ST NEWS Volume 9 Issue 3

ST NEWS Volume 9 Issue 3
Released on Saturday, December 17th 1994
Dedicated to Terry Pratchett

= A GREAT MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING/NIGHT TO YOU! =======================
 
 
 On the disk in your disk drive you will find "ST NEWS" Volume 9 Issue 3,  
filled to the gerbils (?!) with all kinds of stuff as usual,  and  barely  
in time not to be too late,  sortof.  Never mind all these  uninteresting  
utterings,  just get down to the section below to see if some of the many  
things in it might entice you into an actual reading session.
 Suffice,  for  now,  to tell you that it was finished on  December  17th  
1994,  and that it's the 38th issue in total and the 11th since "ST NEWS"  
went undead.
 Below you will find some more details concerning this issue (like how to  
copy it and what's in it).
 
 Have fun reading,
 
 
 Richard Karsmakers
  a.k.a. Cronos
  of the Amazing Cracking Conspiracy (ACC)
  of the Quartermass Experiment (QX)
 (Editor)
 
 
= WHAT'S IN IT, HEX? ====================================================
 
 
 Yes,  indeed,  what may be found here?  Below you will find a summary of  
some  of  the  most important bits,  the CAPITALIZED parts  of  which  PD  
library owners are invited to use in their catalogues.
 
=========================================================================
 AN INTERVIEW WITH TERRY PRATCHETT!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 What  with this issue dedicated to Terry  Pratchett,  author  of,  among  
other things,  the really excellent series of Discworld novels, I guessed  
it would be perfect to interview him.  So that's what I did, and I talked  
with him about a variety of subjects involving illustrious things such as  
carniverous plants and Australia!
=========================================================================
 FURTHER INTERVIEWS WITH ALTAR,  DAMIEN M.  JONES, AT THE GATES, ORPHANED  
LAND, ANDY AND DAVE OF VOLUME 11 (OF "STARBALL" FAME) AND OTHERS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Once  more  your intrepid reporter went through  incredible  lengths  to  
acquaint you with some computer people and musicians, too!
dedicated!
=========================================================================
 ADVENTURE SOLUTIONS:  "FUTURE WARS",  "BRIMSTONE",  "BLUE FORCE", "HUGO"  
AND SEVERAL OTHERS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Why  wait  for  multiple (or 'stranger') aeons  until  another  magazine  
chucks out the odd tip on your favourite adventure that you've been stuck  
on  ever  since  the week after you bought  it?  "ST  NEWS"  has  offered  
solutions  to almost *all* ST adventures and quite an enormous lot of  PC  
ones  as  well.  You  need look no  further;  check  out  the  "Adventure  
Solutions Index". If your favourite adventure's not in there then there's  
quite a chance it's not actually an adventure.
 By now,  Math might actually have grown a beard.  Haven't heard from him  
in a while.
=========================================================================
 LITERARY BITS!
=========================================================================
 REVIEWS:   "PROMISED   LAND"  (CD),   "NEODESK"  VERSION  4   (UTILITY),  
"YOUTHANASIA" (CD), "TRUE LIES" (FILM), "GENEVA" (OS), MIRANDA SEX GARDEN  
(CONCERT),  "THE  STAND" (BOOK),  "ERGO PRO!" (UTILITY),  "FORREST  GUMP"  
(FILM),  "NEEDFUL  THINGS"  (BOOJK),  "AWAKE" (CD),  "THE  LIAR"  (BOOK),  
"RAINBOW" (DRAWING PROGRAM),  THE BRENTFORD TRILOGY (BOOKS), FOUR TRIBUTE  
ALBUMS (CD), "YRAN" (FESTIVAL) AND MORE!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The various contributors to "ST NEWS" don't just use their  computers...  
no,  they  also read books and listen to various bits of  digital  sound.  
Sometimes,  indeed,  they  leave their dark attics to go out  and  mingle  
among  other  mortals to see concerts and films and  the  like.  So  some  
opinions may be found here as well...
=========================================================================
 UNBELIEVABLY HOT NEWS ABOUT FORTHCOMING MUSIC AND FILMS!
=========================================================================
 A TOTALLY UNABRIDGED AND TOTALLY *ERIK* ST RENDITION OF A FILMSCRIPT!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 After "Terminator II" and "The Meaning of Life",  the third film  script  
so  far to be featured in "ST NEWS" in its whole entireness - and  likely  
not the last yet 'cause we still have some lying around.
=========================================================================
 AN EVEN MORE COMPLETE FALCON SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY LIST!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Now  you can see for yourself what old and recent stuff doesn't work  on  
the Falcon and,  vastly more important,  what *does*.  It is probably the  
most complete list of its kind,  and trustworthy too;  much of this stuff  
is from my own experience.
=========================================================================
 INTERESTING PROGRAMS TO BOOT!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 As usual you get some extra bits of software.  This time,  for  example,  
there's  the  fiendishly insulting "Grandson of Wowbagger the  Infinitely  
Prolonged"  swearing  accessory  and a really nice  and  flexible  thingy  
written  by  a Nutty Norwegian called "PAnTHer".  Check  this  stuff  out  
without further ado!
=========================================================================
 
