*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
from
STR Publishing
""""""""""""""
August 14, 1992 No.8.33
==========================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
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> 08/14/92 STR 833 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
""""""""""""""""
- The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - PORTFOLIO NEWS
- DELPHI TRAMIEL CONF. - Forbes Article - DEVS CAUTIOUS
- The Treasure Chest - PEOPLE TALKING - GEnie TRAMIEL CONF.
- STR MAILBAG - EUROPE FIRST - STR Confidential
-* USA FALCON RELEASE DELAYED? *-
-* QUEBEC DEALER BUSTED AS PIRATE! *-
-* CONNECTICUT ATARIFEST '92 *-
==========================================================================
ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
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Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (August 14)
NEW GIF IMAGES WANTED!
In conjunction with the Graphics Forums, the AtariArts Forum is
participating in the GO GRAPHICS compendium on a quarterly basis. This
compendium catalogues the best GIF images from a multitude of CompuServe
Forums and is mailed to thousands of subscribers each quarter.
We're searching for new GIF images to include in this catalog! The
staff of the Atariarts Forum will be offering gifts of free access to
Atariarts/Ataripro Forums to the uploaders of the best images. Please
read message # 33672 in the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for more
information.
FORBES ARTICLE AVAILABLE ONLINE
The recent Forbes article about Atari Corp. is now available in
lIBRARY 15 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) as filename FORBES.ARC.
You've heard many people talking about it, now read it in full.
NEW FROM ICD
ICD has uploaded the press release for their new "Link" SCSI host
adaptor, now in LIBRARY 7 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN).
ATARI CLASSICS MAGAZINE
The user-based campaign to create a dedicated 8-bit magazine yields
real results! ATARI CLASSICS magazine is a go. See ACANN.TXT in LIB 7
[News & Reviews] of the Atari 8-Bit Forum (GO ATARI8) for the Official
Announcement.
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION
"GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
The Forbes Article was quite revealing and of course as sad as it was
to see these words once again, it did serve to substantiate a great deal
of the information already on hand. To see comments such as "half truths"
etc., leads one to believe that a solid reply to the article was not
readily available or forthcoming. Atari needs to do a complete review of
itself unto itself. Its PR goals, marketing goals and long range goals
must be seriously re-evaluated. The head games and politics must be
brought to a quick end. Hopefully, the picture is about to change for the
better. We shall see.
Is history about to repeat itself? In the computing community this
appears to be the case. Once again Atari is about to unleash a computer
that, simply put, will "blow the doors off" every other computer in its
comparable price range and even some priced much, much higher. Hopefully,
its release in the U.S.A. will herald the beginning of a new era for Atari
Corp. and its userbase. Most of us went through the dreadful death throes
of the eight bit computers and know exactly how it feels. Some of us have
been feeling that "same old feeling" once again. The Falcon should pull
Atari way out in front of its competition. (what competition?)
As with all good things there are always the precautionary downsides
to the wonder of it all. For example, don't expect a miracle weapon
that... once released a glut of new software will deluge the Atari
marketplace. Granted, the Falcon must have better than excellent software
support, this is an understood given. That will only come with time and a
better than favorable sales track record for the Falcon. That translates
into a "professional sales and marketing" campaign being waged by Atari.
Atari must put this machine into mass marketing and national chain stores.
Now comes the hated, "wicked witch of the north", {Sales & Marketing},
Atari seems to view this aspect of doing business as just that, a
despicable, ugly old witch that must be avoided at all costs. The bottom
line here is Atari absolutely _MUST_ advertise.. a true MEDIA BLITZ. Put
the Falcon's name on everyone's mind... make it a household word. There
will be NO 520st type miracles this time around. Most agree that when the
520st was intro'ed the industry was in its embryonic stages and most
anything done was appropriate. Now in 1992, it is a whole new ball game.
The rules are in place and the game plan has been standardized. To
succeed a company must advertise, create a demand for its products,
establish its orders to gauge the size of the production run and then go
full tilt into production to meet the demand. Its no secret that Atari...
by its past performance, seems to observe this process in reverse. It may
have worked at one time, but that sort of marketing "expertise" has no
place in today's industry. Its nice to say; "we sell all we make" but
that's no big deal if the company is doing 500-1000 piece production runs.
That only compounds the delays once the demand increases. Increase it
will too, this Falcon is a superb computer for the money. Its market
demand, once its recognized, will be explosive. Atari had better be ready
for it. There are no instant replays in this game.
Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine
THE STORM IS BREWING!
Stop by and say hello in the NEW STReport Category: # 24 on GEnie in
the ST Roundtables. Category 24, the NEW Home of STReport on GEnie.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher - Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION
----------- -------------- ------------
Roger D. Stevens Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Lloyd E. Pulley Sr. Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Lee Richard Covert John Deegan
Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt
Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele
Ben Hamilton Neil Bradley Eric Jerue
Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing
James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia
Clemens Chin
IMPORTANT NOTICE
""""""""""""""""
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve.................... 70007,4454
Delphi........................ RMARIANO
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NEST.......................... 90:19/350.0
GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"THERE IS NO COMPARISON! THE ATARI FALCON
IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE PC PLATFORM."
Sam Tramiel, 08/92
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
=================
Issue #33
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
-- Judge Reaffirms Earlier Ruling Dismisses Most of Apple (C) Suit
Judge Vaughn Walker has reaffirmed his earlier ruling dismissing most of
Apple Computer Inc.'s $5.5 billion copyright suit against Microsoft
Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. over the Apple Macintosh screen display.
Walker ruled most of the Mac screen symbols, such as a folder to
represent a computer file, were either:
-:- Covered by a 1985 license Apple granted Microsoft.
-:- Generic ideas that could not be copyrighted, or
-:- Derived from previous displays invented by Xerox Corp. and others.
According to sources, the judge also reiterated his rejection of Apple's
central argument "that the rival companies could be sued for using dis-
plays that had the same 'look and feel' as the Macintosh, even if many
or all of the individual symbols were not protected by copyright."
As Egelko commented, that argument "would extend Apple's copyright to
any current or future computer system using a highly utilitarian,
'desktop' approach to displays, and would exempt Apple's individual
copyright claims from the usual scrutiny."
The judge wrote, "This would afford too much (copyright) protection and
yield too little competition."
-- Chips & Technologies Stops Making Intel Chip Clones
Chips & Technologies Inc. says it will stop making new clones of Intel
Corp.'s chips and instead will focus on microprocessors for the portable
computer market. Sources say that Chips will continue to produce its
Super386DX and SuperMath co-processor lines, but will not go into
production on several other '386 lines.
Chips & Technologies -- like other Intel rivals Advanced Micro Devices
Inc. and Cyrix Corp. -- was sued earlier this year by Intel, which
alleged copyright infringement. Texas Instruments has intervened on
behalf of Chips & Technologies in the case.
-- Sun Gains Market Share; Profits Down
Sun says its revenues are at record levels, but its net income is almost
half of what it was a year ago. The company is blaming price reductions
on its existing products and says improvements in the company's
operating efficiencies kept the net income higher than it would have
been otherwise.
In a war for market share with Hewlett-Packard, Sun appears to be trying
to increase its market share, despite the costs. The company says it has
seen record bookings of over $1 billion in this fiscal year.
Sun said its Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation subsidiary shipped a
record 56,000 revenue units and Sunsoft the company's operating system
software subsidiary, distributed a record 78,000 Unix licenses.
-- Quebec Dealer is a Software Pirate
Centre d'ordinateurs Microbec, a chain of four computer stores, has been
handed the largest software-copyright fine in the province's history.
The company was fined C$63,000 for selling computers loaded with illegal
copies of the MS-DOS operating system.
The fine is not the worst of it for Microbec. When the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police raided the company last October, they seized about 140
computers carrying the illegal software as evidence. Since the company was
convicted, the seized hardware will not be returned, said Allan Reynolds,
manager of the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST), a
Toronto-based group of major software vendors set up to fight software
piracy. Reynolds said the value of the seized computers is "more than
double the fine amount in terms of
revenue value."
-- Intel Releases 486 DX2 66 Megahertz Chip
Intel has announced its fastest version of the speed doubler family
microprocessor chips, the 486 DX2 66 MHz clock speed CPU, is now
shipping.
The new DX2 chip runs internally at 66 MHz, but works on motherboards
designed for 33 MHz so a simple replacement of the CPU is all that is
necessary to upgrade the computer.
While the 66 MHz processing speed means the data may move through the
chip faster, it may still have to wait on the slower 33 MHz motherboard
to get to it. Intel estimates users will see performance increases of as
much as 70% overall.
This is the highest performance chip in the DX2 family. Earlier this
year Intel released a 486 DX2 50 MHz chip designed to be placed in
motherboards designed for the 486 DX 25 MHz CPU.
-- Motorola EMBARC Becomes X.400 Domain
Motorola signed important agreements with General Electric Information
Services and the IBM Information Network to link both networks with its
EMBARC service under X.400 standards.
EMBARC is a wireless mail service using a satellite paging frequency
which Motorola began offering a month ago. The agreements enable GE
Information Services and IBM Information Network e-mail users to
broadcast electronic messages over the air to reach one or thousands of
people simultaneously, whether they are at their desks, traveling in a
car or waiting in a lobby between appointments. Both GE and IBM,
however, participated in EMBARC network testing earlier this year. The
company hopes to have EMBARC in 200 markets in the US and Canada by the
end of 1992.
-- IBM Ships One Million Copies of OS/2
IBM says it has shipped more than a million copies of its version 2.0
OS/2 operating system since April. Sources estimate IBM spent more than
$2 billion developing OS/2 and related products since its 1987 intro-
duction.
Microsoft has sold about 10 million copies of the improved version of
Windows since it was unveiled in 1990.
-- Rich Texans
Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems, along with Michael Dell,
founder of Dell Computers, have been named to Texas Monthly's annual
list of the 100 wealthiest Texans.
Perot, 62, heads the list with estimated assets of $3.25 billion, which
is about $250 million more than last year. He made his first $2 billion
with EDS, which he founded in the early 1960s and sold to General Motors
for cash and stock in 1984. He made an additional $1 billion when he
sold the stock back to GM.
Texas Monthly says Perot now invests in high-tech startups, including
Steven Job's NeXT Computer, as well as real estate and tax-free state
and municipal bonds.
Michael Dell, 27, is the youngest person on the list. His estimated
worth is $220 million, which is $45 million less than last year due to
declining stock values for his Austin, Texas-based Dell Computers.
Dell, like other computer companies, has been hard hit by falling PC
prices and increased competition.
__________________________________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by Joe Mirando
From the Atari Productivity forum.
Okay, Folks, the big news this week is Atari's future offering, the
FALCON 030. After looking at the machine's specifications, all I can say
is "ALL RIGHT, ATARI!" I guess I'm not the only one, because all of the
on-line services, as the column heading says, the wires are a hummin'!
Sysop Ron Luks posts:
"Time for a quickie survey:
I've been thinking about opening up a message section just for the
FALCON messages, which are rapidly growing in number. What does the
membership think about this idea? Should we have a special section
just for the FALCON? a section for the FALCON & TT? or do the present
section names do an adequate job?
Since all the message sections in this forum are currently assigned,
I'd have to drop one section name for the new section (which doesn't
seem like a difficult thing to do) or should I open up the FALCON
section in Atariarts where we have some unassigned message sections
and a much slower message scroll rate? Any and all comments welcome."
Jim Ness echoes my own thoughts when he replies:
"Since we are in for two consecutive nights of Sam-talk this week, I
expect the Falcon conversations to increase. I would suggest maybe a
New from Atari, or Falcon+MultiTOS section, since both products are
due in the relatively near future.
And, it does not seem logical to put it in Atariarts, since I think
most folks think if THIS forum as the heavyweight food-for-nerds area.
Heh heh."
Albert Dayes, formerly of Atari Advantage Magazine, soon to be of Atari
Explorer Magazine, asks:
"Are we going to have a Sam-talk on CIS too? Since he is on the other
two it seem like he would come here as well."
Ron Luks replies to Albert:
"Nope. As part of the support we seem to enjoy from Mr. Brodie, an
opportunity to have a conference with Sam was not offered to
Compuserve. If we can't manage to get Bob to logon here in the past
6-7 weeks, the odds of seeing Sam are even less likely since Bob does
the scheduling for this sort of event. Although CompuServe has over
one million users, and the best reach to all the European countries of
any network, Bob doesn't seem to want to reach out to this audience.
It is sort of surprising that with the Falcon scheduled to debut in
Germany next week, that the director of communications might want to
whip up some advance interest with the European members as well as
with the US members who have chosen to use CIS over the other
networks, but clearly that isn't his aim."
