1234 lines
58 KiB
Plaintext
1234 lines
58 KiB
Plaintext
==(((((((((( == Z*MAG/A\ZINE ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
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=========(( === June 11, 1991
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=======(( ===== Issue #195
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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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Assistant Editor : Stan Lowell
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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CompuServe: 75300,1642 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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***** NEW CIS PPN NUMBER LISTED ABOVE *****
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Xx Z*NET NEWSWIRE
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=================
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ATARI SELLS MANUFACTURING PLANT - Atari has announced that it has signed
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a contract for the sale of its property in Taiwan. The facility will be
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sold for $60 million, and closing is scheduled for later this month.
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The sale is contingent upon certain conditions of closing being met.
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Atari noted that assembly operations have been relocated in a move to
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increase efficiency and reduce costs.
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COMMODORE - issued a number of announcements last week at CES concerning
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new technology, distribution, applications and compatibility for the
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CDTV Interactive Multimedia player. CDXL will increase the capability
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of the CDTV player by bringing enhanced motion video with no hardware
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upgrade required. CDTV-PIP is essentially a 1/3-screen window, which
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allows NTSC video to be displayed simultaneously with a running CDTV
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application. CDTV-PIP is incorporated into a specially designed plug-in
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video card that replaces the current video card yet requires no software
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upgrade. Commodore announced that CDTV is planned to be compatible with
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Kodak's new Photo CD system. Photo CDs, planned for June 1992 can store
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up to 100 35mm photographic images on writable CD-ROM discs.
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Commodore introduced two new packages this week for its Amiga 500 line.
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The new packages are designed to complement the successful Amiga 500
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Bonus package that is currently offered by Amiga retailers. The new
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Discovery Pack is an entry-level package, ideal for parents who want a
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computer that their children can use for both education and
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entertainment. The package features four titles, including KindWords,
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Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?, Ports of Call, Deluxe Paint II.
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The Discovery Pack also includes a TV adapter, which enables the use of
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a television as a monitor. The suggested retail price is $599.
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NEW APPLE SOFTWARE - MacX 1.1.7 is the latest version of Apple's X
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Window System display server for the Macintosh operating system. It
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provides X Window System access and functionality for customers using
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Apple Macintosh computers in multivendor environments. MacX 1.1.7
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provides support for System 7, Apple's latest version of the Macintosh
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operating system and will be available August 1991. MacX 1.1.7 is $295.
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Upgrades are available for current MacX 1.0 and 1.1 customers for $95.
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NINTENDO UPDATE - Philips has announced that it has granted Nintendo a
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license to develop and market video games on Compact Disc format for
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play on Nintendo's new Super Famicom and Super Nintendo Entertainment
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System 16-bit home video game hardware systems. The new Compact Disc
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video games, according to Nintendo, will be played on a low cost CD ROM
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-XA Compact Disc player. Consumers will be able to attach these CD ROM
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-XA players to their Super Famicom and Super NES hardware units.
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HP REDUCES PRICES - Hewlett-Packard has reduced the list prices on its
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HP Vectra personal computers by up to 10 percent and on its mass-storage
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products by up to 33 percent. HP also has reduced the list price of the
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HP ScanJet Plus scanner from $1,595 to $995. Numerous other HP product
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prices have been reduced and more information in available by calling HP
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at 408-720-3824.
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NEW DRIVES FOR NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS - Mitsubishi announced the
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availability of a new floppy drive designed specifically for -notebook-
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computers. The MF355E is a 3.5-inch 2 megabyte unformatted, magnetic
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floppy drive that is less than 15 millimeters in height. The unit
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weighs less than half a pound and offers a variety of connector types
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including a 26-line, 26-line FFC, and 34-line pinhead connector. All
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connectors include the signal interface and power interface in one connector.
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Xx ATARIUSER 8-BIT ATARI COLUMN
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===============================
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by Chuck Steinman
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Reprinted from the June 1991 AtariUser Magazine by permission. No
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further reprinting of this article is permitted except by permission of
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Quill Publishing, 818-332-0372. Subscription and distribution
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information for AtariUser is available at 800-333-3567.
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8-Bit Alert: An aquisition agreement between Michael St. Pierre (of
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Micro Solutions) and Chuck Steinman (of DataQue) has been made which
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will allow DataQue to continue production of the TransKey adapter for
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the Atari Classic computers. This device will allow you to use a
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standard IBM type keyboard on your favorite machine. DataQue will
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support anyone who purchased their TransKey from Micro Solutions.
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Contact DataQue, P.O. Box 134, Ontario, OH 44862, USA.
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8-Bit Alert: GEnie telecommunications service has decided to eliminate
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their Atari 8-bit section in their bi-monthly 'LiveWire' publication.
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At first GEnie claimed not be able to find anyone willing to write the
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short section, while now they say -There just is not enough room because
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we have additional new advertisers, and we do not want to increase the
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page count.- Anyone who feels that the Atari Classic computers deserve
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coverage should contact FEEDBACK on GEnie.
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THE 8-BIT STATE - DIAMOND: A New Look for your Classic Atari
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Diamond Graphical Operating System (GOS) from ReeveSoft offers an ST/GEM
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like operating system for the Atari 8-bit series of computers. You can
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use an ST mouse, joystick, touch tablet, track-ball or your keyboard as
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a pointing device. Although available for over two years, Diamond has
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been recently reworked to add new features and increase performance. If
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you've been considering updating your older version or jumping into a
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graphical environment for the first time, Diamond 3.0 is worth looking at.
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A -stacking- cartridge, Diamond will work alone or with other carts.
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Why would you want a GOS on your classic Atari? Common claims for
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adding a GOS to a system are 'because the ST has one', or 'it's the wave
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of the future'. I feel that those are pretty poor reasons to buy
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something. If a GOS serves some useful purpose, that's a good reason to
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consider adding it.
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If you don't like working from a command line interface (SpartaDOS or
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OSS DOS) or DOS menu (AtariDOS or work-alike), then Diamond may be the
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picture to save you typing those thousand words. Most of the DOS (Disk
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Operating System) functions are available directly from the desktop,
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with little or no typing required. You can also view and print text
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files, or launch (execute) programs by selecting a file with your
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pointing device.
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There are also options on XL/XE machines to exit Diamond to another
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cartridge or to internal BASIC.
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While Diamond will work with floppy disk based systems, its real power
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is the ease of use it adds to systems with hard drives. Moving from one
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directory to another is very simple, using only the pointing device.
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Functions like copying or deleting files are just as simple, although
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being so simple makes it so easy, the proverbial two year old can simply
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make a mess in no time.
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One of the major new features of Diamond 3.0 the file selector, now
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incorporated into the cartridge. With this improvement, new
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applications (programs) will not have to provide their own selector. It
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frees up valuable memory and provides a consistent interface for
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programs which use the selector.
