@L/}5 _$% l0$)$$Hȱ$ UhL" `e$$%`$%`  R@W!( L(1   Y I`  d  Ld M * @  $ % CC$$)%1 Udߥ$9%: !0 S$% DD˙`  }J)Lr ɛ************************************ THE ADVERTS! ************************************For public dom}ain software, used commercial software, software exchanges, hardware, books, specially written commercial software, support, }and an 8-bit newsletter, contact: Dean Garraghty, 62 Thomson Ave, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0NU. (Please allow for re-d}irection at certain times of the year). I also usually have lots of used tapes available from 50p each. Boot side} 2 of this disk for my current complete range of used software, and my full PD list.-----------------------------------A }NOTE ABOUT ADVERTS:---------------------Private individuals wishing to sell old hardware or software (originals ONLY) or w }ishing to place a wanted advert, may do so free of charge. Just write out your advert and send it to me at the usual address. } Please try to keep them short, as I don't like typing!Companies or profit-making enterprises may also advertise for a smal }l fee. This is as follows: 1 full screen for 10 pounds, 1/2 a screen for 5 pounds. Follow the same procedure as given above. }You may also send your advert on disk, saved as a standard ASCII file in DOS 2.x format. Your disk will be returned.======}=============================Don't forget to come along to the All Micro Show on November 9th at Bingley Hall, Stafford. I}'ll be there, and so will Page 6, Derek Fern, and other Atari supporters. Make a note in your diary, and tell others about it}. We need lots of support this year.===================================ake a note in your diary, and tell others about itKATOMIT Review-------------By Jon CooperAtomit is a new puzzle game that in which the idea is to fit atoms together to }make the given shape.All the levels on Atomit are timed to make it that bit harder!The playing screen for Atomit is well d}one and could easily have come of a commercial game.The pattern that the atoms have to be moved into is shown in the left han}d corner as the game go's on the pattern becomes more compilcated and as time is limited you have to be a quick thinker!As y}ou move the atoms around the screen a nice 'swishing' noise is heard,but as with a lot of new games theres no music.Atomit i}s very addictive and will keep most people trying for a long time.The Verdict.------------Atomit is excellent and is on}e of the best P.D games around.The only thing missing is a code word system to allow you to start on the level you left of, e}ven so Atomit is one of the best P.D games around and is a better than most of the commercial puzzle games that have been rel}eased.I would strongly recomend you buy it.Hints-----Here are a few hints on playing Atomit.1:Before moving any Atoms} look at the layout of the screen,on the higher levels you need a plan to get anywhere.2:On each Atom there is a line showi}ng its connecting point,make sure its pointing the right way.3:On some levels the only way to do the pattern is to build it} round the playing screen.4:I've heard there is a way to cheat so try pressing all the keys.(I haven't found it yet!)Thi}s review was written for the 8-bit News-Disk by Jon Cooper.(Atomit is PD107, priced 2pounds as usual,Ed.)nd it yet!)ThilEiͩkΩ͙kCopj`j {j`Hi͝Νh`}L"SAB.ORTNI:D"NURͩkΩ͙kCopj`j {j`Hi͝Νh`*******+++++++++*********+++++++++* DOING P/M GRAPHICS IN BASIC XE By Bruce Pleat SySop Mister Message BB !}S (516) 454-7698(former member of the OL' HACKERSATARI USER GROUP, Inc.)To turn on PMG in BASIC XE, you first set "}a GRAPHICS mode, then do a PMGRAPHICS for the "mode" you want.You can have three modes: 0 Turn PMG OFF 1 "Single-Line #}" Resolution 2 "Dougle-Line" Resolution"1" means you use 2 times as much RAM(2048 bytes) and have two times as much deta $}il. "2" means 1024 bytes are used and each line is the height of a GR.7 line, instead of PMG mode 1's GR.8 height. To set th %}e player/missile COLORs, you use the PMCOLOR #,color,hue command.The PMWIDTH command allows you to define the WIDTH of play &}ers...you have SINGLE-width( 1 player is eight GR.7 pixels), DOUBLE-width (1=16 in GR.7) and QUADRUPLE(1 player=32 GR.7 pixe '}ls). The wider the player, the lower the resolution, and yet of course the larger it is in WIDTH.PMCLR # clears the player/ (}missile space of playernumber #. Doing 4-7 for # which usually selects the missile compliment for players 0-3 in this command )} clears them all.HITCLR checks for collisions. It has no parameters and you can use it right before you wish to check for *}collisions via the BUMP command: BUMP(panum,aexp) is used as such: IF BUMP(4,1) THEN GOTO...Bump Parameters:Pl +}ayers 0-3: 0-3Missiles 0-3: 4-7Playfield 0-3: 8-11Now, the only VALID bumps are:Player to player: BUMP(0-3,0-3) (If fir ,}st parm=second, 0 is always returned; a player can't hit itself!)Missile to Player: BUMP(4-7,0-3)Player to Colors: BUMP(0- -}3,8-11)Missile to Colors: BUMP(4-7,8-11)Now to define or move a MISSILE you use:MISSILE #,X,Y (where X,Y do not corresp .