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


  October 27, 1989                                        Vol III  No.111
  =======================================================================
  
                         ST Report Online Magazine
                        __________________________
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                               R.F. Mariano
                            Publisher - Editor
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    __________________________________________________________________ 
    
 > Issue: #111 STReport               The Online Magazine of Choice! 
   -------------------- 
     - The Editors' Podium                   - CPU REPORT
     - COMDEX/Fall 1989                      - La Revolution
     - ICD, A Success Story                  - GCR, On the March!
     - HOTZ BOX Overview                     - ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL

            ---====**** PC DITTO II SHIPS TO PRESS! ****====---
          ----====***  ATARI TO "WOW" 'EM AT COMDEX!  ***====----
    ---===**** ELECTRONIC ARTS SHIPS VIRUS IN STAR COMMAND! ****===---
    
  =======================================================================
       AVAILABLE ON:      COMP-U-SERVE  ~  DELPHI  ~  GENIE  ~  BIX
  =======================================================================
    
 > The Editor's Podium


     Well..... Comdex  is right  around the  corner!  And as we, you and I,
 are 'anxiously awaiting' the "grand  revelations"  from  that  first rate,
 ultra dynamic,  home computer  source, Atari Corp... We find, according to
 informed sources, we will see  the  "NEW  PRODUCTS"  in  all  their glory.
 Along with the new faces Atari is appointing to the new..
  
                               "TEAM ATARI".

     Many times  in the past we have taken Atari to task for one mystifying
 move or another, again.. those days are gone  forever...   We believe that
 "actions speak  louder than  words".   As a result, we will instead, allow
 Atari's "actions" to speak louder than  our words...   We  feel this  is a
 fair and  unbiased method to employ in trying to help "TEAM ATARI" achieve
 its goals and of course, allow Atari to show us the long  awaited "Year of
 Atari".   Meanwhile, we  fervently hope  that the NEW PRODUCTS, (can't say
 more now about those), to  be  displayed  at  Comdex  along  with  the NEW
 procedures and  USERBASE/PRODUCT SUPPORT  will drop 'em all to their knees
 (grin) in sheer amazement and satisfaction.  Atari will "LEAD  THE WAY" in
 1990.

     More than  likely, we should stop and take a long hard look at what is
 actually happening in the home computer industry.  It is changing, perhaps
 maturing is  a more  appropriate word.   And  when it  is in this state of
 affairs, it can become quite  difficult  to  understand,  both  by  us and
 Atari.    This  may  be  where;  a)  the  difficulties arose and b) became
 compounded by a severe lack of adequate communications.   Those shortfalls
 are in the process of being overcome at this time and will soon be a thing
 of the past.  The best part is the future actually appears  better than it
 has in many months past.

                                       Thanks again for your support,
                                               Ralph.......





                          "ATARI IS COMING BACK!"

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

   Issue # 38
   ----------

 by Michael Arthur

 Remember When....

     David H.  Ahl, in  1974, founded what was to become Creative Computing
 magazine, with John  J.  Anderson,  Dave  Small,  Ted  Nelson,  and others
 writing for  it until it folded in 1985, and when John Anderson went on to
 write for Computer Shopper, help rebuild Atari Explorer  Magazine, and, in
 1988, for MacUser Magazine?

     And  remember  last  week,  when  after visiting Macromind Inc. in San
 Francisco, John J. Anderson and another MacUser editor were killed by part
 of a collapsing building, during the recent earthquake?  There will always
 be a fond place in the archives of  STReport for  these fine  gentlemen of
 the press.



 CPU Systems Roundup  XIII
 =========================


       Hisoft C Interpreter:  BASIC Necessities with the Luxury of C
       -------------------------------------------------------------


 Part I


      In traditional C programming, the normal cycle is to buy a C Compiler
 package, which may or may not come with a separate editor.  However, these
 editors are usually mediocre, resulting in a ceaseless search for a quick,
 yet powerful text editor.    After  finding  this,  a  program  or  two is
 written,  and  sent  to  the  compiler  in  order to run it.  However, the
 necessary header, include, and other files must be linked to  the file, in
 order to  produce a  program.   There are procedural errors.   After doing
 all this,  one  finds  that  the  program  doesn't  run  properly.   After
 searching for  what seems  like an eternity through the program, one finds
 that there is a misspelled command.   After  going through  the process of
 compiling the  program AGAIN, one finds that the program activates certain
 odd-looking bombs across the  screen.    After  going  out  and  getting a
 debugger, and  working with  it a  while, one finds that a bad pointer, or
 some other error, caused the program to fail.   One  then searches through
 the program, eventually finding the error, and then....


     As a  solution to  these problems,  Michtron is  now selling a program
 called the Hisoft C Interpreter.   Developed  by  Loriciels,  a  French ST
 Software company,  Hisoft C 2.0 provides many virtues of BASIC programming
 to the C Language.  Instead of having to link/compile a program to run it,
 Hisoft C  lets you just run it in the same manner BASIC Interpreters allow
 you to run BASIC programs without compiling them.  Hisoft C can  also trap
 Syntax and  Semantic errors  found in  C programs, as well as Cherry Bombs
 caused by more  disastrous  programming  flaws.    When  this  happens, it
 displays a Dialog Box with a description of the error, and an error number
 so you can get a more  detailed explanation  in the  Hisoft C  Manual.  It
 then positions  the cursor  at the line the error occurred, so you can fix
 it easily.

     But while Hisoft C has many benefits of  BASIC, it  still provides the
 full power  of the  C Language.   Hisoft C has a library of 460 functions,
 supporting the standard Kerningham  & Ritchie  (K&R) implementation  of C,
 the standard  Unix C  Library, and GEM's AES/VDI libraries.  Hisoft C also
 supports some of the functions shown in the draft ANSI C Standard.   Since
 the ANSI  C Standard  will soon  be completed, full ANSI C Support will be
 found in a future update of Hisoft C.

     Also, Hisoft C has very useful  debugging facilities,  including Trace
 Mode (allowing you to single-step through a program, seeing what a routine
 actually does when  it  is  executed  in  a  program),  variable following
 (which,  when  used  with  Trace  Mode,  lets  you  display  the values of
 variables in your program at any  time), and  pointer tests.   One  of the
 obstacles in  programming is  that if you assign a bad value to a pointer,
 that it can crash your system. Hisoft C  can test  the values  of pointers
 while it  runs a  program, and  display an error message if an bad pointer
 value is assigned.   This  could  make  Hisoft  C  invaluable  for  many C
 programmers, who  would otherwise  not recognize this fact.  Hisoft C also
 supports Variable Dumps (which gives you  information about  all variables
 in  a  program),  Memory  Dumps  (letting  you examine a segment of system
 memory), and Stack Displays, which allows  you to  look at  the segment of
 memory used  by the  interpreter.  Also, an ASCII Code Table is available,
 and while many of these tools may not  be immediately  usable by  novice C
 programmers, intermediate or expert level coders may find them invaluable.

     Hisoft C's environment is based on  Modules, or  separated areas where
 you can load, edit, and work on a file. Hisoft C supports up to 8 Modules,
 which are organized through a Module List.  This dialog box allows  you to
 switch between modules easily, and to transfer a marked block of text from
 one module to another.  Also, these Modules can be  Linked at  Runtime, so
 as to  support C's style of modular programming while seamlessly replacing
 the old Link & Compile "thing".  Hisoft C also allows you  to use assembly
 language  routines  or  executable  files with your program, by organizing
 them into a file called a Project, which  is a  collection of  files which
 make  up  a  program.    You  can  pass  parameters to Projects, and their
 respective segments, and obtain values from them.  Hisoft C  also supports
 command tails,  so you can test .TTP programs (like ARC.TTP and WXYTR.TTP)
 by passing parameters to  them.   Hisoft C  also comes  with several nifty
 features, such  as automatic  print spooling  when printing a file, an RPN
 (Reverse Polish Notation)  calculator  (although  a  scientific calculator
 would also  be nice),  and a  Help facility which is accessed via a dialog
 box, which you simply type in the name of what you want info about....

     However, while Hisoft C 2.0's capabilities are very  good, perhaps the
 BEST feature  of this  program is  its Text  Editor.  Hisoft C's GEM-based
 Text Editor is, in 2 words, blazingly fast.   It  makes WordWriter  ST and
 Microsoft Write  look like  they are playing dead, and rivals Tempus II in
 brute speed.  In fact, judging from its speed on a 1040  ST with  TOS 1.0,
 Hisoft C's  Text Editor  would FLY  with TOS 1.4, and would be fast enough
 for even the impulsive power user's needs with SofTrek's Turbo  ST, not to
 mention its  speed with  FAST Technology's  Turbo 16 Accelerator.  You can
 move/copy/delete/hide any defined block of text,  or save  it to  disk, as
 well as  using its  Goto Block Start feature.  However, the lack of a Goto
 Block Finish feature is an inconvenience.   Also,  another irritating faux
 pas is  Hisoft C's naming of the Hide Block feature, which actually clears
 the marks that define the current marked block of text, so you  can define
 another block  of text.   Renaming the Hide Block feature to "Clear Block"
 or "De-select Block" will probably be in the next update....

     Hisoft C's Text Editor, while it is made to edit  Hisoft C  files, can
 also be  used to  edit normal  text.   This makes its extensive Search and
 Replace facilities eminently  usable.    Hisoft  C  supports  the standard
 Find/Replace String  operations found  in most  word processors, but has a
 special option called Magic Mode.   With Magic  Mode, you  can use special
 characters (such  as wildcards  or question  marks) to  provide a powerful
 tool for searching for many diverse combinations of text.   Also, Hisoft C
 can search  for a  string in a file that is on a disk, giving you a dialog
 box telling what line  (if any)  the string  is found.   Interestingly, if
 Loriciels or  Michtron were to take Hisoft C's search/replace routines and
 place them in a Desk Accessory (adding extra functionality in the process,
 of  course)  the  resulting  product  would  be  the  moral  equivalent of
 Microlytics' Gofer (a Mac/IBM file/string search  program) or  Unix's GREP
 facility for the Atari ST....


            Disk Utilities, Super Manuals, and Praise Unending
            --------------------------------------------------

     One  of  Hisoft  C's  more  interesting abilities is the Disk Utility,
 which is a  separate  TSR  (or  Terminate-Stay-Resident)  program  that is
 loaded and  accessed through  Hisoft C  2.0.   After clicking  on the Menu
 Selection, a new menu pops up, with a Format option,  and a  File Selector
 choice.   The Format option allows you to format single/double-sided disks
 with 80 or 81 tracks, and 9 - 10 sectors.  The Disk Utility File Selector,
 reminiscient of  NeXTstep's File  Browser in  design, though more like the
 Universal Item Selector II  (a replacement  file selector  for the  ST) in
 implementation,  allows  you  to  Copy,  Move, Delete, and Rename multiple
 amounts of files, as well as Creating Folders.  With TOS 1.4 out, Renaming
 and Moving Folders will hopefully be added....