Pattie Rayl of Atari Interface Magazine posts her preference for a FALCON
category:
"My preference would be Atari Arts, since will all the pretty colors
and nice sound, it's an ARTS machine! (grin) Opps...that's with, not
will. And, yes, let's have a separate topic for the Falcon/whatever."
Jeff Kovach adds his opinion:
"I don't feel it is necessary to start Falcon specific message topics
at this time. The current message sections are applicable to nearly
any computer, and should be able to serve ST/STE/TT/Falcon as they
are. If the Falcon were not at all ST compatible, then a new forum
would have been in order, like when the ST first came out and the 8bit
forums did not meet the needs of the new machines.
One thing that will grow ever important however, is making certain
that file descriptions accurately inform the users what hardware
configurations are needed for various programs, graphic images, etc."
Gary Mize asks for help in finding a word processor for his daughter:
"I've got an 8 yr old ... like to set her up with a word processor.
Only required very basics ... word wrap... print to dot matrix ...
want a larger font also. Is there anyone out there using something
w/their kids?"
Albert Dayes replies:
"I know there is a person can't think of her name right off the top of
my head but she makes quite a few education programs like the type you
mentioned. Oh I just found some information ... you should contact:
D.A. Brumleve P.O. BOX 4195 Urbana, IL, 61801 (217)-337-1937"
***
<Editor's Comment> Yes, Dorothy Brumleve does indeed produce fine
children's programs. I've seen several of them demonstrated at shows and
I believe that they may well be the best children's programs available on
any platform. By the way D.A. Brumleve's programs are collectively called
"KIDPRGS"
***
Meanwhile, back at the bulletin board, Bill Devonshire wonders about what
type of monitor to use with the new FALCON 030 when it comes out:
"With all the talk of the Falcon, and the announcements coming this
week, what VGA or Multisync monitor setup would be compatible with and
existing ST(e) system and the new Falcon. I would like to bump up to
a 14" monitor for the STe but think it a good idea to go multisync or
VGA to use with the new Falcon system. Any suggestions?"
Albert Dayes replies:
"It seems like a multi-sync monitor will work with almost every ST or
TT resolution too. I guess one still needs to be concerned about the
frequencies for horizontal and vertical and see if they can perform
the ST low and med resolutions."
Bill Devonshire asks Albert:
"Is there any special interface required to connect the ST output to the
Multisync or is it just a matter of reconnecting the wires to the right
pins? I have seen some units advertised from Rio Computers. What about
the new Atari multisync for the TT - anyone try it yet?"
Albert replies:
"For the normal ST I think you need a box of some sort. On the TT I
don't think you need anything and I assume the FALCON will be the
similar to the TT."
Jim Ness joins in ad adds:
"You only need to connect the right wires to the right pins, to make
it work. The special box Albert mentioned is to make a connection
change whenever you wish to change from ST color to ST mono.
The problem is that the horizontal freq for the ST color modes is very
low, and most of today's multisynch monitors no longer cover it. You
have to look around a bit.
Monitors that are advertised as VGA (such as the TT monitor)
definitely do not synch at the lower freq.
However, ST mono is at a high enough freq to be synched with a VGA
monitor. Atari's SM147 is, in fact, a mono VGA monitor, with an Atari
cable. ST color is the main problem area."
From the Atari Arts forum.
Steve D Lenox asks:
"Is there a file to convert from Degas format to a IBM paint format
like PCX/GIF etc... ? If so what is the name of the file and is it on
Compuserve? I have a ST"
Albert Dayes of Atari EXPLORER Magazine says:
"There should be a few that convert DEGAS to GIF on the Atari ST. I
can't think of any off the top of my head though. I'm sure someone
will be able to tell you very soon. I keep looking from my end too."
Dick Paddock also responds:
"VIEWGIF 1.2 has the capability. It's around here (Atari arts), I'm
sure. Shareware, but does the job."
Glenn Gorman asks about Atari Advantage Magazine deliveries:
"I've read messages that people have received their June/July issue
around July 31st. I still haven't gotten my copy. Can you help???"
Albert Dayes replies:
"I know that mail (3rd class or maybe it is 2nd) is very slow ... I'm
still waiting for mine as well. I'll try to find out some more
information for you."
From the Atari Vendor's forum.
In answer to a question posted by Dick paddock regarding the possibility
of NeoDesk supporting 1.44 meg floppy drives, Dan Wilga of Gribnif
Software
posts:
"Yup, 1.44M support is on the list of "things to do". Unfortunately,
when 3.02 was done, Atari still had no documented way of knowing that
there was even a 1.44M drive attached."
On the topic of Apple's System 6.0.8, Dave Small of Gadgets by Small says:
"I can't speak for CIS but I know for a fact that "other" services as
well as my local user group have been officially authorized by Apple
to distribute the System Software."
Ron of Atari Interface Magazine replies:
"CompuServe is indeed officially authorized by Apple to distribute
their system software updates. CIS has, in fact, created a forum just
to distribute System 7. The other system files can be downloaded from
the Mac developer's forum. The last time I checked both System 6.0.5
and 6.0.7 were available. The printing disk from System 6.0.8 was also
available."
Well friends and neighbors, that's about all for this week. I'm off
for the Connecticut Atarifest this weekend at the Sheraton hotel at
Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. If you
happen to find yourself at the show, look for me in the seminar room... or
the C.C.C.C. booth... oh, or the portfolio booth... oh, heck, just yell
out "Hey Joe!" I'll be around and it would be nice to meet all of you.
Tune in again next week to see what's being said when....
"People Are Talking".
***********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week in the
ST Advantage on DELPHI. STReport readers are invited to join DELPHI and
become a part of the friendly community of Atari enthusiasts there.
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
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Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
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JOIN -- DELPHI
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If you spend more than 200 minutes online a month, you'll save money
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There is no signup fee for joining the Basic Plan. There is a fee of
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For more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005
DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass.
:IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
DELPHI INTRODUCES THE 10/4 PLAN.
Effective July 1, 1992, all Basic Plan members will be upgraded to the
10/4 Plan and receive 4 hours of usage each month for only $10! For full
details, type GO USING RATES. SprintNet home time to begin at 6:00 p.m.!
Effective July 1, 1992, you may access DELPHI via SprintNet beginning at
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SprintNet node nearest you, type GO USING ACCESS.
Try DELPHI for $1 an hour!
For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and
receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only
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the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account
active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan,
where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum
$10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry,
this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this
limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press <RET> once
or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press <RET>
again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll
officially be a member of DELPHI!
DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
***********************************************************************
> DELPHI ONLINE! STR FOCUS! Atari's Sam Tramiel on Delphi
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Transcript of Formal Conference
August 13, 1992
Special Guest: Sam Tramiel
(copyright 1992, DELPHI's ST Advantage)
BIBLINSKI:Gordie>
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight's formal
Conference. Our very special guest this evening is Sam Tramiel,
president of Atari Corporation. This is Sam's first visit to
DELPHI, and he's here to make an official announcement to us
DELPHI members about Atari's newest 68030 based computer.
Hopefully, he'll like it so much here, that he'll be back for some
future Conferences. <g>
I'd like to remind everyone that we are formal tonight (not in
dress, but in behavior), so our format is a little more
structured than usual. Sam will have some opening remarks,
after which he will take questions about those remarks, and
answer when he can. He can't talk about everything, yet, but
we should be able to get a fairly good feel for what the new
machine is like.
Because formal COs tend to take a bit longer than our regular
informal ones, we'd like to try to limit the questions to
tonight's topic, so we don't end up with a marathon session.
So, please don't stray too far from the topic at hand.
To ask questions when the time comes, you need to use the
/queue command. You'll be prompted for your question, then for
a brief description of the question. To provide as many people
as possible with a chance to ask questions, we won't take
direct follow-ups tonight. So, try to ask your question in
such a way as to be as complete as possible. I'll be keeping a
list of who has questions and will be trying to let as many
people as possible ask them.
Remember, too, that Atari will be formally debuting the new
machine in Dusseldorf, Germany, next week. And they want to
keep some secrets for that event!
.Gordie>
With that done, and everyone digesting it, <g> I'd like to
thank Sam for taking a little time this evening to join us
here.
Sam, the floor is yours.
.Sam>
Good evening, all. I'm very pleased to be here on DELPHI in
the Atari ST Advantage area for the very first time! We're
excited to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Atari
Corporation this year. We're especially excited because this
is a time that we can introduce another milestone product to
the world.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize some people that
have been close allies of Atari Corporation. The entire staff
of the Atari areas on Delphi, under the direction of Clayton
Walnum and Gordie Meyer have been providing stellar support to
our customers for many years now. As most of you know, the
roots of the Delphi area were established in the days of
A.N.A.L.O.G. Magazine. Delphi has long been a supporter of
Atari products. Thank you Clay, Gordie, and the rest of the ST
Advantage staff for your support of our mutual customers.
Tonight, we're pleased to be able to finally announce the Atari
Falcon 030 Computer. This computer will be unveiled to the
buying public at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next
week. The Falcon is a machine that we're very excited about.
We think that it places us back in the forefront of the "Power
without the Price" place in the market.
Here's the specs on the Atari Falcon 030:
CPU: Motorola 68030 running at 16 Mhz
32-bit Bus
Optional 68881 or 68882 FPU
RAM: 1,4, or 14 megs
Standard Atari Cartridge Port
Motorola 56001 DSP chip
Expansion Bus:
Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emulation, or other
coprocessor
Graphics:
Super VGA graphics: 640x480 with 256 colors
True color 16 bit mode allowing a display of up to 65,536 colors
Accepts external video sync signal to allow high quality genlocking
Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
Overscan on TV's and ST Color monitors
262,144 possible colors
hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
BLiTTER graphics co-processor
Sound features:
Eight 16 bit audio DMA record and playback channels
Stereo 16 bit digital DMA input
Stereo 16 bit DMA audio output
SDMA sound/DMA Coprocessor
Standard Ports
SCSI II port with DMA
High speed LocalTalk compatible LAN
Connector for analog RGB color (ST or VGA) or composite video
RS232C serial port
Bidirectional parallel port
MIDI IN/MIDI OUT
Stereo microphone input, miniature stereo plug
Stereo audio out, miniature stereo plug
Two joystick connectors
Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors
Data Storage
1.44 Mbyte floppy disk drive
Optional internal IDE Hard Disk
System software
Pre-emptive Multitasking with adaptive prioritzation (MultiTOS)
Inter process communication
NewDesk desktop and eXtensible control panel
Multiple window user interface; number of windows limited
only by memory or software in use.
We see this computer as exceeding all of the multimedia
expectations of the computer buying public. As well as being
an exceptional value as a home computer system.
Extensive testing with the Falcon has already been done on
existing software. We are very pleased with the high degree of
compatibility. For instance, PowerNet, a increasingly popular
LocalTalk networking solution works fine with no modifications.
Calamus SL, PageStream, WordFlair II, Cubase 3.0, STalker 3.0,
STeno, Arabesque, and many other well written applications will
work perfectly.
I'm taking the liberty tonight of responding to some questions
that have already been submitted by the Delphi Staff, in order
that we might conserve some time:
What monitors will work with the Falcon?
The Atari Falcon030 will work with any VGA, or Atari ST
Color Monitor...SC1224 or SC1435
Suggested retail price?
Sorry, tonight we will not be giving out the suggested retail
price of the Atari Falcon030. That information will be
announced at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next week.
Will there be a trade in plan?
It is not our practice to offer a trade in plan directly from
Atari. This is something that is up to the discretion of our
dealers.
Will there be a LAN?
Yes, there is a LocalTalk port on the Atari Falcon030. It is
fully compatible with the Atari Mega STE and Atari TT030.
PowerNet from DragonWare Software works fine with it.
Will there be a method to connect to a mainframe via ethernet?
No, there is no ethernet connector on the Atari Falcon030
Why no detachable keyboard?
We felt that offering the unit in this configuration was the
most cost effective. Also, using the 1040STE case allowed us
to save on design costs, as it is the only unit (until the
Atari Falcon030) that has analog joy sticks in it.
Will the DEKA work with it?
We do have a new keyboard controller in the Atari Falcon030.
We've not checked a DEKA unit with it yet. We'll have to get
back to you on that.
Have we hired a good technical writer, to document system
interconnectivity, and add ons?
Our developer documentation for the Atari Falcon030 has met
with rave reviews from all of the developers that are in
possession of an Atari Falcon030. YES, the documentation is
greatly improved.
MultiTOS- how is it configured, ram or rom, and what software
will run on it?
