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I f|| If not, why  q y|| not?} ]}   @|| D ||  || ^}ǒ  ||  ||  || Atari User Grou _}p Inc.(c)1985 || 6 6: ?|***D [Alex Pignato, President` g******l 3376 Ocean Harbor `} Drive ****** .Oceanside, N.Y. 115723 8***]|Charter Member NEAR*US ATARI a} USER Gp.|| $ٯή0 3|XZ} Z-@ `ӠϠŠӭҠԬŠ̮Ϡ̮z`@dE:(AR`c}CΠŠ̮ҠŠқQB7t@dGM'@QU@dY_3@c?AKA d}Q-'A@e''@ +R5K:6-6-)6-A2V^56-@b33;,;,;,;,e}];,;,;,;A2,$(6.D1:WELCOME.SCR(8EA !A@hao3B7t@dsyE@}f}@d2L. A 6.6. $(. A6A`8-@!Ey8($Programmed For The Ol' Hackers Ataric9-@"}g}29(% User Group Inc. By:Kris Holtegaarde00('9 AModifiedE By:Thomas J. Andrewsj666.,THE OL' HACKERS' ATARI U.h}*G., INC. NEWSLETTERt67B:,%,.7<@8.o,y&-B:,6&7<,0 AU~ L 6. 67@s,.#67,i} .C6-+@&,'@%@"<L67,.'A @@r#-A"P' H6.D1:MAINMENU.HLP$@v5@j}A@:H(}!A !A@h>\" A (" A`q(]B7t@du'@k}@d 9A @$E-@"(V( Selection: ]6.2/ )/+"AU)"A&,*4A07"AUl}CrA`9."A&*B:,"6.$*. 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SINGLE SHEETS8( )( @e?E)!@fIMAIQ\B"@f`6-&'ÛL$/ 6-}"6. D1:**.TXT6-%"/ A@&5E (}-@9=@Av>(dd, ven, or ll Pages?E)++@ez*}@y *@iKAPU (}-9(%LOADING BUFFER before PrintingP.U(Use -P to Pause+(Use }-C to Cancel+-@S= 6. 67,.67,.#6.)6.16-%=@wWj/ - A`n6-'6-@@})/-"F:Ad,"A8" AU-s,F:Ad,"AF", A& &APAQwAQ }U67<,. AQ@67<,. AQ@67<,.! 6-%6-%@9Y ! "F:Ad,"A8" }AU=#,F:Ad,"AF", A$..'@AI"P:'@MT,*"@yXkASE%..'@owP:'@{,*}"@i ,ASE(9 A&@0P:,"9(@=2 "(GF6  '6-+",$%+",$+@}C?&,6(=:,PN (((":6-+",$@ CM%+",$@QZG*@'^vN*Z: 6-6-@@z}-$6.*":6. " @_"F:Ad,"A8" AUD`,F:Ad,"AF", Ad<67B:,%}u,.7<,)67B:,%,.7<,<67B:,%,.7<,n"6-?: Mention the word Atari to almost anyone and ask them what is ,}the first thing that comes to mind, and you can almost bet that the words "game machine" will quickly be uttered,}. This is understandable, since to this day we can look back and see Atari's 2600 incredible popularity as it becam,}Ge the first full fledged game system to be sold to the masses, and to this day remains the mother of all game machines,}. Game machines have always tried to get a portion of the computer market by offering add-ons such as key,}boards and non-game software. Atari has been the only company able to flourish both in the game market as well ,}Eas the computer market. Coleco bombed with their eventual release of a computer called "Adam". (Hmmm... come to ,}think of it, Apple bombed with their system called "Lisa", maybe companies should stay away from naming comput,}ers after people.)  Well, not too long after the release of the 2600, Atari set it's sights higher and decid,}ed to design a computer line.# This brought about the 8-bit line of computers as well as a new generation of game ma,}chines with better graphics and sound. It has continually remained a trend for Atari to sell computers and games ,}machines concurrently. The game machines are sold in drastically larger numbers and are always launched,} by large advertising campaigns. The advertising is almost non-existent when it comes to the computer line. ,} This is one of the main &reasons* wAtari has been associated almost entirely with games over the years. | A,}lthough they are trying harder than ever to make a clear distinction between the game and computer division, At,}ari still remains the innovator in the game arena. With the release of the Lynx, Atari became the first company to ,}have a hand-held colour game system. This is a wise pursuit since the home console market has become so extremely compe,} titive.  From the birth of the 520ST to the current TT030 we can see that Atari has evolved its computer lin,}e to be as powerful as the machines offered from Apple and IBM. This is not to deny that great games have been ,}available for the Atari computer line as well, but unfortunately the company's image has affected the ability for,} people to take an open-minded look when interested in purchasing a computer. It also seems quite ironic that gam,}es for all other computer lines sell in much larger quantities in comparison to Atari. Most of the new softwar,}e being released, especially for the TT line, is on a professional level and even the pursuit of big business. Games,}G are taking a back seat to this new image Atari is trying to project in the hopes of penetrating through to the co,}rporate level.  At our store (The Computer Network, a full service Atari dealer) I would say that games compr,}ise only 30% of our total software sales. Ordering and stock balancing is very difficult when it comes to games.,}Ǜ Most of them don't carry much more than a thirty day shelf life, if that, and it can become quite a tediou,}s task to second guess which games are going to be hot sellers. On the other hand, application titles such as wo,}rd processors or DTP programs we carry have been steady sellers for over three years. Of course, there are ex,}ceptions to the rule such as Dungeon Master, which broke new boundaries in adventure games and still outsells m,}ost new releases.  