}ond to GR.7 or whatever modes X,Y).To move a PLAYER:PMMOVE panum [,absleft] [absvert]Panum is player #0-3, absleft is t /}he player's left bit's LEFT POSITION [Y].It can range from 0-255 but the lowest and highest are off the edges.Absvert is t 0}he vertical DISPLACEMENT from its LAST position. (For example, X=X+1, SET 7,1 - lets players that might go off the top/bottom 1} wrap-around to the other side. SET 7,0 [default] just loses them.PMADR(#) gives the ADDRESS of a player's top. That's wh 2}ere you POKE,BGET, MOVE, or otherwise store the player's data.Draw your object. Then, redraw it on graph paper in no more t 3}han eight boxes wide and 30 high(more is too big). Then, put the following numbers on top of each column from LEFT to right: 4} 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128Now, add up the "on" or colored-in column values and place them to the side of the line they're a 5}dded up for.When you've done that, place those values into a DATA line. Now, do the GRAPHICS mode you want, and any drawing 6}s you want to do and any colors you wish to set.Set the Player/Missile Colors via direct POKEs or PMCOLOR commands. Set you 7}r PMGRAPHICS mode and then your PMWIDTH. "1" is best for starters.You set it for EACH player/missile you want to use. Do a P 8}MCLR for players 0-3 and then one for missiles, #4 to make it simple. Do a RESTORE to your DATA line for your PLAYER 0. Now d 9}o the following: FOR A=1 TO (# of lines in Player) READ B:POKE PMADR(0)+A,B NEXT ARepeat the RESTORE throug :}h NEXT A sequence for each player ONLY. Set the missiles with this routine: FOR A=1 TO .... READ B:POKE PMADR(0)+A ;},PEEK(PMADR(0)+A)!(2^player+):NEXT APMMOVE each player where you want it.MISSILE each missile where you want it. And, HITC <}LR the screen.Jump out of your set-up routine [PROCEDURE??) and into the main one which can do the following:PMMOVE a pla =}yerMISSILE a missile (getting tired of that...)HITCLR:BUMP ....(always a HITCLR right after a BUMP) to check for collision >}Oh, the Missile and Player vertical movement (OFFSETs) are perfect for the VSTICK command!! #########%%%%%%%%########%%%%% ?}%%%##This article is from the 'Ol hackers newsletter, and was submitted by Jim Cutler. It was tidied by Dean Garraghty. I' @}m sorry if there are mistakes in here, but the files came in a weird format, which took some editing.d by Dean Garraghty. I' f** THE BLACKBOX VERSUS THE MIO ============================== This article originally appeared in the June 1990 issue of PSB}AN. PSAN (Puget Sound Atari News) is the official newsletter of several participating non-profit Atari user groups. ApproxiC}mate circulation - 800. Please send any inquiries to: PSAN, P.O. Box 110576, Tacoma, WA 98411-0576 BlackBox vs. MIO by DD}an Knauf of S*P*A*C*E Having had the opportunity to use both the BlackBox from CSS and the MIO from ICD, I thought I woE}uld share what I have learned about these two unique pieces of hardware for the 8-bit Atari. The systems I have used includeF}: 130XE computers (upgraded to 512k), 1-meg MIO, 256k MIO, BlackBox, Supra Modem 2400, Seikosha MP-1300AI printer, 2 Happy 1G}050 floppy drives, an Adaptec 4000a hard drive controller, 2 Adaptec 5500 hard drive controllers, a Seagate ST225 20 meg hardH} drive, a ATASI 3046 40 meg hard drive, and a CMI 5616 13 meg hard drive. An explanation of just what the MIO and BlackI}Box are is in order. Both include a SASI/SCSI hard disk interface, a printer port, an RS232 port, and some type of printer bJ}uffer. The MIO comes with either 256k or 1 megabyte of dynamic ram on board which can be used as any combination of ramdisk(K}s) and/or printer spooler. The BlackBox comes either with no user ram or 64k of static ram which can be used only as a printL}er buffer. The BlackBox can also use the standard extended banks of a 130XE as a 64k printer buffer. The RS232 and/or printM}er ports can be disabled in both units to allow an external device such as an Atari 850 interface to be used. Both come withN} clear manuals printed on 8 1/2 by 11 inch unbound paper. The pinouts for all ports are clearly shown in the manuals and theO}re are examples showing how to set up a hard disk system. The BB manual includes several short assembler listings showing soP}me methods of accessing the BB from machine language.Appearance:---------- The MIO comes in a nice gray case with thQ}e SCSI connector and printer port on one end. The other end has the RS232 port, on/off switch, power plug, and two LED's - oR}ne is a power indicator the other lights up when the MIO is busy. My 1-meg MIO has a second 9 pin plug on this end for a plaS}nned 80 column adapter which never happened. The 50 conductor ribbon cable which plugs into the computer is on one side. ThT}e BB comes with no case. Cases are available for it for $39.95 (and they are even black!). On the front edge is the connectU}or which plugs into the 130XE. The other side has the SCSI connector, the floppy controller connector (see below), and the pV}ower plug. The printer plugs onto one end and the modem on the other. The BB also has two LED's which serve the same functiW}ons as the ones on the MIO.Plugging it in:-------------- The MIO has a 50 pin connector which plugs in to the parallX}el expansion port on a 600XL or 800XL. An XE adapter must