@database "ar307.guide"
@Node MAIN "Amiga Report Online Magazine #3.07 -- March 27, 1995"

                               @{" Turn the Page " link MENU}

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                 "THE Online Source for Amiga Information!"

                      Copyright 1995 FS Publications
                            All Rights Reserved

                                      //
=====================================//====================================
== March 27, 1995                 \\//                    Issue No. 3.07 ==
===========================================================================

@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     Returns in AR 3.09

    @{"     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. 3.07              March 27, 1995   |   \\//    ==
==============| "THE Online Source for Amiga Information!"   |=============
              |______________________________________________|
@endnode

===========================================================================
==                        The Amiga Report Staff                         ==
===========================================================================

@node JASON "Editor"
@toc STAFF

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

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

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

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

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

                               Robert Niles
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~
            Internet                                   Address
            --------                                   -------
        rniles@Wolfe.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 SEAN "Games Editor"
@toc STAFF

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

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

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

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

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

Hey!  Even more progress!

The last couple of weeks have been fairly quiet.  But lo and behold, what
did I find when I woke up this morning?  A transcript of the official
bankruptcy court notice of the impending Commodore auction!  (Thanks,
Colin.)

It's confirmed.  April 20th, 1995, is the day Escom's contract for the
purchase of all of Commodore International's assets will be auctioned.  The
deal struck that day will be considered at a court hearing April 21st,
1995...after which, we hope and pray, this 11 month nightmare will be over.

If they keep that schedule, they'll actually beat the one-year anniversary
of the liquidation by just over a week.  Here's to hoping they do.

In other news...want to buy a word processor for $2,250?  Not worth it, you
say?  What if I told you it was for the source code, trademarks,
copyrights, box sleeves, etc. etc. for a word processor?  Interested yet?
If so, check out the New Horizons bankrupcy information in the magazine.
ProWrite, and all of their other products, is for sale.

It seems that Amiga World may not be the only magazine to end publication.
News has reached me that Amiga Revue, a French Amiga magazine, is being put
on hold for a few months and very well may not return.

Also...the Amiga Report e-mailing list is becoming unmanageable.  More to
the point, online services are beginning to forbid us from distributing the
hundreds of megabytes the list requires per fortnight.  So, if you are a
user who could get by on FTP or WWW (Amiga Report can be downloaded
directly from its web site), I would appreciate you voluntarily removing
yourself from the mailing list.  By no means do I want you to stop
reading...but I have to do something, or else AR will be completely
undeliverable via e-mail.  I would like to keep adding the people who have
no other recourse but to get the magazine via mail, though.

Thanks much...and have a good time.

Jason

PS: Hey!  I just installed 3.1...why didn't any of you other 3.1 users
point out that AmigaGuide V40 makes AR look "wrong"?  (certain things,
such as a double-backslash, are getting interpreted incorrectly...)

I guess that along with a 3.1 review, I need to come up with some new
ASCII art...
@endnode
@node MAIL "Reader Mail"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                             Reader Mail                               ==
===========================================================================
X-Personal_name: Joshua Gigantino
From: Mca95isa01@piano.mecn.mass.edu
Subject: Cooling an A1200

Hi everyone!
I just read the articles in AR 304 on cooling problems, and the 'Tower Of
Power'...  Got me thinking about my own heating worries.  I have an A1200
with a GVP 1230 series II accelerator.  One of my friends had a similar
board, and had some heat problems, so, not wanting to deal with fried
hardware, I set out to prevent it from happening.  I started by drilling a
number of holes in the cover of my machine's trapdoor.  this allows for
airflow, when the machine is raised.   Next, I built a 'palette' for the
deck.  The pallette is made of two pieces of 22x16 mahogany plywood and
five 3/4 inch slats.  the bottom piece of mahogany forms a base onto which
the slats are nailed.  the top piece is shaped like this: (attempt at
ASCII.art)

			front
			----------------
		       |	     |
		       |       |
		       |  _____|
		       |  |    |        |
		       |  |    | 	    |
		       |__|   X|________|
			Back

With a solid front of the wood slats and one inch open spaces on each side
and the back is completely open.  One of the slats is in the center of the
palette, next to the open section, for support.  The open area is directly
under the belly expansion slot, providing it with space for airflow, and
(eventually) a small fan where the X is on the diagram.  The palette is
long enough for a wrist rest, and to rest cables on in the back, and just
wide enough to jam floppies around the edges.  Anyway, if anyone builds
one, let me know how you like it...  Later Joshua Gigantino CrossPlatform
Productions MCA95ISA01@PIANO.MECN.MASS.EDU

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

Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 22:02:42 -0800
From: "H. E. Bechtel" <hbechtel@uidaho.edu>

Hans Bechtel
PANDA Amiga Club President

Here is my club charter for one of your articles!

                             PANDA CHARTER

The PANDA (Palouse Amiga Novices Developers Artists) Computer Club is open
to all who desire a new computer and to all who have computers of any type,
but is mainly designed to assist those with the Amiga series of computers.
Meetings usually occur once per month at varied times and dates (depending
on holidays) usually on Sundays.  Panda covers topics such as the new Video
Toaster, genlocks, graphics, animations, music, digitizing and many more
various items of interest.  Each meeting a different topic is covered.

PANDA members are usually from the "Moscow, Idaho" and "Pullman,
Washington" areas of the USA although members are welcome from other areas
(if they are in the area while traveling nearby).  Moscow and Pullman are
approx.  80 miles from Spokane Washington.

No fee or monthly dues are charged.  The meetings are kept simple and
easygoing so anybody at any level can be well-informed on the many areas of
interest.

Contact People:
  Hans Bechtel  (email hbechtel@raven.csrv.uidaho.edu)
  Jim Godfrey   (email godfr921@raven.csrv.uidaho.edu)

The club email list is kept at: amiga@uidaho.edu
Email there to send a message to the entire club.

The PANDA Amiga Club has a WWW address at the following place:
http://raven.csrv.uidaho.edu/~amiga

A copy of all email that the club receives is placed in a file that
can be read like a spool mail file (mbox format).

Please, no junk email since this club is meant to further the Amiga.

Hans Bechtel
Amiga Club President

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

From: Patrick_Lessard@poste.educ.usherb.ca (Patrick Lessard)
Subject: Comments on choice of new Processor

I would like to say that I'm afraid of the choice of the new processor
(after the 680060) for the Amiga.  I'm a technician in Electronic and
computer.  For years, I always be a fan of Amiga.  I read the interview of
Chris Ludwig in the review AmigaNews January 1995 No75.  As a engineer of
Amiga.  He said that the new processor on which he work is the PA-RISK.  I
want to give you some advice, in a ruff compare: The POWER-PC is a choice
without risk (it's not a word play!) I mean, Apple utilize this chip
already and the number of selling computer considerably increase the lasts
months.  IBM plan to use the POWER-PC too.  In this way, you are sure that
this chip was going to improve and get the better price because the number
of sell will be considerable.  Second, the compatibility with others
platforms will be easily.  ---->>>And the most important, the peoples all
in the world have a confidence in Power-PC just because is done by an
alliance with biggest companies.  So that influence the consumers choice. 
An other reason to push to the POWER-PC?  The platform Amiga plus his OS
push it a generation in advance on the others companies.  So with the same
processor of the other computer you can be sure that you always perform
better than the other.  With the PA-risk,...  it won't be sure, don't take
so much big risk, work on the Power-pc is a better way for the future of
the Amiga.  I realllllly think.

Sand me some response, just to give me some light.

Tank!  sorry for my poor english.

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

From: Douglas Rudd <rudd@plk.af.mil>
Subject: Re: WHO OWNS AMIGA?

Hello Jason,

I feel, as do many Amiga owners, that this liquidation matter has gone on
far too long.  The news that AW bit the dust was just one more nail in the
coffin.  The time is long past to take independent action, but there may
still be time to act.  I choose to address you as I see you "out here"
quite often, and I sense you may have a voice with the right people.  What
I think needs to be done, is to develop a new machine that is Amiga-esque
in architecture, but different enough to circumvent the copy right laws.  
It would use a similar custom chip set and similar multitasking OS.  The
cpu would probably be risc. 

The "virtue" of this platform would be its ability to run an Amiga
emulation with little difficulty.  The down side would be a lack of the
proprietary ZII/ZIII slots and Video Slot.  The cost of going it alone is
likely less than buying the exisiting technology, but then you lose the
name.  Amiga users would be quick to pick up on the new machine, though,
and it would be advertized the same way the Amiga was: by its users.

Well, just a thought from a very frustrated Amiga user who is anguished
over the prospect of death by dos or hours of agony with a mac.

Let Gould, Ali, and all the creditors ingest feces and expire!

Doug Rudd
rudd@plk.af.mil
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Amiga Guide to the Galaxy refers to Commodore's management as
"A bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first to be lined up
against the wall and shot when the revolution comes."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
They will get my Amiga from me when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

From: apang@actlab.rtf.utexas.edu (Anthony Pang)
Subject: Re: Latest Commodore buyout NEWS

My BLAW prof raised an interesting point today...he mentioned that under
Bahamian law there was a potential loophole for CBM Intl to escape
creditors.  It seems if the company could anticipate their insolvency, they
could make substantial arm's length conveyances to another party.  This
would normally constitute a "fraudulent conveyance" (transfer of property
at arm's length or below fair market value in anticipation of insolvency),
but Bahamian law places a 2 year statute of limitations on a creditor's
right to bring a cause of action against the insolvent, to reverse the
transfer.

Now let's say CBM Intl divested of various interests just prior to
bankruptcy (eg the sweet deals with Gould & Ali, and more?) If the trustees
can keep the bankruptcy proceedings in the Bahamas, give creditors the
impression that there is progress in the sale (to fend off a suit), and
generally delay for a bit longer...the creditors won't be able to touch
Gould and/or Ali.

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

From: BREWINJ@cliffy.polaroid.com (Operator)
Subject: Amiga Mags

Jason,

I want you to know that I consider AR to be (especially now) an important
resource for all Amiga users.  I want to thank you for the fine online
magazine that you publish.  I look forward to receiving each issue.

AR has now become a vital foot-soldier in our battle for existence.  The
fall of some of our other comrades (recently Amiga World) is a sign of a
long struggle slowly taking it's toll.  I wish all at AR God's speed!

I am very hopeful that when the smoke clears that the Amiga banner still
flies -- just as 'Old Glory' did those many years ago.

Yours Truly,
  Joe Brewin
@endnode
@node NEWS1 "Commodore Auction Report"
@toc NEWS

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

---------------------------------------------------------------X
In re                                  :
                                       :
Petition of FRANKLYN R. WILSON and     :        In a Case Ancillary 
MACGREGOR N. ROBERTSON, Liquidators    :        to a Foreign Proceeding
of Commodore Electronics Limited       :        Under 11 U.S.C.  304
in a foreign Proceeding.               :        Case No. 94 B 42602 (JLG)
                                       :
---------------------------------------------------------------:X
                                       :
In re                                  :  Involuntary
                                       :  Chapter 7
COMMODORE ELECTRONICS LIMITED,         :  Case No. 94 B 42186 (JLG)
                                       :
            Debtor.                    :
                                       :
---------------------------------------------------------------:X
                                       :
In re                                  :  In Proceedings For A
                                       :  Reorganization Under
COMMODORE BUSINESS MACHINES, INC.,     :  Chapter 11
                                       :  Case No. 94 B 42187 (JLG)
            Debtor.

----------------------------------------------------------------:X

NOTICE OF HEARING TO APPROVE SALE OF ASSETS AND SOLICITATION OF HIGHER OR
BETTER OFFERS

TO ALL CREDITORS, SECURITY HOLDERS, PARTIES IN INTEREST AND INTERESTED
PURCHASERS:

   NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the joint motion ( the "Motion") filed in the
United States Bankruptcy Court by Franklyn R.  Wilson and Macgregor N. 
Robertson (collectively the "Liquidators"), as liquidators of Commodore
International Ltd.  ("CIL") and Commodore Electronics Ltd.  ("CEL"), and by
Commodore Business Machines, Inc., as debtor and debtor in possession
("CBM"), for an order approving the sale of substantially all assets of
CEL, CBM and certain of their affiliates (the "Commodore Entities") to
ESCOM AG ("Escom") or to whomever may submit the highest or best offer at
the Auction described below in this notice.

   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT the sale to Escom is pursuant to a
contract (the "Contract") dated March 13, 1995 providing for the conveyance
of specified assets (collectively referred to herein as the "Assets"),
including all the right, title and interest of the Commodore Entities to
substantially all of their intellectual property, including technology,
trademarks (including Commodore's logo and the names "Amiga" and
"Commodore"), patents copyrights, and know-how, and tooling, inventory,
components, spare parts, microchips, and microchip test and design
equipment, for a gross price of approximately $5 million in cash.   The
technology being offered for sale incudes all technology and patents
developed in connection with Commodore's products, including the Amiga
1200, the Amiga 4000, and the Amiga CD32.

   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the sale pursuant to the Contract allows
CEL and CBM to receive higher or better offers for the Assets at the
Auction described below.  Pursuant to an order of the Hon.  James L.  
Garrity, Jr., United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of
New York (the "Bankruptcy Court"), offers of third parties submitting bids
for the purchase of the Assets shall meet the following requirements: (1)
any offer by a third party shall be made pursuant to the terms of sale
established by the liquidators; (2) any offer by a third party must provide
for an aggregate value at least $1,000,000 greater than the purchase price
provided for in the contract , which value would be at least $7,300,000 for
the assets covered by the contract with Escom ; and (3) at the time of
submitting a bid , any third party bidder must deposit not less than $ 1
million with the Liquidators to be held pending closing of the acquisition
of the Assets by the bidder if its bid is accepted and to be refundable in
full if its bid is rejected by the Liquidators or the Court.  Details
concerning the deposit are contained in the terms of sale.

