
                  *---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
                         """""""""""""""""""""""""
                                       
                                       
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                      _______________________________


  July 28, 1989                                             Vol III No.98
  =======================================================================
  
                         ST Report Online Magazine
                        __________________________
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                          Jacksonville,  Florida
                               32236 ~ 6672
  
                               R.F. Mariano
                            Publisher - Editor
                 _________________________________________
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    __________________________________________________________________ 
    
 > Issue: #98 STReport        The Online Magazine of Choice! 
   ------------------- 
     - The Editors' Podium                   - CPU REPORT
     - RED LIGHTNING Part II                 - IS IT PIRACY?
     - Atarifest, Kentucky Style             - Price Club STs?
     - WOA Dallas Show                       - PC Pilot Debuts
     - ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL                - Atari Stock Report
    
  =======================================================================
       AVAILABLE ON:      COMP-U-SERVE  ~  DELPHI  ~  GENIE  ~  BIX
  =======================================================================
    
 > The Editor's Podium

     Price Club,  ...What is  it?  Who are they?  Are they only west of the
 Mississippi?  Only after realizing that the Price Club's carrying  STs for
 sale is  a factory dump, can we say well it's ok, at least it will put the
 Atari computer on more desks.  One thing though, as we are told, the Price
 Club is  calling it  an outrageous name.  "THE ST GAME MACHINE"  Why would
 they do this?  Read more about this matter elsewhere in this issue.

     Atari is embarking on the second  phase of  it's aggressive  return to
 the US  market.   We, the  userbase will be enjoying the delight of seeing
 the computer image of Atari greatly enhanced.   Over the  next few months,
 we will be witnessing the best campaign ever put on by Atari.

     Yes, we  at STReport  are "up" on Atari and there are many reasons why
 we are, for example; in the  last 60  days we  have seen  more third party
 goodies for  the ST  than we have in the last 10 months.  Of course, there
 are those who will say, I want to wait and see.. By all means  please wait
 and see, just don't get crazy and go to another brand.  

     Being well  aware of  the amount  of time that has gone by without any
 major advances.  We can sympathize with folks  who are  skeptical, but the
 time has come for Atari to either do it or get off the pot.  Atari is hard
 at work getting it done at this time and anyone who would leave now is, at
 this point in time, being overly hasty.

     On another  matter, we certainly hope the manufacturers and publishers
 learn an early and quick lesson from the  disenchantment of  Dealers being
 heard 'round  the country.  The Comdex people (Interface Group) learned it
 in a hurry!   As did many of the more experienced  exhibitors on  the show
 route.   The main gripe heard is;  "Why is the factory we BUY from selling
 the goods at these shows for LESS than we pay????  These  dealers are VERY
 RIGHT  in  making  this  question  apparent and up front.  Professionalism
 comes in many forms, one of which is to always stand behind  your dealers.

     How simple it would be for the Factories and Publishers to provide the
 product to the show's visitors through the nearest  dealers to  that show.
 How?   Easy!   Setup and stock a booth, sell the merchandise, and remit to
 the local dealers all dollars received in excess of the dealer cost of the
 product(s).  Or, simply allow the dealer of your choice to man the stocked
 booth and earn the profits.   Folks, something  must be  done, the dealers
 are  not  happy  with  seeing  the  very  source  of  their  products busy
 lowballing and slashing  away  at  prices.    (Regardless  of  whether the
 discounted products  are rebuilds,  pullouts or  repacks!)  Offer these to
 your dealers first!  This occurance  at the  most recent  shows is turning
 off dealers by the dozens.  A word to the wise....

                                          Thanks again for your support,

                                                    Ralph.....




                             "ATARI IS BACK!"


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 > CPU REPORT
   ========== 
   Issue # 31
   ----------


 by Michael Arthur


 Remember When....

       In 1982,  IBM charged  $5000.00 for  an IBM PC with a 4.77 MHZ 8088,
 64K of RAM, two floppy disk drives, with their Monochrome  Display Adapter
 as the  official display  standard, and  when Hercules Computer Technology
 designed the Hercules graphics  card, which  became the  de facto standard
 for several years?


 CPU INSIGHTS
 =============

         The Intel 80486 and 80860 Chips:  A RISC and a Safe Step
         --------------------------------------------------------

 Part I

       Intel  has  recently  introduced  two  signs  of  its  vision of the
 microcomputing future.  One, the 80486  chip, is  part of  Intel's current
 dynasty of  microprocessors, the  latest in  a line which goes back to the
 beginning of the microcomputer industry.   The other,  the 80860  chip, is
 the latest entry in Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) chips, a field
 which,  while  holding  much  potential  for  the  industry,  is  becoming
 increasingly  crowded  for  its  currently  small  market.    In  order to
 understand the impact they will have  on the  industry, and  how they will
 affect their  respective markets,  it is  necessary to know the aspects of
 their capabilities....


          Amalgamams, the Future of Computing, and the 80860 Chip
          -------------------------------------------------------

       Formerly known during development as the N-10, the  Intel 80860 chip
 is a  64-bit RISC  chip with a 1 million transistor design.  It combines a
 RISC integer core, capable of performing 85,000 Dhrystones a second  at 40
 MHZ, with  a floating  point unit, capable of executing 80 peak MFLOPS, or
 million floating point operations a second.    This  unit  is  made  up of
 separate adder  and multiplier  units.   All three units are separate, and
 can operate simultaneously.   However, the  80860 also  has special, "Dual
 operation" instructions  that can  use the  adder and  multiplier units in
 parallel, as if they were one unit.  Since all  80860 operations  take one
 clock to  complete, this  means the 80860 can perform three operations per
 clock:  2 floating  point math  operations and  1 integer  operation.  But
 since an  80860 instruction  may take several operations to complete, this
 may not be so much of  a benefit.   To  solve this  problem, the  80860 is
 designed to perform both scalar and pipelining operations.  Interestingly,
 the 80860 is modeled after Cray's vector processing supercomputers....

       A scalar is a mathematical term which can  be expressed  as a single
 number.   A scalar  processor, then,  can work  on work  on a scalar, or a
 single number, at a time.  Most microprocessors,  including the  68000 and
 most RISC  chips, are  scalar units, and define an instruction as a series
 of scalar numbers, which are computed one at a time, until it  is finished
 computing each scalar of the instruction.

       In comparison,  a vector  is a  mathematical term which is expressed
 with two or more numbers.  This means that, while scalar A  is made  up of
 the number X, vector A is made up of numbers X, Y, and Z.  In principle, a
 vector is more versatile than a  scalar, as  it can  describe instructions
 that are made up of several numbers.

       Since the  advantage of using vectors would be lost if the processor
 had to perform scalar-type  operations on  the vector,  a vector processor
 uses pipelining  to compute  the entire vector.  In pipelining, the CPU is
 like an assembly line.  Vector A is  sent through  the assembly  line, and
 the CPU  breaks it  down into  its component  numbers X, Y, and Z.  During
 Clock 1 the CPU takes number  X and  performs 1  operation on  it.  During
 Clock 2,  instead of performing another operation on number X, as a scalar
 processor would do, the CPU performs an operation on number Y.  Therefore,
 a  pipelining  CPU  performs  an  operation  on  each of the instruction's
 components, obtaining a result each clock cycle.   This results  in a VAST
 speed increase over scalar processors, which can only perform an operation
 on a single instruction component at a time.

