1371 lines
39 KiB
Plaintext
1371 lines
39 KiB
Plaintext
______________________________________
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|//SYNDICATE ZMAGAZINE Issue #102//|
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|//EDITOR |April 18, 1988 //|
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|// Ron Kovacs |Vol 3, No. 3 //|
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|//================|===============//|
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|//ASST PUBLISHER |TECHNICAL EDT. //|
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|// Ken Kirchner | W.K. Whitton //|
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|//================================//|
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|____________________________________|
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|Syndicate Zmagazine c/o SPC |
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|Post Office Box 74 |
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|Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0074 |
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|____________________________________|
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|Now online on: CompuServe Atari 8 |
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| GENie Services |
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| Delphi |
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|____________________________________|
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|Services Address information: |
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|CompuServe 71777,2140 |
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|GEnie ST-REPORT |
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|Delphi RONKOVACS |
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|The Source BDG793 |
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|____________________________________|
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|CONTENTS |
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|*|Atari News Update |
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|*|Light Gun Modification |
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|*|Newsroom Review |
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|*|SpitFire 40 Review |
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|*|FCC Hoax --Reprinted from STR-- |
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|*|News and Rumours |
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|*|Zmag Registration Required |
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|*|Software Compression (Opinion) |
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|*|User Group Reprint |
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|*|Terminal Software Comparison |
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|*|ST-Report Modem Guide |
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|_|__________________________________|
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______________________________________
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Atari News Update
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ATARI ON MOST ACTIVE LIST OF APRIL 8
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====================================
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Stock Sales Last Net Chg.
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--------------------------------------
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Lorimar Tel 433,700 15 off 1/4
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Wang Lab B 368,900 12 off 1/4
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Dome Petrol 352,200 1 unch
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DWG Corp 338,400 8 1/4 up 1 1/4
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Amrcs Scr 313,100 3 3/8 off 3/8
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ENSCO 296,700 3 3/8 up 1/8
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Amdahl Corp 268,200 35 3/4 up 1 1/8
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Cmputr Conso 263,500 7 1/4 up 3/8
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BAT Indus 233,100 8 3/8 up 7-16
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*Atari Corp* 230,000 6 5/8 off 1/8
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ATARI ON MOST ACTIVE WEEK APRIL 9
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|================================
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*Atari Corp* 785,000 7
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6 1/4 6 5/8 off 1/2
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______________________________________
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Modification --Light Gun--
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______________________________________
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by Dennis Griffin
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It seems that in -Atari's Great
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Marketing Plan- the 8-bit users are to
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be forgotten again. Atari released a
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wonderful game, Barnyard Blaster,
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complete with great graphics and
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special effects. I can even buy it
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locally. What's the problem? To play
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the game you must have a light gun. No
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problem for the owners for the new XE
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Game Machine (a redesigned 65XE), for
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the light gun comes with the unit.
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However, this light gun is not sold
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apart from Game Machine.
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Add to this a house full of kids
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watching their friends use the Sega
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and Nintendo light guns. That gave me
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an idea. Hook up one of the other
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guns. The Sega Has the same kind of
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plug so I tried that one.
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To make it work you must change the
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pin out.
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computer joystick port one
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___________
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\1 2 3 4 5/------
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\6 7 8 9/----- |
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------- | |
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--------- | | |
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| --------- | |
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| | Sega plug | |
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| | ___________ | |
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| --\1 2 3 4 5/ | |
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| \6 7 8 9/-------
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| ------- |
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--------- ---------
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AS YOU LOOK AT THE COMPUTER AND SEGA PLUG
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Note: The connection from the
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computers #9 pin is made to the
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#8 pin of the Sega plug.
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I also adapted a light pen program
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from Analog.
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10 REM TARGET
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20 REM BY DENNIS GRIFFIN
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30 REM XADJ & YADJ IN LINE
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40 REM 100 FOR SOFTWARE
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50 REM SIGHT ADJUSTMENTS
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100 XADJ=10:YADJ=12
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110 GRAPHICS 7:POKE 712,14:POKE 708,0:SHOTS=0:POKE 752,1
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115 COLOR 3:PLOT 0,80:DRAWTO 0,0:DRAWTO 159,0:DRAWTO 159,80
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120 COLOR 2:PLOT 80,20:DRAWTO 80,60:PLOT 60,40:DRAWTO 100,40:COLOR 1
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125 PRINT - TARGET BY DENNIS GRIFFIN-
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130 IF PEEK(54016)<>255 THEN 130
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140 SHOTS=SHOTS+1
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150 IF PEEK(54016)=255 THEN 150
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160 X=PEEK(564)-XADJ:Y=PEEK(565)-YADJ
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170 IF X<25 THEN X=X+228
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180 X=X-80:Y=Y-18
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190 IF X<0 THEN X=0
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200 IF X>159 THEN X=159
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210 IF Y<0 THEN Y=0
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220 IF Y>79 THEN Y=79
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230 PLOT X,Y
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240 FOR P=17 TO 25
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250 SOUND 0,P,8,(RND(0)*10+5)/(0.1*P)
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260 SOUND 1,P+20,8,(RND(0)*10+5)/(0.1*P)
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270 NEXT P:SOUND 0,0,0,0:SOUND 1,0,0,0
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280 IF SHOTS<10 THEN 130
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290 END
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The Sega/Atari Gun works great and now
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I have happy kids. I only wish I could
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get my computer back.
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______________________________________
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Software Review (The NewsRoom)
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______________________________________
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reviewed by Bill Pike PAC
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review copy loaned by IB Computers
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Springboard Software has ported
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NEWSROOM to the 8-bit ATARI machines.
