969 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
969 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
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Zmagazine February 16, 1987
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Issue 39
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-----------------------------------
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Zmag Staff:
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Publisher/Editor in Chief:Ron Kovacs
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Editor/Coordinator:Alan Kloza
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-----------------------------------
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____________________________________
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This Week in Zmag......
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<*> SUPRA CORP. GOES ONLINE
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IN COMPUSERVE CONFERENCE
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<*> ATARI IBM CLONES--RUMORS
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ABOUND ON 'NON-RELEASE'
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<*> COMPUTER SALES SLOWED AS
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BUYERS PLAY WAITING GAME
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<*> CHOCOLATE FLOPPY DISKS--
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ARE THEY COPY-PROTECTED?
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<*> ATARI WORD PROCESSORS
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FOR THE 8-BITS--PART II
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<*> KNOCKING OUT CALL-WAITING
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WHILE YOU'RE ONLINE
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All this and more in this weeks
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edition of Zmagazine.....
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___________________________________
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Xx ZMAG ATARI NEWSWIRE
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....Supra Conference on Compuserve.
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___________________________________
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Transcripts from the Conference:
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(Edited by Zmag for easy reading)
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Keith Ledbetter stood in as the
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Co-Chairman.
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(JERRY CROSS) WHAT'S THE WORD ON
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THE UPDATED VERSION OF EXPRESS?
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(Keith) -> well, I should have some
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time freeing up before long,so I
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hope it will be relatively soon..but
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I can't promise.
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(SUPRA CORP) Supra is here, just
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waiting.
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(Keith) I would like to thank
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Supra (Mark) for taking the time to
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be with us here today. They have
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always been vocal on CIS in
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supporting their products, and being
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with us here today just enforces
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that. Mark, any words you would like
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to say before we start the
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questions?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes..Just some news of
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upcoming products. We have a new
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1150 to fix the print shop problem,
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we are now shipping 20,30,60M drives
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for the 8 bit and we will have some
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new telecommunication products in
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2-3 months.
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(Keith) Ok, Mark. Thanks. Let's
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open up the floor for questions.
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Respond with a '?' starting NOW...
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(Eric P.) ?
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(MATT COFFMAN) ?
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(JERRY CROSS) ?
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(Roy G.) ?
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(Patrick Richmond) ?
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(Keith) Ok, go ahead Eric.
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(Eric P.) Ok..what is the access
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time on the 60MB?
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(SUPRA CORP) No, the 20M is a 65ms
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drive, although on the XL/XE you do
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not see that great of a speed
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difference between the two.
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(JERRY CROSS) will the 8-bit hard
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drives (20 meg) work with the
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existing interface for the 10 meg?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes all of our drives
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work with the same XL->SCSI
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interface, we are just changing the
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drive, controller for the higher
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capacities.
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(JERRY CROSS) What is the price for
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the 20?
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(SUPRA CORP) The 20M is $799, 30M
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$995, and 60M $1995.
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(Roy G.) Will the Supra hard drives
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interface to other computers besides
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8 bits?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes they will with
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very little work, it takes a new SCSI
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interface and the drives can be used
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on a ST, Amiga, Mac +. We sell the
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interface for the ST and Amiga.
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Several vendors provide the Mac +
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(Roy G.) I assume you can't just
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apply the interface to any hard drive
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for use on an 8-bit??
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(SUPRA CORP) If I understand, yes
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you can use our interface with any
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SCSI drive or controller. We
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currently work with Xebecs, Western
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Digital, and Adaptecs controllers.
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(Roy G.) Do you sell the interface
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separately?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes we do, 199.95,
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plus instructions for rolling your
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own.
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(Eric P.) How well do the 20MB and
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30MB interface with the ICD MIO?
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(SUPRA CORP) There is no problem
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interfacing to the MIO board, you
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take the 50 pin SCSI cable to the 50
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header in the MIO.
