589 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
589 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
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==(((((((((( == Z*MAG/A\ZINE ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
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=========(( === ----------------------------------
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=======(( ===== May 27, 1991 Issue #194
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=====(( ======= ----------------------------------
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==(((((((((( == Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Ind Inc..
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Publisher/Editor : Ron Kovacs
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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CompuServe: 71777,2140 GEnie: Z-NET
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Z*NET BBS: (908) 968-8148 BLANK PAGE BBS: (908) 805-3967
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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***********************
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THE EDITORS DESK
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***********************
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by Ron Kovacs
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Here is issue #194. This time around we have news to tell you about
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AtariUser magazine and what it means to you. Each month we will be
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bringing you an article about the Atari 8-bit from AtariUser, however,
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these articles can NOT be reorinted from ZMagazine. You must call them
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for permission.
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The next scheduled edition will appear in two weeks from the publishing
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date of this issue.
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Happy Memorial Day! See you soon!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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8-BIT ZNEWS UPDATE
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The following Atari 8-bit Article is reprinted from the May, 1991 Issue
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of AtariUser Magazine, by permission. Further reprinting of this column
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is prohibited without specific permission of Quill Publishing, 113 West
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College Street, Covina, CA 91723. AtariUser magazine is published
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monthly and covers the entire line of Atari computing products. For a
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subscription ($15) or to arrange free bulk delivery to user groups,
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contact AtariUser Magazine at 800-333-3567.
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Reeve Software has just announced a new release of their graphical
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operating system DIAMOND. This new release features improved
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performance over previous versions, in addition several new features.
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Updates for the Diamond applications (also available) take advantage of
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the improvements. Reeve Software, 29W 150 Old Farm Lane, Warrenville IL
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60555.
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Computer Software Services (CSS), a long-time supporter of the Atari
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computers, has announced a new upgrade for the Atari XF-551 disk drive.
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The upgrade allows use of a 720K byte 3.5- drive mechanism while
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maintaining full functionality of the original 5.25- drive. New
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features added by the upgrade include increased transfer speed and
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correction of several problems in the original XF-551 ROM. CSS's phone
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number is (716)-586-5545, or you can write them at Post Office Box
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17660, Rochester NY 14617.
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THE ATARI 8-BIT STATE - by Chuck Steinman
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What's up, What's down, and what you may find if you just look around...
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While there is not as much activity in the Atari 8-bit arena as there
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once was, the Atari 'Classic' computers remain as reliable and usable as
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ever. There are still many third-party developers producing exciting
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new products for the machines, in addition to the many seasoned products
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which are available. This column will offer news and information
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relating to your Atari 400, 800, 600XL, 800XL, 1200XL, 65XE and 130XE
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8-bit computer every month. With your ATARIUSER magazine handy, you may
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find survival in the computer jungle a bit easier.
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Ok, so you are a member of the 'I own a computer' club, but just what
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have you done with it recently? Ahhh, so you say there just are no
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programs available for your -old 8-bit Atari-... but have you REALLY
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looked? You will be surprised at the quantity and quality of economical
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software and hardware available for your machine. And you probably will
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not believe me when I tell you that more products are on their way - but
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there are!
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As with any other brand or model of computer, you have to invest enough
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into the system to make it usable. For most people that means you need
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a computer console with at least 32K bytes of RAM, a disk drive, and a
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monitor, or TV. Many applications will also require or be enhanced by
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using a printer. A second disk drive, while usually not mandatory, will
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usually make life with your computer system more pleasurable. There are
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many additional peripherals you can add, such as a modem, serial and
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parallel interfaces, and of course hard drive systems.
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I realize many owners of Atari 8-bit (and ST for that matter) systems
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have no local dealer or distributor. While this may make you feel like
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you cannot survive with your 8-bit system, with a little effort, you
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will find everything you need is just a phone call or letter away.
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ATARIUSER magazine will also make your life easier with many national
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distributors advertising within its pages, and monthly feature articles,
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reviews, and product guides.
