1122 lines
30 KiB
Plaintext
1122 lines
30 KiB
Plaintext
_____________________________________
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^^^ ZMAGAZINE MAY
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HOT ATARI NEWS AND REVIEWS ISSUE #52
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_____________________________________
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PUBLISHER/EDITOR
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RON KOVACS
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_____________________________________
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Xx ZMAGAZINE STAFF:
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Assistant Publisher: Ken Kirchner
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Software Reviews: Eric Plent
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Columnist: Steve Godun
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Guest Columnist: Mark Knutsen
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Guest Columnist: Mike Davis
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_____________________________________
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Xx May 18th Zmag
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<*> ZMAG USER GROUP OF THE MONTH
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-Jersey Atari Computer Group-
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<*> MIDI BBS Information
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<*> PROPOSAL FOR PARALLEL DEVICE BUS
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For the Atari 8 Bit Line
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<*> CEBIT 1987 REPORT, PART 1
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From Antic Online
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<*> COMMENTARY---What Atari Should
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do!-
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<*> GEnie Zmag Directory
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<*> Favorite Software Survey
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<*> TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
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-Using the Sony KV-1311CR with
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The Atari 520ST-
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<*> Next Week in Zmag
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_____________________________________
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Xx Zmag User Group of the Month
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...Jersey Atari Computer Group...
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_____________________________________
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By:Mark Knutsen SysOp - JACG BBS
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** ** **** ****
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** **** ** ** ** **
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** ** ** ** **
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** ** ** ** ** ***
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** ** ****** ** ** ** **
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**** ** ** **** ****
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Bulletin Board System
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-------- ----- ------
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(201) 298-0161
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You have reached the NEW JACG BBS,
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the official Bulletin Board System of
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the Jersey Atari Computer Group,
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located in beautiful downtown Roselle
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(first village lighted by
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electricity), New Jersey.
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Hi, my name is Mark Knutsen, and I'm
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one of the three SysOps who service
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the JACG BBS and aid its callers.
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A club as large as the Jersey Atari
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Computer Group needs a good BBS, to
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link the club members together, and
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to advertise the club to the world.
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The JACG BBS has had several
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incarnations over the years, as
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various SysOps have come and gone.
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As late as mid-1986, SysOp Scott
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Brause was running the board out of
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his home, using the BBCS software
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that he authored and sold through
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Antic's Catalog. When Scott left the
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state to attend school, the BBS
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needed a new home. Scott and Eric
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Jacoves served a brief stint as
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SysOps, running a Carina system.
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Then, one day in October (or was it
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November?) of last year, I received a
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call from the then-President of our
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club, Joe Kennedy. -Would you like
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to be our new SysOp?- -Sure,- I said,
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-why not?- Should've known...
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You see, I'm a college student, and
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running a Bulletin Board System for a
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large organization out of a dormitory
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room simply doesn't work, especially
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when one has two roommates, only one
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phone line, and a phone number that
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will change every May. If this setup
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was to work, the actual BBS hardware
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would have to be elsewhere. I spent
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over a month searching for a location
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before I discovered that Gary Gorski,
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our club's Advertising/Sales Manager,
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had moved to Roselle, just a few
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blocks from my home. He was ready
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and willing to take on yet another
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job for the club, and so one of my
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problems was solved.
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At about the same time, a decision
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was made to use one of the club's
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16-bit machines to run the BBS, in
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the hope of providing a faster, more
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powerful system to the users. This
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meant a search for software, as the
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STs have not been around as long as
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the 8-bitters, and the range of BBS
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software to choose from is limited.
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An ad in the December '86 issue of
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Analog magazine intrigued me, and I
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gave Quantum Microsystems, Inc. a
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call regarding their new -BB/ST-
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software. It turned out that I was
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one of the first to inquire, and the
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JACG BBS became the very first end-
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user beta-test site for BB/ST. Only
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one problem now remained. How was I,
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attending Rutgers University New
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Jersey, to regularly call the new BBS
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in Roselle without draining my bank
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account to pay long-distance charges?
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The amazing PC Pursuit service came
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to the rescue here.
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The system was put on-line in
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mid-January of this year, running
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BB/ST version 1.00 on a 520ST with
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one single-sided drive and a Hayes
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Smartmodem 1200. Gary and I were
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soon joined by JACG 16-bit Vice
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President Tom Shoosmith, who brought
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his ST expertise and computer
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programming know how to the team of
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SysOps. Together, we weathered the
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first few rough months of system
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crashes and bug fixes to the still-
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developing software.
