935 lines
45 KiB
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935 lines
45 KiB
Plaintext
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| (((((((( | Z*Magazine International Atari 8-Bit Magazine
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| (( | ---------------------------------------------
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| (( | January 27, 1992 Issue #202
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| (( | ---------------------------------------------
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| (((((((( | Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc.
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| | Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846
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| (( |
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| (((((( | CONTENTS
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| | * The Editors Desk..........................Ron Kovacs
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| ((( ((( | * Z*Net Newswire......................................
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| (((( (((( | * NAMM Show Report...........................John Nagy
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| (( (( (( (( | * The Black Box.......................................
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| (( (( (( | * 8-Bit Update......................AtariUser Magazine
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| (( (( | * Carolyn's Corner......................Carolyn Hoglin
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| | * New 8-Bit Support....................Jeff McWilliams
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| (( |
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| (( (( |
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| (((((((( |
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| (( (( |
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| (( (( | ~ Publisher/Editor..........................Ron Kovacs
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| | ~ Contributing Editor........................John Nagy
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| (((((((((( | ~ Contributing Editor......................Stan Lowell
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| (( | ~ Contributing Editor........................Bob Smith
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| (( ((((( | ~ Newswire Staff......................................
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| (( (( | ~ Z*Net New Zealand.........................Jon Clarke
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| (((((((((( | ~ Z*Net Canada.........................Terry Schreiber
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| |
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|-------------| $ GEnie Address..................................Z-NET
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| ONLINE | $ CompuServe Address........................75300,1642
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| AREAS | $ Delphi Address..................................ZNET
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| | $ Internet/Usenet Address................status.gen.nz
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|-------------| $ America Online Address......................ZNET1991
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| |
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| Z*NET | * Z*Net:USA New Jersey...(FNET 593).....(908) 968-8148
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| SUPPORT | * Z*Net:Golden Gate......(FNET 706).....(510) 373-6792
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| SYSTEMS | * Blank Page.........(8-Bit FNET 9002)..(908) 805-3967
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=======================================================================
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* THE EDITORS DESK by Ron Kovacs
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=======================================================================
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In a future edition, I would like to publish a list of Atari 8-Bit
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support systems. Please help us out by sending in your BBS or favorite
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system number in email on any of the services listed above.
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FNET UPDATE
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The Z*Net Conference is going to be included on AtariBase which debuts
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March 1, 1992 in FNET. Beta-Test and hardware set-up is taking place
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right now and all users and user groups are enouraged to sign-up for
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the Z*Net Online Fnet Conference. Bob Brodie will be participating via
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AtariBase, to be called officially, Atari Corporation Online, in the
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Z*Net Conference, the Lynx Conference, Star Trek Conference, FoReM
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SysOp's Conference and others to be named later.
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An additional note, User Groups are encouraged to hook-up to FNET via
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FoReM BBS software where Atari will call into your node direct so that
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all registered Atari User Groups can participate in the Atari User Group
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Conference. This conference, set-up exclusively for Atari User Groups
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will provide a communication link to Atari and Bob Brodie from all over
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the country.
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If your interested in more information on the Z*Net Atari Online
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Conference or the Atari User Group Conference, send email today to Node
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593 in FNET. Stay tuned for further details as they become available.
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Since there is a month before the official debut, some of these comments
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may change. You can also contact Node 593 directly at 908-968-8148.
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=======================================================================
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* Z*NET NEWSWIRE
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=======================================================================
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PAGESTREAM OFFER - UPDATE
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A few months ago, Z*Net published a Soft-Logik User Group offer for a
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free copy of PageStream to Registered Atari User Groups. Soft-Logik has
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asked the User Groups that responded to the offer for their registered
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Atari User Group number, which is non-existent. Atari's Director of
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Communications, Bob Brodie does NOT assign any numbers to the groups.
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Soft-Logik has been made aware of this and there is no longer a need to
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call Atari Corp directly for this number.
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ATARI ADS APPEAR IN DISCOVER
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Discover Magazine, recently purchased by Disney will include a center-
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fold advertisement from Atari for the Portfolio and the new Atari Music
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Division. This ad will appear in the February 15th issue. This -World
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of Science- subcriber base exceeds 1.2 million readers.
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PORTFOLIO SELLS OUT
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On December 2, 1991, the Atari Portfolio was unleashed into 20 CompUSA
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stores. Last week in Tampa Florida, Atari made arrangements for a
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talking Robot powered by a Portfolio for the opening of the store there.
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The store sold out several hundred Portfolio's on the opening day. Next
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week there are similar openings scheduled in the Philadelphia and
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Chicago areas. Atari is also said to be assisting in radio and print
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advertising for these stores and events.
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=======================================================================
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* NAMM - A First Person View by John Nagy
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=======================================================================
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Atari Corp was virtually the only computer being seriously shown at the
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National Association of Music Merchants show last week. Sounds simple
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enough, just another trade show, right? Well, yes and no. NAMM is held
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twice a year in fashion similar to that of COMDEX (computer trade) and
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CES (consumer electronics products). Its a conclave of everything from
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sellers of guitar picks to makers of turn-key recording studios for the
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stars. It's a trade show in the same sense and scale as the others, but
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the emphasis on the musical arts makes it a very different affair... in
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the people it brings out.
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The Winter NAMM is traditionally held in the Anaheim Convention Center,
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just down the street from the original Disneyland in metropolitan Los
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Angeles, California. This year, it was Friday through Sunday, January
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10-12. Spanning three huge interconnected convention halls, this NAMM
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offered more, louder, and more varied music products this year than in
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the past. Last year's Winter event was quite subdued, occurring just
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after the start of the Gulf War. The Summer event (in Chicago) was
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still smaller and lackluster. Recession or no, this NAMM made up for
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lost time.
