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                            15th of December, 1988

       This  text, Your  second  Manual Version 4, has  been  updated to
                                  Version 5.

       The many errors  and poor writing in the Y2M has been corrected;
       in  Summer 1988, I  taught ST classes  and used the experience to
       write  V5. There is at least  twice as much information, twice as
       much text, and six new chapters. V5 is being published in the UK,
       Holland  and Germany. V5 is being  distributed in the  UK by Paul
       Glover, ST  Club  Newsletter, 9 Sutton  Place, 49  Stoney Street,
       Nottingham,  NG1 1LX,  United  Kingdom. V5 is  bound in  magazine
       format. The price is about 4.00. Contact Paul Glover for a copy.

                                Andreas Ramos,
                             Jaegergaards Gade 142
                     8000 Aarhus C / Denmark, Scandinavia
                      Tif: (45)620-1117 BBS: (45)620-2016

       ****************************************************************
       *                     N O T I C E    E N D                     *
       ****************************************************************


           Version 4.0, April, 1988





                      YOUR SECOND MANUAL TO THE ATARI ST



                               BY ANDREAS RAMOS

                        FOR THE AARHUS 68000 USER GROUP

                                Aarhus, Denmark








       You just bought your ST,  you flip through the manual,  you start
       it up: nothing. You spend a week working with it; you make a mess
       of  the disk which your salesman told you not  to  destroy.  Your
       salesman  can't  help you;  he's been transfered to  the  catfood
       department; the new one doesn't know how to even turn the machine
       on.  But  he  tries to sell you a program that  costs  your  next
       holiday,  and  you've  heard  that  you  can  get  free  programs
       somewhere.  It takes you hours to write and print a single  page,
       while your neighbor's kid can program a flight to Jupiter on  his
       toy computer.  You live in some town where you always have to say
       "it's  154 kilometers from that city." The whole thing looked  so
       easy  in the store;  computers can't really be  that  hard;  your
       cousin uses one and everyone knows how stupid he is.

       Or maybe you've worked with your machine for a year now and still
       have never heard of a SPOOLER.  Or a RAM disk.  Do you know  that
       all those buttons on your keyboard are not what they seem to  be?
       What  ASCII  is?  Why not to use format programs  written  before
       September 87? How to deal with directory problems? How to RECOVER
       deleted disks?  What are PD's and how to get them? What is a BBS?


                                   == * * ==

                               The Introduction


       This  is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the ST.  Not to BIOS,  not  to
       GEM,  not to BETELGEUSE 5.  This manual will not help you to  get
       into the ST;  this manual will help you in getting around the ST.
       If the first one tells you how to turn on the machine,  this  one
       tells  you  how  to  use it.  It  is  your  second  (and  better)
       Operator's Manual to the ST.

       This Second Manual assumes that you've read the first ST  Owner's
       Manual  at  least  twice.  You must already know  how  to  create
       folders,  etc. If you haven't, please take the time to do so now.
       Otherwise, you just won't get much out of it.

       I  have written this as an introduction manual to new members  of
       our user group:  the 68000 User Group in Aarhus,  Danmark. In all
       of our meetings and get-togethers and sitting around and  general
       talking,  there has been an enourmous amount of information about
       the use of the ST which has gotten passed around.  I've put a lot
       of the useful tips and ideas,  bit by bit, into a file, and now I
       edited  it and organized it.  This is the manual I wished  I  had
       gotten when I got the machine.

       This  is not a manual to the technical aspects of  the  ST.  That
       material you can find elsewhere (see for example publications  by
       the DATA BECKER publishing house,  address below).  Any technical
       information here is given only in the amount needed to understand
       a  process.  I've tried to check all technical  information  with
       persons who are qualified;  nevertheless,  any mistakes are mine.

       About  the  language;  I've tried to keep the  English  straight-
       forward;  if  there are sentences which are unclear  or  twisted,
       please let me know.  Everyone should be able to read this.  Where
       necessary,  I've put in the Danish or German  equivilent.  Sadly,
       there's  no standard to the Danish in the ST menues and  dialogue
       cards.

       If there's something in which you're particularly interested, use
       the FIND function from the menu (and large letters,  with MATCH).

       Where  I have written prices (or assumed prices),  it is so  that
       you can get an idea.  Prices change constantly.  Check before you
       buy.

       So that 520 users can load this file,  it has been broken up into
       smaller parts.

       Credits:  this manual,  version 4, was written and rewritten with
       the help, reviews, comments, and discussions of many people, both
       new  users and professionals.  Many errors  were  corrected,  new
       information  was  added,  things  were  dropped.  The  first  few
       versions  were  a near chaotic collection  of  things:  this  4th
       version  is  improved in  style,  structure,  and  contents.  The
       following persons especially helped me:  Karen Nordentoft,  Heine
       Svendsen,  Claus  Grotrian,  Peter  Mikkelsen,  Olafur  Bragason,
       Terkel Skorup. I also thank many others from our User Group, from
       the many BBS's in Denmark, and other user groups for tips, ideas,
       suggestions, comments, and reactions.

       Of  course  there will be a  fifth  version.  More,  bigger,  and
       better.  That will happen with your help and cooperation.  If you
       learn a trick,  a tip,  an idea, if you have information, guides,
       advice,  write it down, in any language, and send it to me.

                                   == * * ==

       Before I start,  just one last thing. Don't be afraid of your ST.
       You're  the boss.  When I was a little kid,  my parents  sent  me
       every summer to summer camp in the mountains in Tennessee.  There
       we  learned  to  shoot rifles,  use  bow  and  arrow,  swim  over
       waterfalls, mountain climb, canoe in white water, catch poisonous
       snakes  barehanded,  all the fun stuff.  And we learned  to  ride
       horses.  Feed them,  saddle them, rope them. We had this mountain
       man  who taught us,  a crazy mean old man who drank Jack  Daniels
       from  an  old fruit jar (we also learned  about  Jack;  Good  old
       Tennessee). My first day, we line up in the dust, us little kids,
       in  front of these big southern horses.  This old  man,  spitting
       tobacco,  says  to us "Don't ever be afraid of a  horse.  If  the
       horse tries to test you,  show him who's boss." and with that, he
       goes  right  up  to the first horse and with  a  terrific  swing,
       punches  the horse in the face:  it fell down.  He was  right;  I
       never was ever scared of horses from then on. But I was terrified
       of him.

                                   == * * ==

           The Contents of Your Second Manual to the ST (Version 4)

                                   Part One
                               0. Introduction.
                               1. The Beginning.
                             Computers in General.
                                 Definitions.
                              2. The ST Keyboard.
                           Notes about the keyboard.
                              Special functions.
                             New keyboard layout.
                                  Fixing it.
                          3. The Mouse: a few notes.
                       Feeding and cleaning your mouse.

                                   Part Two
                                   4. Disks.
                       Disks, TOS, drives, directories.
                    Formatting,  both standard and special.
                                   Copying.
                                  Recovering.
                                 5. RAM disks.
                                  What it is.
                              How to set one up.
                                How to use it.

                                  Part Three
                                6. The Screen.
                                 Your Desktop.
                               How to change it.
                          Desktop.Inf and what it is.
            Icons (Russian and American) and what to do about them.
                                Fixing things.
                                7. Accessories.
                               How to load them.
                               Different kinds.
                              8. Wordprocessing.
                                General notes.
                               Different kinds.
            Some tips and comments to 1stWord/Wordplus and Signum.
                      9. Magazines and books for the ST.
                                What there is.
                         All the different magazines.

                                   Part Four
                        10. PD's: Public Domain Disks.
                                What they are.
                               How to get them.
                       11. BBS: Bulletin Board Systems.
                                  What it is.
                             How to get onto one.
                                How to use it.



                          * * * Copyright Note * * *

       This  is the fourth version of this manual.  Version 1 was  30KB,
       Version  2 = 60KB,  Version 3 = 105 KB.  Every six months or  so,
       more is added,  errors removed,  information is updated.  If  you
       would like to recieve further updates of this manual, then become
       a registered user.  To be a registered user,  either join our  UG
       (write for further details) or send a donation of 10 US  dollars,
       10 pounds,  30 Dm,  or the equivalent to either Amnesty  Interna-
       tional,  any  group  helping Nicaraugua,  or any group  which  is
       helping  the  South African Blacks or  Palestinians.  Send  me  a
       photocopy of your deposit slip and a blank disk; you will recieve
       the next version.

       Copyright information: All rights are mine, where those rights do
       not infringe on other rights.  This text may not be sold,  given,
       exchanged, or offered as part of a commercial exchange (I went to
       law school. I have two brothers who are hotshot American lawyers.
       I will sue.  Commercial copyright infringement is big  money.  If
       you hear of someone selling this text,  let me know so I can send
       a generous reward.) Copying of this file is permitted where  such
       copying  is free and between users.  Public domain  services  may
       offer  this document for distribution if they do not charge  more
       than 4 dollars,  4 pounds,  ten DMarks,  or the equivilent in any
       national currency as a service fee only.

                                Andreas Ramos,
                               68000 User Group
                           Jaegergaardsgade  142.2,
                               8000  Aarhus  C,
                            Danmark,  Scandinavia.
                               BBS tlf 06109777.

                            End of the Introduction

               ====================== * * ======================





                          Chapter One: The Beginning.

                     Things Your Salesman Didn't Tell You.

       Much of the computer is so interconnected that it is difficult to
       talk  of  "parts." That makes it hard to  understand.  You  can't
       really  talk  just  about  the  screen  without  discussing   the
       keyboard; the disk is not separated from the windows. Much of the
       information  is  thus  "general" in  a  sense,  though  you  will
       hopefully understand later what is going on.


                               Computer English

       There is a very complete glossary (vocabulary, or definitions) in
       the back of your Owner's Manual. Here are more definitions.


      Booting:This used to be called "bootstrapping." That comes
              from an old American expression:  To pick yourself
              up  by  your bootstraps.  Germans know  this  from
              Munchhausen:  he was riding along on his horse one
              day  when they fell into  a  mudhole.  Munchhausen
              pulled himself out by taking hold of his hair  and
              pulling  himself  out.   When  you  start  up  the
              machine,  there  are  certain programs  which  are
              carried  out.  But  in order to  carry  out  those
              programs,  the computer must have a program  which
              is  active and can carry out  programs.  But  that
              program  has to be already running so that it  can
              start  itself.  A curious chicken or the egg  pro-
              blem.  What it means, for us, is just starting the
              machine.  There  are cold boots:  when  you  start
              totally,  as in the morning.  There are also  warm
              boots,  as when you press the reset switch,  which
              doesn't  turn off the machine  completely.   Reset
              vs.  Turning  the  machine off and  on  (or,  warm
              booting vs.  cold booting).  When you bomb,  there
              are  two things you can  do.  Either  reset,  just
              press  the button which quickly blanks the  screen
              or  switch the machine off entirely and start  all
              over again (which button,  and where it  is,  will
              depend on which version of the ST you have.  Check
              your owner's manual).  Both seem to have the  same
              effect,  but  they are different.  A total  off/on
              will  wipe the RAM memory clean (the machine  must
              be  off for at least ten second)(usually the  time
              it takes to say "Why did I ever waste my money  on
              such a stupid,  lousy,  idiotic program"). A reset
              will only clear the memory which is not  protected
              by certain routines.  If you are using reset proof
              programs,  such as certain ram disks or  routines,
              then resetting will not delete those programs.  If
              you bomb, a simple reset will clear up the memory;
              if you really bomb, and a reset doesn't help, then
              you need to cold boot.

    BOOT DISK:Your  BOOT  DISK (Start up disk) is the  one  with
              which  you always start.  You can  create  several
              different boot disks. Of course, you can boot with
              any  disk  you like,  unless you  have  created  a
              special  format.  If you use just any  disk,  then
              most  likely  you don't know how to  make  a  boot
              disk, create a desktop, or use accessories.

  DESKTOP.INF:A file called DESKTOP.INF will set up your desktop
              the way you like it. This file is created when you
              use the SAVE DESKTOP option.

  Accessories:Also  on the desktop may be your  favorite
              ACCessories.

  Auto folder:There may also be an AUTO folder;  any programs in
              your AUTO  folder will be automatically run.

         Data:All of the  stuff that goes on a disk,  and  which
              you  use  in one way or another,  is in  the  most
              general sense just DATA.  Just information.  There
              is  of course good data (correct information)  and
              bad data (corrupted, or faulty, information). This
              data can appear as either a program:  then it is a
              set  of  commands which organizes and  works  with
              other kind of data, namely files.

          PRG:is PROGRAM (WORDPLUS.PRG).

          RSC:is  RESOURCE,  which  are various  parameters  and
              other  information  for  the  program.  If  it  is
              missing,   then   the   program  will   not   load
              (WORDPLUS.RSC).

         PD's:A  PD  is a PUBLIC DOMAIN program  or  disk  (see
              the PD chapter below).

  Tools or Utilities:A German defined "Tools" as programs  which
              help  you solve problems which you would not  have
              if you did not have a computer.  That is the  best
              definition of a tool.  A tool,  or utility,  is  a
              secondary  program which fixes problems which  you
              have  with your main programs.  If you  want  your
              wordprocessor to write Spanish characters,  then a
              tool  program will let you change  your  keyboard.
              There are all sorts of tools,  which do all  sorts
              of things.

        Games:A terrific way to lose five days and your wife and
              friends.  The  only  worthwhile  ones  are  Flight
              Simulator II (FSII) and Psion Chess.

      Desktop:DESKTOP is the main screen,  the one you get  when
              you BOOT,  on which appear the different  WINDOWs,
              which are a second screen,  the kind you can  zoom
              and  close.

   Coffee, Beer and Wine:These will destroy your disks and keys.
              Don't put them near the computer.  Several in  the
              UG  have  knocked over glasses of  wine  into  the
              keyboard: disks have been soaked in coffee, and so
              on.  If a disk gets wet,  throw it away.  You will
              make  the disk drive head dirty if you  just  "try
              and see" if it is okay.  If you pour liquids  into
              your computer:  clear non-sticky ones (water, etc)
              will usually be okay if you stand the computer  on
              end and let it dry out.  Sticky ones (beer,  coca-
              cola,  etc) may be a problem.  Let the machine dry
              out. If it is not okay, and your warranty is over,
              then  open and clean with a moist cloth.  If  your
              warranty is still good, go to your dealer.

   CIGARETTES:cause  lung  cancer, Your lungs  will rot and  you
              will die.

     CLICKING:is pressing a mouse button once;  DOUBLE  CLICKING
              is  two quick clicks.  If you can't  double  click
              fast  enough,  use  the CONTROL.ACC (it's  in  the
              Owner's Manual) to change the click response time.
              You  will find that some programs will  allow  the
              right  mouse to click.  Other programs  will  have
              special  or  secret  functions  if  you  click  in
              strange places.  Always try what seems  intuitive:
              mice are very popular with some programers.

           WP:WP is Word Processing (text editors are  something
              else.

         COPY:DISK  JOCKEY  is what you are if you try  to  copy
              disks  by dragging icons.  If you don't  like  the
              DISCO scene,  then use a RAMdisk,  a file transfer
              PRG, or a good copy program.

         Laws:Computering has its own laws.  The most famous one
              is:

                           Garbage in, garbage out.

              No  software  or hardware is going  to  improve  a
              lousy  idea,  even  if it  is  Reagan's  Strategic
              Defense Initiative (Starwars).

                               Another rule is:

                  The  more important the piece  of  work,
                  the more likely that things will go wrong.

              This  has been confirmed by many  users.  A  third
              rule, closely related, is:

                 Computers  have  no  mercy,  especially  with
                 deadlines.

              Many users,  when facing a systems crash,  tend to
              become  Catholics;  any and all saints are  called
              upon  to  save the file.  This reminds me  of  the
              story about the little boy who was climbing around
              on  the  roof of a high  building;  he  slips  and
              starts  to slide to the edge;  he cries  out  "Oh,
              God!" Just then, his jeans catch on a nail, and he
              stops; so he just looks up and says "Never mind!"

          *.*:The symbols "*" and "?", in computese, are usually
              called WILDCARDS;  they represent any value. These
          ?.?:are  often  used  in  the  directory  window,  for
              example, to specify which files will be shown. The
              combination *.* is big magic; it means, literally,
              WILDCARD.WILDCARD,  or ANYTHING.ANYTHING, any file
              with  any extension will be shown.  If  you  write
              *.DOC,  any filename with only the extension  .DOC
              will  be  shown.  If  you  are  hunting  for  .ACC
              (accessories)  and maybe you changed some of  them
              to .ACX,  then try .AC?  This will show only those
              which  have  AC as the first two  letters  of  the
         MASK:extender.  Selecting  files in this way is  called
              using a MASK (a filter).

          BBS:Bulletin Board Service (Opslagstavle program,  but
              nobody says that.  It is also called an electronic
              mailbox.) If you have a modem, then you can call a
              central  computer  (a BBS) and leave  messages  to
              other users,  receive messages,  and get copies of
              programs.  A BBS lets different kinds of computers
              talk to each other directly.  Our UG has one (tlf.
              06109777).

     Database:A  database  is  a program  which  allows  you  to
              collect a lot of information and then get at  that
              information in many different ways.  It is nothing
              more than a very fast and very flexible card  file
              box.  Databases  can be either on your own  disks,
              with your own data,  or they can be large,  indus-
              trial/research  databases (instead of 500 or  1000
              items,  they can have millions of pieces of infor-
              mation).  Large  databases usually have their  own
              special programs, written especially for that kind
              of information,  and hence,  to use them, you need
              special training.  Practically every single  major
              profession has a major database.  Some major data-
              bases  are  open and free;  either you go  to  the
              office (such as a university library database)  or
              you can reach it by telephone; anyone with a modem
              can  call and use them.  Most databases  charge  a
              fee;  usually around 20 to 50 dollars per hour. If
              you know how to use the base,  then you are not on
              for more than 10 or 15 minutes.  Many are  commer-
              cial. The database for oil companies costs 100,000
              dollars per hour. That is cheap; a single drilling
              costs  about 15 million dollars;  you will  gladly
              pay a 100 big ones just to find out if you have  a
              chance.

        Modem:connects your computer to the telephone so that it
              can  communicate  directly  with  other  computers
              (BBS, databases, banks, other users, etc.etc.).

        Mouse:An interface device.  A way of sending information
              to  the  computer.  Your keyboard  does  the  same
              thing.  Mice  were developed in the late  60's  by
              Xerox Corporation.  Apple made them standard.  IBM
              (I  Borrow from Macintosh) laughed at them  for  a
              long  time,  but they are now standard on the  new
              IBM's.  Other  ideas  were light  pencils:  a  pen
              connected  by a wire:  you simply pointed  at  the
              screen.  But that requires even more waving around
              with  your arms.  A joystick is a mouse of  sorts;
              just  another  way  to  send  information  to  the
              screen.  There are trackballs:  you spin a ball to
              position  the  cursor.  These were  developed  for
              arcade games (rough and unstealable).  Use  SPEED-
              MOUSE;  it reduces your mouse's running space (see
              Mouse chapter below). Future mice will not be mice
              at all,  but possibly a pair of gloves which  send
              hand positions and movements to the computer:  you
              "pick up" and "handle" what is on screen; there is
              even  feedback:  you can "feel" the  objects,  not
              just see them on screen. In ten years or so, there
              may  not  be anymore monitors  or  mice;  you  can
              interface  with your computer simply by  waving  a
              hand,  moving your finger, etc. Some users already
              interface  with  their computers in  this  manner:
              something goes wrong and they punch the screen.

     RAM disk:This is very difficult to explain;  although  when
              you understand the concept,  it is very simple. An
              entire chapter is dedicated to this subject below.
              It  is  a method of storing  data  electronically,
              instead of on disk,  so that you can access  (read
              or write) it much faster.  It is extremely useful;
              every single advanced user works with one.

   READ/WRITE:Reading means that your disk drive is reading  the
              disk, and getting information. This is also called
         LOAD:"loading";  you  load  by reading  a  program  and
              moving it to RAM memory.  Writing means that  your
              disk  drive is writing information onto  the  disk
              (saving).

  Kilobytes,  bytes,  KB's, Kbs:The most simple unit of informa-
              tion is a bit:  it is either yes or no. Eight bits
              together can define (describe or state) just about
              any letter or message we would want (just multiply
              2 by itself 8 times;  that produces 256  different
              states,  which means 256 possible separate charac-
              ters).  That we call a "byte." When you press  the
              letter "R" on the keyboard,  you don't send an "R"
              to  the computer or screen;  instead,  you send  a
              string of bits. A word, or a page, or a picture is
              thus  made up of a long string of  bits.  What  is
              important  to  know at this level is the  size  of
              that   string:   how  long  it  is.   Your   files
              (information,  texts  or pictures) will have  dif-
              ferent  sizes.  Short files are of course  smaller
              than long files. Click on OPTIONS to show as text,
              instead of icons,  and you will see the byte  size
              of all your texts.  1024 bytes is a kilobyte; so a
              file  that is 23,378 bytes is also 22.8  kilobytes
              (you  usually round up;  therefore it is about  23
              kilobytes.)  A  page of 1st Word text is  about  3
              kilobytes (3000 bytes).  (Of course,  this depends
              on whether you have full pages of text, or lots of
              empty spaces.) Later in your work, as you began to
              fill up your disks,  it becomes more important  to
              know  the kilobyte size of your files.  KB is  the
              usual abbreviation for kilobyte;  Kb is the abbre-
              viation for kilobits.

          TOS:"The Operating System".  This is called DOS ("Disk
              Operation System") on PC's.  MS-DOS means that  it
              was written by MicroSoft.  TOS is a complex  group
              of  programs and systems which make  the  computer
              work.  Think  of  a  core  surrounded  by  several
              layers.  The  central core is the machine  itself,
              the chips and other hardware.  Around it, covering
              it, is:

              1) BIOS (Basic Input/Output System).  This depends
              directly  on various basic (or main)  devices.  It
              works at a very low level.  It reads the keyboard,
              writes single characters to the VT-52 screen,  and
              several other things.

              2) XBIOS (eXtended BIOS). This allows access to an
              extended set of specific devices (for example, the
              printer ((both parrallel and serial  ports)),  the
              mouse,  midi, sound, etc). It permits general disk
              access. It formats disks. Both BIOS and XBIOS form
              the first level around the hardware.

              3)  BDOS  (Basic Disk  Operating  System).  It  is
              second level.  It is therefore not so specific  to
              the  hardware.  It  writes strings  of  characters
              to/from  the  screen/keyboard.  It takes  care  of
              memory allocation.  BDOS runs programs and  files.
              It creates files,  does the  Read/write,  deletes,
              finds files, etc.

              4)  A-Line Routines.  These simple  commands  take
              care of a great deal of the actual work of setting
              up what becomes the image on screen.  Dots, lines,
              rectangles,  filled rectangles, fill closed paths,
              move/copy  rectangles from one place  to  another,
              etc. The Blitter works in this area by speeding up
              these calculations and movements. Over this is...

              5) GEM (Graphics Environment Management). A set of
              routines which are independant of the device.  The
              third layer around the computer. These control the
              windowing.  And last of all,  most visible to  the
              user, is...

              6) The application program (such as 1st Word). Our
              programs are the shell,  the outside level of this
              system.  The  program  uses  a  complex  group  of
              abilities from the various parts of the  Operating
              System  (OS)  and presents them to the user  as  a
              simple  image  on screen.  The shell uses  GEM  to
              present  a graphic interface between the user  and
              the OS.

              For  simplicity,  I only mentioned some  parts  of
              this  system.  There is debate and  discussion  of
              whether or how much any one part is distinct  from
              other  parts.  You can see that all  the  computer
              magazines  spend  a great deal of time  trying  to
              explain  this.  There  are  very  few  people  who
              understand this system entirely (only a handful of
              top professional programmers,  and they have quite
              a bit of arguments about it).  If you only want to
              use the computer,  or just do some simple program-
              ming,  you do not have to worry in the least about
              any of this.

     Problems:The  curious  thing  about  computers  is  that  a
              problem is not a problem, but rather, a challenge.
              (My  high school gymnastics  teacher,  Coach  ((we
              called  him  "Coach")) always said "Let  it  be  a
              challenge to you.")  If your car has a flat  tire,
              that's a problem:  it has a clear nature (hole, no
              air)  and a clear solution (patch  and  pump).  No
              discussion.

              But  on  a computer,  anything can be done  in  at
              least  ten totally different  ways,  with  totally
              different  methods.  And no one agrees  about  the
              explanations for why it works. Everyone will solve
              a  problem  in  his own  way:  to  print  out  new
              characters,  for  example.  Hardware  people  will
              change the chips.  Programmers will  reprogram.  I
              would use a utility program.  Font users will  add
              fonts;  others  will redefine the printer.  It  is
              very difficult to give "answers" to problems:  You
              "think"  you have a problem;  you try to  describe
              it,  but a working answer, and a final description
              of the problem,  will be something totally  diffe-
              rent. The whole thing is a problem.

      RAM/ROM:You have two kinds of memory chips: ROM (read only
              memory) which has information on it which can't be
              changed  or deleted (it can only be  "read");  RAM
              (random  access memory) is memory space which  you
              can change (add and remove).

     Resident:One often talks  about  resident  programs.   That
              means  a program which is in the computer (not  on
              disk).  The  concept is not too  clearly  defined;
              different  things  can be  resident  in  different
              ways.  Your accessories are called resident;  they
              are  in  the  RAM chips;  so  you  call  them  RAM
              resident. When you have TOS in ROM, then it is ROM
              resident;  it is in the ROM chip. You need to know
              about this only to know the difference.

     Resident:(An example) The program which formats your  disks
              (the  one in the desktop menu) is a  ROM  resident
              program: it is always there.

  520 RAM, 1040 RAM, 2 and 4 MEGA RAM:Different "sizes" of ST's.
              The number tells you how much RAM the machine  has
              in  kilobytes.  A  520 RAM machine has 520  KB  of
              space to use (the actual number will be less  than
              that).  A 1040 has twice the capacity,  and a  two
              mega  ram ( 2 MEGA ST) is twice as large as  that.
              For comparison,an expensive calculator has 2 or  4
              KB  of  memory.  The Commodore 64's which  are  so
              popular  have 64KB of memory:  a 520ST  has  eight
              times  as much.  The standard PC can  be  upgraded
              only to 640 KB: a 1040 ST is almost twice as large
              (and twice as fast). These numbers only give you a
              rough idea of size:  a poorly written program  can
              work very well,  but take up an enormous amount of
              space:  well  written programs can often  be  much
              smaller.

