_______________________________________ ZMAGAZINE 80 NOVEMBER 20, 1987 _______________________________________ Published/Edited by: Ron Kovacs _______________________________________ For advertising information call the Zmag BBS @ (201) 968-8148 300/1200 Baud _______________________________________ Xx Zmag Update _______________________________________ This weeks edition is in 80 column format. We are trying out this new format and would appreciate your thoughts on this change. Since there has been a great number of requests for the 80 column edition, we are trying this format out. We are in the middle of a few developments with Zmag. I am looking for some input from User Group Editors. If you are an editor, Please leave me a message on CompuServe at PPN: 71777,2140 or GEnie at R.KOVACS. I will respond with a full explanation of my thoughts. Attention Zmag carriers!! I need to know who you are!! I want to add your system to the list. I have extended the expiration date for your BBS info submissions. Write up an article, or capture your artwork and main menu and send it in!! I will publish all submissions in the end of 1987 issue. Now on with this weeks Zmagazine! _______________________________________ INDEX 80 _______________________________________ <*> Hardware Review--Supra 2400 Modem......................Glenda Stocks <*> Atari User Group Registration Form <*> R-Time 8 Cartridge--Battery Replacement Tips...........Mike Brown <*> ZNews Update...........................................Bruce Kennedy <*> Origin of the Zmag Name................................Bruce Kennedy <*> Atari Scuttlebits......................................Bob Kelly <*> XE Game Expansion......................................Ray McGoldrick <*> GEnie Services Help Guide Part 1.......................Ctsy GEnie/Atari _______________________________________ HARDWARE REVIEW _______________________________________ by Glenda Stocks SupraModem 2400 (Tm) Suggested Retail price $199.95 Supra Corporation 1133 Commercial Way Albany, OR 97321 (503) 967-9075 |_______________| | DESCRIPTION | |_______________| The SupraModem is a 100 % Hayes compatible modem, which operates at 300,1200, and 2400 bits per second. SupraModem connects to your computer with an RS-232C cable, and connects to a modular telephone jack. The SupraModem has a nonvolatile memory, in which can be stored one telephone number and one modem configuration. The SupraModem is software configurable, and there are NO dipswitches available to be set. The modem measurements are 1 inch tall, by 4 and 5/8 inches wide, by 6 and 1/2 inches long; about the same size as a standard paperback book. The unit has a silver-look metal casing, on the front of which are 8 indicator lights and an ON/OFF button. There is a phone jack on the rear of the modem to hook up your telephone receiver. |_______________| | FEATURES | |_______________| The SupraModem 2400 has the features listed below: > Command Buffer That Holds 40 Characters. > Six Different Self tests. > Call Progress Monitoring Features: - wait for dialtone - detect busy - wait for silence - detect answer tone > Standard Result Codes. > One Inch Speaker (Underneath) With Programmable Volume Control. > The Following Indicator Lights: - High Speed (HS) - Auto Answer (AA) - Carrier Detect (CD) - Off-Hook (OH) - Receive Data (RD) - Send Data (SD) - Terminal Ready (TR) - Modem Ready (MR) > User Modifiable, nonvolatile RAM That Stores The Following Configuration Settings: - one telephone number - S0_ring to answer on - Ex_command echo - Qx_result codes - Vx_word or # codes - Tone or Pulse dial - &D_handling the DTR - &C_handling the DCD - Yx_long space disconnect - Lx_speaker volume - Mx_speaker control - Xx_result code options - &P_make/break ratio - &T_for tests - 300,600,1200,or 2400 - Parity - &G_guard tones - delay to DTR (S25) - RTS/CTS delay (S26) All of the above settings are saved in RAM by the AT&W command, and are restored by the ATZ command, or when the modem is powered down and then powered back up. |_______________| | COMPATIBILITY | |_______________| I tested the SupraModem 2400 while running my OASIS BBS and calling out with both EXPRESS! 850 v.3.0 and the OASIS terminal program. The SupraModem 2400 worked fine with the following RS232 interfaces: - ATARI 850 interface with RS232.COM R: handler - ICD P:R connection with PRCSYS.COM R: handler - ICD MIO internal RS232 port with NO R: handler I was able to run my BBS in all three configurations. Of course no external R: handler was necessary to run EXPRESS! 