 
 | | |  DUSSELDORF REPORT
 | | |  Story by John Nagy, Courtesy AtariUser Magazine
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 NOTE:  This article may NOT be reprinted without written permission
 of Quill Publishing.  Copyright (c)1992, AtariUser Magazine, John Nagy
 
 
 Atari's Newest Machine is introduced in German Atari Fair
 
 The floor of the world's largest annual Atari fair had "Falcons all over
 the floor of the show, in almost every booth," according to Nathan
 Potechin of DMC Publishing, Inc., who gave AtariUser eyewitness accounts
 during the show.  Other estimates said that about 20 Falcons were
 roosting throughout the sprawling conference center.  Many show-goers
 thought they were looking at regular 1040's since the Falcons on display
 were not black as originally thought.
 
 The Dusseldorf, Germany locale for Atari Messe was again inundated with
 Atari--the huge trade show spans roughly four football fields of floor
 space.  Nathan reported that the show this year (August 21-23) is
 similar in size and attendance to last year's event, which brought
 30,000 of the faithful to visit 180 vendors.
 
 The announcement of the Falcon 030 was the first order of business at
 Dusseldorf.  The crowds knew what they were coming to see after months
 of nearly-accurate profiles of the coming machine were offered by most
 of the Atari media, and the excitement was high as they saw it
 firsthand.
 
 However, numerous reports have been made by developers and attendees
 that indicate that the Falcon is not quite ready to fly.  While many
 existing software products are said to run flawlessly and swiftly,
 reports of spectacular crashes when running software already loaded on
 the demo units hard drives blemished the premier.
 
 In any case, many vendors at AtariMesse had new applications that
 exposed the power and features that are new on the Falcon 030.  DMC
 Publishing (Calamus) again had the largest booth on the floor, spanning
 4,000 square feet with about 40 people working in it alone.  Other large
 booths included TMS, Matrix, 3K, and Maxxon.  Many new products were
 shown, and AtariUser will report on them in detail in our next issue.
 
 Prices and Plans
 
 The "base" Falcon 030 will retail for $799 in the USA in a one-megabyte
 configuration.  The next option up the scale will be a four-megabyte RAM
 Falcon with 65 megabyte hard drive at $1,399.  Availability in the US is
 slated for "October" in limited quantities.  The FCC type acceptance for
 domestic sales is not yet in hand, but is predicted to be a sure thing
 this time, due to extensive tests done in-house at Atari.
 
 Marketing plans for the new machine in the USA were also revealed in
 Germany.  Sam Tramiel told dealers and developers at Atari Messe that
 the US launch will be via regional marketing build-ups.  Individual
 regions of the USA will be targeted, one at a time, with major "dog and
 pony shows" to both woo and educate computer dealers.  Significant co-op
 advertising money will be offered to dealers who join in the roll-out.
 Once enough regions are served by a new operating dealer network, Atari
 will launch a national advertising campaign.
 
 Industry observers suggest that this plan will make the most of Atari's
 cash and production resources.  By serving a small but growing dealer
 network with product, on-board Falcon dealers can be more assured of
 delivery of product during the build-out stages of the plan.  Dealers
 will help and be helped in promotional costs, enabling Atari to make a
 bigger splash in smaller ponds with less of their own money, and
 allowing Atari's resources to go towards increasing production of Falcon
 computers.  As production and sales increase, so will revenues with
 which to attack new regions.  Meanwhile, Falcon specific software will
 mature and present a solid base for the later national marketing
 efforts, to come in 1993.
 
 The Word on the Bird
 
 Atari's CEO Sam Tramiel made conference appearances on the GEnie and
 Delphi telecommunication networks the week before AtariMesse, giving the
 fans worldwide a chance to "talk" to him "live."  Communicating via
 modem to the conferences, the audience could ask questions directly of
 Sam and the Atari technical team, and get answers in real time.  The
 result was the best look we've had to date at the intention and
 potential of Atari and the new Falcon.
 
 The corporate view of the Falcon 030 is that it exceeds all of the
 multimedia expectations of the computer buying public, while being an
 exceptional value as a home computer system.  Sam took fire on the
 conferences over the 1040 style case, which is seen by some as a curse.
 Sam reiterated the Atari position that the Falcon 030 is the consumer/
 introductory unit of a new series of computers, and alluded to a 68040
 to come, but would say no more.
 
 Conversely, Sam Tramiel said of sales and advertising of the current
 line of Atari computers: "We felt that the present ST/STE family was not
 strong enough to market in the US.  We have been waiting for this new
 product, and we do plan to support it and market it in the US.  It will
 be a hard battle, but we will put a good effort behind it."  He added
 that the STe and especially the TT lines will continue to be produced
 and supported.
 