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The program requires 64k of memory
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(800xl, 65xe, or 130xe computers) A
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1050 or ENHANCED DENSITY COMPATIBLE
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disk drive and a PRINTER, a joystick
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is optional. By the way you MUST load
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the program with BASIC enabled (keepa
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you fingers off the OPTION key)
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This is a program that has proven very
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popular on the Apple and Commodore
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machines. The program is the first
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desktop publishing released by a major
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manufacturer for the ATARI 8-bit
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machine. The cost is $39.95 and it
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comes in a plastic box containing the
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program disks, documentation for the
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program, advertising for other
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Springboard products, and the warranty
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card. There is a unlimited lifetime
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warranty on the software,for a $5.00
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charge and proof of purchase.
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Now, -the facts Mam, just the facts.-.
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Newsroom appears to be aimed at the
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7-13 year old market. There are
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several sections to the Newsroom the
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Banner, the Photo Lab, the Copy Desk,
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the Layout, and the Press. Newsroom
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uses a series of 8 plates to construct
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a 8 1/2- X 11- page (2 across and 4
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down) or you can have a Banner
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(headline) and 6 plates (banner + 2
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across and 3 down). You can also
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print on a legal size sheet with 10
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plates. Each plate is one graphics 8
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screen.
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The clip art disk contains rather
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cutesy line drawings of various
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aliens, space ships, dogs, cats,
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birds, and people. There are several
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maps of various continents some with
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countries shown. You can take
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rectangular sections out of any of the
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clip art files. You can position the
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artwork anywhere on the plate you are
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working on. You can erase, re-draw,
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or fill any of these pieces. There is
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a magnification option for fine work.
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However, once you modify the clip art,
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in any way, you cannot save it back to
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a clip art disk. You have to save it
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as a photo. You can create your own
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clip art but you are not allowed to
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maneuver the art around or crop it or
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change it. Once you start to work
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with the clip art you MUST save it as
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a photo, you CANNOT save it back to
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the clip art disk.
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There are 5 fonts that you are able to
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print with; Small Serif, Small Sans
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Serif, Large Serif, Large Sans Serif,
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and Large English. The cursor is
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sized to fit one letter, which is nice
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for text placement. However those are
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all the fonts you get and you can't
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get no more. The program will fit text
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around a icon, artwork, automatically.
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However you MUST type in each letter,
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you CANNOT use a text file. This means
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there is nothing more than simple text
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editing available. You are unable to
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use a separate word processor or
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spelling checker.
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The printed output of the program
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looks OK but nothing exceptional,
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However you can fill in shading on the
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banner and/or clip art for a better
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look.
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The amount of warnings regarding
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copywrite are something to see, on the
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front page of the manual you are told
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that these disks are copy protected
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and that trying to copy them can
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destroy the program and/or your
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equipment. You are told to send your
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warranty card, the backup copy order
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card, your proof of purchase (sales
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slip)[you are told to make a copy of
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the sales slip for your files] and
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include $12 for a backup copy. In the
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back of the book you are told that you
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can make one copy of the program for
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backup purposes but you may only use
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the program on one computer at a time
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and that you MAY NOT SELL the program
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without the consent of Springboard
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Publishing. In other words YOU BOUGHT
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IT YOU'RE STUCK WITH IT! You are also
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told that you have purchased the
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media, disks and documentation, but
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Springboard retains all rights to the
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program or any part there-of. However
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you are allowed to make unlimited
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copies of the newsletter output.
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All in all the program appears to be
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designed for the elementary classroom.
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The commands are, for the most part,
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icon driven and are relatively easy to
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use. If you wish to pay $40 to allow
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your kids to put together a newsletter
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this looks like your best bet. But if
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you are doing serious desk top
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publishing on a adult level I would
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recommend News Station and News
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Station Companion by Reeve Software or
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Dot Magic from the Cryptic Wizard.
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They do much more for a lot less
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money.
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______________________________________
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Software Review --SpitFire 40--
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______________________________________
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by Bill Pike PAC
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Ctsy PAC User Group
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Review copy loaned by IB Computers
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Spitfire 40 says that it is a accurate
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reproduction of both the cockpit and
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flight characteristics of the late
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model Spitfire. It appears that these
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claims are accurate. I am unable to
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comment on the flight characteristics
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or panel arrangement as I have never
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flown a Spitfire of any type.
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The simulation takes into account the
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records in your logbook raising the
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difficulty in controlling the plane,
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as well as the skill of your
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opposition, becomes greater as you get
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more experience. The price of the
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program is $24.95 at IB computers and
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it is distributed by Avalon Hill.
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You may look at the instrument panel
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or a forward view thru the wind-
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screen. You also have the option of a
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map in 3 scales so you can figure out
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where you are at, maybe. You have
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control over; gear, flaps, brakes,
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rpm, rudder, and other various items.
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You have the keyboard and joystick to
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control all of these. The joystick
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controls the aileron and elevator. The
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use of the trigger button is obvious.
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Getting down to business. You are
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given the option of Practice or Game.
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If you chose game you are given the
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further options of Fighter or Bomber.
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I highly recommend Practice to start
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off with even if you have flown a
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computer plane before, this one is
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tricky. The program is very nice in
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not only telling you that you have
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-Bought the Farm Old Boy- but also how
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you did it, Thanks A Lot. I haven't
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been able to do better than crash land
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the plane with major damage, but it
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was at a airport.
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The ground graphics leave something to
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be desired. The airports from 2000ft
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look to be about the same as a real
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situation of 5-6000ft., in other words
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a blue dot on the green land. The
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runway, when you finally find it,
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appears to be about the same graphic
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quality of Ace of Aces by Accolade.
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The flying graphics are pretty good
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but keep a close watch in the rear
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view mirror as you will get jumped a
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lot from behind during Game, during
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Practice you will not be attacked. You
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won't be attacked from the side as you
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have no view there. You have to abide
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by all the flight rules for all
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maneuvers regarding power and control
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settings, or take the risk of a stall
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and spin. You will then -Buy the Farm
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Old Boy- and be told what you did
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wrong in typical British
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understatement.
