A mm
COMPUTER
COMPUTER
ENTHUSIASTS
Wellington Atari Computer Enthusiasts
PRESIDENT: Mr M Munro
Telephone: 793-363
SECRETARY: Mr D Rowe
Telephone: 736-716
P.O.Box 16011
WELLINGTON
jJ C T U 8 E R ,i 1 A;-!
Dear members..
Herewith the latest newsletter from WACE. There is, I fear, little
point in apolosiirins for the October newsletter becoming avaiiahle in
November- but what else can one expect in a civil service town?"
NEXT MEETING
Once asain.■ the venue will be the "Loaves and Fishes", which is
located behind the Anglican Cathedral in Molesworth Street in central
Wellington. We continue to hold our of meetings on the second
Wednesday of the month fie 13th November> and once again the doors
will open at 7.39Pm, with the formal meeting beginning at 8.90pm.
Committee members will again be wearing labels, so you will know who
to com p 1ain to!
The meeting will feature:
<a)the long promised discussion on Spreadsheets, using "Visicalc" as
a base.Spreadsheets are handy tools for Planning personai and ..
business finances' they allow one, for example, to budget months nr
years ahead using "what if" techniques to generate forecasts under a
number of scenarios.:
<b>Interfaces for modems and printers will be discussed. With the
Htari 8b9 being in lamentably short supply, substitutes have taken
over the market' their virtues and their vices will he noted, fl’pri^e
may be given for the "best" horror story;
<c.)Provided his disk drive is repaired in time, Ross Palmer will
display and discuss some of the Action! programmes on a recently
received disk from Jacksonville ACE;
<d>the monthly club tape and disk will be demonstrated, a«
f hope fu11y) will DISK10 f rom c1ub disk 6.
i
THE CLUB DISK
Disk #19 is user friendly: on loading, it goes immediately to .a menu.
Any residual loading problems should be obviated by resort to the
"Help" file. Programmes of note include Trickytrack, Kaleidoscope and
Crickets, while "Automatic Proofreader" helps in the typing in of
Compute! Programmes. Turntables is an educational game with an
inte resting twist.
THE CLUB TAPE
A C30, the tape shares some o
Trickytrack and Kaleidoscope,
confidence that it is better
f the P;ro-arammes on the disk., such as
Other programmes give the tape‘‘3 compiler
value than the disk!
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Chris Caudwell is willing to run a SIG on the use of the
"Assembler/Editor" cartridge (that is to say , he_wishes to Pick your
brains). First dozen or so to ring Chris on ph 733220 get to take part
Similarly, Rogan Maxwell will ORGANize <get it?) a SIG on the Music
cartridge. Again, ring Rogan on ph SS88S7.
Volunteers to run, and/or suggestions of topics for, other SIGs are
urgently called for. Please contact any Committee member.
MAGAZINES
The flow of Antic magazines to WfiCE has resumed, the delay being caused
by"the Publishers believing that Wellington is a city of Australia!
Until Antic remedy their insulting error, we are dependent on the
efficiency a.nd charity of the Australian Post office. Analog ma.gazine
is still slow to arrive.
THE REVISION B ROM , .
The September Analog has a letter suggesting that since Atari's
Translator B is, in essence, exactly the Revision B OS, I have never
found it to fail in solving a compatibility problem that was XL
sensitive. "Does this mean that those unfortunates with "Printshop" and
the old 400/800's (with their Rev A OS's) have the answer to their
problem?
That's it, see you on 13 November,
Des Rowe
(Secretary).
A TRIP TD AUCKLAND, AND OTHER DELIGHTS
During the August school holidays Murray and I spent four days in Auckland with
a combined Monaco/Classroom Computers display at the NZ Compfter Education Society
conference. It was frustrating to see the school software being offered by our
RIVALS with their big displays and high-powered salesmen; and indeed most of the
teachers there were already using Apples, Commodores, IBM PCs or BBCs . Still we
were at least there, and Monaco put some, effort into providing hardware and support.
Probably the most useful aspect of the trip was the chance to make contact with
a keen Atari man from Te Atatu Intermediate. Ken had written direct to Atari to ask
for classroom-oriented software, had had his letter forwarded to a company whose
material looked promising, and had imported some and become their agent. Much of it
is disc-based, but with DDs now at $475 we can't complain too much. If you are
interested in seeing his catalogue, contact me.
He also hopes to do something towards putting Atari teachers in contact with one
another. We pored over the Atari Teachers' Network newsletters and. have begun lists
of teachers. We also noted interesting software reviewed in that publication, and
I've written to try and acquire some of it.
Don't anyone say AXIOM printers in my hearing. The story, insofar as it can be
condensed for a family magazine, goes something like this:
Oct '84: penfriend in USA got Axiom to send me quotes for printer interfaces. They
included brochures and dealer price lists for direct-connect printers. But we prefer
interfaces that don't need a separate power supply (right, John?) and I left it.
June '8w: I wrote for cost of importing 10 direct-connect printers, and spoke to two
other retailers about sharing a consignment.
July: Asked friend to phone about possibility of importing one printer airfreight,
and sent her $300US. y '
Early September: Friend had called several times before someone prepared to take an
interest said he'd phone me and call her back, but she'd heard nothing more.
Rose early three times and called P-to-P: fellow was always out of town.
Left a message for him to call me any time that week, 5-6.30 our time. Stayed near
phone in sleeping bag: no call.
Called again and spoke to his secretary. Asked her cost of air-freighting one
printer: could she call me back at 11 am two days later?
She did, but at 10 am (5 am here). The printer concerned was no longer being
marketed, and in any case "we do not despatch to overseas locations".
Anyone want to buy a Logitec?
A few days with Ron's Plotter Printer, for which I was very grateful, proved
that it will print Logo graphics as well as word-processing. At $149 it could be
useful in a primary classroom. BUT its documentation is very poor. Using
Atari Writer I haven't succeeded in getting the 20-column size script, which would be
good with juniors, either by CTRL-027 routines or by setting up the printer before
beginning word-processing. Would anyone like to tackle that technicality for me?
Logo has at last arrived, w ith manuals, at a more sensible price of $129. That
took almost a year.
And finally, the other good news is that Monaco now have a local service agent.
Among other things, he's enjoying himself doubling the strength of cassette buttons
by drilling up the weak stem and inserting a steel pin.
A reminder: I bring printer paper to clubnights if anyone Hants it) I also keep
Logitec/Panasonic ribbon cartridges, and Hhen I get cassette buttons again I'll have
.those th me too. ^ CLASSROOM COMPUTERS LTD.,
'T-. r
JEHHY CHISHOLM
ji-i
<L
13
mz\ WAY,
PRINTER PRPER
Continuous Fanfo 1 d Lineflo paper
now available at the best price
you/11 see for a lon'3 time.
USFi standard R4 - 60 gram.. 279x225mm
$43.58 Pe r 2000 sheets
HZ standard R4 - 70 gram.. 297x210mm
$62.30 per 2000 sheets
For further information Phone :
Neil Upton or Bruce Tinsley during
business hours., on 735-979
rfe/pc Send the Computer Makers
Back to the Drawing Board
By Jack Falvey
Some funny things seem to be happen¬
ing in the midst of the computer revolt,
tion: The IBM PCjr dies an early death.