       However, the main problem with pipelining (and the  reason the 80860
 supports scalar  processing) is  that the  assembly line performs the SAME
 EXACT operation on every number of  the vector.   This  means that  if, in
 Vector A,  Number X  required multiplication  of certain values, while the
 Number Y  required the  adding of  certain values,  Vector A  could NOT be
 fully computed  by a pipelining processor.  Since some programs would have
 this problem, the programmer would have  two options:   Perform  some VERY
 tricky programming  to squeeze  the operation into the proper pipeline, or
 use a vectorizing compiler, which automatically  ensures that  each vector
 can be properly computed by a pipelining CPU.  However, making vectorizing
 compilers is VERY difficult....

       To solve this dilemma, the 80860 supports both scalar and pipelining
 operations, and  ensures that  pipelining can  only be  used with floating
 point instructions, so  the  programmer  can  design  the  application for
 optimum performance.  Oddly enough, the 80860 uses what could be termed as
 a  double  instruction  set,  since  it  has  both  scalar  and pipelining
 equivalents of any given instruction.  For example, the 80860 would have a
 floating point add instruction, called FP.ADD, made for scalar computation
 while  it  would  have  another  floating point operation, called PFP.ADD,
 which, while performing  the  SAME  EXACT  operation  as  FP.ADD,  is made
 specifically  for  pipelining  computation.    This  can make for a rather
 awkward process....

       The 80860 has a  virtual memory  address space  of 4  Gigabytes.  In
 order to implement memory management for this, the paging unit uses a TLB,
 or Translation Lookahead Buffer, to segment  the virtual  memory addresses
 into page frames.  The 80860 also has an instruction cache of 4Kbytes, and
 a data cache of 8Kbytes.  The 80860's Cache Control  Unit uses  the TLB to
 determine  which  page  frames  should  be  cached.   However, the 80860's
 caching method isn't that efficient or  complete, as  it doesn't implement
 write-through  caching,  which  allows  the  cache  to immediately upgrade
 memory.  Meaning that its caching  operations are  much slower  than those
 seen on other microprocessors.

       The 80860  also has  built-in graphics coprocessor, which can handle
 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit pixels, and processes 64-bits of pixel data at a
 time.  The 80860 also has built-in Gouraud and Phong shading, and uses the
 Z-Buffer  algorithm  for  color  intensity  shading   and  hidden  surface
 elimination,  which  is  necessary  for  true color rendering of 3-D solid
 objects.

       Currently, Intel only makes a 33 MHZ version  of the  80860, able to
 execute  up  to  100  Million  Operations  Per Second, for $750.00 in bulk
 quantities.  However, a 40 MHZ 80860 will be out before the  First Quarter
 of 1990.   Also,  Intel is porting AT&T Unix to the 80860, so as to aim it
 at the workstation market.   But,  at least  at first,  the 80860  will be
 marketed as  a graphics coprocessor for its 80x86 line of processors.  IBM
 has already shown a MicroChannel  busmaster  card  using  the  80860  as a
 graphics coprocessor,  and OS/2  is said  to be  able to use the 80860 for
 this purpose.  Also, both Scalar and Vector  Math libraries  are available
 for OS/2 and Unix.

       However, the  80860 does  have serious  flaws, which has limited its
 acceptance in the industry.   Its  instruction set  is not  as complete as
 other RISC  processors, and  the 80860 has other inadequacies, such as its
 incomplete cache implementation, which may limit  its versatility.   Oddly
 enough,  even  though  they  claim  the  80860  can  be  used as a regular
 microprocessor, Intel is now  developing the  N-11, an  updated version of
 the 80860  which will  have the full versatility in other RISC processors,
 as well as correcting the 80860's flaws.

       But the 80860 chip is still VERY good in itself.  It  is one  of the
 fastest RISC  chips available,  and has many features that its competitors
 lack.  Also, many RISC processors, such as Motorola's 88000, and the SPARC
 architecture, are  actually chipsets,  with many  of the processor's extra
 features on different chips.  In  fact, the  SPARC itself  consists of six
 chips handing  the SPARC's  DMA, Memory  Management, and  CPU Caches.  The
 80860, though, has all of its features in one chip, resulting in increased
 system speed,  and making the design process for 80860-based products MUCH
 quicker.  Given the 80860's innovations,  it  would  be  surprising  if it
 didn't have any flaws, and even more surprising if it didn't substantially
 affect the RISC computer industry....

       In Part I of this article,  CPU  Report  described  the  80860 chip,
 showing its many innovations.  In Part II of this article, CPU Report will
 describe the Intel 80486 chip, showing how it will both  revolutionize the
 IBM World, and affect the microcomputer industry....



 But ponder, if you will, this question:

 1)   Will parallel processing be more dominant than RISC technology in the
 future of the computer industry?



 CPU ARTICLE UPDATE
 ==================


         Expanded Expansion, Plug-n-Play, and a Desktop CompuStar


       CPU  Report  Issue  18  featured  the  Wells  American  CompuStar, a
 revolutionary  IBM  Compatible  System  based  on  the  concept of modular
 hardware.  Since then Wells American has introduced  a desktop  version of
 the CompuStar, called the CompuStar II.  However, since it is different in
 some VERY important ways from the original CompuStar, but is  based on the
 same system, this revised article describes the CompuStar line's features,
 while showing how the CompuStar II differs from the first CompuStar....


       When deciding  to buy  an IBM  Compatible system  nowadays, PC Users
 have a LOT of choices to make.  First, one could either get a system using
 the standard  (but dated  and obsolete)  PC AT  Expansion Bus,  or use the
 newer IBM  MicroChannel Expansion  Bus, which  has not  yet become a solid
 standard in the IBM world.  Then, one must decide whether the  system will
 use the  8086, 80286,  or 80386 chip, and whether it will run at 8 MHZ, 16
 MHZ, 20 MHZ, 25  MHZ, or  up to  33 MHZ.   And  this doesn't  even include
 whether to use VGA, EGA, or CGA graphics....

       Although  many  of  these  choices  are based on economics, the most
 difficult aspect of this decision is that once a system  is purchased, one
 cannot upgrade  to a more powerful system without selling the old computer
 and looking for a new  one,  since  many  PC  Accelerator  boards  are not
 completely IBM  compatible, and  most PC Clone makers will not allow users
 to
 trade in their old computers so as to upgrade to  the new  system.   But a
 solution to this dilemma has come from Wells American Corp., a company who
 became known in the  1970's as  Intertec Data  Systems, the  makers of the
 Superbrain CP/M computer....

       Dubbed  a   "multi-processor,  expandable  bus  microcomputer",  the
 CompuStar is a new  type of  IBM Clone  which uses  a radically different,
 modular design  to allow a PC User to literally custom-configure their own
 IBM system.

       The CompuStar base system is primarily made up of an  aluminum case,
 and a  Wells American  I/O Module, having 2 serial ports, 1 parallel port,
 mouse/keyboard ports, and a disk drive controller.  The Base System is the
 basis of  a CompuStar system, to which the other options are added through
 the use of Modules.  The first CompuStar  comes with  a VGA  chip onboard,
 which lets  it support IBM VGA, EGA, CGA, and Hercules graphics, while the
 CompuStar II doesn't have  its display  circuitry in  its motherboard, but
 requires a  video display  adapter card.  Since Wells American sells some,
 this isn't a problem.  Also, the original CompuStar's Base  System doesn't
 come with  any Expansion  Slots, while  the CompuStar II's motherboard has
 Five PC AT Expansion Slots.

