1051 lines
29 KiB
Plaintext
1051 lines
29 KiB
Plaintext
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_________________^^^_______________
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Zmagazine HOT Atari News++++
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August 30, 1986 Labor Day Edition
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Publisher/Editior-Ron Kovacs
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Assistant Editor-Larry Mihalik
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Contributing Editor-Walt Drummond
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___________________________________
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Xx Contents
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<*> User Group Report
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<*> Larry's Corner
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<*> BBS Review by Walt Drummond
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<*> Special Editor Column
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Response to Zmag 8/6/86 by
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Clinton Smith of Chicago Zmag.
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<*> Commodore Blues Part 2
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<*> Top Story--5 people indicted
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for phreaking.
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<*> Zmag Notes
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<*> Zmag Systems
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<*> For CompuServe Readers Only
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<*> New Products;Star Printer,
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Televideo Terminal.
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<*> Law and your Computer;Pres.
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Reagan signs law to repeal
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computer owners having to keep
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logs.
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-----------------------------------
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Xx Top Story
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COMPUTERISTS INDICTED IN N.C.
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Federal authorities this week
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called a press conference in
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Raleigh, N.C., to say that hundreds
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of thousands of dollars have been
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lost to computer crackers who pick
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up access code numbers for long
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distance phone service and post
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them on computer bulletin board
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systems.
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According to F. Alan Boyce of The
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Associated Press, -Federal
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authorities say recent indictments
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of five North Carolina men ... is
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just the tip of the iceberg.-
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US Attorney Sam Currin told
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reporters his office was able to
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bring about the five indictments
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after a 16-year-old high school
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student was caught by TeleMarketing
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Communications of Raleigh making
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more than $2,000 worth of illegal
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calls.
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Meanwhile, says Boyce, a federal
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grand jury in Greensboro has
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charged three men with illegally
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possessing charge-account numbers
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and telephone long-distance access
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codes obtained through home
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computers.
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According to the wire service,
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those indicted include:
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Robert Edward Lee II of Durham,
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accused of devising a method for
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defrauding TeleMarketing
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Communications;
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Michael William McCann of Dobson,
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charged with possessing more than 15 unauthorized telephone access
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codes and account numbers owned by
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TeleMarketing Communications,
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TransCall America and General
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Communication Inc.;
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Tryone Columbus Bullins of
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Reidsville, alleged to possess 17
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unauthorized charge-card numbers
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and 15 unauthorized telephone
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access codes
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Ralph Sammie Fig of Knightdale and
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James Thomas McPhail of Goldsboro,
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indicted on similar charges by a
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grand jury in the Eastern District
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earlier this month.
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As previously reported in Zmag822
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US Secret Service agents earlier
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this month said in affidavits that
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a North Carolina investigation
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began in January after agents
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learned that a telephone company in
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Raleigh had lost thousands of
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dollars to computer crackers.
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-----------------------------------
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Xx Commodore Blues Part 2
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Having its first profitable quarter
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in two years is not enough to allow
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Commodore to breath a sigh of
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relief, says its new chief
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executive, Thomas J. Rattigan.
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Instead, the company needs to be
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gearing up for -an interesting
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dogfight- with low-priced Asian
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clones of the IBM-PC, which he
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expects to appear in mass market
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stores this fall.
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Speaking to The Associated Press,
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Rattigan added, -The real issue now
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is to make the business more
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profitable. We will have to
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demonstrate that we're as good at
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making money as we were at losing
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money. That's the only thing that
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will establish our credibility.-
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As reported last week in Zmag,
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Commodore posted a $1.2 million
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profit on $208.9 million in sales
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in the June quarter after losing
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more than $270 million in the
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previous five quarters.
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AP notes that since taking over 16
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months ago, replacing Marshall F.
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Smith as CEO, Rattigan has closed
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two plants, sold two joint-venture
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operations, shifted some
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manufacturing to lower-cost
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locations and cut the worldwide
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employment from 4,600 to 3,100.
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Also he's taken -a calculated risk-
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to boost profits by concentrating
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more on higher-margin computers
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while reducing lower-margin
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accessories, such as monitors and
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disk drives.