Digital Equipment Corp.’s Rainbow fades
away without producing its pot of gold.
Apple Computer discontinues operations
in its Macintosh XL orchard, and there
is a softness in demand for these ma¬
chines of the future.
Manager’s Journal
Each company has its own set of
specific reasons for product withdrawals,
but perhaps there are some fundamental
forces at work that are not being read
well by the screen-and-keyboard group.
We are told that with the right software
the future is in' sight. But that approach
has been backward from the beginning.
The software is being created to try to
make the hardware useful. The market has
not gone soft, the product has just failed
to deliver benefits that are worth buying. *
One manager, when faced with a new-
product decision, turned to his trusty
personal computer and plugged in the
numbers. The answer came back “no
go.” What was needed was a qualitative
subjective risk evaluation that couldn’t j
ho nmmmmed. He proceeded to kill a
project that set his division back seven
years. A better application of high tec!
nology would have been some circuitr
to maintain a more workable enviror
ment in his 80-degree office.
A small-company president made th
decision to computerize his firm. He ha
a special room built, leased state-of-th«
art equipment, hired an operator am
then had to go back on the road sellin;
to generate enough revenue to keep hi.
system running. The promises made b;
the supplier of the equipment could no
be made to come true.
The chief executive officer of-a publii
warehouse spent more than S80.000 ant
six months’ time trying to get a compu
terized inventory-control system up anc
running. Between consultants, software
specialists, sales agents and the manu
facturer, he ran an endless treadmill,
with each participant finding something
wrong with the other parts of his pack¬
age. They just couldn't get the thing to run.
It will be a long time before he comes
back into the computer market again.
V The computer may be suffering from
a’case of mistaken identity. The comput¬
ers on the TV commercials that run hat
and roller-skate businesses with stacks of
general-purpose software are as fictional
as the storybooks and sets they populate.
Nevertheless, as a dedicated machine, it
and its variations are finding their place
in our everyday lives. When a computer
is set up to do one specific task and is
tailored for that task, it then is more
likely to live up to its promise and
potential. It's only when the computer is
offered in a general purpose, one-size-
fits-all configuration that it comes up far
short. The personal computer in the
home, small office, school and general
business has failed to deliver.
The advantages of dedicated vs.
general-purpose computers are many.
Auto companies are rapidly becoming
the largest computer makers in absolute
numbers. Three or four computerized
systems have found their way into each
new car. One runs the ignition and com¬
bustion process, one runs heating and air
conditioning, one runs cruise control, and
one presents display information on the
dashboard. No car has yet been equipped
with a general-purpose central processor.
Small keyboards were tried for trip com¬
puters and soon were discontinued. The
auto companies resisted the temptation
and cost of adding video games and
word processing to your car. Each sys¬
tem produces a useful result. If a system
isn't worth the price or the benefit isn’t
’ needed, it doesn't sell.
While the personal computer remains
dark in the den of most homes, a cable-
TV system and videocassette recorder
builds a library of video tapes almost
unaided. These dedicated systems are all
around us. They have no keys or
screens: They check our credit cards
with a magnetic strip reader: they total
our groceries with a scanner. Think of
the paradox of the teen-ager suffering
through a computer-literacy class with
an ancient Apple He and then reporting
for work after school at the supermarket
to run the latest state-of-the-art holo¬
graphic computer equipment in the
checkout line. No literacy necessary.
Joseph Weizenbaum, a Massachusetts
Institute of Technology computer-science
professor, states: "Computer literacy is
basically a disease that was invented
when it became necessary to market the
cure"—computers. The computer as a
teaching machine has yet to arrive. What
is the logic behind asking children with
random access and almost infinite mem¬
ory systems to somehow adapt them¬
selves to these linear limited machines?
General-purpose applications in school,
have failed to deliver useful benefits
except in isolated cases, and consumers
are now sending that message back to
the manufacturers.
If the application is big enough to
justify and fund special systems that can
achieve results that will cover costs and
produce profits, then it becomes appar¬
ent that the future of the dedicated
computer is bright indeed.
If you see a dark screen in your
office, be just as critical as the plant
manager who sees an unused machine.
Machine tools often are not justified until
used on a second or third shift. Do your
personal computers measure up to the
same standards? Linking machines that
are seldom in use in networks must be
questioned out of hand. If you have a
dedicated use for a computer and it will
be in action four to six hours a day, it
then begins to justify itself. Dedicated
word processors have found their home
in the office just because of this fact.
But using a J10,000-plus computer as a
word processor in place of a typewriter
is like using a chain saw to prune your
house plants.
It may just be possible that the com¬
puter revolution is alive and well. It’s
just that the revolutionaries have to take
a new look at where they are going and
how they are going to get there. They
have over-promised and under-delivered.
Dedicated systems and computerized
controls and devices are working. The
market will become firm again when the
product becomes useful.
Mr. Falvey is a management consul¬
tant and writer in Londonderry, New
Hampshire. .
screen
it 4‘/ 2 years old, pupils doing
i Let’s Count computer
ogram know exactly when
«hey have to press the button to
hear the Drunken Sailor music.
From the age of six, after some.
old-fashioned learning to write
with pencils and paper, they
make up stories about pirates
and kittens on the screens of
.'their classroom microcomput-
•3 ers. By 10, they are developing
<1 computer fact-files. . A
Now Cathy Conlin’s pupils at
Norton Glebe, an infant and.
primary school in Stockton on
Tees, are set for another giant
step. Later this month, the 10- 7.
and 11-year-olds begin a satel¬
lite ,correspondence with , chil¬
dren in San Diego, California.
, The Norton Glebe kids may
be at the forefront of the
computer revolution, in British
schools, but their easy famili¬
arity with. technology that
terrifies many adults is far from
unique. Despite the disenchant¬
ment with much of the avail¬
able educational software, mic¬
ros are now common in the,
classroom.
. The schools have concen-.
trated.up till now on getting the
hardwire, and enough software
and, teacher-training to make
use? of it. So, what happens
next? Will micros become just a
useful adjunct to the existing
school system?
. A, radically different view is
taken by Cathy Conlin and
Tom Stonier, professor of
science and society at Bradford
University, in a book published
last week. They believe com¬
puters presage the first genuine
classroom revolution since the
Victorians created mass edu¬
cation a century ago.
Their book is entitled The
Three Cs - Children, Com¬
puters, and Communications*
(John Wiles and Sons, £7.50), It
is not for the sceptics (who
believe Computers in school are
a passing gimmick), nor for the
critics (who fear they tend to.
dehumanise vulnerable little
minds). The authors write:
“During the 1980s, there will
emerge powerful microcomput¬
er-based education systems
which, by the end of the
century, will shift much of the
education, system from school-
* „ - ' -.. W .... i-uiVIOHJ, oyo IV.
puters are "interactive”, fan,
endlessly patient and able to
tailor education to individual
needs. They will, develop chil¬
dren’s intellectual skills and-
enhance the creative impulse.
They are not, the authors
maintain; an isolating influence:
“Education is communication,”
says Conlin, “and computers,
are a marvellous way of
teaching children to communi¬
cate."
