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COMPUTER
ENTHUSIASTS
^EiuuKiiafroiNi
Wellington Atari Computer Enthusiasts
PRESIDENT: Hr M Munro
Telephone: 793-363
SECRETARY: Mr D Rowe
Telephone: 736-716
P.O.Box 16011
WELLINGTON
SEPTEMBER, 1985
Dear members.
Herewith the September newsletter. The club seems to be
on a continuous upward path : consistently interest ins
meetings are attracting large turnouts; considerable volumes
o t Fit a r i ‘ s a re be i ns so 1 d by 1 oca 1 reta i 1 e rs, wh i 1 e retu rn l ns
American confidence in Atari's future is beins reflected in
the many new software titles which are now becoming available
both here and overseas. Beauty!
OCTOBER MEETING
As is usual, our next meetins will be held at the
"Loaves and Fishes" ‘‘-.behind the Anglican Cathedral in
Molesworth St. in central Well inston) beginning at 7.38 pm.
on 3 October. Features arranged so far include 1
a demonstration of what we believe is the first Atari 520ST
in Wei 1 inston;
an exposition on "Spreadsheets", usins Visicalc as the
vehicle, by Dennis Dawson;
a demonstration of some new commercial software.! and
the new club tape and new disk,
CLUB DISKS
Both disks #8 and #3 will be demonstrated. I apologize
for not speak ins about #8 last month but, truth to tell, i"
could not remember what was on it! Gavin Bateson, who
mass-produces the monthly disks, was soins on leave so #8 was
constructed very early in the piece.
Disk If3 is a soodie• The enha.need DOS 2 fnot DOS 2,5)
that was on disk #5 is used. The disk is very nearly full,
with only about 20 sectors free, Programmes on it include;
In foh i ts : a. re fe-rence sy stem;
Use room p : v a single Pass machine la.nsua.se assembler that takes
much of the hassle out of ereat ins User subrourtines;
L ast l en uest : a.n adventu re p ros ramn'te;
G rubs.;
Ho p Per;
L a z e r g u n n e r ;
Cannon;
T a s < a 11 t h e a b o v e a r e s a m e s);
Tables ; an educat iona. I p ros ramme ; and,
Towers of Hanoi ; a test of logic
Creatine the masters- of the club disks- is- a
11 me
consumins task, which is often made difficult if tfie material
available lacks "balance" <1 take it that there is little
demand for a. purely sa.mes- disk ! ). l*ve had help this time
f r o m J o h n H e r m a n s a n d C hi r i s R l c hi a r d s o n, b o t hi o f w h o m hi -a v e
typed in one of disk #3's more important prosrammes. Thank
you both. Thanks are also due to GaVin Bateson, who ones
as a. in cheerful ly accepted 20 blank disks- on which, he is t<"
copy #3 '.there are few more borins tasks than the multiple
copy ins of computer disks).
MODEMS
We .are under way at last. Jeremey White is install ins a
modem and will report on how it soes in down-loadins material
from the US and Australia. Your committee hopes to set a
bulletin board up and runnins in short order.
CARTRIDGE LIBRARY
This service' is u p and runnins . Members can swa p thei r
old cartridges for any two club disks : see the undersisned or
Ron Pyne.
GORDON MG
Members will recall that the 1 a.st news 1 e11er carried a
notice that Gordon wanted to swap his 300YL for an 880.
G o r d o n s o t n o replies.* m a. i n la be c a use y o u r Secretary q u o
t h e w r o n s p h o n e n u r m b e r. T h e n u m b e r s h o u 1 d h a v e b e e n 8 7 7 8
Sorry Gordon.
See you all on 9 October.*
You. rs- sincerely.*
Des Rowe <Sec reta ry).
WANTED TO GIVE AWRY FREE TO H GOOD HOME
D o t M a t r i x p r i n t e r 10 0 c p s
Cent ronics Model 306
P a r a 11 el--' S e r i a 1 I n t e r f a c e
C o m p 1 e t e S e r v i c e m a n u a 1 a v a i 1 a b 1 e
B e s t S' u. 1 1 s o m e o n e w i t h a t e c h n i c a 1 b e n t .
C0NTACT Rose r Ba1four 7S9—971
P! ! r p p p *,.j r m q t T f< N
■Jude Fahey
H n i mac i on F' 1
«_ .... .. “a cr r*« a r—?
. f ! *J !! hr i *„»0 tOi
1 iVt Y“ by P O ;
for $75.8@
would like to sell
Waite (Byte Books).*
! -■ o m p u t s r
book and Doub1e
The 50O ps.ss book covers all aspects of computer an i mat i on .*
with full pros rams in BASIC.
