** 1 page regular / 630 words **

Advantage Atari

Most of you by now, would have heard of the Y2K bug. You will probably be aware it's not a virus so it can't be spread from machine to machine so are there any issues which affect Atari users?

Our Atari machines, along with Macs, Acorns and Amigas should boot happily on New Years Day but you can wipe that smug look off your face because I recently discovered a small group of Atari software programs which were not Y2K compliant! I did some research to determine how this could have happened and it turns out most of the problem programs are financial applications.

Furthermore most of these applications were ported (the process of converting software from one platform/operating system for use on another) from PC applications designed to run on earlier XT and AT systems. The ported versions were often not GEM friendly with support for multitasking or even the built-in file selector.

As with the PC platform the problem lies in the code structure and cannot easily be fixed - and the affected applications are no longer supported anyway. However these programs are still out there so if you are still using them now is the time to consider your options. The list below should help you to select a new package:

** Table **
Old Package       New Package

VIP Spreadsheet   MasterPlan +
Sage Bookeeper    Home Accounts (Not TOS 2.06).
Sage Finance      PFM or PFM II.
Opus Spreadsheet  MasterPlan or Texel v2
Double Sentry     MasterPlan or Texel v2

Notes
+VIP is not only Y2K unfriendly, it also doesn't support the file selector and does not run under a multitasking O/S.

All the Sage packages are 1980's Atari releases which have long since been replaced on the PC platform by Y2K compliant packages.
** /table **

There may be other packages affected so if you're using any older applications it's worth checking them before it's too late - particularly be wary of any packages which were available for both the Atari and PC platforms and watch out for any mention of PC's being used as part of the development system.

One exception to this rule is Ditek who produced DynaCADD and two spreadsheet packages, VIP and MasterPlan, the later being a rewrite of the former and is more Atari and multitasking friendly and happily Y2K compliant.

There are also a few comms programs, such as Blinkyterm, which was originally a popular DOS program and is unlikely to be Y2K compliant.

In general your Atari is Y2K complaint so you can worry about something else on the night!

Martin Howard Naylor, Wembley.

** MASTPLAN.GIF here **
** caption **
We've still got a few copies of MasterPlan left so get 'em while we've got 'em!
** /caption **

Feelgood factor

Thank you very much for the swift reply to my letter that I posted to you, in what seems like an hour ago! What service.

I don't want to take too much of your time up, but would just like to say how refreshing it is to read such a nicely produced magazine that is Atari Computing.  Regardless of the lack of colour, it outshines many (or should that be "any") of the glossy colour "hollow" magazines found in our high street shops today. And of course the brilliant innovation of the renegade evolution CD.  An EXCELLENT idea, and well, well worth the money.

Keep up the fantastic work.

A final word (well a few then!), a big wholehearted thanks to all the people that put in such an effort to make the Atari Computing dream a reality. Congratulations to you all.

Daniel Beasley, London

** B **
We often get by-the-way comments tacked onto orders and subscription enquiries praising (or criticising) our efforts but it seems we've got at least one satisfied customer - thanks Daniel!
** /B **