SPACE Newsletter - October 1986

October 1986

In this i s s ue :

OCTOBER, 1986

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1986 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1986

SPACE

HAST-SIG At the Falco n Heig hts Comm unity Cent er 2077 Larp enteu r Ave . W.

ALL SORTS OF WONDERFUL STUFF . SEE FOR YOURSELF !

2 22 - 3593 Bob Rhod e . .. . ldi t or 714-8 226 Bruc e Hau~ . .. Pre ■ ident Trea aurer 439-3 982 . . . . Siede Bob 5442 531 ■ Pre Ji ■ Scbu la . . . ViceBob PloJd . . . . Secr etarJ 484 - 7576 774-8 226 Frank Hau« . .. Diak Lib. 439 - 3982 Libr arian nal Ji ■ S i ede . . . . Pape r/ldu catio KAST co - chai rs J i ■ Scbu la and Bob Ployd , SPAC I/TAI G Bull et i n Board . . . 522-2 687

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EN TH US IAS TS

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V.P. Notes By Ji1 Schulz

the PRES

Nell, •Y su11er prediction is co11ing true! Prograas for the Disk of the Nonth are starting to co■e in - see Frank's article this issue. This 1onth Me Mill de10 a progra1 Hrilten by John Novonty! In fact, John is going to De■o it. It ' s called IDOC, and the Docu1entation John gave ae to revieM is 6 pages long. Co1e to the 1eeting to see Nhat one of your felloM 1e1bers has acco1plished. ffffffflt ttffftttf fffllflff t I t B-Bit 0Mners f t 5 1/4" FLDPPYS • 29@ Each Plus Postage • t Group buy SIGN UP t t At "EETING •

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The HAST •eeling is co11ing fine. The less I say the better it goes. I Mill bring a current "e■bership list and "e■bership cards lo the ■eeting. If you do not have a 1e1bership card, see ■eat the 1eeting. EVERYONE Ht SPACE~ "AST 111

tit

The BylaHs Mere printed in last ■onth's NeMsletter. Bring any Bylaw changes to the October 1eeting in written for1; they then Mill be printed in the Nove■ber NeMsletter, and be voted on at the Nove■ber "Election "eeting'. CONTACT••• Rich llohrland 457-3263 Ernie Costello 455-6515 .•. if you Mant to run for office in SPACE or "AST. That's it for now; see you at the "eeting. The PRESS Disk of the "onth Because Frank has been ill, Mhether there will be a regular potpourri of progra1s on a regular disk is uncertain at best. However •.• There are lHo special, whole-disk progra■s being offered this ■onth. They are1 Wheel of Fortune ga■e - a very good si ■ulation; this one'll have you rolling! Text Pro - a fully docu■ented word processor, shown at the Septe1ber 1eeting

Mell, su11er is over and the fall and school season is noM upon us. Just the perfect weather for so■e war■ house, XL/ XE co~puter, and a good ga•e. Atari news is co1ing out hot and heavy this ■onth. Atari has started a series of shows across the country to show off the XL/XE co1puters as Nell as a lttlle knoNn co■puter called a ST. These shows include a nu1ber of softHare venders fro• both computers and give Atari and the soflMare co1panies a good chance to see their users first hand. The first of these shows Mas in San Jose and so1e of very ■uch ru1ored 8 bit products Mere discussed. Nore neMs headlines ...•. Atari goes public •••.. Atari Explorer shipping soon .... ANALOG special 8 bit co1ing soon •••. B bit reviews co■ ing soon •..• ICDconference firs t up in new B Bit Xtra ..•• B bit vs ST!should I speak???) ..... For these top news stories, stay tuned. And you said that there Nasn't ■uch neM??1? The Northern California Atari Expo Mas held in San Jose the Meekend of Septe1ber 20-21. Here are so■e of the highlights. I will so1e holes to entice you for infor1ation at our next 1eeting•••.• There Mere over 40 booths and Atari was well represented Mith such speakers as Leonard Tra ■iel, Shiraz Shivji, and Neil Harris. If you don't know who these ■ystery ■en are, ask 1e at the ■eeting and I will see if I can re1e1ber. Now for the 8 bit news, no neM products Mere announced, only the Marning to Mait for CDNOEX in Nove1ber and you will be very happy. Ok .••• An 8-bit hardware and softMare conference was held with Atari representatives John Scrunch and lane Ninner and here are so1e of the highlights. The XEPBO 80 colu■n board will begin production very soon and will sell for about SBO. The 91212 1200 baud 1ode1 will be available in late fall and will include an upgraded version of XETERN to acco11odate 1200 baud operation and Mill sell for about $100. Atari is iffy about a 340lE or a 520XE. They say that the technology is si1ple, but expect an announce1ent at CO"DEI if it is co1ing. Anew 1onitor is in Atari 's future. Atari is seriously considering co■ ing out with their own 1anitor ■uch like the Co11odore 1702 . The 3.5 inch B bit disk is still in develop■ent and will probably be seen in early 1987. This drive will be a single-sided, double density, 320k for ■atted. The neM version of DOS Mill be Mritten by OSS and Mill be DOS 2.5 co1patible. The neM DDS will allow the drive to act as an 810 or a 1050 as well as 3201:. The DOS Mill be tMice as fast as a 1050 and will support subdirectories. Finally, there is also a possibility that Atari Mill announce a double-sided drive Mith 640k. Lots of good stuff to look forward to. Next up, Atari goes public. Dn Septe1ber 18, 1986, Atari Corporation officially announced that they have registered Mith the SEC for an initial offering of ~,5QO,OOO shares of Co■■on Stoc~. The price range is e~pected to be between tit.SO and SIJ.50 per share. Nore news forthco1ing •... Do we have

