@database "ar303.guide"
@Node MAIN "Amiga Report Online Magazine #3.03 -- January 30, 1995"

                               @{" Turn the Page " link MENU}

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                 "THE Online Source for Amiga Information!"

                      Copyright 1995 FS Publications
                            All Rights Reserved

                                      //
=====================================//====================================
== January 30, 1995               \\//                    Issue No. 3.03 ==
===========================================================================

@endnode
@node MENU "Amiga Report Main Menu"
@toc MAIN

===========================================================================
==                               Main Menu                               ==
===========================================================================

    @{"  Editorial and Opinion   " link OPINION}             @{"    Featured Articles    " link FEATURE}

    @{"         Reviews          " link  REVIEW}             @{"  News & Press Releases  " link NEWS}

    @{"    FTP  Announcements    " link     FTP}             @{"       Reader Mail       " link MAIL}

                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @{"    About AMIGA REPORT    " link ABOUT}             @{"    Dealer Directory     " link DEALER}
 Contact Information and Copyrights     Amiga Dealer Addresses and Numbers

    @{"     Where to Get AR      " link WHERE}             @{"   Commercial Products   " link COMMERCIAL}
 Mailing List &  Distribution Sites     Online Services, Dealers, Ordering
               ______________________________________________
         //   |                                              |       //
========//====| Amiga Report International Online Magazine   |======//=====
==   \\//     | Issue No. 3.03            January 30, 1995   |   \\//    ==
==============| "THE Online Source for Amiga Information!"   |=============
              |______________________________________________|

                            Watch this space!
@endnode
===========================================================================
==                        The Amiga Report Staff                         ==
===========================================================================

@node JASON "Editor"
@toc STAFF

===========================================================================
==                                EDITOR                                 ==
===========================================================================

                               Jason Compton
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             Internet                                  Address
             --------                                  -------
     jcompton@cup.portal.com                   1838 Chicago Ave. #419
     jcompton@bbs.xnet.com                     Evanston, IL 60201-3806
                                               USA

               Fax                                      Phone
               ---                                      -----
           708/491-4064                             708/332-4599

@endnode
@node ROBERT "Senior Editor"
@toc STAFF

===========================================================================
==                             SENIOR EDITOR                             ==
===========================================================================

                               Robert Niles
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~
            Internet                                   Address
            --------                                   -------
      rniles@rniles.pnw.net                        506 W. Orchard
                                                   Selah, WA 98942

            FidoNet                                      Fax
            -------                                      ---
           1:3407/103                                509/697-5064

@endnode
@node KATIE "Assistant Editor"
@toc STAFF

===========================================================================
==                           ASSISTANT EDITOR                            ==
===========================================================================

                             Katherine Nelson
                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                 Internet
                                 --------
                            Kati@cup.portal.com


@endnode
@node MICHAEL "European Editor"
@toc STAFF

===========================================================================
==                            EUROPEAN EDITOR                            ==
===========================================================================

                               Michael Wolf
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                 Internet
                                 --------
                      MikeWolf@bonebag.tynet.sub.org

@endnode
@node SEAN "Games Editor"
@toc STAFF

===========================================================================
==                             GAMES EDITOR                              ==
===========================================================================

                               Sean Caszatt
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                 Internet
                                 --------
                  Sean.Caszatt@f512.n2601.z1.fidonet.org

@endnode
@node DAVID "Contributing Editor"
@toc STAFF

===========================================================================
==                          CONTIBUTING EDITOR                           ==
===========================================================================

                               David Tiberio
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                 Internet
                                 --------
                      dtiberio@libserv1.ic.sunysb.edu

@endnode
@node EDITORIAL "compt.sys.editor.desk"
@toc OPINION

===========================================================================
==  compt.sys.editor.desk                           By: @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

<sigh>

Things just keep getting weirder.

Commodore UK is "making noises" (as Amiga Format's Web page puts it) that
they've got the highest bid.  In the meantime, CEI is all set (so they
say) to submit a new, cash-and-carry bid with a full letter of credit.

In the midst of all of this, the US courts, Bahamanian courts, and
Commodore creitors FINALLY agreed on a protocol-that is, a concrete method
to handle the liquidation.  The decision was to proceed to the auction
phase as soon as possible, and to allow examination up to 12 months into
Commodore's history for mismanagement.

In response, Irving Gould and Medhi Ali have filed a motion to block on the
grounds that they filed for liquidation under Bahamanian law and insist
that it be followed to the letter.  Between the lines, though, is the fact
that Bahamanian law only allows examination 3 months into the past of the
company...and last I checked, Gould and Ali didn't win any "Business
Executive Of the Year" awards.

Aaargh.

A rumor also claimed that Commodore Canada was refurbishing machines and
selling them to dealers, promising a 1 year warranty and new machines
within two months.

Well, a representative of Commodore Canada unilaterally denied those rumors
this morning.

So, to sum up, nothing particularly new...unfortunately.

Incidentally, I postponed announcing the next AR Coverdisk this week
because I don't think anybody noticed that it was coming back.

Let me say this again: The mailing list for the disk has been lost, so if
you want to get on, let me know.

For now, that's all.  See you next time...

Jason
@endnode
@node MAIL "Reader Mail"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                             Reader Mail                               ==
===========================================================================

From: Dalibor.Kezele@bonus.fido.hr (Dalibor Kezele)
Subject: Letter To AR

Dear Jason and AmigaReport,

Just finished reading AmigaReport 3.02.  I'm happy when somebody is doing
something for Amiga instead of talking about it.  Amiga is on the critical
point of the life and we all have to anything we can to keep it alive. 
AmigaReport zine does a great job here.  I'm reading it from the 1st issue
I saw, think that was 2.23 which was released on the end of July.

The design you changed a couple of issue back is great but I still didn't
use to it.  Also, in last issue you again have the same old mistake with
empty spaces on the right border which causes horizontal scrooling of
nothing (I have WB open on 640*256).  Everything else is just fine,
expecially I like announcements included from CSAA conference on Usenet and
top 100 list of modules that you put into last issue.  Hope you'd include
it into AR in the future.  I'm also wondering what happened to CAUG.

Here in Croatia we also do a zine in AmigaGuide format.  It's called GUIDA
and it's on Croatian language.  We're trying to support mostly Amiga, then
other things like Informatics and scene happenings.  Guida doesn't have so
big amount of readers like AR, but we try to keep things together.

These days when we need real news instead of just rumours, AR comes in the
right time.  Don't quit it!

Dalibor Kezele (dalibor.kezele@120.hrfido.fesb.hr)

PS.  "ST" humour sections in the issue 2.24 wasn't understandable for those
who aren't Star Trek fans.  Hopefully, I'm one of them!

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

From: Osma Ahvenlampi <Osma.Ahvenlampi@hut.fi>
Subject: Re: Pipe recursion

Martin Steigerwald <steigerw@stud.uni-frankfurt.de> wrote in Amiga Report 3.02:

>Requirements are: A working pipe command in command path!  Maybe you also
>need OS2.0 or above....

Actually, that's UNWORKING pipe command...

>Then all what you have to do is type:  pipe |
>When memory is eaten up, cancel all those requesters that may come up and
>after all that, when your amiga is still alive type:  dir

>My question to all: WHY THIS DOES HAPPEN?????  Does this happen with every
>pipe command or only with the one I use???  (If you could not reproduce
>this, I will tell ya want pipe command I use...)

It happens with the "original" Pipe command by Andy Finkel, found in (for
example) finkelshelltools.lha on Aminet. It's a bug in the otherwise quite
nice program.

And, it's a reason why I wrote a replacement. util/shell/Pipe-1.5.lha,
found on Aminet, does not have this behaviour, and, as an extra bonus, it
works with AmigaShell scripts also. Requires OS 2.04, but then again, the
Shell it is written for did not exist before that. Tested on OS 3.1 by me,
and by an unknown number of people on unknown version versions of OS.. All
reported bugs fixed, so it's pretty safe. ;)

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

From: David Anyadike <umanyadi@cc.UManitoba.CA>
Subject: Reader Mail: UnpackAR

   I've been using a simple script file for the last year to automatically
unpack and display the latest Amiga Report after I download it, and I
wanted to share it here.

   I'm on the Amiga Report Internet mailing list, and get the latest Amiga
report mailed to me.  When it arrives in my mail box, I save it to my
personal file area at the university as, for example, AR302.  I then zip
it, and download it to my computer.  After I download it, I run the
following script (I call it UnpackAR) on my Amiga and continue to fiddle
online while my 68000 eventually unpacks Amiga Report and displays it
automatically.  When I finish online, the script already has AR
displayed... 

;----Start of Script----

.KEY ARname 
.DEF ARname "a"
makedir vd0:AR
cd vd0:AR
unzip DH1:<ARname>
uuxt x #?
delete dh1:ar#?.guide#? dh1:Install-AReport#?
lha x #? dh1:
cd dh1:
delete vd0:AR all
pat "run amigaguide" ar#?.guide

;----End of Script----

You'll notice an extensive use of wildcards.  By the use of wildcards and
it's own work directory in vd0:, it allows more flexibility.  This means
that you can give the UUencoded file ANY name, and when you zip it the zip
archive can be given any name as well (as long as you put the archive name
as the argument for the script).  Using whatever your favorite name for the
archive happens to be, adjust the '.DEF ARname' default parameter so that
no arguments are necessary (A.zip works for me). 

Just note the script requires unzip, or any unzipper.
                              uuxt, or any UUdecoder that accepts wildcards.
                              amigaguide.
                              lha, or un-lha-er that supports wildcards.
                              VD0:, the recoverable ram disk (if you don't
                                 have it, use RAM: instead)
                              DH1:, like on my harddrive (Any valid device
                                 with enough space can be used)
                              pat, the pattern matching script that
                                 Commodore included in your S: directory.

  Now I know that some people can't use the script above 'as is', so here's
some notes to make customizing it easier:

.KEY ARname             ;Gets the archive name as a command line argument
.DEF ARname "a"         ;Uses A.ZIP as the default filename, if none given
makedir vd0:AR
cd vd0:AR
unzip DH1:<ARname>      ;Replace unzip with your unzipper
uuxt x #?               ;Replace uuxt with your UUdecoder that allows wildcards
delete dh1:ar#?.guide#? dh1:Install-AReport#?
lha x #? dh1:
cd dh1:                 ;Note the DH1: references in the last 4 lines - 
delete vd0:AR all       ;       replace them if necessary
pat "run amigaguide" DH1:ar#?.guide
                        ;Make sure you have pat in your S: directory

The script and it's usage is very simple, and I hope I haven't made it seem
complicated.  I think it saves me a lot of typing, and speeds up the
process by automating it.  I used the protect command, as follows:

protect UnpackAR +s

so I can run the script just by typing "UnpackAR".  E-mail me if you find
this script useful, or if you have problems. 

@endnode
@node ASSTEDIT "Workbench Vision"
@toc OPINION

===========================================================================
==  Workbench Vision                              By:  @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE}  ==
===========================================================================

I had a vision of love... 

Well, anyway...

In order to circumvent any complaints, I'd like to say now that my outline
of what a future Amiga should be like is based upon my experience using
one, the answers that I received to my survey about Workbench improvements,
and my experience selling software to the PC-clone and Macintosh using
consumers. (Yeah, yeah, I know, but I needed the money.)

If anyone disagrees with what I say here, feel free to mail me.  I'm aware
that probably not everyone will agree with my ideas, which is why I've
placed them in the Opinion section.

This'll be a long one, so I'll get started.

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

First off, hardware.

I personally have no opinion as to which processor would be best suited for
the Amiga, although using the PPC would help issues of cross-platform
compatibility as that processor becomes more and more popular.  However, I
think we could manage just fine with a different one if we tried (and if it
were cheaper...).  Also, I don't plan on addressing the more technical
aspects of hardware design, since I'm definitely not qualfied to do that. 
(Yet)

Video:  I realize that many people have 1084s or like to hook up their
televisions to their computers.  Especially in the larger European market.
However, this causes a problem for those who would like to buy the *much*
cheaper and easier to find VGA and SVGA monitors.  So, what I would propose
is to have a 24-bit flicker-fixer, similar to what is built in on a 3000.
This would enable the use of those cheaper monitors.  Plus, a SVHS and/or
composite output for the TV users.  The 23 pin port would be dropped.
Obviously, the graphics capability would be 24 bit or greater.

Sound:  16 bit, of course, with 8 voices.  The machines would keep RCA
output for the sound.

Joystick/Mouse:  From what I have seen, almost no one wants to switch to a
serial mouse, so I would keep the joystick and mouse ports as they are,
with one exception.  A third port would be added that would fit the
IBM-style analog joysticks.  It would just make things easier.

Keyboard:  I would change the port to be compatible with IBM/AT keyboards,
to give the user a broader choice.  The Amiga special keys would be
emulated by software in the OS.  Of course, the computers would be shipped
with a standard Amiga-style keyboard.

Drives:  Disk drives would be 1.44 standard on ALL machines, and perhaps
even 2.88 if they could be had for relatively cheap.  Hard drives would
also be standard.  We can't convert anyone to our machine if we show them
a floppy-only system.  Also, the floppy drive needs to be faster, and
SHOULD NOT CLICK.

External SCSI port:  There would be one on all machines.  Even low end.

Cases:  The 4000 case reminds me of an internal CD-ROM drive.  The front
plate is a different color than the rest of the case.  Cases should be
white or black, or a combination of the two.  No more beige.  It's
friendly, but doesn't look serious enough.

Final note: The mouse/joystick ports would not be "left-handed" like the
A4000 is.  The ports would be in the back.

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

Second, operating system.

If we can have popular operating systems ported to our machine, that's
great, but we need to have a powerful OS of our own to make people choose
the Amiga over any other machine that will eventually be able to run other
OS's.

The basic structure should remain the same, I think, with both a GUI and a
powerful shell.  However, the GUI would become easier to use (A beginner
can get lost easily when trying to get something they downloaded to
work...), and the shell would become more UNIX-like.  In short, the Amiga
would have to be the perfect machine for Joe User who can't type, and for
Joe Hacker who won't touch a mouse.

Without going into great detail about the shell, some features it needs are
a move command (Come on!  It's about time!), and dir, pipe, and the *
wildcard built-in and fast.  We don't want to confuse someone who's used
MS-DOS for the past 7 years.  Also, file-name completion, cut and paste
within the shell, and a scroll bar, to name a few things.

The look of the GUI would be more configurable, with the ability to change
the width and height of the window borders, scrollers, titles, and gadgets.
This would also combat the problem of strange aspect ratios in different
screen modes.  Also, the actual style of the gadgets could be changed, such
as in MUI.  However, as this would be directly written into the system
code, it would be a negligible time lag.  I think about 3 different sets of
gadget looks should be included.  There's no point in including a neat
option if we don't let the user play with it right out of the box.  Of
course, other sets could be added.

Prefs would get a huge overhaul.  I personally feel there should be only
one prefs icon, and it should bring up a colorful GUI interface (much like
a Mosaic-viewed HTML document).  Each type of prefs would have a button on
this interface, with a one-word description, and perhaps even a small
picture representation.  There would only be one pref button for each type
of prefs.  (i.e. *one* Printer prefs button, one Screen button that would
replace Monitor and Overscan)

The Screen prefs would include more screen modes that are compatible with
the PC-clone world, such as 640X480, 1024X768, and 1280X1024. One of these
(probably one of the first two) would be the default screen mode, and would
be in 16 colors.  Also, RTG would be used, in order to support superior
graphics cards as they became available.

In the Palette prefs, *any* color in the palette could be edited, any pen
could be locked, and any color could be used for different parts of
Workbench, including more options such as Active Window Title and Inactive
Window Title, as long as separate options for the text of each.  Also, the
border color of the Workbench could be selected here.

The Background option would be slightly different as well.  The options for
Pattern would be removed.  Most people use pictures, and they're what's
really impressive.  Several (15+) nice textures and patterns would be
included, suitible for many different color schemes.

The Sound prefs would remain the same except with additional options,
allowing one to specify different sounds to be played at different system
events.  Several different sounds, most professional, some amusing, would
be included.

There would be an Icon Prefs, from which one could decide what style of
icons they wish to use.  Each set would be a single file, and when a set is
chosen, Icon Prefs would install the separate icons it contains where they
belong.  This includes updating all drawers recursively on selected
partitions, and replacing the images (not the tooltypes) of program icons.
Although Icon Prefs would be able to find most system programs, a requester
would appear when an icon for a 3rd party program or a missing/misplaced
utility was reached.  There would be an option to give it the proper path,
or to cancel the operation of that particular image change.  Default icons
could also be updated in this manner.  3 different icon sets should be
included.

Furthermore, there would be an Edit button, where icons could be changed or
created.  This editor would be more powerful than the current one, with the
features of a basic paint program. (Incl. brush operations, graduated fill).

Icons would behave much as the NewIcons icons, with color guessing.
However, there would only be one image file, since all people with this
operating system would be using the advanced type of icons.

The Pointer prefs would use the exact same editor, but be restricted to the
usual number of colors unless something were done to change that
limitation.  The current pointer editor is simply not enough.  Also, there
would be built-in support for animated busy pointers and perhaps even
animated regular pointers.  At least 3 pointer styles should be included. 
Hopefully somehow designed to match the 3 different icon sets, and even the
3 different system gadget sets.

The Font prefs would show the entire font.  Better fonts would be included,
as well.  An Edit button would be included, and the font editor would be
the same program as the icon and pointer editor.  And Topaz-8 would be
completely, totally, forcibly removed from any system the new OS comes into
contact with.

A Mouse prefs would be created, which would handle standard mouse options,
plus SunMouse type options, and the operation(s) to be performed by the
middle mouse button.  (3 button mice should be standard with the Amiga.)

Other new prefs would include a Dock prefs and a Menu prefs, which would
allow users to easily create menus/menu items and dock/dock items.  The
default prefs would include the prefs and some included utilities in the
menus and the dock(s) as examples.

Moving from prefs (I know, it's about time), Multiview would be streamlined
and improved.  It doesn't necessarily need to be as slow as it is.  Some
datatypes (for the same type of file) are faster than others, and this
shows the room for improvement.  Also, it shouldn't be terribly difficult
to be able to save in a different (but similar) datatype than what was
opened.  (Graphics conversion, sound conversion...)

And whoever gets the Amiga: PAY COMPUSERVE FOR THE USE OF THE GIF DATATYPE.
Yes, jpeg is better, but people use GIF, and we don't need another Medhi
Ali vs. the blinky cursor type of deal again.  Please.

Luxuries like Memory Protection and Virtual Memory should be included, but
if they were not, Guru's should once again say "Guru Meditation Error", and
give you the error message in some human language instead of just numbers.
(And don't send me mail telling me you speak numbers just fine, and can
identify any guru.)

Anything included with the OS should be font-sensitive.

Windows, screens, and programs should be able to be iconified, and anythin
should be able to be moved to its own screen.

We should either convert from AmigaGuide to HTML, or make AmigaGuide look
much more like HTML and have inline graphics.

When copying files, there should be a progress indicator, such as when
disks are formatted.

I'd like a multithreaded Workbench, but could get by I suppose without it.

And the text-editor should be more useful, at least up to par with
Microsoft's Edit, but preferably much nicer.  Ed just doesn't cut it.

Now, this is the bare-bones system software.  For an additional small sum
of money, for those who want it, more pack-in software should be available.

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

On to pack-ins.

This is what's needed:

   -  A small paint program, like Paintbrush in Windows, except it can take
   advantage of all colors available.  This would have a feel remarkably
   similar to that of the icon/pointer/font editor.

   -  An Address/Phonebook.  A sleek, small one that looks simple, yet
   professional.  To be oh-so-cyberspaceish, it would include space for
   e-mail addresses, as well as beeper, fax, home, and office numbers.

   -  A simple terminal program.  It would support ANSI, zmodem, etc.  It
   could use the Address/Phonebook for it's own.
   
   -  A simple directory utility.  Even smaller than the shareware DirWork
   versions, but along the same lines.  Move/Copy/Delete/Rename/View Text
   would be necessary, but Lha X, UUDecode, and others would be nice as
   well.  (LHA and a uudecoder would be included, as well as unzip.)
   
   -  TCP/IP software.  Now, to keep the internet from scaring the masses
   (although I can't help to shiver at the prospect of hundreds of
   thousands of new users on the internet), this software should look and
   feel comfortable.  Therefore, the client programs should be accessed
   from a button bar.
   
      Sending e-mail would be done through a much similar interface as the
      Address/Phonebook, where you could either click on a name and the
      e-mail address would automatically be used as the destination, or a
      new one could be inputted.  The editor would be user-defined, with
      the included one as default.

      The Telnet client and the IRC client would use the terminal program
      as an interface, but the IRC client would have an additional button
      bar, much like Grapevine.

      The FTP client would make use of the directory utility for great ease
      and comfort of use.  Of course, rename, move, and delete would not be
      allowed of remote files without proper access.

      The Mosaic client would be familiar because it would resemble the
      Prefs menu, and because AmigaGuide documents would either look like
      Mosaic HTML documents, or HTML would be being used instead.  Either
      way, it would be familier.

      Gopher would use the same interface as Mosaic. 
   
      I'm not sure how Usenet would be accessed, but perhaps with a
      combination of the directory utility and the text editor.

   -  A simple word processor.  This wouldn't even need to be as complex as
   Final Copy II, but would need nice fonts w/many sizes and styles, the
   ability to include pictures, and paragraph and page formatting options.

   -  A mod player

   -  A virus checking program

   -  Disk utilities such as DiskSalv

   -  Screen Blanker, with documentation on how to write additional
   modules.

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

Well, that's it.  Feel free to write to me (my address is behind my
button), and tell me what you think.
@endnode
@node OPINION1 "Outlook on the Future"
@toc OPINION

===========================================================================
==  Outlook on the Future                               By:  Aric Caley  ==
===========================================================================

  I'm going to open my big mouth once again and lay out what I believe is
the right plan of action for the Amiga.  I hope that this makes its way to
whoever (CEI or C= UK) actualy winds up winning the bid for the Amiga (my
personal preference would be CEI, and it looks like they might win).

I maintain that the Amiga market (and Commodore's market historicaly) is:

  Home computer users (basic WP, etc) and game players.

  Video and multimedia.

  Specialty applications (Kiosks, etc)

  Developers/techies.

Roughly in that order (in terms of unit sales)

  We don't, and likely won't ever, compete with high-end machines (like
SGI's and the like) except in special things like video, and even then only
because sometimes the Amiga is much cheaper (Video Toaster).

  We can't compete directly with IBM clones.

  Another market which I think we can, and should, make inroads to is
education.  Amiga's could be presented as a very attractive educational
computer.  First and possibly foremost, they are fun!  They are colourfull,
responsive, and just plain fun.  They have a high "fun to cost" ratio.
With emulation, they can run almost anything.  Multimedia perhaps has its
greatest potential as a learning tool.  Finaly, kids parents can actualy
afford to buy the same fun computer their kids use at school.

  This is all important to remember when you consider what kinds of changes
should be made to the Amiga.

