|||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| || || ||| || || || || ||| |||| |||||| || |||| Your || || || || ||| || || |||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| GEnie ST || |||||| || || |||||| RoundTable || || || ||| ||| || || || |||||| |||||||| |||||| RESOURCE! || || || || || || || ||||| || || || || || ~ SPECIAL EDITION: BEST OF '91! ~ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// January 15, 1992 ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Issue No.3.40 ////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Publisher/Editor ....................................... John Peters Co-Editor ........................................ Darlah Potechin Technical Editor ................................. Jeff Williams TX2 Editor ...................................... David Holmes [IDX] """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~ BEST OF '91! ~ """""""""""""""" FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] DEALER VIEWPOINT ........ [DLR] Notes From The Editor. By Sheldon Winick. OF MICE AND MEN ......... [MIC] ONLINE FUNNIES .......... [FUN] By Richard Brown. Tim_Toons By Tim Basham. MEL'S MANOR ............. [MEL] TELETALK ONLINE ......... [TEL] By Mel Motogawa. By Terry Quinn. HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] HACK'N ATARI ............ [HAC] By Dorothy Brumleve. By Mark Dodge. ST ALADDIN .............. [ALD] FOCUS ON ................ [FOC] By Fred Koch. By Larry Duke. READ IT! ................ [REA] PRINT ME! ............... [PRT] By John Peters. By John Peters. GEnie QWIK_QUOTES ....... [QWI] LOG OFF ................. [LOG] By People Like YOU! GEnie Lamp Information. ~ GEnie LAMP AND TX2: SEE THE DIFFERENCE! ~ [REA] """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" READING GEnie Lamp GEnie Lamp has incorporated a unique indexing """""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier. To utilize this system, load GEnie Lamp into any ASCII word processor or text editor. In the index you will find the following example: HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] [*]GEnie Fun & Games. To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index. TX2 FORMAT What are you missing when reading the ASCII version of """""""""" GEnie Lamp? EXCITEMENT! Whenever you see a [*] in the index or in the article header, that indicates that the article contains TX2 graphics and/or pictures. To see the graphics, you will need the following files: LMP_340.LZH GEnie Lamp in TX2 format. MINI_TX2.LZH Mini-version of TX2 Viewer (File #20441). MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed """""""""""" here in GEnie Lamp, you will find all the information you need immediately following the message. For example: (DARLAH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475) _____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________ |Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number| In this example, to respond to Darlah's message, log on to page 475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1. A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that this message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two or more messages that are following the same topic. For example: {58} """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "I talked to GEnie Client Services about this and they were / / the first technical assistance people that I have ever called / / that have been of any HELP! It was a moving experience to not / / have to explain what a modem was over the phone." / ///////////////////////////////////////////////// C.EBERLE ///// [EOA] [FRM]////////////////////////////// FROM MY DESKTOP / ///////////////////////////////// Notes From The Editor """"""""""""""""""""" By John Peters [GENIELAMP] >>> BEST OF '91! <<< """""""""""""""""""" TOP OF THE PAGE Welcome to a very special issue of GEnie Lamp, "The """"""""""""""" Best Of '91." I've gone through the past year of GEnie Lamp issues and I've selected what I believe to represent the best articles of '91. My thanks to all the people who have made all of this possible - the GEnie Lamp writers, contributors, my co-editors - Darlah, Jeff and David, and of course you. Your support _is_ appreciated! [*][*][*] //////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "Glad to see Qwik_Quotes is back... / / Now only if I had one / / (a Qwik Quote I mean)." / ////////////////////// Frank Bell ///// Well, Frank, I've got some good news for you! One of the more popular features of GEnie Lamp is the Qwik_Quotes. Qwik_Quotes came about when it became obvious to me I needed a way to highlight one or two lines of humor, wisdom or wit that I would occasionally run across while sifting through messages. Unfortunately, due to some problems of mis-directed quoting in another online magazine, a few policy changes were made and I had to drop the Q_Q idea unless the quote consisted of the entire message or in very special cases, I contacted the author asking for permission. That has all be resolved now and I am happy to announce that Qwik_Quotes will once again become a regular feature of GEnie Lamp. I enjoy doing Q_Q and I especially enjoy the humourous ones. It was a kick to go through all the old issues and re-read them again. In this issue, you will some of the better Q_Q I found in-between all of the feature articles - just like in the old days! Some have a story to tell, some you have to read between the lines to catch their drift, and others are just downright funny. Here is one that remains one of my all time favorites: //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "WHY WON'T IT WORK? WHY WON'T IT WORK? WHY WON'T IT WORK??? / / (screaming, pulling out hair, throw a general-all-purpose- / / GFA Basic-tantrum)" / ////////// PRINCETON-U, CAT22, TOP3, MSG:149/M475) ////////// I believe that this is something that all programmers can relate to, regardless of what language they program in :-). [*][*][*] In the latest issue of Livewire, my article on .GIF has created some confusion among many readers. The problem is that I wrote and submitted the article in October. During this long lead time, two files mentioned in the article are no longer available in the library under the number listed. Apparently, they have been deleted by the the author. All is not lost however, and they have been updated and re- uploaded. If you are interested in downloading these files, the new files numbers are: 21918 GEMVIEW1.LZH X B.ZAWALSKI1 911213 120832 497 2 Desc: Ultimate Picture Viewer! 21573 DMJ_GIF3.LZH X R.GLOVER3 911115 194944 319 28 Desc: NEW! GIF Converter v3! Much faster! Sorry for the confusion, but something like this is beyond my control. (That's why I prefer online mags to paper mags :-). [*][*][*] In issue 3.41, we'll catch up on all the hot messages and files we missed this issue. Until then, hope your '92 is a happy and prosperous one! Take care... John Peters [GENIELAMP] P.S. This was going to be a strictly Best Of '91 issue. However, due """" to some late-breaking news, I'm going to make an exception. Boring, the ST RoundTable is not! As you probably already know, January 8th, in the ST RoundTable Wednesday RTC, it was announced that Greg Pratt, General Manager of Atari U.S., is leaving Atari for greener pastures. As to how this will affect Atari remains to be seen. the effects of this action, however, the Atari representatives went out of there way to calm the masses stating that the affects will be minimal. Bill Rehbock from Atari Corp. said, "It was an offer that Greg couldn't refuse. I assure you that it will not affect anything at all. We are in the process of interviewing people for developer support and marketing positions right now, building for a big 1992." Bill went on to say, "There definitely shouldn't be any product shortage problems, and there will be no problem signing up new dealer- ships. Don and Mike Groh have everything quite together on the sales side of things." Strangely enough, there are no current plans to fill Greg's position in the foreseeable future. One thing is for sure, the next few months promise to be an interesting time. /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "Dang....I don't know how you can do it guys, but this upgrade / / is the best $20 I'll ever spend on my computer...well, maybe / / the $9.95 for the mouse pad..." / //////////////////////////////////////////////////// D-W-B ///// [EOA] [DLR]////////////////////////////// DEALER VIEWPOINT / ///////////////////////////////// Anticipation and Perspective """""""""""""""""""""""""""" By Sheldon Winick [S.WINICK] >>> ANTICIPATION AND PERSPECTIVE <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Nature has a way of providing consistency and a reassuring feeling that all is well with life as it provides us with normal seasonal changes. There's a good emotional feeling that's provided as we watch these regular changes and renewals of natures life cycles. We're currently in the midst of Natures most colorful display as the Fall colors reach their peak. Of course, you folks down in sunny South Florida probably probably don't have the slightest idea what I'm talking about; you really need to get out more often and see how the rest of the world lives . The problems of everyday life seem trivial and insignificant after standing on a mountaintop and observing the grand displays of creation and natures renewals. All of us periodically need to take the time to escape from our manmade crises and problems, and allow time for our minds to put our concerns back into proper perspective. As a much wiser man than myself put it several thousand years ago: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." (Ecclestiastes 3:1) Nature's seasonal displays reinforce that statement, and leave us with a renewed spirit of self and purpose, if we can only take the time to contemplate the real important things of life and keep everything in its proper perspective. But just as we anticipate nature's seasonal cycles, we also anticipate changes that affect our everyday lives. In the Atari world, we are constantly anticipating "new" products. We all anxiously watch for every press release and announcement concerning anything Atari does, or doesn't do. We eagerly await the magazine articles that describe all the new products and rumors. We get involved in endless debates of the merits or deficiencies of various Atari products, many of which still haven't even been released. We frequently get overly involved in debates over marketing decisions made by Atari's top management and get frustrated when we feel they are making mistakes. But we must realize that our viewpoints are taken from a different perspective, sometimes, than those of Atari's management. Our opinions are important, and Atari is obviously interested in the valuable feedback we can provide, which should be obvious by their active participation here on GEnie and the other online services. But we must keep in mind that our viewpoints are only taken from our own individual perspective, and final marketing decisions need to consider the perspectives of all aspects of the marketplace. It sometimes also appears that GEnie's Atari roundtables are overly populated by Atari nay-sayers and critics. Some may have ulterior motives in their criticism, and we need to take into account not only what is being said, but who is saying it. We need to keep everything in its proper perspective. But through it all, we can't help the anxiety created by our constant anticipation of new products and desire for anything new that could result in an improved market share for our favorite computer platform. Just as nature is constantly amazing us with her seasonal changes, we enjoy the amazement and anticipation of new products for our Atari systems. And unfortunately, the time between the first rumors and the final product is always seemingly too long. The anticipation and excitement frequently turns into frustration as our patience wears thin. And that frustration is increased when we see other manufacturers beat Atari with new releases; and watch as inferior computer platforms outperform Atari at the bottom line -- sales volume and profits. We keep