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Today, BB/ST is in version 1.03, and
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is becoming very well-behaved. An
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SH204 20-megabyte hard drive has been
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added to the system, and the number
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of messages, callers, and download
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files increases daily. Thanks are
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due to the JACG Executive Board for
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having the faith to invest club funds
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in this new, ST-based venture, and
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especially to Gary Gorski and Tom
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Shoosmith, for the many long hours
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that they spend attending to the
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system. Without people like them, a
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computer Bulletin Board cannot
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survive.
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Of course, the JACG BBS is a ZMAG
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board, and is also (surprise)
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accessible via Telenet's PC Pursuit
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service. Why not give us a call?
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Your suggestions for, comments on,
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and questions about BB/ST are
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especially encouraged. Our number,
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again, is (201)298-0161.
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...and when you call, don't forget to
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tell us, -I read about it in Zmag!-
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_____________________________________
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Xx MIDI BBS
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_____________________________________
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:: The Chocolate Pasta BBS ::
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M I D I & M O R E !
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The CPP BBS offers a chance to
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exchange information concerning the
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Musical World of MIDI!
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A FREE system, it supports:
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Atari
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IBM
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MAC
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Commodore
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SIG's for Synth Patches, Engineers/
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Techs, Programmers & more, for all
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levels of MIDI-philes... If you've
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got MIDI questions, The CPP BBS may
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have the ANSWERS!
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Running at 300/1200 baud
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7pm-7am Monday-Thursday EST 24 hours
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Friday & Weekends 516-928-4986.
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Check it Out! You're only a phone
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call away!
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_____________________________________
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Xx Parallel Device Bus for Atari
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_____________________________________
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Proposal for Parallel Device Bus for
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Atari Personal Computer Type 600/800
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XL and 130 XE -or- The Next
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Generation of Atari's 8-Bit Computer
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by Michael T. Davis
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We are all aware of the popularity of
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both the Apple IIe and the IBM
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Personal Computer (PC). A great deal
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of this popularity is due to the
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degree of expandability of these
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systems. This was once a quality of
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the Atari 8-bit line, with the Atari
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800 and, to some degree, the Atari
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400. With the advent of the 600/800
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XL and later, the 130 XE, it became
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much harder to expand an Atari
|
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computer. Third-party manufacturers
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have only now started introducing
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peripherals for the -Parallel Bus
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Interface- (PBI) on the XL machines
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and the -Enhanced Cartridge
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Interface- (ECI) on the XE, but these
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devices use what is known as a
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-closed architecture-; that is, there
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is no way to readily expand these
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devices.
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ICD's -Multi-Input/Output- (MIO)
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device is a step in the right
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direction, but to expand the RAM in
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this device, a user must send it in
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to ICD, as the RAM chips are socketed
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directly to the printed circuit board
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(PCB). These chips are supposedly a
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variation of the -standard- RAM chip,
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so they aren't readily available to
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the general user. Furthermore, the
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MIO does not extend the PBI/ECI
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beyond itself...it's a -dead end-, so
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to speak.
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What I propose is a system that, when
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connected through the PBI/ECI, adds
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up to eight slots to the system. By
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utilizing the built-in Generic
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Parallel Device Handler (GPDH), each
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of these slots will be addressed as a
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separate device. This handler can
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handle up to eight unique devices, so
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eight slots is a natural
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configuration. Using this setup, each
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slot would carry the usual address
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and data lines, but also interrupt
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and device select lines, specific for
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each slot. All of these lines would
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be decoded by a buffered interface
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that lies between the -slot board-
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(for lack of a better term) and the
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computer. Among other lines (i.e.
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address, data, etc.), this interface
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will decode the interrupt line (IRQ),
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the device select (DEVSEL) and
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various other lines used by a
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parallel device. But the idea is to
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get slots for peripheral PCBs...
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Think of the possibilities of having
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slots on an 8-bit Atari: cardbased
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hard disks, REAL RAMdisks (as
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implemented in ICD's MIO), TRUE
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serial (MODEM) and parallel (printer)
|
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ports, parallel floppy drive
|
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controllers, video controllers, voice
|
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synthesizers, etc. Almost anything
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you can stick in a PC, you would be
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able to stick in the -slot board-.
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Of course, as with any idea, there
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are potential problems. One of the
|
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most serious would be third-party
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support. The makers of the
|
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Prometheus MODEM have been quite good
|
|
at supporting the Apple and the IBM,
|
|
but there's a big difference (read:
|
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market share difference) between an
|
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Atari and an Apple. Another problem,
|
|
more related to the equipment itself,
|
|
is that all of these interfaces are
|
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going to produce a large amount of RF
|
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interference. To this end, it would
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be a good idea to get everything in
|
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one case. An IBM-type motherboard
|
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case would do quite nicely, with
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enough room for up to four disk
|
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drives (floppy and/or hard). The
|
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advantage of using an IBM-type case
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|
is that almost all of them are made
|
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out of metal, and they would make
|
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excellent RF cages.