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(Keith) OK, guess it's my turn
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<grin>...Are there any new products
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(that you can talk about) planned for
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the 8-bits coming from Supra?
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(SUPRA CORP) Right now we are
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putting almost all of our resources
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into HD's and accesories (tape
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backup)...We are working on a new
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telecommunication project which will
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work on all systems for a very
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competetive price.
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(Eric P.) How many logical drives
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can the 20MB be divided into?
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(SUPRA CORP) We have an EPROM in
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our interface which you can setup to
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split the drive into as many as 8
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logical drives.
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(Eric P.) How much can each drive
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hold? Each logical drive, that is.
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(SUPRA CORP) Each drive can be a
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max of 16M, this is due to the
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current DOS's.
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(Mike S.) You said earlier that
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Supra was coming out with a new
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version of the 1150 interface. Will
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there be an upgrade policy for people
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who own the earlier model, and if so,
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what will the policy be?
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(SUPRA CORP) The new 1150 is being
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done for 2 reasons
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1. The timing problems the old
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1150, MicroPrint had with SOME
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printers and Print Shop (This
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is fixed now on shipping
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MicroPrints).
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2. It is redesigned for using
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cheaper parts.
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We will upgrade people having
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problems with PrintShop and their
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printers for $7.50 if they have had
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it over 90 days and free if they
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purchased it less than 90 days.
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(JERRY CROSS) -Are you planning a
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2400 baud modem? At what price?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes..at a price that
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is competetive with current 1200
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fully Hayes-compatible.
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(Ben H.) I am under the impression
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that the Supra 1200 bps modem is
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identical to the Avatex. Is this
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true?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes it is true, we OEM
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the Avatex 1200.
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(Ron H.) For those of us who are
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not used to working with hard
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drives, what exactly would we need
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to set up a hard disk system using a
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Supra HD and either your own
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interface or an ICD MIO?
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(SUPRA CORP) If you purchase our
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system, then you plug it in and go.
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We ship the drive with Mydos 4.3->
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but you can use Sparta 2.3D. As far
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as setting up your own system, you
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would need our HD interface or the
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MIO, a SCSI controller, SCSI HD, and
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all of the power, cables, and case
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for the system.
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(Ron H.) Do you sell SCSI
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controllers?
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(SUPRA CORP) We sell the Adaptec
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AC-4000 (MFM drive) & 4070 (RLL)
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but those contollers are better
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suited to the ST as they are fast
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(1:1 interleave). For the XL/XE we
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suggest a 4:1 controller such as the
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Xebec or Western Digital. You can
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find those for $50-100 at any good
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electronic mail order shop.
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(Mike S.) (Maybe this question
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should go to Keith?) For my own
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clarification, which version of
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Express works with the Supra modem?
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(Keith) With which Supra modem,
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the 1200?
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(Mike S.) Yes.
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(SUPRA CORP) We have been sending a
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version of Express with our driver
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appended to it to any 1200 owner who
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calls us. SmartTerm 8.4 is still
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somewhat buggy.
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(Mike S.)Are you planning a future
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release of SmarTerm or is Supra going
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to provide Express with future
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modems?
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(SUPRA CORP) We are still providing
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SmarTerm but that should be changing
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soon. Future modems will not have
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Smarterm but rather Express. (How
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can you compete against the best?)
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(Keith) <grin>
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(Ron Kovacs) I am currently running
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your 10m drive on my BBS.
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Occasionally, as of late, I have
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noticed that the drive makes a
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tapping noise and takes 30 seconds
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to access a file. What could be the
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problem?
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(SUPRA CORP) Ok the noise is most
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likely the grounding strap, you can
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fix that by opening the drive and
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putting tape on a brass tab which is
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in the middle of the drive. As to
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your other problem, I do not know.
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You might give me a call at Supra so
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that I can get more info.
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(SUPRA CORP) Tech support 8-5
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503-967-9081 or the office is
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967-9075.