anticipating "The Year of Atari", but get frustrated as we see fewer Atari dealerships while the "clone" dealers are seemingly everywhere. We anxiously await the new operating systems and system enhancements, but can't help get frustrated when we watch the public get so excited about Microsoft's "new" user-friendly interface, called "Windows". We can't understand how so many computer users don't understand that Microsoft's "invention" is 5 years behind Atari and Apple, and puts so much demand on the operating system that even attempting to run it on anything less than a 386/25 system is an absurdity. And we can't help but get frustrated when we know that despite the fact that the majority of MS-DOS software doesn't even run under Windows, the American public is still so enamored over this piece of software that it can't seem to keep even that in its proper perspective. Perhaps we need to find a way temper our anticipation with a better sense of reality, and keep a better perspective on the the important things in life. Perhaps we need to remember that just because a product has been shown publicly, doesn't mean it is already in full production and ready for delivery. Perhaps we need to keep in mind that just because a manufacturer announces a new product and an anticipated shipping date, doesn't mean that nothing could possibly go wrong and delay meeting that goal. I can't help but remember meeting some of the fine folks from Atari Canada when we visited the Windsor AtariFest several months ago. And I can't help but remember the position they took regarding rumors of new and impending Atari products -- if they don't have it, it doesn't exist! Perhaps that may at first appear to be an overly simplistic attitude, but as far as the end user is concerned, it is really very true. And while we can't help but anticipate the new products, we must remember that until they appear on dealer shelves in their final form, they really don't exist for the consumer. We should also keep in mind that Atari was around back in the early days of personal computing. How many companies today can say they survived so long is such a volatile market? And how many companies have fallen by the wayside during those years? Sure, we'd all love to see our favorite Atari system better known and respected throughout the computer community. We'd love to have a quality dealer in every city of the country. And we'd love to see Atari hold a much larger market share of the industry. We can't help but wonder "what if...." situations and imagine what Atari's situation today would be "if only.....". But such anxiety doesn't help anyone. And the resulting frustration doesn't either. We can, however, anticipate the future and watch as the new management crew at Atari are willing to take the heat and learn to crawl before they walk, and walk before they run. And they have, during the past several months, been laying a solid foundation upon which they will be building the future. They are making changes that should result in an improved market position for their company. Sure there are still many problems and hurdles to overcome. But the corner has been turned, and there is a renewed spirit of cooperation and excitement eminating from Sunnyvale that hasn't been seen for a long time. Let's continue our own excitement and anticipation. But lets also remember to keep everything in its proper perspective and not blow every little rumor or announcement totally out of proportion. Let's continue to provide our friends at Atari with the benefit of our experience and opinions, as well as recommendations based on our own point of view. But let's also keep the proper perspective on their analyses and marketing decisions. Most of all, let's continue to keep enjoying our own Atari experiences and the comraderie of our fellow Atarians. Let's keep in perspective the real value of our Atari systems for our own computer "solutions" and how well suited they are for such a variety of interests and needs. Let's keep up the excitement and anticipation for the future. But most of all, let also keep the proper frame of mind and the proper perspective on whatever happenings the future brings. Happy (Atari) Computing. Sheldon Winick (GEnie Address: S.WINICK) Computer STudio (Asheville, NC) [*][*][*] Sheldon owns and operates Computer STudio, a full-service Atari dealership in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to (Atari) computing, other interests include motorcycling, skiing, camping and hiking. He is also Newsletter Editor for the Blue Ridge Atari Computer Enthusiasts (BRACE) and was past president of that user group. Sheldon is also a registered architect, and operated his own architectural office between 1971 and the time he turned his computer hobby into Computer STudio in 1988. He still does architectural work for select clients, and currently has work in progress in Florida, North Carolina and Colorado. His current architectural drawings are, of course, being prepared on his Atari based CADD system, using DynaCADD software. /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "I hate it when people complain that software is upgraded / / TOO much, as if someone is holding a gun to their head and / / making them upgrade each new version. The CodeHeads get / / that complaint a lot. I prefer authors to upgrade their / / software AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, and let ME determine my up- / / grade frequency." -Terry L. May / ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// [EOA] [MIC]////////////////////////////// OF MICE AND BYTES / ///////////////////////////////// The Final Bell """""""""""""" By Richard W. Brown [R.BROWN30] >>> "The Winner, By Technical Knockout: ATARI! <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~ IBM Buckles Under Pressure ~ As we all know, when purchasing a new piece of software, very often, a "README.1ST" file is included, mainly to brief the user on the latest updates or to give information that was not printed in the manual. In the Atari universe, README files have a very common feel. What do you suppose a README file on the IBM might have in store? Let's take a look at the FIRST PARAGRAPH of the README file that comes with the fine flight simulator, _Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe_, for the IBM family of computers: (VERBATIM) "To run SWOTL on your IBM, Tandy, or compatible computer, you must have at least 581,000 bytes of RAM available. If your computer is equipped with expanded memory, you can run SWOTL with as little as 543,000 bytes of RAM available. If you experience memory related difficulties in running SWOTL, use the DOS program "CHKDSK" to see how much free RAM your computer has available. You may need to disable one or more TSR programs (if you're running any) to provide more free RAM for SWOTL to use." Notice that the first, most important, and fundamental worry on the IBM is the limitations of DOS, the IBM's operating system. In the first sentence of the README file, they're already talking about RAM. Notice in the second sentence, they're talking about 'expanded memory,' that would-be saving grace that tries to offer RAM above 640K. In the third sentence they talk about RAM problems again, this time within the hidden context that 'expanded memory' simply doesn't work. Also, they eagerly tell the user how to run a program included with all DOS setups, "CHKDSK," which is devoted to Microsoft's own worries about RAM problems, "how much RAM is really free?" In the forth sentence, they regret to inform the user that, in the event of a memory crisis, the user must disable "one or more TSR programs... to provide more available RAM for SWOTL to use." If you are an Atari user with a 1040, Mega, or TT, by this point you should be dancing on the ceiling. What have we learned? The simple truth to DOS: expanded memory, even a gigabyte's worth, is meaningless and a red herring next to the central problem of DOS- that anointed first 640K of RAM. Even high-end, respected software titles that have had developmental funding akin to Atari's _hardware_ R&D budget suffer daily with this fundamental DOS inadequacy. We're talking programs like LOTUS 123, folks... The gist: It's fair to say that most DOS software for the IBM and its enormous variety of compatibles must reside, or at least the main program files, within 640K of memory. Even a game can tax this memory, as is plainly obvious. Consider what this takes away from the user: Limited TSR programs, something like your Atari's AUTO folder programs; only, in DOS, they try to emulate Desk Accessory status- a stock DOS machine has no 'desktop'. On Mount DOS, this is etched in stone: "Too many TSR's mean 'OUT OF MEMORY' problems down the road." And what about a desktop. Loading Windows 3 and the Norton Desktop is the closest thing IBM users know to a graphical interface. Take a guess where this combination of programs reside? That's correct. So, what happens if you run a spreadsheet out of Windows 3? Well, many things can happen related to memory. Some programs actually make some use out of expanded memory, but the share of the 640K they must have can lead to problems. It's complex. Very complex. Almost like a witch's brew. A little of this, a little of that, and... magic! Wonderful! Or... doom and despair. It's hard to tell which will happen at any time... Which makes me think, "What am I doing right now?" Hmmm... I just added up my TSR's: 609,767 bytes Now I added my desk accessories: 289,285 bytes ------------- TOTAL RAM USED FOR HIGH POWER SETUP: 899,052 bytes With this staggering overhead, tell me how many programs would be successful under DOS right now? Of course, I'm not playing games. I'm working on a 785K spreadsheet in LDW power (of course, writing this has put a damper on THAT). I doubt that 1% of all DOS users on earth could emulate this situation, regardless of machine: * Windowed environment * 899K of TSR's and Accessories * Lotus running with 785K Spreadsheet Wait a minute... O.K., what ELSE could I do, RIGHT NOW, without exiting my huge spreadsheet: 1. View or Decompress any ARC, LZH, ZIP, or ZOO file, 2. View (on an SM 124) any Degas PI? or PC?, or any .IMG file, 3. Write a document with word processing control up to 33K in length (you are reading one), 4. View any text file, with mouse controlled, FAST scrolling, 5. Field a phone call, and insert the person's name, address, phone number(s), date of call -- everything and more that you can do with a Rollodex in CardFile 3, my ready and able "right-hand... desk accessory?" I makes for a paper-free office, 6. While talking with the caller, with a mouse click provide names, addresses and phone numbers to any of the people with whom I generally do business, including pay scales or traffic directions for same, 7. Take down notes on the conversation in copious detail and save it to disk under a filename I'll remember, 8. If worried I won't remember some important detail, I can attach a (long) note linked to the file name (that I won't have to look for, it's ATTACHED) that is instantly ready to keep me on track, 9. With a mouse click, instantly auto-dial that person back if I remember something upon hanging up the phone (or dial any other person, even if I can only remember the first three letters of the last name), 10. Do _complete_ hard drive / floppy disk management, including file copies, moves, changes in time stamps, hide files, lock files, set archive bits, create folders, format floppies, copy disks, erase files, comment files, graphically display how much of my poor hard drive partitions are available at this time... at some point the brain locks up trying to remember _all_ the things... Oh! And view TWO directories at once in any combination of drives/directories. 