Marketing:
----------

  What's that?  Oh yeah, that thing that Commodore didn't do very well.  
Actualy, I have several very fine examples of great brochures and marketing
devices from Commodore -- they are much more profesional looking than, say,
those from Atari.  Problem is, they never followed through on them.  Always
cutting off funding too soon.  And, not getting the materials to the people
who needed to see them.

  The new Amiga company needs to focus on the Amiga's strengths and its
market.  "Multimedia" and "Video" need to be stressed, as well as "Fun",
"Inexpensive" and "Powerfull".  Apple has been going hog wild with their
Multimedia campaign, and it's just rediculous because the Amiga can do it
so much better.

  We need a new image.  With Commodore gone, there is an oppurtunity to
completely change the Amiga's image.  I propose the introduction of the
Amiga V Series.  We won't tell anyone outright what the V stands for, but
just between you and me, it means "Video" and it's also the roman numeral
for 5 for "Fifth generation".  I see five stages in the Amiga's history:
A1000, A500/A2000, A3000, A1200/A4000, and finaly, the all new born-again
Amiga rising like a Pheonix in 1995 (note the 5 in that year).  Of course
there is also the law of fives for you Discordians out there (see
"Principia Discordia").  This is the kind of grand, unified, directed,
subtle marketing that we need.

  Apple keeps claiming that the 68040 used in their Performa's and Quadras
is a "66/33Mhz" chip.  Amiga should claim it too.  "80/40Mhz" would look
good when people are comparing to PowerPC's, Pentiums and 486DX2's and
DX3's.  If they can get away with that on the 040, it should apply to the
060 as well.  "100/50Mhz 060" and "132/66Mhz 060" sounds real tasty.

Use buzzwords: RISC, 3D, Multimedia.

Slogans:

"The Amiga V! Machine"
"Multimedia is more than pretty speakers and a CD-ROM drive"
"Realistic Multimedia at a realistic price"
"Only Amiga makes it Possible!" (hey, it's still a great one!)


V for Victory!
--------------

  The V machines should have CD-ROMs standard.  3x or 4x speed units on
high end machines would be nice.  We need SCSI-II on the A4000, and the DSP
(basicly, WE WANT THE DAMNED A3000+ THAT COMMODORE F*CKED UP).  Naturaly,
the CD-ROM should be CD32 compatible.

  Lets get realistic with the amount of HD and RAM included with systems. 
120MB 3.5" IDE drives are under $100, 250MB for $150, 560 for $219.  The
"V1200" should come standard with at least 120MB HD.  "V4000's" should
typicaly have one in the 500MB range, and options for 10MB of RAM or more.

  We need to lower the price of the 4000, and get at least one more mid
range model between the 4000 and the 1200.  We need some kind of basic 040
model for around $1000.

RISCey Issues:
--------------

  RISC is not absolutely essential in the short term, since most Amiga's
are used in low-end applications, and the 060 will provide a good amount of
power for low-end systems for quite some time yet.  I think even something
like an A1200 with a 40Mhz 030 would still do well this year.

  Long term, RISC is obviously important.  Therefore, it should be done
*right* -- make the best choice of CPU, make it work real well before
releasing it.  Let Apple and IBM cut their teeth with their adventures with
PPC and see how it turns out.  We might even want to use more than one kind
of RISC, and give people the choice -- perhaps PowerPC for low cost RISC,
and MIPS or Alpha for high end kick butt 3D rendering Amigas.   Who knows?


  As for AmigaOS under RISC.  Some say just ditch AmigaOS.  Why?  Apple is
keeping their MacOS on the PowerPC, and we all know "it sucks!" :).  It's
going to be a long time before they get it 100% ported to native PPC code
(if ever) -- right now it's nowhere near 100% PPC native.  Apparently a
good portion of Mac system code was written in assembly.  I may be wrong,
but I think most of AmigaOS is written in C.  Things like the exec kernel
(the multitasking core) are in assembly, but, it's pretty small and could
be redone in C and compiled native to the RISC chip we use.

  I think AmigaOS could be ported to RISC fairly easily, probably easier
than Apple porting MacOS, and it would run really fast -- most likely
faster than MacOS.  And in the process of porting, we could easily fix
things like lack of memory protection and virtual memory, etc.

  Look at "AppleOS" -- on the PowerMac it still does not have pre-emptive
multitasking or memory protection.  They are going to have a very difficult
time adding these things and they are not expected for another year.  And
when they do get it done, it will be big and inefficient.  Think of how
nice AmigaOS will be on a fast RISC processor!  And our software base,
though small, already supports Amiga-tized ideas like multitasking and IPC
and shared libraries and all that good stuff.

  I understand that, apparently, the engineers have/had decided on PA-RISC
for the Amiga, and that they plan on porting AmigaOS to it.  This sounds
like the right track to me and I hope whoever wins the buyout will properly
fund the development and completion of this project.


Bundle!
-------

  (not "bungle" or "bunghole", commonly associated with former C=
management).  Bundle products.  It's an easy way to add things, AND it's a
good incentive for developers to stay:

* Lets get CD-ROM on as many Amiga's as possible.

* Virtual Memory.  Not _real_ important to the typical Amiga user, but easy
enough to add to AmigaOS: just adopt one of the several already available
solutions.  In a "VM Preferences" application, you could switch it on and
off.

*  Put Envoy back in the OS.

* If necessary, bundle one of the third party 060 cards with the A4000 to
create the necessary A4000-060; do the same for 33 and 40Mhz 040 cards with
better memory systems.  The Cyberstorm board looks really nice....

* Bundle a regular graphics board?  Cybervision also looks damned nice...

* "V4000".  Video Toaster bundle: Includes card and basic software, CD-ROM,
500MB HD, 8MB RAM.  Make this as cheap as possible (I think an A4000 should
only be around $1000, so with a stripped down Toaster bundle a price of
$2000 seems reasonable).  Can Apple offer a system with this kind of video
power at any price?  Included software would include the basic stuff for
doing genlocking, titling, a simple switcher with effects, etc.  Perhaps
just an older version of the Toaster software.  Lightwave you must buy
separately (which is perfect since NewTek already sells it separately).

* Low end video bundle: V1200, genlock, software, 120MB HD, CD-ROM.  
Includes video titling software, maybe something like Scala, lots of cool
pictures and HAM8 animations on CD-ROM.  Lets see Apple top this for <$800

  Have you seen that insipid Apple commercial of the kid who does a video
about his vacation?  Give me a break.  The "video" was animation and it was
choppy.  What did that system cost?  It must have had a real time video
digitizer -- at least 15FPS (ha!).  Meanwhile you could have done better
with an A500 and a genlock in 1988.


Return to OS.
-------------

  The yellow brick road may need a lot of repair and work, but we can do
it.  OS upgrades should be more flexible.  There could be the "basic"
upgrade which is like what we have now, and then there is the upgrade that
includes the cool bundled stuff (perhaps this version comes only on
CD-ROM).

* CD-ROM "Multimedia" OS Upgrade.  Comes with new systems standard.  
Contains full AmigaOS with online AmigaGuide help.  Bundled VM system and
Envoy networking (throw in lots of PD goodies that use it).  Lots of the
best PD software (a term program, ToolManager, Trashmaster, etc).  And of
course, lots of cool pictures and HAM8 animations to show off with, maybe
some AGA games too.  Heck, why not throw in a PD C compiler too.  It would
be nice to have some multimedia authoring software -- maybe Amigavision or
Scala?

* RTG -- work on it, shouldn't be too hard to do.  Don't really need to
have it built in real quick since all the decent Gfx cards already have
solutions, might as well take the time to do it right.  Work with the
developers to make the official solution the best.

* Memory Protection.  I heard that Commodore had actualy implemented it,
but it caused some compatibility problems.  Well, I say, PUT IT BACK IN!!!
Sure, it WILL cause some problems.  So, you phase it in.  First, warn the
developers and tell them how to make their applications compatible.  Then
put it in.  Have a switch in preferences so you can turn it off.  Once it
is there, high end Amiga owners will simply demand that software be able to
use it.  Low end Amiga users (most of them!) won't particularly care (they
don't have MMU's anyway).  Applications that support it will be protected
from each other and from errant non-MP programs.  Hell, if Apple can phase
in MP and Pre-emptive multitasking (We just have to get a standard
abreviation for that one) into the Mac, surely we can phase in MP.

* Do more work on the Datatypes system (more drivers, make it FASTER!  Have
it use file notification -- a really easy way to get "Hot linked"
updating).  It should come with drivers for MPEG and JPEG, Postscript, GIF,
PhotoCD, etc.  Datatypes are potentialy a very powerful, but as yet
untapped, feature.

* Pre-emptive, prioritized multitasking.  Ooops!  I forgot, we already have
that!  Too bad Windows does not.  Nor does System 7.x on the Mac.  The Mac
will have to wait for TWO *major* upgrades before getting it (they are
code-named "Gershwin" and something else equaly stupid sounding).

Amiga Pheonix.
--------------

  I still say that the AAA chipset sounds pretty damn nice.  Now, I've
heard about this supposed 3D/RISC chipset.  But I don't know anything about
what it can do.  It may be really nice for a game console, but it is
suitable for a general purpose PC?  Could it be combined with AAA to get
the best of both?  Why not do both chipsets?  With RTG they won't have to
stick to just one chipset anymore.

  AAA still seems like the ticket for Multimedia Amiga's.  With totaly
programable video modes and both DRAM and VRAM configurations, support for
fast floppies (3.5MB Quad Density drives), fast serial ports, 16 bit sound,
sprites, blitter, copper, HAM modes, 15 and 24 bit true colour, easy
genlocking, chunky pixels, and lots more, it is *the* "Multimedia" chipset.

  Combined with a DSP and an 060 it would still be a pretty nice system,
even nicer with one of the RISC CPU's.  Call it the "Amiga Pheonix V5000"
and we have a winner on our hands.  Considering how close AAA was to being
completed (working silicon with a few bugs), it seems like an AAA machine
could be released this year.  And the "PA-RISC/3D-RISC chipset" Amiga could
be released in mid 1996.
@endnode
@node OPINION2 "The Present"
@toc OPINION
=========================================================================
==  The Present, From Where I Sit                     By: E.John Love  ==
=========================================================================

I must say that even though our group of tireless Amiga fanatics at TVI
are fairly optimistic regarding the future of the Amiga, I have been
hearing more and more comments like "hmmm...maybe we should take a close
look at the 3DO" etc.  While the CD32 and Amiga 4000 are not exactly
leading-edge technology in their respective markets anymore, they are
still quite capable machines.

The Amiga User in Profile:

It's funny, because while I do get a sense of harsh transitions and final
moments in regards to the Amiga technology and its currently uncertain
future, I also get a sense of continuity and business as usual from
third-party hardware and software manufacturers.  I know that this sounds
quite vague, but I think it represents in some way the remaining strength
of the Amiga market and the users, both professional and amateur alike.  
There's a strong spirit of loyalty and cooperation in many other Amigoids
with whom I've chatted and worked.  Perhaps a little bit of rebelliousness
or irreverence to the mainstream, sometimes outright hostility :).

Generally, whether they are formally educated or self-taught, there is an
exploratory nature - a real curiousity to see what other things their neat
boxes can do.  I think they are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and
find their own answers due to the open-ended qualities of the Amiga
itself.  I guess open-endedness promotes open-mindedness.  (I will not
generalize and make reverse statements about the Mac and IBM - my
experience with them is too brief to give anything but a totally
Amiga-biased opinion.  You can come to your own conclusions.  :))

The Future From Here:

TVI and other Amiga development companies may have to face the reality of
competing for PC/Windows development contracts at some point in order to
survive, there is still a future in the Amiga, both as a development
platform and a presentation platform. 

I have high hopes that we will have the Amiga in our collective future.
It is the over-talented and underappreciated little kid in a big blue
neighbourhood.  Perhaps the wunderkind that all the grown-ups love to
hate.   In many ways, it's a perfect machine for all the mavericks and
explorers who want to define their own boundaries.  Am I beginning to
sound a bit too much like a MicroSoft commercial?  That's ironic isn't it?
About as ironic as an "Aptiva" commercial that sounds as if it were
describing the Amiga 1000.  The Amiga fulfills the needs of a certain
segment of the computing populace, but other platforms are literally
circling over the remains of this fragile marketplace, waiting to fill the
gap.

May they not get that opportunity.


E. John Love
TVI Interactive Systems Inc.
Vancouver, B.C. Canada.

Email:  e.john_love@tvi.wimsey.com
URL:  http://www.wimsey.com/~tviweb
@endnode
@node NEWS1 "The Fishing Report"
@toc NEWS

                     T H E  F I S H I N G  R E P O R T

                               by Fred Fish

                          Amiga Library Services

                               Jan 10, 1995

======================
FLOPPY DISKS 1001 & UP
======================

When we stopped doing floppy distributions last April, we thought we had
made suitable arrangements for the floppy library to be continued by a third
party.  However, after almost 9 months and not seeing any floppies, we have
decided to give this responsibility to someone else.  The new "Keepers of
the Floppies" are Martin Schulze and Thomas Strauss.

As before, the plan is that selected new material will be taken from each
FreshFish CD and organized into floppy sized chunks, and made ready for
distribution before the release of the next FreshFish CD.  We expect an
average release rate of around 20 floppies per month.

One thing that hasn't changed in our plans though is that we will continue
to only distribute material on CD-ROM.  Martin, Thomas, and certainly other
interested third parties, should have no trouble supplying the demand for
copies of the floppy distribution.

===============
MKISOFS UPGRADE
===============

It has recently come to our attention that some people using mkisofs to
master CD-ROM's using RockRidge extensions have experienced problems with
the resulting CD's interoperating with non-Amiga systems.  This may be due
to bugs in the RockRidge support in the current mkisofs port, which is based
on version 1.00, released almost a year ago.  There is also the possibility
that there are other latent bugs in the generated ISO images that may cause
problems under certain circumstances.

In a marathon hacking session yesterday, I not only upgraded our internal
version to the current 1.01 baseline, but leapfrogged ahead to the current
prerelease 1.02 test version.  In the process, about 800 lines of source
code changes were merged, which represents about 25% of the total mkisofs
source code.  Of these 800 lines, a very large percentage was in the
RockRidge support, so I suspect that many bugs have been fixed by the
mkisofs author and other developers.  These fixes should automatically
appear in the next release of the Amiga version, sometime in early February.
We urge anyone that has suggestions for improvements or details about
possible bugs to submit them now, so they can be considered in time for the
next release.

We will also incorporate other useful changes as they become obvious to us,
possibly including a graphical user interface that should make the program
more user friendly.  One useful new feature in our current internal test
version is the capability of the CD-ROM creator to specify the precise name
mapping between ISO level 1 names in the regular ISO data structures, and
the names used in the RockRidge section.  We are also investigating whether
it is feasible or not to use RockRidge attributes to preserve all the normal
AmigaDOS filesystem attributes, such as the script bit, pure bit, etc.  We
are still looking for someone to port cdwrite, a tool for writing ISO images
to a specific CD-R recorder, or else write an AmigaDOS specific equivalent.

============
FRESHFISH CD
============

As we write this we are hard at work on FreshFish Volume 8, which is
expected to go into production in the last week of January and start
shipping the first week of February.

The major piece of news about the FreshFish series is that it will be
expanding to a 2-CD set, starting with Volume 8, with no anticipated
increase in price!  For the last couple of issues we have been cramped for
space (I never thought I'd say a CD is too small), and the only way we can
continue to provide an increased flow of new material and updates to the
useful tools portion is to either expand to a 2-CD set, or change the
structure.  Rather than reducing the usefulness of the CD's by eliminating
the BBS section or only supplying some material in archived form, we have
decided to expand to a 2-CD set.

We expect future issues to continue to be released on a two month cycle.
For this one release cycle, the extra month between Volume 7 and Volume 8
gave us some time to expand the base set of material on the CD by including
more useful tools, programs, libraries, documentation etc that will continue
to be updated with each release.  We have also expanded the "GNU" tree to
include more non-GNU tools and utilities, all with full source and binaries
built directly from that source, to the extent that it now takes almost 24
hours to recompile the binaries on an A4000 equipped with a 40Mhz
WarpEngine, 50 Mb of memory, and several 8ms seek time Seagate Barracuda
drives!

If things proceed as we expect and this section of the CD expands by a
factor of 4 or more, we may have to seriously consider building a cross
development environment on a Risc machine just to get reasonable
recompilation turn around times, with a final compile being done on the
Amiga as a cross check, right before release of the CD.  We could also hope
for fast 68060 accelerators to appear soon.

============
GOLDFISH  CD
============

GoldFish Volume 1, a 2-CD set released in April of 1994, provides a complete
archive of the 1000 "fish disk" floppy library, with all the disks provided
in both archived and ready-to-run form.  It can be used to produce master
floppy disks for further duplication and distribution, using a simple to use
program that is provided on the CD-ROM.  It can also be used by BBS or
anonymous ftp sites to provide convenient electronic access to all the
material from the floppy library.

GoldFish Volume 2, a 2-CD set released in December of 1994, includes all the
new submissions included on the first 7 volumes of the FreshFish CD series,
with all the material updated to the latest available version as of the date
of completion of the GoldFish CD.  As with Volume 1, all of the material is
included in both archived and unarchived form.  It also includes the latest
versions of the "useful tools" included on each FreshFish CD, such as the
GNU utilities, reviews of hardware and software, etc.

Future plans call for GoldFish releases at approximately six month
intervals.

============
LIGHT-ROM CD
============

In cooperation with Lightwave artist Michael Meshew, we now offer a new CD
called "LIGHT-ROM".  This is a 647 Mb CD dedicated to 3D artists all over
the world, and contains Lightwave objects, scene files, textures, bump maps
(JPEG, IFF, & TARGA), fonts, thumbnail renderings, and text files with
advice from the rendering pros.  It also contains a "Showcase Directory",
displaying the talents of selected Lightwave artists from all over the
world.

LIGHT-ROM will be updated at approximately 6 month intervals.  Contributors
will be eligible for a free copy.  The retail price is $39.95 plus $3.95 for
shipping and handling.

=============
FRESHFONTS CD
=============

In cooperation with fonts enthusiast Daniel Amor, we published a new fonts
CD in early November.  This CD was published as an experiment under
conditions similar to the Meeting Pearls CD, whereby users that find the CD
interesting and useful are expected to make a shareware like donation to the
creators of the CD.

Thousands of these CDs were distributed free of charge at the Computer '94
show to customers at Stefan Ossowski's Schatztruhe booth.  We have also
distributed almost all of the CD's that we had allocated for our customers
that receive other CD's during November and December.  So far the results
have been quite disappointing, with at most a few hundred dollars in
donations received.  We will declare the experiment with the share
compilation version officially over on February 1st, 1995, and provide a
summary of the results at that time.

Since there does appear to still be a good demand for this CD, with Daniel's
approval we plan to do another production run in late January.  However
these CD's will not be given away free, instead they will be sold at prices
comparable to our other products.

==============
TURBOCALC V2.0
==============

We are an authorized U.S. distributor of TurboCalc V2.0, a very powerful
Amiga spreadsheet program.  TurboCalc has extensive formatting options,
supports many different font formats, more than 40 different number, time,
and date formats, more than 100 functions covering arithmetic and financial
needs, more than 120 ARexx and macro instructions, integrated database, and
more.  TurboCalc retails for $115 plus $6.95 for shipping and handling.

=========
AMINET CD
=========

We are an authorized U.S. distributor of the new Aminet CD.  Both the Aminet
Gold and the Aminet Share are available.  Subscriptions for both CD's are
also available, at $59.95 per year for the Gold version and $44.95 for the
Share version.  There are expected to be four releases per year, so the
subscription is actually for 4 CD's, regardless of when they actually end up
shipping.

The only physical difference between the Aminet Gold CD and the Aminet Share
CD is the front cover artwork.  Built into the price of the Aminet Gold CD
is an automatic contribution to the creators of the CD and sufficient margin
to make the disk attractive to low volume resellers and retail sales
outlets.  Users who purchase to the Aminet Share version are expected to
make their own contributions directly to the creators if they feel that the
CD is worthwhile and wish to support creation of future Aminet CD's.

We currently have Volume 4 (Nov 1994) in stock.  The next volume is expected
to arrive in early February.

=================
MEETING PEARLS CD
=================

We now have the second pressing of the Meeting Pearls CD in stock.  This CD
contains about 150 high quality and high resolution fractals, a ready to run
version of PasTeX which includes fonts for FAX and 600 DPI printers, a ready
to install version of the Amiga NetBSD port, and many other ready to run
applications including UMS, DaggeX, a lot of utilities, games, etc.

Because the version of NetBSD included on the CD-ROM includes encryption
code that is restricted for U.S export, all imported CD's will only be
available for resale within the U.S.

=================================
SPECIAL BBS VERSION OF FROZENFISH
=================================

By special request from BBS operators, we are issuing a limited number of a
custom version of the April 1994 FrozenFish CD, updated with some new
material, and called "FrozenFish-PC".  This CD has the complete contents of
each floppy disk 1-1000 in a single archive and all directory and file names
are ISO-9660 level 1 compliant (8.3 format, uppercase only, etc).  This
means that the CD is completely compatible with IBM-PC based systems, unlike
our regular Amiga CD's which are closer to ISO-9660 level 2.

For at least the next month or so, each copy of this CD is an individually
created CD-R "gold disk", which is completely compatible with mass
production CD's and CD-ROM drives.  Sometime soon we expect to do a small
production run of this CD and people who received the CD-R versions can
upgrade to the production version for $5 plus shipping costs.  The price of
this CD is $24.95 for either version, because of the lower volumes and thus
higher production costs per CD.

=====================
ATTENTION ALL AUTHORS
=====================

Amiga Library Services is actively looking to expand our CD-ROM offerings.
If you are an Amiga user with a good idea for an Amiga specific CD-ROM,
please consider letting us act as your publisher.  We will handle all
details concerning actual production of the CD-ROM, advertising, sales, and
distribution.  All you have to do is have a good idea and to be willing to
spend the necessary time to create a ready-to-publish master file tree for
the CD.

======================
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS
======================

Material for inclusion in the CD-ROM distribution can now be submitted
electronically via anonymous ftp.  Please upload your submissions as an lha
archive, one archive per submitted program, to the ftp incoming directory on
ftp.amigalib.com.  Please include a "Product-Info" file in the lha archive.
This file describes the material using a standard format that is recognized
by the new version of KingFisher and by tools that we use to automatically
generate information about the CD contents.  If you don't have a copy of the
Product-Info specification, it can be retrieved via anonymous ftp from
ftp.amigalib.com, in directory pub/amiga.

If you do not have access to anonymous ftp, you can still submit material
electronically by mailing a uuencoded lha archive to
"submissions@amigalib.com".

=================
ELECTRONIC ORDERS
=================

You can email orders to be paid via credit card (VISA or MasterCard only) to
"orders@amigalib.com".  All such orders must include the full name of the
card holder, the card number, the expiration date, and a daytime phone
number which can be used to verify the order.  We will attempt to
acknowledge all such received orders via return email, and to verify an
unspecified percentage via phone calls.

