
               _      ____       ___   ______       _______          _
              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##__
   """""    """""""""""    "  """""" """"""      """"""" """""    """"""

           *---== Amiga Report International Online Magazine ==---*
                  """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                     "The Original Amiga Online Magazine"
                                     from
                                STR Publishing
                                """"""""""""""
                          [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport


 April 16, 1993                                                    No. 1.05
 ==========================================================================

                  -----------------------------------------
                             * THE BOUNTY BBS *
                          Home of  STR Publications
                         * RUNNING  TURBOBOARD BBS *
                  904-786-4176  USR DS 16.8  24hrs - 7 days
                  -----------------------------------------
                                * NOVA BBS *
                         Amiga Report Headquarters
                          * RUNNING STARNET BBS *
                             FidoNet  1:362/508
                  615-472-9748  USR HST 14.4  24hrs - 7 days
                  ------------------------------------------

 ____________________________________________________________________________


 > 04/16/93 STR-Amiga 1.05  "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
   """""""""""""""""""""""
     - The Editor's Desk     - CPU Report         - New Products
     - Dealer Directory      - STR Confidential   - Amiga Tip of the Week
     - PPI's A500/040        - STR Online         - Usenet Reviews
     - Visionaire Review     - ASDG's T-Rexx Pro  - Scala MM210 Review 

                     -* Another new A1200 Accelerator! *-
                        -* QuarterBack Tools Deluxe *-
                        -* Major Pirate BBS Busted! *-
                             -* And much more! *-

 ============================================================================
                  Amiga Report International Online Magazine
                            From STR Publications
                         [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport
                 The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
                            -* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
                  "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
       Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
               Hardware ~ Software ~ Corporate ~ R & D ~ Imports
 ============================================================================
             GENIE ~ DELPHI ~ NVN ~ BIX ~ PORTAL ~ FIDO ~ INTERNET
 ============================================================================


                       :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
                        _________________________________

        Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
                         Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
                  Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
                             Wait for the U#= prompt.

                    Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.

  GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and weekend access to
  more  than  100  services  including electronic mail, online encyclopedia,
  shopping, news, entertainment, single-player  games,  and  bulletin boards
  on leisure and professional subjects.  With many other services, including
  the biggest collection of files to download and the best online games, for
  only $6 per hour.

  MONEY BACK  GUARANTEE!   Any time during your first month of membership if
  you are not completely satisfied, just ask for your $4.95 back.


           GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
            Information Services/GEnie, reprinted with permission


 ****************************************************************************


 > From the Editor's Desk                  "Saying it like it is!"
   """"""""""""""""""""""


 Last week, I suggested that Commodore needs to concentrate on marketing,
 now that they have a new line of machines, and are starting to build back
 their market share.  Shortly after the last issue went to press (e.g. was
 uploaded), I received a letter from someone on GEnie with an interesting
 idea.  Why not gather letters via Email from users around the globe, and
 send them all to Commodore President Jim Dionne.  After all, isn't that
 he wants?  Below is a reprint of a letter from Mr. Dionne to the users, as
 published in the GEnie 5-Minute News from March 26.

 __________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|                     Commodore Business Machines, Inc.                    |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|  Dear Valued Customer,                                                   |
|                                                                          |
|                        We appreciate your business;                      |
|                  We appreciate having you as a customer!                 |
|                                                                          |
|  By now you should be deeply involved with using your new Amiga. As      |
|  you continue to learn more about the Amiga's capabilities, Commodore    |
|  wants to add a few words of personal encouragement and issue you a      |
|  special challenge.                                                      |
|                                                                          |
|     The Amiga has been acclaimed in dozens of publications as one        |
|     of the very best personal computers for multimedia available.        |
|     Whether you selected your Amiga for the exciting graphics,           |
|     animation, and video capabilities, or for desktop publishing         |
|     or business productivity, you will find it to be an extremely        |
|     capable assistant.                                                   |
|                                                                          |
|  In future correspondence Commodore will aggressivley promote the Amiga  |
|  Advantage. You will also be receiving information about product updates |
|  and enhancements. And as an Amiga owner, you can be eligible to take    |
|  advantage of Commodore special offers.                                  |
|                                                                          |
|  Now for the challenge. When you have something positive to say about    |
|  your Amiga, let us know about it. Don't keep it a secret.               |
|                                                                          |
|  Many of you are involved in creative applications using features that   |
|  only the Amiga can provide. We want the rest of the world to discover   |
|  the ease of use and the cost saving benefits of Amiga technology.       |
|  Share your ideas! Share your applications with us and other Amiga       |
|  users. Sharing and communicating your applications can only lead to     |
|  expanded acceptance of the Amiga among people who are looking to do     |
|  better with computers and who haven't yet used an Amiga.                |
|                                                                          |
|  Send all comments, questions, and applications to:                      |
|                                                                          |
|                       Commodore Marketing                                |
|                       Dept. #480                                         |
|                       1200 Wilson Drive                                  |
|                       West Chester, PA 19380-4251                        |
|                                                                          |
|  And, while you're at it, let us know if we're performing up to your     |
|  expectations. Your comments, suggestions and helpful criticisms will    |
|  help guide us to make the Amiga an even better value than it already    |
|  is today. Keep those cards and letters coming.                          |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|                                    Jim Dionne                            |
|                                    President                             |
|                                    Commodore Business Machines, Inc.     |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|                                                                          |
|__________________________________________________________________________|


 So if you have any comments or criticisms for Commodore, send them to us
 here at Amiga Report, at one of our Email addresses.  I'll wait until the
 end of the month for them all to get in.  Then, I'll print them out
 individually, and include them with a letter from us.

 Some have suggested that individual mailings would be more effective.
 That may be true, so why not do both?  Send one in yourself, and send us
 a copy for us to include in our group letter.  That way, perhaps we can
 effect a change, and educate the world as to what computer really is the
 best!

 A new feature beginning this week are our "Usenet Reviews."  On Usenet,
 there is a newsgroup called comp.sys.amiga.reviews.  It is a moderated
 group where people submit reviews they have prepared.  I contacted the
 moderator and arranged permission to reprint some of the reviews each
 week.  These reviews are unedited, except for line-length requirements.

 A quick note... Mike Troxell has taken this week off to study for finals,
 so there will be no Rendered Reality column in this issue.  Wish him luck,
 and he'll be back next week!

               Rob @ Amiga Report International Online Magazine 
 


 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


  Amiga Report's Staff                       DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
  """"""""""""""""""""

                                     Editor
                                     ------
                                  Robert Glover


          Technical Editor       Graphics Editor        Contributing Editor
          ----------------       ---------------        -------------------
           Micah Thompson         Mike Troxell              Tom Mulcahy
 GEnie:       BOOMER.T             M.TROXELL1
 FidoNet:                          1:362/508.5              1:260/322
 Delphi:                                                    16BITTER
 Bix:                                                       HELMET


                           Contributing Correspondents
                           ---------------------------
                                  Dan Barrett
                                  Sherman Chan
                                  John Deegan
                                  Kerry Emerson



            PC DIVISION          ATARI DIVISION           MAC DIVISION
            -----------          --------------           ------------
            Roger D. Stevens     Ralph F. Mariano         R. Albritton



                                IMPORTANT NOTICE
                                """"""""""""""""
          Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
                                  via E-Mail to:

                    Delphi........................ ROB_G
                    GEnie......................... ROB-G
                    Internet.......................ROB_G@Delphi.COM


 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 > CPU STATUS REPORT                 LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
   =================


 
 CSA ANNOUNCES 50 MHz ACCELERATOR/SCSI COMBO

 Amiga 1200 owners are trapped and running out of time. Large image
 files and long animations are filling up their hard drives. And there's no
 room to grow.

 Why? Because the A1200 doesn't work with currently available mass-storage
 peripherals -- like floptical drives, removable media and multi-Gigabyte
 replacement hard drives. All of these devices (along with CD-ROM drives,
 tape backups and other high-tech add-ons) use a standard SCSI interface.
 The A1200 only provides an IDE interface for a single hard drive.

 To solve this problem, CSA has developed the TwelveGuage, a 50 MHz
 accelerator card for the A1200 that features -- you guessed it -- a SCSI
 interface. Now you can use your A1200 with such devices as CD-ROM drives,
 Syquest removable media drives, a wide choice of standard SCSI hard
 drives, floptical optical drive systems and tape back-up systems, and
 hundreds of other SCSI compatible add-ons.

 Raw speed is another requirement for processor-intensive activities like
 rendering, animation and desktop publishing. Built around a 50 MHz
 Motorola 68030 microprocessor, CSA's TwelveGuage runs 7 to 10 times faster
 than a stock A1200 with its earlier-generation 14 MHz 68EC020.

 In addition to its faster clock speed, the TwelveGuage also utilizes Burst
 Mode for processing, a faster, more efficient way to manage the flow of
 data from 32-bit memory.

 The result: more completed projects, sooner than otherwise possible. For
 even faster processing, the TwelveGuage also supports the addition of a 50
 MHz 68882 math coprocessor.

 In addition to its speed, CSA's TwelveGuage also goes a long way to ease
 the necessary expense of adding memory. Instead of requiring expensive,
 proprietary RAM chips, the TwelveGuage uses industry-standard A4000-type
 32-bit SIMMS, which are less expensive. What's more, RAM upgrades can be
 made in affordable stages (to 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 Megabytes).

 CSA's TwelveGuage installs easily into the A1200 trap door slot and can be
 ordered in several alternate configurations, depending on how much RAM you
 need, and whether you need a math coprocessor. You could even order one
 without the SCSI interface (if desired). A less expensive 40 MHz 68EC030-
 based version can also be ordered.

 Available in April 1993, CSA's TwelveGuage carries a retail price of $699
 (with 50 MHz 68030, SCSI interface, 68882 socket and without RAM). Learn
 more by contacting Computer System Associates, 7564 Trade Street, San
 Diego, CA 92121, telephone 619/566-3911, fax 619/566-0581.


              __________________________________________________



 RETINA:  The AMIGA HIGH RESOLUTION DISPLAY CARD

 MacroSystemUS announces the release of the Retina(TM) High-Resolution
 Display card for the Amiga. The Retina provides a way for Amiga 2000, 3000
 and 4000 owners to upgrade to true High-Resolution display capability
 at an affordable price. It is a 24-bit frame buffer with 16-bit display
 modes and 8-Bit Workbench display modes, with a full one year warranty.

 The Retina has the ability to display Workbench and any AmigaDOS compliant
 program in resolutions up to 1280x1024 non-interlaced with up to 256
 colors on screen. The Retina can also display higher resolutions in
 interlaced format. The Retina supports monitor frequencies from 15 KHz to
 75 KHz. The Workbench Emulation on the Retina will run 1280x1024 in 16
 colors as fast or faster than the standard Amiga output at 724x482 in 16
 colors!

 The Retina is also a true 24-bit display card! It can display 24-bit
 resolutions up to 800x600 non-interlaced and greater than 1024x768
 interlaced.

 The Retina can run Workbench in high-resolution and have other programs
 running on their own custom screen on the Retina AND still be used to
 display 24-bit graphics simultaneously. The Retina allows you to simply
 hotkey between any screen currently running on the display! It gets even
 better, too. The Retina installs into the standard zorro slot and does NOT
 use the video slot. You can have up to FOUR Retinas installed in one
 computer.

 The Retina is compatible with versions 2.0 and 3.0 of the Amiga operating
 system.

 The Retina is compatible with the Video Toaster for True 24-bit display.

 The Retina has a suggested retail price of $599.95 with 2MB and $699.95
 with 4MB. The Retina with 4MB is also available with TVPaint Professional.

 Features include:

 o Standard BD-15 VGA Connector - Analog RGB output.
 o Supports 15 - 75 KHz Horizonal Freq. and 50 - 100 Hz. Vertical Freq.
 o Compatible with Amiga 1950, 1960 and any multisync monitor.

 o 800x600 full 24-bit 16.7 million color display non-interlaced or
   interlaced

 o Allows multiple 24-bit resolutions. The following is NOT a complete list
   of modes:
     Non-Interlaced: 800x600, 768x 482, 724x482, 640x480, plus many more
     Interlaced: 1152x862, 1032x774, 1100x566, 1024x768, 800x600, 768x482,
                 724x482

 o RAM configurations 2 megabytes or 4 megabytes. User upgradable to 4MB
 o 4MB allows double buffering for animations and screens larger than
   800x600 in 24-bit.
 o The Retina can have more than one 24-bit image in memory at the same
   time and you can toggle between screens. You can actually toggle between
   24-bit screens and 8-bit screens.
 o The Retina can be used to display 24-bit graphics while emulating
   Workbench.
 o XIPaint is a realtime 24-bit paint program that comes with the Retina to
   get you going in 24-bit quickly.
 o Installs into any 100 pin Amiga slot; does not use the video slot.
 o Compatible with the Video Toaster, OpalVision and the VLab(TM) Real-Time
   Video Digitizer.
 o Compatible with programs such as AdPro, Morph Plus, MultiFrame-AdPro,
   TVPaint 2.0, ProPage, ProWrite, PageStream, DynaCADD, Imagine 2.0,
   VLab, to name a few.
 o TVPaint 2.0 is a professional 32-bit painting program that runs directly
   on the Retina. Perfect for use as a Real-Time 24-bit paint box for the
   Video Toaster.
 o Compatible with the A2000, A3000, and A4000 series Amigas. Required the
   2.0 or greater operating system.