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(JERRY CROSS) I have several club
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members with a Supra 1200. Is the
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Express version you referred to
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available as public domain and if
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not, how can they get a copy?
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(SUPRA CORP) No, the version is not
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PD as we have appended our driver
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Simply call me and I will send a
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copy to you at no charge.
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(Eric P.) Does the Hard Drive DOS
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support booting off of the Hard
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Drive? Also, can the hard drive be
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set up as any drive number?
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(SUPRA CORP) We have a fake floppy
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set up on the HD as drive 1, so
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putting your dos there allows you
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to boot from the HD. By reburning a
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EPROM in our interface you can set
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the drive up to be any combination
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of drives 1-8.
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(Eric P.) Does Supra support a BBS?
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If so, what are the hours and
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number?
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(SUPRA CORP) The number is
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503-926-1980 24 hrs, if we can keep
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BBCS from crashing. Oh it is also
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300/1200.
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(Eric P.) Is there any information
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or files on the BBS about the hard
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drives?
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(SUPRA CORP) Yes, I have our
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complete catalog. I try to keep
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upcoming products current. Also I
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answer questions on our products.
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(Thought you might like that Keith
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hehehe).
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(Keith) Now that Supra has had
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time to work with the 'Tramiel
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Atari', how does your company feel
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about the 8-bit line of Atari.
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(SUPRA CORP) Boy, that one is a
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toughie, the big question is how
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long will the 8 bit line be
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profitable? We are still selling
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a lot of printer interfaces, some
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300 and 1200 modems and some hard
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drives. At CES we asked Atari how
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sales of 8 bits had been. After much
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discussion they said that Christmas
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sales had been ok but not great. The
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ST is going to start eating into 8
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bit sales at some point. The 'new' 8
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bit machines look like they have at
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least another good Christmas, but
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after that, it is anyone's guess. We
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will still provide 8 bit proucts and
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services as long as we can make a
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buck or 2 which will most likely be
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a couple years yet.
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Those are some of the highlights of
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the conference. Zmag will publish
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||
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more as it becomes available.
|
||
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|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
___________________________________
|
||
|
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Xx ZMAG NEWSWIRE
|
||
|
|
....Atari IBM Clone In Trouble?......
|
||
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|
___________________________________
|
||
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|
||
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Online Today OLT-615
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(Feb. 9)
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Atari's new IBM-compatible computers
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will not ship on schedule and
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industry gadflies are predicting the
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computers may never be seen.
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Computer + Software News reports two
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snags have developed that hinder the
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computers, which were unveiled at the
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Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show
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last month and had been scheduled
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for a March delivery date.
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The problems:
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-:- Atari has not yet applied for
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FCC approval, a process that can
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take 40 days at best.
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||
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-:- The machines were to have
|
||
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included Digital Research's GEM
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||
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interface, which would allow 700
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ST software programs to work on
|
||
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the Atari PC. However, talks
|
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appear to have stalled. The trade
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||
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|
paper quotes an unnamed DRI
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source as saying that
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negotiations are further apart
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||
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now than when the machines were
|
||
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announced.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
-There are agreements and there are
|
||
|
|
agreements, if you know what I mean,-
|
||
|
|
says Atari communications director
|
||
|
|
Neil Harris, who stopped short of
|
||
|
|
saying the firm has a written
|
||
|
|
contract.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
However, a person on Atari's sales
|
||
|
|
staff told C+SN that the machines
|
||
|
|
don't exist. Atari denies that
|
||
|
|
statement.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Industry sources said Atari sought
|
||
|
|
to divert attention at the Las Vegas
|
||
|
|
show away from clones being offered
|
||
|
|
by Commodore, Amstrad and Victor.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Meanwhile, distributor CSS, which
|
||
|
|
said it would carry the Atari line,
|
||
|
|
said it is shipping 100 Blue Chip
|
||
|
|
computers each week to mass market
|
||
|
|
outlets.
