ST Report: 4-Dec-92 #848

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 12/05/92-01:05:12 AM Z


From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 4-Dec-92 #848
Date: Sat Dec  5 01:05:12 1992



           *---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
                  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                  "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
                                   from
                              STR Publishing 
                              """"""""""""""


 December 04, 1992                                                  No.8.48
 ==========================================================================

                  STReport International Online Magazine
                          Post Office Box   6672
                          Jacksonville,  Florida
                               32205 ~ 6672
  
                               R.F. Mariano
                            Publisher - Editor
                 -----------------------------------------
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          FNET. 350 : The Bounty *<Home of STR>*...1-904-786-4176
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   _____________________________________________________________________


 > 12/04/92 STR 848    "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
   """"""""""""""""
     - The Editor's Desk      - CPU Report        - PORTFOLIO NEWS
     - COMPAQ 3yr Warranty!   - Prodigy -> Cable  - Two Plead Guilty
     - OUTBURST! 3.0 NEWS     - PEOPLE TALKING    - DYNACADD 2D!
     - THE FLIP SIDE          - STR MAILBAG       - STR Confidential

                   -* GERMANY'S ATARI JOURNAL CLOSED! *-
                  -* EEC -> COMPUTERS MUST BE 2 PIECE! *-
                -* ITS DECEMBER'92 -> FALCON030 - WHERE? *-


 ==========================================================================
                  ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
               The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
                          -* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
                "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
     Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
             Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
 ==========================================================================
 STReport's BBS, The Bounty, invites BBS systems, worldwide, to participate
 in the  Fido/NEST/Atari F-Net  Mail Network.   You  may also  call our BBS
 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information
 relative to the Atari  and other  computers worldwide  through the  use of
 excellent International  Networking Systems.  SysOps, worldwide, are quite
 welcome to join the STReport International Conferences.  The Crossnet Code
 is #34813,  and the "Lead Node" is # 350.  All BBS systems are welcome and
 invited to actively participate.  Support Atari Computers;  Join Today!
 ==========================================================================
              CIS ~ GENIE ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ FNET ~ NEST
               EURONET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET
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                               =============
                             * ATARI EDITION *
                               =============


     COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME

                              to the Readers of;
  
                  ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
                  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                  "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"

                         NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!

               CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198

                 You will receive your complimentary time
                                   and 
                       be online in no time at all!


                WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (December 4)

 PLAY ASTEROIDS BY MODEM!

     Download file RAYOID.LZH from LIBRARY 2  of the  Atari Arts  Forum (GO
 ATARIARTS) for  a three-in-one  package of games.  Includes a game similar
 to  Asteroids  with  great  sounds  (DMA  sound  supported).    Action and
 strategy.  Documentation in English and French.

 VERSION 6.5 OF WHATIS!

     New version! WHATIS 6.5 identifies over 125 file types - ARCs, LHarcs,
 PRGs, pics, ACCs, animations, etc... no more "what kind of  file is this?"
 problems! Runs  as a  PRG or ACC or a TTP-like program on any ST/TT in any
 rez. Short docs included  in  the  ARC.    All  the  features  of previous
 versions, plus adds Warp9 Extend-O-Save modules and five other file types,
 and allows the dialog to be centered with a double-click.

     Download file WHATIS.ARC from  LIBRARY  6  of  the  Atari Productivity
 Forum (GO ATARIPRO).

 GTHOR - ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST OTHELLO PROGRAMS

     Download file  GTHOR.LZH from  LIBRARY 2  of the  Atari Arts Forum (GO
 ATARIARTS) for GTHOR 2.0, an Othello program that is considered one of the
 four  top  Othello  programs  in  the  world.  If you think you're good at
 Othello, try this program!

 STALKER STUFFR BACKTALK UTILITY

     Download file STKSTU.ZIP from  LIBRARY  2  of  the  Atari Productivity
 Forum (GO  ATARIPRO) for "STalker Stuffr", a utility for use with STalker3
 desk accessory.  Use with CLI or Hotwire to automate Stalker tasks.  Run a
 BackTALK script  without opening  the Stalker  window.  Create HotWire LGR
 entries for STalker DA sessions.

 MIDI MUSIC MAKER

     Version 2.21 of Midi Music Maker is now available in LIBRARY 5  of the
 Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) as file MMM221.LZH.  This program plays 16
 different types of music including SMF. It also  will create  SMF format 0
 or 1  from any  of the  types played. New features include ability to play
 Dr. Ts  (Atari or  Amiga) and  Sound Blaster  CMF files,  full screen file
 display, user  definable keys, selectable drum tracks when transposing and
 several other new features and fixes.

 VERSION 6.4 of WHATIS

     Version 6.4 of WHATIS is now available for download from  LIBRARY 6 of
 the  Atari  Productivity  Forum  (GO  ATARIPRO)  as  file WHATIS.ARC. This
 version identifies over 125 file types - ARCs,  LHarcs, PRGs,  pics, ACCs,
 animations, etc...  no more "what kind of file is this?" problems! Runs as
 a PRG or ACC or a TTP-like program  on any  ST/TT in  any rez.  Short docs
 included in  the ARC.   All  the features  of previous versions, plus adds
 PageStream 2.2 docs and LaserJet II soft fonts to the list.

 PAGESTREAM PATCH

     A patch to convert PageStream  2.1  (UK)  to  PageStream  2.2  (UK) is
 available for  download as  file UKPATC.ARC  from LIBRARY  11 of the Atari
 Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN).  This is equivalent to the US version  of the
 patch which  creates PageStream 2.2 (US). The UK version of PageStream has
 the word 'color' spelled as 'colour' in the Global menu.

 SIMPLY LOADING XTERM2 ONTO PORTFOLIO!

     Download XLOAD.ZIP  from LIBRARY  2 of  the Atari  Portfolio Forum (GO
 APORTFOLIO)  for  a  small  program  and batch file to simplify first time
 loading of xterm2 onto your Portfolio through the  serial port.  The batch
 file is  run from  your PC  and copies xload.com across to your Portfolio.
 Xload.com is then run from your Portfolio to copy xterm2 across. The batch
 file contains  further instructions  and the program has a number of error
 trapping routines. NB. The zip file does not contain xterm2  itself - this
 can be downloaded separately from library 2.

 ULTIMATE ADDRESS BOOK!

     The  ultimate  Address  Book  for  the  PC!  Reads and edits Portfolio
 compatible Address Book files.    Advanced  features!  Commercial Quality!
 Written and  uploaded by Artisan Software. Even dials the modem for you...
 just like the Portfolio dials  over  the  speaker!  Requires  DOS-PC. Save
 feature disabled until registered.

     Download file  ADR_BK.ZIP from  LIBRARY 6 of the Atari Portfolio Forum
 (GO APORTFOLIO).

                  THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
                          HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
                OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION

            "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"



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



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

     In light of the high degree of feedback  myself and  the other editors
 of STReport  received, I  thought I'd  let everyone  know I appreciate the
 enthusiastic response due to the editorial that appeared in STReport 8.47.
 I only  hope I've  created enough  interest to look deeply into the actual
 showing Atari made at Comdex'92 and _why_ they were in  the Sands _again_.
    
     I have  always held  Atari's hardware  in very high regard, but at the
 same time, I do indeed hold their management  (read the  Tramiels) totally
 and completely  responsible for the dismal state of affairs in the current
 worldwide Atari marketplace.  
    
     The goals anticipated in  creating these  thought provoking situations
 through STReport's  editorials is to bring out the real picture, the whole
 story, in the marketplace.  The users deserve  to hear  both sides  of the
 coin, not  just what  someone _wants_  them to hear.  They deserve to know
 the entire story.

     The sad part of the entire  episode  is;  we  are  witnessing  the old
 "kill the  messenger" syndrome at its very best.  This is the reason why I
 refuse to partake in the "feeding frenzy" we witnessed this past week that
 was initiated  and encouraged  by certain  ST RT  sysops in GEnie's ST RT.
 There is simply no way to make any sense of an issue  to a  frenzied group
 when "mob  rule" prevails.   One can only hope that such behavior will not
 be permitted to repeat itself.  That's ok  though, because  the same users
 witnessing this  unfortunate event  will be  here tomorrow as well as next
 year knowing full well exactly who tried to treat them like mushrooms. 

     STReport has always preached,  promoted and  extolled the  first rate,
 excellent quality  of the  hardware.    Nobody but nobody can say STReport
 _ever_ down talked the hardware or  its user  friendliness.   However with
 the very  same resolve,  we'll stay  right in  the face  of its management
 team, from the very top to  the disinformation  masters and  yahoos acting
 like cheerleaders until the deplorable performance we have been witness to
 changes!
   
     One of the main  reasons for  all the  unrest is  happening right now.
 Here it  is a scant few weeks from CHRISTMAS, the biggest SALES SEASON  of
 the year, bar none and what  does Atari,  without fail,  do for  the fifth
 year in  a row?   You  got it.   Miss  CHRISTMAS by  a country mile!  Why?
 You'd think they would learn after  the  second  fouled  up  HOLIDAY SALES
 SEASON but  no.. the  dealers and  the users must take it on the chin once
 more.  What do we hear from them?  More  lame excuses,  posturing and buck
 passing.  Will they ever learn?  Who knows.  One thing is for sure, we are
 losing users from this platform everyday simply because  of a  severe lack
 of _truthful_  communications with  these people.   Not  to mention timely
 product delivery.  Merry Christmas to all those  Atari dealers (especially
 all those  NEW music  types) for  trying to  hang tough.  You deserve much
 better from Atari........
   
             Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine



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





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

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


          PC DIVISION         AMIGA DIVISION           MAC DIVISION
          -----------         --------------           ------------
          Roger D. Stevens    Charles Hill             R. ALBRITTON


  STReport Staff Editors:
  """""""""""""""""""""""
          Lloyd E. Pulley Sr. Dana P. Jacobson         Michael Arthur
          Lucien Oppler       Brad Martin              Judith Hamner
          John Szczepanik     Dan Stidham              Joseph Mirando
                    Steve Spivey        Doyle C. Helms

  Contributing Correspondents:
  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""
          Michael Lee         Richard Covert           John Deegan
          Brian Converse      Oliver Steinmeier        Tim Holt
          Andrew Learner      Norman Boucher           Harry Steele
          Ben Hamilton        Neil Bradley             Eric Jerue
          Ron Deal            Robert Dean              Ed Westhusing
          James Nolan         Vernon W. Smith          Bruno Puglia
                              Clemens Chin


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

                    Compuserve.................... 70007,4454
                    Delphi........................ RMARIANO
                    BIX........................... RMARIANO
                    FIDONET....................... 112/35
                    FNET.......................... NODE 350
                    NEST.......................... 90:21/350.0
                    GEnie......................... ST-REPORT


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

                      STR'S "BELIEVE IT?  OR.. WHAT?"
                    <>###############################<>

                "There is no comparison!  The Atari Falcon
                   is far superior to the PC platform."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92


          "As I said before, all marketing announcements will be made at
          Duesseldorf.  I will not comment on future models of the Falcon.

                 WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT A MACHINE.....
                    WHICH WILL BE SHIPPING NEXT WEEK."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92


     "I've just returned from Asia, where I saw the first Atari Falcon
     production coming off the lines.  Let's hope this new offering will
     make it in North America.  I know that the specs are great."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 08/92




            "......  We are not working for Wall Street but to
        make money for our shareholders and only think long term."


                                                  Sam Tramiel, 11/92

 psssst.
     FYI.... The Shareholder's equity is fine.... NOT!

             The Stock is $1.31 as of today, Friday: 12/04/92



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 > CPU STATUS REPORT                  LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS 
   =================
  
    Issue #49

    Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
  

   
  -- PC Makers' Christmas Looks Merry
  
 Analysts are saying that this could be PC makers' best Christmas sales 
 season ever, with some many PCs selling at all-time low prices, and some 
 hot items may be in short supply.
  
 Seymour Merrin, President of Merrin Information services says, "Demand 
 has far outstripped everyone's wildest dream."
  
 IBM, with three new models introduced this fall, is expecting a bumper 
 sales season.  An IBM spokesman said, "We have a record number of orders 
 for any fourth quarter since the introduction of the original PC (in 
 1981). It's the biggest fourth quarter ever."
  
 Compaq Computer said in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission 
 filing that shortages of certain parts may affect its ability to meet 
 demand."
  
 Analysts say some components in short supply are monitors, disk drives 
 and memory chips. There also is increasing demand for the fastest 
 version of Intel Corp.'s '486 25MHz chip, they say.
  
  

  -- Compaq Offers FREE THREE-YEAR WARRANTY
  
 Compaq Computer Corp announced this week it will provide a free three-
 year warranty with every personal computer it sells worldwide.  Compaq 
 announced it has extended its free lifetime technical telephone support 
 to seven days a week and 24 hours a day in North America.
  
 According to Compaq, it is currently the only computer manufacturer to 
 include a standard three-year warranty with its PCs.
  
  

  -- Ohio Researchers Develop New LCD
  
 Researchers at Ohio's Kent State University have developed a new 
 smaller, lighter, more energy-efficient liquid crystal display that they 
 say could revolutionize portable computing.
  
 Researchers at the university's Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute 
 say it took two years to develop a different type of liquid crystal 
 material -- namely, polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal -- 
 that allows a display to operate without a backlight.
  
 J. William Doane, one of the display's inventors, said, "This is a 
 breakthrough in reflective, front-lit displays. (It) is important 
 because virtually all flat-panel liquid crystal displays manufactured 
 today require backlights (and it) will allow the batteries of the 
 terminal to last much longer. Backlights are bulky and power hungry, 
 draining most of the power from batteries of laptop computers."
  
 The researchers as saying their invention also has full memory, meaning, 
 says the wire service, "an image can remain displayed indefinitely 
 without requiring an additional electronic charge and offering better 
 contrasting images."
  
 In addition, the new material can be used in plastic displays; existing 
 LCDs require a glass screen.
  
 Doane says patent applications have been filed and work is under way to 
 develop color displays and to achieve display speeds fast enough for 
 television.
  
  

  -- Japan Starts Project for Human-Like Approaches to Computing
   
 Japan has launched a 10-year project to teach computers to mimic the 
 human brain, an effort called Real-World Computing Partnership that 
 backers say will benefit fields as diverse as agriculture, medicine and 
 education.
  
 Reports from Tokyo say the project "aims to develop software that would 
 enable computers to escape from their traditional number-crunching role 
 and think in the kinds of ways humans do."
  
 Hajime Irisawa, executive director of the project, told a news 
 conference, "Our computer will have quite excellent intuitive sensory 
 power. The scientific impact, the industrial impact and the social 
 impact will be quite significant."
  
 The Japanese government is putting up 90 percent of the project funds 
 and that 14 private institutions are taking part, including Hitachi 
 Ltd., NEC Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd.
  

  
  -- FTC Closes Nintendo Investigation
  
 The Federal Trade Commission has closed its antitrust investigation of 
 Nintendo Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary Nintendo of America without 
 taking any action against the companies.
  
 The FTC opened its investigation in 1990 to determine if Nintendo 
 engaged in unfair business practices. New York's Attorney General's 
 Office in New York closed its separate antitrust investigation of 
 Nintendo and in September.
  
