==========================================================================

               *---=== ST REPORT WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE ===---*

                      "The Original Online ST Magazine"
                       ------------------------------- 

December 05, 1988                  Monday                 Volume II  No.64

==========================================================================


                         ST Report Online Magazine 
                       ------------------------------
                          Post Office Box   6672
                           Jacksonville, Florida
                               32236    6672
                                R.F. Mariano
                             Publisher - Editor
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                                 Highlights
                                 ==========
  ~ From the Editor's Desk.............~ COPYRIGHT? ...................
  ~ DISCOVERY & SPECTRE!...............~ XL/XE Xformer SECRETS!........
  ~ Pro GEM Windows #15................~ ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL........
                              and....much more!

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 AVAILABLE ON:     COMP-U-SERVE  ~  DELPHI  ~  GENIE  ~  THE SOURCE
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From the Editor's Desk:
-----------------------


      Software Theft is....  a sickness, an addiction, the manifestation 
of an ego problem, a solid sign of a character flaw and just plain 
downright illegal and dirty.  We have heard all but one of the rational 
explanations over the past few million days....We the userbase have the 
software thieves outnumbered at this point, so why not really outnumber 
them?                                                  ------

      This could be accomplished overnight (practically) by our favorite
company, Atari.  If Atari were to begin shipping the RIGHT quantities of
ST computers THROUGHOUT the USA, the developers would soon see that the
initial market impact of software would easily surpass the "break even"
point no matter how many software thieves there are.  Example: IBM - MAC
and Amiga.

      Software Theft is, without a doubt, crippling the marketplace for
Atari, and the major cause is pure and simple "economics".  There are not
enough machines in service in the USA to overcome the losses caused by the
software thieves.  For example; Let's say Company A has 300,000 machines 
in place and Company B has 800,000 in place.  Of the two, which is more 
likely to yield to the developer better sales vs theft with the release of
each new piece of software?

      One of the largest contributing factors to Software Theft is "LEGAL"
activities by the SOFTWARE RENTAL OPERATIONS... 

                     Let's look at a little scenario; .......

      "The userbase has been waiting for almost six months for a 
      particular piece of software to be released, the entire country 
      breathlessly awaits this super new item.  The time for it's release
      arrives and it hits the market!  Dirty Nellie's Software Rental 
      Emporium has had 50 copies on back order with their distributor and
      as expected, the day it arrived all fifty copies were rented.  

      Out of the fifty, 17 were rented mail order and the rest over the
counter.  It really doesn't take an MIT grad to see the story unfold here,
the folks who "rented this thing" come from "all over" and will more than
likely dub the thing and put it on their own or a best friend's BBS to be
the "first" to have it available.  The bottom line here is that software
rental in a number one contributing factor to easy software theft.  We
must, as an organized userbase, discourage the patronage of software 
rental houses.

      On to a different subject, now, with the Commodore line available 
through mailorder it is easy to see that they have a real marketing plan 
for the USA ...that is to fill the gap left by Atari's gross negligence in
the USA.  Can you believe that Atari will probably earn good money selling
AMIGA COMPUTERS this Christmas in it's Federated Stores?  Also, for the 
record, an Amiga 2000 fully equipped including a 1200bps modem and Color 
Monitor is available through mail order for less than 2000.00!  I call 
that a very ambitious effort to own the home computer market in the USA. 
We certainly hope Atari will find a way to neutralize this latest effort 
by Commodore to overpower Atari Computers in the US marketplace.

      In a more direct vein, I am (personal opinion) very confident of
Atari's future in the US, there are many people with the "blind faith" 
needed to help bring about the "new wave" of Atari ST popularity for 
a strong success.  Hopefully, Atari will see that the main thrust of 
their marketing advance should come with a priority of; a)- provide an 
ample and continuous supply of ST equipment, b)- a highly visible and 
aggressive NATIONAL ad campaign, c)- easily accessible service network.  

      We are hearing about the highly efficient and greatly appreciated 
exchange program, perhaps Atari ought to make sure all the users are aware
of this fine policy.  Also, hats off to the service dep't!  At last, rapid
efficient and accurate service with few, if any, busy signals.


                                         Ralph..........





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                                  Copyright Law
                                  =============
 
                                Jordan J. Breslow 
                           1225 Alpine Road, Suite 200 
                             Walnut Creek, CA 94596 
                                 +1 415 932 4828 
 
 
 
               I am an attorney practicing copyright law and computer  law.
          I  read  a series of queries in net.legal about copyright law and
          was dismayed to find that people who had no idea what  they  were
          talking  about  were  spreading  misinformation over the network.
          Considering that the penalties for copyright infringement can in-
          clude  $50,000.00  damages  per  infringed  work, attorneys fees,
          court costs, criminal fines  and  imprisonment,  and  considering
          that  ignorance  is  no  excuse and innocent intent is not even a
          recognized defense, I cringe to see the network used as a soapbox
          for the ill-informed.  For that reason, this article will discuss
          copyright law  and  license  law  as  they  pertain  to  computer
          software. 
 
               My goal is to enable readers to determine when  they  should
          be  concerned  about infringing and when they can relax about it.
          I also want to let programmers know how to obtain  copyright  for
          their  work.   I'll explain the purpose of software licenses, and
          discuss the effect that the license has on copyright.  For  those
          of  you who are programmers, I'll help you decide whether you own
          the programs you write on the job or your boss owns them.  I will
          also  mention  trademark  law and patent law briefly, in order to
          clarify some confusion about which is  which.   Incidentally,  if
          you read this entire essay, you will be able to determine whether
          or not the essay is copyrighted and whether or not you can make a
          printout of it. 
 
               This is a long article, and you may not want to read all  of
          it.   Here is an outline to help you decide what to read and what
          to ignore: 
       1.      The Meaning of Copyright from the Viewpoint of the Software
               User 
       1.1     A bit of history 
       1.2     The meaning of copyright 
       1.3     The meaning of public domain 
       1.4     A hypothetical software purchase 
       1.5     Can you use copyrighted software? 
       1.6     Can you make a backup copy? 
       1.7     Licenses may change the rules 

             (C) Copyright 1986 Breslow, Redistributed by permission 

          Copyright Law                                         1
          Copyright Law                                         2

       1.8     Can you modify the program? 
       1.9     Can you break the copy protection scheme? 
       1.10    Summary 

       2.      Copyright Sounds Neat -- How Do I Get One? Or, How Do I Know
               If this Program is Copyrighted? 
       2.1     How do you get a copyright? 
       2.2     How do you lose a copyright? 
       2.3     How do you waste a stamp? 
       2.4     Do you have to register? 
       2.5     How copyright comes into existence 
       2.6     The copyright notice 
       2.7     Advantages of registration 
       2.8     A test to see if you understand this article 

       3.      Who Owns The Program You Wrote? 
       3.1     Introduction 
       3.2     Programs written as an employee 
       3.3     Programs written as a contractor 

       4.      A Brief Word about Licenses 
       4.1     Why a license? 
       4.2     Is it valid? 

       5.1     Trademark law explained 
       5.2     Patent law 

       6.      Conclusion 

           1.  The Meaning of Copyright from the Viewpoint of  the  Software
               User 
           1.1.  A bit of history 

                If you're not interested in history, you can skip this para-
          graph.   Modern  copyright law first came into existence in 1570,
          by an act of Parliament called the Statute of  Anne.   Like  most
          laws,  it  hasn't  changed much since.  It was written with books
          and pictures in  mind.   Parliament,  lacking  the  foresight  to
          predict  the success of the Intel and IBM corporations, failed to
          consider the issue of copyrighting computer programs. 
 
               At first, courts questioned whether programs could be  copy-
          righted  at  all.   The problem was that judges couldn't read the
          programs and they figured the Copyright Law was only meant to ap-
          ply  to things humans (which arguably includes judges) could read
          without the aid of a machine.  I  saw  some  mythical  discussion
          about  that  in  some of the net.legal drivel.  Let's lay that to
          rest:  programs are copyrightable as long  as  there  is  even  a
          minimal  amount  of  creativity.  The issue was laid to rest with
          the Software Act of 1980.  That Act modified  the  Copyright  Act
          (which  is a Federal law by the way), in such a way as to make it
          clear that programs are copyrightable.   The  few  exceptions  to
          this rule will rarely concern anyone.  The next question to arise
          was whether a program was copyrightable if it was stored  in  ROM
          rather  than  on  paper.    The decision in the Apple v. Franklin
          case laid that to rest:  it is. 

          1.2.  The meaning of copyright 

               Now, what is copyright?  As it is commonly understood, it is
          the  right  to make copies of something -- or to put it the other
          way around, it is the right to prohibit other people from  making
          copies.   This  is  known  as an exclusive right -- the exclusive
          right to reproduce, in the biological language of  the  Copyright
          Act -- and what most people don't know is that copyright involves
          not one, not two, but five exclusive rights. These  are  (1)  the
          exclusive  right  to make copies, (2) the exclusive right to dis-
          tribute copies to the public, (3) the exclusive right to  prepare
          derivative  works  (I'll explain, just keep reading), (4) the ex-
          clusive right to perform the work in public (this mainly  applies
          to  plays,  dances and the like, but it could apply to software),
          and (5) the exclusive right to display the work in  public  (such
          as showing a film). 