"--,, any stocl brokers out there''? l would sure like a prospectus for 1y scrapbuol ind to get so•e good i11co1e figures for the troops. Atari Explorer. Need l say 1ore???? The latest news is that the new Atari Explorer will be co1ing off the presses the week of Septe1ber 22 and will be available soon after. Atari says that it now has the staff available to produce the 1agazine and it will be available every two 1onths, It is now October 3rd as I write this and l have yet to see it, We will see •••• ANALOG has announced in their Nove■ber issue that they will be publishing a special 1agazine issue called Atari 8-bit Extra froa ANALOG Co1puting. This will include a coapendiu1 of so■e of the best irticles and software that could not fit in their 1agazine. All no stuff. Expect to see see it so1eti1e before Christaas. 8 bit reviews???? Yes, starling next 1onth 1 I will starting reviewing 1y favorite software fro1 the past and the present. First up next aonth is Atari's Star Raiders II. Look for it next 1onth, Well, I a1 finally going to coae out of the closet. Starting this 1onth, I will be putting so1e of the 1ost interesting articles which I have picked up on soae of the popular BBSes. This is nothing new. You have seen these in 1onths past, but they been sub1itted silently. This 1onth is an online conference fro• Co1puserve with two representatives fro1 ICD. A conference is tore of online question and answer session and you can usually find out inforaation that you wouldn't find in print. I have placed so1e of these on the NAST disks and they have been very well received. So here is the first one for the 8 bit. The ICD people talk about their new KID box and SpartaDOS. This is a little long so it will probably split up over two aonths, I will let the split be 1ade at our editor's discretion. So for ■ore info, read this 1onth's 8 bit xtra. Finally, I have a gripe about the XE/XL vs. ST battle. I a1 probably not the person to talk, but here goes. I a■ getting a little upset about the ST cropping up 1ore and ■ore in XE/IL articles. Case in point, last 1onth's ANALOG interview with the head of new product develop1ent of the 8 bit product line. Halfway through the interview out of the blue coaes a discussion of the ST IBN box and the ST blitter chip. These co11ents have no place in an 8 bit interview. Case nu•ber 2, after downloading a XL/XE news files fro■ Co1puserve, e~pecting all sorts of good news and ru1ors, instead I only found two pieces of XE/XL news and four or five pieces of ST news. Why???? Having ay position with the KAST ST group, I probably still shouldn't talk, but I don't want my B bit 1agazines to beco1e ST 1agazines, There is still so1e loyalty left you guys. This probably is not the place to announce, though that this 1onth's de10 is a de10 update of the ST. The de10 will be ■ore to update you on so1e of the best ST software now available. This will not be a hardsell session, but 1ore of an infor1ation update. This should not violate what I previously stated.

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8 Bit ltra This is the first in a series of BBS articles which I have collected for our club newsletter. This 1onth is the first of two parts of a conference with two representatives fro■ ICD on Septe1ber 13, 1986. Read and be infor1ed about their new products. The split of this rather long is being done our very co■petent editor, based on space li ■itations. Ji ■ Schulz

Job

User ID

09/l3/B6 ICD Conference Nod Ch Tlk Handle

--- ----------- --- -- --- -----------20 72347,776 26 70426, 1214 31 76703,4061 33 74666,601 42 72347,350 47 76703,4061 53 72347,75 55 70525,653 57 72327,2231 58 74146,2472 59 73537, 1524 61 72347 I 1036 64 76703,2011 65 72337,370 68 72337,322 71 71036,232 78 72436,1771 80 70707,3127 84 70426,1214 85 72347,431

NIIH 30 RFI 30 RIC 30 LOU 30

IIAK 30

RFI 30 TAO 30 ANA 30 SYR 30 HOD 30 LGY 30 RIM 30 IIBR 30 FTL 30 FYN 30 IWL 30 CUL 30 CBII 30 LIS 30 SAD 30

LESLIE BARTIRDKO ICD-Kike Chin Keith Ledbetter Joe Kcfarland JEFFREY LITTERICK

ICD-To1 keith Robert Cros~y Larry Friday Re■us

Ji ■ lloods JEFF BOLTON Dick Brudzysnki Jerry Bill Colburn Francis Nark IToolworksl Darius Nike Schoenbach BRYAN DREW

(Chin Keith) first off, we are proud to have ICD, Inc as our guest today. AnythinJ you'd like to say, To■? tlCD-To1) Sure, I a1 glad to have this opportunity to Chat with our users on Co1puserve. I think the 1ain strength of the Atari support syste1 these days is the BBS. (Chin Keithl finished, Toi? t1CD-To1l Sure !Chin Keith) ok, then let's open the floor up for questions. First is Darius, then Nark. (Darius) How will the KIDs I 1eg RAK be accessed? Through PORTB? tlCD-Nike) The 1 Keg KID will have hardware registers at the D100 and DbOO areas (Chan Keith) Darius=> follow up on that question?

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(DariUS) HoM will the NIO l 1eg RAN be accessed? Through PORTB or will other locations be used? (ICD·Nikel The NIO has registers at the DlCO-DlFF address range forthe 10s~ part the RAN is at the D600 1eaory page. llhat specifically_ were you wondering since that is fairly broad? (Darius) Will software designed for the Newell upgrade or RANBO XL work an it? (ICD-Hike) No, the RAH is a •true• RAH disk ••• just like a floppy, therefor~ you dod not need to •setup" the RAH disk as you did with the RAHBO/NEIIELL with the RD type of co11and, (Chan Keithl but, you can STILL do an RD co11and along with the NIO •• right, . 1ike? (!CD-Hikel Sure the RD is ONLY for internal 1e1ory of the ca1puter the MIO 1s a TOTALLY indep;nd@nt syste■, It handles its own RAN in a fashion best suited for the disk emulation and printer buffer. (Hark(Toolworksll I have a nu■ber of questions about NIO(as I a■ sure ■ost of us dol: ll will the MIO rob 1e of ■y cart. slot on l30xe? ••• 2) will 1 get a Tech. Ref. nanual with NIO? 3) will NIO support Floppies? 4) can MIO support the Western Digital Controller? 51 is MIO RS232 850 co1patable? IICD-nike) 2 -- Yes, all registers are docu■ented (very co■plete) 3 -- Yes, just like nor ■al {except you also get to redirect) 4 -- Yes, WDC l002S-SHD or 1002-SHD or 1002-SAS 5 -- Yes (also does not take up internal user 1e1oryl (Chin Keith) Hike=> I think we lost the answer lo I l, about the 130XE cart slot. (ICD-Toal l -- The l30XE requires a $19.95 adaptor which adds 2 slats ta the bus. !Robert Crosby) I've had an order in lhru distribution for the l ■eg ver, when . can I expect to see it? (JCD-To1l It all depends on the distributor. That proble■ see1s ta occur with all new products. The way we ship is1 End user orders get priority for the 1st few units. Then we start shipping to dealers and distributors eventually the back orders get filled. (Robert Crosby) The order is thru Horizon •••• A guess when??? (ICD-To1I ??? a couple of weeks??? (Robert Crosby) OK. Thanks, (Chmn Keith) ok, Ne have Dick, Francis, Ji ■, Keith, Jerry, and then Bryan. (dick I I ·ve heard that you have plans to release SpartaDOS on a cart. Do you . have plans to add new features to the cartridge version? . ■any contain stu1lll writing the in (ICD-"ikel The cart ver of SD will (its ■ore ■uch is processor co11and ne2w features: It has a built in dataBase.lThe The tutoring). (self the■ perfor1s it as co11ands 1i1ick Mill It co■plex. current version (3.21 has been in a cart for testing for so1e ti ■e now, however the final SD X las it is called around here! should be released in about 3 10s