|
||
|
|
--Daniel Janal
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
___________________________________
|
||
|
|
Xx ZMAG GENERAL COMPUTER NEWS
|
||
|
|
....Computer Rumors Stifle Sales...
|
||
|
|
___________________________________
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
RUMORS HURTING COMPUTER SALES
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
It's one thing to lose sales to a
|
||
|
|
worthy competitor. It's quite
|
||
|
|
another to lose them to an unseen
|
||
|
|
force you can't do much about.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
That's the problem facing computer
|
||
|
|
stores recently. Whispers that IBM
|
||
|
|
Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. are
|
||
|
|
preparing to release personal
|
||
|
|
computers soon, is -having a very
|
||
|
|
definite effect on sales,- says
|
||
|
|
William E. Ladin, chairman of
|
||
|
|
ComputerCraft, Inc., a 27-store
|
||
|
|
chain based in Houston. -We hear
|
||
|
|
about a lot of companies that are
|
||
|
|
holding back- on ordering.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The problem of rumors is nothing new
|
||
|
|
to computer stores, but that makes
|
||
|
|
the problem no less vexing - partic-
|
||
|
|
ularly when computer prices are at
|
||
|
|
an all-time low.
|
||
|
|
(From USA Today--all rights
|
||
|
|
reserved)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
THIS FLOPPY MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Michael Cahlin is looking for a
|
||
|
|
legal battle to stir up some
|
||
|
|
publicity and boost sales of his
|
||
|
|
chocolate floppy disks. Cahlin, a
|
||
|
|
Los Angeles-based public relations
|
||
|
|
consultant who sells disks as a
|
||
|
|
sideline, is seeking to defend the
|
||
|
|
copyright of his $9.95 -disk- under
|
||
|
|
a new court ruling that protects
|
||
|
|
the -look and feel- of software.
|
||
|
|
The legal question: Does a choco-
|
||
|
|
late floppy disk fall in the
|
||
|
|
category of software?
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Undoubtedly, the answer is no. But
|
||
|
|
Cahlin argues that the combination
|
||
|
|
of the plastic packaging and the
|
||
|
|
chocolate (the software elements, as
|
||
|
|
he calls them) creates a software
|
||
|
|
product.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
None of this would be up for debate
|
||
|
|
had the courts not changed the
|
||
|
|
software copyright laws. In the
|
||
|
|
past, programmers assumed they
|
||
|
|
could copy the appearance of a
|
||
|
|
program if they didn't copy the
|
||
|
|
underlying code. Using that logic,
|
||
|
|
future makers of chocolate disks
|
||
|
|
might have to change their recipes
|
||
|
|
to avoid a lawsuit from Cahlin.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
$2,500 BOUNTY PINNED ON TROJAN HORSE
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
A -Trojan Horse- isn't just a
|
||
|
|
legendary sham. It's also a type
|
||
|
|
of software. When it's run by an
|
||
|
|
unsuspecting computer user, the
|
||
|
|
-Trojan Horse- destroys all data in
|
||
|
|
his computer.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Quicksoft, Inc. wants to try to
|
||
|
|
crack down on the high-tech vandals
|
||
|
|
that create these programs. The
|
||
|
|
Seattle-based company is offering
|
||
|
|
$2,500 to anyone who tips the
|
||
|
|
company to the identity of the
|
||
|
|
vandal who turned a copy of their
|
||
|
|
-PC Write- word processor program
|
||
|
|
into a -Trojan Horse-.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Two weeks ago, a version of -PC
|
||
|
|
Write- showed up on a Los Angeles
|
||
|
|
computer bulletin board. Two people
|
||
|
|
tried loading the program into their
|
||
|
|
machines and had the data on their
|
||
|
|
hard disk drives wiped out. No tips
|
||
|
|
have come in yet, says Quicksoft
|
||
|
|
President Bob Wallace.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
___________________________________
|
||
|
|
Xx ZMAG PANORAMA
|
||
|
|
....Atari Word Processors Part II..