              It is only for marketing reasons that the  numbers
              are not correct.  You will soon figure out that  a
              260ST  really  has 256 KB;  a 520ST has  twice  as
              much, or 512KB; a 1040ST has therefore twice again
              as  much,  or  1024KB.  But the  numbers  are  not
              "pretty,"  256/512/1024 is "messy." The  marketing
              people  in  Atari  forced  the  name  to  be  more
              presentable.

         RYFM:What  a  programmer  will tell you if  you  ask  a
              question which is in your manual.  "Read Your  *.*
              Manual" he means.  You must  read,  re-read,  and,
              several  weeks  or months  later,  re-re-read  the
              manual.  Things  you did not understand then  will
              become clear later.

          CPU:The main chip in your machine. The Central Proces-
              sing Unit.  This is where much of the actual  work
              is done (instructions are carried out,  etc).  You
              don't need to know about this,  the GLUE chip,  or
              any of that stuff, unless you want to start taking
              your machine apart.

    FOOTPRINT:The amount of space it takes up on your desk.

       Many  more  concepts and words are defined and explained  in  the
       rest of this text.  If you find words which you don't understand,
       let me know.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Don't worry,  most Americans and British don't understand much of
       this vocabulary either.  Computer English is just as  artificial,
       false, and unnatural as Computer Danish or Computer German.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Just  for reference,  here is the DESKTOP with MENUES (for  those
       who are reading this on paper).

       Mt. Fuji icon     File           View        Options
       -------------     ------------   --------    -------------------
       Control Panel     Open           Icons       Install Drive
       Install Printer   Show Info...   Text        Install Application
       Set RS232 Config. New Folder     Sort By:    Set Preferences
       VT52 Emulator     Close           Name       Save Desktop
       Ram Free          Close Window    Date       Print Screen
                             Format...       Size
                                             Type


                           (* Ram Free is optional)

       If  you do not have these options,  something is wrong with  your
       system.  Many of our users have not gotten the Control Panel, for
       example (I didn't get my for the first 4 months).  If you do  not
       have this, contact us.

       The  new Control Panel (20KB large,  instead of 16KB)  joins  the
       Control Panel,  Install Printer,  and RS232 all into one, a great
       improvement  which  clears up two  accessory  slots  (spaces).  I
       include RAMFREE.ACC,  which should be a standard.  It reports  on
       your memory size left.

       You must fully understand what all of these options can do.  Read
       your manual again if you don't.  It is here that you will  create
       boot disks (AUTO folders),  add new ACCESSORIES,  create new disk
       icons for ramdisks (and remove the silly second drive icon if you
       only  have a one drive system),  change icon names,  file  names,
       change  files  to READ ONLY,  set up your printer to  print  full
       screen pictures,  make standard format disks,  set your screen to
       show  files by KB size,  set up your files to automatically  load
       just  by double clicking on them,  save your  desktop,  and  make
       printouts of your screen.  If you don't understand any of  these,
       or are not able to do them, then READ YOUR MANUAL AGAIN!

       This  SECOND  MANUAL assumes that you understand  those  options.
       Much  of  what  follows will use these  options  to  change  your
       system. The Owner's Manual only describes the options; it doesn't
       began to explain that with these;  you can change and adapt  your
       system to suit your hardward and needs.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       V NUMBERS.  Programs often have numbers after the name.  There is
       not much of a standard regarding these numbers, but the following
       seems  to  be followed by the  professional  software  producers.
       WORDPLUS V2.02 UK, for example. What do those numbers mean? V2.02
       UK means Version 2.02,  with British spelling and dictionary. The
       text  versions  of the program  are usually  called  V.0.XX.  The
       first  released version of a program is called V.1O;  when  small
       changes  have been made (corrected spelling,  etc,) then the  new
       updated version becomes V1.01,  V1.02,  V1.03,  etc.  When bigger
       corrections have been made,  then it becomes  V1.1,  V1.2,  V1.3,
       etc.  When  major updates and changes have been made,  the  whole
       digit changes:  V2.0, V3.0, etc. If there are various versions of
       the program, usually for various languages, then it can be called
       UK (British English), US (American English), etc.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Why  bother  with  V  numbers?   Programs  are  constantly  being
       upgraded.  They are improved.  New options are added;  errors are
       removed.  About  every six months,  we see new  "generations"  of
       programs:  an idea is introduced and is quickly adopted by  other
       programs.  You  will find out that using a computer is a  job  of
       constantly  looking  for the  arrival  of  better,  faster,  more
       powerful programs. Therefore it is difficult to write a standard,
       "once  and for all" list of "tips and tricks;" six months  later,
       it is useless.  1st Word V 1.01, which was the standard for quite
       some time, is outdated; hardly anyone uses it anymore. Most moved
       on  to V1.06,  many use 1.16,  and the elite use 2.02.  V1.01  is
       just primitive.  There are fashions in computering,  just like in
       bikinis and epistemology. WIMP, the Windows/Icon/Mouse system, is
       very fashionable now (Apple developed it,  Atari copied  it,  IBM
       copied it too.) But it is slow and difficult; we may see programs
       which are not GEM based (TEMPUS is an excellent example).

       The whole story between Apple,  Atari, Commodore, and IBM is much
       more interesting than Dallas or Dynasty.  Xerox originally  deve-
       loped  the mouse in the 1960's.  At the Xerox Palo Alto  Research
       Center (PARC)(which also developed SMALLTALK,  an advanced inter-
       face  system),  the main parts of the mouse and windows idea  was
       developed.  Steve  Jobs,  co-founder of Apple,  used to hang  out
       there.  Apple  took  those ideas and  added  their  contribution:
       menus.  The  look of the windows was designed by Apple  as  well.
       Digital  Research  (DR) came along and simply  copied  the  whole
       thing and sold it to Atari.  Apple sued.  Apple,  a huge company,
       could have kept Digital Research out of the market for years  (DR
       had  been losing money already),  so they settled out  of  court:
       Digital  possibly agreed not to sell any further developments  to
       Atari.  That's  why,  although better versions of GEM  exist,  we
       won't get them for the ST.  Apple deserves a great deal of credit
       for being innovative enough to bring such an advanced system to a
       market  which  was  totally dominated  by  IBM.  Bill  Gates,  of
       Microsoft,  which wrote MS-DOS,  used in every IBM PC and  compa-
       tible  in the world,  who has a personal fortune of  700  million
       dollars,  laughed at windows and mice and said real men don't use
       that sort of stuff.  Most PC users hate mice. IBM ignored windows
       ("It  has  no  use in the office.") DEC,  which  makes  the  best
       mainframes,  has  now  agreed  with Apple to  use  the  Macintosh
       desktop as the interface to their mainframes.  So what happens to
       the other companines?  Look at the new PS from IBM.  All windows.
       All mouse.  Developed by Bill Gates,  who now calls himself  "The
       World's  Greatest  Expert On Windows And  Mice."  Hewlett-Packard
       also copied the Windows/Mouse system.  Which now has caused Apple
       to sue both IBM and Hewlett-Packard.  This will be an interesting
       court  fight:  at  stake is the control of the  desktop  computer
       market  for the next 10-15 years and a market which is  worth  at
       least 100 Billion dollars in the USA alone.

       Digital  Research  wrote much of the ST's operating system  on  a
       contract for Atari Corp.  GEMDOS, GEM, ST BASIC, and ST LOGO were
       done by them.  GEMDOS and GEM are poorly written; ST BASIC and ST
       LOGO are garbage.  Silly and trivial errors were made in the  GEM
       system (for example,  the harddisk can't have a partition  larger
       than 16MB,  simply because of an incorrect number).  Atari  wrote
       BIOS, XBIOS, and ALINE.

       The  GEM we have on the ST is a pre-release version from  Digital
       Research.  That  is why it has bugs and is slow.  GEM is  already
       available as versions 2 or 3 on PC's.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       MORE NUMBERS:  Flip your ST over (gently!  gently!).  The  number
       stamped  on the bottom tells you how old your ST  is.  Apparently
       these are sequential;  the first one is 1,000,001. Mine is in the
       9000's.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Something  that  is  recommended to everyone  is  to  open  their
       computer.  Take a look inside. See what goes on in there. It is a
       simple  process of removing only about 20 screws (keep  track  of
       which  go where!).  The machine can easily be put  back  together
       again  (it was designed to be put together by 14 year  old  girls
       working under slavery conditions). Note that changing the machine
       will violate your warranty,  if that is still valid.  Many German
       ST's have a sticker on the case which may not be removed  without
       tearing;  this prevents you from opening it.  Do not violate your
       warranty. Please unplug the machine completely before opening.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       ATARI,  by the way,  is the Japanese word for the game "GO". "ST"
       means  either "Sam Tramiel," the hotdog capitalist who  owns  and
       runs Atari Corp,  or "Sixteen/Thirtytwo," a technical description
       of  the chip's processing capability.  The 68030 machine will  be
       called the TT, which means 32/32.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       A  SINGLE  SWITCH.  It's  not necessary to  flip  three  separate
       switches  to turn on the older ST's.  Run all your plugs  to  one
       extension plug, put a switch on that, and connect it to the wall.
       Now just switch off and on there.  The whole system turns off and
       on with one switch.  I put my START UP DISK in the drive and  run
       the juice.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       SWIVEL CHAIRS:  All computers should be sold with an office chair
       included:  the kind which turns,  is on wheels,  with a backrest.
       You  will  tend to twist around quite a bit,  reaching  over  and
       around your keyboard.  This will hurt your back.  You can buy  an
       office  chair  for about 5$ (or fifty kroner)  at  the  Salvation
       Army's  second hand stores.  The Salvation Army,  with  its  good
       contacts,  tends  to get large donations of materials  from  com-
       panies.  The  Salvation  Army is by the way my  favorite  general
       charity,  92% of their income is used for the poor.  The  highest
       paid  person  in  the Salvation Army  recieves  23,000$  a  year.
       Nothing. In comparison, most charities spend 45-60 percent on the
       poor, and the rest on being fat bureaucrats. The US Department of
       Welfare,  which gives aid to the poor,  spends 90% on  themselves
       (perhaps  I  should  rephrase that "...which  gives  aid  to  the
       poor...").

       If  you sit for long periods,  your back will hurt  anyway.  Back
       problems  are common among users;  we will sit for three or  four
       hours  straight  just trying to figure out a program or  solve  a
       problem.  Something that I have found that helps is a foam  wedge
       pad;  it is about 10 cm high at the back. You sit with your knees
       lower.  It has helped me somewhat.  You can get these at any foam
       store for about 2 or 3 dollars.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Bundled Programs:  When you bought your ST from a store,  several
       programs  were  included with the machine.  Some  of  these  were
       written by Atari Corporation (fx ST WRITER),  others were written
       by  independant  software  houses and were bought  by  Atari  for
       giving  to  its  customers (Fx  1ST_WORD,  DB  MASTER  ONE).  The
       different  programs  were given out at different periods  and  in
       different countries:  new buyers do not get 1ST_WORD anymore, for
       example.  DB MASTER ONE, a database, was given out in Denmark for
       a few months in 1987.

       These  programs  have  a  curious  status;  they  are  very  much
       commercial programs,  they are copyrighted, you can not just hand
       out copies of them. But so many people have them and 1ST WORD has
       become the standard wordprocessor;  it is nearly public domain. A
       number  of public domain services in fact hand out copies of  1ST
       WORD.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Don't waste your time with ST-BASIC,  the Basic program that came
       along with the computer. It's got errors, and rarely works right.
       I've never figured out what to do with LOGOS;  absolutely no  one
       uses it.  Blank out those free disks and use them:  they're  high
       quality.   If  you ever want those PRGs again,  just go  to  your
       dealer with the disk and tell them that it was blank. If you want
       to learn Basic,  or use Basic,  get GFA Basic from West  Germany:
       good  and  fast.  Most  people use GFA;  it is  pretty  much  the
       standard Basic for the ST; it has good manuals, and lots of books
       (the first English translation was lousy;  the second is better).
       You can talk to lots of other people about GFA.  FAST BASIC  from
       England  is  also  very good  and  popular.  Omikrom  Basic  from
       Germany is good too.

       There is a new version of ST BASIC, written by one of the Tramiel
       boys,  which is bundled with new ST's,  but it doesn't seem to be
       anywhere as good as GFA,  Fast, or Omnikrom Basic. Atari Corpora-
       tion,  which only earned 180 million dollars in straight  profits
       last year,  refuses to give you a manual.  They will send you  to
       the  dealer,  who  is going to laugh if you ask for  a  100  page
       manual.

       Many  people ask which languages will run on the ST.  Just  about
       every one.  All the major languages, and many dialects, have been
       adapted  to the ST (Basic,  Logo,  C,  Pascal,  Modula  2,  Lisp,
       Prolog,  Smalltalk,  APL,  Fortran, etc etc.). Both old fashioned
       procedural languages, like Basic, and the new artificial intelli-
       gence langauges have been adapted to the ST.

       "New" langauges aren't.  LISP,  the major artificial intelligence
       language, is over 30 years old and older than BASIC.

       -----------------------------------------------------------------

       Buying  hardware and software:  Quite a few of our  members  have
       bought  computers in West Germany and England,  despite the  long
       held  arguments  regarding lack of service  or  support,  without
       problems.  At present,  there is no reason for buying hardware or
       software in Denmark. As for service and support, there is none in
       Denmark.  Prices  are  simply lower in Germany.   With  the  sole
       exception  of PIXEL (tlf.  05/152441),  we do not yet know  of  a
       ST  distributor which will give qualified service  or  meaningful
       support to a professional ST user.  Danish businesses which  sell
       business  computers have dropped the ST because they were  unable
       to rely on Atari Corporation for service or parts.  German stores
       deliever  what they promise.  German stores are also reliable  in
       long  term:  Danish stores has started and stopped  with  amazing
       regularity;  the  first  two  distributors  for  the  ST  crashed
       spectacularly.  New World provided some unbelievable examples  of
       amature errors and poor business sense.  The previous importor is
       remembered for worst things. Datakilden in Copenhagen made such a
       disaster  that they simply declared bankruptcy,  to escape  their
       angry customers and debts,  and started up again as  Scandinavian
       Software.  A company to avoid,  in any form.  If you are going to
       invest  in hardware or software,  check with another user  first:
       make sure that the company is reliable.

       Atari  has come under very strong criticism from  developers  and
       users.  There is simply no developer support or customer support.
       For  all of their spectacular sales and profits,  Atari does  not
       bother with companies which are developing software/hardware  for
       the ST.  TOS is faulty;  it makes errors and is limited.  It  was
       poorly  written.  Atari kept coming out with new  versions,  end-
       lessly changing the TOS;  there are dozens of versions  now.  The
       latest is not 100% downwards compatible.  GDOS,  a supplement  to
       the faulty TOS,  has been kept secret/unavailable for a very long
       time.  GEM  information  has been kept secret for  no  particular
       reason.

       The ST is a thirdparty machine:  practically everything to it was
       developed  by companies independantly of Atari.  It is no  secret
       that  Non-Atari components are usually better than  Atari  compo-
       nents (especially drives,  harddisks,  monitors).  Practically no
       application software has been developed by Atari.  We don't  even
       have software guidelines for the ST:  each developer must  invent
       his own format. Therefore the ridiculous situation with graphics:
       it  is a pain in the neck to convert pictures from one format  to
       another:  it  took  over two years to get a  wordprocessor  which
       could read graphics.  A software guidelines would give developers
       the  ability  to  write programs which are  compatible  with  one
       another.  All Macintosh programs are intercompatible:  just about
       anything  can  be  moved from one program  to  another.  This  is
       unthinkable  on  the ST:  try moving your spreadsheet  into  your
       wordprocessor.  And then into your drawing program.  No way.  The
       result means that hardware / software developers must think twice
       and  twice again before entering the ST market:  they must  first
       establish  a  standard.  We users lose:  we  don't  get  radical,
       interesting  programs for the ST.  No one in their right mind  is
       going  to  develop a totally new program on a machine  which  has
       such a difficult market.

       Get a copy of our PD catalog and ask for the USENET disks:  these
       are  downloads (copies) of discussions in the ST section  carried
       out by many of the major persons in the ST world.  The  Tramiels,
       Digital  Research (who wrote GEM),  Atari's  marketing  director,
       Simon  Poole (far away the best PD author on the ST)  and  dozens
       others  are  talking,   discussing,   criticising  (and  bitterly
       attacking) the ST.

       Don't  start  wondering  whether you  should  start  looking  for
       another  computer.  The ST is a great computer.  It is  extremely
       powerful. It works, all in all, rather well. It is VERY reliable.
       Salespersons  will tell you in confidential conversation that  30
       to 40 % of Amigas need to be rebuilt:  perhaps only two or  three
       of  100 ST have problems (and these are mostly just  loose  chips
       which are easily fixed).  The Amigas are a pain in the neck  with
       their  disk sensitivity (a disk must be very good  for  it;  ST's
       will run fine with not-so-good disks (ie cheaper). And let's talk
       programs.  It  tooks  seasons  for  the Amiga  to  get  a  simple
       wordprocessor;  we  had SIGNUM.  There are far more  applications
       programs for the ST.  The fact is that there are more games,  and
       more newer games,  for the ST than the Amiga,  the games machine.
       And last of all,  price.  The ST is simply cheaper. Power without
       the price. The price is of course customer support: you won't get
       that (and we don't expect it to come either).  The only  alterna-
       tive  to  the ST is the Macintosh II;  and that involves  a  very
       large price difference. West Germans have really taken to the ST;
       it  is  the  Mac of Germany.  Lots of programs  and  hardware  is
       created there.  We can expect developments and progress from West
       Germany for the ST. For the money, the ST is the best you can buy
       in Europe.


                      End of Chapter One: The Beginning.

               ====================== * * ======================




                           Chapter Two: The Keyboard


                    Tips and tricks regarding the keyboard:

       ESCAPE:  A clever trick,  when working on the DESKTOP: You have a
       window  open,  showing  one disk DIRECTORY  (the  contents).  You
       switch disks.  Do you then click on DRIVE B?  No!  Just press ESC
       (Escape),  on  the  upper  left corner  of  your  keyboard.   The
       computer  will then READ the new disk.  What it actually does  is
       UPDATEs  the directory,  checking again what's on the  disk,  but
       since you've switched disks,  it READS the new disk and puts that
       in the window.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       This works with RAM disks as well;  click on the RAM disk  window
       so  that it is on top,  and then punch ESC.  (Ram disks  will  be
                               explained below).

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       ESCape  (ESC) is a handy button.  When changing directory  lines,
       disk labels, whatever, punch ESC, and it clears the whole thing.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       If  you change disks while in an application,  such as 1st  Word,
       ESC can help.  Load 1st Word (start the prg by double  clicking).
       Now,  you want to change disks. Insert new disk. Punch the CURSOR
       UP ARROW,  this puts the cursor on the disk directory  line.  Now
       punch ESC.  that clears the whole thing.  Now hit ENTER.  The new
       disk is read as a default in A drive.  If you have 1st Word in  D
       Drive as a RAMdisk,  then instead of backspacing and typing  some
       silly nonsense like ( A:*.* ),  just punch Up arrow (elevator to
       top floor) ESCape out the window and ENTER in the ground floor.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       You  can  also  write  the A:/folder/*.PRG  or  whatever  onto  a
       keymacro  program  and  then  produce the  whole  line  with  one
       keystroke (thanks to HS).

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

        Typing an underline ( _ ) in the top directory line will bomb.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       You don't have to start up a program just to look at a text file.
       You  can  open a file directly on your desktop and  look  at  the
       first  part  of it (just double click and choose SHOW  TO  SCREEN
       from the dialogue box. Pressing ENTER scrolls one line at a time,
       pressing  SPACE bar scrolls a whole screen.  Instead of  pressing
       ENTER  and  scrolling all the way to the  end,  press  Q  (quit).
       You're out again.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Some versions of TOS (there are dozens of versions of TOS, for no
       real  reason) have a curious ability;  press CAPS LOCK  and  then
       ALTERNATE:  the Danish or German alphabets then revert to English
       font and produce square brackets and slashes.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       You  are  not  stuck with Swedish keys (or whatever  is  on  your
       keyboard).  When you press the "B" key,  you don't send a "B"  to
       the computer;  you send a long string of codes.  This string  can
       easily  be  changed (edited).  You can easily re-program  or  re-
       define your keyboard.  This requires no expert  knowledge;  fools
       can  do  it (most computer stores fall  in  that  category).  Use
       KEYEDIT.PRG,  a public domain program;  you get a picture of your
       keyboard on screen,  simply use the mouse to move the keys around
       or add new keys (for example,  get rid of Swedish, and add German
       or Danish).  You can easily make several keyboards, for different
       languages.

       You can also place keys in places which are more convenient.  The
       marks ( ' ) and ( " ) should be together,  and next to the  shift
       key. The same for ? and ! (and  as well), these should be on one
       key.  Add  the  Danish    and   to  the  keyboard.  Delete  the
       ridiculous  sign.

       You can also use these keys in the directory;  instead of writing
       1/2_AARHUS.DOC, you can just write _RHUS.DOC.

       You actually have not one,  but five keyboards. You must think of
       several modes:  the keys act differently depending on the board's
       mode.  You  change  modes  by  pressing  the  SHIFT,  CAPS  LOCK,
       ALTERNATE, or CONTROL keys. The first mode is the normal "qwerty"
       board, the small letters. The second mode is SHIFT: small letters
       become large, and numbers remain the same. The third, fourth, and
       fifth mode is CAPS LOCK,  ALTERNATE and CONTROL;  press these and
       then you have different keyboards.  The standard keyboard  setup,
       what you get from the factory,  has the same thing on both SHIFT,
       CONTROL,  and ALTERNATE. A keyboard editing program allows you to
       put  different keys in the various modes;  you can place  on  the
       numerical keypad,  which is rarely used in the higher modes,  all
       sorts of alphabets,  such as German,  French,  and  Spanish.  The
       numbers  at the top 1234567890 can also hold  different  symbols.
       Paste  stickers  on your keys so that you can see  the  different
       things.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       You will notice after a while that the letters on the keys  began
       to  disappear.  Touching the keyboard after a year will just  rub
       off the keys.  Clear plastic is sold in sheets or rolls which can
       be cut to fit the tops of your keys. This protects especially the
       non-american keys.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


       Instead of pointing and clicking the OK box in the dialogue  box,
       hit  RETURN or ENTER.  Both of these keys usually have  the  same
       function.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Get in the practise of holding the mouse in your  palm,  clicking
       not  with  the tip of your finger,  but with the  middle  of  the
       finger.  Not so tiring.  And keep the mouse near the keyboard, so
       that  you  can hit ENTER with your thumb.  This machine  was  not
       designed by a southpaw.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       You can always print the screen by pressing ALTERNATE + HELP.  Or
       almost  always.  Often  the printing can be stopped  by  pressing
       Control + Q (quit) (or perhaps X, W, or Z as well).

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Control + S will often work on your keyboard with some PRGs. This
       SAVES data

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       When renaming disk drives,  or renaming file names,  there is  no
       need to backspace one letter and type in the new:  just type  it.
       If  the cursor is at the end of the line,  it will  automatically
       delete and replace the word.  Try this now by clicking OPEN FILE,
       and just pressing K, the .DOC will change to .DOK.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       The  cursor  can  be moved with ALTERNATE  +  ARROW  keys;  press
       ALTERNATE  + INSERT for a mouse click.  The only time I've  found
       this useful is when you have to click the mouse a lot (in a game,
       for  example).  Park the mouse over the box,  and hold  down  the
       Alternate   and Insert keys.  Also this helps when  reading  long
       files  (like this one).  Park the mouse over the vertical bar  on
       the  right side of the screen,  hold down  ALTERNATE,  and  press
       INSERT as you read along.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Careful,  though,  too  fast  and this  sometimes  'freezes'  the
       computer,  nothing works anymore.  Panic.  Try punching ENTER, or
       wait a bit. Waving a gun sometimes works.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       The  right  mouse  button works on the  desktop.  When  you  have
       several windows open,  point at an inactive window, hold down the
       right button, and point and click with the left button. The right
       button lets you work in non-active windows.  Nice,  but  useless.
       It's so easy to click up a window.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       F1 and F10 often have a function in a program.  Programmers  have
       many  traditional codes,  such as pressing "CONTROL (Ctl)  +  ?";
       this sometimes produces a few lines of HELP or other information.
       When in doubt,  punch buttons.  Try every key on the keyboard, in
       combinations.  You  can't hurt the computer by pressing  buttons.
       However,  shooting the computer may damage it.  Gunshots are  not
       covered by warranties except in Texas.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Something difficult to describe,  but rather handy,  is an  F-KEY
       guide.  If your different programs use different commands on  the
       F-Keys,  this  little device helps you keep track of  them.  Take
       about fifteen or twenty sheets of paper.  Bind them together with
       one of those plastic ring binders:  go to any paper supply store;
       they have a hole punching machine which makes a row of  rectangle
       holes on the side of the paper,  into which a plastic ring  strip
       holds the sheets together (it is difficult to describe,  but  you
       will know it when you see them)(Use the smallest size,  that  is,
       the thinnest ones).  Now use a paper cutter so that there is only
       a strip of paper 1.3cm wide (as if you bound a book which is only
       1.3cm wide,  but normal length.  Still following this?  Good. Put
       the thing above your F-keys. Trim to lenght. It sits there in the
       groove. Make a different page for each program that uses commands
       on  the  F-keys  (also a handy place to keep  notes  about  other
       commands) Just flip the pages back and forth for each program.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       I put a little red sticker on the F6, Delete Line, key. Then it's
       just  a matter of reaching up and punching it;  I don't  need  to
       look so carefully.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Many programs can be aborted by pressing Q,W,  X, Z, or CONTROL +
       Q, CONTROL + Q, CONTROL + X, CONTROL +Z, ESCAPE, or F10.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       In Germany,  you can buy an AT keyboard which plugs into the  ST.
       The  AT keyboard is the best.  High quality keys.  It comes as  a
       small  separate  keyboard  (similar to PC's) and has  a  2  meter
       telephone  coil  cable.  Your ST is simply pushed back  into  the
       corner. Simply unplug the ST keyboard (a flat cable which is very
       obviouse when you open your machine) and plug in the AT keyboard.
       AT keyboards cost about 60 pounds.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Be  careful with the keys.  ST's are made of cheap  plastic.  The
       keys break off very easily.  There's a lot of users with  missing
       keys.  I broke my Backspace key by dropping a dictionary onto  it
       (small  wonder!) Rubber cement doesn't work;  it just gets  loose
       after a while.  It stayed loose for a long time,  until a  friend
       suggested model airplane glue;  it's made for plastic (the guy at
       the  store asked if it was for toy airplanes or toy  soldiers.  I
       said "for my toy computer").  It worked great.  Solid connection.
       Be VERY careful not to glue the key to the sleeve;  you'll freeze
       the whole thing. Use a toothpick to apply the glue.



