| (((((((( | Z*Magazine International Atari 8-Bit Magazine | (( | --------------------------------------------- | (( | September 3, 1992 Issue #210 | (( | --------------------------------------------- | (((((((( | Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc. | | Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846 | (( | | (((((( | CONTENTS | (( | | | * The Editors Desk..........................Ron Kovacs | ((( ((( | * Z*Net Newswire...................................... | (((( (((( | * Lynx Owners Update.....................Clinton Smith | (( (( (( (( | * The 12-Volt 8-Bit........................Jeff Golden | (( (( (( | * 2600, Where Are You?......................Tim Duarte | (( (( | * Growing Up With Atari......................Bob Smith | | * Z*Net Newswire Extra................................ | (( | * Cleveland Free-Net.....................Press Release | (( (( | * Dusseldorf Report..........................John Nagy | (((((((( | | (( (( | | (( (( | ~ Publisher/Editor..........................Ron Kovacs | | ~ Contributing Editor......................Stan Lowell | (((((((((( | ~ Contributing Editor........................Bob Smith | (( | ~ Contributing Editor..................Michael Current | (( ((((( | ~ Z*Net Newswire Service.........Ron Kovacs, John Nagy | (( (( | ~ Z*Net New Zealand.........................Jon Clarke | (((((((((( | | | |-------------| $ GEnie Address..................................Z-NET | ONLINE | $ CompuServe Address........................75300,1642 | AREAS | $ Delphi Address..................................ZNET | | $ Internet/Usenet Address................status.gen.nz |-------------| $ America Online Address......................ZNET1991 |-------------| | Z*NET | * Z*Net News Service.....(FNET 593).....(908) 968-8148 | SUPPORT | * Z*Net:Golden Gate......(FNET 706).....(510) 373-6792 | SYSTEMS | * Blank Page.........(8-Bit FNET 9002)..(908) 805-3967 ======================================================================= * Z*NET NEWSWIRE ======================================================================= ATARI DEVELOPER CONFERENCE HELD Atari held a developer conference in London with over 120 developers in attendance on June 27, 1992. Attendance at the confernce was by invitation only which included staff from Atari Sunnyvale including Sam Tramiel, Bill Rehbock and John Skruch. In addition to the Atari personal, a few experts where brought along to discuss features of the Atari Falcon and specific information on programming the DSP. Reactions from the intense one day affair were positive and widly enthusiastic. While some were not Atari developers, the features of the new machine captured the imaginations of all. NAGY MIFFED ATARI MUM In Issue #826 of ST-Report contained defamitory information about AtariUser Editor in Chief John Nagy and Atari Corp.. Nagy called the editor of the publication to complain and request removal of the issue from all the distribution services, later a new issue was released minus the offending comments. The file however generated over 355 downloads on GEnie alone before the replacement was uploaded. Nagy was pleased with the action taken, however, officials at Atari Corp had no comment on the matter. SPA SETTLES ACTION The Software Publishers Association and Consolidated Micro Services announced the settlement of a copyright infringement suit brought against Los Angeles area computer dealer Consolidated Micro Services and its owner, Gary Johnson, by SPA members Fifth Generation Systems, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, and WordPerfect. As part of the settlement of the suit, CMS agreed to make a contribution to SPA's Copyright Protection Fund and to distribute a policy against unauthorized copying or distribution of software to all CMS employees. Since 1988, the Software Publishers Association has filed over 150 lawsuits on behalf of its members and obtained numerous search and seizure orders against businesses, computer dealers, bulletin board services, and educational institutions that have violated its members' copyrights. The SPA's anti-piracy hotline, 1-800-388-7478, accepts calls reporting software violations. PC/TELEVISION SHIPS 50/50 Micro Electronics announced this week Wednesday that its PC/ TELEVISION- product is now shipping. PCT is a new add-on board for IBM-compatible computers that incorporates a 119 channel tuner capable of handling VHF, UHF and cable TV frequencies. Standard cable TV coaxial cable can be connected directly to the card as well as an external TV antenna. Other input devices can include a VCR, laser disc player, a video camera or an internal private broadcast TV cable. The product is compatible with all IBM XT/AT (286/386/486) style computers and runs under MS-DOS 3.1 or higher. MAXTOR INTRODUCES NEW PRODUCT Maxtor has introduced the MXT-340, an inch-high drive with 340-megabytes of formatted storage capacity. The MXT-340 uses the same components and features the same fast seek times and data transfer rates as its parent drives, the inch-high MXT-540 and the full-height MXT-1240, which provide 540MB and 1.2 gigabytes of formatted storage capacity, respectively. ATARI WITHDRAWS APPEAL Nintendo and Atari Corp. announced that Atari has withdrawn its appeal of a jury verdict and judgment in favor of Nintendo in Atari's antitrust case against Nintendo, which was recently tried in Federal Court in San Francisco. Nintendo will not proceed with its request to recover certain court costs from Atari. (Editors Note: The following item produced for the Z*Net Newswire was NOT discussed with Atari directly. This feature is an independent column. Comments and views presented here are those of the Z*Net News Service and does not reflect the views of Atari Corporation.) IN SEARCH OF THE ATARI FALCON 030 Even though no official word is available, even though Atari has maintained a lid on details, and even though some leaks claim that the new computer to be unveiled this fall won't bear the name FALCON, the rumor mill has provided ample pseudo-information on what is expected to be a remarkable machine. Atari held an invitation-only Falcon developer conference in London on June 27th, attended by over 120 developers. Sam Tramiel, Bill Rehbock, and John Skruch were among those attending the conference for Atari. In addition to the Atari personal, a few experts were brought along to discuss features of the Falcon and programming the Digital Signal Processor. Reactions from the intense one day affair varied from the positive to the wildly enthusiastic. A number of the developers that attended are not currently working on Atari platforms, but the demonstrations and discussions appear to have convinced all of them to either reconsider their position or to immediately add Atari to their development programs. Sam Tramiel has planned to reveal the Falcon technical details in live conferences on the GEnie and Delphi telecommunications networks in early August. This will be in preparation for the huge Dusseldorf Atari Messe (-fair-) in Germany, August 21-23, where the public should see the Falcon for the first time. Commercial availability for the units is projected for later this fall. A first look almost came early, through the efforts of Atari Advantage Magazine. An exclusive Falcon story, complete with photographs of the outside and even the motherboard of the Falcon, was planned for their June issue. However, delays in production caused that issue to become the June/July issue, and then negotiations with Atari Corp regarding non-disclosure matters caused the photographs to be dropped and the printing to be further delayed until late July. The photographs will instead be featured in an upcoming issue of Atari Explorer (see related story, below). The Atari Advantage Falcon article remains generally complete, and is recommended reading, even getting -thumbs up- from Atari officials. The Falcon issue should be available at Atari dealers well into August. Speculative Specs The Falcon 030 (it may still be called something else when released, but this name is now seeming to stick) will feature a 68030 running at 16mHz, be in the 1040-style one piece cabinet, and feature -more colors than you can see, more sounds than you can hear-, and use a Motorola Digital Signal Processor DSP 56001 (like in NeXT). It will have an updated TOS operating system that will include MultiTOS multitasking. That much is official. The rest is via leak and speculation, and as such, subject to change. MultiTOS was developed by ATARI Corp. in cooperation with Eric Smith of the Mathematics Department at the University of Western Ontario. Eric designed the multitasking kernel called MiNT, which forms the basis for MultiTOS, a combination of ROM code in the TOS and extensions on disk. Message pipelines exist between parallel running applications, allowing controlled interaction of simultaneous processes in different windows. Old-standard desk accessories now unnecessary due to CPX modules and the ability to run programs simultaneously, in effect, making every application work like an accessory. Under MultiTOS, if one of many parallel running applications should crash, the others remain protected and safe. A more limited version of MultiTOS for older ST computers is expected to be available as software. According to the Atari Advantage Falcon story, the Falcon case will be a dark grey, similar to the color of the Portfolio and STacy. It will feature an STe/TT compatible LAN port plus and industry standard SCSI II peripheral port, stereo microphone and headphone jacks, STe extended joystick ports, a DSP port, and a built-in speaker. This last item is important as the Falcon will be able to use standard high resolution color multisync monitors which typically have no audio. Older Atari monitors will also be usable with an adaptor. Broadcast quality TV compatible video is offered with built-in genlock and -true color- 32,768 color capacity plus a variety of other modes (including all ST modes). Sound? Yikes. Sixteen-bit digital record/playback in resolution up to 50 kHz (better than an audio CD) in up to eight channels, with direct- to-hard-disk recording, with a DSP port allowing digital audio transfer rates of up to a megabyte per second. And STe 8-bit and ST three-voice sound will be supported, making the Falcon as close to 100% backwards compatible as possible. Also in the copyrighted Advantage article are observations of on-board sockets that appear ready for addition of alternate CPU devices, such as PC or MAC emulators. With the dramatic speed and PC compatible video, emulation should be a snap. Other internal items included a fan and an internal hard disk--a 2.5- 40 meg unit in the one Advantage cracked open. A daughter board held 16 meg of RAM in a plug-in module. Price? It is rumored that the Falcon 030 will start at under $700. ATARI EXPLORER TAKES ADVANTAGE Atari Advantage has ceased publishing operations after only three issues, as the publisher and editor have been hired to take over production of Atari's in-house magazine, Atari Explorer. Mike Lindsay and Darren Meers are relocating to Sunnyvale to pilot the glossy bi- monthly Explorer after their short but well-received stint producing their own Atari magazine. According to Lindsay, many subscriptions were either not billed or charged in anticipation of the move. Paid subscribers will be given options on conversion to a subscription to Atari Explorer. Lindsay and Meers were part of ST-INFORMER for four years, and both left Informer in January 1992 over a dispute regarding ownership and control. Their own magazine, Atari Advantage, had established a respectable circulation, but Atari Corp. elected not to bring Advantage in-house as an additional magazine. The naming of editorial staff for Explorer ends months of conjecture about who would take over for John Jainschigg. John declined to move to Sunnyvale from his New York offices where he produced Explorer for the last two years. Bringing Atari Explorer to the home offices is part of an overall consolidation of executive effort and attention at Atari. Overseeing the magazine operation will be Atari's Bernie Stolar. (Editors Note: Since this story was written, Atari Advantage Magazine has been purchased by Castle Publishing in Texas and will be edited by Neil Simon.) LYNX GOES WEST As Atari gears up for the Jaguar game console to be released in 1993, the Lombard Illinois offices of Atari Entertainment are being relocated to Sunnyvale. Home of the Lynx development team, Lombard will remain open as a programming center, but sales, marketing, and support for the Lynx and soon the Jaguar will be part of the California operation under the guidance of Bernie Stolar. Leaving Atari are Larry Seigal and Dana Plotkin, who did not wish to relocate. ATARI IN FORBES The August 3, 1992 issue of Forbes Magazine recounts the Atari story in a two-page article called -Cheap Didn't Sell- by Dyan Machan. The famed business/industry reporting magazine blames Atari's troubles on the Tramiel family's penny pinching. Machan claims that second-quarter 1992 financial statements (unavailable at press time) will be far worse than the first quarter when Atari lost $14 million on $44 million in sales. Further, the article says that Jack Tramiel has personally taken over day-to-day operation of the company, moving his son Sam out of his former office. The article does mention the new line of Falcon computers and the Jaguar game console, but speculates that Atari has less than half of the cash needed to perform an appropriate roll-out of the new products. Atari officials aren't happy with the Forbes article's tone, but some observers are saying, -Any press is more press than we have had. A lot of readers will discover that Atari is not dead, at least.