

     |||||| |||||| ||  || |||||| ||||||
     ||     ||     ||| ||   ||   ||
     || ||| ||||   ||||||   ||   ||||               Your
     ||  || ||     || |||   ||   ||
     |||||| |||||| ||  || |||||| ||||||             GEnieLamp Computing

     ||    |||||| ||    || ||||||                   RoundTable
     ||    ||  || |||  ||| ||  ||
     ||    |||||| |||||||| ||||||                   RESOURCE!
     ||    ||  || || || || ||
     ||||| ||  || ||    || ||


                    ~ WELCOME TO GEnieLamp APPLE II! ~
                      """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
          ~ POLISHING GREEN APPLES:  Hooked on Storage, Part 1 ~
            ~ TECH TALK:  Apple II Hybrids and File Transfer ~
            ~ PROFILES:  HangTime Talks About HyperCard IIgs ~
                ~ DR'S EXAMINING TABLE:  Xenocide Review ~
               ~ APPLE II HISTORY:  Part 20/21a, Magazines ~
                   ~ HOT NEWS, HOT FILES, HOT MESSAGES ~

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
  GEnieLamp Apple II ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~  Vol.3, Issue 24
  """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 
  Editor....................................................Douglas Cuff
   Publisher.............................................John F. Peters
    Copy-Editor...........................................Bruce Maples
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
  ~ GEnieLamp IBM ~ GEnieLamp ST ~ GEnieLamp [PR] ~ GEnieLamp Windows ~
        ~ GEnieLamp A2Pro ~ GEnieLamp Macintosh ~ GEnieLamp TX2 ~
          ~ GEnieLamp A2 ~ LiveWire (ASCII) ~ GEnieLamp MacPRO ~
                 ~ Solid Windows ~ Config.sys ~ A2-Central ~
              ~ Member Of The Digital Publishing Association ~
  GE Mail: GENIELAMP  Internet: genielamp@genie.geis.com   FTP: sosi.com
 ////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

           >>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<<
           """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
                             ~ March 1, 1994 ~


 FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM]        HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
  Notes From The Editor.                 Is That A Letter For Me?

 REFLECTIONS ............. [REF]        BEGINNER'S CORNER ....... [BEG]
  Shared Long Distance Billing.          Polishing Green Apples.

 TECH TALK ............... [TEC]        CowTOONS! ............... [MOO]
  Apple II Hybrids and Transfer.         Career Cows.

 DR'S EXAMINING TABLE .... [DRT]        PROFILES ................ [PRO]
  Golden Oldie Review: Xenocide.         HyperCard IIgs (via HangTime).

 PAL NEWSLETTER .......... [PAL]        APPLE II ................ [AII]
  March 1994 Report.                     History Part 20/21a: Magazines.

                     LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
                      GEnieLamp Information.

[IDX]"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

READING GEnieLamp   GEnieLamp has incorporated a unique indexing system 
"""""""""""""""""   to help make reading the magazine easier.  To 
utilize this system, load GEnieLamp into any ASCII word processor or 
text editor.  In the index you will find the following example:

                   HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]  
                    [*]GEnie Fun & Games.

     To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM].  
If you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA].  [EOF] will 
take you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the 
index.

MESSAGE INFO   To make it easy for you to respond to messages 
""""""""""""   re-printed here in GEnieLamp, you will find all the 
information you need immediately following the message.  For example:

                    (SMITH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
        _____________|   _____|__  _|___    |____ |_____________
       |Name of sender   CATegory  TOPic    Msg.#   Page number|

     In this example, to respond to Smith's message, log on to page 
475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6.  Enter your REPly in TOPic 
1.

     A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that 
this message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two 
or more messages that are following the same topic.  For example: {58}.

ABOUT GEnie   GEnie's monthly fee is $8.95, which gives you up to four
"""""""""""   hours of non-prime time access to most GEnie services, 
such as software downloads, bulletin boards, GE Mail, an Internet 
gateway, multi-player games and chat lines, without charge.  GEnie's 
non-prime time connect rate is $3.00.  To sign up for GEnie service, 
call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369 in the USA or 1-800-387-3880 in 
Canada.  Upon connection type HHH.  Wait for the U#= prompt.  Type:  
XTX99014,DIGIPUB and hit RETURN.  The system will then prompt you for 
your information.  Need more information?  Call GEnie's customer 
service line (voice) at 1-800-638-9636.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


           //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
          /                                                            /
         /  "My brother tells the story of a student who walked       /
        /  into the computer lab, pulled a 5.25 disk out of his      /
       /  hip pocket, unfolded it, straightened out the wrinkles    /
      /  as best he could, stuck it in a drive, and proceeded to   /
     /  read the Appleworks files he had stored on it as if       /
    /  this were perfectly normal.  (And perhaps for him, it     /
   /  was. :)"                                                  /
  /                                                            /
 ////////////////////////////////////////////  GARY.UTTER  ////



[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
                 FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
By Douglas Cuff
    [EDITOR.A2]



                      >>> THE BUTTERFLIES EMERGE <<<
                      """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""

     As our collective world grows smaller, so do our individual worlds.  
We're "cocooning" -- a word dreamed up to legitimize lethargy and apathy by 
making them appear to be family values.

     This tendency to laud emotional detachment has made me even more 
grateful to be part of the Apple II community than ever (limited gene pool 
or not).  Our community seems to be peopled by those who have emerged from 
their cocoons as butterflies -- butterflies, moreover, who have no idea how 
much color they bring to the lives of others.  I won't go so far as to 
claim that you can be sure that everyone that's using an Apple II has never 
burned down an orphanage, but we seem to have more than our fair share of 
caring individuals, and less than our fair share of ivory-skulled zealots.

     Of course, it is a personal incident that prompts this observation:  
Recently, my copy of _II Alive_ failed to arrive.  Larvae that I am, this 
would have been distressing enough for me as a subscriber, but the issue in 
question was my professional debut.  (At last count, it was my fifth 
professional debut.)  That is to say, I had contributed a few bijoux to the 
journal in question, and desperately needed my own copy, if only to bring a 
smile to the faces of my parents.  As the publisher had distributed its 
entire print run to the clamouring hordes, it seemed future employers were 
going to have to take my word that I had indeed written for _II Alive_.

     This moving drama swiftly reached a happy ending by the simple 
expedient of visiting GEnie's A2 RoundTable and pleading for a spare copy.  
"Top prices paid!" I yelled from the sidewalks up to the upper-floor 
apartments.

     The echoes had scarcely faded when Rich Hare from Michigan had his 
spare copy in the post.  The cost of posting the magazine from Michigan 
across the Canada-U.S. border was scandalously high given the distance 
travelled, but Mr Hare cheerfully offered to eat the postage costs.

     Cheerfully, mind you.  Not grudgingly; blithely.  Despite the fact 
that I've never met Rich Hare.  I have, to be sure, occasionally seen the 
ASCII bunny-head with which he signs his messages here on GEnie and on 
CompuServe, but that's the extent of it.

     As an incident, it's probably not sufficiently remarkable to be the 
subject of an editorial.  But it's not the first time such a thing has 
happened -- heck, it's not even the first time such a thing has happened to 
me!  Sara Groves, Hal Shapiro, Terry Steeper, and heaven knows how many 
others have rushed to my rescue over the years.

     Apple II people seem to consider a day lost during which they do not 
practice at least one random act of senseless kindness.  Harold Hislop's 
recent arrival on the A2 RoundTable just seems to underline the sense of 
community... hardly a day goes by when Mr Hislop doesn't tell some poor 
caterpillar about to be crushed under the bootheels of indifference, "If 
nothing else works, send your hardware to me.  You pay the postage costs, 
and I'll try to fix it."  (I'm beginning to think the man gave up sleep at 
the tender age of 8.)  Mr Hislop is not the patron saint of the Apple II, 
but it's only because there are too many other contenders.

     It's not so unusual for computer users to care about their computers 
-- if you don't believe me, disparage someone else's computer platform -- 
but those who own Apple II computers seem to care about the computer 
owners.  Even those who have little are willing to share what they have.  
Someone who uses a program sees a way to improve it -- and before you know 
it, that someone has taken over support for the program.  People actually 
*volunteer* for workloads that seem destined to cause burnout, brownouts, 
blackouts, and knockouts.

     The first time a complete stranger went considerably out of her way 
to do me a favor, I thanked her until it became positively fulsome.  I 
expressed my hope that I could pay her back one day.  While the 
conversation that follows comes from Robert A. Heinlein's book, _Job_, it 
could almost be the conversation that we had that day:

          "...I'll make you a deal.  You take me to dinner but I 
       lend you the money."

          "I'm a poor risk."

          "Nope, you're a good risk.  What the bankers call a 
       character loan, the very best risk there is.  Sometime, this 
       coming year, or maybe twenty years from now, you'll run 
       across another young couple, broke and hungry.  You'll but 
       them dinner on the same terms.  That pays me back.  Then when 
       they do the same, down the line, that pays you back.  Get 
       it?"

          "I'll pay you back sevenfold!"

          "Once is enough.  After that you do it for your own 
       pleasure.  Come on, let's eat."

     It's because of our sense of community that the Apple II gentlefolk 
will enjoy a summer conference in Kansas City, Kansas this July.  It 
promises to be quite a banquet.  Or didn't you know that the attraction of 
dinner parties was meant to be the conversation, not the bill of fare?

-- Doug Cuff

GEnie Mail:  EDITOR.A2                  Internet:  editor.a2@genie.geis.com


        __________________________________________________________
       |                                                          |
       |                   REPRINTING GEnieLamp                   |
       |                                                          |
       |   If you want to reprint any part of GEnieLamp, or       |
       |   post it to a bulletin board, please see the very end   |
       |   of this file for instructions and limitations.         |
       |__________________________________________________________|



                     .....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.....
               .,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,.
             ;;;;%;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;%;;;;
             `;;%%;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;%%;;'
              `;;;%;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;%;;;'
               `;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;'
                `%%%%%%%;#################;%%%%%%%'
                 `%%%%%%;###;%%%%%%%%%%;##;%%%%%%'
                  `%%%%%;###;%%%%%%%%%%;##;%%%%%'
                   %%%%%;#################;%%%%%
              .,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,.
             ;;;;;;;;;;;vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv;;;;;;;;;;;;
             ;;;;@@@@;vvn   nnnnnnnnnn   nnvv;@@@@;;;;
              `@@@@@@@vv  n@@@@nnnn@@@@n  nvv@@@@@@@'
            .mmvv@@@@vvn n@@@@@@vv@@@@@@n nnvv@@@@vvmm.
            mmvvv@@@vvnnnn@.  )@vv@.  )@nnnnnvv@@@vvvmm
            mmvvv;@vvnnnnnn@aa@vvvv@aa@nnnnnnnvv@;vvvmm
            `mvv;@@vvnmmmnvv%mmmmmmmm%vvnmmmmnvv@@;vvm'
            .@@@@@vvnmmmmvv%mmmmmmmmmm%vvmmmmmnvv@@@@@.
            @@@@@@@vvnnnnvv%mmmmmmmmmm%vvnnnnnvv@@@@@@@
            @@@@@@@vvnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn'nnnnnnnvv@@@@@@@
            `@@@@@@@@vvvvvvvvvvvvv::'.vvvvvvvv@@@@@@@@'
              `@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@::@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@'
                 `@@@@@@@@@@@@::@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@'
                             ::'
                            ;;;
                           ;;;
               ,;;,.....,;;;;'
               ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
                `;;;;;;;;;;'
                  ''''''''

ASCII Art by Susie Oviatt
                  [SUSIE]



[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
              HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Douglas Cuff
    [EDITOR.A2]

     o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS

          o A2 POT-POURRI

                    o HOT TOPICS

                         o WHAT'S NEW

                              o THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

                                   o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT



                           >>> A2 POT-POURRI <<<
                           """""""""""""""""""""

FREE UPDATES STILL VALID   As I said, I'd let you know how upgading a ROM 
""""""""""""""""""""""""   00 GS to a ROM 01 went.

     In a word "SLICK".

     Took it to a small Authorized Apple dealership in Rocklin CA (just 
north of Sacramento) where I had purchased my first Apple system (a II+) 
and also purchased my first IIGS system.  I went in, walked through all the 
Quadra's & Centra's etc. to the service counter and timidly asked if they 
could possibly update my IIGS.

     The fellow says "got a ROM 00 there, huh?' (pops off the top and says 
"yup, you need the upgrade - it'll take just a few minutes until someone is 
free to do it".  He then went on to tell me what a great machine he thought 
the GS was.  In about 20 minutes I was out of there with an invoice marked 
"warranty repair - no charge".

     Where, but in the "Apple II World", can you get a warranty like that?!

     Again, THANKS ! to all who informed me about the free update.
                  (D.HEYES1, CAT12, TOP5, MSG:508/M645;1) 

>>>>>   I called Apple today (800-SOS-APPL) to ask about the IIc upgrade
"""""   for unidisk and modem compatability.  The person I spoke to was 
polite, but said the program was over a long time ago.  I insisted he check 
with a supervisor, he returned by saying, "...I like when people like you 
call.  I learn something new.  The authorization number is _ODL660_." 

Keith             (K.SAGALOW, CAT26, TOP3, MSG:109/M645;1)


THE INTERNET/APPLE II GRIND SITE   > How's grind iowa doing toward that 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   > goal?  Like how many MB are you up to?

     Well, Steve Nelson (the Apple II FTP admin) is trying to get a 
replacement unit because the drive they have now was coughing up bad blocks 
to the tune of a couple hundred a day.  It seems to have settled down now, 
but he's not taking any chances.  I have no idea how much is on the drive 
right now, but he is mirroring at least three other Apple II sites to build 
up the file collection.  He is investigating the possibility of creating 
accounts for off-site volunteers to aid in the maintenance of the archive. 

     BTW, for those who don't know what the "grind" site is, here's some 
background info.  Last year, a few people on the Internet decided it would 
be nice to have a single, comprehensive FTP site for Apple II files.  A 
call was put out on the net for donations to buy a 1-gigabyte drive to 
house the archive.  While that was going on, the CS students association at 
the University of Iowa agreed to donate their resources to maintain the 
site (thus the address grind.isca.uiowa.edu). Eventually, we collected over 
$1200 in donations.  Hard drive prices had been dropping the whole time, 
and now we found we could afford a nice 1.7-gigabyte drive. 

     The idea is to press a CD-ROM for every 500 megabytes of files on the 
site.  This could then be sold for a nominal cost and the funds put back 
into running the site and pressing more CD's.  The grind site, like most 
FTP sites, is run by volunteers who have a desire to see the project 
succeed.  It only recently got off the ground (the HD was installed over 
Christmas), so things are still a bit disorganized, but it'll straighten 
itself out soon. 

   -----|-----  Sent by CoPilot (beta)
*>=====[_]L)    for ANSITerm 2.1
      -'-`-
                   (B.TAO, CAT10, TOP10, MSG:180/M645;1) 


IS THIS A VIRUS?   The last couple of days I've had a problem show up in 
""""""""""""""""   Co-Pilot, AWGS, and AppleWorks.  I'll be working merrily 
along and I'll look up at my screen, and there it will say "Welcome 
Datacomp".  Anyone know where this is coming from?  Anyone know how I can 
get rid of it? 

     Harold, this could be part of [one of the] problems I have E-mailed 
you about [with your init]
                (EW.CHRISTIAN, CAT12, TOP16, MSG:32/M645;1) 

>>>>>   That's a strange one, never heard of it, seen it, or anything else.
"""""   No idea how to get rid of it. (yep it just might be causing 
problems with my extended keyboard init...) 

-Harold           (H.HISLOP, CAT12, TOP16, MSG:33/M645;1) 

>>>>>   I haven't seen a "new" Apple II virus in a long, long time.  Most
"""""   of the original viruses were 5.25" disk-based and did numerous bad 
things.  Some of the nastier ones (according to The Exorciser's 
documentation): 

CyberAIDS (circa 1988) - can destroy the data on all connected drives by
           erasing the root directory and bit map.  This was spread via
           "SYS" files in the root directory. 

Festering Hate (1988) - advanced version of CyberAIDS that attaches itself
           to "SYS" files in ALL folders, not just the root directory. 

Lode Runner (1988) - destroys data on any connected drives when a certain
           month/day/minute combination occurs.  Spread via the boot blocks
           of non-5.25" disks. 

Blackout (1988?) - messes with the IIgs battery RAM making your IIgs look
           dead even though it's perfectly fine.  This one has been talked
           about recently in the A2 BB.

     You won't find any of these viruses on files in the A2 library.  I 
run every file through 2 virus checkers and I check executable files (SYS, 
S16, TIF, PIF, NDA, CDA, ...) for suspicious disk access calls.  To date, I 
have found exactly one problem file and it has been deleted. You have to be 
careful when downloading programs from local "pirate" BBSs that carry 
illegal copies of copyrighted software.  In the past, hackers would crack 
software (remove the copy protection), install the virus, and upload it to 
every local BBS they could find. There's really not much to worry about 
nowadays because the hackers have moved on to more lucrative platforms (PC, 
Mac, etc.)  There's just not enough satisfaction (if you can call it that) 
in planting a virus that relatively few people will ever see. Wow!  Did I 
really have to be that verbose?  Probably not, but you asked :)

                           Tony Ward  [via GEM 4.21/PT 3.1]
                   (A2.TONY, CAT12, TOP16, MSG:44/M645;1)


TWILIGHT II PASSWORD?   Yeah, we're considering a password feature for the 
"""""""""""""""""""""   next version..  In the meantime, here's a little 
known trick you can use (but you'll have to do it every time..) with caps 
lock lock: after the screen blanks, hit caps lock, then hit shift-clear.  
the screen will not be able to be unblanked until shift-clear is hit again 
(to reactivate T2). 

<<Jim             (DIGISOFT, CAT13, TOP30, MSG:155/M645;1)


HFS FST CHOKES ON DISKS?   Is there a new HFS format around?  I just bought 
""""""""""""""""""""""""   the Mac Quadra 840 AV, and it won't read HFS 
disks created by the IIgs.  Yet the IIgs will read disks from the 840 AV 
just fine.  Another intresting note is that a SE/30 will read my HFS IIgs 
disks, so I know my HFS FST is fine

Mike Kingsley     (C.KINGSLEY, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:82/M645;1)

>>>>>   This problem is known, and it's not related to the HFS FST on your
"""""   GS. The problem seems to be some of the new disk drives Apple is 
putting in new Macintosh models. 

     There is an entire topic about this in the Macintosh RT (page 605) 
and Apple has been informed of the problem, but no solution has yet been 
found, other than just always formatting the disks on your Quadra 840av -- 
they should then work just fine on your GS and SE/30. 

Bryan            (SOFTDISK.INC, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:83/M645;1)

>>>>>   Incidentally, that isn't exclusively a Mac/IIgs problem. Even
"""""   old/new _Macs_ occasionally won't read each other's disks. (This 
was making me crazy with the PowerBook.) It makes buying off-the-shelf Mac 
software a real treat. :(
                  (POWERPC.PRO, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:84/M645;1)


TEXAS II STRAIGHT TALK   Someone sent e-mail saying my prices are 
""""""""""""""""""""""   confusing. I am sorry about that. Please do not 
hesitate to call (210) 490-6373 for more details. 

