TOO MUCH JARGON
While I enjoy my new Atari computer and the company of computer enthusiasts,
I'm upset that you enthusiasts perpetuate the poor communication skills
which at first gave me and many others a bad impression of computing. I'm
one of you now, but thousands like me would be happy to become computer
enthusiasts if only you would learn to talk to express, not impress. Computer
enthusiasts make a big mistake by taking familiar words and giving them
irrelevant meanings. I'm an engineer-not exactly technologically illiterate-and
I still can't see through the jargon.
Well, gotta log off now. My wife powered up the coffeepot, booted up
the coffee and it's up and running online. I have to go decoffee my cup
and matrix with my peripheral family units. IF DONE THEN COFFEE ELSE RETURN:
END
D.E Neff
FASTER FRACTALS
Using the Newell Fast Chip Floating Point ROM and BASIC XL in FAST
mode, the longest it takes to run Fractal Zoom (Antic, April 1986) is six
hours-even producing a screen nearly all black. Atari 800 owners using
OSS RAMdisk DOS XL with the AXLON board designated as drive 4 need only
the following changes in Fractal Zoom:
55 RAMDSK=l
1640 IF RAMDSK THEN DAT$(2,2)="4"
To increase the speed further would require installing a math co-processor.
Bradley Tompkins
Woodbridge, VA
DIN ALERTHave you been searching for connectors to build your own ST cables
for RGB or composite video, or for television? An Atari-compatible 13-pin
DIN connector is available for $7 from Sony. Ask for part number 1-560-946-00.
Sony Corp., Sony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ 07656 (201)930-1000.-ANTIC ED
THERMISTOR & SENSOR
I'm having trouble finding the thermistor and particle sensor needed
for the Weather Wizard program in the June, 1986 issue of Antic.
Ben Drake
Redding, CA
For the thermistor, try Fenwall Electronics, 63 Fountain Street,
Framingham, MA 01701. (617) 872-8841. Ask for part number GA45P2. The particle
sensor is available from Don Hess, 309 Iowa Avenue York, NE 68467.-
ANTIC ED
PAL VS. NTSC
My 800XL computer and 1050 disk drive come from England, where the
voltage supply is 240 volts AC instead of our 120 volt AC. I also have
a step-up transformer and have gotten power to the disk drive and computer.
The problem is that the computer was made to work with the European PAL
System, and I have been unable to get anything but lines on my television
screen, which is an NTSC system. Can anything make them more compatible?
Orman Ward
St. Philip, Barbados
Only If you get your hands on either a PAL television or an NTSC-compatible
800XL. PAL stations and receivers operate at 50 cycles per second, while
NTSC stations and receivers operate at 60 cycles per second.- ANTIC
ED
"EXTRA" MED-RES COLORS
A number of readers wanted to know how Darrel Anderson got more
than four colors onscreen In ST medium resolution for his first-prize picture
in the DEGAS competition (Antic, July 1986). We asked him to explain, and
his reply is printed below By the way, two DEGAS pictures by Anderson were
included as a bonus on Antic's October monthly disk. -ANTIC
ED
In answer to the questions regarding Stoneage, my DEGAS Contest winner:
I used the standard checkerboard fill pattern to "mix" additional colors
for the ST medium resolution picture. The fine, regular structure of the
fill creates a nearly invisible blend of the two colors used. This is important
because any noticeable pattern would tend to flatten forms, destroying
the illusion of contour or perspective. Just using this fill can add six
more colors to the initial palette of four. Patterns designed with the
Make Fill option can mix different percentages of any two colors. The checkered
fill, of course, is 50/50. Sets of patterns to mix three colors are also
possible.
Darrel Anderson
Colorado Springs, Colorado
EXPRESS! UPDATE
Thanks to Antic and your readers for the kind things said about the
Express! family of public domain telecommunications software in the August,
1986 issue. It's incredible how many people apparently had never heard
of Express! before.
Keith Ledbetter
Richmond, VA
See the review of Ledbetter's new commercial program, BBS Express!,
in this issue's Communications Section.-ANTIC ED
P:R: UPDATE
Antic has just learned from ICD Inc. that the price of their
P:R: Connection (reviewed in October, 1986) is now $89.95, and ICD's phone
number has been changed to (815) 968-2228.
CHIPS IN
I just had the new ROM chips installed in my 520ST. What happened to
the desktop accessories? Without these, how do I set my VT52 or RS-232?
Worse, how do I get software such as Express! to work with TOS in ROM?
Booting the TOS in RAM seems to take care of this. If so, why did I
waste my money on the chips?
Patrick Sky
Wakefield, RI
Copy your desk accessories to your new boot disk-any file with a
ACC extender. Or just rename TOS.IMG to TOS.OFF of the disk you use now.
-ANTIC ED
Antic welcomes your feedback, but we regret that the large
volume of mail and online messages makes it impossible for the Editors
to reply to everyone. Although we do respond to as much reader correspondence
as time permits, our highest priority must be to publish (and upload) I/O
answers to questions that are meaningful to a substantial number of readers
and online subscribers.
Send letters to: Antic I/O Board, 524 Second Street, San Francisco,
CA 94107, ANTIC ONLINE has an I/O section for email to the Editors
only- online queries about Antic products should be uploaded to the Customer
Service I/O section of ANTIC ONLINE.