News - Undated - II
From: Len Stys (aa399)
Date: 01/23/90-04:08:05 PM Z
From: aa399 (Len Stys)
Subject: News - Undated - II
Date: Tue Jan 23 16:08:05 1990
Undated Time Capsule
--------------------
"Atari Update", Sam Tramiel
Federated Compu-Centers
Atari's Home Office Target
Frank Foster Joins Atari
Atari's Calendar
Computer and Video Sales
Atari Corp. Net Sales
Diamond Operating System
Diamond Conference Transcript
1988 Year End Results
SEA Vs. Us (maybe)
"Atari Update", Sam Tramiel
---------------------------
-From:aa399:news:601415026:604007026:"Atari Update", Sam Tramiel.
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 017
Sam Tramiel, "Atari Update", THE ATARI
REPORT, Winter 1988, p.1.
"BUSINESS IS WAR. A strong statement to
be sure, but true. This sometimes
misconstrued saying was first publicly
coined in 1983 by CEO Jack Tramiel
during an interview on the McNeil/
Lehrer News Hour. It reflects a
business philosophy, not an
endorsment of war and its astrosities.
According to Jack, 'I compare business
to war because each much be approached
in the same manner. It takes strategic
planning, good organization, and total
commitment to win. It's not a sport
or a game. Every minute, every hour,
you face competition...there are
always others much smarter than you.
You have to work harder and serve the
customer better to get your share of
the business.' Lately, the 'Business
is War' slogan has been adopted by
other companies in their advertising
campaigns. It's no surprise. A
disciplined, militaristic approach
couldn't be more applicable as
business faces the tough competition
of today's market.
Business is war, and Atari is armed
with the latest in tecnology and
compelling new products to be a major
factor in both the computer and video
game markets. Our weapons are the
skill and experience of our designers,
engineers and developers. Our
ammunition is the increasing ability
to keep a market fully suplied and
well served. We are aware that highly
developed and well executed marketing
strategies are vital to secure Atari's
position in the minds of the ultimate
target--the costumers.
Having just recently returned from
COMDEX, the largest domestic computer
conference and trade show, I believe
we are well positioned for the year-
end push, as well as next year. Atari
commanded an imposing presence by
solely occupying a 6,600 square foot
display hall for presentation of new
products and software. Among the
show's highlights were the new Atari
PC4 MS-DOS compatible personal
computer; the PC5 OS/2 compatible,
the Atari Transputer Workstation
(ATW), and an ST laptop computer to be
released in summer, 1989.
THE QUARTER RESULTS. The growth
of the computer segmented continued
to be constrained by the continuing
shortage and high price of DRAMs. Our
margins were negatively impacted by
adverse movements in exchange rates
and high component costs. A recently
signed contract with a major DRAM
supplier will assure an expanded,
stable supply of components which will
allow us to expand our computer
business in 1989.
The overall results at Federated
are disappointing. We have improved
our gross margins significantly from
24 percent to 28 percent since the
beginning of the year. Also, we have
reduced our variable operating costs,
including head office overheads, by
approximately 40 percent since the
beginning of the year. However, while
these trends are favorable, the
tradeoff for establishing control in
this newly acquired enterprise has
been an erosion of sales volume.
Expect for its severity, this decline
was anticipated. During the fourth
quarter, Federated, with the
assistance of DDB Needham Retail, our
recently appointed advertising agency,
is launching an aggressive marketing
campaign. We anticipate a much
improved fourth quarter in our retail
segment."
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Federated Compu-Centers
-----------------------
-From:aa399:news:601432839:604024839:Federated Compu-Centers
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 018
"Federated Opens Compu-Centers",
THE ATARI REPORT, winter 1988, p.3.
"Soon all Federated customers will
know that not only is this the place
to buy their consumer electronic
products, but it is also the
best place to purchase their computer
business systems.
A new concept for Federated stores,
called Compu-Centers, was started
this past summer. The 'store-within-a-
store' concept consists of about
1500 square feet of retail space. The
small office center offers computers,
disk drives, printers, modems, FAX
machines, copiers, business phones and
related supplies. In addition to
computer hardware, the Compu-Center
carries a full line of Atari ST and
8-bit software, MS-DOS software, and
peripherals.
Five vertical markets are being
targeted with this new program:
Desktop Publishing, Graphics, Music,
Education, and the Home Office
(specifically small business in the
home or homes that are used as an
extension of the regular workspace).
These markets will be reached through
onsite seminars and outside sales.
There are now 16 Compu-Centers
operating in California, Arizona and
Texas. Eventually all 60 stores will
adopt this concept."
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Atari's Home Office Target
--------------------------
-From:aa399:news:601450499:604042499:Atari's Home Office Target
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 019
"Atari Targets Home Office Market",
THE ATARI REPORT, Winter 1988, p.7.
"Recent articles in industry
publications indicate that retailers
stand to benefit from the multi-
billion dollar home office market,
the fastest growing segment of the
U.S. personal computer market. Home
computing has become much more than
entertainment and education. Home
Computing now means business, with
business-oriented applications such
as word processing and finance.
