Z*Net: 27-Mar-92 #9213

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 03/29/92-11:43:11 PM Z


From: aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: Z*Net: 27-Mar-92 #9213
Date: Sun Mar 29 23:43:11 1992



 | (((((((( |         Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine
 |      ((  |         -----------------------------------------
 |    ((    |         March 27, 1992               Issue #92-13
 |  ((      |         -----------------------------------------
 | (((((((( |         Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc.
 |          |         Post Office Box 59,  Middlesex,  NJ 08846
 |    ((    |
 |  ((((((  |                        CONTENTS
 |    ((    |
 |          |  * Z*Net Newswire........................................
 | (((   (( |  * Atari Explorer Conference Highlights..................
 | ((((  (( |  * ACE '92 Update...........................Press Release
 | (( (( (( |  * Atari Advantage Magazine Contents.....................
 | ((  (((( |  * Leonard Tramiel Conference Highlights.................
 | ((   ((( |  * Microsoft Mouse To The ST.................Jeff Beadles
 |          |  * Phil Comeau Software Update..............Press Release
 | (((((((  |  * Warp 9...................................Press Release
 | ((       |  * Z*Net Mailbag.........................................
 | (((((    |
 | ((       |
 | (((((((  |  ~ Publisher/Editor............................Ron Kovacs
 |          |  ~ Contributing Editor..........................John Nagy
 | (((((((( |  ~ Z*Net Newswire Ltd..........................Jon Clarke
 |    ((    |  ~ Contributing Editor.....................Bruce Hansford
 |    ((    |  ~ PD Software Reviews.....................Ron Berinstein
 |    ((    |  ~ Reporter....................................Mike Brown
 |    ((    |  ~ Assistant News Editor.......................Mike Davis
 |          |  ~ Z*Net Canadian Correspondent...........Terry Schreiber
 |          |  ~ Columnist....................................Ed Krimen
 |          |  ~ Columnist................................Mike Mortilla
 |          |  ~ UK Columnist...............................Mick Jarvis
 |          |  ~ Features Editor.........................Dr. Paul Keith
 |          |
 |----------|  $ GEnie Address....................................Z-NET
 |  ONLINE  |  $ CompuServe Address..........................75300,1642
 |  AREAS   |  $ Delphi Address....................................ZNET
 |          |  $ Internet/Usenet Address..................status.gen.nz
 |----------|  $ America Online Address........................ZNET1991
 |          |
 |  Z*NET   |  * Z*Net:USA New Jersey...(FNET 593).......(908) 968-8148
 |  SUPPORT |  * Z*Net:Golden Gate......(FNET 706).......(510) 373-6792
 |  SYSTEMS |  * Z*Net:South Pacific....(FNET 693).NZ....(644) 4762-852
 |          |  * Z*Net:Pacific .(INTERNET/@status.gen.nz)(649) 3585-543
 |          |  * Z*Net:South Jersey.....(FNET 168).CCBBS.(609) 451-7475
 |          |  * Z*Net:Illinois (Garage)(FNET 621).......(618) 344-8466
 |          |  * Z*Net:Colorado (Mile High)(FNET 5)......(303) 431-1404
 |          |  * Z*Net:Wyoming (Stormbringer)(FNET 635)..(307) 638-7036
 |          |  * Z*Net:Texas (Hacker's Haven)(FNET 705)..(512) 653-3056
 |          |  * Z*Net:Florida (Twilight Zone)(FNET 304).(407) 831-1613
 |          |                     Fido Address 1:363/112
 =======================================================================
 * Z*NET NEWSWIRE
 ======================================================================


 STACY'S AVAILABLE
 Atari's warehouse recently located a number of Stacy Laptop computers
 and Atari has made them available to dealers for a limited time while
 supplies last.


 TAF SHOW
 Atari will be in force at next week's Toronto Atari Festival (ACE'92)
 with Bob Brodie and others.  A complete update to the event is included
 in this week's edition.


 APPLE'S NEW MACINTOSH
 Apple Computer announced the new Apple Macintosh LC II which integrates
 the color text and graphics, sound input, and optional Apple II
 software available on the original LC.  In addition to virtual memory,
 the 16MHz Motorola 68030 microprocessor.  It comes standard with a 40MB
 or 80MB internal hard disk drive, 4MB of RAM, internal 1.44MB Apple
 SuperDrive floppy disk drive, and will run System 6.0.8 and 7.0.1 and
 above.



 ======================================================================
 * ATARI EXPLORER CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS            Edited by Ron Kovacs
 ======================================================================
 From CompuServe AtariArts Forum


 Pattie) Alright.... Tonight's Conference is with John Jainschigg,

 John Jainschigg)
 Hi, everybody! I'm John Jainschigg (pronounced "Jane-shigg") and I
 edit and publish Atari Explorer Magazine, the Official Atari Journal.
 I'm 35.  About 5'11".  Thin.  Wear glasses.  And have peculiar teeth.
 And I've worked for Atari, on and off, long enough to know better.

 Atari Explorer is (supposedly) the largest-circulation magazine now
 serving the American Atari market.  It's bimonthly (now) and is
 extremely, obscenely expensive to print and distribute.  But CompuServe
 subscribers can get it for only $9.95/year! (subscription details to
 follow, after conference)

 Ron Luks)
 John-- Now that ATR EXP is on a pretty regular schedule... after the 1
 yr layoff...when can we expect to see more COLOR pics and screen shots
 in the mag?  It's pretty much a B&W publication still.

