INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Sat, 18 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 672
 
Today's Topics:
                         360k floppy (2 msgs)
                          Asst. Dribble....
                            BOP questions
                        COMDEX (long article)
                 TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request
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Date: 18 Nov 89 05:06:34 GMT
From:
 cs.utexas.edu!usc!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!unix.cie.rpi.edu!vicc@tut.cis.ohio
 -state.edu
Subject: 360k floppy
 
well I got my 360k floppy sort of working. The Atari reads it but wont
write to it.
 
A previous poster mentioned a program PCF554.PRG. Where can I get
this, prefferably someplace which I can order it by mail (or that I
can send a disk and return postage to)
 
 
 
--
Frank Filz
Center For Integrated Electronics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
vicc@unix.cie.rpi.edu
 
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Date: 18 Nov 89 04:53:47 GMT
From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!unix.cie.rpi.edu!vicc@think.com
Subject: 360k floppy
 
Well I got my 360k floppy working - sort of. The Atari reads the drive
just dandy, but it wont write worth a damn (except to the directory)
 
One porblem it took me a while to discover, the external drive must be
on when the ST boots so that it recognizes it.
 
A previous poster mentioned a program PCF554.PRG which would be
necessary to use 360k, where can I get this? I can ftp but some
us-snail method would be better (Ie if a pd sw house sells it for
$5-10 that would be best since I must call long distance to get to the
net. I would be willing to mail someone a disk w/return postage also.
 
 
 
--
Frank Filz
Center For Integrated Electronics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
vicc@unix.cie.rpi.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 89 18:54:46 MST
From: ehsnsr@jupiter.nmt.edu (Eric Hobbs)
Subject: Asst. Dribble....
 
OK! OK! So I got some facts wrong. Almost every statistic I mentioned was in
some way or another half-way remembered from articles from magazines, but I'm
not going to bother with the particulars. Anyway, the point of the posting was
apparently missed. The point was that some people are making it seem like
Sam T. et al are purposely trying to destroy Atari. What I was saying is that
this is ridiculous. Who in their right mind would want to destroy something
that they have spent so much time on?  About the negative comments...Why would
Atari want to support people who bitch about them all the time? Think about it.
Anyway, enough with the bickering. Oh, and by the way, BoBR, if I said anything
to upset you, I'm sorry. I just don't like it when people criticize something
that I spent so much money on. I've got friends with Macs and IBMs who do
that :-).
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Enough's Enough!!"                Eric Hobbs
                                   ehsnsr@JUPITER.nmt.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Nov 89 00:28:30 GMT
From: hpfcso!hpldola!jg@hplabs.hp.com  (Joe Gilray)
Subject: BOP questions
 
I recently purchased a used version of the original version of
BALANCE OF POWER (Thanks, peter!).  I'm very impressed with the
game but a have a few questions which are not dealt with in the
manual:
 
1) The game appears to be copy protected, at least none of the
   copys I made ran, they all bombed.  It runs fine from the
   original disk.  Has anyone made a backup or do I have to run
   from the original?
 
2) If I have to run from the original, then I should probably
   keep the original physically write protected, right?  If this
   is true, then I have a few questions:
 
        a) When the game starts, it tries to write a file to the disk,
           since the disk is write protected, I get the "cancel  retry"
           dialog.  At this point I can either cancel at which point
           the game seems to proceed normally, or I can switch disks
           at which point the game writes a "SAVEDGAM" file and continues.
           Which method do you use?
 
        b) How can I replay a saved game if it is on a different disk
           than the game itself?  I've tried choosing "load game" in the
           BOP startup screen, but if I switch disks before pressing
           "load game" or after, the system seems to lock up,
           any suggestions?  So far I cannot replay a game as there is
           not enough room on the original disk to save a game (even
           if I did feel safe removing the write protection on the disk).
 
        c) There is a a:\a\savedgam file on the game disk, is this
           somehow involved in saving games (if so, what a poor name
           for the file!).
 
3) Often, when I try to get "history" on a country, the system will
   crash with three bombs (address error).  Does this happen to everyone
   or is it my configuration (1040STf, TOS 1.0, fatspeed.prg, foldr080.prg)?
 
As I said the game itself is great, it's just the outer shell (copy
protection, no way to replay a saved game, no documentation on how
to replay a game, etc.) that is a bother.
 
Thanks for any help
Joe Gilray
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 18 Nov 89 05:15:50 GMT
From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!uhnix1!uhnix2!uace0@think.com
 (Michael B. Vederman)
Subject: COMDEX (long article)
 
Well, I just got back from COMDEX, and all I can say is that things look really
good for Atari in 1990.
 
I just read Dave Beckemeyer's post, and he pretty accurately described was
displayed in the Atari area.  (I wish I would have known Dave was there so I
could have met him...)
 
However, I was extremely impressed by what I saw.  The TT is *real* altho not
many exist right now.  It is blindingly fast in disk access, the screen redraw
looked as if Turbo ST were installed, but of course that doesn't work on the TT.
The graphics demos they showed were cutesy - a 'monocle' program that showed a
digitized picture of Dave Staugas with a mignifyong glass going over portions
of the picture magnifying it as it passed over.  Cyber Sculpt was running on it
and apparently had no problems.  It ran very fast.
 
The graphics modes looked really nice, and the resolution really added to the
perceived colors.  I poked around on the hard disk connected to the TT, and
found a fractals program.  This baby flew!  Fractal geometry is inherently slow,
but this thing really zipped along!
 