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All in all a pretty good program
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however I have been spoiled by Flight
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Simulator and F-15 Strike Eagle so
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what can I say? The program does give
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you a good idea of what actually went
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on in a WWII dogfight and the problems
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of the fighter pilots. This program
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does keep records of your performance
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and increases in difficulty as you get
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more experience, which most other
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programs of this type don't, so you
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are always challenged. I guess that
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the newer flight programs are reaching
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the limits of a 8-bit computer. The
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program is a good buy, but not a great
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one.
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______________________________________
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FCC Hoax
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______________________________________
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This may be distributed electronically
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as long as credit is given to the
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source. Copyright (C) 1988, The Herald
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Company, Syracuse, New York
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by Al Fasoldt
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Sysop-Tecnofile BBS (315) 685-5385
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Computer BBS operators have been
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passing around urgent messages in the
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last few months warning of what they
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believe is a government attempt to
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license BBS operations.
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These ''sysops,'' as BBS system
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operators are called, are calling for
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quick action to keep the government
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from placing private computer
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communications in the same category as
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amateur radio transmissions. The
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messages being passed from computer to
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computer say the government may try to
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license BBS owners the same way it now
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licenses ham radio operators - and
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this, they say, would be the first
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step toward federal regulation of
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every BBS in the United States.
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The government is already monitoring
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BBS operations, according to these
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warnings. They claim that federal
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funds are paying for a special BBS in
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Connecticut that is snooping on other
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bulletin boards. The sysop of this
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federal BBS has been quoted as saying
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it is being run as a test for the
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government and FCC to determine if
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bulletin board systems ... should be
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charged for use.''
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A major electronic publication,
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Info-Mat, picked up on the story and
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added its own warning, as did a
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columnist for the monthly print
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magazine ''Computer Shopper.'' In both
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cases, the account was presented as
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fact.
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Unfortunately, neither the sysops nor
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the two publications dug deep enough
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to uncover the actual origin of the
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story. It's a hoax, apparently
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concocted last winter after the
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Federal Communications Commission
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began looking into new reports that
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computer hackers had used their
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telephone modems to call large
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business and government computers and
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destroy files.
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The FCC inquiry had nothing to do with
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computer bulletin boards, which are
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usually run on personal computers to
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give callers a place to share messages
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and software. But many of the
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thousands of sysops around the country
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apparently became worried enough about
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government intervention to fall for
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the story.
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The hoax centers on a ''government''
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bulletin board in Connecticut called
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the Cyber Foundation BBS. It is an
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actual BBS (its telephone number is
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203-264-5463), but has no connection
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with the United States government.
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Whether the hoax originated at the
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Cyber Foundation BBS or elsewhere
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isn't certain. However, Info-Mat said
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one of the magazine's affiliated
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sysops called the Cyber Foundation and
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noticed a public bulletin from Chris
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Regan, who was identified as Cyber's
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system operator. The Info-Mat account
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said Regan told callers that Cyber is
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a ''government supported'' system
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located in the ''Southbury/Middlebury
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area'' of Connecticut.
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''This is a test,'' Info-Mat quoted
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Regan as saying, ''to see if Bulletin
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Boards, their phone lines, and others,
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should be taxed or have a tariff
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placed on the information.''
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Info-Mat said Regan listed ''the
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United States Instructional
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Department'' as the sponsor of the
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Cyber Foundation BBS.
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I called both the FCC and the Cyber
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Foundation BBS to check out the facts.
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I logged onto Cyber three times and
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identified myself as a reporter, but
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was not - as of last week - allowed to
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get past the opening message. (The
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Cyber BBS is set up so that some
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callers can be barred from every
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function except logging on, writing a
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message to the sysop, and logging
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off.)
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I left messages for the sysop asking
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about the ''government'' connection
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but have not yet received a
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satisfactory reply.
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The FCC, however, was quick to
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respond.
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''You must be kidding,'' an FCC
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spokesman told me when I called
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Washington.
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When I quoted the Info-Mat article,
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another FCC representative came on the
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line. ''No way,'' the second FCC
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spokesman said. ''We are doing no such
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thing. We've never heard of that BBS.
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And there is no such thing as the
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United States Instructional
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Department.''
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Calls to a few other agencies gave the
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same result. However, I did discover
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that the United States government does
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in fact operate at least one computer
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bulletin board.
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The one that I was able to log onto is
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the USNO BBS (202 653-1079), in
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Washington, D.C, run by the United
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States Naval Observatory. It provides
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information of interest to amateur and
|
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professional astronomers as well as a
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variety of time-and-date services.
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One of its most valuable services, if
|
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you have an IBM-compatible personal
|
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computer, is a program you can
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download from the USNO BBS that will
|
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let your computer automatically call
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another Navy computer and set its
|
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internal clock from the official
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government clock.
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You don't need to use the special
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BASIC language software to get an
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accurate reading of the time, however.