and shall take about 32K -- 16K for database and 3. 2 core and w: for ■ enu (also containing should be released in about 3 mos and shall take about 32K -- 16K for database and 3.2 core and 16K for ■enu (also containing sophisticated batch file ability •.. Yiou will have to pretty ■uch see it for your self Nhen it does come out since it will end up being quite a bit different. Not just a reMrite. (dick) Thx! (Chin Keith) ok •• (hope you have a flag to turn that "tutoring" off,.hehel. (Francis) That is good. ls That SpartaDOS "random• access? (how large is it can up to?I (ICD-Hike) SpartaDOS X lcartl handles files up to 16Meg Mith total rando■ access, it takes a ■ax of l/10 sec to position to the Aiddle of a file of that size •• , the sector 1ap sche1e has been 1odified so that a high level 1apping sche1e is running in parallel ••• thats why you have such high speeds (pos through BHeg that fast) ••• the 1ain reason for this is because the database (large databases) required 1uch positioning/loading (binary fashion) to find a record and a linear position is 1uch to slow ••• Also insert/delete sectors in the 1iddle of a file is required for database. This is one reason it is taking quite so1e ti1e in develope1ent •.• there is ■ajar rewrite in ■any areas. (Francis) Is it done by POINT co■■nds? (under ACTION! or BASIC XEI IICD-To1I nike has crashed for a ■inute hang on ••• (Ch ■n Keith) hope he can get back in here. (Francis! Hope he read 1y question. IICD-nikel I think 1'1 back. ga (Chin Keith) ok, "ite,.the question was 'does it use POINTS or what"? (ICD-nikel SD I uses points just like alNays. !Francis! Yes but ■ore than 64K? (Ch ■n Keith) he ■eant for the built-in database, 1ike. (ICD-nite) DK, far database it uses a set of database XIO co11ands (Francis! Chin, No I 1ean for ACTION! or BASIC XE. IICD-nikel the co11ands perfor1 the (skip thatl. For ACTION and BASIC XE. The POINT and NOTE functions handle the full BNeg lli ■ it of BASIC). (Chin Keith) ok, thanks nike ••• (Francis) good. Thanks. That's where we leave off this 1onth. The saga continues next aonth with ■ore of the sa1e, One note: this file is 199 single-density sectors long. Ny disk-based AtariMriter, Paperclip and 6T Estate word processors can't load the whole thing. But I had the whole thing in RAH when I downloaded it. As an excercise in proble1 solving, can anyone think of a way for 1e to print this file? I thin ►. I ►.noM how to do it.

News fro1 the Co-Chair By Ji1 Schulz

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October has co1e and ti1e dor 1ore news and vie•s fro1 co's chair. This 1onth, I •ill start on a rather serious topic, Ru1ors have started to spread around tDNn about soae bad dealings ~y NAST officers, naaely 1e and J think Bruce, I would nOw like ta address these issues. First of all, no NAST or SPACE officers 1akes any aoney off the club, The only benefit that I know of being an officer is a free SPACE/NAST 111ber1hip. I think this is a1ple pay1ent for the aaount of work that the SPACE and MST officers give to the club, This is in the club's constitution and has been a benefit since I started with the club 1any aoons ago, I, personally, receive no aoney or payaent for putting the dist of the 100th together. The a1ount of 1oney, 1 receive each aonth froa the club is for the co11ercial BBS downloading ti1e 1 long distance phone bills, 3,5 inch disk purchases, and postage, These are just reiaburse1ants foray expeNses in putting the disk of the 100th together. And even these expenses, I do not charge the club 1001 because I personally believe that I, 1yself I benefit fro1 so1e of the tiae on the BBSes. Second of all, NAST is not in the businEss to 1ak1 a 'rofit of the disk of the 1onth. "AST does aate 1oney off the disk of the 1onth, J •ill ad1it this. "oney aade froa the disk of the 1onth is turned right back into the club. Expenses for the club include ay downloading expenses aentioned above, the club rooa rental, and pay1ent for the newsletter in which you are reading this. That is it. So what have we spent our excess aoney on. So far IIAST Has purchased, a 520ST, two single-sided disk drives, one double-sided dist drive, and a color 1onitor. In addition to this, IIAST has purchased a nu1ber of bootsfor Nur "AST book library, I and the 1e1bers of the SPACE/IIAST board do not want to have a large NAST bank balance. As our bank balance increases, the price of the disk of the 1onth wil 1 decrease.. lie have set Hai ts on the excess aaount of 1oney NAST wi 11 bank. If this aaount gets too big, we will pass this excess aoney on to the club in a lower dist of the 1onth price, since the dist of the 1onth supports the club. Otherwise, wA will spend the aoney on things which will benefit the club. Suggestions ta Bob, Bruce, or I are always welco1e. Finally, NAST has overpriced its disk of the 1onth. Costs of putting a good disk of the 1onth together are not cheap> Ny dowNload bills so1eti1es go fro1 $150 - $200 a aonth to get the club the best public do1iin software available. Let's do so1e figuring. Each 3.5 disk costs us about Sl.50 a piece, That give NAT $4.50 per disk for expense&, If we figure $150 for downloading and $75 for the rooa, NAST 1ust sell 50 disks to pay off its expenses. That is quite a bit. If we sell 70 dist&, that 1eans NAST 1akes about S90. That isn't 1uch considering the a1ount of effort involved in putting the dist together. If we sell tore disks, your price will go down. Nationally, tHe cheapest disks that I have seen are S4.00 and that is for a 200 111ber ST group. 1 hope, soaeday we tin be so cheap. I hope this explains soae of the ruaors that are circulating around town. Even if there gere not ru1orc, I think the 1e1bers should know

these facts. If you have any Thanks for listening.