Please note that it is considered to be somewhat risky to send credit card
information via electronic mail without encrypting it.  We are not currently
ready to start receiving encrypted orders, but may be able to do so in the
future.  We cannot be responsible for any fraudulent use of credit card info
that is intercepted by a third party during it's transmission.

For an electronic copy of our order form send mail to "orders@amigalib.com".
@endnode
@node NEWS2 "LIGHT-ROM"
@toc NEWS

                             L I G H T - R O M
                            General Information

========
OVERVIEW
========

In cooperation with Lightwave artist Michael Meshew, Amiga Library Services
is producing a new CD called "LIGHT-ROM".  This is a 650 Mb CD-ROM
dedicated to 3D artists all over the world, and contains Lightwave objects,
scene files, textures, bump maps (JPEG, IFF, & TARGA), fonts, thumbnail
renderings, and text files with advice from the rendering pros.  It also
contains a "Showcase Directory", displaying the talents of selected
Lightwave artists from all over the world.

========
CONTENTS
========

LIGHT-ROM Volume 1 contains the following:
    o   Lightwave 3D scene files, objects, surface attributes, and image
        sequences.  All objects are also usable with trueSpace by
        Caligari, for PC compatible systems.
    o   Imagine objects, surface attributes, and text files for Amiga and
        IBM Imagine artists. (Over 100 megs of objects & text files).
    o   Sculpt 3D objects, readable by Lightwave 3D and Sculpt, for Amiga
        and Mac artiss.
    o   GEO objects, readable by Lightwave 3D and Videoscape 3D, and can
        also be used with Scenery Animator 4.0.
    o   A collection of textures, images and bump maps in IFF, TARGA, and
        JPEG formats, for use in 3D packages such as Lightwave or Imagine.
    o   A collection of textures, images and bump maps in IFF, TARGA, and
        JPEG formats, for use in 3D packages such as Lightwave or Imagine.
        They are also useful as backgrounds for desktop video applications.
    o   A collection of DEM's (Digital Elevation Maps) for use in Scenery
        Animator or VistaPro.  They can also be used in 3D translation
        programs to convert to 3D landscapes.
    o   An exclusive "Showcase Directory", where Lightwave artists from
        around the world can showcase their talents and skills to the rest
        of the Lightwave community, and advertise their abilities to
        potential employers.
    o   A collection of old style Toaster CG fonts and wipes.
    o   A collection of text files covering the Video Toaster and Lightwave,
        from the Internet mailing lists and from various BBS systems.  These
        text files consist of advice and tips from some of the professionals
        using the Toaster and Lightwave.
        text files consist of advice and tips from some of the professionals
        using the Toaster and Lightwave.
    o   Thumbnail renderings of Lightwave objects, images, textures and
        bump maps, included for your convenience.

====================
MULTIPLATFORM CD-ROM
====================

LIGHT-ROM is a multiplatform CD-ROM.  It adheres strictly to level 1 of the
ISO-9660 standard, and thus can be read on almost any system that has
CD-ROM support.

When Lightwave is released for Windows, Windows NT, and the SGI, in late
1994, LIGHT-ROM will work immediately on those platforms.

=======
UPDATES
=======

LIGHT-ROM will be updated at approximately 6 month intervals.  Contributors
will be eligible for a free copy.

============
HOW TO ORDER
============

The retail price of LIGHT-ROM is $39.95 plus $3.95 for shipping and
handling.  Orders can be sent via mail, FAX, email, or voicemail to:
        Mail:   Amiga Library Services
                610 N. Alma School Road, Suite 18
                Chandler, AZ  85224-3687
                USA

                VOICE:  (800) 804-0833
                Email:  orders@amigalib.com

Overseas orders can be taken by Email & a credit card.  Please ask for
exact overseas shipping charges.

For submitting your original work, please request a submissions form from;
        Mail:   Michael Meshew
                Graphic Detail
                4556 South Third Street
                Louisville, Ky. 40214   USA
        Email:  michael@iglou.com

All work must be your own original creations and is subject to approval
before receiving your free copy of LIGHT-ROM.  You may select either the
current issue of LIGHT-ROM or the next issue for your free copy.  3D
objects are preferred, but collections of original textures are welcome
also.

LIGHT-ROM is currently advertised by several mail orders companies in
AmigaWorld magazine.
@endnode
@node NEWS3 "Amiga Texturemapping Online Conference"
@toc NEWS
=========================================================================
==  Online Conference: Amiga Texturemapping                            ==
=========================================================================

On February 7th, 22:00 MET (4:00 PM EST), Steffan P. Haeuser will be
holding a conference about texturemapping on the Amiga.

The conference will be held on IRC channel #amitmap.

The discussion is open to any who wish to attend.  Authors of several
Amiga texture-mapped demos are expected to be present.
@endnode
@node FEATURE1 "Interview:  Urban Mueller"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==  Interview:  Urban Mueller                       By:  @{" Jason Compton " link JASON} ==
===========================================================================

[Urban Mueller, one of the minds behind the XPK compression standard and
chief administrator of Aminet, submitted to an interview with me recently
on IRC.  -Jason]


Jason: Many people know what Aminet IS, and see what it DOES, but have no
      idea HOW it all works in what seems to be such a convenient and
      efficient manner.  What, as chief administrator, do you actually do?

Urban: My work consits of 3 main jobs:
      1.  Check all the uploads.  This means ensure the readmes are
      correct, and contact the authors if they aren't.  Check archives for
      integrity and for viruses.  Pretty boring generally.

      2.  Write and maintain the various software that works invisibly
      behind Aminet, like index generation software and mirror scripts.
      Here I get a chance to create some innovation from time to time, I
      like that part.

      3.  Do the CD-ROMs of Aminet.  Since I don't just dump a copy of
      Aminet on to CD but try to create a nice presentation, this is a
      full time job for me right now.  (But I'm gonna graduate in a
      while).

Jason: How has Aminet grown to be as large as it is?  Do sysadmins beat
      down your door saying "Please, Mr.  Mueller, take up over a gig of
      our drives!"?  For instance, I've once read that you've never been
      closer than 1,000 miles to wustl...

Urban: There was a lot of luck involved.  We started on a 50 Meg drive,
      but kept having to delete older stuff.  Friends on IRC offered to
      mirror us, they could keep more.  Wuarchive was one of the sites
      mirroring us, and when our site in Switzerland shut down, they
      offered to become the main site.  This works amazingly well, I'm
      answering these questions from my St.Louis account, but I am at
      home in Switzerland.  Why we got mirrored?  Because this saves a lot
      of (expensive) internet traffic.  Thats how it became possible that
      Aminet has some 30G of disk space around the world.

Jason: How much work do you think you put in on Aminet, say, weekly?

Urban: Right now, full time because of the 4 CD set I was making.  Normal
      mode of operation always was around 10 hours/week, except when I
      was writing new software.

Jason: Ever get tired of working on it?  Even when bothersome magazine
      editors complain because the charts didn't get done or things like
      that?

Urban: Sounds familiar to me :) Nope, that's perfectly fine, for one
      single reason: I know that every second I invest in Aminet helps
      tens of thousands of Aminet users.  Right now, we have 10000 users
      a day on Internet alone, not to mention BBSes and CD-ROMs.  I
      think anyone would keep going if he knew that he can help that many
      people.  Incidentally: YES, I WILL keep going.

Jason: That answered the next question.  :) You mentioned that you would
      be graduating soon.  How does one parlay extensive experience in
      worldwide FTP administration, and a side job establishing a
      compression system standard, into a job?

Urban: Sort of a difficult combination :) Well, I'm a plain Computer
      Science student, all of those find jobs around here.  However I
      would much prefer to find anything internet related, as many of my
      friends have.  But that's my problem, not yours, I'll keep
      supporting Aminet in any case, and my Internet access is secure.
      If/while the CD-ROM income justifies it, I hope to be able to
      concentrate completely on Aminet.  The list of my ideas for
      improvements keeps growing, but I just don't get around...

Jason: I know, from experience, how difficult it is to put a monetary
      value on something you enjoyably do for free anyway.  Have the
      CD-ROM sales helped any?  Particularly, has the Gold vs.  Share
      concept worked out?

Urban: Sorry to say, but no, it hasn't.  The vast majority bought the
      Aminet Share (which means no donation for me), and 99% of those
      people have not paid a shareware fee to us.  No one is good at
      paying shareware fees, not even I.  I account that to human
      laziness mainly, not to the unwillingness to pay.  Even in the case
      of the (very well made) FreshFonts CD, which was given to users
      *free* at several occasions, almost nobody paid.  Oh well, there
      goes an interesting concept.

Jason: So, that means that all future Aminet CDs will carry a profit
      margin?

Urban: Yes.  But - this you've got exclusive - we'll reintrodce the
      policy of giving free CDs to authors of uploaded software
      ...if there's anyone who deserves to benefit from the CD proceeds,
      then it's the people who created all that wonderful software.

Jason: (I thought US$12 was ridiculously low anyway.) You mentioned a 4-CD
      set.  Care to elaborate?

Urban: I kept being asked about a *complete* release of Aminet on CD.
      Well, here you got it, with some improvements in the access
      software.  Now what can I say without drifting into
      advertise-mode...

Jason: Watch for a review in an upcoming Amiga Report? :)

Urban: Let's try technical specs.  12500 files.  4 Gigs uncompressed,
      2.3G compressed.  Games and demos startable by mouse click in the
      Aminet index.  Mods in style sorted index.  Thumbnail picture
      database.  Fish disk index, so you find files by Fish disk number.
      German descriptions for newer files.  Price: Under $40.

Jason: What do you have planned for Aminet?  Preferably in order of
      likelihood to actually appear.  :)

Urban: My current TODO list has 100 items...  some of those boring stuff
      like 'get more WWW servers up' and so on.  But one really
      interesting concept is coming up: User feedback for Aminet files. 
      This means that anyone can append notes to somebody else's .readme
      files .  Those could be compatibility notes, recommendations or
      ratings.  I plan to collect those ratings and create charts of the
      highest rated programs.  This becomes necessary because it's really
      hard to keep up with everything that apears on Aminet.  While I'm
      talking...  we haven't noticed the *slightest* decrease in the
      number of uploads since Commodore went under.  The opposite is true,
      it looks more like an up tendency.  Another indicator is that the
      number of people subscribed to our 'new uploads' mailing lists
      keeps growing.  Currently there are 2200 subscribers.  [mail HELP to
      aminet-server@wuarchive.wustl.edu for subscription info]
      So, even if the commercial developers abandon ship, we don't have to
      be afraid of sitting around without new software.

Jason: Do you have any words of wisdom for Amiga users-and any words of
      advice for the future New Amiga Company?

Urban: You imply I'm wise...  fundamental error.  But let's try: To the
      users, all I can say is keep going.  The Amiga community is special,
      let's try to keep it that way for as long as possible.  To any
      future Amiga Inc.  (hear me, guys?) I'd like to say: The Amiga pool
      of FD software is absolutely unique, its size is almost on par with
      those of much, much more popular systems like IBM and Mac.  Seize
      that chance!  We need to bring that power to the people, to
      everyone, including Joe A.  User who has never heard of FTP.

Jason: By selling them Aminet CDs. :)

Urban: Hehe. Not necessarily, but I wouldn't object :)

Jason: Well, I thank you for your time, Urban.  All I can say is keep up
      the good work, and good luck with the ventures that lie ahead.
      We'll keep up our end of the bargain and keep filling the docs/mags
      directory.

Urban: Of course I'd like to thank all the people who helped make Aminet
      what it is now; too many to mention.  Special Thanks to Matthias
      Scheler who helps with moderating files.
@endnode
@node FEATURE2 "Tribute to Jay Miner"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==  Tribute to Jay Miner                            By:  Julie Peterson  ==
===========================================================================

[It's hard to decide where to put this, so I decided to make it an article
all to itself.  It's not important because an A1000 is being sold, it's
important as a way to show how people felt about Jay Miner... -Jason]

Reprinted with permission from Julie Peterson.


From: LadyHawke@cup.portal.com (Classic - Concepts)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.marketplace
Subject: FS: Vintage A1000/extras good working order
Date: 10 Jan 1995 13:18:12 -0800
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 62
Sender: pccop@unix.portal.com
Distribution: na
Message-ID: <130641@cup.portal.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: news1.unix.portal.com

I swore I would never sell this, but ...  I don't use it any more, and it
seems to me to be a crime to have a perfectly good computer sitting around
not being used.

This A1000 is special - besides being an early one.  It has Jay Miner's
signature - that's one of the main reasons I was never going to sell it.

I used to talk to Jay (Padre) on the Portal Amiga Zone chat moderated by
Harv Laser, and on his BBS.  And one time, half joking, at a conference in
California (Jay was in good spirits at that show, he was telling me about
the work he was doing with medical hardware - the way he put it, he felt
he was 'giving something back' to the medical industry that gave him a
second lease on life for his own medical problems) I told him I should
have brought my A1000 for him to sign.  To my surprise and delight he
said, "I would love to sign your one thousand".  So I took him up on it,
but instead of trying to carry or ship the whole computer, I just brought
the lid, and Jay was gracious, smiling, and true to his word.

I miss Jay.  I know many people do.  I will never forget the determination
and courage he showed at the Pasadena show where Commodore finally came to
their senses and recognized him in a small ceremony and presentation of an
A4000 computer.  Earlier, to my amazement, from a wheelchair, Jay had been
telling me that Commodore had never really said thank you to him in any
significant way, but he was happy about being at the conference and among
happy Amiga users.  Despite his medical problems, Jay partici- pated
actively and fully in all aspects of the conference, on the trade show
floor, at the sessions, in the 'apres trade show' activities accom- panied
by Don and Mike Nelson (who flew over from England to interview Jay for a
Euro magazine - does anyone have a copy of the article they could send me
a photocopy of??).  We had a great dinner at the Olive Garden with Don,
Jay, Doug (Walker) and Mike where Jay talked about the whole history of
the Amiga.  It was really interesting.  Jay's 'concept' of the first Amiga
was quite different from what Commodore released as the A1000.  The
picture in his head was much more like the A2000 (with more memory, slots
for expansion, etc.), but Commodore was anxious to keep the costs and
price down and get it shipping right away.  He also said he never really
realized what an impact the Amiga would have on video - the Amiga
literally spawned the Desktop Video revolution, in much the same way Apple
brought the desktop publishing industry to consumer desktops.  Well,
there's much more, but I won't take more bandwidth for that.

Anyway, I don't really want to sell this A1000 (includes computer, 1.5
MByte Spirit inboard RAM expansion and commodore 256K (to make 512K) RAM
expansion for a total (I think) of 2 megs; keyboard; Commodore genlock
(watch tv on your monitor while computing!) and mouse).  I'm keeping the
1080 monitor to use with my Toaster.  SO, since I also don't want a
working computer to sit idle (it bothers my conscience), I tried to think
of options.  Give it to someone bedridden in the hospital, give it to a
third world country, etc.

Here's what I decided to do.  I will sell it to the highest (reasonable
offer) at my final discretion and I'm going to donate half the proceeds
either to an organization that does organ transplants or research in that
area, or to an organization that assists seniors or handicapped children.
I would also encourage everyone to become organ donors.  Someone's
selfless generosity gave Jay four more years of life and gave all of us
four more years of Jay Miner.

email offers to LadyHawke@cup.portal.com 
p t b
@endnode
@node FEATURE3 "Haynie on 3DRISC"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==   CBM's Plans for the RISC-Chipset                  By:  Dave Haynie  ==
===========================================================================

Reprinted from Usenet with permission from Dave Haynie.

#33630 comp.sys.amiga.misc 8k
From: dave.haynie@scala.com (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: CBM4s Plans for the RISC-Chipset
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 23:21:15 GMT
Organization: Scala Inc., US Research & Development

In <3f0c67$nfh@news.tuwien.ac.at>, e9226006@stud1.tuwien.ac.at (Nenad
Steric) writes:
>Just found this article in c.s.a.advocacy and thought it would interest
someone here too.
>Following the original article : ...

>Here are the highlights of an interview of Chris Ludwig, an ex-member of
>CBM's engineering staff, at the World of Amiga exposition, printed in
>the french mag "Amiga News" January 1995.

>AN: Who decided the choice of the CPU [HP-PA]: the developement team
>or CBM? 
>
>CL: It was CBM's decision. We spent a lot of time choosing the best 
>CPU for our needs. Our decision was based on these factors: 
>compatibilty with existing HP products because they've bought 
>Apollo (graphic stations manufactured) and compatibilty with 68000 
>(there is a 68000 emulation mode in the PA-RISC).

Wrong.  The HP-PA was chosen for use in The RISC Project (Hombre) primarily
based on the needs of that project.  HP-PA code is reasonably dense for a
RISC processor, the instruction set is easily extensible, the core is small
enough to sit on a chip occupied by other functional units (blitter,
copper, system control), etc.  There is no "68000 emulation mode" in
PA-RISC, the Apollos Commodore had were 680x0 based and not an issue
anyway.

>AN: Is this emulation hardware ?
>
>CL: Both. In a lot of cases, the instructions' architecture is 
>similar to the 68000 and there are also software emulation tricks, 
>so that makes the porting easier. 

HP-PA offers the same feature that makes porting from 680x0 to SPARC or
PowerPC easier -- big endian word ordering.  That's it.  We had some
concern and the early stages of a future plan for use of the Hombre chipset
in high-end Amigas (based on my "Acutiator" system architecture), but that
would initially be as a graphics card, not a host CPU.  The first target
for Hombre would be a next-generation CD32 replacement with no software
compatibility.

>AN: So it will be quite easy to create a portable AmigaDOS for 
>HP-RISC?

>CL: Exactly. 

Nope.  Lots of the AmigaOS was in assembly, and would have to be rewritten.
There's a good chance data alignment issues would be an additional problem,
even on C code, though Apple solved some of this by building in special
compiler options for alignment control.

>It was one of the main reasons for the choice of HP's CPU. 

Not even in the top 10 as far as the reasons for the choice.

>CL: We already got software emulation of the four parts of the chipset,
>they are working well so we're quite happy. 
>AN: Will these four chips be a single chip later ?

The design called for two chips.  The PA-RISC core, blitter, copper, etc. 
live in a "system control" chip, roughly analogous to Agnus/Alice/Andrea,
at least in a rough sense.  The other was the actual video display chip,
the same basic idea as Denise/Lisa/Monica.  Neither design was finished;
more work was done on the former, but it's a much larger chip.  And there
was basically one guy working on it, Ed Hepler.  Tim MacDonald (AAA Monica
designer) worked on the display chip for awhile, before he left C= and went
to work on display chips for Compaq.

>CL: Of course, it will, but we don't need extraordinary backup, at least
>not much more than what we needed in the past.  We can certainly do it
>in 18 months with reasonable backup.

The initial schedule of 18 months was for the Hombre game machine hardware.
There's no real OS here, just a library of routines, including a 3D
package, which would probably be licensed.  The Amiga OS was not to have
run on this system in any form.  An AmigaOS port to RISC for "Amiga" RISC
machines was something those of us in the high-end group were certainly in
favor of, but it was not at the time under consideration by management.  Of
course, at that time, Commodore was going down fast, so there no money for
any of that stuff.

>AN: Windows NT will running on it.  
>CL: Yes, Windows NT works on PA-RISC and we won't do anything to prevent
>it (WinNT) from working on our system.

Supposedly an NT port is underway for PA-RISC, but not yet released.  Even
at that, there's no reference platform for building binary compatible
systems.  Clearly this could be solved by the HAL (Hardware Abstraction
Layer) that NT talks to on all machines, kind of a higher-level BIOS.  Yet
despite the clear logic of that approach, the short sighted weenies who
seem to control the system architectures (if you can call them that) of the
Next Generation Personal Computers don't seem to have advanced much beyond
the 1970s when it comes to these areas.  Look no further than the PReP
nonsense for a good example; Apple and IBM have spent years arguing about
hardware trivialities that shouldn't be anything a "shinkwrapped OS" should
ever have to be directly concerned about.  Maybe NT did better, but maybe
not.

Even if you had NT, what would you really have?  My guess is a slower way
to run Windows 3.1 programs than you current get on cheap PClones.  Native
NT applications are rare.  Native NT applications that support MIPS and
Alpha platforms, which have been shipping for quite some time, are rarer
still.  Rarer even still are applications compiled for PowerPC, since only
Motorola is pushing that.  Microsoft could have gone to a CPU-neutral
distribution format, but again, why do something the right way, only the
users benefit.  And they're not to be trusted.

>It will be a system running three OS (including HP's own OS).

We never intended to run HP-UX, and at least at the time, HP was very
nervous about direct competition (which is why the PA-RISC isn't available
off the shelf like SPARC, MIPS, PowerPC, etc.).  It would have been
impossible to legally run it.

>AN: Mr Amor of CEI told on Portal last day that he wasn't quite sure on
>the choice of the RISC chip.  He said Macs and PCs are heading to the
>PPC,

That's a valid concern for "computer-level" machines, such as what most
people think of as a RISC-Amiga (eg, any RISC machine running a native port
of the AmigaOS).  It's a non-issue with games machines, there aren't two
machines out there with compatible CPUs, and the CPU is the least of your
worries, since every graphics subsystems is even more different from one
another than the host CPU.  Again, PA-RISC was the choice of what's best
for the Hombre chipset and probably a games machine or low-cost, high
performance smart 3D graphics subsystem (Hombre will be both if it's ever
built).

>[...] In short: It's important for them to have a cheap chipset version
>for multimedia stuff, video games ...  Some of the old screenmodes will
>be present and new ones should be impressive

Hombre doesn't support any of the existing modes.  It does support 16 and
24-bit true color displays, I don't know if there's a LUT mode or not.  The
main emphasis is on 16-bit direct color.  You could have four 16-bit
playfields active at once, and there were blitter mathematics (something
like in AAA, only better) that could operate very efficiently on 16-bit
pixels.

>heard and seen from Sega's Saturn specs, it should not even come close to
>the new Amiga Chipset specs,

Strictly speaking, Hombre is not an Amiga chip set.  While it supports some
of the Amiga ideas, it's no more Amiga compatible than an SVGA chip (less,
actually, since all SVGA chips support planar as well as chunky displays,
at least up to 4 bits/pixel).  This shouldn't be a big deal anyway, the
planned Retargetable Graphics system for AmigaOS 4.0 was to support chunky
pixels, though much more work was needed for that, especially to handle
direct mapped color. 