   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Bankruptcy Court has issued an order
providing that any person interested in submitting a higher or better offer
must submit its offer to the liquidators at 10:00 a.m.  on April 20, 1995,
at an auction (the "Auction") to be held at the offices of Fulbright &
Jaworski, L.L.P., 666 Fifth Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, New York 10103. 
Any potential purchaser, creditor or party in interest amy obtain a copy of
the Motion, the Contract, the terms of sale of the Auction, and other
pertinent information on request from Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P., U.S.
counsel for the Liquidators, by telephone or written request as set forth
at the foot of this notice.

   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that April 21, 1995 at 10:00 a.m., or as soon
thereafter as counsel can be heard, in Room 610-2 of the United States
Bankruptcy Court, The Old Customs House, One Bowling Green, New York, New
York, is fixed as the date , time ,and place of the hearing (the "Hearing")
on the Motion, at which time the Bankruptcy Court will be asked to approve
the sale of the Assets to Escom pursuant to the to the Contract or to
whomever may have submitted the highest or best offer at the Auction.

   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that by order of the Bankruptcy Court, all
offers for the Assets must be submitted at the Auction.  Any offers not
submitted at the Auction will not be considered by the court or by the
Liquidators, CEL, or CBM at the Hearing or at any later time.

   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that, pursuant to an order of the Bankruptcy
Court, any objections to the sale or the Motion must be made in writing and
must be filed with the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court at the address above.
Objections must also be served upon Paul L.  Adderly, Bahamian counsel for
the Liquidators, 41 Frederick Street, P.O.  Box N-4, Nassau, Bahamas, upon
Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P., United States counsel for the Liquidators, at
666 Fifth Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, New York 10103, Attention: William
J.  Rochelle III, Esq., and upon Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays, &Handler,
attorneys for CBM, 425 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention
Brian E.  Kriger, Esq., and upon Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom,
counsel for Escom, 919 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention
Carlene J.  Gatting, Esq., with a copy to be received by the Chambers of
the Honorable James L.  Garrity, Jr., so as to be filed and received by
counsel and Chambers no later than April 13, 1995 at 5:00 p.m., provided,
however, that objections to the determination of the Liquidators as to who
made the highest or best offer at the Auction may be made orally at the
Hearing.

Dated:  New York, New York    Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P.
     March 23, 1995        U.S. counsel for the Liquidators of
                  Commodore International Limited
                  and Commodore Electronics Limited

                  By William J. Rochelle, III    
                     A Member of the Firm
                     666 Fifth Avenue
                     New York, New York 10103
                     (212) 318-3000
                     Facsimile: (212) 752-5958
@endnode
@node NEWS2 "Directory Opus 5"

GPSoft, distributors of DirOpus 5, the long-awaited upgrade to the popular
directory utility, have announced that the product is expected to be
available "at the end of March or soon after."

Distributions will be handled by the following companies
Germamy: Stefan Ossowski's Schatztruhe
UK     : Wizard Developments
US     : Micro R&D
Aus    : Small-Biz Software

Retail price is projected to be US$129.00, with upgrades roughly half that
figure.

@endnode
@node NEWS3 "New Horizons Software, Inc"
@toc NEWS

[From a comp.sys.amiga.misc posting]

Due to bankruptcy, New Horizons Software, Inc.  will be auctioning off all
assets--and this includes the copyrights to the best-selling Amiga
word-processing program, ProWrite.  The assets include copyrights and
trademarks to all software source and object code manuals, documentation
and box design for all software products, and inventory.   Two lots are
available for bid.

LOT 1
Amiga software:

ProWrite (word processor): copyrights, trademark, source code, user
documentation.

Inventory includes: Prowrite manuals - 1,600; ProWrite box sleeves - 1,400;
diskette labels, diskettes The entire New Horizons customer registration
list (not limited to ProWrite).

The starting bid for all LOT 1 items associated with ProWrite is 
***  $2,250 (two thousand, two hundred fifty dollars) ***.

LOT 2

Amiga Software:

QuickWrite (wordprocessor), DesignWorks (drawing program), Flow (outline
processor), Profonts (fonts package), Quarterback (hard disk backup
program), Quarterback Tools (disk utility program), Quarterback Tools
Deluxe (disk utility program suite), Mac-2-DOS (file transfer program),
DOS-2-DOS (file transfer program), DISK-2-DISK (file transfer program).  
[all New Horizons and Central Coast Software software, except ProWrite.

Macintosh software:

WordMaker (word processor).

Inventory includes: QuickWrite manuals - 3,400; QuickWrite box sleeves -
3,800; Quarterback manuals - 3,700; Quarterback box sleeves - 4,200;
Quarterback Tools manuals - 2,100; Quarterback Tools box sleeves 3,900;
generic large boxes (to be used with sleeves) - 11,500; generic small boxes
(to be used with sleeves) 9,500. 

The entire New Horizons customer registration list (other than ProWrite)

All  LOT 2  items will be sold together and the starting bid is only
*** $1,000 (one thousand dollars) ***.

CONTACT MARSHA G. KOCUREK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
RE: BANKRUPTCY CASE NO. 94-11145FRM
Marsha G. Kocurek, Trustee
707 West Avenue, Suite 206
Austin, TX 78701
TEL. (512) 482-9114
FAX (512) 480-0320
@endnode
@node NEWS4 "SHI Warning"
@toc NEWS
==========================================================================
                             SAFE HEX WARNING
  Safe Hex International                                     hlau@dou.dk
==========================================================================

                                                                  18-03-95
                            SAFE HEX WARNING 
 
 
The  DMS  archive named  "Network90.DMS" is an AGA demo, which contains the
Commander link virus in the file C/Fileloader.
 
 
ABOUT THE COMMANDER VIRUS
-------------------------
Here you have some info about the Commander virus from the Program Virus 
Info Base 1.33 made by SHI:
 
 
  If you`re starting an Commander infected file the virus first searches
  for the task "DH0".  If this task is in memory the virus tries to infect
  the file "DH0:C/LoadWB".  After that the virus patches the following
  vectors from the dos.library:
 
                    - Open()
                    - Rename()
                    - Lock()
                    - Examine()
                    - ExNext()
                    - LoadSeg()
                    - SetComment()
                    - SetProtection()
 
  These vectors are all used to infect other files.  As one result the
  Amiga gets little slower by disk access.
 
  The virus just infects files which doesn`t have the letter "V" or "v" as
  the first in the filename.  And it only gets active if the actual drive
  isn`t write protected and only if there are at last 10 free blocks on it.

  For infection the virus searches for Offsetjumps or BSR.l [JSR -XXX(a6)
  or BSR.L XXX].  These jumps will be manipulated so that they first will
  activate the virus.
 
  The  virus itself is crypted by useing dff00X. In memory you can read:
 
                    "reqtools.library reqtools 38.888"
 
  But there is another crypted message in the virus which says after
  decrypting:
 
                    "-<( COMMANDER )>- by Bra!N BlaSTer in 1994."
 
  All in all a very primitive virus.  I can`t find any special routine
  which is very good coded.  But this virus is tricky. 
 
  This virus description is made by Alex Dimitriadis

     CHECK OUT THAT YOU DON'T SPREAD OR RUN THIS NASTY ONE.
 
                                                         Kind Regards 
 
                                                       Erik Loevendahl 
                                                    SAFE HEX INTERNATIONAL
@endnode
@node FEATURE1 "Almathera Conference on IRC"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
                        ALMATHERA CONFERENCE ON IRC
===========================================================================

On March 22, 1995, a moderated IRC conference was held with Almathera,
makers of Photogenics, the new 24-bit paint/manipulation program.

Special thanks to Martin Brooks and Jkay for assistance in moderating the
proceedings.

Future IRC conferences are being planned.  MacroSystem Germany and Quasar
Distribution are expected to be our next guests.


<Jason> Ok, let's get underway.
   Almathera, would you like to introd uce yourselves and who's there?

<Almathera> Okay, on the panel we have: Paul Nolan <the original author of
   Photogenics>, Jolyon Ralph <technical director, also programmer>, Jason
   G. Doig <programmer, also author of Dogenstein 3D>, THP <SteeV @
   Almathera, Netsurfer and CD cutter>, and Mark Tipper, our GFX man.

<Jason> Can you give the home audience a brief overview of your company and
   your products?

<Almathera-Jolyon>: We've produced over 14 CD-ROM for the Amiga, including
   CDP D1-4, and many others, Photogenics is our first Amiga application
   and is a state -of-the-art 24-bit paint/image manipulation package.


<Ectohead> Sorry to open with a non-Photogenics question, but here's a
   two-parter: 1) Is there a new version of Video Creator coming, and is
   there an upgrade path, and: 2) CDPD4 is great - how about more support
   for Sernet CD32-Amiga user s, like CD32Keys, and a script to boot from
   RAD: for difficult discs like FreshFish?

<Almathera-Jolyon> 1) A new version of VC is under development, there will
   be a cheap upgrade.  NTSC is one of the major new features.
<Almathera-THP> 2) There's an early startup in CDPD4 <blue button when
   booting> - mail me if you've any problems <thp@cix.compulink.co.uk>

<Rog> 1.  I've heard CyberGfx will be supported.  Will there be support for
   Retina and EGS?  2.  Will there be good distribution for North America
   for Photogenics?

<Almathera-Jolyon> 1) CyberGFX support is written.  We have no current
   plans for EGS support <except an EGS-displayer has already been
   written>.  Retina support will come when MacroSystems improve their
   24-bit Intuition support so we can a ctually *use* it ;->.  It is highly
   likely that GyberGfx will be available for Retina soon *anyway*.  We
   also have a Retina displayer now, which is very fast.
<Almathera-Jolyon> 2) We currently have 4 *big* companies fighting for the
   US distribution rights.  This should be sorted in the next few weeks.  I
   should have mentioned, 4 *North American*, not necessarily US.

<Bjarian> Hello and thank you for the demo program on March's Amiga Format.
   I am looking forward to April's Amiga Shopper with the tutorial.
   However, I am confused about the Cybergfx and why you cannot get a
   direct driver from the Picasso II guys to support their 24 bit graphics
   card?

<Almathera-Jolyon> Photogenics is a standard Intution program.  The Amiga
   OS do es *not* support running in more than 8 bitplanes.  CyberGfx
   patches the OS to al low this, which is much more than normal graphics
   board drivers do...  It's also much faster than the normal Picasso
   drivers.

<dlman> Okay, another 2 part question, 1) will Photogenics compete with Art
   Department Pro, and if so, will there be an upgrade for ADPro Users?

<Almathera-Jolyon> Good question.  Photogenics does not claim to do
   everything that Adpro can do.  <Currently>.  Obviously, we're working on
   these features for future versions.  Competitive upgrade from Adpro&tc
   is a possibility, although our program is extremely low-priced anyway ;->

<U4ia> ok a few questions here now number 1: being producers of cd-roms
   distributing freeware etc do you not think you are making money from
   other peoples hard work?  this is not directed at almathera but as a
   cd-rom producer as a whole and 2: do you think that producing a gfx
   package for a dieing machine is worth t he time when the future of C= is
   shakey to say the least and maybe do you have plans to port

<Almathera-THP> 1) When we started doing CD-ROM, the Fred Fish collection
   cost nearly UKP100 <over here> on CD.  We brought it out at under UKP20.
   Buying PD / freeware on CD is still the cheapest way for most people to
   obtain this softwar e in bulk.  Doing these disks isn't a simple task of
   dumping a HD to a CD in general, unless the structure already exists
   <such as Aminet>.  In general, we spend 1 or 2 months full-time doing
   each disk, and production costs need to be met.
<Almathera-Jolyon> 2) I don't see the future of the Amiga is that insecure.
   There are several companies fighting for the rights for the Amiga now. 
   The Amiga's future is pretty much guaranteed.  Porting is a definite
   maybe, but the Amiga version takes priority at the moment.

<Genom> I looked Photogenics over at my dealer, and have decided to
   purchase it, now my question is, will you release more painter modes,
   savers, operators etc, as plug-ins?  This is something I expected from
   ADPro, but it never hapened, exc ept for that ridiculously overpriced
   Loader upgrade.  Also, How will you distribute these if you do?  Living
   in Mexico puts a damper on my mail, as it gets here very late.

<Almathera-Jolyon> We are always writing new paintmodes, GIO loaders,
   plug-ins , &tc.  Some of these will be available freely over the
   Internet <ShowHiqHam8 was uploaded to Aminet last week, but didn't
   appear for some reason> Some will be available commercially <eg Scanner
   drivers>

<AMosaic> I have noticed that the demo version of Photogenics is rather
   slow on my A3000 with a pocasso II, how long do you think it will be
   before there is direct Picasso II support?  And...  I tried to buy a
   copy of Pg this morning, but safe harbour said it hadn't been released
   for sale.  When?  The beauty of the Amiga Home Page depends on it. 
   (Donate a copy?  :-) )

<Almathera-Paul Nolan> 1) CyberGfx on Picasso 2 is *cool*.  Fast.  That
   will be available in version 1.2 <mid to end April>
<Almathera-Jolyon> 2) Safe Harbour *should* be able to get it.  You can
   always order it direct from us ;-> Ok, my turn.  :) I was talking to
   another company who expressed some amazement a t the Photogenics
   package...it's got an incredibly expensive box and a t-shirt a nd you
   still bring it in under US$100.  How?
<Almathera-Mark> We're stupid ;-> Seriously, good packaging is always
   important.