TEXAS II Subscription, 6 issues, printed newsletter ......... $15
TEXAS II Subscription (Europe, Australia) ................... $18
TEXAS II on MACROS (3 issues, printed) ................ sent free 

     You must be a subscriber (see above) to order TEXAS II on Disk:

Disks 8,9, and 10 (upcoming)...$24    Disks 5,6, and 7 (recent).. $24
Disks 2,3, and 4  (past)...... $24    Single disks vol.1 to 8 ... $10 

Kingwood Micro Software, 2018 Oak Dew, San Antonio, Texas  78232-5471. 
                 (B.CADIEUX, CAT13, TOP15, MSG:159/M645;1) 

 
REVIEW OF TULIN DRIVERS   This may not be the best review of the Tulin NEC 
"""""""""""""""""""""""   driver, but I'll bet it is one of the first.

System:   Apple ][gs with Ramkeeper, 6 meg GSRam+, 10 mhz Zip, Quickie, 240 
'''''''   meg Quantum vanilla hard drive, 3M vanilla tape drive, NEC 3Xe 
(triple speed CDROM), 3.5" drive, 5.25" drive, and a few other hangers on.
 
Software:   sys 6.01, Quicklaunch, Find File, IR, EGOed, File Manager, 
'''''''''   Lithium Grease, Contacts GS, Typeset, Pointless, all latest 
releases.

Good stuff:   It works, I can read Mac disks, copy files with the Finder, 
'''''''''''   or CD Roam.  I can sometimes get it to play music through the 
headphone jack.

Mediocre stuff:   (this is so good to begin with, there is no bad stuff):
'''''''''''''''   Tulin has very sparse documentation.

Things omitted:   a) you must install the Apple drivers for Multimedia and 
'''''''''''''''   CDROM to access the music side of the drive.  Otherwise 
GS/OS sees the music CD as a volume and refuses to mount it without trying 
a format.  So it ejects by your choice, or by failing to format.  Even with 
the drivers, it is an iffy thing to get the NEC CDROM to play music with 
GS/OS.

     b) dragging the CDROM icon into the trash disconnects the drive, it 
does not eject the disk.  To change disks you must change, then drag the 
dimmed disk to the trash.  This does not work for music CD's (see below).

     c) The MAC CD shows up as three volumes, one of which is unreadable 
(device 12 on my machine, so maybe that is part of the problem.  
NEC.CDROM.01.00 is the one in use, the other two Prosel shows in the device 
listing are mysteries to me.

     d) Music CD's can be listened to if your timing is good.  You must 
hit play in the control panel at the right time (or be in an application 
other than the Finder) to intercept the attempt to recognise the disk.
 
     e) Prodos 8 stops the music, you lose the recognition of the disk 
too, causing an eject (manually, as the CD controller is confused) and 
re-insert.
 
So What:   It's the only game in town, and Tulin will fix it if it's really 
''''''''   broken.

     Perhaps this needs to be closer to a removable drive type volume.

     I really like listening to music while I compute, and this is the 
best there is (CD's with headphones).  DiskQuest requires this driver for 
the Apple card.  The NEC triplespeed is faster than the 5.25, slightly 
slower than the 3.5 drive.  I'll do some timing if requested, but for 
speed, you'll get the Ramfast anyway.

     If you see any glaring errors in my setup or reporting, send it here 
or e-mail me.

           Rainy  @;^)
                  (L.WILSON6, CAT20, TOP12, MSG:196/M645;1)


QUALITY DISK DUPLICATOR   We got our new disk duplicator in last week.  
"""""""""""""""""""""""   This should virtually ELIMINATE mixups like the 
one with the One-Touch Commands Disk (and the AW 4.01 mailing), since 
instead of having a master disk which is read into the duplicator each time 
a batch of disks is made up, our new duper stores all the masters on a hard 
drive, reducing the likelihood that an obsolete master could be used.  The 
duplicator also stores a customized label for each master disk, and applies 
the labels as the disks are duplicated, eliminating mislabeling problems. 
This thing is SLICK (it had better be, for what we paid for it!).  In all 
our disk mixups, the problem has been attributable to human error.  Remove 
the humans from the process and you can drastically reduce the errors.  B)
                   (QUALITY, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:132/M645;1)


BUG STOMPED IN APPLEWORKS 4.0.1 TO 4.0.2 UPDATER   The mystery is solved.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   I now know why there 
were reports of errors in copying SEG.DC, a file I wasn't working with at 
all. Bill Carver at Quality added a program to auto-install it, but there 
were some bugs. He's currently working on a new version.

     If you run the existing MAKE402, your AppleWorks has been 
successfully patched by my MAKE402 program by the time you get the error 
message. You can reboot at that point and run AW 4.02 successfully, 
although you should manually copy SEG.DC from the MAKE402 files to your own 
AppleWorks startup disk if you want to autocopy the dictionaries.
                   (BRANDT, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:418/M645;1)


                            >>> HOT TOPICS <<<
                            """"""""""""""""""

KANSASFEST PLANS   The dates are Thursday to Saturday July 21-23. The
""""""""""""""""   location is Avila College, which in Kansas City, 
Missouri. (Why do we call it KansasFest? I don't know.) Last year the price 
to stay in the dorms at Avila and get breakfast and supper in the cafeteria 
was $30/night double room or $40/night private room. This may change this 
year; we don't have a final contract yet, but it does change it won't 
change by more than +/- $5/night. If you prefer, you can also stay in a 
local hotel and eat in local restaurants.

     Last year the price of the conference itself was $350. This included 
lunch and snacks on Thursday and Friday. Our tentative plans this year, 
barring opposition here in this topic, are to have the entire conference at 
Avila, as we did the first two years. The last three years we've also used 
the NOMDA conference center, which is a great facility, but expensive. If 
we can do the whole thing at Avila the price will come down by at least 
$100.

     As always, we need to know what you'd like to see and hear at the 
conference, and we'd like to have some folks volunteer to make 
presentations. Resource Central is a MUCH smaller company than it was a 
year ago, so to pull this off we're going to need more help from those of 
you who love this event to get it all organized. And the more outside help 
we get, the lower we can set the price. Let's talk.
                    (TOM.W, CAT23, TOP10, MSG:67/M645;1)

>>>>>   Do you think that non-programmer, non-hacker, recreational GS users 
"""""   would get anything out of Kansas fest?
                  (C.GARRETT, CAT23, TOP10, MSG:53/M645;1)

>>>>>   Would a non-programmer get anything out of Kfest?  Depends what you 
"""""   consider "fun".  If hanging out all night (and I do mean ALL night) 
with a whole bunch of computer phreaks, eating pizza, bouncing from room to 
room, and just partying hardy is your idea of fun, then GFI. KFest is more 
programmer oriented from 09:00 to 17:00, but all the hours in between are 
up for grabs (and several are usually spent at the KC Masterpiece!) -- 
HangTime [Script-Central]  B-)>
                 (A2.HANGTIME, CAT23, TOP10, MSG:54/M645;1)

<<<<<   The final makeup of the event will depend entirely on who comes.
"""""   Yes, as an ICON event, it opens the possiblity of having info on 
other platforms. Even last year, as an Apple II event, there were an awful 
lot of Macintoshes around. On the other hand, as an event with a long 
history as the premier gathering of Apple II folks, I'm sure the Apple II 
presence will continue to be strong.    Users have made up the majority of 
the attendees for some time. While there are seminars that are of interest 
only to developers, there are others that are of a more general interest. 
There is no reason not to come because you're "just a user".     There is 
nothing about this event that's outside the control of any of you. Let us 
know what you want and we'll either get it or delegate getting it to you 
<g>. Seriously, Sally, Jeff, and I can't put this whole thing together 
ourselves. We need those of you who want to come to participate in the 
planning and organization, which means you can make it whatever you want it 
to be.
                    (TOM.W, CAT23, TOP10, MSG:75/M645;1)

>>>>>   To reiterate what Tom has said about KansasFest, it is not just
"""""   an event for programmers. I know; I've gone 4 years in a row, and 
I'm not a programmer. 

     I've really enjoyed myself at Kfest, and will attend Kfest 94.

     I've especially enjoyed hosting a panel/talk the past 2 years, and 
would like to do so again. 2 years ago, I spoke about the FTA and used 
Kfest as a way to publicize the Bouncin'Ferno 2 contest that I set up. Last 
year, my talk _was_ directed towards programmers, and I "shared the secrets 
of the stars" (the shareware stars, that is) in an effort to help shareware 
programmers maximize profits.

     I'd like to host one or more sessions at KFest 1994. Of course it is 
up to Tom to accept or reject a proposed panel, but before we even get that 
far, I'd like to turn it over the *you*...my fellow Kfest attendee. 

     What would you like to hear me speak about?

Joe Kohn          (J.KOHN, CAT23, TOP10, MSG:76/M645;1) 


HYPERCARD IIGS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOADING   Hey, I just noticed that there 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   are several files for HyperCard 
GS in the library now!  Looks like Apple has released it!  Thanks!

     I'm _so_ glad I didn't buy it!  Now I can get it for free!  :)
                  (P.CREAGER, CAT3, TOP13, MSG:198/M645;1)

>>>>>   This is a bit misguided -- had more people purchased it, Apple
"""""   might have updated it past 1.1 and made it even more useful. But as 
it stands, the HyperCard IIgs package comes with about 600 pages worth of 
manuals that are not available online, and never will be as far as I can 
tell.  If you see a HCGS package for sale and you like the program, you'd 
better purchase it because once everyone is out, there won't be any more 
manuals available.

--Matt          (M.DEATHERAGE, CAT3, TOP13, MSG:199/M645;1)


CD-ROM DRIVES AND DISCQUEST   > I know the RamFAST does not currently 
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""   > support on CD-ROMs and I know you were/are
> working on that.  I wasn't sure if you had gotten there yet and if the
> CD-150 was part of the journey.

     Whoa! Who said that? My RamFAST certainly works with a variety of 
CD-ROM drives.

      Hopefully the following diatribe will clear up all the confusion...

discQuest SCSI Controller and CD-ROM Drive Compatibility List 

     Card: Apple High Speed SCSI Card

          Apple CD-150: Complete compatibility
          Apple CD-300: Data is okay, no audio
          NEC (any)   : Currently incompatible, a new NEC driver is
                        forthcoming from Tulin
          SCSI-2      : depends on the drive, some work fine, some have
                        various cosmetic problems (like with
                        inserting/ejecting CDs), no audio support

     Card: RamFAST SCSI Card

          Texel       : Complete compatibility (Sequential's drive is a
                        Texel)
          NEC         : Complete compatibility
          SCSI-2      : Complete compatibility (any SCSI-2 CD-ROM drive...
                        virtually all CD drives made today are SCSI-2,
                        ask the vendor)
          AppleCD-150 : Data is okay, audio currently does not work

          (The Apple CD-300 and PowerCD's are SCSI-2 drive).

     New news on the CD-150/RamFAST:  I have located technical information 
on the CD-150, I should have it in my hands by the end of the week.  This 
means the RamFAST will do audio on a CD-150 very shortly.
 
     Tulin is finishing up their updated NEC CD-ROM driver for the Apple 
SCSI card.  After that one, I have suggested they make a SCSI-2 CDROM 
driver for that card.  I encourage everyone with interests at stake to call 
Tulin and encourage them to do so as well. 

     In short, it's all coming together rather well, and I must say I'm 
quite pleased :) 

Jawaid         (PROCYON.INC, CAT20, TOP12, MSG:179/M645;1) 


"WHAT'S YOUR RECOMENDATION FOR A RAMFAST?"   Anything _but_ an Apple 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   CD-150. :) Seriously, the 
RamFAST seems to work great with every CD-ROM drive we've found so far. I 
do not recommend the CD-150 because of the audio support problem, but any 
CD-ROM made today (the CD-150 is obsolete) should work. 

Jawaid         (PROCYON.INC, CAT20, TOP12, MSG:140/M645;1) 


DISCQUEST NOW WITH COLOR!   discQuest v1.2 is now shipping. Included in 
"""""""""""""""""""""""""   this release are the following enhancements:

     Bug fixes :)

     Color rendering of images

     Various user preferences (including "page" mode mouse movement of 
pictures)

     Better audio support (incl. new support for the CD-150 & RamFAST!)

     Additionally, by the end of next week we'll have available Media 
Control drivers for all the CD-ROM drives (w/ RamFAST) that discQuest 
supports.. which is to say, you'll be able to play audio CD's on a RamFAST 
for the first time. 

Jawaid         (PROCYON.INC, CAT20, TOP12, MSG:206/M645;1) 


                            >>> WHAT'S NEW <<<
                            """"""""""""""""""

MANAGEMENT CHANGE   SyndiComm, Inc., the company that manages the Apple II,
"""""""""""""""""   Macintosh, and PowerPC-related RoundTables on GEnie, 
has been sold to Dean Esmay, who becomes the company's new President. Esmay 
had been the chief sysop of the Apple II and PowerPC RoundTables.

     Tom Weishaar and Kent Fillmore, former co-owners of SyndiComm, intend 
to remain active on GEnie, but will no longer have any responsiblity for 
the seven SyndiComm-managed RoundTables. 

                  (DEAN.ESMAY, CAT3, TOP12, MSG:12/M645;1)


WAITLESS PRINT BUFFER FOR APPLEWORKS 4   Special Offers for NAUG Members - 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   AppleWorks 4 Print Buffer

     AppleWorks 4 co-developer Dan Verkade recently announced the release 
of WaitLess, a set of patches that add automatic print buffering to 
AppleWorks 4. WaitLess lets you use AppleWorks while your printer generates 
your output.

     Using WaitLess is easy. You print normally from AppleWorks; the print 
thermometer appears on your screen and fills quickly as WaitLess uses the 
AppleWorks desktop memory to store your output. The program then returns 
you to AppleWorks while it prints your document.

     A TimeOut utility included with WaitLess lets you turn off buffering, 
pause and re-start a print job, or stop the current print job and clear the 
buffer.

     WaitLess lists for $17. NAUG members can buy the program directly 
from Clear Night Software for $15 plus $3 s/h ($8 s/h for international 
orders).

     Include a check or money order with your order; Clear Night does not 
accept credit cards. Purchase orders accepted with payment of a $5 
processing charge.

     WaitLess requires AppleWorks 4.01 or later. The program works on any 
system capable of running AppleWorks 4, but at least 256K of RAM is 
recommended. Clear Night Software maintains a "satisfaction guaranteed or 
your money back" policy for NAUG members. 

[Clear Night Software, 51 Bowen Road, Perris, California 92571.]
                    (NAUG, CAT17, TOP42, MSG:126/M645;1)


SCAN COLOR IMAGES WITH YOUR IIGS AND QUICKIE   NEW!!! Quickie-C(tm)!!! With 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   our new color adaptor for 
the Quickie  scanner, you'll be able to scan color images into your Apple 
IIgs.  This process eliminates the need to purchase an expensive hand  
scanner. The adaptor comes complete with scanner cixture. built-in  light, 
color filters, and software. Just mount your Quickie scanner  green, and 
blue. The software automatically mixes the colors. After  just a few 
moments, a color image is displayed on your screen!

     o   Colorize in 16 or 3200 colors in 320-mode

     o   Options for using default desktop palettes to create desktop 
         images or 640-mode pictures for use with AppleWorksGS

     o   Software contrast and brightness controls allow find adjustment 
         of the final image

     o   Colorize scanned images with different settings as many times as 
         needed to produce the desired balance

     o   Wide scan option allows you to scan and colorize and image up to 
         8 inches wide

     o   Individual filter rescan functions let you correct scanning 
         errors without repeating the three filter passes

     o   Custom viewing mode allows you to scroll around a large picture, 
         even in 3200 color mode

     o   Palette sorting makes 3200-color images legible even when viewed 
         in 16 colors

     o   Monochrome toning allows you to save more interesting gray-scale 
         pictures using Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, and Selenium toning 
         effects (standard gray-scale is also still available)

     o   BONUS! With purchase of color adaptor above, Quickie 3.12.  New, 
         improved algorithm for gray-scale software gives smoother shading 
         transitions, and minimizes dithering effects even from newsprint.

     Quickie-C requires and Apple IIgs equipped with a minimum of 2MB RAM, 
and GS/OS System 6.0, or later.

     Introductory price: $99.95 (SRP 129.95)
                   (VITESSE, CAT40, TOP8, MSG:210/M645;1)


BETA BLUEDISK CONTROLLER NOW FOR SALE   Silence is golden...
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   
     ...but we don't want to be too golden (we have been busy behind the 
scene).  So we think it's time to open sales a bit.  You might have noticed 
that a lot of beta tests have been done on the BlueDisk card and the 
results aren't too bad IMHO.  We have discussed features of BlueDisk, we 
have fixed some minor bugs, we have changed and optimized the behavior of 
BlueDisk to make disk handling as comfortable as possible.  You have heard 
that BlueDisk's appearance in the operating system now comes very close to 
Apple's original drives (this has been a rather difficult thing to do).  
And you have heard that many different disk formats can be read or written 
(and of course formatted).  Yes, I dare to say that this is the most 
versatile floppy disk controller for the Apple II.  Last not least, 
BlueDisk is the absolutely cheapest way to use high capacity floppy disks 
with your Apple II.  If you only read this message, please step back and 
read all messages beginning from mid January 1994 (in addition, two 
BlueDisk pictures are available in the A2 library).

     BlueDisk's firmware and software have reached a state where we can 
offer cards to you.  Yes, you can get a BlueDisk card _now_.  You would 
receive a firmware/software that still has "beta version" numbers and there 
still _could_ be some minor bugs.  But our tests show that no bugs have 
been left that could be essential to data security.

     So, once again, we can offer BlueDisk cards which are in "final" 
hardware condition and have "near final" software versions. If software 
upgrades are required, you can get them free via the GEnie A2 library, or 
our beta testers probably will help. Joachim Lange of SHH Systeme confirms 
that all results about beta tests and performance published here in BB 
topic 13 are authentic and true.

     Here is a short list of things you get if you buy a BlueDisk now:

     o   A floppy disk controller that supports DD, HD and ED MFM floppy 
         drives (5.25" and 3.5", "MS-DOS style") in a variety of formats.

     o   a utility disk that contains a GS/OS driver and a program that 
         helps you checking MFM drive installation. Additional utilities 
         are in work but not complete.

     o   A "draft" manual (preliminary) written in English.

     o   One year limited warranty on parts and labour.

     o   support here in the bulletin board and via the A2 library. 
         (BlueDisk works with Apple IIe enhanced and Apple IIGS ROM01 or 
         ROM03)

     Some important features not mentioned before:

     o   Tested with Archiver backup (720K to 2.88meg per disk, 
         uncompressed)

     o   Tested with HardPressed

     o   Tested with MTools (MS-DOS read, write (!) and format (!))

     o   Works in slot 5 if slot is set to your card (new)

     o   Tested with PC-Transporter (some restrictions apply: you cannot 
         boot MS-DOS, drive parameters must be set up correctly and 
         DRIVER.SYS must be installed, _same_ problems that occur with a 
         floptical drive connected to a SCSI card).

