Info-Atari16 Digest         Thu, 17 Oct 91       Volume 91 : Issue 537
 
Today's Topics:
                      "I need SIMMs for my Mac"
             1040STf Power Supply Needed/ Junkers Wanted
                          Atari WP for sale
                      DC Data Diet -- Ordering!
                                 FAQL
                       Fligth Simulator on STe
                         ftp site for demos?
                    Help with a printing problem.
                     How do MOD files get played?
                              HPLJ IIIP
                            ICD interfaces
                    Looking for a Spectre GCR cart
                        New products (2 msgs)
                             UK ST stuff
                            Un-scruncher!
                          Uploading to BART.
                          WAACE Show REPORT
                     welcome to comp.sys.atari.st
 
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 16 Oct 91 19:04:12 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!wupost!m.cs.uiuc.edu!vela!sycom!rkushner@arizo
 na.edu (Ronald Kushner)
Subject: "I need SIMMs for my Mac"
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <3105@atari.UUCP> kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes:
>I nearly fell off my chair laughing when I read:
>
>england@milton.u.washington.edu (Gregory Miller) writes:
>
>>Just go to someone who supports
>>the mac and tell them you want FOUR 1 meg SIMM modules (I'd get 80ns ones)
>>for your Mac (don't admit that you have an ST, they'll claim that they
>>don't know what you're talking about!) and pop them in.  Or you can do what
>>I did;  call Microprocessors Unlimited, and tell them the same story; i.e.
>>you need FOUR 1megX8 SIMMs 80 nanosecond speed, for your MAC.
>
>Why wouldn't you just tell them the truth?  Are you so ashamed of
>owning an Atari computer?  Why not just tell 'em: "I need four 1 meg by
>8 Mac-type (as opposed to PC-type) SIMMs, 80 nanoseconds or better, for
>my Atari computer"?
 
Seriously, some of these "Mac" places clamp up when you mention its for
something other than a Mac..  When I ordered an Hard Drive from Club Mac
they told me their drives wouldn't work on an Amiga, so I called back 10
minutes later and told them I had a Mac IIcx...I even had CompUSA tell me
the pinout of my A3000 is totally different from a Mac's 25db SCSI
connector.. Its just that they don't know, and don't want to know...
 
Alot of places just don't want to get into a tech support nightmare selling
something that doesn't work with a certain machine. When you sell something,
you make more money if you never have a call back on the item and have to
provide techinal support..
 
--
 Ronald Kushner                         | Greyhound will take anyone dropped
 P.O. Box 353                           | from the welfare rolls to another
 Sterling Heights, MI  48311-0353       | state with simular benifits for $69
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 UUCP: uunet!mailrus!sharkey!sycom!rkushner  Internet:  rkushner@sycom.mi.org
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 13:22:53 GMT
From: comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!Roger.Sheppard@uunet.uu.net (Roger Sheppard)
Subject: 1040STf Power Supply Needed/ Junkers Wanted
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Oct16.141858.1@ulkyvx.ct.louisville.edu>
 wscart01@ulkyvx.ct.louisville.edu writes:
>
>  I need help on this one. I have a 1040STf that now has a non-functional
> power supply. I was wondering if anyone knows of a place to buy a new one
> or pick up a used one?
>  I've called our local 'Authorized' dealership and they don't have any and
> don't really want to get any. So I am in trouble! Any help would be
> useful. (Even the number for Atari service!)
>
> ---
> Stuart Carter                |  If anyone has a junker 1040STf that can
> University of Louisville     |  be used for parts, E-mail me and we can
> Physics Dept.                |  try to work out a deal!
 
Why not just repair it, they are very simple Switch Mode PSU's.
 
 
--
***  Roger W. Sheppard      *      Roger.Sheppard@bbs.actrix.gen.nz  ***
***  85 Donovan Rd        *    *   GEnie.  R.SHEPPARD5               ***
***  Kapiti                        At least I don't Flicker,         ***
***  New Zealand..          *      not like a dying light globe      ***
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 12:44:18 GMT
From: pa.dec.com!shodha.enet.dec.com!midi.enet.dec.com!dan@decwrl.dec.com
Subject: Atari WP for sale
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Posted for a friend:
 
For Sale:
 
Atari Word Perfect  $50
Complete.
You pay postage.
 
Mindscape's Balance of Power
$5 plus postage
 
Tidbit Software Engineering's GOOD Backup Utility
Unused and unregistered copy. Comes with blank
registration card (and the developer said whoever
buys my copy can send it in)
$20 plus shipping
 
 
Reply to Chad@nutela.enet.dec.com
The goods are in massachusetts at my folks' house
though I am in Germany now.
 
Thanks
Chad
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 04:07:04 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!aunro!ersys!mforget@arizona.
 edu (Michel Forget)
Subject: DC Data Diet -- Ordering!
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Hi.  Does anyone know the telephone number (toll-free) for ordering
programs from Double Click Software?  I'd like to buy DC Data Diet, and I
don't think it is available in the stores around here.
 
Anyone have any idea?
 
 
<<  ------------------------------------------  >>
<<        mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca          >>
<<     ersys!mforget@nro.cs.athabascau.ca       >>
<<               Michel Forget                  >>
<<  "Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards,   >>
<<  for they are not happy campers!" - UNKNOWN  >>
<<  ------------------------------------------  >>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 13:45:49 GMT
From: mcsun!uknet!ukc!dcl-cs!gdt!hs0tc@uunet.uu.net (T Cooke)
Subject: FAQL
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Can someone e-mail me a copy of the latest FAQL for this group please
I am specifically interested in a list of FTP sites.
 
 
Thanks in Advance
 
 
Tim Cooke
hs0tc@uk.ac.bath.gdt
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 09:52:03 GMT
From: mcsun!hp4nl!donau!reeuwijk@uunet.uu.net (C. van Reeuwijk)
Subject: Fligth Simulator on STe
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In <CMM.0.90.2.687630017.larserio@kolsaas.ifi.uio.no> larserio@IFI.UIO.NO
 (LarsErikOsterud) writes:
 
>I run FSII on my MEGA STE (even in 16 Mhz with cache), no problem.
>In 16 MHz the scrolling is much smoother too - great !!!!
 
I think i have an explanation of the various success/failure stories:
 
When I bought FSII, I had a STe with a Megafile 30, and I noticed that
although it was stated in the manual that you could run it from harddisk,
this dit not work for me. Therefore, I only ran it from floppy with the
harddisk switched off.
 
After that, I bought a Mega STe. And I discovered that I could not run
FSII at all, so I took
out a disassembler and tried to find the cause. It appears that there is
a loader program, FS2.PRG, that loads and relocates the code from either
the color or monochrome version of FSII. However, *IT LOADS THE PROGRAM
TO A FIXED ADDRESS*, $28000. This may, or may not be an address that is
already used by other programs, but if you have a harddisk with some ACC's,
a disk cache, or The FOLDRxxx.PRG program it is very likely that the ram
at that address *is* in use.  To prove this to myself, I have de-installed
the auto-boot disk-driver, and started FSII directly from floppy.
It worked!
 
I've tried changing the loader/relocator program to use an other address,
but for some reason this worked only on rare occasions, and I've not been
able to find a pattern in them.
 