The disk contains all the main demo ■' s .* which can be
i n c *o r p q r a t e d i n t o y o u r o w n p r o a r a m s.
il l iTi
The W.A.C.E. Book Library
The book library is a free service which the club extends to its
members for the purpose of aiding knowledge in the field of Atari
computers. The library is constantly being augmented with new books and
classics in all areas, from advanced machine language tutorials to
games reviews and from simple application books to alternative
programming language texts. In order to borrow a book from the club
library, simply select it during the time allocated in the meeting,
take it to the librarian who will write your name and the date down in
the master list, and then take it home for one month. A limit of two
books per time exists in order to allow everyone a chance to see the
books. Please ensure that books are returned at the next W.A.C.E.
meeting and that they return in good order. There is no rental fee, but
a fine will be charged on damaged books.
Out-of-Town members should correspond to Neil Upton, the committee
member in charge with Out-of-Town members if they wish to borrow a
book.
It is not possible to reserve a book, but providing the system
works correctly, all books should be on hand at each meeting since they
will have been returned one meeting after being borrowed. The complete
library list followsi
101 Atari computer programming tips and tricks
101 programming surprises and tricks for your Atari computer
60 programs for the Atari 400/600XL/800XL
41.5 Fun projects for your Atari
31 new Atari computer programs for home etc.
ABC’s of Atari computers
Advanced programming techniques for your Atari
Atari 810 disk drive operating manual
Assembly language programming for the Atari computers
Atari BASIC faster and better
Atari BASIC - learning by using
Atari BASIC programs in minutes
Atari BASIC & the whiz-bang miracle machine
Atari BASIC tutorials
Atari computer program writing work book
Atari games and recreations
Atari Logo - programming examples
Atari PILOT activities and games
Atari PILOT for beginners
Atari player missile graphics
Atari programming with 55 programs
Atari puzzlements
Atari roots
Atari software 1983
Atari sound and graphics
Atari user’s guide
BASIC exercise* -for the Atari <i>
BASIC exercises -for the Atari (2)
Best of PCW software -for the Atari XL
Blue book -for the Atari computer (1)
Blue book for the Atari computer <2>
Compumath magic
Compute!** first book of Atari
Compute!'* first book of Atari graphics
Compute!*s second book of Atari
Computer playground
De Re Atari
Designs from your mind with Atari graphics
DOS 2 utilities source listing
Forth on the Atari - learning by using
Games Atari* play
Games for the Atari
Games for your Atari
Get more from the Atari
Homework helper
How to program your Atari in 6502 M.L.
How to use Atari computers
Inside Atari DOS
Itty-Bitty bytes of space for Atari
Logo programming
Machine language for beginners
Making the most of your Atari
Mapping the Atari (1)
Mapping the Atari (2)
Operating System source listing
Programmers* reference guide for the 400/S00
Rainy-Day activities for the Atari
Some Common BASIC programs (Atari)
Stimulating simulations (Atari)
A.N.A.L.O.G. Compendium (1)
A.N.A.L.O.G. Compendium (2)
The Atari Assembler (1)
The Atari Assembler (2)
The Atari Assembler (3)
The Atari book of games
The Atari User's encyclopaedia
The Atari XL handbook
The Best of Antic - an anthology
The Computer tutor; Atari
The Creative Atari
The elementary Atari
The musical Atari
The turtle’s source book
Understanding Atari graphics
Your Atari computer
Felix Bettelheim
Librarian
EBIFiOmtALS
T'ideo Monitors: Wide Array of Choices
By PETER H. LEWIS
fpESS than a decade ago most
; ij computers did not have video
jjgln monitors. Instead, humans
communicated with the ma¬
rine by feeding bundles of key-
unched computer cards into a chat*
sring box. Some computers also had
anks of toggle switches aftd blinking
ghts, and by deciphering the pat
trns of lights the user could get a
tirly good idea of the mischief the
lechanical brain was doing.
The video monitor, along with the
ryboard, is now the most common
put device for personal computers,
id this simplifies things greatly. But
wording to the recently discovered
list Law of Conservation of Confu-
on. which bolds that a gain in sim-
icity must be offset by a corre-
«nding rise in complexity, choosing
e right video monitor is not as easy
it looks.
The choices are varied. Many peo-
e attach their home computers to a
are color or black-and-white televi-
3n set, and this works well for many
mple applications. Others buy the
mputer, keyboard and monitor
sm the same manufacturer as a
mdied package, and this is rarely a
tong choice. Still others, in the
irit of audio connoisseurs who mix
id match stereo components, choose
mmpatible video monitor only after
idying a range of offerings: mono-
rome (one-color) in green, amber
black and white; composite color,
-RGB (red-green-blue), in regular
high-resolution.