■ore

questions, talk to either Bruce, Bob, or

■e.

NoN that that ls off •Y chest, let's talk about 1e1berships. If you received this by ■ail, this does not apply to you. "AST needs card carrying ■e■bers. If you attend the 1eeting and like what you see, please join up with us. Ne alNays have a good crowd at the ■eeting, but we need your continuous support through a SPACE/"ASl 1e1bership. "e■bership includes a newsletter each ■onth Nith the latest in XL/XE and ST news, 10! Discount at UsEr Friendly, Wizard's Works, the Co■puter Supply Store, and Software Outfitters all for shoNing your ■embership card, free access to LR DATA's BBS 1777-63761 1 free access to the STING BBS (786-2458 after 5:001, and free access to "indtools BB (542-89801. On all BBSes 1 please identify yourself as a "AST 1e1ber ta the sysop Nhen logging in. All for t14.00 per year. By being a 1e1ber, it tells us that you are co■■ itted ta SPACE and "AST. If you attend the 1eeting, get a free neNsletter, and buy the disk of the 1onth, sign up at the next 1eeting. I hope so■eday that I can tell others that "AST is sixty or seventy 1e1bers!! strong, instead of having sixty ST owners attending the "AST 1eeting. Next up, a quickdiscussiOn of disk of the 1onth. I would first like to apologize to those 1e1bers who purchased disks for future ■ailing. I was very!! late this 1onth ■ailing these out. "y usual plan is one Ntek after the 1eetlng. I ■issed that by a Neek and a■ very sorry. If you are interested, during those tNo weeks, the first round of I°" docu■entation was started and should be co1pleted next week. Read on for 1ore info. Secondly, disk of the 10nth will be de■oed starting this 1onth following 1y description. This will give you a break to purchase disks anD also see what you are buying. This 1onth, I will also de■onstrate last 1onth'1 ga1e disk which I thought was pr1tty good, but not too ■ any sold, Next •••• , "AST On-line.,.. Nhat is "AST On-Line???? Nell, It is 1y way to talk to dhe 1e1bers between ■eetings, get out disk of the ■onth infor ■ation and docu■entation, new ST news, and other tidbits of lnfor■atlon. "AST On-line currently exists an two 88Ses in town on both Nindtools' BBS (542-89801 and LRData's BBS.(777-63'61. I would like to thank both Todd and Dave for allowing "AST onboard. Currently, there are descriptions of each ■onth's disk of the ■onth on Each Board, anD the latest news about the San Jose Atari show and Atari's public stock offering. Ca1ing soon, the READIIE files fro■ each "AST disk, a previeN of each 1Dnth's disk of the 1Dnth two weeks before the "AST 1eeting, and an update of ■ore ca■plete infor■ation the week of the ■eeting. This is also where I will put the disk listing software and its database for downloading. Should be quite interesting??? In addition, I would like to hear fro■ you. Each board has a NAST ■essage board to exchange ■essages. J will be at leasd once every two days and often twice a day so send ■e 1essage if you have a proble■ with a DO" disk, progra1, idea for the ■eeting, or whatever. This is here for you ta use. Also if you download a good pragra■

or write one yourself upload it and tell ■e about it, It Nill save ■e the download cost on the ca11ercial boards and save "AST ■oney. If you Nant to upload it privately, upload it to "indtools BBS and ■ake it private to the sysop in the "AST sig. leave ■ea 1essage about the na■e of the file and I will download it. The sate is true for newsledter artiCJes. I will 6et the■ to the newsletter editor for you if you want. Just another Nay for "AST to serve you. Next ■onth, I Nill start/restart a new colu■n to be called ST Xtra. This colu■n will be ■ ade up of reviews, and ■ iscellaneous applications which l co■e upon. Next ■onth for the next two ■onths, I Nill exa■ ine the question: Just how good is your VTlOO e■ulatar progra■???? These days, it see1c like all co11unication progra■s clai ■ to be YTIOO co1patible, Nell, next 1onth we will see. I have obtained fro■ ■y UNIX connection a VTIOO co1patibility test progra1. It checks about everything possible including VTIOO bugs. It see1s to be very revealing, Then when that is done, I will explain howl got an application up and running under Zoo■racks. Nas it easy or hard??? Ne gill see ZoO■racks is a neat little progra■, but ■onths ago when I wrote the review J had no application for it. Now I do and I will tell all. Hopefully, I will be able to get a hold of Zoa■racksJI by then and include a revieN of it also. Natch for this coting next ■onth •••••• Now that I have gotten the business out of the Nay, it's ti ■e for news!! First off, a 2 1eg and 4 ■eg ST are on their way including the blitter chip. Expect delivery the first of next year after FCC approval. The "AC cartridge is finally available for sale. It is no, called '"agic Sac' to get copyright proble■s, Initially, It will sell far tl50. "AC RONS are extra, There is a chance that this ■ight be de■oed at our next 1eeting. For ■ore info, check "AST On-Line and at the ■eeting. The blitter chip is getting ■ore and ■ore confusing. he pbice is now either up to $120 or t300 whoever you talk to. The t300 price includes sending your ST back to Atari for installation of the blitter chip. !tore news when available. Atari has a nu■ber of New ru■ored products to be announced at CDltDEX in Nove■ber, So■e of these include a laser printer, a hard disk installed inside the IB" style box, a software 18" e■ulator, a hardware CP/N e■ulatar, and possibly a CD RON, Atari has publicly stated that all ST owners will be pleasantly surprised at CONDEX so Ne will have to see next ■onth, For ■ore good stuff, check Out the "ST ■eeling. Two strange software packages are flip flopping their nor ■al roles this 1onth, Anew version of Neochro■e was released by Atari last 1onth for three days. Atari put it on their BBS and soon ■ade its rounds to all the boards. Then Atari said, 'Nhoa, this is too good far public do1ain, pull it off." So off it went on all the co11ercial boards, This is NEO 0.9. Avery nice progra ■ which is still on so■e boards around town if you want it. But it is not public do■ain. Now for the flop, after taking it off of every board across the country Atari is now officially releasing the CP/" software e1ulator as public do■ain.

