ST Report: 22-Apr-94 #1017

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 04/25/94-10:14:19 AM Z


From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 22-Apr-94 #1017
Date: Mon Apr 25 10:14:19 1994


                            SILICON TIMES REPORT
                            ====================
                        INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
                        =============================
                                                        
                                    from
                       STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
                                     
                                     
   April 22, 1994                                                No. 1017
   ======================================================================
                                       
                            Silicon Times Report
                        International Online Magazine
                            Post Office Box 6672
                      Jacksonville, Florida  32221-6155
                                                         
                                R.F. Mariano
                              Publisher-Editor
                  -----------------------------------------
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              2400-57.6 bps V.32-42 bis 16.8 USR Dual Standard
                       FAX: 904-783-3319 12am-6am EST
                  -----------------------------------------
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           FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734
           FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493
           FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981
           MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642
   ______________________________________________________________________

 > 04/22/94 STR 1017  "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
   """""""""""""""""
 - CPU INDUSTRY REPORT    - AST -> MMedia     - ALDUS Ships PPC FH
 - TWO Apple Execs Go     - MOTOROLA 68060    - Apple Media Kit 1.1
 - Chip Market BOOMING!   - QEMM 7.04         - WILDCAT 3.91 BBS
 - About Matt Deatherage  - ESS-Code 5.06     - The Old Fishin' Hole

                   -* IBM REPORTS FIRST QUARTER PROFIT *-
                        -* NEW WINDOWS TO BE WIRED *-
                     -* 500-DISK CD CHANGER DEVELOPED *-

   ======================================================================
                   STReport International Online Magazine
                The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
                           -* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
                 "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
      Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
              Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
   ======================================================================
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 participate  in  the  ITC/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks.  You
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 > From the Editor's Desk             "Saying it like it is!"
   """"""""""""""""""""""


      'Tis coming closer to showtime... and while I'm at it let's see
 there's a convention in Las Vegas that's made up of the major Networks
 Executive corps.  Imagine that!  The top brass of the major networks are
 all together in Las Vegas at about the same time Paramount Pictures sends
 the networks "lawyer" letters demanding that all files about, of and
 pertaining to Star Trek that could be considered infringable must be
 removed forthwith.  Pretty neat eh folks?  I can't help but wonder if this
 is the beginnings of "Rights of Electronic Distribution"?  If it is...
 look out we are in for a very rough and interesting ride.  Especially in
 the graphics and midi departments.  Time will tell.  So will Paramount's
 Box Office popularity in the coming months.  You just don't "fool" with
 Mother Nature and Star Trek Fans.  You are guaranteed to lose!
   
      As we wait patiently for the Spring Shows to begin, more upgrades and
 patches continue through the pipeline.  The PC marketplace is truly
 vibrant with "new life".
   
      Delrina Corp. has released WinFax Pro v4.0 and WinComm Plus v 1.0b.  
 We are looking forward to offering you in depth reviews of both programs. 
 I can tell you this much so far; WinFax Pro 4 is a powerhouse it literally
 dwarfs 3.0 and it was the industry standard for Fax software.   WinComm
 Pro is the only comm program that interfaces with all the major online
 services with no hassles or major "quirks".  It also allows one to be
 connected to two different services at the same time performing different
 functions at the same time in two different windows.  It has all the power
 of the old, familiar term progs of days gone bye along with the horsepower
 and features demanded of modern term programs.  WinComm Pro is a strong
 and pleasantly easy comm program to use and enjoy.  Happy Earth Day.
   
                                                     Ralph.....
   
  


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



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

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

                  Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs

                               Section Editors
                               """""""""""""""

      PC SECTION     AMIGA SECTION       MAC SECTION    ATARI SECTION
      ----------     -------------       -----------    -------------
      R.D. Stevens     R. Niles           R. Dean       D. P. Jacobson
      

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

           Dana P. Jacobson         Michael Arthur      John Deegan
           Lucien Oppler            Brad Martin         Judith Hamner
           John Szczepanik          Dan Stidham         Joseph Mirando
           Doyle Helms              Frank Sereno        John Duckworth
           Jeff Coe                 Steve Keipe         Guillaume Brasseur
           Melanie Bell             Jay Levy            John Donohue
           Jeff Kovach              Marty Mankins       Carl Prehn
                                    Paul Charchian
 Contributing Correspondents:
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""
           Tim Holt            Norman Boucher           Harry Steele
           Clemens Chin        Neil Bradley             Eric Jerue
           Ron Deal            Robert Dean              Ed Westhusing
           Glenwood Drake      Vernon W. Smith          Bruno Puglia
           Paul Haris          Kevin Miller             Craig Harris
           Allen Chang                                  Dominick Fontana

                              IMPORTANT NOTICE
                              """"""""""""""""
       Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
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                  Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM

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



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



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


   
                   Computer Products Update - CPU Report
                   ------------------------   ----------
                  Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
   
                                Issue #17
   
 by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.



                  ******* General Computer News *******


                   ** Time Warner Ups Stake in Atari **
  
    Atari Corp. has agreed to sell Time Warner Inc. 1.5 million shares of 
 its common stock at a price of $8.50 per share for a total of $12.8 
 million.
  
    A statement from Atari's Sunnyvale, Calif., offices says the tran-
 saction increases Time Warner Inc.'s interest in Atari to about 27%.
  
  
                   ** 500-Disk CD Changer Developed **
  
    Japan's Pioneer Electric Corp. has begun selling a 500-disk CD-ROM 
 changer priced at $14,500.  The changer, designed for use with IBM-
 compatible PCs, could be used on computer networks to supply online 
 information. Pioneer currently sells six- and 18-disk changers.
  
    Pioneer officials said the company will begin marketing the tower-
 shaped, three-foot, 10-inch changer this summer and expects to sell 100 
 units a month, mostly for corporate, government and health care 
 applications.
  
  
                   ** Aldus Ships Power Mac FreeHand **
  
    Aldus Corp. has started shipping Aldus FreeHand 4.0 for the Power 
 Macintosh.  The company says the $595 product is the first professional 
 design and illustration application available in Power Macintosh 
 "native" form. It claims that the software performs up to eight times 
 faster than its counterpart running on the fastest Macintosh Quadra 
 computers. The firm notes that performance improvements can be seen in 
 such operations as screen redraws, complex graphic movements and path-
 editing shortcuts.
  
  
                  ** IBM Reports First Quarter Profit **
  
    IBM Corp. this week announced it earned $392 million (or 64 cents a 
 share) in the first quarter of 1994, marking its second consecutive 
 quarterly profit. This compares to a loss of $399 million (or 70 cents a 
 share) a year ago.  Revenue for the quarter ended March 31 was $13.4 
 billion, a 2% increase from the $13.1 billion reported for the first 
 quarter of 1993.
  
  
                  ** Corporate Software Market Surges **
  
    A new survey projects the market for corporate software will grow by 
 as much as 24% in 1994, the biggest jump in seven years.
  
  
                      ** New Windows to Be Wired **
  
    According to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, we can look for the next-
 generation version of Microsoft Windows to include built-in access to 
 online services.
  
    Bill Gates, said this week that the "Chicago" version of Windows, due 
 out by the end of the year, will include a single information manager 
 interface that also will allow users to scan their electronic mail or 
 voice mail messages and access faxed documents as well as connect to 
 Internet and other online systems.
  
    In his speech, Gates also said new modem chips that will begin ship-
 ping in the fall will offer dual voice and data transmission capabi-
 lities, further enriching communications possibilities for PC users. 
 "All these things," he said, "can be brought together by the right type 
 of architecture."
  
    Gates estimated Microsoft will ship at least 40 million copies of the 
 Chicago version of Windows next year.
  
  
                   ** Lotus Profits Jump 75 Percent **
  
    Lotus Development Corp. is reporting earnings of $21.3 million, or 45 
 cents per share, for the first quarter ended April 2, a 75% increase 
 over earnings of $12.3 million, or 29 cents per share, in the first 
 quarter of 1993.
  

                 ** Compaq's Earnings Jump 108 Percent **

    Compaq Computer Corp. this week reported first quarter profits that 
 jumped 108% to a record $213 million from $102 million a year ago. Quar-
 terly revenues also hit a record $2.3 billion, up 41 percent from $1.6 
 billion in the first quarter of 1993.
  
  
                     ** Two Executives Leave Apple **

    Two executives are leaving Apple Computer Inc. to pursue other 
 business ventures.

    -:- Gaston Bastiaens, general manager of Apple's Personal Interactive 
 Electronics division, which develops and markets Apple's Newton 
 technology, is setting up his own business.

    -:- Morris Taradalsky, vice president/general manager of Apple 
 Business Systems Division, is becoming president/CEO of data storage 
 products company MicroNet Technology Inc.


                   ** Cray Unveils New Supercomputer **

    The Cray C90D series, a new generation of supercomputer systems 
 designed for scientific and engineering research, has been unveiled by 
 Cray Research Inc.

    Reports say the systems combines the company's Cray C90 supercomputer 
 technology with the latest 16-megabit DRAM memory chips "to provide up 
 to two billion words of real main memory."  Pricing for the system starts
 at $3.5 million.


                  ** Work Continues on PowerPC Chips **
  
    Versions of the third PowerPC microprocessor - the PowerPC 604 - now 
 is ready to be sent to computer makers wanting to use it in future 
 machines, officials at IBM and Motorola Inc.
  
    This stage of the development is called "first silicon" because the 
 chips have gone from the design lab to production lines where they are 
 created from silicon.
  
    Third in a line being co-developed by IBM, Motorola and Apple 
 Computer Inc., the chip is designed for premium desktop PCs, graphics 
 workstations and servers that feed data to a network of PCs.
  
    Apple and IBM plan to use the chip in future PCs. Also IBM, Groupe 
 Bull, Thomson CSF and Harris Computer Systems have said they will use 
 the chip in workstations. Those machines will take more than a year to 
 develop.
  
  
                   ** AST Rolls Out Multimedia Units **

    AST Research Inc. is unveiling new multimedia PCs in its Advantage 
 line for the home that also will store, record and forward both voice 
 messages and faxes.
  
    In addition, the new machines contain software called AST Works, 
 which reports say "brings a simpler appearance to the screen than the 
 normal icons that represent programs."
  
    Packard Bell Inc. made a similar change to its models two months ago, 
 but AST Works has more features, including video explanations from its 
 technicians for running the computer.
  
  
                   ** Compaq Offers High-end Systems **
  
    A new high-end PC family called the DeskPro/XL, targeted at large 
 corporate users with deep pockets, is being announced by Compaq Computer 
 Corp. The new models also include ergonomic features.
  
    The features of the machines include a microphone and speakers built 
 into the keyboard, a mouse that plugs into the keyboard, networking 
 adapters built into the system and slots that upgrade to the next 
 version of Intel Corp.'s chips.
  
  
                    ** Motorola Unveils 68060 CPUs **
  
    Motorola's High Performance Microprocessor Division this week intro-
 duced the 68060 microprocessor series.

    The first generation of the 68060 product line consists of the 68060, 
 68LC060 and 68EC060. The company notes that the family offers many of 
 the same performance enhancements used by RISC microprocessors.

    Motorola says the line's key benefits includes hardware and software 
 compatibility with 68040 microprocessors, cost- effective memory systems 
 requirements and a power efficient architecture.

    Each of the CPUs incorporates 2.5 million transistors on a single 
 piece of silicon. The chips are capable of simultaneously processing up 
 to 250 million operations per second at 50MHz. The 68060 devices deliver 
 an average performance level of 90 VAX MIPS at 50MHz.


               ** World Chip Market Seen at $100 Billion **

    Dataquest Inc. predicts that the worldwide semiconductor market will 
 top $100 billion this year and consumption in the Asia/Pacific region 
 will exceed Japan's consumption in 1995.
  
    Dataquest Vice President Gene Norrett, director of Dataquest's World-
 wide Semiconductors group, said in a statement from San Jose, Calif., 
 "Dataquest increased its consumption expectations in Asia/Pacific 
 because we anticipate the region's explosive growth in 1993 to continue. 
 Another major shift in market dynamics will occur in 1995 when 
 microcomponent ICs will surpass memory ICs as the dominant semiconductor 
 product."
  
    The researchers add the North America region is expected to consti-
 tute 34.7% of the total market in 1998, which is the highest total for 
 that region since 1986.
  
  
                ** Apple Media Kit, Version 1.1 Debuts **

    Apple Computer Inc. this week introduced the Apple Media Kit, Version 
 1.1, the company's cross-platform multimedia authoring tool.

    Comprised of the Apple Media Tool for designers and the Apple Media 
 Tool Programming Environment for programmers, the Apple Media Kit's new 
 features improve the designer's and programmer's ability to assemble and 
 add interactivity to sound, picture, text and movie files.

    Reports say that  Apple is also introducing a new licensing structure 
 and reducing the product's price to $1,495.

