999 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
999 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
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Zmagazine January 5, 1987
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Issue 33
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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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Software Reviewer: Eric Plent
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-----------------------------------
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____________________________________
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This Week in Zmag......
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<*> PC PURSUIT THREATENED BY
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FCC -RE-REGULATION-
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<*> ATARI TO MARKET 32-BIT
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BUSINESS COMPUTER
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<*> ATARI FAIRS DEBUT ACROSS
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THE COUNTRY
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<*> NEW ATARI 8-BIT PRODUCTS
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<*> ICD--A VISIT WITH THE COMPANY
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THAT IS SAVING THE 8-BITS
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<*> TECHNICAL TIPS--THE ATARI
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XM301 MODEM
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<*> COMPUTER EXPOS--FLEA MARKETS
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AND EXPOS
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<*> PC PURSUIT...A CAPSULE REVIEW
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<*> GUEST EDITORIAL
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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 EDITOR'S NOTE
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...New Beginnings...................
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____________________________________
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Welcome to a new year of Zmag! As
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our first issue of the year goes to
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press, we bring some discouraging
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news for telecommunicators.
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The FCC is considering new
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regulations in the communications
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industry which threatens the
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existence of such services as PC
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Pursuit.
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Read about the proposals being
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considered by the FCC in this issue
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along with a review of PC Pursuit
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and a guest editorial expressing
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displeasure with those proposals.
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Also, check out the hot news coming
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out of Atari Corp. this month about
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the new 32-bit business computer
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that's in the works.
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Zmag has changed its deadlines and
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publication dates starting with
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this issue. Look for new issues
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every Monday rather than Friday,
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beginning with this edition. We're
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always looking for contributions
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so if you have an article that
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you'd like to publish in Zmag,
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call The Syndicate BBS at
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201-968-8148.
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____________________________________
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Xx ZMAG BULLETIN
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...FCC Threatens PC Pursuit.........
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____________________________________
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IMPORTANT BULLETIN!
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DISTRIBUTE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE
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The FCC is considering reregulating
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the packet-switching networks like
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Telenet, Tymnet, Compuserve, The
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Source and PC Pursuit. This could
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result in additional costs to the
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user. This is excerpted from
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Infomat magazine.
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FREE LOCAL ACCESS TO PACKET
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SWITCHING NETWORKS MAY BE
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ELIMINATED
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By Tim Elmer
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The Federal Communications
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Commission (FCC) will vote on a
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proposal to reregulate packet
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switching networks that, if
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approved, would eliminate free
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local telephone access to those
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networks.
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-If this occurs, it might
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eventually double or triple the
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costs to those using packet
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switching networks to access
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commercial on-line databases and
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information services and triple or
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quadruple the costs to those using
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Telenet's PC Pursuit,- said Philip
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M. Walker, vice president and
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regulatory counsel for Telenet
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Corp.
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-In terms of cost impact,- Walker
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said, -if we had to pay local
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access charges, it would cost us
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about $3.60 an hour at the
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originating end, for calls made by
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users to on-line databases and
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information services like
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CompuServe and The Source.-
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-And with PC Pursuit, for which we
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have out-dial modems, we would have
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to pay not only $4.60 per hour
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access fees at the originating end,
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but also $4.80 at the terminating
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end, a total of about $8 or $9.
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Obviously, to survive, we would
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have to add those additional
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charges to our current fees and
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pass them on to our consumers,-
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Walker Said.
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That would almost certainly spell
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the end of PC Pursuit, and it would
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likely put out of business not only
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many independent packet switching
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networks but also many on-line
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databases and information services.
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FCC approval of changes being
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considered in Computer III, Walker
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said, -would really have a major
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impact on anyone using a packet
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switching service to access online
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bulletin boards, databases, or
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information services aimed at the
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residential user. They are just
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going to get creamed if this
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happens.
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Walker said that it was not clear
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exactly when the FCC would vote on
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the proposal, but that it would
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probably be the latter part of
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January or early part of February
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1987. -They are moving very fast
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on this,- he said.
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____________________________________
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Xx ATARI NEWS
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...Business Machine in the Works....
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____________________________________
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ATARI TO TALK BUSINESS IN '87
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(Dec. 25)
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Atari plans to blitz the business
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market in 1987.