                     End of Chapter Two: The ST Keyboard.

               ====================== * * ======================



                           Chapter Three: The Mouse


       There's only one thing to say about the mouse. When waiting for a
       command  to  be  carried out (waiting while  opening  a  program,
       waiting while a text is being reformatted, etc), don't wiggle the
       mouse  around impatiently.  You send information to the  computer
       when  the mouse moves;  the computer slows down what it is  doing
       and  begans to pay attention to your mouse  movements.  In  other
       words,  if you play around with the pot,  it just takes longer to
       boil water.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Your  mouse should roll smoothly.  If it doesn't (it  feels  like
       rolling on rubber),  then you must clean it.  In the back of your
       Owner's Manual is a short description of how to clean your mouse.
       It is not enough.  You need to go further. Open the mouse, as the
       manual  tells  you.  Use a cotton swab (the  little  sticks  with
       cotton  on  the end) which has been moistened (not  dripping)  in
       alcohol  and  wipe the three  rollers,  turning  them  too.  This
       softens  up  the dirt.  Take a  clean,  small,  sharp  knife  (or
       whatever)  and gently scrape the dirt from the  rollers,  turning
       them  as you go along.  (As my chemistry professor used  to  say:
       CRAP = Chemical Residue in Apparatus). Don't scratch the rollers.
       Don't try and see how high the little ball will bounce.  Put  the
       mouse back together. New mice cost at least 50$.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Some mice will go "walkies," as one British puts it.  As you work
       on the keyboard,  for no reason,  the mouse arrow will fly across
       the screen. Notice that it only goes either straight up and down,
       or horizontally.  There was quite a debate in ST WORLD last  year
       about  this;  there are several different theories on the  reason
       for this.  There are also several different cures;  many of which
       involve fooling around with the hardware.  Try pushing the  mouse
       plug tighter into the computer.  It doesn't seem to be much of  a
       problem;  if  it's not broke,  don't fix it.  Mine does it  quite
       often;  other people are rather amazed when it goes flying off by
       itself.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


       The  right  mouse  button works on the  desktop.  When  you  have
       several windows open,  point at an inactive window, hold down the
       right button, and point and click with the left button. The right
       button lets you work in non-active windows.  Nice,  but  useless.
       It's so easy to click up a window.

       . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

       Oh, right, nearly forgot. Mousepads are all the rage. They really
       are  better as a surface.  Don't spend money buying an  "offical"
       pad at a computer store;  go to a scuba divers store  (underwater
       sports) and buy some Neoprene,  the stuff that wetsuits are  made
       of.  That's  what  mouse pads are anyway (who ever came  up  with
       that?). There are two kinds of neoprene: wetsuits and drysuits (A
       wet suit lets water in,  but insulates. A drysuit keeps water out
       completely.) Use drysuit material.  (If you use wetsuit,  then it
       won't  "hold" to your table top.  Use some double sided  tape  to
       hold it down.) The stuff is expensive by the square meter (around
       40    / square meter of certain thicknesses)(it is  measured  in
       cubic centimeters),  but you only need a 20X20 cm piece (mine  is
       .40 cm thick).  If you use the SPEEDMOUSE.ACC, then you only need
       16x16 cm.  Don't hope for a free scrap piece of material; none of
       it is thrown away.  They use the little pieces for making fingers
       for the gloves.


                       End of Chapter Three: The Mouse.


               ====================== * * ======================
                         Chapter Four:

                              About
              Disks, Disk Drivers, TOS, Formatting,
                   File Storage, and Copying.



Regretably,  much  of the information regarding disk  formats  in
previous  versions  of  the manual was wrong.  This  was  due  to
misconceptions about format procedures.  These misconceptions are
widespread;  many of the formatting programs available are poorly
written:  you  risk loss of data by using them.

I  thank  Olafur Bragason of our UG for explaining  much  of  the
following to me.

It  is very difficult to talk "just about the format," as  if  we
could ignore TOS.  TOS,  ("The Operating System"),  is called  on
other  machines the DOS,  the Disk Operating System.  You  notice
this mostly as the File Selection Window. TOS keeps track of what
directories  have been moving in and out of the drive.  When  you
read a new disk,  by updating the directory window, TOS reads the
directory  and the FAT into memory.  That stays there  until  you
read  a new disk.  The old directory is erased from memory and  a
new directory is read in.

TOS is therefore an interaction between the memory, the directory
window,  the FAT, the drive, the drive head, the disk, the format
on  the disk,  and the directory on the  disk.  Complicated?  You
bet.  It is difficult to talk only about one of these.  To start,
let's look at formats.

The disk stores data.  That data must be placed on the disk in  a
fashion  so that the drive can put it there and quickly  find  it
again.  The format is a structure which helps the drive head know
where the head is on the disk.

As  a Macintosh text puts it,  the disk is like a  parking  area:
white lines have to be drawn so that the cars can go into spaces.
By  drawing  the lines correctly,  more can fit into  that  total
area.

How  a  disk is formatted (structured) is up to  the  person  who
writes  a formatting program,  within the physical limits of  the
drive mechanism.




       ASSUMING THE STANDARD FORMAT: HOW YOUR DRIVE WORKS

Your disk is divided into concentric rings,  called TRACKS. These
rings,  or TRACKS,  are divided into SECTORS.

Assuming  the  standard ST format,  track #0 is on  the  outside.
Track  #79 is near the center.  The first few tracks and  sectors
are used for storing information about the disk and files.  There
are eighty tracks (0,1,2,3...78,79 = 80). On each TRACK (or ring)
are 9 SECTORs.  These are numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,  and 9. Every
sector can therefore be identified: for example, Track 54, sector
4.

On a single sided disk, the data is stored as following:

Track 0, Sector 1                       = Boot Sector
Track 0, Sectors 1-6                    = FAT 1
Track 0, Sector 7 to Track 1, Sector 2  = FAT 2
Track 1, Sector 3 to Track 1 Sector 9   = Directory
Track 2 to Track 79, Sector 9,          = Files.

The  File Allocation Table (FAT) keeps a list of where your  file
gets scattered all over the disk.  For safety, TOS keeps a backup
copy on disk; this is FAT 2.

If you want to fool around with the FAT, then here are the values
for FAT entries.  The FAT has one entry for every data cluster on
the disk.  If the entry for cluster n is m,  then four things are
possible.

     m = 0 (zero), then the cluster is not in use.
     m = FF1-FF7 means that the cluster is damaged and should not
         be used.
     m = k where 0<k<FF1;  this means that cluster n is part of a
         file and that cluster k is the next cluster in the file.
     m = FF8-FFF;  this means that cluster n is the last  cluster
         in the file.

It is not necessary to know this information for using the ST.

The Directory is just that: the list of which files are active on
disk.  When looking for your files,  go to track 1, sector 3. The
directory  keeps only the name of the file,  the location of  the
first cluster for that file,  and the kilobyte size of the  file.

On a double sided disk, the data is stored as followes:

Side A, Track 0, Sector 1               = Boot Sector
Side A, Track 0, Sector 2 to 6          = FAT 1
Side A, Track 0, Sectors 7,8,9,
plus Side B, Track 0, Sectors 1 and 2   = FAT 2
Side B, Track 0, Sectors 3 to 9         = Directory
Side A and B, Track 1 to 79             = Files.

We can immediately see problems.  Most file recovery programs are
set  to look automatically in a specific area for  the  directory
sectors. A recovery program made for single sided disks will look
in track 1,  sectors 3 to 9.  But if we are using a double  sided
disk,  then  this  recovery program,  set to look  for  directory
sectors in track one,  will find files.  A double sided  recovery
program will not be able to find the directory of a single  sided
disk, because it is looking for side B, which doesn't exist.

Each  sector  holds a maximum of 512 bytes,  or  0.5KB.  This  is
effective with large files, but small files, fx SPOOLER, which is
only  497  bytes,  will be  inefficiently  stored.  The  smallest
storage unit is a CLUSTER which is two sectors.  Thus your  drive
will use a cluster,  or 1024 bytes of space,  to store 497 bytes.
The rest is ignored.

The  sector is made of a header,  the file data,  and  a  closing
remark.

As the disk head goes flying along,  it meets a new sector. First
it  reads the information in the header.  The  first  information
identifies  the  track  number.   Then  follows  the  disk   side
information,  then sector number,  size of sector,  and then  the
CRC,  the Cyclic Redundancy Code (to check for possible  errors).
Then the head reads the data in the sector. At the end is the CRC
again. This closes the sector. Now onto the next sector.

So the head reads sectors 1, 2, 3, 4, etc in a row in each track.

Now  on to the next track.  But to switch over from one track  to
the  next leaves very little time,  so to make sure that  it  has
gotten into the correct track, it waits a whole new turn in order
to read sector 1.

Therefore much of the time,  the head is being very careful about
where it is.

If the disk is new (blank),  then the drive starts at the outside
and works its way inward,  saving/reading data along the way. But
if  the  disk  has been used very  much  (files  deleted,  saved,
redeleted, etc) then lots of spaces open up between active files.
The  computer will then store data on those tracks  and  sectors,
scattering your data not in one long piece,  but here and  there,
anywhere it can find space.  This is effective for using the disk
in the best way possible,  although it will increase the time for
the process.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It's  a good trick (thanks,  KHS,) every once in a while to  copy
all of your files to a new,  blank disk.  Then the files will  be
re-stored in the most efficient way,  one after the other, sector
by sector,  in one long line.  This reduces access time  terrifi-
cally.  You  can  do this by transferring all your files  into  a
RAMdisk,  deleting  all the files from the disk (just throw  them
from the disk into the wastebasket),  and then saving again  from
the RAMdisk to disk.  This can save 30 to 40% time, especially on
a boot disk. This is especially effective on a Harddisk.

Place  the  large programs first onto the  disk;  those  programs
which you read only and never change.

A  "disk organizer" is very useful;  it sorts out the files on  a
disk and places them in the most consecutive way  possible.  This
is very useful on a harddisk.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Remember,  the  disk  drive head works in the  most  careful  way
possible:  it floats over the first track and then moves  inward.
It starts at the outside the first time.

This is not however efficient:  the directory could be placed  in
the center of the tracks,  for example, and the most distant file
would not be more than half a disk away.

TOS was written to be compatible with IBM PCs (you can find those
in  museums).  Many  users have noticed that they  can  read  IBM
formatted 3.5 inch disks.  It seemed like a good idea.  TOS,  and
the ST, was developed in only six months.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A double sided drive works the same way. Both heads move over the
disk,  but together,  not separately.  Hence a single sided drive
cannot  read a double sided disk because a double sided disk  has
track  one on side A and track 2 on side B and track 3 on A  side
and so on.  It reduces access time, but makes it impossible for a
single sided drive to read,  because all it finds on the top side
is track 1, 3, 5, etc.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A  possible  use  of  the option of giving the  disk  a  name  is
suggested  by OB.  He names the disk according to the  formatting
program so that he knows how it was formatted.

It rather difficult,  however, to change the disk name afterwards
without a new format.  VOLUME.PRG can,  in certain cases,  change
the  disk name,  but only once.  Again,  this has to do with  the
nature of TOS.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Finally,  there  are  programs  to check  the  disk  drive  speed
(SPEED.PRG).  A correct value should be 300 to 305.  If higher or
lower,  it  is  possible that the drive is  reading/writing  data
incorrectly (the disk sectors will show up too soon/too late  for
the disk head).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



                      NON-STANDARD FORMATS

In  the past half year,  we have seen some very  clever  formats.
Some  of  these place sectors in  better  patterns.  Others  take
advantage  of  peculiar  aspects of the disk  head  mechanism  to
improve read/write speed.

Why  would anyone not use the standard  ST  format?  Non-standard
formats  can  do several things.  You can  format  faster  (often
just  18 seconds for a format).  You can read/write much  faster;
often more than 50% faster.  You can also put much more on a disk
(up to 55KB more per single sided disk, or even 118KB more with a
hyperformat).  If  you have 40 disks,  this can be about 2000  KB
more, just on single sided disks.

You   must  understand  how  a  non-standard  format   functions.
Otherwise, it is pretty certain that you will lose data.

Back to the number of sectors/tracks, and their layout. There can
well be more or less than 9 sectors.  Eleven sectors seems to  be
the  maximum  limit.  Amiga disks possibly have  one  sector  per
track.  There can be up to 86 tracks,  for example, instead of 79
(the first track is number 0, so "79 sectors" is actually 80). It
is  a  mechanical limit that keeps most drives from  making  more
than  82  tracks:  the better heads can go  further  towards  the
center of the disk.

A formatting program also creates a sector called a BOOT  SECTOR.
This is used for making a boot disk.  If you use another disk for
booting, then you can choose not to have a boot sector on a disk.
Thus  you can store data on that sector.  The standard ST  format
always creates a boot sector; you can boot with any such disk.

Another  trick is to make fewer directory sectors.  The  standard
format allows space for 112 entries; you can keep up to 112 files
on a single sided disk. This is somewhat generous; you could have
for example a maximum of 64 entries. Do this by specifying only 4
directory  sectors,  instead  of 7.  That gives  you  three  more
sectors for data.

By these various methods,  then,  if you have a good disk  drive,
and  a good formatting program,  you can place 11 sectors  in  86
tracks, with no boot sector, short directory sectors, and you can
have up to 475 KB on a single sided disk.

     A STANDARD FORMAT has 357KB per side.
     An EXTENDED FORMAT has 390 KB per side.
     A FAT DISK or FAT FORMAT has 412 KB per side.
     A HYPERFORMAT  has up 475 KB or more per side.

The sectors can also be laid nonsequentially on a track.  Instead
of putting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11, the sectors can be 1-7-2-8-3-
9-4-10-5-11-6- and on to 1 again;  this cleverly gives the head a
space between each sector.  As it reads sector two,  it  finishes
and  is ready for sector 3.  But on a standard  format,  3  comes
right after 2.  That is too fast,  and hence it must wait another
turn of the disk.  A nonsequential format gives the head a  space
between sectors to get ready for the new sector:  it reads sector
2, skips sector 8, and then reads sector 3.

(There  is some discussion here about why some programs can  read
faster than others.  TEMPUS can read a file much much faster than
1st Word. Tempus possibly creates a buffer into which the file is
first placed,  and then organized for the program's use. 1st Word
will read the sector first, and then spend time organizing it and
placing  it  in word processing format.  Then it reads  the  next
sector.  But by this time, the head has already gone too far; 1st
Word  must wait for the disk to turn once again in order to  read
the second sector.  The many "Fast Read" programs thus deal  with
this aspect of 1st Word,  which is why they don't help with other
programs.)

The  first  sector on the track can also  be  "sacrificed;"  made
useless,  so  that no data is stored there.  An error is  written
onto  that  sector.  This has the advantage of letting  the  head
swing  immediately  over to the next  track,  reading  the  first
sector,  checking that it is on the correct track, and then going
onto  the  second sector,  where it can begin to  read  at  once,
instead of waiting for a new turn.

It is in exploiting characteristics of the Atari disk drive  that
"FAST FORMATS"  are made.  Since they give the head more time  to
read, by either skipping sectors or with blank final sectors, the
head reads the data correctly. These "fast" formats are safe.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The directory window,  the TOS,  the disk drive mechanism,  and a
misunderstanding  of the disk identification procedure all  comes
together to produce the next problem. This was widespread most of
last year,  causing many people the dreaded "directory  crashes."

The  ST  drive has a way of speeding things up.  If  you  open  a
folder and look inside and then close again,  the ST  immediately
gives  you the previous window again,  with all of the  contents,
without re-reading the disk. The ST saves some of the information
of the directory reading (the contents of the window) to  memory.
It  assumes  that you did not change disks;  it  just  reads  the
previous directory from memory.

What happens when the computer reads a new disk?  The ST uses  an
80  byte space in the memory to hold information about the  disk.
First the directory sectors are read (file names,  file  informa-
tion (date,  size,  folders, etc.). Then the FAT (File Allocation
Table,  where the file is spread over the individual sectors)  is
read into memory. The file names and folder names are sent to the
file selector window. When you enter a folder, the ST goes "down"
into a second level; it keeps the first level in memory and reads
the information for the second level.  When you go into a further
folder within a folder,  then it is "down" three levels.  As  you
move back up from the third level, it reads the second level from
memory,  not the disk.  To go from the second level to the first,
top level,  it again reads from memory.  At any  point,  whatever
level you are in, you click on a file, the ST looks at the FAT in
memory and knows where to start looking for the file on the disk.
The entire time,  the ST must be certain that you did not  change
disks:  if  you change disks,  then the FAT information  and  the
stored directories are worthless.

To  prove  this,  take  out the disk in the machine  and  put  in
another  disk (which is not write protected ("write  protect"  is
the little tab in the back corner of the disk) and was  formatted
by  the ST format menu).  The drive noticed that you took  out  a
disk  (An infrared light shines through the write  protect  hole.
The infrared light which detects write protection was blocked for
a  moment  as  the  disk went by,  and  then  for  a  moment  was
unblocked,  and  then blocked again).  Click on  OPEN  FILE.  The
drive will start up and read the directory.  Click  CANCEL.  Open
the  directory  again.  This time,  the drive  doesn't  run.  The
directory was read from memory.  Click on the grey bar at the top
of the file select window.  The window refreshes,  but the  drive
doesn't  run.  TOS  knows that you  haven't  changed  disks:  the
infrared  light wasn't blocked as if a disk had gone in and  out.
Hence it just uses the information from memory.

On every screen redraw,  which happens about 70 times per second,
TOS  takes  a look at the drive and checks whether  the  infrared
light is blocked.

Now  put a write protected disk into the drive (push the  tab  so
that the hole is open). Open file select. The drive runs, because
it knew a disk was removed.  Click Cancel. Open again. Drive runs
again.  The  light is shining through the write tab;  for all  it
knows,  a disk has been moved.  So it checks again.  Click on the
grey  bar.   The  drive  runs  again.  In  the  test  above,  the
directories were read from memory. Now, TOS reads them every time
from disk.

Since TOS,  on each screen redraw, sees the light shining, it can
only assume that the disk has been removed.

TOS is checking serial numbers.  When you format a disk, the disk
gets  a  random number as its  identification:  the  disk  serial
number. TOS checks these numbers to know whether it should make a
new  directory  reading or whether it can just use  the  previous
directory in memory.

This is where a great deal of problems come from. Most formatting
programs don't change the serial number. Apparently, most persons
who wrote formatting programs didn't know about this. Some of the
standard  documentation (the books for programmers) contain  this
error.  They don't explain that the serial number on the page  is
an example.   So the number is either set to zero or perhaps  the
same for all formats.  You end up with a box of disks which  are,
for TOS,  identical. When you start switching disks, TOS is going
to start adding each new directory to memory, thinking that it is
all the same disk:  the serial number is identical.  Imagine  the
problems if all women looked alike. This "false" serial numbering
is the reason for most of the directory crashes, directory window
problems,  opening  a folder but nothing happening,  and  "wrong"
directories  which  most  users  have  seen  if  they  have  used
formatting programs (especially FAT formats).  One frequent error
occurs  in  1stWord / Wordplus:  you open  a  directory,  open  a
folder,  and  then  switch disks and update  the  directory.  TOS
thinks  that  the same disk in in the drive (serial  numbers  are
identical) and therefore will try to go "up the directory  tree",
that is,  just return to the level above.  But there it will find
entirely different information.  If you try to save your document
at this point,  say goodbye.  TOS will get disk information  from
the first disk (where the blank sectors are,  etc).  You now have
the  second disk with an identical serial number:  TOS will  save
your document onto the second disk as if it were the first  disk.
Your data goes on top of other data. The ST uses the FAT from the
first disk to save information on the second disk.

Remember  that the directory sector holds files.  It  also  holds
folder names; but only the names, not the contents. The directory
contents  of  the folders is not kept in the  directory  sectors:
that  is  kept in the data sectors.  (Hence,  a disk can  hold  a
maximum  of only 112 files.  But if you place files in a  folder,
then you can have unlimited number of files.)

Make  a "wrong" format disk (two with identical serial  numbers).
Place  a  number of files and folders and folders in  folders  on
each.  Enter the first disk,  go down a few levels. Change disks.
Ask  for a directory re-read to read the new  directory.  The  ST
uses  the  FAT  of the first disk to find  the  contents  of  the
folder. All it is going to find in the second disk's file sectors
is stored data from that disk, not the file names which should be
there. Hence you are going to see recognizable bits and pieces of
perhaps a text file in your file selector box. At this point, the
experiment is over:  the FAT is destroyed and all of the files on
the disk is lost.

It  is therefore essential that you use formats  which  correctly
give a random serial number to a disk. If you are having problems
with  the  directory  windows,  now  you  know  why.  Use  either
the standard ST menu format, FCOPY_2.PRG or ALPHAFORMAT.PRG.

The  write-protected  directory  re-read,   which  checks  serial
numbers,   is  used  by  some  commercial  programs  as  a   copy
protection. The program is making sure that you have the original
disk somewhere on your desk.

You can recognize this problem if you have a non-standard  format
made with a poor formatter. You click on a folder to open it, and
the drive runs and the screen blinks, but nothing happens. The ST
has tried to check the serial number,  finds that it is the same,
and  simply reads the directory again.  You get a new  directory,
which is simply the one you had before.

This is why the directory window,  which otherwise works so well,
can  get so confused if you pop non-unique serial numbered  disks
in  and  out,  reading new directories  each  time,  opening  and
closing  folders.  If  the disks have been  formatted  without  a
unique serial number,  then the directory window thinks that  you
have  not  changed  disks:   the  serial  numbers  are  identical
(usually all are zero). But since it is in fact a different disk,
the identification of the sectors/tracks will be wrong.  So  when
the  ST  tries  to read the sector,  it  opens  the  folder,  but
doesn't find the correct data.  You get a totally blank directory
window.

Don't panic.  Your computer can smell panic.

Simply  give  the ST a disk which has  been  correctly  formatted
(that is:  it has a unique serial number).  The ST becomes  happy
because  now it KNOWS that the disk is different:  it performs  a
new directory reading and everything is okay again.

The  serial  number is exploited as a form  of  copy  protection.
When the original is made, the program makes a note of the serial
number.  When you make your backup copy,  your correct formatting
program will give the disk a new serial number, as it should. But
the  program  will  see that the number  has  been  changed,  and
therefore reject the copy. Ironically, a "bad" formatting program
(which  does  not set new serial numbers correctly) is  good  for
making backup copies of programs which are protected in this way.

Some copy protected programs will,  at random, cause TOS to check
the disk for the correct serial number.  You will notice that the
drive  runs  every once in a while.  TOS is checking  the  serial
numbers.  The  program  will then compare that  number  with  the
number  that  the  disk was given when it was  formatted  at  the
factory.

I wrote above that an exotic format may cause loss of data. There
are several ways.  If the serial numbers are incorrect,  then TOS
will know from the first disk where the blank sectors  are.  When
you insert the second disk with the same serial number,  then TOS
will  write data onto sectors which it thinks are blank.  If  you
have  extra sectors/tracks,  and use a sector copy program  which
does  not know how to find those sectors/tracks,  then the  extra
data will be lost.

Normally,  the information about the format of the disk is at the
beginning  of the disk.  That is usually automatically read by  a
copy  program  when the disk drive starts up;  but  if  the  copy
program  is  stupid (doesn't check for  strange/different  format
structures),  then it will apparently copy the entire disk,  and,
when  you check it,  everthing seems to be there.  But since  the
special  format  stores  things in  "illegal"  places,  the  copy
program  will  not find that illegal data,  even  with  a  format
monitor  and verification ON (telling the copy PRG to verify  the
copy). Most copy PRGs don't look for those extra tracks. Parts of
your files will be missing. Asking the SHOW INFO doesn't help; it
correctly keeps the information in the directory sector that your
file is 243,678 bytes long, but that information is stored in the
directory  sector anyway;  whether the actual clusters  exist  is
another  matter.  The  only certain way to make a  backup  of  an
extended  format / fatdisk / hyperdisk is with a RAM disk  or  an
intelligent formatting program.

Again,  if  you're  going  to make a disk which  will  be  copied
repeatedly by different people (a PD disk, for example), then use
the standard 356KB format.

The  point is:  use radical formats only if you:

     Know what you are doing.
     Are using a good formatting program.
     Have a backup.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I  wrote  that you must click on the grey bar  in  the  directory
window.  Many programs fool around with this:  it doesn't seem to
be standardized.  If you click in the slider box (the up and down
space  on  the  right side),  TOS will read  the  directory  from
memory.  You should use this if you haven't changed the disk  (no
need for a new disk read).  If you have changed disks, then click
on the grey bar for the first read.  Thereafter,  you can use the
slider  box.  If you follow this procedure,  you will never  have
trouble. The upper left black box to close a folder, the grey bar
to read a new disk directory,  the white space in the slider  box
to freshen the directory.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

                  The famous 40 folder problem.

Another  misunderstood problem.  This is actually the  40-folder-
visited  problem.  If you visit (look into) more than 40  folders
during a single session,  the Atari disk will suffer a  directory
crash;  opening  the 41st folder will erase the entire  directory
sector.

This problem has been very misunderstood.  Since the ST,  to save
your  precious  time,  saves the directory to  memory,  each  new
folder  open/close means a new directory to memory.  There is  an
error  in  the ST:  it often doesn't completely  clear  away  old
directories.  Bit and pieces remain there.  After a  while,  that
becomes a mess in there.  You will notice,  after a long session,
that  the  FREE  MEMORY accessories will report  on  very  little
remaining memory,  even when there is nothing in the memory. Most
people do not get this far in a session.  A simple,  quick  reset
just clears the air and everything is ready to go again.  This is
a  major  problem in TOS.  It can't be changed  without  a  major
rewrite of TOS.