 John Jainschigg)
 I assume you mean "layoff from regular schedule"?  I mean, we HAVE been
 publishing,  Ron. (grin)  Well, I tell ya...we just did a February
 (MIDI) issue, that saw the introduction of Atari Artist, our new
 "music and allied arts" supplement and that had (count 'em) 44 pages of
 color.  Better than 50% of our page-space.  In fact, however, you may
 not have long to wait before Explorer is all color.  I'm going to
 Sunnyvale, next week, to lay my forehead on the mat in front of Sam
 Tramiel, and beg for money.

 keith joins)
 John, any plans on going to a monthly publication schedule and if so
 would you have enough material to fill it?

 John Jainschigg)
 Actually, that's the other thing I'm meeting with Sam about.  We want
 to very badly.  There's MORE than enough news, if you consider the
 world market, as well as our recent specializations in music and DTP.

 Pattie) John, what's it like publishing a magazine for a company like
 Atari?  Do they have strict guidelines or do they give you a  "free
 hand?"

 John Jainschigg)
 Would you understand what I meant, if I said "they give me a free hand
 just so long as I do 1) exactly what they THINK *they* would have done
 or wanted, given the same situation, and 2) it doesn't cost anything."
 (i.e., you have to be psychic, and you have to be cheap.)  It's
 interesting.  Atari's "vision" for Explorer changes periodically and
 their degree of involvement vacillates, depending entirely on what's on
 their "corporate mind" at a particular time.  Presently, I'm receiving
 a very LARGE amount, not of *direction* but of help and input from
 some of the more gifted people in Sunnyvale.  Don Thomas was
 instrumental in getting the Portfolio issue set up, and James Grunke
 was the heart and soul of the February issue.  But the March/April
 issue now on newsstands, was produced in a sort of "vacuum of
 influence."

 Scott Wooding)
 Do you think we will see more tips and tricks in the next issues so us
 end users can benefit more fully from our machines?

 John Jainschigg)
 The answer is Yes!  With the March/April issue, we've brought back
 Atari's Mark Jansen who, this issue, has covered "TOS patches and free
 fixes for everything that's wrong with the ST." (Not the real title)
 In upcoming issues, Mark (who works with Leonard Tramiel in Atari's
 R&D department will be covering LOTS of stuff: freeware, shareware,
 hints, tips, programming tidbits, etc.  The other thing we've been
 discussing...And you can tell me if you think it's a good idea...
 (And I should say that I was recently given this idea in a discussion
 with my buddy Serge Fenez, who edits Atari stmagazine, the "official
 Atari journal" of Atari France)...we're planning to do a "Beginner's
 issue."  Everything you never heard about in a standard manual.  From
 "how to mouse" to "how to reformat a hard disk."

 Ron Hunt)
 How has Atari been about providing product for evaluation etc.?  There
 were some complaints at the "old Explorer" about this I believe.

 John Jainschigg)
 Well, the editors of the old Explorer didn't know how to ask for stuff.
 I simply call up Bob Brodie, and say "WHY DON'T WE HAVE AN ST BOOK!!!!"
 And Bob says "John ... *nobody* has an ST Book.  Calm yourself."
 Actually, they've been fine about it. We recently signed into full R&D
 non-disclosure...so at least we can *know* about everything though most
 of it, we still can't TALK about.

 Pattie)
 John, you mentioned that you've been working for Atari long enough to
 know better...how long is that, actually and in what capacities? :)

 John Jainschigg)
 In 1985, I was Senior Technical Editor at Family Computing Magazine
 (now Home/Office Computing, Scholastic, Inc.) and I began receiving
 phone calls from John Andersen, of Creative Computing which Ziff-Davis
 had just folded.  THEN, I started getting calls from Betsy Staples,
 also of Creative, who was starting a corporation to take over Explorer
 (then called "Atari Connection") from Atari Corp.  One thing led to
 another, and in 1986, I became Sr. T/E at Explorer, which was moved out
 of Sunnyvale proper, and into the hands of a subsidiary called "Atari
 Explorer Publications Corp.," of which Betsy Staples and David Ahl were
 officers.  So, call it....... Eight years?  Sheesh...time to move on,
 no?  No...  no...  SIX years.

 Ron Luks)
 We've heard that you use all Atari equipment to assemble the magazine
 each issue.  Specifically, what hardware and software do you regularly
 use?

 John Jainschigg)
 For basic editorial and financial-management stuff, we have a pair of
 Mega STe's, with recently-acquired SM147 monochrome monitors and stock
 hard drives, and SLM804's.  For page-layout, we have a TT030, with 80
 MB hard drive, a TTM194 super-size monochrome monitor, a PTC1426
 multisync color monitor (way cool), and an SLM605.  We use DBMAN IV and
 LDWPower for financials and data basing, PageStream 2.1 for layout plus
 a wide variety of screen-capture and image-tweaking utilities...
 archiving utilities like ARC602.TTP and the new LZH...WordPerfect 4.1
 for word-processing.  We generally begin the process of design by,
 well, writing an article on WordPerfect, slapping it over to the TT,
 importing it into PageStream, laying it out, including screen snaps
 imported as .IMG or .PI3 images, outputting as PostScript, and
 uploading (using Flash 1.6) to a service-bureau for output at 1,270 dpi
 on Linotron.  The Linotron pages are cut up, waxed onto mechanical
 boards, color-specified, and sent to the printer with any separations
 as are needed to make up film for pages.  We've found no special
 advantage, cost-wise, in going "straight to film," though PageStream
 (or rather, the Linotron) has the capacity to generate even four-color
 film straight from PostScript.

 Pattie)
 John, everyone has personal opinions... even editors of magazines.  :)
 How do you balance your personal thoughts with what you may say
 publicly in Atari Explorer?