       The original CompuStar allowed  you  to  install  two  Expansion Bus
 Modules (a Primary Module, and a Secondary Unit) in the system internally,
 as it was in a Tower Configuration.  Since the  CompuStar II  is a desktop
 system, the  number of  expansion slots  can only  be increased through an
 external Bus Expansion Chassis,  which has  5 additional  slots.  However,
 the original,  or "Tower" CompuStar, also supported a PS/2 Adapter Module,
 allowing it to use MCA, or IBM MicroChannel expansion slots.  This Desktop
 CompuStar, though,  only supports PC AT Slots.  Meaning that the CompuStar
 II is meant more  as a  traditional PC  AT Clone  system, while  the Tower
 CompuStar  is  made  for  the  "Power  PC  User"  who needs both PC AT and
 MicroChannel Slots, and the versatility that a Tower System allows....


       After a PC User has chosen their system's Expansion Bus options, the
 next choice  is in  microprocessors.  To this end, the CompuStar uses what
 is called a CPU Module, which contains the main processor, a socket  for a
 math coprocessor,  and 8  sockets for  CompuStar Memory Modules, which are
 from 512K to 2 Megs in size.  Wells American  currently makes  CPU Modules
 using a  20 MHZ 80286 Chip, and versions using the 80386 chip at speeds up
 to 33 MHZ.  Oddly enough, Wells American doesn't make  an 8086  CPU Module
 for  the  CompuStar.    Also,  to  enhance the flexibility of this method,
 CompuStar users can trade-in the CPU Module they currently own  for a more
 powerful one,  and (if  they have owned the module for less than one year)
 use the old module's list price as a  credit towards  the purchase  of the
 new module.   This means that the upgrade path for a CompuStar User is not
 only easier than with other computer  owners,  but  could  be  a  lot less
 expensive in the long run....

       Wells  American  also  sells  a  wide  array  of accessories for the
 CompuStar line, including 3 1/2 and  5 1/4  inch disk  drives, tape backup
 systems,  and  a  variety  of  Maxtor  hard drives, including a 1 Gigabyte
 Magneto-Optical tape drive.  Of course, most PC Users would tend to wonder
 if the  CompuStar line's  price corresponds  to its flexibility.  Here are
 Wells American's list prices:


  - CompuStar Base System:                               $1500.00
  - CompuStar II Base System:                             $750.00


                          Expansion Bus Modules
                          =====================

  CompuStar I:
  ------------
  - PC AT Expansion Bus Module (Primary Unit):            $200.00
  - PC AT Expansion Bus Module (Secondary Unit):          $175.00

  - MicroChannel Expansion Bus Module (Primary Unit):     $295.00
  - MicroChannel Expansion Bus Module (Secondary Unit):   $250.00
  - MicroChannel Adapter Module:                          $995.00

 CompuStar II:
 -------------

  - Bus Expansion Chassis (5 extra PC AT Slots):          $400.00


                          CompuStar CPU Modules
                          =====================

 CompuStar II:
 -------------

  - 20 MHZ 80286 CPU Module:                             $700.00
  - 16 MHZ 80386SX CPU Module:                           $900.00
  - 20 MHZ 80386 CPU Module:                             $1500.00
  - 25 MHZ 80386 CPU Module:                             $3100.00
  - 33 MHZ 80386 CPU Module  (Standard 32K Cache):       $3500.00
  - 33/36 MHZ 80386 CPU Module  (256K SRAM SuperCache):  $5000.00


                            Mass Storage Options
                            ====================


  - 42 Megabyte Hard Drive:                              $595.00
  - 104 Meg Hard Drive:                                  $1100.00
  - 208 Meg Hard Drive:                                  $1700.00

 CompuStar I Specific:
 ---------------------

  - 320 Megabyte Hard Drive:                             $3000.00
  - 650 Meg Hard Drive:                                  $4400.00

  - 800 Meg WORM (Write Once/Read Many) Drive:           $3200.00
  - 1 Gigabyte Magneto-Optical Cartridge Drive:          $6000.00


                          CompuStar Memory Modules
                          ========================

  - 512K DRAM Module (80 ns):                      $170.00

  - 1 Megabyte DRAM Module (80 ns):                $320.00
  - 1 Meg DRAM Module (60 ns):                     $450.00

  - 2 Meg DRAM Module (80 ns):                     $525.00
  - 2 Meg DRAM Module (60 ns):                     $750.00


                        CompuStar II Display Adapters
                        -----------------------------

 CompuStar II:
 -------------

  - VGA Display Adapter                               $300.00
  - Enhanced VGA Display Adapter                      $425.00


       If you want to get more information on Wells American's CompuStar
 line of products, they can be reached at 1-803-796-7800....




 CPU STATUS REPORT
 ==================


 Cupertino, CA      Apple recently started selling its 16.4 share of stock
 -------------      Adobe Systems, the maker of Postscript.  Since Apple's
                    System/Finder 7.0 will have Outline Fonts, as well as a
                    Layout Manager and a new print architecture, enabling
                    typographical quality text layout/printing, Apple feels
                    it can compete with Postscript.  Also, Apple is
                    developing a clone of Adobe's Postscript interpreter
                    for its printers, in order to erase Adobe completely
                    from its product line.

                    Even though 33 percent of Adobe's revenues are
                    Macintosh-related, many companies are starting to
                    support Postscript.  Also, DEC, IBM, and even the OSF
                    are reportedly developing systems based on Display
                    Postscript.

                    Since Apple indicated such a move in 1988 by refusing
                    to support Display Postscript for the Mac, and given
                    that Apple formed a new software company, Claris, in
                    part to compete with Microsoft in the Mac software
                    market, it seems that Apple is trying to make itself
                    more independent (and more profitable) by centralizing
                    some of the major Macintosh standards....

 Mountain View, CA  Sun Microsystems recently announced that it could
 -----------------  report its first quarterly loss since 1986.  Even
                    though this was supposedly because of manufacturing
                    problems, Sun has begun austerity measures to cut back
                    on ALL expenses.  

 Santa Clara, CA    Intel has recently introduced the first chipset to be
 ---------------    compatible with the EISA expansion bus, or Extended
                    Industry Standard Architecture.  The EISA Bus, which
                    was designed by the "Gang of Nine", a group of 9 major
                    computer makers including Compaq, Tandy, and Zenith, is
                    a 32-bit bus architecture which is made to provide
                    capabilities similar to IBM's MicroChannel bus, while
                    maintaining compatibility to the standard IBM AT
                    Expansion Bus.

                    The "Gang of Nine" plans to use this chipset to produce
                    EISA-based PCs by Winter Comdex, and more than 200
                    companies are developing EISA-based expansion boards
                    and computers.  Meaning that the EISA spec will soon be
                    a strong competitor to the MicroChannel standard....

 Cambridge, MA      The Open Software Foundation, as part of their efforts
 -------------      to develop a new Unix standard, has recently announced
                    the availability of OSF Motif, their new Graphical User
                    Interface for Unix.  Based on X/Windows, eleven major
                    Unix companies, including DEC, IBM, Hewlett-Packard,
                    Oracle, and the Santa Cruz Operation (who previously
                    designed Microsoft Xenix) will be using OSF/Motif as
                    their standard User Interface.  ANSI C Source Code for
                    OSF Motif Costs $1000.00, while binary code licensees
                    are around $40.00.