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But the mix of PEOPLE was different, too. Far less green hair and see-
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through leotards. About the same amount of leather. Far more suits and
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ties (Brooks Brothers with Dreadlocks was an -in- look). And more
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serious business attitudes all around. In the middle of this musical
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phantasmagoria was Atari Corp's booth.
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I won't repeat the details of the new Atari Music Division or the FOSTEX
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announcements, as they were given in depth last week in Z*Net. But the
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-feel- of the show is news in itself.
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The Atari area was the largest yet at any NAMM, apropos of Atari's new
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commitment to its official new Music Division headed up by James Grunke.
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An open area accommodated as many as 25 work stations manned in COMDEX
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fashion with a host of third party developers. They included music
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specialty developers Hybrid Arts, Thinkware, Roland, Steinberg-Jones,
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Dr.T's, C-LAB, Fostex, JLCooper, Interval, Pixel, Korg, Hotz, and many
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more, each showing off their latest products for the Atari platform.
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For a change, non-musical software was also being shown. Codehead
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products, Tracker-ST, Calamus, PageStream, DiamondBack, and many other
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productivity titles were shown to musicians who had, in many cases, not
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considered using their MIDI computer for anything else.
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About a third of the Atari booth was a glass sound studio in which
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musicians were able to witness real-time use of Atari computers and
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software in a live and recording studio atmosphere. Here is where
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fairly continuous demos and press conferences were offered, educating an
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eager public to the virtues of Atari.
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And eager they were. Where prior NAMM showings brought respectful
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attention to Atari, this one brought a searing spotlight. It may be
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that only now are musicians realizing their need for computerized help,
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and Atari was the ONLY computer company with a satisfying booth. Or it
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may be that Atari is increasingly understood as the overall winner in
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price, performance, and accuracy when it comes to MIDI applications. I
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expect it is both. No APPLE/MAC at this show. No AMIGA. A trifling
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IBM booth showing... windows? Atari alone had the music technology
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specialty offerings for the entire conflagration of Music Merchants to
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view. And they did more than view.
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They Bought. They Bought BIG. In the first half day of the three day
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show, Atari had already penned more deals at higher bucks than at the
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entire show last year. And the sales pace kept up throughout the show.
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A major piano and organ chain opened its first purchase of Atari
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hardware with a six-figure order. To start. The crowds never let up
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inside the Atari booth, even when the isles and surrounding booths were
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on the wane. That was unlike any trade show Atari performance I have
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ever witnessed. It was EXCITING.
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It got more exciting when COMPUTER CHRONICLES, the National PBS computer
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series, arrived to interview, tape, and profile lots of people in the
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Atari booth. While their special show on MIDI/MUSIC that will air the
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week of February 25 will feature all platforms, expect a MAJOR portion
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of it to be about the Atari. They were visibly impressed, and filmed
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for hours.
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It stayed more exciting as countless face-recognition entertainment
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personalities sauntered through the booth, picking out what they planned
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to get next -- for their Atari. The usuals, including the towering Mick
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Fleetwood, of course. Plus everything from jazz to classical to acid to
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punk to funk. I recognized many of them by face (thanks to MTV), but
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their names aren't part of my repertoire. They signed a big autograph
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board, but I couldn't read most of them. Sorry.
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The hottest news of the show was the new alliance of FOSTEX and Atari,
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with C-Lab, Dr. T's, and Steinberg working together to create the first
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automated/computerized control studio. Fostex has integrated MIDI
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control of multiple track tape systems. Now, from the Atari console,
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full control of any and all tape functions can be executed or assigned
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to infinite combinations of controlled MIDI events. The motto is
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-Thread it and forget it.- The Atari makes it possible, for the first
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time. The impact of this was NOT lost on the endless legion of
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professional recording engineers that stood, mouths open and drooling,
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over the equipment.
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Nor did they miss the impact of the remarkable Hybrid Arts Digital
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Master direct-to-disk recording and editing system. Featuring an Atari
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ST as the head end, this unit RETAILS for under $5,000, complete, and
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can record with CD digital perfection, up to 12 minutes of fully
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editable stereo sound. The EX version, to be ready for sale shortly,
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will feature 16 tracks and 4 output tracks, for true full recording
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studio power in an noise-free ALL ELECTRONIC media. Cheaply.
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And the STBook wasn't missed either. As a replacement for the STacy,
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the STBook was a hit as the ONLY -notebook- computer anywhere with
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built-in MIDI. Atari promised shipping in quantity for March '92. The
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line has formed already.
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Innovative incentives made potential dealers into signed dealers. A
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promotion called -Do the Loop- invited dealers to visit each and every
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station in the Atari area, qualifying them for a drawing for a TT030
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system. By the time they were qualified, they were typically convinced
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to be dealers, too.
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The TT gathered support as a new top professional option for MIDI work.
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All of Dr. T's products work on at TT, CUBASE has been upgraded for the
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TT, and C-Lab has committed to upgrade ALL of their products for use on
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the TT030 by year's end.
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A music developer conference, numerous press conferences, and a party in
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James Grunke's suite on Saturday night firmed up more contacts and
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contracts than Atari ever imagined or hoped. NAMM '92 was an
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unqualified smash sucess for Atari, establishing it as, if not the ONLY
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serious music computer manufacturer, at least the ONLY one who cared
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enough to come to the musicians with the tools they need, want, and can
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afford.