    Included with the Apple Media Kit is a demo CD that provides an elec-
 tronic version of the technical documentation, as well as sample code 
 and several demo projects.
  
  
                  ** Lotus Says No to Power Mac Apps **

    Lotus Development Corp. says it won't develop business desktop 
 software for Power Macintosh computers.

    Lotus has never been a major player in the Macintosh market.  Older, 
 Macintosh-compatible versions of Lotus 1-2-3 and Lotus' word processing 
 and graphics programs will still be able to run on the new Power Mac, 
 Lotus spokesman Richard Eckel sad. But the products won't run as fast as 
 "native" PowerPC programs.

    Lotus will retool its office communications programs -- cc:Mail and 
 Notes -- for the Power Mac, according to Eckel.


               _______________________________________________



 > WPWIN 6.0 INFO STR InfoFile
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""




                      WordPerfect Corporation
                 InfoShare Information Fax Service
                          (800) 228-9960

 Title:   WPWIN 60 Caused a GPF in SHWIN20.DLL... Error Message 
 Product: WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows 
 Number:  1078-4/94


 Problem
 One of the following error messages appears:

           *    The *.BIF file could not be created or found.
           *    Cannot initialize.  Most probable cause is
                insufficient memory.
           *    Unable to load menus.
           *    WPWIN 60 caused a GPF in SHWIN20.DLL at 0007:07D8.
                (This address does not change.)


 Concept
 These error messages can be corrected by renaming the .BIF file. 
 The WPCSET.BIF file is found in the Windows directory.

 These errors with the .BIF file are scheduled to be corrected in
 the next interim release of WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows, WPWin
 6.0a.  If you are experiencing these problems, we will send you
 WPWin 6.0a when it is released (it is currently under
 development).  Please contact the WordPerfect Orders Department
 at 1-800-321-4566 to place an order for WPWin 6.0a.

  Solution
 To rename the .BIF file,

 1    Rename the WPCSET.BIF file as WPCSET.OLD.

 The next time you start WPWin 6.0, a new WPCSET.BIF will be
 created in the Windows directory.

 2    Start WPWin 6.0.

 3    Choose Preferences from the File menu.

 4    Double-click the File icon.

 Listed below are the default paths for each section (assuming
 that WPWin was installed to the C drive).

      Documents           C:\WPWIN60\WPDOCS (unless you have
                          another directory that you keep your
                          documents in)
      Templates           C:\WPWIN60\TEMPLATE
      Macros              C:\WPWIN60\MACROS
      Graphics            C:\WPWIN60\GRAPHICS
      Printers/Labels     C:\WPC20
      Label File          C:\WPWIN60\wp_wp_us.lab
      Hyphenation         C:\WPC20

 5    If all directory paths are correct, click OK, then click
      Close in the Preferences dialog box.

 Once you have changed the .BIF file, you no longer have a default
 printer listed.  You need to select a printer.

 6    From the blank document screen choose Select Printer from
      the File menu.  Highlight the desired printer, then click
      Initial Font and select a font.  When your printer selection
      is complete, click Select.

 7    Make a backup copy of the new WPCSET.BIF file; place this
      copy in another directory or save it on a diskette in case
      you have problems with the new .BIF file.



 Title:   The *.BIF File Could Not Be Created Or Found Error
          Message
 Product: WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows 
 Number:  1075-4/94 

 Problem
 One of the following error messages appears:

           *    The *.BIF file could not be created or found.
           *    Cannot initialize.  Most probable cause is
                insufficient memory.
           *    Unable to load menus.
           *    WPWIN 60 caused a GPF in SHWIN20.DLL at 0007:07D8.
                (This address does not change.)


 Concept
 These error messages can be corrected by renaming the .BIF file. 
 The WPCSET.BIF file is found in the Windows directory.

 These errors with the .BIF file are scheduled to be corrected in
 the next interim release of WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows, WPWin
 6.0a.  If you are experiencing these problems, we will send you
 WPWin 6.0a when it is released (it is currently under
 development).  Please contact the WordPerfect Orders Department
 at 1-800-321-4566 to place an order for WPWin 6.0a.




 Title:   Running WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows Under OS/2 
 Product: WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows 
 Number:  1116-1/94 


 Running WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows under OS.2
 Running WPWin 6.0 under OS/2 2.x requires a special setup.  Most
 of the information presented here is specific to OS/2 and is not
 found in the reference manual.

 What's in this document?

 *    Installing WordPerfect 6.0 from an OS/2 Full Screen Session
 *    WIN-OS/2 Settings
 *    Additional Settings for WPCorp DOS Products


 Installing WordPerfect 6.0 from an OS/2 Full Screen Session

 1    Double-click the OS/2 System icon.

 2    Double-click the Command Prompts icon in the OS/2 System -
      Icon View window.

 3    Double-click on OS/2 Full Screen

 4    Insert the installation disk for WordPerfect in drive A:.

 5    Type WIN/3 a:install at the OS/2 command line.

 6    Follow the instructions on-screen.


 WIN-OS/2 Settings


 Setting Name        Default   Minimum   Suggested
                     Setting   Setting   Setting

 WIN_RUN_MODE        Standard  Enhanced  Enhanced
 DOS_FILES           20        70        100
 DOS HIGH            OFF       ON        ON
 DOB UMB             OFF       ON        ON
 DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT   4         6         8
 EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT    2048      0         0
 IDLE_SECONDS        0         5         5
 IDLE_SENSITIVITY    75/95     95        95
 XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT    2048      6144      6144+

 The minimum or suggested settings can prevent several serious
 problems that may occur when running WPWin 6.0 under OS/2. 
 Customers who run WPWin 6.0 with the default WIN-OS/2 settings
 have experienced frequent General Protection Faults (GPFs) and
 "out of memory" errors.  These problems commonly happen while
 trying to print, using Grammatik, editing large documents, or
 doing anything that makes heavy use of memory.  Giving WPWin 6.0 
 more memory usually solves these problems.

 Even if you have not had any problems with WPWin 6.0 in a WIN-
 OS/2 session, it would be a good idea to use the minimum or
 suggested settings for more efficient performance.

 Every icon that starts a Windows program from the OS/2 desktop
 has its own WIN-OS/2 settings.  To change the settings for WPWin
 6.0, the first step is to create an icon that starts WordPerfect.


 Create an icon by migration or by dragging out a template.  To
 migrate WPWin 6.0 to the OS/2 desktop, click on the following
 nested icons in the listed order:  OS/2 System, System Setup, ane
 then Migrate Applications.  Refer to your OS/2 documentation for
 further information on migration and templates.

 Next, you will need to change the WIN-OS/2 settings that apply to
 WPWin 6.0.

 1    Click the WordPerfect for Windows program icon once with the
      right mouse button.  A pop-up menu will appear next to the
      WordPerfect for Windows icon.  You will see an arrow next to
      the Open selection.

 2    Click once directly on the arrow to bring up a submenu.

 3    Click the Settings option in the submenu, and a settings
      notebook will appear.  Clicking the tabs will turn the pages
      of the notebook.

 4    Click the Session tab.

 At this point, you can select which screen mode you would like to
 operate under.  The options for WPWin 6.0 are either WIN-OS2
 Window or WIN-OS/2 Full Screen.

 5    Select WIN-OS/2 Full Screen.

 6    Click the rectangular WIN-OS/2 settings... button.  A long
      alphabetical list of settings appears.  The following list 
      details the WIN-OS/2 settings that should be changed for the
      optimal performance of WPWin 6.0:


      DOS_FILES
           70 DOS_FILES are usually sufficient.  Setting it higher
           will not increase performance.  However, in some
           circumstances, OS/2 will not give the WIN-OS/2 session
           all of the requested files.  To compensate for this, we
           recommend setting DOS_FILES to 100.  If any of the
           following error messages still occur, set DOS_FILES to
           255 (the highest value allowed).

           *    ...insufficient file handles... 
           *    Cannot initialize, most probable cause...
           *    Not enough local/global memory... 

      DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT   DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT is the total amount of
                          memory (measured in megabytes) available
                          to the WIN-OS/2 session.  With many
                          systems WPWin can get by with 6, but
                          setting this number to 8 will further
                          improve performance without inhibiting
                          other programs.  Set DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT
                          to 8 even if the machine only has 6M of
                          RAM.  OS/2 will create virtual memory on
                          the hard drive to make up the
                          difference.

           Even more DPMI memory will be needed if other Windows
           programs will be running in the same WIN-OS/2 session.
           DPMI rule of thumb: DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT should be at
           least 2M higher than the sum of XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT and
           EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT.  Note that XMS and EMS memory limits
           are measured in kilobytes: 1024 kilobytes = 1 megabyte.

      EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT    EMS stands for expanded memory.  WPWin
                          6.0 does not use expanded memory.  Most
                          users should set this to zero.  

           NOTE: Running any Windows program that uses EMS memory
           in the same WIN-OS/2 Full Screen session with WPWin 6.0
           would be the only reason for setting EMS higher.  2048K
           (i.e., 2 megabytes) is usually sufficient.  After you
           raise the EMS_MEMORY_LIMIT, review the DPMI rule of
           thumb: DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT may need to be raised as well.

      IDLE_SECONDS   IDLE_SECONDS is the number of seconds that
                     must pass before OS/2 begins monitoring the
                     application for idle detection.  An
                     application is considered idle when it is
                     repeatedly polling the keyboard for user
                     input.  Constant keyboard polling can bog
                     down the performance of concurrent
                     applications.  When OS/2 determines that an
                     application is polling too much, it lowers
                     the application's priority in order to give
                     other applications better performance.

           With the default settings in effect, OS/2 mistakenly
           thinks that WordPerfect is idle when it is performing
           such functions as text conversion or merging.  This can
           turn what should be a 4-second operation into a 1-
           minute operation!  Setting IDLE_SECONDS to 5 means that
           OS/2 will wait at least 5 seconds before lowering
           WordPerfect's priority.

      IDLE_SENSITIVITY    The value entered for IDLE_SENSITIVITY
                          represents a percentage of the total
                          amount of CPU time given to an
                          application.  A value of 95 means that
                          WordPerfect can spend up to 95% of its
                          allotted time polling the keyboard
                          before OS/2 lowers its priority. 
                          Setting IDLE_SENSITIVITY to 100 disables
                          idle detection since no application can
                          spend more than 100% of its allotted
                          time polling.

      XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT    WordPerfect uses XMS memory.  Most
                          customers have been able to eliminate
                          out-of-memory errors with
                          XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT set to 4096.

           Nearly all Windows applications use XMS memory.  If
           WPWin 6.0 is running at the same time as other
           applications, then set XMS_MEMORY_LIMIT higher~we
           suggest anywhere between 6144 and 16384.  You may have
           to raise DPMI_MEMORY_LIMIT to make sure that the DPMI
           rule of thumb is not violated.

 If, after making these changes, you are still having problems,
 you need to make sure that the new settings are in effect.  The
 following conditions may cause problems:

      *    The settings you changed are saved with the WordPerfect
           for Windows icon, not with WPWin 6.0.  Should you need
           to create another icon that starts WPWin 6.0, be sure
           to change the settings for the new icon.  If WPWin 6.0
           is started from the WIN-OS/2 Program Manager, or from
           an OS/2 prompt, the desired settings will not be in
           effect.

      *    Starting WPWin 6.0 with the WordPerfect for Windows
           icon does not guarantee that the WIN-OS/2 session will
           use the new settings.  Before you start WordPerfect,
           make sure that a WIN-OS/2 session is not running. 
           Also, verify that no other Windows software (even the
           Windows Clock) is running.  Then start WPWin 6.0 by
           double clicking on the WordPerfect for Windows icon. 
           The new settings should be in effect.

 There is a way to make sure that the WordPerfect for Windows icon
 will always start WPWin 6.0 with the desired settings, even if a
 WIN-OS/2 session is already running:  

 1    Open the settings notebook for the WordPerfect for Windows
      icon.

 2    Click the Session tab.

 3    Click the box next to Separate session.



                        WordPerfect Corporation 1994

                           WordPerfect Corporation
                           1555 N. Technology Way
                             Orem, UT 84057-2399

      WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation
         within the United States and other countries.  WordPerfect
         Office, WordPerfect Presentations, WordPerfect Rhymer, and
         WordPerfect Works are trademarks of WordPerfect Corporation
                                 worldwide.


                    ____________________________________




 > QEMM 7.04 RELEASED STR InfoFile   Quarterdeck Support among the BEST
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



                         QEMM 7.04 UPDATE RELEASED!
                         ==========================



 This is an excerpt from the QEMM 7.04 readme file:


 The following enhancements and changes have been made in the QEMM 7.04
 package.

 1) QEMM's DOS-Up feature has been enhanced to work more easily with Novell
 DOS7 and DR DOS 6, and to eliminate incompatibilies with Novell DOS 7. 
 See the technotes NOVELL7.TEC and DRDOS6.TEC (included with QEMM 7.04) for
 more information.