MultiTOS is a combination of rom and disk based software. Most
well written applications seem to work fine. We've made
certain that our developers have been closely involved in the
enhancements of MultiTOS. I'm confident that it will be HIGHLY
compatible with your software library.
Is there anything being done with multimedia, and/or speech
recognition software?
Yes, Multimedia is one of the key area for the Atari Falcon030.
However, I cannot go into specifics at this time. We do expect
to see a lot of exciting applications at the Duesseldorf Atari
Messe next week, though!
Will it be advertised? How big is the budget, is there an
agency, will it be in mainstream media, or specialty
publications?
Sorry, we're not going to enter into those kinds of specifics
tonight. We'll be making announcements on all of those things
either at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe, or shortly after it.
Any dealer incentive programs?
Again, we will not discuss the marketing issues tonight. That
will be something that we'll pick up after the Duesseldorf
Atari Messe.
Any bundled software with the Falcon?
Yes, there will be a number of things packaged with the Atari
Falcon030. There will be a couple of games written especially
for the Atari Falcon030...LandMines, and a BreakOut kind of
game. We will also have a Rolodex type of application called
Cal/Apt, a calculator application called ProCalc, and a Talking
Clock desk accessory.
Is there a lease/purchase plan?
We already have such an arrangement in place for our products.
However it is more orientated toward business purchases than
home users.
That's it from us for now, we're ready to take questions from
the audience.
Gordie>
Okay, folks. Sorry for the delay. There's a lot of buffer to
search through for questions. Hang on a sec.
LMCCLURE>
Will the Falcon retain that name after it's release? If not,
what will it be called?
.Sam>
Yes, the name is the Atari Falcon030.
BRITFLASH:Brit>
Will there be support for the future release of Apple/IBM OS
"Pink"?
.Sam>
When we see it, we'll answer you. It's still in development.
ga
PWRIGHT:PaulW>
Will it be able to run other operating system and which ones?
.Sam>
With plugging in optional third party coprocessor boards, you
will be able to run PC type software, and maybe even MacIntosh
software. ga
PIZZA_THIEF>
Is some sort of direct-to-disk recording/edit package under
development (or slated for released concurrent with) the
falcon? With the D/A converters it is reported to possess,
this should be relatively easy to write.
.Sam>
Yes, there are several direct to disk recording systems under
development. And we expect at least a few of them to be
debuted next week at the Atari Duesseldorf Messe.
ATARIO:Steve>
Will memory upgrades be through SIMMs?
.Sam>
Memory upgrades will be through a "Atari Falcon" ram board.
RMARIANO:Ralph@STReport>
Sam, congratulations on the Falcon its quite the promising NEW
product. I understand 500 are to reach Europe within two weeks.
What is the time table for North America and the States in
particular?
.Sam>
I'm happy that you have information on what is going to Europe.
But, you're wrong, the plans are for North America to have
machines by mid to late October.
BRYEDEWAARD:MegaRob>
What kind of keyboard will the Falcon come with? The old mushy
ST-style version, or the newer Mega ST/Mega STE/TT one?
.Sam>
The Atari Falcon030 keyboard is the same wonderful keyboard
that you can find on a 1040STE.
MERICKSON:Miles>
I noticed that the standard ACSI DMA port wasn't on your list
of "standard ports." Does this mean that the Atari laser
printer will not work with the Falcon, or will a new controller
be made available for use with the Falcon?
.Sam>
There are a number of fine third party developers that are
working on a SCSI to ACSI converter box. ga
DAVIDNIELD:David Nield>
Sam, Thank you for coming. The introductory information was
great. I would like to know what kind of digital recording the
Falcon030 is capable of: Will the 16 bit digital recording be
useful for direct to disk recording or 'simply' as a sound
source for midi manipulative sounds? Any light you can shed on
that aspect would be helpful.
.Sam>
Yes, you can use the Atari Falcon030 for direct to disk
recording with appropriate software. Just plug a microphone
into the microphone input.
HOWBAR>
Will the microphone input sounds directly, like the mac?
.Sam>
Yes.
CHUNK>
What kind of speed enhancements for the 030?
.Sam>
I don't understand the question...it is using a 68030.
.Gordie>
Chunk, did you want to clarify your question? <no response>
I'd guess he wonders about using a faster 68030.
.Sam>
The design and supporting chips is for a 16Mhz 68030, and 32
Mhz bus, which gives you a dynamite machine. Terrific
performance! ga
TRIX:Trix>
Will there be a port of Microware's OS-9 Operating system for
the Falcon030?
.Sam>
We're in regular contact with Microware, and OS/9 works for the
most part just fine under the Atari Falcon030.
JBWHIT:JB>
When will development tools that support the 68030, math
coprocessors and DSP56001 be available?
.Sam>
The developer machines that have been shipping to select
developers for the past few months, have all the tools. A
complete 56000 debugger will begin shipping next Thursday.
.Ron <ym>
You stated memory of 1, 4, or 14 Meg. Why 14 Meg? What's
wrong with 16?
.Sam>
2 megabytes of RAM are masked out for backward compatibility
with ST I/O space. We pride ourselves on maintaining downward
compatibility with all of our products.
STGUEST:Oliver>
Sam, it was reported that Atari is going to introduce a new
software packet called ST-Sutra at the Duesseldorf show next
week (source: Atari Journal, Germany). Could you give us some
details (features, price, availability...) Another software-
related question: Can you confirm that there will be a MultiTOS
upgrade available for old STs (MC68000 machines)? Thanks!
.Sam>
We are saving this for Germany, Oliver. See you at the show! :)
MultiTOS will be available for the Atari TT030. But we have no
plans at present to make it available for 68000 based Atari STs.
TURBONICK:Nick>
You said that the Falcon can have 1,4,or 14 MB of RAM. In the
14MB configuration, is some of that RAM "fastRAM" like the TT
has? Will the '030 have "burst mode" (or whatever it's called
when it fetches multiple longwords in one instruction) access
to that RAM?
.Sam>
All ram accesses are 32 bits wide. By the way, the supertechy
questions are being answered by the ever capable Bill Rehbock.
:) The ram does NOT operate in Nybble mode like an Atari
TT030. ga
SGTR>
32 MHZ bus. Does that mean that the Falcon030 is capable of
32MHZ to RAM,HardDisk etc... If not then what is the main
impetus ?
.Sam>
That's a 32 bit bus, sorry for the confusion. It means that
the Atari Falcon030 memory controller and DMA and video chips
access memory at 32 bits wide at a time.
HUDSONHARDY:Hudson>
How will the TT and the Falcon relate compatibility-wise?
.Sam>
They are very compatible. The Atari Falcon030 is actually more
STE compatible than the TT030.
DPJ:Dana@STReport>
Sam, first, welcome to Delphi. In light of the recent Forbes
article, how do you feel the Falcon will do to re-establish
Atari in the marketplace? It sounds like the Falcon will be
the finest Atari computer yet to come. GA
.Sam>
Regardless of the Forbes article, we feel that the Atari
Falcon030 is a giant step in personal computing. It will help
Atari re-establish itself in the North American market.
.Gordie>
Sam, one thing that sounds really exciting is the 8 channel 16
bit sound. Won't that make the Falcon030 a virtual recording
studio in a box?
.Sam>
Gordie, YES! We are very excited. We foresee desktop editing in
the future with the Atari Falcon030.
.Gordie>
Have any MIDI developers been working on implementing that
capability? That you know of, anyway?
.Sam>
YES, a leading developer in the UK, around Cambridge, is
working on this type of software.
.Miles>
In a previous message, you said "and maybe even MacIntosh
software." Does this mean that the Falcon isn't compatible
with Spectre?
.Sam>
The Atari Falcon030 does not have an external floppy connector,
and this of course makes it difficult to connect the existing
Spectre GCR. We simply do not want to comment on Dave Small's
behalf. :)
DAVIDSHORR:Dave>
Would you comment on some of the changes that were necessary to
make the Falcon 030 more STe-compatible than its big brother
the TT030 (the 16meg address space seems to be one)? Can the
Falcon run Spectrum Holobyte's Falcon<grin>? GA.
.Sam>
Mostly custom chip issues. We haven't given Bill enough time to
try Spectrum Holobyte's Falcon yet! He's been working too
much!!
PHULSE2>
Hi Sam & Co. Two questions, first off, could you list the
various developers which have been working on products for the
Falcon? Any who previously dropped our computer and have show
a renewed interest with the Falcon? Secondly, will the
'brains' of the Falcon be easily upgradable to the inevitable
68040 release, or is that possible? Thank you very much for
appearing here! Max @ 734
.Sam>
MultiTOS will indeed work with a 68040 platform. On the first
question regarding developers, there are too many to mention
now. And yes, some that were not working on our system are
now. Such as NeXT developers because of the DSP 56000 which
opens the world to really exciting software.
DIGISOFT>
Is there a true expansion bus or just a coprocessor slot, and
is 640x480 the highest standard resolution? ga
.Sam>
Yes, there is a true expansion bus. It is a direct processor
slot with all of the necessary goodies...interupts, etc.
768x480 in overscan is the highest standard rez.
.Ralph@STReport>
Sam, all my info may not be accurate, but that is not the
question, I asked; "What is the timetable for North America
and in particular, the USA?"
.Sam>
With all due respect, we've already answered you. The US is
part of North America, and we plan mid to late October.
CHRYSTAL>
As I see it, most Atari users have little criticism of the
hardware Atari produces, but are upset with the marketing of
that hardware. The Forbes article also made that point. If
not tonight, when will we learn what marketing strategy Atari
has for the Falcon?
.Sam>
We felt that the present ST/STE family was not strong enough to
market in the US. We have been waiting for this new product,
and we do plan to support it and market it in the US. It will
be a hard battle, but we will put a good effort behind it.
.Gordie>
Okay, folks, the clock on the wall says we have time for just
one more question. And, that lucky person is... NORM!
NORMAN238:Norm!>
Will there be any "HANDS ON" looking at the Boston Computer
Society's Meeting?
.Sam>
There will be hands, feet, etc on looking, touching, at BCS.
We will have more than one machine there, Norm.
Thank you all for coming tonight. We appreciate your support.
We've enjoyed our first visit to Delphi. Good night all, there
will be more information coming after the Duesseldorf Atari
Messe. Good night!
.Gordie>
That about fills up our time for tonight, folks. I want to
thank Sam, Bob and Bill for dropping by. Good night!
This CO is officially over!
************************************************************************
This conference transcript is the exclusive property of the ST
Advantage on DELPHI. Permission to reprint is granted only if this
notice is included and the transcript is left unchanged.
************************************************************************
> THE FORBES ARTICLE STR Spotlight The ACTUAL, COMPLETE Forbes Article
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The following is a reprint of an article appearing in FORBES,
issue dated:
AUGUST 3, 1992
ctsy of Drew Reid Kerr
GEnie: D.KERR1 - DELPHI: DRKERR - CompuServe: 70372,3036
There have been no alterations in the text nor any additions.
Reprinted by permission of FORBES magazine, August 3, 1992.
(c) Forbes, Inc., 1992
CHEAP DIDN'T SELL
=================
Computer game maker Atari Corp. is in trouble again,
a prime example of the dangers of pinching pennies
on everything from marketing to expense accounts
by Dyan Machan
Only a decade ago Atari Corp., the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based computer
company, ranked just behind Coca Cola in name recognition. At its peak a
cash machine that was owned by Warner Communications, Atari employed
10,000 people worldwide; sales were over $2 billion. But a flood of
poor-quality computer games sent sales into a tailspin in 1983, and Atari
lost $500 million.
Warner sold the struggling company in 1984 to Jack Tramiel at the
bargain price of $240 million in promissory notes. Tramiel built sales
back up to just under $500 million a year by 1987. But today things are
unraveling again.
Sales were a meager $258 million last year, and falling.
First-quarter 1992 losses were a staggering $14 million on $44 million in
sales, and company sources say second-quarter results, due out in late
July, will be far worse. Twenty-seven executives have either resigned or
been fired in the past 30 months. Atari stock traded at 16 in 1987, but
now bumps along at 1 5/8.
What happened? Tramiel made a common mistake. He tried to duplicate a
past success under very different market conditions.
Tramiel's earlier triumph was at Commodore International, where he
undercut the competition with cheap computers and spent next to nothing on
marketing, promotion or overhead. The cheap strategy worked beautifully.
Commodore's stock market value surged, putting Tramiel in The Forbes Four
Hundred in 1987, although by then he had been pushed out of the firm and
had sold his stake in Commodore.
Could he repeat the trick with Atari? When Tramiel bought the game
maker, he appointed his oldest son, Sam, now 42, as Atari's president and
chief executive officer. Together the emphasized cheap computers over
videogames -- in retrospect a terrible mistake in a world that was rapidly
filling up with inexpensive computers.