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If this is -Atari '92,- we are in for a GREAT year.
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=======================================================================
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* THE BLACK BOX
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=======================================================================
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Information on the BLACK BOX *NOW AVAILABLE* from Computer Software
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Services
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There has been a great deal of interest since the announcement of the
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Black Box, so hopefully this file will answer the majority of questions.
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The Black Box is a add-on board for the Atari 600XL (upgraded), 800XL,
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and 130XE 8-bit computers. It is a T-shaped board that plugs into the
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PBI port of the XL computer, or the ECI and cartridge ports of the
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130XE. Connectors for both types of computers are built-in to the Black
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Box, so no adaptor boards are necessary. A cartridge port is available
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on the board itself for 130XE users, since the board plugs in where
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cartridges are normally added. The board is 12 inches wide and 3 inches
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deep, sitting back 3 inches from your computer. It has two switches,
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two push-buttons, and a set of dip switches on the top.
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The Black Box provides many unique and useful functions. The three
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primary functions are: RS-232 serial modem port, Parallel printer port,
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and a SASI/SCSI hard disk port. A fourth floppy disk port for
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connection 3.5- or 5.25- floppy drives will be available at a later
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date.
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The RS-232 port provides the full RS232 specification signal levels for
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a modem, or other serial device. It emulates the Atari 850 interface
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very closely, but goes beyond by providing 19,200 baud capability. The
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R: driver is built-in to the Black Box, so it does not use ANY user
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memory!
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The Parallel Printer port interfaces to most all Centronics-type
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printers. You may assign the printer number and linefeed options from
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within the Black Box's configuration menu. The Black Box also provides
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you with a printer buffer, if the board or your computer has extra
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memory. A printer buffer allows you to quickly dump your file to be
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printed into the buffer memory, then go about your business as the Black
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Box sends the data to your printer; a real time saver! The Black Box
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will use either its own RAM (if you order the 64K version), or the 130XE
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extended memory banks; its all controlled by the configuration menu.
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The Hard Disk port is the real reason for the design of the Black Box.
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You may connect most any hard disk controller that is SASI or SCSI
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compatible, or drives with embedded SCSI controllers. It is totally
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compatible with the current versions of MYDOS and SpartaDOS (which both
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have a limit of 16 megabytes per logical drive), but a newer version of
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MYDOS is provided that is capable of 48 megs per drive. Combine that
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with nine drives, and that's over 400 megs available at one time! The
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Black Box also provides a conversion toggle for drives capable of 512
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byte sectors only. Many of the embedded drives have this limitation,
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and previously were unusable. The Black Box splits each 512 byte
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sector into two 256 byte sectors, so your DOS will still only see what
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it requires. Another advantage is storage space. Many drives/
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controllers will give you more storage when using 512 byte sectors, some
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as much as 15% more! Currently, format software for the Black Box
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supports the following drives/controllers: Adaptec 4000A and 4070, Xebec
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S1410, Western Digital 1002SHD, OMTI 352x controllers, and all Maxtor
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and Seagate embedded SCSI drives.
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A partition is defined as a part of the hard disk which is seen by the
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computer as a separate disk disk drive. Since many hard disks are very
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large, it is useful to create several partitions of the drive, instead
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of one single drive, as your DOS sees it. The Black Box goes one step
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further in not only letting you define the partition for each of your 9
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available drives, but allows you to have a list of up to 96 partitions,
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with names! Since a partition can be very small, you can make up
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several small partitions of 720 sectors (the same length as a standard
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floppy disk), and sector-copy any of your non-protected programs to
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these partitions. Now you can swap that partition in as drive 1, and
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boot your program at hard disk speed!
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The configuration menu is the 'heart' of the Black Box. You can enter
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the menu from anywhere you are by simply pressing one of the buttons on
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the board. You may now edit the hard disk configuration, exchange drive
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numbers, enable/disable the modem and printer ports, or go into the 6502
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monitor. After you are finished, pressing ESCAPE will put you right
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back into the program you were using! No memory or screen display is
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destroyed by using the menu!
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The 6502 monitor is very handy for machine language programmers. How
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often have you wondered where your program was, or what caused an
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apparent 'lock-up'? Entering the monitor will show you all the
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processor registers, and display the disassembly of the instruction it
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was about to execute when you entered pressed the button. Users of
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MAC/65's DDT will feel right at home with the monitor's use.
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The Black Box has other 'goodies' in it. Any communication with your
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floppy drive will be in high speed if you are using a XF-551, a modified
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1050, or a happy 810. This will work with just about ANY DOS or
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utility!
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A text or graphics printer dump of your current screen may be done at
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any time by pressing one of the buttons on the Black Box. (The graphics
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dump is only available for dot-matrix printers capable of graphics.)
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You may write-protect ALL of your hard disks by flipping another switch
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on the board. This can be a real life-saver when running a new piece of
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software. The Black Box provides disk I/O tones with separate pitches
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for disk reads and writes to your hard disk, so you can hear what's
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going on! This option may be disabled within the configuration menu.
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The Black Box also provides support for users who have used a MIO
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previously to store data on a hard disk. The MIO actually stores data
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inverted; this is fine as long as the MIO reads it, but when another
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host adaptor reads the same data, it will be meaningless. By setting a
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dip switch, a previous MIO user will now be able to access all the data
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on his drive with the Black Box, with a small sacrifice of speed.
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If you have any more questions, please feel free to call. User group
|
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and dealer discounts are available. The retail price of the Black Box
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with no buffer ram is $199.95, and with 64K, $249.95.