     Hisoft C 2.0 comes with a 330 page spiral-bound manual, which includes
 both sections on Using Hisoft C itself, and a 260 page Introduction  to C.
 This manual  is an  excellent guide  to Hisoft C, describing its functions
 and abilities in a concise and  simple  (not  to  mention  nicely typeset)
 manner.   It is a superb translation of Loriciels' original French manual,
 and is a  superlative  example  of  what  ST  software  manuals  SHOULD be
 like....

     While  Hisoft  C  can  fit  in  512K  of RAM, at least 1 Meg of RAM is
 required to get any substantial programming  done.   It runs  on all ST's,
 and can  run with  either Color or Monochrome.  Hisoft C 2.0 is suited for
 many levels of C programming:  One, as a comfortable tool for learning the
 C Language,  which shields  beginners from  some of  the harshness of C so
 they can explore the world of C without some trepidation.   Now,  not even
 Hisoft C  can completely  shield beginners from the Realities of C, but it
 can stave off most of the  obstacles which  send many  programmers running
 back to  BASIC or  Pascal.  It can also serve as a more efficient software
 development environment for expert programmers, as it provides many of the
 comforts of  a C  Compiler package without many of the difficulties.  ST C
 Programmers could write their software  programs  in  Hisoft  C,  and then
 port/compile it  with any C Compiler.  Hisoft C 2.0 has MUCH potential, as
 it fixes many of the dire needs in C Programming,  and as  it forfills the
 capabilities expected of such a revolutionary concept....

     In Part  I of  this review,  Hisoft C's features and capabilities have
 been described, in order to take a closer look at Michtron's innovaive new
 software development  tool.   Part II  will be  an in-depth  look at the C
 Tutorial found in the Hisoft C  Manual,  which  will  not  only  judge its
 quality and usefulness in learning C, but will give a fuller evaluation of
 the versatility and ease-of-use of Hisoft C's environment.... 


 But ponder, if you will, these questions:

 1)  Given that Atari said there were 250,000 ST's in the  US in  1987, and
     that an  independent research  firm estimated  that there were 400,000
     ST's in the US in 1988, how many ST's are  there REALLY  in the  US in
     1989?

 2)    Are  TV/Print  advertising campaigns really directed towards selling
     products themselves, or are they meant to heighten knowledge about the
     given product?

 3)   Given its  effect on  the success  of companies  like WordPerfect, is
     "word of mouth" advertising a major factor in selling products?



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


 Cupertino, CA       Apple earned $1.384 billion dollars in revenue for the
 -------------       last fiscal quarter of 1989, resulting in total sales
                     of $5.3 billion dollars in the 1989 fiscal year.  This
                     is over 1 billion dollars more than Apple earned last
                     year.

                     Interestingly, Apple points to the drop in the cost of
                     DRAM in 1989 as a major factor, as well as the great
                     sales of the Macintosh SE/30 and Mac IIcx....

 Cape Canaveral,  FL   A computer  "worm" recently  infected part of NASA's
 ------------------  Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN), which connects
                     the Department of Energy's High Energy Physics Labs,
                     and part of the entire DECnet/Internet network.  It
                     was only designed to damage DECnet Systems running
                     the VAX/VMS operating system, and NASA says that the
                     40 nodes that were affected were infected because of
                     poor password security, which made it easier for the
                     worm to get into the systems by figuring out people's
                     passwords.  This new worm was created by a group
                     calling itself WANK, who protested the launch of the
                     Galileo Jupiter Probe, which is nuclear-powered....

                     Ironically, the agency who detected this harmful worm,
                     CERT, was created by DARPA after Robert Morris's
                     worm accidentally crippled the Arpanet system of
                     networks.  After the ARPANet incident, the Security
                     Manager for SPAN said that while an attack on the VMS
                     Network was possible, that it wouldn't happen for a
                     long time....

 Redwood City, CA    NeXT Inc. is selling  a version  of the  NeXT computer
 ----------------    that, instead of having the 256 Meg Magneto-Optical
                     Drive, features a 40 Meg Accelerator Hard Drive.  This
                     Hard Drive, with a 19 ms seek time, can perform
                     virtual memory operations (swapping segments of RAM to
                     and from a hard drive) twice as fast as the NeXT's
                     256 Meg Optical Drive.  NeXT Inc. is also giving this
                     hard  drive   to  current  NeXT  computer  Owners  for
                     FREE....

                     This version of the NeXT is for use as an intelligent
                     terminal on a Network of NeXT's.  Cost:  $8000.00 in
                     the US.  Also, NeXT Inc. is selling 4 Meg RAM Modules
                     for the NeXT system for $1300.00.

 Argonne, IL            A Japanese  Research Team  working on  MITI's Fifth
 -----------         Generation Project, aimed at developing a new
                     Artificial Intelligence System, has shown a prototype
                     of a new parallel processing architecture designed for
                     it.  Currently running with 16 processors, MITI hopes
                     to develop a 1,024 processor version by 1992.  This
                     architecture is specifically designed for Prolog, the
                     AI Language used in the Fifth Generation Project.

                     Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry,
                     or MITI, the government agency responsible for Japan's
                     industrial revolution, started the Fifth Generation
                     Project in 1982, with the objective of developing new
                     parallel processing and artificial intelligence
                     technologies for this system by 1992.  This effort was
                     funded by MITI as a large R&D project, in order to
                     stimulate Japanese technology and design.  While this,
                     like similar efforts in the past, won't reap benefits
                     for Japan for 10 - 15 years, it seems that by the time
                     it occurs, if the US hasn't developed superior
                     technologies in the computer industry....








      ______________________________________________________________




 > RED STORM RISING II STR Review      Ongoing in-depth review of RSR
   ==============================



                                             RED STORM RISING pt II
                                             ======================


 by Ron Brunk


     Red  Storm  Rising  is  the  best  naval  wargame  I've yet seen for a
 computer.  The degree of reality and ease of play (not necessarily win) is
 outstanding.   Although the  book that the game is based on deals with all
 phases of a possible WWIII, RSR deals solely with the naval aspects of the
 war.    The  author  of  the  book,  Tom  Clancy, is an expert in military
 technology and is listed as  a  consultant  on  the  game  along  with his
 research assistant for the book, Larry Bond.

     Documentation  is  complete,  from  a  full  explanation of background
 factors of ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) to  player controls.   A  100 page
 soft bound  book covers  the strategy  of the  US Navy  (keep the Russians
 behind the G-I-UK (Greenland,  Iceland, United  Kingdom) gap)  and that of
 the Soviet  Navy (interrupt convoys resupplying NATO forces in Europe with
 troops, supplies, etc).    It  also  thoroughly  covers  the environmental
 factors  that  affect  the  sensors  (and  therefore tactics) of submarine
 warfare, a concept that dominates gameplay and will be discussed later.

     As you boot up (from floppy or harddrive)  the program  checks for the
 original disk  in drive  A; this  is the only time it is checked, avoiding
 the annoying habit that some games have of  periodically halting  the game
 while it checks for the keydisk.  You are then given the option of using a
 mouse or joystick, which is used to select options in the game  and to aim
 torpedoes.   You then have the option to load and continue an old game, or
 start a new one, in which case you are prompted  to identify  a silhouette
 from the  manual.   You will then choose the time frame for the game which
 determines the state of technology for both sides:

     1984   US- Harpoon and Mk48 torpedo
            USSR- limited technology 

     1988   US- Mk48 ADCAP (advanced capability)
                      Tomahawk   (longer range, larger warhead)
            USSR- New Sierra and Kilo submarines
                      Begins implementing stolen technology as a  result of
                      the Toshiba scandal and Walker spy ring

     1992   US- Sea Lance (torpedo on a missile)
                      Stinger SAM (Surface to Air Missile against helos)
            USSR- Nuclear aircraft carriers
                      Older vessels being upgraded with new technology

     1996   US- New Seawolf submarines
                      Mk48 silent launch torpedo (Seawolf only)
            USSR- Larger fleet
                      All vessels upgraded

     Once the  time period  is set, you can either choose the class of ship
 you wish to captain  or allow  MilPersComm assign  you to  one.   The next
 choice is  the level  of realism, either Introductory (very easy), Normal,
 Serious (fully realistic), and  Ultimate (suicidal-  one hit  you're dead,
 indecisive sonar operators force you to ID all contacts).  You then select
 a scenario:
  
     Training Action  - one  on one  with another  sub or  a destroyer (his
 weapons do no damage) 

     Battle Simulations-  8 to choose from (or random) which are similar to
 those you will be  assigned to  in the  campaign i.e.  against a submarine
 wolfpack, and ASW group, carrier task force, etc.  

     Campaign- The  real game  starts and you are assigned missions similar
 to the battle simulations until the war is over.

 The first two of  these options  are the  best way  to become familiarized
 with the controls,  most of which  control is via keyboard  (course/speed/
 depth/rudder  etc.)  with  the  mouse  used  to place the weapon PAP (Pre-
 planned Activation Point).  The screen is divided  into 5  subscreens; the
 Primary  display  takes  up  3/4  of  the  screen,  with the Secondary and
 Navigation display on the  bottom and  top left  respectively, the sensors
 functioning and  acoustic volume  are squeezed between the two, and verbal
 reports are displayed below the primary display.

     The secondary screen has five different displays for information on: 
     Contacts- range, bearing, course, speed, ID, etc.   
     Weapons- loaded tubes and reserve ammo available
     Torpedoes- status of active torpedoes- time to run, wire status, etc.
     Threats- range and bearing to enemy torpedoes
     Damage- status of sonars, tubes, and propellers  

     The navigation display always shows  your  own  course,  speed, depth,
 ordered rudder  and planes,  whether you are cavitating (noisy propeller),
 and whether you are above or below the "layer".

     The acoustic volume display shows how much noise  you are  making, and
 the  sensors  functioning  display  shows  which sensors are being used to
 track the current target selected on the secondary display.

     The verbal reports are  typed in  to give  you input  from crewmembers
 i.e. contacts lost, gained, enemy torpedoes approaching, etc.

     The  primary  screen  is  the  tactical  display  used  to track enemy
 vessels.  Contacts are color coded to show information reliability (bright
 red for  positive information,  cooling to  dark red, then blue, then grey
 for old/projected positions).  A grey "track" shows all past  movements of
 each contact  or torpedo.   Unfortunately  this track is cleared each time
 you zoom in or out on the tactical screen.  Even sonobuoys  from helos are
 represented in white.  The screen can be overlayed to show dirty water and
 ice floes in deep water or  depth in  hundreds of  feet in  shallow water.
 The  primary  screen  can  also  display:  a defense screen to avoid enemy
 torpedoes; the water profile (discussed later);  a relative  comparison of
 sonar capability  of an  identified target (whether he can sense you yet);
 enemy  ship  database  (weapons,  sensors,  etc.);  an  acoustic signature
 library for  identifying contacts  when playing  at the  ultimate level; a
 weapons control screen (see below).  All the primary screens are available
 at the stroke of a function key. 