At this time, I see the Atari computer line becoming more focused on specializing in cer,}tain areas. Music seems to be a stronghold in the market, and all levels of desktop publishing are great forces for,} the ST/TT line, but it can not be denied that these computers are great for playing games. Real computers add an ex,}tra dimension of control and at times the necessary horsepower that some games demand to make them better than thos,})e found on dedicated game machines. . As time goes on, I think we will see the evolution of games machines and ,}computers continuing. Although there could eventually be a merging of the two technologies, I don't think we wi,}ll see one machine that will be able to excel equally in both areas and become adopted as an all purpose system. ,} With the continuing release of new and innovative technology, I would have to predict that Atari will continue ,}Pto be successful in their pursuit of both the game and computer markets. u- Mark,} Krynsky is co-owner of The Computer Network, a successful Atari dealership in Glendale, California (1605 W.Glen,}oaks, Glendale, CA 91201, 818-500-3900). Mark has been selling Atari computers for over six years. He particularly lo,}Gves customers who bring in mail order ads with cut rate prices or who come in and want help using software for which the,}y have no manual. ;-N ED'S NOTE : S I've included this article to give ,}(you some idea of the U.S. computer- 3market8 <> <>! ;The Battle of The Basic'sD Z(C) 1992 By Tom Huntd xAll rights reserved} 0}C Reprinted by OL'HACKERS AUG( This article may be freely distributed, and included in user's groups newsle0}$tters, and electronic magazines.* There seems to be a universal language among computer users. It's the basi1}c programming language. Almost everybody had dabbled with basic, at one time or another. There are alot of 1}other programming languages available for the Atari 800/XL/E. Like C, Action!, Pascal, Logo, Pilot, Assembly, an1}1d AVUE. But Basic remains popular, even today.9 wBasics come in two major flavors. The first being{ th1}e interpretive type, and the second being the type that compiles the Basic source program. For those of you w1}ho are unfamiliar with these terms, an interpreter gets a chunk of tokenized program, and interprets it, one chunk a2} *-*-*-*-*-* AWHATS THIS? MORE BONUS PROGRAMS??F Yes, as in the prior newsletters,we will always try t5}o give you a BONUSBASIC program, and even more, IF thereis room on the disk.Remember-look for any BONUS programs bygo5}ing to BASIC, list the DIRECTORY forthe name, then go to BASIC or to DOS L(BINARY LOAD [L]) in order to run the.OBJ or5}" .COM machine language programs.( -PLUS,1 You will will still havethe two BASIC programs that you run bypushing the5 } Space Bar when in the MAINMENU, one on each side of the DISK.NOTE: On any [.OBJ or .COM] program youhave to check to5 }2 see if it is to be runwith our without BASIC!= O<><><> END <><><>}4O+ *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* 6 KNEWSLETTER REVIEWS W gby Alan Sharkisn OHAUG Newslette9 }r Librarian We have just completed considerable work on the OHAUG Welcome Disk, a disk that we give to new membe9 }rs of the group to help them understand what we're all about. It includes samples of what can be accomplished w9}ith Atari 8-bit computers.! The original disk showed a lot of care and hard labor by its creators, including9} president ALEX PIGNATO, but it was time for major revisions. Interesting, then, that among the newsletters we've9}CH received from other user groups are signs that their newslettersL OareS ]undergoinga a continuous revision proc9}ess. That's as it should be. Stagnation doesn't mirror the present and works against a healthy future. Some may call9} 8- BIT'ters fossils, but we're not. We're alive, adaptable, and still creating, as these club newsletters wi9}ll show. The LVAUG Newsletter for August, 1992 has made an attempt to dispell the dryness associated with user gro9}up newletters. Interspersed among the articles are little humorous sayings, cartoons, one-liners and dialogs. Some9}, unfortunately, I've seen before, but you have to applaud their efforts. So must you applaud the efforts of E9}JD BACHMAN who begins a great tutorial on SpartaDos. Ed's approachO QisU `interestingd sand effective.w He t9}Bells us what a command-line processor is, and then proceedsF HtoL explain SpartaDos commands, comparing them dir9}ectly to the more familiar Atari Dos menu choices. In this way, he shows how the syntax of SpartaDos varies fro9}m that of Atari Dos, and shows also how it may be more flexible in some situations. I'd like to see a three- way 9}or four-way comparison done at some time, however. Maybe a chart will do. There'd be Atari Dos, disk- based Sparta 9}(as Ed has done), SDX (which I favor in many situations) and one other (perhaps MyDos?) No, I'm not volunteerin9}2g for this one, but it could be very useful.6 A reprint of Name Game by "THE OLD DOG", from NeoStag News. Jul9}#y 1991, rounds out this issue.' 