@database "ar302.guide" @Node MAIN "Amiga Report Online Magazine #3.02 -- January 15, 1994" @{" Turn the Page " link MENU} _ ____ ___ ______ _______ _ d# ####b g#00 `N##0" _agN#0P0N# d# d## jN## j##F J## _dN0" " d## .#]## _P ##L jN##F ### g#0" .#]## dE_j## # 0## jF ##F j##F j##' ______ dE_j## .0"""N## d" ##L0 ##F 0## 0## "9##F" .0"""5## .dF' ]## jF ##0 ##F ##F `##k d## .dF' j## .g#_ _j##___g#__ ]N _j##L_ _d##L_ `#Nh___g#N' .g#_ _j##__ """"" """"""""""" " """""" """""" """"""" """"" """""" ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ######## TM ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## #### ## ## ## #### ## ## ## #### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ### ###### ## ###### ## ### ## "THE Online Source for Amiga Information!" Copyright 1995 FS Publications All Rights Reserved // =====================================//==================================== == January 15, 1994 \\// Issue No. 3.02 == =========================================================================== @endnode @node MENU "Amiga Report Main Menu" @toc MAIN =========================================================================== == Main Menu == =========================================================================== @{" Editorial and Opinion " link OPINION} @{" News and Features " link FEATURE} @{" Reviews " link REVIEW} @{" Reader Mail " link MAIL} @{" FTP and Product Announcements " link FTP} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @{" About AMIGA REPORT " link ABOUT} @{" Dealer Directory " link DEALER} Contact Information and Copyrights Amiga Dealer Addresses and Numbers @{" Where to Get AR " link WHERE} @{" Commercial Products " link COMMERCIAL} Mailing List & Distribution Sites Online Services, Dealers, Ordering ______________________________________________ // | | // ========//====| Amiga Report International Online Magazine |======//===== == \\// | Issue No. 3.02 January 15, 1994 | \\// == ==============| "THE Online Source for Amiga Information!" |============= |______________________________________________| @endnode =========================================================================== == The Amiga Report Staff == =========================================================================== @node JASON "Editor" @toc STAFF =========================================================================== == EDITOR == =========================================================================== Jason Compton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Internet Address -------- ------- jcompton@cup.portal.com 1838 Chicago Ave. #419 jcompton@bbs.xnet.com Evanston, IL 60201-3806 USA Fax Phone --- ----- 708/491-4064 708/332-4599 @endnode @node ROBERT "Senior Editor" @toc STAFF =========================================================================== == SENIOR EDITOR == =========================================================================== Robert Niles ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Internet Address -------- ------- None for now... 506 W. Orchard Selah, WA 98942 FidoNet Fax ------- --- 1:3407/103 509/697-5064 @endnode @node KATIE "Assistant Editor" @toc STAFF =========================================================================== == ASSISTANT EDITOR == =========================================================================== Katherine Nelson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Internet -------- Kati@cup.portal.com @endnode @node MICHAEL "European Editor" @toc STAFF =========================================================================== == EUROPEAN EDITOR == =========================================================================== Michael Wolf ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Internet -------- MikeWolf@bonebag.tynet.sub.org @endnode @node SEAN "Games Editor" @toc STAFF =========================================================================== == GAMES EDITOR == =========================================================================== Sean Caszatt ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Internet -------- Sean.Caszatt@f512.n2601.z1.fidonet.org @endnode @node DAVID "Contributing Editor" @toc STAFF =========================================================================== == CONTIBUTING EDITOR == =========================================================================== David Tiberio ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Internet -------- dtiberio@libserv1.ic.sunysb.edu @endnode @node EDITORIAL "compt.sys.editor.desk" @toc OPINION =========================================================================== == compt.sys.editor.desk By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} == =========================================================================== With the ringing in of Amiga Report's third year, we decided it was time to do some housecleaning-namely, shortening those BBS and Dealer listings that were taking up a considerable amount of space. Don't get me wrong, we're more than happy to list them, but it became clear that as the listings grew, they were getting larger and larger... As I look over what Amiga Report is today, and look back at what it was years ago, I can't help but be happy. We've taken a good idea and turned it into a great magazine. (And the price can't be beat!) And by "we", I mean the selfless writers and editors, as well as the countless readers who continually show their support. In case you missed the survey last issue, or didn't feel motivated enough to fill it out, please take another look. You might feel a bit differently... Ok, now to the inevitable buyout matter. Last reports indicate the following: Both the C= UK-lead and CEI-lead bids are on the table. Both had deposits down, but CEI has taken back their deposit following the expiration date of their bid. Apparently, the bid is still being treated as valid anyway. The Commodore Semiconductor Group (CSG, formerly MOS Technologies) has been completely liquidated and the management-lead buyout has created a new company. More news will follow. January 16th marks the last day claims may be made on Commodore US (Commodore Business Machines, Inc.) in order to get a "piece of the pie." (C= US was liquidated in early September, and was the owner of the infamous floor scrubber.) Are things starting to look bad? Well, in a word, yes. I still have high hopes that a buying company can take the Amiga and turn it into something, well, at least as good as it was before. Whether or not they can do it in time, of course, is an entirely different matter. But when they take their shot, we'll be here to watch. And help. In other news, be sure to check out CompuServe's press release. They seem to think that GIF is the greatest thing since free online magazines. Also, for Australians out there who have been affected by the new pay-per-meg from outside of the country, check out the Mailing List distribution section of the magazine for information on a new Australian listserv. That about does it. Enjoy. Jason P.S. Be sure to check out ARArchive, the AmigaGuide frontend for all Amiga Reports. Thanks to Robert Resiweig for compiling it. A full article index will be out soon. Also, next issue we will FINALLY have the listing for a new AR Coverdisk. @endnode @node ASSTEDITORIAL "assistant.editor.desk" @toc OPINION =========================================================================== == assistant.editor.desk By: @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE} == =========================================================================== Well, we've slimmed down the magazine a bit... In fact, we saved about 30K by shrinking the BBS and dealer area... The section on how to UUDecode the magazine is also much much shorter. Hopefully, this will help to keep the size of the magazine from becoming quite as large as the last couple issues. Depending on the outcome of the Grand Gala Survey, some other sections (Esp. Press Releases, it looks like) will have to lose a little weight. At any rate, look for the results of the Workbench Wish Lists in the Features section, along with a few questions about hardware for another survey. The Magic Workbench vs. New Icons survey results will be printed in the next issue. Until Later... Katherine Nelson @endnode @node MAIL "Reader Mail" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == Reader Mail == =========================================================================== Final Data Clarifications... From: jimd@slip106.termserv.siu.edu (Jim Dutton) ]n any followup article, please include the information that the Clipboard format used is not the typical TXT format which means you can't cut & paste external to Final Data. I sent Softwood a letter about this. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- From: "Donald H. Feldbruegge (608) 263-1497" Of course, all of this even assumes that there is a NEW workbench and a NEW Amiga, doesn't it? One SMALL suggestion I do have is that Amiga Report put out a "SPECIAL/EXTRA" edition as soon as something has been resolved on the Amiga court proceedings. You are better prepared to reliably pass the news on to everybody than any other source that I know of. I surely hope that something is resolved soon, while there are still some software and hardware companies still willing to support the Amiga, and while there are still a lot of us Amigans around. Thank you for Amiga Report. I enjoy reading it. It gets me the news fast and reliably. Keep it up. Best wishes to you & thanks again. [We plan to put out a small issue no more than six hours after we are certain the buyout has been completed. -- Ed] --- --- --- --- --- --- --- From: Martin Steigerwald * A journey into recursive multitasking * from Helios Revision 1 on 11-1-94 Note: This is how to manage to multitask with 400 or more tasks easily... So, dont expect any practical advantages from it. It also shows a bug - or a feature - of unix piping in AmigaDOS... Requirements are: A working pipe command in command path! Maybe you also need OS2.0 or above.... Ok, lets begin... here we go... Save all you necessary data, as the amiga may want to reboot suddenly during our experiment. :-; Open a shell! And then type: cd ram: Note this ^^^ one is absolutely recommended!!!! Otherwise you may get some trash on your harddisk :-)!!! But note, there is no risk of data loss on the harddisc anyway... And now you may want to load some sort of CPU monitor! I use DashBoard for that purpose!!! Type: get _pchar If you get | as answer move forward otherwise type: set _pchar | Then all what you have to do is type: pipe | and look whats going on then!!! I think this one is quite funny... You will see recursive multitasking... When memory is eaten up, cancel all those requesters that may come up and after all that, when your amiga is still alive type: dir And look what you get... My question to all: WHY THIS DOES HAPPEN????? Does this happen with every pipe command or only with the one I use??? (If you could not reproduce this, I will tell ya want pipe command I use...) [If anyone knows, please send the answer to Martin Steigerwald at steigerw@stud.uni-frankfurt.de. Thanks. - Ed] @endnode @node NEWS "Press Releases" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == Press Releases == =========================================================================== AmiNIX press release - Todd Vierling (amigagod@grove.ufl.edu) As of Sunday, January 1, AmiNIX is now available to the public. This is a project that has been 3 months in the making, and here's a few sections of the AmiNIX FAQ to answer some questions about it. Please do remember that the current version is only a gamma release and is by no means finished; however, I plan to keep working on AmiNIX for as long as I own an Amiga (which should be a very long time). For people without access to the Internet at this time, I apologize for not having a Fido or BBS site for the system. I do hope to have one by the 1.0 full release version. 1.1. Overview AmiNIX (abbreviated AX) is a new implementation of BSD UNIX for the Amiga computer. It runs on any 680x0 series processor, and does not require either an MMU or FPU. It does not have the superstrict protection that NetBSD or Linux have, and is not designed for that; AmiNIX is designed for UNIX compatibility on few-to-one-user systems and for restricted remote use (via rksh and the like). Though I hate to use Macintosh terms, AmiNIX is an ``extension'' that gives UNIX ability to AmigaOS. 2.1. Processor requirements? AmiNIX will run on any 680x0 series processor on an Amiga computer. At the current time (release 0.9.1), only the 68020+ kernel and 68020+ C library with 68881/882 floating point is available. By release 1.0, all the options will be available. 2.3. Operating system requirements? AmiNIX will run under any AmigaOS revision from 2.04 (V37) on. More abilities will be available to later-version systems (locale for V38+, non-muFS multiuser for V39+, etc.), but 2.04 will be sufficient for most users. 3.1. WHAT ABOUT X? I'm answering this, so please, don't ask me. (This is the #1 question I get.) Once AmiNIX reaches release 1.0 and I have finished networking, I will begin work on porting X-Windows. X will use the EGS windowing system as its interface, so if you have a graphics card that supports EGS, X is already supported. EGS is optimal for supporting X-Windows because its GUI is almost identical to that of X, and so the actual X library can be much smaller and more optimized than its regular UNIX implementation. I plan to have X finished in mid-1995. 4. Where is it!?!? 4.1. WWW site The official AmiNIX WWW site is available at the URL: http://bay.circa.ufl.edu:8000/aminix.html This site is the official primary distribution site, and has the latest copy of AmiNIX available. If you are a beta tester (or wish to be one), you need to use this site to access the beta archives. If you wish to become a beta tester you will need a Site ID; choose the "Apply for a Site ID" option and fill in the appropriate information (you will need forms support for this). 4.2. Mailing list The mailing list for AmiNIX (announcing releases and major changes only; not a public mailing list) can be accessed by sending an e-mail message to: amigagod@grove.ufl.edu with subject line (or first text line) "aminix add your@mail.address". You will receive a confirmation indicating that you have joined the mailing list. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- [This is the infamous "GIF Patent" press release. There's a lot to digest in there, but the upshot is this-I hope you like JPEG. -Ed.] AGREEMENT FOR USE OF GRAPHICS INTERCHANGE FORMAT(SM) This Agreement is entered into as of the effective date set forth below between CompuServe Incorporated, an Ohio corporation ("CompuServe"), and the other undersigned party to this Agreement ("Developer"). Section 1. Grant of Rights. 1.1. Effective upon Developer's payment of the initial license fee described in Section 2, CompuServe hereby grants to Developer a non-exclusive, worldwide: (a) license to use and exploit GIF(SM) to make, have made, use and sell Products solely within the Field of Use; and (b) sublicense to use and exploit the Licensed Patent to make, have made, use and sell Products solely within the Field of Use. 1.2. CompuServe will provide Developer with a single copy of the most recent specification for GIF(SM) and any updates to such specification that are released by CompuServe during the term of this Agreement. Once an updated version of the GIF(SM) specification has been released by CompuServe, Developer should incorporate the updates contained in the new specification into its Products as part of Developer's ordinary release cycle. 1.3. Developer understands that CompuServe and Unysis Corporation are the owners of all patents, copyrights, service marks and other intellectual property embodied in the Licensed Technology. In connection with its use of the Licensed Technology, Developer shall take all steps reasonably required by CompuServe and/or Unysis Corporation to acknowledge and protect their respective ownership interests in the patents, copyrights, service marks and other intellectual property interests embodied in the Licensed Technology. Developer further agrees not to take any action that would impair the respective interests of CompuServe and/or Unysis Corporation in the Licensed Technology. 1.4. Developer may not use, copy, modify or distribute the GIF(SM) specification, except as expressly permitted by CompuServe. Developer may make three copies of the GIF(SM) specification for back-up purposes only, provided CompuServe's service mark, copyright and other notices and legends are included in such copy. Developer shall not alter or delete any of the notices or legends contained in the GIFSM specification and any updates thereto. Developer agrees to provide the following notice on Products or in any Product documentation: "LZW compression and decompression methods are licensed under Unysis Corporation's U.S. Patent 4,558,302 and equivalent foreign patents. Additional technology embodied in GIF(SM) is licensed from CompuServe Incorporated. Graphics Interchange Format and GIF are service marks of CompuServe Incorporated." 1.5. Developer shall not grant any customer the right to use a Product until such customer has been registered by Developer as a user of the Product and customer's rights to use such Product are governed by an agreement with Developer providing that (a) the customer's use of such Product will be primarily for accessing the CompuServe Information Service and for manipulating and viewing data received through the CompuServe Information Service, and (b) the customer will not alter, enhance or redistribute any Product. 1.6. This Agreement does not provide Developer with title to or ownership of the Licensed Technology or any service mark of CompuServe, but only the license granted herein. Developer may only grant its customers a limited right to use Products. Section 2. License Fees. 2.1. In payment for the licenses granted herein, Developer shall pay CompuServe a one-time initial license fee of $ 1.00 which is due in full upon the execution of this Agreement and a fee per Disposition equal to the greater of (a) 1.5 percent of the selling price per Disposition or (b) $.15 per Disposition. Unless otherwise provided herein, all license fees and other amounts payable hereunder by Developer shall be paid to CompuServe in U.S. Dollars within ten (10) days after the end of each quarter. Quarterly periods may be defined at CompuServe's discretion. 2.2. Developer is solely responsible for payment of any taxes resulting from Developer's use of the Licensed Technology, except for taxes based on the income of CompuServe or Unysis Corporation. Developer agrees to hold CompuServe harmless from all claims and liability arising from Developer's failure to report or pay such taxes. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. Section 3. New Products. Developer shall have the right to add additional Products solely within the Field of Use by providing notice to CompuServe of the existence of each new Product at the time such new Product is first offered to Developer's customers. Section 4. Reports. Developer shall keep adequate records to accurately determine the payments due under this Agreement. Each payment hereunder shall be made and accompanied by a report in such manner and form as requested by CompuServe setting forth he number of Dispositions of each Product occurring hereunder and any other information reasonably necessary to calculate payments due hereunder. Developer shall not enter into any arrangement under which copies of Products will be prepared or the Licensed Technology used, unless Developer has taken steps to ensure that it can account for and pay the royalties required hereunder. Section 5. Audits. CompuServe shall have the right, no more than once during any calendar year, to have an independent certified public accountant inspect the relevant records of Developer on seven business days notice and during regular business hours to verify the reports and payments required to be made hereunder. Should an underpayment in excess of 10 percent be discovered, Developer shall pay the cost of the audit. In any event, Developer shall promptly pay any underpayment together with interest at the annual rate of 12 percent. Section 6. Assignment. This Agreement and the licenses granted herein may not be assigned by Developer without the prior written consent of CompuServe. Section 7. License Term. The initial term of this Agreement shall commence on the effective date of this Agreement and shall expire at midnight (EST) on the first anniversary of such date. This Agreement shall automatically renew for additional consecutive one year periods, unless either party delivers a written notice of termination to the other party not later than 30 days before the expiration of the then current term. Section 8. Termination for Cause. This Agreement may be terminated by CompuServe: (a) upon 30 days prior written notice, if Developer is in breach of any of its material obligations hereunder and the breach is not remedied within such 30 day period; or (b) upon reasonable written notice, if the Licensed Patent expires or is found invalid or unenforceable in any proceeding before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or in a U.S. court of law, after all appropriate appeals have been finally decided. Promptly following any termination of this Agreement, Developer shall (i) return all copies of the GIF(SM) specification and any confidential information of CompuServe then in its possession or control to CompuServe, (ii) stop using the Licensed Technology, and (iii) stop distributing Products. Section 9. Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be delivered by personal delivery, registered mail return receipt requested, a "Next Day Air" delivery service or by customary electronic means, addressed as indicated on the signature page of this Agreement. Section 10. Miscellaneous. 10.1. CompuServe represents that it has executed an agreement with Unysis Corporation dated June 21, 1994, pursuant to which Unisys Corporation (a) granted to CompuServe a license to sublicense the technology covered by the Licensed Patent to make, have made, use and sell Products in the Field of Use, provided such Products are identified to Unysis Corporation as required by such agreement, and (b) agreed as follows: "Unysis hereby releases any and all claims of any nature based upon any use of the technology of the Licensed Patent by Licensee in the Products, internal use in offering the CompuServe Information Service, or use by its licensees in derivatives of the Products, which have occurred to date and during the period of implementation of this Agreement, provided that Licensee shall exercise commercially diligent efforts to implement this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable and in no case later than six (6) months after the date this Agreement is executed by Licensee." 10.2. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT, COMPUSERVE DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL EXPRESS AND IMPLIED PROMISES, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE LICENSED TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING ITS CONFORMITY TO ANY REPRESENTATION OR DESCRIPTION, THE EXISTENCE OF ANY LATENT OR PATENT DEFECTS, OR ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. 10.3. The cumulative liability of CompuServe for all claims arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall not exceed the total amount of all license fees paid to CompuServe hereunder. In no event shall CompuServe be liable for any lost profits or incidental, special, exemplary or consequential damages for any claims arising out of or relating to this Agreement. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. 10.4. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as: (a) requiring the maintenance of the Licensed Technology; (b) a warranty as to the validity or scope of the Licensed Technology; (c) a warranty or representation that any Product will be free from infringement of patents, copyrights, trademarks or other similar intellectual property interests of third parties; (d) an agreement to bring or prosecute actions against third party infringers of the Licensed Technology; (e) conferring any license or right under any patent other than the Licensed Patent; or (f) conferring any right to use the Licensed Technology outside the Field of Use. 10.5. This Agreement contains the complete and final agreement between the parties, and supersedes all previous understandings related to the subject matter hereof whether oral or written. This Agreement may only be modified by a written agreement signed by duly authorized representatives of the parties. 10.6. The validity and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by Ohio law, without regard to conflict of laws principles. The parties further consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the City of Columbus, Ohio. Process may be served on either party by U.S. Mail, postage prepaid, certified or registered, return receipt requested, and addressed as indicated on the signature page of this Agreement. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. 10.7. Developer shall not disclose to anyone for any reason the terms of this Agreement or any information provided to Developer by CompuServe that is marked as being confidential information of CompuServe, except with CompuServe's prior written consent. Developer shall protect the confidentiality of such information with at least the same degree of care it employs to protect its own similar confidential information. Developer may use such confidential information of CompuServe solely for purposes of exercising its rights under this Agreement, and shall make no other use of such information. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. 10.8. Developer acknowledges and agrees that Unisys Corporation is an intended third party beneficiary of each and every provision of this Agreement, other than Section 2 hereof, and may enforce any rights it may have under such provisions to the fullest extent permitted by law as if it were a party to this Agreement. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. 10.9. Developer shall indemnify and hold CompuServe, and its officers, directors, agents, employees and affiliates, harmless against any damage, loss, claim, action, liability, cost or expense suffered by or brought against any of the foregoing indemnified parties arising out of or relating to any breach or violation of this Agreement by Developer or its customers or any conduct of Developer or its customers relating to their use of the Licensed Technology. This paragraph shall survive any termination of this Agreement. Section 11. Definitions. As used herein: 11.1. "Disposition" means the sale, lease or license or any other grant of rights to a Product or any new Product as may be added pursuant to Section 3 of this Agreement. 11.2. "Field of Use" means software provided by CompuServe or Developer and used by subscribers to the CompuServe Information Service to access the CompuServe Information Service or use information obtained over the CompuServe Information Service which utilizes the technology of the Licensed Patent. 11.3. "GIF(SM)" means CompuServe's copyright and other intellectual property embodied in the Graphics Interchange Format(SM) as described in the most recent release of the specification for the Graphics Interchange Format(SM), as the same may be updated from time to time during the term of this Agreement, but (for purposes of this Agreement) does not include the technology covered by the Licensed Patent or CompuServe's service marks for the Graphics Interchange Format or GIF. 11.4. "Licensed Patent" means U.S. Patent 4,558,302 registered in the name of Unisys Corporation relating to digital data compression and decompression, and all foreign counterparts. 11.5. "Licensed Technology" means, collectively, GIF(SM) and the Licensed Patent. 11.6. "Products" means software that is developed or distributed under this Agreement which is designed for and used primarily for accessing the CompuServe Information Service and for manipulating and viewing data received through the CompuServe Information Service, and any new Products as may be added pursuant to Section 3 of this Agreement. Signatures: CompuServe Incorporated Developer By____________________ By_______________________________________ Name: Kent D. Stuckey Name:____________________________________ Title: Secretary Title:___________________________________ Address: 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Address:_________________ ____________________________________ Columbus, Ohio 43220 ____________________________________ Phone: (614) 457-8600 Phone:___________________________________ Fax: (614) 457-9665 Fax:_____________________________________ Effective Date: __________________________________ @endnode @node FEATURE1 "Workbench Wish List Results" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == Results: The Workbench Wish List Survey By: @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE} == =========================================================================== Well, here it is. What everyone...well... a lot of people have been waiting for! (:)) The Results of the Workbench Wish List Survey --------------------------------------------- Please note: Although I am only going to list suggestions that received more than one vote (or this article would be just way too huge, and it's big as it is...), ALL suggestions from all 92 people answering the survey will be sent to the new Amiga company as soon as it exists. The largest number of votes that any one suggestion got was 57. The scaling used to show reader preference will therefore be based on a percent of 57. The most popular suggestion will have a vote of 100%, and so on. In case of a tied number of votes, the suggestions are in random order, so don't think I didn't like your vote. :) % Suggestion ----- -------------------------------------------------------------------- 100.0 Better appearance through *included* icons and backdrops. (These include different pictures, more elaborate patterns, etc.) 79.0 8+ color Workbench standard (preferably 16+) with icons using this many colors 75.4 Allow users to add (easily) Menus, Submenus, Items to Menus, and Hotkeys 49.1 User-definable Docks and AppIcons (such as ToolManager, NeXT, etc.) 49.1 Make all of Workbench as configuable as MUI applications are, with user-defined gadget look/size, font prefs for different applications, etc. 47.4 Icon and Backdrop (esp. Icon) colors should not be dependent on the position of the color in the WB palette. They should color-guess if the actual color isn't available (like NewIcons system) 43.9 Menus should be (or have an option to be) popup and sticky (like MagicMenu) 42.1 Retargetable Graphics 31.6 More unix like AmigaDOS shell, but with scroll bar, file name completion, *-type wildcards, mouse-controlled copy and paste (like KingCON) 31.6 Real memory protection and error checking that could be disabled if necessary 26.3 Drop down or Popup menus instead of cycle gadgets (like CycleToMenu) 22.8 Easy to use Virtual Memory - You just tell it how much you want, and it handles the rest (like Macintosh) 22.8 Include datatypes for iff, dr2d, smus, faxx, wav, voc, snd, tga, tiff, raw, fli/flc, epsf, mpeg, pict, jpeg, gif, html, anim, pcx, avi, cdxl, au, avi, bmp, postscript fonts, 3d objects (from Imagine, etc.) 22.8 Full-featured ARexx port for Workbench, especially including the ability to open drawers automatically 22.8 Fully multitasking, multithreaded Workbench [I'm surprised more people didn't vote for this] 19.3 Include a print spooler w/drag and drop and ability to rearrange order of printing or cancel 17.5 Better Icon Editor (like Iconian) with ability to cut, copy, and paste brushes, and ability to scale down pictures into icons 15.8 Add more pens to intuition (i.e. Inactive Window Title Bars, Inactive Window Titles, Action Gadget Backround) and ability to assign any color in the palette to them 15.8 Have a menu or a list brought up by hotkey of all running screens and hidden windows, and be able to jump to one by selecting it or to quit it 15.8 Interlaced (possibly animated) pointer for non-AGA machines and AGA machines, hires pointer, and an animated and easy to edit busypointer 15.8 Rescale sliders, window borders, and gadgets according to aspect ratio of the screen resolution, so the vertical bars are not 2X as big as the horizontal ones on interlaced machines 15.8 More printer drivers should be included, that run the printers at full dpi, and have better color printer support 14.8 The Workbench should look like NeXT machines 14.0 Have more default icons, incl. for different datatypes, and an easy way to change them 14.0 Animated requesters/user messages with the ability for programmers to add their own animations for within their programs, and for user to change the animations in the Workbench ones 14.0 Better font sensitivity in Workbench and included utilities 14.0 More of a 3d and beveled look for windows (like Sysihack at the least) and shadows behind windows 14.0 An "undelete" command, disk/hard drive repair/optimize/defragment program (DiskSalv or DiskDoctor as a start) 14.0 Be able to bring windows to the front by just clicking on them once, or as an option only, Sun Mouse abilities 12.3 The 8 colors of an 8 color Workbench should not be changed to the upper four and lower four when the # of colors are increased. This makes the icons look weird. 12.3 Drag and drop capability from Workbench to application, between applications, and from an application to the Workbench 12.3 Create a trashcan that sits on the Workbench and really deletes when an option is selected from the menu (as a failsafe) (like on the Mac) 12.3 No more Topaz-8! [!!!] 12.3 Greater HotKey support, and ability to navigate all of Workbench and most programs with keyboard only (like in Windows) 12.3 Use PFS file system, and have ability to boot from PFS disks (1.8% specifically do not want PFS) 12.3 Use the "Help" key in Workbench to demonstrate/explain basic operations and to have an AmigaGuide tour of the system. (There would be different Help modules that could be deleted if unnecessary to save space) 12.3 Built-in support for a middle mouse button, giving it a user-defined action (shift-select, cycle screens/windows, rename a file) 12.3 Voice recognition software if audio digitizing equipment is present 12.3 Be able to change all colors of the Workbench in the palette preferences, not just 8 12.3 Standard multifilesystem where a PC disk could still be accessed by calling DF0:, Mac disks the same way (Like multifilesystem).. Only one icon per disk 10.5 Bring back the speach tool, but new and improved, perhaps with other languages supported 10.5 Font support of Postscript and TrueType fonts. Also, datatypes so they could be viewed in their entirety in MultiView 10.5 Ability to play sound effects or execute a program at specified system and/or time events, perhaps with ability to pick randomly from a short list 10.5 Be able to iconify all screens and windows (perhaps have another gadget on the window border/screen title bar) 10.5 No isometric icons 10.5 Whether by software or by hardware, the disk drive SHOULD NOT CLICK. [I'm surprised more people didn't suggest this, too...] 8.8 Be able to resize windows from any side, not just the right-bottom corner 8.8 Built-in system support for CD, Syquest, and Tape Backup drives 8.8 Full Postscript 8.8 Include a clock w/out window borders (like TinyClock) that could also be configured to only have a digital readout on the title bar, could be set to always be front/back, could be iconified, and could have a separate time from the system clock 8.8 Disk cache 8.8 Calculator improvement - fractions, degrees, radians, trig, convert between bases, percent 8.8 PhotoCD reader or datatype for PhotoCDs 8.8 Visual clipboard (like Mac) w/ability to cut/paste pictures, sound, and text 7.0 Include reqtools.library and other shareware libraries as standard, or create/improve sytem libraries so they are not necessary 7.0 Make the Workbench more object oriented (Similar to NeXTStep but more real-time and with a more responsive user interface) 7.0 Ability to quit WB and have all commodities, etc. automatically quit. If a project/document is not savved, have a requester ask you if you wish to save before closing... (Software shutdown) 7.0 When "Insert Volume X" requester appears, have ability (through the requester) to assign that volume to a directory 7.0 Easy to set up Multi-User File System 7.0 Ability to show a specified or random picture shown at bootup (make the Amiga logo as the shipped default) 7.0 A single control panel to cover all commodiites/hacks (with ability to add) to make configuring the look of your Workbench easier 7.0 Automatic activation of screens after Amiga-M 7.0 Better text viewer that uses scroll bars instead of space bar, etc. 7.0 Bring back the phrase "Guru Meditation" (with a message, not a number), unless memory protection is enabled, and then find somewhere else to put it 7.0 Have ESC translate to Cancel and RETURN to OK when using any requester 7.0 Ability to boot up and have selected windows already be open for you 7.0 More screenmodes/resolutions that are compatible with VGA/SVGA monitors and the IBM world (800X600, 1024X768, 1280X1024) 7.0 A priority manager and task remover that can also list open screens, open windows, what exactly is loaded into memory (like ARTM, except without the occaisional computer crash when a task is removed) 7.0 Popup menus like MagicMenu, except the menus would be specific to what the pointer is hovering over, and perhaps even different shapes for each type of object it points to (Intelligent Pointer) 7.0 Switch from AmigaGuide to HTML (more standard, more "information superhighway"ish, more colorful w/inline pictures 7.0 Scalable icons for different screen modes/sizes (icons for an interlaced Workbench look wrong on an non-interlaced Workbench 7.0 Be able to open-parent-while-closing-child and the reverse, perhaps reusing the same window 5.3 Keep the OS small, don't add pretty surface features 5.3 Have ability to make the background color of the icons clear, so the backdrop shows through 5.3 All icons should be the same size 5.3 Have a public screen commodity (create/manage/remove public screens, force applications either to own screens, or to open on the Workbench) 5.3 More Gadtools gadgets and improve gadtools scaling 5.3 Ability to have inline graphics in AmigaGuides 5.3 HotKeys for window actions (close, zoon, etc.) 5.3 Add an option somewhere in prefs to show either directories or files first in file requesters 5.3 When you click "Cancel", have it really cancel on the first time, instead of having 5 more requesters 5.3 The mouse should not "hang" in MultiView when it is loading a node in an AmigaGuide file 5.3 Overall speed of MultiView needs to be increased 5.3 Include better fonts 5.3 Datatypes should support editing (when text, AmigaGuide, HTML, etc.) read and write operations so they could convert any file format into any other file format (of the same general type, like graphics, sound, etc.) 5.3 Workbench should not load a default icon for each file in a window if they are being viewed by name 5.3 Be able to view as small icons, date, etc. (see Mac Sys7), and let programmers be able to incorporate these views in file requesters in their own programs 5.3 Give all programs easy access to datatypes 5.3 Have an option for an automatic "Update" in all Windows, especially Ram Disk 5.3 Inside the standard file requester have the ability to delete or create drawers 5.3 Allow different patterns in each window (store pattern name in the .info file) 5.3 Allow users to give Workbench border a simple pattern or at least change its color 5.3 Have a better information panel like SwazInfo 5.3 Ability to kill or automatically kill a frozen program 5.3 Ability to have icons in a different location than the program (like aliases on the mac) 5.3 Allow users to cut and paste from anywhere to anywhere else, esp. between string gadgets (like NeXT) 5.3 A "move" command! [Come on, it's about time for one...] 5.3 Make "dir" faster and more useful, esp. for PC people new to the Amiga 5.3 Automatic snapshot of icons, windows 5.3 Complete and total mouse emulation by keyboard (in all programs), using the keypad for directions 3.5 Animated/calculated backdrops (like xfishtank) 3.5 A standard C++ fontend and developers' package for AmigaDOS, so the programmer can use constructors and destructors & have the compiler keep track of unlocking/closing/deallocating/etc... Also, this would introduce real inheritance, for extensions like task vs. process 3.5 More thorough documentation on the supported CD-ROM drive system 3.5 Entire window should not update when only one icon is moved 3.5 All included programs should be consistant with some sort of User Interface Standard, but HDBackup is not. 3.5 Allow windows to be placed partially "off screen" to save space on the desktop 3.5 Font editor (like TypeSmith) 3.5 Include parnet software and cable for networking between Amigas 3.5 Software multiprocessor support (Dictate tasks to certain processors) 3.5 Bring back AmigaBasic with compiler and AGA support, and new manual 3.5 Workbench support for math co-processors (speed up re-mapping) 3.5 Include a lot of Amiga logo stuff: backdrop, screensaver module, etc. (and .8svx of slogan) 3.5 Include how-to video and easy manual for 1st time users, but also something more in-depth for experienced ones 3.5 Left-handed mouse capability 3.5 Support for Icons without text (even with null string, WB still adds font height into placement calculations) Also have ability for icon text to be different than the name of the program (tooltype?) 