SPACE Newsletter

February2016 Newsletter used to.

style BIOS.

It's nice to be running a I've also continued to bang my current OS for a change. And head against the wall about it really does start up much my Internet stopping every FOREWORD faster than before, as once in a while. I don't know By Captain Irata: advertised. This, despite that if this is the solution or not, I am unable to take advantage but this afternoon I noticed "Listen Up! When I say score, of the new UEFI (Unified that my modem's time was you Atari gamers better ask Extensible Firmware wrong by hours. I fixed that, how high! Hoo-rah!" Interface) / secure boot and have a hunch that server features in my situation. My time inconsistencies could laptop hardware supports indeed explain wonky DNS these capabilities, but they behavior. We'll see... had to be disabled in my BIOS in order for Windows 7 to Other than a joystick button work. Turns out that by that gave out, my Atari gear doing the free upgrade to 10 continues to run flawlessly, Well, I finally made the from there, I'm still stuck with no problematic OS plunge. What plunge do I without UEFI/secure boot. If upgrades or network speak of? I upgraded my oneI wanted them, I'd have had to problems to solve. How nice year-old Toshiba laptop PC change my BIOS settings, then by comparison! from Windows 7 ("free do a new, clean install of Win downgrade from Windows 8") 8 using the CDs that came Thanks, keep using that Atari, to Windows 10. Not bad, with my machine, and then and come to your next SPACE really. It looks very much like do the free Win 10 upgrade meeting, Friday February 12, Windows 7 still, with an extra from there. Pretty much start 2016. layer of phone-like GUI over from scratch. It has to do interface for the stuff you're with fundamental most likely to use most. But characteristics of how the boot the regular control panels and disk is formatted, like messing everything are still under with the partition table. Not there too, if you can find worth to me, I decided. Win them. So it's not hard to get 10 runs fine using the old Table ofContents

President's Corner: 1 Treasurer's Report: 1 Secretary's Report: 2 8-bit DOM Review: 3 Atari News: 4

the actual finances of our club. Since I paid the room rental bill for 2015 in January we take the big hit for the year. We started the new year with Sorry about getting this later a bank balance of $465.54 and to Steve than usual, but I after the $300.00 room rental HELLO WORLD! wanted to wait until I got the payment we had $165.54 in room rental billing from our account. We did add I will just go ahead and get Falcon Heights so that I could $15.00 for Richard Mier's started. The meeting membership renewal and sold update our bank account commenced at 7:31 PM on before the next report. I got a four 8-bit and three ST DOMs January 8, 2016. There were call from them on the Tuesday ($12.00 and $9.00) respectively four members present, after the meeting and they for a total of $36.00 deposit. counting myself. The This gives us a new bank agreed that we only had to membership count is at eight pay $25.00 per month as we balance of $201.54 for the paid up. There was a lot of always had. The same rate month ended January 31, talk that night. We had a will apply for 2016. So our 2016. surprise visitor. The son of yearly room rental total will Richard Mier, Roger, came in, still be $300.00 instead of the Note that Nolan hasn't been sharing Atari memories. $360.00 I feared they would around for a few months and Conversation really picked up we still owe him $50.00 for the when he charge. came in. last five months of last year We had only four members ($10.00 per month). We also In the old business, Steve B. present for the January will owe Nolan for the webbrought in some components meeting, but we were site renewal for 2016. for the AtariLab Light Module pleasantly surprised by a visit for a little show-and-tell. He from Roger Mier (Richard Rich Mier is thinking about needs a cartridge, he said. In Mier's son). His Atari returning to the area and the new business, there was affiliation goes back long possibly opening up a shop to still talk about the 8 GB SD before I became a SPACE work on Atari computers card drive upgrade for the 8member and with long time again. We may see Roger bit, and Roger Mier members Glen and Steve around too as he seems to be mentioned Lotharek and his Berglund there was a lot very interested in getting back business in Poland upgrading of history and stories to to using his STE. Let's hope 8-bit Atari computers, discuss. Too bad Michael this news comes to fruition as. including a 1 MB upgrade for Current and Lance couldn't We will all benefit from their the 8-bit. experience. make it because they would have had a lot to contribute to Also, there was talk of Andre the conversations. As it was That's all I got for this month LaMothe and the “X” Game Steve Peck was able to name so I hope to see you all in System, Steve Berglund’s every author and February (the 12th to be stock Falcon computer and acknowledged every project exact). how to repairing it, the that Roger brought up. I am FireBee Falcon clone (and it is amazed at the knowledge top-notch, by the way), and Steve has of the Atari world the 68020 processor upgrade then and now! card being developed by Rodolphe Pineau for the Know I should tell you about ST/E/Mega line. the reason I write this report;

