=AmiJournal 1.10= November 13, 1993  Please Click Here to Begin  +--------------------------+ |: :| || ** ** .| |: ** ** .| |: | |. ***** ** | | *** ** ** | | *** ** ** .| | *** ** ** ** :| |. *** ** ****** || |: *** ** **** || || :| +--------------------------+ Alternative News Source for the Amiga Issue 1.09 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Published by Planet X Productions International Toronto, Ontario *BY AMIGANS FOR AMIGANS* =AmiJournal 1.10= Main Menu // =AmiJournal 1.10= \\ The AMIGA Alternative News Source \\ 11/13/93 // ================================= © 1993, Planet X Productions Int'l and Ray J. Morrell From The Editor  Hit 'em where it helps News Headlines -- Believe The Hype?  Amiga 5000 facts? Or fiction? Columns (dir)  Weekly columns Reader Survey  Let us know what you think AJ Distribution Centers  Where to find AJ every Saturday AmiJournal Information  Staff credits, information  QUIT  Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: =AmiJournal 1.10= From The Editor's Desk .. /|J FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK ====================== CONSOLE WARS: COMMODORE FIGHTS BACK ------------------------------------ The Amiga community was uplifted this past week by exciting news that Commodore's stock on the NYSE jumped several points in response to unusually heavy trading. This would seem to indicate an overall rise in the popularity of the Amiga CD³² Games Console in the UK and German markets. Unconfirmed reports seem to tell the story that stores just can't keep the units on the shelves long enough. While the underlying factors of this rise in stock prices are yet to be uncovered, it is good news to the community either way. NOVEMBER DRAGS ON... -------------------- It's so boring it's scary. Any day now, we can expect to hear news that the arrival of the Amiga CD³² has been delayed due to enormous sales in Europe. So our loss is Commodore's gain. Meanwhile, the bad reports keep circulating on the C-LINK network about shoddy business practises with two major mail-order companies, Creative Computers and the Grapevine Group. While our investigation continues, I would like to note that the Grapevine Group now has a support BBS, where information and recent catalogs can be downloaded. The BBS supports 300-2400 baud, and can be reached at (914) 343-VINE (8463). OH NO, IT'S BARNEY! ------------------- I have heard news that some people in Florida have established an "I Hate Barney" group, and related support groups for parents of Barney-loving children. If you don't already know, Barney is a disgustingly nice purple dinosaur on public television, which wins over the hearts and mind of our pre-school children, and turns normal adults into purple-fearing nervous wrecks, many of whom actually must seek professional attention. I'm serious! Anyway, to inspire those brave souls fighting the evil forces of nice purple dinosaurs, I have included a home-drawn wanted poster in 16-color IFF format. Wanna see it? Clink --> HERE Ok, it's not that great -- I'm a better writer than artists, but it's the thought that counts! REMEMBERANCE/VETERAN'S DAY -------------------------- This past week saw yet another Rememberance Day (Veteran's Day in the U.S.) come and go. I hope we all spent at least one or two moments remembering those who gave their lives this century, fighting for our freedoms. Not to turn this magazine into a political issue, but I personally think it's important that we recall the past to prevent it from repeating itself. From what I've heard, the Clinton administration would like to see those rights and freedoms thrown out the window with proposed regulations on users of modems and owners of BBSes, including taxation on telecommunications products. This is an absolute outrage to anyone who's livelihood is the telecommunications industry, particularly to hobbyists like myself. It is disgusting. And that's not the end of it. Bell Canada, here in (where else?) Canada has proposed regulations to the CRTC (Canadian Radio- telecommunications and Television Commission) which would see all users of fax machines and modems be required to rent a