SEPTEMBER
1984
^COMPUTER
^"S ^ENTHUSIASTS
lUf L. I i
m LLLi
Dear members,
Wellington Atari Computer Enthusiasisj
Herewith the September newsletter. *-
NEXT MEETING
; s
■ 1$
u-..^ "r Kt m ® eting wi 11 be held on. Wednesday, Octobe- " r -.t n --v
Us.ua 1 , the meeting will be at the TAR h .niHi - ett 7 * -~ AJ P«*. As
onl Y tD ««" a seat! Featuring'at this meet nn Quay ’ Be there > if
new commercial software, the mark^tina nf ! ! be the demonstration of
long promised above l6k c W ! ‘ d ° h d^tratto" ""I 5 ^ ^ th *
Educational Tape (see elsewhere in fhi- wlL? If 7 ° 1 ast mon th : ‘s
tape). In addition, we hopeto'be aM t ^ f ° r instructions for this
repair and/or enhance members’ tape decks. ann ° Unce the detaiis of a scheme to
last meeting
Our thanks to members f
month s meeting was notab 1
products. Firstly, Monaco
best cartridges at prices
reasonable. Secondly, Rich
it plain that his firm i
firm has a range of "third
some 20 new titles arrived
With Monaco's more vigorou
retailers, there should be
the region.
NOVEMBER MEETING
or enduring the auction. In the longer t*rm, last
e ,Qr tne nows about the better marketing of Atari
are shortly to produce, under ], rP r- c „ tar1
t hat , h " unaer license, many of the-
l*a %i T e dSValued tlmes ' «iil be quite
:' fl Llrd ' who runs me Computer Experience", medp
to vigorously market Atari products. Already hiV
party" software not previously seen in Ellington •
,/ n - hG oast two weeks, and more are on the wav.
Vrani°S C r marketing, and the help of Wellington
rapid increase in the number of Atari users in
coL°L a exoT^n 1 ^ y "hD^» E inS L thr are hoDetLa ° f havi "°
to the Atari. Videotext will also be discussed.”
BLANK DISKS
"how note" on adding MODEM?
of ten. A11 h o u a h ” t n e se ik a ar^^old '^J 54 ® 11 blsks available at *45.00 per box
double sided. At this’pric^ th^ Ire Iblrglx ^'’ “ ni Ckl nc ™" them
OTHER MATTERS
Mo one nav-ing indicated any significant interest fhP Wri Bn r
group is declared a non-starter. Quite what thi'-- * bames interest
it be that, we are all "into" - Pr i r,..-" t th toaVi> at, ou.t our members ( can
U lnto =erious computing?), I don’t know.
1 he September issue of "ANTIC" ha- Arri S ,- M ...
graphics - one of Atari’s Inna dnt- T+- 7. ’, bPeLia feature being on
it being placed the'« “ t ^tv 7el" b * n at our next *«'«■ Prior t<
club-s «,««„„ are pi a^ain Noe™* b’' o' tn7 Ci tyTZlr ^ ^
there or borrowed - out- nf t owner- r^n _ . . ' Library. ! hey can be read
them through the "lnterloan" service! 1Slr "° Cal ilbrary ' s to obtain
Jack Trami el’s takeover of Atari
some of the P p?h mj-t, r rn « mont . * S hardly news now - but just to balance
h p’« thp r!t- ! comment we should report that ANTIC
ut... _ cne cat pyjamas.
magazine thinks
Yours sincere1y,
. Des Rowe
EDUCATION — AND SOME OTHER MATTERS
The September education tape never did get demonstrated, because so many
other things were happening that night. So here is a list of programs on
it for those who are wondering whether to buy it, and a note for those
who did.
OLD MACDONALD: The list says a counting and matching game for
pre-schoolers and early primary school classes. Your brilliant WACE tape
compilers, being mere dumb grown-ups, couldn't figure how to actually
Play it, but the kids no doubt will. A chocolate fish, or equivalent, to
the first one who phones me with usable instructions.
ESTIMATIONS Visually assess the size, number and co-ordinate
relationships between lines, shapes and dots. (Graded Std 3 - adult)
COUNTING: A fun addition or counting game for juniors - std 1. Answer
correctly and be visited by a friendly alien.
UNSCRAMBLE: Another scrambled letters spelling game
PLURALS, VERBS: These two have a similar structure to NOUNS, which we
used earlier. I haven't had time to check for errors yet!
HANGMAN QUOTES? Hangman with quotations instead of single words. Just a
thought: Maybe someone will spend a wet afternoon replacing data in some
of the games of this type, so that when we are all thoroughly familiar
with it we can issue it again with a new lease of life.
ODDS or EVENS: Similar in format to PLURALS etc. Good graphics are a
feature of this series.
ALGEBRA: Algebra drill giving a choice of equations to solve, from
simple primary school stuff to some just a little more complicated.
rfc ***** :*
LOGO AND PILOT
Somehow I shall find time to organise some tutorials between now and the
end of the year. The sooner interested members phone me the sooner I
shall be able to go into action. NB I SHALL NOT BE AT THE OCTOBER MEETING
so don't count on contacting me there.
Non Z put on my other hat.
Cl eassssr- oom C cr. m pj la fc ce v* 1 = 3 . Ltd
I have available one memory module for XL600, price $300
I shall also have one disc drive when stocks arrive. Price
unpredictable.
LOGITEC 5002 printers (type-face - IBM style - said to be even better
than on the 5001) were listed at $1158 retail on August 15. I could sell
them for $895 cash if there were 5 buyers interested, say in November,
subject to availability of suitable interfaces. My own Logitec is busy
every day, with AtariWriter, and perhaps another demonstration could be
made at the November meeting. But ring before then if you might be
interested.
AND FINALLY ... if your local primary school ever mentions the word
computer put in a word for the only retailer specialising in primary
classroom computer education, won't you? Incidentally, we're running a
5-week evening course next term at High School entitled Logo in the
Primary Classroom.
JeMany Chi shol m — te^l . 72:3- OGG
W A C
BEG I NNEES BASIC CL
^ “ 1 hi t-13»s is for beginners (whether
i^ciul ts Oi child* en ) who want to learn how to program their
Atari computers in BASIC. The accent will be on the children -
b u. t, f i'- om t h e h i q h 1 y p os i 1 1 v e e;t p e r i e n ce Q f i a s t y e a r 5 s
c 1 a s s, a d u 11. s c a n k & e p u p. A 1 1 s t u. d e n t s w i 1 1 f 1 n d that t h e y a r e
•able to make considerable progress.
WHERE;
A t t h e i h a r n d o n F :: ' r i m a r y S c h o o 1
WHEN; Door s op (an a t 3.
s e 11 1 n g - u p a f t h e & q u i p m e n t. C1 a s me s
and last for a little over an hour,
b u n d a y,0c t o b er / , and sub se q u en t c 1 a
will run through to the end of the ..
a break over the? Labour weekend. Depend i nq on demand, classes
could resume after the Christmas holidays,in early February
lO p.m. for 10 minutes
themselves begin at 4.00
he first class meets on
ises - always on Sundays -
term. There wi 1.1 , however , be
rulC-lE; We are fortunate that, our tutor last
year,Keith Hobden,a Committee member and a member of the
Ministry of Wor ks and Development’s Computer Services
Division,has kindly agreed to take this class again.