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You can have your computer call the
|
|
Navy's time computer and look at the
|
|
seconds ticking off on the screen.
|
|
That number, at 1200 baud, is 202
|
|
653-0351. The Navy computer will
|
|
automatically log you off after a
|
|
minute or two.
|
|
|
|
If you call the USNO BBS, be sure to
|
|
set your telecommunications software
|
|
to the parameters it requires (they're
|
|
different from most): 7 data bits, 2
|
|
stop bits and even parity. And be
|
|
prepared to act quickly when you log
|
|
onto the Navy's BBS. Its computer
|
|
won't let anyone tarry. You'll see
|
|
this message if your fingers are fast
|
|
enough to keep the keyboard busy
|
|
before the Navy gives you its deep-
|
|
six:
|
|
|
|
''Please note that every call is
|
|
limited to 20 minutes or 14 commands,
|
|
whichever comes first. This is a
|
|
protection measure made necessary by
|
|
some callers who try to use the system
|
|
for purposes for which it is not
|
|
intended.
|
|
|
|
The most frequent trouble, however, is
|
|
failure to follow instructions or
|
|
inability to hit the right key. In
|
|
that case typing lessons would be the
|
|
remedy.'' At least the Navy has a
|
|
sense of humor.
|
|
|
|
(Readers with computers and modems can
|
|
read Technofile columns and hundreds
|
|
of other technology-related texts on
|
|
the Technofile BBS, at 315 685-5385.
|
|
By mail, you can reach the Technofile
|
|
at the Syracuse Newspapers, Box 4915,
|
|
Syracuse, N.Y. 13221.)
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
News and Rumours
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Compiled by Ron Kovacs
|
|
|
|
Here are a few tidbits of information
|
|
from around the community.
|
|
|
|
From the April 1988 edition of MAM
|
|
magazine. (Michigan Atari Magazine).
|
|
|
|
Alan Alda's 5 year contract as Atari
|
|
spokesman has expired. He will now be
|
|
found in future IBM commercials with
|
|
the rest of the M*A*S*H* cast.
|
|
|
|
Other articles appearing this month:
|
|
|
|
Lock and Key For The ST
|
|
VOS 1st DOS?
|
|
Spartados Cont. Set Review
|
|
Action Programming
|
|
and many more articles:
|
|
|
|
If you are interested in more info,MAM can be reached via the postal service
|
|
at:
|
|
Unicorn Publications
|
|
3487 Braeburn Circle
|
|
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
|
|
|
|
or call:
|
|
Treasure CheST BBS at: 313-973-9137
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Zmag Registration
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
by Ron Kovacs-Editor
|
|
|
|
All systems carrying ZMagazine and the
|
|
ST-Report magazine must register for a
|
|
member number. We need this to be
|
|
able to list and keep control of our
|
|
BBS list. This user number you are
|
|
given, will be used later for any
|
|
special offers or survey requests.
|
|
|
|
Please call the Syndicate BBS or leave
|
|
a message on the online services.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Software Compression (A SysOps View)
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Opposing points of view are welcome
|
|
and encouraged. Opinions stated here
|
|
DO NOT necessarily reflect the
|
|
magazine ot it's staff.
|
|
|
|
by Kitrick Sonesen
|
|
|
|
The City of Grey (916) 423-3987
|
|
300/1200 since 1984
|
|
|
|
Permission to reprint is granted
|
|
provided author is credited and the
|
|
document is not altered in any way.
|
|
This article MAY NOT be uploaded to
|
|
Compuserve as I yield not to their
|
|
claimed 'compilation copyright'.
|
|
|
|
I. DISCLAIMER
|
|
==============
|
|
Let me preface my article with a
|
|
statement that the views expressed
|
|
herein are my opinions. Should I
|
|
claim to state a FACT, I will
|
|
reference the source of the data. Of
|
|
late there have been a number of
|
|
documents posted that contain
|
|
unsupported claims masquerading as
|
|
fact.
|
|
|
|
II. THE SYSOP'S PERSPECTIVE
|
|
============================
|
|
As a SysOp of The City of Grey, a
|
|
Sacramento BBS dating back to the dark
|
|
ages of Atari 8 bit telecommunication,
|
|
I find the various compression schemes
|
|
useful for a number of reasons:
|
|
|
|
1. Compressed files take up less disk
|
|
space, allowing me to provide more
|
|
files for the usership. BBS's
|
|
always need more disk storage
|
|
space.
|
|
|
|
2. Users can download more files in
|
|
less time thereby making the
|
|
system more available to other
|
|
users.
|
|
|
|
3. Related files can be 'linked' with
|
|
documentation files, source code,
|
|
and support files. This simplifies
|
|
the process of software
|
|
acquisition.
|
|
|
|
III. DOWNLOADER'S PERSPECTIVE
|
|
==============================
|
|
Like most SysOp's, I am always on the
|
|
lookout for new files to share with my
|
|
usership. Anyone who frequents online
|
|
services knows that file transfers can
|
|
be time-consuming and the meter is
|
|
ALWAYS running...be it the online
|
|
service or phone company. A compressed
|
|
file, by it's nature, is smaller than
|
|
an uncompressed one, so obviously,
|
|
there will be savings.
|
|
|
|
A number of users have made the
|
|
statement that one never knows the
|
|
contents of a compressed file and
|
|
therefore one might be downloading
|
|
software already owned. This is true
|
|
with respect to disk compression
|
|
schemes; however, any BBS worth its
|
|
salt allows a user to 'view' the
|
|
contents of an ARC'ed file. Some of
|
|
the more progressive ones even allow
|
|
downloading of a file buried in the
|
|
middle of a ARC'ed file. It is also
|
|
true that none of the online services
|
|
support either of these features.
|
|
|
|
IV. DISK OR FILE COMPRESSION?
|
|
==============================
|
|
Wild claims have been recently made
|
|
that one method is superior to another
|
|
when in fact, both methods have their
|
|
uses. Some would have us believe that
|
|
one program or compaction scheme can
|
|
be all things to everyone. Well, it
|
|
just isn't so.
|
|
|
|
Before going much further, I should
|
|
say that my personal favorite
|
|
compression programs are as follows:
|
|
|
|
DISK COMPRESSION - DISKCOMM v3.2
|
|
FILE COMPRESSION - ARC/ARCX v1.2
|
|
|
|
You may have noticed that I
|
|
distinguish between file and disk
|
|
compressors. This is because there
|
|
circumstances under which, one method
|
|
out performs the other. Boot disks,
|
|
for example, cannot efficiently be
|
|
ARC'ed - an in between step is
|
|
required. Small files do not
|
|
decompress efficiently when compacted
|
|
by disk compression schemes - a blank
|
|
or formatted disk is ALWAYS required.
