@database "ar115.guide"
@Node MAIN "Amiga Report 1.15, July 2, 1993"

                               @{" Open Magazine " link menu}
            
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                       International Online Magazine

                
July 2, 1993                                                       No. 1.15
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


                            From STR Publishing

                        [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport

@endnode

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___________________________________________________________________________


/// 07/02/93 Amiga Report 1.15   "Your Weekly Source for Amiga Information"
    --------------------------
    · The Editor's Desk       · CPU Report          · New Products
    · Dealer Directory        · AR Online           · AR Confidential
    · Warez Out There         · A.M.I.G.A.          · SHI News
    · Cybernetix              · Zeus 040/A2000      · Amiga Tip of the Week

                      » Microbotics 1230XA Reviewed «
               » New Telecommunications Tax Hidden in Bill «
              » Atari and IBM Join  Forces to Market Jaguar «


===========================================================================
                 Amiga Report International Online Magazine
                 "Your Weekly Source for Amiga Information"
                            » FEATURING WEEKLY «
                  Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information
      Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
              Hardware · Software · Corporate · R & D · Imports
===========================================================================
               PORTAL · DELPHI · FIDO · INTERNET · BIX · NVN
===========================================================================

@node P1-1 "From the Editor's Desk"
@toc "menu"
 
/// From the Editor's Desk                        "Saying it like it is!"
    ----------------------


The more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe somebody SHOULD write
Ross Perot and ask for assistance in turning Commodore around.  After all,
here you have a guy that's determinted to make a difference in the American
government, and a top-notch businessman.  If nothing else, he would want to
stop Commodore's unfair stockholder treatment (the meeting in the Bahamas
comes to mind).  It's a shot in the dark, but it might be worth it.  Some-
thing could be organized along the lines of the Shareholder Movement --
detailed last week -- to contact Mr. Perot, inform, and make a proposal.

On another note, we have been forced to drop support for GEnie entirely.
Due to financial limitations, and the cost of maintaining a presence on
GEnie, we have decided to relocate to Portal.  The cost of participation
there is extremely low in comparison, and the Amiga area is every bit as
large as GEnie's Amiga RT.  We regret having to do this, and apologize to
all Amiga GEnie subscribers, but Amiga Report is a FREE magazine.  We
receive no kickbacks from the services, and are contibuting our time and
money.

We're officially into summer, and almost every show on TV is a rerun.
Star Trek and Deep Space Nine have had their season finales, so we're
stuck until late September/early October before we get more Fresh Trek.
This is the July 4th weekend, so I'm sure many of you will be out having
a great time.  As always, if you drive, DON'T DRINK.  If you drink, DON'T
DRIVE.  It's simple, and it'll ensure that you make it back to 'real life'
come Monday morning.

That's it for the public service announcement.  Have a great weekend!

                            Rob @ Amiga Report

@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P2-2 "AR Staff"
@toc "menu"

The Amiga Report Staff                          Dedicated to serving you!
======================


                                Editor in Chief
                                ===============

                                 Robert Glover

 Portal:                             Rob-G
 Delphi:                             ROB_G
 FidoNet:                         1:362/508.6
 Internet:                      ROB_G@Delphi.COM


                               Associate Editors
                               =================


                              Technical Department
                              --------------------

                Micah Thompson                     Robert Niles

 Portal:         Coming Soon!                         RNiles
 Delphi:                                              RNILES
 FidoNet:                                           1:3407/104
 Internet:     BOOMER.T@GEnie.geis.com           RNILES@Delphi.COM


                              Graphics Department
                              -------------------

                                 Mike Troxell

 Portal:                         Coming Soon!
 FidoNet:                         1:362/508
 Internet:                 M.TROXELL1@GEnie.geis.com


                            Contributing Department
                            -----------------------

                                 Tom Mulcahy

 Portal:                         Coming Soon!
 Delphi:                           16BITTER
 BIX:                               HELMET
 FidoNet:                         1:260/322
 Internet:                    16BITTER@Delphi.COM


                   ________________________________________



                         Contributing Correspondents
                         ===========================
                                Marcus Albers
                                 John Deegan
                             Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
                                David Walthour
                                 Alan Quirt
  



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


@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-2 "CPU Status Report"
@toc "menu"

/// CPU Status Report                     Late Breaking Industry-Wide News
    -----------------



                 Computer Products Update - CPU Report
                 ------------------------   ----------
                Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
 
                               Issue #26
 
                            By: John Deegan
 
 
   WINDOWS PASSES DOS IN SALES - For the first time, North American 
sales of programs for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows environment have sur-
passed sales of applications that run on MS-DOS.

   Sales of all applications software, including word processors and 
spreadsheets, reached $1.46 billion in the first quarter of 1993, which 
is an increase in dollar value of 20% from first quarter 1992 and a 26% 
rise in unit sales.

   Currently Microsoft says it sells more than a million copies of Win-
dows each month. At the same time, the older MS-DOS system now is used 
on an estimated 120 million to 140 million PCs.


   LANGUAGE SYSTEMS OFFERED - A new language-training system has been 
developed by E-Systems' HRB Systems subsidiary and is being offered to 
educators, businesses, government agencies and international companies.
 
   The company said the product provides a self-paced and economical 
method to achieve conversational fluency. It features foreign films and 
users' own personal computers for interactive learning benefits.


   ERICSSON OFFERS WIRELESS MODEM - The $775 Mobidem AT, described as 
the first commercial packet radio modem that could implement a circuit-
switched AT command set interface, has been developed by Ericsson GE 
Mobile Communications Inc.

   The firm, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Ericsson SpA, 
said the provides quick compatibility with major computer operating 
systems.


   IRS TO CONTINUE ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATION SERVICE - The Internal 
Revenue Service has reversed an earlier decision and will continue to 
allow taxpayers and preparers who file electronically to learn in 
advance if their refund will be seized by the agency to pay debts owed 
by the taxpayer.

   MICROSOFT'S BILL GATES TOPS FORBES' U.S. RICHEST LIST - Forbes maga-
zine in its seventh annual ranking of the richest people in the world 
has placed Microsoft's Bill Gates at the top of its U.S. list.  Gates, 
according to Forbes, has a net worth of $7.4 billion.


   SONY, APPLE, KODAK TEAM ON CD-ROM - A jointly-sponsored CD-ROM title 
called Open Wider is being released by Apple Computer Inc., Eastman 
Kodak Co. and Sony Electronic Publishing.

   Reports say the disk was created by New York multimedia design com-
pany Imergy and documents the assembly of Open, a magazine that explores 
creativity in the digital age.


   COMPUTER CHIP THEFTS INCREASE - Computer chips, described by one 
California deputy district attorney as "the dope of the '90s," are being 
targeted by daring robbers who sell their high-tech booty for big bucks 
on the black market.

   Sources say the incentive to steal the tiny chips is high since they 
are in such short supply and demand for them is great.

   "Pound for pound, [chips are] more valuable than cocaine," said 
Julius Finklestein, a deputy district attorney in the Santa Clara 
County's high-tech crimes unit.

   A typical modus operandi calls for large numbers of armed men to 
invade a site, overwhelm and terrorize employees and disappear with the 
loot which is then sold for cash to middlemen. Smaller companies are 
often targeted because their security systems tend to be less 
sophisticated than larger firms.

   So far, no one has died in any of the heists, but officials fear 
escalating violence.

   The most recent theft occurred Tuesday night in San Jose, California 
when 10 armed men invaded Bestronics, a circuit board assembly plant. 
Using plastic handcuffs, they tied up a dozen workers and stole an 
undetermined number of computer memory chips. One employee was badly 
beaten, while others were pulled around by their hair. The suspects 
escaped.


   LEXMARK, IBM CHASE RIBBON FAKERS - In a Miami sting operation, IBM 
and former subsidiary Lexmark International -- working with a federal 
judge and the U.S. Marshals Service -- have busted a ring that was 
counterfeiting printer ribbons.

   David Lyons of The Miami Herald says six people signed consent de-
crees promising never to do it again and to cooperate with the company 
in any future investigations.

   "It was the third time in the last two years that IBM and its 
distributors had swung into action to knock out counterfeiters in South 
Florida," Lyons reports. "Their chief weapon: civil lawsuits in federal 
court aimed at enforcing IBM's trademark rights."

   Earlier Lexmark successfully sued two California companies and four 
other firms in South Florida.

   The latest targets included Digital Ribbon and Supplies of West Dade, 
also known as Superior Ribbons Inc.; Williams Printing Inc. of Hialeah; 
and six individuals: Gustavo Ibanez, owner of Superior; Mayda Silva, a 
Miami saleswoman; Mario J. Williams Jr. of the printing company; Jose 
Peraza, a Miami artist; Juan Marin of Colombia; and Cesar Giron of 
Pembroke Pines.


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



"FEES" HIDDEN IN BUDGET (New modem/telecommunications "tax")

Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1993 18:40:34 GMT
From: rpwhite@cs.nps.navy.mil (rpwhite)
Organization: Monterey Bay Yacht Club, Monterey CA
Subject: "FEES" HIDDEN IN BUDGET WILL COST YOU $$$$!!
Keywords: modems,taxes,fnord

[Excerpted from The San Jose Herald, and used without permission
under the Reasonable Use interpretation of the 1976 Copyright Act.]


BY ROBERT DOBSON
Herald Washington Bureau

     WASHINGTON - The Senate moved toward approving its version of
President's Clinton's budget package early this morning, a move
that is expected to set the stage for a showdown over "hidden
taxes" and spending in a House-Senate conference committee. At
which time, conservatives in the senate say they will fight efforts
to increase taxes and spending which they say is hidden in the
legislation. Singled out was $60 million to be used to finance the
National Data Network that Vice-President Gore is a supporter of.
     The $60 million is to be raised by the imposition of a tax on
the manufacturers of telecommunications hardware and by fees on the
users of such equipment, known as modems. "We used the Pittman-
Robertson act, which finances conservation efforts through a tax on
firearms and ammunition, as a model," said Congressional
spokesperson Bonnie Houck. "The people purchasing and using this type
of equipment are affluent and well off. It's fair, it's not taxation,
this is a progressive measure that asks the users of a resource to
pay for the costs of that resource."

[deleted]

     Clinton Administration spokesperson J. R. Dobbs cautioned
against calling the fees a tax; "Inaccurate buzz words like `modem
fees' and allusions to `modem taxes' produce knee-jerk reactions
that short-circuit constructive inquiry into a vital public issue.
Telecommunications users from all sectors - educators, small
business, local governments, public service entities. liraries and
recreational users - should take strong interest in how the next
generation of telecommunications networks will be developed and
financed.
     The newly authorized user fees are concealed in an obscure
line item (Docket 37-42 of the Data Communications Network
Architecture, or DCNA proposal), "the implications of which NO ONE
at this time fully understands," according to noted MIT
communications policy expert James Parry. These changes would
require telecommunications users to pay "usage sensitive" carrier
charges.

[deleted]

     Roger Carasso is a special assistant to the chief of the
Common Carrier Bureau at the FCC. He said it made sense that
someone using a 14,400 bps modem pay more than someone using a 2400
bps modem. He also commented that it was good policy to have the
fees collected by modem manufacturers and the regional Bell
operating companies (RBOC's). "That way the users don't see the
government involved in the same old `tax and spend'. In this case
the users can take pride in the fact that they are, in fact,
directly financing the new `data superhighway' while, at the same
time, freeing up scarce government resources for truly necessary
social programs such as Medicare, food stamps and education."

[rest of article deleted]

               UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this 
                    IMPORTANT Information is ENCOURAGED. 



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



            ATARI AND IBM ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC MANUFACTURING
             CONTRACT FOR MULTIMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM


June 28, 1993 - Sunnyvale, CA - Atari Corporation announced today that it
has contracted with the IBM Corporation's Charlotte, North Carolina,
facility to manufacture the Atari Jaguar, Atari's new 64-bit multimedia
entertainment system.

IBM's multi-year contract is valued at $500 million.

The Atari Jaguar, to be made in the United States, is an interactive
multimedia entertainment system which features over 16 million colors in
24-bit true color graphics and produces shaded 3-D polygons for
manipulation in a "real world" in real time. A 32-bit expansion port will
allow for future connection into cable and telephone networks a digital
signal processing port for modem usage and connection to digital audio
peripherals. The Jaguar will also feature a double-speed compact disc
peripheral.

"This system is clearly the wave of the future", said Sam Tramiel,
President of Atari, "Because the Jaguar will feature such an array of
visual and audio special effects, we wanted to work with a premier company
that we are confident can manufacture the quality product we have
developed".

The Charlotte-based IBM plant, which for 15 years has manufactured and
developed products only for other IBM businesses, just recently began
working with outside companies to meet their production needs. The Atari
Jaguar project represents one of IBM's first entries into manufacturing
for the mass consumer electronics market.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to work with Atari and their new system",
said Herbert L. Watkins, Director of Application Solutions manufacturing
at IBM Charlotte. "Everyone expects IBM to manufacture complex information
technology products, and with this we'll show that we can competitively
build a sophisticated consumer product".