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Computer Software Services
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P.O. Box 17660
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Rochester, NY 14617 (716) 586-5545
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=======================================================================
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* 8-BIT UPDATE
|
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=======================================================================
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The following article is reprinted in Z*Net by permission of AtariUser
|
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magazine and Quill Publishing. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without
|
|
specific permission of Quill. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine,
|
|
available by subscription for $18 a year. For more information on
|
|
AtariUser, call 800-333-3567.
|
|
|
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Many of you classic users have had difficulties getting product, or
|
|
knowing who offers what. Well, here is your AtariUser 8-bit RESOURCE to
|
|
answer all of those questions!
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Major Hardware/Software Developers for 8-bit Products:
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Computer Software Services is your contact for high performance
|
|
upgrades. CSS offers several different ROM upgrades for both Atari 8-
|
|
bit disk drives and computers. In addition to system RAM upgrades and a
|
|
flock of utilities, there is a product called the MULTIPLEXER which will
|
|
allow multiple classic computers to be interconnected, with the
|
|
capability of sharing peripherals. The ultimate upgrade for the XL/XE
|
|
systems offered by CSS is the BLACK BOX, which is a combination serial
|
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port, parallel printer port, hard disk host adapter, and floppy disk
|
|
enhancer. A couple of additional unique features built into the 'BB'
|
|
are a machine code debugger, and a print screen button. An expansion
|
|
connector on the 'BB' will allow connection of parallel floppy drives
|
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(availability to be announced). CSS offers complete hard drive
|
|
solutions, or just the components you need to finish off your custom
|
|
design. You can talk to Bob at (716) 429)5639, or by mail at CSS, P.O.
|
|
Box 17660, Rochester NY 14617. CSS also operates a24-hour BBS which can
|
|
be called at (716) 247-7157, using 300, 1200, or 2400 baud.
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|
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Innovative Concepts offers a wide assortment of used software and
|
|
hardware, in addition to several different memory upgrades for your
|
|
computer and enhancements for your disk drives. 'IC' has a large list
|
|
of Printshop clipart and printer drivers, and a whole line of budget
|
|
priced Public domain, shareware and commercial software. Contact Mark
|
|
at (313) 293-0730, or write to I.C. at 31172 Shawn Drive, Warren MI
|
|
48093.
|
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|
|
One of the original and reliable resources for classic users looking for
|
|
dependable products is ICD, Inc. Sadly, ICD is clearing out their 8-bit
|
|
products (this may be your last chance to get that ICD product you have
|
|
had your eye on!). One of ICD's most known products is their disk
|
|
operating system called SPARTADOS. The latest version of SpartaDOS is
|
|
called SDX, and is a plug in piggy-back cartridge, with many advanced
|
|
features including a MSDOS look to their command line. A real-time
|
|
clock cartridge called RTIME-8 is also offered by ICD and supported by
|
|
SpartaDOS. If you need more RAM, their RAMBO upgrade will allow your XL
|
|
(800XL and 1200XL) to be upgraded to 256K of memory, which is supported
|
|
by various utilities and SpartaDOS. The P:R: connection is an
|
|
inexpensive alternative to other serial and parallel adapters, and will
|
|
work on all of the 8-bit systems (1200XL will require minor
|
|
modifications).
|
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If you only need a printer interface, the PRINTER CONNECTION is the
|
|
answer. For a complete solution to connectivity, the MIO (Multi-I/O)
|
|
box will work with 600XL, 800XL, or 130XE (XE requires an adapter)
|
|
computer to provide serial, parallel, and hard disk support. MIO's are
|
|
available in either 256K or 1Meg RAMT and/or RAMdisk selectable by the
|
|
built in configuration menu. The complete OSS line of languages
|
|
including BASIC XL, BASIC XE, MAC/65, and Action! are also marketed by
|
|
ICD. ICD can be contacted at (815)-968-2228 by voice, or (815)-968-2229
|
|
is their BBS number. Mail can be sent to ICD Inc., 1220 Rock Street,
|
|
Rockford Illinois 61101-1437.
|
|
|
|
ReeveSoft, as featured in the June '91 issue of ATARIUSER, offers the
|
|
Diamond Graphical Operating System. This is a plug in cartridge which
|
|
contains the complete GOS in ROM (a disk version is also available).
|
|
They also have several programs which are Diamond compatible, including
|
|
Diamond Write, Diamond Paint, and Diamond News Station. For more
|
|
details on these, refer to the June ATARIUSER magazine, or contact
|
|
ReeveSoft by phone (312) 393-2317, or mail at: 29W150 Old Farm Lane,
|
|
Warrenville IL 60555.
|
|
|
|
Alpha Systems produces a variety of software and hardware products for
|
|
your favorite machine. The Parrot II sound digitizer allows you to
|
|
capture sounds with your computer, and play them back later. Alpha
|
|
Systems also markets a whole series of books and software relating to
|
|
Software protection and system optimization. They can be contacted by
|
|
phone at (216) 374-7469, or you can write them at 1012 Skyland Drive,
|
|
Macedonia, OH 44056.
|
|
|
|
DataQue, maker of the Turbo-816 CPU upgrade, is one of the few 8-bit
|
|
developers still expanding their product line by developing new products
|
|
and acquiring a few from others. Recently DataQue added the TransKey
|
|
adapter to their catalog, which is a small PC board which will allow you
|
|
to attach an IBM/PC/XT/AT keyboard to your 8-bit system. Other products
|
|
offered by DataQue include a line of MS-DOS cross-development utilities
|
|
(to target the Atari 8-bit systems), the Turbo-Calc spreadsheet, and
|
|
currently in development the Turbo-C8 'C' language development
|
|
cartridge. For more information, contact DataQue on GEnie/Delphi with
|
|
the username of DataQue, or CIS PPN of 71777,3223. Additional
|
|
information can be also requested by mail at Post Office Box 134,
|
|
Ontario, OH 44862-0134.
