TAX Tax Preparation and Planning Tool fAX 8R£A1(1. _.....- wilh on _...-Iion of Iunns ...... "~ ... 1n1..ee1tv1ll1on. _consIanI~'" __ Of

".Iunch. Fill 1nI~'.11on (II .. 10 ...... and ..:MduIN ...... COflSC.nI ~ oj tw.o .teI"" for __ Ion "" "lIIen!I"Il" scen;oll .....

· ScroIa~. on _ 1ooO.-.a.t 1Dr ... _~ 5< ..... __ bl_trotn,

"""'" or ~ tbotH ~ 01\'" __ .... I .... in 'or", \000 In US ..... i\iOtI .. 11 Ieo'tore<bn -• OtIociro; " ..... 011 .......... nol ""..-.10 at bol!oM of ,8dI ""'''', or "~"""'_n ...... _ W1t~ rmIJ$. tlO:>!< ... ~2 ~

• Lo\oI..,t upd.otong oIlormo 1r1d ..:-"" WII~ • ..," '9Cab.ilatiol'l

• Li .. '" lirIII ~lIICa ~'I' f>!'OII1I)It

· On..,..""" IRS booklet • P,,,,.IRS '~""ed locol milolormt

• p"", "" ~aIeoJla'" • Zoo." in.nO ..... of He~_II "'1

US_I O-'Fa7n 1040, ~A.£~. '~:-.'. /AJIO ond""".1

_~. __ eo.-_ ... -_ .. _ .. _ .. _ .... _ .. _--

U.S._HI f7t.95 S-O"'" _

"IX' ... p, O. 110.< IilO3Il'9 L"'1I """"'" CA !KlW9 12131.:?T·, 227 c ....... Rnodoonb """ M%

Co.ne<tan _.oon l.O MOwn In c.r.acs. .. "",--T.,.­UII.1I5 SuvIINlod Rotail oonlOo,: DATAMAX RESEARCH

So. 5000, Rfl.4 '''''''' < er ... ord, Otilarlo •. 14'6InH~~5 Clriwio Aetido>rt. odd S')',

c_....,-.J.O~ fI.M ~ .... """"",,,,"s _ ~

F""""'_~~ ....­"""'.!i(I_bom IlaIImox -

ABOUT THE COVER

The cover is entitled ArchTracc and is by Louis Markoya.

This Turbo Silver Ray trace wa, done using columns and arches from the Ill'W Antic Objects disk "Architecture" and the robot from the "Human Forms" di'k. Thl' floor was textured with the Checks option found in Turho Silver.

The ray trace was performed on an Amiga 2000 with a ROllin 020/XR I Hurricane board. Trace time was 1 hour 44 minutes.

Roho City News

CONTENTS

ROBse A MAGAZINE FOR AMIGA USERS

Features Getting Organized with Databases by Matthew Leeds

Beyond the Mandelbrot Set by Craig Wuest

AmigaDrek: The Next Generation 3.0 by Mike Smithwick

Depa rtments UnderScan hy Sue Albert

Video for the Rest of Us by Rohert Blackwell

BBS Sampler compiled by Tim Avery

Remember Joe User! by John Foust

Reviews Superbase Professional Version 3.0 by Rich Bremer

MicroFiche Filer PLUS by Mikhell F. Lopes

Mitsubishi HS-lJ80 Video Recorder hy Tim Avery

3-Demon by David Duherman

Comic Setter by Kayvall Pejooh

5

14

26

11

13

20

35

7

9

24

30

32

Page 1

WordPerfect Library" Calendar: You Can Plan On It.

Plan on the Calendar inside WordPerfect Library" to organize your day. Its four windows work together to design your time, leaving you more room to get the real work done.

The Calendar window shows you the month at a glance. Using the mouse or arrow keys, you can moye from today to yesterday, jump to the same day three months before, or move years into the future. Calendar \\iill also calculate the difference (in days, weeks, and months) between any two given dates.

Appointments show in a window next to the Calendar. In a few keystrokes you can add an appointment, or merge your file with others to show possible meeting times. If ,'ou choose, an alaml will notify you of your appointments in advance. You can specify the timing, duration, and even the sound of the alann on your Amiga.

