November 1984
NOVEMBER
Bytes
From
the
1984
Pres.
l thought I'd hold off writing this until afttr th• Ccnputer Sht:M in case anything interesting happen•d. Alas, the sht:M was mort oriented to business use with littlt for us hme users. Ht:Mevtr, the sht:M probably yielded at least thrte or four new members, so it was worth manning a booth. At the courtesy of the Twin City Computer User newspaper, SPACE & TAJG shared the booth on the 27 & 28th. Bruce •~~ug and f,..ily ~ ll)'self handed out about ~If SPACE flyers· to passers-by. The next show is the Computer User Fair on Novembtr 24. SPACE & TAJG will again share a booth. This time we're supposed to have available the •1atest and greatest frcn Atari• according to the fair's organizer. I'm not sure Mhat to do, so if you have suggestions please let fH know, As always, volunteers will be appreciated. This should be a better shaw since it seems to be more user oriented. It will be at the Science Nuseu. at 30 east Tenth Street in downtt:Mn St. Paul. Hours are 9:30 am to 6:00 PII• Cost is $2.00/person or $5.00/family. User group members will recieve a discount if you bring your membership card. We've had a little turnover in officers. John Benke defected to JeH so Bruce and Frank Haug will now handle both disk and tape of the months. My wife, Joanne, will pick up the secretary's duties from Bruce. S.e the first ••ting ainutes ,er in this issue! Also, Bill Sterling ~s giving up his post as paper/education software librarian due to a busy schedule.
Jim Schulz has agreed to take over at this meeting. Thank you Bill and Jim both. It se•ed to me that last months swap meet was fairly successful. l think we'll have tha about 3 times a year. l will have the light pen demo at this meeting. See the review elsewhere in the newsletter.
1
There are a .fewnew rumors· afoot. lnf«Morld's Dvorak thinks that Atari's new ccnputer will be a 16 bit machine based on the Motorola 68000. Jt will cme with 1281<, 600 x 400 graphics, 8 channel sound synthesizer and unknown number of colors. It wi 11 cont a i n at 1east one 3. 5 • di sk drive. Target price is an amazing $300, but maybe that's without the drive. That's still amazing. lnfoworld also reports that Atari is making good on a number of their debts. This is a good sign that maybe Atari wi 11 i ndetd survive. Another rumor l heard frm Phil at TAIG is that Atari will keep the BOOXL, but upgrade it to 128K and retain software ccnpatability. That would be terrific to me personally. Also, the price of 800's, etc., may not drop off before Christmas. So if the deal you want doesn't cent along before Christmas, maybe it will afterwards. The winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will be on January 5 to 8. Is anyone going? Please let me know if you are. Perhaps I will go myself. CONTINUED-->
D.O.M. BAD NEWS DEPARTH9rr TAIG has suggested that we have a common newsletter, or that we at least share articles more extensively. Does it have to Without more contributions come to this? of articles it will have to. The Pres. Bob Floyd
NOTES
FROM THE EDITOR I do believe we are maKing this progress. As you can see, edition is really starting to amount I know we to something. Keep it up, first-class .this make can newsletter. It came up a while bacK that it would be really handy to have a new meeting place in which we could meet earlier. If you Know of a place the in free) (pr•ferab1y a tell please north-eastern suburbs, meeting. club officer at the This is the latest version of the Atari service pol icy. (Reprinted from MACE) For new merchandise, there will exchanges be over-the-counter for 90 days from the date of days 90 After purchase. Thi~ repaired. be will equipment to have will means that you you where r~turn your purchaces bought them for exchange within the If the warranty period. that has still merchant particular piece of equipment in stock, you should be able to get an immediate replacement. After the warranty has expired, you can have your equipment repaired wherever you choose (at your own expense) • If you have an article to submit or have any questions about the newsletter please call me. Jonathan Nelson
(The Editor)
AND T. 0 .M.
