freak@ihlpa.UUCP (c e malloy) (07/03/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** 04/15/85 WEST COAST FAIRE The West Coast Computer Faire By Arthur Leyenberger Parsippany, New Jersey Copyright (c) 1985 by Arthur Leyenberger March 31, 1985 Good news for Atari computer users! Atari is on track with the production of the new XE and ST computers. This was one of the themes of the recent Atari Worldwide User Network (WUN) held in conjunction with the 10th West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. The XE computers have already been shipped to distributors and the ST machines will have been shipped by the time you read this. Good news, indeed. For Atari users, the weekend consisted of two main events: the Computer Faire itself and the WUN kickoff meeting, both held in San Francisco. Although Atari did not have an exhibit at the Faire, they were kind enough to provide two local Atari User Groups with XE and ST computers, freebies, brochures and demo programs. User Groups Pitch In The San Leandro Computer Club (SLCC) and the Atari Bay Area User's Computer Society (ABACUS) both displayed the new line of Atari microcomputers at the Moscone Convention Center. This was the first showing to the general public of the computers manufactured by the new Atari Corporation. Both the 8-bit and the 16-bit products were represented at the booths. A complete 520ST system was up and running, consisting of two 3-1/2 inch, 360K storage, mini-floppy disk drives, the new Atari analog RGB monitor and the two-button mouse. This was my first chance to get some actual hands on experience with the powerful 16-bit computer and I am excited. I was especially impressed with the mouse. Unlike the MacIntosh mouse that has an uncomfortable amount of rolling resistance, the ST mouse moved smoothly and felt natural in the hand. Since the mouse plugs into one of the joystick ports on the side of the machine, it won't be long before we see it as a peripheral to the older 800 and XL computers. Two Atari 130XE computers, each with 128K of memory were displayed. Both XE computers were production units, sporting the new parallel bus (see photo), new keyboard and complete compatibility with the older 800 and XL series computers. DOS 2.5, being developed by OSS, was shown as was the RAMDISK software that uses a part of the 128K memory to simulate a very fast disk drive. The XE machines have a crisper feel than the current XL computers but I am sure I could easily get used to it. Tom Bennett, "show coordinator" of SLCC had done all of the legwork to get Atari to come up with products and promotional material for the show. Bob Barton, vice president of SLCC, somehow-- he wouldn't tell me how-- managed to convince Atari Software president Sig Hartmann to provide a 520ST computer for a raffle. Tickets cost $1 apiece, with all proceeds going to a local charity. The ABACUS group was invited to attend the Faire by SLCC and together they had what looked like the most popular, and busy, booths at the entire show. Atari has promised user group support for several months and it is now starting to take shape. Not only did Atari provide the machines, they have also hired a new User Group Coordinator to help User Groups everywhere. His name is Dave Duberman, a name very familiar to many of you. He is now Atari's main User Group contact person. Dave has worked for Antic magazine and Synapse and is very knowledgeable about both the old and new computers. Dave was on hand at the Faire demonstrating the features and capabilities of several XE and ST computers. I'll mention more about how Dave will be helping User Groups later on. Atari Comes Through Atari also came through at the User Group meeting held at Antic. Sig Hartmann (software), Sam Tramiel (hardware), Leonard Tramiel, Neil Harris (Atari Explorer), Richard Fritch ("Mister ST"), John Skruch ("Mister 8-bit computer"), Dave Duberman (user group support), and Tom Brightman (Vice President of engineering) were all on hand to answer questions and show support. Joseph Lyons and Frank Schwartz from Enhanced Technology Associates, a music/software/hardware firm in New York City, were also present with multiple keyboards using the Atari computer to demonstrate the MIDI interface. They were friendly folks, willing to answer questions and explain the ins and outs of the digital music world. They also presented a 20 minute MIDI-Atari concert that was outstanding. The Worldwide User Network The seeds for WUN were probably planted in August 1984 at the first 'Taricon sponsored by MACE and CHAOS. There, AUGI (Atari User Groups International) was formed to help the user groups speak with one, solid voice with Atari and other manufactureres. An initial mailing to User Groups was done by AUGI last fall to obtain some financial support and interest. Unfortunately, the needed manpower and focus were not available by the few individuals trying to get AUGI off the ground so AUGI is currently in limbo. Although still in its infancy, WUN is a semi-formal, non-commercial enterprise whose stated goals are the dissemination of Atari-related technical information, new product updates and general coordination of Atari users and User Groups. The preliminary proposal is to have a board of directors made up of representatives from Atari, Digital Research, the CompuServe Atari SIG, Antic and three user group officers drawn from the East, Central and Western United States. Specifics are not yet available, but you will be hearing more about WUN from your User Group Officers. As of March 20, 1985, over 125 User Groups have responded to the WUN questionnaire. Invitations to the WUN inaugural meeting on March 30 had been sent to all 125 of these respondees. Dozens of user groups were represented at the meeting. If your User Group has not yet joined WUN, get in touch with Antic for a questionnaire, complete it, and send it back, together with your club's newsletter. You will then be added to the WUN roster. Other noted attendees at the WUN meeting included Bill Wilkinson of OSS, Ron Luks from SIG*Atari, Mike Mock from