1404 lines
71 KiB
Plaintext
1404 lines
71 KiB
Plaintext
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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SYNDICATE ZMAGAZINE ISSUE #136 DECEMBER 18, 1988
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*** Special Edition ***
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Part 2 1988 IN REVIEW
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Editors Desk
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by Ron Kovacs
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This is Part 2 of a series of reprints on News and Atari related material
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between January thru December 1988. Originally scheduled were two parts.
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Due to the massive amount of material collected, we will expand this
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series to three parts. Next week the final installment.
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A week till Christmas. Get that Xmas shopping done!
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Next week's edition will be released on December 23, 1988.
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1988 Continues.........
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COMDEX continued
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ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT 1988 REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
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ATARI SEES ITS UNIT NEAR BREAKEVEN
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According to Reuters, though losses from Federated Group continue to hurt
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earnings, Atari said it expects Federated to just about break even in the
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second and third quarters and a modest profit in the fourth quarter. Atari
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also said it is reducing costs and improving product mix, margins and
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sales.
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Without Federated, Atari said it would have earned $15.3 million, or 26
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cents per share, on sales of $97.7 million in 1988. Atari's net income
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was $5.67 million, or 10 cents per share, on net sales of $169.23 million
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for the first quarter, down from $15.26 million, or 26 cents, on sales of
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$65.13 million a year earlier. Last year's results included a gain of
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$5.89 million.
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Additionally, the company said the Atari computer and video game segment
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generated -significant- increases in sales volume. The continuing shortage
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of Dynamic Random Access Memory, however, has had a negative impact on
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sales, but Atari expects the DRAM shortage and related high cost will
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begin to ease later this year.
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REPORT FROM ATLANTA, PART IV
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Closing day of Spring 1988 Comdex
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by Andrew Reese START Editor
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(Atlanta, Georgia, May 13, 1988) The numbers held up well as the Spring,
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1988 version of Comdex came to a close. Floor traffic stayed high and the
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Atlanta airport resembled Manhattan at rush hour. There was general
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agreement that the hottest item shown at Comdex was a new Dell PS/2 clone
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and the hottest giveaway was a yellow nylon bag with a logo of -WingZ,-
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a new Mac II integrated spreadsheet package. The WingZ pavilion with
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their flashy Leonard Nimoy-narrated laser, sound and light show was just
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across the way from the Atari booth and the lines stayed long for the
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entire show.
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MIDI software publishers were well represented in the Atari booth itself
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with Hybrid Arts, Dr. T, Passport, Sonus and Midisoft all showing their
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wares. Announced today by Frank Foster of Hybrid Arts is their new ADAP
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II. To be shown in June at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), ADAP II,
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which stands for Analog-to-Digital Audio Processor, is the first Random
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Access Editing System for Digital Audio Tapes (DAT). It will be available
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this summer and carries a $3,000 price tag for the hardware and software
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package. It requires a minimum of 1 meg of RAM in an ST (or a Mega, of
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course) and a Hard Drive. The hardware consists of the sampler and a
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coprocessor box. Just like the present ADAP, it allows 80 seconds of
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stereo to be stored in a digital form on a 20 Meg hard drive. A truly
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professional package and the first allowing DAT editing...and only on the
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ST!
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A.L. Hospers Jr. of Dr. T's was demonstrating their Multi-Program
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Environment (MPE) system for MIDI. It's a shell for Dr. T's line of MIDI
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software, but it's more than just a shell, because it allows for
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interactive data sharing among the programs. Version 1.6 of the Keyboard
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Controlled Sequencer (KCS) is shipping now at $249 with MPE and new edit
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features. You can play around with 55,000 notes in a one meg ST and still
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have a sequencer, MPE and three patch editors in RAM at the same time, but
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if you want to add in Dr. T's impressive scoring software, better have
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more than 2 megs of RAM. All in all, a very powerful and impressive
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package.
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Passport's Master Tracks Pro Version 2.1 was unveiled at Comdex. With
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enhancements over their already powerful Version 2.0, Passport remains
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in the hunt for ST MIDI leadership. Master Tracks uses a unique interface
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for editing and allows the musician to lay down up to 64 tracks. Watch
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for new developments from Passport in the very near future.
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Superscore, the 32-track sequencer and scoring program from Sonus, made
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its first Comdex appearance. This is a powerful program designed to let
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the musician polish his/her work and then print out a finished score on
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an Epson-compatible printer. It's priced at $249 and shipping now.
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Midisoft Corp. showed their Advanced Edition of Midisoft Studio, due for
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June release. Midisoft has added new event editing features,
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programmable tempo changes and support for the emerging standard MIDI
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file format, while still retaining the clarity for which the Standard
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Edition has become known. Only $149.
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An editorial aside here: your editor doesn't come from a MIDI background.
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In fact, many who know me would say that I don't even come from a musical
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background. But be that as it may, seeing these five fine packages side-
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by-side impressed me with three things. First, they each use a
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distinctive approach to the tasks, so that whichever interface you prefer
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and whatever your needs, one of these packages will fill the bill. Second,
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I was impressed by the level of activity in this segment of the ST market;
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the ST has forged into the overall lead in the MIDI industry in no small
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measure due to the efforts of these and other inventive ST publishers.
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Finally, I was struck by the incredible power these packages give the
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musician or even non-musician. I think that even I could knock out
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something listenable with one of these -- and that's no small
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accomplishment. Cheers for these guys who have made a name for the ST.
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There were a number of new printers at the show. The trend continues to
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be more power for less money as process for 24-pin printers drop below
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the $500 level. But the most spectacular printer at the show had to be
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the new Tektronix 4693D, a full-color wax printer that produced thick,
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but gorgeous pictures. Unfortunately, the price was $8,495...and
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Tektronix has produced drivers only for the IBM, Mac and Amiga so far.
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I'm sure that an ST driver could be produced without too much trouble, if
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the ST market would support it. We'll just have to see what happens as
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Atari increases its push into the business markets.
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Well, that's about it from Atlanta. There were more booths and more
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products than one person could possibly see in four days, so I'm sure that
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I missed a few. But my feet will vouch for what I hope was a valiant
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effort! It was a success as far as lining up some good writers for the
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pages of START and Antic, however. Watch for the likes of George Miller
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(formerly of the now defunct Compute's ST magazine), Denis Labreque (one
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of Passport's musical geniuses) and Kenneth George (wizard of the ST
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Accelerator) to grace our pages in the months to come. And oh, did we
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find some great topics to cover! Like...well, we better just keep things
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under wraps for now.
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SUMMER CES REPORT
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ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT 1988 REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN...
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Report from the Summer Consumer Electronics Show
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by Andrew Reese START Editor
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(Chicago, Ill, June 4, 1988) Chicago in June can be beautiful, but getting
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to the Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here can be anything but...
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You don't need to hear a litany of travel woes, but suffice it to say that
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the crowning blow was a collision at the cabstand at O'Hare International
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Airport between a cab and a rent-a-car bus! But your faithful reporter
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made it to the show for this first report for you.
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Summer CES is a monster of a show -- there are some 1400 exhibitors in
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730,000 net square feet of display space.
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Over 100,000 attendees will march the aisles this year seeing games,
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audio, video (even adult video), telephones of every type and description,
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fax machines and almost anything else that might sell between now and
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Christmas. And Atari is here...
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Yes, Atari is here at CES, but it's different from Comdex, the Computer
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Dealers Exposition in April. Here, the Entertainment Electronics Division
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(video games) holds sway and the computers take a back seat --at least
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this year. No new 16-bit computer products were shown and the 8-bit
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products were all games for the 2600, 7800 and XE game systems. In fact,
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only three ST's were here in the Atari display area and all were playing
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MIDI -- well, they weren't actually in the area, more like grafted onto
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the back of Atari's black game temple. But Atari's games were here and
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in profusion.
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Another notable impression from Atari -- the Electronic Entertainment
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Division, at least, is willing to spend money and lots of it to promote
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their game systems and software. Mike Katz, president of the division,
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announced a $10 million advertising campaign at a press conference held
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just before CES. This campaign will include TV ads to run for the rest
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of the year, including ones featuring such sports stars as Washington
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Redskins quarterback Doug Williams. And in the trade dailies here at the
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show, Atari bought lots of ad space. They're serious about selling games,
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folks -- they want to double the sales of their games systems this year
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for the third year in a row. I can't wait for them to get just as serious
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about selling computers in the U.S.!
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Of course, Atari's direct game competitors are here as well. Nintendo
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bought 20,000 square feet of display space. Yep, that's not a glitch:
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20,000 square feet. Their area was filled with third-party developers
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showing dozens of new games. But the chip shortage has hit even Nintendo
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and they have had to scale down their optimistic projections from 40-
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million units (carts) to 30-million. Sega is showing a combination of
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arcade stand-alone games and their home game system, now available with
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3D glasses. Sega's display area is not as big in area as Nintendo's and
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not as well positioned as Atari's, which is just at the foot of the main
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escalator into the hall.
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And now to the software. This is a game show for the most part and all
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of the majors were here and some surprises. The only significant serious
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business product I saw was LDW Power, a new high-speed, high-capacity,
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GEM-based, 1-2-3-compatible spreadsheet from long-time Atari faithful,
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Logical Design Works. This package features built-in graphing, high-
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speed re-calculation, efficient use of memory and comes with a 232-page
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manual and lots of little features of the kind that make the difference
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between a product you use grudgingly and one you turn to with a smile.