     Once you  are positioned to launch you prepare a weapon to be fired by
 selecting the weapon (torpedo, stinger, harpoon, or tomahawk)  and placing
 the crosshairs  on the  PAP (the  point on the screen where you wish it to
 begin actively seeking a target) and pressing the fire button.  The weapon
 will go  straight to that point and then continue in a straight line until
 it acquires a target and homes in for the kill.  An advantage of torpedoes
 is that as long as the wire (for guidance) is intact you can control up to
 four torpedoes and reposition the PAPs.  This is used if; the target moves
 or is  destroyed, you  wish to change targets, or you plan for the torpedo
 to approach from a  different direction  so that  it does  not reveal your
 position.   You can  also set  the torpedo to seek shallow or deep, and to
 search in a circle to the right or left if it loses it's target.   You can
 also manually guide a torpedo (left or right) once it is active as long as
 the wire is intact.  There is a weapons control  screen that  will zoom in
 on a  torpedo for  close-in work,  but since it jumps around each time you
 shift to a different torpedo, it  is only  useful with  one or  two active
 torpedoes.

     Self-defense is  every bit  as important  as attack  in this game.  An
 audible ping accompanied by  a  verbal  report  will  warn  of approaching
 torpedo.   Pressing F3 immediately zooms in to a close-up around your ship
 and any torpedoes pursuing you.   Your various  defenses are  a noisemaker
 (left behind your ship), a decoy (launched forward at 20 kts) or leaving a
 knuckle in the water behind you by  making  a  sharp  turn  at  high speed
 (guaranteed to  sever any wires).  As long as any of these are between you
 and the enemy torpedo it will (probably) be decoyed and go into a circular
 search pattern until it finds you again or it dies.

     The most  impressive part  of RSR is how closely it approaches reality
 using all of the above information.  Contrary to Hollywood,  submarines do
 not sneak  up on  ships with  periscopes out of the water, visually "lead"
 their targets, and fire torpedoes in  the direction  that they're looking.
 In  RST  (and  real  life)  sonar  is  used  exclusively to find and track
 targets, but not with the  "PING"  that  is  shown  in  movies.   Instead,
 passive  sonar  "listens"  for  contacts.    Although this only yields the
 bearing to targets, the  use  of  TMA  (target  motion  analysis)  over an
 extended period  of time  will generate  a contact's position, course, and
 speed.  Analysis of the frequencies of the sounds emanating  from a target
 will reveal  exactly what  type/class of  ship/submarine it  is.  Although
 water is an excellent conductor of sound and (most) ships  are very noisy,
 sensing has  to occur over distances of miles to be of any tactical value,
 which leads us to the affect of environmental factors on gameplay.

     Sound does  strange things  underwater, and  all of  these factors are
 taken into  account in  the game  and explained  in detail in the book.  A
 thermal layer of warm water exists above the deeper, colder water, and the
 separation creates a boundary that reflects sound (how much depends on the
 sharpness of the separation).  This boundary layer also causes a "ducting"
 affect as sound bounces between the surface and the boundary, resulting in
 extended sensor range.  This means that vessels  on opposite  sides of the
 barrier  are  partially  screened  from  each  other.  This results in the
 ability of the submarine to track and identify  noisy surface  ships up to
 20 miles  away.   Another oddity  of water  is how  sound is  bent down as
 temperature drops, and is  bent up  as pressure  increases.   As the sound
 from a  target goes  deeper, it  gets bent  down as the temperature drops,
 then when the temperature has become constant it  is bent  back up  by the
 pressure increase  until it  reaches the surface again.  If conditions are
 right, the sound may reflect off the surface the process is repeated.  The
 concentric circles that mark where the sound reaches the surface are known
 as convergence zones.  This results  in contacts  that seem  to pop  up at
 long distances  and then  disappear as  you travel through the convergence
 zone.  Another factor taken into account in determining the distance sound
 travels is  dirty water  (poor transmission)  that can  hide a contact (or
 you).

     Passive sonar consists of  a hull  mounted sonar  and towed  arrays (a
 series of  hydrophones towed  behind the submarine/ship which usually lies
 below the layer) which are most accurate at slow speed.  Active  sonar can
 be used if your passive systems are destroyed or if you are maneuvering so
 violently that you cannot sense your opponents (due to water  rushing over
 your sonar,  facing the  wrong way,  etc.).  Unfortunately these maneuvers
 will broadcast your position to enemy ships dur to your racing engines and
 noisy  turn.    Active  sonar  is not recommended for stalking because the
 vessel you are stalking can  hear  you,  and  others  outside  your active
 sensing range will hear and zero in on you.  As a last resort you can rise
 above 55 feet depth to track  surface targets  with the  passive or active
 radar on  your mast.   The  same arguments apply here as active radar will
 announce your presence further than your  sensing range.   Your  very last
 resort would  be to  use the  periscope for a visual look, but chances are
 you would be sunk by the time you lost all other senses.

     Once you have mastered the battle  commands, you  are ready  to play a
 full campaign.  A series of animations will show you the background of the
 game; an isolated terrorist action in the middle east cripples  soviet oil
 supplies causing  them to panic and stage an aggressive act blamed on NATO
 giving them and excuse  to begin  WWIII before  they are  left helpless by
 energy enemy  shortages.   Similar animations  are interspersed throughout
 the campaign which, while nice  the  first  time  or  two,  get  old after
 awhile, especially  during battle.   Fortunately the battle animations can
 be turned off.  While the sound in these animations  is very disappointing
 (plink-plunk) it  doesn't detract  from the  game; it just doesn't enhance
 it.

     The campaign starts off  with a  message informing  you of  your first
 mission and  then the  import options  to adjust  your weapons loadout and
 repair damage (unnecessary at this point).  When you get  underway you are
 shown  a  map  of  the  north  sea  complete  with SOSUS lines (underwater
 listening  devices  on  the  ocean  floor)  and  satellites  and  P3 Orion
 (surveillance) aircraft  passing overhead revealing groups of enemy ships.
 These contacts are displayed  as diamonds  (with a  dot in  the middle for
 surface  ships)  color  coded  (same  as  above)  to  show  reliability of
 information.  It is best to pause at this time to load your tubes  so that
 you don't start battle with empty tubes.  You can then move around the map
 to accomplish your mission by placing the cursor where you want to  go and
 pressing the  mouse button  (left for  slow, right  for fast, none to stay
 where you are).  The speed you are going when you intercept your target is
 the speed  you will  start the  battle at,  so it is advantageous to place
 yourself accordingly i.e. in  front or  to the  side and  stopped or slow.
 Courses and speeds and relative positions are retained when going from the
 strategic map to the tactical display,  so  if  you  overtake  him  on the
 strategic map,  you'll start  off behind  him in  the battle.   Try not to
 approach enemy subs at full speed as they  will probably  already know you
 are there as the battle starts, putting you at a severe disadvantage.

     Once the  battle is  complete you will be able to see a replay showing
 all ships and weapons fired as  well as  the tracks  each took.   You will
 then be  congratulated (if  you won),  or told it was the wrong target, or
 wake up in the hospital  (if  you  lost).    You  will  also  be  shown an
 animation  reporting  the  results  of  your  battle.  For example, if you
 failed to destroy a wolfpack of enemy attack subs it  will show  a carrier
 being sunk,  and a newswoman reporting the story of NATO losing control of
 the area.  A bar of  blue  and  red  showing  relative  strengths  will be
 updated showing  the current  status of the war.  Resupply and repairs can
 be attempted  between  missions,  but  often  time  is  a  factor  and you
 sometimes must  leave major  time-consuming repairs  until a mission takes
 you close to home.  The only time I've been ordered to go home  was with a
 Permit class  sub.   It is extremely frustrating to be sent after a guided
 missile sub being escorted by super  quiet diesel  subs with  no torpedoes
 onboard  and  maximum  damage  to  your  ship  and then run out of time to
 complete your mission while you are limping home for repairs/weapons.

     Eventually the war ends one way or  the  other.    If  you  win, final
 promotion depends  on your  efficiency rating  (based on  the outcomes and
 difficulties of your missions) and awards,  possible even  as a celebrated
 war hero.   If you lose, you are sent to a Russian gulag with a final rank
 of Tov(arich).

     The only problem I've noticed with the program is that it seems  to be
 unable to  save more  than one  game at  a time despite the option to load
 from a  selection of  saves.   The only  time I'd  see this  as a problem,
 though, is  if more than one person wanted to play off the same harddrive.
 Overall, this is the best tactical naval wargame  I've ever  seen, and the
 only game  that has  kept me  interested for more than 3 week continuously
 except for Empire,  Dungeonmaster,  Red  Lightning  and  possibly  the new
 cybertank game Omega (but that's another review).





    __________________________________________________________________




 > HOTZ BOX  STR FOCUS            Ask... and ye shall recieve!
   ===================



                                        A DIFFERENT LOOK AT THE HOTZ BOX
                                        ================================


 ctsy GEnie RT

 Editor Note: 
 We kept  the entire  subject matter  intact to  show that Mr. Eidsvoog was
 answering  a  request  for   information  relating   to  the   status  and
 availability of the Hotz Box.

 Category 14,  Topic 16
 Message 63        Thu Oct 26, 1989
 J.EIDSVOOG1                  at 13:45 PDT
  
 WARNING: This message is 100 lines long!

 Well, I  tried to  tell myself  not to  comment in  this topic  but I just
 noticed that the topic summary states,  "Feel  Free  to  jump  in  and get
 involved!" and I'm afraid that I find myself doing just that.

     First, I will attempt an unbiased description of the Hotz box based on
 attending  two  live  presentations  (with  Mr.  Hotz  at  the  helm)  and
 discussions with a musician who has tried it and the  programmer who wrote
 the driver  software.  The box is just that, a metal box about 36"x18"x3".
 On the top surface are rows  of rectangular  areas with  membrane switches
 under them (like the DX7 program change buttons) approximately 1"x2".  The
 layout of the buttons may have  changed  since  I  saw  it  close  up last
 January but  at that  time there  were basically two long rows running the
 length of the box.  Another smaller group or two  of buttons  are arranged
 above the  main rows.   There  is no  resemblance to  a piano keyboard (no
 interspersed black keys).  The box is a MIDI controller  only; it produces
 no audio sound, only MIDI events.