850 v.3.0. Also note that the SupraModem 2400 will operate with the DTR signal from the ICD MIO internal RS232 port. Another compatibilty note is that the SupraModem can be used by software that is looking for the AVATEX modem, or a HAYES modem. I used both configurations on the BBS. Lastly, under 24 hour operation, the SupraModem 2400's casing temperature is still cool to the touch. |______________| | AVAILABILITY | |______________| The SupraModem 2400 is available for purchase from Z Innovators at a discount price. To contact Z Innovators CALL: XBN BBS 617-559-6844 300/1200/2400 24 hours Main Menu Option [P] WRITE: Z Innovators 1344 Park St. Stoughton, MA 02072 Answering Servive Number: 617-586-3335 _______________________________________ ATARI USER GROUP FORM _______________________________________ USER GROUP PROFILE Name of the Group: Mailing Address: Name/Phone Number of the User Groups Liason: (Note: This number to be given out to the public) Names/Phone Numbers of Group's Officers: (Note: Please note the numbers you do not wish to make public) Meeting Date/Time/Location: Name of Newsletter: BBS Name/Phone Number: Number of Members: Month/Year Group Founded: Special Interest Groups: Other Notes of Interest about your Group: Send the above form to: Neil Harris c/o Atari Corp. 1196 Borregas Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca. 94086 _______________________________________ _________R-Time Resurrection!________ _______________________________________ by Mike Brown Possibly one of the neatest, but least understood of ICD's fine product line is the R-Time 8 cartridge. Simply put, this inexpensive module allows you to automatically enter the TIME and DATE into your system, from a battery backed up clock. If you are running SpartaDOS or a BBS, it is handy to have your files automatically "timestamped". It is useful to know how "old" a file is sometimes, especially if on-line disk space is limited. If you are using BBS EXPRESS, it will "look" for the R-time and update the Time, Date, and Day of the Week for you at BBS initialization. True, it is not a big deal to enter these values each time you start the BBS, but if you are like me, it is so much nicer to have your computer "tell time"! Like anything that runs on batteries, the day will come when a new battery is needed. This day came for me just this past week. Suddenly the time/date functions were all whacko, ranging from before world war II to the 60's! It was time to fix the way-back machine, Mr. Peabody. Prying open the case that the R-time 8 is enclosed in (looking like a new-wave video game cart) gave both good news and bad news: First the good news- The battery used in the RT is similar to a standard 3 volt lithium "coin style" (looking like an overactive thyroid watch battery) style that is used in popular IBM-PC multifunction boards. The bad news- It is SOLDERED ON to the RT printed circuit board (Actual Ray-O-Vac part number BR2325-T3)! Faced with the prospect of a long wait in the mails to get it fixed at ICD, I knew there must be a better way. Having had some experience with having a battery like this go dead on an (IBM Type) AST SixPack multifunction card, I went to the shop where I had that board fixed to see if they had the battery and the "holder" in the style that the AST board used (Snap In-- Not Solder!). I have to give these guys credit, they threw themselves into it with vigor- It took Ken and Tom about 2 mins. flat to rip the old soldered-in battery out, and solder in the new pop-in holder (about $2). After that work was done, it was a simple matter to pop a BR2325 battery (about $3). If you are ever in Ashland, OH, please stop in to INFOPRO on Main Street; they have been super in helping with my Atari-related questions (even though they sell Kaypros). Wow, less than 5 mins work, and now I can change my own batteries, and "never" have to worry about it again. The catalogs I have show the battery ICD used at about $4.40, and the holder/battery combination that I used costs less than $5. I wonder why ICD went that route? Be sure to trim the excess length of the leads on the non-component side of the PC board, and be sure you get the POSITIVE (+ Generally the side with all of the printing) side of the "coin" UP. Those are the only two tricky parts to this installation. Note of CAUTION! If you have not worked with soldering components to PC boards, get an experienced friend to help you. Too much heat can damage your R-Time 8 badly! We cheated and used a Vacuum desoldering station; nice if you can afford one. Of course, this modification will VOID your ICD warranty! When you plug the R-Time 8 back into your computer, be sure to do a TIME and DATE command if you are using SpartaDOS to reset the R-Time 8's clock! (other DOS users should consult the ICD documentation to set the clock) If you have further questions about this modification, please call me on the Balloon Works (419-289-8392 300/1200) and we'll help as best we can. _______________________________________ ZNEWS FROM BRUCE KENNEDY _______________________________________ EasyPlex Date: 07-Nov-87 13:58 EST From: BRUCE KENNEDY 72327,1500 [72327,1500] Subj: STUFF FOR ZMAG Date: 04-Nov-87 12:26 EST From: gerry feid [74146,162] Subj: News from CLAUG. Message response to BEKENNEDY. My Genie address is G.FEID. I rarely get on CIS anymore - DO IT YOURSELF HARD DISK DRIVE The only CLAUG project being worked on right now is a Hard Drive project. It is being done as an educational program where the group is getting together all the parts for a 20meg Hard Drive, including the drive, cables, a Berkeley BMS-100 board, case