Dave Haynie          | ex-Commodore Engineering |  See my first film
Sr. Systems Engineer |      Class of '94        | "The Deathbed Vigil"
Scala Inc., US R&D   | C= Failure n. See: Greed |     info@iam.com

 "Caught a bolt of lightning, cursed the day he let it go" -Pearl Jam


...And, Mr. Haynie's response to my request for reprint permission was
also illuminating:

#20 jcompton 4k
From: Dave Haynie                      <dave.haynie@scala.com>
Subject: Reprint right request, sir.
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 95 11:17:52 EST
Reply-To: Dave Haynie                  <dave.haynie@scala.com>

Yeah, sure.  I guess you should mention that in both cases, we're acting on
whatever information we have on the Hombre project.  This was kept pretty
hush-hush, not only because it was The Secret Project, but since Ed Hepler
was for the first two years or so the only guy working on it, he didn't
necessarily have lots of design review meetings.  My only direct
involvement with the project was simply ensuring Ed knew about my
requirements for Hombre to be used as a PCI card, which was in the specs
last I saw them.  I certainly haven't seen anything about the project since
June, but I do know what was said about it last Spring.  The only software
work at the time was Dr.  Alan Havemose's investigation of 3D libraries; no
plans were underway for any kind of AmigaOS port at the time. 

Many issues hadn't been resolved by the time I left.  It was assumed that
most of the "generic peripheral" type things would hang off the PCI bus,
though few should be necessary for a games machine.  They hadn't decided on
the audio subsystem; there was at one time talk about adopting the 8
channel subsystem from Mary (AAA), but there was also talk about using an
off-the-shelf sound chip or cheap DSP.

Should Hombre ever see the light of day, there's certainly the possibility
that more traditional Amiga features could be incorporated, especially if
AAA is not also resurrected (keep in mind that during most of the life of
the Hombre project, it was assumed that AAA would exist and it would be
much too expensive for games machines or very low end personal computers).
It's possible that a port of the Amiga OS could be done, but it would be
lots of work, even if they could get together enough Amiga programmers to
get the thing going intelligently.  And of course the emulation technology
has been around for awhile.  A 680x0 is not that hard to emulate,
especially since applications under the AmigaOS run in user mode, so no
supervisor instructions (all the MMU codes, for instance) need be emulated.
And emulation should be much faster than under the Mac, since library calls
are all indirected jumps, not A-line traps.
@endnode
@node FEATURE4 "Simple GUI's for AmigaDOS 3"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==  Simple GUI's for beginners with AmigaDos 3          By:  Paul Moore  ==
===========================================================================

You may not think you're cut out for programming on the Amiga, but it's
amazing what you can do with a little help from a couple of new commands
present with Amigados 3 and above. 

Okay, you're not going to be able to produce that masterpiece you've always
dreamed of, but you could improve on a few of those shell-based programs
that you use, cutting down on the time spent typing and remembering all the
commands you need.

Here's an example.  If you use the archiver lha from the shell, to extract
a file you might need to type in the following:

lha x work:downloads/ar301.lha work:files/magazines/ar

A bit of a hassle, I'm sure you'll agree.  All this could be eliminated
with a little knowledge of the commands RequestChoice and RequestFile in
your c: drawer.

Let's look at a more simple example.  To view a text file with Commodore's
included 'more' program, you need to open a shell and type in something
like 'more work:files/text/myfile.doc'.  Using RequestFile we'll make an
interface that will allow you to select the file you want from a standard
file requester.

First we need to look at what parameters you need to know.  In this case,
it is simply the name of the file you want to view.  This is held in a
string, which you give a name such as $textfile.  For convenience we will
store this string in the RAM:env drawer.

Okay, here's the script, it is pretty simple but it'll show you the basics
of RequestFile.  You simply type this up as a text file in your favourite
text editor, and save it as plain ASCII text.  I have numbered the lines
below to illustrate points, you would not do this when creating your own
script.

1  ; Simple requester front-end for More                   
2  ; By Paul Moore, 1995                                   
3  C:RequestFile >env:textfile TITLE "Which text file?"    
4  more $textfile                                          
5  ; That's it!                                            


Lines 1,2 and 5 are what are known as comment lines.  These allow you to
make any remarks to yourself or others in your script for later
examination.  They are preceded in the case of AmigaDos scripts by ';'. 
Arexx and C use /* and */ for comments.

Line 3 is where RequestFile comes into action.  This produces a requester
which allows you to select a file.  The file and it's whereabouts on your
hard disk are stored in the string 'textfile'.  The 'TITLE' option allows
you to add your own title to the requester.

Line 4 is the same as the command you'd have to type in if entering the
location from the shell (like `more work:myfile.txt') except that the
string 'textfile' is used.  The file will be displayed as normal, but you
won't have to type in the location of the file every time you run the
script, unlike using More manually from the shell. 

Type the above lines into a text editor and save them (without line
numbers!) as ASCII text.  You can test the script by typing

execute (location of script) eg execute work:myscript

We'll look into making the script run on it's own later.

Right.  Now we'll make it a bit more complex and use the command
RequestChoice.  This creates a requester with buttons, like the
Retry/Cancel requesters you often come across. 

For our second script we'll keep the text viewer part from the first
script, but add the facility to edit a text file using 'Ed' the editor that
comes with your amiga.

We want to have the choice of either editing or viewing a file, so we
create a simple button choice with RequestChoice.  Requestchoice uses a
similar format to Requestfile; here's the line we need to start it:

C:requestchoice >env:operation "Paul's Script" "Choose the operation you
want to carry out" "View" "Edit" "Quit"

This should be all on one line.

The first part takes in the operation string.  This is followed in
quotation marks by a heading for the window.  Then a sub heading for inside
the window, and then by the three buttons, "View", "Edit" and "Quit". 

The two operations, view and edit, we'll make into two seperate procedures,
or operations.  These are given names with LAB.  There is a procedure for
staring off, for viewing and for editing.  LAB seperates each part. 

Now we need to make a decision.  With RequestChoice this is by assigning
numbers to each button and deciding IF it is one statement or the other.  
The number 0 is always for the last option, Quit.  1, 2 and so on are used
from left to right for the other options so in our case, 1 is "View" and 2
is "Edit".  This is how it looks in the script:

if $operation eq "0"
C:endcli
endif
if $operation eq "1"
skip view
endif
if $operation eq "2"
skip edit
endif

So let's now look at how the entire script comes together;

; Simple GUI to allow you to select to view or edit a text file.
; By Paul Moore, 1995

LAB start
C:requestchoice >env:operation "Paul's Script" "Choose the operation you
  want to carry out" "View" "Edit" "Quit"
if $operation eq "0"
C:endcli
endif
if $operation eq "1"
skip view
endif
if $operation eq "2"
skip edit
endif
;
; This is the procedure for viewing the text file with More
LAB view
C:RequestFile >env:textfile TITLE "Which text file?"
more $textfile
C:endcli
;; This is the procedure for loading Ed to edit a text file
LAB edit
C:RequestFile >env:editfile TITLE "Which text file?"  
ed $editfile
c:endcli

Instead of having to type 'execute' and the filename to run it every time
there are two ways of making your scripts executable or, self-running.  The
first is to create an icon for it with any icon editor and save it as a
Project type icon.  Then using the 'Information...' option in the Icon menu
on Workbench, change the default tool to IconX and select Save.  Now you
can run your program by double clicking on the icon.

The second method is to use the 'protect' command.  Type something similar
to the following:

Protect work:myscript +s

You can now run the script by simply typing in its name.

It's a simple as that.  So what else could you do with similar scripts?
You could create a GUI front-end for Lha (an option to extract,add or list
archives created with RequestChoice followed by file handling with
RequestFile), or how about a program to allow you to select which of your
favourite programs to load from a series of buttons, using RequestChoice? 
You could use it to simplify tasks like converting sound samples to
different formats with AmiSox or make a nice front end for BigAnim.  The
choice is yours!
@endnode
@node FEATURE6 "Call to Arms: Rewrite the Amiga OS!"
@toc FEATURE
=========================================================================
==  Call to Arms: Rewrite the Amiga OS!          By: Maarten Ter Mors  ==
=========================================================================

On comp.sys.amiga.misc, a discussion has been going on for some time now
about whether or not to do something about the rather sad state of the
Amiga today.   The buyout is taking ages and even when it finally will be
concluded, the future will remain a big question mark: which machines will
be produced?  Will the first year be exclusively devoted to making fast
money with volume sales of the CD32?  When will the first new Amiga come
out, 1996?  How about the high-end machines?  Will the new Amiga run
Windows NT?
           
I think we can all agree that the OS is the Amiga's most striking feature
today.  Of course there are great benefits in video, with the standard 15
kHz display frequency, but apart from that, a lot of the Amiga technology
is getting a bit long in the tooth.  While the rest of the world is moving
on to 64-bit graphics cards, RISC and God knows what else, the majority of
Amiga users is stuck with ECS or AGA, a 32-bit processor at best and
16-bit sound if they're lucky.

So what we intend to do is rewrite the OS.  No, seriously.  At first it
will just be a replacement OS for Amiga computers, but once we've got it
all finished in a portable language, it's a piece of cake (by comparison)
to port it to any other hardware.  Just think of the processing power of a
DEC Alpha, combined with the elegance of the Amiga's operating system.

However, as you guessed, this is not going to be a trivial task.  Right
now, about a week after a careful inquiry in c.s.a.misc, we have the
support of a small number of programmers, two, possibly three,
coordinators of whom two could also do some programming and a very fast
net site to send mailing lists from, set up an FTP site etc.  However,
this is not nearly enough; we're not going to be able to write an entire
OS with a dozen people!  So what we ask of you is simple: we want you in
on this.  We need a lot of everything (see below for more detail):
programmers, coordinators, testers, lawyers, netters, more programmers,
journalists and so on, and so on.  If you're enthusiastic about the Amiga,
and you don't want it to go down the drain, volunteer now!  Flood my
mailbox with support messages!  Even if you really don't know in what way
you could contribute, join, join, join!  The Amiga needs you!

(er..sorry...got a bit carried away there :-) Anyway, what we'd like to
know is if we can count on enough support to make it worth starting on.
The provisional plan, as it is in my head, is to get as many people
together as we can.  We will all connect them to a mailing list, in which
we will ask for suggestions, ideas, etc.  as soon as the coordinating
committee will have been formed.  They will then take all these
suggestions into account and come up with a proposal that outlines what we
intend to do and how.  This is then posted back to the rest of the team,
who can respond to it, make amendments, etcetera.

The committee (does anyone have a better word for this?  To me 'committee'
sounds like something you'd put in a government.) will then make a second
design and after that, we'll start developing in teams.  For more info, I
suggest you read the original post I put up in c.s.a.misc, below:


=================================->
1)   PROGRAMMING.

 Not the first point by accident.  Of course this is going to be the
 major chunk of work, so we need everybody who is enthusiastic about
 this and who can work in a team (essential bit, that !).  I think
 everyone can take part, no matter how much or how little programming
 experience they have.

 It's just important that everyone involved should be willing to
 listen to the other members of the (hopefully large) development team
 to correct bugs, adapt things to fit better with other parts of the
 OS, and so on.

1.1) LANGUAGE.

 I think it's essential that we use ONE programming language
 (preferably even one compiler) for all our code and that it shouldn't
 be assembly either.  Why?  Well, with the current development in
 processors, I think it would be unwise to stick with the 68000-line
 of processors, or with any other, for that matter.  Should the RISC
 Amiga appear, or should we want to run our newly-made OS on a
 PowerMac, all we would need on the other platform is a compiler for
 that particular language and off we go.  I propose C or C++, but
 that's because I use the former myself and so I'm prejudiced :-)
 Other suggestions are welcome.

1.2) LICENSE.

 All the programmers involved should agree to donate their code to the
 good cause and they should not expect to make any money from the new OS.
 Every active member will have to sign some sort of document that shows
 their agreement to this.

 The copyright of the OS would lie best, I think, with the entire group 
 and not with the individual (like 'OpenWindow() and CloseWindow() 
 Copyright Joe Bloggs', 'CreateMsgPort() and DeleteMsgPort() Copyright 
 Irving Gould' etc.). This would make it easier to sue MicroSoft if they 
 decided to nick (part of) our OS.  However, I'm no legal expert, so maybe 
 I'd better shut up and let someone with a degree in law shed some more 
 light on the subject.

1.3) THE WHEEL.

 I don't know about you, but re-inventing wheels is not one of my
 favourite pastimes.  We should use as much existing material as possible 
 and, while we're at it, incorporate as many useful utilities into the new 
 OS as possible (KingCON, Toolsdaemon and a DoubleSpace-like system based 
 on XPK libraries spring to mind), whereas other things are fine as they
 are (ARexx, for example, works fine as an external program).  Also, we
 want the people who have made so many essential enhancements to the
 existing Amiga OS already in on this: Dave Haynie, Nico Frangois, Mike
 Sinz, Olaf Barthel, Johnatan Potter, to name just a few, we need you
 here!



2)   COORDINATION.
 This is another tough cookie.  One person, or better still, a small group
 of people (say five) should direct the development process and tell
 people what to do and what not to.  This doesn't mean they would be in
 charge of the operation in the sense that they would be the bosses and
 everything they wanted would happen, it's just that they will keep track
 of developments, avoid people from programming in opposite directions or
 working on the same thing independently, etc.  The coordinators would also
 be the ones to take action in the form of officially releasing versions
 of the OS, giving out information to the media (see below), sue MicroSoft
 :-)
 and so on.  They can't do this with just the five of them, they have to
 rely on the services of:

2.1) LEGAL ADVISORS.

 We're likely to need more than one of these, since there are different 
 laws in different countries.  We don't want to do all the work just to 
 have it taken away from us by some big company. 

2.2) THE MEDIA.

 It is important to keep people informed what's happening, so we need to
 have a link to the things people read.  Can we count on Amiga Report?

 [Sure. -Jason]
 
2.3) THE TESTERS.

 Very important group this, and a very big one too.  In my own programming
 experience, I have found that a 100 K program can hold more bugs than
 there are stars up in the sky (this may have had something to do with my
 programming skills :), so a complete OS will probably contain as many as
 the number of times actors say 'f*ck' in the movies these days.  The
 programmers will do some testing of each other's work, of course, but
 real alpha- and beta testing is a job in its own right sometimes and
 that's where the testers come in.  The coordinators will gather all the
 bug reports and pass them on to the programmer(s) who are likely to be
 responsible.  Anybody with an Amiga can be a beta tester, so volunteer
 now!


3)   RESOURCES.

 Obviously, we'll need computers.  Everybody has his/her own Amiga to 
 develop or test on, but that's not enough.  We need a WWW site, with
 (as someone else proposed) two entries : one for the general public to 
 browse and keep in touch with the progress and one for the
 developers/testers themselves, to submit new material or retrieve it.  We
 need a newsgroup, or preferably even two or one and a mailing list.  One
 newsgroup is for general discussions about the OS, suggestions from the
 rest of the Amiga community etc.  The other newsgroup (or the mailing
 list) is for dedicated discussion between developers, the coordinators
 and maybe the testers.  This is public, of course, since we're not
 working on anything secret here, but people who have no real business
 there but to read are strongly urged to stay out of the discussions,
 especially since they will not be that meaningful to people not involved
 in the project anyway.

 So what I want is someone who has a large system connected to the
 Internet, that can handle the considerable amounts of data involved in
 this sort of thing and preferably independent (i.e.  it cannot be
 restricted by a university's management or by the president of the
 company you work for).  He or she will become the project's distribution
 manager, who will handle the technical side of the newsgroup(s), mailing
 list(s), WWW pages, FTP requests and so forth.

=================================->

Unless I forgot something very crucial, in which case you must remind me
at once, this is about it.  We can use the support of everybody, as long
as he or she is enthusiastic about the Amiga and concerned about its
future.  We can use the aid of companies to sponsor our efforts in any
possible way, but bear in mind that it's mainly going to be a charity
effort to save the Amiga and nothing profitable such as buying the
marketing rights to sell the OS when it's finished.

Oh, we need a name :-) Actually I liked Phoenix, but I think there's a
clone BIOS by that name.  Any ideas?
@endnode
@node FEATURE7 "Chasing the Demon"
@toc FEATURE
===========================================================================
==  Chasing the Demon                                 By:  @{"Robert Niles" link ROBERT}  ==
===========================================================================
 
Quite a while ago I placed a request in comp.sys.amiga.marketplace, a 
newsgroup on UseNet, requesting items to purchase. One was the 2091 with 
two megabytes of RAM. The other was some CDROMS.
 
A few weeks later, on a thursday, I received an email message from 
DRFEEZE@DELPHI.COM. He stated that he had some 2091's with RAM available 
for $45.00. 
 
Well naturally I thought this was a good deal. I didn't think that these 
were brand new 2091's, but maybe some old ones that he might have 
repaired. I've seen plenty of these type of guys before, who would buy 
used and broken equipment, repair them if needed and resell them for a 
small profit.
 
I replied, telling him to contact me in which he did. I ended up 
ordering the 2091 and a 1MB Agnus, both of which came to a total of 
$68.00, to be sent to me via COD.
 
I really started to wonder about this guy. I hoped that he was 
legitimate, but when one purchases something over the net, you can never 
be sure that the item(s) are going to be exactly what you wanted, in the 
condition that you wanted. It's a chance, sometimes a big one.
 
The next day I was reading through the newsgroups, again in 
c.s.a.marketplace where another reader named Mat Hall placed a note 
stating that he sent this DRFREEZE $310 for a A1200 via Western Union 
and didn't receive the A1200 as expected.
 
Ugh...now I really began to wonder. I contacted Mat Hall to find out 
what became of his "purchase" on friday. He told me that DRFREEZE 
emailed him, and had him contact him. Via the telephone DRFREEZE was a 
person named Devlin Chase from Orrville, Ohio. They set up their deal, 
and Mat went down to wire the money. Mr. Chase definately went to his 
local Western Union to pick up the funds, but Mat never received his 
Amiga 1200.
 
At this time Mat and I decided to do a little investigating.
 
I logged onto Delphi, a commercial online system to see if I could find 
more information about this DRFREEZE. On the main menu, I went into an 
area in which I could find out more information on users. It's a bit 
like the InterNet "finger" command. It tells you the username and the 
realname of the user...and the user can put in more information about 
himself if he/she wishes. Anyways, doing a who-is on DRFREEZE, the name 
Damion McCool was returned. Quite different from the name originally 
given to Mat telling me that this guy was not legitimate. 
 
Next I went into the Amiga group there on Delphi to read some of the 
messages. After a while I found a post there from a user warning 
everyone to stay away from this Mr. Chase. In the note he stated that 
Mr. Chase, known as Devlin Chase is also known as Pactor and that he 
works with a woman named Betty Jean Yodar. That they have posted 
advertisements of equipment for sale, accepted the money but never ship 
the goods. He stated that they don't answer the telephone, but if they 
do they quickly hang up. He stated that they have tried to say that Mr. 
Chase had commited suicide. This person on Delphi lost over $500 from a 
deal that did not go through.
 
Next I tried directory assistance asking for the telephone number of 
Devlin Chase. The operator stated that they was no listing for anyone 
with the last name of Chase. Pretty much a dead end, this only told me 
that this wasn't his real name, or he didn't have a telephone number.
 
I called Mat again.
 
We found out this:
 
Mr Chase logs onto hosts like Delphi and America Online who have a test 
period in which anyone with a credit card can sign up for a few days or 
so to try out the service. Mr. Chase gets on these, reads the forsales, 
replies via private mail to make his deal. He then cancels his account 
of that system. Those who can wire him the money, those who refuse can 
send it to his address, which actually is the address of his accomplice, 
Betty Jean Yodar. The address that he gives is:
 
412 Park Ave.
Orrville, OH 44667
 
 
This is the address of Betty Jean. But if you write out a check, he has 
you make it out to Devlin Chase. This doesn't tell us if it's his real 
name, but it does tell us that he has the means to cash the check if 
written under this name.
 
The telephone number that he has given out - 216-683-7881 again, is not 
under Mr. Chase's name, but that is where he resides, as he has answered 
it there many times for me. We can't find out his real name, directory 
assistance will not tell us his name.
 
Mr. Chase has called himself Devlin Chase, Damion Chase, Pactor, Damion 
McCool. On the phone, he breaths heavily as if he has just climbed up a
couple flights of stairs.His accomplice is Betty Jean Chase, which is 
either himself under a different name, or it could be another person 
altogether. BettyJean Chase has an account on Compuserve, ID# 74452,674.
The address he give is the one noted above.
 
While nothing of our meager investigation resulted in some sort of 
prosecution of Mr. Chase, we are still compiling information. Please let 
us know if you might have any additional information. This Mr. Chase has 
been hitting the Amiga community hard.
 
Most of all beware. If you purchase something, have it sent via COD, 
inspect the contents if possible before accepting the package, and as 
always if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
@endnode
@node FEATURE8 "Grand Gala Amiga Report 1995 Reader Survey!"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==            The Grand Gala Amiga Report 1995 Reader Survey!            ==
===========================================================================

It's that time...time for us to figure out how we're doing, what we should
do in the future...basically, the pulse of the Amiga Report public.

Please fill out whatever you like, and get back to us.  Send replies to
@{" Jason Compton " link JASON}.

And, thanks to Michael Meshew and Fred Fish, TEN Light-ROM CDs will be
given away to ten random readers who respond to the survey.  Even if you
don't own a CD-ROM drive, the CD label is pretty.

Incidentally, everyone who has already submitted a reply IS still eligible.

Replies are due February 21, 1995.  

So, let's get underway.

The best way to answer is to clip these answers out of the document and
answer them below the question.

Part I-Tell us about yourself.

1.  Please tell us what system you use (briefly, we don't need to know
every peripheral and card, just the model number and processor).

2.  Would you consider your machine and your usage to be that of a
high-end, middle, or low-end?

2a. How long have you been an Amiga user?

2b. How many Amigas do you own currently, and how many have you owned
lifetime?

3.  What other Amiga magazines do you read?

4.  How often do you read Amiga Report, and how?  (Are you on the mailing
list, a distribution BBS, FTP, on a non-affiliated BBS...?)

4a. How long have you read Amiga Report?

5.  Do you have full internet access, E-Mail/Usenet, or no internet
access?

6.  Please tell us what country you hail from, and what language or
languages you are fluent in.


Part II-Tell us about the magazine.

1.  What sections of the magazine do you consider the best or most
important?

1a. What sections of the magazine do you consider the worst or least
important?

2.  (For those who have seen earlier layouts) How does the current layout
of the magazine compare to previous incarnations?

3.  How does Amiga Report's feature quality compare to other Amiga
magazines?  (Be as specific as necessary)

4.  Do you feel information is clearly and fairly presented in Amiga
Report?

5.  What do you think we're missing?  What would you like to see more of?

5a. On the same token, what do you think we shouldn't have?  What would
you like to see less of?

6.  Of the following sections of the magazine, please indicate how you
feel about them by the following classification-
Always Read / Sometimes read / Rarely read / Never read

News/Press Releases/Features
Reviews
Opinion/Editorial
Reader Mail
FTP Announcements
Dealer Directory
Distribution BBS list

7.  Back in 1993, Amiga Report carried more general-industry news.  Would
you like to see that return?
@endnode
@node FEATURE9 "Hardware Survey"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==  Hardware Survey                               By:  @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE}  ==
===========================================================================

Here's the start of the Hardware Wish List survey... More questions will be
in later issues.