<Ectohead> Firstly, I did forget to thank you lot at Almathera for the
   support you've thrown into the Amiga so far (it's the Elastica album,
   it's hard to type to!  :-) but anyway, the question: VC again.  For the
   next version, will you use more of the disc space available for a bigger
   supply of QuadAnims, pictures, etc, or even some CD music tracks for
   novices - heck, I have a couple of bands I've been producing who'd
   probably donate a track for pure promotional value!  It's a shame to see
   space go to waste :-)

<Almathera-Jolyon> Yes, we've got 2 new tracks already, and we'll be
   interested in anything anyone wants to contribute.  More quads and
   images of course ;-> <mav> Who does the out-of-UK distribituion?  Seems
   like lots of good products for the Amiga are in the UK.  (I may have to
   move there!!) ;) US-distribution is not yet sorted, US companies seem to
   take an age to agree to anything ;-> - we can ship international direct
   orders ;-> How about Australia?  The European side is pretty much
   covered.  We've got distribution in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, &tc.
   <We're just checking what the Oz di stribution is ;->
<Almathera-Paul Ralph, the MD> Don Quioxte in Australia is our general
   distributor over there.

<scientifi> In photogenics, is there some sort of module possibly made by
   third partys?  and if so, the developer package cost how much?  Is it
   available?

<Almathera-Jolyon> The GIO format <graphic input/output> which covers
   loaders, savers, scanners, displayers, printers, grabbers &tc is fully
   documented with example sourcecode.  All developer files are freely
   available <supplied on disk 3 with every package>.  Anyone interested in
   writing support for Photogenics should contact me on
   jralph@cix.compulink.co.uk.  Support for plug-in type modules <effects>,
   etc will be available in a forthcoming version.  <Free documentation
   again>

<Corinna> Is there any hope at all of Photogenics supporting the MAGIC
   drivers d eleveoped by Nova Designs?  (ImageFX) It would be much easier
   for the user than saving the pic, quiting ImageFX, loading Photogenics,
   and then reloading the picture.  Also, would is be fea sible to license
   your GIO format to other companies?  (like Nova?) Thanks for your time!

<Almathera-Jolyon> 1) We looked at MAGIC, it's possible, but Photogenics
   work s on totally different internal buffer formats <more memory-
   efficient>, so it's not easy for us to use.  Nobody has asked us to
   licence GIO yet.  ;->

<jalovick> Basicly, concerning Australian distribution, Will Don Kuioti be
   the only distributors ??  ..they are in the north, and Australia is big
   .. :) .. 

<Almathera-Jolyon> Well, we're always looking to expand our distribution...

<Bjarian> I am enjoying the plasma feature on Photogenics and I am trying
   to make a cycle where the plasma field can be a cycling background.
   Can this be done now or in the near future?  Can small predetermined
   increments be made in cycle style, as in DPaint cyctle backgrounds?>

<Almathera-Jase> Make sure you clean your screen afterwards ;->
<Almathera-Paul/Jolyon> Not really - you can't do 24-bit colour-cycling.
   But doing a sequence with ShiftHue might do a similar effect.

<Amosaic> Well, Cybergraphics will be excellent once you can install it
   without being a computer scientist (actually, as it stands, even that
   didn't seem to be enough).  Any hope of Almathera supporting what little
   is left of the Amiga mark et in the US by buying ads in AmigaReport, the
   Amiga Home Page (shameless plug) and AC?

<Almathera-Jolyon> Firstly, CyberGfx is still under development.  Yep, it's
   a pain to install at the moment.  But that will be sorted.  Once it's up
   and running, it's *great*.

<peejay> <sidenote> 24bit Photogenics painting is awsome!

<Almathera-Jolyon> Secondly, we will be looking at all sorts of advertising
   for the US market.  It may well be our US distributors, once finalised,
   will advertise themselves.

<Jkay> Hi!  regarding the "additional loaders/savers" topic ...  I know a
   LOT of folks would LOVE a PCHG loader/saver...  help us ECS users!  :)

<Almathera-Jolyon> Ah!  Well, I was thinking of doing PCHG (Palette Change
   Hires for those who don't know) support, but I didn't know if anyone
   would want it!  I'll have another look at it and maybe soon I'll get a
   PCHG.gio written!

<dlman> Well, I was just wondering as far as the file types that
   Photogenics will support,

<Almathera-Jase> I'm doing them!  All of those!  And some more.  Wavefront
   .RLA, etc.

<Gilesey> I have two questions..  a) Will photogenics be speeded up for us
   less fortunate peole who only have a standard 1200, since I did the
   three key salute because the speed was quite unworkable for me.  and
   secondly on the note U4ia brought up and was kicked and banned for
   speaking his mind, don't you think you are just stealing others work, no
   matter what price you put it at?

<Almathera-Jolyon> a) I'd like to improve the performance, but it's already
   doing so much work with 24-bit data that it's dificult to get it running
   any better.  A standard 120

<Almathera-Jolyon> b) No, I certainly don't think that.  You have to
   remember that there are lots of people who do not have access to the
   internet and cannot get free software that way.  Why should people pay
   1-3 pounds for PD software on diskette?  Anyway, this isn't the subject
   for today.  If there is enough feeling about this then I'll be happy to
   come back another day to discuss that subject directly.

<Jason> So I am.  First off-You know how long I've been waiting for Video
   Creator NTSC ...how is the upgrade coming?  Both floppy and CD versions
   were considered...  Second- It's been asked twice, but I don't think
   I've seen an answer...is there any consideration or work being done on
   porting Photogenics to another platform?

<Almathera-Jolyon> A- Work is continuing on VC NTSC, a decision for a
   floppy version has not yet been made, but is highly likely.  B - We've
   got some plans for porting, but don't expect to see Photogenics on other
   platforms this year...  

<louie> Hi.  oout here in NY none has seen PG yet Any chance of demo if so
   where?

<Almathera-Jolyon> The April issue (Issue number 69) of Amiga Format
   carried a coverdisk demo of Photogenics.  I believe someone uploaded the
   demo to ftp.tomah awk.something (sorry, I'm not much help am I?)
   although we didn't authorise the upload I'm not realy complaining!  When
   we get a new demo version we'll upload that to aminet.  As for
   distribution - at the moment anyone can buy Photogenics directly from
   us.  We ship international air-mail orders for 62UKP (which is around 10
   0usd) directly.  The address is in Amiga Report (plug plug) and you can
   order by email if you want to!  (again, email details in amiga report
   dealer section).

<scientifi> Are you or plan to use the datatype of 3.1

<Almathera-Jolyon, Jase, Paul> We don't support datatypes because they are
   currently limited to max 256 colours, so loading a JPEG (for example)
   would be much worse than using dedicated code.  They're also very slow.
   We're aiming for direct support for all the filetypes you'd ever
   possibly encounter :-) Adding a 'datatype.gio' as a last re sort if
   you've got some really strange format file that only datatypes supports
   is of course possible, we may well do that soon... 

<Bjarian> Hello again I have one comment and four quikie questions.  I use
   DODOShop on a Quadra and SGI.  Photogenics on my A4000 screams in
   comparison.  Question 1.  WIll you distribute 1.2 on CD rOM?  question
   2.  Will you be developing layers, ala DoDOshop 3.0?  question 3.  Will
   you be making a structured drawing companion to Photogenics, ala
   Frustrator (Illustrator)?  and Queston 4 If I am XXLarge, will the
   T-shirt fit?

<Almathera-Paul> :D
<Almathera-Jolyon> Q1. Yes, possibly. If there's enough interest.
<Almathera-Paul> I'm working on a multiple-positionalbe-distortable-layers
   system which will kick ass!  :D
<Almathera-Jolyon> Q3 It's something I'd like to do (structured gfx
   package) but we don't have any firm plans for one.  Q4.  We only have XL
   sized T-shirts.  Actually, we don't seem to have many (any?) left.  You
   should have bought it earlier :-) GA

<Sporran> Bit of a subjective thing this, but the AF demo of PG seemed
   rather slow on my 50MHz 1200/030 - is the full version quicker?

<Almathera-Jolyon> I use a 50Mhz 1200/030.  A lot of it was developed on
   that machine.  Make sure you're running PAL (or NTSC) modes, *NOT*
   DblPal or DblNTSC or Productivity modes, they have such severe bandwidth
   restrictions that any program running in 8 bitplanes (eg Photogenics)
   has problems.  Mode promotion - Just say no kids!

<Patrik> Will you (or have you) branched out into the oh-so-lucrative world
   of PCs?  Do you think it's possible to survive as an amiga-only developer?

<Almathera> I'll just mention here that anyone can email questions to me at
   jralph@cix.compulink.co.uk once the chat is over...  Yes, we're
   obviously looking to port to PC eventually.  I think we'll wait until
   PCs get a sensible OS first.  (So no work to do this year :-)

<Bjarian> One last comment.  I have been a developer and know what kinds of
   problems can occur.  It is easy to criticize and not so easy to turn 1
   and 0 into program magic.  Your work on Photogenics is great, take
   heart.  Tell us about what other products you have, I read you have a
   networki ng product?  Keep up the good work, God Bless CHeersQ

<Almathera-Jolyon> We don't have our own networking products, but we are UK
   distributors for all of IAM products, including Envoy 2.0 and DiskSalv 3.0

<Jason> As far as future products go-what's in the works?  We've heard of a
   CD involving Sidewinder's music, what is it, when is it, and how much
   will it cost?

<Almathera-Jolyon> Not sure about future product annoucments yet.  You'll
   hear all the latest news in Amiga Report..  :-)

<joeghi> Is there a 040 FPU version of Phothogenics with also a PICASSO 24
   bit saver?  And where I can find Photogenis here in Italy?  Thanx (This
   is a question f rom Layout which was ignored).

<Almathera-Paul Nolan> Photogenics uses fast integer mathematics for all
   operations, so there is no benefit at the moment for an FPU version. 
   Future versions may come with FPU versions.

<Almathera-Jolyon> Photogenics comes with Picasso 24-bit saver as standard.
   In Italy, Photogenics is avaialble Axxel or DBLine or Rainbow Computing.
   Mail me if you need contact numbers...

<Jason> That should about wrap it up.  Thank you, everyone, for coming, and
   special thanks to our guests, the Almathera guys.  Almathera guys, want
   to give your e-mail addresses for future reference?

<Almathera> Anyone can mail me at jralph@cix.compulink.co.uk for questions
   about any Almathera products...
@endnode
@node FEATURE2 "Voice From Across the Pond"
@toc FEATURE

===========================================================================
                      THE VOICE FROM ACROSS THE POND
   Michael Wolf                           MikeWolf@bonebag.tynet.sub.org
===========================================================================

Hello again,

I'm sorry to say that I had to resign as the european editor for AR, mainly
because I don't have time for it.  I'm finally getting to do some
productions, and since I do my community service at the moment too, time is
precious to me.

Enough drivel though, I have some hot news for you.  It looks like
MacroSystems and AS&S will be the major third party players on the Amiga
market, both are working on some fantastic products.

2-GO!
--------
DSP-Board for the Amiga.

The Zorro-III DSP Board allows you to greatly speed up your Amiga. 
MPEG/JPEG coding and decoding is possible in real time.  The 2-GO! 
processors are freely programmable, so one could use it as a render engine,
port OpenGL to it, do audio processing etc.

The hardware consists of a very fast Zorro-III interface (up to 34MB/sec),
64 bit DSP memory, a 64bit port to the CyberVision64 graphics board and
audio/video in & output.

The board is powered by a DSP (max.  2 billion instructions/sec), a master
RISC CPU (50 MIPS) and a floating point unit (100 MIPS).  This is enough
number crunching power for MPEG/JPEG de-/encoding, or for rendering 750.000
gourard shaded polygons / sec to the Cybervision.

The software is planned to include a MPEG/JPEG tool, interfaces to 3D
renderes and image processors and libraries for you project developement.

The 2-GO!  should be released during the second half of 1995, at a
projected price of DM 4000.- (= US$ 2600).

Real 3D 3.0
-----------

The update of Real3D will be available in mid April.  Some of the
highlights are:

- plug-in support for post-processing effects (i.e. lens flares)
- faster rendering
- numeric input for many tools
- background images to align objects
- constraints for object joints.
- new animation methods. (footprints in snow anyone ?).

Registered users will receive an update offer, a bundle with TVPaint 3.0
will be available as well.  Prices are not known yet.
@endnode
@node FEATURE3 "The Users Standards Group"
@toc FEATURE
===========================================================================
               AN INTRODUCTION TO THE USERS STANDARDS GROUP
   Version 1.03, release 1                               Updated 22/1/95
===========================================================================

[These two documents, 'An Introduction to the Users Standards Group' and
'An Introduction to USGNet' were both written by P.  Bornhall.  - Ed]

* What is USG?

    USG is a non-profit organisation of users who are willing to support
and aid in the development of quality software and standards.  As such, USG
and USGNet will help developers with ideas to make their product appear.
USG will help with suggestions, tips, technical details, as well as provide
betatesters for these products.  Developers connected to USGNet will also
find it useful to set up their own echo, which will provide them with even
more help in finding the "right way" for their software/standard.  USGNet
is explained in more detail in its own, soon to be released,
introduction-text.