- NEW SUPERBASE COMING Superbase database systems for the Atari have been acquired by Oxxi Inc. who now offer upgrades for the popular line of software. The charge to upgrade either version of Superbase Personal to SB Pro 3 is $85, available only through Oxxi. The upgrade includes full product, manuals and all. A new product, Superbase 4, is expected in the near future. Oxxi Inc., P.O. Box 90309, Long Beach, CA 90809-0309, USA, FAX (310) 427-0971. NEW HOST BRINGS CD, FLOPTICAL TO ATARI ICD Inc. has announced a new host adaptor that will enable standard ST computers to use industry standard SCSI devices, including hard drives, CD ROM drives, and flopticals designed for IBM, MAC, and Amiga. Pricing has not been announced, but -The Link- will be a self-powered molded cable-box affair that will connect to Atari's DMA (ACSI) port and plug directly to standard 50-pin centronics style SCSI ports, giving instant and complete access to virtually any peripheral using SCSI, with up to 8 devices at one time being supported. Better yet, MS-DOS formatted devices will read and write directly and transparently from the ST without modification, using ICD's driver software. CD-ROMs are now supported through The Link's extended SCSI commands, with a re-written MetaDOS driver to support the SCSI-2 standard for CD-ROM players. The ICD Link will be premiered at the Atari Messe in Dusseldorf, Germany in August. ICD is taking orders now with shipments expected in mid-August. For further information, contact Thomas Harker at ICD by phone (815) 968-2228 extension 120, or FAX (815) 968-6888. CD's, PHOTOS, AND ATARI Atari's been dodging the CD-ROM technology for almost three years, and now it looks like the wait might pay off. New CD technology is becoming available that makes most older disk players obsolete. The Kodak Photo CD system provides a way for consumers to have their color photographs printed to a CD in resolutions exceeding all but the most sophisticated computers and monitors. But the new format can't be read by many current CD player drives. The new system is called Mode 2, XA, multi- session capable. If you are buying a CD ROM, look for those specifications to preserve your value. New format drives might be readable using the ICD LINK (see story above) or by using ICD's revised MetaDOS on a TT or Falcon. PHOTO CD CONVERSION FOR ATARI Picking up the torch of CD photos and accessibility to quality color conversions of photographs, Randall Kopchak of It's All Relative is offering to make ST-readable STe Spectrum format files of any photograph on a Kodak CD for only fifty cents each (PC standard GIF files will be made at $1 each). The first ever published STe conversion is of a fountain in Keiner Plaza in Saint Louis, Missouri, and shows dramatic detail in the water and sky. Originally shot on standard film, it was converted to CD by Kodak, stored in 24-bit RGB at a resolution of 2048 by 3072 pixels. Kopchak says that when Atari settles on the CD driver systems, his company will offer a direct view software system for the Kodak CD's. In the meantime, the company does offer software to convert CD photographs to GIF format via -Virtual BookMaker PC-, available for $25, and requiring a 386 or better PC with VGA or better, 2 meg or better memory, XA CD ROM drive, running Windows 3.1 or higher. For processing CD's to regular computer disk files, enclose the required payment plus $3 per order for postage and handling, and send your Kodak CD to Randall Kopchak, It's All Relative, 2233 Keeven Lane, Florissant, MO 63031, (314) 831-9482, GEnie address: GREG, CIS address: 70357,2312. ATARIUSER REDUCES SUBSCRIPTION RATE AtariUser Magazine, a monthly Atari publication with coverage of the entire Atari line of computer products, has announced a promotional price cut in their home subscription rates. New and renewal subscribers can take a $5 discount and pay just $15 for one year, 12 issues of the magazine with standard 3rd class delivery. A new offering of FIRST CLASS DELIVERY is now also available for only $5 more than the standard rate, or $25. -We had complaints from parts of the country where 3rd class takes three or more weeks to deliver,- said AtariUser Editor John Nagy, -and since we publish our issues in real-time rather than 'newsstand time', our August issue is shipped July 30. That allows us to include news we receive as late as July 24. But it means that a few subscribers get the August magazine on August 24.- Dealers and user groups are shipped their copies of AtariUser via UPS, which takes about one week to cross the USA. The FIRST CLASS HOME DELIVERY OPTION will allow home subscribers to get the magazine within three days of printing at a total yearly (12 issue) subscription rate of $25. The $15 standard and $25 First Class subscription rates will be good for orders received by October 1, 1992. For this promotional rate, payment must be included (by check, money order, or VISA/MASTERCARD number and signature) and orders may ONLY be by mail. Be sure to include your complete address and phone number. Send your order to QUILL PUBLISHING CO., 113 W. College Street, Covina, CA 91723-2008. I DON'T LIKE YOUR TONE It can happen to you: replace your toner in your Atari SLM laser printer (or others!) and suddenly you get light print with streaks. You can keep increasing the toner darkness dial inside the SLM until it's all the way on, to the point of spooning toner onto the drum, and your printouts are still light and streaky. Woe is you, you need an expensive new drum. NOT. Although it is a little known fact, all toner is not created equal--even name brands. Differences between production runs, age, storage, etc. can each affect the quality of the toner, and your new toner may be the culprit. Before you shell out for a drum, replace the toner again with a fresh box, bought somewhere or sometime other than the first box. You are likely to find, once the new toner circulates, that your printer is happy again. And you can't lose if the drum is to blame after all, just use the replaced toner later. But store it carefully--its a mess. ======================================================================= * LYNX OWNERS COLUMN By Clinton Smith ======================================================================= The following article is reprinted in Atari Explorer Online by permission of AtariUser magazine. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without specific permission of AtariUser. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine, available by subscription by calling (818) 332-0372. LYNX BRIEFS ~ Look for unexpected fun in the new Lynx game TOKI (reviewed last month in AtariUser). On level 3, a bug in the program (rather than an intentional -Easter Egg- surprise) allows you to go through the ceiling and bypass part of the game. It can make the game crash or distort the display if you do go exploring. This might be fixed in a later production run, making this a limited-time passport to the unknown! ~ As summer approaches, video game companies start dropping their prices and the competition starts to heat up. This year is no exception. Turbo Technologies started out by packing Bonk's Revenge with the Turbografx-16 and slashing the price of their CD-Rom peripheral to an amazing $150. Sega made their move next by dropping the price of Genesis to $130, and were quick with a commercial that touted their price advantage over the $180 Super Nintendo system. This would have been a real coup if Nintendo hadn't dropped their price to $150 at the same time. Who's going to be the winner? The game buying public. LYNX SURVIVAL - The Essentials What Lynx accessories and games are absolute necessities for Lynx fanatics? AtariUser asked me to come up with some suggestions for you. Accessories The Lynx is a compact portable system, but if you plan to have your essentials with you, a carrying case is a must. Atari's kit carrying case is readily available and does the job nicely. However, if you can find someone who has one of the modular Realm cases, see if they'd be willing to part with it. The costs for making the cases was too much for Realm to absorb and attempts to do a new case haven't panned out, so they're something of a collector's item. If you're planning on doing any outdoors Lynx play, you'll need a sun screen. These handy items from Atari are very affordable (only $5) and are available in versions for the original Lynx and the new smaller Lynx (the original models are starting to get scarce so if you need one, be sure to pick one up). If you don't feel like buying tons of AA batteries to keep your Lynx running you have two excellent options. If you're in range of a power outlet, the AC adaptor will provide you with continuous power and tons of playing time. But you're probably saying, -Clint, the Lynx is supposed to be portable. What if I want to play a long time while I'm on the move?- No problem. With the newly released Lynx battery pack and 6 D batteries, you can go portable for 30 straight hours and play to your heart's content. Games Best Puzzlers: If you want brain-twisting, you have 2 terrific choices. Chip's Challenge was one of the first Lynx games and is still regarded as one of the best (since its debut on the Lynx it's found its way onto most computer platforms and the NES). Crystal Mines 2 is much newer but is just as addictive. Fans of the classic Boulder Dash will be pleased. Best Shooters: Want something less cerebral with more firepower? Blue Lightning is a jet jockey's dream that makes excellent use of the Lynx's scaling abilities. If you like the scrolling-power up-bosses type of games then Zarlor Mercenary delivers. Expect to invest some time before you see the final boss. Best Run and Jump: This category has become a staple thanks to the Mario Brothers, and the Lynx has a real standout with Scrapyard Dog. It has lots of gameplay and plenty of hidden stuff to keep you interested. Best Multi-player: Think you might run into some fellow Lynx enthusiasts? The Lynx was built with multi-player fun in mind and it has 2 real standouts. Slime World was the first game that really showed just how good multi-player action could be (up to 8 people can join in). Feel like a little dogfighting between friends? Then you need Warbirds. Players take to the skies in World War 1 biplanes in a contest to see who's the real ace. Best Arcade games: Need some arcade action without the quarters? Tackle the classic reflex tester Klax (regarded by many to be the best conversion available). Martial arts more your speed? Then take on Ninja Gaiden which is a tremendous mimic of the arcade game. An arcade game that few thought could be done justice on any home system (let alone a portable system) was the popular Stun Runner. Guess what? The folks at Atari somehow pulled it off and it's very impressive. Best Sports games: As I write this, we're still waiting for the flood of new sports titles but there are now two goodies for sports fans. Checkered Flag brings you formula 1 racing action and lets 6 people compete against each other. If you fancy a round of golf, Awesome Golf lives up to it's name. It's easy to grasp and quite challenging. BIO: Clinton Smith lives for his Lynx. His APE