Indus Disk Drives, Kirt Stockwell from MPP, Rob LaTulipe from Digital Research and Bill Holt from Broderbund. Atari Q&A The best part of the WUN meeting, aside from the excellent salmon and champagne, was the chance to hob-nob with Atari executives and find out what is really going on. The question and answer session proved to be quite informative. Here are some of the highlights. Sig Hartmann led off the session by saying that Atari has the best hardware on the market. After a hearty round of applause he finished the thought by saying that without software, they have nothing. Within the 2nd quarter of 1985, Atari will offer a wide range of software for both the XE and ST computers. These products will cover business, productivity, education and recreational categories. Sig also asked for software authors to keep Atari in mind as they are developing and writing their new products. Sig drew a big laugh when he introduced Sam Tramiel by saying that Sam was more qualified to answer questions. It seems that if Sig gave an answer, he would still have to answer to Jack Tramiel but if Sam said it, it would be okay. Sam commented that the first of the 130XE computers were shipped during the last week of March, thereby making their previously announced schedule. The 520ST computer is still on schedule and will be shipped at the end of April or in early May. Next, Dave Duberman and Neil Harris were introduced. Dave asked that User Group Presidents contact him if they feel Atari can do something for them. He mentioned that Atari does currently have a BBS (408-745-2504) and he looks forward to interacting with the User Groups. He also offered his own number (408-745-4204) and said that eventually he will be coordinating some type of Atari road show whereby Atari representatives will attend User Group meetings across the country giving demos and answering questions. When asked if there will, in fact, be a 65XE, Sam Tramiel said that it is currently being shipped in Canada. The 130XE has been shipped in the United States and will be followed by the 65XE. John Skrutch was asked when the Learning Phone (previously called the Plato Cartridge) would be available and he said it would be out in May. The delay was apparently due to negotiations that had been taking place with Control Data. According to Skrutch, the Learning Phone will come with a free 1-year subscription and an hour of free connect time. Asked about software pricing, Sig Hartmann said that most of the software will sell for under $50. However, some of the more powerful programs will be under $100. Sig was also asked who had bought the ST development packages. These packages consisted of a 520ST computer, two 3-1/2 inch micro floppy disk drives, a 15 megabyte hard disk, a RGB color monitor and a high-resolution green monitor. This system, costing over $5000 and including development software, apparently has been purchased by most of the leading software vendors. The list of some 38 companies includes: ANALOG Computing, Infocom, Synapse, Broderbund, Microbits Peripheral Product (MPP), Electronic Arts, Microprose, SubLogic, Matrix Software, Lifetree and Hayden Software. There are also five machines in Europe being used for software development. Sam Tramiel was asked about the 32-bit computer that Atari had announced would be introduced in Hanover, West Germany in mid-April. He said the machine is being worked on right now and will contain the National 32000 microprocessor. However, it will not be ready for the Hanover Show. Instead, it should be ready by June. Just about all of Atari's effort is being put towards getting the ST out the door. He also said that it may not be announced at the June Consumer Electronics Show because it really isn't a CES type of product. This machine is currently aimed at the vertical and specialized workstation market in the high-end personal computer category. Other computers already competing in this market include the AT&T Unix PC and the IBM AT. Another question was raised concerning languages for the ST computer. According to Sig, Logo will be contained in ROM, within the ST computer. BASIC is currently being developed by Digital Research and will probably become available this summer. Forth will also soon become available. In fact, Forth was being demoed at the User Group booth at the Faire. Other languages currently planned are C and Assembler. Sig said that if there is sufficient demand for a language, Atari will produce it. One User Group representative asked Sam Tramiel about what Atari plans to do about the education market. Sam responded by saying that plans are still being made. However, the school market looks very promising and that some effort will be made to enter that market at a later time. A separate department has already been set up to take care of the needs of the educational market. Sam announced that Atari plans to spend 10 percent of their sales on advertising in response to a question concerning Atari's visibility. The first major ad campaign will probably begin sometime in June and Atari may use User Groups in some way as part of its advertising. A question about Atari DOS 2.5 was raised. John Skrutch announced that DOS 2.5 is currently being boxed together with 1050 Disk Drives and is available to current owners of DOS 3.0. Every User Group will receive a copy of DOS 2.5 to be freely distributed (on non-commercial programs). DOS 2.5 is very similar to DOS 2.0. The major difference is in the Format command. If the menu item "I" (format disk) is selected with a 1050 attached, the disk will be formatted in dual density (140K) format. Menu item "P" will allow you to format a single density disk even if one 1050 is attached. If no 1050 disk drives are connected to your system, the "I" option will format disks in single density format. John also talked about Atariwriter+. He said it is basically Atariwriter, with just about everything they could think of or that has been suggested in the last two years. It includes 80-column editing (to work with the Atari 80-column monitor which will plug into the serial