|
||
|
|
___________________________________
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
In the last issue of Zmag we
|
||
|
|
reported on several of the
|
||
|
|
commercial word processing programs
|
||
|
|
available for the Atari 8-bit
|
||
|
|
computers.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
We conclude the report this week
|
||
|
|
with a look at several more of the
|
||
|
|
popular text editors.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT
|
||
|
|
1987. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
|
||
|
|
By GREGG PEARLMAN, ANTIC JUNIOR
|
||
|
|
EDITOR
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
LETTER PERFECT
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
LJK's Letter Perfect has been
|
||
|
|
around for Atari 8-bit computers
|
||
|
|
since 1981. It uses its own
|
||
|
|
operating system and cannot use
|
||
|
|
files compatible with Atari DOS
|
||
|
|
unless they are converted with LJK's
|
||
|
|
Utility Disk. This translator can
|
||
|
|
switch files back and forth between
|
||
|
|
Letter Perfect and standard Atari DOS
|
||
|
|
formats.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
You also need another translator
|
||
|
|
disk (such as FIX-XL from The
|
||
|
|
Catalog) to run Letter Perfect on an
|
||
|
|
Atari XL or XE.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
We used Letter Perfect as our Antic
|
||
|
|
word processor until PaperClip came
|
||
|
|
along. One of the things we liked
|
||
|
|
about it was that it could be used
|
||
|
|
with the OmniView 80-column card.
|
||
|
|
($69. CDY Consulting, 421 Hanbee,
|
||
|
|
Richardson, TX 75080. (214)
|
||
|
|
235-2146.)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Getting to most of Letter Perfect's
|
||
|
|
file commands requires you to press
|
||
|
|
the [ESC] key, which takes you from
|
||
|
|
the editing screen to a main menu.
|
||
|
|
It takes a while to learn Letter
|
||
|
|
Perfect commands.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
But once you do, you should have
|
||
|
|
little trouble. Almost
|
||
|
|
refreshingly, you can type as fast
|
||
|
|
as you want and each character will
|
||
|
|
appear on the screen almost
|
||
|
|
instantly.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Letter Perfect has an outstanding
|
||
|
|
spell-checker. This, however,
|
||
|
|
necessitates using yet another disk.
|
||
|
|
But when you see how quickly the
|
||
|
|
program counts words in a document
|
||
|
|
and searches the dictionary disk,
|
||
|
|
you won't mind.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Letter Perfect's non-standard
|
||
|
|
operating system is its biggest
|
||
|
|
drawback. If you normally work with
|
||
|
|
Atari DOS files, it's inconvenient to
|
||
|
|
use a word processor that doesn't.
|
||
|
|
And what happens if you find a word
|
||
|
|
processor you like better? You must
|
||
|
|
convert all your active files with
|
||
|
|
the LJK Utility Disk.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
$99.95. LJK Enterprises, 7852 Big
|
||
|
|
Bend Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63119.
|
||
|
|
(314) 962-1855. (Reviewed in Antic,
|
||
|
|
March 1985, page 38.)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
SUPERSCRIPT
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
With the British-designed
|
||
|
|
Superscript, beginners can select
|
||
|
|
commands from a menu structure, while
|
||
|
|
experienced users can work faster
|
||
|
|
with single-key [CONTROL] commands.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Superscript and PaperClip are the
|
||
|
|
only 8-bit Atari word processors
|
||
|
|
that offer macros and arithmetic
|
||
|
|
functions.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The macros let you type out an
|
||
|
|
assigned string of characters by
|
||
|
|
pressing one key. Superscript's
|
||
|
|
math processing is
|
||
|
|
outstanding. You can calculate in
|
||
|
|
columns, rows or tables within the
|
||
|
|
text.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
In fact, you can automate the
|
||
|
|
arithmetic with macros to create a
|
||
|
|
mini-spreadsheet -- especially since
|
||
|
|
text width can be scrolled up to 240
|
||
|
|
columns across.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Print formats are very flexible and
|
||
|
|
easy to customize. You can even
|
||
|
|
print every other page, if you want
|
||
|
|
to feed your paper through twice and
|
||
|
|
produce a document that is printed
|
||
|
|
on both sides of the page. And you
|
||
|
|
can print alternating wide margins
|
||
|
|
to allow binding.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Superscript comes with an
|
||
|
|
expandable dictionary which the
|
||
|
|
distributors say contains
|
||
|
|
20,000-words.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Actually, you get to choose between
|
||
|
|
two dictionaries, offering either
|
||
|
|
British or American spelling. You
|
||
|
|
add your own personal words to the
|
||
|
|
main dictionary simply by typing
|
||
|
|
them in and pressing a single key.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The program loads text only by line
|
||
|
|
units, so you can run out of file
|
||
|
|
space after 780 carriage returns.