A daily to-do list makes sure you don't forget the essentials. You can prioritize your tasks, change their order. and mark off those that you've finished. If vou choo~e carr\"- O\'er mode,

any items not marked off at the end of the dar will appear on the next day's list.

~lem()s let you record the day's events. You can quickly confirm past or future appointments, notes, or memos with the Search feature. Any part of the Calendar file can be saved, printed, or deleted, and to fit your personal needs, you can custom design Calendar by chanf,~ng the size, placement, and format of any window.

Calendar is only one of five features inside YVordPerfect Library. The rest are every bit as useful and exciting, Please see your Amiga reseller for a product demonstration, ur contact

W)rdI)erfect CORPORATiON

\\(mIPeritctLurporation' Gil'\;,lcchno i"gY\\al . Orem.l:Th1UJ~ Ie: 'Sill) ~SJOIII) , Telex b~lltilS ' Fax ibli). ~~2~1 !77

DIRECTORS

:-V1itchcll F. Lope, Kayvan Pejooh Paul \1(111lgollllTY Tim A\ ('r\

EDITOR 1:\ CHIEF

\1ltchell F. Lopes

\L\NAGI."IG ElHTER

:-'lichael H. Locey

MARKETI."i(; DIRECTOR

Mary Furman

.\ DVERTISING S.\LES

Cire!! McAuliffe

CIRCULATION \L\:\At;ER

Rich BrCnllT

GRWllIC DESIG."I

["ullner Design CiroLlp

PRODlOCTION

Ouatre PRINTIN(;

Shores Press

( 'OLlJMNISTS

Sue Alhert Rohert Blackwell John Fow,t \latthe'A Leeds

ROBO CITY ."iEWS i, puhlished lllonth­h hy Roho City News. Inc. Pleasl' direct (.(lrrespondance to \{()ilo City New,. I-P~ S. BascolD Avenue. Suite 20-'lA, Call1ph,·11. CA '!')(J(IX. Tekphone: (40X) .171·<)777.

A."iNliAL SlIBS('I{IPTlO."i RATES lin U.S. funds): S24.0() [nited States. '<H).OO Canada. S 1!lO() International.

\()VERTlSIN(; I:\FOR\IATIO:\: Please l"llI1tact Greg \lcAuliffe :It (-'115) 226-11'):'i().

POSTMASTER: Send address Lhan~'l's to I)uatre. 1475 S. Bascolll Avenue.SuitC· 2()4A. Calnphl'IL CA ()5()()X

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: I Ill' c'lltire con­tenls of this puhlicat iOil ''<l[l: rrght I L)X(!

b\ Roho CIty Nt:\\ '. Ilil Nu p(ll·ti()ll 11I:ly hl' used without til,' 'lk'Lific \\ riul'll plT

1l1lS'ion or Robo l'lt: Ne,\\. Inc with the e,n'l'il<lll "I ,h(,rt e\CCfph for rn 11.'\\ pur-pO"" 1.(111)(1 ('ily News i., :111 Independent

I,)::rnaillot :rlliiiatc'd ill :lIly way \\ illl ( ·\)illllllldIHC·.\JlIIL'J. Illl·. Rohll Clt\ ".,,"'

:!" .... Ull1(·" llO rL' ..... pi.ln"ihilil~ for \..hlnL\~!,--'\ du\.. 11\ lTl"IH'" or {llllh"'I(l!I\.

i'lllikd III till' \ S ",

PUBLISHERS LETTER

Da, ",;,,,J.,. \10\t people, when asked what a computer "is," respond that a computer is a "too!." That it is. in fact. one of our most f1exthle tools. in that it can be pro­grammed to perform many and varied tasks, all without changing the basic struc· ture of the "tool" itself. In this kind of represenullion the cOlnputer tends to dis­appear behind the task that it is performing. The kind of computer and how it functions to perform the particular task arc both ines,ential. It is the results that arc significant.