On the back were the plethora of ports, SCSI, ASCI, CENTRONICS, SERIAL,
 monitor,disk drive.  On the left side were the cartridge port, midi, and the
 SEC (low
speed LAN) port (which was in the shape of the Apple serial connector).  I can
only assume that it was connected to the SEC chip (as the Apple has), but
Antonio Salerno (VP of product/developer support) wouldn't comment on it.  He
just said that when we get ours, we should hook it up and see what happens...
(When we will get ours, we don't know yet...)
 
I liked the TT, and the case wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought, even after
seeing pictures of it in verious mags...
 
I want one, and it is a very nice machine!  $3K would include the hard disk,
which is (according to Charles Cherry) is designed to be able to 'pop out' and
be replaced with another.  The cover over it apparently pops open some how. We
couldn't get it open, but we didn't try very hard.
 
The STe was there.  Nice display, and very nice stereo sound.  It only had a
game running on it, and when I was looking at it, Dave Staugas came over to
put a new one there...  It looked the same as a 1040, except that it had two
jacks on the back for right and left stereo sound, and two additional joystick
ports on the left side.  How many colors were being displayed in the game?
I don't know, but the sound was very excellent.
 
STacy looked good.  Several of them there.  DeskSet II was being shown, and
apparently is a finished project.  According to Elizabeth Shook (who displayed
DeskSet last year at COMDEX) it was a pet project of Leonard Tramiel, and is
quite done.  They had a real box and everything there...
 
The IBP industrial mega component system was extremely impressive.  It features
plug in boards (one board is a complete mega) that fits into a chasis that has
VME, EUROBUS compatibilty.  The system is named the 190ST.  I was extremely
impressed by this system.  It looked very respectable and industrial.
 
The Atari booth was very very nice.  Much better than last years display in
the Gold Room.  As soon as you walked into the West hall, you saw Atari, and
couldn't help but see the Spectre GCR.  The overall feel was much better than
last year, and very professional feeling.  As far as the overall feel of Atari
at the show.  I had no way to judge that.  People already associated with Atari
had the usual remarks.
 
The LYNX was not displayed because it was not a computer system (sob sob), but
I did get to see it at the developer's party Wednesday night.  Sam Tramiel had
one in a bag he was carrying, and just as he was showing it to some press
people, I walked up to get some food (sneaky, I know).  Actually, I didn't
know he was showing it, but found out when I got up there.  The LYNX is a really
neat gadget!  The color is great, the sound is great, and he was playing it
like a pro.  He said that 100,000 were going to ship at the end of the month to
New York, and it would retail for $169.  I'd like to get one, but it has no
real merit for me.  He did say they expect to have millions made next year.
 
The new person at Atari that will be helping developers is Charles Cherry, a
loooonng standing veteran of the Atari world.  Charles has been using and
programming Ataris for at least 10 years (since the 400 came out).  I have
had dealings with Charles when he worked at Antic (until the beginning of this
month in fact).  He is quite a guy, and very competent.  He is the right
person to be in charge of developer support.  I had the chance to talk at
length with Charles Wednesday, and he really made me believe that good things
were happening at Atari.  Frankly, I believe him.  He has always done me right
with my dealings with him at Antic.
 
Among the things announced for registered developers was all Atari hardware
for 50% off!  This is significant.  He also said that he hopes to coordinate
developer efforts, and get them in contact with companies that could help
them along.  He also plans on having a monthly newsletter that the developers
themsleves can use to write and discuss issues in.  Also promised were the
complete userbase listing for Atari registered owners for specific direct
mailings.
 
This is a few things promised to help the US developers.  Charles had been
refusing the job for well over a year before he finally accepted it.  He said
things were finally to the point that he wanted to go there.  Everything sounds
excellent to me, and I believe it will all come about.  Albeit, things will be
slow at first, and it will take the sincere effort of developers to help out,
but in my opinion (and I have never been really impressed by Atari's past
promises or efforts) 1990 is going to be the year for Atari.  I predict a
strong surge in the US market, but of course, this depends on their getting the
STacy, TT, and (leastly) the LYNX to market.
 
At the party Wednesday, Sam said honestly, that both were being held up by the
FCC.  This I can believe.
 
Overall impressions of COMDEX 1989 for Atari:  I'm not gonna sell my ST, I'm
gonna get a TT, and start developing new stuff for it.  Atari is finally serious
and finally has competent people in the right places.
 
I also got to meet Ken Badertscher and John Townsend.  Both fine fellows!
 
After last years COMDEX where I didn't feel any strong good feelings about
Atari, this year I am enthused once again!  Atari is gonna come back (I hope).
 
- mike vederman
 
The opinions expressed are my own (but the other people that went with me
were equally impressed!) and do not necessarily reflect any other persons
feelings, dead or alive.
 
 
--
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------------------------------
 
Date: 18 Nov 89 02:22:38 GMT
From: matthews@umd5.umd.edu  (Mike Matthews)
Subject: TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request
 
In article <5440079@hplsla.HP.COM> andyc@hplsla.HP.COM (Andy Cassino) writes:
>I guess I have an entry for the TOS 1.4 incompatibility list - Turtle 3.0!
 
>    % Andy Cassino                                                  %
>    % uucp: hplabs!hplsla!andyc  domain: andyc%hplsla@hplabs.hp.com %
 
Try disabling cachexxx.prg; works fine with TOS 1.4 as long as you don't use
cachexxx.
 
Mike
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #672
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