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Another nice addition to Diamond is that the type of DOS being used is
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automatically detected, saving the user from having to enter that
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information. The desktop colors and pointing device are also user
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selected and saved in a configuration file. This small file is loaded
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from disk when Diamond is started up.
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For drawing pictures, ReeveSoft offers Diamond Paint. With Paint, you
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can load and save in many different picture formats including, clip-art,
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Micro Illustrator, and straight binary. All of the normal drawing
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utilities are provided, including cut and paste.
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Diamond Write is a word processor which offers a single user selectable
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font at a time, but multiple styles of that font possible. A variety of
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fonts are supplied, including an 80 column emulation font. Other
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features are user programmable margins and justification.
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Diamond News Station ($29.95) will allow you to turn out professional
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looking small newsletters and documents with pictures, multiple-sized
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text in various fonts, and clip art. Pages are broken into eight
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plates, and you can edit one plate at a time in a -WYSIWYG- (What You
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See Is What You Get) fashion.
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ReeveSoft offers the $29.95 Diamond Develop package for those with a
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desire to program applications with all those windows popping and dialog
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boxes growing. Diamond Develop assumes you know assembly language, and
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have the MAC/65 assembler (available from ICD, Inc). ReeveSoft offers to
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refund the cost of Develop to programmers who write a 'significant'
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application for Diamond.
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There are a few rough spots in the Diamond desktop system. First, you
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must avoid using sub-directory names which have extensions. Second, if
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you want to exit Diamond back to the resident DOS, it isn't simple--and
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it should be. If there are functions your DOS supports which are not
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supported directly by Diamond, the only option provided is to exit
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Diamond. Third, the new file selector seems to be reluctant to keep
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filenames and directories inside the selector box with SpartaDOS. At
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times the SpartaDOS timestamp spills outside the file area of the
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selector box, overwriting other information on the screen.
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Finally, the Diamond utilities (Write, Draw) and News Station, suffer
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from little quirks here and there. While they don't prevent the use of
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the programs, they do impair the ease of use that a graphical user
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interface should provide. The Diamond GOS itself does seem to be very
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stable, and Reevesoft seems committed to continued support.
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The full Diamond package currently runs $79.95 and includes the
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cartridge plus the Write and Paint applications. Upgrading from an
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earlier version of the Diamond GOS cartridge is $30. Diamond systems
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are by ReeveSoft, 29W150 Old Farm Lane, Warrenville, IL 60555, (708)
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393-2317.
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MAC/65 and SpartaDOS are from ICD Inc., 1220 Rock Street, Rockford, IL
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61101-1437, (815) 968-2228.
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- Chuck Steinman
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BIO: When not writing for AtariUser magazine, Chuck Steinman can usually
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be found out perusing telecommunication services such as GEnie, Delphi,
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and Compuserve. An avid supporter of the Atari Classic Cause, Chuck is
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known for several Public Domain, Shareware, and commercial products sold
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under the DataQue name. Of several dozen of the 8-bit systems, the only
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models not in his vast collection are the 65XE and XEGS. (Anyone have
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either of those to sell cheap?)
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Xx RUMBLES..RAMBLES...RUMORS
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============================
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by Stan Lowell
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What, Why, Where
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----------------
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Question: -Where is ZMAG, where have you been, what are you doing, plus
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a few other unprintable things...-
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Answer: I got out of 'Sync' with ZMag when everybody took their
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vacations. All -heck- broke loose nearly everyplace. I hope to get
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back in the swing of things and just be 'late' with these articles
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(instead of gone). My thanks to those of you who missed me and
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expressed concern. My apologies to those who have been lamenting and
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languishing, I'll try and do better.
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STart/Antic
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-----------
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As most are aware, Start has ceased publication. Will it surface again
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with another publisher/name/format? We are all waiting to find out.
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Will it contain any 8-bit info? We can hope for the best, but probably
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not too likely. Where can we get information? ZMagazine, your LOCAL
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user group, your local BBSs, AtariUser magazine, user group publications
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like PSAN, Current Notes, AIM, etc., and just about any BBS that offers
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a Networked Atari(8-bit?) message base.
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If you call a BBS with a networked message base, be active. Leave a
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message answering a question, or asking one. Leave a message thanking
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the SysOp(s) for having the base availiable for you. If you don't use
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it, you may lose it! If all you do is download files, the SysOp may
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wonder why he is putting out the effort and expense to support us!
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SysOps NEED an -Attaboy- every now and then! At this point in time, we
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would be in deep sneakers without them!
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More on Inter-BBS Networking
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----------------------------
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After further checking into the Inter-BBS Networking, Bob Puff and Craig
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Carter have come up with a universal format for it. After hearing many
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good things about Craig and his programming prowess, I spoke with him.
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Craig was very helpful and informative. He expects to have -something-
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out around -the end of summer.- Craig recently released his Pro SysOp's
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Toolkit to the Public Domain. From what I have heard from Pro SysOps,
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it is VERY handy!
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More Dealers
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------------
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Software Infinity
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642 East Waring Avenue
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State College, PA 16801
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Write for their free catalog. In addition to lots of PD and shareware
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stuff, they now carry NEW, COMMERCIAL releases from a company called
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KE-SOFT which is from Germany. Prices are very reasonable...about $10-
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$15 for the commercial stuff, $4 for PD and shareware theme disks.
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------------------------------
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Try Rising Star 1-800-252-2787 for ST and 8-Bit support and A little
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company called Data Cent, P.O.Box 24004, Huber Heights, Ohio 45424-
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0004 for 8-bit service and software support..
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-------------------------------
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IB Computers
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9244 S.W. Beaverton-Hillsdale HWY.
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Beaverton, OR 97005
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503-297-8425
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They have brand new atari stock 800xl power supply of all types and all
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other stuff. They stock tons and tons of ST type of computer hard/software.
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Write to em and they'll send you their list. Some prices I feel are
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a bit high but the going cost of this Atari computer seems to have
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overall risen!!
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Rumors
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------
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The Chicago Atari Show will have a *room* dedicated to the 8-bits?
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New things are in the works for the -old- Supra interface now owned and
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sold by K-Products.
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Not a rumor, but fact: K-Products has purchased -Hardback.- Bob Klass
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plans some 'changes' to it, and a price reduction from $39.95 to $20.00!
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Anyone purchasing it NOW will get the updated version when released.
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BBS Express! Pro Multiline
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--------------------------
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BBS Express! Pro Multiline is out! It is alive and well and running on
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several 8-bit boards. Also availiable are the batch upload mods for use
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with -Pro.- I tested the Y-modem batch a while back using my laptop and
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Procomm+ and it worked flawlessly. Bob Klass is doing a fine job of
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supporting -Pro!-
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For you BBS Express! Pro SysOps(or wanna bes) out there, here is an
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order form:
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K-Products Order Form
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Mail Order To: K-Products
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P.O. Box 22122 A.M.F.