 In a recent letter to Nintendo, the FTC said, "The Commission has 
 conducted an investigation to determine whether Nintendo Co. Ltd. and 
 Nintendo of America Inc. may be engaging or may have engaged in 
 monopolization or other unfair methods of competition. Upon further 
 review of this matter it now appears that no further action is warranted 
 by the Commission at this time. Accordingly, ...the investigation has 
 been closed."
  
  

  -- Prodigy and X*Press to Study Cable Distribution Feasibility
  
 Reports say the IBM/Sears Prodigy online service has signed a letter of 
 intent with X*PRESS Information Services to study the feasibility of 
 distributing Prodigy to cable systems across country.
  
 Communications Daily noted this morning X*PRESS, a subsidiary of Liberty 
 Media, offers services "through (an) out-of-band cable signal to 
 personal computer users in more than 800 cable systems."
  
 The firms hope to reach an agreement next year.
  
  

  -- Two New Yorkers Plead Guilty to Invading Major Computer Systems
  
 Two of five young New Yorkers indicted last summer have pleaded guilty 
 to federal charges they broke into some of the world's largest computer 
 systems. All are alleged to be members of a computing group called MOD 
 or "Masters of Deception."
  
 John Lee, 21, and Julio Fernandez, 19, now face up to five years in 
 prison. They entered guilty pleas to conspiracy charges yesterday in 
 Manhattan's U.S. District Court. Sentencing is set for February.

 Three others indicted with Lee and Fernandez -- Mark Abene, 20, Elias 
 Ladopolous, 22, and Paul Stira, 22 -- are expected to go on trial in 
 April.

 The suspects were accused last July of wrecking a local TV station's 
 education program, leaving electronic graffiti on an NBC news show and 
 obtaining 176 credit reports from the TRW credit information company.

 They also were alleged to have broken into telephone switching computers 
 operated by Southwestern Bell, New York Telephone, Pacific Bell, U.S. 
 West and Martin Marietta Electronics Information and Missile Group. 
 Southwestern Bell contends it lost some $370,000 in 1991 because of 
 tampering by three of the defendants.

 The five were charged with computer tampering, computer fraud, wire 
 fraud, illegal wiretapping and conspiracy.



      ______________________________________________________________




 > STR Portfolio News & Information              Keeping up to date...
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



                         THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
                         """""""""""""""""""""""""


 On CompuServe!


 by Judith Hamner  72257,271


     Just for fun, DRAGON.ZIP contains a text adventure game which works on
 the Portfolio.  It works similar to the old classic, Hunt the Wumpus.

     ALIAS.ZIP is a PC Mag utility that is known to work on the Portfolio. 
 It allows you to create aliases for complex commands.  It also provides
 other functions such as command line history, enable, disable, and
 uninstall.

     Getting a terminal program to your Portfolio for the first time is a
 big problem when you have only the serial interface for communications. 
 XLOAD.ZIP is a small batch file which will make it easier to copy Xterm to
 the Port.  ALOAD.ZIP is a similar program to load Acom.  Xterm 2 and Acom
 are both terminal programs available for download in library 2.

     ADR_BK.ZIP contains a demo version of Artisan Software's new PC
 address book program.  The program is compatible with the Portfolio's .adr
 files for ease of sharing. 

        ___________________________________________________________




 > ABC_NEWS STR InfoFile          Information about; PUBLISHER 2 ST
   """""""""""""""""""""

  


                              PUBLISHER 2 ST
                              ==============



     ABC Solutions has been appointed the Canadian distributor for
 Publisher 2ST (the successor to Timeworks Desktop Publisher).  Publisher 2
 ST is the successor to the popular Timeworks Desktop Publisher (version
 1.12) from GST Software of England.

     With Publisher 2ST, everyone can be a publisher. This versatile,
 value-for- money program gives you the power to design and print
 professional quality documents at truly low cost - and with no need for
 previous design or computer experience.

     Publisher 2ST's friendly graphics user interface makes it easy to
 learn and use, with on-screen 'help' to guide you. Using drop-down menus
 and powerful page design tools, you can build your publication on-screen
 exactly the way you want it. You can use master pages and templates to
 create and save standard layouts and design elements on each page, and
 standardize styles for your text so that all similar elements in a
 document, such as picture captions, subheads, headlines and so on, will
 appear in the same typeface and point size. It supports an extended range
 of text and graphics imports from other popular programs. When working
 on-screen, you can view your page in six different sizes.

 A partial list of features includes:

 *   same features as PC version and more; exchange files with
     PC version and with ST version 1.12

 *   full WYSIWYG

 *   GEM interface; quick keys

 *   999 pages per document; master pages & style sheets;
     paragraph tagging; custom page sizes; page numbering

 *   multiple frame operations

 *   wide range of text imports; retains styling

 *   text export

 *   more graphics imports: Degas, NEO, GEM, IMG, EPS, PCX, IFF, PIC

 *   auto/manual text flow; irregular shape wraparound; search &
     replace; tables; word processing mode; auto hyphenation

 *   9 typefaces in a variety of sizes & styles (Autumn,
     Brushwood, Courier, Diamond, Sage, Sans, Serif, Bullets)

 *   bullet paragraphs; manual kerning; control over
     justification, leading, word & paragraph spacing, indents

 *   graphics toolbox; scaling, cropping, editing tools; 36 fills

 *   improved tab handling

 *   autosave, and auto creation of .BAK files

 *   1 Mb recommended, colour or mono

 *   TT compatible in medium or high ST & TT resolutions

 *   wide range of printers supported including Canon BubbleJet
     and HP DeskJet; have up to 4 printers installed at once.

 *   completely new manual



                 "ABC Solutions ... We don't play games."


    __________________________________________________________________





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



 Well folks, another week has come and gone.  Instead of you having to read
 a blurb of my rambling, let's get right to what real people have to say.



 From The Atari Productivity Forum
 =================================




 Alan Moore asks:


     "Has anybody have any comments about the problems with the DMA Port on
     the MEGA STE. When I have my SLM804 Laser connected to the STE the
     computer boots up OK but when I try to access the floppies or the hard
     disk I get the dreaded "DISK IN DRIVE" error, this only happens when
     the Laser printer is switched off, I remember this sort of problem
     occurring with my old MEGA ST, I presume this has to do with the fact
     that the DMA port is not buffered is this correct ? and can I rectify
     this problem in any way."


 Sysop Bob Retelle answers:


     "Alan, as I understand it, the problem is not in the computer itself,
     but in the way the SLM was interfaced.  As far as I know, the printer
     has to be on whenever you boot up the system.  There is/was a
     third-party product that remedied this, but for the life of me I can't
     remember its name..   someone with a better memory...?  Help..!"


 Our own dear editor/publisher, Ralph Mariano chimes in to provide the
 name:


     "Phantom of the Laser, from Widgets by Decker."


 Meanwhile, Richard Gunter provides another solution:


     "Sounds as though your surmise and Bob's reply are correct:  the
     SLM804 must be powered up on your STe as it was on the ST in order
     operate the system.  In addition to the Phantom of the Laser, there's
     a poor man's (or miser's) way out as well.

     Turn the SLM804 on, then prop the back door open.  This causes the
     motor and heater to shut down, but leaves the electronics up.  Your
     system will work just fine.  Just close the door if you need to print
     something.

     There's actually an up side to the SLM's design:  with a hard drive
     daisy-chained off the SLM804's controller, you can run the system with
     the hard drive powered down without disconnecting it.  This has
     advantages if you want to check out a new program for virus infections
     -- no possibility of HD contamination!  It's also handy for playing
     floppy-only games."


 We all know how easy our STs are to use, don't we?  Sure!  Easy to use,
 affordable, powerful, easy to get repaired... oops.  Well okay, so it can
 be a real pain to try and get an ST repaired.  When there were bunches of
 Atari dealers everywhere you looked it was easy.  Now?  Ralph Kalatucka
 posts:


     "Where could I get my old 520ST repaired? I bought it in 1986 and use
     it at work, while I have a 1040 w/HD at home, with Omniswitch
     color/mono monitor selector.  The 520 had a 1 meg upgrade put in by
     the store (before they folded).  The problem has been with it since it
     was new. On power up when cold, all vertical lines squiggle a little,
     getting worse, then better over 20 minutes or so. In that first hour
     some screen re-draws (like STWriter going to main menu) will cause the
     thing to hopelessly lock up. After that its ok, so I leave it on 24
     hours a day.

     Even so, screen redraws, especially on Megaroids and STWriter, and
     sometimes Easy-Draw will give me what someone called "Jail Bars" or
     else the right side of the screen wraps over to the left.  The
     original store tried fixing it twice before they folded.  (I bought
     this 520, my friend bought a 520 with similar problems, and even this
     1040 will lock up once in a while, and the only cure I found is to
     power off and twist the case a bit. Do all Atari's have this failure
     rate? 3-out-of-3 is statistically way too high. Will the Falcon be
     more reliable?) Just asking."


 Greg Wageman tells Ralph:


     "It sounds like whomever did your memory upgrade didn't know squat
     about what they were doing.  There are some limitations in the ST as
     far as driving additional RAM goes. When I installed my JRI RAM
     upgrade (1040ST to 4 Megs of SIMMs), the instructions cautioned that
     some of the driver chips cannot handle the on-board memory (which is
     still being driven in parallel with the upgrade) plus the upgrade, and
     the symptom is random flickering pixels, lines, etc. on the screen and
     in some cases total failure to boot.  So I bought myself a pair of
     diagonal cutters (that will fit between the pins of a 16-pin DIP IC)
     and chopped out the top bank of RAM.  Presto, no more lines.

     If you have to twist the case to get your machine to work, the chances
     are more likely you've got cold solder joints, or other forms of bad
     connection. If I were you (and if you know which end of a soldering
     iron gets hot) I'd open that baby up and resolder all the RAM
     connections.  Depending on the type of upgrade, I might yank out the
     existing RAM too (unless they did a "piggyback" upgrade, in which case
     you NEED the existing RAM chips)."


 Well, it happens everywhere you look:  A good thing comes along and before
 long there is someone on the scene to cause trouble.  The troublemakers
 I'm talking about are software pirates.  We all know about the revenues
 that software houses loose because of these pirates, so I won't bother to
 go into that.  Tom Craig from Edinburgh, Scotland posts:


     "I don't know what sort of regulations apply in the 'States, but here
     is an article I read in the U.K.'s 'The Daily Telegraph.'

     "PIRATE CRACKDOWN"

     "The Business Software Alliance, set up to fight illegal copying of
     software, has launched a crackdown on electronic bulletin board
     operators. Thirteen operators in Berlin [Germany] have been closed
     down. British police are thought to have been alerted to the problem."

     Source:The Daily Telegraph, page 30, November 30, 1992"


 Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine points Tom in the right direction:


     "Try the Software Publishers Association. (GO SPA) they have a forum
     dedicated to those type of issues raised."


 Sysop Bob Retelle adds:


     "Tom, we've had similar reports of BBSs being shut down here in the
     US, although it's been a while since I remember reading about that
     happening.. Mainly it's a matter of interesting the authorities in
     something they usually don't see as a pressing social problem.  If the
     large software companies get involved, as Albert mentioned with the
     SPA forum, then sometimes action is taken..."


 If you've have a hard drive for a while, you've probably noticed that as
 you add and delete files, the hard drive gets slower and slower.  The
 'Reader's Digest' version of why goes like this:  As you add and delete
 files, the data can become 'fragmented'.  What this means is that instead
 of all of the data being in one long chain of sectors on your hard drive
 it gets put wherever there is space:  a few sectors here and a few sectors
 there.  You now have to 'jump' from place to place on the hard disk to
 retrieve the whole file.  This of course takes time.  The solution is to
 use a disk optimizer which is a program that rearranges the data on your
 hard drive so that all files are contiguous.  There are several programs
 available for the ST that are capable of this task.  Matt Seitz asks:


     "Which is better, DIAMOND EDGE or HARD DISK SENTRY (or some other hard
     disk optimizer/repairer)?  I currently have an old version of HARD
     DISK SENTRY and am trying to decide whether to upgrade or switch
     products.  What are the advantages of each?"


 Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells Matt:


     "You can download the most current version of Hard Disk Sentry
     directly from Beckemeyers BBS.  The most current version is 1.3. 
     Diamond Edge works fine for everything I have tried it with.  I am
     also a long time user of hard disk sentry (since 1987) and it worked
     without fail since the first one.  HD Sentry maybe slower than Diamond
     Edge but it works and works very well.  You should upgrade first and
     then see if you are missing anything and then take another look at
     Diamond Edge."


 In a "Message to Atari" Domingo Alvear posts:


     "To Atari,

     I LOVE your machines.  I've owned a 520ST, a 1040ST, and am currently
     using a Mega ST4.  I am trying to buy a used STacy.  (Bring the STacy
     back with a blitter, a coprocessor socket, and an accelerator!)  I
     don't like the Mega STe.  Bring back the square Mega's.  The TT's are
     WAAAY out of my reach.  

     Falcon's?  Release the damn thing.  I love the Mega ST design.  (The
     internal DMA connection, the built in fan, the built in HD mounting
     holes, the built in HD power cable, the built in clock...)  Make your
     machines have more standard openings for HD's and floppies. I noticed
     you did that on the Falcon.  BRAVO.  

     Use Floptical Drives!!! Or at least make it an option!  Advertise. 
     Everybody will tell you this.  Sell machines.  Have an educational
     discount program.  Get some "big name" s/w.  Spend some cash.  Your
     dealer program is extremely difficult to start.  

     Ease up.  Maybe have a "two-tiered" dealership program.  One for low
     end:  STE's, Mega STE's, STacy's (Stacys's??? ;-), and Falcon030's.  
     One for high end:  Falcon030's to TT's to ????  Court your developers. 
     Give them all the information they need.  Work out bundle packages
     with them.  DO SOMETHING!  PLEASE!"


 It all sounds like common business sense, doesn't it?  Well, let's hope
 that Atari listens.

 Elsewhere, John Bonavita asks:


     "Has Atari started to ship the Falcon in Germany?  If so how has it
     been greeted?"


 Tony at GST Software tells John:


     "As far as I'm aware - no. Nothing has been posted onto CIX and there
     are some people from Germany (and others with good contacts) on there.
     Ditto no comments from our dealers yet."


 John replies to Tony:


     "I don't like it!  Germany is supposed to be Atari's major battle
     ground (and come back).  I really thought that the machines were for
     sale over there!"


 Tony tells John:


     "...There was a rumor going round over a month ago on some of the UK
     boards that the machine had gone on sale and been pulled very quickly
     because of problems with the TOS. Although this was never commented on
     officially I understand (from off record sources) that it was
     definitely untrue since they had never had any to sell in the first
     place.

     I would expect to know reasonably quickly from one source or other if
     it does go on sale (like our distributor complaining that our stuff
     doesn't work on them for instance) and don't see any reason why once
     that happens I can't post a comment up here for you."


 Although the Falcon hasn't made it to our shores (or any others, it would
 seem), that hasn't stopped interest in the latest Atari machine.  Mike
 Mortilla posts:


     "For all interested, the Falcon is previewed in this months issue
     of Keyboard (the one with Bart Simpson on the cover <g>.

     It's only a 2 page article but covers the highlights. Very interesting
     reading (how's that for formatting <g>). The issue may be on
     the stands in a few days, I got mine via subscription and usually
     that beats the stores a little.