In 1985, Jack Tramiel rolled out Atari's new ST personal computers, an
inexpensive line made in Taiwan. Atari launched the ST line in Europe,
where Tramiel had contacts from his Commodore days and where there were
plenty of companies to write software. Off to a good start, Atari made a
profit of $44 million on $493 million sales in 1987.
The good times didn't last very long. Miffed that Atari gave away
prepackaged software with sales of its machines, European software
producers stopped writing programs for the ST series. Another Tramiel
blunder, because in the computer industry software sells the hardware.
Then Dell Computer, Leading Edge and Packard Bell began selling their
inexpensive computers in Europe.
Last year Atari's European sales collapsed to $209 million, from $342
million in 1990. Meanwhile, Apple and Commodore were locking up shelf
space and dealer loyalty in the U.S. market. And since the Atari ST
didn't use the DOS operating system, software makers weren't much
interested in writing new ST programs. Consequently, U.S. computer sales
never amounted to much.
To provide Atari with distribution outlets, Tramiel bought money
losing Federated Group, a southern California consumer electronics chain,
for $67 million in 1987. He put his youngest son, Garry, then in his
mid-20s, in charge of Federated. Garry wasn't up to the job. A year
after Tramiel bought Federated Group, the chain lost $124 million and
Atari shut the doors.
In videogames, Tramiel held back the introduction of the 7800
Prosystem for 18 months, opting instead to take the lower-cost route of
updating an older system that couldn't compete with the more powerful
Nintendo Entertainment System. When Atari finally did roll out the Model
7800 in 1986, it spent just a little over $300,000 promoting it. Nintendo
and Sega were spending $15 million apiece promoting theirs. Nintendo now
has an 80% market share.
Unable to compete against Nintendo in the marketplace, the Tramiels
sued Nintendo for antitrust violations. Last April a jury sided with
Nintendo.
In 1989 Atari blew another opportunity to knock Nintendo off its
perch. Atari's portable videogame, the Lynx, had color graphics and was
superior to Nintendo's black-and-white, more basic, portable Gameboy unit.
But Lynx could run only four or five games, the result of cutting Atari's
software development to the bone. Nintendo's Gameboy could run more than
80 games.
Even after cutting Lynx's price to $99 from $179 to get closer to
Gameboy's $89, Atari again went the cheap route and spent virtually
nothing on national advertising. Result: Today Gameboy has 81% of the
market and is sold in 16,000 outlets. That compares to 3% for Lynx,
available in fewer than 3,000 stores.
The Tramiels seems to enjoy competing against each other to save
pennies. Example: In a confidential memo to Sam Tramiel, computer games
president Michael Katz, who has since left, complained how Garry Tramiel
refused to allow him to spend $54 to air-freight two cartridges he needed
for an important presentation to a big client. Atari employees say father
Jack personally checks expense reports to make sure that restaurant tips
don't exceed 15%.
When Atari lost the Nintendo suit, Jack Tramiel took day-to-day
charge of the company away from son Sam. Sam has moved out of his fancy
corner office into ordinary space, next to purchasing.
Two new Atari products are due out in the next 12 months: the Falcon
030, a souped-up ST computer; and the Jaguar, the next-generation
videogame console. But industry sources say that to launch both products
with the promotion needed to give them a real chance would cost some $40
million. That's about all the cash Atari has on hand, and the company
needs $24 million a year just to meet its operating overhead.
One Atari official who spoke to FORBES on the condition that he
remain anonymous, sums up the company's problem this way: "The Tramiels
are not stupid. But their formula for success worked only once. They are
not adaptable people." Not a good trait in any business, especially
computers.
****
One of our many readers says it all...
from the FNET
Conf : STReport Online
Msg# : 21395/21400 Lines: 9 Read: 1
Sent : Aug 06, 1992 at 7:16 PM
To : All
From : Chris B. Herting at Fnet Node 556-Suitland-MD
Subj : Atari.
Yes, it has been quite a while since I posted SEVERAL messages
criticizing Atari. Right after my messages were published in STR, I
received many responses supporting my views. I also received messages
telling me I was unfair. Atari can do no wrong. Something STR has been
hearing for sometime. Now I think everyone has seen the proof, everyone
has read the Forbes article. STR was RIGHT all along, and I was right to
speak out. It is about time people start seeing the light, and the ones
who haven't start telling the truth. Atari should NOW explain their
actions.. TRUTHFULLY.
***********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
To sign up for GEnie service:
Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
GEnie Announcements (FREE)
1. Meet people... Attend events for FREE. Have FUN. Type.....*HSN
2. Our HOT Weekly Listing in.................................GEMSTONE
3. BRAND NEW: Discount Travel AND FREE Time on GEnie at......TRAVELSOURCE
4. Your friends are worth GEnie credits......................*BUDDY
5. SAVINGS on Modems, Ribbons, Disks & Accessories at........DIRECTMICRO
6. FREE Hobby RTC Night....Sunday night August 16th..........HOBBY
7. LAURA LEONE/LAURA RESNICK, Sunday, 8 PM EDT in the.......SFRT
8. 24 player-generated worlds for you to explore in..........FED
9. Talk computing, and telecom, with JOHN C DVORAK...........GENIEUS
10. WIN 4 Nights 5 Days at the BUENA VISTA PALACE DISNEY......FLORIDA
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From the ST RT
The transcript of the Atari Corporation Realtime Conference featuring
Sam Tramiel, president of Atari Corp., as our special guest, announcing
the Atari Falcon 030, is NOW available in the ST library, file # 25262.
Check it out TODAY!
New Files in Your Library
No. File Name Address Description
----- ------------ ----------- -------------------------------------
25268 FD318UD.LZH BDHALL Fidodoor update to 3.1.8
25267 FD318REL.LZH BDHALL Fidodoor ver 3.1.8
25266 PRIZES.CT D.FINCH7 CT FEST: DOOR PRIZE HEAVEN
25265 MAKEDATE.LZH M.FARMER2 Make A Date (Script For Express ST)
25263 ATARIBBS.TXT L.ESTEP1 Atari BBS listing - 8/13/92 edition
25262 FALCONCO.LZH JEFF.W Falcon/Atari RTC Transcript
25259 DEMOCM20.ARC C.HOWER reads commodore disks
25258 ANSI150B.FIX T.MILLER23 Problems with ANSITerm? Read this!
25257 PAS_XREF.LZH P.LEFEBVRE Pascal Cross Reference Generator
25256 NEW_MAPS.LZH J.WISNIEWSK2 More Maps for the game Empire.
25255 MUSICINF.CT D.FINCH7 CT FEST MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
Darlah's Treat of the Month - INVDEMO3.LZH
------------------------------------------
Other NEW FILES available in the Atari RT Libraries are Sound Files
(library 11), Digitized Sounds (library 17), Graphic pictures (library 5),
Atari Archives (library 13), and Sale/Wanted Files (library 26).
Sale/Wanted items are also available in the Bulletin Board Category 27.
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
***********************************************************************
> GEnie Falcon Conf. STR OnLine Atari's Sam Tramiel Online on GEnie
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
THE FALCON 030/ATARI CORPORATION REALTIME CONFERENCE
featuring
SAM TRAMIEL, PRESIDENT OF ATARI CORPORATION
"THERE IS NO COMPARISON! THE ATARI FALCON IS
FAR SUPERIOR TO THE PC PLATFORM."
Sam Tramiel, 08/1992
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 1992
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> On behalf of the Atari ST Roundtable, I welcome all of
you to the Atari Corporation RealTime Conference featuring Sam Tramiel,
president of Atari.
Before getting started, some business about how an RTC works.
While the RTC room is in Listen-Only mode, you can only address our guest
when I let you talk.
To get my attention, just /RAIse your hand. Just enter this from your
keyboard: /rai
I'll acknowledge your raised hand as soon as I can, but please be patient.
I -WILL- let you know when your turn is coming up.
Some other RTC commands are:
? - Lists all RTC commands.
/sta - Status (list) of everyone in
the RTC room.
/exi - Exit the RTC, but you remain
logged onto GEnie.
/bye - Log off of GEnie directly from
the RTC.
/rai - Raise your hand. Lets me know
you wish to address our guest.
With that out of the way, let us proceed.
Later this month, Atari will be unveiling the Falcon 030 to the world at
the Atari Messe in Duesseldorf Germany. The Falcon has generated a lot of
speculation and rumors over its features and abilities, as well as hopes
for the future of Atari in the computer industry.
Tonight we get a sneak preview of the Falcon. Before the crowds at Atari
Messe get to ogle the Falcon, Sam Tramiel will give us a guided tour and
answer our questions.
I know that many of you will have questions you'll wish to ask Sam, so
I'll try to get to as many of you as I can. When it is your turn, you'll
get to ask only one question during that turn. But you can have as many
turns as time allows. After you ask your question, /RAI your hand again
to be put back in line.
The purpose of this Realtime Conference is to get out factual information
about the Falcon. Anything else that Sam is prepared to share with us
will be icing on the cake. Please understand if Sam cannot answer
specific questions about things like marketing, future products, and other
non-Falcon related questions at this time.
Sam, thank you for being with us this evening. I understand you have some
prepared text to upload to us about the Falcon. You may begin the upload
at your convenience.
<STRAMIEL> Good evening, all. I'm very pleased to be here on our official
online service, GEnie once again. We're excited to be celebrating the
20th anniversary of Atari Corporation this year. We're especially excited
because this is a time that we can introduce another milestone product to
the world.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize some people that have been
close allies of Atari Corporation. The entire staff of the Atari RTs on
GEnie, under the leadership of Darlah Potechin have been providing stellar
support to our customers for a number of years now. I'm grateful for the
support of Darlah, Sandy Wilson, Jeff Williams and the rest of the GEnie
RT staff in supporting our mutual customers. We've just signed a new
agreement with GEnie, that will ensure the continuation of GEnie being our
online home.
In addition, I'm pleased to welcome the new publishers of Atari Explorer
Magazine, Mike Lindsay to Sunnyvale as well. As most of you know, we've
brought Explorer in to our corporate headquarters. John Jainschigg has
moved on to other challenges, and Mike Lindsay and Darren Meer are now at
the helm of Atari Explorer. Our online magazine, Atari Explorer Online,
is under the able leadership of Ron Kovacs. Ron is best known for his
years of experience as the publisher of Z*Net Online Magazine.
Tonight, we're pleased to be able to finally announce the Atari Falcon 030
Computer. This computer will be unveiled to the buying public at the
Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next week. The Falcon is a machine that
we're very excited about. We think that it places us back in the
forefront of the "Power without the Price" place in the market.
Here's the specs on the Atari Falcon 030:
CPU: Motorola 68030 running at 16 Mhz
32-bit Bus
Optional 68881 or 68882 FPU
RAM: 1,4, or 14 megs
Standard Atari Cartridge Port
Motorola 56001 DSP chip
Expansion Bus:
Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emulation, or other
coprocessor
Graphics:
Super VGA graphics: 640x480 with 256 colors
True color 16 bit mode allowing a display of up to 65,536 colors
Accepts external video sync signal to allow high quality genlocking
Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
Overscan on TV's and ST Color monitors
262,144 possible colors
hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
BLiTTER graphics co-processor
Sound features:
Eight 16 bit audio DMA record and playback channels
Stereo 16 bit digital DMA input
Stereo 16 bit DMA audio output
SDMA sound/DMA Coprocessor
Standard Ports:
SCSI II port with DMA
High speed LocalTalk compatible LAN
Connector for analog RGB color (ST or VGA) or composite video
RS232C serial port
Bidirectional parallel port
MIDI IN/MIDI OUT
Stereo microphone input, miniature stereo plug
Stereo audio out, miniature stereo plug
Two joystick connectors
Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors
Data Storage:
1.44 Mbyte floppy disk drive
Optional internal IDE Hard Disk
System software:
Pre-emptive Multitasking with adaptive prioritzation (MultiTOS)
Inter process communication
NewDesk desktop and eXtensible control panel
Multiple window user interface; number of windows limited only by
memory or software in use.
We see this computer as exceeding all of the multimedia expectations of
the computer buying public. As well as being an exceptional value as a
home computer system.
Extensive testing with the Falcon has already been done on existing
software. We are very pleased with the high degree of compatibility.
For instance, PowerNet, a increasingly popular LocalTalk networking
solution works fine with no modifications. Calamus SL, PageStream,
WordFlair II, Cubase 3.0, STalker 3.0, STeno, Arabesque, and many other
well written applications will work perfectly.
That concludes our remarks, I hope you were all impressed with how fast I
can type!
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> Do you have a price ready to announce for the Falcon?