Although the monitor may appear
be a simple television set, there are
pnificant differences. Television
ts are designed to receive a video
mal that has been altered, or modu-
DC-9 color monitor
ited, to travel the airwaves at radio
■equencies. Computers, on the other
and, send out an unmodulated video
gnal, which then must go through an
F (radio frequency) modulator to
i received by the television set,
hich in turn demodulates the signal
id transforms it into Space Invaders
■ whatever. The RF modulator is
lilt in to some home computers, or it
m be purchased separately at Radio
lack or other electronics stores for
ss than $50.
A color television set may be ade¬
quate for simple applications such as
-home banking or playing video
games, but a computer monitor is
„ recommended for more serious appli-
. cations such as word processing,
| -spreadsheets or detailed graphics.
}- - In general, monochrome monitors
-are recommended if the computer is
- to be used primarily for word pro-
_- cessing or other clerical chores. For
~ -flashy graphics and games, however,
* 'color is best.
2't - A color television set is much more
‘■-limited than a monitor in the amount
i *of information it can receive and dis-
j ’"play.
I - ‘ Images on both a television and a
|-monitor are made up of dots of light.
■ »One factor that determines how
s - tightly the dots can be spaced, and
r “thus how highly resolved, or sharp,
! -.the image will be, is bandwidth. A
- television set, which must space its
,--signals to leave, room between chan-
ji^nels, has a bandwidth of about 3.5
J > megahertz. This allows only about 40
.columns of characters, a significant
. -constraint on word processing or
.-spreadsheets. A monitor, which in ef-
Vtect has only one channel, has more
•- -room for signals and can accommo-
, *date up to 30 megahertz in the most
-expensive RGB models.
u.' Another factor in color monitors,
‘said Keith Shaw 1 , a marketing associ¬
ate at Princeton Graphics Systems of
.Princeton, N.J., is dot pitch, the dis¬
tance between the centers of individ¬
ual picture elements (pixels) of the
same color. The more tightly packed
'thepixeis, the sharper and crisper the
screen image will be; colors will be
brighter. For home television sets,
-Mr. Shaw said, the dot pitch is usually
-.7 to .9 millimeters, as against .28 to
.31 millimeters for Princeton’s top-
- » line color monitors. Two of the best
color monitors are Princeton’s HX-12
($695) and HX-9 ($650).
- Color monitors are classified as ei¬
ther composite or RGB, and this
-refers to the type of video signal.
Composite monitors, like color televi¬
sion sets, receive one modulated sig-
- nai containing all the elements of the
. color video image, then “comb” them
.apart into the constituent colors red,
5 green and blue. In an RGB signal, the
• red, green and blue signals are re¬
ceived and moved to the display
-screen separately. RGB monitors
give a sharper, brighter image, but
they are more expensive, too. Before
' buying one, make sure the computer
can handle RGB; the Commodore 64,
for example, can support only com¬
posite monitois, while the I.B.M. PC
" ‘and Apple He’s can run an RGB
monitor only if they are equipped
-with a color graphics card. Check
a with the dealer before making a pur¬
chase. f
Choosing One Color
Monochrome monitors are less ex-
'pensive than color monitors and are
-^preferred for such eyeball-intensive
casks as word processing. Even
though there is only one color to
choose, however, the choice can still
be confusing: amber, green or black
and white?
Each has its proponents. Amber
monitors are the standard in Europe,
where researchers assert that shades
of amber cause less eye strain than
shades of green. Green is the most
commonly offered color in the United
States. Some companies make black-
on-white or white-on-black screen
images, saying they more closely
resemble the paperwork that over¬
flows most offices. Studies suggest
that black-on-white images are hard
on the eyes for clerical use, but the
I Apple Macintosh has a black-on-gray
screen that does not seem particu¬
larly stressful.
In the absence of definitive scien¬
tific studies, the amber versus green
debate seems to come down to a mat-
ter of personal preference, said Mr.
Shaw of Princeton Graphics. “It does
seem like more people prefer
amber,” he said, but he added,
“We’ve searched long and wide to
find some sort of scientific backup to
substantiate claims that other mann.
facturers have made, but there
! doesn’t seem to be anything."
For those who use color monitors
for clerical tasks, some users report
they can reduce eye strain by going
light on the reds and blues. This is un¬
verified, but might be worth a try.
THE NEW YORK TIMES,
TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1985
AI for Atari, C64,C128,
Apple, and IBM PC
Ultimate Media has announced
Advisor , an artificial intelligence
development system for the Atari S00,
Commodore 64, and Apple II. It allows
interactive editing, production rule
construction, and multiple windows and
retails for S99.50.