Atari finds its economical, high-
performance computer creating strong
inroads into the explosive home office
marketplace. The Atari MEGA and
ST computers are naturals for the
home office, due to their low prices,
performance, and versatility. Software
is available for any application, and
PC and Mac emulation capabilities
offer compatibility with any system.
Whether the home office is used for
a busy household, small business, or
an extension of the workplace, Atari
computers are the best choice.
The Federated Group, Atari's chain
of electronics stores has targeted
the home office as one of five
vertical markets for Federated's
Compu-Centers. In addition to Atari
computers, IBM PC clones, and the
Amiga, Federated's Compu-Centers
carry copiers, FAX machines, business
phones, and typewriters to meet the
needs of the small business person.
Research has shown that one out
of three new businesses is being run
from the home. In fact, in 1987, one-
third of all personal computers were
shipped to homes. Also, approximately
one-third of the U.S. labor force
works full- or part-time in their
homes. The number of people working
in the home has doubled again by
1992 (Computer Reseller News, 11/21/
88). The personal computer itself is
largely responsible for these changes,
by bringing productivity to an
affordable level, accessible to the
average person.
According to the Dataquest study
conducted early this year, word
processing is the software application
most oftwn used in home, by nearly
half of those surveyed. Databases,
file management, spreadsheets, and
games are also very popular.
Increased usage is found for database
managers, spreadsheets, and business
accounting packages, due to the
increasing number of computers being
used for a home office. Dataquest
has found that the traditional game/
education system is yielding to
serious business machines in the home.
Other applications for the home
office include graphics programs,
household finance, education,
programming languages, and bookkeeping
packages. Software from Atari
and its third-party developers is
available for all of these needs.
And the price for Atari software
always fits the home office budget.
Atari offers additional benefits
because of its unique emulation
capabilities. Using Atari MEGA or
ST can run most Apple Macintosh
software--twenty percent faster
than the Macintosh itself! The Atari
also offers a monitor screen that is
thirty percent larger than the
Macintosh display. Users can use
Spectre 128 to run such programs
as Hypercard, pageMaker, and Adobe
Illustrator, and still switch back
to Atari's TOS system to run the wide
variety of software written for Atari.
Avante Garde Systems offers IBM
PC emulation with their software-only
package, PC-Ditto. PC-Ditto enables
the Atari ST to imitate an IBM PC XT.
No extra hardware is required,
although a 5.25-inch drive is required
for programs on 5.25-inch disks.
Programs such as Lotus 1-2-3,
Framework, Symphony, dBase II and
III+, Sidekick, TurboPascal, and
hundreds more, will work "out of the
box." PC-Ditto sells for $89.95.
Atari software also excels at file
portability. Word processors and
desktop publishing packages for the
Atari accpet ASCII text files
transferred from any personal
computer. Spreadsheets like LDW Power,
from Logical Design Works, and VIP
Professional, from ISD Marketing,
both accept files from the popular
MS-DOS program Lotus 1-2-3/
A number of word processors are
available for the Atari MEGA and ST
computers. WordPerfect is a popular
choice among users seeking a powerful
package."
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Frank Foster Joins Atari
------------------------
-From:aa399:news:601515206:601515206:Frank Foster Joins Atari.
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 020
"Frank Foster Joins Atari Computer",
THE ATARI REPORT, Winter 1988, p.6.
"Atari's new manager of specialty
markets is no stranger to the MIDI
industry. Frank Foster is probably
best-known as one of the founders
of the music software company, Hybrid
Arts, where he helped build the
initial Atari 8-bit market back in
1983. Foster has been one of the most
vocal proponents of the ST since its
introduction. He worked closely with
Sam Tramiel to run Atari's first
music industry ad in 1986 and in
expanding Atari's dealer network to
music retailers.
Foster notes that users can look
for continued high visibility by Atari
in music stores and publications.
'Atari plans to continue sponsorship
of concert tours and other events,
such as the Tangerine Dream North
American tour,' he said."
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Atari's Calendar
----------------
-From:aa399:news:601616319:601616319:Atari's Calendar
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 021
"Calendar", THE ATARI REPORT, Winter
1988, P.3.
"JANUARY 1989
20-22: California. Winter NAMM
International Music Market. Anaheim
Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.
Call National Association of Music
Merchants, (619) 438-8001 for more
information.
APRIL
22-23: California. World of Atari
Show, sponsored ST WORLD. Game
machines, 8-bit computers, MEGA and
STs, seminars, workshops, exhibits.
Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA. Call
(503) 623-2259 for more information.
MAY
6-7: Michigan. MACE Atarifest,
Detroit. Call Patty Rahl at (313)
973-8825 for more information.
13-14: Massachusetts. Atarifest,
Boston. Call Jerry Feldman at (603)
881-1135.
JUNE
3-6: Illinois. Summer CES, McCormick
Place, Chicago. Call National
Association of Music Merchants, (619)
438-8001, for more information."
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Computer and Video Sales
------------------------
-From:aa399:news:601691855:604283855:Computer and Video Sales
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 022
"Computers and Video Games", ATARI
REPORT, Winter 1988, p.5.
"Atari's computer and video game
division reported net sales for the
quarter of $97.0 million compared to
$80.4 million for the same quarter
last year, an increase of 21 percent.