<STRAMIEL> No, we will announce the price at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe,
Jeff.
<[Chris R.] DRAGONWARE> Sam Thank you for the Plug: .. What kind of
Numbers will be available in the US and how soon?
<STRAMIEL> We are once again going to FCC and I realistically expect
shipments into the US in mid October.
<[Mike] M.HILL13> We have heard some developers have falcons already.
When will other registered developers be able to pick one up to start work
on them. I understand if this question needs to be answered in email.
<STRAMIEL> Please contact Bill Rehbock regarding this matter. He will be
happy to help you with this matter.
<[Bigcat] K.LONERGAN> Are MIDI ports included?
<STRAMIEL> YES, MIDI ports are included with the Falcon. We fully support
the MIDI standard.
<[FAST TECH] J.ALLEN27> Hi Sam, thanks for visiting GEnie again. Three
questions:
Is the Falcon going to stay black?
How are you going to market it...what venues, etc?
And is Multitos going to be 68040 compatible when released?
<STRAMIEL> Colors and marketing plans will be talked about at Duesseldorf
and after that show, Jim. I have to save something for next week. :)
And MultiTOS will be 68040 compatible! But sorry, we're not commenting
about 68040 machines.
<[ScottJ] S.CORLEY1> Sam , about the graphics capacity of the Falcon. Why
doesn't it have 800x600 or better yet 1024x768 graphics as that is the VGA
standard now. Also , has the BLiTTER chip been sped up to handle the extra
graphics bandwidth.
<STRAMIEL> Hi Scott. The BLiTTER Chip has been sped up to handle the extra
bandwidth. The BLiTTER is now running at 16Mhz. VGA normally doesn't have
TRUE COLOR, which the ATARI FALCON DOES, and this machine is aimed at
having great color, great sound, and with the DSP chip, some wonderful new
applications.
<[Advertise!] B.KING8> 1) Are you going to Advertise, if so how? 2) What
is the deal with the GE Service contract? 3) Can we expect Desktop (ie.
Detachable keyboards) models and Tower versions?
<STRAMIEL> As I said before, all marketing announcements will be made at
Duesseldorf. I will not comment on future models of the Falcon. We are
talking today about a machine which will be shipping next week.
We don't want to make future announcements and get into trouble with
Vaporware. And by the way, for higher rez requirements, buy TTs! :)
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> Remember folks ... only one question per turn ... We have
a lot of folks waiting and not nearly enough time to accommodate
everybody.
Thanks.
<R.PECORA> Has the recent Forbes article influenced Atari's future
marketing plans?
<STRAMIEL> My new office, which has a better view than my old one, is so
far quite satisfactory. And Richard Miller is in my old office. The
Forbes article was a mish-mash and misconstrued article full of half
truths. We are anxiously awaiting the release of the Atari Falcon to
bring us back to the forefront. The article has given us some laughs, but
otherwise has not affected us.
<OAWALKER> Evening Sam Evening Sam (SBACE) PLEASE SHOW falcon at
Glendale for all the So Cal Boys.
<STRAMIEL> We will try our best to show it. There will be a number of
fine developers there, like Lexicor Software showing Atari Falcon
applications.
<[SteveJ] S.JACOBS6> Would you please name some of Falcon's designers?
<STRAMIEL> You mean our engineers?
<[SteveJ] S.JACOBS6> Yes.
<STRAMIEL> The Atari Falcon was totally designed in house at Atari, and it
is not our practice to give out individuals names. So many people are,
and were involved in the project. They all worked very hard to bring this
to a reality!
<[wants unix] JM.HAWTHORNE> Is the expansion bus VME?
<STRAMIEL> No, it is not a VME bus. It is a direct processor slot that
gives developers more flexibility.
<[Marc] M.RHODES8> How do you think the Falcon will compare w/ the
industry dominating IBM platform?
<STRAMIEL> There is no comparison! The Atari Falcon is far superior to the
PC platform. Our challenge is to get a lot of software for the platform,
and a lot of people to buy it.
<[Gary] G.STOLLMAN> Sam, you mentioned IBM emulation...How close to true
IBM 386 speed and power will this actually be...??? By this I mean like a
386 33 SX...?? Will this require an add on unit for more speed??
<STRAMIEL> Hi Gary. Bill Rehbock assures me that a PC Board will be shown
at Duesseldorf. We will give you specs after the show.
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> Any comments about performance?
<STRAMIEL> Not until after the show, Jeff. Sorry. It's not our product.
<P.LORIMER> Will the Falcon be sold with Multi-TOS, and will multi-TOS be
in the ROM's? From what I've heard it takes up close to a MEG if in RAM.
<STRAMIEL> Yes, the Atari Falcon will be sold with MultiTOS. It will
be a combination of ROM and disk based.
<S.AGARWAL> Sam, Why no DMA (ACSI) port .... How shall I connect my SLM
804 to the falcon ?
<STRAMIEL> We felt that the DMA port was not enough of a standard port.
That's why we went to SCSI II. There are several third party companys
that are working on a converter box to allow you to connect up your SLM to
the Atari Falcon 030. The SCSI is much faster than DMA, too.
<NEVIN-S> Thanks for coming tonight, Sam. As a developer who depends on
sales of Atari software for a good portion of my living, I am excited
about the new Falcon. On the other hand, I see more and more people being
fired from Atari, entire divisions being closed down, etc. Atari seems to
be very good at cutting costs, but is this really the time to cut costs?
I am concerned that once again Atari will have a great machine
technically, but that the corporation behind it won't be strong enough to
make the Falcon fly.
<STRAMIEL> We are "right sizing" our company to reflect our current rate
of sales. We must conserve assests for future growth with products like
Atari Falcon. Example, with the new North America free trade agreement,
we felt that we could handle Canadian sales logistically from Sunnyvale
and have sales people in Canada and the US handling both countries in a
north/south direction.
We will support the Atari Falcon throughout the world. And need
developers like you to support it as well.
<[The EDGE] C.ROSE4> I've been using 1040 ST because of it's MIDI
capabilities. I also use C-lab's Notator. I wanted to buy a TT, but
Notator won't run on it. Will the Falcon support this product?
<STRAMIEL> The new version of Notator will run fine on a Falcon, just as
the new version will run on the TT030.
<E.MONACO> Is 16Mhz viable running multiple applications? What can we
expect?
<STRAMIEL> We've found it to work just fine. The 68030 is well suited for
multi-tasking.
<B.SALDANA1> the Falcon inspired me to design an attractive monitor stand
for it called the STATION [faxed B.Rhebock]. Has it been inspiring new or
old software developers? {I'll send you one Sam>
<STRAMIEL> At a recent Atari Falcon developer conference, {organized by
the capable Bill Rehbock} in the UK, I was very happy to learn about new
developers and some exciting software which is already being developed.
The machines spec are so novel, that developers really have to figure out
all the new, wonderful things that they can do with it. I'm sure that
we'll see great software within the next 6 months. Thanks for the offer
of the monitor stand, I'll look forward to it!!!
<[J.M.T.] J.TORRES17> Sir, Is the Falcon fully 1040STe compatible
(graphics, 8Mhz, TOS, etc)? or more like the TT?
<STRAMIEL> The Atari Falcon is VERY STE compatible. Much more so that
the TT030 is. We really try to make our products as compatible as
possible.
<[Not Sam T.] SAM-RAPP> Does this "Official Announcement" mean that all
these "Gagged" developers can start talking nitty gritty with us info
starved masses? At least some info? ;>
<STRAMIEL> No more on our product, but they will be welcome to discuss
the applications that they are developing that will be Falcon specific.
<WORDFLAIR> Sam, we are excited about the Falcon. We will be launching
several new products that take full advantage of its power later this
fall. The products are being developed by us and by Digital Arts, GmbH,
the former development team for 3K Computerbild.
<STRAMIEL> Lauren, it's always a pleasure to have you as part of the
Atari team. Thank you for your support!!
<[Ron] AD-VANTAGE> The Falcon sounds wonderful Sam!
Could you discuss in general terms some of the new software in
development for the Falcon and what do you think the most significant
impact of the DSP hardware will be on such new applications?
<STRAMIEL> I cannot give exact details tonight, but I think that the DSP
hardware will open up a whole new realm of communications type software.
I'm pushing very hard for voice mail type applications for the home.
<[Mike] M.HILL13> You mentioned the SCSI 2 port is DMA driven and the DSP
too I believe, but is the Localtalk port DMA driven like on the TT or is
it like the Mega STE localtalk port. I hope it is DMA driven.
<STRAMIEL> It is not DMA driven, sorry Mike. We think that it is
satisfactory at this level.
<[Peter] ABC.SOLN> Can you comment on the future of existing machines,
especially the TT030. (there have been reports that it is out of
production) For instance, will upgrades to multiTOS be available ? Will
trade-up deals be offered ?
<STRAMIEL> The TT030 is still in production, and we do have plans to
release Atari MultiTOS for the TT030. It is not a practice for us to
offer trade up deals. That is something that is for the descretion of the
dealers.
<M.RIVMAN1> MR.T. (Sam), welcome! As good as the new machine looks on
paper, we have all been hard hit by lack of support by dealers/developers
PLEASE- sell me on staying with the ATARI platform when all my friends
scream MAC for MIDI DTP, graphics!!!
<STRAMIEL> We have been reluctant to attack the US market with the old
machines. We feel that the Atari Falcon is truly a giant step forward and
we hope that this will turn on users in the US. This will help get our
marketplace going. We are signing up new dealers, and as more software
becomes available, you will be seeing us advertise in the US. But as I
said earlier, I will not go into details at present.
<W.RENKEL> When will they arrive in the US, and where do they fit into the
current product line??
<STRAMIEL> They will be available in mid-October, and they fit very well
into our product line! :)
<[Connor] CONNOR> Good evening Sam. I assume that the release date for the
Falcon will be the same in Canada as in the United States, is this
correct?
<STRAMIEL> If anything, it might be earlier in Canada. That's because I'm
a Canadian, eh.
<[Curt] C.FLUEGEL> will it be possible to record/playback on just a
single of the sound channels, or will they only work in pairs??
<STRAMIEL> According to Bill Rehbock <my trusty technical assistant>, yes,
you can record on a single channel.
<[Advertise] T.MCCOMB> Will MultiTOS be available for the rest of the ST
line? If so, what kind of time frame for availability? -Tom. Please tell
me there will be a MAJOR marketing effort in the USA otherwise only us
Chickens will know about the Falcon.
<STRAMIEL> MultiTOS will be available for TT030 and for future 68030 and
above machines. We already answered the other marketing questions.
<[Steve] S.JOHNSON10> You said the Falcon 030 (is it actually going to be
called that, by the way?) has a 16-bit 65,536 color mode. Will that work
at 640x480 or is that mode limited to lower resolutions and, if so, which
one(s)?
<STRAMIEL> Steve, the machine is called the Atari Falcon 030. The 16 bit
true color mode will work in 640x480 interlaced on a TV or ST style
monitor.
True Color will also work in 320x480 on VGA monitors.
<[Chuck.] HAINES> For ram expansion up to the max of 14meg, is the ram
standard simms or proprietary type packages? If not is this the type
thing good chip merchants will have readily in stock.
<STRAMIEL> It is a custom board, but not proprietary. We will have it
readily in stock, and we are a great chip merchant! :)
<[Network 23] R.MARTIN22> Thanks for being here tonight. I'm thinking of
becoming an Atari dealer. What support can I expect from Sunnyvale? Are
the analog ports you mentioned the same as those on the STE?
<STRAMIEL> Please contact new US sales director Art Pruzynski regarding
your dealer interest. We will support you fully. Yes, the analog ports
are the same as on the Atari 1040 STE.
<[Chris C.] C.CASSADAY> From your answer about MultiTOS and the ST, it
seems as if 68000 based machines may not be in Atari's production future.
Also, when, and in what form can we expect MultiTOS for the TT030.
<STRAMIEL> Hi Chris, the future of the 68000 machines all depends on the
market wants. IE, what sells. MultiTOS will be available from Atari for
the Atari TT030 as an upgrade. We'll supply details later on, after
Duesseldorf. From what I have seen, MultiTOS is fantastic, and is just as
much a major advance as the hardware for the Atari Falcon. No Guru
meditation errors, and some really great graphic features, and wonderful
technical features.
<[ScottJ] S.CORLEY1> Sam, why did Atari choose to use the fixed point
56001 DSP instead of the newer, more powerful 96002 DSP which has floating
point? Also. could you give more detail about Falcon graphics capacities,
i.e resolutions, # of colors, scan rates, interlacing , etc.