9It's a humorous= look at commonly-used initials. The JACG Newsletter fo9}r September, 1992 carries a first-page article by editor DAVID ARLINGTON that I agree (ur, half) with. Let me exp9}lain. Dave got a 130XE, two additional disk drives and a Commodore 1702 color monitor. Now he feels he's in editor h9 }eaven. I, too, like the 1702 monitor. I've admired them from afar for many years. I even secured one for OHAUG9!} two years before I was able to get my own. Now that I have my own, I have to agree with Dave. The characters are cl9"}Gear, there's a tiny hint of artifacting that you have to go out of your way to find, and color purity is fantastic! Bu9#}#t, keyboards are much more of a subjective matter. I'm typing this now on my 130XE, and I absolutely HATE the keyboard! 9$} In my mind, the best keyboard Atari 8- bit computers ever used was the one on my old 800. A second to that is th9%}e Focus 2001 that I use with my IBM clone. I know it's impossible to put an 800 keyboard into a 130XE, but I'm going to9&} investigate the TransKey. Still, if Dave is happy, I'm happy for him. I know the new system will help him produce a9'}nd fight fatigue at the same time. JOSEPH E. HICKSWA's column on the 8-bit meetings was interesting. It alluded t9(}o a method of tying two 8-bits with different power requirements together. SAM COREY (also an OHAUG memember) se9)}ems to feel that new magazine, The Atari Classics Magazine may draw vital resources and readership away from AIM9*} and Current Notes. I can't say that I agree with him, because Current Notes 8-bit editor RICK REASER is9+} actively soliciting articles on FidoNet, and has made several contacts in this way. AIM has an agreement 9,}h to share articles with AC, and there is at least the potential that an AC article will appearl in AIM and vi9-}ce versa. However, Sam does state that he will support AC and urges others to do the same. I can't agree more with tha9.}t. SAM also cites OHAUG as an 8-bit club that continues to have a growing membership, with members who actively part9/}Picipate. If you'r an Ultima fan, you need to read DAVID ARLINGTON's columnT VonZ ^thatb still-popular adventure g90}ame. Finally, JOSEPH E. HICSWA (another OHAUG member) writes two great articles dealing with BASIC programming. Way to 91}go, JOE. One is a listing that produces a beautiful graphics display in only 20 lines of code. The other deals w92}!ith data statements. Nybbles' *and0 5Bytes< for November/December, 1992 mentions the OHAUG newsletters amo93}ng the DOMS that NWPAC President DALE WOOSTER is collecting for their library. We're honored, Dale. There are rep94}Grints of the CHUCK SHWARK (CLAUG) article on caring for floppy disks, and the BOB WOOLLEY (SLCC) article on high speed95}5Ǜ sector skews, how they work, and when and where they can be used. MIKE BROWN tells us how to change the batter96}y in an RTime8 Cartridge. DALE WOOSTER ends with a column boosting Atari Classics Magazine. ACE of Syracuse News97}letter for November/December, 1992 brings us a couple of interesting discoveries made by TOM FECTEAU. Tom found 98}that the Sega Genesis controller works, though not perfectly, on an Atari 8- bit system. If you're a gamer, and yo99}u like the feel of this controller or are just curious, read this article. Tom also reports that the old Electr9:}onic Arts game, M.U.L.E., which fascinated many of us in the 8- bit world, has been updated and released for the9;} Nintendo system. THOMAS J. ANDREWS(stillanother OHAUG member reviewed the premier issue of Atari Classics Magazine. 9<}It's a very favorable review and, I feel, also an objective one. Tom also reminds us that the type-in programs that 9=} we found in ANTIC, ANALOG, and Compute! can now be found on CompuServe and GEnie. Thanks, Tom. The PSAN for Novemb9>}er/December, 1992 continues a series of reviews of European 8-bit software with a review of AD 2044 from Poland writ9?