  
                  *---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
                         """""""""""""""""""""""""
                                       
                                       
                  "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
                   _____________________________________


  December 15, 1989                                      Vol III ~ No.118
  =======================================================================
  
                         ST Report Online Magazine
                        __________________________
                          Post Office Box   6672
                          Jacksonville,  Florida
                               32205 ~ 6672
  
                               R.F. Mariano
                            Publisher - Editor
                 _________________________________________
                   Voice: 904-783-3319  10 AM - 4 PM EDT
                  BBS:  904-786-4176   12-24-96 HST/14.4
                    FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT
                 _________________________________________
  
                          **  F-NET NODE 350  **
              Our support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport
                                    and
               An International list of private BBS systems
               carrying STReport for their users  enjoyment

    __________________________________________________________________ 
    
 > Issue: #118 STReport        The Online Magazine of Choice! 
   -------------------- 
     - The Editor's Podium                   - CPU REPORT
     - CHAOS STRIKES BACK!                   - DIAMOND HD BACKUP
     - MichTron Contest                      - US Robotics UG
     - 40 FOLDERS EXPLAINED                  - ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL

           ---====****   MIKE MORAND LEAVES ATARI!   ****====---
            --==** DESKSET II NOW BUNDLED WITH SLM 804! **==--

 ==========================================================================
 STReport's support  BBS NODE  # 350  invites systems using Forem ST BBS to
 participate in  Forem BBS's  F-Net mail  network.   Or, Please  call # 350
 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about
 the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST mail network.
 ==========================================================================
       AVAILABLE ON:      COMP-U-SERVE  ~  DELPHI  ~  GENIE  ~  BIX
 ==========================================================================


 > The Editor's Podium


     Greetings....  Hmmm maybe that sounds too serious.  There are a number
 of issues  confronting us in the Atari ST/TT community.  Most are pleasant
 in nature  and  will  ultimately  give  us  all  many  hours  of computing
 pleasure.   As always,  there are  those that  make the situation somewhat
 tacky at times.   Last issue  we presented  the figures  released by Avant
 Garde relating  to the performance of PC Ditto II.  Subsequently we posted
 a  statement  concerning  our  intentions  of   preparing  and  publishing
 accurate,  hands-on  comparisons  between  both  PC Ditto II and PC Speed,
 MichTron's entry into the PC emulator arena.

 Below, the related post read..

     "The complete listings provided by Avant Garde stating the performance
 of the  new PC  DITTO II  are presented  for your  perusal.  STReport will
 carry comprehensive test results of both PCDITTO II and PC  SPEED shortly.
 No attempt was made to present comparisons between the two devices because
 neither  device  was  on  hand,  yet.    Once   both  are   available  for
 benchmarking, each  device will  be installed in separate Mega2 computers,
 with Tos 1.4 installed.  The appropriate tests will then be run.  In doing
 the benchmarking  in this  manner, with all conditions being kept as equal
 as possible,  it is  hoped that  the most  accurate comparison  of the two
 devices will  result.   Until such  time, it is only proper to present the
 results provided by the manufacturer(s)". 

     Frankly, Since STR  had  neither  product  to  do  an  "equal footing"
 compare, it  was decided  to furnish  the PC  Ditto specs as a listing for
 informational purposes only.   To  take  any  liberties  in  attempting to
 compare an  optimal list  to actual  "in the  field" hardware tests is, in
 STReport's opinion, less than fair to  PC Speed.   Thus,  the statement of
 policy on behalf of STReport. 
  
     The  Holidays  are  right  around  the  corner,  and we are pleased to
 mention that David Harris has a big reason to celebrate this year,  he was
 recently appointed the new president of Atari Computers.
   
     Congratulations are in order for Mr. Harris.  Some folks may recognize
 him from Atari Consumer products, he was prez in that  division.   Off the
 record, he seems to be very well liked in the computing community by those
 folks who know him or have  had previous  dealings with  him.   Lotsa luck
 Dave! 

                                  Thanks for your continued support,

                                                   Ralph......







  ***********************************************************************


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                              to the Readers

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  ***********************************************************************




 > CPU REPORT
   ==========

   Issue # 45


 by Michael Arthur


 Remember When....

       In the  Summer 1985 CES Show, Atari showed the 260 STD, a 256K Atari
 ST which was made to gauge mass market interest in the ST, and when, after
 some Atari  officials had said that the ST may never have TOS in ROM, this
 machine had TOS in ROMs, resulting  in that  the 260  STD had  more memory
 free for applications than the 520 ST (which didn't have TOS ROMs then)?


 CPU Systems Roundup XVI
 ======================== 

      Practical Future Computer Systems III:  The Price of Performance
      ----------------------------------------------------------------


 Part II


       In Part I of this Series, I showed a list of the most powerful Dream
 Systems  that  could  be   configured  in   the  low/middle   end  of  the
 microcomputer market, giving these systems (and the majority of home/small
 business compute users) access  to performance  usually found  in high end
 microcomputers.    While  there  were newer computers and peripherals that
 could have been included,  the list  was generally  accurate.   Now I will
 compare these  "Practical" Dream  Systems, stacking their various features
 against each other to determine which ones you  could safely  consider the
 "best".

       And while  this essay mainly concerns the greatest capabilities that
 can be supplied for the major  low/middle  end  microcomputers  at  a cost
 which is  reasonable to  a large percentage of computer users, it can also
 help to show which computer system in the  low/middle end  of the computer
 market is both the most powerful, and a good example of "Power Without the
 Price".  However, due to the fact that changes in  this market  often come
 slower than  others, this  Series will  now appear only periodically, when
 the changes in the Dream Systems available for  the low/middle  end of the
 computer industry necessitate a closer look at how they will affect it....


 Presented here is a Graph of the features of each Practical Dream System:

                        Practical Dream Systems List:
              (Comparison of each Systems' Optimal Features)
 _________________________________________________________________________
 Dream     |Processor(s)|System  |Mass      |Expansion|Graphics Displays  |
 System    |Megs of RAM |Speed   |Storage   |  Slots  |Best Resolution(s) |
 ----------|------------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
 IBM 386   |80386SX     | 16 MHZ |  70 Meg  |  Seven  |320*200*256 Colors |
 System    |  Two Megs  |        |Hard Drive|IBM PC/AT|640*480*16  Colors |
 ----------|------------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Mac SE/30 |68030/68882 | 16 MHZ |  40 Meg  |   One   |512*342 w/Monochr. |
 System    |  Two Megs  |        |Hard Drive|         |                   |
 ----------|------------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Amiga 2000|68020/68881 | 14 MHZ |  65 Meg  |  Seven  |320*200*4096 Colors|
 System    | Three Megs |        |Hard Drive|Zorro II |640*400 w/16 Colors|
 ----------|------------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Apple IIgs|65816 Chip  |  7 MHZ |  40 Meg  |  Three  |320*200*4096 Colors|
 System    |  Two Megs  |        |Hard Drive| II/IIgs |640*400 w/16 Colors|
 ----------|------------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Mega 2 ST |68000 Chip  | 16 MHZ |  44 Meg  |   One   |320*200 w/16 Colors|
 System    |  Two Megs  |        |Tape Drive| Mega ST |640*200 w/4  Colors|
 ----------'--------------------------------------------------------------'

       In the Mega ST System, the term 'Tape Drive' refers to storage which
 uses Removable Cartridges.