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Available now for the eminently reasonable price of $150.
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Activision was here -- or should I say Mediagenics, the new name for the
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umbrella company that gathers together such names as Activision, Gamestar
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and Rainbird (formerly Firebird) under one corporate logo. You'll still
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see the individual names, but the company is Mediagenics. Their big
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promotion this year -- at least overall -- is a new Pete Rose baseball
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game -- but not for the Atari, sorry. But Rainbird is a different story
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entirely.
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Rainbird is hitting the streets in the next few months with a great line-
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up of hot games. First is Carrier Command, the long-awaited 3D solid
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graphics flight and vehicle simulator. It is available now for the ST at
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a price of $44.95 and is not copy-protected. I played this gem and it's
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hot, a great futuristic combination of strategy, tactics and arcade
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action.
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Next up for Rainbird will be Starglider II, a solid 3D version of the
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great ST game. Due out in July at a price of $44.95, this version adds
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lots of features that would have been thought impossible a few years ago.
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The screen refresh rate is nothing short of spectacular and the variety
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of weapons and inter-stellar travel broaden the appeal from the original,
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which was a landmark game in its day. And speaking of the original, it's
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being re-released at a new lower price of $24.95. Oh, you won't believe
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it, but the ST and Amiga versions of Starglider II come on the same disk,
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it's bootable by either!!!!!
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And Rainbird will release a whole series of new ST games over the next
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few months. They are really going to support the ST with a broad range of
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entertainment software, much of it priced at the very reasonable price of
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$24.95. Thanks for the vote of confidence in the viability of the ST
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market!
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Lots and lots of arcade classics are being translated to the ST. Capcom,
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a new name to the Atari market is bringing Bionic Commando, Side Arms,
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Street Fighter and 1943 to the ST this summer. The first three are arcade
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-style hit, kick, shoot and kill games with animated figures doing your
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dirty work. The last is the top-view aerial game set at Midway Island
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during WWII. They look like pretty darned good ports and should do well
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with Atarians hungry for more ACTION!
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On a calmer (??????) note, Sierra On-Line showed some dynamite new games
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due out in the next few months. If you liked Leisure Suit Larry in the
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Land of the Lounge Lizards, well, he's back and -Looking for Love (in
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Several Wrong Places).- A funny, funny adult game and great-looking
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follow-up to my wife's favorite game. Due out toward the end of the
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summer.
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And for all you King's Quest fans, KQ IV is on its way with MIDI-output
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music!!! Sierra and Roland are working together to develop an MT-board
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for IBM computers that will allow them to play the original stereo score
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by William Goldstein directly. The ST version will follow, but because
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of the ST's built-in MIDI ports, that wil be the avenue used by the games
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designers. The game itself is called -The Perils of Rosella- and takes
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you -- Rosella -- on a perilous voyage to save your ailing father's life.
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There's an introductory cartoon that sets the stage and it runs ten
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minutes! It's a b-i-g game and the graphics are getting better and
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better with each generation of Sierra games.
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Watch your back, Sonny Bonds! Jesse Bains, the Death Angel, has escaped
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and is out for revenge in -Police Quest II -- The Vengeance- from Sierra
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On-Line. Looks real good and due out (hopefully) before the fall.
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You want action? You want video arcade games on your ST. Well, in a
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surprise announcement, Taito ( pronounced -Tie-Toe-) is releasing eight
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arcade ports over the next few months. Due out in July at a $39.95
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retail price are Alcon and Bubble Bobble, while Arkanoid will accompany
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them at $34.95. Then in the fall will come Gladiator, Operation Wolf (a
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dynamite-- and gory -- first- person soldiering game), Qix, Rastan and
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Renegade, all at $39.95. Save up your quarters, gamers!
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JUNE: ATARI NEWS UPDATE
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ATARI PLANS MAJOR PUSH IN VIDEO GAMES
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Chicago, June 6, 1988--Atari Corp. will introduce 45 new video game
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titles, said Michael Katz, president of Atari's Entertainment Electronics
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Division, at the Consumer Electronics Show, according to the Reuter News
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Service. Katz said that Atari will continue its successful licensing
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program by signing licensing agreements with various computer game
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companies for successful games from other formats. According to Katz,
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1988 industry sales are projected at $1.9 billion, up from $1.1 billion
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last year.
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ST NEEDS TO GET TOUGH ON BUSINESS
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T.R. Reid of the Washington Post calls The Atari ST a -powerful, easy-to-
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use, bargain-priced computer with dazzling graphics and formidable sound
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capabilities,- but he raises some questions about the computer's ability
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as a serious business tool. WordPerfect, Reid said, is an excellent
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business application for the ST, -but beyond word processing, the Atari
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is not really a match in the business environment for MS-DOS or Macintosh
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machines.-
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Reid is quick to point out that -it's not that the computer itself is
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incapable- -- just that the software companies that produce major league
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packages for MS-DOS and Mac aren't taking advantage of the power in the ST
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(with the exception of WordPerfect). On the other hand, he discusses such
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Atari-specific programs as the SideKick-like Partner ST from Timeworks,
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which puts a calculator, Rolodex, appointment calendar and other tools
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onto your ST desktop. He also cites ST ports (such as The Software
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Toolworks' Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing) that are better than their MS-DOS
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counterparts.
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Avant Garde's MS-DOS emulator, PC-Ditto, comes under fire in Reid's
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article. -Even compared with the performance of a rickety old IBM-PC,- he
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says, -running MS-DOS stuff on the ST is a sensation akin to riding a
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tricycle in the Indianapolis 500.- On the other hand, he calls Data
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Pacific's Magic Sac, which lets you run Macintosh software on the ST, a
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-somewhat more successful- effort.
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Reid feels that desktop publishing should be a natural for the ST -- the
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features required for desktop publishing happen to be the ST's strengths:
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-lots of memory, sharp graphics, a versatile laser printer.- Reid likes
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the fact that the Atari laser printer has no built-in fonts or page-
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description software -- making the printer more versatile than many
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-smart- printers, and holding the price down as well.
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NEWS FROM CANADA
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There are at least four or five major magazines that cover the french
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computer market, which is, as you may now, VERY dynamic.
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At least one is at least dedicated to the ST. This -ST magazine- has on
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its cover a line saying: -Standard Atari and compatibles-. Hey! What
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do you mean -compatibles-?
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It means compatibles, like an IBM compatible. Yes there is now at least
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one St compatible computer, called -Athena ST-. It features most of the
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same components as the ST, plus three analog/digital programmable
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converters, a noise generator and a fully programmable keyboard.
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Those two computers share the same motherboard, but the 68000 has been
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remove from it, to be placed on an auxilliary board. It support rom TOS
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and the OS9 operating system, this one succesfully tested in a 8 computer
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network. All the softwares known are supposed to work pretty fine on it.
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The main advantage of this machine is that it allows you to produce
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yourself expansion cards (up to three) to be installed inside the Athena
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St.
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This machine has been designed to fit the need of developpers and teachers,
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wich seek particular needs. The machine costs about 2500$ and every
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expansion card is about 350$.
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The magazine indicates that a full test will be done for the June issue.
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Another great thing that we get from Europe is software, months sooner
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that you guys get. Desktop publisher, by Timeworks is available in
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french. Superbase Professional too, etc..
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Some tips now about what is going in France:
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-the city of Lyon (1,100,000+ habitants) has all its circulations lights
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hooked on a Mega St4
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-their has been a big fight last year between Atari, IBM and Macintosh. It
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was concerning the new equipement of the daily newspaper Liberation.
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Guess who won? Atari! And they provided a new word-processor, Le
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Redacteur (The writer), wich is TRULY the fastest on around, including
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several analysis tools absolutly not found in any machine!
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-Not only the PC1 and PC2 clones are available now but the new AT
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compatibles should on the shelves now. Since those are all produced in
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Germany, you understand why we (yes here also) do not get these.
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-Also very popular are the Minitel emulators and servers.
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-You can count on MAJOR softwares for physicians, dentist, school
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administration, accounting.
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-When you look at an ad in a magazine, you see a pretty big difference
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with here. Most of them are dedicated to the business world, showing a
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big gap between their approach and ours.
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-you should see their 6 pages professional brochure!!!
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Well that is about it for now! I'll try to get you some more (frustrating)
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news regularly.
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Martin Fournier CIS: 73637,3532 GENIE: M.FOURNIER
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ZMAG CONFIDENTIAL
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by Ron Kovacs
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June 1988
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News around the 8bit community... Jerry Horanoff is said to be working or
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going to be working for ICD. Carina II will not become part of the ICD
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inventory. Should be interesting what plans they have for Jerry there...
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As reported last week, Micron Tele and Atari have settled the law suit
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out of court. We are still on the pursuit of the details that either
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will not release to the public.
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What ever happened to Keith Ledbetter?? Sources tell us that he was
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fired from ICD! True or false? We have been told that Keith says it
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was a difference of opinion and others say he was canned.