}ten by KIT CARSON "(S*P*A*C*E).' +It's/ b%DOS SYSb*)DUP YSYSbSRAMDISK COMb[WELCOME SCRb;VNEWSLTR BASbHELP] DOCbPRESSPRTMNUbPRESSPRTHLPGb MAINMENUHLPbAUTORUN SYSbAUTORUN COMb<BGAMEMACTXTbCFBATTLE TXTbCBONUS TXTbl EOHNLREVTXTb$}DPRNTOOLTXTkGbVPRNTTOOLBASb;PICPRINTBASb6HNEWDISKTXTbGTIGERTWOPICbjFORMDOS1OBJbmFORMDOS2OBJbpGFORMDOSTXTHNEWDISKTXTq some material on how to transfer these documents to other machines. Jim follows this column with a report on his vi9r}sit to a swap meet run by another club. That's an interesting story by itself. The MUG Newsletter for Decem9s}ber, 1992 is rather thick. Some of that thickness, happily, is contributed by the Atari News section written by th9t}e members of NAPCO. NAPCO's offerings have been a little slim of late, and I'm glad they have recovered, though I am9u} a bit at odds with the bitterness and pessimism expressed in the longest article. This article is the first in 9v}oa series by DC Signorini that outlines his, and AUA's position regarding that controversy that erupteds in the P9w}ittsburgh area. Early in the article, Derek says that he is finished badmouthing Atari, yet he concludes with the opini9x}on that the ST is a dead-end platform and that serious users should look to the MacIntosh and Intel-based machines.9y}Ǜ History since then, with regard to the STe line and the projected Falcon, may prove him in a minority positi9z}on. But, his bitterness can be explained quite easily, as we follow his and his groups noble efforts against pira9{}cy. Of more 8-bit specific interest is an article by THOMAS J. ANDREWS, reprinted from the ACE of Syracuse Newsle9|}Gtter about such essential utilities as BASICON.COM, Custom Print, Print Star, and Multi- AUTORUN. The LIAUG Light 9}} <><><>$ 3PRINT TOOL 9.0> PRINT TOOL 9.0 --- a multi-purpose printer utility for Ep=~}son or Gemini printers. JProgram and text by: Charles F. JohnsonN _CIS # 75066,404f (PROGRAM IS ON THIS DIS=}K) PRINT TOOL is a BASIC program that will let you print out any ATASCII text file with its CTRL gra=}phics characters and all the other special ATARI characters just as they appear on screen. It lets you use any charac=}ter set that you wish (as long as it is stored in the standard 9 sector form used by most character editor programs), a=}nd will also print the date, author, and a nice boxed title at the beginning of the printout. This program is =}especially good for printing files that have been printed to disk with PaperClip or SpeedScript. PRINT TOOL also le=}ts you print out a directory listing in 2, 4, or 6 columns, or enter a line of text to be printed at any point. Ther=}e are three sizes of text available; all use the entire ATARI font or any alternate font you wish. You may al=}so choose between three line spacing settings. PRINT TOOL is designed for the Epson or Star Micronics (Gemini) printer=}s. Using PRINT TOOL. + When you run PRINT TOOL, the first thing you see is the OPTION MENU. Belo=}w the menu are several lines which will hold pertinent information as you use the program. The menu selections=} are: 1...Disk Directory. This command will display the directory of drive one or two in a double column form=}at, and then ask for a filename to print. If you want to print a text file from that disk just enter its name, w=}ith no D: specifier. If you're just looking at the directory or the file you want to print isn't on that disk, hit RET=}URN and you will go back to the OPTION MENU. 2...Print Directory. This will print the directory of drive one or=} two in the currently selected print mode (see change Print Mode). 3...Load Character Set. This command enables yo=}Eu to load a character set file from drive one or two. The new character set will then be used during any printi=}ng as well as displayed on screen. This option also allows you to return to the default Atari font. 4...T=}ype a Line. You may enter a line of text (up to three physical lines) to be printed in the current print mode =}and character set. Any characters may be used. 5...Enter Filename. This option lets you enter the name of an ATA=}SCII text file to be printed. If you want to print out a BASIC program with all of its special characters, you shoul=}d first LIST it to disk and then use PRINT TOOL to print the LISTed file. A SAVEd BASIC program is in a tokenized for=}3m, so if you try to print that, you're bound to7 Ghave problems.K Some word processors will allow you to print=}Ǜ text to a disk file, which can then be printed with PRINT TOOL (say, with a nice redefined font). 6...Enter Title. =} Lets you enter a title for the file you wish to print. The title will be printed with a border around it, at the top o=}f the listing. 7...Enter Author. Lets you give yourself (or whoever) credit at the top of your printout. 8...Enter =}Date. The date will be printed on the same line as the filename and author information. 9...Change Print Mode. =} This option allows you to set character size and line spacing. The character size will determine how many col=}umns are used when you print a directory listing; 2, 4, or 6. 