L u ° ° : h e 1 1 h i a d o n a t. i n q h i s s e r v i c e s b u t t h e
club does I lave to hire the c 1 alf-room that we 5 .1.1 be
using. Fhorndon School is,very reasonably,only charging a
dollar per student per weekly session for the use of it'-"
facilities. This fee will be collect.ed each session.
EQUIPMENT:
man :i. tor ; cas
ok tension 1 e
Atari BASIC
Please brings your computer; TV or
s e 11 e u n i t; B A SIC c a r t r i d q e; t r a n s f o m e r s;
ad; junction bo;:; pen/penci 1 ; paper; and
manual or an equivalent book.
1 onq
your
mTMOb PHENE: I t 5 s a pity to have to mention this but we
h a d a p r o b 1 & m 1 a s t y e a r t h a t. vm e? n a n t. t a a v o 1 d 11" ! 1 s 1 .1 m e
round.There was some rather disruptive behaviour from a few
of the kids. It. didn't make the rest of the class very happy
and to keep the atmosphere as 1 i ght, i nf oroial and constructive
as post*!hie,we 11 have to ask any kids who are not prepared
to be considerate and cooperative to find something else to
d O.
EDITORIAL
by Mike Dunn, Co-Editor
It has been the practice of ACE to have very few editorials to pre¬
sent mostly news, reviews and programs. Recent events in the world
of Atari have changed everything for all Atari owners, and I feel all of
us need to know what is happening and then plan for the future of
ACE and other user groups. As I am sure everyone knows, Atari, Inc is
now owned by Jack Tramiel of Commodore fame.
What most of us do not realize is that our Atari is dead. They are not
manufacturing any of the old units; and when the present stock is
gone, that's it. There is no user group support, Customer support, etc.
Knowing the history of Commodore, where frequently even different
versions of the same model were incompatible, and none of the dif¬
ferent models were compatible, it is very unrealistic to expect any
new models from the new Atari to have any compatibility with the old
ones. We are now on our own, friends.
Most of the large distributors, used by the dealers and small
stores, such as Softsel and Micro-D are dropping the Atari lines. Most
local dealers have dropped the Atari lines, according to the many User
Group Newsletters we receive each month. All of this makes the pre¬
sent Atari User groups more important to the many Atari owners, if
they are going to continue to use their Ataris. And the Atari is still the
best value for an inexpensive home computer!
What does this all mean to ACE. Well, since most of our new
members have come from new Atari owners, we will lose our growth
and base of members, and possibly gradually die, unless we are really
needed and grow. Several things we have done recently include the
vastly expanded Bulletin Board now being developed and de-bugged,
to include a 1200 Baud modem soon. If you have tried our BBS lately!
there has not been much on it since we are testing a new system, but
it is almost ready and will have 1.5 MegaBytes on-line with many new
features — please see Larry Gold's article for details. We have a
number of new disks ready for our members, including new Best of
ACE, new PILOT, ACTION!, and new machine language source codes
— something for everyone. But in order to continue with the Newslet¬
ter and Club, we need to continue to get new members, or we will run
out of money. We usually have enough cash on hand to'put out 3
issues, then count of renewals and new members to generate money!
You can all help — if you have friends with Ataris who are not
members, please encourage them to join and order disks from us.
Because of the sudden difficulty of obtaining Atari Hardware and
Software, I want to recommend an Atari dealer who will continue to
support us. Computer Palace (1-800-452-8013, 2160 W. 11th Ave,
Eugene, OR 97402) is a tong time mail order Atari only dealer with a
3500 square foot modern store for local sales. They have a huge inven¬
tory and have most anything. Owned by Don Marr, they have been
strong supporters of ACE, always willing to help us, and the Eugene
ACE members have been very satisfied with them. Reliable and
honest, they are set up for all your needs, including sales overseas,
and their prices are very fair. Please support your local dealer as long
as you have one, because he is now worth his weight in gold, but if
you do not have one, Computer Palace can meet your needs — and
this is not an advertisement.
Because service may become a problem, you might consider get¬
ting spare parts from such places as American TV, 15338 Inverness St
San Leandro, CA 94579; Centurian Enterprises, POB 3233 San Luis
Obispo, CA 93403; Best Electronics, 171 Jackson St., San Jose, CA
95112; B&C ComputerVisions 3400 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA
95051 or others. These companies will sell you various Atari parts
from chips to any board or a complete kit very reasonably — for exam¬
ple, all the parts except keyboard to make a 48K Atari 800 for $135 or
so. And for our many overseas members, American TV also sells the
PAL version for the same price. I have done business with both
American TV and Centurian and they both give good service.
When and if the new Atari comes out. we will have to decide if ACE
will support it, or if we should let others do so. Please give us your
thoughts when you renew or write.
Atari Plans
Range of
Computers
Niff
By ERIC N. BERG
The Atari Corporation, in its first
major announcement since being
taken over in July by Jack Tramiel,
said yesterday that it would soon in¬
troduce a broad range of personal
computers, both for home and office.
Mr. Tramiel, a former president of
the rival Commodore International,
acquired the company from Warner
Communications Inc., which had
been unable to halt millions of dollars
in losses in its consumer electronics
business in the last year and a half.
Atari also said yesterday that it had
lowered the wholesale price on its ex¬
isting 8C0XL home computer. The
machine has retailed for as much as
$300 — compared with $200 for the
Commodore 64 — and analysts said
Atari was -selling only 20,000 units a
month, compared with 250,000 units a
month for the Commodore. Although
Atari would not disclose how far it
had lowered the price, it said retail¬
ers would be able to sell the machine
at the same price as the Commodore'
64.
Atari offered few details about its '
new computers. James L. Copland, a
spokesman, said oftly that Atari
would produce several new ma¬
chines, ranging from an inexpensive
home computer that can process
eight pieces of information at once —
a so-called 8-bit machine to a 32-bit
office machine. The 800XL is an 8-bit
machine.
Mr. Copland added that the ma¬
chines would be introduced at a trade
show in January, but he declined to
say where they would be produced or
when they would be available to con¬
sumers. He also declined to say what
the computers would sell for, but in¬
dustry sources speculated that the
machines would range in cost from
$100 to about $1,000.
The sketchiness of the announce¬
ment prompted several analysts to
say that the new computers might be
ideas under study, rather than actual
machines near production. If that is
the case, these analysts said, it could
be mid-1985 before Atari has its new
machines in stores, unless it buys the
machines elsewhere rather than
producing them itself. ’
“Tramiel has no products lined
up,” said Douglas A. Cayne, a vice
president at the Gartner Group Inc., a
computer industry research firm.
“He’s pursuing options but nothing
more.”
David Lawrence, a analyst at
Montgomery Securities Inc. of San
Francisco, said: “Tramiel frequently
announces seven machines and ships
one or two. That appears to be what
he is doing now.”
Profit Speculation
If the new machines are not on
store shelves soon, the analysts said,
it is unlikely that Atari would return
to profitability in 1984, as it has
pledged. In 1983, when it was a sub¬
sidiary of Warner, Atari had an oper¬
ating loss of $538.6 million because of
problems with both its computer and.
home video-game businesses. In the
first quarter of 1984, the operating
loss totaled $34.9 million.
Most analysts, however, said any
new machines from Atari could
achieve a sizable market share,
particularly given Mr. Tramiel’s
reputation as a creative, hard-driving
salesman.