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Another way to acquire new program files and associate with other Atari
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8-bit users is by telecommunications. All you need in addition to the
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above suggested system components is a modem and terminal software. In
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addition to local bulletin board systems (BBS), there are several large
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national services which feature specific areas for users of Atari
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computers. Compuserve (CIS), Delphi, and GEnie all have active areas,
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which provide thousands of public domain and shareware files. These
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services also have message bases, and weekly real-time conferences,
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where you can 'chat' with other users.
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The Atari 8-bit computer systems remain a strong contender in many
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applications. If you write letters, there are several word processors
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available for the 'Classic' Atari. There are two versions of the
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AtariWriter word processor available. The first version is a cartridge
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based program, and the latter is disk based. The newer version also
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offers a spell-checker, which is a very nice addition. There is also
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the very popular and powerful shareware program TextPro, which is
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scheduled to be updated soon.
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If you are into number crunching, there are several spreadsheets
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available, such as Visicalc, Syncalc, and the cartridge based Turbo-
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Calc. Spreadsheets are THE way to handle complex calculations,
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especially where large numbers of variables are involved. In a matter
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of seconds, you can see the results of changing one or more variables.
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There are many mailing list managers, and database applications
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available. The commercial program SynFile will allow you to transfer
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data to and from SynCalc, which is a nice feature. There are several
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other commercial and shareware database management programs available.
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As you can see, the 8-bit systems can be used for all kinds of serious
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work. The types of programs listed here are just a small sample of the
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many different applications available. While it may take searching
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through magazine advertisements, and making a few phone calls, you
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should be able to find just the program you are looking for. Of course,
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ATARIUSER will keep you informed of what is available, and what is under
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development. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to send
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them to me, care of ATARIUSER magazine.
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BIO: Chuck Steinman is the VP of Research and Development for a company
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which designs and manufactures facility management systems, sold
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worldwide. Chuck has been published in almost every Atari magazine. He
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has a degree in Electrical Engineering and designs hardware and software
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for the Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Apple, and IBM/PC systems, distributed
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under the DataQue label.
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Z*NETNEWSWIREZ*NETNEWSWIREZ*NETNEWSWIREZ*NETNEWSWIREZ*NETNEWSWIRE
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Z*NET NEWSWIRE
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--------------
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Compiled by Ron Kovacs
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Fujitsu has unveiled a new 16-bit handheld computer called the AcuTote
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3000, featuring full PC XT and MS-DOS compatibility, enabling users to
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develop applications on an industry-standard hardware platform.
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Logitech has announced ScanMan Model 32 for IBM and compatibles. This
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is an easy-to-use, black and white hand-held scanner that offers gray-
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scale image editing through software. The product will be available
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through Logitech dealers and distributors in early June at a suggested
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retail price of $299. Registered ScanMan Plus users can upgrade to
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GrayTouch software through Logitech for $25.
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Acclaim announced recently that it plans to double the number of
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software releases to the European market, having acquired the right from
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Nintendo to release five additional NES titles per year for the European
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market under the LJN label.
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Seagate announced the expansion of its lineup with 2.5-inch hard disc
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drives for the portable computer market. The ST9077A and ST9038A drives
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feature 64 and 32 formatted megabytes of data storage capacity,
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respectively, and come equipped with an embedded AT interface. The new
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models extend Seagate's ST9096 family of 85-, 42-, and 21-megabyte 2.5
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inch drives. Each model weighs just 6.5 ounces.
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Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z
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Z*NET SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN
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Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z*Z
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START MAGAZINE CEASES PUBLICATION
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---------------------------------
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Story by John Nagy
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After days of conflicting rumors, it was confirmed by STart Magazine
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staff members on Wednesday, May 15, that the bi-monthly Atari magazine
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STart will NOT publish another issue.
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-STart has suspended publication pending a sale of the magazine,- said
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Editor in Chief Tom Byron. A sale is said to be in the works with
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unidentified parties, and no timetable is being discussed publicly.
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Byron also said that the next issue, the June/July edition, had been
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completed and was waiting for printing when he got the news today that
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the suspension was in effect. There are no plans at this time for the
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printing and distribution of that edition to be carried out.