     It looks exactly like my 1040 STf! And at $800, I am tempted
     to pick one up (ha ha - if they decide to sell them in the USA).
     Some very cool features, but I don't know that I want to see the
     faces of the forums members when I'm communicating. Or rather,
     I don't know I'd want them to see me as I have been known to tele-
     communicate in less than full sartorial splendor!"





 From the Atari VEndors Forum
 ============================



 J.F. Moulard asks Charles F. Johnson of CodeHead Technologies about TOS
 2.06:


     "I have a 1040STe with TOS1.4, and I would like to put TOS2.06 in it.

     1) Can you provide me with the ROMs?
     2) I live in France, Can you deliver me there?
     3) At which price?
     4) Do you know someone that is doing a 16MHz kit for the STe?"


 Charles replies:


     "Thanks for your interest.  Yes, we can ship a set of French TOS 2.06
     ROMs to France; the price would be $66.00 ($60.00 for the chips, plus
     $6.00 shipping).  But you've got something incorrect in your message
     -- you mentioned that you have a "1040STe with TOS 1.04".  This is
     impossible; the STe computers all have TOS 1.06 or above.  If you do
     have TOS 1.06, you'll be able to simply swap the ROM chips to install
     2.06.  But if you have a 1040ST with TOS 1.04, you'll also need the
     TOS Extension Card.  So you should double-check your ROM version and
     machine type before ordering.

     Also, please send any orders through Email; CIS policy says we're not
     supposed to do this sort of business in the public forums.  Thanks!"


 Stefan Daystrom of Barefoot Software asks about the possibility of using
 the new Kodak photo CD system in conjunction with CALLIGRAPHER, CodeHead's
 Top-Notch word processing program:


     "I've been reading lately in COMDEX reports about how there's already
     a Kodak Photo CD importing capability in Calamus.  Do you expect an
     equivalent ability to be added to Calligrapher at some point?"


 Albert Dayes of Atari Advantage Magazine tells Stefan:


     "Michael Bernards (who wrote the Kodak PhotoCD software) will have
     software that converts the PhotoCD pictures to TIF and a few other
     formats.  That way you can import the pictures into any program."


 Eric Hall asks Charles F. Johnson about upgrading his old MEGA:


     "I Thought  maybe  you  or anyone else in this forum could offer some
     sage advice. I've finally made the decision to  upgrade  my 
     antiquated  but much  loved Mega ST2  rather than spring for a TT or
     even worse, one of those clone things that just discovered what GUI is
     all about.

     My  problem  is  that  my Mega is truly an early model (TOS 1.2 and
     not even a blitter) and I'd like to really soup it up.  That  means  a 
     TEC board,  at least a 4 meg RAM upgrade, hopefully an optional 68030
     board and yes even a blitter if such a thing can be obtained on it's
     own.

     I guess the real question I have is ... will it all fit in this case?
     I assume  I  would need the Bus version of the TEC and something like
     the Xtra Ram deal since I have little intention of playing with a
     soldering iron.  So  are  they compatible and is there a small 68030
     board on the market that could fit in there as well?

     Any suggestions/information would be most appreciated."


 Charles tells Eric:


     "I don't know about the space requirements of the 68030 boards that
     are on the market, but there is definitely room inside the Mega ST2
     for both a RAM upgrade and a TEC.  The TEC is compatible with RAM
     upgrade boards of all types, and takes up very little room (especially
     the Mega Bus version)."




 Well friends and neighbors, that's it for this week.  C'mon back next week
 (same time, same station), kick your shoes off, sit back, relax a little
 bit, and listen to what they are saying when....


                            PEOPLE ARE TALKING



  ***********************************************************************

                             IMPORTANT NOTICE!
                             =================

     STReport International Online Magazine is available every week  in the
 ST Advantage  on DELPHI.   STReport readers are invited to join DELPHI and
 become a part of the friendly community of Atari enthusiasts there.


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                        TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (12/2/92)
                        ---------------------------
                                  STR847
                         DYNAMITE MILLIPEDE CLONE
                            FAMOUS PEOPLE NUDE
                               AUTOSORT 4.1
                          PIC VIEWERS FOR ST & TT
                               DENISE CROSBY
                                Z*NET 9220
                               GEM-VIEW 2.01
                                  RAYOID!
                          TRANSCRIPT OF COMDEX CO
                                                                         
     All of  the above  files can  be found in the RECENT ARRIVALS database
     for at least one week after  the posting  of this  list.   Please Note
     that in  the case  of online magazines, only the most current issue in
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                 DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!



  ***********************************************************************



 > OutBurst! 3.0 STR InfoFile           Outburst with auto-switch spooler
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""



 A N N O U N C I N G
 ===================


                               OUTBURST! 3.0
                                   WITH
                            AUTO-SWITCH SPOOLER


     Version 3.0 of OutBurST!  is  now  shipping.    It  contains  a unique
 "Auto-switch"  printer  spooler  that  can  optimize not only your graphic
 output, but also text based output.  OutBurST! versions 1 & 2  really made
 Pagestream and  Calamus printing  fly!   However if  you printed very long
 text based files (Word Writer, Steno, Word Perfect, etc.) the  time to get
 your ST  back could  be improved  by the  use of a print spooler.  This is
 even in the case when using a laser printer with a built-in  4 meg memory.
 The laser  printer is  busy printing and cannot accept a whole lot of text
 between printed pages.  Thus you sit and wait for your computer  to return
 control to you.  Now OutBurST! version 3.0 has a built-in spooler that can
 be configured to automatically switch the spooler in  or out  as required.
 Now all you printing tasks will be optimized.

     Also new  to version 3.0 is a clearly written 16 page manual that will
 lead you through the installation and  operation of  OutBurST!   Among the
 new features  is the  setup editor  (OBSET) that will allow you to set the
 spooler size and select  programs  that  should  not  utilize  the spooler
 (Pagestream, Calamus,  Touch-up, Desktop Publisher ST, etc.).  If you wish
 to override the automatic spooler status, the OutBurST!  Control Accessory
 can be used to change the setting while in any GEM application.


 OutBurST! version 3.0 is available from:

                          Straight Edge Software
                                PO Box 6407
                             Nashua, NH 03061

     To  order,  send  $25  plus  $2  shipping  and handling.  If you are a
 registered user of previous versions, send original disk and $10.


       _____________________________________________________________




 > DynaCADD 2D STR InfoFile      "...a high-level 2D design package.."
   """"""""""""""""""""""""




                        DITEK LAUNCHES DYNACADD 2D
                        ==========================



     Ditek launches DynaCADD 2D, a high-level 2D design package for the
 Atari toretail for only US $289.00

 Contact:Frank Staples, Ditek International, (416) 479-1990

     Ditek International announced DynaCADD 2D for  the Atari  ST and TT030
 computers.   The package  includes both versions and is now available. The
 Atari Falcon version will be available  in January  1993.   DynaCADD 2D is
 the  2D  portion  of  Ditek's  powerful  2D/3D  Computer  Aided Design and
 Drafting solution  that has  been in  the market  for the  past two years.
 According  to  Oren  Asher,  President  of  Ditek, DynaCADD 2D will fill a
 specific market  niche,  "what  we  offer  is  a  feature-rich,  2D design
 environment for  under $300  that competes  with, has more features and is
 much easier to use than anything out there.  A significant portion  of the
 market designs primarily in 2D.  What these designers want is easy to use,
 high-level 2D functionality at the most reasonable price."

     "DynaCADD 2D offers the exact same  comprehensive 2D  functionality as
 our full  2D/3D version.   Not  one single 2D capability has been omitted.
 This new product typifies our  sensitivity  to  the  market  and  is being
 offered in  response to many requests.  If a designer only requires our 2D
 functionality for the meantime,  we  are  more  than  willing  to  make it
 available.   One can always take advantage of the 3D capabilities offerred
 in our other version later on", said Asher.

     Features such  as online  help, context-sensitive  documentation and a
 well  organized   and  intuitive  graphical  interface  make  DynaCADD  2D
 extremely easy to learn and use.  DynaCADD 2D accurately sends all  or any
 portion of  any drawing  at any  scale, including best fit, to all popular
 pen plotters, dot matrix printers, laser printers, PostScript  printers or
 disk  files.    A  MAKEPLOT  utility  is  included to create or change any
 plotter driver.  A full Vector Font Editor  is included  to create  new or
 edit existing characters or fonts.

 Ditek's head office is located at;

                            Ditek International
                         2800 John Street, Unit 15
                              Markham,Ontario
                              Canada L3R 0E2
                 Tel: (416) 479-1990, Fax: (416) 479-1882.





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                     _________________________________

                       To sign up for GEnie service:

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

                 Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.

          GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and
          weekend  access  to  more  than  100  services including
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          hour.

          MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!  Any time during your  first month
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          ask for your $4.95 back.

    GEnie Announcements (FREE)       

  1. Santa visits GEnie for three weeks.  For more info, type......*SANTA
  2. THE Hottest Item For The Holidays,GEnie Gift Certificate ...GENIESTORE
  3. Survey sponsored by the Interactive Services Association......*SURVEY
  4. Santa visits early in Germany: special RTC (2 p.m. 6 Dec).....GERMANY
  5. MALCOLM X, FEW GOOD MEN & others reviewed in..................SHOWBIZ
  6. Matrix Software comes ONLINE in..............................ASTROLOGY
  7. SEGA SUPER CD (tm) -- ONLY $299.99 at.........................SEARS
  8. SAVE on Modems, Software & a Portable Hard Drive at...........OMNI
  9. Star Wars Fanwriter Maggie Nowakowska, Saturday in............SFRT3
 10. PC Pricing Research That Will Save You Money................PC CATALOG
 11. >Why watch Football when you can MAKE THE CALL here with......QB1
 12. SNOWBALL FIGHT at Santa's Workshop with the players from......FED
 13. HURRY - grab these games before it's too late.................SOFTCLUB
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         Welcome    ******  ********                        ** ** **
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 Atari  ST  Roundtable

               Real Time Conference Special Events Calendar
   
    Dec. 4  - DATELINE ATARI with Bob Brodie. Join us for this regular 
    (FRI.)    roundtable conference with the Director of Communications
              and chat about any Atari product or software.            
   
    Dec. 9  - John Cole from Lexicor will present PHOENIX 512  -       
              a powerful new graphics program. There will be a         
              DOOR PRIZE of one free copy of PHOENIX 512.              
   
    Dec 16  - Join guest Zenobot for a night of game discussion. Eric  
    (WED.)    will answer your questions concerning which games to buy 
              for Christmas. Come on in and get a few hints!           
   
            Happy Holidays from the Atari Roundtable and GEnie!

  Last Week's Top Downloaded Programs/Utilities:

 26707 BLITZ144.ARC             X E.MONACO     921127   30336    185   2
       Desc: Now defragments... AUTOMATICALLY!!!
 26632 GROCERY.LZH              X R.HOEKSTRA1  921122   30976    184  21
       Desc: Grocery/Shopping list creator
 26714 NEOSECRT.LZH             X A.FASOLDT    921128   37760    176  21
       Desc: Secrets of NeoDesk: Tips 'n' tricks
 26700 ALADVIEW.ARC             X J.ALLEN37    921127   24704    175   7
       Desc: View and Search Aladdin Files
 26737 SPBT80.LZH               X G.W.MOORE    921129  155392     97   2
       Desc: Super Boot V8.0 - Great New Version!
 26702 TERA_124.LZH             X GRMEYER      921127   91392     94   2
       Desc: TerraDesk v1.24 Desktop Replacement
  
 This month Darlah will be bringing you multiple Holiday Treats.  The first
 two are  a color and mono version of OXYD a HOT new game.  "Darlah's Treat
 of the Month" at  475;9 on  the menu  is the  MONO version  of OXYD.   And
 "Darlah's Treat of the Month II" at 475;10 is the COLOR version.

 Also see  Category 9  Topic 45  for useful  information on  how to use the
 game. See Category 21 Topic 7 for explicit hints and tips.   It is  a game
 that is bound to keep you busy for hours on end.  It has multi-levels with
 each level having its own unique puzzle.  Please post your codes and hints
 and tips as you play.  Both versions are TT/ST/STE compatible!
   
     Regular Open Conference every Wednesday night, 10PM EDT, 7PM PDT
          DTP conference every Monday at 10PM eastern in room 3.

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


  ***********************************************************************




 > The Flip Side STR Feature         ".... a different viewpoint..."
   """""""""""""""""""""""""




                    A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT
                    ==================================



 by Michael Lee

 After a long absence, Bob Brodie, Atari's User Group Cordinator, has 
 returned to public view in the ST Roundtable on Genie.  We welcome him 
 and his insightful, informative and interesting posts back; he was 
 sorely missed.
  
 I have devoted most of this column to comments and responses from Bob. 
 One problem with Bob's posts is that since he is so busy and can't get 
 online everyday, he many times responds to 4-5 different people and 
 subjects in the same post.  I hope I've commented his posts well enough 
 so that you can understand what his replies were referring to.
  
 All of this weeks posts are from the ATARI CORPORATION ONLINE category 
 [Category 14] in the ST Roundtable on Genie.


                              ----------------

 Why Bob Brodie hasn't been seen on Genie much in the last few months - 
 Topic 31, Msgs. 89-105....
  
 From Bob Brodie -

  [Concerning why Bob hasn't been on Genie as much recently and a clari-
  fication of what service is the official Atari online service.]
  
  One issue that must be dealt with now however is the post from Wayne 
  Watson, alleging that AtariNet is the offical online service of Atari, 
  and his allegations that I am more active there than on here. That is 
  incorrect. GEnie has been, and will continue to be our official online 
  service. The perception that I am on any other network more than on 
  GEnie is easy to understand. Most of the time that I have allocated to 
  has been limited to e-mail and conferences. This is at the direction of 
  Mr. Ron Smith, who is no longer with us. Since the other networks have 
  no real time conferences, I do post there from time to time.

  I began discussions with Sam Tramiel regarding on-line support earlier 
  this week. Those discussions will continue next week after I return to 
  Sunnyvale. I'm confident that Atari will allocate more of my time to 
  being on GEnie. :)

 Reply from Mike Allen -
  
  Bob, I asked the question in Sam's RTC about the Atari presence here on 
  GEnie.

  My reason was that questions about existing Atari products in this 
  category go unanswered for months by Atari. These aren't questions 
  about the F030 or marketing plans or anything like that. They are 
  questions about the rts/cts problems, BGM partitions with AHDI 5.0, 
  differences between tos 2.05 and 2.06, etc.

  If GEnie is the offical Atari service and this category is named "ATARI 
  CORPORATION ONLINE" it seems that it should receive notice AND priority 
  over other services, such as AtariNet, by Corporate Atari.

  I do hope that the promised increased Offical Atari presence here 
  becomes a reality but, to be honest, I am skeptical.

  On the positive side, TOWNS activity on GEnie has been a very positive 
  thing both for us users and Atari. I surely hope that this is noticed 
  and recognized by Atari management.

  Hoping to see much more of you here,

 Answer from Bob -
  
  Mike, as I've already indicated to Wayne, GEnie does get priority over 
  any other network. I spend considerably more time on GEnie than on any 
  other network. It may not appear as such to you because most of the 
  time that was allocated to GEnie was being used up in the real time 
  conferences and email. Since other free networks like AtariNet don't 
  have real time conferences (which is just ONE of the many downsides to 
  such networks) it's easy for me to see how you could misunderstand what 
  was going on.

  Now that Mr. Smith is no longer with us, I'm planning on spending more 
  time online here. However, I make no bones about my abilities...some of 
  the techy questions will have to be handled by other people.

