@database "ar411.guide"
@Node MAIN "Amiga Report Online Magazine #4.11 -- August 27, 1996"
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  August 27, 1996             @{" Turn the Page " link MENU}             Issue No. 4.11
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Subject: amigas in the news Hi. I have some info you might/might not be interested in: #1--In the June 24, 1996 issue of "MicroTimes: Northern California's Computer Magazine", on p.264, there is, in the section devoted to "Multimedia and Beyond", an article entitled: "Using Amigas On The Tonight Show: An Interview With Mac McAlpin." The article was written by Douglas J. Nakakihara. #2--In the August 19, 1996 issue of "Electronic Engineering Times", on p.1, there is an article entitled: "Hola, Amiga: rebirth of a platform -- Set-top maker buys rights to PC world's grande dame." The article was written by Craig Matsumoto. Interestingly, since the article is continued on p.146, there is a second title/headline on p.146 which reads: "Amiga platform gets a shot at revival -- Viscorp plans a future for the computer that won't die." Just thought I'd share what I'd read. BTW, both articles were sent to me by family members who at first thought I was extremely flaky because I own 2 A500s, but who are slowly learning about and becoming interested in the Amiga. paz jrw james.weckler@m.cc.utah.edu p.s.--Thank you for Amiga Report--It and Amazing Computing and the WWW are my surest sources for information about my favorite computer. :-) --- --- --- --- --- Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 09:50:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Tim Boland Subject: TTR Dear Jason, First of all, like many Amiga owners, I appreciate the news and updates I find in Amiga Report. I'm writing today because I purchased a floptical drive a few years ago from Todd Butson of TTR. As you probably know, he gave up his business a couple of years ago. He was located in Madison, WI as I recall. I have an A 3000 and hope to upgrade from 2.0 to 3.1 soon, but wonder if in doing so a small program Todd wrote called "ttrsense" will be compatible. I have a large number of files on floptical and don't want to lose the compatibility! Do you have a recent address and/or phone number for him. It's likely he has an upgrade for "ttrsense" if I can just find him? If you don't know, would you please post this in Amiga Report in hopes that someone can help. Thanks. Tim Boland tboland@premier1.net PS. I'd also like to know about compatibility of WordPerfect 4.1.12 (Wordperfect's last Amiga release) with 3.1 OS, not only to read/write files but also to print them. Any help greatly appreciated! --- --- --- --- --- Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 09:28:53 -0700 From: GreyFox Subject: No Amiga Computers at Disney Dear Jason, My name is Jude Anthony. I became an Amiga owner when I bought my A3000, and later started working for an Amiga store in Orlando, FL. The store went under due to the mail-order mentality of most of Orlando's Amiga users, but that's not why I'm writing to you. I've known about Disney's use of Amigas for a while, and tried to tell people about it. I've seen the ones at MGM's Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, and I know they are in use at other attractions. I was working at the store when Universal Studios ordered an A2000 and the Richmond control system for their Rocky & Bullwinkle show. I had always wondered why no one would talk to me about the Amigas at attractions, and I was soon to find out. When I rang up the sale, I had to bill the Amiga as a "control device." Disney and other attractions have exclusive contracts with Big Blue to use only IBM computers. I can only hope that the Amiga becomes as impressive as it used to be before the contracts are ready for review; perhaps VisCorp could steal the exclusive away! I just thought you might like to know that Amigas Are Out There. The companies that use them just have to Deny Everything. Keep up the good work with AR. Later, Jude Anthony jude@p3.enzian.com --- --- --- --- --- From: TEdelma1@vines.etn.com Date: 23 AUG 96 11:08:09 EDT Subject: Amiga Report Letter to the Editor If anyone asks, the Amiga computer is dead. I sincerely doubt that VIScorp will be able to offer a competitively priced, modern desktop Amiga. VIScorp should concentrate their efforts on producing their set-top box. (You know, the one that 's *not* first to market and probably won't be a market success. Wow! Emerson... that name sure evokes quality.) I've been a loyal Amiga user and have held numerous offices in more than one Amiga users group since I bought my first Amiga, an A1000, shortly after it was introduced. I later bought an A2000 shortly after its introduction. I didn't buy an A3000 or an A4000 because the "improvements" did not represent a significant value to me, especially at those prices. I have two A2000s now. They're both aging, and all the add-ons (A2630, RapidFire SCSI, EMPLANT, Spectrum EGS Video, Cybergraphix, MagicWB, AmigaDOS 3.1) I've bought over the years to try to keep them up to date just aren't reliable. I'm going to buy a new computer in the next 12 months and I can guarantee that it won't be an A4000T. Like the majority of [former] Amiga users, I'm looking at Macintosh and "WINTEL" PCs. The Macs are most appealing to me, of course. In the price range of the A4000T is a brand new computer from Apple, the Macintosh Performa 6400/200. It looks like an excellent value. It's a tower case model with a 200 MHz 603e PowerPC processor, 40MHz 64-bit bus, and lots of features (28.8 FAX/MODEM, 8X CD-ROM, 16MB RAM, 2.4GB HD, 800x600 16-bit color, SCSI, 16-bit stereo, surround sound, sub-woofer, and a great bundle of pre-loaded software) . If VIScorp were to introduce an Amiga with the same hardware, I might be willing to pay a $300-500 premium for the Amiga's co-processing and multi-tasking advantages. I really don't think the now obsolete AmigaDOS 3.1 and co-processor features increase the intrinsic value of the A4000 to the level of modern PowerPC and Pentium powered machines. They don't have co-processors, but they have nearly enough muscle to be considered similar performing machines. My A1000 could multitask in 256K, but memory isn't expensive anymore. [When's the last time you priced a 16 or 32MB SIMM?] The Amiga's co-processing advantage is very quickly being narrowed. Given what ESCOM and VIScorp have said in the past, I sincerely doubt if VIScorp, or anyone else for that matter, could sell an Amiga desktop computer with modern hardware at a competitive price in the near future. It is time to close the curtain on the Amiga desktop computer and move on. @endnode @node NEWS1 "30 More Days" @toc NEWS 30 More Days VIScorp, Chicago, IL - August 20, 1996 On 20th August 1996, the trustee for the bankruptcy of ESCOM AG and AMIGA Technologies GmbH, Bernhard Hembach, extended the closing date for VIScorp's purchase of AMIGA for 30 days with the support of ESCOM creditors. While the agreement is firm, one of the financial institutions supporting VIScorp in the transaction required more documentation to authorize their portion of the funding. Satisfied that VIScorp would meet these requirements, the closing date was extended. The closing will not be extended past this date. Contact: Jason Compton, Communications Manager VIScorp 111 N. Canal St. Suite 933 Chicago, IL 60606 (312) 655-0903 voice (312) 655-0910 fax jcompton@xnet.com e-mail http://www.vistv.com/ @endnode @node NEWS2 "Jay Miner Tape" @toc NEWS Many years ago, 1991, my club flew Jay Miner to one of our annual big shows we held. Jay gave a fairly long talk on the Amiga and its history and his personal work on it. During this we had a professional video tape camera setup on the scene taping every word and scene. Oddly enough the tape was mostly forgotten till a few months ago. The creator of this tape, asked if anyone was interested in getting a copy. The response has been incredible here. I thought that everyone interested in the Amiga and Jay Miner would love to have a copy. We decided to offer it everywhere we could. We are offering the tape with shipping for only $15! Mail your orders to: MCCC P.O. Box 813 Bedford, Texas 76095 We can't take credit card orders, but if you want to talk to our club treasurer, his name is John Malmstrom. His number is (817)282-6158. Checks or Money Orders should be made out to the Metroplex Commodore Computer Club. Anyone interested in coming to our annual show this year it will be Sept. 28th at the Arlington Convention Center. E-Mail me for more details... -- Johnny C. Kitchens kitchens@letter.com @endnode @node NEWS3 "Enigma Screenshots" @toc NEWS E N I G M A screenshots now on Aminet - check'em out! The most destructive shoot'em up ever - it's one hell of a blast! Hi-res overscan horizontal scrolling shoot'em up. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Screenshots + info now freely available on Aminet Check out : pix/illu/enigma.lha on Aminet ----------------------------------------------------------------- Format : AMIGA AGA only! (only the Amiga can cope!) HD installable, uses upto 6MB mem, 4 disks, accelerator cards, etc. Release Date : Oct'96 Publisher: OTM Developer: Centillion ----------------------------------------------------------------- * The most technically advanced and innovative horizontal scrolling multi-player shoot'em up on any format! Big claim ? Play the game! * Awesome graphics in crisp clean hi-res overscan detail - featuring some spectacular 3D-rendered imagery and some of the most fantastic hand crafted graphics and animation yet seen in a shoot'em up * A complete visual treat - upto 300 colours on screen - full 50 frames/sec action! * Innovative multi-layered overscan parallax with varied playfield priorities and radical special fx. * Random gameplay features, play a unique game every time, no two games the same - unpredictable and exciting gaming every time! Collect weaponry powerup`s and discover hidden secrets! * The Best ever soundtracks, specially composed music created with high-end MIDI equipment and expertly converted for absolutely breathtaking results! * Music AND Sound effect mixing. Specially developed state-of-the-art realtime multi-channel sample interpolation & music overlaying techniques. Listen to the kicking soundtracks while you wipe out another enemy colony! * Full Language Localisation supporting English, French, German and Italian speaking people. * Fully hard-disk installable. Advanced automatic ram-caching for high speed loading out of memory when additional fast-ram is available. Takes full advantage of upto 4 Megabytes of additional fast-memory. If your machine has the extra grunt Enigma will use it! * much much more! -- Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OTM 11 Aldergate, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 7DL, UK Tel. 01827 312 302 Fax. 01827 670 10 Email. OTM@OTMltd.demon.co.uk @endnode @node NEWS4 "The Informer" @toc NEWS Dear Amiga Dealer/Developer: Would you like to find a way for your Amiga products to get more expo- sure? Would you like thousands of devoted Amiga users to know what you produce and how your products can be found? If so, then let me introduce you to The Informer, a newsletter that caters directly to the Amiga com- munity. As you know, the best way to serve the Amiga platform and ensure its growth is to provide information directly to the user. Through The Informer Newsletter we can offer you the opportunity to do just that. What Is The Informer? The Informer Newsletter (ISSN 1089-4616) is a concise encapsulated re- source of Amiga information and contacts which helps readers stay con- nected with new Amiga developments, products and the latest news. The Informer provides readers with Email addresses, BBS listings, Web Page URL's, phone and FAX numbers and other means for readers to communi- cating with dealers, developers and Amiga services. The Informer's staff are all committed and passionate Amiga users, and are proud to produce the entire newsletter using only Amiga computers. Who Reads The Informer? Currently there are over 3000 printed copies of The Informer distributed bimonthly. Each issue is distributed to our growing subscriber base, which includes over 125 users groups, and through many various dealers, includ- ing: Anti Gravity, Safe Harbor, Zipperware, IAM, Legendary Designs, Won- der and others. These dealers enclose issues of The Informer with all their Amiga orders. We provide free copies to anyone (in North America) who requests them and actively promote this policy on many Amiga internet newsgroups including CompuServe and Genie. Also, we announce this offer in Amiga Report on-line magazine and are included with Turtle Light- ning Software's disk catalog and print mailings, which reach over 3400 in- dividual Amiga owners. In addition, each issue of The Informer is submit- ted to the newsletter review magazine, Factsheet 5, where a review of The Informer is printed in their monthly magazine. The Informer will also be published to our web page, where viewers can page through selected past and present articles. Our subscriber base is rapidly growing due, in part, to some of the ex- citing benefits we offer. Not only do subscribers get free classified ad space to sell their used Amiga products, but they are also automatically entered in a bimonthly prize drawing. In each issue we will be awarding an Amiga product to a random subscriber. Services Offered By The Informer. The informer also offers dealers, developers and distributors other ser- vices as well. We will meet all requests or submissions on a first come first served basis. Please contact us by Email or voice for confirmation prior to any submissions. Commercial Reviews: Starting with Issue 4 (in which we review Aweb II), each issue of The Informer will feature a review of a commercial software product. If you would like to have a review of your product printed in a future issue, send us a review copy of your software. Commercial Announcements: The Informer will print any developer announcement about new products or upgrades. Shareware Reviews: Shareware authors who wish to have the registered version of their product reviewed may submit them for printed review. Shareware Announcements: We will print shareware announcements and upgrades as space permits. Submit a brief "Readme" file with product information including Author, means of contact, brief description, requirements and availability. Free Ads: Any company that donates an Amiga product (software, Hardware, books, etc.) for the bimonthly Informer giveaway, will receive 1 free block of ad space. Developer Write-ups: Any Developer who wishes to have their company spotlighted it the "Developments" section of The Informer, should make an Email request for the Developer Questionnaire. By answering the questions on the questionnaire, a write-up of your company and products will be compiled. Distribution: In an effort to get The Informer out to as many Amigans as possible, we are seeking companies who are willing to include our Newsletter with all their Amiga orders. In return for this service, we will mention your company in a special section in The Informer. Amiga Listings: If you would like your Amiga specific user group, BBS or Web Page listed in The Informer, send it to us and we'll print it in the "Contacts" section. ........................................................................... Advertising: What The Informer Offers One of the greatest problems with the Amiga market today is lack of confi- dence from consumers. People are not sure if they should spend money on an Amiga product. What they need is for developers, dealers and dis- tributors to reassure them of their commitment to the products they pro- duce and sell. Recognizing this, the Informer offers a variety of ways for advertisers to connect with the Amiga community. Since the Informer is distributed solely to people who order Amiga products or those that request a free issue, you can be assured your ad will be seen only by devoted users who actively use their Amigas. In addition, anyone who advertises in the print addition of The Informer will also receive an advertisement link to their pertinent company or prod- uct information on our Web Page, increasing exposure even more. If you are interested in finding out more about advertising in The In- former, please request our Advertising Information Sheet via one of the methods listed bellow. In addition, you may also request a free issue of The Informer for your inspection. Please include your mailing address with any correspondence. Sorry, requests outside The US or Canada must include $1 US to cover mailing expenses. ........................................................................... Fletcher Haug fletcher.haug@bbs.mhv.net The Informer Newsletter 914-566-4665 PO Box 21 100% Amiga Newburgh, NY 12551-0021 "We Aim To Inform" @endnode @node NEWS5 "Directory Opus 5.5" @toc NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Directory Opus 5.5 is now available! GPSoftware demonstrates its continuing support for the Amiga with the release of the new version the Amiga world's most popular directory and file management utility. After more than 12 months of extra development, Directory Opus 5.5 is more of a new version than just a simple update and contains many changes and enhancements over the original product. After receiving many comments and useful suggestions from Opus users, almost every facet of the new program has been examined and subjected to user scrutiny, backed up by extensive field testing from very persistent Beta testers. This release extends the original Opus 5 concepts and provides many significant improvements in both operational power and usability. From the feedback we have received so far we are confident that you will enjoy this new product more than ever! Take a look at the following enhancements to see why an upgrade is a must! . A new Icon Action Mode gives all the power of name mode Listers but with icons. . Button banks and Listers need no longer be activated first in order to see right and middle mouse button clicks. . WorkBench Replacement Mode has been enhanced. Use Opus 5.5 with complete confidence to replace the standard Workbench. . An integrated OpusFTP capability lets you access remote Internet sites directly from standard Opus Listers. . Button banks can now be borderless with a sleek minimal dragbar instead of a full window border. . New Filetype-specific pop-up menus allow special menus for icons and files. Use Filetypes to add custom menus for different types of files and icons. . Custom buttons have a pop-up menu giving access to an extended selection of commands. . New independent HotKeys are now supported. . New Scripts system allows functions to be executed upon most system events. . Custom menus have been improved with multiple user menus with sub items. . New Automatic Filetype Creator allows you to create and test Filetypes with ease. . A font viewer is now included. Just double-click on a font to view it. . Listers now have field titles, single-click re-sorting by fields, plus a new version field which reads the internal version information from each file. . New colour remapping of button and icon images with support for 'Magic Workbench' and similar systems. . Cybergraphics RTG now supported. . You can now selectively hide unwanted drive icons from the Opus main window. . Enhanced clipboard support provides full cut, copy and paste in gadgets and file Listers. . Listers are no longer blocked while busy - you can now resize, iconify, and scroll busy Listers. . Icon and Lister snapshots are now stored separately from Workbench. . Listers can now display a background picture or pattern. . A new internal Opus CLI allows you quickly test commands and Arexx scripts. . Several new internal commands and many new ARexx commands have been added or extended with new features. You can now even add you own internal commands with ARexx. For more details see our WWW page at http://www.livewire.com.au/gpsoft/ Special Upgrade Offer for Registered Users! Opus users who have registered direct with GPSoftware should look out for a special upgrade offer in your letter box over the next couple of weeks. Those registered with a local distributor should contact the distributors below for upgrade pricing and details. Pricing and Distributors Opus 5.5 Recomended price is A$129.00, US$99, UK 59.99, DM139.00 Upgrade price for existing users is A$65.00 plus A$10.00 package and air mail postage. Contact your local distributor or GPSoftware for further details. GPSoftware Distributors World-Wide UK Germany USA Wizard Developments Schatztruhe Micro R&D PO Box 490 Veronikastr 33 721 'O' Street Dartford, Kent 45131 Essen Loup City, NE 68853 England DA1 2UH Germany USA Ph +44 1322 527800 Ph +49 201 788778 Ph +1 308 745 1243 Fax +44 1322 527810 Fax +49 201 798447 Fax +1 308 745 1246 Australia Small-Biz Software PO Box 24 Golden Beach, Qld Australia 4551 Ph +61 (74) 919190 Fax +61 (74) 926860 Dr Greg Perry, GPSoftware, Brisbane. August 1st 1996 GPSoftware PO Box 570, Ashgrove, Birsbane, Australia 4060 Phone/Fax +61 7 33661402 Email: zzgperry@mailbox.uq.oz.au www: http://www.livewire.com.au/gpsoft @endnode @node NEWS6 "Bograts" @toc NEWS Bograts Preview Vulcan Software Vulcan Software, respected publishers of well-known Amiga titles such as TimeKeepers and the infamous Valhalla series, have announced another title in their mid-price "Mini Series" range. "Bograts - The Puzzling Misadventure" is a side-viewer platform puzzler, very much in the Vulcan software style of cute graphics and brow-furrowing action. In each of the 60 levels, your role as Mummy/Daddy Bograt is to guide your two baby Bogs through each level without getting them - or yourself - burnt, eaten, squashed or otherwise mangled. Although the main emphasis is on the problem-solving, platform elements such as Sonic-style springs and shovers appear. Bograts is shaping up into an very promising and addictive brain-teaser. The full game is due to be released on September 1st 1996; look out for the full review in Amiga Report soon. --- Vulcan will soon have their own WWW pages. Keep trying http://www.vulcan.co.uk .... Vulcan Software Ltd Vulcan House 72 Queens Road Buckland Portsmouth Hants PO2 7NA e-mail: Paul@vul-soft.demon.