|
|
|
|
For BBS use, I lean toward ARC'ed
|
|
files because the contents of such
|
|
files are available for scrutiny by
|
|
the usership. I am unaware of any
|
|
existing utility that will display the
|
|
filenames contained in a file
|
|
compressed using a disk compression
|
|
scheme. Given the strengths of whole
|
|
disk compression relative to boot
|
|
disks, I don't think such a utility is
|
|
truly necessary. However, until
|
|
decompressed, the contents of such a
|
|
file remain a mystery to the
|
|
prospective downloader.
|
|
|
|
V. MYDOS CAN BEAT UP YOUR DOS
|
|
=============================
|
|
Of late, a few articles posted on
|
|
GEnie have made wild accusations and
|
|
claims boarding on libel regarding the
|
|
failings of a particular compression
|
|
scheme. As a software developer, I
|
|
cannot condone the general slamming of
|
|
another developer's work. Each author
|
|
'sees the elephant' a bit differently
|
|
and approaches the solution from a
|
|
different perspective. If that
|
|
perspective reflects your personal
|
|
tastes and views, you support his
|
|
product, be it a DOS, a word
|
|
processor, or a compression scheme. If
|
|
not, you keep looking. Attacking a
|
|
product because you support another is
|
|
the most immature form of self-
|
|
gratification known and generally
|
|
violates the principles of freedom of
|
|
expression. 'I may not agree with you
|
|
say, but I will fight for your right
|
|
to say it' was the phrase uttered by
|
|
an obscure American statesman.
|
|
|
|
I can only hope that the developer,
|
|
whose 'disciple' so rudely and
|
|
maliciously slammed the efforts of
|
|
another author for porting over a
|
|
significant program from the MS DOS
|
|
world, was unaware of the act. This
|
|
sort of thing benefits no one, least
|
|
of all the usership at large.
|
|
|
|
VI IN CLOSING
|
|
==============
|
|
If you care to respond to the opinions
|
|
expressed in this document, I can be
|
|
reached at the BBS shown beneath the
|
|
title or at my GEnie mailing address:
|
|
K.SONESON (Yes, they misspelled it.)
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
User Group Reprint 8-Bit Corner
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
by Bob Fuller
|
|
|
|
This is my first of hopefully many
|
|
entries for the monthly Solano ACES
|
|
newsletter. It always seems that the
|
|
newsletter needs something and I'm
|
|
glad to contribute.
|
|
|
|
With the a lot of users in the club
|
|
with or converting to an ST, the 8-bit
|
|
Ataris seem to have lost their place.
|
|
Don't get me wrong now, I think the
|
|
STs are great, but until I get one
|
|
myself, I'll stick with my 8-bit. To
|
|
keep the interest in 8-bits up, the
|
|
newsletter should have an 8-bit
|
|
section. I mean, what's a non-member
|
|
to think if he sees the newsletter but
|
|
has never gone to a meeting? He may
|
|
see only ST oriented articles and
|
|
think that the club does not support
|
|
the 8-bit. That's far from the truth,
|
|
but we have got to let the people know
|
|
that we do. Each month, I'll TRY to
|
|
write on something interesting. Being
|
|
a student, and someone not very large
|
|
in the computer community, I may not
|
|
be able to get really super interveiws
|
|
with Mr. Tramiel, but I'll do what I
|
|
can.
|
|
|
|
This month is mostly just an
|
|
introduction on myself, and one
|
|
interesting tip that I found out
|
|
myself.
|
|
|
|
I have always wanted the high speed of
|
|
a Happy or US Doubler enhanced drive,
|
|
but since I own a regular Indus GT, I
|
|
can get neither of these. The
|
|
extremely slow data transfer speed of
|
|
the drive in double density is
|
|
terrible! There are a few
|
|
possibilities for me and other Indus
|
|
users; get an Atari 1050, wait for
|
|
the XF551( the new Atari 5 1/4 inch
|
|
drive ), use Synchromesh, or use a
|
|
Happy formatted disk in my drive. The
|
|
first two choices are beyond my budget
|
|
right now, and the Synchromesh option
|
|
is a skewed sector format similar to
|
|
the Ultraspeed of a US Doubler that
|
|
requires DOS XL. As a faithful
|
|
SpartaDos user, there is no way I'll
|
|
go back to DOS XL. That leaves me
|
|
with the last option: the Happy
|
|
formatted disk.
|
|
|
|
It was just luck that I found this
|
|
out, but a diskette which was
|
|
formatted on a Happy drive with
|
|
SpartaDos reads and writes much faster
|
|
on my Indus; not faster than the
|
|
Happy, but much faster than a disk
|
|
formatted in the Indus. Must have
|
|
something to do with the way the Happy
|
|
skews the disk during format. How
|
|
much faster? Express850 3.0, in
|
|
double density on an Indus formatted
|
|
disk, takes 42 seconds to boot. On
|
|
the other hand, the same program on a
|
|
Happy formatted disk in the Indus only
|
|
takes 24 seconds! That's almost a
|
|
100% increase in speed. I haven't had
|
|
the time to try this method on a
|
|
single density disk, but I'm sure it
|
|
will work with similar results. If
|
|
anyone tries this on a standard
|
|
unenhanced 1050, I'd like to hear the
|
|
results; they may be just as good.