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Salt Lake City, Ut. 84120
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_____ BBS Express! Professional . . . . . . . . . . . $39.95
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_____ BBS Express! Professional Multiline. . . . . . $89.00
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_____ BBS Express! Professional Multiline & Hardware $235.00
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_____ BBS PRO ExpressNET! Networking Disk . . . . . . $10.00
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( includes network modules and printed doc's )
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_____ Hardback & Restore Hard Drive Utility . . . . . $20.00
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_____ Bank_Mio.CMD & MioCfg.Cmd . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00
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(Special offer to PRO Sysops - normally $20.00)
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_____ Batch Upload Protocals with new core. . . . . . $20.00
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_____ Disk Updates with documentation. . . . . . . . $20.00
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(for Sysops who did not pay Keith's Fee)
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_____ Transfer of ownership from one owner to
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another.................................... $ 5.00
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Add Shipping/Handling $ 4.00
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Total ________
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Rush My Order To:
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Name: ______________________________________________________
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Address: ___________________________________________________
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City: _______________________ State: _______ Zip: ________
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Node number if applicable:_________
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Say, Whatever Happened to...
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----------------------------
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One of the things that Craig Carter told me, was that Bill Wilkinson was
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still around to answer questions about 8-bits. For a long time Bill's
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article was the ONLY reason to buy Compute! magazine! He knew lots of
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stuff about the Atari 8-bits. It was *ALWAYS* a pleasure to read his
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column (he even mentioned the -NCT Turbo 810- once)!
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Humor...
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--------
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The following message is from my BBS. I thought it was funny, so
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thought that I would share it. (If you just got in after spending a few
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hours behind the wheel of your Edsel, this might not set too well!)
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8-)
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Msg# : 4346 - Msgs 8-Bit - Net
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Sent : 06/09/91 at 12:19 AM
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To : BRYAN EDEWAARD
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From : DAVE A!
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Subj : Top 10 Reasons for 8-Bit
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Ref# : 4324
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Rep# : 4388 4392
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(WARNING: Seriously humor impaired should immediately go to the next
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message!)
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Straight from the home office in Sunnyvale, CA. Late Night with Dave A!
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presents the Top 10 reasons you should still own an Atari 8-bit computer:
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10) Gives Coleco Adam owners someone to share misery with.
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9) Using it on Friday nights keeps you from watching Full House.
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8) Time has never been better to make a killing in the 8-bit Atari
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magazine market.
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7) Commodore 64 is too lightweight to make really good door-stop.
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6) Just t'aint fittin' to buy one of those gosh-darned new-fangled ST
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contraptions.
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5) Don't have to worry about blowing Christmas Club money on software
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for yourself.
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4) Nintendo is really last gasp Communist effort at world domination.
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3) Ashamed kids actually look better with bags on their heads.
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2) Can explain Star Wars defense system to Dan Quayle using Missle
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Command game.
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And the number one reason to still own an Atari 8-bit!!!!!!:
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1) Looks great on your desk next to the Beta VCR and 8-track tape player!
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(Just a joke, Ok folks???)
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Dave A!
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Ya gotta keep smiling!
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Until next time! If you would like to submit a review, article, or a
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rebuttal (ANYTHING is welcomed!), feel free to upload to myself or Z-NET
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Online BBS. I can be reached on my BBS (908-805-3967), GEnie(S.LOWELL),
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and on Z*Net Online BBS(908-968-8148).
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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL USERS GROUP!
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SUPPORT ShareWare Authors and others who write for the Atari 8-bit!
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Support THOSE who support YOU!
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Xx ICD 8-BIT BLOW-OUT SALE
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==========================
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Yes, it's true. The time has finally arrived for ICD to clear out the
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800/XL/XE 8-Bit line of products, dust off the shelves and make room for
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more inventory. Our basic reason for this sale is that we can no longer
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show any profit margins for these products, nor produce any large
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quantities to keep in stock, but we can and will continue to support the
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end-users.
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Because of Atari's decision to drop the XL/XE line, followed immediately
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by the decline and fall of 8-Bit support throughout the national dealer
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community, ICD must close out our complete stock of 8-Bit products,
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including both the OSS, Inc., and ICD, Inc. lines. However, we will
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continue to provide quality technical support during the warranty period
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of these close-out products.
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As heartbreaking as this news may be to you and us, the truth is that it
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had to happen sooner or later. To be honest, it was later. We at ICD,
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long supporters of the 8-Bit Atari community, have held out for as long
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as we possibly could manage. There is, however, one bright note in this
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sale. It is YOU, the end-user, who benefits from the Super ICD Blowout
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Clearance Sale!
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Our entire stock of 8-Bit items, including spare manuals, parts, pieces,
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and assorted used equipment, must go now! For information on purchasing
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parts and assorted components to these products, call ICD voice at (815)
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968-2228.
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Everything from our door-opening US Doublers and SpartaDOS, the complete
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line of OSS programming languages (including Personal Pascal for the
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Atari ST, the only ICD ST product included in his sale), all the way up
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the line to our Multi I/O (MIO) interfaces and the all-new SpartaDOS X
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cartridge.
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We are determined to see that you have the products that you need to
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survive, so rather than drop the line completely and toss all of our
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hard work into a dusty corner, we also intend to sell the rights to
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these products! Once the rights have been sold, the new owner(s) can
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continue to manufacture all these superior products just for you. If
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you are interested in the rights to these items, please call ICD voice
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to discuss terms.
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Have you been looking high and low for your ICD product manual? Is your
|
|
copy bent, folded, stapled, mutilated, torn up and dog-eared? For that
|
|
matter, did your dog eat it? Have you taken so many notes in it that
|
|
you can't read the original text? It doesn't matter! Whatever reason
|
|
you have for wanting a new manual, now is the time to get your new copy.
|
|
We have a few spares, and they are now on sale!
|
|
|
|
Never underestimate the power of your Atari 8-Bit computer system,
|
|
regardless of which one you own. These systems have been well
|
|
developed, and frankly, are the most researched and documented home
|
|
computer systems available. There has never been a more widespread
|
|
appreciation for these computers. They were the -Cutting Edge- in their
|
|
time, and still are for the new computer user. These systems are
|
|
excellent starter systems, perfect for the children of the die-hard club.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately for all of us, those in Atari Corp that make the decisions
|
|
sometimes do so in haste. This, then, directly affects dedicated 8-Bit
|
|
users, and we come full circle to where we are today...suffering
|
|
withdrawal symptoms.
|
|
|
|
Suffer no more! ICD is offering you one final chance to own those
|
|
products that you have been saving your hard-earned pennies for, for so
|
|
long. There are litterally thousands of folks out there that have
|
|
learned to use these systems, and are willing to assist you in every
|
|
effort to learn and understand them, not counting ICD. This is your
|
|
last chance to buy them from ICD! Once our stock is depleted, your
|
|
chance is gone.
|
|
|
|
Almost all of these products are now on sale at over 50% off! Get them
|
|
while they are available. This sale will end sooner than you think
|
|
since products will now be in demand at these prices. Don't wait!