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Naturally, the easiest way to get
|
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this done would be to have Atari
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market it. They could then define the
|
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entry-level system as the 130 XE, and
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the expert system as the 190 (?) XE.
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(Why not use the unused bit on PORTB
|
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of the PIA, right?) This expert
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system would have a separate
|
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keyboard, and a system unit. The
|
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monitor, as with any personal
|
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computer, would be optional. The
|
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system would also include one disk
|
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drive with a floppy controller board
|
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in one slot (which could handle up to
|
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eight drives: four internal and four
|
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external). The motherboard should be
|
|
modified to automatically handle a
|
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truly parallel printer port, and the
|
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Operating System (OS) should also be
|
|
likewise modified. The OS should also
|
|
be modified to automatically
|
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recognize the extra RAM as a RAMdisk,
|
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unless a flag byte is (not) set
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(presumably by an AUTORUN.SYS file).
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The keyboard should also be enhanced:
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Besides the present keyboard, 20
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function keys, dedicated cursor
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control keys and a keypad (preferably
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with four PF keys, for easy VT
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terminal emulation) should be added.
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All of these keys, with the exception
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of the keypad, would generate
|
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keystrokes that can already be
|
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generated by the current keyboard.
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Ten of the function keys will produce
|
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the same hardware keyboard code as
|
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pressing <Control> and a number key.
|
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The other ten will produce the codes
|
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usually interpretted as a <Shift>-
|
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<Control>- [Number key] keystroke.
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In this way, such programs as Keith
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Ledbetter's -SuperKey- will still be
|
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compatible with the machine. The
|
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keypad and PF keys should generate
|
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codes that are loaded into a 128-byte
|
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RAM buffer (installed somewhere in
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the I/O region of the OS) from ROM
|
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during ColdStart. This way, if the
|
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user needs to modify the codes
|
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generated, (s)he can merely change
|
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the buffer, without having to
|
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sacrifice user memory. And of course
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the cursor control keys should merely
|
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produce the usual <Control>-[Cursor
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direction] keystroke. There should
|
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also be four additional keys, which
|
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produce the same keystrokes as the
|
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now-discontinued 1200 XL function
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keys.
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These four keys should be grouped
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into the same area of the keyboard as
|
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the cursor control keys, since they
|
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are, for the most part, editing keys.
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Well, this started out as a
|
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description of a comparitively simple
|
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addition to a computer, and turned
|
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into a definition for an entire
|
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computer. Either of these proposals
|
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would be fine, but of course, most
|
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users would prefer the latter
|
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suggestion, since it doesn't involve
|
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so many separate pieces of hardware
|
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sitting out on his (her) desk.
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Lately, there have been some major
|
|
concerns raised about the future of
|
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the Atari 8-bit line. If the Atari
|
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computer should survive into the next
|
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few years as a sellable product, it
|
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will only be through some such
|
|
enhancement to the computer as has
|
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been described (including an
|
|
altogether improvement to the
|
|
computer system, itself). It would
|
|
surely be a sorry day for many
|
|
computer users if Atari decides to
|
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abandon its 8-bit users. Let's all
|
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hope the 8-bit Atari user will live
|
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on for a long time to come.
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_____________________________________
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Xx 1987 CEBIT Report from ANTIC
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...ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT
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1987. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
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_____________________________________
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PART #1: HARDWARE
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BY CHRISTIAN SCHMITZ-MOORMANN
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What is CeBIT?
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The CEBIT fair at Hanover supposedly
|
|
is the world's largest show in bureau
|
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and information electronics. CEBIT
|
|
stands for: Computer, Electronics,
|
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Bureau, Information and
|
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Telecommunication. On an area of
|
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more than 205,000 square meters in 12
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halls more than 2200 firms showed
|
|
their products.
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This year's show had snowstorms
|
|
causing chaotic traffic situations so
|
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even the usually reliable Bundesbahn
|
|
(federal train service) had delays of
|
|
up to 6 hours. For this reason the
|
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show was nicknamed 'Schnee-BIT'
|
|
(Schnee is German for snow). But
|
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anyway, though we arrived late, we
|
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finally got there and it became a
|
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very interesting day.
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HARDWARE...