 More:

 ||| MultiTOS is a combination of rom and disk based software.  Most well
     written applications seem to work fine.  MultiTOS will be available
     as an upgrade for the TT030 and future 68030 and above machines.
 
 ||| Bundled software will be packaged with the Atari Falcon030 will
     include games written especially for the Atari Falcon030, including
     LandMines and a BreakOut kind of game.  There will also be a Rolodex
     type of application called Cal/Apt, a calculator application called
     ProCalc, and a Talking Clock desk accessory.
 
 ||| New STe compatible analog joysticks will have 15 buttons, with three
     fire buttons and a 12 key keypad.
 
 ||| A true expansion bus via a direct processor slot with all of the
     necessary data and control lines to allow plugging in optional third
     party coprocessor boards.  This will allow more complete PC and Mac
     emulators, for example.
 
 ||| According to Sam, there are some 30 new developers that are
     producing software for the Atari Falcon.  Several of the developers
     are also NeXT developers.
 
 ||| Contrary to a few scare rumors, the MIDI and cartridge ports are
     still standard.  However, there is no external floppy connector for
     a second disk drive, and no ACSI/DMA port for Atari brand hard
     drives and laser printers.  Sam explains that Atari opted for the
     industry standard and faster SCSI II.  Third party companies have
     developed converter boxes to allow the SLM printers to connect to
     the Atari Falcon 030.
 
 Memory Matters
 
 The Falcon 030 can have 1, 4 or 14 megabytes of RAM.  The memory is
 addressed continuously, and any application or MultiTOS can see all the
 memory at once.  Memory upgrades will be through a "Atari Falcon" ram
 board.  There are no memory controllers on the board like on the TT, and
 Atari's pricing on the RAM will be "very competitive."  The RAM in the
 Falcon is 32-bit wide, and the limited total RAM configurations allow
 faster memory access than other multiples.
 
 Why 14 instead of 16 or more megabytes?  In order to maintain a high
 degree of compatibility with ST software, a 16 meg window was maintained
 despite the ability of the 68030 chip to "see" far more memory.  The top
 two meg of the 16 meg a 68000 is capable of addressing are mapped as I/O
 device handling areas, so they are not used by the Falcon either.  The
 result is a lot of RAM that is used just like ST memory instead of the
 switching scheme used in the TT.
 
 Sightings

 The Atari Falcon030 will work with any VGA, or Atari ST Color Monitor...
 SC1224 or SC1435.  The 16 bit True Color (non-palette) mode will work in
 640 x 480 interlaced on a TV or ST style monitor.  A special cable will
 let you use an older ST monitor.  True Color will also work in 320 x 480
 on VGA monitors.  The BLiTTER Chip has been sped up to 16 MHz to handle
 the extra bandwidth and does double duty for fast hard drive access.
 
 The Falcon 030 is easily "Genlockable" for multimedia and TV use; a
 cheap third-party external device is required to strip the sync from the
 external signal.
 
 
 

 



 | | |  NETWORK FLOW CONTROL
 | | |  Compiled by Ed Krimen
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 Some messages may have been edited for correct spelling, grammar, and
 irrelevant material.
 
 
 WHAT?!  NO FLOPPY PORT ON THE FALCON?
 -------------------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)

 Message 35        Mon Aug 17, 1992
 K.CAVAGHAN2 [OakSprings]     at 00:38 EDT
 
 I am very excited about the Falcon and it's potential.  I only have 1
 question (of course).
 
 I'm hoping I am wrong but is the Falcon limited to just the internal
 floppy?  I hope I read the spec's wrong but if so, may I ask why?
 
 Thanks,
 Kent
 ----------
 Message 39        Mon Aug 17, 1992
 OUTRIDER [Terry]             at 11:04 EDT
 
 Kent, There is no external floppy port, but from what I understand you
 can hook up a high density floppy drive to the SCSI II port.
 
 - Terry -
 ----------
 Message 40        Mon Aug 17, 1992
 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH]        at 12:14 EDT
 
 If you need an external floppy you can buy a SCSI unit. I think the
 strategy behind having only one floppy is that EVERY Falcon comes with a
 hard drive interface built in, and you can get a small Hdrive for the
 price of a second floppy, so that is what people would do, rather than
 investing in two floppies.  With the early STs that wasn't the case,
 remember that it was many months before the SH204 was out in quantity,
 and back then a hard drive wasn't thought of as cheap enough to be
 affordable to anyone...20Meg IDE's are affordable to anyone who can
 afford the computer in the firstplace ;-)
 ===================================


 MORE NOTES ON THE FALCON FROM JIM ALLEN
 ---------------------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)

 Message 17        Fri Aug 14, 1992
 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH]        at 22:54 EDT
 
 The internal expansion bus is very general, it can be used for anything
 ...386sx, acceleration, video, etc, etc.
 
 I look forward to making an accelerator for this unit, it is the best
 baseline we've ever had to start with!! Should be easy to make it quite
 peppy.
 
 The memory daughterboard is ALSO a good place for video expansions, the
 sky really is the limit on the neat things you can do down the road with
 this machine....of course it's gonna be a while before there are
 1,000,000+ units out there.
 
 The only continued limitation on PC emulators will be the fact that
 although there is 640x480 mode it isn't done with the weird bank
 switching stuff the PC VGA cards are, making it tough to emulate VGA
 color, so much PC software goes right to the hardware on the VGA cards.
 But it may be possible to build a video/memory daughterboard that could
 really act like a VGA card to a PC emulator.  We'll have to see.
 
 The Falcon has a SCSI II port, just like the Mac, but there is no more
 Atari ACSI port.  3rd party's are going to come out with a SCSI
 interface box for the SLM printers, to replace the original controller
 box....which is kinda neat, because from there all you need is a driver
 to be able to use the SLM on a fast Mac or PC with SCSI....hmmm.
 