 Based on both this graph and   the  System   Descriptions, these Standings
 have been made:

 IBM 386 Dream System:  Third Place

       The IBM   system  is very well rounded in features, provides all the
 power of a Dream System, and  is  priced  reasonably  enough  for  a large
 percentage  of  computer  owners.    Also, its price/performance ratio has
 stayed reasonable since the last Dream Systems Essay.   This  time, the ST
 and  Amiga  Systems  barely  overcame  it,  and  it  has maintained a good
 standing....

       Mac SE/30 Comparison:  The IBM is superior to the  Mac SE/30  in the
 number of  Expansion Slots,  graphics capabilities, and the amount of mass
 storage, is  equal in  the amount  of RAM,  and is  inferior in processing
 speed.  Since the Mac System also costs more, the IBM system scores higher
 than the Macintosh system.

       Amiga 2000 Comparison:  The IBM is superior to the Amiga 2000 in the
 amount of  mass storage,  is roughly equal in processing speed (given that
 the IBM System doesn't have a math chip), their number of expansion slots,
 graphics capabilities,  and is inferior in the amount of RAM.  The IBM and
 Amiga Systems are roughly equal in  many aspects,  and the  usual deciding
 factor of  price/performance cannot  be used by itself, since both systems
 are near the same price  range.    Therefore,  the  decision  is  based on
 whether you think the amount of RAM in a system is more important than the
 amount of mass storage.  However,  since the  Amiga System  has nearly the
 same  #  of  hard  drive  space  as  the IBM System, then it scores higher
 overall than the IBM system, but only by an EXTREMELY tight margin....

       Apple IIgs Comparison:  The IBM is superior to the Apple IIgs in the
 amount of  mass storage,  and processing  speed, is equal in the number of
 expansion slots and graphics capabilities, and  is inferior  in the amount
 of RAM.   Since the IBM System also costs less than the Apple IIgs system,
 the IBM system scores MUCH higher than the Apple IIgs system.

       Mega ST Comparison:  The IBM is superior to the Mega ST in processor
 speed, the  number of  expansion slots,  and graphics capabilities.  It is
 inferior in the amount of Mass Storage, and its amount  of RAM.   However,
 while mass  storage and  Megs of  RAM may be more important than processor
 speed, since the Mega  ST System  is less  expensive, and  that the "Power
 Without the  Price" test is valid here, the Mega ST scores higher than the
 IBM system....

 Macintosh SE/30 Dream System:  Fourth Place

       The Mac SE/30 System,  while  having  superb  processing  speed, and
 being well-balanced  in itself, is very much inferior in graphics ability,
 and is just a tad less versatile in other areas against other Systems.  It
 is also  one of the most expensive systems, keeping it from becoming a top
 contender....

       Amiga 2000  Comparison:   The Mac  is superior  in processing speed,
 roughly equal in the amount of mass storage, and is inferior in the number
 of expansion slots, the  amount of  RAM, and  its graphics   capabilities.
 Also, since the Mac System costs much more, the Amiga system scores higher
 than the Mac....

       Apple IIgs Comparison:   The Mac is  superior to  the Apple  IIgs in
 processing speed and amount of mass storage, and is inferior in the amount
 of RAM, the number of expansion slots, and its graphics  abilities.  Also,
 since the  Apple IIgs actually costs MORE, then the Mac scores MUCH higher
 than the IIgs System if you can live without color graphics....

       Mega ST  Comparison:    The  Mac  is  superior  to  the  Mega  ST in
 processing  speed,  is  equal  in  the  number  of expansion slots, and is
 inferior in the amount of RAM, mass storage, and graphics  ability.  Since
 the Mac  also costs much more, the Mega ST scores MUCH higher than the Mac
 System, despite its superior speed.

 Amiga 2000 Dream System:  First Place

       In the first Dream Systems Essay, the Amiga 500 System was the least
 expensive  setup  on  the  list,  having a surprising amount of power, and
 well-balanced features which made it a VERY good example of "Power Without
 the Price".   The Second time around, its greater processing speed clearly
 gave it First Place.  However, the Mac System has  surpassed it  in speed,
 and  the  IBM  System  rivals  it  in  versatility.    While  it has still
 maintained First Place (due to scoring higher than the Mega ST System), it
 has lost some of its edge....

       However, since Atari is coming out with the STE, an extended version
 of the Atari ST, and the new 68030 TT, the  Amiga's advantage  may be even
 shakier than  expected.  But ONLY if Atari's new products are aimed at the
 middle end of the computer market, and only if they  provide a significant
 enough improvement over both the ST, and its potential competitors....

       Apple IIgs  Comparison:   The Amiga 500 is superior in the amount of
 mass storage, processor speed, and the amount of RAM, is equal in graphics
 capabilities, and is inferior in the number of expansion slots.  Since the
 Amiga is also less expensive, it blows away the IIgs System.

       Mega ST Comparison:  The Amiga  2000  is  superior  to  the  Mega ST
 system in  the number  of Expansion Slots, processing speed, and graphics,
 and is inferior in the amount  of mass  storage and  RAM.   Given that the
 main focus was in price/performance, it is VERY hard to judge which system
 is the best, since BOTH systems have similar  prices, and  roughly similar
 capabilities.   But with  its support of the 68020 chip, and its greater #
 of displayable colors, the  Amiga system  scores higher  than the  Mega ST
 system....

 Apple IIgs Dream System:  Last Place

       The Apple  IIgs is, simply put, a real-life anomaly.  In some areas,
 such as graphics capabilities  and expansion  capabilities, it  has top of
 the line  features.   However, some  aspects of the IIgs  system, like its
 slow 65816 processor, are  a sorry  sight to  behold.   Also, since  it is
 priced almost  as high  as a middle-end computer system, but does not have
 the corresponding capabilities, the Apple IIgs has a  bleak future indeed,
 as an  overpriced, underpowered computer with no obvious benefits does not
 become TOO popular in the computer industry....

 Mega ST Dream System:  Second Place

       Providing many of the  capabilities  found  in  middle  end computer
 systems, while being priced towards the low/middle end of the  market, the
 Mega ST  system has  an excellent  price/performance rating.   However, it
 hasn't improved  significantly since 1985, resulting in that other systems
 are readying to surpass it in "Power Without the Price".  With the STE and
 TT030/2 coming  soon, this  predicament will  surely be temporary, but the
 current offerings by Atari are starting to slip behind its  competitors in
 the fierce microcomputer market....

       And this,  tragically, is also an indication of what could happen if
 the Atari ST does not become the dominant  standard in  a market  which it
 currently has an advantage in....

       So as to account for future developments,  I have included a list of
 Low/Middle End Entry Systems  which  would  be  affordable  to  almost all
 computer  users,  so  accurate  comparisons  can  be  made between present
 Practical Dream Systems and  future Entry  systems.   While some  of these
 systems simply  make minor  modifications on old systems, and while all of
 these systems lack some "Dream System" features, as shown by Atari's STacy
 Laptop, sometimes  this is  an easy tradeoff, which can result in a system
 with VERY good price/performance, excellent functionality,  and a computer
 which can  serve most  home/small business  user's needs  as decently as a
 higher-priced system....