Interestingly enough, most computer publications (and by implication those pco­pie whose ill\'olvement with computers is such that they buy and read such pub­lications) focus on the computer as an end in and of itself. Not just "the comput­er;" but the particular hrand of computer is the center of attraction, such machine heing treated as an entity with its own quirks, personality, etc. The actual uses (and ll'efulnes\) of the computer are clearly secondary.

Here, a kind of reversal takes place. The tool "image" implies that computers are value neutral in and of themselves: they can he considered as morally positive or negative only a, a result (If their usc in one way or another. for purposes good or ill. However, once technology becomes an end in itself. value questions are pushed aside. !'urther technical development becomes hoth a driving force and a response to external demand as communities of vested interest build on what is already present. creating their own language and values as they go. Technology pO\ih it, OWIl reason for existence independently of any outside criteria. "Can it he dOlle'" takes precedence over "is it \alliahle'?"

It is only after a major disaster that a sclf expanding technological cycle is hrought into scrutiny and the hard questinll., hegin to he asked. Nuclear power 11;1, reached this stage of developlllent. It still has its proponents. but it's flL'gative consequences as a technology are now more clearly recognized.

The verdict is still out Oil cotllputers. An interesting example of the kind of disas­ter that might be around the corner i, provided hy indl\ldual commenting on the future likelihood of totally c()mputer c(lntrolled aircraft (with pilots as only a backup). "Human pilots are prone to l'fTOr. possibly more ,0 than the kinds of computer systems that arc now available. Ho\\ l'\er. pilot error, even errors that result in crashes and loss of life, arc undcr<;fClndably human: there is failure to ~lcC(lIlfl! fll!" certain problems. or di,traclioll. or adver,e weather conditi,'n, or other circlIlllstances. The computl'r pii(lt is likely to fail by running a plalle into Ihe ,iile of a moulltain ill broad cLryliglll. These error.' arc and will remain unac­cept~lhlc and therclore Ill' are unlikely to l'lltrust computer~ totally with re,pon­sihilities of this nature."

Olle of the c1wlkngc-s Rllbll City '-:CW\ w(luld like to Like lip in lliXl) is to broad­ell our repurting oil till'\1llIga beYl'lld the rechnolog) (lur whtch IllXll I()()k~ to he a banner year) and hegin to ask and get amwers to these othl'l qlll>~tioIlS. 'vVl~

should not let our enthusiasm tor the o\miga l'()Inpuler he an [.'XU,,"l' cUld Jllo" ')III·,eh c" to lelllclin ignorant ni" thl' l'(llllplIll'r'S applicabilitv. it's actuallhe, (and :lhlhc',1 and the \crluc' of its socia! ,'Ikeh 1m good or ill.

Sttlcerelv.

1\likli Lllpeo., Lditor ill ClJid

I)';. let liS knll\\ hll\\ I(lll iih' Olillh'll ··Ill()k." '-:ut th,ll 'I,' wallt 1(> fi,h tllr

C(lIllj1iL'llll'lIh (11 :111) t \lore is Il'l lill.\'IllC.

HardFrame/2000 TIle SU~"'er-speed, I)T\1A, SCSI lIard Disk Interfacr \vilhl,3 i\utob\x>L1ng