 John Jainschigg)
 An interesting question.  Actually, I don't have much conflict between
 what I say in Explorer, and what I think because I factor into the
 equation something called "doing my job."  Which is to make sure that
 Atari survives, that their unique technical philosophy gets promulgated
 and appreciated in an appropriate fashion, and that the thousands of
 people who've spent thousands of dollars each on their systems don't
 end up like Timex/Sinclair or TI-99/4A owners did: orphans before their
 time.  Sometimes, I have a little trouble about some of the *marketing*
 that Atari does, or doesn't do and sometimes they don't put their very
 *Best* foot forward.  But that's OLD news to anybody who hangs around
 the networks.  By and large, I think the people who work for Atari are
 very good at what they do, and are as sincerely puzzled when things
 don't quite work out as *I* am.

 Pattie)
 Without giving away any deep secrets, what impact do you think the new
 machines will have on the marketplace?

 John Jainschigg)
 Enormous.  Technically, Atari has stolen a march on literally everybody
 in the business, by identifying (and here's the IQ test)...the ONE
 area...  where competing general-purpose and vertical-market systems
 CAN'T compete and designing a technology to fill that gap.

 Ron Luks)
 Ok, my last question for the night...Let's put John on the hot seat.
 [g] What is (in your opinion)... Atari's greatest single strength and
 greatest single weakness as it affects Atari users?

 John Jainschigg)
 Very simple...Atari's greatest *single* strength, ironically, derives
 from its greatest *single* weakness, or vice-versa...  To wit: Atari
 has always been GIFTED...not just "good at," but GIFTED...in co-opting
 the interest of a grass-roots public.  Everybody here...well, maybe
 *almost* everybody, is an Atari user.  But we're most of us more than
 that.  You could call us "Atarians."  Like as or not, we *are* the kind
 of people who join user groups, who soapbox the systems to our friends,
 who walk into computer stores and stage arguments with the clerks about
 "why don't you carry Atari computers?"  And so on.  This ability to
 attract grass-roots committment and attention is Atari's real talent --
 a form of genius, really.  And the company ruthlessly capitalizes on it
 by maintaining lines into this grass-roots market of dyed-in-the-wool
 Atarians.  The trouble is that, in many ways, they're only *now*
 learning to look BEYOND the horizon of the set of people who just can't
 help but LOVE them.  The modern computer market is, nowadays, made up
 mostly of people who really DON'T care about elegant technology.  And
 marketing to this MUCH larger group is a lesson that Atari has learned
 slowly.  This affects Atari users in many ways, some of them obvious.
 The most important way, however for purposes of *this* discussion, is
 that it implies that if you're an Atari user, you MUST be an "Atarian."
 You can't just be "Joe Blow who wants to take some work home from the
 office."

 While you or I might with a decade of technical experience and years
 of Atari exposure behind us, Ron, say to ourselves "I can do ANYTHING
 with an Atari BETTER than I can on a PC or a Macintosh!" (and we'd be
 right!), we aren't factoring the relatively enormous amount of folk-
 knowledge that we possess into the equation.  Joe Blow might *not* want
 to hang out on CompuServe for hours, each night, ignore his wife, learn
 to program in C, learn to read German so he can decipher the menus on
 obscure freeware utilities, make long-distance phone calls to mail-
 order houses, etc. to find application software, or even read Atari
 Explorer.  Poor Joe JUST WANTS TO TAKE SOME WORK HOME FROM THE OFFICE.


 John Jainschigg)
 People can subscribe to Atari Explorer by sending $9.95/year to Atari
 Explorer P.O. Box 6488, Duluth, MN 55806, or calling (718) 545-2900
 with MasterCard or VISA.  The "$9.95" sub is for Atari User Group
 members, and subscribers to CompuServe and GEnie.  Normal subscription
 price is $14.95/year.




 ======================================================================
 * ACE '92 UPDATE                                         Press Release
 ======================================================================


 CONTACT: John R. Sheehan, SJ
          (416) 926-1518
          GEnie: J. Sheehan14                  26 March 1992


 LAST-MINUTE NEWS FROM ACE '92

 ACE '92, the Atari Canadian Exposition, opens on Saturday, April 4th,
 and will run through Sunday, April 5th, at the Skyline Hotel in
 Toronto, Ontario. With only one-week to go before this major
 international Atari event, last-minute details and events are being
 announced and put in place.

 Those who will be exhibiting programs, hardware and major developments
 include:

 ABC Solutions                      Atari Canada Corp.
 Atari Explorer                     Atari Interface Magazine
 Best Electronics                   Branch Always Software
 BMDistributors                     Canoe Computers
 Clear Thinking                     Click Here, Inc.
 Codehead Technologies              Compuplace
 Compustore                         Computer Supplies & Service
 Compuworld                         CRS
 Cybercube                          D.A. Brumleve
 DoubleClick                        DragonWare
 Fair Dinkum                        Fast Technology
 Gadgets By Small                   GEnie
 Goldleaf                           Gribnif Software
 ICD, Inc.                          ISD Marketing, Inc.
 JMG Software International, Inc.   Joppa Computer Products
 Korg                               Micro-Creations
 Missionware Software               Musicware
 PI Precision Importing             Saved By Technology
 SaveTech                           Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation
 Software Sales                     Steinberg-Jones
 Step Ahead Software                Steve's Music
 Sudden Incorporated                Toad Computers
 Wintertree Software                WizWorks

 A host of other events will make the two-day event stimulating and
 informative.  Among the many special attractions are:

 Meet the Sysop Booth - A special booth will be manned throughout the
 two days by Sysops from Bulletin Board Systems from all over Canada and
 the United States.  Sysops on the Forem network will be meeting for a
 special brunch, and many other users of BBS systems have expressed the
 desire to meet the invisible "Sysops" they have come to know only
 through their computers.  A full schedule of times will be posted at
 the show.