|
|
You've been warned!
|
|
|
|
You can order these items on the ICD Support BBS (815-968-2229), where
|
|
the sale prices are ALREADY on-line! Please don't ask if you can get
|
|
any better prices. You can't...anywhere! The prices listed are already
|
|
over 50% off!
|
|
|
|
How To Place Your ICD Sale Order
|
|
--------------------------------
|
|
Mail Orders: To order by mail (Pre-Pay), and pay no shipping charges,
|
|
simply complete the order form below, and mail it with your enclosed
|
|
payment to:
|
|
|
|
ICD, Incorporated
|
|
ATTN: 8-Bit Sale
|
|
1220 Rock Street
|
|
Rockford, Il. 61101.
|
|
|
|
BBS Orders: Ordering On The BBS is as simple as calling the ICD BBS at
|
|
815-968-2229 and placing the orders while on-line (Option-$ from the
|
|
main menu), 24 hours a day. You can use VISA, MasterCard or COD payment
|
|
methods on the BBS as well as phone orders.
|
|
|
|
FREE SHIPPING WITH PRE-PAID MAIL AND BBS CREDIT CARD ORDERS!
|
|
|
|
Phone Orders: Phone orders are welcome Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to
|
|
5 p.m. CST by calling 815-968-2228. All COD phone orders will include
|
|
a nominal shipping and handling charge.
|
|
|
|
Payment: Please include full payment with all mail orders. Illinois
|
|
residents add 6.25% sales tax. If ordering COD, you must call for a
|
|
quote on shipping costs. No personal checks will be accepted on COD
|
|
orders (cash or money orders only). Refused orders will be subject to
|
|
a $15.00 service charge.
|
|
|
|
Shipping: Orders are shipped UPS whenever available. For prompt
|
|
delivery, please be sure to give us your complete street address (no
|
|
P.O. Box numbers are allowed by UPS). Additional shipping charges are
|
|
required outside the continental U.S.A. Please call ICD for further
|
|
shipping instructions.
|
|
|
|
Product Name / Description - Price
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
Action! Language Manual - 6.95
|
|
Action! Programming Language - 39.95
|
|
Action! RunTime Manual - 5.95
|
|
Action! RunTime Package - 14.95
|
|
Action! Tool Kit - 14.95
|
|
Action! Toolkit Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
BASIC XE Language Manual - 6.95
|
|
BASIC XE Programming Language- 39.95
|
|
BASIC XL Language Manual - 6.95
|
|
BASIC XL Programming Language- 29.95
|
|
BASIC XL Tool Kit - 14.95
|
|
BASIC XL Toolkit Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
Flashback! (Backup Utility) - 14.95
|
|
FlashBack! Utility Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
MAC/65 Cartridge Manual - 6.95
|
|
MAC/65 Programming Language - 39.95
|
|
MAC/65 Tool Kit - 14.95
|
|
MAC/65 Toolkit Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
Modem Cable (PRC or MIO) - 6.95
|
|
|
|
Multi I/O (1 Meg Version) (*)- CALL
|
|
Multi I/O (256 K Version) (*)- CALL
|
|
Multi I/O Manual - 7.95
|
|
Multi I/O to 130XE Adapter - 12.95
|
|
|
|
P: R: Connection - 44.95
|
|
P:R: Connection Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
Personal Pascal (Atari ST) - 44.95
|
|
Personal Pascal Manual - 9.95
|
|
|
|
Printer Cable (PRC or MIO) - 6.95
|
|
Printer Connection Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
R-Time 8 Cartridge Manual - 5.95
|
|
R-Time 8 Clock Cartridge - 34.95
|
|
|
|
Rambo XL 256K Manual - 5.95
|
|
Rambo XL 256K Upgrade - 19.95
|
|
Rambo XL RAM Chips (Set of 8)- 32.00
|
|
|
|
SpartaDOS Construction Set - 19.95
|
|
SpartaDOS CS Manual - 6.95
|
|
SpartaDOS Tool Kit - 19.95
|
|
SpartaDOS Tool Kit Manual - 5.95
|
|
SpartaDOS X Cartridge - 39.95
|
|
SpartaDOS X Manual - 5.95
|
|
|
|
US Doubler 1-4 Chip Set - 19.95
|
|
US Doubler Manual - 5.95
|
|
US Doubler W/SpartaDOS CS - 34.95
|
|
|
|
(*) Call for availability
|
|
|
|
Order Form For 8-Bit Sale Only
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
- Name: _______________________________________ Date: _____/_____/_____
|
|
- Address: ____________________________________________________________
|
|
- City: ____________________ State: ____ Country: ________ Zip: _______
|
|
- Work Phone: (____) _____-________ Home Phone: (____) _____-________
|
|
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
--Quantity- Name / Product Description - Price Each - Total
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-- - - - -
|
|
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
- Il Residents Add 6.25% Tax - -
|
|
- _____ Master Card (Min $40) -------------
|
|
- Sub-Total- -
|
|
- _____ Visa (Minimum $40.00) -------------
|
|
- $5.00 COD- -
|
|
- Credit Card Number _______________________________ -------------
|
|
- S & H- -
|
|
- Bank Name On Card _______________________________ -------------
|
|
- TOTAL- -
|
|
- Expiration Date: ____/____ Bank Number ______ ------------
|
|
-
|
|
- _________ Personal Check _________ Money Order _________ COD
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xx ATARI 8-BIT UPDATE
|
|
=====================
|
|
New and useful Information
|
|
by Eugene R. Case
|
|
|
|
(C)1991 ERC Products. ERC Products are in the Public Domain, and This
|
|
text may be re-printed, as long as this (C) Notice, and all text are not
|
|
altered, or edited, and Full Credit is given the Author.
|
|
|
|
So as of last writing, you all hopefully took heart, and wrote all those
|
|
companies I gave the addresses for.
|
|
|
|
On that note, CSS' Ron (don't know his last name) has sold the rights to
|
|
CSS to none other than Bob Puff, yep, the writer of the BobTerm, and
|
|
Super ARC/UnARC, Disk Communicator, and maker of the Black Box. Ron is
|
|
moving to the west, as his wife is an RN, and is being transferred to
|
|
the west, and his daughter (2) will need that attention that only a
|
|
parent can. I feel CSS is in good hands, and Bob will enhance it even
|
|
more. The CSS name will probably be changed, and all of those who know
|
|
and love CSS will obviously Panic. Don't worry, Bob will come through.
|
|
|
|
It will help all of those who want that help, and give those information
|
|
that was either, unavailable, or just not within your reach. As far as
|
|
NEW software is concerned, there is a BBS in Texas, Called -The
|
|
Excalibur BBS- in San Antonio, and there's a user there that posted a
|
|
reply to someones message, about a shop there that still sells several
|
|
titles for the XL/XE, and still has some in stock. The Repair Shop BBS,
|
|
home of the New (C) holder for Express Pro!, and the old Supra Hard
|
|
Drive Interface, now the KPI Hard Drive Interface, for the XL/XE, (XE
|
|
with the PBI Adaptor from ICD), Networks with that particular BBS in
|
|
Texas. I asked that person what the address is, and I am still waiting
|
|
on the Net for the Reply. That is soon to come.