If  you  do cross over the limit,  it  is  "Sayonara,  User-san!"
(that's Japanese for "Adieu,  Monsieur!") Those directories  come
back to haunt you.  The directory window gets filled up with bits
and pieces of texts and programs.  Take a good look.  That is the
last you will ever see of that disk.  The directory is  destroyed
and the disk becomes unreadable. This happens without warning.

Fixing the problem.

     * A simple reset every once in a while.
     * Don't use so many folders.
     * Don't  run more than 40 disks in a single session  through
       the  drive.
     * Use any of three programs called 100FOLDERS,  FOLDRXXX, or
       FOLDR999;  these increase your folder limit by giving more
       space  to the memory for dealing with directories (if  you
       use such a program to allow 150 folders, for example, then
       you  have  a  150 folder limit;  crossing  that  limit  is
       goodbye).  FOLDRXXX is the "official" fix written by Atari
       Corporation. All of these are public domain programs.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

                       Recover Lost Files

To  rescue  things  out of the garbage  can.  Okay,  so  you  got
careless,  excited,  or whatever,  you've deleted a file or  even
your whole disk either by dragging it into the garbage can or  by
clicking  DELETE in 1st Word.  First you of course have a  backup
disk.

Secondly,  no  panic.  The computer doesn't actually delete  your
file,  it just changes the directory name from an active file  to
an inactive file,  one which,  on the next WRITE or SAVE, will be
written over.  The computer, to save time, doesn't actually erase
the  whole file (Atari USA cares about you).  The  computer  just
makes that space free for the next WRITE.  In certain cases,  you
can  restore that file name,  as long as you haven't made  a  new
WRITE  or SAVE.   The manual to the DISK DOCTOR is  pretty  good.
Before you attempt this kind of surgery,  Herr  Doktor,  practise
first.  Set up a file,  delete it, and then load your disk doctor
and try and recover it.  Practise makes good recoveries.  Make  a
backup disk of your injured disk before you try surgery.  Copying
disks  with a sector copier will copy not just  good  files,  but
also 'deleted' files, since sector copying is also bit copying.

Recoveries  however have many problems.  As we noted  above,  the
fact that directory sectors may be in different places means that
many  of the recovery programs will not function on double  sided
disks.  There is not yet one that will recover files that  either
were inside a folder, or an entire deleted folder.

Sadly, one cannot just enter the directory with a disk editor and
simply  restore the correct values (a delete flag is E5 which  is
substituted in place of the first letter of your file  name).  It
should  be  reasonable to simply convert that value  to  anything
else (fx 55,  which is U).  But the directory entry contains only
the file name,  file size,  and information which identifies  the
first cluster.  Restoring the file name will save your file name,
and  only one cluster of material (about one  screen  full).  The
rest is still lost.

The   following   programs   have  a   file   recovery   ability:
DR_FLOPPY.TOS,  GOODIES.ACC,  MINI-DOS (all PD).  The ability  is
however very limited: you will need to experiment.

H  and  D  (Holmes and Duckworth's) disk  tools  FRECOVER.PRG  (a
commercial program) works very well with single sided  disks,  as
long as the file was not in a folder.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There  are  different kinds of DISK DOCTORs.  Some work  by  only
opening  the  directory  sector  and  changing  files  back  from
inactive to active.  This is easy and quick. But if your disk has
suffered  a directory crash,  in which the entire  directory  has
been destroyed,  then another kind of DISK DOCTOR is  needed.  If
the first one is a first aid,  then this second one is a sort  of
DISK SURGEON (as explained to me by Arthur Dent).  This one  goes
through  and reads each individual sector,  cluster  by  cluster,
allowing you to save those to a new disk.  It's more work but  it
works in those places where the first one doesn't. Such a program
is RECOVER.TOS (PD).

If  the disk was a work disk,  on which you have  made  countless
write/deletes,  you  will find to your amusement that  the  file,
especially a long file, has been scattered in bits and pieces all
over the disk.  Recovering can be done, but you will spend a long
time  putting  it  back into correct  order.  It  is  practically
impossible to do this with programs:  you can rarely  distinguish
codes from garbage.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SINCE YOUR LOST FILE HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM AN ACTIVE STATUS TO AN
INACTIVE STATUS, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DON'T PERFORM
A NEW >SAVE< ON THAT DISK.  IF YOU DO SAVE,  THEN PART OR ALL  OF
YOUR  LOST FILE CAN BE OVERWRITTEN AND THUS CAN REALLY  BE  LOST.
NOT EVEN THE BGS CAN GET THIS BACK.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The following piece of information is intended to be read only by
users who know what they are doing.

After about 12 months and 5 minutes after you buy your  ST,  that
is,  five minutes after your garantee dies,  your ST will die  as
well.  This  has happened to quite a few users:  you are  working
happily  along,  and you ask for a directory (open a window  from
desktop,  load  a new file,  etc...) and there is nothing  there.
Your  disk is blank.  You tearfully try another  disk.  Blank  as
well. All of your disks are blank.

You go down to the store;  they grin (!) when you tell them  what
has happened.

The salesman says "Well,  we maybe can fix it.  It will take  two
days" (after which his grin becomes even wider.) (!!)

You  come back after two weeks of no ST'ing.  Your ST works  now.
You shake the salesman's hand and gladly pay the 60 to 100 dollar
repair bill (two hours of expert technical work on the  machine).
You walk away, waving: his grin is triumphant. (!!!)

Why  doeth the heathen rage?  That turkey in the store  has  just
plundered you for 12 seconds of work. Most likely he took it home
and fixed it himself.

If this happens to you:  blank desktop,  no files in any disk,  O
bytes used, etc, then

0)  Read Point 11.  Twice.  Read everything once,  and then  once
again.

1)  Unplug everything.  Otherwise your mother will find  Kentucky
Fried Chicken sitting in front of your ST.

2) Place your ST on a large,  firm,  flat surface.  Flip your  ST
over.  Take out all the little screws. Keep them separate; if you
put the long (back) screws in the front, they will go through the
cover and stick out.

3) Remove case.

4) More screws.  Take out.  Lift off keyboard.  Be careful not to
twist or break off the keyboard wires.

5) Atari does not want you in here.  Undo the little metal twists
and remove metal plate gently.  ST's are put together by 15  year
old  girls  in  Thailand.  They have  nimble  fingers.  Ask  your
neighbor's daughter to get the back ones.

6) Now,  you can see the chips. The insides of the machine. Using
the first three fingers of your five fingered right hand,  gently
press  all the large chips squarely down.  This does  the  trick.
What happened was that the chips eventually get loose:  the  girl
who built your ST had The Furs (Forever Now) on her walkman.

7) Start putting everything back together again.  The cat put the
screws under the sofa. See point 2.

8) Plug it up again. Insert a disk, and start computer.

9) Your files are back from Limbo.  Place 60$ in an envelope  and
send to me (address at end of text).

10) If this doesn't work,  try again.  If it still doesn't  work,
you have real problems.

11)  ANY MODIFICATION,  CHANGE,  OPENING,  JUST  PEEKING  INSIDE,
FOOLING  AROUND,  THE CAT DID IT,  OR WHATEVER WILL  CANCEL  YOUR
WARRANTY. THE STORE LOVES TO CANCEL YOUR WARRANTY FOR ANY REASON.
DO  THIS  AT YOUR OWN RISK.  IT IS NOT MY FAULT,  AND I  TAKE  NO
RESPONSIBILITY, IF YOU RUIN YOUR ST OR BLOW OUT THE ELECTRICITY.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Then,  there is the last trick.  When the going gets  tough,  get
rough. If you are getting 0 bytes used, either as a blank screen,
or getting more bombs than the Ayatollah, then:

1) Find a large, flat, solid surface.

2) Unplug everything.

3) Pick up your ST evenly about 4 inches,  or 10 centimeters into
the air.

4) Drop it.

5) Other users prefer to slam it down, firmly and solidly.

6)  This has the effect of jarring the connections.  I have  seen
this done several times, and it works. If you are too gentle with
the machine,  ask your wife to slam it down. They usually do this
happily.  Be  prepared to grab it away from her after  the  fifth
swing.

7) Believe it or not, this is usually the first thing a repairman
does  with  your machine.  Just like  a  whorehouse.  Slam,  bam,
thankyou madame. 50$. You got screwed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If  you want data and material on the disk to  really  disappear,
only  a new disk FORMATTING will garantee  that.  Otherwise,  the
local cop's 12 year old kid will happily tell in court how he got
your files out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PC users provide endlessly amusing stories.  The White House uses
IBM  PC's.  That's right.  Ronald Reagan,  Edwin Meese  III,  and
Oliver  North all have PC's.  They are all connected in  one  big
network in Washington.  When Reagan told Ollie North (who  worked
at the National Secruity Council,  Tlf (202) 456-4974) to do  the
silly  things he did (sell weapons to the  Iranian  Revolutionary
Guards (the guys who kidnap and kill the foreigners in Beirut) in
order to pay for Contra terrorists (who were partying in  Panama,
and  occasionally selling General Noriega's cocaine in the US  by
flying it on the CIA's Southern Air Transport airplanes (to  call
the  CIA,  dial  (703) 351-7676) and US Air Force  airplanes  and
landing  at  Florida's Homestead US Air Force  base)(one  of  the
cocaine  agents got caught in New Orleans with  40  kilos;  Edwin
Meese III,  Attorney General of the United States,  the top  cop,
and  Reagan's failed appointment to the Supreme  Court,  released
him.  And  returned the suitcase to him,  saying the man  was  on
important  business).  (Was there to be a White House party  that
weekend?)  (Meese III is currently in a  new  scandal;  something
about 1 billion dollars,  Irak,  and bribes to the entire Israeli
goverment not to bomb a pipeline.  Nothing is clear: they are all
lying  over this one.) Ollie did all of his work on  his  PC.  No
problem.  Move  money  around in Swiss banks,  send  off  sailing
orders for Danish ships,  order C-5A loads of Sidewinder missles:
just punch the keys. When "the shit hit the fan" (to quote George
Bush,  Vice President of the United States,  Head of the National
Security  Council,  Ollie's boss,  and candidate for  President),
Ollie just ran home and punched "DELETE FILES." Clever Ollie! The
Congress  wasted no time with his lie under sworn testimony  ("No
such files.") and simply asked for the backups.  Imagine  Ollie's
stupid look when he said "Backups?  What backups?" Too late:  the
White  House didn't even know that there were  backups  automati-
cally being made of all their little deals.

(Ollie and Nofzinger both "lied like hell" to Congress during the
Irangate hearings.  Congress is pretty easy going, but they don't
like liars.  Nofzinger got 3 years in a Federal prison for  that.
Ollie's trial is coming up.)

What  is  Nancy  Reagan doing today?   Just call  up  her  social
secretary and find out!  Nancy's day is given on Tlf.  (202) 456-
6269.  Ronnie's  bedtime schedual can be heard on Tlf (202)  456-
2343.

To  send  your fan letters,  write  to:  The  White  House,  1600
Pennslyvania Avenue NW,  Washington DC,  20500 USA.  Or just call
them up at (202) 456-1414.  But I doubt you can order a  shipment
of cocaine there.  Try the CIA number instead. Just say that it's
Noriega and where the hell's the check.

Dial 009 and then 1 for international calls to the US.

One  of the best map databases in the world is maintained by  the
CIA:  the  WORLD DATA BANK II.  It works with  ALC  (Cartographic
Automatic Mapping Program).  You may use these free.  Contact the
CIA  Cartographic Office at (703) 487-4650.  Remember,  they  are
there to help you.

The telephone number for the National Security Agency is  secret.
The work and purpose of the NSA is secret.  The budget is secret.
The number of persons who work there is secret.  The organization
is so secret that for a long time, the name itself was secret.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

VERIFY ON and VERIFY OFF:  Don't use these programs.  VERIFY  OFF
will  help  the  drive read faster by not  double  checking  each
sector/track.  This saves about 50% time.  This should however be
done  only  with material which you READ only  (such  as  games).
Eventually, you will notice errors: small bits and pieces will be
missing.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A  FILE  COMPRESSOR can reduce the KB space  of  your  file.  For
example,  some  work  by substituting long identical strings  for
single symbols,  saving up to 50 or even 80% on text files.  This
saves space on disks, especiallly with backup disks. This is also
useful  for transferring large amounts of data over a  modem  (it
saves telephone time).

We  use ARC.TTP (ARChiver) as the standard on the BBS.  Use  this
program  together  with  ARCSHEL2.PRG.  Both,  with  manuals  and
explanations, are available as PD.

The same thing works as a PICTURE COMPRESSOR.  Your picures  take
up  32KB,  only  ten per disk.  A compressor lets you put  up  to
thirty pictures on a disk.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


                          COPY PROGRAMS

There's  a great story about an IBM user who was having  problems
with  his  programs;  the distributor asked the user to  send  in
copies  of the faulty PRG so they could check it.  And  the  user
sent  in two copies.  Nice photocopies,  front and back,  of  the
disk.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Why copy? You need backups. Disks are not "stable." They can lose
data easily.  Laying them on top of the TV, dropping them, static
electricity,  pouring coffee into them,  some tourist opening the
safety and touching the disk, losing them, or having them stolen.
If you lose a disk or data on a disk, then a backup will save you
time.  Practically every user at one point or another will lose a
file or disk.  I've lost 74KB files and even entire disks, for no
clear reason. If you can't afford to lose it, make a backup.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The ST makes copies pretty well; this is how you made your backup
copy. Basically, you duplicate your source disk to your target or
destination disk.  If you have a single drive,  as most of us do,
then  you've noticed that it takes four disk changes to copy  one
file.  If you're copying 57 files in 17 folders, take up knitting
instead.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There  are other ways of copying which make it easier.   You  can
either use a COPY PRG or you can use a RAMdisk.

There  are  two  ways  to copy:  the first  is  actually  a  FILE
TRANSFER.  You  find the active files on the directory  file  and
then  copy  them onto the new disk.  The second  kind  is  called
SECTOR  COPYING  (also called bit copying):  you copy  sector  by
sector, regardless of content. Yea, for it is written in the Book
of the Lord,  Blessed are those who maketh their Backups (Romans,
IV.15).  (see  especially  the the Marriage of Heaven  and  Hell,
1790-1793, by William Blake.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Protected" means that information has been written into the  PRG
or  the disk has been formatted in a special way which  makes  it
difficult to COPY.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It is simple to copy several non-protected files (file transfer).
A   RAMdisk  works  best  here;   transfer  the  files   into   a
RAMdisk,  insert new formatted disk,  and transfer the files from
that RAMdisk to the target disk.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To  copy  whole disks,  use a sector copy program  (for  example,
FCOPY2). The program reads your entire disk into memory, and then
throws  it out again onto your new disk,  formatting as  it  goes
along.  This  is  quicker.  FCOPY2 is very fast (18  seconds  for
formatting/copying).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As  noted above,  you must be certain that whatever  program  you
use,  the  serial number is set correctly:  each newly  formatted
disk must have its own serial number.  If the formatting  program
doesn't do this, then you will notice that when you try to open a
folder, often the drive will run, the screen will blink, and your
folder doesn't open at all.

Of course, sometimes you need a formatting/copying program to not
change  the  serial  number:  if your commercial  program  has  a
protection system based on serial numbers,  then a new copy  will
create a new serial number,  which the program will then  reject.
By using a faulty copy/formatting program, the serial number will
be  copied as well.  The program will then check serial  numbers,
find that it is the same, and thus allow the copy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To make a backup of a copy protected program (This information is
only for those who want to make a backup disk).  Commercial  copy
programs often sell specially because of their ability to copy  a
protected  program.  There are also public domain programs  which
can  copy  protected  programs.  Curiously,  some  powerful  copy
programs will copy some programs,  but not others.  It has to  do
with the different kinds of copy protection methods.  But as soon
as  someone comes up with a new method,  two weeks later  there's
someone selling a copy program which guarantees to copy it.  Just
collect  all  the copy programs you can find,  and try  them  one
after the other on difficult programs.  Some will work. There are
different levels of protection;  low level means that the program
will  copy quickly,  usually within one or  two  minutes.  Medium
level will take more time, Top level copying will take very long;
sometimes  up  to fifteen minutes.  Copy programs may  offer  the
ability  to specify the various protection levels and  to  format
the destination disk in various ways.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Software piracy is beginning to have an effect. American software
houses are dropping development of ST software; there is too much
piracy (of course, they were never seriously into the market. And
it is easy to drop a machine which has such a small share of  the
American  market).  It will take time to see if this  happens  in
Europe.  Americans mostly play games on the ST. Europeans use the
machine  more  seriously.  Signum is nearly unknown  in  the  US.
SUPERBASE  was developed in the UK;  it has sold 130,000  copies,
earning 10 million pounds,  despite it being unprotected, because
it needs a manual.  If you use the program for work, then pay for
it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Service  and  support  for  registered  owners  is  however  non-
existent. I have registered copies of my work programs; I haven't
gotten anything out of that.  Support has been lousy.  We  rarely
hear from companies,  and then only to get advertising. I haven't
yet gotten offers of updates or whatever else.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dealer's choice: The quickest, most versatile, and easiest to use
is  FCOPY_2.PRG (a PD program):  user  friendly  surface,  allows
multiple copies,  disk scanning (for formatting  errors),  sector
control,  verification,  and directory listings. It creates Stan-
dard,  Fat and Extended formats,  plus various exotic formats. It
is  very fast.  It also creates fast formats (the new disks  will
run faster). It correctly creates a unique serial number for each
disk. I use FCOPY_2 for all my PD work. Never a problem.

Other  copy programs:  SUPERCOPY.PRG is powerful.  Requires  1MB.
It's PD.  Other users recommend PROCOPY V.1.32UK. ST.COPY.30 (not
PD) and BITTE_EIN_BIT is recommended by many users as well.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It doesn't hurt anything if you put disks in or out of the  drive
while the drive's red light is on. Many users do this. Just shove
one in while the red light is on.

If you accidentally delete a file, then you can instantly pop the
disk out of the drive;  this may save your file. It takes a brief
second for the head to start deleting. Of course, this hysterical
leaping at your drive will not impress the surf foxes in Malibu.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About cheap disks.  There are two kinds of disks.  Good ones  and
lousy ones.

All disks are double sided.  That's the way they are  made.  They
are then tested.  If they are good on both sides, then it is sold
as a double sided disk. If it is good on only one side, then that
side becomes the top side and it is sold as a single sided  disk.

You  can easily use double sided disks in a single  sided  drive;
your  single sided drive,  having a disk head on only  one  side,
simply can't use the other side (the bottom side, or "B" side).

You  can also used disks sold as singled sided in a double  sided
drive. Use a format checking program and see if it works. If yes,
then it is okay.  The disk manufacturer sets a very high standard
for the disk: often we can use it anyway.

It  is better sense to buy double sided disks;  you will one  day
have  a double sided drive and your disks will be okay  for  use.
There is a very small price difference.

There are branded and unbranded disks.  There are lots of  rumors
about  this.  The general story is that the Koreans began  making
cheap disks.  The Japanese let every one know that good disks had
serial  numbers stamped on the back.  The Koreans  began  putting
serial numbers on all disks:  the same number.  The Japanese, who
consider  the Koreans the same way Israeli think of the  Palesti-
nians,  began  flooding  the market with high  quality  disks  as
unlabled disks at below production costs in order to destroy  the
Koreans.  This  is  probably true;  I have seen  large  shipments
marked from Maxell which contained unlabled disks.

There are plenty of cheap disks.  Be careful.  Some are cheap  in
quality;  you can only format perhaps 60 percent of them.  Have a
written  garantee  from  a  dealer you can  trust  that  he  will
exchange the bad disks.  We have had spoken agreements which were
forgotten the week later.

If you are lucky and find a safe supply of unbranded disks,  then
you can use them.  We get unbranded disks from Maxell for our UG;
of several thousand disks, none have had problems.

Amiga drives are much more sensitive than ours. If a disk runs on
an  Amiga,  then it is very good.  We buy disks which  are  Amiga
quality for our ST's.

Which  brand is good is a matter of  discussion.  Americans  find
Sony  to be the best and BASF to be lousy.  Germans put down  SKC
disks.  Many of these criticisms were made last year:  as you can
well think,  it is never clear if loss of data is because of  the
disk or because of a formatting error or bad  program.  (Consider
especially the entire Serial Number debate above.  I know quite a
few  programmers who still believe that all disks have  the  same
serial number).

Use  FCOPY2;  it  scans and checks each disk for  bad  sectors  /
format errors.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you've noticed, when there's not a disk in the drive, it takes
a  long time for the silly drive to figure that  out.  The  drive
checks  three times to make sure that the disk is missing  before
it tells you.  Someone should write a quick simple program  which
shortens this "triple checking."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

READ ONLY:  From the SHOW INFO menu.  READ ONLY is pretty useful.
To change a file so that it can only be read, that is, so that it
can't  accidentally be changed or deleted,  first save  it.  Then
close the file and exit 1st Word.  Open the disk and ask for  the
file.  Use  the  pull-down menu for FILES and ask for  SHOW  INFO
(FREMVIS  INFO).  The  window will ask whether  the  file  should
be READ ONLY or READ/WRITE.  By marking READ ONLY,  the file will
be  protected  against accidental deleting,  changes  or  further
editing.  To remove this protection,  simply repeat procedure and
mark  READ/WRITE.  This  is  a simple  but  effective  method  of
protection for programs on your work disks.  Change your favorite
programs to READ ONLY and sleep better.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DISK  ICONS:  To change the names of your disk drive  icons  (see
also DESKTOP.INF section above).  Click once on the icon (so that
it  is black) and then ask for INSTALL DRIVE in menu.  Press  ESC
(Escape)  (upper left hand of your keyboard) and type in the  new
name,  using either capital or small letters.  Click INSTALL. The
icon now has a new name.  Place these where ever you like on  the
DESKTOP.  Insert  your  boot disk;  click on  SAVE  DESKTOP  (GEM
DESKTOP)  and the changes will be saved to your  boot  disk.  Now
you'll have your own icons every time.  Your desktop can  support
up to 26 or so disk icons,  which is rather pointless, as you can
only  use a maximum of 2 real disk drives.  Of  course,  24  disk
icons will certainly impress those Malibu girls.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Harddisks:  there  is  little to say about  harddisks;  the  high
prices of harddisks for the ST has meant that not many users have
them.  Harddisks are just about standard for any serious use of a
computer.

There  is  no reason for buying an Atari harddisk over  a  Supra.
Both are just as good.  The old Atari 204 should be avoided; many
of them have problems. The new 205's work very well.

The  205 set up program will easily configure the 204 so that  it
(the 204) can autoboot.

Please read the section regarding the 40 folder limit.  You  will
need to have a program allowing at least 100 folders.

If  you buy a used harddisk,  check the drive  carefully.  Get  a
written agreement which allows you to return the harddisk in case
of  problems.  Several members have had harddisks which crash  or
delete material.

You will still need disks. You need to make backups.

The worst thing about harddisks is the fan.  It makes a hell of a
lot of noise.  This is fine if it is in an office, where there is
background noise.  But in a home,  the high whining noise of  the
fan  is nearly unbearable.  The harddisk which is on the  BBS  is
running 24 hours a day,  to the great dissatifaction of the home.
The  harddisk which I have used is bothersome;  I switch  on  the
drive to load, and then immediately switch it off again. To save,
flip it on,  save, and then off again. It starts up in just under
13 seconds.  If you can get harddisks without fans, such as IBMs,
then it is better, even if it is not as convenient.

The Atari Harddisk is tough.  I heard of a person who transported
his harddisk in a small rucksack. I have put my on the back of my
bycycle.  Some time ago, while resanding the floors, the shelf on
which  it was sitting collasped and the harddisk fell  one  meter
onto a hardwood floor, landing squarely on its side. No damage to
files.

The  Atari  harddisks have a cable which is only 30 cm  long  (or
something like that: it is very short). You are forced to have it
just behind your computer. The fan is not far away.

Occasionally  move  all  harddisk files over  to  another  drive,
delete  the drive,  and recopy.  This noticebly  improves  access
time.

It  is possible to build harddisks using a cheap IBM drive and  a
controller.  Several persons have done this.  Soon,  someone will
began to build and sell such harddisks:  the price will be around
3000 Kr for 30 MB. A 10MB harddisk is possible for under 2000 Kr.
The  ST can manage up to 64MB of material.  When this  becomes  a
reality, contact the UG for further information.

Another  possibility is 10MB disk drives.  These use  5.25  disks
which look like our 3.5 inch disks:  each holds 10MB and has  the
same  access time as a harddisk.  Simply insert and  remove.  The
disks  could  give you a large storage capacity  in  relation  to
money.

Again, you can save money by buying in West Germany. An Atari 205
harddisk,  which costs 6,500 Kr in Denmark (and is  unavailable),
costs  4,000 Kr in West Germany and they have all  the  harddisks
you  can carry.  Simply pay MOMS (VAT,  or Danish taxes)  at  the
border, which means that the whole thing costs around 4,700 Kr. A
bus  will take you to Germany and back to Aarhus for  35  Kr;  do
your  shopping  there,  buy  a  couple of  bottles  of  wine  and
celebrate on the trip back.  You can pay in Kroner at most cities
near the border. Call and reserve a harddisk before you go.

The 5 gigabyte (5000 megabyte) compact disk drives is a spectacu-
lar  piece of nonsense.  A single disk which can hold  30,000  to
45,000 programs is possible.  The copyright fees alone on such  a
disk would a fortune; if we consider that each program would cost
10  dollars,  then the disk will cost a bit under half a  million
dollars.  This  could be an idea for PD  collections,  which  are
free; the IBM PC PD CD costs 200 dollars and has 45,000 programs.
But PD collections are obselete within 3 to 4 months.  Commercial
programs  are updated every few months.  And CD's are  read-only:
you  can't  change the data.  Therefore you  can't  save  program
preferences, setups, etc etc.


            End of Chapter Four: Disks, Drives, TOS.

        ====================== * * ======================


                               Chapter Five:

                                 Ram Disks

                                What it is.


     RAM disks:   Just what is  a RAM disk?  Well,  first, what it is,
     and then what you can do with it.

     A  RAM  disk  is a program which creates a  virtual  disk  drive.
     'Virtual' mean 'as if' or 'fake'.  The computer thinks that there
     is another drive.  The program takes a chunk of memory (RAM)  and
     sets it for holding data.  The good thing is that this data moves
     back  and  forth very fast.  There's no bother  about  the  drive
     reading  the disk.  You know that your disk drive can  only  read
     data at the blinding speed of 250 KBits per second.  Blinding  to
     turtles.  If the data transfer occurs directly on chip, then that
     little bunny hops faster.