Ultimate Media
275 Magnolia Ave.
Larkspur.CA94939
(415)924-.' 644 reads service card
Data Retrieval
mprovements
Palo Alto, Calif.
Text written on paper must be in a specific order,
is article, for instance, has a particular order of
ragraphs, and the reader will normally follow it
>m beginning to end in sequential fashion.
But computer-based information need not be
und by such restrictions imposed by paper. With
mputers it is possible to have individual small
ckets of information that can be called up in any
ier the reader desires. The concept has been
lied nonsequential text, or "hypertext,” and it is
iwly gaining adherents in computer science.
‘You can provide a document that people can
ik at at various levels," said Frank G. Halasz, a
search scientist at the Xerox Corporation's Palo
to Research Center. Last week Xerox introduced
itecards, a software program embodying the
ias of hypertext.
The concept is not an easy one to grasp, but one
alogy might be tours through a museum. Some
ovide a single route that takes a visitor past all
i exhibits. Others would concentrate on certain
hibits and bypass others.
Similarly, an electronic hypertext document
mid offer choices. For instance, a person reading
rypertext article about a company would have a
oice of how much detail he wanted on the compa-
’s history and how much .on finances. The con*
pts have been used in some electronic novels and
mputer games, in which the plot changes de.
nding on choices made by the player.
But hypertext would also allow users to link dif-
rent documents. Encyclopedias, for instance,
iw often contain cross-references to other arti-
ss, which in turn contain cross-references to still
hers. But following the cross-references is tedi¬
ts. With a hypertext encyclopedia, a reader could
ess a button and jump to the relevant part of the
■oss-referenced article and from there to another
ess-referenced article. In short, one could hop
om article to article following a given idea. Simi-
rly, instead of just seeing a reference to another
x>k in a footnote, a reader could move immedi-
:ely to the relevant part of that book.
This system is more advanced than traditional
ita banks, which permit the retrieval of docu-
lents quickly, but do not allow movement from
le document to the middle of another.
The first hypertext system was developed in the
irly 1960’s by Douglas C. Engeibart, then at the
tanford Research Institute. As part of the same
reject, Mr. Engeibart also developed a device for
nmrolling the computer that is only now coming
ito widespread use — the mouse. Mr. Engelbart’s
astern is marketed by Tymshare, now part of Mc¬
Connell Douglas, under the name Augment.
The term hypertext was coined in the mid-OO’s by
ed Nelson, an author and futurist. His attempt at
resting such a system, known as Xanadu, has
sundered for lack of financing.
It is only now, however, that the computer tech-
ology has improved enough to allow such pro¬
rams to become more widespread, and a few sys-
jms are being developed. At Brown University, a
ypertext system has been developed to work on
he Macintosh computer. Next year it will be tested
Andrew Pollack
in an English course as a way of providing students
with information and comments on the literature
being read.
Tektronix, an electronics company in Beaverton,
Ore., is testing such a system for managing infor¬
mation in software development in its computer
laboratory. Such software projects involve huge
numbers of documents and when a change is made,
such as in a design specification, it often requires
changing many documents, said Norman Delisle, a
senior software engineer at the lab. With the hyper¬
text system, with the relevant parts of the various
documents connected by electronic links, it is easy
to make those changes, he said.
Knowledge Systems Inc. of Pittsburgh sells in¬
formation management software using the princi¬
ples of hypertext.
• • •
A big use of such systems might also be in com¬
puter programs that help people write papers. Sim¬
ple concepts related to hypertext are appearing in
personal computer programs such as Thinktank by
Living Videotext Inc. and Framework by Ashton¬
Tate. These programs, sometimes called outline
processors or idea processors, allow users to
manipulate blocks of data into outline form.
Xerox’s Notecards also aims at this market and
is more sophisticated. It is, as its name implies, the
electronic version of the system long used by col¬
lege students, of taking notes on index cards. Paper
index cards, however, must be arranged in se¬
quence. The student might not know yet whether a
piece of information about George Washington’s
battles will be in the section of the report dealing
with George Washington’s life or in the section
dealing with the Revolutionary War. But with
paper index cards he must choose or else main, du¬
plicate cards.
- With Notecards, however, ideas do not have to be
organized into a linear outline. The system allows
any card to be connected to any other in a complex
network. One can envision the system as consisting
of cards with lines between them, like a map of
cities and roads between them.
Of course, the report writer eventually must or¬
ganize the various thoughts into a sequential pat¬
tern, if they are to be printed on paper.
14
©.1964byffl® CURRENT.CONTENTS®
Here They
Gome: The
Smarter PC’s
Personal computers are down,
but they are not out. Makers
are betting that a surge of new
devices will spark the industry.