     Some important things about what's _not_ working (which, in our 
opinion, isn't the fault of BlueDisk):

     o   ProSel 16 refuses to backup on non-Apple, non-slot 5 floppy 
         drives.

     o   Salvation Backup doesn't recognize non-Apple floppy drives.

     o   ProSel 8  Cat Doctor doesn't format correctly.

     o   MFORMAT (MTools v1.3) won't allow to _change_ the low-level 
         format of the current disk. Blank disks aren't formatted as 
         expected. No GS/OS formatting dialog is presented before 
         formatting begins.

Pricing:   This is an introductory offer and it will be valid for a limited 
''''''''   time only.

 BlueDisk single card package as described before:

     US $109  plus  $16 shipping/handling
     two packages:    $109 each plus $21 s/h
     three packages:  $109 each plus $24 s/h

Shipping is via standard air mail for overseas orders.

Payment:   All orders must be prepaid.  We accept payment by cash, check or 
''''''''   money order (American or German currency) and payment via post 
office.  If payment is _not_ by cash, an additional fee of US $10 (DM 17) 
is required (we have to pay this fee to get the cash for the check).  If 
you feel unsure when sending cash, please use registered mail.

///SHH SYSTEME Dipl. Ing.
Joachim Lange
Bergstrasse 95
82131 Stockdorf Germany
GEnie: J.LANGE7
(J.LANGE7, CAT13, TOP23, MSG:265/M645;1)


                       >>> THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE <<<
                       """""""""""""""""""""""""""""

IIGS FAX SOFTWARE?   I noticed several messages in A2 over the past week 
""""""""""""""""""   about people asking for send/receive fax capability 
right from their Apple II.  Although it is more likely that Apple IIGS 
users will see this wish fulfilled first, I would not hesitate to say the 
//e and //c may eventually have the proper software as well (Timeout Fax, 
anyone?).  :)  I also noticed Bill Heinemann was dropping delicious little 
tidbits about SimCity GS in another category. Here is my little 
firestarter.  ;-)

     When file #22282 has been verified and released, please download it 
to see an actual transmission received by GS fax software.  The original 
file was twice the size in both dimensions, but it was reduced by 50% to 
make the file size more manageable.  I can't give out many more details at 
the moment, except to say Richard Wifall is the author of the software.  It 
is presently in alpha, but he expects to begin beta testing in a couple of 
weeks.  There is already a working G3->APF converter (that's what produced 
the graphic you see in the library), and there are tentative plans to 
produce it as a stand-alone application, an NDA (for receiving faxes at any 
time) and as a shell utility for GNO and ORCA users.

     Please post your comments, feature requests, suggestions for a name, 
etc. in this topic.  I will forward them to Rich from time to time.  If you 
want to contact him yourself, he can be reached on the Internet as 
rwifall@nmsu.edu (RWIFALL@NMSU.EDU@INET# from the GEnie e-mail page).
                     (B.TAO, CAT10, TOP9, MSG:1/M645;1)

<<<<<   The sendfax portion will initially be coded as a standard GS/OS
"""""   device driver.  All you do is drop the appropriate faxmodem driver 
in your System folder and away you go.  When you're in AWGS, go into the 
"DC Printers" control panel and pick your faxmodem rather than your 
printer.  Then you can "print" your document to the faxmodem without having 
to go through a hard copy first!  IMHO, this is the *only* reasonable way 
to write a sendfax (i.e., as a printer driver rather than a stand-alone 
utility).  This means anything that uses the Print Manager will now have 
fax capability.

     Faxes generated directly by a computer are MUCH cleaner than the 
spotty, "dirty", misaligned stuff you see with a regular fax machine.  The 
graphic file I uploaded will prove this nicely.

     Number: 22295  Name: FAXCOVER.BXY
     Address: B.TAO                Date: 940224
     Approximate # of bytes: 56960
     Library: 23

     This is the cover page of a fax transmission sent by NEC's 
     FastFacts(tm) document request service. The original fax image was 
     received on an Apple IIGS running as-yet unnamed software, converted 
     and scaled down to a 320-mode 864x1100 APF graphic.  You will need 
     Platinum Paint 2.0 to view and print this graphic.  The ShowMe! NDA 
     and FinderView 3.0 Finder extension will also view this oversized APF.  
     Please see Category 10, Topic 9 for discussion on fax software for the 
     Apple II.
                     (B.TAO, CAT10, TOP9, MSG:9/M645;1)


SIMCITY FOR THE IIGS   Don't count out SimCity GS ...
""""""""""""""""""""   
                  (BURGERBILL, CAT6, TOP2, MSG:158/M645;1)

>>>>>   And, with that cryptic comment, Bill has set off a new wave of
"""""   rumors and excitement, like nobody else can!

     Way to go, Bill!! :)

 -- Eric S.
    (aka Sheppy)
                  (E.SHEPHERD, CAT6, TOP2, MSG:159/M645;1)

<<<<<   It is SimCity Classic (NOT 2000) and it has the terrain editor
"""""
Burger           (BURGERBILL, CAT6, TOP3, MSG:290/M645;1)


ELECTRONIC ARTS BUYS BRODERBUND   Interesting note:  It was just announced 
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   that Broderbund will become a wholly 
owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts.  To be finalized in the next few 
months.  Maybe now _would_ be a good time to hit them up.
                   (P.CREAGER, CAT6, TOP2, MSG:152/M645;1)

>>>>>   That is scary -- EA now really owns the market, after buying out
"""""   Origin last year. Serria is about the only other really big 
competitor.

Bryan           (SOFTDISK.INC, CAT5, TOP3, MSG:525/M645;1)


WRITING ADVENTURES ON THE IIGS   Actually, years and years ago I tried to 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   write a game using Eamon, but it wasn't my 
idea of a great time. :)

     I've used TADS on MS-DOS, and I can use that quite nicely, but 
there's no IIGS version.

     One of the other adventure design languages has been ported, but I 
don't like it much.

     I'm trying to compile Inform, which lets you create Infocom-format 
adventures that can be played by Big Red's Lost Treasures of Infocom 
package, but have run into some problems getting it to compile (ORCA/C is 
running out of memory while building one of the files-- I need to split it 
up :).

     Another reason I haven't looked at Eamon again is that I read 
somewhere that a new version of Eamon (v7.0?) would be out soon, but I 
haven't seen it yet.

-- Eric S.
   (aka Sheppy)
                  (E.SHEPHERD, CAT34, TOP9, MSG:264/M645;1)


GEM FOR APPLEWORKS 4?   We're nearing completion of the beta cycle.  As 
"""""""""""""""""""""   soon as the documentation changes are completed, we 
will need to do a final short test on the installer and then we'll be 
ready.  It shouldn't be long now.

   Greg [ A2U Guy ]    ...via GEM 4.22 and Spectrum     
                  (A2PRO.GREG, CAT29, TOP4, MSG:52/M645;1)


THE MAGIC NEWS GROUP READER
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[Now works with:
     AppleWorks 3.0 with UltraMacros 3.1
     AppleWorks 3.0 with Ultra 4, 4.1, 4.2
     AppleWorks 4.x with or without UltraMacros 4.3]

Allows readers of Proline USENET/InterNet news groups to quickly read and 
process, WHILE OFF-LINE, their news group captures saved in an AppleWorks 
file. The MNGR greatly facilitates and increase your pleasure and speed 
while reading hundreds of news group messages.

For details go to GEnie / A2 / CAT 13 /TOPIC 5
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                 (G.E.HAYMAN, CAT10, TOP10, MSG:191/M645;1)

>>>>>   Gary - A few months back, you'd said that as soon as you finished
"""""   the AW 4 version of your Magic News Reader, that you'd then think 
about expanding its use to other than ProLine news reading.

     Is that still a plan?

     If so, what can I send you to show you what usenet newsgroups look 
like on my site?

     I'd love to have an offline usenet reader!

Joe Kohn          (J.KOHN, CAT10, TOP10, MSG:192/M645;1)

<<<<<   Right now, THE MAGIC NEWS GROUP READER relies on several
"""""   standards: 1) 'CS-ID: ' starts the FIRST line of each new newsgroup 
message 2) 'Subject: ' starts the FOURTH line of each message

     With AW4, I feel that that could easily be adjusted to meet a variety 
of headers -- provided the formats remain constant from message to message.

     Why don't you send me a 'cut' of three or four messages that you 
would normally capture and I could take a look at it to see if I could go 
further with this and possibly expand THE MAGIC NEWS GROUP READER.

     Joe, handy for you would be the Clipping feature of MNGR.  Since you 
are a collector of information for SSII, as you peruse the newsgroups you 
can instantly 'clip' information of interest. Also, the ability to follow 
threads is of great value.

     TO OTHERS:   If your news group messages are different than the 
typical pro-line messages (CS-ID  and  Subject) then send me a 'cut' of 
yours so that I can play with them.

     PLEASE: SEND info to me at my EMAIL address of:  ghayman@cap.gwu.edu

Gary Hayman - MAGICAL SOFTWARE (CAT 13 TOPIC 5)
                 (G.E.HAYMAN, CAT10, TOP10, MSG:194/M645;1)


APPLEWORKS GS THIS SPRING   I was hoping that my mentioning it would spur 
"""""""""""""""""""""""""   Quality into making a official 
announcement/press release here in A2.  But since they have remained 
silent, I will give the information that they included in the flyer.BTW 
when you recieve the flyer look on the back page near the mailing 
information.  Here is what it says:

          APPLEWORKS GS 2.0 Coming Spring 94
          Dozens of new & improved features!

     o   Macro record & playback
     o   Compatible with Pointless(tm), The Manager(tm), and accelerators
     o   System 6 Savvy
     o   Import/Export to Macintosh WP format
     o   Print Preview
     o   Large fonts over 48 point
     o   Bezie`r curves and degree rotation in Paint module
     o   Text wraps around graphics
     o   Auto-Save
     o   GS/OS compatible clipboard
     o   Pre-defined envelope printer
     o   Many, many more!

          NEW! $99.95 Upgrade from 1.1

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

     My only question is:  If I order now will they wait until they ship 
before they charge my credit card? Now that I think about it thats what 
they did when I ordered AWKS 4.xx

     My faxed order will go in today!!! Thanks Quality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                (D.SINGLETON2, CAT42, TOP32, MSG:323/M645;1)


DIGISOFT TO SELL APPLE II CD   A quick status report: the CD is well 
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   underway.  I'm not predicting a release date 
yet though, as there still are too many variables :-)

     Thanks for everyone's support!

<<Jim             (DIGISOFT, CAT13, TOP29, MSG:56/M645;1)




LOOKING GOOD IN (LASER) PRINT   In a few issues of Shareware Solutions II, 
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   I have referred to low cost laser printer 
options. A few issues back, I mentioned that the Okidata OL400e, a 300 DPI 
laser printer that offered HP LaserJet IIP series compatibility, was 
available for less than $500. If I remember correctly, I may have even 
offered my opinion that this printer was the printer that was going to 
start a laser printer price war.

     Imagine my surprise when I looked at my local newspaper today, and 
saw a huge ad for CompUSA - a computer "superstore" with branches around 
the country - offering the Oki OL400e for $389!?!

     Imagine that? A laser printer for less than $400?! Such A Deal!!

     Offering HP LaserJet IIP series compatibility, this printer is 
definitely worth checking out. It is essentially "plug and print" with the 
Apple II or IIGS. As you know, Shareware Solutions II is produced on an HP 
LaserJet II serie printer, so you should have an idea - if you've seen SSII 
- of what a LJ II is capable of outputting from an Apple II.

     I have not personally used this printer, so don't take this post as 
an endorsement of the Oki OL400e. But, if you are thinking of buying a new 
printer, you owe it to yourself to visit a CompUSA (or other computer 
warehouse stores) and see the OL400e for yourself. In the final analysis, 
only you can decide if this printer is worth buying for your Apple II 
system.

Joe Kohn           (J.KOHN, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:313/M645;1)


                         >>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
                         """""""""""""""""""""""""

Category 5,  Topic 3
Message 507       Tue Feb 08, 1994
A2.LUNATIC [Lunatic]         at 00:05 EST
 
    |\|ot to bring up an old arguement, again (uh oh, too late...), but Woz 
would have really done a disservice to those students to have bought them 
Apple IIs NOW, unless he was going to write all the software for them 
himself, service the hardware, and adapt many new peripherals for them on 
his own.  I'm sure Woz loves the Apple II as much as we all do, but the 
simple fact is, for new purchases, and for longevity, it just isn't the 
best buy.  Yes, if he'd been allowed to buy used equipment, he could have 
gotten a good deal on Apple IIs -- but I don't know of any schools that 
allow large purchases of used equipment, and I don't know of any single 
vendor that would have full labs' worth of appropriate Apple IIs and 
associated hardware and software to sell (much less service and support).

    \/\/e're here, we love our machines, they do what we want, they have 
lots of life and new capabilities left in them, and we're going to stick by 
them (and them by us) for a long time to come.  But our world, the Apple II 
world, is not growing any more, and we shouldn't expect it to.  We are 
still here IN SPITE of everyone else, and that's because we, as Apple II 
users, owners, and programers, have the strength to weather these blows.  
To ask others to join us now, as we stand shoulder to shoulder against the 
crushing hordes of the MS-DOS/Windows/Mac industry, would not be fair.

    ][t takes strength to be an Apple II user, today.


                                                          -= Lunatic     (:

                                 [*][*][*]


     While on GEnie, do  you spend most of your time  downloading files?
If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin
Board  area.   The messages  listed above  only scratch  the surface  of
what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area.

     If you're serious about your Apple II, the GEnieLamp staff strongly
urge  you to give the  bulletin board area a try.   There are  literally
thousands  of messages  posted  from people  like you from  all over the
world.



[EOA]
[REF]//////////////////////////////
                     REFLECTIONS /
/////////////////////////////////
Thinking About Online Communications
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Phil Shapiro
   [P.SHAPIRO1]



    >>> SHARED LONG DISTANCE BILLING: A PHONE SERVICE LONG OVERDUE <<<
    """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

     Each month my phone company sends me information about the new 
enhanced phone services they have to offer.  And each month I scan the list 
looking for something that might truly be useful.  It seems at times that 
phone companies have gone to great lengths to provide every new feature we 
don't need, and few new features that we do need.

     At the top of the list of enhanced features the phone company should 
be providing is "shared billing".  Shared billing is a way of splitting the 
cost of long distance calls between the caller and the receiver of the 
call.  The concept of "shared billing" has great possible uses in both the 
business and residential phone market.

     Take, for instance, the case of a small business that sells its 
products nationwide.  If the business cannot afford to set up a toll-free 
phone line, it is faced with a difficult dilemma:  it cannot afford to pick 
up the entire cost of calls from prospective customers, yet it does not 
want to shift the cost of those calls entirely onto the shoulders of those 
prospective customers.  Both the small business and the prospective 
customer have a shared interest in the communication taking place from such 
a call.

     So it would be to everyone's benefit if the billing would be shared.  
The end result?  When each party feels that the conversation should come to 
an end, the call can be terminated.  Both parties can avoid being in the 
awkward position of picking up the entire cost of the call.

     Likewise, shared billing would be fondly embraced by long distance 
lovers.  With Janine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Justin in Washington DC, 
what better way to promote a harmonious relationship than to have long 
distance bills split evenly on both phone bills?  Chances are long distance 
lovers would spend even more time on the phone than they already do if the 
billing of the calls were shared.

     How might this "shared billing" service be implemented, you ask?  
Very much in the same way that long distance collect calls are now 
implemented.  The calling party might dial a special two digit prefix to 
signal that he or she wanted to place a "shared billing" call.  So Justin 
in Washington, DC might prefix Janine's phone number with the two digits 
"99."

     The long distance phone company would then recognize that a shared 
billing call was being placed.  The next step would be for the long 
distance phone company to prompt Justin to clearly enunciate his name and 
city, so that Janine can be alerted to an incoming shared billing call from 
her beloved.

     Janine, on her side, would receive a phone call that started with an 
automated message from the long distance phone company.  The automated 
message would run something to the effect:  "A shared billing call has been 
placed to this number from Justin in Washington DC.  Press the two digits 
99 to accept this call."

     Janine could then have the option of accepting or declining the 
"shared billing" call.

     It seems to me that the "shared billing" concept goes far beyond a 
"mere convenience".  When used in a business setting, "shared billing" 
could act as a serious stimulus to small business.  Considering the vital 
role that small businesses will be playing in the information age economy, 
this new phone feature could speed up the wheels of our economy in ways 
that will benefit consumers and businesses alike.

     Considering its possible uses in both residential and business phone 
service, long distance companies would do well to give serious thought to 
bringing "shared billing" services online.  In case the executives at phone 
companies are too busy with their conference calls to read this article, my 
message to them can be boiled down to: "Get smart.  Call 99."

-Phil Shapiro

                                 [*][*][*]

          The author takes a keen interest in the social dimensions of 
          communications technology.  He can be reached on GEnie at: 
          P.SHAPIRO1; on America Online at:  pshapiro.



[EOA]
[BEG]//////////////////////////////
               BEGINNER'S CORNER /
/////////////////////////////////
Polishing Green Apples
""""""""""""""""""""""
By Steve Weyhrich
     [S.WEYHRICH]



                    >>> HOOKED ON STORAGE (Part 1) <<<
                    """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

PREAMBLE   We hold these truths to be self evident; that not all computers
""""""""   or their users are created equally.  Therefore, with this 
Polishing Green Apples article I will begin a discussion about hard disks, 
which can level the playing field somewhat between our favorite computer 
and those Big Blue and Big Mac things out there.  I plan to address their 
internal workings (the basics), what they can be used for, their cost, how 
to use them to the fullest, and anything else of interest that I can come 
up with.


CONSUME MASS QUANTITIES!   When talking about the resources of your
""""""""""""""""""""""""   computer (memory, storage, and speed), most 
newer applications for the Apple II and IIgs tend to do just that:  Consume 
mass quantities.  Okay, so you probably don't absolutely NEED a hard drive 
in order to make use of your computer.  You CAN continue to use floppy 
disks, either 5.25 inch (which hold 143K) or 3.5 inch (holding 800K).  You 
do NOT need to take advantage of any of those ads that recently have 
appeared for low cost hard disks or "floptical" drives...

     ...and you don't really NEED power steering, power brakes, fuel 
injection, AM/FM Cassette, or air bags in your new car...

     But...

     ...those items can sure make things easier for you as a driver.  And 
in the same way, a hard disk can make things significantly more convenient 
for you as a computer user, whether you consider yourself a "power" user or 
not.  In fact, using an Apple IIgs WITHOUT a hard drive is getting 
downright frustrating these days.  Some newer applications require so much 
disk swapping (even with TWO of the 3.5 drives) that they can become more 
hassle than they are worth.