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The Sunnyvale, Calif., computer
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manufacturer, known for its home
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computers, told Computer + Software
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News it is developing a 32-bit,
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Unix-compatible machine for its first
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foray into the Fortune 500 community.
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The machine, expected to be introduced
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in the first half of 1987, apparently
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will compete with an unnamed Unix-based
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machine Apple is working on.
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Atari plans to sell its for less than
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$3,000, while an Apple source told the
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trade weekly that the-Paris-code-named
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computer will cost between $6,000 and
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$8,000.
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The new Atari ST machine will allow
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users to off-load graphics and I/O
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processing, a capability that frees the
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machine for other tasks, said Neil
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Harris, Atari's director of marketing
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communications.
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--Daniel Janal
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Online Today
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___________________________________
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Xx ZMAG ATARI NEWS
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....News for 8-Bits................
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___________________________________
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(Taken by permission from AUGN #3)
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ATARI FAIRS NATIONWIDE
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The first of three Atari fairs
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has been held with outstanding
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results. A total of more than ten
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thousand consumers have been
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exposed to Atari computers in the
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Los Angeles, San Jose, and Portland
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areas during August, September, and
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October. During November, the
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-road show- moved to Pittsburgh,
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with 1987 dates including Allen-
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town, Chicago, Salt Lake City,
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Denver, Boston, Buffalo, Dallas,
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and more.
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Each show begins with a media
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blitz for the weeks before the show
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dates. The show is promoted by
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independent dealers and Atari Corp.
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through newspaper and radio ads as
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well as in-store promotions. User
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groups place community events
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announcements, distribute posters,
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and have mass mailings.
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In the show itself are dealers,
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software developers, user group
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booths, and an Atari Corporate
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booth. Special seminars are held
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which target specific
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areas of interest such as music,
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business, and technical subjects.
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Participants in the shows so far
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have included Antic, Analog,
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Activision, Batteries Included,
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Haba, Hippopotamus, Regent, OSS,
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Michtron, FTL Systems, Metacomco,
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Beckmeyer Development, Quickview
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Systems, Abacus, Maxthink, Stra-
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tegic Simulations, and many others.
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Many products have been shown to
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the public for the first time at
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Atari Fairs including Atari's own
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-MicroSoft Write- word processor,
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the forthcoming -BLITTER- chip, and
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the 80-column card for the XE line,
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as well as Antic's 3-D glasses for
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-CAD 3-D-, -Haba Write II- from
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Haba, Michtron's -8-Ball Pool-
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game, -Regent Word II-, -DEGAS
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Elite-, -Cambridge Lisp- from
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Metacomco, -Magic Sac- from Data
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Pacific (a Macintosh emulator), and
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countless others. Guest speakers
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included Atarians Sam Tramiel,
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Leonard Tramiel, Shiraz Shivji, Jim
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Tittsler, and Neil Harris, along
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with developers like Tom Hudson,
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Frank Cohen, Malcom Cecil, Paul
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Heckel, and columnist extra-
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ordinaire Jerry Pournelle. There
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have been some dynamite MIDI/music
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demonstrations by Hybrid Arts along
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with their entourage of top name
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musicians.
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Participating dealers reported
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spectacular sales both at the fair
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and at their stores during the fair
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thanks to the promotions sur-
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rounding it. IB Computers in
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Portland reported their all-time
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best sales on the Saturday of their
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fair.
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____________________________________
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Xx ATARI 8-BIT NEWS
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...New Products for the Atari.......
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____________________________________
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ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT
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1987. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
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SUPER RAT,
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RAOS
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Zobian Controls
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1156 Old Mill Lane
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P.O. Box 6406
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Wyomissing, PA 19610
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(215) 374-5478
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48K disk
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SuperRAT, a new high-accuracy
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digital version of Zobian's mouse for
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Atari 8-bit computers, can access every
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pixel in Graphics 8. It comes with
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Accu-Draw for $69.95 and with RAOS for
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$99.95.
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RAOS ($49.95), the Rat-Actuated
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Operating System, gives you a -GEM-
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system on your 8-bit Atari. RAOS has
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its own icon-based desktop program,
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Z-DOS, replacing DUP.SYS, and a
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mouse-controllable, user-programmable
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windowing environment occupying 3K of
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RAM. RAOS uses a Player/Missile cursor
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to select icons and is compatible with
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most memory upgrades.