Personal computers once were bally-
hooed as indispensable. For many peo¬
ple, they were not. But it’s too soon for
skeptics to laugh—a new beginning for
personal computers seems at hand.
Coming to market soon is a new gen¬
eration of PC products that could in¬
ject life into the industry. On the way
are improved sound and graphics fea¬
tures, programs that do not require ex¬
tensive training, devices that allow
computers to control home utilities
and appliances, and better educational
products.
Stirring the most interest is the pow¬
erful Amiga, which Commodore Inter¬
national expects to sell by September
at a base price of $1,295. It has stun¬
ning animation and graphics capaci¬
ty-over 4,000 colors—and replicates
the sound of an orchestra across four
audio channels.
Whether there are millions of arm¬
chair artists, designers and music ar¬
rangers eager for these bells and whis¬
tles is an open question. But Amiga
does represent another
step toward making com¬
puters easy and convenient
to use.
Apple Computer’s Mac¬
intosh popularized such
features as the “mouse”—a
hand-held pointing device
used to make commands—
and screens within screens,
or “windows,” that display
more than one application
at a time. Amiga shares
these features, while also
being able to perform more
than one job simultaneous¬
ly, such as writing and
printing.
Ease is key. Having a
computer that is easy to use
will be crucial in businesses
as PC’s begin appearing on
desks of less sophisticated
users. International Busi¬
ness Machines now sells
Top View, a program that
permits windows on the
screen and allows people to
switch quickly from one application to
another.
These features are of little value if
the applications themselves are so diffi¬
cult that only determined people can
master them. The solution is the intro¬
duction of software that incorporates
artificial intelligence to make comput¬
ers respond to commands in plain En¬
glish. For example, NaturalLink, made
by Texas Instruments, lets users get
stock prices from Dow Jones News /
Retrieval by simply asking: “What's the
current quote for ... ?”
Jerrold Kaplan, chief technologist for
Lotus Development, foresees programs
that read electronic messages and set
priorities on them. To Kaplan, the limit
of what AI can do is “our imagination—
not the power of our machines.”
While PC’s have proved popular in
businesses, the home market is still
largely untapped, because people have
not found enough uses for them. That
could change. A promising develop¬
ment for home computers, called the
CD-ROM, for compact-disc read-only
memory, resembles audio compact-
disc players. Using the same technolo¬
gy, it stores vast amounts of text—up to
100 million words, or 220,000 pages—
on a disc that can be searched by a
computer for desired titles, words or
sets of words.
The first home applications of the
CD-ROM are expected this autumn.
Grolier will sell a disc containing its 9-
million-word Academic American En¬
cyclopedia for $199, one third the
price of its printed version. Atari plans
to sell a disc drive to read CD-ROM
If You Want to
Buy a Computer...
More than 300 companies sell
personal computers. Facing' this
cornucopia of choices, some pro¬
spective computer buyers throw
up their hands in frustration.
Fortunately, books about PC’s
are proliferating, too; there are
almost 6,000 in print. Here are a
few that aid first-time buyers—
■ Computers for Everybody—
1985 Buyer’s Guide, $19.95, by
Jerry Willis and Merl Miller, Di¬
lithium Press. Overviews of more
than 100 PC’s, plus ratings on ease
of use, software availability.
■ How to Buy Software, $14.95,
by Alfred Glossbrenner, St. Mar¬
tin’s Press. This 648-page book
tells how and where to buy every¬
thing from spreadsheets to games.
■ The Simon & Schuster Guide
to Computer Peripherals, $14.95,
by Linda Gail Christie. All you
need to know about printers, mo¬
dems, monitors, disc drives.
data, for $500. Next could be CD-
ROM’s that show graphics and play
music—perhaps a demonstration of
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to go
with his biography.
Homeowner’s aide. PC’s could find a
place in the home as control devices.
One company, CyberLynx, sells a pack¬
age called Smarthome that lets IBM or
Apple computers switch on lights or
§ alarms at specific times—such as when
3 a small child passes a sensor while leav-
| ing a play area. The package can turn
§ on lawn sprinklers, or summon fire en-
| gines if detectors sense smoke. The
computer is used to run the system.
Better teaching tools are in the off¬
ing. too. Apple is at work on a class¬
room network that iinka a PC on the
teacher’s desk to those being used by as
many as 32 pupils. As for educational
programs that are often little more
than electronic flashcards, help has ar¬
rived. In Robot Odyssey I, a game sold
by Learning Company, players design
robots that help them escape from a
futuristic underground city. Purpose:
To improve skills in logic.