Workbench Emulation

 o Display Workbench and your programs in real usable high-resolution on
   14" through 21" monitors.
 o Replace your Flicker Fixer with a True High-Resolution Flicker Free
   Display Card.
 o Full Workbench Emulation with resolution such as 1024x768 or 1280x1024
   in 16 colors or even more! Up to 2400x1200! A few samples: 2400x1200,
   1900x1426, 1600x1200, 1280x1024, 1024x768, 800x600.
 o The Workbench display on the Retina at 1280x1024 in 16 colors can
   operate as fast or faster than the standard Amiga output of 724x482 in
   16 colors! Display modes in both interlaced and non-interlaced.
 o The Retina allows you to specify the size that you want to use for
   Workbench and then you can use a different size for other programs that
   display on their own custom screens.
 o The Workbench can be set to a resolution of 1280x1024 non-interlaced and
   you could have AdPro running on its own screen at 320x200.
 o The Retina software has screen modes which are called groups. A group
   screenmode is used for programs that ask for a specific screen
   resolution when they start. If the group is selected then the Retina
   will open the program on its own screen at the resolution that it wants.
 o Any program can be selected in software to be displayed on the Retina
   output or the Amiga output.
 o You can change the output resolution for any program simply by choosing
   the program name and then selecting a different screen resolution for
   that program.

 For more information contact your authorized Amiga dealer or MacroSystemUS,
 17019 Smugglers Cove, Mt. Clemens, MI 48038, telephone 313/263-0095, fax
 313/263-9639.



              __________________________________________________



 VLAB REALTIME VIDEO DIGITIZER

 MacroSystemUS announces the release of VLab(TM) -- RealTime Video
 Digitizer for the Amiga computer. VLab digitizes a full frame in 1/30th of
 a second or 1 field in 1/60th of a second. It digitizes in full color, NTSC
 or PAL. It will save images as 24-bit, YUV, or any Amiga format including
 AA modes like HAM8. (Saving the image in YUV retains all digitized
 information in about half the space of 24-bit IFF files.)

 Inputs
  2 Composite NTSC or PAL connectors
  Software selectable for either input

 Allows you to grab sequences
  You can select the number of frames that you want to grab in series and
    the VLab will Framegrab them at up to six frames per second.
  The speed at which the VLab can grab frames in sequence is governed by
    many things of which some are the screen size that you select, the
    resolution that you select, as well as the speed of the computer that
    you are using.

 The VLab will work in either the A2000, A3000 or A4000 series Amiga computers.
  The VLab installs into any standard Amiga 100 pin slot and does not use
    the video slot
  There is also a VLab1200 that allows owners of the A500, A600 and the
    A1200 to also use the VLab.

 The VLab does not require a frame accurate video player to hold the image
    still to digitize. The VLab will in real-time digitize any frame from
    the video source that you have connected.
  You can digitize images from cable TV, Broadcast TV, VCR, Video Disk
    Players, and Video Cameras.

 Software Support
  The VLab is supported by popular graphics software such as ASDG's Art
    Department Professional, Image Master by Black Belt, TVPaint by TechSoft.
  The VLab software allows you to do frame grabbing, sequencing and a
    certain amount of image manipulation. The software can switch between
    one of the two inputs. You can select the size of the grab that you
    want to perform. The software has built-in color, contrast, gamma,
    luminance and chrominance correction. The software also has luminance
    and chrominance filters.

 There is a special monitor window that allows you to see the video signal
 that you have attached to the VLab in a window on the VLab screen in up to
 16 gray scales at up to 15 frames per second. With the Retina display card
 you can have the monitor in full screen in either grey scale or color.

 The VLab software requires the 2.0 operating system or higher and is fully
 ARexx compatible.

 VLab is compatible with the Video Toaster, OpalVision, Retina, Harlequin.
 It is also supported by the Nucleas Personal SFC.

 Suggested retail price for the VLab is $499.95.

 For more information contact your authorized Amiga dealer or MacroSystemUS,
 17019 Smugglers Cove, Mt. Clemens, MI 48038, telephone 313/263-0095, fax
 313/263-9639.


              __________________________________________________



 ASDG ANNOUNCES T-REXX PROFESSIONAL

 ASDG Incorporated, the leading innovator in color imaging technology for
 the Commodore Amiga, announce the availability of T-Rexx Professional
 Version 2.0. T-Rexx is a system integration tool with special emphasis on
 the NewTek Video Toaster.

 Large collections of Toaster Framestore images can be previewed, managed,
 browsed, and converted to IFF/RGB. All framestore operations, including the
 conversion to and from IFF/RGB, are performed in full broadcast color
 without requiring the Video Toaster hardware.

 T-Rexx enables you to read and write custom Toaster effects (both ActionFX
 and OrganicFX). You can turn an ANIM file into a Toaster effect, or take an
 existing Toaster effect and turn it back into an ANIM file. T-Rexx even
 includes high speed special effects processing which allows a single ANIM
 file to create dozens of different Toaster effects.

 And, of course, you can create and edit Toaster projects to build the
 Toaster configuration which best meets your needs.

 T-Rexx's scripting capabilities are unparalleled. ARexx scripts are
 displayed in plain English and can be created and edited using a simple
 point-and-click interface which requires no programming knowledge. You can
 create scripts for any product which is ARexx, serial port, or parallel
 port controllable.

 ARexx commands for different products can be freely combined giving users
 the ability to merge the capabilities of multiple tools into a single
 application. There's even a unique real-time mode which speeds script
 development by allowing you to test the script (with instant feedback) as
 it is being written.

 Using T-Rexx, you can create interactive or automated multimedia
 presentations by linking the Video Toaster to other hardware and software
 products. T-Rexx comes with ready-made command sets for: AmiLink, Art
 Department Professional, BCD-2000A, DQ-Taco, MediaPhile, MorphPlus, PC-VCR,
 Personal SFC II, Personal TBC III, Pixel 3D, SunRize Studio 16, and VISCA.

 T-Rexx Professional carries a suggested retail price of $249 and requires
 Kickstart 2.0 and a minimum of 2 megabytes of system memory.

 For more information about ASDG's color imaging solutions contact Gina
 Cerniglia at ASDG Incorporated, 925 Stewart Street, Madison, WI 53713 or
 call (608) 273-6585.


              __________________________________________________



 QUARTERBACK TOOLS DELUXE

 Central Coast Software is pleased to announce our new Quarterback Tools
 Deluxe package, and would like to extend an upgrade offer to all
 registered Quarterback Tools users.

 The all new Quarterback Tools Deluxe package includes Quarterback Tools
 version 2.0. This is not just a cosmetic upgrade to Quarterback Tools, but
 a totally revised and and rewritten program. We've completely rewritten
 Quarterback Tools from the ground up, and added many new features:

 File system.

 Optimizing disks.

 But there's more! In addition to the Quarterback Tools 2.0 program,
 Quarterback Tools Deluxe includes several new programs -- programs that
 make managing files and disks easier than ever before:

  Copies of a source disk, using up to four floppy drives simultaneously.
  You can even save an entire disk image as a file, and load it for later
  duplication.

  Individual drawers or entire disks for files that match a name or pattern
  you specify. For each file found, you can see the file's location,
  creation date, size, comments, and contents, so you can quickly determine
  if it is the file you are looking for.

  Encryptor, you can encrypt and decrypt your files using a password that
  only you know. People who don't have a file's password will not be able
  to read the file's contents.

  Portion of your disks, or the entire disk's contents. When a disk is
  erased with Disk Eraser, not even Quarterback Tools can recover the
  contents of the disk. There is no better way to make sure no one will be
  able to access your deleted files. There is even an option for using
  Department of Defense specifications when erasing!

 When you erase a file with File Eraser, not even a program like
 Quarterback Tools can recover the file's contents. And like Disk Eraser,
 File Eraser includes an option for using Department of Defense
 specifications when erasing.

  Need to press to type any character. An indispensable tool if you ever
  use special characters such as copyright symbols or accented characters.

  System files -- such as fonts, printer drivers, system libraries, and CLI
  commands -- from one disk to another. System Mover shows you version
  information of the files you are moving, so you can make sure you are
  using the latest versions of your system software.

  Renders a floppy disk inaccessible from AmigaDOS--without affecting the
  contents of the disk! When a disk has a "Brain Cloud", not even the
  Amiga's "Format" command can affect the disk! Perfect for protecting your
  disks from inadvertent use by others.

 With all these new features, Quarterback Tools Deluxe has a new suggested
 retail price of $125.00. However, as a registered Quarterback Tools owner,
 you can get the complete Quarterback Tools Deluxe package for only $40
 plus shipping -- a savings of $85 over the retail price.

 Registered owners of Quarterback Tools will shortly be receiving an
 upgrade notice in the mail. However, if you prefer, you can order your
 upgrade now for faster response. Call us for details or to place an order
 (if you order the upgrade over the phone using your VISA or MasterCard,
 you will need to have your current Quarterback Tools disk handy, since we
 will need the registration number from the back of the disk).

 Quarterback Tools Deluxe will be shipping in late April/early May, and as
 always upgrades are processed in the order they are received. We are sure
 you will be as excited about this new package as we are!

                                  James Bayless, President
                                  Central Coast Software
                                  A division of New Horizons Software, Inc.
                                  Telephone: (512) 328-6650

 P.S. If you are a registered owner of Quarterback, our best-selling backup
 program for the Amiga, you can purchase a copy of Quarterback Tools Deluxe
 direct from Central Coast Software for $75.00. Call us for more details.



              __________________________________________________




                 Computer Products Update - CPU Report
                 ------------------------   ----------
                Weekly Happenings in the Computer World

                               Issue #15

                            By: John Deegan



    COMPAQ SUPPLIES DOS 6 - Compaq Computer Corp. says it will start sup-
 plying its new desktop and portable computers with the new Microsoft DOS
 6 at no extra charge, replacing the MS-DOS 5 version currently included
 on Compaq PCs.


    IBM OFFERS PC-TO-MAINFRAME LINK - The IBM Programming Systems unit
 says it will offer a Windows-based client/server application to link PC
 computers to mainframes via a graphical user interface. The program, to
 be available in August, is called Current OfficeVision/Multiple Virtual
 Storage Workgroup.


    APPLE CUTS PRICES ON CERTAIN POWERBOOK DUO NOTEBOOKS - Apple Computer
 announced today it has reduced prices in the United States on selected
 PowerBook Duo notebook computers from 10% to 18%, effective immediately.


    IBM UNVEILS NEW VALUEPOINT UNITS - IBM has unveiled 40 new low-priced
 PCs in its PS/ValuePoint line. The new models are powered by Intel's
 '486 microprocessor and can be converted to Intel's new Pentium micro-
 processor.  The models range in price from $1,080 to $3,579 and are said
 to "offer enhanced graphics, truer colors, more power and a broad
 ability to upgrade."


    HP UNVEILS NEW LASERJETS - Hewlett-Packard has announced two new net-
 work laser printers that can work concurrently with PCs, Macintosh
 computers, Unix-based workstations and multiple networks. Both printers
 can print at 17 pages-per-minute at a 600 dots- per-inch resolution,
 four times the effective resolution of most office laser printers, says
 HP.

    The HP LaserJet 4Si printer costs $3,749 and replaces the HP LaserJet
 IIID and HP LaserJet IIISi printers. The new printer includes 2 meg of
 standard memory, expandable to 36 meg, and two expansion slots for op-
 tional HP JetDirect interfaces.

    The HP LaserJet 4Si MX printer sells for $5,499. Its standard 10 meg
 memory is expandable to 26MB. The printer also includes Adobe's
 PostScript Level 2 language, a LocalTalk interface and an HP JetDirect
 Ethernet interface that can be connected to as many as 10 different
 network operating systems simultaneously.


    BACKLOGS - Reports say that PCs are selling so well that IBM has a $1
 billion order backlog for its ThinkPad 700 notebook computers; Apple
 Quadra servers and PowerBooks are also on back order; the wait for some
 Compaq computers is about a month; AST Research has an eight-week back-
 log; and other companies have similar delivery problems due to component
 shortfalls.


    IATA URGES BAN TO LAPTOP COMPUTER USE DURING AIRCRAFT TAKE-OFFS
 AND LANDINGS - Business travelers who spend airborne time using their
 laptop computers to write a report or crunch numbers on a spreadsheet
 may soon have to find another way to occupy their time while jetting
 from one city to another.

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced today
 from Geneva, Switzerland that it will warn its 213 member airlines to
 not permit passengers to use electronic devices, including laptop
 computers, during aircraft take-offs and landings.

    The move is viewed as a precautionary measure until further research
 can provide more conclusive evidence as to the possible interference
 with navigational equipment caused by passengers' use of electronic
 devices while airborne. It is feared laptop computers and video games
 interfere with aircraft autopilot systems.

    Some airlines already restrict the use of electronic devices during
 flights.


    COMPUTER INDUSTRY LAYOFFS CONTINUE - While some other U.S. industries
 are slowly recovering, the computer industry laid off more workers in
 March than any other industry segment according to a study conducted by
 Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

    Of the 30,428 layoffs nationwide in March, 9,030, or nearly 30%, were
 in the computer industry.

    IBM Corp. was the leader with 4,500 employees dismissed during the
 month, followed by Wang Laboratories Inc., which laid off 3,300.

    Other industries particularly affected by layoffs are aerospace, re-
 tail and health care. New York state led the nation in the number of
 layoffs in March, followed by Massachusetts and California.


    GATES WARY - Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates says that while he
 welcomes the Clinton administration's support for a nation-wide high-
 speed data network, he is wary of too much government involvement.

    Speaking to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in
 Seattle recently, Gates said there is intense interest in the software
 and computer industry in developing program and hardware for such a
 network, but that he is concerned individual companies will use their
 influence with the government to promote their products and services
 over those of their competitors.

    Gates said, "It is very positive to have politicians who understand
 the potential for technology. Then again, generally, government involve-
 ment is subverted by special interests. I do believe the government has
 to be very careful how they get involved."

    Both President Clinton and Vice President Gore have said they want to
 link the nation with a fiber optic cable system to allow information to
 flow rapidly throughout the country.