and power supply for approximately $400, and the people who have ordered and paid for them will all get together in a one or two night session and assemble the units for themselves. This will accomplish several things - First, it will allow an ST owner to get a brand new HD for $400 or so. Second, it will give the uninitiated a new look at the inside workings of a Hard drive, and Third, it will give the drive owner a sense of accomplishment because they are literally building it themselves from a pile of parts. CONNECT STANDARD IBM DRIVE TO ST Yes, it is VERY possible to attach a 5 1/4" IBM drive DIRECTLY to your ST. All you need is an inexpensive 360k 5 1/4" floppy drive and a cable with a 34 pin connector on one end, and an ST drive connector on the other. Plug the 34 pin edge card connector into the circuit board on the IBM drive, and plug the ST DIN connector into your A drive, and you are ready to go! This can be done fairly inexpensively by ordering the case, power supply, and drive separately - as low as $126, and then getting the cable. Make that $125. The cable is the hard part. There is only one place I know of that makes them for sale, and that is E. Arthur Brown in (I believe) Minnesota. They want $40 + shipping for the cables. If there is enough interest from your group I suggest that you get a local supporting dealer to order you a bunch of cables, drives, cases, etc., and that you hold the same type of seminar - have the people assemble their own drives as a project. It saves them money, they get a drive they need, and it gives people who are basically afraid of the inner workings of hardware a chance to 'Get their feet wet' a little by doing something that is NOT technical or dangerous. If you want more info, let me know - I'll be glad to help. Gerry. Messages uploaded with permission by Bruce Kennedy. CIS: 72327,1500. Genie: BEKENNEDY _______________________________________ ORIGIN OF THE ZMAGAZINE NAME _______________________________________ The following are excerpts from a message from Bruce Kennedy. The subject discussed is the origin of the Zmag name. I PICKED IT UP FROM TWO BBS MENUS IN THE CHICAGO AREA. ALAN REEVE WAS THE ASST. SYSOP ON ONE OF THEM, WHICH HAS SINCE CLOSED DOWN. THE OTHER WAS Gerry Feid's Claug II board which has since become Blue Moon. Those old Boards ran a Zmag section but nobody was contributing. When I made it happen, that's when it started. I liked it on a menu because it always scrolled up at the bottom. My objective was to target new users and emphasize user friendly programs epitomized by KL's 1030 Express! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FoReM BBS Coupon Offer * * The Most Powerful BBS System for Atari ST & IBM * * Exclusively for the Readers of Zmagazine/ST-Report * * * * NEW 2.0! * $59.95 * * * * Fifteen dollars off if you send in this coupon to: * * * * Commnet Systems * * 50 Eaton Road * * Farmington, MA 01701 * * (617)877-0257 (Voice) * * (617)877-8756 (BBS) * * Specify ST or PC Please * * * * This Offer May be Withdrawn At Any Time * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _______________________________________ ATARI SCUTTLEBITS--NOVEMBER _______________________________________ By Bob Kelly ATARI and It's Competitors ......... Prior to "Black Monday" (October 19, 1987), the stock market had been in a period of decline since August. Atari stock at closing on October 16, 1987 stood at $10, down over 30% in the last month and a half (see September column for more details). Rumors about Atari continued to circulate in the user community: Gary Tramiel was focusing on shaping-up Federated stores while Sam runs Atari, implying, of course, that Jack lost interest in running both; dealers didn't have the new products on the East Coast and Canada, implying either poor management or a break down in the Far East supply chain. The rumors multiplied and I could not verify a single one of the many. Complicating the picture is one known fact, Atari fired the last three successive Vice Presidents for marketing, faster, it seems, than the blitter chip can refresh the screen. To the outside world, this turmoil makes Atari seem not only to be at war with itself, but also with its customers. Thus, by either inference or divine judgement many investors believed something to be wrong in the house of Tramiel. Now along comes Black Monday, the stock market falls by 508 points. Atari's stock (ATC) drops another 20% to $8 per share. Coupling the general economy-wide factors negatively impacting the stock market with Atari's perceived unsettled management situation leaves an investor less than optimistic about short-term performance potential. I have placed an automatic sell order to minimize my loss should ATC decline further. While this story has been unfolding, other computer manufacturers reported impressive returns for 1987. Apple: It was all smiles at Apple Corporation prior to October 19. The firm experienced its second record growth quarter in a row. For the quarter ending September 25th, sales were $786 million versus $511 million for the same