* What are the goals with USG?

    USG's goal is to provide a stable base for developers to get their
products tested and to provide the end-user with a simple way to let the
developer know what they think of their product.  USG will also help
developers to find betatesters for their product.  USG will also support
developers as a sort of quality-assurance.

* Why USG?

    Well, that is up to you.  If you have ever developed something, you
might know the amount of work involved.  If you also have been betatesting
it, you'll know that there is always one more bug.  USG will not do all the
work for you, but should provide you with enough suggestions and tips to
make it easier from the start.

* Why should you join USG?

    As a developer, to get access to a wide variety of people as
betatesters or for suggestions can provide invaluable information for
further development.

    As a user, you should join USG to support the development of quality
software and quality standards.  As a user, you can also take active part
in the development of said software and standards.  As a betatester, or
just by suggesting things.

    As a member of USG, your knowledge, thoughts and opinions can provide
invaluable help for others, which is one of the goals with USG.

* How does USG work?

    USG as an organisation works by the rule that everyone is equal.  Major
changes regarding USG will be a matter for all members.  For single
developers, they will still have full control of their product.  USG will
serve as a support organisation for the product, if the developer wishes
it.

    Practically, most contact is through USGNet, FidoNet or InterNet.  
USGNet, which is the core of the developer support, is available to anyone,
not just USG members.  But, to get full support and use of USG you will
still have to become a member.  USGNet is a growing net, but will try to be
somewhat faster than existing nets, mainly by not concerning itself with
non-development topics.  For more information on USGNet, see the
'Introduction to USGNet' text.  ['Introduction to USGNet' appears at the
end of this article.  -Jason]

* How do you join USG?

    First of all, joining USG is completely free of charge, and there is no
reason to change this policy.  As a member of USG, you are not required to
do anything, so those who just feels that they want to support the idea
should not be disencouraged.  Also, USG allows entire development teams to
join.  To join USG, fill in the following information;

        Name        - First and last name, or name of development team
        Address     - Withheld from the public eye on request
        Country     - Your country
        Born        - Date of birth, optional
        E-mail      - Any E-mail and/or netaddresses you have
        System      - Platform and system you use
        Products    - Information on any products you are developing

    Also, let us know if you are a developer, if you want to take active
part in development, or if you are just supporting USG.

    If you are interested in becoming a betatester, enclose full details
on your system setup and software.

     Send your membership info to;

        Peter Bornhall                   2:203/623.5@fidonet
        B=E4ck 5                           8:101/100.3@usgnet
        S-46598 NOSSEBRO                39:160/307.3@amiganet
        SWEDEN

        E-mail:  bornhall@p5.jam.ct.se


===========================================================================
                         AN INTRODUCTION TO USGNET
   Version 1.2, release 1                                Updated 6/3/95
===========================================================================

* What is USGNet?

    USGNet is a network aimed at development of standards, specifications
and software.  This means that USGNet will provide a good base for software
developers, development of new standards and other development-related
issues.  USGNet is a net dedicated to computers, an= d the people who work
with them.  This means that the net will not carry any off-topic echos,
concerning for example politics or religion.

* What type of network is USGNet?

    USGNet makes use of the Fido(tm) technology, therefore it is a 'FTN'
(Fido Technology Network).  To join USGNet, your software has to support at
least the technical matters described in the current revisions of the 'FTS'
(FidoNet Technical Standard) documents as supplied by the 'FSC' (FidoNet
Standards Commitee).  Your software should also be able to distribute files
using a TICK-compatible fileprocessor.

* Why USGNet?

    Why was USGNet started?  Well, it began with the birth of the file
description standard invented by the Users Standards Group.  At first, USG
discussed the development of the standard through netmail, but this didn't
allow members to discuss every small idea between themselves, which made
the development slow and cumbersome.  This led to the proposal of starting
our own echomail area, and FidoNet was suggested as the net to use.
However, after several attempts at setting up a FidoNet area, the
suggestion of setting up our own net surfaced.  While still attempting a
FidoNet solution, Micke Persson began research on WHY a USGNet would be a
better solution.  The members of USG then voted on a FidoNet echo or our
own net, USGNet, and the voters chose USGNet for reasons I will explain
below.

* Why start another net?

    Why didn't we go for an existing net, like FidoNet for our echo?  Well,
since most of the members knew FidoNet to be rather slow and cumbersome, we
agreed not to use FidoNet.  We wanted the echomail to be fast, not taking
over a week to reach the majority of the readers.  For developers, this
means that delaytimes will be as small as possible.

* Why not use an existing net?

    Then why not use other existing nets?  Most other nets are somewhat
limited, AmigaNet for example, is mainly for Amiga users.  Of course, there
are nets that could have been used, but they are somewhat anonymous and
tend to be as slow (or slower) than FidoNet.  This wasn't what we were
looking for either.

* What are the main goals for USGNet?

    USGNet will be a net fully dedicated to COMPUTERS.  USGNet will also be
directed towards development of programs and specifications, as well as
discussions regarding computers, hardware and software.  USGNet should also
be the perfect "playground" for betatesting software, with quick responses
from betatesters.  USGNet will probably also aim a little higher regarding
computer-knowledge.  Quality, not quantity.

* Who will benefit from USGNet?

    For example, developers will benefit by having a betatesting echo where
the responses are significantly faster than what other nets provide.  Also,
developers are given the opportunity to coordinate with other developers,
as well as share experiences, tips and hints.

* How do I become a part of UGSNet?

    To become a node in USGNet, fill out the form appended at the end of
this document, and send it to your nearest USGNet administrator.  Ability
to receive crashmail during 24hours per day is a small basic concept your
system has to support to get a node number.  If you can't fulfil this
criteria, the only way to join USGNet is to become a point under an
existing node.

* Who should I contact?

    USGNet Main Administrators:

   RC SWEDEN 8:10/1   Disaster Team's BBS +46-418-36999 (2:200/430@fidonet)
   Host West 8:101/1  Tweed's BBS         +46-322-38805 (2:203/322@fidonet)
   Host East 8:102/1  Arkham Asylum       +46-8-6269355 (2:201/244@fidonet)
   RC NORWAY 8:11/1   Alpha Centauri      +47-31-288542 (39:220/1@amiganet)

    From anyone of these, you can FILEREQUEST the latest nodelist, by using
the magic name "USGNODES", and in the nodelist you can find your nearest
node or administrator (RC/Host/Hub) to contact for more information.

    You can also get the latest version of any textfile concerning USGNet,
(such as rules and specifications) from any node in the nodelist.

    10. USGNet Entry Form

    -- 8< -----------------------------------------------------------------
    USGNet Entry Form                                 Version 1.1 (22.1.95)

                 BBS name :
              Sysops name :
                 Location :
     BBS telephone number :
     Modem speed and type :

       Crashmail accepted :
    Filerequests accepted :

          FidoNet address :

        BBS software used :                           Version :
     Mailer software used :                           Version :
     Tosser software used :                           Version :

    Sysops postal address :
                          :
                          :
                          :
                  Country :

     Voice phone, daytime :
     Voice phone, evening :

     All members in USGNet agrees to follow all current rules and all new
    rules posted by any RC (Region Coordinator).
@endnode
@node FEATURE4 "SHI Hack Report"
@toc FEATURE
 
===========================================================================
                             AMIGA HACK REPORT
  Safe Hex International                                      hlau@dou.dk 
===========================================================================
 
  Welcome to the second issue of The Amiga Hack Report.  This is a series
  of reports that aim to help all users of files found on BBSs avoid
  fraudulent programs, and is presented as a public service by the FidoNet,
  Internet and Amiganet International E-mail echos.
 
  Thanks to everyone who has helped put this report together, and to those
  that have sent in comments and suggestions.
 
 
  NOTE TO SYSOPS: The Hack Report may be freely posted as a bulletin on
  your BBS, subject to these conditions:
 
 
             1) the latest version is used,
             2) it is posted in its entirety, and
             3) it is not altered in any way.
 
 
  NOTE TO OTHER READERS: The Hack Report (file version) may be freely
  uploaded to any BBS, subject to the above conditions, and only if you do
  not change the filename. 
 
 
  The author is not responsible for any loss of data nor is he responsible
  for any information if it isn't correct. This list is made as a help and
  a lot of work is done to validate all the below mentioned informations to
  be so correct as possible, but who knows? .....
 
 
  The idea is to make this information available freely.  However, please
  don't cut out the disclaimers and other information if you use it, or
  confuse the issue by spreading the file under different names.  Thanks!
 
 
  If you see other fake or trojan versions NOT listed here, please contact
  one of the above supporters or myself so that we can keep this listing up
  to date.
 
                                                      Erik Loevendahl
 
  =========================================================================
 
 
                           HACKED AMIGA PROGRAMS
 
  Here are the latest and most common versions of some programs known to 
  have hacked fake or trojan copies floating around.  Archive names are
  listed when known, along with the person who reported the fraud. (thanks
  from us all!).
 
 
 
   20-03-94  X-Copy 8.5 66424 bytes is a trojan. Installs the  Fmfoj Xjsvt
             v2.2 (Eleni) boot virus, which can damage your harddisk.
 
   17-05-94  Decompiler (Autoboot Disc Creator), 53.992 bytes is a trojan.
             Renames your harddisk directories. Reported by W. Gorzkowski.
 
   25-05-95  Hacker 20.980 bytes unpacked is said to optimize your modem 
             settings, but in fact it is a trojan
 
   05-06-94  DMS 2.13 92.440 bytes packed in a file named "Dms213ur.lha" 
             will format your harddisk. Reported by Kim B. Jensen.
 
 * 15-06-94  NoCare27.lha 28.848 bytes unpacked will delete your HD files.
 
   18-06-94  DMS2.12 lha, Device-Masher System, DMS/FMS-Masher 2.12 Extra
             Turbo 92.208 bytes is a fake.
 
   20-06-94  Ua62.lha,  Ua-dialer v6.2 26828 bytes PPacked, 51956 bytes 
             unpacked is said to damage your S/Dir.
 
   22-06-94  Mformt12.lha, Mformat 1.2 unpacked 25168 bytes is said to
             format harddisks after 8. floppies. Reported by Gerard Sens
 
 * 02-07-94  NCOmm 3.09 221.056 bytes is said to be a trojan, which
             installs the eleni virus, that can damage your harddisk.
 
   07-07-94  Hd_speedup.exe, 6252 bytes unpacked found in "HD_Speedup.lha"
             will damage your harddisk. Reported by Steen Brusgaard.
 
   15-07-94  Clx_doom.lha, Doom 32020 bytes is a nasty trojan, which change
             your assign and setpatch command. Reported by Edwin Leenders.
 
   23-07-94  Elien_virus_checker 0.1 is  nasty  trojan. Found in a file
             called "elien.exe". 1016 bytes PPacked, 596 bytes unpacked.
 
 * 02-08-94  Esp-dmpd.lha (DiskMaster 2 PAL Fix) is said to contain a
             linkvirus.
 
   09-08-94  God-j12.lha, JiZaNSi 1.2 - IFF 2 ANSI converter 22.008 bytes
             unpacked is a trojan. Reported by Peter Hansen.
 
 * 24-08-94  Viewtek22.lha 93.844 bytes contains a link virus. Reported by
             Betasoft.
 
   01-09-94  Dskslv3.DMS. Disksalv 3.01 106584 bytes unpacked is said 
             to be a trojan. Reported by Dave Haynie.
 
   08-09-94  Vmk30.lha, Virus Memory Kill V3.00 2620 bytes is a trojan
             which will damage your harddisk. Reported by Chris Hames
 
   30-12-94  Surprise.exe 39296 bytes is spread at a demo at "The Party 94"
             in Denmark will damage your harddisk.  Reported by Benny
             Petersen
 
   31-01-95  VZII-114.lha is a fake version. Please use the new version
             VZ-115.lha 128182 bytes (unpacked 74028 bytes).
 
   01-01-95  DMS206.lha and CRY_206 contain DMS206.exe is a BBS infiltrator 
             program. Use the latest >original<... DMS 2.04 (96284 bytes).
 
   13-01-95  IStrip21.lha unpacked 12212 bytes is an infiltrator program
             which place BBS user.data in download dir named "eatme.lha".
             
   06-02-95  The Achtung.exe demo in the GATH95-!.lha archive will format
             your harddisk. Reported by John Vickers.
   
   27-02-95  The Commander virus is to this day spread in the folowing
             files: dagis!up.exe, Denistro_1.exe, Denistro_2.exe,
             mn-acid.exe, Vampire.exe, Dpl-Mam1.DMS, Dpl-Mam2.DMS,
             Removcmd.lha
 
   03-03-95  The archive axripii.lha, about 120046 bytes contains harddisk 
             damage program called Fucker virus in the file called AMIBBB.  
 
   14-03-95  Personal Paint version: 6.2 is a fake.  The last original
             PPaint version is 6.1.  Reported by the programmer M.C.
             Battilana
   
   16-03-95  Network90.DMS contains Commander link virus in file in C dir
             called "Fileloader". Reported by Henrik Lauridsen
            
 
  =========================================================================
 
  The above marked * trojans or fake versions isn't implementet in the 
  SHI virus killers yet, so please take care and send these trojans for 
  new update to the above mentioned !!.
 
 
  A little trick for SysOp's: Print this little list and use it to check 
  your new uploads!!
 