3.5 Ability to run other machines' OS's. (Not just Windows NT, please) 3.5 Shell and Window borders should be slimmer 3.5 If a directory is moved by dragging the icon into another directory, have a requester to confirm this action, so it's not an accident 3.5 Have a prefs GUI for devices to be mounted (would move them to/from Storage), assigns to be made at startup, Monitors to be supported (also moves them), and things to be put into WBStartup and commands in User-Startup (for people who don't like to edit scripts) 3.5 Some sort of tree view, like explorer in Win '95 or in OS/2 3.5 Included screengrabber 3.5 Allow a window to be shown only by its title bar (look at Mac Sys7.5) 3.5 Ability to read Mac disks built in (we can already read IBM disks, why not go all out?) 3.5 Have the size of a drawer listed in "view by name", where like the Mac, it just updates the size as it calculates it, instead of delaying showing the drawers by calculating it first 3.5 In view by name, have the small Mac triangle gadgets at the drawers to get the tree effect 3.5 Memory and disk space shown in K 3.5 Have a multiple format command that will prompt user after each format if he/shek would like to format another 3.5 When opening parent, have a menu or submenu for all parent drawers of the current window so you can skip over some 3.5 Have a "close all windows" option 3.5 Have a "Tools" menu shared on all public screens 3.5 Ability to copy/move/manipulate only the icon files while in Workbench 3.5 Ability to determine free disk space before transferring data (save the time/trouble of trying if there's no room) 3.5 Enable icon names to wrap around to 2 lines if they are long 3.5 Be able to snapshot the ram disk icon 3.5 Improve the clean-up command to place icons close to their original position in the window, instead of moving them all over the place 3.5 If default icons are being used, have icon file read once and re-use as necessary instead of multiple reads. (Put default icons into ram: as an option?) 3.5 If you don't have enough ram to open a new application/document, the system should check to see which applications are running that you are not currently using, and give you the option to close one or more of them to free up enough memory. 3.5 Have the ability to clean up in an alphabetized order, or a drawers-first order. 3.5 When using Copy, have a progress indicator (a bar, preferably) 3.5 Have a special alert when formating a hard drive 3.5 Have some sort of "lock" so selected files can't be deleted 3.5 Some type of uninstall program that gets rid of libraries/fonts/etc. that programs leave behind even after they're deleted 3.5 Better pointer editor 3.5 Should be able to recognize printer errors more quickly (such as offline) 3.5 Include well-done standard mouse pointers, such as the I-beam text cursor, etc. for all programs to use 3.5 Support for non-paletted (15/16/24 bit) or semi-paletted (HAM6/8) Workbench screens. 3.5 When using datatypes to display a picture, and picture has more colors than can currently be displayed, dither colors to make it as close as possible. 3.5 Allow the information displayed on the title bar to be configurable, i.e., user can choose to show 1 or more of: date, memory, time, # screens open, cpu usage, cps rate for downloading, etc. 3.5 Shared libraries that simulate GUI calls for other OS's by calling Intuition. (XWindows, System 7, and MS-Windows libraries) (Would ease porting of applications) 3.5 Have the position in the window update as the scroll bar is dragged, not after 3.5 Borderless icons..if we want borders, we'll draw them 3.5 Be able to force a public screen to be displayed in a window on the desktop 3.5 Standard drivers for back-up systems or removeable media 3.5 Full system support of 24-bit graphics (this graphics capability should be standard on all Amigas) 3.5 Nicer looking prefs GUI. 3.5 Full-featured "find file" from desktop, where drawers and windows are opened for you to get to the file 3.5 A decent, standard palette for each color level for the Workbench. Perhaps have Grey, Faded, Normal, and Bright versions. A few (a very few) of the comments that I received are mentioned here. These were picked semi-randomly from groups of similar comments. One person's name was lost when the message was forwarded from Jason Compton to myself, so I apologize in advance for not being able to give full credit for his/her statement... "The Amiga GUI is the most intuitive and easy to use GUI out there... however there are dozens of little things about it that keep sticking their heads up. Maybe a life long Amiga user would have gotten used to it. But I've only had my A4000/030 for just over 1 year. Before that I was an avid MS-Windows user..." -- David Zvekic "....dealers have their workbenches set up in the worst possible ways. [i.e. - 4 colors, ugly icons, clicking drive, etc...] If I didn't see an Amiga at a friends house FIRST before seeing it at the store, I probably never would have bought one." -- David Zvekic "I want to be able to use any application with my keyboard, without using my mouse. Microsoft Windows meets this requirement. Don't ask me to install third party packages like MUI for keyboarding." -- Quang Ngo "...they should take a good close look at the Silicon Graphics equivalent to the workbench on their newest OS. It used drag drop, multiple view modes, and exceeds the well done solution used currently on the Mac." -- Ralph Vinciguerra "Make the upgrade available swiftly and cheaply, no more than $50-$100. Seriously. Most people won't fully develop for the new OS if hardly anyone has it." -- Paul Nolan "...Ii think improvements should be made in improving the functionality and performance speed of the workbench, and not in pretty wallpaper. Every effort should be made to improve speed and ease of use. Looks is of minor concern." -- Rene Beekman "The style guides and RKM manuals should be updated, improved...and ENFORCED! By this I don't mean that programmers should have to get some sort of license to publish software for the amiga, that would make development unattractive. Perhaps instead, a glowing sticker with the words 'Amiga Approved Software' should be offered to developers who release a package that conforms to system standards..." -- Maureen Erin Siddall "One of the main concerns of current and future computer owners is the availability of software, it is therefore in the company's best interest to encourage the proliferation of PD, shareware and commercial software development. One way to achieve this is to offer programming tools, documentation and examples either as freeware or at minimal cost to the average programmer. I would also concentrate on better application development rather than creating an enormous operating system. Though this may impede software development time, a smaller OS offers several other advantages such as: o The programming learning curve would be shortened because of its relative simplicity. o Applications would not be bogged down by the OS consuming resources. o Minimized risk of compounded errors as would be induced by a large OS. o Less resource requirements (ie. less processor time, hard drive space and RAM consumed etc.). ....In the end it should be as easy to use as a Mac and yet should still remain as appealing to hackers, coders, demo-makers, artists, game-players, video- makers and hardware enthusiasts as every model has been since the original A1000." -- Jean-Pierre LeBel "A good idea would be to make a...set of icons, using the NewIcons system, but with non-isometric graphics. (this does not impose 2d look) Graphists should have a look [at] NeXTSTEP icons." -- Jean-Alexis Montignies "...just like OS/2 Warp has Internet support, so should Workbench. I know that future (or current) versions of WB have network drivers, but with Internet becoming more important, the Workbench should support it. This Internet support should include those who need dial up SLIP/PPP access as well as direct LAN hookup. If not part of the OS, CEI should contract someone to make an integrated Internet package. It is very difficult to get all the current software to work in unison. I wish there was a "Internet in a Box" for the Amiga." -- " In PC-Windows common resolution used for screen display is 800x600 in 256 or with better GFX cards 16.7 mil. colors. Of course, much utilities support 16.7 mil. colors. Also it is not unlikely seeing pictures in 1024x768 or 1024x1024. In AMIGA-WB default icons are adapted to be used in 640x256 and when you switch in INTERLACE they look horribly ugly ! It would be the best to make it at least 640x512 (same size of pixels in X and Y aspect). But the higher resolution and higher number of colors-the better. Look at MAC-system 7.x. It also works in very high resolution as default. It is important to keep the speed even when working in higher resolutions." -- Zvonko Tesic "I'd also like to remind everyone...that adding "more" to Workbench isn't necessarily better. While it is in need of an upgrade, one mustn't forget that its speed, flexibility and ease of use are probably its best features (along with low overhead multitasking, of course...). :)" -- Ken Pierce And finally a statement that speaks for most of us, I'm sure: "My other wish to Your Wish List is that there would BE the new Workbench. And the new Amiga. That's even more important than my first wish." -- Sebastian Witkowski Next issue I will outline what COULD be the "Perfect Workbench", on the basis of the letters I received and the experience I had for 1 1/2 years in the jungle of selling PC and Macintosh software, and hearing their complaints and praises... Also included will be the list of the most-often used Shareware or PD utilities. See elsewhere in the magazine for the beginning of a LIMITED Hardware Wish List survey... I don't know if I could do something like this again. :) @endnode @node FEATURE2 "A Brief History of Amiga Report" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == A Brief History of Amiga Report By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== Introduction - This brief history has been compiled solely by me. Most of the information is from direct experience with the magazine...the information from the issues before I was involved with it are pulled from my observations of the issues in question. Besides, most of the people who might get offended don't read the magazine anymore anyway. Somewhere in Time - Robert Glover becomes enamored with Atari STs, and the various online Atari online magazines. Mid 1991 - STReport, one of the aforementioned Atari online magazines, forms AMReport. I've read AMReports recently, just for fun. The format was all ASCII, there were all sorts of ads interjected for fun, and was apparently posted on c.s.a.misc. It apparently goes through some changes and disappears abruptly. At least, it disappears abruptly from Portal's archives, and I can't find more than one issue anywhere else. In the end, it didn't survive. (It's considerably shorter than current ARs...) March 19, 1993 - Undaunted by the failure of AMReport, Mariano (Editor of STReport) "allows" Robert Glover to start up the weekly Amiga Report, since he thinks he owns the rights to #?Report. Anyway, Glover, who has just recently forsaken the ST for an Amiga 1200, tries very hard to make AR worth reading, but never shakes his Atari loyalty, constantly reprinting from STReport and making references to how great Ataris are. AR starts with all sorts of people on as editorial staff: A Technical, Graphics, and Contributing Editor can be found in the first issue. Of course, there are only two distribution BBSes at present, so the going is slow. The first issue consists of little more than a huge, rambling thread between Jim Drew (then Vice-President of Utilities Unlimited) and a bunch of ST users-one of whom actually threatens Drew with legal action from Atari for his planned ST emulator. Many issues to come will consist of lots and lots of reposts from GEnie, until the GEnie people complain and Glover totally drops any reference or acknowledgement of GEnie, causing a rift only recently repaired. The magazine is still straight ASCII. May 28, 1993 - Robert Niles joins AR as "Assistant Technical Editor", bringing In the Meantime, AR's third distribution BBS. June 25, 1993 - Thanks to Robert Niles, Amiga Report goes to AmigaGuide format. Niles is now actually doing the work of putting the magazine together, even though he's just a "Technical Editor"... July 30, 1993 - Jason Compton's first column, The Emulation Examiner (later Rambler) appears. AR is up to 10 distribution BBSes. September 10, 1993 - By this issue, 1.24, all of the original editorial staff (except for Glover) are gone. Thanks to Michael Witbrock, AR is now on the World Wide Web. November 1993 - Glover has (finally) stopped listing the people involved in other "ST-" offshoot magazines. They didn't exactly do anything for AR, anyway. January 21, 1994 - Amiga Report has taken on a slightly revamped design. In this issue, 2.03, Glover talks about hoping to devote more time to AR in the near future. February 4, 1994 - Issue 2.05, and Glover leaves Amiga Report. Robert Niles, who had been serving as Assistant Editor (the only editorial position left), agrees to take over Amiga Report. His "acceptance editorial", though, speaks of hard times and even a possible abandonment of Amiga Report to come if things don't perk up for the struggling magazine. February 11, 1994 - Issue 2.06, Rick Gideon becomes Assistant Editor. He lasts exactly two issues. Jason Compton is named Emulation Editor. February 25, 1994 - Issue 2.07, Jesper Juul becomes the first European Editor. May 20, 1994 - Issue 2.16, David Tiberio becomes Associate (later Contributing) Editor. AR has 35 distribution BBSes. August 22, 1994 - Issue 2.25, Jason Compton takes over as Editor-in-Chief and Robert Niles turns into the Assistant Editor. Michael Wolf takes over as European Editor. AR will go biweekly, to beef up the issues and lessen the load on the editors. September 29, 1994 - Issue 2.28, Amiga Report holds the first-ever online conference with a bidder for the Amiga technology. October 10, 1994 - Issue 2.29, Katherine Nelson comes on as Copy Assistant (Later Copy Editor, eventually Assistant Editor), taking over the hard part of the magazine (i.e. actually putting everything together in AmigaGuide format.) October 24, 1994 - Issue 2.30, Amiga Report undergoes its biggest layout overhaul since it started in AmigaGuide over a year previous. It's met with mixed reactions, but it's here to stay. December 4, 1994 - Issue 2.32, Amiga Report holds a world-first IRC conference, with a record-setting amount of participants. Print magazines around the world request reprint rights. The Present - Amiga Report has just added Sean Caszatt as Games Editor. AR is one of the few remaining online sources for information, and is finally gaining acknowledgement from print magazines. An estimated 10,000 people read the magazine on every inhabited continent. A floppy distribution network is in the making. Things actually look pretty good. Who needs a Graphics or Technical Editor, anyway? @endnode @node FEATURE3 "Interview: Chris Ludwig" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == Interview: Chris Ludwig == =========================================================================== In a bizarre switch, Amiga Report has obtained permission to reprint AmigaNews' interview with Chris Ludwig, one of the last 16 employees of Commodore International, laid off in early December. While he doesn't "tell all", it is one of the first public peeks into Commodore, company in liquidation. Thanks to AmigaNews for making it possible. By Bruce Lepper and Kamel Biskri of the French Amiga magazine AmigaNews This article is Copyright (c) 1995 NewsEdition SARL. It appeared in the issue 75 of AmigaNews (France) and will appear exclusively in English in the March 1995 issue of Amiga Shopper (UK) on sale on February 16. All requests for commercial non-English language translations and publication should be adressed to AmigaNews. Permission is hereby granted to Amiga Report to include this text in its electronic bulletin. Our thanks to Chris Ludwig for his replies to our questions on this subject, so important for Amiga users everywhere. AmigaNews is the longest-running French-language Amiga magazine. Address: AmigaNews, 12 Rue Barrihre, 31200 Toulouse, France. Tel: (+33) 61-47-25-67, FAX: 61-47-25-69 Email: amiganew@cict.fr Amiga Shopper 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon BA1 2BW Tel: (+44) 01225 442244 EMail: amshopper@cix.compulink.co.uk An interview with Amiga software engineer Chris Ludwig at the World of Amiga Show in London on December 11, two days after he and the other members of the surviving Amiga development team finally left their jobs. AN: You're probably the last person to work for what was once called Commodore Business Machines? CL: Actually there's one person still working there, that Jeff Frank, head of hardware engineering and his job at the moment is to liquidate any of the hardware that's left at Norristown. That may have changed since Friday. Friday was the last day at Commodore for myself and for a lot of other people as well. There were 16 of us, engineering staff. AN: You were continuing work on a new system? CL: There was not a lot of development going on, mainly because the resource wasnt there, there was not a lot of money to be spent. We didnt have quite the number pf people we needed. There were some software ideas being toyed with, there were some