 Seminars and Training Classes - Three seminar rooms and a Training Room
 will provide many opportunities to meet developers, see new products
 demonstrated, and get hands-on training.  Both ISD Marketing and
 SoftLogik will be conducting classes in their Desktop Publishing
 Programs.  ISD will have classes for both Calamus 1.09 and the new
 Calamus SL, and Softlogik has scheduled sessions each day for
 Pagestream 2.1.  Seminar topics range from using computers to re-
 construct dinosaur fossils to creating music.  There will be times when
 as many as four presentations will be going on simultaneously.

 Concerts and Performances - In the special MIDI area there will be a
 stage for public performances and entries in the Talent Contest.
 Several professional groups will be performing, as will contestants in
 the musical division of the Talent Contest.  Graphics entries will be
 projected throughout both days so that all can see the creations of the
 entrants, and demonstrations of MIDI software and special effects will
 be taking place in the luxurious seminar area specially equipped for
 that purpose.

 "Showing Off" - Several developers have indicated that one of the
 reasons they are participating in ACE '92 is just to "show off" their
 products.  Goldleaf Publishing, for example, will be bringing video
 digitizing equipment, and will transform photographs that participants
 bring to them into a number of different formats.  You might go home
 with a free refrigerator magnet with your digitized face on it!  Or
 have a photo of you with a famous celebrity (without the celebrity ever
 having been there)!  Micro-Creations is giving a free copy of their new
 BBS program to every Atari club present, and most booths will have
 special show prices and packages.

 Show hours are 10am to 6pm on Saturday, April 4th, and from 11am to 6pm
 on Sunday, April 6th.  (Remember - this is the week-end you turn clocks
 AHEAD one hour, which is the reason for the later starting time on
 Sunday.)  Admission is $6, no charge for children 6 and under.  ACE '92
 will be held at the Skyline Hotel, 655 Dixon Rd in Toronto, near
 Pearson International Airport.

 For additional information, contact  ACE '92, c/o Toronto Atari
 Federation, 5334 Yonge St, Suite 1527, Willowdale, ON M2N 6M2.  For
 faster response, call Paul Collard, Exhibit and Volunteer Coordinator
 (416) 477-2085, or John R. Sheehan, SJ, General Convention Coordinator,
 (416) 926-1518.  GEnie J.Sheehan14.  TAF BBS: (416) 235-0318, TAF
 InfoLine and Voice Message: (416) 425-5357.




      ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     ///  A T A R I   A D V A N T A G E   M A G A Z I N E        ///
    ///               Contents  --  April 1992                  ///
   ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 ARTICLES ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 == NAMM 1992 ......... What's new in the world of computer music
 == Winter 1992 CES ... New Lynx games heading your way

 COLUMNS ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 == Editors Desk ...... Our roots and our thanks ...
 == Rumor City ........ By Nevin Shalit
 == Lynx Line ......... By Clayton Walnum

 FEATURES  //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 == New & Improved .... New and improved products announced
 == Briefs ............ Late breaking news
 == Events ............ What's coming up?

 REVIEWS ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 == The R. C. Turner Trilogy ... ST/TT owners bible
 == Forget-Me-Clock II ......... A hardware clock of the ST
 == DC Shower .................. Show text, arc, & graphics files
 == Diamond Back V2.41 ......... Hard disk backup software
 == The Learning Games Package . Great way to teach our kids
 == EdHak V2.30 ................ Edit anything on your ST
 == Protext v 5.0 .............. Upgraded wordprocessor

 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
 """"""""""""""""""

 We are extending our pre-production special offer of 12 issues for
 $11.00 until April 30th, 1992.

 THIS OFFER IS ONLY GOOD BY MAIL
 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 and WE NEED YOUR SIGNATURE!

 Sorry, we can't take telephone or e-mail orders for a subscription at
 this low price.  Just print, clip and  mail the following form:

 ( ) YES! I want to subscribe right now at the introductory price of
     $11.00* for a 1 year, 12 issue subscription.

 ( ) YES! I would like to get a free sample and pay the full price of
     $22.00*, bill me for a 1 year subscription at a later date.

 * In Canada and Mexico add $6 for postage; outside the U.S., Canada and
   Mexico add $10 for postage.  Subscriptions payable in U.S. funds.

 ( ) Check or money order enclosed      ( ) Bill Me
 ( ) Charge my:          ( )  VISA      ( ) Master Card

 Card # _______________________________________________

 Signature _______________________________   Date _______________
 (Signature required for processing all subscriptions at this price)

 Name ____________________________________________________________

 Address _________________________________________________________

 City, State, Zip ________________________________________________

 Phone _____________________________        GE920322 via Z*NET9213

   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
                     Atari Advantage Magazine
                            PO Box 803
                         Merlin, OR 97532
                          (503) 476-3578
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////



 =======================================================================
 * LEONARD TRAMIEL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS            Edited by Ron Kovacs
 =======================================================================
 From GEnie

 March 25, 1992


 <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 On behalf of the Atari ST Roundtable, I welcome all of you to the Atari
 Corporation Real time Conference featuring Leonard Tramiel.

 Leonard Tramiel is the Vice President of Software at Atari.  Leonard,
 welcome to the ST Roundtable and thank you for taking the time to be
 with us this evening.

 The format for tonight's RTC will be a little different than past
 conferences, so let me take a few extra moments to explain how this is
 going to work.

 For the past month, we've been accumulating questions for Leonard
 Tramiel with the "Ask Leonard" feature on the main menu of the ST
 Roundtable.  We've received lots of response to it and we want to make
 sure that several of these questions get responses from Leonard
 tonight.