<STRAMIEL> Scott, the primary reasons were price...the 96002 is much more
expensive. The newer chip doesn't have the software tools available to
take advantage of it yet.
We'll post more graphic details <grin> in the bulletin board after
Duessledorf.
<[Chris] C.OATES2> The Advantage article mentioned 16 bit in only 320 x
200. Any other inaccuracies we should know of in their specs?
<STRAMIEL> We have released the specifications of the Atari Falcon
tonight. You are getting all of the information straight from the horse's
mouth. We'd rather not comment about the Advantage article.
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> Anyone who missed the specs at the beginning of the RTC,
they'll be in the transcript that I'll put in the library tomorrow.
<[Mike Allen] M.ALLEN14> Does your comment about the FCC indicate that
the falcon is NOT Class B yet? If this is so how can you have
significant quantities in the US by Mid-October?
<STRAMIEL> We have not yet even given the machine to the FCC. And we are
only applying for Class B approval. According to our "experts", it should
pass Class B. We will not have significant quantities of Atari Falcon
until later in the year. October will be just the beginning.
<[Veg] R.ALBRIGHT7> Have any As-of-Yet Non_Atari Vendors expressed
intentions to produce applications taking advantage of the tremendous
new capabilities of the Falcon. Software from a well known vendor could
do wonders for enticing users of other platforms.
<STRAMIEL> Yes, there are some 30 new developers that are producing
software for the Atari Falcon. Several of the developers are also NeXT
developers, for example.
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> Folks ... we have about 5 - 10 minutes left before we
have to let Sam and friends go. We won't be able to get to everyone, but
we'll try to squeeze in as many as possible.
<R.PAINTER3> Will it be possible to upgrade to a 040, or should I hold
out for the better machine (I can't afford both).
<STRAMIEL> The Atari Falcon030 cannot be upgraded to an 68040, as far as
the design goes. I'm sure that you'll find the Atari Falcon030 very cost
effective. Buy one! :)
<[wants unix] JM.HAWTHORNE> How fast will the serial ports be, and how
many?
<STRAMIEL> The serial port (there is one) is driven by the SCC chip. It
is capable of full local talk speed, 250K baud. Also, we feel that the
DSP port will have great telecommunications applications with very high
speed things, like ISDN.
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> We have time for two more people to ask questions.
R.PECORA and M.RHODES8.
<R.PECORA> Is a Mega-type version Falcon a possibility in the near future?
Many of us prefer the external keyboard arrangement.
<STRAMIEL> Sorry, as I indicated before, no comment about future machines.
Thanks for your input on the external keyboard.
<[Marc] M.RHODES8> Do you think the 'major' retailers (ala CompUSA,
Computerland) will carry the Falcon? Being here in San Francisco, I only
have 2 or 3 places I can go for Atari equipment, and I would love to see
the Falcon supported in these outlets. GA and Good Night! :)
<STRAMIEL> We sure hope that some "major retailers" will pick up the
Atari line. A good friend, that you all know, named Greg Pratt, now runs
Intelligent Electronics. Why don't you write him, and push him to sell
Atari products? :)
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> To everyone who we didn't get to, my apologies. But we
_have_ run through an incredible number of questions and answers during
this time.
Thank you all for attending and participating.
Sam, many thanks to you and the Atari crew for being here and filling us
all in about the Falcon. Many best wishes for its success.
Do you have any closing statements you'd like to make before we adjourn?
<STRAMIEL> Yes, Jeff. Thanks for joining us here tonight. And we
appreciate your support of Atari. I've just returned from Asia, where I
saw the first Atari Falcon production coming off the lines. Let's hope
this new offering will make it in North America. I know that the specs
are great. We should have a good chance, with all of your support.
Good night, thank you again for attending tonight!
<[Sysop] JEFF.W> Thanks again to Sam and all who turned out here.
=========================================================================
(C) 1992 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May
be reprinted only with this notice intact.The Atari Roundtables on GEnie
are *official* information services of Atari Corporation.
=========================================================================
> The TREASURE CHESTS STR Feature NEW AVAILABLE FILES
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
GOODIES GALORE!
===============
by Doyle C. Helms Jr.
Software Editor @ STReport
This week I will be trying out a new format for presentation of the
files that are available for download on the three major on-line services.
I will designate the file(s) with a letter that indicates where the file
was found.
[GEnie]=GEnie [Delphi]=Delphi [Compuserve]=Compuserve.
Starting next week I will introduce a rating points system that will
be called the "STaR Value". I hope in rating the programs/files that I
peruse and try out that it will help you in your decision to download the
file(s).
I understand that money is tight and that whenever you download a file
without ANY prior knowledge of its capabilities or performance you are
taking a chance at throwing a few bucks out of the proverbial window. If
YOU know of a particular program that I may miss or not rate it has high
(or low) as you believe it should be, drop me some E-mail on one of the
services. I will be glad to reprint YOUR thoughts for everyone to see so
they will have "both" sides of a review, mine and yours.
Feedback from the readers is essential if a feature like this is to
prove successful over the long run. We will ALL benefit from shared ideas
and critiques. The more YOU (the reader) input, the more YOU will get in
return! On with the show...
Filename: FALCONCO.LZH
Uploader: Jeff.W
Size : 11136
Location: [GEnie]
This is a transcript of the Falcon 030/Atari Corporation conference
featuring Sam Tramiel, President of Atari. Mr. Tramiel presented the
OFFICIAL announcement and specifications for the new FALCON computer from
Atari. Many questions were answered about features, performance
availability and etc.
Filename: DEMOCM20.LZH
Uploader: C.HOWER
Size : 29440
Location: [GEnie]
This is a demo of a program that will allow the ST/TT to read
Commodore format disks and convert them to ST format.
Filename: Adventure Game Toolkit v. 1.3
Uploader: ANALOG4[Delphi] - L.DOWDLE1[GEnie]
Size : 146560 (program files)
139392 (documentation)
Location: [Delphi] [GEnie]
This program allows the creation of Infocom (provided YOU have that
type of skill in game design logic) quality text adventure games. There
are supposedly many source code files for games that you can simply
compile and use from various sources. The documentation goes into detail
about how to write your own games using AGT.
Filename: Arena Earth
Uploader: ATARIGUEST
Size : 184320 (disk 1)
103296 (disk 2)
Location: [Delphi]
Arena Earth is a Shareware game by SysTim Software. The game allows
one or two players. The game can be played against the computer at three
skill levels or two players can use a modem (or null-modem) to compete in
this excellent game. Digitized sound, very good graphics and of course, a
'lotta fun!
Filename: QUIKCIS.PRG
Uploader: 75300,3155
Size : 112310
Location: [Compuserve]
QuickCIS is an online navigator for Compuserve. QuickCIS can be
configured to visit up to 6 forums, gathering messages and file
descriptions for later perusal offline. QuickCIS supports all modem speeds
and Medium resolution (ST) up. If you are on CIS, you NEED this program!
Excellent quality, constantly being enhanced.
Filename: PAS_XREF.LZH
Uploader: P.LEFEBVRE
Size : 24960
Location: [GEnie] [Delphi]
To quote the author of this program, " If you program in Pascal, then
you NEEd this program!". I can't verify the operation of this program
because I don't know squat about Pascal, but the author, IMHO, is to be
taken at his word about the functionality and performance of this program.
An ACCESSORY version is also included in this file(via changing the .PRG
extender to .ACC). FREEWARE by Paul Lefebvre and Julian Garza.
Filename: Digiplay Plus 1.5
Uploader: Analog4[Delphi] - S.DOUGHERTY1[GEnie]
Size : 73600
Location: [Delphi] [GEnie]
Two world's Software presents DigiPlay Plus version 1.5. The sound
editor(digital) accepts VOC,SND,SPL,AMI and more sound formats. Digiplay
Plus has special effects like Amplify-echo-FEcho(Hall)-Reverse. Speeds
from 3kHz to 55kHz.
Filename: WhatIS 6.3
Uploader: Analog4[Delphi] - W.PIKE[GEnie]
Size : 19712
Location: [GEnie] [Delphi] [Compuserve]
What Is file identifier. This program identifies over 100 file types.
No more of "what type of program is this?" Excellent program that is
constantly being upgraded.
Filename: IDEALIST 3.2
Uploader: A.B.SMITH[GEnie] - JLEHETT[Delphi]
Size : 278541
Location: [Delphi] [GEnie]
Idealist is a program that has MANY outstanding features for many
types of printers. Epson dot matrix formats and HPDJ and LaserJet formats
are among the more common. The HPLJ allows user download of various font
styles. I am not sure about the Epson modes concerning the downloadable
fonts. I have used this program extensively for several months and found
it to be solid and very useful. highly recommended! Well worth the
download time!
Well that's some of the highlights for this week. I will be looking
forward to hearing from you and I truly hope you, the user, will get
involved in not only this feature each week, but become an active
participating member of ALL 3 online service networks and you will not
regret the few dollars you spend in getting some of the finest software
available anywhere. Heck, it is cheaper to use the pay-for-use services
than it is to call a BBS long distance! :) I will fudge a little here and
give all 3 services a full 10point STaR Value rating each. Each service
excels in a particular area that the other 2 are less active in. I will
not commit myself to a public lynching by saying which one is better at
what than the other, let me just leave it at each have the high points
that should be looked into by all Atarians!
Until next time...
____________________________________________________________
> CT ATARIFEST '92 STR SHOW NEWS CONNECTICUT ATARIFEST '92
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CONNECTICUT ATARIFEST '92
=========================
ATARIFEST DINNER TO INCLUDE FAMILIAR MUSICIANS
Connecticut AtariFest '92 will present an "AtariFeast" Saturday August
15 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport. In fact, when
the curtain comes down at the end of the first day of the computer show,
several activities will continue through the night.
Registration for the event in the Windsor Locks, Connecticut, hotel
will take place both days between 9 and 10 a.m., when the main ballroom
doors open for business. Visitors to the AtariFest will have until 5:30
p.m. to do their window shopping, select some bargains and take in the
many seminars scheduled. The ballroom doors will close for the night at 6
p.m.
That much of the schedule is identical for August 15 and 16.
On Saturday, visitors are invited to a 6 p.m. cocktail reception (cash
bar) in the mezzanine foyer of the hotel, right outside Amelia's lounge.
The hour-long get-together will be followed by a special dinner-dance in
the club, which overlooks the airport terminal.
The dinner-dance will feature a deli buffet and entertainment provided
by professional musicians. The dinner menu will include: soup of the day;
two specialty salads; platters of cold roast beef, ham, turkey, salami,
Swiss and New York cheddar cheese; sliced tomatoes, lettuce, gherkins,
olives; assorted breads and rolls; dessert of the day and coffee. A cash
bar will be operated by Amelia's staff.
Between 9 p.m. and midnight, names well known in Atari circles will
take to the bandstand to show another facet of their talents, and to
provide the live entertainment. Professional musicians John Jainschigg and
Peter Donoso of Jainschigg Communications and former editors of Atari
Explorer Magazine will join Fadi Hayek of Sam Ash Music Stores to offer
sounds hot off the MIDI. During the buffet, recorded electronic works
performed by Atari user-musicians will be played for your listening
pleasure. JD&H have invited other Atari musicians on the scene to join
them for an informal "jam session" during the evening.
The cost of the buffet dinner-dance is $25 per person. Those planning
to attend should make reservations as soon as possible because of the
limited seating available. Tickets will be sold at the registration desk
or door only if any are unsold the morning of the dinner-dance.
PLENTY OF HANDS-ON LESSONS AT BRADLEY SHOW
Computer hobbyists eager to get the best performance from their Atari
computer and software won't suffer from a lack of experts at Connecticut
AtariFest '92. The show, which runs August 15 and 16 at the Sheraton
Hotel at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks (near Hartford),
offers Atari owners instruction and advice to go with their powerful
computers.
Besides dozens of original equipment manufacturers, software
developers, retail dealers and Atari user groups that will be exhibiting
their wares and skills, not to mention the Northeast's biggest Lynx
competition, Connecticut AtariFest '92 features many seminars to keep
Atari users informed about new versions of software, technological
developments and industry news.
More than a dozen speakers are scheduled to offer seminars, how-to
demonstrations and classroom instruction on Atari subjects both days of
the Hartford show. The tentative seminar schedule is as follows:
Saturday, August 15
12 noon ........... bj Gleason of Thin Air Labs discusses the ins and
outs of portable computing with the Portfolio.
1 pm .............. Rick Flashman of Gribnif Software presents Arabesque,
Convector and other tools for graphic projects.
2 pm .............. David C. Troy of Toad Computers delves into the
"Myths & Mysteries" of Atari hardware.
3 pm .............. Author-programmer Brian Harvey recounts his exper-
ience as a lone Atarian in world of self-publishing.