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ATARI presented itself in its newly
|
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adopted white-and-blue look and on 50
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1040s the software-houses presented
|
|
their new products.
|
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|
Before looking at the software I was
|
|
pulled to the new MEGA-STs and that
|
|
experience was great. The design was
|
|
appealing and the keyboard a lot
|
|
better than my 1040's. Helas, the
|
|
MEGAs won't hit the stores before May
|
|
or even June due to a slight timing-
|
|
problem with the shifter-chip.
|
|
|
|
This error results in small vertical
|
|
black lines on the display. The delay
|
|
in the MEGAs will probably also
|
|
affect the PC since ATARI said they
|
|
would only put out the PC after the
|
|
MEGAs to show their preferences. But
|
|
with Jack Tramiel one never can be
|
|
certain. The last all new product
|
|
was the laser printer. Connected to
|
|
one of the MEGAs it was turning out
|
|
page after page.
|
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|
The quality was as can be expected
|
|
from such a machine. The printer
|
|
emulates a Diablo 630 and supports
|
|
GDOS. According to a German ATARI
|
|
representative they are working on
|
|
post- script.
|
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|
Naturally ATARI was not the only to
|
|
show new products. On the hardware
|
|
side there was also HEISE, a German
|
|
publishing-house, that showed its new
|
|
version of the real-time language
|
|
PEARL/RTOS system which was
|
|
developed at Hanover university. It
|
|
was simultaneously showing a graphic
|
|
(a more sophisticated version of the
|
|
only too-well-known jumping-ball) and
|
|
controlling a robot that balanced a
|
|
glass of water.
|
|
|
|
BASIS-O, who formerly built APPLE
|
|
compatibles, showed an interesting
|
|
new integrated scanner-printer
|
|
/plotter and telecopier. Within 4
|
|
minutes it is possible to send or
|
|
receive a letter in handwriting or
|
|
with graphics on any public or
|
|
private telephone. The device
|
|
incorporates an acoustic coupler and
|
|
can be run on rechargeable batteries.
|
|
The resolution is is 4096 pixels per
|
|
line and 1125 lines per page.
|
|
|
|
PRINT-TECHNIK presented its 3rd-
|
|
generation digitizers. Their new
|
|
Realtizer digitizes a picture with up
|
|
to 16 gray-levels in less than one
|
|
second. It now plugs into the ROM-
|
|
port.
|
|
|
|
Its big brother, the PRO 87,digitizes
|
|
1024 pixels in 512 lines and 128
|
|
gray-levels. Both digitizers come
|
|
with a toolbox-software and the PRO
|
|
87 also includes the necessary
|
|
hardware for real-color images. PRINT
|
|
-TECHNIK also offers a Genlock-
|
|
interface for the ST.
|
|
|
|
Other products are a Meteosat weather
|
|
satellite receiver, a sound digitizer
|
|
and a memory-oscilloscope.
|
|
|
|
GTI, a Berlin-based society,
|
|
presented a VMEbus-interface that
|
|
plugs into the DMA-port and includes
|
|
a full bus-arbitration-logic and
|
|
supports interrupts. The DMA-port is
|
|
pulled through so that a hard-disk
|
|
can still be used.
|
|
|
|
Another bus that opens your ATARI is
|
|
produced by RHOTRON. It is plugged
|
|
onto the CPU and has eight slots.
|
|
|
|
Since installing the bus voids the
|
|
warranty RHOTRON also offers a
|
|
PC-like case in which the ST and the
|
|
bus and a stronger power supply are
|
|
incorporated.
|
|
|
|
Rhotron offers several cards to fill
|
|
the slots, from 2-Meg RAM to
|
|
multifunction-cards they have just
|
|
about everything, or how about a
|
|
math-coprocessor?
|
|
|
|
A barcode-reader can be obtained from
|
|
CDS in Freiburg/Rhine valley.
|
|
Barcodes invade our lives, they tell
|
|
you what is in a specific product,
|
|
which film you just rented and with
|
|
such a reader you can find out
|
|
yourself.
|
|
|
|
LINDY, a maker of printer-cables and
|
|
other computer add-ons also presented
|
|
an oscillograph. It can be used as a
|
|
sound-sampler or as a digital
|
|
oscilloscope.
|
|
|
|
The last interesting hardware I wish
|
|
to present was not on the show, but
|
|
since Desktop Publishing is becoming
|
|
more and more important, I feel it
|
|
should be mentionned.
|
|
|
|
HEIM-Verlag, another young publishing
|
|
house, that was the first in Germany
|
|
to have a magazine purely dedicated
|
|
to the ST-line (STcomputer-mag),
|
|
offered a program and interface to
|
|
connect an ST to a CompuGraphic-MCS
|
|
-layout station called 'transmit'.
|
|
They use it to make their magazine.
|
|
And as far as I can tell it seems to
|
|
work pretty well.
|
|
|
|
[Ed.] Next Zmag will present PART 2
|
|
of the three part CEBIT Report.