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STAR FLEET 1
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Electronic Arts
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1820 Gateway Drive
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San Mateo, CA 94404
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(415) 571-7171
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$49.95, $48K disk
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In Star Fleet 1, each new level at
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the Officers Academy lets you role-play
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different characters and experience
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unique tasks. As a member of the
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Alliance, you must protect its outer
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regions against the invading Krellan
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and Zaldron empires. After graduating
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from the academy, you'll command one
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of 36 cruisers with a sophisticated
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array of weaponry at your fingertips.
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BASIC ENHANCEMENTS II
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First Byte
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P.O Box 32
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Rice's Landing, PA 15357
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(12) 627-3596
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$24.95, 48K disk
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First Byte's Enhancements to BASIC,
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Version II is a completely rewritten
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package, not just an upgrade. You can
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access many DOS functions in immediate
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mode. Enhanced BASIC II makes it
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easier to trace your program flow for
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debugging. The software renumbers,
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block deletes and provides automatic
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line numbering.
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MIND TUNER
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Mind Link Communications Inc.
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Box 488
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36 Adelaide Street East
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Toronto, M5C 2J6 Canada
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(416) 961-8858
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$24.95, 48K disk
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In the market for self-improvement?
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Mind Tuner uses proven psychological
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principles to help you manage stress
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and improve your personality and
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performance with visualizations,
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positive affirmations and subliminal
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messages that you can write for
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yourself.
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VIDEO TITLE SHOP,
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MERCENARY: 2ND CITY,
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FIVE FROM PSS
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Datasoft
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19808 Nordhoff Place
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Chatsworth, CA 91311
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(818) 886-5922
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48K disk
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Develop title screens on your Atari
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for your VCR or video camera, and then
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record the screens directly to
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videotape with Video Title Shop
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($29.95). Choose from several type
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styles and sizes, create borders and
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add flair with the scrolling and
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fade-in/out features. The
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package inclues Micro-Painter Plus for
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graphics that can be used as
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backgrounds to titles.
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Experienced players of Mercenary
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will find the Second City on the other
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side of the Planet Targ, and once again
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you must escape. You'll be hindered by
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those warring planetary factions.
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Mercenary: The Second City ($14.95)
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must be played in conjunction with
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Datasoft's original Mercenary game
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disk.
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Five new games come by way of
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England's PSS:
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Tobruk ($34.95) is a re-creation of
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the desert battle that threatened
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England's presence in North Africa.
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Bismarck ($34.95) puts you in
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command of the Royal Navy or the
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Bismarck itself.
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Swords & Sorcery ($34.95) is a
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role-playing fantasy that takes you
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through the underworld on a quest for
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secular and spiritual power.
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Saracen ($29.95) sends you through
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100 mazes of increasing complexity as
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you seek and try to destroy the evil
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Saracen warrior.
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Black Magic ($24.95) puts you into
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100 mazes of a fantasy world as you set
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out to destroy the forces that have
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overrun the kingdom of Marigold,
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restoring the Golden Age it once knew.
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WARSHIP,
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ROADWAR 2000,
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GEMSTONE HEALER,
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WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET,
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SSI CLASSICS
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Strategic Simulations Inc.
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1046 N. Rengstorff Avenue
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Mountain View, CA 94043
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(416) 964-1353
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48K disk
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SSI's newest release includes
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Warship ($59.95), a tactical
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ship-to-ship World War II game, Roadwar
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2000 ($39.95), a science fiction
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adventure, Gemstone Healer ($29.95),
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the sequel to the role-playing
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adventure Gemstone Warrior, and the
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Wargame Construction Set ($29.95),
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which lets you build your own war,
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fantasy or science fiction games.
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The SSI Classics line brings back
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proven hits -- now at only $14.95 each.
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Titles include Combat Leader, Computer
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Baseball, Computer Bismarck, Cytron
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Masters, Eagles, Fortress, Galactic
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Gladiators, Gemstone Warrior and Warp
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Factor.
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|
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____________________________________
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Xx ZMAG PANORAMA
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..Features, Tips and Reviews........