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But Rattigan says there still is a
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rough road ahead. The company must
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reduce its $374 million bank debt,
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which represents 75 percent of its
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capitalization. Adds the wire
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service, -He also has to expand
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Commodore's revenue base beyond the
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high-volume but low-profit margin
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C64 and 128 computers.-
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Rattigan acknowledged the new Amiga
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is not doing as well as the company
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had hoped. But, says AP, -the
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company is developing Amiga
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technology into a family of
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products, a move hailed by market
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researchers, who believe that
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product lines rather than
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individual machines will have the
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greatest sales appeal.-
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--Charles Bowen
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CompuServe Online Today
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-----------------------------------
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Xx Laws and Computers
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President Reagan has signed into
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public law (Public Law 99- 44) a
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Congressional bill that repeals
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various sections of the Internal
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Revenue Code that required owners
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of personal computers to keep
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detailed daily logs of the
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computers' business and personal
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use.
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It is a rare piece of legislation
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indeed that gathers nearly
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unanimous support from both houses
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of Congress, but that is exactly
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what happened to the bills in the
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U.S. House of Representatives (H.R.
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1869) and the U.S. Senate (S. 245)
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that amend the Internal Revenue
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Code of 1954 to repeal the
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requirement of the Tax Reform Act
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of 1984 that contemporaneous
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records be kept to substantiate
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certain deductions and credits.
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The law stated that effective Jan.
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1, 1985 taxpayers who claimed
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certain business deductions were to
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keep daily logs detailing both
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personal and business use of
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personal computers, automobiles and
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other equipment. Thousands of small
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business owners and farmers were
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outraged by the burdensome new
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requirement.
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The members of Congress listened to
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the folks back home, and in
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extremely quick action voted to
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repeal the requirement. The House
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passed H.R. 1869 by 426-to-1. And
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by voice vote on May 16, the Senate
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approved the bill as well by
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adopting a conference report the
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House approved May 8.
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The bill does, however, restrict
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business tax breaks for expensive
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automobiles. This was added in
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order to pay for the repeal.
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By:Cathryn Conroy
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-----------------------------------
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Xx New Products
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STAR DOT MATRIX PRINTER
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Star Micronics has introduced the
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NL-10, a nine-wire dot matrix
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desktop printer designed for
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professional, small office or home
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use.
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The NL-10 prints high-speed draft
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quality at 12 cps and superior near
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letter quality at 30 cps. It
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features plug-in interface
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cartridges which ensure
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compatibility with most personal
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computers. The printer also has a
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push- button-activated front panel
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that controls 11 format and print
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functions, including three print
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pitch selections, type style, print
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mode, margin settings and forward
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and reverse micro paper feed.
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Retail price is $379 with one
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interface cartridge. Additional
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cartridges are $60 each.
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For information
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Star Micronics Inc.
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200 Park Ave.
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Suite 3510
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New York, NY 10166
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212/986-6770.
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C. ITOH COLOR MONITOR
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C. Itoh Digital Products Inc. has
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introduced the Chroma Pro CM 3000,
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a high-resolution RGB color monitor
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which, with the flick of a switch,
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can operate as a monochrome
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monitor.
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For color graphics applications,
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the CM 3000 offers a resolution of
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640 x 240 and is supported by such
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popular interface boards as the IBM
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Color Graphics Adapter and Tecmar's
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Graphics Master. The true monochrome
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monitor, ideal for word processing
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and spreadsheets, offers a resolution
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of 750 x 350.
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TELEVIDEO COMPACT TERMINAL
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TeleVideo Systems Inc. has
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introduced the pT100 terminal, a
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compact, economical terminal
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offering compatibility with DEC
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VT100 and VT52.
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Designed primarily as a data
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retrieval product, the terminal can
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also be used for light data entry
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whenever VT100 compatibility is
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necessary. Features include a
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buffered printer port, user
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friendly set- up menus, password
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protection, full-range video
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attributes, 32 DEC-compatible
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graphics characters and double-
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high/double-wide characters.
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The pT100 has a nine-inch green
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phosphor screen with a time-out
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screen saver feature and a 24- line
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by 80-column display.
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Retail price is $499.
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For information
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TeleVideo Systems Inc.
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Box 6602
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San Jose, CA 95150-6602.
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408/745-7760.
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-----------------------------------
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Xx CompuServe Readers Only
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Hello there people, I want to
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thank you for the positive mail I
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have been getting during the last
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two weeks. To those of you
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interested in getting Zmag on your
|
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local BBS or even on your own BBS
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if your a System Operator, please
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make yourself welcome to the issues
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available on CIS and put them up.
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But please leave me a message with
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your BBS location, number, hours,
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baud etc... I would like to list
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systems carrying Zmag in the Zmag
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Systems Column.
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Please keep the mail coming!!!!
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-----------------------------------
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Xx Zmag Notes
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The Syndicate, My BBS has finally
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had a major crash. This week BBCS
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2.4 bit the dust!!! Hard disk and
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BBCS dont mix!!! I am now running
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Forem26M again, this time the MPP
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takes back seat and Avatex 1200
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is online. Soon I hope to run the
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Carina BBS system.