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STart had been building a reputation for fiscal difficulty for many
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months. Writers and programmers typically waited for six or more months
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to be paid for their free-lance and assignment work. After closing the
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8-bit Atari magazine ANTIC, and folding it into STart last October 1990,
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STart was to have become a much larger monthly magazine - 120 pages was
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the discussed target. Instead, by January 1991, STart became a bi-
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monthly, and remained at about 80 pages.
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Meanwhile, the parent corporation of STart, Antic Publishing, was having
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additional trouble. An Amiga computer magazine was launched and failed
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despite a good market for Amiga magazines. Presently, Antic
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Publishing's STart staff is assigned to produce PC HOME JOURNAL, aimed
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at the IBM market. This venture appears to be doing better. Some of
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those close to STart say that the Atari magazine was paying for itself
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within Antic, but that all funds generated by it were being used in the
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other corporate efforts. Dropping to a bi-monthly format, they say, was
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more an effort to use staff for other projects than to economize the
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Atari operation.
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Now that production is suspended, the fates of subscribers and the many
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writers to whom STart has owed moneys dating back to mid 1990 is not
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known or predictable. If STart is sold, it may be that those owed will
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be paid from the revenues, or the new owner may assume the liabilities
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of the company. A third possibility is that there would be a
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liquidation and sale of assets held by STart itself, which may be
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negligible. Some observers speculate that a sale may be impossible, as
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STart may have more liabilities than assets. Amounts owed creditors and
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writers, plus the costs of substituted magazines to fulfill existing
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subscriptions may overshadow the value of the established subscriber
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base itself, estimated at perhaps over 20,000. Talk of a sale may be
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real or simply an effort to postpone inevitable conflicts with
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creditors.
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Upset developers and writers stand to lose between hundreds and many
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thousands of dollars each for published but unpaid work. Talk has
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already begun regarding possibilities of legal actions and class suits
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against Antic Publishing, who appear at this time to be remaining in
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business.
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Z*Net will continue to follow this story which is of great concern to
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the entire Atari community. STart was the last independent commercial
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-slick- magazine for the Atari in the U.S.A. It leaves behind only the
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bi-monthly Atari Explorer (Atari's own magazine), newsprint publications
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AtariUser and ST Informer, and smaller circulation user-group based
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publications like Current Notes, AIM, and PSAN.
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===========================================
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DATAQUE TRANSKEY
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----------------
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Press Release
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===========================================
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Official DataQue TransKey Aquisition Sale Details!
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Upgrade ROM 2.x from 1.x ............... $5.00
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6116 SRAM (if your board lacks one) .... $5.00
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TransKey solder-in version 2.x ......... $44.95 (normal $47.00)
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TransKey plug-in version 2.x ........... $54.95 (normal $57.00)
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Zero-Power SRAM for above .............. $11.95 (normal $12.95)
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Please Specify whether you want the keyboard connector to be of the
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inline or chassis mount type. If not specified the inline type will be
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assumed.
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NOTE: the above TransKey prices are for orders post marked >>BEFORE<<
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June 15, 1991, any orders received after that time will be billed at
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normal prices! If you have been thinking about getting one (or a
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second) NOW is the time.
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Upgrade ROMs will be available approx May 15th 1991, and TransKey
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systems will be available approx June 1st 1991. This is not vaporware,
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DataQue has just aquired the TransKey product line, and some components
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had to be ordered to build up the inventory.
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Upgrades will be the latest and greatest TK release, so if you have an
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older 1.x version, get on the stick, and send in your order for the new
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release.
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Version 2.x improves reliability, and adds more predefined macros and
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NEW user programmable macros. The ZP RAM adds the capability to retain
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user programmed macros when the computer is turned off. XE users should
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only order the solder in version, since their PoKey is not socketed.
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Orders should be sent to:
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DataQue Software
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Post Office Box 134
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Ontario, OH 44862 USA
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All US orders include $1.50 (Canadians include $2.50) for S&H, foreign
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orders include $5.00 for S&H. All orders must be prepaid in US funds,
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drawn on a US bank. Cashier's Check, Money Orders, or Personal Checks
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are accepted, with the latter retained for 7 days for clearing.
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TransKey's purchased from DataQue Software are warranted for a period of
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1 year on parts, and 90 days on labor. Please retain your invoice as
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proof of purchase.