     Let's face it, the "good ol' days" when a program AND its data files 
would fit comfortably on a 143K floppy disk are long gone.  Programs are 
larger (because users have demanded more and better features), and the data 
files that they create and use have also become larger.  Additionally, just 
keeping track of your library of programs can become difficult when they 
are spread over some 30 to 50 (for some users, over 200) different disks.

     As in an earlier article, let's begin with some pertinent 
definitions. For a general review on how disks work at their most basic 
level, I suggest you obtain the February 1993 GEnieLamp A2, which carried 
part 9 of my AppleII History.  (Either file #1078 or #1075 from GEnie's 
DigiPub libraries.)  In that segment I explained in detail the concept of 
interleave, and how it affects the speed at which data can be read from or 
written to disks, which is applicable to hard disks as well as the older 
floppy disks.


DEFINITIONS (for disk drives)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Disk   A storage device, usually made up of a plastic film coated with
''''   magnetic particles (much like the tape used in audio cassettes). 
Aligning these tiny magnetic specks one way represents a binary "0", and in 
another direction as a binary "1".

Floppy disk   A flexible disk within a protective envelope of firmer
'''''''''''   plastic.  It has most commonly come in 5 1/4 (or 5.25) inch 
size in the past, (and 8 inches also, but that size never penetrated very 
far in the Apple II world).  However, the newer 3 1/2 (or 3.5) inch size 
has been popularized over the past ten years by the Macintosh and other 
newer generation computers.  Strictly speaking, the 3.5 disks are still 
considered to be "floppy", even though the flexible part of the disk is 
encased in a hard plastic shell with a metal sliding window to afford 
greater protection to the surface of the disk.

Hard disk   Also known as a "fixed disk", this device is significant for
'''''''''   its much greater storage capacity.  Where the Apple II standard 
5.25 disk typically holds about 143K of data, and a 3.5 disk holds 800K 
(.14 and .78 meg, respectively), a hard disk holds anywhere from 5 meg to 
over 1000 meg of data.  A hard disk is not usually as portable as a floppy 
disk, since it is built directly into the mechanism that reads and writes 
the data.  However, a company known as Syquest has created a series of hard 
disks that are removable, with capacities of 44 meg, 88 meg, and 105 meg.

Magneto-optical drive   These drives are currently significantly more
'''''''''''''''''''''   expensive than other mass storage drives available. 
However, their storage capacity is quite high, and the disks are NOT 
sensitive to stray magnetic fields as are most other disks used in 
computers.  The term "magneto-optical" means that this type of disk uses 
both magnetic AND optical technology in it function.

     An optical disk is much like a CD or CD-ROM, except that it can be 
written to.  When reading, a laser is aimed at the disk surface, and the 
direction that the light is deflected determines whether it was a "1" bit 
or "0" bit.  When writing, a higher-powered laser heats the disk surface to 
the point where its previous "1" or "0" is erased, and while it cools, a 
magnetic field is used to determine the NEW bit that is written there.

     Because it is more complicated, the currently magneto-optical drives 
are slower than standard hard drives, but the resistance of the disks to 
accidental erasure make them more reliable for long-term storage.  This is 
currently as close to a re-writable CD-ROM that we have gotten.

Floptical   This is a trademarked term, which means "floppy drive,
'''''''''   optically tracked".  It is made by only a few companies that 
have joined together to create and market these drives as a mass storage 
alternative to the traditional fixed or hard drive.  The disks look just 
like a standard 3.5 floppy disk, but is very different in the amount of 
data it can hold, currently either 20 or 40 megs.  This type of a storage 
device is similar to older drives in the way which data is stored on the 
disk surface, using a magnetic read/write head.  However, other types of 
disk drives use a stepper motor or a mechanical screw to position the 
read/write head over the disk surface; a magneto-optical drive uses an 
optical sensor to determine where on the disk surface the head should be 
placed.  With this method, higher densities of data storage can be 
obtained, 1245 tracks per inch, compared to the more typical 135 tracks per 
inch on a standard floppy disk.  However, it also requires a disk medium 
that has been specially created to containing the tracking marks that the 
optical sensor uses to place the read/write head, and so each disk is 
significantly more expensive than a standard 3.5 floppy.

     Another advantage of the Floptical drives are their ability to ALSO 
handle the standard (in the MS-DOS world) 720K and 1.44 meg 3.5 inch floppy 
disks.  So with this disk drive you can have the advantages of a large 
removable storage device, plus the ability to manage older types of disks.

CD-ROM drive   An audio CD uses a laser to read the digitized musical
''''''''''''   "data" from the disk and relay that to other circuitry, 
which turns it into sound.  A CD-ROM does the same thing, but uses it 
simply as data which COULD be sound, but also can be programs, pictures, 
and more.  These drives are getting to a critical mass in the computer 
marketplace, and more CD-ROM disks are becoming available all the time.

     Although SCSI CD-ROM drives meant for the Macintosh have been usable 
on the Apple II and IIgs for some time, there have not been many of the 
CD-ROM disks that were useful for our computer.  However, the new discQuest 
software from Sequential Systems makes it possible to utilize the 
proprietary coded data on many of the popular CD-ROMs that are available, 
opening up the CD-ROM world to the Apple II.

Tape drive   The original tape drive for the Apple II was a standard
''''''''''   cassette recorder using audio tapes.  It was slow and not very 
easy to use.  Modern tape drives are capable of higher density for data 
storage, and faster access.  However, because of the way that a tape works 
-- in a linear fashion -- tape access will never be as fast as disk access.  
(This is for the same reason that it is faster to jump between songs on a 
record album or a CD in random order than to rewind and fast-forward a 
cassette to do the same thing.)  These are used primarily for backing up 
data from a hard disk.

RAM disk   Acts just like a disk drive with moving parts, but is in reality
''''''''   just a bank of RAM chips with software that designates where 
data is stored in the bank.  The advantage is speed (no moving parts to 
wait for), but the disadvantage is data stored on a RAM disk disappears 
when the power is turned off.

Backup/restore   Because the law that states "Anything that can go wrong,
''''''''''''''   will go wrong" definitely applies to computers, it is 
necessary to ensure that if something goes wrong with your large storage 
device you have a protection from loss of important data files.  Think of 
it as "safe computing".  In this case, it does not involve a condom, but 
rather making a duplicate copy of your vital files and keeping the copy in 
a safe place.  With floppy disks, it may be as simple as duplicating the 
entire disk, and then putting the duplicate away.  For a hard disk, it is 
unlikely that you just happen to have ANOTHER hard disk sitting around to 
use for backing it up.  In that case, you need to be able to write part of 
the hard disk files to several smaller capacity disks, or perhaps to a 
tape.  When you load files back onto your hard disk from the backup disks, 
this is called "restoring" the files.

Sector   A term describing a certain number of bytes that are stored as a
''''''   group on the disk surface.  In DOS 3.3, data was read from or 
written to the disk in 256-byte sectors.  This was felt to be the best 
compromise between the limited memory available on older Apple IIs 
(requiring smaller sector sizes) and the speed of disk access (which could 
be improved with larger sector sizes).

     With the small disk capacities available with the older Apple II 
operating systems (143K for DOS 3.3, and 112K for DOS 3.2), a smaller 
sector size made more sense.  This is because even if a file consisted of 
only 50 bytes of data, 256 bytes was still the minimum size that could be 
used as a holding space for that data on the disk.  The other 206 bytes 
were wasted space.  A larger sector size would just have the potential for 
wasting more space if many small files were stored on the disk.  An older 
operating system, CP/M, used 128-byte sectors.  However, as a file gets 
larger and larger, it requires more overhead in the directory to store the 
map that tells the disk system where the sectors that make up the file can 
be found.  A larger sector size makes for smaller file maps.

Block   The Sophisticated Operating System (SOS) designed for the Apple III
'''''   redesigned the data structure for disk access so 512-byte chucks of 
data were used.  These were called "blocks", and allowed data to be read a 
bit faster with each disk operation; reading 256 bytes twice was slower 
than reading 512 bytes once.  ProDOS was designed as a subset of SOS, and 
so used exactly the same disk format.

Track   Data stored on the surface of a disk are arranged as concentric
'''''   circles, one within another.  These circles of data are called 
tracks.  Each type of disk device has its own peculiarities as to how many 
tracks can be utilized on the disk surface, and how many sectors or blocks 
can be placed on a single track.  The older 5.25 disks used on the Apple II 
have a standard of 16 sectors per track, and 35 tracks per disk (DOS 3.2 
could only handle 13 sectors per track).  The 3.5 disks use a varying 
number of sectors per track, with fewer as you go from the outer rim of the 
disk toward the center.  Since the tracks are smaller in diameter at the 
inner part of the disk, there is less disk media available for packing data 
into blocks (fewer inches of disk pass under the read/write head until the 
track starts over), and so some disk devices have fewer blocks per track on 
the inner tracks.

Interleave   Refers to the way in which groups of data are written to a
''''''''''   disk to achieve the best throughput and speed for the device 
being used.  A fast disk drive might be able to use a 1:1 interleave, where 
the physical number of a disk sector corresponds to the logical number of 
the data sector being written to it.  A slower drive or slower controlling 
software may need to use a 2:1 or higher interleave, to allow the drive to 
read a sector, and while it is processing it, have one or more disk sectors 
pass beneath the read/write head that are ignored.  If the interleave is 
set correctly, the disk should be at the right position when the software 
is ready for the next sector of data to be immediately read.

DOS 3.3   (NOT the "DOS 3.3" that was released by Microsoft for the IBM PC
'''''''   a few years ago.)  This oldest disk operating system for the 
Apple II still in use.  (DOS 3.3 was preceded by DOS 3.1, 3.2, and 3.2.1, 
but they are little more than historical curiosities now.)  It is limited 
primarily to 5.25 disks, although with some patches it can be made to work 
on hard disks or 3.5 disks.  This disk operating system is quite liberal in 
the types of characters allowed in naming files.  A filename under DOS 3.3 
can be nearly ANY character in the ASCII set, even if that character would 
not display on the screen; however, it may not handle lowercase characters 
well, since it was designed to work with the Apple II Plus, which did not 
have lowercase.  A filename must start with a printable letter (A-Z), but 
after that, anything goes.  Examples include "APPLE-VISION", "A REALLY #$%@ 
FILE", or "THIS FILE IS _____".  The length of the filenames was limited to 
30 characters or less.

ProDOS   Known now as ProDOS 8, it stands for "Professional Disk Operating
''''''   System", and is more flexible than DOS 3.3 in the types of disk 
devices it will support, and how much capacity on each disk is allowed.  A 
filename under ProDOS must start with a letter, is limited to only 15 
characters, and those characters can only be letters, numbers, or a period. 
Examples include "BASIC.SYSTEM", "B1.2.3.WOW", "B.....C...D".  The largest 
size disk device supported under ProDOS is 32 meg, and so a hard disk that 
is larger than 32 megs must be partitioned into multiple volumes that are 
32 megs or smaller.

     One of the other advances that came about with ProDOS 8 was device 
independence.  That is, ProDOS was not tied down to a specific type of disk 
hardware, as DOS 3.3 was (which was designed to work only with 5.25 disks, 
although it was patched many different ways to allow it to use other types 
of disk devices).  As far as ProDOS is concerned, if the software that 
controls a disk device responds to certain types of commands in the right 
way, it does not care whether that device is a 5.25 disk, 3.5 disk, hard 
disk, RAM disk, or tape drive.  If the right controlling software was 
designed, you could even attach a computer via a phone line and modem to a 
large disk storage device elsewhere, and data could be saved and loaded 
from that remote device just as if it was right there on the desk next to 
the computer.  In fact, an AppleTalk network works very much like that 
example (minus the phone line and modem, of course).

GS/OS   A true chameleon of an operating system.  Its earlier incarnation,
'''''   ProDOS 16, was shipped with the original Apple IIgs, and in that 
form ONLY handled disk input and output, and actually made use of the older 
8-bit code in ProDOS 8 for most of what it did.  When GS/OS came out, it 
was designed to deal with nearly everything that the computer did, in 
addition to disk functions.

Directory   A list of files on a disk, usually including other information
'''''''''   about the file's size, the date it was created or modified, and 
the kind of information the file holds.

Catalog   The same as a directory, but an older name used with DOS 3.3 or
'''''''   earlier operating systems.

Subdirectory   Just like a directory, but at a "deeper" level than the main
''''''''''''   or root directory on a disk.  Makes it possible to organize 
files in different groups.

Partition   This refers to a method of taking a disk device and "breaking
'''''''''   it up" into two or more smaller sized disks.  On a PHYSICAL 
basis, this does not mean that the disk is actually changed.  On a LOGICAL 
basis, the disk device may either have a storage capacity that exceeds what 
the operating system is able to handle, or it may need to be divided up for 
the convenience of the user.

     A disk drive that has been partitioned into two or more smaller 
devices may APPEAR to the computer and its disk operating system as if 
there were more than one PHYSICAL device attached.  For example, the 
maximum size disk volume that ProDOS can handle is 32 megs.  If a 40 meg 
hard disk is attached to a computer running the ProDOS operating system, 
only 32 megs of it will be usable, and 8 megs would be unavailable and 
therefore wasted.  Partitioning that disk into different sized volumes 
(20/20 or 30/10 or 32/8) allows ALL of it to be used for storage.

     With the older DOS 3.3 operating system, in which a 143K disk size 
was standard, hard drives used at that time were logically divided up into 
multiple 143K volumes.  In this case, there was still a particular slot and 
drive that was assigned to the disk controller card, but any particular 
143K "disk" on that hard disk was accessed via a "V" parameter ("V" for 
volume) in DOS 3.3 disk commands.  A catalog command would then be issued 
as "CATALOG,S5,D1,V1", "CATALOG,S5,D1,V2", and so on.

SCSI   Stands for "Small Computer Systems Interface", and is usually
''''   pronounced "scuzzy".  It refers to a set of commands that are used 
to control storage devices of various types.  The SCSI protocol even allows 
the use of devices such as modems and printers, but I haven't seen much of 
this penetrate into personal computers as a whole, and none have appeared 
for any computer in the Apple II line.

     When the term "SCSI" is used with the name of another piece of 
hardware, it means that that device is intended to be used on a chain of 
devices that all communicate with one another via the SCSI command set. 
Therefore, a SCSI cable is used to connect a SCSI hard drive and a SCSI 
tape drive to the SCSI controller card plugged into a computer.

     Generally speaking, connecting a SCSI device to a computer is no more 
complicated than turning off the power, plugging it in, and turning it back 
on.  In reality, however, this sometimes requires a bit more to be done to 
make it function properly.


CONCLUDING STATEMENTS   We'll stop here for now, and let you chew on that
"""""""""""""""""""""   for a while.  Next time I will begin to get into 
some suggestions on how to organize your hard disk to get the best use out 
of it.  In the meantime, keep your eyes on those sale prices -- hard disks 
are getting more affordable all the time!


                                 [*][*][*]

          Steve Weyhrich is a family physician from Omaha, Nebraska.  He 
          has been using Apple II computers since 1981, and writing about 
          them since 1990.  He follows closely the events that continue to 
          shape the destiny of the legendary Apple II and IIgs computers, 
          and writes a monthly column called the "A2 News Digest" for 
          A2-Central disk magazine.  He is also the author of the "Apple II 
          History", available on fine BBSes everywhere.



[EOA]
[TEC]//////////////////////////////
                       TECH TALK /
/////////////////////////////////
Apple II Hybrids
""""""""""""""""
By Jay Curtis
  [J.CURTIS8]



                >>> FILE SYSTEMS AND THE PC TRANSPORTER <<<
                """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

     Who really needs a PC Transporter?  After all, in a world that has 
become thoroughly dominated by Microsoft Windows, what advantage is there 
in adding what is "merely" a DOS engine to an Apple II?

     When considering this question, it is good to keep in mind that 
Windows must run on top of DOS, and nearly anything that can be written to 
MS-DOS can be imported to a Windows application.  In fact, some DOS 
fanatics view Windows as little more than a specialized DOS user interface, 
program launcher and file manager.(1)  If you happen to be someone who 
loves the capabilities of their Apple IIe or IIgs, but must routinely work 
in the MS-DOS and/or Macintosh worlds, the addition of a PCT card may be a 
perfect option to pursue.

     Any Apple II user who has ever had to work on a PC, however, knows 
that MS-DOS is a pain to navigate from the command line.   More current 
versions of MS-DOS (4.0, 5.0 and 6.x) have made desktop navigation easier 
by supplying a shell with pull down menus, popup dialogue boxes, and mouse 
capability.  On the PC Transporter, the Apple mouse works acceptably with 
MS-DOS programs that use the mouse.  Hybrid users must, however, configure 
the PCT by adding the appropriate mouse drivers through the PCT's control 
panel and through MS-DOS.  Several users have reported running MS-DOS 6.2 
(the latest version) with no problems on their Apple II/PC hybrids.  Many 
more, however, continue to use MS-DOS 3.3 and 5.0, regarding them as the 
most stable and least likely DOS versions to cause any difficulties.

     Applied Engineering gives users the option of attaching a PC keyboard 
to their Transporter or of using the Apple keyboard and mouse in PC 
emulation.  Apple users who are most comfortable with their Apple keyboard 
will probably want to use Applied's emulation rather than attaching the PC 
keyboard.  The emulation relies upon the use of macro key combinations for 
function keys and upon key substitutions on the numeric keypad for such 
things as page up, page down, right, left, numlock, print screen, etc.

GS/OS vs MS-DOS   Unlike GS/OS users, who have up to 8MB of directly
"""""""""""""""   addressable, conventional RAM available, MS-DOS users 
have had to beg, borrow and steal additional RAM to get beyond the basic 
640K to which MS-DOS has always been limited.  Consequently, there now 
exists a confusing potpourri of memory protocols for "messydos" users, 
which include "Conventional, Expanded, Extended, High, and Upper" memory.  
DOS users, who need to run Windows or other memory-hungry applications on a 
regular PC, must configure DOS to use these additional areas of memory for 
storage of device drivers, TSRs,(2) and parts of the operating system 
itself.  Most Apple II/PC hybrid users, however, will probably not need to 
bother with all of these machinations, given that GS/OS or ProDOS will be 
used as their principal operating system.

     As 16-bit operating systems go, GS/OS 6.0.1 pretty well beats MS-DOS 
6.2 hands down.  Even the most casual user can't help but notice the 
superiority of the GS/OS desktop user interface over the MS-DOS shell on a 
640x200 display.  There are better color availability, use of icons, 
resizable and movable windows, superior sound capability and much superior 
program launching and file management.  MS-DOS users must always add 
Windows to DOS to get anything comparable to GS/OS.  Even then, many Apple 
users feel that Windows comes up short.  Beneath the obvious cosmetic 
advantage over MS-DOS is GS/OS's ability to function as a full operating 
system which manages virtually every aspect of I/O.  The ease with which 
GS/OS can be configured and expanded through the use of desk accessories, 
control panel devices, inits, system extensions and so forth, should make 
PC users green with envy.