 2) The Stealth ROM feature has been enhanced so that EXCLUDE and
 STEALTHEXCLUDE parameters will no longer be needed for some video BIOSes,
 including those on video cards with S3 chip sets.

 3) QEMM has been enhanced for greater compatibility with some IBM ThinkPad
 systems.  Formerly, these systems needed the XBDA:L parameter to work well
 with QEMM.

 4) QEMM will now load successfully on old Compaq Portable 386 systems.

 5) QEMM and its associated programs have been enhanced to increase
 compatibility with DR DOS/Stacker systems.

 6) Both QEMM and QDPMI have been enhanced to work around problems with
 Microfocus COBOL.

 7) QEMM now provides support for the DESQview/X 2.0 display server to
 increase its speed when it uses VESA display modes.

 8) QEMM can now manage up to 256 megabytes of memory.

 9) The LOADHI programs will properly handle situations in which QEMM is
 not loaded.  LOADHI.SYS has also been enhanced to be compatible with more
 block device drivers.

 10) Optimize has been enhanced to work around problems with some ASPI disk
 drivers.  Cache-flushing routines on Stacker and DoubleSpace systems have
 been improved, and problems with read-only configuration files and with
 the Optimize /EMM switch have been resolved.

 11) Manifest has been enhanced to improve reporting of video adapters,
 Pentium timings and benchmarks, baud rate, Novell DOS 7 internals, and
 QEMM overhead.  Manifest's CONFIG and AUTOEXEC screens should now be
 compatible with all patch levels of DR DOS 6.

 12) Stealth DoubleSpace has been enhanced to eliminate problems with
 making certain DoubleSpace calls from within a Microsoft Windows 386
 enhanced mode window.


 This upgrade patch is free and available in Quarterdeck's CIS Support
 area.


                 __________________________________________

  


 > WILDCAT 3.91 STR InfoFile
   """""""""""""""""""""""""


                MUSTANG CONTINUES WITH THE TOP NOTCH SUPPORT
                ============================================



 This file contains documentation of changes made in WILDCAT! since
 v3.0.  It is included as a reference as to when new features were added,
 and for the use of customers updating from PRIOR RELEASES WITHOUT NEW
 MANUALS.

 All features listed in this file, with the exception of those for v3.90
 and v3.91, are documented in manuals dated 2/15/93 and later on the
 title page.

 All features are listed in reverse chronological order, grouped by
 version number.

 =======================================================================
 HISTORY & ADDENDUM TO MANUALS
 =======================================================================

 WILDCAT! v3.91 Release Notes:     (4/11/94)

   Version 3.91 is a free patch update that fixes a problem within
   Wildcat! when indexing messages.  If a message header contains more
   than 25 characters in the TO: field improper index would be generated.
   This situation was seen when mailers or other third party utilities
   added messages to the database with names longer than 25 characters.

   This release includes new WILDCAT.EXE and .OVR files, new TOMCAT.EXE
   and OVR files.
   


 =======================================================================
 WILDCAT! v3.90 Release Notes:

   Version 3.90 is an update to v3.60/3.55/3.50/3.52/3.51/3.50
   and includes the following new features and fixes:


   WILDCAT! v3.90
 ----------------

 - The primary change in this release is support for REMOTE IMAGING
   PROTOCOL (RIP), a graphic script system for communications.

   The addition of RIP support doesn't impact a BBS system in any way
   unless the sysop elects to offer RIP support to callers.  RIP support
   is only available if the RIP switch in MAKEWILD is activated.

   Because the RIP graphic standard is new to most system operators, it
   may represent a challenge to properly implement and offer to callers.
   Although it is our intent to thoroughly describe the standard and its
   implementation in WILDCAT!, the actual creation of RIP graphics and
   screen files is beyond the scope of our support.  In an effort to
   provide the most comprehensive information on RIP and WILDCAT! we have
   prepared a separate RIP support addendum to the manual.  This printed
   addendum will help with your understanding of the RIP standard, and
   how it can be successfully integrated with your WILDCAT! BBS.

   [last-minute RIP notes:]

   1.  The RIP menus distributed with the program can be editied as
   desired. We added a text window command at the end of each menu to
   provide a text display area for callers that are either paged by
   another node or need to receive a message that the inactivity timer is
   about to log them off.  Without this text window the above text
   messages are simply not seen by the caller while he is viewing a menu.
   The down side to this text window is that it also displays the callers
   selections as they are made with the mouse or keyboard, which the
   sysop may find is not a pleasing effect.  The text window can be
   removed from the menus by simply removing the last command with a text
   editor:

                 |w0012271410

   This will cause the menus to be totally graphic, but will inhibit
   display of text sent by the BBS or another node until a text selection
   is made.

   2.  Unlike most other text commands, the text commands from the Sysop
   menu cannot be activated from remote with a mouse since they are not
   included in the WCTEXT.DAT file, and therefore cannot be edited to
   include RIP commands. They will be added to the prompt file in the
   next major update when changes to structures are permitted.)

 - Added support for automatic RIP detection, if found will try to send
   .RIP, then .SCR, and finally .BBS for display files.

 - Added ability for user to select No color, ANSI Color, RIP or
   Auto-detect from [Y]our settings menu. If Auto-detect is selected
   the user will get the screen type that Wildcat! detects at login. NOTE:
   This caused a change in line 4 of USERINFO.DAT. Line 4 used to
   indicate whether Wildcat! detected ANSI at login. Now line 4 will
   contain one of the following: R = RIP, Y = ANSI, N = NONE.

 - New users now default to Auto-Detect for their screen display type.

 - Changed the entry in the activity log that used to show
   "ANSI Detected: YES/NO" to now show "Detected:RIP/ANSI/NONE".

 - If user attempts to logoff the BBS and files are still marked the user
   is asked if they want to download them now.

 - Now we check for the presence of an EMS page frame before trying to
   put the overlay into EMS. This will solve problems with DOS 6 and
   WINDOWS which can signal that EMS is present but no page frame is
   present.

 - Wildcat! used a 80 character buffer when reading quotes, this caused
   truncation with quotes with color, etc. This buffer has been exapnded to
   the full 255 that Wildcat! supports.

 - Fixed a situation where at 300 baud, Zmodem downloads could timeout
   before the other side responded to the ZEOF.

 - Fixed a problem with the screen not being cleared properly when
   reading locally with 43/50 line mode turned on.

 - Modified DOOR.SYS so that the line that displays whether color is
   enabled is now changed to RIP to indicate that RIP is active.

 - Now allow for negative numbers in userinfo for download and download k
   lines in USERINFO.DAT.

 - Event file was being checked once a second at waiting for call screen,
   now it checks once a minute.

 - Now check for carrier while running SCANFILE on uploads. If user hangs
   up during process then the modem is taken off hook to prevent the phone
   from ringing while the BBS isn't ready to answer.

 - Made change in low level async code to deal with Twincomm firmware
   problem.

 - User voice and data phone numbers are now logged in the activity log for
   each login.

 - Previous versions of Wildcat! would check to see if the stored path
   field of a file record contained a path. If it did and the file existed
   on the path then that file path was used.  If it did not exist then
   Wildcat! went ahead and checked the regular file area path.  The problem 
   with this was that it meant people that rotated CD's ended up having
   users download the 0 byte token files when someone tried a CD that was
   not in the machine.  To solve this Wildcat! has been modified so that if
   the stored path is set in a file record Wildcat! will only try the
   stored path.

 - Added a field to the status line that indicates the last display file
   Wildcat! sent to the caller. This is an aid to help the sysop know what
   a RIP caller is doing. In the two line status this new item replaces
   the 'since' field. In 5 and 15 line status lines there was room for new
   fields.

 - Fixed a problem that prevented passwords with spaces in them from being
   entered at the first name prompt. (ex. Scott Hunter Test Test with
   password being "test test")

 - Was using key mask of !.! in file area search command which caused
   files beginning with more than one ! characters to not be found.

 - Checking of baud didn't display ANSI colors if they were used in
   NO(BAUD).BBS.

 WCMHS
 -----

 - Now deletes temporary file used for message packet creation.

 MKWCTEXT
 --------

 - Modified to use the new 160 byte sized prompt file that 3.90 utilizies.

 MAKEWILD
 --------

 - Added toggle for RIP support on General Information Part 3. Enabling
   this will turn on RIP detection which will then display .RIP files along
   with .BBS/.SCR.

 - Max daily downloads and max daily download k now accept up to 65535.

 MAKEQUES
 --------

 - Changed color question to display question to match Wildcat!

 - Changed color user field to display user field to match Wildcat!


 wcPRO (for those that have wcPRO)
 -----

 - Added wcFAX, a new FAX door that allows preparation and sending of text
   and .PCX files as requested by callers.  wcFAX can be configured to
   allow callers to select from a list of documents based on security
   level.  FAX documents are sent to the phone number entered by the
   caller, and allowable numbers can be limited by security level. Calls
   can be prohibited or allowed for international calls, long distance
   calls, regional calls, metro calls or local calls only.

   wcFAX requires a Class 1 or Class 2 FAX modem, and includes FAX Door
   software for callers to select documents, and FAX Server software to
   send requested FAX documents. The FAX Server can be run as an event
   after every call (or as often as desired) to check for FAX documents
   waiting to be sent, or can be run as a dedicated process in a separate
   DESQview window or network PC.


                 __________________________________________




 > WP WATERMARKS STR InfoFile
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""



 TITLE:    Creating Watermarks (Enhancement)
 PRODUCT:  WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS


 Enhancement
 You can now print graphics and text on the background of a page using the
 new Watermark feature of WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS.


 Concept
 A watermark is a shaded graphic or shaded text placed behind a printed
 document.  It is a generic page format which prints on every page, such as
 a header or footer, though it can be printed anywhere on the page.  For
 example, the word COPY could be printed diagonally across the width of the
 page in a very light shade to indicate that a document is a copy rather
 than an original.

 Watermarks are specified as A or B to help you tell them apart.  There is
 no difference between Watermark A or Watermark B.  You can, therefore,
 create Watermark B before you create Watermark A.  You can have several
 Watermark As and Watermark Bs in a document, but you can only have two
 watermarks active on any given page.  You can have them appear on
 alternating pages.  You can also suppress a watermark for several pages.

 A watermark is stored as a graphic image, so you can edit a watermark. 
 Refer to Graphics: Editing the Box Appearance in the WordPerfect 6.0 for
 DOS reference manual for information on editing the watermark graphics
 box.

 A watermark does not display in the document window regardless of the
 viewing mode you are in.  To see the watermark, use Print Preview or print
 the document.


 How Do I Use It?
 To create a watermark,

 1    Choose Header/Footer/Watermark from the Layout menu, or
      press Format (Shift+F8) and choose Header/Footer/Watermark
      (5).

 2    Choose Watermarks (3), then choose Watermark A (1) or
      Watermark B (2).

 3    Select the pages where you want the watermark to appear,
      then choose Create.

 You are at the watermark editing screen.


 4    To use a graphic in your watermark, choose Retrieve Image
      from the Graphics menu.  To use text in your watermark, type
      the text you want to appear behind the document.

 When you have finished creating the watermark,

 5    Press Exit (F7) to return to the document editing screen.

 Once you create a watermark, it will automatically print on every
 page you indicated in step 3 until it is turned off.

 To turn off a watermark,

 1    Choose Header/Footer/Watermark from the Layout menu, or
      press Format (Shift+F8) and choose Header/Footer/Watermark
      (5).

 2    Choose Watermarks (3), then choose Watermark A (1) or
      Watermark B (2).

 3    Choose Off.

 4    Choose OK, then choose Close to return to the document
      editing screen.

 As stated above, you cannot view a watermark in any document window except
 Print Preview.

 To use Print Preview,

 1    Choose Print/Fax from the File menu or press Print
      (Shift+F7).

 2    Choose Print Preview (7).


 See Also
 InfoShare document #1402: Changing the Brightness of a Watermark
 Watermarks in the WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS reference manual 



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

                     :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
                      _________________________________

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

                  Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.

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

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

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



                           MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
                           ======================
                           R. Dean, Editor (Temp)


      We are still looking through a bunch of applicants for the MAC
 Editor position here.  If you have not let Ralph know you are interested,
 do so now.  A decisionn will be made shortly.  Leave Ralph email at any
 of the STReport address on the various services.
   
                                           Thank you
   
                                              Bob...




 > A SINCERE PLEA STR FOCUS!           Helping Matt Deatherage
   """""""""""""""""""""""""    an Apple Employee and former Genie Sysop



                     SHOULD HE BE MADE AN "EXAMPLE" OF?
                     ==================================


                              =BEGIN DOCUMENT=

 ANYONE WHO HAS EVER KNOWN OR CARED ABOUT MATT DEATHERAGE NEEDS TO READ
 THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE, WHICH IS BEING POSTED ON ALL INFORMATION SERVICES.
 This document is being distributed with the help and support of a number
 of friends of Matt Deatherage, whose names and e-mail addresses are
 listed at the bottom.

