INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Tue, 14 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 648
 
Today's Topics:
                          German on the net.
                      How long is your Atari???
                  Is Atari Going Down for the Count
                             ST Magazines
                             TEX files!?
                             Trip-a-Tron
                           TT, TT030/2, STE
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Date: 14 Nov 89 00:55:52 GMT
From: portal!cup.portal.com!dsmythe@uunet.uu.net  (dave l smythe)
Subject: German on the net.
 
Because USENET is a world-wide network, it only makes sense to use
the international standard language: English.  If it's good enough
for the UN, air-traffic control, and international radio communications,
it's good enough for USENET.  At the very least, if you are going to
post in a language other than English, restrict the distribution to
those areas that are likely to know the language.  If you need wider
distribution, use a more common language.
 
Dave Smythe
dsmythe@cup.portal.com
 
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Date: Tue, 14 Nov 89 08:43:42 EST
From: David Megginson <MEGGIN@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: How long is your Atari???
 
Atari has problems, and I accept that the OS of the future is Unix with
a graphic interface, and not the Mac OS, the Amiga OS, the ST OS, or
(thank god for her good grace) MeSsyDOS or OS/2.
 
Some of the people on this net seem concerned that other people have
computers with more impressive numbers than the ST. Oh oh. It's just
like the "My car/bank account/penis is bigger than yours" syndrome so
common in a certain country famous for its big cars.
 
Face it, TOS is not going to become anything else. Like the Mac, Amy,
and Pretty Cruddy clones, it is bound by a large software base which
expects a fairly simple type of operation. If you want more than TOS,
buy more than TOS.
 
But do not leave us in suspense. Come back to the newsgroup some day
and tell us how many Mhz/MIPS LONG your new computer is. I promise that
we will all feel emasticated/emammicated (after all, women are self-
concious about breast size too).
 
 
       David Megginson, Centre for Medieval Studies, Toronto
 
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Date: 14 Nov 89 07:26:42 GMT
From: odin.ucsd.edu!myers@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu  (Margaret Myers)
Subject: Is Atari Going Down for the Count
 
Yesterday, I went to my favorite local Atari store here in San Diego.
Only it wasn't an Atari store anymore.  After searching behind all the
Commodore Amigas and PC clones I finally found a lonely Mega ST.  All
Commodores were busily running demo programs.  The ST looked like a
nice spider motel.
 
Getting to the point.  This used to be an all Atari store  -- back when
I bought my ST in 1985 -- Which makes me ask the question, "WHAT
HAPPENED?"
 
I like my ST but I am getting worried about the prospect of not having a
dealer in town (San Diego is a fairly big town).
 
How can Atari expect to survive selling a machine that computer
sales people have a hard time getting excited about?  Unless the STE and
the TT come out real soon there isn't going to be any support for
Atari computers.
 
 
 
Not Atari bashing -- just commenting nervously...
 
MM
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 89 08:22:15 EST
From: David Megginson <MEGGIN@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: ST Magazines
 
A netter has suggested that there are (were) only 4 ST Magazines left.
He meant, of course, only 4 AMERICAN ST magazines. The American magazines
have never been very good anyway, they seem aimed at a market of
intellectual 3-year-olds (STart is a _little_ better, but not much).
There's a French mag I really like -- it has lots of code samples and
specs, but I have problems with the sexist cartoons in it. ST World
from the UK is not bad, and the UK computer shopper at least used to
have an ST section. Any good foreign book/magazine store should carry
these.
 
I've glanced at some of the German magazines, and they are very
sophisticated, like the PC or Mac mags over here.
 
    David Megginson, Centre for Medieval Studies, Toronto
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Nov 89 06:45:57 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!tut!tukki!suhonen@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Timo Suhonen)
Subject: TEX files!?
 