3:30 pm ........... Atari Communications Director Bob Brodie provides an
update on the company, industry and the Falcon.
4:30 - 5:30 pm .... Dan Simpson offers classroom training for the
beginning Pagestream user (admission charge).
Sunday, August 16
12 noon ........... Dana Byrd of Barefoot Software helps to unleash the
musician/composer within; learn how to use MIDI.
1 pm .............. Dana Jacobson & Joe Mirando of ST Report examine
the world of Atari and what the future holds.
2 pm .............. Faxing documents by modem, as explained by Mark
Carver of Joppa Software.
3 pm .............. John Eidsvoog of Codehead Technologies shows off
Avant Vector, MegaPaint and other offerings.
4 - 5:30 pm ....... Bill Cafarelli offers classroom training for the
advanced Pagestream user (admission charge).
All seminars and classes will be conducted in a nearby seminar room
designed for more intimate discussion. The seminar schedule is subject to
change, based on the availability of speakers and available seating.
Three other demonstration projects will be offered in the main
exhibition hall. One features an experiment in which students and
beginning "publishers" help produce a show newsletter. The project will be
an ongoing element in the show's Desktop Publishing Center.
Tom Allard of East Hartford Computer Repair will offer installation
lessons for the hacker who'd like to do his/her own memory or speed
upgrade; he'll also perform on-the-spot upgrades for visitors who've
arranged appointments. A representative of the American Radio Relay League
will demonstrate data transfers via HAM radio and computer; did you know
you can produce text files of the latest wire news from the odd-sounding
beeps on your shortwave radio? Times for these demonstrations will be
announced as soon as they become available.
More exhibitors have added their names to the list of hardware
manufacturers, software developers, retail dealers and regional Atari user
groups that plan to participate in Connecticut AtariFest '92 on August 15
and 16. The show, sponsored by the ACT Atari Group and several user
groups throughout the Northeast in cooperation with Atari Corporation,
will be staged at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport in
nearby Windsor Locks, Conn.
The following exhibitors and demonstrators plan to participate:
ABC Solutions .............................. Publisher ST2, First
Word, First Graph, tbxCAD,
Kuma's KSpread4/Lite.
American Radio Relay League ................ Learn about operating a
phoneless BBS, how to send
and receive faxes and files
viz HAM radio.
Application & Design Software .............. Universal Item Selector,
Universal NETwork,network-
ing consultation and affili-
ate of MacDonald Associates,
publisher of ST Informer.
Atari Computer Corporation ................. Where it all started,
evolving from 'Pong' to a
'Power Without the Price'
company. Desktop publishing,
MIDI, Portfolio and Lynx
specialties. Falcon is next.
Atari Interface Magazine ................... Flagship monthly of Unicorn
Publications that is by, for
and about official Atari
user groups throughout the
world and their computers.
BaggettaWare ............................... Educator Albert Baggetta de-
monstrates children's draw-
ing programs and assists in
a desktop publishing experi-
ment as we create a newslet-
ter at the show.
Barefoot Software (Hybrid Arts) ............ Producers of Genedit, Easy
Score, SMPTE Track, SMPTE
Mate, MIDI Plexer, Ludwig;
music software.
Branch Always Software ..................... Emulation specialist and
creator of GEMulator (ST-to-
PC operation), 8-bit, Apple
emulators and cables.
CodeHead Software .......................... Midi Spy, TOS Extension
Card, Megapaint II Pro,
Hot-wire, G+Plus,
LookIt/PopIt, etc.
Compo Software ............................. Publisher of That's Write,
Write On, CompoScript and
C-Font software packages.
Computers Etc. ............................. Atari dealership of Fair-
field, Connecticut. Carries
full ST/TT/Mega/Portfolio
lines. CAF '91 co-sponsor.
Computers a la Carte ....................... Lawrence, Mass., computer
dealer with extensive line
of SCSI drives, external
modems and peripherals.
Derric Electronics ......................... Hamden, Conn., dealer with
discounted Atari products,
printers, monitors, modems,
laptops, supplies, etc.
East Hartford Computer Repair .............. How-to demonstration by re-
pair/upgrade expert focuses
on memory & speed upgrades
for 8- and 16-bit Ataris.
Some on-the-spot upgrades
by appointment.
GEnie ...................................... General Electric's online
subscription service with
many Atari Roundtables, re-
structured bulletin boards,
niches for every interest.
Goldleaf Publishing ........................ Creators of Wordflair, dis-
tributors of Retouche, Didot
Line Art and the Image
Speeder System.
Golf in Connecticut ........................ Author-programmer Brian
Harvey explains how he used
Calamus & dbMAN programs to
publish and market his own
golfing guide.
Gribnif .................................... NeoDesk, STalker, STeno,
CardFile, X-Boot, Arabesque
Professional and Convector
Professional and leading
importer of Atari software.
ICD ........................................ Hard drive systems, host
adapters, accelerator boards
and software for ST/TT. Pro-
vides tech support on GEnie
with 'ICD' at page prompt.
Joppa Software ............................. Maker of STraight FAX! which
turns ST into send/receive
FAX machine, and drivers for
FAX use from Calamus, Page-
stream and GDOS programs.
KMT Computers .............................. Full-service computer store
with offices in Connecticut
and Massachusetts.
LaSalle Music & Sound ...................... One of the premier Hartford
area music centers, LaSalle
is also the newest Atari
dealer in Connecticut.
Maxwell CPU ................................ Expose, Fractal Fantasy and
Silhouette, a bit-image and
vector graphics drawing pro-
gram that now uses FSMGDOS
and supports 19" monitor.
Megatype Software .......................... Creator of font creation/
conversion programs like
Font Designer, Bitmaker and
Fontverter. Maintains hand-
crafted PageStream and Cala-
mus font libraries.
PLI ........................................ Black hard drives, removable
cartridge drives, 3.5" opti-
cal drives storing 120 MB of
data per cartridge & more.
Pro Musica / Oktal ......................... New England sales repre-
sentatives for Atari, Oktal
and other top companies.
SKWare ..................................... Makers of the Seurat paint
program and Colorscan.
Soft-Logik Publishing ...................... PageStream 2.2, popular
desktop publishing system
for ST/STe/TT. Typeface
library boasts 600 Post-
Script Type 1 fonts, lots
of graphics.
Steinberg/Jones ............................ What desktop publishing sy-
stems do for text, Cubase
does for music. Compose,
read, write,tape and control
instruments with Cubase &
MIDI.
Taylor Ridge Books ......................... Publisher of Clayton Wal-
num's C-Manship Complete!
and his recently-released
ST Assembly Language Work-
shop, Vol 1. GEM Program-
due out soon.
Thin Air Labs .............................. Demonstrations by bj Glea-
son, author of over 100
utilities for the Portfolio
including PBASIC 4.9,
FTMENU and PREAD.
Toad Computers ............................. Toadfile hard drives and
accessories for Ataris.
Makes Little Toad 20MB hard
drive for light use.
Wizztronics ................................ Designer of The Cartridge
Port expander, which allows
for the installation of mul-
tiple cartridge devices.
The following groups will display home-grown user talents through
intriguing demonstrations and will provide showgoers hands-on assistance:
ASTMUM .................................. Montreal, PQ
AUGOGH .................................. Hartford, CT
BCS ..................................... Boston, MA
BASIC ................................... Brooklyn, NY
CCCC .................................... Central Connecticut
DBUG .................................... Danbury, CT
FACE .................................... Fairfield, CT
LIAUG ................................... Long Island, NY
MACH1 ................................... Vernon, CT
NAACC ................................... North Attleboro, MA
NVACUS .................................. Nashua Valley,
STARR ................................... New Haven, CT
SAAUG ................................... Scranton, PA
SSAG .................................... South Shore/Boston, MA
WACO .................................... Westmoreland, PA
WMAUG ................................... Western Massachusetts
Other Atari developers, dealers, technical experts and speakers who
plan to appear but have not signed final agreements will be listed in
updates the week of August 10 to 15.
For additional information, contact:
Brian Gockley, Chairman Doug Finch, Vice Chairman
Connecticut AtariFest '92 Connecticut AtariFest '92
GEnie: B.GOCKLEY GEnie: D.FINCH7
CompuServe: 75300,2514 CompuServe: 76337,1067
18 Elmwood Avenue 46 Park Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06605 Old Greenwich, CT 06870
(203) 332-1721 (203) 637-1034
____________________________________________________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
"""""""""""""""""""""
- Detroit, MI US FALCON RELEASE DELAYED?
-----------
The latest reports seem to hold true to the information that the
Falcon is expected to be delayed somewhat due to problems related to
development, production and especially the wait for FCC approval. Its
reported the Falcon has yet to be submitted to the FCC for testing. The
FCC labs testing time has a normal minimum time frame of 90 days. If
submitted Monday, then the Falcon could, if everything passes the first
time, be available in the USA by late November or early December. This
does not mean the other popular markets for Atari products will not have
the Falcon.
- San Francisco, CA EUROPE TO GET FALCON FIRST!
-----------------
According to our ever faithful super snoop, the product has been on
order and everything is going according to Hoyle. It appears Mr. Snoop
saw the P.O. and binder for an order of 500 Falcon machines. It was also
reported this is all destined for shores other than the USA. The main
theme is first Europe, then Canada and finally the USA.
- New York City, NY FORBES ARTICLE STILL MAKING WAVES!
-----------------
The Forbes article has indeed engendered a first class bruhaha over
the "state of Atari". Comments such as; "Half truths," to Forbes doesn't
effect anything let alone the stock market", to "we got a laugh out of the
article" have been heard so far. One can't help but wonder what ever
became of good old fashioned street smarts. Seems when one is hit with a
stinging critique, the best reaction is to quietly go about rectifying the
glaring problems presented in the critique. Atari products are the best
for the buck but their PR and interface with the press is the absolute
most horrid in the industry. The relationships will all members of the
press must be improved. Atari NEEDS all the friends it can get.
- Baltimore, MD HIGH DOLLAR DEVELOPERS PLAY "WAIT & SEE"
-------------
Coming in from all points on the globe, the opinion of the Falcon is
quite high. In addition, it is looked at as a possible industry "go
getter." But... there's always a but, Industry analysts have made it
clear that the whole "ball-o-wax" is hanging on how Atari publicizes and
markets this new Falcon. If they insist upon following their previous
methods of marketing there is little hope of there being a future for the
Falcon. Major software developers worldwide, have already expressed that
caution is the by-word and made statements relating to this predicament.
They do, however, hold great hopes for the Falcon and at the same time,
expressed a desire to wait and see how its presented to the marketplace
and accepted by the consumers. One developer mentioned that the Falcon is
"a nice entry level entertainment computer for the home" but doubted it
would penetrate the business marketplace. Another agreed but quickly
added; "that's no big deal, the home computing marketplace is huge and
relatively untapped. Atari has a golden opportunity at its doorstep."
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
"""""""""""""
STReport's MailBag
""""""""""""""""""
Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
-----------------------------------
From GEnie's ST RT
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 1 Thu Aug 13, 1992
STRAMIEL [Atari CEO] at 16:00 EDT
Thank you to all that attended the conference last night. It was great!
We had a wonderful time doing the conference at Atari, and look forward
to being online again in about 3 months with you!
Thanks to Jeff Williams for doing a terrific job of moderating the very
busy evening!! Great job, Jeff!!
Once again, here are the specs on the Atari Falcon 030:
CPU: Motorola 68030 running at 16Mhz.
32 bit bus
Optional 68881 or 68882 FPU
RAM: 1, 4, or 14 megs
Standard Atari Cartridge Port
Motorola 56001 DSP Chip
Expansion Bus:
Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emulation, or other
co-processor.
Graphics:
Super VGA graphics: 640x480 with 256 colors
True Color 16 bit mode allowing a display of up to 65,536 colors
Accepts external video sync signal to allow high quality genlocking
Overscan mode on TV's and ST Color monitors
262,144 colors
hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
BLiTTER graphics co-processor
Sound features:
Eight 16 bit audio DMA record and playback channels
Stereo 16 bit digital DMA input
Stereo 16 bit digital DMA output
SDMA sound/DMA coprocessor
Standard ports
SCSI II port with DMA
High speed LocalTalk compatible LAN
Connector for analog RGB color (ST or VGA) or composite video
RS232C serial port
Bidirectional parallel port
MIDI IN/MIDI OUT
Stereo microphone input, miniature stereo plug
Stereo audio out, miniature stereo plug
Two joystick connectors
Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors
Data Storage
1.44 Mbyte floppy disk drive
Optional internal IDE hard disk
System Software
Pre emptive multitasking with adaptive prioritization (MultiTOS)
Inter process communication
New Desk desktop and eXtensible control panel
Multiple window user interface; number of windows limited only by
memory or software in use.