1.  Joystick
		a.  Keep it how it already is
		b.  Switch to analog joystick

2.  Mouse:
		a.  Keep it how it already is
		b.  Switch to serial mouse

3.  Keyboard
		a.  Keep it how it already is
		b.  Switch to IBM compatibles/Amiga keyboard emulation for IBM
		    keyboards 

4.  Should 15 KHz be used for anything except video?
         a.  Yes
         b.  No

5.  Where should the processor/graphics/sound/etc. components be located?
         a.  On the board      (hard to change)
         b.  On separate cards (slows it down )

6.  What should the low-end Amiga cases be like?
         a.  How they currently are, one-piece with keyboard attached
         b.  A slim-line "pizza box" case, like low-end Macintoshes,
             with separate keyboard

We're still taking submissions for this one, so if you haven't sent in your
response yet, do it SOON!

Send responses to @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE}
@endnode
@node FEATURE10 "Magic Workbench vs. NewIcons"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==  Magic Workbench vs. NewIcons                  By:  @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE}  ==
===========================================================================


Alright, not too many people sent me their opinions on this one.  Only 29
people to be exact.  It better be because few people have seen both icon
packages, and not because no one is reading this. :)

Since so few people responded, I've just included the raw scores.

Icon Package  # Votes  Reason
------------  -------  ------
  Newicons      18     More colorful, less "sad", like the color handling

  MagicWB        9     "polished", hate isometric, "professional", no AGA

  Standard       1     Look just fine

  Mac            1     More tasteful


NewIcons were overwhelmingly preferred, but many still swear by Magic
Workbench.

The best solution would most likely be to use the NewIcons system, but have
different "styles" of icons available.  No doubt after some time, this will
happen anyway, with so many icon artists out there.

@endnode
@node FEATURE11 "Common Utils/Commodities/Etc."
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
==  Common Utils/Commodities/Etc.                 By:  @{"Katherine Nelson" link KATIE}  ==
===========================================================================

In the Workbench Wish List poll, I also asked people what utilities,
commodities, and hacks they use to improve their 'Benches.  What follows is
the resulting list of programs.

People tend to use more than one utility, so comparing them by votes isn't
very accurate. Instead, I will just list the most often used utilities in
order without specifying how many people for each.

Also, since MANY utils were mentioned, I'm only including the ones near the
top of the list.  If you've written a utility and it doesn't appear on this
list, don't worry.  Some people no doubt mentioned it.

Furthermore, the summaries are very superficial.  Each package probably
does more than is mentioned.

         Magic Workbench (iocns)

         ToolManager (docks, appicons, and adds to tools menu)

		Magic Menu  (makes menu appear at pointer)

		ToolsDaemon (create menus/submenus, add items/hotkeys)

         MUI (configures MUI type apps)

         NewIcons  (new icons & new way of handling them)

         Requester replacer (arq, reqtools, etc..)

         KingCON  (replacement shell)

         CycletoMenu (turns cycle gadgets into menus)

         PFS (new file system)

         Iconian (Better icon editor)

         MultiFileSystem (Access PC0: as DF0:, etc.)

         Clicknot/NoClick  (stops drive from clicking)

         Yak (multi-purpose commodity)


So, if you haven't tried any of these commodities/hacks/utils/etc., you
might want to check 'em out to see what they're all about.
@endnode
@node REVIEW1 "Review: ImageFX 2.0"
@toc REVIEW

===========================================================================
==  Review:  ImageFX 2.0                             By:  @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

We're the owners of those computers that are supposed to be great for
graphics, right?

Of course we are.  But these days, it's not enough to just show Juggler
animations.  Of course, some of those Euro-demos still turn heads, but
they're not interactive enough to make your average non-Amigan feel like
the Amiga is a worthwhile machine.

So, what to do?  Load up ImageFX 2.0 and blow something up.  Or electrocute
it.  Or twist it into a tight rod.  Or put inside a crystal ball and set it
on a witches hand.  Or...you get the idea.

Of course, it'll take more than just the idea of impressing someone to get
everyone to run out and buy the US$250 package from Nova Design.  So let me
point out the sort of thing you'll get.

Actually, let me first tell you what you WANT.  You'll probably want an AGA
or 24-bit card Amiga: don't get me wrong, you can still do fairly nice
things in HAM-6, but the more colors, the nicer things get.

You'll also be wanting some serious hard drive space.  While the software
itself only occupies 4 floppies, pure 24-bit images get rather large, and
if you're doing some amazingly serious work (like, for a color print in a
magazine or the like) you're looking at multiple megs.

And, as always, processor speed.  Nova says any Amiga with a hard drive,
2.04, and 2 megs of RAM is the bare minimum, recommending 8 megs of memory
and an 030.  I'll get right to the point and say that if you don't have an
040, you'll want to work up an appetite before you do any serious effects,
because the time required will be in the "go make a sandwich" realm.  On
the lighter side, ImageFX DOES have built-in virtual memory, but, of
course, it's never as good as the real thing.

Back to the program.  What you get with the ImageFX 2.0 package is:

1 large black box.  It's good to see that Amiga companies are catching on
to the popular conception that "large boxes mean good programs".  Too bad
Amiga programs aren't displayed next to DOS programs, the box sizes of
ImageFX and SoftWood's products would certainly grab attention.

4 aforementioned disks

Some online-service subscription info.  (Hey, gotta pay for that big black
box somehow!)

All that good license/warranty stuff.

1 black manual with hundreds of pages.  It's informative, but has a major
flaw to be mentioned later...

Once you've installed the software (rather painlessly) you'll pop open the
drawer you stuck it in and, if you're observant, you'll notice the gift of
Cinemorph on there!  I can't say I'm overly surprised, since it's virtually
been given away for a good year now.  But here it is, recompiled in late
'94 with an ImageFX "gate" (invoking Cinemorph will also bring up an
ImageFX control panel).

Ah, but don't worry about that, you paid for ImageFX!  So, loading that up
instead, you're greeted with a big black screen and the ImageFX control
panel: a row of "drawing tool" buttons, 3 rows of picture control and
effect buttons, and a side bar of load/save/render options.

So, since it's tough to do serious effects without something to do them to,
you'll want to load up a picture.  ImageFX supports a staggering amount of
loadable formats: 31, according to the count from the manual.  The popular
formats from other platforms are there, meaning that ImageFX fits in neatly
with any multi-platform graphics processing system.  Once you pick your
pic, it loads and...oh, dear, it doesn't look much like you expected. 
ImageFX displays its buffer in "preview" mode, to cut down on display time
and to keep things moving smoothly.  I do understand their reasoning, and
it certainly does keep things moving faster than a full AGA or 24-bit
display would...

Now, you have to choose what to do.  Well, you can have a marvelous time
here.  I can safely say, from mere idle mucking about with ImageFX, that
there are more effects than you'll find useful in your lifetime, unless
perhaps someone is paying you to feel otherwise.  It would take an issue
dedicated to ImageFX to tell you how I feel about each and every effect,
but I have no intention of making this more than a two-part review, so I'll
focus on some of the more interesting ones...

Under the Balance option, you can do just about anything you like to the
appearance of the image, screwing with the sliders in RGB, HSV, or CMYK
format, as well as messing with Gamma levels.  Great stuff.

Composite allows you to play with the mathematical wonders of matching up
images.  A quick stop to the manual will outline the several types of
composite operations available to you. 

If you're bored, or creating an animation, you'll spend a lot of time in
the Transform menu, where you can flip, shear, and roll to your heart's
content.

Color effects formalize the process outlined above of randomly screwing
around with the appearance of an image without actually changing the
drawing.  A good dozen or so will keep you busy.

Distort effects are largely in that category of "impress the masses", with
swirl and warp being the mainstays of the class, along with the
ever-popular spherize, to trap your favorite picture in a ball.

The Effect class is where you let it all hang out.  Here, among others, is
where you find the Lightning, Radial Star, and Lens Flare effects.  One of
the best images we've created involves a sleepy-looking me with a bolt of
blue energy nailing me in the forehead.  There are enough independent
options to the Lens Flare effect to occupy hours of time, if you're worried
about getting that just-right appearance.

Swap and Alpha options allow you to define a number of independent images
from which you can make your magic operate.

Hooks are what seem to be the equivelant of Photoshop "plug-ins", allowing
independent modules to be called from the main program.  (the manual boasts
that many of ImageFX 2.0's built-in features originated as hooks, which
could explain why there are relatively few hooks included.)

ARexx support is...extensive, as evidenced by the dozens of included
scripts for a variety of purposes.  (Some of these will be discussed next
issue.)

Oh, when you're done with all of this, saving will be in order.  Saving can
be done in 20 different formats, and rendering to 24-bit cards is
supported.  No worries here.

ImageFX 2.0's documentation is quite extensive.  Online help is at every
turn, and covers the bases if you don't want to lunge for the manual.  It
doesn't tell you what a Tibbet quantization is, but if you want to know
what Quantization does, it'll let you know.  (The online documentation was
written by Portal Amiga Zone Sysop Harv Laser, who also frequently can be
found on the pages of Amiga World.  It should come as no surprise that
Portal signup information can be found in the ImageFX box...)

Now, remember what I was saying about the manual?  It does an excellent job
of explaining what is going on and how and why you should/can use an
option.  The problem is that it tries to SHOW you, in pictures, what will
happen.  This wouldn't be so bad if the manual wasn't printed in dithered
grayscale.  I suppose the Amiga market can be blamed for that necessity. 
At any rate, the included picture examples are nearly useless.  But a good
thought, nonetheless.

Next issue I'll cover some of the effects more specifically, and give a
more in-depth look at a few of the program's aspects such as the ARexx
support.

To close for now, I'll say this: I've seen ImageFX and an EGS Spectrum
convince three different people who had never seen an Amiga before that
they should own one.  Too bad it was November 1994 and nobody in the room
was selling one...
@endnode
@node REVIEW2 "Review: airTaxi"
@toc REVIEW

===========================================================================
==  Review:  airTaxi by David C. May                 By:  @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

Commodore 64 nostalgia mode engaged.

Muse Software was a great company in its day, early to mid eighties.  Most
notably, they're responsible for the "action/adventure" games Castle
Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (Nothing to do with the 3D
perversion by a similar name.  In some ways, the 64 version is still more
fun), and Space Taxi.

If Muse had consistent qualities, it was for enjoyable gameplay and crude
digitized sound.  They would cram little voice snippets into that small
memory to add atmosphere to their games.  (Who could forget Hitler pacing
back and forth in his bunker, frequently stopping to say "Heil!" to the
seaten Nazi officers, who would reply in a deeper voice the same "Heil!"?)

Space Taxi wasn't about Nazis, but it made use of voice samples as well. 
The premise was this: you drove a small flying vehicle and shuttled people
from pad to pad on a screen which could have anything from candy to a
marching Nazi to block your path.

It was, in short, a fun game.  I remember discovering that the level of my
choice could be reached by shutting off the disk drive on level 1, playing
it X times, then turning the drive back on: X+1 would be loaded.

I've seen other Space Taxi clones on the Amiga, but none that captured the
spirit of the game as well as David May's airTaxi.  Even though the
original samples have been replaced by much less scratchy incarnations, the
old feelings come back with every call of "Hey, Taxi."

May has put a lot of sophistication into the game.  No longer just an
experience for one player, with the right tools (a parallel-port joystick
adapter) and 4 friends, you can have up to 5 taxis cruising around the
screen at once.  However, based on results of my games with Katie, two's a
crowd, as things can get pretty cramped on the screen, and collisions are
fatal.

The upshot of the game is still the same: fly customers from one pad to
another, and get paid based on how long it took you to get them there. 
This, of course, means that if you're not a quick and efficient cabbie,
you'll be a cabbie operating at a loss, since fuel is necessary and
expensive.  There are three types of customers: red, yellow, and white, who
offer increasingly large tips.  However, since you get penalized for
killing customers (as in, getting yourself killed with a customer onboard)
according to how much they tip, if you get killed with a white customer in
the car early on, you may as well hit ESCape.

The levels are often quite complex, offering zero gravity environments,
drafty areas, hell-bent destructive seeking satellites, and magnetic
spheres to make your job difficult.

The game is written in AMOS and is ECS, playable on just about any
configuration, and is NTSC.  It's also a mere US$5 to register, and the
shareware levels should be more than enough to convince you.  Arcade fans
and those who shiver in anticipation at the words "Pad 3, please" will want
to pick this up.

David C. May
1931 West 5745 North
St. George, UT  84770-5959
USA

may_d@cc.dixie.edu
@endnode
@node REVIEW3 "Review: Deluxe Galaga 2.5"
@toc REVIEW
===========================================================================
==  Review:  Deluxe Galaga 2.5 by Edgar Vigdal       By:  @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

I feel like a fool for not reviewing Deluxe Galaga sooner.

For those who haven't been in an arcade for the past 10 years or so, Galaga
was a next-generation Space Invaders game, in which you defended yourself
against endless waves of alien attackers.  These attackers, though, took
dive-bombing raids at you.  A very few of the attackers had the ability to
literally scoop your craft out of the sky-allowing you to shoot it down
later and join up with it, forming a more powerful fighting machine.

It was quite a bit of fun.  (Movie-watchers will note that the main
character of WarGames plays it at least once during the early parts of the
movie)

Vigdal came along and decided to do an Amiga version.  Of course, Galaga
was written during an age where powerups were unheard of, but in the 90's,
powerups are what define an arcade game.  So, we have the concept of money
that can be used to buy more ships, firepower, or speed.  Many of those
goodies fall from the baddies when they're shot, and the action is capped
off with "level bosses", challenge screens and kamikaze levels, and two
types of bonus levels.

The game has evolved considerably over time.  Initially, the selection of
weaponry was more limited, power-ups seemed a bit rarer, and the likelihood
of a bullet scoring a kill on an alien was about as likely as the
likelihood of the bullet to pass right through.  Now, though, Galaga is a
top-notch arcade extravaganza, nearly flawless in its execution and intense
fun to play.  Registering the game for a pittance (US$10) is well worth the
effort: you get an enhanced version, most noticable in the sound file,
which adds old-arcade style voice effects to the game.

At this point, it sports 75 unique levels, which (if you're good) just wrap
around and become more difficult if you survive.  With three difficulty
levels, you'll be kept busy.

Seasoned Deluxe Galaga players will want to note some recent additions:

Memory game: Sort of weird, I think, but a bonus screen that puts up a grid
of tiles, gives you a time limit, and challenges you to match what's under
the tiles, anything from points to money to rank markers.  A skull ends the
bonus round immediately.

Built-in Autofire: Autofire has become a powerup, meaning that all you have
to do is hold FIRE to make it work.

200 dollar coins: Mo' money.

Armor: Build up resistance to dying.

Even Higher Weapons: Weapons now go up to the cryptically named "War.I.
Plasma", which costs 3000 coins and is incredibly powerful.

The game is ECS, and runs on anything with a meg.  Don't be fooled, though:
build a stand-up console around an A1200 and market it to the older gaming
set.  They'll put quarters in it.

DGalaga 2.5 is a great presentation of a classic gaming concept.  Quite
well done.

Edgar Vigdal
5830 LUSTER
NORWAY
edgarv@powertech.no
@endnode
@node REVIEW4 "BCINet CD-ROM"
@toc REVIEW

===========================================================================
==  Review:  BCINet CD-ROM                           By:  @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

Better Concepts, purveyors of quite a few original CD-ROMs of the font,
music, clip-art and adult variety, have decided to delve into the realm of
the online collection of Aminet with their BCINet CD.

BCINet's material is "...hot off the archives of the Internet!" To get this
out of the way:

Aminet is a separate entity, and its moderators weren't involved in the
compilation of this CD.  The material on BCINet is significantly
"different" from a direct Aminet compilation.

Now to the point: BCINet is a collection of hundreds of megs of,
essentially, all around good, up-to-date software.  The material is
archived in directories resembling the Aminet hierarchy, and can be
accessed directly as such, or with a graphical front-end program.

If you choose the direct route, you just do a lot of un-LHAing.  The
graphical front end offers a more automated way of copying and/or
accessing what you want.  I found the graphical front-end a nice idea, but
a bit awkward to work with: for example, if you left-click on a directory
(as you would normally do on the Amiga), you will always be asked if you
want to select the entire contents of the directory.  Right-click avoids
this, but I find that a bit backwards, since left-click is the more
"instinctual" of the choices.  The interface program also seems to have
trouble with the first mouse click you issue to it if you've switched
screens.  In short, it's a good effort, but unless you're doing some
heavy-duty moving around of files, a directory management program like
DirWork will probably suit you just fine.

As a general-purpose compilation of useful software, BCINet succeeds.  The
software is a great selection, all up-to-date and functional, since Aminet
is screened rather well.  (Sadly, the Deluxe Galaga archive on the disc is
corrupted, though)

Its recommended price of US$15 puts it about dead-center between Aminet
Share and Gold CDs.  Future BCINet CDs are planned to keep the material up
to date.

Better Concepts Inc
10 Mandon Terrace
New City, NY  10956
800-25-AMIGA
@endnode
@node REVIEW5 "amiCheck 1.35 Review"
@toc REVIEW
===========================================================================
==  Review:  amiCheck 1.35                           By:  @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

It's always nice to know where your money is going and where it's at, and
how much you'll have left if you send some somewhere else.  There have
been paper-and-pencil ways to keep track of this since people started
worrying about things like money, but those are no fun.  You have to do
all the work yourself.

So, as usually happens with these things, the call goes out for "simple,
easy-to-use, yet powerful" software that takes care of the problem and
balances your checkbook and/or business accounts.

According to Douglas Dyer, his desire for just such a program is what made
him write amiCheck.  And as far as I can tell, he knew what he was doing.

The main job of amiCheck is to keep track of where money is going and how
it came in and out of your life.  The main action takes place on a
Workbench window, with 8 checkbook-style line entries and a host of
options below.  From left to right across the bottom are your running
balances (both current and statement), data entry options
(depositing/withdrawing, reconciling the statement and editing templates,
to be discussed later), editing existing entries, and reporting on your
current budget situation, balance, and net worth.

Check entries, the bread and butter of the program, are straightforward.
The check number, date, and amount, along with the name of the payee or
payer go in input boxes, and multiple memos are allowed.  Furthermore, you
can classify the check in one of any number of configurable categories:
salary, mortgage, rent, food, computer equipment, phone calls, cat
litter...anything you see fit to track.  You can also flag the check tax
deductible, voided, or printed.

When it comes time to track where your money is going, the program filters
use your categories, along with your choice of qualifiers, to calculate
exactly what has been spent where.  Quickly.  Alternately, you can
graphically examine your transactions, either on a whole or as determined
by your filters.  Again, done quickly.  In fact, amiCheck's strongest suit
is its ability to track transactions in a variety of forms, all
efficiently and logically.

The templates allow you to preprogram types of transactions you'll
encounter frequently-a fixed salary or mortgage, for example, or perhaps a
donation to the Fund for Starving Programmers.

amiCheck is, according to Dyer, bug-free as of now.  I have noticed
cosmetic errors appear in text gadgets: occasionally, words that amiCheck
creates in boxes will have a few extra characters attached, or a short
word replacing a long word will not blank out all of the end of the long
word.  (i.e. if "Check" replaces "Investments", occasionally you get
"Check      s")  But amiCheck runs solidly on OS 2.04 and above, and the
cosmetic errors aren't too much to worry about.

amiCheck is based on GUIFront, a compact system reminiscent of MUI,
distributed with the archive.  The up side is that the GUI is slick,
compact, and fast.  The downside is that some people just don't like
prearranged GUIs.  I, personally, am happy to find a well organized
interface, and in this Dyer has succeeded.

amiCheck and GUIFront both come in 68000 and 020 versions.  The
documentation is available in AmigaGuide and PostScript format, and is
helpful in the more complicated areas.  Example accounts are included,
and 15 minutes spent with one will make all of amiCheck's power clear and
understandable.

The future promises enhanced check printing, and an upgrade to 2.0 is free
for all registered 1.35 users.

For US$25.00, Dyer has created an easy-to-use system of managing your
money.  If and when Amiga Report ever has to worry about money as a
business, I will trust the money management to amiCheck.

Located on Aminet in biz/misc.

amiCheck 1.35
Douglas M. Dyer
5124 Observation Way
Alexandria, VA  22312
USA
dyer@alx.sticomet.com

US$25.00 + $3 shipping if outside the US
703-941-8133 (amiCheck info line, not an order line)
@endnode
@node REVIEW6 "Mortal Kombat II Review"
@toc REVIEW
===========================================================================
==  Review:  Mortal Kombat II                         By:  @{"Sean Caszatt" link SEAN}  ==
===========================================================================

Hello again, Amiga gamers!

I hope all of you had a very prosperous holiday season.  We didn't get the
present that I am sure most of us wished for, an end to the Commodore
buyout situation, but I guess we'll just have to make that a wish for
an future holiday.  (I hope it's not NEXT Christmas though!)

This time out I managed to get my hands on one of the this Christmas'
hottest selling games, the Amiga version of MORTAL KOMBAT II.

MORTAL KOMBAT II REVIEW
-----------------------
Unless you've been living in a cave (or some similarly cliched remote
place), you know what the whole story behind MORTAL KOMBAT...right?  OK,
I'll explain a little bit about the whole plot.  The first game revolved
around a tournament arranged by a bad guy named Shang Tsung that basically
forced the best fighters in the world to fight each other.  It was all
quite similar to an old Bruce Lee movie.  

MORTAL KOMBAT gained some notoriety because of its unusually violent
"fatalities" or "finishing moves."  These are performed when an opponent
is defeated by the use of normal fighting moves such as standard kicks and
punches .  A fatality is something a bit more pronounced like ripping your 
opponent's spine out or tearing their still-beating heart from their 
chest.  This was frowned upon by those groups that know better than you do 
what's good for you.  The violence in MORTAL KOMBAT is also pretty much 
responsible for the "ratings" now found on most videogames today.  It also
sparked numerous clones and, of course, a sequel.

The original Amiga MORTAL KOMBAT was a solid translation of the original
game.  It may not have looked much like the arcade version, but it
retained much of the spirit and fun of the quarter-eating game.  When
MORTAL KOMBAT II came out for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, many
Amiga gamers wondered if an Amiga version was planned.  

Originally, Acclaim maintained no version was forthcoming.  However,
shortly after Thanksgiving, the Amiga version materialized out of nowhere.
The European Amiga magazines simultaneously heralded it's arrival on their
covers and one even included a demo of it on a coverdisk.  To paraphrase
the advertising for the game, "Nothing can prepare you...for such
disappointment." 

Is it really that bad?  Well, yes and no.  The programmers admitted that 
the game's animated backgrounds would have to be sacrificed in the name of
playability on the Amiga.  The gameplay would be compromised if objects in
the background moved, I guess.  As improbable as that sounds, I can accept
that.  What I can't accept is pretty much everything else.

The game comes on three disks and it's not hard drive installable.  Strike
one!  I can't give a game an entirely positive review if it's not
hard drive installable.  In this day and age, I don't want to dig out the
disks and play...I want it on CD-ROM or on my hard drive.  Disk based
games should have died with the Commodore 64.  (Yes, I am aware that there
is a hard drive installer hack circulating out there, but it wasn't      
included in the box.)