    Gates said it would be better to let private industry and the market
 place decide how the network will be designed and built.

    Said Gates, "There's no shortage of commercial money to build these
 networks and do these applications, no shortage at all." The government
 would do the most good developing the network for education and funding
 long-term research projects, he said, and "if it's done the right way, I
 think it can be a very positive thing."


        ___________________________________________________________



 US MEMORY CHIP MAKERS GET DARPA BOOST

 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 APR 13 -- DARPA (the Defense
 Advanced Research Projects Agency), the group which has been at
 the forefront of military-civilian high-tech development for
 decades, has, according to a report in The Washington Post,
 targeted memory chips with a $5 million grant to pursue
 production of 256-megabyte memory chips.
 
 The grant, made to Advanced Technology Materials of Danbury,
 Conn., will be used in conjunction with another $5 million from
 chip makers IBM, Texas Instruments, Micron, and AG Associates
 (a semiconductor manufacturing hardware supplier) and North
 Carolina State University.

 Japanese and Korean companies are already far ahead in this
 multi-billion-dollar market, regularly making announcements about
 new production or development milestones in the large-scale DRAM
 (dynamic random access memory) arena, and some insiders question
 whether a $10 million investment in this expensive technology
 will actually make much difference.

 The US is almost a non-player in the world and domestic memory
 chip market but, through TI, Motorola, and Intel, virtually
 dominate the world microprocessor market, with smaller US
 companies specializing in custom advanced ASIC, or application
 specific integrated circuit, microprocessors.  

 DRAM is very important in the computer industry because ever-
 larger amounts of memory are needed to run any of the advanced
 operating systems such as Windows NT, Unix, OS/2, or even the MS- 
 DOS version of Windows. In the past, MS-DOS programs seldom
 required more than a four-megabyte memory, but the minimum
 acceptable system for running programs under OS/2 and other new
 operating systems will be larger than 10 megabytes.

 While a desktop computer will only need one CPU, or central
 processor unit, such as an Intel 80486 or Motorola 68040, they
 will need many memory chips both for the computer's main memory
 and accessory boards such as accelerated video boards and caching
 hard disk controllers.

 By way of comparison, the Department of Energy's Lawrence
 Livermore National Lab, Intel, Jamar Technology, and Ultratech
 Stepper will be spending $25.5 million on the development of a
 new chip lithography process using weak X-rays.

 Also, last year DARPA provided $8 million to The Optoelectronic
 Technology Consortium, which consists of General Electric,
 Honeywell, IBM and AT&T, to test the feasibility of developing
 optical interconnections for high-speed data transmission, an
 area where the US is already in the forefront of high-tech
 development.


        ___________________________________________________________



 CABLE VS. PHONE UPDATE

 WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 APR 12 -- After years of fighting
 to win higher rates so they can invest in digital services, the
 nation's phone companies face a new threat -- cable companies with
 money to spend.

 Plans reported by Newsbytes last week by TCI, the nation's largest
 cable operator, to sink $2 billion into replacing its copper-based
 coaxial cable with fiber and dramatically increase capacity, is an
 example of what's happening.

 TCI said it will re-wire its systems in major cities over the next
 five years, while most regional Bell companies claim they'll need 30
 years. TCI can justify its investment with digital compression that
 will let it offer up to 500 channels at once, with fast data services
 piggy-backed on top of it. Phone companies are presently prohibited
 from running cable services on their wires.

 TCI is not alone. Time Warner, the second largest operator, will
 upgrade its Orlando, Florida system with fiber early next year, which
 should be a first step toward upgrading all its systems. The
 Infostructure Network, as TCI executives call their new systems, could
 become a prime component of the Clinton Administration plan to upgrade
 the data-handling capacity of the nation's phone nets, and bring the
 cable industry as a whole needed goodwill lost in the battle over
 basic cable rates.

 The question for phone companies is whether to compete or join the
 cable outfits. Pacific Bell indicated last week it was talking to
 cable operators there about forming joint ventures in the area.

 The alternative is competition. Bell Atlantic has been among the most
 aggressive in this area, winning new rates in New Jersey that will let
 it replace that network with fiber, upgrading a Pennsylvania network
 in cooperation with a local cable operator, and testing delivery of
 TV signals in the Washington, DC suburbs.

 Bell Atlantic Chairman Raymond Smith said that one provision of the
 1992 Cable Reregulation Act, requiring that shows owned partly by
 cable operators be made available to cable competitors, will help in
 that area. But to get into cable officially, Bell Atlantic still needs
 some restrictions removed. Until they are, the only way into the
 business is the route taken by Southwestern Bell, which said it would
 buy a Washington-area cable operator. The purchase is acceptable to
 regulators because the operator is outside SW Bell's normal service
 area, in the Midwest and Texas.

 But many politicians say the Bells are poor-mouthing their finances,
 citing studies showing the Bells earn as much as 20 percent per year
 on their equity. The latest such study, from the Pennsylvania Public
 Utility Commission, covers Bell Atlantic's largest service area, and
 claims a statewide wide-band network will only cost ratepayers about
 30 cents per month. The study was issued in response to Senate Bill 2,
 a Bell-supported move that would raise rates 25 cents per year,
 indefinitely, in order to pay for improved services.

 For years, the regional Bells have been fighting in state legislatures
 for new rate-making ability which they say will justify the delivery
 of digital services and the replacement of copper cable with fiber.
 Ameritech won new powers in the Michigan legislature, but other states
 have yet to act on its behalf. It's forced to watch a Wisconsin study
 commission aimed at finding a way to funder a higher-capacity network,
 which is supported by the state's Wisconsin State Telephone
 Association. Under their plan, a major fiber trunk line will link
 major cities, and other lines will feed into it.

 The problem for the Bells is simple. If they fail to win the rates
 they want from states, they could be by-passed by cable operators in
 major cities where upgrades would otherwise be profitable. This could
 leave them with low-speed monopolies only in underserved, rural areas,
 and in poor financial shape. 


        ___________________________________________________________



 OPTICAL DISK TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGH

 TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 APR 13 (NB) -- Researchers at Kyoto University
 report they have developed the technology to store over 100 times
 more data on an optical disc. They report that as much as
 10,000 times more data could theoretically be written on this
 disc.

 The research team led by Assistant Professor Kazuyuki Hirao of
 Kyoto University is using a completely new material for the disc,
 based on samarium ion and glass. It is said this material is
 like photochemical hole burning (PHB). The research team
 created this material with some unique compounds. Existing
 PHB material needs to be cooled down to minus 196 degrees
 centigrade. However, the research team's material can be used at
 room temperature.

 Another unique aspect of this material is that it accepts data
 written to the same place over and over. In other words, the
 data can be piled up vertically on the same area on the disk. It
 can be done with different wavelengths of semiconductor lasers.
 With different wavelengths of lasers, data can also be read.

 It is said the disc storage capacity could be 200 to 300 times
 more than that of current optical discs. The research team is
 trying some new methods using red and green lasers. With
 this technology, 10,000 times more data can be written on this
 disk in theory.


        ___________________________________________________________



 MAGNETIC DISK TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGH

 TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 APR 13 -- NEC has developed the technology
 to create what it claims will be a 1.3-inch 5-gigabit magnetic
 disk (5 gigabits = 600 megabytes). This is almost 100 times
 more memory storage than current magnetic disks allow.

 NEC reports that it is planning to create a prototype version
 of this disk in the near future. NEC has developed a magnetic
 head, which will write 10 gigabits of data per square inch on
 a disk. NEC has applied a micro-machine processing technology
 to create a special mothership-type silicon slider, which is a
 head-support spring. With this slider, the firm has reduced the
 distance between the magnetic head and the disk to only 0.05
 micron, or about a third of that of current disk drives.

 NEC's mothership-type silicon slider has a 200-square-micron-sized
 slider on top of the 1.7 square millimeter silicon chip. With this
 extra slider, the distance between the magnetic head and the disk
 has been narrowed. As a result, more data can be written on the
 disk. Also, NEC has applied vertical magnetic recording
 technology to write data on the disk.

 NEC reports another benefit to this disk. The mothership-type slider
 is very economical when produced in quantity -- 600 units of the
 sliders can be cut from a single silicon board with a diameter of
 5 cm.



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 > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport Online             People...  Are Talking!
   =============================


 From GEnie:
 ----------


 From FNORD in the Showbiz RT about Star Trek:  The Next Generation...

 
 The most annoying thing about ST is the ubiquitous BS
 device/field/particle/radiation...

 "Captain, if we reroute the hydrolazine framistat, we can produce a sporkon
 field, drain the Romulans' glapicrotic generators, and reverse the spin on
 tonight's plot complication."

 "Make it so."


 A reply from R.GIBSON13...

 
 "Umm, sorry, Fnord, but you cannot produce a sporkon field by rerouting
 the  hydrolazine framistat. You have to refigure the hyperbizataline
 nelodratisctic  flow converter so that it can handle the overflow from
 the dynastic compression module first.

 "But only if the Romulan glapicrotic generators are the old models. The
 Fed  doesn't know enough about the current state of Romulan technology to
 know if  the current theories on sporkon fields would apply.

 "Otherwise, your idea is pretty good, though..."


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


 From DAVESCHMO in the Amiga RT...


 Again, Commodore really seems to be trying to change.  Our user group received
 the following today from Commodore.  The User Group contact there is Mary E.
 Berry.

 - A sample tri-fold flyer from Amiga Atlanta Inc. used to promote
   their user group.  Meant to be used as an example for designing a
   flyer for our user group.

 - Announcement of the new "Show Time!!" program for user groups.
   Briefly put, it allows you to borrow computers from Commodore for use
   at computer shows.  Unless the show expects an attendance of 1000+,
   they will limit you to one of each model.  CBM pays shipping both
   ways, and supplies a 75 MEG demo on the hard drive of the A4000.

 Items that can be requested:
    * A4000 with demo software
    * CDTV with selected titles
    * Amiga 1200 or Amiga 1200HD
    * 2' x 6' Commodore banner
    * A500 upgraded + A570
    * Amiga 600 or Amiga 600HD
    * Monitors
    * 50 spec sheets for each current product

 - Hints from the Concho Valley Computer Users Group on how to
   organize a successful computer show.

 - A very complete description from SMG about their Gold Service and
   Extended Warranty programs.  Answered all the questions I had about
   how it worked, Examples:  the Extended Warranty plan covers many
   third party products.  And they have a Parts Only support agreement
   that promises fast part supply for the technically inclined.

 - Some special prices.  As far as I can tell, these are open to
   anyone.  Just call 1-800-448-9987.  Prices good through June 30,
   while supplies last.

    * Factory-new A2286 Bridgboard (AT performance).             $99

    * New 1084S monitor                                          $309

    * New A501 RAM expander (512K RAM, clock)                    $34.99

    * New A570 CD-ROM Drive for the A500                         $299

    * CDTV (inc. Grolliers Encyclopedia and Lemmings disks)      $299

    * CD1500 for CDTV (keyboard, mouse, floppy, appetizer)       $99

    * Bundle:  New 1084S Monitor
               Factory Reconditioned A500
               New A501 Ram Expander
               (all includes one year CommodoreExpress warranty) $380


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


 From ICD about potential power supply limiations of the A1200...

 
 "Rob, I will have more details on that over the next few weeks.  It is a
 good question and I do have a few comments.

 "First, a 40 MHz Viper will draw about the same power as a 40 MHz GVP
 A1230.  The memory modules are available using 4Mb or 16Mb DRAM ICs.
 Using the 16 Mb IC SIMMs will give more RAM for less power but presently
 cost a healthy  premium.

 "The FPU also draws a bit of power.  

 "If the power supply can't handle it, there are always A500 power supplies
 which have almost twice the power.  They are 100% compatible.

 "At this point it is an unknown whether the stock A1200 (A600) power supply
 can handle a 50MHz Viper with FPU 32 or 64 MB of RAM, a Viper S2, an
 internal HD, I am guessing that will end up being the ultimate system of
 many.

 "Possibly an internal SCSI drive might be in order as well."


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


 A post from Denny Atkin (DENNYA) about his new IBM compatible...

 
 Okay, as many of you know, I've recently purchased a PC. (Absolutely NO
 reflection on the Amiga; it has to do with some non-Amiga Resource
 responsibilities with my job, as well as the fact that as a journalist I
 need to keep abreast of the ins and outs of the PC and Mac markets as
 well.) Let me tell you, it's a LOT easier dealing with the Amiga.

 Things I've encountered in the last week that make me hate the PC even more
 than I used to:

   (1) No autoconfig. Getting a number of expansion of cards to work
 together is a nightmare of IRQ and Port settings; conflicts can cause VERY
 weird things to happen. Figuring the best way to set port addresses is not
 for the faint of heart, and if you move something (such as a sound card)
 from its default address, many programs won't find it.

    (2) Companies cheapen hardware to remain price-competitive. The joy-
 stick port on my local-bus IDE multifunction card doesn't support a second
 stick (necessary for throttle and rudder control); it also can't be
 disabled. If they can't resolve this, my system has to go back. Over a
 stupid joystick port. Also, many companies that advertise great deals on
 local-bus systems include really cheesy video cards with them; even the
 ones with good video cards only populate them with 512K of RAM, meaning
 you have to expand the RAM to get more than 256 colors in high resolutions.

     (3) Even before you expand it, your machine is a morass of parts from
 a number of different companies. You're dependent on one company for
 support for your video card, another for your drive controller, another for
 the IDE drive of the week... You can buy something like a Zeos with
 integrated components, but there's no guarantee that Zeos is gonna be
 around next year.

     (4) Even with the fastest local-bus video cards around, PC video speed
 is a joke. Those who claim that PCs update the screen faster can only
 substantiate that with simple window movements.  Just watch Video for
 Windows and you'll realize why Microsoft at least had the decency not to
 give it a name with the work "Quick" in it.