I've also written to SubLOGIC, but their reply was in essence "thank you for
the letter, we've forwarded it to the technical department, and since you
have registrated your program, we'll keep you informed about upgrades
of the program." Not very helpful.
 
To prevent any questions in this area: I am *NOT* prepared to send you
sources of my modified version of the loader/relocator. This is to prevent
any copyright problems. However, you can repeat my work very easily with a
good disassembler and assembler.
 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
C. van Reeuwijk                  e-mail: reeuwijk@et.tudelft.nl
Delft University of Technology   Phone: +15-781429
Dep. of Electronic Engineering   Telefax: +15-785922
Mekelweg 4
2628 CD  Delft, The Netherlands
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 12:15:26 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!yale.edu!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit
 .edu!bloom-picayune.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!ugle.unit.no!solan1.
 solan.unit.no!fvlarsen@arizona. (Finn Vidar Larsen)
Subject: ftp site for demos?
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Oct15.150733.900@vax1.mankato.msus.edu>,
 doucetdb@vax1.mankato.msus.edu writes:
|> I am new to this board.  I just read the posts concerning the demos for the
|> ST.  Is there an FTP site where one could get ahold of these?  Gotta show
|> off the ST now, right? ;)
|>
|> Thanks...
|>                      Dave a.k.a. Pi-god
|> doucetdb@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
 
How about the atari/demos directory of atari.archive.umich.edu?
 
/---------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| FINN VIDAR LARSEN                             |Snailmail:                 |
|   Division of Computer Systems and Telematics | Arne Bergsgaardsvei 18/23 |
|   The Norwegian Institute of Technology       | 7033 Trondheim            |
|   The University of Trondheim, Norway         | Norway                    |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|email: fvlarsen@solan.unit.no, fvlarsen@lise.unit.no, fvlarsen@siri.unit.no|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|"Great Wakering (participial vb.):                                         |
|    Panic which sets in when you badly need to go to the lavatory and      |
|    cannot make up your mind about what book or magazine to take with you."|
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 15:05:32 GMT
From:
 pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!engage.pko.dec.com!ynotme.enet.dec.com!wallace@dec
 wrl.dec.com (Ray Wallace)
Subject: Help with a printing problem.
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Oct16.210210.22245@polari.uucp>, rts@polari.uucp (Randy Seacat)
 writes...
>When I do a screen dump, or I use programs that do.
>about 20% of the right side of the image, text or graphics, is not there.
 
Use the control panel to change the printer width. There are two values to
choose from, use the smaller of the two.
 
---
Ray Wallace
                (INTERNET,UUCP) wallace@oldtmr.enet.dec.com
                (UUCP)          ...!decwrl!oldtmr.enet!wallace
                (INTERNET)      wallace%oldtmr.enet@decwrl.dec.com
---
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 11:35:10 GMT
From: mcsun!uknet!ukc!dcl-cs!gdt!hs0tc@uunet.uu.net (T Cooke)
Subject: How do MOD files get played?
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Oct16.055714.25839@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
 at731@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Troy L. Nothnagel) writes:
>
>In a previous article, gpinzone@GEORGE.POLY.EDU (Gerard Pinzone) says:
>
>>Finally, has anyone tried playing a MOD file with a Tweety Board installed?
>>I heard sampled sounds/music was awful and I'd like to know if there is
>>any true seperation with this board.
>
>The Tweety Board sounds HORRIBLE with most types of samples.
>The left and right audio outs on the STe also sound horrible with some
>programs, but with others (especially those designed for it [surprise,
>surprise]) it sounds superb.
>
>>Any news on any stereo upgrades for the ST? Any home brew ones? :-)
>
>There is a stereo card out called the "Master Stereo Cartridge" I
>believe that is supported by MPH's TCB Tracker program.
>--
 
For anyone who wants more info on the MSC (actually Monster Stereo Cartridge),
I know the guy who runs MPH and would be happy to pass on queries etc.
 
E-mail me and I'll do my best!
 
Tim Cooke
hs0tc@uk.ac.bath.gdt
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 12:49:18 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!hri.com!know!daemon@arizona.e
 du
Subject: HPLJ IIIP
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
For the individual who was asking about the HPLJ IIIP, if you use downloaded
fonts or have a postscript board in the HPLJ then you will get good performance
from the ST/HPLJ or TT/HPLJ combo. However, if you use bitmapped fonts or
have bitmapped graphics (such as digitized pics) the HPLJ without postscript
will be VERY, VERY slow (it will be slow connected to any computer that wants
to send bitmapped info down the parallel or serial ports). Want speed and
quality. Use an Atari SLM605 laser. It will outperform the HPLJ IIIP for speed
and you'll need a magnifying glass to see the difference in output quality
compared to an HPLJ. I know; I use an Atari SLM605 at home with my Mega and an
HPLJ printer with my TT at work. By far, I prefer the set host cc4
csullogg
qwerty3
the SLM605's performance. Oops, ignore the stray info in this message; by
accident I hit the wrong key and STalker 2 inserted spurious text from the
function key defs.
 
If you need more info, please contact me directly.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 13:26:09 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!munnari.oz.au!comp.vuw.ac.nz!
 actrix!Roger.Sheppard@arizona.edu (Roger Sheppard)
Subject: ICD interfaces
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Oct16.192659.1755@darwin.ntu.edu.au> anstey_tf@darwin.ntu.edu.au
 writes:
> This is a re-re-post
>
> I am looking for the postal/mail address of ICD Stateside
>
> Is this an impossible question?
>
> surely some American ST'er has purchased from this company?
 
This is from there latest Disk..
 
If you have any questions:
 
     ICD, Inc.
     1220 Rock Street
     Rockford, IL  61101-1437
 
     Voice:  (815) 968-2228
     BBS:    (815) 968-2229
     FAX:    (815) 968-6888
     Orders: (800) 373-7700   NO TECH SUPPORT on this number!!!
 
 
Well I hope this Helps..
 
 
--
***  Roger W. Sheppard      *      Roger.Sheppard@bbs.actrix.gen.nz  ***
***  85 Donovan Rd        *    *   GEnie.  R.SHEPPARD5               ***
***  Kapiti                        At least I don't Flicker,         ***
***  New Zealand..          *      not like a dying light globe      ***
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 12:20:09 GMT
From: aahs.no!data3d@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Karl Anders 0ygard)
Subject: Looking for a Spectre GCR cart
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
I'm looking to upgrade my ST with a Spectre GCR, preferably v3.0 or later.
I'll need the roms. Does anybody have an offer? BTW, does Spectre support
HD drives and TT resolutions, and if not, when will it?
 
Karl Anders Oygard - Karl A Oygard <data3d@aahs.no>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 01:08:47 GMT
From: mcsun!news.funet.fi!funic!nic.funet.fi!jartsu@uunet.uu.net (Jartsu)
Subject: New products
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <fido_2_281/202.12_28f99484@linn.fidonet.org>
 Jan.Willekens@p12.f202.n281.z2.fidonet.org (Jan Willekens) writes:
 
 
    k> Atari multi-tasking TOS release on March '92 (is it in a form of ROM
    k> upgrade?)
 