|
||
|
|
Fortunately, the disk storage scheme
|
||
|
|
is more efficient.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Superscript requires an Atari XL
|
||
|
|
with at least 64K, or a 130XE. On
|
||
|
|
the 130XE, the program lets you load
|
||
|
|
two files into memory and flip back
|
||
|
|
and forth between them. Just as in
|
||
|
|
First XLEnt, you can move text
|
||
|
|
between the dual files even though
|
||
|
|
the windows are not onscreen at the
|
||
|
|
same time.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Especially if you use a lot of
|
||
|
|
arithmetic in your text files,
|
||
|
|
Superscript should be seriously
|
||
|
|
considered as your word processing
|
||
|
|
choice.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
$59.95. Progressive Peripherals
|
||
|
|
and Software, 464 Kalamath Street,
|
||
|
|
Denver, CO 80204. (303) 825-4144.
|
||
|
|
(Reviewed in Antic, March 1986, page
|
||
|
|
13.)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
WORD MAGIC
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Word Magic from The Catalog is one
|
||
|
|
of the best all-around word
|
||
|
|
processors for the Atari 8-bit
|
||
|
|
computer. It doesn't drop letters
|
||
|
|
as you type -- you can go along at
|
||
|
|
200 mph and it will keep up.
|
||
|
|
Wordwrap is fast, as is scrolling,
|
||
|
|
either via the arrow keys or the
|
||
|
|
joystick.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The installation programs for Word
|
||
|
|
Magic and the printer are easy to
|
||
|
|
use. The program has several help
|
||
|
|
files, and it can read files from
|
||
|
|
other word processors that use
|
||
|
|
standard disk operating systems. As
|
||
|
|
with most products from The Catalog,
|
||
|
|
the Word Magic documentation is on
|
||
|
|
the back of the program disk.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Like PaperClip, Word Magic
|
||
|
|
occasionally locks up, we found. So
|
||
|
|
it pays to save your file often.
|
||
|
|
Also, Word Magic stores a line with
|
||
|
|
only a single carriage return as 40
|
||
|
|
bytes. It treats that the 39 screen
|
||
|
|
spaces after the return as bytes in
|
||
|
|
the file, even though they're
|
||
|
|
useless. Word Magic loads the
|
||
|
|
printer driver from disk each
|
||
|
|
time it prints. This is a
|
||
|
|
comparatively slow process.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
One of the best features of this
|
||
|
|
word processor is its spell-checker.
|
||
|
|
Spell Magic ($19.95. The Catalog,
|
||
|
|
APO144.) isn't literally part of Word
|
||
|
|
Magic, but the programs definitely
|
||
|
|
work hand-in-hand. And Word Magic
|
||
|
|
can be copied to a disk containing
|
||
|
|
Spell Magic, which makes things
|
||
|
|
easier and faster.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The spell-checker is very thorough
|
||
|
|
-- although it takes some time to
|
||
|
|
load the 34,000-word dictionary.