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1705 670269 Fax: +44 (0)1705 662226 @endnode @node NEWS7 "DrawStudio" @toc NEWS ANNOUNCE: Release of DrawStudio illustration package information FROM: Graham Dean and Andy Dean EMAIL: andy@ajdean.demon.co.uk WWW: http://www.ajdean.demon.co.uk/ DATE: 7 August 1996 Graham and Andy Dean are proud to announce the imminent release of "DrawStudio" - their new drawing, illustration and presentation program for the Amiga. The program contains many professional features which are not found in any other Amiga programs and are usually associated with high priced packages on other platforms. Working from a clear and standard Amiga interface, DrawStudio contains all the tools required to create illustrations on the Amiga, whether they be for technical diagrams or for artistic presentation material. The ability to convert objects to bitmaps makes DrawStudio an ideal tool for creating graphics for World Wide Web pages or for use with other Amiga programs. For a full list of features, please visit our WWW pages given at the top of this announcement, however the following are a small list of the features available: o Full 24bit colour support. o ARexx interface. o Multiple projects, pages and layers. o Powerful gradient fills. o Transparency, including gradient transparencies. o Bitmap and pattern fills. o An object's pen and fill may be filled independently. o Skew, perspective, wave, wedge, bulge, and freeform object and text warping. o Powerful object snapping, including snapping to grid and other objects. o Bezier curve editing, including cutting, joining, adding and deleting points. A firm release date is not given as we are currently in discussions with distributors, however we hope that the Web pages will give a good taster of the program's abilities. @endnode @node NEWS8 "Roland JV-80 Patch Editor V1.0" @toc NEWS TITLE Roland JV-80 Patch Editor VERSION 1.0 AUTHOR Jon Rocatis - jon@funcom.com DESCRIPTION This is an advanced patch editor for the Roland JV-80 synthesizer. It allows you to edit almost all parameters in the synth. Creating your own sounds have never been easier or as much fun! The program is build up using different windows for different parts of the synth. There are windows for TVA, TVF, Pitch, Waves, LFO etc.. All of these windows can be opened and closed as you please. FEATURES - Multi-window design - Graphical editing of envelopes - Patch bank editor with drag'n'drop support - Support for all waveform expansion modules - Is able to load raw SysEx dump JV-80 patches from ex. "SysExpert" - Quick optional gadget help. Place the mouse pointer over a gadget and you will get an explanation of which effect that gadget has over the sound. - 100% font sensitive - Keyboard and/or mouse operated - Online context sensitive AmigaGuide help - Easy to install. Uses "Installer" SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS MUI 3.3 installed AmigaOS 2.0 or better The Apache main program. Available on Aminet. (mus/midi/apache.lha) A Roland JV-80 synthesizer (not *needed* but the program is not very useful without :) AVAILABILITY Available on Aminet ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/midi/rolandjv80.lha PRICE 30 USD. 25 USD if you want your keyfile by e-mail only. DISTRIBUTABILITY Shareware @endnode @node NEWS9 "PhotoAlbum V0.4" @toc NEWS TITLE PhotoAlbum VERSION 0.4 (Pre-Release) AUTHOR Helmut Hoffmann Rubensstrasse 4 41063 Moenchengladbach Germany EMail: hhoff@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de DESCRIPTION A picture management software for all Amigas (and Draco) feat. TrueColor support (thumbnails and picture windows) under CyberGraphX or reduced color output on AGA Amigas. This program supports many picture formats, allows combinable subtitles under thumbnails, can open multiple picture windows (incl. scrolling and zooming functions) etc. If you have a suitable graphic board with CyberGraphX WB emulation installed you can watch the pictures and thumbnails in full color quality (HiColor/TrueColor) on your Workbench or a private screen. Without CyberGraphX the normal color restrictions (2 to 256 colors) will lead to a reduced quality. Additional features include conversion to some 24Bit formats (incl. JPeg, IFF-ILBM24, Targa), picture deletion etc. Internally supported formats for loading: 1) IFF-ILBM (1 to 24Bit incl. HAM6/HAM8) 2) PhotoCD (Base format 768x512 or 512x768 (portrait)) 3) JPeg (color and greyscale) 4) PPM/PGM/PBM (P1&P4 b&w, P5 grey, P6 color) 5) QRT (also known as dump format by PD raytracers as POV-Ray) 6) Targa 7) PCX 8) BMP 9) TIF (packbit-compr./uncompr.) 10) DEEP 11) YUV 12) VLAB raw 13) RGB 14) HHsYUVSq sequence format 15) IFF-PBM (DPII) 16) ACBM 17) FBM 18) Sun raster (uncompressed) 19) MacPaint (b&w compressed 1Bit format; datafork only) 20) HHsXRL formats 21) binary-EPS bitmaps (RGB and CMYK) 22) TBCPlus frames/fields The additional DataType support extends this list by many formats; DataTypes can e.g. be found on Aminet in util/DType. The DataType support is very fast, so that you can also view pictures in GIF or other formats quite fast for which Datatypes exist. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS OS3.0 or higher required 4MBytes FastRAM at least recommended Optional for TrueColor/HighColor viewing: cybergraphics.library V40 or higher and a suitable graphic board or Draco. The CyberGraphX emulation is compatible with many graphic boards (e.g. CyberVision, Piccolo, SD64, Spectrum, Picasso2, Retina-Z3, Domino and Draco/Altais) AVAILABILITY Any Aminet site ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/gfx/misc/photoalbum04.lha PRICE Shareware fee: Introduction offer (upto 30th June 1996!): PhotoAlbum: 30DM or 22US$ Standard price (from 1st July 1996): PhotoAlbum: 40DM or 30US$ Package offer: PhotoAlbum + CyberShow Prof.: 50DM or 35US$ Together with PhotoAlbum you can order fast universal modules for several image processing/painting programs at the special add-on price of 10DM or 7US$ each; currently available: FastIFXModules (ImageFX), UniversalGIOModule (Photogenics) and UniversalXiPaintModule (XiPaint); all thoose modules include fast loading in many file formats and (new) TrueColor animation creation for CyberGraphX. DISTRIBUTABILITY Copyright by Helmut Hoffmann 1996 Limited demo version is freely distributable; registered users will receive a keyfile which enables all features. OTHER The freely distributable version has some restrictions (e.g. all pictures will only be displayed in greyscales) which disappear after you pay the shareware fee and receive a special personal keyfile (together with the latest version). Once registered, you can use new freely distributable versions as update with your keyfile. @endnode @node NEWS10 "EnPrint V2.1" @toc NEWS [ Reposted for distribution problems. -Dan ] TITLE EnPrint VERSION 2.1 COMPANY Endicor Technologies, Inc. P.O. Box 29000 #355 San Antonio, TX 78229-0999 (Please note: this address will change within the next two months, but will remain valid for the next year. Please watch our Web site listed below for our new address, which has yet to be determined) (210) 650-4988 Phone (210) 650-0054 FAX (210) 650-4365 BBS info@endicor.com -- Information requests sales@endicor.com -- Orders WWW: http://www.crl.com/~endicor AUTHOR Ty Sarna (tsarna@endicor.com) DESCRIPTION This is a standard Amiga printer driver with an additional printing program for the Stylus Color inkjet printers from Epson, including the II, IIs, and Pro. The printer features resolutions from 180x180 dpi to 720x720 dpi, with optional MicroWeave printing (an Epson feature that uses overlapping passes to reduce banding), Optimized Black Mode (on the Stylus II model only), and Small Dot mode (for the II, IIs and Pro models). The driver also implements horizontal and vertical whitespace stripping, as well as Epson compression mode 2 ("TIFF v4.0 packbits mode") to minimize the amount of data that must be sent to the printer and improve printing speed. EnPrint 2.x is based on a totally new portable 24 bit printing engine developed by Endicor instead of the standard Amiga 12 bit printing engine. This allows advanced user-accessible controls for gamma, intensity range, color correction, a wide selection of dithering options, color-to-grey conversion formula, and much more. The preferences driver has been updated to use this engine, providing all of these capabilities to all applications. Also included is a printing program that uses the printing engine directly, providing full 24 bit printing capability even to users who do not have other software that supports 24 bit printing. The printing program also features reduced memory usage, allowing large, high-resolution prints even on systems with very little memory. Note that printing time depends greatly on the application used, processing speed of the computer, and amount of data in a given output. FEATURES Built in calibration utility. User adjustable Time-Out control. Full 24 bit printing support. Completely user-controllable gamma and range adjustments for full control over brightness and contrast. Three modes of color correction: adjustable in terms of RGB, CMY, or Y in M/M in C. The latter produces the best results as it most closely models the inaccuracies of printing inks. These modes are also completely adjustable. In greyscale mode, complete user control over the color-to-grey conversion process, plus three convenient preset configurations for the NTSC, HDTV, and equal-parts formulas. In B&W (thresholding) mode, the threshold is fully adjustable over an 8-bit intensity range, rather than Preference's 4 bit range. Sixty Five dither modes. Sixty Two are matrix dithers (many sizes and varieties of ordered, halftone, bricks, diamonds, etc., providing a lot of "special effect" options), plus Random Threshold and two Floyd-Steinberg algorithmic dithers. Flexible configuration scheme: The system works in terms of configurations. A configuration consists of settings for resolution, dither, mode (MicroWeave, Optimized Black, Small Dot, etc.), color correction, gamma, etc. The Preferences editor allows for seven configurations corresponding to the 7 density options. Thus any density can be chosen to be any configuration of resolution, mode, dither, and corrections that the user wants. Additional configurations can be loaded and saved . The printing program also keeps a separate configuration. Configurations are edited with a friendly GUI configuration editor. Preferences driver supports printing HAM-8 and 7/8 bit modes on AGA machines in all their glory, plus 12 bit single-CLUT style like FinalWriter(TM) and others use. Preferences driver is smart about the true paper dimensions. It should handle all of the standard paper sizes correctly, plus if given enough maneuvering room, it will truly center the image on the paper, rather than centering within the printable area like the previous version and other standard Workbench drivers. Context-sensitive online AmigaGuide help. All documentation can also be brought up from within the program itself. Printing Program: Allows users to load pictures in IFF format (supports HAM-8, EHB, 24 bit, even Dynamic-HAM and Dynamic-HiRes), operate on them (rotate/flip, invert, etc.), size and position them, and print them. Any picture (even 24 bit) can be printed on any Amiga. There is no conversion to HAM or HAM-8 to cause loss of quality -- it's 24 bit all the way through when using the printing program. The printing program also includes a module that can generate pictures in 10 different modes, as an alternative to loading IFFs. Modes include things like user-selectable solid colors, color gradients, two kinds of color bars, and a hue/saturation "wheel". These modes are useful for calibrating color correction, gamma/lo/high, and for examining the effect of different dithers over ranges of intensity/color. An additional mode is a Workbench screen capture. There is support for output spooling and multiple print copies. A hard disk is required with a minimum space free of about 2 meg. More is required for using the printing program on large pictures, and lots when using output buffering or multicopy support because it must store the complete printer output generated. This can be up to 20 megs a page at 720dpi full color, though the compression usually keeps it to about 12-16 megs or so. Only enough storage for one page at a time is needed, however. Using this method, a minimum amount of RAM required at the expense of the higher disk space requirements. UPDATES EnPrint 2.1 is a free update for registered owners of EnPrint v2.0 or Epson Stylus Color Printer Driver version 1.2, 1.1 or 1.0. You may get an upgrade in one of three ways: By email: Email to sales@endicor.com with your name and serial number and a request for an upgrade, and we'll email EnPrint 2.0 back to you. Ask for details. From our BBS: We now offer product support on our BBS, The Flying Circus, at phone number +1-210-650-4365. You will be asked for your product serial number when you first log on and then receive access to the support area after verification (usually within 24 hours). Once you have access to the Endicor area you can download updates. Send us $4.00: If you wish to have a new 2.1 disk shipped to you, send a check for US$4 to our address above with a note requesting EnPrint 2.1 and include your serial number and address. The $4 covers the cost of the disk plus shipping. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Workbench 2.04 or higher. (3.0 and later required for some features). Hard Disk Drive with Min 2 meg free (20 meg free recommended). An Epson Stylus Color series printer. OTHER The driver takes advantage of Stylus Color features not present on older ESC-P2 printers, such as compression mode 2 (packbits). Because of this it will not work on previous (800, 300, 1000, etc) Stylus printer models. LIST PRICE US$44.95 List Price Sales Tax: In San Antonio, Texas: 7.75% ($3.48) Elsewhere in Texas: 6.25% ($2.81) Outside Texas: Endicor does not collect sales tax for out-of-state purchases. Outside the US: see our Distributors list below. EnPrint is also availible through many national Amiga stores in the US, including Safe Harbor, Software Hut, etc. SHIPPING AND PAYMENT METHODS In the US: US Mail, UPS Blue and Red Canada: Postal Mail, Global Priority Mail (3-5 Days) Outside US: Postal Mail, or see Distributors below. For a complete discussion of shipping methods and rates, please see our web page or email info@endicor.com. Payment: VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, COD. There is an additional US$5 charge for COD. We can also offer electronic delivery for prepaid orders (check, money order, credit card or bank draft) in which case there is no shipping charge. International orders may wish to use electronic delivery to save on shipping. Please email us for details. When ordering by mail or email please include: Name, shipping address, postal or email address, phone number, payment information, and method of delivery. If you include an Internet or FidoNet email address, we can use it to notify you of updates rather than using traditional mail. DISTRIBUTORS Dealers in North American may order the product direct from us or through MicroPace distributors. Individuals and dealers in Europe can order through our European distributor: Eyetech Group Ltd. The Old Bank 12 West Green Stokesley North Yorks TS9 5BB UK Direct line Phone: +44 (0) 1642 713 185 FAX: +44 (0) 1642 713 634 email: eyetech@cix.compulink.co.uk Individuals and dealers in New Zealand can order through our New Zealand distributor: Perrytech 54 Glasgow Street Wanganui New Zealand Phone/FAX: (06) 343-2699 email: BRIAN@ptech.wanganui.gen.nz DISTRIBUTABILITY Copyright (c) 1994-96 Endicor Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. EnPrint(TM) is a trademark of Endicor Technologies, Inc. Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Stylus is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. AmigaGuide, AmigaGuide.info, amigaguide.library (c) Copyright 1991-93 Commodore-Amiga, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduced and distributed under license from Commodore. Other brand and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. This is commercial software. @endnode @node NEWS11 "Midwest Amiga Exposition" @toc NEWS Midwest Amiga Exposition Columbus Ohio October 19th and 20th. Summary: The Midwest Amiga Exposition is a event designed to entertain, enlighten, and inform the Amiga community at large. Formal demonstrations and speeches will highlight the 2 day event, with VIScorp being one of our featured guests. Many well-known Amiga vendors and user groups will be present, as well as, respected Amiga software and hardware designers. Door prizes will be awarded at regular intervals during the 2 day event. Location: Westerville South High School. Located 10 mins. From outerbelt I-270, just Northeast of Columbus in Westerville. Take I-270 to State Route 3. Go north on State Route 3 through three traffic lights to Schrock Rd. Turn right (east) on Schrock Rd. Turn left (north) at the first traffic light onto Otterbein Ave. Follow Otterbein Ave. 1/2 mile through two stop signs. Westerville High School is located on the left, 1 block south of Walnut St. We have both a commons area and an auditorium. Dates and Times: October 19th and 20th (Saturday & Sunday). Saturday, Oct. 19th, doors will open at 9:30pm and close at 5:00pm. Sunday, Oct. 20th, doors will open at 10:00am and close at 4:00pm. Vendors will be allowed in on Saturday at 8:00am to set up equipment and table space. Rates: Vendor and Retailer Tables: $125.00 for the first table. Additional tables $75.00 each. For vendors who do a formal Auditorium demonstration, a reduced rate of $60.00 for the first table is applied. These demonstrations will be on a first come first serve basis and we may run out of room. To guarantee a spot or a formal demo, schedule tables as early as possible. All tables must be pre-paid. You must provide an extension cord if you want electricity for your table. We will provide a few, but cannot accomodate everyone. One that's about 100ft. should be all that is required. User Group Tables: $35.00 each. Table fees include: 1). An electrical drop. 2). Two individual passes to the show for manning the tables. 3). A listing of their name and location at the show in the official Midwest Amiga Exposition program. Vendors and user groups will need to supply their own extension cords, computer hardware/software, audio/video hardware, and promotional materials. Extension cords must be heavy duty, and be standard three prong grounded. Tickets: $6.00 in advance. $8.00 at time of show. One ticket per attendee. Please retain your ticket stub for door prizes throughout the 2 day event and re-admittance into the show in case you need to leave the premises. No persons will be admitted without a ticket. Tickets are good for both days of the event. Tentative Speakers List: Oct. 19th 1:00pm Keynote Address - VIScorp 2:00pm Nova Design 3:00pm Open 4:00pm Open Oct. 20th 1:00pm Steve Easily Worthington Voice Services 2:00pm Open 3:00pm Open 4:00pm Round Table Discussion Session Slots for formal speeches or demos will possibly be expanded depending on the length of each program. Local lodging: Many hotels/motels are located between 5 - 20 mins. of the event. Lodging 15 -20 minutes from the event with easy freeway access at Interstate 71 and State Route 161, Exit 117. Best Western (614) 888-8230 (voice) (614) 888-8223 (fax) Call for rate information. Comfort Inn North (614) 885-4084 or 1-800-228-5150 One person: $55.00 - $60.00 Two person: $65.00 - $70.00 Cross Country Inn North (614) 848-3819 Call of rate information. Days Inn North (614) 885-9696 (voice) (614) 885-0232 (fax) Call for rate information. Hampton Inn North 1-800-HAMPTON or (614) 848-9696 Call for rate information. The Harley Hotel of Columbus 1-800-321-2323 or (614) 888-4300 (voice) (614) 888-3477 (fax) Call for rate information. Holiday Inn North (614) 885-4334 (voice) (614) 885-4955 (fax) Call for rate information. Marriott Residence Inn North (614) 431-1819 (voice) (614) 431-2477 (fax) Call for rate information. Motel 6 North # 554 (614) 846-9860 One person: $35.99. Second adult $6.00. Prices higher during special events. Ramada Limited North 1-800-2-RAMADA or (614) 846-9070 (voice) (614) 436-0875 (fax) Call for rate information. Truman Club Hotel 1-800-477-7888 or (614) 888-7440 Call for rate information. Lodging 5 - 10mins from the event located in and around Westerville. Cross Country Inn (Westerville) Interstate 270 at Westerville, exit 29. 909 South State Street (St. Rt. 3) (614) 890-1244 Call for rate information. Embassy Suites Columbus 2700 Corporate Exchange drive, just off Cleveland Ave. south and I-270. (614) 890-8600 (voice) (614) 890-8626 (fax) Call for rate information. Signature Inn Columbus I-270 and Cleveland Ave north. 