\..,

llow fast is td:-;t:' HardFramei2000 triln"fi'r~ ddt" (It Amii~a hus speed,,! It's ;,ctually Llstef than the hard disk 111echanis111 ltsvif! .\nei (,,,('), :11(,), :;npc1rLmt in the .'\niig.l':-' 111ultiLlskir:g ~,tl\ !:()nnl.cnt j J-Iardf r~ln1("'2000 hdS ("tr,'melv efficit'nt D\lA circuitrv to hd ('n ,111d l)ff the bcl~ in "I m,l~t no time at ,111: 2?\Ol\.~ to get /m; 2l)(]ns to ).l;l't ofL Hardframe/ 2000 autoboots under AmigaDOSTM 1,:; and is fully compatibie with thE' new Fast File System The core of any OMA SCSI inter, (,1(e is its SC'SI protoG;1 chip ,md DMA chip i\licmlilltlCs has chosl'n the new, high perf(>rm,lIllL' Adaptec AICb2::;i1 SCSI chip, capable (It up to 5 megabvtes pcr second raw trClw;fer sf'eed, and the Signetics 6R430 DMA ChIp running at 125 megahertz, Then we added additional FIFO buffering dnd enabled 16-blt wide data transfers for maximum througl1puL ThE.' sophisticated de­sign of HardFrame/2000 provides for automatic SCSI arbitration, selection and reselection. Tht' hardware 5UppcHtS either syn­chron()u~ or asynchronous data transfer. HardFrame/2000 can function as either the SCSI bu~ initiator or the target and can re­side in a multiple master em'ironment. Physically, HardFramel 2000 is optimally flexible: the compact, half-size card comes at­tached to a full length, plated aluminum frame. The frame has mounting holes positioned to accept standard, 35" SCSI hard disk units such as those manufactured by MiniScribe, Seagate, Rodime, and others (hard disk mechanisms must be supplied by the user or his dealer as a separate purchase item). Altt'rnatively, you can cable-connect to a SCSI drive mounted in your Amiga's disk bay or in an external chassis. As many as seven hard disks may be connected to a single HardFrame. There is no size limit on each disk. HardFrame/2000 includes a 50-pin SCSI cable and header connectors for either 50-pin or 25-pin cable connection, Also included is a current tap to power frame-mounted drives di­rectlv frum the slot itself, HardFrame/2000 comes complete with driver, installation, and diagnostic software Available September 1988 Suggested list price. $329 (hard disk not included)

8-UP! The Eight rv1egabytc J'vfenl0ry Card \\rith i\nl1t;J::,'})('(ifi\ f)I\/\ivl C~ontroller Logic

.... , ();"If '\ "'_ ~ I' ,

" I' " " " 'I I" 'I" ill ~-; ---111 (1 nl()\-~t'r11 !11gil.lY Inl"t'g; r.id,";': I'(1~l <,-.'\.

c'\p;-\n~ion l'c)('!rd. t" S-lJP:, \i;\-nil~( 'It ,111 th,_' \\-d\

;':',y \-\'\1.1 \\,ith (; tr: ~\ .-\!l1igd )1',' to l~:t·!-t

the ..Jt'I1'ldnds lJ( the !\rni:,~d s hi~;h ;-;pvt:'J n-lllltitd~king en-\'irOnllWlli: Th,' h",Ht of <lny nh'[ll(lf\' expansion is ih [),J,;,Al'vl,'(l11' 1,.(1/'('1' <,/lUi!';!, !tlther thiln c()ll1pnlrnising with "if the'shelf pr1rf-.;" \·1i,,:ro}3nhL':, dC'\'ph'r,_"d its 0\\'11; ct1~tnrn cnntrullvr dt~slgn JPd L·udt it into hi,l:h ·d, !"o 1.(1gic chips (~i:~_:

'Ii" 1'1.I1S:;lJIl. Th,'", 110'\\', super ic',,, It 8-UP! uses tWl' 1'\1 [ '., i permit \Iicr\>lld hl t:n{pluY'i',lr,,' rlln'''1 technoloF\' t. '. ,lssurl' that v,'ur 8-UP! IS a trul\' 7eru wc1it-stilte/minim,llrdresh­collision memo)'v design, If \:uure putting eight nwg,lbvtes in emly one slot, that means that vou probably have plans for your other A2lll111 "loh, 8-UP! give" vuu nt'w freedom to do that plan­ning ,incl', unlike lIther ram peripherals, it j" an extremely Ill\\, p"wef memory card- d single, fully-loaded, H-megabyte 8-L'1'! dr.l\\,S ,111 astoundingh "ffic'ient ROO milliamps I That's less th,m 1 il'll of the power "budget" for a single slot ' Low power draw also me,.1ns that the card is cool-running for reliability and long life (not to mentiul1 a cooler Amiga l ), 8-UP! offers you maximum f1exibility in memory configuration: it is organized into two sep­afilte PICs (Amigcl-SpE'ak for autoconfiguring peripherals), Each 8-UP! PIC consists of four SIMM module sockets; these sockets 'lllcpt either 256k-byte or I megabyte SIMM's (Single Inlim' \Iemury Modules). You can also purchase optional PopSIA1M boards from !v1icroBotics; fill them with conventional RAM; then use PopSIMM's to fill your 8-UP! The card can run with as little as 512k of memory or as much as eight megs -with many inter­mediate configurations possible (particularly the six megabyte c'>nfiguration, most desirable for use with a I3ridgeCard™). 8-UP! is speedy, efficient, custom memory technolog\' for your Amiga 2000 -and it's available now! 8-LT! Stl"gl'sted Jist price is S1'JY (Ok installed) Optional PopSIMM's ,lre $49,95 per p,m