|
|
|
|
Replacement Parts, Software, and Hardware:
|
|
|
|
These companies have many hard to find hardware and software items at
|
|
reasonable prices. If you need a replacement part for one of your
|
|
systems, or a program no longer in distribution, here are *the* contacts
|
|
to check first (in alphabetical order):
|
|
|
|
American Techna-Vision
|
|
15338 Inverness Street
|
|
San Leandro, CA 94579 (415) 352-3787
|
|
|
|
Best Electronics
|
|
San Jose, CA 95126 (408) 243-6950
|
|
|
|
B&C ComputerVisions
|
|
3256 Kifer Road
|
|
Santa Clara, CA 95051 (408) 749-1003
|
|
|
|
San Jose Computers
|
|
640 Blossom Hill Road
|
|
San Jose, CA 95123 (408) 224-8575
|
|
|
|
Software/Hardware Mail Order Houses:
|
|
|
|
These mail order outlets offer a wide variety of software and/or
|
|
hardware for your 8-bit Atari system:
|
|
|
|
Black Moon Systems
|
|
P.O. Box 152
|
|
Wind Gap, PA 18091
|
|
|
|
Compsult
|
|
Post Office Box 3233
|
|
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3233 (805) 544-6616
|
|
|
|
Marcel Programming
|
|
298 Fifth Avenue Suite 141
|
|
New York, NY 10001
|
|
|
|
Software Clinic
|
|
4916 Del-Ray Avenue
|
|
Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 656-7983
|
|
|
|
Team Computers
|
|
22205 Kelly Road
|
|
East Detroit, MI 48021 (313) 445-2983
|
|
|
|
Toad Computers
|
|
556 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd
|
|
Severna Park, Maryland 21146 (301) 544-6943
|
|
|
|
Public Domain and Shareware Software Distributors:
|
|
|
|
If you are interested in Public Domain, or shareware software, and
|
|
other online services, the following companies offer such software at
|
|
reasonable prices:
|
|
|
|
Software Infinity
|
|
642 East Waring Avenue
|
|
State College, PA 16801
|
|
|
|
Sagamore Software
|
|
2104 Arapahoe Dr.
|
|
Lafayette, IN 47905
|
|
|
|
BellCom
|
|
PO Box 1043
|
|
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J7A5
|
|
|
|
BRE Software
|
|
352 West Bedford Ave, Suite 104
|
|
Fresno, CA 93711
|
|
|
|
M.W.P.D.S.
|
|
890 N. Huntington St
|
|
Medina, OH 44256
|
|
|
|
Vulcan Software
|
|
P.O.B. 692
|
|
Manassas, VA 22111-0692
|
|
|
|
National Magazines which support the Atari 8-bit Systems:
|
|
|
|
Prices listed are for one year subscriptions. Some magazines run
|
|
promotional specials from time to time, so inquire about any specials
|
|
when you order. All prices are in US dollars.
|
|
|
|
AtariUser
|
|
113 W College St
|
|
Covina, CA 91723 (818) 332-0372
|
|
12 Issues/year @ $18
|
|
Free through user groups
|
|
|
|
Current Notes
|
|
122 N. Johnson Rd.
|
|
Sterling, VA 22170 (703) 450-4761
|
|
10 issues/year @ $27.00
|
|
participating user group rates available
|
|
|
|
Atari Interface Magazine
|
|
c/o Unicorn Publications
|
|
3487 Braeburn Circle
|
|
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (313) 973-8825
|
|
participating user group rates available
|
|
|
|
ZMAGAZINE Online Atari Magazine
|
|
(8-bit support electronic newsletter)
|
|
Z*Net/Rovac Industries
|
|
P.O. Box 59
|
|
Middlesex, NJ 08846
|
|
BBS: (908) 968)8148
|
|
Published roughly monthly, available on GEnie, CompuServe, Delphi,
|
|
F-Net, and private BBS systems - no subscription fee.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
* CAROLYN'S CORNER by Carolyn Hoglin
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
|
|
|
|
This month's column is a departure from my usual discussion about word
|
|
processing. But it does involve printing - the printing of color
|
|
graphics.
|
|
|
|
So far as I am aware, there are only two programs for the 8-bit Atari
|
|
that will print screen graphics in full color: YEMACYB/4, by Michael L.
|
|
Clayton; and PicPrint, by Kyle Dain.
|
|
|
|
Each of these programs is designed for Epson-compatible printers using
|
|
four-color ribbons. They employ a clever combination of yellow, red,
|
|
blue, and black in dot patterns created in a 4 x 4 matrix that result in
|
|
a hardcopy printout that may include any or all of the 128 colors
|
|
available on the 8-bit Atari. Sample picture files are included with
|
|
each program.
|
|
|
|
Having only four colors in a color ribbon would seem to allow only seven
|
|
hues plus the white of the paper, since red and yellow make orange, red
|
|
and blue make purple, and blue and yellow make green (didn't I learn
|
|
that in kindergarten?). However, the program analyzes the color of each
|
|
pixel on the screen and mixes the colors of the ribbon in varying
|
|
proportions in an attempt to achieve a printout that matches the screen
|
|
display as closely as possible.