Only for TT...
 
    k> Atari Falcon (68040-based system?  What about Panther, Jaguar?
 
I have heard something about the TT040 proto. The rumor says it can do
more MIPS and MFLOPS than IBM RS/6000 and NeXT Station...
 
What exactly are Panther and Jaguar???
 
 
 
--
* Jari Lehto     * Voice 90-387939    * Email jartsu@nic.funet.fi   *
* Tenavatie 19 A * Fax +358 0 8735916 * fwd -> s37837k@saha.hut.fi  *
* 00760 HELSINKI *   Atari moderator in nic.funet.fi                *
* Finland        *   Administrator of Atari power-user mailing-list *
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 14:15:35 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!doug.cae.wisc.e
 du!carter@arizona.edu (Gregory Carter)
Subject: New products
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
> k> Atari Falcon (68040-based system?  What about Panther, Jaguar?
>
>Some Atari official made a statement somewhere about this 040TT. It is due
>somewhere next year or so... Panther has been cancelled, Jaguar is under
>development.
 
Just a note people, I couldn't believe it, but when I got into work, sat
down, and low and behold started reading my latest Computer Design
Mag, the section on RISC vs CISC had ATARI plastered all over it, with
a story from one of Atari's senior hardware engineers discussing why
they are using the current 020 core cpu from Motorola to design ..
something.. he wasn't too specific, but probably was talking about the
Jaguar.
 
>--- STabloid's Chief Editor... Prerelease out NOW!
>    Jan.Willekens@p12.f202.n281.z2.fidonet.org
> or Jan.Willekens@p12.f202.n281.z2.linn.gna.tfd.com
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 10:17:32 GMT
From: mcsun!uknet!ukc!icdoc!syma!grahamt@uunet.uu.net (Graham Thomas)
Subject: UK ST stuff
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
From article <fido_2_281/202.12_28f9968f@linn.fidonet.org>, by
 Jan.Willekens@p12.f202.n281.z2.fidonet.org (Jan Willekens):
>
> Yep, England is almost completely games oriented (about 90% color monitors are
> sold with STs) and Germany is the other way round. (about 90% monochrome
> monitors sold)
>
> Greetings...                                                - Jan -
 
A slight correction to the above: most STs in the UK are probably sold
with NO monitor - games freaks plug the ST in to their TV set via the
modulator port.
 
Atari UK are now trying to move a bit away from their games orientation,
but it's not yet clear if they're having any success or if they have the
resources to do it properly.
 
Graham
--
Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK
Email: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk   Phone: +44 273 678165  Fax: +44 273 685865
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 04:48:06 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!talon!orstcs!or
 stcs!usenet@arizona.edu
Subject: Un-scruncher!
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Does ANYONE have an Unscruncher for the ST?
I have a file i can't convert. and it's really getting on my nerves that i can't
 find it through out the various FTP sites i know of.
this scrunch is like MSA but is SCRUNCH-ed. unscrunched of course would mean
 that the file i have would uncompact to a full disk.
does anyone out there have an unscruncher and could either tell me the FTP site
 where i could get it, or UUencode and mail it to me?
 
thank you!
 
maybe even in IBM format? (what else is PCditto for eh?)
 
Thanks!
Timothy Wilson
internet: wilsont@prism.cs.orst.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 04:08:49 GMT
From: lll-winken!aunro!ersys!mforget@uunet.uu.net (Michel Forget)
Subject: Uploading to BART.
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Hello, again.  I have written a terminal program that I would like to
upload to the archive-server at atari.archive.  Could anyone tell me how
I would go about contacting Jeff Weiner, or the appropriate person in
charge of things.  Any information would be welcome.
 
 
<<  ------------------------------------------  >>
<<        mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca          >>
<<     ersys!mforget@nro.cs.athabascau.ca       >>
<<               Michel Forget                  >>
<<  "Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards,   >>
<<  for they are not happy campers!" - UNKNOWN  >>
<<  ------------------------------------------  >>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 00:37:17 GMT
From: noao!ncar!news.miami.edu!umiami!dlk0ms9s@arizona.edu
Subject: WAACE Show REPORT
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
  Well, I went to the WAACE show over the weekend and must say I was impressed.
This being my first Atari Specific Show, I was quite relieved to see a large
amount of people there.  Word has it that the show housed total around 2200.
Atari was NOT there except for the presence of Bob Brodie and 2 TOS programers.
Bob held a question/answer period where he apologized for Atari's lack of
support for the show.  He went on to explain that COMDEX is this weekend and
Atari just couldn't handle both shows.  And COMDEX does have a slight lead over
WAACE.
  Anyway, who was there?  The NEW Michtron who were showing off two new games,
Big BUisness and Prime Time 2.  Both are played in the same style of Prime
Time and are quite anjoyable.  Look for Prime Time 2 in about a month, Big
Buisness is out now.
  Omnimon Perhemprials Inc. was there too showing off their new graphics board.
VERY impressive.  The next version of Prisim paint will support it and is due
early next year.  They also had OMNIMONS to sell, I already own and recommend
it HIGHLY, and DEKAS.
  Phil Counea Software was there with his GRAMSLAMMER and the new version
Gramslam Expert.  BOth are excellent products.  Gribnif was there with new
versions of much software including Steno and Stalker.  Current Notes was there
as well as Atari Explorer, ZNET, ST Reports, and ST Informer.
  Codehead was showing off the new VECTOR drawing and manipulating program
AVANTVECTOR.  It was REALLY impressive and beats Anything I've seen on a Mac or
IBM.  They also had updates for current software.
  Gadgets by Small and FAST Technologies both had their 030 boards there.  BOth
were equally impresive but way out of my league.  BTW, FAST Technologies
donated a Turbo20 accelerator to the Dorr Prizes which I won.  Thanks guys.
 
  There wer more dealers and developers, but those are th highlights.  Look for
TOS 2.6 for the ST sometime soon says Bob Brodie!
 
 Mark Santora
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 17 Oct 91 11:32:53 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!simvax.labmed.umn.edu!
 davidli@arizona.edu
Subject: welcome to comp.sys.atari.st
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Last update: 17 September 1991
Author:  David Paschall-Zimbel          (davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu)
Comments and suggestions welcome.
 
Note:  There is nothing new in this issue.  I am still revamping this
publication, and hope to produce the 'new version' by November of this year. If
you have a 'frequently asked question' you'd like to see included (answers
would be helpful too :)), send me e-mail.  Comments and suggestions on what
bits might be left out (or added, or changed) are also welcome.
 
 
DIRECTORY (new articles and articles with changes are marked with an '*'):
 You may search for the capitalized keywords to find the related article.
 