In addition to assembling the Jaguar, IBM will be responsible for the
component sourcing, quality testing, packaging and distribution. The
Jaguar, announced on June 3, is based on an Atari designed proprietary 64-
bit RISC processor that features four times the technology currently seen
in the marketplace today. The sound system is based on Atari's proprietary
high-speed, Digital Signal Processor dedicated to audio which can produce
CD quality sound.

The Atari Jaguar will be available on a limited basis in the fall,
focusing on the New York market. A national roll-out is expected next year
and the Jaguar will retail for approximately $200.


Atari Corporation manufactures and markets personal computers and video
games for the home, office and educational marketplaces throughout the
world. Atari headquarters are located at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale,
California 94089.

The IBM Corporation's Charlotte facility manufactures and develops for IBM
and other companies wide variety of products, such as banking systems,
automotive diagnostic systems and electronic circuit boards. The site
includes 2.3 million square feet of work space on a 1.200- acre site. Its
address is 1001 W.T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina 28257,
Telephone (704) 594 1000.

For further information:

Nancy Chan Bohbot Communications, Inc. (415) 705 6888

Bob Page IBM (704) 594 1729



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



SPA CONFIRMS SOFTWARE SALES

WASHINGTON, DC -- Companies often make wild claims about the
number of copies they have sold of particular programs, so the
Software Publishers Association regularly certifies sales numbers
for some popular programs.

Since 1985 the SPA Certification Program has audited sales of
more than 450 programs published by over 55 companies and this
week they released minimum sales numbers for 49 new products.

Accolade has sold 50,000 or more units of the following:
Al Michaels Announces Hardball III; Blue Angels Formation Flight
Simulator; Elvira; Jack Nicklaus Golf & Course Design Signature
Edition; Jack Nicklaus Presents the Major Championship Courses;
Mike Ditka Ultimate Football; Star Control; Steel Thunder
American Battle Tank Simulation; The Cycles International Grand
Prix Racing; and The Muscle Cars: Test Drive II Car Disk.

Sales of the following were greater than 100,000 units each:
Grand Prix Circuit; Hardball II; Jack Nicklaus Unlimited Golf &
Course Design; Test Drive II The Passion; and The Supercars:
Test Drive II Car Disk.

Broderbund Software sold more than 100,000 units each of:
BannerMania; Dazzle Draw; MemoryMate; Prince of Persia; The New
Print Shop Graphics Library; Type!; Where in America's Past is
Carmen Sandiego?; Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?; and
Wolfpack.

And more than 250,000 units of these were sold: Kid Pix; The
New Print Shop; The Playroom; and The Print Shop Deluxe.

These two were best sellers for Broderbund at more than 500,000
units each: The Print Shop Companion, and Where in Time is Carmen
Sandiego?

The Learning Company was certified as having sold more than
50,000 units of Operation Neptune and Super Solvers Spellbound;
while sales of Reader Rabbit 2 were 100,000 units.

Maxis' A-Train sold 50,000 plus units; SimAnt's sales were
100,000 units; SimEarth's sales reached 250,000 units; and
SimCity was most popular with sales in excess of 500,000 units.

MySoftware Company's MyBackup and MyLabelMaker had sales of more
than 100,000 units.

Reality Technologies' Wealth Builder by Money Magazine topped
50,000 unit sales.

Spectrum HoloByte's Flight of the Intruder; Vette!; and Wordtris
all sold more than 50,000 units each; and both Falcon 3.0 and
Super Tetris sold 100,000 plus copies.

Tally Systems Corporation's PC Census had sales of 500,000 units.

Walt Disney Computer Software has two software products -
Donald's Alphabet Chase and Mickey's Runaway Zoo - that sold more
than 100,000 units each.


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


TWO SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN CONNECTICUT ATM FRAUD

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT -- Two Arizona men have been arrested in
connection with a fraud case that involved using a fake automated
teller machine (ATM) in a Connecticut mall to obtain the account
numbers and identification codes of bank customers.

Alan Scott Pace and Gerald Harvey Greenfield, both of Tucson,
Arizona, are in custody and charged with fraud, conspiracy, and
transportation of stolen property, after the illegally obtained
codes were used to steal about $100,000 from bank accounts, Dan
Marchitello, the Secret Service agent in charge of the investigation,
told Newsbytes.

Several warrants were outstanding for Pace on other offenses
including credit-card fraud, Marchitello said.

The dummy bank machine was placed in the Buckland Hills Mall in
Manchester, Connecticut from April 24 to May 9 of this year,
Marchitello said. It recorded the account numbers and personal
identification numbers of bank customers. The thieves then used
those numbers to withdraw money from customers' accounts at
various bank machines up and down the East Coast of the United
States.

Marchitello said Pace and Greenfield were arrested partly as a
result of information from a New York company that had sold them
coding and embossing equipment. The company said the men had not
paid a $20,000 bill for the gear.

A court appearance is set for July 1. The Secret Service is
seeking a third suspect who played a minor role in the scam,
Marchitello said.


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


PHIBER OPTIK TRIAL TO START

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- The trial in federal court of Mark Abene,
well known throughout the hacker community as "Phiber Optik," is
scheduled to begin on July 6th in the Southern District of New York.

The trial, to be presided by Judge Louis Stanton, will take
place in Courtroom 444 in the New York City's Federal Courthouse
at Foley Square.

Abene was indicted on July 8 of last year along with John Lee,
Julio Fernandez, Eli Ladopoulos, and Paul Stira, on a variety
of charges relating to computer intrusion and telecom fraud.
In the interim, Lee, Fernandez, Ladopoulos, and Stira have
pled guilty to lesser charges. Lee has been sentenced to a
year and day in federal prison and Fernandez is reported to
have become a witness for the government. Stira 
and Ladopoulos are scheduled to be sentenced on July 23.

Lawrence Schoenbach, attorney for Abene, told Newsbytes, "We
are all looking forward to the trial and the litigation of
the issues involved. This is a trial for the 21st Century
and addresses the questions of how much the government can
interfere with the search for knowledge and how far it can
intrude into personal communication."

Schoenbach added that he expected the trial to take a few months.

Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Fishbein declined to
comment on a case about to go to trial, telling Newsbytes, "We
will be making our profound statements in court."

The trial is expected to provide the cornerstone for a book by
Joshua Quittner and Michelle Slatalla, Newsday reporters,
who having been covering the case since the indictment. Quittner
told Newsbytes that he is taking a leave of absence from his
Newsday duties for the duration of the trial.


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


GOT A SECOND?  THERE'S A LEAP SECOND COMING ON WEDNESDAY

WASHINGTON, DC -- If someone asks you to "wait a second" this week,
you can accommodate them without missing any of your usual weekly
activities because the government is giving you, free of charge,
some extra time this week.

Do the workdays just seem to drag on forever? Well, if this
Wednesday seems to be a bit more of a struggle to get through than
usual, you can at least look forward to a full extra second of
evening rest courtesy of the world's timekeepers at the US Naval
Observatory in Washington, D.C., and their counterparts in Boulder,
Colorado.

At precisely 23 hours, 59 minutes, 60 seconds Co-ordinated Universal
Time (UTC) or 7:59:60 p.m. EDT on June 30, 1993, one second will be
inserted into the world's most accurate clocks because variations in
the way the Earth turns have gotten it slightly out of sync with the
super-accurate atomic clocks which the world's scientists now use to
determine the "correct" time.

In the past, human beings relied on the rotation of the planet
itself as the "standard" for time keeping and reset clocks to match
the Earth's daily turning, but since the late 60s the US Naval
Observatory has been relying on a computerized clock that counts the
9,192,631,792,458 vibrations that take place every second in a
Cesium 133 atom.

By contrast, the Earth's rotation is only constant to about 1/1,000-
second each day and therefore the Naval Observatory has inserted 18
leap seconds in the clock's time since 1972 in order to keep the
clock perfectly synchronized with the Earth's rotation and thus with
rising and setting times of stars.

The reason the Navy is responsible for timekeeping goes back to the
traditional needs of the British and other navies which required
precise timekeeping in order to help them determine the position of
their ships at sea.

Today these positions are determined by using computerized global
positioning systems which rely on satellite signals which are again
related to precise timekeeping.

Although this change can be ignored by most people, computers used
to measure or record many scientific events must be set to a precise
time tick; anyone can actually have his or her clocks reset using
the Naval Observatory's special electronic bulletin board system
which is used just to co-ordinate computer clock times.


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


EXPLOSION IN HOME PCs PREDICTED BY 1999

DALLAS, TEXAS -- Market research group Channel Marketing is predicting
"explosive" growth in the PC market in the next six years saying more
than eight times as many personal computers (PCs) will be sold by
1999 than have been sold since the introduction of the PC.

The group also claims the majority of these computers will be
purchased through mass marketing outlets, such as warehouse
buying clubs, just as microwave ovens and video cassette
recorders (VCRs) are now.

A high 2.5 computers per household is predicted by the end of the
decade, up from 2.2 per household predicted a year earlier. At the
end of 1992 there were an estimated 0.3 computers per household,
or about 30 million units. Contributing factors to the purchase of
computers for the home include lower prices, increased mass
market retail availability, increased growth in home-based
businesses and telecommuting, educational needs of children, and
the use of computers by college and university students, the
group said.

In the educational environment, many higher educational
institutions are now requiring that students own a computer. In
the future, parents are also expected to offer each child their own
computer as an educational advantage. The research firm also
maintains families want to have access to on-line information
utilities such as America Online, Compuserve, and Prodigy. The
notebook computer will be as common in schools across America
as the pocket calculator is today, Channel Marketing asserts.

By 1995, more than half of all computers purchased will be
purchased through the consumer mass market channel. Since most
computers come with the software installed, buying a computer
will be no different than buying any other appliance for the
home, Channel Marketing insists.

                The preceding stories are © 1993 Newsbytes.
                        Reprinted with permission.
  
@endnode
            __________________________________________________

@node P1-3 "Release of CDROM-FS"
@toc "menu"

CANADIAN PROTOTYPE REPLICAS RELEASES UPDATED CDROM-FS VERSION 1718

    Canadian Prototype Replicas has released a new version of CDROM-FS, the
    HiSierra and ISO-9660 File System for the Commodore Amiga line of 
    personal computers.

    New features include:

        o Requires AmigaDOS(tm) 2.04 or greater.

        o Now supports all known SCSI CDROM drives.

        o Supports JVC XR-W1001 in read modes.

        o Supports Philips CDD-521 in read modes.

        o Supports Toshiba XM-3301/3401 CDROM-XA modes automatically.

        o Utilizes Exec Pooled Memory Model.

        o CDDACtrl Players converted to stand alone.

        o New Lock and Unlock ARexx commands for CDDACtrls.


    CDROM-FS  release  1718  addresses mostly minor concerns associated
    with some of the newer drives now available.  Additionally, code
    size has been reduced, while increasing overall performance.  New
    international character recognition code has also been added to
    handle discs in either alpha order or ISO-9660 order and discs that
    have minor mastering problems in their path tables.

    Customers  wishing to  upgrade  to  version  1718  from a  previous
    version,  may return their  original disk along  with  $10.00 (CAN)
    directly to  Canadian Prototype Replicas,  or  take their  original
    disk to  their  dealer,  who is  authorized to copy the new version
    onto an original disk.

    Canadian Prototype Replicas is a leading edge software  development
    firm specializing in system level software for the Commodore  Amiga
    line of personal computers including CD-Rom, Networking, and System
    Resource Management.

                        Product: CDROM-FS
                        Version: 1718
                   Retail Price: $50 Canadian
                        Contact: Allan M. Purtle
                        Company: Canadian Prototype Replicas
                          Phone: +1 519 884 4412

@endnode
                      -------------------------------
@node P1-4 "New MO Company, Select Solutions"
@toc "menu"


NEW MAIL ORDER COMPANY FOR AMIGA


Select Solutions - a new division of Micro-PACE, Inc. - combines the
expertise of eleven years in Commodore and Amiga distribution with a new,
state-of-the-art consumer-direct sales and marketing division.

The core of Select Solutions is the world's largest inventory of Amiga
related computers, peripherals, accessories and software.  NewTek,
Commodore, Great Valley Products and Digital Creations are just a few of
the top selling product lines that are available.

The heart of the new division is a sales and technical support staff with
unmatched product knowledge.  No matter what your needs, from a complete
personal video production system to simply upgrading your current system
with a hard drive, memory or a new mouse, Select Solutions has the answers.

Answers are great, but more important are price and availability.  And how
about same day shipping on over 1400 in stock items?  This is where you
will find Select Solutions to be your truly remarkable one-stop shopping
resource.

Select Solutions is located at 3001 Clark Street, Champaign, IL 61821.  You
can find our current advertisements in Amiga World and Video Toaster User
magazines.

We look forward to serving you in the coming months.  As an added bonus,
call now and with your first order get a free Amiga coffee mug (while
supplies last) just by mentioning this BBS announcement (Source Code B02).