 Of course a fairly inexpensive accelerator will be able to bring the
 Falcon up to the equivalent of a 486-100 ;-) With some hires mono video
 tossed in and a 19" Mac mono monitor would give you a KILLER DTP/
 Graphics machine for about $2,500 in the Falcon.  Add a BIG Hdisk and
 the Unix software and for $3,000 you've got a kickbutt lowend Unix
 workstation....just get NeXT Step ported to it...pleeeease ;-)
 ===================================


 FLOPTICAL DRIVES AVAILABLE FOR ST AND FALCON
 --------------------------------------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)
 
 Message 150       Mon Aug 24, 1992
 MAG.SOFTWARE                 at 01:39 EDT
 
 For those interested in an external floppy drive for the Falcon, New
 Dimensions Computer Center sells a 20MB Floptical drive with 1 20MB disk
 for $459.  With 'shoebox' case, 60 watt power supply and SCSI cable for
 $589.  With 'shoebox' case, 60 watt power supply, ICD AdSCSI Host
 Adaptor, DMA cable and software for $659.
 
 This Floptical drive will read, write and format 720K and 1.44MB floppy
 disks as well as the 20MB disks. Floppies run TWICE as fast as a
 'regular' floppy drive.
 
 Extra 20MB disks are ONLY $24.95.
 
 Contact:  New Dimensions Computer Center
           9026 W. National Ave
           West Allis, WI 53227
           (414)327-3311
 ===================================


 C++ FOR THE ST
 --------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)

 Message 71        Thu Aug 20, 1992
 CBARRON                      at 01:38 EDT
 
 >Is anyone planning on implementing C++ on the atari platform?
 
 It is near completion. Comeau Computing (I think that is the name the
 vendor of Comeau C++ for unix anyway.) has an almost completed port of
 their software to the atari platform.  It is AT&T 3.0 with templates,
 etc. compliant and very portable accross platforms.  Reviewers in the
 unix segment of computers think very highly of this product.
 ----------
 Message 72        Thu Aug 20, 1992 
 CHERRY.FONTS [Todd]          at 02:04 EDT
 
 A fellow developer friend uses GNU C++ for all his commercial Atari
 software projects.  It exists and is free (available here on GEnie I
 believe,) and is quite capable.

 ..Todd Cherry Fonts Member IAAD
 ===================================


 MAKING THE RIGHT THINGS HAPPEN
 ------------------------------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from "The Soapbox: Editorials about Atari" topic (2)

 Message 173       Fri Aug 21, 1992
 LEXICOR [Lee]                at 00:29 EDT
 
 I know it's hard to understand, and I am probably the last person to say
 so: "But" you should understand that there are a lot of honest, hard-
 working, devoted people working at ATARI doing their level best to make
 the "Right" things happen.
 
 I have met and had dinner with Sam T, Bill Rehbock, and others, and I
 believe that these two and all those who they work with are doing
 everything possible.  You have to really be in this business before you
 can begin to understand how complex and how hard it is to get everything
 to happen when you want it to.  Yes, I know I rant and rave sometimes,
 both here and elsewhere, but do understand I hope that what "I want" for
 LEXICOR and what ATARI "needs" is not always the same thing.  They can
 no more drop everything and do for me than they can drop everything and
 just start pandering to the US market.
 
 I am not making excuses for ATARI; and I am not saying that "my view" of
 the ATARI market is any better than theirs is.  What I am saying is that
 it is really quite pointless to challange Sam T. or, as I often do,
 challenge Bill Rehbock when I am frustrated.  These men have many
 restrictions on what they can and cannot do.  I would be willing to bet
 that no matter what choice they make on any given issue, business
 situation or who gets what and when, there will always be someone who
 will be unhappy.
 
 It is really quite unfair to expect any large company to be sensitive to
 each and every need of each patron.  Even at LEXICOR we often have
 chronic problems.  I could show you a file of small problems and nearly
 a thousand letters sent to me by customers who just wanted a little
 attention -- you know, just four or five questions.  There is no way I
 can ever answer all these letters as much as I would like to.  I have
 two telephone lines, one direct.  I publish this one so that our
 customers can call and try to get problems solved directly.  But even
 so, this does not always help.  There is little I can do about some
 problems, albeit I have complete authority to do whatever I want!  But I
 can't do anything to make disk deliveries speed up, or make UPS find a
 lost shipment.  In many cases, I can only ask for help from this vendor
 or that vendor.  In many cases, I have to shell out cash before I can
 order.  Think what it is like to pay for all the "Bazillion" bits and
 pieces to build a computer, and how amazing that they even work at all!
 
 I hope these comments will be of some interest!
 Lee
 ===================================


 POSSIBLE 68040 UPGRADE FOR FALCON
 ---------------------------------
 -=> In the "Hardware" category (4)
 -=> from the "Turbo16-30 from Fast Technology" topic (11)

 Message 109       Sun Aug 16, 1992
 J.RICE5 [Joe Rice]           at 03:59 EDT
 
 Jim, I saw that Sam Tramiel indicated that the Falcon couldn't be
 upgraded to a 68040.  I assume you know something he doesn't, right?
 