NEWSLETTER is published 5 times a year now. Contact Clint at APE, 2104 North Kostner, Chicago, IL 60639, or on GEnie at C.SMITH89. ======================================================================= * THE 12-VOLT 8-BIT By Jeff Golden ======================================================================= Who says, -You can't take it with you-. With the aid of the following modifications, it is possible to power your 800XL or 130XE from the car battery without affecting its 120VAC operation. You can take along your favorite computer games for those long road trips, and if you are into writing travelogues, you can take along your TextPro disk and take notes along the way. Now that your car has some programmable -computer smarts-, how about getting carried away with a monitor-based instrument panel and a voice that nats at you when you forget to check the oil. Add in those instruments that you have always wanted, like a low oil sensor or a miles-per-gallon meter. This isn't as silly as it might sound. A 600XL with some cartridge software and a few extra sensors could do all that. Let me hasten to add a disclaimer at this point. If you manage to zap your computer, burn up the car, run off the road, or achieve some other undesirable result after following these instructions, we cannot assume any responsibility. You are strickly on your own. The modifications have been tested and work on my equipment, but because of the wide variety of 8-bit devices and user skills, there is no way that we can assure you that the changes will work on your equipment. Let me caution you that any connections to the car's electrical system should be properly fused and to check all voltages and polarities with a VOM before you connect any equipment. Futhermore, you should check the equipment for signs of overheating, particularly during the first hour of use, and never leave the equipment unattended while it is plugged into the electrical system. Do not operate or connect the equipment after it has been subjected to rain or condensation. Powering up the computer: The 800XL and the 130XE are powered with 5.18 volts of DC that is fed into the computer by means of a 7-pin male DIN plug. There are two ways of providing this 5VDC from your car battery. The easy way is to obtain and modify one of the early XL power supplies, (the black and white XL supply that can be taken apart). The other, and more expensive way, is to make your own 12VDC power supply which is actually easier done than said. (The old cliche reversal is intentional). If you have one of the old style XL power supplies, you can modify it in the same manner that is described below for the 1050 disk drive, otherwise we will need to replace the AC power supply brick with a similar sized brick that reduces the 12-15 volts of car power to 5 volts. This is easily accomplished by wiring a simple voltage regulator circuit and mounting that circuit in a ventilated plastic box. (See the wiring diagram). Radio Shack has the perfect power supply box for this purpose, and it is highly recommended. (270-287). This box will insulate the heat sink both thermally and electrically. (The heat sink is charged at +5 volts). The other parts are also available from Radio Shack with the exception of a heavy duty heat sink. The regulator will generate about 10-15 watts of heat that must be carried away from the regulator chip to prevent it from destroying itself. You may be able to buy a heavy duty heat sink at an electronics store, or you may want to fabricate one from heavy aluminum scrap. I used an aluminum bar 18- X 1- X 1/8-. The bar was folded accordion style to fit into the case. The regulator chip was fastened to the center of the bar with heat sink grease in between and no insulators. My regulator chip was mounted vertically with the pins projecting upward. The regulator mounting screw was also used to mount an L-shaped bracket which in turn was used to support a small circuit board above the heat sink. A coaxial jack was fastened to the case for the 12VDC input. A 2-conductor 18ga lamp cord and a DIN plug were run out the other end of the case for the 5V output. Be sure to check your DC-converter brick for proper voltage and polarity before connecting it to the computer. The output should be between 5.15 and 5.25 volts at the DIN plug. Powering up the 1050: This one is easy. All that we have to do is mount a 12VDC input jack on the 1050 case and then let the regulators inside the 1050 take care of the rest. See diagram. No circuit cutting or switching is necessary and the 1050 will still run under AC as well as DC. Wire the DC jack to the plus and minus poles of the AC rectifier as shown. The DC jack can be double-checked by connecting the 1050 to AC power in the normal way and then checking the empty terminals of the DC jack for approximately 11 volts of DC with the expected polarity. Warning!! Plugging AC into the DC jack could damage the electrolytic capacitors and other components. I recommend covering up the DC jack with a piece of tape whenever the drive is not being used in the car. Atari uses a negative signal ground which corresponds nicely with the majority of cars which also use a negative ground. To minimize possible shorts to the car body, I connected the negative DC line to all of the outer (exposed) rings of the coaxial DC plugs and connected the positive DC line to the center tips. Plug the TV monitor and the computer into the cigar lighter using a Y adaptor. (AC/DC TVs usually come with a lighter cord). Using the lighter socket enables the driver to easily disconnect the system when parking the car, and it also enables the easy removal of everything when the vacation is over. Cigar lighter plugs can be bought with built-in fuse holders. The computer/disk drive combo needs a 5-amp fuse. It only draws about 2 amps, but there is too much of a voltage drop across a fuse that is smaller than 5 amps. Operational notes: Disk boot errors may occur when the car's engine is not running. Startng the car generates a higher voltage that should take care of the problem. Also any dirt in the cigar lighter can cause similar problems. Run the engine when you want to use the computer. Otherwise the combined current of the TV and computer may be enough to run the battery down in the middle of your Donkey Kong game. One Final WARNING! It is illegal to operate a TV in the front seat of a vehicle. Put the whole thing in the back where it is impossible for the driver to see and/or assist in its operation. Even folks with the best of intentions will find it impossible to resist the need to twiddle the knobs when the kids are having difficulties. It could be your last twiddle. Here are the detailed directions for modifying a 1050 disk drive. This also applies to modifying the -old- style 800XL supply. 1. Open the case and locate the four rectifier diodes. These are small black cylinders, 1/2- long by 3/16- diameter, mounted on the circuit board right next to each other. BACK OF 1050 ----------------------------------- A.C. ! ------- ! ------- *--! diode !---*---! diode !--* ! ! ------- ------- ! ! ! ! ------- ------- ! *--! diode !---*---! diode !--* ! ---- -- ! ------- ! ! ! ! ! A.C. ! ! ! (-) minus DC plus DC (+) 2. Using care, use your voltmeter to determine the plus and minus poles of your rectifier diodes. These are labeled (-) and (+) in the above diagram, but could be different on your machine. 3. Wire a coaxial power jack to the plus and minus poles of the rectifier. The jack leads can be easily soldered to the appropriate diode leads. Do NOT attempt to run the wires under the board. There isn't enough room and the sharp pins will pierce the insulation. Connect the minus lead to the outer ring of the jack and the plus lead to the center tip. 4. Mount the jack. I enlarged the hole in the 1050 case where the drive select switches are and mounted the input jack there. Tape the jack wires to the tall capacitor to prevent them from draping across the 1050 heat sink. 5. Reassemble the case and check out your work by plugging in the A.C. transformer. You should see a DC voltage of the correct polarity on the empty 12VDC jack. If you have one of the old style XL power supplies, you can modify it in the same fashion as the above 1050 modification. The regulators in the XL supply will properly reduce the 12VDC to the 5VDC needed by the computer and the change can be made for the price of a jack and a piece of wire. I mounted my 12VDC input jack between the leads coming out of the old power supply. If you have to build your own supply then use the following wiring diagram: -------- ! ! +12VDC ! LM317T ! +5.18VDC *---*----! !----*------*----* ! IN! !OUT ! ! (+) ! ! ! ! ! DIN ! -------- Z ! ! ! ADJ Z 220 ! ! ! Z OHM ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! *---------* === 1.0 ! ! ! uf ! ! ! ! Z ! === 0.1uf Z 680 ! ! Z OHM ! ! ! ! ! ! ! *---*------------------*------*----* -battery (-) DIN Just in case the above diagram does not survive the file transmission and is out of alignment, the negative ground line is common across both the input and output voltages. The +12VDC input connects to the IN pin of the LM317. The 0.1uf capacitor connects between the IN pin and ground. The 1.0uf capacitor connects between the OUT pin and ground. The 220 Ohm resistor connects between the ADJust pin and the OUT pin. The 680 Ohm resistor connects between the ADJust pin and ground. The +5.18VDC output is present on the OUT pin. As you can see, the circuit is a very simple one. About the only place you can go wrong is in identifying the IN, OUT, and ADJ pins of the LM317. Refer to the back of the package for the pin locations. They are numbered in an odd fashion. The wiring for the DIN jack is shown on a label on the Atari Power Supply. Compare the voltages with a voltmeter between the Atari supply and your new supply. It is easy to get confused about which end of the connector you are looking at. It is also easy to short out and destroy a power supply, so be careful with your test leads around the metal collar of the DIN plug. I used 2-conductor 18ga lamp cord for both the input and output lines on my supply. Using an input jack on the computer power supply allowed me to bring the power from the cigar lighter out to three identical 5.0mm O.D. coaxial plugs, one for the TV, one for the 1050, and one for the new 800XL supply. Now, a few words on choosing a portable AC/DC TV to use as a monitor. Don't expect much from a TV while on the road. About the time someone gets interested in a program, you usually drive out of the station's range, and they don't have many stations out there in the boonies. Try to get a TV with an all-channel scan feature. This will enable you to find all of the available stations when you are far from home. A TV weather report now and then could save you a lot of trouble on the road. One way of beating the lack of stations is to buy a set with a built in video tape player. As to size: A 9- set with a tape player looks pretty small in the store, but it is a real monster inside of your car. Hopefully you have a motor home, or at least a van, otherwise you may want to get a 5- set. Well that should just about do it. By now you should be out there in the car playing Donkey Kong. Just remember, -Don't leave home without your joystick-! Parts List: 2 274-1567 DC Power Plugs 2 274-1565 DC Power Jacks 1 274-335 Fused Lighter Plug 1 270-1535 Lighter Plug Y-Adapter 12 feet of 18ga 2-cond. lamp cord The above parts are all that you need if you can modify the old style XL supply. If not, you need the following additional parts: 1 276-1778 LM317T voltage regulator 1 272-1432 0.1uf capacitor 1 272-1434 1.0uf capacitor 1 271-1313 220 Ohm resistor 1 271-021 680 Ohm resistor 1 276-159 Dual printed circuit bd. 1 276-1372 Heat Sink Grease 1 NA at RS Heavy duty heat sink (See text above) 1 270-287 Power Supply Case 1 274-029 7-pin DIN Plug You will need some small nuts and bolts to fasten the parts together. The screws that come with the DC Jacks are a little too short to be used in this application. Enjoy. ======================================================================= * 2600 WHERE ARE YOU? by Tim Duarte ======================================================================= The following article is reprinted in Atari Explorer Online by permission of AtariUser magazine. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without specific permission of AtariUser. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine, available by subscription by calling (818) 332-0372. How were you first introduced to Atari? Most Atari users will answer this question the same way, tracing their roots to the early days of video games. You may have played one of those early Atari Pong machines on your television set. You may remember a few game variations, but the systems were very limited. The game ROMs were built-in, making it a dedicated video game system. The 2600 - The King of Video The Atari Video Computer System (VCS), later known as the Atari 2600 as well as the Sears VCS, turned many people on to video games, too. The 2600 was a dream come true for many wanna-be owners who shied away from the dedicated Pong systems. Since the game ROMs were now stored in cartridges, it opened up a whole new world of video games that offered color and variety. As many of us upgraded and became excited about the potential of computers, the 2600 and other cartridge-based game systems seemed to become forgotten and obsolete. Game software for Atari computers (then the 8-bit 400 and 800) began to flourish on cassette tape and floppy disk, as well as ROM cartridges. Some owners decided to sell their system, others stored it away in a cellar or an attic, and despite it all, some remained loyal. Underneath the success of home computers, the cartridge-based game market has remained alive. Atari released a number of systems to the gaming public. The most popular, perhaps in all video game history, is the 2600 game system. Millions of these systems have been sold since its introduction in 1977. It also has an impressive library of games that some fans have calculated to number near 500. To keep the 2600 from obsolescence, Atari planned an expansion kit called The Graduate. It was a keyboard add-on unit that transformed the 2600 into a home computer. The product was never released. In 1982, Atari released the 5200 game system, which was based on the same internal components as the Atari 400. The system looked great on paper, but it didn't catch on with the general public. It didn't have a large selection of games to choose from, and the joysticks were odd and very easy to break. Still, the 5200, which offered graphics that compared to arcade versions, was well-received among many game players who chose not to upgrade to the home computers. The 7800 - the Super Machine that Almost Was The later Atari 7800 game system tried to make up for the mistakes that the 5200 made. Without a need for adapters, the 7800 runs its own cartridges and is compatible with the hundreds of cartridges that were made for the 2600 and the dozens for the 5200. The joysticks were an improvement on the standard Atari joystick, and the games created for the 7800 were even of a higher quality than the games for the 8-bit computers. This system has a lot of potential, but it never seemed to catch on like the 2600 did. Atari then released the XE Game System. The XEGS is essentially a 65XE 8-bit computer in disguise. It came packaged with a light gun and tried to contend with the 8-bit Nintendo and Sega Master System. The XEGS came in third place out of the three and could not attract a large number of consumers who were impressed with the more detailed graphics (but inferior processing power) of Nintendo systems. We could consider the ST computers as part of the game evolution, but for our purposes here, we're really dealing with the machines that Atari intended to be -game machines,- not computers. And for home consoles, Atari fell off of the crest of the game wave. Of course, the next step was the remarkable LYNX, and Atari has rumored first a PANTHER and now a JAGUAR advanced game console, to be released sometime next year. Details are absolutely unavailable, and it's thought that even Atari hasn't decided what features will be in the final system. But the -classic- Atari gaming community has survived through all of this. For a number of reasons, price and performance among them, many users are regaining interest in the older Atari systems. In these days of 16-bit Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, the Atari systems remain in the shadows, but won't go away. Longevity speaks for itself, and the 2600 has been around for 15 years! And Yet It Lives... Only months ago, Atari released some hot new games for the 7800 -- Alien Brigade, Basketbrawl, Motor Psycho, Midnight Mutants, Planet Smashers, and Ninja Golf, to name a few. Four titles -- Ikari Warriors, Motorodeo, Sentinel, and Xenophobe -- were also released for the 2600 system. And there's a huge variety of game cartridges available for all four Atari systems. The 2600 is popular in other countries, including England, Belgium, Australia, Japan, and Algeria. I recently acquired Klax for the Atari 2600 from a friend in Belgium. Oddly enough, even while releasing new titles, Atari decided not to release Klax in the U.S. Unfortunately, as of Christmas 1991, Atari decided to discontinue the XEGS, 2600, and 7800 systems. Much inventory was sold to Consolidated Stores/Big Lots Stores, who have been selling brand new games at bargain prices -- $1 to $3 each. How can you go wrong at this price? Atari still has some games in stock, but not at such discounted prices. So, you've just bought a 2600, or you dug your 5200 out of the attic, or were given a 7800 system. You're itching to blast some Space Invaders out of the sky, or play a few rounds of Pac-Man. Where do you start? Most toy stores and video games stores have phased out their supply of -older- products, so if you find a nearby store that has a selection of Atari games, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, here are some mail order companies that sell 2600, 7800, 5200, and XEGS game cartridges and accessories through the mail: Atari Entertainment 500 Waters Edge, Suite 310 Lombard, IL 60148 (708) 629-1386 Best Electronics 2021 The Alameda, Suite 290 San Jose, CA 95126-1127 (408) 243-6950 Computer/Electronics Source 41-30 70th St. Woodside, NY 11377-3952 (718) 426-9614 Telegames USA Box 901 Lancaster, TX 75146 (214) 227-7694 (214) 218-5800 (24-hour order/info line) Starbase Atari Computers 2369 Austin Highway San Antonio, TX 78218 (512) 590-7122 Pleasant Valley Video 8141 Pleasant Valley Road Camden, OH 45311 (513) 787-3682 Video 61 22735 Congo St. N.E. Stacy, MN 55079 (612) 462-2500 These companies are a good starting point, but you don't have to rely on mail order companies to find games for your Atari systems. Atari games are also popular items at yard sales, flea markets, rummage sales, computer swap meets, thrift shops, pawn shops, and more. Try scanning the -for sale- classified ads of your local newspaper and online bulletin board systems. I've been trading games all over the United States and I'm building quite a large collection of games. Even though the 2600, 7800, 5200, and XEGS are no longer being manufactured, it doesn't mean the users who play these game systems will go away and vanish. Some folks regard the Atari game system as an ideal system for beginners and youngsters, while others are attracted to the economical and affordable prices of the systems and game cartridges when compared to Nintendo. Atari systems are fun, simple to use, innocent, and fast. No waiting for a disk to load into memory--just pop in a cartridge and play. Classic Game Support Groups Personally, I'm a big fan and supporter of the 2600. Two years ago, I began research and wrote letters to other fans, and I discovered I was not alone. There's many video gamers out there who support the Atari machines and show a lot of excitement about them. There is definitely a need for the formation of clubs or user groups for these machines. In that vein, I started my own newsletter specifically to support the Atar VCS line. -The 2600 Connection- newsletters average 8 to 16 pages, but they contain lots of interesting and useful information that you won't find in the professional magazines. Each contain game reviews, game solutions and tips, letters and questions, classified ads, and more. I've produced 11 bi-monthly issues of The 2600 Connection so far. A six-issue subscription is $6, and samples are available for $1 each. Write to me at: Tim Duarte P.O. Box 3993 Westport, MA 02790 If you send a check, make it to me by name, as my publication has no bank account. Like most of the amateur press, I support the community on a break-even basis at best. But it's great fun! [Look for Tim's roundup of -Amateur Press- publications that support all of the Atari lines of computers in an upcoming issue of AtariUser - Ed.] ======================================================================= * GROWING UP WITH ATARI By Bob Smith ======================================================================= I have read many articles and magazines on computers, everything from building a mainframe to programing your cat's feeding time. Seldom have I read how someone has progressed through the ranks from pure novice to actual productive use. Hopefully, I'll convey some of that here. About six or seven years ago, we were having Thanksgiving dinner with my wife's family. The usual topics were discussed and as the dinner wound down, my brother-in-law, who is heavily involved with computers as his vocation, started to discuss a home computer that he had just bought for about $800. My father-in-law was captivated by this conversation and I just sat there, drinking my coffee, wondering how I was going to gracefully leave the table so I could get back to the major professional football game on TV. The two of them were throwing around terms such as ROM, RAM, disk drive, etc., etc., and I was at a complete loss. Well, my wife, not to be outdone purchased the same type of computer that my brother-in-law had purchased previously. That was my Christmas present that year, the very first time that I had an up close and personal visit with a home computer. Oh, I didn't mention that these fine pieces of equipment, which could not do much in my eyes at that time were Atari 800's. On Christmas morning, I looked at this monster and wondered what in the blazes I was going to use it for. Little did I know, years later that I would be so addicted to these wonderful machines that I would not only have a house full of them, but that I would use these Atari computers in one form or another in my business. As my father-in-law started to learn to use his, I couldn't help but be a little curious about what he was doing and I started to read. I learned what those silly terms of ROM and RAM meant, learned how to change the cartridge in my trusty 800 and what basic and machine language meant. Now please don't misunderstand me, I am in no way any type of genius but the ways of computing were starting to make some sense to me. To this I give full credit to that wonderful gentleman, my dad-in-law. Why? Well, he just kept having me do all of the grunt work, like turning on the computer, looking stuff up in the various owner's manuals and programming books that we had. I want to jump ahead a few years now to when I starting to do basic programing and word processing. My professional business is consulting and employee benefits, which entails a lot of proposals and presentations. At the time, all of this was being done on the old typewriter and very slowly at that. I started to wonder, why not try the old 800 in a business setting. I took stock of the available programs available and settled on AtariWriter and several public domain database programs. This was going to be a one machine experiment in the office for one week. We had a particularly difficult proposal to do and what better way than to try the computer in this situation. I spent approximately 4 hours doing various formats for this proposal and then discarding them. The major drawback was the 40 column screen, but with a little practice, that drawback was overcome. Finally after several attempts a proposal format was designed and used with great success. The young lady that was working with me at the time bluntly said that using the computer was the only way to go and she would never again use the old typewriter. To this day, that poor typewriter sits in a closet covered and holding up a pile of old forms. From that one week experiment, which has never ended, we have progressed to using multiple 8 Bit computers in our office. We now use 130XE's with a variety of disk drives and printers. One question I'm frequently asked is why not upgrade.......the answer that is given, is that a business must watch its