At Commodore, where he was both
a founder and president, Mr. Tramiel
was widely credited with designing a
marketing program that enabled the
Commodore 64 to grab 60 percent of
the home computer market.
Abilities Important
To succeed, the analysts said the
new machines would need to be able
to do complex applications such as
advanced word processing and busi¬
ness graphics.
Atari’s office machine, which in¬
dustry specialists said would prob¬
ably be based on the Motorola 68000
computer chip, could in theory com¬
pete with Apple Computer Inc. ’s Mac¬
intosh and the International Business
Machines Corporation’s Personal
Computer.
Analysts noted, however, that the
Macintosh and the P.C. cost signifi¬
cantly more than $1,000, and both
makers are well known in the office
market. Atari, on the other hand, is
known primarily for its video games.
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BIG JACK
(Reprint: Memphis Atari Systems Hobbyists, July 1984)
There are some big changes coming to Atari, and it’s anybody’s
guess as to what they will be. Warner Communications sold Atari, Inc.
on July 1 to Jack Tramiel, the mastermind who created Commodore,
and gave it the reputation it has today.
The day after the sale, Tramiel moved in at Atari and announced im¬
mediate cutbacks. Tramiel noted Atari had a marketing staff of 300,
while Commodore had only 25. Both companies had approximately
the same 1983 sales. I think even the most devout Atari enthusiast will
agree Commodore has done a much belter job of selling their pro¬
ducts. Tramiel has also acquired a laboratory tor designing micro
chips. All this is right in line with the philosophy he used in
establishing Commodore as the only successful (in terms of profits)
home computer company: low labor and production costs.
Tramiel has hired his three sons as key executives in the new Atari
organization. Gary is in charge of collecting $400 million in past due
receivables from customers. Sam is president of the company, and
Leonard is in charge of software. Tramiel tried to get the “kids" on at
Commodore before he was booted out by other investors back in
January.
From Rags to Riches
Jack Tramiel, 56, is a survivor ot the Auschwitz concentration camp.
He went to Canada alter the war and started Commodore in 1958 as a
typewriter repair company. In 1965 Commodore, which was now
manufacturing typewriters, almost went bankrupt, but Tramiel found a
fellow named Irving Gould who invested $400,000 and saved the com¬
pany. Gould was a passive owner, letting Tramiel run the company in
his own style. Tramiel did a brilliant job. When pocket calculators
came on the market in the 70’s, Commodore purchased chips from
Texas Instruments for $50 each, assembled them into calculators, and
sold them for $100. The company did well until 1975, when Tl began
selling their own calculators for $50. Again, Commodore almost went
bankrupt. But Tramief's hard-nosed business methods brought the
company back to life.
After the pocket calculator debacle, Tramiel swore he would never
again be at the mercy of outside suppliers for parts. Ip 1976, Tramiel
bought MOS Technologies, a semiconductor maker about to go under.
MOS had designed an inexpensive and versatile chip called the 6502,
which is now used in Atari and Apple computers. Tramiel licensed it
to Rockwell and Honeywell. MOS also employed a fellow named
Charles Peddle, who later started Victor Technologies. Peddle had
been working on a project at MOS designing what he hoped would be
the -first microcomputer, using the 6502 chip. Tramiel named the com¬
puter “Pet” and began setting the machine in Europe in 1977, leaving
the American market to Apple and Radio Shack. The Pet became the
best selling computer in Europe and Commodore was again pro¬
fitable.
Next came the video game craze. Atari was first here with its 2600
game machine and cartridges. Soon Mattel, Coleco, and several other
companies had their machines on the market and business was
booming. But Tramiel decided not to sell these "dumb" machines. In¬
stead he introduced the VIC-20 in 1981, a "smart" game machine with
a keyboard. Using William Shatner as the company's spokesman, he
duped the public into believing the VIC was really a computer. The
ploy worked, and Commodore made a lot of money. Tramiel's
smartest move in the video game era was his decision not to manufac¬
ture or sell game cartridges. He encouraged third parties to make the
cartridges for the VIC. A tew months later the video game craze slow¬
ed down and millions of unsold cartridges were returned to manufac¬
turers. Everyone except Commodore sutfered.
In 1982, Tramiel took the biggest gamble yet. He shelved all pro¬
ducts Commodore had on the drawing board except one, the Com¬
modore 64. All the resources Commodore could muster were directed
towards manufacturing 64s. Huge inventories were Stockpiled and
Tramiel arranged lor discount stores to sell the new product, bypass¬
ing the traditional computer stores used by other companies. The 64s
were then dumped on the market at $600 each, unheard of at the time
for a 64k computer with sound and graphics. Commodore risked
everything on the 64, but the gamble paid off big. Had the 64 not been
a success, Commodore would have flirted with bankruptcy again.
The Dark Side of the Force
So far I've made it sound like everything Jack Tramiel touches turns
to gold. But every silver lining has its cloud. If JT was so brilliant at
Commodore, why did he leave? It seems Irving Gould, the behind-the-
scenes investor who rescued Tramiel 20 years earlier, began to take a
more active role in Commodore’s operations. He began to realize the
company had gained a reputation for poor quality. The Wall Street
Journal reported several months ago as much as 40% of Commodore
products were being returned to the factory as defective, If the com¬
pany had not had a “no questions asked" exchange policy this qualify
control problem could have killed the 64. Tramiel also has an un- '
predictable temper which causes a high turnover of employees. There J
were heated arguments between Gould and Tramiel over how the
company should be run. The final straw was Gould's veto of Tramiel’s i
decision to put his three sons in top management. It is not clear
whether JT was fired or resigned, but he left in January with $100 \
million in Commodore stock and a desire for revenge.
Although nothing has been officially announced, there are rumors
(typical ot Atari). Most of the new products announced at the June
CES could be dropped. The 600XL and 5200 are already out of produc¬
tion. Tramiel will probably concentrate on the 800XL The 7800,
1450XL and 1090 will be dropped. If you're interested in keeping track
of the latest gossip, I suggest calling the ATARI SIG on CompuServe.
By SUSAN CHIRA
Special to The New York Times
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 23
In the obscure headquarters here of a
two-year-old corporation lies a proto¬
type of a computer that has sparked a
pitched battle between the two larg¬
est competitors for the home com¬
puter market, Commodore and Atari.
The computer and its sophisticated
graphics chips, the product of the
Amiga Corporation, won attention
and praise from analysts and com¬
petitors many time's Amiga’s size
when the machine was first shown at
a Chicago trade show in June. The
Amiga computer has been heralded
by some as a serious challenger to the
popular Apple Macintosh or the Inter¬
national Business Machines Corpora¬
tion’s PCjr.
In mid-August, Commodore an¬
nounced that it had bought Amiga.
But Atari, now run by Commodore’s
ex-chief, says the chips are rightfully
Atari’s as a result of a previous
agreement, and has sued Amiga for
fraud.
The reason for the furor over the
Amiga computer, analysts say, is a
graphics capability — including full-
color display, cartoon-like animation
and fairly high speed — that some say
is more advanced than the Macin¬
tosh, which has no color capability.
Graphics have become a critical sell¬
ing point because they expand the
range of applications and users. A
better graphics display may entice
engineers, advertising designers or
architects, for example, and is a
proven drawing card in attracting
home computer users.