If they can't make a game hard drive installable, then they should at
least make an effort to keep the disk swapping to a minimum.  Strike two!
You'll swap the disks at least four times before you even get to the first
round of action on a system with only one disk drive.  Systems with two
disk drives will swap disks a bit less, but it is still very annoying.
                                                                     
Once you finally get to the game, you'll notice that the graphics are
heavily dithered and appear to be the same as those found in the Sega
Genesis version of the game.  That's to be expected, though...the Genesis
and the Amiga have a lot of technical similarities.  "Not a big deal if
the gameplay is there," I tell myself.

It's not there.  MORTAL KOMBAT II suffers from hideous control problems.
The arcade version is controlled by a joystick and six buttons.  The
console versions can duplicate this (or come close to it) because of the
nature of their control pads.  The Amiga is saddled with the one
button joystick control factor and in this type of game, it hurts.  You'll
find yourself struggling to perform moves that are easy to do on the
arcade or console versions.  The game does provide an option for
two-button control, but the majority of gamers out there don't have two
button sticks or gamepads.  Using the two-button option does improve the
control somewhat, but not enough to warrant the purchase of a two-button
controller strictly for this game.

It's really a shame, because the game is fast and looks like it'd be great
fun if you could control it.  Even on the easiest difficulty setting, the
computer will pummel you as you vainly attempt to defend yourself.  It's
not pretty to watch.  It's even less fun to play.  You'll find yourself
doing the same moves over and over again because that's all you can seem
to do.  If you encounter a character that can defend against these
repetitive moves, you're toast.

The control was less of a problem on the original MORTAL KOMBAT because
the characters all had fewer possible moves and combinations of moves.
MORTAL KOMBAT II simply pushes a the limits of a joystick too far.
If the game had excellent graphics and was hard drive installable 
but had the control problems, I still wouldn't recommend it.  The
gameplay is missing (and with it, the heart of the game). In its place is
a pale imitation of the arcade game on three non-installable disks.

A special note to those planning to purchase the game:  The game looks
like an NTSC game, but running the game in NTSC unveils a number of
problems including sound and graphics glitches and, in some cases, the
game not working at all.  The game does need to be run in PAL to avoid
these problems.  I've managed to get the game to work on every Amiga I've
tried it on using Chris Hames' Degrader.  Also, if you've got 2 megabytes
of CHIP RAM, you'll hear all the sound effects in the game and the game
seems to access the disk drives a lot less.  On systems with less than 2
megabytes of CHIP RAM, you'll be missing a few sounds and the game will
load animations from the disk drives a lot more often.

I really wanted to like this game.  I loved the Amiga version of the original
and I like the arcade version and console versions of MK II.
Some players who are more dexterous with a joystick may dispute my
problems with the control of the game, but I tried four different
sticks hoping to cure the problem.  None of them made the game any easier
to play.  Maybe, if a CD32 version is ever released, it will take
advantage of that machine's extra buttons.  One can only hope.


RATINGS:	WORST <------>	BEST

Playability:  * * * * - - - - - -     4 out of 10
Graphics:	* * * * * - - - - -     5 out of 10
Sound:		* * * * * - - - - -	    5 out of 10

Overall: 	* * * * * - - - - -     5 out of 10

Video Mode:     PAL

Manufacturer:	Acclaim/Midway
@endnode
@node REVIEW7 "The Emulation Rambler!"
@toc REVIEW
===========================================================================
==  The Emulation Rambler!                           By:  @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}  ==
===========================================================================

It's been a while, I admit...there haven't been many wild emulation
developments taking place, though.

Oh, of course, there's Emplant, but it's a full-time job keeping up with
the intricacies.  In simple terms: The Mac emulation is at the point where
calling it "solid" is very fair.  The PC emulation is still not available
for sale.

ReadySoft has stopped supporting the A-Max altogether.  Surprise,
surprise...considering the brush off they gave me at the Summer CES and
the way they treated it at their presentation-dead last in the
binder-o-products.

We're STILL waiting for PC-Task 3 here.  It's shipping and being sold, but
Quasar wants to make me wait for V3.1 before I review it.

But, now, to the object of this article, the Vic-20!

Ah, yes, the machine that launched the machine that launched Commodore to
never-since-seen heights.  The older brother of the 64 that paved the way
for its success.  Or, as you could also look at it, the machine with a 22
column display that shipped standard with 4k of memory.

Hey, all right, sounds like fun!

The Vic-20 emulator does a rather good job of bringing that feeling to the
Amiga, but instead of the distorted fashion in which those 22 columns
filled a 320x200 display, the author has chosen to reduce it to a 64-like
aspect ratio, meaning that the screen display is much smaller, but much
more proportional.  Perhaps it's not as authentic, but it IS easier to
look at.

The emulation consists of a single executable in 68000 or 68020 compiled
formats and a few external ROM files.  Now, off the top, let's point out:
those ROM files are copyrighted, but I doubt anyone will be beating down
your door for them.

The main executable has some useful tooltypes to regulate your emulation.
First off is memory: those Vic-20s were expandable, and the emulation
reflects it.  I've been able to increment by 4, 8, 16, and 32k.  Other
numbers seem to behave a bit improperly.

Another tooltype serves to regulate the speed of the emulation.  You'll
discover the usefulness of this based on your machine.  On an 040/25 4000,
the emulation is too fast on all but the slowest setting.

The real fun, of course, lies in playing games (sorry, serial and parallel
aren't emulated, so it seems unlikely that you'll be writing papers or
IRC'ing with your Vic-20 emulation).  A few are packaged with the
software, the rest are available from ftp sites listed in the
documentation.  The games may be loaded in directly with tooltypes
(encouraging you to create icons for each individual game, rather than
constantly changing them), or with the regular LOAD command in VIC BASIC,
since it's patched to bring up an Amiga requester.

All right.  There isn't even anything so complicated as Elite, and there's
certainly not going to be a Doom-beater.  But some of those games are
rather clever, and it's always fun to see how many cartridge images you
can find written by Commodore celebrities (I've got two Andy
Finkel-authored carts, and one copyrighted to Commodore UK, but no author
given.  Many others were in some way copyrighted to Commodore, because of
their rather strict policy on publishing for their machines at that time.)
Graphics are emulated smoothly and accurately, and I THINK sound is.  I
don't have a basis for comparison, but it sounds like it belongs to a
pre-64 machine.

For obvious reasons (like the fact that the Vic was an 8-color machine)
the emulation works on virtually all systems.

Documentation is included for the brave souls out there who might want to
create their own software images using a live Vic-20.  It's one of those
things that requires a "It's not our fault if you blow your house up"
disclaimer, though, so it's entirely up to you.  If you're not so brave, an
FTP site is included that will lead you to dozens of cartridges.

I have a Vic-20 in a closet.  I picked it up for free from a friend of a
friend and haven't yet been able to make it work properly.  This should be
enough to tide me over-after all, you can't get original Gorf for the
Amiga.  So, if you have an irresistable urge to play classic Omega Race,
or perhaps Buck Rogers, and maybe try to type in a few BASIC programs from
that issue of Compute's Gazette from 1984 you have laying around, give
this emulator a chance.
@endnode
@node CHARTS1 "Aminet CHARTS - Jan 22"
@toc FTP
The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 22-Jan-95
| Updated weekly. Most popular file on top.
|
|File                Dir        Size Description
|------------------- ---        ---- -----------
ar302.lha          docs/mags   75K   0+Amiga Report 3.01, January 15, 1995
SD3V13.lha         disk/misc  132K   0+High-speed disk copier and formatter.
aiff_dtc.lha       util/wb     25K   0+AIFF/AIFC datatype, v1.11
LhADir111.lha      util/dir    17K   0+Use LhA archives as normal dirs in DOpus
AmiTCP_tnserv.lha  comm/tcp    68K   0+Telnet daemon for AmiTCP, version 1.1
FW30int-030pch.lha biz/patch  177K   0+Speed improvement for FinalWriter 3.0 In
TOMCAT.lha         game/demo  2.3M   1+Demo of true Full-Motion Video Game
ObjectArchive.lha  util/arc    48K   0+Access archives (lha, tar...) like disks
minerunner13.lha   game/jump   77K   0 Loderunner that runs im multitasking (V1
hyperace1.lha      game/2play 488K   0+4 player racing game
@endnode
@node CHARTS2 "Aminet CHARTS - Jan 29"
@toc FTP

| The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 29-Jan-95
| Updated weekly. Most popular file on top.
|
|File                Dir        Size Description
|------------------- ---        ---- -----------
VChck650.lha       util/virus 116K   0+Version 6.50 of Virus_Checker. Amiga Vir
cyberman.dms       game/misc  299K   0+COOL Pac-Man clone DOOM-like
fpWAV_dt40.2.lha   util/dtype  12K   0+Simply the best WAV datatype around!
fpVOC_dt40.2.lha   util/dtype  13K   0+Simply the best VOC datatype around!
Device-Handler.lha disk/misc    8K   0+Device-Handler 1.1, useful for tar
FView130.lha       gfx/show    71K   0+FastView V1.30 - A very fast IFF/GIF/JPE
REKOdt392.lha      util/dtype  14K   0+Datatype for REKO cardsets, needs WB 3.0
AmiPOP116.lha      comm/net    76K   0+Amiga POP3 Client V1.16
Rings.lha          util/wb     37K   0+"Moving Ring" graphic toy for 3.0 WB
GBlankerMod1.lha   util/blank  77K   0+3 new blankers for GarshneBlanker
@endnode
@node FTP1 "Bumpee 1.44"
@toc FTP

TITLE

     Bumpee

VERSION

     1.44

RELEASE DATE

     6-Jan-94

AUTHORS

     Leon Woestenberg (leon@stack.urc.tue.nl)

DESCRIPTION

     Bumpee is a simple-to-use revision control program for your E
     sources. The use of a standarized versionstring, introduced by
     Commodore-Amiga with AmigaOS 2.04, offers a neat way to keep
     track of the executables generated during program development.

     Bumpee provides a module that automagically adds this
     versionstring to your executables, and also offers you
     constants and macros providing the version information for use
     in your program.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

     Bumpee needs at least AmigaOS version 2.04, and either the
     demo or registered version of Amiga E, version 3.1a or higher.
     A valid, battery back-upped, system clock is useful.

HOST NAME

     Aminet FTP servers, like ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.2.1)

DIRECTORY

     /pub/aminet/dev/e

FILE NAME

     Bumpee1_44.lha (8716 bytes)

PRICE

     Free.

DISTRIBUTABILITY

     Bumpee is freely distributable software. The archive must be
     copied as a whole. The source code in the archive may be used
     to recompile the program, however do not distribute altered
     or unaltered recompilations under the name Bumpee. So, this is
     NOT public domain.
@endnode
@node FTP2 "ManageCDPics 1.2"
@toc FTP

TITLE

     ManageCDPics

VERSION

     1.2

AUTHOR

     Markus Hillenbrand
     Weserstrae 9
     36124 Eichenzell-Lschenrod
     GERMANY

     e-mail: m_hillen@informatik.uni-kl.de

DESCRIPTION

     With ManageCDPics you can create some kind of picture
     databases for all your CD-ROMS, and even for 
     your harddisk. The pictures are listed in several 
     listview gadgets, you can start an external viewer to 
     look at the pictures, and you can start a slideshow.

NEW FEATURES

     Slideshow with several features. (background loading,
     time delay, force screen modes, loop etc.)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

     OS 2.x to use the program itself.
     OS 3.x to use the slideshow.
     A lot of CHIP memory for showing pictures with high 
     resolution/colors.

HOST NAME

     Available on any Aminet site, for example:

     ftp.uni-kl.de [131.246.94.94]

DIRECTORY

     /pub/amiga/aminet/disk/cdrom

FILE NAMES

     mcdp12.lha

PRICE

     Free.

DISTRIBUTABILITY

     (c) 1994 Markus Hillenbrand

     If you use this program regularly, you should send a
     post card to the author.

OTHER

     If you have a graphic card, you may have troubles in 
     showing HAM pictures, so don't use them.
@endnode
@node FTP3 "HTML-Heaven 1.0"
@toc FTP

TITLE
        HTML-Heaven

VERSION
        1.0

AUTHOR
        Paul Kolenbrander

        Email : paul@serena.iaehv.nl
        Post  : Postbus 5295
                NL-5603 BD  EINDHOVEN
                The NETHERLANDS

DESCRIPTION
        HTML-Heaven is a suite of three programs intended to make the
        creation and maintenance of WWW (HTML) pages easy. The programs
        in the suite interface with your favorite editor (providing it 
        supports text insertion via ARexx) to provide you with a very
        comfortable working environment. Now inserting HTML commands is
        as simple as pointing and clicking the mouse.

NEW FEATURES
        * Three different programs to choose from. Your environment may
          contain of one or more of these programs.
        * Interfacing with your favorite editor means no need to learn
          how to operate yet another editor. 
        * Using the standard Amiga GadTools interface eliminates to need
          for additional third party libraries.
        * All HTML commands are also available from the menu. Even if the
          program is in iconified mode.
        * All three programs feature identical menu-layout. Making for an
          easy learning curve and intuitive working.
        * The programs will adjust themselves to the default font of the
          screen they open up on.
        * Most popular editors are supported. Such as Ed, GoldEd, CygnusEd,
          EdWord, FRexxEd & SE. Supporting other editors is just a question
          of adapting the sample script as is specified in the HTML-Heaven
          AmigaGuide documentation.
        * A HTML primer in AmigaGuide format is included in the archive.

        Registered users get further features: 
        * Tooltypes/CLI parameters to specify:
          - Public screen to open up on. (Default Workbench)
          - X and Y position to open the window at.
          - X and Y position to iconify the window to.
          - Specify a (fixed width) font to use.
          - Specify which Arexx script to use.
          - Specify the width and height of the window.
        * On-line help. Setting Help in the menu to on, will result in
          a short explanation on any HTML command selected.
        * No 'reminder' requester when the program ends.
        * The use of a key-file means free and easy upgrading by just
          FTP'ing the latest version of the suite. 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
        HTML-Heaven requires:

        * Workbench 2.04 or above.
        * Around 500KB of free memory.
        * About 200KB of floppy or harddisk space.

HOST NAME
        - ftp.iaehv.nl (/pub/users/paul/amiga/HTML-Heaven.LHA 91KB)
        - www.iaehv.nl URL http://www.iaehv.nl/users/paul/index.html
        - ftp.luth.se and other Aminet FTP site.

DIRECTORY
        /pub/aminet/text/hyper/HTML-Heaven.LHA

FILE NAMES
        HTML-Heaven.LHA
        HTML-Heaven.readme

PRICE
        The registration fee for the HTML-Heaven package is as follows:
        - Nederland         Dfl 15,-
        - Europe            DM  15,- / Dfl 15,- 
        - Rest of the World US$ 15.- / Dfl 20.-

DISTRIBUTABILITY
        The unregistered version is freely distributable.
        The registered version and it's keyfile are *NOT* freely
        distributable.

        The suite of programs is copyright 1994 by Paul Kolenbrander.

OTHER
        To encourage their users to register, the freely distributable
        versions does not support any ToolTypes/parameters and will not
        supply on-line help. Furthermore a 'reminder' requester will
        appear on exiting any of the three programs. 
@endnode
@node FTP4 "AntiMatter 2.0"
@toc FTP

TITLE

    AntiMatter

VERSION

    2.0

AUTHOR

    Adam Levin-Delson (aklevin@bix.com)

DESCRIPTION

    AntiMatter is a single-player Intuition-based strategy game based
    upon the board game "Black Box".  Your Amiga hides "atoms" in an
    AntiMatter "chamber"; by firing plasma "rays" into the chamber and
    observing where they exit you must determine the location of the atoms.

NEW FEATURES

    Stereo sound     - Four-channel stereo sound follows the action!
                     - Conforms to the Amiga's "channel-locking" convention,
                       allowing channels to be stolen by higher priority
                       requests, and then returned to the original owner.

    Animated pointer - 30fps animated pointer using proprietary vertical-
                       blank interrupt handler.

    Configurable     - The player can choose how large a chamber to use
                       (6x6 through 14x14) as well as how many atoms will
                       be hidden (3 through 8).

    OS-sensitive     - Runs under AmigaOS 1.3, 2.x and 3.x and on all
                       680x0 processors.

    Low memory-usage - Opens a low-res screen and uses a "shading" pattern
                       to extend the number of unique markers.
                     - Chip RAM audio samples are recycled for the various
                       sound effects.

    Well tested      - Developed using Enforcer and Mungwall.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

    AmigaOS 1.3 or higher.

HOST NAME

    Available on any Aminet mirror, for example ftp.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4)
    or ftp.cdrom.com (192.216.222.5).

    Also available on BIX, from Fred Fish and in the Usenet newsgroup
    comp.binaries.amiga.

DIRECTORY

    Aminet: /pub/aminet/game/think

       BIX:  amiga.games/listings

FILE NAMES

    AntiMatter.lha (31632 bytes)

PRICE

    Free.

DISTRIBUTABILITY

    Copyright (c) 1988-1995 Adam Levin-Delson  All Rights Reserved

    Permission is hereby granted to distribute the AntiMatter
    executable and documentation via electronic means and in Amiga
    software collections for which no charge or only a small amount
    of money more than production costs is charged.

OTHER

    Source code for AntiMatter is available from the author for US$10.
    The source code is not freely redistributable.
@endnode
@node FTP5 "Colonial Conquest II 1.1"
@toc FTP

TITLE

     Colonial Conquest II

VERSION

     1.1

COMPANY

     None

AUTHOR

     Christian Mumenthaler
     mumi@mol.biol.ethz.ch

DESCRIPTION

     Colonial Conquest II is a complex space strategy game
     for one or two persons. The aim of each player is to 
     colonialize a maximum of the 26 earth-like planets that
     are shown on the universe map. Every planet has its own
     surface composed of oceans, forests, mountains, deserts
     etc where different machines (power-plants, irrigation
     robots, space port etc) have to be built to guarantee
     a rapid grow and a high production of the colony.
     People can direct the machines or work as scientists
     which will make the technology level rise and allow new
     inventions (battlestars, planet scanners, energy
     cannons etc).

     Each player will have to explore the universe, build
     war ships for space battles and troop transporters for
     the invasions of other worlds.

     The game is easy to handle as it has an intuitive,
     mouse-based interface. It also has decent graphics with
     some rendered HAM images.

     It includes an intelligent computer opponent, espionage,
     50 different life forms to be discovered, space and ground
     combats and much more.

NEW FEATURES

     Version 1.1 fixes all bugs that have been reported since
     the release of the first version. 
     I have also improved the graphics where I could and
     included optional random events like meteorites, food/energy
     losses, fleet accidents, stargate collapses etc.
     There is also a money system now which allows to sell
     food to the EMPIRE and buy some services in return.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

     Colonial Conquest is a PAL game, but it works on NTSC machines
     too (vertical screen scrolling). Besides this, it should work
     on ALL Amigas with MORE THAN 1MB of RAM.

     Use Left-Amiga + A to multitask.

HOST NAME

     Any Aminet site (ftp.wustl.edu, ftp.luth.se etc)

DIRECTORY

     /pub/aminet/game/think

FILE NAMES

     ColConqII_v11.lha
     ColConqII_v11.readme

PRICE

     Colonial Conquest is GiftWare. You can send a donation,
     a postcard or a mail to the author if you liked the
     game.

DISTRIBUTABILITY

     Freely distributable if not more than a nominal fee is
     asked for the copy! The Copyright remains by the author
     Christian Mumenthaler.
     Read the "Copyright"-file carefully if you want to do
     something else than just play the game and have fun!
@endnode
@node FTP6 "GNU Emacs 19.25, Beta 2.0"
@toc FTP

TITLE

     GNU Emacs 19.25, Amiga BETA RELEASE 2.0, available for download

VERSION

     This updates the previous version of emacs (18.58 a1.26) to a
     resonably current FSF version.

COMPANY

     The Free Software Foundation 'n me.
           
AUTHOR

     A whole host of people including quite a few Amiga people.  I
     don't know who all to thank, but Richard Stallman and David Gay
     come to mind.

     You can reach me at dgilbert@gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org

WARNING

     Even though, as GNU software, this comes with NO warrenty, this
     comes with even less warenty.  This is a BETA version.  It works
     on my machine.

DESCRIPTION

     Emacs is a very powerful, but sometimes cryptic, text editor. Its
     basic features are similar to those of the MEmacs editor which
     comes with AmigaDOS (in the Tools directory), but has numerous
     other facilities:

     - unlimited undo.
     - language specific editing, with automatic (re)indentation.
     - a dialect of lisp as extension language, leading to extreme 
       reconfigurability.
     - abbreviations for commonly typed words.
     - complete on-line manual.
     - powerful search & replace facilities (including wildcards).
     - direct mail and news reading ability
     - everything you could every desire in an editor and some of what
       you'd like in a good OS

NEW FEATURES

     Since the previous release (1.26), the major change has been to
     move to emacs-19.25.  Emacs-19 has many new features and
     optimizations.  Many of the new lisp packages require Emacs-19.

OLD FEATURES

     - menus, mouse, clipboard, rexx and workbench support.
     - public screen support
     - For the most part, it's working "good enough" --- I'm using for most
       everything.  I havn't, however, deleted 18 from my disk yet ;).

MISSING EMACS-19 FEATURES

     - multiple "frames" (what emacs calls windows) support.
     - fonts/faces (emacs does support choice of *one* font)
     - mouse support isn't completely Emacs-19 compliant.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

     - AmigaDOS 2.04
     - At least 2MB of memory (emacs uses about 750k + memory for the
       files being edited).
     - 5MB of free disk space for the binary version, 20MB for the 
       source version (but you can remove some of the files once it
       has been installed).  If you want to build it, don't even
       ask...
     - Emacs works with a 68000 (A500,A2000), but is a bit slow. It is
       very pleasant to use with a 68030/25MHz ...

KNOWN BUGS

     - exec-path just doesn't seem to work right.  Some things that
       call external programs won't find them.  Sometimes there is a
       way around as in vc-path for vc.  However, anything you put in
       gnuemacs:etc (an extra assign to gnuemacs-19.25) will be found
       as will anything in s: I honestly havn't figured this one out
       yet.
     - "vm" creates buffers with *huge* filenames.  The format is uses
       to generate a buffer name from a "forwarded" buffer puts in a
       colon.  This causes a lockup.  This may be true for other
       buffer names with a colon.
     - I havn't tested menus yet.  I am told someone has munged the
       menus to work just like other v19 menus.  Someone should verify
       this.
     - clipboard interaction doesn't work exactly as expected.  If you
       cut from some other app, then use kill-region, then use yank
       followed by yank-pop, you don't get what you cut.
     - Some issues with env-vars remain.  Emacs keeps internal copy
       which may not be appropriate on the Amiga.  I havn't decided
       how to hack this up yet.
     - It seem inexplicably slightly slower in screen movement from
       the 18 port.  May be due to creaping featureism.