She stresses, . however - , that
children taught at home by the
computer-based method would
still attend school some of the
time, for socialisation.
Conlin doubts that home-
based computerised education
would automatically favour
middle-class children. This
view - though not the book’s
enthusiasm for home-based
education is shared by
Howard Curtis, adviser for
computer education in deve-
land.
■“It’s often the professional
parents who are more sceptical
about technology”, he says.
The book’s authors concede
based back to home-based. In l
short, home will become the >'
place to go to learn and school • :
where you go to play.”
Anticipating howls of protest ,
from working mothers - Conlin
herself has five children, and
worked throughout their young .
years - the book proposes a new r
kind of teacher, grandparents. It .
is envisaged they would work
10 to 15 hours a week with pairs Y
of children at home, using ;
computers provided by the
state. . '•
The book says that com-
that the present, generally poor. 1
quality of educational , software-
must be improved before all
this can happen. The govern-
ment s decision to wind up its
Microelectronics Education
Programme next March will not
advance the cause.
,Another difficulty they ac¬
knowledge is the lack of
hveware - trained teachers;
administrators and parents. But
the real hurdle, they stress, js
the lack of basic research into
tne progress of computer-aided
learning. The Norton Glebe
Sf e J ,n V^ th 9 a,ifornia »
part of the effort to fill that huge
gap in knowledge. _
The “link” is in fact ja
research project,, to be mortif
tored by a developmental
psychologist from Durham
University, Dr Charles Crook;
He believes that more research
like this is urgently needed, j i
“There’s a real, risk that
individual schools and teachers
will become disillusioned, that
bad material will be produced;
and that the great potential will
slow down,” says Crook. j j
At Norton Glebe, at least;
there is little evidence of
disillusion. For the youthful
computer buffs there, the micro
is simply a fact of life that
makes lessons more fun. “It
types everything out clearly for
you, and that shows it’s nice
and friendly,” says Lindsay, lO.j
Even so, there remains
something ■ chilling about the
reference in The Three Cs to a
Californian 10-year-old, who,
wanted to have the computer
chat with him and “solve
personal problems”. The book
talks also of computers offering
“an infinitely patient, friendly,
entertaining set of pro-
grammes”. Whatever happened :”ATARl”-400
to infinitely patient, friendly;
entertaining teachers?
' A YOUR
Atari
COMPUTER
a guide to
ATARI - 400/800'
personal computers
Chris Tight
^o^0m^p:$rnplemsdiihfoifn
News and Reviews
by Mike Dunn, C>) tduuf
Many of ouf members bought the new Atari 520ST computers and
are very happy with them. Some did not work after the trip overseas,
but all could be fixed by re seating the chips. Atari is to be congratulated
for helping user groups to fix their computers and giving advice over the
phone on how to do so. A tetter just received from Atari states that BASIC
is almost ready to ship as well as the upgrade ROM; both will be sent
tree of charge to those who bought their ST through the club. Jim
Bumpas will be in charge of the ST info since he bought one and I didn't.
Software for the ST is being announced at a rapid rate; the newest is
by Batteries Included (17875 Skypark North. Suite P. Irvine. CA 92714.1
Called The Isgur Portfolio System it is a very elaborate stock market
program. including tax implications, what if abilities,
Telecommunications, etc. It costs $250 and is for the I8M-PC and the
520ST.
Two interesting new devices are announced this month. One is
Computereyes (Digital Vision. 14 Oak St 42, Needham, Ma 02192,1, a
$130 interface to attach a video camera or TV to your Atari to obtain
digitized pictures. Larry Gold will report more about this. The other is i
$3500 fingerprint biometric verification and identification system that
reads your fingerprints and verifies it before you can use your computer.
Called the RidgeReadar (Command Productions. 62 Bowman. Rye
Brook. NY 105731 it is |ust the thing to keep the kids from playing games
on your Atari when they should be studying.
TAB Books (POB 40. Blue Ridge Summit. PA 172141 has just released
their new 96 page catalog of technical books. If you're are not familiar
with TAB. (hey pul out technical books on just about any subject you
can think of, from computers to the story ol the Lotus car; from books
on the Atari to how to repair clocks. An example is a book they recently
sent to me to review — Computer Technicians Handbook by Art
Margolis ($17, 500 pagesl. It begins by explaining how computers work,
tiuth tables, binary arithmetic, how the various chips including CPU's,
interface chips, logic devices, memories, etc. work. It also explains
machine language and gives hints on how to trouble shoot and repair
computers. This is not a step-by-step how to do it guide; the book tries
to explain how everything works so you can fix the computer by
understanding what is happening.
MPP'IMicrobits) of Albany. OR has closed down and reopened with
the same principles as Supra Corp 1133 Commercial Way, Albany, OR
97321, (503)967-9075. They will continue to market MPP products. Kirt
Stockwell is no longer with them, but has formed a new company
SofMarc (4325 Sean. Eugene, OR 97402 / 503-689-3565, BBS
689-23481 Their first product is our new Bulletin Board System ESP
Mindlink - see Larry Gold's article.
Battariae Included, the Canadian software company, has dropped
plans to produce the 80 column cartridge for PaparCllp because of
difficulty ol obtaining the proper chips in a timely manner. Incidentally,
I've also been having problems with dropped characters with PaperCtip
- anyone else having the problem?
VP s RAMBL1NGS
The summer is about 10 end. school it* ready to start unit Aten ini:
is starting to go Ml blast with thri SI, Xfc and anything eiau lit.it they
have up their sleeve. Ihe stores are beginning to have and still new
programs ami ihe tnturu looks better for Alan than it has in a long tuna
One company which hasn't been sitting back and waiting is
Broderbund They have a new graphics disk for the Print Shop piugi.iiii
This is the second graphics disk tor ihat program and it is |ust as good
as the one before and makes the choice of graphics that much more iot
the user to choose from when he uses the program. The new slut tor has
from time to time used these graphics whan it was appropriate to the
issue. Broderbund should be congratulated for continuing to make a fine
program batter and more useful.
I wish more companies would update their programs or enhance
them with more features as has Broderbund. They have done tire same
with templates that they have brought out for Synapse s SynCalc. I will
talk more about this in another article.
We are Beta testing a BBS program for a new company called
Sofmark. The board is almost to its last stage of developement so please
bear with us for any problems you may find. We want to have your
comments on the board and also let us know if there are any features
you would tike to see incorporated into the board which are not there.
When it does come out it will be called BBS Mindiink.
The BBS is easy to use as all you have to do when you call up is
give it your name and after a short pause it will ask for your phone no.,
then four character password. Please be careful as the board is written
in machine language and is very fast in its respnse time. Once you have
signed on and have gone through the board be sure that you answer the
prompt about saving your password or you will have to sign on again
until you have saved your password, t can't upgrade your level to have
access to the whole hoard unless you log your password I hope uou
like it and will let us know wnat you think about it.
- Larry Gold
BUMPAS REVIEWS '
GEMSTONE WARRIOR (SSI, $351 is an "action, strategy and
adventure in the netherworld." Demons have stolen the Gemstone and
separated it into 5 pieces which you must find and reassemble. The
keyboard is required for many functions, but the joystick is an option
for movement, firing and searching. The game may be saved, paused,
or played at various skill levels.