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Check out the most recent issue of Atari Explorer Magazine and you will
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find Atari selling it's hardware and software via mail order. Not too
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bad, but when you consider the price of a 130XE for $149.00, the
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acceptance just doesn't seem to be there. You can call other mail-order
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houses and find a better deal!
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ATARI 8-BIT NEWS AND COMMENT
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by John Nagy [Re-Edited version]
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June 1988
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HARD TO BELIEVE, but true: Spinnaker's NEWSROOM program for the ATARI
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8-bit, so long asked for and awaited, WON'T work using a real 850 ATARI
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printer interface! It WILL work using almost anything else... and the
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company has assured us that they will try to find a solution -as soon as
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they can get an 850 from somewhere to test it-. Yikes. Buyers can get a
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refund if they can't wait. Other reasons to consider other newpaper-
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layout programs include NEWSROOM's inability to import graphics or text
|
|
from any other source.
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to RON KOVACS who has produced ZMAGAZINE, a weekly
|
|
electronic ATARI newsletter for BBS distribution for TWO YEARS now. Often
|
|
the content of ZMAG has bristled the hair on ATARI and other corporate
|
|
groups, but the consistancy and professionalism Ron has upheld (at his own
|
|
non-profit expense!) has paid off. CompuServe, at one time at serious
|
|
odds with Ron over the inclusion of information about other telecom
|
|
service vendors, has finally even made a special DOWNLOAD LIBRARY just for
|
|
ZMAG. The same has now happened on DELPHI, and GENIE even has a special
|
|
MESSAGE/SIG area in tht ATARI Roundtable for Ron and his fine product.
|
|
ST-Report (now edited by others but under Ron's guidence) joined the ranks
|
|
with the original ZMAG (which now focuses on 8-bit news), and year #3
|
|
looks bright. Keep it up, Ron!
|
|
|
|
Speaking of GENIE, where ATARI is BIG STUFF, our own COMPUTER SHOPPER has
|
|
its own SIG there now. Move to SHOPPER to look around. I hope we can
|
|
make arrangements to post any ATARI public-domain programs discussed here
|
|
in my columns available in the SHOPPER SIG, even if they are duplicated in
|
|
the ATARI SIG. This would make them more accessable and easier to find
|
|
for our readers. Maybe post them for a couple months and then clear them
|
|
out? JEFF BRENNER (APPLYING THE ATARI) may be also interested in posting
|
|
some of his items there. Stay tuned...
|
|
|
|
PUBLIC DOMAIN RELEASES
|
|
|
|
I can't begin to tell you about ALL the goodies that are newly available
|
|
for our 8-bit ATARI's, but several are particularly exciting right now.
|
|
|
|
ALFCRUNCH - Not a way to smash furry aliens, this is finally a BETTER
|
|
file compactor than ARC (ARCHIVE). For about a year, ARC (programmed for
|
|
the 8-bit ATARI by Ralph Walden) has been the protocol of choice for
|
|
-making little ones out of big ones-, because it would:
|
|
|
|
1) (Fairly) reliably take multiple files of your choice and make them all
|
|
into one file for later extraction, with filenames as in the original.
|
|
|
|
2) Save as much as 50% in total file size over the originals.
|
|
|
|
3) Use the same format as the IBM and ST ARCHIVE, allowing interchange
|
|
between machines.
|
|
|
|
The reduced size and recovery of the original filenames is very important
|
|
to users of MODEMS to tranfer files, and also has application for backing
|
|
up your important files in a minimum of disk space. The DOWN side of ARC
|
|
has been occasional -CRC CHECKSUM- errors making the output files NOT
|
|
match the input, a buggy user interface on the 8-bit ARC and UN-ARC
|
|
programs that can cause lots of lost time and effort, and the
|
|
SSSSLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWW performance of ARC on our 8-bit ATARI.
|
|
|
|
ALFCRUNCH, by ALFRED of the PROGRAMMER'S AID BBS (416) 465-4182, provides
|
|
a remarkable alternative to ARC. I don't know how it works... but it
|
|
WORKS GREAT! Distributed on most of the telecom services and BBS's by
|
|
now, get it quick. Alfred, whoever he is, doesn't even call this work
|
|
-SHAREWARE- or ask for donations... although few have been more
|
|
deserving.
|
|
|
|
When I first tested ALFCRUNCH to compact a list of files, I was CERTAIN
|
|
that it had errored out or was somehow -faking it-, since it was done in
|
|
30 seconds! The same list later took almost four minutes to ARC. It was
|
|
even faster UN-ALFING (?) the compacted file ...only about 20 seconds!
|
|
DE-ARCING its mate took over 3 minutes. And the bottom line: ARC saved
|
|
26% compared to the total of the original file sizes, while ALFCRUNCH
|
|
saved 45%! YIKES! ALFCRUNCH is actually FASTER than the ARC used on an
|
|
IBM or ST! (How long before -ALFRED- makes a version for the -other
|
|
machines-?)
|
|
|
|
I could NOT coax ALFCRUNCH into making any errors of its own... and the
|
|
documentation that comes with it is VERY thorough. It will pass parameters
|
|
on the SPARTADOS command line, or run in a full prompt mode on ANY DOS,
|
|
even with BASIC enabled. Amazing.
|
|
|
|
The output file from ALFCRUNCH (version 1.2 and higher) can also be
|
|
-viewed- with any of the many ARC-VIEW programs floating around on the
|
|
BBS circuit, allowing the file contents and retored sizes to be examined
|
|
without processing the file to a disk. Although the main reason for the
|
|
popularity of VIEWERS was that ARC took so LONG to run, ALFCRUNCH users
|
|
will still appreciate the ability to peek into their stored files.
|
|
|
|
SO, ALFCRUNCH solves ALL of the problems of ARC except the compatiability
|
|
with other type computers. As a result, I can only see TWO cases that
|
|
would make you choose to use ANY other compaction method: 1) When you KNOW
|
|
your file must be later read by machines OTHER than your 8-bit ATARI,
|
|
continue to use ARC; 2) When you must transfer a BOOT DISK or a DOS, use
|
|
DISKCOM. (DISKCOM by Robert Puff, now in version 3.2 or higher, is VERY
|
|
friendly, fast, and reliable, but does nothing to reduce the overall size
|
|
of the files. What it excells at is making a file which can later be
|
|
restored to be IDENTICAL (byte for byte, sector for sector) to the original
|
|
disk. -SCRUNCH- was once a popular format for this same purpose, but
|
|
Robert's rapid-fire improvements to DISKCOM, plus its ability to make
|
|
double- and -enhanced-density- (ICK!) disks have made it the clear program
|
|
of choice.)
|
|
|
|
SIGNMAKER 1.3 - Jeff Colehour impressed us with SIGNMAKER, reviewed breifly
|
|
in an earlier column. Version 1.3 goe further to debug and simplify the
|
|
use of this shareware program. Basically an alternative to PRINTSHOP,
|
|
SIGNMAKER allows the use of any two PRINTSHOP format icons and any
|
|
combination of any three -normal- ATARI fonts in any of four sizes, all on
|
|
the same page. Inverse and -control graphic characters- can also be used
|
|
in the sign. Text can be imported from normal word processor files, and
|
|
can be automatically centered. The biggest change in the new version is
|
|
the VIEW SIGN feature. Although it must first save the sign data to a disk
|
|
(and it takes a WHOLE DISK!), this lets you examine the final product
|
|
before printing, as well as saving it for later use. If you save it to
|
|
RAMDISK, the process is very fast, so viewing need not be a painfully
|
|
long experience on an extended memory computer.
|
|
|
|
Although SIGNMAKER can't touch PRINTSHOP for ease of use or polish, it
|
|
offers some power to make signs that even PRINTSHOP can't do, like making
|
|
full page printouts of graphics from ATASCII BBS cartoons. Check this one
|
|
out.
|
|
|
|
PS UTILITIES 1.0 - Rich Spencer has put several useful features into one
|
|
package, written in ACTION!. It accomplishes the hard-to-live-without
|
|
functions of RENAMING, COPYING, and DELETING PRINTSHOP format ICONS. It
|
|
also allows conversion of MICROPAINTER (Koala/Touch Tablet) format files
|
|
into ICONS (and back!). Although these features are available (one at a
|
|
time) via the commercial PRINTSHOP COMPANION plus various other PD
|
|
programs, this is a nice package for serious PRINTSHOP users. The good
|
|
documentation ends with some very useful information about the innards of
|
|
a PRINTSHOP disk, and asks for input for future versions.
|
|
|
|
POSDEMO - Hold on to your seat for an 800+ sector download of XENIA
|
|
RESEARCH's POINT OF SALE demo. Get it on GENIE or other telecom services.
|
|
Although it is a demo of a commercial product, this demo is worth its
|
|
weight in RAM chips if you want to show off your 8-bit system. It
|
|
requires that you DISKCOM the file onto a DOUBLE DENSITY disk, and when
|
|
it runs, it shows many functions of a store inventory, sales, receipt,
|
|
ordering, and saleperson reporting system. Barcodes are printed and read,
|
|
documents and reports stream out of the printer, the display shows finely
|
|
designed -SYNFILE- looking screens for input and output. This system is
|
|
expected to sell for well under $200 INCLUDING the Barcode reader (!!)