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###########################
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8-BIT HARD DISK
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---------------
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by Don Lebow
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###########################
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Recently, I've run across several messages from folks wondering whether
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it was worthwhile to upgrade their 8-bit to a Hard Disk. For those who
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might have been asking themselves the same question, here are some
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personal notes on how I got mine, and how I use it.
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First consideration is cost, of course. How much? With a little shopping
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around, mixing and matching components, you can keep the price
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relatively low ... assuming you're savvy enough to do the matching, the
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cabling, and other elements of installation yourself.
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What you need:
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The HD itself
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Controller Board
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Power supply
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Interface to allow your XE or XL to access the HD (it's problematic to
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hook up an older 800 to a HD.)
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If you're not already, you'll also need to use a DOS that will support
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the LARGE partitions on an HD. That narrows it down to exactly 2: MYDOS
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4.5 or SPARTADOS. (I use SpartaDOS X)
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Buzzword: a -Partition- is a block of storage on a Hard Drive which is
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assigned a drive number, and accessed by DOS just as if it were a
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separate drive. HD partitions often run to THOUSANDS of -free sectors-,
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thus the need for a supportive DOS.
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I'm no techie, so after some checking around, I decided to opt for a
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-package deal- from Computer Software Services in Rochester. Cost was
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$399. For this I received a 10 meg Seagate drive (complete with an IBM
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logo on the faceplate to make me feel <SPECIAL> .. heh), Xebec
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controller board, power supply, and, most usefully, a Black Box (aka the
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-Bob Box,- after Bob Puff, who designed it) which provides the
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interface.
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Added costs: I also opted for a case for the BB, which is a bare circuit
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board in stock format. A plastic shell to neaten things up adds $39.95.
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Since the BB supports a parallel interface for a printer (and includes a
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Print Screen button!) and serial RS-232 for modems and such, you'll
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probably want cables. CSS sells ready built cables for each, but
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they're also VERY easy to build yourself, given a bit of ribbon cable
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and some crimp on connectors. And with that RS232 interface out there
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just begging for a 2400 baud modem ... ok, I had one already, but if you
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don't it's hard to resist.
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The package is advertised as -ready to run-, and that proved to be the
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case. All cables (except for having to plug the power supply into the
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HD, which even *I* was able to handle) were in place. I also got a disk
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including some vital HD support files:
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HD FORMAT (rarely needed)
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PARTITION FORMAT (often used)
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PARK (move the heads in your HD to a safe spot before powering down.)
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Once I'd unpacked everything, connected the BB to my 256k XL (via the
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PBI slot in the back), AND found room for all this stuff in my work area
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(both the HD and power supply are BIG boxes, approx 10 x 6 x 4), I fired
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up the 'puter and ... nothing.
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Oh dear.
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Back to recheck the seating on all the cables, cross fingers, close
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eyes, power up, and VIOLA! It works!!
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Now for the fun part. CSS had preformatted the drive, of course (else
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it wouldn't have booted when I turned it on.) But, of course, I wanted
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to customize it to meet my own needs.
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The BB docs are great, explaining the ins and outs of setting up an HD.
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They are general, but CSS also provided the basic stats for my specific
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drive, so I was able to forge ahead with confidence.
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With my trusty calculator by my side (aided by that Print Screen button,
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which let me keep a running record) it was a matter of deciding how many
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sectors I wanted for each partition, adding that to a starting sector
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number, then inputting the info into the BB configuration screen.
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Once done with allocation, I used the FMTDIR program on the included
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disk to initialize each partition, then started copying files from
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floppy over to their new homes.
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What did I end up with? This will, I think, give you an idea of WHY an
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HD can be so addicting:
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D1: 4000 sectors
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D2: 5000 sectors
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D3: 5000 sectors
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D4: 4000 sectors
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D5: Pseudo floppy
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D6: Floppy #1
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D7: Floppy #7
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D8: 5000 sectors
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D9: 7000 sectors
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Those are *Double Density* sectors, mah friends. My XF-551 shows 1440
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sectors in DS/DD sparta format. Add it up and that makes ... lessee
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here ... the equivalent of around *20* DS/DD floppies! A whole disk
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box, all in one spot, instantly accessible! Neat, no?
