davecl@orca.UUCP (Dave Clemans) (10/06/85)
Attached is an article from the Antic Online section of Compuserve that talks about 520ST software development in Britain. dgc **** Start of attached article **** Permission to reprint or excerpt is granted only if the following line appears at the top of the article: ANTIC PUBLISHING INC., COPYRIGHT 1985. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION. * EUROPEAN ST PRODUCT BONANZA SOFTWARE GALORE COMING SOON by GIGI BISSON, ANTIC ASSISTANT EDITOR No software for the ST?? Think again. In the September 12 issue of Popular Computing Weekly (sort of the InfoWorld of the U.K.) an article stated that "The star of this year's PC World Show -- the most exhilarating in several years -- was unquestionably Atari. They threatened to take over virtually the whole exhibition floor with well over fifty 520STs and a prototype 260ST encased in a vast glass enclosure. The new low-cost 520ST stole the show with strong software support." PC Weekly also stated in a separate story that "over 170 titles are being written for the ST." Antic Publisher James Capparell and Marketing Director Gary Yost returned from the PC World Show in London with armloads of British demo software and press kits... UNDERSTANDING THIS SURVEY The software discussed in this article is in various stages of development. For each program, we will specify whether Antic has seen a FINAL Marketed version, near-final BETA Test version, earlier ALPHA Test version, incomplete DEMO segment, or PRESS Release announcement. Suggested prices listed this article are given in U.S. dollars when that information is available. Otherwise the prices are specified in English pounds (L) currently worth about $1.33 each. Prices are subject to change, and purchasing information for most of the following packages is not yet available, because many of the programs must be licensed by stateside companies prior to U.S. release. ** METACOMCO LANGUAGES ** Metacomco is a leading supplier of systems software for 68000-based computers. The company develops proprietary languages for computer marketers. For example, Metacomco developed AmigaDOS for Commodore International and a BASIC interpeter for Digital Research Inc. These professional development tools are being adapted for the ST and will soon be available from the Antic Catalog. Each package includes language software, a screen editor, and a user manual. The languages come with run-time licenses and will be supported by Metacomco's technical staff via toll-free numbers. The following languages are coming from Metacomco ASSEMBLER/EDITOR/LINKER -- A high-specification macro assembler, originaly developed for the Amiga. Full Motorola specification and screen editor. Available October 21. $109.95. BETA. PASCAL -- Full ISO 7185 standard Pascal compiler, already widely used on the Sinclar QL. Compiles to native code. Available in early December for $109.95. ALPHA. LATTICE C -- Originally developed by LATTICE for 8086/88 microcomputer systems and later adapted to the Sinclair QL. This implements the original C language developed by Bell Laboratories, and follows C features and functions as described in Kernighan and Ritchies' text "The C Programming Language." Available in December for $159.95. ALPHA. CAMBRIDGE LISP -- full mainframe implementation of the LISP development environment used in artificial intelligence research worldwide. PRESS. IBM PC CROSS DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM -- A complete system for programmers wishing to transfer IBM PC software to the Atari, or to develop on the PC and download to the ST. Includes cross assembler, C cross compiler and linker. Scheduled for early 1986 release. PRESS. PASCAL & MODULA TDI Software Ltd. has FINAL versions of Modula-2 and UCSD Pascal for the ST. Both are now available at a price of L195 each, from TDI at 29 Alma Vale Road, Bristol BS8 2HL, England. Modula-2 is the successor to Pascal as envisioned by its creator, Niclaus Wirth. It is considered to be the best language for modular programming, utilizes the GEM interface and includes a full screen editor linked to a compiler. UCSD Pascal is the industry standard used on home and multi-user micros. It includes a screen editor and utilities. PRO FORTRAN 77 Prospero Software of London offers an ANSI Standard Fortran compiler for 16-bit 68000 microcomputers. Cost is under $300. BETA. PC COMPILER GST unveiled a C Compiler with a "near word-processor quality" assembly editor and linker for L59.95. Originally developed for the Sinclair QL, it includes a 73-page user manual. This is a small C without floating point, but it includes GEM bindings, making GEM development. FINAL. Also GST has a CP/M 2.2 emulator in final BETA test. ** ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE ** BRATTACAS Psygnosis Ltd. calls Brattacas an "interactive video" -- the first of a generation of "electronic leisure products" for the Atari ST. But Brattacas really is an animated graphic adventure that looks and handles like an interactive cartoon. You can use a mouse, joystick or the keyboard to control the protagonist, Kyne, as he jumps, rides elevators, duels with robots, walks smoothly -- in richly animated sequences as good as a cartoon movie. When Kyne stumbles or falls, you even see little thought balloons like "Ouch!" Brattacas also includes a beautifully illustrated, 78-page novel to "prepare you for the world of Kyne" -- an oppressive Orwellian metropolis replete with video cameras and thought police. We have a fascinating DEMO disk of this, but it probably won't be released in the US until January, 1986. COLOURSPACE LIGHT SYNTHESIZER The successor to Psychedelia from a truly strange company, Llamasoft (the folks who brought Mama Llama and Sheep in Space to the Commodore 64). This program does for light what a synthesizer does for sound. An acid trip for your Atari? As creator Jeff Minter describes it: "You can curve the screen, reflect it with hardware, interlace it, even change the resolution as the program is running. Each colour within the colour flow can be made dynamic, oscillating with a definable amplitude and frequency. By offsetting each step of the flow you