period last year, an increase of 54%. For the preceding quarter, sales increased by 42%. For the entire fiscal year of 1987 sales were roughly $2.7 billion versus $1.9 billion in 1986, a 40% increase. In the final quarter of the 1987 fiscal year, it is believed Apple sold more than 175,000 MacIntosh computers, compared with 85,000 for the same three months of 1986. The Wall Street Journal reported that some analysts believe Apple can continue pricing the MacIntosh at what the market will bear since IBM will not have a comparable graphics machine for at least 18 months, more likely 24 months. It would appear, market analysts simply do not feel Atari at this juncture is a threat to the dominance of the Mac. Quite simply, the Atari ST appears an also-ran in the business market where the MacIntosh is now considered to be a significant force (see table below). Market Share By Manufacturer (Jan-Aug. 1987) IBM...........40.3% Apple.........19.1% Compaq........15.5% Epson..........4.1% AT&T...........3.1% Kaypro.........2.8% Others........15.1% Source: InfoWorld Despite the success of the Mac, Apple still relies quite heavily upon the Apple II computer line estimated to account for nearly 40% of the company's total sales. A considerable portion of the Apple II sales are to the educational market. Although IBM introduced a machine specifically targeted at the educational market last September, sales have been a disappointment to-date. This criticism can also be aimed at Atari, which seems to have had little impact in the educational market. School systems in the Washington D.C. area which were in the earlier years committed to the Atari 8 bit line do no seem to be purchasing either the 520 ST or 1040 ST as they upgrade. Apple closed at $36.5 on October 19, down more than $25 per share in the last month. It looks like a good buy at this price. IBM: International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation announced it's first significant increase in profit since early 1986. For the 3rd quarter of 1987 profits rose by 12.2%. For the 9 months of 1987, total revenues rose by 5.5% to $36.2 billion from $34.3 billion for the same period of 1986. (Did you notice that IBM's total revenues over the last four quarters are more than 25 times larger than Apple total sales for fiscal 1987.) Despite this impressive gain, IBM stock did not appreciate prior to Black Monday. Investors held back puzzled as to why IBM's profitability failed to improve more significantly given that 14,000 employees were laid off at the end of the second quarter. On the other hand, IBM profitability was aided by the fall in the U.S. dollar which added roughly $300 million in profits and over $2 billion to revenue over the first 3 quarters of 1987. IBM closed at $125.25 per share on October 19. If I only had some more cash on hand to buy. This market close was more than $50 below its August high. However, be prepared to move out again quickly with the blue chips such as IBM. Nibble Bits: o WordPerfect 4.1 for the Atari ST is now available. It has all the pull-down menus and features that accompany the MacIntosh version released last month. Early purchasers say it has a few bugs but knowing the folks from Word Perfect, they will be corrected in very short order. L&Y Computers in Woodbridge is selling version 4.1 for around $200. o A high resolution color monitor is being made for Atari right now in the Far East. It will be compatible with both the ST line of computers and the Mega. Look for this monitor around June 1988. o According to a rumor reported in InfoWorld, look for Steve Jobs of Apple fame to share with Atari Corp. a custom graphics chip. According to this report, it will be shown at Atari's booth at COMDEX. Next month some Christmas suggestions for both the ST and 8 bit machines and electronics in general. _______________________________________ XE GAME EXPANSION _______________________________________ (C) 1987 The Computer Cache 11/02/87 128K 130XE COMPATIBLE RAM EXPANSION FOR THE XE-GAME SYSTEM by Ray McGoldrick I have tested this expansion and found it to be fully compatible with the 128K Atari 130XE, HOWEVER I can assume no responsibility for how this expansion is installed. The procedure requires soldering directly to IC chips in the XE-GAME System and should be preformed by an Atari service center or someone experienced with this type of procedure. I've made up a 'kit' with all the required parts for $25.00. To receive the kit send check or money order to. The Computer Cache Service Dept. 700 E. Benson Anchorage,Alaska 99503 or call (907)-272-9941 Call our 24hr BBS, The Hole in The Wall (907)-243-3522 300/1200/2400 Visa,Mastercard,AMEX & Discover cards excepted, we can also make arrangements to install this upgrade for you. (C)1987 The Computer Cache _______________________________________ Your Source for Sales and Service! Flat rate repairs on all Atari 8 bit! Quick turn-around on ST repairs! We also do flat rate repair on 8 bit Commodore equipment, and also can fix your Amiga or Apple computers! We also offer service contracts on all computers, call for rates today! Be sure to take advantage of our flat rate repair on VCR's, Video Cameras, and Camcorders---->$99 (covers all parts and labor except heads and Nuvicon) Midtown TV-----------> 27 Midway Plaza Tallmadge, Ohio 44278 (216)633-0997 _______________________________________ GEnie SERVICE HELP GUIDE PART 1 _______________________________________ (C) 1987 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari ST Roundtable. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN. The system will prompt you for your information. =============================================================================== Welcome to the World of Atari on Genie! Make sure your terminal program is set in ASCII. Genie is available at 300/1200 baud and 2400 baud at a premium cost in some areas. Genie works better in Half Duplex but if you prefer Full Duplex type CONTROL R (^R) between the "U#=" prompt and your user ID and password. Note: In Full Duplex your password will not be displayed. SETUP:Type SETUP at any prompt to change your prompt character, Break character, Character Delete character, Line Delete character, Terminal type, Page Width and Length. Be sure to set your Character Delete Character to 8. (ASCII 8) Shortcuts: When signing on to Genie, you can go DIRECTLY to an area by typing its page number after your password. Example: U#= user number,password,475,4 The above example will bring you you to the St Roundtable and selection 4 more directly to the Software page. Pause: Pausing text flow is as easy as holding Control S and Control Q to resume the flow. Your break Character selected on the SETUP page will break you out of most functions on Genie. INDEX: By typing Index at any prompt, you will recieve the following menu to help you find an area of interest. Index of Services 1. Short description in page # order 2. Short desc. in alphabetical order 3. Long description in page # order 4. Long desc. in alphabetical order 5. Keyword Search for Products Enter #,

revious, or elp? Selection one will give you a list of areas on-line by page number. Selection two will give you a list in alphabetical order. By typing M (page number) or by typing the Mnemonic, you can reach your selection very quickly. Who is on line: By typing U ALL you can see everyone online. By typing U ST you can see who is on the ST area only. U ATARI8 will tell you who is on the Atari 8-bit area. Locate/Notify: After checking who is on-line you can locate where the user is by typing L (username) or notify them by typing N (username) then the text you want to send up to 2 1/2 lines. Be aware that the user will NOT get the messages if he is in the Bulletin Board or downloading/uploading in the software library. The message will reach the user when he exits these areas. MAIL: You do not have to go to mail to Read or Send Mail. You can type SEND at any prompt and you will be prompted with TO: Mail address you want to send your letter to. CARBON COPY: user you want to copy your letters to. SUB: The subject of the letter. Then enter the text of the letter. TYPE *H to get Help in editing your letter. Be sure to save your letter with *S Real Time Conferences: A regular weekly conference is held with several Atari folks and Developers joining in weekly. A banner is posted when a "formal" more specific topic is to be discussed on the door to the Roundtable. Atari ST Conference every Wednesday 7PM PST 10PM EST Atari 8-bit Conference every Thursday 7PM PST 10PM EST MICHTRON Conference every Saturday 7PM PST 10PM EST By typing M 475;2 you will enter the St Conference. While in one of the conference rooms, Type /HELP and recieve a list of commands available to you or feel free to ask the users on-line. Everyone is always willing to help. Help online is available on-line from any of the sysops. You can choose to notify us or send mail no matter what the problem or query is. Below is the list of the sysops on the appropriate Roundtables. Sysops: Atari 8-Bit Roundtable Page 665 --------------------------- ----------------- Darlah Hudson DARLAH Marty Albert MARTY.A Neil Harris NHARRIS Darryl May DMAY Fred Beckman FREDBECKMAN Greg Kranich G-KRANICH John Towns TOWNS Sysops: Atari St Roundtable Page 475 --------------------------- ----------------- Darlah Hudson DARLAH Neil Harris NHARRIS Mark Booth STACE Fred Beckman FREDBECKMAN Sysops: Atari Developers Roundtable Page 565 ---------------------------- ----------------- All the sysops available DEV$ Technical folks online in the Developers area: ------------------------------------ John Feagans ATARIDEV$ Other Atari helpful folks on the Developers RT: ------------------------------------ Cary Gee CGEE Jim Tittsler JTITTSLER Allan Pratt APRATT Neil Harris NHARRIS Jose Valdes VALDES Richard Frick RFRICK Cindy Claveran CINDY.C Feel free to send mail to any of the sysops in the appropriate areas. Send mail to CINDY.C to gain access to the Developers RoundTable. _______________________________________ ZMAGAZINE ISSUE #80 Volume 2 No.47 (c)1987 Syndicate Services/Rovac _______________________________________