Operating income was $11.9 million
compared to $15.0 million, a decrease
of 20 percent. Net sales for the nine
months were $296.3 million compared
to $216.2 million for the same period
last year, an increase of 37 percent.
Operating income was $44.3 million
for the nine months compared to $40.7
million, an increase of 9 percent."
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Atari Corp. Net Sales
---------------------
-From:aa399:news:602034796:604626796:Atari Corp. Net Sales
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 023
"Atari (Consolidated)", THE ATARI
REPORT, Winter 1988, p.5.
"Atari Corporation net sales for
the quarter were $153.9 million
compared to $80.4 million for the same
quarter last year, an increase of
91 percent. Operating income was
$5.2 million compared to $15.0
million, a decrease of 65 percent,
while net income was $.9 million
compared to $9.9 million. Net sales
for the nine months ended October 1,
1988 were $487.8 million compared
to $216.2 million for the same period
last year, an increase of 126 percent.
Operating income was $24.2 million
compared to $40.7 million, a decrease
of 40 percent. Net income was $121.1
million compared to $38.7 million,
a decrease of $26.6 million.
Reflecting on the past nine months
and the status of the company as we
entered the fourth quarter, we are
extremely confident about prospects
for the coming year. From all of us
at Atari, we send best wishes to
everyone for a healthy and successful
New Year!"
Len Stys aa399
Atari Co-Sysop
Diamond Operating System
------------------------
-From:aa384:news:602220937:604812937:Diamond Operating System
-From: DOUG WOKOUN (aa384)
-Indx: 024
The following was taken from Zmagazine
Issue #139.
##############################
<*> DIAMOND UPDATE
##############################
Press Release: Diamond OS SuperCart
From: Alan Reeve/Reeve Software
Attention Atarians,
It has been a little over six months
since our first press release for
our
Diamond OS. Since then a lot has
changed. We initially intended to
ship
Diamond as a disk based product and
it was to require at least 64K.
In August of 1988 we were contacted
by Shelly Merrill of Merrill Ward &
Associates. Originally Diamond was
going to compete against their
product,
however, things fell apart with the
developer and Shelly has been
assisting us with the marketing of
Diamond. We elected to unite as I
felt
that his marketing knowledge could
greatly boost the sales of our
product,
and also create a resurgence of
interest in the Atari computer.
Shelly has
since moved on, formed USA Media, and
has been very helpful in the
marketing of Diamond.
We shipped our disk based version of
Diamond at the end of September. It
did much of what we said that it
would, however we have received many
comments and criticisms regarding
some areas. The most common
complaint
was that the disk version functioned
solely with Atari DOS 2.0.
Since the release of our disk based
version of Diamond we have spent the
last ten weeks adding to it in order
to create our much more powerful
cartridge version of Diamond. The
cartridge version adds a lot of
power
over our initial disk version:
* Supports two windows on the
DeskTop.
* Supports Quit to Basic and direct
return to the DeskTop.
* Supports most DOS types (Atari DOS
2.X, DOS XE, and SpartaDOS).
* Supports folders (subdirectories)
and time/date stamping.
* Windows have sliders, and fullers
that support full reversing.
* It's on cartridge and consumes
minimal system memory to function.
* Much more...
Diamond is also completely
programmable. We initially intended
to have a
separate Programmer's Kit, however,
along with the cartridge will come
complete documentation for
programming the environment...it can
even be
programmed in Atari Basic.
The disk version was also to have
memory drivers and be followed up by
many external applications. Due to
our continued work on creating such
a
powerful environment we have delayed
the applications until the cartridge
was completed. We will now be
releasing the applications and they
will
support the cartridge, however,
Diamond Paint and Diamond Write will
also
include versions that support the 64K
disk version.
We are now pleased to announce that
the cartridge version of Diamond is
100% done and will be shipping very
soon as we produce the cartridges.
It
will first be available to users that
wish to upgrade from the 64K disk
version, and will then be available
in stores nationwide. Please contact
us
for more information:
Contact:
REEVE Software
29W150 Old Farm Lane
Warrenville, IL 60555
(312) 393-2317
or
USA Media
7810 Malcolm Road
Clinton, Maryland 20735
(301) 868-5494
GEnie ID: REEVE.SOFT
CIS ID: 71521,2200
The separate applications will be
arriving shortly as Diamond acts as
a
very solid foundation for external
programs. The first Diamond based
program will be Diamond Paint.
Diamond Write, News Station, Diamond
Publish and more will follow. The
first three are almost complete.
Lastly, we'd like to thank those of
you that have been supportive of our
efforts to revitalize the Atari
community. I believe that Diamond is
the
most powerful program written for any
8-bit computer and will lead the
Atari 8-bits into the 1990's.
We hope that you will join us and
Diamond as your Atari 8-bit soars to
new
heights.
Doug Wokoun
Atari SysOp
Diamond Conference Transcript
-----------------------------
-From:aa384:news:602299074:604891074:Diamond Conference Transcript
-From: DOUG WOKOUN (aa384)
-Indx: 025
The following was taken from the
Jan.16 issue of ZMagazine (#140)...
##############################
<*> Alan Reeves Conference
##############################
Ctsy GEnie Atari8 RT
<[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> Welcome to Alan
and Shelly, and thanks for joining
us here on GEnie to discuss your new
Diamond OS cart. I think that there
has been a LOT of excitement about
this product. Would you like to
make
an opening statement?