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
Xx Commentary
|
|
.....-WHAT ATARI SHOULD DO-.....
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
By Steve Godun
|
|
|
|
I know that I'm no computer whiz,
|
|
business genious, or electronics
|
|
engineer, but I'm always thinking of
|
|
things that would make life in
|
|
Atariland more interesting and less
|
|
expensive. This opinionated article
|
|
tells what I feel Atari SHOULD do for
|
|
the common users like you and me.
|
|
|
|
First off, I suggest that Atari
|
|
release those long-awaited 8-bit
|
|
peripherals, namely the SX212 1200
|
|
baud modem and the XEP-80 video
|
|
display card. As for other 8-bit
|
|
peripherals, how about a 3.5- disk
|
|
drive for under $175, a 20-meg hard
|
|
disk for under $500, or a redesigned
|
|
1050 disk drive to match the
|
|
appearance of the XE line?
|
|
|
|
Other 8-bit ideas: A portable 130XE
|
|
setup consisting of a 5- color
|
|
monitor, 5.25- disk drive, detached
|
|
keyboard, and all of the standard
|
|
8-bit ports that can fit inside a
|
|
briefcase for user group members who
|
|
hate carrying all that heavy Atari
|
|
equipment to and from each meeting
|
|
(and sell it for under $350). Maybe
|
|
create an add-on 850 interface that
|
|
will also fit inside the briefcase?
|
|
|
|
Or how about a disk drive that can
|
|
link up to the parallel port on the
|
|
XL (or the ECI port on the XE) for
|
|
super-fast disk access? Or a BLITTER
|
|
type chip for the XL/XE line? Why
|
|
not? Of course, it would have to
|
|
maintain compatability with the -old-
|
|
graphics system. Or maybe making the
|
|
AMY sound chip a reality by making it
|
|
into a $40 upgrade to XL/XE owners?
|
|
While you're at it, create an 8-bit
|
|
GEM and install it in physically
|
|
switchable ROMs; One way, it's a
|
|
standard Atari, the other way and
|
|
you get GEM. Maybe make a complete
|
|
single-unit XE computer (like the
|
|
fabled 1450XLD) for under $250?
|
|
|
|
OK, so some of those might sound a
|
|
little outrageous. But who knows?
|
|
Those tech wizards at Atari are quite
|
|
amazing at times. Let's take a look
|
|
at some interesting (and possible?)
|
|
ST stuff.
|
|
|
|
Remember that portable XE I had
|
|
mentioned? How about making a
|
|
portable ST? Slap a meg of RAM, 5-
|
|
color monitor, 3.5- disk drive,
|
|
detached keyboard, and moveable mouse
|
|
table into a briefcase and you're
|
|
ready to go. Put an under-$600
|
|
sticker on it and you're all set to
|
|
go.
|
|
|
|
Want more? OK. How about taking all
|
|
the good stuff in the Amiga 2000
|
|
(hi-res color graphics, speech
|
|
synthesis, IBM compatability, over
|
|
4,000 colors, etc) and stuffing it
|
|
(along with previous ST
|
|
compatability, 10-meg hard disk, GEM
|
|
desktop, and at least 4-megs of RAM)
|
|
all into a new ST model; maybe call
|
|
it the -Atari ST-II-? And don't
|
|
forget to use the now-famous styling
|
|
of the ST along with a detachable
|
|
keyboard, two DS/DD 3.5- disk drives,
|
|
BLITTER, and/or one 5.25- floppy
|
|
drive in the CPU box.
|
|
|
|
How about some software for the ST
|
|
line? Make a disk with software that
|
|
emulates the most popular 8-bit
|
|
computers around today (Commodore
|
|
64/128, Atari 130XE, Apple //GS),
|
|
place them on a disk with some
|
|
healthy documentation, and price it
|
|
for under $100. A guaranteed seller.
|
|
|
|
Well, that's all I can come up with
|
|
right off the top of my head. I'm
|
|
always thinking of new things, so
|
|
look for an upcoming article with
|
|
more -new- stuff to play around with.
|
|
|
|
Atari, are you listening?