          1.3.  The meaning of public domain 

               Before we go any further, what is public domain?  I saw some
          discussion  on  the  net about public domain software being copy-
          righted.  Nonsense.  The phrase public domain, when used correct-
          ly,  means the absence of copyright protection.  It means you can
          copy public domain software to your heart's  content.   It  means
          that  the  author  has none of the exclusive rights listed above.
          If someone uses the phrase public domain  to  refer  to  freeware
          (software which is copyrighted but is distributed without advance
          payment but with a request for a donation), he or  she  is  using
          the term incorrectly.  Public domain means no copyright -- no ex-
          clusive rights. 

          1.4.  A hypothetical software purchase 

               Let's look at those exclusive rights from the  viewpoint  of
          someone  who  has legitimately purchased a single copy of a copy-
          righted computer program.  For the moment, we'll have  to  ignore
          the  fact  that  the  program is supposedly licensed, because the
          license changes things.  I'll explain that later.  For  now,  as-
          sume  you  went  to  Fred's  Diner and Software Mart and bought a
          dozen eggs, cat food and a word processing program.  And for now,
          assume the program is copyrighted. 
 
          1.5.  Can you use copyrighted software? 
 
               What can you do with this copyrighted software?  Let's start
          with  the obvious:  can you use it on your powerful Timex PC?  Is
          this a joke?  No.  Prior to 1980, my answer might have  been  No,
          you can't use it! 

               People actually pay me for advice like  that!   Well  think:
          you  take the floppy disk out of the zip lock baggy, insert it in
          drive A and load the program into RAM.  What have you just  done?
          You've  made  a copy in RAM -- in legalese, you've reproduced the
          work, in violation of the copyright owner's  exclusive  right  to
          reproduce.  (I better clarify something here:  the copyright own-
          er is the person or company whose name appears in  the  copyright
          notice  on  the box, or the disk or the first screen or wherever.
          It may be the person who wrote the program,  or  it  may  be  his
          boss, or it may be a publishing company that bought the rights to
          the program.  But in any case, it's not you. When you buy a  copy
          of  the program, you do not become the copyright owner.  You just
          own one copy.) 
 
               Anyway, loading the program into RAM means  making  a  copy.
          The Software Act of 1980 addressed this absurdity by allowing you
          to make a copy if the copy "is created as an  essential  step  in
          the  utilization  of  the  computer program in conjunction with a
          machine and ...  is used in no other manner ...."   By  the  way,
          somebody  tell me what a machine means.  If you connect 5 PC's on
          a network is that a machine or several machines?  A related ques-
          tion  is whether or not running software on a network constitutes
          a performance.  The copyright owner has the exclusive right to do
          that, remember? 
 
          1.6.  Can you make a backup copy? 
 
               OK, so you bought this copyrighted program and you loaded it
          into  RAM  or  onto  a hard disk without the FBI knocking on your
          door.  Now can you make a backup copy?  YES.   The  Software  Act
          also  provided  that you can make a backup copy, provided that it
          "is for archival purposes only ...."  What you cannot do,  howev-
          er,  is give the archive copy to your friend so that you and your
          pal both got the program for the price of one.  That violates the
          copyright  owner's  exclusive  right  to distribute copies to the
          public.  Get it?  You can, on the other hand, give both your ori-
          ginal  and backup to your friend -- or sell it to him, or lend it
          to him, as long as you don't retain a copy of the program you are
          selling.  Although the copyright owner has the exclusive right to
          distribute (sell) copies of the program, that right only  applies
          to the first sale of any particular copy.  By analogy, if you buy
          a copyrighted book, you are free to sell your book to  a  friend.
          The copyright owner does not have the right to control resales. 

          1.7.  Licenses may change the rules 

               At this point, let me remind you that we have  assumed  that
          the program you got at the store was sold to you, not licensed to
          you.  Licenses may change the rules. 

          1.8.  Can you modify the program? 

               Now, you're a clever programmer, and you  know  the  program
          could  run  faster  with  some  modifications. You could also add
          graphics and an interactive mode and lots of other  stuff.   What
          does  copyright  law say about your plans?  Well ... several dif-
          ferent things, actually.  First, recall that the copyright  owner
          has  the  exclusive right to make derivative works.  A derivative
          work is a work based on one or more preexisting works.  It's easy
          to  recognize  derivative  works  when  you  think about music or
          books.  If a book is copyrighted, derivative works could  include
          a  screenplay, an abridged edition, or a translation into another
          language.  Derivative works of songs might  be  new  arrangements
          (like  the  jazz  version  of  Love  Potion  Number  9),  a movie
          soundtrack, or a written transcription, or a long version,  (such
          as the fifteen minute version of "Wipe Out" with an extended drum
          solo for dance parties).  In my opinion, you are making a deriva-
          tive work when you take the store-bought word processor and modi-
          fy it to perform differently.  The same  would  be  true  if  you
          translated  a  COBOL program into BASIC.  Those are copyright in-
          fringements -- you've horned in  on  the  copyright  owner's  ex-
          clusive  right to make derivative works.  There is, however, some
          breathing room.  The Software Act generously allows you to  adapt
          the  code  if  the adaptation "is created as an essential step in
          the utilization of the computer program  in  conjunction  with  a
          machine  ...."  For example, you might have to modify the code to
          make it compatible with your machine. 

          1.9.  Can you break the copy protection scheme? 

               Moving right along, let's assume your store  bought  program
          is  copy  protected, and you'd really like to make a backup copy.
          You  know  this  nine-year-old  whiz  who  can  crack  any  copy-
          protection scheme faster than you can rearrange a Rubix cube.  Is
          there a copyright violation if he succeeds?  There's room to  ar-
          gue here. When you try to figure out if something is an infringe-
          ment, ask yourself, what exclusive right am I violating?  In this
          case,  not the right to make copies, and not the right to distri-
          bute copies.  Public performance and display have  no  relevance.
          So  the key question is whether you are making a derivative work.
          My answer to that question is, "I doubt it."  On the other  hand,
          I  also  doubt that breaking the protection scheme was "an essen-
          tial step" in using the program in conjunction  with  a  machine.
          It  might be a "fair use," but that will have to wait for another
          article.  Anyone interested in stretching the limits of the "fair
          use" defense should read the Sony Betamax case. 

          1.10.  Summary 

               Let me summarize. Copyright means the  copyright  owner  has
          the  exclusive right to do certain things. Copyright infringement
          means you did one of those exclusive things (unless  you  did  it
          within the limits of the Software Act, i.e., as an essential step
          ....). 

         2.  Copyright Sounds Neat -- How Do I Get One?  Or, How Do I Know
          if this Program is Copyrighted? 

         2.1.  How do you get a copyright? 

               If you've written an original program, what do you  have  to
          do to get a copyright? Nothing. You already have one. 

         2.2.  How do you lose a copyright? 

               If you've written an original program, what do you  have  to
          do  to  lose your copyright protection?  Give copies away without
          the copyright notice. 

         2.3.  How do you waste a stamp? 

               If you mail the program to yourself in  a  sealed  envelope,
          what have you accomplished? You've wasted a stamp and an envelope
          and burdened the postal system unnecessarily. 

         2.4.  Do you have to register? 

               Do you have to register your program with the U.S. Copyright
          Office?  No, but it's a damn good idea. 

         2.5.  How copyright comes into existence 

               Copyright protection (meaning  the  five  exclusive  rights)
          comes  into existence the moment you fix your program in a tangi-
          ble medium.  That means write it down, or store it  on  a  floppy
          disk,  or  do  something similar.  Registration is optional.  The
          one thing you must do, however, is protect your copyright by  in-
          cluding  a  copyright  notice  on every copy of every program you
          sell, give away, lend out, etc.  If you don't, someone  who  hap-
          pens  across  your program with no notice on it can safely assume
          that it is in the public domain (unless he actually knows that it
          is not). 

         2.6.  The copyright notice 

               The copyright notice has three parts.  The first can be  ei-
          ther  a c with a circle around it ((C)), or the word Copyright or
          the abbreviation Copr.  The c with a circle around it is  prefer-
          able,  because  it is recognized around the world; the others are
          not.  That's incredibly important.  Countries  around  the  world
          have  agreed to recognize and uphold each others' copyrights, but
          this world-wide protection requires the use of the c in a circle.
          On  disk  labels and program packaging, use the encircled c.  Un-
          fortunately, computers don't draw small circles well, so program-
          mers  have  resorted  to a c in parentheses: (c).  Too bad.  That
          has no legal meaning.  When you put your notice in the  code  and
          on  the  screen, use Copyright or Copr.  if you can't make a cir-
          cle. 