     RAM disks have all sorts of different names.  Disk Cache,  Buffer
     Disks,  Memory Disks,  Memory Cache,  Electronic  Disks,  Virtual
     Disks,  and then there's all the commercial products:  K-
     RAM,  to
     mention the best known,  and MAXIDISK,  ETERNAL,  Mike's  RAMDISK,
     RAMBUFFER.ACC,  and PROFILRAM,  to mention the best public domain
     versions (which are all much much better than K-RAM).

     The  different kinds of RAM disks:  First of all is the  standard
     one:  either a program or an ACC;  you specify the size,  set  it
     up.  You  can't  change the size later.  Reset and  it  is  gone.
     Redefineable is better. You specify the size, set it up, and then
     change the size (smaller or larger).  "Reset proof" "Resident" or
     "resettable"  means that the contents will survive a  reset:  you
     reset (either to start up new ACCessories, delete others, or just
     hop out of a program, or you bomb out); no problem; everything is
     still there.  "Compressor" RAM disks will automatically  compress
     the  contents (and decompress to run or use);  this lets you  put
     for example nearly 500 KB of data into a 350KB ramdisk (amount of
     compression  depends on whether your files  are  text,  programs,
     etc).  And  "dynamic" RAM disks have no specific size:  You  just
     throw whatever you want into the drive icon and the RAM disk will
     grow to fit. As you delete, it reduces in size again.

     To make a RAM disk,  first load a RAM disk program (plenty in the
     PD disks)(double click on it). Then use INSTALL DISKDRIVE in your
     menu.  Some  RAM disks will demand that your disk have the  right
     name.  Others don't care and will work in any drive name.  Make a
     new disk drive Icon, the letter must be in capitals, either C, D,
     E,  F,  G, H, I, J, etc etc, go all the way to Z if you like. The
     description can be anything you like:  3rd Disk,  RAM  disk,  RAM
     disk,  Ramdrive,  Disk,  Karen's Disk,  or just blank;  that line
     doesn't matter.  Click on INSTALL.  It's now active.  Use it just
     like a second or third drive. Don't format it; you don't need to.
     You can then copy data from your real disk into your 'fake' disk.
     And  from  your  "fake" disk to your  real  disk.  You  can  open
     multiple windows from that RAM disk icon and move things from one
     to  the other.  Deleting is very fast.  If you want to keep  that
     icon on your desktop for next time, click SAVE DESKTOP.

     Why  use a RAM disk?  If nothing else,  it is a very fast way  of
     copying  from one disk to another.  Copy your data into  the  RAM
     disk,  switch disks,  and then copy from the RAM disk to the  new
     disk.  No changing disks. Simply drag the DRIVE ICON into the new
     window.  If you have no ACC.essories,  then you can make a  large
     RAM disk,  up to 80 or 90% of your entire memory, and copy entire
     disks as often as you like. This doesn't work with copy-
     protected
     programs, of course.

     Copying in this fashion is called a FILE TRANSFER.

     The best use for a RAM disk is to run your programs.  Make a  RAM
     disk just big enough to hold 1st Word plus some files.  Open  the
     RAM disk, double click on 1st Word. instead of taking ten seconds
     or so to load,  it opens in less than two seconds.  Create  files
     and save them;  it is very fast.  There is no nonsense with  disk
     access times.  Pop out of 1st Word (QUIT),  you go out,  and then
     load in again. Out and back in seconds. It's great if you use big
     programs  which require frequent changes to look at disks or  use
     other programs in between.

     The  problem,  if  any,  with a RAM disk is that  you  have  less
     work  memory.  If you start with 400KB of memory and cut up  part
     and  call it a RAM disk which you make 300KB large (or  any  size
     you want), then your available working memory (what is left over)
     is only 100KB.  You can of course make very small RAM disks, only
     20 or 50KB large, or any size you like.

     Remember  that a .PRG often has some .RSC files (RESOURCE)  along
     with  it.  Those contain graphic notes and perhaps various  saved
     user specifications.  All of these must be transferred into  your
     RAM  disk (for example,  1st Word.PRG + 1st  Word.RSC,   and,  if
     you're going to print,  1st Print.PRG + 1st Print.RSC.)(Try this,
     you can print instantly, without switching disks or any nonsense.
     If you have a spooler as well, then it works great.)

     Note that if you SAVE onto a RAM disk,  you have to transfer  the
     data  from  the RAM disk to your normal disk at the end  of  your
     work  session.  When  you turn off the power,  the RAM  disk  and
     everything  in  it  disappears.  If you  have  a  bad  electrical
     connection and your ST loses power,  then you lose data. If there
     are  big electrical storms,  the electricity may also  fail.  But
     of course,  when there's a big storm, it's more fun to sit on the
     balcony  with  a bottle of whiskey and watch the  lightning  (set
     your camera for infinite focus, f5.6, a wide angle lense (28mm or
     so),  use  a  manual release cable and let it catch  a  few  good
     rays).  If you are using a program which often crashes,  then you
     will lose your data in the RAM disk.

     Just like women,  RAM disks are different come in different ways.
     Some of them,  you set up,  and to get rid of them,  you have  to
     boot them out.  Some you have to live with their size; others you
     can change at will and specify the size. The best of all are ones
     which  can  be set up and then  taken  down,  without  rebooting.
     Others are more clever.  These are called RESIDENT RAM disks. You
     set it up,  re-
     boot,  it's still there.  And best of all, they're
     faithful;  it won't lose the data. These are the absolute best to
     have.  If  you  have  a crash,  if you decide to  set  up  a  new
     accessory,  or get rid of one,  just reset. The RESIDENT RAM disk
     will keep all your files.

     RESIDENT RAM disks are somewhat difficult to get;  a RESIDENT RAM
     disk  has to be written especially to your TOS.  For  example,  a
     German RESIDENT RAM disk,  written for German ST's,  usually will
     not run on a Danish TOS.

     MAXIDISK,  a  RESIDENT RAM disk with a built in file  compressor,
     will compress files automatically (especially text files) so that
     you  can hold over 800 Kb in a 500 Kb RAM  disk.  MAXIDISK  works
     fine  on Danish TOS.  Although some people complain that it is  a
     bit  slow (it takes .000003 microseconds longer to open  a  file)
     than other RAM disks,  it is the only one which compresses. It is
     also available without the compressor.

     Another  great thing about Resident RAM disks is a trick which  I
     discovered.  Create your resident RAM disk in drive icon C.  Save
     desktop.  The desktop.inf file is saved not on the disk,  but  in
     the RAM disk.  Copy that file from the RAM disk to your real disk
     (so that it is present in both A and C drive).  NOW...  place all
     your accessories in the RAM disk.  Reset.  Voila!  They load  not
     from disk, but from the RAM disk. Which is of course faster.

     There  are  no problems with RAM disks and 1st  Word.  It  really
     makes it easier to use.  Put 1st Word,  1st Print,  and both  RSC
     files into the RAM disk.  Now, when you print something, there is
     no INSERT WP DISK nonsense; you can print directly from 1st Word.
     Try this;  it will convince you about RAM disks.  MMCOPY .ACC,  a
     public domain PRG, works great to transfer files from disk to RAM
     disk and back.  But of course, it's so easy to go in and out of a
     PRG with a RAM disk.

     Some programs will not run in a RAM disk (ST Basic,  for example.
     But that doesn't run anywhere anyhow anytime).  Others work  very
     well,  much faster. Degas, with all of its silly disk operations,
     works very well on a RAM disk.  Flight Simulator is a pain in the
     neck on disk;  just when it gets interesting, the screen stops so
     that  the disk can load new scenery.  Just make a 350KB RAM  disk
     (Maxidisk can be much smaller) and copy everything over. Click on
     FSII.PRG. Instant startup and no silly disk loads; fly the jet in
     and at and over San Francisco. Smooth operations.

     If you've noticed then,  using the ESC to switch disks in A drive
     and using RAM disks,  there is no need for a single drive user to
     have a B drive icon.

     For  those who think ST's are great,  just look at the Amiga  RAM
     disk.  It is always available. It expands as large as needed, and
     automatically reduces when you delete material out of it.  Always
     resident.

     There  has  appeared a new RAM disk from  TOMMY  software:  reset
     proof and dynamic. If it compressed as well, I would be happy.



                      End of Chapter Five: RAM disks.


             ====================== * * ======================




                        Chapter Six: The Monitor
                     (fooling around with your screen)

     ICONS: it is curious that these little things are called "icons."
     The  word comes from Greek and means "representation;" it  mostly
     now means a religious pictorial representation,  or an object  of
     uncritical devotion (for example "$").

     An icon is desktop image which makes it easier for you to  manage
     data.  The  different icons has particular rules:  a folder  icon
     acts only as a folder.  You can't make an icon do something else.
     This  makes  it  easier to remember  rules;  instead  of  writing
     obscure  command lines,  you simply drag the different  sorts  of
     objects  around the desktop and the various commands are  carried
     out automatically.

     There are three different kinds of icons:  DISK icons, which look
     like file drawers:  click on them twice to open.  FILE icons  can
     look  like stacks of papers;  PROGRAM icons look like nothing  in
     particular.  FOLDER icons act like folders; they can contain both
     FILES  and PROGRAMS;  folder icons are used to manage your  data.
     There is also a WASTEBASKET icon;  anything (except a DRIVE icon)
     that  is dragged onto the wastebasket is deleted.  That  is  much
     easier and more intuitive than some bizarre set of commands  such
     as "DEL C:/WRK/*.CFG (ENTER)", which means just delete.

     You can experiment and find out that you can give any file a  PRG
     ending and its icon will change to look like a program icon. Just
     try to start this new "program" of yours.  Nothing  happens;  the
     data is not a program, even though its icon looks like one.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     DESKTOP.INF:  You will notice that when you click on SAVE DESKTOP
     (with  an unprotected disk),  a little file is created  which  is
     called  DESKTOP.INF.  This has some very  interesting  abilities.
     Assuming  that your desktop was the way you liked it  (icons  had
     your names on them,  icons and windows were in the right  places,
     etc),  then by having DESKTOP.INF on your start up  disk,  things
     will always be to your liking.

     You can edit (change) this file even more. WORDPLUS, ridiculously
     enough,  can't open Desktop.inf.  Oh, well. Dig out your 1ST WORD
     (and switch to WP MODE off) or nearly any other wordprocessor  or
     text editor.  Load DESKTOP.INF.  Don't try and use WP  MODE.  You
     will see the following:



     (Line)
     1   #a020000
     2   #b000000
     3   #c7770007000600070055200505552220770557075055507702111103
     4   #d
     5   #E 83 03
     6   #W 00 00 30 01 1D 17 08 C:\*.*@
     7   #W 00 00 10 01 1D 17 00 @
     8   #W 00 00 00 04 26 0E 00 @
     9   #W 00 00 0F 0A 15 0B 00 @
     10  #M 00 01 00 FF C 350 Ram Disk@ `@
     11  #M 00 00 00 FF A Disk Drive@ @
     12  #T 00 06 02 FF   Waste Basket@ @
     13  #F FF 04   @ *.*@
     14  #D FF 01   @ *.*@
     15  #G 03 FF   *.APP@ @
     16  #G 03 FF   *.PRG@ @
     17  #F 03 04   *.TOS@ @
     18  #P 03 04   *.TTP@ @
     19  #G 03 04   WORDPLUS.PRG@ *.DOC@


     (I  have added a line number for reference.  My keyboard and  TOS
     don't  produce a backwards slash;  I have a Danish  (o with a
     slash) instead.  The  "@"
     symbol (which usually means "price per piece") isn't supported by
     my printer driver, so I don't what how it will appear, if at all,
     on paper. This is my DESKTOP.INF, yours will certainly differ. It
     has also been converted to WP mode; don't try to use it.)

     What does all this mean?

     Line 1:     The settings for the SET RS232 CONFIG.
     Line 2:     Settings for the INSTALL PRINTER.
     Line 3:     Colors and Key Repeat from CONTROL PANEL.
     Line 4:     Not yet in use.
     Line 5:     Saves SHOW DIRECTORY command.
     Line 6-
     9:   Determines how and where windows will open (fx,  line
                 6  has  the  command  for a window  for  Drive  C  to
                 open)(C:\*.*@)
     Line 10,11: DRIVE ICONS.  The coordinates,  values,  identifiers,
                 and label (name on screen).
     Line 12:    TRASH CAN ICON. The  coordinates, values, identifiers,
                 and label (name on screen).
     Line 13,14: Commands for which files/folders will have icons.
     Line 15-
     18: Which files can be run as programs,  and what kind of
                 program they are: GEM, TOS, TTP.
     Line 19:    Which  programs  are INSTALLED APPLICATIONS  and  the
                 type  of files for each (fx Line  19,  "WORDPLUS.PRG@
                 *.DOC@"  Wordplus  has been set up to load  when  any
                 .DOC (*.DOC) is double clicked).  If there are futher
                 INSTALL APPLICATIONS,  then they will appear as extra
                 lines.

     To  change the name of your WASTE BASKET,  simply edit  line  12.
     First,  ON A UNPROTECTED FORMATTED DISK,   click SAVE DESKTOP (or
     GEM DESKTOP) from your menu.  Your desktop configuration will  be
     saved  to your disk in a file called DESKTOP.INF .  Now load  1st
     Word,  switch off WP MODE, and open this file (open DESKTOP.INF).
     Half  way down the middle,  in line 12,  you'll see the old  name
     'WASTE BASKET' or whatever.  Carefully!  delete those letters and
     write  in your new name (AFFALD,  GARBAGE,  DELETE,  PAPER  WOLF,
     BLACK HOLE,  GOODBYE,  WC,  TEMPS PERDU,  4th DIMENSION, NIEMEHR-
     SEHEN,  SKATTEVSNET)  etc.  There's  only enough  space  for  12
     letters;  experiment. It is not necessary to use capital letters.
     Click  SAVE  FILE.  Re-
     boot.  If you did  it  right,  your  waste
     basket has a new name.  If you did it wrong, just delete the file
     and start over again.

     You  can  also rename your disk drives here (lines  10  and  11),
     instead of using the INSTALL DRIVE from the desktop.  This method
     has the advantage of allowing small letters.  Just delete the old
     name and write in your new name (maximum of 12  letters).  Drive,
     Disk Station,  My disk,  Top and Bottom Drive or Left and  Right,
     Harddisk,  Ramdisk,  Virtual Disk, Library, Hot Mama!, 500KB, The
     Big One, or just blank.) Save and reboot.

     You can also change line 6, by changing *.* to *.PRG, so that the
     window   will  only  display  any  file  with  the  ending   .PRG
     (especially useful on a harddisk,  where you keep only  programs,
     and don't want to see all the silly .RSC and .DAT files).

     Furthermore,  Line 19 can also be used to let your system look in
     another  drive  for an installed program.  If you try to  run  an
     installed program from Drive B (C,D,  etc) and the program is  in
     Drive A,  TOS will often sucessfully look "upwards" into Drive A.
     But if the program is in Drive B,C,  etc,  and you start the file
     in A, then TOS won't think about looking "downwards." By adding a
     pathfile  to  the program name,  you can have the  program  in  a
     second drive (your harddisk or ramdisk) and just double click  on
     the  text file in drive A.  I place Wordplus in a  folder  called
     "WP_TOOLS". Thus I would write:

     C:/WP_TOOLS/WORDPLUS.PRG@ *.DOC@

     (Note: the slash / should be a backwards slash.)

     This tells TOS,  when any .DOC file is clicked anywhere,  to look
     for WORDPLUS in Drive C, and in a folder called WP_TOOLS.

     And  last  of all.  You've noticed that once you've  installed  a
     program,  it stays installed. You can't "de-install" ("de-
     stall"?
     "un-stall"? "out-
     stall"? Whatever.) You usually need to just make
     a new DESKTOP.INF.  No more.  Just open up that doggie,  find the
     line (19 etc) and delete it. Save. It's no longer installed.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     DO  NOT  DO ANY OF THESE EXPERIMENTS ON YOUR BOOT  DISK.  Use  an
     extra disk for this experiment.  If it works,  fine. Copy the new
     DESKTOP.INF to your boot disk.  If it doesn't,  just turn off the
     machine  and insert your old boot disk.  Back to the  laboratory,
     Herr Doktor.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     You  don't have to go through all this to make your  desktop  for
     different disks. Just copy the DESKTOP.INF onto the other disks.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If  your desktop gets that annoying habit of opening new  windows
     directly  on  top  of  other  ones,   that  is  because  of  your
     DESKTOP.INF.  Just  place  the first window where it  should  be.
     Place the second one where it should be. Same with the third. The
     fourth  too.  Now close those windows one at a time (if you  want
     opened  windows  at boot time,  open them now).  Now  click  SAVE
     DESKTOP.  Desktop.inf  will now remember where you like your  new
     windows to show up.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


     The names of files and folders is practically up to the user. You
     can  write anything you like,  except small  letters.  Underlines
     create spaces, and ESCape deletes the whole line.

     Be  careful  not to use an underline in the directory  line  (the
     line at the top of the Select window);  this crashes the ST.

     The  three  letter  EXTENDER at the end of  the  file  name  (for
     example, .ACC, or .DOC, or .BAK) is also pretty much to the user,
     except  a few are reserved for the computer (for  example,  .PRG,
     .ACC, .TOS). Give a file the extender .PRG and it will be given a
     PRG  icon,  regardless  of it being program  data  or  not.  Many
     programs require that their files have specific  extenders.  Look
     at  the  other  files in the program  and  use  those  extenders.
     Folders can be named anything except AUTO;  the contents of  AUTO
     folders  (programs)  are run automatically when  the  machine  is
     booted.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

          What are those .RSC for?  That's where info about the PRG  is
     kept.  It  can be changed and then your PRG will act  differently.
     For example,  when someone in Quezon imports 1st Word,  they  open
     the  .RSC file and translate all the English into Tagalog so  that
     the user gets his local language. It's no big deal to do this. But
     that's  why  you need to keep the .RSC files along with  the  .PRG
     when it loads.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     ASCII vs Wordprocessing format. To write a text file which can be
     opened from the DESKTOP and read like a normal file,  switch  off
     the WP MODE (Word Processing Mode) and then SAVE.  Your file will
     be  stored  as an ASCII file,  in standard  characters  (ASCII  =
     American  Standard Codes for Information Interchange)  There  are
     two kinds of formats for text files: either wordprocessing format
     (and  each  specific wordprocessor has its  own  special  command
     codes for bold, underline, etc; these codes are stored along with
     the file),  or ASCII formats,  which is bare bones. Just text. No
     fancy stuff. No bold, nothing. Just letters.

     Storing  files  as ASCII is useful for making READ  ME  files  or
     indexes to data on disk.  If you are going to transfer text files
     to another computer which may not have the same wordprocessor  as
     yours,  then you MUST transfer it as ASCII format; otherwise they
     will  only see nonsense on their screen (their wordprocessor  can
     not  understand  your wordprocessor's  special  codes).  However,
     style commands, such as underlining or BOLD will not be transfer-
     red.  Just use that computer's WP FIND AND REPLACE option to  put
     those  back in again.  You can mark such places in your  text  by
     writing a unique group of words for each command, such as *BOLD*,
     and then using FIND AND REPLACE.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     To copy or delete a whole group of files,  just DRAG a box around
     them;  this selects all.  You can also use SHIFT and click on the
     individual  icons.  This lets you select a group of  icons  which
     aren't together. If you miss one, then they all revert to normal.
     This also works in reverse.  If there are 27 icons on screen, and
     you  want  every one except the one in the  middle,  DRAG  a  box
     around everything so that everything is black.  Then press  SHIFT
     and  click on the icon you don't want.  It turns white.  This  is
     called   DE-
     SELECTING  (that  is  certainly  not  good   English.
     Computers were obviously developed by Californians.)

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     AUTO folders are special. Any program in the a folder called AUTO
     will  be  automatically loaded when you boot.  Just  make  a  NEW
     FOLDER, call it AUTO. Fill it up with all the spoolers, ramdisks,
     utility  programs,  etc.  This works well,  except with  programs
     which  have a lot of graphics (like 1st Word).  A Boot disk  with
     twenty  PRGs in the auto folder and six ACCessories will  take  a
     looooong time to open;  your computer has to  read,  verify,  and
     load all of them.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     There  is now a program which will load a GEM program  (AUTOGEM).
     Just copy this into your AUTO folder, and, when you boot up, your
     chosen GEM program will automatically start up.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     By pulling down the CONTROL PANEL and moving the three color bars
     to the other end, the monochrome screen will invert colors (white
     on black). Move them back again to reverse.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If you get a slight flimmering on the screen, this can usually be
     fixed by tightening the monitor plug into the ST.  Just jam it in
     as tight as you can.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If you have one of the newer ST monitors, you can change the size
     of  the  screen (larger or smaller).  Just fool around  with  the
     screws on the back of the monitor.  You can increase the size  of
     the screen so that there is very little black border.  It is done
     like  this  to compress the screen image and thus  create  higher
     density (a better image).  Increasing your image is not going  to
     mean  that  you can see more lines.  There will be some  loss  of
     image density. It is possible to do this with the older monitors,
     but you need to open the monitor casing.

     A German word processor,  2nd Word,  cleverly is able to show  an
     entire page on screen by the simple trick of turning the  monitor
     sideways.  By standing it on its side, you get a more normal page
     size.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     About monitor radiation.  All monitors, being cathode ray genera-
     tors, produce a large electromagnetic field around them. Exposure
     of over three hours per day can lead to health  problems:  mostly
     headaches.  There is also sleeplessness,  heart disturbance,  and
     flimmering vision (sounds like being in love).  Longrange effects
     are unknown (birth defects,  cancer, genetic variation, etc.)  An
     independant  comparsion  of  17 monitors by  a  respectable  West
     German  consumers  test institute found the ST  SM124  and  SANYO
     CRT41  to have the least electromagnetic radiation and  therefore
     be the safest on the market.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Last  things  are always cleaning.  The best way  to  clean  your
     screen  is with a few drops of eyeglass cleaning fluid:  you  can
     get  a  little  bottle  of the stuff at  any  eyeglass  store  or
     drugstore.  Eyeglass  stores usually give away small sample  bot-
     tles. Really takes off the greasy fingerprints and reduces glare.



                      End of Chapter Six: The Screen.

             ====================== * * ======================




                         Chapter Seven: ACCESORIES



     ACCESSORIES: Because the ST TOS can't multitask, it allows a sort
     of  ability  to access certain other programs within  a  program.
     These are ACCessories (those files with the ending .ACC,  such as
     CLOCK.ACC).  An  .ACC  is a special kind  of  program.  It  loads
     automatically from the disk into memory at BOOT time. While using
     any  GEM  program,  you can always get instant  access  to  those
     accessories. You can gain access to this PRG (use it) by pointing
     with  the mouse at the ATARI logo in the upper left  corner.  The
     menu  drops down and you can select the accessory by clicking  on
     it. It will then appear in the middle of the screen.

     If your main PRG is a GEM program (MENUS,  WINDOWS, etc, like 1st
     Word),  then you can always use an ACCessory within that PRG.

     An ACC.essory will not load if:

          1) the EXTENDER is not  .ACC (it could be .ACX, etc).
          2) the .ACC is inside a Folder.
          3) it is faulty (missing data, bad copy, etc).
          4) its .RSC file is missing or faulty.

     If the extender is other than .ACC,  just use SHOW INFO from  the
     FILES menu to change (edit) the extender from .ACX back to .ACC.

     You can't load more than 6 ACC's at one time;  the ST will  crash
     (actually, it just won't start up).

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Note  that old CONTROL.ACC (16KB large) requires two  ACC  spaces
     (one for the CONTROL PANEL and one for INSTALL PRINTER).  The new
     Control Panel (20KB) solves some of this problem by bringing  the
     printer install options and the RS232 emulator into one ACC.

     The  control panel can also be used to invert the screen  colors.
     On monochrome systems,  pulling the color bars all the way to the
     end will invert colors (white to black) and back again.

     The ROCP.ACC,  the Read Only Control Panel, is great. After a few
     months,  you never change the settings in the control panel.  Yet
     the  thing takes up 20 KB of space.  The ROCP reads  the  control
     panel  information from the DESKTOP.INF file and sets it up in  a
     4Kb file which takes up only one slot. It doesn't take up so much
     KB space.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If you run out of memory, you can create more space by 'switching
     off' your accessories.  Click once on your ACC file,  and ask for
     SHOW INFO (VIS INFO).  Change the directory extender (file  name)
     from WHATEVER.ACC to WHATEVER. AC1, for example. (or .AC2 or .ACX
     or anything except .ACC) then reboot.  Your ACCessories will  not
     be loaded.  To start them again,  go to your desktop,  click, and
     change  the name back to WHATEVER.ACC.  Reboot.  If you have  any
     AUTO  folders,  change the folder name to something else or  open
     the  folder  and  change the .EXTENSIONS from  .PRG  to  .PR1  or
     whatever.  To avoid all this opening and closing, I keep an extra
     disk with no ACC's or AUTO folders and boot with that (especially
     to  make very large RAMdisks.) Another possiblility is an  ACCes-
     sory LOADER PRG; during BOOTING, it asks you which ACCs should be
     loaded. It then automatically changes the extender.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Another useful utility is a FREE RAM indicator;  there's several,
     with all sorts of names. These are small ACC's which tell you how
     much memory is free (availabel).

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Frankly,  I don't think much of clocks on screen.  They eat up  a
     lot  of memory (a simple digital clock in the upper corner  needs
     30 KB).  They have to be set every time. Atari made a good choice
     by not putting clocks into the machines: less work, lower prices.
     I've  not  yet noticed a reason for having a  clock.  Many  users
     stick little clocks (cost about 1 $) on the front of the  monitor
     (over  the  ATARI logo).  I have.  It's always  there;  needs  no
     attention. Stopwatch and date included, which is handy when using
     the modem or timing operations.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     The  same  with  calculators.  They seem  great,  but  it's  more
     practical  to  keep a small solar calculator stuck in  your  disk
     box.  Always  there.  If  you  absolutely will  have  one  as  an
     accessory,  then  there are scientific calculators,  normal  ones
     with  and  without memory,  and even a  HP-
     41  (Hewlett  Packard)
     available as PD.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     And notepads as well.  It's just more practical to keep a  pencil
     and some note paper on your desk.  Write down file names, etc. It
     is  precisely  when  you most need a notepad that you  are  in  a
     situation in which you can't use it.  The groove on top of the ST
     makes a great place to park pencils.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Speedmouse.ACC is very good. It lets your mouse move twice as far
     over  the screen;  a simple wrist movement moves the  mouse  from
     one corner to the other. This reduces the mouse movements and you
     don't  need  as much desk space.  I have gotten addicted  to  the
     Speed Mouse; if I boot without it, then it feels like swimming in
     honey.