To make your quest difficult (if not impossible!) are diseased and
vicious monsters. Thieving Flyers, Skeletons, Gas Plants, Giant Amoebas,
Ghosts, Summoning Eyes and the Demons themselves.
As the Brave Warrior who has taken up this challenge you will
depend upon your primary weapons farrows and magic bolts). But you
will also find up to 15 different types of magic items (some of which
will be inside coffins and chests) and treasure. Several of the magic items
have undocumented properties - you must discover what they do (they
may differ from game to game). Even the items for which you know what
they do, experience will be needed to discover how to use them
appropriately.
There are various doors, archways and gates into the various rooms
of the underground caverns. Some places will appear to be dead ends
with no way out as you return to the same rooms again and again. But
peisoverance, cleverness, agility and careful observation techniques will
carry you through to success. This is not a game lo master in one sitting!
Synapse & Broderbund have released the first "electronic novel",
MINDWHEEL ($?). Nothing less is at stake than the survival of
civilization. Four unprotected disk sides of files are provided together
with a hard bound novelette of nearly 100 pages. You must provide a
"Bookmark" disk on which to save a game trTprogrebS. If you have a
printer, you can also create a printed record of your progress in the game.
Two disk drives are required, and the program also supports 52k
add-on RAM boards. Mosaic and Axlon Ramdisks. A Happy modified disk
drive is also specifically mentioned for those who might want faster
loading and responses.
Basically a text adventure, the program comes closer to a "natural
language" game than earlier text adventures do. I believe it recognizes
close to 1200 words. You need to read the book to learn as much as
possible about the four main characters in the game. You musi "travel"
through the minds of these four: Bobby Cleinou, an assassinated rock
star; The Generalissimo, a dictator and war criminal: The Poet, composer
of epic literary achievements; and Dr. Eva Fein, scientist, humanist and
distinguished musician.
The ob|ect of your quest is to find The Cave Master and the Wheel
of Wisdom which he guards.
I'm having more fun with COLONIAL CONQUEST (SSI, $40) than
I've had with any computer game in a tong time. It's a very social game
best played with 6 players. But the computer will play any of the 6
positions not used by one of your friends. Each computer position may
be separately set at One of 10 levels of difficulty. Players control one
or more of 6 colonial powers: England, Germany, France, USA, Japan
and Russia in one of three scenarios: Standard (no one starts with any
colonies), and two historical scenarios (1880 and 1914).
The map scrolls across 4 scfegng of vej;y good graphics containing
131 land areas plus the oceans. Each player may build ami move ailines
and fleets to attack or garrison possessions. Land zones may be fortified.
You may pay for espionage. The mfoimation you get may not be entirely
accurate, but will give you some indication of the economic value of a
zone and the nurnboi of its defenders. You may also subvert the armies
in zunes not controlled by other players in order to control the zones
outright, or to make conquest try force easier. Economic aid may be given
to any other player or to a minor country.
The real strength of tftis game is the opportunity and necessity for
diplomacy to help you win. Especially Russia and Japan need skills in
this area to do well. If you just fight all the time you II find your forces
depleted and so cannot be much of a threat to anyona On the other hand,
if you're too threatening, anyone can be wiped out by a combination of
other players.
Each player spends an annual budget of income from the possession
of land zones and gifts ol economic aid from other players. Control of
all the zones in a larger region (i.e., South America or the Far East) may
produce big bonuses of income.
As a grand strategic multi-player game of diplomacy, treachery and
"force mateur" this game is unexcelled.
i've just begun using the new Prentice M12ST modem (after
selling my 300 baud Hayes). This 1200 baud modem sells for less than
$300 and advertizes "Hayes compatibility"
tl you are used to all the lights orra Haye*. you might miss them
The Prentice has only a power light and a carrier detect light. You can
set the internal speaker to be on at all times, so you should be able to
hear some data noises. There are no dip switches to set. ail modem
functions are software controlled and can be set by commands horn
terminal mode in your communications software.
I've been using Amodcm quite a lot lately, but so far I've been unable
to use the Autodial Directory which was a nice feature of the program
when I used it with the Hayes. I've set the software switch (ATS18- 0)
to emulate the Hayes. But when the autodial selection is made the screen
tells me it's dialing, and then that it's made a connection. But no dialing
occurs, and no connection is made. When I dial manually on the keyboard
in terminal mode I have no trouble making connections.
I never realized how much I would enjoy seeing a whole screenful
of information Hash on the screen at once. But after watching the cursor
paint across the screen at 300 baud, 1200 baud seams extremely fast.
I can't even imagine 2400!
- Jim Bumpas. Co Etlitoi
OBSERVATIONS ON
PAPER CLIP
This new word processor has a number of features not found on
any other ATARI word processor. It is not all peaches and crearn, but
PAPER CLIP offers some unique options.
PAPER CLIP'S ability to preview the text before it is printed is
unsurpassed. However, there are several other features worthy of note.
For example, there are USER DEFINED printer codes, specialized
"Macro" Files and Koala Graphic capabilities as well as the ability to
configure the program for virtually any printer available.
I found a few shortcomings in the program which may influence
some prospective buyers. In my estimation, the most serious drawback
is that the text buffer will not accept key input fast enough to keep up
with a very fast typist. I found the key response to be somewhat sluggish.
Typing at 60 words a minute will cause the buffer to "bubble over" and
drop some characters. For most of us slow typists this will never be u
problem. However, to • serious or professional typist this handicap will
automatically eliminate PAPER CLIP from contention.
Another disadvantage is that in spite of 155 pages o!
documentation. I had to read between the lines of the Documentation
to specifically adapt the program to my FX-80 Printer. Through
experimentation, I have learned a few undocumented or sparsely
documented short cuts and/or further enhancements which I will pass
along.
It is possible to configure the program to take advantage of the
Epson's ability to use proportional type. The procedure is to binary load
from DOS the "PRTR.COM" file and then, following the instructions, load
in the configuration fife for the specified printer. In my case I loaded in
the "FX80ALT.CNF" file. By going through this file I was able to see what
DEFAULT values were placed m the file for the various options and printer
codes and then record them for future reference and/or possible
alteration. There is no record of specific printer code values anywhere
in the documentation. The configuration fifes alone access this
information. On the program disk I found that the 4 USER DEFINED
PRINT CODES were predefined to contain the Graphic Dump Codes for
the FX80. I redefined these codes to contain the Proportional and
Enlarged ON and OFF codes - and then saved the altered file to another
Epson configuration file name of my own.
Further checking the printer configuration file will reveal information
about micro spacing and optional pitch fonts which are otherwise not
specifically mentioned.
Another discovery was that double column printing will not work
correctly unless the formatting line (pitch, margin, etc.) is exactly at the
beginning of the text. In other words, set the margins as per instructions
but don't put a carriage return at any point between the format line and
the beginning of text. If you dp the right column will print first and always
be one line above the left column. If you are used to other word
prosessers in which the formatting line stands alone and is terminated
by a RETURN, this is hard to remember. However it you are careful you
will be rewarded with a very fine looking double-column printout.