                    OSF/Motif is an XWindows-based Graphical Interface
                    with the look of Presentation Manager's User Interface,
                    Hewlett-Packard's window management style, and DEC's
                    Interface Toolkit (XUI), also used in the DECwindows
                    environment.  Interestingly enough, since OSF/Motif has
                    the Presentation Manager/Windows user interface style,
                    if Apple wins its "look and feel" lawsuit against
                    Microsoft Windows, then OSF/Motif, at least in its
                    present form....

 Sydney, Australia  Microsoft will be designing the "Microsoft Institute of
 -----------------  Advanced Software Technology" here, which will be based
                    on Microsoft University, in Redmond, Washington.  It
                    will help Australian developers learn the intricacies
                    of Microsoft's systems software, including Windows and
                    OS/2 programming....






  ______________________________________________________________________




 > RED LIGHTNING STR Review    Red Lightning, Part II  "Top War Game"
   ========================



                                            RED LIGHTNING REVISITED
                                            =======================


 by Ron Brunk


     Two weeks ago, I wrote a quick overview of Red Lightning, stating that
 it was  too complex  to write  about with only a few days experience.  I'm
 glad I did that because I've found it to be so detailed  and realistic, it
 approaches  the  realm  of  simulation.    For  those who missed the first
 article, RL simulates WWIII in north-central  Europe as  the Soviets begin
 rolling into  West Germany.   You  can play  as the  Nato or (Warsaw) Pact
 Commander against either a human or computer opponent.  Games  can consist
 of 20 or 60 half day turns.  Victory is determined by difference in morale
 levels of the two alliances which in turn is a factor of the morale of the
 participating countries.

     The complexity of the game ranges from very easy (just move armies) to
 extremely detailed, depending on which of the following  options you allow
 the  computer  to  control:  North Atlantic/special ops, air campaign, and
 sub-divisional deployments.  The game can also be set to favor one side or
 the other  depending on  these options: chemical weapons (yes/no), season,
 Pact competence, and limited intelligence.  All of  these options  will be
 discussed later.  

     The game  begins as the Pact alliance invades Norway and starts moving
 into West Germany.  Depending on  the scenario  chosen, the  Nato alliance
 will have  zero, partial,  or full  mobilization in effect.  The first few
 rounds will be the longest of the game as the Nato player (and to a lesser
 extent the  Pact player)  scrambles to assemble his forces into a coherent
 defense.  Since range artillery support  and  stacking  of  units  is only
 available between  units within  each individual  corps, it  is vital that
 forces be grouped accordingly.  On the other hand it is also  important to
 react quickly and establish the front as far east as possible.

     The  default  screen  is  a  tactical  map  (~4%  of the campaign map)
 detailing a richly colored terrain with  options to  show possession (each
 hex  marked  with  a  colored  dot)  and  to hide units to reveal just the
 terrain.  The map scrolls smoothly by clicking  on triangles  in the upper
 right side  of the screen.  The "overview" displays a strategic map of the
 entire campaign over 1/4 of the screen with units (and areas of possession
 if that  option is on) marked in red and blue.  Clicking on a point on the
 overview brings up the tactical map centered on  that point.   The "supply
 report" is  the same  size as  the overview  and displays  which areas are
 currently connected  to supply  routes.   This helps  show how  to cut off
 enemy routes,  preventing them from recovering readiness points during the
 resupply phase at the end of each turn.  Clicking on a hex on the tactical
 map  displays  general  information  including terrain type, unit name(s),
 movement points remaining, and  maneuvers scheduled  if friendly,  or just
 terrain type  and type  of unit(s)  if enemy occupied.  By selecting "full
 hex info" mode  you  can  determine  detailed  info  on  a  friendly unit.
 Choosing  a  unit  displays  the  sub-units  (i.e. brigades of a division)
 including the readiness (up to 100%), deployment status (forward, reserve,
 rest) and  equipment (how  many of  each weapon).   Also  displayed at the
 bottom is  total artillery  strength (weapons  with lethality  >10) of the
 unit, as  well as  the mobile and static (dug-in) values for non-artillery
 strength and survivability.  Displayed strengths include modifications due
 to terrain,  readiness, and  deployment status  (which can  be modified if
 sub-divisional deployments option is "on").  Units with  a high deployment
 status (forward) are stronger in attack and defense, but recover readiness
 points slower.

     A series of informational  subscreens available  from drop  down menus
 will display the following:

 Strategic report-  lists hexes  held, North  atlantic campaign status, and
     significant events.
 Political  report-  details  morale  levels  and  political  alignments of
     countries (Nato, Pact, Neutral).
 Weather report-  Current and  forecasted for 12, 24, and 36 hours (90, 80,
     and 70% accurate).

     Air operations are conducted via another  drop down  menu which brings
 up a  screen which  displays the  various aircraft  types.   Clicking on a
 specific type will highlight it and  display combat  characteristics along
 with a  numerical rating  (1-5) of  how well  it is  suited to perform the
 following types of missions:

 Air superiority- Attack enemy aircraft.

 Strike- Attack ground targets.

 Close  air  support-  Attack  enemy  troops  during  battles,  included in
     artillery phase.

 Strategic recce- Gather intelligence in the enemy's first 12 hex rows.

 Deep recce- Gather intel in the enemy's next 11-15 rows.

 Tactical recce- Gathers intel over your own territory.

 Also displayed  is avionics  (effectiveness in bad weather), survivability
 (susceptibility  to  enemy  air   superiority  and   anti-aircraft  fire),
 readiness, and  number of  aircraft remaining.  If the air campaign option
 is on, you can assign aircraft  to missions  as you  see fit.   During the
 battle phase you will be able to assign your strike missions to hit either
 enemy air bases, supply lines, or troop concentrations.

     North Atlantic/Special Ops option is the only way to affect  the North
 atlantic campaign.   This  sub-campaign consists  of three  parts; at sea,
 Norway, and Iceland.   While the  outcomes profoundly  affect the European
 campaign in terms of resupply and reinforcements of Nato from convoys, the
 only input you have to that campaign is the option to commit  some of your
 airborne or marine reserves to Norway or Iceland.  Otherwise, the airborne
 reserves can be airdropped into a  central European  hex, and  the marines
 can be  landed on  any shore  hex.   The attrition  and readiness level of
 these units as they land depends  on whether  they land  in daytime  or at
 night.   Special Ops  allows you to send special forces on missions to hit
 enemy airbases,  stockpiles,  reinforcements  as  they  arrive,  or gather
 intelligence.    The  Pact  player  also has additional option to use SSMs
 (surface to surface missiles) to strike these same targets. 