|
|
|
|
A color's dot pattern may be made up of only one dot for a very pastel
|
|
effect, or as many as 16 for the brightest hue. For instance, a pale
|
|
pink might use only the red ribbon in a pattern of widely separated
|
|
dots, allowing a lot of white to dilute the red. Orange would be
|
|
achieved by printing yellow followed by red. Yellow and red would each
|
|
be printed in the dot pattern required by the shade of orange in the
|
|
picture. Each pass of the printhead prints first yellow, then red,
|
|
blue, and black as required by the program's color analysis.
|
|
|
|
Paint programs usually employ GRAPHICS 15 which allows your choice of
|
|
four colors per picture consisting of 192 rows of 160 pixels each. To
|
|
increase the apparent number of colors in a picture, a variety of
|
|
patterns composed of the four colors are provided. YEMACYB/4 and
|
|
PicPrint faithfully reproduce these patterns as well as the solid
|
|
colors. With the judicious use of DLI's (Display List Interrupts -
|
|
usually only understood by advanced programmers), a picture can even
|
|
display all 128 colors at the same time.
|
|
|
|
I have found that pictures loaded into either of these fine programs
|
|
produce printouts virtually identical to one another. However, the
|
|
programs themselves differ in many ways.
|
|
|
|
YEMACYB/4
|
|
|
|
You may have guessed that the title of this program (pronounced
|
|
-YEM-a-sibe-) comes from the hues of a standard color ribbon - yellow,
|
|
magenta, cyan, and black. (Magenta and cyan look pretty much like red
|
|
and blue to most of us.)
|
|
|
|
Incidentally, the original version of this program (-YEMACYB- without
|
|
the -/4-) is for non-color Epson-compatible printers and involves
|
|
passing the same sheet of paper through your printer four times using
|
|
individual yellow, red, blue, and black ribbons. The program provides a
|
|
means of precisely aligning the paper before each pass. While the
|
|
procedure is rather tedious and time-consuming, the final result is the
|
|
same as if printed on an Epson JX-80 or a Star NX-1000r.
|
|
|
|
This program requires BASIC, but is self booting. There are no DOS or
|
|
AUTORUN.SYS files on the program disk, nor are they necessary. Only
|
|
Drive 1 is supported. The program documentation states that your
|
|
graphic file must be in standard 62-sector format (either GRAPHICS 7 or
|
|
GRAPHICS 7+ [GRAPHICS 15]), but I found that it would load some, but not
|
|
all, compressed files as well.
|
|
|
|
After the file is loaded, the picture is displayed on the screen.
|
|
Touching a key brings you to the color change menu. At this point, you
|
|
may choose to change your picture to monochrome. Or, if you are
|
|
printing in color, here is where you have the opportunity to change the
|
|
colors in each register (line by line, if you wish). Unless you have a
|
|
listing of the pokes to memory locations 708, 709, 710, and 712, and the
|
|
colors they produce, this is likely to be a lengthy trial-and-error
|
|
procedure. You may also load DLI data that has been saved on disk.
|
|
When you have finished your changes, the picture is redisplayed for your
|
|
approval. You may go back to the color change menu as many times as
|
|
necessary. There is no provision to restore the original colors, or to
|
|
go from monochrome back to color without reloading the picture.
|
|
|
|
When you are satisfied with your picture, you have the opportunity to
|
|
save the color changes you have made. This color data is not saved in a
|
|
DOS format, but is unconditionally written, for future use, on the last
|
|
six sectors of whatever single-density disk is in the drive.
|
|
|
|
My test picture took about 15 minutes to print and was centered on the
|
|
paper both vertically and horizontally. The number of the column being
|
|
printed is displayed on the screen, beginning with 159 and counting down
|
|
to 0. While printing is in progress, it can be either paused
|
|
temporarily or aborted.
|
|
|
|
With the differences among monitors, printers, ribbons, and paper, you
|
|
may find that the printout does not match the screen display exactly.
|
|
Included with YEMACYB/4 is a separate utility program to create your own
|
|
modified color pallette to use instead of the default pallette provided.
|
|
|
|
There are five more utility programs provided, as well as a menu to
|
|
select them from. You must first load your favorite DOS, then run
|
|
MENU.BAS.
|
|
|
|
The program YFLIPPER.BAS will mirror flip a Micropainter picture file in
|
|
GRAPHICS 7 or GRAPHICS 15, and resave it to disk.
|
|
|
|
YSAVUSCR.BAS enables you to capture to disk a GRAPHICS 7 or GRAPHICS 15
|
|
picture that is displayed in a BASIC program.
|
|
|
|
YDLISCON.BAS will convert that DLI data from the last 6 sectors to a DOS
|
|
file and back again.
|
|
|
|
YBAREBON.BAS is a few-frills GRAPHICS 7 editor with text entry
|
|
capability.
|
|
|
|
YWINDOWS.BAS confused me. Documentation needs to be provided for this
|
|
program.
|
|
|
|
YEMACYB/4 is a powerful program that does what it claims very well
|
|
indeed. A very nice feature is the file COLCHART.PIC which creates a
|
|
full-screen 128-color display that also functions as a reference color
|
|
chart when printed. The DLI data on the program disk makes this
|
|
possible. This reference chart is a great help when creating a custom
|
|
pallette. The documentation includes a chart of the 45 dot patterns
|
|
used to create various hues which makes the concept much more
|
|
understandable.
|
|
|
|
On the negative side, I found the program somewhat awkward to use at
|
|
times, and wished it were possible to redisplay my picture without going
|
|
round and round in the menu. If you load the wrong picture by mistake,
|
|
you must proceed as if you intend to print it through quite a few
|
|
commands before finally being offered the option of starting over.