Moreover, Commodore has pre-
. dieted that it could sell the machine
for under $1,000, compared with the
$2,500 price tag on a Macintosh.
‘Tvu been wanting to do this ma¬
chine for six years,” said Jay Miner,
the 52-year-old co-founder of Amiga
and former Atari engineer who
headed the design team on the com¬
puter. Although neither he nor David
Morse, 41 , Amiga’s president and
other co-founder, would disclose the
terms of their deal with Commodore,
the two men have certainly become
two of Silicon Valley’s newest million¬
aires. *
"I've always wanted to do a ma¬
chine with the graphics of a good
flight simulator,” Mr. Miner said.
“Its ability to do high-speed anima¬
tion still excites me the most. It opens
up all sorts of educational opportuni¬
ties."
Many challenges and questions re¬
main — whether the Amiga can be
produced at the projected price, when
it will appear on the market, and
what kind of software it will have and
whether it will be compatible with
Apple’s or I.B.M.’s.
But there Is no debate over the ex¬
cellence of Amiga’s graphics, which
engineers displayed the other day in a
back office whose walls were covered
with scrawled equations.
First the screen filled with red, yel¬
low and blue triangles that twisted
and turned, creating patches of
shaded colors. Next a pie chart of
Tbe New York Times /Terrrvnee McCarthy
David S. Morse, president and co-founder of Amiga Corporation with circuit
boards for the prototype of Its graphically advanced computer.
aqua, purple, fuschia, green, yellow
and white sprang onto the screen.
Then there was a futuristic street
scene, complete with a figure walking
a dog and a fire hydrant that con¬
stantly changed shapes. Finally a
red-and-white-striped ball began to
bounce, the sound changing and echo¬
ing as it bounced to different heights.
The computer’s developers say that
it has been designed with the color
television industry standard, so that
• its displays will read clearly on a tele¬
vision screen. Its resolution is about
twice that of the LB.M. PC.
Analysts, while cautioning that
many computer prototypes never
make it to market, generally agreed
that the Amiga computer seemed
worth all the fuss.
“What I have seen of the machine
leads me to think it Is exciting enough
that the entire industry is going to
have to take notice,” said Barbara
Isgur, an analyst with Paine Webber.
• “It’s just exceptional,” said Tim P.
Barajin, an analyst with Creative
Strategies International, based in San
Jose. “It’s a Mac with color graphics
built in.”
The company was bom in Septem¬
ber 1982 when its two founders began
three months of research — Mr.
Morse, a former vice president of
marketing and sales for the Tonka
Corporation, into what consumers
wanted most from computers, and
Mr. Miner into the limits of available
technology.
They found that consumers wanted
• a machine that was easy to use and
had a wide range of applications, Mr.
Morse said, and they decided that
good graphics would satisfy both
counts.
In January 1983, Mr. Morse said,
they began hiring engineers — from
Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Tandem,
Ford Aerospace and other companies
— to design the machine. By all ac¬
counts, it was a typical Silicon Valley
start-up — long hours, obsessiort with
the developing machine, and a race
against deadlines and funding limits.
Mr. Morse recalled that the office
became lined with mattresses as en¬
gineers worked to prepare the proto¬
type for the spring computer show.
And Mr. Miner remembered cost-cut¬
ting measures — renting rather than
buying some equipment, hiring staff
by the day ratter than permanently.
“It went from lean to leaner,” he
said.
But after the Chicago show, Amiga
engineers were no longer unknown.
“All of a sudden, ” Mr. Morse said,
“a lot of people knew about Amiga."
Although he would not say so, citing
the pending lawsuit, industry ana¬
lysts said those people presumably in¬
cluded Commodore.
Atari's suit, according to Leonard
Schreiber, Atari's general counsel,
contends that Amiga signed an agree¬
ment in March to develop chips for
Atari. Atari then advanced the com¬
pany $500,000. In late June, Mr.
Schreiber said, Amiga returned the
money, saying that the chips would
not work. The suit was filed on Aug.
14, just before the announcement that
Commodore would buy Amiga.
Mr. Morse would not comment on
the suit.
The Amiga machine is based on the
same 32-bit microprocessor chip, tire
Motorola 68000, as the Macintosh. If
manufactured as planned, it would
have the same memory and perform
slightly faster than the Macintosh.-
These similarities, in addition to
-— p
the Amiga's projected lower price
and flashier graphics, are prompting
some analysts to see it as potent
competition for Apple machines.
“Apple has set the target for every¬
one to try and shoot at," said Ulric
Weil, an analyst with Morgan Stan¬
ley. “Commodore has a window of op¬
portunity to come in at a lower price”
before a Macintosh with more mem¬
ory and software appears.
Although Mr. Morse said that he be¬
lieved the Amiga machine could be
finished in a few weeks, analysts said
they did not believe that it could be
ready to market before spring 1985.
Commodore has said little about its
plans for the Amiga, Accordingly, it
is not clear that the Amiga machine is
even a imed at the same market—the,
office — as the Macintosh.
And rev/ Herrington, senior engi¬
neering manager for Commodore
business machines, would say only
that Commodore has traditionally
aimed at the home and so-called low
end business markets — less expen¬
sive and less elaborate business com-'
puters.
Analysts cautioned that several ob¬
stacles lie in the way of successful
development. Among other things,
they question whether Amiga will be
able to keep its promised low prices
and thus meet the Macintosh chal¬
lenge, and whether it will have distri¬
bution and software problems.
Donald R. Greenbaum, Commo¬
dore’s treasurer, insists that Amiga’s
low price will be achieved through
manufacturing in Hong Kong and Tai¬
wan, large volume and an established
distribution network.
Commodore has traditionally mar¬
keted its domestic products through
mass merchandisers, rather than
through dealers who offer the support
services necessary with a more com¬
plicated machine. Mrs. Isgur said she
doubted that potential business cus¬
tomers , if they are indeed one of Com¬
modore’s potential markets, would
buy from mass merchandisers. Fur¬
thermore, Mr. Weil said, Commo-
dore’s relationships with dealers are
somewhat sour.
Mr. Greenbaum said Commodore
had not decided whether to distribute
the machine through mass merchan¬
disers or dealers. Nor has the com¬
pany decided whether the Amiga’s
software would be compatible with its
competitors.
ROM CLEANING u f
> Before dismant-
liiigyoSnSm»5}Svt^i^ahing'the .con-
tacts on the part of the cartridge that’s in¬
serted into the computer with a swab and
alcohol. Often, a little dirt is tire only reason I
a cartridge won’t work. If there is any par¬
ticularly stubborn din, rub it off with a piece
of notebook paper (NEVER sandpaper!).
The contact edge is usually exposed in
third-party cartridges, but it must be un¬
entered with Atari cartridges. Insert the tip
of ail ink pen into either end of the slot in
the end of the Atari cartridge and slide it
toward the center to release the spring hold¬
ing the cartridge cover closed. Then just
push hack the end of the cover, and hold it
in place with one hand while you clean the
contacts with the other. Be sun* to clean the
contacts on both sides of the PC board.
Matthew J W. Ratcliff
St. Louis, MO
Sales of Persoi
Fail to Reach Levels Forecast in U.S.
By Michael Schrage
Washington Post Service
WASHINGTON — Personal-
computer software sales for both
home and office machines are fall¬
ing far below expectations, accord¬
ing to industry analysts, retailers
and leading software publishers.