6767 Schrock Hill Ct. 1-800-822-5252 or (614) 890-8111 Call for rate information. Contact Information For general information and an updated vendor list try http://www.amicon.org For advance ticket sales and/or table reservations contact. Dave Pearce dpearce@freenet.columbus.ohio.us (614)728-1358 Weekdays (614)967-1510 Evenings and Weekends Ronn Black ronn@btsoft.cmhnet.org (614)825-3108 Weekdays (614)891-3721 Evenings and Weekends or send snail mail to: Amicon PO. Box 18311 Columbus, OH. 43218 If you contact us electronically or leave us your email address, we will put you on our mailing list for further updates and ticket/table ordering information. Those who have already contacted us are already on the list. We look forward to a great event! Dave Pearce dpearce@freenet.columbus.ohio.us @endnode @node NEWS12 "CUCUG's Fourth WWW Mirror" @toc NEWS The Champaign-Urbana Commodore Users Group P.O. Box 716 Champaign, IL 61824-0716 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: cucug@cucug.org CUCUG Announces its Fourth WWW Mirror Site August 18, 1996 - The Champaign-Urbana Commodore Users Group (CUCUG) announced today that Inter-Spider, an Internet Service Provider located in Cracow, Poland, would be hosting its popular World Wide Web site. A process known as "mirroring" makes a nearly identical copy of a Web site available to users closer to their own connection on the Internet. This usually results in more reliable connects and faster response. CUCUG's webmaster, Kevin Hisel stated, "Users in Eastern Europe have been asking us to set up a mirror there for quite some time. We are grateful to Inter-Spider for finally making it possible." Zbigniew Baniewski, proprietor of Inter-Spider added, "There is a need to establish an easy-to-connect site with news from Commodore world for many polish Amiga users." He went on to say that, "there was also a sentimental reason--my first computer was a Commodore VIC-20!" According to Hisel, this is CUCUG's fourth mirror. Other mirrors are currently located in Australia, Italy and the United Kingdom. The primary CUCUG site is maintained at Champaign, Illinois in the United States. CUCUG maintains the award-winning Amiga Web Directory and Agnes, an advanced Amiga WWW search utility. Both have become very popular with Amiga users throughout the world. The address for the new CUCUG mirror site in Cracow is: http://www.ispid.com.pl/mirrors/cucug/ CUCUG's main site can be found at: http://www.cucug.org/ CUCUG, The Amiga Web Directory, Agnes and the Agnes character are all service marks of the Champaign-Urbana Commodore Users Group. Amiga is a registered trademark of Visual Information Services Corporation (VIScorp). @endnode @node NEWS13 "Agnus WWW Search Tool" @toc NEWS The Champaign-Urbana Commodore Users Group P.O. Box 716 Champaign, IL 61824-0716 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: cucug@cucug.org CUCUG Announces the Ultimate Amiga WWW Search Tool August 4, 1996 - The Champaign-Urbana Commodore Users Group (CUCUG) announced today the debut of its new Amiga Internet searching tool dubbed "Agnes" available in conjunction with its popular "Amiga Web Directory" World Wide Web site at http://www.cucug.org/amiga.html. Agnes allows users to search for over one thousand Amiga-oriented Web sites and more using flexible keyword matching. According to CUCUG, one of the many major improvements over other Web searching utilities is that the description data contained CUCUG's database of Web sites is written by humans, not just sampled from the first few lines of the site's text. This reduces the number of false "hits" and increases the accuracy of searching according to Kevin Hisel, CUCUG's Amiga webmaster. Search results are also much easier to understand and displayed more quickly than other search tools. >From one page, Amiga WWW surfers can call on Agnes to: * Search for more than 1,000 Amiga Web sites using data which is far more accurate than "crawler" type search tools. Sites are regularly checked and updated meaning less "404 Not Found" errors and new sites are added daily. * Search CUCUG's full-text database of Amiga News including press releases, product announcements, news items, show reports and other Amiga developments. * Search the entire, full-text archives of all Amiga Report Magazine issues released since January of 1995. * Search the full-text archives of Amiga Product Reviews posted in the comp.sys.amiga.reviews Usenet news group. More than 400 product reviews are housed in CUCUG's huge archive. * Search all issues of CUCUG's own Status Register user-group newsletter which contains news, computer hints and tips, how-tos and information about CUCUG. * As a last resort, there is an option to query all of the above areas in one massive search operation. Users should allow extra time for this monster search to complete. "We've put together the world's most effective Web search mechanism for Amiga fans. If it's Amiga and it's on the Web, we're pretty confident that Agnes can find it," Hisel said, referring to the all-encompassing capabilities of the new service. The URL for CUCUG's Agnes search tool is http://www.cucug.org/agnes.html CUCUG, The Amiga Web Directory, Agnes and the Agnes character are all service marks of the Champaign-Urbana Commodore Users Group. Amiga is a registered trademark of Visual Information Services Corporation (VIScorp). @endnode @node NEWS14 "Banner Ad Reminder" @toc NEWS This is just a reminder message about CUCUG's banner ad program special offer which will soon be expiring. You can get 90 days worth of banner placement on the Amiga Web Directory for as little as a $100 MERCHANDISE donation! The Champaign Urbana Commodore Users Group (CUCUG) is pleased to announce that thanks to the many inquiries by Amiga-oriented companies, we will now offer graphic advertisement banners on our popular Amiga Web Directory (http://www.cucug.org/amiga.html) in return for product donations. We feel that your company would benefit greatly from featuring a banner link on our popular Web site. Running a display banner is simple, inexpensive and benefits you, CUCUG members and the users of the Amiga Web Directory. Now, you can reach thousands of qualified, Amiga-oriented prospects with a highly visible link to your main web page, a special limited-time offer or any other compelling content you can dream up. And if you respond by August 31st, you can get 50% more exposure, FREE! 1. Banners can measure a maximum 468 x 60 pixels but not exceed 10K in size. You may supply your own graphic or we can create it for you. The banner will be hooked up to instantly take the user to a web page of your choosing. 2. A maximum of two banners will be accepted for each page. Banners will appear before page content. 3. Banners will appear on all five worldwide Amiga Web Directory sites including the USA, Australia, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom. 4. Normal running time on a banner is 60 days. Respond by August 31st, 1996 and we will EXTEND the running time of your banner to 90 DAYS! CUCUG accepts donations of Amiga-oriented hardware or software for banner placement on the Amiga Web Directory. Merchandise will be valued at current "street" price. These items will be used as CUCUG member benefits and fund raisers. This program benefits vendors and CUCUG. There are 17 sections of the Amiga Web Directory on which you may choose to place your banner. The donation values for each page shown below are based on the number of visits each of the pages receive. Each day 4,000-6,000 Amiga enthusiasts visit the Amiga Web Directory and "hit" our servers' files about 60,000 times(1). Your company can enjoy premium placement on our site for just a few copies of a few titles. This is likely the most affordable method available to reach Amiga enthusiasts from all over the world. Rate Card 90-Day Merchandise Placement* Donation -------------------------------- Main AWD Home Page........ $600 New Links Listing ........ $400 Amiga News................ $350 FW/SW Software Support.... $300 Agnes' Search Page........ $300 File Collections.......... $300 Amiga Technologies Information............... $250 Monster Link List......... $200 Commercial Sites.......... $200 Magazines................. $200 Hardware Support.......... $200 Demo Scene................ $200 Info Resources............ $100 Amiga Product Reviews..... $100 Other Amiga Links......... $100 Telnet BBSi............... $100 User Group Listing........ $100 * Normally 60-day placement. Respond by August 31, 1996 to receive 90-day placement. Exposure on the Amiga Web Directory is a very economical way to reach dedicated Amiga users since the cost of the ad is based on the value of a merchandise donation, not cash. It also offers all the advantages of an electronic medium like instant response and quick and easy updates of your offer. Book your space now! First come, first served. A limited amount of space is available. Contact Kevin Hisel (khisel@cucug.org) today and arrange placement and details of the graphic, message and URL for your banner today! (1) Documentation available upon request. CUCUG reserves the right to modify or withdraw this program at any time, or to refuse banner placement for any reason. Space cannot be reserved in advance of receipt of goods. @endnode @node NEWS15 "Amiga Web Network" @toc NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 8, 1996 We are pleased to announce the launch of our new web service, the Amiga Web Network. This service is available to any person or business that has an Amiga related web site. The AWN is a cooperative advertising program, allowing you to advertise your web site or products for free. That's right, absolutely free! If you are familiar with the Internet Link Exchange, then you already should have an idea of how AWN works. You will be given an account where we will keep track of the number of times your banner is displayed, the number of people that click on the banner and visit your site, and the number of credits you have. For each credit, you will receive a certain amount of banner displays on the AWN. For example, if you have 3 credits, we will display your banner and link to your site 2 times. Likewise, if you had 30 credits, your banner will be displayed 20 times. Currently, people have been earning hundreds of credits per day for free. We even have one site that earns over 1,000 credits per day. Since the AWN is free, you are probably wondering how you earn credit. There are a few different ways. The first way to do so is to display ad banners for other people's web sites. For each display, you will earn 1 credit. This is the method most people will use. Second, we do issue a free number of credits to get you started. Third, the AWN will issue bonus credits for each referal (successfull hit) from a unique IP. For further information, please visit our web page at: http://www.melizo.com/area52/search2/amicrawler/banners/ David Tiberio Amiga Web Network @endnode @node NEWS16 "CrossDOS 6 Pro Rel. 6.06" @toc NEWS 19, August 1996 Dear CONSULTRON customer, It's been awhile since we've had news worth reporting. CrossDOS 6 Professional is now at release 6.06! Sorry, CrossDOS still does not support Windows 95 long file names. We are working on it. No announced date for its' release. Please don't email us inquiring about its availabilty. We'll most likely won't reply. We're working as fast as we can. The changes in CrossDOS 6.06 are relatively minor. Mostly maintenance. Here's a short list: -- Added support for MS-DOS formatted drives larger than 4G. -- Fixed problem with ConfigDisk program accessing omniscsi.device HD controllers. -- Added support to Dr_CrossDOS and Install programs to display CIN and current CrossDOS release in the product disk. -- Minor maintenance fixes. You can find the patch files on our BBS or at the AmiNet sites in the biz/patch directory. The file is called "CrossDOS606.lha". The patches will patch all official CrossDOS 6 product disks (6.00 to 6.05). We still have technical support available for registered customers. Should you have any questions or problems, you can contact us at: CONSULTRON 8959 Ridge Rd Plymouth, MI 48170-3213 (313) 459-7271 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST *** Note *** Please have your CIN (Customer Identification Number) ready before calling. (Third line of the READ.ME file) Electronic Bulletin Board An electronic bulletin board has been provided for your enhanced support. The BBS is available during non-business hours and all day on weekends. (313) 459-7271 6:00 PM - 10:00 AM EST Weekdays all day on weekends Consultron Tech Support consultron@consultron.plymouth.mi.us We bring platforms together 8959 Ridge Rd Plymouth MI 48170 USA @endnode @node NEWS17 "EMC Phase CDs" @toc NEWS *** NEWSFLASH FROM E.M.COMPUTERGRAPHIC *** Following a staggering level of interest from American, Canadian and South American customers, we are now pleased to announce that the multi award winning range of "Phase" CDs from E.M.Computergraphic are now available directly from our newly appointed US distributors... Computer Safari. Computer Safari will be handling ALL American based sales and distribution of the EMC CDs, and also controlling the new EMC/Safari web site at... http://www.woodland.net/emc Computer Safari have set the US retail price for the EMC CDs as follows... EMC Phase 1... $39.99 + shipping (for DTP/DTV) EMC Phase 2... $39.99 + shipping (for DTP/DTV) EMC Phase 3... $39.99 + shipping (for DTP/DTV) EMC Phase 4... $59.99 + shipping (for ScalaMM/DTV) EMC Index... $24.99 + shipping (time saving/utility) Computer Safari are also selling "Price Blitz" packs of EMC CDs so contact them for more information Computer Safari accept all major credit cards and can arrange cash on delivery (US only) if required. You can contact Computer Safari at... Suite K, Tel: 916 661 3328 353 West Main Street, Fax: 916 666 4434 Woodland. Email: safari@woodland.net CA 95695 For full EMC CD information you can FTP to your local Aminet site and download docs/hyper/EMCsCD_Guide.lha for our custom Amigaguide file containing full details of our CDs including... 1. Complete contents listings for each CD. 2. Full ordering details, prices and contact addresses. 3. Details of the magazine reviews that each CD has received. 4. Details of the customer feedback that each CD has received. 5. Details of our other CDs along with details of our next CD releases. -------------------------------------------------------------------- | E.M.COMPUTERGRAPHIC... bringing you the BEST Amiga CD-Roms | | Check out Aminet/biz/demo/EMC_#? for more information & discounts | | 8 Edith Road, Clacton, Essex. CO15 1JU United Kingdom | | Tel: ++44 (0)1255 431389 Fax: ++44 (0)1255 428666 | | errol@emcomp.demon.co.uk Mobile: 0585 727751 | -------------------------------------------------------------------- @endnode @node NEWS18 "Wanted Amiga People" @toc NEWS Wanted Amiga People It's our firm belief the Amiga platform marches on, proceeding toward a "rebirth". To be successful, support must now remain continuous. Zorro based hardware, and software applications in various configurations must be accessible, and upgradable. With this simple philosophy in mind, we're creating this invigorated, new, support company. OnLine, an Ohio start-up company is looking worldwide, for enterprising people. Join us! Develop software and hardware applications for operation upon the Amiga platform. We 're awaiting contractors who can operate on a full/part time basis out of their homes. Future full time positions might exist in the future. Remember "you have to crawl before you can walk". We will contact all who follow the following procedure. Please contact us at this time ONLY by regular mail. No, phone calls, or e-mail! Facilities to handle these, are not yet established. Write to: OnLine (Attn. Contractor) P.O. Box 8142 Sylvania, Ohio 43560 USA Include: Your Name, address, phone number, time zone, e-mail/fido addresses. Background: Type of work (hardware/software), list some examples of your past work. List employers. List your speciality, or what type of project you would like to work on. List how much time you feel that you could devote to support such a project. ======================================================================== Permission is granted to post this message, as long as the material is posted unchanged, and in full. @endnode @node NEWS19 "SCSI Controller Chip Upgrade" @toc NEWS MessageID ......: <199608170145.UAA12905@test.icon-stl.net> Originally from : Bob Krusinski Originally to ..: WMADDOCK Subject ........: A3000 SCSI Controller ChipAugust 16, 1996~ Gateway Amiga Club RE: WD33C93A-PL 00-08 SCSI controller chip upgrade As you may know, there are several problems that can occur when adding additional SCSI devices to the SCSI bus on the A3000. Most common are random SCSI bus lockups, especially with CD-ROMS and tape drives, and random checksum errors when copying large files between devices. These problems can, in most cases, be attributed to the WD33C93A SCSI controller chip in the A3000. Most, if not all, A3000's shipped with the WD33C93A-PL 00-04 chip revision. This chip had known bugs when multiple devices were present on the SCSI bus. With a single device, problems rarely occurred. As soon as the user started to add devices to the bus, the problems mentioned above would start to appear. The WD33C93A-PL 00-08 chip revision addresses and fixes the above problems. I would like your user group to know that I am a source for this upgrade chip. Current asking price is $22.50 (US) per chip but I am reducing that price to $20.00 (US) per chip for user groups. An additional 5% discount is available if 11 or more chips are purchased which would bring the price to $18.00 (US) per chip. This price DOES include shipping to anyplace on the planet. Cash, check (drawn on a U.S. bank), or money order (converted to U.S. funds) are all acceptable forms of payment. Although I have referred to the A3000, this chip also works in the A2091 SCSI controller card, GVP SCSI controller card and any other SCSI controller card that uses the WD33C93A SCSI controller chip. Also, I have recently been informed by Western Digital that they are no longer in the chip production business. Fortunately, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) manufactures a clone chip which performs as well or slightly better than the Western Digital chip. While I am currently unable to obtain any more of the WD chips, I do have the AMD clone chip. On a personal note, before I upgraded my chip, I was unable to complete a tape backup on my A3000 without a SCSI bus lockup. Since I upgraded, I've had zero lockups and have added a CD-ROM and another hard drive. If you or any other members of your user group are interested in upgrading this chip, or if you have any additional questions, I can be contacted at the following places: E-Mail: bobk@paradigmtech.com Mail: B. Krusinski 7556 S. Madison Circle Littleton, Colorado 80122 Fax: 303-292-1812 Thanks for your time. Sincerely, your fellow Amigan @endnode @node NEWS20 "PIOS Computer AG" @toc NEWS PIOS Computer AG _________________________________________________________________ PIOS Computer AG, Hildesheim, Germany, 24th August 1996. New Product announcements from PIOS Computer AG has been eagerly awaited by both the visitors to our Web-Page (over 46000 since May '96) and the marketplace throughout Europe and the USA. Unfortunately this delay has been caused by the inability to secure a working agreement with Viscorp over the rights to the AMIGA patents and licenses. Despite repeated efforts by PIOS managent Viscorp have discontinued discussion, without giving any reasons or otherwise. This is despite initial talks and drawing up an agreements early June of this year. In order for PIOS to meets its business goals of providing RISC products for both the AMIGA community and other computer users, we feel that the time has now come to provide an new impetus into the marketplace. We can no longer accept the Viscorp vision for AMIGA as being based on reality and will immediately announce a range of products designed to give the AMIGA and other computer user the power and performance they need for the next decade. ( watch this space for Product announcements..... ) PIOS is committed to providing high performance, affordable products through the year 2000 and beyond. @endnode @node NEWS21 "Amiga Legacy Magazine" @toc NEWS Amiga Legacy Magazine Legacy is the new FREE Amiga magazine for North America! The impending launch of Amiga Legacy heralds in a new age in Amiga publishing, with a new way to deliver news and information to today's savvy Amiga professionals and enthusiasts. Legacy is a fresh concept for the Amiga community -- up to date coverage of the fascinating journey of the Amiga computer, without any cost to the reader. Legacy will provide you with a new outlet for reaching your valued customer base. By becoming a SPONSOR or an ADVERTISER, you'll be more than just a client of a publication -- you'll be an important part of a valuable resource. SPONSOR ------- As a Sponsor, you will be guaranteed preferential advertising space and special Sponsor advertising rates. Sponsors provide Amiga Legacy with their mailing list of Amiga customers. These customers will receive Amiga Legacy for free, and will see that their favorite Amiga companies have joined in the Legacy effort. The mailing lists will be treated with confidentiality. Legacy Sponsors will be entitled to addresses of Amiga customers as our mailing list grows, allowing you to build your list even as you reach customers with information on new products and exciting opportunities! ADVERTISER ---------- As an Advertiser, you will play an important role in providing funds for Legacy's publication. Your ads will reach the active, purchase- minded Amiga public of North America. Special promotional cooperations, such as mini-edition reprints of Amiga Legacy articles profiling your products, are also available. Here is just some of what Amiga Legacy will have to offer its readers -- all made possible by you, our Sponsors and Advertisers: REVIEWS - Trial by fire of Amiga accessories, software, et al. GAME SHOP - Breakneck gameplay from all around the world CLONEWATCH - Draco, the Ed, Phase5 and PIOS: all members of the Amiga Legacy THIS OLD AMIGA - Breathe new fire into vintage Amigas THE ONLINE LEGACY - Buzz through Amiga online, hot Aminet titles, Web tools, and URLs signed "Love, Amiga" NEWS - Harnessing the wild colt of Amiga development and releases AT THE WORKBENCH - Liberate the Amiga's four-color grey Workbench doldrums FEATURES - Amiga luminaries speak and coverage of Amiga gala events TUTORIALS - To edify and educate from the hallowed halls of Legacy U THE FUN PAGE - YACFD (Yet Another Caffeine Fueled Distraction) Ahhh... Unwind with Amiga puzzles and games --------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERESTED in becoming part of the Legacy? ( ) YES! Send me more information about becoming a SPONSOR for Amiga Legacy. The mailing list we would be able to supply is _____ strong. ( ) YES! Send me more information about becoming an ADVERTISER in Amiga Legacy. ( ) I think I can contribute to Amiga Legacy in another way: ________ _____________________________________________________________________ Please include a business card and/or other contact information, and send responses to: Legacy Publishing 1801 W. Greenleaf Ave. Chicago, IL 60626-2303 bohus@xnet.com @endnode @node FEATURE1 "Different Input" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== Using Different Input Controllers on the Amiga Calum Tsang tsangc@io.org =========================================================================== Are you sick of using your stock Amiga "wedgy" mouse? Or is your current mouse dying a slow and painful death with broken rollers and buttons? Perhaps it's time to look for a new mouse for your system. But wait, who makes Amiga mice anymore? You could go and seek out some high priced Amiga specific mouse, which may be imported from who knows where, which isn't ergonomic or particularily high