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On another topic, My wife is still
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carrying the baby which is due
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ANY day!!! Next weeks issue is
|
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still in the air. The baby is due
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sometime between today and next
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Friday. My prediction is Wednesday
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and it will be an 8 pound boy!
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Let's see what happens....If the
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baby arrives this week, We will
|
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return in 2 weeks.
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At any rate, Please dont drink and
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drive this weekend, Have a safe
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and pleasant chilly weekend.
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-----------------------------------
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Xx User Group News
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Supplied by the MID-MICHIGAN ATARI
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MAGAZINE Aug. 1986, reprinted by
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permission.
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MIDI ON THE ATARI
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By MITCHELL WELLS
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I have been asked to write a few
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short articles about MIDI (an
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acronym for Musical Instrument to
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Ditital Interface) and its use on
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the ATARI. Rather than describe or
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explain MIDI here, I will instead
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tell you fellow ATARI enthusiasts
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about what to look for in the
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future of MIDI on ATARI's. However,
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in later articles I will expand on
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MIDI; I will tell you what it is
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and what it does in detail. For
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now, just know that it is a way for
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computers to play synthesizers and
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for synthesizers to communicate
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with computers.
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If the future of MIDI on ATARI's
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was in any way reflected at the
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NAMM show (National Association of
|
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Musical Merchandisers) in Chicago
|
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the weekend of 6/14, the best that
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can be said is that there will be a
|
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|
future, albeit a slow moving one.
|
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The NAMM show in question is where
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all the manufacturers of musical
|
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equipment meet to display their
|
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wares to retail outlets like
|
||
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Elderly Instruments (where, by the
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way, I work), who in turn make
|
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orders based on what they see.
|
||
|
Although the ATARI was seriously
|
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|
overshadowed by the IBM, APPLE and
|
||
|
COMMODORE 64 (NOT the AMIGA), some
|
||
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new developments in software for
|
||
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the ATARI may make it a frontrunner
|
||
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in the race for the most popular
|
||
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MIDI computer within a year and a
|
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half. There was very little new in
|
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terms of MIDI software for the ST
|
||
|
computer, which I saw as a
|
||
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disapointment as it's the only
|
||
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computer that comes with MIDI ports
|
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already on it.
|
||
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|
HYBRID ARTS did not have MIDITRACK
|
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|
ST done yet, and EASYTRACK ST was
|
||
|
about as useful to a musician as
|
||
|
ACTIVISION's THE MUSIC SHOP (which
|
||
|
is not very and if you own an ST
|
||
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and are thinking about a MIDI
|
||
|
software package for a serious
|
||
|
musician, stay away from both of
|
||
|
these). However, if you're not a
|
||
|
musician and want something that
|
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will be easy to use with a CASIO CZ
|
||
|
101, I would suggest ACTIVISION's
|
||
|
package. It's much cheaper and
|
||
|
easier to use. HYBRID ARTS did
|
||
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unveil an 8 voice sampler (sound
|
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|
digitizer--more on samplers later)
|
||
|
which is made to be hard wired to
|
||
|
an ST. There was some great
|
||
|
software for it, and it did have
|
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its uses, but it also had
|
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|
tremendous drawbacks for a real
|
||
|
MIDI system (no MIDI thru port, the
|
||
|
need of another MIDI keyboard as a
|
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|
trigger, so on). They did have a
|
||
|
good MIRAGE sampler editor and a
|
||
|
generic system dump program
|
||
|
however, which they also have
|
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|
produced for the 8 bit ATARI's.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Besides HYBRID ARTS, KAWAI, which
|
||
|
has made fine pianos for many
|
||
|
years, unveiled a new line of
|
||
|
synthesizers. These synthesizers
|
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will come with software editing
|
||
|
packages for the ATARI 8-bit
|
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|
machines ONLY. They're fine
|
||
|
synthesizers with fine software.
|
||
|
When I asked why KAWAI decided to
|
||
|
go with the ATARI rather than the
|
||
|
more popular COMMODORES, APPLES or
|
||
|
IBMS, KAWAI said they thought the
|
||
|
ATARI's were better computers for
|
||
|
the money and that the ST's were
|
||
|
shaping up to be THE MIDI computer
|
||
|
in Europe! I had also heard this
|
||
|
from two other sources (Musician
|
||
|
Magizine last month and Electronic
|
||
|
Musician from two months ago).