 Joe
 ----------
 Message 110       Sun Aug 16, 1992
 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH]        at 12:48 EDT
 
 Yep, the design of the Falcon doesn't have any built in "gotcha's" that
 make using an 040 impossible... which IS the case with the ST(E) design.
 Also, the OS has been "fleshed out" in many ways by Atari, so that
 MultiTOS knows what to do with each of the possible processors it might
 end up running on.  I've done a study of what's required and it will be
 possible to put a board in, although it may be in the $1,100 range.
 I've also scoped out the Tiny030 for the Falcon, and will provide swap-
 grades for Tiny030 owners in the future when they want to move to a
 Falcon.  I'll probably yank out a design I have for a Mac monitor
 compatible high-res monochrome and slap that onto the Falcon Tiny030.
 Since the RAM system is 32bit on the Falcon -- not burst mode but 32bits
 wide -- the cache for it will be 32bit and I've got a really neat design
 done.  It should be a serious screamer... 40 or 50Mhz 030, cache, and
 1152x870 19" mono video circuit.
 ----------
 Message 111       Sun Aug 16, 1992
 AD-VANTAGE                   at 12:58 EDT
 
 Joe, I would read Sam Tramiel's statement to mean *ATARI* will not be
 offering a 68040 upgrade for the Falcon.  With the processor direct
 connections, just about anything is possible in the way of Falcon
 upgrades with the help of 2nd party developers such as Fast Technology.
 
 -- Ron
 ===================================


 SO WHAT'S IT LIKE?
 ------------------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from the "Atari systems vs. Other systems" topic (22)

 Message 118       Fri Aug 14, 1992
 D.D.MARTIN [Swampy]          at 18:34 EDT
 
 Well, folks, I've had my PC for a little over 2 weeks and am here to
 tell you that I'm not overly impressed.  Understand that it is a truly
 dedicated system.  I run it only to do research for my business.  What
 it does for me in this regard is worth the expense.
 
 The system I have is a 386-DX, 4 megs RAM, 3.5 and 5.25 high density
 floppies, 80 MEG h/d and a CD ROM player (the research data base is on
 CD disc), and super VGA monitor.
 
 My _first_ impression of this rig was geeezus, it's so BIG!!  The CPU
 case turned out to be too big to put on my desk top so I moved it down
 under the desk.  Besides, it's _ugly_.
 
 My sister (a programmer and systems anylist) put the system together for
 me and set everything up so that when I turn it on it goes straight to
 the research program.  I don't think I could have gotten all the
 config.sys and autoexec.bat files done by myself.  I don't _want_ to
 learn computing I just want to _use_ a computer!
 
 I never will forget setting up my first ST.  It was so easy!  Plug and
 play!  I had the system up and running and was logged on to GEnie using
 FLASH within a half hour of getting home with my new computer.  It took
 my sister 2 hours to get the PC set up and she _knows_ what she's doing!
 Pitty the poor soul who knows very little about computers that buys a PC
 at SAMS and faces the overwhelming task of getting it running.
 
 Hugs...Swampy
 ----------
 Message 176       Sat Aug 22, 1992
 C.HERBORTH [-Chris-]         at 16:26 EDT
 
 BTW, a friend of mine just got a TT.  We're planning to kill him so we
 can take it...  We've also been playing with the LC II at the Future
 Shop and yes, it's slow as molasses.  Yuck.  Reminds me of when I had a
 C=64 and it took a half hour to load a game.  The one guy who's a
 hardware guru said "_THIS_ is an 030?!?!?"
 
 Then there's my '486 at work.  We've paid about $2000 for the software
 on it (only one pirate application!  wow!  NCR's pretty good about that)
 and are there any useful _tools_ on it?  Nope.  If I need to convert a
 picture from one format to another (since Word can't deal with most TIFF
 images we have, and PCX is a Bad Thing) I either have to bring it home
 for my ST to churn away on, or hack something together on the unix
 server.  Have you ever tried programming with MicroSloth C?!?  There's
 about 200 command switches you _need_ just to compile a simple hello.c
 program (ie, a program that prints "Hello!" and does nothing else)...
 
 Not to mention the fact that most software doesn't work properly on it,
 since I don't have a VGA monitor.  We dropped > $3000 to put a 19"
 monochrome on it.  Oh, so fast on that 8Mhz bus.
 
 I'm _very_ eagerly awaiting a Mega-style Falcon 030.  If they don't fly
 in North America, I'll have to move on from my ST...  Probably to an SST
 or TinyTurbo 030.  DOS is the choice of the stupid generation (ie,
 people who don't know anything about computers and buy it for work; and
 business people who still think IBM is the safest business machines,
 despite the fact that they grab the cheapest klone they can find) and
 Macs are so over-priced that it's not funny.  Mind you, if I won a
 lottery, I'd probably consider a Quadra 950... then I'd buy a NeXT.
 
 Didja ever notice how much PC owners/users talk about "compatibility"?
 How they pay an extra $100 or whatever to have that archaic 5.25" drive
 installed "just in case"?  DESPITE THE FACT that they never pass data
 files around?!?  And even when they do, they're doomed, since they don't
 have the same application, or the same _version_ of the application.
 