be purchased for $16.95 to plug the MIO into a 130XE computer. ThiY}s adapter plugs into both the ECI port and the cartridge port on the 130XE and has sockets for two cartridges on it. The secZ}ond cartridge plug is primarily for the Rtime-8 cartridge from ICD. The BlackBox is built to plug directly into the 130XE. I[}t comes with a short 50 pin cable for plugging into an XL machine. No extra adapter is needed. For my own system, I use the\} XE adapter from ICD and plug the 50 pin cable on the BB into it. (I use the Rtime-8 and this keeps the cartridge stack shor]}ter.) The MIO has the expected 9 pin and 15 pin d-connectors for plugging in your printer and modem. The BB comes with 34 pi^}n card edges for use with 34 conductor ribbon cable. You can use standard crimp-on connectors for both cables (use 25 conduc_}tor ribbon cable for the modem cable) or you can buy the cables you need from CSS. There is also an unused 34 connection car`}d edge on the BB. This is for the floppy controller that CSS is planning to release. This floppy controller will allow the a}user to attach industry standard disk drives - up to 80 track 720k - to the BB. The MIO comes with a heavy duty 9v power supb}ply. The BlackBox comes with a power supply which has +12v, -12v and +5v output. All three voltages are used by the BB.Mec}nus:----- Both the MIO and the BlackBox have menus. Here is a list of options available from the main menu of both:d} 1) Assign drives as floppy disks, or hard drive partitions. When assigning floppy drives, you can assign any physical fe}loppy drive respond as any drive from D1: to D8: (and D9: on the BlackBox). Note: On the MIO ramdisks can also be definef}d. These ramdisks refer to MIO memory only - not memory available inside the computer. Use a DOS ramdisk handler for the exg}tended memory in the computer. 2) Swap Drives - shows up as 'Exchange Drives' on the BlackBox and allows you to swap thh}e drive assignments of two drives. For example, you could swap drives 1 and 4. The drive assigned to D4: would then becomei} logical drive #1 and you could boot from it while the drive that was drive 1 would then be addressable as D4:. I am writingj} this using PaperClip which I booted from my hard drive using this method. 3) Lock Drive - Write locks a drive if it isk} a hard drive partition or a ramdisk. 4) Save Congfiguration - this writes the current configuration to the first sectol}r of device 0, 0 (the first Hard drive on your system). If no hard drive is present this option does nothing. The other optm}ions available from these menus are different enough to need separate descriptions.The MIO Menu:------------ The MIn}O menu is entered by holding down the SELECT button and pressing RESET. This loads the menu into the computers program ram so}tarting at address $3000. This destroys whatever was there, so it is best to re- boot the computer after accessing the menu.p} The main menu is the drive configuration menu. This is where you set up your hard drive partitions, partition the MIO ram q}into ramdisks, and assign floppy drives. The printer and RS232 menus are also accessed from here. Available from the printerr} menu: 1 - Pause/Resume Printing. 2 - Clear Spooler. 3 - Print Repeat Copies. 4 - Set Port Type. 5 s}- Set Spooler Size. 6 - Set Port Number. The 'Repeat Copies' option allows you to print copies of any text currentt}ly in the MIO print spooler. Setting the port type allows printing to either parallel and serial printers. This function isu} also used to turn line feeds on/off. Spooler size is adjustable in 32k byte increments from 0 (OFF) up to the maximum ram av}vailable on the MIO. Maximum available ram includes all ram on the MIO not already assigned to ramdisks. The port number caw}n be set to P1:, P2:, or OFF. Available from the RS232 menu: 1 - Set Baud Rate. 2 - Set Stop Bits. 3 - Set Px}arity. 4 - Assign Port Number. Baud rate can be set from 110 to 19, 200 baud. Stop bits can be set to either 1 ory} 2. Parity can be set to none, odd, even, or space. Since most terminal software handles these items, I am not sure why thez}y are on the menu. Maybe it looked empty without some extra options... R1:, R2:, or NONE are the allowable port assignment{}s.The BlackBox Menu:----------------- The BlackBox menu is entered by pressing a button on the BlackBox. This menu |}does not use any programming ram and is therefore non-destructive. You can enter the menu and usually exit with no effect on}} the program you are running. Available from the BlackBox menu are: 1 - Drive Configuration Menu. 2 - Port Status~} Menu. 3 - 6502 Monitor. From the Drive configuration menu you can partition your hard drive, assign floppies, add} hard drive partitions to the partition list (explained below), enter the controller menu, or enter the partition list menu. } The controller menu allows you to add up to 8 different hard drives to your system. The BlackBox allows you to have up to 9}6 hard drive partitions. The information on these partitions (size, start sector, controller and drive number, etc) is kept }in the partition list. You are allowed to name each partition with any name of up to 11 characters 10 of which show up in th}e menu. The main configuration table of the BlackBox has room for nine drives (and/or partitions). You can load any partiti}on from the partition list into the main configuration table by going to the partition list, moving the cursor to the partiti}on you want and pressing RETURN. You will then be returned to the main configuration table and asked what drive you want the} partition loaded as. Options on the port status menu are: 1 - I/O Sound On/Off. 2 - RS232 Port On/Off. 3 - }Printer Port Number. 