|
||
|
|
||
|
The most common question I'm asked
|
||
|
about in relation to MIDI (Musical
|
||
|
Instrument Ditital Interface) is
|
||
|
what specifically it does. The
|
||
|
most common MISCONCEPTION about
|
||
|
MIDI in this respect is that MIDI
|
||
|
somehow digitizes sound. This
|
||
|
brief article will explain simply
|
||
|
what MIDI really does and also how
|
||
|
I use MIDI to make music with my
|
||
|
ATARI computer.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Probably everyone is fimilar with a
|
||
|
player piano. A player piano has a
|
||
|
roll of paper that, through the
|
||
|
punching of holes in this roll,
|
||
|
records the notes played by a
|
||
|
pianist so this sequence of notes
|
||
|
can be played back by the piano
|
||
|
without the pianist. At least, the
|
||
|
first player pianos did this.
|
||
|
Later, the Duo Art piano was
|
||
|
introduced which would not only
|
||
|
record the notes played, but also
|
||
|
the velocity and exact duration of
|
||
|
the notes, capturing the exact
|
||
|
performance of the pianist. This
|
||
|
was all but forgotten with the
|
||
|
advent of record and tape. But
|
||
|
tape has many problems, one of
|
||
|
which is once you record it, it's
|
||
|
done. There is no good (read:easy)
|
||
|
way to edit a live performance on
|
||
|
tape. MIDI to some extent solves
|
||
|
these problems. It works in much
|
||
|
the way the Duo Art player piano
|
||
|
does, recording the notes played
|
||
|
(not digitizing sound), their
|
||
|
duration and velocity, and the use
|
||
|
of various controlers (pitch bend,
|
||
|
modulation wheel, program change)
|
||
|
found on synthesizers. But instead
|
||
|
of punching holes in a roll of
|
||
|
paper to record this information,
|
||
|
MIDI allows for a computer to store
|
||
|
this information, which enables
|
||
|
editing of the recorded information
|
||
|
in much the way a letter is edited
|
||
|
using a word processor. MIDI on
|
||
|
most computer systems also allows
|
||
|
the layering of this recorded
|
||
|
information, enabling the computer
|
||
|
to play many synthesizers at once
|
||
|
and synchronize them. Other items,
|
||
|
like drum machines and echo
|
||
|
machines, can also be synchronized
|
||
|
with this recorded information.
|
||
|
Two things make MIDI useful to any
|
||
|
musician (or non-musician): the
|
||
|
opportunity to easily edit the
|
||
|
information recorded, and the
|
||
|
recording of many tracks (layers)
|
||
|
of information without the loss in
|
||
|
sound that occurs when tape is
|
||
|
used. Every time the computer
|
||
|
plays out the song recorded, it
|
||
|
plays the original instruments the
|
||
|
song was recorded on, just like the
|
||
|
player piano. MIDI also allows for
|
||
|
the transfer of other data to
|
||
|
synthesizers, like sound settings,
|
||
|
volume settings, tempo, etc..
|
||
|
|
||
|
My system consists of an ATARI
|
||
|
800XL that has been upgraded to
|
||
|
256K, an 810 disk drive, a MIDI
|
||
|
interface (like the one offered by
|
||
|
HYBRID ARTS in California) and
|
||
|
software (HYBRID ARTS' MIDITRACK
|
||
|
III) on the computer side. With
|
||
|
this computer system I run 4
|
||
|
synthesizers (Yamaha TX7, Yamaha
|
||
|
CX5M w/SFG-05, Casio CZ101, Korg
|
||
|
Poly 800), 3 drum machines (Casio
|
||
|
RZ1, Korg DDM 110 and 220), and an
|
||
|
echo (Korg SDD2000). I record a
|
||
|
song by first playing the
|
||
|
synthesizers and drum machines, and
|
||
|
recording them in tracks using the
|
||
|
ATARI computer via MIDI. The
|
||
|
computer then plays back all these
|
||
|
keyboards and drums, and I mix this
|
||
|
onto one track of a 4 track tape
|
||
|
recorder, which leaves me 3 tracks
|
||
|
to put on live guitar, bass and
|
||
|
vocals. Then finally, I mix these
|
||
|
four tracks onto a regular stereo
|
||
|
cassette and the creative process
|
||
|
is finished. Although most larger
|
||
|
studios have much more equipment
|
||
|
and many more tracks on tape
|
||
|
available to them, the recording
|
||
|
process using MIDI and tape is
|
||
|
essentially the same.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Next month I'll tell you what you
|
||
|
need to start your own MIDI studio
|
||
|
on an ATARI and how much it costs
|
||
|
(it's so cheap to get started, you
|
||
|
just won't believe it). I'll also
|
||
|
tell you some specifics on the
|
||
|
software available.