               The second part of the notice is the "year of first publica-
          tion  of  the work." Publication doesn't mean distribution by Os-
          borne Publishing Co.  It means distribution of copies of the pro-
          gram to the public "by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by
          rental, lease, or lending."  So when you  start  handing  out  or
          selling copies of your precious code, you are publishing.  Publi-
          cation also takes place  when  you  merely  OFFER  to  distribute
          copies to a group for further distribution.  Your notice must in-
          clude the year that you first did so. 

               The third part of the notice is the name of the owner of the
          copyright.   Hopefully,  that's you, in which case your last name
          will do.  If your company owns the program -- a legal issue which
          I  will  address later in this article -- the company name is ap-
          propriate. 

               Where do you put the notice?  The general idea is to put  it
          where  people  are likely to see it. Specifically, if you're dis-
          tributing a human-readable code listing, put it on the first page
          in  the  first few lines of code, and hard code it so that it ap-
          pears on the title screen, or at sign-off, or  continuously.   If
          you're distributing machine-readable versions only, hard code it.
          As an extra precaution, you should also place the notice  on  the
          gummed  disk  label or in some other fashion permanently attached
          to the storage medium. 

          2.7.  Advantages of registration 

               Now, why register the program?  If no one ever rips off your
          program, you won't care much about registration.  If someone does
          rip it off, you'll kick yourself for not  having  registered  it.
          The  reason  is  that if the program is registered before the in-
          fringement takes place, you can recover some big bucks  from  the
          infringer,  called statutory damages, and the court can order the
          infringer to pay your attorneys fees.   Registration  only  costs
          $10.00,  and it's easy to do yourself.  The only potential disad-
          vantage is the requirement that you deposit the first and last 25
          pages  of  your  source  code,  which  can  be inspected (but not
          copied) by members of the public. 

          2.8.  A test to see if you understand this article 

               Now, someone tell me this:   is  this  article  copyrighted?
          Can you print it? 

          3.  Who Owns The Program You Wrote? 

          3.1.  Introduction 

               The starting point of this analysis is that if you wrote the
          program, you are the author, and copyright belongs to the author.
          HOWEVER, that can change instantly. There are two common ways for
          your  ownership  to  shift  to someone else:  first, your program
          might be a "work for hire."  Second, you  might  sell  or  assign
          your  rights  in  the  program,  which for our purposes means the
          copyright. 

          3.2.  Programs written as an employee 

               Most of the programs which you write at work, if not all  of
          them,  belong to your employer. That's because a program prepared
          by an employee within the scope of his or  her  employment  is  a
          "work for hire," and the employer is considered the author.  This
          is more or less automatic if you are an employee  --  no  written
          agreement is necessary to make your employer the copyright owner.
          By contrast, if you can convince your employer to let you be  the
          copyright owner, you must have that agreement in writing. 

               By the way, before you give up hope of owning the  copyright
          to the program you wrote at work, figure out if you are really an
          employee.  That is actually a complex legal question, but  I  can
          tell you now that just because your boss says you are an employee
          doesn't mean that it's so.  And remember that if you created  the
          program outside the scope of your job, the program is not a "work
          for hire."  Finally, in California and  probably  elsewhere,  the
          state  labor law provides that employees own products they create
          on their own time, using their own tools and  materials.  Employ-
          ment  contracts  which  attempt to make the employer the owner of
          those off-the-job inventions are void, at least in sunny Califor-
          nia. 

          3.3.  Programs written as a contractor 

               Wait a minute:  I'm an independent contractor to Company  X,
          not an employee.  I come and go as I please, get paid by the hour
          with no tax withheld, and was retained  to  complete  a  specific
          project.   I  frequently  work at home with my own equipment.  Is
          the program I'm writing a "work for hire," owned by the  Company?
          Maybe,  maybe not.  In California, this area is full of landmines
          for employers, and gold for contractors. 

               A contractor's program is not a "work for hire," and is  not
          owned  by  the  company,  unless (1) there is a written agreement
          between the company and the contractor which says that it is, and
          (2)  the work is a commissioned work.  A commissioned work is one
          of the following:  (a)  a contribution to a collective work,  (b)
          an  audiovisual work (like a movie, and maybe like a video game),
          (c) a translation, (d) a compilation, (e) an instructional  text,
          (f) a test or answer to a test, or (g) an atlas.  I know you must
          be tired of definitions, but this is what the real legal world is
          made  of.   An example of a  collective work is a book of poetry,
          with poems contributed by various authors.  A piece of code which
          is  incorporated  into  a large program isn't a contribution to a
          collective work, but a stand-alone program which is packaged  and
          sold with other stand-alone programs could be. 

               So where are we?  If you are a contract programmer,  not  an
          employee, and your program is a commissioned work, and you have a
          written agreement that says that the program is a "work for hire"
          owned by the greedy company, who owns the program?  That's right,
          the company.  But guess what?  In California  and  elsewhere  the
          company  just  became your employer!  This means that the company
          must now provide worker's compensation benefits for you AND UNEM-
          PLOYMENT INSURANCE. 

          4.  A Brief Word About Licenses. 

          4.1.  Why a license? 

               When you get software  at  the  local  five  and  dime,  the
          manufacturer  claims  that you have a license to use that copy of
          the program.  The reason for this is that the manufacturer  wants
          to  place more restrictions on your use of the program than copy-
          right law places.  For example, licenses typically  say  you  can
          only  use the program on a single designated CPU.  Nothing in the
          copyright law says that.  Some licenses say you  cannot  make  an
          archive  copy.  The copyright law says you can, remember?  But if
          the license is a valid license, now you can't.  You can  sell  or
          give  away  your  copy  of  a program if you purchased it, right?
          That's permitted by copyright law, but the license  may  prohibit
          it.  The more restrictive terms of the license will apply instead
          of the more liberal copyright rules. 

          4.2.  Is it valid? 

               Is the license valid?  This is hotly debated among  lawyers.
          (What  isn't?   We'll argue about the time of day.)  A few states
          have passed or will soon pass laws declaring that they are valid.
          A  few  will  go the other way.  Federal legislation is unlikely.
          My argument is that at the consumer level,  the  license  is  not
          binding  because there is no true negotiation (unless a state law
          says it is binding), but hey that's just an argument and I'm  not
          saying  that  that's  the  law.   In any case, I think businesses
          which buy software will be treated differently in court than con-
          sumers.  Businesses should read those licenses and negotiate with
          the manufacturer if the terms are unacceptable. 

          5.  I Have A Neat Idea. Can I Trademark It?  What About patent? 

          5.1.  Trademark law explained 

               Sorry, no luck.  Trademark law  protects  names:   names  of
          products  and  names of services.  (Note that I did not say names
          of companies.  Company names are not trademarkable.)  If you  buy
          a program that has a trademarked name, all that means is that you
          can't sell your own similar program under the same name.  It  has
          nothing to do with copying the program. 

          5.2.  Patent Law 

               Patent law can apply to computer  programs,  but  it  seldom
          does.   The  main  reasons  it seldom applies are practical:  the
          patent process is too slow and too expensive to do much  good  in
          the software world.  There are also considerable legal hurdles to
          overcome in order to obtain a patent.  If, by chance,  a  program
          is  patented,  the  patent owner has the exclusive right to make,
          use or sell it for 17 years. 

          6.  CONCLUSION 

               I know this is a long article, but believe it or not I  just
          scratched  the  surface.  Hopefully, you'll find this information
          useful, and you'll stop passing along myths about copyright  law.
          If anyone needs more information, I can be reached at the address
          on the first page.  Sorry, but I do not usually  have  access  to
          the network, so you can't reach me there. 

          Thank you.  JORDAN J. BRESLOW 




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





                   DOCUMENTATION REVISION 2.7 PRE-RELEASE
                   ======================================

(C) 1988 HAPPY COMPUTERS, Inc.
CARTX128.DOC

This document describes circuit modifications to the revision D and E
DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE boards that will allow the use of more cartridges
in the second cartridge port, such as the SPECTRE 128.  Other sections
detail how to use 27C512 EPROMS in a DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE to have
a 128K byte contiguous program address space.  This general purpose 128K
byte address space could be further customized to allow using the
MACINTOSH 128K ROMS and the SPECTRE 128 product.  A section details
how this may be accomplished.  This section is provided for educational
purposes.

******* WARNING:

Any modification to your DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE will void the warranty from
HAPPY COMPUTERS.  Always check all connections before cutting traces
or applying power!  Use #26 or smaller solid (not stranded) wire with
high temperature insulation.  Use a low wattage, fine tip soldering
pencil which has a grounded tip, at a static free work station.

Please re-read the warranty before making modifications!

****** USING MORE CARTRIDGES

With the 2nd cartridge port installed, the MAGIC SAC and DESK CART
cartridges can be plugged in and used.  See the document DMACXROM.DOC for
an introduction to this information.  Due to address conflicts, many
cartridges cannot be used as a second cartridge, unless a switch is
added which disables the HART chip, and completely enables the second
cartridge.  This section describes the custom wiring needed for this
switch.  The 40 pin J1 cartridge jack must be mounted on the board.  This
jack is included in factory installed options 3 and 4.

****** Circuit used when DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE ROM/EPROM sockets not used

Cut trace S1.  The white paint for S1 is on top of the board.  Trace S1
is on the bottom under the board, directly beneath.