This version works. I don't know when it is co1ing, but Atari says it Nill be on their board any day now. Atari decided that they did not need it noN that they had a hardware e1ulator. Expect it on a special disk of the aonth with CP/K utilities in the next 1onth or two. This version works Nith the ROKs. Now it's update ti1e ••.• This 1onth, I received Nichtron·s newsletter with their list of software updates. So here goes: Updates are available for Ani1atorlbug fixes), BBS 2.0(1ajOr enhanceaents), Flip Side l.llhigher levels 1ore challengingl, Kissed l.llbug fixes), Major Notion(noN Norks with joystick), Ki-Tera 4.011ajor enhance1entsl, Kighty Kaillphone I and zip code sgitchedl, Kudpies 1.llsaves high scores!, Personal Money Nanager(corrects large file loading bugl, and Ti1e Bandits 2.llsaves ga1es and 1inor bugs). Update costs is $10.00 forKi-Ter1,$lO.OO for Nichtron DBS, and $5.00 for all other progra1s. To get the update, send your old 1aster disk and the upd~te fee to Kichtron/57& South Telegraph/Pontiac, Kl 48053. Update turnaround 1s usually about a Neek. Second update this 1onth is OSS Pascal. OSS has added a c01piler directive for desk accessories. You no longer need the PASACC progra1. The cost of theupdate is $10LOO and your 1aster copy of the disk. Please send your registration nu1ber and your full address to OSS/12218 Kentwood Avenue/San Jose, CA 95129, OSS, however, suggests thAt if you do not need this feature to wait. A1ajor update is coaing real soon. That·s the update for this 1onth. l will look for 1ore next 1onth. Now it's that tiae .••••• tah!! tah!!. It is ti1e fOr Ji1•s pick of the 1onth. Well, this 1onth I have no pick. Nothing new has co1e out and what has coae out I have not heard 1uch good press about. One product that soundc real gOod though is ark Williaas C. There is a review in this 1onth•s ANAL06 which see1s to agree. I have not used it or seen it yet, but the press for it has been good. It's only aissing piece is a Resource Construction Editor. Other than that, it has everything you need to develop softNare. Nore co11ents on this when I get a chance to see it and possibly use it first hand. Joust has also just 1ade it into town. Based on the pre-release version, it should also be pretty good. Expect aore co11ents next 1onth. Well, thatis it for long-Ninded Jia this 1onth, I will see you all soon at our early October 1eeting for 1ore of the hottest news, ru1ors 1 de1os 1 public do1ain software and a whole lot 1ore., •. Disk of the Honth - October By Jia Schulz Well, it's disk of the 1onth ti1e and ti1e for another round of disk of the 1onth news. Last 1onth, we saw the return of STWriter for third aonth in a row and hopefully the last 1onth in a while. STWriter 1.5 was just one of ten new disks added to our already bulging library of disks. Now before we go into what is in store for the 1onth of October, let's look at what Septeaber brought us. The special disks for Septe1ber included:

STNriter l.51now with a built-in print buffer and support for foreign character aaong other thingsl, NicroEaacs with helplthis version of NicraE1acs was a little bit aore successful than I thought. E1acs Nith built-in help and source. No 1anuals needl, Bradley Forth I.lithe best public do1ain Forth got one better-over three pages of bug fixes and enhanceaentsl, and our two disk de10 set of &raphic Artist disks(everything you need to run this great CAD design progra1 except the print and savel. Nell, that was the·special disks last 1onth. In addition to these, we had five of the standard disks of the aonth packed full of public do1ain software, NoN before Ne go to this aonth's list of software goodies. Let's look at a few disk of the 1onth news ite1s. First of all, please read this 1onth's Notes fro1 the Co-Chair for exciting news of the opening of NAST On-Line especially for all you disk of the 1onth junkies. Next, by the ti1e you read this the first round of disk of the 1onth docu1entation should be online on NAST On-Line. This first round of docu1entation is 1y description of each disk organized by 1onth. The descriptions are a couple of words, but I describe all but a handful of progra1s throughout all of the listings. These listings will also be available in printed for1 if you bring or send 1e a long size self-addressed envelope with 34 cents of postage. If you send for this before the 1eeting, I will 1ail right after the 1eeting. I Nill be only 1aking copies of this up upon request. Next, the perfect co1pli1ent to the description, a co1plete listing of all disks using Todd Burkey's DiskTop progra1. This is a neN version that now keys on the disk label na1e and does not create a file on disk. Specially 1odified for NAST by Todd, 1 don•t knoN if I can get the whole data base on one disk or if it takes tNo 1 but you should love the price. For all docuaentation disks, the price will be $3.00. Yes, $3.00. This is only one of possibly three ways that I plan on docu1enting the disk of the 1onth. But all docuaentation disks will be $3.00. I expect everyone to at least buy this disk at this 1onth·s NAST 1eeting. Nith this disk and the above descriptions, you should be able to find about all the progra1s which you really need. One 1ore topic before we go for the good stuff. I would like to state publicly that the disk of the 1onth is by no aeans a one aan operatior,. I do get support fro1 our 1e1bers. 1 would now like to recognize so1e of these unsung heroes that either donate their own software, download public domain software, donate de10 software, or contribute other talents. This list includes Chuck Purcell, Ralph Russell, Dan Stubbs, Brian Reynolds of User Friendly, Steve Pauley and Todd Burkey of Kindtools, and Dick Johnson. I would also belatedly like to thank Dick for listing out the READNE files for the first four ■onths of the DOK and placing thea in a binder. Surprising, I found this very useful in dacuaenting the disks so far and I plan on using it 1ore extensively ~hen I go file for file. This book will be available for reference at the DOM table starting next 1onth for reference. Dick, are you still gaae to keep it updated??? Thanks to one and all for 1aking the DON a big success. Nell, it·s that ti1e again. Nore disks and 1ore prograas. I will