|
||
|
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
MID-MICHIGAN ATARI MAGAZINE
|
||
|
Sept. 1986, reprinted by permission
|
||
|
|
||
|
A LETTER TO THE TAKERS
|
||
|
by Leo Sell
|
||
|
|
||
|
Dear Takers,
|
||
|
|
||
|
This is a difficult letter to
|
||
|
write. The sentiments herein could
|
||
|
be taken in a negative way - please
|
||
|
don't. Please take this as an
|
||
|
opportunity for constructive change
|
||
|
and a chance to examine your
|
||
|
motivation for being involved in
|
||
|
our club.
|
||
|
|
||
|
A club such as ours is based on
|
||
|
mutual help and sharing of
|
||
|
knowledge, experience and resources.
|
||
|
Anyone whose involvement is only
|
||
|
taking, who doesn't contribute in
|
||
|
some way, is tearing at the very
|
||
|
fabric of our organization.
|
||
|
|
||
|
An illustration is the difference
|
||
|
between 2-wheel drive and 4-wheel
|
||
|
drive vehicles. When a 4 wheeler
|
||
|
is operating, all 4 wheels are
|
||
|
contributing and sharing the road
|
||
|
operation. In contrast, when a 2
|
||
|
wheel vehicle operates, 2 wheels
|
||
|
are powered and 2 wheels are a drag
|
||
|
on the power. The drag isn't much,
|
||
|
but it is enough that the 4-wheeler
|
||
|
can handle a far greater range of
|
||
|
road conditions than the 2-wheeler.
|
||
|
|
||
|
How then are some people a drag on
|
||
|
the club? Well, how many times
|
||
|
have you seen a demonstration of a
|
||
|
library disk, or the disk of the
|
||
|
month, and passed up the
|
||
|
opportunity to purchase it -
|
||
|
instead, asking for and downloading
|
||
|
the files from the BBS? How many
|
||
|
times have you taken promotional
|
||
|
material at a Computer Show or
|
||
|
Faire, and not helped with the
|
||
|
club's participation? Actions such
|
||
|
as these, as well as others, do
|
||
|
nothing to support or build up the
|
||
|
club. Rather, they serve to weaken
|
||
|
it. If everyone takes, rather than
|
||
|
gives, the club's existance will
|
||
|
cease.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Members must contribute more to the
|
||
|
club than just the yearly dues.
|
||
|
The annual dues basically cover the
|
||
|
cost of the monthly newsletter and
|
||
|
the free disk. Support comes in
|
||
|
such things as the purchase of
|
||
|
library disks, purchase of club-
|
||
|
offered hardware, volunteering for
|
||
|
needed jobs, etc. Members who are
|
||
|
active on the BBS can contribute by
|
||
|
downloading public-domain programs
|
||
|
from commercial services such as
|
||
|
Compuserve and Delphi, and from
|
||
|
other, long-distance Bulletin Board
|
||
|
Systems, and then uploading the
|
||
|
programs to our BBS to share with
|
||
|
everyone. By doing this, the time
|
||
|
and cost of expanding and updating
|
||
|
our library and supporting the BBS
|
||
|
is spread around.
|
||
|
|
||
|
To reitierate, the club must be a
|
||
|
mutual and cooperative effort. If
|
||
|
it is not, the club will die.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Now, one reaction at this point
|
||
|
might be -what do I get out of
|
||
|
it??-. I will make you a
|
||
|
guarantee. Most Atari users want
|
||
|
to know more about their machines
|
||
|
and how to use them. Getting
|
||
|
involved in club activities, such
|
||
|
as production of the newsletter, or
|
||
|
helping with the libraries, or
|
||
|
almost anything, will result in
|
||
|
more knowledge and computing
|
||
|
ability than you are likely to get
|
||
|
in any other way. You always get
|
||
|
more out of something when you put
|
||
|
something in. You will with our
|
||
|
club as well. I guarantee it!!
|
||
|
|
||
|
Please give thought to your
|
||
|
involvement in the club. Are you a
|
||
|
giver or a taker? We certainly
|
||
|
hope that, regardless of past
|
||
|
habits, you will share your time
|
||
|
and talents and be a giver, not a
|
||
|
only a taker. We look forward to
|
||
|
your future help, support and
|
||
|
cooperation.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Sincerely,
|
||
|
Leo Sell, President
|
||
|
C.H.A.O.S.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The above material supplied by the:
|
||
|
Mid-Michigan Atari Newsletter. For
|
||
|
more interesting articles, check
|
||
|
out Data Library 7 on CompuServe's
|
||
|
Atari*Sig.