Cut trace S8.  The white paint for S8 is on top of the board.  Trace S8
is on the bottom under the board, directly beneath.

A SPDT switch is needed.  This can have a center off position, but the
center off position is not utilized.  The switch can be mounted at
position SW2 on the board, or alternately mounted at some other custom
location.  If the switch is mounted at SW2, then the switch must not
make contact with the standard SW2 connections.  Either the traces
going to SW2 must be cut, or the leads from the switch should not be
inserted into the board.  We will designate this switch as SW3.

One side of a newly added 10K ohm 1/4 watt or 1/8 watt 5% tolerance
resistor, which we will designate as RG, is connected to pins 17, 18, and
19 of the HART chip.  This connection should be made to the hole in the
board on the S1 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace closest to
the HART chip.  A wire from this point is connected to one side of the
switch SW3 described above.

One side of a newly added 10K ohm 1/4 watt or 1/8 watt 5% tolerance
resistor, which we will designate as RH, is connected to pin 31 of the


J1 second cartridge jack.  This connection can be made to the hole in
the board on the S8 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace which
is NOT closest to the HART chip.  A wire from this point is connected
to other side of the switch SW3.

The other end of RG and RH connect to the VCC +5 supply.  A convenient
place to make this connection is the left hand side of either R2 or R6 or
R7.

The center connection of SW3 connects to pin 31 of P1, which is the
ROM3* signal from the computer.  This connection should be made to the
hole in the board on the S1 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace
which is not closest to the HART chip.

***** USING THE ABOVE MODIFICATION

One position of the switch is used to access the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE
hardware.  The other position of the switch is used to access the
hardware device plugged into the 2nd cartridge port.  HAPPY COMPUTERS
has tested and found that the SPECTRE 128 cartridge can be used as a
second cartridge when this custom wiring is installed.  However, we
cannot guarantee the performance of another company's product.

NOTE: The switch should not be moved while the computer's power is
turned on.

NOTE: When the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE hardware is deselected, the third and
fourth floppy drives, if present, cannot be accessed through software.
The drive option switch will still function, if present.  No DISCOVERY
CARTRIDGE software will operate when the switch has the 2nd cartridge
enabled.  Even though the clock on the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE cannot be
read, the clock still keeps proper time.


****** Circuit used when DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE ROM/EPROM sockets ARE used

It is possible to use a double pole switch for SW3 that also switches
the ROM4* signal either to the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE's ROM/EPROM sockets
or the second cartridge port.  The first pole of the switch would be
connected as shown above.  A similar connection scheme would be used
with the second pole of the switch for the ROM4* signal.  Pullup resistors
are also needed for the signals switched on this second pole.  Traces
S4 and S7 would be cut and wired through the switch's 2nd pole.

One position of the switch would disable both selection lines to the
2nd cartridge port, and fully enable selection of the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE
hardware.  The other position of the switch completely disables all
circuitry on the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE, and provides both the ROM3 and ROM4
selection to the second cartridge port.

****** USING 128K byte ROM/EPROM programs inside the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE

As described in the DMACXROM.DOC file, 27C512 EPROMS can be used with
the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE.  In the standard configuration, the SW2 switch
is used to select one of 2 possible 64K byte banks of program, for
access by the computer.

In some cases, it is desirable to have the entire 128K byte program
available to the computer in one contiguous address space, without the
need to throw a switch.  Unfortunately, there are only 128K addresses
available at the cartridge port.  A switch must be added to select
whether the HART chip is selected, or the 128K ROM/EPROM program is
selected.

It is also necessary to add a logic gate to enable both ROMS / EPROMS
for all accesses when either ROM3* or ROM4* are enabled.  This gate is
needed since the Atari cartridge port provides separate enable
signals for each bank of 64K bytes, and the ROMS / EPROMS need to
be enabled for all 128K bytes.

****** HARDWARE modification for contiguous 128K byte ROM / EPROM

Although it is possible to also have a second cartridge port along with
128K on board ROMS / EPROMS, this document assumes that the second
cartridge port is not present on the particular DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE
being modified.  Any other options can be present.  These instructions
are specific for using a 128K program in two 27C512 EPROMS.  Please
note that some particular 512K bit mask programmed ROMS may have different
pin connection and selection requirements.  HAPPY COMPUTERS cannot
provide information about any masked programmed ROMS that we have not
examined.

CAUTION:
Read all of the instructions, and collect all components first.  Determine
the position for all new components before mounting any new component!

The two 28 pin ROM sockets are installed in positions U4 and U5 as usual.
These are included in factory installed options #1 and #2.

Refer also to the original documentation DMACXROM.DOC, regarding the
optional C9 decoupling capacitor.

Cut trace S1.  The white paint for S1 is on top of the board.  Trace S1
is on the bottom under the board, directly beneath.

Cut trace S4.  The white paint for S4 is on top of the board.  Trace S4
is on the top of the board.  The trace may be concealed by the white
paint dashed line.

A SPDT switch is needed.  This can have a center off position, but the
center off position is not utilized.  The switch can be mounted at
position SW2 on the board, or alternately mounted at some other custom
location.  If the switch is mounted at SW2, then the switch must not
make contact with the standard SW2 connections.  Either the traces
going to SW2 must be cut, or the leads from the switch should not be
inserted into the board.  We will designate this switch as SW4.
For units with a factory installed switch, the leads to the switch
should be carefully cut away from the circuit board and bent up so they
are accessible.

One side of a newly added 10K ohm 1/4 watt or 1/8 watt 5% tolerance
resistor, which we will designate as RJ, is connected to pins 17, 18, and
19 of the HART chip.  This connection should be made to the hole in the
board on the S1 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace closest to
the HART chip.  A wire from this point is connected to one side of the
switch SW4 described above.

One side of a newly added 10K ohm 1/4 watt or 1/8 watt 5% tolerance
resistor, which we will designate as RK, is connected to pin 20 of both
sockets U4 and U5.  This connection can be made to the hole in the board
on the S4 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace which is NOT
closest to the HART chip.  A wire from this point is connected to the
other side of the switch SW4.

The other end of RJ and RK connect to the VCC +5 supply.  A convenient
place to make this connection is the left hand side of either R2 or R6 or
R7.

A 74LS08 or 74ALS08 IC is mounted in the user customization space
provided on the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE board.  The orientation is up to
the user.  It may be necessary to temporarily remove the battery while
doing the wiring.  It may be necessary to relocate both C4 adjustable
and C4 fixed, if present.

Pin 14 of the IC is connected to VCC +5; the same connection points
mentioned above for RJ and RK can be used.

Pin 7 of the IC is connected to power ground.  The power ground trace
runs along the right side of the board near C4.

Pin 1 of the IC is connected to pin 31 of P1, which is the ROM3* signal
from the computer.  This connection should be made to the hole in the
board on the S1 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace which is
not closest to the HART chip.

Pin 2 of the IC is connected to pin 33 of P1, which is the ROM4* signal
from the computer.  This connection should be made to the hole in the
board on the S4 trace which was cut, on the side of the trace which IS
closest to the HART chip.  This ROM4* signal must also connect to
pin 1 of both U4 and U5.  This connection point may be made to the
center terminal position of SW2, which is not otherwise utilized.

Pin 3 of the IC is connected to the center terminal of switch SW4.

***** USING 128K contiguous ROMS/EPROMS modification from above

One position of the switch is used to access the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE
hardware.  The other position of the switch is used to access the
128K bytes in the two ROM/EPROM chips.  The 128K MACINTOSH ROMS cannot
be directly plugged in and utilized with the SPECTRUM SOFTWARE.  Further
consideration is needed; see below.  When 27C512 EPROMS are used, they
must be 200ns or faster (dash numbers less than or equal to -20).
HAPPY COMPUTERS cannot offer assistance regarding selection of ROMS or
EPROMS.  HAPPY COMPUTERS does not currently provide any ROM or EPROM
based programs for use with the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE.  The user must
provide these.

The 128K byte program present in the ROMS/EPROMS will be accessible at
contiguous locations $FA0000 through $FBFFFF.  Note that the ROM4* line
and therefore the ROM/EPROM A15 pins are high when addresses $FB0000
through $FBFFFF are selected.

NOTE: The switch should not be moved while the computer's power is
turned on.

NOTE: When the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE hardware is deselected, the third and
fourth floppy drives, if present, cannot be accessed through software.
The drive option switch will still function, if present.  No DISCOVERY
CARTRIDGE software will operate when the switch has the ROMS/EPROMS
enabled.  Even though the clock on the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE cannot be
read, the clock still keeps proper time.

****** USING 128K MACINTOSH ROMS and SPECTRE 128 SOFTWARE

The SPECTRE 128 product is made by GADGETS BY SMALL.  They are
not affiliated with HAPPY COMPUTERS Inc.