 MATT NEEDS YOUR HELP, AND HE NEEDS IT BADLY.

 By now, most of you have probably read news accounts and seen public
 discussions describing Matt Deatherage's recent run-ins with the law.  In
 brief, Matt was arrested in late March and charged with three felonies
 related to sexual misconduct with a 14 year old boy.

 There have been a number of sensationalistic news stories describing the
 incident.  What you need to be aware of is that these news stories are
 cases of the news media simply reporting the statements of the people
 prosecuting Matt. Everything we are hearing from the news media is the
 prosecution's side of this story, with no effort being made to report
 Matt's side of things.

 Since Matt has not contested the charges against him, you may be thinking
 that it's not relevant what Matt's side is -- but it is quite relevant.
 Some of us have spoken to Matt and his attorney.  Here's what Matt had to
 tell us:

 "I made a mistake.  I know what I did was wrong.  I should not have done
 it. I take full responsibility for all of this and for everything that
 has
 happened. During this whole thing I have not hidden anything I've done or
 denied anything that happened.  That's why I pled 'no contest' to the
 charges. I realize now that even though I thought I was in love with this
 kid and felt he was very mature, I broke the law and I should have to
 face the consequences.  I take full responsibility for this.  I feel
 horrible about this whole thing."

 The specific charges against Matt all revolve around a sexual encounter
 he had with someone under the age of 16.  Matt emphasizes that everything
 he did with this person was fully consented to by both parties. 
 According to Matt, there was no coercion whatsoever involved; the young
 man contacted Matt, expressed an open interest in sexual relations, and
 pursued Matt on the matter.  Even during the sado-masochistic sexual acts
 (yes, that's what they were), there were signals arranged between the two
 of them at every stage so that the entire thing could be brought to a
 complete halt at any time either party wanted to. This was not an act of
 rape.

 In fact, none of the charges are termed as rape.  Matt has not contested
 the charges which ARE placed against him, all of which revolve around the
 fact that the person he had this encounter with was under-age.  The
 charges in court are NOT that he forced himself upon this person.  Even
 the prosecution, very much out for blood, has not attempted to charge
 Matt of crimes other than simply having sex acts with an under-age
 person.

 Had this been an 18 year old instead of someone just under 15, there
 would be no case, because nobody was forced into anything here.

 Matt acknowledges, however, that he still shouldn't have done this.  He
 says that he fell in love with what he thought was a very worldly, very
 mature person capable of making his own decisions.  He sees now that this
 was wrong of him, because someone that age may not really be as mature as
 he seems, and might easily be emotionally scarred or damaged by something
 like this even if it was consensual.  It was wrong, and again, he
 recognizes that he should have to face whatever consequences he must for
 his crime.

 Again, you may ask the question, what relevance is this?  He's admitted
 to this thing and will now be sentenced, and that, as they say, should be
 that.

 HOWEVER, THERE IS A PROBLEM.  The prosecution in this case is attempting
 to make a great deal more out of the incident.  Rather than simply
 acknowledge this for what it is -- a case of an adult having sexual
 relations with a teenager -- the prosecution is attempting to paint a
 portrait of Matt Deatherage as a sexual predator in the online world,
 using his various system accounts as a means to stalk and pounce upon
 innocent children so that he might do nefarious and unspeakable things to
 them.

 Because the world at large does not understand what the national online
 services are, they tend to form nebulous, half-baked ideas of how they
 work and what people do there.  They (and now the news media) are easily
 able to dream up a bizarre and frightening image of Matt somehow stalking
 the alleys of a mysterious online world, sneaking into children's homes
 to molest them.

 Those of us who understand the world of national online services, and how
 much time and energy these activities take up, and how people really
 encounter each other on them should know better.  Does anyone honestly
 believe that Matt would spend years hanging out on the national services,
 spending enormous amounts of time there outside of his full-time day job
 at Apple, just so that, in whatever time he might have left in his
 schedule, he could hope to find children living near his home who also
 happened to be on the same national services, in order to act out a
 frustrated desire to be a serial child molester?

 Let's be frank: if hunting down children were the sort of thing YOU were
 going to do, couldn't you think of a ways to carry out such a task that
 were at least more efficient... and maybe a little more practical? :)

 Is not the more logical explanation that Matt, hanging out in the gay
 chat
 areas on AOL, got into an online conversation with someone who turned out
 to be younger than Matt would have initially thought?  And that it turned
 out by coincidence that this person lived relatively near him, and that
 they got to know each other better because of that?

 NOW WE COME TO THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU.  The question is not whether you
 approve of what Matt did.  The question is not whether you are friends
 with Matt Deatherage.  The question is not whether you even LIKE Matt
 Deatherage. WE consider Matt our friend, despite whatever shortcomings he
 may have as a person that led to this situation, but that is not we are
 asking of YOU.

 What we are asking those of you who have known Matt as part of our online
 world is this: Of all you have seen of Matt, could you ever believe that
 Matt is some sort of horrible, twisted, predatory monster who uses his
 online access as a tool to waylay unsuspecting waifs into some horrible
 sexual abyss? Is that really in character with what you've seen?

 Or is what you know of Matt more what we his friends know of him -- that
 for all that he may be an irascible or grating fellow at times, he's also
 a funny guy who knows plenty about computers and spends a lot of time
 trying to share that knowledge?  That he's the kind of person who goes
 out of his way to be of help to those who need it?  That he's someone who
 is essentially honest and forthright and driven to help people?

 Heck, if nothing else, can you see where he'd have the TIME to skulk
 about hunting for local children online?

 SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF ALL THIS?

 Matt will soon go before a judge to face sentencing.  We repeat yet again
 that he admits his crimes, has never contested them, has expressed deep
 regret for them, and has never been charged with doing anything against
 anybody's will.  He himself says that, regardless of the circumstances,
 he should NOT have had sex with this young boy -- he was highly attracted
 to this young high-schooler, and believed at the time that this person
 was mature enough to make this choice, but acknowledges now that he was
 wrong. He does not wish to hide anything and stands ready to face
 whatever consequences he must for his actions.

 Matt now faces up to four years and four months in prison for these
 charges.  But, it could be better.  He could get only two or three years.
 Maybe only one year, plus some form of probation.  There's even some
 reason to hope that he might be sentenced to a minimum-security prison
 with a work-release program, with perhaps some sort of psychiatric
 treatment, so that he would be able to keep his job while staying in jail
 nights and weekends, with a few years of probation thereafter.

 Needless to say, what happens to Matt and what his life is like from this
 point onward will depend a great deal on what the judge decides Matt
 deserves.

 OKAY, WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?
 ----------------------------
 The Santa Clara County District Attorney, currently facing a re-election
 bid, is making as much of a public hoopla over this case as possible. 
 The prosecuting attorneys are using every conceivable scrap of data they
 can to paint a picture of Matt Deatherage as the most despicable and evil
 human being imaginable. This is being presented to the judge (and passed
 on by an uncritical media) in an effort to get Matt the most severe
 possible sentence.

 The defense, of course, will attempt to show that most of this is
 nonsense, that this was a consensual act with an underage person by a man
 who made a mistake.

 Among other things, evidence attesting to Matt's good character will be
 taken into account by the judge in deciding the sentence.  And what we're
 asking for everyone in the online community who knows Matt at all to do
 is to write letters in support of Matt.

 You are not being asked to support what Matt did -- Matt himself does not
 defend what he did.  You are not being asked to write letters saying you
 believe Matt is innocent -- Matt himself does not claim to be innocent.

 You are being asked to write letters in support of Matt as a person you
 have encountered, in the hopes that the judge will give him a humane and
 temperate sentence.

 WHERE DO I SEND THE LETTER, AND WHAT SHOULD IT SAY?

 Your letter should be addressed to:

                            Judge Charles Gordon
              Judge of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County
                             c/o Dennis Lempert
                             100 Saratoga Avenue
                         Santa Clara, CA  95051-7305

 The letter should give your full name and address, and should say a bit
 about yourself -- who are you, what you do, how old you are, and how you
 know Matt (that's all very important).  It should also state that you are
 aware that he is being sentenced on a number of felonies relating to
 sexual misconduct with a minor.  And it should give your opinion of Matt
 Deatherage; essentially, how you feel about him as an individual, and
 what you feel about the idea that he is some sort of dangerous, malicious
 person given to preying upon young boys sexually.

 You might say other good things about him, such as that it's clear that
 he's a knowledgeable, productive member of society. (We've spoken to
 people at Apple who work with Matt who wanted us to say he is well liked
 there and did good work for the company.) You could mention that the
 knowledge he gained through his job allowed him to do many helpful things
 for people online in his spare time.  You might mention that he's never
 seemed to you to be a disturbing sort of person prone to talking about
 sexual matters with you online (i.e. he never seemed sleazy or
 disgusting).

 You might also want to keep in mind the following things when writing to
 the judge:

  - Matt is penitent.
  - He admits his crime.  He has never attempted to lie about this thing.
  - It is his first crime.
  - We have every confidence that he will not repeat his crime.
  - Just by the news exposure he's getting, he's already begun to pay,
    and will almost certainly be paying for the rest of his life.
  - He'd likely be harmed in a real prison. (Matt is a large man, but
    anyone who knows him personally knows that he is very unthreatening in
    personality and probably easy to victimize physically.)
  - Justice would probably be better served by work-release probation
    and some sort of treatment that would give him a chance to put his
    life back together after all of this.

 What you write is up to you.  You should NOT send form letters or simply
 copy and paste the things in this document.  Most important of all, you
 should not make things up or say things that you couldn't possibly know
 about Matt.  Just be honest and write what you feel, written in your own
 words.  The judge isn't going to check your spelling and grammar, he just
 needs to know how you feel.

 Matt has also suggested that any young people who know him who would care
 to write and tell how they feel about him might be particularly helpful,
 since any young people he's encountered online should know full well that
 he is not predatory toward them.

 We must emphasize again that these are not letters asking you whether or
 not you are "friends" with Matt.  The question is how ANY of you who have
 watched or seen or encountered Matt, whose lives online have been
 affected by this man, feel about what the prosecution is saying... and
 whether you can find it in your heart to do something about it.

 Every letter written will help Matt.  Every letter NOT written by someone
 who believes Matt's story is a blow against Matt.

 Matt wishes it to be known by the people who know him online that he has
 no desire to share the intimate details of his private life with anyone.
 He is very uncomfortable with this entire matter being discussed in
 public, and it is only because of these dire circumstances that he is
 asking for this help.

 ALL LETTERS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN APRIL 27, 1994.  Letters
 received after April 27 will be of no help whatsoever.  Matt needs your
 help and he needs it right now -- delaying action will be the same as no
 action whatsoever.

 We, the below-named persons, have read the contents of this document you
 are now reading, and support with what it says.  We are not saying we
 support Matt's actions.  We are saying that this is a person we know who
 we respect in other contexts, who we wish to support against the
 extremely negative portrayals by the prosecution and the news media.  We
 ourselves intend to write to the judge to urge sentencing that is
 appropriate to the actual crime he admits to, and to who he is as a
 person.  We urge you to do the same:

  Dean Esmay                               Eric Mueller
      (dean.esmay@genie.geis.com)              (dland.eric@genie.geis.com)
  Kent Fillmore                            Roger & Pam Wagner
      (draco@genie.geis.com)                   (rwagnerinc@aol.com)
  Tom Weishaar                             Dennis Doms
      (tom.w@genie.geis.com)                   (d.doms@genie.geis.com)
  Dave Lyons                               Jim Murphy
      (dlyons@apple.com)                       (murph@apple.com)
  Mark Baumwell                            Joel Cannon
      (baumwell1@apple.com)                    (cannon1@apple.com)
  Randy Brandt                             Jerry Cline
      (brandt@genie.geis.com)                  (75300.735@compuserve.com)
  Patti Birse                              Jim Merritt
      (birse@newton.apple.com)                 (presbyte@aol.com)
  Ellen Rosenberg                          Jerry Kindall
      (e.rosenberg@genie.geis.com)             (ii.alive@genie.geis.com)
  Gary Utter                               C. Stephen Gunn
      (gary.utter@genie.geis.com)              (chuckie@genie.geis.com)
  John E. Rahn                             Dave Ely
      (jrahn@netcom.com)                       (ely.d@applelink.apple.com)
  Tara Dillinger                           Hangtime
      (tara.d@genie.geis.com)                  (hangtime@genie.geis.com)
  Tim Buchheim                             Jim Zajkowski
      (t.buchheim@genie.geis.com)              (73223.1046@compuserve.com)
  L. Bruce E'Sex                           Richard Bennett
      (lunatic@netcom.com)                     (richard.b@genie.geis.com)
  Susan MacGregor                          Gena Saikin
      (a2.susan@genie.geis.com)                (g.saikin@genie.geis.com)
  David D. Miller                          Nick Passino
      (just.dave@genie.geis.com)               (mac.ps@genie.geis.com)
  Earl Childers                            David Hecker
      (75300.1743@compuserve.com)              (sevenhills@genie.geis.com)
  Joe Schober                              David Ramsey
      (afljoeys@aol.com)                       (76702.335@compuserve.com)
  Greg DaCosta                             J. Nathaniel Sloan
      (gregd@pro-desert.cts.com)               (a2pro.help@genie.geis.com)
  Bryan Pietrzak                           Nate Trost
      (bryan.zak@genie.geis.com)               (n.trost@genie.geis.com)
  Andy McFadden                            Jawaid Bazyar
      (fadden@oes.amdahl.com)                  (bazyar@netcom.com)
  Tom Zuchowski                            Doug Cuff
      (t.zuchowski@genie.geis.com)             (editor.a2@genie.geis.com)
  Jay Jennings                             Mike & Patty Westerfield
      (insidebasic@genie.geis.com)             (mikew50@aol.com)

 We wish to express again that we do not support Matt's actions here.  Our
 support is for Matt -- again, not for what he did, but for who he is and
 out of a desire to see a fair portrayal and treatment of someone we know
 and respect as a part of our online community.  If you know Matt from
 online, even if it's not as a close acquaintance, please help us to help
 him.