 
  Please use this form below if you find some fake versions or trojans and
  send it to Safe Hex Internalional by E-mail or by post.
 
 
  --> cut here
  ========================================================================
 
                              HACK REPORT FORM:
 
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  YOUR NAME:
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ADDRESS:                                   ZIP CODE:
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  COUNTRY:                                   PHONE:
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  WHICH PROGRAM IS A FAKE OR A TROJAN :                     VERSION:
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  FOUND IN ARCHIVE NAME:                      ARCHIVE DATE:         
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  BYTES UNPACKED:
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  A LITTLE DESCRIPTION 
  (Why do you think this is a fake or a trojan)




  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  ATTENTION IF.. 
 
  Possible please send the actual fake or trojan to Safe Hex International!
 
                   
            THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR  HELP! WITHOUT YOUR
            VALUABLE HELP WE COULDN'T HAVE MADE THIS LIST!!!
 
 
  ========================================================================
  --> cut here
 
Please send the hack or the infected file together with the above report
to:
 
            SAFE HEX INTERNATIONAL MAIN 
            Erik Loevendahl                  Fidonet:  2:236/116.17
            Snaphanevej 10                   Amiganet: 39:141/127.17 
            DK-4720 Praestoe                 Telefax:  +45 5599 3498 
            Denmark  
 
/or to ....
 
      __              
 __  ///   SAFE HEX INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN BOARD SUPPORT:
 \\\///    ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 
  \XX/     (DAN BBS is one of the best and biggest BBS in Europe)
 
           Anti-Virus PC & Amiga CoSysOP: Erik Loevendahl
           Server: 486DX2-66,32mb-RAM,Adaptec 2842VL
           Micropolis 1528+4110 (Micro2:86127799)
           Total  harddisks: 4.3 GIGA, 
           2/8 Giga Sony DAT streamer
           CD-Server: 386-40mhz,4MB, 18 CD's online
           ISDN workstation: 386-40mhz, 4MB, TELES
 
           Total 14 GB on-line
           (More than 30 PC's in system)
 
 
           Linie  1 payment line          42643990  V-Fast 28.8
           Linie  2                       43628230  ZyXEL/v32bis
           Linie  3                       43627750  ZyXEL/v32bis
           Linie  4                       43625880  ZyXEL/v32bis
           Linie  5-19 payment lines!     4362XXXX  ZyXEL/v32bis
           Linie 20                       42643827  V34/VFC 28.8      
           Linie 21                       43621655  VFC 28.8
           Linie 22+23                    43661070  ISDN
 
        DAN BBS fax:                42643357 Group 3 
 
 
        HOW TO DO:
        ---------
        Do you wish to contact our SHI >free< anti-virus areas for uploads
        of  new virus or download of the newest SHI anti-virus stuff type:
 
        "Guest", "Guest" (for free files), and "V" (for the SHI anti-virus
        free area)
   
                               "THE AMIGA LIVE"
@endnode
@node FEATURE5 "V-Lab Motion to the Rescue!"
@toc FEATURE

==========================================================================
                        V-LAB MOTION TO THE RESCUE!
  David Nix                                         wrnix@uga.cc.uga.edu
==========================================================================

[I recently cried out for a review of V-Lab Motion, MacroSystem's new
low-cost non-linear tape editor.  To my rescue came David Nix, Amiga based
independent animator, with a story on how he and V-Lab Motion saved someone
else's day... -Jason]

I recently had an interesting emergency job to do for a collegue at the
school here and my trusty A4000 equiped with a V-Lab Motion managed to save
the day when a problem arose with the University's single frame equipment.
A operating system upgrade to the schools SGI lab proved to be incompatible
with the Lyon Lamb Minivas single frame controller - some sort of ROM
kernel trouble - and nothing was getting to videotape.  With a deadline of
only a day or two, waitingfor a fix from either Lyom Lamb or SGI was out of
the question, so we had to find a fast solution to get three 900 frame
animations out to video.  With the help of a couple of other Amiga based
packages, we saved the day.

We transfered the Alias .pix files to a Mac gig drive, which I physically
hooked up to the A4000.  Using MaxDOS software, I mounted the Mac drive.  
Then, I used ProControl and ADPro 2.5 to batch process the .pix files into
IFF files and save them to my gig drive.  Then using the MovieShop 2.1
software for the V-Lab, I imported the IFF's into MovieShop and saved them
to the V-Lab partition of my hard drive.  While it would have been possible
to use ADPro to directly convert the .pix files to JPEG, the process is a
tad slow, and I dont have the AREXX background to make the MovieShop
software write JPEG directly to it's own, specially formatted drive -
although it will allow for a wide variety of options such as this via
AREXX.  Guess it's time to learn a little AREXX.

Once imported into the MovieShop partion of the drive, it took just a
matter of seconds to blast it back, in real time, to video.  The ADPro
conversion took about 30 minutes per 300 frame segment to convert to IFF's,
and the MovieShop import procedure took about 45 minutes.  The actuall
output to SVHS took about 15 seconds per segment.  I should note that the
FTP transfer from the SGI workstation to the Mac HD took apx.  5 HOURS per
300 frame segment.

While I cant say for certian just how long this procedure would have taken
had the single frame equipment worked correctly, my experience has been
that it takes the single frame deck and related software about 45 seconds
or so per frame to complete the preroll and insert function.  In addition,
even the SGI based system requires that the image files go through a scan
line conversion box for output to NTSC.

The V-Lab Motion system has repeatedly proved itself to be a real boon to
my setup.  The ability to take practically any format image file from any
animation package (I use Imagine 3.1 at home) and blast it out at S video
resolutions in real time is a godsend.  While similar to the PAR in this
aspect, the V-Lab also includes a very comprehensive cut and paste
non-linear editing package that allows for grabbing S video footage in real
time and rearranging it to your hearts content, with transitions and
effects, and blasting it back out to tape, or in my case, using it as image
maps or for rotoscoping.  With the addition of the Tocotta audio board, you
can cut and paste audio as well.

I do not work for MacroSystems GmbH, or NoahJi's.  I did get to meet Jorg
Sprave, the president of MacroSystems and Eric Kloor of NoahJi's at
Siggraph last year, where they really jumped this product through the hoops
for me for two solid days before I decided it was what I needed.   While
still an evolving product, I feel comfortable in reccomending it,
especially to animators that incorporate captured video in their work.  
The V-Lab requires a SCSI II controller and drive for sufficient speed in
shoveling the large amount of data on and off your drive.  In my case, I
use an A4000 with a WarpEngine,18 megs of Ram and a Toshiba 1.2 gig drive.
@endnode

@node REVIEW1 "Review: Skeleton Krew - CD32"
@toc REVIEW

===========================================================================
                       REVIEW:  SKELETON KREW - CD32
                            By: @{"Sean Caszatt" link SEAN}
===========================================================================

Once again, it's time for some entertainment reviews.  This time out, I'll
take a look at one of the most recent CD32 titles, SKELETON KREW.

The year is 2062 and the Deadly Enforcement Aggressive Destruction, Inc.  
(DEAD, Inc.) has unleashed some nasty mutants, affectionately known as
Psykogenix, onto the general populace.  You've been called upon to direct
the Skeleton Krew, a team of equally mutant-like mercenaries, to defeat
DEAD's evil mutant army.

There are three Krew members to choose from: Rib, Spine and Joint.  You may
choose only one.  (In the two player game, the other player can choose one
of the remaining two.) Their task is to simply blast the hell out of
everything that gets in the way, while trying to get to the end of each
level.  Power-ups and kash (sic) are scattered throughout the game and, of
course, you're to pick up as much of those as possible.

In all honesty, SKELETON KREW is very similar to CHAOS ENGINE.  You just
have to shoot your way through the levels, open the gateways and stay
alive.  It's got the same "shoot-or-be-shot" attitude about it.  However,
it's not equal quality-wise.

The tilted perspective sometimes hinders your progress.  It's easy to lose
track of yourself or an enemy if it passes behind a wall or building.  The
odd rotating control is hard to get used to.  You can rotate left or right
while shooting.  Shooting in one direction requires the use of two buttons.
It comes in handy sometimes but, more often than not, you're spinning,
running and shooting simultaneously and not hitting much of anything in the
process.

The music is top-notch.  It's a sort of pseudo-industrial/rap blend that's
very interesting to listen to.  It fits the mood of the game fairly well. 
The sound effects are slightly repetitive, but not bad.

SKELETON KREW is one of those games that I can't stop playing despite the
fact that I know it's flawed.  As a result, I hesitantly recommend it to
anyone looking for a little shoot-'em-up action.  As far as recommending it
to all gamers though, I'd have to suggest CHAOS ENGINE first.

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

Playability:    * * * * * * - - - -     6 out of 10
Graphics:       * * * * * * * - - -     7 out of 10
Sound:          * * * * * * * * - -     8 out of 10

Overall:        * * * * * * * - - -     7 out of 10

Video Mode:     PAL

Manufacturer:   Core Design Limited
@endnode
@node REVIEW2 "Review: PC-Task 3"
@toc REVIEW

===========================================================================
                             REVIEW:  PC-TASK3
   Antony Karantze                         antony.karantze@welcom.gen.nz
===========================================================================

[This is the first of a three-part review on PC-Task 3.  Mr. Karantze will
tackle PC-Task 3.0, while the Emulation Rambler will return next issue to
embark on a two-issue run on 3.0 and the newly released 3.1, as well as
updated information on the demo version and possibly even a conference
announcement.  Stay tuned... -Jason]

Have you ever had the desire to experience life in the IBM Compatible
market?  Over 70 million PC's are in use around the world today, and there
are very few programs that are released without a PC version on offer.
There have been several attempts at offering PC emulation for the Amiga
range of computers - from Commodore's horrendous software only offering,
The Transformer [1986] which cost around $120, to Vortex's 486 Golden Gate
Bridgecards, costing upwards of $1000.  The list of emulation products
released in the last few years is testament to the Amiga's versatility:
There are very few platforms that haven't been emulated.  Latest on the
list is Utilities Unlimited's "e586dx" module for their EMPLANT board.

PC-Task began it's life as a relatively unstable shareware XT emulator way
back in 1992.  It was slow, only offering Monochrome or CGA emulation, with
a maximum memory base of 640k - a standard, 1982 class IBM XT.  In the last
two years it ha s slowly matured, and author Chris Hames has had the time
to increase not only it's functionality but also compatibility (it was
entirely possible to use Windows 3.0 with PC Task v2.03).  But, it had
remained a shareware product, with crippled (read-only) versions being
available on most major bulletin boards and online services such as GEnie
and Compuserve.

Version 3 marks the product's transition to a commercial product.  PC Task
v2.03 was released in 1993, and nothing was heard from Chris Hames since
then (although he did continue to update his DirWork program, an excellent
DirOpus alternative).  PC Task has been completely rewritten and offers
much more over the previous versions.

Obtaining PC Task v3.

You can obtain the new version of PC Task from:

Quasar Distribution
P.O. Box 188
Southland Centre
Victoria 3192
AUSTRALIA

+61 3 583 8806 [Voice]
+61 3 585 1074 [Fax]
+61 3 584 8590 [Galaxy BBS, 1200-28.8k]

Internet: pctask@quasar.dialix.oz.au
Amiganet: PCTask Echomport @ 41:300/584.0

[Late note: Software Hut are promoting PC Task 3 as having up to 486
compatibility, in the latest AmigaWorld.  This is NOT true]

Authorized Distributors prices are:

Country       |    Street Price   |    RRP
-------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom|    59.95          |79.95
-------------------------------------------------
Germany       |    DEM199.00      |DEM150.00
-------------------------------------------------
Australia     |    AUD129.00      |AUD129.00
-------------------------------------------------
United States |    $119.00        |$??????
-------------------------------------------------

Quasar Shipping $10 AUD to send the package outside Australia.

Software only PC emulators have never run quickly.  Emulating a different
chip is relatively easy if speed is not an issue: each instruction is
received by the proogram, processed and executed.  Adding this additional
layer of complex processi ng tends to slow a processor right down -
hardware based emulators, such as the Commodore and Vortex Bridgecards have
real Intel processors onboard to do the grunt work, with the software
acting as a traffic warden.  Software-only emulators have the added
difficulty of running the traffic system too! 

All Amiga models are catered for, from the humble Kickstart 1.2 Amiga 1000
to the powerhouse Kickstart 3.1 Warp-Engine Amiga 4000's.  Owners of Amiga
1200's with fastram will get the best initial experience, as they have both
a quick process or and fast graphics chips on offer.  PC Task will run on
68000-based machines, but it will be VERY slow - you have been warned!

With 1.5 MB of Memory you will get a 640k CGA based IBM compatible machine.
Although the manual states that Amigas with at least 512k can be used, the
PC you will get will not have enough memory to load anything above DOS v2.1

My test system is an Amiga 2000 with a Derringer030 board, 13 MB of memory,
a Multiface 3 serial card, ICD's Flicker Free Video and Power XL's High
Density floppy drive, and Workbench 2.1.

-----
PC Task 3, at a glance

So, what do you get for your money?

Manual: Previous versions of PC Task had the manual as a file on the disk.
Version 3 includes a ring bound 50-page manual, which greatly helps in
setting up the program.  It does feel though, that the instructions on disk
have been reorganized for readability, run through a DTP program and
printed out.  Also, it does not dispense with the jargon associated with
the Amiga and PC computers.  For the neophyte computer user, it can still
be a challenge to set up a working system.