 
= NOTES ABOUT COPYING ===================================================
 
 
 I will be brief.  Just like the 37 prior issues,  "ST NEWS" is about  as  
Public Domain as you can get.  Spread it,  copy it,  sell it (as CHEAP as  
possible please),  I don't mind.  It is important that as many people  as  
possible get this issue,  so give it to a friend for his/her birthday! In  
case you're the owner of a Public Domain library, you are much encouraged  
to include it in that.  I need NO royalties.  This is NO licenseware. You  
can keep whatever profit you make yourself.
 The disk format is:
 
 Tracks            : 0-80 (that's one extra)
 Sectors per track : 11 (that's hyper-formatted)
 Number of sides   : 2 (would have done 3 if only it were possible)
 
 You  can copy it with just about any modern disk copier  (though  Martin  
Backschat's  "FastCopy"  would  be a most  excellent  choice  (free  plug  
there)). And anyway, it's not *how* you copy it that's important, as long  
as you *do* copy it, possible in the *largest* numbers!
 Be  wise and steer clear of expensive PD libraries.  And please  send  a  
donation now and again if you've enjoyed our efforts. I have received one  
donation (hi Marinos!) in the last three years or something.
 
 
= NOTES ABOUT COMPATIBILITY =============================================
 
 
Atari (MEGA) ST(E): "ST NEWS" runs on all systems,  including those  with  
                    512 Kb memory (though 1 Mb minimum would be nice, and  
                    better).  Graphic cards are not supported. Please use  
                    medium or high resolution only.
Atari TT          : "ST  NEWS"  has been tested on a TT  and  works  when  
                    launched from either ST medium or ST high resolution.
Atari Falcon 030  : "ST NEWS" runs smoothly from any 80-column VGA/RGB/TV  
                    resolution  with  the exception of "VGA  with  double  
                    line on and 2 colours" or "TV/RGB non-interlaced with  
                    2  colours" (in which cases it will  bomb).  Any  40-
                    column   resolution  (including  ST  low   resolution  
                    compatibility  mode) will cause all GEM and VDI  draw  
                    commands  to  be  limited to the  left  half  of  the  
                    screen.  Also, the file selector needed to specify an  
                    ASCII/WP  file  to  be written  is  usually  coloured  
                    wrongly  and drawn partly off the screen due  to  GEM  
                    not being properly re-initialised. Any suggestions on  
                    how to fix these problems?
                    Keeping  [ALTERNATE]  pressed  during  booting  on  a  
                    Falcon  with  VGA monitor connected  will  cause  the  
                    program to use ST high resolution mode instead of  ST  
                    medium  (among  other things,  this  slows  down  the  
                    scroller).
                    "ST  NEWS"  hasn't yet been tested on a  Falcon  with  
                    SM124/5  monochrome monitor.  If you can  test  this,  
                    please let me know the result. Should work, though.
GEMulator         : "ST  NEWS"  works with it,  as long as you  have  the  
                    music turned off.
MultiTOS / Geneva : "ST NEWS" will not work with any multi-tasking OS, as  
                    it uses no GEM at all. Please disable it.
Warp 9            : Exiting "ST NEWS" may freeze the system with "Warp 9"  
                    active.   This  can  be  fixed  by  adding  the  line  
                    "ST_NEWS.PRG s0 b0 j0"   (turn  screen   accelerator,  
                    mouse  block  and mouse jump off) in  the  "WARP.DAT"  
                    automatic configuration file.
BlowUp 030        : Exiting "ST NEWS" will cause a return to a  distorted  
                    screen.  This is likely to happen with most  extended  
                    screen resolution drivers, including "ScreenBlaster".  
                    Please disable them. Does anyone know a solution?
Disk drives       : There  are  a few (very few) disk drives  that  can't  
                    handle 11 sectors per track.  I am very sorry,  but I  
                    would  use a smaller format if I could.  There's  too  
                    much  stuff I want to put in "ST NEWS" but not  quite  
                    enough  simply  to  increase  the  frequency  of  its  
                    appearance,  and  I *never* want to start  using  TWO  
                    disks. Maybe, one day when everybody has HD drives, I  
                    will switch to HD disks.
 
 
 That's it. No use reading any further.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                              S T  N E W S
 
         *THE* ATARI ST/STE/TT/FALCON MULTI MEDIA DISK MAGAZINE
 
                      SOON TO BE RELATIVELY FAMOUS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 THE END OF THE "ST NEWS" VOLUME 9 ISSUE 3 TEXT FILE
 

Emulation note

To run with Hatari, use TOS 2.06

To run with STeem, use TOS 2.06

.