Using the SPECTRE 128 software with a hardware device other than the
SPECTRE 128 hardware may be a violation of a licensing agreement between
you and Gadgets by Small, if any.  Gadgets by Small may insist that you
only use their hardware device to hold the MACINTOSH ROMS.  However,
there is no copyrighted computer program written by Gadgets by Small
contained within the SPECTRE cartridge.  HAPPY COMPUTERS cannot advise
you on the legal purpose of using the SPECTRE SOFTWARE with a hardware
device other than the SPECTRE cartridge.  The laws governing this will
vary for each locality.  HAPPY COMPUTERS provides the following
information for educational purposes only.  You should consult with
legal counsel familiar with the laws in your locality before implementing
or using any of the following information.

Ultimately, if legal in your locality, it would be more convenient to
not have to change cartridges to select running MACINTOSH programs with
the SPECTRE, or converting MACINTOSH disks with the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE.

USING THE MACINTOSH 128K ROMS
IN YOUR DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE WITH SPECTRE SOFTWARE

1) Install the general purpose 128K contiguous modifications shown above.

2) Make changes to emulate the SPECTRE HARDWARE differences.  The SPECTRE
   128 does not use a one for one connection on the data D0 to D15 lines.

    A) To directly use the MACINTOSH 128K ROMS, you must determine and
       implement the different wiring needed to the U4 and U5 sockets
       on the data lines.  HAPPY COMPUTERS cannot provide this
       information.  This would require examining a SPECTRE cartridge
       to determine the actual wiring for D0 - D15 that the SPECTRE
       needs, and cutting traces and rewiring the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE
       to reflect these changes.  CAUTION: the data lines must not be
       changed going to the HART chip.  Make the changes after the
       data lines pass the HART chip.

  **  OR **

    B) Read the scrambled data from original MACINTOSH ROMS as they
       appear to the computer while they are plugged into a SPECTRE
       cartridge.  Place this data in files, and write the resultant
       data files to 27C512 EPROMS using an EPROM programmer.  With
       the 27C512 EPROMS placed into the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE, it will
       appear to the computer the same as the SPECTRE appears, since
       the same scrambled data will be present.  CAUTION:  It may be
       a violation of APPLE's copyright to read out their ROMS and
       copy them into EPROMS.  HAPPY COMPUTERS provides this information
       solely for educational purposes.

****** PROGRAM R128FILE.TOS function and usage

The R128FILE.TOS program provides a convenient way to read out 128K
byte EPROMs that you have programmed while these EPROMS are plugged
into the DISCOVERY CARTRIDGE.  The U4F128K file corresponds to the data
read out from the U4 27C512 EPROM.  The U5F128K file corresponds to the
data read out from the U5 27C512 EPROM.  It is expected that the above
modification for accessing contiguous 128K byte EPROMS has been installed,
and that the switch is in the position which selects the EPROMS.

The program R128FILE.TOS reads 128K bytes (131072) from the Atari ST's
cartridge port.  All possible cartridge port addresses are read out.
The entire range $FA0000 through $FBFFFF is read out.  All data bytes
read from even addresses are stored in a file U4F128K.  These are the
high bytes from each word.  All data bytes read from odd addresses are
stored in a file U5F128K.  These are the low bytes from each word.
Each of these files will be 65536 bytes long as a result.  The files
will be written to the same drive and directory that the R128FILE.TOS
was executed from.  There must be sufficient room for the resultant files,
and the disk must not be write protected.  The data read out is not
examined or checked for validity in any way.  The program does not
report any error conditions.  If the files already exist, they are
replaced with the new contents read out.  The program has run properly
to completion if the two files of correct size are created.





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




For Your Information
====================


From The Internet!!!

Organization: C.R.E.S.S., York University, North York, Ontario, Canada, 
M3J 1P3.

    Yes we just received the first 8 prototype boards of our TAXI 
controller board. TAXI stands for The Atari eXtended Interface. The TAXI 
board will plug into the Mega's expansion slot, or be driven through the
Atari ACSI interface. Some of the features are:


1 Full Ethernet interface (thin is builtin, thick requires a transceiver
  box)
1 Full (true) SCSI interface independent of the Atari ACSI interface.
8 Full duplex serial lines (RS232-C compatible)
2 Centronics/parallel printer interface
1 MC68000 processor (when used as standalone configuration).
128K dual ported DRAM + 64/128K EPROM



This board can be incrementally configured as an Ethernet controller,
2-8 channels serial cross point switch; with or without parallel or
SCSI interface.

If you have any further questions you may contact


FutureDOS R&D                      or    Tyler Ivanco
1207-120 Torresdale Avenue,              ISTS (Institute for Space and
North York, Ontario,                     Terrestrial Science)
Canada, M2R 3N7                          York University,
Tel: (416)736-0321                       North York, Ontario,
(ask for Avy)                            Canada, M3J 1P3
                                         Tel: (416)736-2100 ext 7765


uucp: avy@yunexus!stpl                   tyler@yunexus!stpl
bitnet: FS300013@YUSOL                   FS300022@YUSOL
-- 
Avygdor Moise, York University. (C.R.E.S.S.),  Petrie Bldg. Rm 340,
               4700 Keele St., North York, Ontario, Canada. M3J 1P3
UUCP:   ...!yunexus!yugas!avy                      Tel:1 416 736-5359




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




                             PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
                             ====================


                  TWEETY BOARD from Practical Solutions, Inc.

Stereo sound for the Atari ST is here!  Tweety Board provides true stereo
output that will blow you away!  Now you can play all your favorite games
and hear a whole new sound dimension with true-to-life effects.  Music
programs sparkle with a vividness never before realized.

The ST computers already have three channels of sound supported in their
hardware.  Atari combined the three together, resulting in one monophonic
channel, to make it compatible with the monitor's sound.  That's fine for
monitors but hardly impressive when listened to with a stereo system.

Tweety Board solves the problm with it's small circuit board specially
designed to access those hidden channels.  It works in parallel with the
ST's existing sound circuitry making it completely compatible with all ST
software.  You can also program your own effects or music!  The sound from
your monitor remains untouched and still functions in it's normal use. 
Simply plug Tweety Board inside your machine and the three independent RCA
jacks are ready to hook up to your three amplified speakers.  An adapter
cable is provided for hookup to a standard two-channel sound system.

No matter which way you connect it, you've never heard such vibrant 3-D or
crystal clear stereo sound from your ST.  No buzz or noise and an easy,
solderless installation - what more could you ask for?

Tweety Board will be available in the 1st week of December with a retail
price of only $59.95.

                    For further information please contact:

                                  Mark Sloatman
                               Practical Solutions
                                 1930 E. Grant Rd.
                                 Tucson, AZ 85719

                             Phone:  (602) 884-9612

        CompuServe PPN:  76004,2000            Genie address: PRACTICALS




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




                          ST REPORT goes INTERNATIONAL!
                          =============================



Conf : ST REPORT
Msg# : 1291  Lines: Extended  Read: 8
Sent : Dec 2, 1988  at 8:50 AM
To   : ALL
From : BARRY FREEMAN
Subj : Reports UK V US


Hi All.. and especially, Ralph.
 
I get St Report on average about 2 weeks after release in the UK, via one
of the other Forem Sysops.

I took note of the continuing complaints (reasonable) that Atari channels
too much stock into the Euro markets and not enough into the US.  Ok, so 
we get (got) a lot more ST's than you did in the US last year..perhaps 
it's because the demand was higher?

I used to work for the Biggest ST distributor in the UK - SDL - and last
christmas we sold about 10,000 ST's of various types.  Of those, we had 
over 600 back as faulty!  Not a great percentage, and within expectations.
Amiga's do FAR worse..about 20% of all amigas that are sold, turn out to
be faulty.

Now, the demand in Europe is great, so don't push Atari to channel more
towards the US, pester them to make MORE MACHINES. Don't suggest depriving
a flourishing market (Euro) to supply a smaller demand.  Atari SHOULD push
themselves more in terms of aggressive marketing. 

      We still don't get enough ST's to satisfy demand here, and, comments
to the contrary, I see no reason to expect this year to be any different.
There will still be more ST's sold here than Amigas, because the ST is the
better machine for GENERAL USAGE.  The Amiga has better sound and 
graphics, OK.. but here, more and more people are choosing ST for 
business, especially for DTP and Music.  If Atari stifles supplies to 
here, to sell in the US it only aggravates the problem.. Don't Blame Atari
for marketing in Europe - blame them for NOT marketing in the States.
 
      I like ST Report a lot - it's by far the most impartial reportage on
Atari.  Keep up the good work.. and if you wish, publish this with my
pleasure.
 
      Regards, and Christams Felicitaions to ALL FoReM Sysops,

                   Barry G. Freeman, SysOP, Fox's Den BBS UK.. Fnet 1001




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





                      ST Xformer Info, December 1988
                      ==============================


(C) 1988 Darek Mihocka and ST Report

The following information may be reprinted provided that it is kept in
its entirety and unmodified.

    - a new U.S. support BBS
                  - upcoming features for '89
                               - schematics of the Xformer cable
                                              - other odds and ends

I know it seems like only a few weeks since you last heard from me, so
I'll try not to repeat too many of the announcements of last time. Since
we'll all be busy during the Christmas holidays, I think I'd better
discuss a few more things before everyone eats and drinks themselves
silly.