Video: Emulation now covers all video boards up to 2MB SVGA cards, but only
CGA remains as the most compatible of all modes.  Some graphic modes
require the AGA chipset, or machines with 24bit display cards such as the
Retina or Picasso boards.  ECS machines can display some of the above AGA
display modes, but with greatly reduced on-screen colors and refresh
speeds.  Video screens can now be opened on their own custom screen, or
through Workbench (which can affect video refresh speeds if you use WB3.0
or greater and/or a 24-bit graphics card)

Processor: 8088 [IBM XT] or 80286 [IBM AT].  There are two PC Task modes:
Normal or Turbo.  Turbo mode speeds up PC Task's internal functions, at a
cost of taking 4x more memory.  So, a 640k XT in normal mode would consumer
about 1.3 MB memory , whereas in Turbo mode it would require about 5.5MB.

Sound: Partial support for the PC's beeping speaker

Serial/Parallel: Full support for serial and parallel ports, including 3rd
party cards such as GVP's IoExtender and Oktagon's Multiface 3 card.  Mouse
support has been improved as well - most mice on the PC are attached to
COM2: (serial port #2), and Windows requires this emulation for the mouse
to work.

I/O: Two floppy drives and two physical hard drives are supported.  High
Density floppy drives, such as Commodores HD drive in the A4000's and Power
Computing's XL drive work fine.  Hard drives are limited to two PC
partitions C: and D:, but you can make logical partitions, as vol E:. 
Also, although I have successfully used Stacker with PC Task, it is not
recommended (since you will take a BIG performance hit, and because PC Task
does not give MS-DOS 100% control of the hard drives - therefore making
Stacker less than reliable).

Memory: The biggest limiting factor of previous versions was that only a
640k could be emulated, which was about as functional as a 1mb Amiga 500. 
Chris has added XMS [Extended Memory System] support to PC Task, meaning
that up to 16MB of memory can be addressed by your PC [1mb conventional and
15MB XMS].  EMS [Expanded Memory System] has not been added-and few, if
any, 286 apps will call for it.

Real World Performance & Compatibility

Previous users of PC Task will have little trouble setting up the new
version for their machines: the setup screen is almost 100% identical to
the previous versions, with only a few more options being offered.  
CrossDos, provided with versions 2.1 upwards of Workbench, proves to be
very useful in setting up Disk I/O.  Although examples are provided in the
manual on setting up a hard disk partition, I still required an afternoon
to get it all working correctly.  I chose to set up my partition through
CrossDos, which also allows me to access it from Amiga programs such as
DirectoryOpus.  I created a Mountlist entry that allowed me full access to
a 130MB partition I had set aside for my PC Emulator.  PC Task also allows
you to you create a hardfile.  A hardfile is an AmigaDOS file, but PC Task
is tricked into thinking it is an MS-DOS partition.  This is the easiest
option as it does not require you to tamper with your precious hard drive
partitions, but there is also a cost: a hardfile will never be as fast as a
dedicated partition.  Setting up a working MS-DOS hard disk is not
complicated, but you will need a PC system disk to begin with.  There are
versions of MS-DOS on the market that upgrade previous versions of DOS
already on the hard disk - you cannot use these unless you have a bootable
DOS disk.  This disk wDISK and FORMAT commands to be present on it, so that
you can prepare and format the hard drive.  Bootable system d isks are not
difficult to create, but you will need access to a real PC before y ou can
begin.  Buying a full standalone version of DOS will bypass all these
problems

I often thought the program had crashed, only to find that it was grinding
slowly through the interpreter.  Below is a comparison of the programs
speed with and without my accelerator card.  Please note that according to
Chris, benchmark programs should not be relied on for real system
performance and that PC Task may be indeed working faster than what is
shown.

              |    68000     |68030    |Intel 8086|
---------------------------------------------------------
COMIT for Dos |    0.4 Mhz   |3.5Mhz   |4.077 Mhz
---------------------------------------------------------
Norton Tools  |    7 Mhz     |47 Mhz   |4.077 Mhz
Version 6.0   |              |         |
---------------------------------------------------------

Having used all versions of the Intel cpu, it felt as if I had a 10Mhz 286.
Video performance varied greatly.  In CGA [Color Graphics Array] mode I had
the greatest speed, since this equates to a 4-color workbench screen.  CGA
is a terrible mode to use, but it also remains the most compatible.  EGA
[Extended Graphics Array] was marginally slower, but resulted in a squashed
screen that was not very useable.  VGA is the best mode I had available to
me at the cost of video slowdown, since this is the same as a 16-color
workbench.  These results should be taken with a grain of salt though:
MS-DOS does not have to maintain a graphical screen like Workbench or
Windows, but remains text based.  In VGA mode I was still zipping about
quite quickly with little slowdown at all.  My Flicker Fixer is very
selective about what sort of screens it opens, but anything up to 640 x 480
VGA worked fine.  Larger screens, such as SVGA 800 x 600 opened on virtual,
scrollin g screens.  I could not fully test the screen modes since I did
not have AGA or a 24bit board, but these options should allow screens up to
1280 x 1024 in 256 colors to be used.

PC Task 3 & Windows

Ok, so by now you may be asking how well does Windows run, and can I get a
cheap PC from PC Task?  Windows is not a ROM-resident operating system like
Workbench.  Computers like the Amiga and the Macintosh have their OS
partially stored in the ROM, so it is present when you turn the machine on.
The operating system that is load ed gives you access to those commands
without adding layers of software that req uires more CPU time to process.
Just as those operating systems perform better with faster equipment and
more sy stem resources, so too does Windows.  Having said that, it is
possible to run Windows with PC Task.  Remember though, that a 286
processor is not recommended for Windows, and that many new Windows
programs are beginning to require 486's or very fast 386's.  I tested PC
Task with Windows 3.0 and 3.1.  Windows 3.0 will run in XT mode, but it
will be of very limited use since you will only be able to address up to
704k memory.  Doing this is akin to trying to run Workbench 2.1 in 512k -
not very easy at all.  In 286 mode, with access to more memory, Windows
becomes better and better.  Windows v3.0 was released in 1990 and is no
longer supported.  It is also slow and prone to crashing unexpectedly.  It
does however come on 720k disks, meaning all Amiga owners will be able to
use it if they wish.  Windows 3.1 is much better.  It will only run with a
286 processor or higher, and requires about 6MB hard disk space to install.
Screen redraws are about 3x faster, and the whole program is much more
stable compared with version 3.0.  I run Win3.1 in monochrome VGA mode,
with about 5MB of memory allocated to it.  Even with my 030, I still
experience painfully slow screen redraws, and 16-color ECS scr eens are all
but useless.  Comit for Windows, which came with my Supra FAXModem, refuses
to work properly with my setup, and I have not yet had a chance to try out
Word & Excel.  Windows for Workgroups requires an 80386 CPU, and so doesn't
work with PC Task 3.

PCTask 3 and DOS programs

It is here that PC Task 3 shines.  As a DOS emulator it is excellent.  I
have had about a 95% hit rate trying to run DOS programs, although several
of these progr ams act in ways they shouldn't.  I have successfully run
Norton Tools 6.0, Q&A 4.0 [a Database program], dBase 3+, PC Backup 6.0,
Comit for DOS, Leisure Suit Larry 1, Blockout, Rogue [a game similar to
Larn] and QSB+ [statistical analysis].  Several shareware programs have
worked reasonably well, whilst others have crash ed my system horribly. 
Using Comit, I was able to transfer files at 9600bps with no loss, and
14.4kbps with data overflow.  If you are a fast typist like myself, then
you are likely to be disappointed.  PC Task does miss characters on me, and
I have found myself subconsciously slowing down so that the program can
keep up.  Using faster video modes, and/or having a faster processor does
help, as the screen update will keep up with your typing speed.  Processor
intensive tasks, such as extracting .ZIP files (the equivalent to LHA on
the Amiga platform) can take a long time, as can disk intensive tasks such
as defragmenting a fragmented partition.  If you own a CD-ROM drive, you
are in luck.  Although a basic CD-ROM driver has been provided since
version 2, many users reported difficulty, such as reading subdirectories
on their PC CD disks.  I do not own a CD-ROM drive, but I have talked with
several users who report that many problems have been fixed, and when used
with MS-DOS version 6.22 they can access their CD-ROMS just fine.  Programs
that try to access the hardware directly will fail: for example, PC Backup
can access the floppy drives directly, so that backing up a 60MB hard disk
can take only 3-4 minutes.  This program failed on my system, until I
changed the drive speed options to low-speed [DOS compatible].  This
significantly increased the backup time, but it did make it usable. 

Conclusions

Emulating other computer platforms is a complex process.  As Amiga owners,
we are lucky that the popular platforms are relatively easy to emulate,
since they do not have custom chips such as Agnus and Paula that need to be
emulated.  It is far easier to emulate a PC than to emulate an Amiga!  To
get the most out of an emulator requires a machine with horsepower.  An
A500 with 1mb is really not enough, and most users should look to an A1200
with fastram and lots of hard disk space as a minimal emulation platform.

PC Task version 3 excels at emulating a viable DOS computer.  On my system
I have found it to very useful, and have found it's compatibility much
higher than the previous versions.  The addition of COM2: mouse emulation
and new graphics modes have added to it's functionality.  For the price it
is the best software-only emulator on the market.  It is a commercial
product stemming from the shareware market, and while the addition of a
printed manual is a great move it still needs to be made more jargon-less.
All emulators for the Amiga require significant horsepower to be useful:
fast processors, lots of RAM, graphic boards, etc etc.  If you are like the
majority of Amiga owners who does not spend hundreds of dollars upgrading
and maintaining your system, you are likely to be disappointed.  Windows
does work, but just as in the PC market it requires a powerful computer to
perform at it's best.  Remember too, that many new Windows programs are now
requiring at least a 386 CPU to oper ate.  Although the 286 CPU was
abandoned in 1987, there are many programs available that will still run on
it.  You do not need to run the latest and greatest software to get the job
done, and with that image, PC Task is a great product.
@endnode
@node REVIEW3 "Review: Cyberstorm Fast-SCSI II"
@toc REVIEW
===========================================================================
                      REVIEW: CYBERSTORM FAST-SCSI II
   Michael Wolf                           MikeWolf@bonebag.tynet.sub.org
===========================================================================

PRODUCT NAME

   Cyberstorm Fast-SCSI II host adapter

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

   A Fast-SCSI II host adapter for the Cyberstorm series of accelerators.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

   phase 5 digital products (used to be AS&S)
   Homburger Landstrasse 412
   60433 Frankfurt am Main
   Fon: +49 (69) 5 48 81 30
   Fax: +49 (69) 5 48 18 45

LIST PRICE

   DM 398,- (= US $265.-)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

   HARDWARE

   Obviously you need a Cyberstorm accelerator.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

   A4000/30 (used to be...), Cyberstorm40/40, 24MB, Quantum LPS 540,
   WangTek 250 MB Streamer, Toshiba SCSI-I CD-Rom.

INSTALLATION

   The installation is quite tricky.  It is not difficult to accomplish,
it's just a pain.  Since the Cyberstorm eats up most of the place between
the drive bays and the Zorro board, the SCSI-Board has to fit between the
PSU and the Zorro board.  First you set the jumpers on the board (which end
up facing down once you installed the board), connect the SCSI Cable, plug
the board into the Cyberstorm and install the external SCSI-II connector to
the expansion opening on the back of the A4000.

REVIEW

   At first I thought that I didn't install the hardware properly, but then
I found out that the board takes extremely long to scan the SCSI-Bus and
boot.  It had no problems wih my GVP formatted hard disk, nor with the
streamer and the CD-Rom.  dis-/reconnect works flawlessly.

Here are some benchmarks on the LPS 540:

   Reading from the cybscsi.device:
   --------------------------------
   CPU: 68040  AmigaOS Version: 39.106  Normal Video DMA
   Device: cybscsi.device:0
   Comments: ScsiSpeed 4.2

   Buffer size (FAST MEM/Long)   | bytes / sec | CPU Available
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   512 bytes                     |    379929   |    64%
   4096 bytes                    |   1707417   |    82%
   32768 bytes                   |   3607756   |    93%
   262144 bytes                  |   3617587   |    96%

   Average CPU Available: 84% 

   Reading/writing using the fastfilesystem:
   -----------------------------------------
   Device:  DH4:    Buffers: 32
   Comments: DiskSpeed 4.2

   CPU Speed Rating: 4980

   Testing directory manipulation speed.
   File Create:           51 files/sec  |  CPU Available: 83%
   File Open:            205 files/sec  |  CPU Available: 55%
   Directory Scan:       575 files/sec  |  CPU Available: 45%
   File Delete:          459 files/sec  |  CPU Available: 35%

   Seek/Read:             93 seeks/sec  |  CPU Available: 89%

   Testing with a 512 byte, MEMF_FAST, LONG-aligned buffer.
   Create file:       190440 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 60%
   Write to file:     238720 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 59%
   Read from file:    319768 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 52%

   Testing with a 4096 byte, MEMF_FAST, LONG-aligned buffer.
   Create file:       682155 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 78%
   Write to file:     819712 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 79%
   Read from file:   1525248 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 69%

   Testing with a 32768 byte, MEMF_FAST, LONG-aligned buffer.
   Create file:       690497 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 92%
   Write to file:     915215 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 93%
   Read from file:   1431810 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 88%

   Testing with a 262144 byte, MEMF_FAST, LONG-aligned buffer.
   Create file:      1318761 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 93%
   Write to file:    1436405 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 97%
   Read from file:   1429285 bytes/sec  |  CPU Available: 93%

   Average CPU Available: 69%  |  CPU Availability index: 3436

   The board comes with a lot of software, including a CD-Rom driver, a
MS-DOS drive-mounter, an excellent caching program (DynamiCache), a program
to control various SCSI-II parameters and SCSIConfig, phase 5's replacement
for HDToolbox.  Numerous cli-only SCSI tools are included as well.