     The idea  is that the buttons are assigned (through the software) to a
 predetermined matrix of MIDI notes such that the  player can  bang away at
 the buttons  and not hit any "wrong" notes.  The button assignments can be
 changed (I think through  a MIDI  program change  command) so  that as the
 harmonic structure  of the  music changes, the player's inability to hit a
 "wrong" note remains intact.   Presumably,  the smaller  groups of buttons
 might be  assigned to  notes that are more "blue" or less "right" than the
 main buttons.  The assignment of the notes would be  programmed by someone
 with a  "musical mind"  rather than  the inept  player who can only hammer
 away at the box.  Oops, I've stopped being objective...it's  time to enter
 editorial mode.

             The rest of this message is MY PERSONAL OPINION.

     I think  this thing  is a joke, a piece of junk!  Whatever money Atari
 has spent so far on this  project should  be written  off and  the project
 should be  scrapped.   If Atari  thinks that  the Hotz box is a worthwhile
 venture, then they have been conned, if not, then they  intend to  con the
 public. 
  
     Although I've  not heard  an official suggested price, the price I did
 hear mentioned was $10,000 !!! This is absurd.  That price would  put this
 device in the category of extremely high-end professional gear which it is
 definitely NOT.  I've been a professional musician for over 20 years, have
 a master's  degree from  New England  Conservatory, and  have done touring
 with name acts and extensive studio work in TV, film, and commercials.   I
 say this  not to  brag but  to give  some credence to the statement that I
 cannot think of any  musician I've  ever met  who would  be both musically
 unsophisticated enough  to want  to use a Hotz box AND able to pay $10,000
 for one. 

     If production does proceed on this project, it would be  overpriced at
 anything more  that $199.95  (at which  price they could still make a tidy
 profit,  assuming  they  haven't  paid  Jimmy  Hotz  _too_  much  for  his
 "concept").    The  whole  idea  of  the  Hotz box is to offer a way for a
 non-musical person to  "play"  music,  similar  to  the  home  chord organ
 concept.   Someone's got  their wires  crossed if  they think  that a real
 musician will seriously consider this device.  It's like asking  an artist
 to paint-by-numbers.

     Besides all  this, how  could this  concept even  work?  Mr. Hotz says
 that before long all  CDs will  be encoded  with "Hotz"  code.   Dream on.
 This would  mean that  for every song released (record companies might not
 be as easily sold on this idea as Atari was),  someone would  sit down and
 figure  out  these  "templates"  of  notes,  one  for each different chord
 change.  These would have to be dumped into the Hotz box  (presumably with
 a SYS  EX dump  at the  beginning of  the song)  and then a program change
 would be imbedded in the music  at every  chord change,  switching between
 the note assignments.  Any volunteers?  The demo I heard was produced by a
 sequencer playing a bunch of MIDI  gear.   This works  quite well,  but of
 course  still  requires  that  someone with musical knowledge predetermine
 what notes are allowed at any one time.  The program changes were recorded
 in the  sequence so  that the Hotz box was always "in tune" with the music
 being played.  This allowed Jimmy Hotz, Mick Fleetwood, and two volunteers
 from the  audience to all bang on the Hotz box at the same time, producing
 a barrage of  sound  and  notes  that  was  being  passed  off  as amazing
 (actually I was quite amazed, but not in the same sense).  Even if we were
 to  put  taste  aside  and  enjoy   listening  to   this  sterile  musical
 environment, we  are quickly reminded of the fact that the Hotz box cannot
 correct a player's rhythm. 

     I _want_  "wrong"  notes  (passing  tones,  substitute  changes, grace
 notes, extended harmonics, etc.) in my music.  I don't want to play within
 the confines of what  someone  else  has  determined  are  the "acceptable
 notes", it's  too fascist.   It boggles the mind to think that someone who
 _does_  want  these  capabilities/restrictions  would  be  willing  to pay
 $10,000 for them!

     I'm sorry  to be long-winded and if any of my factual, non-opinionated
 statements are in error, I welcome  correction.   Once again  all opinions
 stated  are  my  own  personal  ones  and do not necessarily represent the
 opinions of CodeHead Software. 

                                                  John Eidsvoog



 P.S.  While this message was not intended to plug  our software,  I'd like
 to mention  that this  entire concept  can be accomplished with CodeHead's
 MIDIMAX software (list price  -  $49.95),  an  ST,  and  a  MIDI keyboard,
 although it  would be  a waste of most of MIDIMAX's power to limit its use
 to this one "HOT(Z)"  function.    This  capability  was  not deliberately
 included,  but   rather  exists   within  MIDIMAX's  flexible  ability  to
 manipulate MIDI in real time. 






       ____________________________________________________________





 > COMDEX/Fall 89 STR Spotlight          THE SHOW OF SHOWS!
   ============================



                                                       COMDEX!!
                                                       ========

 by R.F. Mariano



     The microcomputer industry will close out the eighties with a  bang in
 a few  short weeks, when COMDEX/Fall 1989 saturates Las Vegas.  During the
 week of Nov. 13-17,  more than  seventeen hundred  exhibitors will display
 their products  to an estimated 110,00 plus attendees visiting ten exhibit
 sites:

     Las Vegas Convention Center        West Hall
     Bally's Casino Resort              Cashman Field Center
     Caesar's Palace                    Caesar's Sports Pavilion
     Las Vegas Hilton                   Riviera Hotel
     Sahara Hotel                       Tropicana Hotel

     It is worth noting that of  those 1700  companies, less  than 1/3 have
 booths or  rooms in  the large  halls of  the Las Vegas Convention Center.
 Despite the attention focused  upon the  many companies  in the  LVCC with
 booths the  size of  Rhode Island  or even  slightly bigger, COMDEX can be
 said to have become a predominantly  "beyond the  Convention Center" trade
 show.   It is  expected that  the numbers of both exhibitors and attendees
 will prove to be COMDEX records, actually continuing a trend in the show's
 growth that  has, aside from 2 years, been steadily growing throughout the
 1980s.

     In our opinion,  After  10  years  of  explosive  growth  the computer
 industry has  seemingly matured.  In fact, the major shakeouts are all but
 finished for  this  and  the  coming  decade.    Now,  NEW  strategies and
 marketing principles  must come  into play  to continue  the strong upward
 growth patterns we have become accustomed to.   Fortunately for  all, even
 as  mature  as  the  computer  business  may become, there still burns the
 embers of strong excitement over new and innovative  products in  both the
 software and  hardware fields.   A new product, be it solid and ingenious,
 will strike up a wave of excitement usually seen only in new industry.

     For those who will be attending COMDEX/Fall 1989, be sure to check out
 the first implementations of EISA, 
                (EXTENDED INDUSTRY STANDARD ARCHITECTURE),
 and the  'hot' juice of the new Intel 80486 chip.  And of course, you must
 be prepared for Unix to present itself in all its glory with  software and
 server introductions.   Who is a Unix?  COMDEX/Fall '89 promises to be the
 "SHOW OF SHOWS" bidding  adieu  to  the  eighties  while  ushering  in the
 nineties!







        ___________________________________________________________




 > CHAOS STRIKES BACK! STReport InfoFile News of the Dungeon Master Sequel
   =====================================



                                                       PANTS DOWN & NAKED!
                                                       ===================
 ctsy CIS


 by Paul Close


     I just  got back  from the  local S.D.A.C.E meeting where our featured
 guest  was  Russ  Boelhauf  (marketing  whiz)  from  FTL.    He  had  many
 interesting things  to say about Chaos Strikes Back (the official title of
 the long-awaited "sequel" to Dungeon Master.)  This is a stand-alone game.
 Despite what  the box  says, it  does not  require Dungeon  Master at all.
 This decision was reached after the artwork went out for the box.
  
     o There are around 13 NEW MONSTERS!  The playtesters were unanimous:
       more monsters!!!  So they had to move away from the "expansion set"
       approach they had been following, and move to a stand-alone game.
  
     o No news on spells.  No one asked, and he didn't volunteer.  Sorry!
  
     o Shipping between November 6 and November 15!!!  (Yes, that's this
       year :-)  Suggested retail $39.95.  Just like DM.
  
     o Chaos is not a sequential games as was DM.  You can apparently      
       wander around  and solve  the various "predicaments" piece by piece.
       So, you can concentrate on one part of the dungeon and then  go back
       later and work on another part.

  
              Some of the goodies in Chaos Strikes Back are:

  
     o A character editor.  Now you can draw or edit your characters just
       the way you like!  Included are artistic renditions of the way your
       favorite characters would look after years of adventuring.  (Russ'
       favorite addition was a pair of sunglasses to protect from that
       fireball glare :-)  You can save your artwork, and trade with your
       friends!
  
     o You can use old characters off of a Dungeon Master save disk, or
       build a new party out of characters they provide.  You should have
       made it through at least half of Dungeon Master for your characters
       to survive  more than 30 seconds :-)  They will enter the world     
       naked!  (No firestaff or armor :-)
  
     o A hint "oracle".  You insert your saved disk, and get context-
       sensitive help.  That way there are no "spoilers".  For            
       completeness, I will mention the animated "cartoon" sequence you can
       optionally view.
  
     o Some really mean situations.  Russ normally gets blown away in about
       sixty seconds!  You enter the dungeon "naked and with your pants
       down" as Russ says :-)  (How can you have pants if you're naked? :-)
       He says the monsters are *mean*!  When you open the door, you'd
       better be ready!

  
                      Some neat points, ideas, etc.:

  
     o The copy protection on Dungeon Master has been patented!  They are
       "thinking" about having some means of individually registering a
       copy and at the same time, removing the copy protection.  The idea
       is that if they see pirated copies, they will know where it came
       from.
  
     o Other ideas for other games from FTL include a sci-fi adventure, a
       Stephen King style horror, and a haunted house, all first person-
       style adventures a la DM.  Don't hold your breath!  These are just
       "ideas"!
  
     o He felt that he experienced less piracy on the ST than any other
       machine.  Gillman Louie take note!
  
     o 2/3 of the total sales of DM were in Europe, which he considers to
       be a much more "boom and bust" market.  Most of the european sales
       were in a very short period of time immediately after announcement.
  
 Note: Russ gave us permission to post whatever he said on CIS, GEnie, etc.
  
     Thanks to FTL for giving us the info we've been waiting for!  Thanks
 to our club newsletter editor for the coup!
  
 Paul Close paul@cacilj.CTS.COMY...!{uunet, ucsd, crash}!cacilj!paul





      _______________________________________________________________






 > LA REVOLUTION!  STR FOCUS        A view from a different balcony...
   =========================



           IS THERE ANYTHING REVOLUTIONARY IN 'THE REVOLUTION'?
                                    or
               WHAT IF SOMEONE THREW A WAR AND NO-ONE CAME?


 by L.E. Pulley


  Imagine my amazement when I learned recently that there was a war going 
  on and I was part of it.  Had someone declared a war and I hadn't heard 
  a  thing  about  it?   Who are we at war  with?   Had  some  atheistic, 
  communist-pinko  country decided to invade  my  God-fearing,  apple-pie 
  loving  US  of A?   No,  wait a minute.   They wanted me to  join  'The 
  Revolution'.   You  don't revolt against foreign invaders,  you  revolt 
  against  your  own  country.   Hmmm,  it is time  to  investigate  this 
  'Revolution' and war further.