first state that I have not run all of these progra1s yet and I a1 describing the ■ on their descriptions, but Mee do have a good selection, ARC - From the outcry fro■ its release, I could not start Mith any other program. This is an 1B", CPI", A"IGA co■patible squeeze program. Fro11 11y li1ited understanding, this prograa analyzes a program and squeezes it in the best of five different "ays possible. It also supports 1ultiple files in the sa■e ARC or squeezed file. I have already been asked if I plan on ARCing the disk of the 1onth. Current plans say no, but I do plan on ARCing some of the related files for "AST On-Line. If you squeeze files, this is a 1ust progra1. Complete docu11entation is also included, Adventure Construction Set - This is a hold over fro• last 1onth. This progra111 allows you to create text adventures. NeN Nith this version is the inclusion of objects. Colossus Cave - If you have ever played the original Adventure, you kno" what this is. This is supposedly the co■plete version of the Colossus Cave adventure ga■e, I have not tried this.ga■e yet but this has always been one of ■y personal favorite since 1y college days. Another 1ainfra1e classic co■es to the ST, Addition - This is one of the first educational public do■ain ga■es Nhich I have seen for the ST. This progra1 in ST Basic is written by "AST's own Dan Stubbs. In addition to the addition problems for the kids, he includes sound and a face to reflect the correct and incorrect ansMers to the proble ■s, "ono Pool - Yes, this is another 1onochro1e ga■e. This ga■e is a billiards game. As I Mrite this, I have not yet downloaded this or run it but it sounds too interesting to not talk about it, Spell Checker - This is as it states is a spelling checker progra■• This is Nritten in OSS Pascal and the source will be available for your perusal. This progra■ currently co■es Mith no dictionary, but I am in search of one. If I don't find one, it will create it's oNn as it goes through and checks your spelling. 1 have not run this progra ■, but l have been hearing some good co~aents fro■ those who have, Nord Processor Desk Accessory - This Mas on the disk of the ■onth about 2 months ago, but noN Me have version 2.0 Nith all the bugs fixed and more. Word Count Desk Accessory - This is a text file word count progra ■• Just select your file, and it will tell you exactly how ■any word that you have. Phantasie Ultra Characters - l don't know if this is fair, but so■e poor soul wanted to Nin this very addicting gaee bad so he sector edited sir unbeatable characters. If you ever Nant to be assured of winning this ga■e, a rather strange Nay, use these characters.

Ralph Russell Deaos - This is second half of a disk of assembly language demos that Ralph donated to "AST. These demos have to be seen to be believed. ST Software List - This is the neN updated version of the list fro• last month. The list currently comes in two forms of a camplete list and additions and subtractions, but since last ~onth's list was such a mess, I will have a co1plete list again this month. This list has now been reformatted to be printed on BO columns. Good Deal. Nell, that is the start of the disk of the 1onth for October. I have not run ■any of these progra1s, but it give you an idea of what is available this month. Far a more co1plete update of this 1onth's disks, check MAST On-Line the week of the 1eeting for an updated 1ore complete description of all of this month's disks. NoM for the specials: ??????? - The return of the ■ystery disk. This 1onth's mystery disk has probably been the most difficult disk that I have tried ta get. This disk shoNed up last week after four 1onths of searching and waiting. All I Nill say is that this is an updated or reworked version of a past disk of the month, but not a replacement for that disk. It fills up a Nhole disk and I a1 currently in search of its source code. Is that enough of a hint???? CAD-3D Picture Disk II - If you own CAD-3D, you will probably like this disk. "ore pictures for the 3D draNing program from Tom Hudson. This first picture disk Mill include To■ ·s full 3-D Chess set file and if roo■ per1its, a four piece Chess file as "ell. The full Chess set will only load on a 1040ST. If time permits, I will fill a second disk full of CAD-JD files as Nell. l will de■o these files at the ■eeting, but you do need CAD-3D to use this disk. CAD-3D Demo Disks - If you sn the ■ountain on our club ST at the last ■eeting, you knoM Mhat this disk is like. These disks, in normal or ARC for1at, are self-running 3-D demos of the ani ■ ation and 3-D drawing capabilities of CAD-3D. A must addition to your de10 collection, FTL De10 Disk - This disk has been advertised twice in the past and never delivered until this ■onth, This disk includes two demos of forthcoming products fro■ FTL, the Sundog people. This disk includes a de10 of Dungeon, their neM graphics-oriented dungeon adventure/1aze ga■e. Also on this disk is a full running demo of "icro Cookbook Mith a nu■ber of recipes to try and eY.periment with. This program for so1e reason co■es with C source code. Nell, that's all I've got for this ■onth. This should Mhet your pallet for some of the good stuff available for this month's disk of the month. For more up tp date infor ■ ation on all of the disks, including the ~ystery dist revelation, read my DD" Update "onday or Tuesday of the MAST meeting on HAST

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Disk Notes By Chuck Purcell and Ji• Schulz This 1onth, Chuck looks at the KicroE1acs editor fro• the Kay disk of the 1onth. This is the editor which I a1 currently typing this on and use it always. I have not yet converted to the new E1acs editor fro• last 1onth, 1 have an overwhel1ing good response to last 1onth's Etacs editor with built-in help 1enus. So if you are looking for a good editor, you 1ight want to check this one out. This quick reference guide only applies to last tooth's for the strange control key co1binations. Kaybe when Chuck returns fro■ his long business trip in Europe, he will generate a new E1acs quick reference guide for the help 1enu E1acs editor, So here is Chuck: aue.prg 1icroE1acs docu■entation I 03/04/86) KEYBOARD: Fl+set1k. F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 FB F9 FtO (del " del w:> del--) ins<-- killbuf listbuf sw.buf sv,buf vst.fi ret.b