4 - Printer Line Feeds On/Off. 5 - Spooler Status. 6 - HD Partition List Start S}ector. 7 - Save Configuration. Yes, I/O sound with a hard drive, heh. The RS232 port can only be turned on/off wi}th no option to be assigned as anything other than R1:. The printer port can be assigned as any one of P1: through P8:, ALL}, or NONE. Spooler status cycles between off, XE extended banks, and BlackBox ram (if the ram is available on the BB). This} is also where you tell the BB where to look for the partition list which takes up to 14 sectors and can be located anywhere }on the first hard disk on the system. You can save the configuration here as well as from the drive configuration menu. The} 6502 monitor is the best I have seen for the 8-bit Atari. It doesn't have as many features as others but it is transparent }to the system and does a MUCH better job of interupting a program than either DDT or Omnimon. I have retired my Omnimon and }never used DDT much anyway. With the BB monitor you can interupt a program, examine/change memory, and usually resume right }where you left off. Ever had a lockup you couldn't get out of by pressing RESET? With the BB monitor you can change the pro}gram counter to point to E477 (the cold start vector) and when you exit the BB the computer will cold start. This is nice fo}r saving the files in your ramdisks. Note: While snooping in the BB ROM I discovered that holding the HELP key and pressing} RESET causes a cold start. Holding SHIFT-HELP does not cause the cold start. This feature was not mentioned in the documen}tation.Software:-------- Other than programs to format hard drives, the only software I am aware of for these device}s requires SpartaDOS. There are programs to: 1) swap drive assigns. 2) Lock/Unlock drives/ partitions. } 3) Load/Save configuration tables from/to disk files. 4) Load/Save BB partition lists from/to disk fi}les. 5) Print info contained in config files and partition list files. 6) Load a partition from the} partition list into the configuration table of the BB. There are also some.CMD files used by B}BS Express Pro! sysops to work with the MIO. I am sure there is software available that I don't know about or forgot to men}tion here.Miscellaneous:------------- There are two buttons, two switches, and a bank of eight dip switches on the B}lackBox. One of the buttons is used to access the menu. The other dumps the screen to the printer. This can be done at any} time. One of the switches allows you to select either text or graphics mode for the screen dump. In graphics mode all Atar}i graphics characters appear on paper just like they do on your screen. In graphics mode, screen dumps take the full width o}f 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper. This makes a graphics 0 screen look like graphics 2 on the print-out. The other toggle switch wri}te protects ALL hard drives. This is handy when you want to try out a new program and don't want it to mess with the hard dr}ives. The dip switches are used as follows: 1) Force printer fault line to NO FAULT. This causes the BB to not send a}ny data to the printer. You could have another printer interface (and printer) attached to your computer and control which p}rinter prints with this switch. 2) Enable hard disk port/high speed floppy SIO. This allows you to disable access to y}our hard drives and disable the BB's high speed SIO code for floppy disks. *3) Enable parallel printer port. *4) En}able RS232 port. *5) Enable printer line feeds. 6) Printer is a Prowriter. (Used by graphics dump routine.) } 7) MIO compatibility mode where hard drives are concerned. The MIO inverts all data as it writes to the hard drive. In n}ormal mode, the BlackBox doesn't to this. Flipping this switch to the MIO mode allows a hard drive to be used by either the }MIO or the BlackBox. Note: this affects ALL hard drives that are online. 8) unused. * Switches 3-5 are mainly f}or systems with no hard drives online. If a hard drive is present this info is contained on the configuration sector. The BB} gives more storage capacity on hard drives than does the MIO. It is able to format a drive using 512 byte sectors. These a}re accessed as 256 byte sectors after formatting. (Each 512 byte physical sector contains two 256 byte logical sectors). CS}S claims that using 512 byte sector format can add up to 20% to the storage available on a hard drive. I gained a little ove}r 10% formatting my 40 meg hard drive in this mode. I have a 40 meg drive that formats out as follows: Format type } sectors MIO- 256 byte sectors 146685. BB - 256 byte sectors 148994. BB - 512 byte sectors *162530. * This is }the number of logical (256 