resolution. You might also consider hacking up an old PC bus mouse from 1987. But why not use a serial mouse made for the IBM PC? Yes, it's very possible to hook one up. There are a few tradeoffs, as it'll connect to the serial port, and not the internal mouse port, and it won't be particularily compatible with games, but if you're using mostly Workbench run applications, a PC mouse might be your best option! PC mice come in a variety of different sizes and shapes. At the low end, you can find the horribly light yet ridiculously cheap OEM mice. Made by companies like Dexxa (which happens to be a subsidiary of Logitech), these mice cost less than $10, but are reasonably durable. At the high end, you can get the Microsoft Mouse 2.0, an ergonomically contoured J shape. Or perhaps a Logitech Mouseman with it's three buttons. The higher priced models are usually better designed in form and function. There are also trackballs and other oddities, like the absolutely adorable Logitech Kidz Mouse, which looks like a mouse. You'll probably want something you're comfortable with, that fits your hand size. I know people with small hands which can't stand large mice, and large handed people who say the already large Microsoft Mouse is too small! Many stores offer all the mice out on shelves to be examined, so take advantage of this and experiment. When you're buying the mouse, you'll want to know how it interfaces. Almost all modern PC mice connect to a computer via a serial port. This is usually in the form of a DB9 pin connector. To use your Amiga's serial port, which is a DB25, you'll need an adapter, but most mice packages will actually come with one. Some mice use a special MiniDIN plug, or PS/2 style mouse port. These are still serial, but just have a different connector. You could cut the end off and resolder a DB25, but it's easier to get a PS/2 mouse adapter for DB25. Or perhaps a PS/2 to DB9, then the DB9 to DB25. :) Another major concern is the protocol of the interface. Again, the PC industry is relatively standard and a PC mouse will most likely be Logitech Mouseman or Microsoft protocol. (oddly, some Logitech mice use Microsoft protocols) The Logitech protocols need an external serial board on the Amiga. Why? The Logitech uses 7N1 encoding, which the Amiga serial port does not support in hardware, while the system software drives do allow for. As a result, the Logitech mice need a board like the excellent GVP ioExtender or the MultiFace. This will probably limit most people to using Microsoft protocol mice. Don't worry, most of them are anyways. A quick note about where to buy: I personally like buying hardware from large retailers like ComputerCity, Future Shop, and Costco. These places, while having probably the worst sales people, also have the lowest prices. As you're an Amiga user, you probably don't care anyways, as they most likely won't know about Amiga systems. These stores also have good return policies, and aren't as stingy in this regard. This may come in handy if the mouse doesn't work properly, such as a protocol or interface problem. Once you've purchased the mouse, plug it in! Using your adapters, plug into the DB25 Serial port on your Amiga. You'll then need to set up a serial mouse driver. Two excellent drivers exist on Aminet, LogiMouse 1.053 by Simon Richardson, and SerMouse 2.21 by K.P. vanBeem. LogiMouse is for Logitech mice, and SerMouse is for Microsoft mice. SerMouse also supports 5BYTE encoding for MouseSystems mice, which are an older and less popular variant. SerMouse's configuration is done all through the Workbench Information menu for it's icon. For a Microsoft compatible mouse, set it for 3BYTES encoding, and let it use it's default serial port configuration. serial.device, unit 0, is the Amiga's internal serial port. If you have an IO board, use your corresponding device driver name and the unit number the mouse resides on. Doubleclick the icon, and you should be able to move the pointer around with your new mouse! If not, don't touch the PC mouse and use your Amiga mouse to doubleclick the icon again, disabling the driver. Then modify the tooltypes to get the settings right. You'll want to add the Tooltype DONOTWAIT into SerMouse's icon so it'll run without messages. Once you're satisfied, drag the SerMouse icon into the WBStartup drawer and it'll load the device driver everytime you boot. LogiMouse is a bit more complicated, but gives you quite a few more options. It also has versions optimized for different processors. First, place the appropriate LogiMouse program into your C: or similar "bin" like directory. LogiMouse is called from the user-startup sequence in your S: directory. Use a text editor to put in a line saying: c:logimouse -d whatever.device -u 0 whatever.device should be your serial board, as LogiMouse can't work with the incompatible Amiga internal port. The -u option LogiMouse what unit to use. This barebones configuration should activate the serial mouse. You can test it by rebooting, or just trying out the command on the Shell. If you got a Logitech two button, you're done. But, if you bought a three button Logitech, like the Mouseman, you'll want to use the middle button for another function. LogiMouse shines in allowing you to redefine the center button as the SHIFT key for instance. While holding down the middle button, you can now select multiple icons with left button without reaching for your keyboard. When I use my Logitech Mouseman, I use: c:logimouse -d gvpser.device -u 0 -mLSHIFT Of course, you'll want your serial board driver in place of my gvpser.device, and correpsonding unit number. LogiMouse also allows for many other functions for buttons, and even button swapping! With the left handed version of the Mouseman, you could even make a completely symmetrical reverse of a normal mouse. Both drivers work very well, and are in general compatible with programs run from Workbench. There are many more functions in both, but they pertain to more arcane configuration details or customization. The documentation for each explains them. You'll notice a bit of jerkiness in paint software, like a jagged response, but that's due to the limitations of serial mice, not the driver. Programs that have custom startup, like games, will obviously not work. That's acceptable if you're like me: you use your Amiga for mostly productivity applications. Also, if your machine crashes and you get a Software Error or Alert, the serial mouse won't let you click it away. That's not so much a problem with Kickstart 3.1, which cancels the Alert after a few seconds. One way is to keep the old Amiga mouse plugged in, to tap the button for reboots, and perhaps to play a game or two. Both authors have made their drivers freeware, but Simon Richardson asks for an email if you liked his LogiMouse. Their drivers certainly make my life easier! Thanks guys! (I use a Microsoft Mouse 2.0 on the Amiga 4000/040 at work, and a Logitech KidzMouse on my A3000/25 at home, along with a CBM "pregnant" two button left to the side of the desk) @endnode @node FEATURE2 "AB3D II Survey" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== AB3D II "The Killing Grounds" Survey =========================================================================== AB3D II is a cool game - but some things are missing. It has no CyberGraphX Support, no ECS Support, no Modem (only nullmodem) Support, no TCP/IP Support. If you want to change this, fill in this Survey. I will send the results to Team 17 (after i come back from holidays). This might not change much, but at least they know then... I will add together most answers (those without emails and addresses given) to some fine numbers, so that it is more easier for Team 17 to read. Email your Survey entries to Survey@Birdland.es.bawue.de Please spread this Survey as wide as possible !!! ----- Question 1 : Did you buy Alien Breed 3D II or plan to buy it in the near future ? [ ] Yes [ ] No, because i do not have an AGA system. [ ] No, because i do not buy games that do not run on GFX Boards. [ ] No, because _______________________________________________ Question 2 : a) If you already bought AB3DII : If a CyberGraphX Version would be released, it [ ] had to be for free (on Aminet). [ ] I would pay an upgrade fee of _______ to ________ [ ] I would pay full price for a CyberGraphX version, even if i already have bought the AGA version. [ ] A CyberGraphX Version of AB3D II would be very fine for me. [ ] A (much later released) update that features the Texturemapping features of the S3 Virge chip of the Cybervision 3D Board would be fine for me, as i will buy this board. [ ] The processor of my Amiga is a __________________ and my GFX Board (if existing) is a ________________. b) If you gave a "No" in Question 1 : [ ] I need an ECS Version, as i have a ECS system with a _________ processor, that is powerful enough for AB3D II. [ ] I need a CyberGraphX version. [ ] A (much later released) update that features the Texturemapping features of the S3 Virge chip of the Cybervision 3D Board would be fine for me, as i will buy this board. [ ] The processor of my Amiga is a __________________ and my GFX Board (if existing) is a ________________. Question 3 : If the CyberGraphX Version would be for free : [ ] It has to be tested at Team 17 before being put on Aminet. [ ] It can be provided "as if", if it runs or not is up to the user. Question 4 : How could you help Team 17 ? [ ] I could lend them my Computer with installed GFX Board for testing of a CyberGraphX version. My email, snail mail and phone number are found at the end of this entry. [ ] I could lend my GFX Board to Team 17. Address see below. [ ] I could lend my Computer without installed GFX Board to Team 17, if they get a GFX Board from somewhere else. [ ] As soon as the Cybervision 3D comes out, i can sell them my GFX Board quite cheap, as i am then getting a Cybervision 3D then, instead of the board i up to now use. [ ] I could do Beta testing of the GFX Board version. I have bought AB3D II. So they only had to mail me the main executable. [ ] I am a programmer who is quite familiar with CyberGraphX programming. I could help them with the coding part. My email is ___________________________________________ [ ] I am a programmer quite familiar with c2p algorithms. I could do a c2p for ECS machines for Team 17. My email is __________________________________________ [ ] I am a programmer quite familiar with TCP/IP coding. I could help them there. My email is _________________________________________ @endnode @node FEATURE3 "More Amigas At Disney" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== More Amigas At Disney Dr. Peter Kittel peterk7@combo.ganesha.com =========================================================================== In AR410, you report about Amigas used at Disney's. Below you'll find a report of mine about the same issue, though I saw it only indirectly via TV, but with some heartwarming comments from Disney people. When you see that my posting is already FIVE years old (this is 5 centuries in computer business :-), this does say a lot about the robustness of those old A2000's. In the text you find some more enlightening details for this very issue. And in the text, they say it was even already 4 or 5 years old in the days of the interview! Please note also that this use of Amigas is listed since years in the "Amiga uses" Web page (perhaps this is some outdated URL, but there should be a link from the "Amiga" Web pages): http://www5.ios.com/~area52/uses.html Thanks again and keep up the good work, Peter Quote: Old posting >From: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY) >Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy >Subject: Amiga at Disney (Was: Re: Memory Protection) >Date: 16 Jul 91 07:01:59 GMT >Reply-To: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY) >Organization: Commodore Bueromaschinen GmbH, West Germany In article <1991Jul15.123140.11645@Sugar.NeoSoft.com> peter@Sugar.NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >In article <5397@orbit.cts.com> chucks@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Erik Funkenbusch) writes: > >> the most common bug by far is a null pointer reference. >> while this can be fatal in some situations, it may not be in others, and the >> program running might be crucial. > >You don't work in the process control industry, am I right? You should ask the people at Disney Studios: "We have shows here that run 40 times a day since 2 years and are controlled by Amiga computers. NOT ONE SINGLE show was abandoned due to a computer error. 20,000 shows without a crash justify Disney's choice and this computer concept." (This is re-translated from a translation into German.) This was in a computer show in German TV (BR-III, Computer-Treff, 13.7.91, 17.05). They reported about all the computer controlling at Disney in Florida, at Disney/MGM-Studios, at Epcot and in Disney World (or is it DisneyLand?). Here some more scenes from that show: Indiana Jones show Moderator: "Which costly computer system is used here to control all those sound effects?" Disney speaker: "Normal Amigas. We chose them for their multitasking capability. That was 4 or 5 years ago. At that time it was the only computer with which you could do this. In the meantime there were many computers announced that are able to do the same, but they are still much more expensive. We could today place a $10,000 computer here that can do the same, but it makes no sense, for the Amigas are working wonderfully. ... We only have problems with the environment, humidity and dust. (Action scene shown with fire and smoke, Amiga directly besides this, then they show heavy rain in Florida.) Real mud gets onto the computer boards. But the computers do stand this, you just have to open them every few months, clean them and perhaps change boards, then they work reliably." Moderator: "This is the most important in the film studios where George Lucas was among to define the concept: The same procedure has to run without problems, dozens of times a day, year for year." Disney studios, 3D MuppetVision Moderator: "Also this show would be unthinkable without computer: 3D characters (Mickey Mouse) on the movie screen interact with live actors (Kermit) on the stage. Light, sound and Special Effects are controlled and synchronized by an Amiga. (Follows the above mentioned 20,000 show statement.)" Disney World, fireworks in the evening Moderator: "You may have a nice fireworks, as it lights the sky every evening. And guess who stands behind that colorful magic?" Disney Speaker: "During this fireworks we control all 3 parts of the show with the Amiga: 1. Sound. The computer takes the input signal, music from a digital audio tape. Special software processes it in the computer to prepare it for different hardware configurations outside, levels are adjusted, and the result is fed to 4 or 5 separated loudspeaker towers that are distributed in the park. ... Only with the computer we can divide the main signal from tape into the correct sub-signals and synchroneously send it to the right places. 2. We also control the pyrotechnics that is established on the roofs. We have 6 locations from where we start fireworks. ... During this we absolutely need perfect timing, as the fireworks is very tightly choreographed with the music of the show, and we want to provide the same result every evening. A precise result can only be achieved with the Amiga control computer. 3. The 3rd system controlled by the computer is the light. It consists of six 5 kW spots that are controlled individually in their precise intensity." So far excerpts from this TV show. Please apologize my English, I only hope I didn't lose an important fact or misunderstood one. It was amazing. They very often not only talked about "computer". No, they explicitly said "Amiga computer" again and again. We must address that TV station to get a good tape from it :-). It's heartwarming. >-- >Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel // E-Mail to \\ Only my personal opinions... >Commodore Frankfurt, Germany \X/ {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk (end of quote) Uh, do you see that old email address of mine in '91? SIGH! @endnode @node FEATURE4 "Amiga Survey" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== Amiga Survey Wojciech Czyz wojcz@ue.eti.pg.gda.pl =========================================================================== Please send this file to as many person as you can. Please post it on Internet discussions, WWW pages, Email it to your Amiga friends. Please help me!!!! I am interested in creating new Amiga family, used mainly in industry and special applications. This family will have several boards, equipped with Motorola MC63xxx microcontroller, memory, modified Amiga OS and connections for different devices. Amiga OS is very good in industrial applications, and I hope that such usage will help all Amigas to build up their better image. This will be first Amiga hardware/cloning experiment, in future we want to produce Amiga boards for "normal" users. Please fill this questionnaire and send on Email address: wojcz@ue.eti.pg.gda.pl or wojcz@mug4.gumbeers.elka.pg.gda.pl Place X in answers, always use only one answer. DO NOT write any comments, you will have space at the and of this questionnaire --- CUT HERE SENDING THIS FILE TO ME --- I General questions. 1) Should Amiga OS be ported to other platforms ( )Yes. ( )No. 2) What kind of porting should be used: ( ) Full porting, requiring changes in existing software to run properly. ( ) Emulation, running nearly all existing software, but being ineffective. 3) Should Amiga processor be changed: ( ) Yes, in all future models. ( ) Yes, in some models. ( ) No. Only MC68xxx family should be used. 4) Should Amiga be produced as separate hardware platform in future: ( ) Yes. ( ) Yes, some models. ( ) No. OS and software should be completely ported. 5) Should Amiga use open architecture with slots: ( ) Yes. ( ) Yes, some models. ( ) No. 6) What standard slots should Amiga use: ( )PCI ( )ZorroIII ( )Modified ZorroIII ( )EISA ( )Other 7) Should Amiga hardware be produced by different vendors: ( )Yes. ( )No. 8) Should Amiga OS still be placed on ROM: ( )Yes. ( )No. II Custom Amiga applications questions. 9) Should Amiga OS be used in industrial field: ( )Yes. ( )No. 10) Do you see any advantages coming from Amiga OS usage in industry applications for normal Amiga community (users and developers): ( )Yes. ( )No. III Cloning Amiga. 11) Should there be Amiga clone with only CPU, minimal OS and slots on board, able to fit into standard PC case: ( )Yes. ( )No. 12) Should there be "Amiga" with only slots and minimal OS on board. (CPU boards as add on): ( )Yes. ( )No. 13) Would you be interested in buying and using of above Amigas ( )Yes. ( )No. IV Comment and text question - very valuable!!! 14) What Amiga would you buy: >>................... 15) What interesting application could would you propose for custom Amiga with only CPU, Amiga OS and peripherals for control, sensing and others: >>................... 16) What are advantages of Amiga OS: >>................... 17) What are advantages of Amiga software: >>................... 18) Who may be interested in using custom (industrial) Amigas: >>................... 19) Who may be interested in developing custom Amigas: >>................... 20) Do you know anything about Motorola MC63xxx microcontrollers used in industrial Amigas: >>................... 