In writing tins review I also found that I could not (while in doyblq
column mode) ''place" a paragraph symbol at the end of the-fdtfnat line
where the text needed to start. I could do this if the text were justified
left on the screen - but not at the end of the format line. Since I needed
paragraph indentation, the solution was to leave 5 spaces at tlMi end
of the format line before beginning to enter text.
The manual suggests that a CQNTROL-SHIFT-DELETE followed by
a RETURN wilt empty the paste buffer. This is not so! Instead, move the
curser to a blank line and follow the CONTROL-SHIFT-DELETE with a
SHIFT-DELETE. This will effectively empty the paste buffer.
Each screen line of PAPER CUP is ended by a small diamond-shaped
mark. This has proved extremely helpful as it serves as a pointer to the
number of spaces between the last word on the line and the first word
on the next. No longer do I end up with a few gaps here and there nor
is it necessary to justify screen output periodically as with the other word
processors I have used. This is a fine touch insptte of the fact that it
is not documented.
When moving a block of text with PAPER CLIP I thought at first
that I had to clear out "room" - or else other text was overwritten. But
this is not the case as long as I was not in the over-type mode rather
than the insertion mode of text entry, in my early experiments my pastes
were sometimes over-pastes.
My original standard for Atari word processors has always been
LETTER PERFECT, it was sometimes cumbersome to use but has
continued to be very flexible. Nevertheless I dropped it last year having
grown tired of the incompatibility of LJK and ATARI files.
When THE WR» fER'S TOOL came out I used it exclusively. It wasn't
totally Hex it lie. but it was easy to use. The big drawback to this program
was poor file merging capabilities.
PAPER CLIP, in spite of some of my reservations, will be the word
processor I will rely on at least for the Atari 8-bit machine. It isn't THE
Perfect Word Processor but what it can't do my others can and »n my
view PAPER CLIP is the best all-a round word processor currently
available lor the ATARI
Graham Smith
COMPUTER
QUARTERBACK
COMPUTER QUARTERBACK ($40. SSI. 1981. second edition, by
DAN BUNTEN) has been around for a number of years, but this was my
first introduction to it Prior to this it was not available on the Atari I
have always been sceptical about games which try to duplicate situations
which involve so much human interaction. In a game like* football
everything depends on each of the individual players' attnlmtes and how
they interact as a team in any given situation. To mu those are too many
variables to actively duplicate in a computer game, certainly a 48k one.
COMPUTER QUARTERBACK is a pleasant surprise The designer
utilized his computer space primarily for the developement of the play
variables This has limited the amount of computer space for graphics
Tire graphics display is fairly simple. The primary screen shows a football
field to the left with a football in the center. The football is the only
graphics on the field, and shows where the current line is On the edge
of the field are two markers denoting first down and current ball position.
To the right of this you have a score board which shows score, quarter,
down, and time remaining. Above this you find the Iasi play played. It
is listed as the offensive play, defensive play, and results. Below the score
board is a graphics representation of the two teams' current alignment
expressed in traditional "X" and "O" configuration. This is the sum total
ol the game graphics. The only part which actively moves in a game is
the ball marker on the playing field. I was surprised to find that these
simple yrahics in no way detracted from the game.
The game allows you to play either another player or the computer.
The play comes in two versions semtpro and pro. The semipro version
allows you 18 offensive plays and 14 defensive plays The game comes
With a sheet depicting the course of each play. I he pro versiuu allows
’"you 36 offensive plays and 24 defensive plays. Each play is numbered
and selected hy moving the joystick or paddle until the desired play
number uppuars next to your team.
Part of the excitement in this game is that the offense must press
the button three limes on a specific play before that choice is activated
This means that both the offensive and defensive player are trying to
adjust their lines up to the last minutes. Of course the more times you
shift your line the greater the chance that your team will not get the
signal and a penalty will be called. Players are allowed to call timeouts
and at halftime the teams' statistics are shown. As this is a real time
game players may choose the length of time of each quarter, the
computer is set to play best with 10 minute quarters. In this game the
players have also been given the option to create their own teams or
send in for discs from SSI, which have stats for the major teams in 1980.
When using the draft, player quality will effect all aspects of the game.
The pro version also allows you to create a game film, if you have a 80
column printer This game film lists play by play down situations, yards
to first down before play, absolute yard mark, play of both teams and
headings for quarter and score. Basically I find this game a very fast
paced game which leaves me with the real flavor of football, all you need
is the roar of the crowd.
13
Nick Chrones
ACS
9
A Programmer
Test Drives a 130XE
Ovai four years ago I bought my first computer, an Atari 800 which
came with a whopping 16k of HAM. It served me well, but this past
winter it was starting to let me down. Imagine my joy when I heard that
the highly touted new Atari 130X6 computers were going to be available
almost immediately at a price one sixth of my original computer. Better
yet, they would have 128k of HAM and be completely compatible with
existing Atari 8 bit machines. What choice did I have but to rush out
and buy one?
The first thing a former 800 owner notices when he brings home
his 130X6 is its sire, or lack of it. It is tiny and feather light compared
to the old 800! Alter using it, one discovers that it handles very much
like an 800XL. This, of course, means one has to put up with booting
up a translator tor some software, and I have even come across some
older programs that absolutely refuse to work no matter what.
However, I think the new programs which will run only on this new
machine- wiN make..these, old- one* pale, in ,<iompa(ision,seft*dMe M ».
incompatibility will only be short lived. Besides, the idea of a modifiable
operating system isn't all bad. For example, the Bugene. OR Translator
includes an option for fast floating point routines, and with soma of the
mathematics programs I use, the difference is really noticeable. In fact,
I suggest some talented machine language programmers to look into
rewriting the printer driver portion of the OS so it can use a bank or two
of the extra 130X6 memory as a printer buffer. Then an application
program could print to the printer as fast as memory transfer can take
place, and while the user is doing something else, the printer driver can
send the data out as Ihe printer becomes ready for it, perhaps during
VBI or by some other interupt mechanism. This type of multitasking could
be a very saleable project, so how 'bout it you guys with the know how?
The manual for the 130X6 is quite good. It gives a description of
all the BASIC commands, and includes several example programs much
as the old BASIC reference manual did lonly this manual touches on
Player Missile graphical. The manual includes all kinds of technical
information and pinout diagrams of the 130X6. It also explains how to
access the extra memory banks.
Perhaps the most noticeable physical feature for this programmer
in changing to the 130X6 was the different keyboard. It has a 'spongy'
feel, but it grows on you. At first I didn't like it, but now I really da Moving
to it from an 800.1 especially like the larger shift keys, and the moving
of the inverse video key to the comer. A nice touch is having the graphics
characters on the edge of the keys ala the old Commodore machines
- this feature will likely save me a lot of time while programming using
character graphics.