The HardF rame!2000 photo sriows the product with a MiniScribe 20 megabyte hard disk Installed. Hard disks are not included in the purchase price of Hard­Frame, Note that if placed in the first slot, HardFrarr,e uses only one slot •• The 8,UPI photo shows the card half

populated with conventional SIMM modules and half With MicroBotics PopSIMM's PopSIMM's (without DRAM installed) are available as separate purchase Items,

MicroBotics, Inc. Great Products Since the Amlga Was Born l

811 Alpha Drive, Suite 335, Richardson, Texas 75081 (214) 437-5330 SOLD ONL Y THROUGH YOUR AMIGA DEALER

Tell your de<1/er he can quick-order from MicroBotics directly - no mimmurn quamity -show him thiS ad; ~Amlga~ IS a registered traderT1ar'K of Commodore-Amlga. ftHardFrame/2000M. ~8-UPj~. "POpS,f7i,"" are trade names 01 MlcrCBol'CS

DATABASES

Getting Organized with Databases

T he first most people hear of com­puter databases is sOll1cthing along the lines of keeping track of record collections or recipes. or SOIl1C

such nonscnsc. As if most pcople h'cp thcir l'\)]llputer in the kitchen and are read) to lI:'C the keyboard or mouse while their hands are covered with bluc corn meal or walnut oil or whatever the latcst gourmet craze happens to be. Surc databascs can keep track of just ahout an) thing, hut generally it is a waste of time \(l go to the trouhle for small sets of information that arc onl, llscd occlsi(1l1allv SUL'h ~h the above.

:\0, sl~tting up a list ofallllll'll1l·fil\: of you I lavorite rcstauranh \I ithin \1 alking dis­tancc might be a hohby I\'L'II II llnh [llllsuillg. hut It IS not serious datab;hll1g, In LIL't for baSIC Information filing alld retrieval a good Ivord pn)cess()r 01 spreadsheet works just fine, \Vhat. Ilever thuught of that? Just use the search function to find your info. Keep each reund on a separate line in your word processnL nl Oil a single row in your spread­sheet. 1';1.\) as pi,

Rl',!1 databasing requirL's k;l\: dutl SUII \1 drL': relational and progrdll1ll1ing L'~IJlahi II II, IIHkxes of thousands 01 rl'c()rds. sorLs that you can go to lunch for, .111\1 rCJlllrts th.!l I"cquirc' a Ph, D, to interprc'l. II h:1 good thill,=, Ihat thc ll1ajorit) 01 U\ Ill'll'lllL'cd to learn re;i1 dataha\llH.',

\\il~11 ihe rL'st of lis t!ct int,) \1 h"ll II l' ,Llri dc, Idlll)2 th:lt the 3X:" ImiL'\ Ilk 1\ I)lnllud I,d ;\lld till' IlOIt's to\\l'd ill :ilv ,11"" i",,\ Il!l i"ll,':"! l11:lk,' .. ,'Ils,' ~tn' tLll Ilk c!,iIJI\I"':'.

Ilk- d~ILlh~\.""t'''' .In..' 1l101l' tll~lll dd· ... 'ljLlJk'

for all hili l!ll' !!11l'i '., 'l,ili,lil'lltcci (ll projcl.'h.