 Upcoming Systems' Features:
 ________________________________________________________________________
 Dream     |Main Chips,|MainChip|Mass      |Expansion|Graphics Displays/ |
 System    |Megs of RAM|Speed   |Storage   |Slots    |Best Resolution(s) |
 ----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
 Atari     |68000      | 16 MHZ |  20 Meg  |   One   |320*200 w/64 Colors|
 Laptop ST |  One Meg  |        |Hard Drive| Mega ST |640*200 w/4  Colors|
 ----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 IBM 8086  |Intel 80286|  8 MHZ |  40 Meg  |  Five   |320*200*256  Colors|
 System    |640K of RAM|        |Hard Drive|IBM PC AT|640*480 w/16 Colors|
 ----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Mac Plus  |68000      |7.83 MHZ|  40 Meg  |  None   |512*342 in Monochr.|
 System    |  One Meg  |        |Hard Drive|         |                   |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------'


 System #6, the Atari Laptop ST, comes with a 68000 chip, 1 Meg of  RAM, an
 internal 20 Megabyte Hard Drive, and a Mega ST Expansion Bus built in.  To
 enhance this system, John Russell Innovations' JS-4096 Color  board (which
 gives the  Atari ST  a 4096  Color Pallet  compatible with  the Atari STE)
 would be used, as  well as  the Turbo  16 Accelerator  Board made  by FAST
 Technologies, which uses a 16 MHZ 68000.  Cost:  Around 2400 dollars. 

     Resolutions:  320*200 with 16 Colors out of 4096
                   640*200 with 4  Colors out of 512
                   640*400 with Monochrome Resolution


 Comparisons with  Other Systems:   While  many of  the features of Atari's
 Laptop ST (or the Stacy) are similar to the features of both  the Mega ST,
 and the  upcoming STE,  the main difference is that it is a Laptop system,
 having much of  the  functionality  of  the  current  Dream  Systems  in a
 portable  case.    And  since  powerful  Laptops could be considered Dream
 Systems in themselves....


 System #7, the IBM 80286 System, is a Tandy 1000 TL with 640K of RAM, five
 IBM  PC  AT  Expansion  Slots,  an  ABCO  65 Megabyte Hard Disk, an Orchid
 Designer VGA Board, and an Amdek 732 VGA Monitor.  Cost:  $2600.00....

     EGA Resolutions:
                       320*200 with 16 Colors out of 64
                       640*350 with 16 Colors out of 64

     VGA Resolutions:
                       320*200 with 256 Colors out of 256,000
                       640*480 with 16  Colors out of 256,000


 Comparisons with Other Systems:  This system, having  powerful graphics, a
 decent  hard  drive,  and  a  good  number  of  expansion slots, is a VERY
 respectable IBM Entry System, which exemplifies "Power Without  the Price"
 for the  IBM world.  In fact, the only thing REALLY preventing this system
 from matching the Amiga and Mega ST Dream Systems in  price/performance is
 its comparatively  slow processor.   However, this does not matter much to
 beginning computer  users, and  systems similar  to this  IBM Entry System
 have the potential to QUICKLY become a factor in the industry, taking over
 the markets that could belong to the Atari ST....


 System #8, the Mac Plus System, is an Apple Macintosh  Plus with  1 Meg of
 RAM onboard, an 8 MHZ 68000 chip, an AppleTalk LAN Port, and a 65 Megabyte
 Hard Drive from ABCO Inc.  Cost: $2300.00.

     Mac Plus Resolution:  512*342 with monochrome resolution

 Comparisons with other  Systems:    This  Macintosh  system,  while having
 sub-par graphics  and no  expansion capability,  and even though there are
 many systems with better price/performance ratios,  will probably maintain
 its bestseller  status, simply  because it is the low end of the Macintosh
 line, and is one of the only choices for a Macintosh entry system....


       The main  objective to  home/small business  users, when configuring
 their own computer system, isn't necessarily performance for its own sake,
 but finding a system which has a decent  price for  its capabilities.   In
 the  course  of  determining  the  system which provided the best ratio of
 price/performance in this list, it seems that, just as in other aspects of
 the computer  industry, price has become less of a factor than performance
 in quality computers.

       Many of the Dream Systems which were too  expensive before,  such as
 the IBM  and Mac  systems, have dropped in price to a reasonable level for
 the middle end of the market, while keeping their versatility.  But as the
 Mega ST  and Amiga  Systems rose  in price to the level of the IBM System,
 one can see  where  increasing  performance  can  often  bring  a somewhat
 undesirable increase  in pricing.   But  then, as  shown by the Apple IIgs
 system, price/performance is still an important part of  the search  for a
 Practical Dream System.  Interestingly enough, the competition between the
 Amiga and Atari ST Systems  shows  that,  in  researching  Practical Dream
 Systems to  show how  powerful a  computer system could become while still
 being affordable, one could make an interesting assessment of the state of
 the low/middle end of the microcomputer industry....



 But ponder, if you will, this question:


 1)  Given that the prices of equally powerful computer systems are falling
     greatly, and the price/performance  of the  above Dream  Systems, will
     Atari  have  to  introduce  a  low-end  version  of the 68030 TT which
     competes with the STE and Mega ST in order to stay in the forefront of
     the low/middle end of the computer industry?

 2)   Will Atari introduce a Mega STE, which would combine the STE expanded
     color pallet and 8  voice stereo  sound with  the Mega  ST's expansion
     slot and  expandability, in order to completely upgrade the ST Line to
     the STE while not making the Mega ST concept obsolete?


                                ---==*==---

 CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
 =======================


 Armonk, NY          IBM has announced that it will introduce a RISC-based
 ----------          workstation, the IBM RT, by Late Autumn 1990.  It will
                     use the MicroChannel Bus Architecture, and will have
                     both A/IX, IBM's version of Unix, and a new version of
                     OS/2 as its operating systems.  It is rumored that IBM
                     will use the NextStep Graphical User Interface (which
                     it licensed from NeXT Inc.) as the standard GUI for
                     the IBM RT.

                     Also, IBM has reportedly licensed Silicon Graphics'
                     Geometry Engine, a graphics coprocessor chip used in
                     their Personal Iris workstations, which has made it
                     very popular for CAD/graphics applications.  If this
                     is true, IBM may quickly become a powerful contender
                     in the workstation industry....

 Calgary, Canada     Sun Microsystems has established a Sun Porting Center
 ---------------     to help Software companies port their products to Sun
                     workstations.  The third such Sun Center, it will
                     provide assistance for developing software for the
                     Sun 3, Sun 4, and SPARCStation.  Given that Atari
                     products like the ATW probably won't have much good
                     software out for it when it first comes out, and that
                     such a Porting Center would help make the ATW more
                     attractive to large Software Companies....

                     Interestingly enough, Sun recently announced that it
                     plans to eliminate the Intel 80x86 and Motorola 680x0
                     microprocessors from its product lines, and for its
                     workstations to be based on the SPARC, a RISC chip
                     developed by Sun itself....

 San Francisco, CA   IBM is reportedly planning to bundle future PS/2's
 -----------------   with a new drive made by Toshiba which can store up to
                     4 Megabytes of data on a single floppy disk. Toshiba's
                     disk drive, which is compatible with both regular and
                     high density 3 1/2 inch disks, may become standard on
                     all of IBM's microcomputer/workstation products....

                     Toshiba has tried to make this product the next disk
                     drive standard for other two years, however, and while
                     this will help Toshiba's chances, Insite Peripheral's
                     new 'Floptical' Drive stores 20 Megs on a disk, and
                     with other companies making a bid for this market....

 Cologne, FDR        Gigatron, a West German company, has developed an
 ------------        Laptop Version of the Amiga, cloning the Amiga's
                     motherboard in the process.  This new Laptop, to be
                     introduced in March 1990, at the CeBit show in
                     Hannover, will come with two proprietary Expansion
                     Slots, an 8 MHZ 68000, and 1 Meg of RAM standard.  It
                     MAY come with AmigaDOS 1.4.  Cost:  DM 5000 (or $2400)
                     for one with an LCD Screen, and DM 7000 (or $3500.00)
                     for one with a gas plasma screen.