21) Do you have any other comments: >>................... Thank you, Wojciech Czyz (wojcz). wojcz@ue.eti.pg.gda.pl wojcz@gumbeers.elka.pg.gda.pl @endnode @node FEATURE5 "Montreal and Atlanta Reports" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== Amiga Convention '96 Montreal and the Atlanta Amiga Portable Unveiling By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} =========================================================================== It feels like I've been all over the place in the past month, which hasn't helped me sit down and work on Amiga Report. But here I am, with a few hours to spare until my set deadline for the issue, and I'd like to at least try to do SOME justice to the events I attended. Amiga Convention '96 in Montreal was held in early August at the downtown Howard Johnson Hotel. The weekend got off to a good start in our "all we have left but it's pretty cheap, all things considered" hotel suite. Friday night was filled with the usual meeting up with people, catching up on personal business, and going out to dinner multiple times. Among others, I was finally able to meet Commodore legend Jim Butterfield. Particularly if the Amiga is not your first Commodore computer, you should either be familiar with Jim's name, or be ashamed of yourself. Saturday morning, the show kicked off. Unlike last year's AC and most conventional trade shows, AC was not held in a huge room but instead in a series of large meeting rooms. There was a lot of hanging out in stairways and hallways as a result--not a bad thing, since much of the point of a trade show is to socialize. Exhibitor turnout was substantial, but there was a notable lack of strong presence by hardware developers. Left to represent that aspect of Amiga business on their own was Silent Paw, makers of the PAWS 1200 portable. Software manufacturers were reasonably well represented by the wit and charm of Dale Larson and his IAM crew, Syzygy and their Digital Universe-churning demo unit, Bob Fischer and his ImageFX and Aladdin 4D promotion, and Moebius Technology, whose spreadsheet program is in developmental stages. Rounding off the software developers was clickBOOM, creators and publishers of the upcoming Capital Punishment for the Amiga. Retailers on the scene included National Amiga, Valleysoft, Wonder Computers, and The Computer and You. Not too much in the way of new product was available. IAM launched their new MRBackup software, and clickBOOM was showing yet another Capital Punishment demo, this one 060 compatible. National Amiga had a lot of last-chance items, including a stack of CDTVs and A600s. If you shopped in another room, you would have seen dozens of A3000s on sale for ridiculously low prices. About 40 were sold at the event. The show featured a keynote by VIScorp VP of Business Development David Rosen, as well as demonstrations and programs throughout the two-day session. Final attendance was estimated at something under 400 people. Not stellar, which was surprising given the amount there really was to see and do, but not bad, either. Of course, the real fun is the night life. Saturday night consisted of Vietnamese food and Laser Quest, a game where you don a big plastic vest and gun and run around a blacklit maze shooting at each other. Since I was dressed in a white t-shirt, I was a great target and got shot an awful lot. Sunday, there was a panel discussion with myself, David Rosen, and Dale Larson of IAM. Lots of questions came from the audience, worried about future Amiga direction and cooperation with other companies. Sunday night was the really neat one. The local Virtual World franchise helped sponsor the event and put on a demonstration. There were also free passes for all the event staff and VIPs, so we played a few rounds of Battletech. Within our group of 6 players (Myself, Katherine Nelson, Dale Larson, Robert Hardy, Adam The IAM Intern, and Al Mackey), I managed to win all three matches. :) In Atlanta, the tone was considerably different. VIScorp had committed, months ago, to sending a rep to Atlanta in August. When it finally came time to really send someone, I was asked to attend. Luckily, QuikPak came to my rescue and gave me something real to talk about. They are developing a new motherboard to be placed in an industry-standard OEM portable computer case, which will put a portable A4000-class machine on the market. The new computer will have a color LCD capable of Amiga video modes. In addition, the new motherboard will have 040 and 060 design and up to 128 megs of memory directly. There will be Zorro and video slots, allowing for a fully portable video editing station based on Amiga technology. Estimated retail cost is around $3000, and count on it being six months away. The unit will be AC power only, and is not the same design Silent Paw has been working on. The Atlanta group turnout was decent, and I fielded questions for what roughly seemed like forever. Thankfully, it's all on video so I can keep straight in my head what exactly happened. :) Coming up for the rest of the year, it looks like there may well be two Toronto Amiga shows. Amazing Computers is planning a November show with Comspec and Randomize, and Wonder Computers is planning a second showing of their World of Amiga show in December. Of course, the other big upcoming shows will be the Cologne Computer '96 and the Video Toaster Expo. I hope to see you there! @endnode @node REVIEW1 "Review: MIAMI vs. AMITCP" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: MIAMI vs. AMITCP Robert Davis rdavis@nyx.net =========================================================================== Here is a comparison of the performance of MIAMI as compared to AMITCP. In July, 1996, Holger Kruse released the beta and then demo versions of his new TCP/IP stack for the Amiga, named MIAMI. The primary advantages to MIAMI over the older AMITCP are: 1. MIAMI is *much* easier to install, often taking fewer than 10 minutes from start to on-line. 2. MIAMI is less expensive to register, costing $35 (US) while the commercial version of AMITCP/IP is around $95 (US) from retail sources. The tests I have run show disagreements with the prevailing wisdom as seen in Usenet newsgroups and on Internet Relay Chat channels. The buzz seemed to be that MIAMI was simply faster with its Internet connections than was AmiTCP, and that MIAMI used less memory than AmiTCP. Neither is true. Anyone can do these tests, all it takes is a bit of effort and some time. I would like to see someone come up with different results, using a test procedure which I (or anyone) could duplicate. Still, differences are slight, and the two advantages for MIAMI listed above are very important. Having a choice in TCP/IP implementations is also important. Here are the results of my comparitive tests of MIAMI and AmiTCP, starting with an examination of memory used. Procedure followed: Reboot the Amiga 3000, take note of free memory, start the TCP/IP stack, start IBrowse, close unnecessary windows. Note free memory, subtract from original free memory to determine actual usage. Software versions used were MIAMI 1.0 demo and AmiTCP/IP 4.0 demo, and IBrowse R8a demo. IBrowse is loaded because it uses MUI, and forces similar memory allocations in both MIAMI (which uses MUI at startup) and AMITCP (which does not use MUI). case 1 MIAMI + IBROWSE memory used chip 226976 other 1696896 total 1,923,872 case 2 AMITCP + IBROWSE memory used chip 216128 other 1544048 total 1,760,176 case 3 MIAMI + IBROWSE memory used chip 226976 other 1697088 total 1,924,064 case 4 AMITCP + IBROWSE memory used chip 216128 other 1544048 total 1,760,176 Conclusion, once MUI is forced, AMITCP uses about 163-thousand bytes less than does MIAMI. ==================================================================== The results of three speed comparisons between MIAMI (the new Amiga TCP/IP system for modem use) and AMITCP/IP 22 July 1996 Speed of FTP file transfer ... AmiTCP loaded, amiftp started, connected to ftp.amigalib.com, received file INDEX.Z 941966 bytes. the reboot loaded MIAMI, and receive the same file from the same ftp site. Then repeat. attempt 1 AmiTCP 1365 bytes/second attempt 2 MIAMI 2616 bytes/second attempt 3 AmiTCP 2898 bytes/second attempt 4 MIAMI 2366 bytes/second attempt 5 AmiTCP 2943 bytes/second attempt 6 MIAMI (transfer stopped at 95232 bytes) attempt 7 MIAMI 2660 bytes/second Interesting. The very slowest and the very fastest ftp transfers were while using AmiTCP. I suspect that conditions on the Internet have a lot more to do with data transfer speed than does which TCP stack you are running. Note that attempt 6, using MIAMI, errored and failed. ==================================================================== 02 August 1996 Some results from limited comparisons between MIAMI (demo version 1.0) and AmiTCP (4.0 demo) Speed of FTP file transfer ... reboot the A3000, Load MIAMI, start amiftp, connect to ftp.amigalib.com, receive file INDEX.Z 953269 bytes. Reboot the A3000, load AMITCP, and receive the same file from the same ftp site. Then repeat. attempt 1 MIAMI 2633 bytes/second attempt 2 AmiTCP 2868 bytes/second attempt 3 MIAMI 2862 bytes/second attempt 4 AmiTCP (transfer aborted at 670720 bytes) attempt 5 AmiTCP 2812 bytes/second attempt 6 MIAMI 2862 bytes/second attempt 7 AmiTCP 2597 bytes/second Interesting. For the second time, the very slowest and the very fastest ftp transfers were while using AmiTCP. But MIAMI is very close ... I conclude there is no significant difference in the speed of data transfer using MIAMI or AmiTCP. I still suspect that conditions on the Internet have a lot more to do with data transfer speed than does which TCP stack you are running. This time attempt 4, using AMITCP/IP, errored and eventually failed. ==================================================================== 05 August 1996 Again using MIAMI 1.0 demo and AMITCP 4.0 demo, here are the results of a third speed test. Slightly changed conditions for the third speed test involve putting INDEX.Z (954859 bytes) on the local Internet Service Provider. That LINUX system is about one mile from my home. The same procedure, reboot, load a TCP/IP stack, receive the file, then do it all again, gave the following results: attempt 1 MIAMI 3281 bytes/second attempt 2 AMITCP 3304 bytes/second attempt 3 MIAMI 3236 bytes/second attempt 4 AMITCP 3304 bytes/second attempt 5 MIAMI 3304 bytes/second attempt 6 AMITCP 3304 bytes/second Certainly, neither MIAMI nor AMITCP/IP has a significant speed advantage. Speed variations here might be attributed to load differences on the remote computer. rdavis@nyx.net IRC Arvid @endnode @node REVIEW2 "Review: Alien Breed 3D II - The Killing Grounds" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Alien Breed 3D II - The Killing Grounds By: @{" Ken Anderson " link KEN} =========================================================================== At last - Yes, it's here. The wordily-named "Alien Breed 3D II - The Killing Grounds" (hereafter TKG), the most eagerly awaited game for the Amiga since the last Alien Breed 3D, slipped into the shops on the 24th July, after what seems like years of waiting. The first thing to point out is that TKG loves power. Nay, it demands it. Playing this game on a stock A1200 is like having sex with 3 condoms on - better than nothing, but it's slower, more difficult and generally not as good as the real thing. The game is shipped with both 2 and 4 megabyte version - the former runs in 2x2 mode, meaning every block on the main playing screen is made up of a square, 2 pixels wide. It gives you enough detail to see what's going on, but you can't appreciate the true hard work that has gone into TKG. Showing this mode to a PC owner will result in minus several thousand street cred points, so don't do it. Feed TKG to anything better than an 68030/25-equipped Amiga, and you start to see things a little more clearly. Coupled with 4Mb of memory, the extra power will allow the 1x1 mode, where the screen is made up of individual pixels. Robots that were a mass of blocks in chunky old 2x2 mode show up as lean, mechanical killers in 1x1. The ankle-biting aliens that previously looked as if they were being viewed through your bathroom window now look fearsome, deadly, and to be avoided. The second thing to point out is that TKG is very, very tough. It took me 3 days of on-off playing to get past the second level, and that was only by the skin of my teeth. Ammo, in the initial levels at least, is scarce, forcing you to make every shot count. The aliens attack in ferocious waves, enducing panic-filled spinning around, desperately trying to orientate yourself enough to get a clear shot. The levels are well-designed, with secret passages, hiding holes and even the odd ventilation system for you to crawl around in, Bruce Willis style. Of course, you are not alone in this playground - the Alien Breed of the title are out for you. In the first game, they weren't such a clever bunch. You could rely on them to follow certain patterns, and take advantage of such rigid artificial intelligence. In TKG, no more - those damn aliens are smart (except for the stupid ones, of course). Even though they can't see you, most can hear you - a missed potshot at a dozing robot will result in the thing chasing after you. This can also work to your advantage, of course - no better way to lure the scum out that to loose off a few rounds outside their hiding place. The game engine has been improved almost beyond recognition, so you can now look up and down - especially useful in some levels for peering down over a ledge to blast an unsuspecting beastie. Every level is now lightsourced - blasts from guns will temporarily light up dark caverns, and aliens and objects are silhouetted by explosions beyond them. The light effects, and in particular the sound effects, give the game a very strong atmosphere - play the game with the lights off and the speakers turned up, and I guarantee you'll jump backwards when that walker appears around the corner, headlights - and laser cannon - blazing. The pounding, almost subliminal, sound effects grow steadily quieter and louder as the game and the pace vary. In fact, technical issues aside, it is the atmosphere generated by TKG that sets it apart from the rest of the croud. You ARE the lone fighter, stuck in a room with a family of blood-sucking mutants after you. Your task isn't simply to get from the start to the end of the level; it's to blow up X, find out more about Y whilst crawling around Z. Once every last bit of playability has been exhausted from the game, you can resign just about all of the game with the supplied game editors. The level design, alien intelligence, objects and most other game elements can be customised, enabling the player to create their own little world in which to kill things. PC fans will know that there is a wealth of user-created Doom levels on the Internet, and I expect this will become the case with TKG too. Sadly, a vital file required for the running of the level editor was missed in the final distribution of TKG. Team 17 should have the file ready for release by the time you read this. In summary, TKG is the finest Amiga "Doom-clone" ever written, and can hold it's head up against other platforms too. It combines atmosphere, technical genius and sound gameplay design to produce an instant Amiga classic. This is the standard on which others will be judged. --- Team 17, once the darlings of the Amiga games scene, have been publicly pessimistic about the Amiga's future. It is only the instinct that has been bred into them and the sheer skill of TKG's programmer, Andy Clithereo, that has brought TKG into existence. Do not let their skill and trust go unrewarded. If you like what you have read here, buy the game. This time, the Amiga's future really IS in your hands. There are also reported problems running TKG from a hard drive. Exactly what causes the problem is unclear at the time of writing, but various suggestions have been put forward in comp.sys.amiga.games. Anyone having trouble with the game would be best advised to keep an eye on c.s.a.g and Team 17's Web Site (http://www.team17.com). Pros: Unsurpassed atmosphere, and probably the most technically advanced game ever written for the Amiga. Enough challenge and levels to keep you at it for a long time to come, and when you've finally beaten it, there's the level editor to keep you going. Oh, and one more go, please. Cons: Incredibly tough, which creates frustration. Needs a pretty porky Amiga to get the best from it. @endnode @node REVIEW3 "Review: Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered)" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered) Mathias Axelsson mathias.axelsson@coders.ct.se =========================================================================== PRODUCT NAME Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered) BRIEF DESCRIPTION A integrated BBS system with support for Fidonet echos, as well as fileechos. Good MSGID/REPLY linking, and support for long file desc. AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION Name: Henric Andersson (1996-), Niclas Emdelius (1991-95) Address: Smedjegatan 10, S-260 60 KVIDINGE, SWEDEN Telephone: N/A E-mail: edc@klippan.se Fidonet: Henric Andersson, 2:200/236 (+46-435-25251) (24h) World Wide Web: N/A LIST PRICE 700 SEK (~US$ 100) This includes free updates and a keyfile. You can send the payment either via PostGiro 5010164316 (Scandinavians only, mark with "Reccoon / Andersson") or via direct bank transfer to Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SE Banken), Clearingnr 5620, Account 56200005109. DEMO VERSION Demo version is available on Aminet, e.g. in /pub/aminet/comm/bbs at ftp.luth.se as Reccoon-Eval.lha or via Fidonet filerequest of "rcn067.lha" from 2:200/236. The demo version can only run with a locale node, but you can get the feel of the BBS system anyway. You can still import msgs, upload files etc. When you register you'll get a keyfile, and will also be able to download your personal executables directly online from Henrics BBS. I've mailed Henric about getting the updated personal executables via EMail, but I haven't got any answer yet. That would make it cheaper for people in other parts of the world. SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS HARDWARE x 1 MB RAM required, but more is prefered. x Installable on disc, but HD is prefered if you want to run the registered version. x The program runs on any 680x0 processor, but the faster the better.. :) SOFTWARE x AmigaOS 2.04+ is requiered. x Working just fine on AmigaOS 3.1. x If you want to run as a Fidonet node you'll need a Fidonet compatible mailer like TrapDoor. A tosser is included, as well as programs to handle fileechos. COPY PROTECTION There is no visible copy protection, but you get your personal keyfile and will also need to download your personal executables before you get the fully working version. I guess you could get the executables Email:ed to you from the author as well. It can be installed on a hard drive (prefered). No need for any original disk. MACHINE USED FOR TESTING Amiga 3000 25 MHz Workbench 3.1 (40.42), Kickstart 3.1 (40.68) One internal 1.76 HD diskdrive and one external DD diskdrive 2 MB Chip RAM 12 MB Fast RAM Fujutsi 1.05 GB, 100 MB Quantum HD NEC 2x CDROM SupraFAXmodem 28k8 V.FC/V.34 INSTALLATION The product has an easy to use Installer script, but in earlier versions there's been some trouble with the installation failing. This is not the case in the current 0.67 version. It's easy to update from an earlier version, since the script does all the necessary changes. There's also dozens of doors specially wrote for Rcn, and they are easily installed in the DOORS: directory. =20 REVIEW The BBS packages comes with all the utils you need, like Front, which is a frontend if you do not have any real mailer. A tosser is included to handle msg import/exporting and there's both a STDIO and a GUI config program as well as user editor. It's easy to create your own menus, and the system supports configurable number of menus (you can have e.g. ANSI/non-ANSI menus with swedish or english text). All strings in the BBS program can also be translated if you want to. If your a new user and haven't programmed C before, then there might be some problems to get started with the FPL programming, but since there's a lot of people to ask in the Fidonet echos, or the author, that won't be that big a problem. There's also a lot of examples in the fileechos, and a good online manual for FPL. You don't need to know FPL to create your own menus, even though you can write your menus directly in FPL. The configuration is quite easily made. All you have to do is start the config program. If you want to install Fidonet stuff, then some Fidonet basic will be good to have. Setting up msg areas and file areas isn't hard at all, just press the Create area button and fill in what you need. I only run my BBS as a one line BBS, but there is some people running multi-line BBS:s, and they say it works perfectly fine. There's also some chat doors to enable chat between two lines, as well as between more than two people. The BBS system can handle DOS doors, the old Paragon style doors as well as the new Rcn doors. Most doors I've installed works with some of those configs, which gives us a lot of doors. There is currently not as many doors as Xenolink or AmiExpress have, but work is under way. New doors and utils will be uploaded to Aminet in comm/bbs, and will begin with 'rcn' to make it easier to locate the special doors/utils (according to the author). The BBS system does also support XEM libraries, which means you can get RIP support by just adding the xemrip.library to your system. There's also support for ANSI mouse. DOCUMENTATION The documentation is all in AmigaGuide format, and it includes documentation for the system, as well as docs about special escape codes, and a separate doc file for FPL (Frexx Programming Language, which is a C like language), which is used for writing the menus, as well as other stuff that you want to change in the BBS system. The upcoming v14 of FPL will also include a compiler to speed up the execution of FPL programs. The documentation is easy to read, and explains all the functions of the BBS system, new features, updates etc. There's also autodocs for the reccoon.library, and some example templates for writing your own doors. The include files is only C versions, but there is work on E modules and asm/E door templates. The autodocs could be better, as some functions is missing a description. You can still code your own doors without too much hassle, and you can always mail Henric, or ask a question in any of the Fidonet support echos. I've always got fast replies from Henric concerning questions on how to code certain stuff, and there's also a bunch of other Rcn sysops to ask questions to, or talk with. LIKES The best thing of this BBS system is that it uses FPL for scripts (ARexx can be used if you want), which makes it very configurable. There's also both STDIO and GUI versions of the Config and UserEd programs (even though the GUI versions has to be updated to include the new stuff). The msg part is also good, as it supports MSGID/REPLY linking. The filebase has also been improved to allow long filenames as well as long (more than two rows) descriptions. There's also going to be support for File_ID.DIZ in the future. I'm also running Enforcer to check all new programs that I install, and I'm glad to say that Rcn hasn't given me any hits with this version. DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS I would like to see some support for REPLY-ADDR kludges, as well as To:/From: fields to enable good support for gated Internet EMail/News. The tosser is also a little bit slow, and it doesn't come with a GUI config program, which would be much better, as it makes it easier to config nodes/echos. There isn't any good way to delete a msg area or a file area, so you have to set the access to a high number to exclude it for users. I've talked to the author and he said it will be fixed in a later version. One quirk with the system is the special version of FSED that comes with the system. This is the full screen editor that is used when writing msgs. It's a bit old, and has some really annoying features, like when I press =F6= (a swedish char) and the cursor goes down one line instead of printing an =F6... :( COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS I've only tested TransAmiga a little before I tested Rcn and registered. As Rcn is a swedish product, and I live in Sweden, that made me chose Rcn, as I could get fast support. In comparision to TA I would say that Rcn is easier to install and configure. It has also got better Fidonet support in the msg base. BUGS There has been some bugs in earlier versions, but they're fixed in this version. I've had no problems at all since I installed 0.67. VENDOR SUPPORT You can contact the author via Email at edc@klippan.se or through Fidonet ar 2:200/236. For his full address, see the beginning of this review. There's also a couple of Fidonet msg echos and file echos where the author and other Rcn sysops can exchange sources, help, suggestions etc. These Fidonet echos are exported to the UK as well, so if you want support in the UK, then please contact Richard Bell at 2:251/31. I've written some doors for Rcn and I'm currently working on a new online editor for Rcn, with support