---- \ \-- ---- -----:esc :t\ \ :

:b.sp,

: \ \: . : ------ -\ \- --------:tab

:q \ \: : del : \\re: ------- ---\tur n---:control :a \ \ : : :

-------- --------

----- ----- ----- -----

lhelp,th-lundo bufl I( 1_11) IAII/ 1/11• onel lis text ,_______ lfers-qu ________ _it I up I dn lsplitl 1__11 linI /I\ lclr I lsert I I lho1e I -->I I char: \I/ lchar I

I<--

\\ : \ : ----- -- -- --------------- --\ \----:z \ \ control pad

----- ----- ----- -----

17top 18 19 IIAII lrepotl endl backl

----- ----- ----- -----

14 15 16 I+ 1_11 l<wordl uAp lword>I frwdl

----- ----- ----- -----

It 12 13 Ienter I l(linel d_n lline>I -------------- --\ \ -COKPACT ST KEYBOARD-------- --- -----lexec,I 10 I' __ \ I lalternate:space \ key padl location l \ C l1acrol : bar \ \alpha, \ \

----------------\ \

----------- ----- -----

1icroE1acs as ported at Case Western Reserve University for public do1ain KEY BINDIN&S These are the key bindings of ue,tos version of 01/18/86, ============ To change these bindings, reco1pile 'keybind,c', and link everything, Two related files are (ti 'keyna■es,h' which ldefines the Ft et al; 121 'key1ap.c' which 1aps the scan codes lo ascii values using the intelligent key board of the ST, The standard control-, 1eta-key bindings, as they were in the original KicroE1acs, are also valid, Key Bindings on 520ST-The Function Keys alter the buffer and/or file content; so be cautious. All the other special keys (the HELP-UNDO

I '(

4''fe,

I' a ~

g~oup, and the nu■eric keypad group) only change the display, and/or w1nd~ws; so.yo~ can.be playful with these. The co11ands 'kill·, 'yank' and read-file don t work as they do in full E1acs; so watch out, Fl,

delbword, delfword, kill, F4, yank, F5, kill buffer, F6 1 li stbuffers 1 F7, usebuffer 1 FB, filewri te, F9, filevisit, FtO filesave, HELP, help, UNDO, quickexit, INSERT, backpage, HOKE, forwpage, UPARRO, backline, DNARR0 1 forwline, LTARRO, backchar, RTARRO, forwchar, F2 1 F3 1

delete preceding word I/ delete the next/current word t/ kill current line to its end I/ /1 insert the deleted stuff back I/ /1 kill [current] buffer; verifies if changed I/ /1 list buffers, and their sizes; not accurate I/ /t switch to another existing/new buffer I/ /1 save current buffer to specified file /tread-in a file to edit /t save current buffer to its file I/ /t alas, not 1Uch help yet!->' e■ax_aue.txt • /t quick save and exit I/ /t display page preceding current one I/ /t display page following current one I/ /t ■ave cursor to preceding line; readjust displt/ /1 1ove cursor to next line; readjust display 1/ /1 ■ave cursor to preceding char 1/ /1 ■ave cursor to following char I/ /1 /1 /1

.,., .,

-------- ------ keypad keys -----------------K-------------------------KLP, 1vdnwind, /t scroll window contents up (1ove window downl 1/ KRP, 1vupwind, /t scroll window contents dn ltove window upl t/ KSLASH, splitwind, /t split current window into two 1/ KSTAR, onlywind, /t take the current window the only one 1/ KKINUS, prevwind, /t ■ave cursor to preceding window if any 1/ KPLUS, nextwind, /t ■ave cursor to following window: if any 1/ KENTER, ctlxe, /t re-execute the key-board 1acro 1/ KDOT, swaptark, /t swap ■ark with dot; (shift-Ft sets ■arkl 1/ K9, gotOeob, I /t 1ove cursor to end of buffer 1/ KB, reposition, /t reposition so that current line is at the topt/ K7, gotobob, /t 1ove cursor to beginning of buffer 1/ K6, forwword, /1 ■ave cursor to end of word 1/ K5, backline, /1 ■ave to prev line; sa1e as up arrow 1/ K4, backward, /.I ■ave cursor to beginning of word 1/ K3, gotoeol, /t 1ove cursor to end of current line 1/ K2, forwline, /I ■ave to next line; sa1e as dn arrow 1/ Kl, gotobol, /t ■ove cursor to beginning of current line 1/ KO! . showcpos, /t show cursor position nu1erically 1/ Or1g1naJ Bindings - Asignifie~ Control key signifies escape key Al set ■ark AN ■ave forward line AH delete back word AA 1ove to line start AO open up blank line trepot. window• AB 1ove backward char. AP ■ave backward line tset ■ark•

0 e,fo~',

(tl.9'1

PA.~ (tJ

e., ... ,-.,,.,~ r:"--- -p. 'l

"C run Cll in a subjob "(I insert literal char. "D delete forNard char. "R search backwards "E ■ove to end of line "S search forward "T swap char. at point F ■Ove forNard char. "U universal argu■ent ''6 abort co11111and "H delete backward char. "Y ■ove forward page ,. I insert tab "Ii kill region "J insert CR-LF; indent "I control-I: below "I( kill forNard "Y yank back killbuffer ·''L refresh the screen --z quick save and exit insert CR-LF del delete backward char.

ta buf.start ■ave to buf. end B ■ove bacK word C Capitalize word D delete forword F ■ove for-Nord L lo11er case word u upper case word y 1ove back page Ii copy region->kill b del delete back word ■ave