<REEVE.SOFT> First I would like to
thank Marty for setting up this
conference. First, I (Alan) will
speak and the appropriate name will
appear in the []. I would also like
to thank all of the many customers
that now own a Diamond cartridge for
their support. As some of you
recall
our first conference back in July was
geared at discussing the up and
coming Diamond...much has happened
and now Diamond is a cartridge based
system... I believe that the new
cartridges addresses many (if not
all)
of the comments and suggestions that
the dedicated Atari users have made.
We initially released our disk based
version of Diamond to show the Atari
world that the creation of such an OS
for the 8-bit is possible and the
disk has proven itself to be a
powerful system...the new cartridge
was
aimed at pleasing those of you that
are 'power' users. The cartridge
does
all of what the disk did...adds many
new features and consumes less
memory
due to it's ROM based nature... the
first batch of Diamond cartridges
we're shipped out 2 days ago...the
second batch will be sent out on
Monday.
For this conference we are here to
answer your Questions about Diamond
and
the future of Diamond... ga Marty
<[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> OK! Well, on to
the questions.... First off, we
have Bob Puff.... ga Bob!
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> Hi Alan!
Well, my congratulations go out on
completing such a large project! A
couple Qs here (which are probably
fully explained in the stuff when it
comes, but for the benefit of all..)
What memory restrictions does the
cart put on programs? Like, is
there
any code that relocates to LOMEM, or
is the top 8K always reserved, etc.?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Basically it's in
hi memory...this is so we do not
conflict with the numerous little
drivers that are out there for
printers,
Ram Disks...etc.. The cartridge
leaves approximately 19K free for
programs, but that's why we used our
new memory driver system...most code
doesn't really need to use 19K it's
usually large clumps of data that
occupy the majority of this
region...the memory drivers allow
larger
system to take full advantage of
their capabilities.
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> I see. ok
does it mess around with the
operating
system? Will it work with modified
operating systems?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> It's a good thing
I tried that last weekend! When I
tried it out on the 400/800
series...works with both the 400/800s
and the
modified OS...believe it was the
three-in-one OS from CSS.
<ALFRED> I have the disk version and
since it comes with essentially zero
documentation, can anything be
written for diamond without the
programmer
kit?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Theoretically one
could write applications for the
disk... but as you know we have
decided to include the programmer's
kit
with the cartridge...the reason being
that the disk and the cartridge are
not compatible from a programming
standpoint at the present and we do
not
wish to have to have two versions of
each application be made...one for
disk and one for cartridge.
Incidentally I hope that you have
sent your warranty card in to us so
that
we can send you the needed upgrade
information.
<ALFRED> Ok. Can diamond support
multiple applications, like gem? Not
yet
on that warranty card.
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> If you mean
multitasking no...the closest to
multitasking for Diamond is the desk
accessories...in reality a desk
accessory could be used as a full
blown application...it would consume
a
lot of memory though and would
require a memory upgrade.
Diamond has been written with the
future in mind...it is a very open
ended system so many things are
possible that may not be yet
implemented.
I don't think a switcher would be
very appropriate for Diamond though
due
to the excessive Ram constraints that
it puts on an ST.
<[Dominick] TUBBY.TOAD> How will you
be working with the new 16bit board
for the now 8bits? And do you think
you could incorporate MTOS with
Diamond to get a Kickstart/Workbench
thingie going? Since the new board
can address so much memory.
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> I think the 16
bit board offers a lot of potential
for the future of the Atari 8-bit and
we've indicated our desire to work
with it and have sent Chuck a
cartridge.
As for MTOS I'm not really familiar
with it for doing such things as
mutiple applications a user must have
a lot of memory and a relatively
fast system...it may be done in the
future but at present the cartridge
was not designed for that.
<[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> ok, Hi alan,
I was pleased to see the well
organized docs in the programmers kit
and it gave me lots of ideas of
things to do with it, but I see no
help for the basic programmer...now
BASIC is mentioned on the cover but I
am lost once inside will there be
more?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> As you know with
the initial batch of carts there are
Mac/65 libraries. I have designed
the needed Basic routine to call
Diamond and will U/L after the
conference along with a few other
things.
We are also working on getting the
needed Action! library together.
<[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> Thanks! I
know that users will see that there
is
a lot more to DIAMOND than a desk.
<P.CLUB> I was just wondering how
well diamond supports the memory
upgrades for the various machines.
Such as the Scott Peterson and the
130 upgrades to beyond one meg?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Diamond's memory
support routines are among its more
powerful capabilities...all upgrades
that I am aware of can be supported
and as I have indicated in the BB
topic I'm looking for people that
have
the various memory upgrades to test
them out on.
Most upgrades perform banking via
$CFFF or $D301 (tech jargon) but
Diamond
does not fix this...the cartridge
includes a default driver, but
another
driver can be loaded in...this is
also the case for the mouse drivers.
nothing is hard wired.
<P.CLUB> thank you. Also which DOS's
will Diamond support?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Diamond supports
DOS 2.X, DOS XE, SpartaDOS and most
others such as 2.0, 2.5, and
SpartaDOS XE.
