INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Sun, 11 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  188
 
Today's Topics:
             Cad 3D II Metafiles to Easydraw or Timeworks
                      Developer's Documentation
                       GIF to SPC conversions.
                        Large screen monitors
                 Need addresses for ZRAM and ramchips
                        New Atari ST keyboard
                          Tape Drive Backup
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 11 Feb 90 23:00:36 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!tut!hydra!hylka!jalkio@bloom-beacon.mit.edu
Subject: Cad 3D II Metafiles to Easydraw or Timeworks
Message-ID: <1890.25d5ee94@cc.helsinki.fi>
 
I have printed Metafiles with the Cad 3D II Hardcopy-program. I haven't
been able to load these files to Easydraw or Timeworks, even if they use
Metafiles, too. What's the reason for this?
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 12 Feb 90 03:59:56 GMT
From: haven!h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu!a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu!jlf@ames.arc.nasa.gov  (Jack L
 Forester)
Subject: Developer's Documentation
Message-ID: <703@h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu>
 
I'm posting this here rather than mailing kbad@atari because I want to
see if anybody else got the same response I did...
 
I just got  my response from Gail Johnson regarding my request for the
documentation only version of the developer's package (in only a week too!
nice going Gail & co. :-)  She wrote a little note at the bottom of the
first page that said...
 
"The only documentation from my dept. is sold as part of the developer's
kit.  Mr. Badertscher was in error - unless this was an old message"
 
What's up?  Is there or is there not going to be a package consisting of only
the documentation?  If there is, will I have to be a professional developer
or can a PD/Shareware author get these materials?  I don't run a software
company, nor do I have a business plan - I just enjoy programming my ST.
 
Shoot, even if the documentation is not available separately, I might
consider paying the $250 for the package if someone who knows can address
my concerns above.
 
Jack Forester, Jr.
West Virginia University
Department of Computer Science and Other Imaginary Things
That's 'jlf@a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu' to you!!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 12 Feb 90 05:42:59 GMT
From: deimos!uafhp!uafhcx!dhe@rutgers.edu  (David Ewing)
Subject: GIF to SPC conversions.
Message-ID: <3684@uafhp.uark.edu>
 
    I am looking for a program which can convert GIF files to SPC. files in a
command line environment.  I know of the GIFSPC.PRG, but unfortunatly it
requires large amounts of mouse interaction.  I typically like to convert large
numbers of GIF files to SPC files, but I'd like to automate the process instead
of having to watch it and select new files everytime it finishes one of them.
A GIF viewer that could display 320x200x512 colors would also be nice to have.
 
      Please Email me at the address below.
 
            -Dave
 
 
==============================================================================
 dhe@uafhcx.uark.edu                      David Ewing, University of Arkansas
 dhe@uafb15.uark.edu   "DON'T PANIC!!!"       Computer Science Engineering
==============================================================================
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 12 Feb 90 04:15:20 GMT
From: cs.umn.edu!thelake!steve@ub.d.umn.edu  (Steve Yelvington)
Subject: Large screen monitors
Message-ID: <A2984842315@thelake.mn.org>
 
[In article <1990Feb10.143814.630@ibmpcug.co.uk>,
     monck@ibmpcug.co.uk (Paul Monckton) writes ... ]
 
> Hi,
> Can anyone tell me anything about those MONITERM monitors?
> What are they like?
 
Big. Sharp. Monochrome. They're the same Moniterm monitors you might
encounter plugged into a Macintosh or a hopped-up PC. The ST version
includes a video board that plugs into the Mega internal bus. A program
for the /auto/ folder called a "Physbase faker" causes console output to
appear on the big monitor instead of the standard monitor.
 
Calamus looks great on the Moniterm. But some GEM programs won't like it.
It's very easy to make assumptions -- such as 32000 bytes as screen size
-- that are invalid when the Moniterm is installed. It's best to test any
critical software before you make a commitment.
 
TOS/TTP (non-GEM) programs appear to work without worry (from my limited
experiments), except for scrolling text. Because the CPU has so much data
to wrestle with, moving text around on the big monitor takes a lot more
time than on a standard monitor. You definitely don't want to run a text
editor that scrolls a line at a time. Of course, since you're looking at
an area that seems as big as a football field, you don't HAVE to scroll
very often.
 