 So, Bob Brodie (who is flying the keyboard for Leonard this evening
 ...thanks, Bob!) will upload a question one at a time, followed by
 Leonard's response.

 Then, if there are any related questions that any of you might have,
 then you can use the /RAI command and we'll discuss it further.

 Please wait for me to ask for questions before /RAIsing your hand.

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 As most of you know, at CeBIT in Hanover Atari previewed some exciting
 new technology.  This technology allowed us to generate extremely high
 quality graphics and sound simultaneously.  The members of the press to
 which this was shown were very impressed.  The first product to
 incorporate these new technologies will be available at retail by late
 fall of 1992 and first developer units will be available by the end of
 April.  This product will have a 68030 as it's main processor.  As I'm
 sure you can appreciate, no further details will be available until
 product release.

 From:   R.ZALISCHUK  Robert H. Zalischuk

 Hello Leonard, I have using Atari computers since the 400 and continue
 to enjoy using my Atari's day in and day out.  First off, will there be
 an expansion of print ads featuring Atari alone and in cooperation with
 other companies supporting the STe/TT line.  Secondly, Atari has its
 Prof. Systems Group and now its Music Group...  Is anything similar be
 pursued in regards to education?  What can Atari do to encourage some
 television advertising?  ie. donate a Mega STe to dealers who work on
 contra deals with their local Tv stations....provide an Atari for a
 contest, get exposure through the contest plus air time equal in value
 to the supplied prizes.  I hope to make it to the Atari exposition in
 Toronto in April, I hope it will be a good time for Atari and its
 users.

 Robert Zalischuk
 Calgary and Red Deer Alberta, Canada

 Leonard responds....

 Robert,

 There will be an expansion of print ads featuring Atari alone, and also
 in cooperation with other companies.  We have considered something
 similar to the Professional Systems Group for education, but the time
 is not right. The niche market there is not supported well enough with
 software.  Thanks for your comments.  I will not be in Toronto, but be
 sure and stop by and see our staff there.  Bob Brodie, Don Thomas,
 Shirley Taylor and Bill Rehbock will be representing Sunnyvale at
 ACE '92.

 <E.EDELENBOS>
 I am not asking about education, but as Operating systems head do you
 work on other systems for atari (Music, DTP etc?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 Atari does not produce it's own application software except in unusual
 conditions.

 <[John] J.COLE18>
 My question is, when will you contract out for TOS development tools so
 that you will be able to offer similar quality tools for current and
 future TOS developers, such as, with luck, WP or Lotus?  You have great
 new machines on the way, isn't it time we had the tools to make them
 great? :-)    John Cole - Lexicor Software

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 That is also not an educational question... But, we are working on new
 development tools, and I am not here to give announcement dates.

 <T.HESTER1>
 This is an ed question.  Given that apple's strategy seems to include
 giving away computers to schools so that people will learn to use their
 machines and no one else's. Doesn't it seem atari should do so as well?
 If you are worried about software, why not just use apples?  After all,
 we've got an emulator! :)

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 Atari has given computers away for a number of purposes, including
 education.  We will continue to do so in the future.  Thank you for
 your suggestion about the emulators.

 <[StepAhead] NEVIN-S>
 Leonard, Bob Brodie asked for general questions, so I will ask a
 general question.  What Atari project that you have worked on are you
 most proud of, and which project do you wish you could do over again?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 The project that I am most proud of (to date) is the ST itself.
 Projects that I wish I could do over again, all of them, of course!
 None of them are perfect!

 <[StepAhead] NEVIN-S>
 Leonard, would Atari consider funding companies such as WP or Microsoft
 to port important applications to the Atari line?  How else can Atari
 expect them to develop their latest versions, given Atari's current
 sales rate.

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 We consider projects on a business nature, if a reasonable business
 case can be made for funding MicroSoft, we'd like to hear it! :)

 <[Gary] G.STOLLMAN>
 Leonard, What advice can you give to a budding programmer, who would
 like to become a producer of Atari software, application in particular.
 in particular...Is the money there, and if so, where??  Or are games
 the only moneymaker??

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 I suggest that you discuss this with Bill Rehbock.  He can be reached
 here on GEnie, at his GEnie address of B.REHBOCK.  He is in charge of
 all third party developer relations and support.

 <[SCOTTJ] S.CORLEY1>
 Leonard, any thoughts on multimedia extensions to TOS ala Windows 3.1
 and Mac System 7?   What about QuickTime support?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 Many thoughts, but none that I can share with you tonight.  Sorry, no
 product announcements this time.

 <[Brien] B.KING8>
 I would like to see the ability to hook into the OS's AES routines to
 allow 3rd Party Developers to enhance the AES (ala Quick ST) and
 Provide an easier upgrade path for future Desktop Environments.  Ok,
 for the Question... Where's FSMGDOS?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 Thanks for the suggestion, Brien.   FSM is not yet released.

 <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 Any guestimates on availability of FSM GDOS from Atari?  :-)

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 Nope...

 <[Bob] B.SIMS3>
 When will the 24 bit VDI routines promised for Lexicor's Leonardo board
 be released, or will they?   24 bit is where every graphic machine is
 at or heading to, and  will be a prerequisite for any kind of
 work station direction for Atari.

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 I am aware of no promise for 24 bit VDI routines....  At CeBIT, I saw
 several different true color cards that had VDI drivers.  Does this
 answer your question?

 <[Mike Allen] M.ALLEN14>
 I just got a MSTE (Love it) with TOS 2.05 ... what, besides the 1.44
 meg drive support, do I gain with 2.06?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 I don't have the list in front of me, BUT....<grin> keyboard support
 for the full character set...improved media change code...numerous bug
 fixes...and some cosmetic changes at bootup.