     However, despite the advantages of GS/OS over MS-DOS, PC users are 
NOT green with envy.  In fact, millions upon millions of them blithely use 
their computers each day, quite unaware that there might be anything any 
better than MS-DOS or Windows.  It has been said so often that it has 
become cliche, yet it still bears repeating:  If Apple had not held back 
development of GS/OS or promotion of the IIgs, there would probably be many 
fewer MS-DOS machines around now, especially in education.  Because today's 
students are tomorrow's business market, more earnest promotion of the 
Apple II series would have made good business sense.  Nonetheless, that 
isn't how it all came about.  The important point for Apple II users to 
consider about MS-DOS is that, while it may not be especially wonderful, it 
is UBIQUITOUS.

MS-DOS TERRITORY   In my city, the "MS-DOS 6.2 Upgrade" package occupied
""""""""""""""""   the largest portion of software retail shelf space in 
nearly every software retail store I visited this past December.  In 1992, 
IBM added the ability to run multiple DOS sessions simultaneously under 
their most advanced operating system, OS/2.(3)  Earlier versions of OS/2 
could run only one DOS session.  That change, along with increased support 
for Windows, have probably contributed to a four-fold increase in OS/2 
sales.  Windows NT supports MS-DOS and can also run multiple DOS sessions 
under what it calls "VDMs" (Virtual DOS Machines).  "Soft PC" and "Soft AT" 
run DOS on the MAC, as do Orange Micro's 486 Nubus card and Apple's own 486 
PDS card.

     Like it or not, MS-DOS is everywhere.  Even Apple seems to be 
acknowledging this fact at long last with the development and promotion of 
the 486 PDS card.  While the MAC 486 cards target Windows users, DOS-only 
applications are the principal reasons for the existence of Insignia's 
"Soft PC" and "Soft AT" emulators, and some believe that the ability to run 
non-Windows, DOS-only applications will be the principal reason that many 
will actually buy Apple's PDS 486 card.

SHARING FILES   Despite all of this, no Apple II user should ever feel that
"""""""""""""   they need to give up their computer because of 
incompatibility with other machines and operating systems.  In my 
workplace, the MS-DOS machines run DOS 5.0, WordPerfect, ProCOMM Plus, 
R-Base and MicroSoft Works for DOS.  All of these are non-Windows 
applications, and, with brief testing, all of them appeared to run fine on 
my GS/PC at home.  As mentioned earlier, the GS, even without a PC 
Transporter card, has the capability to format, read and write HFS and 
MS-DOS.  

     The Macs in my office run System 7 and Microsoft Works 3.1.  With 
System 7's Apple File Exchange, I can import DOS Microsoft Works files that 
have been created on my GS/PC at home, and the files translate beautifully 
to the MAC version of Microsoft Works.  Apple File Exchange also works very 
nicely with AppleWorks classic files and MicroSoft Works 3.1.  When it is 
necessary for me to export files to a PC from my IIgs at home, either the 
PC Transporter or Peter Watson's utilities fill the bill nicely without 
having to use one of the office's MACs as an intermediary.

     In an earlier article we discussed the Watson utilities and the 
MS-DOS FST, which run under GS/OS on the Apple II side of a GS/PC hybrid.  
However, Applied Engineering also has a ProDOS file translation and file 
management utility that runs under MS-DOS on the PCT side of an Apple II/PC 
hybrid.  This utility and documentation come stored on the "MSDOSVOL" file 
which comes with the PC Transporter software.  The utility, an executable 
file that runs under MS-DOS, is labeled "TRANSFER.EXE." 

     Applied's transfer utility will catalog and display any online ProDOS 
volume while IN MS-DOS, allowing the user to navigate their Apple II 
directories in much the same way as they would from ProDOS.  Files are 
displayed in standard ProDOS fashion by name, type, number of blocks, 
modification date and creation date.  File transfer can be done both ways 
between MS-DOS and ProDOS.  However, translation is somewhat rudimentary 
from MS-DOS to ProDOS, and best results come from the transfer of (ASCII) 
text files.

     MS-DOS's annoying habit of placing extraneous linefeed and return 
characters into DOS text files can make file transfer from MS-DOS to ProDOS 
somewhat less than straight forward.  Two ProDOS 8 utilities that are 
potentially helpful in using DOS text files on the Apple side of an Apple 
II/PC hybrid are Stowe Keller's "List" utility (GEnie A2 library file 
#17171, LIST024.BXY) and Mark Munz's "CR Stripper" (which runs as a TimeOut 
AppleWorks enhancement).  You can obtain "CR Stripper" on the TimeOut 
"TextTools" disk.  Munz's utility works by allowing you to highlight a 
block of text within an AppleWorks word processor file when you wish to 
remove extra returns.  You then simply press <RETURN> to get rid of them, 
then move to the next block of text.  Stowe Keller's utility has the 
capability to automatically add or remove linefeed and return markers with 
a print-to-disk feature.

     A more straight forward method of moving files between MS-DOS 
applications and AppleWorks is "Cross-Works".  Cross-Works has the 
capability to make full translations of files (keeping file formatting 
intact) between AppleWorks and several popular DOS applications (i.e., 
Lotus 1-2-3, dBase, Word Perfect and Microsoft Works).  Cross-works, 
currently sold by Quality Computers, has been designed to be used in direct 
serial transfers and modem file transfers, but it can also be used with the 
PC Transporter.

     AppleWorks 4 has improved text file handling capabilities which makes 
its use in both HFS and DOS import/export much easier.  However, for those 
who have not yet made the switch to AppleWorks 4, there are two additional 
TimeOut utilities that will facilitate file movement between AppleWorks and 
your most often-used MS-DOS (or Mac) word processor.  These utilities are 
"AWP to TXT" (available on the TimeOut "PowerPack" disk) and TimeOut 
"Textloader+" (available on the "Companion Plus" disk).  AWP to TXT is a 
relatively fast method of converting AppleWorks WP files to TXT files 
without having to use the AppleWorks "print-to-disk" feature.  Textloader+ 
will allow the loading of up to 12 text files from disk and automatic 
conversion of them into AppleWorks WP files.

HARD DRIVE SPACE   While the PC Transporter card does not require a hard
""""""""""""""""   disk drive in order to operate, considering all of the 
additional software that becomes necessary on both the Apple and PC sides 
of an Apple II/PC hybrid, a hard disk drive is a very nice peripheral to 
own.  Approximately 64MB of hard disk space can be allocated on a ProDOS 
hard disk to MS-DOS.  The PC Transporter's system software makes use of 
ProDOS's ability to create 16MB files that then serve as MS-DOS emulation 
volumes.  Using the PCT's control panel and system software, two 16MB files 
can be linked to emulate one 32MB MS-DOS volume.  The PCT control panel 
will allow two hard disk volumes to be online at one time.  Anyone who 
finds that they require more space than that for storage of MS-DOS software 
and data files, probably should consider using a regular PC.

     Once the 16MB ProDOS files have been properly described to the PC 
Transporter system software as available for MS-DOS use, they can be 
"FDISKed" and then formatted.  So far as MS-DOS is concerned, it is always 
interacting with standard MS-DOS hard disk volumes.  On the ProDOS side of 
the Apple II/PC hybrid, these MS-DOS volumes look simply like large ProDOS 
files.  Their MS-DOS contents are not accessible to ProDOS.  (At the time 
of this writing, Peter Watson's IIgs MS-DOS utilities, which CAN access 
these volumes, provide the only exception to this rule.)  The PC 
Transporter system software can also work with "small" MS-DOS volumes, 
allowing the user to allocate any ProDOS block device as a PCT hard disk.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE   Configuration of the PCT's use of the Apple's hard drive,
"""""""""""""""   mouse, keyboard, printer, modem and disk drives would not 
be possible without the PCT's system software, BIOS and control panel.  
Being a DOS engine, the PCT has 640K of conventional RAM available for 
running programs.  The PCT's additional 128K of RAM is reserved for use by 
its BIOS (Basic Input Output Services code) which is loaded as a binary 
data file into the PCT's RAM by a ProDOS system file when the card is 
booted. 

     The BIOS and System Software function in much the same way as the ROM 
firmware functions in an Apple II.  You can add or delete I/O drivers 
through the PCT's control panel.  This control panel can be accessed at any 
time while in MS-DOS by pressing a <caps lock>-<shift> key combination.  It 
works much the same way as the GS's ROM control panel and system software. 
Over the years, much of the refinement and updating of the PCT's functions 
has been accomplished by AE's engineers through simple improvement of the 
PCT.SYSTEM and drivers.  While Applied Engineering has steadily worked to 
improve its portware through changes and additions to its device drivers, 
it appears to this writer that, even now, there remains much that could be 
done to improve the PCT card's portware and therefore its versatility and 
functioning.

     Much has been said in this article, and in the three previous ones, 
about the PC Transporter Card and its role in Apple II/PC hybrids.  
However, there are two other Apple II/PC hybrid computer systems that seem 
worth mentioning, and next month we will talk briefly about these systems.  
Until then, think hybrid!


                                   NOTES
                                   """""

(1) Dan Gookin, author of _DOS for Dummies_, expresses amusement at 
Windows' "happy friendly graphical face" (p. 271).  He asks, "What's the 
difference between a DOS program and a Windows application?" and answers, 
"About $300." (p. 61).  Gookin, a onetime Apple IIgs and MAC owner, 
displays the attitude of the hard core DOS user toward Windows in _DOS for 
Dummies_.

(2) Terminate and Stay Resident applications.

(3) Hayes, Frank. "Personality Plus".  BYTE. January 1994. pp. 155-168.