The extra memory in the 130X6 is the most useful and noticeable
functional difference, and will no doubt become even more useful in the
future. Already the HAMOISK of DOS 2.5 makes excellent use of it, but
how about somebody coming out with a RAMDISK which wilt work with
double density (are you listening 0SS??l The RAMOISK also makes a
disk based language like C much quicker and nicer to use. I have already
seen an ad lor BASIC XB which claims to use the extra memory to give
the programmer a sizeable 60,000 bytes of programming space II know
of a BBS programmer who should tjy.happy to hear ihattl. I forsee no
end to Ihe data bases, spread sheets, and tbofd processors which all
squeeze something out of the extra RAM. I wrote a sector copier on the
130X6 to copy a whole single density disk on a single pass, allowing
easy multiple copies to be mada I think a few club librarians will be eager
to try that out lit also does a double density disk in two passesl. The
extra memory is very easy to use from the programmer's standpoint.
Another really nice feature an old 800 owner will notice is that the
130X6, like the XLs has a true hardware reset key, which means you
can recover from almost any crash without loss of program and temper.
I have managed to lock the machine up several limes when programming
in ACTION!, and each time I was able to recover my program text.
Additionally, the RAMDISK is also preserved through a reset. The net
result of ail this is that in many cases where with the old 800 I would
have lost my work, with the 130X6 I was safe.
I have a couple of gripes, though. First of alt. I'm still not too hot
about the idea of the cartridge slot being hidden behind the machine.
It would have been handier for it to be on the side. Also, the joystick
ports are recessed deep into the machine, making my speech synthesizer
not want to fit without heavy removal of plastic on the connectors.
Finally, wouldn't it have been nicer if the BASIC would not be active
UNLBSS the Option button was held down? It seems I am always booting
programs which squawk if the BASIC is present. Actually, it is an easy
matter for programs to try to remove the BASIC first by altering the
memory bank selection byte, and then they should squawk if a cartridge
still appears to be present. For example, I did this in a sector copier for
the 130X6 that I wrote.
Who will want to buy a 130X6? I think all thoso out there who have
mastered their 800s and want a little more power will want to yet one.
When more programs come out which require the exira memory, those
with XLs may also wish to consider upgrading. After all. the cost is not
prohibitive. What about the argument that anyone buying a compuler
should get a 16 bit machine, specifically an ST? First of all, it is quite
a bit more investment, and all your old software won't work. It further
remains to bo seen how the STs will catch on and what software will
come out. So. unless you have lots of money and are prepared to start
again from scratch, if you want a new computer you better stick with
a 130X6.
To sum up, although there are a few minor ouches, I have lots ol
praise for the 130X6.1 heartily recommend that anyone with an old. ailing
800 buy one. You won't be sorry. Incidentally, anyone out there interested
in an old, faithful Atari 800. . . ?
- Dale Lutz
ATARI 520 ST
Nina users here in Eugene hpve had their 520 STs since mid-July.
I've been "using" mine even more than rny XE. I say "using' since there
* really isn't much software for it yet. It came to us with onfy the GEM
1 Desktop, the operating system, and Atari LOGO programming language.
1 I've still not begun to learn LOGO but I intend to dabble in n a bit Since
then we ve received about a disk full of pubtic domain demos and
advertisements sent to us from the San Leandro Computer Club ithetr
July and August disks) These demos really whet my appetite for the
poweiful programs to cornel
1 here is a terminal emulator built into the ST operating system. I've
been using this and a 1200 baud modem to talk to the BBS's around
town. This has been a lot of fun. f've also been making a lot of copies
of the public domain stuff for the other ST users in town Boy is disk
management easy ami QUICK* Even with one disk drive, although I
usually remind the user to tiring their drive to speed copying
The keyboard is a yruat improvement on the IBM PC keyboard I've
used at work for Ifni pant 3 yoais it does lack one dung my old Mon
had: A decent space on which to rust my palms white typing- Looking
at rny Xfc. I see it also has nearly zero space between the spacebar and
the edge of the machine. But I didn't notice this lack on the XE since
the space bar is not wide and there is an area on each side of the space
bar on which to rest my palms when I'm not acutally stoking keys
A couple of other minor dungs: It took me a little while to figure
out liow lu set die clock and calender on the ST The manual did nut
make clear to me I hud to "backspace" over the default settings before
typing in the new. And when I try to write to an un formatted disk the
OS tells me the drive is not responding. Seems like the OS could detect
an unformatted disk. It made me think something was wrong with my
drive. I kept powering down and trying to get the drive to "respond' 1
Our experience with DOA STs seems to match that of other clubs
About 30% of them did not work upon first boot up. But it appears there
is a fix which has so far been 100% successful. In shipping lor
something?) the ROM chips become loose. All you need to do (if you
have this problem) is get in there and re-seat all the socketed ICs,
removing the adhesive pads from the two 68 pin square chips. Here's
the procedure deponed by Joe Wrobel in the August, 1985 issue of The
Acorn Kernel ) which, we are told is approved by Atari and assured it
will not void our warranty:
"You start by removing the 6 screws accessible through the bottom
of the unit. This frees the top cover which can be set aside. Removing
the cover reveals the keyboard which is sitting atop a metal shield
protecting the main PC board underneath. The keyboard is connected
to the mam board by a keyed 18 pm in-line connector. To remove the
keyboard, one just disconnects this connector and undoes the tape winch
holds the cable to the metal shield. The keyboard can now be set aside
The top metal shield is held down to the main board by threw screws
and a series of twisted taps which come up from the metal shield beneath
the main huard anti fit into slots in the top shield. Two of these tab slot
pairs lone on each side) are soldered together. After removing the screws
and untwisting the otfier tabs, those bonds are desoldurud to imiiove
the lop metal si weld
"The top shield has copper tape covering holes in its top and rear.
These holes are there for access to and output from the RF moduiatoi
which was originally planned into the machines and has subsequently
beun removed (at least tor US purchasers).
”1 reseated the DIP ICs by fusl using a small screwdriver to gently
lift each end of the iC partly out of its socket, and then firmly piesstny
them back into place. The two squars ICs were removed by prying them
out with asiuall tool like a jeweler's screwdriver inserted min a comm
of the IC socket I peeled the double sided adhesive off tlm chips end
removed any remnants with my finger naif, then snapped them back in
thee respective sockets. If you should have to go through this procedure*
with your machine, be very careful to note the orientation of the square
chips m thee sockets before you remove them, and work on them one
at a time so they can't gel switched.
"Re assembly of the ST goes rather quickly. When replacing the
external screws, note the three longer ones are used to fasten the case
at the rear of the machine.
A user here in Eugene called Atari for a warranty replacement rather
than to open up his machine. Atari was very helpful and air-shipped him
a replacement upon his phone call (and before they had even received
the old machine*). His replacement arrived the day after he mailed off
the old one.
-- Jim Bumpas
A promise
There will still be 1
home micros under
the Christmas tree,
if the latest show is
anything to go by,
writes Jack
Schofield
Commodore launched the
C128 in public, and the Amiga
in private. Software develop¬
ers and the- press were intro¬
duced to the new wonder
machine at separate confer¬
ences in a nearby hotel. Most
left convinced: the Amiga is
the most wonderful home
micro yet designed. It
remains to be seen whether
Commodore can sell it at the
rice, still less sell it as a
usiness machine, when it
HAPPY days are here again,
at least in the home micro
market Or if they are not
actually here, they will be* By
Christmas. Probably. ,
The home computer market
now has many of the charac¬
teristics of a toy market This,
is not to say that home micros
are toys — some are morel
powerful than the business
micros of a few years ago. But
they are relatively expensive,
and many are still bought by
parents for children. This
makes Christmas the main
purchasing season.