     Units are moved by  entering  the  movement  mode,  selecting  a unit,
 choosing either  "maneuver" (to  attack) or  "move" from a dialog box, and
 then clicking on the hexes you wish to move to.  Nato  always moves second
 due  to  superior  command  and  control  allowing response to Pact moves.
 Since intelligence information on location of enemy units is revealed each
 time you  move, you  cannot take  back a  "move".  A maneuver is a planned
 movement to be executed during combat  and is  the only  way to  attack an
 enemy occupied  hex.   Since no  intelligence is  revealed it can be taken
 back.  An undocumented feature is the ability to click and drag units but,
 since moves  cannot be  taken back,  it is  not recommended.  Each unit is
 allocated 12 movement pts/turn (10 if  readiness<75%, 0  if not resupplied
 at beginning  of turn and readiness <51%).  Movement into a hex costs from
 1-4 pts  depending on  the type  of terrain,  a maneuver  (attack) costs 6
 points,  and  bonus  points  can  be  charged  on  certain occasions (i.e.
 nighttime, bad weather, etc.).  One  point of  readiness is  lost for each
 movement point expended.  

     Once all movement is completed, battle begins starting with resolution
 of the air campaign.  An  alert box  pops up  showing the  number of kills
 (inflated up  to 20%  to simulate  uncertainty of  reports), the number of
 airstrikes assigned, and the ground support allocated by  each side.   You
 are  then  prompted  to  direct  strikes  at  targets  you  choose, either
 airbases, supply lines, or troop concentrations.  After each selection you
 are notified  if the  strike was  successful and,  if troop concentrations
 were selected, which units were hit and if they were destroyed.

     The air campaign is followed by ground combat.   Battles  are resolved
 where  maneuvers  have  been  ordered  into  enemy occupied hexes.  Battle
 occurs in 3 phases;  artillery, non-artillery,  and resolution-withdrawal-
 advance.   In the  artillery phase the artillery strength of the attacking
 unit is added to  enemy close  air support  and ranged  artillery support.
 Ranged support  is received  from all  HQ and  artillery units in the same
 corps within 2 hexes (if they are not involved in maneuvers of  their own)
 and consists of 1/2 of their combined artillery and non-artillery support.
 This total artillery support is multiplied  by  a  factor  of  1.0  to 1.4
 (depending on weather) if chemical weapons are allowed and the attacker is
 the U.S, France, or the Soviet  Union.   This final  artillery strength is
 then applied  to the  survivability of  the enemy sub-units being attacked
 (half that strength is applied to units that provided ranged  support) and
 a loss  ratio is  generated.   This loss  ratio represents the fraction of
 each enemy sub-unit that must check  for survival  and takes  into account
 terrain,  readiness,  deployment  status,  equipment  survivabilities, and
 whether the defender was  static (dug-in)  or moving.   The  loss ratio is
 also the fraction of affected equipment in surviving units that is given a
 saving throw (similar to D&D) based on survivability to avoid elimination.

     In  the  second  battle  phase  another  loss  ratio is generated in a
 similar fashion with the non-artillery strengths of just the attacking and
 defending units.   In  the last  phase both  loss ratios are displayed and
 units and  equipment are  checked for  elimination.   Defending units that
 survive have a chance of retreating equal to the non artillery loss ratio.
 If a unit attempts to retreat  and has  nowhere to  go, it  will suffer an
 additional 5%  equipment and  readiness loss.   If a defender retreats and
 one of the attackers sub-units is deployed as a reserve, it has a % chance
 to advance  equal to it's own readiness status.  Finally, the readiness of
 units in combat is decreased based  on deployment  status and  weather (if
 chemical weapons are used).

     An end of game test after each turn determines whether an alliance has
 collapsed.  Otherwise, the game continues a specified number of  turns (20
 or 60)  and the  final victory level (Pact morale- Nato morale) determines
 win, lose, or draw.  Alliance morale  is  based  on  the  number  of hexes
 controlled and the morale of countries in the alliance.  Country morale is
 based on cities lost, troops lost,  and the  status of  the North atlantic
 campaign.  If a country's morale drops to 0%, there is a 50/50 chance that
 it will conclude a  separate peace  and become  neutral in  which case all
 troops and  aircraft are  withdrawn from  the alliance.   If the U.S, West
 Germany, or Soviet Union concludes a separate peace, the game is over.
 Finally, you are given the option to save the game just prior  to starting
 each turn.   This is the only time you are allowed to save, so be sure you
 plan to finish the next round if you don't save at this time.

     Overall, I found RL to be an outstanding strategy game  because I like
 a game  with realism  and detail, and it's chock full of both.  The armies
 and equipment involved are modelled after precisely what  exists in Europe
 at this  time.  Included on the disk is a 66K ascii text file of the order
 of battle which lists all of the armies and their sub-divisions (brigades,
 divisions, etc.)  and what  equipment is  in each.  The realism is further
 enhanced by the fact that the  resolution  of  all  battles  is determined
 entirely by  the relative  strengths and weaknesses of the units involved,
 and the conditions under which they  meet.    Nothing  is  left  to chance
 except the  final check  as to  whether each individual piece of equipment
 bites the dust.  In fact, the games is so  realistic, it  gives the player
 an insight as to why Nato is so concerned with Soviet Bloc troop strengths
 (in the real world) and why  maneuvers near  borders make  Nato commanders
 nervous (and  vice versa).   As  is suggested in the docs, the Nato player
 soon finds the best way to go is to attempt a holding  action and  rely on
 air superiority  to weaken  the Pact, while the Pact player learns that an
 all out blitz with it's superior ground forces is the best way to win.

     The only problems I found with RL were minor ones,  having to  do with
 the user interface for absorbing all the information at my disposal.  Even
 after I became familiar with it, it took around 30 minutes for  each turn,
 most  of  which  was  assimilating  the info available and making my moves
 based on that info.  Specifically, 

     1. All similar types of  units  look  exactly  the  same  and  must be
 clicked on  to find  out (via a yellow flag) which other units were in the
 same corps so that I could plan stacking and ranged support.

     2. To find out the strength of a unit in order to  plan where  to move
 it you  must exit the move mode and go to full hex info mode, then go back
 to the move mode once more.   This  entails 7  clicks each  time, and soon
 adds up to a lot of time.

     3. If  you find an extremely weak unit while cycling through the units
 in the full hex info mode, you cannot  exit to  that unit  on the tactical
 map.  You must write down the hex number and then go find it.

     4. The  tactical map  can only  be scrolled using the set of triangles
 arranged vertically in the upper right corner of the screen.  It  would be
 much nicer  if it  would scroll whenever the mouse reached the edge of the
 screen as is done in many other programs.

     5. Each time a  unit is  selected to  be "moved"  the screen  jumps to
 center on  that unit.   Not only is this disorienting, it often causes you
 to lose track of the point you are aiming for, requiring you  to quit that
 unit's movement  and scroll  the map  in order to see which highway is the
 right way to go, then go back and move it.

     6. No information on enemy units is provided at all except the type of
 unit (division,  brigade, etc.).  This makes it tough to decide which unit
 to attack since you can't tell if it is the one you've  been attacking, or
 a fresh one that just reached the front.

 I'm happy  to report  that, after some extended phone discussions with the
 designer, numbers 3 and 6 above  have gone  away, and  the rest  are being
 seriously considered.  (Memory is the primary concern since SSI wants each
 program to able to run on any ST with any version of TOS).   So in version
 1.1 the  full hex report will exit to the last unit shown, and enemy units
 adjacent to friendly hexes will be identified by name.  However, since SSI
 also has  the policy  "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", version 1.1 won't
 be released unless bugs are found in 1.0.  I never thought I'd be sorry to
 see  a  program  released  bug-free,  but  so far none have been found and
 believe me, I've tried.  So if you like wargames  or have  had an interest
 in them  but never  got around  to it,  or if you like strategy games with
 lots of detail, this game will capture and hold your attention.   