port), a 36000-word spelling checker, file compatibility with Atariwriter, a mail-merge function and built-in printer driver function. The BIG News Sam Tramiel made an amazing statement in response to one of the questions. He said the current plan is to have the User Groups buy the first 520ST computers. Atari would then use these first owners as the test market for the new machine by asking them to help to debug it. If a bug is found and a user suggests a workable fix, the user will be rewarded for his or her efforts. The plan may also include giving a rebate back to the User Group for each machine purchased. This plan may actually be in place by the time you read this. Also, the 520ST is not currently scheduled to be sold through mass merchandisers like K-Mart and Toys 'R US. The Faire The West Coast Computer Faire is the largest computer user show in United States. Over 300 exhibitors were showing software, hardware, peripherals and services in the brand new Moscone Center. The Faire itself has changed somewhat in the last two years. Before, it was primarily a hackers show and is well known for launching the careers of the Apple superstars, Wozniak and Jobs. Now, such companies as IBM, AT&T, Epson, Kaypro, Apple and many others are attend, brining with them a certain business flavor. But there are still some interesting things to be seen, even for Atari users. As mentioned before, Atari did not attend but were well represented by the two local User Groups. One of the most interesting booths was Microbits Peripheral Products (MPP). MPP has supported Atari owners for years and is one of the few "oldtimers" in this young computer business. They were showing everything from hard disks to inexpensive 1200 baud modems. MPP has two hard disks, a 5 megabyte and a 10 megabyte system. The 5 MB system will sell for under $1000 and includes the hard disk interface, hard disk and software. The 10MB system will probably sell for under $1200. If you already have a hard disk, then you can buy the hard disk interface for under $250. I saw the 10MB system working with and 800XL and loading files is fast. MPP will also be introducing a 1200 baud modem for the Atari that will sell for under $200. That price will include terminal software. Kirt Stockwell, Technical Support Manager, also told me that they are currently working on a brand new telecommunications program that will run on everything from Atari STs to IBM PCs to Atari 800s. The hard disk systems and modem will be available by the time you read this. Another product Kirt told me about was their Micronet networking system. This net will handle up to eight Atari computers running off of one set of peripherals. Standard Atari SIO peripherals may be used for a very cost- effective multi-station Atari setup. Kirt said that an eight-workstation arrangement with Atari XL computers, color monitors, one set of peripherals and Micronet would cost roughly $3500, about one-third the cots of s similar Apple setup. Another piece of hardware, appealing mostly to hackers, is a product called Microport. This is a breadboard which interfaces from the Atari computer to the real world. It plugs into the parallel port on either an XL computer or a 130XE and gives you eight control channels. It will sell for $50 and be available by the time you read this. Another intriguing product at the Faire was being exhibited by a small Oregon company named Covox. They have a voice recognition and voice synthesis unit for Apple, Commodore and Atari computers. Called the Voice Master, it lets you record words in any language using your own pitch and accent and have the program later recognize and speak the words. Included in the $90 price is another program called the Voice Harp. This program lets you perform, compose and write music simply by humming or whistling into the microphone. Seeing (and hearing) it in action is truly uncanny. The Voice Harp lets you produce various tone qualities, different keys and multi-note harmonies. You can even see the notes scrolling on the screen on a musical staff as you hum or whistle. The results of your composition can be edited, saved and even printed. I can't wait to get my hands on the Voice Master to do a full-scale review. Broderbund Software was at the Faire to recruit new programming talent to add to their already excellent stable of software authors. Their product development staff was available to talk with software developers and to present existing Broderbund products. One person that many User Group members may already know is Bill Holt, the Product Development Ambassador. Bill's job is to travel around the country visiting User Groups to demonstrate Broderbund's software titles and to help recruit new talent. If Bill has not yet visited your User Group, feel free to give him a call at (415)479-1170. He will be happy to arrange a visit. Spectrum HoloByte is a small company that makes an excellent submarine simulation for the IBM PC and compatibles called Gato. I have spent many hours searching for, and destroying, WWII Japanese Naval vessels. They have just announced a MacIntosh version and a high-level company source told be that they would have a version for the Atari ST computer by the end of the year. Gato is one game worth waiting for. I enjoyed attending the West Coast Computer Faire and the Worldwide User Network Meeting. I think a lot of new, exciting information was obtained that clearly shows that Atari is here to stay and that they intend to support Atari users and User Groups. I also saw evidence that other software and hardware companies are finally beginning to take Jack Tramiel and the "JackIntish" seriously. It all adds up to good news for Atari users. The End In Analog's attempt to bring you this information as accurately and timely as possible, this entire article has been written at 36000 feet, on a red- eye special flight from San Francisco to New Jersey. A Radio Shack Model 100 lap computer was used to write the article, whereupon it was uploaded to an Atari and printed using Atariwriter. Computers sure are productive tools!