hardware ideas being toyed with, but there was no steady development goal... AN: We were here last month at the Future Entertainment Show and we were told that the HP Risc chip had been chosen as the basis for future Amiga development. CL: That is correct. AN: Mr Pleasance told us this morning that the fact that work has now stopped means that some new agreement will have to be drawn up with HP in order to re-start development. CL: Yes, but having said that, the deal that we had with HP was a solid one, and I don't think there going to be a problem there. They've got every reason in the world to want that to go through with whoever continues the Amiga. AN: Was Lew Eggebrecht still working with you? CL: Towards the very end he wasn't there full time, he was just consulting to us, but when we needed him we could just call him. AN: He knows the HP architecture really well? CL: Somewhat well. We did have a resident expert, Dr Edward Heppler, the guy who designed the RISC 3D system, and he was there to the end. And he's committed to it so I'm sure that if something happened we'd get him back on board. AN: Did the Amiga design team take that decision to go to HP RISC or was it a Commodore decision? CL: It was a Commodore decision. We spent a lot of time looking at available processers and trying to decide which one best met the needs that we had in mind for the future of the platform. We chose it based on a number of different concerns: - first of all, compatibility with existing products. HP, because of their having bought out Apollo (constructeur de stations graphiques) have an interest that their processer is 68000-compatible, so theres a 68000 compatible emulation mode for the PA-RISC AN: Does that exist already? CL: Yes, that already. AN: Is that emulation in hardware? CL: Its both, basically. The instruction architecture is similiar to 68000 in many ways and ther's some software emulation tricks that can be done as well, so between those two pieces it makes migrating easy. It doesn't guarantiee compatibility, it's not like Power PC where you have compatibility that's basically out-of-the-box, they haven't got that finished and I don't know that they will, but it makes the migration path much shorter, there's a lot less that has to be done in re-coding. AN: HP is doing that work themselves? CL: That's correct. AN: So that will make it a lot easier to create something resembling AmigaDOS portable onto the HP RISC? CL: Exactly. That was one of the principal reasons for choosing the HP chip. Other reasons were: - we wanted a chip that would allow us a greater degree of control in implementing our own ideas for the 3D half of the work.. For example you can go and buy, for PowerPC for example, if you want to be a PowerPC hardware OEM (Ed: ,original equipent manufacturer, ou autrement dit un fabricant qui prends un produit de base d'un autre fabricant et l'utilise pour crieer un autre produit) the PowerPC core, which is a little square portion of the die and then they give you the L-shape around the rest of the die in order to add in your hardware. That's how it basically works if you want to have a PowerPC-based chip of your own. AN: But no PowerPC user has yet done that, they're all using the basic chip as it comes. CL: Yes, exactly. It's been done with other chips. But we wanted to have our own die, our own semi-conductor work on the same die as the HP-RISC. With the PA-RISC, unlike the PowerPC, we're actually allowed to have a free rein over the whole die, so that we can take a HP-RISC core and basically put in pieces that we want, take out pieces that we don't want, add instructions, which is very important for us. We've had a lot of work spent on designing new instructions which allow us to have really fantastic 3D performance, and the PowerPC wouldn't have let us do that, the HP stuff does. AN: So you're creating a custom HP-RISC for the Amiga. CL: Exactly, that was the plan, we're basically creating a custom PA-RISC chip based on the PA-150, the latest one, that would allow us to have really fantastic performance. AN: How far have you got with that work? CL: We've got software simulations of the chipset running. We did software simulations of some of the four pieces and they worked, so we're satisfied that... AN: Would those four chips come into one at a later stage? CL: You mean the Amiga chips? Yes. Essentially, in that one core we'd be taking the planned sound enhancements for AAA as well as all the graphics enhancements that we've designed for the RISC release and obviously the CPU port there as well. You'd still need a digital/analog converter at the end that does the colour tables for the back end of the video, but those are standard parts, it's not something that we have to design ourselves, and you've basically got a one-chip solution, that's scalable. Another reason for choosing the PA-RISC was that the PA-RISC is designed around allowing you to have a multi-processer system, with other processors acting as enabling processors. So that for example we could have a one-chip solution which would be very low cost for games sytems for example, that was just our version of the custom PA-RISC, but we could have higher-end systems where our chip is actually just a sub-processer that's doing graphics work and another PA-RISC is doing the! major computation, so you've now doubled the through-put of the system and you still get all of the graphics performance that you have but your competition haven't on the PA-RISC chip, so you've got really tremendous performance. And you can scale that architecture to get quite high-end systems. AN: Does that go as far as controlling transputers? CL: It's not quite the same as transputers, it's not infinitely scalable. Transputers obviously give you a lot more scalability in that direction. But its a more tight integration as well. From a software perspective it's easier to code for because you're basically spawning off the graphics sub-tasks to the other chip, it's basically designing it as if you were working with a one-chip solution. AN: So how much time would be needed to finish it. CL: We're looking at 18 to 20 months from inception. When somebody gets the deal and says 'Go forward' and the money's there it'll take about 18 months. It's the whole chip design that needs to be done and software support has to be done... it'll take some time. AN: And that's not variable depending on the resources that you put behind it? CL: Well of course it is, but not to a great extent. That's probably the fastest it could be done. But the amount of resources required isn't tremendously huge compared to what we've had in the past. It's certainly a do-able thing. AN: Apparently Windows NT would run on this. CL: Sure, Windows NT runs on PA-RISC and we're not taking anything away that would prevent that. AN: So tell us what AmigaDos would look like on such a machine. In what way would it be able to retain the AmigaDos that we know. CL: The plan is simply to port AmigaDos to the chip. So Exec will be ported, graphics will be ported, Intuition will be ported, all portions of AmigaDos that currently exist will be ported, the idea being that the system will be wholly an Amiga, with the capability of running Windows NT as well. Because it's a PA-RISC there will already be native compiled versions of NT. You're basically talking about a box that can run two OS's. Three if you count HP's system. AN: The new AmigaDos would not be compatible with existing software. CL: That's correct, people would have to re-compile their existing software. But, again, because of the chips degree of compatibility with the 68000 line that shouldn't be a gargantuan effort. It should be about as straightforward as it is for Apple people to recompile in order to get their current 68000-based applications to run on PowerPC. AN: Is all this something that can realistically be done now if someone ends up buying the Amiga? CL: Absolutely. It's a matter of ensuring that there's some vision at the top of the company in order to let something like this go through. Commodore has too often in the past been in the situation of having designed very cool products which just at the very end of the life cycle after we've spent all the money on them don't actually make it to market because the people at the top have a lack of vision and when they see the finished product say "Oh no, they wouldn't wanna buy that." But I don't think we'll see that with the potential buyers. AN: This work you've been doing is one of the major assets of Commodore and we suppose that's why the liquidator kept it going. That means that anybody who buys Commodore will be able to continue this project. CL: Absolutely. It really depends on how the buy-out happens. Anyone who's buying the whole company will get the rights to build this computer. But there's been talk that the liquidator may be deciding to sell off the company piecemeal which would mean that if someone wanted to pick up just this technology they could come in with a smaller figure than the full value of the company, and somebody else could buy the right to use the names Amiga, etc. AN: Do you think that people who have been working on this will be able to come back if the sale happens fairly quickly? CL: If it happens fairly quickly I feel personally quite certain that people who were involved would be interested in coming back. It depends on how long it takes. In six months from now if nothing's happened I'm sure they'll all have jobs and they'll probably be quite happy with them. Its maybe not going to be the same spark that we had with Commodore, but you never know. If the money's good, you've got wives and children... AN: Mr Amor said on Portal the other day that he wasn't sure which RISC chip to go for. He said the Mac and the PC were pulling towards the PowerPC, but talks had already gone on with HP. He didn't seem to be firmly fixed on this idea of an HP-RISC chip. CL: The truth is that he's had very little contact with the engineering staff. He's been around once or twice but beyond that things have been in a vacuum. AN: You've had more contact with oher teams? CL: Yes, definitely. We've had more contact with teams that have gone away now. At one point Samsung were a potential buyer. AN: Amstrad? CL: Yes, but that was a long time ago. AN: Philips? CL: Correct. AN: All these people are apparently going to have another possibility of making a last bid. CL: Sure. I think that having got rid of the engineers and Christmas obviously being dead now, it means the value of the company has probably been reduced quite a bit, and people who lost interest before may be more interested now that the price has gone down. AN: We heard some months ago that Samsung were not really interested in continuing the Amiga computer line. CL: It's difficult to say. They were obviously interested in the engineering know-how that we had and in a number of the hardware designs that we had. Whether or not they were interested in continuing the Amiga as a product line is difficult to say. AN: Do you have a personal favourite buyer? Who has most impressed you? I'll try not to let anybody hear your answer (AmigaNews Ed: David Pleasance was in the same room during part of this interview but was talking with Jim Drew and other people). CL: All I can really say is, whoever takes over the company I hope they have a driving instinct and vision to bring forth the best that the platform has to offer. I worry that people may have a short-term view of what to do with the platform, that some of the buyers will have a potential of just wanting to do a kind of smash and grab operation. AN: You think there are some like that? CL: I think so. AN: Do you think there are some serious ones as well? CL: Yes there are some serious ones. AN: Would you include CEI and the English Commodore team? CL: Yeah... AN: You're not very sure. CL: It's difficult to say. I think that the UK team have a real clear idea of where they want to go, and that's very important. AN: The Amiga has done very well in the sense of its technological specialities. How may of those would you be keeping with this new system, like draw-down screens, video compatibility, this sort of thing. CL: Obviously the chip-set's gotta be video compatible. One of the major reasons for making sure that we have a low-end version of the chipset is that it would be usable in video games, set-top boxes, and low cost multimedia presentation devices like a cheap television set-top bo, so it's gotta have video compatibility. The blitter portion of the engine will retain peroccupatibility with current blitter stuff. AN: Scrolling the way we've got it now? CL: Yeah, yeah, we'll have scrolling. A number of the current video modes will be available or at least emulated, aand then the the new video modes I think you going to be surprised with. There's some great modes. AN: Sprites? CL: We're probably going to toss sprites altogether. If you look at how games programmers write games today, very few of them are actually using sprites any longer. They use just one sprite for the main character and they toss out the rest; just because the overhead for sprites, while it's minimal, it's so much easier these days to, especially if you're porting to PC compatibles, to not have to deal with the sprite issue. It just makes more sense to dispose with it altogether and use the real estate that we gain to enhance the 3D abilities. AN: Is the AAA chipset definitely out? CL: I don't know that it's definitely out. Dave (Haynie) spent a lot of time getting a system out that would, at least from a hardware perspective, work I think the ig problem with it is that from a feature-set standpoint it really doesn't buy us enpough in the short-term to be useful in the short-term and in the long-term we're better off trying to leapfrog the feature-set entirely so that we have something new and innovative, and that's why we focused on the RISC-3D stuff. AN: The specifications of the AAA seemed pretty impressive from the average Amiga user's point of view, and now you're talking about leapfrogging. Is the Custom RISC really that much better than AAA? CL: Oh yes, definitely. From what we know reading IEEE magazine and playing with them our system will beat the pants off a Saturn (Sega's coming console). We've designed it around being a really fantastic system, exercising the best of the resources that Commodore's always had, basically designing our own chips rather than going out to someone else and just using an off-the-shelf chip. We've got some really good stuff planned. AN: So you can envisage having a wide range of Amiga products, from the games player to the professional user, in the real tradition of the Amiga which has been so hard to market... CL: Yes it has been hard to market. That's it. It's one of our assets, and getting rid of it by just concentrating on one end or the other would be a mistake. AN: So you've got built in there all sorts of texture mapping and other capabilities? CL: Yes. Basically the blitter has grown features that allow it to do texture mapping, that allow it to do shading like the new consoles, but faster and with higher quality video modes, so that we've got a greater resolution than the consoles have, because at the high end we're going to need that resolution. We've got completely programmable pixel rates, as you know that's basically a feature that started with AA, that AAA grew some, and this basically continues that growth path so that we'll be able to do a large number of graphic modes. We have true colour modes (24-bit), we have some fairly innovative colour reduction modes, similar to HAM but a bit different, we have YUV modes so it'll be much more simple for us to do PhotoCD support, we've also got some 32-bit modes where we've got a transparency channel as well. AN: 24-bit colour on screen in high resolution? CL: Yes, sure. Obviously that's not the kind of mode you'd want to use for a games system, because it takes too much bandwith, the graphics take up too much space, but it's there because the same chipset could be used in a high-end system to provide a true-colour, high-resolution desktop interface. AN: How much of that system is in this one central chip that you're talking about. Is there an external graphics sub-system? CL: It's all in the one chip. Everything is in there except RAM, ROM, and the RAMDAC for the colour tables. AN: What is the cache situation? CL: There's an internal cache for the PA-RISC and then there's some external cache space as well. AN: One of the big problems of the Amiga is the lack of memory protection. One programme crash can bring down the whole system. Will that be eliminated? CL: Obviously if we're going to go to the trouble of porting the OS to another chip then we have the opportunity at that point to get rid of all the problems that we've had to live with in exec. We would have done it a long time ago but certain internal features of exec made it difficult to do. AN: It will be one of the advantages of losing compatibility! CL: Exec won't be an easy port because it's written entirely in assembly code but it's a small, tight core so it shouldn't be too difficult. AN: What sort of a clock speed would this turn at? CL: Whatever clock speed the Pa-RISC chips are available now. I know they're doing 100MHz, so... AN: What sort of upgrade path is foreseeable for the 4000? CL: At the moment in-house there are no designs for anything beyond 25MHz '040. I think what we're looking at as a likely prospect would be OEM'ing somebody else's add-on CPU card design and then building those into the box, just as a short-term solution. It's definitely true that we need to have a 4000 with higher specifications on the market and that gives us a quick way of doing that. AN: What was your function the Commodore team? CL: I was hired on about three and a half years ago to do multi-media standards. Basically I managed the IFF standard, handling registrations for the forms and so forth and tried within the organisation to bring in standards from the outside world and develop our own standards where there weren't already standards in place, and then get developers to adopt the standards. Unfortunately as usual in Commodore there was very little resource to expend towards these efforts so not a lot came of it, but we had some good work. For example CAMDI (Commodore Amiga Midi Driver), which is essentially a MIDI library-style system for allowing MIDI applications to share access to the MIDI ports so that there is automatic merging of the MIDI data. From that work a host of people ended up with another library called Real Time Dat Library which provides the synchronisation and timing information from a master clock source which can be generated by the library itself or come externally from ti! me code devices, and then this master clock is distributed to sub-tasks that want it. So for example you can synchronise multiple animation playbacks simultaneously with sound playback because Real Time Library helps all the allocations to keep track. AN: Isn't all this work going to be lost when you change the CPU? CL: No, the plan is to bring it all over. That's one of the reasons it's going to take 18 months. A good thing is that having picked an already existing RISC core, even while the hardware work is progressing much of the software work can be started immediately because you can go out and buy an HP Workstation today with a PA-RISC chip in it. Basically we'll have software simulation of graphics sub-systems and whatever graphics abilities are available on the workstation, to the extent that they can emulate, will be used. It's going to be completely different because what we have in our own hardware is obviously going to be much faster, but from our perspective, developing system software, that doesn't matter much and we'll be able to programme a significant portion of the OS without