 -Chris-
 ===================================


 CAN YOU EVER HAVE TOO MUCH FALCON INFO?
 ---------------------------------------
 -=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
 -=> from the "Atari 'Falcon' Project' topic (20)

 Message 229       Sat Aug 15, 1992
 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH]        at 03:12 EDT
 
 The Falcon is a really really spiffy offspring of the STE and shares the
 same basic memory map.  The top 1 Meg is used for IO devices, the next
 to top 1 Meg is used for Tos ROMs.  That leaves 14 Megabytes out of the
 16 Megabytes total address space.  You can now use the full 14 Megs of
 address space as RAM, the RAM controller even does the work for you!!
 
 Yes, the 030 chip allows more than a 16 Megabyte address space, but NOT
 when you are trying to be as compatible as possible to the STE.  Far too
 many ST applications, especially games, are not and never will be "32-
 bit clean".  So Atari made the new machine so it didn't _require_ 32bit
 clean software, it will run the older non-32bit clean software...like
 Tempus the editor as an example, and Calamus 1.09N as another example.
 It's really a very nice compromise, and if you _need_ more the 14Megs it
 can be arranged, by slapping a memory expansion board in the CPU
 expansion slot, rigged up to act the way TT ram does now in the TT...and
 on the Turbo030 accelerator ;-) So you could add, hmmm, 8 16Megabyte
 SIMMs, or something equally rediculous. ;-)
 
 On the video, yes, by implementing the "interlaced" mode you can get
 most resolutions on the SC1224, making the transition for ST users much
 less costly to begin with.  Neat.
 
 NTSC has 525 periods of information between vertical sync pulses, so
 there is the ability to put 525 lines worth of info on the screen.
 Oops, that's 525 lines between even vertical sync pulses.  Each period
 of information is unique, so that's about as close to having 525 lines
 of resolution you're going to get on a TV. But because TV is
 "overscanned" on the tube, you actually only see about 480 of those
 lines, the rest are "off screen". If you could scrunch the vertical size
 down enough you could see them all.
 
 Overscanning is used so they don't have to be as precise in
 manufacturing the TVs about lining up the display on the tube, the whole
 tube face gets zapped, otherwise you'd have to precisely adjust the
 position of the display so it was located neatly on the screen.
 
 The Falcon will be "acceleratable" easily, 40 or 50 Mhz would be the
 target for an 030, if you're going to the trouble of speeding up, why
 stop at 33? ;-)
 
 Atari has been very sensible from the start on upgradability with the
 Falcon.  If they can't meet the $35/Meg RAM price, I'm sure a 3rd party
 will.  Since the 4 Megabyte size board would require 8 1Megx4 chips, a
 small PC board, and an inexpensive connector, it should be salable for
 around $159 retail, or $40/Meg and still make a profit for the developer
 and dealer.
 
 The internal IDE needs to be a 2.5" drive to fit, and I'm sure they'll
 leave the space there, ready to have a drive slapped in, no tricks, no
 hurdles, no crippling.
 
 There's been a real, fundamental, change in Atari's view toward 3rd
 party enhancements and user upgradability, and the Falcon will show it.
 
 The IDE and SCSI II ports are DMA'd ports. The Blitter chip is used as a
 generic DMA controller, not only drawing lines on the screen like
 lightning, but also reading/writing to disk.  Something the Mac's lack
 and could REALLY use. ;-)
 
 The Falcon only knows about 14 Megs of RAM, CPU, blitter, DMA, etc.  It
 is out of the box a 24bit machine...ie, only the first 24 bits of the
 68030 address bus are connected to anything.  This is REQUIRED in order
 to be thoroughly compatible with the ST software that is not "32-bit
 clean".
 
 Yes, a 3rd-party can add "TT RAM" since the OS continues to have all the
 appropriate support built in.  I'd assume that will happen, as I said,
 this is a VERY EXPANDABLE machine; there are very few limitations.
 However, adding "TT RAM" type boards will change the system into a 32bit
 device and it will have then have some of the incompatibilities that the
 TT has.  I'd suggest someone doing such a board include a "defeat" to
 allow return to 24bit-ness.
 ----------
 Message 55        Sat Aug 22, 1992
 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird]        at 09:41 EDT
 
 Towns: Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions, minus the
 questions about advanced models and marketing strategies...
 
 Fire 1: Does the Falcon 030 come with MultiTOS. I mean, is it done and
         ready and shipping in Falcons, or will it be an 'upgrade'?
 
 Fire 2: Has GEM been tweaked up with nice multi-colored (aka more than
         2) Icons and Gadgets? Maybe even 3-D like buttons, etc?
 
 Fire 3: In a 14 meg unit, where the 68030 doesn't "see" the last 2 megs,
         did you guys at least give the hardware access to it?  Like,
         could it be used by the sound stuff, or the blitter?  Is there
         possibly a way of "bank switching" a la 130XE, which lets me use
         the RAM for anything?  (I mean my whole computer only has 2 megs
         now, so it seems like a waste to not have access to it) I don't
         suppose that the Falcon RAM card only has 14 megs populated?
         Opinion around here says that it has the full 16 on it.
 