<[LARRY=>)] THE.LION> Alan, how is it
going. How well will Diamond work
with a 512K 800. It is a RamCharger
Board? And I assume you meant
Sparta X ?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Is what a
RamCharger board?
<[LARRY=>)] THE.LION> Sorry it is a
RamCharger Board.
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> To support the
RamCharger I believe the switch
location is $CFFF...at present the
included utilities disk have memory
drivers for the 48K, XL and XE
machines...but for other memory
upgrade the
routines only have to be modified
slightly.
<[Dominick] TUBBY.TOAD> ok, I've got
two here, so lets go... 1st, about
windows: will the full gadget now
shrink them back to the smaller
size,
and can you have more than one open
now?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes to
both...clicking the fuller twice does
a full
reverse and the system supports four
windows, and two on the desktop.
<[Dominick] TUBBY.TOAD> 2nd, are the
icons still oversized, and have you
kept the ST GEN idea of the 3 icons
or gone with, the Workbench/GOE idea
of multiple icons stored as files?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> The desktop icons
have been reduced and redesigned
and we have kept the three icons (as
on the ST) for icon displays in a
window.
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> ok another
tech question Alan... When accessing
the extra memory via your memory
drivers, is there a "window", and if
so,
where and how big is it?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> it's not so much
a window Bob...we sent up new MemLo
and MemHi pointers for the extra
memory and when things are moved to
it.
One just sends a four byte address to
the appropriate memory driver
routine... That should be set up.
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> so if you
want to store data in the extra
memory
of say a 320K XE at location $100000,
how would you go about that? (if
it is too complex, don't bother
here)
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> just tell diamond
the soure and dest ($100000) address
and and it's done! for more detailed
things I'd recommend waiting until
(probably) tomorrow when you get it
via UPS.
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> sounds good.
so its like a memory move then?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes it's exactly
that... a memory move...
<P.CLUB> I have a couple: first how
about hard drive support? Is it
dependent on what DOS you happen to
be using? Second how about support
for the ICD MIO board and the Supra
hard drive?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes...Diamond
supports the DOS types...and the DOS
types support the various drive
types... I know John Nagy has tested
it
out and it works on the MIO and it
should work with the Supra. OK...we
don't tamper with DOS so if Sparta
supports 'em them we do.
<P.CLUB> Third I noticed you were
speaking of using routines from a
disk
utility to What memory locations are
being used for drivers Page6?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> I don't
understand the question...are you
asking if we
use page 6?
<P.CLUB> I was wondering if you are
vectoring your routines to page 6
locations for the various drivers.
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Page 6 is not
used by Diamond...nothing below
$8E00
is...
<P.CLUB> Thanks much for that we use
that page a LOT. Lastly I have
heard
a rumor that Atari is evaluating
Diamond for possible inclusion with
its
8-bit line is this true?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes
<P.CLUB> What kind of reception are
you getting or can you say yet?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Warm and
coordial.
<DATAQUE.1> Hi, all, and Alan..... I
have a few Q's concerning file
management... 1) does Diamond extend
the size and addr range of binary
files?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> No
<DATAQUE.1> 2) does it take care of
paging when a program is loaded on a
boundry (16k)?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> I don't
understand the question exactly?
<DATAQUE.1> 3) does Diamond use
published OS vectors only ?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes...it makes
legitimate calls only.
<DATAQUE.1> 2)Clarification: if a
file is being loaded by Diamond
which
is using your mem manager, will it
take care of any size file up to
64k?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> the memory
manager is not involved when files
are
loaded..the memory manager is a tool
to be used by the software. We
retain
compatibility with existing files
that way.
<[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> I wanted to
affirm MIO support and a hppy HD.
Also, tell about the COM line
Parameter passing... It is a
important
feature.
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> The cart you have
sets aside the needed space to have
its own parameter line (e.g. TTP
files on the ST), and also retains
compatibility with Spartas command
line.
<[John Nagy] ZMAGAZINE> thats all
here. I am pleased with the
handling,
particularly with the mouse
movement.
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> Anyways,
here's my last Q... You said
nothing
below $8E00, right?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yep...
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> where's
screen memory (8k worth, right?)?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> The screen is at
$8000 down to around $6000.
<[Hi! I'm ->] BOB.PUFF> what's from
$8000 to $8E00 then?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Open program
space.
<MR.GOODPROBE> Hiya, Alan! How are
you doing on the extended memory
handlers?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> We've got the
48K, XL, and XE ones... the basic
skeleton is the same for all of them
though.
<MR.GOODPROBE> how about, like, 256k
xls and stuff like that?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> That's down the
road... I don't have one so I'm
recruiting testers.
<MR.GOODPROBE> (ahem) I have several,
here and at ATARI, so "fire away".
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> How about a
loaner.
<MR.GOODPROBE> I can give you a
NEWELLed XL for a loaner, what say?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Sure...
<[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> Thanks, Jack!
The last question is another from
Jeff.
<ALFRED> one quick q. Are there hard
and fast rules about accessories
installing themselves. For example
could a large accesory hide part of
it
self under the cart and disable it at
times?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Like what kinds
of rules? Diamond handles where the
ACCs are stored.... and accessories
can do everything that an
application
does.