     (5) PCs don't support high-speed serial I/O from the factory. If you're
 not using an internal modem, you have to replace the UART chips to get good,
 reliable performance with a >2400 bps modem.

     (6) You can't get the expert help online that you can with the Amiga,
 since chances are that the 5% of the online populace who happen to be whiz-
 gurus have a vastly different hardware configuration than you do. There ARE
 advantages to integrated systems.

     (7) With the incredible variety of hardware/software configurations
 out there, there are an incredible variety of potential incompatibilities.

     (8) Going to a real OS, such as OS/2 or NT, on the PC isn't really
 viable due to lack of drivers for devices like CD-ROMs and video cards, and
 incompatibilities with entertainment and multimedia software. If you're
 willing to settle for a small smattering of the available hardware and
 software choices, why not just go for an Amiga in the first place?

 I could go on, but I'm getting angry, thinking of ways I'd rather have
 spent the money...


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


 A theory from ZEPHYR as to why people buy more PC's than Amigas...


I think alot of the reason people choose to get an IBM/clone is because of all
the "free" software available.

   Me:  "You should get an Amiga!"

 Them:  "Well, so-and-so has a clone and he said I could make copies
         of any programs he has.  Plus, we have IBMs at work and I can
         make copies of all the neat stuff there.  I can even get a
         copy of AutoCad...thats a $1500.00 program!."

   Me:  "You really would be much happier with an Amiga ...(tells all
         the virtues of the Amiga).."

 Them:  "Do you have alot of stuff I could get?"

   Me:  "No, for one thing its stealing and for another its against
         the law."

 Them:  "Right...see ya later."

   Me:  (sigh)


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


 From FidoNet's Amiga Tech Echo:
 ------------------------------

 Num: 164
 Date:  6 Apr 93  02:12:03
 From: John Benn
 To: Greg Macdonald
 Subj: Nonaga blitter vs Aga blitter
 -------------------
 GM> But the blitter has always had as many cycles as it wanted has it
 GM> not?.
 GM> Just turn on blitnasty and the blitter would have precedence over the
 GM> cpu.
 GM> I can't imagine the blitter could be faster unless it runs at 14mhz or
 GM> has
 GM> been made more efficient. Like no blank cycles etc. And if they are no
 GM> blank cycles, then the cpu would stop completly while the blitter went
 GM> about it's work.
 GM> According to myself, if the aga blitter performs significantly faster,
 GM> then
 GM> it must be running at 14Mhz.

 While it is true that the blitter could be given more access at the
 expense of CPU access, such a thing is not desirable. Coders would never
 give the blitter access at the expense of vital CPU time , the main
 reason being that you can't move anything unless you calculate first
 where it is supposed to be moved.  In any case the AGA blitter does NOT
 perform significantly faster than the ECS blitter but can handle the new
 modes quite well and may give you a small speed increase on top of that.

 I'm a registered developer and can assure that the AGA blitter is not 14
 Mhz.  The AAA2 blitter will be clocked at 14Mhz, and the AAA4 blitter will
 be clocked at 28Mhz, as well as be enhanced.  The AGA is really an
 intermediate step between ECS and AAA in order to get everyone to start
 using the OS so that all the old software won't break on AAA and above
 machines. News: The AAA2 was originally lacking chunky pixel mode, but
 complaints from developers have encouraged Commodore to make support for
 chunky to planar conversion hardware a part of the OS.  In other words 
 when the AAA2 ships it will probably ship with an extra little processor
 to do chunky to planar conversions and this will be supported in OS 3.01
 and above.  See ya

 --- Xenolink 1.0 Z.3
 * Origin: Darkstar BBS (519) 255-1073 Call Today (1:246/46)

 Num: 176 *s
 Date:  9 Apr 93  15:39:11
 From: John Benn
 To: Blake Patterson
 Subj: Re: Nonaga blitter vs aga
 -------------------
 BP>      Well, how is it that the AGA blitter has a "4-fold" increase in
 BP> performance?  Also, what exactly is a "chunky-pixel" mode?  Also, does
 BP> the AGA A1200/A4000 support "chunky-pixels??"

 The AGA blitter doesn't have a 4-fold increased in performance.  The
 only real advantages the AGA has over the ECS are the new display modes,
 the enhanced display chip(Lisa) and the 4xbandwidth for the display chip
 to access chip ram.  The Alice still only has a 16bit blitter clocked at
 7.14Mhz.  Where you can see an increase in blitter performancei is because
 if you were say going to fetch a two 16bit sprites with the display
 hardware before it would take 2 cycles whereas now it only takes 1 cycle.
 This means that if you wanted to perform blitter operations you would get
 to use that extra cycle the diplay chip no longer needs.  This in effect
 means the blitter MAY be able to perform its work faster as it will get to
 use more clock cycles every second to perform operations.  But, the
 Blitter itself is not improved.

 The Amigas display is planar, meaning that the display data is read one
 plane at a time(up to 8 with AGA).  Chunky pixels is how the clones and
 MacIntoshes read their display data.  Chunky pixels are read one pixel at
 a time, where in an 8bit display the color of each pixel is read
 8bits(1byte) at a time.  Their are advantages and disadvantages to both
 systems.  In a planar system there is more overhead in reading display
 data and so games that you use Texture mapping are somewhat slower, but
 Chris Green (CBM's graphics programming engineer) has shown that when
 done properly it can still be quite speedy.  Also moving windows in a
 planar system is slower as all of the full screen planes must be read in
 and then irrelevant portions of the screen masked out whereas under a
 chunky system you simply define the area of the screen you want to move
 and then move it with no overhead.  The main disadvantage in a chunky
 system is that if you have 32bit reads and writes from display
 memory(chip ram on the amiga) then if you are reading a 24bit display you
 can only read 3 bytes at a time for each pixel and you lose a 1/4 of your
 speed whereas under a planar system since the data is continuous you can
 read 32bits at a time. Another disadvantage of chunky pixels is no dual
 playfields, no paralax scrolling or other such neat effects.
 
 Currently the Amiga only has planar, but the Amigas of the future(1994)
 will have both.

 --- Xenolink 1.0 Z.3
 * Origin: Darkstar BBS (519) 255-1073 Call Today (1:246/46)

 Num: 192 *s
 Date:  8 Apr 93  15:41:50
 From: Mark Wilczynski
 To: All
 Subj: Re: Re: Nonaga blitter vs Aga blitter
 -------------------
 The AGA blitter IS the regular blitter that has been used in the Amiga
 since 1985. There is NO difference!! I got this info directly from some
 programmers on Usenet and most speed results confirm this. The only
 thing running at 32-Bit (besides the CPU) is the data fetch DMA for
 updating the screen. This is a requirement because 16 Bit data fetch is
 too slow to allow 8 bitplanes. This 32-64 bit screen update leaves more
 DMA time for the rest of the system.  That's why the blitter appears to
 run a little faster than on a regular Amiga (it's free to use the bus
 more of the time). The faster data-fetch also allows for bigger sprites.
 The AGA chipset is basically the same old chipset and is a depressing
 development for 7 years work.
 ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

 --- CNet XFIDO 2.60
 * Origin: Power Windows 201-492-9748 HST/400 megs/multi-line(1:2606/543.0)



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 > Amiga Tip of the Week
   =====================
   By Micah Thompson


 Have you ever typed a long command in the shell, and hit ENTER, only to
 it bombed, because you mispelled something?  Did you know that if you hit
 the UP arrow, you can move to the last typed line?  If you continue to tap
 the UP arrow, you can move back through a history of your past commands.
 The DOWN arrow will move you forward through them.

 But there's more!  Let's say that you typed a long 'dir' command a few
 minutes ago (specifying a long path), but in the meantime, you've typed
 many more commands.  Moving the UP and DOWN arrow, you're frantically
 searching for it, with no luck.  Here's what you do:  You know that it
 started with 'dir' right?  Okay, type dir on the command line, then hold
 down SHIFT and press the UP arrow.  The shell will automatically find the
 last occurrence of 'dir' and display it.  If that's not the right one, do
 it again, and it'll continue searching.  Isn't that handy?



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 > MAJOR PIRATE BBS BUSTED!  STR Spotlight    SPA Spearheads Investigation!
   =======================================




                         RUSTY & EDIE'S BBS NAILED!
                         ==========================
                       Reprinted from STReport #9.15



               FBI raids major Ohio computer bulletin board;
                action follows joint investigation with SPA.



      The  Federal Bureau  of  Investigation, on  Saturday,  Jan. 30, 1993,
 raided "Rusty &  Edie's," a  computer bulletin board  located in Boardman,
 Ohio, which has reportedly been illegaly distributing copyrighted software
 programs and  files.  Seized in the  raid on the  Rusty &  Edie's bulletin
 board were computers, hard  drives  and  telecommunications  equipment, as
 well as financial and subscriber records. For the past several months, the
 Software  Publishers Association ("SPA") has been working with  the FBI in
 investigating  the Rusty  & Edie's bulletin board  (BBS), additionally,  a
 major part  of the investigation involved downloading numerous copyrighted
 business and entertainment programs from the board.

      SPA's investigation commenced shortly after the  receipt of  numerous
 complaints from  SPA members reporting their software was  being illegally
 distributed to  the public through Rusty & Edie's pay BBS.  Rusty & Edie's
 bulletin  board   was among  the largest  private (PAY) bulletin boards in
 the country if not the world. It boasted of 124 nodes available to callers
 and  over  14,000 subscribers throughout  the  United States  and  several
 foreign countries.  Up to the day it was busted, the board had recorded in
 excess of 3.4 million phone calls, with new calls coming in at the rate of
 over  4,000  per day.   It was  set  up and  established  in 1987  and had
 continually expanded to well over 19 gigabytes of file  storage comprising
 100,000  plus files available to subscribers for downloading.  The BBS had
 paid  subscribers  throughout the  World. The  United  States  and several
 foreign countries, including Canada, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Finland,
 the  Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom were among those in
 the system's records.

     A  privately  owned and operated computer bulletin board, better known
 as a  BBS,  permits personal  computer users to  call  and access  a  host
 computer system  by a  modem-equipped telephone to  exchange  information,
 including messages,  files, and  computer programs.  The  systems operator
 (Sysop)  is generally responsible for  the operation of the bulletin board
 and  determines who is allowed to access the bulletin board and under what
 conditions. For a fee of eighty nine dollars per annum, subscribers to the
 Rusty  & Edie's bulletin board were  given access to  the board's contents
 including the "hot" file area where many popular copyrighted  business and
 entertainment  packages could readily be  found.  Subscribers were able to
 "download"  or receive these files for use on  their own computers without
 having  to pay  the rightful copyrighted owner  anything for  the software
 packages.

     "The SPA applauds the FBI's swift action today," said Ilene Rosenthal,
 General  Counsel  for the  SPA.  "This  action clearly  indicates  the FBI
 recognizes the  harm theft of intellectual property causes  to one  of the
 U.S. A.'s most vibrant industries.  It  clearly demonstrates a trend  that
 the government understands the seriousness of software piracy." The SPA is
 actively working with  the FBI  in the investigation  of computer bulletin
 boards, and  similar raids on other  boards are expected shortly.  Whether
 the   programming  is  copied  from  a  software  package  purchased at  a
 neighborhood computer store or downloaded  from a bulletin board thousands
 of miles  away,  pirated  software adds  greatly  to the  overall cost  of
 computing in general.   According to SPA's  figures, in 1991, the software
 industry lost $1.2 billion in the U.S. alone. Losses, internationally, are
 several billion dollars more.

      "Many people may not realize that software pirates cause prices to be
 much higher,  in part, to make  up for publisher losses from piracy," says
 Ken  Wasch,  Executive  Director of  SPA.    In  addition, they  ruin  the
 reputation  of the  hundreds of  legitimate bulletin  boards that serve an
 important  function  for   computer  users."     The  Software  Publishers
 Association  is the  principal trade  association of the personal computer
 software industry. Its over 1,000 members represent the leading publishers
 in  the business, consumer and  education software  markets.  The  SPA has
 offices in Washington DC, and Paris, France.


             CONTACT: Software Publishers Association, Washington
                    Ilene Rosenthal, 202/452-1600 Ext. 318
                     Terri Childs, 202/452-1600 Ext. 320



 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 > Visionaire from Impulse Inc. STR Review
   =======================================
   By Tom Mulcahy
 
 Visionaire is the latest morphing program to enter the Amiga market.
 There are no fewer than four morphing programs for the Amiga, I don't
 think  any other platform can claim this.  You may already be familiar
 with  Blackbelt's Imagemaster, GVP's Cinemorph and ASDG's Morph Plus.
 Impulse  has already established themselves in the 3D rendering market
 with their standard setting Imagine 3D renderer, so they have proven
 their ability to produce  professinal quality software.  Visionaire
 brands itself a 'Professional 2D Image Morphing and Deformation System'
 and that it is.

 System requirements are rather slim for a program of this caliber.  It
 will run on any model Amiga with Workbench 2.0 or higher and at least 1Mb
 of fast memory and 1Mb of chip memory.  Although for optimal performance
 a lot more machine will be required.  The recommended system should be 
 equipped with a hard drive, 4Mb of fast memory, 2Mb of chip memory, an
 '030 or higher CPU and an FPU.  

 The manual is quite sufficient although they could have gone into more
 detail on the 'Localized Mixers,' which I will get into later and included
 a few more tutorials.  The manual for ASDG's Morph Plus still gets my vote
 for best manual.  Full ARexx support is included, and Visionaire supported
 commands are well documented.  A small Q&A section is also included in 
 the back of the manual.  