|
|
|
|
I personally have recently acquired several Atari games that were either
|
|
not actually released, or just saw the first dawn of the Retailers
|
|
Shelf, and then was never to be seen again. First is Moon Patrol, that
|
|
Arcade Game that was a Favorite of mine, and I'm sure others too. The
|
|
Graphics are Excellent for an 8-Bit thought Dead, and the Game is of
|
|
great importance to those who are new to the Atari world, or even an Old
|
|
Hand at the Atari. If the writer of the program had a little more
|
|
ingenuity, the 3-D effect would be phenominal. It's not too prevalent,
|
|
but if you look hard, you can grasp the effect well enough to actually
|
|
see the 3-D.
|
|
|
|
The next game is James Bond. This little game is ok for what it is, and
|
|
could have been a great one, if the Atari world was still happening when
|
|
this was written. You are JB in a boat, and venture through 4 different
|
|
Movies. These are interesting to say the least, and entertaining too.
|
|
|
|
Another is Drop Zone. Not too easy a Shoot'em up type game. Though
|
|
this one has several things you must do to complete a section/zone, it
|
|
still has a great appeal to be played. The graphics are Arcade style,
|
|
and it can be played, as other games can, by two players.
|
|
|
|
So you say these are just USELESS Games? Well, as do some others, this
|
|
doesn't mean that the Atari 800XL/130XE is just a GAME MACHINE. If
|
|
you've been reading up on Atari, they have put a package together, that
|
|
includes the 520STfm, a Color Monitor, and several -GAMES- and some
|
|
Utilities, and are calling it the -Super ST Game Machine- Blowout. This
|
|
was in the Computer Shopper last year, and since that time, it has come
|
|
about.
|
|
|
|
As I look back and see the NEWS items that were printed up in various
|
|
Atari Support Magazines, it makes me wonder just how far Atari has taken
|
|
the 8-Bit, and why the Atari we all know, and some love, has taken a
|
|
BACK SEAT to all the other manufacturers. I was discussing this point
|
|
with a Club Secretary/News Letter Editor, Harvey Cannon, and he said
|
|
-Sam Tramiel, had Signed and agreement with Commodore, to not make, or
|
|
continue making, the Atari 800XL/130XE Computer in the US.- This made
|
|
no sense to me. That would give Commodore the MARKET so to speak, for
|
|
the 8-Bit line. This is part of the reason Atari has discontinued the
|
|
support and software, for the XL/XE. Another thing he told me, -The
|
|
USER is what made the computer happen, not the software companies.-
|
|
Well this is also true. I have several newletters I wrote for an Atari
|
|
Club I was in, in California, and I was Blasting alot of the 8-Bit users
|
|
there, because I saw no USER Support for the Atari. If those USERs that
|
|
-Pirated- software, had taken the time to Write New Software, instead of
|
|
-Cracking- someone elses, the Atari Community would have flourished, and
|
|
abounded with software.
|
|
|
|
If there are any of you left out there, please take the time to -Create-
|
|
new material, not -Hack- at an old piece and then -Distribute- it for
|
|
Money, or just because, send it to a BBS for that critical upload count
|
|
that you so desperately want. That is actual -Piracy-, and against the
|
|
law.
|
|
|
|
As for new, and useful software, well this is being written on an Atari
|
|
800XL with the Rambo XL (C) ICD installed, and a Beta Test version of
|
|
TextPro, TextPro 4.55XE. It has several of the abilities that prior
|
|
versions have, and more.
|
|
|
|
Since I am on this subject, well I had sent a Message to Ronnie Riche,
|
|
on the Support BBS, The Multi Bug BBS in Louisiana, asking him to
|
|
incorporate a way to determine the actual -RAM- size of your computer.
|
|
Say you have the Rambo XL, it had that extra boost to 512K, and your
|
|
Text file is oh...60K or so. Wouldn't you want your Editor to handle
|
|
that without that ,C command at the end of the Load D:FILENAME.EXT,C?
|
|
15K is small, and the original TextPro had a full 20K Editor. It should
|
|
have gotten Bigger, not smaller. Just think, you could read an entire
|
|
copy of -Z*MAG/A\ZINE-, and not continue to load it everytime you came
|
|
to the end of the first portion of the text. Another feature that would
|
|
be a help to all of the people that use a Word Processor everyday, is a
|
|
Spell Checker. Something like Fleet Systems II had. This would help, I
|
|
think, several people who are -BAD SPELLERS- to get it right. Also the
|
|
Fleet Systems II for the Commodore had a Theausaurus, and that utility
|
|
for TextPro 5.0 would be a great enhancement for those who know they
|
|
want to specify in an out of way manner, a specific statement.
|
|
|
|
Well, all of those who are BBS Users, the SysOp of the Southern Nevada
|
|
Atari Computer Club, SNACC, runs the SNACC BBS, and is a programmer at
|
|
that. He wrote a little program for the Express Pro! BBS, and what it
|
|
does is tell you when you log on, there are NEW FILES in SIG # and such,
|
|
and asks you if you want to Jump to the Sigs. This is a great
|
|
enhancement to his BBS, and the program is Share Ware, and to get a demo
|
|
version, call GEnie, or The SNACC BBS to see what this is. 702-438-2208
|
|
at 3/12/2400 24Hrs. I would reccomend ATASCII for all. ST users, well
|
|
VT52 is your option. This file pointer, is not only in my opinion, a
|
|
help, but the Next best thing to actually having the BBS just Jump you
|
|
right to the File Sigs, and Automatically DL the New Files for you, but
|
|
that would take all the fun out of BBSing.
|
|
|
|
Well that's about all for this time, so if you, or someone you know, is
|
|
interested in a Computer, make sure of two things.
|
|
|
|
1: Am I going to PLAY GAMES on it ALL the time?
|
|
2: If I am using this for Desktop Publishing, what should I use, and how
|
|
much MEMORY do I need?
|
|
|
|
In answer to 1. If I plan on playing games all of the time, I don't
|
|
need a COMPUTER, but a Game Machine. Lynx, Gameboy, NES, Neo-Geo, or
|
|
several other Atari products, the 7800, 2600, or 5200 Game Machines.
|
|
Even the original Pac-Man Home game, a friend of mine has one, and it's
|
|
a Classic to say the least.
|
|
|
|
In answer to 2. Since all computers have the ability to do word
|
|
processing, graphic processing, typesetting, and general page layout,
|
|
the choice is yours. Memory for the Atari is no longer a LIMITing
|
|
factor. Last time I told you about RAM Upgrades. Ease of use, and
|
|
availabilty of Software will determine the Hard Core Desk Topper, and
|
|
those who have some inkling of it, well choose a small system first,
|
|
then you can either, upgrade the system, or get a completely new system.