                     Gigatron's product line will feature 2 and 4 Meg Amiga
                     Laptops, and will have the option of an internal hard
                     disk drive.  Curiously, Commodore is welcoming this
                     new Amiga Clone, even though it showed doubt about
                     it before.  Given that a similar computer company
                     would probably be less "supporting" if it was already
                     developing a Laptop....






   ____________________________________________________________________



 > MichTron Contest STReport InfoFile   Something for everyone!!
   ==================================


                        FLEETSTREET PUBLISHER V 3.0
                        ===========================
   
     With the release of 3.0 in sight.   MichTron wants  to have  some clip
 art worthy  of this  world class  Desk Top  Publishing program.  So we are
 going to have a contest running from today  till Jan  31.   With prizes to
 the  people  who  upload  the  most  and  the best clip art.  Fleet Street
 Publisher 3.0 supports the following art file formats:

               Neochrome,     Degas,    .TNY,     .IMG,     .GEM.  

     The  higher  resolution  pictures  are  naturally  better  for Desktop
     Publishing. (For instance, 300dpi scans are best for most printers.)

     Programs like Touchup and EasyDraw from Migraph are ideal for creating
     DTP artwork.  We recommend using  .PI3 or  .PI2 for  Degas. (Remember,
     color is not supported at this time.)

     But to  make things  easier for  everyone we  are only going to accept
     IMG files, and GEM Metafiles for the contest. 

     - Rules are simple.  No duplications, will be accepted.   Original and
       scanned art  work will be judged and prizes awarded separately there
       will be NINE winners.  See the list below to see the prize       
       categories and a list of prizes.

     - When uploading, you must add the word CONTEST to the keywords.

     - The contest will end Jan  31st. Winners  will be  notified via GEnie
       mail within 2 weeks after the conclusion of the contest.

     - Questions may be asked in the MichTron RT; Category 21, topic 5

                           ----=====**=====----

 Grand Prize Winner - Best Original Art
 ==================
           First Place Prize -   Fleet Street 3.0 (retail price $399),
                                 Hyperfont (retail price $49.95), and
                                 1 Free day on GEnie... 24 hours Free.
           Second Place Prize    1 copy of Fleet Street 3.0
           Third Place Prize     1 copy of Hyperfont


  * Winner of the Grand place prize will be for original art ONLY.
    Art must be in .IMG or GEM metafile format ONLY.

                           ----=====**=====----

 Most Uploads ...  GEM METAFILES
 ============
           First Place Prize -   Fleet Street 3.0 (retail price $399),
                                 Hyperfont (retail price $49.95), and
                                 1 Free day on GEnie... 24 hours Free.
           Second Place Prize    1 copy of Fleet Street 3.0
           Third Place Prize     1 copy of Hyperfont

                           ----=====**=====----

 Most Uploads ... IMG format
 ============
           First Place Prize -   Fleet Street 3.0 (retail price $399),
                                 Hyperfont (retail price $49.95), and
                                 1 Free day on GEnie... 24 hours Free.
           Second Place Prize    1 copy of Fleet Street 3.0
           Third Place Prize     1 copy of Hyperfont


         Total of NINE winners.  Most clip art and best clip art.

                     Decisions of the judges is final.






    __________________________________________________________________





 > CHAOS STRIKES BACK! STR Spotlight     The DM sequel is superb!
   =================================




                            CHAOS STRIKES BACK!
                            ==================

                                 from FTL



 by Ron Brunk

     Chaos  is  back,  and  with  a  vengeance.  The long awaited sequel to
 Dungeonmaster is out and it takes up the story from the conclusion  of DM.
 The premise  of the  game is  that Chaos  planned his  previous defeat and
 arranged for his return.  Your  mission is  to find  and destroy  the four
 corbums with which Chaos is absorbing all the manna in the world.  You can
 continue your adventures with the characters in a  saved game  from DM, or
 you can make a new party from a selection of newer, more powerful heroes.

     This  continuation  is  made  possible  with  the  Chaos  Strikes Back
 utilities disk.  To  start with  new characters  you visit  the Prison and
 select characters  as previously done in the Hall of Champions in DM.  The
 new champions are a  diverse collection  of creatures  (birdmen, centaurs,
 etc.).   The other  option is  to load in a DM saved game and create a CSB
 save game with your old characters  at the  beginning of  the new dungeon.
 At this  point you  are able to change your characters names, modify their
 portraits, or use the  "updated" pictures  for the  characters provided on
 the  disk  which  represent  their  increased levels (basically, they look
 tougher and meaner).  Once you  have your  party set  up the  way you want
 them you  have to  save the  party, boot  up the game CSB, and resume with
 that saved party.

     The utilities disk also has an animation of the story  of Chaos (worth
 seeing once) and the Oracle for game hints.  If you are in the dungeon and
 get stuck you must save the game in  the area  that you  are stuck, reboot
 with the utilities disk, and select the Oracle and feed it the saved game.
 You then select a  word that  most nearly  describes your  problem and you
 will  be  provided  progressively  more  detailed  hints until you finally
 figure it out.  You then must reboot the game and load  in the  saved game
 and continue.   While  an online oracle would at first seem the way to go,
 upon consideration I think I  prefer  it  this  way  since  it discourages
 casually  consulting  the  Oracle  each  and  every  time you have a small
 problem.

     The game itself looks to be very tough.   While  many of  the monsters
 are  familiar  (mummies  are  still  wimps),  many  have changed and grown
 tougher (I've had little thieves take 2 MON  fireballs and  still get away
 with my  loot, and  the little wizards are really tough this time around).
 There  are  also  new  monsters  including  flying  snake/lobsters(?), ant
 fighters (similar to the blue meanies), and more.

     The dungeon  features are  similar to  DM with  the addition of hidden
 pits (distinguishable if you watch where you are  going), and  new puzzles
 to  solve.    The  layout  consists  of  multiple  small  "levels"  with a
 bewildering array of transporters and pits continually sending  you up and
 (mostly) down.   Many  of the pits are "multi-level" eliciting a series of
 screams from your party  until you  (finally) plummet  all the  way to the
 bottom (a  rope is  of no use in this instance).  In addition, the dungeon
 changes as you progress in the game.   Many times  you will  find yourself
 travelling along  a familiar corridor, only to discover a new passage that
 wasn't there before or a stairway that was previously blocked is now open.
 All of  the above  makes mapping  extremely difficult, forcing you to keep
 starting new portions of the dungeon until you  begin recognizing sections
 already mapped and can put the pieces of the puzzle together.

     Once I've  gotten a  little further  along in the dungeon I'll write a
 more complete review.   For one  thing, I  want to  check through  all the
 permutations of  spells to  see if  new ones  are available.  In any case,
 Chaos Strikes Back is the  best  adventure  game  to  come  out  since the
 original  Dungeonmaster  and  it  is  a  perfect  stocking stuffer to give
 yourself (if you can wait that long.





  ______________________________________________________________________





 > CHAOS STRIKES BACK! STReport OnLine  What the online pros think...
   ===================================




     The packaging is nice but not  overwhelming, similar  to the original.
 It consists  of a  box, manual (smaller than the first), a map and a coin.
 The  manual,  as  in  the  original,  mostly  describes  the  setting  and
 additionally some  basic instructions  on how  to use the character editor
 and game startup.