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
Xx GEnie Zmag Directory
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
No. File Name Address Bytes
|
|
|
|
1321 ZMAG0920.TXT KHK 34020
|
|
Desc: The online Atari magazine
|
|
|
|
1363 ZMAG1003 KHK 22680
|
|
Desc: October 3, 1986 edition of Zmag
|
|
|
|
1377 ZMAG1011 KHK 23940
|
|
Desc: October 11, 1986 edition
|
|
|
|
1407 ZMAG1018.TXT KHK 23940
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue of October 18, 1986
|
|
|
|
1422 ZMAG1025 KHK 28980
|
|
Desc: Zmagazine for Oct 25, 1986
|
|
|
|
1431 ZMAG1101.TXT KHK 30240
|
|
Desc: Zmagazine for November 1, 1986
|
|
|
|
1442 ZMAG1108.TXT KHK 30240
|
|
Desc: November 8, 1986 edition
|
|
|
|
1459 ZMAG1115.TXT KHK 31500
|
|
|
|
1483 ZMAG1122.TXT KHK 28980
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue for Nov. 22, 1986
|
|
|
|
1499 ZMAG1129.TXT KHK 31500
|
|
Desc: ZMAG For Nov. 29, 1986
|
|
|
|
1505 ZMAG1206.TXT KHK 37800
|
|
Desc: December 6, 1986 issue of Zmag
|
|
|
|
1532 ZMAG1215.TXT KHK 18900
|
|
Desc: December 15,1986 issue of Zmag
|
|
|
|
1610 ZMAG33.TXT KHK 28980
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 33. January 5,1987
|
|
|
|
1614 ZMAG34.TXT KHK 25200
|
|
Desc: Zmag January 12, 1987
|
|
|
|
1651 ZMAG35.TXT KHK 26460
|
|
Desc: Zmag Jan 19, 1987
|
|
|
|
1693 ZMAG36.TXT KHK 26460
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 36. January 26, 1987
|
|
|
|
1714 ZMAG37.TXT KHK 26460
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 37. Feb. 2, 1987
|
|
|
|
1735 ZMAG38.TXT KHK 27720
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 38. Feb 9, 1987
|
|
|
|
1756 ZMAG39.TXT KHK 25200
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 39 - Feb. 16, 1987
|
|
|
|
1792 ZMAG40.TXT KHK 31500
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 40 - Feb. 23, 1987
|
|
|
|
1802 ZMAG41.TXT KHK 23940
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 41 - March 2, 1987
|
|
|
|
1819 ZMAG42.TXT KHK 25200
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 42 - March 9, 1987
|
|
|
|
1829 ZMAG43.TXT KHK 34020
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 43 - March 16, 1987
|
|
|
|
1852 ZMAG44.TXT KHK 37800
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 44 - March 23, 1987
|
|
|
|
1922 ZMAG45.TXT KHK 23940
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 45 - March 30, 1987
|
|
|
|
1949 ZMAG46.TXT KHK 22680
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 46 - April 6, 1987
|
|
|
|
1964 ZMAG47.TXT KHK 22680
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 47 - April 13, 1987
|
|
|
|
1970 ZMAG48.TXT KHK 21420
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 48 - April 20, 1987
|
|
|
|
2003 ZMAG49.TXT KHK 23940
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 49 - April 27, 1987
|
|
|
|
2029 ZMAG50.TXT KHK 22680
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 50 - May 4, 1987
|
|
|
|
2059 ZMAG51.TXT KHK 21420
|
|
Desc: Zmag issue 51 -May 11, 1987
|
|
|
|
1349 ZMAG927.TXT KHK 20160
|
|
Desc: Sept. 27, 1986 issue of Zmag
|
|
|
|
This list is current to May 11, 1987.
|
|
Starting in June, The Compuserve
|
|
Data Library will contain ARC'd
|
|
editions of all issues. In the
|
|
fairness of equal time. Issues 48-51
|
|
are available in the 8-bit SIG in
|
|
ComuServes ATARI8 Data library 7.
|
|
GO ATARI at GEnie
|
|
GO ATARI8 at CompuServe.
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
Xx Favorite Software Survey
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
This is a survey to determine which
|
|
types of software are actually the
|
|
most popular with the users. Please
|
|
answer as many of the questions as
|
|
you wish. Please answer honestly.
|
|
The data obtained from this
|
|
questionnaire will be used in a club
|
|
newsletter and posted on this
|
|
bulletin board. Please return this
|
|
questionnaire to the address at the
|
|
bottom by June 1, 1987. If a
|
|
question does not apply to you or you
|
|
do not use one particular type of
|
|
software, just put n/a.
|
|
|
|
Thank you for taking the time to
|
|
download this and answer the
|
|
questions. Any additional comments
|
|
will be read, taken into account, and
|
|
appreciated.
|
|
|
|
1. Do you purchase or pirate
|
|
software?
|
|
|
|
2. Please name your one favorite
|
|
software package (commercial,
|
|
public domain, or shareware) for
|
|
each of the uses listed below.
|
|
Please feel free to add any other
|
|
additional information about the
|
|
software. Also include the
|
|
company or person by which the
|
|
product is marketed or produced
|
|
if at all possible.