 Getting started with Visionaire couldn't be easier.  After reading the 
 Basic Concepts section, which is just a few pages, I was able to do a
 simple morph using the included sample images in under 15 minutes.  The
 interface is very clean and uncluttered.  There are two windows for the
 work images with two gadgets in each for zooming and unzooming.  All other
 options are available in the menus.  The screen preferences can be changed
 to any of the usual workbench screen modes ranging from Lo-Res to Super
 Hi-Res laced in either NTSC or PAL.  I found the screen to be tolerable in
 it's Hi-Res laced mode on a 1084S monitor.  Adjusting the screen pref
 colors would help reduce flicker in this mode on non-VGA/Multiscan
 monitors.  The actual morphing is done by selecting the 'From' Image, and
 it's destination or 'To' Image.  Like GVP's Cinemorph, a mesh system is
 used for the deforming.  A mesh which is placed over each image and the
 points on the 'To' Image must be manipulated in such a way that
 corresponds with the 'From' Image.  Some like this method, but others
 prefer  the real-time vector plotting method of Morph Plus.  While it can
 bug your eyes out at times, Visionaire includes some features to simplify
 the meshing.  Mesh densities can be increased globaly AND/OR locally.
 Yes, AND/OR.  Localized support is provided for meshing... what this does
 is allow you to adjust selected columns and/or rows.  Although not 
 independent of the 'To' or 'From' Image, it is a nice feature that greatly
 assists the sometimes monotonous task of meshing a morph.  The preview
 images which are visible on the screen can be color, greyscale or dithered
 with or without their full pallete.  Once your meshing is done you can 
 output your project.    
 
 Output is separated into 3 distinct categories:  Morph, Warp and Dissolve.
 Although all 3 may sound similar, they are all different in distinct and
 important ways.  Morphing is the smooth transformation of one image into
 an entirely different image.  Warping is any arbitrary deformation of one
 particular image.  Dissolving, like morphing, involves 2 images but is
 simple the fading out of one image and the fading in of another image.
 Once you decide what you want to do it's time to select your options.

 Visionaire provides for output in either Anim Opt5 format or ILBMs in 
 HAM, HAM Interlaced, HAM8, HAM8 Interlaced  (*NOTE - HAM8 projects can
 only be output to ILBM's, 24bit, 12bit, 8bit ILBM's, 24bit SUN rasterfiles
 and 8bit SUN rasterfiles.)  Other options allow you to select palette
 locking, mesh smoothing, auto scripts, anti-aliasing, shape/color mixing
 and alpha channel support which is some of the most extensive I've seen.
 Once the desired options are selected 'Project/Use' from the menu will
 initiate the rendering.  A bar will indicate the time elapsed and time
 remaining for the current morph.  Morphing is generally quick although
 varying the options can quickly change this!  
 
 As I stated earlier, Visionaire has exclusive mixing features.  Here,
 mixing is a way to graphically control the evolution of a transformation.
 While existent on other morphing packages as a an x/y graph,
 Visionaire takes it one step farther providing for full localized control.
 This allows you to attach a different user definable mixer to each vertex
 of a mesh.  Not only is the shape mixer localized but the color is as
 well and they can be applied independently of each other.  This is an
 extremely powerful feature that can provide for some stunning realism.
 These features can be applied globally as well. (*NOTE - Use of local
 mixers increase rendering time by as much as 50%.  Much time should be
 invested to mastering this feature.)
 
 Now the problems...  no program is without faults.  First of all, there is
 no HD install program, contrary to what the manual states.  To install the
 main program you must create a directory and assign the main disk and 
 it's accompanying examples disk to a dir of your choosing.  This means
 a quick alteration to your user-startup.  Ok, done.  A double click on
 the main program icon... a guru.  A warm-boot and another double click
 yields another guru.  A quick peruse of the icon info shows that the
 default stack is set at 20,000.  Once I reduced it to 5,000 the program
 willingly started.  On my configuration of an A1200 w/GVP A1230 Turbo the
 program seemed a little less than stable.  I was a little surprised at 
 the number of times it crashed while I attempted to multitask.  Even a 
 simple trip to DOpus to do some file dir scans sometimes crashed it. Also,
 loading the sample meshes and quickly selecting a menu option would some
 times cause a crash.  Until an update arrives, which is bound to be soon
 my best advice would be to simply not multi-task, especially while it is
 rendering.  As is, I believe the pros far outweigh the cons of
 Visionaire.  Once the bugs are ironed out, it should compare favorably
 with other morphing packages.  While as simple to use as Cinemorph, it can
 produce results on par with Morph Plus, although it is no where near 
 feature ridden.  It is a dedicated morphing and deformation package, that 
 is what it does and it does it well. It is quick.  It is simple to learn
 and use yet powerful at  the same time and it can produce for you
 professional quality results.

 Impulse Inc.
 8416 Xerxes Avenue North
 Minneapolis, MN 55444
 

 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 > Usenet Review:  ScalaMM210
   ==========================
   By Adam Benjamin
   (af987@yfn.ysu.edu)
 

 PRODUCT NAME

        ScalaMM210


 BRIEF DESCRIPTION

        A comprehensive multimedia presentation/creation program.


 AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

        Name:           Scala Inc.   (USA arm of Scala AS Norway)
        Address:        12110 Sunset Hills, Suite 100
                        Reston, VA  22090
                        USA

        Telephone:      (703) 709-8614


 LIST PRICE

        I'm not sure what the list price is; mail order is around $300 (US).
 ScalaMM200 was included with the Amiga 3000P [A3000 packaged with some
 software], so find someone who got it for free and buy it from them!  The
 upgrade to 210 is $40 (US).


 SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

        HARDWARE

                RAM:  1 Meg of Chip RAM (2 Meg for some wipe effects)
                      2 Meg of Fast RAM

                Hard drive is not required; but for creating new scripts,
                (Scala's term for the presentations you create) I would
                HIGHLY recommend one.

                An accelerated processor is not required; but like most video
                programs, the faster the better.

        SOFTWARE

                ScalaMM200 will run under Workbench 1.3.  The 210 upgrade
                requires Workbench 2.0 or higher.

                Version 200 would crash constantly under Workbench 3.0,
                but the upgrade seems quite stable, and I have been
                able to crash the ANIMLAB utility program only a few times.
                (The main program has never crashed since my upgrade.)


 COPY PROTECTION

        Dongle (hardware device attached to either mouse port).  It could be
 worse, but I dislike dongles, and I have heard that this dongle makes using
 GVP's G-Lock troublesome if not impossible. (I don't own one so I can't
 confirm this.)

        The dongle is invisible as far as the user is concerned (unless it
 is missing of course).  It is a small, approximately 1-inch-square red
 device, and it has a pass-through; but the manual warns of using any program
 that writes to the mouse ports (hence the trouble with G-LOCK).  My main
 gripe against this dongle will follow in the DISLIKES section.


 MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

        Amiga 4000, 2 Meg Chip RAM, 10 Meg Fast RAM.  NTSC monitor.


 REVIEW

        If you think ScalaMM is only for multimedia presentations, think
 again!  Here are the features, and just about ANY animation/video user can
 get some real muscle out of ScalaMM:

        * Video backdrops/titling (includes over 75 backdrops and 15 fonts).
          It uses standard BITMAP fonts!  You can even title over your
          animations

        * WIPES (transitions between screens):  OVER 80 different kinds, and
          each item (text brush, or whatever) can have its own wipe both on
          and off the screen.  Scala dynamically changes the screen palette
          during the transitions.  This allows it to be the ONLY Amiga
          program (that I know of anyway) to fade from one picture into
          another with completely different palettes.  You have to see this
          to appreciate it.

        * Play animations anywhere in your script, and even chain them
          together easily.  Plays anims directly from the hard drive too.
          Also includes ANIMLAB a utility program to:

                Build anims from pictures
                Convert anims to Scala's own 32bit anim format (which
                 plays much faster I might add!)
                Rip pictures out of anims
                Index anim frames for playing directly from the hard drive

        * IFF sampled sound and music MOD file support.  (And you can sync
          your presentations to the music with the click of the mouse!

        * On the multimedia side of things, you can make completely
          interactive presentations with buttons, loops, etc.  Scala
          supports MIDI, laser disks, Canon ION still video, CDTV links, and
          is ARexx addressable.

        * ScalaMM comes with the main program (the editor), a runtime player
          which still requires the dongle, Animlab for building and
          converting animations, and ScalaPrint which prints out the pages of
          your presentation.

        * ScalaMM210 has complete AGA support including 24-bit palette
          "sliding", Scala's term for its cool fading technique.  ScalaMM200
          tries to support AGA, but it is very buggy at doing so.

        * Completely multitasking and OS friendly. Reads DEVS:Monitors to
          work in all video modes of the system it is running on.  (See
          BUGS for some video hiccups.)

        Building presentations could not be easier.  The editor is very well
 designed and simply lists all the pages you have made. To create a new page,
 just click on "New."  The program then asks for a background.  If you don't
 want one just click on OK, and the program will ask for screen format (size,
 colors etc.).  Then, it opens that page and you get a flashing cursor waiting
 for you to enter whatever text you want.  (You can also load brushes or
 symbols and they are treated just like text.)  Even making interactive
 presentations is all done in the editor graphically with no programming
 knowledge required.  At any time during your creating process, you can click
 on "SHOW" to see the current page or the complete presentation so far.  The
 main program also has what Scala calls the "Shuffler" which replaces the
 line-by-line text listing of your pages with little thumbnail pictures of
 each screen.  This is great for storyboarding or for getting a quick
 overview of your presentation.


 DOCUMENTATION

        The documentation is EXCELLENT!  It even tells you on the first few
 pages where to start reading based on your computer knowledge and previous
 Scala experience.  Of course, it has a "quick-start" at the beginning for all
 us impatient people who read manuals only when we can't figure out something.
 The promotional version that ships with the 3000P comes with a cheap,
 paperback-style bound manual, while the retail version's manual has a nice 3
 ring binder.  The only problem with the manual comes (I assume) from the
 translation to English because there are a lot of misspelled words.  But even
 so, it is very easy to understand and very complete.


 LIKES AND DISLIKES

        LIKES:

                The capabilities of ScalaMM210 and the range of applications
        for this program are enormous!  If it has anything to do with getting
        video on the screen and music out of the speakers, ScalaMM can do it.
        I have seen some of the multimedia presentation programs for the PC
        world and this puts them to shame easily. (For a lot less money than
        some PC programs as well). The speed at which Scala can do things
        (even on stock machines) is phenomenal.  With the 32-bit anim format,
        even 150K delta 256-color anims play at a good speed. (Around 15
        FPS.)

        DISLIKES:

                I still have some trouble building 256-color anims with the
        ANIMLAB program.  Sometimes it will result in a crash, but usually
        it errors out.  They do play fine, but only ANIMLAB can build/convert
        to Scala's 32bit format.  (It is not anim8.)  Anim-5 works OK, but of
        course it's not as fast.  My main complaint is that there is NO freely
        distributable player for the animations.  So making presentations
        for clients means they have to fork out the full price for the
        program just to run my scripts.  If CBM can fix AmigaVision for this,
        then anyone can.  I hope Scala changes this soon.


 COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

        I have never used AmigaVision, which is probably the closest thing to
 Scala.  I know it lacks some of Scala's features, but AV is cheaper.  So if
 you can, I would suggest checking out both at a local dealer to see if Scala
 is worth the extra money to you.


 BUGS

        For some reason, the 210 version will not display non-interlaced
 overscan pictures full screen.  I'm not sure, but this may be OE (operator
 error 8^)).  I don't think Tech Support knew what I meant when I was trying
 to explain it to them.  (They were helpful, albeit a little curt with me, I
 thought.)  If an overscan non-lace screen comes up, Scala will display it
 quarter-screen size, centered in the middle of the monitor.  Scala uses the
 monitors in the DEVS: drawer, so that must have something to do with it.
 Also, as mentioned elsewhere, I managed to crash the program every now and
 then trying to build AGA anims from stills, and sometimes if fails to convert
 anim-5 format anims to Scala's 32-bit format.


 VENDOR SUPPORT

        Scala Inc. sent me the 210 upgrade 2nd Day Air, and the whole process
 took only 5 days.  (I had to mail in my registration and upgrade money.)  I
 was impressed.  I called about the non-lace overscan problem, and they kind
 of blew me off since I was going to genlock the output anyway; they said I
 would have to use an interlaced screen.  (My Super-Gen does this internally
 automatically, so it was NOT the answer I wanted to hear.)  For now, I am
 using the MM200 version Player which works fine.


 CONCLUSIONS

        I am very happy with ScalaMM210.  It makes syncing my anims to MOD
 music a snap, and the titling software is the best I have seen.  It is a bit
 pricey, but I got it from a 3000P buyer.  If you can see it at your local
 dealer, the demo scripts that come with Scala will knock your socks off.



 ****************************************************************************

                               IMPORTANT NOTICE!
                               =================

 Amiga Report International Online Magazine is available every  week  in the
 Amiga Forum on DELPHI.  Amiga Report readers are invited to join DELPHI and
 become a part of the friendly community of computer 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...
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    DELPHI's Basic Plan offers  access for  only $6.00  per hour,  for any
    baud rate.  The $5.95 monthly fee includes your first hour online.

    For more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005

    DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, MA.

                          Try DELPHI for $1 an hour!

      For  a  limited  time,  you  can  become a trial member of DELPHI, and
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  or twice.  When you get the Password:  prompt, type  IP26 and  press <RET>
  again.   Then, just  answer the  questions and within a day or two, you'll
  officially be a member of DELPHI!

                  DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!