|
|
|
|
Michael L. Clayton
|
|
Electronical Software
|
|
P.O. Box 8035
|
|
Rochester, MI 48063 (313) 942-9504
|
|
|
|
PicPrint
|
|
|
|
This program is extremely user friendly and has the immediate advantage
|
|
of being able to load and display graphic files from just about any
|
|
paint program written for the 8-bit Atari. In many cases the program
|
|
automatically identifies the type of graphic file and displays it
|
|
accordingly. A few files produced by programs using GRAPHICS 7,
|
|
GRAPHICS 8, or mixed screens are loaded by pressing console keys
|
|
according to instructions.
|
|
|
|
Another advantage is that it supports not only Epson-compatibles, but
|
|
also Atari XMM-801, and Canon thermal printers, in color or black-and-
|
|
white. All drives are supported, including ramdisks.
|
|
|
|
After the picture is loaded, it is displayed with an overlaid menu
|
|
window which provides a great many useful options. Pressing -V- allows
|
|
viewing of the entire picture until another key is pressed to bring back
|
|
the menu.
|
|
|
|
If you have selected a non-color printer, your picture is shown in
|
|
monochrome. If you have a color printer, but want to make a monochrome
|
|
printout (using a black or another single-color ribbon), you can change
|
|
the display to black and white.
|
|
|
|
In either case, you can change each color register by choosing its
|
|
number (1 through 4) and then pressing + or - keys. I especially like
|
|
the way you get instant feedback when making these changes.
|
|
|
|
Display List Interrupt data cannot be originated from the program, but
|
|
pressing -D- will load the .P? files from Philip Price's PD Painter
|
|
program files. These files provide for displaying up to 128 colors in
|
|
one picture. The DLI's won't show on your screen, but they will print
|
|
on paper.
|
|
|
|
You may also flip your picture - very useful for making T-shirt
|
|
iron-ons.
|
|
|
|
Pictures may be changed to and from GRAPHICS 8 monochrome mode. Whether
|
|
you actually see monochrome on your screen depends upon what kind of
|
|
Atari and monitor you are using. If you have an XE computer that
|
|
outputs separate chroma and luma and a monitor and cord that supports
|
|
this, the picture appears in black and white. If you are using an XL
|
|
computer, or your monitor or cord only supports composite video, you may
|
|
see a lot of purple and green due to artifacting. Since these colors
|
|
are not -real- colors, they will not be printed as such, even on a color
|
|
printer.
|
|
|
|
In this GRAPHICS 8 mode, you can also switch to a negative image. This
|
|
is great for pics that normally display white on a black background.
|
|
|
|
Another plus is that you can restore colors in GRAPHICS 15 pics if you
|
|
messed them up or have changed them to black and white.
|
|
|
|
You can save your picture in standard 62-sector uncompressed format for
|
|
use with other programs.
|
|
|
|
If you press -C-, the values of the color registers will be shown on the
|
|
screen (behind the menu window). Unless you also want them on your
|
|
printed picture for some reason, I don't advise using this option, as
|
|
there is no way to undo it short of reloading your picture!
|
|
|
|
When you are ready to print your picture, you can use console keys to
|
|
enable double strike (great when your ribbon is fading) and/or disable
|
|
ANTIC DMA to speed up the printing. (For some reason, this last feature
|
|
didn't work for me.) The test picture I printed took about 18 minutes
|
|
to finish. A nice touch is the moving bar on screen indicating printing
|
|
progress. The printout will be centered horizontally, but not
|
|
vertically, so you need to set your paper so that printing begins about
|
|
one inch from the top.
|
|
|
|
There are many factors that affect matching the colors on screen to the
|
|
colors printed on paper. Try displaying the same picture on two
|
|
different monitors, or on a monitor and a TV set. They seldom are the
|
|
same. So which one is PicPrint to match? If you can see that the
|
|
colors are not going to satisfy you, you can abort the printing, reload
|
|
the pic and adjust the colors. There is no programmed pause-and-resume-
|
|
printing feature, but I noted that setting my printer off-line did not
|
|
cause an error for a good 30 seconds.
|
|
|
|
Included on the program disk are two valuable utility programs.
|
|
CONVERT.COM will convert pics to and from GRAPHICS 8, ST PI3, and IBM
|
|
monochrome format. PAINTR.COM is Philip Price's DLI program. A brief
|
|
explanation of PAINTR.COM is included with PicPrint, but you should
|
|
really read the documentation in ANTIC Magazine's September 1984 issue
|
|
to get the full benefit of this sophisticated and powerful program.
|
|
Patrick Dell'era's enhancements to this program are documented in
|
|
ANTIC's March 1985 issue.
|
|
|
|
PicPrint is a compiled TurboBasic program and must be run on an Atari XL
|
|
or XE computer. It will not run correctly under the OmniView OS, and
|
|
you must be sure to disable BASIC when booting. If I could change
|
|
anything, I would add the ability to pause the printout, and possibly
|
|
disable BASIC automatically. But this is nitpicking. If you have a
|
|
color printer (or even if you don't), contact Kyle Dain to purchase
|
|
PicPrint!
|
|
|
|
Kyle Dain
|
|
MKD Systems
|
|
125 Goodview Drive
|
|
Apollo, PA 15613 (412) 727-7987
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
* NEW 8-BIT SUPPORT by Jeff McWilliams
|
|
=======================================================================
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heads Up, Atari 8-Bitters!! This Is For YOU!