All these changes are in answer to
pleas for machines and programs to
make PC’s useful for ordinary Ameri¬
cans. Says Bill Machrone, editor of PC
magazine, “There are going to be
more and more compelling reasons for
people to start using PC’s.” □
By MANUEL SCU1FFRES
Commodore’s Amiga boasts stunning graphics.
44
U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT. Aug. 26. 1985
Wll
The home computer is possibly one of the most important technological
breakthroughs of the 1980s. Computers are far too important to be misunaerstood as
they are now an integral part of our everyday life and they will become even more
important in the future Most businesses use them in one form or another and our
children are growing up in a society that is very dependant on them.
The home computer's place in this revolution is most important. For children it is
an introduction to the terminology used by computers and the many programmes
available, whether they be simple games or educational, introduce them to the use of
the equipment at the same time as teaching them new skills - while they are being
entertained! For adults easy to use programmes make every day tedious chores mucn
more simple - home budgets, smail business accounts, reference files or dub
accounts to name a few — and simple programming commands allow you to design
your own programmes for whatever use you want.
Computers are easy to use and they only require a power point and TV to set up.
With many practical uses the home computer can be a very entertaining hobby.
in response to requests received from the many home computer users who are
members of the Club we have introduced this addition to our regular record selection
leaflets. In it we intend to offer a range of software, accessories and wherever possible
hardware for the machine You use on a regular basis.
The number of different computers available on the market is large and we do
not intend to concentrate on any one brand, if your computer by some chance is not
listed on the pages that follow or if you would like to see specific programmes etc
included please contact the Club and your request will be noted for future editions.
As with ail products sold by the Club all of the programmes etc listed are
guaranteed factory fresh and will be replaced if received by you in a damaged or
fauity condition. We can however not accept returns for any other reason.
In this programme we have offered, in the main, games
programmes. Educational and Instructional programmes will
follow in later editions.
Postage and Packing in ail cases is 65c for one cassette plus
30c for each additional cassette posted at the same time.
Allow 21-28 days for delivery from date of ordering
Many of the programmes offered are not available from
other sources. _
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ciocodiles at the same lime as steering at high speed between the river banks
jsatkss 'sansr «
S21.25 95-108
suu/ouu <* al Models 32K
Stranded
W,lh n ° mJpS e ' C y ° Ur ,d5k ls 10 home
Firefleet ^ - --S27.25 95-109
a 10 P ' l0t V0Ur , Flrefleet cru,ser through 34 screens of danger hazards
control * y ° U Pf0Ceed ' he ieWl ° f d ‘ (f,Cul ‘y S ets and h,ghlr:',oyst,ck
527.25
95-110
Hyperblast ' ™-
dmn™'uresTal a?cade V T COmputer 10 °< "ving
awing creatures Real arcade action w„h superb graphics loystick required *
Submarine Commander -------- . S27.2S 95-111
Using, your skills and cunning you must identify enemy shiDomg dose m
undetected using sonar take aim through your periscoDe firevlur mrnerin
r S eens° U ,o! d st!ck V reouled h f'T" 5 9
Sparks k q y lmported English software from -Creative
Tank Commander ~ -- -521.25 95-112
A great mix of strategy and action The mission is to penetrate the cnemv
m n ^ and b OW up lheir ,uel dum P '' ou nced to use every trick in the book
Computer War " - 521.25 95-1 13
b *“ ! f “ % “s"-
E S Forth
521.25
95-114
Unlocks the door to the world of forth at an allordable price E S Forth runs a,
kc'h ,<3Sle ' ‘ hdn b uT aC yet IS eas V iearn and use Some features
are Basic dictionary compatible with Fig Forth Full Screen editor r ne u
-ih Atari Assembler Editor lor debugging and machme code linking
. S27.25 95-115
fcx- Ci
4^
Atari 400/800 & XL Models 16K
(Also suitable 32K versions)
Duellin' Droid
falian the Dueilin Droid has been assigned to rescue the members of bis
family from the clutches of che evil Droids and monsters on the planet Zennor.
Only by destroying the creatures can he coilect the fleeing members of his
farruiy. escape through to the next planetary level and evade the aggressors
99 levels or hazards make lulian s task a mission to remember!
joystick required.
__ 527.25 _9 5-101
Captain Sticky's Gold
The object of the game is to pilot your diver to the seabed to retrieve goid On
the way you have hazards such as air leeches, monster crabs, helicopter bombs,
eiectric force tieids and underwater missiles to contend with not to mention air
and time running out. 9 levels at olav joystick control
S27 25_ _ 95-102
Neptune s Daughter
Similar to Captain Stickv s Colo w,th the object at rescuing Neotunes Daughter
from the Sea Serpent Multi Screen loystick control
Airstrike 2
Challenges vou to defend vour olanetarv system against the Planet Cvdcn. lour
missions to progress through 5 security cooed sectors and survive! Enemy
missiles tuei and ammo dumps have to be destroyed, joystick Control.