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____________________________________
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The Pilgrimage To ICD
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By Mike Brown
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While vacationing in the Chicago area
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just before Christmas, I was fortunate
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enough to be able to make the trip to
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nearby Rockford, home of Atari
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computer accessory company ICD.
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For those who do not know, ICD has
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been most prolific in the last few
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|
years, producing such great products
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as SpartaDOS, the US Doubler 1050
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|
enhancement, the Rambo XL memory
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|
expansion, the P:R: Connection 850
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|
replacement, and recently the Multi
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|
Input-Output Interface.
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It was the search for an MIO that
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originally brought me to
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Rockford and ICD, I had planned
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to just pick up a MIO and take
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advantage of their special on Adaptec
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|
hard disk controllers, but upon
|
|
talking to ICD founding father and
|
|
guiding light Tom Harker over the
|
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company BBS, I asked if it would be
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|
possible to take a short tour of their
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facility and tell you what it was
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like.
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The home of the most creative and
|
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technologically advanced products for
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Atari computers is a rented section of
|
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what was once a large manufacturing
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company that has fallen on hard times.
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ICD has what is called a -suite-
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within this facility and also leases
|
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manufacturing and warehouse space at
|
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this location.
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When I first arrived,
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I wondered if it was the right
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address, as there was no indication
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that there were other companies under
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the wing of the larger company. After
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being assured that I was in the right
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place by the guard, I was led back to
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ICD's -nerve center-.
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Tom explained to me that they were in
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the process of getting several new
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products to market, (more later) and
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that things were somewhat in an
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uproar.
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The one thing that did catch me by
|
|
surprise around the ICD offices, was
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the IBM PC -Clones- being used around
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the office for -serious- work. I would
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think that a company that makes its
|
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living on the Atari computer line
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would be anxious to prove the
|
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viability of Atari computers in an
|
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office environment.
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In the course of going through the ICD
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manufacturing facility (on the second
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floor), Tom and I discussed ICD's
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philosophy; -We (at ICD) have all been
|
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consumers, and have been in the
|
|
situation where a product does not
|
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work as advertised, or does not work
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at all. We probably over-test our
|
|
products, but we want to be known for
|
|
putting reliability and quality
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first.- The testing and -burn-in-
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areas are where the most Atari
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computer equipment is used. I saw a
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row of 600XL's running a special
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cartridge program that verifies the
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operation of every MIO that ICD ships.
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I also saw an area in the
|
|
manufacturing facility where specially
|
|
modified equipment checks out each US
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Doubler chipset before it is packaged.
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|
This 100% commitment to quality is
|
|
unique in an industry founded on
|
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-cookie-cutter- production methods.
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|
As impressive as the plant tour was,
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|
the really fun stuff was getting a
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preview of what is to come in the next
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few months from ICD. Tom held
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|
impromptu demos of everything that is
|
|
promised from ICD and offered several
|
|
surprises.
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|
The products that were shown to me
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|
were PROTOTYPES, and may be different
|
|
when or if they hit the market. The
|
|
first thing I saw was a prototype of
|
|
the PRINTER CONNECTION. I had
|
|
envisioned this as a stripped-down
|
|
P:R: Connection, but it is obvious
|
|
that they went with a clean sheet of
|
|
paper on this one! The actual
|
|
electronics module is barely larger
|
|
than the hood for a standard
|
|
Centronics type printer connector. The
|
|
Printer Connection does not require
|
|
you to buy anything extra such as
|
|
cables or the like, just plug it into
|
|
an Atari Serial port and to your
|
|
printer! Unfortunately, the device
|
|
must be the last on a -daisy chain- as
|
|
there is no way to connect another
|
|
serial device to it. The tentative
|
|
price for this little gem is $59.95
|
|
and will be available around the
|
|
middle of February.