Most, of the major com¬
panies rolled out their Christ¬
mas offerings at the Personal
Computer World show which
recently packed London’s
Olympia. Considering thei
losses racked up this year by I
Acorn, Sinclair and Commod¬
ore, there was a surprising
spirit of optimism about the
place.
' The exhibition . had <• two
“stars,” one public and one
private, in the Atari 520ST'
and Commodore Amiga com¬
puters.
The hall was dominated by
the Atari 520ST, thanks to a
huge stand divided into
dozens of tiny booths. Each I
booth was occupied by a |
software house. Most were I
demonstrating a new program I
for the machine. This ensured
the stand would be crowded"
(with software developers)
even when it might otherwise
be empty (of punters).
The ST software came from
Digital Research, BOS, Meta-
comco. Talent, Intelligent
Software, Infocom, Softech-
nics, Execon, Wasp, Hi-Soft,
Quest, BTM-Soft, Kuma, GST,
TDI, Prospero, Software
Punch, Silicon Chip, Psygno-
sis, Microdeal, Paradox,
English Software and others.
It included business software
(for printers, solicitors and
accountants), systems soft¬
ware (C, Modula-2, Fortran-
77) and games (Chess, Lands
of Havoc, Mission Mouse). Not
all of it was finished, but it
was a start... —-
becomes available sometime
next year.
The long-awaited Commod¬
ore C128 is a dual-mode
machine offering a Commod¬
ore 64 plus a Commodore 128
(new Basic plus 128K of RAM)
in one box. Adding a new disc >
drive enables it to run the I
established Z-80 business
operating system, CP/M. I
Acorn finally come into line
with a 128K version of the
BBC Model B, but with a price
tag of almost £500 compared
with the £150 street-price of a
128K Atari 130XE. The good
news is that dealers can
upgrade 64K B+ machines to
128K for a bout £3 0. ■
Sinclair had the same old 1
things but at new low prices,
with the QL down to £200.
Unfortunately, a half-price |
lemon is still a lemon, not an
Apple, Apricot or IBM PC.
Still, the most deserted stand
at the show was not Sinclair’s
but a joint one run by several
Japanese manufacturers to
support MSX.
Amstrad attracted crowds
with its good-value CPC-6128
and PCW-8258 systems com¬
plete with screen and 3-inch
disc drive. Both of these
machines ean run CP/M Plus.
The CPC-6128 is also a useful
128K home micro, while the
PCW-8256 offers a complete
256K word processing pack¬
age including printer for only
£399 plus VAT.
On the hardware side it
looks like being an Amstrad
Christmas, though among the
cofttenders will be the Atari
520ST. The 16/ 32- bit Motorola __
68000, 512K of RAM, mouse
and Macintosh-like GEM
interface make this the trendy
option, but machines are
likely to be in short supply.
The Commodore C128 is the
dark horse in the field. It is
attractive to C64 owners who
want to upgrade but retain the
use of their existing software.
Its appeal to the general
market is unproven. On the
software side, the initiative
remains with the- 8-bit Atari
and Commodore 64 micros,
where the flood of high-qual¬
ity American games con¬
tinues unabated. _
Atari booms
This means, in particular,
more strong releases from US
Gold, Ariolasoft and Activi¬
sion. Local software houses
must by now be getting quite
adept at translating 6502-
based originals into Z-80 code
for the Sinclair, Amstrad andf,
Enterprise micros. However,’
few of these conversions yet ,
approach the quality of the
originals.
Two British games should
make the reverse trip across
the Atlantic. The biggest is
MUD,) the Multi-User
Dungeon adventure written
on a DEC-10 mainframe at the
University of Essex. It has
now been expanded and
rewritten to run on one of
British Telecom’s VAX750
super-minicomputers. In the
evenings, when BT isn’t using
it for a database, up to 100
home micro users will be able
to log in by telephone and
play for £1 to £2 per hour.
MUD-packs were on sale at
the show for £20 each.
The other is Mercenary-
Escape from Targ, from
Novagen. This has been writ¬
ten by Paul Woakes, who had
an American hit with his last
effort, the Battlezone-type
game Encounter. Mercenary -
uses even more advanced 3Di
vector graphics. It looks terri¬
fic. How well it plays remains
to be seen when the Atari and
Commodore 64 versions
arrive this month.
Finally, Mirrorsoft pre¬
viewed two programs that are
bound to get a mention in a
newspaper: Hold the Front
Page and Fleet Street Editor.
Hold the Front Page is a game
about journalism. Fleet
Street Editor is a utility prog¬
ram that allows you to com¬
bine text and graphics on a
selection of page layouts,
then print out the result. It
could be used for producing
newsletters or notices, or
even a (very small) news¬
paper.
Mirrorsoft hopes to have a
BBC B version of Fleet Street
I Editor on sale before Christ¬
mas, and an Apricot one early
next year. Enhancements will
be added for proposed Atari 1
I 520ST and Amiga implemen¬
tations, with the Atari one
being written by the man who
I wrote the Daily Mirror's own
' editorial software.
The home micro industry
has taken a drubbing in the
last year. However, today’s
128K machines — the
Amstrad. Atari. Commodore
C128 and Enterprise — are
vastly better than yesterday’s
failures — the Acorn Elec¬
tron. Aquarius. Dragon. Oric,
Lynx and Sord micros, for
example. Today's machines
are more powerful, more
useful and cheaper. The soft¬
ware, too, has never been
1 better.
It may still rely too heavily
on Santa, but the home com¬
puter isn’t ready to join the
hula hoop, skateboard and CB
radio in the toy museum of
Christmas. Past — not for
, another year at least.’
IMaj
it
, --
;
REVISION C CONVERTER by Matthew Ratcliff 25
Type-in fix for buggy BASIC Rev. B type-in software
m ■ •
j'. I'-.Mf't, < ' ? ' ' ••?... V--
A-
ATARI TIME MACHINE by Fred Pinho
Machine language timing power for your programs
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
■
30
MIRRORED DISPLAY LISTS by David Piotkin
Fast, unusual graphics in half the memory!
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
33
ONE-PASS DISK COPY 130 by Ernie Ne 3 us
Antic’s first 130XE program
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
36
16-BIT SOUND POWER by Jerry White
How the pros enhance Atari music
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
38
8 QUEENS ACTION! by Dave Oblad
92 chess solutions in 40 seconds
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
40
PLOTTERS FOR YOUR ATARI by Eric Clausen
Graphics hardcopies in color
42
HACKERS FOREVER! by Nat Friedland
Computer heroes or criminal vandals? *
SIG* ATARI'S GREATEST HITS by Jerry White
Best public domain software online!