|
|
|
|
Beginning 1992, the Atari 8-bit computers- and the community of USERS
|
|
who still cherish these machines- have been officially discarded by
|
|
Atari Corporation.
|
|
|
|
BUT WE REFUSE TO ROLL OVER AND DIE AT ATARI'S COMMAND!!
|
|
|
|
We believe there are enough of us left to pursue our 8-bit interests
|
|
independently of Atari Corporation.
|
|
|
|
Would you like to see a common forum in which users, developers, and
|
|
vendors can communicate? A print medium wherein advertisers can be
|
|
assured of reaching their intended audience, and where users can look
|
|
with confidence for information about new products? A user-oriented
|
|
publication to fill the void left by the collapse of ANTIC and ANALOG?
|
|
|
|
My name is Jeff McWilliams, and I'm a dedicated 8-bit user. I want to
|
|
present the Atari 8-bit community the chance to gather under one
|
|
publication dedicated exclusively to the Atari 8-bit computers. A
|
|
magazine that will unite our community and give it the strength it needs
|
|
to survive. A forum where users can ask tough questions and read
|
|
unvarnished product reviews. A magazine whose ads will be almost
|
|
exclusively from 8-bit vendors.
|
|
|
|
I propose a write-in campaign to Atari Interface Magazine, asking for a
|
|
separate, exclusively 8-bit magazine called -Atari Classics-. Atari
|
|
Interface Magazine already has a strong presence in the Atari community.
|
|
For several years AIM has been a combined ST/8-bit magazine whose
|
|
publishers have indicated a willingness to support the Atari 8-bit
|
|
community as long as interest warrants it. NOW is the time to ask them
|
|
for our own magazine!
|
|
|
|
As Campaign Manager, I will act as the focus for this effort. Now, you
|
|
might be wondering, -WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?-. That part is EASY!
|
|
|
|
Just SEND me your NAME and POSTAL MAILING ADDRESS. I will mail you a
|
|
FREE Information Kit describing our goals in greater detail. Included
|
|
with the Kit is a stamped postcard on which you can express your
|
|
interests and willingness to subscribe to an exclusively 8-bit magazine.
|
|
(Or, if you disagree with our approach, you can just toss it away and
|
|
that will be the end of it- BUT WE DON'T THINK YOU WILL!) You'll also
|
|
be invited to indicate your willingness to PARTICIPATE in the magazine
|
|
DIRECTLY by being a regular columnist, editor, or just writing about a
|
|
special project you did or review a product you used.
|
|
|
|
Ben Poehland, the former 8-bit Editor of Current Notes Magazine, is
|
|
fully supporting this campaign and has offered to donate his services to
|
|
-Atari Classics- when repairs to his fire-damaged home are completed
|
|
later this year.
|
|
|
|
The cutoff date for receiving the postcard responses is: MARCH 31, 1992
|
|
|
|
If by that time I have received 500 positive commitments via postcard,
|
|
they will all be sent to AIM along with a petition requesting the
|
|
formation of our proposed exclusive 8-bit publication -Atari Classics-.
|
|
If I receive less than 500 replies, then we will know that the 8-bit
|
|
community has indeed become a lost and hopeless society.
|
|
|
|
TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THIS MAY BE THE LAST OPPORTUNITY YOU WILL HAVE TO
|
|
KEEP YOUR MACHINE ALIVE AND SHARE EXPERIENCES WITH FELLOW USERS.
|
|
|
|
IMPORTANT!! Only the OFFICIAL Campaign postcards will be accepted!
|
|
Those responding by other means will be mailed an Information Kit with
|
|
which they can register their official response. Regrettably, due to
|
|
limitations of time and cost, the Campaign will be restricted to
|
|
addresses in the USA only. However, unofficial responses from outside
|
|
the USA are welcome and will be included in the final count.
|
|
|
|
PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY! If anyone wishes to assist the Campaign, they
|
|
can do so by posting this release in its unmodified entirety to other
|
|
on-line services, BBS's, usergroups, friends, and vendors. Additional
|
|
assistance can be rendered by gatheringnames and addresses of Atari 8-
|
|
bit owners and furnishing them to me so I can mail them an Information
|
|
Kit.
|
|
|
|
Jeff McWilliams
|
|
2001 G. Woodmar Dr.
|
|
Houghton, MI 49931-1017
|
|
Genie address is J.MCWILL
|
|
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
To sign up for DELPHI service, call (with modem) (800) 695-4002. Upon
|
|
connection, hit <return> once or twice. At Password: type ZNET and
|
|
hit <return>.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
To sign up for GEnie service call (with modem) (800) 638-8369. Upon
|
|
connection type HHH and hit <return>. Wait for the U#= prompt and type
|
|
XTX99436,GEnie and hit <return>.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199. Ask
|
|
for operator #198. You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free membership
|
|
kit.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication
|
|
covering the Atari and related computer community. Material published
|
|
in this edition may be reprinted under the following terms only. All
|
|
articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at
|
|
the top of each article reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless
|
|
otherwise noted, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit
|
|
publications. Opinions present herein are those of the individual
|
|
authors and does not necessarily reflect those of the staff. This
|
|
publication is not affiliated with the Atari Corporation. Z*Net, Z*Net
|
|
News Service, Z*Net International, Rovac, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net
|
|
Publishing are copyright (c)1985-1992, Syndicate Publishing, Rovac
|
|
Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey,
|
|
08846-0059, Voice: (908) 968-2024, BBS: (908) 968-8148, (510) 373-6792.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
Z*Magazine
|
|
Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc...
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|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|