|
|
|
|
The most impressive demo was the
|
|
forthcoming 80 COLUMN ADAPTER for the
|
|
MIO. Tom apologized to me about the
|
|
quality of the display, since the one
|
|
I was shown was just a prototype, and
|
|
that they had some firmware massaging
|
|
to do before it would be ready for
|
|
market. I use IBM PC's quite
|
|
frequently with EGA monitors, and I
|
|
swear that in text mode, the 80 col
|
|
MIO was just as sharp as the best text
|
|
displays I have seen. The adapter will
|
|
support the full Atari character set,
|
|
but I am not sure about graphics,
|
|
since I was told that has not yet been
|
|
decided. The output of the adapter s
|
|
full RGB nine-pin output (same as the
|
|
IBM PC), but no mention was made about
|
|
sound support (since most RGB monitors
|
|
do not have internal speakers). A
|
|
pleasant surprise is that when
|
|
displayed on a color RGB monitor, the
|
|
adapter displays in 16 color mode! Tom
|
|
said that there is -almost no
|
|
software- that supports the adapter at
|
|
this time, but ICD plans on working
|
|
with software developers and may
|
|
market not only patches for existing
|
|
software, but also whole applications
|
|
packages for the adapter. The adapter
|
|
is designed to be easily added to a
|
|
MIO by the end user, I understand that
|
|
it just involves removing four screws
|
|
from the MIO case and plugging a
|
|
daughterboard into the MIO main board,
|
|
the built-in firmware does the rest.
|
|
|
|
Tom noted that the adapter will have
|
|
its own screen memory, so -normal-
|
|
computer memory will not be
|
|
significantly affected by the use of
|
|
the adapter. What of the -official-
|
|
Atari 80 col adapter/printer
|
|
interface?? Tom showed me a
|
|
pre-production version of one stripped
|
|
down to the board level, the layout
|
|
looked crude in comparison to the MIO
|
|
adapter I had just seen. -We plan on
|
|
being compatible with software written
|
|
for the Atari adapter. We work quite
|
|
closely with Atari and have a
|
|
developer's non-disclosure agreement
|
|
with Atari-. The preliminary price of
|
|
the 80 column MIO option is $99.95,
|
|
and they are promised by the end of
|
|
January.
|
|
|
|
One other item that I saw, was a most
|
|
preliminary version of SPARTA DOS X;
|
|
SpartaDOS 3.3. Tom explained that 3.3
|
|
was mostly 3.2 modified to work in ROM
|
|
(shades of the ST!), and that X would
|
|
have a lot more -neat stuff-. The
|
|
literature I have on it says that
|
|
SpartaDOS X will have full 80 col
|
|
support, support for the Atari 3 1/2-
|
|
drives, and the Indus GT high speed
|
|
mode.
|
|
|
|
The preliminary price for
|
|
the SpartaDOS X cartridge is $79.95
|
|
and no release date is given.
|
|
|
|
All in all, the -fact-finding mission-
|
|
to ICD HQ was an extremely enjoyable
|
|
experience. It's encouraging to see
|
|
their strong commitment to advancing
|
|
the Atari 8-bit world.
|
|
|
|
__________________________________
|
|
Xx ZMAG RANDOM NOTES
|
|
....Tech Tips.....................
|
|
__________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
|
MODEM MODIFICATION
|
|
|
|
I recently bought an Atari XM-301
|
|
modem and discovered that it has a bug.
|
|
When used with the 1050 disk drive, it
|
|
causes the drive to time-out
|
|
periodically and slows down software
|
|
loading.
|
|
|
|
To fix this, three 47 0 ohm (2%
|
|
tol) resistors can be connected to pins
|
|
# 3, 9 & 13 on the circuit board,
|
|
connecting to the I/O cable. Just
|
|
unsolder the I/O cable wires from the
|
|
board, older the resistors to the wires
|
|
and hook them back on to the circuit
|
|
board. My modem now works without a
|
|
hitch.
|
|
Steve Coffman 72337,3457
|
|
|
|
___________________________________
|
|
Xx ZMAG CURRENT EVENTS
|
|
...Shows, Expos, Fleamarkets.......
|
|
___________________________________
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ken Gordon Computer Shows
|
|
|
|
The following is a list of current
|
|
and/or future computer shows and
|
|
expos being held by Ken Gordon
|
|
Productions, Inc. All shows in
|
|
this list are indoor shows, so they
|
|
will be held rain or shine. Ad-
|
|
mission to each show is $7.00 for
|
|
adults, or $5.00 for children (age
|
|
5-12). If you need any more infor-
|
|
mation about these shows, you can
|
|
contact Ken Gordon Productions at
|
|
(201)297-2526 in NJ, or toll free
|
|
1-800-631-0062 outside NJ. This
|
|
list is presented to you by Steve
|
|
Godun (no affiliation with Ken
|
|
Gordon Productions, Inc).