Tim Bajarin, an analyst with
Creative Strategies, a San Jose, Cal¬
ifornia-based personal-computer
consulting and analysis firm said:
“Maybe it’s just the summer dol¬
drums, but it’s probably that the
right kind of software isn’t out
there.”
The sales slump has affected vir¬
tually every aspect of the personal-
computer software market. While
the billion-dollar market is still
growing, it is growing at a slower
rate than most analysts had pro¬
jected.
Creative Strategies had predict¬
ed the business-software market
would grow by more than 50 per¬
cent this year, but the revised esti¬
mate is closer to 40 percent growth.
The company has halved its growth
projections for home software.
Infocorp, another industry re¬
search company, has similarly re¬
vised its estimates.
“Things have really slacked off,”
said Robert M. Lefkowits, Info-
corp’s director of microsystems
software research. However, he
noted that sales for the best known
business-software programs, such
as Lotus 1-2-3 and Ashton-Tate’s
Framework, remain strong.
“I think it’s a summer lull,” said
Frank E. Schwartz, president of Si¬
mon & Schuster’s electronic pub¬
lishing group. “People are holding
their breath and waiting. The prob¬
lem is the industry itself; it puts out
these unbelievable numbers. It
hurts itself with all its shouting,
because the expectations have be¬
come so high.”
Mr. Schwartz forecast strong
sales in January. Others in the in¬
dustry are counting on the Christ¬
mas sales season to rescue their
forecasts.
' Mr. Bajarin of Creative Strate¬
gies says International Business
Machines Corp.’s new PCjr home
computer had been projected to sell
close to 500,000 units this year.
“They’ll be lucky to sell
180,000,” he said, “and that has
really affected a lot of software
projections.”
Mr. Lefkowits said: “More than
50 percent of the personal-comput¬
er software sold is sold when the
machine is purchased, or very
shortly thereafter.”
MONKEY WRENCH II
($50 by Eastern House. A machine language cartridge for the 600 &
800XL)
Monkey Wrench II for the XL is improved over the model lor the 800.
It provides ”33 new direct mode Basic Commands". It comes with a
29 page Users Guide, which I find clear and concise. The back of the
guide has a useful Quick Reference page, covering the Basic Com¬
mands, DOS Functions, Function Keys, and Home Functions. There is
no list of the MLM (machine language monitor) commmands.
With its many various Direct mode commands the cartridge gives
the programmer a great amount of flexiblity in the manipulation of his
program. There are 19 direct mode Basic (unctions. They run from the
standard Auto Line Numbering system to the Hex and Decimal con¬
version systems. These commands must be utilized as direct mode
commands, that is they may not be entered into a Basic program.
You must also remember that all commands requiring parameters
must have at least one space between each parameter. Additionally in
the construction ot your program you must be sure no tine is longer
than 120 characters in length, as the Monkey Wrench program will
truncate anything greater than this. In all cases the Users Guide clear¬
ly states all the precautions one should take.
Besides these direct mode commands you will find a series of 16
MLM (machine language monitor) commands, which should provide
assistance to anyone dealing with machine language. Not being vers¬
ed in machine language I was unable to fully test the usefulness of
this part ot the system.
Along with the two command groups you have three command
function groups. The first being a series of DOS functions. These
allow you to obtain disk directories, format disks, unlock & lock files,
and rename files. A note of caution here: The format command ex¬
ecutes upon entry so you must be sure to have the proper disk already
in place
Next we have the Function keys. This feature prints commonly us¬
ed commands with a single entry. For example, by pressing Control
and 7 key - list ‘O' is printed out. The last set of functions are called
the Home functions. These functions allow you to move the cursor to
four locations on the screen.
Remembering the cautionary notes and dealing with my own limita¬
tions as a programmer I found that this system allowed me to program
with an ease and speed I had not known before. It in fact has en¬
couraged me to explore some programming challenges I have put off
until now. I have found it helpful and it certainly will make a useful ad¬
dition to anyone's utility collection.
— Nick Chrones
More important, people have not
been buying as many software
packages for their machines as
some in the industry had expected.
“People are buying between
three and five programs (for their
computers), where it was anticipat¬
ed that the numbers would be clos¬
er to seven to 10,” said Mr. Bajarin.
Nikki Hardin, a software editor
with the California-based Ashton¬
Tate, was more pessimistic. “We
almost never hear about the home-
computer aftermarket anymore,”
he said.
This drop in the market’s growth
rate is directly responsible for
much of the software industry
shakeout that has forced layoffs in
such companies as Visicorp, Soft¬
ware Arts, Sorcim and Micropro.
International, as well as dozens of
lesser-known software companies.
“The business is big and it’s go¬
ing to get bigger,” said John Brock¬
man, an agent who represents
many leading software designers.
“The problems now are simply
ones of simple arithmetic. If there
were 100 shelves and 20 publishers
a year ago, there are 150 shelves j
and 150 publishers today. Most of j
the players are going to get i j
burned:”
However, Mr. Brockman con¬
ceded that the growth has not oc¬
curred quite as quickly as he had
expected. “Publishers aren’t just
scared.” he said, “they’re terrified.
It seems that the growth will be less
exponential than had been fore¬
cast.”
Much of the sales problem has
been blamed on what many indus¬
try participants concede to be a
glut of low-quality software.
Mr. Schwartz blamed incorrect
marketing. “Product is being
shipped back,” he said.
i
BUMPAS REVIEWS
SYNFILE + (S99) is one unit ot the new "Syn-Apps" series
developed by Synapse Software and marketed by Atari. This is a very
flexible and powerful database management system for any Atari with
48k or more. Comparisons with Filemanager + (also by Synapse) are
inevitable. And the screen presentation of Synfile + will seem familiar
to Filemanager + users. But the “pop-up” menus in Synfile + are
much more convenient and allow more efficient operation.
Users are no longer limited to a mere 5 computed fields. In fact,
there are no organic restrictions upon the character of any of the 66
fields available for each record. Memory limitations might prevent all
66 fields from containing formulas. Synfile + seems to make a much
more efficient use of memory. I set up a mailing list file in the same
format f use with Filemanager +. Synfile + informs me I can put near¬
ly twice as many records on a disk as with Filemanager + . And Syn¬
file + says one fife may extend into as many as 16 disks. This will let
me put at least 10 000 names and addresses in my mailing list! Pretty
overwhelming.
The screen display is in 80-column format. You must scroll across
to the right-hand window to see the fast 40-columns if your display is
40-columns. The user has wide flexibility when formatting the screen
display of your information. Field names and data may be placed
anywhere on the scteen. If you don't like where you put it, you can put
the cursor on the first character, select the Moe option with the cursor
arrows and simply move the held to another location on the screen.
A!! menu items are easily selected with cursor arrows and the return
key. All menus are nested, so only the menu information which is rele¬
vant to the particular operation you are performing is in the window at
screen bottom.
The package includes utilities which convert "DIF" files to and
from Synfile+ . This permits data created with Visicalc, Synfile + ,
Syncalc or Syntrend to be used interchangeably between these pro¬
grams. The documentation also makes up for an omission in the
AtariWriter manual. Here you learn how to merge Synfile + data into
text fifes developed with AtariWriter.