|
|
|
|
Now the problem, who has a Happy drive
|
|
to format their Indus bound disk? If
|
|
you already have both types of drives,
|
|
you probably wouldn't have any
|
|
problems, but what if you don't have a
|
|
Happy 1050? This is where being a
|
|
member in a club can help. Just ask a
|
|
friend with a Happy to format you a
|
|
bunch of blank disks. Formatting 100
|
|
disks at one sitting would take a
|
|
while so just do a few at a time to
|
|
get you by for a while.
|
|
|
|
That's about it for this month, if
|
|
anyone has any questions concerning
|
|
the 8-bit line of computers, ask away.
|
|
If I don't know the answer, I'm sure I
|
|
can find it. Look elsewhere in this
|
|
newsletter for my article on the Multi
|
|
I/O and Hardrive setup on the 8-bit.
|
|
There will be a demo of an MIO/
|
|
Hardrive configuration at the upcoming
|
|
meeting.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
Terminal Software Comparison
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
by J. McCormick
|
|
|
|
Amodem, DeTerm, Express. All very good
|
|
terminal programs, all share-ware. But
|
|
which one is the best? This is my
|
|
comparison of all 3 of these terminal
|
|
programs, showing you the strong and
|
|
weak points of each.
|
|
|
|
Amodem is the terminal program made by
|
|
Trent Dudley. Amodem was one of the
|
|
first terminal programs ever made for
|
|
the Atari, and has been with us since
|
|
the first bulletin boards. Amodem is
|
|
written in basic, using machine code
|
|
throughout the program. The version I
|
|
tested was Amodem 7.5
|
|
|
|
DeTerm is written by Jim Dillow. This
|
|
program is unknown for the most part,
|
|
and it's main feature is a game that
|
|
you can play while transfering a file,
|
|
re-dialing boards, or when you are
|
|
online witha a BBS! The version I used
|
|
was the 1.00b, beta test copy.
|
|
|
|
Express! is made by Keith Ledbetter.
|
|
This program is written in ACTION! and
|
|
seems to be the favorite among most
|
|
users because it's easy to use. The
|
|
version I tested version 3.
|
|
|
|
To show the major differences between
|
|
these terminal program, he is a quick
|
|
comparison chart:
|
|
|
|
Feature |Amodem|Express|DeTerm|
|
|
---------------+------+-------+------+
|
|
Type Ahead Bufr|3 line|2 line |3 line|
|
|
Xmodem Protocal|Yes |Yes |Yes |
|
|
Xmodem Crc |Yes |Yes |No |
|
|
Ymodem |Yes |No |No |
|
|
Ymodem Batch |Yes<1>|No |No |
|
|
Joystick Input |Yes |No |Yes |
|
|
Fast Key Repeat|Yes |Yes |No |
|
|
Word Wrap |Yes |Yes |Yes |
|
|
Smooth Scrollng|Yes<2>|No |No |
|
|
Online Game |No |No |Yes<3>|
|
|
Menu Commands |27 |38 |37 |
|
|
PCP Support <4>|Good |Little |Exclnt|
|
|
Smart Macros |Yes |No |No |
|
|
BBS List Macros|1 |3 |4 |
|
|
Timer Clock |Yes |Yes |Yes |
|
|
Real-Time Clock|Yes |Yes <5>|No |
|
|
Bootup Time <6>|1:07 |1:05 |1:10 |
|
|
Sector Length |176 |254 |198 |
|
|
Buffer Size <7>|4352 |5504 |7168 |
|
|
Documentation |Exclnt|Exclnt |Averge|
|
|
Xmodem Send <8>|2:00 |1:58 |2:23 |
|
|
Xmodem Rcvd <8>|2:06 |1:53 |2:23 |
|
|
|
|
<1> Amodem has Ymodem batch RECEIVE
|
|
<2> Only with Xe/Xl models
|
|
<3> A game of pong that can be played
|
|
anytime on or offline
|
|
<4> Macro/Program support for P.C.
|
|
Pursuit by Telenet
|
|
<5> A real-time clock is available if
|
|
you use Sparta's TDLINE.
|
|
<6> Time needed to boot the terminal
|
|
program using SpartaDos 3.2 in
|
|
double density with a simple
|
|
STARTUP.BAT file
|
|
<7> Size of capture buffer when using
|
|
SpartaDos 3.2
|
|
<8> This is the time taken for the
|
|
terminal program to receive and
|
|
send an 85 block file at 1200 baud.
|
|
The program was stored/sent from a
|
|
192K ramdisk with SpartaDos. The
|
|
terminal did the transfer with a
|
|
fast hard-drive BBS system.
|
|
|
|
Amodem:
|
|
Amodem was the terminal I choose as
|
|
being the best. It has features that
|
|
the other terminals did not, Ymodem,
|
|
Ymodem batch receive, smart macros,
|
|
smooth scrolling for XE/XL computers,
|
|
good documentation, a fast transfer
|
|
time, and joystick input. The only
|
|
real argument I had against Amodem was
|
|
that you have only 1 macro containing
|
|
your password for each BBS on your BBS
|
|
list. That problem dosen't seem to big
|
|
since you have 10 -smart- macros that
|
|
are always there.
|
|
|
|
DeTerm:
|
|
Determ was the clear looser in most
|
|
areas. It's transfer rate was sluggish
|
|
(1 block every 1.68 seconds at 1200),
|
|
which was caused by a long delay in
|
|
between each block. However, there are
|
|
two features that make it an excellent
|
|
terminal. Determ has full P.C. Pursuit
|
|
support. It will re-dial cities until
|
|
you reach one, and then it will load
|
|
the city's phone list for you to dial
|
|
with! The breakout game was it's other
|
|
big feature. The game does seem a bit
|
|
buggy, but, it actually feels like
|
|
multi-tasking without any pauses or
|
|
jerky movement, no matter what you are
|
|
doing! However, the documentation is
|
|
only average, and I do not reccomend
|
|
this program for a beginner.