 Please don't think that your letter doesn't count.  Every letter will
 make a difference.

                               =END DOCUMENT=



 Editor Note:
      
      It is indeed a very ominous sign in our society whe we find the
 blatant use of someone else's heartbreaking troubles being used by an
 opportunist to promote the advancement of their own career.  The picture
 depicted of the Santa Clara DA as doing so comes as no surprise.  You
 see, it apparently goes on all over the country.  In fact, Hollywood has
 made movie after movie about the horrid practice.  Its despicable yet it
 is commonplace.  God forbid one you love, maybe even a close member of
 your own family might, one day, get caught on the wrong side of the law.
 You'll soon see the "eager beaver" prosecutors hard at work trying to
 grab the "brass ring" at the expense of your loved one or some other poor
 soul.  If you can find the mercy and understanding in your heart... write
 a letter today.  Now, please.. when help is needed, time is of the utmost
 importance.




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




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


      It's been an interesting past few days.  The weather has finally
 taken a turn for the better in the Northeast, which is certainly a
 welcomed departure of this past winter.  I could really get used to
 this!

      I don't usually discuss local happenings in STReport, but I
 thought that I'd mention a few tidbits of interest.  First of all, I
 attended one of my user group meetings last Friday, probably the first
 in about 3-4 months.  Our guest speaker was Lexicor's Yat Siu.  I've
 always been a fan of computer art, graphics, and animation ever since I
 saw my first Cyber animation, courtesy of Antic Software and Tom
 Hudson.  Yat brought along the only "Medusa" in the U.S. (impressive
 machine!) and a Nova-enhanced TT.  The various products that Yat
 demonstrated were impressive; and the results were simply gorgeous.  My
 envy of those people who can do computer-generated artwork grew another
 notch!  Yat was very informative discussing these products without boring
 people with a lot of technical jargon.  He answered questions, lots of
 them!  If you're interested in computer graphics, you're going to want
 to take a look at the variety of products that Lexicor supports.  I know
 that this sounds like a shameless plug, but after this meeting, I don't
 really care!  <<grin>>  The least that you should do is to obtain
 Lexicor's newsletter and see what they have to offer.  We hope to have
 him back in the not-too-distant future if he's not booked-up by other
 group members who also attended our meeting!

      Also locally, on a sad note, we've lost 2 of the longest-standing
 bulletin board systems that supported Atari users, among others.  I
 realize that a BBS going down is a common occurrence as most don't last
 for more than six months.  But, these two systems combined were
 responsible for almost 15 years of online support.  Needless to say,
 the Boston area (and worldwide for that matter) lost two irreplaceable
 online sources.  I'd like to publicly thank Harry Steele for his
 longtime devotion to the BCS/Atari BBS (the Boston Computer Society's
 Atari support BBS) and to Kevin Champagne and Ed George for their
 longtime support with Question Mark BBS (nee Neponset Lite and Harbour
 Light BBS).  Their losses are partly indicative of the current Atari
 computer market which has continued to wane over the years.  They will
 be missed.

      Atari has apparently won another court victory this past week, as
 a defendant for a lawsuit by a former Atari dealer, Bill Yerger.
 Although I only have hearsay information, allegedly, Yerger filed suit
 claiming that he lost his Atari dealer status over accusations that he
 was burning/selling pirate TOS ROMs.  There were other accusations that
 were included in his claims which, apparently, had a detrimental effect
 on his business.  While no specific details have been reported
 publicly, as yet, Atari has reported that they have successfully
 defended themselves against the charges and that Yerger's suit came up
 empty.  Since Yerger did not win anything, he is eligible to opt for
 the appeal process.

      Our CIS man about town, Joe Mirando is getting married in two
 weeks.  I understand that just about every Atari user in the Hartford,
 Connecticut area was in attendance at his recent stag party trying to
 convince him not to take the plunge!!  We'll have to wait and see how
 married life is affecting his online activity after awhile.  I have a
 feeling that his CIS coverage may be limited for awhile until the
 honeymoon is long past!!  I wonder how much trouble I'm in now!

      Although our usual Jaguar coverage last week was scant, we will
 maintain our usual schedule nonetheless.  I had considered including
 the material destined for that ill-fated issue in this week's, but
 decided to keep things status quo.  Look for reviews of Tempest 2000,
 Crescent Galaxy, and Cybermorph next week.  We'll also have a lot more
 interesting Jaguar-related information slated.

      Well, there's a lot of information ahead, so let's get to it!
 Until next time...

                              Delphi's Atari Advantage!
                           TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (4/20/94)                     
  
                                                                           
  
             (1) STZIP 2.5                     *(6) PHOTOCHROME 4          
             (2) LHARC VERSION 3.00             (7) TLC ADDRESS BOOK 5.0   
            *(3) ANSI INSTEAD OF VT52          *(8) CPX MAKER PROGRAM      
             (4) TRIPLE YAHOO                   (9) GEMVIEW 3.02           
             (5) WHATIS 6.7                   *(10) ST_RIP.ZIP             
                                                          
                              * = New on list                              
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      The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently 
              out-performing every other file in the databases.            
          
                   STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT #10.16)               
         ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO - VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6)    
           Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.   




 > Gadgets by Small STR InfoFile     -     Spectre 3.1 Done!!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""""

 Per Dave's request, here is recent GBS and Spectre 3.1 news from Genie.


 Topic 33        Thu Mar 24, 1994
 DAVESMALL [Dave]             at 01:28 EST
 Sub: Spectre 3.1 is DONE! (yeah!)           

 Hey, folks, 3.1 is done. Whew!

 Category 1,  Topic 33
 Message 1         Thu Mar 24, 1994
 DAVESMALL [Dave]             at 01:49 EST
  
 "It's been such a long time..."  -- Boston, Album 1
  Spectre 3.1 is done.

 We'll be posting more details *quite* shortly about how to get your hands
 on it and what it does. Let me give you a brief overview of where I've
 been (and why).

 In mid-November, 1993, I got a mild taste of what Eric got with a car.
 This time, it was Man's Best Friend, our Dog "DimWit NumbSkull". German
 Shepherd, regrettably overweight. I was sitting in the vet's office, had
 her on the leash, she was bouncing all over the place. I had my left foot
 on my right knee -- you know how ya can sit?  Well, D.N. Dog jumped
 towards me, wrapped her leash around my left ankle neatly.

 Well, I was just untangling it when the door opens, and another dog comes
 in.  ZOOM! DimWit NumbSkull races to check out the other dog.  Leash
 snaps really taught (call her 100 lbs.) and my foot got yanked out, knee
 snapped forward.  The ABSOLUTE WORST thing you can do to a knee is to
 move it in or out with your foot turned in, or out. (That's one way they
 check for knee damage. Try it. Don't press if it hurts, back off.) Wow,
 did it hurt. I hope her annual shots hurt. I mean, I'm a dog person, but
 for heaven's sakes...  So, it swelled up and all, went into ER, looks
 like knee cartilage torn. Go see a specialist.

 Went to see same exact guy who worked on Eric (put rod in his leg). He
 said, "absolutely classic cartilage tear.  Let's fix it."  We tried for
 before Christmas, but the insurance people moved too slow. It was then
 delayed for vacations and such, and they "did" me in mid February.

 I got a "Welcome Daddy" hug from Jamie (5) who didn't know my knee was
 bad, which accelerated it coming apart, about two weeks before the
 operation. I was actually glad when the day arrived.

 Hey, WOW is it fun to have someone stick a needle into your knee under
 your kneecap! It got better several years later, as the painkiller
 started to work, but it was no fun at all. They do this three places.
 Then they start water (or saline or whatever) running through the joint
 to flush out junk.  They have this TINY probe with a fiber optic light
 and camera hookup and "nibbler".  The "nibbler" looks like the baby alien
 in "Alien". No kidding.  They hooked it up, and in full living color,
 S-Video (spiffy!) was my knee!  Of course, there was some horse leaning
 IN on my knee from the left, and some mule pushing OUT on my leg, bending
 the knee sideways, so the surgeon could get a clear look at the tear. It
 was far back. He said "absolutely classic".

 They took pictures, said it was perfect for a book he was writing! (I'm
 not kidding). Meantime, the anesthesia guy was asking me up and down how
 to buy, connect, and run a CD drive on his Mac LC-III (I think). Not
 enough RAM type problems. (Surgeon grumbled to my wife "I talked all
 through the operation!").  Another amazing thing is the refrigeration in
 those operating rooms. Waaay cold.

 Anyway, it's all fixed now, I have some scars to compete with Sandy's,
 and the knee works better than it has since before college. (Really). 
 Lots of stuff in there came out that needed to and a lot of rough
 surfaces got smoothed down. And Gee, I got to see it all on S-Video!
 (This is a higher quality video than like NTSC, the normal.)  The video
 was odd -- it looked like Jacques Cousteau movies  precisely -- all
 underwater -- some Alien thing nibbling at the cartilage tear, smoothing
 it down so everything would work smoothly again. It did the trick. But it
 was weird, I tell ya. (The swelling is just finally going down, here in
 late March.  THAT is how hard HORSE and MULE were leaning on my knee.
 Ouch.) Anyway. From November on I found it a bit hard to work, what with
 this knee brace and all, and the pills they feed ya. They do improve your
 mood, but your focus and concentration just  fly away ... the brace is
 LOTS of fun, about 700 feet of Velcro and many steel rods you wrap around
 the knee to ensure it doesn't bend. Trouble is, steel rods work their way
 up and out into a "sensitive" anatomy region (shall we be delicate about
 it) especially at night. Never did find a solution to that.

 Okay, next note will talk about 3.1. The knee is back, I'm going to be
 back online a lot more since I need to be, and the limited time I can
 work won't all be focused on 3.1.

 I also needed a bit of a break to get my perspective back. I understand
 people need 3.1's capabilities, but when it just plain crashes, it just
 plain crashes. I can't ship that! I got 8 faxes from someone with "3.1"
 in HUGE letters covering the page. (Maybe I should have just shipped it
 to him and said, "look, it don't work yet?)

  -- thanks, Dave Small / VP etc Gadgets by Small

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

 Category 1,  Topic 33
 Message 2         Thu Mar 24, 1994
 DAVESMALL [Dave]             at 02:13 EST
  
 OK. Here's 3.1's status.

 As you know, we looked at System 7.0 when it came out. It crashes with an
 "out of memory" error. We traced that to an  IPL (Interrupt Priority
 Level) test, which was simple: If you were running IPL 0, you passed; if
 not, you crashed, with the error selected as "Out of Memory". Since
 Ataris MUST run at least 2-3 to avoid horizontal blank interrupts (and
 dreadful slow speed), I could almost believe this is an attempt at an
 emulator killer. I don't know. I DO know it took an all-night trace, the
 trace running 9600 baud into a fast PC clone that stored it in a disk
 file (ever tried to find a telecomm program that can do SUSTAINED 9600?)
 and waited until it crashed NEXT MORNING. At the end of this huge file
 (ever tried to EDIT a really big PC file? WordStar finally did it.)

 I found the IPL crash. WEIRD. They also had unhooked the 128K ROMS from
 everything ... serial interrupts, mouse interrupts, Line A, Bus Error,
 Vertical Blank, One Second tick, and so on. I really don't know how much
 or little of the ROMs they even use on 7.1.