|
|
and can NETWORK several sales locations for interdependant operation. It
|
|
should be available for sale by the time you read this. Best Electronics
|
|
of San Jose CA and Butlers Computers in Federal Way WA will have supplies
|
|
of POS NET. Yes, I'm VERY impressed. This large, detailed, self-running
|
|
demo will LIVE on-screen at any future computer shows, showing what the
|
|
8-bit ATARI can do when not gobbling ghosts!
|
|
|
|
SPC/ZMAG NEWSWIRE: JULY 1988
|
|
|
|
(SUNNYVALE, CA.) Atari in a turmoil over the revelation of D/S drives
|
|
shipped in 520STFM units to FEDERATED STORES.
|
|
|
|
(VEGAS - COMDEX) Atari plans to revive all the enthusiastic support it
|
|
once enjoyed by what they plan to do and show here in NOVEMBER.
|
|
|
|
(NEW YORK, NY) IBM has reportedly purchased huge amounts of scarce
|
|
chips to supply itself and render competition a severe blow.
|
|
|
|
(NATIONAL, USA) ATARI Dealers are reportedly up in arms over the
|
|
alleged preferential treatment Atari has shown to Federated this year
|
|
over 1040, 520stfmd/S Drives, Mega delivery times, and service in general.
|
|
|
|
(WALL STREET) COMPILED 07-08-88 [Fegers and Wise]
|
|
Reprint permission granted
|
|
|
|
Stock Sales High Low Close Net Chg.
|
|
Dome Petrol 9,172,000 1 5-32 1 3-32 15-32 unch
|
|
Texas Air 1,790,700 15 5/8 14 3/8 14 5/8 off 1/8
|
|
Wang Lab B 1,319,600 10 3/4 10 1/4 10 3/8 off 1/4
|
|
Amdahl Corp 962,600 53 7/8 50 1/8 50 1/8 off 2 7/8
|
|
Echo Bay Mn 797,600 21 1/4 20 1/2 21 up 1/2
|
|
NY Times 769,300 27 1/8 26 26 3/8 unch
|
|
ATARI CORP *694,400* 9 7 7/8 8 1/2 up 3/8
|
|
Est Air 694,300 16 1/2 16 1/8 16 1/2 up 3/8
|
|
Viacom 657,700 25 3/4 25 3/8 25 3/4 up 3/8
|
|
Lorimar Tel 632,600 13 7/8 13 1/8 13 3/8 off 1/4
|
|
|
|
Stock Sales High Low Close Net Chg.
|
|
Apple Computer (AAPL) $195,227,000 47 1/2 45 45 1/4 off 1 1/4
|
|
LIN Broadcsting (LINB) 167,195,000 64 54 58 1/8 off 5 7/8
|
|
Apollo Computer (APCI) 157,968,000 15 7/8 10 1/2 10 7/8 off 3 7/8
|
|
Sun Microsystm (SUNW) 150,205,000 40 3/4 38 38 1/2 off 1/2
|
|
Intel Corp (INTC) 149,274,000 36 1/4 34 3/4 35 off 1 1/4
|
|
MCI Commun (MCIC) 117,825,000 15 1/4 14 1/4 14 7/8 up 3/8
|
|
Microsoft Cp (MSFT) 117,673,000 70 1/2 67 68 1/2 up 1/2
|
|
Miniscribe Cp (MINY) 69,499,000 13 3/4 12 13 1/8 up 1
|
|
Novell Inc (NOVL) 65,468,000 28 3/4 26 26 1/2 off 2
|
|
MICRON TECH *(DRAM)* 62,976,000 23 1/2 21 3/8 22 7/8 up 1 1/4
|
|
|
|
ANTIC ONLINE REPORT
|
|
ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT 1988 REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
|
|
|
|
ISGUR REPORTS ON ATARI
|
|
BY GREGG PEARLMAN, ANTIC ASSISTANT EDITOR
|
|
|
|
The following information about Atari Corp. comes from May, 1988 report
|
|
from Lee Isgur, first vice president of PaineWebber Inc., advisor to the
|
|
Antic Publishing board of directors and author of the Isgur Portfolio:
|
|
|
|
(#) Atari will introduce a 68030-based computer in the fall, as well as a
|
|
laptop ST with a built-in hard drive.
|
|
|
|
(#) In January, 1989, Atari will introduce -what will probably be the
|
|
first 68000-based game machine.- It should retail at around $199.
|
|
|
|
(#) Atari will double the $10 million it spent advertising video games
|
|
last year.
|
|
|
|
(#) Management is cautious about video games and expects the current
|
|
excitement to wane, so Atari plans to undersell the market
|
|
continually. Atari also will increase its emphasis on software,
|
|
which is seen as less risky than hardware.
|
|
|
|
(#) Because of the DRAM shortage, Atari is currently producing a few
|
|
thousand PC clones a month, but later this year, the company will
|
|
begin making the PC-5, an 80286 machine.
|
|
|
|
(#) In addition to the 50 transputers currently in the hands of
|
|
developers, Atari will have sent 200 more in June. The transputer
|
|
should be available to the public before the end of the year.
|
|
|
|
(#) Atari Corp.'s first quarter 1987 results confirm that the company has
|
|
$68.5 million cash on hand and should earn well over $1 per share in
|
|
1988. The Federated retail division, which Atari didn't own during
|
|
the first quarter of 1987, lost 16 cents a share.
|
|
|
|
(#) Under Atari Corp., Federated's employees have fallen from 3,000 to
|
|
1,900 as six stores have been closed and several others have been
|
|
reduced.
|
|
|
|
(#) Demand for Atari products, mostly computers, exceeds supply by at
|
|
least 50%, and that if DRAM shortages ease in the second half of
|
|
1988, so will comparative gross margin declines.
|
|
|
|
(#) Video game sales this year should be twice last year's $80 million,
|
|
with the Atari 7800 and XE Game System accounting for more than half
|
|
of these sales.
|
|
|
|
(#) Over 80% of Atari's computer sales, around $400 million to $500
|
|
million this year, are outside the United States. Management hopes
|
|
for 50% of computer sales to come from the United States in 1990.
|
|
|
|
(#) Atari will probably open a factory in the United States before the
|
|
end of the year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT: JULY 1988
|
|
|
|
TO ATARI USER GROUPS AND ALL ATARI ENTHUSIASTS:
|
|
|
|
I was disappointed to read the negative letters and articles regarding
|
|
comments made by Neil Harris at the West Coast Computer Faire. We at
|
|
Atari feel that our computers are the clear technological leaders in
|
|
their classes. The XE/XL line is superior to the Commodore 64, and the
|
|
ST series beats any '286 or 8088 MSDOS machine; it also beats the touted
|
|
Macintosh (68000) machines, and even surpasses the Amiga in all areas
|
|
except for internal sound.
|
|
|
|
The educational, productivity, and entertainment software available for
|
|
the Atari machines makes for an excellent combination which yields many
|
|
uses. My family knows, as we use an 800XL, an XE Game Machine, and a
|
|
1040STf. Neil was only saying that the future will bring EVEN MORE
|
|
POWERFUL computers which will be easier to use, and I am sure he is right.
|
|
This statement is not meant to belittle today's models or users.
|
|
|
|
While I am communicating with you, let me clear up a few things and also
|
|
ask for your help.
|
|
|
|
The DRAM shortage is still with us and it is inhibiting our distribution
|
|
in the U.S. We hope this will get better in the 4th quarter of '88. In
|
|
the meantime, we will CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ATARI COMPUTER presence in the
|
|
U.S. We will advertise this fall to keep our presence in the U.S.
|
|
|
|
I ask all of you is two things: first, please do not pirate software.
|
|
Talk your friends out of it also. The software community is suffering
|
|
and complaining, please police pirating so Atari software companies can
|
|
thrive. The other favor I ask of you is to be the evangelists of the
|
|
Atari world. Tell your friends, associates, teachers, etc., how great the
|
|
XE/XL and ST are.
|
|
|
|
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THE ATARI MACHINES A STANDARD IN THE U.S.
|
|
--- Sam Tramiel, President, Atari Corporation
|
|
|
|
|
|
JULY NEWS AND RUMORS UPDATE
|
|
>From the Dateline BBS 718-648-0947
|
|
by Curtis Vendel
|
|
|
|
News from the rumors mill.
|
|
|
|
Well, things have on an upswing for the 8bit computer systems lately. The
|
|
big news is about the 2 new operating enviorments that are scheduled for
|
|
release this July and September.
|
|
|
|
The first is called Diamond(tm) and is a graphics operating system. Some
|
|
users are familar with a piece of software called RAOS: the Rat Actuacted
|
|
Operating System which was nothing more than a fancy graphics DOS menu,
|
|
not much more. Diamond on the other hand is an operating -System- or
|
|
-Enviorment- that will control windows, dialog boxes, icons, fonts, etc..
|
|
|
|
In a conversation with Alan Reeve, the author of Diamond, he mentioned
|
|
that the packages would costs $29.95, I say packages because along with
|
|
Diamond will be a developers kit for designing software which will run in
|
|
the Diamond enviorment, also to be released along with Diamond will be a
|
|
painting program and a wordprocessor rumored to have multiple fonts. No
|
|
release dates have been set, but also scheduled are several programming
|
|
languages and a desktop publishing program. Alan Reeve is also the author
|
|
of News Station, one of the first page designing programs, perhaps the
|
|
Diamond Publish program will be a souped up version of his News Station.