  WEL   Welcome to comp.sys.atari.st
  CSAST What sort of articles would interest people reading comp.sys.atari.st?
  PD    Where can I get Public Domain/Shareware software?
  ARCS  How do I deal with Archived files (.ZOO, .ARC, .LZH)?
  ERR   What does TOS ERROR nn mean?  What do the bombs on my screen mean?
  PAINT What is the format for [x] paint program data?
  GDOS  What is GDOS, and where can I get it?
  HAM   Where can I find Ham Radio software for the ST?
  CLI   What Command Line Interpreters are available?
  TEX   Is TeX/LaTeX available on the Atari ST?
  LANG  Public Domain/Shareware languages...
  GNUC  Is GNU C available on the Atari ST?
  FREE  What is Free-Net and how can I get access?
  MINIX Is MINIX available on the Atari ST?
  DEV   How do I become a developer for the Atari ST?
  ZNET  Where can I get copies of ZNET?
  PALS  ST Pen Pals list
  MAGS  What ST-oriented magazines are available for the Atari ST?
  BOOKS What books are available for the Atari ST?
  TIPS  TIPS AND HINTS from other users
 
 
WEL
                         Welcome to comp.sys.atari.st
                         ============================
 
 
This newsgroup is devoted to discussion about 16 and 32 bit Atari micros.  At
present that includes the Atari 520ST, 1040ST, Mega ST, STe, STacy, Mega STe,
and the Atari TT. There are also emulators for the Apple Macintosh and IBM
PC/XT/AT available.
 
Most of the people who read this newsgroup are technically oriented.
The newsgroup serves as a resource for Atari users ... feel free to
contribute to the discussions.
 
Associated newsgroups include:
 
        comp.binaries.atari.st  ! uuencoded binary programs
        comp.sys.atari.st.tech  ! technical programming/hardware topics
        comp.sources.atari.st   ! uuencoded/shar sources
 
 
 
CSAST
What sort of articles would interest people reading comp.sys.atari.st?
======================================================================
 
The most interesting articles are technical articles, impressions of
software/hardware, information on Atari user-groups and shows, or helpful
hints on how to make better use of the machine and its software.
 
The least interesting articles are in the form of 'my computer is better
than...', especially when cross-posted outside of comp.sys.atari.st.  If
you don't know how to eliminate other newsgroups from a reply to an article
which is cross-posted, ask your systems administrator.
 
'FOR-SALE' articles should be posted to misc.forsale, and ONLY local
distribution of comp.sys.atari.st.  Those outside the United States have
little desire to read about that neat bit of [hard/soft]ware you're selling
when you live in the U.S.A. If you don't know how to restrict distribution of
a posting, ask your systems administrator.
 
 
 
Many articles are in the form of "How do I...?" or "Where do I...?"  In this
article, I will try to answer some of the most-often asked questions.
 
 
 
PD
Where can I get Public Domain/Shareware software?
==========================================================
 
There are FTP sources and a comp.sources.atari.st/comp.binaries.atari.st
mail server.  You can also try the commercial on-line services such as
GEnie, CompuServe, Delphi and Bix.
 
Using FTP, most files should be retrieved in BINARY format (at least those
ending with the suffix of .ARC, .LZH, .ZOO, .PRG, .TTP, .TOS)
 
Mail servers encode files.  You will need a program called 'uudecode' in
order to change files ending with the suffix .UUE (or .UAB, .UAC, etc.)
into their original form.
 
 
For Mail Service:
 
 
archive-server@twitterpater.Eng.Sun.COM:
-------------------------------------
 
Twitterpater holds all of the comp.sources.atari.st / comp.binaries.atari.st
postings.  If you aren't reading these two newsgroups, you should consider
doing so.  You may obtain uuencoded files as e-mail.  You can obtain a
help file by mailing a message to archive-server@twitterpater.eng.sun.com, with
the main body of the message being the word 'help'.
 
 
atari@atari.archive.umich.edu:
-----------------------------
 
The atari.archive server is mentioned many times in this article.  It contains
a multitude of Atari ST PD and shareware programs.  If you don't have access
via FTP you can obtain many of the files via e-mail.  You should first obtain a
help file by mailing a message to atari@atari.archive.umich.edu, with the main
body of the message being the word 'help.'.  If you are from a uucp site,
please enclose this statement also 'path host1!host2!....', where
host1!host2!... is your path. Please read the help file completely before you
ask questions, and then send any you may have to jon@atari.archive.umich.edu.
Jeff Weiner will only forward them to Jon, so please save him the time. Any
questions about the archive or specific files go to
weiner@atari.archive.umich.edu
 
 
 
 
For anonymous FTP:      atari.archive.umich.edu [141.211.164.8]
 
User anonymous
<enter e-mail address in response to Password prompt>
cd /atari
 
 
 
For anonymous FTP in the UK:    uk.ac.lancs.pdsoft
 
User pdsoft
Password pdsoft
 
This is a national public domain archive, available to sites in the UK only
via JANET.  Mail access is available from within the UK - send mail to
archive-server@lancs.pdsoft for information.
 
 
 
For anonymous FTP in Europe:    ftp.Informatik.Uni-dortmund.DE
                                [129.217.64.63]
 
Some selected Atari ST software is in the directory pub/comp/atari-st.
 
 
The mail server has also moved.  Send an e-mail message to
 
        info-server@ftp.Informatik.Uni-dortmund.DE
 
 
 
For anonymous FTP in Europe:    cs.uni-sb.de [134.96.7.254]
 
Contains the most interesting tools of the german PD-scene, most of the GNU
programs ported to the ST (including ports of emacs and bash and an extended
version of bammis library for gcc) and also ports of software posted to
comp.sources.unix, alt.sources and comp.sources.misc.
 
 
 
For anonymous FTP in Europe:    archive.cs.ruu.nl
                                [131.211.80.5]
 
How to get ATARI-ST/index from the archive at
        Dept. of Computer Science, Utrecht University:
 
NOTE: In the following I have assumed your mail address is john@highbrow.edu.
 
    Of course you must substitute your own address for this. This should be
    a valid internet or uucp address. For bitnet users name@host.BITNET
    usually works.
 
by FTP: (please restrict access to weekends or evening/night (i.e. between
about 20.00 and 0900 UTC).
 
    ftp archive.cs.ruu.nl [131.211.80.5]
    user name: anonymous or ftp
    password: your own email address (e.g. john@highbrow.edu)
    cd /pub
    don't forget to set binary mode if the file is a tar/arc/zoo archive,
    compressed or in any other way contains binary data.
    get ATARI-ST/index
 
by mail-server:
 
send the following message to
mail-server@cs.ruu.nl (or uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!ruuinf!mail-server):
 
    begin
    path john@highbrow.edu (PLEASE SUBSTITUTE *YOUR* ADDRESS)
    send ATARI-ST/index
    end
 
NOTE: *** PLEASE USE VALID INTERNET ADDRESSES IF POSSIBLE. DO NOT USE
ADDRESSES WITH ! and @ MIXED !!!! BITNETTERS USE USER@HOST.BITNET ***
 
The path command can be deleted if we receive a valid from address in your
message. If this is the first time you use our mail server, we suggest you
first issue the request:
    send HELP
 
 
BITNET users:
 
LISTSERV@UOGUELPH.BITNET
 
Mail messages with the contents HELP will bring you some usage information
and GET PROG-A16 FILELIST will provide you with a list of files.  Subscriptions
to INFO-A16 are also available on this server.  INFO-A16 is a digest of
messages from comp.sys.atari.st.
 
 
 
ARCS
How do I deal with Archived files (.ZOO, .ARC, .LZH)?
=====================================================
 
Files ending with suffixes .ZOO, .ARC and .LZH are archive files.  They are
binary files which may contain one or more other files in a compressed format.
Archive files usually take up less disk space, and for this reason have
become quite popular for transferring large files via modem.
 