0...Print File. This is where you go after you have ev=}erything set up the way you want it. If you haven't already entered a filename to print, you will be asked for one. I=}f you just press RETURN you will exit to the OPTION MENU. The lines beneath the Option Menu display print size and l=}ine spacing, the name of the file you have chosen to print, and whatever data you have entered for Title, Author, and D=}ate. PRINT TOOL sets your printer's "skip over perforation" feature so that you'll have nice, separate pages i=}C\n a long listing. I've found this program to be very useful --- I'm sure you will too.` Address comments via Com=}*puserve to Charles F. Johnson 75066,404.2 3> J<><>end<><>}<J**P0P1P2P3MDLVDLPDDLTDLPDLBDLPOKCRSINNSAVMSSMENLMARGNFILPFNPSSPTITLEADNCHOICADZMPA}dINORCNVINOUTMODSPLITEMPHLPRTGNDNUFNULFCNDIRFNCHBAPMBASPTVVTSTARDLISkmsu{A} &(.0 78 ?@ GH OP WX_`ghopwx}A} !#)+13:;BCJKRSY[acik rs!z"A}# $%&%&',.(56)=>*EF+LN,UV-]^.ef/mn0tv1}A}2 345 !6')7018899@A:HI;PQg Ԡ̠A}9ƮӠ@Q(}s;@U\,;@`g,;@kr,;@v,;@A} ,;@,;@!,;@%,,;@07,;@;,} A 2Πՠ<@)6-?:<A`&):@:A}`1,*@:2,='@$! (>:,6.D67,.>:,!$ŠӠ&6-F:B2y,&"@dA@AdAA}U$ҠԠƠΠ(6-?:<<%,(}%6-?:<<,($B"6-?:<<%A <A<,((}?6-?::,>:,>:,!'6.-6-7 A^$hˠҠrH"(P^ˠdH6-?:<A`:%A(,$ AA}@ &$% 6-@*O Ap%- HF:@SX,"@ \d-@!hw$+F:,",H-@!{$+A}F:,"@! ,1(1F:@"', @ +4)F:, @!8IA p-@MQ@ U:( Press to finish directoryL-A}@ @!Ep(Press à to enter filename )@'IbA 6-Af Ap AA}p( -@ F% A($ԠҠ""(KZԠ`V(  A} @6-+"@,$@%+",$%V6-?:<A`:@4^i,A>:@4m, to use the A}normal ATARI font.* )'>:,01*>:,02*>:,0A*$#>:,4A AVA$#$" 6.D67,.>:,"67,A}T.:E%(Enter character set filename.+4(>;B4E$v67@Xe,. 6-%@i* Ap;@A}v6-?:<AP<@\<AR<$AV<AV<A$,36-?:C:hhhLV,<@`,$0AV3$A}ŠŠ4"(%Š-4( E$(Enter a line to print below.E((maximum - 3 physicalA}l lines)F-(%Press on a blank line to exit.0(F6-?:<A`o*("Press Ԡ to entA}ter a new line.S($Press Ԡ to reprint this line.o(Press Π to exit.H A@"$R"@xAA}$\66-A@ Ap%-@(,(6 APfԠŠpN(Filename to print? >7(( to exitA})>E4K6-N$z! 6.!B:,")B:,"A  7<,4D:6.7, 6-''7<,4D1:)7<,4D2A}9:A 07 6.6.D67,.=:,(67,.:767@=u,. 6-6- ! $B6-?:<<<<,&-@y@A} 6(  B-@ $( !6-?:<<,$$ŬҬŠ;( ҠŠ1(EntA}er your title below:4(;(> 4$5 6. 67A ,.#67,.,6.56-B:,Q -67%,.A} :67@@,%,.>:@:7,,%A(,M67@x0T%,.Q ]67%,.#67@9Xf,.767@Aj%,.I67@wA},.]67@y%,.$B( ҠŠ.(Enter the date below:1(8(>?B$G(ҠҠ3(A}PEnter author info below:6(=(>DG$$ԠŠ.' @ TZ'-@ ^b@f8T(ԠԠA}ź9(堠T(B9(9(L*-A}@ @V*( V& )& @:1,)!@:4,Ap`6-&@HZj.>:,41"6. 40 Col. LargeA}.6-@u 6t/>:,42#6.40 Col. Medium/6-@v:e~/>:,43#6.80 Col. Medium/6-@vi/>:,44#6.A}.160 Col. Small/6-A" A-@ 26@:]T(ԠŠǺ9(bnsxT(}A} 8(*/8( ! ) @:1,)!@:3,!$%>:,416.A}1/6 in.%6.2%>:,426.1/8 in.%6.0&>:,436.1/9 in.&6.A$ԠŠ4 A}C(( ԠŠ 4A;6-?:<A`:A}]AU,z 6-z6-?:<A <<A<AR<B2V<<B2W<<B2X<<B2H<@Da<B2I<Av<AY<@FA},*@FA'B7tA*$C*6-?:<%<<%@JR<<%@Vk<,26-%@6-%@oC$̠A};ǠӠ40,34,29,34,35,9D:PRINTOOL.BAS}@; House for January, 1993 contains a reprint from Z*NET of January, 1992 of an article on announcing and describin9}g The Black Box from CSS." This is very informative, particularly if you are looking for a hard drive interf9}Gace for your Atari. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+* End *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*e, particularly if you are looking for a hard drive interf8>} "}uv[qMAINMODENAMEPR1PR2PR3FILETEMPDUMPFILFFPIDUMPRPRSCPICSTBKCRCRCRDKEPADUMP2DUMP1PE}IRTGRFJJ== &PT AUX[ @`a hi pq xy}E} #$+,34;<CDKLST[\cdklst{E} 5!" SAVE "D:PICPRINT.BAS" ##THIS PROGRAM WILL DISPLAY ANDPRINT KOALA TYPE PICTE}hURES(2 THIS PROGRAM WILL NOT WORK<""WITH MONKEY WRENCH INSTALLEDFPss;A0,;@als,;@w,;AF}"r,;Ar,;Ar,;A &-,;@1S,;Ax,;Ax,U;@W^,;@bj,Z1 +pAR@F}1A@ _Q0@$(@,0@4:70@>B@FJ@NTQ0@X\@`d@hqd%%(}y IN TF}HE PUBLIC DOMAINe$$(4]fc#(ĠɠԠC(wc(F}Š#g##(/1=Fi##(NXĠ`ij##(}F}kW( WHICH PRINTER*( PSON9( EMINIE( ECW( ROWRITERm!(ENTER YOUR CHOICE!F}#n@4E)4G)4N)4P6(--7J@ A p @Nsx!!PUT DISK I/O SUBROUTINES IN PAF}GE FOUR CASSETTE BUFFER.ee162,16,169,0,157,72,3,169,0,157,73,3,32,86,228,192,0,48,9,238,31,4,208,3,238,32,4,96,104,F}104,96%-A$AT"!% !!DUMP$ IS A MACHINE LANGUAGEROUTINE THAT DOES THESCREEN DUMF}PIT ALSO USES THE FIRST 20!!BYTES OF PAGE 1 (0100,0110)DUMP1$ IS FOR EPSON TYPES""DUMP2$ IS FOR NEC, PROWF }RITERcc67@y,.PhhhhhhhϩР˅ѥϭiͭi88שϭcc67@}F }9,.PiͭiΥ) JJ) = q͑JJѥ8%%67Aa,.(̅ХД`cF }Cc67@ j,.PhhhhhhhϩР˅ѥϭiͭi88שϭcc67@n,.PiͭiF } Υ)  JJ) q͑JJѥ8%%67Aa,.(̅ХД`!!MODE$ IF }S A MACHINE LANGUAGE""ROUTINE TO CHANGE GRAPHICS 8TO GRAPHICS MODE E",GG6.=h01eeAF}O ݩ֩N`6@!!MAIN$ IS A MACHINE LANGUAGEJ ROUTINE TO DECOMPRESS .PICTFILES AND DISPLAY F}THEMr|ww67@,.dhBDE   D    F} ww67A,.d!  XY X!  FD))   F}ww67A,.d ]GPee`/ee(e--67F}CA,.eee`##67A<A,.>:@4Gf,##67AW<AW,.>:@4j,READ DF}XISK DIRECTORYAND STORE .PIC FILENAMESff(^ Hit [RETURN] to see if this disk_ contains any pictures that canF} be Dprinted!L*(!IF NONE, INSERT THE PICTURE DISK.H(H kTHEN PRESS ΠL46-@ov4@z@F} *D:*.PIC+ 6. 67A .;,. +67@?L,.@P]$$7@ae<@i,0 A`16F}7@ <@,.D:167@"5,..PIC*67@9?$&@CP,.*6-%@T_& @7cxA06-&@|F} :@ IDNNOW GET WHICH PICTUREXTO PRINTblA +O2( } ŠӠΠӠˠ5(A6-F}v-@&6.7$@*.&@2@,UB-++'@DL&P:'@PV,, ? Z_,$@ ci'@mq%@uN @F}U(  (- ))(!ENTER '0' TO CATALOG A NEW DISK9 A 5("WHICH PICTURE DO YOU WANT TO PRINTF} 9";A!A 6.7$@?C&@GZ, 6.