This month we are running late v I don ✓ t want again, due to the fact to use the TAIG disk for our own. It is made up of simple text games that or could be written by anybody copyed from a 1 ibrary booK that is 5 years old. We did get some programs donated last month, along with some digging on my part, we should have a disk and tape of the month for November. have SPACE members Do any public domain Christmas programs, text, designs, or music that we could use for the December disK and tape of the month? If you do, PLEASE November the copy to bring a meeting. Those of you who purchased the October disk, please stop by and get program for it---my label a labe~ and printer are now compatible. The 1 ibrary program 1 isting should also_ be available at this meeting. If you~-program had trouble loading the VARITAB last month, use the basic command ENTER instead of LOAD. month The disk/tape of the club contains programs from the 1 ibrary. The tapes can be purchased for $3 and the disKs for $4. The group makes a small profit from the toward which 90 sale of these supporting some of the things the group does. Each disk/tape usually contains eight to twelve programs. Most of these programs ar·e games with some utilities and demos mixed in. The programs are obtained from trading with other user groups and from submissions f r·om 1 oca 1 members. Members who submit a program will receive a disk or tape of the month free! What a deal!! --THIS MONTH ✓ s PROGRAMS-Unfortunately, the titles were not'--" ava i 1 able at printing. The disk of the month may also be Bill Contact obtained by mail. Sterling at 291-7710 (eves.)
SynFi le+ is probably the most for program database powerful vast of It allows storage AtariAR I. informat ion - up to 16 amounts of ~:;,.ta disks for a given file are search the Pl us, - - 1 owed. capabil ity is ve~y fast - about 2 seconds on a file with 260 records. is Atari 1050 type "double density" are that files The supporte d. compati ble, created are DOS 2.0 can use you although I ✓ m not sure file to a DOS file transfer to move provides SynFile+ another disk. itself. within capabil ity this 64K Mosaic and Axion 128K Rampowe r d. supporte select boards are also larger of indexing This allows files. Records in a data f i 1 e are into fields. broken up a In name/ad dress data file, for each record you might have the followin g fields: Name Address City State Zip Code Phone Number
include some other You might to you. Then you interest of fields up a phone print to it use could within a persons 11 a find sting, i 1 Keep state, or code zip certain ist, 1 mailing card Xmas of track etc. search the said, I As is This fast. very is ity capabil indexed. are fields because in sorting does Indexing of storage plus order, tical alphabe a few letters of desired fields for all records. This allows very fast indexed searchin g searches when pay you price the , However fields. reduced is indexing for heavy -,pacity of record storage for a If the file is too big, ~ven file. in to it down i eas 1 y break >'OU can size maximum Typical smaller files. of a file indexed on the first 2 is about letters of three fields
750. This should be plenty for most of us. A place where SynFile+ really and entry data in shines is arrangem ent. The "create" function a 1J owing in versa ti 1 e is very customiz ing of your file for data field Special entry and viewing. types are allowed such as text (left numeric , justifie d>, right or certain only (allows looK-up integer date, entries> , dollar, and justifie d) right (left or zed speciali for others several Numeric and dollar applica tions. during totalled be fields can or only records printou t for all which meet the search requirem ents. My main complain t with SynFile+ is the Report function . While it is capable of 1 isting data or even maKing labels, it should have even pr·ogram The more cap ab i 1 i ti es. supposed ly supports multiple labels It doesn't do this across the page. it inserts a lot very well because between spaces unneces sary of labels. You might be able to print 2 labels across for names/a ddresses is needed w i th a 1 i t t 1 e 1 ucK. LucK allow doesn't SynFile+ because editting of your label layout after a test printing . You must re-enter is There the whole 1 abe 1 1 ayou t. also no provisio n for saving your layout to disK for recall label in insertio n of text later. The your label layout for printou t with the data is also not supporte d. One is no other annoyanc e is that there easy way to enter printer control codes. The only way I've found is to enter them with the title if you option. "1 ist" the using are Otherwi se, you must send your codes booting before printer to the SynFile+ . However, SynFile+ does allow a dumping the output meant for printer to a disK file that can be word standard a with editted I've processo r such as ATARIWRITER. tried this with good lucK, although 1 ining things up can be a 1 i ttle BASIC writing a I ✓m difficu lt.