 On the box, it states EXPANSION SET # 1

 The game comes on two disks:
  
 The "COPY PROTECTED DISK" and the "UTILITY  DISK."

 To play  the game,  you must  generate a  Prison save  disk.   This can be
 achieved in  one of  two ways:  picking new  adventurers or using your old
 tried and true originals.  If you decide to choose new players,  you enter
 the  Prison  as  you  did  in  the  original Dungeon Master with a Hall of
 Champions.  The characters there are all entirely new in  both ability and
 appearance.  From my cursory look, they are divided into categories:

     Insects        Centaurs       Ghouls         Reptiles       Pixies.  

     Although they each vary in talent the "mean" or average talent appears
 to be the Adept, which should at least give you a baseline  for where your
 characters should be.

     The graphic  profiles are  all new  and are up to usual FTL standards.
 If you decide to  use your  originals, as  I did,  you have  the option of
 modifying there appearance by means of a character editor.  Not wanting to
 delay my first advent  into the  Prison too  long, I  opted for  a welcome
 option of  "updating" my  characters appearance.  All 24 characters in the
 original have new and improved  profiles  that  can  be  assigned  to your
 original characters.   Essentially  the new  profiles reflect the enhanced
 ablities your characters have after  defeating  Chaos  in  Dungeon Master.
 When this is done, you "save" your game and load the game disk.

 Short interlude...

     When playing  the original  Dungeon Master,  I think (hope) we all ran
 across what we thought was an unbeatable  point.    For  some  it  was the
 Knights, others  had problems  with the Rock Monsters.  My nemesis was the
 purple worms.  I hated them  with  a  passion  usually  reserved  for mass
 murderers and  IRS agents.  I just couldn't get by them.  You may remember
 the part. The "My prisoner..." bit?  Kill  him and  you unleash  hordes of
 purple worms.   I called a friend who was also playing and asked for help.
 Being the true friend he replied, "Hey, just handle it."

     Needless to say I finally  got  through  the  purple  worms  and found
 monsters which had purple worms bring in the morning paper.

     Upon  loading  the  game  disk  you  start  in complete darkness.  "No
 problem," I thought.  Contemptuously chanting  a light  spell I  turned my
 seasoned champions to survey their surroundings.

     Worms everywhere.   I  mean EVERYWHERE.  Not at first of course.  That
 would destroy all hope.  No, they generate just fast  enough to  think you
 might get  out of  it.  And these are not those pansy purple worms.  These
 are puke yellow daddy worms who  have  suspiciousminds  and  want  to know
 where the kids are.  You didn't see them did you?

     If by  some masterly  stroke of  luck you get out of this room you are
 instantly beset with other charming creatures.

     The prison itself has the same walls as the dungeon.  The monsters are
 new and improved.   Enjoy!

                                                       - Michael Wade



     The story goes that Lord Chaos foresaw his defeat at the hands of your
 Champions, so he created a Hidden Dungeon below the Mount  Anaias dungeon,
 and hid  four concentrations  of a  magical ore  that drains mana from the
 world.  When enough mana is drained away, the bond  that fuses  him to his
 good  side  will  be  broken,  freeing  him  again to dominate the world..
 unfortunately, he's overlooked  the  little  detail  that  this  will also
 destroy the universe...   just a bad loser, I guess...

     Your party  of four  Champions has been called back to Mount Anaias to
 try to find and  destroy  the  ore  before  the  final  cataclysm happens.
 Naturally, Lord Chaos has created lots of NEW monsters to guard his Hidden
 Dungeon... (as well as return  performances  by  all  your  favorites from
 Dungeon Master)

                                                       - Bob Retelle





    ___________________________________________________________________





 > DIAMOND BACKUP STR Review   A hot, new and slick HD backup util.
   =========================





                    Diamond Back--By Robert D. Luneski
                    ==================================


 by William Y. Baugh


     Having been  a hard drive owner for a few years now, the importance of
 keeping a reliable and complete back up of the drive has not  been lost on
 me.  What has been a problem is finding a back up program that is reliable
 (in the sense of using TOS based instead  of an  image, more  later), fast
 (very important) and gives you the options that you would expect in a back
 up program.  Well, Bob Luneski has introduced to the ST user a new program
 called Diamond  Back which handles the aforementioned options quite nicely
 and gives you a lot more.

     Diamond Back is a  fully GEM  operated (it  is extremely  easy to use,
 everything is  chosen by mouse)  file by file back up program that runs at
 the speed of image file programs, but with  the added  protection of being
 able to copy a file or files from the floppies back to the hard drive with
 out the use of the back up programs' restore function.  (Whew)   What this
 means  is  if  you  use  an  image  file program, you would not be able to
 restore your hard drive without using that same program (you  can not even
 get a directory of the disk from desktop!)  The problems incurred here are
 that, say, you lose one file from your D partition and want to retrieve it
 from the  back up.  Well, with the image file programs out today, with the
 exception of Charles Johnson's future,  (to  be  released,  Fat  Back) you
 cannot  restore  a  single  file,  you must restore the entire partition! 
 With Diamond Back, all you need to do is locate the disk and file  copy it
 back to the partition.  

     Now, where  a problem will arise with DB is that to optimize full (and
 I repeat, FULL) disk  space on  the floppies,  DB splits  files.   So, for
 every disk  that you  have, there  will be one split file per disk (at the
 end of the disk) or if your real lucky and  the files  add up  to the disk
 size, then  you'll have  less.  If the file you want to restore happens to
 be the split file, you have to use  the restore  and specify  the specific
 file you  want to  retrieve.   This is  not too  much of  a problem, but a
 problem to me nevertheless.  Mr. Luneski has  put a  'No Split'  option in
 the latest  version of  Diamond Back for the folks who did not want to use
 the restore program.  The only problem with this is  Mr. Luneski  does not
 use an  algorithm (like is used in George Woodsides' Turtle) that will set
 up the directory for each floppy so that each floppy  is optimally filled.
 This really  gets old  when you have 400K left on a floppy and a 402K file
 is next in line, well, you have to  sacrifice the  400K and  put in  a new
 disk.  

     To give  an example of what this problem will entail, I backed up my C
 partition, which was a whopping 5.8 megs in size, on my hard  drive, which
 is a  65 meg 29 ms Seagate ST-251-1 with an Adaptec 4070 controller and an
 ICD Host  Adapter  running  at  1:2  interleave  (getting  around 400K/sec
 transfer).   The following table shows the number of disks, the bytes free
 remaining on the disk  and the  elapsed time  it took  to back  up the 5.8
 megs.

 (I feel at this point I should give a brief background of Turtle for those
 unfamiliar with it.  Turtle is a public  domain program  which uses  a RAM
 disk  exactly  formatted  like  the  floppies  you are writing to.  Turtle
 writes to the RAM disk, then does a whole disk  copy to  the floppy.   The
 biggest  drawback  is  for  systems  with  memory constraints (like a 520,
 single sided only), you have to dismantle your entire system to use Turtle
 (remove accessories, auto programs, etc.))