  I can understand your skepticism...I have things that I am more than a 
  little skeptical about myself. :)

  Just bear in mind that there are a number of ways to measure activity 
  on a service. Time spent online is one of the biggies. The fact that I 
  haven't been able to post often here is not something I've been happy 
  about either, but I had my marching orders for how much time to spend 
  here. :( Blame it on my email which continues to be considerable.

  ....Being online can take a tremendous amount of time, especially if it 
  is done properly. GEnie can take upwards of two hours a day for me to 
  take a look at the message bases that I need to, as well as e-mail. 
  This doesn't include any time to browse the libraries for fun stuff 
  either. All work and no play.

  Smith felt that being online was much ado about nothing, and saw no 
  reason for me to spend so much time on-line. Instead, he had me doing 
  other things with our PR firm, as some other activities that I'd rather 
  not discuss. :) In short, I pretty much came offline darn near every-
  where, at least during "normal" business hours.

  I guess that's what happens when your boss doesn't value what you have 
  historically done for the company.

  Anyway, he's gone now.  And I'm back! :)

                             ----------------

 Misc. answers from Bob Brodie - Topic 20, Msg. 85-136...
  
  Wow, all this stuff that I had to catch up on from just a week of not 
  reading...SHEESH! Where to begin?

  I guess I'll start with that which sticks out at me the most;

  [Concerning a question/comment about a pirate BBS]

  J.ROY18-Please send me the number for the Pirate BBS and a password to 
  log on there with. I'll d/l the copy of TOS 4.0 that they have on there 
  and test it for you. I'll ask our corporate counsel if he cares to join 
  me while we log onto to the BBS. Maybe he'll want to help me test the 
  software as well. Anything else I should look for while on this BBS? 
  Naturally, a response in e-mail is fine, rather than going public. 
  However, I do expect the number of the BBS...of that make no mistake.

  [More on pirate BBSes]

  Steve Johnson, I'm *shocked* to see you describe a Pirate BBS as one of 
  the places that an Atari user can get an inkling of support. That's 
  really, really poor. I suppose the fact that they are also destroying 
  proper support channels by their piracy has never crossed your mind?? I 
  assure you that it has crossed the mind of every developer that has a 
  product on the market. See my message to J.ROY18, and feel free to pass 
  along some numbers to me. Not that I need that kind of "support".
  
  [Concerning guesses and rumors about Falcon production in 1993]

  I'm a little at a loss where the current projections of Falcon 
  production is coming for? Who's the source for this rumor??? Our 
  production forecast is for approx. 350,000 machines for 1993. Half of 
  those are earmarked for the US. Crunch all you want, and we'll make 
  more.

  [Comments about the PC emulator for the Falcon]

  Re the PC emulator for the processor slot...the one that was shown at 
  COMDEX was an early working prototype of a 286. The 286 version will be 
  sold very inexpensively, and there will be a 486SX version available by 
  January. In color.

  [Misc. discussions between Bob and Jerry Richter]
  
  Jerry Richter, I cannot believe that you showed up at COMDEX and didn't 
  even take the time to come over and introduce yourself. Or were you the 
  guy that was leaning on a Falcon asking me "Where the hell are the 
  Falcons at, Brodie?" I enjoyed that guy...

  Seriously, I'd have been happy to spend time with you, and make sure 
  that you were introduced to all of the developers so they could tell 
  you about their products, and their plans. That would have prevented 
  your from commenting about the B & W version of the PC board, which 
  will never see a dealers shelf in it's present configuration. :) If 
  you'd have spoken to Theo Bruers of Compo, he'd have explained to you 
  that they had a last minute set back on the PC Board, and had to really 
  hustle just to get a prototype available at the show. He might have 
  even told you that I was the one pressuring him to do that...and he'd 
  be right! <grin>
  
  I think that it's very clear that you're after a higher end unit that 
  the Atari Falcon030, and that's fine. However, we envision the unit as 
  a basic home computer. That vision is shared by other companies, like 
  Eastman Kodak, that recognize the one piece design as a plus. It's much 
  easier to gather the family around the TV with a Photo-CD hooked up to 
  an Atari than it is to do it with ANY other computer on the market. 
  Most of the rest of the units aren't in the family room, they're in 
  Dad's office, or on a desk somewhere else in the home. :)

  Reply from Jerry Richter -
  
  Bob, sorry, I wanted to get over to see you but I only had (1) day to 
  spend in the Sands... Yes I know it was an "early" release of the PC 
  board!.. but I think it was UNWISE to show something HALF DONE 
  considering the Dis\Mis-Information Atari has been shoveling at us 
  recently! and you know what I am talking about!

  There is nothing wrong with a sixteen-bit 16MHZ system!!  Just not in 
  1993 when most of the NEW "low-end" PC's will be 32bit 486 based! and 
  Bob.. Please tell me that ATARI will CAN the "CHEAPIE" keyboard!! This 
  keyboard has NO place on a system selling for OVER $1200 !! and you 
  know it... Bob.. its a matter of "Perceived Quality" always has been 
  always will be.. The keyboard I am now typing on is the Mega4.. It's 
  great! and PLEASE don't mention the Falcon as a $799 unit.. That system 
  is unusable and you know it! The Falcon is indeed a FUN system.. but 
  you still have to type on the darn thing DON'T YOU? And PLEASE... don't 
  tell me you guys just didn't know (Bill Rehbock included) or you were 
  "Out of touch" (I'm is the business) the Falcon030 was a "16 bit" 
  system all-along! If Atari would have been HONEST in your FIRST Genie 
  session we might have understood... AFTER THIS SIXTEEN BIT FIASCO do 
  you blame us for being just a little hurt!

  Bob, I listened at the booth as one after another ATARIAN shook their 
  heads after typing on the Falcon030... and before they could even get 
  to the GREAT THINGS the Falcon CAN DO they would walk away saying 
  "Sheesh same old thing "... "what a shame.." "Get a real computer" 
  ....... I still wish Atari ALL THE LUCK in the World.. (My wife and I 
  own 2000 shares!!)

  Here's waiting for the "New and Improved" Falcon030/040..

 Another reply from Bob Brodie -
  
  Jerry, as always, you have your opinion, and you are certainly entitled 
  to it. :)

  I think you're preaching to your own choir though, and overlooking some 
  very significant points here though. Let me help you out just a little 
  bit. <grin> First, the PC board is not our product, it is a product of 
  COMPO, a German based developer. Therefore, whatever your feelings are 
  about the information you have gotten from us is quite misplaced with 
  regard to COMPO's new product.

  We had gone to great lengths in discussions with the "mainstream" 
  computer press to tell them about this product. For most of them, the 
  ability of the Atari Falcon030 to run DOS applications is something 
  they wanted to SEE, not just be told about VAPORWARE. While you, as an 
  Atarian, may not have thought it was wise to see an early version of 
  the product, these people needed to see that it could, and was being 
  done!!!! We need to bring these people on board in order to grow, so 
  having the product in the booth as 100% the correct decision.

  I appreciate your view on the keyboard, and the single piece design. 
  However, you continue to overlook the fact that the Atari Falcon030 
  does support a 32 bit path to video, which is critical for the intended 
  market of the machine. That also means that the announcements were NOT 
  incorrect, and ensures fast graphics performance. The CPU path was kept 
  at 16 bits to protect YOUR investment in software, and ensure maximum 
  compatibility. The Atari Falcon030 is 32 bit everywhere that it would 
  not impact compatibility.

  The Atari Falcon030 has a unique and innovative system, which uses a 
  16Mhz 68030, the BLiTTER (tm), the 56001 DSP chip, and the DMA. The FPU 
  is optional. No other "32 bit based 486 cheapie" can match this 
  performance. You must compare the entire system if you insist on 
  comparing systems. Let me know what you get for a price on a DSP card, 
  Jerry. Locally, retail pricing on such a card is around $900.

  For every person you claim you heard in your one day at the Sands that 
  said "what a shame, get a real computer" I must have heard many more 
  that said "When can I get one?", and that includes non- Atarians as 
  well.

  You're obviously interested in a higher end system, and that's ok 
  Jerry. But please, don't forget that this machine is intended to be a 
  entry level home computer!! While you complain that the $799 system is 
  unsable, a few messages below yours is yet another user saying that's 
  the machine he wants to buy, as soon as he can get one!!!

  In short, you want a different machine than we've produced. OK. That 
  doesn't mean that the unit we've produced isn't a good computer that 
  will be accepted by many.

  ...I don't know how difficult VGA will be to do on the PC Board. I only 
  know that COMPO is a very capable development house and they have an 
  excellent track record of doing what they say they will do. Remember 
  us? We're the ones that always tell our developers "It can't be done" 
  and then watch as they do so. :) If COMPO says their going to do it, 
  I'm willing to take them at their word.

  Why have an Atari version of the 486SX board? Are you now trying to 
  suggest that we should compete with another developer? No thanks, we'll 
  pass. For a couple of reasons: 1) Someone else is already pursuing the 
  product and has shown a prototype 2) We have other things more 
  interesting that we would rather have our engineers working on. 
  Remember the higher end Falcon you long to see? Wouldn't YOU rather 
  that they were focusing on that??? I thought so, and so would I.
  
  I don't understand why you continue with the "Nobody here wants a one 
  meg machine" argument, when just below your previous message, SOMEONE 
  HERE DID! Of course I know that they'll probably be upgrading it later. 
  But far and away, the leading selling machine that we have produced are 
  the LOWER end machines. World wide. :) And Wayne says AGAIN that he 
  wants the one meg version. Are you telling him to keep his money in his 
  wallet, Jerry??? :)

  [Comments to T-Bird about the CD player and a tower case]

  Don't know if you have a tower case set up for a PC yet. I do, got a 
  real tank of a case real cheap ages ago and mounted darn near 
  everything in it. Let me clue you, my friend, the wife is NOT capable 
  of picking it up and moving it. Nor does she want to. <grin> Got her 
  trained on that one anyhow!

  The CD player is already in the living room, so she doesn't have to 
  anything other than connect a cable from it to the CPU, which as an 
  addicted player of Dragon's Lair, she has done many, many times while 
  connecting an STE up to our 27" Sony. :)

  I think that the real scenario is that the cable from the CD player 
  will be laying around waiting for a Falcon to plug into it and the 
  easily carried Atari Falcon030 will look dandy on the coffee table in 
  the living room.

  And the wife et al will be pleased at how easy it is to set up and use.

                             ----------------

 Question to Bob from Mike Allen - Topic 4, Msgs 115-118...
  
  Since Atari has said that they will have more official presence here to 
  answer questions, I think I'll test it out.

  I have 3 different FX80.SYS printer drivers, one from WordUp 2, one 
  from Calligrapher and one from the Atari FontGDOS package. I use G+PLUS 
  1.5

  The three programs that I normally use printer drivers with are 
  Calligrapher, WordUp 2 and XICPrint from SDS.

  Why is it that the Callig driver only works with Callig, WU2 driver 
  with WU2 and the FontGDOS driver with XICPrint. None of the drivers 
  will work correctly with any other of the three programs. A bit of a 
  pain although G+PLUS takes care of it.

  I would think that the 'rules' for printer drivers would be spelled out 
  in the developer's docs. Is there some kind of a mechanism where third 
  party drivers can be 'certified' by Atari?

  This is the kind of a problem that I see all the time in the MSDOS 
  world and that I hoped to avoid here.

 Answer from Bob -
  
  All of the applications you've mentioned SHOULD work fine with the 
  driver from the FONTGDOS package. I'm not that familiar with Calli-
  grapher (other than hearing great things about it), so I'm not sure if 
  they have followed the GDOS standard or not.

  While we have told our developers what they must do to meet the full 
  GDOS requirements, they are, as they always have been, to make their 
  applications the way that they see fit.

  To make matters more interesting, of course, you're not using GDOS 
  either! :)

  Word Up 2 tried to take advantage of GDOS fonts, while bypassing other 
  portions of GDOS. I suspect that's part of the reason that there was a 
  Word Up 3 put out that dealt with that problem.

  There are other instances where applications work fine, and use their 
  own printer drivers and font mechanisms, like Calamus and PageStream 
  for instance. Great programs, but different approaches to printing than 
  GDOS uses.

  I don't think I've been able to give you the answer that you want here, 
  Mike. But I do think it's a reasonable response. I use WordFlair II and 
  WordUp 3.0 at work on a daily basis. They both work fine, and require 
  no fiddling around with the printer driver set up. I'd be unhappy if I 
  had to mess around with it, too.

 Response from Mike -
  
  Thanks for the answer, Bob. Seems to me that it would be to everyone's 
  advantage if there were a certification process where a 3rd party 
  developer could send his/her driver to Atari and then Atari could bless 
  (or curse) it as being 'GDOS compliant.'

  I'm curious about you comment about my not using GDOS. Has there ever 
  been a case where a driver would work with GDOS and not G+PLUS? By the 
  way, I did try those driver/app combinations with GDOS 1.1 - same 
  problems.

  Again, thanks for the response - this is the type pf support that would 
  (will?) be a real plus for Atari and its users.

  P.S. I'd use WU3 too, except that there wasn't a printer driver for my 
  printer and Neocept went Tango Uniform before I could get one from 
  them. 8^{ (Hmmmm. I never tried the FontGDOS driver with WU3.)

 Final reply from Bob -
  
  My comment about your not using GDOS is only to underline the fact that 
  there are a lot of different ways to get things done, as well as 
  "variants on a theme" in computer software. :) Give the FontGDOS driver 
  a try with Word Up 3.

  We walk a tightrope between wanting to provide lots of options to our 
  users (both hardware and software), and the need to keep it easy enough 
  for ANYONE to use readily.

  It's not an easy task, as your experience indicates.

                             ----------------

 TT problems from Frank Goron - Topic 5, Msgs 180-190...
  
  I've recently developed a problem on my TT030. I have 8 meg of ram,no 
  internal HD & a Syquest 44meg removeable HD.

  The problem seems to be that I can't access the TT ram. When I boot up 
  everything appears normal til it's almost time for the desktop to 
  appear, then it's mondo-bombo. It doesn't matter what acc's or auto 
  prgs are on or off, I had the same thing happen with nothing but 
  Deskmgr & a desktop.inf file.

  BUT, if I use 24bit.prg to disable the TT ram at the beginning of the 
  bootup, there's no problem at all. That's why I'm pretty sure the 
  problem is in the TT ram.

  The weirdest thing was that it appeared suddenly several weeks ago & 
  just as suddenly it disappeared. And it's been coming & going, so that 
  I couldn't isolate & reproduce the problem til the last couple days. 
  One time it even happened after the TT was up & running for several 
  hours. I was in the middle something & the bombs appeared & it locked 
  up. But now the problem came back the last couple days & that gave me 
  the time to experiment & conclude it was most likely the TT ram.

  The only thing I haven't tried was to reformat the HD but it works just 
  fine when the 24bit.prg is run so I'm sure that it isn't the problem. 
  Any thoughts before I ship this thing out? And no, I'm afraid I 
  wouldn't even consider popping the hood.

 Reply from John Stanford (Lexicor) -
  
  On some TT's the TT and ST ram boards can become loose, causing a poor 
  connection and the loss of that ram. A significant temperature change 
  can do this also (say 15 degrees).

  Usually your TT ram won't be visible durring the memory check on 
  startup, but I've occasionally had it check positive and still fail.