 Fire 4: What is the difference about VGA monitors which won't let the
         Falcon do 16 bit color in 640x480 mode, yet it will work with a
         TV?  I was always under the impression that TV was poor quality
         and that monitors were much better.  Is it because of the
         interlacing?
 
 Fire 5: Will I be able to take advantage of the new resolutions on my
         SC1224?  If so, will they suffer because the monitor is
         outdated?
 
 Fire 6: Does the BLiTTER and other hardware video features work in ALL
         resolutions?  The BLiTTER seems to be set up for the 4 plane, 2
         plane, and 1 plane modes of the ST.  Have to new modes been
         designed to fit the Blitter, or the other way around?  How about
         horizontal and vertical scrolling?  Overscan?
 
 Fire 7: How much does it cost to become a Falcon Developer?  What would
         one get from Atari if one were to register?
 
 Fire 8: Will MultiTOS really be able to run concurrently such existing
         programs like Pagestream, DynaCADD, Aladdin, etc?  Or, will only
         special versions run with it?  Also, is there a "I'm a bad
         program and I only run when I have the whole system" mode, which
         will allow poorly written programs to run?
 
 Fire 9: What portions of MultiTOS are on disk? Does this mean that
         perhaps periodic upgrades to the disk portions of MultiTOS will
         be available on the Official Online Service of Atari Corp?  Why
         put it on disk in the first place?  It's not a RAM hog like
         windoze, is it?
 
 Fire 10: Can you tell us about any potential uses for the DSP, other
         than the sound processing capabilities?
 
 Thanks for taking the time to read and consider these questions, which
 have been nagging at us all for so long.  It seems like every answer
 spawns 10 more questions, but any information is truly appreciated.
 thanks.
 ----------
 Message 56        Sat Aug 22, 1992
 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH]        at 11:12 EDT
 
 TBird, the 16Meg board will only allow 14Megs to be accessed.  The ROMS
 have 1Meg of the memory map, and IO devices have another 1Meg.  The
 Blitter needs to access the ROMS and the IO devices.  SO nothing that
 could use the access will be able to, that's life.  Why is it so hard to
 understand?
 
 If you take a Mac Plus or Classic, stuff a 68030 board in, and stuff 16
 Megs on RAM on it, you will still only get access to 14Megs of it...for
 exactly the same reason.
 
 A 16Meg upgrade should be around $399 from 3rd parties, based on the
 price of 4Meg Drams these days.
 ----------
 Message 60        Sat Aug 22, 1992
 FIFTHCRUSADE                 at 16:52 EDT
 
 Thunderbird,  I can answer some of these.
 
 #5 You'll be able to use your old monitor with an adapter, and it will
    work with any resolution with 200 horizontal lines.  The number of
    colors doesn't matter.  You'll want a new monitor for the higher
    resolutions.
 
 #9 Why put it on disk anyway?  That's where a large complex operating
    system belongs.  The main reason to have TOS in ROM is so you can use
    the system without a hard drive.  You can't realistically run more
    than one application at a time unless you have a hard drive anyway,
    so Multi-TOS should be on the hard drive for upgrade purposes, and to
    save ROM space.
 
 #10 Lots of DSP uses.  I hear rumblings of "realtime-raytracing".

 Ben White
 5th Crusade Software
 ----------
 Message 62        Sat Aug 22, 1992
 TOWNS [John@Atari]           at 17:25 EDT
 
 1. To my knowledge, MultiTOS is NOT currently shipping with the
    Falcon030 machines in Germany.  I don't know when that will happen,
    but we still have some work to do on MultiTOS.
 
 2. The Falcon030 version of TOS (known as TOS 4.0) has numerous new
    features. They include support for DMA sound playback and record, DSP
    support, 3D objects (the windows from the desktop are 3D), sub-menus
    and popups built into the OS, and up to 256 color icons.
 
 3. Currently, the extra 2 megabytes is not available for use in
    Falcon030.  They do have the full 16 megabytes on the board.
 
 4. True Color, 640x480 on a VGA monitor is too much bandwidth for the
    video hardware to handle.  TV modes look okay, but I think the best
    route is an Atari color monitor (the same as the current Atari Color
    monitor).
 
 5. Yes. And no.. the new modes look fine on a SC1224.
 
 6. There is a re-designed BLiTTER in the video chip that runs at 16Mhz
    instead of 8Mhz and is used in all modes.  Overscan is built-in and
    Hardware scrolling works the same as the STE.
 
 7. The developer information has not changed.  You should talk with Gail
    Bacani at Atari.
 
 8. If you have a bad program, you should pressure the author of the
    program to fix it.  However, if you run that program as the only
    program in the system, it will probably work.  Besides, since current
    versions of MultiTOS are soft-loaded, you can disable MultiTOS when
    you boot up your system for those annoying programs.  And yes,
    MultiTOS does run existing applications concurrently.  There are some
    programs that don't work, but the major applications are running now
    or may require a small update.
 
 9. MiNT and the new AES are on disk.  The VDI and the lower level OS
    functions are used out of ROM. MultiTOS does use some RAM, how much I
    am not sure about.  As for availability of MultiTOS, I have no idea
    when that will happen and how it will happen.
 