having the graphics end of the chipset done. We know what the graphics chipset is going to do and we can write software that emulates that. AN: So developers will be using an HP workstation to create the future Amiga. CL: Precisely. It has to be that way because 18 months sounds like a long time when you're thinking about how long it will be before somebody's hardware is released, but if you're a software developer, as you well know, 18 months doesn't seem like much at all in order to learn a whole new system and to come out with some decent software for it. AN: Amiga developers will probably have a hard time learning to programme for the new machine, won't they? CL: I think you'll find that we'e tried to maintain the basic chip philosophy. It's obviously not going to be compatible on a register level, so people who have been hitting the hardware all along are going to have to learn all over again! But if you're doing system programming then I don't think you've got anythiung to worry about. You should be able, at the end, without doing much more than simply recompiling your software, have something that works. That's the goal. We have a huge base of very good software out there. But I think you'll find that even in public domaine this is where people go ahead because they wanna be first... AN: One last question. If this new Amiga was produced in two years time, what would be its main advantages over the Mac and the PC? CL: I think that one important point is that the machine will come as a base with outstanding graphics performance. As a system to do 3D rendering, a as system to do commercial video work, you're going to find that our system will be able to compete just as well as Amigas compete today. In 18 months to two years time, when the PCs are coming to where we are today, we'll have gone forward another generation. (c) NewsEdition SARL 1995. @endnode @node FEATURE4 "Marbleizing Your Amiga" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == Marbleizing Your Amiga By: Eric Rainbolt == =========================================================================== This article is for all of you who want to do something creative with your Amiga's standard and rather boring, some might even add PC'ish, offwhite paintjob. Well, you can change that and make something really cool, and this article is about what I did and the methods I used. First of all, I have to say that I am no great world recognized artist by any comparison. The process that I am about to describe here is simple enough for any and all amigaphiles to do. It should cost less than $25 bucks, will provide visual pleasure a lifetime, and will make your Amiga look very hip. ( like it isn't already ) ;) The first thought to come to mind is what kind of texture and what kind of colour do I want to use? I decided on a marble texture; now I had to decide between Danube Blue, Tiffany Rose, Ivory, Black Onyx or Florentine Green. Since my favourite colour is the colour of money, I decided to use Florentine Green. Actually, I couldn't decide at the art supply store, so I bought all the colours. Florentine Green is made up of all the colours you would see on a dollar bill, looks pretty sharp as a marble finish also. I also think some psychologists think green is a good mood enhancing colour to view, so what the heck, the decision was made. I bet you are wondering where you can get one of the "Marbleizing Kits", but just hold your horses for a little bit, and I'll tell you at the end of the article. By the end of this article you should be completely set and educated in the fine art of marbleizing. I hope you are convinced by now, if not, this just might not be for you, but I encourage you to read on, the application process is pretty interesting. ( Who says paint has to go on with a brush? ) It is simple to marbleize your computer. At first I was disappointed that the marbleizing kit said "Not recommended for plastic surfaces.", but I tried it anyway, and I can tell you, this stuff is stuck on like a painted bowling ball, it doesn't come off easy. All that is in the marbleizing kit are some acrylic paints, something called "extender", something called "thickener", a torn up sponge, a feather for putting on the marble veins and a sponge brush you can use for applying the basecoat ( in my case this was licorice black ). You have to acquire some clear polyurethane sealer for a smooth marble-like finish when you are all finished painting also. The first step I did, and I did this the night before I started painting ( approx 1.5 hours depending on how good of a job you want to do ) was to prepare the plastic surface by using a very fine grade sand paper. I did three parts; actually four if you consider the keyboard separate. I lightly scratched the surface of all the plastic I intended to paint. I used horizontal sweeps and then vertical sweeps to try and give the surface a texture that would really help the paint grip. After I did all the surfaces on my monitor, my A3000, the keyboard and my printer, I thoroughly wiped all the dust off and removed all the grease and dirt with some glass cleaner. Surely, any household cleaner will work, as long as it doesn't leave any oil or wax on the surface ( stay away from products like Pledge or WD-40; I'm sure you have the idea.) I already started becoming impressed when I noticed my 3000 brightened up and looked like it was fresh from the box. I then took some 3" masking tape and taped off the monitor screen, the serial plates on back, and all the connectors. The next evening, I started applying the basecoat. The marbleizing kit gives you enough paint to cover 12 square feet. This was plenty, and I had some extra when I finished basecoating my IDEK 17" ( this sucker is huge ) monitor, the 3000, the keyboard and my BJ-200 printer. The basecoat colour was labeled 'Licorice Black'. It looked pretty black to me, and when I was finished I was debating on just leaving it black. It started to look real cool all black, and I liked the idea of having a Stealth 3000. But then again, I had a goal in mind, and that was to go through with the marbleizing. It is a good idea to let the paint dry for 24 hours, although the acrylic paints feels pretty dry after two hours. I should mention at this point that cleanup is easy. All the paints are water-based acrylic, so even if I got it on my clothes, I was able to easily wash it out. Also, I elected not to use the sponge brush supplied with the kit. I think it would be a better idea if they included a brush to get at all the tight spots, like the vents on the monitors and the fins on the front of the 3000. A half inch to an inch soft brush is my best recommendation. After I was done basecoating all the surfaces and turning that boring white into an evil looking black colour, I put all the pieces aside and spent the rest of the evening hooking up my trusty 500 and checking my e-mail and reading the news. The next evening I began the actual marbleization process. This takes a bit longer than basecoating, especially if you are nervous about it. The idea is simply to put the stuff on, and nervousness actually helps make it look better. The first thing you need to do is set up your palette. I used a cookie baking sheet, but anything that isn't absorbent and no smaller than a plastic plate will work. What you do is squeeze some paint in an irregular fashion all over the plate, the kit calls it Marbleizing Colour A, but it's basically the colour most of your marble is going to be, for Florentine Green Marble, Marbleizing Colour A was Summer Sky. Next you spaghettize { like spaghetti } Colour B on top of Colour A ( about 1/2 as much as Color A ). Then you add a little bit of white ( about 1/32 as much as you used Colour A ). The next step in making your palette is to pour on as much thickener ( a clear solution ) as colour A and half as much extender solution. The thickener makes the colours mix in an opaque fashion and the extender solution makes the colours mix in a translucent fashion - like real marble! Ok, now you have a load of paint ready to go on your palette. I recommend that you blur the colours together by tipping your palette forward and backward and sideways. This way, the colours mix and give you a realistic marble colour combination. The next thing you need is a sponge with certain parts of it finger torn off to give the sponge a rougher texture. A good sponge size is about 2" by 4". You then wet the sponge, clench out any excess water and then gently rest the sponge, without pushing down too hard, on the palette of colours. The sponge will then have enough paint on it to do about 5-10 applications. What you do is press the sponge on the surface, lift off cleanly, and then rotate the position of the sponge and do it again, responging some areas to give a very irregular and non-uniform colouring to the surface. The best place to start is probably on the back or underside of the computer or monitor to get some practice. Also, starting in the upper left hand corner of a side is a good practice. Pretty soon, you'll be amazed at the results. If the sponge begins to fade, simply refresh the sponge by pressing it onto the palette. Every once in a while you should clean your songe by rinsing it with water. Redoing sections over again enhances the irregularity and makes it really look real. After you are done sponging the whole computer, simply let that dry for about 2 hours or until the paint feels pretty dry. Then you can begin the real interesting part of "veining" your marble. Real marble usually has veins of mineral running through it, and the veins are normally apparent on the surface. To imitate veins in your marble, you simply take a feather ( any common bird feather will do ) and a little white paint and some thickener and extender. It's better to use more thickener and extender than paint to give the marble lines a real appearance. Simply make a small palette of these three ingredients and stroke the feather through the palette until you have some soaked into the feather. Gently and nervously work your way across the marble finish. Veins in marble usually appear pretty much parallel to each other, so try to keep your veins pretty much parallel. Never make them intersect because this could ruin the look. Be very creative and apply as many veins as you like. Some parts you can give more veins than others. Whatever catches your eye is probably the best. If you can find a picture or two of real marble ( which is supplied in the kit ), you can get some pointers on how to properly paint the veins. So, it is as simple as that. It is again advisable to let the parts thoroughly dry ( 24 hours ) before performing the last step which is putting on the clear polished appearance. You can use an non-yellowing varnish or polyurethane finish. I preferred to use the spray can variety and one standard can does the whole job nicely. It stinks, so make sure you warn other members of the household. Spray the entire surface and let dry for another day. I guarantee to you that no matter how lousy of a job you think you might have done, if you ask other people's opinion, they will think it's great. I personally think the monitor looks best since it is the biggest piece of equipment. It has the prehistoric rock and modern technology mix that looks cool. I'm really glad I did this to my 3000. It really makes it stand out and I think your Amiga will like you better if you give her a paint job. Plus, as an added bonus, forget about writing down the serial numbers ( which will never make your computer turn up if it ever gets stolen ), just tell the cops that it was a marble computer and it will probably be found pretty quick. This was a pretty fun thing to do, it looks great, and it was pretty cheap. Here are a few more tips before you begin. If you are really worried that you might screw up, you can apply the varnish or polyurethane after each step, this way you can just wipe off what you just did and restart. Also, since I was going directly over plastic with the acrylic paint I thought a primer might be best. I did the 3000 with a primer coat and the monitor just with the marble paints. I must say that it sticks equally well ( I can't chip the paints off either ) with or without the primer. If you have more time and money, possibly use the primer, but all I'm saying from my experience it does not seem not necessary. Use your own judgment on deciding if you need a primer. I just got finished tonight, and I took great joy in reassembling my 3000, since it was too sticky to use this last day. It took two days and three nights to compete. I got by just fine on my trusty A500 in the meantime though. I'm still amazed at the power of that little machine. I might just go ahead and marbleize her too. ( I have 3 of them actually ). Marbleizing turned out to be the coolest way to add texture and colour to the Amiga. If you decide you want to add some external beauty to your Amiga, you can get the kits from some art supply stores, althought it took me over a month to find one. If you can find any around you ( I live near Chicago, and I only know one store that has the kits ), I can possibly order a whole bunch depending on how many fellow Amigans are interested, and ship them out to you direct. The price is $29 U.S. dollars for the kits and $2 dollars more if you wanted a standard size can of polyurethane, and another $5.00 for shipping. $10.00 shipping for international shipments. If I have any money left over I will consider donating it to my favourite charity - me :). I will also offer a money-back-gaurantee ( you pay shipping charges ) for any unopened kits ( they are sealed in plastic ) in case you change your mind. I'll just send your check back. Since I am very low on venture capital, I'll need to ask for advanced payment before I make the big order. You can contact me either at anon0188@nyx.cs.du.edu ( a.k.a The Guru ) or by snail mail: Eric Rainbolt 607 South Dixon Street Carbondale, IL 62901 You can also call me or fax me ( upon request; 2 calls required ) at this phone number 1-618-549-2708. This is a limited offer. Since I am a full time college student right now, I'd rather take orders and organize the entire shipment and send them away all at once. I could order enough from the store and have them shipped by the end of February. I'll be accepting orders until the 18th of February. After I make the big order, I'll return any late sent orders/checks back to the sender. The Marbleizing kits come with the following materials: 1 Marbleizing Sponge 1 Marble Veining Feather 1 Poly Sponge Brush 1 Instruction Book 1 bottle of Thickener 1 bottle of Extender 4 bottles of Marbleizing paints I'll also include some fine grit sandpaper and a good brush to complete the kit. You'll just need some water, a plastic plate, and some polyurathane sealer ( if you don't get it from me ). The colours for the individual kits are as follows in the chart below: Kit Name Basecoat Marbleizing Marbleizing Vein Color Color Color A Color B ========================================================================== Florentine Licorice Summer Sky Tartan Green WickerWhite Green Black Onyx Licorice Licorice Charcoal Grey Platinum Ivory Wicker White Gray Shadow Straight Blue Dove Grey Danube Blue Sky Blue Blue Bell True Blue Gray Mist Tiffany Rose Cotton Berries 'n Raspberry WickerWhite Candy Cream I've listed them in the order that reflects which I think is the coolest colour for computers. It's actually a tie between Black Onyx and Florentine Green. Both look real cool, although the others are not at all bad either. It really depends on your personal taste. If you are able to find the kits at a local store or you made up your own combination and marbleized your Amiga, I sure would like to hear back from you also. In March, I think I'm thinking about starting up a part time business from my home doing this for local computer owners. I've already dreamed of selling this service for about $250.00 dollars. It really adds alot of style to your computer and the effort is really worth it. Too bad most customers would probably bring in IBM clones, but heck, at least they can be made to look cool. My system: A3000 030/882 8 Megs Ram, 17" IDEK Monitor, CD32 w/FMV. I love Amigas, always have, always will. Please feel free to write me and tell me how much you love your Amiga and I'll make a collection. If you think Amiga's are the greatest, then you are already my friend and comrade. Eric Rainbolt anon0188@nyx.cs.du.edu or eric_r@zeus.c-engr2.siu.edu ...also, call OMEGA BBS at 1-312-573-1989 or 1-312-573-1657. It was rated one of the best boards in the country, and of course it is an Amiga board. Sysop: Rinaldo Petterino. ...and my favourite quote from Mr. Amiga himself: "95% of computers are used by morons, and you need a MoronOS to keep them happy. There are only two: Windows and MacOS." -David Haynie Mon, 7 Nov 94 10:31:30 EST Top Gun Engineer & Amiga System Guru @endnode @node FEATURE5 "Hardware Survey" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == Hardware Survey By: @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE} == =========================================================================== Here's the start of the Hardware Wish List survey... More questions will be in later issues. 1. Joystick a. Keep it how it already is b. Switch to analog joystick 2. Mouse: a. Keep it how it already is b. Switch to serial mouse 3. Keyboard a. Keep it how it already is b. Switch to IBM compatibles/Amiga keyboard emulation for IBM keyboards 4. Should 15 KHz be used for anything except video? a. Yes b. No 5. Where should the processor/graphics/sound/etc. components be located? a. On the board (hard to change) b. On separate cards (slows it down ) 6. What should the low-end Amiga cases be like? a. How they currently are, one-piece with keyboard attached b. A slim-line "pizza box" case, like low-end Macintoshes, with separate keyboard You'll have about a month in which to respond, so send in your votes early! Send the responses to me (click the button at the top of this article for the location). Watch for the results of the Magic Workbench vs. NewIcons in the next AR. @endnode @node FEATURE6 "Grand Gala Amiga Report 1995 Reader Survey!" @toc FEATURE =========================================================================== == The Grand Gala Amiga Report 1995 Reader Survey! == =========================================================================== It's that time...time for us to figure out how we're doing, what we should do in the future...basically, the pulse of the Amiga Report public. Please fill out whatever you like, and get back to us. Send replies to @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}. And, thanks to Michael Meshew and Fred Fish, TEN Light-ROM CDs will be given away to ten random readers who respond to the survey. Even if you don't own a CD-ROM drive, the CD label is pretty. Incidentally, everyone who has already submitted a reply IS still eligible. Replies are due February 21, 1995. So, let's get underway. The best way to answer is to clip these answers out of the document and answer them below the question. Part I-Tell us about yourself. 1. Please tell us what system you use (briefly, we don't need to know every peripheral and card, just the model number and processor). 2. Would you consider your machine and your usage to be that of a high-end, middle, or low-end? 2a. How long have you been an Amiga user? 2b. How many Amigas do you own currently, and how many have you owned lifetime? 3. What other Amiga magazines do you read? 4. How often do you read Amiga Report, and how? (Are you on the mailing list, a distribution BBS, FTP, on a non-affiliated BBS...?) 4a. How long have you read Amiga Report? 5. Do you have full internet access, E-Mail/Usenet, or no internet access? 