|
|
|
|
Well all you Atarians keep it cool, and tell a friend you can do all
|
|
these, and more with an Atari Computer System, be it 800XL/130XE, or
|
|
even the ST. These are great systems, and have many years of useability
|
|
over most others. Remember, this is an Atari 8-Bit Program that the
|
|
text you are reading was created on.
|
|
|
|
TextPro is (C)1986/1991 Ronnie Riche
|
|
RamboXL is (C)1986 ICD. Inc.
|
|
Atari, 800XL, 130XE, ST are (C) Trademarks of Atari Inc.
|
|
|
|
(Comment: As I recall. Commodore dropped _ALL_ support to the 64
|
|
*before* Atari announced they would cease marketing the Atari 8-bit,
|
|
but would continue to do repairs, etc. - Stan)
|
|
|
|
(The mail order address for the Repair BBS follows below - Stan)
|
|
|
|
K-Products
|
|
P.O. Box 22122 A.M.F.
|
|
Salt Lake City, Ut. 84120
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xx WAACE ATARIFEST '91 UPDATE
|
|
=============================
|
|
|
|
This posting is an attempt to answer some questions that have been posed
|
|
in recent weeks. Hardcopy vendor packets will be sent out around the
|
|
15th of June.
|
|
|
|
The Fest is scheduled for 12 and 13 October '91. The show hours are
|
|
from 10 to 5 both days. We also expect to sponsor some special events
|
|
on Friday evening.
|
|
|
|
The show will feature a full round of seminars and demonstrations.
|
|
There will also be a swap meet. There will be a cocktail party and a
|
|
banquet on Saturday evening.
|
|
|
|
The Fest will be held at the Sheraton Reston Hotel in Reston, VA, which
|
|
is within 20 minutes of downtown Washington, DC and within 5 minutes of
|
|
Dulles International Airport.
|
|
|
|
This is the same location we used last year. For those who did not make
|
|
the '90 event let us simply say that this is a pleasant, spacious
|
|
conference facility located in a parklike suburban setting with plenty
|
|
of free parking.
|
|
|
|
Hotel rates are $59 per night for single or double occupancy, $66 for
|
|
triple and quad. These rates are valid from October 10th through the
|
|
13th. Virginia hotel tax (4.5%) must be added to the above prices. In
|
|
order to obtain these rates you must mention WAACE AtariFest '91 when
|
|
making your reservations.
|
|
|
|
The admission price has not been determined yet except to say that show
|
|
visitors who are guests of the hotel will receive a free ticket for each
|
|
night that they book (limited to two tickets per room per day).
|
|
Registered show workers will also receive free two-day passes.
|
|
|
|
Members of non-WAACE Atari User groups may register as show workers and
|
|
receive a free two-day pass. Please contact the WAACE representitives
|
|
below for details on registering as show workers.
|
|
|
|
The basic rate for a single booth will be $500. There is a 30% discount
|
|
for vendors who reserve their booth space before 31 July (by including a
|
|
50% deposit with their reservation).
|
|
|
|
The booth payment is for a single 8 x 8 ft booth. Pipe and drape
|
|
decoration, electrical outlets, tables, and chairs are provided. Prices
|
|
for multiple booths are as follows: 2 - $850, 3 - $1100, 4 - $1350.
|
|
|
|
A one half page ad in the WAACE Atarifest '91 Program is included in the
|
|
single booth price. Vendors may upgrade the half page ad to a full page
|
|
for $75. Standard full page ads may be purchased for $125.
|
|
|
|
Note: Small vendors that wish to pool their resources and share a booth
|
|
space may do so, but must elect a single point of contact with WAACE for
|
|
vendor business transactions.
|
|
|
|
In addition to participating as a vendor at the AtariFest, WAACE
|
|
provides additional areas for Atari developers and User Groups to
|
|
participate:
|
|
|
|
Seminars : One hour long presentations of topics of interest to the
|
|
Atari community. Interested seminar presentors should contact the
|
|
General Chairman below to reserve a seminar slot. Please indicate the
|
|
topic of discussion as well as a preferred time slot.
|
|
|
|
Demo Rooms: On going demonstrations of special interest topics (i.e.
|
|
MIDI, DTP, Games, MAC & IBM Emulation, Productivity, Swap Room). Any
|
|
Atari User Group or individuals interested in helping out in a demo room
|
|
should also contact the General Chariman.
|
|
|
|
Demo rooms also feature periodic demonstrations by Atari Developers of
|
|
the latest hardware and software.
|
|
|
|
Fest Program: Features articles written by many popular magazine authors
|
|
in the Atari community. Interested authors should include a brief
|
|
summary of their article to the General Chariman.
|
|
|
|
For additional Information please contact either of the following:
|
|
|
|
General Chairman Vendor Coordinator
|
|
Charles S. Smeton John D. Barnes
|
|
P.O. Box 0122 7710 Chatham Rd
|
|
Columbia, MD 21045-0122 Chevy Chase, MD 20815
|
|
GEMail: C.S.SMETON GEMail: J.D.Barnes
|
|
CIS: 73047,2565 DELPHI: JDBARNES
|
|
FNET: Charles Smeton, Node 500 Internet: <a href="mailto:JOHNBARNES@ENH.NIST.GOV?subject=Re:%20Z*Magazine:%2011-Jun-91%20#195">JOHNBARNES@ENH.NIST.GOV</a>
|
|
|
|
Booths Ad Pages Standard Price Discount Price **
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
0 1/2 $75 $53
|
|
1 1/2 $500 $350
|
|
2 1/2 $850 $595
|
|
3 1/2 $1100 $770
|
|
4 1/2 $1350 $945
|
|
|
|
0 1 $125 $88
|
|
1 1 $575 $403
|
|
2 1 $925 $648
|
|
3 1 $1175 $823
|
|
4 1 $1425 $998
|
|
|
|
** To qualify for the discount price a 50% downpayment must be received
|
|
with the reservation by July 31, 1991.
|
|
|
|
Payment may be in the form of check or money order for all payments made
|
|
by September 12, 1991. Payment after this date must be in the form of
|
|
money order, travelers check or cash (sorry, no exceptions).
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Xx THE PROGRAMMER'S WORKSHOP
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============================
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by Dave Arlington, JACG
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It's true folks. Programmer have become sexy. Sure there used to be a
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day when programmers were viewed as faceless entities huddled in a
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basement over an Atari computer. Nowadays though, are there any active
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8-bit users who are not familiar with names such as Roy Goldman (Daisy
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Dot), Ron Riche (TextPro), Bob Puff (BobTerm), and our guest for the May
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meeting, Kris Holtegaard. I think this sudden surge in popularity for
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programmers has to do with the fact that these fine folks are viewed
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(and rightly so) as the last remaining lifeline for the 8-bit line of
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computers.