program soon that will read a file 1 iKe this and allow a much more versatile printout permy desires 1 isted above. See me in a few weeKs orso if you ✓ d 1 iKe a copy. One otherthing you might be conversion a is interested in datafile a reads program that magazine ✓ s created with Softside mistaKenly <recently database featured on TAIG and SPACE ✓ s disK of to DIF format, which the month) is how I SynFile+ can read. That converted about 160K of data for use on SynFile+. See me if you want a copy. sti 11 I ✓ d Overal 1, very a SynFile+ It really recommendati on. sol id piece of software.
give strong a is
Tech SKetch Light Pen Reviewed by Bob Floyd · I recently received the LP-10S Light Pen with Micro-Illust rator (M-I from here on) software fr·om Tech SKe tch is Inc. As you probably Know, M-I the very impressive Graphics 7.5 software used by Koalapad and Atari Touch Tablet fordrawing pictures on Standard compressed a TV screen. are .PIG files) the files (i.e., and compatible between Tech SKetch is not Koalapad, but Touch Tablet However-, comp at i b_l e with either-. is ( f i 1 ename saved f i 1es a 11 Keys PICTURE> using the SHIFT-INSERT be w i 11 Menu Storage on the I each other. compatible with under-stand that you can load the using by bacK PICTURE file the thinK?> on SHIFT-DELETE <I have you If Menu. Storage questions, just asK at the meeting. software for enough compatibility . How does it wor-K? Light pens worK by sensing the 1 ight By Keeping a fr-om the TV screen. close tracK of time from start of the beam sweeping the electron screen, the position of the beam
That ✓ s
when detected by the 1 ight pen can Since TV screens be calculated. M-I has somewhat, seem to differ on feature "alignment" an included feature This Menu. Main the calibrates the 1 i ght pen so it wi 11 1 ine up with a cursoron the screen. thing that Alignment is the fir-st with Along booting. after M-I does led cal feature a is alignment sensitivity a This "inertia". feature that determines how quicKly and accurately the cursor follows the 1 ight pen ✓ s calculated position. calculated said I that Note is a there Apparently, position. causing in the signal lot of noise the cursor to jiggle quite a bit By increasing the when drawing. can be reduced jiggling "inertia", you can draw where point to the than mode DRAW in ines 1 smoother very a This tablet. touch a with impressive feature and improved my I found I had drawing ability. and could presence betterscreen better. much plan and position
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For those who don ✓ t want to know more about "inertia", please sKip a inertia~ couple of paragraphs. The being used is probably mathematical Values being received filtering. previous with the are averaged filtered values using a weighting factor-. A 60% filter would be 60% of the current value plus 40% of the previous filtered value. Or, FV2 = (.60 FV3 = <. 60 FV4 = ( . 60 etc. where FV V and FV1
* V) * V) * V)
+ .40 + .40 + .40
* * *
FV1 FV2 FV3
= filtered value = va 1ue of pen 1 oca ti on = V for in it i a 1 value
Different effects can be achieved by More percentage. the changing is inertia) (or filtering lower a using accomplished by percentage of the cur-rent pen value. Of course, this example can be used_ on a wide variety of things. The Tech SKetch 1 ight pen worked 800, but on my Atari very well all on my 48K 400. didn ✓ t work at Before I describe my 400 problems,
1et's discuss 800 performance. I found that a 11 the features worked well and that I cou1d draw better, except for a few small problems. -irst, I have not figured out how to --c:ake advantage of the "magnify" feature. I can't find my way around the whole picture. Second, the TV screen must be bright and you must use bright colors when drawing. In other words, don't try to use black as the background color (default is white). Otherwise, performance was impressive. As I said, my 48K Atari 400 did not worK. I was able to boot the program, but the required alignment procedure didn't worK. The program could not sense the pen position. So, the program could go no further without the pen "getting lost". It didn't worK on SPACE's 400 computer either. Both of these computers have the MACE 48K upgrade. They both have the GTIA chip, too, so this can't be the problem. My wild guess is that it is either the 48K upgrade or a difference in video ~ignat quality between 400 and 800 ,......,;>mputers. Does anyone have any ideas? I plan to test the pen on an 800XL prior to the meeting. I am bringing my 800 along to demo the pen. Incidently, Tech Sketch with M-I software retails for about $70. They will make SPACE a special dea 1 on a group purchase. So, if you have an 800 (or an XL?), you might be interested. I will tall< to Tech Sketch about 400 computers after· getting some feedback at the meeting. (Editor's note Worked perfectly on my 800XL.) October Meeting Minutes Joanne Floyd