<ALFRED> Are the ACCs always memory
resident?
<[Alan] REEVE.SOFT> Yes.
<[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> Well, that about
wraps it up here for tonight. Did
you have any thing that you would
like to say in closing, Alan? <or
Shelly!>
<[Shelly] REEVE.SOFT> Does anyone
have any marketing questions?
<[RT*SysOp] MARTY.A> I think that the
biggest thing would be just how to
get Diamond? And the various support
files.
<[Shelly] REEVE.SOFT> Diamond is
available at your local Atari
retailer.
In some locations there is no dealer,
so call us.
Doug Wokoun
Atari SysOp
aa384
1988 Year End Results
---------------------
-From:aa399:news:606198877:608790877:1988 YEAR END RESULTS
-From: LEN STYS (aa399)
-Indx: 026
March 8, 1989 PAGE 1 OF 3
Contact: GREG PRATT
ATARI CORPORATION
1196 Borregas Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408)745-2349
1988 YEAR END RESULTS
SUNNYVALE CA: Atari Corporation
reported results of operation for the
year ended December 31, 1988.
As of year end, Atari began treating
its wholly owned subsidiary, the
Federated Group, as a discontinued
operation. Commensurate with its
discontinued status, Atari management
is studying the viability of several
options including sale, spinoff, or
leverage buyout.
Atari reported net sales for the
year of $452.2 million compared to
$362.6 million. Operating income was
$59.6 million compared to $72.0
million. Net sales for the quarter
ended December 31, 1988 were $152.6
million compared to $146.4 million for
the same quarter last year. Operating
income was $15.2 million compared to
$31.3 million. Net income for the year
before extraordinary items and
discontinued operations was $39.4
million compared to $46.6 million.
For the quarter, net income before
extraordinary items and discontinued
operations was $9.3 million compared
to $21.2 million last year.
According to Atari management,
"The decrease in operating income for
the year and particularly the quarter
was mostly attributable to DRAM
shortages combined with escalating DRAM
costs. The DRAM shortage appears to
have peaked in early quarter 1988."
An Atari spokesperson said, "To
insure that going forward Federated
will no longer have any negative
financial impact on Atari, management
as of December 31, 1988, established
reserves and recorded writeoffs related
to Federated in excess of $100 million.
After provision for these reserves,
as of December 31, 1988, Atari's
tangible net worth was $83.2 million.
Cash and temporary investment position
alone of $91.9 million nearly equalled
total outstanding short and long-term
debt of $93.5 million as of December
31, 1988."
It was further stated, "Looking
ahead there are indications of an
improving environment. Product
development activity has remained
strong. A number of new items designed
to complement the existing ST and MS
DOS product lines will be announced
this year. Federated will no longer
have a negative impact on Atari's
financial and managerial resources.
The supply of DRAMS is slowly
increasing. We expect profit margin
improvements as we proceed into 1989.
If anticipated demand for our products
grows and our new products meet with
success in the marketplace, 1989 should
be a good year."
Atari Corporation is a leading
manufacturer and marketer of personal
computers, video game systems, a
broad line of peripherals and a growing
library of computer and video game
software. Atari Corporation is located
at 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA
94086. Telephone: (408) 745-2000.
Fax:(408) 745-4306. Atari's stock
is listed on the American Stock
Exchange and trades under the ticker
symbol ATC.
Len Stys
(Atari Co-Sysop)
SEA Vs. Us (maybe)
------------------
-From:aa400:news:607576415:610168415:SEA vs. Us (maybe)
This file does not concern Atari directly but I figured that we in the
Atari Community should here this....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------
SEA vs. PKWARE
Shareware Company Threatens BBS World That Gave It Life
Last April, System Enhancement Associates, vendors of the archive
utility ARC, filed suit against Phil Katz, author of the archive
programs PKARC and PKXARC, and his company PKWARE. SEA claimed
trademark infringement on the name "ARC," and violation of their
copyright on the "look and feel" of ARC's command-line user-
interface, in addition to charging Katz with appropriating ARC
program code.
The company demanded all profits from PKARC and PKXARC, treble
damages, statutory damages at the highest level allowed, and
attorney fees. It also requested that all copies of PKARC and
PKXARC, from those owned by bulletin board users to those
licensed by businesses, be impounded, and that Katz be barred
from ever again selling or distributing the programs.
In August, SEA and PKWARE settled out of court. SEA obtained the
source code for PKARC and PKXARC, and PKWARE's customer list, and
Katz was required to pay SEA royalties on the program back to 1985,
in addition to attorney's fees and legal expenses--an amount that,
according to documents on file at the Milwaukee County Federal
Courthouse, totals $62,500.
He also agreed not to use the word "arc" in a trademark sense.
Under the settlement Katz is permitted to license his PKARC and
PKXARC programs (or PKPAK and PKUNPAK, as they are now called) from
SEA until January 31, 1989. (Anyone who licenses PKPAK and/or
PKUNPAK from Katz prior to then may continue to use those versions
of the program perpetually, even after January 31, 1989.)
Recently SEA filed contempt of court charges against Katz. While
the company has kept details of their allegations under seal, they
appear to be alleging that any use of the word "arc" by Katz,
even as a descriptive or generic term (for instance, to refer to the
act of achiving a file--whether one is using SEA's ARC or ZOO or
any other archiving utility--as "arcing" it) is in violation of the
settlement.