|
|
|
|
And in the other corner of the ring is STjr by Merrill Ward & Associates.
|
|
In a brief interview with Mr. Shelly Merrill I was able to find out that
|
|
the STjr GOE is a 'ROM' based program. This will allow 400/800 users to
|
|
be able to utilize this software, Diamond unfortunetly uses the extra 16k
|
|
of the XL/XE machines. I asked Mr. Merrill what his company would do in
|
|
the event that the GOE cart. has a bug in the software or they decide to
|
|
update their package and he commented that STjr carts. would be under an
|
|
-exchange- agreement. However I'm sure there would be a small charge for
|
|
an update exchange though. The GOE cart will have a built in Paint
|
|
Program and Wordprocessor. Support disks for additional fonts would be
|
|
sold later. Also in the works is a terminal program and here is a key
|
|
note for XEP80 users, Merrill Ward Associates is working closely with
|
|
Atari and will be producing GOE based XEP80 column support, GOE will be
|
|
using ADOS and is rumored to also have possible SpartaDOS support (this
|
|
is yet unconfirmed).
|
|
|
|
Both companies have DEMO disks, the Diamond demo is not yet available and
|
|
is expected around mid July, the STjr GOE is available right now for $5.00
|
|
|
|
DIAMOND(tm)
|
|
Alan Reeve
|
|
312-393-2317
|
|
|
|
Packages are $29.95 and COD orders are being taken now, according to Mr.
|
|
Reeve packaging is being done and shipping is expected by July 15
|
|
|
|
STjr (GOE)
|
|
Merrill Ward & Associates
|
|
619-328-8728
|
|
Palm Springs, CA 92262
|
|
|
|
The final version in ROM wont be available until September, a disk based
|
|
version is available for $59.95 and a DEMO disk is available for the first
|
|
500 users for $5.00
|
|
|
|
Speaking is operating enviorments, there was a quick surge of talk about
|
|
MTOS (Mult-Tasking Operating System) unfortunetly MTOS only works
|
|
effectively on a 130XE with at least 256K and will only allow 16K programs
|
|
to run, this restriction might be a big reason why no one has heard much
|
|
from MTOS or its author for sometime now. With hope, perhaps a new
|
|
version that could support 32K or more per program would have the MTOS
|
|
enviorment quite a bit. Best wishes and success to MTOS
|
|
|
|
Sales of the XE-GS are steady and high, sales are rumored at well over
|
|
1,000,000 units and Atari is promising harder hitting advertising for its
|
|
new 8bit system. More and more 'new' games have been appearing, they
|
|
include Battlezone, GATO, Barnyard Blaster, Crossbow, Commando, Airball
|
|
and here's one of interest to Dungeons and Dragons players: Dark Chamber.
|
|
|
|
Another bright ray of hope at Atari is Nolan Bushnell. For those new to
|
|
Atari's or unfamilar with the name, Nolan Bushnell created and founder of
|
|
Atari in 1972 with his first video game called Pong, Atari started as a
|
|
$500.00 endeavor and Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications for $24
|
|
million.
|
|
|
|
Well Mr. Bushnell has been commisioned by Atari to be a Software consultant
|
|
to help design 76 new games for the 2600, 7800, and XE systems. Now you
|
|
say 2600??? They're still selling??? As a matter of fact, approxiametly
|
|
1,000,000 a year and there are approxiamelty 8 new titles out and 2 flashy
|
|
commercials which can be seen in the afternoons showing off what that 4K
|
|
bank switching VCS can do. The 7800 is doing quite well also, Epxy just
|
|
released World Games and Street Games, Atari has several new titles out
|
|
for it and more are on the way.
|
|
|
|
Little unknown printer, for those not aware of it, with zero fanfare,
|
|
announcment or reviews Atari released the XDM121 printer several months
|
|
ago. It is actually a superb printer, it puts the 1027 to shame (though
|
|
that is not a hard task in the least) the XDM121 produces high quality
|
|
typerwritter style printing at a slow 12 characters per second (CPS), its
|
|
$159-$189 price tag is a bit heafty but is worth it for the quality print.
|
|
|
|
An added note for those users who endeavor to dig up any little secrets
|
|
about Atari, here's a tid-bit: did you know that if you dig up an old
|
|
1983 Atari 2600 games catalog and look at the Soon to come section of new
|
|
Hardware items, there is one item in particular: The Voice Commander, the
|
|
casing is the exact same case now being used by the 2600jr model Atari
|
|
Corp has been selling for the past couple of years. I know its not much
|
|
but some users find it useful.
|
|
|
|
ATARI SCUTTLEBITS
|
|
by Bob Kelly
|
|
AUGUST 1988
|
|
|
|
Atari Market Happenings .......
|
|
|
|
I. Annual Report:
|
|
|
|
In mid-May, as an Atari stock owner, I received the 1987 annual report.
|
|
Some investors will tell you that a firm's annual report is largely a
|
|
propaganda exercise. This simply is not correct. The reports are
|
|
required to present general financial data in compliance with Federal
|
|
statutes that are of value and interest. The table below, from the 1987
|
|
annual report, lists the major stockholders and salaries of those running
|
|
the corporation.
|
|
|
|
Common Stock Ownership* and the Five Highest Paid Executive Officers
|
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
Name (millions Percent Dollar (1)
|
|
of Owner of shares) of Stock Compensation
|
|
|
|
J. Tramiel 25.3 43.9% ---
|
|
Warner Comm, Inc. 14.2 24.6% N.A.
|
|
Sam Tramiel 1.1 1.9% 211,798
|
|
Leonard I. Schreiber .220 ---
|
|
Samuel Chin .193 --- 158,207
|
|
Gregory A. Pratt .177 --- 157,632
|
|
Michael Rosenberg .050 ---
|
|
Taro Tokai ? --- 198,720
|
|
Steven Kawalick ? --- 109,618
|
|
|
|
* As of April 11, 1988
|
|
(1) Compensation includes salaries, bonuses and employer contribution to
|
|
life insurance policies.
|
|
|
|
There are some unfamiliar names presented in the table. Mr. Chin is a
|
|
Vice President and served as General Manager of Atari's Taiwan
|
|
manufacturing facility from 1985 to 1987. Mr. Schreiber is, in essence,
|
|
Jack Tramiel's personal counsel while also a member of the Board of
|
|
Directors. Mr. Pratt is the Vice-President for Finance/Chief Financial
|
|
Officer for Atari. Mr. Rosenberg is a member of the Board of Directors.
|
|
Mr. Tokai is the Vice-President and General Manager for Atari, Japan. Mr.
|
|
Kawalick is Atari's Treasurer. Except for Mr. Kawalick and Mr. Rosenberg,
|
|
all senior executive officers at Atari worked for Commodore Ltd., at one
|
|
time or another.
|
|
|
|
A few of the more interesting facts/claims presented in the 1987 annual
|
|
report are:
|
|
|
|
<*> Federated stores' operating losses are expected to continue for the
|
|
first three quarters of 1988. By year end, Federated is projected to
|
|
achieve break-even by Atari.
|
|
|
|
Comment: The fourth quarter holiday sales period is the critical variable
|
|
in this projection. In essence, Atari's overall growth in the price of
|
|
its stock by the end of 1988 will largely depend upon the speed of
|
|
Federated's recovery.
|
|
|
|
<*> Research & Development outlays, as a percent of sales, declined from
|
|
6% in 1986 to 5% in 1987.
|
|
|
|
<*> In West Germany, Atari computers represent 10% of the total market for
|
|
computers selling over 1000 Deutsch Marks (roughly equivalent to U.S.
|
|
$600).
|
|
|
|
<*> In Switzerland, the Atari ST's share is about 30% of the educational
|
|
market.
|
|
|
|
<*> In the United Kingdom, Atari sales accounted for some 40% of the 16
|
|
bit computer market.
|
|
|
|
<*> In the U.S., over 1000 schools use ST's for math, reading, and
|
|
language skills.
|
|
|
|
In 1987, Atari's revenue (net sales) from the electronic products division
|
|
(computers) was $362 million and for retail operations (Federated Stores)
|
|
$131 million yielding a total of $493 million. The operating income was
|
|
$72 million for the electronic products division while Federated stores
|
|
experienced an operating loss of $6.4 million. Interestingly enough, of
|
|
the total $493 million in revenues, $267 was generated in North America
|
|
with Europe's share amounting to roughly $204 million. Europe's revenues
|
|
were all computer related while Federated sales of $131 million must be
|
|
deducted from the U.S. and Canada net sale figure to be somewhat
|
|
comparable. Thus, as best can be determined, European computer sales were
|
|
roughly $50 to $65 million more than those of North America.
|
|
|
|
Finally, earnings per share for the electronic products division alone
|
|
rose from 53 cents in 1986 to 80 cents/share in 1987, an increase of 51%.
|
|
Considering this performance, one would expect Atari's current stock price
|
|
to be on the rise. However, it remains below the average of $10 7/8 for
|
|
the week prior to the Oct. 19, 1987 crash (as of early June the price per/
|
|
share ranged between $7 & $7 1/2).