  Its a simple matter to reseat the board as its directly under the case 
  in the front left corner, you don't have to move any shielding. That is 
  your decision though.

 Reply from Sheldon Winick (Computer Studio) -
  
  John may well be right about your TT-RAM board possibly coming loose. 
  The board connects on one edge only and cantilevers outward toward the 
  front of the machine. Should the board come a little loose from the 
  socket, it can indeed cause the problems you're experiencing. Of 
  course, if the board or the RAM on it went bad, the same problems would 
  also occur. Your best bet would be to have the system checked out at an 
  Atari service center. If the system is less than a year old, it should 
  still be covered by Atari's 1-year warranty, so don't break the 
  warranty seal yourself.

 Answer from Bob Brodie -
  
  I'm curious, have you set any of the flags in the programs that you're 
  running to access TT ram? How about the SHDRIVER.SYS file? I'd suggest 
  that you re- write the SHRIVER.SYS file by running HINSTALL again, and 
  boot with NO acc's and no auto programs at all. You can check how much 
  ram you have under the desktop configuration menu under option. If you 
  haven't changed the default keyboard equivilents just press M from the 
  desktop.

  See how much ram you have available that way first. Or go thru and re-
  set all the flags on the programs to NOT use TT ram. I use MAXIFILE III 
  from CodeHead to do that task. Once you have all the flags set back to 
  only use ST ram, check the GENERAL CPX and click on the STATUS button. 
  It will tell you what the scoop is on your ram situation.

  That failing, I'd go with Sheldon's suggestion and ship it off to have 
  it examined at a qualified Atari dealer.
  
                             ----------------

 Comments from Bob Brodie about ST Logo - Topic 5, Msg. 197...
  
  No one was using ST Logo, so it didn't make sense to us to continue 
  paying royalties to have it placed in our systems. We discontinued it a 
  couple of years ago. The language never caught on.

                             ----------------

 From Bob Brodie concerning questions about some early versions of 
 Atari's hard drive software - Topic 9, Msg. 142....
  
  At this point I expect that HDX 6.x will ship with the Atari Falcon030. 
  I've not seen a full copy of it internally yet, and I've noticed that 
  there are still some updates occuring to the product. We'll let you 
  know when were ready to do an upload!

  In the meantime, I suggest that you use HDX 5.0, I've had very few 
  problems with it. The main problems that I encountered with it was that 
  there is a problem in formatting with an SLM attached to the system. 
  Once I disconnected the SLM, all was well. :)

  Re the floptical, HDX 5 supports those NOW! I understand that there is 
  a problem with the Insite units, but the Sony's and PLI drives work 
  flawlessly.

  And I'd never consider spending $100 on any ICD product a waste! <grin> 
  I have several systems of my own at home, all of them with the 
  exception of the Mega STE running the BBS have an ICD host adapter in 
  the system!
  
                             ----------------
  
 Questions from J.H.English - Topic 9, Msgs. 128-134....
  
  [Note: Edited for easier readability.]
  
  I have a MegaSTe with 4 megs of ram, a Maxtor M7213S hard drive and the 
  Atari HD adaptor board that mounts inside the MegaSTe.  I have had no 
  success in getting the MegaSTe to recognize the Maxtor drive.  My 
  dealer changed out the adaptor board and has even connected known good 
  Seagate drives to my setup, and they work.
  
  I am wondering if anyone at Atari can help me with this problem.  We 
  know the drive is good, the HD adaptor board is good, but the system 
  won't recognized the Maxtor drive.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  
  How about it Atari, I just spent $1100.00 on your products, how about 
  some help.  By the way, I used an ICD adaptor in a shoebox case and the 
  drive formatted perfectly.
  
 Answer from Bob Brodie -
  
  I suggest that you follow the advice given by others here. I have two 
  Maxtors running in two different Mega STEs. One is a 340, the other is 
  212. Neither is the same as your model. :( I can tell you that I had to 
  disable the parity on the 212 when I installed it in the Mega STE. It 
  had been formatted with HDX 5 on a TT, but didn't come up on a Mega STE 
  until I disabled the parity. After that, everything was great!
  
  I'm sorry for the problems that you're having. I'm sure that just a bit 
  of experimentation will be required on your end. Handling this type of 
  hardware problem in absentia is always difficult. Last tip, be sure 
  after you change anything on the drive that you turn the system off, 
  and re-start it. Don't just re-boot. It doesn't always cut it.

 Answer from Dan Philips -

  If you're still having trouble, you could call Maxtor at 1-800- 
  2MAXTOR. Your drive is doc #1031. And, my, what a big hard drive you 
  have. I get by with my Quantum LP52S quite well. Oh, also, my Quantum 
  would not auto-boot with the SCSI adaptor in my TT until I reformatted 
  it using AHDI 5.

                             ----------------

 SLM-605 question from Scott Lapham - Topic 11, Msgs 70-75...
  
  I have an SLM-605 that recently had a paper jam. When I opened the top, 
  removed the basket that holds the toner cartridge and drum, then 
  removed the paper, the thin wire (corona?) at the bottom of the printer 
  broke. It's the one nearest to where the paper enters the printer.
  
  First, I called Atari tech support and they said all I needed to do was 
  buy a new drum kit ($150.00) and it would include a new wire. Wrong. 
  They must have thought I had an SLM-804, which does include the wire 
  with a drum kit. Anyway, I don't really mind spending the $150.00 on 
  the drum kit as I will eventually need one, but I still don't have a 
  working printer.

  And my wife and I run a business that really NEEDS this printer. I've 
  called several dealers and none have been able to help me regarding how 
  to fix/replace this wire on an SLM-605. Can anyone here help? Also, 
  I've heard the SLM-605 is based on either a TEC 1305 or LaserPro 
  Executive. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks in advance for any 
  assistance.

 Answer from Gregg Anderson -
  
  Scott, as I recall the new 605 uses the same basic engine & case as one 
  of the newer Epson laser printers. Try and find an Epson dealer or 
  service center. Take a picture of the SLM (or owner's book) AND the bad 
  wire with you. With luck they'll have a replacement. I'm not 100% sure 
  which engine the new SLM really uses, but I do know that it is 
  drum/toner compatible with a LOT more systems than the 804 was. The 804 
  shared its toner/drum with only the LaserPro series and one or two 
  other makes... I think it was a TEC 1301B engine.

 Answer from Ralph Mariano (STReport) -
  
  The SLM 605 is indeed an Epson EPL 6000. Call Epson America, they have 
  an "800" number. Call 1-800-555-1212 to get their number.  They will 
  give you the number of a local service center for their products. You 
  will find them fast, efficient and very courteous.

  If all else fails, any photocopier service tech can re-sring a new wire 
  in your frame.
  
                             ----------------

 Hard drive problem question from Ken Olson - Topic 14, Msgs. 80-92...
  
  I have an extra Seagate drive for my MegaSTe. I have it in a shoe box 
  with an ICD host and power supply. How do I get my machine to recognize 
  both drives at the same time. I already have the identical drive built 
  in. I want to still be able to boot from my built in drive.

  I have tried a number of things. The most I get is a boot notice that 
  device #0 is a Segate and device #1 is not responding - this is with 
  dips on the internal controler set to 1 or 2. I get no recognition of 
  device #1 with dips set to 0 and no HD boot with dips set to 3.

  I have tested the extra Segate by swaping it with the internal drive 
  and it works fine. Do I need to do something to the ICD host or what?

 Answer from Bob Brodie -
  
  ...Make sure that you have the resistor packs installed in the external 
  drive. Our software comes in one LZH, but two flavors... there is a 
  folder (I think it's called MUNGED) in the archive that has a version 
  of SHDRIVER.SYS that will attempt to boot everything, regardless of 
  what it finds. If you are using our software, it will at least tell you 
  if the drive is online, and what the ID is set at. Also, be sure to 
  power down your system after making changes to SCSI ID, jumpers, etc. 
  and then RE START your system. I'm always amazed at how many people 
  just work with the drive laying out on the table, and don't restart the 
  system.

                             ----------------

 Warranty question from Rob Pierce - Topic 14, Msgs 100-106...
  
  Didn't Atari go to a one year warranty on their equipment nearly a year 
  ago? I was just talking to a service center and he says it's still 90 
  days.

  If this is the case, then I'm screwed. This used Mega STE has probably 
  had these problems since it was new, yet the previous owner never had 
  the opportunity to test it, so I'll be stuck with $200 or more in 
  repair bills.

 Answer from Lee Benjamin -
  
  According to Sheldon Winick of The Computer Studio, an authorized Atari 
  dealer and IAAD member, all Atari computers sold after November 1991, 
  except for the Portfolio and the Lynx, carry a one year warranty. I 
  hope this helps.

 Answer from Dan McNamee (Atari) -
  
  Lee is correct, ST(e) and TT computers sold after November 1991 have a 
  1 year warranty.

                             ----------------

 Until next week.....



     ________________________________________________________________





 > ATARI SOFTWARE CATALOG STR InfoFile    ATARI SOFTWARE CATALOG AVAILABLE
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""





                  THE 1992 INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE CATALOG
                  =======================================


 2cnd Notice


     The  1992  International  Software  Catalog (Item# C303288-001) is now
 available from Atari Corporation.  If you haven't heard about it yet check
 out the messages in category 14, topic 42.

     The catalog  has more than 400 pages, contains nearly 500 entries, and
 features almost 175 screen shots.   Categories covered  include Publishing
 and   Graphics;   Multimedia   and   Hypertext;   Personal   Productivity;
 Connectivity    and    Communications;    Music;    Business;   Education;
 Entertainment;  Computer  Aided  Design;  Medical;  Development  Tools and
 System Software; and  Peripherals.    Atari  Falcon030  listings  are also
 included.   Along with the product description the reader is provided with
 developer information designed to help them acquire the  product if  it is
 unavailable from  thier local  dealer.   Suggested retail  prices are also
 listed.

     If your local dealer runs out of catalogs  you may  order your catalog
 directly from Atari by writing to:

                         Atari Customer Relations
                      International Software Catalog
                              P.O. Box 61657
                           Sunnyvale, CA  94088

     The price  is $12.00  per book.  Add 8.25%  sales tax if ordering from
 California, Illinois, or Texas. Also include  $5.00 shipping  and handling
 per order.   Payment  may be  made by  check, money  order, MasterCard, or
 VISA. (Allow 2-4 weeks additional if paying by personal check)

     If you would like to order by VISA or MasterCard you can also leave me
 E-mail  (G.LABREC)  with  your  name,  address,  phone,  card  number, and
 expiration date--I will forward the order to customer service.

 SPECIAL USER GROUP OFFER
 ------------------------
     For a limited time, any registered user group may purchase the catalog
 in lots  of 10  books.   When ordering a lot of 10 books the cost would be
 $10.00 per book plus $8.00 shipping for the lot.


    __________________________________________________________________





 > GUEST EDITORIAL STR FOCUS!
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""




                              GUEST EDITORIAL
                              ===============



 by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
 Senior Staff Editor for STReport
  
      "A person should never get involved  in a pig wrestlin' contest.  
      All it succeeds in doing is to make the pig mad, and getting the 
      person muddy."
  
 Wow! We never dreamed that last week's editorial would bring the response
 that it did! Since STReport had devoted almost 50k worth of space in last 
 week's  issue  and over 20k in the previous week's issue  to  first  hand 
 reports touting Atari's  performance at Comdex,  we felt a 2-3k editorial 
 giving our opinions about things that weren't made public,  that we  felt 
 were glossed over,  or things that we saw in a different perspective than 
 some of the reporters,  was not out of line and would give the issue some 
 balance.  Boy were we wrong!!
  
 One person in particular responded to our editorial with several missives 
 containing  such  words and phrases as  - "Atari  bashing",  "flames  and 
 games",  "bully",  "sniping",  "the aberrations of a cynical writer", "To 
 SCREAM out your jaundiced opinions in the name of editorial rights".   He 
 went on to complain about Ralph Mariano having an opinion, "...especially 
 when this ridiculous statement is made by someone who was himself NOT  in 
 attendance",  dismissing three other reports as "hearsay".   He had  many 
 other words and phrases to use,  but in the interest of brevity,  I think 
 these will give you the drift of what he thought of our editorial.
   
 However this editorial is not to debate whether this person had the right 
 to say what he did - of course he did!!  This is America. Free Speech and 
 being able to voice ones opinions is as important a right as our right of 
 a Free Press. Where I take exception with this person's comments, is when 
 he  seems to want to be able to limit those rights to opinions he  agrees 
 with.
  
 According  to  Webster's II 'New  Riverside  University  Dictionary',  an 
 editorial  is "An article in a publication expressing the opinion of  its 
 publishers  or editors."  STReport is a publication and Ralph Mariano  is 
 its  publisher  and Editor.   So when Ralph writes an  editorial,  he  is 
 voicing HIS opinion - just as our reader voiced his.
  
 Opinions can be based on many things. Facts - both public and non-public. 
 Previous experiences and histories.  Biases - yes, editors and publishers 
 can  have biases - in fact,  most opinions are biased.  A person  doesn't 
 have to have a first-hand experience about something to have an  opinion. 
 If so,  most of us couldn't have opinions about anything we didn't exper-
 iance directly.
  
 This person feels that editorial's (i.e., opinions) "are meant to provoke 
 thought  and reaction,  [and] they are also SUPPOSED to be based on  some 
 modicum of truth" Well,  it's obvious from his posts that Ralph succeeded 
 in  the first part - Ralph's editorial did provoke thought  and  reaction 
 from him (and many others).
  
 So what is left?  Oh yes,  the "modicum of truth".  While this person  is 
 wrong - an editorial doesn't have to have an iota of truth in it to  make 
 it an editorial - Ralph's editorial contained a lot of truth.  And that's 
 what upset the reader.  It was a truth that he'd prefer not to have  said 
 ("dragging past issues in..") or truth that he didn't agree with.

 Many times,  truth "is in the eyes of the beholder".   One man might con-
 sider  a particular woman beautiful,  while another considers  her  ugly. 

 Both would be telling the truth when asked about the woman's  looks.   Or 
 one person might see a glass who's volume contained 50% milk and 50%  air 
 as a half-full glass,  while another might see it as a half-empty  glass. 

 Both  would  be telling the truth - as they saw it (my son says  that  he 
 doesn't understand the controversy, it's just a half-of-glass of milk).
  
 So  what  is an editorial?   An editorial is  an  editor's  opinion,  not 
 necessarily  a  news  or  review column.  There  are  other  areas  in  a 
 publication for both.   All people,  including editors,  are entitled  to 
 their  opinions.  An editorial can differ with so-called expert  opinions 
 and  still  be  an editorial - in fact,  those sometimes  make  the  best 
 editorials.   An editorial is written to provoke thought and,  hopefully, 
 get a reaction.  An editorial can be funny,  it can make you cry.  It can 
 make  you  so angry,  it can make you nod your  head  in  agreement.   An 
 editorial can be many things,  but it's always the editor's opinion - and 
 should be taken as such.

  
      _______________________________________________________________





 > SCSI TAPE INFO STR InfoFile          .....a MUST read for everyone!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""



                       SCSI TAPE BACKUP FOR ATARI ST
                       =============================



 There are two major technologies in today's desktop tape drive market; QIC
 (Quarter Inch Cartridge) at  the low  end and  midrange, and  DAT (Digital
 Audio Tape) at the high end.  The dividing line is about 1MB capacity.