|
|
|
|
Express:
|
|
Express had the fastest transfer rate
|
|
of all of the terminals tested. Down-
|
|
loading at 1200 baud, it averaged one
|
|
block every 1.33 seconds. It was also
|
|
very user friendly. My major complaint
|
|
against Express is the macros, and the
|
|
lack of Ymodem protocal. The macros
|
|
are great, in that you may have 3 for
|
|
each BBS. However, these are -dumb-
|
|
macros. They will not react to input
|
|
from the BBS. If you are using P.C.
|
|
Pursuit, 3 little macros are not going
|
|
to do much good.
|
|
|
|
Some things I would like to see in all
|
|
of these terminals are a Ymodem batch
|
|
send, where you may mark files in your
|
|
directory to send. Also, for those of
|
|
us who don't really want to waste the
|
|
time seeing what we are downloading,
|
|
how about an option to turn the screen
|
|
off and to use the extra speed for the
|
|
transfer?
|
|
|
|
Thats the end of my comparison. If you
|
|
do not agree with my results, or my
|
|
conclusions, call up the Syndicate and
|
|
tell me your opinion! I'd be glad to
|
|
hear it.
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
ST-Report Modem Guide
|
|
______________________________________
|
|
by Tom -Rex- Reade
|
|
|
|
What are -AT- commands???
|
|
|
|
-AT- commands are the way you tell
|
|
your modem exactly what you want it to
|
|
do in all situations of operation.
|
|
|
|
Why do I have dip switches?
|
|
|
|
-Dip Switches are there to set up a
|
|
foundation for your custom set-up in
|
|
the -S- register bank.
|
|
|
|
Are Dip Switches neccessary?
|
|
|
|
No, you can do very well without them,
|
|
however, some of the -Hayes
|
|
Compatable- types are really difficult
|
|
to live with......
|
|
|
|
What is the -AT- for?
|
|
|
|
The -AT- performs a very special
|
|
purpose 1st, it tells the modem what
|
|
speed your terminal or program is set
|
|
at. 2cnd, it tells the modem
|
|
-ATtention you are about to recieve
|
|
very important info to remember and
|
|
use-.
|
|
|
|
.....Throughout this document, I will
|
|
attempt to explain as much as possible
|
|
in PLAIN language, if there are any
|
|
unanswered questions. Drop a note to
|
|
the sysop here and we will try to help
|
|
you.
|
|
|
|
SOME TERMINOLOGY DEFINED:
|
|
=========================
|
|
ACK - ACKnowledgement handshake
|
|
successfull, a data bit ok, a
|
|
good command or message to the
|
|
modem etc....
|
|
|
|
NAK - Negative AcKnowledgment
|
|
unsuccessfull handshake, retry,
|
|
abort, etc
|
|
|
|
DCE - Data Communication Equipment
|
|
(modem) or integral system.
|
|
|
|
DTE - The equipment comprising the
|
|
Data source, the data receptor
|
|
or both
|
|
|
|
DTR - Data Terminal Ready..waiting for
|
|
action source, usually pin 20
|
|
(rs232) EIA.
|
|
|
|
DSR - Data Set Ready distant end of
|
|
connection ready, is all
|
|
aligned?
|
|
|
|
CTS/RTS
|
|
X-ON/X-OFF - methods of flow control.
|
|
Pin 5 for CTS, Pin 4 for RTS..
|
|
|
|
DIP SWITCHES - CONFIGURATION SWITCHES
|
|
=====================================
|
|
AUTO ANSWER DIAL TYPE
|
|
RESULT CODE TYPE ECHO
|
|
DUPLEX QUIET
|
|
SPEAKER MEMORY
|
|
BLIND STOP BITS
|
|
PARITY BAUD
|
|
DTR COMMAND TYPE
|
|
DATA RATE DIALER
|
|
|
|
These are most of the switch types you
|
|
will encounter, there are more and we
|
|
would enjoy your input in this area to
|
|
update this document. I would love to
|
|
see this doc grow to a point where it
|
|
will answer all the pertinent
|
|
questions that may arise.
|
|
|
|
-S- Registers
|
|
-------------
|
|
Usually there are 28 S registers to
|
|
contend with some are direct and
|
|
others are -Bit Mapped-.
|
|
|
|
-Bit Mapped- registers are set by the
|
|
keyboard commands to the modem,ie..
|
|
-ATA,ATF1,ATM0,etc....
|
|
|
|
Keyboard Commands:
|
|
n represents a number 0-9
|
|
=========================
|
|
AT = Attention
|
|
A = Answer
|
|
AAn= autoanswer on/off
|
|
Bn = Baud
|
|
Dn = Dial a numb.
|
|
P = Pulse
|
|
T = Tone
|
|
R = Reverse
|
|
, = pause
|
|
; = Command
|
|
En = Echo on/off
|
|
Fn = Full/half duplex
|
|
Hn = hook on/off
|
|
Mn = speaker adj
|
|
O = Online
|
|
Qn = quiet on/off
|
|
A/ = repeat commmand
|
|
Sr?= Show register
|
|
Vn = Verbose on/off
|
|
Xn = extended on/off
|
|
Z = ZAP/Reset
|
|
Srn= Set register number (0-28)
|
|
|
|
All of the above are preceded by an
|
|
-AT- except the [a/] it can be used
|
|
just as A/.....
|
|
|
|
Almost all the time the number for the
|
|
on/off is 0 or 1, 0=off,1=on.
|
|
|
|
DATA RATE CODES
|
|
---------------
|
|
The Telephone Companies Worldwide use
|
|
certain codes to establish Baud Rates
|
|
between modems.