6. Please tell us what country you hail from, and what language or languages you are fluent in. Part II-Tell us about the magazine. 1. What sections of the magazine do you consider the best or most important? 1a. What sections of the magazine do you consider the worst or least important? 2. (For those who have seen earlier layouts) How does the current layout of the magazine compare to previous incarnations? 3. How does Amiga Report's feature quality compare to other Amiga magazines? (Be as specific as necessary) 4. Do you feel information is clearly and fairly presented in Amiga Report? 5. What do you think we're missing? What would you like to see more of? 5a. On the same token, what do you think we shouldn't have? What would you like to see less of? 6. Of the following sections of the magazine, please indicate how you feel about them by the following classification- Always Read / Sometimes read / Rarely read / Never read News/Press Releases/Features Reviews Opinion/Editorial Reader Mail FTP Announcements Dealer Directory Distribution BBS list 7. Back in 1993, Amiga Report carried more general-industry news. Would you like to see that return? @endnode @node REVIEW1 "Aminet 4 CD-ROM Review" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== == Review: Aminet 4 CD-ROM By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== Aminet, that huge online bastion of Amiga software available to anyone with FTP access, is wonderful. It's also tough to get to if you don't have FTP access. Even if you do, unless you have a T1 line or better, you might tire of downloading EVERYTHING all the time... Enter the Aminet CD-ROM series. As the name implies, there's been more than one. Largely, this is caused by the fact that Aminet's just too big to fit on one CD-ROM...that, and it's constantly being updated. This edition, dated November 1994, features all of Aminet's music, the most recent uploads since Aminet 3 (the Aminet discs are more or less quarterly) and the "best" Aminet has to offer. Taken from the back of the jewel box, the breakdown is as follows... 1700 Songs 1600 Applications 250 Games 100 Demos 100 Pictures 80 Animations (Including an almost-complete Eric Schwartz collection) Even though they don't admit it, they also have all of the Amiga Reports from that time period, except 2.26, which for reasons unknown to man has never been validated there... Anyway, the CD is considerably more friendly to navigate than your average FTP client. An intricate system of AmigaGuide documents lead you through the disc, going so far as to decompress files and, in the case of some types of files, running the appropriate viewing apparatus on them. (Amiga Report can be accessed on this CD without ever typing a character, for example.) A very powerful and fast (considering the CD media) search program will compile its own AmigaGuide list of all applicable files when it is invoked, allowing you to click merrily away at whatever it is you want. The music section itself is impressive...using MultiPlayer, the AmigaGuide interface will randomly pick a song to play for you. The 230 megs or so of music are guaranteed to please. Of course, all of the archives exist in the regular Aminet directories if you choose not to use the AmigaGuide interface-for a BBS, perhaps. The CD is not self-booting for CDTV/CD32 to keep the cost down, which, considering the end price (keep reading) is a good thing. The organization on this disc is amazing. I cringe to think of the work put into the AmigaGuide interface alone. Urban Mueller, head administrator of Aminet, deserves some respect. And some money. The Aminet CD is sold in two different forms: A "Share" edition, meaning you pay bottom-dollar for the CD (About DM 20, or US$13) but only the distributor and the manufacturer (Stefan Ossowski's Schatztruhe, who also pressed the Meeting Pearls CD) see any of that. A "Gold" edition (About DM 30, or US$20) gets about US$2.00 to Urban and friends (the rest being swallowed by those pesky distributors and dealers). The concept behind the Share version is that you send Urban and pals whatever you see fit, while the Gold gives them your money off the top and clears your conscience without having to write an extra check. If you own a CD-ROM drive, and don't maintain an Aminet mirror, the Aminet CD line is a must-have. The value is outstanding, this particular CD is wonderful to use, and if nothing else, it's a good way to keep old issues of Amiga Report around. Aminet CD 4 (Gold/Share) Stefan Ossowski's Schatztruhe GmbH D45131 Essen Germany Distributed and provided by Amiga Library Services 610 North Alma School Road - Suite 18 Chandler, Arizona 85224-3687 USA 602-917-0917 @endnode @node REVIEW2 "Assassins CD-ROM Review" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== == Review: Assassins CD by Weird Science By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== Game compilation CDs are considerably more interesting to review than font/clipart creations...especially if the games are good, and even more if the design is nice. In all of these areas, the Assassins CD is a success. A bit of background first. If you've ever seen an advertisement for a PD/Shareware disk seller, you've seen mention to the Assassins line of floppies, basically a couple hundred disks with freely redistributable games on them. Having a modem and net access, it's never been very attractive to me. Of course, having all 200 on one CD, with a full graphical interface, bootable from the CD32, is a completely different story. The story is this: The CD comes ready-to-run on basically any Amiga, all the way down to CDTV. A title screen, animation, and music greet you, followed by a menu choice to either use the Workbench (for Parnetting or just direct access to the CD) or their graphical menu system. Don't pass up the menu system, even if you're not using a CD32/CDTV. It's quick, attractive, and most importantly will do what all CDs of this sort should be required to do: tells you what you need to run it! The built-in scripts, should you choose to play, put your machine into the proper configuration for playing the game. I have yet to find one that fails. The menu system breaks down games into six categories, in which are alphabetical listings and indications, if necessary, that a game is AGA (well, it says NOT CDTV, which you can interpret to mean AGA...) Usually, some sort of description is available using the interface. There really isn't much left to be desired. The Assassins disks are also compressed and stored on the CD, so as not to be wasteful with space or if you're planning to pull them off onto another Amiga. This is good stuff. It's simple enough so that anybody can get it up and running instantly (games don't even choke on my SX-1's fast RAM, which means they covered all of the bases), and has enough games on there that you're destined to find SOMETHING that meets with your approval. *** NorthWest Public Domain, the provider of this disc, has a deal for Amiga Report readers. NPD will sell the disc at the price of US$16.95 to anybody who admits that they read AR. Shipping to North America is US$2.00, US$5.00 elsewhere. (AR has nothing to do with this deal, and we don't profit from it in any way...) NorthWest Public Domain P.O. Box 1617 Auburn, WA 98071-1617 206-351-9502 nwpd@cyberspace.com Weird Science 1 Rowlandson Close Leicester Leicestershire LE4 2SE @endnode @node REVIEW3 "Clip Art and Font CD-ROM Roundup" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== == Clip Art and Font CD-ROM Roundup By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== Weird Science Clip Art CD-ROM Aimed at both Amigas and PCs, the 560 megs on here cover a vast range of formats, from PageStream to Print Shop, with the obligatory load of black and white IFFs and a generous helping of EPS images. One nice addition is the rather large selection of color IFFs and brushes. For some reason, most of the color IFFs revolve around animals, and the brushes are largely either Disney characters or images you might find in a store... The disc also includes utilities for the Amiga and PC. The Amiga utils, largely (if not totally) lifted from the Walnut Creek Aminet CD-ROM (as the README file suggests) revolve around decompression. The PC side includes its own uncompression programs, as well as a couple of low-level paint programs. Weird Science Fonts CD-ROM The logical companion to the above, this 580-meg CD surprisingly enough has the same utilities directory, you can find the standard Adobe, CG, and PostScript selections, as well as the "standard" Amiga type, color fonts, PageStream, PCX, and ProDraw fonts. The selection is huge, no question about it, but some of the files, inexplicably, are compressed with LHA. No huge complaint here, since after all it means you're getting more font for the space on the disk, but it strikes me as odd considering that there's still a good 70 megs or so free... BCI Clip Art and Font CD Whereas the Weird Science CDs double-target the Amiga and PC markets, the BCI CD is presented as Amiga-only. The clip-art comes in IFF, EPS, and PCX (which doesn't exactly rule out PC-use), all of it black and white, and the fonts are Adobe and PageStream-only. A rather convenient file- and directory list are included on the main directory, as is a rather extraneous CRC list. Within 540 megs or so is a large enough collection to keep anyone busy for a time. Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 3-"Publisher's Companion" This CD is the only one brave enough to stake its Amiga identity clearly enough to actually use mixed upper-and-lower case lettering. The 133-meg package headlines the 600 Amiga Font package, 670 fonts in both PostScript and CG format, 1200 EPS images, and (of course) a complete boatload of black and white IFFs. And, as a bonus to the desktop publisher who doesn't want to spend all of his or her time desktop publishing, about 20 games are included on the CD. A nice gesture, and some of the games (MegaBall, in particular) are actually pretty good. So, you're looking for an upshot to all of this? Any of the above four CDs are going to give you enough to load up your FONTS: and graphics directories. The Micro R+D CD was a bit surprisingly small, but also seems to have the largest "standard" set of fonts in the 600 Amiga Fonts package. The BCI disc is well balanced, although the clip art leans towards the EPS category. The Weird Science CDs are cornucopias of whatever could be found, in any category, and not all of it will be useful to everybody. But, with such similar prices, the decision is largely up to the end user. Weird Science CDs provided by: NorthWest Public Domain - nwpd@pnw.net P.O. Box 1617 Auburn, WA 98071-1617 USA (206) 351-9502 Fonts CD: $13.95 + $2.00 shipping ($5.00 outside of the US) Clipart CD: $13.95 + $2.00 shipping ($5.00 outside of the US) Better Concepts Clip Art and Fonts CD 10 Mandon Terrace New City, NY 10956 USA (914) 639-5095 $16.95 Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 3 721 O St. P.O. Box 130 Loup City, NE 800-527-8797 $19.95 @endnode @node REVIEW4 "Fresh Fish Vol 7 CD-ROM Review" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== == Review: Fresh Fish CD-ROM Volume 7 By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== So, what do you do if you're Fred Fish, founder of a legendary floppy-disk line and prolific purveyor of CD-ROMs? You keep making them, of course. Fresh Fish is Fred's line of CD-ROMs for people who are looking for something rather specific in a CD. In this case, if you're looking for Fresh Fish, you're probably a programmer, or at least somebody who will make something useful out of the hundreds of megs of GNU source code and Commodore development tools (V37-V40 of the NDUK material as well as the old RKRMs from a Fred Fish disk.) To keep you busy in the meantime (and fill up space, but shhh, don't tell) are the entire catalogs of all Fish disks (and other CD-ROM lines), the comp.sys.amiga.reviews FTP site snapshot, and a good 100 megs or so of "useful" programs (conveniently and familiarly set into an Aminet-like hierarchy.) In short, this is the way Fred keeps taking the submissions he originally became famous for, but now there's no hassling with floppies. As a source for development tools, includes, libraries, source, etc. you can't go wrong. Entire language compiler packages can be found here. The Commodore stuff isn't bad, either...after all, it's not like you can call up CATS looking for it. The fact that everything (except some C= material and some other restrictions) is packed-and-ready for BBSes helps as well. If you're just looking for "cool stuff on a CD-ROM", though, there are better choices. Amiga Library Services 610 North Alma School Road - Suite 18 Chandler, AZ 85224-3687 USA 602-917-0917 info@amigalib.com @endnode @node REVIEW5 "GoldFish Vol 1 CD-ROM Review" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== == Review: GoldFish CD-ROM Volume 1 By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== So, you're Fred Fish, compiler of a wildly successful line of floppy disks. What do you do now? I mean, you have a thousand of them, enough is enough! What else? Slap the whole thing on a couple of CD-ROMs and call the floppy line quits. GoldFish does exactly that. In both unarchived and archived (BBS-ready) setup, you've got all 1000 of the works. As you might hope, you can use a decent search program to find what you're looking for, just in case you don't want to drag out magazine listings from the past 8 years or so just to get a hold of a program... What else remains to be said? The two-pack cleverly comes in a single jewel box, which flips open to reveal both CDs. (Only egotistic productions like Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals use those nasty, inefficient, and storage-system incompatible double-width packs for two lousy CDs.) It might just be my imagination, but this set of CDs has a slower response time on my CD32's drive than any other disc I've ever put in there. It might be a result of the often long directories. Or, quite possibly, it's my imagination. If you find that your local BBS'es selection of Fish disks just is too inconvenient (or, say, they don't have one) and you want a 9-year saga of history on two small platters, this is a good collection to go for. And if you get bored with the selection, you can play with the nifty jewel box. Amiga Library Services 610 North Alma School Road - Suite 18 Chandler, AZ 85224-3687 USA 602-917-0917 info@amigalib.com @endnode @node REVIEW6 "GoldFish Vol 2 CD-ROM Review" @toc REVIEW =========================================================================== == Review: GoldFish CD-ROM Volume 2 By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON} == =========================================================================== Just as GoldFish 1 is to Fish disks, so is GoldFish 2 to Fresh Fish CD-ROMs. By that, I mean that GoldFish 2 is a compilation of "The good stuff" from Fresh Fish discs 1-7. Unlike buying a single Fresh Fish, this two-disc set represents more of a general-interest taste. In addition to the development tools and such, much of the content is again in "Aminet-ish" form, and content. About 400 megs worth uncompressed. It's a package to consider if you're looking to expand your programming horizons as well as pick up a few hundred megs of "other" enjoyable and handy programs. As a marriage between the two, GoldFish 2 is one to pick. Still, the same warning I made about Fresh Fish applies: If you're not going to use the hundreds of megs of source code and libraries, you can probably get a better deal for yourself elsewhere. P.S. Fred used a different single-width jewel box to hold both CDs. This one is less intuitive and easier to screw up the paper inserts with. Amiga Library Services 610 North Alma School Road - Suite 18 Chandler, AZ 85224-3687 USA 602-917-0917 info@amigalib.com @endnode @node FTP1 "Master Midi" @toc FTP TITLE Master Midi VERSION v2.1 (update from v2.0a) AUTHOR Pascal Serrarens Raadhuisstraat 40 1474 HH Oosthuizen The Netherlands e-mail: passerra@fwi.uva.nl PS: I will be living in Bristol (UK) from 2 January to end June. During that time I won't be reading my mail at passerra@fwi.uva.nl regulary. However when you send a mail to it I will give you my local accound in Bristol as soon as possible. DESCRIPTION Master Midi v2.1 is a tool for controlling your midi-setup. You can chnage voices on channels, change the controllers, mix the various channels and edit the effects of the Korg instruments. It also supplies a patch-bay, mute and solo, and an overview of which voices are set on the various channels. It coorperates well with Midi Play by Janne Syvaniemi: you can see the program changes, control changes, volumes and levels of the played song. You can change -realtime- the controls, voices and volumes of the song. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Required: - OS 2.0 or higher - MIDI-interface - an instrument supporting MIDI - midi.library (FISH 227) Recommended: - Midi Play HOST NAME every Aminet site, for example ftp.luth.se DIRECTORY /pub/aminet/mus/midi FILE NAMES mmidi210.lha (30740 bytes) PRICE The shareware fee is $10 (US) OTHER Master Midi 2.2 is finished too. But there are still some bugs around, so I decided not to release it publically. However you can obtain it by sending me a mail stating that you are interested. Master Midi 2.2 provides, in addition to the features mentioned above: - A router - Multi route support - Korg PC I/F (optional) - Level meters with peak indicators - SysEx Dump support - Arexx support DISTRIBUTABILITY Copyright (c) 1994 by Pascal Serrarens The program is freely distributable, but shareware. @endnode @node FTP2 "ImageFX Mailing List" @toc FTP TITLE ImageFX Mailing List AUTHOR Matt Perry (illogic@pd.org) DESCRIPTION The ImageFX mailing list is a listserv set up for all people interested in Nova Design's ImageFX image processing package for the Amiga. It can be accessed in one of two ways described below. This mailing list should serve as a forum for people to talk about uses of ImageFX, tricks you can try, general help, etc. Nova Design reads the mailing list frequently to provide feedback as well as interacting in ongoing discussions. The mailing list is sanctioned by Nova Design, Inc., but is not run by them. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS None, although owning ImageFX helps! ACCESS To receive this mailing list, you can send mail to: Majordomo@pd.ORG with the following command in the body of your email message: subscribe imagefx If you ever want to remove yourself from this mailing list, you can send mail to "Majordomo@pd.ORG" with the following command in the body of your email message: unsubscribe imagefx yourname@yourdomain You can also receive this list in digest form by sending the commands in the body of the message (not the subject line): subscribe videocube-digest end to Majordomo@pd.ORG. The digest is sent out after 40,000 new bytes of information have accumulated in the list archives. REPLYING To send messages to the list, direct your mail to ImageFX@pd.org HOSTED BY Matt Perry (illogic@pd.org) - Mailing List Host Kermit Woodall (kermit@cup.portal.com) - Nova Design, Inc. OTHER PLEASE: If this becomes too much mail for you, DO NOT send messages to the list itself begging to be unsubscribed. If you have a real shell account you can filter your mail (email Matt Perry about how to do it), or send the commands in the body of the message (not the subject): help end to majordomo@pd.org so you can get the command to unsubscribe yourself from the list. @endnode @node FTP3 "MCDP V1.0" @FTP TITLE Multi CD Player VERSION V1.0 AUTHOR Boris Jakubaschk (Boris@alice.tynet.sub.org) DESCRIPTION MCDP is an easy to use player for audio CDs in an SCSI CDROM. Features: - Very compact GUI on your Workbench screen - GUI is designed like a CD player - direct access of first 20 titles on every CD - automatically detects CDs and displays the interpreter, the CDs title and the name of the title currently played. - automatically detects the change of the CD. - Editor to add new CDs to your database. - Editor for programming - Configuration using tooltypes: SCSI-device and -unit, window position and path of CD database - Commodity with hotkeys for start/stop/title selection DISTRIBUTABILITY MCDP is puic domain. The archive contains the executable (German only), German and English docs and sources. REQUIREMENTS Workbench 2.04 or higher SCSI-2 CDROM. Tested with Toshiba 4101, 3401, Apple CD-300. Seems not to work with NEC drives RELEASE DATE December 23rd, 1994. HOST NAME Any Aminet server i.e. wuarchive.