special "data" phone line at $5 per month, per line. The very scourge our brave ancestors fought against is now in power and trying to destroy our hobby. I hope we can unite and stop this threat quickly. I for one am not going to forfeit the time and money I have invested in my hobby, on account of "government regulations." - The Editor (Ray Morrell) @ 911:5177/0.0 [CLINK] @ 1:229/436.1 [FIDO] Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: « BELIEVE THE HYPE? » .. /|J CAN YOU BELIEVE THE HYPE? ========================= By: Ray Morrell (10-Nov-93) -- Late-breaking news came our way when a text file upload to our host system described the details of an article in "Dator Magazine" - a Swedish computer mag, issue #19 (no month was given). Details are revealed, supposedly from Commodore UK's executive director, David Pleasance, about the secret project many speculators have dubbed "Amiga 5000." The text file was circulated on the major pirate networks, and was written by "Psyko." The A5000 is revealed to be a multiple-platform computer, which will run AmigaDOS, Windows NT and the Mac OS. Other exciting enhancements are described, "According to David Pleasance, it's a totally new step in the development of the Amiga." Most shocking perhaps, is the next sentence, "Commodore has discarded the thought of making it backward compatible." This spells the end of even the newest AGA machines. The text file continues, "...they put all their effort in to creating a RISC-based (Reduced Instruction, Small Code) Amiga, which should be able to compete with all other platforms, based on the RISC and Pentium processors. The A5000 will also be able to run Windows NT and thereby PC applications that work with it ... programs will run five times faster that on a Pentium PC!" Many rumors have the "newest" Amiga containing the secret AAA graphics chipset. This text file seems to confirm that, and "(it will) have 10 times higher performance than today's AGA chips that come in the A1200 and A4000." According to the document, the A5000 is currently a prototype, which means it is being tested by respectable developers and Commodore technicians. The release date is pegged for the Summer of 1994. First off, I've seen a lot of hype, and rumor-mongering. There is nothing in this re-print that makes me think it is any more legit than anything else I've seen. There is no hard technical information, and I don't know many (reputable) magazines that publish information or "reveal the big secret" on something without hard facts. Any moron can figure out that the "next generation" Amiga will have AAA chips, it is no secret that Commodore is working industriously on them this very minute. RISC technology? It's certainly a possibility, since Motorola, makers of the current Amiga processors, have a hand in the Power PC and RISC markets. So, take it with a grain (or two) of salt, unless you like being gullible. And the least believable part of the tale is Commodore making the machine non-backwards compatible. It would be very uncharacteristic, and a seriously poor marketing error to make a machine incompatible with older software, only a summer after releasing three AGA machines, the A1200, A4000 and finally the CD³². Many facts are missing from the description, so I'll wait for the press release. I will also inquire at World of Commodore Amiga, in Toronto (see the full report, coming in issue 1.13, and a follow-up report in issue 1.14, December 4 and 11 respectively). Another turn off is the unbelievably bad grammar in the text file. The file can be found on Planet X BBS as "a5000new.txt" in our "Amiga PD/Text files" file dir, and possibly on your local BBS, so you can see it for yourself if you want. It is obvious the author is into the "SCeNe" - I don't know many pirates who have any skill at grammar (if they did they would be programmers, and then there would be a conflict of interest). Until I see the press release, I'll take it as more rumor-mongering. Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: =AmiJournal 1.10= Columns Menu .. /|J REGULAR COLUMNS & FEATURES ========================== Network News  News on the major networks « YIKES! NO CONTIBUTIONS? NO COLUMNS.. SORRY FOLKS! » [F]eedback  Main> F Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: « NETWORK NEWS » .. /|J C-LINK NEWS =========== AEROSPACE AREA SOON TO BE ADDED ------------------------------- The voting is still open, but from early returns, by our count, the CLINKAEROSPACE echo should be a go. Our last count, as of November 13, was 28 votes of YEA, 8 votes of NAY, and 1 vote of ABSTAIN. What remains to be seen, after the echo is added, is how long it will last. Already several areas, including CLINKRADIO, have seen critical, and possibly fatal decreases in activity. Expect to see several areas leave the backbone shortly. Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: «« [F]eedback »» .. /|J READER FEEDBACK =============== ========================================================================== « No feedback was received this week » ========================================================================== Reminder: AmiJournal reserves the right to edit feedback and submissions for space available and for asthetics. Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: « READER SURVEY » .. /|J READER SURVEY ============= Please help us collect information about you, and where you found our electronic magazine by filling out this survey and mailing it to us, or e-mailing it with your information filled in, in ASCII format, to the Editor. See "AmiJournal Information" for a complete run-down on how to contact our editorial office. -------cut---------------------------------------------------------------- THIS SURVEY IS CONFIDENTIAL - ALL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT PRIVATE, AND USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND MARKETING RESEARCH PURPOSES. 1> COMPUTER: What type of computer(s) do you own? [check applicable] [ ] Amiga 500/600/600HD [ ] Amiga 1000 [ ] Amiga 1200/1200HD [ ] Amiga 2000/2000HD [ ] Amiga 3000/3000T [ ] Amiga 4000 [ ] Commodore 64/128 [ ] IBM/compatible 286 [ ] IBM/compatible 386 [ ] IBM/compatible 486 [ ] IBM/compatible Pentium [ ] Apple [ ] Other 2> AmigaDOS Version: What version of AmigaDOS do you run? [check applicable] [ ] Release 1.xx [ ] Release 2.04 [ ] Release 2.1 [ ] Release 3.0x [ ] Release 3.1 3> What do you use your Amiga system for? [check applicable] [ ] Recreational (games) [ ] Business (sheets/bases) [ ] Business (faxes/docs) [ ] Word processing [ ] Desktop Publishing [ ] On-line use [ ] BBS system operator [ ] Graphics (morphing/toasters/etc) [ ] Sound (mods/demos/etc) [ ] Programming/Development [ ] OTHER:________________ 4> Do you regularly use/support software that is illegally copied, cracked or distributed? (Remember, this is confidential!) [check one] [ ] NO [ ] YES 5> What features in this issue did you like the MOST? [check applicable] [ ] The Editor's Desk [ ] Believe The Hype? [ ] Net News 6> What features in this issue did you like the LEAST? [check applicable] [ ] The Editor's Desk [ ] Believe The Hype? [ ] Net News 7> What would you like to see MORE of in AmiJournal? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 8> What would you like to see LESS of in AmiJournal? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 9> Where do you normally get AmiJournal from? [check one of each list] HOW: [ ] Download [ ] C-LINK File Request FROM: [ ] Planet X BBS [ ] Daily Planet BBS [ ] FutureWorld BBS [ ] FREESPACE:Negative BBS [ ] Ground Zero BBS [ ] AmiConnection BBS [ ] Other:_________________ -------cut---------------------------------------------------------------- Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13. 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: =AmiJournal 1.10= Direct Distribution Sites .. /|J DIRECT DISTRIBUTION SITES ========================= Each Saturday, the latest issue of AmiJournal can be found on the following BBSes which we distribute to directly (either by uploading the magazine there, or by NetMailing the magazine to the site): | Canada | Planet X ................................... Toronto, ON The Daily Planet ........................... Oshawa, ON FREESPACE: Negative ........................ Leamington, ON | United States | Amiga Connection ........................... Paramount, CA FutureWorld! ............................... Canton, MI Ground Zero ................................ Port Richey, FL Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: CANADA/Planet X Planet X BBS Toronto, Ontario Sysop: Ray Morrell (The Editor) Node 1: (416)/324-9439 v.32bis Node 2: [December '93] HST Node 3: [December '93] 2400 [] Amiga 2000HD [] G-Force '030/40Mhz [] 240MB storage [] C-LINK TORONTO HOST: 911:5177/0.0 FIDONET: 1:229/436.1 InfoNET CO-ORDINATOR: 411:1000/0.0 FREQ: File REQuest as "JOURNAL" *AmiJournal is located in the "Amiga PD/AmiJournal" file area. CANADA/The Daily Planet The Daily Planet Oshawa, Ontario Sysop: Michael Moon (Gman) Node 1: (905)/436-2606 HST Node 2: (905)/436-2714 v.32 Node 3: (905)/436-1903 v.32bis (There's more nodes, so call for info) [] Amiga multi-line system [] 1.5 Gigabytes storage [] CD-ROMS [] FIDONET: 1:229/436.0 *AmiJournal is located in the "Text Files/Magazines" file area. CANADA/FREESPACE: Negative FREESPACE: Negative Leamington, Ontario Sysop: Electropig Node 1: (519)/322-0450 DUAL [] Amiga 2000 [] Off-line Storage [] C-LINK: 911:5178/5.0 *AmiJournal is located in the file area. Ask sysop for specifics. USA/AmiConnection Amiga Connection Paramount, California Sysop: Warren Peace Node 1: (310)/634-8759 DUAL Node 2: (310)/633-5002 2400 (There's more nodes, so call for info) [] Massive Amiga multi-line system [] Storage, storage, and more storage [] C-LINK WEST COAST CO-ORD: 911:5000/0.0 *AmiJournal is located in the "Documentation" file area. USA/FutureWorld! FutureWorld! Canton, Michigan Sysop: Big Brother Node 1: (313)/255-2466 v.32bis Node 2: (313)/255-2465 v.32 Node 3: (313)/255-2464 HST [] Home of CNet Amiga! [] Multi-line support/news BBS [] C-LINK: 911:7000/0.0 *AmiJournal is located in the "Amiga Telecommunication" file area. USA/Ground Zero Ground Zero New Port Richey, FL Sysop: Blue Thunder Node 1: (813)/849-4034 C-LINK: 911:6000/0.0 *Ask sysop where to locate AmiJournal on this system. =AmiJournal 1.10= Credits & Information .. /|J STAFF CREDITS ============= Publisher/Distributor PLANET X PRODUCTIONS INT'L Editor & Researcher RAY MORRELL (THE EDITOR) Special Thanks To ALL OUR READERS .. /|J SUBMISSION INFORMATION ====================== All submissions become the property of AmiJournal, except as exclusively agreed to otherwise between AmiJournal and the author. Submissions should be written in ASCII format, without control codes, and the right margin should be set to 75 characters for best results. Submissions should include the name or handle or the author. Articles not related to computing, or to BBSing, or articles with political, religious or partisan undertones, will not be considered. .. /|J HOW TO REACH AmiJournal ======================= Contributions, feedback, comments, and whatever are more than welcome. Here's how you can get them to us: BY MAIL: -------- You can mail comments, contributions, PD demos for reviewing, or whatever you feel we should have, to our editorial office and HQ at: AmiJournal Electronic Magazine c/o Ray J. Morrell, Editor/Publisher 45 Salisbury Ave. Toronto, Ontario M4X 1C5 CANADA VIA NETMAIL: ------------ If you are a C-LINK sysop, or have access to a BBS on C-LINK, or you have access to FIDO-net, you can NetMail us either at: C-LINK: > The Editor @ 911:5177/0.0 Or: FIDO: > Ray Morrell @ 1:229/436.0 ON FUTUREWORLD BBS: ------------------- My handle is (you guessed it) "The Editor" on FutureWorld BBS, the support BBS for CNet Amiga BBS software. ON PLANET X BBS: ---------------- Our home BBS is Planet X BBS in the heart of Toronto, Ontario. You can leave [F]eedback for the sysop if you want to make a comment or contribution to AmiJournal, but please specify that your feedback concerns "AmiJournal" in the title. The latest issue is always available from Planet X BBS in our file area, "Amiga PD/AmiJournal", or via a C-LINK file request (FREQ). The FREQ magic-name for AmiJournal is "JOURNAL" and there is no password. Issue 1.10 (Saturday, November 13, 1993) ©1993, PXP ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::