 <[Bob] B.SIMS3>
 Were the cards "true" true color or did they use a palette conversion
 to allow 32K colors instead of the 16 Million available for true color?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 true color.  BTW, true color does not mean 16 million colors.  It means
 no palette.

 <[JCD] MAG.SOFTWARE>
 Atari also needs to make it easier for DEVs to get new TOS's before
 they're released.  We were unable to get 2.06 before release date &
 found a MAJOR bug later.

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 If we would have had a copy of your product, we would probably have
 found the bug in our testing.  By the way, have you done your
 SoftSource entry?

 <[JCD] MAG.SOFTWARE>
 It was a bug found while using a few other companies'' software.
 & Not yet.

 <[Ken] K.BAD>
 Forgive me for appearing to be a bit of a shill, but I think lots of
 people may be interested... I have always thought that Atari's greatest
 strength lies in smaller computers, not high-end cutting-edge
 workstations.  Do you feel like Atari is going to follow that tradition
 in upcoming machines?

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 I won't forgive you for appearing to be a shill....<grin> Atari is and
 will remain a consumer electronics company.  That way, we can provide
 the best performance/price ratio possible.

 <[John Hoffman] JLHOFFMAN>
 With the market for personal computers being highly competitive, what
 market niche will Atari try to focus on??  Beyond price performance,
 what will distinguish Atari from the competition now and in the near
 future??  TOS??  UNIX??

 <[Leonard] STRAMIEL>
 Before you belittle the importance of mere price performance, consider
 what can be done even with existing technology that other companies
 have not taken advantage of.



 ======================================================================
 * MICROSOFT MOUSE TO THE ST                            by Jeff Beadles
 ======================================================================


 Here is what I've experienced.   You can forget about a serial mouse
 for the ST.  They are not compatible with the ST mouse.  But you can
 connect a bus mouse to the ST, I have done it.  I have a Microsoft bus
 mouse connected to my ST and it is great.  The following are some
 instructions I got off one of the ST ftp sites about that subject and
 is what I followed to connect the Microsoft mouse to my machine.


 Here's a re-post of my article of way back (Feb 1989) on how to hook
 an Microsoft mouse to an Atari ST.  No software changes are required.
 All it takes is creating a special cable between the mouse and the
 Atari.

 I've been using a Microsoft mouse now for around 2 years on my 1040,
 with nary a glitch.  It's so much better than the Atari mouse, I'd
 never go back. (IMHO)

 Well, here is how to connect a Microsoft Mouse to an Atari ST.
 (520/1040) The Atari has a 9-pin D-type connector.  The Microsoft Mouse
 has a rather strange connector on the end.  To prevent having to cut
 the mouse cable up, I made this adaptor.  If you still can't follow it,
 please let me know and I'll try to redescribe it.  This does work for
 me.  I've been using it for 6 or so months now [Note, it's been 2 years
 now!] with no problems at all.  It does take some soldering skills, so
 if you're not so hot at soldering, find a friend to help.

 As far as I know, this does not effect your Atari's warranty.  However,
 I have not asked Atari.

 Atari ST        Microsoft Mouse                 ST expected signal
 ----- --        --------- -----                 -- -------- ------
 1               5                               XB
 2               3                               XA
 3               8                               YA
 4               9                               YB
 5               N/C                             N/C
 6               2                               Left button
 7               N/C                             +5VDC (N/C)
 8*              6 and also tie to pin 1         Ground
 9               7                               Right button

 * = I am not sure why I have pins 6 & 1 tied together, but it does work.

 The Microsoft mouse connector looks like this.  This is the solder side,
 with the leads pointing up.

  ---------------
  |     1       |
  |  2 3 4 5    |
  | 6 7 8 9 10  |
  |             |
  ---------------

 If you can not use the connector, the pins are numbered as follows.
 This is the connector side from the Microsoft Mouse plug:

      /------------\     This is a view at the front of the connector.
     / Blank "KEY"  \    It is where the plug from the mouse would be.
    /----------------\   The pin labeled 'n' is not connected.
    | n   4   X   8  |   The place labeled 'X' is filled, and does not
    | 9   7   1   2  |   have a pin.
    |     5   6      |
     \              /
      \------------/

 Have fun!

 Jeff Beadles            jeff@onion.pdx.com



 ======================================================================
 * PHIL COMEAU SOFTWARE UPDATE                            Press Release
 ======================================================================


 For more information, contact
 Phil Comeau Software  div. of Wintertree Software Inc.
 43 Rueter St.
 Nepean, Ontario Canada K2J 3Z9
 (613) 825-6271


 Phil Comeau Software is pleased to announce the release of new versions
 of GramSlam and Grammar Expert for the Atari computer line.

 GramSlam checks documents for common grammar and writing-style
 problems.  Improvements in the new version (3.30) include:

 * Improved Document Statistics: GramSlam now presents statistics in
   full sentences for ease of understanding.  The statistics also
   include advice on writing-style improvement.

 * New Overall-Style Score: A new score included with GramSlam's
   statistical report shows writing-style quality expressed as a
   percentage.  The new overall-style score is based on four key writing
   -style factors: word economy, word choice, use of the active voice,
   and readability.  Included with the score is a qualifying
   description, ranging from "very poor" to "excellent."

 * Progress Bar: GramSlam now shows a progress "thermometer" while it
   examines your document.

 * Faster Booting: GramSlam now loads its problem-pattern file the first
   time you open the GramSlam desk accessory, so your computer boots
   faster.

 * Faster Checking: GramSlam now checks documents about 25% faster (on
   an 8MHz ST) than previously.

 * Improved Tests for American/British Spelling: GramSlam now identifies
   words spelled using American or British spelling rules with greater
   accuracy.