         Diamond Back                          Turtle                      
          1.  0                            1.  2048
          2.  88064                        2.  4096
          3.  24576                        3.  1024
          4.  14336                        4.  1024
          5.  100352                       5.  1024
          6.  37888                        6.  1024
          7.  157696                       7.  1024
          8.  453632                       8.  N/A (End of Back up)
          9.  N/A (End of Back up)              ------  

               AVERAGE 109568/disk        1609/disk
       
          Time: 10:00                          14:00

     After seeing  these results,  I phoned Mr. Luneski and asked him if he
 had any plans on programming an  algorithm similar  to Turtles'  to handle
 the non-split  file option.   His  answer was that he didn't plan on doing
 this, since the non-split file option was thrown in the later revisions to
 appease a few of the die-hard people who were against split files.  He did
 say that in the next release he was  going to  include a  separate program
 that will recombine files in a multitude of ways so that you will not have
 to use DB's restore function.

     After looking at the  times listed  above I  decided to   back  up the
 drive with  the split file option on and it took just over 7 minutes!  The
 amazing speed that DB displays is  brought about  by an  ingenious idea of
 Mr. Luneski's  to write the FAT table in memory then, after the files have
 been copied to the disk, it writes the  FAT table.   This  allows the disk
 head  to  track  straight  across  the disk rather than doing the annoying
 tracking back and forth, back and forth that we are so accustomed to.

     I should mention that Diamond Back  will  allow  you  to  do  full and
 incremental back  ups and  restores.  You may specify paths or do searches
 by wildcards.   DB  also lets  you compress  (DB LZH's)  and encrypt (like
 putting a  password protection  on your files) the files as they are going
 to floppy.

     While talking with Mr. Luneski on  the phone,  he mentioned  a few new
 ideas  that  he  is  going  to  include  on  the next upgrade.  These are:
 Increase restore speed 50-70%  over the  existing speed.   Add  support to
 backing up to other partitions.  Image back up option and Spectre support.
 Also the writing to floppy speed has been optimized.

     Having been working lately in the IBM world and seeing Fast Back (it's
 tremendously fast),  I feel  that it is a standard for IBM users.  Well, I
 would like to see Diamond Back become a  standard for  the ST  users.  Mr.
 Luneski has  written a fine program (in his spare time I might add) and is
 very supportive of the Atari computers.  If you're in need for a fine back
 up program, check this one out, it's well worth it.






    ___________________________________________________________________





 > Probing the Future II STR Feature  Another look at problem Dealers...
   =================================



     We received the post listed below from Jeff Williams a very nice young
 man  who  is  genuinely  concerned  about  the  well  being  of  the Atari
 marketplace.   We took exception to certain of his remarks but by no means
 have we lost any respect for this gentleman.   In  fact, we  thank him for
 reading STReport and bringing out points that needed further explanation. 


 Category 26,  Topic 9
 Message 78        Mon Dec 11, 1989
 JEFF.W [RTC Sysop]           at 00:26 EST
  
 The latest issue includes a suggestion that some dealers are participating
 in price gouging by charging something in the neighborhood of $450 for the
 520ST.   I hope  this was  a misprint.  Otherwise, it is a statement based
 upon misinformation.

     The article credits announcements  at an  SPA gathering  that the list
 price of  the 520ST  would be  reduced to $299.95.  Well, that just hasn't
 happened and I find it offensive that dealers  should be  blamed for this.
 What  -has-  happened  in  the  pricing  of  520ST's  is  that if a dealer
 purchases a certain quantity of 520ST's from Atari, they can get a deal on
 the price  enabling them  to sell  each unit for $399.95 (a monitor is not
 included in that price). If the dealer can  not purchase  that quantity of
 units for  whatever reason,  they do not get the price break and obviously
 cannot afford to lose money by  selling them  at an  artificially low (for
 the dealer) price.

     If a dealer who cannot get the break in the price is selling a 520STfm
 for $450, that is a pretty good deal.  The dealer certainly  isn't getting
 rich off 520ST sales at that price.

     I hope  this will  be investigated  and a  correction made in the next
 issue. ST Report shouldn't be generating  mistrust of  Atari dealers based
 upon information that is not accurate or current.

                             ---====***====---

     Jeff, There  will be no corrections because there is no misinformation
 in that article.  A great deal of assumption is  in evidence  on your part
 and I  feel obliged  to say  you may  also be somewhat jaded in your reply
 because you are employed (part-time) by  a dealer.   Please  remember, one
 dealer does  not the  nation make.   The  bottom line  price presented was
 stated at the SPA conference as a goal being sought.  Also, NO WHERE was a
 monitor mentioned in the article as being part of the promotion in selling
 the 520stf at 299.95.  As for our  STATING that  the 299.95  was a  set in
 concrete announcement... we quote from the article; "The promotional price
 is SUPPOSED  TO BE  299.95, according  to the  statements made  at the SPA
 meeting,  but  we  have  found  certain  dealers trying to sell these same
 computers at $450.00".  Clearly, we indicate exactly what was said without
 attempting to  read anything into the information furnished.  At this time
 the pricing is 399.95..with $375.95 not being uncommon.   Also,  the below
 300.00 price is close to happening.
  
     Unfortunately, you  are trying to blow off as misinformation, the fact
 that there * ARE * dealers out there  who are  engaged in  the "gouge" and
 the "lowball  market kill".   The sooner those whose heads are in the sand
 realize that  this is  a MAJOR  problem that  the Atari  userbase has been
 facing for  some time the better for all parties concerned.  Certainly, we
 wish to believe that good dealers outnumber the questionable dealers  by a
 country mile,  as a  matter of  fact, we  most certainly  believe that the
 majority of  dealers are  first class.   But  that still  does not address
 problem  of  the  unscrupulous  dealers  who readily take advantage of the
 'newfie' at every turn or lowball the product to death.  In  any case, the
 few  dealers  who  are  involved  in these unsavory practices are bringing
 about the departure of the "blue chip" dealers to other arenas.
  
     Finally, there are those dealers who are STILL charging 175.00 or more
 to install  TOS 1.4  and asking  more than  90.00 for  the chipsets alone.
 STReport stands by what was presented.  And  would be  more than  happy to
 spotlight those  dealers who are doing the right thing by their customers.
 As we have done in the  past with  the "Golden  Fuji" awards  presented to
 those dealers  who keep  the customer first by providing top notch service
 and sales at fair prices.  Conversely, we have presented  a number  of the
 now  famous,  "Gouge  Award"  for  those  dealers  who  seem to delight in
 squeezing the last dollar out of every customer.

     Additionally, with the advent  of Atari  now bundling  DESKSET II with
 all SLM 804 laser printers, we find, much to our chagrin, that some "slick
 operators are pulling the bundled Deskset II out and are  selling it  as a
 shelf item  for almost  $400.00!   Oh, dear....  this is  the land of free
 enterprise.  One can easily see where Atari is trying to introduce DeskSet
 II in  an affordable  manner, (by bundling with the SLM 804), only to have
 the effort thwarted by enterprising dealers.  Hopefully, they will see the
 errors of  their ways  and allow  the product  to go out the door with the
 Laser Printers or, at least allow  the  customer  the  choice  of choosing
 either  DeskSet  II  or  Ultrascript.    We  feel the postscript solution,
 Ultrascript, should have remained  the bundled  product.   Perhaps, in the
 future, changes more to the postscript solution will be placed in effect.
  
     The matter was fully investigated and found to be quite accurate in as
 much as  one of  the dealers  we have  in mind  had just  received a large
 shipment of 520stf machines and promptly put the FAT PRICE TAG on them.  A
 user then reads about the  'deal'  in  one  of  the  online  or  hard copy
 magazines,  visits  a  dealer  such  as  this, and gets had.  This sir, is
 exactly what the article is all about.  
  
