////////////////////////////////////// ZMAGAZINE 71 //////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////// September 18, 1987 (c)1987 Ron Kovacs ______________________________________ Published/Edited by: Ron Kovacs Assistants: Ken Kirchner, Sue Perry, Rich Decowski of ST-Xpress ______________________________________ ZMAG BBS (201) 968-8148 PCP Access ______________________________________ Xx ZMAG INDEX 71 <*> Atari News Update...SX212 Release <*> Zmag Newswire.......Commodore News <*> User Group Focus....By Mike Brown <*> Pay Services........Special Report <*> Compute 10/87.......Chicago Zmag ______________________________________ Xx ATARI NEWS UPDATE ______________________________________ From GEnie ST RT The Atari SX212 modem is currently shipping to Atari dealers in the USA. The first shipment arrived at the Sunnyvale warehouse during this past week. The SX212 is a Hayes-compatible modem which operates at 1200 baud (and also at 0-300 baud). Its Hayes- compatibility extends to the S-registers. The SX212 modem includes both the standard RS232 port and the Atari 8-bit SIO port. However, 8-bit users should be aware that the software to support this modem through the SIO is not yet released -- in the meantime, the modem can still be used through an 850 or equivalent interface. The modem package includes a power supply (identical to the 2600's), a detailed manual, and special offers from the GEnie (General Electric) and BIX (Byte Magazine) online services. To connect the SX212 to an ST or to any other RS232-equipped computer, a full RS232 cable is needed -- a 3-wire cable does not work with smart modems. When the software is ready, Atari will market an add-on package for 8-bit users. This will contain an SIO cable and a disk which includes the modem driver and the SX Express terminal program by Keith Ledbetter. The suggested list price of the SX212 modem is $99.95. ______________________________________ Xx ZMAG NEWSWIRE ______________________________________ Commodore is about to announce a special upgrade program for owners of its Amiga 1000 computer system. A Commodore sales executive says that the firm has just recently completed dealer notification of the plan's details. Participating dealers are authorized to accept an Amiga 1000 in trade, along with $1000, for a new Amiga 2000 computer. Except for a RAM expansion device, all A1000 peripheral devices will work with the new computer. --James Moran Online Today ______________________________________ Xx ADVERTISING ______________________________________ Want to leave an ad in this space?? If so, Contact the ZMAG BBS at: (201) 968-8148 and leave a message to me for more information! Xx________User Group Focus___________ ___________by M. G. Brown____________ As I said in my last report, The Atari MAGIC show was a wealth of information about what has been happening with the Atari User groups here in the upper Midwest. If any one group can lay claim to the title of -host- for the show, it would have to be the Michigan Atari General Information Conference (MAGIC). Now, before I get a bunch more -hate E-Mail-, let me remind readers that there were MANY user groups that worked hard to produce the successful show held in Detroit. Last issue I mentioned the efforts of the major players in the Detroit 'Fest. Anyway, back to MAGIC, they are a relative newcomer to the southeast Michigan area, somewhat overshadowed by longer established clubs such as MACE. Unfortunately, I was not able to speak much with any of the officers of MAGIC, due to the fact that they were somewhat short-handed at the show, and were very busy! I did pick up a copy of their newsletter -The Sorcerers Apprentice- and will base all of my comments on the information contained in it. First of all, MAGIC is following the trend of other Michigan user groups and the Michigan Atari Magazine of format more like a magazine as opposed to a standard newsletter. I found the printing quality to be first rate, although the various type styles, etc. detracted a bit from the finished product. It appeared as if they are in the process of converting to an ST based typesetting program, but this is purely speculation. One of the most impressive things about the MAGIC newsletter is the fact that it is almost 90% original material. This is almost unheard of when so many groups have problems getting members to submit articles. Something new for MAGIC, is the -disk of the month-, available for a nominal extra cost with the newsletter. I found several useful utilities on