Synfile -*■ allows you to select double density format for disks, but
remember to change the density back again before you put the pro¬
gram disk in (to avoid Error 138) Error trapping is excellent in this pro¬
gram. t accientaliy tried to write a tile to the program disk. A couple of
polite tittle beeps and an error message informed me of the problem
and permitted me to insert the data disk to complete the operation.
• Synfile + supports ram disk operations with the Axlon boards or
the Mosaic 64k Select. Use of two drives is provided for in many in¬
stances where there is a great advantage for the facility (as in copying
files, etc.) But for normal file creation and data entry, I was forced to
put both the program disk and the data disk in drive 1 (requiring some
disk swapping). Another obvious shortcoming of Synfile + is its lack
of any utility to convert Filemanager -t data files for use. I am fold
Synapse is working on a utility to perform this task, so this may be
corrected soon. S was looking forward to converting my files. But as I
don't want to type in all this data over again, I'll keep using
Filemanager + for av/hite.
Synfile+ is the best database manager I've seen tor the Atari. 1 can
unequivocally recommend' it to anyone who wants to store and
manipulate data and who is not heavily committed to another program
(such as I am with Filemanager +).
MEGAFILER (XLEnt Software, Box 5228, Springfield. VA, 22150,
(703) 644-3681, $30) advertizes itself as “The Ultimate Atari Database
Manager." On a price/performance basis, I believe this bit of “puffing”
might not be too far off. It is an excellent piece ol software.
The program seems to be compiled from BASIC XL by OSS.
Documentation includes a 28 page, digest-sized manual and a one
page errata. The errata claims the "change should not detract from the
usefulness of Megafiler." But the errata lists only 4 valid-arithmetic
operators (add, subtract, multiply and divide), while the manual lists 8.
Anyway, the 4 basic functions are sufficient for most applications.
Megafiter is my kind of program. The menus enabled me to boot up
and! begin immediately to create a database file of mailing list
records. I got stuck with a couple of questions, but the table ot con¬
tents led me to the page with the answers I needed. I did not have to
read the manual before I began. A beginning user will not be in¬
timidated bv this orocram at ail.
Program functions include the ability to display any disk directory,
to display the format of any database, and to modify the format, in ad¬
dition to creating, viewing, editing, deleting and sorting records. The
program will also generate printed reports and mailing labels. Two ti¬
tle lines are available in the Report Generator. These lines might be
used to include print formatting codes, if your printer can accept
them. The module does provide tor input of the code to print condens¬
ed letters for 132 column reports. The Reports module permits you to
sum numeric data as a help to analysis.
Each record may contain up to 15 fields of data. Records may con¬
tain up to 255 characters. A field may contain up to 90 characters. For
most purposes, the limit ot up to 3 fields per line on a mailing label
wilt not be a problem. I use 5 fields on one line of my mailing list (con¬
taining various identifying information), but I could modify these
fields to reduce their number.
The program executes quickly, with excellent trapping of user input
errors. A beginner will be comfortable with this program. Advanced
users will find it a helpful program also, I don't believe you can get
bettef value for your money spent on a database system.
AROUND THE WORLD (SUPERware, 2028 Kingshouse Road, Silver
Spring, MD 20904, $30) is a family strategy game for one player. The
player's goat is to journey around the world in the shortest time. The
program provides several ready-made characters you may use, or you
may generate your own, with different characteristics.
The game begins in London, and there are 40 regions of the world
you must visit before finishing the game. Each region is a free-form
maze which scrolls endlessly across several screen pages. There are
stores at which you may purchase food, transportation (usually a
horse), and numerous other items which may help you on your
journey. Each region also has ticket sales offices which are more dif¬
ficult to find than the other types of store. These ticket offices are the
only way to leave a region.
On your journey you will find dusty chests which may contain
valuable items. Or they may contain perils which may delay or end (!)
your journey. You will meet oilier characters. Some will be helpful,
some will not. Some will harm you. You have a choice to fight, run or
persuade upon any encounter, I was trying to be real nice, but after be¬
ing attacked in Rome by 3 Cardinals in succession, 1 began killing
them oft any chance I got. Various random events occur such as
floods, fires, landslides and plagues. Each time something bad oc-
curs, you take damage. It seems you regain some strength with a
respite, but eventually all the fighting, poison gas, plagues, fires, etc.
get to you and kill you. Now you get to see a nice feature of the game.
You may reincarnate your character at the point at which you died.
You get to do this twice before you are finally killed off.
All player input during the game is by joystick. Each game screen is
graphically well drawn, with a text window at the bottom. The colors
are bright and appropriate, although the sounds are less well done.
The author collaboraled with his wife on this elfort, and it seems to
have helped him avoid some spelling errors, but still a few csrsist:
“terrocity", '‘Margret” and “Judus", for example. I must be getting old,
being irritated by such small things. I have a pie-production copy. I
hope this review reaches them in time to proof the spetfing.
The program performs very well, indicating an excellent job of
coding by the authors. The action is smooth and quick. The game is a
lot of fun to play. I predict you will get your $30 value in enjoyment
from this game.
Mastering Your Atari ($30, Prentice-Hall), by the staff of Micro
Magazine, contains 8 programming projects for the intermediate
BASIC programmer. A beginner who wants to become mere serious
will also find this package helpful. For your money, you get a 175 page
softback book and a disk or cassette tape containing all the programs
used in the book. These programs include “Atari Player” (a music
player and editor), “Master'' and “Word Detective” (guessing games),
“Breakup" (a Breakout clone), "Atari Clock" (digital time display),
"Programmable Characters” (character editor), "Sorting" (a
demonstration of 5 ways to program sorting routines), and
“MicroCaic" (a miniature spreadsheet).
Most of the text of the book is devoted to documenting the uses of
the programs, together with detailed program line descriptions,
variable tables, and printed program listings. But also included are
suggestions for modifying the programs. All this information is very
helpful in simulating the reader's imagination. I find myself thinking
of ali sorts of applications and modifications i can make to use some
of these ideas in my own programs.
For the money, this package is probably worth it to the new user as
a sample of interesting program types to run on the Atari, in addition
to its obvious value to the intermediate BASIC programmer,
Steve Krenek (KRENtek Software, Box 3372, Kansas City, MO
66103) presents the strategy game enthusiast with two very
sophisticated real-time games (especially considering they seem to
be his first commercial effort). They sell for $35 each and require 32k
RAM (disk or cassette) and a joystick. They seem to boot up with or
without BASIC installed, but the manual says to remove all cartridges.
They boot up on XL machines without a translator.
ROME and the Barbarians puts you in command of the Roman Em¬
pire in the year 400 A.D. If you remember your history, Rome was
sacked by the barbarians in 476 A.D. If you can prevent this from hap¬
pening before the game ends in 476 A.D., you are doing very well in-»
deed.
13 fkc-E. ^
V
• mmm coin
-
All control over the movement of Roman Legions and paid
mercenary Barbarians is by joystick. The units move over a smoothly
scrolling map consisting of more than a dozen screens containing
mountains, rivers, cities, oceans and clear terrain from Scotland and
Ireland in the northwest to Sicily, Carthage and Illyria in the
southeast. Three looations on the map provide the only replacement
areas where you can muster in new Roman forces into your legions.
You will need to protect at least one of these.