|
||
|
|
When you load the file to be
|
||
|
|
checked, the program counts the
|
||
|
|
total words and unique words,
|
||
|
|
prompts you to insert your personal
|
||
|
|
add-on dictionary, if any, and then
|
||
|
|
to insert the Spell Magic
|
||
|
|
Dictionary. Spell Magic slowly scans
|
||
|
|
the disk, which takes over 10
|
||
|
|
minutes. But then it very quickly
|
||
|
|
checks through your document.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Spell Magic also works with
|
||
|
|
any other word processor that uses
|
||
|
|
standard Atari DOS.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
$19.95. The Catalog, AP130.
|
||
|
|
$29.95 for 130XE version including
|
||
|
|
Spell Magic, APO160.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
HOMEPAK HOMETEXT
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Batteries Included's HomePak is
|
||
|
|
best known for HomeTerm, an excellent
|
||
|
|
telecommunications program. It also
|
||
|
|
includes Hometext, a good
|
||
|
|
introductory word processor and
|
||
|
|
HomeFind, a good introductory file
|
||
|
|
manager. All three programs can
|
||
|
|
easily share data files.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
HomeText's maximum file size is
|
||
|
|
only 6,620 bytes (1,000 to 1,500
|
||
|
|
words), which makes it suitable
|
||
|
|
primarily for writing personal
|
||
|
|
letters or short memos.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
It has very few editing commands,
|
||
|
|
and its printing and storage
|
||
|
|
commands can be accessed only by
|
||
|
|
leaving the text window. Its
|
||
|
|
stylized character set is somewhat
|
||
|
|
distracting.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
But HomeText has an outstanding
|
||
|
|
block-move function that leaves most
|
||
|
|
of the others in the dust. Block
|
||
|
|
move, delete and copy occur almost
|
||
|
|
instantly -- but of course the small
|
||
|
|
file size maximum is a factor here.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
HomeText is easy to use. If the
|
||
|
|
command letter doesn't start the
|
||
|
|
command word, at least it's in the
|
||
|
|
command word and is highlighted --
|
||
|
|
as in EXIT to Menu.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
For some reason, HomeText's command
|
||
|
|
symbols are more than one character
|
||
|
|
long. In HomeText, the paragraph
|
||
|
|
symbol is -Indnt-> 5.- Highlighting
|
||
|
|
a single letter in a word, as in
|
||
|
|
EXIT above, makes it hard to read.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
$19.95. Batteries Included, 30
|
||
|
|
Mural Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario,
|
||
|
|
L4B 1B5, Canada. (416) 881-9941.
|
||
|
|
(Reviewed in Antic, March 1985, page
|
||
|
|
74.)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
That about wraps it up. Recently,
|
||
|
|
Atari computer users were asked
|
||
|
|
what they used their computers for.
|
||
|
|
Word Processing came out near the
|
||
|
|
top of the list. Looking at some of
|
||
|
|
the top-notch software that is
|
||
|
|
available, it's easy to see why.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
____________________________________
|
||
|
|
ZMAG RANDOM NOTES
|
||
|
|
...Defeating Call-Waiting Hang-Ups..
|
||
|
|
____________________________________
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
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|
If you have the -call waiting-
|
||
|
|
feature on your phone line then you
|
||
|
|
know what happens when you get an
|
||
|
|
incoming call while you're online with
|
||
|
|
your modem.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The following information was
|
||
|
|
supplied by Pennslyvania Bell
|
||
|
|
concerning the call-waiting
|
||
|
|
feature that will knock you off
|
||
|
|
Compuserve or any computer
|
||
|
|
network when it is activated.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
TONE BLOCK
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||
|
|
|
||
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|
Tone block has been added as an
|
||
|
|
enhancement to the call waiting
|
||
|
|
service. This feature gives you
|
||
|
|
the option of temporarily block-
|
||
|
|
ing the call-waiting on your line.