Sincerely,

Michelle Schluter

Mail Address:         Select Solutions
                      P.O. Box 6512
                      Champaign, IL 61821-6512

Orders:               800/322-1261
Support/Returns:      217/355-2785

@endnode
                      ------------------------------
@node P1-5 "Blitz Basic 2"
@toc "menu"

BLITZ BASIC 2


Blitz2 is a BASIC programming language for your Amiga, infact it is
fast becoming the BASIC programming language on the Amiga.
It can be used to program any type of software, from
valuable applications to entertaining arcade games.

Blitz2 is a compiler, it takes BASIC code and creates very fast,
compact, standalone programs. Programs that most people will think
you created in machine code or C.

Blitz2 is a next generation BASIC with features borrowed from PASCAL,
C and others. Blitz2 has given BASIC, the friendliest programming
language of all times, a new lease of life with more power than
.More..
ever before.


* Features
----------

Full implementation of extended BASIC (Select..Case While..wend etc.)

Support for standard IFF graphics, sound and animations

NewTypes similar to C Structures making Blitz2 more than just another BASIC

In-line macro assembler for advanced users

Linked list support for quick database type programming

Standard Amiga screen, window, menu  & gadget management commands

Full access to the internal Amiga libraries and structures

.More..
Power-Windows type user interface generator

Extended Workbench 2.0/3.0 support including AGA palette control

Super fast Blitz-mode operation which "cleanly" takes over the Amiga OS

6 different Blitting commands for ultra fast, smooth graphics

Extensive display control for smooth scrolling, dual playfield etc.

Produces 100% machine code (fast and compact) programs



* What you get
--------------

Blitz2 ships with 2 manuals. The reference manual is a large 320 page
A4 book detailing the Blitz2 command set with example code for most
of the 300+ commands and functions. The User Guide is a smaller book
.More..
containing a step by step guide to getting started in Blitz2 as well
as indepth discussions and tutorials introducing the many facets of
programming in Blitz2 including many type in programs.

The disks contain not only the Blitz2 compiler program and editor but
heaps of examples, utilities, games and extra documentation.

Also included with Blitz2 is a free issue of the BlitzUser magazine.


* Blitz User Magazine
---------------------

Blitz User is currently a quarterly publication that includes both a
printed magazine and disk. Each issue is jam packed with upgrades,
bug fixes, new commands, tutorials etc.

As Blitz2 is continually being expanded both in versatility and ease
of use, a subscription to Blitz User Magazine will keep you up to date
with the fastest growing language on the Amiga.
.More..

Here's a list of updates from the first 4 issues of Blitz User Magazine

Issue 1:

Tutorials on using Intuitools, ShapesMaker and the MapEditor as well
as serial port and speech control. Also listing for the BuzzBar game.

Issue 2:

Includes new commands for DPaint anims, adding Arexx ports to your Blitz2
programs, octamed support as well as heaps of program listings etc.

Issue 3:

Ted is given a major revamp and a powerful runtime debugger is added to
Blitz2.

Issue 4:

.More..
Cycling gadgets, radio buttons, AGA screens, polygon commands and heaps
of other new goodies.


* What the Amiga Magazines say:
-------------------------------

CU AMIGA

Giving Blitz2 an overall 88%, CU Amiga summed up Blitz2 with the following
conclusion:

If you want to know exactly what makes the Amiga tick without having to
buy 15 manuals and learn assembler and C there is no better way. You can
write whatever sort of program you want, be it a demo, a game, or a piece
of applications software.

The only drawbacks are those of the Amiga and the BASIC language itself.
If you want a program to do something bad enough, you'll find a way with
Blitz BASIC. It's ideal for beginneres and experts alike and whats more
.More..
it produces true Amiga software. Get it!

    EASE OF USE: 81%
VALUE FOR MONEY: 82% (PRICE WAS TBA!)
  DOCUMENTATION: 94%
    FLEXIBILITY: 96%


AMIGA COMPUTING

Paul Overaa reviewed Blitz2 in July 1993's Amiga Computing, and came up with
the following comments:

blisteringly fast and offers some stunning Amiga-orientated graphics
Ted (Blitz2's Editor) is a fast, reliable editor
even novice programmers are going to be able to produce a lot of clever effects
very easily indeed
more experienced programmers will find that Blitz2 offers stunning possibilities

    EASE OF USE: 8
.More..
 IMPLEMENTATION: 9
VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
        OVERALL: 8


For more information about Blitz2
---------------------------------
In NewZealand contact Acid Software phone or fax 09-358-1658

In the U.S.A. contact David Maziarka by voice at (608) 257 9057
                                     by BBS 6pm to 6am at the same

In the U.K. contact Benoit Varasse 0227 763 539

In Germany contact Solaris Computers in Koln

In Australia contact Computer Discounts 02-281-7411



@endnode
                      ------------------------------
@node P5-1 "Aroach 1.0"


AROACH V1.0 AVAILABLE FOR FTP


TITLE

     ARoach

VERSION

     1.0

AUTHOR

     Stefan Winterstein (winter@cs.uni-sb.de)

DESCRIPTION

    ARoach - cockroaches hide under your windows!

    ARoach displays disgusting cockroaches on your screen.  These creepy
    crawlies scamper around until they find a window to hide under.
    Whenever you move or resize a window, the exposed orthopteras again
    scamper for cover.  You can squish them with a mouseclick, if you
    want.

    ARoach is based on Xroach for X-Windows.  It features a shell and
    and a Workbench interface and makes use of Amiga's BOBs.  Full
    source for SAS/C 6 is included.

BUGS

    As given by the ROACHES option. Default is 10.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

     Requires AmigaDOS 2.04 or higher.

HOST NAME

     All AMINET sites, such as litamiga.epfl.ch (128.178.151.32)

DIRECTORY

     /pub/aminet/game/gag


FILE NAME

     ARoach.lha

PRICE

     None.

DISTRIBUTABILITY

     Freely distributable.


@endnode
                      ------------------------------
@node P5-2 "MainActor 1.1"
@toc "menu"

MAINACTOR V1.1 AVAILABLE FOR FTP


TITLE

  MainActor

VERSION

  1.1

AUTHOR

  Markus Moenig
  markusm@tolkien.adsp.sub.org
  
DESCRIPTION

  MainActor is a modular animation package.

  It allows you to create,edit,play animations of the provided
  animation formats.

  You can convert any format into any other, allowing you to
  convert for example a range of pictures into an animation format
  of your choice, or resave the frames of an animation to an
  picture format, or simply to convert different picture formats.
  
  The following modules are included in this release:
  
  Animation Loader        Max. Depth         Animation Saver
  ----------------        ----------         ---------------
  Universal
  Universal_PicassoII
  IFF-Anim5                  8 Bit           IFF-Anim5
  IFF-Anim7_16               8 Bit           IFF-Anim7_16
  IFF-Anim7_32               8 Bit           IFF-Anim7_32
  IFF-Anim8_16               8 Bit           IFF-Anim8_16
  IFF-Anim8_32               8 Bit           IFF-Anim8_32
  IFF-AnimBrush              8 Bit
  
  Picture Loader                             Picture Saver
  --------------                             -------------
  Universal
  Universal_PicassoII
  IFF                       24 Bit           IFF
  Workbench-Icon             4 Bit           Workbench-Icon
  PCX                        8 Bit
                                             ICON

  New features of Version 1.1
  
  -You can now map your arexx scripts to the function keys.

  -New IFF-Anim8_32, IFF-Anim8_16, PCX modules.

  -The new Universal modules allow you to easily load all of the supported
   graphic formats.
   The Universal_Picasso-II modules remap the output of all modules
   directly to the Picasso-II graphics board from Village Tronic.
   
  -MainActor has now an powerful external player named 'MainView', it
   can view all animations/pictures for which MainActor has the proper
   loader module.
   It is executeable from the wb or cli and supports, per tooltypes or
   cli arguments, all of MainActors view options.

  -MainActor now (optionally) saves icons for your newly created animations
   or pictures, enabling you to view the animations/pictures by selecting 
   their icons. These icons support the same tooltypes as MainView.

  -You can now control how many times MainActor/MainView plays
   animations.
   
  -The new 'Flash' option allows you to profile your animations.

  General Features:
  
  -Intelligent caching/tracking, MainActor can cache your animations and
   picture lists, if you have not enough memory it will directly access
   your data from any device. This makes it for example possible to
   create/edit/play a 400MB animation on your 2MB Amiga.

  -If you run OS 3.0 or higher, you will get an extra speed bonus on
   animations through the use of the new graphics routines.
   For OS2.0/2.1 users there are specific routines in the modules, which
   will give them the best playback speed possible on their system
   (and my knowledge :)).

  -Under OS 3.0 you will get the extra features of showing pictures or
   playing animations in a scrollable, resizable window on your MainActor
   or Workbench screen. The colors will be properly adjusted to your screen
   attributes.

  -MainActor has an arexx port, nearly all functions can be accessed through
   it. You can for example scale or dither whole animations through
   the use of an image processor, scripts are included.

HOST NAME

  MainActor should be available on all Aminet sites.
  
  For Example :

  Switzerland  litamiga.epfl.ch       128.178.151.32
  Scandinavia  ftp.luth.se            130.240.16.3 
  Germany      ftp.uni-kl.de          131.246.9.95
  Germany      ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de    130.149.17.7
  USA          ftp.wustl.edu          128.252.135.4
  
DIRECTORY

  /pub/aminet/gfx/edit

FILE NAME

  MainActor1_1.lha

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

  OS 2.0+

PRICE

  The shareware fee is $50

DISTRIBUTABILITY

  MainActor is shareware.


@endnode
                      ------------------------------

@node P1-6 "MEBBSNet v1.0 Release"
@toc "menu"


                  MEBBSNet v1.0 SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE 
  
THE FOLLOWING IS COPYRIGHT (C) 1993, MEBBS ENGINEERING AND SOFTWARE. 
 
This electronic document is freely redistributable provided it is 
made available in its ENTIRETY, and may NOT be modified, altered, prefixed, 
or appended to in any fashion without the express written permission of 
MEBBS Engineering and Software. 
  
  
MEBBS Engineering and Software is pleased to announce a release date 
for MEBBSNet BBS v1.0 of August 31st, 1993. 
  
As you may know MEBBS Engineering and Software purchased StarNet BBS 
from the previous owner last fall and has used the ensuing months to 
perform major rewrites, build in numerous changes and fix existing 
problems. 
  
Among the enhancements, fixes, and changes you can expect to see in 
MEBBSNet v1.0 are: 
  
 o DRASTIC reduction in executable size. The MEBBSNet executable is 
   now under 290k vs. 380k+ for StarNet. (Possibilities are good it 
   will shrink even further before release as fine tuning continues). 
  
 o DRASTIC reduction in the amount of system STACK usage. MEBBSNet 
   only requires a 20k stack for operation (Down from 60k in StarNet). 
  
 o DRASTIC increase in execution speed. Sophisticated programming 
   techniques and removal of 'busy loops' have resulted in incredible 
   speed increases in system operation. 
  
 o Removal of all Enforcer and MungWall problems. The software has 
   been converted to TRUE 32bit base-relative addressing, and uses a 
   'vanilla' compile (no switches needed at compile time). 
  
 o WorkBench v1.3 Compatable. 
  
 o Complete new file transfer protocol operation. Existing file transfer 
   protocols have been completely removed (and suffered a horrible, fiery 
   death :-)). XPR protocols are now used for file transfers, and are 
   Sysop configurable via an included GUI utility. There is no hardcoded 
   limit to the number of XPR's you may use. (Hooks are in place to allow 
   XPR protocols to be configurable by accesslevel in v2.0) 
  
 o Libraritized Task Management system keeps memory usage to a minimum 
   while maintaining a secure and stable environment. 
  
 o 3rd Party Developers Library and programming support 
   (MEBBSutility.library). Developers are furnished full library 
   information, example code, and complete documentation in 'autodoc' 
   format. 
  
 o 3rd Party Developers are assured upwards compatability with new releases 
   of the MEBBSutility.library -- no more recompiling when a new version is 
   released. If it works under MEBBSNet v1.0, it WILL work under future 
   releases. 
  
 o Graphic User Interface (GUI) utilities for Editing system configuration, 
   Users, and Files (MEBBScfg, MEBBSue, MEBBSfl). Library functions available 
   for 3rd party developers to write software that will access these features 
   via remote operation. 
  
 o Support for alternate character sets. 
  
 o Full Internal ASCII string configurability. This includes not only the 
   text itself, but also the Menu Command letters. 
  
 o Serial I/O has been rewritten from the ground up with an eye on stability 
   and speed. 
  
 o Support for 16,800 bps modems. (Early betatesting has shown 16,800 bps 
   file transfers to exceed 1950 cps on binary files, with more improvement 
   likely before release.) 
  
 o NEW Modem Compiler 
  
 o NEW Menu Compiler 
  
 o NEW ARexx port (with MORE features) 
  
 o NEW Nodelist Compiler (MEBBSnlp) 
  
 o CLI Door support. 
  
 o Emulator for running existing StarNet doors. 
  