expenses and if the current equipment is doing the job, why change. We have offices in other states and the same philosophy is true there as well. We do almost all of our operations from accounting to proposal preparation on these wonderful 8 bit machines. Oh yes, we did get the client that we did that very first proposal for. As I started to use the computers in business, several events occurred almost simultaneously. I became involved with the Mid-Florida Atari Computer Club and was given a 520 ST. Here I was just starting to feel very comfortable in my 8 Bit world, using my computers in business, learning to program, etc. and along comes a good friend, misguided, but non-the-less a good friend and tells me he is going into the world of another computer and would I like this poor 520ST. Well, being the gracious person that I am and not wanting to hurt his feelings, I said OK. Not long after that, he arrives at my home with several boxes and various cables, power supplies, disks and other things. I took a look at this and suddenly had a great deal apprehension and fear. Why fear? Well, having just gotten comfortable and on a first name basis with my 8 Bit equipment, what was I going to do with this monster and where was I going to put it.... I didn't verbalize my fears to my friend, not wanting to insult him in anyway, so I just put the boxes in my den in one corner and went on with my happy computer life and promptly forgot about the ST and all of the related boxes, cables, disks, and other parts. About this time I had joined The Mid-Florida Atari Computer Club and met many experts in the ST field. One of these people by the name of Tipton, who subsequently became a very good friend, came to my home one day and noticed the ST monitor sitting very forlonely sitting on my desk. It was only there for lack of any other place to put it and he asked me about it. I explained the circumstances on how I came have it and all of it's related parts. He looked at me with a gleam in his eye and said -let's fire it up-. I replied, -no thanks, I really don't want to unpack everything-. I really knew that if I did start to play with it, I might not want to stop, having previously experienced that with my trusty 8 Bit equipment. But Dave, being of the persuasive type that he is, talked me into just a 'quick' bootup and then I could shut it down and put it away. As you have probably guessed, from that inauspicious beginning, it has grown on me to the point that the 520 ST now sits side by side with my 8 Bit and is used for many tasks, not the least of which is my fetish for modeming and Bulletin Boards. I still have a very long way to go, but there are a lot of excellent programs available for the ST and it is still supported rather well. Atari Corporation sure does know how to make an excellent platform. Oh yes, I never did get even with Dave for getting me hooked on the ST, but I guess I am really greatful. As I had briefly mentioned before, I got involved with the Mid-Florida Atari Computer Club (M.F.A.C.C.) very innocently. I was invited to attend a meeting by a member named Carolyn Hoglin. Some of you may know the name from the articles that she has published in the late Antic Magazine and other newsletter publications. I attended this meeting and found many kindred spirits of the Atari world. I was rather quiet at first as I didn't want to open my mouth and show how dumb or naive I really was about computers, but these people put me at ease and included me in the meeting without making me feel like an outsider. I joined immediately and got somewhat involved in that first year, but little did I know that I would become totally immersed in the Club and some of the people who have since become good friends. Finding people with a very common interest can be difficult, if not impossible, but here I was among a whole nest of them and I was as happy a computer with a brand new 100 megabite harddrive. As a direct result of being in the Club, I was and still am a part of the Newsletter staff. I have learned a great deal on how a newsletter is put together and the tremendous effort and hardwork that goes into it. I was elected president for three straight terms and as you read this, I have just finished that third year. The club has been the catalyst for meeting some of the finest people that I have met in many years, such as Bob Brodie of the Atari Corporation. That's an entire story in of itself and I'll cover that in the final installment of this trilogy in the next edition of Z*Magazine! ======================================================================= * PERUSING THE INTERNET Compiled by Michael Current ======================================================================= Reprinted from the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG From: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys) Bad news for Atari Classic fans... Taken from Part-Time Title: bearer of bad? Author: Jim Treber To: All Posted: Tue 23-Jun-92 at 5:56:00pm Replies: 0 Origin: Mouse Bbs - Node #3 South Bend, In Recently there was a write-in campaign to ralley support of an all 8-bit Atari magazine, The Atari Classics. The effort seems to have been in vain. Unicorn Publications, to where the campaige was directed, says it is definitely not going to split off what little 8-bit coverage it now offers to create Atari Classics, although would continue serving the 8- bit community as long as 8-bit users express interest. Various opinions all have valid points. Unicorn believes it is better to have more interaction between St and 8-bit owners, not less and it is better to treat St and 8-bit owners as equals rather than act if neither exists in the same reality. There are just not enough developers and advertisers to support separate magazines. How many 8bit only/16bit only publications have gone under in just the past year? Unicorn's Aim presently carries both St and (some) 8-bit articles and disk of the month for both. -- Michael Current, Cleveland Free-Net 8-bit Atari SIGOp -->> go atari8 <<-- The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG is the Central Atari Information Network Internet: currentm@carleton.edu / UUCP: ...!umn-cs!ccnfld!currentm BITNET: currentm%carleton.edu@{interbit} / Cleveland Free-Net: aa700 ------------------------------ Date: 26 Jun 92 21:20:26 GMT From: kithrup!hoptoad!wet!ekrimen@uunet.uu.net (Ed Krimen) Subject: Atari Explorer To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <92177.125634JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET> JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET (Jeff McWilliams) writes: >For those off you who don't subscribe to AIM, I've taken the liberty >of typing in the recent issue's editorial article, since the news >contained therein effects us 8 bitters as well as other Atari >supporters. > We feel Atari execs are making a bad decision by moving Explorer > to Sunnyvale. It is very possible that Explorer won't last long in > the political tug-of-war at Atari. If Explorer ceases publication, it > will be a very sad day for all Atarians. It will be taken as a sign > that even a glossy magazine supplemented by Atari itself can't make it > any longer in the ever-shrinking Atari computer market. While I agree with the rest of Bill and Pattie Rayl's editorial (there wasn't much to disagree with actually), I must pick on this little section. It amazes me, even though I do it sometimes, that they can criticize an Atari action even though they don't know all that's going on. There was a definite reason for Atari moving Explorer to Sunnyvale and many suspect it is to gain greater control, lower cost, and it even makes sense to have the house mag run from headquarters. I like John Jainschigg a lot. I'm sorry to see him leave the magazine, since he did an excellent job. I worked with him on an editor/author basis and he is one cool dude. :^) I worry what will become of Explorer after John's last issue, but I know that Bob Brodie and others at Atari will do their best to fill the position. > As you may or may not recall, Ron Kovacs of Zmagazine recently >entered into a cooperative effort with Atari Explorer to produce Atari >Explorer Online magazine. (see Zmag207 on the Atari Archive for >details.) Is anyone receiving Zmagazine or AEO these days? > >Jeff McWilliams YES! There have been four issues of AEO so far, and they're only distributed bi-weekly. The next one should be out this weekend. I believe they're distributed on Usenet/Internet via the same mailing list which distributed Z*Net. Unfortunately, I don't know what the mail address is to get a subscription; hopefully someone else can help us out. -- ||| Ed Krimen ||| ekrimen@wet.com or ekrimen@wet.UUCP or hoptoad!wet!ekrimen / | \ E.KRIMEN (GEnie) ------------------------------ Date: 27 Jun 92 23:53:46 GMT From: portal!cup.portal.com!Rick_Michael_Cortese@uunet.uu.net Subject: Atari Classics: not to happen? To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu Well, Soap Box Attack so you can hit stop reading anytime. Patty Rayl addressed this & the demise of another ST only mag in the latest issue of AIM. When I read about the demise of the 'other' ST mag I was touched by how sensitive & rational her comments were. On reading the Classic comments; I was a little upset. AIM is right in their covering all Atari products, but the 1st and last shot for exclusion was NEVER fired by 8-bitters. All you have to do is read this forum to figure out we have everybody from 2600 to ST, IBM, etcetera in here. Go to the freaking ST sig & mention anything but an ST & see what happens. It almost make me embarassed to own an ST! You get comments like [obsolete, get a ST, get out of this sig]. Patty's right in that the Atari community is all things Atari & common interest such as people dropping by to ask about what modem to buy for their clone, but 1/2 of the ST users have serious emotional difficulty with anything other then an ST. You don't really have to worry about an 8-bit mag being split off AIM. As I see it, one of two things will happen: 1) ST users complain about to much Lynx, 8-bit, etc news & leave. 2) The ratio of 8-bit to ST submissions will go up to the point where it will seem like an 8-bit mag. We really need to get rid of about 1/2 the ST users out there. They're causing 90% of the problems in the Atari world. Sheesh! Even Bob Wooley owns & works on an ST! Does that stop him from being a Club pres & doing 8-bit stuff? He works on IBM mainframes for a living. he could just say anything with less then a 64 bit data buss sucks, but he doesn't. I know from my own point of view, anybody that wants to be here is welcome. It would be great to see if any other SIG could make that boast. Right now if you look at AIM the article break down goes something like: 60% ST software review 30% 8-bit umbrella [soft/hard/tutorial] 10% general [lynx, portfolio, news] I wish Atari Corp all the sucess in the world, but it'd be interesting to see if new software for the ST dries up what they'll have to talk about. The only mistake Jeff & Ben may have made was not waiting until the ST letters to the Editors asking to drop 8-bit coverage piled up. Well, FLAME OFF! ------------------------------ Date: 29 Jun 92 22:00:21 GMT From: SMITHKLINE.COM!poehland%phvax.dnet@ucbvax.berkeley.edu Subject: ATARI CLASSICS UPDATE To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu ************************ A T A R I C L A S S I C S *********************** UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The last Update was posted to the Net around the end of May but many people did not see it as I was experiencing difficulty with my USENET connection, so it went directly to naucse then out to the Internet. My apologies. I will try to bring everyone up to speed on the past 7 week's developments. Following the official close of the mail-in Campaign on May 2 & subsequent dissolution of the Campaign Committee, Jeff McWilliams shipped me all the cards he had received as of the first week of May. (During the first week of June he also sent me a 2nd shipment of cards, consisting of late returns/stragglers.) The final count of returned cards was just under 600, the number 580 comes to mind. I spent a couple weeks sorting all the cards into alphabetical order, reading all the comments on every single one, and taking notes. Jeff McWilliams also sent me a copy of the Campaign database; at the moment there is a problem with merging in the final batch of respondents but