11. Set my appointment calendar, and print it. 12. Print a hard copy of THIS document, if I want it. 13. Save a Degas screen dump of the screen to hard disk. Actually, 99 of them... 14. ...or continue working on my spreadsheet.... And to think, this is not multitasking... but it is stock ST. I defy any DOS user to emulate this power without multitasking. Better yet, I defy it with multitasking: O.K., 486 IBM whiz-kids, let's do a dare. Now, the rules are simple. This little game has to apply to EVERY DOS MACHINE EVER MADE (the same goes for Atari): When my hard drive is wrestled from me by the Terminator, and all my Syquest platters turned to twisted junk, and all the hard drive parts crushed by a steamroller... I can still boot my Atari to a graphic environment with full mouse control and a high-power sophistication, easily, from floppies. Keeping up, DOS? O.K.: Then, when the Terminator returns, takes all my floppies and eats them for lunch, one by one, sparing one disk only, a floppy that has just one text file on it... a word processing document with my insurance company's number... I can still boot my Atari, enjoy a windowed, graphic environment, access the floppy with a mouse, read the file on screen, then print the file as a screen dump to a dot matrix printer. While I call the insurance company, I can offer the floppy to the Terminator for dessert. Of course, even now, I can still boot my Atari.... That's what applies to ALL ST's. And where is DOS? Didn't make it to the finish. Never had a chance... Good try, though, almost kept up. ///////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "...if you heard about it from the FNET, it's probably bogus. / / All of the *really* good rumors about Atari (READ: the ones / / that I plant! :) come from here on GEnie." / ////////////////////////////////////////////// BOB-BRODIE ///// [EOA] [FUN]////////////////////////////// ONLINE FUNNIES / ///////////////////////////////// Tim_TOONS! """"""""" ||| ATARI ...... Power without the Price ...... / | \ A little too much power!!! / ___-----___- ======_ _ --_ ____ _ ____ --___---_- ==== o\ ___-- ____ | | \ ____------_____-- ==( | ____-----_ _| | \ _______----_ \__O __ __[===]|____| \ /\ ________________/________/_============= \ / \ -_ / ______/ --- \__________) | \/ \ _-- / | | \ | | | | | | _____ _______ |im |oons By Tim Basham (1991) ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "I look forward to the day I don't need the Amiga around, / / I will then beat that 1084 to pieces with a bat... / / as soon as my eyes stop bouncing up and down ;-)" / //////////// J.ALLEN27, CAT4, TOP5, MSG:116/M475 ////////// [EOA] [MEL]////////////////////////////// MEL'S MANOR / ///////////////////////////////// Do You Know The Way To LH5? """"""""""""""""""""""""""" By Mel Motogawa [M.MOTOGAWA] >>> DO YOU KNOW THE WAY TO LH5? <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" What I like to ask, if I have to send or receive a file, is whether the other person is set up for -lh5- lzh files. I haven't seen many using it yet. Most are still using the old -lh1- lzh format, no doubt because of the newness of the -lh5- format. Old habits die hard. If you've been thinking about delving into the -lh5- archive format, let's examine how to do so in a painless fashion. What's An LH5? A new variation of the lzh archive format that compresses """""""""""""" better than normal lzh programs and is very fast at Add operations, compared to earlier lzh'ers. Files using the -lh5- format are created by Lharc 2.01h (aka Lzh201h) by Thomas Quester. (File #21432 in the file library.) Files created using -lh5- compression still carry an .lzh extender. But when you do a Verbose on the archive, the compression type shows up as -lh5- instead of the more common -lh1- of earlier lzh programs. You've probably noticed how the ST RT File Library is now showing which files are compressed with the -lh5- format in the file description. Wait A Minute! Strange Things Are Afoot! Yes, you probably noticed how a """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" file compressed in the -lh5- format can only be extracted using Quester's program. This is to be expected since it is a new type of compression. When using an older Lharc program, you may get various results when trying to do a verbose or extract operation on a Quester -lh5- lzh. Perhaps a message from the program that the file in question is an unknown format, a crash or what seems to be a good extraction, but it's not. A text file may be corrupted or a program could crash when booting. The answer? Just start using Quester's program exclusively for your lzh adds, extracts, verboses, etc.. It can handle -lh5- files or the older -lh1- files and you gain by getting about the best compression possible for the ST and fast extractions. Just remember to let others know that you have used the -lh5- format on your archive, until it becomes more popular. Take my word, it will. So Just How Good Is LH5? To give you an idea of the compression power of """""""""""""""""""""""" the -lh5- format, I took the last GEnie Lamp file GELMP235.TX2 which is 139,305 bytes long. I then compressed it with ARC602, LHARC102, ST ZIP 0.9 and LZH201H on my 8mhz STe. A hard drive was used for all disk i/o including the creation of temporary files by some of the programs. Note that the results below are sorted by file sizes. Lzh201h- 69 secs/59,252 ST Zip- 43 secs/60,043 Lharc102- 122 secs/63,906 Arc.ttp- 53 secs/75,140 In this example, you can see that ST Zip really flies and achieves nearly the same compression of the -lh5- format in far less time. I've noticed this with many other text files. ST Zip shines on these and is usually close to -lh5- compression. Lzh201h beats the older -lh1- compression format by a small margin, but is much faster. I've noticed this also on the files I archive. The smaller the file, the less -lh5- will beat -lh1-. For an example in the other direction, I tested the above 4 programs at archiving 6 files totaling 557,346 bytes. There were 2 degas pics (64,068 bytes), 2 ascii files (151,059 bytes) and 2 executable files (342,219 bytes). Again, Lzh201h came out on top. Lzh201h- 265 secs/225,540 ST Zip- 167 secs/242,608 Lharc102- 540 secs/244,193 Arc.ttp- 210 secs/322,916 As you can see, Lzh201h beat the next competitor by 17k, not an insignificant amount. And it beat Arc.ttp by a whooping 97k. When you're paying for a download, this makes a big difference. I wouldn't mind seeing all archives that come out over 100k ARC'd, be put out in the -lh5- format. It staggers my mind to think of how much you would save on some of those huge ARC'd files. I was surprised that ST Zip beat Lharc102 in this test. So I decided to try another challenge. I archived 17 graphic files which included 2 GEM files, 2 SPC files and 13 IMG files. They totaled 281,204 bytes. Lzh201h- 150 secs/170,009 Lharc102- 312 secs/175,289 ST Zip- 104 secs/195,015 Arc.ttp- 153 secs/214,300 Finally, I decided to throw in archiving my folder of cpx's, 24 of them totaling 251,982 bytes. Lzh201h- 135 secs/120,227 Lharc102- 277 secs/124,879 ST Zip- 93 secs/150,518 Arc.ttp- 123 secs/162,974 From all this, clearly the -lh5- format is a winner. It has comparable speed with Arc.ttp while getting much better compression. ST Zip is a hot rod in speed, but the -lh5- format beats it in file size every time, as does Lharc102 usually. Lharc102 gets close to Lzh201h, but the speed differences in the Add operation makes this no contest. Keep in mind, though, that I used Lharc102 to represent all -lh1- lzh archivers. You may get better results with another during Adds, but I used to use Lharc102 in my pre-lh5 days since its speed in Add operations was very good. So How Do I Get Into Creating/Extracting LH5 Files? First off, download """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" two files. File #21432 LZH201H.LZH and file #20271 ARCSHL26.ARC. Use your favorite LZH utility to extract Lzh201h since it is compressed in the older -lh1- format and use an ARC utility to extract Arc Shell. Take the following files and place them wherever you keep your archive utilities, LHARC.TTP and ARCSHELL.PRG. If you're already using an earlier version of Arcshell, just copy the new one and Lharc to wherever it resides. Fire up Arc Shell. If it asks you where arc.ttp is, just point it out with the file selector that appears. You should now see the Arc Shell main screen. Proceed to configure Arc Shell for Lzh201h as the docs direct. Don't forget to highlight the "Quester LZH mode" button in the configuration dialog. After everything is set up for your liking, save your configuration. Now you're set up to handle any arc or lzh file you download from GEnie with the GEM ease of Arc Shell. (And don't forget to send in the shareware contribution to Charles F. Johnson, the creator of Arc Shell.) Another great shareware shell for Lzh201h is the EDM Shell (file #21535), by David Holmes, which can be configured to oversee your ARC, 2 LZH's, ZIP and ZOO utilities, five programs in all. It has very flexible parameter passing. I have close to 100 double-sided disks of old files I've downloaded from GEnie, backups of important data files and other miscellaneous stuff. I'm slowly converting all these from the old lzh to the newer -lh5- format. Saving 5k here, and 10k there, can really add up over 100 disks. I've heard that some have had problems with the Lzhxxx series when archiving many files at once, but I've -lh5-'d whole partitions and yet successfully extracted files from the archive. But who knows? I use Quester's -lh5- format all the time and really appreciate the great compression. I hope this information will prove helpful to you in getting your feet wet with -lh5- archives. It's great stuff! [*][*][*] Mel Motogawa has been hooked to his ST since 1986 and when not online, enjoys reading every ST mag he can lay his hands on. "After years of just reading messages and garnering information, I decided it was time to break out. Don't be a lurker forever, get the most out of the ST Roundtable. Ask questions online or answer the ones you can. Share the wealth!" /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "This is starting to sound like a rip off of COLA WARE! / / Of course, REAL cola ware requires nothing less than JOLT! / / I'se not a 'Pepper! Never have, never will." / /////////// BOB-BRODIE, CAT14, TOP40, MSG:65/M475 ////////// [EOA] [TEL]////////////////////////////// TELETALK ONLINE / ///////////////////////////////// Standards? """""""""" By Terry Quinn [T.QUINN1] >>> STANDARDS? WE DON'T NEED NO STEENKING STANDARDS! <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Recently, there have been a number of heated discussions in the RoundTable's messages bases concerning the entire notion of programming standards. One thing has become very clear - several of the individuals participating in the discussion (including some who should know better) have only a very foggy idea as to what standards are, how they come about and what one should do about them. To begin with, standards emerge from several sources and depending upon the source and usefulness of the standard may last for a long time or be very short lived. At the top of the pyramid are the standards imposed by government organizations. Everyone is familiar with the National Bureau of Standards and the FCC - two organizations (among many) who impose standards which affect all of us. For the most part, the regulations imposed by bodies such as these must be met by everyone without favor or prejudice. For example, whether a manufacturer is huge (like IBM) or small (Atari), all their products must not emit more than a certain amount of radio "noise" or they can't sell their product. Period! While some standards imposed by these bodies are narrow in scope (the "Tempest" standard for EMI for example) all standards imposed by government fiat are notably rigid in application. The next level down on the pyramid are such voluntary government private organizations as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Underwriters Laboratories and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Most of the standards developed by these bodies are voluntary in the sense that they are not imposed by government fiat but in effect establish a minimum standard in such areas as product safety that companies don't dare violate or they cannot sell their product. Standards at this level are usually arrived at by consensus by committees made up of people in the affected industries. Besides basic product safety standards, there are a number of other standards from this level which affect both