■mi
l»Pvwn.^ ^
TYPE-IN LISTINGS SECTION
ST FEVER HITS ENGLAND MAPPING THE 520ST
by Charles Cherry 16 by Jack Powell
IBM AT performance First “legal” memory addresses
ST ANY WAY YOU WANT IT mqdc ct products
by Jack Powell 17 JST. 7 r. 7 I KKOt,utTi
Using GEM control panel COMING
2 new ST models,
ST GALLERY
Art at 640 by 400 pixels
STARTING OUT
SOUND EFFECTS LIBRARY
by Timothy Banse 11
_ type-in software
GAME OF THE MONTH
CRICKETS by Stan Ockers 13
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
'•0 Z'jSg*'
EDITORIAl_
I/O BOARD_
HELP
ANTIC ONLINE
ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE
FINE SCROLLING WORLD:
PARTI by Mark Andrews 70
_TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
PRODUCT REVIEWS
SHOPPER'S GUIDE_
ADVERTISERS’ UST_
NEW PRODUCTS_
ANTIC ARCADE CATALOG.
F E- A T U R E S
if £1* —
4*
it >8
■ym^t
BANJO PICKER by Richard Lindsren
Play blueqrass music like a bionic Earl Scruggs!
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
524 megabytes
SEE HALLEY'S COMET ON YOUR ATARI by Gigi Bisson
New software super-maps ___
A STUDENT TESTS S.A.T. SOFTWARE by Dianna Harms
Grades for Krell and HBJ_ . __
YOGA BREATHING by Len Dorfman & Jerry White
Your Guru, the Atari
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
GRAPH 3D by Paul Chabot
Spectacular three-dimensional visuals!
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
BOOKSHELF ON A LASER DISK
by Nat Friedland
ST searches 540 megabytes in 3 seconds _
GEM COLOR CASCADE by Patrick Bass
How to convert an 8-bit Atari program for the ST_D
FIRST ST PERFORMANCE TEST by Patrick Bass
Mac eats the ST‘s dust! ___
ST PRODUCT NEWS by Jack Powell
First ST book review
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
TYPE-IN LISTINGS SECTION
DEPARTMENTS
1st ST program listing
COMMUNICATIONS
GAMES COMPUTERS PLAY by Eric Clausen
New online service featuring superb graphics_
GAME OF THE MONTH
ALIEN ASYLUM by Spencer Craske
Win sanity points or else!_
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
BONUS GAME
LEMONADE byBobPolaro
APX hit educational game!
TYPE-IN SOFTWARE
ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE
FINE SCROLLING WORLD: PART II by Mark Andrews
Dot-by-dot screen moves, 8 times smoother! type-in software
Graph 3D.
I/O BOARD_
HELP_
ANTIC ONLINE_
ADVERTISERS LIST.
6 PRODUCT REVIEWS_
7 SHOPPERS GUIDE_
7 NEW PRODUCTS_
74 ANTIC ARCADE CATALOG.
DEPARTMENTS
2 INSIDE NEWS
9 INPUT/OUTPUT
Letters from our readers.
11 USER FRIENDLY
JACG is our featured users' group. On
page 47 there is the Users' Group List
update, with address changes and new
additions to our last list
14 NEWS YOU CAN USE
Video Titlers, the Atari BBS, how
teachers can learn.
24 ATARI EXPLORERS
Sherlock Bones, finder of lost pets.
26 EDUCATION
Some software discoveries, plus one
man's opinion.
44 GAME REVIEWS
Blue Max 2001, Computer Ambush,
and Bounty Bob Strikes Back.
60 LOGO NOTIONS
Player-missile graphics from Logo.
69 ATARI BOOKSHELF
Bill Wilkinson discusses the best Atari
software guidebooks.
FEATURES
4
ST GRAPHICS
Using the ST's graphics from Logo and from the GEM VD1.
7
THE GAMES OF SUMMER
Summer sports are in season. Here's a
look at some of the best sports games
for those rainy days.
19
CES UPDATE
A CES floor report from a member of
the Chicagoland users group who
worked in the Atari Booth.
34
WORD PROCESSING
A comprehensive look at word pro¬
cessing. Find out what features and
which programs you need .
72
HEAD TO HEAD GAMES
A special report on two-player games.
22
BILL BOWMAN/HOME BANKING
An interview with die chairman of Spin¬
naker, plus the latest on remote bank¬
ing.
31
ERIE CABLE SYSTEM
How one school system saved $20,000
with one Atari 800.
32
ATARI SO FT INTERVIEW
AtariSoft President Sig Hartmann and
his staff give us a look at what's ahead.
UlalroutCiiiB^'spremiCTe“Xtenmag-- ;
: SO rHORIZONTU.SCROLL ‘
^matron
&CJet' more speed and. flexibility put of
t fdisk and cassette'aceess by. using the
^built-in OO routines -
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: a senes on screen ani-
SUMMER1985 ATARI EXPLORER 1
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FEATURES
16 How to Buy the Right Database Program. YaS
26 Amazing Online Databases. ; .
30 Softball Statistics .. Roger i-eiron
Softball Statistics .1. Roger Fetton
Fast Filer . Richard Mansfield and Patrick Parrish
REVIEWS
../ „• ■
. „ , . . Steve Hudson
52 Spelunker . y . Karen McCullough
2 .:::::::::::::::::::: .sheBomeemon
55 Gemstone Warrior ... Jqmes v ‘
lAM***'?**. :• ‘ i M ■ ‘‘
COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS
, _ r _ ,, r . Tom R. Halfhill
i :::::::::::: ::::’Vi«Mito«andReaae re ot comp™
14 HOTWARE . . .
“ °'3SSEEJ£& and Flow, Pad 1 ........... • ■
83 The Wbrtd Inside the Computer: Here Come the Toy Robots! ...
88 Tetecomputing P Today:' Saving' Money withE-Maii .. Arto R. Levttan
89 IBM Personal Computing: An Old-Fashioned Database .Donaid B. Tnvette
90 Programming the Tl: Using Ti Logo II ...... . m\58£5
92 INSIGHT: Atari—Bargain Basement Networking . Bil1 Wltk,nso
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THE JOURNAL
57 Commodore Recruncher .... - Butterfield
64 Extended Color Mode for Commodore . J'^Bunemera
68 Atari UST Scroller . Keamev
72 Apple SpeedScript 3.0 ProDOS Converter . ^mVtetor
75 Apple Automatic Proofreader.• • • .." I,™
77 Moving Memory with ROM for 64 and VIC-20 ._ Anderson
79 improving the Atari's Alphabet . R^k'vMoo°e
80 Commodore 64 AutoPRINT . Rocky Moore
56 CAPUTE! Modifications or Corrections to
Previous Articles
93 COMPUTED Guide to Typing In Programs
96 Advertisers Index
96 COMPUTEI Classified
NOTE: See page 93
before typing In
programs.
COMPUTE!' Publications,Inc®
One of the A»C Publishing Companies: w
TOLL FREE Subscription Order Une
800-33 4-0868 (In NC 919-275-9809) ___
1330 Avenueoffhe Americas. New 'tork. New 'fork 10019
Address all Inquiries to: _
P.O. Box 5406, Greensboro, NC 27403
UreenSOOIO, INK. ana «iwuu™
COMPUTE! Publications, Inc. All rights reserved, ISSN 0194-35~X.
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