  Ah,  there it is!!   The introduction to 'The Revolution' in ST Report. 
  Now I see,  since I'm an Atari computer owner I'm at war (hmmm, my bill 
  of  sale  didn't  say anything about a war...it said  I  was  buying  a 
  computer  and peripherals...must be in the fine print I  didn't  read). 
  When was this war declared?   Hmmm...it doesn't tell me that.  Who am I 
  at war with?   Hmmm...it's a little vague on that one.   I can't figure 
  out  whether I'm at war with Atari or "the universe of IBM,  Amiga  and 
  Macintosh proponents" (IR) or the whole world.
  
  Well, let's dig a little further (if I'm going to be in a revolution, I 
  want to know all about it).   It does look as if I have some allies  in 
  this 'Revolution'.   "The allies are the manufacturers,  publishers and 
  users of Atari computers." (IR)  Since Atari Corp.  is the manufacturer 
  of my computer,  they must be one of my main allies....right?   No,  it 
  doesn't look that way.  According to 'The Revolution' "Atari cannot get 
  a fix on what needs to be done for the US (market)" and "we have to  do 
  it ourselves....Atari Corp and third party developers are simply profit 
  machines".  (IR) Wow!! That means the manufacturers aren't my allies... 
  unless they can make a profit on 'The Revolution'.  So that just leaves 
  'me'  (i.e.  the  users) and the publishers (I'm beginning  to  feel  a 
  little deserted on this battle-field).

  Let's read a little further....mumble,  mumble,  read, read...Ah!  Jack 
  Tramiel  declared the war.   Then why isn't Atari in the  forefront  of 
  'The  Revolution'??    Mumble,   read,   read....Ah,  here's  something 
  confusing.   "Portfolio...as a result (of it's success),  an increasing 
  PC consumer base will be supporting the Atari name which will drown out 
  our  cries for support with our XL,  XE,  ST and Mega  machines."  (IR) 
  Wait  a minute!   Didn't he tell us that "if you are an Atari  computer 
  user,  you  are  part of the war"?  (IR)  Now it seems that  there  are 
  differences  between  the  Atari computer users.   The  ones  that  buy 
  Portfolios  aren't  our  allies either (how will I be able  to  tell  a 
  'good'  Atari computer owner from the enemy?).   But aren't  they  also 
  helping to eliminate "the ridicule from the universe of...." (IR)?

  So  far,  I haven't been able to figure out when we went  to  war,  who 
  really declared the war, who we are at war with, and who are our allies 
  in  this war.   Well,  at least I will be able to find out  what  we're 
  fighting for.   Maybe we're fighting to change Atari's advertising  and 
  sales practices?  Nope!  'The Revolutions' leader admitted on GEnie (ST 
  sig,  Cat 18,  Topic 4, Message 65) that "I don't care if Atari folds". 
  So  obviously  we're not fighting to stop a "shrinking  userbase"  (IR) 
  (besides that, the Atari computer owner user base won't be shrinking if 
  the Portfolio is as popular as 'The Revolutions' leader thinks that  it 
  will be).   There it is!!   In the last paragraph of the  introduction. 
  We're fighting for....
  
  1)  You  will see Atari users band together as a nation  for  the  very 
  first time.  (IR)  Great!!  But not all 'Atari users' are equal in this 
  'Revolution'.   And what do we accomplish by banding together?

  2)  You  will  witness  significant news coverage  and  experience  the 
  growth  of  new companies emerging to support your  systems.  (IR)   We 
  might get some news coverage (when the news is slow,  the Flat Earthers 
  get  news coverage) but what new companies will be emerging to  support 
  our  systems because of 'The Revolution'?   If Atari folds  or  doesn't 
  increase  it's support and marketing of it's computer line,  no one  is 
  going to support a dead system.

  3)  You  will also discover it increasingly easier to find friends  and 
  colleagues using the Atari computer.  (IR)  I'm going to 'war' to  find 
  new friends?   I can write some letters to the ST magazines or  on-line 
  services if I want more Atari computer friends.

  But 'The Revolutions' leader did say on GEnie (Cat.  18, Topic 4, messg 
  #52) that "The philosophy of The REVOLUTION is to take that time  (i.e. 
  talking about what we already know about),  money and energy and expand 
  the  exposure  of  the computers (i.e.  Atari  computer...but  not  the 
  Portfolio)  outside  of  our 'Little' universe."  So  that's  the  main 
  purpose of this war.   (But isn't that Atari's job?)  And while that is 
  a very commendable idea,  what good is it going to do _me_ (i.e.  Atari 
  computer users)?   If Atari won't market their computers  properly,  if 
  Atari  won't support their computers properly,  all of the exposure  in 
  the world isn't going to help the Atari computer owners one iota.

  I don't know, but I think this is one war where I'm going to have to be 
  a conscientious objector.   I don't mind fighting a battle, but I would 
  like to have a chance of winning.   In my opinion,  'The Revolution' is 
  going  after  the symptoms of the disease instead of  the  cause  (i.e. 
  Atari).   It's offering it's 'warriors' a placebo (i.e.  "Best of  all, 
  you  will have fun." (IR)) instead of a possible cure.   I have  better 
  ways to spend my $6.  Oh, did I forget to tell you about the $6 that it 
  costs  to join 'The Revolution'?   (Hmmm....10,000  Revolution  members 
  times $6 each....that's a lot of money.  And 100,000 Revolution members 
  times $6 each....that's a _whole_ lot of money.)
  
  NOTE:  (IR)  refers  to  the Introduction to the  Revolution  that  was 
         published in last weeks ST Report






      _______________________________________________________________



 > ICD - A SUCCESS STORY STR Spotlight   Super Sport Speed & High Quality
   ===================================




                          HARD DRIVE PERFORMANCE
                          ======================


 by R.F. Mariano

     As  the  sun  sends  it's  glorious  rays  bursting above the horizon,
 heralding it's arrival or, as it gloriously sets in the west bidding  us a
 fond farewell,  there is  someone booting a computer and using the new ICD
 Hard Disk Utilities.  Looks like the sun  will never  set on  the pride of
 ICD.  

     It becomes  almost automatic with most of us and we don't actually pay
 that much attention to what is happening when we boot  up.   We decided to
 stop, reboot  and actually  watch what  was going on.  We found that going
 from the 3.41 software to the  new  4.2.0  (sheesh  4.2  sounds  and looks
 better), was  like...   Slipping behind  the wheel  of a sleek, snazzy new
 sports car, as its fired up.  After hitting the power switch  on the mega,
 there were  two quick  blinks on each of the four hard disks in the system
 then, in an instant,  the booter  setup appeared  and the  boot continued,
 blip, blip, and the desktop was in front of me.. ready to go....  

     The new  ICD booter  (4.2) is  the epitome  of software technology for
 hard disk efficiency at this time.  In fact, for those who do not  have an
 accelerator, this  is as  good as  it gets  when coupled  with Soft Trek's
 Turbo ST.  Of course, running the same system WITH  Fast Technology's T-16
 borders on supersonic speeds.

     ICD has,  in the  past year,  led the  way in software development for
 hard disk management.  In fact,  nothing even  comes close.   ICD software
 has the  handle on easy user interfacing, this means that the software may
 be practically used straight 'out of the box' and the docs used  only as a
 reference.   The formatting software is, by far, the best once again it is
 easy to understand and implement.  Many times  the message  strings on the
 various nets  try to  compare other hardisk software to ICD's.  The bottom
 line is simple  ICD is  light  years  ahead  of  all  other  ST  hard disk
 software and  by their  current performance, exhibit a desire to remain on
 the cutting edge of new hardware and software technology.


 In brief, here are a few things you SHOULD know about this software:

          This current release includes full support  for Omti 3520/3527(a)
          SCSI controllers and drives connected to them, most embedded SCSI
          drives, and support  for  Adaptec  4000(a)/4070  SCSI controllers
          (only  high  level  defect  mapping  is supported with Adaptecs).
          SASI controllers are no longer supported.  Use  our older version
          software  for   use  with  SASI  or  else  purchase  a  new  Omti
          controller.  It will be much faster than SASI.

          Many new features were  incorporated  into  this  release  of our
          software.   The version 4.x.x booter includes read/write caching,
          DOS buffers,  and an  additional folder  fix memory  pool, all of
          which  are  adjustable  with  the  new  HDUTIL!  Write verify and
          status messages have also become optional.   If  you have trouble
          booting with  our new ICDBOOT.PRG, press the <ESC> key during the
          initial boot process.  This will disable the cache, buffers,     
          verify, etc. and install a minimal configuration booter.  You can
          then use HDUTIL to configure the booter to work with your setup.

          The read/write cache is now an  integral part  of our  booter and
          much faster than any other available cache program!  The variable
          DOS buffers will also speed up your floppy access times.

          The Hard drive handler  (ICDBOOT.PRG)  optionally  verifies after
          write.  You will notice about a 20% decrease in speed with verify
          enabled.  If a write failure  does occur,  a little  '<Write Fail
          #xxxx>'  will  appear  in  the  lower  right  hand corner of your
          screen, if you do not get an  Alert  box,  then  it  was  able to
          recover  and  everything  is  secure.    This usually indicates a
          hardware failure (bad cable, connection, etc.).

          Most people are  NOT  aware  that  NO  OTHER  HANDLER  does write
          verify!   This really  is not too startling since hard drives are
          so reliable, BUT, that data is going through an 18"  cable (Supra
          and Atari  drives) at  a very  fast rate (from 300 to over 1000 K
          bytes per second) with no checksums whatsoever.  Why do you think
          they  don't  use  longer  cables?    It  certainly  would be more
          convenient!  We ship 36" cables  with  our  ST  drives,  but that
          extra  length  is  acceptable  due  to  the ICD ST Host Adapter's
          design... it is highly resistent to cable noise.  With  the write
          verify in the software, this practically guarantees an error-free
          system (assuming, of course,  computer,  drive,  controller, etc.
          are in good operating order).




                                 ICD, Inc.
                             1220 Rock Street
                            Rockford, IL  61101

                           Voice:  815-968-2228
                           BBS:    815-968-2229
                           FAX:    815-968-6888


          The ICD  BBS always  has the  latest versions  of the ICD ST Host
          Adapter software, as well as various  handy utilities,  etc., all
          yours  for  the  downloading.  Our  BBS  goes  to  9600  baud (US
          Robotics), and is usually up 24 hours a day. Support  and updated
          files  are  also  available  on  GEnie  (ICDINC)  and  CompuServe
          (76004,1600).