hardware and software. For example, computer languages such as "C" or "Cobol" are regulated to a degree by ANSI. This is beneficial to the public at large since if one knows a standard version of some language, it is possible to move from one computer to another without much difficulty. At the lowest level of the standards pyramid are those standards which develop from the marketplace; either from the efforts of companies or individuals. When you reach this level of the standards "pyramid", it gets very sticky as to what is and is not a bonafide "standard". Sometimes a company may establish a "standard" without meaning to due to its sheer usefulness in the marketplace. A good example of this is Hewlett Packards Printer Control Language. Even though this standard was originally developed for no more reason than to enable HP to introduce a good inexpensive (relatively speaking) laser printer, it became widely adopted by other manufacturers due to HP's successful efforts to market their printers and the elegance of the "standard" itself. Some standards are established by the reaction of the marketplace alone. For example, the business communities reaction to IBM's first personal computer was enough to establish the MS/DOS - Intel platform as a "standard" despite the fact that there were superior hardware/operating system platforms already on the market when it was introduced. This event is fairly uncommon however and even mighty IBM failed to supplant their original standard with micro-channel architecture when they attempted to introduce a technically superior architecture as a standard for the PC marketplace. Here is where the first "rule" comes into play - It doesn't matter what a manufacturer does or does not do to establish a "standard" if it isn't accepted in the marketplace. Second, a "standard" must be timely. It must offer sound technical basis for something which needs to be done "now" but hasn't happened yet. One of the reasons that HP has had such success with their printers is that their method of controlling their laser appeared at just the right time. Another such example was the earlier standard for controlling dot matrix printers established by Epson. Third, a standard must be well done from a technical standpoint - The history of Windows by Microsoft might provide a useful illustration of this point. Windows was intentionally developed as a graphics environment "standard" for all Intel platform computers but did not become widespread until it became sufficiently usable to be useful. Windows 1.0 was by all accounts a real dog but the current version actually offers some real technical benefits for the end user. Fourth, a standard must be economically feasible to adopt. This is what tripped up IBM when they introduced their PS/2 line of computers. By the time the PS/2 computers appeared, most of their potential customer base had an enormous investment in PC/AT buss machine and it was not economically feasible for them to junk their original investment and opt for the new systems. The fact that there are more "clones" than true blue IBM's sold these days is primarily a result of economics. This also applies to programs. Even though IBM hasn't produced a 8 bit PC in years, most software being written today will work on their original machine because software developers want to maximise the return on their efforts by writing for the greatest number of machines. This is one other reason for the proliferation of the clone market as well - it makes no sense for a software developer to write something which only runs on an original IBM machine. Fifth, a "standard" must be well documented. The widespread presence of Unix operating systems on a variety of platforms is in part due to the developers widely disseminating the technical details (and even the source code). Unix has been around for so long and is so well known, Bell Laboratories has derived a substantial amount of revenue for developing it. In conclusion - how is Atari doing with respect to standards? Well we got some good news and bad news. The good news is that they have made a real effort to product hardware which is "upward compatible" with their previous products. If programmers tried to follow the "rules" and not do such tricks as writing directly to hardware, a program written for the original 520 will run on the most current products. Atari should be strongly commended on this point. The bad news is that some individuals at Atari think that just because Atari does something, the result should be immediately adopted as a "standard". A good example of this one is their new FSM GDOS module. This has been so long in coming that most developers who needed this capability have long ago developed their own methods. What should be done? Two things: "Listen, Listen, Listen" and "Sell, Sell, Sell". Listen to what the "potential" market place is demanding and develop your standards on that basis. Sell your products to the best of your ability because the more products out there the greater the return on your efforts. //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "I still have two friends who don't know how to use Windows, / / a chiropractor who can't figure out his desktop publishing / / software, and a father-in-law who is thrilled to death / / because he learned how to copy files this month!" / //////////////////////////////////////////// C.KLIMUSHYN ///// [EOA] [HUM]////////////////////////////// HUMOR ONLINE / ///////////////////////////////// Fun & Games On GEnie """""""""""""""""""" By Dorothy Brumleve [D.A.BRUMLEVE] >>> YOU CALLING ME AN ADDICT? <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" HEY YOU! Yeah, _you_, the guy at the end of the bar, the one holding """""""" the Practical Solutions Mouse in his hand! You calling me an _addict_??? Well, I deny it! Absolutely! Why, I don't hardly use my computer at _all_, except when absolutely necessary for modeming, word processing, desktop publishing, graphics design, programming, accounting, corresponding with my chums...I know it's a bit _excessive_, but it's not _abnormal_! Why, everybody I know does the same thing! Look around you here! Everybody in this place has a computer! We couldn't _all_ be addicts, could we? What's that you say? Does it interfere with my life??? Of course not! I still interact with my family. The family room is right next to my computer room. I can hear everything that goes on out there from in here! And they can hear me shouting at them just fine. Well, no, I guess we _don't_ go out on the town much, but look: who _needs_ that? I _do_ make sure I watch at least one HBO show a week with my spouse. I'm not neglecting anybody! In fact, the computers _enhance_ the lives of everyone in the family! We all have our own, and each of us has our own special use for them. OK, OK, I admit that I take the machine with me on vacations and such. But what's so weird about that? Who wants to go on a picnic and do nothing but eat and play volleyball? Or drive for hours in the car with nothing to do except listen to the radio and talk to the kids? Come on, get real. It's not a _negative_ thing to have a computer along at times like that. It's not like I'm _dependent_ upon it or something. I can take it or leave it; I just _choose_ to take it. That's all. Yessir, guy, you're accessing the wrong file. No addicts here! Maybe you've been staring at that screen saver too long. (D.A.BRUMLEVE, CAT14, TOP30, MSG:109/M475) //////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "Beware also of the power supply heat sinks. One of them / / has 300 volts AC on it; it gently lifted me across the / / room one day." / /////////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL //// [EOA] [HAC]////////////////////////////// HACK'N ATARI / ///////////////////////////////// [*]POWERDRIVE: Install It Yourself! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" By Mark L. Dodge [M.DODGE.2] >>> POWERDRIVE(tm) INSTALL IT YOURSELF! <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PLEASE REMEMBER! You are responsible for any damage or liability when """""""""""""""" you make any modifications or upgrades to your equipment. Also keep in mind that opening your computer may void your guarantee. If you are unsure of your ability to take on a hardware project, find someone who isn't. If you decide to take on this project, we _strongly_ suggest that you download the diagrams which accompany this article. L228_PWR.LZH is a separate, optional MONO picture file. Use the "Load DEGAS..." option in the TX2 viewer to view. Note that due to the intricate detail involved in Mark's diagrams, the diagrams are available in MONOCHROME format _only_. [*][*][*] POWERDRIVE POWER! Perhaps you've never heard of it. Or maybe you have """"""""""""""""" but never gave it much else than a quick glance. If you're in the market for some sort of a "speedy" hard disk backup device, you should seriously consider the POWERDRIVE by DreamPark Development. Accompanied with Diamond Back II hard disk backup and restore utility, (written by Robert D. Luneski), they make an excellent team. I was amazed at how rapidly the two worked together as I backed up my entire hard disk to less than half of the normal number of data disk typically required. And it was all done in far less than half of the normal time requirements. What's really nice is that the entire modification can be done in about 30 to 45 minutes, and for less than $250.00. You might want to consider a few other conveniences the POWERDRIVE has to offer as well. Imagine your entire floppy disk library shrinking to at least 50% of what it currently is. And with hard density disk prices dipping to an amazing $.79 each (mail order) it can be done relatively cheap. The speed of the new floppy controller chip increases floppy disk drive access speed significantly. Read and write routines seem to "snap to attention" as you command them from the desktop or from within any application. To sum it up, it's the quickest floppy drive performance I've ever witnessed on any type of computer system. PARTS AND TOOLS The kit comes with (see figure 1) a POWERDRIVE printed """"""""""""""" circuit board, 2.5mm socket with wires attached, 34-pin ribbon cable with connectors, 28 - 34 pin adapter, and a 28-pin socket. Additional parts you will need to complete the job are also listed in figure 1. The necessary tools required are as follows; o 1 pair of needle nosed pliers o 1 pair of dikes o 1 25 Watt (or lower) soldering iron o 1 solder vacuum pencil or solder wick o A small quantity of 60/40 solder o 1 pair of wire strippers o 1 #2 Phillips type screwdriver o 1 set of jewelers screwdrivers DISASSEMBLY Refer to figure 2. Remove the four Phillips type screws """"""""""" from the bottom side of the disk drive case that hold the case together. Lift the top of the case off from the rear forward, sliding the case off of the front of the disk drive mechanism. Now hold the drive mechanism in one hadn and remove the remaining four screws that hold the drive mechanism in place. Disconnect the four pin power connector and the 34-pin ribbon cable connector. Set the disk drive aside. Turn your computer over so that you are looking at the bottom side of the case. Remove the six Phillips type screws that hold the case together. (520 STfm/1040 owners see figure 3.) Turn the computer over so that it is right side up. Remove the top of the computer case. Gently lift the keyboard and locate the keyboard connector plug to the right. Disconnect the keyboard plug by pulling on the black connector. Avoid pulling on the wires for disconnection which may break one of the wires. Locate the three Phillips screws along the front of the RF shielding and remove them. Use a pair of needle nosed pliers to straighten the tabs around the perimeter of the RF shielding so that they align over the openings on the top portion of the case. Now remove the RF shielding top portion. Along the back side of the motherboard are two (sometimes three) Phillips type screws, locate and remove them so that the mother- board can be removed from the bottom portion of the case. Now extract the motherboard from the bottom of the case and remove the bottom portion