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
Xx Review By:Walt Drummond
|
||
|
|
||
|
BBS Review- The Lions Den
|
||
|
|
||
|
Ahhh! What a vacation! Well,
|
||
|
I'm back with another review, so
|
||
|
here I go!
|
||
|
|
||
|
The Lions Den BBS is a Carina
|
||
|
system. The Carina system is a new
|
||
|
idea in BBS programs and takes a
|
||
|
little getting use to, but its well
|
||
|
worth the time. It uses whole
|
||
|
words, the first three letters or
|
||
|
the Macros. The latter is the
|
||
|
neetest!
|
||
|
|
||
|
The Macros are a kind of BBCS and
|
||
|
F.o.R.e.M. mixture. They don't use
|
||
|
the -Hot Menu- idea, but the
|
||
|
command prompt needs a return after
|
||
|
the Macro. The Macro is a
|
||
|
<Control + Letter> combo, and when
|
||
|
used, the command is displayed.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The SysOp, Larry the Lion, is
|
||
|
VERY into his BBS. He constantly
|
||
|
keeps the message bases up to date
|
||
|
and is trying to expand the BBS.
|
||
|
Right now, he has a little over one
|
||
|
meg of onLine storage, and he is
|
||
|
working on a fourth drive. Larry
|
||
|
the Lion also plans to add a Zmag
|
||
|
message base and a ST base,
|
||
|
hopefully with a ST download
|
||
|
section.
|
||
|
|
||
|
I like the Carina BBS system and
|
||
|
what Larry the Lion has done with
|
||
|
it. I hope to see more BBSs taking
|
||
|
on his style. Way to go!
|
||
|
|
||
|
On a scale of 10, 10 the best,
|
||
|
The Lions Den gets->
|
||
|
<___9___>
|
||
|
|
||
|
Call The Lions Den at (201)-396-
|
||
|
0867 and let me know what you
|
||
|
think! I can be contacted at the
|
||
|
East Coast Syndicate,(201) 968-8148
|
||
|
or at CompuServe, PPN# 71777,3631.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Zmag BBS Review Walt Drummond
|
||
|
|
||
|
If you want your BBS reviewed,
|
||
|
just let me know!
|
||
|
|
||
|
Welcome back Walt, Nice to see your
|
||
|
back to work!! See you next week!
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
|
||
|
Xx Larry's Corner
|
||
|
|
||
|
As I related in the last issue,
|
||
|
I suggested that Carina BBS had an
|
||
|
unlimited amount of power. Well, I
|
||
|
am going to try to show you that is
|
||
|
true. First, let's talk a little
|
||
|
bit about the structure of Carina
|
||
|
BBS.
|
||
|
|
||
|
The heart of this system is the
|
||
|
modem control module, the Modem
|
||
|
operating enviroment (MOE for
|
||
|
short).
|
||
|
|
||
|
MOE is an overlay of the Atari
|
||
|
operating system that links the
|
||
|
keyboard, the modem, the printer,
|
||
|
and the disk drives together. It
|
||
|
is because of MOE's control that a
|
||
|
sysop can, while the user is on-
|
||
|
line, go to Basic or Dos, without
|
||
|
any risk of lossing the user. This
|
||
|
is the first reason I said Carina
|
||
|
BBS is the most powerful BBS for
|
||
|
the 8-bit Atari Computers.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Beyond that, Carina has with the
|
||
|
use of MOE, made it possible to go
|
||
|
to Basic, type -NEW- and load and
|
||
|
run an entirely unrelated or
|
||
|
related Basic program without any
|
||
|
modifications to the program. This
|
||
|
opens up an entire spectrum of
|
||
|
possibilities for online games,
|
||
|
voting polls, or anything else your
|
||
|
creative mind can design.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Heard enough? Well there is one
|
||
|
more thing. Carina BBS can in fact
|
||
|
house a terminal program within it.
|
||
|
That's right, without having to
|
||
|
take the board down, you can simply
|
||
|
call in the terminal program, make
|
||
|
calls to your favorite BBS, upload
|
||
|
and download and then return to the
|
||
|
BBS and wait for those callers.