-@^B:,)7<,0 )67B:,%F}@ ,.7<,  @$(@,.4?!+@CG%@Kp!6-?:C:,, 6-?:C:,,@t *F}M РҠҠӛ4>H AR A`\.@QX.@\`@dflP:a2 4EF}C6-C:,'(@A@326.Lb2 4G6-C:,'(@Es@326.Lc7 4N6-C:,*(@wT1F}-6[Q76.S0772d7 4P6-C:,*(@1mT16[Q76.S0772f7 6.67Ar,.+67@q,.16.76F}N.p 6-C:,6-C:,zΠϠҠЛ7%6-F:@RY,%F:@],$AV7AdAUKF }- @9Y,F:Ad,AU/'AAdAUK A P*6-A$@@]%%*6-?:<<<, 0(F!}@(@* 0(@.=(@AR (@Vr  B'g"@v+F"}S" A THIS ROUTINE CHANGESTHE GRAY SCALES36-@W_6-@ck'6-@ow36-@{F#}3+@ %@2-!6-?:C:,,3AR@1M{!A@p$+&@Qk,?A@p$+&@o,]A @F$} p$+&@*,{A@p$+&@.@, (}6-@D--6-F:A`,%F:Aa,$AV%As--6-F:@F%} ,%F:@,$AV&A!*W-04@8@7-@DJ$@NT$%@XbO%%@@fl$@pS W +F&}%@ @e+%@"@&15%@5=F:%@AJ,5%@NVF:%@Zf,K@xjr2%@v&P:'F'}AV,$AVK%@3P:'AV,8@7>.@BF@JLRlK:8 A@xpy#Q*("}} F(}P PRESS RINT OR ENU OR IEW.Q(" CHOOSE COLOR TO CHANGE. (1-4)(**(! 1X Y2b c3l x428@|F)}.@ @3K:8 A0<)@7D@I"@H)"A?(!} PRESS ANY KEY TO STOP PRINTINGI AF*}PA!!"@w1)"A A B-"@5)"A# A- A F$$(} BLACK = 1 2 3 4 5 = WHITEP!!(F+}B CHOOSE NEW SHADE. (1-5)Z33(PRESENT SHADE FOR COLOR #&@HFY IS _@e]hdV"@Ilw( )@{F,} .6-&@H'LA@p$+&@I+A,V AnV"@PEP( )@T`.6-&@HdLA@p$+&@IF-},V AxV"@Q)( )@-9.6-&@H=VLA @p$+&@IZp,V AV"@Rt( )F.}@.6-&@H/LA@p$+&@I3G,V Ai%2@KOASW@[_@ck9-@os@ w= _F/}C2@  3i A1#A7d%#-A`Ac'"-1 1#Ah%#-AdAgF0}0'"-1 1#AI%#-AhAq'"-1 1#AM%#-ArAu'"-1 $F1}DATA FOR GRAY SCALES15,15,15,1510,5,10,510,0,5,0 2,0,8,0 0,0,0,0PRINTER ERROR RF2};OUTINE",,($SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE PRINTER!,%%2@?CAGK@OS@Wb6-@fj@ n @%%2@F3} %J-@)-A1W T APrw)+@[_%@cg%@2k)6-?:C:,,{!F4}A@p$+&@4,?A@p$+&@8R,]A @p$+&@Vp,{A@p$+&@t,-F5}@ A4 $D:PICPRINT.BAS$+&@8R,]A @p$+&@Vp,{A@p$+&@t,-D- ()()() ]NEW DISK N/L's -by ALEX PIGNATO, member OL' HACKERS A.U.G. NYc Want to keep your 8 BIT hJ7}umming along with the newest? If so, you must subscribe to two new English entries from EUROPE. I have digested J8}issues 1 to 6 of NOSAUG; 71 WALKER Rd.; TORRY; ABERDEEN; AB1 3DL; SCOTLAND). I have also digested issues 1J9}P and 2 of TWAUG; P.O. Box # 8; WALLSEND; TYNE & WEAR; NE2B 6DQ; ENGLAND.U I can truly tell you that they were J:} very satisfying meals for us hungry 8 BIT lovers. You have to see them to really appreciate the versitility J;}8 of the 8 BIT. The graphics are top drawer,< the information gleaned from the articles runs the gamut for neJ<}w to old users. Gamers are not forgotten either, so that you have a true cross section of the 8 BIT. Like reading J=}ANTIC or ANALOG magazine, only it comes to you as a disk. The text when printed, reads like the magazine articles onlyJ>}Ǜ BETTER. They have LOADS of NEW stuff, mostly from EUROPE, that we on this side of the lake have never seen. As the J?}editor of the OL' HACKERS newsletter, I think I can truly evaluate a good disk newsletter when I see one, J@}and both of the above mentioned newsletters get my hearty WELL DONE. If you are a member of a users group, ask JA}G your club to subscribe. You will be doing yourself an injustice if you don't get these scarce sources of 8 BIT materiJB}Bal. I suggest you send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope to both of these disk newsletters and ask how yoJC}u or your group, can purchase a subscription. You will not be sorry you did, take it from an 8 BIT lover. JD} <><><>an purchase a subscription. You will not be sorry you did, take it from an 8 BIT lover. HǪV ?< "b"&fb"%T@j&!" 2033UUNV}DŽQCO wݏ (PUTU>0??UUEUQ  w*"*@UPNW}*(UjhdTQU> wݏ  @PPࠨ* UjdTQUE w7(NX}Ǫ  @P@PTj)O?0Gw݆ ("( @P@PTTj)NY}3w7 *@PTP@@*XPP7wݍ *@PTUNZ}ǁP@@ZXP w (* B@PEAQPTUA(w7 w݇ ("*JBTPN[}DžEAQPTU ( w7(* *@TP@X* 7w݆ (* (*@PTN\}PX* w7(* (P**w݂  (* (*PX**N]}w7* * 7w݁ (* * * w7( "(  7w ݄N^} ( (* (  !w7( ( (  7w!ݍ  ("(* %! "w(*  N_}TP@pt w"݌ ( *  TP!"w7 "( (*" $VZYEpw"ݍ **"$VN`}Ywtr@s wp*((* AEuw҃ ݄ "(* wB wt@(*Na}7(  ( DEEpw݃ ݉  (* ( Ew wtvp@ 7 w7Nb}ǂ(B@3w݂܈ =  B@w7 ( (Bh@*(7wp  7w݂( Nc}Ǩ ݇  w77w7 (pw݁  ݂ ( (6w7*(pw6Nd} * 9w7*3w9݂* :w7w9݂ `w``w` ݂ ( (6w7*(pw6LOG33BJD3E V0 BHID3E V0d 02BJD3E V 028?30QB JD f}fǩ3E VB0HID3E V0 BHIhD3E V@ BLV A 223cc g}i(2:] `) 93 ӠԠBX`ERROR WRITING MEM.SAV - Y TO RUN DOS!332u3` h}DZˌӭ@H@I@@h@`}SmartRAM-II DOS 2.5 D8:1050 EMULATORby Tim Patrick, COPYRIGHT 1989 ANTIC i}ĠҠˠšD1:DUP.SYSD8:MEM.SAVD8:cgko0LATORby Tim Patrick, COPYRIGHT 1989 ANTICS4&5)?Ң794q484 4 \`).(8 @ ҩb \Lb`zH~ zRk}c}jh 'zc}jh'!< (=!xHhem~''xHhem~@Hz~!zH~&zKJ!'?#:!'hezM~E"4RHe!'#!'zhMPj'!Z!'Z!' !c!4z!'hjJjm~!'MmRl}~j@x J  k y  k R hez" zB k @ KmHhKc"~k~ k 4&zKJ!'?#:!'hezM~E"4RHe!'#!'zhMPj'!Z!'Z!' !c!4z!'hjJjm~!'MmP94'5)?Ң794q484 4 \`).