me someday.
And a screen-dump utility is the ALT-HELP function on the Atari ST
that whatever is on the CRT Monitor in front of you gets printed to
the paper. The HP 540 gets that command and prints a few dingbats
then page-ejects, and repeats the process perhaps forever, or at
least until I turn off the printer."
Meanwhile, Jerry Coppess posts:
"Last week at the MIST show I bought a Wizztronics memory board for
the Falcon . It says to use:
low profile
non-composite
simms. The local dealer I tried to buy the 16M simm from had never
heard of this. The low profile is no problem, it just has to fit in
the board. The non-composite(non-carbon fiber?) is another matter. Is
this something I am lilely to run into? How do you tell the
difference?"
Sysop Bob Retelle, who's probably got more experience than any two or
three of us put together, tells Jerry:
"I've never heard that term (non-composite) either, as applied to
SIMMs.
As a guess though, I'd say that it probably means you need to get
9chip SIMMs, where each bit is assigned to a separate physical chip,
instead of 3chip SIMMs where the bits share one of three physical
chips.
Occasionally it makes a difference in the PC world, so it may apply
in the Atari world too.
Probably the best thing would be to try to call Wizztronics directly
and check for sure though..."
Jerry tells Bob:
"I called Wizztronics. I couldn't keep up with his explantion. It
does have something to do with the size and number of chips. I think
it was 4-4meg chips instead of 16 one meg chips.The main thing being
that all of the chips have to be on one side of the SIMM board.
Otherwise it will not fit into the expansion board."
Ken Goodwin asks for help:
"I just installed AdSpeed St in my Mega 4. My St dowsn't want to
boot cold. I have to let it run for about 5-10 minutes before it will
come on. Anyone had this problem or know of a solution?"
Jerry Coppess gives Ken...
"...a few ideas. Do you have the shielding back on? The
monitor(especially a color monitor) could be reacking havoc with it.
Cold solder joints. Where in the boot process is it failing? Is the
screen blank or scrambled? Do you get errors? Can you put 8MHZ.PRG in
the AUTO folder so it boots up at that speed. I have never had a
problem with my Adspeed, but when I put a TEC board under it, it
would not boot at 16mhz. It would crash when the A: drive was
accessed at 16mhz. Wrapping the TEC bpards ribbon cable with aluminum
foil cured this. Interference that wasn't a problem at 8mhz may be at
16. If you have switche(s) for the speed settings set hem for 8mhz,
and/or try disconnecting or shielding them. If you have a hard drive
try removing power to the A: drive.
Ralph Mariano gives Ken another possibility:
"[Perhaps] the power supply is "tired".. no joke. Call Best and get
one of their "beefed up" supplies for your machine. It fits right in
and is almost twice as potent.
Of course, this is only my opinion, I could be wrong."
Ralph? Wrong?? Nah. Meanwhile, Bob Waxer asks for help:
"I have an old 1040ST that I want to connnect to some SCSI periperals
I have (sysquest, bernoulli, etc) - I vaguely remember there used to
be a way to do this - any help out there?"
Simon Churchill tells Bob:
"If you have an STFM or E then you will need a DMA cable from the ST
to a suitable interface module (Eg The Link II or The Translator etc)
A box to put the items in, if there is not a PSU in it then you need
one with suitable drive power connect's. A small PC case can be used
to house the items and has a PSU built in.
A 50 way ribbon cable to connect from the Interface module to each
item in a daisy chain fashion with the last item on the cable having
termination resistors fitted. NO other item should have these
resistor blocks fitted.
How they look (Appox):
/------------------------------------------------------\
| |
| |
| |
\------------------------------------------------------/
|| || || \ \ || || ||
|| || || /---------/ || || ||
|| || || \ PINS \ || || ||
\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/
There are normaly three blocks and they are positioned just behind the
50 way connector on the item (Normaly). There are a number of pins on
each resistor block but I have not counted them so don't know how many
there are!
Each item connect on the chain MUST have it's own ID number, this is
normaly set by jumpers on the items PCB. The first should be set to ID
0 and the next ID 1 etc until you reach the last unit which has the
termination resistors in it.
Phew! Did you get all that?
Hope this answers your question..."
Well folks, there's lots more stuff that I could add, but space is getting
short and you're eyes are probably as red as mine right now, so I'll stop
here and promise to continue on next week in true ASCII fashion. Be sure
to tune in again next week and be ready to listen to what they are saying
when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
A "Quotable Quote" A true, "Sign of the Times"
"WHEN MONEY TALKS IT USUALLY SAYS "BEND OVER!!"
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