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But hey, why let them have all the fun? This column is the start of a
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series aimed at imtermediate level programming types (or those who want
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to become so) to teach all those neat tricks that all the pros know how
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to do. Originally, I had done a tutorial for Action!, and while it was
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well recieved outside our group, there didn't seem to be enough people
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interested in Action! in the JACG to attempt to start it up again.
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So, this time around, this column will attempt to cover ALL the major
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ATARI languages I can think of. For me, this means BASIC, Action!,
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PASCAL, C, LOGO, and even some Assembly Language. (Sorry to all you
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diehard PILOT programmers out there!) For example, this column has
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demos in four different languages. Also, I will try not to
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'chapter'-ize this series like the Action! tutorial. That way, if you
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miss an issue of the newsletter or come in late, you won't be totally
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lost. Each entry will be more of a stand-alone module.
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So, before we start, let's cover a few ground rules. First, you should
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get a minimum set of necessary tools. The things you should have in
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your possesion by next month (and should be part of any serious
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programmer's toolbox) is the following:
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A calculator that has hexadecimal numbers. They are pretty cheap these
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days and as you'll find out why next month, very, very handy to have.
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I'll explain more next month, but try to get your hands on one.
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A few good Atari reference books. The more, the better and the ones Tom
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Graf suggests above are an excellent start. At a very minimum, get a
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good memory map book like Mapping The Atari.
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And of course, _your_ favorite language. One word of caution. I am
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reluctantly including BASIC so as to reach the widest audience, but I do
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have my standards! For that reason, I will be using Turbo BASIC, the
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public domain BASIC from Germany that is easily available from our club
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library. You can try following along with Atari BASIC, but I can
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guarantee you'll have a very hard time converting from the things we can
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do in Turbo BASIC to Atari BASIC. So please, if you don't already have
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a copy, get a copy of Turbo BASIC from the club. You'll end up thanking
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me! (Oh, and if you're using something like BASIC XL or BASIC XE, you
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should be all right with those for the things we'll do.)
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The other languages I'll be using for this column are Action!,
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Lightspeed C for the C programs, Kyan PASCAL for the PASCAL programs,
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Atari LOGO for the LOGO programs, and MAC/65 for the Assembly Language
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listings. I know the public domain ACE C is an OK substitute for
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LightSpeed C, and you can probably get by with the Atari Assembler/
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Editor cart instead of MAC/65. There is a public domain PASCAL, Draper
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PASCAL, but as I've never seen it, I can't vouch for how compatible it
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is with Kyan PASCAL. (This, of course, does not mean you have to worry
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about any more than one language, YOUR favorite. Just look for those
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listings and ignore all the other languages unless you want to learn
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something about how those languages work.
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As far as the level of expertise I expect you to have to make good use
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of this column, it goes like this: Action! programmers should have read
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the first five parts of my previous tutorials and feel comfortable with
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that stuff. BASIC programmers should know how to do IF-THENs, FOR-NEXT
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loops, GOTOs, and GOSUBs. C and PASCAL folks should know the similar
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things (and also WHILEs and REPEAT-UNTILs), but I understand that some
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of you are not that familiar with these languages and I hope you'll be
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able to learn something about them by comparing them to the one(s) you
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know. I'm mostly presenting LOGO for instructional purposes and to
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prove it is a very useful language, so if any LOGO programmers really
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exist out there, please let me know!
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So, you have a month to pick up a calculator, a reference book, and a
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copy of Turbo BASIC if you need one. And I'll see you next month!
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What's that? Did I mention demo programs above? Oh yeah, sorry, there
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is one thing I want to talk about before I wrap up; something that is
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left over from the Action! tutorials.
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I got some nice comments from across the country on the Action!
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tutorials, but a couple of knowledgeable Atari users told me I had made
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a mistake in one of the parts where I was comparing Action! to C. I had
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mentioned that Action! was not a recursive language like C or PASCAL and
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a couple readers pointed out to me that this was not true, that Action!
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could indeed handle recursion. Well, they seemed to know their stuff,
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so I gave it another look.
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The conclusion? I guess it depends how you define recursion. If you
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define recursion simply as a language having the capability of calling a
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procedure, function, or subroutine from within the procedure or function
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itself, then yes, I guess Action! is recursive. However, I think you
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have to have a little stricter definition of recursion than that. Using
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the definition above, ALL Atari languages that I know of are recursive
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and the term really doesn't mean anything any more. So, I claim that
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Action! is NOT recursive for reasons I'll show in a couple of paragraphs
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from now.
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First though, I need to have a little discussion of global and local
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variables; what that means, what they are, and how they are used. Let's
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say you start a programming club and one day you read a great book on
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Atari computers, De Re Atari. You think this book is so good, you think
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everyone in the club should use this book. Now, if there is only one
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copy of this book for the entire club, then whatever one person does to
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the book affects everyone in the club. If Joe K. writes in the margins,
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and Sam C. cuts out some pages, and Dave N. spills coffee all over it,
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everyone in the club has to live with those written on, coffee stained,
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cut out pages.
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This is the concept of global variables. These are the only kind of
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variables that BASIC has. For instance, if you declare a variable BOOK
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in your BASIC program, then if it gets changed somewhere in the program,
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regardless of which subroutine or part of the main program it gets
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changed in, it takes effect in the whole program. There is only one
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copy of the BOOK varaible existing in the program at any time.
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Now let's go back to our programming club analogy and say that instead
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of having one book for the entire club, everybody in the club gets their
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own copy of De Re Atari. Now it doesn't matter if Joe K. writes in the
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margins of his book, and Sam C. cuts out pages of his book, none of that
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affects _YOUR_ copy of De Re Atari. You still have all the pages in
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your copy with no writing on them.
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This is the concept of local variables. BASIC doesn't have them, but
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Action!, C, PASCAL, and LOGO all have them. You can pass variables to a
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procedure or function and have the procedures or functions use their own
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private copies of the variable you passed, just like each club member
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had their own private copy of De Re Atari. Look at the first demo
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program below:
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EXAMPLE 1
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PROC Test2(BYTE num)
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num==+5
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PrintBE(num)
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RETURN
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PROC Test1(BYTE num)
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num==+5
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PrintBE(num)
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Test2(num)
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PrintBE(num)
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RETURN
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PROC main()
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BYTE num
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num=5
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PrintBE(num)
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Test1(num)
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PrintBE(num)
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RETURN
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OK, here's the blow by blow. In the main program, the variable num us
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declared and given the value of 5 which we print. We then call the
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Test1 procedure which gets its own local copy of num which it adds 5 to
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to get 10, which we print. Then it calls the Test2 procedure which gets
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its own local copy of num and also adds 5 to it to get 15 which we print
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again and the RETURN. Now we're back in the Test1 procedure, but
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remember, it's copy of num like Test2's is local and not affected by
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what happens in the Test2 procedure. So when we print it out again in
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Test1 after Test2 ends, it still has the value of 10. And likewise,
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when Test1 ends and we get back to the main program, the main program's
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copy of num is unaffected by what happened in the two Test procedures
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and still has the value of 5 as you'll see if you compile the program
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and run it.