the -A- side and a neat PD slide show utility with micro painter files filling up the -B- side. The newsletter was also unusual as they do have commercial advertising. This may become a trend as more and more clubs strain under the burden of printing costs for their newsletters. The MAGIC meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM at the Italian Community Cultural Center, Warren Michigan, Located near Hoover and 12 Mile Road. The annual dues are $15. They operate two BBS systems that can be accessed by the public: -MAGIC Express- at 313-978-1685 and -MAGIC Clipboard- at 313-368-6882. The current officers of MAGIC as of August 1987 are as follows: President- Mike Simpson Vice President- Chuck Macek Treasurer- Henry Malavolti Membership- Paul Attard Secretary- Norm Browne Mem. At Large- Mike Lechkun Newsletter Ed.- Norm Browne Mike Lechkun Disk Librarian- Chuck Cobb MAGIC welcomes membership applications from individuals and would like to swap newsletters with other groups. Please send inquiries to their mailing address at 28111 Imperial Drive, Warren, MI 48093. One more time I will ask for contributions for this column. Due to the recent snafu with CVACC, I will not do any further profiles of user groups unless the information about the group is supplied directly by the club itself, and I have the permission of the club (via written approval of the club president) to publish a story. This will probably mean the end of this column as a regular feature because of the lack of submissions. If I am to report accurate and up to date information on group activities, I feel that it is the responsibility of the club itself to provide it so they cannot come back and say that what was reported is out of date or incorrect. Thanks to everyone who is a regular reader of this column for your support. Take Care! [Ed. Mike is referring to an article preview he wrote on the CVACC a few weeks back. We made a few errors in the text and printed a retraction and a correction notice. If your local user group would like to supply info to Zmag for publication, Please send to: ZMAGAZINE USER GROUP FOCUS Post Office Box 74 Middlesex, NJ 08846-0074 or call: Zmagazine Information Network (201) 968-8148 300/1200 24 Hrs. ______________________________________ Xx PAY SERVICES ______________________________________ This column will contain information about the Pay Services and the services provided and of interest to Atari computer owners. For the next few weeks: COMPUSERVE and in the weeks ahead: GEnie, Delphi, The Source, Plink and others. Text in this column is: Copyright (C) 1987 The ATARI Forums on CompuServe (GO ATARINET) and CompuServe Incorporated All Rights Reserved Here are the Atari Users Network menu to SIGs (Special Interest Groups) for Atari] GO ATARINET CompuServe ATARINET Atari Users Network 1 What's New in the Atari Forums 2 Atari 8-Bit Forum 3 Atari 16-Bit Forum 4 Atari Developers Forum 5 ANTIC ONLINE (W) We will span the menus and show you whats in each: Enter choice !1 One moment please... CompuServe ATA-1 THE ATARI USERS NETWORK (SIG*ATARI) 1 ATARI Forum News Highlights (Updated 09-07-1987) 2 SYSOP Names and User IDs Enter choice !1 CompuServe ATA-4 WHAT'S NEW IN SIG*ATARI (September 7, 1987) FIGHT THE FCC! As previously reported, the Federal Communications Commission has issued a proposal that if adopted could increase your CompuServe connect fees by as much as $5 per hour. Unless you take action now, this interstate access fee could be in effect by January 1. CompuServe strongly opposes the proposal and urges all subscribers to join us in protesting the measure by writing directly to Congress and the FCC by September 24, the extended deadline for filing comments. To help subscribers understand the proposal and the issues surrounding it, CompuServe has established an FCC Information Database. The database contains a summary of the proposal, CompuServe's position, a list of important points to include in your letter to Congress and the FCC, and a sample opposition letter. Enter a GO WRITE or GO FCC command at any system prompt to reach the FCC Information Database. Educate yourself on this most important issue and write a letter today. HAVE A QUESTION? Don't forget that the message board in all of the ATARI Forums is the best place to ask any questions concerning your Atari system or CompuServe. In addition to the very friendly and knowledgeable Forum members who want to help you out, each Forum is staffed with several Sysops who want to help you get the most out of