 o NEW Line-oriented Message Editor (Full-Screen Editor(s) are already in 
   development by 3rd parties at this time). 
  
 o All file I/O code rewritten. (No more 'lost' files.) 
  
 o Internal File Indexing routines rewritten using linked-lists. ReIndexing 
   now is fast as well as easy on the CPU. 
  
 o Support for alternate 'FrontEnds' rewritten for proper operation. 
  
 o Internal FrontEnd now supports EMSI. 
  
 o NEW Tosser/Packer (MEBBStoss), is 5x faster than the previous Tosser/ 
   Packer and supports 4-D Addressing. 
  
 o Mail packets are processed in chronological order. No more reading 
   replies before the original. 
  
 o Point.CTL file removed. All point information is contained in Areas.ctl 
  
 o PassThru.ctl removed. All Passthru information is contained in Areas.ctl 
  
 o Tagnames are no longer tied to a particular messagebase #. If you move 
   a messagebase from one area to another, Areas.ctl no longer needs 
   to be modified. 
  
 o If a FidoNet (c) network transfer is aborted ALL files contained in the 
   .FLO file are reinserted for later transmission. (This includes file- 
   attaches, .tic files, etc..) 
  
 o NewUser Login has been rewritten for more logical operation. The old 
   problem of a newuser entering an existing handle no longer dumps them 
   back to the beginning. 
  
 o NodeList search function rewritten for proper operation. 
  
 o MEBBSbase now removes 'holes' (deleted file #'s) from the filebases 
   upon initialization (aka 'NOGAPS'). 
  
 o General reorganization of the system for more logical operation. For 
   FidoNet(c) systems, Areas.ctl now handles 4-D Addressing, Passthrus, 
   and tagnames. 
 
 o All user-configurable text files (.ctl) now reside in the MEBBSnet:S 
   directory. A Sysop now need only look one place to find configurable 
   textfiles. 3rd party developers are encouraged to use this reorganization 
   change for their utilities also. 
  
 o Log files now are more descriptive and consistant. This will allow for 
   3rd party utilities for billing, and other things that rely upon system 
   logs for operation to operate easier and with greater efficiency. 
  
 o Modem Dial-out functions have been completely rewritten. 
  
 o Eight Support Site systems available 24 hours a day to registered users. 
   Four are located in the United States, 1 each in Australia, Denmark, 
   Sweden, and the United Kingdom. All are available via FidoNet(c) and  
   some are available via alternate networks. 
  
 o Support is taken VERY SERIOUSLY by MEBBS Engineering and Software 
   and every effort will be taken to address problems encountered by 
   registered licensees. 
  
 o Software Upgrade Fees, MEBBSNet v1.0: 
  
    Registered StarNet licensees: NO CHARGE 
  
 o Documentation Upgrade Fees, MEBBSNet v1.0: (Not set at this time) 
  
    A completely new manual will be made available upon release. Due to  
    printing costs, it will be made available at our cost (We are NOT in 
    the manual selling business!). Cost has not been determined at this 
    time, and will be set after quotes have been received from printers. 
 
Roger Walker 
Director, MEBBSNet BBS Product Development 
MEBBS Engineering and Software 


@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-7 "Online Weekly"
@toc "menu"

/// ONLINE WEEKLY Amiga Report Online                The lines are buzzing!
    ---------------------------------



From the Amiga_Tech echo on Fidonet
-----------------------------------


Date: 26 Jun 93  12:24:00
From: Skipper Smith
  To: Jussi Alan{r{
Subj: Re: 68030 MMU
-------------------
JA> Steve, I have a friend with an EC030 that also says it has an MMU.
JA> Enforcer runs with no problems.  After talking to a friend who works
JA> at Motorola, they said that when they are testing chips and the
JA> Instruction unit passes but the MMU Fails, the MMU is completly
JA> disabled and the chip is marked EC.

I would like to know who your friend is.  This is NOT how Motorola does
business and it is NOT how the 68EC030's come into being.  Processors that
are destined to be MC68EC030's are taken off the assembly line for the
68030 after masking the final layer and are routed to another area where
their MMUDIS\ pins are tied to ground.  After that point, only absolutely
minimal testing is performed on the MMU portion of the chip to make sure
that the TTC's (transparent translation registers) are functioning and
that there are no grevious masking problems that could affect the rest of
the chips operation.  No processor under the EC or LC mark has failed ANY
tests (and, in fact, the vast majority of them would probably pass the
More [50%]? -Y/n/c- c
full MMU test if it was done).  The reason for this is because tester time
is VERY expensive and every chip has to be tested.  By having a version of
the chip that doesn't need as much time on the tester it can be sold for
less money (there are other reasons why the EC is cheaper but I won't go
into those here).


JA> OTOH, when they have a bunch of full blown 68030s and a customer orders
JA> 500 EC 030s and they only have 350 or so laying around, they label 150
JA> of the good parts EC and ship them.  Since EC units are supposed to go
JA> to embedded controllers, the added MMU would just be ignored by
JA> whatever piece of hardware it would be put into.


Now this is correct.  The easiest way to identify if you are the fortunate
recipient of a "real" '030 in MC68EC030's clothing is to check out the
package.  If it is ceramic, you have a real '030.  If it is plastic, you
have a 68EC030 (one of those other cost saving measures).

Skipper Smith                        Motorola Technical Training
All opinions are my own and not necessarily those of my employer


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


Date: Sat 26 Jun 93  8:56
From: Darren Ewaniuk
  To: John Fraser
Subj: Re: 3.0 os on 2000's?
-------------------
In a message dated 24 Jun 93  09:41:41, John Fraser wrote:

 JF> RE: Re: 3.0 os on 2000's?
 JF> BY: John Fraser to Mike Noreen on Wed Jun 23 1993 13:31:22

 >  > Sorry kid, wrong again. The AGA custom chips are STILL 16-bit. They only

 >  > 32-bit access to chip-ram. That's all.

 JF> How could (and why?) a 16 bit graphics chip(set) have 32 bit access
 JF> to ram? I mean, a 16 bit chip wouldn't benefit from 32 bit ram anyway,
 JF> so why would CBM put it in there?

Alice (like Agnus) has a 16 bit bus.  Lisa (like Denise) has a 32-bit bus. 
Paula is 16 bits, but then she didn't change.

More [42%]? -Y/n/c- c
Lisa controls the graphics display and reads the data from the chip memory in
32-bit-wide 'chunks'.  This gives a two-fold increase in chip memory
bandwidth.  Couple that with the fact that it does these fetches in a 'burst'
mode of two 32-bit chunks at a time, you get a four-fold increase in chip
memory bandwidth.  This is only for the tedious task of drawing the screen
each scanline, every frame.

Memory is 32-bits wide (like the A3000).  So CPU access to the chip memory is
also twice as fast as a 2000.

The blitter and coprocessor (Alice) is still only 16-bit.  This means any
blits will still only be moved 16 bits at a time.  Through a bit of magic
circuitry (actually, it's not too hard) Alice can select which part of a
32-bit longword (lower 16-bits or higher 16-bits) in the chip memory it will
blit to for any given 16-bit word.

So the system does benefit from Lisa and the chip RAM being 32-bits wide. 
Alice doesn't benefit, but it does know how to cope with it at its own
'speed'.


@endnode

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@node P1-8 "SHI Announcement"
@toc "menu"


/// A Word from Safe Hex International
    ----------------------------------


       FROM: MICHAEL ARENDS  @  SHI-RVC/West
                                P.O. Box 1531
                                Lynnwood, WA  98046-1531
      ----------------------------------------------------

     A word from Erik Lovendahl Soerensen from the MAIN SHI CENTER:
     -------------------------------------------------------------

 Several  people have asked me about our  reward of $1000 for the name
of a virus programmer, and a few have phoned me or have written to me to
get the reward. One of the questions I've been asked was about if other
than Amiga viruses were included for the reward.  Of course we pay the
reward for ALL different kinds of viruses both PC, MAC  and like.

 Today I don't have a valid virus announcement. If you know a virus
 programmer, please state the following:

   1. The  virus  name  (must be well-known).
   2. The address and name of the virus programmer.
   3. The name and the address of other people, who maybe know
      that the virus programmer has spread this virus.
   4. If you know, which way the virus was spread please state
      this, (spread e.g. by modem) 
 
 I can ensure that your name will be held 100% confidential, when we
 contact the  police, if you want that!

      Please  contact  me, and  I will send you more info:

                       SAFE HEX INTERNATIONAL
                       Erik Loevendahl Soerensen
                       Snaphanevej 10
                       4720    Praestoe
                       Denmark

                       Ph.   + 45  55 99 25 12
                       Fax   + 45  55 99 34 98
       ----------------------------------------------------
       Michael Arends                       PIONEERS BBS: 
       SHI RVC/West
       P.O. Box 1531                       (206) 775-7983
       Lynnwood, WA. 98046-1531
       USA
                  
       ----------------------------------------------------
       Jim Maciorowski                     Ground Zero BBS:
       SHI RVC/East                        (813) 849-4034
       P.O. Box 724                        (813) 845-4577
       Port Richey, Florida                (813) 934-9765
       34673-0724

@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-9 "Tip of the Week"
@toc "menu"


/// Amiga Tip of the Week
    ---------------------
    By Robert Niles



For those of you who dislike having to change the DEFAULT TOOL on the Amiga
Report's Icon from MULTIVIEW to AMIGAGUIDE each week might be interested in
this. You have to have OS 2.x (sorry 1.3 readers, you will still have to 
go in and change the DEFAULT TOOL), and all you have to do is create a 
"HardLink" so that everytime MULTIVIEW is called AMIGAGUIDE is run.

You do this with OS2.x 's MAKELINK command. MAKELINK will create a file 
which "points" to another file whenever called upon as an application or 
a command.

To do so all you have to do is type:

MAKELINK SYS:UTILITIES/MULTIVIEW SYS:UTILITIES/AMIGAGUIDE

(Template: MAKELINK [FROM] <file> [TO] <file> [HARD])

This assuming that AMIGAGUIDE is in the Utilities directory.
The MAKELINK command requires that the FROM and TO fields be on the same 
volume.

You only have to do this once, and MULTIVIEW and AMIGAGUIDE could be 
replaced with any other application or command you wish (Like when an
icon asks for MUCHMORE you can have it call up MORE instead).

Now that's some aspirin for an old headache eh?


@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-10 "UseNet Review - Cybernetix"
@toc "menu"


/// Usenet Review:  Cybernetix
    --------------------------
    By Marcus Albers
    (malbers@ns.ccsn.edu)


PRODUCT NAME

        Cybernetix


BRIEF DESCRIPTION

        This is a side scrolling shoot'em up with parallax scrolling,
excellent animation, digitized sound F/X, and multiple weapons.  The
game is shareware and can be found on any Aminet ftp site in the
directory pub/aminet/game/shoot.


AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

        Name:           Vision Software
        Address:        Unit 10, St. Kevin's Arcade
                        Karangahape Road
                        Central Auckland
                        New Zealand


LIST PRICE

        This game is shareware, and the registration fee is 5 pounds
sterling (about 10 US dollars should do it).  What do you get for your
money?  The satisfaction of having registered this excellent game.


SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

        HARDWARE

                NTSC Standard mode.  Operates in PAL mode.
                Not compatible while A570 CD-ROM drive is enabled.


        SOFTWARE

                None.


MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

        Amiga 500
        AmigaDOS 1.3
        1 megabyte Chip RAM
        External floppy drive
        A570 CD-ROM drive


REVIEW

        I remember the world of shareware for the Commodore 64 way back
when.  If I was able to find a game that used sprites instead of a custom
character set, it was an excellent find.  But finding games that even came
close to being commercial quality was unheard of.  Things very well may
have <changed, but I have now entered the world of Amiga shareware.  This
began in the summer of 1992, when I ordered my first shareware disk from
DevWare.  I loaded the first program on the disk, a game called Hate which
is a Zaxxon clone.  I was greeted with a high-res 32 color title screen and
4 voice stereo sound.  I was shocked!  Was this the world of Amiga
shareware?  Yes, it was.  And it continues to get better...

        Enter Cybernetix.  This is a shoot'em up in the style of Defender
and Sanxion.  Basic plot:  shoot everything that moves.  Nothing too
cerebral here, but it is fun nonetheless.  This is a jewel of a find that
should be added to anyone's collection, even if you don't play shoot'em up
as a general rule.

        The game uses left-right scrolling, with a parallax scrolling
starfield.  Your mission is to clear the asteroids and aliens which arrive
in waves.  A small radar system at the top of the screen, a la Defender,
shows all of the active aliens remaining in the wave.  The longer it takes
you to clear a wave, the more aliens show up.  The asteroids are destroyed
in a matter reminiscent of the old Asteroids game on the Atari 2600:  you
shoot the big one, and two smaller ones fly off. The smaller asteroids will
often yield blue energy crystals. These can be picked up for points, or you
can leave them for one of the types of alien space craft to pick up. If one
of these aliens picks up two of the crystals, and you shoot the alien, it
yields a power-up.  This gives you a special ability ranging from speeding
up your shots to giving you a spread gun to yielding a temporary shield.
These are very useful, especially in the later levels when things seem to
get impossibly fast.