In article <89317.044722JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET> JJL101@PSUVM.BITNET (J.J. Lehett)
 writes:
>
>    I am running a 1 meg 520 ST with 2 single sided drives....
>I have a number of TEX files which I wish to view, and the are
>labeled as xxxx.TEX.  Can someone explain the necessary programs and
>all that will allow me to do this?  I simply want to read these files!
>Anyweays, I have messed with some DVI progs and all...but need
>more explicit info I guess, as I have had no success!
 
If you just want to read those files on screen, you can do that with your
text editor. xxxxx.TEX -files are pure ASCII text (+ some commands you can
ignore).
If you want to use TeX to greate xxxx.DVI -files, you are in trouble.
1 meg is enough to run TeX but 2 ss drives sounds really bad... I have
ST-TeX on my 20 meg HD and it eats about 6.5 megs. (OK I know I have rather
heavily loaded system but anyway.) In ST-TeX manual it says something like:
"A wizand can make ST-TeX run with a double sided drive" and I would like
to add: "but it will be really painfull".
 
Things you need to run TeX are:
 
   1) program called TEX.TTP
   2) format files like PLAIN.FMT and LPLAIN.FMT  (first one is for plain TeX
      and the second one is for LaTeX).
   3) font files like CMR10.TFM (the number of xxx.TFM files you need depends
      on text you have).
   4) DVi-dirver (for screen called Previewer).
   5) pixel files like CMR10.PK (or CMR10.PXL). PK's are packed so the need
      less disk space.
 
 
I think all the programs and other files you can find for example from
Terminator archive.
 
 
Hope this helps!  and GOOD LUCK (You'll need that with those ss drives  B-)
 
Timo
--
Timo Suhonen                                           suhonen@tukki.jyu.fi
Disclaimer: The text above is from my left brain cell. The right one is for
          SeX and Drugs and Rock'n Roll. Al K. Hall has eaten the others...
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 20:29:59 GMT
From: portal!cup.portal.com!Dave_Ninjajr_Flory@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Trip-a-Tron
 
I hate to waste net space this way, but does anyone else get as tired as I do
reading BobR's negativistic comments? There are a few righteous points, but
I've read them all at least a dozen times........
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Nov 89 11:56:00 GMT
From: acf5!mitsolid@nyu.edu  (Thanasis Mitsolides)
Subject: TT, TT030/2, STE
 
/* acf5:comp.sys.atari.st / depeche@quiche.cs.mcgill.ca (Sam Alan EZUST) / 11:19
 pm  Nov 13, 1989 */
>In article <1783@atari.UUCP> apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt) writes:
>>ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu (Enartloc Nhoj) writes:
>>>The strange thing is that i have a hard time believing that i
>>>am still considering buying an 030 that won't multitask all that
>>>niffty GEM software i have on my drive.
>
>>What I'm trying to say is THIS IS NOT EASY.  It's not even Moderately
>>Difficult.  This is A Hard Problem.  The presence of a 68030 doesn't
>>make it any easier.
>>
>
>It is for the same reasons that OS/2 isn't compatible with dos. ...
 
OS/2 286 allows one DOS compatibility window within OS/2.
OS/2 386 will allow any number of DOS compatibility windows within OS/2.
 
>Does anyone know how the hell Macintosh managed to make all their programs
>work with multidesk (or was multitasking always supported on the Mac?
>Please don't flame me if this is very common knowledge - my hatred for
>Apple runs so deep that I haven't even touched one until quite recently...)
 
I am not flaming you, but it IS kommon knowledge. With HARD WORK!
Like the people which wrote OS/2, Microsoft Windows, Desqview ...
Mind you, I am not saying Atari people don't work hard. The contrary.
But they seem to be too few to handle a project of this size.
 
I guess there are other departments (ie PC compatibles, game machines)
which have more need of Atari's employees.
 
Thanasis
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you pray hard enough, water will run uphill. How Hard?
 Why, hard enough to make water run uphill, of cource!"      R. A. Heinlein
 
Internet: mitsolid@csd2.nyu.edu          (mitsolid%csd2.nyu.edu@relay.cs.net)
UUCP    : ...!uunet!cmcl2!csd2!mitsolid
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #648
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