S27.25 95-104
Batty Builders
Controlling your battv builder, the object or the game is to construct wails
correctly using the blccxs failing from rhe overhead conveyor bvit' The blocks
each have their own colour ana design ana to obtain the highest score vou
should attempt to create wails with uniform design ana colour 3ut beware
Battv Buiiaers can get satiashed
S27 25 95-105
Dan Strikes Back
Dans prized possession was a great diamond which was stolen and ioc.-iea
awav m a beep underground *auit with massive doors clocking the entrances
and various creatures guarding different parts oi the vault joystick control.
_' ____5 27,25 95-106
lava fim
Iim has to step pretty smartly to avoid a lump oi sizzling lava heading straight
for him but unfortunately he is in the middle of an arcnaeiogical dig amidst
steamy |ur,gie and deaalv spiders The area has many mysterious black holes
that he can tall down and every time that happens he is dumped miles from his
original spot Vour task is to i’.eip iim uncover buried rates and avoid the
oostacles Over 20 levels o! play loystick control Fully imported English
sottware trom Creative Soarks '
S21.2S 95-107
527 25
95-103
THE NBW*YORK TIMES, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1985
PERIPHERALS T "
Sorting Out
Confusion
[n Printers
By PETER H. LEWIS
H OW does one choose the
right printer when there
are literally scores of new
models being introduced
ach year?
The 1985 models range from bat-
ery-powered units the size of a aga-
ette carton to $7,000 laser engines
bat can turn a personal computer
ato a professional printing shop.
In a heroic effort, the writers, tech-
icians and editors of PC magazine’s
ept. 17 issue have compiled the best
nd most comprehensive roundup of
rinter models introduced or signifi-
quality), 81,4%.
^Centronics Printstation 240 (dot
matrix), 81,495.
^Toshiba P351 (dot matrix), 81,895.
^Epson’s SQ 2000 (dot matrix ink
jet), 82,295.
qOkidata’s Pacemark 2410 (dot
matrix), 82,395.
qQume’s Sprint 11/90 Plus (letter
quality), 82,500.
^Apple’s LaserWriter (laser),
86,995.
PC’s editor. Bill Machrone, said
that although they were not listed in
this roundup, the printers that im¬
pressed the reviewers most in last
year's printer review are still techno¬
logically formidable, and that often
they served as the unofficial stand¬
ards against which the newcomers
were measured. These models, and
their 1984 prices, included the Hew¬
lett-Packard LaserJet (laser,
83,495); the Centronics GLP (dot ma¬
trix, 8299); Toshiba’s 1340 (dot ma¬
trix, 8995); Epson’s FX-80 (dot ma¬
trix, 8599), and Qume’s Sprint 11/55
Plus (letter quality, 82395).
Cardiff’s microcomputer
translates sound Vfifi
to crotchets and quavers
GREAT composers of the
future should be spared the
laborious task of writing out
by hand their crotchets and
quavers, turning instead to a
microcomputer electronic pitch
recognition system just devel¬
oped at University College.
Cardiff.
The system, consisting of a
microphone, signal processor
and graphics software, is
capable of translating the pitch
and duration of musical notes
instantly into standard musical
staff notation on a micro¬
computer screen — and storing
and playing the notes back as
required.
Cardiff University Industry
Centre, which is dedicated to
getting product ideas out .of
the lab and into the market
place, has established a new
company, Auditec, to handle
the system.
Only two products have been
developed so far, both for the
descant recorder.' One 1
essentially a computer gam
for young children, - combinin
the system’s’ note recognitio
capabilities ' with ’ cartoo
graphics and a library o
tunes. The other is a seriou
descant recorder tutorial prc
gramme.
CUIC is also interested i:
developing the pitch processor’
use in industrial and con
mercial fields, provided it ca
find a company willing t
provide research and develop
ment funding.
It suggests, for example
that the processor could b
packaged as a security devic
which would allow access onl
when it recognises.a sequenc
of notes. '• •
Equally, it could be geared t
monitor the performance o
industrial machinery, by signal]
ing changes in the pitch of elec
trical motors. --
ROBIN REEVES
antly redesigned this year — 70 in
JLThis follows the magazine’s epic
lav. 27, 1984, issue in which 120
rinter models were evaluated. (For
. copy of the Nov. 27 printer review,
end 86 to Kim Armstrong, Back
ssues, PC Magazine, Ziff-Davis Pub-
ishing, 1 Park Avenue, New York,
f.Y. 10016.)