In order to extract the files from an archive file, one must use an archive
program.  Here are the correspondences:
 
ARC     Use ARC.TTP
LZH     Use LHARC.TTP
ZOO     Use ZOO.TTP
 
These programs are all available via FTP from the atari.archive server, in the
/atari/archivers directory.  Recommended files are:
 
        arc.ttp         - needed to extract the other archivers, once.
        arc_602.arc     - latest version of ARC, with the most fancy features
                          and quite a lot of documentation
        lharc.arc
        zoo_bin.arc
 
 
Julian Coleman recently (December 1990) uploaded an archive starter pack to
the atari.archive server.  His announcement reads:
 
"  I have just uploaded an archive starter pack to Atari.Archive.  It contains
the following :
 
    arc / lharc / uud / uue / zoo
    U. Michigan monthly posting ( 05 Dec 90 )
 
  The file is 'starter.tos' and is in the form of a self-extracting lzh
archive, so only needs to be downloaded ( in binary mode ! ) and run.  The
archive contains sudirectories and needs about 350k when extracted."
 
This is probably the easiest way to get hold of the various archiving programs
if you have access via FTP and can transfer the binary file to your Atari ST.
The program is located in the main directory (ie. /atari/starter.tos)
 
 
There are also several GEM programs which act as 'shells' for the archive
programs.  The most popular are Shareware offerings, also available on
atari.archive server. They are:
 
        arcgsh35.zoo    - written by Rainer Klute.  e-mail will reach him
                          at klute@irb.informatik.uni-dortmund.de or
                          klute@unido.uucp, or klute@unido.bitnet
 
        arcshl26.arc    - written by Charles Johnson
 
Both are located in /atari/archivers
 
The GEM shells are recommended for inexperienced users (and appear to be quite
handy for the experienced user as well!)  They require a copy of the archive
program -- in other words you need BOTH the GEM shell *AND* the archive
program in order to use the GEM shell.
 
Documentation on the use of the archive programs should accompany the archive
files mentioned above.  To use ARC.TTP in order to extract these files, use
the command line:
 
        xh xxxx.ARC *.*
 
where 'xxxx' is replaced by 'arc_602', 'zoo_bin', etc.  For example
 
        xh arc_602.arc *.*
 
will place all files within the arc_602.arc into the current directory.  It
assumes you've clicked on the ARC.TTP program from the Desktop and have the
parameter dialogue box on your screen.
 
In many cases, simply typing a '?' or 'h' will provide an extensive list of
available options.
 
Source and binary code for archive programs have also been posted to
comp.sources.atari.st and comp.binaries.atari.st.  They are available via
e-mail through the panarthea archive server.  See Steven Grimm's posting for
more information on how to obtain files from panarthea.
 
 
 
ERR
What does TOS ERROR nn mean?
What do the bombs on my screen mean?
====================================
 
The information below was written, in part, by Darryl May, and posted on
GEnie in January (of ????) by John Townsend.  The original also appeared in
the June 1988 issue of _Current Notes_ (122 N. Johnson Rd., Sterling, VA
22170). It has since found its way to me, and is being posted to
comp.sys.atari.st as a service to readers.
 
Alan Pratt wrote to tell me that the basic information may be correct, but
that it cannot be dubbed "official" unless it originates, on paper, from
Atari.  This makes sense, as electronic communications are easily
modified, even accidentally.
 
Roland Waldi provided information regarding the difference between TOS and
GEM return codes which appears to be correct.  The tables have been modified
to reflect his information.
 
    The following is an unofficial list of the errors that can appear
while you are operating your ST computer.
 
          Error description         return code      alert box #
          ======================================================
             OK (no error)....................0
             Fundamental error...............-1
             Drive not ready.................-2
             Unknown command.................-3
             CRC error.......................-4
             Bad request.....................-5
             Seek error......................-6
             Unknown media...................-7
             Sector not found................-8
             No paper........................-9
             Write fault....................-10
             Read fault.....................-11
             General error..................-12
             Write protect..................-13
             Media change...................-14
             Unknown device.................-15
             Bad sectors on format..........-16
             Insert other disk..............-17
             Invalid function number........-32............1
             File not found.................-33............2
             Path not found.................-34............3
             No handles left................-35............4
             Access denied..................-36............5
             Invalid handle.................-37............6
             Insufficient memory............-39............8
             Invalid memory block address...-40............9
             Invalid drive specified........-46...........15
 
             No more files..................-49...........18
             Range error....................-64...........33
             Internal error.................-65...........34
             Invalid program load format....-66...........35
 
The last code is the infamous "TOS error 35"!
 
Also, some unofficial information via Alan Pratt:
 
  Notably, you should add -48: ENSAME (not the same drive, occurs when
  you call Frename and the two names you give aren't on the same drive),
  and -67: EGSBF: you can't use Mshrink to GROW a block of memory.
 
 
     Those bombs that appear on your screen are error messages from
 the 68000 micro-processor.
 
                                           Number
          Description                     of bombs
          ===========================================
             Reset: Initial PC2...............1
             Bus Error........................2
             Address Error....................3
             Illegal Instruction..............4
             Zero Divide......................5
             CHK Instruction..................6
             TRAPV Instruction................7
             Privilege Violation..............8
             Trace............................9
             Line 1010 Emulator..............10
             Line 1111 Emulator..............11
             [unassigned, reserved]..........12
             [unassigned, reserved]..........13
             Format Error....................14
             Uninitialized Interrupt Vector..15
             [unassigned, reserved].......16-23
             Spurious Interrupt..............24
             Level 1 Interrupt Autovector....25
             Level 2 Interrupt Autovector....26
             Level 3 Interrupt Autovector....27
             Level 4 Interrupt Autovector....28
             Level 5 Interrupt Autovector....29
             Level 6 Interrupt Autovector....30
             Level 7 Interrupt Autovector....31
             Trap Instruction Vectors.....32-47
             [unassigned, reserved].......48-63
             User Interrupt Vectors......64-255
 
 
 
PAINT
What is the format for [x] paint program data?
==============================================
 
There is a periodic posting of ST Picture Formats, edited by David Baggett.
The file is on the atari.archive server under /atari/graphics/picfmts.doc.
 
 
 
GDOS
What is GDOS, and where can I get it?
=====================================
 
GDOS stands for Graphic Device Output System (at least that's what my copy of
STart, volume 1 number 1 said...)
 
You can get a copy of "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About GDOS (and
more)" by Douglas N. Wheeler from the atari.archive server.  The file is
/atari/programming/gdos.arc.
 
There is a German version of GDOS available from the atari.archive server.
The file is /atari/utilities/amcgdos.arc.
 
Currently, there are no truly public domain sources for the GDOS system files
or font files (at least those supplied by Atari).  You can get these files
with many commercial programs, such as Degas Elite, WordFlair, etc.  You might
also want to check your local user group to see if they received a copy of the
WordFlair demo program (also available on GEnie).  The demo program appears to
have the GDOS system and font files.
 