> How much are they?
 
I think they list around $1,600 U.S.
 
> Where can I get one?
 
I don't know about the U.K. In the U.S., any competent Atari dealer should
be able to order one. They are made by Viking Moniterm in Minnetonka,
Minnesota, USA. If your dealer can't help you, send me a note and I'll dig
up Moniterm's address. (I don't have it here at home.)
 
> etc etc
> Thanks,
> Paul
> --
> Automatic Disclaimer:
> The views expressed above are those of the author alone and may not
> represent the views of the IBM PC User Group.
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahem... defecting?
 
By the way, you also might be interested in the Image Systems
high-resolution display card for the Mega, which is around $600. It gives
you 1024*768 monochrome or 16-color display on any 50kHz multisynch
monitor. The manufacturer is Image Systems Corp., 11543 K-Tel Drive,
Hopkins, Minnesota 55343 USA, telephone (612) 935-1171. I've seen this one
in action, too, and it's very nice.
 
--
   Steve Yelvington at the (thin ice today*) lake in Minnesota
   UUCP path: ... umn-cs.cs.umn.edu!thelake!steve
 
   *not only thin ice, but I saw the first Canada geese returning
    north this morning, so we hopped in the car and drove all the way
    to Castle Danger.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 12 Feb 90 02:14:47 GMT
From: obryan@gumby.wisc.edu  (Mark O'Bryan)
Subject: Need addresses for ZRAM and ramchips
Message-ID: <1990Feb12.021447.25614@gumby.cc.wmich.edu>
 
In article <702.25cf31a9@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu> v067majp@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
 writes:
>
> Also, does anyone know of a good place to get 1Mbit Ram chips (also what
> "speed" I should get).
 
I.C. Express has 1-meg chips (100 nS) for $8.15.  They're in California, at
(800) 877-8189.  I've dealt with them in the past and gotten prompt service.
They do add 3% for credit card purchases.
 
120 nS chips (probably even 150 nS) are plenty fast enough for the ST.  It's
just getting harder to find anything slower than 100 nS these days (in 1-meg
packages).
 
--
Mark T. O'Bryan                 Internet:  obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 12 Feb 90 02:06:57 GMT
From: obryan@gumby.wisc.edu  (Mark O'Bryan)
Subject: New Atari ST keyboard
Message-ID: <1990Feb12.020657.25422@gumby.cc.wmich.edu>
 
In article <2048@ultb.isc.rit.edu> clf3678@ultb.isc.rit.edu (C.L. Freemesser)
 writes:
>
> Well, there aren't any REAL replacement keyboards for the ST.  You can
> buy those awful spring-things to stiffen up the keyboard, but they don't
> work.
>
> I've been kicking the idea around of building a new keyboard with REAL
> ...stuff removed...
>
> How do people feel about such a thing?  I'm surprised it has not been
> done yet.  From what I hear, quite a few people would like something
> better than this rubber crap we use now.
 
Diverse Data Products of Florida (800) 662-8662 is bringing out a $60 box in
March that allows you to connect any IBM AT style keyboard you like to the
ST.  If you're interested, you might want to check them out.  There are cer-
tainly plenty of options and lots of better keyboards in the PC world.
 
They're working on software right now to make sure it works with PC-Ditto
and Spectre.  Personally, I decided to pass on it for two reasons:
 
(1) it ties up the MIDI port, which I need, strange as it may seem, for...
    you guessed it... MIDI!
 
(2) you can't disconnect and remove the Mega keyboard, because it's still
    needed to supply the intelligent keyboard chip, and handle the mouse
    and joystick ports.
 
Your needs may differ from mine.  I'd certainly like a better keyboard.  I'm
just not willing to give up my MIDI ports, serial port, parallel port, DMA
port, etc. to get it.
 
--
Mark T. O'Bryan                 Internet:  obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 12 Feb 90 01:52:26 GMT
From: obryan@gumby.wisc.edu  (Mark O'Bryan)
Subject: Tape Drive Backup
Message-ID: <1990Feb12.015226.25152@gumby.cc.wmich.edu>
 
In article <17425@laurel.athertn.Atherton.COM> alex@Atherton.COM (Alex Leavens)
writes about a tape unit available from BMS:  While I appreciate his sharing
the info with the net, I honestly can't understand why anyone would choose
the option he describes over the ICD FA*ST Tape Backup unit.  I don't have
any axe to grind here, I'm just a little perplexed and thought an opposing
view should be aired.  Perhaps there are other advantages to the BMS unit
that I'm not aware of.
 