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D6: is actually my ol' trusty XF, still with it's back switches set to
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being D1:, wherein lies a point.
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The BB (like the MIO, the other popular 8-bit HD interface) has the
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ability to -remap- drives. What does that mean? With multiple
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partitions, you suddenly have a system with anywhere from 2 to 9
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-drives- all on line at once! Once you get over the shock <g>, the
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possibility of having any ONE of those be -D1:- or -D2:- to match
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requirements of whatever you might be running is irresistible. Unlike
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software -swap- commands, these remaps are -permanent- (i.e. until you
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change them again.) So if you decide you want to reboot with another
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partition as D1: (perhaps to boot Turbo Basic? Maybe a program that
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ASSumes AtariDOS, like AMP?. Or even *eek!* a copy protected floppy) No
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problem.
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D7: is actually RamDisk, as defined by DOS
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ABOUT THAT D5:
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-Pseudo Floppy- refers to a special feature of the BB. You can define a
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partition, specifying density, to match floppy specs (I use both 720
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sector SD for AtariDOS, and 1440 DD sector for Sparta.) Use a sector
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copier (or DISCOM) to duplicate a floppy to the partition, and you have
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a -pseudo floppy- on your HD! That's not unusual. But the bonus is
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that the BB supports more than -active- partitions. In fact, it lets
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you define up to 96(!) partitions, all kept in a special -partition
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list- (touch of a key to access, even in the middle of a program), and
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swap them in and out of the -active- drive map at any time. I actually
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have <14> partitions set up on my HD. Waiting to be swapped in at need
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are 4 DOS 2.5 SD -disks-, and 4 Sparta DS/DD -disks.- How useful is
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that? I can specify a couple of the ADOS -disks- to D1: and D2: and
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boot DOS 2.5 from HD! Fast. I like that...
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IN USE
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Yes, well. Bells and whistles. But absent all the tricks, what are the
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more mundane benefits that might justify spending that kind of money?
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The biggest thing (and the real reason I bought it) is that having all
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that space means no more searching through floppies, trying to remember
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where a program is. My experience is probably not unlike yours:
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There are a few programs I use everyday. There are others I may use
|
|
once a week or so. Then the OTHERS that I need every once in a while
|
|
and are inevitably -somewhere- in a pile of 20 floppies. I know, I
|
|
*should* have all my disks cataloged, but I don't. Find me looking for
|
|
some obscure utility that I suddenly need at 2 a.m., and there I am,
|
|
shuffling disks like a Las Vegas blackjack dealer. No more! (well, not
|
|
as often, anyway ;-)
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I organized the HD in what works for me as a logical order
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D1: contains BobTerm and my most used utilities
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D2: is a -work disk-, which I use for temporary storage (reformatted
|
|
frequently)
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D3: is games
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|
D4: is another work disk
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|
D8: has all my TextPro files
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|
D9: is the archive, where I keep those not so often used programs.
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et, comme il dit, cetera. I've lowered my -where did I *put* that- time
|
|
to just about nil.
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Second, but just about as useful, is that I've completely lost my old
|
|
worry about wondering whether an UnARC, or a BIG file download/message
|
|
capture would run into -disk full- hassles. This is hard to explain
|
|
until you actually use it, but trust me. I go whole DAYS without
|
|
feeling compelled to use CHKDSK. That's luxury.
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|
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|
And speed, of course. That's a given. It's *not* as fast as a RamDisk,
|
|
but, heck of a lot faster than a floppy. I mean, if I can boot up DOS
|
|
2.5 in 3 seconds (including RAMDISK.COM ... heh), no complaints.
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|
|
Matter o' fact, for some things I still prefer the RamDisk. To that
|
|
end, I have a batch file on D1: that copies my essential TextPro
|
|
program, cnf, and macro files (stored on HD, of curse) to RamDisk.
|
|
Since I tend to use a lot of temp files in my macros, saving THIS then
|
|
loading THAT, it seems to work better. Not only a bit faster, but
|
|
saving a little wear and tear on the drive. With a few thousand spare
|
|
sectors dedicated to text, it's also easy to exit and come back later,
|
|
without worry.