|
|
|
|
II. Glasnost and Atari:
|
|
|
|
A U.S. firm will be the first to publish a personal computer magazine in
|
|
the U.S.S.R. The magazine to be printed in the Russian language will be
|
|
under the editorial control of the publisher of PC World - IDG.
|
|
|
|
The first issue of the magazine is scheduled for publication this month
|
|
and will cost the equivalent of U.S. $3.20 per copy. Currently,
|
|
the number of PC users in Russia is small and little information about
|
|
computer developments is transmitted to the general population. About a
|
|
third of the magazine's content will focus upon developments in Russia
|
|
with the remainder covering the U.S. and European computer markets. The
|
|
first issue is expected to be a run of 50,000 copies. The Soviet staff
|
|
of the magazine will consist of seven writers and editors.
|
|
|
|
What does this have to do with Atari? Atari will advertise in the
|
|
magazine. The other companies planning to advertise are: Ashton-Tate,
|
|
MicroSoft, and Siemens. The first issue will be about 150 pages with 20%
|
|
of the available space devoted to the advertisers. Ad space is not cheap.
|
|
This looks like a major long-range marketing effort by Atari.
|
|
|
|
The ultimate goal of this initiative, according to an unidentified Atari
|
|
spokesperson, is for every computer classroom and factory in the U.S.S.R.
|
|
to have an ST on the desk and a picture of Jack on the walls next to Lenin
|
|
and Gorbachev. Za Zaslugi, Nagradit' Tramiela Dzhaka (Ordenom Lenina).
|
|
|
|
III. Europe, Midi, and Atari:
|
|
|
|
The Financial Times of London recently reported that the European recording
|
|
industry is experiencing financial difficulties. Recording studios in
|
|
Hamburg, Paris, and London are being forced out of business. The problem
|
|
stems from the introduction to the music world of the personal computer
|
|
and the midi interface.
|
|
|
|
During the 1970's and up to the mid-1980's, recording artists did most of
|
|
their rehearsing in record company studios. The ratio of rehearsal time
|
|
to actual recording time was on the order of 6:1 (usually measured in
|
|
months). However, in the past few years, an increasing number of
|
|
recording artists are conducting their rehearsals at home with the aid of
|
|
a personal computer, midi interface, and music design software. Some
|
|
studios faced with the loss of the rental income from rehearsals have
|
|
attempted to lure artist back by purchasing the latest, most sophisticated
|
|
computerized recording technology. This has stretched the finances of
|
|
many companies. Lately, the major European studios have been reducing
|
|
their prices in an attempt to draw back former customers. The smaller
|
|
companies, unable to purchase advanced recording equipment owing to
|
|
capital constraints and the inability to significantly reduced prices have
|
|
but one option available - close their doors.
|
|
|
|
By the way, the home computer which dominates the European recording
|
|
market is ... the Atari 1040. Now, you know the rest of the story and
|
|
why Atari assigns such a high priority to attending the Midi Expos in
|
|
Anaheim and New York in September and December 1988.
|
|
|
|
IV. Video Games:
|
|
|
|
A quote from a recent article in Advertising Age:
|
|
|
|
-The demand is greater than supply, and the demand has stayed much
|
|
stronger than expected . . . Last year, the majority of U.S. sales came
|
|
from video games.-
|
|
|
|
The speaker was Michael Katz, President of the Atari entertainment
|
|
electronics division. What he is really saying is the U.S. public's
|
|
perception that Atari is a video game company is CORRECT.
|
|
|
|
Total video game sales in the U.S. in 1987 amounted to roughly $1.1
|
|
billion and Atari has about 16% of the market based on dollar sales
|
|
(market share is 35% for the number of game units sold). Nintendo has
|
|
about 70% of the market based on dollar sales and between 55 and 60% when
|
|
calculated on unit sales. The best -guestimate- is that XE game related
|
|
sales accounted for roughly $140 to 170 million of Atari's total revenue
|
|
in 1987.
|
|
|
|
Atari has hired a new advertising firm to help market its video games.
|
|
The XE game advertising account is valued at roughly $10 million. Note,
|
|
the Atari computer division is without an advertising agency in the United
|
|
States. I leave you with this fact to ponder and its implications for the
|
|
priority assigned by Atari to Mega and ST sales in the U.S. for the
|
|
remainder of 1988. Enjoy the rest of your summer and minimize the time
|
|
on that computer till fall.
|
|
|
|
That's all for now folks.........
|
|
|
|
|
|
SPECIAL SUPRA MODEM OFFER!!!
|
|
|
|
CompuServe's Atari Forums have made arrangements with Paramount Products
|
|
Inc. to offer the members of our forums the chance to upgrade your system
|
|
to 2400 baud service at a very special price. For a limited time,
|
|
CompuServe subscribers may purchase the SUPRA CORP. 2400 baud Hayes-
|
|
compatible modem for the very **LOW** price. These are brand new, not
|
|
reconditioned units, with the full SUPRA CORP. warranty.
|
|
|
|
The SUPRA MODEM uses the Hayes Smartmodem 'AT' command set and operates at
|
|
300-1200-2400 baud. It's an outboard unit (not an internal plug-in card)
|
|
allowing ease of transfer to other computers. Connection is thru the
|
|
standard RS-232 interface. (Just plug it into the back of your ATARI ST).
|
|
To take advantage of this special offer, call CompuServes Atari 8/16 Forum
|
|
and read the file in the News and Reviews sections.
|
|
|
|
If you've been accessing CompuServe at 1200 baud, this is a great way to
|
|
lower your total online bill since CIS does *NOT* charge a premium for
|
|
2400 baud access. (You can get the same amount of information or download
|
|
the same amount of programs in approximately 1/2 the time as 1200 baud
|
|
users!) This modem will PAY FOR ITSELF in just a few sessions.
|
|
|
|
This is a worthwhile deal to jump on! So call CIS today!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
MID-MICHIGAN UPDATE
|
|
SEPTEMBER 1988
|
|
|
|
We use this space to publically ask the staff of MAM to fill us in on what
|
|
the current 6 month plans. As editorialized here a few weeks ago, we
|
|
stated that there appeared to be less and less user group news and
|
|
articles. With the support of 8-9 local users groups, it seems to us at
|
|
ZMAG that more interest should be given to local reporting then the
|
|
current style used. How about it?
|
|
|
|
ZMAG NEWS ROUND-UP 9/14-9/21
|
|
Compiled by the Staff of ZMagazine
|
|
|
|
PRESS RELEASE 9/15/88
|
|
|
|
In an article called Atari News and Comment in the September Michigan Atari
|
|
Magazine (MAM), editor Bill Rayl again blasted a non-participating local
|
|
Michigan Atari users group for policies not in tune to MAM's liking.
|
|
|
|
MAGIC, the eastern Michigan Atari users group who has stead fastly refused
|
|
advances to join the MAM consortium, was sharply condemned for charging
|
|
-50 cents to $1 admission- to attend a special meeting hosting Atari execs.
|
|
-I was strongly misquoted by Mr. Rayl,- says Sourcerer's Apprentice Editor
|
|
Mike Lechkun. -I went out of my way to call Bill Rayl long distance to
|
|
share and report this bit of local Atari news. I was shocked to see it
|
|
turned into a negative slam against us (MAGIC).-
|
|
|
|
-I told his wife (and MAM co-editor) Pattie that MAGIC was asking for a
|
|
donation to help defray costs of starting up another Atari fest effort [as
|
|
well as to pay for the increase in space needed for the meeting]. It
|
|
seems to me,- commented Mike, -that MAM is allowed to rake in money for
|
|
it's own ventures, but others trying to serve the Atari community are, in
|
|
their words, 'tasteless'.-
|
|
|
|
Mike concluded that he'd -be more than happy to make a donation in the
|
|
Rayls' name if they couldn't cough up a couple of bucks!- It was MAM,
|
|
over a year ago, who slammed then-non-participating club MACE when they
|
|
proposed charging non-members to attend the monthly meetings. MACE was
|
|
(and is) losing money rapidly by providing services to non-members who
|
|
were sponging off the group. Because of the article, MACE was embarrassed
|
|
into changing their newly adopted policy.
|
|
|
|
The members of MAGIC have always felt that a user group's newsletter helps
|
|
to define and add personality and individuality to the club. The
|
|
newsletter is the club's identity to the outside world. It is a shame
|
|
that MAM feels that their viewpoint is the only valid one in Michigan, and
|
|
that any other club's views are -considered extremely bad taste.-
|
|
|
|
Quote from MAM, 9/88
|
|
|
|
Atari News and Comment
|
|
|
|
-In a move that can only be considered extremely bad taste, MAGIC is
|
|
planning to charge 50 cents or $1 admission to attend this meeting [with
|
|
Atari's execs]! The meeting takes place on their normally scheduled
|
|
meeting night, and MAGIC's meetings are generally open to all. But, in
|
|
this case, MAGIC proposes to charge admission from the very people they
|
|
are going to need assistance from if another show will occur. MAGIC can't
|
|
pull off an AtariFest on their own, but if any other clubs want to get
|
|
involved at this first meeting, they'll have to pay to do so? Hopefully,
|
|
MAGIC will change the tune before October...-
|
|
|
|
ATARI KILLS DETROIT VISIT
|
|
|
|
ATARI CORP.'s proposed visit to Detroit user group MAGIC has been
|
|
cancelled. Sam Tramiel said that such a visit would -excite group
|
|
members-, but with no product to deliver and because we are right before
|
|
Comdex, there's really nothing that could be said. ATARI has promised
|
|
full support for a Detroit AtariFest, which the MAGIC group is still
|
|
considering. Sig Hartmann commented that the November Comdex show would
|
|
be -an opener to a revitalized U.S. market presence-, and indicated a
|
|
proposed resurgance after the first of the year. But as to not discourage
|
|
those who would attend a large scale meeting from afar, Atari will not
|
|
make a local apperance until the show.