 * Many Minor Improvements, Cosmetic Changes, and Bug Fixes.

 A sample of GramSlam's new statistical report is shown below:

 Finished Checking D:\MEMOS\MEMO.TXT
 * 29 problems were detected and 13 were reported.
 * The document contains 164 words and 10 sentences.  On average, each
   word contains 1.6 syllables and each sentence contains 16.4 words.
 * 60% of the sentences use the active voice.  Use of the active voice
   in this document makes the writing clear and direct.
 * On average, the reader must have 11.9 years of schooling to
   understand the document.  Suggestion: use smaller words and sentences
   to lower the writing to the target reader's level (10.0 years).
 * The overall-style score for this document is 55% (satisfactory).

 Grammar Expert is an online reference for the rules of English grammar,
 punctuation, and effective writing.  Improvements in the new version
 (1.11) include:

 * Less Disk Space: Grammar Expert's files have been collected and
   compressed, so it uses much less disk space than previous versions.
   This is of special importance to floppy-disk users.

 * Improved Text: The text Grammar Expert displays has been edited to
   weed out inconsistencies, reorganize for clarity, and add examples.

 A limited but working demonstration of Grammar Expert has been released
 for general availability on GEnie and CompuServe.  A working
 demonstration of GramSlam has been publically available since its\
 release in January 1991.

 The prices of the two products remain the same: $39.95 for GramSlam,
 and $59.95 for Grammar Expert.  Registered owners of either product can
 receive upgrades from Phil Comeau Software for $5.00 per product plus
 $3.00 for packaging and shipping.




 ======================================================================
 * WARP 9 - THE SOFTWARE ACCELERATOR!                     Press Release
 ======================================================================


 HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - CodeHead Technologies is proud to announce the
 release of its brand new software accelerator -- Warp 9!

 On January 1, 1992 we took over support and development of the popular
 Quick ST screen accelerator from Branch Always Software.  It's taken
 over three months to complete the modifications necessary to turn it
 into a CodeHead product, but it's well worth the wait.  The resulting
 fruit of our labors is Warp 9 -- the fastest, most compatible software
 graphics/text accelerator _ever_ for the Atari line of computers!

 We've decided to give it this new name because it's changed so
 dramatically that it's hardly even recognizable anymore.  The only
 similarity between Warp 9 and its predecessor, Quick ST, is incredible
 speed!

 Although Warp 9 has a completely new user interface and many new
 features, the major benefit over previous screen accelerators is
 COMPATIBILITY!  Literally dozens of bugs and compatibility problems
 have been eradicated in Warp 9.  It now works fine with FSM GDOS, and
 problems have been eliminated with Touch-Up, PageStream, and many other
 programs where redraw and other problems existed.  Warp 9 also works
 fine on the TT, and accelerates the graphics of TT Medium resolution
 remarkably.

 What IS a Software Screen Accelerator?
 --------------------------------------
 Warp 9 operates by intercepting operating system calls.  Most of the
 normal operating system calls are not written with the utmost
 efficiency as far as speed is concerned.  Warp 9 uses highly optimized
 assembly language routines which can give you speed increases of 400%
 all the way up to 1200% or more.  That's from 4 to 12 times faster!
 The difference is immediately noticeable in almost every area of your
 computer activities.  Text, graphics, and windows virtually fly onto
 the screen.  Once you try using Warp 9, you'll never allow yourself to
 operate without it again.

 New Features:
 -------------
 The user interface of Warp 9 has been completely revamped.  The Warp 9
 program installs in the AUTO folder, giving increased speed to the
 loading of your AUTO programs.  The effectiveness of a software
 accelerator is normally diminished by the additional overhead of other
 resident programs installed in your system.  But Warp 9 uses a special
 trick to avoid this problem.  The Warp 9 Control Panel accessory
 communicates with Warp 9, telling it to reinstall itself, giving it a
 prime position for acceleration.  If you want to save memory by not
 installing the Warp 9 Control Panel, you can auto-run our QuickGrab
 program which will provide the same function.  This gives you the best
 of both worlds, the utmost in speed during the bootup process as well
 as at the desktop level and in your applications.

 Besides speed and compatibility, Warp 9 offers you all of the same
 features available in Quick ST and much more.  You can replace the
 system screen font with one of your own, or choose from any of the 6
 dozen fonts included with Warp 9.  You can also change the system fill
 patterns, altering the look of your windows and dialog boxes.  You can
 change the desktop's background pattern by using a custom fill pattern
 or even load a picture in any resolution, including the TT resolutions.
 Warp 9 can load pictures in many formats, including PI1, PI2, PI3, PC1,
 PC2, PC3, TNY, TN1, TN2, TN3, and PNT.  The font, fills, and background
 pictures can be configured to load automatically when you boot up.
 Fonts and fill patterns can be edited by using the included Customizer
 program.

 There's also a completely configurable mouse accelerator built right
 into Warp 9.  You can tailor the acceleration to your own needs, or
 choose from one of the four preset configurations available.  Other
 optional mouse features include "blocking" to keep the mouse from
 accidentally entering the menu bar area, "jumping" to force the mouse
 to the menu bar at the click of the right mouse button, and separately
 configurable horizontal and vertical wrap-around of the mouse when it
 reaches the edge of the screen.

 Warp 9 also includes the functionality of FunkAlert, the shareware
 program by Charles F. Johnson.  This gives you the ability to select
 any button in any standard alert box by the simple press of a function
 key.  You can turn off the system Zoom Boxes, too, for even more speed.
 A well-written 50-page manual gives detailed instructions for using
 every facet of Warp 9.

 Order Warp 9 today...you just can't get a faster, more compatible
 screen accelerator for your Atari computer, and you also receive the
 quality and support for which CodeHead Technologies is famous.