[EOA]
[MOO]//////////////////////////////
                       CowTOONS! /
/////////////////////////////////
Career Cows
~~~~~~~~~~~
by Mike White                    ,_/\_,        .
     [MWHITE]                     (oo)       .      .
                           /-------\/           /^            <\/>  
                          / |     |X        /^  )  (  ^\       oo   
                         *  ||----||       (^  (    )  )      (\/)*
                            ~~    ~~     ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^     ~~

                                            Smokey the Cow
                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



                _:_              /~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~\
               / ^ \            |           |    (__)   |
              / CTA \           |           |    (oo)   |_[]
             (~~~~~~~)          |__________/~\____\/____|/[]
              |     |__)        |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
              |     |oo)        |      -= C T A =-      |
             /|     |\/         |          -+-          |
            / |     ||          |_______________________|
           *  |     ||         [[_______________________]]
       """"""""""""""~"|     _[/  (__)             (__)
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                 Cowmmuter Catching the Bus in Chicowgo
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



          _            Arrrgh!     Watch for the last thunderin' herd of 
         /o>  (__)   .'            Moo Fun from Mike White in the next
        / )   (o%) .'              issue of GEnieLamp.
      /--^^----\/ ' 
     / |      ||                   If you have an idea for a CowTOON, we
    *  ||-----||                   would like to see it.  And, if we pick
       ~~     ~~                   your CowTOON for publishing in GEnieLamp
                                   we will credit your account with 2 hours
      Buccowneer                   of GEnie non-prime time!
      ~~~~~~~~~~



[EOA]
[DRT]//////////////////////////////
            DR'S EXAMINING TABLE /
/////////////////////////////////
Golden Oldie Review:  Xenocide
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Darrel Raines
      [D.RAINES]



     If you remember, in last month's column we started a discussion on 
how to build a personal software library of games, utilities and 
applications that would make Bill Gates jealous.  I described how you could 
use GEnie and the A2 RoundTable to purchase used software from other people 
just like yourself, and promised to help you decide what software was worth 
acquiring by reviewing some golden oldie software from time to time.

     I should mention that this column will be somewhat different than a 
new product review.  I will not be wasting your time and mine by talking 
about software that I did not like.  There is a purpose in reviewing new 
software that does not live up to high standards.  However, with such a 
large selection of used software available to you, there is no need to 
spend a lot of time talking about poor commercial programs.

     This month I have chosen the arcade game Xenocide.  Xenocide was 
originally published by Micro Revelations in 1989.  The software was 
written by Brian Greenstone with graphics from Dave Triplett.  You may 
remember this team from a number of very good Apple IIgs "24-hour" 
shareware games such as Cosmocade, Pirate Killers, and Orbizone.  This game 
was their only commercial venture.

     Xenocide, much like a number of shoot-'em-up games, gives you a 
scenario where you can feel comfortable blowing away the evil villains that 
appear with regularity on your screen.  It seems that alien creatures have 
taken over the three planets that you are supposed to be protecting.  
Therefore, you need to exterminate these pests and destroy the planets 
before they complete a gate that will allow some bigger and more nasty 
meanie into the area.  Its time to pull out your joystick and go to work!

     In order to start blowing away the bad guys, you first have to go 
through a setup screen.  The options available to you on this page allow 
the external speakers or other stereo output to be used for the 
better-than-average musical score.  A high point total Hall of Fame is 
shown so that you can ponder over your past heroics.  There is also a 
joystick calibration option on the main menu.  I have found that this game 
does not recognize when it is running on an accelerated machine.  
Therefore, you will be unable to calibrate your joystick (and play the 
game) if you do not set the accelerator back to a normal speed.

     The final option on the main menu is for Play/"Let's get it on"/Go.  
Now the fun starts.  You are shown a picture of three different planets.  A 
message informs you that the first planet is Malachite, the rock planet.  
You are then placed in the driver's seat of a hovercraft and given control 
of the vehicle.

     An overview of the game might be in order here.  The object of the 
game is to blow up each of the planets, in order, before you expire 
yourself.  You have three lives (men) and can get additional men only after 
certain milestones.  You must complete a number of different games/levels 
in order to blow up a planet.  There is a hovercraft level, an underground 
level, an underwater level and a laboratory level for each planet.  The 
landscape in the levels will differ on each planet.  However, the basic 
play and objective will be the some on each of them.

     The hovercraft level is played much like a road rally game, with a 
difference.  You have to watch out for some very large bugs and critters on 
the road.  If you happen to hit a bug, they leave a reminder on your 
windshield.  After a while it can be very difficult to see where you are 
going.  Therefore, the best advice is to stay away from the grasshoppers... 
er, I mean aliens.

     The hovercraft is somewhat sluggish in performance and does not have 
very much fuel.  You have to proceed to a docking station before your fuel 
and/or shields run out.  Rockets and lasers will protect you from the 
potential road-kill.  The supply of these weapons is limited, so you cannot 
just blast away.  Besides animals/aliens, the road is littered with rocks 
and supply canisters.  You have to avoid (or shoot) the rocks and you need 
to collect the canisters.  The number of canisters you collect will 
determine the amount of ammunition that you can carry on the next level.

     If you manage to dock your hovercraft, then you proceed to the 
underground cave.  In this area you are propelled by a jet backpack.  You 
can protect yourself from the cave dwellers with a laser and with a supply 
of grenades.  And believe me, there are many nasty creatures in the cave.  
If you ever played the game Cavern Cobra, you will be familiar with this 
part of Xenocide.  The object is to collect five individual bombs that are 
strewn throughout the cave.  The bombs will be used later in the 
laboratory.  There are re-fuel and re-supply stations along the way.  You 
have to hop from one of these to the next before you can get more jet fuel 
for your backpack and more laser power and grenades for your weapons.  If 
you happen to collect all of the bomb sections, then you can take an 
elevator tube to the underwater level of the game.

     Before moving on to the underwater level, I should spend a few 
sentences describing the wildlife that resides in the cave.  I do not know 
where the design team got all of their ideas for this game, but I can only 
assume that they ate too much pepperoni pizza before going to bed.  The 
resultant bad dreams would have served as inspiration for the cavern 
critters.  There are dragon flies, floating bowling balls, mounted canons, 
falling stalactites, lava pools, bouncing barrels, blinking stars, 
repelling-field generators, and deadly mushrooms to name a few.  You can 
get so interested in looking at the pretty (but deadly) scenery that you 
could forget to avoid the bad guys.  This section of the game qualifies as 
one of my all-time favorite arcade games.  The graphics, game play, and 
objectives make for a rollicking good time.

     One of the features of the last three levels of each planet are the 
option pods.  These little jewels are very important.  They appear as 
either a blue dot or a red brick, depending upon the level.  Each time that 
you grab one of these, you advance a notch in the option sequence.  The 
options available will let you have a stronger shield, shoot a meaner gun, 
replenish your shield energy, or otherwise increase your chances.  You will 
learn to use these wisely or you will never get past the first level of 
caverns.  However, once mastered, the option pods become your best means of 
escaping the underground cave.

     Just when you thought that you had finished with the caves, you get a 
nasty surprise.  The next level is just like the caverns, with the 
exception that the caverns are underwater.  You replace your jet pack with 
compressed air and your laser with an underwater gun.  However, this level 
of the game plays just like the last.  Seaweed, eels, starfish, and other 
submerged critters will make your life miserable.  The object to this level 
is to find a set of keys that will open doors in the underwater caverns.  
At the end of these caverns is an elevator that will take you up to the 
biology laboratory on the planet surface.  Since this level is otherwise 
just like the underground cavern, we will move on to the laboratory.

     After climbing out of the elevator, you remove your underwater gear 
and load up for the final confrontation.  The aliens in the laboratory are 
all robots that have many mean tendencies.  They love to shoot at you from 
behind cover.  And some of them have grenades just like yours.  In this 
level you have a few resupply areas available for more laser power and 
grenades.  However, your objective is to place the five bombs collected in 
the underground caves in five strategic locations within the lab.  Once all 
of these bombs are placed, you have a few seconds to find and activate a 
transporter that will take you back to your ship above the planets.  If you 
manage to do all of this, then the planet will blow up for your enjoyment 
and the aliens chagrin.

     The hovercraft level is played from the vantage point of the cockpit 
inside the vehicle.  The underground/-water levels are played with a side 
view of your character.  You control the character while being able to see 
in all directions around him/her.  The laboratory level is played with a 
top view of the action.  You survey the scene from a god's-eye view.  The 
only thing that you cannot see from this view is a few robots off screen 
that can shoot at you without you being able to see them.  Because of the 
different objectives and the different perspective of each level, you could 
actually call this game a melding of three separate games into one package.  
In my opinion, this feature adds to the variety of the game as a whole.

     This program is one of the better arcade games ever written for the 
Apple IIgs computer.  The variety of levels and mini-games (with subplots) 
allow the player to stay interested in this shoot-em-up long after the 
boredom has set in with a standard game of this genre.  Music sets the mood 
for each level of play.  It is not obtrusive, yet does serve to show off 
the IIgs sound capabilities.  Action is smooth, especially when you 
consider the fact that the game only runs on unaccelerated machines.  
Action is continuous and does not lag between levels.  The plot, while not 
necessarily believable, does a good job of setting up the rest of the game.  
All in all, this is an exceptional game.

     I do have a few complaints.  The software really should have made 
provisions for a player to visit any one of the planets.  By constraining 
you to a sequential movement among the planets, many game players will 
never see more than the first planet.  I have only managed to complete one 
full planet and all but the last few seconds of the second planet.  So I do 
not know what the surface and caverns of the third planet look like.  My 
other complaint lies in the fact that the software cannot detect and adjust 
for the processor speed of the Apple IIgs.  It can be very annoying to work 
around this problem without the proper software installed to slow down the 
accelerator.

     My final complaint lies in the difficulty of the game itself.  You 
can end up playing for about 45 minutes to an hour for each game.  If you 
were able to finish the whole series, it would take you about an hour and a 
half.  However, the levels increase in difficulty along the way.  There is 
virtually no chance that the average game player will ever finish this 
game.

     Now with all of this said, I heartily recommend Xenocide.  You will 
find the playing experience to be enjoyable.  The graphics and sound will 
amaze you.  The smooth scrolling of the screen will make your Amiga friends 
jealous.  The joy of blasting aliens to bits will make you feel like a 
proud marine.  All-in-all, the game is one of the best to ever be written 
for the Apple IIgs computer!

     Remember, if you are having trouble finding one of the golden oldies 
in your favorite mail order catalog, then use the resources of GEnie.  Hop 
on over to the Roundtable and check out category number 4.  You will be 
glad that you did.  Until next time, blast a few aliens for me.


                                 [*][*][*]

          Darrel Raines is a computer programmer, hacker, and hobbyist.  
          When he is not writing articles for GEnieLamp, he works for NASA 
          as a contractor.  He is still looking for real aliens to blast -- 
          or shake hands with.



[EOA]
[PRO]//////////////////////////////
                        PROFILES /
/////////////////////////////////
Who's Who In Apple II
"""""""""""""""""""""



                             >>> WHO'S WHO <<<
                             """""""""""""""""
                  ~ HangTime, Editor of Script-Central ~


   Recently, HyperCard IIgs was released for downloading in the A2 and 
   A2Pro libraries.  To celebrate this wonderful event, we wanted to 
   interview someone who's an expert on HyperCard IIgs.  The closest 
   thing we could find to that expert was our own HangTime -- A2 
   Hypermedia Librarian -- Host of HangTime's HyperBar and Grill in 
   A2Pro -- editor of Script-Central -- and HyperCard IIgs user 
   extraordinaire!


GEnieLamp>   What is HyperCard GS?
"""""""""

HangTime>   That's a question asked by many quite innocently; however, it's
""""""""    a loaded one.  First of all, the name is "HyperCard IIgs"... 
although it's frequently abbreviated to "HCGS".

     So what IS HyperCard IIgs?

     Answer:  What would you like it to be?  It is many things.  In as few 
words as possible, though, I'd say it's:

     1) a HyperMedia engine
     2) A complete programming environment.

GEnieLamp>   Let's start with the HyperMedia engine.  Isn't it a sort of
"""""""""    database with sound and graphic capabilities?

HangTime>   I am no authority on the definition of HyperMedia, but I can
""""""""    give you my take on it.  HyperMedia is the linking of text, 
graphics, and sounds.  In its most simple form, a digital "story book" 
would fit this description.  You could have a story about wild animals 
including pictures of the various creatures.  You could add yet another 
dimension to your story my "attaching" sounds to the pictures of the 
animals.  Thus after reading a virtual page of the story one could click 
the mouse on a picture of say a lion, and hear it roar.

     In a more complex model, one could have words in the story link to 
other words in other parts of the story.  Moving to an example of a 
technical journal, if one were to not understand what is being explained 
clicking on a keyword might bring the reader to a further discussion of the 
topic.  And much like the story book example, pictures and or sounds might 
be included as well.  In theory (and with an infinite amount of time) all 
words could be linked with other words.  A cross-reference, if you will.

GEnieLamp>   What are the differences among a field, a button and a card?
"""""""""    Which would you use, and when?

HangTime>   Sticking with the simplest description, a "button" is something
""""""""    you click on to cause an action.  A "field" holds textual 
information, and the card is what holds the buttons, fields, and any 
graphic elements.  This however is not completely true in the case of 
HyperCard because HyperCard is not THAT restrictive.  The above 
descriptions are true, however much more can be done in HyperCard.

GEnieLamp>   How is HyperCard different from HyperStudio?
"""""""""

HangTime>   My standard answer to that is:  You can link Text, Graphics,
""""""""    and Sounds with HyperStudio, but if you want to DO something 
with those things, you want HyperCard.  The main difference between the two 
is HyperTalk, the Scripting (or programming) language that HyperCard uses.  
HyperTalk is a complete programming language that allows access to the full 
range of things that an Apple IIgs is capable of.  HyperTalk has been 
called the Applesoft BASIC of the 90s, but again that is not an accurate 
description because HyperTalk can do MUCH more and a lot easier too.

GEnieLamp>   Is it hard to use?
"""""""""

HangTime>   Not at all.  If you want to make the computer beep, the command
""""""""    is, oddly enough "beep"!  If you wanted it to beep twice the 
command would be "beep 2".  Sound hard to you?

GEnieLamp>   No, not at all.

HangTime>   For an example of how powerful HyperCard can be using only the
""""""""    tools included with the package, I was able to create a "stack" 
that logged onto GEnie and send/receive text in 20 minutes.  This time 
includes reading the documentation to figure out how to get a stack to use 
the Modem port.  Try THAT in BASIC or Pascal.  B-)>

GEnieLamp>   What hardware requirements are there to run HyperCard?
"""""""""

HangTime>   HyperCard Requires:
""""""""

     1.5 Megs of memory and a Hard Drive, but I think 2 Megs is better  
(and with 4Meg cards going for around $120, why would anyone want less!)

GEnieLamp>   What else would be good to have on your system to get the most
"""""""""    out of HyperCard?

HangTime>   Other then the standard GS equipment, nothing else is required.
""""""""    HCGS doesn't take advantage of a stereo card, though pumping it 
through a 100 Watt stereo system wouldn't hurt.

GEnieLamp>   Isn't HyperCard supposed to be slow?
"""""""""

HangTime>   An accelerator is also a really good add-on,  Just a 7mhz 
"""""""""   Accelerator is plenty to make HCGS very useful.

GEnieLamp>   Since you used the word "stack", explain what a stack is.
"""""""""

HangTime>   Besides all the cute little metaphors, a "stack" is just the 
""""""""    name given to  the "thing" that you create with HyperCard.  The 
term comes from using a metaphor of a "Stack of Index Cards"... because 
it's possible to imagine a HyperCard stack as being just a series of cards 
that are all instantly accessible.

GEnieLamp>   Okay, so let's say I have a IIgs with at least 2 meg of
"""""""""    memory, a hard drive, a color monitor and I'm interested in 
finding out about HyperCard IIgs.  What's the first thing I do?

HangTime>   Download it.  From the A2 Library on GEnie.
""""""""

GEnieLamp>   How many disks is it?
"""""""""

HangTime>   There are 6 disks making up the complete suite.  This includes
""""""""    HyperCard IIgs along with all the support stacks (Help, Tour, 
Sample Stacks [2 disks worth], Ideas, Xcmds, etc)

GEnieLamp>   This program sold for about $70 previously.  How did A2 get
"""""""""    the right to distribute HyperCard for free?

HangTime>   I was speaking with Matt Deatherage, an Apple employee and head
""""""""    of the A2Pro RT on GEnie, and we were discussing how great 
HyperCard is and what a shame it is that more people aren't using it.  
Since Apple is no longer selling the product Matt spent a few weeks talking 
with the high muckity mucks and arranged for it to be electronically 
licensable.  That's the long and the short of it.

GEnieLamp>   But no manuals are included.  What can you do without manuals?
"""""""""

HangTime>   Depends how gutsy you are. 
""""""""

     If you check out the stacks that are included in the package and 
don't mind digging into the code, you might very well figure out a LOT of 
HyperTalk.  Also, A2 University is just gearing up to teach a HyperTalk 
course beginning February 17!  This course will start you out on the basics 
and take you through the nitty gritty.

GEnieLamp>   And there is a HyperCard RTC in A2Pro for additional help.
"""""""""    When is that?  What is covered in the RTC?

HangTime>   I think the _major_ RTCs are going to be the HyperTalk courses
""""""""    for awhile, but in addition to these Thursday night courses 
there's a HyperCard RTC every Wednesday night as well.  There is no set 
agenda, all HyperCard questions are fair game.

GEnieLamp>   How about stacks by other people -- are there some available
"""""""""    for downloading to see what can be done?

HangTime>   Yes, there are PLENTY of HyperCard stacks available on GEnie
""""""""    for download in both the A2 and A2Pro libraries.  Plus with the 
new availability of HCGS, you are likely to be seeing dozens more very 
shortly!

GEnieLamp>   Is there a way to share or sell stacks that I write myself?
"""""""""

HangTime>   Sure, just like any other software, you can sell it
""""""""    commercially (if you know how, or find a company to do it), or 
upload them to any BBS you might frequent.

GEnieLamp>   A good example of the full range of uses for HyperCard is
"""""""""    displayed in the disk based magazine "Script-Central", which 
you edit.  How did this magazine come about?

HangTime>   Believe it or not, all I did was apply.  That's the short
""""""""    story.  The longer version is that I got HCGS the day it was 
released (overnight delivered in fact) and spent the next 6 hours or so 
reading all the manuals cover to cover.  I had my first stack completed and 
uploaded a couple of hours after that.  From that point there was no 
stopping me, I was having too much fun. 

     I immediately became the HyperMedia librarian for the A2 library.  
Then a couple of weeks after that I logged on to find some mail from Dean 
Esmay mentioning that Tom Weishaar (owner of Resource Central) was looking 
for an editor for a HyperCard publication.  Before I even finished reading 
Dean's letter I was sending a letter off to Tom... and the rest is history.

GEnieLamp>   How long ago was this?
"""""""""

HangTime>   Let's see, 3 years and 14 days ago (38 minutes, 29 seconds and
""""""""    40 ticks)  HyperCard was released, and I got my copy several 
hours after that.  And the first issue of Script-Central was in July 1991

GEnieLamp>   What does a typical issue of Script-Central contain?
"""""""""

HangTime>   There's no such thing as a "Typical" issue.  Every issue is new
""""""""    and different, filled with a variety of stacks and info.  When 
you start up an issue of Script-Central the first thing you see is some 
sort of titles (some animations, sounds, whatever I feel like doing that 
month).  After the titles you find yourself standing before the front door 
to our HyperCard School House (address 65816 School House Road).  Knock on 
the door by clicking on it and you enter the world of Script-Central.

     Once inside the building you can move around by clicking on doors, 
buttons, drawers, and even a couple of not so obvious things (I like hiding 
gags in each issue).  In our Regular Departments area you can find things 
like Clip Art News, Rumors, Mail, Press Releases and the like.  
Additionally the Work Shop is also in this area providing new fonts, 
sounds, scripting tips, Xcmds, ready to use handlers, Homework, or any of 
probably a dozen other things.  Items in various rooms tend to change over 
time, as I come up with new ideas, or become bored with the "same old 
stuph".  This is all on the main floor of our Virtual School House.  On the 
second floor you'll find the main "Feature" stacks of the month.  These 
cover ALL the bases, from Games and Utilities to straight HyperMedia-type 
applications.

GEnieLamp>   Is there a sample issue that can be downloaded?
"""""""""

HangTime>   Yes there is, but it doesn't do justice to the Script-Central
""""""""    of today!  That demo was created almost three years ago and the 
stacks we're doing today are light years ahead of that.

GEnieLamp>   Any other comments about HyperCard IIgs?
"""""""""

HangTime>   There is not enough time in the day to talk about all that
""""""""    HyperCard is, let alone DO all that HyperCard can do.  The end.



[EOA]
[PAL]//////////////////////////////
                  PAL NEWSLETTER /
/////////////////////////////////
March 1994 Report
"""""""""""""""""
By GEna Saikin
     [A2.GENA]



     Welcome to the March issue of PAL!

     PAL (Planetary Apple League) was created to help fill in the gaps all 
too often left by the availability of user groups in the local communities.  
We meet the third Sunday of every month, in the Apple II Real Time 
Conference area, and each month is filled with demonstrations, 
announcements of what's new in the world of Apple, and in the Apple II 
Round Table, as well as time for questions and answers on hardware and 
software problems.

     This is YOUR meeting!  We want suggestions and feedback as to what 