        As I have mentioned before, the animation, graphics, and sound in
this game are all superb.  The asteroid rotation animation is excellent,
almost to the point where it might be mistaken for ray-traced animation.
Your ship's explosion is quite spectacular as well:  not just your basic
go-down-in-flames type explosion, but actual parts of your ship go flying.
The warnings ("sector cleared" and such) are done with digitized voice. And
yes, it is British for those Americans that can't stand the accent :-) (my
dad can't, but I happen to love the sound of the British voice). None of
the digitizing is scratchy in the least.  As far as actual graphics, I
believe they are 32 color hires graphics.  The game doesn't run in
overscan, which would be nice, nor does it run in interlaced mode.


DOCUMENTATION

        All of the documentation that is needed is available on the startup
screen of the game, including pictures of the aliens and what they do.


LIKES AND DISLIKES

        What did I like?  The graphics and animation are first-rate.  The
sound is just as good.  I always like shoot'em ups that have multiple
weapons; this gives the game a little more variety.

        What didn't I like? Not much. A "continue" option would have been a
welcome addition. Overscan and interlace support would have been welcome as
well.  Other than that, not much.


BUGS

        The only bug that I found was that the title screen tends to flash;
i.e., the graphics jump a bit.  This doesn't follow into the actual game,
so I believe that it is a minor bug.


CONCLUSIONS

        I rate this game 9.4 out of a possible 10 points.


@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-11 "Microbotics 1230XA"
@toc "menu"


/// Microbotics 1230XA -- 68030 Accelerator for the Amiga 1200
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    By Tom Mulcahy


The 2nd true accelerator for the A1200 is upon us.  The default con-
figuration of an '030/50 MHz makes it the fastest accelerator currently
available for the A1200.  Other versions include 33 MHz and EC030 40 MHz
chips.  All CPUs are socketed for upgradablitiy.  There is  also an FPU
socket for a  68881/68882 floating point unit which can be clocked in-
dependently of the CPU.  If the board is turned over one will find one SIMM
socket.  This one SIMM socket is capable of supporting up to a 128 MB SIMM
giving it the largest RAM capacity of any of the other FPU/RAM boards and
accelerators.  Next to the SIMM socket is a battery for the on board clock.

There are two jumpers on the board.  The first jumper is a 3 pin jumper and
is moved to pins 2 & 3 if the cpu and fpu are the same speed and on pins
1 & 2 if the cpu and fpu are clocked independently.  No mention is made of
what to do if NO FPU is installed.  I was told by Microbotics that if there
is no FPU installed the jumper configuration has no effect.  The second
jumper is what is known as the TEST jumper.  This jumper should be left
OFF.  If it is in the ON position the configuration EEPROM (mentioned
later) will be bypassed on boot and the XA's RAM setting is set to the
slowest cycle for 128 MB.  The installation sheet states the jumper should
ON only if the EEPROM is inadvertently in a 'confused' state.  I have yet
to find out exactly what Microbotics meant by 'confused'.  Never the less
the jumper should be left off or the board will seem to be acting confused.

Back to the topic of SIMMs...  Microbotics states this board will accept
any industry standard 32-bit wide 72-pin SIMM. I and another user on BIX
have reported incompatibility problems with both a 16 MB and 8 MB SIMM.
These were standard 32-bit wide 72-pin SIMMs as well.  When logs of the
error  tests were reported to Microbotics they felt it was a bad SIMM, but
after we both tested the SIMM on other machines (I tested it on a Mac
Centris 610) -- I don't recall what machine the other user tested his SIMM
on but it was in fact in working condition -- it was safe to assume the
board appears finicky about what brand SIMMs are occupying the socket.
I'm not trying to scare anyone into thinking this board doesn't work with
8 or 16 MB SIMMs, because my local dealer has an 8 MB SIMM in his 1230XA.
If you are able to either ask to try the SIMM in the board before purchase
or order one of  the recommended SIMMS listed in the installation sheet
that comes with the board.   

The board does not autoconfig.  According to the docs the board will 
autoconfig under the upcoming WB 3.1.  Two programs, SetXA and AddMem,
allow the board to be configured.  SetXA, which writes to the onboard
EEprom, allows you to set the amount of RAM installed, speed of CPU and
FPU and type of CPU (EC030 or 030).  AddMem should be placed in the
WBstartup drawer. Upon booting the board will be configured.  Also
included on the installation disk is a Mem test program and a copy of
AIBB.  

How fast is this board?  To get a true indication of it's speed try to
obtain the appropriate AIBB module as it will give you the most accurate
benchmarks.  Using Sysinfo v3.14 though, I obtained the following:

Dhrystones 7435

Machine | CPU | SPEED | x 1230XA/50/50/w4MB faster than
-------  ----- ------- ---------------------------------
A600     68000   7mhz   12.66
B2000    68000   7mhz   10.63
A1200    EC020  14mhz    5.83
A2500    68020  14mhz    3.61
A3000    68030  25mhz    1.60
A4000    68040  25mhz     .40

CPU Mips - 7.76
FPU MFlops - 1.33
Chip Ram speed vs A600 - 5.58


Besides the potential SIMM incompatibilities, the board has a couple areas
that could have been improved upon.  The addition of one other SIMM slot
would have been nice.  Although the one socket can already accept up to
a 128 MB SIMM this can make the SIMM purchase decision tricky.  Do you
spend a bundle all at once and get a 16 MB or even a 32 MB SIMM?  Or do you
settle for 4 MB or 8 MB the first time out?  And once the decision is made
to upgrade that particular SIMM must be sold off first.  The GVP 1230
Turbo has 2 SIMM sockets and so does the DKB RAM/FPU board.  Keeping the
price of the board down may have had a part to play in this design 
decision.  The board also doesn't have a jumper to disable the board.
Not a major problem but would have helped somewhat with compatibility.
I've run into a couple even newer games that won't run with the 1230XA,
such has Pinball Fantasies, one of my favorites.  

[Editor's note:  At last check, a 128 meg SIMM costs about $12,000.00.)

What I won't complain about is the performance of the board.  It is fast,
no doubt, and provides a massive increase of CPU and floating point
performance over a stock A1200.  Along with the battery backed clock and
large RAM capacity the board presents a good value.  With upcoming 
accelerators from CSA and ICD, Microbotics will face much stiffer
competition. 

** REVIEW ADDENDUM **

This review was intended to be published in the 1.14 edition of Amiga
Report but a certain discovery has prompted me to add the following.  The
Sysinfo benchmarks given were indeed for the '030/50/50 version of the
Microbotics board.  While playing with the settings this past week in an
attempt to get some games to run, I found out that the board can be sped
up by nearly 1 MIPS, pushing almost 9.  The settings for the SetXA program
with a 50 MHz CPU should be set up for a 50 MHz CPU, naturally, and 4 RAM
 cycles.  The RAM cycles are automatically defaulted to 4 whenever you
select 50 MHz.  If you set the speed to 33 MHz the RAM cycles get
defaulted to 3.  I obtained the following results from SysInfo 3.14 with
the 33 MHz/3 cycles setting:

Dhrystones 8368

Machine | CPU | SPEED | x 1230XA/50/50/w4MB faster than
-------  ----- ------- ---------------------------------
A600     68000   7mhz   14.25
B2000    68000   7mhz   11.97
A1200    EC020  14mhz    6.56
A2500    68020  14mhz    4.07
A3000    68030  25mhz    1.80
A4000    68040  25mhz     .45

CPU Mips - 8.73
FPU MFlops - 1.33
Chip Ram speed vs A600 - 5.58


I reported this to Microbotics, and the settings that the SetXA program
default to are conservative measurements.  They don't recommend changing
them and if you do you do so at your own risk.  I also ran the RAM test
program that comes with the board, MBRtest-2, all night long and it
reported zero errors.  Now I personally don't recommend you change the
default settings either nor will I or Amiga Report take responsibility if
you do and blow something up.  I  just wanted to report this phenomenon.
This is not a quirk in the Sysinfo program.  AIBB reports speed impovements
in several areas.  I rendered a scene of Ohau in hi-res overscan with
Scenery Animator that took exactly 2:48 to render with the board set to 50
MHz and 4 RAM cycles. With the board set to 33 MHz and 3 RAM cycles the
same scene took 2:35.  If you set the board to 50 MHz and just change the
RAM cycles the board will appear to speed up to 8.70+ MIPS but then after
a few minutes of use it always goes back down to the 'normal' 7.70 MIPS, so
the RAM cycles aren't solely responsible.  As one would expect if the board
is set to 40 MHz, the benchmarks fall right in between the 33 MHz setting
and the 50 MHz setting... a little faster than the 50 MHz setting and a
little slower than the 33 MHz setting as long as the RAM cycles are set to
3 and not 4.  Of course, being the speed freak that I am I decided to push
the board farther by setting it to 25 MHz.  No go.  The 1200 will simply
refuse to boot.  If the RAM cycles are set to anything less than 3, the
1200 will tend to lock up.  The 'safety zone' seems to be between 33 MHz/3
cycles and 50 MHz/4 cycles (the recommended setting!).

Microbotics, Inc.
1251 American Parkway
Richardson, Texas 75081
(214)437-5330  Central Time Zone, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm


@endnode
***************************************************************************
  
@node P4-1 "Delphi"
@toc "menu"


/// Delphi:  It's Getting Better All The Time!
    ------------------------------------------


 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...
                  When connected, press RETURN once or twice
                                    and....
                 At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN.

  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
receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access  during this  month for only
$5.  If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of
the calendar month with no further obligation.   If you  keep your account
active, you  will automatically  be enrolled  in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan,
where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for  a minimum
$10 monthly  charge, with additional hours available at $3.96.  But hurry,
this special  trial offer  will expire  soon!   To take  advantage of this
limited offer,  use your  modem to  dial 1-800-365-4636.  Press <RET> once
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!


@endnode
***************************************************************************
@node P1-12 "A.M.I.G.A."
@toc "menu"


/// Another Moronic, Inane and Gratuitous Article
    ---------------------------------------------
    by Chad Freeman
    (cjfst4+@pitt.edu or cjfst4@cislabs.pitt.edu -- Internet)
    (cfreeman -- BIX)


     Hi there folks!  Well, last week I left you with a sort of un-
intentional cliff-hanger, since the crummy zmodem program on the UNIX box I
send this to was hungry and ate half of my article.  Unfortunately,
I hadn't saved the article on my Amiga, being in relative haste to get it
in slightly later than on-time.  Since I can't find our friend Oswald, I've
decided to make this...

    *======================================================*
    !------------------------------------------------------!
    !THE FIRST AND PROBABLY LAST EVER A.M.I.G.A. CONTEST!!!!
    !------------------------------------------------------!
    *======================================================*

     'Wow!' you say.  'Gee!' you say.  'Stop with the "you say's"' you say!
 'Quit using weird quotation groupings!' you say.  Well, shut up and let me
tell you about the contest, ok?

     The FAPLEAMIGAC (pronounced 'bleh') contest is thus:  you write a
suitably funny ending to Oswald's AMIGA PARK story, and _I_ will print YOUR
NAME and YOUR STORY in MY COLUMN!  How's that for the deal of the century??
Yes, I know, you're saying 'big whoop.'  Well, if you're bored one night,
jot down a hundred words or something and mail it in to one of my INTERNET
addresses. If you mail it in before Wednesday, July 14th, and I arbitrarily
pick it as the winning article, you'll know by that Friday when AR comes
out, or whenever you read it, whichever comes later.  Oh, and if you're
simply an egomaniac wanting your name in lights and will go around killing
people if you don't win, don't bother.


     Well, now I'm feeling really good, because I've slacked off on another
week's work by setting up this contest, plus eaten up some precious article
space this week.  So on with the article.

     Y'know, recently there has been a lot of bad press about Commodore.
They're firing people left and right, is what it comes down to.  But while
many people see this as a bad thing, I, in my twisted way, don't (boy I use
a lot of commas).  See, the way I see it, all of these firings ought to
INCREASE productivity.  I mean, after all, now the remaining staff can
knock out the walls in their cramped offices and have some elbow room.
Also, Commodore now has tons of free warehouse space so they won't have to
maintain or rent a large building to hold their stock.  And to top it all
off, the money they save from recycling all of those office-door nameplates
should save them a bundle.  So don't worry about Commodore, they'll do just
fine.  In fact, the only time I'll worry about the old seaman is when a
certain unnamed individual on the Usenet newsgroups starts having good
things to say about the company (but then the Earth will end so I won't
have to worry about it).