|
|
|
|
Communications:
|
|
Database:
|
|
Word Processor:
|
|
Outliner:
|
|
General Graphics Program:
|
|
Specific Graphics Program:
|
|
Spelling Checker:
|
|
Spreadsheet:
|
|
Personal Finances:
|
|
Accounting Package:
|
|
Utility:
|
|
Entertainment:
|
|
Programming Language:
|
|
Clip-art (Package):
|
|
Music:
|
|
Desk Accessory (Package):
|
|
Font (Package):
|
|
Integrated Package:
|
|
Font Editor:
|
|
CAD Package:
|
|
Network File Server:
|
|
RAM Disk:
|
|
Print Spooler:
|
|
Educational Software:
|
|
Statistical Package:
|
|
Desktop Publishing (Page Layout):
|
|
|
|
3. Please indicate how you obtained
|
|
this questionnaire.
|
|
|
|
4. Please describe your computer
|
|
configuration (i.e. type of
|
|
computer, printer, modem, hard
|
|
drive, and any other accessories.
|
|
Please include brand names where
|
|
possible).
|
|
|
|
5. Do you have any additional
|
|
questions or comments about the
|
|
software or this questionnaire?
|
|
If so please feel free to enter
|
|
them here.
|
|
|
|
When completed, please send this
|
|
to:
|
|
|
|
Justin Connor
|
|
317 Manchester Road
|
|
Binghamton, New York 13903
|
|
Thank you very much for completing my
|
|
questionnaire! I will post the
|
|
results in one month.
|
|
|
|
Also, Please mention you received the
|
|
survey from Zmag and the BBS System
|
|
you downloaded this from. As soon as
|
|
the results are in, we will publish
|
|
them here.
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
Xx Zmag Technical Assistance
|
|
..USING THE KV-1311CR SONY TV/MONITOR
|
|
WITH THE ATARI 520ST..
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
By:Henry Katzmarek
|
|
|
|
Since having uploaded my last article
|
|
I have had numerous questions
|
|
regarding making a passive interface
|
|
hinted at in the description instead
|
|
of the active one described. (A
|
|
passive interface requires no
|
|
components that need power). This
|
|
article will attempt to describe how
|
|
to hook-up the KV-1311CR Sony monitor
|
|
to the Atari 520ST with all passive
|
|
components.
|
|
|
|
Before I start the description, I
|
|
want to remind you that you are
|
|
making the interface at your own
|
|
risk! I have made the interface
|
|
myself and it is currently working
|
|
just fine on my own computer;
|
|
however, I cannot vouch for any
|
|
problems due to changes in the
|
|
computer and/or monitor, or omissions
|
|
I might make in this article. In any
|
|
case, I would appreciate any feedback
|
|
so I might update this article as
|
|
needed.
|
|
|
|
Also, two related notes. The circular
|
|
DIN connectors you might need for
|
|
this and related projects are
|
|
available from:
|
|
|
|
Alpha Products, Inc.
|
|
5740 Corsa Ave., #104
|
|
Westlake Village, CA 91362
|
|
Telephone: (818)889-9304
|
|
|
|
Alpha products has both plugs and
|
|
jacks of the 13 and 14 pin DIN
|
|
variety.
|
|
|
|
The second point I wish to make is
|
|
that I have received a message from
|
|
Mark Sloatman of Prac. Sol. on
|
|
Compuserve, his ID is 74206,356.
|
|
Mark tells me he currently has
|
|
available for sale cables to connect
|
|
your Sony KV-1311CR to your Atari. So
|
|
if you don't mind spending a few
|
|
bucks and/or are not electrically
|
|
inclined, you may wish to check out
|
|
this source rather than proceeding on
|
|
building your own cable.
|
|
|
|
First, I wish to define the pinout
|
|
present on both my Atari 520ST and my
|
|
Sony KV-1311CR monitor, as a number
|
|
of people have stated they have
|
|
different signals on different pins.
|
|
|
|
Atari 520ST Monitor Connector
|
|
Pin Signal Name ------------------------------------
|
|
1 Audio Out
|
|
2 Reserved
|
|
3 General Purpose Output
|
|
4 Monochrome Detect
|
|
5 Audio In
|
|
6 Green
|
|
7 Red
|
|
8 Ground
|
|
9 Horizontal Sync
|
|
10 Blue
|
|
11 Monochrome
|
|
12 Vertical Sync
|
|
13 Ground
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
Sony KV-1311CR Monitor Analog RGB
|
|
Input
|
|
Pin Signal Name
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
1-3 Not in use
|
|
4 Ground
|
|
5 Not in use
|
|
6-16 Ground
|
|
17-22 Not in use
|
|
23 Composite video output
|
|
24 Audio input
|
|
25 Red input
|
|
26 Green input
|
|
27 Blue input
|
|
28 Not in use
|
|
29 Fast blanking input
|
|
30 Composite sync input
|
|
31,32 Not in use
|
|
33 RGB/Normal mode select
|
|
34 Audio select
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
During this description I will refer
|
|
to the pin and signal name as
|
|
described here, you can judge whether
|
|
yours is the same or not.