     If a dealer has had a number  of  these  machines  in  stock  for over
 thirty days  or cannot  afford to  buy in the quantities needed to get the
 price break,  well that's business, he either goes with the flow  or takes
 a bath.   That is one of the 'hard to take' facts of life when it comes to
 being in business.  Incidently, many companies afford  discount allowances
 to dealers  who have  product in  stock and the advertised retail price is
 lowered.
    
     Look at  it this  way, there  are two  dealers in  one city,   one can
 afford to  take advantage  of the  quantity price break, the other cannot.
 The one who has the lower price draws the people and sells  his inventory,
 (software etc), along with the discounted machines. He may not be "GETTING
 RICH" from the discounted 520 sales but you can bet the "ADD ON" sales are
 doing the  trick.  The guy with the higher prices ...well, he may sell his
 after the other dealer is sold out.  
  
     Now comes the rough part, when  there is  only one  dealer in  a given
 city or  for that  matter, in  a region.     Here, we  have an exceedingly
 tempting situation.  You know, "the only game  in town"  type thing.   How
 about USED  SC1224 color monitors (the JVC type) for $500.00???  How about
 the majority of items  at list  price plus  10% for  S&H?   Sure there are
 those who  would say the buyer is able to say yes or no... But then is he?
 If its the only dealer for miles around? 
  
     As far as your condemning statement; "STReport shouldn't be generating
 mistrust of  Atari dealers  based on  information that  is not accurate or
 current"  It appears that you sir, have us TRIED and CONVICTED!   Have you
 sir,  done  all  the  needed  research  work  to  render such an officious
 statement?  We sir, at STReport try to do our best in presenting the whole
 truthful story.  
  

          In the  last few  days this  note came in .... Another dealer who
          finds it easy to badmouth Atari's business dealings  ... This all
          sounds so familiar.

     After  a  brief  visit  (and  a disappointing one) to a local computer
 store that had carried the St  line quite  religiously, I  found out today
 that they will no longer carry any St products but will gladly order Atari
 products for you, no thanks, I can always call a mail order  place myself.

     But  anyway,  the  manager  told  me  the reason for the St line being
 dropped was not the product  or  the  demand  but  the  policy  that Atari
 themselves has developed.  Atari requires that distributors order hardware
 in dollar amounts rather than quantity so that the stores may have to keep
 10 or  more machines on the floor or in stock because of the dollar amount
 requirement.  

     This seems a bit ludicrous to me.  He also  mentioned that  Atari will
 now sell directly to the consumer via mail order and that it is impossible
 for the distributor to make any  money with  the manufacturer undercutting
 all of machines prices.  Does Atari not realize that if the machine is not
 seen then its impact may never  be heard?   Any  insights on  this problem
 would be appreciated.  
  
                                           Looking for an explanation...
                                                    Billy Blaze


     After checking  into what  this young  man was told by this dealer, we
 found the  bulk of  the information  given to  Mr. Blaze  to be erroneous.
 Naturally, we  are not  attempting to  give all  dealers a "black eye" but
 when repeated complaints  come  in  from  legit  dealers  who  are getting
 clobbered by  those dealers  who seem to delight in LOWBALLING product out
 the door and coupled with the exact opposites who try to squeeze  the last
 dollar out of every sale, we simply must begin to present these situations
 for all eyes to see.  

     We have observed repeated complaints concerning the lack  of servicing
 dealers operating  in New York City, that answer is simple... who in their
 right mind would invest the long dollars needed  to set  up a  service and
 sales center  only to  get lowballed to death by J&R, who, by the way, now
 have all the Atari products listed (with pictures) in their new mail order
 catalog?????   Or how  about the dealer in the Washington D.C. area who is
 busy lowballing exchange rates for defective merchandise and mail ordering
 out Atari ST products at 10% above cost?

     We know  of no other way to get the full attention of the powers to be
 and give cause to having these  serious injustices  being perpetrated upon
 the  majority  of  good,  honest  and  straight  forward dealers and users
 corrected.







  ______________________________________________________________________
  




 > 40 FOLDER BUG? STReport OnLine   Clarification of the 'bug rumor'.
   ==============================


 ctsy GEnie RT


 Category 14,  Topic 10
 Message 39        Tue Dec 12, 1989
 MJANSEN [Mark @ Atari]       at 20:54 EST
  
     Allan Pratt asked me to post this message, which he  wrote in response
     to the same topic on UseNet.
     ----------------------------------------------------------------

 Subject: 40-folder limit has returned with a vengeance in TOS 1.4. 
 A user  posted that TOS 1.4 was flawed with the same old 40 folder bug, A.
 Pratt of Atari offers the following clarification.

 He is wrong.

     He says that the space where  memory block  descriptors are maintained
 and  the  space  where  directory node descriptors are maintained overlap.
 This is true.  But this is no  bug: both  data structures,  and some other
 things, are  dynamically allocated  out of the same pool of memory (called
 "the OS pool").

     He says that using  FOLDRXXX.PRG will  alleviate the  problem.   He is
 right, but not for the reason he thinks.

     The root  of all  this evil  is that  the OS pool itself is statically
 allocated.  There is only so much room  there, for  directory descriptors,
 memory  block  descriptors,  and open-file descriptors. Using FOLDRXXX.PRG
 adds more memory to be used for these things.

     The original problem with the pool was that it was not only statically
 allocated, but  it was  also managed  poorly: once a piece of the pool was
 used as (say) a memory descriptor,  it  was  forever  tagged  as  a memory
 descriptor, and  could never  be used as a directory descriptor.  Starting
 with TOS 1.4, this is no longer the case.   When something  allocated from
 pool is  freed, the  memory becomes available for any other data structure
 which is allocated from the pool.  

     Furthermore, once a directory descriptor was allocated from  the pool,
 IT  WAS  NEVER  FREED.    It  stood  forever,  recording  its place in the
 directory structure, even if you never used that  directory again.  And it
 was allocated  if you  even so  much as SAW the name of the directory in a
 window, let alone actually opened that directory.   I fixed  that, too, so
 only "active"  directories take  up memory  in the pool, and others can be
 freed when the memory is required for something else.

     That's why I say that TOS 1.4 pushes the limits of the admittedly-evil
 static OS  pool farther  away than  previous OSes.  And using FOLDRXXX.PRG
 adds pool (for all its uses, not just folders), so you can push the limits
 arbitrarily far.

     Finally,   CACHEXXX.PRG   has   nothing   to  do  with  any  of  this.
 CACHEXXX.PRG adds sectors to  the  sector  cache  which  GEMDOS  uses, and
 therefore  saves  disk  accesses.    The  cache  is managed with a "global
 least-recently used" algorithm, which  means that  the last  N sectors you
 used are in the cache. You can see this most dramatically if you use "Show
 Info" from the desktop on a  hard disk  drive with  lots of subdirectories
 and files.  "Show Info" goes down the entire directory tree and reads each
 sector of the FAT.  Do  it once,  and the  disk light  will stay  on for a
 while.  Do it again, and the same thing happens.  Now run CACHE080.PRG and
 try "Show Info" twice: the first time, the same thing  happens. The second
 time, the  disk light  doesn't come on at all, because all the sectors are
 already cached.  This speedup is even more dramatic with floppies!

     Sectors are eligible for this  cache  when  they  are  read  by GEMDOS
 itself  (like  directory  and  FAT  sectors)  or when they are not read in
 whole-sector blocks.  Disk reads which span entire sectors are transferred
 directly from disk to their destination in user memory. 

 Please feel free to pass this message along, especially to the place where
 Mr. Sudikatus' message appeared.