of the RF shielding. INSTALLING THE MODIFICATION KIT Locate the floppy controller chip """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" labeled WDC 1772 which has 28 pins. It is necessary to remove this chip which will be replaced with the 28-pin IC socket that is included with the POWERDRIVE kit. Refer to figure four for assistance regarding removal. If the floppy disk controller chip is mounted in a 28-pin socket already, then simply remove it from the socket using a jewelers screwdriver. Just slip one end of the jewelers screwdriver under the chip and begin lifting slowly. Work the chip loose from both ends until it removes easily. If not, then it is necessary to remove the chip using a couple of the tools listed above. Use a pair of dikes to snip each leg of the chip in half. Leave enough of each leg so that they are protruding above the motherboard. This will make extraction much easier. (See figure four.) Heat the remaining portion of chip leg with a solder iron. When the solder becomes hot, grasp the leg with a pair of needle nosed pliers and remove the scrap. Repeat this until all 28-pin locations are cleared. Figure five illustrates the clearing of excess solder using a solder vacuum. With all 28 of the solder pads cleared, insert the new 28-pin socket and solder into place. Figure five can assist in this area. With the new socket installed, insert the 28 to 34-pin adapter board into the 28-pin socket that was installed and orientate it as shown in figure five. It is necessary to route the DRIVE0 and DRIVE1 SELECT signals from the Yamaha sound chip. Attach a jumper wire to pin number 19 (DRIVE 1 SELECT) and another jumper wire to pin number 20 (DRIVE 0 SELECT) of the 40-pin IC U19 (Yamaha sound chip). Make sure that both wires are long enough to reach any of the six holes on the left side of the 28 to 34-pin adapter board. Attach the wire from pin number 20 (see figure 6) of the Yamaha sound chip to the DRIVE A SELECT side of the 28 to 34-pin adapter board. Attach pin number 19 of the Yamaha sound chip to the DRIVE B SELECT side of the 28 to 34-pin adapter board. Notice that the DENSITY SELECT signal points are labeled. Install the 2.5mm socket wires as illustrated in this figure. Make sure that the wires from the 2.5mm socket are routed thru an opening in the top portion of RF shielding prior to making the solder connections at the 28 to 34-pin adapter board. If you are installing two 1.44MB floppy drives, then it is necessary to obtain an additional 2.5mm socket and wire it the same way as drive A but make all connections for the drive B side. Drill a hole in the back of the plastic case housing as illustrated in figure 6. If it is drilled about 1/8" from the top of the case housing, there will be enough room to fit everything back together in its original form. Install the 2.5mm socket thru the drilled out mounting hole. (This is not necessary for computer types with internal drives.) Figure seven illustrates the proper assembly of all the components. It is important to ensure that pin one on the 34 conductor cable aligns with pin one on the POWERDRIVE board. This figure also illustrates options available for configuring the two jumpers for type of drive used. Make sure to configure them according to the type of drive(s) you are using. Figure eight gives a couple of examples as to where the POWERDRIVE board can be mounted. The ribbon cable, or flat wire, can be routed in- between the RF shielding. You might want to use electrical tape along the edges where the ribbon cable is going to be routed. This will assist against cuts in the run. Finally, figure nine shows how the high density signal should be connected at the drive mechanism. There are jumper settings located at the bottom of each drive illustrated for proper operation. It's very straight forward. And that's all there is to modifying your hardware for this particular upgrade. Keep in mind that I have written this for those interested and those that may find it useful after their purchase of the POWERDRIVE. The real "magic" for using the 1.44MB format is in the software package included with each POWERDRIVE kit. I think it's a wonderful upgrade and encourage any user to invest in a POWERDRIVE. Especially if you own a hard disk drive. Too bad ATARI doesn't adopt this as a "STandard"! ////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Elsewhere in territory #87 of PowerMonger, I ran across a / / group of what appear to be Century 21 agents (at least their / / jackets look like it) that seem to be performing unnatural / / acts on some sheep (deceased ones at that). Real strange!" / ///////////////////////////////////////////////// C.KERNS //// [EOA] [ALD]////////////////////////////// ST ALADDIN ONLINE / ///////////////////////////////// ST Aladdin And You """""""""""""""""" by Fred H. Koch [F.KOCH] Intro to Scripts, interrupted """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" (Too good to believe? :-) I am going to interrupt my normal sequence of articles on writing scripts for ST Aladdin 1.2 for some great news for script writers and users. The next article will continue with the current script capabilities of ST Aladdin. Since I have been experimenting with ST Aladdin scripts and writing more than a few scripts, Gordon and Tim were gracious enough to allow me to take a look at what scripts will look like in the future ST Aladdin. I hesitate to provide this look since it may discourage people from writing scripts for ST Aladdin 1.2 but decided this was just too good to pass up. First let me tell you this will not be available in the near future. Lots of smaller changes to be worked on in ST Aladdin before the time can be expended to fully debug this new script language, but it will knock your socks off when you get it! (Please don't bug Gordon and Tim about this. They didn't want me to say anything, you know, something about not releasing features until they are ready to be distributed, and all that stuff. But, being the person I am, I just couldn't pass this up. Please, Gordon and Tim, don't hold this against me. I promise next time I won't tell a soul.) This new and improved script language is designed with the user in mind. Not only does it not take programming experience to use, it is so easy to use, if you can log onto GEnie with ST Aladdin, you can create your own custom script. Sound hard to believe, just wait. There are over two hundred fifty commands which the new script language understands. This may sound a little daunting at first, but it is no problem, mainly because you don't have to remember them to write a script. In fact, you might not ever have to type a single script command. That's right, you can create an entire script without typing a single script command. I know what you are thinking, here is another auto script program which will record what I manually do and then play it back. Well, you are partially right. Scripter (my name, the official one remains to be released) will record all your online actions and play them back at a later time, but it can do much more. When Scripter is run from the ST Aladdin terminal menu there are two choices, RECORD user script or PLAY user script. If no scripts are available RECORD is the only option selectable, PLAY is grayed out. GEnie will have a new file available for use with Scripter. In that file are all the menu screens available on GEnie. The version I got to see only had the thirty most popular pages, but it was enough to see how things will work. Let's take a look at what a typical recording session with Scripter will be like. When RECORD is selected Scripter looks for the menu file. If the file is not found you have the option to log onto GEnie or abort the recording session. If log onto GEnie is selected, an item selector is presented to enter the script name and Aladdin logs onto GEnie using your user ID and password. Scripter stops at the opening screen of GEnie where you can manually navigate through the desired actions. At any time you can select stop and Scripter will stop recording your actions and save the script file. The script will automatically stop when you log off GEnie during the recording session. The script can be played to accomplish the exact actions you just recorded. If you want to make different choices during script playback, you need to modify the script placing variables where the desired choices were made. The really nice features of Scripter show up when the GEnie menu file is available. If the menu is available when RECORD is selected things seem to proceed as before but there are a few major changes. Instead of logging onto GEnie, the menu screens are presented off line. All the menu choices can be selected, but of course no data is shown. All desired selections can be recorded for execution during script playback. This is the same as manual recording, but you are off line, so no charges are accumulating the entire time you are creating the script. The real advantage comes when you reach a menu choice or entry request which you wish to set-up as a variable. Instead of having to go back and modify the recorded script, just press the ? and a variable will be assigned to that selection. If you want to specify some text to be displayed when the variable value is requested, all you need do is press ALT T. A dialog box appears where up to three lines of 75 characters each can be entered. Again the script can be stopped at any time by selecting STOP or pressing ALT S. It is automatically stopped when LOG OFF is selected. After a session is recorded it can be played back whenever you want to accomplish the script actions. If the script has no variables it will proceed from start to finish with no interaction required. If a capture was used during the original recording, the same file name will be used and the information appended if the file already exists. If any variables were used in the script, the script will display the menu selection line or the entered text requesting the variable value. Once all variable values have been entered, the script will log onto GEnie and accomplish all actions. As if this isn't enough, there is more. Any script can call any other script. This means if during a recording session, you decide you want to perform a previously recorded script, it can be done. While recording, just press the ALT I key to include another script. An item selector will be displayed to select the desired script. There are some precautions here. The script being recorded must be at a prompt where the included script can legally start and the included script must end at a place where the new script can begin again. This is not a problem if the included script was recorded all the way through log off since start and stop occur at a page menu. Including scripts works with either Scripter mode, that is, with manual recording or with the GEnie menu file. The difference is if you are in the manual record mode, the included script will be executed immediately, where in the menu record mode, the script will just be inserted in the proper place, and only played when the recorded script is played. If the inserted script ended with a LOG OFF, it will not log off GEnie, just return to the recorded script. The one hazard to inserting scripts in the GEnie menu mode is you don't know where the inserted script will end. If it was stopped before the LOG OFF command, it may not be at a page menu, which could cause problems. I have suggested the inserted script display the final menu item where it stops to prevent any confusion when using the GEnie menu mode. One of the nice features of the insert script command is it allows creating custom script sequences. Select RECORD user script and then just start inserting the desired scripts. When all scripts have been inserted, select LOG OFF and the script is ready to go. With this feature you can even use the same script multiple times allowing you to essentially create your own AutoPass 1 script. If it weren't for the intelligent way Scripter uses variables multiple scripts could cause a serious conflict. Since Scripter assigns variables as they are encountered in the script, multiple scripts are no problem. As the script is