     As a side note, I sent Norm (who lives in an area of Texas without any
 access  nodes  for  Genie,  CIS,  etc.)  a  thread  from  Genie  with some
 speculation that SSI would no longer be bringing out any  wargames for the
 ST, and he sent me the following reply:

     "You will  continue to see new stuff for the ST from me at least.  The
 ST happens to be my favorite machine, largely because of  the GEM features
 everybody seems  to think I'm not using.  It is too early to tell with Red
 Lightning, but Crusade sold one ST copy for every two IBM copies.   That's
 hardly a  "dead market".  The problem with producing new titles for the ST
 is that it is a complicated machine to program properly.  Ditto the Amiga.
 The return  on time (=$$$) invested is smaller with these machines than it
 is for IBM clones.  Nobody really wants ports of 8 bit  games.   I predict
 that there will continue to be a steady flow of new titles for the ST (and
 Amiga) because  there  are  programmers  who  just  happen  to  like these
 machines.  But you can't realistically expect that those who don't already
 have some commitment to the  ST  will  spend  time    that  they  can more
 profitably spend programming for the pc market. "





 ________________________________________________________________________



 > IS IT PIRACY?  STR Feature
   ==========================


                                                       The Left Brain
                                                       ==============


 by Tim Holt


     A few  months back,  one of  the big  cheeses, GILMAN  LOUIE - CEO, at
 Spectrum Holobyte wrote an open letter to all Atari ST and Mega users.  In
 it, he  explained how  much it costs to produce a quality program, and how
 much a company has to make in order to break even with a program.
  
     He lamented that Falcon, his company's excellent flight simulator, was
 the victim  once again  of pirates,  who, for lack of better things to do,
 broke the copy protection, and had his game up on pirate boards a mere six
 days  after  it's  release.    His  point was well made and obviously well
 thought out. (They must  hire  college  graduates  at  that  company)   He
 claimed that the ST version of Falcon was not selling as well as the Amiga
 version, and that this lack of sales was obviously due to the pirates.  If
 everybody has  a free  copy, they wouldn't want to go out and buy the real
 McCoy for $50.  He made the threat that SH was not going to make any more 
 programs for the ST if all we did was pirate the programs. 

 (Before I get on my soapbox, let me say right here and now, that piracy is
 bad news.   I  doubt if  ANY user  would argue that piracy hurts sales.  I
 have always said, if you see a program you like, then buy it.)  

 And now, on to the soapbox....

     I have no doubt that a company loses money from  piracy.   If it ain't
 being sold,  it ain't making money. Unfortunately, no matter what business
 you are in, you are going to have theft.  There will always be  folks that
 forgot to  read the  Ten Commandments  when they  were kids.   BUT THAT IS
 BUSINESS!! Any business must be  prepared  for  theft.    If  someone gets
 caught shoplifting  at Walmart,  Walmart calls  the police, and the person
 goes to jail.  The same must be true for computer software companies. They
 must have  some type  of policy  for what  happens when someone "cracks" a
 program.  If you were a company, and someone steals your program,  why the
 hell wouldn't you prosecute the person or persons responsible? 

     Well, some might say "It's too expensive to prosecute these people." I
 say horse poop.  If you believe  that  you  have  lost  a  quarter million
 dollars in sales, then you should be willing to spend a quarter million in
 legal fees.  I  found it  interesting that  Spectrum Holobyte  was able to
 access a  pirate board,  but unwilling  to go after it's owner.  Give me a
 break! It is a Federal offense to have  a pirate  board.   Surely SH could
 get the  help of  the FBI.   Surely if they felt strongly enough about the
 problem to write to every darn computer magazine in the  US about  how the
 stupid Atari  users ruined  their livelihoods,  then they should have felt
 strongly enough to go after the  pirates that  were spreading  the cracked
 programs.   Even if  it IS too expensive for one company to go to court, I
 am certain  that there  were other  companies' programs  on the  board.  A
 consortium of  companies could  easily amass the money needed to shut down
 the pirate boards and put the pirates away. 

     Others might say, "Well, it's like  trying to  empty the  ocean with a
 teaspoon.   It is  useless because  another one will pop up as soon as one
 gets closed." Wrong-o. The pirate  boards  have  caller  lists,  the phone
 companies have  records of  long distance calls, and it really wouldn't be
 too hard to find out who is  calling  whom.    Don't  give  the  punks any
 warning, go  in, seize  the equipment, and find out who the pirates in the
 US are. If the  same phone  number turns  up on  every darn  board that is
 seized, then by god, you have found a pirate. If you do that enough times,
 then somebody is gonna get the message that the party is over. 

     These companies that cry the loudest have shed crocodile tears as far
 as I am concerned.  If they would throw down the gauntlet and stop crying,
 put  their  money  where  their  mouths  are,  then  I might believe their
 stories.  Put up or shut  up! I  doubt if  any decent  Atari user  or user
 group would  feel sorry  for a  pirate and  his board  getting sent up the
 river for 10 years. 

     There must also be a consensus about what piracy really  is.   If I go
 to  Sound  Warehouse,  buy  an  album,  and  then  go and make a couple of
 cassettes of it for my friends, then I am a pirate, right?   On  the other
 hand, if  I record the SAME songs off the radio, I am not a pirate...hmmm.
 (If that is so, then may  I submit  that almost  everyone in  the US  is a
 pirate.)   If I  go to  Movie Madness  and rent a videotape,  and copy it,
 then I am a pirate, right?   But if I copy the movie  off of  CBS, or NBC,
 then I  am not  a pirate..   Then I say again, most people are involved in
 piracy.  If I buy a program, make a backup copy, and loan it to my friend,
 and he makes a copy of the copy, then I am again involved in piracy.  

     Who among us can truthfully say we don't have a copied program?  Would
 you consider yourselves PIRATES? Well, by definition you are, if  you have
 ONE un-bought,  non pd program...hmm. That doesn't really seem right.  The
 industry must go after  those folks  that spread  programs to  hundreds of
 users, not those folks that make an occasional backup copy.  The policy 
 must be  industry wide,  not just one company here, and one company there.
 Once pirates see that there is a consensus among companies, then I believe
 the pirating will slow down. 

     Finally,  I  have  something  to  say  to those good folks at Spectrum
 Holobyte: _By writing your letter to every damn  computer magazine  in the
 US, you  have caused  a bit of a bad feelings between us and you.  We know
 that there is a pirate problem, but it isn't JUST  AN ATARI  USER PROBLEM!
 I find  it impossible to think that only Atari programs are pirated to the
 extent that causes your company financial harm.  We are just now beginning
 to be  taken as  a serious  computer, and your letter has done nothing but
 have the rest of the computer world snicker at us.
  
         Yep, those stupid Atari users..when will they ever learn?
  
                     Atari: Piracy Without the Price!

 I continue to hear these comments, or some form thereof.  Incorrectly, and
 I  am  sure  unintentionally,  you  have  given  us  another  mark  on our
 reputation. 

     As a teacher, I have yet  to see  an original  copy of  the Apple II-e
 program "Appleworks".   I have yet to see an original copy of "Printshop".
 Don't blame the Atari users.  A teacher  buying one  program and spreading
 it around  to every  teacher in  a school,  or a corporate type buying one
 database program and having  the whole  office use  it is  just as  much a
 pirate as  some hacker on a pirate board.  Of course it wouldn't look good
 if the  headline  read  "Software  company  puts  first  grade  teacher in
 slammer!" would it?