for signatures, headers, ANSI colours and a lot of other stuff. This editor is a port from OS/2, where it was originally written by Bj=F6rn Stenberg (2:201/328 or bjst@sth.frontec.se). I've added a lot of stuff since the original port, and also removed some bugs. The reason I ported it was that there was no support for FSED any more (there is a special version of FSED for Rcn included in the archive) so I thought I should fix a better editor. Beta testing is currently under way, and a full release will be included in the next release of Rcn. WARRANTY The author doesn't take any responsibility if anything goes wrong. You use the program on your own risk. CONCLUSIONS The conclusion will be that this is a great BBS packages, with a few glitches like no News/Email support and no File_ID.DIZ support (yet!). The tosser is a little bit slow, and doesn't have all those fancy things I wanted, so I run another tosser for the main tossing and only use ReccProc to import/export msgs to the BBS. It do contain a msg filter though, so you can add your own robots, like Areafix/Raid programs. The Fidonet msg system is also very good. I give it four out of five stars. The product gives a good first impression, and the easy installation makes it even more positive in the first impression. When you get the feel of the system I'm sure you're gonna like it even more, at least I did. The easy way to create doors and add scripts makes the system very configurable, and you can add almost anything to your personal setup. With both ARexx and FPL supported, you can easily add customized menus, add extra menus to the GUI, and a lot of other stuff. COPYRIGHT NOTICE This review may be freely distributed. Copyright 1996 Mathias Axelsson (max@coders.ct.se or 2:204/211) @endnode @node REVIEW4 "Review: TEAC High Density FDD" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: TEAC High Density FDD Frank eric@karoass.gun.de =========================================================================== Two years ago during the computer show here in cologne, the original Chinon drives were dumped out for a price lower than 100DM ($66 I guess) but I didn't buy one. A few weeks later I heard that Chinon kicked these drives out of their product family. That's life... Time goes by and I reached a point where a HD-drive became very important for me (PC-Task, Shapeshifter). But there are no drives on the market. This spring I saw an advertisment of the German firm "Amtrade". They offered the drive I was searching for. One day later I ordered an internal one for my A2000 (running in a PC-Bigtower). It took about four weeks for delivery. This drive is a TEAC one with a little hardware plugged on the floppy connector. The whole magic does a PAL and a little modification on the floppy-board. The way of connection is like the normal drives. After inserting and connecting the drive, I started my test. This software works fine with the drive: - PC-Task - Shapeshifter - CrossDos - CrossMac - SuperDuper From my point of view this drive is 99.99% compatible with all system friendly programms. The internal A1200-version includes the floppy-fix for the newer A1200-models. External drives are availiable too. I don't know if there is a version for the A3000 (it seems to be question of the right eject-button). Amtrade Computersysteme Wilhelmstrasse 25 72555 Metzingen Germany Tel. 49 7123 960810 FAX 49 7123 960855 @endnode @node REVIEW5 "Review: Aminet Set 3" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: Aminet Set 3 By: @{"Jason Compton " link JASON} =========================================================================== Aminet Set 1 was stunning in scope. Aminet Set 2, a year later, was a welcome update. But Aminet Set 3, coming about six months later, is a big surprise. If you're unfamiliar with Aminet, you're missing out on a global phenomenon. Now recognized as the largest archive of freely redistributable software not just for the Amiga but for ANY platform, Aminet is THE place to get non-commercial Amiga programs, tools, music, pictures, you name it. A few years back, Aminet CDs began to surface, gaining popularity and acceptance as 3 month, then two month installments under publisher Schatztruhe. The Set was a way to compile the entire Aminet, and later its updates, into small, portable 4-disc sets. Aminet Set 3 is the wealth of files accumulated since Aminet Set 2, and also includes new material compiled after the release of the 12th Aminet CD. Some of the massive gain in a short time has been accomplished through integrating other sources of data (in other words, it wasn't all just spontaneously uploaded by enthusiastic masses), but it is there and it is new to Aminet all the same. Seen one, you've seen them all, more or less. The ever-present AmigaGuide interface is back, allowing you to uncompress and run software directly off the CDs, search for titles, configure your own viewing software, and more. What might make Aminet Set 3 more attractive to you, if you're still reeling from the data overload of owning the Set 1 or perhaps a subscription, is the commercial goodies on the Set. Recent Aminet CDs have been publishing specially licensed commercial software, and a number of the offerings have been quite attractive. On the Set 3, you will find a few games (still not very good), OctaMED 5 (well worth a look), XiPaint 3.2 (the very capable 24-bit paint package) and Imagine 4, which to my mind is the biggest goodie since, well, since Imagine 3 was released on CU Amiga's coverdisk last winter. What's more, there's a brochure included that offers special upgrade prices to XiPaint 4 for under US$50, Imagine 5 for US$125, a special Imagine 3D object CD for US$20, and OctaMED Sound Studio 1 for under US$40. It's a lot of savings. Do you NEED Aminet Set 3? Well, while there is overlap between Aminets since the Set 2 and this one, the commercial software is quite a bargain. All of the completely new files are categorized separately in the AmigaGuide index, so you can easily get to what you don't already have on file. But as to whether or not you NEED the set versus just being content to access Aminet via FTP or the Web, that's always a personal decision. To my mind, it's staggering to think that Aminet now sprawls over 24 CDs and for that reason alone, it's worth considering being a part of that history. I think this set categorizes directories a bit better over the 4 discs, making things more reasonable to find. Give it some serious thinking, particularly if graphics or music are on your mind. Published by Stefan Ossowski's Schatztruhe 45131 Essen Germany +49 201 788778 voice stefano@tchest.e.eunet.de e-mail http://www.schatztruhe.de/ @endnode @node REVIEW6 "How To Buy A Computer, By John Pospisil" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: How to Buy a Computer (Australian) by John Pospisil By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} =========================================================================== Published in May of this year, the book How To Buy a Computer was written by John Pospisil, Amiga enthusiast. John and I have been in touch for over a year now, talking about the Amiga and its role in the Australian marketplace. That role can be seen, somewhat, through his book, published by the Australian Consumers' Association, roughly analagous to the organization behind the American Consumer Reports magazine. John's book is for regular people who think they might want to buy a computer. The book is cleanly laid out into sections, which take you through the questions "Do I really need and want a computer?", "What IS a computer, anyway?", "What can I do with a computer?" and then gets into Internet discussions and learning how to use a computer. Finally, it gets down to "Which computer should I buy?" John had to fight to get what Amiga references he did into the book. I will say this for him: he, along with Storm Front Studios (former publishers of Australia's last Amiga publication) got a lot of Amiga screenshots into the book. The problem is that John rarely gets them credited to the Amiga, so they're just faceless screenshots of Term and Imagine et al--enough so that WE realize what they are, but not enough so that the unsuspecting reader actually gets the message. When it boils down to the "what to buy" section, the Amiga is left out of the hard-core comparison between the PC and Mac. We get two pages, complete with a mini-history lesson on the Amiga, overview of the OS and Amiga advantages, and mini-reviews on the A1200 and A4000T. The verdict on the 1200 is that it's a good home machine, and the 4000T is blasted for its price. Its future prospects are given as nebulous...which I suppose means John knows about as much as the rest of us. :) While the book will be of little interest to Amiga users--even if you're considering switching platforms, John's book is aimed at the first-time buyer so you'll have the answers to most of his questions already, if not all of them--it's good to see the Amiga get some mainstream recognition. If I was the editor, I would of course have put a whole lot more Amiga information in there. On the other hand, the number of writers and editors that wouldn't have seen clear to giving the Amiga as much exposure as this book does is far greater, so I can't complain. From a totally objective standpoint, I think John did a competent job of really explaining the basic differences between the platforms and allowing people to make their own decisions--there is no "Windows 95 is the wave of the future, catch it now or drown" rhetoric that's become so popular over the past year. How To Buy a Computer is published by Choice Books 57 Carrington Rd. Marrickville 2204 Australia ISBN 0 947277 26 9 @endnode @node REVIEW7 "Review: DblScan 4000 By PLP" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: DblScan 4000 by PLP By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} =========================================================================== Back in the old days, people tried all sorts of things to get rid of high-res flicker, because it looked really nasty on a 1084 monitor. Turning down the contrast was just annoying, so most who were serious about the problem would buy devices like Commodore and Microway flickerfixers, Flicker Free Videos, and would install these in their machines. They let you put a VGA monitor on your system so that high-res screens wouldn't have nasty interlace jitters. Then, the wonderful minds at Commodore put a flicker-fixer in the A3000. And it worked, overall, wonderfully. But when AGA machines came around, there was little relief in sight. The only good option was to get a nice multisync monitor and pretend the interlace wasn't there. But the problem THEN became that good multisync monitors (those that can handle the Amiga's 15khz modes) became very hard to find--and those you COULD find were rather expensive. So Petsoff Limited Partnership has come up with a solution. For about $200, you can put your A4000's built-in video on a standard VGA 15-pin socket, with all of your 15khz screens bumped up to a nice steady 31khz display. Which is exactly what it does, for most people. The DblScan 4000 is a tiny card that fits in the video slot (or one of your video slots, if you have a 4000T) and promotes the built-in AGA display modes to 31khz where applicable. (DBL modes, which are at 27 khz, are not affected.) Less than a dozen chips are on the card, and installation is brutally easy. No software drivers, it just works. That is, unless you have one of the makes of power supply that the DblScan 4000 is unhappy with. Even after PLP sent a replacement board with a better capacitor, to try to get around the power supply glitches, our desktop A4000 was not happy with the DblScan 4000. The display would lose all cohesion within 15 minutes, which was a shame. On most Commodore 4000 desktops, and all those with beefier power supplies, this is not a problem. My German (Eagle-built) A4000T performs wonderfully with the DblScan installed. Occasionally, there are a few seconds of "fuzzy" display soon after powering on, but the problem quickly clears up. So, what's the point of owning one? Even if you're a self-proclaimed power applications user and have no truck with games, you still need a 15khz display to view certain key screens, such as the Early Startup Screen and gurus. A standard VGA monitor will not give you these. Some older software just refuses to promote properly, and requires a 15khz display. Multisync monitors continue to be pretty pricey for Amiga users. While the 1764 is a great product, it is not available globally. The 20" TIMM supports 15khz modes but is too blurry for some. This card allows you to put the finest Iiyama SVGA monitor on your system and use it like a champ. The only competing product I've seen mention of is sold by Power Computing of the UK. While reviews were favorable, the card is roughly 3X the price of the DblScan. Compatibility with other Amiga hardware and software is impeccable--basically, not a whole lot can go wrong. If you need a video display solution on a standard VGA monitor that keeps compatibility with 15khz modes for games and other projects, the DblScan is a great choice. Retail price: US$180, $15 shipping PLP PO Box 1009 FIN-53301 LPR FINLAND http://www.lut.fi/~petsalo/plp.html ++358 53 451 5223 fax @endnode @node REVIEW9 "Review: Apollo 1240/40 Accelerator" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: Apollo 1240/40 Accelerator, Part 1 By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} =========================================================================== I remember when an 020/14 seemed really, really fast. Unfortunately, to most people, it doesn't seem that way anymore. But the A1200 ships that way, so you'll have to take matters into your own hands to cram some speed into that little case. The Apollo 1240/40 card aims to do just that. Armed with a Motorola 68040 processor at 40mhz, fully equipped with FPU and MMU, your A1200 will get quite a speed increase. Installation is thankfully much easier than with the first 040 accelerator we reviewed, the Falcon 040/25. The Apollo is self-contained, with a smaller 040 package than the Falcon's. The chip, a small heat sink and a fan are all mounted on the side of the board that faces up into the computer, the underside contains all the support logic, SIMM slot, and the SCSI module header. (The SCSI module is sold separately and unfortunately was not provided for review.) Pop in a SIMM up to 32 megabytes and set the RAM jumper to on. The board takes care of the rest. The only other jumper is the SCSI option jumper, which you activate when you install the SCSI card. Open up your A1200's trapdoor case (you may actually find it helpful to just open the case outright, it makes putting these cards in a lot easier), slide it in, and you're ready to go. There is no necessary support software, the 040 will configure automatically and you're off and running. Unlike the Falcon, the card is not so huge that you'll never be able to get it out--it's large enough to fit snugly in the trapdoor, but can be manipulated in and out easily. A stronger power supply is recommended by the card manufacturer but I have noticed no ill effects on the A1200 with hard drive we used for testing. It is worth noting that the chip, despite its heat sink and fan does get mighty warm. The operating manual is all of two A4-sized pieces of paper, which cover the bare essentials of the accelerator's function. For troubleshooting, you're on your own. We'll wait for benchmarks until AR 4.12, when we will compare the Falcon, the Apollo 1240/40 and the Phase5 Blizzard 1260. But here are some real-world impressions of the 1240/40 card: Functionally, the card is quite satisfying. Just as it should, the system is significantly sped up, even over the performance we got with the Falcon. However, under CPU-intensive operations I noticed a tendency for the mouse pointer to freeze up intermittently, in a way I've never seen before under normal operation of other computer and accelerator configurations. Speed is indeed faster than stock 040/25 configurations for both 3640 cards (as found in 4000s and 4000Ts) and the Falcon. To my mind, the Apollo supplants the Falcon in price and functionality, and is the only marketed 040 solution that even approaches usability from a heat and size perspective. (Now that there's a Falcon alternative, I can't recommend it in good conscience. Phase5's upcoming 040 A1200 board is intended for tower configurations only.) Stay tuned for benchmarks, and give the Apollo 1240/40 some serious thought if you're looking to get some extra juice out of your A1200 without taking the 060 plunge. Provided for review by DataKompaniet @endnode @node REVIEW8 "Review: Mods Anthology" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== Review: Mods Anthology By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} =========================================================================== Now that Mods Anthology is out, I don't want anybody to ever ask me again if I know where they can find any mods. The fact that this is billed as "Volume 1" positively frightens me. Uncompressed on 4 CD-ROMs, Mods Anthology 1 represents over two gigabytes of MOD songs. If you figure the average mod is 140k and lasts 4 minutes (completely arbitrary figures), this means you're buying 61,371 minutes of music. That's 2557 days. That's 7 years. Now, granted, a whole lot of MODs are just awful. And a lot of others sound suspiciously similar. (Yes, I understand the concept of a remix, but that's not what I mean.) But the fact remains that there are so many MODs here that you've GOTTA find something you like. Nicolas Franck, himself an Amiga composer and programmer, has been collecting MODs for years. And this is the motherlode. Organized on 4 CD-ROMs by author (alphabetically spread out over CDs) with the fourth CD dedicated to synth tunes, miscellaneous music, and "exotic formats", there's a ridiculous number of MODs here. Included is a version of DeliTracker, one of the most versatile MOD players out there. (Personally, I find the Genie system it uses to be a bit overwhelming at times, but they do allow the program to be very modular and powerful.) There is an informative AmigaGuide readme file included and a search facility. Unfortunately, the search script does not seem to work completely on my system: it will locate strings in song titles on all four CDs, but will not interactively load them. There are a great number of old favorites and modern classics on here, as well as just about every MOD author on record. Franck made every attempt to contact all of the authors and gain their permission, which basically just means that U4ia wouldn't allow for his MODs to be on the CD. No news here. Each disc has a "click me first" icon, which brings up DeliTracker and a few dozen of the best mods on each disc. It's a good starting point, although your taste may vary wildly from his. Call me nutty, but one of my favorite parts of the collection is the "PlaySID" collection on disc 4, which is a whole lot of C-64 SID tunes, playable through DeliTracker. You haven't lived until you've heard JCH's West End Girls. :) Despite the problems with the search engine, Mods Anthology 1 is just that: an anthology, a tome, a massive collection of tunes. If your "music/mods" directory is boring you, pick up the Anthology. Enjoy! Published by Stefan Ossowski's Schatztruhe 45131 Essen Germany +49 201 788778 voice stefano@tchest.e.eunet.de e-mail http://www.schatztruhe.de/ @endnode @node CHARTS1 "Aminet Charts: 05-Aug-96" @toc FTP | The most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 5-Aug-96 | Updated weekly. Most popular file on top. | |File Dir Size Age Description |----------------- --- ---- --- ----------- SmartWB105.lha util/wb 8K 0+Boosts up Workbench's window refresh CV64-3D-Shot.lha pix/illu 316K 0+First Cybervision64/3D Screenshot! amicdfs232.lha disk/cdrom 123K 0+AmiCDFS (AmiCDROM) v2.32 mcx256.lha util/cdity 74K 0+Multi Function Commodity YAM13_1.lha comm/mail 307K 0+MUI Internet mailer V1.3.1 mystpr01.lha game/demo 827K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 1/19) mystpr02.lha game/demo 826K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 2/19) NewIconsV3.lha util/wb 539K 0+The Ultimate GUI Enhancement System, DOPbt1.lha biz/dopus 29K 0+Various opus4 help scripts: see read mystpr03.lha game/demo 815K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 3/19) mystpr04.lha game/demo 829K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 4/19) mystpr06.lha game/demo 811K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 6/19) mystpr05.lha game/demo 791K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 5/19) mystpr08.lha game/demo 785K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 8/19) mystpr12.lha game/demo 816K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 12/19) mystpr07.lha game/demo 853K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 7/19) mystpr18.lha game/demo 846K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 18/19) mystpr19.lha game/demo 551K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 19/19) mystpr17.lha game/demo 856K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 17/19) mystpr09.lha game/demo 817K 0+Demo Myst Adventure (File 9/19) | The highest rated programs during the week until 5-Aug-96 | Updated weekly. Best program on top. Please rate all the programs you | download. To do so, send to aminet-server@wuarchive.wustl.edu : | RATE | where is the file you want to judge and is a mark from 0..10 | with 10 being the best. You can rate several programs in one mail, but | don't rate your own programs. Example: RATE dev/gui/mui23usr.lha 8 | |File Dir Size Age Description |----------------- --- ---- --- ----------- Base64Coders.lha comm/mail 10K 5+Fast base64 (MIME) decoder/encoder. MagiC64.lha misc/emu 284K 4+The fastest C64 emulator for Amiga V Executive.lha util/misc 527K 36+UNIX-like task scheduler (V1.30) YAM13_1.lha comm/mail 307K 0+MUI Internet mailer V1.3.1 MUI-Finger12.lha comm/tcp 6K 3+Finger utility with MUI interface swoshd.lha game/patch 14K 0+HD Installer for SWOS (...95/96, EC' NH32P1v2.lha game/role 1.0M 4+Official Amiga Nethack 3.2.1 binarie aplay211.lha mus/play 589K 4+APlayer - An allround Amiga music pl Heil95.lha pix/misc 18K 9+A new true Win 95 logo. Heil Bill! MS_cows.lha pix/misc 545K 0+640x480 pic of the Microsoft staff ( NewIconsV3.lha util/wb 539K 0+The Ultimate GUI Enhancement System, ar410.lha docs/mags 68K 0+Amiga Report 4.10, July 24, 1996 Scions.lha game/demo 406K 0+Preview of Almagica - Scions of a Fo Breed96.lha game/misc 176K 0+Space colonisation/exploration game AmiFTP-1.607.lha comm/tcp 271K 4+Easy to use GUI FTP client for OS 2. Morton.lha game/demo 430K 6+Cute but tricky platformer AmFTP153.lha comm/tcp 196K 21+AmFTP - ftp/Archie/ADT/ADT-Find Clie Testament1.lha game/demo 693K 3+Preview of 3D action game. AGA only. DC60_H1_Upd.lha biz/patch 7K 1+DosControl Update von v6.0g auf v6.0 KewlCDProbeta.lha comm/maxs 86K 0+KewlCDPro V1.0b - ULTIMATE CD-Rom fo XFilesDemo.lha docs/hyper 68K 1+X-Files database (french only) titraiproi.lha gfx/misc 7K 0+Simply program to put subtitles on V fmsx_1.0.lha misc/emu 186K 2+MSX emulator, req. 68020/OS2.0 Turn13.lha text/misc 41K 1+Converts Text in ROT13-format FastIPrefs4028.lha util/boot 31K 2+FastIPrefs 40.28 & FastWBPattern 40. UsNThem.lha game/misc 278K 5+1-2 Player Archon clone. biorhythms.lha misc/misc 67K 0+Nice WB biorhythm calculator, V3.4 Visage.lha gfx/show 168K 4+Picture viewer for OS 3.0+. V39.9 @endnode @node MAILLIST "Amiga Report Mailing List" @toc WHERE =========================================================================== Amiga Report Mailing List =========================================================================== If you have an internet mailing address, you can receive Amiga Report in @{"UUENCODED" link UUENCODE} form each week as soon as the issue is released. To be put on the list, send Email to majordomo@amigalib.com Your subject header will be ignored. In the body of the message, enter subscribe areport The system will automatically pull your e-mail address from the message header. Your account must be able to handle mail of any size to ensure an intact copy. For example, many systems have a 100K limit on incoming messages. ** IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE be certain your host can accept mail over ** ** 100K! We have had a lot of bouncebacks recently from systems with a ** ** 100K size limit for incoming mail. If we get a bounceback with your ** ** address in it, it will be removed from the list. Thanks! ** @endnode @node UUENCODE @toc MAILLIST =========================================================================== UUDecoding Amiga Report =========================================================================== If you receive Amiga Report from the direct mailing list, it will arrive in UUEncoded format. This format allows programs and archive files to be sent through mail by converting the binary into combinations of ASCII characters. In the message, it will basically look like a lot of trash surrounded by begin and end, followed by the size of the file. To UUDecode Amiga Report, you first need to get a UUDecoding program, such as UUxT by Asher Feldman. This program is available on Aminet in pub/aminet/arc/ Then you must download the message that it is contained in. Don't worry about message headers, the UUDecoding program will ignore them. There is a GUI interface for UUxT, which should be explained in the docs. However, the quickest method for UUDecoding the magazine is to type uuxt x ar.uu at the command prompt. You will then have to decompress the archive with lha, and you will then have Amiga Report in all of its AmigaGuide glory. If you have any questions, you can write to @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} @endnode @node AMINET "Aminet" @toc WHERE Aminet ====== To get Amiga Report from Aminet, simply FTP to any Aminet site, CD to docs/mags. All the back issues are located there as well. Sites: ftp.netnet.net, ftp.wustl.edu, ftp.luth.se, ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk @endnode @node WWW "World Wide Web" @toc WHERE World Wide Web ============== AR is also available on the WWW! Some of the mirror sites include a mail form, allowing you to mail to Amiga Report from the web site and some also include a search engine allowing you to search recent issues for specific topics and keywords (if your browser has forms capability). Simply tell your browser to open one of the following URLs (pick a location nearest you for the best performance): Australia http://ArtWorks.apana.org.au/AmigaReport.html http://www.deepwoods.saccii.net.au/ar/menu.html http://www.livewire.com.au/amiga/cucug/ar/ar.html (w/search and mail) http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~pec/amiga.html Germany http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/amiga/ar/ Greece http://www.acropolis.net/clubs/amiga/amigareport/ Hungary http://mm.iit.uni-miskolc.hu/Data/AR Italy http://www.vol.it/mirror/amiga/ar/ar.html Poland http://www.pwr.wroc.pl/AMIGA/AR/ Sweden http://www.lysator.liu.se/amiga/ar/ United Kingdom http://ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk/~gowdy/Amiga/AmigaReport/ http://www.iprom.com/amigaweb/amiga.html/ar/ar.html (w/search and mail) http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/kcci1 USA http://www.cucug.org/ar/ar.html (w/search and mail) http://www.omnipresence.com/Amiga/News/AR/ Additional Amiga information can also be accessed at this URL: http://www.cucug.org/amiga.html Mosaic for the Amiga can be found on Aminet in directory comm/net, or (using anonymous ftp) on max.physics.sunysb.edu @endnode @node COPYRIGHT "Copyright Information" @toc ABOUT =========================================================================== Amiga Report International Online Magazine August 27, 1996 Issue No. 4.11 Copyright 1996 FS Publications All Rights Reserved =========================================================================== Views, Opinions and Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors and staff of Amiga Report International Online Magazine or of FS Publications. Permission to reprint articles is hereby denied, unless otherwise noted. All reprint requests should be directed to the editor. Amiga Report and/or portions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. However, translation into a language other than English is acceptible, provided the editor is notified beforehand and the original meaning is not altered. Amiga Report may be distributed on privately owned not-for-profit bulletin board systems (fees to cover cost of operation are acceptable), and major online services such as (but not limited to) Delphi and Portal. Distribution on public domain disks is acceptable provided proceeds are only to cover the cost of the disk (e.g. no more than $5 US). CD-ROM compilers should contact the editor. Distribution on for-profit magazine cover disks requires written permission from the editor. Amiga Report is a not-for-profit publication. Amiga Report, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. Amiga Report, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained there from. Amiga Report is not affiliated with Escom AG or VIScorp. All items quoted in whole or in part are done so under the Fair Use Provision of the Copyright Laws of the United States Penal Code. Any Electronic Mail sent to the editors may be reprinted, in whole or in part, without any previous permission of the author, unless said electronic mail is specifically requested not to be reprinted. =========================================================================== @endnode @node GUIDELINE "Amiga Report Writing Guidelines" @toc ABOUT =========================================================================== Amiga Report Writing Guidelines =========================================================================== The three most important requirements for submissions to Amiga Report are: 1. Please use English. 2. Please use paragraphs. It's hard on the eyes to have solid screens of text. If you don't know where to make a paragraph break, guess. 3. Please put a blank line in between paragraphs. It makes formatting the magazine much much easier. 4. Please send us your article in ASCII format. Note: If you want to check ahead of time to make sure we'll print your article, please write to the @{"Editor" link JASON}. Please stipulate as well if you wish to retain copyright or hand it over to the editor. @endnode @node EDITORCHOICE "Editor's Choice" @toc COMMERCIAL =========================================================================== Editor's Choice =========================================================================== These are selected products, reviewed by myself, that I've liked. So, I've landed them and decided to sell them. All prices are in $US. John McDonough's The Music Maker, a Contemporary New Age CD composed on the Amiga, is available through Amiga Report. The crisp, clean sounds and calm melodies present a welcome alternative to many pounding alternatives. Available for US$12.00 plus $3 shipping in the US. Non-US orders, please contact before ordering. Check or money order accepted addressed to @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}, shipments made by the artist. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Issue | Approximate | Amiga Report | | Product | Reviewed | Retail Price | Reader Price | ---------------------------------|----------|--------------|--------------| | | | | | |GPFax Amiga Fax Software | 2.30 | $100.00 | $60.00 | | (Class 1 and 2) | | | | | | | | | |Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 1 | 2.25 | $69.00 | $30.00 | | (Includes early Transition | | | | | graphics converter and loads| | | | | of artwork) | | | | | | | | | |Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 2 | 2.26 | $99.95 | $46.75 | | (Includes entire Nature's | | | | | Backdrop series) | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Orders may be placed via check, money order, or postal cheque, made out to Jason Compton. Visa/Mastercard accepted via post or E-Mail. No CODs. Mail all orders to @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}. Orders will be processed by Amiga Report and drop-shipped from Micro R+D. In the US, add $5/$10/$20 for UPS shipping, ground/blue/red label, respectively. Overseas: It is recommended that you consider $20 to be the minimum cost for shipping. If you plan to order more than one item, E-mail for shipping cost. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sidewinder's Future Shock II CD is now available through Amiga Report. Featuring 15 Amiga-generated tunes totalling 71 minutes, Eric Gieseke's work is captured on an Amiga-independent media. Available for US$12.00. Please add $5 for shipping. Make check or money order payable to @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}. Orders will be drop-shipped from Sidewinder Productions. For overseas orders, please contact through E-Mail before ordering. @endnode @node PORTAL "Portal" @toc ONLINE =========================================================================== Portal: A Great Place For Amiga Users =========================================================================== The Portal Information Network's Amiga Zone The AFFORDABLE alternative for online Amiga information "Not just another UNIX Shell account!" ------------------------------------------------------- Portal is the home of acclaimed Amiga Zone, a full-service online SIG (Special Interest Group) for Amiga owners and users. We promise, and WE DELIVER ongoing & aggressive Amiga support! Now, more than ever, with so many Amiga magazines gone or shrunken, you need a viable, professionally-maintained resource for information, software, and a link to the world-wide Amiga community. You can dial into Portal to access the Amiga Zone in many ways: direct dial to our San Jose, CA high-speed modems (you pay for the phone call if it's not local), or though any SprintNet or Compuserve indial anywhere (with a small hourly fee) or via the World-wide Internet "telnet" program to portal.com (no hourly fee). Even Delphi and BIX users can Telnet into Portal for a flat $19.95 a month, with *unlimited* use. Portal is NOT just another shell service! Its Online system is fully menu-driven with on-screen commands and help, and you can easily customize it for your favorite terminal program and screen size. Some of Portal/Amiga Zone's amazing features include: * 2.5 GIGabytes of Amiga-specific file space - we have so much Amiga Stuff online, we've lost count! * The *entire* Fred Fish collection of freely distributable software, online. ALL 1100 disks! * Fast, Batch Zmodem file transfer protocol. Download up to 100 files or 100 email letters at once, of any size, with one command. * Amiga vendor areas with many companies participating. * So many incoming lines you'll probably NEVER get a busy signal * 40 "regular" Amiga libraries with over 12,000 files. Hot new stuff arrives daily. * No upload/download "ratios" EVER. Download as much as you want, as often as you want, and never feel pressured doing it. * Live, interactive nightly chats with Amiga folks whose names you will recognize. Special conferences. Random chance prize contests. We have given away thousands of bucks worth of Amiga prizes - more than any other online service. * Message bases where you can ask questions about *anything* Amiga related and get quick replies from the experts. * Amiga Internet mailing lists for Imagine, AMosaic, LightWave, ImageFX, Picasso II & others feed right into the Zone message bases. Read months worth of postings. No need to clutter your mailbox with them. * FREE unlimited Internet Email with 5 meg of free storage. Your email is private, secure, and never censored or monitored. * A FREE UNIX Shell account with another 5 meg of free storage. You can run AMosaic and other Browses via your shell and explore the vast World Wide Web! Intermediate to advanced users can use any standard UNIX mail and news utilities, compilers, and other tools. Ask for your free UNIX book when you sign up. * A home for your own Web page! Your UNIX Shell on Portal is linked to Portal's Web Server. Create your own WWW pages for the whole world to access. No extra charges! * Portal has the Usenet. Thousands of "newsgroups" in which you can read and post articles about virtually any subject you can possibly imagine. Newsgroups are not censored! * Other Portal SIGs (Special Interest Groups) online for Mac, IBM, Sun, UNIX, Science Fiction, Disney, and dozens more. ALL Portal SIGs are accessible to ALL Portal customers with NO surcharges ever. You never worry "Ooops... Am I paying more for this area?" again! * Portal was THE FIRST online service to offer a full package of Internet features: IRC, FTP, TELNET, MUDS, LIBS wrapped into user-friendly menus. And you get FREE unlimited usage of all of them. * Our exclusive PortalX by Steve Tibbett, the graphical "front end" for Portal which will let you automatically click'n'download your waiting email, messages, Usenet groups and binary files! Reply to mail and messages offline using your favorite editor and your replies are sent automatically the next time you log into Portal. (PortalX requires Workbench 2.04 or higher) * Portal does NOT stick it to high speed modem users. Whether you log in at 1200 or 2400 or 9600 or 14.4K you pay the same low price. To join Portal or for more information call: 1-800-433-6444 (voice) 9a.m.-5p.m. Mon-Fri, Pacific Time 1-408-973-9111 (voice) 9a.m.-5p.m. Mon-Fri, Pacific Time 1-408-725-0561 (modem 3/12/2400) 24 hours every day 1-408-725-0560 (modem 96/14400) 24 hours every day or enter "C PORTAL" from any Sprintnet dial-in, or "portal" at any CI$ network dialin, or telnet to "portal.com" from anywhere, and then enter "online" and then "info" or send email to "sales@portal.com" Visit the Amiga Zone Web page at http://www.portal.com/~harv Call and join today. Tell the friendly Portal Customer Service representative, "The Amiga Zone sent me." Ask for the "Interactive" account to get the Amiga Zone, the Online System and a UNIX Shell for only $19.95 a month. The Portal Information Network accepts MasterCard, Visa, or you can pre-pay any amount by personal check or money order. The Portal Online System is a trademark of The Portal Information Network. SLIP, UUCP, custom domain and corporate accounts are also available. @endnode @node BBS_ASIA "Distribution BBSes - Asia" @toc BBS =========================================================================== Distribution BBSes - Asia =========================================================================== -=JAPAN=- * GIGA SONIC FACTOR * Email: kfr01002@niftyserve.or.jp +81-(0)564-55-4864 @endnode @node BBS_AUSTRALASIA "Distribution BBSes - Australasia" @toc BBS =========================================================================== Distribution BBSes - Australasia =========================================================================== -=NEW ZEALAND=- * BITSTREAM BBS * FidoNET 3:771/850.0 AmigaNET 41:644/850.0 +64-(0)3-548-5321 -=VICTORIA=- * NORTH WEST AMIGA BBS * EMail: mozza@nwamiga.apana.org.au Fido: 3:633/265.0 BBS Phone/Fax: +61 3 9331 2831 USR Courier V.Everything @endnode @node BBS_EUROPE "Distribution BBSes - Europe" @toc BBS =========================================================================== Distribution BBSes - Europe =========================================================================== -=FINLAND=- * HANG UP BBS * Email: helpdesk@hangup.nullnet.fi +358 - 0 - 278 8054 * LAHO BBS * +358-64-414 1516 +358-64-414 0400 +358-64-414 6800 +358-64-423 1300 * KINDERGARTEN * Email: matthias.bartosik@hut.fi +358-0-881 32 36 -=FRANCE=- * DYNAMIX BBS * Email: erlsoft@mcom.mcom.fr +33.1.48.89.96.66 Minitel to Modem * RAMSES THE AMIGA FLYING * Internet: user.name@ramses.fdn.org Fidonet: 2/320/104-105-106 +33-1-45845623 +33-1-53791200 -=GERMANY=- * DOOM OF DARKNESS * Email: marc_doerre@doom.ping.de +49 (0)4223 8355 19200 AR-Infoservice, contact Kai Szymanski kai@doom.gun.de * IMAGINE BBS * Email: Sysop@imagine.commo.mcnet.de +49-69-4304948 Login: GAST (Download area: "Amiga-Report") * LEGUANS BYTE CHANNEL * Usenet: andreas@lbcmbx.in-berlin.de 49-30-8110060 49-30-8122442 Login as User: "amiga", Passwd: "report" * REDEYE BBS * Internet: sysop@coolsurf.de Modem/ISDN: +49-89.54662690 Modem only:+49.89.54662680 * STINGRAY DATABASE * EMail: sysop@sting-db.zer.sub.org.dbp.de +49 208 496807 * VISION THING BBS * ++49(0)345 663914 System Password: Amiga -=GREECE=- * HELLAS ON LINE * EMail: cocos@prometheus.hol.gr Telnet: hellas.hol.gr ++301/ 620-6001, 620-6604, 620-9500 * ODYSSEY BBS * email: odyssey@acropolis.net Amiganet: 39:250/1.0 ++301-4123502 23.00-09.00 Local Time http://www.acropolis.net/~konem/odygb.html -=IRELAND=- * FWIBBLE! * Fidonet: 2:263/900.0 E-Mail: 9517693@ul.ie Phone: +353-902-36124 Midnight to 8am (GMT) Freq "Readme.txt" for details -=ITALY=- * AMIGA PROFESSIONAL BBS * Amy Professional Club, Italian Amos Club +(39)-49-604488 * AMIPRO BBS* AR and AMINET distributor +39-49604488 * FRANZ BBS * EMsil: mc3510@mclink.it +39/6/6627667 * IDCMP * Fidonet 2:322/405 +39-542-25983 * SPEED OF LIFE * FidoNet 2:335/533 AmigaNet 39:102/12 The AMIGA Alchemists' BBS +39-931-833773 -=NETHERLANDS=- * AMIGA ONLINE BS HEEMSTEDE * Fidonet: 2:280/464.0, 2:280/412.0 Internet: michiel@aobh.xs4all.nl +31-23-282002 +31-23-470739 * THE HELL BBS * Fido-Net : 2:281/418.0 e-mail : root@hell.xs4all.nl +31-(0)70-3468783 * TRACE BBS GRONINGEN * FidoNET 2:282/529.0 Internet Martin@trace.idn.nl +31-(0)-50-410143 * X-TREME BBS * Internet: u055231@vm.uci.kun.nl +31-167064414 -=NORWAY=- * FALLING BBS * EMail: christon@powertech.no +47 69 256117 -=POLAND=- * SILVER DREAM!'S BBS * SysOp: Silver Dream +48 91 540431 -=PORTUGAL=- * CIUA BBS * FidoNet 2:361/9 Internet: denise.ci.ua.pt +351-34-382080/382081 -=RUSSIA=- * NEW ORDER BBS * E-Mail: norder@norder.spb.su FidoNet: 2:5030/221.0 +7-812-2909561 -=SPAIN=- * GURU MEDITATION * +34-1-383-1317 * LA MITAD OSCURA * E-Mail: jovergon@offcampus.es Fido: 2:341/35.19 +34-1-3524613 * MAZAGON - BBS - SYSTEMS * E-mail: jgomez@maze.mazanet.es FTP: ftp-mail@ftp.mazanet.es +34 59 536267 Login: a-report -=SWEDEN=- * CICERON * E-mail: a1009@itv.se +46 612 22011 -=SWITZERLAND=- * LINKSYSTEM LINK-CH1 * contact: rleemann@link-ch1.aworld.de +41 61 3215643 ISDN: +41 61 3832007 Local newsgroup link-ch1.ml.amiga-report -=UKRAINE=- * AMIGA HOME BBZ * E-Mail: Oleg.Khimich@bbs.te.net.ua FidoNet: 2:467/88.0 +380-482-325043 -=UNITED KINGDOM=- * AMIGA JUNCTION 9 * Internet: sysadmin@junct9.demon.co.uk FidoNet: 2:440/20 +44 (0)372 271000 * CREATIONS BBS * E-Mail: mat@darkside.demon.co.uk 2:254/524@Fidonet +44-0181-665-9887 * DRAUGHTFLOW BBS * Email: Ian_Cooper@draught.demon.co.uk +44 (01707) 328484 * METNET CCS * Email: metnet@demon.co.uk FidoNet: 2:2502/129.0 2:2502/130.0 +44-1482-442251 +44-1482-444910 * OCTAMED USER BBS * EMail: rbfsoft@cix.compulink.co.uk +44 (01703) 703446 * SCRATCH BBS * EMail: kcci1@solx1.susx.ac.uk Official Super Skidmarks site +44-1273-389267 @endnode @node BBS_NAMERICA "Distribution BBSes - North America" @toc BBS =========================================================================== Distribution BBSes - North America =========================================================================== -=ARIZONA=- * MESSENGER OF THE GODS BBS * mercury@primenet.com 602-326-1095 -=BRITISH COLUMBIA=- * COMM-LINK BBS * EMail: steve_hooper@comm.tfbbs.wimsey.com Fido: 1:153/210.0 604-945-6192 -=CALIFORNIA=- * TIERRA-MIGA BBS * FidoNet: 1:202/638.0 Internet: torment.cts.com 619.292.0754 * VIRTUAL PALACE BBS * Sysop Email: tibor@ecst.csuchico.edu 916-343-7420 * AMIGA AND IBM ONLY BBS * EMail: vonmolk@crash.cts.com AmigaNET: 40:406/7.0 (619)428-4887 -=FLORIDA=- * LAST! AMIGA BBS * (305) 456-0126 -=ILLINOIS=- * EMERALD KEEP BBS * FidoNet: 1:2250/2 AmigaNet: 40:206/1 618-394-0065 * PHANTOM'S LAIR * FidoNet: 1:115/469.0 Phantom Net Coordinator: 11:1115/0.0-11:1115/1.0 708-469-9510 708-469-9520 * STARSHIP CUCUG * Email: khisel@prairienet.org (217)356-8056 * THE STYGIAN ABYSS BBS * FIDONet-1:115/384.0 312-384-0616 312-384-6250 (FREQ line) -=LOUISIANA=- * The Catacomb * E-mail: Geoff148@delphi.com 504-882-6576 -=MAINE=- * THE KOBAYASHI ALTERNATIVE BBS * FidoNet: 1:326/404.0 (207)/784-2130 (207)/946-5665 ftp.tka.com for back issues of AR -=MEXICO=- * AMIGA BBS * FidoNet 4:975/7 (5) 887-3080 * AMIGA SERVER BBS * 5158736 * TERCER PLANETA BBS * FX Network 800:525/1 [525]-606-2162 -=MISSISSIPPI=- * THE GATEWAY BBS * InterNet: stace@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil FidoNet: 1:3604/60.0 601-374-2697 -=MICHIGAN=- * DC PRODUCTIONS * Email: dcpro!chetw@heifetz.msen.com 616-373-0287 -=NEVADA=- * PUP-TEK BBS * EMail: darkwolf@accessnv.com 