get the most amazing bands of metallic fire rippling up and down the entire lightform...If you really want to burn your brains, you can kick in the stroboscopics. This is amazing in a dark room -- variable frequency slices of hi-energy photons to really freak you out." Available for the Atari 800/XL in England now. ST version available from Antic Catalog in early 1986. BETA. LOST KINGDOM OF ZKUL Zkul (pronounced "skull") is an advanced adventure game. According to the manufacturer, Talent Systems of Glasgow, players should expect it to take many months to solve. The game was originally released on a miniscule 1 x 1 1/2 inch cassette for the Sinclair QL. It seems to be a J.R.R. Tolkien kind of saga -- with the usual ancient dwarves dwellings, wizards, secret treasure, etc. The QL version of Zkul is sold for L24.95 as a package with West, a game of (what else?) notorious bank robbers in an abandoned mining town deep in Indian teritory. Events -- rattle-snakes slithering past, charging Indians -- happen in real-time outside your control. FINAL. MISSION MOUSE A multi-level platform game with impressive high-resolution graphics, many screens and animated sprites from Paradox Software of Essex, England. Available mid-December from Antic Catalog. DEMO. LANDS OF HAVOC The manufacturer, Microdeal, calls this unusual game an "arcade adventure." With 2000 screens of mazes and multitudes of characters, Lands of Havoc is very complex and very fast. Available in early November from Antic Catalog. FINAL. MURRAY AND ME One minute he was enjoying a lean pastrami in a deli, the next -- POW! trapped inside a 520ST. Meet Murray, a lovable born-loser kind of guy who actually likes his classy address -- after all, the rent's cheap and he has you to keep him company. Murray is the first of a new generation of ST Biotoons -- living, computerized cartoon characters who utilize the memory and graphics ability of the ST to deliver artificial personality, not artificial intelligence. Created by Israeli cartoonist Ya'akov Kirschen. Available in December from Antic Catalog for $39.95. BETA. that matter? Mom, a hilarious Jewish mother, will nag you until you roll on the ground in fits of laughter. (You might even start eating your vegetables, who knows?) Another ST Biotoon by Ya'akov Kirschen. Available in December from Antic Catalog. $39.95. BETA. ** BUSINESS APPLICATIONS ** ATARINET MAILBOX Software Punch of Liverpool, England is to release AtariNet, an electronic mail utility that works through the RS-232 interface and utilizes windows and icons. The AtariNet Note Editor is a text editor that allows you to write and file a message. The AtariNet MailBox lets you mail it and notifies you when a message is received. BETA. DESK DIARY Paradox Software is working on Desk Diary, a desk/time management system and database for the ST that features yearly memos, daily appointments, a pull down calendar, and client database. Available mid-December from Antic Catalog. BETA. K-CALC From Kuma is coming an easy-to-use spreadsheet calculator that utilizes GEM, mouse-driven icons and windows. It has a "wide view" zoom function, and is compatible with serial and Centronics parallel printers. It is supposed to use the ST's full RAM, and is compatible for data transfer with upcoming business packages from Kuma -- word processing, database and communications -- slated for Winter release. Available in October. L49.95. BETA. FLEXFILE Talent Computer Systems announced Flexfile, a database and report generator for the ST that runs under GEM. It handles mailing lists, personnel histories, credit control records, stock records, etc. It automatically keeps track of commonly used "strings" (such as names, addresses and telephone numbers). These are then formed into a menu that allows single keystroke data entry. BETA. TIMELINK This "Temporal Database" allows you to do almost anything with information relating to time. For example, hairdressers could keep their appointments in order, financial executives can keep track of investments, or scientists can log experimental data. See day, week, month or year at-a-glance. Calculate time between dates. Originally for Macintosh by SofTechnics of London, and soon available for the ST. $99.99. ALPHA. RHYTHM Rhythm is part spreadsheet, part calculator. With this combination of functions, you can do what-if analysis or use its number-crunching ability as a programmer's calculator. It also integrates with other standard GEM application programs. $49.99. BETA. STACCOUNTS STAccounts is an integrated, small business accounting package from Silicon Chip Ltd. that includes a sales ledger, purchase ledger, stock control and nominal ledger. All functions are written within GEM and feature mouse control and drop-down menus. A hard disk version will be available during 1986 and will support approximately 15 times more information than the 500K floppy version, according to the manufacturer. $299. ALPHA. BOS SOFTWARE Atari Corp. has purchased rights to offer BOS (Business Operating System) a popular British operating system. BOS may soon be bundled with the ST or available as an option. BOS National offers a complete line of business software and 40 vertical applications packages including BOS/NET, a local area network operating system. BOS software is expensive, (in the $500 range) however, and aimed primarily at the corporate market. FINAL. Towngate Software of Dorset, England launched Cash Manager, a business accounting package that controls cash book, bank reconciliation and cash flow spreadsheet projection. It is completely integrated with BOS, and written in COBOL. Towngate is sort of the Lotus of the U.K., with software widely distributed in 20 countries worldwide. FINAL. ** VERTICAL APPLICATIONS ** WASP Printers Costing is a software package for professional print shops. It will log individual job reports by client, representative and work type. As jobs are invoiced, their profit and margin are automatically calculated. Printers Costing is a member of a library of WASP specialist applications for Vets & Farmers, Legal Accounting, Insurance Brokers, and Real Estate Agents. It runs under BOS. FINAL. **** End of attached article ****