The Option key gives you control over expenditures for mercenaries
and gifts to allies. But quite often a barbarian tribe will take neither
your pay nor your gifts. Sometimes they take the money and desert
you. Even Roman Legions may rebel, especially if you let the tax
revenues from cities occupied by Roman Legions fall so much that
the treasury is completely expended. The Select key will print a
graphics screen listing of the names of each barbarian or Roman
.orce and the number (in thousands) of combatants in the space unoer
the cursor. Controlled units may be ordered to dig in or disband from
Ifflo SCT66n.
Battles produce sounds of fighting, barbarian victories in cities pro¬
duce sounds of pillage. The colors are bright and attractive, and the
graphics are well-drawn. I pretty much mastered the Beginner level of
play after a few games (each game takes only an hour or so') But the
Standard game is so far too fast for me, and I do poorly l don’t believe
you need to be a wargame enthusiast to enjoy this well-done game
Now if I disband a few more Romans in North Africa and beef up the
Rhine front... H
NAPOLEON AT WATERLOO is a classic war game, rendered in
dozens of paper board games and miniatures displays Steve Krenek's
Atari version gives the feel of the best ol these, plus the sounds of
cannon and musketry when units collide, and the music ol victory
when one side or the other achieves a significant advantage. The
Marsellaise and God Save the Queen are the two songs played In
tact, you not only hear the cannon boom, but the screen actually
shows a cannon shot Hying from the artillery to the target.
The playpf controls the French infantry, cavalry and artillery. The
toystick controls all targeting of movement and fire (for artillery) If
you want infantry to use musketry, just stop its movement adjacent to
Its target. If you want to melee with bayonet, move the unit right into
the target. The map scrolls over more than 3 screens of terrain con¬
taining ridge lines, woods, villages, walled farms and the various
military symbols designating the combat units. The button with the
cursor on a unit will show you the unit name, number of men and guns
m the unit, an evaluation of the unit's morale (from Poor to High for
French units only), and an indication of the state of (dis)organizat'ion
The player must exercise good traffic control in planning the
assault, for units will not move through each other. I usually end up
blocking my infantry with artillery and cavalry (not a good situation!).
However, it is disconcerting to see a routed unit squirt through the
crack between two units touching corners on the diagonal' A clock
runs from 11.15 am to 9.00 pm on June 18, -1815. This time passes in
about an hour or so at which time the battle is cverano you may read
, y ° ur sc °^ e - So far I've not managed to win the battle, but I’ve scored in
the high 90,000s several times (100,000 is needed to win). To start with
my scores were abysmal. I've bombarded my own units with French
artillery, sent unsupported cavalry right into the face of 30 guns or
massed infantry squares. I've done a number of things which produc¬
ed only disaster on the field. To win, you will need to have close con¬
trol over your units and be able to repel the Prussians when they ar¬
rive. The British and Allies will not conduct any offensive, although
the occasional unit seems to be ready to take advantage of errors in
their front, such as seeing some weak units or exposed artillery to go
after. The Prussians are almost mindlessly offensive, but if you have
back* fr6Sh Un " S remainin9 you can hold therT ' 0,f < or ev e n Push them
TRAMIEL’S ATARI
Everyone in Ataridom is buzzing with rumors, fears; guesses and
predictions regarding what Jack Tramiel will do to or with Atari Will
he make the Atari into a Commodore? This is the most often express-
ea fear. The question requires an ambiguous response Atari
customer support will surely approach the Commodore level. This
cannot be helped given the massive layoffs of personnel. You might a
try in yam to find any 800 number still in service at Atari. And the sur* I *
face lines will rarely be responsive. " y
What about quality"cont7ol of future Atari products’ Well Atari
ta U ken y nr'^' f ?. X ?, eC ! et) 10 su,,er som ewhat, unless extreme care is
taken prevent efficiency" from becoming synonymous with
cheapness '. Of all the elements of "Commodore" feared by Atarians
ha°s m a P mS' S T S be ' he m0S ' im P° rta "< ,0 us aH Com“e
baa a f-P? n fot Pacing computers, no two models of which are
compahble with each other. Atari has a reputation for making all of «s
? r; Pa ‘ ibl !' TOS iS ,he most si9 " i,ica "< divergence b2t*
nnp nf C .h!T d ? re an , d A,ari ' !n my opinion, this Atari reputation is
win i ,he L m ? s s ' 9nif| cant elements contributing to the public good
^''° wa , rdS A,ari ' 1 believe Tramiel "ill be foolish to waste th?s^very
pThbility. aSSe *' S n °‘ Stupid ' believe he wiM maintain Atari co^
So much for the fears. Tramiel's greatesl quality as far as Atari ooes
kn He k h 0WS What '° d0 with a computer company All Warners ever
knew what to do was to rake off the profits When things Loan
tightening up in the computer market Atari started bleedino (as did
many other companies). And Warners d.dn'tknow howlostop the
bleeding. Just maybe, with Morgan at the helm, Warners could havn
fixed ttungs instead, Warners just amputated Atari. At least Atari is
stil, here ,t didn t go the way of Tl or Timex. One thing is for certain
Atari in Tramiel s hands will be exciting.
— Jim Bumpas, Co-Editor
SHAPES & SOUNDS FOR THE ATARI
(S50.00 Herb Moore, Professional Software • John Wiley & Sons,!nc. '
1984)
Herb Moore's Shapes and Sounds for the Atari is a well developed
introductory packet on the use of computer graphics and sounds. The
2 discs come with a clear 123 page work book. Each disc has a series
of short programs exhibiting a particular sound or graphic effect. You
receive 11 sound programs and 16 graphics programs with 3 addi¬
tional sound-graphics programs. Each of these programs may be
found fully documented in the work book.
It must be understood this matieral is not designed as a programing
tutorial, but rather as a means for the nonprogramer to learn about
sounds and graphics. However the progams are so clean and the
mode of altering them so clear that any programmer might use this
matieral to develop a sound or graphic for a more complex program of
their own. Each ol the sound and graphics programs are sequentially-
numbered so you are able to load and combine the various sounds
and graphic patterns.
In the first part ot the work book you are given an opportunity to
study each program, and experiment with combining them. Since the
programs are sequentially numbered all the beginner has to do is load
the programs and watch the effect. From this point the user is then in¬
structed to load the expandable versions ol the programs he has been
working with. The expandable programs allows one to directly alter
the program currently being run For example, with an expandable
sound program one is taught how to alter pitch, tone, and space. The
manipulation is done by the use ot a joystick control, with the oppor¬
tunity to instantly hear the newly created sound by pressing the Start
key. The joystick control is quite simple, pushing the control to the
top or bottom adds or subtracts to the value ol the currently displayed
variable by a factor of one, while moving ittrom side to side adds or -
subtracts by a factor of ten. The range of sounds a nonprogrammer
can achieve is quite astounding. After determining the sound you
want you reord it on a work page and then are instructed on how to
enter the basic programs and alter them to create the new sound.