                    End of Chapter Seven: ACCessories.

             ====================== * * ======================





                       Chapter Eight: Wordprocessing



     The first version of this section was easier to write:  1ST  WORD
     was  the standard (and nearly the only wordprocessor) on the  ST.
     But now, there are dozens. 1ST WORD, that simple word cowboy, has
     gotten updated into a new program  (Wordplus).  WORDPLUS,  SIGNUM
     (1+2), TEMPUS, WORDPERFECT, BECKERTEKST, are all standards. There
     are at least 15-20 more wordprocessors and text editors.

     You must chose your wordprocessor like you choose any other tool.
     An ax is no good for anything but chopping wood. You don't need a
     professional wordprocessor,  no matter how much the girls will be
     impressed, if you don't need it.

     First there are two kinds of word tools: word processors and text
     editors.

     A  text editor works just with plain text:  no  fancy  stuff.  No
     reformats,  no bold or underline,  just ASCII, the English alpha-
     bet.  This  is  good for editing program codes  and  for  writing
     straight text.  TEMPUS is the best:  unbelieveably fast,  lots of
     options, and only 60KB (you must see it in action. NO wordproces-
     sor comes close).

     A  wordprocessor is for fancy writing.  Nice blocked  paragraphs,
     underlining and other style commands,  automatic  pages,  WYSIWYG
     display.  (What You See Is What You Get, pronounced "wissy-
     wig".)
     There are simple wordprocessors (like 1ST WORD V1.06).  There are
     ones with dictionaries, which check your spelling for you. Others
     have graphics capability,  so that you can put pictures into  the
     text.  There are WPs with outliners;  you are able to  manipulate
     your  text around as blocks,  instantly restructuring the  entire
     text. Some print in graphics mode, so that you get extremely good
     printouts,  even  with a cheap (okay,  okay,  your printer  isn't
     cheap.  How  about..)...  "economical" printers.  Then there  are
     DTPs, Desktop Publishers, which allow you to do magazine layout.

     All have limitations and weakness.  If they have  graphics,  then
     they don't have outliners.  They print in graphics mode,  but  no
     dictionary.  Dictionaries  are  a pain in the neck  to  use  with
     large texts.  Some have only one font (one kind of  alphabet)(ten
     fonts is not much.  Macintosh and IBM DTP packages sometimes have
     1,800 fonts.  Any printing company works with tens of  thousands)
     We  have gotten some nice wordprocessors this Winter for the  ST;
     none are yet truely excellent.

     The  ST still has some time to go before it has a very  good  WP.
     But  it isn't so bad.  SIGNUM was written for the  ST;  there  is
     nothing like it for any other machine.  WORDPLUS is flexible  and
     strong. There are rumors of a WP version of TEMPUS; that would be
     great news to professional writers.  Habatext and Beckertext  are
     two other popular wordprocessors.

     (Note:  Calligrapher,  which had such good reviews,  was  dropped
     this Spring; it had lots of problems.)

     This makes this section difficult.  The previous versions assumed
     everyone had the same wordprocessor.  Now, most don't. I can only
     write  a few things about general wordprocessing tools which  are
     in the PD collection.  Specific tips for wordprocessors is nearly
     useless. See the BBS to find others who use your WP.

     Rules for buying a new wordprocessor:

     1)   Can I convert my texts from the old one to the new one?
     2)   Can  I  read other texts from other  wordprocessors  (either
          straight or with a simple conversion)?
     3)   Can I print out with the new program? This isn't a joke: the
          ST  doesn't have a standard printer driver.  Someone has  to
          sit down and actually write a program (or redefine a printer
          program)  so that your particular printer will print  out  a
          text.  In the beginning,  there were quite a few people  who
          couldn't  get their printers to print Danish,  for  example.
          And  just because the printer will print out one  text  from
          one program doesn't mean that it will print yours.  And just
          because  a Juki printer will print,  your Seikosha may  not.
          And just because...  etc.  Seeing is believeing.  Go to  the
          store  and  print  out  a document  with  all  the  possible
          characters, functions, styles, graphics, etc.
     4)   Will  the  new program get along with  all  of  my  standard
          programs? Will it crash if I use my RAM disk, file transfer,
          accessories, etc?
     5)   If  the  salesperson is bothered by  you  asking  all  these
          questions,  imagine how bothered he will be when it  doesn't
          work  and you come back.  It will then take him at  least  a
          week  to  figure  out how to solve the  problem.  If  he  is
          bothered,  find a better store.  Maybe you pay more, but you
          get service and support.
     6)   Will it produce ASCII files?  Can I write a file and save it
          in non-
     wordprocessing mode? Sometimes, you will need to have
          such files.

     Things  to  look for:  Graphics and multiple  formats  (not  just
     Degas,  for example).  Footnotes (both at both of page or end  of
     chapter).  Blocks  (moves either in window or to other  windows).
     Size  limits  to blocks (ten  pages  maximum?)  Styles.  Multiple
     windows.  Loads  and  saves ASCII  text.  Saves  without  closing
     window.  Scrolling  speed.  Prints  either whole  text  or  block
     without closing window.  Find, Replace, and with multiple strings
     (not just one at a time).  Hyphenation  (orddeling).  Dictionary.
     Add and edit main dictionary.  Outliner.  Define F-
     keys. Redefine
     keyboard. Works from Ram disk or harddisk. Size. Printer drivers.
     Documentation.  Multiple  fonts/sizes.  Design  your  own  fonts.
     Intergrate  with other programs (can your database create a  file
     which  the wordprocessor can read?  Can you mix your  spreadsheet
     and WP?)

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Some general notes about wordprocessors and printers:

     To  print  a  long text without tying  up  the  computer,  use  a
     SPOOLER PRG (a PD PRG).  The standard one is 30KB large (these of
     course can be made any size you like)(it was written by a  Dane).
     This  sets  aside 32 KB or so in the memory as  an extra  printer
     buffer (BUFFER = memory space)(your printer has only about 1 or 2
     KB buffer).  When you send your text to the printer, the computer
     reads it from the disk into the spooler,  which will then feed it
     to the  printer.   Up to about ten pages of full text fit into  a
     spooler. You can exit 1st Word if you like,  and work with  other
     programs.   But don't turn off the computer.   Set up the spooler
     by   creating a folder called AUTO and then placing  the  spooler
     PRG  in  there.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If your paper sometimes starts to roll up in the printer,  as  my
     SEIKOSHA  does every once in a while,  then a long flat piece  of
     wood, about 7cm wide, will keep the outgoing paper unable to curl
     back into the printer.  (The Seikosha is otherwise  good:  prints
     100 pages without overheating,  always nice,  correct letters.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


     When  working with various texts,  I've found it works  best  the
     following way.  First open each text in different windows.  Place
     the  main  text  (target text) full  screen  (covering  up  those
     useless F KEYS and FONT TABLE).  Move it down just a bit so  that
     there  is  space for a grey directory bar.  Now  open  the  other
     texts,  all of them; zoom each down to long vertical strips, just
     wide enough so that the directory bar can tell you which text  is
     which.  Place all three up at the top, behind the target text. To
     call up a text,  just click on it.  You can see text in a  strip.
     Create a block and CUT; that cuts also the part of the text which
     is beyond the window. Click back to target text and paste. If you
     want  to see the whole text,  just click on its expansion  button
     (upper  right square).  It then fills the screen.  Another  click
     reduces it again.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Notes on particular wordprocessors:

     Notes  on  SIGNUM!

     Persons have actually bought the ST simply because of the program
     SIGNUM!.   It  was  written for the ST and is  unique;  no  other
     computer  has  something like it.  Signum is excellent  for  fine
     printing  jobs;  think  of the investment in the  program  as  an
     upgrade for your printer.  Characters,  instead of  being printed
     out in normal character printing mode,   are printed  in Graphics
     mode; it is drawn, dot by dot, with multiple passes. A character,
     instead  of  having  a dozen dots or   so,   will   have  several
     hundred.  Your 9 pin printer, even a cheap one, will thus produce
     characters which are better than those of a 24 pin  printer; a 24
     pin printer will print better than a laser printer. It is slow to
     print (8 minutes per page with a nine pin printer,  but faster on
     a  24 pin printer).  Signum also prints in proportional  spacing.
     Signum  allows  you to place a character nearly anywhere  on  the
     screen: this is excellent for mathematical formulas and technical
     diagrams;  its excellent font editor allows you to draw your  own
     characters very easily, requiring no special knowledge. Have lots
     of memory; Signum uses 5KB per  page. If you need to print a  few
      pages  with professional  quality and various fonts, then Signum
     is the best.  However, it is not very good  for actually writing.
     Screen  redraws  are rather dramatic  and  confusing,  you  can't
     simply  spring back and forth in texts.  Blocks are difficult  to
     use;  reformatting also is difficult and slow;  there is only one
     screen  (no  multiple  windows).  If you  print  long  texts,  be
     prepared  to  wait a very long time.  Fifty pages on a  nine  pin
     printer can take about seven hours.

     There is a new version of Signum now,  Signum!2.  I haven't  used
     it, so no report.

     Write  your text on a good wordprocessor and then print  out  the
     final  version with SIGNUM.  Use REPLACE to turn all Danish  into
     aa,  ae,  and oe in 1st Word/Wordplus.  Then save as ASCII.  Load
     into SIGNUM,  and use its REPLACE function to convert those  back
     again.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     A few hints for 1st Word/Wordplus:

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     There is an excellent German book to Wordplus (Tips and Tricks to
     Wordplus); this covers many of the options of the program.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


     A curious thing about Wordplus. You load an ASCII text into it.
     You now switch WP MODE (wordprocessing mode) ON. You reformat. It
     won't do that. You then use SEARCH/REPLACE and replace all the
     spaces with spaces. It now will reformat.

     When you ask for REPLACE, press the space bar in the top line. In
     the bottom line (REPACE WITH), press the space bar again. The two
     are different. This is a bug in the program; however, it is a
     "good" bug.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


                    INDENT/OUTDENTS:    to    indent    whole
                    paragraphs (for extended quotes),  hit F9
                    before starting the paragraph.   Hit  F10
                    to  reformat the  entire  paragraph.  The
                    INDENT  is  cancelled  after  using   the
                    RETURN key at the end of the paragraph.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     5.1 OUTDENTS: To write a paragraph with a number (like this one),
                   write the first line, and then, at the second line,
                   hit F9.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     #  LINES / PAGE:   the program automatically assumes an  American
     size  page (8 1/2x11 in.).  Change this by using LAYOUT from  the
     FILE dropdown menu. ( DIN A4 = 8 x 11 3/4 in.)

          Single sheet european = 65  lines/page
          Fan sheet,  european  = 72 lines/page

     The   RULER   LINE at the top of the page is set for   PICA   (10
     characters  per  inch)  (1st WORD has  66  characters  per  line;
     WORDPLUS correctly has 65).

     There  are ACCs which let you set up the printer:  you can  print
     out in elite,   condensed,  etc.  Condensed is useful for  making
     quick printouts which leave you room on the page for notes,  etc.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     When  printing,   you  can have ( Side # in Danish)(Seite  #   in
     German)  instead of  ( Page # ) (or just plain #,  or  even  -#-
     ,
     which gives for example -7-
      ) at the bottom of  the  page.   Just
     ask for the Page Layout function,  set cursor  on  Page  #  line,
     punch  ESC  to clear,   and write "page #"   in   your   favorite
     language.  You can also put this anywhere on the page,  not  just
     the  center,   but also on the left or right side,   or top   and
     bottom.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If you are bothered by the default of the lines/page in the print
     option, then create a blank file with your usual layout, plus how
     ever  many (or few) tabs you want.  Save this as  NONAME.DOC  and
     open  it everytime for a new file and then use SAVE AS to  rename
     it.

     HS  told  me that he makes several blank files with  the   proper
     formatting  information  (headers,  lines per  page,  tab  marks,
     characters per line,  etc) for different kinds of documents  (one
     for  plain text,  another one  for  letters,  messages,  business
     letters,  etc);   when he opens a new file,  he calls up one   of
     these,  writes to it,  and then uses SAVE AS... This works pretty
     well.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     If you use Style commands a lot,  then note that when a  menu  is
     pulled down,   the keyboard doesn't work.   Not  quite.   Nothing
     happens on screen,   but when the menu goes up,   all those typed
     in  commands  are carried out.   Go ahead,   make a block,   pull
     down  a  menu,   add in several style commands by punching the  F
     keys. Click  RESTYLE, and everything is carried out.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     DOUBLE  COLUMNS:   1ST Word can only think in in one  column.  To
     make  double,   or  even  more columns,   you have  to  fool  the
     printer.  Basically, just run the paper through the printer again
     and again.

     Make  the  first column ending at tab space 27 and  then   print.
     Then  make the second column,  also with 27 characters per  line.
     Use   the  PRINT  option  to define the left hand  margin   (LEFT
     MARGIN  OFFSET  set to 46) to the middle of the page,   and  then
     reinsert  paper and reprint.

     An  easier way is to do the same as the last  paragraph,  but  to
     use radical indents,   starting at tab 38.   This is more visible
     on  screen.   Set both windows next to each other.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Remember  that  you can always reinsert the same piece  of  paper
     into the printer. You can print text onto magazine pages, to make
     invitations,  or  letters  onto Playboy  foldouts.  Be  creative.
     You're not Nancy Reagan.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     To put  graphics into 1st Word.  Just fool the  printer.  Make  a
     drawing,  print it out.  Run the paper throught the printer again
     for  the text.   Okay,   so it's not on  screen.   Pretend.  Some
     people  want everything.  It's a cheap solution that works.  Like
     beer.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     A  little used,   but very practical ability of 1st Word  is  the
     conditional  page break.  There are three kinds of  page  breaks:

          1) a soft  page break (which  1st  Word makes itself at  the
          end  of the page,  this is a ---
      with a number below  it  in
          the  left hand  window  edge.)

          2) hard page  breaks,  which you set  yourself, a solid line
          with a number below it (press either F7 or click once in the
          left margin.  Click twice  on the number to remove.)

          3) the conditional  page break.  This is rarely  used;  most
          don't  even know what it is.  And it is the best  one.  Make
          this   by   dragging downwards in the left  side  along  the
          paragraph  in  the  left side  of  the   window.  Remove  by
          dragging upwards.   It looks like a dotted  line  across and
          then downwards (see the side of this paragraph  on  screen).
          This  function  is very useful when writing long  texts  and
          you  don't want certain paragraphs or tables broken up  over
          two pages.  It turns that paragraph or space into a  special
          space which  will  not  be  separated  over  two  pages.  It
          maintains that option,  regardless how many times you refor-
          mat or edit.  If you read the text to a new file, then those
          commands are removed.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     You  can also print out Wordplus in Elite typeset,  at  NLQ,  and
     then  reduce  on   a photocopy machine  10-
     15%,  with  a  bit  of
     contrast.  This  produces an excellent page image,  as good as or
     better than office typewriters.

     It's trouble to use the FONT TABLE.  Get KEYEDIT.PRG to  redefine
     your  keyboard layout (very easy to do,  requires no  programming
     knowlege).  KEYMACRO.ACC  will let you place macros  (strings  of
     text)  on a key so that pressing ALT+ the key will  produce  your
     address or whatever.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Printer  Drivers.   If you are having difficulties  in   printing
     with your printer (no Danish letters or no special commands  such
     as  italic)  then  just  try  other  printer  drivers.   Our   PD
     collection  has an enormous collection; make a test document with
     all  the  letters from the font plus special  commands.  Try  one
     driver after  the other,  usually one will fit.  Otherwise,  ask,
     maybe  there is someone in the group who made a driver  for  that
     printer.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Just   because  a character appears in  your   FONT   table,   it
     doesn't  mean that your printer is going to like it.  Make  up  a
     test   text  of  all characters and see what  comes  out  of  the
     printer.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     To make blocks in WORDPLUS,  you can start with a small one, then
     move the mouse to where the block should start or end:  point and
     double click.  You can also change the start/end of a block  just
     by  pointing  to where it should be  and  double  clicking.  Nice
     touch to the program.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


     It  is  not necessary to have 1st Word on the same disk  as   the
     text  file on which you are working.  When you load 1st  Word,  a
     copy   of  this program is put into the computer's  memory.   You
     can   now   take  out the disk.   The computer  doesn't  need  it
     anymore.   Put   in   the  text file and ask 1st Word to  open  a
     file.   It will  work  on  that file.   You can insert and remove
     disks as often as you  like;   your  text (in separate files) can
     be on several dozen  disks,   if  you like.  (OK,  so many of you
     know this. But there are some people  who don't.)

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Be   careful with the DELETE function in 1st  Word;   it's   very
     eager.   Sometimes,  if your mouse is floating over a file  name,
     and  the drive is working, for not much reason, the computer will
     think   that  it  is  a  double click and delete   whatever   the
     mouse  is  pointing  at,   especially if you just deleted a file.
     Keep  your  mouse away from the directory window and the OK  box.
     This  seems  to be a problem with the mouse and  drive.  If   the
     computer is in the process of opening a folder,   a futher  click
     is  intepreted  as a double click.  It does have a use,  however,
     if  you're quick,  then you can keep the drive running and  click
     in and  out of folders to see the directories.

     Another way to solve this is to change the mask on the  directory
     line.  For  example,  you  want to delete all the  backup  copies
     (those files ending with .BAK).  Instead of having A:/*.*,  which
     means  that  you  will see everything,  just change  it  to  show
     A:*.BAK   ;this will mean that only .BAK (Backup) files will  be
     shown;  then  you can just click away and delete the  whole  mess
     without worrying.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     WD+ has the annoying problem that it often can't read files which
     are not in its special format.  I kept a copy of the old 1ST WORD
     simply  because  of this.  There is a better  solution.  A  "code
     remover"  (such  as  AJAX.PRG) will remove or  strip  a  text  of
     special wordprocessing codes: you get straight text left, or just
     ASCII.  Wordplus  can then load this.  But how about those  texts
     which  you  can't reformat in WD+?  Use  CON_WP.PRG  (Convert  to
     Wordplus),  a German PD; any text from any wordprocessor or ASCII
     is converted to Wordplus format.  With these two small  programs,
     you can read any text file.

     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

     Some points about BLOCKS.  To create a block, just drag the mouse
     over the text you want. To change that block, just point to where
     the block should start or end and then double click. This resizes
     the block.

     To  get rid of the block,  so that there is no more grey area  on
     screen,  just "create" a new block in a blank area (or make a new
     block which only covers one or two letters). Wordplus still can't
     think with more than one block.  It would be nice to have several
     blocks at the same time.




                      End of Chapter Eight: Wordprocessing.

             ====================== * * ======================





                     Chapter Nine: Magazines for the ST

     There are practically no translations in computering because last
     month's magazine is today's outdated information;  a major reason
     for the domination of computer magazines over books as a form  of
     information distribution.

     But you will eventually realize that today's hot magazine article
     is  actually "cold news" from about three months  ago;  it  takes
     time for the magazine to find the news, write the article, get it
     layed out,  and printed.  If you want hot news,  then get a modem
     and join the BBS's. That is where the action is.

     Futhermore,  magazines have commercial interests;  in many cases,
     that's  the  only  thing they have.  Not only  that  they  review
     article because they get paid by the software producer,  but also
     some magazines will not review products if they are paid money by
     the competitor.  Magazines will tirelessly review lousy  products
     if they happen to own the distributor.  Many publishers have  the
     moral level of earthworms;  they block or destroy other magazines
     simply  in  order  to dominate  the  market.   The  "competition"
     between  Atari  and  Commodore  seems to be  a  product  of  both
     manufacturers  (who are interested in selling their  machine  and
     putting the other one down).  (Guess who makes ST  chips.  Right!
     Guess which company would go under if it didn't have a competitor
     who buys so many chips. You bet.) Magazines also have an interest
     in  maintaining  this "competition." In the early  part  of  this
     century,  William Randolf Hearst,  America's newspaper king, sent
     Frederick Remington,  the famous frontiers painter,  to Cuba,  to
     paint  scenes  from the then-on-going  Spanish-
     American  War,  in
     which the imperialist US knocked imperialist Spain out of corrupt
     Cuba  without  a fight.  Remington got  to  sleepy  Cuba,  looked
     around,  and telegraphed to Hearst "No war here".  Hearst sent  a
     telegram  right back,  saying "You paint the pictures,  and  I'll
     write the war."

     West  Germany is the major country for the ST.  German is a  very
     useful language to know.  West Germans have bought 80% monochrome
     monitors,  while the US and British users are the opposite,  with
     80%  color monitors.  This means that the Germans use the ST  for
     professional  applications,  while the Americans and British  are
     playing  games.  This can be seen in the difference in  programs:
     American  and  British games  are  spectacular,  with  whorehouse
     colors  and  loud pop music,  just like Ronnie and  Maggie  state
     events.  (Starglider is basically about reconquering lost  terri-
     tory  by shooting everything in sight.  SDI is a  starwars  game;
     enjoy  the thrills of total nuclear war.) English  utilities  are
     usually simple TOS PRGs,  with little graphics, few options. West
     German  commercial  programs are very  developed;  SIGNUM  is  an
     excellent example;  no English program can compare to its sophis-
     tication.  Only  FLIGHT SIMULATOR II or VIP are in that  quality.
     German  PD's  are  usually better than  the  similar  Anglo-
     saxon
     commercial PRGs:  more options,  more developed,  more use of the
     mechanics of the machine. Ordnung muss sein!  Drawing PRGS better
     than  DEGAS  and DEGAS ELITE can be found  as  German  PD's.   Of
     French  PRGs,  I only know that they've written a game  in  which
     UFOs  kidnap all the cats on Earth and you have to play poker  to
     get the kittys back.


                            About ST magazines


     I'll  start with West Germany,  the powerhouse of  the  ST.  West
     Germany  buys  over 30% of all ST's in the  world,  making  it  a
     considerable market. The 260 ST, smaller brother of the 520ST, is
     popular there,  but users moved quickly to the 1040ST and beyond.
     Germany  has  produced technical and  professional  programs  and
     hardware  of  a high standard.  This is possible in part  by  the
     support  and  distribution of high quality information  in  their
     magazines.

     The foremost publication is ST JOURNAL (from DATA BECKER,  Merow-
     ingstrasse 30, 4000 Dusseldorf, West Germany, tlf (0211) 310010),
     a  computer journal which is the most professional ST  developers
     journal  in the world.  Typical articles are written  by  persons
     with academic computering training.  There is little advertising;
     the  layout is that of a professional journal.  The  DATA  BECKER
     publishing  house also puts out a whole row of ST books,  all  on
     the  various technical/programming aspects of  the  machine.  The
     lower end,  general books,  tend to be a bit wordy at times  (one
     book uses several pages on the mouse).

     The  West German magazine ST-
     COMPUTER  is  the best  ST  magazine
     anywhere.  It is probably directly responsible for the high level
     of ST work in Germany.  New products and products in  development
     are  announced here.  Authors are technically  or  professionally
     highly  qualified.  Products are reviewed not only from  Germany,
     but from worldwide sources.  The reviews are critical:  the  good
     and  bad is carefully described.   If the program is  weak,  they
     tell  you.  In-
     depth  analysis  of  the  industry,  hard  hitting
     interviews,  and  the direction of the development of the ST  are
     standard.  They  often  make  proposals  for  projects.  Articles
     explain how to build your own hardward (scanners, eprommers, etc)
     or  complete guides to advanced programming.   There are  regular
     contests, with entire systems as prizes, for better software, and
     the results are professional. The magazine also sells hardware at
     low prices.

     ST-
     COMPUTER is the major source of ST PD disks in the  world.  No
     other source has such a large,  varied, advanced collection. They
     present original PD's,  sent in by their readers. The library has
     to  be  seen to be believed.  Practically every single  other  PD
     library in Europe takes their disks from this source.  In June of
     last year,  they had a handful;  in September 87, they celebrated
     disk #50 with champagne, February 88 has over 120 disks. Scienti-
     fic, mathematical, and professional programs, including utilities
     and accessories,  are the mainstay of their PD library. There are
     German  drawing  and  painting programs  which  are  superior  to
     commercial  releases.  3-
     DLABYRINT  is an example of a  ST  basic
     program  which runs quickly and without  error.  Astrolabium,  an
     astronomy program,  is excellent.  The trend seems to be  towards
     writing  the program in English;  at least the screen picture  is
     (mostly)  in English.  An updated list is in every  issue.  Their
     disks cost 10DM each.  Our UG has a full copy of the ST  COMPUTER
     collection.

     ST  COMPUTER  has  close ties to  Atari  Deutschland,  but  stand
     nevertheless  editorially independant.  The magazine is the  best
     monthly ST computer magazine,  not only of Germany,  but for both
     Europe and the US.  (ST COMPUTER Redaktion,  Schwalbacherstr. 64,
     6236 Eschborn, West Germany, about 30$ a year)

     Another  West  German magazine is ATARI MAGAZIN.  It  covers  all
     Ataris, both 8 and 16 bits. There are listings, reviews, personal
     ads,  and contacts as well. (6 Dm each, from Verlag Raetz-
     Eberle,
     Postfach 1640,  Melanchthonstrasse 75/1,  7518 Bretten, West Ger-
     many. Tlf 07252/3058.)

