                           The Atari A to Z
                           by Mark S Baines

Jargon, terminology and acronyms are the staple diet of any 
professional, technologist and hobbyist. The world of computing is no 
exception and to the uninitiated home or small business user, 
magazines, manuals and books can be very daunting. Written by someone 
who understands these frustrations and needs, The Atari A to Z is an 
encyclopaedia of modern computer terminology specifically pertaining 
to Atari computers.

Whether you play games on an ST, run your business on a TT or write 
music on a Falcon, this book is aimed at helping you get to grips with 
magazines and books that are more perplexing than enlightening. In it, 
you will find definitions, explanations, mini-articles, tables and 
lists to help you gain a better understanding of your Atari computer. 
The material in this book was written with all Atari users in mind. 
There are simple definitions for the uninitiated and technical data 
for the experienced. You take what you want, when you want it.


The Book
The Atari A to Z is produced in A5 format, 340 pages long and 
contained in a quality ring folder for convenience. It contains 2,238 
entries, 101 tables and 128,000 words. There are five appendices - 
Addresses, Book List, Connectors, Extensions, Atari ASCII set, ANSI 
Character Set.

Firstly, this is a comprehensive general computing dictionary, there 
being entries for all the common terms and acronyms found in modern 
day computing. Like any computer user, Atari users require help with 
terms not specific to their particular machine. They should be able to 
find what they want here.

Secondly, there are entries of Atari-related terms and acronyms which 
cover all the Atari computers and consoles. There are expanded 
explanations and essays, tables and lists which together form a 
comprehensive inventory of material that The Atari Compendium left out 
and not found elsewhere. The table of System Variables is more 
accurate than that in The Atari Compendium. There is a list of 
Exception Vectors, Atari Cookies and their meanings, Memory Maps for 
all Atari computers (and more accurate than that in The Atari 
Compendium), a full Breakdown of the DESKTOP.INF and NEWDESK.INF files 
(not found in ANY other publication), Errors Messages and Bombs, Pin 
Connections of all the ports on all the machines, Technical 
Specifications of the whole Atari range, a Breakdown of the TOS 
Versions and the differences between them, an explanation of GDOS, 
MultiTOS, the VT52 emulator and codes, all the main chips, viruses, a 
light-hearted look at computer laws, a list of common file extenders 
and their meanings, a list of contact addresses, a bibliography... 
this is just a little taster of some of the important aspects of this 
book. The Atari A to Z is thorough!


The Author
Mark S Baines is a highly experienced computer user having bought his 
first computer in 1982, been on the communications networks since 1983 
and the Internet since 1993. Holding Bachelor and Masters degrees, he 
was once a secondary school teacher of Biology, Computer Studies and 
Information Technology, a network manager and school administrator. 
Mark left the profession after twelve years to move to his beloved 
Highlands to pursue a more benign lifestyle. He currently runs Linnhe 
Computing, carrying out training, consultancy, freelance writing, 
journalism, export and anything else that takes his fancy! Mark has 
written regular columns and other articles in various magazines for 
several years, including more recently ST Applications, ST Review and 
Atari World.


Availability
The book is only available from:

    Linnhe Computing
    Linnhe, Shore Street
    Inver, by Tain
    Ross-shire
    IV20 1SF


Price
UK
The cost is a very reasonable 12.50 including postage and package.
Payment is by Cash, Cheques (drawn on UK banks only) and Postal Orders 
only. Cheques must be made out to "Mark S Baines".

EEC
Including postage - total 14.10

US and Canada
Including postage - total 17.00

Australia
Including postage - total 18.10

PLEASE NOTE: Only UK cash, cheques and postal orders (available in 
Canada and Australia) are accepted. DO NOT send anything else! Ask 
your bank about the *cheapest* way to send UK money to the UK for just 
send cash safely wrapped to avoid detection.

Special Offer:
If you add an extra 5.00 I will send you the latest version of 
PROFILE 2 - the best and most thorough system analyser for all Ataris 
- a full and modern GEM interface and Falcon, MultiTOS, MagiC and 
Geneva compatible. This program is shareware and your registration key 
will be included together with other Linnhe Computing software.