The presentation ot the graphics programs in the expandable ver¬
sions allows you to change the color register, hue, and brightness as
well as the column and row at which the graphics will appear. Again*
this is done with a simple menu and the use of the joystick Later you
are shown how to enter and change the setcolor of each program
After learning and experimenting with these basic variables you ate
shown how to combine graphics modes, use for-next loops change
line numbers, use read data statments, and how to merge with other
programs you may be working with. All in all I found this program a
fun way to explore the world of graphics and sound. Be warned: Some
ot the programs can only be run on a computer with a GTIA chip and
that in general this software is geared for the beginner or nonprogram-
— Nick Chrones
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Features
20 The Accurate
Printer
Richard Marmon W
Reproduce Atari
characters on your Epsory Cit
29 A Low Cost Mouse
for the Vic-20 (or
any computer)
Robert L. Martin
Build the latest computer
device for Inputting data
32 Double Vision
Catalog for 40 or
80 Columns
Alan and Valerie Floeter
List your CATALOG in two
or three columns
35 A New Variation —
on an Old Theme:
Replace Your 6502
Ron M. Battle
A, new R65C00 family has
interesting enhancements
37 Spec Box: 16K
Color Computer
Mike Hamilton
Generate PMODE 4 HiRes
graphics on the CoCo
without Extended BASIC
40 Easy DOES—IT
(Not DosPlus), Pt.4
Michael Kenyan
Add new utility functions
to a Commodore 64
47 Four Techniques
to Make Your
Programs Fast
Chris Williams
Become the fastest
programmer in town
49 Talking to Your
Printer
' - Dick Buchanan , Jr„ at at
A printer control program
and Generic BASIC notes
55 HiRes Screen
Dump for the
EPSON MX-8Q
Robert D. Walker
Subroutine for dumping
Apple II hi-res graphics
62 A Timely Interrupt
Mike Hamilton
Make an accurate timer
with just a few POKEs
63 Disk Abuse: A True
Story
Mark S. Morano
The sad confessions of a
disk junkie
6 Editorial
8 Letterbox
12 Reviews in Brief
64 CoCo Bits
66 interface Clinic
71 Commodore Compass
73 From Here to Atari
74 Hardware Catalog
77 Review Index
79 Listing Conventions
80 Advertiser Index
Will Home Computers Transform Schools? IU
Teachers and software makers say yes, but problems
of equity and quality of courseware remain unresolved
As computers and related technology
come to play a dominant role in elemen¬
tary and secondary schools, the nature
of instruction is going to depend to a
large extent on students' access to edu¬
cational technology at home, according
to participants at a recent conference
sponsored by the National Institute of
Education.
Yet at present there is little coordina¬
tion between schools and families, most
educational software is unimpressive,
and there are no solutions in sight for the
disparity between students who have
home computers and those who do not.
Attempts to assess the picture are dif¬
ficult because it is changing so rapidly
and there is very little research available.
Commerce in home computer technolo¬
gy offers an example of free enterprise at
its most untrammeled. It involves a radi¬
cal new technology; a vast, mostly un¬
tapped market, and abundant opportuni¬
ties for hucksterism. As Ernest Anasta-
sio of the Educational Testing Service in
Princeton. New Jersey, observed, “this
movement is all being driven by business
interests other than education.”
Some conference participants believe
that ultimately, basic education will in¬
volve the integration of home and school
instruction. But currently, the two mar¬
kets have virtually nothing to do with
each other. School courseware has to be
designed in 10 or 20-minute modules to
correspond with the amount of time most
students get to spend weekly on a com¬
puter. It should fit into the curriculum,
and avoid socially undesirable content.
It should be designed by professionals
and evaluated in the field. Buyers want
bulk discounts and proof of efficacy.
It is hardly surprising, then, that
courseware publishers are aiming most
products at the home market. As one
observed. "There are 80 million house¬
holds out there, versus 150.000 school
buildings." All that concerns home buy¬
ers. she said, is packaging and cost.
Quality accounts tor about "5 percent"'
of the appeal.
According to participants—who in¬
cluded educators, parents, and purvey¬
ors of software—only 9 percent of last
year s Si .1 billion in home software sales
was spent on educational material. About
half ot this is for "edutainment’"—com¬
puter games with plenty of “bells and
whistles ’ that claim varying degrees of
2%
educational value. The rest of the 9 per¬
cent goes for instructional programs, pri¬
marily in math, and computer literacy.
According to Joseph Giacquinta of
New York University, a survey of stu¬
dents using computers at home revealed
that “programming is the dominant edu¬
cational activity." followed at a distance
by word processing. "Serious education¬
al material." he said, is largely ignored.
Typing programs and programs to pre¬
pare for SAT exams are big sellers, but
instructional fare generally has no appeal
unless presented (like "Math Blaster")
in arcade game formats.
Eighty percent of
educational programs
have gone on the market
with little or no research
or testing.
In addition to the uneven quality and
limited range of educational software,
another pervasive problem concerns eq¬
uity. Not only will rich and poor school
systems have unequal access to new
technologies, but, probably more impor¬
tant. there wiil be a learning gap between
students who have home computers and
those who do not. The vast majority of
home computer buyers are well off. well
educated and white. Sixty percent of
those purchasing computers costing over
$500 have incomes over $40,000. Al¬
though home computers arc mainly used
for games, many believe the day will
come when they are routinely used for
homework, independent learning, and
development of computer proficiency .
I here is also a radical imbalance in
computer use between the sexes. Nine¬
ty-three percent of home users are
males. Boys way outnumber girls any¬
where there is discretionary use such as
arcades, computing centers, and com¬
puter camps. A high proportion of female
users are mainly interested in word pro¬
cessors. Computer games, educational
and otherwise, tend to be oriented to
male tastes for violence and destruction.
Computers, at their present cost, as
one participant remarked, "are not now
a democratic medium." They could con¬
ceivably turn society into one of "tech¬
nocrats and technopeasants" unless eq¬
uity problems in both hardware and soft¬
ware are resolved.
Participants nonetheless predicted
that the integration of home and school
use of technology will profoundly affect
basic education. People did not think a
large-scale move to home learning as a
substitute for school attendance was
likely—despite widespread parental dis¬
illusionment with schools. Rather, they
thought home instruction would be used
as a supplement to school, w ith home the
place for more open-ended, creative and
time consuming exercises not requiring
supervision. Peter Dirr of the Corpora¬
tion for Public Broadcasting predicted
that pressures will mount to find ways to
integrate home and school learning expe¬
riences. as is done with some television
programs. Sherwin Steffin of Edu-Ware
in Agottra Hills. California, suggested
that use of the technology could bring
about a new "school-parent partner¬
ship w here use of the same courseware
at home and school could enable parents
to participate in instructional strategies
and afford leverage for demanding ac¬
countability from teachers. Ultimately,
several speakers foresaw' technology act¬
ing as a catalyst to radically transform
the nature of the school—which, said
one. “will not be recognized in its cur¬
rent form within a few' years."
The research and development re¬
quired for a range of sophisticated
courseware may require more extensive
government support than is now being
supplied. For example. Teri Perl of The
Learning Company in Menlo Park. Cali¬
fornia. said her group was working on a
school math course with aid from the
National Science Foundation. Then pri¬
vate venture capital look over the proj¬
ect. and the capitalists decided the home
market was more inviting. According to
the Educational Products Information
Exchange. 80 percent of educational pro¬
grams have gone on the market with little
or no research or testing.
At present, as Dirr noted, the capacity
of computers "way outstrips" both the
knowledge of how to use them as w ell as
the available software. And their poten¬
tial significance is beyond the scope of
present comprehension. “After 30 years
we are only beginning to understand the
impact of TV."—Constance Holden
SCIENCE. VOL. 225