DOCUMENTATION

   A small handbook is included, covering mainly the installation of the
board and giving hints on the most common problems that may occur.  The
software documentation is only available as a textfile, viewable with an
AmigaGuide like program called MaxonHotHelp.  As always, the documentation
could be more detailed, but is is sufficient for the casual user.

LIKES

   Fast, doesnt't hog the Zorro Bus. DynamiCache is included.

DISLIKES

   The installation is somewhat difficult, and those damn jumpers could
have been put on the other side of the board, so that you don't have to rip
it out every time you want to change something.

BUGS

   Takes to long to start up.  I called the hot-line and they said that the
next version of their driver (the current version is V1.9) will fix it.  It
should be available as a free update.

VENDOR SUPPORT

   They do have a hot-line here in Germany, and are very helpfull.  They
also offer a free rework for your CyberStorm if you have problems with you
memory board.

WARRANTY

   12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

   I'm quite happy with it.  It is a decent alternative to the only other
CPU/SCSI board out there, which has the disadvantage of needing more
expensive SIMM modules.
@endnode
@node REVIEW4 "Reviews: Mlink with DaFTP, CLChat, AMosaic"
@toc REVIEW

===========================================================================
                         REVIEW: NETWORK SOFTWARE
                            By: @{"Jason Compton" link JASON}
===========================================================================

Mlink, Grapevine, DaFTP, CLChat, AMosaic, oh my!

Networking is, of course, boatloads of fun.  To do some of the more
enjoyable Internet-style things, you need to be somewhere that will get you
what you want.  The fastest way, of course, is to have a direct feed
through, say, a T1 line.

However, that's incredibly expensive, so many people choose to go with a
SLIP or PPP account.  Put simply, you dial into a service provider, engage
your SLIP/PPP account, start up your networking software (AmiTCP, for
instance) and you're off-You're a real "point" on the net, capable of doing
whatever you want, as long as you can run the client to do it.  Telnet,
IRC, FTP, send lots of mail, read newsgroups...go right ahead.

HOWEVER, SLIP/PPP accounts can be a trifle expensive (for instance, my
service provider charges $300/year for SLIP access)...so there exists the
option to just forego the "fun" part of running the clients on your own
machine and just getting a "shell" account.  Simply put, you dial into a
service provider and get dropped at a UNIX shell prompt, from which you can
do all of the above...but the resources are all on the remote machine, and
of course you can't get interesting graphics.

Recently, a program called TIA was developed.  Simply put, TIA, when
installed on your shell account, would emulate a SLIP connection.  All you
needed to do was run TIA, quit your terminal program, start up AmiTCP or
AS225, and off you went, merrily pretending like you had a real SLIP
account, for considerably cheaper (for example, my service provider is only
$150/year for shell access), and with minimal speed loss.  I, personally,
have not checked TIA out yet, because it's not the subject of this article.

What IS the main attraction is another development, called Mlink.  Mlink is
a slightly different spin-instead of emulating SLIP access as TIA does, to
the point of requiring that you run TCP software, Mlink gives you
intravenous networking through a shell account-WITHOUT TCP software. 
Instead, an Amiga program runs, which activates a program on the shell
account.  The two, in tandem, provide the connection and the translation,
and all you have to do from there is run your favorite networking
client...and off you go!

Mlink is swift-in design, and in raw speed.  On a generic 14.4 modem, 1600
CPS poses no problem.  The activity can be totally transparent-the Mlink
interface will shrink down to a tiny title bar if you wish.  Trouble free,
such great clients as Grapevine IRC, DaFTP, and CLChat-GUI can be run.

Setup is fairly simple, although a multiple step process.  The Amiga
archive generates Amiga and UNIX software.  The mlink.tar.gz file must be
placed on your shell account, then de-archived and compiled according to
the specific instructions in the AmigaGuide manual.  This, if anywhere, is
where your main problem may be.  Some UNIX setups will not allow the mlink
program to be compiled properly, and the author invites troubled users to
send him the transcript of the failed compilation if this happens.  I have
successfully compiled Mlink on two SunOS UNIXes, but encountered an error
on a HP-UX machine.  You won't know until you try.

Once that is done, the Amiga file can be configured with CPS rates,
characters to block over the connection, and serial driver.  I find that
BaudBandit.device does not agree well with Mlink-use artser.device or
serial.device instead.  Once the Mlink file is run, Mlink controls your
network connection-but if you need to get to a real shell prompt, all you
need to do is run the enclosed Napsaterm (telnet) to get back to where you
started.  This is the recommended method of telnet for an Mlink
connection-going back through your original shell account.

In a relatively short amount of time, I have found that network
applications run remarkably well.  They are detailed below-


Grapevine IRC by Brian Cerveny (Aminet: comm/net)

IRC is that wonderful, wacky world where you can sit around talking to
dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people about anything and everything,
24 hours a day...if you can handle the fairly frequent "netsplits" where
half of the people disappear.

Channel #amiga is an...interesting hangout for Amiga users.  Sometimes
helpful, sometimes violently antagonistic, there's usually SOMETHING going
on there.  Not to mention the roughly 1000-2000 other channels available to
those interested.

In short, a lot of people like to use IRC.  A few clients have existed for
the Amiga, and haven't been accepted incredibly well.  So, out came
Grapevine.

While using a shell IRC client is fairly sterile, and the high-level
commands can be a bit esoteric, Grapevine is, if you'll pardon the pun,
vintage Amiga.  The screen and window handling is very system compliant,
everything (aside from your actual message, of course) is GUI (and not
using MUI, at that)...in short, it's actually fun to use, even if you're
not talking about anything particularly interesting.  The icons are
first-rate.

Grapevine runs under Mlink FAIRLY flawlessly.  Occasional problems are
known to occur with DCC transfers (DCC is the protocol that allows file
transfers between users on IRC), but I have yet to encounter one.

Grapevine's major drawbacks are the lack of support for all of the
"funkier" channel modes and operations, as well as /ignore mode (which can
come in handy quite often.) Also, while the scrollback is impeccably
displayed...it cannot be clipped or saved.

Future versions are slated to include an ARexx interface, support for
/notify, disk logging, and more.  Eventually, you'll have to register.

If you enjoy online chatting, nothing beats IRC...so you may as well do it
with style.


DaFTP by Dan Murrell Jr.  (ftp.warped.com)

One apparent problem with Mlink is that ncftp doesn't function
properly...so enter DaFTP.  GUI (and, again, non-Magic User Interface)
based, DaFTP gives quick, easy access to the net's File Transfer Protocol
in style and in speedy fashion.

Interestingly enough, I have yet to get the AmiTCP version of DaFTP to run
properly on Mlink.  No matter, as the AS225 version functions just as
well.


CLChat by Oliver Wagner  (Aminet: comm/tcp)

IRC is great, but sometimes the aforementioned netsplits can get out of
hand.  After all, channel #amiga averages about 30-40 users, but a good
2000 may be on the IRC as a whole at any given time.  So, there's another
way.

CLChat, originally developed as a BBS chat system, is the frontend for
ARCNet, a new and growing chat network.  Much, MUCH more compact than IRC,
and dedicated to the Amiga, right now it counts less than a dozen servers,
but that number is expected to increase.

CLChat supports the most "common" features of IRC, including multiple
channels, kick/ban, file transfer...in short, a nice package.  The GUI
client requires the muimaster.library, which provides a clean, if a bit
nondescript, one-window interface.

The client is lacking in support for clipboard saving (just like Grapevine)
and there is currently no way to moderate a channel for something like
conferencing (which we here at Amiga Report rather enjoy doing).  So, for
casual use, it's terrific, as the integrity and speed of the system is
high.  But it's not quite a "mature" system yet.

(A CLChat client for Windows is included in the package...but I haven't
seen it yet.)


AMosaic by the AMosaic team (Aminet: comm/net)

Ah, well, no discussion of networking is complete without mentioning
AMosaic.  It may not be as full featured as, say, Netscape, but as the
saying goes, "they're working on it."

After all, it's really our only way to browse the web at present...and
luckily enough, it works pretty well with Mlink.  Transparent as all of the
other applications, the AmiTCP version flies along merrily to the URL of
your choice (say, http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/~mjw/Amiga/News/AR/index.html
for starters)

Supporting most of the useful stuff, with the notable exception of FORMs
(ways to actually type text to be processed by the Web site), AMosaic works
pretty well, in general, but bugs do show up and are, again, being worked
on by its creators.

If you've never checked out the Web, or have only used Lynx, AMosaic is a
must-see...even if you find Mosaic's sound and graphics to be rather
wasteful, an occasional peek never hurts.


Conclusions

In general, Mlink is a solid, useful product.  With a shareware fee of $25,
you'll easily make back what you would have otherwise spent on an upgraded
SLIP connection within a few months, in all likelihood.  Of course, it's
not quite like the real thing...but it's pretty close.

Mlink 1.1
Ezra Story
ezy@panix.com
(aminet: comm/net)

Recommended Aminet Sites:

ftp.cdrom.com (US)
ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk (UK)
ftp.uni-paderborn.de (Germany)

@endnode
@node REVIEW5 "ImageStudio 1.2 by Andy and Graham Dean"
@toc REVIEW

==========================================================================
                             IMAGE STUDIO 1.2
                             @{" Jason Compton " link JASON}
==========================================================================

I tell you, image processing packages are getting to the point where
they're a dime a dozen.

You've got the high end packages like ImageFX and Photogenics.  But what if
you don't need 24-bit painting, or don't happen to want complex lens flare
and radial star capabilities?

Enter Image Studio-the low cost shareware image processor.  For low-cost
image format conversion with some neat effects added as a bonus, you won't
get much better.

Image Studio will run on virtually any machine with one meg-a 68000 version
is available.  However, for the larger files, you'll be wanting a large
hard drive-particularly to assist in IS' built-in virtual memory.  WB 2.04
is the minimum OS.

The program works its magic on a standard public screen, where images can
be loaded in up to 256 colors, depending on system configuration.  24-bit
card support is implied, but only in render mode (using an external viewer
to display the work-in-progress).

The picture can immediately be saved off in another format, if you so
desire.  JPEG, GIF, IFF, Targa, BMP, EPS and Targa are supported.  All of
these save EPS can be loaded, but any datatype is supported for loading.

If you decide you'd rather play around, you may crop the image, alter the
palette (if it is not a 24-bit image), apply emboss, raise, blur, sharpen,
or edge detect algorhythms, or execute a small list of effects, including
flip, roll, and pixelize.  The interfaces are all GUI'ed and simple to use.

IS supports multi-level undo and redo.  Its limited range of convolves can
be edited using the standard 5x5 matrix with div and bias values, as found
in packages such as Personal Paint.

Am I impressed with this package?  In short, yes.  For half the price of
Transition, Image Studio delivers much more.  The pictures can be
manipulated in an adequate range of ways, the zoom function is superb (I've
nailed it down to 2 pixels), and of course the interaction with the images
is visible to the user rather than hidden behind a control panel with no
internal or external viewing capability.

As far as standing up to programs such as Photogenics and ImageFX...well,
no, of course not.  The authors readily admit this program is intended for
the amateur.  If you need a handy conversion, or perhaps would like to trim
some excessively large JPEGs, this is the package for you.

The one thing Transition DOES have in its favor is batch processing, but
with ARexx support at the top of the "to-do" list, the saving grace is on
its way.