 
 
HAM
Where can I find Ham Radio software for the ST?
===============================================
 
Plenty of Ham Radio software is available for the Atari ST:
 
        Morse code
        Radio Teletype (RTTY)
        Packet Radio (W0RLI BBS and K9AQ TCP/IP)
        Satellite Tracking
        WEFAX
        Color Slow Scan TV (SSTV)
        etc.
 
For more information contact the Atari Microcomputer Network:
 
        Newsletter Editor -     Gil Frederick, VE4AG
                                130 Maureen Street
                                Winnipeg, Manitoba
                                R3K 1M2  Canada
or
        Program Librarian -     John Adams, KC5FW
                                17106 Happy Hollow
                                San Antonio, TX 78232
                                U.S.A.
or
        Tune into the weekly net Sundays 16:00 UTC on 14.325 MHz.
 
73,
John Langner, WB2OSZ
 
 
 
CLI
What Command Line Interpreters are available?
=============================================
 
There are a large number of Command Line Interpreters for the Atari ST.
Some of the more popular ones include:
 
        gulam     the 'classic' cli, somewhat UNIX in flavor
        BASH      GNU Bourne Again Shell - available under MINT
        ksh       Korn Shell - available under MINT
        gemini    MUPFEL is the shell used by the gemini environment
        okami     a German shell with many useful utilities built in
        pcommand  an MS-DOS-like shell
 
Check atari.archive under /atari/cli or /atari/mint, or check one of the
other FTP sites for files.
 
 
 
TEX
Is TeX/LaTeX available on the Atari ST?
=======================================
 
The TeX/LaTeX typesetting programs are available on the Atari ST.  Check the
atari.archive server under /atari/tex.  Fonts and device drivers
(including one for the Epson 9-pin printers) are available on the
atari.archive server.
 
The latest version of TeX (3.1) has recently been made available on the
atari.archive server.  The files are in a subdirectory of their own.
 
Graham Higgins recently wrote a message in comp.sys.atari.st indicating the
minimum files needed to get a working TeX/LaTeX system up and running on the
Atari ST.  He said:
 
        You'll need, at minimum:
 
        The binaries for LaTeX/TeX :StTeXBin
        The style files            :StTeXSty
        The font macros            :StTeXTfm
 
        If you want to screen-preview, you'll need screen font files (showdvi)
        If you want to print locally, you'll need printer font files (dvifont)
 
        Allow 5Mb.
 
For a step-by-step article on setting up Tex and LaTeX, send an e-mail request
to davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu.  Be sure to mention 'tex.setup'.
 
 
 
LANG
Public Domain/Shareware languages...
====================================
 
Check the atari.archive server under /atari/languages.  Currently included:
 
abc
apl             Demo and 'J'                    j_29.arc,apl68000.arc
forth           Don't know which, I prefer BRADLEY FORTH
FORTRAN77       BC-FORTRAN version 'C'          bcf.lzh
icon            ICON                            icon2.arc,icon_bin.arc
modula-2        From Germany                    modula2.zoo
Sozobon C       Most excellant
Elan
xlisp
xprolog
xscheme
 
 
 
GNUC
Is GNU C available on the Atari ST?
===================================
 
You can also get the GNU C program, which runs on 1 megabyte Atari ST systems.
For more than minor programming, you may need to upgrade to 2 or more
megabytes, as the GNU programs generally assume you've got plenty memory.
 
GNU C for TOS is available via anonymous FTP on atari.archive.  It is also
available via anonymous FTP on cs.uni-sb.de [134.96.7.254] and most of the
other European FTP sites.
 
 
 
 
FREE
What is Free-Net and how can I get access?
==========================================
 
                    A "Remodeled" Atari S.I.G. Opens
 
 
       By now many of you have heard of the Cleveland Freenet, or more
specifically the Atari S.I.G. on the Cleveland Freenet.  For those who
haven't, the Cleveland Freenet is an experimental computer system providing
free public community telecomputing.  Basically, it's a lot like a public
library of the future.  Many of these systems are popping up all over the
country.  Don't be surprised if one pops up in your neighborhood in the
future.
 
       Recently the Atari SIG has undergone a significant face-lift.  All
the regular areas are intact including its news sections, user group
newsletter, online magazine sections, general as well as specific
computer discussion boards (8 bit, 16/32 bit, Lynx, Portfolio), and our
weekly Sunday night multi-chat conference.
 
       The conference starts at 8pm EST sharp and is on channel
"+Ataricon".  What the staff at the Atari SIG has added, has given the
Atari SIG the potential to cover all grounds of Atari and its related
products.
 
       The most noticeable addition to the Atari SIG is the Programming
and Development Forum.  This forum is intended to be used by developers,
professional programmers, and Atari hackers (the old definition of
"hacker") as a means to share ideas, help each other out, and find out
the latest technical information on Atari's products.  This board is ran
by newly acquired SIG Operator, Peter Haller, a professional programmer
who is running developer sections on hardware and software development,
programming, MIDI applications development, Graphics Design,
plus many other sections that can definitely become a programmer and
developer's dream come true!
 
       Last, but definitely not least, the Atari SIG has a restructured
Product Info and Support Board and a new Special Applications Board.
The Support Board includes a vast library of support lists.  These lists
range anywhere from phone numbers of Atari dealers and producers, to
software reviews for 8 bit, 16/32 bit, Lynx, and Portfolio software.
To sum it all up this area covers what's out there, who makes it, and how
to get it for all Atari products.  The Special Applications Board is
just starting out.  Currently there is an area for users of MIDI on the
ST.  MIDI users are encouraged to use this as a means to discuss MIDI
related topics.  This section is expected to expand in the future.
 
        Accessing the Atari SIG has never been easier.  One can access it
via Internet by telenet'ing to 129.22.8.75 or "Freenet-in-b.cwru.edu"
or by calling (216) 368-3888 300/1200/2400 bps.  Once on the system,
a user can apply for an account application and logon as a visitor.
Once here, simply type "Go Atari" to get to the Atari SIG.  A visitor
can go anywhere on  the Freenet and can read anything.  They can't
post messages until they get their permanent accounts, however.
 
For additional information on obtaining access to Freenet write to
myself via the e-mail addresses above or by writing the SIG at its US
mail address:
               The Atari SIG
               P.O. Box 21815
               Cleveland, OH 44121 USA
 
Lastly, a freenet application is available in the mail by writing a
request to the above address if you rather not download it from Freenet.
 
 
        The Atari SIG is ready to serve the thousands of Atarians throughout
the world.  We look forward to seeing you all real soon!  Remember the
staff of the Atari SIG are volunteering their time for no pay and the
Cleveland Freenet, as well as the Atari S.I.G., is a non-profit organization
existing for the free exchange of information.
 
--
 
Mark Leair
Atari SIG Public Relations
 
Internet e-mail: aa338@Cleveland.Freenet.edu
CIS e-mail     : internet>aa338@Cleveland.Freenet.edu
 
 
 
MINIX
Is MINIX available on the Atari ST?
===================================
 
MINIX is a UNIX-like operating system for the IBM PC, XT, AT, 386,
and PS/2, as well as the Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, and
later in 1991, Sun SPARC.  It is available with all the source code for
the entire operating system, the libraries, and nearly 200 UNIX-like
utilities.
 