CompuServe and your Atari system! Leave a message TO: ALL, SYSOP, or to a specific person. A listing of the SIG*ATARI Sysop's User ID's is available by reading the Sysop Roster Bulletin in any of the Atari Forums or by typing GO ATA-13. We are looking forward to hearing from you! ** The Atari 8-Bit Forum ** (GO ATARI8) NEW SYSOP Please join the ATARI 8-Bit Forum in welcoming Keith Ledbetter back to the Sysop staff of ATARI8. Keith needs little introduction to the Atari community, having written some of the best and most popular programs available for the Atari 8-bit computers as well as being an active member of the Atari Forums. Keith will be available to help you with his programs, your Atari computer, and CompuServe. SYSOP*Keith Ledbetter's new PPN is 76701,124. Feel free to drop him a line in any of the Atari Forums! ** The ATARI 16-Bit Forum ** (GO ATARI16) 8-BIT EMULATOR CO The transcript for the ATARI16 conference with Darek Mihocka, author of the ST Transformer (ATARI 8-Bit Emulator) is now available in DL 8 under the filename DAREK.CO! The Atari 16-Bit Forum is pleased to announce an upcoming conference with Gordon Monnier of Michtron. The conference is currently scheduled for October 4th. Watch the Short Bulletin for further information! ** ATARI Developers Forum ** (GO ATARIDEV) The ATARI Developers Forum is where programmers can talk to others in the field and exchange tips and ideas as well as seek programming help! The Forum has two closed sections for Developers only. Please see the Membership Information file in the Forum by typing MI at any ENTER CHOICE! or FUNCTION: prompt for information on how to gain access to these closed sections. In addition, two well known Atari Developers provide online support in their own section of the Forum: MAGIC SAC support is available from Data Pacific's Dave Small [76606,666] and Dan Moore [74035,243]. If you have a question about your MAGIC SAC be sure to drop either of them a line in message subtopic 5 in ATARIDEV! SUPRA provides online support in message subtopic 12. You can write to them in the Forum at 76004,565. Last page ! CompuServe ATA-1 THE ATARI USERS NETWORK (SIG*ATARI) 1 ATARI Forum News Highlights (Updated 09-07-1987) 2 SYSOP Names and User IDs Enter choice !2 CompuServe ATA-13 The overall Manager/SYSOP and contract holder for SIG*ATARI (The ATARI Forums on CompuServe)is: Ron Luks [76703,254] Assistant Sysops: Mike Schoenbach [76703,4363] Dick Brudzynski [76703,2011] Dave Groves [76703,4223] Tom Hudson [76703,4224] Dan Rhea [76703,4364] Bill Aycock [76703,4061] Charles McGuinness [76701,11] Keith Ledbetter [76701,124] We start the tour with the ATARI8 SIG. GO ATARI8 CompuServe ATARI8 Welcome to ATARI 8-Bit Forum, V.4B(154) Hello, Ron Kovacs [Zmag] Last visit: 16-Sep-87 20:15:10 Forum messages: 195698 to 196335 Last message you've read: 196323 Subtopic(s) Selected: All Accessible No members are in conference. ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !1 To: ? MESSAGE_TO If you wish to leave your message to a particular person, enter the recipient's name and User ID on one line at the To: prompt. If you want to address the entire membership, simply type -All-. Messages left to SYSOP will be automatically stored for the Sysop and the sysop will be notified of the message upon entry. READ MESSAGES 1 (RF) Forward 2 (RR) Reverse 3 (RT) Threads 4 (RS) Search 5 (RM) Marked 6 (RI) Individual 7 (QS) Quick Scan 8 (BR) Browse Enter choice ! ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !3 Welcome to room 18, Ron Kovacs [Zmag] Entering conference room... Key /HELP for assistance /help Prefix commands with a -/- /ROOM # Enter room # /CHANNEL # Same as /ROOM /MONIT # # Listen to conversation in rooms # # /UNMON # # Cease listening to conversation in rooms /TALK # Private talk w/ user # /BREAK Exit private talk /NOTALK Suppress /TALK's from others /PAGE # Page user # /NOPAGE Suppress /PAGE's from others /DISPL inf Control info shown w/ msgs UID or NOUID for User ID JOB or NOJOB for user /STATUS Display room status /USERS List on-line users /USERS CO List CO users only /USERS SIG List SIG users only /USERS # List users in room # /USERS TLK List users in /TALK /WHO Show info about last sender /WHO # Show info about job /WHO #,# Show info about jobs with specified User ID /WHO xxx Show info about users with specified name -xxx- /DAY Display time, day and date /JOB Displays your user # /NAME xxx Change name to -xxx- /HANDLE xxx Same as /NAME xxx /SCR xyz Scramble on -xyz- /SMC xyz Scr & Monitor Clear on -xyz- /XCL xyz Xmt CLear & monitor scr /UNS Unscramble (xmt & rcv clear) /SQU xxx Squelch by name -xxx- /SQU uid Squelch by User ID /SEND # msg Send -msg- to specified job # and restore receiving /SEND's /SEND Restore receiving /SEND's /NOSEND Suppress receiving /SEND's /NOECHO Turn off input echoing /ECHO Restore input echoing /EXIT Exit /MENU Exit /TOP Go to your TOP page /MAIN Go to page CIS-1 /GO mm-n Go to Page -mm-n- /FIND xxx Find topic -xxx- /OFF or /BYE Log off CompuServe /VERSION Displays CO version number /users User User ID Nod Rm Name /Area ---- ---------- --- -------------- 19 73117,3024 NOL ACCESS 32 76703,4363 LIU SIG 36 72347,3727 WLM ACCESS 44 71777,104 LGV SIG 57 76703,2007 TTO SIG 65 73210,3031 SYR ACCESS 80 70257,2414 SDC SIG 84 71777,2140 GBN 18 Ron Kovacs /exit ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !4 Data Libraries Available: 0 General 1 Games 2 Telecommunications 3 Utilities 4 Graphics/RLE/PICs 5 Application pgms 6 Sound & Music 7 News & Reviews 8 VIP Members DL Area 9 BBS Programs/Info 11 ICD/KYAN/OSS Files Enter Choice ! ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !5 BULLETINS 1 Short 2 Regular 3 Conference 4 Data Library 5 Membership Information 6 Sysop Roster 7 New Member Enter choice ! ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !6 Member Directory YOUR CURRENT ENTRY 1 (ADD) Add/Modify 2 (LIS) List 3 (DEL) Delete SEARCH BY 4 (UID) User ID 5 (NAM) User Name 6 (INT) Interests Enter choice !2 Ron Kovacs [Zmag] 71777,2140 Zmag Newsletter/Zmag BBS 201-968-8148/Supra HD/ 130xe,Avatex ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !7 USER OPTIONS [ ] represents current setting 1 (SM) Stop After Msgs [Always] 2 (CN) Name [Ron Kovacs [Zmag]] 3 (PC) Prompt Character [] 4 (ED) Editor [SED] 5 (SU) Subtopics [...] 6 (HI) High Msg Read [196323] 7 (RE) Replies Info [List] 8 (UM) Use Menus [Yes] 9 (TY) Type Waiting Msgs [Yes] 10 (SK) Skip Msgs You Left [No] Enter choice ! ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !8 INSTRUCTIONS Welcome to the online Forum instructional facility. Please choose one of the topics listed below. You may abbreviate topics if you wish. If you are new here, please choose INTRO. If you'd like a listing of the entire online INstructions displayed at your terminal, enter -...- (three periods, without the quotes), at the Topic? prompt. The listing is approximately 20 pages long. Remember to enter CONTROL-A to stop scrolling and CONTROL-Q to continue scrolling. If at anytime during the display you wish to abort it, press the CONTROL-O key. After a few seconds delay, you will be prompted with -INSTRUCTIONS Subtopic?-. More information is available for: INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW MESSAGES CONFERENCING LIBRARIES BULLETINS DIRECTORIES USER_OPTIONS MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE_CARD INSTRUCTIONS Subtopic? Topic? ATARI 8-Bit Forum FUNCTIONS 1 (L) Leave a Message 2 (R) Read Messages 3 (CO) Conference Mode 4 (DL) Data Libraries 5 (B) Bulletins 6 (MD) Member Directory 7 (OP) User Options 8 (IN) Instructions Enter choice !m (Previous Menu) Exiting at 16-Sep-87 21:24:29 Last message in forum: 196337 Last message you've read: 196323 Thank you for visiting ATARI 8-Bit Forum CompuServe ATARINET Atari Users Network 1 What's New in the Atari Forums 2 Atari 8-Bit Forum 3 Atari 16-Bit Forum 4 Atari Developers Forum 5 ANTIC ONLINE (W) Enter choice ! Next week we will continue exploring the Atari8 Sig. Special thanks to the SIG SysOps for their assistance with this column. ______________________________________ Xx COMPUTE OCTOBER 1987 ..From Chicago Zmag 9/9/87 ______________________________________ Compute October 1987 Back when videogame magazines were all the rage, I always used to get a kick out of the -can I use an Atari disk drive with my Colecovision- letters. This month's Compute has a letter that ranks right up at the top. A guy asked if he could expand his Vic to run 64, 128, Amiga, or ST programs. A 64 or a 128 I might understand, but an Amiga or an ST? Give me a break. This month's Compute has a an indepth look at the Amiga 500. The so called low end of the Amiga line carries a price tag of $595 without a monitor. Oh one other minor detail, it doesn't have a port to allow the use of a composite monitor or a TV so you have to buy the Amiga monitor which runs for $300. ______________________________________ ZMAGAZINE 71 September 18, 1987 (c)1987 Ron Kovacs/Syndicate Services ATARI (c) Atari Corporation ______________________________________