We see this computer as exceeding all of the multimedia expectations
of the computer buying public. As well as being an exceptional value
as a home computer system.
Extensive testing with the Atari Falcon 030 has already been done on
existing software. We are very pleased with the high degree of
compatibility. For instance, PowerNet, a increasingly popular LocalTalk
networking solution works fine with no modifications. Calamus SL,
PageStream, WordFlair II, Cubase 3.0, STalker 3.0, STeno, Arabesque,
and many other well written applications will work perfectly.
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 2 Thu Aug 13, 1992
ISD [Nathan] at 18:50 EDT
It was an excellent conference last night Sam. Thank you for sharing with
us here. The response that I received both during the RTC and after in
mail and by telephone today was very positive. Now everyone is quickly
settling into the "wait until it's actually shipping but I'm feeling good
about this" mode.
:-)
I look forward to the announcements in Duesseldorf and wish you great
success with the launch of this excellent new computer.
Nathan @ DMC Publishing
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 3 Thu Aug 13, 1992
DARLAH [RT~SYSOP] at 19:25 EDT
It -was- an excellent conference, Sam. We have received many positive
responses. I thank you for the time and effort you placed into making this
a reality.
I thank Bob Brodie for typing away as quickly as he did, and for his part
in making this a reality.
To both of you, my deepest appreciation for an enjoyable and informative
conference.
May the Falcon be the best success story yet.....
>>Darlah J Potechin Atari Roundtables
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 4 Thu Aug 13, 1992
OUTRIDER [Terry] at 21:58 EDT
I'm psyched. I want a Falcon NOW! ;^)
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 5 Thu Aug 13, 1992
J.NESS [Jim] at 21:58 EDT
Heh heh.
Sam sounds a lot like Bob Brodie. Has anyone seen them in the same room
at the same time?
-JN
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 6 Fri Aug 14, 1992
LEPULLEY [Lloyd Pulley] at 00:00 EDT
Sam,
I wanted you to know that I enjoyed your conference very much and want to
thank you for being here. I feel the Falcon is a giant step forward for
Atari and the Atari community.
Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
Staff Editor for ST Report
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 7 Fri Aug 14, 1992
T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 00:42 EDT
Thanks for the _excellent_ conference, Sam. Please stop by more often!
-Tom McComb
Panda Print
Black and White and Read All Over!
{12:14 pm} Friday, August 14, 1992
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 8 Fri Aug 14, 1992
S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 04:43 EDT
Wow! Sam's online during GEnie prime time. Maybe Atari *IS* finally
ready to splurge a little. <grin>
By the way, can someone with Atari *PLEASE* post an 'official' spec sheet
of some sort for the Falcon 030? Sam sort of gave us an overview of some
of its features, but it was hardly a spec sheet. Or do we have to wait
until Duesseldorf?...or Bill's RTC?...or the BCS meeting?...or when it's
finally released?
------------
Category 14, Topic 20
Message 9 Fri Aug 14, 1992
ISD [Nathan] at 08:37 EDT
If I understood correctly, at Bill's upcoming RTC, he is prepared to get
down and dirty .. technically. :-)
Nathan @ DMC Publishing
------------
REPly ?
Atari... STILL in the memory business... <sigh>
Category 18, Topic 20
Message 198 Fri Aug 14, 1992
FAIRWEATHER [David] at 01:31 EDT
The most disappointing Falcon revelation for me was that it won't take
SIMMS or even let you pop in DRAMS - you have to buy a memory board from
Atari. That means I won't be able to cannibalize any of my other
computers' ram chips and plug them into my 1-meg Falcon. It also means I
can forget about the rumored $700 price tag. If a $700 machine is
released it will surely be a 1meg model on which Multi-Tos is next to
useless. 4 megs is the minimum I'd be able to live with. I wonder how
much that model will cost, $1000?
------------
From CIS
#: 33771 S8/Hot Topics
13-Aug-92 17:11:25
Sb: #33767-#Forbes article
Fm: Jim Ness 75300,3155
To: Drew Kerr 70372,3036 (X)
Drew -
As everyone will see in the transcript in this week's STReport, Sam
Tramiel responded to the Forbes article by saying it contained
half-truths, and that it got a few laughs at Atari Corp.
-JN
There is 1 Reply.
Read action !
#: 33772 S8/Hot Topics
13-Aug-92 18:42:41
Sb: #33771-#Forbes article
Fm: Dana P. Jacobson 71051,3327
To: Jim Ness 75300,3155
And did anyone really expect to hear any differently? Someone forgot to
remind Sam that there was a quote from an Atari employee who remarked that
it was "frightfully accurate", or some such verbiage. How many
half-truths did it contain, two? His reply was a great one, politically
speaking. <<grin>>
Dana @ STReport International Online Magazine
#: 33775 S8/Hot Topics
13-Aug-92 21:30:00
Sb: #33772-Forbes article
Fm: Drew Kerr 70372,3036
To: Dana P. Jacobson 71051,3327
Sam:
One thing the Atari Corporation has no knowledge of is media savvy. Maybe
Sam was pi**ed off he looked kind of drugged in the accompanying Forbes
photo. Unfortunately, Atari's history speaks for itself. And there is
certainly no reason for Forbes to "have it out" for Atari.
I plan on going to the Delphi conference tonight and I will ask Sam if
he's got the bucks to properly promote the Falcon or not (as Forbes so
indicated).
The only laughs that were had were the ones who read the article at
Atari's expense. Frankly, if the Falcon flies straight into the ground,
who'll be laughing then?
Drew
From the FNET....
Caring users contributing sincere thoughts....
Conf : Atari On-Line
Msg# : 44/14 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : Aug 07, 1992 at 10:09 AM
To : BOB BRODIE.
From : Les Philips at Fnet Node 66, The Bre(/\)ery _ Ajax_Canada _
Subj : ENSURING FALCONS SUCCESS.
Replies: 1331
I hope you give the following serious thought Bob.
It would seem to me that a lot of people are concerned about attracting
developers to the Falcon platform. Including your good self. SO !! as is
my silly way - i thought up a solution for you to consider. So please
hear me out !! Cos' i think it will work and hurt the clone market.
Why don't you do a mass telemarketing job to the major "A" account
developers for the clones like Lotus/DBASE / borland et al. Offer them a
FREE FALCON to develope on PLUS FREE DEVELOPERS KIT PLUS - and heres the
NASTY BUT NICE PART - a piece of each Falcon sold. Now that seems to me
to give you an advantage. OK - ya gotta give up a bit of margin - BUT -
think about it. Creep/crawl/walk/run. Say ya get Lotus over - they need
revenue as well right now you know. Tell em' each Falcon sold with Lotus
on - they will receive a coupla points.
In the "mini era". I had the same problem as you. Engineering had put out
a damn nice machine - better than competitors - BUT - inertia was hurting
sales/ramp up. So the solution was to offer INCENTIVES.
The reason i mention this - is - if you wait for small 3 party developers
- we might all be dead in our graves waiting.
Just an idea - give it a thought !!
More concern from caring users.....
Conf : Atari On-Line
Msg# : 63/4 Lines: 6 Read: 2
Sent : Aug 08, 1992 at 4:35 PM
To : Bob Brodie
From : SHERVIN SHAHREBANI at Fnet Node 523, LEFTOVER HIPPIES 523 1:250:744
Subj : Re: <898> Questions, more questions.
Whatever you do, please manufacture as many Falcons as you possibly can.
Try to avoid the shortages! You need to have abundant supplies for the
Christmas season and please, don't let Canada and US take the back seat
again.
S.S.
Watch out..... you're headed for the "TWIT" LIST!
Conf : Atari Expl
Msg# : 10/1 Lines: 2 Read: 2
Sent : Aug 08, 1992 at 10:48 AM
To : Bob Brodie
From : Long John Silver at Fnet Node 619, *TRON II BBs Systems*
Subj : Forbes
I'm curious, Bob, what are you're personal feelings concerning the Forbes
article?
At last a sensible voice is heard with clarity......
Conf : Atari Explorer
Msg# : 87/11 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : Aug 09, 1992 at 10:14 AM
To : Bamf
From : Shawn Smith at Fnet Node 68, < - C F B * A T A R I - >
Subj : Re: <973> ATARI
Replies: 1208 1260
They were doing what Atari owners have been doing since the Atari 400 (and
trust me I have been around since it's introduction) and that is
speculating. Unfortunately communication "leaks" have always existed in
the Atari community and these leaks have always resulted in user
speculation. You know the old kindergarten Game where the teacher tells
the first student a story and by the time it gets to the last student it
bears no likeness to the original, Well I think they got that idea from
the Atari community.
As for why Mark and Ed would bring up the Panther, I have no idea but so
what if they did. I found that machine peaked my interests and I would
have to think that the R&D that went into that machine may still be used
in another piece of hardware that we can all benefit from.
All I am saying, as I said before, consider the other persons right to
discuss in a manner fit to themselves, anything they wish.
Both Mark and Edward are still doing a lot for the Atari community at
least here in Toronto. They pick up a ton of stuff from the various Usenet
file areas for local distribution. Being of German Decent they have
converted quite a few programs over to English (I think they may have even
done the RSC file for the english version of Connect!) So please don't
tell me they are Atari haters and are just trying to destroy this
conference.
Maybe the best way to sum up Mark and Ed is Pessimist, You on the other
hand are an optimist therefore we have opposing views!
Is the glass half empty or half full??
Ah yes, have pity... and more pity.... and more....
Conf : Atari Explorer
Msg# : 13/14 Lines: Extended Read: 1
Sent : Aug 09, 1992 at 12:17 AM
To : Shawn Smith
From : Bob Brodie at Fnet Node 706, Z*Net Golden Gate - California
Subj : Re: <927> ATARI
Replies: 1370
Shawn,
You bring up good points, but unlike your reasoned approach, the K's
seem only capable of flamming.
I honestly get more complaints about the Kovarski's than I do about
Atari not advertising...that speaks VOLUMES for the effects of their
messages. I would have hoped that they would have learned how to post,
based on the responses from others. For example, they once posted a
long, techy message in the conference. I asked that they not do that
again, instead, arc it up and send it out as FMAIL...NO PROBLEM,
right? Instead they told me that they would post whatever they felt
the users needed to know, my wishes not withstanding.
Communication comes in a lot of forms. Approach is VERY important,
especially when the person you're dealing with is as busy as I am. It
seems to me that human nature is such that we recall the negative much
more readily than the positive. I don't think about the Kovarski's in
a postitive light, and apparently neither do very many other people
online here.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and THANK YOU for MaxiMiser ST. The
twit list has lowered my blood pressure considerably.
Being human is no excuse for dictatorial behavior
Conf : Atari On-Line
Msg# : 132/141 Lines: 13 Read: 2
Sent : Aug 09, 1992 at 11:38 AM
Recv : Aug 14, 1992
To : Wen Hsieh
From : Bob Brodie at Fnet Node 706, Z*Net Golden Gate - California
Subj : THE KOVARSKIS
WH> No not to their users and customers, just you. Wen
Right, Wen. We're just as human as the next guy. And as others have
noted, we're not the only ones that have resorted to kill lists, or
other similar methods to drone out guys like these.
The next step will be to ask the sysop of their node to put them back
to read only, which was done once before to Alfa, aka Edward Kovarski.
regards,
Bob Brodie
When you try to shut someone up its censorship ..PERIOD
Conf : Atari On-Line
Msg# : 133/141 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : Aug 09, 1992 at 12:37 AM
To : Tom
From : Bob Brodie at Fnet Node 706, Z*Net Golden Gate - California
Subj : Re: <990> BANNING THE "KORKEY'S".
I don't agree that it is censorship. It's no different than any
business that hangs out a sign stating that they reserve the right to
refuse service to anyone.
Recently, I went to a local eatery with a co-worker to discuss a few
things. While we were there, a loud argument broke out among a few
other patrons. It was very disruptive. They were asked to calm down
several times, yet they kept getting louder and louder. Finally, they
were asked to leave.
This is the same scenario that is happening here. The K's have
alienated people in this conference, and I'm getting LOTS of
complaints about them. And yes, I do reserve the right to refuse
service to anyone! :)
In is just this kind of behavior in the past that drove Atari reps
from the FNET. It's just this kind of behavior that prevents OTHER
Atari reps from participating in the FNET. We are all (yes, I include
myself in that) suffering from the effects of their actions.
I think it's time to ask them to leave.
___________________________________________________________________
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STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" August 14, 1992
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-92 All Rights Reserved No.8.33
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