     Personally, I  have not seen ONE pirated version of FALCON, and I have
 looked!  I also  was personally  insulted when  your company spokespersons
 intimated  that  you  would  look  long  and  hard at making another Atari
 program.  Making threats at those who have bought your program won't solve
 the problems,  bub.   Only by  going in and trashing the pirate boards and
 the punks that run them, will you make a difference.  Falcon  has been the
 best selling  Atari program for months now, selling well enough for you to
 come up with an update, and a new mission disk.  (I got my order form in 
 the mail last week.)   It  wasn't the  pirates that  gave you  guys enough
 money to  create the update and mission disks.  It wasn't the pirates that
 have made your program the best seller that it is.  It was us, the average
 Joe Blow user.  Please remember US, next time you call US all pirates.

                                                  Tim Holt
                                                  President
                                                  ST Club of El Paso 
     

 Editor Note:

     The  point  that  Mr.  Holt  brings up about the ST Computer Community
 being somewhat upset is the very same point  brought out  during as recent
 SH online  conference where  Mr. Louie was asked about this lumping of all
 Atari users into a "less than desireable" piracy  infested computer group.
 He  stated,  (Mr.  Louie),  that  a letter would be forthcoming that would
 further explain SH's position and indeed alleviate the BAD BLOOD generated
 by the  labelling of  "all" Atari  ST users as pirates.  He further stated
 that the letter would be forwarded to all the same people who received the
 first letter.  Has anyone seen or heard of this second letter???  

     Both  myself  and  an  STReport  staff  member,  Neil Bradley, were in
 attendance that night.  In fact,  we  were  very  pleased  at  Mr. Louie's
 positive  reaction  to  the  entire  matter  and  felt that it too, was an
 excellent indication of the future for the ST.





   _____________________________________________________________________



 > ATARI FEST STR FOCUS
   ====================



                        KENTUCKIANA ATARI FEST '89
                          Sheraton Lakeview Hotel
                   Clarksville,Indiana (Louisville,Ky.)
                       October 28 - October 29, 1989

      The Kentuckiana Atari Fest '89 will be held on the weekend of October
 28th and 29th, 1989, at the Sheraton Lakeview Hotel in Clarksville,In.,
 which is located 1 mile from Louisville,Ky.

      Atari Corp. is expected to attend this event, and we have tentative
 commitments from ICD, Mastertronics, Innovative Concepts, and other Atari
 dealers and developers, for attendance and/or participation at the show or
 with the related events of the show.

      We will also have seminars and conferences on Atari related products
 and information, including a users group forum with representatives from
 users groups across the nation attending.

      A special package deal has been set up for this convention, with the
 package including 2 nights at the Sheraton Lakeview hotel, and 4 meals
 (breakfast and dinner) daily for 1 person.  The room is a single or double
 bed room with a 1-4  person  occupancy.    Additional  meal  packages, and
 optional lunches will also be available for this event.

      We hope to make this an annual affair, but it will require your help
 and support to pull it off.

      I hope to see you there, and thank you for your support.

                                                  Sincerely,
                                                  Lawrence R. Estep
                                                  Convention Coordinator


                        Kentuckiana Atari Fest '89
                          October 28 and 29, 1989

                          Sheraton Lakeview Hotel
                            Clarksville,Indiana
                       (1 mile from Louisville,Ky.)

 Calendar Of Events as of 07/26/89

                            Saturday October 28

  Breakfast Buffet        9:30 A.M.  Convention Opens       11:00 A.M.
  Optional Lunch Buffet   1:00 P.M.  Convention Closes       5:30 P.M.
  Formal Dinner   (Roast Beef or Turkey w/dressing)          7:00 P.M.

                             Sunday October 29

  Breakfast Buffet        9:00 A.M.  Convention Opens       10:30 A.M.
  Optional Lunch Buffet  12:30 P.M.  Convention Closes       4:00 P.M.
  Dinner Buffet   (Country Fried Chicken)                    6:00 P.M.


                          SPECIAL PACKAGE OFFERS
                          ----------------------

                    2 nights w/1 meal package       $159.95   
                    2 nights w/2 meal packages      $199.95
                    Extra meal packages             $ 45.00
                    (Meal packages are available without
                         the reservation package)

                    Additional night                $ 59.95
                    Optional Lunch Buffet package   $ 24.95

              Individual Meal prices available upon request.

        Children under 3 eat free -- Children under 10 eat for half price

 Call (812) 944-8997 To place your reservations, or for more information.

      Interested  dealers,  user  groups,  or  exhibitors---please read the
 special Dealer information file available on:

                         Atari Scene! BBS: (502) 456-4292, 
                                        or, 
                           call (812) 944-8997 (voice) 

          For more details on how you can be a part of this event.

 Phone reservations can be placed with Visa/Mastercard.

 Mail reservations can be  placed  with  money  order,  cashiers  check, or
 credit cards  only.   Credit card  mail orders  require a signed note with
 credit card number and expiration date.

 Advance reservations received by September 1, 1989 will receive a free
 extra chance in our Atari Raffle to be held at the convention.

 All reservations MUST be received by October 1, 1989.  Please mail or call
 your reservations in TODAY!

 Admission to the convention is $3  per day  per person,  $5 for  a weekend
 pass per person, or $12 for a family weekend pass.

 USER GROUP REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD NOTIFY US WHEN PLACING A RESERVATION OF
 THAT FACT, SO A NAMETAG CAN BE MADE UP FOR THEM.


                    Assistant Convention Coordinators

                    Todd Rufer             Charles Crowder
                    Jason Dickens          Chris Dickens
                              David Brown

 Information is also available on the Twilight Zone BBS (502) 897-1589, or
 the Twilight Zone II BBS (502) 955-6955.

                                             Lawrence R. Estep   07/27/89






  ______________________________________________________________________



 > PRICE CLUB STR FOCUS        A "NEW" type of "MARKETING SCHEME"??
   ====================



  
     Each Price Club store is to get six 520's.  It is thought that this is
 a way for Atari to blowout  the  remaining  520's,  and  discontinue them,
 thus, making the 1040 the bottom of the line.  

     Time to  raise a  Red flag???   Brought to you by the guy who foretold
 that the Federated Electronics purchase was bad news; and the  guy who got
 chewed out by Niel Harris for saying Atari has lost $63 million because of
 them. (It later turns out that they lost $124 million from Federated, last
 year.)

     Of real  concern at  this time, is that the Dept. of Commerce wants to
 relax export  restrictions  on  small  computers  going  to  East European
 countries.   The news  media is  busy talking  about all the XT's that the
 Communists will buy, while we know  what computer  the Russians  have been
 buying,  when  they  can  get  their  hands on it!  Remember, it was Chess
 Grandmaster Kasparov, who gave a British ST magazine  an interview  on the
 impact of the ST in the USSR.  ..(he owns one, bought in Berlin). 

     If a whole new, possibly large market is going to open up, you can bet
 that Uncle Jack will decide to let the US market go to  hell.   Better get
 an import license if you plan to continue to sell ST products.