I've noticed that different publications take different amounts of
times to reprint these Xformer notices, and so information is slow to get
out to people. Xformer is virtually unheard of in Europe, and I regularly
get letters from people here in North America who are asking if Xformer
II is available yet. It has been for almost 6 months. So please be sure
that you keep up with ST Xformer and all the other ST software and
hardware by reading ST Report every week, and making sure that your
friends do too ( especially the ones without modems ). ST Xformer is a
dynamic program with frequent updates and changes, so you must keep up
with it. User suggestions and bug reports are always welcome.

If you missed last week's ST Report, you probably haven't heard about
the new Xformer support BBSs. They are bulletin boards whose sysops have
allocated a portion of their boards to support of the 8 bit emulator.
They provide a convenient place for people to download recent versions of
the emulator and various 8 bit software, and to talk with each other.
They have been set up for you users. So don't expect me or the sysops to
do all the uploading of files. I want to see some 8 bit files contributed
by Xformer users.

The first one, L.U.ST BBS, opened up a few weeks ago here in Canada. It
is run by the London Users of STs, in London, Ontario. (What did you
think it stood for?)

A U.S. board is now also up. The Golden Gate BBS in Texas also supports
2400 baud, and contains Xformer related files. U.S. callers may find it
less expensive than calling Canada, although callers in the Great Lakes
should try out both. Golden Gate is exclusively an Atari ST/8bit board.
Phone numbers are at the end of this notice.

I am on both these boards, so if you wish to ask any questions or offer
any suggestions, I'll be glad to hear from you. Of course, you can always
call me directly by voice or contact me on Compuserve, Delphi, or Genie.

I am sometimes  asked whether I have a list of software that runs of
Xformer. I usually reply that most P/D software works, and a lot of
commercial software. Since I can't afford to buy every piece of 8 bit
software, I will rely on information provided by callers on the supports
BBSs. If you have tried some piece of software on Xformer, and it worked
or didn't work, LEAVE A MESSAGE and tell people! Only when enough people
do so will I be able to compile a list.

If you are a registered user, make sure that you have upgraded your
software to version 2.31. Rather than repeat what I said about it last
week, I'll just ask that you call one of the support boards and read my
messages regarding the free updates for registered users. I will also be
starting up a topic regarding user's suggestions for future feature of ST
Xformer.

Speaking of questions and suggestions, the most common questions I keep
getting asked are: when will Xformer III be available, and are schematics
of the Xformer serial cable available?

The answer to the first question, as I have stated before, is probably
about 6 months or 1 year from now. When it is available, I will let 
everyone know. If you still insist on asking me now, I'll pretend that
I don't know what you're talking about.

Xformer 2.5, the 130XE emulator, will be available much sooner, as I am
now about half finished with it. Not only does it emulate the full 128K
of a 130XE, but it also runs faster than the current  Xformer 2.2 and
2.3.

But I have other features to add over the holidays. The most obvious
will be the improved disk drive emulation. It will still support the
Xformer serial cable, but rather than only supporting a one double
density virtual disk drive (D1:) and one single density virtual disk
drive (D2:), it will support drives D1: thru D8: and any density. The
current limitation that virtual disk drives must fit in your memory will
be eliminated, so a 520ST will be able to support, for example, 8 virtual
double density disks. The new limitation will be that the virtual disk
files must be online, so a single drive 520ST could still support 2
double sided virtual drives.

Depending on how well the programming and experimenting goes, version
2.5 may also have features like full SpartaDOS, DOS XE, and hard disk
support. It has been suggested that Xformer should be able to set up
partitions on an ST hard disk, much like the Magic Sac and Minix do, so
that Xformer can be booted up with a large virtual 8 bit hard drive.
Another idea is to set up 800K floppies as virtual 800K hard disks. ( I
don't know about the sanity behind that, but it's a thought! )

And now the answer to the second question. Although I have kept the
pinout of the Xformer serial cable secret up to now, I have been debating
whether I should make it public. Afterall, the cable can be used for
purposes other than 8 bit emulation, such as file and disk transfers
between 8 bit and ST disks, and so not everyone who might be interested
in buying one may be interested in becoming a registered Xformer user.
At present, the only software that supports the cable is the ST Xformer
and the Quick Transfer Utility which registered users receive, and you
must be a registered user of Xformer to be able to purchase the cable.

But I can see other possible applications that other people may wish to
write for the cable. Therefore I should not force people to register if
they wish to get the cable. On the other hand, it is something that I 
developed as an aid to the emulator, and I don't want other people to
benefit financially for something that I spent many hours developing. So
the original intent was to not release the pinout or other information
about the cable.

In recent weeks, demand for the cables has been greater than expected,
and I have had to skip classes a few times just to stay home and produce
the things. Also, many people have indicated that they have spare Atari
serial cables that they'd like to hack up into the Xformer cables, so I
feel that it would be beneficial to me (and my marks), and to these Atari
users if I were to release the pinout information. And I'd certainly
prefer to spend the holidays working on Xformer 2.5 rather than soldering
cables.

I will continue to make and sell the cables, so if you don't know one
end of a soldering iron from the other, or prefer to get a ready-made and
tested cable, you know where to get them. They are $23 U.S. on top of
your registration fee.

                                    ******

I am making the following information available to you with the
understanding that it is for personal use only. I am not giving
permission for anyone to manufacture and sell the cables themselves, or
distribute my Xformer software for the purpose of helping to sell the
cables. Needless to say, the Xformer is shareware and must not be
sold by any dealer or individual. I have been notified of certain
dealers who are illegally selling my software. If you know of such a
dealer, report him to me, and do NOT buy the software, because you will
not become a registered users.

Non-registered users may use the Xformer software made available
through Compuserve, Genie, Delphi, and the support BBSs, and are
allowed to make one Xformer cable for their personal use, but are not
entitled to any documentation, disk utilities, or future versions of
Xformer. I do ask that you register.

                                  *****

Below are directions for putting together a Xformer cable. I accept no
responsibility for fried machines, so do this at your own risk. Previous
hardware experience, or at least previous experience with a soldering
iron and screwdriver, is recommended.

The Xformer serial cable serves as an interface for 8 bit peripherals.
Any self powered peripheral, like an 810 or 1050 disk drive, thermal
printer, color plotter, 850 interface, etc. can then be accessed by the
ST through either the Xformer emulator or other software. Multiple drives
can be daisy chained to the ST, just as with the 8 bit, by using the
regular serial cables to connect extra drives. The length of the cable is
not critical, since 8 bit serial cables come in various sizes, usually 3
or 6 feet long. They are included with each disk drive, and most dealers
have extra cables.

You don't really need the black serial cable as a starting point, since
what you are really after are the 13 pin trapezoidal female connectors at
the ends. Take some wire cutters and cut the cable at one end. You will
now have a 3 foot cable with a 13 pin connector at one end and 13 colored
wires at the other.

If you have a standard Atari cable, the coloring scheme will be as follows:

    pin 2   - red
    pin 3   - orange
    pin 4   - black
    pin 5   - green
    pin 7   - purple
    pin 10  - blue

Only 6 of the 13 pins are needed, so disregard the other 7 wires. Not all
Atari serial cables have the same coloring scheme, so use an ohm meter to
test each wire.

The pin numbering is as follows. If you hold the connector so that the row
of 6 pins is at the top, and the other 7 pins are on the bottom, the pins
are numbered:

       ------------------------
      / 12  10   8   6   4   2 \
     /13  11   9   7   5   3   1\ 
    ------------------------------

You now require a male DB-25 connector. These are the 25 pin connectors
found at one end of your ST printer cable. In fact, the Xformer cable
plugs in into your ST's printer port. DB-25's are easy to find. Radio Shack
sells them but you're better off at an electronics dealer, where they'll
cost you about $5, including the plastic cover.

The DB-25 cables have the pin numbers printed in very small print on the
actual connector. If you hold the connector with the 13 pin row on the
top and the 12 pin row on the bottom, the pins are numbered as follows:

   --------------------------------------------------------
    \ 25  23  21  19  17  15  13  11   9   7   5   3   1 / 
     \  24  22  20  18  16  14  12  10   8   6   4   2  /
      \------------------------------------------------/

The pins you need are 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 18. The following table shows
which colored wire gets soldered to which pin of the DB-25 connector.
Again, these are usual colors, but vary from cable to cable, so use an
ohm meter to find the exact wires that correspond to pins 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
and 10.

    13 pin connector        color       DB-25       serial port function
    --------------------------------------------------------------------
            2                red          3          CLOCK OUT
            3                orange       11         DATA IN
            4                black        18         GROUND
            5                green        5          DATA OUT
            7                purple       7          COMMAND
            10               blue         1          +5 volts

Sometimes the black wire corresponds to pin 6 rather than pin 4. This is
okay since both pins 4 and 6 are GROUND in the Atari serial cables.

Once soldered, screw the DB-25 covers over the connector, and use the
ohm meter once again to test the connections. If you made any mistakes,
you could fry your ST!