YOU would like to see!  Please feel free to email GS.OZONEMAN or A2.GENA, 
the leaders of PAL with your ideas and suggestions.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE APPLE WORLD   As we all know, Spectrum has been released,
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   and is being met with great enthusiasm.  
Though there are still wrinkles to be ironed out, that is commonplace for 
new programs.  Talented people are already busily creating autogreet and 
other automated type scripting and are loading them into the A2 library.

     AppleWorks 4 and its updated versions continue to be popular, and why 
not?  AppleWorks is and always has been the "workhorse" of the Apple II 
world!

     discQuest, the newest program out, is described below by Jawaid 
Bazyar [PROCYON.INC].  discQuest (with a small D) is a revolutionary 
program for the IIgs.  It is a front-end program that enables people with 
Apple IIgs's to "read" CD-ROM's.  There are now over 15 titles available -- 
from Shakespeare to the Family Doctor; from Darwin to the Classics.  To 
quote from Jawaid's presentation:

     Basically, discQuest is a "front-end" to access these particular CD's 
in a user-friendly, fast, efficient, and productive manner.  Before you say 
"but only 15?", let me mention some of the titles available:  Parenting; US 
History; Countries of the World Encyclopedia; Darwin (his journals, books, 
maps, and research notes); Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Complete 
Sherlock Holmes; and History of the World (not the Mel Brooks version :), 
just to name a few.

     In short, there are a wide variety of very comprehensive titles in 
our group of 15.  DiscQuest allows the user to view the text articles, 
graphics images (in some cases Photographic quality!), and play audio clips 
from the CD. Everything is tied together in a rough "HyperMedia" or 
"HyperText" format, so that cross-references can be viewed easily. In 
addition, you can export text via the clipboard, or save text out to a file 
on disk, for inclusion in a report or whatever.

NEW discQuest Titles (as of January 1994)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

     Total Baseball -- New 1993 Edition (CMC)

               This Multimedia guide is the most comprehensive baseball 
          reference ever compiled.

          o   2,300 pages of statistics and articles - dating back to 1871
 
          o   Player, pitcher, and relief-pitcher registers

          o   Top 100 All-Time Leaders: Life-Time and Single-Season

          o   Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Hall 
              of Fame awards

          o   A variety of rosters

          o   Detailed articles covering everything from hitting streaks 
              to scandals to controversies

          o   More than 600 photos and images of players, teams, and 
              ballparks

          o   Sound clips of some of the game's most memorable moments


     1991 YearBooks(R) (YearBook Medical Publishers, Inc)

          Medical publication yearbooks for 1989, 1990, and 1991.

Other discQuest titles
''''''''''''''''''''''

     Darwin Multimedia CD-ROM (LIGHTBINDERS)
     Monarch Notes(R) on CD-ROM (Bureau)
     Sherlock Holmes on disc! (CMC)
     The Family Doctor (CMC)
     Shakespeare (CMC)
     Great Literature (Bureau)
     Parenting -- Prenatal to Preschool (CMC)
     Multimedia Audubon's Birds (CMC)
     Multimedia Audubon's Mammals (CMC)
     The Best of The Bureau (Bureau)
     US History on CD-ROM (Bureau)
     History of the World on CD-ROM (Bureau)
     Countries of the World on CD-ROM (Bureau)

     This pretty much sums up DiscQuest.  For further information, contact 
Procyon, Inc.

THE LIBRARY STACK   The A2 RoundTable has a library that contains thousands
"""""""""""""""""   of public domain freeware, shareware and other assorted 
programs.  Here is a short listing of the best of the most recent 
additions:

  22235 RADTRASH.BXY          Animated trash icon & "flush" rSound
 +22234 TAX.FORMS93.BXY       1993 federal tax forms - AW spreadsheets
 +22227 BIG402B.BXY           Updates AppleWorks 4.01 to 4.02
  22225 MINITALK162.BXY       Telecom program in a CDA
  22220 CDA.ADB.BXY           CDA to view AppleWorks ADB files
  22207 DISKOPEN.BXY          Auto-opens Finder's disk icons
 +22183 A2.DOM.0294.BXY       A2 Disk of the Month, February 1994
  22181 DISKTIMER2.BXY        Check the speed of your hard drives
 +22171 A2AWLIBLONG.BXY       A2 library database - lists all files in A2

Thanks to the efforts of Matt Deatherage, we have also recently received a 
license from Apple Computer that allows us to distribute HyperCard IIgs!  
The complete HyperCard IIgs program comes on six 3.5" disks:

  22199 HTALKHELP.BXY         HCGS HyperTalk Help disk
  22198 HCGS.HELP.BXY         HyperCard IIgs Help disk
  22197 STACKS2.BXY           HyperCard IIgs Stacks disk #2
  22196 STACKS1.BXY           HyperCard IIgs Stacks disk #1
  22195 HCGS.BXY              HyperCard IIgs Program disk
  22194 INST.TOUR.BXY         HCGS Installer/Tour disk

We also have a "starter kit" that contains just enough files to give you a 
taste of what HyperCard IIgs is all about:

  22200 HCGSSTARTER.BXY       HyperCard IIgs Starter Kit

Our libraries contain all kinds of interesting files.  Whether you're 
looking for games, graphics, music or system files, you can find it all 
right here in A2!


GUEST ARTICLE   I asked a newcomer to the IIgs to write a short article on
"""""""""""""   her experiences.  Read with a blimmer of remembrances when 
YOU were once new!:

     I have had my Apple //c computer for almost ten years now.  My mom, a 
junior high computer teacher, let me play with her classroom disks and 
games.  I always thought that the only things there were for the Apple were 
math games.

     I originally logged on to GEnie with an old IBM.  But, knowing I was 
going to lose access to that, I sought to find out if there was a way to 
continue my stay with my Apple //c.  After visiting the A2 RTC and looking 
through the bulletin board, I discovered that there were TONS of things I 
could do with my Apple!

     With the help of Sue and Gena, I found out that I could not only 
access GEnie with my Apple //c, but there were also many many software 
programs out there!  Between the freeware and shareware in the A2 Library, 
and the commercial software available through various commercial outlets, I 
have learned more and more about my Apple.

     I had always considered myself an "Apple Gal" but was considering 
switching to IBM, out of desperation.  Now, I am DEFINITELY still am an 
"Apple Gal" and plan to stay that way for a long time!  I would not be on 
GEnie today without the wonderful help from Gena, the rest of the A2 staff, 
and the users in A2.  Thanks to everyone for all their help!

WHAT'S NEW IN A2?   As our library stack mentions, HyperCard GS (HCGS) is
"""""""""""""""""   now available in both the Apple II RT library and the 
Apple II Programmers RT library.  It was once a commercial program, but now 
is available to the general public!  For further information on HCGS, 
please read the related interview right here in this issue of GEnieLamp!

CONCLUSION   Remember, we have Real Time Conferences every night of the
""""""""""   week, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. eastern time; and all afternoon on 
Sunday!  We're here to help you with any problems you may have.

     Don't forget our Bulletin Board, with is full of advice, questions, 
and answers on almost any conceivable subject.  Feel free to post a 
question, or if you know the answer to a question, by all means, 
contribute!



[EOA]
[AII]//////////////////////////////
                        APPLE II /
/////////////////////////////////
Apple II History, Part 20/21a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Steven Weyhrich
      [S.WEYHRICH]



                         >>> APPLE II HISTORY <<<
                         """"""""""""""""""""""""
                  Compiled and written by Steven Weyhrich
                    (C) Copyright 1992, Zonker Software
                        (PART 20/21a -- MAGAZINES)
                            [v1.2 :: 10 Feb 94]

INTRODUCTION   Originally, the segments on Apple II magazines appeared in
""""""""""""   two parts, 20 and 21.  Since then there have been changes in 
the magazine landscape, and some additional material had to be added. 
Consequently, I've chosen to combine parts 20 and 21 into one large file, 
and then split that file into three smaller pieces that are more 
appropriately sized for publication in GEnieLamp A2.  They will be called 
Part 20/21a, 20/21b, and 20/21c (this will avoid the problem of changing 
the numbering sequence for this segment of the history).

     In this segment, we will deal with the magzines Micro, 
Call-A.P.P.L.E., SoftSide, Apple Assembly Line, Nibble, Peelings II, and 
Softalk.


INFORMATION AND COMMUNITY   From the earliest days that Apple II user
"""""""""""""""""""""""""   groups have sprung up, there have been 
newsletters shared within (and often among) these groups, providing hints 
and tips on how to make the best use of this computer.  Some of these user 
groups eventually turned their newsletters into nationally distributed 
publications, sharing the information on even a wider scale.  Nationally 
distributed magazines that dealt with computers began to run regular 
columns and special articles that dealt with the Apple II, while other 
magazines began with the purpose of serving the Apple II community 
exclusively.  This segment of the History will take a look at some of the 
publications that have grown (and sometimes failed) during the age of the 
Apple II.  I will be concentrating on those that were either exclusive to 
the Apple II or that dealt heavily with it.


Micro (1977-1985)   Micro began with the October/November 1977 issue, and
"""""""""""""""""   covered the 6502 microprocessor (and later the 6809) in 
all the various computers that used it, including the KIM-1, the AIM-65, 
the C1P, Commodore's PET, the Ohio Scientific, the Atari 800, and, of 
course, the Apple II.  It was an excellent source for machine level code 
for the 6502, eventually including more and more articles that applied 
specifically to the Apple II.  Many general-purpose machine language 
articles appeared in its pages, such as "Improved nth Precision" (code 
optimization for the 6502), "Precision Programming", and "Computer Assisted 
Translation Of Programs From 6502 to 6809".  They also carried 
do-it-yourself hardware articles, such as "C1P To Epson MX-80 Printer 
Interface", "PET/CBM IEEE 448 To Parallel Printer Interface", and "Apple II 
Digital Storage Oscilloscope".

     Micro tended to use each issue for a particular theme, starting out 
with articles that concentrated on a particular brand of computer per 
issue, and later expanding to topics that applied to several computers 
(such as printers, games, and languages).  The articles presented were 
usually technical in nature and could be very useful for the advanced Apple 
programmer.<1>

     One feature that was unique to this magazine was the "Micro 6502 
Bibliography", which presented a reference to many different computer 
publications and the topics these magazines covered that were specifically 
important to programming the 6502.  Also, the magazine's cover was unique, 
giving the impression of looking out from the INSIDE of a computer monitor, 
over the keyboard to the room beyond.  Graphics on the screen would be 
reversed, since it was supposed to be a reverse view.


Call-A.P.P.L.E. (1978-1989)   This magazine began in February 1978 as a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""   newsletter for a newly formed Apple II user 
group in Seattle, Washington.  This group, which called itself the Apple 
Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) was begun by several early 
Apple II owners in the area.  They began a newsletter, Call-A.P.P.L.E., and 
under the leadership of its founder and editor, Val J. Golding, it grew to 
become a full magazine by 1979, and its boundaries spread well beyond the 
Seattle area.  As pioneers in the era of Apple II exploration and 
expansion, the group's members and magazine subscribers discovered and 
published many hints, tips, and programming techniques necessary to the 
early Apple II community.  Their major thrust, as with user groups today, 
came from assisting members in getting their systems to work.  This covered 
anything from establishing communication between a computer and the newest 
low-cost printer, to the nuts and bolts of adding memory chips to get a 
full 48K.  Call-A.P.P.L.E. also informed its readers with reviews of new 
software and programming languages, and entertained them with short Integer 
BASIC and Applesoft programs that did strange or unexpected things (in a 
recurring feature entitled, "So What Did You Expect?")  They also served 
their members by scheduling guest speakers for the group meetings, and 
printing a summary of the meeting in the magazine.  Their early speakers 
included notables such as Mike Scott (president of Apple Computer), Randy 
Wigginton, and Steve Wozniak.

     By 1980, Call-A.P.P.L.E. had become a full magazine published on 
slick paper, and it carried advertising by some of the new software and 
hardware companies.  Their articles became more complex, dealing with 
topics such as "Moving DOS 3.3 To The Language Card", and "Applesoft 
Internal Structure", as well as various hardware or construction articles.

     The year 1984 saw many changes for Call-A.P.P.L.E.  The front cover 
had previously been white, with the title logo at the top, followed by a 
list of major articles.  Beginning with the January issue, the cover was 
now graced with color artwork, and a subtitle was included under the logo: 
"The World's Largest Apple User Group".  In April, Val Golding stepped down 
as editor, handing that position over to Kathryn Halgrimson Suther.  She 
had been working with him on production of the magazine since he hired her 
back in 1980, and was best qualified for the position.  And finally, in 
September 1984 the membership voted to change their organization to a 
co-operative, officially named A.P.P.L.E. Co-op, to help improve their 
efficiency and allow them, under Washington state law, to continue 
expanding services in as inexpensive a manner as possible.  Previously 
selling software written primarily by members, they now began to carry 
outside software and hardware items considered useful to their members.

     A.P.P.L.E. also advanced the cause of providing useful technical 
information to Apple II (and Lisa and Macintosh) programmers by helping 
with the formation of APDA (Apple Programmers And Developers Association) 
in September of 1987.  Through a membership in this Apple-sponsored group, 
a programmer could obtain up-to-date tech notes and preliminary material 
directly from Apple, to aid in the refinement of his project.  (Apple later 
took APDA back under its own control in December 1988.)

     Another change for the magazine occurred beginning in June 1988.  The 
cover artwork was toned down, and the thrust of Call-A.P.P.L.E. changed as 
it become more of a technical journal than the "hint and tip" magazine it 
had originally been.  Again the cover listed the major features for that 
issue, but in a smaller typeface than in the old days.  Articles were now 
much more complex, consistent with the increase in complexity found in the 
new Apple IIgs.  This was also reflected in the subtitle now found under 
the logo on the front cover: "The Magazine For The Advanced Apple IIgs And 
Apple II User".  Topics covered included a series by Mike Westerfield about 
"Programming On The GS With APW" (he was the author of the ORCA/M assembler 
used in the official Apple Programmer's Workshop on the IIgs), "NDAs 101" 
and "NDAs 102" (Tim Swihart writing about writing New Desk Accessories), 
and "A Powerful Graphics And Sound Trio" (utilities to allow use of super 
hi-res graphics and GS sound from Applesoft BASIC).

     Even more significant in 1988 was the change in the name of the 
sponsoring group.  In her monthly editorial in December of that year, 
Kathryn Suther wrote, "Sorry, Val, but the Co-op is undergoing a name 
change.  Apple Computer, Inc., doesn't seem to appreciate the word Apple in 
our name with or without the periods.  Rather than having to license the 
name back from them, we opted to change the name of the co-op to 
TechAlliance, a computer cooperative."<2>  (Fortunately, they were not 
apparently required by Apple to change the title of the magazine).  The 
members felt that this name more accurately reflected what the organization 
was doing; support, technical journals, and access to products and 
information.  They also laid plans for a journal aimed at Macintosh 
programmers, called "MacTech Quarterly".

     With declining Apple II sales in the late 1980s, it was becoming 
harder for TechAlliance to put out the type of magazine they wanted as a 
monthly publication.  Part way through 1989, the decision was made to 
switch to a quarterly printing schedule to allow it to stay in print. 
However, with the ninth issue of that year they had to announce that they 
were ceasing publication.  With the passing of Call-A.P.P.L.E. came the 
passing of an era.  Val Golding wrote to A2-Central's Tom Weishaar about 
it:  "The 12-year illumination of Call-A.P.P.L.E.'s guiding light is about 
to be extinguished.  The next issue will be the last.  'Call' was my baby 
and I loved it very much, even these last several years when I didn't play 
a direct role.  It is, after all, like a death in the family."  He went on 
to mention that he believed that their research into Applesoft internals 
and the use of its ampersand command made it possible for the appearance of 
more advanced programs earlier than would have been possible otherwise.  He 
included a copy of his guest editorial from that final issue, reprinted in 
the pages of A2-Central in January 1990:


                           The Editor Bytes Back
                      Val J. Golding, editor emeritus
                                Full Circle

          Perhaps I've lived in a private dream world all this time, 
     where visions of ampersand faeries were real and 16K of RAM 
     sufficed.  My 1978 world where, still wrapped in swaddling 
     clothes, the infant Call-A.P.P.L.E., with wise men guiding, 
     exploded upon the technological night sky--its contagious 
     fountain of knowledge spreading like a Washington wildfire, a 
     depth and rugged determination to share never before and never 
     again to be seen.

          Volume 12, number Nine; there will be no Volume 13.  Words 
     I thought would never be written blur my vision and scar the 
     moist paper with ugly burn marks.  "Our last issue".  A doorway 
     to another dimension has closed after 12 years.

          It would take pages to list our accomplishments and firsts, 
     more still for our failures.  But we stood proud while others 
     perished.  And so it will be in the future, the Alliance remains 
     to serve its members.

          None of it would have been possible without those brilliant 
     pioneering researchers and authors, far too numerous to even 
     consider thanking individually.  Virtually every Apple author 
     writing today appeared first in these pages.  It isn't fair, 
     however, to leave without at least expressing my gratitude to and 
     admiration for Kathryn Halgrimson Suther, without whom we would 
     not have survived thus far.  I love you, Ms. K.

          Still everything is O.K.  I wouldn't have missed it for 
     anything.  "The moving finger, having writ, moves on..."<2>


SoftSide (1978-1984)   SoftSide was a magazine about software, begun in
""""""""""""""""""""   October 1978 by Roger Robitaille.  It had a format 
similar to the early issues of Nibble, with articles and program listings 
to enter and try out.  A version that was specific to the Apple II began in 
January 1980, and lasted as a focussed publication until August 1980, when 
it combined with the other versions of SoftSide that were for the TRS-80, 
IBM-PC, and Atari computers.  The Apple edition was edited by Mark 
Pelczarski, who was also an Apple II game author and publisher.

     One problem some readers had with SoftSide was with their program 
listings; they were a copy of the printout from a dot matrix printer.  The 
dot matrix printers of the time were not as legible as they are now and by 
the time it was photographed and put into the magazine, it had become a bit 
illegible.  One reader commented, "After a short while of typing, you felt 
like you needed some of the 'coke bottle bottom' eye glasses!"<3>

     Like many computer publications of the time, SoftSide fell on hard 
times because of financial pressures and competition.  This came during 
their attempt in 1983 to increase their distribution and reach a larger 
audience of readers.  As a result, Robitaille made some efforts to 
reorganize the publication into a new magazine called SoftSide 2.0 
(directed towards the computer user), and Code (for the programmer), with 
disk versions of both to be made available.  Unfortunately, he was never 
able to get either concept fully established, and SoftSide disappeared from 
view.<4>


Apple Assembly Line (1980-1988)   This was something more than a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""   newsletter, but not quite a magazine.  It 
was edited and printed by Bob Sander-Cederlof, author of the SC-Assembler, 
and was written initially for support of that product.  It included 
information about how to write assembly language routines for various 
projects, and one of Sander-Cederlof's favorite pastimes was finding ways 
to squeeze the most code into the fewest bytes possible.  Often he would 
take sections of code from Apple's system software, disassemble it, and 
point out how it could have been coded more tightly or efficiently.  He 
also included various products that he or others had written that were 
useful for other programmers, including a package of extensions for 
Applesoft that allowed 18 digit precision math functions.

     In 1993, the Apple II Programmer's Roundtable (A2Pro) on GEnie was 
given permission by Bob Sander-Cederlof to upload the complete text and 
source code for every issue of Apple Assembly Line that was ever produced. 
Matt Deatherage, chief Sysop for that roundtable, took on the laborious 
task of converting all of the old DOS 3.3 and hybrid DOS 3.3/ProDOS disks 
provided by Sander-Cederlof.  Deatherage had to convert all of the old 
files into a format that was accessible under ProDOS (which you may recall 
has a more limited file-naming system than did DOS 3.3).  Also, he had to 
locate and organize all of the various source files pertinent to a 
particular issue of the newsletter from the various disks that 
Sander-Cederlof had previously made available to his subscribers.  After 
compiling all of the information, Deatherage then created individual 
archives for each issue and uploaded them to the A2Pro library.  They are 
there available on an exclusive basis, as permission for uploading them to 
any other online service or BBS was NOT granted.


Nibble (1980-1992)   Begun in his living room in January 1980 by Mike
""""""""""""""""""   Harvey, Nibble survived longer than most Apple II 
magazines.  His original advertisement for the magazine stated:


     NIBBLE is an unusual Newsletter for Apple II owners.  Each Issue will 
     follow a major theme...such as:

          * DATA BASE MANAGEMENT
          * PROGRAMS FOR THE HOME
          * TEXT PROCESSING
          * COMPUTING FOR KIDS
          * SMALL BUSINESS JOBS
          * GAMES AND GRAPHICS
          * PRACTICAL PASCAL
          * etc.

     Significant programs will be in each issue, surrounded by articles 
     which show how to USE the programming ideas in your OWN programs.

     Examples of Upcoming Articles...

          * Building A Numeric Keypad
          * Home Credit Card Management
          * LORES Shape Writing
          * Designing Games That Last
          * Arcade Shooting Gallery
          * Random #'s in Assy. Lang.
          * HIRES Weaving Design

     And many many more.  NIBBLE will literally "Nibble Away" at the 
     mysteries of the Apple II to help Beginning and Advanced Programmers, 
     Small Businessmen, and the Whole Family enjoy and USE the Apple MORE!

     It costs a paltry $15.00 for 8 Issues!  It will invite and publish 
     user ideas and programs.  DON'T WAIT!  Send your check or money order 
     right now, to receive the January issue!  Mail to:

          S.P.A.R.C.
          P.O. Box  [number missing]
          Lincoln, Mass. 01773

     Software Publishing And Research Co.<5>


     Mike worked carefully to make sure that he was not under the pressure 
of banks or investors, and so worked out of his own savings, running the 
company on a "pay as you go" basis.  He printed enough of the first issue, 
42 pages long in black and white, to mail to the few who responded to his 
ad, and the rest were sent free of charge to Apple dealers to make them 
aware of Nibble's existence.  Their initial schedule was for eight issues 
per year, which was what he could afford to put out.  By mid 1981 the 
magazine had grown to the point where Harvey could quit his regular job 
(president of a subsidiary of Exxon Enterprises) and work full-time as 
publisher of Nibble.<5>,<6>  His editorials over the years covered many 