 10. Well, it can be used for decompress of JPEG pictures.  We are
    already doing that here at Atari.  How about a modem?  There are DSP
    modems out there that are just an adapter that plugs into the DSP
    port and processes the analog signals from the modem.
 
 If there is anything else.. or you would like me to expand on something,
 please feel free to jump in and ask.
 
 -- John Townsend, Atari Corp.
 
 Resolutions available on the Atari Falcon030 (c) 1992 Atari Corp.
 Written by John Townsend
 =========================================================================
 This document may be re-printed again and again as long as the Atari
 copyright remains intact.
 =========================================================================
 
 A couple of notes: Unlike previous machines, there are just too many
 resolutions to give each resolution a name.  Therefore, I will do my
 best to describe what the resolution is and which monitor it is on.
 
 - NOTE: TV and a Color Monitor are the same.. by Color Monitor, I am
   talking about the standard SC1224.  By VGA, I mean a standard VGA
   Monitor.

 40 column modes ( "column" means the number of x pixels divided by 8)
 ---------------
    4 color, normal, TV:         320x200,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, normal, TV:         320x200,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, normal, TV:         320x200,  256 colors, 8 planes
 True color, normal, TV:         320x200,  true color
 
    4 color, interlace, TV:      320x400,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, interlace, TV:      320x400,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, interlace, TV:      320x400,  256 colors, 8 planes 
 True color, interlace, TV:      320x400,  true color
 
    4 color, normal, VGA:        320x480,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, normal, VGA:        320x480,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, normal, VGA:        320x480,  256 colors, 8 planes 
 True color, normal, VGA:        320x480,  true color

    4 color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,  256 colors, 8 planes 
 True color, line-doubling, VGA: 320x240,  true color

 80 column modes
 ---------------
    2 color, normal, TV:         640x200,    2 colors, 1 plane
    4 color, normal, TV:         640x200,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, normal, TV:         640x200,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, normal, TV:         640x200,  256 colors, 8 planes 
 True color, normal, TV:         640x200,  true color

    4 color, interlace, TV:      640x400,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, interlace, TV:      640x400,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, interlace, TV:      640x400,  256 colors, 8 planes 
 True color, interlace, TV:      640x400,  true color

    2 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,    2 colors, 1 plane
    4 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, normal, VGA:        640x480,  256 colors, 8 planes

    4 color, line-doubling, VGA: 640x240,    4 colors, 2 planes
   16 color, line-doubling, VGA: 640x240,   16 colors, 4 planes
  256 color, line-doubling, VGA: 640x240,  256 colors, 8 planes

 and lastly.. there are compability modes for ST Low, ST Medium, and ST
 High on both VGA monitors and SC1224 monitors. (On a color monitor, ST
 High is achieved by using the interlace mode).
 
 Also, the ST Monochrome monitor (the SM124) will work with Falcon030 as
 well.  However, it only supports one resolution: ST High Resolution.
 
 All modes on a TV can be overscanned. This means multiplying the X and Y
 resolution by 1.2.  For example, modes with 320 pixels of horizontal
 resolution (X res) will become 384 pixels across, and modes with 640
 pixels will become 768 across.  Overscanning is done in the X and Y
 resolution.  You can't do them independently.  Special Note: On a VGA
 monitor, overscan is "faked".. since the video hardware doesn't have the
 capability to do overscan on a VGA monitor, we made it so that if a
 overscan mode is set on a VGA monitor, you still see the normal size
 screen, but the screen is a window onto the bigger overscanned image.
 Make sense?  We did this for compatibility.  This way if a game that has
 an overscanned starup picture can use the same pic on both the VGA
 monitor and the TV monitor.  Pretty cool, eh? <grin>
 
 BTW.. Overscan can NOT be set from the desktop.  The AES and Desktop
 will work just fine with it, but because you can't see the parts of the
 screen, we thought that that option shouldn't be available from the
 desktop.  We don't want to confuse people.  However, Overscan can be set
 using a new XBIOS call (Vsetmode()).. so it is still available.
 
 I hope I haven't made any mistakes.  I triple-checked this document in
 search of errors and I couldn't find any.  If you do find some, send me
 Email on GEnie (to TOWNS) or CIS (70007,1135) and let me know.
 
 -- John Townsend, Atari Corp.
 
 PS. Anyone who would like to reprint this message, please do so!  The
 smaller the number of times I have to type that message, the more my
 fingers with thank you! ;-)
 
 After looking at this one more time.. one point to clear up: By saying
 SC1224 Color Monitor, I mean any Color Monitor that Atari have
 manufactured for the ST/Mega/STE/MegaSTE computers.  Clear as mud? ;-)
 ===================================
 
 
 FALCON VERSUS TT
 ----------------
 -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
 -=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)

 Message 153       Mon Aug 24, 1992
 J.MEEHAN3 [>> Joe M << ]     at 05:59 EDT
 
 Jason, What are your needs in a computer?  The TT and the Falcon are two
 different manchines.  Your needs should determine which you want.
 
 In general, I would say if you are into DTP or CAD, you will want the
 TT.  If you run more towards MIDI and general use, the Falcon may be a
 better machine for you.  It also might be interesting to see what add on
 hardware may be made available for the Falcon.  From the talk I hear it
 may out speed the TT with a little help.
 