 DAT is  a new  technology. DAT  drive capacities  are quoted in gigabytes.
 Conventional QIC drives have capacities up to 525 megabytes.

 Common Tape Drive Interfaces:
  
         QIC-02     --- intelligent hardware tape interface
         QIC-36     --- simple hardware tape interface
         QIC-104/11 --- SCSI-1 tape interface
         QIC-121    --- SCSI-2 tape interface

 These standards  describe the  drive controller.   The  SCSI standards are
 only  rarely  cited  by  number;  usually, QIC-104 and QIC-121 devices are
 referred to simply as "SCSI drives".

 Common Recording formats:
         
         QIC-24     --- 9-track  60-Mbyte tape format 
         QIC-120    --- 15-track 125-Mbyte tape format
         QIC-150    --- 18-track 150-Mbyte tape format
         QIC-525    --- 26-track 525-Mbyte tape format
  
 Common media:
  
         DC600A     --- for QIC-24 and QIC-120 drives
         DC6150     --- for QIC-150 drives 
         DC6525     --- for QIC-525 drives

 All 150MB QIC type drives can  do 250MB  on extended-length  tapes, though
 some manufacturers  discourage you from doing this to avoid excessive head
 wear.

 The interface used on the Atari ST is SCSI. Beckemeyer Development offers
 "SCSI Tape Kit" software that allows one to use a standard SCSI compatible
 tape drive  with the  Atari ST computer; virtually any SCSI QIC tape drive
 should work.  Most SCSI DAT drives will also work with the  Atari ST "SCSI
 Tape Kit".

 QIC-36 drives may be used by using a separate SCSI controller. Most QIC-02
 drives  have  a  separate  QIC-02  to QIC-36 controller board which may be
 replaced with  a  SCSI  controller  board.    Older  60MB  QIC  drives are
 available on the surplus market, typically at a very low cost (often under
 $200).

 Compatible SCSI controllers for using older QIC-36 drives:

         Adaptec ACB-3530
         Emulex MT-02

 These SCSI to QIC-36  controllers  were  often  used  in  early  Unix work
 stations, such as Sun, HP, Apollo, Silicon Graphics etc.

 When assembling your own tape subsystem, it is a good idea to use standard
 SCSI  connectors.    This  way  your  tape  drive can be use with any SCSI
 system, including IBM compatibles, Macintosh, Sun, Next, and others.

 Common SCSI external cable connectors:

         Centronix  ---  IBM-compatible (recommended)
         50-pin D   ---  older Sun equipment, obsolete
         SCSI-2     ---  Sun Sparc, Next, others
         25-pin D   ---  Macintosh "SCSI"

 Centronix cables are the most common and the  least expensive.   The older
 50-pin D-type connectors are not recommended, nor are the Mac style 25-pin
 D-type connectors.   The  newer  SCSI-2  cables  and  connectors  are more
 expensive and more difficult to obtain than Centronix cables.


 SCSI Tape Product Listings:

 Beckemeyer Development  offers pre-wired  SCSI drive enclosures, including
 all  internal  cables,  SCSI  ID  selector  switch,  50-pin Centronix-type
 connectors,  Centronix  external  cable,  and  power  cable.    Beckemeyer
 Development also offers bare SCSI drives and complete tape subsystems.

    Software:

    SCSI Tape Kit Plus Hard Disk Toolkit       $ 49.95
    SCSI Tape Kit (drivers only, no backup SW) $ 20.00

    Drive Enclosures:

    5.25" half-height                          $119.00
    5.25" full-height                          $199.00

    Bare Drives:

    Wangtek 5150ES 150MB (refurbished)         $375.00
    Wangtek 5150ES 150MB (new)                 $658.00
    Archive Viper 150MB (new)                  $661.00

    Complete Tape Subsystems:

    Wangtek 150MB (new case, refurb. drive)    $499.00
    Wangtek 150MB (new)                        $864.00
    Archive 150MB (new)                        $950.00


      ______________________________________________________________




 > STR Editor's Mail Call        "a few comments from the Editor's Desk"
   """"""""""""""""""""""


                        STReport's EDITOR'S MailBag
                        """""""""""""""""""""""""""


                    Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
                    -----------------------------------



 From CIS...

 Date:  29-Nov-92 00:02 EST
 From:  bill devonshire [73707,1656]
 Subj:  General

 Hello there!                                      

     I have held off writing this letter because I am reluctant to add to
 the ever growing data weight of disgruntled Atari users.  But I can't
 stand it!  Its all so negative!  It would be nice to see some of this time
 spent in constructive rather than destructive pursuit.  I like the way you
 open the floor for all points of view, but at times it does get a little
 overwhelming to constantly read about what Atari hasn't done to satisfy
 the techno-needs of its users.  I would like to hear more news on
 applications, new products, even old products that have been upgraded
 (whatever).  We seem to be dwelling on the death wish of a Company that
 has done nothing more to us than produce and sell a very fine product!  I
 like my ST, for music, programming, edu-games for the kids and exciting
 (yes multi-colored) games.  I use PC's daily, and I cannot get any kind
 of feel for them other than the clunky junk that it is.  I abhor the high
 priced Apples (even though I do love them for the Motorola kinship with
 the ST's).  I would really hate to see this Atari Co. go down in flames
 because it would mean that my only choices left are to dig deep into my
 empty pockets to purchase a Mac or cludge away on a miner 486'er (and dig
 deep into my pockets to outfit it with enough garments to make it
 acceptable to my digitally tuned ears!).

     Does it really matter that much that Atari is making some Marketing
 mistakes?  Why don't we get on with using our wonderfully powerful
 machines.  I didn't purchase an ST to run Lotus, Word Perfect, MS Works or
 any of the other "popular" software packages.  The software that is
 available for the ST is as uniquely powerful as the ST itself.  Again, it
 boils down to what the user requires.  Don't fret over what the machine
 doesn't have, when compared to the guys next door or the other platforms.

     When I buy a car, I purchase something that I like and can afford.  If
 I don't like it and can't afford it I don't buy it.  There are many
 different types of cars - some very fast - some very slow, but that
 doesn't stop those automobiles from selling on the marketplace (and they
 are 'sized' to the market that they are designed to sell to).

     Are we, as a society, so caught up by techno-hype that no one can
 settle for anything less than the absolute best?  If that's the case, then
 dump all your machines and mortgage your house and get yourself a Cray or
 maybe a lowend machine like the Iris Indigo (R4000 based of course). I
 hold alot of respect for Atari.  A David in the world of the Goliath.  I
 have always been grateful for the fact that Atari pumped out a machine
 affordable enough for me to buy one.  A machine that has kept me happy and
 in the forefront of technology for years.  They are the only computer
 company that I know of that actually attempts to cut through the #$@! of
 modern day social greed and offer a product a its truest price margin.

     Not everyone wants meg-power and mega-memory, they want functionality
 and ease of use.  They want something that will perform their required
 task to the optimum.  I mean, why buy a lawn-tractor to cut your postage
 stamp front lawn. Maybe you have out-grown Atari?  Leave it at that! 
 They'll never be able to please everybody!!  Like one guy last week said
 "Atari is dead".  He was right, to him Atari is dead - so be it - to me
 Atari is still very much alive and kicking.

     Why not just accept the fact that your requirements have changed and
 go find something that will fulfill your hearts desire?  But don't kick
 the little guy when he's down because he hasn't fulfilled "your"
 requirements.  I do not need 24bit color to run Multi-Play for my
 children, nor do I need a 486-33 with super VGA color to run my Midi
 software.  I don't need Aldus, or Quark or AutoCad - I have Calamus,
 Dynacadd and MegaPaint.

     I could go on and on but I won't.  Please!!  Lets get back to
 constructive concerns rather than wasteful and sometimes hateful bashing. 
 Both sides of the coin must be displayed but I think that we have been
 lingering on the "tails" alot more than on the "heads" of late.

     Thanks again for all your work Ralph.  It is greatly appreciated from
 this end.  In a rapidly shrinking Atari world you are a great life-line of
 information and news.

                                             Bill Devonshire
                                              CIS 73707,1656

 Bill;
   
     I appreciate the fact that your requirements are fully met by Atari's
 Hardware.  I too find the hardware to be more than adequate.  In fact,
 the hardware is the shining point in this turbulent sea of Atari users. 
 The fact still remains very evident that unless Atari's management gets
 "with the program" the adequacy of today's hardware and software will soon
 be left by the wayside.  This is the perceived underlying reason most of
 the users observing the Atari "condition" are expressing their views. 
 Again, thanks for reading STReport and taking the time to write us and let
 us know how you feel.  Especially in doing so in such a calm and
 informative manner.  I too want nothing more than to see Atari prosper and
 grow.
                                                 Ralph......
     


 Category 24,  Topic 3
 Message 92        Sun Nov 29, 1992
 L.DOWDLE1 [Scott Dowdle]     at 01:34 EST
  
 Ralph,

     I downloaded the most recent issue of STR.  I read the stuff that Tim
 Holt had to say.  He mentioned that he would probably make some people
 mad.  He didn't make me mad... I just simply disagree with his statements. 
 He says that "ATARI IS DEAD" the goes on to make very negative arguements. 
 He seems to be popularity oriented and wants to be able to run all of the
 big company software products.  Go get a PC and stop complaining Tim.  It
 seems like you would be much happier that way.

     The reason I'm writing this is to ask what positive affects do you
 expect such articles to have?  Your magazine has a reputation of being
 sort of... I don't know... rude?!  You take pride in this I believe... and
 also feel that you aren't anyone's "YES" man.  Ok, that is good I guess...
 but why be so negative all of the time?  Why try to stir up trouble so
 much?  Oh, we have the right to know your opinions and the opinions of
 your commentators I guess.

     It just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.  Almost every month I
 question myself on whether or not I want to download the next issue... but
 I do.  I guess I keep hoping things will change.

     I feel forced to compare your magazine to Z*Net.  I don't particularly
 want to discuss the past all of you folks have had... I just want to
 comment that Z*Net doesn't appear to me to be a "YES" man magazine... and
 at the same time it doesn't declare silly things like ATARI IS DEAD.

     People have been saying this for years... but LIFE and DEATH doesn't
 really mean much to me in regards to this issue... and it only seems as a
 way to piss people off and grab their attention.

     I'm sure I'll continue to read your magazine but I don't have as much
 respect for its contents as I would like to have.  I do mean this
 respectfully and with gratitude towards your efforts.

     Thanks for the continued support.  I hope the mixed feelings that this
 message might give off make sense to you.

                                                  TYL, Scott


 Scott;

     I believe you when you say you read the issue, but I wonder if you
 really read the issue or saw the issue.  You see, Tim Holt has presented a
 number of scenarios in the issue (STR847) that would rile even the most
 calm of persons but that's why it was put there.  Wouldn't it be a
 pleasure to read about the joys of owning and using an Atari computer? 
 Especially where we could read with interest of a user's planning on how
 the computer will be put to use interfacing with the new technology that
 is constantly appearing both in the software and hardware world.  I was
 somewhat distressed to see you hit Tim Holt with the old, worn-out cliche
 type "love it or leave it" derivative.  Actually neither you nor I _has_
 to invite anyone to change platforms... they're doing in droves.  Check
 out all the for sale entries on all the services.  Seems they're more
 abundant every day.
    
     The percieved positive effects that you seek are already happening. 
 The truth about the 16-24-32bit blathering is now cleared up by Atari even
 though the flyers still claim the Falcon to be a 32 bit machine.  I guess
 technically speaking it is even though it really doesn't take full
 advantage of such.  STR being rude is one way of putting it another would
 be simply; Saying it like it is!.  We are not out to win a popularity
 contest.  True, we ruffle some feathers but then if those feathers weren't
 ruffled, there'd never be any preening.  "We calls 'em likes we sees 'em."
  
     Whether you download another issue or not is strictly your choice, but
 I might point out that we will continue to present the facts as they are
 brought forward.  While other publications may not say Atari is dead, they
 too, have presented enough information to allow one to draw conclusions of
 their own also.  
   
     I sure hope you continue to read STReport and to let us know when you
 either like or dislike a particular article or item.  After all, we do
 write for the readers and hope that they see we do listen to them.  Of
 course, your mixed feeling made sense.  It proves that you are only human
 and are as frustrated as the majority of 'invested' Atari users/supporters
 are.  Perhaps... just perhaps if we make enough noise and rattle enough
 antennae we'll get them to finally listen to those of us "in the
 trenches".  Thank you Scott for writing and of course for letting us see
 things the way you do.
                                               Ralph......
   

  ------------

 From GEnie's ST RT 
 STReport Category 24

 Category 24,  Topic 3
 Message 98        Sun Nov 29, 1992
 A.PAGE3 [Alan Page]          at 17:05 EST
  
  I lived in England for a year and returned about one year ago. Atari was
 very much alive over there. There are a number of large ST magazines and
 they are packed with advertizing. It was very common to see Atari software
 for sale, even at non-Atari dealers. The ST magazines were sold in all the
 major booksellers. They seem to have a viable starting point for a renewed
 sales effort based on the Falcon.

 Unfortunately, Atari Canada is now completely and utterly dead. The last
 three people, who were going to work out of their basements, were given
 their walking papers recently, according to a report in Toronto Computes.
 They also reported the demise of Atari Mexico and Atari Japan.

 It is fair to say that chances of an Atari resurgence in Canada are pretty
 slim. I feel much more optimistic about England. Remember that this
 company doesn't live and die on the North American market alone.

 I thought that the Amsler article was extremely positive and the Holt
 article was extremely negative. Perhaps between the two there is some sort
 of balance?

  - Alan
  ------------

 Alan;
   
     The entire Staff at STReport thought the Amsler article brought a real
 sense of balance to the issue.  After all, Tims Holt's efforts did roast
 Atari.  I really wonder why the "ever select few" had _nothing_ much to
 say about the upbeat areas of the issue.  Could it be they're "looking"
 for something to create a tumult over?  Nah, nobody could be _that_
 devious.  :-)  
   
                                   Thanks for posting!
   
                                           Ralph......


 Category 24,  Topic 3
 Message 100       Sun Nov 29, 1992
 NEVIN-S                      at 22:08 EST
  
 Alan Page, I agree with you 100%, there was one very positive article
 (overly positive, in my opinion) and one very negative article (overly
 negative, in my opinion).  I enjoyed them both.

 Once again, people seem to be getting overheated about a situation they
 can not change, instead of focusing on the parts of their lives that they
 CAN change -- their own work, their family, their community.  And I am
 speaking here of all parties involved:  Ralph, who can not change Atari,
 and Nathan and ST Lou, who can not change Ralph, and so on.

 As a bystander, I find it all very interesting to watch, and enjoy the
 magazine, and the fireworks that inevitably follow.

 --Nevin
  ------------

 Nevin;
   
     What can I say?  You said it all and said it just right.  Emotional
 reactions are often gratifying, but that gratification is always short-
 lived.  Thank you for reading our humble offering.
   
                                                    Ralph.......





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




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




 - Irvine, CA                         CHECKMATE FOR ST WILL NOT HAPPEN!
   ----------

  The IBM version is still due out, and they  _might_ be able to include it
 in that  version.   But they'll probably not update the Mac version unless
 they do a completely new version and add  many more  features.   It can be
 said with  much assurance, they will not do another Atari ST version-since
 Interplay as a company does not support that computer any longer.