Demonstration disks for the IBM PC line and Atari ST are available for free
via anonymous FTP for people on the Internet.  A Macintosh version will be
online soon.  (If you can't wait, see below.)
 
To get a free demo disk and the manual, use ftp to connect to
ftp.cs.vu.nl (192.31.231.42) and look in pub/minix/demo.  The READ_ME
file describes the contents of the directory and how to use it.  Be sure to
fetch and read this first.  It contains important information.
 
If you don't have FTP access, you can buy the demo disk package from Prentice-
Hall for $10 by calling (201) 767-5969 or FAX (201) 767-5625.  Please DON'T
ask me to send it by email.  I have quite enough work already thank you.
The ordering numbers for Prentice-Hall are:
 
  - MINIX 1.5 IBM demo disk         (0-13-582768-x)  (in stock now)
  - MINIX 1.5 Atari demo disk       (0-13-582792-2)  (in stock now)
  - MINIX 1.5 Macintosh demo disk   (0-13-582784-1)  (in stock now)
 
Please note that although the demo disks are available for free on line,
MINIX itself is copyrighted software and is not available on line.  The
demo disks are also copyrighted, but permission is hereby granted to
upload and use them for evaluation purposes. The READ_ME file tells how
MINIX can be ordered.
 
AS A COURTESY TO US, PLEASE DO NOT FTP DURING BUSINESS HOURS (EUROPEAN
TIME).  PLEASE FTP AFTER 11 A.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
 
If you want to follow the MINIX discussion, read the comp.os.minix
newsgroup, which is quite active and has almost 50,000 subscribers.
 
Have fun!
 
Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)
 
 
 
DEV
How do I become a developer for the Atari ST?
=============================================
 
Contact Gail Johnson, Atari Rep Person, (408)745-2568
 
[UNITED STATES ONLY. IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, CONTACT
 YOUR COUNTRY'S ATARI HEADQUARTERS FOR MORE INFORMATION.]
 
Gail can explain the program to you, and send an information packet if you
desire.
 
Atari has gone to a 2-tier developer membership.  The 'higher quality'
developer support goes to commercial developers, and costs $250.  The
'no-hand-holding, no announcement of company future products, no access
to discounted hardware' goes to noncommercial developers, at an initial cost
of $125, plus $50 renewal fee each year.
 
Both tiers receive the ST/TT Developer Kit and all developers have to fill
in an application form and a non-disclosure agreement.  Contact Gail for
more information.
 
 
 
ZNET
Where can I get copies of ZNET?
===============================
 
ZNET on-line magazine is available on CompuServe and GEnie. You can also get
copies mailed to you by sending an e-mail message to
 
        stzmagazine-request@virginia.edu
 
indicating you wish to subscribe.
 
They won't get to you on Friday (which is when they're posted), but Greg
Lindahl provides an excellent service to the networking community by sending
these out.
 
ZNET and some information from the Current Notes user magazine are also
available from the atari.archive server under /atari/magazines.
 
 
 
PALS
ST Pen Pals list
================
 
Simon Chappell is compiling a list of people interested in exchanging
paper-based mail "of interested parties who could then
keep in touch and prevent themselves losing touch with the ST community
at large (this would be especially easy if someone who still had net
access could summarise current topics or forward news and advice!)"
 
He is accepting entries in this format:
 
eg     Simon Chappell.
       s61304@uk.ac.psw.pa (NOTE: NO LONGER VALID ADDRESS...)
       51 Amherst Road, Penny-Come-Quick, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 4HJ. UK.
       C, operating systems (UNIX, VMS) & relational databases.
 
Contact Simon at his paper mail address if you are interested.
 
 
 
MAGS
What magazines are available for the Atari ST?
==============================================
 
The information here is preliminary.  If you've got updates, mini-reviews,
or more information on other magazines, please send them to me via e-mail.
As always, WRITE to a company before sending them money for a subscription.
 
 
US mags:
 
AtariUser, published by Quill Publishing Company
---------
 
Cover Price: US $1.00  Canada $1.45  UK 1.50 (AtariUser is available for free
[$6.00/50 magazine shipping charge] from participating computer dealers,
bookstores & user groups!)
 
Subcription Rate: $21.30 US Bulkrate, $41.30 US First Class (there is
currently a $15.00 introductory subscription available for a limited time).
 
Address: AtariUser, 113 W. College Street, Covina, CA  91723 USA
 
 
Current Notes, published by Current Notes Inc.
-------------
 
Cover Price: US $3.95
 
Subscription Rate: $27.00/year (Atari clubs registered with Current Notes may
subscribe at $23.00/year) US, $35.00/year (Canadian club members at $31/year)
Canadian, Foreign rate $44/year.
 
Address: Current Notes Inc., 122 N. Johnson Rd., Sterling, VA  22170 USA
 
 
Atari Interface:
---------------
 
Write for a free sample copy of the Atari Interface magazine
(Unicorn Publications, 3487 Braeburn Circle, Ann Arbor, MI  48108)
 
AIM is soon to be available in Canada, Europe and Mexico, and should be in
all local WaldenSoftware stores and many bookstores.  If your "local"
Atari dealer doesn't have it, he should be able to get it for you...
 
 
 
UK Mags:
 
ST Applications:
---------------
 
formerly the ST Club Newsletter, this is now the only
non-games mag in the UK (although see ST World below).  Approx. 4,500
copies per issue sold.  News, reviews, interviews, tech tips, general
forum, programmers' forum, PD catalogue.  DTP'd on an ST.  Retains a
'user-driven' feel.  Recommended.  The associated ST Club runs a PD
distribution service and distributes a couple of commercial programs too
(Fontkit Plus, UIS III, Molgraph, CRL Virus Killer, etc.).
 
Subscription costs:  UK - 15 pounds; Europe - 18 pounds (Air Mail);
  worldwide - 28 pounds (Air Mail)
 
Address:  ST Club, 49 Stoney Street, Nottingham, NG1 1LX  ENGLAND
 
ST World:
--------
 
 formerly the leading UK non-games mag.  Became a quarterly
'buyer's guide' in Autumn 90.  Now, allegedly, about to be revived as a
monthly (under the stewardship of Jean Gollner, mother of ex-editor
Hugh) in the wake of Atari UK's new push into the 'serious' market.
 
ST Format:
---------
 
all-purpose 150-page monthly, mainly aimed at young people.
Lively, but of uneven quality.  Big leisure section, but other areas
covered too.  Includes cover disk - mix of games demos and (usually out
of date) PD utilities.  Probably the biggest-selling UK ST mag.  Has had
several public rows with Atari UK.
 
Atari ST User:
-------------
 
like ST Format.  Generally (amongst online users) thought
to be not quite as good.
 
ST Action:
---------
 
games, games and more games.  And games.
 
There are ST sections in New Computer Express (weekly), Computer Shopper
(monthly) and some general-purpose games mags whose names I forget.
 
There are also, I think, some MIDI mags with strong ST content.  I don't
have their names.
 
 
German Mags:
 
Atari PD Journal:
----------------
 
Reviewed in the May '91 issue of Current Notes [from which I'm cribbing this
information, DP-Z].  Hardware and Software reviews, some commercial software
reviewed.  Typical issue runs around 90 pages.  Special "Katalog" section.
 