(8 @ ҩb \Lb`'zc}jVn}h'!J<(=!'xHhem~"x'xHhem~)'xHhem~!zhMPj!'Z!'Z!'n( -*>!!'zH~&zKJ![!hezM~E"RHe![!hjJjm~!Mm~j@x 'J  k yVo}(  k R zBhez" zB k @ zBKmHhKcb~k~," k 4!'Z!'n( -*>!!'zH~&zKJ![!hezM~E"RHe![!hjJjm~!Mm~j@x 'J  k yT: FORMAT/DOS/DUP/RAMDISK IN 1 OPERATION by ALEX PIGNATO, member of THE OL' HACKERS ATARI USERS GROUP, Inc. NY BOTH ofZq}/ these programs will be found on this disk!5 If you are like me, You hate to have to do the necessary typing toZr} FORMAT a new disk, prior to using it. Its a drudgery that must be done on each new disk. Wouldn't you like to FORMAT,Zs} add DOS.SYS, DUP.SYS, and RAMDISK.COM to your disks all in one operation, and at the same time, just handle the diskZt}q once? Sounds too good to be true? Here is how you can do it, BUT, ONLY IF YOU HAVE TWO DISK DRIVES!. w On thZu}is disk will be found a program called FORMDOS1.OBJ, which has all the commands to do the job, simply and very eZv}fficiently. To use it, load a DOS.SYS disk, and then copy RAMDISK.COM on this disk. Then type [E] (RENAME) and theZw}C+n rename FORMDOS1.OBJ to AUTORUN.SYS.0 Now, before you load and boot the disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS (the renZx}xamed FORMDOS.OBJ) in DRIVE #1, put in a blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #2, then boot up the disk with the new AUTORUNZy}a.SYS in DRIVE #1, then sit back and watch the fun. Do not do anything more at this point.g The screen will quicklZz}hy give you a warning that this program is about to FORMAT, add DOS/DUP & RAMDISK.COM on DRIVE #2.n The drive will Z{} go on and the disk in DRIVE #2 will first be FORMATTED, then DOS.SYS and DUP.SYS will be added, then RAMDISK.Z|}QCOM will also be added. This will all be done without you doing any typing.W Following the above, DRIVE #1 willZ}} automatically activate, and the DANGER WARNING that the program is about to FORMAT, add DOS/DUP & RAMDISK.COM Z~} to DRIVE #2, will be printed on screen. You now have a few seconds to take out the disk in DRIVE #2, which has beeZ}n FORMATTED etc. TURN IT OVER (be sure disk has been NOTCHED), and insert (side 2) the new blank unformatted disk in DZ}%RIVE #2. DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE!+ Once again sit back and watch the new disk being FORMATTED, with DOS/DUP, Z}T and RAMDISK.COM put on the disk, and all done without any typing on your part.Z This process will go on as long aZ}s you keep feeding blank unformatted disks in DRIVE #2. When you want to stop the procedure, all you do is hit [RESET] Z}9when the DANGER etc. etc. sequence comes on screen.? Remember to keep the disk with your new AUTORUN.SYS on iZ}nt as your Master Disk for whenever you want to prepare a bunch of disks in advance of your using them.t Also on Z}this disk you should find a program called FORMDOS2.OBJ. This program will do the reverse of the above. It will Z}work from DRIVE #2, and format disks in DRIVE #1. You must first load a disk with DOS/DUP on it, then insert the disZ}k with FORMDOS2.OBJ, and! 'rename, it AUTORUN.SYS using [E]. Then put this disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS inZ} drive #2, put in a blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #1. You should still have DOS on screen. Now, hit [L] and type Z}CX "D2:AUTORUN.SYS", and the process will once again start over as outlined above.] A final thought. I suggest thaZ}t you put FORMDOS1.OBJ on side 1 of a MASTER DISK, along with RAMDISK.COM, and put FORMDOS2.OBJ on side 2 along with Z}RAMDISK.COM, and then only use this MASTER DISK whenever YOU WANT TO FORMAT A WHOLE BATCH OF DISKS! OF DISKS!O FORMAT A Xr2 38 cTHEN PRESS  A`^(}gMORE FONTS?(Y/N)!+ 3 ()()() INEW DISK N/L's -by ALEX PIGNATO, member OHAUGN Want to keep your 8 BIT humming along with the ^}newest? If so, you must subscribe to two new English entries from EUROPE. I have digested issues 1 to 6 of NOSAUG; 71 WALKER ^}t a time. Almost like a human language interpreter, it must translate the source code into something the compu2}ter's CPU can understand. And more importantly, it does this while your program is running! A compiler, on th2}8e other hand, will translate your Basic program< @intoD MsomethingR your computer's CPU can understand, called2}Ǜ machine language. It does this once, and saves the compiled Basic program out to disk, usually with a ".COM" or ".OBJ"2} file extension. Occasionally you will find a compiler which generates what is known as pseudo- code, or "p-c2}ode". But since none of the Basics reviewed here uses pseudo- code, we won't cover that here. The Basic's reviewed in th2}Mis article are as follows: Interpreters: Atari Basic Revision C Basic XEQ Turbo Basic XL 1.4 CTH FastBasic 2.0 Tur2}:bo Basic 3.2q Compilers: MMG Compiler Turbo Basic XL@ In this article I will attempt to touch upon several o2}f the most popular Basic language programs, and briefly describe what I feel are each one's strong points. I will also 2}be describing how each of them performed a simple benchmark program I made. First of all, about the benchmark prog2}ram. The benchmark program I made was no scientific marvel. It made no attempt to measure "drhystones" or "w2}hetstones", which are pretty alien to most Basic users. Instead, I made my program access certain functions of Basic,2}G which your own programs would most likely be accessing. The program also benchmarked how long it took each Basic to2} perform a GOSUB loop, and a FOR/TO/NEXT loop. Here's a list of the functions and tests which my benchmark prog2}ram tested these Basic's with. LOOP TEST, 500 ITERATIONS GOSUB TEST, 400 ITERATIONS SIN(X) TEST, 50 ITERATIONS COS(2}ZX) TEST, 100 ITERATIONS SQR(X) TEST, 30 ITERATIONS ATN(X) TEST, 30 ITERATIONS 2^X TEST,^ 30 ITERATIONS X/.2 TEST, 2002} ITERATIONS The benchmark program used the real-time clock inside my 800XL to time how long it took for each B2}asic to perform each test, along with the amount of time to run all the tests together. The total time to run all th2}e tests is interesting, because since the results of each test were printed out to the screen, it indicates 2}how efficient each Basic's print-to-screen routine is. The following table is formatted for 80 columns, and show2}s the average total time each Basic used to run through the entire benchmark program. The time recorded is in jiffie2}s, or 60ths of a second. A-J AverageN STotalW Time Test For Interpreted Basic 2}%-] BASIC USED| ATARI| BASIC XE| CTHFB| TB XL| TB 3.2Q |h p| 1889|v 455| 2} 778| 364| 364| >-n Average Total Time Test For Compiled Basic }-2}-5 COMPILER USED | MMG | TB XL|D T| 1416| 300|[ Now for a brief examination a2}bout each interpreted ?Basic performed. ATARI BASICE The version of Atari Basic used was revision C. R2}esults of the benchmark program shouldn't differ if ran on revision B. Atari Basic came in last in the benchmark test.2} Didn't surprise you, did it? However, I don't want to "beat up" on good old Atari Basic too bad. You have to2}c remember when it was designed, and that it fits neatly into 8k of memory. BASIC XEi This is a Basic sold2} by ICD, and before that by OSS. It has many fine features which weren't accessed by the benchmark program. One of t2}Ghese features is the fact that it can use banked ram on machines with more than 64k. For running the benchmark pr2}mogram, it had all extension loaded in, and FAST was set to ON. It finished second. CTH FASTBASICs This is a2} shareware Basic, sold by my company, CTH Enterprises. It came in third. It features a built-in screen accelerator, an2}d a built-in fast floating point math package. It should be noted that the numerical results printed out as the res2}ult of each individual test varied from the other Basic's. This is because of the custom fast floating point package. 2}cIt is more accurate than any of the other Basics tested. TURBO BASIC XL, and TURBO BASIC 3.2qi These two Basic's ti2}ed for first place! Turbo Basic XL will only run on XL/E computers. It uses the ram that is underneath the opera2}.ting system rom, in the $C000 through $2F address area. Unfortunately, Sparta dos 3.2d also wants to use th2}Eis area for itself, making Turbo Basic XL incompatible with it.K Turbo Basic 3.2q is a variation of Turbo Basic 2} 400/800, originally written for the old Atari 400's and 800's. The 3.2q version was made so that it is fully com2}patible with Sparta dos 3.2d. It supports all the same functions that Turbo Basic XL has, except for the BRUN and 2}GBLOAD functions. However, these can be easily done with XIO's.N Now for a brief examination about how t2}3he compiled Basic's performed. MMG COMPILER9 When program compilation starts, you have the option of includ2}ing either the integer or the floating point math package into your program. Integer math is much faster than flo2}ating point math. However, integer math cannot handle functions that require a floating decimal point, such as ma2}ny of the individual tests within the benchmark program require. To be fair, if I had made a benchmark program based upon 2}integer math, and had included the integer math package into the compiled code, the MMG compiled Basic program w2}ould have fared much better. But in real world programs, floating point math is used more often than integer math. That2}C4's why I included floating point math functions8 >}0vRd.; TORRY; ABERDEEN; AB1 3DL; SCOTLAND). I have also digested issues 1 and 2 of TWAUG; P.O. Box # 8; WALLSEND; TYNE & WEAR;^} NE2B 6DQ; ENGLAND. I can truly tell you that they were very satisfying meals for us hungry 8 BIT lovers. You have to s^}ee them to really appreciate the versitility of the 8 BIT. The graphics are top drawer, the information gleaned from the arti^}cles runs the gamut for new to old users. Gamers are not forgotten either, so that you have a true cross section of the 8 BIT^}G. Like reading ANTIC or ANALOG magazine, only it comes to you as a disk. The text when printed, reads like the magazine artic^}EE