 ========================================================================
  Opinions expressed above do not necessarily  -- Allan  Pratt, Atari Corp.
 reflect those of Atari Corp. or anyone else.  ...ames!atari!apratt
 ========================================================================

                                        Hope this clears things up.

                                                  Mark Jansen
                                             Atari Corporation
  




      ______________________________________________________________






 > STICK GRIPPER! STReport InfoFile   Life gets easier all the time..
   ================================



                          * NEW PRODUCT RELEASE *

     Duggan DeZign  Inc. proudly  announces the  release of a fantastic new
 product directed at anyone who plays games on any personal computer!  It's
 called  STIK-GRIPPER  and  it  will  give any game the true 'ARCADE FEEL'.
 STIK-GRIPPER is a SOLID STEELJoystick clamp which is totally adjustable to
 fit a  wide variety of Joysticks!  It allows one-handed Joystick operation
 by clamping the joystick  to  the  table  top  (protective  pads  and caps
 included!).   This is  a must  for those games requiring both Keyboard and
 Joystick control (especially FLIGHT SIMULATORS)  as  you  can  now operate
 both at the same time!  It also brings a whole new feel to any game as you
 no longer have to hold the Joystick just  like in  the Arcades!   It's ALL
 STEEL construction makes STIK-GRIPPER tough enough to endure rugged play!

     STIK-GRIPPER has a list price of only $18.95. 

     It  is  available  thru  your  local  dealer  (ask  for it!) or send a
 cashier's check or money order to:

                            Duggan DeZign Inc.
                             16 Oak Ridge Dr.
                          West Warwick  RI  02893






    ___________________________________________________________________





 > ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL    Sayin' it like it is....
   ======================



 - Sunnyvale, CA.           *****  THE REVOLVING DOOR COMETH AGAIN!  *****
   --------------

     MIKE MORAND, Atari Computers President has resigned...according to our
 sources the  separation was  amicable as  Mr. Morand "had a better offer".
 Assuming the duties of  president  of  Atari  Computers  is  David Harris,
 previously president of the consumer electronics division.




 - Sunnyvale, CA.       *** ULTRASCRIPT NO LONGER BUNDLED WITH SLM 804 ***
   --------------

     Many dealers  are somewhat  dismayed over  the recent move by Atari to
 replace Ultrascript with DESKSET  II as  the bundled  program shipped with
 the laser  printer, SLM  804.   Most now  claim that Atari has effectively
 lost the "postscript solution".




 - St. Louis, MO.                    *****  LHARC FURTHER EXPLAINED  *****
   --------------
  
     In the current version 0.51, the  command line  interpretation is done
 in GFA.   The coding/decoding is done in C.  Oft-called routines have been
 converted to assembler already.  The  C  code  is  EXTREMELY  tight.   The
 compiled code is very compact and fast - it has been produced by the Turbo
 C compiler.  The parts that have been converted to assembler show  a speed
 increase of  not more  than 10-20%, and they have been coded really tight.
 Speed increase from further  assembly coding  will be  very slight.   Some
 speed may be gained by buffering disk I/O. Don't count on more than 20%.



 - Skokie IL.                          ***** DETAILS OF USR UPGRADE *****
   ---------


     It is  not just  a rom upgrade.  "The V.42 upgrades for existing HST's
 will  not  be  available  to  owners  until  sometime  late  January early
 February, USR  said.  The modem will have to be sent to USR for board mods
 to upgrade to V.42 compatibility.   Turnaround  time  will  be  about 5-10
 days.   This upgrade is free to any modem if purchased after 10/1/89.  Any
 modem purchased prior to that date will be charged $50."
  
     The 14.4 HST can go to 38.4 if you have a computer with an RS232 quick
 enough to  handle it.  The ST is limited to 19.2  unless someone comes out
 with a hardware replacement for the RS232 driver.
  
     Please keep in mind you have to run  flow control  for any  of this to
 happen for  you.   the modem runs at 14.4, and on the ST you set your term
 rate to 19.2. With mnp 5  data compression  on the  ST you  can get  up to
 about 1800cps  with ymodemG, but the trick is to get the protocol.

     V.42 will  have a  new data  compression in  it so it will do the same
 thing, but it will be a true modem standard instead of the  Defacto one we
 have now.





     ________________________________________________________________





 > Hard Drive Info STReport InfoFile   Affordable Mass Storage
   ================================= 
  
  


                        NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
                       ============================


                      ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
              P.O. Box 6672  Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
                                Est.  1985
                 _________________________________________

                   Voice: 904-783-3319  10 AM - 4 PM EDT
                     BBS: 904-786-4176   12-24-96 HST
                    FAX: 904-783-3319  12 PM - 6 AM EDT
                 _________________________________________
                                        
                   HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
                   _____________________________________
                                        
   All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
                 are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
                                        
              ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE
                 (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
                   (all cables and connectors installed)
                                        
                   RUGGED SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS 

   * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *

         32mb #SG32238   549.00              42mb #SG44710   619.00
         51mb #SGN4951   629.00              65mb #SG60101   689.00
         80mb #SGN296    729.00             100mb #SG84011D  949.00
        130mb #SG1244D  1099.00             145mb #SG3A421  1110.00
        170mb #SGT41776 1389.00             260mb #SG1244Q  2169.00
                          320mb #SGN7788Q 3295.00

           Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
      Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
    (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)

            ****--> CALL; for SPECIAL HOLIDAY DISCOUNTS <--****
                                     
           ***  ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms  ***

    ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> MAGIC SAC - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
                                        
             LARGER units are available - (special order only)

        * Removable Media Devices NOW Available (44mb) Syquest 555 *
                      * SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICES *

                    EXTRA CARTRIDGES: 97.95  (anytime)

               * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *

     - SYQUEST 44 MB removable media drive     - ICD ST Host Adapter
     - ICD Mass Storage Utility Software       - 3' DMA Cable 
     - Fan & Clock                             - Multi-Unit Power Supply
                          (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.

                 Completely Assembled and READY TO RUN!  
                              ONLY $869.00  
  
 We would  offer floppy drives..  but Computer Shopper has 'em at the right
 price.  And.. you can plug 'em right into our cabinets and power supplies.
 Low-Boy  OR  Standard  Case  (designed  with room for another 3.5 OR 5.25"
 drive)  They're made for user expansion!  TRUE UPGRADE-ABILITY!
   
   * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
                        SPECIALLY PRICED  $1529.00 

    * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
         - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
          50mb SQG51   $1299.00           30mb SQG38    $1219.00
          65mb SQG09   $1339.00           85mb SQG96    $1399.00
                       
                 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS

       - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - 
                      ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED

                       -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
                         (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)

                 Quantity & Usergroup Discounts Available!
                 _________________________________________

                     DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!

                 Personal and Company Checks are accepted.

                            ORDER YOURS TODAY!

                       904-783-3319    9am - 8pm EDT






      _______________________________________________________________



 > A "Quotable Quote" 
   =================




            "A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING IS STILL A WOLF!"

                                           ... Memorable Quotes


  



 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 STReport            "Your Independent News Source"       December 15, 1989
 16/32bit Magazine           copyright 1989           Vol. III ~ Issue #118
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
 the  editors,  staff,  ST  Report   or CPU Report .  Reprint permission is
 hereby granted, unless otherwise noted.    All  reprints  must  include ST
 Report or  CPU Report  and the  author's name.   All information presented
 herein is believed correct, STReport or CPU Report, it's editors and staff
 are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained herein.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------