The last SPACE meeting was held October 12. In the rumors 'epartment, Bob Floyd announced that --.r' recent issue of I nfowor 1 d reported that JacK Tramiel may introduce a new MSX computer· in January. Bob also noted that the last newsletter erroneously stated
that the software company Synapse was going out of business---it is Synergistic, not Synapse, that is in trouble. In the vice president's report, Bruce Haug explained that he is taking over as disk 1 ibrarian for John Benke. Bruce also reported, however, that unless people donate new programs to the club, there will not be enough material to produce new disks of the month. Max Feuer, the treasurer, reported that the club balance was approximately $504, with 58 members paid and 13 members overdue to pay. Max handed out the newly designed membership cards. In the new business section, Bob announced that the Twin Cities Computer User Exposition would be held October 25-28 and that the Science Museum was also planning a computer fair to be held at the end of November. Clubmember Joe Danko discussed information about hardware and software offers available from Centurian Enterprises and B & C Computer Visions. These companies are selling parts for 400 and 800 computers and 810 disk drives at very reasonable prices. They are also selling the Happy 810 conversion and severa 1 types of 1 anguage, editing, and game cartridges. People interested in more information can call Joe after 6 PM at 777-9500. It was learned that there are no authorized service centers for Atari any longer. This means there is no warranty work available at this time. However, there are st i 11 places to have your Atari serviced. Several new hardware and software items were demonstrated. Gordy from Wizard's WorK demonstrated the Ramrod XL with Omn i v i ew , a s i mp 1 e to i n st a 1 1 circuit board which allows you to alternate between 3 operating systems in the XL computer. It also increases keyboard responsiveness and allows 80 column screen output to a monitor. Steve Pauley from Computer Food demonstr·ated Synapse·'~-
new program, Alley Cat. In this game, an adventurous tomcat leaps in and out of apartment windows, collecting gifts and prizes as he goes in the hope of winning the paw of a 1 ov e 1 y f ema 1 e cat • Wh i 1 e collecting the gifts, the cat must perform complicated feats of daring and avoid such harrowing dangers as prowling canines, vicious whisk brooms, and angry relatives of the female cat. (The path of true love is never smooth!) Todd Burkey from Soft Unltd. demonstrated Party Quiz, a trivia game that comes complete with 2500 questions and individual controllers for 4 players • .The game can be played competitively or socially and it also provides an option for handicapping good players. Chris Tiggeman & Bob Krach showed their 128K ramdisk board for 800 computers. There was a 1 ittle trouble, but this should be straightened out soon. Chris & Bob have not made final plans on what to do with the board, but hopefully there will be some sort of group function. When the demos were cfinished, the meeting was adjourned and a swap meet was held.
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118 DIM ANSS(l) 2 91 GRAPHICS 8 : ? .. COLOR [ 8-1 4 I" ; : INPUT COL, 311 SETCOLOR 2,COL,l:SETCOLOR 4,COL+l, 4:SETCOLOR l 1 COL,12 481 COLOR 1:CX•188:CY•88:DEG 511 PLOT CX,CY+71:INC•I 6111? "R,VX,VY";:INPUT ~OT,Vl,VY 8111 INC=INC+ROT 851 IF VX•B THEN NX•INT(SIN(INC)•7B):G OTO 1111 988 NX=INT(SIN(INC)•ABS(SIN(INC•VX))•7
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1181 ORAWTO NX+CX,NY+CY 1281 IF NX<>I OR NY<>71 THEN 888 13811 7 "MORE? (Y/N) ";:INPUT ANSS 14118 IF ANSS:e"Y" THEN GOTO 288 15118 GRAPHICS I '-11
SynFile+ From Synapse Reviewed by Bob Floyd WANT
ADS
~--------,_..,For Sale: Atari -1025 printer. or best offer. Call 777-9500 6 PM. Will demonstrate.