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4) DIRECTORY /pub/aminet/disk/cdrom FILE NAME MCDP10.lha PRICE free @endnode @node FTP4 "Phonebill 3.2" @toc FTP TITLE Phonebill VERSION 3.2 AUTHOR Raymond Penners DESCRIPTION `phonebill' is, simply said, a log file analyzer. What it basically does is scan log file(s) generated by a terminal program or a mailer, extract all information about calls you have made by using your modem, and store this in its own (short) format. After extracting the calls `phonebill' can generate various reports in which you can find information on duration and costs of the calls. Here is a small list of the main features: * Very flexible user-configurable rates, supporting exceptions for certain days and dates. Handles fees and time units with up to 9 decimals (e.g. $1.2344657 dollars per 30.225678 seconds). * User-configurable log scanners: `phonebill' by default supports various log files, but for any log file that is not supported the user is able to create a scanner. The following is a list of log files that are already supported: * AmiTel * AutoPilot * CyberPager * DreamTerm * GPFax * ISDN Master Telephone log * JamMail * JrComm * MagiCall * MicroDot * Multifax (both v2.0 and Multifax professional) * NComm * Off-line Amiga * Term action log and Term call log * Terminus * TheAnswer * TKR-BTX * Trapdoor * Trapfax * UUCP TimeLog * XenoLink * Log files can be automatically truncated if their size exceeds the maximum size. * Generates miscellaneous reports: statistics, total costs, predicted costs ... * Context-sensitive online help. * Supports new 3.0 features (new look menus, ...). * Nice `Amiga User Interface Style Guide' conformant user interface. * Supports `traplist.library'. NEW FEATURES The following is a list of the most significant changes: * Added scanners for AmiTel, Off-line Amiga, DreamTerm, ISDN-Master-Telephone-Log. * Added a new cookie for fido-style addresses to the scanner. If you have `traplist' installed the address found will be used to find the real name and phonenumber of the host. You'll need to configure the "Nodelist path" (see miscellaneous settings). * Phonebill has become a commodity. * Added: if you want to rescan the log files you won't have to go through the trouble of removing the signatures with a text editor, just use the new `Rescan logs' menu item. * New: option for disabling writing signatures to the log file * New: report presets (for the scan range and groups). * New hosts can be automatically added by supplying the rate(s) with a pattern to match certain area codes. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Workbench 2.04 or higher. HOST NAME ftp.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4) Grafix Attack (Sysop: Kees Huizer) +31-(0)10-4745816 (V32Bis) +31-(0)10-4741062 (19k2 ZyXEL) +31-(0)10-4744682 (28K8) FidoNet: 2:286/407.0 AmigaNet: 39:153/201.0 NLA: 14:101/200.0 Decades BBS (Sysop: Thomas Andersson) +46-54-831561 (USR 28.8 V.Everything) FidoNet: 2:203/625.0 AmigaNet: 39:160/105.0 DIRECTORY /pub/aminet/comm/misc FILE NAME pbill32.lha (231898 bytes) PRICE Shareware fee of $10 US. DISTRIBUTABILITY The archive and its contents are freely distributable. See documentation for details. The package is (C) 1993-1994 Raymond Penners @endnode @node FTP5 "XenolinkUUCP 1.0" @toc FTP TITLE XenolinkUUCP VERSION 1.0 AUTHOR Bart Schraa Usenet: bart@xecho.xs4all.nl Fidonet: 2:285/312.0 (no routed netmail!) DESCRIPTION XenolinkUUCP 1.0 provides full news/mail support to your BBS; you can still use the uucp messages, it's an extended version of AmigaUUCP 1.17b4. There are several functions added to make it work with Xenolink Professional BBS 1.90 and up. FEATURES o XenolinkUUCP can gate news to Xenolink's messagebase directly as well as to a PKT file in the inbound directory o maximum configurability o fully transparent o really *fast*, especially when you don't store the news articles in UUNews:, but only in a PKT or Xenolink's messagebase o can send messages from a echomail area direct to a email address o seperate config files for : - general information - user information - area information o Installer script for easy installation SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS OS 2.04 or better. Xenolink Professional Bulletin Board System 1.90 (or better). FILE NAME XUUCP10.LHA DISTRIBUTABILITY Freely distributable. You may only copy the original, unmodified archive, without adding/removing any files. You may not charge any more than a small fee to cover your costs (media, postage etc). Copyright (C) 1994 XEcho Development, Bart Schraa. OTHER Every Xenolink support BBS will have it on line for you. If you are not able to get one from them, please send email to me and I'll send it to you uuencoded. Kind Regards, Bart. @endnode @node FTP6 "Epson Stylus Color Driver 1.1" @toc FTP TITLE Epson Stylus Color Driver VERSION 1.1 COMPANY Endicor Technologies, Inc. P.O. Box 29000 #355 San Antonio, TX 78229 USA Internet: info@endicor.com, sales@endicor.com Voice: 1-210-650-4988 Fax: 1-210-650-0054 (please note new fax number!) We are pleased to announce a European distributor for the Stylus Color Driver! They are able to accept credit cards. We hope to announce distributors for other areas shortly. Eyetech Group Ltd The Old Bank 12 West Green Stokesley North Yorks TS9 5BB UK Direct line Phone/fax +44 (0) 1642 713 185 AUTHOR Ty Sarna Phone: 1-210-650-4988 x401 Internet: tsarna@endicor.com DESCRIPTION This is a standard ("Preferences") Amiga printer driver for Stylus Color inkjet printer from Epson. It features resolutions up to 720x720 dpi, with optional MicroWeave printing (an Epson feature that uses overlapping passes to reduce banding). Resolutions are selected by the Preferences density setting: Density 1 180x180 Density 2 360x180 Density 3 360x360 Density 4 360x360, MicroWeave Density 5 720x720 Density 6 720x720, MicroWeave Density 7 720x720, MicroWeave (identical to Density 6) The driver 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. A beta tester reported speed on an Amiga 3000 comparable to that of a 66MHz 486 with Epson's MS-Windows driver. The driver implements a very simple color correction (perhaps more appropriately called density correction) for 720dpi modes to prevent them from printing excessively dark. This gives results similar to other drivers on the same printer (for example, the PageStream 2.x LQ2550C driver). We are currently developing version 2.0, which will feature improved color correction to provide more accurate colors and better gradation. NEW FEATURES Version 1.1 includes a StylusColor preferences program for Workbench 2.04 and later that allows selection of bidirectional mode, disabling of the 720 dpi density correction, and allows selection of MicroWeave in densities which normally don't use that option (1, 2, 3, and 5). 1.1 is a free update for registered owners of version 1.0. Email sales@endicor.com with your serial number and a request for an upgrade, and we'll email 1.1 back to you. Thanks to The Flying Circus BBS (phones 210-521-8061, -8062, -8063), we now have a BBS product support area. Send private mail to "Endicor" with your serial number and request access to the product support area. Once you have access to the Endicor area you can download updates. If you wish to have a new 1.1 disk shipped to you, send a check for US$4 to our address above with a note requesting 1.1 and noting your serial number. The $4 covers the cost of the disk and manual plus shipping. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Workbench 1.3 or higher. (2.04 and later required for the new features in version 1.1) - An Epson Stylus Color printer (of course). PRICE Regular price is $44.95. We are please to announce that the $34.95 introductory price has been extended through the end of February, 1995, in order to allow those ordering from our new distributors to take advantage of the introductory price. Texas residents must add sales tax (6.25%). San Antonio residents add Texas and San Antonio sales tax (totals 7.75%). Shipping and handling is $2, or $4 for UPS Second Day Air, or $9 for UPS Overnight. We can offer electronic delivery for orders prepaid by check or money order, in which case there is no shipping charge. Please contact us for details. We can accept payment by check, money order, or COD ($4 extra). Sorry, we cannot accept credit cards at this time. We are working to find distributors who can. All prices in US funds. Please contact us by phone or email for international orders. You may wish to use electronic delivery to save on shipping. When ordering by mail, please include: Name, shipping address, postal address, phone number, 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. DISTRIBUTABILITY Copyright (C) 1994 Endicor Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This is commercial software. 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 Stylus printer models. @endnode @node FTP7 "Roketz PD V2.0" @toc FTP TITLE Roketz PD VERSION 2.0 AUTHOR The FARM is a relatively new group from Tallinn, Estonia (Europe). The FARM is: Juhan Soomets, Ott M. Aaloe, Kaspar P. Loit and Kristjan Paemurru. Email: ott@ml.ee DESCRIPTION The FARM proudly presents the PD (Public Domain/Playable Demo) version of their first game - ROKETZ. ROKETZ is AGA only gravity/thrust game. If you haven't played games like TurboRaketti or Gravity Force 2, here is a little something about the goal of the game: After equipping your ROKET with various weapons and upgrades, you are transported to a battleground, where you can race the marked track for best results and/or shoot down your opponent, which can be either your friend (split screen action) or CPU controlled adversary. The one to survive is the winner. The battleground has different obstacles: gun turrets, pulsating forcefields etc. not to mention the gravitational force, that is constantly dragging you down. Now some features: Fully ray-traced ingame graphics Two or one (even zero - CPU vs CPU) player mode Furious split-screen action. Realistic playing environment 2 user configurable ships (4 in full version) Dozens of deadly weapons and useful special powers Statistics, that keep count of everything 2 taxing levels (6 in full version) Takes advantage of FAST mem Fully HD installable SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AGA Amiga (PAL) HOST NAME Any aminet site, for example: wuarchive.wuslt.edu (128.252.135.4) or ftp.luth.se (130.240.16.39) DIRECTORY /pub/aminet/game/2play FILE NAMES RoketzPDv2.lha PRICE This PD verion is free. Full version of Roketz costs 10 UK pounds DISTRIBUTABILITY RoketzPD is freely distributable. Copyright (c) The Farm 1994,95 Ott M. Aaloe ott@ml.ee ** The Farm ** @endnode @node FTP8 "Amiga E v3.1a" @toc FTP TITLE Amiga E VERSION 3.1a (update to 3.0a). AUTHOR Wouter van Oortmerssen (Wouter@alf.let.uva.nl). DESCRIPTION This is a major update to v3.0a. Main novelties include a Source-Level debugger and macro preprocessing. For those who have never seen E before: E is a powerful and flexible object oriented / procedural / unpure functional higher programming language, mainly influenced by languages such as C++, Ada, Lisp etc., and Amiga E a very fast compiler for it, with features such as speed of >20000 lines/minute on a 7 Mhz amiga, inline assembler and linker integrated into compiler, large set of integrated functions, great module concept with v39 includes as modules, flexible type-system, quoted expressions, immediate and typed lists, low-level and object polymorphism, exception handling, inheritance, data-hiding, methods, multiple return values, default arguments, register allocation, fast memory management, unification, LISP-Cells, (macro-) preprocessor, source-level debugger, and much much more... HOST NAME Any Aminet mirror, for example ftp.luth.se (130.240.18.2). DIRECTORY /pub/aminet/dev/e FILE NAMES amigae31a_part1.lha (495315 bytes) amigae31a_part2.lha (374549 bytes) [get them both!] DISTRIBUTABILITY This _distribution_ is Freeware. It contains only a limited compiler, a registered compiler is available separately. @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 jcompton@bbs.xnet.com and in the body of the message ask nicely to be added to the list. ie: Please add me to the mailing list for Amiga Report magazine. My addresss is . 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! ** *** The following is only for Australian readers! *** To circumvent the new pay-per-megabyte system for Australian Internet communication, Paul Reece has been kind enough to set up an AUSTRALIAN-ONLY mailing list, to save his fellow countrymen some money. You can join the list by sending mail to: majordomo@info.tas.gov.au with the single line (in body of message): subscribe ar Amiga Report will then be bounced to you. @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 COPYRIGHT "Copyright Information" @toc ABOUT =========================================================================== == _ _ __ ___ _ == == /\\ |\\ /| || // \ /\\ == == / \\ | \\ /|| ||(< __ / \\ == == /--- \\| \/ || || \\_||/--- \\ == == /______________________________\\ == == / \\ == == Amiga Report International Online Magazine == == January 15, 1995 Issue No. 3.02 == == Copyright 1995 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 granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, _without exception_, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name. 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). 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 Commodore-Amiga, Inc., Commodore Business Machines, Ltd., or any other Amiga publication in any way. 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. Note: If you want to check ahead of time to make sure we'll print your article, please write to the @{"Editor" link JASON}. @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 at the lowest price I'm authorized. All prices are in $US. | | Issue | Approximate | Amiga Report | | Product | Reviewed | Retail Price | Reader Price | ---------------------------------|----------|--------------|--------------| | | | | | |Swifty 3-button mouse | 2.28 | $39.95 | $22.75 | | | | | | |GPFax Amiga Fax Software | 2.30 | $100.00 | $60.00 | | (Class 1 and 2) | | | | | | | | | |Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 1 | 2.25 | $79.00 | $53.95 | | (Includes Transition graphic| | | | | converter and loads of | | | | | artwork) | | | | | | | | | |Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 2 | 2.26 | $99.00 | $59.95 | | (Includes entire Nature's | | | | | Backdrop series) | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Orders may be placed via check, money order, or postal cheque, made out to Micro R+D. 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 DELPHI "Delphi" @toc ONLINE =========================================================================== == Delphi Internet Services -- Your Connection to the World! == =========================================================================== Amiga Report International Online Magazine and the Amiga Report Coverdisk are available in the Amiga SIG on DELPHI. Amiga Report readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of the friendly community of Amiga enthusiasts there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN -- DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and.. At Username: type JOINDELPHI and press RETURN, At Password: type AMIGAUSER and press RETURN. For more information, call DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-695-4005 SPECIAL FEATURES ---------------- * Complete Internet connection -- Telnet, FTP, IRC, Gopher, E-Mail and more! (Internet option is $3/month extra) * SIGs for all types of computers -- Amiga, IBM, Macintosh, Atari, etc. * An active Amiga SIG hosting conferances, Usenet, Latest wares, and FTP Gopher coming soon * Large file databases! * SIGs for hobbies, video games, graphics, and more! * Business and world news, stock reports, etc. * Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia! DELPHI - It's getting better all the time! @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 ------------------------------------------------------- The Portal Online System is the home of acclaimed Amiga Zone, a full- service online SIG (Special Interest Group) for Amiga owners and users. You can dial into Portal to access the Amiga Zone in various ways: direct dial to our San Jose, CA area banks of high-speed modems (you pay for the phone call if it's not local), or though any SprintNet indial anywhere in the USA, (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 account. Its Online system is fully menu-driven with on-screen commands and help and you can easily customize it for your 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 1000 disks! * Fast, Batch Zmodem file transfer protocol. Download up to 100 files at once, of any size, with one command. * Twenty Amiga vendor areas with participants like AmigaWorld, Elastic Reality (ASDG), Soft-Logik, Apex Publishing, and others. * 38 "regular" Amiga libraries with over 10,000 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. * Vast Message bases where you can ask questions about *anything* Amiga related and get quick replies from the experts. * Amiga Internet mailing lists for Imagine, DCTV, LightWave, EGS, Picasso, OpalVision & 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. * A FREE UNIX Shell account with another 5 meg of free storage. * Portal has the Usenet. Thousands of "newsgroups" in which you can read and post articles about virtually any subject you can possibly imagine. * 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 for this area?" again! * The entire UPI/Clarinet/Newsbytes news hierarchy ($4/month extra) An entire general interest newspaper and computer news magazine. * Portal was THE FIRST online service to offer a full package of Internet features: IRC, FTP, TELNET, MUDS, LIBS. 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 in the USA, or telnet to "portal.com" from anywhere. Call and join today. Tell the friendly Portal Customer Service representative, "The Amiga Zone and Amiga Report sent me!" [Editor's Note: Be sure to tell them that you are an Amiga user, so they can notify the AmigaZone sysops to send their Welcome Letter and other information!] 