topics that were helpful for small businesses, giving advice that would 
help them survive in good times and bad.  He certainly took his own advice; 
although Nibble expanded to the point where it went to a monthly schedule 
(around 1984) and was printed as a square-bound magazine, it had to reduce 
by 1990 back to a center-stapled format with fewer pages.  Eventually its 
newsstand distribution also had to be curtailed, and in the end it was 
available only by subscription.

     Nibble's articles covered a wide array of topics, from simple 
Applesoft and Integer BASIC programs, to complex assembly language 
applications, BASIC extensions, and games.  In its prime it also included a 
popular series called "Disassembly Lines", by contributing editor Sandy 
Mossberg, M.D.  In his series, Mossberg taught some of the tricks and 
techniques of assembly language by taking parts of DOS 3.3, and later 
BASIC.SYSTEM and PRODOS, and "disassembling" them into readable assembly 
source code.  This provided some insight into reasons why Apple's system 
programs worked the way they did, and made it possible to either modify 
them to fix bugs, or to incorporate the  programming techniques in other 
projects.  Mossberg later went on to delve into the Apple IIgs toolbox 
(built-in ROM routines).

     Nibble was a good place to learn how to write programs.  Their 
published listings were well commented, and the tricks used by the 
programmers who wrote their articles were available for all to see and 
learn.  Along with the various utilities they published were games (some 
that were very complicated, with long tables of hex bytes to enter).  They 
also included in later issues reviews of various commercial software 
products, and always made available disks containing all of the programs 
from a single issue of the magazine, for those who didn't want to enter by 
hand the programs.

     In April 1985 a section was added to the magazine called "Nibble 
Mac", to cover topics of interest to Macintosh users.  Later in 1985 this 
was split out and a separate publication (short-lived) with the same title 
was printed to concentrate on the Macintosh users.  Nibble also helped 
establish the concept of copyright protection on program listings printed 
in magazines.  This was important to Nibble, as they sold disks of their 
old programs to save readers the trouble of typing in by hand the long 
listings.

     With decreasing sales, a decision was made in 1991 to no longer 
supply Nibble to newsstand vendors and continue the magazine on a 
subscription-only basis.  The market for Apple II programming-oriented 
magazines continued to decline, and the July 1992 issue announced itself as 
the last one.  The balance of subscriptions were filled out through 
A2-Central.


Peelings II (1980-unknown)   Started around August 1980, this magazine was
""""""""""""""""""""""""""   devoted entirely to Apple II software 
reviews.<7>


Softalk (1980-1984)   Softalk ... ah, this one was special.  Of all the
"""""""""""""""""""   magazines that have dealt with the Apple II since its 
release in 1977, none have been quite like Softalk.  Their first issue in 
September 1980 was 32 pages, including the cover which featured Darth Vader 
with the title, "Apple Helps The Empire Strike Back".  This first issue 
opened with the following introductory remark.  I reproduce it in its 
entirety here, because it highlights what I feel is the ideal in a computer 
magazine, and because the last two paragraphs are still very applicable 
today:


          Welcome to SOFTALK.  Whether you're a hobbyist or a 
     businessperson, a programmer or a nonprogrammer, SOFTALK is 
     designed for you, because each of you has chosen Apple for your 
     computer; and so did we.

          SOFTALK is a feature magazine, intended to pique the 
     curiosity and intrigue the intellect of everyone who owns an 
     Apple.  In SOFTALK, you'll find articles about people who own and 
     use Apples, some of them famous, some merely ingenious.  You'll 
     find articles about issues--those most pertinent within the 
     microcomputer industry, such as piracy, and those the 
     microcomputer is helping to solve, such as unemployment among the 
     handicapped.

          SOFTALK'S regular columns will strive to keep you up with 
     what's new in software and hardware and what's new in the 
     companies that make software and hardware.  We'll also try to 
     keep you informed of how the computer is making news, both in the 
     United States and abroad, both seriously and lightly.

          SOFTALK is not a programming magazine.  Beginning in 
     October, our programming columns will be intended as tutorials, 
     offering running courses on how to program.  Although we believe 
     that those of you who are seriously involved in programming will 
     enjoy SOFTALK, for your programming applications we recommend 
     that you seek out the excellent programming articles and tips in 
     such magazines as APPLE ORCHARD, MICRO, CALL-A.P.P.L.E., CREATIVE 
     COMPUTING, and the many other fine magazines that address 
     themselves to this aspect of computing.

          Fun is another feature of SOFTALK.  There will be puzzles, 
     games, contests.  The prizes won't be huge, but they will be fun. 
     This month, you'll find a contest on page 2; later in the 
     magazine lurks another puzzler.

          We encourage you to patronize our advertisers.  Those 
     advertisers make it possible for you to receive SOFTALK.  And, 
     further, we hope you'll support your local computer store.  A 
     healthy retail sector is crucial to our industry on every level; 
     it is to all our benefits to help our retailers prosper.

          I hope you share my enthusiasm for Apple and for the 
     remarkable microcomputer industry, because, when you share it, 
     you'll find yourself looking forward to the fast-coming future 
     with excitement and optimistic anticipation.  If SOFTALK serves 
     only to instill such a positive enthusiasm in you, it will be 
     well worthwhile.<8>


     Oddly enough, Softalk owed its beginning to a television game show. 
Margot Tommervik was a contestant on "Password", and with part of her 
winnings she purchased an Apple II computer.  She was fascinated with the 
machine and what it allowed her to do.  When a local computer store offered 
a prize for the first person to solve On-Line's Mystery House adventure, 
she dove into it headlong and had it solved in twenty-four hours.  Later 
that year, she came across a publishing house that was trying to produce a 
magazine about software and wanted a partner.  With the rest of her 
"Password" winnings, Margot and her husband Al agreed to do the magazine if 
they were allowed to determine its course and retain management control. It 
would be as much a magazine for Apple II enthusiasts to enjoy as a platform 
for software publishers to display their wares.  Although it had the modest 
beginning of only 32 pages printed on newsprint stock, within a year there 
were over one hundred advertising pages in each issue.  It was an ideal 
arrangement:  The readers got a magazine that was specifically about their 
computer, and the software and hardware companies got a magazine with 
widespread distribution that could showcase their products to those 
readers.<9>

     Part of the uniqueness of Softalk was due to the way it did business. 
Although it was a magazine that was available by mail or in computer stores 
(as were other computer magazines of the day), this one offered EVERY Apple 
II owner a FREE six month subscription as a trial!  One only had to provide 
the serial number on the bottom of the computer, and you were in the club.  
And it felt like a club, almost a family, of fellow Apple II (and later, 
Apple III, Lisa, and Macintosh) enthusiasts.  This unusual method of 
providing a magazine lasted even until the final issue.

     Softalk carved its niche among the other Apple II magazines of the 
time by providing a variety of articles not available anywhere else. 
Whereas Nibble was best known for its games and utilities, Call-A.P.P.L.E. 
for its technical information, and Apple Orchard for its focus on beginners 
and Apple user groups, Softalk concentrated on the Apple computer industry. 
This included information about Apple Computer, Inc., as well as the many 
companies that provided software or hardware for the Apple II.  A monthly 
series called "Exec" (taken after the DOS 3.3 disk command), profiled a 
company that made hardware or software for the Apple II, and gave some of 
the background about its products.  They carried reviews of many new 
releases each month, and provided news on a continuing basis ABOUT the 
companies making those products.  They also developed a monthly best-seller 
list for Apple II and III software, and used not the sales figures provided 
by the companies who marketed the programs, but rather the actual sales 
figures from the software and computer stores that sold them.  Their reason 
for doing it this way was to get a more accurate picture of what was 
SELLING, not just what was shipping.

     As time went by, Softalk expanded its coverage to include columns 
that dealt with specific programming areas on the Apple II, but chose to do 
so in a tutorial fashion, as they promised in their introduction article. 
Roger Wagner started in October 1980 with a column called "Assembly Lines" 
that taught 6502 assembly language (he says that what he knew about 6502 
assembly was only about one month ahead of what the readers were 
learning<10>); Doug Carlston instructed users in the art of BASIC 
programming in "All About Applesoft"; Mark Pelczarski expounded on hi-res 
graphics techniques in "Graphically Speaking"; Taylor Pohlman (an Apple 
employee) wrote about the Apple III in "The Third Basic"; Jim Merritt (who 
also worked for Apple) championed Pascal in "The Pascal Path"; Greg 
Tibbetts delved into Apple CP/M in "Softcard Symposium"; and Bert Kersey 
and Tom Weishaar deciphered DOS 3.3 and ProDOS in "DOSTalk".  Other regular 
features included "Fastalk" (an annotated listing and description of 
current and classic software), "Marketalk News" (product release 
announcements) and "Marketalk Reviews" (detailed product reviews), 
"Tradetalk" (Apple industry news), "Hardtalk" (hardware projects or 
information), "Storytalk" (fiction, primarily computer related), and 
eventually a column called "Backtalk", which was a look back at older 
issues of Softalk itself (this began on the third anniversary of the 
magazine).  One unusual column, called "Open Discussion", was quite similar 
to the interaction on today's online information services.  They printed 
letters from readers that ranged from comments on previous articles to 
questions such as "How do I get Apple Writer to work with my printer?" 
Rather than directly answering each question, Softalk often left it to 
readers to send in replies with help.  In its last year, Softalk did begin 
a column called "If Then Maybe", which actually took some of those 
technical questions and used some of its consulting writers (the "Softalk 
Sages") to answer them.

     Each month there was a new contest, usually involving a puzzle of 
some sort that might or might not require the use of a computer to help 
solve it.  The winners of the previous month's contests were awarded a 
credit towards $100 worth of products advertised in Softalk.  The puzzles 
were creative and unique.  One issue asked to have various shapes in a 
later part of the magazine identified (some that were obvious, such as a 
computer monitor, some less so, such as a hand phaser from Star Trek).  
Another contest consisted of only lists of five character scrambled words; 
no clues, no instructions, no direction.  One month had a crossword puzzle 
with VERY obtuse clues.  One November issue featured tiny little "hi-res" 
turkeys scattered throughout the magazine; the goal was to correctly count 
ALL of them.  Some of the contests even allowed those entering to be 
creative; one asked entrants to write a short paragraph that might 
illustrate the use of an Apple computer by a fictional or non-fictional 
historical figure (an example being Emperor Nero playing an adventure game 
in which he is trying to figure out the correct commands to get it to allow 
him to burn down Rome).  In the case of multiple entries with correct 
answers, the winner of the monthly contests was selected with a 
random-number generator.  Even if you didn't enter the contests, they were 
fun to read and ponder, and some of the winning entries (when creative 
writing was involved) were great.

     Softalk suddenly disappeared after the August 1984 issue was mailed. 
There was no announcement, nothing that had indicated that this was going 
to happen, and with its disappearance the "Golden Age" of the Apple also 
passed.  (By this time Softalk Publishing also had two other magazines, 
"Softalk For The IBM PC" and "St. Mac", for the Macintosh).  This ending 
could have been predicted by the way in which the magazine had gotten 
smaller and smaller in size over the previous few months, but its ending 
was still somewhat of a shock to the readers.  One reader was reported to 
have said that if he had known that they were having financial problems he 
would have taken up a collection!

     What led to the demise of Softalk?  Several factors likely played a 
role.  One was the explosion in the number of magazines for and about 
computers between 1981 and 1983.  Each new magazine that appeared was yet 
another place where a vendor needed to consider putting advertising 
dollars, and for some small companies it was simply not affordable to put 
ads in ALL of them.  Another factor that figured in was the introduction of 
the IBM PC, and the sudden need for companies to produce versions of their 
programs that would run on THAT computer.  When the recession of 1982-84 
arrived, the computer market began to loose steam, and small single-product 
companies either had to associate with larger ones or go out of business. 
Lower consumer spending on computer hardware and software hurt the market 
further, and the necessary advertising dollars were simply not available, 
and Softalk became, unfortunately, one of the casualties.<11>  Perhaps the 
major factor that contributed to this was that Softalk did not have any 
large publishing company backing it up; it was owned and operated by the 
Tommerviks, and they didn't have the cash cushion that would allow them to 
pay expenses during time of slow advertising revenue.<12>  Perhaps if a 
major publisher had taken an interest, Softalk would still be around today.

     In its prime (December 1983), Softalk was over 400 pages long, but by 
its final issue in August 1984 it had shrunk down to only 128 pages. 
Although a next issue was in the works (according to the "previews" section 
in the table of contents), it never made it to the printer.  Remaining 
subscriptions were filled out by inCider magazine, but sadly, the magic was 
gone.



                                 [*][*][*]

NEXT INSTALLMENT:  Magazines, cont.
""""""""""""""""

                                   NOTES
                                   """""

     <1> Peterson, Craig.  GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Mar 1992, Category 2, 
         Topic 16.

     <2> Suther, Kathryn Halgrimson.  "The Inside Track", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., 
         Oct 1984, p. 34.

     <3> Vanderpool, Tom.  GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Oct 1991, Category 2, 
         Topic 16.

     <4> Barr, Mike.  GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Oct 1992, Category 2, Topic 16.

     <5> Harvey, Mike.  "Nibble At Seven Years...Roots And Blooms", 
         NIBBLE, Jan 1987, p. 5.

     <6> Harvey, Mike.  "Time Flies When You're Havin' Fun!", NIBBLE, Jan 
         1985, p. 5.

     <7> Golding, Val J.  "Call-A.P.P.L.E. Book Review", PEEKING AT 
         CALL-A.P.P.L.E., VOL 3, 1980, p. 249.

     <8> Tommervik, Margot Comstock.  "Straightalk", SOFTALK, Sep 1980, p. 
         3.

     <9> Levy, Steven.  Dell Publishing Co., Inc, HACKERS: HEROES OF THE 
         COMPUTER REVOLUTION, New York, 1984, pp. 308-310.

     <10> Bird, Alan, & Weishaar, Tom.  "Old Timers: Two Survivors", 1991 
         A2-CENTRAL SUMMER CONFERENCE (tapes), July 1992.

     <11> Golding, Val J.  "The Magazine That Dared To Sing", 
         CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Oct 1984, p. 34.

     <12> Disbrow, Steven.  "Old Timers: Apple II Magazines", 1992 
         A2-CENTRAL SUMMER CONFERENCE (tapes), July 1992.









           //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
          /                                                            /
         /  "The IIGS is about as obsolete as the 1966 427 Cobra.     /
        /    A few years old, yes, but still one of the hottest      /
       /     machines around!"                                      /
      /                                                            /
     ////////////////////////////////////////////  E.SHEPHERD  ////



[EOA]
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
                         LOG OFF /
/////////////////////////////////
GEnieLamp Information
"""""""""""""""""""""

   o   COMMENTS: Contacting GEnieLamp

        o   GEnieLamp STAFF: Who Are We?



GEnieLamp Information   GEnieLamp is published on the 1st of every month
"""""""""""""""""""""   on GEnie page 515.  You can also find GEnieLamp on
the main menus in the following computing RoundTables.

RoundTable      Keyword  GEnie Page     RoundTable      Keyword  GEnie Page
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
DigiPub         DIGIPUB      1395        Atari ST        ST          475
Macintosh       MAC          605         IBM PC          IBMPC       615
Apple II        A2           645         Apple II Dev.   A2PRO       530
Macintosh Dev.  MACPRO       480         Geoworks        GEOWORKS    1050
BBS             BBS          610         CE Software     CESOFTWARE  1005
Mini/Mainframe  MAINFRAME    1145        Programming     PROGRAMMING 1445
Data Comm.      DATACOMM     1450        (Windows Coming Soon!)

    GEnieLamp is also distributed on CrossNet, Internet, America Online,
Delphi and many public and commercial BBS systems worldwide.


    o To reach GEnieLamp on Internet send mail to genielamp@genie.geis.com 
      OR jpeters@sosi.com

    o Our Internet anonymous FTP address is: sosi.com.  All current 
      versions of GEnieLamp are available in the ~/pub/GEnieLamp directory.  
      Due to the added expense involved, we ask that when you get GEnieLamp 
      via the anonymous ftp for GEnieLamp, that it _not_ be ftp'd during 
      the hours of 9AM and 5PM Eastern Standard Time.  We appreciate your 
      cooperation in this matter.

    o Current issues of all versions of GEnieLamp as well as back issues of 
      GEnieLamp IBM are File Requestable (FREQable) via FidoNet (Zones 1 
      through 6) from 1:128/51 and via OURNet (Zone 65) from 65:8130/3.  
      SysOps should use the following "magic names" to request the current 
      issue of the indicated GEnieLamp platform (FREQ FILES for names of 
      back issues of GEnieLamp IBM):

                    Platform                    Magic Name To Use
                    """"""""                    """""""""""""""""
                    GEnieLamp IBM .................. GLIBM
                    GEnieLamp ST ................... GLST
                    GEnieLamp A2Pro ................ GLA2PRO
                    GEnieLamp Macintosh ............ GLMAC
                    GEnieLamp TX2 .................. GLTX2
                    GEnieLamp A2 ................... GLA2

    o Back issues of GEnieLamp are available in the DigiPub RoundTable 
      Library #2 on page 1395.  M1395;3

    o GEnieLamp pays for articles submitted and published with online GEnie 
      credit time.  Upload submissions in ASCII format to library #42 in 
      the DigiPub RoundTable on page 1395 (M1395;3) or Email it to 
      GENIELAMP.  On Internet send it to: genielamp@genie.geis.com

    o We welcome and respond to all E-Mail. To leave comments, suggestions 
      or just to say hi, you can contact us in the DigiPub RoundTable 
      (M1395) or send GE Mail to John Peters at [GENIELAMP] on page 200.

    o If you would like to meet us "live" talk to us every Wednesday night 
      in the Digi*Pub Real-Time Conference, 9:00 EDT.  M1395;2

    o The Digital Publishing RoundTable is for people who are interested in 
      pursuing publication of their work electronically on GEnie or via 
      disk-based media.  For those looking for online publications, the 
      DigiPub Software Libraries offer online magazines, newsletters, 
      short-stories, poetry and other various text oriented articles for 
      downloading to your computer.  Also available are writers' tools and 
      'Hyper-utilties' for text presentation on most computer systems.  In 
      the DigiPub Bulletin Board you can converse with people in the 
      digital publishing industry, meet editors from some of the top 
      electronic publications and get hints and tips on how to go about 
      publishing your own digital book.  The DigiPub RoundTable is the 
      official online service for the Digital Publishing Association.  To 
      get there type DIGIPUB or M1395 at any GEnie prompt.



                          >>> GEnieLamp STAFF <<<
                          """""""""""""""""""""""

 GEnieLamp    o John Peters         [GENIELAMP]    Publisher/Editor
 """""""""
       IBM    o Bob Connors         [DR.BOB]       EDITOR
       """    o David C. Leithauser [D.LEITHAUSER] HyperRead Editor
              o Brad Biondo         [B.BIONDO]     IBM Staff Writer
              o Tippy Martinez      [WIN.LAMP]     IBM Staff Writer
              o David Holmes        [D.HOLMES14]   IBM Staff Writer
              o Don Lokke           [D.LOKKE]      Cartoonist

GEnieLamp     o Tippy Martinez      [WIN.LAMP]     EDITOR
  Windows     o Brad Biondo         [B.BIONDO]     Windows Staff Writer
  """""""     o John Osarczuk       [J.OSARCZUK]   Windows Staff Writer

 MACINTOSH    o Richard Vega        [GELAMP.MAC]   EDITOR
 """""""""    o Tom Trinko          [T.TRINKO]     Mac Staff Writer
              o Bret Fledderjohn    [FLEDDERJOHN]  Mac Staff Writer
              o Ricky J. Vega       [GELAMP.MAC]   Mac Staff Writer

  ATARI ST    o John Gniewkowski    [GENIELAMP.ST] ST EDITOR
  """"""""    o Mel Motogawa        [M.MOTOGAWA]   ST Staff Writer
              o Sheldon Winick      [S.WINICK]     ST Staff Writer
              o Richard Brown       [R.BROWN30]    ST Staff Writer
              o Al Fasoldt          [A.FASOLDT]    ST Staff Writer
              o Fred Koch           [F.KOCH]       ST Staff Writer
              o Sandy Wolf          [S.WOLF4]      ST Staff Writer

ATARI ST/TX2  o Cliff Allen         [C.ALLEN17]    EDITOR/TX2
""""""""""""
ATARI [PR]    o Bruce Faulkner      [R.FAULKNER4]  EDITOR/GEnieLamp [PR]
""""""""""

  APPLE II    o Doug Cuff           [EDITOR.A2]    EDITOR
  """"""""    o Tara Dillinger      [TARA]         Co-Editor
              o Phil Shapiro        [P.SHAPIRO1]   A2 Staff Writer
              o Darrel Raines       [D.RAINES]     A2 Staff Writer
              o Gina E. Saikin      [A2.GENA]      A2 Staff Writer
              o Steve Weyhrich      [S.WEYHRICH]   A2 Staff Writer

      A2Pro   o Nate C. Trost       [A2PRO.GELAMP] EDITOR
      """""   o Tim Buchheim        [T.BUCHHEIM]   Co-Editor

      ETC.    o Jim Lubin           [J.LUBIN]      Add Aladdin/Scripts
      """"    o Scott Garrigus      [S.GARRIGUS]   Search-ME!
              o Bruce Maples        [B.MAPLES]     Copy Editor
              o Mike White          [MWHITE]       (oo) / DigiPub SysOp
              o Susie Oviatt        [SUSIE]        ASCII Artist

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
 Bulletin  board messages  are reprinted verbatim,  and are included in
 this publication with permission from GEnie and the source RoundTable.
 GEnie, GEnieLamp Online Magazines,  and T/TalkNet Online Publishing do
 not guarantee the accuracy or suitability  of any information included
 herein.   Opinions expressed are  those of the individual,  and do not
 represent opinions of GEnie,  GEnielamp Online Magazines, or T/TalkNet
 Online Publishing.

 Material published in this edition may be reprinted  under the follow-
 ing terms only.  Reprint permission granted,  unless otherwise  noted,
 to registered  computer user groups and  not for profit  publications.
 All  articles must  remain unedited and  include the issue  number and
 author at the top of each article  reprinted.  Opinions present herein
 are those  of the individual  authors  and do  not necessarily reflect
 those of the publisher or staff of GEnieLamp.  We reserve the right to
 edit all letters and copy.  Please include the following at the end or
 the beginning of all reprints:
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
 (c) Copyright 1993  T/TalkNET  Online Publishing  and  GEnie.  To join
 GEnie,  set your modem to 2400  baud (or less)  and half duplex (local
 echo).   Have the modem dial 1-800-638-8369 (in Canada, have the modem
 dial 1-800-387-3880).   When you get a CONNECT message, type HHH.   At
 the U#= prompt, type:  XTX99014,DIGIPUB and hit the [return] key.  The
 system will then ask you for your information.   Need more help?  Call
 (voice) 1-800-638-9636 for more information.
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
[EOF]