SEA has lately been contacting other software developers whose
products make use of the ARC file format and threatening legal
action. Gary Conway, author of NARC, an archive extraction
utility, was contacted by the company, which tried to pressure him
to license the ARC format and turn over the source code of NARC.
Don Kinzer of Polytron received a similar call from Thom
Henderson of SEA. Henderson told Kinzer that if a software
product had the ability to read an ARC file--not create or
extract it, merely read it--SEA would require the vendor to
obtain a license from SEA.
Settlement Issues and Rumor Mongering
As part of the PKWARE-SEA settlement, both parties agreed to
refrain from any comment on the settlement. Not surprisingly,
unfounded rumors about the settlement have proliferated. One
such rumor is that the judge in the PKWARE-SEA case had an outside
consultant compare SEA's and Katz's source code. When the
consultant found plagiarized code in PKARC, the story goes, Katz
settled quickly to save face. Not true. No attorneys for either
SEA or Katz had ever met with the judge prior to the settlement,
and at no time did the judge ever retain an expert or himself see
the source code.
The real issues in the case were SEA's charges that Katz had copied
ARC's program code and that he had violated the company's trademark
on the word "arc."
In regard to the first complaint, there are only two pieces of
code in ARC with non-trivial algorithm: the squeeze code and the
crunch code. SEA copied these almost verbatim from public domain
sources. Katz's use of the same public domain sources resulted
in a program that ran four times faster than the then current version
of SEA's ARC. No competent programmer could ever conclude that Katz
had plagiarized SEA code.
SEA's claim that it owns a trademark on the word "arc" is, as one
UUCP mail user noted, like Digital Equipment insisting that it
owns the word "equipment." The word "arc" as an abbreviation for
"archive" has been in the public domain long before either SEA or
PKWARE entered the scene. Any word which has become a part of
popular parlance, as "arc" has, cannot be protected as a
trademark.
Nevertheless, SEA claims that no one else can use this word to
describe their archive utilities, and that Katz used it to
intentionally confuse users and capitalize on the popularity of
SEA's ARC.
Finally, SEA claimed in its lawsuit that Katz violated the
copyright on the "look and feel" of ARC's user-interface. Anyone
who has ever used both ARC and PKARC knows that neither touts an
interface that is anything more than a few commands and switches
entered at the DOS command line. There are no menus. There are
no full-screen displays. There is nothing artistic or seminal in
the interface of either.
Yet, SEA argued in its suit that Katz "substantially copied and
plagiarized the entire appearance and user interface and screens
which result when a computer user interacts with or uses [ARC]."
By the same logic the author of Fido bulletin board software may
as well sue the designer of RBBS.
(Note: If you have any questions about the SEA suit, please see
the copy of the complaint filed in that suit which has been
circulating on bulletin boards and on-line services. A press
statement concerning the settlement is also in circulation.)
Why You As a User Should Care
Over the past year the popularity of Katz's PKARC/PKXARC programs
among both bulletin board and business users surpassed that of
SEA's ARC by a wide margin. Many consider the suit that SEA
waged against PKWARE, as well as the company's subsequent legal
bullying of other shareware archive software developers, as legal
coercion intended solely to drive its competitors out of
business--a tactic not unheard of in the computer industry.
Defending your software against a suit such as the one filed by
SEA against PKWARE can run from $100,000 into the millions, as
copyright and patent suits are the most costly forms of
litigation to defend against. If your product is not grossing
over a million in sales, you will be advised (nay, forced by
economics) to seek an early settlement--as Katz did.
Consider what this means if you're a Dan Bricklin-type
programmer running a small software operation out of your
home. The program you slaved over for months so that it might
win you emancipation from your 9-to-5 job, you might be forced to
destroy in a "legal settlement" over a bogus suit. (Some of us
know people besides Katz to whom this has happened.)
Consider what this means if you're a user. Your choice in
software is being dictated, not by a software package's intrinsic
merits, but legal manipulation. Legal manipulation that favors
the litigant with the most money as opposed to the one with the
best product.
It also means that great programmers are spending their time in
court when they could be busy creating better products for the
marketplace. Unfortunately, legal experts are predicting an
escalation in such suits over the next decade.
What Can We Do?
As a user you can stand up and say that you're not going to put
up with companies that use the courts to strangle their
competition, that employ lawyers and lawsuits to bully companies
and independent programmers out of existence, that dish out
frivolous suits rather than decent products.
No, you do not have to take it anymore, and yes, you do have the
power to change things.
A number of bulletin board operators, to protest SEA's legal
bullying of its competitors, have stopped using SEA's ARC to
archive programs on their systems. Some have pulled SEA
products from their file collections. We suggest that you
likewise boycott SEA's ARC, as well as the company's SEADOG
mail program, until the company desists its harassment of archive
authors.
But boycotts alone are rarely effective. We also ask that you
write to SEA. Accompanying this file is a "form letter" to SEA
(in the accompanying file LETTER.TXT) that you can print out,
sign your name to, and mail. Feel free to add to or change
anything in the letter.