he is working on that & expects to have it squared away soon. With notes in hand, during the last week of May I commenced work on AC's Publication Manifest, a document that describes in detail our proposal for the organization and functions of the magazine. This turned out to be a non-trivial task. It took 5 weeks. My barber noted an unusual of grey hair on my head... The Manifest was completed June 28. It was submitted to Unicorn Publications early today for their consideration. There has as yet been no response, but of course it's very early & the Manifest runs 38K of text, so it will take them awhile to digest it all. With the submission of this document to Unicorn, the pledge made by the Campaign Committee to submit our ideas to them has been fulfilled. The ball is now in their court, we are awaiting a response, & we naturally are very anxious. The next few weeks will no doubt be very critical to the birth of AC, as delicate political and financial arrangements are debated until both sides achieve a resolution of their respective concerns. At the moment I am very optimistic that a positive resolution of concerns will be obtained, leading to production of the Premier Issue of Atari Classics. Within the past few weeks a few irresponsible individuals have taken the proposals set forth in the Campaign literature, allowed their paranoid fears to run rampant, and expressed their concerns directly to Unicorn. If these people had instead expressed their concerns directly to the Chairman of the mail Campaign, Jeff McWilliams, he could have dispelled their fears in short order. The main thrust of the concern seems to be loss of 8bit coverage in AIM by splitting it off as suggested in the Campaign letter. Individuals who own both 8bit & ST machines are not happy about this, & Unicorn has strongly rejected the idea of removing 8bit coverage from AIM. This issue was a subject of considerable discussion within the Committee even while the Campaign was in progress, & by the time the Campaign ended we had pretty much arrived at the same conclusion ourselves: i.e., that there should be continued 8bit coverage in AIM pretty much as it has been, perhaps with a certain amount of shared material between the two publications. This would satisfy the demand for an 8bit-only publication while not forcing those who are satisfied with AIM in its present format to make an unhappy either/or type of choice. So, in effect, we of the Atari Classics movement are in agreement with the position taken by Unicorn & tend to view the recent hubub as much ado about nothing. I would point out that whereas the number of these type negative responses to the Atari Classics effort is fewer than 10, I maintain it is a decidedly minority opinion compared to the nearly 600 positive- even rabid- responses the Campaign garnered. Recent posts to the Net seem to suggest that Unicorn's rejection of splitting off 8bit coverage into AC constitutes a rejection of the entire Atari Classics movement. Not true! In their response per the June AIM, Bill & Pattie made their position clear & left the door open for the exploration of possibilities related to our effort. As far as I am aware, relations between AC & Unicorn remain cordial, both parties have contined to express interest in discussing proposals, & we have exploited the open door by finally submitting our detailed plans for their consideration. Dealing with this tempest-in-a-teapot has had the effect of siphoning off my time & energy that should have been devoted full-time to AC. It strikes me ironic that so far the greatest threats to the success of this admittedly shaky enterprise have arisen from the ranks of the 8bit community itself. Idle & irresponsible speculation will only damage our cause. I urge everyone to please exercise restraint & be patient. Have faith that we are doing the best we can to fulfill the promise of the Campaign & bring into being a unique user-based 8bit-only publication. These are very very anxious & critical times for all of us who support the movement. I said this before, I'll say it again: -The dough must be allowed to rise, before we can bake the bread.- - BEN POEHLAND The Alchemist ------------------------------ Date: 29 Jun 92 20:23:36 GMT From: microsoft!hexnut!darekm@uunet.uu.net (Darek Mihocka) Subject: Atari Explorer To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <92177.125634JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET> Jeff McWilliams <JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET> writes: > We've recently heard that Atari Explorer is about to be > moved -in-house-. John Jainschigg has shared with us his > thoughts against moving out to Sunnyvale (into what some > have called -the pressur cooker-). It is his decision to > not accompany Explorer to Atari Corp. He will do only one > more issue from New York. What's the difference? Atari Explorer is ALREADY a puppet of Atari Corp, whether located in Sunnyvale or New Jersey. The way they take two years to review a product, or the way they rip off their advertisers by accepting payments for advertising space in non-existant issues sounds a lot to me like the same kind of incompitency that plauges Atari Corp. I'm still trying to recover money from them for an ad that was to have appeared in a non-existant issue from last year! I keep getting the same kind of -the check is in the mail- runaround that I'm more than used to getting from Atari Corp. Interestingly enough, Atari Explorer deposits its checks not in New York or New Jersey, but directly into Atari US Corp's account at the Wells Fargo bank in Sunnyvale. After 6 months of phone calls and promises, I am now told that I need to resolve the problem with the folks in Sunnyvale. So as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter whether Atari Explorer is located in Sunnyvale, New York, or Upper Tibet, they are still just a useless propoganda machine for Atari Corp. BOYCOTT ATARI EXPLORER! Support AIM, ST Informer, Current Notes, Atari User, Atari Advantage, PSAN, and all of the other publications that actually do something constructive. - Darek Mihocka ------------------------------ Date: 30 Jun 92 21:01:09 GMT From: mnemosyne.cs.du.edu!isis.cs.du.edu!brayl@uunet.uu.net (Bill Rayl) Subject: Atari Classics: not to happen? To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu I'm sorry guys, you'll have to forgive me if I mis-read your thoughts about this issue. I'm a little confused. People have cited our June issue, and the comments in it about the Atari Classics campaign. I don't see how that leads to the idea of no 8bit only publication. What Bill and I were saying is how we feel AIM represents a lot of varied readers, so we would not be willing to turn AIM into an ST only mag. AIM coverage would continue as it has over the last several years, picking up Portfolio and Lynx along the way. One person was upset over the languag we used. That is understandable, since we a little surprised at the kit when we saw one (after the campaign was over), when the kit said we would split AIM up. We were a little taken aback at the presumptions it seemed the campaign was taking! :) Bill and I sent off a letter very similar to the nots in AIM to Ben and Jeff, explaining our thoughts on the whole subject. Ben got back to us, explaining how that phrasiology (sp?) happened to get into the kit, and that en and Jeff felt very much as Billand I did/do. (please forgive the typos -- I'm typing faster than the net can handle, it seems) So, everything is fine. I just got Ben's maifest today, and we'll be getting back wih him as soon as we look it over and make our suggestions/changes. Again, if I misunderstood the messages, please forgive me, since I'm relatively new to the UseNet. In fact, we made an effort to get on the net because of the Atari Classics discussion/campaign. Pattie Rayl (Unicorn Publications) ------------------------------ Date: 30 Jun 92 21:27:38 GMT From: mnemosyne.cs.du.edu!isis.cs.du.edu!brayl@uunet.uu.net (Bill Rayl) Subject: Atari Explorer To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu Ed, I don't completely understand your criticism of what Bill and I said in the Editorial Rampblings for June. Granted, there may be times when no one can no the actual reasons Atari does stuff unlss they work in Sunnyvale (and not even then, in which case, you'd have to look in Sam or Jack's mind!). However, I think we have a better than average chance of figuring what those reasons could be. I guess the biggest complaint would be, If it's not brroken, why mess with it? You say Atari would gain more control over Atari Explorer by moving it in house. Atari officials (mostly Bob Brodie, I think) already ok each and every page of AE efore it's printed. To me, that's a lot of control already. You suggest Atari could save money. Atari Explorer isn't printed in NY, but PA. If atari kept the same printer, and there's no reason to think they'd change, thre's no savings there. Sure, they wouldn't have to pay John, but in exchange, they have to pay someone who lives in CA, with a very high cost of liivingrate. Moving AE inhouse also means Atari has to get new art directors and graphics artists, which John already had on staff, not to mention new support personnel like an advertising persons. And, adding those new people are all on the assumption Sam's willing to pay for new employees when there've been big layoffs. The gossip going around now is that Sam's not even willing to authorize the salary for an editor, and I know one person can not put out an Atari explorer alone. My view is clear: I think AE should be left in John Jainschigg's hands. If any one else would like to get me on the soap box, please join in! *huge grin* Pattie Rayl (Atari Interface) ------------------------------ Date: 11 Jul 92 05:29:01 GMT From: (Jeff McWilliams) Subject: Opened my Atari 800... Fast Chip... Floating Point ? To: Info-Atari8@naucse.cse.nau.edu Chu, Yes, Newell Industries still sells two Operating system ROMS, the Omniview 256 and the Omnimon XL. The first has a built in 80 column E: handler, similar to what you get when running vt10squared, Omnicom, or Kermit65. It also has a built in Ramdisk handler for Newell 256K upgrades, and a monitor program called ATRMON, which was used for running CPM on the ATR8000 in 80 columns. My friend uses it for his ATR8000 is CPM every now and then and he really likes it. The Omniview 256 also uses the older 800 version of the OS, to solve those compatibility problems with some software. It also can automatically copy the OS into the RAM under the OS ROM area, for whatever reason you would want to do this. The Omnimon XL chip is also an 800 OS, and has a very nice machine language monitor/debugger built in. The address phone number is as follows: Newell Industries P.O Box 253 Wylie, TX 75098 214-442-6612 Jeff McWilliams ------------------------------ ======================================================================= * Z*NET NEWSWIRE EXTRA ======================================================================= GLENDALE ATARIFEST UPDATE The show will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, 1992 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1041 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA. Hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. General Admission is $6.00 per person with a two day pass costing only $10.00. If you plan on attending and you live outside of Southern California you may get FREE admission by sending a self-address-stamped #10 envelope to H.A.C.K.S., 249 N. Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203 and get a one day pass for two. SASE must be received by 9/4/92 to insure delivery. For those of you who will be needing lodging we have made arrangements with the Burbank Hilton. Regular rates are $119.00 per night but if you mention ATARI you will get a room for $65.00 per night, single or double occupancy. Executive suites are also available for a per night charge of $95.00. Reservations may be made by calling the Hilton at 800-643- 7400 (in California), 800-468-3576(inside the USA) or at 818-843-6000 (outside the USA). The guaranteed reservation cut-off date is August 20th. If you are quoted another rate ask for Roy Butler, Sales Manger. This year The Glendale Show will be holding Desk Top Publishing Classes. There will be a $25.00(US) fee for these hands-on classes. DMC (ISD) will be holding Beginners and Advanced classes for owners and prospective owners of Calamus SL. Classes will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Classroom size is limited. Make your reservations by sending a check for $25.00(US) payable to H.A.C.S.K., 249 Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203. Be sure to state the preference of day and class level. A confirmation will be sent, ten days prior to the show, by return mail stating which class you will be enrolled in. Enrollment in the classroom will also entitle you to admission to the rest of the show for the day of your class. Registration must be postmarked by 9/1/92. Look for our full-page advertisements in upcoming issues of AtariUser and Atari Explorer magazines. If you have any questions send mail to H.A.C.K.S., 249 N. Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203 or leave GEmail to John.King.T or call John King Tarpinian at 818-246-7276. List of the exhibitors and demonstrators for the THE GLENDALE SHOW ATARI CORPORATION THE COMPUTER NETWORK COMPUTER SAFARI OREGON RESEARCH ASSOCIATES FAIR DINKUM TECHNOLOGIES CLEAR THINKING D.A. BRUMLEVE SUDDEN INC. MICRO CREATIONS BRANCH ALWAYS MID-CITIES COMP-SOFT FREEZE DRIED SOFTWARE McDONALD & ASSOCIATES WINTERTREE SOFTWARE BEST ELECTRONICS JMG COMPO ICD S.D.S. CODEHEAD FAST TECHNOLOGIES LEXICOR MIGRAPH DRAGONWARE GENIE ISD/DMC BECKEMEYER BIO ILLUSTRATIONS GRIBNIF ST INFORMER MAGAZINE ATARI EXPLORER MAGAZINE Z*NET ATARIUSER MAGAZINE ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE Plus demonstrations by: BAREFOOT SOFTWARE STEINBERG/JONES DIGITAL F/X GOLDLEAF SOFT-LOGIK USER GROUP BOOTHS: A.C.A.O.C. SOUTH BAY A.C.E. NOCCC-ST SIG R.A.M. L.O.C.H. ACE H.A.C.K.S. (host club, no booth) GCR OWNERS REJOICE - MacSEE from Reeve Soft Will every GCR user who has had problems moving files between their ST and Mac-emulation partitions, please raise your hand. Just as I thought, there are lots of us. We move between the ST world and the Mac world and struggle to transport files easily and quickly between the two. Transverter is -okay-, but it only works with MFS formatted disks and partitions ... and as you well know, EVERYTHING is in HFS format! But now you have an alternative! I was just given a pre-release copy of a new program for the Atari ST and TT systems. The program is called -MacSEE- and is created by Reeve Soft. Simply put, the program allows you to move files between your ST and a Macintosh (or GCR/Mac-emulated partitions) with complete ease and efficiency. MacSEE lets you -- * Read Macintosh (HFS & MFS) volumes with your Atari ST or TT * Write to Macintosh volumes with your Atari ST or TT * Read and write 800K Spectre-format disks & 1.44-megabyte disks PLUS, MacSEE supports -- * MacBinary and translated modes * Spectre format hard disk partitions * Macintosh format hard disk partitions And MacSEE can be used on a wide range of removable devices, including SyQuest hard disks. After using the program for a few hours, I found it to do everything it promised ... and flawlessly! It's completely GEM-drive, so all you do is -click- through the choices, select the file you want moved from a standard item selector window, and BOOM -- Done! No fuss, no strain, no pain ... just simple efficiency. And in comparison to Transverter, MacSEE is a speed demon! Hard drive partition to partition copying took no time at all. Partition to floppy was just as fast a copying a standard ST file. Distribution and technical support for MacSEE is being handled by: Compu-Seller West 220 1/2 West Main Street St. Charles, Il 60174 (708) 513-5220 To order your copy of MacSEE, or for more information, call CompuSeller West at 708-513-5220 and ask for Don Bahr. Tell him -Monochrome Steve- sent you! CHICAGO COMPUTERFEST '93 CANCELLED Chicago ComputerFest by Atari 1993, a continuation of the successful cooperative venture between the Lake County (Illinois) Atari Computer Enthusiasts and Atari Corporation, planned for May 15 and 16th 1993 at the Ramada Hotel O'Hare has been cancelled. Director of Communications, Bob Brodie, stated that he expected to only make show appearances for the remainder of 1992, for which Atari has already purchased non- refundable discount airline tickets for him. LCACE enjoyed the partnership with Atari to bring major Atari-oriented developers and vendors to the Midwest, and is disappointed that Atari is apparently unable to commit support of this event. LCACE is uncertain if they will organize a local-oriented show such as the two shows prior to the 1991 ComputerFest. KAO UNVEILS NEW BRANDED DISKETTE PACKAGING Kao has unveiled its new branded diskette packaging which is intended to enhance the company's strong and growing position in the branded diskette market. Kao's new tiered packaging approach clearly differentiates diskette capacity for the user. The double-density diskettes, in silver packaging, are designed for users requiring a standard-density product; the high-density diskettes, in gold, have twice the storage capacity of the standard-density diskettes. The new packaging features a -100 Percent Certified- seal, highlighting that each diskette is individually tested for error-free performance. Each diskette package also features a -Made in the USA- or -Made in Canada- logo emphasizing that the diskettes were produced locally. OS/2 2.0 SURPASSES ONE MILLION IBM announced that its new software product, OS/2 Version 2.0, has vaulted past the one million shipment mark. Historically popular with corporate users, early indications are that OS/2 is also gaining widespread acceptance in the end-user community as a result of its power, reliability and ease-of-use. To commemorate their on-going support and commitment to OS/2, Caterpillar was presented with the one millionth copy at the Windows & OS/2 Show at Boston's World Trade Center, August 18-21. Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, 1992, users who call the 1-800-3-IBM-OS2 phone number can purchase OS/2 for the following prices: Windows upgrade $79; DOS upgrade $99 and first time buyers $149. OS/2 is an advanced 32-bit operating system that supports DOS, Windows and OS/2 applications in a single package. ADOBE SHIPS 22 NEW TYPEFACE PACKAGES Adobe announced the availability of 22 new typeface software packages from the Adobe Type Library, including new packages from leading type foundries such as Linotype, Monotype and Berthold. All packages can be purchased from Adobe Authorized Dealers or through Font & Function, Adobe's type catalog. Customers interested in the Adobe Type Library should contact Adobe at 800-83-FONTS. NEW EPSON ACTIONPRINTER Epson has announced the ActionPrinter 2250, a 9-pin version of its ActionPrinter 3250. A unique feature is a covered printhead that keeps noise in while keeping dust, food or sticky fingers out. Operating at a quiet 50 decibels minimizes disruption to meetings and phone calls. At a suggested retail price of $199, it provides the sharpest possible near-letter-quality output at draft speeds of up to 240 characters per second. Users have a choice between Roman and Sans Serif fonts with graphics resolution of 240 x 144 dots per inch. Epson's industry- standard control language for 9-pin printing, ESC/P, ensures widespread compatibility with popular software. Information about the product, including reseller locations, can be obtained by calling 1-800-922-8911. ======================================================================= * CLEVELAND FREE-NET ATARI SIG Press Release ======================================================================= You may have heard about the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, or you may even have a Free-Net account that you don't use much. Now is the time to visit the Atari SIG and see what you're missing! The SIG has been reorganized, bringing even more information to you and making it even easier to access and share. The Atari SIG continues to support ALL Atari systems: 8-bit, ST/TT, Portfolio, and Lynx. The Cleveland Free- Net Atari SIG's 8-Bit Computers Support Area is GROWING!! Where better to get together with fellow 8-bit Atari users? Where is there a more extensive collection of information invaluable to any 8-bit user? The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG is THE 8-bit Atari information resource! The new Atari SIG debuts on July 20, 1992. Information on how to join in this expanding 8-bit user community is included later in this document. First, here is an overview of the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG's Main Menu: <<< THE ATARI SIG >>> (go atari) 1 About the Atari SIG - A text-file containing general information about the Atari SIG 2 SIG Menu Outline - A map to help guide you through the extensive Atari SIG menus 3 Atari News... - An area devoted to bringing you the latest news in the Atari world 4 General Bulletin Board - A place for discussion among all SIG members 5 8-Bit Computers Support Area... - See below! Once you explore here, you may never want to leave! 6 16/32-Bit Computers Support Area... - The area for ST/TT users 7 Portfolio Support Area... - The area for Portfolio users 8 Lynx Support Area... - The area for Lynx players 9 Wanted & For Sale Board - A place to buy and sell Atari equipment of all kinds 10 Voting Booth... - A place for SIG members to make their voices heard 11 Atari Library... - A vast store of general Atari information 12 Help-Line (Q & A) - A place to challenge the SIGOps with technical questions 13 SIG Directory Services... - The names of all SIG members can be found here Now, let's take a look at the new, expanded 8-BIT COMPUTERS SUPPORT AREA: The 8-Bit Computers Support Area has something for everyone, from the new owner to the experienced and advanced user and programmer of the 8-bit Atari computers. Here is a small overview of each section and its contents: 1. About this Support Area - What you are reading now. 2. The 8-Bit Atari Computer - A fairly detailed historical description of the 8-bit Atari computer, along with a brief overview of what makes the system so popular. 3. FAQ List - The Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ) list which is posted periodically to Usenet's 8-bit Atari newsgroup, comp.sys.atari. 8bit. 4. 8-Bit News - The place to find the latest announcements in the 8-bit Atari world. 5. Bulletin Board - A general discussion board just for you and your fellow 8-bit Atari users! 6. Programming Forum... Led by the Atari SIG's programmer-in-residence, Peter Haller The 8-bit is still a popular choice among programmers. The 8-bit Atari computers allow for a level of control over the hardware that is both straight-forward and powerful. Even though these machines have gone out of production, the dedicated user base support these machines. This forum is for those programmers - both novice and the die-hard hackers - to share secrets, ideas, problems, and remember the 'good ol'e days'. The 8-Bit Programming Forum is broken down into the following areas: 1. About this Forum - You're reading it! 2. 8-Bit Programming FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) List - the name says it all! This will hopefully release the open forums from the simple and common questions that newcommers have. This list will be updated at the beginning of every month. 3. Resource Center - This is where you will find code samples, helpful hints, and the best PD development tools info, among other things. Post your neat little hacks in here for all to enjoy. If a group project ever gets started, then this is where all the code will be placed. This is a moderated area, so we can keep it clean. This newsgroup may eventually expand into a submenu depending on the amount of information it contains. 4. 8-Bit Hacking Board - This is the catch all area. Any programming related questions - from BASIC to Assembly - will be fair game here. This area is unmoderated, so watch the language. 5. The Asylum - Grab a Jolt and call up Dominos! This is the General Programmers Forum of the Atari SIG. All programmers are welcome. Take a browse, flame at your machine, or just listen in on Atari related programming subject. This is totally and completely unmoderated, so if you can't take it... 6. Product Summaries - A place for 8-bit users to share shorter product summaries which make obtaining a new product that much less of a hassle 7. Product Reviews - One of the biggest assets of the 8-bit area. This board holds reviews of many of the most popular products available for the 8-bit Atari (and some of the duds too). Check here before making your purchase, or write reviews for the SIG for the benefit of others. 