     And speaking of Usenet and the Internet; some people are calling it
the prototype for a global information highway.  Doesn't this scare anyone
else?  Internet is one thing and one thing only, ladies and gentlemen: mass
chaos incarnate.  It's been a gazillion years since the first Internet
mailing programs showed up and they still can't get rid of the 20k or
whatever limit on messages, folks!  Every piece of mail you read has 2000
lines of junk at the beginning, and a 100 line signature at the end, with
500 lines of useless text quoted in the middle.  In fact, I think sending
your mail out in space and waiting to see if it follows a circular path and
ends up back on Earth would be better than the current system.  No, I think
we should ditch the Internet and hire NewTek to do the job of designing and
implementing a global network, because 1) it'd use Amigas and 2) it'd have a
cool name like Telecom Coffee Maker or something.  Just think, you'd get a
'mail bean' from your buddy in Kalamazoo and you could use your own editor
to write a reply.  Just save it to the 'roaster' and out it goes. Of course
a mail processing program could only be called the 'grinder.'  And
multimedia extensions to mail?  Why, 'cream and sugar' of course!

     Well, now that I've 'pun'ished you for the week, its time for me to
file this under 'T' for terminally warped.  Remember, get those FAPLEAMIGAC
submissions ready!  I leave you, dear friends, with this little tidbit, the
joke of the week.

     Q. How many Bill Gates does it take to screw in a light bulb?
     A. One, but you need to add 4 megs memory and an 80 meg hard drive.

     Tune in next week for another exciting episode of A.M.I.G.A., the only
column with new added whitening ingredients to get your teeth sparkly
clean!


@endnode
***************************************************************************
@node P4-2 "Portal"
@toc "menu"


/// Portal:  A Great Place For Amiga Users
    --------------------------------------



                   Portal Communications' Amiga Zone

         The AFFORDABLE alternative for online Amiga information
         -------------------------------------------------------

The Portal Online System is the home of acclaimed Amiga Zone, which was
formerly on the People/Link System.  Plink went out of business in May,
1991 and The Amiga Zone's staff moved to Portal the next day. The Zone has
just celebrated its second anniversary on Portal. The Amiga press raves
about The Amiga Zone, when compared to its competition.

If you live in the San Jose, CA area, then you can dial Portal directly. If
you live elsewhere, you can reach Portal through any SprintNet (formerly
Telenet) indial anywhere in the USA or through Tymnet from anywhere in
North America.  If you have an account on another Internet-connected
system, you can connect to Portal using the UNIX Telnet programs, from
anywhere in the industrialized world.  Delphi and BIX users can now Telnet
into Portal for a flat $19.95 a month, with *unlimited* use.

Some of Portal/Amiga Zone's amazing features include:

 - Over 1.5 GIGabytes of Amiga-specific files, online, 24 hours a day.
   Portal has dedicated a 2.5 GIGabyte disk drive to the Amiga Zone.
   We have virtually unlimited space for files and new uploads. 

 - The *entire* Fred Fish collection of freely distributable
   software, online.  All of it.  Every disk.  Well-organized so
   it's easy to find exactly what you're after.

 - Fast, Batch Zmodem file transfer protocol. Download up to 100 files at
   once, of any size, with one command. 

 - Twenty Amiga vendor areas with participants like AmigaWorld, ASDG,
   Soft-Logik, Black Belt, Apex Publishing, Stylus, Prolific, NES,
   and many others including Compute's Amiga Resource with over
   4 Megabytes of exclusive Compute magazine disk stuff you won't find
   elsewhere.

 - 35 "regular" Amiga libraries with thousands of files.  Hot new
   stuff arrives daily.  Since Portal has FTP connections we can get
   new freely-distributable software online within MINUTES of its 
   being announced on Usenet.

 - No upload/download "ratios" EVER. Download as much as you want, as
   often as you want, and never feel pressued doing it.  Start downloading
   files with your first session on Portal. 

 - Live, interactive nightly chats with Amiga folks whose names you
   will recognize.  Special conferences.  Random chance prize contests.
   Famous Amiga folks aren't the exception on Portal, they're the norm.
   Instead of stumbling around in frustration you can talk to the
   people who design your hardware, who write your software.

 - Vast Message bases where you can ask questions about *anything*
   Amiga related and get quick replies from the experts.

 - Amiga Internet mailing lists for Imagine, DCTV, LightWave, HyperAmi,
   Director and Landscapes are fed right into the Zone message bases.
   Read months worth of postings.  They don't scroll off, ever!
   No need to clutter your mailbox with them.

 - FREE unlimited Internet Email.  Your Portal account gets you a
   mailbox that's connected to the world.  Send letters of any length to 
   computer users in the entire industrialized world.  No limits. 
   No extra charges. No kidding!
   
 - Portal has the Usenet.  Tthousands of "newsgroups" in which
   you can read and post articles about virtually any subject you can
   possibly imagine.  Usenet feeds into Portal many times each hour.
   There are 14 Amiga-specific Usenet newsgroups with hundreds of
   articles posted every day, including postings by Commodore 
   personnel.  Since Usenet is distributed worldwide, your questions
   and answers can be seen by literally hundreds of thousands of
   people the same day you post them.  

 - Other Portal SIGs (Special Interest Groups) online for Mac, IBM, Sun,
   NeXT, UNIX, Science Fiction, Writers, amateur radio, and a graphics
   SIG with thousands of GIF files to name just a few.  ALL Portal SIGs
   are accessible to ALL Portal customers with NO surcharges ever.

 - The entire UPI/Clarinet/Newsbytes news hierarchy ($4/month extra)
   An entire general interest newspaper and computer news magazine.
 
 - Portal featues an exciting package of Internet features: IRC, FTP,
   TELNET, MUDS, LIBS.  Free to all Portal customers with your account.
   Internet Services is a menu driven version of the same kinds of 
   utilities you can also use from your Portal UNIX shell account.
 
 - All the files you can FTP. All the chatting you can stand on the IRC.  
   And on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) you can talk live, in real time 
   with Amiga users in the U.K., Europe, Australia, the Far East, 
   24 hours a day. 

 - Our exclusive PortalX by Steve Tibbett, the graphical "front end"
   for Portal which will let you automatically click'n'download your
   waiting email, messages, Usenet groups and binary files!  Reply to mail
   and messages offline using your favorite editor and your replies are
   sent automatically the next time you log into Portal.
   (PortalX requires Workbench 2.04 or higher)

 - And Portal does NOT stick it to high speed modem users. Whether
   you log in at 1200 or 2400 or 9600 or 14.4K you pay the same low 
   price.

How does all that sound?  Probably too good to be true. Well.. it's true.

Portal Signup or for more information:

1-408-973-9111 (voice) 9a.m.-5p.m. Mon-Fri, Pacific Time
1-408-725-0561 (modem 3/12/2400) 24 hours every day
1-408-973-8091 (modem 9600/14400) 24 hours every day
or enter "C PORTAL" from any Sprintnet dial-in in the USA,
or enter "portal" from any Tymnet "please log in:" prompt, USA & Canada
or telnet to "portal.com" from anywhere.

PORTAL'S CURRENT RATES:

All prices shown are in U.S. Dollars
                                                Total Total  Total  Total
                                                Cost  Cost   Cost   Cost
                                          Fee   1 hr. 5 hrs. 10 hrs.30 hrs.
                          Startup Monthly Per   Per   per    per    per
                          Fee     Fee     Hour  month month  month  month
                          $       $       $     $     $      $      $

Portal                    19.95   19.95         
 2400/9600/14.4Kbps, *direct 24 hrs        0.00 19.95  19.95  19.95  19.95
 2400/9600bps nonprime Sprint or Tymnet    2.50 22.95  32.45  44.95  94.95
 2400/9600bps prime Sprint +% or Tymnet 5.50-10 29.95  69.95 119.95  varies
 2400/9600bps non prime # PCPursuit        1.00 20.95  24.95  29.95  49.95

* plus cost of phone call if out of Portal's local dialing area
  Direct rates also apply to connections made to Portal using the
  UNIX "telnet" program from an account you may already
  have on an Internet-connected system. 
% 9600 bps Sprintnet and Tymnet available in over 300 cities areas
+ $10 rate prevails at smaller US Cities
# PCPursuit is a service of US Sprint. Portal is a PCPursuit
 "Direct Access Facility" thus connection to Portal with a PCP account
 is simply a matter of entering C PORTAL,PCP-ID,PCP-PASSWORD  at the
 SprintNet login prompt instead of C PORTAL. 

Note: 

   Portal Direct 9600/14400 bps service is availble for both USR HST
   modems, and any V32/V32.bis modems. There are dozens of direct-dial
   high speed lines into Portal.  No busy signals!

   SprintNet 9600bps service is V.32 modem protocol only.
   Tymnet 9600bps services is V.32 modem protocol only.
   Again, Portal does NOT surcharge high speed modem users!

   Portal subscribers who already have an account on an Internet-capable
   system elsewhere, can use that system's "telnet" program
   to connect to Portal for $0.00 an hour. That's right ZERO. From anywhere
   in the world.  If you're in this category, be sure to ask the Portal 
   reps, when you signup, how to login to Portal from your existing
   Internet account.  

Call and join today.  Tell the friendly Portal Customer Service
representative, "The Amiga Zone sent me!"

That number again:  408-973-9111.

Portal Communications accepts MasterCard, Visa, or you can pre-pay any
amount by personal check or money order.  The Portal Online System is
a trademark of Portal Communications. 


@endnode
***************************************************************************

@node P1-13 "Zeus 68040"
@toc "menu"

/// Usenet Review:  Zeus 68040 Accelerator for Amiga 2000
    -----------------------------------------------------
    By David W. Walthour
    (David.W.Walthour@Dartmouuth.EDU)



PRODUCT NAME

        Zeus 68040 accelerator for the Amiga 2000


BRIEF DESCRIPTION

        68040 accelerator card for the Amiga 2000 with SCSI II controller.
Expandable to 64 MB of 32-bit RAM.  This review describes the 28 MHz
version of the card.


AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

        Name:           Progressive Peripherals Inc.
        Address:        938 Quail Street
                        Lakewood, CO USA 80215-5513

        Telephone:      (303) 238-5555
        FAX:            (303) 235-0600
        BBS:            (303) 238-6326


LIST PRICE

        Due to the sudden drop in price of this card last February, I am
uncertain of its current list price; however, I believe it is about
$1495.00 (US) with no RAM installed.

        When I purchased my Zeus in February, the price was $649.50 (US) with
no RAM installed.


SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

        The Zeus card requires that you have an Amiga 2000 computer.  The
board is designed to handle both the original German A2000 and the B2000
(rev 3.9 and greater).

        
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

        Amiga B2000 with rev 3.9 motherboard
        1 MB Chip RAM
        AmigaDOS 2.1 (Kickstart 37.175, Workbench 38.35)
        28MHz Zeus, 12 MB 32-bit RAM, with mounted Quantum 105LPS hard drive


HARDWARE & INSTALLATION

        [MODERATOR'S NOTE:  If you are not comfortable opening up your Amiga
        or handling expansion devices, then you should have the work done by
        an authorized Amiga service center.  Opening your Amiga yourself may
        void your warranty, and careless work may even damage the machine.
        - Dan]

        The board contains the 68040 processor, which is cooled by a small
fan mounted on top of it, 16 SIMM sockets for adding up to 64 MB of RAM, an
internal and external SCSI II connector for adding either SCSI or SCSI II
devices, and a mounting bracket for attaching a low profile SCSI drive to the
back of the card.

        The board takes standard 1x8 or 4x8 SIMMs which are 80ns or faster
(28 MHz Zeus) or 60ns or faster (33 MHz Zeus).  The SIMMs are installed in
groups of 4 and must be of the same type (1x8 or 4x8).  You can mix groups
of 1x8s and 4x8s on the board to achieve many different memory
combinations.  This allows you to start cheaply with 1x8 SIMMs and add
larger amounts of RAM using 4x8s later.

        You need at least one group of 4 SIMMs on the card in order to use
it.  Without 32-bit memory on the card, it is likely that you won't notice
much speed improvement, and certain operations may actually run slower than
on a stock 2000.

        The SIMMs snap into the sockets easily; however it is recommended
that you get your dealer to install the memory for you.  If you are foolhardy
enough to install memory yourself (like me), you should wear a grounding
strap to avoid damaging the SIMMs.

        After you install memory on the board, you have to configure the
jumpers on the board.  PPI was very thoughtful in designing this board and
put these jumpers at the top of the card so that when it is installed in the
computer, they are still accessible without having to remove the card.
There are about 12 jumpers to configure which control the memory, computer
type and default settings of the board, and the manual does an adequate job
of explaining most of these.

        However, there is one set of jumpers that the manual is rather
unclear about.  These jumpers control the amount of memory that will be
autoconfigured.  Autoconfigured memory has an advantage that it is available
to the Amiga even if you boot it in "native" mode (using the 68000 instead
of the Zeus's 68040).  However, there is a disadvantage:  the autoconfigured
memory is accessed as if it were 16-bit memory rather than 32-bit memory
when in 68040 mode, resulting in a 60% slowdown when the '040 uses this
memory.  So you should consider the specifics of your setup before choosing
the amount of RAM to autoconfigure (0, 2, 4, or 8 MB).