Datahase Tcrm,

\ shlln dipl'''11l1l ~IS ill n1l),t things COI11·

flutcrish. t1iILlhll'111,'-' h~h it, own lall)2uage, It is usci'll I III IIIHi<:r'Ulld it and to do Sll I will

BY i\~AnHEW LEEDS

trot out datahasing's n]()st overused analogy. your friend ami mine. the .'X:" card index.

Record - the L'Iltire carel and everything on it.

Field - One line or contiguous portion of information on the card.

Character - A single letter or number.

[ndcx - An alphabetical or numeric sorted list for a single field.

File - Generall, ~I sct 01' rccords, index­es. and other I"L'latnlll1atel"ial.

Form - A strllL'tllred dispLt\ 01 fields in a file,

Ok. now for thl' ditlcrL'llcc hct\\ccn a rela­tional database alld a flat rile databa,e, (] klll'l\ you \Vere waiting.) In a flat file databasl' <l file is a universe unto itsclf. In a relational database you can link across lile, and examine data in files that haVl~ at least one field in common.

Visualization example

One file contain,> the name' lind addre\s of all your friends, another contains \ our friends' names and their hlrthd<lY.s, By linking the two files across till' name fields )-ou could printll1ailing lah,'I, 1(11 hilthday cards sorted hy lip l'oeil'S or SOllle other indcx. t\ trilial e.\C1mple hUI :Oll !!et the idea.

ThL' simple \\ d\ :tr<llIlHI til,' 1III1ih llf a rIat lik datahasc' i, [,I slufllilc l'c'\(lrd with C\'c'J'\ iIL'It! I \Ill think \illl !!l!',!!: "llT I1l'cd, Thi., kill!, to clutt,,!,c d dl'plll\ '\I\'cTIS and hlo<ll­"d lik' \ "",uLl fiat file \\ililet y()U ;Idd ill'\',

flL'lll, 11\ \(lll Ilced tl1l'll1, I.e'", is 111\>l,:, "I

Silllk'tlllIH: Ilkc' that

( )rgalli/e~

Ith" II tbt file database called Org;ll1l/c,1 fnlll1 'lier"S\ ,ll'llb S,<[I\\ ,If". I Ill',,' ~II'C tltl'

"Flat file

databases are more than ade­

quate for

a II but

the most soph isti­coted of

proiects. 'I

DATABASES

same people that produce Scribble!, Online!, and Analyze!. Aside from an overuse uf the! these are good products. They have their warts and such. but they also have the redeeming virtue of never GUfuing \\hile in use. Sure the file requesters are brain dead. but the same can be said for the word processor I am using to

write this (WordPerfect). I would rather have to \vorl around a few idiotic idim.yncrasies than lose data and reboot every twenty min­utes.

Technical details

Organize! can handle an unlimited number of records per file. Each record can be up to 4096 bytes, each field in a record can be up to 254 characters. There can be up to In fields per record. Searches can be on an) field, and Boolean searches are supported. The display of fields can be customized on~ screen and the customized display can be

.--------------------------------. ??? QUESTION ?1?

Does High Res Screen Flicker Bother You !!!

Flicker Mastertm Works With ALL AMIGA Models

A-SO~ , A-1 000 , A-2000 Only $17.95 sug list price

Greatly reduces Interlace flicker. Flicker Master is a specially designed filter that

attaches easily to the face of your monitor

Improves contrast in all resolutions, Helps reduce eye-strain

10112 in. X 13 1/2 in. (26.7 cm X 34,3 cm) size is designed to fit the following monitors.

Amiga 1080 2002, and 1084 1 sony KV 1311 Magnavox ROB 80 1 NEC Multisync and others,

check size Flicker Master is a great companion to your Graphlcs,.,vldeo, Cad,

and Desktop Publishing, Software, such as

Digi-Paint, Deluxe Paint II, Express Painh Photon Paint,Pixmate, Butcher 2.0, Aegis Video Titler, Zuma I V Text and TV Show,

Sculpt 3D, Animate 3D, Videoscape 3D, Pro Video CGI, X-Cad, Intro Cad, PageSener, and Professional Page

T.S.R. Hutchinson Co. 110 W. Arrowdale Houston Texas 77037-3801 (713) - 448 - 6143

the above named products are trademarks of their respective companies

~--------------------------------~ Page 6

saved. Report forms can be customized and saved. Mail merge file generation is support­ed as is file import/c,\I)(1rt.