      ______________________________________________________________




 > GCR On The March! STReport OnLine   Gadgets by Small has a BIG winner!
   =================================



                                                  GCR - Walkin' Tall!
                                                  ===================
 ctsy CIS


  #: 12096 S14/Gadgets By Small
     22-Oct-89  04:19:13
 Sb: #GCR- AN ACID TEST!
 Fm: Kris Cruz 76060,1702
 To: Dave and Sandy Small 76004,2136

     I have had my GCR since the 19th now and feel qualified to give  you a
 report.   First, let me give you some background on myself. I attend /work
 for Eastern Washington University. I work  as a  computer consultant.   We
 have three  computer labs-VAX,IBM  and MAC.   I work in the MAC lab (where
 else?).  It consists of one Mac Plus as a server,using a 40 Meg HD and 530
 Meg CD  ROM.   There are  10 more  Mac Plus's on the Appleshare network as
 well as two imagewriters and a laserwriter plus.   They  are available for
 student use.

     The GCR  comes in  a molded  plastic case, whose colors and dimensions
 have been revealed elsewhere in this section.  It does beat the paper bag.
 The manual  is an  8.5 X 11' affair shrinkwrapped together.  It contains a
 potpourri  of  items  from  the  original   Spectre  manual   (namely  the
 interludes) as well as GCR specific items.  I did enjoy the interludes and
 tales of Small, but some more new ones would have been nice.  I also would
 not have  complained if they did include a vinyl binder for the manual, of
 course with the Gadgets Logo emblazoned on it. Perhaps Dave  can make some
 up and  sell them, I know I would buy one.  The information, is as always,
 complete and this time it even  included Appendices  and an  index- really
 professional. As soon as I got the manual, I sat down to read it, not your
 typical Christmas morning reaction, I know.  But I figured  that if  I had
 wrecked it, the waiting to get another would have driven me to my death.

     Anyway, I  plugged in  the ROMS  and brought  it up.  I already had my
 hard drive set up  for Spectre  in HFS,  so there  was no  need for  me to
 change anything.   It booted up just fine, but then the 1.9f software also
 worked fine.  I put in a GCR encoded Mac disk I just happened to have, and
 it work!   I should not be surprised, after all, Dave has always delivered
 what he promised (sometimes after he promises, but Murphy is after all his
 grandfather).   I had been waiting frantically for the GCR, so I could use
 my $600 Pagemaker 3.0 without having to transmit everything via null modem
 cables.   I am  sure I  made an  impression on both Dave and Sandy with my
 letter I wrote them threatening/begging for my GCR.

     I have used Dave Small products since he was into  the 8  bit LE stuff
 and even  remember when  he wrote  for Creative Computing.  I bought Magic
 Sac when it came out, then Spectre and now GCR.  Needless to say,  I would
 expect and  only accept  quality work from David Small when it comes to my
 money.  I had previously tried a friends Happy cartridge.  Needless to say
 I was  far from  Happy.   I needed  a RELIABLE way to read GCR encoded mac
 disks on my ST.  Why? Well, I actually USE the Spectre for real  tasks.  I
 depend on it.  I program in Turbo PASCAL and DTP in Pagemaker.  It is nice
 to show the thing off to  MAC owners  (my cousin  for instance),  but I am
 somewhat practical  in my  approach.   I wanted to do REAL mac stuff. That
 meant reading the disks. 

     Thus, I got my GCR and tried a few disks.  This is all  well and fine,
 but does  it meet  my criteria  for my  use? Well,  I had to know BEFORE I
 trusted it with my valuable data.  So I brought  up the  GCR and formatted
 ten disks from the MAC desktop.  This works exactly as it does on the MAC.
 I then transferred some files on to each  disk to  see if  they would read
 correctly at  work.  I tried each of the ten disks on each of the ten user
 stations on the MAC network.  Each has an external  drive, which  was also
 used. So, there were 200 disk insertions/ejections done to see if the MACs
 were reading the GCR formatted disks. Not a single one of them had trouble
 reading the  disks.   Consider also  that these  computers are used for at
 least 8 hours each day and  that the  GCR format  must be  pretty tolerant
 (ie, it writes em like a *REAL* MAC!).  

     Stage two involved the MAC to ST Acid Test.  I decided to fill the ten
 disks up with as much of the 530 MEG CD ROM Educorp Collection as  I could
 get.   When I  got home,  I tried  each disk  to see  if any would give me
 trouble.  Every disk worked just fine.  Since that test, I have been using
 the GCR  daily. I  have yet  to get  a problem reading/writing a MAC disk.
 Please note that if GCR had not worked with at least a 95% success rate, I
 would  have  sent  it  back.  I  would  like to take the time now, to tell
 everyone who was wondering if the GCR does  work and  work RELIABLY.   You
 can bet your data on it. What else do you need to know? Dave Small has set
 a standard of doing the impossible  (he  has  an  agreement,  he  does the
 impossible, GOD does the miracles!) and this time he has outdone himself.

     GCR was  worth the  wait, although  I did  go crazy  while waiting. It
 definitely is worth the  bucks. Consider  not only  are you  getting a MAc
 emulator, but  a way to transfer MAC data to IBM, IBM to Mac. If you don't
 think that is a value, call up an APPLE dealer sometime, tell him you have
 a MAC  plus and  want to  read IBM disks on it. Then tell me GCR costs too
 much. There  are other  cheap imitators  out there  none of  them read MAC
 disks in  a reliable  manner.   Get, support, get service, ..get smart and
 get a GCR! Thanks Dave!


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


  #: 12112 S14/Gadgets By Small
     22-Oct-89  21:59:00
 Sb: #12080-Spectre GCR has arrived!
 Fm: Peter Szymonik 72637,2272
 To: Dave and Sandy Small 76004,2136

     Thanks go to you Dave and Sandy!  Sometimes, people whine about delays
 so much  that they  miss the  big picture  and never realize what they are
 getting!

     A recent event at my dealer was lots of fun.  Many of the people there
 heard about  Mac emulation  or had  seen Magic Sac, but apparently few had
 tried Spectre.  A few people milled around as I pulled out the GCR box and
 rigged it up my dealer's machine.  

     When I  asked for  a Mac  disk, heads turned and a crowd gathered.  My
 dealer didn't have any Mac disks,  but  gladly  opened  a  telecom program
 called InTalk and handed me the disks.  The place was so quiet you'd think
 I was about to perform major surgery!  I popped the disk in, ran  GCR, and
 there it was - a happy Mac face! Everyone was floored!  

     For  the   next  half  hour  I  was  bombarded  with  questions  about
 availability and cost.  You don't know how many times I heard:  "$300? and
 $150 for  ROM chips?   That's  it?"  <grin>  I think I sold about 20 GCR's
 right there!  Its almost enough to make me want to become  an Atari dealer
 :-]!
                                                                 Pete






     ________________________________________________________________




> QUICK ST 1.6 STReport InfoFile
  ==============================



Press release for immediate distribution to all Atari ST Users in the
United States and Canada.
Friday, October 27, 1989

Quick ST 1.6  --  Shareware by Darek Mihocka and Ignac A. Kolenko

TOS 1.4 is now available. TOS 1.4 is great for speeding up file operations
on hard disks, but compared to earlier versions of TOS it does very little
to speed up screen operations. Regardless of which TOS you have, the
program Quick ST 1.6 is for you.

Quick ST 1.6 increases the speed at which the ST performs screen
operations, such as printing text to the screen, scrolling the screen,
drawing windows and dialog boxes, and reducing the overhead of other
graphics operations, such as desktop redraws.

Printing of text strings to the screen is sped up by 1510% in medium
resolution and 1240% in monochrome. Character by character printing is
three times faster. Screen scrolling is at blitter chip speeds. This all
means that your .TOS and .TTP programs will run faster. Line drawing is
twice as fast, which makes zoom boxes and windows draw much faster.
Graphical text is printed much faster, which means that your desktop
windows will update faster and your GEM programs will operate faster.

The result is that your Atari ST appears to run faster and smoother than
before. You spend less time waiting for the screen to scroll or redraw.
Quick ST 1.6 does not physically make your ST any faster. It simply makes
TOS more efficient at manipulating the screen display. In some cases, it
will make your ST perform better than an equivalent ST equipped with
hardware enhancements like a blitter chip, 16 MHz board, or even TOS 1.4.
And all this is done in software, so installation is as simple as copying
a file.

Quick ST 1.6 runs from the AUTO folder and so does not use the already
overcrowded desk accessory menu, or require interaction with the user. It
is completely transparent to most applications. It uses under 20K of RAM,
and automatically installs either the color or monochrome version and
throws away initialization code to save memory.

Quick ST 1.6 runs on any Atari ST or Mega ST using a standard SC1224 color
or SM124 monochrome monitor. A blitter chip is optional, as is an
accelerator board. All official releases of TOS are supported.

The following screen resolutions are supported:

        - 320x200 low resolution
        - 640x200 medium resolution
        - 640x400 monochrome

Here are some benchmark results using the Quick Index 1.6 program, running
on a TOS 1.4 1040ST, in monochrome, with no blitter chip:

    BIOS text   325%
    BIOS string 1240%
    BIOS scroll 134%
    GEM draw    193%

These numbers are greater than those obtained for an ST not using Quick ST
1.6, but equipped with TOS 1.4, blitter chip and 16MHz board. When used
with Quick ST 1.6, such a system is amazingly fast.

In another benchmark, the entire Quick ST source code (9000 lines of 68000
assembly language) was loaded into ST Writer 3.4 and scrolled from top to
bottom. Without Quick ST, this takes 90 seconds. With Quick ST, this takes
49 seconds, almost 100% faster. And ST Writer can keep up with your typing
now when used with Quick ST.

Using the ZOOMTEST program supplied with Codehead's G+PLUS program, 50
repetitions take only 10 seconds in monochrome and 15 seconds in medium
resolution, twice as fast as normal!

But don't take our word for it. Try Quick ST 1.6 for yourself...

Quick ST is shareware, and is NOT public domain. It is available for a $15
shareware registration, far less than the cost of a hardware upgrade, or
even the TOS 1.4 upgrade. Because we believe strongly in the shareware
concept, which allows users to freely distribute and copy software so that
it may be tried out on the user's own system, we have made available a
demo version of Quick ST 1.6. It can be found in the Atari ST libraries of
Compuserve, GEnie, Delphi, BIX, and is currently also available on Usenet
in comp.sys.atari.st.

If after trying the Quick ST 1.6 demo, you feel that it is of no benefit
to you, simply delete the files and forget about it. If you do appreciate
the benefits of using Quick ST 1.6, simply send in your shareware
registration fee (made payable to Darek Mihocka) and an updated disk
contaning the full version of Quick ST 1.6 will me mailed to you. Quick ST
1.6 is not copy protected and installs on any standard boot disk.