|
||
|
|
||
|
I recently learned that Carina,
|
||
|
in continued support of thier
|
||
|
product have put together a utility
|
||
|
disk for the purchase by registered
|
||
|
Carina BBS owners. That disk will
|
||
|
include a terminal program and a
|
||
|
number of other useful utilities.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Also, I wanted to announce that
|
||
|
Carina has lowered the price of
|
||
|
thier BBS software. The new price
|
||
|
is $55.00 for this little gem. They
|
||
|
have also announced the release of
|
||
|
a 1030/xm301 version, it is already
|
||
|
available as you read this.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Also, for the time being, this
|
||
|
will be my last column devoted to
|
||
|
Carina BBS. I will be looking for
|
||
|
other topics to research and
|
||
|
discuss. If you want to learn more
|
||
|
about Carina BBS, feel free to call
|
||
|
my board The Lion's Den BBs or call
|
||
|
Carina BBS at 1-305-793-2975.
|
||
|
|
||
|
So I will be back in our next
|
||
|
issue hopefully with another
|
||
|
venture to learn and entertain.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Larry Mihalik
|
||
|
The Lion's Den BBS
|
||
|
The Syndicate BBS
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
Xx Editors Column
|
||
|
|
||
|
The following comment was taken
|
||
|
from the August 19th issue of
|
||
|
Chicago Zmag.
|
||
|
|
||
|
It refrences the story in New
|
||
|
Jersey Zmag of August 9th with
|
||
|
the interview of the Atari
|
||
|
Connection sysop. This BBS was
|
||
|
closed down by local police for
|
||
|
pirating software. If you would
|
||
|
like to see this interview, read
|
||
|
ZMAG809.TXT.
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Rebuttal by Chicago Zmag Editor
|
||
|
|
||
|
After reading the preceeding
|
||
|
interview,I was very disturbed.
|
||
|
This youth is a criminal and has
|
||
|
the nerve to say that the person
|
||
|
who turned him in should be
|
||
|
punished. Especially irritating is
|
||
|
his statement that the person who
|
||
|
turned him in is a definite threat
|
||
|
to the computing world. This
|
||
|
statement is a joke,in my mind it
|
||
|
is he who is a threat to the
|
||
|
computing world. Specifically,the
|
||
|
Atari computing world. Many pirates
|
||
|
respond to the arguement that the
|
||
|
lack of new Atari software is caused
|
||
|
by piracy, by the fact that a lot
|
||
|
of Commodore pirating occurs and there
|
||
|
is no lack of new software for that
|
||
|
system. That would be a good reply
|
||
|
if there were as many Ataris as
|
||
|
there were 64s. Unfortunately,
|
||
|
there are not. The number of 64s is
|
||
|
great enough so that even after the
|
||
|
pirates have their copies of a
|
||
|
program, there are still enough
|
||
|
paying users to ensure that the
|
||
|
program makes money. The program
|
||
|
makes money for the company and the
|
||
|
company continues to work on 64
|
||
|
software since it is profitable.
|
||
|
|
||
|
In response to the statement that
|
||
|
software authors are ripping people
|
||
|
off with high software prices. In
|
||
|
most cases the author of a program
|
||
|
has no say so on what a company is
|
||
|
going to sell his program for. When
|
||
|
you buy a piece of software for
|
||
|
$25, there is a lot more then just
|
||
|
a disk and a program involved.
|
||
|
|
||
|
1)The company had to send the
|
||
|
program to a place for copying.
|
||
|
This costs.
|
||
|
|
||
|
2)The company had to design an eye
|
||
|
catching box, because the
|
||
|
majority of people are going to
|
||
|
pass up a plain white package, to
|
||
|
get the program which has an
|
||
|
illustration of a massive space
|
||
|
war. This costs.
|
||
|
|
||
|
3)The company has to print up
|
||
|
instructions so you'll know how
|
||
|
to play. This costs.
|
||
|
|
||
|
4)The company has to advertise so
|
||
|
people will know about the
|
||
|
program. This costs.
|
||
|
|
||
|
All this adds up to the $25 price
|
||
|
tag. Out of this price,the
|
||
|
programmer usually gets a royalty
|
||
|
of up to 30%. That comes out to
|
||
|
$7.50 for every copy sold. That
|
||
|
isn't much, especially after the
|
||
|
pirates get a hold of it and ruin
|
||
|
the potential buyer base.
|
||
|
Actually, the cop out that prices
|
||
|
are too high on software is
|
||
|
starting to lose it's validity.