Subscription:  DM 70 (normal mail), DM 100 (air mail).  Prices may be for
domestic distribution -- write first!
 
Address:  Heim Verlag, PD Abonnement, Heidleberger Landstrasse 194, 6100
Darmstadt 13 GERMANY
 
ST-Magazin (formerly 68000er):
-----------------------------
 
(monthly) Typical issue: around 150 pages. Includes DTP-magazine CICERO.
 
Subscription: DM 77 (domestic distribution); foreign - write for information
 
Address: ST-Magazin, Markt & Technik Verlag AG, Hans-Pinsel-Strasse 2,
  D-8013 Haar bei Muenchen GERMANY
 
ST Computer:
-----------
 
11 issues/year, typical around 180 pages
 
Subscription: DM 80 (domestic),  DM 100 (normal mail), DM 130 (air mail)
 
Address: Heim Verlag, Heidelberger Landstr. 194, D-6100 Darmstadt 13 GERMANY
 
 
BOOKS
What books are available for the Atari ST?
==========================================
 
The (Almost) Complete Guide to Atari Reference Books
 
        Compute! Publications,Inc.
        PO Box 5406,Greensboro NC
        27403(919-275-9809)
 
  Computes Technical Refence Guide Volume One. VDI
  Sheldon Leeman
  ISBN 0-87455-093-9
 
  Computes Technical Refence Guide Volume Two. AES
  Sheldon Leeman
  ISBN 0-87455-114-5
 
  Computes Technical Refence Guide Volume Three. TOS
  Sheldon Leeman
  ISBN 0-87455-149-8
 
  Learning C. Programming Graphics on the Amiga and Atari ST.
  Marc B. Sugiyama and Christopher D. Metcalf
  ISBN 0-87455-064-5
 
  Compute's ST Applications Guide. Programming in C
  Simon Feild,Kathleen Mandis and Dave Myers
  ISBN 0-87455-078-5
 
        Scott,Foresman and Company.
        Professional Publishing Group
        1900 East Lake Avenue,Glenville IL
        600025
 
  Learning C on the Atari ST
  Joseph Boyle Wikert
  ISBN 0-673-18738-1
 
        Sybex Inc.
        2344 Sixth St.
        Berkely,CA
        94710
 
  Programmers Guide To GEM
  Phillip Balma and William Fitler
  ISBN 0-553-34397-1
 
        Taylor Ridge Books
        PO Box 48
        Manchester, Connecticut   (no zip listed) usa
        (203)643-9673
 
  C-manship Complete, $19.95
  Calyton Walnum
  No ISBN
 
"a decent book on programming your st gem/aes/vdi plus other stuff that is
based on the 31 articles that Clayton Walnum wrote for Analog. It was written
on a mega 4 with Calamus."
 
        Addison-Wesley Pub.
 
  68000 Assembly Language
  Donal Kantz & James Stanley
  ISBN 0-201-11659-6
 
"An interesting book on 68000 for the Atari (and amiga too, but both in
the abstract)"
 
        atari.archive.umich.edu
 
  Assembly Language Programming
  Robert Arp
  Disk archives, not published in paper at this time.
 
"It is an excellent guide to assembly languuage programming.  It is very
large and takes quite a while to make a hard copy if you desire to do so.
The file names are arp68k-book.tar (the text) and arp68k-pix.Z.tar
(.img files to go along with the text)."
 
 
****************************************************************
*
*  THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT
*
 
        Abacus Software,Inc.
        5370 52nd Street,S.E.
        Grand Rapids,MI
        49508
 
  Atari ST Internals
  K Gerits,L. Englisch and R. Bruckmann
  ISBN 0-916439-46-1
 
  Atari ST GEM Programmers Reference
  Norbert Szczepanowski and Bernt Gunther
  ISBN 0-916439-52-6
 
  Atari ST 3d Graphics Programming
  Uwe Braun
  ISBN 0-916439-69-0
 
  Atari ST Disk Drives Inside and Out
  Uwe Brawn,Stephan Dittrich and Axel Schramm
  ISBN 0-916439-84
 
  Atari ST Machine Language
  B.Grohmann,P.eidler and H.Slibar
  ISBN 0-916439-48-8
 
  Atari ST Introduction to MIDI Programming
  Len Dorfman and Dennis Young
  ISBN 0-916439-77-1
 
 
        Bantam Books,Inc.
        666 5th Avenue
        New York,New York
        10103
 
  Atari ST Application Programming
  Lawrence J. Pollack and Eric J.T.Weber
  ISBN 0-553-34397-1
 
 
 
****************************************************************
*
*  This List can be freely distributed and added to
*  All I ask is that people identify the added information as
*  their own
*       John Henders
*       Vancouver,BC
*       On Usenet  uunet!ubc-cs!van-bc!jhenders
*       On ForumST  John henders@448
*       On GEnie c/o D.LEMAY2
*
*       C-Manship & 68000 Assembley Language suggested by Joe Gaudreau [DPZ]
*       Robert Arp's Assembley Language book suggested by David P. Forrai [DPZ]
 
 
 
TIPS
TIPS AND HINTS from other users
===============================
 
Any 'multisync' monitor which handles 70 video fields a second can be used
   with the ST; the custom cable involves no tricks, or commercial ones are
   available.  The original NEC multisync does NOT handle 70 fields a sec.
 
More than 3 bombs often means more than 1 error, so interpretations are
tricky.
 
An ST-formatted disk which is not readable by a PC can be made readable by
   putting the 3 bytes EB 34 90 (those were 3 bytes of hex) at the beginning
   of the boot sector (sector 1 of track 0, I believe).  This can be done with
   either an ST or PC absolute sector editor.
 
Some (older) PC-3.5"-drives cannot deal with the short track-header produced
   by ST formatters. On those drives, ST-formatted disks are not readable,
   independent of their boot sector contents. The other way, however, does
   always work: format on the PC.
 
When using disks formatted on a PC in an ST, make sure to insert and access
   a disk with a different serial number in between disk changes.
 
For those with the 'inaccessible' mouse and joystick ports, a joystick
   extender cable will make life easier.  The Y-cable joystick extenders make
   it extremely easy to keep mouse and joystick connected to port 0, and a
   joystick extender cable in port 1 makes for easy hookup after you've moved
   the machine.
 
BARREL is a program which can redirect printer-data to a file.  It comes in
   handy when your printer is unavailable, and the program does not already
   have an option to 'print-to-a-file'.  (It is available on the atari.archive
   server.)
 
DBLEFEAT is a program which can redirect disk access from, say, drive A to
   drive B.  Handy when a program 'hard-codes' the data drive, and you
   wish to use your hard drive instead.  (It is available on the atari.archive
   server.)
 
 
 ===========================================================================
 
I would appreciate feedback, comments, suggestions for more TIPS AND HINTS,
etc.  E-mail can reach me at the following:
 
        davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu           Internet
        davidli@simvax                          BITnet
 
-- David Paschall-Zimbel
--
 
David Paschall-Zimbel           davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu
 
------------------------------
 
End of Info-Atari16 Digest
******************************