executed, each variable is assigned a sequential number which will be used to match the value with the proper script location. It is even possible to have the same value entered multiple places in the script. This is accomplished by pressing ALT D. This displays a list of variables already used in the script, from which one may be selected to fill the required place. There is even a capability to select any of the configuration variables, such as user ID or BB page number, as well as set up a table of default values to use for variables. Scripter has the most flexible use of variables in any script language I have seen. Scripter has a built in time feature which will allow starting a script at a specified time or with a specified delay. When a script is placed into a delayed start, you are returned to ST Aladdin to perform other operations. As long as you don't leave ST Aladdin the script will be performed when the time arrives. The only precaution is to not be doing one script or manual action on GEnie when the time for the script arrives, because it will begin when it should. A feature which asks if the timed script should start, wait until you are finished, or abort would be nice. Perhaps this will be added to the final version, after all this is only a beginning, but what a beginning. You will notice I haven't mentioned anything but key board commands. All scripts can be written without knowing about the syntax of the language, sequence of events required, string handling or any of those things. If you are really determined to make script writing hard, you can do all script writing manually with the 250 plus commands. I don't know why you would want to do this, but the capability is still there. Oh by the way, did I mention the number of scripts is limited only by disk space. Since each script is assigned its own file name, and loaded from an item selector, you can place scripts anywhere you choose and have as many as your disk will hold. And for floppy drive users, scripts can be stored any where the item selector can find them, which includes floppy disks. The only problem with floppy drives is if the disk isn't in place when the script is run, things will come to a screeching halt. There might be other features added before the general public sees Scripter, although I can't imagine what. Voice recognition? For those who have been waiting to write their own scripts once Scripter is released you will have to wait no longer. This has to be the easiest script writer I have ever seen. The only thing which could be easier would be to have someone else know exactly what you wanted and do it for you, but then what personal satisfaction could be gained from that? Now if I could only get ............... ring ring ring ring. What? What time is it? 4:00? This can't be a dream! :-) //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "He was ready to buy the package!!! Then I thought that I / / better ask him what machine he had... he said, "I've got a / / Wang 386". I said, "I'm sorry Sir, but this software is / / only available for the Atari line of computer systems." / / He was not a happy camper...:)" / /////////////////////////////////////////////// ERIDDLE //// [EOA] [FOC]////////////////////////////// FOCUS ON... / ///////////////////////////////// The Atari TT: First Impressions """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" By Larry Duke [LARRY.D] >>> FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE TT030 <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The UPS truck showed up on Thursday. Of course, I was sleeping that afternoon since I had to work until 7:00 am the next morning. Two boxes, one brown and rectangular, one white and cubical, awaited me when I awoke. The TT030 had finally arrived. I had the insight to read of other's experiences, so preparation was done in advance (which is the best time to do preparation, by the way). The ICD tape drive and external disk were assigned sequential SCSI ID numbers and a 9-pin modem cable had been purchased. Set up was a breeze. A new world of power computing was at hand. With the flip of a switch, the computer came to life. There is a built-in delay before things actually start (default time set to 90 seconds) allowing the hard drive time to spool up. It's easy to bypass this delay by either pressing any key when things are ready, or by installing the "NOROACH" program on the boot sector of a floppy in drive A. The screen came to life and a monitor full of crisp, clear colors looked back at me. So far, things were going *very* well. The learning process had begun. There are two basic questions asked when ST users discover the TT030. First is "How fast is it?" followed closely by "What software runs on it?". The answers to both of these questions are not quite as easy as they seem. Allow me to explain.... The TT030 has two different types of RAM. ST-RAM is relatively slow in order to be compatible with video output. Programs loaded here are faster, but not blazingly so. The other area is TT-RAM, which contains no video memory. Programs loaded here are noticeably faster. To complicate things, some programs can work in TT RAM, some only in ST RAM. Trial and error or relying on other's experiences are the only ways to determine which way to go with a given program. There are flags in the first few bytes of programs and accessories that are set or reset to show which area of memory should be used. ATARI has released a file called PRGFLGS to change these flags easily, as does the new version of MAXIFILE by CODEHEAD. The answer to the speed question is dependant on where the program will load. All (gosh, I hate to use that word) programs that run in the 68030 environment will be executed faster. Those that load into TT RAM will really fly. For example, UNLZH version 1.72 works in TT RAM. I can extract a 1.3MB text file in under 15 seconds. This used to take me about 45 seconds to do on the AdSpeed equipped MEGA. What software runs? Most all of it, that I can see. There are some restrictions on a few programs, though. Some get totally confused when they find RAM someplace they don't expect (early compiled GFA BASIC programs fall into this category). Disabling the TT RAM, which must be done at bootup with the 24BIT.PRG in the AUTO folder, solves most of these problems. Early GFA BASIC compiled programs fall into this category. From what I've been told, the compiler stuck their own data in the upper portions of the addresses. Now that the TT030 can use these upper bits, the extra data can lead to problems unless you disable the addressing using the 24BIT program. Some programs expect to run ONLY in the ST resolutions. The addition of TT-LOW (320*480 with 256 colors) and TT-MEDIUM (640*480 with 16 colors) tends to confuse programs the don't expect to see the additional capacity. The list of programs that do this is long, but very distinguished. CALAMUS, DEGAS ELITE, INTERLINK, and GFA BASIC are some of the fine programs that need to run in ST resolutions. There was one elusive incompatibility with the new XCONTROL.ACC, the new, extended control panel. UltraScript does not get along with the new control panel for some reason. Disabling that, and running Mike Fulton's US68030.PRG to load the program allowed me to use UltraScript once again. What impresses me the most about the new machine? There are so many improvements, it's really hard to list them...I write down one, it reminds me of another, and the snowball effect takes over. The screen is really nice, as is the additional memory (ST-RAM is expandable to 10MB, TT-RAM to 16MB). The colors are displayed very nicely, much better that the SC1224; crisp, sharp and very clear. I really like the user definable keystroke equivalents for the menu items on the desktop. Vast improvements in the desktop itself (now called NEWDESK) such as the ability to place file and directory icons on the desktop are very worthwhile. The new resolutions are great; it's really nice to see 30 lines of text in a window with 16 colors and GIF pictures look so good in 256 colors. The expanded abilities of both the 68030 and the TT architecture are highly desirable. What would I change? Not too much, really. The mouse cable comes out of the left side of the keyboard and I keep running into the connector. The mouse I use is just the wrong height so it winds up clicking on the left mouse button when this happens. Through a remarkable set of coincidences, I have deleted one file from the hard drive that I didn't want intend to delete because of this situation. The monitor has no volume control on it, sound is controlled by the Extended Control Panel. Not that big of a problem, it's just that I have to remember to turn it down BEFORE I go into INTERLINK late at night so I don't wake the family. Overall, I am pleased with the computer. OK, so that's an understatement...I am actually THRILLED with the computer. It runs more software than I expected, it looks good in both styling and display, and it does all of this with great ease at a blistering speed. Heck, if my wife would let me, I'd buy another one! /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////// / "Why wouldn't we be? I can disagree with someone and still / / like them. You should see (hear) some of "knock-down, drag- / / out" fights that Ralph and I have, but I still like him... / / even if he is wrong. " / /////////////////////////////////////////////// LEPULLEY ///// [EOA] [REA]////////////////////////////// READ IT! / ///////////////////////////////// Mags & Zines: Directory """"""""""""""""""""""" By John Peters [GENIELAMP$] READ ALL ABOUT IT The following is a list of publications specifically """"""""""""""""" for the Atari user taken from the Atari ST RoundTable bulletin board and library. Although I searched _everywhere_ I could think of, I might of missed one or two (or more) publications. The data was taken from actual files/messages so it should be accurate. Any inaccuracies found, or if you have a publication you would like to see listed, please leave GEmail to [GENIELAMP$]. This list will be updated and reprinted here in GEnie Lamp on a regular basis. For obvious reasons, ;-) the publications are listed in alphabetical order. >>> ONLINE MAGAZINES <<< """""""""""""""""""""""" AUA NEWSBRIEFS ONLINE MAGAZINE """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" For : Atari users (Generic) Who : The Atari Users Association Where : GEnie/Online Services/Various BBSs Editor: Derek C. Signorini Freq. : Monthly Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [DC.SIGNORINI] USmail: Atari Users Association P.O. Box 123 Canonsburg, PA 15317 Phone : 412-745-8930 BBS : 412-746-8699 EXPRESS TIMES """"""""""""" For : BBS Express ST! SysOps Who : C&R BBS Where : GEnie/Commercial Services/Various BBSs Editor: Rick Sanchez Freq. : ??? Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [C.SANCHEZ2] BBS : 717-765-8623 GEnie LAMP ONLINE MAGAZINE """""""""""""""""""""""""" For : GEnie Atari ST RoundTable Members Who : T/TalkNET Online Publishing Where : GEnie/Various BBSs Editor: John Peters Freq. : 2 time per month (1st and 15th) Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [GENIELAMP$] USmail: T/TalkNET Publications ATTN: John Peters 5102 Galley Rd. Suite 115/B Colorado Springs, CO 80915 GEnie LAMP [PR] """"""""""""""" For : GEnie Atari ST RoundTable Members Who : T/TalkNET Online Publishing Where : GEnie/Various BBSs Editor: Fred Koch Freq. : Weekly (Friday) Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [GENIELAMP$] or [F.KOCH] USmail: T/TalkNET Publications ATTN: John Peters 5102 Galley Rd. Suite 115/B Colorado Springs, CO 80915 ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" For : Atari ST users Who : STR Publishing Where : GEnie/Commercial Services/BBSs Editor: Ralph Mariano Freq. : Weekly (Friday) Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [ST.REPORT] USmail: STR Publishing Inc. Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, FL 32205-6672 Z*MAGAZINE """""""""" For : Atari 8-bit users Who : Z*Net Publishing Where : GEnie/Commercial Services/Various BBSs Editor: Ron Kovacs Freq. : ??? Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [Z-NET] USmail: Rovac Industries, Inc. Post Office Box 59 Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059 BBS : 908-968-2024 Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" For : Atari ST users Who : Z*Net Publishing Where : GEnie/Commercial Services/Various BBSs Editor: Ron Kovacs Freq. : Weekly (Saturday) Cost : Free (Download chrg. if applic.) GEmail: [Z*NET] USmail: Rovac Industries, Inc. Post Office Box 59 Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059 BBS : 908-968-2024 >>> ATARI DISK MAGAZINES <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""" ADVENTURE SYNTAX MAGAZINE """"""""""""""""""""""""" For : Atari ST/Adventure & RPG players Who : SynTax Editor: N/A Freq. : Bi-monthly Cost : 5 Pounds 25 Pence/Thirty Pounds Overseas Air GEmail: N/A USmail: SynTax 9 Warwick Road Sidcup, Kent DA14 6LJ ENGLAND >>> ATARI NEWSLETTERS <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""" ATARI PORTABLE ENTERTAINMENT """""""""""""""""""""""""""" For : Atari Lynx users Who : APE Editor: Clinton Smith GEmail: [C.SMITH89] Freq : Quarterly Cost : $6.00 per year USmail: APE NEWSLETTER 2104 North Kostner Chicago, IL 60639 BRANCH ALWAYS NEWSLETTER """""""""""""""""""""""" For : Atari ST users Who : Branch Always Software Editor: Darek Mihocka GEmail: [BRASOFT] Freq : ? Cost : Free registered users of Quick Tools and Quick ST II. All others (USA): 9" S.A.S.E USmail: Branch Always Software - Newsletter 14150 N.E. 20th Street, Unit 302 Bellevue, WA 98007 U.S.A. Phone : 206-885-5893 ST CONNECTION """"""""""""" For : Atari ST users Who : Computer Publications Unltd. Editor: Stan Swanson GEmail: [STCONNECTION] Freq : Monthly/10 issues per year Cost : $14.00 per year/$48.00 w/pd disk USmail: Computer Publications Unltd. P.O. Box 2224 Arvada, Colorado 80001-2224 Phone : 303-423-6805 GAMEMASTER """""""""" For : Atari Lynx/Jaguar users Who : Computer Publications Unltd. Editor: Stan Swanson GEmail: [STCONNECTION] Freq : Monthly/10 issues per year Cost : $10.00 per year USmail: Computer Publications Unltd. P.O. Box 2224 Arvada, Colorado 80001-2224 Phone : 303-423-6805 STRADER """"""" For : Atari users (Generic) For sale/trade etc. Who : The Final Draft Editor: Dave Colon GEmail: [D.COLON2] Where : U.S.Mail/BBSs Freq : Every 2-3 weeks Cost : .25 (w/S.A.S.E) USmail: STrader Phone : 4633 Janeau Cir. Suite B Homestead, FL 33039-1173 >>> ATARI MAGAZINES <<< """"""""""""""""""""""" ATARI INTERFACE """"""""""""""" For : Atari users (Generic) Who : Unicorn Publications Editor: Bill & Pattie Rayl Freq : Monthly/10 issues per year Cost : $18.00 (US, $30.00 Canadian) GEmail: [UNICORNPUB] USmail: Unicorn Publications 3487 Braeburn Circle Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Phone : 313-973-8825 BBS : 313-973-9137 ATARIUSER """"""""" For : Atari users (Generic) Who : Quill Publishing Co. Editor: John Nagy Freq : Monthly Cost : Free/$2.00 (Optional subscription: $21.30) GEmail: [ATARIUSER] USmail: AtariUser 113 W. College St. Covina, CA 91723 Phone : 818-332-0372 Fax : 818-332-2869 Fax 818-332-5473 (Direct advertising) CURRENT NOTES """"""""""""" For : Atari users (Generic) Who : Current Notes, Inc. Editor: Joe Waters Freq : Monthly/10 issues per year Cost : $27.00 per year/$47.00 for two years GEmail: [JOE.WATERS] USmail: Current Notes, Inc. 122 N.Johnson Rd. Sterling, VA 22170 Phone : 703-450-4761 ST INFORMER """"""""""" For : Atari users (Generic) Editor: Ron McDonald Freq : Monthly Cost : $19.95 GEmail: [ST-INFORMER] USmail: ST Informer 909 NM Starlite Place Grants Pass, OR 97526 Phone : 503-476-0071 (TO SUBSCRIBE: 1-800-800-2563) Fax : 503-479-1825 //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "What do you mean "not a real computer?" Ha! This computer / / is way b-- hey! my computer's melting! aaaah! it's melting.../ / melting... xcvmxfdk / / / / NO CARRIER / /////////////////////////////////////////////// C.EBERLE ///// [EOA] [PRT]////////////////////////////// PRINT ME! / ///////////////////////////////// Templates You Can Use! """""""""""""""""""""" PRINT ME! This issue's PRINT ME! template is a handy little chart to """"""""" help you when you are participating in a formal or informal RoundTable Conference. To make your RTC template, "clip" the following chart and print it on your printer. Cut to size, then tape it to a heavy piece of paper or thin cardboard. To use the chart, just insert it behind your "Fxx" keys located right above the main keyboard. ________________________________________________________________________ GEnie Lamp Template Atari ST RoundTable Conference """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" /HELp - List of commands /BLAnk - add blank lines /BYE - log-off the RTC /CALl jj - call on job jj /ECHo - echo to sender on /EXIt - return to menu /JOB - add job # to message /KNOck rr - knock on door rr /MONitor rr- monitor room rr /NAMe nn - add name nn to address /PRIvate jj- go private with JOB jj /QUIt - return to menu /RAIse-hand- get attention of leader /ROLl nDs - roll n dice of s sides /ROOm rr- move to room rr /SCRamble k- scramble, w/ key kkkk /SENd jj m - sends to job jj, msg. m /SHOw hh - show job of address hh /SQUelch jj- squelch job jj - 4 max /STAtus rr - see users in room rr /TIMe - display time and day /USErs - see number of users /WHO jj - see address of JOB jj /XBLank - exit blank line mode /XECho - exit echo mode /XJOb - exit job mode /XMOnitor - exit monitor mode /XPRivate - exit private mode /XSCramble - exit scramble mode /XSQuelch - exit squelch ........................................................................ ________________________________________________________________________ If you've never been to an RTC before, this is the time to jump in find out what all the excitement is about. PRINT ME II """"""""""" >>> Atari ST RT Software Library Template <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ST Aladdin defaults to library #1 when you upload a file. With this handy template, you can now direct your uploads to the proper library. ~ Cut Here ~ ________________________________________________________________________ GEnie Lamp Template Atari ST RoundTable Conference """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 1. Genie Help Files 2. Utilities 3. Language/Programming 4. Graphic Animation 5. Graphics & Art 6. Business 7. Telecomputing 8. Games 9. Educational 10. Demos 11. Music 12. Adult Library 13. Atari Archives 14. Press Releases 15. Newsletters & Reviews 16. OS-9/68000 for the ST 17. Digitized Sounds 18. Desktop Publishing 19. CPU-STR NEWSWIRE 20. Printer Drivers 21. T.O.S. (The Other Stuff) 22. ICD Product Support 23. ST-LOG 24. Emulator Support 25. Z-NET 26. FOR SALE/WANTED 27. Hardware Projects 28. Graphic Utilities 29. Music Utilities 30. ISD Product Support 31. Children's Applications 32. Portfolio Support 33. Current Notes 34. IAAD (P) 35. GEnie Lamp - The Online Magazine 36. GE_Lamp Submissions(P) ........................................................................ ~ Fold Here ~ ________________________________________________________________________ ~ Cut Here ~ /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "What really gets me going is how well ST Aladdin does it's / / stuff. Every time I try something new, I tend to wonder if / / the program really knows what it is. And yep, it do. / / Amazing. I suppose to some it's kind of 'ho-hum', but then, / / I still have admiration for the guy who figured out the / / machine to make paper clips..." / ///////////////////////////////////////////// M.JONES52 ///// [EOA] [QWI]////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTES / ///////////////////////////////// Best Of GEnie Qwik_Quotes """"""""""""""""""""""""" ///////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "I must point out, I LIKE using my 386 w/Windows at my / / workplace. Every time it crashes, I just wave to this / / little deshevled guy in the corner who comes over and / / try's to figure out what happened. Then I walk away. / / He gets the gray hair's, I get an extra coffee break." / / //////// (C.TOWNSLEY, CAT18, TOP22, MSG:82/M475) ///////// ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "One of the strengths of the IAAD is its diversity. It's / / pretty darn hard to come up with a consensus, but it also / / means our brainstorming sessions yield quite a variety of / / ideas to choose from. The bickering you may see out here / / now and then between closely-competing developers has / / little to do with the IAAD's goals and procedures. In the / / IAAD, the focus is on what we have in common in terms of / / goals and problems -- and solutions!" / / -D.A. Brumleve, Member, IAAD / /////////// D.A.BRUMLEVE, CAT26, TOP3, MSG:65 ///////////// /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "Hey, what a fun topic! Anyone else notice how frisky the / / Californians get when the Santa Anna's are blowing?" / //////////////// MUSE, CAT66, TOP9, MSG:66 ///////////////// //////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Anyone who says the ST market is dead / / hasn't been around this RT!" / ////////////////////////// CAPT.COOK /// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "What? Tim said something you didn't understand? He wouldn't / / do THAT. Of course, you probably didn't remind him to speak / / in English, rather than C. It is dangerous to interrupt a / / programmer with a question, the answer might come back in / / Assembler, and REALLY mess with your mind. Grin." / //////////////////////////////////////////////// NTACTONE ///// ///////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "That's correct, IF your 68000 is located in a cool spot, / / there is clearance, the keyboard isn't a hassle, the top / / is off, and the phase of the moon is correct." / /////////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL ///// //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "Let's see, we have P/D, we have freeware, we have shareware / / that is not shareware, we have shareware that is commercial / / and we have commercial that is commercial." / /////////////////////////////////////////////// LEPULLEY ///// //////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "If that other service worked that fast at straightening / / out billing problems I would likely never of discovered / / GEnie. Their error was one of the better things that / / have happened to me, sort of like being dumped by a girl / / friend only to find someone great." / /////////////////////////////////////////// J.MEEHAN3 //// ////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "[Trying to find the perfect printer] is like trying to find / / the 'perfect' mate. He/She doesn't exist. You're happier / / falling in love with the one you've got. :-)" / //////////////////////////////////////////////// R.GRANT11 /// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "We just gotta help a guy named MacIntosh get his ST running!" / ////////////////////////////////////////////// ST-INFORMER ///// ///////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "As usual, your feedback makes a difference; the GEnie CO's / / on both the 128K ROM Mac emulator and on the 68030 made / / the decision to build both products. (I recommend it to / / *any* company as a marketing research tool.)" / ///////////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL ///// ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I am amazed at all the help that has been offered. No / / wonder the ST is still such a great machine. The people / / make the difference. Thanks again to all." / ///////////////////////////////////////////// W.FURR2 //// ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Let's see, we now have Australia and Germany posting in / / here. GEnie is truly an international operation." / ///////////////////////////////////////////////// ISD //// /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Ha, I have an Australian and a German talking about this / / Canadian's driving ability; isn't GEnie wonderful. :-)" / ////////////////////////////////////////////////// ISD //// ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I don't think the issue is an ST emulator for the TT... / / the question is how to get the software to slow down / / enough so you can use it!!!! Dungeon Master will / / murder ya, real quick like." / ////////////////////////////////////////// BOB-BRODIE //// //////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "There were some bugs in the Euro Version. All of a sudden you / / are flying upside down?. Real bummer when you are landing." / ////////////////////////////////////////////// F.GIOMBOLINI //// //////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Most of your questions, and the questions to your responses / / have been answered in the responses to your questions replies. / / Did that come out out right?" / //////////////////////////////////////////////// BOB-BRODIE //// ///////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Whoooo whooooo whoooooo Yikes! It's the coppers! Run!!! / / Topic police!" / /////////////////////////////////////////////// T.MCCOMB //// ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I will never spell Aladdin "Alladin" I will never spell / / Aladdin "Alladin" I will never...." / ////////////////////////////////////////// M.CHANDLER //// ////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I am ready for a sequel to CHAOS STRIKES BACK! It is a 99. / / Dungeon Master is a 1000 in my book. I am ready to waste / / another 6 months of my life wandering down dark corridors." / /////////////////////////////////////////////// E.SENNEMA //// //////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////// /"It's classified. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."/ ///////////////////////////////////////////////// KEN @ ATARI ///// //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////// / "It only took two hours, because my girl friend put my flush / / cut diagonals in the SILVERWARE draw (of all places)! I / / popped the 68000 out with a pair of fingernail clippers. :-)" / ////////////////////////////////////////////// TIMPURVES ////// ///////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "Oops. Well, I now see that someone else helped you, / / and since I can't update and delete this message, / / without bringing on the old lost message bug, you'll / / just HAVE TO READ IT! " / ////////////////////////////////////// M.KELLER1 ///// /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "I think you misunderstood what I understood that someone / / else misunderstood. / / / / Goodness! I hope whoever it was that originally didn't know/ / what to do has figgered it out by now! Meanwhile the rest / / of us aren't confused, but convinced the other is so. :-)" / ///////////////////////////////////////////// C.EBERLE ///// //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "We've been told that the ST-E features a 1/2" thick lead / / shielding around its (plutonium-powered) self-contained / / power supply. We feel that ought to handle any RFI easily."/ ////////////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL /// /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "I think maybe these guys are trying to tell us something?? / / Just a few years ago 48k had me jumping for joy! Now it / / takes 4 megs or more and a harddrive." / ///////////////////////////////////////////// D.EUSTACE //// /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "I like your suggestion on the best way to to accelerate an / / MS-DOS machine. The only problem is I'm in a one story / / building and there's not enough distance from the window / / to the ground outside. Oh, well. If any MesSyDOS machines / / should happen to mistakenly wander in, guess I'll have to / / find another way to "accelerate" them with equal results!" / ///////////////////////////////////////////// S.WINICK ///// ////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "To those who hate LZH and refuse to use it: fiddlesticks! ;)" / ///////////////////////////////////////////// B.WOODWORTH3 ///// ///////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "Never mind folks-I went to Aladdin and it uploaded just fine / / even though I didn't know what I was doing." / ///////////////////////////////////////////// W.JOHNSONJR ///// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "I think am approaching the 70 Hours of DynaCADD use since last / / Friday! Whew! One of those rush jobs thats been around since / / November. The kind that sits on a desk until it's an emergency."/ ///////////////////////////////////////////////////// REALM ///// //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "The only option left is a civil suit, which can take months / / (even years) and costs a LOT of money. In the dwindling ST / / market, that's not even remotely possible; we've got much / / better things to spend our time and money on. / / / / Where's Rambo when you need him?" / //////////////////////////////////////////// C.F.JOHNSON ///// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "Moving up from a floppy system to hard drive, is comparable to / / moving from a one bedroom apartment to large home. You have / / much more room to put your things." / //////////////////////////////////////////////// S.PIERSON1 ///// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "Sometimes us programmer types just have too much faith in the / / goodness of the human spirit and when we see evidence that it / / just ain't so then we get a little goofy." / /////////////////////////////////////////////// C.WALTERS1 ///// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "[Spectre] 3.0 is truly amazing, behaves exactly like a real / / Mac, with one exception - it doesn't seem to ever crash; I / / got curious about the crash page as it just wouldn't show up, / / nothing was crashing, I had to wait 3 days to see it." / ////////////////////////////////////////////// J.WHEELER4 ///// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I have seen the error in my ways!! I took a chickens foot / / and waved it over the computer then used a shrunken head / / dipped in anti-freeze and it works now. :-)" / /////////////////////////////////////////////////// REALM ///// /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //// / "A hazard of an office in the home I guess. But it does have / / its advantages too. I mean, I can work in my PJ's all day / / (and night too) and nobody is the wiser. Except for money, / / power and women, ol' Hef's got nothing on me ." / ////////////////////////////////////////////// C.WALTERS1 ///// ////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////// / "Not only would it not pass FCC, but you might find / / large numbers of aircraft forming up in a holding / / pattern over your house... *grin*" / ////////////////////////////////// G.RICHARDSO1 ///// /////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / ">> What Lloyd, Ralph, and John Townsend said.... / / / / Probably the first time in history that all three / / agreed about the same thing ." / ///////////////////////////////////// LEPULLEY ///// //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "Have you uploaded it to GEnie yet? :-) If not then no I'm / / not using it. ? / ///////////////////////////////////////////////// WAYNED. //// ///////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "This topic makes me do a lot of wondering. I wonder if all / / the time spent writing and reading all the messages in this / / topic could be used working at a part-time job to buy an / / extra hard drive, eliminating the need to pack programs?" / ////////////////////////////////////////////// J.EIDSVOOG1 /// ////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "After having read the first half dozen comments to my / / problem, I award the prize to Chad for figuring out / / what my problem really was! " / ///////////////////////////////////////// M.KELLER1 //// ///////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////// / "About that manual - I just threw (tossed) it into my / / Neodesk printer icon and left the room. / / / / Thirty minutes later, viola! The page numbers were at / / the bottom of the pages and everything. Couldn't be / / better. Except, now my Panasonic printer growls at / / me every time the cursor gets too close to the / / printer icon. Oh, the prices we pay." / /////////////////////////////////////// W.WILSON34 //// ////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///// / "Thank you, Sandy. Spoken like a true TOP COP. :^)" / //////////////////////////////////////// OUTRIDER ///// [EOA] [LOG]////////////////////////////// LOG OFF / ///////////////////////////////// GEnie Lamp Information """""""""""""""""""""" o COMMENTS: Contacting GEnie Lamp o GENIE LAMP STAFF: Who Are We? o WITH A LITTLE HELP: GEnie Lamp Writers o CONTRIBUTORS: This Issue o WRITERS: Writing For GEnie Lamp o HOT OFF THE PRESS: When And Where? COMMENTS? If you would like to ask a question, leave a comment or just """"""""" drop in and say hi, you can contact us in CAT 34 in the ST bulletin board area. If you prefer to remain private, send your GEnie Email to GENIELAMP$ on page 200, or leave a message to one or more of the following addresses: GEnie LAMP STAFF """""""""""""""" o John F. Peters [GENIELAMP] Publisher/Editor o Darlah J. Pine [DARLAH] Co-Editor o Jeff Williams [JEFF.W] Technical Editor o David Holmes [D.HOLMES14] TX2 Editor - Fred Koch [F.KOCH] PD_Q/GEnie Lamp [PR] - Mel Motogawa [M.MOTOGAWA] Mel's Manor/PS's - Terry Quinn [T.QUINN1] ST Elsewhere/Softview - Sheldon Winick [S.WINICK] Dealer Viewpoint - Richard Brown [R.BROWN30] Atari And The Real World o Larry Duke [LARRY.D] GEnie Lamp Advisor o Sandy Wilson [SANDY.W] GEnie Lamp Advisor o Fred Beckman [FB] GEnie Lamp Advisor o John J. Kennedy [JJKENNEDY] GEnie Lamp Advisor o Vince Averello [VINCE.A] GEnie Lamp Advisor o Nathan Potechin [ISD] GEnie Lamp Advisor U.S. MAIL """"""""" John Peters 5102 Galley Rd. Lot #115/B Colorado Springs, CO 80915 ATTENTION WRITERS Have you ever thought about writing an article? """"""""""""""""" Well, here's your chance. WRITERS.ARC File #17920 located in the GEnie Lamp library, #35 is a short text file that will give you information on our polices, what we are looking for and how to go about writing and submitting your article for possible publication in an upcoming issue of GEnie Lamp. Whether you are interested in taking on one of the columns now found in GEnie Lamp, starting a new column, or just submitting a one time article, we want to hear from you. So, take a quick look, fire up the word processor and get busy on that article! HOT OFF THE PRESS GEnie Lamp is published on the 1st and the 15th of """"""""""""""""" every month for our Atari ST RoundTable members on page 475, option 5. If you prefer to download your issue of GEnie Lamp, you will find the current issue as well as all the back issues on page 476, in the GEnie Lamp library, #35. GEnie Lamp is also distributed on electronic bulletin boards worldwide. (If your favorite BBS doesn't have it, upload it!) DON'T FORGET! GEnie Lamp sisters issue, GEnie Lamp [PR] is released """"""""""""" every Friday night here in the ST Library, #35. In GEnie Lamp [PR] you will find all the latest press releases, announcements show information and want ads from the library and bulletin board compiled into one easy to download file. Contact Fred Koch [F.KOCH] for details. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the following terms only. All articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications. Opinions present herein are those of the individual authors and does not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or staff of GEnie Lamp. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy. Material published in this edition may be reprinted only with the following notice intact: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// (c) Copyright 1991 T/TalkNET OnLine Publishing, Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari RoundTables. The Atari RoundTables on GEnie are the *official* information services of the Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH. Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XJM11877,GENIE and hit RETURN. The system will then prompt you for your information. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// [EOF]