Furthermore, “ACTION!” are only five programs on Animation: 7 source code has been released here, so it will be another Sound: 7 to the public domain which is short Review. So, I am going Total score: 22/30 welcome news to game to get started. programmers. You can find Lecie: NOTE: this demo has out more on atariage.com for SIDE ONE: mild, implied nudity. Please more information. Ramp Rage, the only program be aware. Also on AtariAge, there is info on Side One of this month’s on the Authoritative Star DOM, is a game that involves This demo has digitized Raiders II, developed in secret steering a speedboat through graphics and smooth real-time by veteran programmer Aric treacherous waters. You have animated typography. I Wilmunder from Atari’s cointo avoid hitting obstacles in thought that the graphics op division, which would the water and other boats. were pretty awesome and have been Star Raiders II if You also have a limited blew me away. I personally The Last Starfighter was not supply of fuel. There are a that this program is the best developed into the SR2 we are couple good things, however. demo on the DOM. Kudos to already aware of. You can shoot at targets and whomever wrote it. collect fuel if it is low during The meeting adjourned at 8:23 the game. Also, there are Graphics: 10 PM , lasting for fifty-two ramps that you can utilize to Animation: 10 minutes. leap over obstacles in the Sound: 10 game. It is enjoyably difficult. Total score: 30/30 (perfect That concludes the Report. In score) the words of my favorite Graphics: 7 comic book producer, Stan Gameplay: 9 Lost in Space: Here is a game Lee… Animation: 6 where you have to pilot a Sound: 7 space ship to an orbiting base EXCELSIOR! to get fuel. You will die if you Total score: 29/40 lose fuel, crash, or go so high above the planet that you get SIDE TWO: “lost in space” (hence the There are four programs on name of the game). It is quite Side Two: three demos and difficult to play and needs paddle controllers. It reminds one game. me of “Lunar Lander,” where Boss: this animated black-andyou have to land on the Moon white graphics demo depicts without crashing or losing the boss from the first round fuel. It has an interesting of the classic arcade hit “Rpremise. 8-bitDOM Type” (which was a favorite Report of mine in the arcades; I even Graphics: 4 owned it for the Sega Master Sound: 3 BySteven Peck System and TurboGrafx-16). Animation: 5 There is a message, “R-Type Gameplay: 8 Hi again, fellow SPACE 3000,” on the screen during Total score: 25/40 members! I am back with the demo. Looking good! another DOM Review for the Compo Filer 2: This is a nifty Atari 8-bit computer. There Graphics: 8

animated demo of geometric Podcast and Wade of the ANTIC 2 (Graphics 0), ANTIC shapes in real time. I liked it, Inverse ATASCII Podcast for 4 or 5, and ANTIC 6 and 7 but I wonder if the 8-bit can early testing and feedback. (Graphics 1 and 2 large do WYSIWYG graphics. But, I character mode) guess that might create Binaries are available for Character map may display problems with the graphics Windows (64-bit) and OS X either ATASCII or internal limitations of such a small (https://github.com/robmcm ANTIC format program. I think it is an ullen/omnivore/releases). Edit character data right in the excellent example of real-time Linux users currently have to character map window animation on the Atari 8-bit install from source, see the Displays 6502 disassembly computer. Amazing stuff, to README with memory map for Atari 8be sure. (https://github.com/robmcm bit or Atari 5200 ullen/omnivore). I'm Includes a 6502 mini Graphics: 7 especially interested in assembler allowing you to Animation: 10 feedback from Windows users change the assembly code as that version has been tested without needing a 6502 Total score: 17/20 the least. reference card Smart search that matches in Well, folks, this ends the DOM Features hex grid, character map, or Review for January. I hope disassembly comments you have a nice time and Opens .ATR, .XEX, .XFD disk Highlights all matches, move don’t forget to read the next images in single, double, and forward and backward among Review which will have more enhanced density formats them dynamite programs. See you Save data in same format Map Editor later. Edit entire disk image or in Edit arbitrarily wide images logical segments Rectangular copy/paste Atari News Unlimited undo/redo Select drawing character Copy/paste ("ink") from character set SentbyMichaelCurrent Built-in support for default palette Atari character set Draw freehand January 31, 2016 Custom character set support Draw lines From: playermissile Custom color definition or Draw rectangle default NTSC or PAL colors Draw filled rectangles Announcing Omnivore Multiple views of the same Copy between different maps (http://playermissile.com/ data in different windows; Goals omnivore/), the Atari 8-bit changes are reflected in all save in different formats binary editor. It is a crosswindows attach notes to regions (for platform app for modern Hex Editor reverse engineering support) hardware (running Linux, OS Displays data in multiple add a character set editor X and Windows) to work with forms: hex, binary, character add a player/missile graphics executables or disk images of graphics editor Atari 8-bit machines. It is a Select regions and copy/paste support editing MAME ROMs hex editor, a disassembler Operate on hex data in (including other 8-bit (with mini-assembler) and a selected regions (logical processors like the Z80. Long map editor. functions, shift/rotate, term, maybe even 16-bit set/clear, arithmetic processors like the 68000) It is still beta-level code, so functions) support disk images for other testing and bug reports would Edit hex data right in the hex 8-bit machines like the C64 be appreciated! Thanks to grid and Apple ][ Kevin Savetz of the ANTIC Character map supports :

The Next Meeting is on Friday, Febuary 12, 2016, at 7:30 PM. We Hope to See You There!