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Now let's combine what we just learned about global and local variables
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with recursion (procedures of functions calling themselves). The
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following 4 programs all look alike and are supposed to do the same
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thing. Basically, they take a number and count up to it. For instance,
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if you do COUNTDOWN 5 in LOGO, you will see the numbers 1 through 5
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printed on the screen in order. Now, I did say they're supposed to all
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do the same thing. One does not. First, the examples:
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EXAMPLE 2 - LOGO
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TO COUNTUP :NUM
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IF :NUM > 1 [COUNTUP :NUM - 1]
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PRINT :NUM
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END
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EXAMPLE 3 - PASCAL
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PROGRAM Demo(Input,Output);
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PROCEDURE Countup(num:Integer);
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BEGIN
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IF num > 1 THEN Countup(num - 1);
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Writeln(num);
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END;
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BEGIN
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Countup(3)
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END.
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EXAMPLE 4 - C
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countup(num)
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int num;
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$(
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if(num > 1)
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countup(num - 1);
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printf(-%d\n-,num);
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$)
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main()
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$(
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countup(3);
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$)
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EXAMPLE 5 - Action!
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PROC countup(BYTE num)
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IF num > 1 THEN
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countup(num - 1)
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FI
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PrintBE(num)
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RETURN
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main()
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countup(3)
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RETURN
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Now, you can probably guess by now, it is the Action! version that does
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not work like it should. Why not? Well, first, how does the program
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work? Like our other example, when the program first starts countup is
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called with a value of 3, and it keeps a local copy of that variable
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handy. It checks and sees that num is greater than one, so it calls
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the countdown procedure from within itself with the value of num - 1
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(or 2). countup(2) calls yet another countup procedure (since 2 is
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still greater than one). So, by now, we have three versions of the same
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function running at the same time and they all havee their own local
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copies of the num variable. countup(1) finally is not greater than 1,
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so it prints 1 and then ends. Back to countup(2) which prints the value
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of its local num variable which is still 2 and it ends. And so on.
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Well, the key as to why this works OK in C, PASCAL, and LOGO but not in
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Action! has to do with how these languages handle local variables. In
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C, PASCAL, and LOGO, when a new procedure is called while another is
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still running, the value of local variables are stored temporarily in a
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special place in memory called the stack (which we'll discuss in detail
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in a later column). Then when they are needed again, they are pulled
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out of memory with their original values intact. So, in these
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languages, if three versions of countup are running all at the same
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time, their local variables all have three different places in memory
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where they are stored where they won't affect each other.
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Action!, however, doesn't play by these rules. When you compile any
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procedure, in this case countup, it only sets aside ONE place in
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memory for each of its local variables. So, no matter when or where you
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call the countup procedure, the local variable always get stored in the
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same place. Action! doesn't take recursion into account in this scheme.
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For instance, in the example program, when your call countup(2) from
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countup(3), the 2 gets stored in the same place where the 3 used to be!
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Likewise, countup(1) overwrites the 2 with a 1. So when countup(1) ends
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and we go back to countup(2), it looks in the local variable storage
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place and sees a 1! So instead of counting up to 3 like the other three
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versions, Action! just prints three 1s.
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So that's why I claim Action! is not a recursive language. You can't
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have your cake and eat it too. If you have a language that wants to
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have local variables AND recursion, that recursion isn't any good if
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it doesn't keep the values of local variables intact after it is done.
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Note that BASIC doesn't get involved in this discussion since it does
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not have local variables at all.
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Now, to get you in the spirit of this column, here's a challenge for
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next month. Write a COUNTUP PROCedure in either TURBO BASIC or Action!
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that simulates local variables. You'll need a place in memory to store
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your local variables and some sort of pointer to know which local
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variable you want to access when. HINT: Page 6 (locations 1536 and on)
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is a good place for BASIC to use. In Action!, I'd think about an array
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to hold them.
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Answers to the challenge will appear next month along with the
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friendliest guide to (please don't run away until you've read it!)
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hexadecimal numbers you'll ever see. And I promise to someday talk
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about just where Action! does store those local variables and how you
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can use it to your advantage. 'Til next month!
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Xx Z*MAGAZINE ARCHIVES
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======================
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Reprinted from Issue #5, June 1986
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LEDBETTER RELEASES MPP EXPRESS
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MPP users now can get Express!! Keith Ledbetter released three versions
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of Express, the terminal program. GO ATARI8 on CompuServe to get these
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new versions.
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ATARI PLANNING SUMMER PRODUCTS - June 5, 1986
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Atari Corp. is holding some product announcements from the CES and
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scheduling them for later in the summer. Compatible with the ST product
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line, the new products will include a 3.5 floppy with 10MB storage
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capacity, a super-hi-res graphics board with 1,000 line resolution and a
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new sound chip. Other new products are memory and multitasking upgrades
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as well as a new expansion box for holding the multiple upgrades.
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ATARI'S 32-BIT MICRO COMING SOON - June 6, 1986
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Atari has a 32-bit computer in development. The company recently signed
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a Unix licensing agreement with AT&T and Atari chairman Jack Tramiel has
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indicated that the new machine will run under Unix. When the new
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computer is introduced, current ST owners will be offered an option to
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upgrade their machines to use the Unix operating system. No release
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date was specified for the new computer.
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ATARI TO QUIT TAIWAN PLANT - June 6, 1986
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Jack Tramiel is planning to shut down Atari's production line in Taiwan.
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In remarks posted on a bulletin board service after he met with Atari
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owners in Massachusetts, the Atari chairman said that under the right
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conditions computers could be constructed in the US with the same cost
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efficiency as in Taiwan. Tramiel set no deadline for the manufacturing
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changeover but he did indicate the move was not in the immediate future.
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=======================================================================
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Z*MAGAZINE Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine is a bi-weekly magazine covering
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the Atari and related computer community. Material contained in this
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edition may be reprinted without permission, except where otherwise
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noted, unedited, with the issue number, name and author included at
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the top of each reprinted article. Commentary and opinions presented
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are those of the individual author and does not necessarily reflect
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the opinions of Z*MAGAZINE or the staff. Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online
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Magazine, Z*Net Atari Online Magazine, Z*Net are copyright (c)1990 by
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Rovac Industries Inc, a registered corporation. Post Office Box 59,
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Middlesex, New Jersey 08846. (908) 968-2024. Z*Net Online BBS 24
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Hours, 1200/2400 Baud, (908) 968-8148. We can be reached on CompuServe
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at 75300,1642 and on GEnie at Z-NET.
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=======================================================================
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Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine
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Copyright (c)1986,87,88,89,90,91 Rovac Industries, Inc..
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=======================================================================
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