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BOTTOM LINE
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Luxury or Necessity is a matter of personal definition. I've talked
|
|
about some of the reasons I'm glad I took the plunge. They may or may
|
|
not make sense to you. Or you may see possibilities matching your own
|
|
situation that I missed. Whatever, this isn't an insignificant amount
|
|
of money, especially in terms of the traditional 8-bit market. This is
|
|
where the real decision comes in: how much do you (or *will* you in the
|
|
future?) actually USE your 8-bit. That's a question you'll have to work
|
|
out for yourself. If you answer -a lot-, then I think you should give
|
|
an HD some serious thought.
|
|
|
|
If you have comments or questions, feel free to post...
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|
NEXT TIME: backing up and how I learned to love it ;-)
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=======================================================================
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Z*Mag/a\zine Archives
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---------------------
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May 27, 1986 - Issue #3
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=======================================================================
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Editors Note: This Month (MAY 1991) marks the start of our sixth year
|
|
of publishing this online magazine. With all future issues, we will
|
|
reprint some of the interesting material previously available in older
|
|
ZMAG issues. This week we go back to the beginning.
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|
An Eight Bit Lament
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|
-------------------
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|
by Richard Kovalick
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|
April 27,1986
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|
I'm an eight bit Atari Computer. Will I continue to be supported? For
|
|
how long? Has everybody forgotten about me? I have a new bigger and
|
|
faster brother called ST. Everyone is paying attention and talking
|
|
about him. They are writing a lot of new software for him. How about
|
|
me? Over a year ago my parents (The Atari Corp) jazzed me up a bit and
|
|
gave me some more memory. The magazines wrote a few articles about the
|
|
new me. They also published a couple of copy programs and a picture
|
|
loader for me. The software manufacturers did not do much more. They
|
|
put a couple of new routines in existing programs (AtariWriter Plus and
|
|
SynFile +) to use my extra memory and came out with a couple of games.
|
|
That was about it.
|
|
|
|
Oh yes, Optimized Systems Software (bless them) did write a great new
|
|
Basic Language just for me. My parents should have done that. This way
|
|
everyone would have this new better Atari Basic Language to use. My
|
|
parents promised to make a new 3 1/2 inch disk drive just for me. They
|
|
also have been talking about an 80 column board for me. But, they got
|
|
busy with my new brother ST and I have not seen them. There are ways to
|
|
increase my memory to 320K and even more. What am I going to do with
|
|
all that memory, without some new software? The Pirates out there are
|
|
not helping me at all. There are some darn good programs out there,
|
|
that are worth the price. If everyone went out and bought a piece of
|
|
software, once in a while, the manufacturers would realize I'm still
|
|
around and make some new software for me. Maybe, when the novelty with
|
|
my new brother wears off, everyone will realize that I'm still around.
|
|
With the proper support from my users and the manufacturers, I can do a
|
|
heck of a lot and my price is right. Right now, I sure feel like I am
|
|
on the way out.
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|
|
|
I purposely dated this. I hope some day soon, I will have to eat my
|
|
words. Will I have to?
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|
|
|
Reprinted from Zmag/a\zine Issue #3 May 27, 1986
|
|
(c)1986 Ron Kovacs, 1991 Rovac Industries, Inc.
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|
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=======================================================================
|
|
Z*MAGAZINE Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine is a bi-weekly magazine covering
|
|
the Atari and related computer community. Material contained in this
|
|
edition may be reprinted without permission, except where otherwise
|
|
noted, unedited, with the issue number, name and author included at
|
|
the top of each reprinted article. Commentary and opinions presented
|
|
are those of the individual author and does not necessarily reflect
|
|
the opinions of Z*MAGAZINE or the staff. Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online
|
|
Magazine, Z*Net Atari Online Magazine, Z*Net are copyright (c)1991 by
|
|
Rovac Industries Inc, a registered corporation. Post Office Box 59,
|
|
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846. (908) 968-2024. Z*Net Online BBS 24
|
|
Hours, 1200/2400 Baud, (908) 968-8148. We can be reached on CompuServe
|
|
at 71777,2140 and on GEnie at Z-NET.
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine
|
|
Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc..
|
|
=======================================================================
|