> It uses a standard size Un*x style cartridge
> tape mechanism and tapes (unlike the ICD unit, which
> uses a non-standard size) to allow you to backup/restore your
> hard-disc partitions on a file-system basis
> (there is no image backup yet).
 
Unless you're planning on transporting data to/from Unix boxes via this
medium, I'm not sure what value this "standard" would have.  Perhaps the
intention is that the tapes are easier to find?
 
The ICD box allows both file-oriented and image backups, which comes in
handy for Spectre (and possibly Minix?) partitions.
 
> Tape cartridge prices run about
> $15 each (less if you go to swap meets, where used Sun Microsystems tapes
> can be found for as little as $5).
 
While most places will try to charge anywhere from $30 to $40 for the
CT-600N digital cassette tapes that the ICD box uses, I know of two places
(at least) they can be obtained for $19 a piece.  Since I don't know the
capacity of the BMS tapes, I'm not sure how the $15 compares to the $19
for 155 meg capacity.
 
> Disc to tape speed averages
> about a meg a minute, which means that the average 10 meg partition
> can be backed up (assuming it's completely full) in roughly 10 minutes.
> One nice thing is that the backup doesn't need to be monitored,
> so you can be off doing something else while your hard disc gets backed up.
> (Like sleeping...:-)
 
Hmmm, impressive.  The ICD unit runs 6-7 megs a minute, and also runs fully
unattended.  One disadvantage, of course, is that you only get to sleep
1/7-th as long ;-).
 
> Berkley MicroSystems will sell you a complete system (tape drive, controller,
> SCSI<->ASCI board, software) for $650.  However, they say that since the
> cost of the tape drives mechanisms is so cheap, you can probably do a
> lot better by going out and buying a used tape drive yourself, and ...
 
The ICD box is $775 from Joppa Computers in Maryland, and I just ordered one
from MicroTyme in Ohio for $765.  Considering the capacity/performance of
the ICD box, I don't see the BMS as any savings.  I'm sticking a bare 100
meg SCSI hard drive inside the tape box, which saves me buying a box, power
supply, and host adapter.  Can you do this with the BMS unit?
 
[MicroTyme advertises the ICD for $799.  I pointed out that my brother has
bought over $1,000 worth of games from them, and asked if they could match
Joppa's price.  They beat it.  I don't know if they would do this for any-
body who asked, or if I got special treatment.  They seem to be pretty nice
folks though.]
 
> One caveat--you will need some technical expertise in order to put
> this system together.  While SCSI stuff is pretty much plug and play
> these days, there is still a certain level of knowledge needed in order
> to prevent yourself from frying expensive components.  (This is not
> a 'take it out of the box and run it' type system, you will have
> to get your hands dirty and assemble it.)  Given that
> caution, if you're in the market for an inexpensive tape backup,
 
If your time is worth nothing, or you just enjoy doing it yourself, this
may be a worthwhile option.  Otherwise, I just don't see it.  People seem
to think the ICD box is awfully expensive (I know I did), but if you check
out boxes on the Mac using the same streaming tape drive you'll find they
run $1,000 to $1,700.  That makes the ICD look almost cheap.  When you
consider that it has to have a host adapter (Atari DMA-SCSI), plus can hold
a hard drive, and sells for $775, it's a steal.
 
If you really want to roll your own, the bare TEAC tape drives can be found
for ?$400.  Add $100 for a host adapter, $100 for a box/power supply, plus
a little extra for miscellaneous cables and mounting hardware.  You saved
maybe $160 for your efforts.  Now sit down and start writing the backup
software.  Doesn't seem like much of a savings to me.  (I considered that
option and rejected it.  I might have come to a different conclusion if I
was going to, say, stuff a whole stack of peripherals in a tower case.)
 
[The above has been a public service announcement.  It's replete with my
own personal opinions.  Your mileage may vary.  Do not exceed recommended
doses.  Void where prohibited by law.]
 
--
Mark T. O'Bryan                 Internet:  obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #188
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