 ****************************************************************************



 > Usenet Review:  PPI's A500/040 Accelerator
   ==========================================
   By Kerry Emerson
   (Batman@amigans.gen.nz)



 PRODUCT NAME

         Progressive Peripherals A500/040 accelerator


 BRIEF DESCRIPTION

         The PPI A500/040 is an accelerator especially designed for the
 Amiga 500.  It comes standard with WB2.04 ROM, 68040 from Motorola, and
 either 4MB or 8MB of 32-bit Fast RAM.


 COMPANY INFORMATION

        Name:           Progressive Peripherals Incorporated
        Address:        464 Kalamath St
                        Denver, CO  80204
                        USA

        Telephone:      (303) 825-4144
        Fax:            (303) 893-6938


 LIST PRICE

        I paid $1079 (US) in mid-October 1992.  This was the cheapest price
 I had seen for it anywhere. (Mail me if you want to know the company name)
 Since this time, the price has apparently dropped by about $200.

        I also paid $108 for "overnight" shipping.  Unfortunately, due to
 the fire at PPI, the board didn't actually arrive until December!  I was
 very annoyed.  Now that PPI is back on its feet, I expect they'll be able
 to send them overnight now for real.


 SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

        HARDWARE

                An Amiga 500.  Depending on the model of your 500, the
                Technician (yourself) that installs the board will need to
                remove the RF shield, since the 040 is too big to fit under
                it.  This is the only modification to the computer you need
                to make. Its a simple operation of removing approximately 4
                screws, and it does nothing to harm the computer in any way.

        SOFTWARE

                Version 2 of Kickstart and Workbench.  A Kickstart ROM is
                supplied with the board, but the Workbench distribution is
                NOT!  You will need to purchase a 2.04 or 2.1 Workbench
                distribution separately.


 MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

        Before installation of the A500/040:

        Amiga 500, Kickstart/Workbench 1.3
        1 MB Chip RAM.
        GVP A500-HD+ SeriesII 105MB hard drive with 2MB 16-bit Fast RAM.
        DCTV
        2 extra floppy drives.

        After the installation, the machine is running version 2.0 of
 the operating system and has 4 MB of 32-bit Fast RAM.


 DOCUMENTATION

        Due to the unfortunately fire which left PPI up the creek for
 several months, the manual which I received with the 040 was a photocopied
 one.  This had with it a note saying that due to their current position
 [blah blah blah], they could not send me the proper manual, but that if I
 wanted one, I could get one when I sent in my Warranty form.  Thats fair
 enough I suppose.  The photocopied manual was bound and did its job very
 well, so I have no complaints there.

        The documentation/manual I received goes into a lot of detail to
 explain what the 040 is all about and how to install both the hardware and
 the software.  It also refers to programs which are 100% compatible with
 the 040 and how to use the operating system version 2.0x. It has technical
 support notes and various other Trouble shooting notes.  It's very easy to
 read with "nice" pictorials and was well laid out, highlighting important
 points, etc.

        One problem with the documentation I found is that it doesn't help
 the user move from a 1.3 system to a 2.0 system.  When I first tried using
 the accelerator, I had the 2.0 Kickstart ROM installed but no 2.0
 Workbench.  As a result, my startup-sequence for my 1.3 system had nothing
 like IPrefs or ConClip or ANY of the 2.0x commands.  This posed a problem
 as my computer kept crashing EVERY time I put the computer into WB2.0 and
 booted up.  Not having used 2.0 before, I had NO idea what was happening,
 and the manual said NOTHING!  (I live in this little place called New
 Zealand, so calling the Technical Support line would have cost me the
 earth!)  But once I got and installed the WB2.0 software, everything
 worked fine.

        Note: If you have already got WB2.0, then there will be no problem;
 but for those who are upgrading from WB1.2 or WB1.3, be warned:  WB2.0 is
 very different!!



 THE HARDWARE

         The 040/500 is a pretty small and sophisticated piece of hardware.
 It consists of a small PCB [printed circuit board] which has simply
 attaches directly onto where the old 68000 was.  On its surface is has the
 main 68040 (the "Beast Master" :-)) which has no heat sink, but has a FAN
 on top of it to keep it cool (gives your Amiga 500 some air-conditioning).
 This fan is quiet, almost silent.  There are 2 banks of 4MB ZIPs which are
 both full if you buy the 8MB version, or only one is full if you have the
 4MB version. The WB2.0 Kickstart ROM is also on here, along with CMOS
 technology supply regulators and detached CPU custom chips (FPU etc) for
 minimum power consumption and greater performance.  All chips are surface-
 mount technology except the 68000 socket, in which the old 68000 chip sits
 (on the board) for fallback mode.

        The Motorola 68040 usually has a limit of 25 MHz data speed; but
 due to the 040/500's custom implemented unique FAN-COOLED CPU, the 040 can
 be safely driven at a roaring 28 MHz WITHOUT data corruption!

                [MODERATOR'S NOTE:  This is a controversial topic.  Some
                people believe that "overclocking" a 68040 CPU -- running it
                faster than its intended speed -- is risky, whereas other
                people believe it can be done safely.  So the above claim
                should be treated as opinion.  - Dan]

        The entire accelerator is approximately 20cm x 10cm in size and
 fits *VERY* snugly inside the A500.  It is not permanently stuck there
 though, so you can easily remove the card when you want to show it off at
 a User Group, and simply plug it into someone else's A500.  (READ THE
 WARRANTY WARNING, BELOW.)


 THE SOFTWARE

        The software which you get with the 040/500 is good and very useful.
 You receive a program to switch the CPU between 68040 and 68000 mode, and
 between Native ROM and On Board ROM.  These mean you can have any com-
 bination of CPU and operating system, except 68040 booting from WB1.3!
 This is due to speed and caching modes which don't exist on (aren't
 supported by) WB1.3. These changes take effect after rebooting, and you
 are prompted to reboot the machine after you've selected a different
 configuration.  I assume that this configuration gets written to the hard
 drive or somewhere, because even after a week, it still remembers which
 mode you last booted in.

        There are various other CPU and memory speed testing programs that
 tell you how fast your system now is.

        There is one other program which is used to initialize the 68040.
 This means when the board is in 68040 mode, it is in fact running a 14 MHz
 68000 until you initialize it which switches it into 68040 at 28 MHz. This
 seems weird, but all you do is run the program "Init040" in your
 startup-sequence, near the beginning.  No hassles.

     The Data Cache, Instruction Cache and CopyBack Data Cache can be turned
 on/off independently also.

     The software seems to be stable, and hasn't crashed on me yet.



 LIKES AND DISLIKES

        This accelerator is FAST!  I have used SysInfo(TM) by Nic Wilson
 (great plug there :) ) and it said...

 SysInfo V3.11 by Nic Wilson
 ---------------------------
 CopyBack Mode.................................. ON
 Instruction Cache.............................. ON
 Instruction Burst.............................. ON
 Data Cache..................................... ON
 Data Burst..................................... ON
 Central Processing Unit Type................... 68040
 CPU speed in MHZ............................... 25 MHz
 Memory Management Unit Type.................... 68040 (Disabled)
 Floating Point Unit Type....................... 68040+68882
 Vector Base Register (VBR) Address............. $08000020
 Ramsey Chip Revision (A3000)................... N/A
 Gary Chip Revision (A3000)..................... N/A
 DMA/Gfx Chip................................... ECS AGNUS - 1Meg
 Display Mode................................... PAL:High Res
 Display Chip................................... STD DENISE
 VBlank Frequency in Hz......................... 50
 Power Supply Frequency in Hz................... 50
 Horizontal Frequency in KHz.................... 15.60
 Card Slot Installed............................ NO
 Hardware Clock installed....................... CLOCK FOUND
 EClockFrequency in Hz.......................... 709379

 SPEED COMPARISONS AGAINST KNOWN MODELS & PERIPHERALS
 A500 512k or A600 with 1MB CHIP ONLY...........  33.75
 B2000, A2000, A1000 or A500 with fast ram......  28.31
 A1200  68EC020 ................................  15.28
 A2500  A2620 68020 14MHZ card..................   9.62
 A3000/25 SCRAM ICACHE IBURST DCACHE NODBURST...   4.27
 A4000  68040 ICACHE DCACHE COPYBACK............   1.08
 CPU Million Instructions per Second............  20.65
 FPU Million Floating Operations per Second.....   5.23
 Speed of Chip Memory vs A3000 Chip Memory......   2.50
 Dhrystones per second...........................20177
 Nics Comment................................... MOTOROLLIN'

        I like its speed!  The fallback mode is handy (both 68040 to 68000
 fallback and WB2.0x to WB1.3 fallback).  It is compatible with virtually
 EVERY program I have used (PD, Shareware and Commercial), especially since
 you can switch the 68040 on/off and similarly with the WB2.0!

        I have (with the help of a local software distributor) compiled a
 list of programs which work with the 68040 and WB2.0x switched on.  This
 is by NO MEANS the full list of programs!!!

 Shareware/PD:
        ASwarm
        AniMan
        Arq
        Bell
        Bell
        Cfx
        CfxWin
        DMS
        DarkPlay
        DiskMaster v3.0
        DreamTerm
        FKey
        FractalBlankerFFP.lha
        KCommodity
        LHA
        LHArcA
        MED v3.11
        Mach2
        MagicFileReq
        MultiRipper v2
        MultiRipper v3
        NComm v2.00
        NickPrefs
        NoisePlayer
        oSnap
        PCopy
        PM
        PMore
        PSX
        PowerPlayer
        PowerSnap
        ProTracker v3.01
        ReOrg
        ReqTools2_1
        ScreenX
        Silicon Menus
        SmartPlay
        SnoopDos
        Spliner
        Sploin
        SysInfo v3.11
        TinyClock
        ToolmanagerV2
        Turbo Imploder v4.0 (although the music doesn't play, DAMN!)
        TurboLayers
        UPD
        V8
        VCLI
        Virus_Checker (all versions)
        WBGauge
        WizardClock

 Commercial:
        AmigaVision
        Art Department Professional
        ArtExpression
        AudiomasterIV
        Audition4
        BCD Frame Controller
        BME
        Cinemorph v1.00
        Cygnus Ed v3.00
        DCTV
        DCTVPaint
        DCTVProc
        DPaint III
        DPaint IV
        DPaint v4.1
        DigiView
        Digital Sound Studio
        DirectoryOpus v4.00 (nice work John)
        DiskMaster v1.3
        FinalCopyII
        FrEd
        HAM-E
        HotLinks
        IMP
        ImageFX
        Imagine 2.00
        MorphPlus
        PC-Task v1.1
        PageLiner
        PageStream v2.2
        Pixel3D
        PowerPacker V4.0
        Professional Page
        Quarterback Tools v5
        Scene Generator
        Scenery Animator v3.04
        Super Gen
        Video Toaster 2.0
        VistaPro
        VistaPro2
        Word Perfect
        XCopyPro v6.xxx(?)

 And there's more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 DISLIKES:

     I have no reason to buy a HARDWARE 286 emulator now! :)  PC-Task v1.1
 on my 040/500 runs as quick as a 25 MHz 286.  I have not been able to get
 Windows V3.1 going yet, but DOS programs like Debug and A86 Assembler work
 perfectly.  PLUS, it's multitasking :) :) :)!

        The only request I have for a newer version of the PPI 040/500 is
 for a FASTER one, I want to go faster, Faster, FASTER, *F*A*S*T*E*R*,
 (slap), oh, sorry about that.  I got a bit carried away.  Give a man
 25 MHz and he'll want 50 MHz! :)



 COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

        I take it you ALL know what an A3000 is. Well, mine's faster. :)  I
 have performed side-by-side speed tests with a friends A3000 and my 040 is
 about *4* times quicker.  I have not tested any other similar products
 except an A600, no comment. :P


 BUGS

        None, other than the fact that IDIOTS program lovely/incredible
 track-loading demos with ILLEGAL CODE and they don't work when my 040's at
 full speed :(.  But that's no fault of Progressive Peripherals.


 WARRANTY

        Their warranty is laid out on the first page of the manual, and
 it's written in plain English/American so there's no confusion.  As the
 manual is Copyrighted and "cannot be reproduced in any way/shape/form
 (including electronic store or retrieval or translation into foreign
 language) without prior agreement and express consent from PPI
 Incorporated" (whoops) here's the Warranty in brief form...

   - Limited ONE year warranty.

   - The warranty is for the PURCHASER !!ONLY!!

   - If you discover a fault with your 040/500 within the warranty time,
     PPI will replace the unit or faulty component ASAP at THEIR EXPENSE!
     In Other Words: they pay for the replacement of the unit, etc.

   - Their liability is SOLELY for the 040/500 unit ONLY!
     i.e., if you blow you Paula or something during installation or
     there's a power surge, etc, that's NOT COVERED!

   - If a fault is discovered, you simply send/deliver the unit to PPI
     (Progressive Peripherals Incorporated) WITH the original sales
     receipt.  You pay for delivery/postage there, they pay for
     delivery/postage back to you (method of delivery/postage is at PPI's
     discretion.  Any EXTRA shipping costs are YOUR responsibility!

   - Before sending the fault unit back, you MUST first ring PPI and get an
     RMA number (Return Merchandise Authorization number).  They will NOT
     accept units returned to them without the RMA number attached.

   - NO unit/component(s) will be replaced if the 040/500's serial number
     is damaged, altered, or missing!

   - The software which comes with the 040 are NOT under any kind of
     warranty, so if certain software does fail, then the returning and
     replacement of said programs is ENTIRELY at the owner's expense.

   - In NO WAY can PPI be liable for any amount more than the recommended
     retail price of the 040/500 unit at the current moment!

   - The Disclaimer is a mother of a paragraph to read, but I think they're
     trying to say that they will only accept Warranty forms within 90 days
     of the initial purchase of the item.  I think, but don't quote me on
     that; if the Manual wasn't copyrighted, I could have let YOU try and
     understand it, but it is, so I can't.