                           Interplay Productions
                        New Address & Phone Number
                   17922 Fitch Avenue, Irvine, CA, 92714
                      (714) 553-6678 Customer Service




 - Frankfurt, Germany               ATARI JOURNAL CEASES OPERATIONS!
   ------------------

     The German Atari magazine  ATARI JOURNAL  has been  discontinued.  The
 January  1993  issue,  scheduled  for  December 11, 1992, will be the last
 issue.

     In  a  message  posted  in   the   German   MausNet   ATARI  JOURNAL's
 editor-in-chief Christian  Strasheim yesterday officially confirmed rumors
 that ATARI JOURNAL will be discontinued due to the situation  on the Atari
 market  ATARI JOURNAL started in June 1989 under the name ATARI PD JOURNAL
 and was renamed ATARI JOURNAL in September 1991.  In 41 issues  ATARI (PD)
 JOURNAL has  covered events  on the  Atari market  in Germany, Europe, and
 overseas. Instead  of  addressing  solely  the  experts,  programmers, and
 freaks  we  successfully  produced  a  magazine for almost everybody.  The
 number of Atari users not only in Germany dimished in the last few months,
 and although several new products and upgrades continue to be released the
 distributors and developers were forced  to  reduce  the  amount  of money
 available for advertisement.

     The sudden  death of ATARI JOURNAL will be a surprise for many readers
 here.  Because of my close cooperation and nearly daily  contacts with the
 ATARI JOURNAL staff I was one of the few who were informed about this step
 more than a month ago.

     The end of ATARI JOURNAL also means the end of my monthly column "News
 from the  US."   I would like to thank everybody here who has helped me in
 reporting about the US Atari market by providing  information, rumors, and
 tips.   We have  been told  by many readers that the titbits in "News from
 the US" were an important part of the magazine.

                               ATARI JOURNAL
                                1989 - 1993
                                  R.I.P.

     After three successful years, the  Atari  Journal  magazine  is  to be
 discontinued.  We would like to use this opportunity to thank you for your
 support and co-operation.

     The decision to give  up the  magazine was  not easy,  neither for our
 publishing house,  Heim Verlag, nor for the editorial staff as anybody put
 a lot of energy, work and enthusiasm into the magazine.  But after serious
 consideration of  the current  situation in the Atari market, there was no
 other choice.

     We wish you every success for your further business, anyway.

                                              Christian Strasheim
                                                  Editor-in-Chief


 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I have been  asked  to  add  the  phone  number  of  ATARI  JOURNAL in
 Frankfurt to  this message,  so that  those who try to call this message a
 hoax can call the staff of ATARI JOURNAL and get official confirmation:

 The phone number is: +49-69-64688418 The fax number is  : +49-69-64688618

                             Oliver Steinmeier
                             Freelance Writer
                               Atari Journal




 - Cupertino, CA                            APPLE EMULATION FOR IBM REAL!
   -------------

     In this week's Twice Magazine there's a report  that a  Mac compatible
 plug-in board for the IBM will be introduced at the Winter CES Show; price
 $799.00 with Apple's FULL CONSENT! 




 - San Antonio, TX         TANDY SENSATION PC ARRIVES IN TIME FOR XMAS!
   ---------------


     For those who might be curious, here are the specs  for the  new Tandy
 Sensation PC :

    Price : $2199.00, which includes :

    - 25 Mhz i486SX upgradable to 50Mhz
    - 4 MB RAM upgradable to 32MB via 8MB SIMMS
    - 107MB hard drive
    - Super VGA monitor
    - Send FAX/Modem 2400bps
    - Voice Mail System
    - Microsoft Windows, Works, DOS 5.0
    - CD ROM Drive Microsoft Bookshelf
    - Digital Stereo sound
    - Midi Port
    - 16 million color pallette
    - 512K video memory upgradable to 1MB
    - 3 16-bit expansion slots
    - 34 different graphics modes (including) :
           1024 x 768 w/ 256 colors
            800 x 600 w/ 256 colors




 - New York City, NY                      MAC PERFORMA PLENTIFUL FOR XMAS!
   -----------------
   
     More  info  about  new  machines  that  have arrived _in time_ for the
 Christmas Sales Holiday.
   
 The Apple Macintosh Performa 200;

     - 16Mhz 68030
     - Built-in 9" monochrome Display
     - 4mb onboard Ram
     - 80mb Hard drive
     - 3.5" HD floppy drive, MS-DOS compatible super drive
     - Mouse & keyboard included.
   
     Circuit City is carrying Macintosh products thus making it universally
 available for $1199.97

     Additionally, they're  offering a  Compaq ProLinea  with the following
 specs;
   
     - 486sx 25Mhz
     - 8k Cache
     - 4mb RAM
     - 240mb Hard Drive
     - Dual Floppies
     - Mouse & MS Windows 3.1, PFS; WindowWorks
     - SVGA Graphics Card included
     - $1499.97


 - Houston, TX                                  MORE.... NVN NEWS
   -----------

     National Videotext Network (NVN) has recently added an  Atari ST Forum
 to it's  growing lists of available services.  The Atari ST Forum is going
 through its final "construction"  phases  and  will  be  available  to NVN
 members  by  mid-December  1992.    U.S.  Videotel, founded in 1986, is an
 electronic  information  and  interactive  services  provider.   The  U.S.
 Videotel  Network  launched  in  March  of  1989,  and provided electronic
 information services to the Texas market.

     "The   nationwide  launch of  the  National  Videotex  Network,  which 
 provides  on-line  data and  information  exchange  services began  on May
 1, 1992."  The future  of  NVN  will  be  one  which  continues  to remain
 sensitive and responsive to market needs. Additional services and advances
 in electronic information will continue to be added, to provide unique and
 interesting services on an on-going basis.  

     NVN service  offerings can  be broken  into three  categories:  Basic,
 Premium, and Premium Plus.

 Basic Services 
 --------------
     Most of the Basic services  are  available  24  hours  a  day  with no
 connect time  charges beyond  the basic  membership fee. However, a select
 group  have  functions  for  which  transaction  fees  are  charged. Basic
 services are accessible through a flat rate charge of $5.95 per month.

 Premium Services
 ----------------
     For Premium  services, Members  pay connect  charges for the amount of
 time spent in a particular service. Premium services are accessible Monday
 through Friday  for a connect time charge of $9.00/hour from 8 am to 6 pm,
 and $6.00/hour from 6 pm to 8 am; and on Saturday and Sunday for a connect
 time charge  of $6.00  all day (6 pm Friday til 8 am Monday), central time
 zone.

 Premium Plus Services
 ---------------------
     Premium Plus services are  subject to  the same  type of  connect time
 charge  as  Premium  services.  However,  a surcharge is also added to the
 connect time for these services.

     You can join NVN one of  two  ways.    By  voice  phone 1-800-336-9096
 (Client Services)  or via  modem phone 1-800-336-9092.  You will be issued
 an Account # (usually within 24  hours)  and  will  be  allowed  to access
 National Videotex Network.



 - Philadelphia, PA                                     KIKO Deal LOST
   ----------------

     Kiko,  a  nationwide  photocopying  and  printing chain, had placed an
 order for  at  least  seven  hundred  TT030  DTP  systems  including laser
 printers and  bundled with Pagestream a short while ago, when our reporter
 recently asked about the TT's that they were supposed to  be getting,   he
 was told  that they  had decided  to go to Macintosh Computers over a year
 ago.  Atari  kept  putting  them  off  on  shipping  dates,  so  they went
 elsewhere.   A terrific  sale of  SEVEN HUNDRED  (700) full-blown TT's and
 laser-printers lost.....



    ___________________________________________________________________




 > STR Mail Call             "...a place for the readers to be heard"
   """""""""""""


                            STReport's MailBag
                            """"""""""""""""""


                    Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
                    -----------------------------------


       ABOUT ATARI, THE FALCON030 AND ITS CONTINUED "NON-APPEARANCE"



 From Delphi's Atari Areas
 -------------------------

 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44046 24-NOV 11:57 General Information
      TT production stopped?
      From: OCS          To: ALL


 According to information available to Atari Journal the TT has been out of
 production for quite a while already.  Dealers have been asked by Atari to
 estimate the number of machines they will be able to sell within the next
 few months.  In case the total number of machines appears to be large
 enough they plan to produce some more TT's. The information comes directly
 from dealers here.

 Well, wasn't it Bob Brodie (and Sam Tramiel on GEnie) during last week's
 conference from Vegas who said that it is not planned to stop the
 production of the TT?

 Oliver



 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44153 26-NOV 10:28 General Information
      RE: TT production stopped? (Re: Msg 44145)
      From: OCS          To: CMILLAR


 You're pretty good at messing with the facts.  At the AtariMesse in
 Duesseldorf Atari did say that the Falcon would be available in EARLY
 October.  This is not a rumor spread by anybody, I was at the press
 conference (I AM PRESS!) where they said this.  "They" were Alwin Stumpf
 and Sam Tramiel.  It's late November now.  They are talking about early
 January now.  Am I gonna believe it this time?

 Also the fact that people own a certain computer in my eyes does give them
 the right to express their wishes and thoughts.  It is an important part
 of democracy that one is allowed to express ones thoughts!  Telling
 someone else to shut up is not what I consider to be democratic behavior.
 Especially not if you claim the right to talk about the good sides of
 Atari.

 If some friend asked me today whether to buy an Atari or a Mac or a PC, do
 you really think I'd feel good just repeating your praising of Atari?!
 Feel free to do it, but I don't think that it is fair to your friend.

 It is not my job to support a company's marketing strategies (are there
 any in this case?) by telling everybody what a great computer the
 XYZ-4680030 is if I don't really believe it.  It's the job of the computer
 company to develop computers (and produce them!!) that convince people.

 You say that Atari re-designed the DSP component of the Falcon 030 after
 receiving "input" from developers.  Hey, doesn't this mean that criticism
 can change something???  If nobody had told Atari that the original
 concept was crappy they most likely wouldn't have changed it!

 I bought my ST in 1986 because I liked the concept and the machine.  Does
 this mean I have to love the company, its business policy, and its
 management?  Does it mean I have to buy a Falcon or any other product just
 because it has the name Atari on it?  I bought the product, not the name
 on it!

 Your way of talking to Norm is somewhat that of a fanatic...  all you want
 to hear is how great the Falcon is, and if someone opposes your view you
 get back at him/her the way you did with Norm.  Hey, he was one of those
 who believed in the ST and invested lots of money and time in it!!! If you
 like Atari Corp.  so much and believed their promises, why didn't YOU buy
 stocks???? Or did you?

 I do not mind if you believe in the Falcon or in the Atari policy in
 general, but please, allow others to have a different opinion! I don't
 think there is anybody here who does not wish that the Falcon will be a
 success.

 Oliver



 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44197 26-NOV 22:26 General Information
      RE: TT production stopped? (Re: Msg 44177)
      From: OCS          To: CMILLAR


 > Finally, Atari said that machines would be available in mid-October -
 > very true what I was TRYING to get across is this: Atari never
 > specified WHO they would be available to - a lot of developers have
 > gotten them, hence, they are technically AVAILABLE......

 You still didn't get it, eh? They did say the machines would be
 available to dealers and to us (the users) in October!!! From where do
 you get your "facts"??? I got my "information" directly from Atari
 (press conference at the AtariMesse in Duesseldorf).  Name your source!

 >  ...it is the "reporters" who spread the lies and half truths
 >  that is hurting Atari, and so on.

 Oh thanks!  Don't you think it's the job of the press to investigate
 things, to comment on things, and to watch what is going on?  Of course,
 nobody has inside information, but we can measure Atari's performance by
 what they promise and what they really do.

 I have worked for Atari Journal since July 1989, and I have written
 more than a dozen books about the Atari since 1985.  Do you really
 think I did this because I hated the Atari?  Not only have I spent a
 lot of money for computer equipment, but also most of my income in
 the past few years came from the Atari market.  I do believe that this
 gives me the right to critically observe what is going on.

 Oliver


 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44198 26-NOV 22:26 General Information
      RE: Atari (Re: Msg 44180)
      From: OCS          To: CMILLAR


 > I'm not trying to portray a "rosey" picture, but, for all we know,
 > they could have done everything exactly as we wanted them to, but they
 > got screwed by outside forces - the fact is, none of us know.......

 Outside forces?  The Martians?  I did not know that anybody here
 infiltrated the Atari labs or production facilities and sabotaged the
 Falcon development/production!

 Oliver


 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44205 27-NOV 00:29 General Information
      RE: Atari (Re: Msg 44144)
      From: NORMW        To: CMILLAR

 You have not put half of the effort in that I have, in trying to promote
 Atari ST's.  So don't tell me I don't have the right to complain. I also
 have been a successful computer products designer and have worked for
 highly successful companies. So it was with horror that I appraised
 Leonard Trameil, when I met him.  I knew quite quickly that he was _not_
 qualified to be the director of an R&D department.  His lone qualification
 was his relationship to Jack Trameil.  The remaining directorship of the
 company falls into similar categories.

 The product was a good one, a very good one. And I am qualified to make
 that judgement. But it has been marketed incompetently....and any
 two-year-old could make that judgement competently.  Falcon is a very
 decent product, delivered far too late, and will have miniscule effect on
 the market. The recent tie-in with Kodak will be a wipe-out.  It is a
 $1000 electronic photo album, which will sell in very limited quantities.
 There are almost no other potential markets, that aren't being adequately
 addressed by competitive machines.

 I have three full-blown Atari systems here, with five hard drives, six
 monitors, three printers, etc.  I won't throw them away, and prefer them
 for many uses.  But I must start preparing to develope products on other
 machines because there isn't a large enough customer base on Atari's to
 make it worthwhile spending time on.

 Norm



 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44239 27-NOV 07:58 General Information
      RE: TT production stopped? (Re: Msg 44214)
      From: OCS          To: CMILLAR


 Waitaminnit...  I do remember that you said in one of your posts that
 Atari never promised the Falcon to be available for the _public_ in
 October.  Now you admit that they did break their promise.  What's your
 point then?

 To give you an impression how reliable the information is one gets from
 Atari let me quickly tell you a story.  It is not a fairy tale, it is the
 truth (and if you don't believe me, well, then I can't help you):

 I was at the CSS show in Duesseldorf as a press representative of Atari
 Journal.  There was a 400 square meter Atari booth, and the
 highest-ranking representative of Atari was Normen Kowalevski.  I took of
 my press badge and approached him as "Mr. Nobody" just pretending to be
 interested in the Falcon.  I asked him when the Falcon would be available,
 what he thought about the availability of the Amiga 4000 at the very show,
 and why they don't advertise the Falcon in magazines.  The answer to the
 last question was _very_ interesting.  He told me that they didn't bother
 to advertise the Falcon, because they wouldn't be able to produce and ship
 the 300,000 Falcons that would then be ordered by the end of the year
 (1992!).  He expected sales of 30,000 Falcons in Germany by Dec. 31, 1992
 without any advertisment, and said that they would be able to ship enough
 Falcons to the dealers.  Up to now I haven't heard about a single Falcon
 being sold to anybody that is neither developer nor dealer.  And it's
 November 27, 1992, 1 PM here.  As a matter of fact they are now talking
 about 3,000 units to be sold here by the end of the year.  Will it be 300
 units in another four weeks?

 Do you really believe that I am going to post these "official good news"
 provided by a high-ranking Atari employee here or anywhere else?  I could
 have told him right away that what he told me was complete nonsense.