WARNING: do not attempt to do stupid things like plugging the cable into
an 8 bit computer, because this is exactly the same as plugging a serial
cable between to 800XLs. ( Nothing happens except that you might fry the
machines ). 

Note that the +5 volt line coming out of the ST's printer port is not
rated at 50mA (as is the Atari 8 bit serial port), so devices like the
Ape Face which pull their power from the computer will not work. This is
a similar to the 1200XL serial port, which was also current limited. The
only solution is to tap into the ST's 5 volt power supply, which can be
easily accessed at the cartridge port. Most 8 bit disk drives and
printers are self-powered and thus don't draw current from the computer.

To make the ST emulate an 8 bit peripheral, rather than an 8 bit
computer, the cable can be rewired by swapping pins 3 and 5 (orange and
green, or DATA IN and DATA OUT) in the 13 pins connector. Since the 13
pin connector has snap-in wires, they can be pulled out and rearranged
without any soldering. Software needs to be written to support this
modification, and I haven't written it because I have no intention of
turning my 1040ST into a large disk drive for some silly old Atari 800.
(No offense to Atari 800 owners). But it is a possibility if enough
people request it.

Although more elaborate cables can be devised, this is pretty well the
only design that doesn't require additional circuitry or modifications to
either the ST or 8 bit. Future versions of Xformer will be able to use
the current design of the cable.

The source code for the cable driver is a bit too long to include in
here, but it is simple and straightforward. The 8-bit serial protocol is
fully documented in the "Operating System User's manual" available from
Atari. What I would like to see someone do is write a driver that would
allow the external 8 bit disk drive to be used with GEMDOS with all ST
software, not just Xformer. I was planning to write such a driver, but
have had little time left between school, Xformer, and soldering cables.
Remember that most 8 bit disk drives are NOT double sided and not double
density, so MS-DOS disks cannot be read. It would be useless to modify
PC Ditto to use the Xformer cable since MS-DOS would probably choke on
90K Atari disks.

ST Xformer source code is available on the pay services and on the
support BBSs, and is described fully in ST LOG #26. It is helpful to
check ST LOG #17 and #18 as well, since they contain my first docs of the
original Xformer 1.1 source code.

Since this program is shareware, my income from it relies solely on the
shareware registrations of users, and sales of the cables. At $20 each,
registration and the cables are cheap, and you will get the free updates
and support through 1989.

ST Xformer supports boards (300/1200/2400 baud, 24 hrs):

    Golden Gate BBS,   Gatesville, Texas (817)-865-6352
    L.U.ST BBS, London, Ontario, Canada  (519)-432-5144

Online services support:

    Compuserve - ST XFORMER library in ATARIPRO   I am 73657,2714
    Delphi - ST databases in the ST Log SIG       I am DAREKM
    Genie - ST download library 14                I am DAREKM

My phone number is (519)-747-0386. Since I am home at odd times, and
some people don't seem to like my answering machine, I have set aside
some time before the holidays to answer your calls. I will be home, with
great certainty, on Thursday December 8 1pm - 6pm, Saturday Dec. 10 6pm -
12am, and Monday Dec. 12 6pm-12am.

The mailing address for registering yourself or buying cables is:

                             Darek Mihocka
                          Box 2624, Station B
                       Kitchener, Ontario  N2H 6N2
                                CANADA

If possible, include a mailing label, but don't send a SASE. American
stamps are useless in Canada. Also be sure to include an extra $3 if you
order a cable to cover the extra cost of sending it.

That's all for this year. Happy holidays and see you in January! In
case I did forget to mention anything, any new info will be posted on the
two support BBSs.




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




                           ANTIC PUBLISHING INC.
                              COPYRIGHT 1988
                          REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.



      PROFESSIONAL GEM  by Tim Oren
      Column #15 - Coping with GEMDOS


           While it's fun playing with windows and object trees,  one of
      the  day-to-day realities of working with the ST is its  operating
      system, GEMDOS.  A successful application should insulate the user
      from  the foibles and occasional calamities of the machine's  file
      system.  The GEM environment provides some minimal tools for doing
      this,  but a good deal of responsibility still rests with you, the
      programmer.

            This column (#15 in the ST PRO GEM series) tries to  address
      the  GEM/DOS integration problem by providing you some stock  code
      for common functions, along with a discussion of some of the worst
      "gotchas" lurking for the unwary.  The download for this column is
      GMCL15.C, and it can be found in DL3 of PCS-58.  You should obtain
      and list this file before proceeding.

           A  BIT OF HISTORY.   There has been a good deal of  confusion
      in  the Atari press and among developers over what GEMDOS is,  and
      how it relates to TOS and CP/M-68K.   It's important to clear this
      up,  so  you can get a true picture of what GEMDOS is intended  to
      do.  The best way is to tell the story of GEMDOS' origins, which I
      can do, because I was there.

           As  most developers are aware,  GEM was first implemented  on
      the  IBM  PC.   PC GEM performed two functions.   The first was  a
      windowed graphics extension to the PC environment.  The second was
      a  visual  shell,  the Desktop,  which ran on top of the  existing
      operating system, PC-DOS.

           When work started on moving GEM to the ST, there were two big
      problems.   First,  no STs actually existed.  Second, there was no
      operating system on the 68000 with which GEM and the Desktop could
      run.   Unix  was  too  large,  and  CP/M-68K lacked  a  number  of
      capabilities,  such  as  hierarchical files,  which were needed to
      support GEM.

           Work on porting the graphics parts of GEM to the 68000 had to
      start immediately to meet schedules.   Therefore, CP/M-68K running
      on  Apple Lisa's was used to get this part of the project off  the
      ground.   Naturally,  the  Alcyon C compiler and other tools which
      were native to this environment were used.

           In  parallel,  an  effort was begun to write a new  operating
      system for the 68000,  which would ultimately become the ST's file
      system.   It was designed to be a close clone of PC-DOS,  since it
      would   perform   the   same  functions  for  GEM   in   the   new
      environment.  At  this  point,  the term TOS was introduced.   TOS
      really meant "the operating system,  whatever it may be, that will
      run on the ST",  since not even the specifications,  let alone the
      code, were complete at that time.

           The  first engineer to work on "TOS" at Digital Research  was
      Jason  Loveman.   This  name  leaked  to the press,  and  in  some
      distorted  fashion generated a rumor about "Jason DOS",  which was
      still  just  the same unfinished project.   As "TOS"  became  more
      solid,  the  developer's tools were ported to the new  environment
      one by one, and the GEM programming moved with them.  CP/M-68K was
      completely  abandoned,  though the old manuals for C and the tools
      lived on and are still found in the Atari developer's kit.

           All of this work had been done on Lisas or  Compupro  systems
      fitted with 68000 boards.   At this point,  workable ST prototypes
      became  available.   An  implementation  of "TOS" for  the  target
      machine  was  begun,  even before the basic operating  system  was
      fully completed.

           The  other  intent for the new operating system was to  be  a
      base for GEM on other 68000 systems as well as the ST.  Because of
      this,  Digital  Research  named  it  GEMDOS when  it  was  finally
      complete,  thus providing the final bit of nomenclature.  "TOS" as
      now  found  in the ST is in fact a  particular  implementation  of
      generic GEMDOS, including the ST specific BIOS.

           So,  GEMDOS is a PC-DOS clone,  but,  not  quite.   There are
      enough  differences  to  cause  problems  if  they  are   ignored.
      (Remember,  it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, but it's
      not a duck.)

           GOING  FOR  IT.   As a first example,  consider the  routines
      open_file()  and create_file() at the beginning of  the  download.
      They make use of the GEMDOS calls Fopen() and Fcreate().  You will
      notice that these names are not the ones specified in the  Digital
      Research  GEMDOS  manual.   Developers who have used PC  GEM  will
      also  observe that they are radically different from the  function
      names in the PC-DOS bindings.

           In  fact,  all  of  the GEMDOS function calls on the  ST  are
      defined  as  macros  in the file osbind.h,  distributed  with  the
      developer's  kit.   At compile time they are turned into calls  to
      the  assembly  language  routine gemdos(),  part of  the  osbind.o
      binary.  So, if you find the naming conventions to be particularly
      offensive  for  some reason,  just edit the appropriate macros  in
      osbind.h.

           In  DRI's PC-DOS bindings,  any error codes were returned  in
      the  global  variable  DOS_ERR.    In  the  GEMDOS  bindings,  the
      operation result or an error code is returned as the value of  the
      calling  function.   In  the  case of Fopen() and  Fcreate(),  the
      result  is  a  valid file handle if it is  positive.   A  negative
      result  is  always an error code,  indicating that  the  operation
      failed.

           An application which encounters a GEMDOS error should display
      an  alert,  and  query  for  retry or abort.   The  type  of  loop
      structure  exemplified  by open_file()  and  create_file()  should
      be  usable with most GEMDOS functions which might fail.   The  AES
      provides  a  function,  form_error,  which  implements  a  set  of
      "canned" error alerts appropriate to the various possible errors.