byte) sectors. The only way I have found to empty the printer buffer on the BlackBox is to enter }the port status menu and cycle the buffer off/on. Printing through the Printer buffer with either the BlackBox or the MIO sl}ows down both the printing process and the computer (especially when accessing other devices like disk drives).Reliability:}----------- The MIO has been plagued by problems and rumors of problems since it was released. I personally know of a}t least 11 MIO's that had to be sent in for repairs at one time or another. (And I only know 8 people who own MIO's.) I boug}ht my MIO's second hand and both had been sent back by the original owners to be fixed. Here are some problems I have experi}enced when using the MIO: 1) Wierd things have happened when I used the printer buffer. Everything from wierd flickeri}ng and characters showing up on the screen to garabage being sent to the printer. 2) I could not use my Mac/65 cartridg}e and the ram in the MIO at the same time. When I tried, the ramdisk(s) formatted themselves whenever they felt like it and }I had to use a sector editor to recover anything important. To my knowledge no one else has had this particular problem. } 3) When using terminal programs the MIO frequently locked up on me while I was online. I suspect that this is a problem w}hen the MIO is the originator of a call because I know of many BBS's using the MIO that have been online for a long time with} no such problem. Note: BobTerm 1.20 claims to solve this lockup problem by supplying it's own handler for the MIO which al}so allows it to transfer at a true 19200 baud rate. I have had no problems with the BlackBox except when I wired it into my }230 watt power supply. I reversed the +12v and -12v lines and fried a couple of chips. A normal person would not have done }this.Product Support:--------------- ICD has apparently lost interest in the Atari 8-bit machines. At this time the}y offer little support for the MIO. If anything goes wrong, they are not likely to offer any help to the user at all beyond }fixing them for $40.00+parts+shipping. My own experience with ICD has left a lot to be desired. I have been using ICD produ}cts since about 1984. I use the SpartaDOS X-cartridge and when I first got my MIO, I couldn't exit the menu without the comp}uter doing a cold-start. Thinking something was wrong with the MIO, I called ICD for help. My call was forwarded to to a te}chnical assistance person. I explained my system and the problem to him and he told me that the MIO was faulty and to send i}t in for repairs. He informed me that the repairs would cost $40.00+parts+shipping. Well, it turns out that exiting the MIO} menu with a cartridge plugged in causes a cold-start with all MIO's. So much for getting good help from ICD for their 8-bit }products. (In fairness to ICD, I hear that they do a better job supporting their ST product line.) CSS, on the other hand ha}s proved to be a gold mine for Atari 8-bitters. As I mentioned above, I fried a couple of chips on my BlackBox. I called CS}S and (with some embarassment) told Ron exactly what I did. Instead of saying 'Send it in with your wallet, checkbook, and c}redit cards' he told me exactly what chips I had probably fried. I found the chips at Radio Shack (for about $2.00) and fixe}d my BlackBox. These folks really do care! The people at CSS have answered some pretty dumb questions for me (one or two int}elligent ones too). They have even helped people with their ICD products. They have also given me any technical information} I needed - or thought I needed - to write programs for the BlackBox.Trivia:------ BB really stands for BobBox. (Fo}r creator Bob Puff.)Conclusion:---------- The MIO has been plagued with reliability problems. The RS232 handler has} been known to cause lockups when online and drops the carrier (hangs up the modem) when RESET is pressed. The print spooler} sometimes does wierd things and is only semi-reliable. I have been told that the spooler sometimes writes to hard drives in}stead of the printer. I kept the spooler turned off when my hard drive was attached. I just didn't want to verify this the }hard way. The MIO is also known to have (electronic) noise problems, especially when used with 130XE's. The result is loss }of ramdisk configuration and/or contents. I have only heard a few complaints about the hard disk interface on the MIO. I ha}ve experienced no problems with the hd interface. Pretty is as pretty does. I have found the BB to be a far more reliable t}ool than the MIO. It is more flexible in most areas, offers more options, and product support is just fantastic. And it cos}ts less too. The only problem I have heard of regarding the BB had to do with printer dumps when an older Gemini-10X printer} was used. A ROM upgrade has fixed this problem. The RS232 handler doesn't cause lockups, and you can press RESET without l}osing the carrier. I have never had any wierd stuff happen when using the printer handler. I don't have the 64k spooler on }the BB but am sure it meets up to the standards of the rest of this fine product. The screen dump feature works well. It wi}ll dump any graphics 0-2 screen with no