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
SHOW: Apple & Commodore Expo
|
|
Show, Sale, and Fleamarket
|
|
DATE: Sunday, January 11, 1987
|
|
TIME: 10am thru 4pm
|
|
LOCATION: Aspen Manor Convention
|
|
Center (Parsippany, NJ)
|
|
|
|
SHOW: (All Systems)
|
|
DATE: Saturday, February 7, 1987
|
|
TIME: 9am thru 4pm
|
|
LOCATION: William Paterson College
|
|
Recreation Center
|
|
(Wayne, NJ)
|
|
|
|
SHOW: (All Systems)
|
|
DATE: Sunday, February 22, 1987
|
|
TIME: 10am thru 4pm
|
|
LOCATION: New York Penta Hotel
|
|
(New York City, NY)
|
|
|
|
___________________________________
|
|
Xx ZMAG REVIEWS
|
|
...PC Pursuit.....................
|
|
___________________________________
|
|
|
|
By Greg Figueroa
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Telecommunications market
|
|
has never been so blessed with such
|
|
a service as PC Pursuit. PC Pursuit
|
|
is a service of GTE Telenet, and is
|
|
very helpful with the wallet in terms
|
|
of long distance phone bills.
|
|
|
|
For $25 a month, you can access
|
|
the following metropolitan areas all
|
|
you want within the standard times of
|
|
6 PM to 7 AM Monday thru Thursday,
|
|
and from 6 PM Friday to 7 AM Monday.
|
|
|
|
At the time of this writing,
|
|
there are 14 areas you can call, and
|
|
they are:
|
|
|
|
City Area Code
|
|
------------------------
|
|
Atlanta 404
|
|
Boston 617
|
|
Chicago 312
|
|
Dallas 214
|
|
Denver 303
|
|
Detroit 313
|
|
Houston 713
|
|
Los Angeles 213
|
|
Newark 201
|
|
New York 212
|
|
Philadelphia 215
|
|
San Francisco 415
|
|
Seattle 206
|
|
Washington D.C. 202
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
And early this year, the
|
|
following 11 cities will be
|
|
added to the PC Pursuit network:
|
|
|
|
City Area Code
|
|
------------------------
|
|
Portland 503
|
|
San Jose 408
|
|
Phoenix 602
|
|
Milwaukee 414
|
|
Tampa 813
|
|
Glendale 818
|
|
Cleveland 216
|
|
Research Triangle
|
|
Park 919
|
|
Miami 305
|
|
Minneapolis 612
|
|
Salt Lake City 801
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
For more information on PC
|
|
Pursuit, or to register for it, call
|
|
the support board -In Pursuit of...-
|
|
at 1-(800)-835-3001. It has all the
|
|
information you need and you can even
|
|
register through the board for the
|
|
service.
|
|
|
|
If you have any other questions,
|
|
please feel free to contact me on CIS
|
|
in Easyplex or the Atari 8-Bit Forum.
|
|
My PPN # is 72347,576.
|
|
|
|
___________________________________
|
|
Xx ZMAG GUEST EDITORIAL
|
|
...By Alan R. Bechtold.............
|
|
___________________________________
|
|
|
|
At the risk of over-simplification,
|
|
I think I should first describe
|
|
just what a packet switched
|
|
networking service is. These are
|
|
the services you use to access
|
|
online databases and commercial
|
|
online services, such as CompuServe
|
|
and The Source, with just a local
|
|
telephone call. Once you call the
|
|
local Telenet or Tymnet number, for
|
|
example, and a connection is made,
|
|
you are then connected with a
|
|
computer that puts you in
|
|
communication with the online
|
|
services with which you wish to
|
|
communicate.
|
|
|
|
This computer is handling a number
|
|
of calls into the main system
|
|
computer at the same time. It
|
|
takes information you send and
|
|
delivers it in -packets- to the
|
|
proper destination, picks up
|
|
information from the online service
|
|
computer you called, and sends it,
|
|
also in -packets- because this
|
|
allows the network's computers to
|
|
offer protocol conversion and
|
|
handle several ongoing
|
|
communications sessions at the same
|
|
time.