  WARNING!!
   - Damage whilst being installed by an unauthorized person is NOT covered
     by the warranty.  My suggestion is pay the extra $20US and get an
     AUTHORIZED technician to install the unit, then if it stuffs up, you
     DON'T pay for it!


 CONCLUSIONS

        To conclude, this product is one of the fastest and most powerful
 accelerators for the A500.  I thought the leap from a floppy-based system
 to a hard-drive-based system was big, but it's NOTHING compared to the
 quantum leap you'll discover when going from a 7.14 MHz 68000 to a 25 MHz
 68040!  It could almost be called a Revolution, a Paradine Shift!


        On scales from 1 to 10, I would have to give this accelerator...

 Speed:                  10   Goes like a "Bat outta hell!"

 Compatibility:           9   Both WB1.3 and WB2.0 have their incompatibility
                              problems, but overall compatibility is around
                              90% - 95%.

 Hardware Compatibility:  9   MegaCHIP, GVP HDs, tape drives, CD-ROMS work
                              fine, although it would pay to check with PPI
                              first!

 Performance:            10   While I'm writing this review, I have
                              SmartPlay, TinyClock, Performance Monitor,
                              NComm, Edit, DiskMaster, AlarmingClock, Bell,
                              KCommodity, ToolManager2, Virus_Checker,
                              PowerPacker v4.0 and WBGauge going (wow!) and
                              the CPU is running at 7%!  THAT'S performance!

 Easy of installation:    9   The Technician said it was easy, took 20 mins.

 Easy of use:            10   Easy-peazy lemon-squeezy!

 Expandability:           7   Upto 33 MHz and 8MB of 32bit FAST.

 Value for money:         9   For $1000US, you just can't beat it!

 Overall:                 9   Well done PPI for showing us A500 users the
                              way to make the PC lovers of the world GREEN
                              with envy!  Seriously, this unit is possibly
                              the single BEST peripheral I have bought for
                              my Amiga!


 LEGAL MUMBO-JUMBO

        This review may be freely distributed in any shape or form including
 via telephone, electronic mail, snail-mail, telegraph, Morse code, archiving
 onto an FTP site, saving in a cold dark place on your hard disk to read on a
 rainy day, backed up onto 880K floppies, translated to any other language
 (French, German, Australian, Fijian, South Africa, American, Spanish,
 Italian, Indian, Russian, Mexican, Moari, PolyGlot, Swedish, Danish, Finish
 (not just yet :) ), Japanese, Malay, Arabic, Chinese, etc.), ported to the
 PC/Mac, printed out using a Dot Matrix, DeskJet, Laser, Daisy Wheel, WaxJet,
 PaintJet, Thermo printer, played through SPEAK: and recorded onto C60 or C90
 audio cassettes, written out by hand, or dictated outloud whilst bungy
 jumping.  It MAY NOT be used as a promotion for Coca-Cola or Trojan Ribbed!

             Freeware 1993 Kerry Emerson.  No rights reserved.
         Just remember to credit me if you quote from this review.

 p.s. Write to me if you have (or are thinking about getting) a PPI 040!

     Kerry Emerson.  User: `Darknight Si'  UUCP: Batman@amigans.gen.nz
      Co-SysOp of Silent Imperium: +64 06 3471763 2400bps (3pm-8am).



 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 > Warez Out There
   ===============
   By Tom Mulcahy

 File:                tstat.lzh
 Author:              (C) Copyright 1990-93 Commodore-Amiga, Inc.  ARR.
 Status:              Public Domain
 Where to find:       BIX:  Amiga.Exchange

 
 Tstat v37.10
 (C) Copyright 1990-1993 Commodore-Amiga, Inc.  All Rights Reserved
 
 TSTAT is a tool that allows you to snoop on the activity of other tasks.

 Tstat prints out information from the specified named task or CLI number's
 Task control block, including processor stack frame information containing
 the PC and registers the task had when it was last switched out.
 Optionally, TSTAT can show the contents of the top of the stack (SHOWSTACK)
 the instructions (in hex) at the PC (SHOWPC), and if SegTracker is
 running, the seglist/hunk/offset of the PC or an address on the stack
 found in a seglist (SHOWHUNK), and a hex dump of 16 longwords starting
 with the longword prior to that hunk and offset.
 
 - This cli driven util from C= is similar to Snoop Dos.  Gives usable if
 not difficult to read output of what programs are poking around within the
 OS.  Performs on OSs' up to and including 3.0.  


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



 File:                Forcemon.lha (9359k)
 Author:              Michael Illgner
 Status:              Freeware
 Where to find:       Bix: Amiga.Exchange


 *************************************************************************
 *This program is dedicated to the poor souls which own a brandnew A4000,*
 *but cannot afford a real MultiScan monitor. It can change some Monitor-*
 *IDs to a given ID, which allows to use most non-games Amiga-Software on*
 *cheap, standard VGA-monitors. KickStart 3.0 or better is required.     *
 *                                                                       *
 *      Michael Illgner                                                  *
 *      Theodorstr. 27                                                   *
 *      W-4790 Paderborn                                                 *
 *      Germany                                                          *
 *      Tel.: 05251/26488 or 05251/60-2331                               *
 *                                                                       *
 *      email: fillg1@uni-paderborn.de                                   *
 *                                                                       *
 *************************************************************************
 *                                                                       *
 *              F o r c e M o n i t o r  V1.0                            *
 *                                                                       *
 *************************************************************************

 ForceMonitor is written as a commodity, so it should belong to your
 WBStartUp-drawer and will be started and used as any other commodity.
 ForceMonitor patches OpenScreen and OpenScreenTagList, to open most
 screens in a given displaymode. Using Exchange you can disable
 ForceMonitor, which will restore the old routines.

 History :


 V1.0   ForceVGA is based on ForceNTSC
 V2.0   Initial Release on Oct 23 1992

 V3.0   Changed to ForceMonitor, complete rewritten, can now switch to
        any MonitorID

 V3.1   fixed small bug in LoadConfig()

 V3.2   fixed small bug in determining the fontsize

 V3.3   recompiled using SAS/C 6.2 (no new SAS/C bugs found, yet ;-)

 V3.4   change the highlighting method in renderhook

 V3.5   fixed some small bugs.
        The NewLook flag was always set.
        ForceMonitor now checks ToolTypes from the icon it was started from,
        not from the program icon itself.
        Thanks to Markus Stipp (corwin@uni-paderborn.de) for discovering
        these.

 V3.6   The ConfigWindow now gets to the front if opened.

 V3.7   Implemented the Reject-Screens-and-Tasks ListView, now you can
        specify some Screens and Tasks, where ForceMonitor will not work.
        Changed the SaveConfig() routine, now >all< unknown ToolTypes are
        saved, not only "DONOTWAIT" !!
        The version string is updated on every compilation now !!
        ForceMonitor now uses 68020 code instead of 68040, so Amiga 1200
        owners are happy :-)

 V3.8   Implemented some menus.
        Corrected the Reject-Screen-and-Task Gadget enabling and
        activation.  Removed bug in MyOpenScreenTagList() which caused
        enforcerhits on screens without title.  Removed ugly bug in
        GetMonitorList() ForceMonitor will now popup the ConfigWindow,
        if no correct configuration could be read from the icon.


  - There's the self explanatory docs.  Just one of a handful of similar
    programs that help A4000 and as of THIS version A1200 owners who
    are unable to afford a Multiscan monitor.  Take note though you still
    won't be able to play those games of course!
 


 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


 > Usenet Review:  Blazemonger
   ===========================
   By Dan Barrett


 PRODUCT NAME

        BLAZEMONGER


 BRIEF DESCRIPTION

        BLAZEMONGER is an extremely fast, highly violent action/arcade
 game.  Features include multiple virtual joysticks, 18-dimensional
 hyperparallax scrolling, 160-decibel digitized sound effects, and live
 dynamite.  WARNING:  some graphic scenes may be too upsetting for casual
 users, or even for experienced axe murderers.


 AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

        Name:           BLAZEMONGER INCORPORATED
        Address:        666 Satan Speedway
                        Chickenmilk, WI
                        USA

        Telephone:      (900) EAT-DEATH   [$195.00 per minute]
        FAX:            Get REAL!  Fax machines are for WIMPS.

        E-mail:         BLAZEMONGER@blazemonger.blazemonger.blazemonger.bm


 LIST PRICE

        $9.95 (US dollars).  To quote the outside packaging, "REAL software
 doesn't have to be EXPENSIVE; and with BLAZEMONGER, you PAY FOR IT LATER!!
 (Heh heh.)"  Most stores sell it for full list price because it's so cheap.


 SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

        Despite the (widely advertised) fact that BLAZEMONGER breaks every
 known rule of "correct" Amiga programming, the game runs properly on all
 Amiga models under all versions of the operating system.  The literature
 claims that BLAZEMONGER can run on other brands of computers, and even on
 other household appliances, but we didn't test this out.


 COPY PROTECTION

        This game has the heaviest multi-level copy protection scheme that
 I've ever seen, even in my dreams!  It was obviously devised by a sick mind,
 and is a little difficult to describe, since I'm still not completely sure
 what it is.  But I'll try.

        The master disk has a non-standard format which cannot be read by
 DiskCopy nor any of the existing hardware or software copiers.  Believe me,
 we tried!  My dealer and I used every copying mechanism he had in the store,
 and all that we accomplished was to melt several disk drives and an Amiga
 4000.  (He was NOT pleased.)

        The next level is a "look up the word in the manual" scheme which,
 considering the effectiveness of the disk-based protection, seems
 unnecessary.  But the manual lookup is pretty well integrated into the game,
 and you quickly get used to typing the 255-letter keywords as needed.  (The
 manual, BTW, is the largest I've ever seen for *any* computer application,
 let alone a game!  It's HUGE!  Have you ever seen the complete set of DEC
 VMS manuals?  This is bigger!!!)

        The next level is where things start getting weird.  After the game
 boots from the master floppy (this takes about 0.00001 nanoseconds), you
 must remove the disk from the drive and -- I'm serious here -- plug it into
 the parallel port!  Yes, you plug the DISK into the PORT.  In this way, the
 disk acts as a "dongle" to insure that you can't use the disk in a second
 Amiga while you are playing on the first.

        The remaining 9 or 10 levels of protection get progressively tougher
 and stranger.  Frankly, I don't really know how to describe them.  One of
 them looks like a big, black, sticky, rubber blob that covers the entire
 monitor, and yet somehow allows the graphics to show through without any
 interference.  Another is a small box of yellow dust (spores, perhaps?) that
 must be sprinkled around your room before you boot the game for the first
 time.  (This only needs to be done once, unless you move your computer to
 another room.  The company will send you more dust free of charge.)  A third
 mechanism consists of two large iron "walls" or "monoliths" with hundreds of
 steel spikes sticking out.  While you are playing, these monoliths must be
 standing on both sides of you.  Now, they don't appear to DO anything... and
 they aren't CONNECTED to anything... but still I get the creepy feeling that
 they are built to SLAM together, with me in the middle, if I try something
 illegal.  Needless to say, I have *not* tried copying the game with these
 babies installed.  (However, the game won't boot without them.)

        I know this all sounds pretty strange, but it's not really that
 inconvenient when you consider how much fun the game is!  After a while, you
 don't even notice the protection any more.  Some of my less patient friends
 have purchased a second Amiga just for running BLAZEMONGER so they don't
 have to do the "protection ritual" all the time.

        Just for fun, I gave the program to some of my super-hacker friends
 to see if they could break the copy protection.  Their confident smiles soon
 turned to frowns of frustration, and then screams of agony, as they
 attempted to get past the various deadly mechanisms.  Nobody was successful,
 and one of them had to spend a few weeks in a mental hospital!  Personally,
 I think that BLAZEMONGER INCORPORATED could invent a whole new computer game
 whose object is to crack this bizarre and twisted puzzle! :-)


 REVIEW

        After reading about BLAZEMONGER for years in comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,
 I finally decided to check it out!  I was surprised at how inexpensive it is!
 I managed to get the last copy on my dealer's shelf.  After doing the whole
 copy protection ritual, I popped the disk into my A500 and booted up!

        Folks, the opening animation is AWESOME.  I don't think I've ever
 seen a more terrifying use of a pair of tweezers anywhere.  Even if you
 never play the game, you MUST check out this intro.

        Once the game begins, BLAZEMONGER quickly takes off.  The arcade
 action is fast and furious as thousands of deadly enemy menaces divebomb
 you.  The game takes place on a series of dungeons and worlds, each one with
 an unknown number of levels (rumored to be up in the hundreds of
 thousands).  It's unbelievable how much stuff they packed onto a single disk!

        You can make your "hero" character male, female, or one of several
 thousand different alien races and sexes.  The character generator is very
 sophisticated, and can "roll up" your character entirely automatically (the
 fastest method), or you can do it manually, or a combination.  All the usual
 features are there:  height, weight, strength, intelligence, armor class,
 hit points, etc.  But there are also some unusual ones:  blood type,
 preferred musical instrument, hat size, number of fish, etc., and some of
 these come in VERY handy in the later levels of play, so choose carefully!!
 I had to quit my most successful game and start over because I didn't equip
 my hero with enough bowling balls.

        Joystick control is phenomenal.  Kudos to the programmers at B. INC.
 for the incredibly smooth and realistic handling.  In fact, I had the eerie
 feeling several times that the *hero* was controlling the *joystick*, and
 not the other way around.  Weird.