problem and has no problem with most other graphics modes. The hard disk interface w}orks flawlessly and allows use of 512 byte as well as 256 byte sector formats. The BB also has an MIO compatible mode so tha}t you can use hard drives that have been written to by an MIO. CSS claims that the BB is up to 20% faster than the MIO depen}ding on the brand of controller and drive used. I noticed only a slight increase in speed after converting to BB format usin}g my Adaptec controllers with 3 different brands of hard drives. I really like the BlackBox. I heartily recommend the BB ov}er the MIO and encourage all 8-bit Atari users to support CSS. After all, they are supporting us. Now if they would only ge}t that floppy controller out... The BlackBox - $199.95 w/64k ram $249.95 BB Case $ 39.95 Available from}: Computer Software Services P.O Box 17660 Rochester, NY 14617 Phone: (716) 586-5545 BBS (716) 247-7157 The MIO} w/256k ram $239.95 w/1 meg ram $469.95 XE adapter $ 16.95 Available from: ICD, Inc 1220 Rock Street Rockfor}d, IL 61101 Phone (815) 968-2228 BBS (815) 968-2229(This article was taken from Z*MAG, the on-line newsletter. It was trans}ferred by Mike Blenkiron, and tidied by Dean Garraghty, using text tidier, and Atariwriter.)on-line newsletter. It was trans]BOBTERM 1.21 REVIEW------------------- by Joel Kennedy (Reprinted from the Puget Sound Atari News, September 1990) W}ell guess what the friendly UPS man had for me on August 9th? Yep, SpartaDOS X and the R-Time 8 cart from ICD! SDX is great}! I love it!!! The R-Time 8 is just as good (never again will I set the clock! right? Well, almost. The cart was sitting} on top of my XE and fell a whole 2 1/2 inches. I now have a piece of foam stuffed inside the R-Time 8 to keep the battery i}n contact. Don't set the cart on top of your computer!). Ok, stop laughing and read about BobTerm 1.21 from Bob Puff. } When you first boot up BobTerm (to be refered to throughout this article as BT) you see a well done title screen. What I fi}nd most impressive about it is its rather accurate depiction of the states. Good job, Bob! Next, you see the Main Menu. Th}e options are pretty self explanatory, but I thought I would mention a few of them in more depth. A -- You can change b}etween ASCII, ATARI (aka ATASCII), VT-52E, and VT-52O. VT-52 is a terminal emulator, the 'E' and 'O' denoting even and odd p}arity respectively. B -- Baud rates go clear up to 19.2k!! D -- Well, it seems self explanatory but Bob added an }embellishment. If you press START while you press 'D' you will be switched into "echoplex." This is primarily used when mode}ming between two individuals. One sets 'echoplex' on and the other stays in full duplex. Normally both would have to switch} to half duplex, but echoplex will echo back the characters - just like a BBS. F&G -- For when you are talking to someo}ne (voice) and want to go to the computer mode (data) without redialing. Very handy! R&S -- You can set both the trans}fer protocol, as well as the drive and path, for uploads and downloads. For Downloads BT automatically adjusts to the sender}s protocol. Also, for both uploads and downloads BT eliminates the need to pad a transfer block by switching to smaller bloc}ks, and therefore lower protocols, if the rest of a file won't fit in the size block in use. For example: You are transferr}ing a file that is 2, 176 bytes long. You select 1k x-modem and two complete blocks of 1k are transfered. BT will then swit}ch to standard x-modem for the remaining 128 bytes of data. K -- basically a standard menu of DOS 2.x/MYDOS commands. }If you'd loaded the CP.BTM (as a module), it will give you an interface directly into Sparta's command processor. The lower }menu commands are mainly used when you are in the Term mode. You can activate word wrap, reset the online time clock, switch} between realtime/online time, do a screen dump, save a snapshot of the screen to the buffer and even activate fine scrolling}. The chat window is an interesting feature, it allows you to pre-edit what you type before you send it. It only has a thre}e line capacity but it is still handy. I don't use it much anymore because of the delay it causes. Everything that's in the} buffer is sent when you press RETURN. Most people don't like you using it because they can't tell if you are typing somethi}ng or just sitting there 'twiddlin your thumbs.' When "J" is selected from the Main Menu three options will replace the} lower menu. This submenu is pretty straight forward. By selecting the first option you will be able to see what the system }macros have been set to. You can change your screen colors here as well as alter the macros. By choosing the third option t}he BOBTERM.CNF file will be written. This saves things other than just the macros and screen colors - so make sure you have }everything set the way you want it. Selecting "E" from the Main Menu will put you in the Autodialer Menu. The options }are clear. Something of note though to you people with 'call waiting'. You can use the long distance code feature to disabl}e your call waiting. See the docs for the 'how to.' As I mentioned under the 'DOS functions' selection you can activate modu}les wich will add different features to BT. This are external modules which are loaded at bootup. Two are included, these a}re CP.BTM and XEP80.BTM. As I already said, CP.BTM gives you an interface to Sparta. XEP80.BTM is the driver for the XEP80 }80 column card from Atari. I don't have this as yet, so I can't say how well it works, though I have been told that the one }included in the version 1.20 arc file is buggy so make sure you get 1.21. Well that's all fine and well on how to use it, bu}t what does it feel like to use it? Well, I like BobTerm 1.21! I have only one complaint - you abort an operation by pressi}ng START and begin one by pressing SELECT. This seems reverse to me. Otherwise, to quote Dan Knauf from his 'Black Box vs.  } MIO' article, "pretty is as pretty does." BT is very nice and user friendly (except for the use of the START key). I've use }d it for the past couple of months and the only time I had any problems was when the handler wouldn't load from my 850 (I hav }e to shut EVERYTHING off and try again if this happens, not just the 850 and the computer. If I even leave the disk drive on } it won't work. Is there something wrong with my 850? If you know please tell me.) or when I attempted certain operations f }rom the command line interface to Sparta. 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F0Ξ05: [ BDEHI~} VY8 B V  @  /DE `E:D8:DUP.SYSERROR-SAVING USER MEMORY ON DISKTYPE Y TO }STILL RUN DOS B;DE J  (` 9 V⪍ ઍ  -}LLu ÝDEHILV 9 .l 9 .l  `` s$B BH}I|DE V BLV nB,DE JLV B V BLVDEIʩ BꭝLu }  +AR@CC(;This brief introduction will now appear on all issues.--(%-----!}--------------------------------(rr(iFor the purpose of reading text files,a program called XR40.OBJ has been supplied.!} This also has a DOC2HH(@ file called XR40.DOC which explains how to use this program.7(<mm(dXR40 can be run fr!}om the menu, after pressing Y when asked if you wish to turn off Basic. When theFtt(l program starts, type D:XR40.!}DOC and press return. Press the space bar to advancethrough the pages.PC(C(8Also read D:INTRO.DOC which is the in!}troduction file.Z0(0(%PRESS THE START KEY TO CONTINUE......d F:B2y,@An% D:PICLOAD.BAS !}D:INTRO.BASile.Z0(0(%PRESS THE START KEY TO CONTINUE......d F:B2y,@An% D:PICLOAD.BAS Welcome to issue 3 of the Atari 8-bit News-disk. I'm pleased to be able to get this issue out so quickly after the las%}t. I had lots of articles submitted this time, so I was able to put the disk together far quicker than usual. Thanks to those%} people who sent articles. I still need more, so keep sending them! Because this issue has followed soon after the last%}, I don't have much new PD in the library. I do have some new used software, though. All details are, as usual, on side 2 of %}this disk. You should have found a leaflet for AMS5 enclosed with this disk. This leaflet is double-sided, so do read b%}oth sides! As I said on the last issue, I do really need your support. Please come along if you can. I mentioned on issue 2 t%}hat I would be selling PD on the day at a reduced rate. Well I'm afraid it will have to be the usual price of 2pounds a disk,%} or 10 disks for 15pounds. I've got to cover costs, which include: the cost of the stand, disks, duplicating, catering, hire %}car and petrol, and loads of other things which I'm not going to bore you with! The total cost will be around 250pounds. A lo%}t of money, which I will need to make back. So come along and buy lots of stuff! I may have some hardware for sale at the sho%}w. This will be fully re-conditioned and working. It will obviously look expensive next to Derek Fern's, but do remember that%} the cheap hardware Derek sells, is Dead On Arrival (DOA), which usually means it's well and truly deceased! And now s%}ome interesting news. The Computer Guardian reported in an article about Atari on 29/8/91 that Atari may be considering produ%}cing a new 8-bit computer. The paragraph reads: "However, Atari already has a wider range of incompatible machines than anybo%}dy except IBM. The two VCS games consoles and the old 8-bit models inherited from the original Atari are still selling, and a%} new 8-bit micro is a possibility......" What they mean by a "new 8-bit micro" is a mystery to me. Perhaps it may be just a r%}e-release of the current crop, or maybe new compatibles, or maybe a new totally incompatible machine. Who knows? I will try t%}o find out more about this and report back on the next issue. Just one thing, though. We all know what Atari are like for mes%}sing things up, so don't rely on them producing this new machine! PD orders seem to have dried up. Because of this, I %}haven't been able to order any new PD from the States. Please keep the orders coming! And, don't forget about my software exc%}hange scheme. If you can't afford to buy PD, then why not exchange your old unwanted software for some? Let me know what you %}want rid of, and I'll tell you how many PD disks you can have in exchange. My Aberystwyth address for the next academi%}c year is: 23 Ystwyth Close, Penparcau, Aberystwyth, Dyfed. Sorry I don't have a post code yet. My old Cwrt Mawr address is n%}o longer valid. The dates for which the new address is vaild are: 1 Oct 1991 to 13 Dec 1991, 14 Jan 1992 to 27 Mar 1992, 28 A%}pr 1992 to 24 Jun 1992 (this last date is subject to change). I will be at my usual home address at all other times. As usual%}, make sure your letters arrive at the right address at the right time. Just incase issue 4 doesn't come out until afte%}r the show, I thought I'd just say look forward to seeing you all if you can make it!Dean Garraghty.1 Sept. 1991. l afte$wGETTING IT DOWN ON PAPER------------------------By Jon Cooper.