 Availability
 ------------
 Warp 9 will be shipping as of Monday, March 30th.  Retail price is
 $44.95.  Contact your local dealer or order directly from CodeHead
 Technologies at the address below.  Mastercard, Visa, and American
 Express credit cards are accepted.  For shipping, add $3 US, $4 Canada,
 and $6 overseas.

 Owners of any version of Quick ST or Turbo ST can purchase Warp 9 for
 only $20 by returning their original disk with payment to:

 CodeHead Technologies
 P.O. Box 74090
 Los Angeles, CA 90004
 Phone: (213) 386-5735   (Mon-Fri 9A-1P Pacific Time)
 FAX:   (213) 386-5789
 BBS:   (213) 461-2095




 =====================================================================
 * Z*Net Mailbag
 =====================================================================


 Conf : The Terminal Room   (XNET ST/TT)
 Msg# : 18161  Lines: Extended  Read: 5
 Sent : Mar 20, 1992  at 10:05 AM
 To   : Lazlar Lyricon
 From : Ralph Mariano at * THE BOUNTY ST BBS *
 Subj : FZT 2.12

 In reply to:

 >  Previously Tom D'Ambrosio wrote:
 >
 > I ahve a copy of Atari User, a British mag with a coverdisk.  I did not s
 > any reviews of other programs except FzT, and a spot on Vanterm and
 > Hagterm.  I believe we are referring to seperate magazines?  Where can I
 > get a copy of the one you speak of?
 >
 >                                 Aaron

 AtaruUser... is a disgrace as a magazine, its run by a few folks who
 are dedicated to the propaganda-like spead of half truths and
 instigatory remarks.

 Most recently, they produced a list of FNET BBSs and in that List, they
 showed every STReport Support board in some type of rediculous light.
 For those people to be taken seriously, they must first act like
 serious responsible people.

 STReport's support BBS, The Bounty has been operating with US Robotics
 Dual Standard HST 16.8 Modems for almost two months and has had USR's
 Dual Standard Modems in use for over three years... yet they list it
 at 2400 baud!!

 The Canadian Node (Node 18) was listed as a znet support board!  As
 far as we are concerned, this was an intentional slap and an ardent
 effort to continue the hostilities.  After all, Nagy, a Kovax buddy
 and editor, of znet is also editor of AtariUser.   Nagy has openly
 displayed his arrogant and hostile attitude toward STReport on more
 than one occasion.  John "King" Tarpinian is also an editor for
 AtariUser, his "love" of STR and its supporters is well known.

 As far as we are concerned henceforth, AtariUser will be known in our
 eyes as AtariLoser!!

             Ralph @ * The Bounty ST BBS * FNET Node 350
           Home of: STReport International Online Magazine


 John Nagy responds...


 I thank one of our readers for bringing this latest affront by
 Mr. Mariano to my attention.

 Jealousy takes many forms.  I believe that if Mr. Mariano would
 dedicate 50% of the effort he consistently puts into finding hidden
 fights and conspiracies instead into constructive communication, that
 he and his magazine might become and be recognized as more than the
 slaughterhouse of the Atari community.  If he would read as thoroughly
 as he writes, he would see that the BBS list he refers to was prepared
 by someone with no ties whatsoever to AtariUser or Z*Net or anyone on
 their staffs.  If he cared more about accuracy in presentation of STR
 boards than he did about grabbing a chance to wear the "injured party"
 sign, he would call Mr. Lockard and give baud rate and board name
 corrections.  Just as the article itself encourages.

 But then again, if any of these things were different, so would be the
 community attitude about STR.  And we can't break with tradition, can
 we?

 STR and Ralph are the _FURTHEST_ thing from my mind when doing
 AtariUser.  Producing an informative and supportive magazine for the
 community are all I have time for or room for between our covers.  I'm
 content to leave the propaganda-like spreading of half-truths,
 instigatory remarks, arrogant and hostile attitudes, childish name
 calling, and generally being a disgrace to those who have earned a
 reputation for doing it consistently and with obvious delight.
 Messages like Ralph's are the clearest indicators of just who that
 might be.

 John M. Nagy, editor, AtariUser Magazine.



 Editor Note:  Ralphy dear, it's spelled Kovacs


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 To sign up for DELPHI service, call (with modem)  (800) 695-4002.  Upon
 connection,  hit  <return> once or twice.  At Password:  type ZNET  and
 hit <return>.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 To  sign up for GEnie service call (with modem)  (800) 638-8369.   Upon
 connection type HHH and hit <return>.   Wait for the U#= prompt and type
 XTX99436,GEnie and hit <return>.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199.  Ask
 for operator #198.   You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free  membership
 kit.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Z*Net  International  Atari  Online Magazine  is  a  weekly  publication
 covering the Atari and related computer community.   Material  published
 in  this edition may be reprinted under the following terms  only.   All
 articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at
 the top of each article reprinted.   Reprint permission granted,  unless
 otherwise  noted,  to  registered Atari user groups and not  for  profit
 publications.   Opinions  present  herein are those  of  the  individual
 authors  and  does not necessarily reflect those  of  the  staff.   This
 publication is not affiliated with the Atari Corporation.   Z*Net, Z*Net
 News Service,  Z*Net International,  Rovac, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net
 Publishing  are  copyright  (c)1985-1992,  Syndicate  Publishing,  Rovac
 Industries  Incorporated,  Post Office Box 59,  Middlesex,  New  Jersey,
 08846-0059, Voice: (908) 968-2024,  BBS: (908) 968-8148, (510) 373-6792.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                     Z*NET: Atari ST Online Magazine
                Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc...
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


-----------------------------------------
Return to message index