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 and custom domain accounts are also available. @endnode @node GENIE "GEnie" @toc ONLINE =========================================================================== == GEnie: Internet access, online games, more == =========================================================================== * What is GEnie? GEnie is a commercial on-line service that offers many services at a reasonable monthly rate. Some of the general services are: - Over 150,000 software files to download - Uploads to GEnie are free of any connect charges, so upload those Public Domain programs to add to the Starship Amiga Roundtable's vast selection of programs for free! - Real-time chat - Dozens of special-interest discussion areas - Challenging multi-player games with graphics (yes, there are Amiga front-ends) - Worldwide news, weather and sports - Electronic mail to and from the Internet - FTP Service which provides users with interactive access to any of the millions of files available for public access on the Internet - Usenet Newsgroups Service which allow users to participate in the global discussion areas collectively known as USENET - Outbound Telnet Service which enables users to connect to other host computers through the Internet - GEnie Mall with nearly 40 different vendors - Starship Amiga Roundtable which contains gigabytes of Amiga-only files - Commodore Roundtable for VIC-20, C-64, C-128 and other Commodore computers - Other Amiga software companies have their own Roundtables for customer support such as Soft-Logik where all the latest program patches and support files are available for their products - AmiAladdin Support Roundtable for getting the latest updates to the GEnie Aladdin software which is used to make maneuvering the GEnie menu system much easier and faster. This is a specific area for the Amiga version of this software which is free of charge - Hundreds of other areas and services available * How do I sigh up for GEnie? You may sign up for GEnie service by one of two methods: (1) Using your modem (8N1 half duplex 300/1200/2400 baud) dial 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection immediately enter HHH (Return), don't wait for any on-screen prompt. At the U#= prompt type SIGNUP (Return). You may use a major credit card account or your checking account (US only.) (2) Call GEnie client services via voice at 1-800-638-9636 or 1-301-251-6475 from outside the US and Canada. @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.cdrom.com, ftp.wustl.edu, ftp.tas.gov.au, ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk @endnode @node WWW "World Wide Web" @toc WHERE World Wide Web ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AR can also be read with Mosaic (in either AmigaGuide or html form). Reading AmigaReport with Mosaic removes the necessity to download it. It can also be read using programs found in UNIX sites such as LYNX. Simply tell Mosaic to open the following URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/mjw/Computer/Amiga/News/AR/index.html Or, for those in Europe, the Polish site is: http://sun1000.ci.pwr.wroc.pl/AMIGA/AR/ Mosaic for the Amiga can be found on Aminet in directory comm/net, or (using anonymous ftp) on max.physics.sunysb.edu Mosaic for X, Macintosh(tm) and Microsoft Windows(tm) can be found on ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu @endnode @node BBS_AUSTRALIA "Distribution BBSes - Australia" @toc BBS =========================================================================== == Distribution BBSes - Australia == =========================================================================== -=NEW ZEALAND=- * BITSTREAM BBS * Running XENOLINK Professional BBS Software v1.91 Sysop: Glen Roberts Co-Sysop: Peter Lowish FidoNET 3:771/850.0 AmigaNET 41:644/850.0 +64-(0)3-548-5321, SupraFaxModem 28k8 VFast Class -=SYDNEY=- * CONTINENTAL DRIFT BBS * Sysops: Murray Chaffer, Andre Lackmann, Dale Cohen USENET, Internet E-mail, Fidonet, Aminet (+61) 2 949 4256 @endnode @node BBS_EUROPE "Distribution BBSes - Europe" @toc BBS =========================================================================== == Distribution BBSes - Europe == =========================================================================== -=FINLAND=- * AMIGA-NIGHT-SYSTEM * Janne Saarme, Sysop InterNet: luumu@fenix.fipnet.fi FidoNet: 2:220/550.0 +358-0-675840 V.32bis * LAHO BBS * Juha Mkinen, SysOp (Amiga-areas) Tero Manninen, SysOp (PC-areas) +358-64-414 1516, V.32bis/HST +358-64-414 0400, V.32bis/HST +358-64-414 6800, V.32/HST +358-64-423 1300, V.32bis * MOONLIGHT SONATA DLG * Keyboards: Erno Tuomainen Fidonet: 2:221/112.0 +358-18-161763 - ZyXEL V32b 19200 -=FRANCE=- * RAMSES THE AMIGA FLYING * Sysop: Eric Delord CoSysops: Philippe Brand, Stephane Legrand Internet: user.name@ramses.gna.org Fidonet: 2:320/104 +33-1-60037713 V.32bis +33-1-60037716 1200-2400 -=GERMANY=- * DOOM OF DARKNESS * Sysops: Marc Doerre, Bernd Petersen Email: marc_doerre@doom.ping.de +49 (0)4223 8355 19200 V.42bis/Zyx AR-Infoservice, contact Kai Szymanski kai@doom.ping.de * LEGUANS BYTE CHANNEL * Andreas Geist, Sysop Usenet: andreas@lbcmbx.in-berlin.de 49-30-8110060 49-30-8122442 USR DS 16.8 Login as User: "amiga", Passwd: "report" * REDEYE BBS * Sysop: Thorsten Meyer Internet: sysop@redeye.muc.de +49-89-5460535 (V.32b, Zyxel EG + / USR V.34) * STINGRAY DATABASE * Bernd Mienert, Sysop EMail: sysop@sting-db.zer.sub.org.dbp.de +49 208 496807 HST-Dual * VISON THING BBS * Infect East German HQ, Keks ASCII Design World HQ Running CNET 3.xx w/about 800 MB HD Space ++49(0)345 663914 19200 Handle: Amiga PW: Report -=GREECE=- * ODYSSEY BBS * Sysop: Konstantiniadis Manos CoSysop : Aggelos Poulakis email: konem@hol.ath.forthnet.gr 2:410/128.17@fidonet +++ 301-412-3502 (MNP5,v42bis) after 23:00 local time -=IRELAND=- * CUGI BBS * Sysop: Matt Brookes. Fidonet: 2:263/155 +353 1 837 0204 V32bis * HIGHWAY TO HELL BBS * Sysop: Iain Black Cosysop: Damien Ryan Fidonet 2:263/154 Internet: iblack@dit.ie Online from 22:00 - 08:00 GMT +353-1-847 5217 -=ITALY=- * AMIGA PROFESSIONAL BBS * SysOp Claudio Zanella, 35133 PADOVA - ITALY Amy Professional Club, Italian Amos Club +(39)-49-604488 * SPEED OF LIFE * The AMIGA Alchemists' BBS FidoNet 2:332/505 AmigaNet 39:102/501 ZyX 19.2k/V32/V32bis/V42bis +39-59-226454 -=NETHERLANDS=- * AMIGA ONLINE BS HEEMSTEDE * Your SysOp is Michiel Willems Fidonet: 2:280/464.0, 2:280/412.0 Internet: michiel@aobh.xs4all.nl +31-23-282002 +31-23-470739 14400 Supra * THE HELL BBS * Sysop : Robin Vermaat Cosysop : Tony Verschoor Fido-Net : 2:281/418.0 e-mail : root@hell.xs4all.nl +31-(0)70-3468783 (v32bis Supra) * X-TREME BBS * Pygor & The Doctor Internet: u055231@vm.uci.kun.nl +31-167064414 (24h) -=NORWAY=- * FALLING BBS * Christopher Naas, Sysop EMail: christon@powertech.no +47 69 256117 28.8k -=PORTUGAL=- * CIUA BBS * Celso Martinho, Sysop FidoNet 2:361/9 Internet: denise.ci.ua.pt +351-34-382080/382081 (V32bis soon V34) -=SPAIN=- * GURU MEDITATION * Javier Frias, SysOp Running Remote Access +34-1-383-1317 V.32bis -=SWEDEN=- * CICERON * SysOp: Per Peman E-mail: peman@solace.mh.se +46 612 22011 -=SWITZERLAND=- * LINKSYSTEM LINK-CH1 * contact: rleemann@link-ch1.aworld.de Mails and News from/to UseNet +41 61 3215643 V32bis/Zyx16800 +41 61 3832007 ISDN X75/V110 Local newsgroup link-ch1.ml.amiga-report -=UNITED KINGDOM=- * AMIGA JUNCTION 9 * Stephen Anderson, Sysop Internet: sysadmin@junct9.demon.co.uk FidoNet: 2:440/20 +44 (0)372 271000 14400 V.32bis/HST * CREATIONS BBS * Sysop: Mat Bettinson E-Mail: mat@darkside.demon.co.uk 2:254/524@Fidonet 39:139/5@Amiganet +44-0181-665-9887 Hayes Optima 288 2400 - V.FC * METNET TRIANGLE SYSTEM * Jon Witty, Sysop FidoNet: 2:252/129.0 44-482-442251 2400 Voice: 44-482-491752 (anytime) @endnode @node BBS_NAMERICA "Distribution BBSes - North America" @toc BBS =========================================================================== == Distribution BBSes - North America == =========================================================================== -=BRITISH COLUMBIA=- * COMM-LINK BBS * Steve Hooper, Sysop Fido: 1:153/210.0 AmigaNet 40:800/9100.0 InterNet: steve_hooper@comm.tfbbs.wimsey.com 604-945-6192 USR DS 16.8 -=CALIFORNIA=- * TIERRA-MIGA BBS * Sysop: Gib Gilbertson FidoNet: 1:202/638.0 AmigaNet: 40:406/3.0 Internet: torment.cts.com 619.292.0754 V32.bis * VIRTUAL PALACE BBS * Tibor G. Balogh, Sysop Leland Whitlock, Co-Sysop Sysop Email: tibor@ecst.csuchico.edu 916-343-7420 -=ILLINOIS=- * EMERALD KEEP BBS * Michael mac Nessa, Sysop FidoNet: 1:2250/2 AmigaNet: 40:206/1 618-394-0065 USR 16.8k DS * PHANTOM'S LAIR * Peter Gawron, Sysop FidoNet: 1:115/469.0 Phantom Net Coordinator: 11:1115/0.0-11:1115/1.0 708-469-9510 708-469-9520 * THE STYGIAN ABYSS BBS * Sysop: SIR SAMMY FIDONet-1:115/384.0 312-384-0616 USR Courier HST 312-384-6250 Supra V.32 bis (FREQ line) -=MAINE=- * THE KOBAYASHI ALTERNATIVE BBS * Support for IBM/Windows, Amiga, MAC and CNet BBS Support Usenet and FidoNet Echo Areas FidoNet: 1:326/404.0 (207)/784-2130 (207)/946-5665 -=MEXICO=- * AMIGA BBS * Alejandro Kurczyn, Sysop FidoNet 4:975/7 (5) 887-3080 9600 V32,MNP * AMIGA SERVER BBS * Sysop: Jose Estrada Now with 17 CDs available Number: 5158736 -=MISSISSIPPI=- * THE GATEWAY BBS * Sysop: Stace Cunningham CoSysop: Dan Butler InterNet: stace@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil FidoNet: 1:3604/60.0 601-374-2697 Hayes Optina 28.8 V.FC -=NEBRASKA=- * OMAHA AMIGANET * Andy Wasserman, Sysop FidoNet: 1:285/11 AmigaNet: 40:200/10 402-333-5110 V.32bis -=NEW JERSEY=- * T.B.P. VIDEO SLATE * Mark E Davidson, Sysop Full Skypix menus + normal and ansi menu sets. 201-586-3623 USR 14.4 HST -=NEW YORK=- * THE BELFRY(!) * Sysop: Jesse Erlbaum stiggy@dorsai.dorsai.org 718.793.4796 718.793.4905 -=ONTARIO=- * COMMAND LINE BBS * Nick Poliwko, Sysop Canada's Amiga Graphics & Animation Source 416-533-8321 V.32 * REALM OF TWILIGHT BBS * Thorsten Schiller, Sysop Usenet: realm.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca FIDO: 1:221/302 Fish: 33:33/8 519-748-9365 (2400 baud) 519-748-9026 (v.32bis) -=TENNESSEE=- * AMIGA CENTRAL! * Carl Tashian, Sysop Internet mail: root@amicent.raider.net 615-383-9679 1200-14.4Kbps V.32bis * NOVA BBS * Wayne Stonecipher, Sysop AmigaNet 40:210/10.0 40:210/1.0 40:210/0.0 FidoNet 1:362/508.0 615-472-9748 USR DS 16.8 -=WASHINGTON=- * FREELAND MAINFRAME * John Freeland, SysOp Internet - freemf.eskimo.com 206-438-1670 Supra 2400zi 206-456-6013 Supra v.32bis * PIONEERS BBS * Michael & Marthe Arends, Sysops FidoNet: 1:343/54.0 206-775-7983 Supra 14.4k v32.bis Login: Long Distance Password: longdistance @endnode @node BBS_SAMERICA "Distribution BBSes - South America" @toc BBS =========================================================================== == Distribution BBSes - South America == =========================================================================== -=BRAZIL=- * AMIGA DO PC BBS * Francisco Moraes, sysop Fidonet: 4:801/44 Internet: fimoraes@dcc.unicamp.br Weekdays: 19-07 (-3 GMT) Weekends: 24 hours +55-192-33-2260 @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_EUROPE "Dealers - Europe" @toc DEALER =========================================================================== == Dealers - Europe == =========================================================================== -=BELGIUM=- 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 -=FINLAND=- DataService Oy P.O. Box 50 Kuurinniityntie 30 02771 ESPOO Voice: +358 (9) 400 438 301 Fax: +358 (9) 0505 0037 -=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 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 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 Plaza Pedro IV, 3 08120 La LLagosta (Barcelona) Tel: (93) 560 76 12 Fax: (93) 560 76 12 vb soft Provenza, 436 08025 Barcelona Tel: (93) 456 15 45 Fax: (93) 456 15 45 -=NORWAY=- DataKompaniet ANS Pb 3187 Munkvoll N-7002 Trondheim VOICE/FAX: 72 555 149 Internet: torrunes@idt.unit.no -=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 11 North St / Exeter Devon / EX4 3QS Voice: (0392) 499 755 Fax: (0392) 423 480 Internet: brian_fowler@cix.compulink.co.uk CYNOSTIC Office O1, Little Heath Industrial Estate / Old Church Road Coventry / CV6 7NB Tel: +44 (0)203 681687 Fax: +44 (0)203 638508 David Cassidy email: bsupa@csv.warwick.ac.uk VISAGE COMPUTERS 18 Station Road / Ilkeston Derbyshire / DE7 8TD Tel/Fax: +44 (0)602 444501 Internet: floyd@demon.co.uk @endnode @node DEAL_NAMERICA "Dealers - North America" @toc DEALER =========================================================================== == Dealers - North America == =========================================================================== -=CANADA=- Atlantis Kobetek Inc. 1496 Lower Water St. Halifax, NS / B3J 1R9 Phone: (902)-422-6556 Fax: (902)-423-9339 BBS: (902)-492-1544 Internet: aperusse@fox.nstn.ns.ca 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, Canada M6B 1P5 Computer Centre: (416) 785-8348 Sales: (416) 785-3553 Fax: 416-785-3668 Internet: bryanf@comcorp.comspec.com, bryanf@accesspt.north.net MusicMart: Media Sound & Vision 71 Wellington Road London, Ontario VOICE: 519-434-4162 FAX: 519-663-8074 BBS: 519-645-2144 FIDO: 1:2401/200 InterNet: koops@gaul.csd.uwo.ca -=UNITED STATES=- AmegaByte! 5001 Garrett Ave. Beltsville, MD 20705 VOICE: (800) 834-7153 VOICE: (301) 937-1640 FAX: (301) 937-1658 INTERNET: amega@globe.net Amigability Computers P.O. Box 572 Plantsville, CT 06479 VOICE: 203-276-8175 Internet: amiga@phantm.UUCP BIX: jbasile Amiga-Crossing 176 Gray Road, Unit 5 Cumberland, ME 04021 VOICE: (800) 498-3959 (Maine only) VOICE: (207) 829-3959 FAX: (207) 829-3522 Internet: ewhite42@portland.caps.maine.edu 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 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 Link 6573 middlebelt Garden City MI 48135 Voice: 313-522-6005 Fax: 313-522-3119 clink@m-net.arbornet.org Computers International, Inc. 5415 Hixson Pike Chattanooga, TN 37343 VOICE: 615-843-0630 Digital Arts 122 West 6th Street Bloomington, IN 47404 VOICE: (812)330-0124 FAX: (812)330-0126 BIX: msears Finetastic Computers 721 Washington Street Norwood, MA 02062 VOICE: 617-762-4166 BBS: 617-769-3172 Fido: 1:101/322 Internet: FinetasticComputers@cup.portal.com HT Electronics 275 North Mathilda Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086 VOICE: 408-737-0900 FAX: 408-245-3109 Portal: HT Electronics Internet: HT Electronics@cup.portal.com 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 Magic Page 3043 Luther Street Winston-Salem, NC 27127 910-785-3695 voice/fax Spiff@cup.portal.com MicroSearch 9000 US 59 South, Suite 330 Houston, Texas VOICE: 713-988-2818 FAX: 713-995-4994 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 PSI Animations 17924 SW Pilkington Road Lake Oswego, OR 97035 VOICE: 503-624-8185 Internet: PSIANIM@agora.rain.com Raymond Commodore Amiga 898 Raymond Avenue St. Paul, MN 55114-1521 VOICE: 612.642.9890 FAX: 612.642.9891 Software Plus Chicago 2945 W Peterson Suite 209 Chicago, Illinois VOICE: 312-878-7800 Wonder Computers Inc. 1315 Richmond Rd. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2B 8J7 Voice: 613-596-2542 Fax: 613-596-9349 BBS: 613-829-0909 Zipperware 626 S. Washington Seattle, WA 98104 VOICE: 206-223-1107 FAX: 206-223-9395 E-Mail: Jon.Funfar@p0.f203.n138.z1.fidonet.org @endnode @node OPINION "Editorial and Opinion" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == Editorial and Opinion == =========================================================================== @{" compt.sys.editor.desk " link EDITORIAL} Have you missed anything? @{" assistant.editor.desk " link ASSTEDITORIAL} What's going on @endnode @node FEATURE "News and Features" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == News and Features == =========================================================================== @{" Press Releases " link NEWS} Stuff people want you to know. @{" Results of WB Wish Lists " link FEATURE1} The results are in! @{" A Brief History of AR " link FEATURE2} How it all started...and continued @{" Interview: Chris Ludwig " link FEATURE3} Courtesy of AmigaNews @{" Marbleizing Your Amiga " link FEATURE4} If you dislike beige... @{" Hardware Survey " link FEATURE5} Some new questions! @{" Grand Gala 1995 Survey! " link FEATURE6} The big one. @endnode @node REVIEW "Reviews" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == Reviews == =========================================================================== @{" Aminet 4 CD-ROM " link REVIEW1} The latest installment @{" Assassins CD-ROM " link REVIEW2} Games, games, games... @{" Clip Art and Fonts " link REVIEW3} The CD-ROM roundup @{" Fresh Fish Vol 7 " link REVIEW4} Fred's latest compilation @{" GoldFish Vol 1 " link REVIEW5} The entire Fish collection @{" GoldFish Vol 2 " link REVIEW6} The Fresh Fish goodies @endnode @node FTP "FTP and Product Announcements" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == FTP and Product Announcements == =========================================================================== @{" Master Midi " link FTP1} Control your MIDI setup. @{" ImageFX Mailing List " link FTP2} Just what it sounds like. @{" MCDP V1.0 " link FTP3} Play CDs through a SCSI-2 drive. @{" Phonebill 3.2 " link FTP4} Logfile analyzer @{" XenolinkUUCP 1.0 " link FTP5} BBS net news and mail @{" Epson Stylus Driver " link FTP6} Improved print driver @{" Roketz PD V2.0 " link FTP7} A fully raytraced action game. @{" Amiga E v3.1a " link FTP8} The E programming language. | The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 8-Jan-95 | Updated weekly. Most popular file on top. | |File Dir Size Description |------------------- --- ---- ----------- ar301.lha docs/mags 94K+Amiga Report 3.01, January 4, 1994 VChck647.lha util/virus 133K+Version 6.47 of Virus_Checker. Amiga Virus GBlanker36_020.lha util/blank 102K+GBlanker 68020 version 4ko.exe demo/par94 39K+40K intro by Polka Brothers, WINNER flick-1.4.lha gfx/show 71K+OCS/ECS/AGA/EGS FLI/FLC-format anim viewer ARArchive.lha docs/mags 5K+Frontend for all AmigaReports V1.3.01 DaWormy.lha game/wb 48K+The Greatest Workbench Game Ever !! CFX5560P.lha util/cli 106K Best filetype-checker + file-finder titleclock1001.lha util/time 18K+WB Titleclock,Locale,OS 2.x/3.x HTML-Heaven.lha text/hyper 91K+Add HTML command editing to editor. [Hey, TWO Amiga Report-related archives! Not bad.] @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 @endnode @node STAFF "The Staff" @toc ABOUT =========================================================================== == The Staff == =========================================================================== Editor: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} Senior Editor: @{" Robert Niles " link ROBERT} Assistant Editor: @{" Katherine Nelson " link KATIE} European Editor: @{" Michael Wolf " link MICHAEL} Games Editor: @{" Sean Caszatt " link SEAN} Contributing Editor: @{" David Tiberio " link DAVID} Contributing Writers: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _Eric Rainbolt_ anon0188@nyx.cs.du.edu @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 ONLINE} @endnode @node BBS "Distribution Sites" @toc WHERE =========================================================================== == Where to find Amiga Report == =========================================================================== Arranged by Continent: @{" Australia " link BBS_AUSTRALIA} @{" 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 @endnode @node DEALER "Dealer Directory" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == Dealer Directory == =========================================================================== Arranged by Continent: @{" Asia " link DEAL_ASIA} @{" Europe " link DEAL_EUROPE} @{" North America " link DEAL_NAMERICA} Dealers: To have your name added, please send @{"Email", link JASON} with the name, address, phone, and net address (if available) of your establishment. @endnode @node COMMERCIAL "Commercial Products" @toc MENU =========================================================================== == Commercial Products == =========================================================================== @{" Editor's Choice " link EDITORCHOICE} Jason's picks @{" Commercial Online Services " link ONLINE} Sign-Up Information @endnode @node ONLINE "Commercial Online Services" @toc COMMERCIAL =========================================================================== == Commercial Online Services == =========================================================================== @{" Delphi " link DELPHI} Getting better all the time. @{" Portal " link PORTAL} A great place for Amiga users. @{" GEnie " link GENIE} Internet access, online games, more. @endnode