        A special note for Amigas with only Chip RAM:  if you choose 0 MB
autoconfigured, then Kickstart will get loaded into Chip RAM, slowing down
your performance.  So you need to set aside some Autoconfigure memory
(typically 2 MB) so that Kickstart will be in Fast 16-bit RAM; however, it
is not possible to get them opened in the much faster 32-bit RAM.

        Mounting a SCSI drive is easy using the mounting bracket on the card
and the additional hardware provided.

        Now you can install the Zeus into the 2000.  You should also have a
dealer install the board for you, but here are a few tips if you decide to
go it alone.  Installation of the board is somewhat hampered by the fact
that the fan atop the '040 sticks rather far out of the board.  As a result,
to insert the board, the manual directs you to remove all other cards from
your 2000 and swing the card in from the side (the manual has pictures to
help describe this).  This was rather inconvenient for me because I have
quite a few other cards in my system, so I removed the screws from the drive
bay/power supply cage in my 2000 to move it slightly out of the way so I
could insert the card straight down.  Either method gets the job done, but
neither is particularly easy.  It would have been nice for PPI to design the
board for easier installation.

        The only thing remaining is to install the software.  This consists
of placing a few libraries in your LIBS: directory and placing a program
called INIT040 at the beginning of your startup-sequence.  This program adds
the 32-bit memory to the system, places a Kickstart image in 32-bit RAM and
moves the system vectors to 32-bit RAM.  A program is provided to move these
things from the installation disk to your hard drive, but unfortunately my
installation disk was slightly damaged and so I had to install these
programs and libraries myself.


REVIEW

        When I got the Zeus configured and installed, and I booted my
machine, I was amazed by how much faster it was.  To quantify this speed
increase, SysInfo 3.18 reports about 21 MIPS (millions of instructions per
second) and about 5.33 MFLOPS (millions of floating point instructions per
second).  This is about 29 times faster than a stock 2000 in MIPS and about
350 times faster in MFLOPS.  Using the benchmark program AIBB 6.1, I found
that, overall, the Zeus card was 1.74 times faster than an Amiga 4000 at
integer tests, 1.15 times faster at floating point tests, but only 0.62
times as fast at graphics tests (due to the 4000's AGA graphics chips).

        Quantifying the speed of the SCSI II controller is not possible for
me because I don't have a SCSI II drive.  However, with my Quantum 105 SCSI
drive, I find that I can potentially achieve a transfer rate of about 1.1
MB/sec from Diskspeed 4.2 which seems to be the limit of the Quantum drive.
This performance unfortunately drops off quickly as the drive becomes
fragmented.  

        I have used my Zeus for about 4 months now and have had very little
software trouble with it.  Some games and some PD demos programs have not
worked with the 68040 processor, but in such cases it is easy to reboot the
machine in 68000 mode to run the program.  The vast majority of software I
have used is compatible with Zeus.


DOCUMENTATION

        The documentation is well written; and except for the lack of
information regarding the technicalities of the autoconfig memory (see
above), it is very complete.


LIKES AND DISLIKES

        Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the Zeus accelerator.  From a
hardware point of view, I think it is extremely well designed. However, I do
have two dislikes about the software:  one relatively small and one large:

        My smaller dislike is with the INIT040 program in that it
initializes the system in a nonstandard way.  For instance, when it remaps
the Kickstart into 32-bit memory, it does so by not adding 1 MB of the
32-bit RAM to the system and using this to hold the 512 KByte Kickstart
image.  The result is that the remaining 512 KBytes that aren't configured
are wasted and can't be used by the system.  Furthermore, INIT040
initializes the Memory Management Unit (MMU) tables of the 68040 processor
in a non-standard way which can conflict with other programs (such as
EMPLANT) which also try to use the MMU.  For these reasons, I suggest that
anyone using Zeus NOT use the INIT040 program.  Nic Wilson's Set040 (on Fred
Fish #642) can be used to map the Kickstart ROM.  There are also a variety of
programs to add memory to the system and to move the system vectors to
32-bit RAM, and the latest version of Commodore's SetPatch and 68040.library
will set up the MMU tables in the standard way.

        My large dislike is with the device driver for the SCSI II
controller.  For some unknown reason, PPI wrote the driver in such a way
that it steals nearly ALL of the CPU cycles when it is reading or writing to
any devices attached to it.  <FLAME ON>  This is an Amiga, not a MAC!  Device
drivers should be properly written to utilize the Amiga's multitasking
architecture and should not use busy loops to poll for data from the
device!  The stupid programmers at PPI better get their act together and
rewrite the device driver properly! <FLAME OFF>

        Neither of these problems is big enough, however, to recommend
not purchasing the Zeus card.  It is a phenomenal value.


COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

        I have never used another 68040 accelerator for the 2000, so I can't
compare it to other 68040 products.  However, I have used a GVP '030 Combo
accelerator and can say that Zeus compares favorably with it.  I feel that
the Zeus has a superior hardware design in that it is built around using
inexpensive 1x8 and 4x8 RAM SIMM modules, whereas the GVP accelerators use
proprietary SIMMs which cost quite a bit more ($50+ per MB for the GVP vs.
$33 per MB for the Zeus).  The GVP accelerators, though, have more
thoughtfully designed software which operates with AmigaDOS in a more
standard way (like not using busy loops in their device drivers).


BUGS

        I have found no bugs other than those already listed above.  Some
other owners on Usenet have complained that they have examined their 68040
chip and found it to be marked as a "68EC040", the version which does not
contain an integral MMU, and some users who have checked have complained
that they could not get the MMU to operate.  PPI claims that they received a
shipment of '040 chips from Motorola which were incorrectly marked.  I have
not examined my '040 chip and my MMU does operate correctly, so I can't
really comment on this issue.


VENDOR SUPPORT

        Vendor support from PPI has generally been poor.  When you attempt
to contact them, you almost always reach an answering system, and they have
taken over a week on average to respond to any questions I have left on
their system.  If you have questions regarding Zeus, I would recommend
turning to USENET or your local dealer before trying to contact PPI.


WARRANTY

        PPI offers a limited 1 year warranty on Zeus which extends only to
the original purchaser.


CONCLUSIONS

        Overall, I feel that the Zeus accelerator is a very good product and
would give it a rating of:

o       4 out of 5 overall

o       5 out of 5 on hardware design

o       2.5 out of 5 on software for the poorly designed, but bug-free,
        device driver

o       4 out of 5 for the documentation

I would recommend it to anyone buying an accelerator for their 2000.


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


An update from Alan Quirt...

I just read David W. Walthour's review of the PPI Zeus board. I followed the
discussion in c.s.a.hardware when the price reduction was big news, and kept
notes on problems and suggested solutions.  Two things should perhaps be
added to the review.

1. The Init040 program supplied by PPI should NOT be placed at the beginning
of your startup-sequence if you are running any OS version earlier than 2.1.
It will crash your Amiga.  Instead it should follow LoadWB.  (Of course you
may not want to run it at all, for reasons given in the review.)

2. Some Zeus boards came from the factory with the autoconfig jumper set for
4 MB of autoconfig memory. If you have only 4 MB on the board and leave that
jumper unchanged, nothing works.  Several people said to avoid using over 2
MB autoconfig.  I think it would be best for anyone with other fast RAM to
leave all Zeus memory non-autoconfig.

Both of these hints come from USENET, not from personal experience.
However, several people reported the problems, and I saw no contradictions
in the posted solutions.

Regards, Al Quirt
(aquirt@bnr.ca)


@endnode
***************************************************************************
@node P4-3 "Holonet"                                    
@toc "menu"


/// Holonet:  Inexpensive Internet Access
    -------------------------------------


                                *** HOLONET ***


HoloNet is an easy to use Internet Access BBS.

HoloNet is based on custom BBS software which provides an easy to use menu
driven interface.  HoloNet is ideal for those looking for an easy way to
use Internet services.  HoloNet does not currently provide UNIX shell
access.

Services include:

    o  Convenient Access
       A local call in 850+ cities nationwide.

    o  Online Publications
       Include USA Today Decisionline, Newsbytes, Datanet Computer News,
       Eeeekbits, and Boardwatch Magazine.

    o  USENET
       Averages over 30MB of USENET news per day.  The following news
       readers are available: NN, TIN, and RN.

    o  Internet E-Mail
       Members have an Internet E-mail address similar to:
       member@holonet.net

    o  Internet Access
       Access to telnet, talk, finger, IRC, and FTP.
       (note: you must comply with the policies of any networks you use)

    o  Single and Multi-player Games
       Board, card, fantasy, and puzzle games.

    o  Support for Eudora
       Excellent off-line Macintosh e-mail reader.

    o  UUCP E-mail and USENET feeds
       Link LAN E-mail systems and BBSes to the Internet.

How to try HoloNet for FREE:
      Telnet: holonet.net
       Modem: 510-704-1058 (Berkeley, CA) at 1200, 2400, 9600, or
              14400 bps.  There are free demo numbers nationwide, for an
              automated response containg a list of access numbers, send
              e-mail to access@holonet.mailer.net

How to get more information:
      E-mail: info@holonet.net
       Modem: 510-704-1058 at 1200, 2400, 9600, or 14400bps
       Voice: 510-704-0160
         Fax: 510-704-8019

HoloNet is a service mark of Information Access Technologies, Inc.

           Copyright © 1992 Information Access Techologies, Inc.
                           All Rights Reserved.


@endnode
***************************************************************************

@node P1-14 "Warez out there"
@toc "menu"


/// Warez Out There
    ---------------
    By Tom Mulcahy



TITLE
          STAT-RAM

VERSION
          2.0

AUTHOR
          
          A joint effort by

          Richard Waspe
          INTERNET : waspy@cix.compulink.co.uk
          USENET   : rwaspe@hamlet.adsp.sub.org
          FIDONET  : 2:255/72.2

          Nicola Salmoria
          INTERNET : MC6489@mclink.it

DESCRIPTION
          StatRam is a very fast, very recoverable ram drive. It works on 
          any Amiga using V2.04 or greater of the OS. It maintains the
          remarkable recoverability of the original VD0:, but has now been
          totally re-written to handle any DOS filesystem, be named what
          you like, and give back memory from deleted files instantly.
          Please follow these instructions closely as the setup is very
          different from earlier versions of StatRam

The files in this archive are based on asdg.vdisk.device, originally

**  Copyright 1987 By Perry S. Kivolowitz (ASDG Incorporated) All Rights
**  Reserved to Author. NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

We are not willing to infringe copyright laws; but since there hasn't been
any update in the last five years, we are trying to provide an useful tool
to the Amiga community. StatRam 2 has been so totally re-written,
there is almost none of the original remaining. However, the same
distribution restrictions of the original apply:

**  May not be distributed by any commercial software or hardware vendor.
**  May not be sold under any guise.
**  Must (please) contain this and copyright information above and below.
**
**  Specifically:
**
**  No maker or seller of Amiga  expansion  hardware or software may dis-
**  tribute this  software in  *any* way. No  reseller  of  public domain
**  software may distribute this software either (as this is *NOT* in the
**  public domain).
**
**  The only acceptable means of  distribution is by networks, bbs's, fnf,
**  and by (non-profit) user groups. Distribution MUST BE FREE (except for
**  media costs plus a token amount covering only shipping and handling).



Overview
--------
Some of you will remember, and maybe still use, one of the first
recoverable ram disks ever written for the Amiga: VD0.
VD0 is quite good at its job, and is probably the one which resists the
heaviest system crashes. It also uses memory in a very efficient way,
starting from the bottom of the memory pool and thus avoiding
fragmentation. This also means that if you have both 32-bit (fast!) and
16-bit (slow!) memory, it will use 16-bit memory first, leaving the faster
memory for more important tasks.

Unfortunately, VD0 also shows its age. It doesn't support FastFileSystem,
and it doesn't work on machines which don't have fast memory in 24-bit
addressing space.

Here is the solution. We have completely disassembled asdg.vdisk.device,
and made major changes and enhancements in it. The result is a new device
called static.device, which holds the advantages of VD0 and enhances them
with new features. Static.device:
- Supports all filesystems from OFS to the new DCFS provided with OS 3.0.
- Works on all machines. At least, we hope so.
- Frees unused memory almost instantly..
- May be named anyway you like - it's not stuck to SD0:
- Will test sector checksums on every read (_very_ important with Fast
  File System which doesn't do it by itself).


Installation
------------
- Copy static.device to DEVS:
- If you have Workbench 2.1 or later, drag the icon SD0 to DEVS:DOSDrivers.
  If you have Workbench 2.04, join the file named Mountlist to
  DEVS:Mountlist, and add a 'Mount SD0:' command to your user-startup.
  Otherwise, you're in bad luck: it won't work with previous releases of
  the operating system.


Configuration
-------------
You may control three aspects of SD0:
- Its size
- The type of memory it uses
- The filesystem it uses

AVAILABILITY
          BIX - statram20.lha - 6,399k


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


TITLE
          How to code demos on AGA machines - text 

VERSION
          v5.0

AUTHOR
          Comrade J/SAE - ex demo maniac
          
DESCRIPTION
          Some good info on how to properly code on AGA machines.  The
          next best thing to the actual C= v39 includes and autodocs for
          now.  