|
|
|
|
|
|
** NEWS BULLETIN **
|
|
|
|
Attention all persons that have a program being called -Master Cruncher-
|
|
or any alterations of that. It seems that a group of pirates have edited
|
|
out the Copyright notice and have claimed the program as there own. This
|
|
Utility is not Public Domain nor a Pirate utility, it is a Commercial
|
|
program that was going to be sold in The Federal Republic of Germany.
|
|
There were plans to market it in the USA, but due to the massive spreading
|
|
of the utility, there is no hope of making any kind of profit nor will
|
|
there be any other such utilities produced due to these problems, it is
|
|
not cost effective to try and track down who did this terrible thing, so
|
|
you can just thank who ever the persons involed for screwing up the future
|
|
of such useful utilities you might have had. Please notify all sysops or
|
|
board operators that this file should be deleted from file sections and
|
|
not posted again.
|
|
|
|
I was really surprised to hear that it was posted on 2 major commercial
|
|
networks, I would have thought they would have questioned this utility
|
|
because of no documentation or origin of source. I would have thought the
|
|
sysops would be a little more responsible to there amiga comunity and
|
|
check things that are questionable out first.
|
|
|
|
A final note, the version that seems to have made it's way all over the
|
|
United States is still a beta version and has a Serious! bug in it, I do
|
|
not accept any responsiblity for any damage caused by the faulty program.
|
|
-it is not my fault everyone pirated it- I strongly suggest you uncrunch
|
|
everything crunched with it or things might begin to happen you wish
|
|
didn't. You have been warned of the problem. Please spread this file as
|
|
fast as my program was spread to warn people against the possible
|
|
destruction of all there data.
|
|
|
|
Bit Soft Programing (BSP)
|
|
Hans Mayor
|
|
Post Fach 1123
|
|
8623 Staffelstein
|
|
West Germany
|
|
|
|
NEIL HARRIS RESIGNS
|
|
|
|
As reported in Issue #54 of ST-Report last week, Neil Harris has resigned
|
|
from Atari Corp.
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATA-PACIFIC UPDATE
|
|
|
|
Msg#: 4622 *ATARI_ST* 09/02/88 17:16:00
|
|
From: MICHAEL SCHUSTER
|
|
To: ALL
|
|
Subj: DAVID SMALL/DP
|
|
Subject: New Data Pacific Newsletter
|
|
|
|
Data Pacific has released a new newsletter in the last few days that
|
|
deserves a warning. It's full of distortions, half-truths, is misleading,
|
|
and contains some flat false information. It's going to confuse a lot
|
|
of people, so I'm trying to spread the word.
|
|
|
|
For instance, the newsletter contains columns from people who no longer
|
|
work at dP (most of dP's staff quit in March-April, including me). It
|
|
talks of a new tech person, -Mike-, who does not exist and who always has
|
|
been a pseduonym for Joel when taking tech calls.
|
|
|
|
More subtly, the newsletter implies that dP is having me look into a 128K
|
|
ROM version of the Magic Sac. This is false; I have nothing to do with
|
|
Data Pacific (except for one contract job -- version 6.1 of Magic Sac, in
|
|
exchange for a LaserWriter). dP (Joel) agreed long ago to stop using my
|
|
name to try to sell their products; they've broken their promise.
|
|
|
|
The newsletter says Dan Moore (dlm@druhi here) -worked overtime- to
|
|
produce Mover 1.7. The truth is, Dan did Mover 1.7 for a flat $150 fee in
|
|
July. He was paid by check after dropping off the disk; his bank later
|
|
told him that Joel *had stopped the check*. In short, dP is selling a
|
|
version of Mover 1.7 that they flat stole from Dan.
|
|
|
|
If you appreciate any of the contributions Dan has made to the ST world,
|
|
such as the Twister disk format, Meg-a-minute backup, Protect desk
|
|
accessory, and others, you could return him the favor by refusing to buy
|
|
dP's disk until they remove Mover 1.7 from it, and letting them know why.
|
|
Dan's had a rough month; he broke his hand recently, and is in a cast to
|
|
his elbow (any get well cards sent via email would be greatly appreciated),
|
|
by the way.
|
|
|
|
In my opinion, Data Pacific is attempting to present an image that things
|
|
are as they were during the good days, while selling off as much stock as
|
|
possible, with this newsletter -- then they're getting out. How else to
|
|
explain them putting Apple's own Switcher and FONT/DA Mover on their
|
|
-public domain- disk -- other than dP isn't planning on being around long
|
|
enough for Apple to catch them (and rightfully so; Hertzfeld worked hard
|
|
on Switcher).
|
|
|
|
I'd like it made clear I have nothing to do with Data Pacific anymore; I
|
|
answer dP related questions out of courtesy to my old customers, and
|
|
nothing more. The same is true for Dan Moore. The tactics Data Pacific is
|
|
stooping to, in my opinion, to milk a little more money from the Magic Sac
|
|
before folding up are shoddy in the extreme, and I think it's a shame my
|
|
name is still associated with this company. Hence, this note.
|
|
|
|
As for me, I have a new company, Gadgets By Small, Inc, and we're planning
|
|
on releasing our first product (the Spectre 128) on Sept. 16, at the Atari
|
|
Glendale Atarifest show. Since dP has broken it's word (again) to give me
|
|
access to their customer mailing list, which I built, I can't put out the
|
|
word about the Spectre 128 upgrade to the Magic Sac except by the networks.
|
|
|
|
For the record, and to answer a previous questions, I left Data Pacific
|
|
in March of this year, when it became clear that (a) Joel was not going
|
|
to honor our agreements, and (b) when I found out the FCC number being
|
|
put on the Translator units had been forged, and Joel had no plans to ever
|
|
FCC certify the unit. Believe me, I want no part of trying to slip one
|
|
past the FCC. (Every Translator unit shipped bears this same false number.)
|
|
I wouldn't be party to this; neither would Dan, when he heard. (Thanks
|
|
to our friends from Supra for checking the number at the FCC BBS and
|
|
telling us what had happened!)
|
|
|
|
I plan to carry on support of dP buyers with my new company, here and on
|
|
other networks, as a courtesy to the people who shelled out money for the
|
|
Magic Sac, but via a new company (Gadgets), as well as -push the envelope-
|
|
further on Mac emulation with the Spectre 128 product. I don't want to
|
|
advertise here on the net publicly; please drop me email privately if
|
|
you're interested (hplabs!well!dsmall or dsmall@well); I don't think the
|
|
local community would appreciate a few hundred -Yes, please send me info-
|
|
notes here in comp.sys.atari.st.
|
|
|
|
Thanks for reading a rather long note; I plead that I'm used to getting
|
|
paid by wordcount <grin>.
|
|
|
|
-- Thanks, Dave Small
|
|
Gadgets by Small, Inc. --- TBBS v2.0
|
|
* Origin: the Night Shift BBS - Staten Isl, NY - (718) 816-7792 (107/109)
|
|
|
|
|
|
GLENDALE ATARI FAIRE
|
|
|
|
Well, it's now Sunday, 9/18/88, and the Glendale Atari Faire v.3 is over.
|
|
Here's a report, for those who are interested.
|
|
|
|
The Glendale Faire may have been a local event, but there were a few
|
|
things that net.people would be interested in:
|
|
|
|
* SPECTRE 128.
|
|
It's _here_. NOW. David Small brought 200 copies out to Glendale, and were
|
|
they selling! The price is around $180 -- Make your checks out to -Gadgets
|
|
By Small-. David (a very funny and fun guy) was accompanied by his wife
|
|
Sandy, his infant son, and a few friends. And yes, I did see Hypercard
|
|
running on an ST with my own eyes. David also gave a humorous talk on the
|
|
development of the Spectre, and denies any plans to do an Amiga emulator
|
|
for the ST or a Mac emulator on the Amiga.
|
|
|
|
* 8-bit GEM.
|
|
You want to revitalize your 8-bit Atari? Then take your picks:
|
|
|
|
Obviously, the biggest expectation in the 8-bit community is GOE (Graphics
|
|
Operating Enviroment). Yes, it was at the Faire, and yes, Total Control
|
|
Systems is selling them. They're not _shipping_ until October, but you can
|
|
order it now and get a discount. It looks like a TOTAL clone of the ST's
|
|
GEM (You can even hook up an ST mouse and run GOE through it), it ran
|
|
solid for the entire show. The author says it will run 95 percent of all
|
|
8-bit programs. It comes on a ICD -piggyback- cartridge, and takes up
|
|
only 8K of RAM. There's supposed to be a library of GOE routes, so other
|
|
developers can easily make GOE calls and write GOE products. Looks really
|
|
terrific.