 3.1 gradually became stable. There were the usual bugs in development,
 because we added and changed a lot in preparation for what's coming
 (Spectre does NOT stop at 3.1!!!) The CONFIG file would not save SCSI
 status. You could not select a boot drive more than the first drive
 displayed. Things like that -- annoying, and all in "C", a language I'm
 real expert in (hoot! *haw!*) But found and fixed.

 There are now two menu entries, ACSI and SCSI. If you don't have SCSI
 (e.g., not TT) then SCSI is grayed. Each has 12 or 16 partitions (can't
 remember, it's midnight) displayable. You can turn on/off/format into OOP
 partitions either ACSI or TT SCSI drives. 

 Then, basically, you can use your TT SCSI drives as Spectre drives. It
 sounds simple, it was really BAD to implement. I had to finally bring in
 a SCSI whiz to help me debug it. Simple: SCSI problems on the
 motherboard. (1st production run TT). We had a "newer" TT, that fixed it,
 essentially.

 We also did our best to de-timing-loop the machine, so you can set your
 TT or SST or whatever to warp drive. As far as we know, you're safe up to
 whoever knows Mhz. Maybe that 64 Mhz 040 board would fail, I don't know.
 (Like to try!). But this should get rid of the annoying "turn off caches"
 stuff. It seems very solid; I used it a lot while debugging 7.1.

 So, in 3.1, you have the boatload of little fixes we've been adding from
 bug reports since Jan. 1991 (3.0's release date!), a machine independence
 for speed (although 8 Mhz cruises along just nicely), TT-SCSI support
 (and in general, that sort of speed support). I know several people who
 would chew my arm off for TT-SCSI drive support, and others that want to
 turn up their accelerators, and I can dig it ... I like it too. That's
 why the Camaro.  As it happens, we "froze" the code in January, and I
 went after 7.1 when I was, errr, mentally able. (quit smirking, you!) I
 believe the problem is the CLASSIC MultiFumbler zero-READ (not write),
 which does not cause a bus error.

 It is not reading 0, it's like reading 2 or 4 or 6, the ROM locations.
 Bad data, etc, crash. I have to sic the Zax on this one to find and fix
 it. Good news is we FIXED this stuff before -- this was what crashed
 Microsoft Word 3.02 (remember that war?) and MultiFinder 6.x.x.

 So rather than hold you up any longer on 3.1, I'm going to "shoot the
 engineers" (old saying: "Somewhere in the life of a project, you're going
 to have to shoot the engineers and actually ship.") and ship this thing
 out of here.

 3.2 will follow on with the 7.1 with MultiFumbler fix. (Remember, when
 they went to 7, MultiFumbler became mandatory... no more Finder.)

 About TT Memory -- I've done some really tricky experiments (in terms of
 getting them to run) in swapping TT memory around to speed up
 performance.  I have to do several BIG changes to Spectre before this can
 be fully done and you have like a 12 meg machine. (Caution: Not all
 programs will tolerate 12 meg of freespace. A common bad MacHabit is to
 request 8 megs of memory, knowing it will fail "because of course a Plus
 has 4 megs only", and that causes a memory compaction in the Heap. Well,
 if you have 12 megs and it works, that program may flop. 8 Megs appears
 more stable, and is a more "supported" Mac size, whatever that means --
 programs are more willing to "see it").

 I have solved the problem of getting TT memory to be ST memory, which one
 Pundit has been telling folks is impossible. However, there are such big
 changes required, like a whole new buffer setup, that I am not
 comfortable putting them into this code. I think it is a far far better
 thing to get the TT users and high Mhz users up and solid than to crash
 them on an untested RAM scheme. I have a 12 meg TT, I understand you want
 it, but hang in there a bit longer.

 The memory menu thus goes to 14 Meg (Falcon, remember), but above 4 meg
 will probably be grayed, since the 3.1 is frozen and I'm working on 3.2
 now.  You never change a frozen version except for bug fixes, and then
 you line up various ST versions and test. So far, so good. Even the Mega
 STE no longer has the 4 meg bug, where non 4-meg Mega STE's would crash
 (a cache conflict). The Falcon030 is not yet supported. It's just
 greatest good for greatest number; System 7.1 is needed by more people. 

 Color Quickdraw I won't comment on, because of all the work I've done.
 Enough said.

 For now, there isn't much point in Revving the manual, since it will
 change in 3.2, when other things come up. (For example, you will see menu
 options to enable or disable ST and TT RAM, to do it YOUR way.) But
 they're not going to let you select all TT RAM yet; not until people run
 the new buffer scheme and I'm sure it works. MMU stuff can be mighty
 tricky, and persuading a 24-bit machine (e.g., Mac) to allow me to swap
 in 32-bit memory (where TT RAM is "past the end" of 24-bit memory, past
 16 Megs; it starts at 16 megs) was most entertaining. Jeeze, I can feel
 the knee brace still digging into my, errrr, ankle.

 I would recommend the bug fixes to anyone.  We found a couple lulus that
 should not have gone out in 3.0. Ooops... well, it worked well. 3.0 was a
 VERY good release.

 I believe the "disk hiccups" and "keyboard freezes" some users have
 reported will stop with 3.1. The disk routines are TOTALLY REWRITTEN
 (again!) with an eye for machine speed independence. This is really not
 easy; there is no easy way to force a given time on the machine, when you
 can't easily find out what sort of machine you're running on, if there is
 an accelerator, and so forth.  

 For you programmers, just TRY doing a tst.b on MFP bit 5 (GPIP) to slow
 you down. Everyone SAID that would cause an 8 Mhz cycle. On a ST, it
 does. On a TT in cache, it runs twice as fast. Without cache, 1.5 times
 as fast. I don't know why, I just measured it on the scope instead of
 taking it on faith.  The timing-independence was difficult but the TT
 seems steady now, been using it for months (on 3.1, of course). But I'll
 head back to the Zax now, and that's 68000 only, on one of the Megas.

 The next two goals are to finish stomping 7.1 into the ground, and to
 bring online the extra TT RAM.  Most of the code is there, the menu
 options are there (grayed sometimes), but I know there are borderline
 situations I am going to HAVE to test. (Border conditions between ST and
 TT RAM are especially tricky, and they positively will happen).

 All the goodies like tailorable menus remain the same. 

 On XGM (Atari's past 4 partitions formatters since AHDI 3) WE NOW SUPPORT
 XGM PARTITIONS. We can handle 14 per drive, since Atari more or less set
 that limit. (Actually we could go higher, but good heavens, 16 icons on
 your desktop?!?) We have an adjustable total of 16 partitions mountable;
 I can increase that if someone needs it. (What, running a 5 gig hard
 disk?)  XGM partitions required a plane trip up to Oregon and seeing an
 old pal again.  Hint: He's helped me before a lot with "C" stuff.

 The SCSI stuff required bringing in a pro and logic probes and stuff,
 until we figured out the out-of-sync condition was the machine (which we
 could regularly lock up as it got hot). Welp, that's how ya learn.
 GCR code was already pretty time independent, since it slams on the
 cartridge port so much. This just gives it more overhead to work with
 than on 8 Mhz machines.

 So. With XGM, we're current with Atari's disk drivers. With SCSI, we're
 current with TT. With high Mhz independence, we can handle various
 accelerators, even one called SST at 40 Mhz. That is trans-warp drive,
 folks.  And the bug fixes are ever-welcome.

 So. That's the delay, what we have NOW, and what is coming soon.
 I no longer walk the dog with a leash; I never want to get shots under
 the kneecap again. Whooooooo.

 We'll post some details about how you can get your hands on this as soon
 as the literature is complete (I'm writing, I'm writing!). Sandy just got
 a pack of 1500 fonts and is dying to use them, too, to format this.

 Tell you what. There are a LOT of people not on GEnie who would like to
 know that Gadgets is still alive and 3.1 is done. If you feel like it,
 could you repost these as necessary to the Net? My Visa/MC just ran out
 (of course) and my Internet access is closed until the new card "wakes
 up". (I have the card; Visa/MC does not have it in their blasted computer
 yet, nor given me the PIN code.) Probably comp.sys.atari.st would be a
 nice place to put this; it goes to a great number of Spectre customers.

 (Let's not have 15 posts of it, though, ok?)

 Thus, for reposting, while these notes on 3.1 are copyright, you are free
 to reproduce them as long as you do so completely, so the next person
 gets the news same as you did.

 Questions I won't answer: What was the stupidest thing you did
 programming while taking weird stuff a week before your operation?

 (Fortunately, I can't remember a lot of them.)

 Anyway. I'll try to be online more now that the intense war for 3.1 is
 behind, and if any bugs show up, we'll catch them in 3.2. I don't think
 it will take long to show up (knock wood) because we spent so much time
 researching how to find and kill zero-reads...

 We have had someone answering our Gadgets line (or at worst, returning
 calls) for quite some time now. 

 PLEASE DON'T BUG HER ABOUT 3.1 EVEN IF YOU NEED IT YESTERDAY. Until we
 have something to ship, we don't want to say "Go!", ok? It takes time to
 get disks duped and CHECKED (we have been loused up so many times we must
 check them!), and I kinda wanta do a new PD disk if time allows.

 Naturally, when it's "Go" time (which is a LOT sooner than "Real Soon
 Now"), feel free to call.

 I'm sure I've forgotten some things in 3.1, but the point is, we're
 moving and have a definite direction. And yes, we think a lot about
 Spectre 4.0 on the horizon, with all those neat color cards out there. I
 wonder how hard it really is to program a Tseng Labs ET-4000 chip? It's
 good to be back.

 Thanks for being patient with us, folks. Wow, have we had our share of
 fun. Enjoy 3.1. 

 -- thank you, Dave Small / bottle washer, coder, VP / Gadgets by Small


                ____________________________________________



 > Mastering AtariWorks! STR InfoFile     -     New From Spar Systems!
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


                                              Released on 4/9/94

 Announcing...                           

 MASTERING ATARIWORKS

    
      Mastering AtariWorks is a Hypertext Personal Training Guide for the
 novice, intermediate and advanced user. The novice user will find the
 simple step-by-step approach and tutorial files an easy way to lessen the
 learning curve, while the intermediate and advanced user will benefit
 from the referencing feature.

      Each AtariWorks command is explained in detail with all the
 necessary information given on how to use it. Tips and tricks are offered
 as well throughout the guide to give you ideas on how to exploit each
 command. The 52 page booklet has over 60 screen-shots of AtariWorks in
 action explaining documented and undocumented functions.

      The step-by-step tutorials is just like having a private tutor, but
 without the expensive cost of a tutor. The package includes example files
 on disk, user manual and the Hypertext Personal Training Guide software.
 A few of the topics discussed are line spacing, GEM Metafile, initial
 caps, macros, formats, graphics, page numbering, text alignment,
 SpeedoGDOS information, newsletters, business cards, brochures, database
 records, multi-columns, rotated text, spreadsheet & chart tutorials,
 block handling, database overview, Control commands and much more.

    o Supports the Word Processor, Database and Spreadsheet modules.
    o Quick Start support for the novice user.
    o Send online summary to printer, file or clipboard.
    o Retrace help summaries. 
    o Use together with AtariWorks.
    o Resolution independent. Supports ST, TT and Falcon resolution modes,
      and third party video cards.
    o Software comes on a double sided disk.
    o Requires only 99K of memory.

      AtariWorks is the first integrated (Word Processor, Spreadsheet and
 Database) SpeedoGDOS software package ever to be offered for the Atari,
 and Mastering AtariWorks tells you everything you need to know to start
 creating documents, while learning the software. Mastering AtariWorks is
 fast paced and to the point. Prepare to become an AtariWorks power user!

 Now shipping.

 Available from your local Atari dealer throughout the United
 States, Canada and Europe. To order from us, send:

    (United Sates)
    $44.95 + $3.00 shipping in check or Money Order.

    (Canada)
    $44.95 + $3.00 shipping in Postal Money Order made out in US currency.

    (Europe) 
    $44.95 + $5.00 shipping in Bank Draft made out in US currency.

 and mail to:

                                Spar Systems
                             381 Autumn Avenue
                             Brooklyn, NY 11208
                                    USA

                            Phone: 718-235-3169

                  ________________________________________



 > ROMWARE! STR FOCUS!     -     CD-ROM Publisher Seeks Authors!
   """""""""""""""""""


   **********************************
   *                                *
   *      ROMWARE ATARI CD-ROM      *  Call for contributing authors
   *                                *
   **********************************

 The CD-ROM publisher ROMWARE is compiling a new shareware and public
 domain CD-ROM for ATARI. Now we are looking for authors in the CompuServe
 Atari Forums who would like to see their products on our upcoming CD-ROM.

 The deadline for authors to contribute their files to this CD-ROM is May
 1, 1994 (my birthday BTW). Authors, please tell me the name of your
 program, actual version number and where to get it via CompuServe. And do
 not forget to give us your permission, if necessary.