           However,  this is where the fun starts.  For unknown reasons,
      the form_error on the ST expects to see PC-DOS,  not GEMDOS, error
      codes as it's input! Therefore you need a routine to translate one
      into the other.   The routine dos_error() in the download provides
      this  function.   The  GEMDOS errors are in the same  sequence  as
      those  for  PC-DOS,  but  their numerical order  is  reversed  and
      shifted.   Notice  also  that  dos_error() does  NOT  perform  the
      translation if the error code is less than -50.   These codes have
      no  PC-DOS  equivalent;  computing a bogus translation will  cause
      form_error to crash.   Instead,  they are passed through verbatim,
      resulting in a "generic" alert which gives only the error number.

           The  other major task in integrating a GEM  application  with
      the  file  system is selecting file names for  input  and  output.
      Again,  the AES provides some assistance with the fsel_input call,
      which invokes the standard file selector dialog.

           There  are several drawbacks to the standard  file  selector.
      One  is that the "ITEM SELECTOR" title is constant and  cannot  be
      changed  by the application.    This  could  cause  confusion  for
      the  user,  since it may not be clear which of several  functions,
      closely spaced in the FILE menu,  was actually invoked.   While it
      might  be  possible  to find and "rewire" the  AES  resource  that
      defines  the file selector,  it is unlikely that such an  approach
      would be portable to a later version of ST GEM.

           A  viable approach to eliminating confusion is to  display  a
      small "marquee" box, with a message defining the operation, on the
      screen  just  above  the  file selector.  To  do  this,  you  must
      initialize  the location of the box so that it is outside  of  the
      file selector's bounds,  and then draw it just before invoking the
      file  selector.   This  way  they will  appear  together.   Before
      returning  to its main event loop,  the application should post  a
      redraw  message for the "marquee" area.   The AES will merge  this
      redraw  with the one generated by fsel_input,  and the result will
      be received by the application's evnt_multi.

           Another problem with the file selector is that it resets your
      application's virtual workstation clip rectangle without  warning.
      There  are other AES functions,  such as objc_draw,  which also do
      this,  but  the file selector can be troublesome because it may be
      the only AES call used by some VDI-based ST applications.

           The veteran developer will also notice that the file selector
      takes  and returns the path and filename as two separate  strings,
      while the GEMDOS file functions require a fully pathed file  name.
      Also, the file selector doesn't remember its "home" directory; you
      are responsible for determining the default directory, and keeping
      track of any changes.  The remainder of the download and column is
      devoted  to  set of utilities which should alleviate some  of  the
      "grunt work" of these chores.

           The  top level routine in this collection is get_file().   It
      is  called with two string arguments.   The first must point to  a
      four  byte string area containing the desired file name  extension
      (three  characters plus a null).   The second is the default  file
      name.

           If the default file name is non-null, then get_file() invokes
      parse_fname() to break it into path and name.   Parse_fname() also
      adds  the  necessary "wild card" file specification to  the  path,
      using the extent name given as input.

           If  no  default  file was supplied,  or the default  did  not
      contain  a  path,  the routine get_path() is invoked to  find  the
      current  default directory and construct a legal path  string  for
      it.

           The   results   of  these  manipulations  are   supplied   to
      fsel_input.   Notice  that  the  result of the  file  selector  is
      returned via its third argument,  rather than as a function value.
      If  the result is TRUE,  get_file() merges the temporary path  and
      file  string,  storing the result via the second input  parameter.
      This  result  string is suitable for use with Fopen,  and  may  be
      resubmitted  to get_file() when the next operation is  invoked  by
      the user.

           Parse_fname() is straight-forward C.  It looks backward along
      the  file to find the first character which is part of  the  path.
      The tail of the filename is copied off, and its former location is
      overlaid with the wild card specification.

           Get_path()  is a bit more interesting.   It makes use of  two
      GEMDOS  functions,  Dgetdrv() and Dgetpath() to obtain the default
      disk drive and directory, respectively.  Note that Dgetpath() will
      return  a null string if the current default is the root,  but  it
      puts  a back-slash at the beginning of the path  otherwise.   This
      forces  a  check for insertion in the root case,  since  the  file
      selector  wants  to  see something like  "A:\*.RSC",  rather  than
      "A:*.RSC".   After  making  this fix,  get_path() concatenates the
      wild card specification derived from the input extent.

           The last routine in the download is new_ext().   This utility
      is  useful if your application uses more than one associated  file
      at a time.   For instance, the Resource Construction Set uses both
      an RSC and a DEF file, with the same base name.  New_ext() takes a
      fully  formed file name,  and replaces its old extent with the new
      one  which you supply.   This lets you quickly generate both  file
      names after one call to the file selector.   Notice that new_ext()
      looks BACKWARD along the name to find the delimiting period, since
      this  character  can also be part of a subdirectory  name  in  the
      path.

           So  we reach the end of the code and this column.   Hopefully
      both will keep you profitably occupied for a while.  July's column
      will return to graphics topics,  with a look at writing customized
      rubber  box and drag box routines,  and ways to implement your own
      "pop-up"  menus.   August  will  bring techniques  for  displaying
      progress  indicators,  associating  dialog and menu  entries  with
      keystrokes, and customizing objc_edit.

           I  CAN'T HEAR YOU!   The Feedback mailbag has been  noticeably
      flat  of  late.   There have been a number of compliments  on  the
      column,  which  are  much  appreciated,  and some suggestions  for
      topics  which fall outside the bounds of this series.   The latter
      have  been passed on to Antic for possible inclusion in their  new
      ST quarterly, START.

           One recurring problem is finding the downloads.   A number of
      the  earlier columns say they are in PCS-132 (the old  SIG*ATARI),
      and  one says PCS-57 (mea culpa).   In fact,  ALL of the downloads
      are  now  in DL3 of PCS-58 (ATARI16).   Filenames for  first  nine
      columns  are  all in the form GEMCLx.C,  where x is  the  column's
      digit.   For reasons unknown to me,  the next two files were named
      GEMC10.C  and  GEMC11.C;  the  latest  two  downloads  are  called
      GMCL13.C and GMCL15.C.   The latter naming pattern should continue
      into the future.

           Undoubtedly,  one reason for the shortage of questions is the
      amazing ability to get a quick answer on the Developer's SIG, PCS-
      57.   This  is  a  good  sign  of  a  strong  Atari  community  on
      Compuserve.   However,  the  SIG message style doesn't really lend
      itself  to lengthy explanation,  so suggestions for longer  topics
      are always welcome here.

           Finally,  I  am now beginning the process of collecting these
      columns and some additional material into a book.  In doing so, it
      would  be  helpful  to know if you feel that any part of  GEM  has
      been  slighted  in my discussions.   If so,  let  me  know.   Your
      suggestions  will appear in future columns and finally make  their
      way into the book.




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




ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
======================


Jacksonville, FL      Avante Guard's NEW goodie could be the PARSEC BOARD,
----------------      according to our sources, there are three versions,
                      a)- LOW Ram, b)- 1 mb and c)- 4mb.  The 4mb will
                      support 1280x1280 res with 512 colors.

San Pablo, CA         Len Crawford of Federated Stores in this area has
-------------         stated "We have never had a shortage of 1040s"
                      perhaps Atari is "getting it's act together".

Berkeley, CA          Cindy and Vicki of Atari Corp. announced at a
------------          usergroup meeting this past week that Atari is no.1
                      in Europe and on the way to being the same in the
                      UK.

Akron, OH             According to an informal review of the home computer
---------             market, the majority of home computer users would 
                      like to see a fax add-on and most enjoy using the
                      shop at home services of Cable TV and Mail Order.

Baltimore, MD         A local brokerage house has stated, "we have high
                      expectations" meaning that the performance of Atari
                      Corp. in the USA for 1989 will be much more like
                      that of an efficient service oriented organization.

Rockford, IL          ICD has released their NEW version of HD Utilites
------------          but there is a CATCH!  It's protected!  If you do
                      not have the ICD Host Adapter it will not work! 
                      Just when you all thought sanity was returning this
                      happens, so much for all the Atari HD owners....

NYC, NY               MIDI Show NYC, was terrific!  According to a few
-------               midi enthusiasts, Atari remains the front runner in
                      the midi area, Atari, well represented by it's ST
                      equipment was the center of admiration and envy.

Sunnyvale, CA         A NEW GDOS and a full page monitor are due to appear
-------------         on the dealer shelves during the first quarter of
                      1989.  The new G-Dos is supposed to be the
                      "ultimate" and will be totally compatible with all
                      programs needing GDOS.  The NEW Monitor will follow
                      the "Power without the Price" beatitude of Atari's
                      and still provide a "full page" screen work area.




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




THIS WEEK'S QUOTABLE QUOTE
==========================


      Atari's "Rule of Thumb"
      -----------------------

                Nothing is ever a complete failure, it can always 
                           serve as a bad example.



                    *** OVER 4700 D/Ls FOR NOVEMBER! ***
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ST-REPORT Issue #64                                    December 05, 1988
                   ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  (c)copyright 1988
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
     ALL reprints must include ST-Report and the author in the credits.
         Views Presented herein are not necessarily those of STR 
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