)

control - Xchoices - "signifies control key list of buffers "I ! run a co11and in a subjob display "l"B "I ( begin ■aero "X"C quit Nithout saving end ■aero "I _I "X"F adjust file na■e "X"L lower case region "I I 11ake current window only onet "X"N ■ove Nindow down "I 2 tsplit current window, "X"O delete blank lines show the cursor position "I= "X"P ■ove windoN up "I B switch a window to a buffer "X"R get a file, read only "IE texecute ■acrot "X"S save current file set fill calu■n "IF ·'l"U upper case region "I K ■ake a buffer go away "X"Y get a file, read 11rite "IN ■ove to the next window "l"N write a file "X P ■ove to the previous window "X"X tswap point and ■arkt "I Z enlarge display window "X"Z shrink Nindow •note codes used in keys-ATARI-ST-keyboard• ====================• DIFFERENCES Here are so■e known differences between our version •========== and the one that you get with the Developers Kit: l. Our version reads and writes files in chunks of 16k, and so it is ■uch faster than the original, 2. "lk lor function key F51 will kill current buffer as a default. l, '·lb lor F7I will switch to the next buffer as the default. 4. When in search ■ode lie. when you have hit "Sor "R once) "S and '·R act as if CR is typed, but ■ay reverse the search. 5. Nard-wrap has been deleted, as it 11as quite buggy, 6. All special ST keys have been assigned useful functions; see boxes above. 7. Quick-exit (UNDO key) will do a 'list-buffers' if there are changed but unsaved buffers, and await your y/n reply. Nell, that is Chuck's description. Next ■onth, ????? I will be probably talking to Chuck in the next week so I will have to see what he has new. Again, this •anth I would like to thank Chuck for his contribution and his silent help that he gives 1e.

On-Line. So far as of last month, we noN have 601count'em 1 dis~s of the month after eight months. For information on any of the p3st disks, see me at the next ~eeting or send a self-addressed stamped long envelope with 34 cents postage for the summaries all of the old disks mention~d above. For those who don't know, HAST has a disk of the month which we charge $6.00 for which is packed full of public domai~ software for the ST. All software programs are checked by me and documented in a READ.ME file in each directory so you are sure you get sa~ething that works. For those who cannot 1ake the meeting and still would lite the DOM, the• to you within one week of the m~eting for the stand3rd $6,00 plus mail •ill and handling for the first si~ dists and e~ch si~ dis~s postage for $1,00 thereafter. My address is: 3264 Welcome Avenue North Crystal,"" 55422 Also, if I blow it and don't have disk that you want at the meeting, I will ■ail it to you free within one •eek of the MAST meeting. I will do better Mith this next 1anth, Believe 1e. Also, "AST has developer disks available to authorized developers far Sb.00 each. Ne currently have six disks available Mith a seventh disk this ■anth. These disks are sold by ■e only to authorized Atari developer kit owners, Proper identification is necessary before the disks are sold. Sa that is far October. See you at the MAST meeting Mith best selection of public da■ain software around. EDITOR'S NOTE

Due to innu■erable ■isfortunes, the neNsletter you are reading is the latest, roughest jab l have done yet. As you find yourself distracted by the 1yriad errors 1 think what I go through every 1anth. The for ■at this ■anth is one of convenience, not preference. The articles appear exactly as they caae off the Bes. Because of incompatibility betMeen •Y 800 and the STs, I had ta do all the carriage returns by hand. The rest is untouched. Yau ■ay be surprized how ■uch, say, Ji ■ 's articles change after they go through 1e, Of the troubles I 1entioned, included are: LRData's BBS Ment down, so I was unable to get Bob Floyd's Septe■ber ■ inutes. The SPACEiTAlS BBS still Mon't let ■e into the Files section, but that doesn't matter, as it gives me only 9 1inutes, anyNay, Further1are, Ji ■ had so 1uch stuff that I used up ~Y ~5 minute ti1e li1it on Todd Burkey's 89S three days in a raw, which did not facilitate ~peedy assembly of the newsletter. Lastly, the school year is bac~ in full sNing and between ho■ ework, Cross-Country and National "erit Semi-Finalist ~tuff (don't forget to congratulate ■el, I sitply can't find the time to give the newsletter the attention I should,

Fastdr2l..., for compiled basic.

DOM Stu-H

by:

F1--ank H.s.ug

9. FASTDF:Af,J. GET

lanuage file of fastdraw. 10.PYRAMID .COM a compiled demo of fastdraw, reboot to e>: it. 11.DOCF'RIN T Puts doc files or-to screen printer.

Well, this didn't make the newslette r this time due to illness, namely mine. My resources are drying up f.2:st. If you want to get the public domain programs we have to have programs to trade 1'1i th ether clubs. We NEED your h•sl p. Nuff said. Try to hold your excitemen t in, we have two extra disks this month (_ 54 each.) The first disk is TEXTPRO 1.2, the word processor Jee Danko showed last meeting. the back si d2 contai-ns , _ do =Ltm~ntati on. ____ I_h_~ __fr:_smt _____sifle _____ J - conta1 ns th2 program, help ·1 files, fonts,··· and• more. simply --- boot:... the front side 1-.ii thoLlt j b-asi c or boot the back side 'I with basic for docs. The second , ,. · disk is wheel of fortune.·· The -___ ·_ best __versi on __ of.::.. the-_ game - - I• ve. --· ·, ------ -_, ____ seelJ :_ (on __ the_ computer__ I __ mean.) · . __ _ · the--:- back side. contain·;;. e:-:tra j pi_tzzles. t1 :::H-e·- puzzles on the_ way too! 1

'1-

Now

for

the

October

1986 _

1.QXLSETU P.BAS Ll:-ed to setup ramdi sk·;;. __ - (also ·i.-Jorks 1-.ii th TEXTPRO) 2. MLTF:ACE a Machine Langu<:1.ge Tr-::\cer for looking at memory. _3.DARTS - Well it's a game of darts. Uses one joystick, up& down are elevation ,· left and right are power. 4.ULTLABE L.BAS A label making program (for disk labels) 5.DOSSYS.B AS Another DOS spoof, nicely done. basic A List file use enter to use in yc,u,~ programs. 7.FASTDEM D.BAS - A demo of fastdraw~ a drawing routing 3 times faster than DRAWTO.