-------------In past issues of New Atari User a lot of re)}aders have wrote in asking about dumping graphics created with commercial software to there printers. So I decided to review )}two currently available programs Magniprint II and Weak! from the Page 6 P.D catalog. Can a P.D program possibly be as good a)}t its job as a full price release..Read on!MAGNIPRINT II-------------When Magniprint II is first booted up the first th)}ing on the screen is the file conversion menu. Before any going any further you have to load in your chosen picture file and )}save it in Magniprint II format.Files can be converted from all the following programs:- Micro Painter, Micro Illustrator,)} Paint, Fun With Art, B/Graph, Graphic Master, Super Sketch, Strip Poker, Movie Maker, Graphics Magician, Atarigraphics Lig)}htpen, The Print Shop and Syngraph. As you can see not much has been missed out!When you have converted your files to Magni)}print format you then load from disk the main printer program. You then are confronted by a screen asking for the file name o)}f the picture you want to load or you can list the disk directory. When the file is loaded it is shown on the screen. At the )}press of the space bar another menu is put up with various options on to enhance your picture. Touch up screen allows you to )}alter your picture using a joystick like the draw facility on Atari Artist. Add text lets you put writing any where on the sc)}reen, five character sets are on side two of the disk. Poster print lets you blow up your picture to wall poster size. When y)}ou have made any changes you want at a press of a button your picture is printed.Epson and Gemini printers are supported.I)} printed of pictures in Print Shop, Paint, Micro Illutrator and Micropainter formats using my Citizen 120D printer the resul)}ts were fine but the program seemed to have a few bugs in it. Ever so often it would refuse to load a file or the whole progr)}am would crash. Even so Magniprint II is fairly easy to use and one of the best things about it is the amout of different sof)}tware format files it can convert some of them I've never heard of. All in all Magniprint II is a good utility that does its )}job well.WEAK!-----When Weak! is first loaded a menu is put up asking you to chose between the main program and the d)}ocumentation.After Magniprint II I thought "Huh..Who needs docs on a printer program?"So I chose to run Weak! big mistake!)}The first thing that comes up after a few seconds of loading is a screen full of German. I managed to work out that you had t)}o press space to carry on. After a bit more loading a main looking menu is put up. I say main looking because the whole thing)}s in German."'Fiddle sticks' Ill have to load the docs after all!"After reading the docs all is clear Im ready to tackle th)}e menu again.When you get the hang of it Weak! is really easy to use. Pictures can be loaded from:- Micropainter, Koala, Fun)} With Art and Stripoker. Unlike Magniprint files don't need to be converted they can be read stright of the disk.Pictures ca)}n be printed in three sizes: Small Medium and Large. They can be printed across and verticaly down the page. Weak! can not ed)}it pictures but the colours on the screen can be changed to give the best effect on your printer (I found strong contrasting )}colours worked best like red and green). Pictures can also be displayed in graphics modes 8, 9 and 15.Epson, Star LC2410 an)}d Seikosha printers are supported but your own parameters can be keyed in but as the menu is in German this is a bit tricky!)}I printed pictures in a number of ways and got exellent results. Weak! is first rate at its job and very easy to use. Dont b)}e put of by th German it makes the program more interesting!THE FINAL VERDICT-----------------Both utilitys are good at )}there job but the main thing to think about is price. Magniprint II costs about twenty five pounds where as Weak! is only thr)}ee quid!My advise is to buy Weak! first if your happy with it fine, but if you need that bit more flexibility then upgrade t)}o Magniprint.MAGNIPRINT II is availible from GRALIN INTERNATIONAL price is about twenty five pounds.WEAK! is availible f)}rom PAGE SIX public domain libary price is two ninety five. WEAK!s libary number is DS#60.five pounds.WEAK! is availible f([ ABCDMXYLOOBBA(Bh@ @ @-} @ S."D:MENU.SYS LOAD*IT BY KARL STIEFVATERREVISED 10/24-}/85BY CLAYTON WALNUMCOPYRIGHT (C) 1985(BY ANALOG COMPUTING2 Ap<&&;@ ,;@,;@@-},FA +AR@A6-F:A`,%F:Aa,$AVPk0@70@Q0-}@@k0@ZG%@@d%@3%@@G%@&@Hd70-}@@70@@@nd6-6-% Ap,(}R(! ӭ ISS-}UE #3d-@@x1@1@@D:*.*2@27@<@,4 FA`-}&&7@<@,4SYSA06-%@( 2@27@<@,4 FA`&&7@-}<@,4SYSAE( A0K-@(->.-@@!K(USE