 Editor Note:

     The above  passage was  composed by  one of  the most  caring of Atari
 users/dealers/developers we have come  to  know.    In  the  past  we have
 rarely, if  ever, seen this man very far off the mark.  Therefore, we must
 pass on this valued information...

     Oddly enough though, the 520 computers that are being offered for sale
 at the  Price Club  have a "new" name and category ..."520 GAME MACHINE"!!
 Whomever came up with this scheme should go the same route as  the rest of
 the  candidates  for  the  "revolving  door"!  The tragedy here is simple,
 Atari and the userbase have, for  WELL over  a year,  worked diligently at
 every corner  to turn  the "game  machine" image  away from the ST!!  What
 does some marketing "genius" do? ..





  ______________________________________________________________________




 > PC PILOT STReport InfoFile
   ===========================




                                               PC PILOT  MAKES DEBUT
                                               ======================


  
 NEW MAGAZINE TARGETS SIMULATOR PILOTS



 NEW YORK: May 22--A new magazine for computer  pilots will  make its debut
           this summer.


     PC PILOT,  a monthly  publication aimed  at the more than  two million
 users of personal computer  flight simulation   programs,  "will cover the
 whole  range  and  depth  of  computer    flying,  on all computers in all
 formats," says publisher   Marc Robins.  "We're going  to be  the 'Flying'
 magazine for  people who fly their computers. Computer flying is more than
 just gaming--it's a comprehensive hobby in its own right," Robins says.

     "We'll provide the same quality of information about  flying that
 you'd find in an aviation magazine," says editor-in-chief; Alan G. 
 Ampolsk. "We'll report on all the    available  software,  and  we'll also
 cover control  yokes,   joysticks, graphics cards, sound boards, monitors,
 and   complete  computer  systems--all  the  hardware  you  need  to  be a
 top-flight simulator pilot."

     Among PC PILOT's standing columns will be "Techniques,  about civilian
 flying,  and  "Tactics,"  about  air  combat    maneuvering.   Richard  G.
 Sheffield, author  of "Jet  Fighter   School" and  "Jet Fighter School II"
 will write the Tactics  column.  Charles Gulick, author of six books about
 Flight   Simulator(, will contribute a column entitled "Crosswinds."  "The
 Real Stuff," a regular section of the magazine, will  keep readers abreast
 of developments in real-world aviation.

     PC PILOT is published by Computer Aviation Inter-national, Inc., a
 new company  providing group  purchasing   discounts, special publications
 and additional services and  information to simulator flyers in the US and
 abroad. 

     A  year's  subscription  to  PC  PILOT,  at  a  price of $30, includes
 enrollment in CAI's discounting programs. Charter subscribers will receive
 a free  Japan Scenery  Disk for   Flight  Simulator as a membership bonus.
 "That's typical of  the benefits  we  plan  to  provide  our subscribers,"
 Robins says.

 For information, or to subscribe, write to:

                                 PC PILOT 
                                PO Box 6175
                         Champaign, IL. 61821-6175


    Flight Simulator is a registered trademark of Sublogic Corporation.




    ___________________________________________________________________




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



 - Sunnyvale, CA.              ***** USERS TO SEE INTENSE ADVERTISING *****
   --------------

     Atari's "NEW" image will be nothing short of spectacular!  Outstanding
 commercials and tabloid  ads  are  superbly  done.    The  new  ad agency,
 creators of  the highly  successful Apple campaign, is well on it's way to
 making the Atari Computer an easily recognizable and readily accepted name
 in  the   computing  community.     The  advertising  releases  are  being
 coordinated with the appearances  of Atari's  new products.   The ultimate
 showings and debuts should be remarkable.





 - Houston TX.        *** DEVELOPER RETURNS 16MHZ UPGRADE TO MANUFCTR! ***
   -----------

     It  appears  that  all  is  not  well in high speed land, seems that a
 development group in Texas recently returned  their 16mhz  upgrade to it's
 "maker" and  stated it  was unusable.  The developer stated that "although
 repeated efforts were made to install this goodie, it never flew!   So, we
 shipped it back to the west coast."






  _______________________________________________________________________




 > WOA DALLAS STR FOCUS
   ====================


                                 WORLD OF ATARI SHOW -> DALLAS TEXAS
                                 ===================================


                              World of Atari 
                               Dallas Texas

                           August 19, & 20 1989

     WORLD OF  ATARI will be held at the Holiday Inn Holidome, Irving Texas
 on Aug. 19 and 20th.  The  hours  of  the  show  are  10  am  till  6pm on
 Saturday, the  19th and  on Sunday;  10am till 5pm.  Admission is 5.00 per
 day or 7.00  for  both  days.    Advance  discount  tickets  are available
 directly from  ST World  for User  Groups.  Usergroup member ticket prices
 are 3.50 for a single day and 5.25 for both days of the show.  The tickets
 must be  ordered no later than August 10, 1989. Admission at the door will
 be at regular price with no discount.

     Atari Corporation will feature their full  line of  products, from the
 2600  game  machine  to  the  Mega  Computer  systems.  In addition,the pc
 Portfolio, the Lynx (New Handheld Game system), and the Stacy laptop.

     Of course many of the companies  we  are  all  familiar  with  will be
 displaying  their  latest  products  and some will be offering appreciable
 discounts as introductory offers to the users.  Prospero Software  will be
 offering a 25% discount as an introductory offer on their products.

     Also scheduled are instruction seminars designed to appeal to the new,
 as well as, the experienced user.

     Companies we are all familiar with  who will  be there  to answer your
 questions and provide help.

               Abacus Software               Alpha Systems
               Best Electronics              Codehead Software
               Double Click Software         FAST TECHNOLOGY
               ICD Inc. 8 & 16 bit           Intersect Software
               Imagen Corporation            Megabyte Computers
               Megamax Inc.                  MichTron
               Migraph Inc.                  Precision Software
               Prospero Software             Reeve Software
               Seymor/Radix                  Softrek Marketing

 plus many more...





    ___________________________________________________________________



 > Atari Stock ~ STReport
   ======================


                                                   THE TICKERTAPE
                                                   ==============


 by Glenn Gorman






    Atari Stock dropped 1/8 of a point on Wednesday, up 1/8 on Thursday and
 down 1/8 on Friday. Finishing up the week at 7 7/8 points. Down 1/8 points
 from last Friday.


                                                            Glenn Gorman

                          +---------------------+
                          |  ATARI STOCK WATCH  |
                          | Week 07-17 to 07-21 |
 +=======+==========+===========+=============+============+=============+
 |       |  Monday  |  Tuesday  |  Wednesday  |  Thursday  |  Friday     |
 +-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
 | Sales |     323  |      426  |       1084  |       334  |     279     |
 +-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
 | Last  |   8 ---  |    8 ---  |      7 7/8  |     8 ---  |   7 7/8     |
 +-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
 | Chg.  |    ----  |     ----  |       -1/8  |      +1/8  |    -1/8     |
 +=======+==========+===========+=============+============+=============+
 | From > THE CAVE ST BBS <> 609-882-9195 <> 300/14400 HST <> F-NET #351 |
 +=======================================================================+






  ______________________________________________________________________



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


                     "Judgement comes from experience
                 ...Experience comes from poor judgement!"




                             "ATARI IS BACK!"

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ST-REPORT Issue #98   "Your Independent News Source"      July 28, 1989
                    ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  copyright 1989
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------