Because we believe in and support user groups, we are offering Quick ST to
all full time members of Atari ST user groups for only $12. We ask that at
least 5 people from the same user group register, and you must provide
proof of membership (i.e. photocopy of membership card, official member
list, etc). There is no time limit on this, so please take the time to
demo Quick ST at your user group so that every member can try it.

If you are already a registered user of the Quick Utilities or Quick ST
(version 1.5 or earlier), simply mail your disk back along with $3, and
the updated Quick ST 1.6 disk will me mailed to you. Do not bother to
download the demo.

Our mailing address for shareware registrations, questions, comments,
demos and updates is:
        PO Box 2624, Station B
        Kitchener, Ontario  N2H 6N2
        CANADA

Phone (in Canada): (519)-747-9452.

If you prefer to contact us by email, we can be reached at the following:

    Compuserve: 73657,2714
    BIX, Delphi, GEnie: DAREKM
    UNIX: uunet!electro!ignac

If you are unable to obtain the Quick ST 1.6 demo by modem, simply mail us
a blank disk and $3 (or no disk and $5) and we'll send you the demo disk.

This shareware offer is valid until the next Quick ST update.






        ______________________________________________________________




 > CODEHEAD!! STR Spotlight       Top notch goodies from Codehead!
   ========================



                             SOME LIKE IT HOT!

                 Announcing HotWire 1.4....plus MaxiFile!

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


   "When  the  START  editorial  staff  first  saw  HotWire, our collective
 reaction was 'Wow!" 

   "If you don't have a hard drive, HotWire is still useful.  Have all your
 programs  in  a  .HOT  file,  and  when  the  menu  comes up, just put the
 necessary floppy disk in the drive and then press the Hot Key. ..."

   "Overall, I find HotWire amazingly convenient.  ...   The 'one keypress'
 environment is very, very satisfying."

                                     -- START magazine  October 1989 issue


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


   Well, now we've made HotWire even BETTER!  And look what's happened to
 MultiFile!!!

     CodeHead Software  would like  to announce  the impending release of a
 major upgrade for HotWire (our innovative desktop/shell program)!   At the
 same time, we are releasing a new product, MaxiFile...a _greatly_ enhanced
 version of MultiFile from the CodeHead Utilities disk.

     MaxiFile and HotWire will be  bundled  together  and  sold  as HotWire
 Plus.  Both products will continue to be sold separately as well. 

     The new  HotWire 1.4  includes a direct interface to MaxiFile, letting
 you enjoy MaxiFile's flexible  file manipulation  abilities without having
 to exit  HotWire.   MaxiFile can be run as either a desk accessory _or_ an
 ordinary GEM program, letting  you  configure  your  system  for  your own
 memory needs. 

     HotWire Plus  with MaxiFile  can be used as a COMPLETE replacement for
 the GEM desktop.   Both programs  work in  all resolutions.   And MaxiFile
 includes  many  advanced  file-handling  features  previously only seen on
 those "other" computers. 

     Both HotWire and MaxiFile  are written  in 100%  assembly language, so
 you know they're as compact and fast as possible.

     (And by the way, both programs will also still continue to be sold
     separately as well.)


           Here's what HotWire 1.4 and MaxiFile can do for you:


            HOTWIRE 1.4 by Charles F. Johnson and John Eidsvoog
           -----------------------------------------------------

   o HotWire lets you set up an infinite series of program menus and 
     instantly run any program, no matter where it's located on your 
     system!   You can run any program either from the HotWire Menu or FROM
     THE GEM DESKTOP simply  by pressing  a hot  key... that  YOU assign to
     each program!

   o Summon up the HotWire Menu any time you're at the GEM     
     desktop...simply by  clicking the right mouse button (or by typing a  
     special "Hot Key".)

   o HotWire runs as either an ordinary ST program, or as a  "resident"    
     program that's always at your beck and call!

   o HotWire  can AUTORUN  GEM applications, on all versions of TOS in ROM.
     (In fact, HotWire's autorun feature works better than TOS 1.4's...)

   o Program menus (.HOT files) can be entered into the HotWire Menu,  and 
     given descriptive  titles.  You can load a completely new menu just by
     clicking its title, or typing its hot key!

   o Up to 54 programs can be entered into each  HotWire Menu.  You can use
     "headings" to customize the look of each menu to your own taste.

   o Programs can be given 20-char titles which describe  their purposes,or
     include their full names.   For example, you  can name  PUBLISH.APP by
     its real name..."TimeWorks Desktop Publisher".

   o Documents  can  be  linked  with  their  respective  applications, and
     entered into the HotWire Menu.  So  you  can click on "Great  American
     Novel" and  instantly  run Word Perfect, which will automatically load
     your  Great  American Novel.   With one  click, you're ready  to start
     working! 

   o HotWire 1.4 now has an advanced "Ledger"  function, which  keeps track
     of all  programs you  run, showing the Start, End, and Elapsed time of
     each program.  It also keeps track of the total time elapsed since you
     began working.  If you started an application by passing it a document
     (as mentioned above) the name of  the document  you worked  on is also
     shown in  the ledger.   In  addition, each program in the HotWire Menu
     can be either included in or excluded from  the Ledger  record, as you
     choose.  This feature is INVALUABLE for people who do work for hire on
     their STs.  Now  you can  keep accurate  records of  all your computer
     usage  with  no  effort  whatsoever.    Just click the button labelled
     "Ledger"!

   o HotWire also now includes a resident corner clock, which shows you the
     time of  day in  the upper  right corner of the screen...even when you
     run other programs!  You can even set each program in the HotWire Menu
     to  turn  off  the  corner  clock  when  it  runs,  in  case the clock
     interferes with any program's display.

   o HotWire works correctly with all the programs  that give  other shells
     fits!   Programs like  CAD-3D 2.02, Cyber Control, Easy Draw/OUTPRINT,
     Antic's Base Two, SuperBase, and many others which don't work 100% (if
     at all)  with other  shells, work  EXACTLY as they do from the desktop
     when you run them through HotWire!

   o HotWire has  many  powerful  and  advanced  features  designed  to aid
     software developers in the process of compiling and/or assembling.  If
     you're not a programmer, we won't smother you in layers of complexity;
     but if you are, you'll find that HotWire has all the power you need in
     a developer's shell.  Up to 12 environment parameters may be passed to
     any program  in the HotWire Menu, and the command line handling is way
     beyond that offered by any comparable shell.  We've been using HotWire
     as  a  shell  to  develop  _itself_  (using the Mad Mac assembler from
     Atari) ever since version 1.0.

   o For  added security,  HotWire 1.4  now has  an exclusive  "password"  
     feature, which lets you assign a separate 8-character password to each
     program in the menu.   Every  time  you  run  a  program  which  has a
     password, HotWire will ask you to type the password before it lets the
     program continue.   (Your  input is  NOT echoed  to the  screen as you
     enter  the  password,  of  course.)    You must also type the existing
     password before HotWire will let you change it.

   o HotWire is unbelievably easy to set up and use!  An  intuitive GEM    
     interface  lets  you  enter  new  programs  in the menu, move existing
     entries around, and edit their parameters  with simple point-and-click
     operations.

   o HotWire  1.4 is  compatible with  all current  versions of TOS in ROM,
     including the recently-released "Rainbow TOS" (TOS 1.4).

   o You  want  desk  accessories?    HotWire  lets  you  access CodeHead's
     MultiDesk  accessory  loader/unloader,  giving  you access to more DAs
     than you could ever possibly use.

   o HotWire 1.4 allows  you direct  access to  MaxiFile (when  MaxiFile is
     installed as  a desk  accessory), either  by clicking  on the MaxiFile
     icon or by typing function key F10!

   o ...and there are MANY more  features not  mentioned here,  designed to
     make your  computing life  as easy as possible.  HotWire is ADDICTIVE;
     but has been certified by the Surgeon General  to have  no ill effects
     whatsoever.  :) Be prepared to become happily dependent on it!


                    MAXIFILE 2.0 by Charles F. Johnson
                   ------------------------------------

   o  MaxiFile  is  a  multi-featured file-handling utility, similar to the
     "DOS Shells" available on other computers, but GEM-based.

   o MaxiFile runs as either a desk accessory or an ordinary GEM  program. 
     If  memory  is  tight,  just  run  MaxiFile  as a program.  If you run
     MaxiFile as a desk  accessory, you  can use  it in  any ST application
     which employs  the GEM  menu bar.  You'll never have to quit a program
     just to copy a disk or rename a file again!

   o MaxiFile lets  you  move/copy/delete/rename/touch  any  combination of
     files and/or  folders.   You can  see up  to 80  items at  once in the
     MaxiFile "control panel" display.

   o All parameters of  MaxiFile's  configuration  can  be  saved,  so that
     everything comes up set the way you want it, every time.

   o An  intelligent disk copying routine lets you copy any type of floppy 
     disk (except copy-protected ones) automatically!   You can  even use a
     blank unformatted  disk for the destination if you like; MaxiFile will
     automatically format it to match the source disk. 

   o MaxiFile can be switched between an 80-name display, showing  just the
     filenames in a directory, and a 48-column display which shows the file
     sizes, times or dates.

   o  MaxiFile  works  in  all  three  resolutions,  and  also  works  with
     "big-screen" monitors.

   o Format  disks single  or double sided, with 9 or 10 sectors per track,
     80 or 82 tracks per disk.  If you have TOS 1.2 or greater, you can use
     the "Sector Skewing" option (also known as "Twister Format".)

   o  Enter  COMMENTS  for  any  file  or  folder, similar to the Macintosh
     Finder's "Show Info" function.  MaxiFile allows up  to three  lines of
     information about  each file or folder.  Every time you 'Show Info' on
     a file/folder, MaxiFile displays the comment and lets you change it if
     you  wish.    You  can  tell  MaxiFile  where  to  save  the comments.
     (Comments are not physically attached to the files.)

   o  Select  MULTIPLE  TEMPLATES  to  show  files  with  several different
     extensions at the same time.  For example, you can show all files with
     .ARC, .LZH, and .TXT extensions.    You  can  also  choose  whether to
     INCLUDE or  EXCLUDE files  that match  the extension templates.  There
     are 16 editable extensions, which can  be saved  with all  the rest of
     the configured data.

   o Up  to 20  paths can be instantly selected with a single keypress, for
     either the source or destination.  (Of course, the paths are editable,
     and saved with the configuration.)

   o Create new folders.

   o Show or print files.

   o Change  a file's attributes; MaxiFile lets you lock, unlock, hide, and
     unhide files.

   o If you have TOS  1.4,  you  can  enable  (or  disable)  the "fastload"
     feature for any executable program.