WHERE TO GET IT

The following distributions are available:

I will be uploading these to ftp.wustl.edu first.  They will start
life in pub/aminet/new, but should move to pub/aminet/utils/gnu on the
aminet site closest to you.

o binary only:
  All the files necessary to use emacs. Has only a subset of the lisp
  files, the rest may be got from a standard emacs distribution.
  Distribution: 

    size: 2219649 bytes
    md5sum: 29f173e21896600ad014a47026ddff53  a2.0bEmacs-bin.LHA
    
    FTP:
    site: ftp.wustl.edu (aminet) 
    file: pub/aminet/utils/gnu/a2.0bEmacs-bin.LHA

    BMS:
    site: gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org
    file: new:downloads/a2.0bEmacs-bin.LHA (pub/aminet/new)

o full amiga version:
  All the files necessary to compile emacs, all the lisp files, etc.
  Should be noted that this file is *big* ;)
  Distribution: 

    size: 7480551 bytes
    md5sum: 29f173e21896600ad014a47026ddff53  a2.0bEmacs-bin.LHA

    FTP:
    site: ftp.wustl.edu (aminet)
    file: pub/aminet/utils/gnu/a2.0bEmacs-src.LHA (pub/aminet/new)

    BMS:
    site: gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org
    file: new:downloads/a2.0bEmacs-bin.LHA

o "Good luck" version:
  You can get any individual file from here... but caviat emptor!
  It's my devel dir... and it's open under the spirit of GNU to all.
  (but please don't get the whole thing uncompressed!)

    BMS:
    site: gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org
    dir: imp:cwork/emacs-19.25

o Complete distribution, latest version
  Distribution: DAT, 8mm, cartridge tape
  mail dgilbert@gamiga.guelphnet.dweomer.org for pricing.

This port was based extensively on the work of David Gay (a1.26) which
was based on that of Mark Henning (gnuemacs v1.10).

DISTRIBUTABILITY

      This is all GNU software, and is available under the standard
      GNU Public licence, V2.x or later.  See file COPYING in the
      distribution for more information.
@endnode
@node FTP7 "Clouds 1.1"
@toc FTP

TITLE

     Clouds

VERSION

     1.01 (first release)

AUTHOR

     Krzysztof Kobus
     ul. Chopina 38/2
     71-450 Szczecin
     Poland

     e-mail: kk@felix.univ.szczecin.pl

DESCRIPTION

    "Clouds" is the first program on Amiga platform, giving you visual
    modeling and realistic animation of turbulent motion of clouds.  It is
    based on spectral synthesis method.  The method employs a variety of
    intuitive parameters describing natural properties of clouds phenomena, as
    cloudiness, contrast, wind direction, strength of wind and turbulent
    changes.  Such wide range of controls allows a creative animator to
    generate all kinds of clouds, gases, mists and so forth.  Resulting images
    can then be used as backgrounds, textures in 3-D programs or alpha channel
    information - to mention just a few possibilities.  The program has
    standardized user interface and is fully controlled via ARexx.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

    Recommended:
    - 2MB of RAM
    - 68020
    - OS 2.04

HOST NAME

     every Aminet site, for example
    ftp.luth.se

DIRECTORY

     /pub/aminet/gfx/misc

FILE NAMES

     Clodus1.01.lha       (45755 bytes)

PRICE

     The shareware fee is $20 (US)

DISTRIBUTABILITY

     Copyright (c) 1995 by Krzysztof Kobus
     The program is shareware.
@endnode
@node MAILLIST "Amiga Report Mailing List"
@toc WHERE

===========================================================================
==                      Amiga Report Mailing List                        ==
===========================================================================

If you have an internet mailing address, you can receive Amiga Report in
@{"UUENCODED" link UUENCODE} form each week as soon as the issue is released.  To be put on
the list, send Email to jcompton@bbs.xnet.com and in the body of the
message ask nicely to be added to the list.

ie: Please add me to the mailing list for Amiga Report magazine.  My
     addresss is <your net address>.

Your account must be able to handle mail of any size to ensure an intact
copy.  For example, many systems have a 100K limit on incoming messages.


** IMPORTANT NOTICE:  PLEASE be certain your host can accept mail over   **
** 100K!  We have had a lot of bouncebacks recently from systems with a  **
** 100K size limit for incoming mail.  If we get a bounceback with your  **
** address in it, it will be removed from the list.  Thanks!             **


          *** The following is only for Australian readers!  ***

To circumvent the new pay-per-megabyte system for Australian Internet
communication, Paul Reece has been kind enough to set up an AUSTRALIAN-ONLY
mailing list, to save his fellow countrymen some money.

You can join the list by sending mail to:   majordomo@info.tas.gov.au

with the single line (in body of message):

subscribe ar

Amiga Report will then be bounced to you.
@endnode
@node UUENCODE
@toc MAILLIST

===========================================================================
==                        UUDecoding Amiga Report                        ==
===========================================================================

If you receive Amiga Report from the direct mailing list, it will arrive in
UUEncoded format.  This format allows programs and archive files to be sent
through mail by converting the binary into combinations of ASCII
characters.  In the message, it will basically look like a lot of trash
surrounded by begin <filename> and end, followed by the size of the file.


To UUDecode Amiga Report, you first need to get a UUDecoding program, such
as UUxT by Asher Feldman.  This program is available on Aminet in

     pub/aminet/arc/

Then you must download the message that it is contained in.  Don't worry
about message headers, the UUDecoding program will ignore them.

There is a GUI interface for UUxT, which should be explained in the docs.
However, the quickest method for UUDecoding the magazine is to type

     uuxt x ar.uu

at the command prompt.  You will then have to decompress the archive with
lha, and you will then have Amiga Report in all of its AmigaGuide glory.

If you have any questions, you can write to @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}

@endnode
@node COPYRIGHT "Copyright Information"
@toc ABOUT

===========================================================================
==                       _    _       __  ___    _                       ==
==                      /\\  |\\   /| || //  \  /\\                      ==
==                     /  \\ | \\ /|| ||(< __  /  \\                     ==
==                    /--- \\|  \/ || || \\_||/--- \\                    ==
==                   /______________________________\\                   ==
==                  /                                \\                  ==
==              Amiga Report International Online Magazine               ==
==               January 30, 1995          Issue No. 3.03                ==
==                     Copyright 1995 FS Publications                    ==
==                           All Rights Reserved                         ==
===========================================================================

Views, Opinions and Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors and staff of Amiga Report International Online Magazine or of
FS Publications.  All requests for article reprints must be presented to
the editor.  Amiga Report, its portions therein, and its archive may not be
edited in any way without prior written permission.  However, translation
into a language other than English is acceptible, provided the editor is
notified beforehand and the original meaning is not altered.  Amiga Report
may be distributed on privately owned not-for-profit bulletin board systems
(fees to cover cost of operation are acceptable), and major online
services.  Distribution on public domain disks is acceptable provided
proceeds are only to cover the cost of the disk (e.g.  no more than $5 US).
Distribution on for-profit magazine cover disks requires written permission
from the editor.  Amiga Report is a not-for-profit publication.  Amiga
Report, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate.  Amiga
Report, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible
for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results
obtained there from.  Amiga Report is not affiliated with Commodore
International, Ltd., or any other Amiga publication in any way.  All items
quoted in whole or in part are done so under the Fair Use Provision of the
Copyright Laws of the United States Penal Code.  Any Electronic Mail sent
to the editors may be reprinted, in whole or in part, without any previous
permission of the author, unless said electronic mail is specifically
requested not to be reprinted.

===========================================================================

@endnode
@node GUIDELINE "Amiga Report Writing Guidelines"
@toc ABOUT

===========================================================================
==                    Amiga Report Writing Guidelines                    ==
===========================================================================

The three most important requirements for submissions to Amiga Report are:

     1.  Please use English.

     2.  Please use paragraphs.  It's hard on the eyes to have solid
     screens of text.  If you don't know where to make a paragraph break,
     guess.

     3.  Please put a blank line in between paragraphs.  It makes
     formatting the magazine much much easier.

Note:  All questions regarding submissions, or the submissions themselves,
should be sent to the @{"Editor" link JASON}.

@endnode
@node EDITORCHOICE "Editor's Choice"
@toc COMMERCIAL

===========================================================================
==                            Editor's Choice                            ==
===========================================================================

These are selected products, reviewed by myself, that I've liked.  So, I've
landed them and decided to sell them at the lowest price I'm authorized.

All prices are in $US.

|                                | Issue    | Approximate  | Amiga Report |
|           Product              | Reviewed | Retail Price | Reader Price |
---------------------------------|----------|--------------|--------------|
|                                |          |              |              |
|Swifty 3-button mouse           |   2.28   |    $39.95    |    $22.75    |
|                                |          |              |              |
|GPFax Amiga Fax Software        |   2.30   |   $100.00    |    $60.00    |
|    (Class 1 and 2)             |          |              |              |
|                                |          |              |              |
|Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 1       |   2.25   |    $79.00    |    $53.95    |
|    (Includes Transition graphic|          |              |              |
|    converter and loads of      |          |              |              |
|    artwork)                    |          |              |              |
|                                |          |              |              |
|Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 2       |   2.26   |    $99.00    |    $59.95    |
|    (Includes entire Nature's   |          |              |              |
|    Backdrop series)            |          |              |              |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orders may be placed via check, money order, or postal cheque, made out to
Micro R+D.  Visa/Mastercard accepted via post or E-Mail.  No CODs.

Mail all orders to @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}.  Orders will be processed by
Amiga Report and drop-shipped from Micro R+D.

In the US, add $5/$10/$20 for UPS shipping, ground/blue/red label,
respectively.  Overseas: It is recommended that you consider $20 to be the
minimum cost for shipping.  If you plan to order more than one item, E-mail
for shipping cost.

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

Sidewinder's Future Shock II CD is now available through Amiga Report.
Featuring 15 Amiga-generated tunes totalling 71 minutes, Eric Gieseke's
work is captured on an Amiga-independent media.

Available for US$12.00.  Please add $5 for shipping.

Make check or money order payable to @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}.  Orders will be
drop-shipped from Sidewinder Productions.

For overseas orders, please contact through E-Mail before ordering.
@endnode
@node DELPHI "Delphi"
@toc ONLINE

===========================================================================
==       Delphi Internet Services -- Your Connection to the World!       ==
===========================================================================

Amiga Report International Online Magazine and the Amiga Report Coverdisk
are available in the Amiga SIG on DELPHI.  Amiga Report readers are invited
to join DELPHI and become a part of the friendly community of Amiga
enthusiasts there.

                          SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
                  DELPHI services via a local phone call

                              JOIN -- DELPHI
                              --------------

                Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
                               then...
                When connected, press RETURN once or twice
                                and..
              At Username: type JOINDELPHI and press RETURN,
              At Password: type AMIGAUSER and press RETURN.

                        For more information, call
                 DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-695-4005

                             SPECIAL FEATURES
                             ----------------

  * Complete Internet connection -- Telnet, FTP, IRC, Gopher, E-Mail and
       more!   (Internet option is $3/month extra)
  * SIGs for all types of computers  -- Amiga, IBM, Macintosh, Atari, etc.
  * An active Amiga SIG hosting conferances, Usenet, Latest wares, and
       FTP Gopher coming soon
  * Large file databases!
  * SIGs for hobbies, video games, graphics, and more!
  * Business and world news, stock reports, etc.
  * Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia!

                DELPHI - It's getting better all the time!

@endnode
@node PORTAL "Portal"
@toc ONLINE

===========================================================================
==                Portal:  A Great Place For Amiga Users                 ==
===========================================================================

                The Portal Information Network's Amiga Zone

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

The Portal Online System is the home of acclaimed Amiga Zone, a full-
service online SIG (Special Interest Group) for Amiga owners and users.

You can dial into Portal to access the Amiga Zone in various ways: direct
dial to our San Jose, CA area banks of high-speed modems (you pay for the
phone call if it's not local), or though any SprintNet indial anywhere in
the USA, (with a small hourly fee) or via the World-wide Internet "telnet"
program to portal.com (no hourly fee).

Even Delphi and BIX users can Telnet into Portal for a flat $19.95 a month,
with *unlimited* use.

Portal is NOT just another shell account.  Its Online system is fully
menu-driven with on-screen commands and help and you can easily customize
it for your terminal program and screen size.

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

 * 2.5 GIGabytes of Amiga-specific file space - we have so much Amiga Stuff
      online, we've lost count!
 * The *entire* Fred Fish collection of freely distributable software,
       online.  ALL 1000 disks!
 * Fast, Batch Zmodem file transfer protocol. Download up to 100 files at
      once, of any size, with one command.
 * Twenty Amiga vendor areas with participants like AmigaWorld, Elastic
      Reality (ASDG), Soft-Logik, Apex Publishing, and others.
 * 38 "regular" Amiga libraries with over 10,000 files.  Hot new stuff
       arrives daily.
 * No upload/download "ratios" EVER. Download as much as you want, as
      often as you want, and never feel pressured doing it.
 * Live, interactive nightly chats with Amiga folks whose names you will
      recognize.  Special conferences.  Random chance prize contests.  We
      have given away thousands of bucks worth of Amiga prizes - more than
      any other online service.
 * Vast Message bases where you can ask questions about *anything* Amiga
      related and get quick replies from the experts.
 * Amiga Internet mailing lists for Imagine, DCTV, LightWave, EGS, Picasso,
      OpalVision & others feed right into the Zone message bases.  Read
      months worth of postings.  No need to clutter your mailbox with them.
 * FREE unlimited Internet Email with 5 meg of free storage.
 * A FREE UNIX Shell account with another 5 meg of free storage.
 * Portal has the Usenet.  Thousands of "newsgroups" in which you can read
      and post articles about virtually any subject you can possibly
      imagine.
 * Other Portal SIGs (Special Interest Groups) online for Mac, IBM, Sun,
      UNIX, Science Fiction, Disney, and dozens more.  ALL Portal SIGs are
      accessible to ALL Portal customers with NO surcharges ever. You
      never worry "Ooops... Am I paying for this area?" again!
 * The entire UPI/Clarinet/Newsbytes news hierarchy ($4/month extra)  An 
      entire general interest newspaper and computer news magazine.
 * Portal was THE FIRST online service to offer a full package of Internet
      features: IRC, FTP, TELNET, MUDS, LIBS.  And you get FREE unlimited
      usage of all of them.
 * Our exclusive PortalX by Steve Tibbett, the graphical "front end" for
      Portal which will let you automatically click'n'download your waiting
      email, messages, Usenet groups and binary files!  Reply to mail and
      messages offline using your favorite editor and your replies are sent
      automatically the next time you log into Portal.  (PortalX requires
      Workbench 2.04 or higher)
 * Portal does NOT stick it to high speed modem users. Whether you log in
      at 1200 or 2400 or 9600 or 14.4K you pay the same low price.

To join Portal or for more information call:

   1-800-433-6444 (voice) 9a.m.-5p.m. Mon-Fri, Pacific Time
   1-408-973-9111 (voice) 9a.m.-5p.m. Mon-Fri, Pacific Time
   
   1-408-725-0561 (modem 3/12/2400) 24 hours every day
   1-408-725-0560 (modem 96/14400) 24 hours every day

   or enter "C PORTAL" from any Sprintnet dial-in in the USA,
   or telnet to "portal.com" from anywhere.

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

[Editor's Note: Be sure to tell them that you are an Amiga user, so they
can notify the AmigaZone sysops to send their Welcome Letter and other
information!]

The Portal Information Network accepts MasterCard, Visa, or you can pre-pay
any amount by personal check or money order.  The Portal Online System is a
trademark of The Portal Information Network.  SLIP, UUCP and custom domain
accounts are also available.

@endnode
@node GENIE "GEnie"
@toc ONLINE

===========================================================================
==              GEnie: Internet access, online games, more               ==
===========================================================================

* What is GEnie?

GEnie is a commercial on-line service that offers many services at a
reasonable monthly rate.  Some of the general services are:

     - Over 150,000 software files to download
     - Uploads to GEnie are free of any connect charges, so upload those
       Public Domain programs to add to the Starship Amiga Roundtable's
       vast selection of programs for free!
     - Real-time chat
     - Dozens of special-interest discussion areas
     - Challenging multi-player games with graphics (yes, there are Amiga
       front-ends)
     - Worldwide news, weather and sports
     - Electronic mail to and from the Internet
     - FTP Service which provides users with interactive access to any of
       the millions of files available for public access on the Internet
     - Usenet Newsgroups Service which allow users to participate in the
       global discussion areas collectively known as USENET
     - Outbound Telnet Service which enables users to connect to other host
       computers through the Internet
     - GEnie Mall with nearly 40 different vendors
     - Starship Amiga Roundtable which contains gigabytes of Amiga-only
       files
     - Commodore Roundtable for VIC-20, C-64, C-128 and other Commodore
       computers
     - Other Amiga software companies have their own Roundtables for
       customer support such as Soft-Logik where all the latest program
       patches and support files are available for their products
     - AmiAladdin Support Roundtable for getting the latest updates to the
       GEnie Aladdin software which is used to make maneuvering the GEnie
       menu system much easier and faster.  This is a specific area for the
       Amiga version of this software which is free of charge
     - Hundreds of other areas and services available

* How do I sigh up for GEnie?

You may sign up for GEnie service by one of two methods:

(1) Using your modem (8N1 half duplex 300/1200/2400 baud) dial
      1-800-638-8369.  Upon connection immediately enter HHH (Return),
      don't wait for any on-screen prompt.  At the U#= prompt type SIGNUP
      (Return).  You may use a major credit card account or your checking
      account (US only.)
(2) Call GEnie client services via voice at 1-800-638-9636 or
      1-301-251-6475 from outside the US and Canada.
@endnode
@node AMINET "Aminet"
@toc WHERE

                                  Aminet
                                  ~~~~~~

To get Amiga Report from Aminet, simply FTP to any Aminet site, CD to
docs/mags.  All the back issues are located there as well.

Sites: ftp.cdrom.com, ftp.wustl.edu, ftp.tas.gov.au, ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk

@endnode
@node WWW "World Wide Web"
@toc WHERE

                              World Wide Web
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AR can also be read with Mosaic (in either AmigaGuide or html form). 
Reading AmigaReport with Mosaic removes the necessity to download it.  It
can also be read using programs found in UNIX sites such as LYNX.

Simply tell Mosaic to open the following URL:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/People/mjw/Computer/Amiga/News/AR/index.html

Or, for those in Europe, the Polish site is:
http://sun1000.ci.pwr.wroc.pl/AMIGA/AR/

Mosaic for the Amiga can be found on Aminet in directory comm/net, or
(using anonymous ftp) on max.physics.sunysb.edu

Mosaic for X, Macintosh(tm) and Microsoft Windows(tm) can be found on
ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu
@endnode
@node BBS_AUSTRALIA "Distribution BBSes - Australia"
@toc BBS

===========================================================================
==                    Distribution BBSes - Australia                     ==
===========================================================================

                              -=NEW ZEALAND=-

                             * BITSTREAM BBS *
             Running XENOLINK Professional BBS Software v1.91
               Sysop: Glen Roberts   Co-Sysop: Peter Lowish
               FidoNET 3:771/850.0   AmigaNET 41:644/850.0
             +64-(0)3-548-5321, SupraFaxModem 28k8 VFast Class


                                -=SYDNEY=-

                         * CONTINENTAL DRIFT BBS *
            Sysops: Murray Chaffer, Andre Lackmann, Dale Cohen
                 USENET, Internet E-mail, Fidonet, Aminet
                             (+61) 2 949 4256

@endnode
@node BBS_EUROPE "Distribution BBSes - Europe"
@toc BBS

===========================================================================
==                      Distribution BBSes - Europe                      ==
===========================================================================

                                -=FINLAND=-

                          * AMIGA-NIGHT-SYSTEM *
                            Janne Saarme, Sysop
          InterNet: luumu@fenix.fipnet.fi   FidoNet: 2:220/550.0
                          +358-0-675840  V.32bis

                               * LAHO BBS *
   Juha Mkinen, SysOp (Amiga-areas)   Tero Manninen, SysOp (PC-areas)
       +358-64-414 1516, V.32bis/HST   +358-64-414 0400, V.32bis/HST
          +358-64-414 6800, V.32/HST   +358-64-423 1300, V.32bis

                         * MOONLIGHT SONATA DLG *
                         Keyboards: Erno Tuomainen
                           Fidonet: 2:221/112.0
                     +358-18-161763 - ZyXEL V32b 19200


                                -=FRANCE=-

                        * RAMSES THE AMIGA FLYING *
      Sysop: Eric Delord   CoSysops: Philippe Brand, Stephane Legrand
         Internet: user.name@ramses.gna.org     Fidonet: 2:320/104
             +33-1-60037713 V.32bis   +33-1-60037716 1200-2400


                                -=GERMANY=-

                           * DOOM OF DARKNESS *
                    Sysops: Marc Doerre, Bernd Petersen
                      Email: marc_doerre@doom.ping.de
                    +49 (0)4223 8355 19200 V.42bis/Zyx
          AR-Infoservice, contact Kai Szymanski kai@doom.ping.de

                         * LEGUANS BYTE CHANNEL *
                           Andreas Geist, Sysop
                    Usenet: andreas@lbcmbx.in-berlin.de
                49-30-8110060   49-30-8122442   USR DS 16.8
                 Login as User: "amiga", Passwd: "report"

                              * REDEYE BBS *
                           Sysop: Thorsten Meyer
                       Internet: sysop@redeye.muc.de
               +49-89-5460535 (V.32b, Zyxel EG + / USR V.34)

                          * STINGRAY  DATABASE *
                           Bernd Mienert, Sysop
                 EMail: sysop@sting-db.zer.sub.org.dbp.de
                          +49 208 496807 HST-Dual

                            * VISON THING BBS *
             Infect East German HQ, Keks ASCII Design World HQ
                 Running CNET 3.xx w/about 800 MB HD Space
                          ++49(0)345 663914 19200
                       Handle: Amiga     PW: Report


                                -=GREECE=-

                              * ODYSSEY BBS *
          Sysop: Konstantiniadis Manos CoSysop : Aggelos Poulakis
         email: konem@hol.ath.forthnet.gr     2:410/128.17@fidonet
          +++ 301-412-3502 (MNP5,v42bis)   after 23:00 local time


                                -=IRELAND=-

                               * CUGI BBS *
                           Sysop: Matt Brookes.
                            Fidonet: 2:263/155
                          +353 1 837 0204 V32bis

                          * HIGHWAY TO HELL BBS *
                 Sysop: Iain Black   Cosysop: Damien Ryan
                Fidonet 2:263/154   Internet: iblack@dit.ie
             Online from 22:00 - 08:00 GMT     +353-1-847 5217


                                 -=ITALY=-

                        * AMIGA PROFESSIONAL BBS *
                SysOp Claudio Zanella, 35133 PADOVA - ITALY
                 Amy Professional Club, Italian Amos Club
                              +(39)-49-604488

                             * SPEED OF LIFE *
                         The AMIGA Alchemists' BBS
                 FidoNet 2:332/505     AmigaNet 39:102/501
               ZyX 19.2k/V32/V32bis/V42bis     +39-59-226454