|
|
|
|
FCC regulations allow AT&T and Bell
|
|
Operating Companies (BOCs) to
|
|
engage in packet-switching network
|
|
operations, but they must also
|
|
maintain completely separate
|
|
accounting of their voice and
|
|
packet switching operations. They
|
|
must also offer free local-calling
|
|
access to their lines to any
|
|
competitors engaged in the packet
|
|
switching service industry.
|
|
|
|
The above regulations have allowed
|
|
Telenet and Tymnet, among others,
|
|
to operate at a reasonable cost in
|
|
a competitive atmosphere. This is
|
|
a case of regulation of a business
|
|
actually resulting in increased
|
|
competition and lower prices to
|
|
consumers.
|
|
|
|
As things stand now, you can call
|
|
any local Telenet or Tymnet access
|
|
number and use these services to
|
|
inexpensively access such only
|
|
services as CompuServe, The Source,
|
|
Delphi, and countless others. In
|
|
addition, GTE's new PC PURSUIT
|
|
service now offers you the access,
|
|
through their Telenet packet
|
|
switching service, to literally
|
|
hundreds of local bulletin boards
|
|
in cities all across the
|
|
country--for the flat charge of $25
|
|
per month.
|
|
|
|
But, the FCC is now being asked to
|
|
REREGULATE this segment of the
|
|
communications industry, elimin-
|
|
ating the FCC requirements that
|
|
AT&T and BOCs keep separate
|
|
accounting records of their voice
|
|
and packet switching services, and
|
|
eliminating the stipulation that
|
|
the BOCs and AT&T must offer their
|
|
competitors in the packet switching
|
|
business free access to their local
|
|
telephone connection lines.
|
|
|
|
The idea is patiently ridiculous.
|
|
|
|
Mark Fowler, Chairman of the FCC,
|
|
has been hailed by the press as a
|
|
-air-market zealot.- The chances
|
|
are very good that he views this
|
|
proposed reregulation as the magic
|
|
road to increased competition and a
|
|
fairer pricing for consumers.
|
|
|
|
Unofficially, the word is out that
|
|
the FCC advisory committee now
|
|
considering this matter is indeed
|
|
leaning in favor of the proposed
|
|
reregulation of the packet
|
|
switching industry. If the
|
|
committee recommends these changes,
|
|
it's likely that a majority of the
|
|
five voting members of the FCC will
|
|
vote in favor of the changes.
|
|
|
|
The proposed reregulation could
|
|
very well spell the death of PC
|
|
PURSUIT. Because GTE also uses
|
|
dial-out modems at the other end of
|
|
their Telenet connections for PCP
|
|
service, the company would be
|
|
forced to pay an hourly charge at
|
|
BOTH ends of the phone line --
|
|
totaling up to $9 per hour. These
|
|
fees would have to be added to the
|
|
flat $25 per month that GTE now
|
|
charges for access to PCP. It
|
|
would simply make the final cost to
|
|
PCP customers too high for the
|
|
service to remain practical and
|
|
affordable.
|
|
|
|
So, this is ONE TIME you MUST use
|
|
your word processor to produce some
|
|
letters opposing this proposed
|
|
reregulation! Write to:
|
|
|
|
Honorable Mark Fowler
|
|
Chairman of the Federal
|
|
Communications Commission
|
|
Washington D.C. 20554
|
|
|
|
Refer to Computer Inquiry III in
|
|
your letters. State clearly, in
|
|
your own words, that competitive
|
|
packet switching services should
|
|
not be reregulated or subjected to
|
|
carrier access charges, and then
|
|
explain why not. Tell Mr. Fowler
|
|
that reregulation of packet
|
|
services will completely destroy
|
|
the existing fair market for these
|
|
services, and eventually increase
|
|
costs, not DECREASE them.
|
|
|
|
And Hurry! I have heard this
|
|
matter will be going before the FCC
|
|
for a vote in the latter part of
|
|
January or early part of February.
|
|
Time is running out.
|
|
|
|
Help save PC Pursuit. Write today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
Zmagazine January 5, 1987 Issue33
|
|
Please Contribute!!!
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Next issue January 12th. Look for the
|
|
updated Zmag Systems list in a future
|
|
edition. Due to the length of the
|
|
current list. We have decided to stop
|
|
publishing all the systems each week.
|
|
We will spotlight 3-5 systems each
|
|
week. Happy New year! Ron
|