AVAILABILITY
          BIX - howtocode5.lha - 32,681k


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



TITLE
          DiskSalve 2 

VERSION  
          v11.25 

AUTHOR
          Dave Haynie
          284 Memorial Avenue
          Gibbstown, NJ
          08027  USA
    
          BIX:  Hazy
          Portal:  Hazy
          Usenet:  daveh@cbmvax@commodore.com

DESCRIPTION
          DISKSALV 2 (V11.25) RELEASE NOTES

	DiskSalv is a "Disk Salvage" program.  It can recover data from a
disk in severe trouble, it can fix a good portion of disk problems directly
on the problem disk, and it can locate valid partitions on a disk with an
unknown layout or damaged rigid disk block.  It supports all AmigaDOS file
systems through 3.0.  The included "Cheap" manual details the basic
functions available, while the semi-commercial manual covers every little
detail, theory of operation, and other good stuff.  

	If you're the type who would rather just run the program and see
what happens, type "DiskSalv" or click on the icon to begin.  Brief help on
individual menu items and gadgets is available via the HELP key.  HELP will
active the help message for any gadget or menu item that's currently under
the mouse pointer.

CONTENTS

	The DiskSalv 2 distribution comes in two archives for on-line
release, one for the program and English documentation, one for the various
locale support files.  For software library distribution, it comes with the
program and English documentation expanded, the locale information
compressed.  The files themselves are the same in any case.

The main program distribution (all files have associated .info files)

  DiskSalv2/README				This file
  DiskSalv2/DiskSalv				The main program
  DiskSalv2/Project.info			A sample project icon
  DiskSalv2/Docs				The documentation files
  DiskSalv2/Docs/english			English docs directory
  DiskSalv2/Docs/english/DiskSalv.doc		The cheap manual, in English

Please see the current locale distribution for the available selection
of localized catalogs and documentation files.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

	I would like to acknowledge some of the help I had on this project.
There are individuals too numerous to mention who had a part, either by
making suggestions or testing.  Thanks go to the Commodore-Amiga Software
group for help with the GUI development and pushing me to use style-guide
standards and post 2.04 things like localization.  And I want to call
particular attention to those who did the translations for me:

	Danish translation by Jesper Kehlet
		email:  kehlet@kehlet.adsp.sub.org

	French translation by Jean-Francois Dreyfuss
		email:  dreyfusj@issy.cnet.fr

	Italian translation by Fabrizio Lodi
		email:  lodi@ghost.sm.dsi.unimi.it

	Norwegian translation by Petter Nilsen of Ultima Thule Software
		email:  petter@pnilsen.adsp.sub.org

	Finnish translation by Jukka Marin 
		email:  jmarin@messi.uku.fi

	Swedish translation by Mathias Axelsson
		email:  d92max@txfs1.hfb.se

Hopefully additional translations will be finished before too long, work
continues on this.  

AVAILABILITY
          BIX - disksalv2.lha - 79,616k
          AMINET
 

@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-15 "Lazarus Long"
@toc "menu"


/// Lazarus Long V II STR Feature          Thank you for the humor....
    -----------------------------
    Reprinted from STReport #9.25



                     THE NOTEBOOKS OF LAZARUS LONG 
                                Issue #2


         [Editor's Note:  I don't know what happened to Issue #1.]



Compiled by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
 
Various real-life sayings (some attributed, some not) that could fit in-
to the Notebooks of Lazarus Long.  From the Jerry Pournelle RT on Genie

     Cheap, fast, good - pick two,

     "We must be open minded, but not so open minded that our brains 
     fall out." -- James Randi

     "If it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."

     The worst thing about some men is that when they are not drunk they 
     are sober. -- William Butler Yeats

     "The only thing worse than not getting what you want, is getting 
     what you want."

     Any benevolent system designed to aid the truly needy will be 
     abused by the truly unworthy.

     Wherever I go, there I am.

     Despite its high cost, living remains popular.

     "To desire the end is to desire the means."

     That which does not grow stronger, kills us. --M. Dederian 

     Most people would sooner die than think; in fact they do so.
     -- Bertrand Russell

     "Beware of cookies bearing fortunes"
     -- Found in a fortune cookie 

     In ten seconds I can tell you more than I know.
     -- Anonymous Government Employee

     Being right too soon is always socially unacceptable.

     "Arguments are debatable."
 
     Politicians hate to see a beautiful theory mugged by a gang of ugly 
     facts.

     Never carry a knife to a gunfight.

     The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the 
     other bastard die for his. -- Gen. George Patton

     I think the past is behind us - it'd be real confusing if not.
     From the Blues Traveller song, "But Anyway."

@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-16 "AR InfoFile"
@toc "menu"


/// MCI 800 COLLECT SERVICE  AR InfoFile
    ------------------------------------


                            MCI's 1-800-COLLECT
                            ===================



     MCI  has  announced 1-800-COLLECT,  a new  way  for consumers  to make
collect calls.  Beginning  today, children, students, men and women  in the
armed services, travelers, truckers -- everyone who takes advantage of long
distance collect  calling -- will be  able to save their  parents and loved
ones  up to  44 percent (vs.  AT&T operator-dialed rates)  on collect calls
they make from any phone in America and Puerto Rico.  Americans now  make 1
billion collect calls each year, spending more than $3 billion.

     "Until MCI's 1-800-COLLECT, collect calling lagged far behind advances
made in other products and services in the long distance marketplace," said
Gerald  H.  Taylor,  president  of MCI  Consumer  Markets.  "Reversing  the
charges,  which dates  back to  the 1890s,  is one  of the  oldest services
available.  Contemporary collect  callers  have been  stuck with  some very
old-fashioned constraints."

     When the  consumer makes a "0+"  collect call today, the  person he or
she  is calling is charged by the  long distance provider of the phone from
which the  call is placed.   Demand has been suppressed  due to complicated
dialing schemes, high prices and the absence of any true competition.

     "In  a  world where  consumers  usually make  choices  about services,
collect callers are simply left out," Taylor continued.

     To  use   the  new   service,   callers  simply   dial   1-800-COLLECT
(1-800-265-5328)  to reach an operator  who will connect  the call. Neither
the caller nor the
recipient  needs  to be  an MCI  customer.  1-800-COLLECT is  made possible
through  billing  arrangements with  local  telephone  companies and  MCI's
proprietary    ISN   (Intelligent    Service   Network),    a   specialized
software-controlled network  for MCI's Calling Card  and Operator Services.
The ISN enables  MCI to provide  the customized call  handling and  network
routing for 1-800-COLLECT calls. The network efficiency provided by the ISN
is passed on to consumers in the form of lower rates.

     MCI launches  today a  multi-media  national advertising  campaign  to
introduce 1-800-COLLECT.   Advertising  will  appear on  network and  cable
television, in print publications  and outdoor media throughout the  United
States.

CONTACT:  Kate Fralin or Su-Lin Cheng of MCI, 1-800-436-9749


@endnode
***************************************************************************
@node P4-4 "NVN"
@toc "menu"


/// NVN WANTS YOU!                        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.


                            -=* 9600 BAUD USERS *=-
                  $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.


@endnode
***************************************************************************
@node P1-17 "AR Confidential"
@toc "menu"


/// AR Confidential                   "We heard it through the Grapvine!"
    ---------------


Rumor has it that NewTek is to be the first electronics company to market
breakfast cereal.  To be called ToasterFlakes, the pieces will be shaped
like tiny Amiga 2000's with no nameplate, and have a distinctive flavor
that beta testers call "Freon."  Each box will include a prize -- a
different screenshot from various movies produced using the Video Toaster.
The cereal is said to have no nutritional value, and yet at the same time
does not contribute to tooth decay or heart disease.  In fact, further
rumors indicate that the primary ingrediant will be dried banana peels.
Demos of this new cereal are available on S-VHS, Hi8, 3/4" and VHS formats.


@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P3 "Dealer Directory"
@toc "menu"


/// Dealer Directory                               Serving our readers!           
    ----------------



                            Apogee Technologies
                          1851 University Parkway
                         Sarasota, Florida  34243
                           VOICE:  813-355-6121
                              Portal:  Apogee
                     Internet:  Apogee@cup.portal.com


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


                       Computers International, Inc.
                             5415 Hixson Pike
                          Chattanooga, TN  37343
                           VOICE:  615-843-0630


                           Finetastic Computers
                             721 Washington St
                             Norwood, MA 02062
                           VOICE:  617-762-4166
                       Portal:  FinetasticComputers
               Internet:  FinetasticComputers@cup.portal.com


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


                              PSI Animations
                         17924 SW Pilkington Road
                          Lake Oswego, OR  97035
                           VOICE:  503-624-8185
                     Internet:  PSIANIM@agora.rain.com


                           Software Plus Chicago
                          3100 W Peterson Avenue
                             Chicago, Illinois
                           VOICE:  312-338-6100


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

@endnode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@node P1-18 "Humor Department"
@toc "menu"


/// The Humor Department           Jokes, Quotes, Insults, Shameless Plugs
    --------------------


             If you believed what you read in AR Confidential,
                  you're dummer than the heads of Atari!

@endnode

@node P2-3 "In Closing"
@toc "menu"

===========================================================================
                  Amiga Report International Online Magazine
July 2, 1993           * YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE *            No. 1.15
                     Copyright © 1993 All Rights Reserved
===========================================================================
Views, Opinions and Articles presented  herein are not necessarily those of
the editors  and staff of Amiga Report International Online  Magazine or of
STR Publications.  Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless
otherwise noted.  Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the
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                             Makes it possible!!

@endnode

@node menu "Amiga Report 1.15  Main Menu"
@toc "menu"

@{"    Columns and Features    " link P1} News, Reviews, and More!
@{"     About AMIGA REPORT     " link P2} Staff, Copyright information
@{"      Dealer Directory      " link P3} Dealer Addresses and Numbers
@{" Commercial Online Services " link P4} Sign-up information
@{"     FTP Announcements      " link P5} Files available for FTP



/// 07/02/93 Amiga Report 1.15   "Your Weekly Source for Amiga Information"
    --------------------------
    · The Editor's Desk       · CPU Report          · New Products
    · Dealer Directory        · AR Online           · AR Confidential
    · Warez Out There         · A.M.I.G.A.          · SHI News
    · Cybernetix              · Zeus 040/A2000      · Amiga Tip of the Week

                      » Microbotics 1230XA Reviewed «
               » New Telecommunications Tax Hidden in Bill «
              » Atari and IBM Join  Forces to Market Jaguar «


===========================================================================
                 Amiga Report International Online Magazine
                 "Your Weekly Source for Amiga Information"
                            » FEATURING WEEKLY «
                  Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information
      Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
              Hardware · Software · Corporate · R & D · Imports
===========================================================================
               PORTAL · DELPHI · FIDO · INTERNET · BIX · NVN
===========================================================================
@endnode

@node P1 "Columns and Features"
@toc "menu"

@{"     From the Editor's Desk     " link P1-1} A Word of Caution
@{"       CPU  Status Report       " link P1-2} Modem Taxes??
@{"         CDROM-FS v1718         " link P1-3} New release of CDROM device
@{"        New M.O. Company        " link P1-4} Another place to get Amiga wares
@{"         Blitz Basic 2          " link P1-5} New Release
@{"     MEBBSNet v1.0 Release      " link P1-6} Specs and info of MEBBSNet BBS program
@{"         Online Weekly          " link P1-7} The lines are buzzing!
@{"        SHI Announcement        " link P1-8} Reward info on info relating to Virus programmers
@{"        Tip of the Week         " link P1-9} Creating Hardlinks
@{"   Usenet Review - Cybernetix   " link P1-10} Great game!!
@{"   Microbotics 1230XA Review    " link P1-11} An Accelerator for the A1200
@{"           A.M.I.G.A.           " link P1-12} Contest!!!!!
@{"   Usenet Review - Zeus 68040   " link P1-13} Accelerator for the A2000
@{"        Warez Out There         " link P1-14} PD/SW program information
@{"       Lazarus Long V II        " link P1-15} Humorous Sayings and such
@{"          AR InfoFile           " link P1-16} MCI 800-Collect
@{"        AR Confidential         " link P1-17} New Cereal from a BIG developer!
@{"     The Humor Department       " link P1-18} SSLLLAAAAPPPPP !!!!!

@endnode


@node P2 "About Amiga Report"
@toc "menu"

@{" For Starters " link P2-1} Where to get AMIGA REPORT
@{"   AR Staff   " link P2-2} The Editors, and Contributers
@{"  In Closing  " link P2-3} Copyright information

@endnode

@node P4 "Commercial Online Services"
@toc "menu"

@{"   Delphi   " link P4-1}  Select for information on these services
@{"   Portal   " link P4-2}  and how to sign up.
@{"   Holonet  " link P4-3}
@{"    NVN     " link P4-4}

@endnode

@node P5 "Files for FTP"
@toc "menu"

@{"  ARoach 1.0   " link P5-1} CockRoaches infect your screen!
@{" MainActor 1.1 " link P5-2} A Modular Animation Package

@endnode