|
|
|
|
>From the makers of _Celebrity Cookbook_ comes DIAMOND OS (aka ST jr,
|
|
depending on what time of the day you were at the booth). For $30, it's a
|
|
graphics interface that offers drop-down menus, windows, and other good
|
|
stuff (it doesn't _look_ like GEM, however). Reeve Software is promising
|
|
to release DIAMOND Paint, Write, Publish, and Programmer's Kits, for $30
|
|
each as well. It looks like it's disk based (I can't be sure), but that's
|
|
okay -- it can support up to 16 megabytes(!) of RAM.
|
|
|
|
* Genlock for the ST was demonstrated, in an open-board -final- version.
|
|
JRI says they're only waiting for the FCC, and then they'll ship. It's
|
|
very impressive -- An ST Cyberpain animation was being superimposed over
|
|
a music video, and the Genlocked result was being shown on both a standard
|
|
TV _and_ the SC1224 (how do they do that?). Ready to tackle the Amiga?
|
|
|
|
* Neocept, makers of FONTZ! and WORDUP (a great word processor -- an
|
|
unsolicited endorsement) were present. Nothing major was presented,
|
|
although the new version of WordUp, with numerous minor bug fixes, is
|
|
expected to ship in two weeks. Registered owners will recieve a card in
|
|
the mail about the upgrade procedure. Neocept also says they'll gladly
|
|
take user input for improvements for their products -- Just drop them a
|
|
line.
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|
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|
* Animation buffs like myself will be happy to hear that FILM DIRECTOR is
|
|
finally being released. Epyx has gotten the rights to this two-year-old
|
|
cel-based animation program, and it has been SUBSTANTIALLY improved (16
|
|
screens for cels, runs in 512K, better user interface, etc.). It should be
|
|
out in October, and the $50 price tag gets you both FILM DIRECTOR and ART
|
|
DIRECTOR -- A bargain! Maurice Molyneaux (a fun guy to chat with, a real
|
|
professional artist) had a lot of input into the final user interface, and
|
|
it shows. I can't wait.
|
|
|
|
* Megamax was also showing their soon-to-be-released Laser DB. It's a
|
|
source level debugger for Laser C, and offers lots of features -- Source-
|
|
code trace viewing, register value displays, breakpoints, multiple
|
|
windows. If you liked Laser C, you'll want this.
|
|
|
|
* Codehead software was also demonstrating G+PLUS (I won't say anything
|
|
about this, everybody and his cousin knows about it by now) and a new
|
|
product called MULTIDESK. MDesk allows you to have 16 accessories of your
|
|
choice in ONE menu slot. Even better, you can clear out and load NEW
|
|
accessories at any time! You can also change the name MultiDesk registers
|
|
itself on the menu, so you can have six copies of Multidesk -- each one
|
|
with 16 different accessories -- for a mind-numbing total of 96 accessories
|
|
avaliable simultaneously. Future products promised include FatBack (-A
|
|
unique hard disk backup system-) and CodeHead Utilities (A collection of
|
|
programs and accessories).
|
|
|
|
* ICD was present and selling their cartridge-based SPARTADOS X. My friend
|
|
bought a copy ($80, on a piggyback cartridge), and it appears to work just
|
|
fine. Improvements include 1000+ files per directory, faster disk access,
|
|
and built-in ARC/ALFCRUNCH support. The manual is still a preliminary
|
|
copy, however, but ICD promises to send out the finals to registered
|
|
owners when they become available. They also showed their FA-ST hard
|
|
drive, available for 8-bit or ST hookup.
|
|
|
|
* Regent Software was selling copies of REGENT WORD II for the jaw-
|
|
ropping price of $15 each -- Not $15 off, $15 EACH.
|
|
|
|
* Broderbund, surprisingly, was present. They were showing their new
|
|
_Typhoon Thompson_ game for the ST (known on the Apple as _Airheart_), as
|
|
well as _Star Wars_ (imported from Europe; Broderbund is distributing). A
|
|
version of _Karateka_ for the ST is promised, and -maybe- _Print Shop_,
|
|
but little else. (The dealer was frank in why there was less Atari support
|
|
-- -Our biggest market is the gs-). No word on 8-bit support.
|
|
|
|
* And now, the word from Atari. Conspicuous by their absence, none of the
|
|
Tramiel family showed up. Instead, we were treated to Sig Hartman, who
|
|
promised us that -[1989] will be a critical point for Atari in the US
|
|
market-. He also apologized for the lack of more ST's in America (-We had
|
|
a limited number of Ataris, and we decided to put them in West Germany --
|
|
If we didn't, there would have been a hole for the Amiga or the Macintosh
|
|
to get in-), and pledged closed attention to the end users, through user
|
|
groups and public information services. Sig refused to -officially-
|
|
confirm/deny the existence of the Atari Transputer, the 68020/68030
|
|
workstation/machines, or anything else -- except by saying -We're working
|
|
on 7 or 8 products right now, and I can't say what they are.- He did
|
|
promise that 520/1040 owners will be able to get TOS and blitter upgrades,
|
|
and that he will personally try to get more companies to produce 8-bit
|
|
titles.
|
|
|
|
In a related vein, Federated promised the increased development of
|
|
-compu-centers- in all their stores, and the possibility of offering in-
|
|
store servicing for Atari products. They are also supposedly toying with
|
|
the idea of carrying hardware accessories (boards, wiring, etc.) in the
|
|
centers.
|
|
|
|
* Pledged to appear -- but never did -- were Data Pacific and Antic.
|
|
Dealers who did appear, but didn't produce anything major, included Astra
|
|
systems, Michtron, Migraph, and Seymour-Radix. Bill Skurski Enterprises
|
|
was present, peddling copies of his -New User's Guide to the Atari ST-
|
|
(book and videotape), as well as Best Electronics, Logical Choice for
|
|
Computing, Mid-Cities Comp/Soft, and Comsoft.
|
|
|
|
Special thanks to John King Tarpinian, the local user groups, ACENET, and
|
|
everybody else for makign the whole thing possible.
|
|
|
|
ZMAG NEWSWIRE
|
|
SEPTEMBER 1988
|
|
|
|
26-Sep-88 ATARI ZAPS PIRATES (From combined Wire reports)
|
|
|
|
Atari corp said it raided several stores in New York City that were
|
|
selling imitations of its copyrighted video game consoles, joysticks and
|
|
cassettes.
|
|
|
|
Michael Katz, president of Atari's Entertainment Electronics division,
|
|
told Reuters the raids are part of the company's continuing effort to
|
|
combat manufacturing and sales of products that imitate its popular video
|
|
game product line. He did not know the extent of such sales in the New
|
|
York area. -We're hoping that these nine stores were either the only or
|
|
the majority (of stores selling the pirated products).-
|
|
|
|
On September 17 and 19, Atari's representatives seized more than 700
|
|
consoles and joysticks that strongly resembled Atari's 2600 line of
|
|
videogame products, along with many imitation cassettes, at nine stores
|
|
in New York City.
|
|
|
|
Howard J. Schwartz, of New York law firm Davis and Gilbert, the company's
|
|
attorneys, said the defendants have agreed to open their records to Atari,
|
|
which will allow the company to pursue the distributors that supplied the
|
|
imitations, and to destroy the seized material. He said they have also
|
|
agreed to sell genuine Atari products. Atari's videogame consoles are
|
|
manufactured in Taiwan.
|
|
|
|
Earlier this year, Atari raided retailers in Los Angeles that were selling
|
|
pirated versions of its videogame products. Katz said the company is
|
|
likely to make further confiscations of imitation products based on
|
|
information obtained from the records of the New York retailers.
|
|
|
|
Later, Atari Corp. said it reached a settlement in U.S. District Court
|
|
with New York City retailers that were selling counterfeit Atari 2600
|
|
personal computers.
|
|
|
|
On Sept. 16, Atari said it conducted an unannounced raid of six stores
|
|
and confiscated more than $100,000 worth of Atari game consoles and
|
|
related game equipment.
|
|
|
|
Under the agreement reached today, the stores will purchase a like number
|
|
of new systems from Atari, and become authorized Atari dealers, Atari
|
|
said. The copies of the 2600 game consoles, which Atari said were made in
|
|
Taiwan, will be destroyed, it said.
|
|
|
|
Atari Corp expects sales of its video game products to continue to boom
|
|
this year, despite intense competition from Nintendo Co. of Japan, the
|
|
market leader.
|
|
|
|
Michael V. Katz, president of Atari's Entertaiment Electronics Division,
|
|
told Reuters that the company hopes its video game sales will double this
|
|
year, compared with 1987 when they were -about 100 million dollars.-
|
|
Katz said he could not comment further on Atari's financial outlook,
|
|
although he said video games account for about 25 percent total annual
|
|
sales.
|
|
|
|
=========================================================================
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Happy Holidays from PayBax BBS (302) 731-5558 All bauds... All Hours
|
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=========================================================================
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=========================================================================
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Syndicate ZMagazine Copyright (C) Syndicate Publishing Company, 1988
|
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Issue #136
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=========================================================================
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