|
||
|
Back when the scale of software
|
||
|
prices ranged from 30 to 50 dollars
|
||
|
this excuse might have had a
|
||
|
foothold. However, the majority of
|
||
|
new Atari software programs cost
|
||
|
$25 and under. The only exception
|
||
|
are programs such as word
|
||
|
processors and languages which
|
||
|
require a great deal of research
|
||
|
and development. I do sympathise
|
||
|
with the people who buy software
|
||
|
and it turns out to be a piece of
|
||
|
junk. I myself have been burned by
|
||
|
bad software. However,in most of
|
||
|
these situations is was my own
|
||
|
fault for not finding out wether
|
||
|
the program was any good before I
|
||
|
bought it. My suggestion is that
|
||
|
you forget about buying your
|
||
|
software in a place like Toys R Us.
|
||
|
Go to a local dealer or to User
|
||
|
Group meetings where local dealers
|
||
|
sell at. In most cases, they are
|
||
|
enthusiasts just like you and will
|
||
|
point out any software that they
|
||
|
think is no good and most will demo
|
||
|
programs for you. The only excuse
|
||
|
left for software pirates is the
|
||
|
truth. You want software and you
|
||
|
don't want to have to pay for it.
|
||
|
The software companies could be
|
||
|
selling their programs for $5 and
|
||
|
there would still be people
|
||
|
pirating. If I have offended
|
||
|
anyone, I am sorry but this is how
|
||
|
I feel.
|
||
|
|
||
|
------
|
||
|
I agree with what Clinton has to
|
||
|
say here. Need I say more in
|
||
|
response. I do have one thing to
|
||
|
add here. If the pirates continue
|
||
|
the current attack of software,
|
||
|
sooner or later there wont be any
|
||
|
for the people who are honest and
|
||
|
purchase software. We have all
|
||
|
received copies of pirated software
|
||
|
and perhaps still even enjoy the
|
||
|
use. But the time has come for all
|
||
|
of us who have been fooling around
|
||
|
with the Atari, to be a bit more
|
||
|
thoughtful of what goes into making
|
||
|
programs and the cost involved to
|
||
|
all of us. Perhaps an easy way to
|
||
|
consider this would be to put
|
||
|
yourself in place of the software
|
||
|
companies. You wrote a brillant
|
||
|
game or program and would like
|
||
|
to make a few dollars for your
|
||
|
hard work, but the guy next door
|
||
|
feels that you should give him a
|
||
|
copy of it, and his friend and
|
||
|
his friend, soon friend #4 has
|
||
|
3 friends etc.... When you finally
|
||
|
get your paycheck for sales and
|
||
|
see that your work isnt paying off,
|
||
|
you might decide to stop. What-
|
||
|
ever the circumstances, I am sure
|
||
|
that you get the point. Let's
|
||
|
support these Authors and companies
|
||
|
that put time and work into
|
||
|
supplying us FEW Atari users with
|
||
|
decent software. The ball is in
|
||
|
our court. I wonder what will happen
|
||
|
if anything.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Thanks Clinton for the response,
|
||
|
|
||
|
Ron Kovacs
|
||
|
Zmag New Jersey
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
|
||
|
Xx Zmag BBS Systems
|
||
|
/Zmag Information Network\
|
||
|
--------------------------
|
||
|
E.C.Syndicate-201-968-8148
|
||
|
Backstage BBS-201-944-1196
|
||
|
W.C.Syndicate-415-825-2952
|
||
|
E.B.B.B.S. -201-254-6449
|
||
|
Mega Vision -216-228-7335
|
||
|
New York City-718-604-3323
|
||
|
Lions Den BBS-201-396-0867
|
||
|
Syndicate So.-201-370-8021
|
||
|
CompuServe -201-968-9000
|
||
|
(GO ATARI8)->DL 7>BRO
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
Chicago
|
||
|
/Zmag Systems\
|
||
|
------------------------------
|
||
|
Windy City Atari -312-775-2970
|
||
|
Runequest -312-430-4234
|
||
|
Enchanted Castle -312-525-0688
|
||
|
Centari -312-668-0984
|
||
|
Blue Moon -312-457-2219
|
||
|
C.L.A.U.G. -312-889-1240
|
||
|
Skid Row -312-439-5873
|
||
|
M-Club1 -312-730-1846
|
||
|
M-Club2 -312-349-8686
|
||
|
M-Club4 -312-458-8260
|
||
|
Generic -312-275-2894
|
||
|
Software Plus -312-520-1780
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
Zmagazine August 30, 1986
|
||
|
All Computer Report
|
||
|
Special Labor Day Issue
|
||
|
We will return in 2 weeks!
|
||
|
Please contribute!!!
|
||
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
ZMAG830.TXT
|
||
|
ZMAG.830 Compuserve Filename
|
||
|
(grin)
|