8. Tips & Tricks - A place for you to share those neat little things you've discovered while using your computer that make the system even more enjoyable. 9. File Area... The 8-Bit File Area is here to make it as easy as possible for you to upload and download public domain and shareware files to and from the Internet's Atari Archive, located at the University of Michigan. Here is a small overview of each section and its contents: 1. About this File Area - What you are reading now. 2. How to Send & Receive Files - Instructions for how to transfer files between your 8-bit Atari and your Free-Net account. 3. BART Instructions - These are the instructions for using BART - the file-server used to retrieve files from the Archive to your Free-Net account. Also included is the address to which you can send files to contribute to the Archive. 4. File Listing - The listing of 8-bit Atari files available from the Archive. 5. Atari File Request Board - A place for you to ask your fellow SIG members for help in locating desired PD or shareware files that are not available on the Archive. 6. Atari File Help Board - A place for you to discuss any problems you may have in transferring files between the Atari Archive, your Free-Net account, and your Atari computer. 11. Info-Atari8 Digest - The Internet's comp.sys.atari.8bit echo - this is the place to read it! 12. Z*Magazine - Your source for the one and only International Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine. This immense resource will eventually hold the ENTIRE, 210+ issue library of Z*Magazine, the grandfather of all Atari online magazines, going back to May 1986. Where else can you find a resource like this? 13. 8-Bit Computer User Directory - Be sure to add your name to this directory and be counted as one of the many 8-bit Atari users of the SIG. The Atari SIG also periodically takes advantage of the Free-Net's conferencing ability to hold real-time, online Atari conferences. Recent conferences included a chat with the Moderatator of the University of Michigan Atari Archive, Jeff Weiner. In addition, the Cleveland Free-Net provides Internet mail access, plus full access to Usenet, including the newsgroup comp.sys.atari.8bit. About the Cleveland Free-Net, and How to join: The Cleveland Free-Net is the primary system in the ever-expanding NPTN, the National Public Telecomputing Network. Get in on the action in this futuristic network! Here's how to access the Cleveland Free-Net: With modem, dial (216) 368-3888, 300/1200/2400 bps Or from the Internet, telnet freenet-in-b.cwru.edu (129.22.8.75). When connected, you may either browse the system, or you may apply for your Cleveland Free-Net account. Application is easy, and of course it's free! Finally, type -go atari-!!! For more information on the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, write to: The Atari SIG P.O. Box 364 Mentor, OH 44061 U.S.A. or Internet e-mail to xx004@cleveland.freenet.edu See you on the Free-Net! | | | DUSSELDORF REPORT | | | Story by John Nagy, Courtesy AtariUser Magazine | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c)1992, AtariUser Magazine. MAY NOT BE REPRINTED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF QUILL PUBLISHING. Atari's Newest Machine is introduced in German Atari Fair The floor of the world's largest annual Atari fair had -Falcons all over the floor of the show, in almost every booth,- according to Nathan Potechin of DMC Publishing, Inc., who gave AtariUser eyewitness accounts during the show. Other estimates said that about 20 Falcons were roosting throughout the sprawling conference center. Many show-goers thought they were looking at regular 1040's since the Falcons on display were not black as originally thought. The Dusseldorf, Germany locale for Atari Messe was again inundated with Atari--the huge trade show spans roughly four football fields of floor space. Nathan reported that the show this year (August 21-23) is similar in size and attendance to last year's event, which brought 30,000 of the faithful to visit 180 vendors. The announcement of the Falcon 030 was the first order of business at Dusseldorf. The crowds knew what they were coming to see after months of nearly-accurate profiles of the coming machine were offered by most of the Atari media, and the excitement was high as they saw it firsthand. However, numerous reports have been made by developers and attendees that indicate that the Falcon is not quite ready to fly. While many existing software products are said to run flawlessly and swiftly, reports of spectacular crashes when running software already loaded on the demo units hard drives blemished the premier. In any case, many vendors at AtariMesse had new applications that exposed the power and features that are new on the Falcon 030. DMC Publishing (Calamus) again had the largest booth on the floor, spanning 4,000 square feet with about 40 people working in it alone. Other large booths included TMS, Matrix, 3K, and Maxxon. Many new products were shown, and AtariUser will report on them in detail in our next issue. Prices and Plans The -base- Falcon 030 will retail for $799 in the USA in a one-megabyte configuration. The next option up the scale will be a four-megabyte RAM Falcon with 65 megabyte hard drive at $1,399. Availability in the US is slated for -October- in limited quantities. The FCC type acceptance for domestic sales is not yet in hand, but is predicted to be a sure thing this time, due to extensive tests done in-house at Atari. Marketing plans for the new machine in the USA were also revealed in Germany. Sam Tramiel told dealers and developers at Atari Messe that the US launch will be via regional marketing build-ups. Individual regions of the USA will be targeted, one at a time, with major -dog and pony shows- to both woo and educate computer dealers. Significant co-op advertising money will be offered to dealers who join in the roll-out. Once enough regions are served by a new operating dealer network, Atari will launch a national advertising campaign. Industry observers suggest that this plan will make the most of Atari's cash and production resources. By serving a small but growing dealer network with product, on-board Falcon dealers can be more assured of delivery of product during the build-out stages of the plan. Dealers will help and be helped in promotional costs, enabling Atari to make a bigger splash in smaller ponds with less of their own money, and allowing Atari's resources to go towards increasing production of Falcon computers. As production and sales increase, so will revenues with which to attack new regions. Meanwhile, Falcon specific software will mature and present a solid base for the later national marketing efforts, to come in 1993. The Word on the Bird Atari's CEO Sam Tramiel made conference appearances on the GEnie and Delphi telecommunication networks the week before AtariMesse, giving the fans worldwide a chance to -talk- to him -live.- Communicating via modem to the conferences, the audience could ask questions directly of Sam and the Atari technical team, and get answers in real time. The result was the best look we've had to date at the intention and potential of Atari and the new Falcon. The corporate view of the Falcon 030 is that it exceeds all of the multimedia expectations of the computer buying public, while being an exceptional value as a home computer system. Sam took fire on the conferences over the 1040 style case, which is seen by some as a curse. Sam reiterated the Atari position that the Falcon 030 is the consumer/ introductory unit of a new series of computers, and alluded to a 68040 to come, but would say no more. Conversely, Sam Tramiel said of sales and advertising of the current line of Atari computers: -We felt that the present ST/STE family was not strong enough to market in the US. We have been waiting for this new product, and we do plan to support it and market it in the US. It will be a hard battle, but we will put a good effort behind it.- He added that the STe and especially the TT lines will continue to be produced and supported. More: ||| MultiTOS is a combination of rom and disk based software. Most well written applications seem to work fine. MultiTOS will be available as an upgrade for the TT030 and future 68030 and above machines. ||| Bundled software will be packaged with the Atari Falcon030 will include games written especially for the Atari Falcon030, including LandMines and a BreakOut kind of game. There will also be a Rolodex type of application called Cal/Apt, a calculator application called ProCalc, and a Talking Clock desk accessory. ||| New STe compatible analog joysticks will have 15 buttons, with three fire buttons and a 12 key keypad. ||| A true expansion bus via a direct processor slot with all of the necessary data and control lines to allow plugging in optional third party coprocessor boards. This will allow more complete PC and Mac emulators, for example. ||| According to Sam, there are some 30 new developers that are producing software for the Atari Falcon. Several of the developers are also NeXT developers. ||| Contrary to a few scare rumors, the MIDI and cartridge ports are still standard. However, there is no external floppy connector for a second disk drive, and no ACSI/DMA port for Atari brand hard drives and laser printers. Sam explains that Atari opted for the industry standard and faster SCSI II. Third party companies have developed converter boxes to allow the SLM printers to connect to the Atari Falcon 030. Memory Matters The Falcon 030 can have 1, 4 or 14 megabytes of RAM. The memory is addressed continuously, and any application or MultiTOS can see all the memory at once. Memory upgrades will be through a -Atari Falcon- ram board. There are no memory controllers on the board like on the TT, and Atari's pricing on the RAM will be -very competitive.- The RAM in the Falcon is 32-bit wide, and the limited total RAM configurations allow faster memory access than other multiples. Why 14 instead of 16 or more megabytes? In order to maintain a high degree of compatibility with ST software, a 16 meg window was maintained despite the ability of the 68030 chip to -see- far more memory. The top two meg of the 16 meg a 68000 is capable of addressing are mapped as I/O device handling areas, so they are not used by the Falcon either. The result is a lot of RAM that is used just like ST memory instead of the switching scheme used in the TT. Sightings The Atari Falcon030 will work with any VGA, or Atari ST Color Monitor... SC1224 or SC1435. The 16 bit True Color (non-palette) mode will work in 640 x 480 interlaced on a TV or ST style monitor. A special cable will let you use an older ST monitor. True Color will also work in 320 x 480 on VGA monitors. The BLiTTER Chip has been sped up to 16 MHz to handle the extra bandwidth and does double duty for fast hard drive access. The Falcon 030 is easily -Genlockable- for multimedia and TV use; a cheap third-party external device is required to strip the sync from the external signal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for DELPHI service, call (with modem) (800) 695-4002. Upon connection, hit once or twice. At Password: type ZNET and hit . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for GEnie service call (with modem) (800) 638-8369. Upon connection type HHH and hit . Wait for the U#= prompt and type XTX99436,GEnie and hit . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199. Ask for operator #198. You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free membership kit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*Mag International Atari Online Magazine is an Atari publication covering the 8-Bit and related computer community. Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the following terms only. All articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications. Opinions present herein are those of the individual authors and does not necessarily reflect those of the staff. This publication is not affiliated with the Atari Corporation. Z*Mag, Z*Net News Service, Z*Net International, Rovac, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net Publishing are copyright (c)1985-1992, Syndicate Publishing, Rovac Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey, 08846-0059, Voice: (908) 968-2024, BBS: (908) 968-8148, (510) 373-6792. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------------------------