702-553-2403 -=NEW JERSEY=- * T.B.P. VIDEO SLATE * 201-586-3623 * DLTACOM AMIGA BBS * Internet: dltacom.camphq.fidonet.org Fidonet: 1:2606/216.0 (201) 398-8559 -=NEW YORK=- * THE BELFRY(!) * stiggy@belfry.org 718.793.4796 718.793.4905 http://www.belfry.org/ -=ONTARIO=- * COMMAND LINE BBS * 416-533-8321 * CYBERSPACE * joehick@ophielia.waterloo.net (519) 579-0072 (519) 579-0173 * EDGE OF REALITY BBS * EMail: murray.smith@er.gryn.org Fido: 1:244/320.0 (905)578-5048 -=QUEBEC=- * CLUB AMIGA DE QUEBEC * Internet: snaclaq@megatoon.com Voice: (418) 666-5969 (418) 666-4146 (418) 666-6960 Nom d'usager: AMREPORT Mot de passe: AMIGA * GfxBase BBS* E-mail: ai257@freenet.hsc.colorado.edu Fidonet: 1:167/192 514-769-0565 -=TENNESSEE=- * AMIGA CENTRAL! * Email: root@amicent.raider.net 615-383-9679 * NOVA BBS * FidoNet 1:362/508.0 615-472-9748 -=VIRGINIA=- * NETWORK XXIII DATA SYSTEM * EMail: gottfrie@acca.nmsu.edu 804-266-1763 Login: anon Password: nopass -=WASHINGTON=- * FREELAND MAINFRAME * Internet - freemf.wa.com (360)412-0228 * PIONEERS BBS * FidoNet: 1:343/54.0 206-775-7983 Login: Long Distance Password: longdistance Or FREQ: AR.lha @endnode @node BBS_SAMERICA "Distribution BBSes - South America" @toc BBS =========================================================================== Distribution BBSes - South America =========================================================================== -=BRAZIL=- * AMIGA DO PC BBS * Fidonet: 4:801/44 Internet: fimoraes@dcc.unicamp.br +55-192-33-2260 Weekdays: 19-07 (-3 GMT) Weekends: 24 hours @endnode @node DEAL_ASIA "Dealers - Asia" @toc DEALER =========================================================================== Dealers - Asia =========================================================================== -=JAPAN=- Grey Matter Ltd. 1-22-3,Minami Magome HillTop House 2F suite 201 Ota-ku,Tokyo 143 Tel:+81 (0)3 5709-5549 Fax:+81 (0)3 5709-1907 BBS: +81 (0)3 5709-1907 Email: nighty@gmatter.japan-online.or.jp @endnode @node DEAL_AUSTRALASIA "Dealers - Australasia" @toc DEALER =========================================================================== Dealers - Australasia =========================================================================== -=QUEENSLAND=- Image Domain 92 Bridge St Fortitude Valley, Brisbane E-mail: imagedomain@msn.com Voice: 617-3216-1240 Fax: 617-3852-2720 Synapse Computers 190 Riding Road Hawthorne, Brisbane 4171 Voice/Fax: +61 7-3899-0980 -=NEW SOUTH WALES=- Unitech Electronics Pty. Ltd. / Maverick Amiga 8B Tummul Place St. Andrews, Sydney 2566 Voice: +61 2 9820 3555 Fax: +61 2 9603 8685 -=NEW ZEALAND=- CompKarori LG/F Karori Shopping Mall Karori, Wellington Tel/Fax: +64 4 476-0212 Email: sales@compkarori.co.nz @endnode @node DEAL_EUROPE "Dealers - Europe" @toc DEALER =========================================================================== Dealers - Europe =========================================================================== -=AUSTRIA=- A.R.T. Computeranimation Ges.m.b.H. Feldstrasse 13 3300 Amstetten Tel: +43 7472/63566-0 Fax: +43 7472/63566-6 Solaris Computec Ges.m.b.H. Mariahilfpark 1 A-6020 Innsbruck Tel: ++43-512/272724 Fax: ++43-512/272724-2 EMail: solaris@computec.co.at -=BELGIUM=- AVM Technology Rue de Rotheux, 279 B-4100 Seraing Voice: +32 (0)41 38.16.06 Fax: +32 (0)41 38.15.69 Email: defraj@mail.interpac.be CLICK! N.V. Boomsesteenweg 468 B-2610 Wilrijk - Antwerpen VOICE: +32 (0)3 828.18.15 FAX: +32 (0)3 828.67.36 INTERNET: vanhoutv@nbre.nfe.be FIDO: 2:292/603.9 -=BULGARIA=- KlubVerband ITA Gmbh 1309 Sofia P.F.13, KukushStr. 1-2 Tel: +359-2-221471 Fax: +359-2-230062 Email: KVITA@VIRBUS.BG Contact: Dr. ING B. Pavlov -=DENMARK=- Data Service Att. Soren Petersen Kaerhaven2a 2th 6400 Sonderborg Phone/Fax: +45 74 43 17 36 EMail: sorpe-95@sdbg.ih.dk Nemesis Amy BBS EMail: boersting@hoa.ping.dk Fido: 2:238/43 USR 33k6 V.E. +45 75-353726 -=FINLAND=- Lincware Computers Ltd Lovkullankuja 3 10300 KARJAA Voice: +358-50-5573696 Fax: +358-11-231511 EMail: linctech@freenet.hut.fi -=FRANCE=- ASCII Informatique 10 Rue de Lepante 06000 NICE Tel: (33) 93 13 08 66 Fax: (33) 93 13 90 95 Quartz Infomatique 2 bis, avenue de Brogny F-74000 ANNECY Tel./Fax (automatique): +33 50.52.83.31 E-Mail: tcp@imaginet.fr -=GERMANY=- AMItech Systems GmbH Ludwigstrasse 4 D-95028 Hof/Saale VOICE: +49 9281 142812 FAX: +49 9281 142712 EMail: bsd@blacky.netz.sub.de dcp, desing+commercial partner GmbH Alfredstr. 1 D-22087 Hamburg Tel.: + 49 40 251176 Fax: +49 40 2518567 EMail: info@dcp.de WWW: http://www.dcp.de Hartmann & Riedel GdbR Hertzstr. 33 D-76287 Rheinstetten EMail: rick@p22.aop.schiele-ct.de Fido: 2:2476/12.22 Voice: +49 (7242) 2021 Fax: +49 (7242) 5909 Please call before visiting, or we may be closed. Hirsch & Wolf OHG Mittelstra_e 33 D-56564 Neuwied Voice: +49 (2631) 8399-0 Fax: +49 (2631) 8399-31 Pro Video Elektronik Roßmarkt 38 D-63739 Aschaffenburg Tel: (49) 6021 15713 Fax: (49) 6021 15713 -=ITALY=- C.A.T.M.U. snc Casella Postale 63 10023 Chieri (TO) Tel/Fax: +39 11 9415237 EMail: fer@inrete.it (Ferruccio Zamuner) Fido: 2:334/21.19 Cloanto Italia srl Via G. B. Bison 24 33100 Udine Tel: +39 432 545902 Fax: +39 432 609051 E-Mail: info@cloanto.it CompuServe: 100145.15 -=NETHERLANDS=- Chaos Systems Watermolen 18 NL-1622 LG Hoorn (NH) Voice: +31-(0)229-233922 Fax/Data: +31-(0)229-TBA E-mail: marioh@fwi.uva.nl WWW: http://gene.fwi.uva.nl/~marioh/ -=SPAIN=- Amiga Center Argullós, 127 08016 Barcelona Tel: (93) 276 38 06 Fax: (93) 276 30 80 Amiga Center Alicante Segura, 27 03004 Alicante Tel: (96) 514 37 34 Audio Vision San Jose, 53 Gijon (Asturias) Tel. (98) 535 24 79 Centro Informático Boadilla Convento, 6 28660 Boadilla del Monte (Madrid) Tel: (91) 632 27 65 Fax: (91) 632 10 99 Centro Mail Tel: (91) 380 28 92 C.R.E. San Francisco, 85 48003 Bilbao (Vizcaya) Tel: (94) 444 98 84 Fax: (94) 444 98 84 Donosti Frame Avda. de Madrid, 15 20011 San Sebastián (Guipuzcoa) Tel: (943) 42 07 45 Fax: (943) 42 45 88 Eurobit Informatica C/. Gral. Garcia de la Herran, 4 11100 - San Fernando Cadiz Tel/Fax: (956) 896375 GaliFrame Galerías Príncipe, 22 Vigo (Pontevedra) Tel: (986) 22 89 94 Fax: (986) 22 89 94 Invision San Isidro, 12-18 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) Tel: (91) 676 20 56/59 Fax: (91) 656 10 04 Invision Salamanca, 53 46005 Valencia Tel: (96) 395 02 43/44 Fax: (96) 395 02 44 Norsoft Bedoya, 4-6 32003 Orense Tel: (988) 24 90 46 Fax: (988) 23 42 07 PiXeLSOFT Felipe II, 3bis 34004 Palencia Tel: (979) 71 27 00 Fax: (979) 71 28 28 Tu Amiga Ordinadors C/ Progreso, 6 08120 La LLagosta (Barcelona) Tel: +34-3-5603604 Fax: +34-3-5603607 vb soft Provenza, 436 08025 Barcelona Tel: (93) 456 15 45 Fax: (93) 456 15 45 -=NORWAY=- DataKompaniet ANS Trondheim Innovation Centre Prof. Brochs gt. 6 N-7030 Trondheim Tel: +47 7354 0375 Fax: +47 7394 3861 EMail:datakompaniet@interlink.no WWW:http://www.interlink.no/datakompaniet Sezam Software Ulsmĺgveien 11a N-5o5o Nesttun Tel/Fax: +47 55100070 (9-20) ABBS: +47 55101730 (24t) Email: oleksy@telepost.no -=SWEDEN=- DataVision Box 1305 753 11 Uppsala Street Address: Sysslomansgatan 9 Orders: +46 (0)18-123400 Shop: +46 (0)18-124009 Fax: +46 (0)18-100650 -=UNITED KINGDOM=- Almathera Systems Ltd Southerton House / Boundary Business Court 92-94 Church Road Mitcham, Surrey / CR4 3TD VOICE: (UK) 081 687 0040 FAX: (UK) 081 687 0490 Sales: almathera@cix.compulink.co.uk Tech: jralph@cix.compulink.co.uk Brian Fowler Computers Ltd 90 South Street / Exeter Devon / EX1 1EN Voice: (01392) 499 755 Fax: (01392) 493 393 Internet: brian_fowler@cix.compulink.co.uk Visage Computers 27 Watnall Road Hucknall / Nottingham Tel: +44 (0)115 9642828 Tel/Fax: +44 (0)115 9642898 EMail: visage@innotts.co.uk @endnode @node DEAL_NAMERICA "Dealers - North America" @toc DEALER =========================================================================== Dealers - North America =========================================================================== -=CANADA=- Animax Multimedia, Inc. Willow Tree Tower 6009 Quinpool Road, Suite 802 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 5J7 Ph: (902) 429-1921 Fax: (902) 429-1923 EMail: info@animax.com http://www.animax.com/ APC Computer Services 402-5 Tangreen Crt Willowdale, Ont. M2M 3Z1 Voice/Fax: (416) 733-1434 EMail: shadow@interlog.com WWW: www.interlog.com/~shadow/apccomp.html Atlantis Kobetek Inc. 1496 Lower Water St. Halifax, NS / B3J 1R9 Phone: (902)-422-6556 Fax: (902)-423-9339 E-mail: atkobetek@ra.isisnet.com Atlas Computers & Consulting - Derek Davlut 400 Telstar Avenue Suite 701 Sudbury, ON / P3E 5V7 Phone: (705) 522-1923 Fax: (705) 522-1923 EMail: s2200147@nickel.laurentian.ca CineReal Pro-Video 272 Avondale Avenue Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 7G8 Phone/Fax: (613) 798-8150 (Call first to fax) EMail: cinereal@proton.com Computer Shop of Calgary, Ltd. 3515 - 18th Street S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2T 4T9 Ph. 1-403-243-4358 Fx: 1-403-243-2684 Email: austin@canuck.com WWW: http://www.canuck.com/cshop Computerology Direct Powell River, BC V8A-4Z3 Call 24 hrs. orders/inquiries: 604/483-3679 Amiga users ask for HEAD SALES REP for quicker response! Comspec Communications Inc 74 Wingold Ave Toronto, Ontario M6B 1P5 Computer Centre: (416) 785-8348 Sales: (416) 785-3553 Fax: 416-785-3668 Internet: bryanf@comcorp.comspec.com, bryanf@accesspt.north.net ElectroMike Inc. 1375 Boul. Charest Ouest Quebec, Quebec G1N2E7 Tel: (418) 681-4138, (800) 463-1501 Fax: (418) 681-5880 Forest Diskasaurus 35 Albert St., P.O.Box 84 Forest, Ontario N0N 1J0 Tel/Fax: 519-786-2454 EMail: saurus@xcelco.on.ca GfxBase Electronique, Inc 1727 Shevchenko Montreal, Quebec Voice: 514-367-2575 Fax: 514-367-5265 BBS: 514-769-0565 Le Groupe PowerLand 630 Champagne Rosemere, Quebec J7A 4K9 Voice: 514-893-6296 Fax/BBS: 514-965-7295 Email: mchabot@nationalnet.com National Amiga Oakville, Ontario Fax: 905-845-3295 EMail: gscott@interlog.com WWW: http://www.interlog.com/~gscott/NationalAmiga.html Oby's Amigo Computing Shop 765 Barrydowne Rd Sudbury, Ontario P3A 3T6 Voice/Fax: (705)524-5826 Email: obys@vianet.on.ca http://icewall.vianet.on.ca/pages/obys Randomize Computers R.R. #2 Tottenham, Ont. L0G 1W0 vox: 905-939-8371 fax: 905-939-8745 email: randomize@interlog.com www: www.interlog.com/~randomize/ Software Supermart 11010 - 101 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5H-2T1 Voice: (403) 425-0691 Fax: (403) 426-1701 EMail: ssmart@planet.eon.net SpectrumTech Electronics 412-1205 Fennell Avenue East Hamilton, ON L8T 1T1 Voice: (905) 388-9575 BBS: (905) 388-2542 E-Mail: ste@spectrum.gryn.org Contact: Derek Clarke Wonder Computers Ottawa Retail Store 1315 Richmond Road Ottawa, Ontario K2B 8J7 Voice: (613) 721-1800 Fax: 613-721-6992 Wonder Computers Vancouver Sales Office 2229 Edinburgh St. New Westminster, BC W3M 2Y2 (604) 524-2151 voice young monkey studios 797 Mitchell Street Fredericton, NB E3B 3S8 Phone: (506) 459-7088 Fax: (506) 459-7099 EMail: sales@youngmonkey.ca -=UNITED STATES=- A&D Computer 211 South St. Milford, NH 03055-3743 Voice/Fax: 603-672-4700 BBS: 603-673-2788 Internet: amiga@mv.mv.com Alex Electronics 597 Circlewood Dr. Paradise, CA 95969 Voice: 916-872-0896 BBS: 915-872-3711 EMail: alex@ecst.csuchico.edu WWW: http://www.km-cd.com/~alex/ Amigability Computers P.O. Box 572 Plantsville, CT 06479 VOICE: 203-276-8175 Internet: caldi@pcnet.com Amiga-Crossing PO Box 12A Cumberland Center, ME 04021 VOICE: (800) 498-3959 (Maine only) VOICE: (207) 829-3959 FAX: (207) 829-3522 Internet: amiga-x@tka.com Amiga Library Services 610 Alma School Rd, #18 Chandler, Az 85224-3687 Voice: (800) 804-0833 Fax: (602) 491-0048 E-Mail: orders@amigalib.com Amiga Video Solutions 1568 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 Voice: 612-698-1175 Fax: 612-224-3823 BBS: 612-698-1918 Net: wohno001@maroon.tc.umn.edu Applied Multimedia Inc. 89 Northill St. Stamford, CT 06907 VOICE: (203) 348-0108 Apogee Technologies 1851 University Parkway Sarasota, FL 34243 VOICE: 813-355-6121 Portal: Apogee Internet: Apogee@cup.portal.com Armadillo Brothers 753 East 3300 South Salt Lake City, Utah VOICE: 801-484-2791 Internet: B.GRAY@genie.geis.com Computer Advantage 7370 Hickman Road Des Moines, IA 50322 Voice/Fax: 515-252-6167 Internet: Number1@netins.net Computer Concepts 18001 Bothell-Everett Hwy, Suite "0" Bothell, WA 98012 VOICE: (206) 481-3666 Computer Link 6573 middlebelt Garden City MI 48135 Voice: 313-522-6005 Fax: 313-522-3119 clink@m-net.arbornet.org The Computer Source 515 Kings Highway East Fairfield, CT 06432 Voice: (203) 336-3100 Fax: (203) 335-3259 Computers International, Inc. 5415 Hixson Pike Chattanooga, TN 37343 VOICE: 615-843-0630 Computerwise Computers 3006 North Main Logan, UT 84322 Concord Computer Solutions 2745 Concord Blvd. Suite 5 Concord, CA 94519 Orders: 1-888-80-AMIGA Info/Tech: 510-680-0143 BBS/Fax: 510-680-4987 Email: moxley@value.net http://www.ccompsol.com/ CyberTech Labs PO Box 56941 North Pole, Alaska 99705 Vox: (907) 451-3285 BBS1 : (907) 488-2547 BBS2 & Fax: (907) 488-2647 EMail: 71516.600@CompuServe.com Fido: 1:355/17.0 DC Productions 218 Stockbridge Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (616)373-1985 (800)9DC-PROD Email: dcpro!chetw@heifetz.msen.com Digital Arts 1321 North Walnut P.O. Box 5206 Bloomington, IN 47807-5206 VOICE: (812)330-0124 FAX: (812)330-0126 BIX: msears Digital Castle 4046 Hubbell Ave. Suite 155 Des Moines, IA 50317-4434 Voice: (515) 266-5098 EMail: Sheep@netins.net Electronic Connection 635 Penn Ave West Reading, PA 19611 Phone: 610-372-1010 Fax: 610-378-0996 HHH Enterprises PO Box 10 Hartwood, VA 22471 Contact: Tom Harmon Voice: (540) 752-2100 Email: ko4ox@erols.com HT Electronics E-Mail: HT Electronics@cup.portal.com BIX: msears 422 S. Hillview Dr. 211 Lathrop Way, Ste. A. Milipitas, CA 95035 Sacramento, CA 95815 V: (408) 934-7700 V: (916) 925-0900 F: (408) 934-7717 F: (916) 925-2829 Industrial Video, Inc. 1601 North Ridge Rd. Lorain, OH 44055 VOICE: 800-362-6150, 216-233-4000 Contact: John Gray Internet: af741@cleveland.freenet.edu Kipp Visual Systems 360-C Christopher Ave. Gaithersburg Md, 20878 301-670-7906 kipp@rasputin.umd.edu Krulewich Enterprises 554 Vega Dr Corpus Christi, TX 78418 Voice: (512) 937-4624 Email: 1040.3444@compuserve.com The Lively Computer - Tom Lively 8314 Parkway Dr. La Mesa, CA 91942 Voice: 619-589-9455 Fax: 619-589-5230 Net: tlively@connectnet.com Magic Page 3043 Luther Street Winston-Salem, NC 27127 Voice/Fax: 910-785-3695 E-mail: Spiff@ix.netcom.com Contact: Patrick Smith MicroSearch 9000 US 59 South, Suite 330 Houston, Texas VOICE: 713-988-2818 FAX: 713-995-4994 MicroTech Solutions, Inc. 1885 N. Farnsworth Ave. Suites 6-7-8 Aurora, IL 60505-1162 Voice: 708-851-3033 Fax: 708-851-3825 BBS: 708-851-3929 Email: info@mt-inc.com WWW: http://www.mt-inc.com/ Mr. Hardware Computers P.O. Box 148 / 59 Storey Ave. Central Islip, NY 11722 VOICE: 516-234-8110 FAX: 516-234-8110 A.M.U.G. BBS: 516-234-6046 Paxtron Corporation 28 Grove Street Spring Valley, NY 10977 Voice: 914-576-6522 Orders: 800-815-3241 Fax: 914-624-3239 PSI Animations 17924 SW Pilkington Road Lake Oswego, OR 97035 VOICE: 503-624-8185 Internet: PSIANIM@agora.rain.com Raymond Commodore Amiga 795 Raymond Avenue St. Paul, MN 55114-1521 VOICE: 612.642.9890 FAX: 612.642.9891 Safe Harbor Computers W226 N900 Eastmound Dr Waukesha, WI 53186 Orders: 800-544-6599 Fax: 414-548-8130 WWW Catalog: www.sharbor.com Slipped Disk 170 E 12 Mile Rd Madison Heights, Michigan 48071 Voice: (810) 546-DISK BBS: (810) 399-1292 Fido: 1:120/321.0 Software Plus Chicago 2945 W Peterson Suite 209 Chicago, Illinois VOICE: 312-878-7800 System Eyes Computer Store 730M Milford Rd Ste 345 Merrimack, NH 03054-4642 Voice: (603) 4244-1188 Fax: (603) 424-3939 EMail: j_sauter@systemeye.ultranet.com TJ's Unlimited P.O. Box #354 North Greece, NY 14515-0354 VOICE: 716-225-5810 BBS: 716-225-8631 FIDO: 1:2613/323 INTERNET: neil@rochgte.fidonet.org Zipperware 76 South Main St. Seattle, WA 98104 VOICE: 206-223-1107 FAX: 206-223-9395 E-Mail: zipware@nwlink.com WWW: http://www.speakeasy.org/zipperware @endnode @node OPINION "Editorial and Opinion" @toc MENU =========================================================================== Editorial and Opinion =========================================================================== @{" compt.sys.editor.desk " link EDITORIAL} Grrrr... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node NEWS "News & Press Releases" @toc MENU =========================================================================== News & Press Releases =========================================================================== @{" 30 More Days " link NEWS1} Argh! @{" Midwest Amiga Exposition " link NEWS11} The big Ohio show @{" PIOS Computer AG " link NEWS20} Their latest news release @{" Directory Opus 5.5 " link NEWS5} GPSoft's latest version @{" Amiga Legacy Magazine " link NEWS21} The new trade magazine @{" The Informer " link NEWS4} The new North American newsletter @{" CUCUG's 4th WWW Mirror " link NEWS12} CUCUG expands their presence @{" Agnus WWW Search Tool " link NEWS13} CUCUG's Amiga web searcher @{" Banner Ad Reminder " link NEWS14} CUCUG's Web ad campaign @{" Amiga Web Network " link NEWS15} Area52's Web service @{" Jay Miner Tape " link NEWS2} Capture the legend on VHS @{" Enigma Screenshots " link NEWS3} OTM's latest @{" Bograts " link NEWS6} Vulcan's upcoming puzzler @{" DrawStudio " link NEWS7} The ImageStudio team strikes again @{" Roland Patch Editor " link NEWS8} Edit Roland synth parameters @{" PhotoAlbum V0.4 " link NEWS9} Organize your images @{" EnPrint V2.1 " link NEWS10} Epson Stylus series print drivers @{" CrossDOS 6 Pro Rel. 6.06 " link NEWS16} Consultron's updated tool @{" EMC Phase CDs " link NEWS17} And their North American distributor @{" Wanted Amiga People " link NEWS18} OnLine wants Amiga developers @{" SCSI Chip Upgrade " link NEWS19} Get A3000s working properly --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node FEATURE "Featured Articles" @toc MENU =========================================================================== Featured Articles =========================================================================== @{" Montreal and Beyond " link FEATURE5} A look at Montreal and other recent events @{" Different Input " link FEATURE1} Get serial mice on the Amiga @{" AB3D II Survey " link FEATURE2} Your feelings on the game @{" More Amigas At Disney " link FEATURE3} From the archives... @{" Amiga Survey " link FEATURE4} I hope you like surveys. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node REVIEW "Reviews" @toc MENU =========================================================================== Reviews =========================================================================== @{" MIAMI vs. AMITCP " link REVIEW1} Face-off! @{" Alien Breed 3D II " link REVIEW2} The latest Team17 monsterfest @{" Reccoon BBS " link REVIEW3} A look at the system @{" TEAC High Density FDD " link REVIEW4} A Chinon replacement of sorts @{" Aminet Set 3 " link REVIEW5} More Aminet! @{" How To Buy A Computer " link REVIEW6} A book, with some Amiga mention @{" DblScan 4000 " link REVIEW7} Put VGA monitors on A4000s @{" Mods Anthology " link REVIEW8} Four CDs of MODs! @{" Apollo 1240/40 Accel " link REVIEW9} Speed up your A1200 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node FTP "Aminet Charts" @toc MENU =========================================================================== Aminet Charts =========================================================================== @{" 05-Aug-96 " link CHARTS1} --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node ABOUT "About AMIGA REPORT" @toc MENU =========================================================================== About AMIGA REPORT =========================================================================== @{" AR Staff " link STAFF} The Editors and writers @{" Writing Guidelines " link GUIDELINE} What you need to do to write for us @{" Copyright Information " link COPYRIGHT} The legal stuff --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node STAFF "The Staff" @toc ABOUT =========================================================================== The Staff =========================================================================== Editor: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} Assistant Editor: @{" Katherine Nelson " link KATIE} Games Editor: @{" Ken Anderson " link KEN} Contributing Editor: @{" William Near " link WILLIAM} Contributing Editor: @{" Addison Laurent " link ADDISON} --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node WHERE "Where to Get AR" @toc MENU =========================================================================== Where to Get AR =========================================================================== @{" The AR Mailing List " link MAILLIST} @{" Aminet " link AMINET} @{" World Wide Web " link WWW} @{" Distribution Sites " link BBS} @{" Commercial Services " link PORTAL} --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node BBS "Distribution Sites" @toc WHERE =========================================================================== Distribution BBSes =========================================================================== Arranged by Continent: @{" Asia " link BBS_ASIA} @{" Australasia " link BBS_AUSTRALASIA} @{" Europe " link BBS_EUROPE} @{" North America " link BBS_NAMERICA} @{" South America " link BBS_SAMERICA} Sysops: To have your name added, please send @{"Email", link JASON} with the BBS name, its location (Country, province/state) your name, any internet/fidonet addresses, and the phone number of your BBS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode @node DEALER "Dealer Directory" @toc MENU =========================================================================== Dealer Directory =========================================================================== Arranged by Continent: @{" Asia " link DEAL_ASIA} @{" Australasia " link DEAL_AUSTRALASIA} @{" Europe " link DEAL_EUROPE} @{" North America " link DEAL_NAMERICA} Dealers: To have your name added, please send @{"Email", link JASON} with the BBS name, its location (Country, province/state) your name, any internet/fidonet addresses, and the phone number of your dealership --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @{" News " link NEWS} @{" Opinion " link OPINION} @{" Articles " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Charts " link FTP} @{" Adverts " link COMMERCIAL} @endnode

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08/1997