|
|
|
|
300 baud bell 103/212a
|
|
1200 baud Bell 212a
|
|
2400 baud V22 bis
|
|
9600 baud CCITT V.32
|
|
|
|
-S- REGISTER LIST
|
|
-----------------
|
|
Reg # Function --------------------------
|
|
0 - # of rings b4 Auto answer
|
|
1 - Ring Counter Auto dial
|
|
2 - Esc char. code
|
|
3 - Carriage RET char.
|
|
4 - Line Feed Char.
|
|
5 - Back Space char.
|
|
6 - Dial tone timer
|
|
7 - Carrier wait timer
|
|
8 - Pause timer for comma
|
|
9 - Valid Carrier timer
|
|
10 - No Carrier to Disc. timer
|
|
11 - Interdigit Delay
|
|
12 - Esc. Guard timer
|
|
13 - Bit Mapped
|
|
14 - Bit Mapped
|
|
15 - Bit Mapped
|
|
16 - Bit Mapped
|
|
17 - Bit Mapped
|
|
18 - Repeat Rate sec.
|
|
19 - Repeat Count
|
|
20 - OFF flow control
|
|
21 - ON flow control
|
|
22 - Bit Mapped
|
|
23 - Bit Mapped
|
|
24 - Bit Mapped
|
|
25 - Delay to DTR (sync only)
|
|
26 - Delay to CTS/RTS
|
|
27 - Bit Mapped
|
|
|
|
Note: some modem manufacturers use
|
|
certain Bit Mapped S registers for
|
|
custom code entries for the models
|
|
they make, consult their manual.
|
|
|
|
COMPLETE HAYES AT COMMAND TABLES
|
|
================================
|
|
AT... Command line prefix,(ATention
|
|
code) precedes command lines
|
|
except {+++ escape code,and {A/
|
|
(repeat) commands.
|
|
|
|
A.....Go off hook in answer mode.
|
|
|
|
A/....Repeat last command line (NOT
|
|
followed by a CR).
|
|
|
|
Bn....Selects operational baud rate
|
|
and code.
|
|
|
|
Dn....Dial number..
|
|
|
|
En....Selects Echo or No Echo
|
|
|
|
Fn....Selects Duplex full/half
|
|
|
|
Hn....On/Off hook operation.
|
|
|
|
I.....Modem self ID.
|
|
|
|
Ln....Speaker Loudness
|
|
|
|
Mn....Speaker interrupt control.
|
|
|
|
O.....Return to online state.
|
|
|
|
Qn....Modem sends result codes ON/OFF.
|
|
|
|
Sr=n..Set register r to value n.
|
|
|
|
Sr?...Show value in given register.
|
|
|
|
Vn....Verbose or Terse result codes.
|
|
|
|
X.....CONNECT result code shown
|
|
|
|
X1....Blind Dial, connect xxxx shown,
|
|
no busy signal recognition.
|
|
|
|
X2....Wait for Dial tone, connect xxxx
|
|
shown, no busy signal
|
|
recognition.
|
|
|
|
X3....Blind Dial, connect xxxx shown,
|
|
Busy result code shown.
|
|
|
|
X4....Wait for Dial Tone, connect xxxx
|
|
shown, Busy result code shown.
|
|
|
|
Yn....Long Space Disc. on/off
|
|
|
|
&Cn...DCD forced or sensitive.
|
|
|
|
&D....DTR ignored by modem.
|
|
|
|
&D1...DTR on to off transition, modem
|
|
enters command mode.
|
|
|
|
&D2...DTR on to off,modem enters
|
|
command mode and disables auto
|
|
answer.
|
|
|
|
&F....Load factory configuration.
|
|
|
|
&G....No Guard Tone.
|
|
|
|
&G1...use 550hz g.tone.
|
|
|
|
&G2...use 1800hz g.tone.
|
|
|
|
&Jn...Select type of telephone jack.
|
|
|
|
&Ln...Select dialup or leased line.
|
|
|
|
&Mn...Asynch/Synch.
|
|
|
|
&W....Write this config to non-
|
|
volatile memory.
|
|
|
|
Remember, AT goes before all commands
|
|
except (+++) and (A/).
|
|
|
|
EIA RS232C
|
|
CIRCUITS and PINOUT for CONNECTORS
|
|
==================================
|
|
PIN # DESCRIPTION CCITT EQUIVALENT
|
|
--------------------------------------
|
|
1.... Protective Ground 101
|
|
7.... Signal Ground, Common Return
|
|
102
|
|
2.... Transmitted Data 103
|
|
3.... Received Data 104
|
|
4.... Request to Send 105
|
|
5.... Clear to Send 106
|
|
6.... Data Set Ready DSR 107
|
|
20.... Data Terminal Ready DTR 108.2
|
|
22.... Ring Indicator 125
|
|
8.... Received Line Signal Detector
|
|
DCD 109
|
|
21.... Signal Quality Detector 110
|
|
23.... Data Signal Rate Detector
|
|
(DTE) 111
|
|
23.... Data Signal Rate Detector
|
|
(DCE) 112
|
|
24.... Transmit Signal Timing
|
|
(DTE) 113
|
|
15.... Transmit Signal Timing
|
|
(DCE) 114
|
|
17.... Receiver Signal Timing
|
|
(DCE) 115
|
|
14.... Secondary Transmitted Data
|
|
118
|
|
16.... Secondary Received Data 119
|
|
19.... Secondary Request to Send 120
|
|
13.... Secondary Clear to Send 121
|
|
12.... Secondary Received Line
|
|
Signal Detector 122
|
|
25....Busy Out ---
|
|
|
|
Note: pins 11, 18, and 25 are
|
|
unassigned, pins 9, 10, reserved for
|
|
dataset testing.
|
|
|
|
I sincerely hope this helps all the
|
|
users get better acquainted with their
|
|
modems and learn to use them more
|
|
efficiently.
|