|
|
|
|
The parts you will need are as
|
|
follows:
|
|
|
|
1-470 ohm resistor, 1/4 watt or
|
|
higher, 5%, quantity-2
|
|
|
|
2-general purpose diode, 1N4001 or
|
|
equivalent, quantity-2
|
|
|
|
3-connector for analog RGB input on
|
|
your sony monitor
|
|
|
|
4-connector, male, DIN 13 pin for
|
|
your computer
|
|
|
|
5-wire, solder, etc for making the
|
|
actual cable
|
|
|
|
Parts 1, 2 and 5 can be bought at
|
|
almost any electronics place, Radio
|
|
Shack, etc. Part number 3 I am not
|
|
sure of a good source, I know AMP
|
|
makes the appropriate connector. Part
|
|
number 4 can be obtained from Alpha
|
|
Products.
|
|
|
|
Actual Description of Wiring Follows:
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
Atari signal/pin Additional
|
|
circuitry
|
|
Monitor signal/pin
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
Audio out/1 None
|
|
Audio input/24
|
|
|
|
Monochrome detect/4 None
|
|
None
|
|
(Note: Ground this pin for monochrome
|
|
operation only)
|
|
|
|
Green/6 None
|
|
Green input/26
|
|
(Note: I did NOT use any dropping
|
|
resistors in the R,G,B lines)
|
|
|
|
Red/7 None
|
|
Red input/25
|
|
|
|
Ground/8 None
|
|
Ground/4
|
|
|
|
HorizontalSync/9------->CR1-------->
|
|
-------->R1------------->Comp. sync
|
|
in./30
|
|
(Note: CR1 is the first of the diodes
|
|
listed above)
|
|
(Note: The non-banded side of CR1
|
|
goes to the computer, pin 9)
|
|
(Note: R1 is the first of the
|
|
resistors listed above, no polarity)
|
|
|
|
Blue/10 None
|
|
Blue input/27
|
|
|
|
Vertical sync/12-------->CR2----->
|
|
----->R2------------->Comp. sync
|
|
in./30
|
|
(Note: CR2 is the second of the
|
|
diodes listed above)
|
|
(Note: The non-banded side of CR2
|
|
goes to the computer, pin 12)
|
|
(Note: R2 is the second of the
|
|
resistors listed above, no polarity)
|
|
|
|
Ground/13 None
|
|
Ground/6
|
|
|
|
+5 volts DC None
|
|
Fast blanking/29
|
|
|
|
+5 volts DC None
|
|
Mode select/33
|
|
|
|
+5 volts DC None
|
|
Audio select/34
|
|
|
|
Note that I do not have +5 volts DC
|
|
present on either my monitor or my
|
|
computer connectors, and yet it is
|
|
needed for pins 29,33,34 on the
|
|
monitor. My solution was to install
|
|
a +5 volts DC voltage regulator (7805
|
|
type, Radio Shack) in my monitor and
|
|
bring the +5 volts DC out on an
|
|
unused pin, thereby providing me with
|
|
+5 volts DC as needed.
|
|
|
|
Newer ST computers may have a +5 VDC
|
|
output to use for these signals; if
|
|
not, the decision whether to modify
|
|
your monitor (voiding warranty) or to
|
|
use some external source (power
|
|
supply) is yours.
|
|
|
|
I would not suggest trying to use a
|
|
battery as it may wear out at the
|
|
most inopportune time (Murphy's
|
|
Law).
|
|
|
|
Please advise me of any updates
|
|
and/or corrections to this article,
|
|
and I will update it as needed. Good
|
|
luck, and may the force be with you!
|
|
|
|
Henry Katzmarek
|
|
CIS ID#---70735,664
|
|
PLINK ID#---OLS606
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
Xx Next week IN ZMAGAZINE
|
|
|
|
<*> CEBIT Part 2 from Antic Online
|
|
<*> Antic's review of the 80 column
|
|
card, to be released this month.
|
|
<*> Part 1 of a Dan Rhea article.
|
|
<*> ST-IBM???
|
|
<*> JACG User Group Article
|
|
<*> and more!!
|
|
_____________________________________
|
|
Zmagazine Headquarters:(201) 968-8148
|
|
Issue 52, May 18, 1987 (c)SS
|
|
Please Contribute!!
|
|
_____________________________________
|