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||
|
|
The call you make AFTER activating
|
||
|
|
Tone Block will not be interrupted
|
||
|
|
by the special tone that signals
|
||
|
|
an incoming call.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Here's how it works:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
OUTGOING CALLS:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
* If you have a 12-button touch
|
||
|
|
tone set, push the [*] (STAR)
|
||
|
|
button and then [7] [0]. If
|
||
|
|
you have a rotary or pulse
|
||
|
|
dialing phone, simply dial
|
||
|
|
1-1-7-0.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
* Listen for the dial tone,
|
||
|
|
then dial the number of the
|
||
|
|
person (or computer) with
|
||
|
|
whom you wish to speak. Tone
|
||
|
|
Block is now in effect for
|
||
|
|
that call only.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Tone Block must be activated before
|
||
|
|
you make each call and works only on
|
||
|
|
outgoing calls, unless you have
|
||
|
|
3-way calling.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
WITH THREE-WAY CALLING:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
If you have 3-way calling in
|
||
|
|
addition to call-waiting, the Tone
|
||
|
|
Block feature can be activated
|
||
|
|
before you make a call (as described
|
||
|
|
above) or while your call is in
|
||
|
|
progress. To initiate Tone Block
|
||
|
|
with 3-way calling while a call is
|
||
|
|
in progress:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
* Depress the switchhook
|
||
|
|
briefly. This puts the
|
||
|
|
calling party on hold.
|
||
|
|
* Listen for three short
|
||
|
|
tones and then dial
|
||
|
|
tone.
|
||
|
|
* If you have a 12-button
|
||
|
|
touch-tone set, push the
|
||
|
|
[*](star) button and
|
||
|
|
then dial [7][0]. If you
|
||
|
|
have a rotary or pulse-
|
||
|
|
dialing phone, simply
|
||
|
|
dial 1-1-7-0.
|
||
|
|
* Listen for dial tone,
|
||
|
|
then return to the call
|
||
|
|
in progress by depres-
|
||
|
|
sing the switchhook.
|
||
|
|
Tone * Block is now in
|
||
|
|
effect for that call
|
||
|
|
only.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
TO REACTIVATE CALL WAITING:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Call-waiting is automatically
|
||
|
|
reactivated when you hang up.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Q: IF I'm using Tone * Block on
|
||
|
|
a call, what happens if
|
||
|
|
SOMEone else tries to call
|
||
|
|
me?
|
||
|
|
A: The party that is tring to
|
||
|
|
call you will get a busy
|
||
|
|
signal.
|
||
|
|
Q: Can I add Tone * Block on an
|
||
|
|
incoming call?
|
||
|
|
A: Only if you also have three-
|
||
|
|
way calling.
|
||
|
|
Q: Do I have to use Tone *
|
||
|
|
Block? Can't I just Leave
|
||
|
|
call waiting as it is now?
|
||
|
|
A: You choose when and if you
|
||
|
|
want to use Tone * Block --
|
||
|
|
the remainder of the time
|
||
|
|
call waiting will be in
|
||
|
|
effect.
|
||
|
|
Q: If I use my personal
|
||
|
|
computer to transmit data
|
||
|
|
over my phone line, should
|
||
|
|
I use Tone * Block?
|
||
|
|
A: Yes. You should activate
|
||
|
|
Tone * Block to eliminate
|
||
|
|
potential transmission
|
||
|
|
interruptions.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
As stated in the beginning of this
|
||
|
|
article, this information is
|
||
|
|
supplied by Bell of Pennsylvania.
|
||
|
|
The procedures described to circum-
|
||
|
|
vent call-waiting works for their
|
||
|
|
customers.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Tone Block is available in other
|
||
|
|
areas of the country but the
|
||
|
|
procedures for accessing it may be
|
||
|
|
slightly different. Consult your
|
||
|
|
local phone company for more
|
||
|
|
information.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
||
|
|
Zmagazine #39 February 16, 1987
|
||
|
|
Please Contribute!!!
|
||
|
|
-----------------------------------
|