        So, how is the gameplay?  In a word:  HARD!  This is *not* a game
 for beginners, or even for intermediate players.  This game will give even
 the most advanced game gods plenty of trouble.  Despite several weeks of
 non-stop playing, I have been unable to raise my score above "3".  This is
 partly because of BLAZEMONGER's difficult scoring system which deducts
 points from your score whenever you mess up, or sometimes even at random (I
 think -- but it's hard to be sure, because there is so much going on).  But
 even if the scoring were different, the playing itself is nearly
 impossible.  I don't want to pat myself on the back, but I finished
 "Turrican" in 20 minutes, "Shadow of the Beast" in 18 minutes, and "Battle
 Squadron" in a record-breaking 655 seconds.  But BLAZEMONGER is in a league
 by itself -- I just can't beat it!  I can barely get to the second level!!

        Even so, the difficult gameplay has not prevented me from enjoying
 the game.  The scenery, when there is any time to look, is beautifully drawn.
 It looks like every screen was raytraced in 36-bit color and then
 hand-edited for detail... and at 5000 frames per second, that is a
 *tremendous* number of screens!!!  (How the @%*&$! did they get it ALL ON ONE
 DISK?!?!?)


 DOCUMENTATION

        As I said above, BLAZEMONGER comes with a gigantic manual.  In it,
 you'll find every piece of information you'll ever want to know about the
 game (except cheats, of course!).  It also includes a history of the game
 and the company, lists of recommended music to play during the game, maps of
 many other Amiga games (!!), tables of logarithms in several bases, several
 hundred recipes, the complete Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary (part of
 the copy protection mechanism), printouts of all source code and
 documentation from the first 800 Fish Disks, several thousand pages of legal
 disclaimers, and much, much more.  I can't believe that you get so much
 information when the game itself costs only $9.95!!  The paper itself is
 worth more than that; I don't understand how BLAZEMONGER INCORPORATED makes
 any money.

        BTW, I think it's a little ridiculous that BLAZEMONGER INCORPORATED
 recommends that you read the entire manual before playing the game.
 Realistically speaking, I'd be decomposing in my grave long before I'd even
 finished the first volume.  Hell, I don't even know what is *in* most of the
 manual because the freakin' Table Of Contents is slighly longer than an
 average encyclopedia!

        Personally, I'd like to see BLAZEMONGER's documentation come on
 CD-ROM, since it's so huge.  Building an extra wing onto my house to store
 the manual was feasible, but only because I work in construction.  Some
 users might not have the patience for this.  A ten-meter-high stack of CD-ROM
 discs would be much more convenient.


 LIKES AND DISLIKES

        BLAZEMONGER's graphics are the most obviously stunning part of the
 game.  Like the TV ads say:  no other Amiga game even comes close.  I tried
 playing "Shadow of the Beast III" after a game of BLAZEMONGER, and SOBIII
 looked so pathetic that I tossed it into the trash.

        The copy protection is annoying at first, but it's not so bad once
 you get used to it.  (Those monoliths still give me the creeps, though!!)

        My only real complaint is the packaging does not adequately describe
 the EXTREME level of violence and gore in the game.  Although the box is
 shaped like a plastic explosive wrapped around a lit stick of dynamite, I
 don't think that's enough of a deterrent for innocent little kids.  Also, the
 screen shots on the box are relatively "tame" compared to most of the game.
 There is a brief warning on the box, but it says only that the game is "not
 for the squeamish."  I think they should change it to:  "not for the
 squeamish who don't enjoy seeing human heads forcefully pressed through a
 meat grinder and served to carnivorous, belching slime-beings that looks like
 piles of flaming tyrannosaurus excrement."


 COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

        There is NO comparison.


 BUGS

        [Minor spoiler]

        I thought I had found a bug on level 3.  Every time I pressed the
 elevator button and the giant spyrochetes jumped out, the game appeared to
 "freeze", and nothing I did had any effect.  A quick call to BLAZEMONGER
 "Customer Service" cleared up the problem -- my hero had been breathed on by
 an invisible ice monster, which froze him (and all of the surrounding
 countryside!) solidly in place.  In later games, I learned how to avoid the
 ice monster, so the problem went away.


 VENDOR SUPPORT

         My experiences with BLAZEMONGER's "Customer Service" department
 have been mixed.  Although they answered my question (above) with
 great efficiency, they also claimed that I owed them several hundred dollars
 in "protection money" for continued support.  When I protested, they sent
 a representative to my home to "discuss" the matter, and this helped me
 to understand why regular, monthly payments to the "Customer Service"
 department were a good idea.

        Out of curiosity, I asked the "Customer Service" department why
 their name is always written inside of double quotes.  They said it was
 for "legal reasons" but would not elaborate.  And charged me another ten
 dollars.


 WARRANTY

        The disk media and all accessories are warranted for the first two
 thousand games of BLAZEMONGER.  This might sound like a lot, but it really
 isn't, since it's normal to lose several hundred games of BLAZEMONGER before
 you can even plug in the joystick.  But everything has worked reliably for
 me so far.


CONCLUSIONS

        There is no other game like BLAZEMONGER, and there is no other
 experience like playing it!!  I've seen various games that call themselves
 "Blazemonger-killers" [sic], but none of them compare to the awesome
 spectacle of the real thing.  It's a game that inspires intense loyalty in
 its fans, too.  Even as I lie here in my hospital bed, waiting for the burns
 and lesions to heal, I am eagerly awaiting my next session with the Ultimate
 Game.  And NEXT time, I'll remember to jump BEFORE the napalm hits the beef
 stew!



 ****************************************************************************


 > NVN WANTS YOU! STR InfoFile       Another Network Supports Amiga!
   """""""""""""""""""""""""""



                       National Videotext Network (NVN)
                       ================================



 National Videotext Network (NVN) has recently added an Amiga Forum to it's
 growing lists of available services.  The Amiga Forum is ready and waiting
 for you!

 Order an extended NVN Membership of 6 or 12 months, pay for it in advance
 and receive a bonus in connect time at no additional charge.  Choose from
 two subscription plans:

 6-Month Membership
 ------------------

 Pay just $30 for a 6-month Membership and receive a usage credit that
 entitles you to $15 of connect-time in the Premium services of your choice.
 Your total savings using this plan would be over $20!*

 12 Month Membership
 -------------------

 Pay $50 for a full year's Membership and get even more free time online.
 We'll give you a $25 usage credit to use in your favorite Premium services
 or try out new ones.  You could save as much as $45.*

 For more information about either of these plans, give us a call at
 1-800-336-9096.

                               NVN HIGHLIGHTS
                               ==============

 For the newcomers....

  - Introducing a great new tool to make your JOBSEARCH more effective.
  - Amateur Radio comes to NVN!  Old-timers and newcomers, visit the Ham
    Shack.
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  - Why wait an extra day to see U.S. Gov't product/service procurements?.
  - The NVN On-line Billing Service is Back - with Enhancements!
  - Shake the Last of the Winter Blues the EAASY Way!
  - What are eight *advantages* of searching online for information?...
  - NVN's Movie Forum presents....You Pick The Oscars contest...
  - Tell the best FISH STORY and WIN time on NVN!
  - Introducing the Mental Health Forum with a registered Psychiatrist on
    board!

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                  $6/hour non-prime time - $9/hour prime time

                       You can join NVN one of two ways.
                By voice phone 1-800-336-9096 (Client Services)
                                      or
                        via modem phone 1-800-336-9092.



 ****************************************************************************



 > Usenet Review:  Double Dragon
   =============================
   By Sherman Chan
   (C9TQC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU)


 PRODUCT NAME

        Double Dragon


 DESCRIPTION

        An arcade beat 'em up.  Adapted from the 1985 Taito arcade game of
 the same name.


 PUBLISHER

        Name:           Arcadia (Virgin Mastertronic)
        Address:        711 West 17 Street, Unit G9
                        Costa Mesa, CA 92627
                        USA

        Telephone:      (714) 631-1001


 LIST PRICE

        Unknown.  I bought it used from a netter for $6 (US).


 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

        512K Amiga, one disk drive, one or more joysticks.  No mention
 is made of compatibility with any specific model of Amiga, processor,
 or Kickstart version.


 TEST HARDWARE

        Amiga 500 w/68000 7Mhz CPU
        512K Chip - NTSC only
        512K Slow RAM
        2 Megs of Fast RAM
        Kickstart 1.2
        A1010 External floppy drive
        Kraft one-button joystick


 COPY PROTECTION

        Disk based.  The game does not appear to be hard disk installable,
 and it requires a reboot to start and exit.  The ASDG recoverable RAM disk
 VD0: does survive the reboot to exit.  The game attempts to save high
 scores to the disk.


 REVIEW

        I was somewhat excited when the package containing Double Dragon
 (and a few other pieces of software I bought from a fellow netter)
 arrived. Double Dragon was a milestone in the development of the martial
 arts fighting game as important as Karate Champ and Streetfighter II.  It
 was also the last arcade game I spent a significant amount of money on.

        The arcade Double Dragon had a simple premise.  The player had to
 battle through five levels of enemies to meet the boss, defeat him, and
 rescue his girlfriend. If a second player were involved, the game would be
 cooperative, and the players fought the gang members together.  However,
 the players could injure each other, and a careless move often knocked
 down a partner, rather than an enemy.

        I remembered the horrible C-64 conversion, and the somewhat
 disappointing Nintendo (8-bit) cartridge, and hoped the Amiga version
 wouldn't also disappoint.  To my dismay, I found that it too fails to
 capture the feel of the arcade version.  The graphics, while somewhat
 grainy, are generally acceptable facsimiles of the originals.  But the
 design team's greatest sin is not including any of the soundtrack.  Any
 former player of the arcade game would've told you the music was an
 integral part of a game.  It broke the monotony of the thuds of connecting
 punches, the groans of defeated opponents (these effects are present in
 the Amiga game), and helped edge the player along.

        If the music were present, I'd forgive some of the other gaffes;
 but since it isn't, I won't.  First, why doesn't this game use a hi-res
 screen? The arcade graphics weren't particularly colorful, and 16 colors
 would've been sufficient, as the IBM PC version proved.  The additional
 resolution would've allowed for more detail in the characters and smoother
 animation. They designers compounded this arguably minor omission by
 dropping animation frames present in the arcade version.  This makes
 punches and kicks jerky and ruins one of my favorite animations in the
 original:  when a player managed to grab one of his opponents by the hair
 and unleashed a barrage of knee-butts to his head, the speakers would emit
 a furious series of thuds, while the opponent's body convulsed with each
 hit.  I performed the same manuever on the Amiga game, and found the game
 makes absolutely NO SOUND, and the animation is jerky and slow.

        The arcade game used a two button/joystick combination for the
 controls; and as Double Dragon was programmed in 1988, no provision was
 made for a two-button controller.  The controls are adapted fairly well
 for a one-button joystick, with one glaring exception.  The backwards
 elbow, the most important move in the player's arsenal, for some reason
 is programmed to require joystick movement PRIOR to the button press,
 rather than simultaneously like all the others.  I often find myself
 performing an about-face followed by a punch when I try to elbow an
 opponent.

        The various enemies in the arcade game had "personalities" and
 fighting styles unique to them.  They were nowhere as pronounced as the
 nuances in Streetfighter II (or even Streetfighter I), but they were
 important.  While enemies could generally be defeated by some combination
 of a fast knock down followed by a series of elbows, there was a need to
 tailor-make some moves for the tougher ones.  I find that the Amiga game's
 enemies are fairly stupid, and often stand around for me to hit.  Even
 without a reliable elbow move, I do OK in the game and am able to get to
 the end of the third level without a continue.


 CONCLUSION

        Even by the standards of 1988 Amiga gaming, Double Dragon is a
 failure.  It's a study in lost nuances.  Graphically the game is only
 slightly below average, but the various other omissions make it an
 unacceptable conversion.  It could be excused if the Amiga hardware were
 incapable of performing better (if this were a C64 port, I'd have to say
 it's pretty impressive), but that's clearly not the case here. I'd have to
 say Double Dragon for the Amiga is for the less discriminating nostalgia
 buff only, and only if it can be purchased for a meager price. If you must
 have a decent Double Dragon game in your collection, consider purchasing
 the Nintendo version.  While it's inferior graphically to the Amiga
 version, it has the music and it's considerably more playable with the
 two button controller.  Note that there are two versions of the Nintendo
 cartridge:  an older one that only allows one player, and a later reissue
 that allows two.



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 > STReport CONFIDENTIAL    "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
   """""""""""""""""""""


 - Chicago, IL                    GATEWAY SELLS & SHIPS 3000 CLONES A DAY!
   -----------


      Gateway, a  PC clone mailorder house advertised in most big  computer
 mags, mentioned  in their  newsletter that they were sorry  they had  been
 having  problems with customer service  (answering  the  phone,  returning
 calls)etc..    To fix the problem,  they had  just  hired  ** 600  **  new
 employees!!  They now have over  2000 employees in their  South Dakota USA
 location, and were shipping  ** 3000 **   clones  PER DAY.  Imagine  their
 shipping dock. Being  mailorder, they ship most of these individually, not
 in truckloads.  A separate shipping order for each of  3000 machines, each
 day.



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 > STR Dealer Directory
   ====================

   Armadillo Brothers
   753 East 3300 South
   Salt Lake City, Utah
   VOICE:  801-484-2791
   GEnie:  B.GRAY


   MicroSearch
   9000 US 59 South, Suite 330
   Houston, Texas
   VOICE:  713-988-2818
   FAX:    713-995-4994


           (Dealers:  To have your name added, please send Email!)

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                       Amiga Report's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
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 > A "Quotable Quote"
   """""""""""""""""

                        "Would you like cheese on that?"



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        Amiga Report International Online Magazine ~ STR Publications
                      -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *-
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 STR Online!            "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE"         April 16, 1993
 Amiga Edition      Copyright (c) 1993 All Rights Reserved            No.1.05
 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 Views, Opinions and  Articles Presented  herein are not necessarily those of
 the editors  and staff  of Amiga Report  International Online Magazine or of
 STR 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. STReport and/or por-
 tions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission.
 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.
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