     68000'er,  the West German magazine,  was written for the  Macin-
     tosh,  Amiga,  ST,  and Sinclair QL.  The QL died,  and so it was
     dropped.  Mac people do not read anyone else's magazines (MACUSER
     is  the  best  for  Macs),  and so Mac  rarely  appeared  in  the
     magazine.  In March 88,  Amiga was dropped as well. The publisher
     annouces  that  he will make a new magazine for  the  Amiga.  The
     point  is  however  that  the magazine will  continue  as  an  ST
     magazine,  not  an  Amiga magazine.  The market is  appearing  to
     settle out: the machines, which are nearly identical, are getting
     a  profile.  Amigas are either for kids (games) or  video  studio
     work (TV studios),  with little in between. ST's are somewhat for
     games,   but  mostly  for  home  and  small  office  applications
     (wordprocessing,  programming,  business, university student, and
     self-
     taught programming). 68000'er will now be called ST MAGAZIN.
     It is a large format,  glossy paper magazine,  dedicated to 68000
     chip computers. The magazine is up to date and informative. There
     is a personal ads and contacts section.  There are listings. They
     have  pretty  much  dropped everything to do  with  ST  PD's;  ST
     COMPUTER completely dominates that aspect.  The magazine is  also
     expensive,  with an obscure pricing system. As far as I can tell,
     a  one  year  airmail subscription to the US  is  about  133  Dm.
     Individual  issues  cost  7DM  each.  (68000'er  or  ST  MAGAZIN,
     Redaktion  Markt und  Technik,  Verlag  Aktiengesellschaft.  Hans
     Pinsel Strasse 2,  8013 Haar bei Muenchen. West Germany. There is
     an American office:  M+T Publishing, 501 Galveston Drive, Redwood
     City, CA 940363, Tel. (415) 366-3600.)

     From Austria,  there is XE/ST,  a magazine covering both 8 and 16
     bit Ataris.  It resembles ST-
     COMPUTER. Enthusiastic workers, well
     thought,  well  written  reviews and comparisons.  They  offer  a
     substantial PD library as well. The appearance of the magazine is
     a good proof of what an ST can do:  layout and printing are  done
     with ST's and done well.  There are small ads and contacts.  (One
     year 540 shilling, XE/ST, Webgasse 21, A-1060 Vienna, Austria.)

     There  are  no Scandinavian commercial magazines for  the  ST  or
     Ataris.  Danish  small systems computer magazines are notable  in
     their poor quality.  There are mostly repeated reviews of  games.
     They  seem to write for Commodore 64s and PC's,  a  curious  mix.
     There  are possible plans (...) for an ST magazine in Denmark  in
     late Spring,  1988. The size of the ST community however makes it
     very difficult;  it is not even certain whether there are 700  or
     5000 ST's here.  Compare those numbers to the Amiga: 15000 Amigas
     alone.

     Peter Pedersen,  of STOP UG in Copenhagen,  Denmark, edits START,
     the monthly UG memberships magazine (STOP is the UG, START is the
     magazine).  Written mostly in Danish, it is the only Scandinavian
     effort for the ST.  Peter Pedersen took over editorship only late
     in the Summer of 87, so the direction of the magazine has changed
     from mostly games to more serious discussions. Reviews, articles,
     letters,  small ads. The editor is remarkably well informed about
     the ST and Atari developements.  The UG also has a PD collection.
     Our UG and STOP have close connections:  they can be contacted on
     the  BBS;  68000 UG members are encouraged to write articles  for
     START. We can place free small ads in the magazine. Copies of the
     magazine  are available at meetings for 10 Kr.  Subscriptions  to
     the  magazine  are possible for members of our  UG.  Contact  the
     magazine at:  START,  Peter Pedersen,  Strandvaenget 44, 6710 Es-
     bjerg, Denmark.

     The titles of British magazines is a chapter in itself. There was
     ATARI  USER,  which featured both 8 bit and 16 bit  machines.  It
     then separated into ATARI USER,  for 8 bit machines, and ATARI ST
     USER,  for the ST.  ATARI ST USER is remarkably bad. Nothing here
     that hasn't already been printed elsewhere.  It dwells mostly  on
     games,  standing uncomfortably close to the distributors,  doubly
     so if they are British.  (38  Overseas.  ATARI ST USER, Database
     Publications,  Europa House, 68 Chester Road, Hazel Grove, Stock-
     port SK7 5NY,  England).  If you ever wonder why they are so nuts
     about MICROLINK, well, guess who owns it.

     A  second British magazine was called ST USER.  When  ATARI  USER
     changed it name,  the first ST USER was forced to change its name
     to ST WORLD.  The big sharks push around the little fish. This is
     further confused by the fact that it continues to be  distributed
     from Canada as ST USER INTERNATIONAL. Not clear? Nobody was. This
     did  not ruin the magazine however.  ST WORLD is a  small  family
     company,  but  they  put out the best English  language  magazine
     available.  Sharp,  critical  reviews,  detailed descriptions  of
     professional ST usage.  They've gotten quite a line up of writers
     for their magazine.  Dale Hughes writes the funniest articles  in
     computering anywhere;  Richard Seel writes excellently researched
     articles  on a wide range of topics.  Atari England likes  it  so
     much  that  they recently bought 20% of the stocks  in  nonvoting
     shares.  ST WORLD maintains its editiorial independence.  If  you
     are  looking for an English language magazine,  then this one  is
     recommended.  (Gollner Publications, 10 Theater Lane, Chichester,
     West Sussex PO19 1SR,  tlf.  (243) 78 39 32.) The "European"  (My
     mother  always explained to me that if a British  crosses  water,
     then it is a voyage.  She is French.) price is about 30 ,  which
     includes  several  disks  and back  issues.  ST  WORLD  has  been
     distributed  from Canada (under the name ST  USER  INTERNATIONAL)
     but poor distribution leads them to find someone else, perhaps in
     the US. The American price has been 37 $ a year.

     Soon,  ST WORLD will turn into two magazines: one for programmers
     and applications, another for games.

     A  special magazine is that published by Paul Glover in  England.
     Up  to now it has been called the ST CLUB NEWSLETTER,  but it  is
     about to change names,  along with a total restructuring and  new
     layout.  It is a UG newsletter, written by members, and edited by
     Paul Glover. Since it is not a commercial magazine, it can afford
     to be open and critical:  users will directly state what problems
     a program has in actual application. The first issues were small,
     A5  (that's  half page size to Americans)  roughly  written,  but
     packed  with information and addresses.  The January 88 issue  is
     large  format,  laser printed,  desktop  publishing  layout.  The
     February issue is even better.  Paul Glover manages to produce  a
     very informative, packed newsletter for an amazingly low price: a
     year's subscription is 5 . Users write from all over Europe, not
     just England. There are also lots of tips and tricks on using the
     ST in totally different things.  The ST Club also offers  savings
     and  discounts on hardware and software to subscribers.  At  this
     very low price,  the magazine is definitely worth having. (The ST
     CLUB NEWSLETTER, Editor, Paul Glover, PO BOX 136, London, E1 1LL,
     United  Kingdom.  5 for one year.  The magazine plus 6 disks  is
     also available for around 25 pounds (the best PD's for two  month
     periods).

     Of the rest of Europe,  not much to say.  No one seems to know of
     any magazines in Italy.  There are none in Spain;  Atari has only
     recently  set up offices there.  France has moved away  from  the
     attitude that computers are only for accountants and  scientists;
     this kept the home computer wave out of most homes.  But to their
     credit,  they are working on changing this situation (Last  year,
     the major sales argument was that the ST is as good as a PC). The
     ST has developed very quickly, with about 60,000 machines sold up
     to  Fall  87 in France.  There are several French  ST  magazines,
     unfortunately I have not been able to get copies of them. Holland
     is another center for the ST.  The Dutch have really gotten orga-
     nized.  There  are  a great number of ST UGs  there,  all  inter-
     connected.  There  are rumors of ST magazines in  Poland,  but  I
     haven't yet been able to get an issue.


                       Non-Atari Dedicated Magazines


     We  can  also  look  at other magazines  which  are  not  written
     specifically  for  the ST or ATARI.  These  cover  general  small
     systems.  There is firstly  PERSONAL COMPUTER WORLD.  It could be
     said  to the British equivilent of BYTE;  professional  audience,
     essays,  excellent reviews, lots of advertising for all machines.
     About 250 pages.  (15  year,  33  for the rest of the world, as
     they put it.  PERSONAL COMPUTER WORLD SUBSCRIPTION DEPT, Freepost
     25, 32-34 Broadwick Street, London, W1E 6EZ, England).

     The  following reviews of American magazines are based on  issues
     from  July  1987 and several issues from  November  and  December
     1987.  It is of course possible that the magazines have  changed.
     One  notices however that a good magazine is good with  the  very
     first issue; a bad magazine stays bad.

     As for American magazines: there is firstly ANTIC (which means in
     English  a "frivolous" or "ridiculous" act.) And that is what  it
     is. If the British ATARI ST USER could be worse, then it would be
     ANTIC.  Very thin articles,  with practically no expertise.  Very
     long reviews of the latest joysticks,  however.  For 8 and 16 bit
     machines,  with emphasis on the 8 bit machines. They think the ST
     is  just  a  bigger game machine.  ANTIC  is  mostly  a  software
     publishing house,  with a large number of programs;  the magazine
     exists in order to advertise their products.  They sell PD's (all
     fourteen  of them) at 12$ each.  Waste your money by sending  40$
     (Outside of the US) to ANTIC,  544 Second Street,  San Francisco,
     California, 94107 USA tlf (614) 383-3141).

     ST  USER,  of England,  was an 8 and 16 bit magazine which  split
     into  two magazines.  This trend seems to be popular in  the  US.
     ANTIC,  the  awful  magazine,  split  up  the  magazine  and  now
     publishes ST/ART,  dedicated only to the ST. It is awful as well.
     Very commercial.  Totally  uncritical.  Vague,  superficial,  un-
     trained.  (4 times a year,  with disk, for 50 dollars. START, 544
     Second St, San Francisco, California. USA.)

     ANALOG  also covers 8 and 16 bit machines.  And it too  broke  up
     into  a  ST  magazine:  ST-
     LOG.  Only a bit  better  than  START.
     Uncritical.  Lots of games.  Some articles are simply dopey. (39$
     for 12 issues.  ST-
     LOG,  565 Main Street,  Cherry Valley,  Maine,
     01611 USA.)(A member has had a great deal of trouble with ST LOG.
     He hasn't received an issue in since last summer;  three  letters
     to the publisher have not been answered.  It is not clear whether
     ST-LOG has ceased to exist.)

     Another American magazine is ATARI EXPLORER. This is more serious
     than the others,  which doesn't say much.  It makes an effort  to
     bring competent articles on the ST.  The biting criticism and  in
     depth  reportage  of  ST WORLD (England)  or  ST  COMPUTER  (West
     Germany)  is missing.  Atari Corporation has also bought a  large
     share  of the magazine.  Many of the top people from Atari  write
     regularly in the magazine.  Perhaps this prevents it from  criti-
     cizing ATARI USA. They are also very poorly informed about things
     outside  of the US;  they are vaguely (uncomfortably) aware  that
     the ST is sold in Europe,  but they know nothing about it,  since
     they can't read any other languages.   (ATARI EXPLORER, 7 Hilltop
     Road,  Mendham, New Jersey, 07945 USA) (Tlf. 201-543-
     6007). 18$ a
     year,  plus 10$ more outside of the US.  (But people have ordered
     it,  at US prices,  and recieved 6 or more issues,  without  ever
     paying anything. I tell them that most Americans think Denmark is
     somewhere in Oregon.) British shouldn't laugh.  American  friends
     of mine think that London is in New Jersey.  And I was once asked
     if West Germany has the same political structure as the  People's
     Republic  of China.)(The magazine is having difficulties  meeting
     its publication schedual: they tried to go from four times a year
     to six times a year,  but don't have enough material to print  or
     money  to  print it.  So instead of appearing  bimonthly,  it  is
     skipping occasional months.)

     Last  American  magazine.  I  was  recently sent  a  copy  of  ST
     APPLICATIONS by a member;  he liked it as a programming magazine.
     The magazine is very interested in programming,  especially C and
     Modula  2  (at least,  the issue I saw),  with lots and  lots  of
     listings. Advertising, new products, etc. If you want an American
     magazine,  this is it.  (ST APPLICATIONS,  Box 980,  Forestville,
     California,  95436 USA.  Tlf.  (707) 887-
     7879.  40$ Foreign,  78$
     Airmail.)

     The  American  market  has the best  thing:  a  very  low  dollar.
     Ordering  from  the  US is easy  and  safe;  a  GIROCHECK  (Postal
     transfer) can be made out in dollars to the American address;  the
     post office will convert that to a check which is then sent to the
     US. Be sure to order things with AIR MAIL; Americans tend to think
     that  air mail is a luxury and don't realize that ship mail  takes
     3-
     4 months. But write very clearly that you are using an ST; I got
     Flight Simulator first for the PC, and now for the XL.

     If  you know of any magazines which I've  not  mentioned,  please
     send  me an issue,  I'll photocopy it and mail it back  the  next
     day.

                          Non-dedicated magazines

     Of  non-
     specialized magazines (not specifically ST or Atari)  the
     American magazine BYTE is the most professional,  most respected,
     and  serious  magazine to all  small  systems  computers.  Truely
     critical  and  forward  looking.  Articles  on  new  advances  in
     computering,  both  hardware and software.  If you see  something
     anywhere,  it  was printed in BYTE several  months  before.  BYTE
     chose the ST as computer of the year in 86 (which is why I bought
     mine).  But  since the ST has had a bad showing in the  US,  BYTE
     rarely mentions it anymore.  BYTE has however dropped the ST from
     BIX.  PERSONAL COMPUTER WORLD is the British equivilent.  Lots of
     advertising.  COMPUTE! is another general American magazine worth
     mentioning.  Listings, good articles on trends, developments, the
     industry,  the mechanics of the computer. The SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
     has  an  excellent monthly column  on  advanced  computing.  (The
     October 1987 issue was entirely dedicated to computering.  Excel-
     lent articles from leading professionals on the state of the  art
     and the future of computering. Read about computer systems in the
     year 2000.) DR.  DOBBS JOURNAL is another respected  professional
     programmer's magazine.  CT,  a West German magazine, is a profes-
     sional hardware/programmers magazine,  with advanced projects and
     listings.  Recent  articles explained how to use an IBM  harddisk
     with  an  ST  and how to add a 68020  processor.  Most  of  these
     magazines can be found in public libraries, university libraries,
     or computer science departments at universities.  Technical  col-
     lege libraries and computer science libraries also have  computer
     magazines;  these  tend  to  be  serious;  programmers/developers
     magazines and journals.

                End of Chapter Nine: Magazines for the ST.


             ====================== * * ======================

                   Chapter Ten: PUBLIC DOMAIN PROGRAMS


  PD  OR NOT PD.
  THAT IS THE QUESTION.
  FOR WHETHER TIS NOBLER...

  FROM  "COLLECTED
  WORKS  OF  PHIL
  BRIDGES, BARD OF THE
  AIRWAVES"  (PENGUIN,
  ISBN  004-132-93465-
  007)


  There exists a large amount of free or cheap programs for the ST   and  other
machines.

These are called PUBLIC DOMAIN programs   (usually just PD's).    Public Domain
programs are written and distributed outside the   commercial market.  You  can
find  them either from "services" which   charge a small amount (about 3  to  5
dollars) or from user groups,    of which there are several kinds: the ones who
like  to  make money   out of the members and charge about 5 to 6  or  even  10
dollars,   the ones which charge a small service fee, or the ones which   share
them for free.

  About the legal aspects of PD's:

 There's a great deal of confusion about the kinds of programs.    Most  people
think  that PD programs don't belong to anyone.  That's   not true.  There  are
various legal terms about copyrights which   should be kept straight. Copyright
law comes from property law   and that comes from land law.  The main principle
in  land  law  is   "First is Right." (The real  principle  is  however  "Money
talks."    But that's another issue.) So whoever got there first,  or  came  up
with  it first,  owns it.  Basically,  everything belongs to some-   body.  The
question is: which and what kind of somebody owns it,   and which and what kind
of somebody can use it.  All "intellectual   material",  books,  plays,  films,
computer programs,  databases,    numbering systems,  etc.  has a legal nature.
They  all have a   copyright.  That copyright defines a) who owns the title  to
the   program b) who can use it and c) who can collect a fee for its   use. The
original author has a natural right to his material for   a specific amount  of
time, usually 75 years or so, depending on   that country's laws. He or she may
sell or rent or give away that   copyright, either for a fixed amount, or for a
percentage,  or for   nothing.  If he or she still has the copyright at  death,
then the   copyright passes along,  with the house,  the toaster,  and the cat,
to the family or whoever is in the will.  After being dead   seventyfive  years
(depending  on countries),  the author automati-  cally loses those rights  and
the  material  becomes PUBLIC DOMAIN   (this is  not  spelled  (domainE").  The
phrase  "public  domain"  comes   from land  law:  "domain"  means  "property."
There's  private domain,    restricted domain,  government domain,  the  King's
domain,  etc.    That just means who owns the title to it. When a piece of land
is   used by everyone,  like a park, then it is public domain; anybody   can go
there.  Books are good examples of public domain.  For   example, Gunther Grass
is still alive,  and owns copyrights to his   books. Anyone who performs a play
by Tennessee Williams,  who died   in the 60's,  must send part of the money to
his  family  (and  they   can sell those rights).  But if you  use  a  play  by
Shakespeare,  who   is very dead,  then you don't have to send money to anyone,
because  "all  of us" own Shakespeare's plays;  all of his plays  are    PUBLIC
DOMAIN. The point is, everything, even the Moon, has a   legal status.

 The AUTHOR of the title can be one person,  a group of persons, or   everyone.
John wrote a PRG,  and thus automatically owns it.  John   can sell it to Jane.
John can also give the program to all French   women, or to the world.

  If John,  the author,  wrote the program while he was working  for    someone
else,  then that employer owns the program. If John writes   the program during
company hours,  his boss gets rich.  But if John   writes a program to help him
deal with his boss's stupid   computers,  then the lawyers get rich.  This is a
very  complicated   area;  the main complication is the huge amounts  of  money
which   can be involved.

 Jane,  who bought the title to the program,  is the OWNER.  John can    either
sell  the title entirely to her,  so that he only gets money   and not  even  a
Christmas card.  Or John can lease the title to   her,  so that after ten years
or  whatever conditions they put in   the contract,  it goes back to  him.  The
OWNER can be one person, a   corporation, whatever.

  Part  of the rights of owners is to decide who may use  the    property.  The
OWNER  may define the USER.  That can be either one   person (only Karen) or  a
large  group of persons,  whom Jane can   define (all of her  friends,  but  no
boys. If boys use it, they are   illegal users.) or even everyone in the world.

 Lastly, Jane can decide what USERS have to pay for that use: she   can set the
FEE (either money or things).  The amount of the FEE   can be large,  small, or
zero.  A zero fee is just that,  no charge,    but it is still a fee.  Jane can
also  decide  who  gets the money.    That can be her or her  friends  or  even
Amnesty International.    John can write the program and sell it to  Jane,  who
has  a    computer  magazine and then,  being a nice person  and  to  get  more
readers and destroy the other magazine,  publishes it for her   readers to  use
for zero fees. Jane still owns the title; we just   get to use it for free.

  A program then is written by John,  who sells the title,  but not   the  film
rights,  to Jane,  who then sells its use,  but not the   title,  to companies.
When Jane dies, her testament (the will)   gives the fee, but not the title, to
Amnesty  International (they   now get big checks in the mail);  her  testament
gives  the title to   her cat.  The cat's lawyer then leases the the  title  to
Paul   McCartney,  who makes a silly song about it.  Paul,  being a nice   guy,
announces in his next record that his fans can use the   program for free. John
then  leases the film rights to a film   company owned by  Silvester  Stallone.
See? You can use a program   for free, but that doesn't mean anything about who
owns it or who   has the rights to it.

       (Those are the type of questions you get in law school.  You have
       five minutes to answer:  Can Amnesty sue the cat to force Paul to
       raise  the fee?  May Gitte,  who divorced Silvester,  wiggle  her
       breasts  to the song's tune in her next video?  (You must  settle
       first  whether California or Danish divorce law controls  Silves-
       ter's rights to husband/wife property, namely, if he paid for her
       breast  "improvements,"  does he have a right to the  money  made
       with them?  Can he argue for a copyright interest on the  grounds
       that they are artistic (an intellectual product?).

       -----------------------------------------------------------------

 Most PD's are the following: John writes it and keeps all titles   and rights.
He  defines the legal users as a) all private users b)   no  commercial  users.
The  user  fee is either zero (freeware) or   voluntarily defined by  the  user
(shareware). John owns it, we use   it.

  With computers,  users tend to use the word "public domain" to   mean  "free"
and  "copyright" to mean "commercial." You can see   that this is a  confusion.
Everything is copyright.  Some things   are cheap copyright and somethings  are
expensive  copyright.   Of    the  expensive  copyright,  there  is  commercial
software.  Then  comes   SHAREWARE.  The person who writes  shareware  releases
(gives  out)   his material to the public (he shares it) and asks for  a  small
voluntary  contribution in return.  The author still owns the   rights  to  the
program. FREEWARE data is given out and the author   does not ask for anything,
but he still owns the rights to the   program.  Finally,  there is HACKED data.
We usually think of   HACKED data as something bad.  Someone has gone into  the
program    and  changed  it  (fx NASA's  lauch  rocket  termination  programs).
Either a commercial program has the copyright messages missing,    or Shareware
programs suddenly get new addresses, and requests   for money, to guess who. Or
Freeware suddenly gets a shareware   status, so that people began sending money
to some guy.  HACKED   data can also be good.  Someone went into a poor program
and  took   out a few bugs.  That's also hacked.  HACKING just means opening  a
PRG and changing the way it works, for better or worse.

  Programs  got their legal status in 1981.  Until  then,  codes  were    these
obscure  things that programers did on large  systems.    Programers,  being  a
bunch  of  cowboys,  traded  codes with each   other  (on  corporate  time,  of
course). In 1981, the large   corporations went crying to Congress, saying that
they were not   making the billions to which they had a right.  Congress,  made
up   mostly of lawyers,  agreed,  and programs became "intellectual   property"
(this  is  what we call a "legal fiction").  It became   outlawed to  copy  and
distribute programs.

 The PD scene is not just for computers and old books. Punk   musicians, to the
total  outrage  of  music corporations  (especially    the  lawyers),  released
records as public domain.  This act caused   a shock in the industry;  what  is
music all about,  anyway?  Punk   made the point that music is not just  pretty
sounds.

 If someone wrote a program and gave it out as freeware/shareware,    they  are
nice people. If you have a freeware/shareware program   which becomes a regular
part  of  your system,  think about sending   something to  the  author.  Blank
disks,  for example, or some money.   Your imagination may also come into play.
Shareware and freeware   exists and will continue to exist as an alternative to
the   commercial $$$$$ system. None of these great cheap computers   would have
ever  happened  if IBM's lawyers had control over those   kids  in  garages  in
California.

  Many of us have sent money or disks to PD authors;  we nearly   always get  a
response:  either a manual,  or an improved version,   or other programs. It is
nice to find out that there is a human   behind that program you use.

  Young  Germans  have been the major force in  ST  PD's.  Thirty  or    fourty
programs a month are released in West Germany; many are of   very high quality,
as good as or better than commercial versions.

  Richard Seel,  who writes in ST WORLD,  recently brought up a  point    about
shareware. The person who releases the program as shareware   is depending on a
free distribution network made up mostly of   volunteers.  This is in effect an
exploitation of those volunteers   for commercial purposes.  Selling a  program
to a distribution   house brings in a whopping 5%.  You get very little for it.
But  if    shareware  develops into a large system,  then  such  persons  could
recieve much more. Do shareware authors make money?

 No.  I have talked (written) with several shareware authors.  One   got around
50 pounds in response from several people.  Most get an   occasional letter. An
American got around 120$ all in all. No one   is making money on shareware. The
idea  is  about  as sucessful as   Abbie Hoffman's  sugesstion  for  "voluntary
taxation." (In his   case, he meant sharing the joints).

  The  PD  scene  is  sadly  made up of  the  hardcore  5%:  a  small  crew  of
enthusiasts do all the work;  the rest enjoy. If you want to   contribute: make
suggestions  to  the authors of  your  favorite    programs.  Ideas,  comments,
improvements.  Extra abilities.  Point   out bugs.  This is very helpful.  Send
donations of money or disks,   if you can.

 There is very little really computer "Public Domain;" programmers   have  only
been around for twenty years or so.  Just think of it!   When the programmer to
your  favorite  game dies and seventyfive   years go by,  that game  will  then
become  public  domain.  You can   then sell it all you  like.  To  Museums  of
Ancient History, for   example.

 Most of my IBM friends,  coming from the primitive past think that    programs
are either "copyright", meaning expensive, or "hacked",   meaning that the copy
protection has been removed.  Just copying a   program doesn't mean that it has
been "hacked";  IBM people get so   excited about anything if it works. Most of
them think that all   PD's are hacked programs.  They also think that upgrading
to  640KB    at 4.77 Mhz is the future.  They get confused when you  point  out
that the new PS series is not PC compatible.

  Oh,  by the way,  the new IBM's are very creative.  IBM is a company    which
makes the future.  They just discovered something called   WINDOWS. They're all
hot about it.  And DESKTOPS.  They also have   invented the 3.5 inch disk.  The
Indians  were in the Americas   25,000 years before Columbus.  Who got all  the
credit?  The  only   thing positive in it for us is cheaper  disks.  All  these
third   party disk manufacturers will move into the 3.5 disk market,   bringing
the  price  down.  My  disk box is falling in price just  as    fast  as  Nancy
Reagan's book on decorating the White House.

  While we are talking about the legal rights of companies,  we can   also  ask
about the legal rights of users. That is simple.

  The legal rights of users:

  None.

 That's right.  We have none.  Your second lesson in law is:    companies write
the  law.  And they write it entirely only to   protect their  interests.  They
have lots of laws, with lots of   penalties, to protect themselves. But protect
you? Hah!

  You buy a program because it promises to "solve your  problems.    Deal  with
your  paperwork.  Do  your  taxes.  Save  your time!" It  says    that  in  the
advertising;  it says so on the box.  But when you read   the very small print,
it says:  "The company is not responsible in   any way for errors or faults  in
the program:  if it messes up your   work,  destroys your company,  ruins  your
life, so long, sucker!"

 I must clearly emphasize this point.  You use the program at your   own  risk.
If you do a spreadsheet analysis of your company or   house,  you must be  able
to  independantly analyse and check the   results.  If the program has  made  a
mistake,  tough luck.  If you   use a program for professional work,  you  must
check and cross   check the results.

  There  are lawsuits in court in the US against software companies    on  this
point.  The software company association is spending a lot   of money  fighting
this  issue.  Should a program be held to legal    responsibility?  Of  course.
Especially  so  if  the  producer   promises  ("We  solve  your  problems!  For
Professional Use!"); then   if his program ruins you, he must pay. Every single
other product   on the market is responsible to the consumer.