Image Studio: 10UKP/US$20
Andy and Graham Dean
14 Fielding Avenue
Poynton
Stockport
Cheshire
SK12 1YX
ENGLAND
adean@eleceng.ucl.ac.uk
@endnode
@node CHARTS1 "Aminet Charts - March 5"
@toc FTP
| The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 5-Mar-95
| Updated weekly. Most popular file on top.
|
|File                Dir        Size Description
|------------------- ---        ---- -----------
ar305.lha          docs/mags   93K   0+Amiga Report 3.05, Feb. 28, 1995
xanim6.lha         gfx/show   215K   0+XAnim: Avi/Quicktime/FLI/FLC/IFF/GIF
                                          /MPE
VChck652.lha       util/virus 142K   1+Version 6.52 of Virus_Checker. Amiga
bulder.lha         game/misc  305K   0+A great Boulder Dash clone for AGA &
                                          ECS
FastDecode.lha     util/arc     8K   0+Fast uudecoding utility
Hydrocis.lha       game/think 139K   0+An innovative new game. All Amigas.
                                          V1.8
cybergfx4042.lha   gfx/board  153K   0+Cybergfx, wbemu for PicII,Piccolo,
                                          Spectr
AmiTCP-demo-40.lha comm/tcp   738K  18+TCP/IP protocol stack
PhenomenaV1.0.lha  gfx/3d      18K   0+Creates/Saves pictures of lightning
                                          /expl
wu-ftpd-37.21.lha  comm/tcp   203K   0+FTPServer for AmiTCP (bugfixrelease)
@endnode
@node CHARTS2 "Aminet Charts - March 12"
@toc FTP
| The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 12-Mar-95
| Updated weekly. Most popular file on top.
|
|File              Dir        Size Age Description
|----------------- ---        ---- --- -----------
a4khard_v2.lha     hard/misc   27K   0+A4000 Hardware Guide, v2.0 (03/95)
AmiTCPHelp105.lha  comm/tcp   126K   0+Button-based interface for internet
                                          tool
a1200hardfaq.lha   hard/misc    9K   1+A1200 Hardware FAQ, v1.0 (03/95)
AmiTCP4.2.txt      docs/rview  23K   0 REVIEW: AmiTCP/IP release 4, commer. 
Hydrocis.lha       game/think 139K   1+An innovative new game. All Amigas. 
                                          V1.8
ar305.lha          docs/mags   93K   1+Amiga Report 3.05, Feb. 28, 1995
exeDT394.lha       util/dtype  23K   1+Executable datatype v39.4 for >= 
                                          OS3.0
ATCPHelp105NoL.lha comm/tcp    11K   0+Button-based interface for internet
                                          tool
sc655pch.lha       biz/patch  1.0M   0+SAS/C V6.55 bug fix for Amiga SAS/C
                                          6.50
15khzhackV2.lha    hard/hack    8K   0+Flicker free screens on 15khz monitr
@endnode
@node CHARTS3 "Aminet Charts - March 22"
@toc FTP
| The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 22-Mar-95
| Updated weekly. Most popular file on top.
|
|File              Dir        Size Age Description
|----------------- ---        ---- --- -----------
ar306.lha          docs/mags   62K   1+Amiga Report 3.06, March 12, 1995
ZGIFDType39.9.lha  util/dtype   6K   1+The FASTEST gif.datatype there is.
mlink1.1.lha       comm/net    94K   0+Direct internet access without SLIP
Team17_Demos.dms   game/demo  680K   0+Demos of Alien Breed 3D and King Pin
CCC.lha            game/misc  271K   1+Trash a large city with your monster
amitalk152.lha     comm/tcp    57K   0+AmiTCP/AS225/GUI/shell--more fixes
Impossible-1.dms   demo/aga   536K   0+Winning demo from Primavera II by
                                          Mystic
Impossible-2.dms   demo/aga   592K   0+Winning demo from Primavera II by
                                          Mystic
busypointers.lha   util/wb     91K   0+6 VERY nice Busypointers for AGA-
                                          Amigas
TargaDType.lha     util/dtype  18K   0+Datatype for Targa or TGA images,
                                          V 39.1
@endnode
@node CHARTS4 "Aminet Charts - March 27"
@toc FTP
| The 10 most downloaded files from Aminet during the week until 27-Mar-95
| Updated weekly. Most popular file on top.
|
|File              Dir        Size Age Description
|----------------- ---        ---- --- -----------
term-4.3a-Ptch.lha comm/term  250K   0+Patch to update `term' v4.3 to v4.3a
Carnage.lha        game/2play 619K   0+Intense hires seek & kill game -  
                                          v1.00
Team17_Demos.dms   game/demo  680K   1+Demos of Alien Breed 3D and King Pin
TargaDType.lha     util/dtype  18K   1+Datatype for Targa or TGA images, 
                                          V 39.1
RomIcons8.lha      pix/icon   197K   0+New MagicWB2.0 Icons/ImageDrawers/...
amitalk152.lha     comm/tcp    57K   1+AmiTCP/AS225/GUI/shell--more fixes
busypointers.lha   util/wb     91K   1+6 VERY nice Busypointers for AGA-
                                          Amigas
ZGIFDType39.9.lha  util/dtype   6K   1+The FASTEST gif.datatype there is.
TPD.lha            util/dtype   7K   0+Tron's PCX DataType 39.7
AgBlankers1.1.lha  util/blank 273K   0+New Garshneblankers, Bugfix release
@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 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 COPYRIGHT "Copyright Information"
@toc ABOUT

===========================================================================
==                       _    _       __  ___    _                       ==
==                      /\\  |\\   /| || //  \  /\\                      ==
==                     /  \\ | \\ /|| ||(< __  /  \\                     ==
==                    /--- \\|  \/ || || \\_||/--- \\                    ==
==                   /______________________________\\                   ==
==                  /                                \\                  ==
==              Amiga Report International Online Magazine               ==
==                 March 27, 1995         Issue No. 3.07                 ==
==                     Copyright 1995 FS Publications                    ==
==                           All Rights Reserved                         ==
===========================================================================

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

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

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

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

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

     1.  Please use English.

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

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

Note:  If you want to check ahead of time to make sure we'll print your
article, please write to the @{"Editor" link JASON}.

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

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

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

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   |    $69.00    |    $30.00    |
|    (Includes early Transition  |          |              |              |
|    graphics converter and loads|          |              |              |
|    of artwork)                 |          |              |              |
|                                |          |              |              |
|Micro R+D CD-ROM Volume 2       |   2.26   |    $99.95    |    $46.75    |
|    (Includes entire Nature's   |          |              |              |
|    Backdrop series)            |          |              |              |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orders may be placed via check, money order, or postal cheque, made out to
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
          -------------------------------------------------------

Portal is the home of acclaimed Amiga Zone, a full-service online SIG
(Special Interest Group) for Amiga owners and users. We promise, and
WE DELIVER ongoing & aggressive Amiga support!

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

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

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

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

 * 2.5 GIGabytes of Amiga-specific file space - we have so much Amiga Stuff
      online, we've lost count!
 * The *entire* Fred Fish collection of freely distributable software,
       online.  ALL 1000 disks!
 * Fast, Batch Zmodem file transfer protocol. Download up to 100 files at
      once, of any size, with one command.
 * Amiga vendor areas with participants like AmigaWorld, Elastic
      Reality (ASDG), Soft-Logik, Apex Publishing, and others.
 * 40 "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.
 * Message bases where you can ask questions about *anything* Amiga
      related and get quick replies from the experts.
 * Amiga Internet mailing lists for Imagine, AMosaic, LightWave, EGS,
      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.
      You can run Amiga Mosaic through your shell and explore the
      vast World Wide Web!
 * 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, or "portal" at any
   CI$ network dialin, or telnet to "portal.com" from anywhere,
   and then enter "online" and then "info"

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 BBS_AUSTRALIA "Distribution BBSes - Australia"
@toc BBS

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

                              -=NEW ZEALAND=-

                             * BITSTREAM BBS *
               FidoNET 3:771/850.0   AmigaNET 41:644/850.0
             +64-(0)3-548-5321, SupraFaxModem 28k8 VFast Class


                                -=SYDNEY=-

                         * CONTINENTAL DRIFT BBS *
                 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 *
          InterNet: luumu@fenix.fipnet.fi   FidoNet: 2:220/550.0
                          +358-0-675840  V.32bis

                               * LAHO BBS *
       +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 *
                           Fidonet: 2:221/112.0
                     +358-18-161763 - ZyXEL V32b 19200


                                -=FRANCE=-

                        * RAMSES THE AMIGA FLYING *
     Internet: user.name@ramses.fdn.org     Fidonet: 2/320/104-105-106
              +33-1-45845623 V.34     +33-1-53791200 V.32bis


                                -=GERMANY=-

                           * DOOM OF DARKNESS *
                      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 *
                    Usenet: andreas@lbcmbx.in-berlin.de
                49-30-8110060   49-30-8122442   USR DS 16.8
                 Login as User: "amiga", Passwd: "report"

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

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

                            * VISION THING BBS *
             Infect East German HQ, Keks ASCII Design World HQ
                          ++49(0)345 663914 19200
                          System Password: Amiga


                                -=GREECE=-

                              * ODYSSEY BBS *
            email: konem@prometheus.hol.gr 2:410/128.17@fidonet
          +++ 301-412-3502 (ZyXEL 16.8K)   after 23:00 local time


                                -=IRELAND=-

                               * CUGI BBS *
                            Fidonet: 2:263/155
                          +353 1 837 0204 V32bis

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


                                 -=ITALY=-

                        * AMIGA PROFESSIONAL BBS *
                 Amy Professional Club, Italian Amos Club
                              +(39)-49-604488

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


                              -=NETHERLANDS=-

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

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

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


                                -=NORWAY=-

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


                               -=PORTUGAL=-

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


                                 -=SPAIN=-

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

                        * MAZAGON - BBS - SYSTEMS *
       E-mail: jgomez@maze.mazanet.es   FTP: ftp-mail@ftp.mazanet.es
                        +34 59 536267 - Supra 28.8
                              Login: a-report


                                -=SWEDEN=-

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


                              -=SWITZERLAND=-

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


                            -=UNITED KINGDOM=-

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

                             * CREATIONS BBS *
 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 *
                           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                   ==
===========================================================================

                                -=ARIZONA=-

                       * MESSENGER OF THE GODS BBS *
                           mercury@primenet.com
                               602-326-1095


                           -=BRITISH COLUMBIA=-

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


                              -=CALIFORNIA=-

                            * MYSTIC CAVERNS *
         E-mail: roy@ctsnet.cts.com     WWW: http://ramiga.cts.com
                (619)442-7030  14.4     (619)442-7060  28.8

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

                            * VIRTUAL PALACE BBS *
                     Sysop Email: tibor@ecst.csuchico.edu
                                916-343-7420

                        * AMIGA AND IBM ONLY BBS *
                               (619)428-4887
                           vonmolk@crash.cts.com
                       AmigaNET address: 40:406/7.0


                                -=FLORIDA=-

                            * LAST! AMIGA BBS *
                              (305) 456-0126
                             USR 21600 HST D/S


                               -=ILLINOIS=-

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

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

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


                               -=LOUISIANA=-

                             * The Catacomb *
                        E-mail: Geoff148@delphi.com
                       504-882-6576 Supra v.fc 28.8k


                                 -=MAINE=-

                     * THE KOBAYASHI ALTERNATIVE BBS *
          Usenet and FidoNet Echo Areas     FidoNet: 1:326/404.0
                     (207)/784-2130     (207)/946-5665


                                -=MEXICO=-

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

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


                              -=MISSISSIPPI=-

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


                               -=MICHIGAN=-

                   * DC ProNet running Cnet Amiga 3.0+ *
                               616-373-0287
                               V.Everything
                             chetw@dcpro.UUCP


                               -=MONTREAL=-

                              * GfxBase BBS*
       E-mail: ai257@freenet.hsc.colorado.edu     Fidonet: 1:167/192
                             514-769-0565 14.4


                              -=NEW JERSEY=-

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

                           * DLTACOM Amiga BBS *
                              (201) 398-8559
                           Fidonet: 1:2606/216.0
             Internet: dltacom.camphq.fidonet.org (email only)


                               -=NEW YORK=-

                             * THE BELFRY(!) *
                         stiggy@dorsai.dorsai.org
                       718.793.4796     718.793.4905


                                -=ONTARIO=-

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

                         * REALM OF TWILIGHT BBS *
  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! *
                  Internet mail:  root@amicent.raider.net
                   615-383-9679  1200-14.4Kbps V.32bis

                               * NOVA BBS *
    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 *
                       Internet - freemf.eskimo.com
         206-438-1670 Supra 2400zi     206-456-6013 Supra v.32bis

                              * PIONEERS BBS *
                            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 *
          Fidonet: 4:801/44     Internet: fimoraes@dcc.unicamp.br
     Weekdays: 19-07 (-3 GMT)   Weekends: 24 hours     +55-192-33-2260

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

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

@{"  compt.sys.editor.desk " link EDITORIAL}  The action never stops

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

@{"  Commodore Auction Report  " link NEWS1}  Yes!  A date has been set!

@{"      Directory Opus 5      " link NEWS2}  A release is imminent

@{"   New Horizons Bankrupt    " link NEWS3}  Buy ProWrite-the whole thing.

@{"        SHI Warning         " link NEWS4}  A new virus rears its head

@endnode
@node FEATURE "Featured Articles"
@toc MENU

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

@{"    Almathera Conference    " link FEATURE1}  The developer team IRC conference

@{" Voice From Across The Pond " link FEATURE2}  Mike Wolf explains it all

@{" The Users Standards Group  " link FEATURE3}  Everything you could want to know

@{"      SHI Hack Report       " link FEATURE4}  The anti-virus group update

@{" V-Lab Motion Saves the Day " link FEATURE5}  You know, the Amiga, it's good for video...
@endnode
@node REVIEW "Reviews"
@toc MENU

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

@{"   Skeleton Krew - CD32   " link REVIEW1}  "Shoot-or-be-shot"

@{"        PC-Task 3         " link REVIEW2}  Now, 286 capability...

@{" Cyberstorm Fast-SCSI II  " link REVIEW3}  Mike Wolf's look at the speedy interface

@{"   Mlink and other toys   " link REVIEW4}  Run network apps without TCP!

@{"     Image Studio 1.2     " link REVIEW5}  Cheap but good image processing
@endnode
@node FTP "FTP and Product Announcements"
@toc MENU

===========================================================================
==                     FTP and Product Announcements                     ==
===========================================================================

@{"     Aminet Charts     " link CHARTS1} March 5, 1995

@{"     Aminet Charts     " link CHARTS2} March 12, 1995

@{"     Aminet Charts     " link CHARTS3} March 22, 1995 

@{"     Aminet Charts     " link CHARTS4} March 27, 1995

Yes, there are really only charts this time around.

@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}

               Games Editor:         @{" Sean Caszatt     " link SEAN}
@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                            ==
===========================================================================

We weren't kidding.  The next appearance is in AR 3.09.  The last
appearance was in AR 3.05.
@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