 Every program is going to be tested by me. If it stands the test, it will
 be added to the CD-ROM.

 What we demand is:
 - Normal applications must run with any TOS based computer
 - Applications should be resolution independent
 - Special applications like MOD players should at least abort with an
   error alert if they do not run on a particular machine
 - All rights of the software must be with the contributing author.

 What we do is:
 - We state clearly what the shareware concept is: Try Before Buy
 - We do include always the newest versions
 - We include versions in different languages, if available
 - Our CD-ROM is going to be the cheapest on the market

 If you want to know more about ROMWARE, our products or the ATARI CD-ROM
 do not hesitate to contact me via email and ask.

 Regards, Hayo Schmidt

              ROMWARE Verlags-und Produktionsgesellschaft mbH
                            Mendelssohnstr. 15d
                              D-22761 Hamburg
                                  GERMANY

                          Phone (D)+40-899 58-601
                          FAX   (D)+40-899 58-112
                              CIS   100101,407

                     _________________________________



 > Audio CD Master! STR InfoFile     -     Audio CD Access, NOW!!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""""

                          Audio CD Master 3.0

 Audio CD Master allows you to use all audio CD's with your computer's
 CD rom drive. Just place your standard audio CD in your CD rom drive and
 click on Play from the handy desktop accessory.

 Custom controls let you play selected tracks in the order you want to
 hear them, play a range of tracks from a CD, or play the entire CD.
 Audio CD Master works with all monitors, color, monochrome, and broadcast
 TV. Works with VGA on the Falcon along with color, monochrome or 
 broadcast TV.

 Audio CD Master works with the entire Atari computer line. Use Audio CD
 Master with the ST, STe, and Mega series using the ICD AdSCSI Plus or
 Link. 

 You can direct connect a SCSI-2 CD rom drive to the Falcon and TT
 for use with Audio CD Master.

 All SCSI-2 CD rom drives are supported. A special control file is
 included for use with NEC drives that use a slightly modified form of CD
 audio sound playback.

 The Audio CD Master accessory displays both time and track information
 for the disc being played.

 For MultiTOS users who prefer to use the application as a program
 rather than an accessory, you can do so.

 Audio CD Master works with or without ExtenDOS, MetaDOS, or MultiTOS XFS
 CD rom drivers.

 Work on your letters, use a modem, or do some graphics design while
 CD audio plays in the background.

 Use your CD rom drive to its fullest potential. Add CD sound to your
 system. Bring your system into the world of computing in the 90's.

 You can use Audio CD Master with the phones out on your CD player for
 personal listening or connect your CD rom drive to your home stereo
 system or powered mini-speakers.

                               FALCON FUN

 Want to add surround sound to your home stereo?

 Want to sing along with Billy Joel but find him singing an octave too
 high for you. Bring him down to match your range. Match the high note
 in Johnny Mathis' version of Oh Holy Night.

 Find out what Bob Dylan would sound like if he was a Cyborg.

 Add flanging and other special effects. Add room effects ranging from
 club to Wembley. See your CD audio on a graphic spectrum.

 Audio CD Master allows you to control and pipe your CD audio sound into
 the Falcon for DSP effects using the Audio Fun Machine that comes with
 your Falcon 030. Using Audio CD Master and the Audio Fun Machine all
 the above are possible.

 On the Falcon, CD audio sound can be used with the internal speaker,
 monitor speaker, or piped out to your stereo system after applying
 Falcon DSP effects.

 Digital sound and audio CD can be mixed to add background music to
 your presentation's narrations or slide shows. Great for us with
 Photo Show Pro presentations using Kodak Photo CD.

                    HOW DO I GET Audio CD Master

 Ask for Audio CD Master at any of the better Atari dealers. They should
 have it available shortly.

                             I CAN'T WAIT

 Audio CD Master is available for $29.99 US, postpaid, worldwide, from
 It's All Relative Software, 2233 Keeven Lane, Florissant MO 63031 USA.

                   ______________________________________



 > SPARTACON II! STR InfoFile!     -     Electronic Gaming Convention!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""


 The San Jose State Fantasy/Strategy Club presents:

                              SPARTACON II

 ...a gaming/comic book/electronic gaming convention.

 The event will be held on Saturday, April 23, 1994 at the San Jose State
 Campus inside the Student Union. The public is welcome to attend. 
 Convention hours are from 10am to 11pm. A swap meet will be held from
 5:30pm to 7pm. Registration to attend is from 9am to 5pm. Tickets are
 $7.50 each at the door.

 Anticipating a modest crowd of 500, this will be the perfect opportunity
 for gamers in the San Jose area to get up close chances to see popular
 games, buy and sell collectables like comic books and trading cards and
 participate in organized Tournament Gaming.

 Gameaholics Game Club plans to demonstrate the Atari Jaguar on site!

 Although this event is not endorsed or affiliated with Atari Corporation
 in any way, I thought everyone in the area might like to know.

                               Don Thomas

                      ________________________________




 > The Old Fishin' Hole STR Feature
   """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""



                             THE OLD FISHIN' HOLE
                             ====================


 -A Guide to the Online PD/Shareware Waters.

 by John R. Duckworth


      Once upon a time there was one online service. If you needed to send
 a message to a friend or colleague all you needed was their mail address
 to complete the task. Sending binary files, such as program archives or
 pictures, was fairly simple as well. Such a task would be accomplished by
 the service's built in 'binary mail' option.  Those were the good old
 days. Now, everyone has a different online service to call home. While
 sending text between system (thanks mainly to the internet) has remained
 just about as easy as before, mail containing binary information
 (non-ascii) has increased in complexity.  This week I'll delve into a
 great utility designed to streamline such tasks for all Atari TOS users.

      "ESS-Code 5.06" by Michel Forget is a freeware program which will
 allow the user to transform binary files into ascii text so they may be
 sent via ascii-only mail channels. The most common method for
 transforming files in called UUencoding (or UUdecoding depending on the
 direction of conversion) which is a standard across most popular
 platforms. While I am not exactly sure of the specifics of the protocol,
 UUencoded files are those which have the binary information changed into
 ascii text so they may be sent over 7-bit mail avenues.  Such files are
 likely to be larger than the original file and are often divided into
 several segments since some systems have limits placed on the size of
 mail messages. 

      "ESS-Code" is not the first UUencoder available for the ST series of
 computers, the first was a TTP program which, in my usage, proved more
 trouble than it was worth. Another UUencoder was called "UUcoder" by
 Steve Yelvington, and while it was the best in it's day, it hasn't been
 updated to reflect advances in the Atari operating systems or coding
 methods. Michel Forget has one of the best reputations for updating his
 programs and he often listens to user input, two of the reasons I will
 stick with using "ESS-Code" for my encoding needs.

      Using the program is simple, it is entirely GEM based and the menu
 items are mostly self-explanatory. If the user ever feels lost, all
 he/she needs to do is call up the online help system available just a key
 press away. "ESS-Code" can process files using the UUencode or BTOA
 standard. In my travels, the UUencode method has been generally utilized,
 but according to the author the BTOA method allows file to be more
 compact. Size though is paid for in speed of encoding/decoding and BTOA
 files aren't automatically segmented like UUencoded ones can be. In
 addition to the menu items for encoding/decoding files there are also
 ones for splitting/concatenating raw files such as long BTOA encoded
 messages.  The segmentation size of the files created (encoded) may be
 specified from several standard sizes or the user may elect to choose a
 completely different size of their own. Instead of running the program
 from the GEM menu, "ESS-Code" may be installed as an application under
 GEM to automatically decode files, say with a .UUE extension. I prefer to
 give the application it's own icon on my desktop and simply drag a file
 or several files at once to automatically have the program encode/decode.
 Several options may be specified by the user as default including having
 the program ask the user before overwriting files, asking the user to
 specify all of the segments to be processed, selecting a default
 conversion method, and displaying progress bars.

      I'll be the first to admit that this business of
 UUencoding/UUdecoding files can be tricky at first. I'm just now
 beginning to feel comfortable about it thanks mostly to the professional,
 and user friendly work of Michel Forget. God bless you Mike! If you have
 ever needed to transfer binary files between systems or through internet
 mail or perhaps grabbing pictures from one of the Usenet newsgroups, then
 by all means download "ESS-Code 5.06" immediately. 


  +----------------------------------------------------------------+
  |   Old Fishin Hole Tackle Box     *                             |
  +----------------------------------------------------------------+
  | ESS-Code 5.06                                                  |
  |    GEnie: Atari RT- # 32564                                    |
  +----------------------------------------------------------------+
  * The Tackle Box is meant to provide assistance in finding files
  mentioned in the column. It should not be considered a COMPLETE
  listing and is provided for convenience only. Delphi Atari Advantage
  files should be found in the Recent Arrivals section of the database
  until moved to their appropriate sections.


                   ______________________________________




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



   Hidi ho yet again friends and neighbors.  Well, that noose just keeps
 getting closer and closer.  Yep, just a few short days 'till I march up
 to that altar and say "I do".  My fiancee already considers herself a
 computer-widow but hasn't made me promise to 'forsake all computers'...
 yet.  My local computer dealer, a good friend for many years, told me
 that the first time that I have to work on a Saturday Lisa will hold an
 "impromptu computer tag sale".  Well, I guess that only time will tell.

   At any rate, let's get on with the purpose of this column:  all of the
 great news, hints, tips, and discussion that goes on every week on
 CompuServe.


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

 Russell Yonkers tells us:

   "I am looking for addresses for Atari ST magazines .... I just bought
   myself an atari st and am looking for help on more indepth knowledge as
   well as mail order places to by software and hardware."

 Mike Mortilla tells Russell:

   "You find several online magazines there as well as hundreds of public
   domain and shareware programs. Also lots of other users ready willing
   (but not necessarily waiting) to help you.
   
   As far as mail order goes, you might want to check out the shareware
   accessory (ACC) called Vendor.ACC in the libraries there. This is an
   Atari ACC that lists *ALL* the vendors active now (or as many as Jim
   Ness -the prog author- has heard of!)
   
   Welcome to the forums! When you leave a message in the Atari Computing
   area, be sure to leave details on your model, set-up (printer, modem,
   screen, amount of RAM, etc) so we can really get you going."

 Sysop Bill Aycock, the creator of VENDOR.ACC, tells both Mike and
 Russell:

   "Actually, Mike, I've replaced Vendor.ACC with ADB.ACC... the former
   isn't online any more. ADB still comes with the vendor list, though.
   
   Russell, if you have any problem finding it, let us know! Welcome
   aboard!"

 Mike Mortilla tells Bill:

   "Ooooops! I thought for sure Jim Ness had done the Vendor acc, all you
   programmers look the same to me on CIS <Very Big Grin>..."

 Russell replies:

   "Thanks for the quick reply.  I am really enjoying the computer so
   far.  I have a 1040 st with 2 floppy drives.  The primary use will be
   for midi for my wife but I am also wanting to get some good games and
   such for it as well.  Mainly two player games.  I do have two
   joysticks.  I am also looking for an adapter that I saw one time that
   allows you to keep both joysticks plugged in as well as the mouse or at
   least some joystick extension cords to make connections easier."

 Donavon Facey posts:

   "I'm not sure I'm in the right place and I have to admit that I'm not
   a seasoned Atari user.  Nevertheless, my girlfriend has a TT030 that
   she needs some info on and I volunteered to look here on Compuserve.
   
   First, she is looking for a manual for the machine or a place to order
   one, she seems to think that Toad Computers would be a good place to
   start but she doesn't have the number for them.
   
   Second, she needs to know the dip switches on a Seagate ST157N, I
   assume that we can probably get them from Seagate but thought I would
   mention that here in case there's more to that drive than meets the
   eye!
   
   Third, she's looking for any info on a program called "Data Diet" from
   DD software?
   
   Any help or a point in the right direction would be much appreciated."

 Sysop Ron Luks tells Donavon:

   "I can't help on the DIP switches for the Seagate, but I can tell you
   Double Click Software is no longer in business.  I dont know if someone
   took over the Data Diet program or not."

 Sysop Bill Aycock tells Donavon:

   "Data Diet v2 is handled by Trace Technologies, PO Box 711403, Houston
   TX 77271, phone (713)771-8332 1-5pm. If you contact Toad, they will
   most likely either have DD in stock or will be able to order a copy for
   you."

 Jonnie Santos jumps in and adds:

   "Toad's numbers are:  ORDERS (800) 488-8623
                          INFO (410) 544-6943
                           FAX (410) 544-1329
   
   ...and I've had real good luck with them and their products.  :)
   
   As for Data Diet...
   
   I was using it when I had a small 20M drive and it worked fine..."

 Brian Caufield asks about PostScript printing:

   "I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but I'm looking for a
   good postscript interpreter for the ST. I have a mega 4 with a slm804
   printer, and I'm trying to print postscript files that have been
   created with Windows 3.1 applications. I have a version of Ultrascript
   version 1.1 but it doesn't seem to work."

 Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Brian:

   "You can find GhostScript in the library which is a clone PostScript
   interpreter.
   
   Also you might check Windows v3.1 generated postscript files too.  It
   puts a control D (ie ^D) at the beginning and the end.  In all other
   normal PS files it is only at the end.  Since your PS interpreter
   (Ultrascript) hits the control D as the first character it thinks it
   has reached the end of the file.
   
   You can open the PS file in a text editor and remove the offending
   control D from the file.  It is best to work with a backup copy of the
   file.
   
   MS Windows does have a feature that can turn off the CONTROL D at the
   beginning of the file but I'm not sure how.
   
   You can also try the (GO ADOBE) forum for details.  Section 4 of that
   forum is the postscript section I believe.  Also you can look up the
   details in the "red book" also known as the PostScript Language
   Reference Manual, 2nd edition ISBN 0-201-18127-4.  Look under server
   loop, eof or end-of-file."

 My pal Brian Gockley of ST Informer Magazine, as well as one of the
 driving forces behind the Connecticut ACT AtariFest, adds his own
 thoughts:

   "I think that the best one out there is CompoScript, from Compo
   Software. It has the distinct advantage of working with Type 1 fonts,
   so you can use you one set of fonts for both PPageStream nd CS!
   
   Compo can be reached at:  Mr. Robert Engberson
                             Compo Software
                             104 Esplanade Ave. 121
                             Pacifica, CA  94044
                             Fax         :415-355-0869
                             Work Phone  : 415-355-0862"

 Peter Joseph asks:

   "While we're (not) on the subject, can you speculate why Atari's stock
   is doing so poorly despite the seemingly positive response to the
   Jaguar?  Am I out of touch more than I know?"

 The big Kahuna himself, chief sysop Ron Luks, tells Peter:

   "A few analysts have postulated that even if Atari sold all the Jag's
   they predicted, the full value of the stock would be in the $4 range.
   When it was trading up to 10-12, it was reflecting what the company
   would be worth if they sold 3 million units per year.  obviously, they
   arent selling that much and the stock is now nearer its computerd
   value."

 Peter has a few more questions for Ron:

   "Do you think that as the Jaguar becomes more widely distributed the
   stock will begin to rise again?  I'm not asking as a potential buyer
   but as a past buyer who'd like to think he can turn a profit yet.
   
   Also, on the subject of widespread distribution, how _is_ that going.
   Has Atari started nationwide distribution yet?  Am I apt to be able to
   go down to the Portland, Maine Electronics Boutique and come away with
   a Jaguar this weekend? :)"

 Sysop Bob Retelle tells Peter:

   "Actually, Peter... there is a lot of Jaguar news and info in the
   Atari Gaming Forum now...  (GO ATARIG)
   
   Basically though, we're still waiting for the big "national rollout"
   of the Jaguar.  Atari has targeted 10 major markets in the US for its
   next move.
   
   I've seen Jaguar Tempest ads on MTV recently, but nothing on my local
   stations (I'm in the Detroit area, which is one of the 10 markets).
   
   On the other hand, it IS possible that you might be able to go to your
   local Electronics Boutique or Babbages store and find a Jaguar, as
   those chains apparently are shipping Jaguars to their local stores
   without regard to Atari's "official" marketing plan."

 Dazzz Smith tells Bob:

   "I noticed someone selling the Jag in the Electronic Mall here on CIS,
   in the May issue of Compuserve magazine."

 Bob replies:

   "Ah..!  I guess if the Jaguar is available via the CompuServe Mall, it
   means it's available "world wide" then..!"

 Ron Luks, who is no stranger to the world of stocks, tells Peter:

   "I think that as the installed base of Jags get bigger and production
   increases, you could again see a rise in the stock price.  However,
   you must remember that Atari has not yet started to turn a profit from
   the Jaguar sales (the last qtr was still showing a loss due to start up
   costs).
   
   What is the worth of a company not earning a profit?  Damn small.  As
   I said, one analyst estimated the value per share to be $4 when atari
   is shipping between 300-500,000 units per year.  For the stock to be
   worth more that that, the underlying fundamentals would have to improve
   over these levels."

 Henri Tremblay asks:

   "Is there anything on PC/Windows comparable to Universal Item
   Selector?"

 Sysop Bob Retelle tells Henri:

   "There really isn't anything comparable to the UIS for DOS programs,
   mainly because there's no "standard" way of hooking into all programs
   like there is in GEM...

   There ARE some directory/file management utilities available (like
   Norton Commander) that make a lot of things much easier, but they don't
   work automatically from within programs.  With most programs you can
   "shell to DOS" to use Commander, then return to the program where you
   left off.
   
   I'm not really very familiar with Windows, but I'd imagine it would be
   a lot easier to do a third-party "UIS-like" utility..  but then again,
   it looks like the regular Windows file selector is pretty
   full-featured..."

 Henri explains his dilemma to Bob:

   "The problem with Windows File Manager is that it is a program that
   has to be loaded and it is not as easy to use as UIS.  I think UIS is
   marvelous and I will miss it a lot on my PC (but I keep my ST, which I
   am using now). Maybe I'll get used to the File Manager then.  I
   understand that Windows 4 may be more similar to System 7 on the Mac.
   Let's wait and see."

 Jay Nussbaum asks:

   "Am I to understand... that adding a cd rom with the ExtendDOS
   software I will be able to use the cds i see advertised ie
   encyclopedias, maps, made for DOS based machines?  if so will it also
   operate the built in sound of the falcon i have external spkrs
   connected. J " ^C Albert Dayes @ AOE am I to understand by your answer
   and the others notes i've seen, that adding a cd rom with the ExtendDOS
   software I will be able to use the cds i see advertised ie
   encyclopedias, maps, made for DOS based machines? if so will it also
   operate the built in sound of the falcon i have external spkrs
   connected."

 Greg Kopchak of It's All Relative explains the ins and outs of reading a
 CD ROM to Jay:

   "Using ExtenDOS or XFS will allow you to read any standard CD rom disc.
   
   You still can only run programs that would run on a Atari from a
   regular floppy disk. You can make use of graphics and images on a CD
   with the appropriate Atari software. e.g. You can view all the GIF
   files on the Space & Astronomy disk using the Atari GIF viewers on the
   CD. You would not be able to run the PC programs in the PC folder for
   viewing.
   
   If you have a Kodak Photo CD disc and a Falcon, you can make full use
   of the disc using the Atari software, Photo Show Pro, Calamus SL and
   others."

 Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine draws a parallel of the
 situation:

   "Its similar to the IBM and Atari floppy disk problem.  You can read
   data files and pictures (such as GIF, TIF, etc) but you can't run IBM
   programs on the Atari.  The same is true for CD-ROMs.  Unless the
   CD-ROM is Atari specific (like Walnut Creek's GEMini) you will not be
   able to run the programs."

 Sean Collins asks...

   "A question: I just bought a Mega ST. It works fine, except that a
   couple of the keys on the keyboard sometimes need to be hit more than
   once before I get a response. I am wondering if this is a common
   problem and if it might be easily repairable. Any advice from anyone?"

 Brian Gockley of ST Informer tells Sean:

   "I have taken a few computer keyboards apart in my day, cleaned the
   dust and gunk out of them, and they have worked much better."

 Sean Collins asks about one of my favorite utilities, the Universal Item
 Selector:

   "I have been reading some messages on here about a program called UIS
   that sounds great. I'm wondering where I can get a copy. I looked in
   the libraries, and found a patch program for UIS, but not UIS itself.
   Can anyone give me advice on that?"

 Boris Molodyi tells Sean:

   "UIS is a commercial program. It is available form A&D SOftware or
   form Atari dealers.
   
   In the libraries here you can find Little Green Selector and Selectric
   that have similar features. OTOH, UIS is very inexpensive..."

 Sysop Ron Luks jumps in and tells Sean:

   "UIS is available from MacDonald and associates.  They are represented
   online here by Brian Gockley.  They are the publishers of STInformer
   Magazine.
   
   UIS is a *great* program and I wouldnt boot up my Atari without it."

 Brian coins the conversation and tells Sean:

   "UIS is available at any remaining Atari dealers, through mail order
   sales or directly form A&D Software at 1-800-800-2563.
   
   We are currently shipping UIS 3.32, and are working on an upgrade for
   this summer. Thanks for your interest, see you around."

 Ron Luks who, like most of us, wants to have the most current version of
 the programs he finds most useful, tells Brian:

   "I'm running ver 3.3 of UIS.  Whats different in 3.32?"

 Brian tells Ron:

   "3.32 added a wormhole button that sends you through cyberspace into a
   dimension that is remarkable similar to Las Vegas. It is a little
   buggy, and occasionally crashes your computer (which by then has
   metamorphed into a Vanna White hologram ) and occasionally leaves the
   user stranded in that dimension. A few users have found a way to
   return after a few years of indentured servitude, and are threatening
   us with a class action suit.

   Oh yeah, it also fixed some keyboard routines that were buggy. ;)"

 Tony Barker gives us...

   "Just a little bit of Atari Australia info for anyone who cares.

   They dissappeared up their own a*s in the past few months and an
   auction was held for the remaining stock this past Saturday. There were
   about 20 Falcons, that went for an average of $400 AUD, thats about
   $288 US. A whole palette of 19inch monitors went for $100 each (gee I
   can remember when they were $2500AUD). And all sorts of other crap,
   2600 games systems went for $5.
   
   This should give you an idea of poor management, there were multiple
   palettes of European power supplies for 2600 machines, they are
   completely useless here, why were they in the wharehouse.
   
   The head honcho over here came to Atari after running Commodore
   Australia into the ground, then his own business and now Atari. Thats 3
   for 3, how do people like this get jobs. I can't wait to see where he
   pops up next.
   
   There's so much more to say, but I'm holding my tongue (don't speak
   ill of the dead :-), maybe one day I'll tell a few stories about the
   timely death of Atari in Australia."

 Shawn Laughlin tells Tony:

   "Sorry to hear it but not at all surprised. You wonder what type of
   company would hire someone with a bad track record - well of course
   Atari would. It is not the machines or the OS the sent Atari into the
   toilet but the management.  Probably the only company in existence that
   counts on customers to be cheerleaders in order to survive - Lord knows
   they don't advertise.
   
   One good thing is Atari makes(made?) durable machines (my original ST
   is still up and running and I expect my STe has about 10 years life
   left) so hopefully this forum will be around awhile to help us with our
   "other" machine. But really, its only a matter of time before Atari is
   just the answer to a trivia question.
   
   Still, I think I would've bought a Falcon for $288 <g>."

 Peter Joseph posts this little retreat into "The CyberSpace Game Show":

   "Woop!  Woop!  Woop!  It's the Daily Double!
   
   <Me> I'll take 'Management Foibles' for $2000, Alex.
   
   <Alex> "This U.S. company had it all with sales in the millions and
   popularity, only to lose their shirts later in the decade."
   
   Ding! Ding! Ding!  <Alex> Peter?
   
   <Me> What is Atari Corp?
   
   <Alex> That's right! Next category, Peter.
   
   <Me> I'll take 'Cubed Roots' for $400, Alex.
   
   <Alex> "This team of three family members couldn't run a red light."
   
   Ding! Ding! Ding!  <Alex> Peter, again!
   
   <Me> What's a Katzenjammer?
   
   <Alex> And you're right again.  Choose another category.
   
   <Me> How about 'Sinking Ships' for $4000.
   
   <Alex> "This diehard Atarian held on for over a decade before finally
   succumbing to the reality that, in order to keep up with technology
   and make a career with computers, he had to finally jump ship and get a
   full blown Pentium system."
   
   Ding! Ding! Ding!  <Alex> Peter, you're on a roll!
   
   <Me> Who am I?
   
   <Alex> That's right, Peter, and with that decision, you win.
   
   <Me> Not the way I really wanted it to go Alex, but that's the way the
   wheel spins right?  Wait, that's 'Wheel of Fortune'.
   
   Can I buy a vowel?  Anything but the letter A."

 Ethan Mings tells Peter:

   "[That was] a great posting.  I too use an Atari Mega ST2 with a
   upgrade 250 MB hard drive.  Since Atari 'ran' out of canada, I have
   seen the death rattle rattle on Atari Corp.
   
   One can say it is a management diaster but I would say it represents a
   diaster in ethics.  Somewhere along the line, Atari corp lost is soul.
   In todays market place where relationships with customers are key to
   long term survival, Atari misread its customer base.
   
   I'll hang onto my machine as long as I can keep it running.  However,
   I'm looking at my 486 DOS machine which I use on a regular basis for my
   statistical applications.
   
   The lesson, greed is not good and losing your soul can be a disaster
   for everyone involved."


 Well folks, that's it for this week.  Tune in again next week, same time,
 same station and listen to what they are saying when...

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