The new printers were tested for
ompatibility with the I.B.M. ex-
aided ASCII character set; range of
satures; print enhancements and re¬
al ting print samples; speed with and
rithout special print enhancement
satures, and noise levels. Dot-matrix
rinters’ compatibility with dot-ad-
ressable graphics was also tested;
lis means that the computer in-
tructs the printer exactly which v
ots, of all those on the video screen,
re to be printed.
Over aUTthe quality of printers was
bund to be very impressive. Even so,
6 of the 70 models were singled out
>y the editors as “particularly out¬
standing”:
qOkidata Okimate 20 (color, dot
matrix, thermal transfer), 8268.
qC. Itoh ProWriter Jr. (dot ma-
rix), 8299.
1 q Panasonic KX-P1091 (dot ma¬
trix), 8399.
qStar Micronics SD-10 and SD-15
(both dot matrix), 8449 and 8599.
qEpson FX-85 and FX-185 (both dot
matrix), 8499 and 8699.
qNEC Spinwriter 370 ELF (letter-
duality), $545. ,
qLB.M. Proprinter (dot matrix),
8549.
q Panasonic KX-P3151 Getter qual¬
ity), 8659.
qStar Micronics SB-10 (dot ma¬
trix), 8749.
qprimages Primage 90 (letter
DUTCH PICK
ATARI has achieved a dram¬
atic breakthrough in Europe
with the news that the Dutch
government has selected the
800XL as its recommended
micro for the country s
schools.
The company now predicts
that this will result in sales of
100,000 machines to edu¬
cational outlets in Holland over
the next two to three years.
Atari was given the blessing
of the Dutch after months of
negotiations and in the face of
intense competition from major
rivals.
This is now being seen as the
key to unlock the door to similar
deals all over Europe. However
France remains the one country
where Atari is unlikely to make
much headway, thanks to the
chauvinistic attitude of the
French themselves.
As part of the Dutch deal the
800XL - named as Home
Computer of the Year in the
British Micro Computing
Awards 1985 - is now to be
featured in a television series
there.
Breakthrough
pioneering B8C series.
"This award is a major
breakthrough for Atari com¬
puters in Holland", says Rob
Harding, Atari UK sales man¬
ager. "It was won in the face of
formidable competition from
Philips, the indigenous manu-
This, according to the com¬
pany, is being designed to
introduce school children in
Holland to the intricacies of
computing, similar to the
facturer.
"We believe that this will
lead to the 800XLbecoming the
leading 8-bit micro in edu¬
cation".
September 1985 ATARI USER 7
July/August 1985
Editor & Publisher
Les Ellingham
Correspondence
PAGE 6 Magazine
P.O.Box 54
Stafford
ST16 1DR
Editorial and Advertising
0785 41153 or 0785 213928
Printed by
Stafford Reprographics Ltd.
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PAGE 6 is published bi-monthly
Page 6 is a user's magazine and relies
entirely on readers' support in
submitting articles and programs. The
aim is to explore Atari computing
through the exchange of information
and knowledge and whilst w'e cannot
unfortunately, pay for articles published
we hope that you will gain satisfaction
from seeing your work published and in
turn we hope that you will learn from
articles submitted by other readers. All
published material is eligible for awards
in the Annual Readers Poll and may
receive additional Editorial awards as
announced from time to time in the
magazine.
Alt original articles, programs and
other material in PAGE 6 is copyright of
the author as credited. All uncredited
material is copyright PAGE 6. Unless
containing the by-line'All Rights
Reserved" any matenal in PAGE 6 may
be re-used by User Groups and other
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PAGE 6.
Whilst we take whatever.steps we can
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advertisements PAGE b cannot be held
liable for any errors or claims made by
advertisers.
HANNOVER REPORT
LISTINGS
BLACK BOX by Paul Ford
FREEWAY ACE! by Paul Lay
DRAUGHTS by Graeme Walters
TURN THE TABLES by Jim Flewker
AUTOCAR GRAPH by Peter Franey
PROGRAMMING
CHARACTER PLOTTING by Phil Griffin
REVIEWS
130 XE
COLOURSPACE
SPARTADOS by RAMatulko.
ATARI BASIC Faster and Better
THE SOFTWARE REVIEWS
FEATURES
ADVENTURE - BEHIND THE SCENES by Garry Francis
THE ATARI BOOK OF BOOKS by Kevin Fleming
ATARI WRITER AND THE 1027 by Phil Rae
FIRST STEPS by Mark Hutchinson
BEYOND ATARI by John J. Smith
Editorial
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Letters
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