   o Rename folders in all versions of TOS!

   o "Disk Info" shows all pertinent statistics about a disk; the number of
     files and folders it contains, the  number of  tracks and  sectors per
     track, and  even the  location of  the first directory sector.  (Don't
     ask.  <grin>)  You can also edit and change volume names  (disk names)
     in all versions of TOS.

   o Print  directory information  in two  ways: showing only the files, or
     with a full listing including the size, time,  and date  of every file
     in the directory.

   o Almost all functions of MaxiFile can be operated with either the mouse
     or the keyboard.  "Power users" can get their file  maintenance chores
     done  faster  than  ever,  while  novices can take things at their own
     speed.

   o Set the double-click rate you wish to use while in MaxiFile.

   o Sort  by Name,  Size, Extension,  or Date,  or display  files in their
     true, unsorted  form.   (In other  words, exactly  as they appear in a
     disk's directory.)

   o  Up  to  10  levels  of  warnings  (for  things  like  deleting files,
     formatting disks,  overwriting files,  printing directories, etc.) can
     be turned on and off, letting you use  MaxiFile exactly  how you want!
     If you  like to  live dangerously  you can even turn off ALL warnings,
     and let the chips fall where  they may.   (Some  of our  customers are
     real daredevils.)

   o Instantly select or deselect ALL files/folders in a directory.

   o Instantly  select/deselect all  files/folders with the same extension,
     or with the same pre-extension name.

   o Optimized mouse routines for smooth, FAST operation.

   o When MaxiFile is  called directly  from HotWire,  you can double-click
     FILES AND DOCUMENTS to launch them, just as if you were in a window on
     the GEM desktop.  Anything you run in this way will be recorded in the
     HotWire ledger, just as if you had run it from HotWire.

   o If installed as a desk accessory, MaxiFile can also be called directly
     from Charles  F.    Johnson's  shareware  "Little  Green  Selector," a
     complete  replacement  for  the  GEM file selector (with MANY extended
     features) that is included with MaxiFile.   This  lets you  use any or
     all of MaxiFile's advanced file-handling functions in any program that
     uses the  GEM  item  selector!  (The  Little  Green  Selector  is also
     available on the major info services, and probably at a BBS near you.)

   o Believe  it or  not, there are many more features in MaxiFile as well!
     MaxiFile will take care of all your file-handling needs.


                              UPGRADE POLICY
                              ==============

     Since  MaxiFile  started  life  as  MultiFile,  part  of  the CodeHead
 Utilities disk,  we decided  to allow  current Utilities owners an upgrade
 "path" to purchase MaxiFile  for a  considerable discount  over MaxiFile's
 retail price.

     Current owners  of CodeHead  Utilities (release  1 or 2) may update to
 the latest version (release 3) of  CodeHead  Utilities  for  $5  (plus the
 original master  disk) as  per our  usual update  policy.  We'll have more
 info soon; many of the programs  on  the  Utilities  disk  have  also been
 significantly  improved.    Current  owners of CodeHead Utilities may also
 purchase MaxiFile  for  a  special  price  of  $15,  direct  from CodeHead
 Software only.  (The retail price of MaxiFile is set at $24.95.)

     Current owners  of HotWire  version 1.0 through 1.3 may upgrade to the
 latest version  (1.4) for  $5 plus  the original  master disk,  as per our
 usual update  policy.   Registered HotWire  owners may  also purchase both
 HotWire 1.4 and MaxiFile for a combined price  of $15,  which includes the
 HotWire update. 

     The  suggested  retail  price  for  the  HotWire  Plus  package (which
 contains MaxiFile) is $49.95.  Look for this  package at  your local Atari
 ST dealer,  or (to be first on your block) order it directly from CodeHead
 Software at:

                             CodeHead Software
                              P.O. Box 74090
                           Los Angeles, CA 90004
                            Tel (213) 386-5735


 Over the phone, we accept Visa,Mastercard and COD orders.  If you order by
 mail,   please   include   $2shipping/handling  (Canada  $3,  Europe  $5).
 California residents please add 6.5% sales tax.  Release date  for Hotwire
 1.4 and MaxiFile2.0 is set for the second week in November. 

                                   Charles F. Johnson, CodeHead Software 


 Editor Note:

  Congraulations are in order to Charles he is in Hawaii getting MARRIED!
              Lotsa Luck and Love to the NEW Johnson family.





     ________________________________________________________________




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



 - Sunnyvale, CA.       ****** SIG HARTMANN RETIREMENT A GALA EVENT ******
   --------------

     Amid all  the festivities  stood a  rather nifty  card that showed the
 admiration the folks at Atari have for Sig.... A card  that is  unique and
 absolutely original.  !ZORRO HARTMANN....!  Without a doubt, the people at
 Atari will miss Sig..  As will the userbase in  general.   We hope  he, at
 least,  stays  on  with  Atari  in  an  advisory capacity.  Or, as Atari's
 Goodwill Ambassador.  ....After all, he is regarded as "Mr. Atari" by most
 all the users....   ps;  Mel did a great job on the card.





 - New York City, N.Y.             ****  PC DITTO II SHIPS TO PRESS!  ****
   -------------------


     Nevin has  his... and  according to  reports that are trickling in, it
 has been seen in the New England area and the midwest... (eek, sounds like
 UFO reports!)   Nevin reports that he is having all sorts of fits over the
 "Mickey Mouse" daughter board sitting on top of the 68000 in his Mega.  At
 last report, he was trying desperately to get it set in his 1040 which has
 an unobstructed 68000.   Since  Nevin  is  NOT  a  hardware  Guru,  we are
 energetically cheering for him!!




 - Chicago, IL.          ****  SEARS CATALOG PRESENTS LYNX FOR SALE!  ****


     After verifying  with the Sears Catalog people, customers can call and
 order the Lynx from Sears.  The phone number is 1 - 800 -  366 -  3000 and
 the item # is 49-TD-75425 for $159.00.  Sears selling the Lynx should be a
 great deal for Atari and their customers as Sears fully services what they
 sell and will not allow companies who's products they sell avoid servicing
 them.  Additionally, Sears  has  their  'Satisfaction  Guaranteed  Or Your
 Money Back'  policy.  Sears does not have Lynx at this time, but Atari has
 promised to deliver by 11/18 at the latest.  hmmmmm...




 - San Francisco, CA.    *****  WELL KNOWN MAG EDITOR MAY JOIN ATARI  *****
   ------------------

     In what could only be termed a bizarre  turn of  events, a  well known
 hard copy  magazine editor  has been  approached by  Atari Corp.  to be an
 "assistant" to an assistant.   We  have purposely  kept the  person's name
 confidential, but we can tell you this; Atari propositioned this gentleman
 just prior to the killer quake.  As  part of  his duties,  this gent would
 assume a very 'major' presence in the online community.




 - New York City, NY   *** COMPUTER SHOPPER -> PORTFOLIO TO SAVE ATARI! ***
   -----------------

    Anyone see  the review  of the  Portfolio in the Nov. Computer Shopper?
 Did you also see the front cover blurb?  It says "Portfolio  - Can  an MS-
 DOS handheld  save Atari  Corp.?"   I didn't  realize the  future of Atari
 depended upon the Portfolio. 
  
 Editor Note.
 Amazing simply amazing.  Comdex will change many things.... who is serving
 the crow?




 - San Matteo, CA.               *****  ELECTRONIC ARTS SHIPS VIRUS!  *****
   ---------------


     STAR COMMAND  for the  Atari ST  has a  software virus  present in the
 code.  We have recalled this product . . .  Please contact Electronic Arts
 at  1-800-448-8822  for  assistance  in returning this product for version
 1.1.  If you have a virus  "stamper"  you  may  prefer  to  run  the disks
 through it  . . . If you have any questions please call Electronic Arts at
 the number above or SSI at 408-737-6800 and ask for Customer Support.

                           Carole A. Johnson   Manager, Customer Support

 Hey Trip... you still gettin' even?




 - Washington, DC          ***** TOS 1.6 & THE COOKIE JAR ARE REAL!  *****
   --------------

     TOS 1.6 is the  version  of  the  Operating  System  for  the  STE. It
 contains  support  for  the  STE  SHIFTER,  PCM  8-bit  Stereo Sound, Fine
 Scrolling in the SHIFTER, The new Cookie Jar  (a place  to store "cookies"
 for TSRs), and a few minor changes.. 
                                                            John
  
 EDITOR NOTE:
     Let's remove  the mystery  over this TOS 1.6 and the fabled cookie jar
 written by A. Pratt...  it and the docs for both the  TOS 1.6  version and
 the  cookie  jar  are  in  widespread circulation throughout Europe.  That
 means we will have it in the States in a  matter of  days.   If it  is not
 here already. $5a0  .... 




 - Chicago, IL.             ***** NEW UPDATED DIABLO DYING IN A DESK! *****
   ------------

     From better  than reliable sources we hear that the new rebuilt Diablo
 Emulator has been done for months.   But  it appears  to have  fallen in a
 crack at Atari....  all we know about the crack is to say; "Ask the Chef."




 - Tualatin, OR.              *****  CMI HAS NEW ANSWERING SERVICE!  ******
   -------------

     The best  answering service in the world is in effect at the published
 number for CMI in the November Issue of STart; 503-691-2552,  I guess this
 was the  customer service line.....  Try it, you'll like it.  Guess nobody
 can now take advantage of the "TWO FER ONE SALE"!

  

  

  
  
      _______________________________________________________________



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


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


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

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

                          ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED
                                EXCLUSIVELY

                      * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *

         32mb #SG32238   549.00              42mb #SG44710   619.00
         51mb #SGN4951   639.00              65mb #SG60101   689.00
         80mb #SGN296    729.00             100mb #SG84011D  969.00
        130mb #SG1244D  1099.00             145mb #SG3A4210  989.00
        170mb #SGT41776 1389.00             260mb #SG1244Q  2169.00
                          320mb #SGN7788Q 3295.00

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

            *** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***

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

          * Removable Media Devices Available (44mb) Syquest 555 *
                      * SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICES *
                                        
                 ***  Available for ST - Amiga - IBM   ***
                                        
                 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS

                     - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets -

                         TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets
                      ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED

                          12 month FULL Guarantee
                         (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)

                 Quantity & Usergroup Discounts Available!
                 _________________________________________

                     DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!

                       Personal Checks are accepted.

                            ORDER YOURS TODAY!

                       904-783-3319    9am - 8pm EDT






      _______________________________________________________________



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



 One brilliant Executive whispers to the other...


       "Hey, this new glue for my TOUPEE is SUPER!  ..Want a sniff?"


                                                  ...Blatherblop's Fables

  


                             "ATARI IS BACK!"

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ST-REPORT Issue #111   "Your Independent News Source"    October 27, 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.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------