                              -=NETHERLANDS=-

                       * AMIGA ONLINE BS HEEMSTEDE *
                       Your SysOp is Michiel Willems
   Fidonet: 2:280/464.0, 2:280/412.0   Internet: michiel@aobh.xs4all.nl
                +31-23-282002   +31-23-470739   14400 Supra

                             * THE HELL BBS *
             Sysop : Robin Vermaat   Cosysop : Tony Verschoor
           Fido-Net : 2:281/418.0   e-mail : root@hell.xs4all.nl
                     +31-(0)70-3468783 (v32bis Supra)

                              * X-TREME BBS *
                            Pygor & The Doctor
                      Internet: u055231@vm.uci.kun.nl
                            +31-167064414 (24h)


                                -=NORWAY=-

                              * FALLING BBS *
                          Christopher Naas, Sysop
                       EMail:  christon@powertech.no
                            +47 69 256117 28.8k


                               -=PORTUGAL=-

                               * CIUA BBS *
                           Celso Martinho, Sysop
                FidoNet 2:361/9   Internet: denise.ci.ua.pt
                  +351-34-382080/382081 (V32bis soon V34)


                                 -=SPAIN=-

                            * GURU MEDITATION *
                            Javier Frias, SysOp
                           Running Remote Access
                          +34-1-383-1317 V.32bis


                                -=SWEDEN=-

                                * CICERON *
                             SysOp: Per Peman
                        E-mail: peman@solace.mh.se
                               +46 612 22011


                              -=SWITZERLAND=-

                          * LINKSYSTEM LINK-CH1 *
                   contact: rleemann@link-ch1.aworld.de
                       Mails and News from/to UseNet
      +41 61 3215643 V32bis/Zyx16800     +41 61 3832007 ISDN X75/V110
                 Local newsgroup link-ch1.ml.amiga-report


                            -=UNITED KINGDOM=-

                           * AMIGA JUNCTION 9 *
                          Stephen Anderson, Sysop
        Internet: sysadmin@junct9.demon.co.uk     FidoNet: 2:440/20
                    +44 (0)372 271000 14400 V.32bis/HST

                             * CREATIONS BBS *
                           Sysop: Mat Bettinson
 E-Mail: mat@darkside.demon.co.uk   2:254/524@Fidonet   39:139/5@Amiganet
              +44-0181-665-9887 Hayes Optima 288 2400 - V.FC

                        * METNET TRIANGLE SYSTEM *
                             Jon Witty, Sysop
                           FidoNet: 2:252/129.0
           44-482-442251 2400     Voice: 44-482-491752 (anytime)

@endnode
@node BBS_NAMERICA "Distribution BBSes - North America"
@toc BBS

===========================================================================
==                  Distribution BBSes - North America                   ==
===========================================================================

                           -=BRITISH COLUMBIA=-

                             * COMM-LINK BBS *
                            Steve Hooper, Sysop
                Fido: 1:153/210.0   AmigaNet 40:800/9100.0
               InterNet: steve_hooper@comm.tfbbs.wimsey.com
                         604-945-6192  USR DS 16.8


                              -=CALIFORNIA=-

                            * TIERRA-MIGA BBS *
                           Sysop: Gib Gilbertson
  FidoNet: 1:202/638.0   AmigaNet: 40:406/3.0   Internet: torment.cts.com
                           619.292.0754 V32.bis

                            * VIRTUAL PALACE BBS *
           Tibor G.  Balogh, Sysop     Leland Whitlock, Co-Sysop
                     Sysop Email: tibor@ecst.csuchico.edu
                                916-343-7420


                               -=ILLINOIS=-

                           * EMERALD KEEP BBS *
                         Michael mac Nessa, Sysop
                 FidoNet: 1:2250/2     AmigaNet: 40:206/1
                      618-394-0065 USR 16.8k DS

                            * PHANTOM'S LAIR *
                            Peter Gawron, Sysop
  FidoNet: 1:115/469.0   Phantom Net Coordinator: 11:1115/0.0-11:1115/1.0
                         708-469-9510 708-469-9520

                         * THE STYGIAN ABYSS BBS *
                             Sysop: SIR SAMMY
                            FIDONet-1:115/384.0
 312-384-0616 USR Courier HST     312-384-6250 Supra V.32 bis (FREQ line)


                                 -=MAINE=-

                     * THE KOBAYASHI ALTERNATIVE BBS *
           Support for IBM/Windows, Amiga, MAC and CNet BBS Support
          Usenet and FidoNet Echo Areas     FidoNet: 1:326/404.0
                     (207)/784-2130     (207)/946-5665

                                -=MEXICO=-

                               * AMIGA BBS *
                         Alejandro Kurczyn, Sysop
                             FidoNet  4:975/7
                        (5) 887-3080   9600 V32,MNP

                           * AMIGA SERVER BBS *
                            Sysop: Jose Estrada
                         Now with 17 CDs available
                              Number: 5158736


                              -=MISSISSIPPI=-

                            * THE GATEWAY BBS *
               Sysop: Stace Cunningham   CoSysop: Dan Butler
        InterNet: stace@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil   FidoNet: 1:3604/60.0
                    601-374-2697 Hayes Optina 28.8 V.FC


                               -=NEBRASKA=-

                            * OMAHA AMIGANET *
                           Andy Wasserman, Sysop
                  FidoNet: 1:285/11   AmigaNet: 40:200/10
                           402-333-5110 V.32bis


                              -=NEW JERSEY=-

                          * T.B.P.  VIDEO SLATE *
                          Mark E Davidson, Sysop
              Full Skypix menus + normal and ansi menu sets.
                         201-586-3623 USR 14.4 HST


                               -=NEW YORK=-

                             * THE BELFRY(!) *
                           Sysop: Jesse Erlbaum
                         stiggy@dorsai.dorsai.org
                       718.793.4796     718.793.4905


                                -=ONTARIO=-

                           * COMMAND LINE BBS *
                           Nick Poliwko, Sysop
                Canada's Amiga Graphics & Animation Source
                             416-533-8321 V.32

                         * REALM OF TWILIGHT BBS *
                         Thorsten Schiller, Sysop
  Usenet: realm.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca    FIDO: 1:221/302    Fish: 33:33/8
            519-748-9365 (2400 baud)     519-748-9026 (v.32bis)


                               -=TENNESSEE=-

                            * AMIGA CENTRAL! *
                            Carl Tashian, Sysop
                  Internet mail:  root@amicent.raider.net
                   615-383-9679  1200-14.4Kbps V.32bis

                               * NOVA BBS *
                         Wayne Stonecipher, Sysop
    AmigaNet 40:210/10.0 40:210/1.0 40:210/0.0     FidoNet 1:362/508.0
                         615-472-9748 USR DS 16.8


                              -=WASHINGTON=-

                          * FREELAND MAINFRAME *
                           John Freeland, SysOp
                       Internet - freemf.eskimo.com
         206-438-1670 Supra 2400zi     206-456-6013 Supra v.32bis

                              * PIONEERS BBS *
                       Michael & Marthe Arends, Sysops
                            FidoNet: 1:343/54.0
                     206-775-7983 Supra 14.4k v32.bis
              Login: Long Distance     Password: longdistance

@endnode
@node BBS_SAMERICA "Distribution BBSes - South America"
@toc BBS

===========================================================================
==                  Distribution BBSes - South America                   ==
===========================================================================

                                -=BRAZIL=-

                            * AMIGA DO PC BBS *
                          Francisco Moraes, sysop
          Fidonet: 4:801/44     Internet: fimoraes@dcc.unicamp.br
     Weekdays: 19-07 (-3 GMT)   Weekends: 24 hours     +55-192-33-2260

@endnode
@node DEAL_ASIA "Dealers - Asia"
@toc DEALER

===========================================================================
==                            Dealers - Asia                             ==
===========================================================================

                                 -=JAPAN=-

                           Grey Matter Ltd.
                         1-22-3,Minami Magome
                      HillTop House 2F suite 201
                          Ota-ku,Tokyo 143
             Tel:+81 (0)3 5709-5549     Fax:+81 (0)3 5709-1907
   BBS: +81 (0)3 5709-1907    Email: nighty@gmatter.japan-online.or.jp

@endnode
@node DEAL_EUROPE "Dealers - Europe"
@toc DEALER

===========================================================================
==                           Dealers - Europe                            ==
===========================================================================

                                -=BELGIUM=-

                               CLICK!  N.V.
                            Boomsesteenweg 468
                        B-2610 Wilrijk - Antwerpen
           VOICE: +32 (0)3 828.18.15     FAX: +32 (0)3 828.67.36
           INTERNET: vanhoutv@nbre.nfe.be      FIDO: 2:292/603.9


                                -=FINLAND=-

                              DataService Oy
                               P.O.  Box 50
                            Kuurinniityntie 30
                                02771 ESPOO
          Voice: +358 (9) 400 438 301     Fax: +358 (9) 0505 0037


                                 -=SPAIN=-

                               Amiga Center
                               Argullós, 127
                              08016 Barcelona
                Tel: (93) 276 38 06     Fax: (93) 276 30 80

                           Amiga Center Alicante
                                Segura, 27
                              03004 Alicante
                            Tel: (96) 514 37 34

                        Centro Informático Boadilla
                                Convento, 6
                     28660 Boadilla del Monte (Madrid)
                Tel: (91) 632 27 65     Fax: (91) 632 10 99

                                Centro Mail
                            Tel: (91) 380 28 92

                                  C.R.E.
                             San Francisco, 85
                          48003 Bilbao (Vizcaya)
                Tel: (94) 444 98 84     Fax: (94) 444 98 84

                               Donosti Frame
                           Avda.  de Madrid, 15
                      20011 San Sebastián (Guipuzcoa)
                Tel: (943) 42 07 45     Fax: (943) 42 45 88

                                 GaliFrame
                           Galerías Príncipe, 22
                             Vigo (Pontevedra)
                Tel: (986) 22 89 94     Fax: (986) 22 89 94

                                 Invision
                             San Isidro, 12-18
                     28850 Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid)
              Tel: (91) 676 20 56/59     Fax: (91) 656 10 04

                                 Invision
                               Salamanca, 53
                              46005 Valencia
              Tel: (96) 395 02 43/44     Fax: (96) 395 02 44

                                  Norsoft
                                Bedoya, 4-6
                               32003 Orense
                Tel: (988) 24 90 46     Fax: (988) 23 42 07

                                 PiXeLSOFT
                              Felipe II, 3bis
                              34004 Palencia
                Tel: (979) 71 27 00     Fax: (979) 71 28 28

                                 Tu Amiga
                             Plaza Pedro IV, 3
                       08120 La LLagosta (Barcelona)
                Tel: (93) 560 76 12     Fax: (93) 560 76 12

                                  vb soft
                               Provenza, 436
                              08025 Barcelona
                Tel: (93) 456 15 45     Fax: (93) 456 15 45


                                -=NORWAY=-

                             DataKompaniet ANS
                             Pb 3187 Munkvoll
                             N-7002 Trondheim
         VOICE/FAX: 72 555 149     Internet: torrunes@idt.unit.no


                            -=UNITED KINGDOM=-

                           Almathera Systems Ltd
                Southerton House / Boundary Business Court
                             92-94 Church Road
                         Mitcham, Surrey / CR4 3TD
            VOICE: (UK) 081 687 0040     FAX: (UK) 081 687 0490
 Sales: almathera@cix.compulink.co.uk     Tech: jralph@cix.compulink.co.uk

                        Brian Fowler Computers Ltd
                           11 North St / Exeter
                              Devon / EX4 3QS
               Voice: (0392) 499 755     Fax: (0392) 423 480
                Internet: brian_fowler@cix.compulink.co.uk

                                 CYNOSTIC
        Office O1, Little Heath Industrial Estate / Old Church Road
                            Coventry / CV6 7NB
             Tel: +44 (0)203 681687     Fax: +44 (0)203 638508
               David Cassidy email: bsupa@csv.warwick.ac.uk


                            VISAGE COMPUTERS
                        18 Station Road / Ilkeston
                           Derbyshire / DE7 8TD
        Tel/Fax: +44 (0)602 444501     Internet: floyd@demon.co.uk

@endnode
@node DEAL_NAMERICA "Dealers - North America"
@toc DEALER

===========================================================================
==                        Dealers - North America                        ==
===========================================================================

                                -=CANADA=-

                           Atlantis Kobetek Inc.
                           1496 Lower Water St.
                           Halifax, NS / B3J 1R9
               Phone: (902)-422-6556     Fax: (902)-423-9339
         BBS: (902)-492-1544     Internet: aperusse@fox.nstn.ns.ca

                           Computerology Direct
                             Powell River, BC
                                  V8A-4Z3
               Call 24 hrs.  orders/inquiries: 604/483-3679
          Amiga users ask for HEAD SALES REP for quicker response!

                        Comspec Communications Inc
                              74 Wingold Ave
                     Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6B 1P5
 Computer Centre: (416) 785-8348  Sales: (416) 785-3553  Fax: 416-785-3668
      Internet: bryanf@comcorp.comspec.com, bryanf@accesspt.north.net

                     MusicMart:  Media Sound & Vision
                            71 Wellington Road
                              London, Ontario
        VOICE: 519-434-4162   FAX: 519-663-8074   BBS: 519-645-2144
             FIDO: 1:2401/200 InterNet: koops@gaul.csd.uwo.ca


                             -=UNITED STATES=-

                                AmegaByte!
                             5001 Garrett Ave.
                           Beltsville, MD 20705
              VOICE: (800) 834-7153   VOICE: (301) 937-1640
             FAX: (301) 937-1658     INTERNET: amega@globe.net

                           Amigability Computers
                               P.O.  Box 572
                           Plantsville, CT 06479
                            VOICE: 203-276-8175
               Internet: amiga@phantm.UUCP     BIX: jbasile

                              Amiga-Crossing
                           176 Gray Road, Unit 5
                           Cumberland, ME 04021
      VOICE: (800) 498-3959 (Maine only)       VOICE: (207) 829-3959
   FAX: (207) 829-3522       Internet: ewhite42@portland.caps.maine.edu

                           Amiga Video Solutions
                           1568 Randolph Avenue
                            St.  Paul, MN 55105
                 Voice: 612-698-1175     Fax: 612-224-3823
           BBS: 612-698-1918     Net: wohno001@maroon.tc.umn.edu

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

                            Armadillo Brothers
                            753 East 3300 South
                           Salt Lake City, Utah
          VOICE: 801-484-2791     Internet: B.GRAY@genie.geis.com

                               Computer Link
                              6573 middlebelt
                           Garden City MI 48135
                 Voice: 313-522-6005     Fax: 313-522-3119
                         clink@m-net.arbornet.org

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

                               Digital Arts
                            122 West 6th Street
                           Bloomington, IN 47404
                VOICE: (812)330-0124     FAX: (812)330-0126
                                BIX: msears

                               HT Electronics
                         275 North Mathilda Avenue
                           Sunnyvale, CA  94086
                 VOICE: 408-737-0900     FAX: 408-245-3109
    Portal: HT Electronics     Internet: HT Electronics@cup.portal.com

                           Industrial Video, Inc.
                           1601 North Ridge Rd.
                             Lorain, OH  44055
         VOICE: 800-362-6150, 216-233-4000     Contact: John Gray
                  Internet:  af741@cleveland.freenet.edu

                                Magic Page
                            3043 Luther Street
                          Winston-Salem, NC 27127
                          910-785-3695 voice/fax
                           Spiff@cup.portal.com

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

                          Mr. Hardware Computers
                      P.O.  Box 148 / 59 Storey Ave.
                          Central Islip, NY 11722
                 VOICE: 516-234-8110     FAX: 516-234-8110
                         A.M.U.G. BBS:  516-234-6046

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

                          Raymond Commodore Amiga
                            898 Raymond Avenue
                         St. Paul, MN   55114-1521
                 VOICE: 612.642.9890     FAX: 612.642.9891

                           Software Plus Chicago
                         2945 W Peterson Suite 209
                             Chicago, Illinois
                           VOICE:  312-878-7800

                           Wonder Computers Inc.
                             1315 Richmond Rd.
                      Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2B 8J7
                 Voice: 613-596-2542     Fax: 613-596-9349
                            BBS:  613-829-0909

                                Zipperware
                            626 S.  Washington
                           Seattle, WA  98104
                 VOICE: 206-223-1107     FAX: 206-223-9395
               E-Mail: Jon.Funfar@p0.f203.n138.z1.fidonet.org

@endnode
@node OPINION "Editorial and Opinion"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                         Editorial and Opinion                         ==
===========================================================================

@{" compt.sys.editor.desk " link EDITORIAL}  Some Commodore rumblings... 

@{"   Workbench Vision    " link ASSTEDIT}  What it should be.

@{" Outlook on the Future " link OPINION1}  The Amiga V?

@{"      The Present      " link OPINION2}  A developer speaks out.

@endnode
@node NEWS "News & Press Releases"
@toc MENU
===========================================================================
==                         News & Press Releases                         ==
===========================================================================

@{"   The Fishing Report   " link NEWS1}  Fred Fish's update

@{"       LIGHT-ROM        " link NEWS2}  The Lightwave object CD-ROM

@{"    Texture Map Chat    " link NEWS3}  A conference on Feb. 7
@endnode
@node FEATURE "Featured Articles"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                           Featured Articles                           ==
===========================================================================

@{"   Interview:  Urban Mueller   " link FEATURE1}  The administrator of Aminet

@{"     Tribute to Jay Miner      " link FEATURE2}  A very special 1000 for sale

@{"       Haynie on 3DRISC        " link FEATURE3}  Haynie refutes Ludwig

@{"  Simple GUI's for AmigaDOS 3  " link FEATURE4}  A beginner's guide

@{"     Rewrite the Amiga OS!     " link FEATURE6}  A call to arms

@{"       Chasing the Demon       " link FEATURE7}  Or, "Why COD is good."

@{"    Amiga Report 1995 Survey   " link FEATURE8}  Still time to tell us...

@{"        Hardware Survey        " link FEATURE9}  Tell us what you think...

@{" Magic Workbench vs. NewIcons  " link FEATURE10}  The results are in!

@{" Common Utils/Commodities/Etc. " link FEATURE11}  The things people use.
@endnode
@node REVIEW "Reviews"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                                Reviews                                ==
===========================================================================

@{"     ImageFX 2.0     " link REVIEW1}  Nova Design's image processor

@{"       airTaxi       " link REVIEW2}  Hey, Taxi!

@{"  Deluxe Galaga 2.5  " link REVIEW3}  Classic arcade action-with powerups.

@{"    BCINet CD-ROM    " link REVIEW4}  Not quite an Aminet CD...

@{"    amiCheck 1.35    " link REVIEW5}  Who says we have no business software?

@{"  Mortal Kombat II   " link REVIEW6}  Round 2...FIGHT!

@{"The Emulation Rambler" link REVIEW7}  The Rambler checks out a Vic-20

@endnode
@node FTP "FTP and Product Announcements"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                     FTP and Product Announcements                     ==
===========================================================================

@{"  Aminet CHARTS - Jan. 22  " link CHARTS1}  Aminet's most wanted

@{"  Aminet CHARTS - Jan. 29  " link CHARTS2}  Aminet's most wanted

@{"        Bumpee 1.44        " link FTP1}  An E-language revision controller

@{"     ManageCDPics 1.2      " link FTP2}  A glorified slideshow program

@{"        HTML-Heaven        " link FTP3}  Make and keep WWW pages easily

@{"      AntiMatter 2.0       " link FTP4}  A one-player puzzle game

@{"   Colonial Conquest II    " link FTP5}  Conquer colonies. :)

@{" GNU Emacs 19.25, Beta 2.0 " link FTP6}  The editor, ported, at your risk.

@{"        Clouds 1.1         " link FTP7}  Generate animated cloud formations
@endnode
@node ABOUT "About AMIGA REPORT"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                          About AMIGA REPORT                           ==
===========================================================================

@{"        AR Staff         " link STAFF} The Editors and writers

@{"   Writing Guidelines    " link GUIDELINE} What you need to do to write for us

@{"  Copyright Information  " link COPYRIGHT} The legal stuff
@endnode
@node STAFF "The Staff"
@toc ABOUT

===========================================================================
==                               The Staff                               ==
===========================================================================

               Editor:               @{" Jason Compton    " link JASON}

               Senior Editor:        @{" Robert Niles     " link ROBERT}

               Assistant Editor:     @{" Katherine Nelson " link KATIE}

               European Editor:      @{" Michael Wolf     " link MICHAEL}

               Games Editor:         @{" Sean Caszatt     " link SEAN}

               Contributing Editor:  @{" David Tiberio    " link DAVID}


                           Contributing Writers:
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                               _Aric Caley_
                             dances@qedbbs.com

                               _Dave Haynie_
                           dave.haynie@scala.com

                             _Julie Peterson_
                         LadyHawke@cup.portal.com

                               _Paul Moore_
                   Paul.Moore@p19.f2.n59.z2.fidonet.org

                            _Maarten Ter Mors_
                      maarten.ter.mors@aobh.xs4all.nl

                               _E.John Love_
                      E.john_Love@gfx.tvi.wimsey.com


@endnode
@node WHERE "Where to Get AR"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                            Where to Get AR                            ==
===========================================================================

                         @{"   The AR Mailing List   " link MAILLIST}

                         @{"         Aminet          " link AMINET}

                         @{"     World Wide Web      " link WWW}

                         @{"   Distribution Sites    " link BBS}

                         @{"   Commercial Services   " link ONLINE}

@endnode
@node BBS "Distribution Sites"
@toc WHERE

===========================================================================
==                      Where to find Amiga Report                       ==
===========================================================================

                          Arranged by Continent:

                          @{"    Australia    " link BBS_AUSTRALIA}

                          @{"     Europe      " link BBS_EUROPE}

                          @{"  North America  " link BBS_NAMERICA}

                          @{"  South America  " link BBS_SAMERICA}


Sysops: To have your name added, please send @{"Email", link JASON} with the BBS name,
its location (Country, province/state) your name, any internet/fidonet
addresses, and the phone number of your BBS

@endnode
@node DEALER "Dealer Directory"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                           Dealer Directory                            ==
===========================================================================

                          Arranged by Continent:

                          @{"      Asia       " link DEAL_ASIA}

                          @{"     Europe      " link DEAL_EUROPE}

                          @{"  North America  " link DEAL_NAMERICA}


Dealers: To have your name added, please send @{"Email", link JASON} with the name,
address, phone, and net address (if available) of your establishment.

@endnode
@node COMMERCIAL "Commercial Products"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                          Commercial Products                          ==
===========================================================================

@{"       Editor's Choice      " link EDITORCHOICE} Jason's picks

@{" Commercial Online Services " link ONLINE} Sign-Up Information

@endnode
@node ONLINE "Commercial Online Services"
@toc COMMERCIAL

===========================================================================
==                      Commercial Online Services                       ==
===========================================================================

   @{"   Delphi   " link DELPHI}  Getting better all the time.

   @{"   Portal   " link PORTAL}  A great place for Amiga users.

   @{"   GEnie    " link GENIE}  Internet access, online games, more.

@endnode
 