$200 after
Odds"'n"'Ends The Atari 800XL, $99 by Christmas? Could we have a printed 1 ist of the results from that equipment survey? Is anyone going to COMDEX fall 84? It's in Las Vegas from Nov. 14-18. Has anyone seen an inexpensive program to dump graphics from Atari to Prowriter? A good graph/chart generating program? Could we get a q,uple of special interest groups going? I want to know more about machine language.
SynFile+ is a newly released database program from Synapse software. The program is neatly packaged with a nice 3 ring binder and two disks. The first disk is a good tutorial aimed at the beginner level. The other disk is the program itself. The program is written in machine language for fast processing. A database is a program that helps you I am use your computer to store records. using SynFile+ to keep track of household medical names/addresses, inventry, software bonds, savings expenses, The purchases, credit card numbers, etc. nice thing about a database program is that you can sort records, search records by category, add portions of some or all records together, and print 1 ists or labels from your records. <<CONTINUED IN INSERT>>
S.P.A.C.E.
Member-sh
p
A p p 1 i ca. t
i on
_ _ _ Phone __________ Date
Name
City_____________ State ____ Zip ______ _
Addr-ess
Equipment/System-Us e..._______________ ______________ ___________ _ Area of interest Special sKills, interest, info which might be shared. _ _ _ _ _ __
-------Opt i ona 1 information:
Occupation
Employer __________________ _____ _
Dues: $10.00 per year - please inclose checK with application. Mail application and dues to: St. Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts 748 Amber Dr., Shoreview, MN 55112
TIPS"'N"'TRICKS
WANT ADS Now it is possible for members to place "Want Ads" in this newsletter. The ads may be for selling used hardware, used software, tutoring services, or just about anything that has to do with Atari. The rates are as follows: 6 Lines $1.20 216 Letters 1 Line .25 36 Letters The following is a list of advertising rates for vendors or individual members. Full page $18.00 7-1/2• X 10• Half page 10.00 3-5/8• X 10• Half page 10.00 7-112• X 5• 1/4 page
5.50
Change the output of a program from the screen to a printer with: POKE 838,166 and POKE 839,238 Change output from printer to screen w i th: POKE838, 163 and POKE 839,246 ~ In AtariArtist, place the cursor over the Atari logo in the upper left hand corner and press a button. Also in AtariArtist, press the INSERT key in the storage menu to save the present file in uncompressed form. It will automatically save it with the file name •PICTURE•. Use DOS then to rename the file so you Non't write over it.
3-5/8• X 5•
All advertisements must be paid for when they are submitted. Deadline for ad placement is the last Friday of each month. To place ad or for more info, call the editor.
What tricks hav• you· ·found?
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.. .. .. ..
. Treasunr Edi tor 484-9027 483-3895 . .. .. Secretary Cass Lib. 774-6226 487-2627
Bob Floyd Prtsident 487-2627 Jon Nelson • • Bruce Haug • Vice-Pres 774-6226 Max Feuer. • • Bruce Haug • • Disk Lib. 774-6226 Bruce Haug Jim Schulz . P~per/Ed.· Lib. Joanne Floyd --- ~.L. 544-9058 /1 . i' r-~ ~ G B~l letin Board •
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St. Paul ATARI Ccnput1r Enthusiasts 2589 Fisk St. Roseville, NN 55113 '
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2944 24th Ave. S. Minneapolis, Mn. ..,. ·-t:;-:;--\_/ '~ ' .,
Next SPACE Meeting: Friday, November 9, 1984 8:00 P.M. Minnesota Federal Savings & Loan Lexington Ave. near Larpenteur Roseville, Minnesota
55406