  Another  legal point.  Computer companies,  being new  to  capitalism,    are
starting  from the beginning and moving forward through the   various  periods.
There was the tribal period (programmers sharing   and cooperating).  Then  the
feudal  period (IBM and Macs being   closed machines).  We are now in  the  sea
pirates period.  Compa-  nies,  to expand their markets,  attack each other and
stake  out   territories.  IBM is the biggest pirate;  their corporate  history
reads like Black Bart and the Carribean Jolly Rodgers.  Users    suffer;  until
now,  to force you to buy their machines at fixed   prices in fixed territories
and  avoid  the  bother  of competition,    the  companies  had  annouced  that
warranties  were  worthless  if the   machine had been  bought  somewhere  else
cheaper.  The  European   Common Market Court in Strasbourg put an end to  that
nonsense:    any  product  bought anywhere in the Common Market  with  a  valid
warranty in a country will have a valid warranty anywhere else in   the  Common
Market.  If  a Dane saves money by buying his computer   in West  Germany,  the
Danish  branch  of the corporation must   recognize the  warranty  and  provide
warranty service.

  About PD programs:

 PD's then is a very loose term which covers all programs   distributed outside
the commercial structure.  PD's give you a   terrific opportunity to look at  a
whole range of programs which   you otherwise can't afford to buy which do  all
sorts  of  things    which  show you the possibilities  and  abilities  of  the
computer.

  Many  PD's are Demos or demonstration PRGs.  Basically  advertising    for  a
commercial  PRG.  You get to see how the program works.    Usually you are  not
able to save your work or such. This should   be more widespread; you can see a
program  for  yourself.  But  it    should  be  stated  that  such  a  disk  is
advertising; it's not right   to pay to see advertising.

  Other  PD's  are  pre-release versions or  test  versions  of  commer-   cial
programs;  some  are  even  commercial  programs which  never  made    it  into
distribution.

 And many PD's are garbage PRGs;  poorly written,  not very   creative,  or not
doing anything.  You can't really say that they   run, actually, it's more that
they crash. Not much different than   commercial programs.

  But  there are worthwhile PD's.  Most of  these  are  utilities:    ramdisks,
spoolers,  fast loaders,  etc; little programs which take   only a few hours to
write  and  can't  really justify 30 or 40   dollars.  Since  they  are  simple
routines, they usually function   correctly and make it easier to work with the
machine.   The  best    copy  programs  I've  seen  yet  are  PD  (FCOPY2,  and
ALPHAFORMAT).    There are PRGs which read and print the directories of a  disk
so   that you can have a label or a page of disk directories (the best   yet is
DISKSORT.V2.  No commercial program can compete with it).    File RECOVER  PRGs
help you get lost files back; disk monitors as   well. There are a great number
of  calculators which only barely   use the computer's  enourmous  mathematical
ability;  this is like   using a Lamborghini as a doorstop.  (no, that is not a
kind of   spaghetti). (Commo-doorstop?) (Guess what Americans call Commo-  dore
users?  Commies!)  All  sorts of little clocks put the correct    time  in  the
corner  of  your screen and onto your disk files.  PD's   can  also  be  large,
complicated programs which work very well.    AIM,  the ATARI Image Maker, is a
six  disk  scientific image   enhancement and manipulation  system,  for  which
there is no   commercial equivilent.  For modems, there are good programs which
work  with  all the aspects of communications:  modem PRGs (UNITERM    is  very
good),  encrypting  (so others can't read your texts),    compressors (to  save
telephone time)(ARC), etc. Several excellent   PD drawing programs exist; these
are  better than 70$ commercial   ones (for example,  MASTERPAINTER and  PUBLIC
PAINTER  (up  to 24   screens,  GEM based,  animation,  and much  faster  rota-
tion/distortion  routines).  Wordprocessors  in  Arabic  and  Russian.    Music
editors as well.  Small games are often PD's;  3-  D labyrinths   are  possible
only on computers. And of course there are are silly   and funny programs which
put little crabs into your computer   which eat at the screen and so on.

  For a full list of our UG's PD's,  either download it free from   the BBS  or
send a blank disk (with a selfaddressed, stamped   envelope).

  The IBM scene is impressive.  Standard catalogues are on two    double  sided
disks;  there's about 500 disks in most services. On   a CD disk (that's right.
An IBM PC PD CD) from the California   Personal Computer Special Interest Group
(PC  SIG) (yep.  the CA PC   SIG IBM PC PD CD) some 40,OOO PD's are  collected.
This costs   about 200$.  Macs have a large collection of PD's. The Amiga, with
its  enormously complicated screen and operating system,  tends to   have  many
text files and source codes to help programers deal   with the machine. Amigas,
with their excellent screen,  also have   lots of pictures.  Fred Fish has been
the major person in the   Amiga collection.  ST PD's are mostly organized by ST
COMPUTER.    Most of our ST PD's tend towards accessories and  utilities,  with
some large applications programs in odd areas. Of course, all   machines have a
great number of games.

  Running a PD Library:

  In  July,  1986,  there  were for the ST about nine  PD's  world  wide.    By
February,  87, there were 30 disks. February 1988 has over 400   ST PD's, it is
getting out of hand;  many services offer over 300   disks.  Of course, much of
it is garbage (like pictures of   christmas trees). But it is growing.

  How to get PD's:

 The small ads sections in magazines give address of services   which send  you
lists  and disks costing 3 to 10 dollars.  ST-  COMPUTER in West  Germany  (ST-
Computer,  Schwalbacherstrasse 64,   6236 Eschborn, West Germany) has supported
and  developed largest   original collection of ST PD's.  They offer  them  for
about 3   dollars each (10 DM). An updated list appears in every issue of   the
magazine.

  Advice  for buying from the small ads "commercial" services:  send    them  a
small first order, one or two disks. See how long it takes   to respond. A good
service  already has copies made.  Paying a bit   more is better  than  waiting
five or six weeks.

  Ask your local store.  Stores are buying PD's and making them   available  on
their harddisks for copying;  if you copy yourself,   it can be very cheap (one
dollar  or so).  In Denmark;  New World in   Aarhus has PDs available;  ECL  of
Flensborg, BRD, also has a   complete PD collection.

 Join our User Group.  We have a library of disks which we bought   in  common.
Members  can  loan  the disks and copy those for free.  We   have  one  of  the
largest collections available.  If you want to   start a user group library, we
will loan the entire set to you.

 Be careful about "commercial" user groups: you pay 35$ for the   priviledge of
buying disks from them for 10$ each.

  User Groups with BBS's (Bulletin Board Services) put PD's on a   harddisk  to
which  you can access with your modem.  Programs can be   downloaded  (copied),
free  to members.  Comments and discussions of   the programs can be gotten  as
well.  Our  BBS  has the best of the   ST PD's on line (68000 BBS  in  Denmark:
06/109777; 24 hours,   300/1200/2400 Baud.)

 Form your own group.  Meet a couple of users,  put your money   together,  buy
your own disks and start your own collection.

(Of  course  I  couldn't have inclded this lot without  a  quick    mention  of
LOCUTUS PDL, probably the ONLY ST pdl worth thinking about - Dave)



                      End of Chapter Ten: PUBLIC DOMAIN DISKS



                 ====================== * * ======================



                     Chapter 11: The BBS (Bulletin Board System)


  As  you work along with the computer,  you will often began to  hear    about
Bulletin Boards, or BBS's. These are often called   "databases" as well. People
use  "modems" to send and copy   programs over the telephone.  There is  little
information  about   this in the magazines:  for a good reason.  If we all  had
modems,    then  there  wouldn't  be any magazines.  The  "large"  BBS  systems
advertise heavily;  but the action is on the smaller systems.   "Giant" systems
in  the US rarely get more than a few percentages   of the  market:  those  are
mostly first time users. They go   afterwards to the small systems.

 Information moves very quickly on BBS's.  It can take only a few   days for  a
new tip, trick, note, or comment to move around the   world.

 If you want contact to "professional" or "serious" users,  then   get a modem.
Practically  all  of  the  "advanced" users have  modems:    they  can  all  be
contacted on the main BBS's in any country.  They   are the ones who can spot a
problem or solve a problem; they also   have a great amount of information.

  Information about the BBS, the software, the system:

  A  Bulletin Board System (BBS) is a system made up of  several    components,
both software and hardware.

  The HOST Computer

 A main computer,  the HOST computer,  has a program loaded on it   that is the
BBS  program.  This host computer is connected to a   telephone line and has  a
modem so that it can answer the   telephone. This host computer also has one or
more  disk  drives   (either normal drives or harddisks) connected  to  it.  On
those   drives are the letters that people send to each other and the    public
domain (PD) programs for copying. This host computer is in   a house in Aarhus.

  The GUEST Computer

 Your computer at home is called a GUEST computer. You need a   modem, a cable,
a terminal program,  and a telephone line.  (Yes,    people have asked if  they
needed a telephone to use a modem).

  Modems

 In order for your computer to communicate with the HOST computer,   you need a
modem. Your computer produces a signal which is   converted by the modem into a
signal which can be sent over the   telephone.  Another modem,  for example the
host  computer's  modem,    then  converts that signal back into  one  which  a
computer can   understand. Any computer can talk to any other computer, regard-
less of name, with the proper modem and terminal software.

 A modem is what you use to connect your computer to the telephone    line.  It
is  a  little  box  full of electronics that has a wire    going  in  from  the
computer  and a wire going out to the telephone   plug.  If you think that  you
need  to  put the headset of your   telephone into a box,  then you  have  been
watching too many James   Bond movies. That kind of modem went out with Richard
Nixon.    There  are two kinds of modems:  acoustic (the James Bond  type)  and
direct;  your  computer connects directly to it with a cable,  and    it  plugs
directly into the telephone plug in the wall.)

 Modems come (or go) in various speeds.  The speed is how fast it   can convert
and  send your file over the line.  This is measured in   bits per  second,  or
BAUD.  300 Baud is considered slow;  it once   was standard. 1200 is thought as
the  standard  nowadays.  24OO  Baud   is considered  fast,  and  probably  the
standard  within a few years.    Businesses use 2400 Baud.  5600 Baud  is  very
fast.

 If you intend to use your modem for business or heavy use, then   get 2400. It
is more expensive, but very soon pays for itself in   telephone bills.

  A 300 baud modem can be gotten for around 400 kroner.  1200 Baud   cost  from
1500 to 3000 and 4000 kroner.  24OO Baud cost from 3000   to 6000  Kroner.  (10
Krone is roughly one pound.) Contact us in   Aarhus for names and addresses  of
stores which have modems.

 You can also buy modems from users on the networks who are   selling their old
modems. Find someone who has a modem to leave a   message on the main BBS's for
you  (describe  your  computer set-  up   and include  your  "voice"  telephone
number or address).

 Prices in other countries will be very different.

  But Baud numbers don't mean very much.  A file is broken into   packets  (the
size of which depends on "protocols," or defini-  tion);  each packet has a bit
of  information added to it;  the   quality of the telephone line is  important
too;  if there is line   noise,  then packages are repeated until a correct one
is  sent.    The  actual  number will depend on the  protocol  used,  the  line
noise,  how big (or small) you define the packets,  etc.  The point   is:  Baud
give you a rough idea of what to expect.

  I  roughly count on 5.6 KB per minute with a 1200 Baud modem   using  the  X-
modem protocol. If you use 300 Baud, then it takes   four times as long.

  There are two telephone standards:  Bell (American) and  CCITT    (European).
Most modems can usually work in both.  If you are in   Bell mode,  then you can
only talk to other modems in Bell mode.    The point is,  don't buy a modem  in
the US just because it is   cheaper. It may not work here in Europe.

 Most modems are Hayes compatible. Hayes is a standard; that means   your modem
can work with many other modems which use the same   standard.  You don't  have
to worry about this; just as long as it   says "Hayes Compatible".

 You can get used modems easily on a BBS.  Find a friend (or user   group)  who
has  a modem and place messages on the major BBS's;    soon,  people will  call
you.

 Do not buy a PC modem. It is "internal"; that means it is   connected directly
inside the computer and uses the computer's   power supply.  Your ST must  have
an  "external" modem,  one that   sits outside of the computer,  with  its  own
power supply.

 Modems can auto-  answer.  You flip a switch or run a command;  and   it  will
then take care of the phone while you sleep. When another   modem calls you, it
will answer the phone.  Of course,  you must   leave your computer on and  with
the terminal program running.  You   can do this at night and have someone send
files to you; in the   morning, you have lots of programs on your disk.

 Test any modem before you buy it.  Run it in all the different    modes.  Just
because it says so on the box, it doesn't mean....

 A cable

  You  will also need a cable to connect your modem to  the  computer.    Those
usually cost around 100 to 400 Kroner.

 A Terminal Program

  The terminal software makes your computer act like a  terminal.    Basically,
your  computer acts stupid (especially so if it is an   Amstrad or  Commodore).
The  host  computer takes over,  and you use   your keyboard to  run  the  host
computer.  Think  of  this as a   keyboard which is connected (by  a  telephone
wire) to a computer   very far away.  Therefore,  when you save or read to  the
host's   disk, you are commanding the host computer, not yours, to act.

  There are many terminal programs.  There are ten or so commercial    programs
and about twenty or thirty public domain programs. We   have 25 or so in our PD
library.  Try a PD program first; many of   these can do the whole job. UNITERM
V2.0 is the best PD program;   it is even better than many commercial versions.

 We use UNITERM as a standard: please learn to use that program   first. Later,
when you understand it, then you can go on and use   anything you like. Any BBS
can work with any terminal program.

  You can get UNITERM from us for free. Contact the PD library.

  The BBS Program

 Although when you first log on (call up and enter) and see the   confusion  of
a BBS program,  remember that most BBS programs are   very simple (ours is only
68Kb  large) and structured like trees.    After a few sessions,  it will  seem
clearer.  After a few weeks,    you will become frustrated at the simplicity of
the program. The   main thing that goes on is:

 People write letters to each other. They leave mail and   pick up mail.

 People send programs to the board and pick up programs   from the board.


 The other functions are used only rarely.  You can update   information  about
yourself (address, etc), you can ask for lists   of recent users, etc.

 A BBS has a sort of tree structure,  looking like a path of   decisions. These
things were developed several years ago,  when   the IBMs were the standard PC.
Hence  the programs tend to look   like a PC program.  We are beginning to  see
newer, desktop based   BBS programs.

  Therefore the word "BBS" is a very complex sort of thing,  not   really  just
the  BBS program,  nor the host computer,  nor the guest    computer,  nor  the
modems.  And  all  of this software and hardware   put  together  doesn't  mean
anything with out the users,  user   group,  and sysops (the systems operators,
the folks who make sure   that every thing works).

  What is a BBS for?

  BBS's are used mostly for sending/receiving messages and    sending/recieving
programs.

  Bulletin boards (Opslagstavler) can carry all sorts of  messages,    notices,
alerts,  discussions,  or communications.  These can be   either public (anyone
can  read them),  restricted (open only to   those who can enter a section)  or
private (only open to whom the   message is addressed).

  The  board  is  divided  into  sections.   Sections  are  either  public   or
restricted:  anyone can enter a public section;  to enter a private    section,
the SYSOP must clear your status.

 Data files can also be transferred to and from the board.  You can   send text
files  (like  this one) to the board (uploading) for   other persons  who  will
then copy it onto their systems   (downloading). You can also send programs.

 All material that is uploaded into the board goes into a special   section.  A
SYSOP  will  look in there and check whether the   material is  copywritten  or
not.  When cleared,  it will be   transferred into the open board where  others
can find it.

 Since it is not possible to control that a copywritten material   will not  be
distributed to persons who may not receive it,  we   generally do not allow the
posting of copywritten data on the   board.

 Public domain programs (PD's) however may be freely copied and    distributed.
We  have placed the best programs from our libraries   onto the BBS.  You  will
also  find the most recent library list on   the board as a  downloadable  data
file.  The librarians for the   various sections (ST,  AMIGA,  MACINTOSH)  will
leave notes about   the new additions,  etc.  If a program is not on the board,
ask for   it to be uploaded.

 Databases

  There  are  other things to call other than just  BBS's.  You  can    call  a
database.  Universities,  research  institutes,  and companies   have  computer
databases  which  can be accessed by modem.  You can   search  for  information
there.  The database system is extremely   well developed worldwide; there is a
major database to   practically all kinds of information.

 Games

 There are also games which you can play.  These are called MUGs   (Multi  User
Games).  A host computer will have a game program,    into which you can  enter
and  play.  Many are role fantasy games:    entire universes are built up  with
very special rules of magic   and science fiction.  There are also social games
and  other  kinds    of interactive games.  These are  widespread  in  the  US:
thousands   of persons will be involved in a universe at one time.

 The Future

  There  are about 100 databases in Denmark and several thousand  in    Europe.
Extensive data services exist which connect not just   thousands,  but hundreds
of thousands of users.

 There are about 60 to 100 BBS's in Denmark (Nov.87).  This number    increases
constantly. Within two years, the entire telecommunica-  tion network in Europe
will  be opened up.  The present state   monopolies will end.  There will be  a
tremendous increase in the   number of databases and datatransfer.

  A  final  word about modems.  Most of the countries in  Europe  have    state
telephone  monopolies.  Those  came out of very interesting    and  embarassing
historical  traditions.   The  state  monopolies  are     lousy,   inefficient,
expensive,  and slow.  It is illegal in Germany   to use a good modem. Denmark,
the country with the most   monopolies,  worst efficiency,  and highest prices,
places ridicu-  lous rules in front of companies which want to build modems. In
1992,  Europe becomes one big country.  Those monopolies will end.   All of the
silly people who "work" for them will have to look for   an honest job (who the
hell is going to hire someone who says "I   worked for the telephone company"?)

 Don't worry about using a modem "illegally." There are plenty of   laws  which
say  you can't do a lot of things.  The telephone   company employees are  more
interested in getting their coffee   breaks.

 No one knows what the situation will be in five years. But it   will certainly
include the widespread use of modems and   computers.

                           _______________________________

 Now you have all the hardware and software. What's next? Let's   call the BBS.


 USING THE BBS:

 (The following is specific to our BBS program (Michtron V2.0);   however, most
BBS systems work on the same general principles.)

 Our BBS number is 06 10 97 77 in Denmark. The BBS's modem will   automatically
find out what kind of modem you are using and   adjust itself.

  (In other countries,  find the telephone number of the  Personal    Computing
Society (PCS),  they are usually in the largest cities.    Ask them for one BBS
number.  Enter  it  and there you will usually   find an updated  list  of  all
BBS's).

 The BBS has four kinds of users:
 SYSOPS, who run the whole thing.
 SIGOPS, who run each particular section.
 Registered Users, who are members of the UG.
 and Unregistered Users (nonmembers).

  All users are generally allowed free access to the General   Public  and  the
commercial sections.

 Only registered users, UG members, may access the rest of the   board.

 When you first enter the board,  you are first asked several   questions about
yourself.

 You create your own password.  Do not use the name of your mother,    dog,  or
computer.  Make it a nice,  long,  obscure word (for   example,  Dictionary839,
King67Kong,  Aristoteles30,  or even random   words, such as i5asdfh4q ). Write
these down.

 You can always change your password, name, address, etc. Just log   on and ask
for the EDIT PROFILE section: you can change your   identity here.

 If you forget your password, log on again as Ronald Reagan   Junior. (Password
=  Dummy too ).  Tell the SYSOP to delete you and   then start all  over  again
(you lose all the letters to you, etc.)

 You then enter the board.  Here you start already within a   section.  This is
your DEFAULT section.  You can change this later   in your profile so that  you
start up in your favorite section.

 At any time, you can press ENTER or RETURN to get a list of your   options.

 You can always press ESCAPE to finish the section or area.

 Please don't exit a board by just pulling the plug out of the   wall. This has
two  effects.  It  sometimes  crashes  a board.    The  board  keeps  track  of
everything that happens on it.  Remember   that the SYSOP can see just  exactly
who was the silly duck who   crashed the board. People start calling at 2 am to
ask why the   board is not up. Guess what will happen to you. Furthermore, your
telephone  may not switch off.  You will continue paying for  the    connection
until you reload and exit properly. To exit correctly,   press B for Bye!

  The  board is made up of sections (SIG's = Special  Interest    Groups).  Our
current program supports up to 16 SIGS, we hope to   get a program which allows
a greater number.

 In each SIG,  there are several options. Press RETURN or ENTER for   a list of
options.  To select an option,  press the first letter of   the option (M,  for
MESSAGE BOARD,  B,  for GoodBye,  etc).  Use Alt +   C,  make a list of all the
different options, and then make a flow   chart of the board. At first it seems
like  a maze,  but later it   is easy to simply press a key and move  from  one
section to   another.

  Remember that private mail can be read not only by the reciever,    but  also
the sender.

  If you have problems or difficulties,  write a short letter in    the  public
section. You may also write to the SYSOP.

 Again, your letters will be answered faster by other users than   the SYSOPS.

 Programs and files on the BBS

 The best PD's from the library are on the board's harddisk.  You   can  easily
download programs for yourself from the BBS. We place   newest/best programs on
the board within several days;  you can   get them here then. It can take up to
three or four weeks for the   programs to be registered and entered into the PD
library (the   point is,  if you want the progam faster,  use the BBS.)   There
are about 200 programs on the board now, with room for   maybe 1 or 2 thousand.
These  200 are the best from our   collection.  It is simply a question  of  us
getting time to   compress and load all the programs.

 Nearly all programs are compressed. This means that they take up   less space.
You  download the program and then use a decompressing   program to  decompress
the program so that you can use it.  We use   ARC.TTP (it is easier to use with
a  shell program called   ARCSHEL2.PRG) (do not use ARCSHELL.PRG;  that was  an
early version   which crashes often).  You can find ARC.TTP on the board, along
with instructions on how to use it.


 SIG's on the BBS

 1 Public Access
 2 68000 User Group
 3 ST User
 4 Amiga User
 5 ST Programming
 6 Amiga Programming
 7 ST Games
 8 Amiga Games
 13 ST/OP User Group

(This list changes and may therefore not be complete or correct)    Most of the
commands and options are listed below:

 Main Menu

  (I)nformation  for SIG
  (N)ews file
  (F)ile transfer
  (M)essage  base
  (S)ig change
  (C)hat  with SYSOP
  (E)dit Profile
  (L)ast Callers (who  called  last)
  (B)ye (logoff) Message Base Menu
  (R)ead mail
  (L)eave mail
  (N)ew only
  (S)can Box
  (M)ain Menu
  (B)ye

  Show Mail in all Sigs (YNQ)
  Pause between letters (YNQ)

  Last letter read was # ...
  Letters range from 1 to 76
  Start where?
  Show Mail in all Sigs (YNQ)
  Pause between letters (YNQ)

  (The BBS keeps track of you and remembers what letters you've   read  or  not
read.)

 (Press return for the default value (usually public letters and   yes)).

  File transfer menu

  (D)ownload
  (U)pload
  (S)ig change
  (M)ain menu
  (B)ye

  (UPloading and DOWNloading.  You UPload when you send data up to    the  host
system.  You  download when you copy data down to your   system from  the  host
system.  It doesn't matter too much which one   you say,  but downloading means
that you take and uploading means   that you give.)

 (Our system uses XMODEM.  You'll get a message saying "Go to   XMODEM;"  well,
you  already  have  that  set up in the  UNITERM.SET.    So  just  punch  ALT+T
(transfer) and answer the questions. At 1200   baud, you can transfer about 5.6
Kb per minute.)

  Quitting

 (To quit the board,  press B ('Bye). You get a last chance to say   hey to the
SYSOPs and give him a message, comments, etc.)

  "Leave message to SYSOP? (Y N)"

  And so you are Out.

                            __________________________

  Note:
  Press RETURN or ENTER for a list of current functions.
  Press ESC or Space bar to quit an action.

  Vocabulary:
  BBS  = Bulletin Board System.
  SYSOP  = Systems Operator.
  Log on  = To enter the system.
  Log off  = To exit the system.
  Password = Do  not use short words.  Do not use the name of  your
  computer,  your girlfriend,  or your dog.  If you want
  extra security, change your password once a month.
  Upload  = Send data from you to the BBS.
  Download = Receive data from the BBS to you.
  Profile  = Information about you.  Your name, address, tlf number.
  BYE  = (Goodbye!) to Log off or to end the call.
  SIG's  = Special Interest Groups.

                              _____________________

 This should be enough information to get you started on the BBS.   If you have
problems or don't understand something,  leave a note   in the message section.
Say which modem and terminal program you   are using.

 The BBS is confusing to everyone when they first start.  But it   requires  no
technical or programming knowledge to use; you just   have to learn a few basic
principles.


                           End of Chapter Eleven: BBS


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                      End of Your Second Manual to the ST


                 ====================== * * ======================


                           * * * Copyright Note * * *

  This  is the fourth version of this manual (250KB).  Version  1  was    30KB,
Version 2 = 60KB,  Version 3 = 105 KB. Every six months or   so, more is added,
errors removed,  information is updated. If you   would like to recieve further
updates  of this manual,  then become   a registered user.  To be a  registered
user, either join our UG   (write for further details) or send a donation of 10
US dollars,    10 pounds,  30 Dm,  or the equivalent to either Amnesty Interna-
tional,  any group helping Nicaraugua,  South African Blacks or   Palestinians.
Send me a photocopy of your deposit slip and a   blank disk;  you will  recieve
the next version.

  Copyright  information:  All rights are mine,  where those  rights  do    not
infringe on other rights.  This text may not be sold,  given,    exchanged,  or
offered  as part of a commercial exchange (I went to   law school.  I have  two
brothers who are hotshot American lawyers.    I will sue.  Commercial copyright
infringement  is  big  money.  If   you hear of someone using this  text  in  a
commercial  manner   (selling,  printing,  etc),  let me know so I can  send  a
generous    reward.)  Copying of this file is permitted where such  copying  is
free  and between users.  Public domain services may offer this   document  for
distribution if they do not charge more than 4   dollars, 4 pounds, ten DMarks,
or the equivalent in any national   currency as a service fee only.


  Andreas Ramos,
  68000 User Group
  Jaegergaardsgade  142.2
  8000  Aarhus  C
  Danmark,  Scandinavia

  == * * ==
  68000 BBS
  Tlf 06/109777
  24 Hours
  All Weather
  300/1200/2400 Baud




                                End of Text file

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