 You want some good news?  I just saw the newest issue of ST-Computer (
 leading German Atari magazine).  There is a full-page Atari ad for the
 Lynx in it.  It looks really good!  I like it!

 Bad news is that there is NO ad for the Falcon.

 Oliver


 From Delphi, unrest over FREEZE DRIED SOFTWARE

 44596 2-DEC 02:26  Telecommunications
      RE: Freeze Dried Term (Re: Msg 44410)
      From: FBRUCH       To: VILLARREAL

 I would second the opinion that Freeze Dried Terminal is Thiefware- I sent
 my check in July.  It's now December and NO KEY.  I even sent him a
 certified letter about a month ago.  He apparently has no interest in
 doing anything except collecting the money.  If a user is satisfied with
 the crippled demo version, by all means use it, but unless you enjoy
 throwing away your money I would not sent any money to the young man.

 Enter FOLLOW for related Message(s).

 FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> 
 44597 2-DEC 02:38  Telecommunications
      RE: Freeze Dried Terminal (Re: Msg 44493)
      From: FBRUCH       To: WGALUSZKA

 Wouldn't it be nice if Ralph would have something to say about the shabby
 treatment of users by Aaron Hopkins?  ST Report is the first one to expose
 anything negative about Atari Corp- I wish he would take that same
 enthusiasm and expose to the world what a ripoff to users is occuring in
 this corner of the ST software market!

 Editor Note;
     Be advised, Aaron Hopkins, (High School Student) is not a thief, a
 ripoff or any of the other outrageous things I've seen certain Atarians
 place on him over the past few months.  He is a very bright young man
 whose hard drive croaked and he lost all of his vital software.  He got
 clobbered.  It can happen to anyone.  He did however, have a backup of
 sorts.  He is not trying to rip off anyone.  Once his system is back in
 shape, you can be sure he'll respond to everyone and get things right. 
 These emotional outbursts are an outrage and although certain users
 patience may be getting worn thin, a little understanding will go a long,
 long way in this scary Atari marketplace.


 From CIS 
 --------
 #: 76287 S8/Hot Topics
     30-Nov-92  09:01:18
 Sb: #76089-#Falcon niche?
 Fm: GST Software 71351,332
 To: SYSOP*Ron Luks 76703,254 (X)

 On the detachable keyboard business - it has been pointed out over here
 recently that without a detachable keyboard it would not be possible to
 sell the Falcon for business use from the end of the year in the EEC due
 to some directives of ergonomics etc.

 This may have more of an effect than even Pournelle.

 Tony


 From GEnie's ST RT
 ------------------
 Category 14,  Topic 20
 Message 172       Tue Dec 01, 1992
 S.WINICK                     at 10:55 EST
  
 Thunderbird,

 I think we have two extremes here --- Typical PC-clone manufacturers add a
 CD-ROM to their systems and call it a multi-media machine. Atari actually
 designs a machine with the potential to truly be a multi-media machine,
 but leaves off all the peripherals, or place to put them, in order to make
 it happen.  

 Atari's approach, however, has laid the groundwork for a new generation of
 systems.  I'm confident that the 1040-style Falcon is the first in that
 series, not the last.   If this current design doesn't suit your needs,
 I'm sure they'll be future models which will. Remember Atari's early 400
 machine?  It laid the groundwork for the 800 and later models which built
 on the new technology.

 The Falcon 030 is clearly aimed at offering a user-friendly system for the
 masses -- many of whom are completely computer illiterate. Perhaps Atari's
 idea is to try to repeat the magic of their early machines, which also
 didn't offer internal expansion capabilities, but were definitely easy to
 add peripherals to.  Those early machines attracted a lot of attention --
 and developers and buyers.

 Times are considerably different now, however.  It'll take more than
 merely a simple looking box with promises of third party add-ons to
 attract todays computer shopper.  Packaging is important, as is
 visibility, advertising, service and support.  Only time will tell whether
 or not Atari will be willing and able to implement the type of
 comprehensive marketing program to go along with the new products that
 will be necessary for success.  

 The 1040-style Falcon030 is already in production.  That model is a given.
 It's time to accept it for what it is, and provide Atari with feedback as
 to what we would like to see in future models.  I think all the points
 you've made have been reiterated to the point that everyone is well aware
 of your criticisms and concerns.  But now its time to move on.  If Atari
 hasn't understood your concerns by now, they never will.  I think we all
 hope they have.  Beating this into the ground unfortunately gives many the
 impression that you're no longer offering constructive criticism, but
 merely engaging in bashing; I don't believe that is really your intention.

 Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)

  ------------

 Category 14,  Topic 20
 Message 173       Tue Dec 01, 1992
 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird]        at 18:58 EST
  
 Sheldon:

    My memory is a little foggy, but I recall the 400 and 800 came out at
 the same time.  Perhaps Atari sould not have put all their eggs into the
 low end system with the Falcon030. It would serve them better to offer a
 whole line, rather than just the small end.

    My real point is that we have seen Atari do some really goofy things in
 the past years, yet they won't even admit that they have ever made a
 mistake. Even the Forbes article they ignore. Sort of like tripping and
 falling on your face into a sewer and getting up saying "I meant to do
 that.". Seems to be the way they work.

    It would give thousands of people a _lot_ more confidence in them if
 someone of stature within the company would say "We admit that we have
 some managerial problems. Please bear with us while we learn to sort
 things out.".  Instead we get lame excuses, and statements of confidence
 which sound more and more like Bud Bundy proclaiming his sexual prowess.
 Atari seems to deny any wrong ever, and makes matters worse when it does
 so. Even the U.S. Government has enough pride to admit error. I wonder
 which one has more beaurocratic gridlock?

    Admitting you have a problem is the first step to fixing it.

    My sarcasm is not rooted in malice. It comes out of sheer frustration.
 I think you understand this, and for that I thank you.

        ______________________
             \hunderbird

  ------------

 Category 14,  Topic 20
 Message 177       Tue Dec 01, 1992
 M.HEMBRUCH [Mattias]         at 21:45 EST
  
 D.Engel - I couldn't agree with you more. I signed on to GEnie hoping to
 find out more about the 'exciting' new Fall-Con. All I get is
 disappointment. I could have gotten 98% of the info I've gotten here from
 Usenet for free this term.. I was glad to find the DBMS RT though - a lot
 of help from those guys.. Back to Topic: Ok, the DSP is NEAT. SO WHAT!!
 Big Deal. Who's got a killer app depending on the DSP? I'm not totally up
 on Mac graphics modes, but I'll bet a IIsi w/ a proper graphics card (sure
 - it'll cost more, but I can buy it TODAY) will run circles around a
 Fall-Con for most things. I knew something wasn't agreeing there. You hit
 it on the head w/ the 16/24 bit address bus for 'existing' users, and then
 claiming the machine wasn't designed for existing users.. By placing all
 their bets on the Fall-Con, they'll ensure one thing: either they do well,
 and I'll gladly eat my words, or they'll die and we won't keep hoping
 things will turn around - we'll just stop buying Atari.

 Mattias

  ------------

     FCC who?
     You want it when????   ROTFLH!!

 Category 14,  Topic 20
 Message 197       Thu Dec 03, 1992
 FAIRWEATHER [David]          at 00:47 EST
  
  In August Atari said the first Falcon's would reach dealer shelves in
  late October.

  In October, Atari said the first Falcon's would reach dealer shelves
  in late November.

  In November Atari said the first Falcon's would reach dealer shelves
  in "late December or January."

  Just a friendly reminder from someone who remembers all too well
  Atari's "six more weeks" assurances for the ST Book.  I will be posting
  these reminders as each new projected date passes. Anyone care to
  bet whether I'll have to post another one on February 1?

  By the way.  Is the Falcon even FCC approved yet for home use?  At
  one time Atari was saying it was approved, but then I heard that the
  shielding was redesigned.  What's the story?  Is it approved or
  not?

  ------------


     Where's the beef?!?

 Category 14,  Topic 20
 Message 198       Thu Dec 03, 1992
 J.RICHTER [J.RICHTER]        at 01:22 EST
  
 WINICK,

 Sheesh... and how long should ThunderBIRD or any other ATARI USER have to
 wait?. Never.. Never .... in the History of computers has any company
 taken sooooo looong to release ANY of its systems in the last three
 YEARS!... and there is really NO guarantee that this one will make it here
 before spring either! and when 486SX/DX systems(by spring)that are over
 twice the speed with twice the resolution are selling for LESS.. YES LESS
 than the Falcon... and MOST with a REAL keyboards... with a GUARANTEED
 software base to invest in.. 

 Me thinks you don't understand how educated even the FIRST TIME buyers are
 today!! If the Falcon had ALL the promissed specs that were originally
 claimed.. well, they had a chance ..(minus the "OLD" MUSHY KEYBOARD)a slim
 chance (If delivered on time for the holidays).. but by spring, when the
 Falcons arrive in quantity, well hmmmmmmmm TIME TO cut Falcon prices in
 HALF... just to stay alive.. and QUICK release the Falcon040 by no latter
 than the end of Spring.

 B.STOREY,

 I must say WHAT? .... If ATARI had stuck to the SPECS, I do believe the
 'Bird... would have been quite HAPPY.. right 'Bird? you remember? The Bird
 has been one of the MOST staunch proponents of the Falcon030 and was QUITE
 pleased (as I once was) with the Falcon030 (except mini-jacks) I was
 pointing out some Niceties in Windows3.1 and he JUMPED all-over-me!! to
 defend the Falcon030!!.. some of you are just NOT being fair-minded at
 ALL!!... sheesh.. All questions HAVE been answered already!   Thanks
 ATARI!!!

 "A few more dollars" ... anywhere for $900-$1200 more.. A FEW? I sold my
 1040ST for $800 and bought the Mega2 for $1199 COMPLETE with monitor.. If
 you were LUCKY and sold your STE for $400 complete (including your mono
 monitor) it would STILL cost you 900 BIG ONES to get the Falcon030
 4meg/65! and you would STILL have to come up with another $300 for a
 low-end VGA monitor!! and the STE owners may be ATARI's main audience
 ('cause they WON'T advertise).. you know.. its a STARTER system!!

 PS: Slip in a NICE keyboard, a 32bit data bus and maybe make the BliTTer a
 32 bit device to drive 800X600X256 resolution and you'll DOUBLE your sales
 and shut the whiners up!! ATARI, we ARE your best and ONLY sales people..
 Better keep us shmucks HAPPY!!!!

 Wait-a-minute.. didn't I do this same thing 1 1/2 years ago.. hmmm TT030
 class "B" ... almost certified... hmmm edge of chair for months hmmmmm..
 still no TT030 "class B" hmmmm... No class "B" stickers on Falcons when I
 went to Comdex... hmmmmm.. Wait Falcon040 by the END of 1993.. long.. long
 wait... hmmmmm..  I detect a pattern here!

  ------------


  About Atari's Service..  Whatever happened to the "BIG" GE Service Deal?

 Category 14,  Topic 22
 Message 127       Wed Dec 02, 1992
 J.PIERCE5 [Rob]              at 23:14 EST
  
   As I've posted in the Mega STE topic, I'm having problems with my Mega
 STE.  The actual problems with it are no longer important.  The problem
 now is that even though I have a semi-local (hour and a half north of me
 in Knoxville) service center, he refuses to do warranty work on the
 machine, even though it's only six months old.  Why? Because he can never
 get the money back from Atari, so he refuses to work on any equipment
 under warranty unless people buy from him or Computer STudio.

 I honestly can't have a problem with that, considering how Atari is
 treating him.  He said he has an order for double-sided disk drives with
 Atari, and has had this order in for over SIX MONTHS.  The order is paid
 for and everything. He said he spoke with Bob Brodie two days ago, and he
 said it was approved and ready to ship, but he didn't know why they
 hadn't.  He said he'd have the person in charge call him right back.  She
 never did.

 He also said he has a $300 credit (or something like that) because of
 warranty repairs he has done, and it never gets applied his orders (even
 though these orders never get shipped).

 Atari is really screwing its dealers and service centers over, and in
 turn, we, the end user, are getting screwed over.  What has been a problem
 with my computer since it was new will end up being a problem forever,
 because I'm not going to pay to have it fixed under warranty, because the
 company won't reimburse their service centers. 

 Rob

  ------------
 Category 14,  Topic 22
 Message 128       Thu Dec 03, 1992
 J.WISNIEWSK2 [Jeff - ST'er]  at 00:41 EST
  
   Rob,

 Sorta sounds like the problem I had getting a new mother-board for a plain
 520ST.  It took a little over 8 months for me to get a working computer. 
 That was the longest two weeks that I ever saw.

                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                 ^^^^    JSW    ^^^^
                 ^^^^   ST'er   ^^^^
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 Thursday, December 3, 1992 - 12:27:56 am

      _______________________________________________________________



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



 > A "Quotable Quote"           "... A SIGN OF THE TIMES...."
   """""""""""""""""



                    "AWWW.... GIVE 'EM ANOTHER CHANCE!
                    THEY'LL GET IT RIGHT REAL SOON NOW!
                ITS ONLY BEEN FIVE YEARS IN A ROW WHERE...
                 ...THEY'VE COMPLETELY MISSED CHRISTMAS!"



                                        ..... Archie Yingyang
                                               Head Apologist


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




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         Facit P6060, Fontx Syslaser, Harris3M 2006, M-Tally MT905
       Microtek Turbo PS, OAS Laserpro Executive, Packard Bell 9500
                     TEC LB 1305, Toshiba PageLaser 6
                      ** $41.95 shipping included **
                          (TWO Toner Carts Incl.)

                        Panasonic Laser Toner Kits
           Panasonic KX -P 400 series, Panafax UF-750 Facsimile
                      ** $41.95 shipping included **

                    -- ALL TONER KITS  * IN STOCK * --

                       * Toner Starter Kits-$62.95 *
                    * Replacement (804) Drums-$187.95 *

               ABCO is PROUD to announce the acquisition of
               the exclusive U.S.A. distribution rights for
               ** Bitblit Software's ///Turbo Board BBS. **
               This fine Atari ST BBS system software and
               user support is available through ABCO to all
               Turbo customers in the USA.  Call for current
               pricing.

                      ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED

                               Now Available
                   BUSINESSES, - LEASE TO OWN WITH AT&T -

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

                   WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE!  >UPS!<
                       (Prepaid Orders - Cont. USA)
                 QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
                 _________________________________________

                     DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
                         please, call for details

                COD, Personal and Company Checks accepted.

                        ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY!

                           CALL: 1-904-783-3319
                        Customer Orders & Service  
                               9am - 8pm EDT
                               TUES thru SAT

                ABCO is EXPANDING!!  CALL FOR INFORMATION!

                   SEND FOR YOUR NEW ABCO CATALOG TODAY!



 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                  STReport International Online Magazine
                     -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *-
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 STR Online!           "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE"     December 04, 1992
 Since 1987      copyright (c) 1987-92 All Rights Reserved          No.8.48
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
 the editors/staff  of STReport  International Online Magazine.  Permission
 to reprint articles is hereby granted,  unless otherwise  noted.  Reprints
 must, without  exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue
 number and the author's name .  STReport  and/or portions  therein may not
 be edited  in any  way without prior written permission.  STReport, at the
 time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate.  STReport, its staff
 and contributors  are not  and cannot  be held  responsible for the use or
 misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


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