 >> Joe Meehan <<
 ----------
 Message 154       Mon Aug 24, 1992
 S.WINICK                     at 07:46 EDT
 
 Jason, I really don't understand why so many folks are trying to compare
 the Falcon with the TT030 and are holding off purchasing a TT to wait to
 see the Falcon.  I suspect it's because so far all most of you have been
 only able to see are written specs rather than the machines themselves.
 
 But the TT030 and the Falcon are so totally different machines, it's
 really not a logical comparison.  It's kinda like going car shopping and
 trying to decide whether or not to buy a currently available mini-van
 that'll handle all your growing families current and anticipated future
 needs, or waiting to see what next years 2-seater convertables will look
 like.
 
 If you have a current need for the raw power the TT030 offers, the
 Falcon is simply not a viable alternative as it is simply NOT YET
 AVAILABLE in this country.  If you need a large screen monitor for CAD
 or DTP work, the TT030 is ready NOW to meet you needs.  If you need high
 resolution color graphics, VME boards for the TT030 are available NOW.
 If you need maximum processing speed for these type of demanding
 applications, the TT030 is already running along at a blazingly fast
 32MHz, offers the ability to use extra fast TT-RAM, and the math
 coprocessor chip is standard equipment.  If you need to run multiple
 peripherals such as scanners, plotters, modems, etc., the TT030 already
 has multiple serial and modem ports.
 
 Basically, the TT030 is part of currently available system 'solutions'
 for high-end professional applications.  And its professional-style
 keyboard is no small item for anyone who needs to do a lot of typing.
 
 On the other hand, if your current computer is meeting all your current
 needs and you are in no rush to upgrade your home or personal computer
 needed primarily for a variety of personal applications, then waiting
 for the Falcon may be right for you.  If you're a home user who wants
 maximum compatibility with computer games, the Falcon, provided of
 course that Atari can eventually deliver it with an FCC Class B
 certification, would be a better choice (the TT030 is a Class A Business
 machine).
 
 Of course, if you're currently using a 520/1040 series system and simply
 need a little more horsepower, built-in hard drive, and better keyboard,
 the MegaSTe may also be a good choice.
 
 As with any 'new' computer model, remember that it always takes a little
 time before the software can catch up to the hardware's potential.  The
 potential the Falcon offers for direct to disk recording and true-color
 graphics are impressive.  But until the software is developed to take
 advantage of those capabilities, you will have to wait to achieve that
 potential.
 
 Basically, determine your computer needs, and if at all possible,
 consult with a quality dealership who can make logical recommendations.
 I'm sure that once you make a list of your own needs and desires, the
 choice will become readily apparent.  I'm sure that once Atari can
 provide their dealerships with at least a Falcon demo model, most people
 will have little trouble deciding which Atari model will be best for
 their individual needs.
 
 Now, if you still really feel the need to try to compare the Falcon to
 other models, why not try the new Apple machines or the Amiga? ;-]
 
 Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)
 ===================================
 
 
 
 | | |  FALCON SPECIFICATIONS
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------
 | | |  ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 Atari Falcon Specifications
 
 ///  CPU:  Motorola 68030 running at 16 Mhz
      - 32-bit Bus
      - Optional 68881 or 68882 FPU
      - RAM: 1,4, or 14 megs
      - Standard Atari Cartridge Port
      - Motorola 56001 DSP chip
 
 ///  EXPANSION BUS:  Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC
      emulation, or other coprocessor
 
 ///  GRAPHICS:
      - Super VGA graphics: 640x480 with 256 colors
      - True color 16 bit mode allowing a display of up to 65,536 colors
      - Accepts external video sync signal, allow high quality genlocking
      - Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
      - Overscan on TV's and ST Color monitors
      - 262,144 possible colors
      - Hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
      - BLiTTER graphics co-processor
 
 ///  SOUND FEATURES:
      - Eight 16 bit audio DMA record and playback channels
      - Stereo 16 bit digital DMA input
      - Stereo 16 bit DMA audio output
      - SDMA sound/DMA Coprocessor
 
 ///  STANDARD PORTS:
      - SCSI II port with DMA
      - High speed LocalTalk  compatible  LAN
      - Connector for analog RGB color (ST or VGA) or composite video
      - RS232C serial port
      - Bidirectional parallel port
      - MIDI IN/MIDI OUT
      - Stereo microphone input, miniature stereo plug
      - Stereo audio out, miniature stereo plug
      - Two joystick connectors
      - Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors
 
 ///  DATA STORAGE:
      - 1.44 Mbyte floppy disk drive
      - Optional internal IDE Hard Disk
 
 ///  SYSTEM SOFTWARE:
      - Pre-emptive Multitasking with adaptive prioritzation (MultiTOS)
      - Inter process communication
      - NewDesk desktop and eXtensible control panel
      - Multiple window user interface; number of windows limited only by
        memory or software in use.
 
 ///  PRICING:
      - 1 Meg RAM base configuration: $799 US
      - 4 Meg RAM with 65 Meg internal hard drive: $1,399 US
 
 ///  AVAILABILITY:
      - Shipping to begin in October, 1992, with limited US distribution
        pending FCC type acceptance.
 
 