In addition, please upload this file and the accompanying file
LETTER.TXT onto any bulletin board or on-line system that you
call. If you are a sysop who supports this campaign we ask that
you mention it in your board's introductory screen and ask users
to download these files.
If enough of us speak up and let it be known that we are opposed
to this kind of misuse of the legal system, we will be sending a
loud message to software vendors that the computer user community
will not tolerate firms that attempt to drive their competitors
out of business through legal harassment.
Remember that together we have built the PC community into the
most vibrant computer user community in history, and by uniting
we can make it even better.
Matt Anderson
Sysop, Alaska EMS RBBS
Fairbanks, Alaska
907/463-4988
Rod Bowman
Sysop, PC Spectrum
San Bernardino-Area, California
714/945-2612
Ed Branley
Sysop, Minas Trinith RBBS
New Orleans, Louisiana
504/455-8665
Danyaon Coston-Clark
Sysop, ACCESS: ONLINE BBS
Malverne, New York
516/887-5804
Mike Coticchio
Sysop, Beginnings BBS
Levittown, New York
516/796-7296
Juan Davila
Sysop, Mega-D RBBS-PC
Puerto Rico or Thereabouts
809/751-7728
Michael Davis
Sysop, Horizon RBBS-PC
Dallas, Texas
214/881-9346
Ron Fowler
Author of MEX-PC Communications Program
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
John Friel III
Author of Qmodem / Sysop, Qmodem PCBoard
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
319/233-6157
Judy Getts
Contributing Editor/Telecommunications
PC World Magazine
David Gibbs
Sysop, The Midrange System
Chicago, Illinois
312/439-9679
James A. Grettum
Sysop, RBBS-PC of Fargo
Fargo, North Dakota
701/293-5973
Chris Harrower
Co-Sysop, Lancaster Area BBS
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
717/394-1357
Andrew Hoag
Sysop, Satellite RBBS
North Dakota
701/232-3811
Jerry Hunter
Sysop, DMC Switchboard Network RBBS-PC
Arkansas
501/636-2810
Andy Jones
Sysop, Everglad RBBS-PC
Tampa-Area, Florida
813/992-5993
Bob Jones
Sysop, BJ's RBBS-PC
Pasadena-Area, California
818/248-1087
Loren Jones
Sysop, RBBS-PC of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
312/352-1005
Henry Kisor
Sysop, Word Processing BBS
Chicago, Illinois
312/491-6995
Jeff Krueger
Sysop, A Different BBS
Chicago, Illinois
312/589-0074
Rick Lawsha
Sysop, STORK RBBS
Galesburg-Area, Illinois
309/342-0637
*.* Loban
Sysop, Oregon Net
Anaheim-Area, California
714/945-2612
Gene Lowry
Sysop, Bigfoot II RBBS-PC
Arizona
602/886-7943
Robert Mahoney
Sysop, Exec-PC BBS
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
414/964-5160
Sal Manaro
Sysop, Underdog's Mininet
Seattle, Washington
206/725-9233
Jon Martin
Sysop, Aircomm
Bay Area, California
415/689-2090
George Maynard
Sysop, OBIE RBBS-PC
Cleveland-Area, Ohio
216/684-2059
Jim Oswell
Sysop, The Grapevine RBBS-PC
Charlotte-Area, North Carolina
704/364-3632
Michael Part
Sysop, The Wicked Scherzo
Pasadena, California
818/906-8683
Tim Pearson
Sysop, LANStar RBBS-PC
Springfield, Missouri
417/673-2283
Terry Rossi
Sysop, RTC-BBS
New Jersey
609/654-0999
Jerry Shenk
Co-Sysop, Lancaster Area BBS
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
717/394-1357
Don Smith
Sysop, NorthWest Ohio RBBS
Toledo, Ohio
419/448-1421
Phil Stults
Sysop, The LANS Multi-Node BBS #1
Gary, Indiana
219/884-9508
Maurice Thaler
Sysop, Power Board BBS and Audio Projects BBS
Madison, Wisconsin
608/221-8422
Bill Tulles
Sysop, AV-SYNC
Atlanta, Georgia
404/320-6202
Paul Waldinger
Sysop, Sound of Music BBS
Oceanside, New York
516/536-8723
Bob Westcott
Sysop, Stateline BBS
New Hampshire
603/424-5497
Randall Young
Sysop, ATT-PAC BBS
The Bay Area, California
415/829-6062
Posted September 5, 1988.
[Note: Please do not alter or augment this file. If you are a sysop
or software author and would like to add your name to this list of
endorsers, please leave a message containing your name, phone number,
name of your BBS and/or product, and the name of the city that your
board resides in, to Judy Getts on one of the following boards: Exec-PC
in Milwaukee at 414/964-5160; Loren Jones' RBBS-PC in Chicago at
312/352-1035; or the Sound of Music in Oceanside, New York at
516/536-8723. We thank you.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want the letter, just ask.
____-______-______-______-______-______
This Time Capsule file was produced by
Len Stys. It may only be reposted with
the following information included:
REPOSTED FROM: The Cleveland Free-Net
Atari-SIG
(216)/368-3888
type 'Go Atari' at
any menu
(C.A.I.N.)
____-______-______-______-______-______
--
-----------------------------------------
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