I have imported data from both MS~[)OS and Macintosh based applications into Organize l . It i., not a project that requires great technical know-how, but it does require a methodical approach. Organize~ comes with a utility that supports importing hy checking an ASCII fiie for conformity to the format needed for importing and then converting it to the Organize! fom1at. In each case I found that although I had care~ fully checked the file to be imported by hand, running the file through the checking utility found errors to he corrected. Since the utility reports the line Ilumber of the rt~l'ord With errors it is easy to flild and correel cli~, crepanCles.

Any good clatabase supports math functions. This allows you to perform mathematical operations on fieid, in a record and have tht' results appear as a ~eparate field. The"e could be calculation'. of accounts pay;thle and/or receivable. present and future value of inve'itrnents, or the standard deVlation of a .set of values. Organize! also handles trigonometric functioll' and dates.

If you are looking tor a good databas,' pro gram. I can tell you that Organize! is lelia· ble, well documented, and relatively easy to use. It has ~(lllle badly designed user inter­face are,\'., but in general it is well worth getting for the everyday database applic;l~ tiot1\. If you would like to consider the field. AmigaWorld had an excellent roundup of Amiga databases in their Septemher 'XX issue. It should be taken with a grain of saIL but at least the features of each contender are listed in a comparison chart.

Organize!

Mi('ro~Systems Software, Inc. 1279X West Forest Hill Blvd .. Suite 202 West Palm Beach, FL 33414

Suggested Retail Price: $79.95

''I'd rather

have to work

around 0

few idiotic idiosyn­

crasies than lose data and

reboot

every

twenty minutes."

Robo City News

Review

Superbase Professional 3.0

B ack in the early days of my association with computing. graphics and animations

really caught my eye. The morc I got into it. the ll10re I ~aw that data manipulation was what really pro­pelled the computer husine.ss world. I know it sounds kind of "nerdy" hut I found that I reall: enjo:ed working \\ ith datahase management system,.

It all qarted \\ ith a Simple flat fi Ie datahase on m) C()4. Then I sa\\ Superba,e-64' The concept was great. but the slowness of the 1541 disk drive

really bogged it down. I bought a C 12X and Superbase 12X. In the early days. I kept the FAUG!Robo City Ne\\s records with this ~ystel1l. I took a fc\\ dHASE II and dHASE III classes

and hegan doing programming where I work. I was amazed at the potential of

dBASE and when I got my Amiga I really wanted this kind of datahase power on this machine.

Superbase Professional by Precision. Inc. has been out for the Amiga for a

short while now. and has even gone through a few revisions. The copy pro­tection of version 2.0 has heen

removed. and ARexx support has been added. With a modem. it is now possi­

ble for Superbase to send and receive data over the phone. Comprehensive

support is also advertised. hut this revie\\n has \'i.'t to sec it materialize.

More on that later.

Superhase Basics

Superhase is a relational datahase. If you have not had Illuch exposure to

Roho Cit\ Ne\\s

database management. "relational" means that one database can link to another. For example. one file might contain address­e~ and phone numbers and another invoices. When the invoices are printed. the datahase manager draw\ the addre~s infor­mation from the linkl'd fi Ie. The~l' Ii nk.s are effort­less to estahlish with Superhase Pro.

Setting up a file is easy and straight forward. You can set formula, or vali­dation criteria for each field (a definite advantage over dBASE III.) A BIG

problem for corporate data people is consistent input when multiple people have access. dBASE III is case sensi­

tive. so if someone enters a last name of smith or SMITH. the database will not find Smith. You can get around this

in dBASE with programming. With

Superbase. you merely define the field as all caps. then no matter how you input it. smith will be SMITH in the datahase. (Sorry folks. you still have to

use the right letters in the proper order.) You can have fields perform calculations as you enter data. and there are date and time functions.

dBASE III has a "logical" field where

the entry is a single character (either "y" or "N"). Supt'l'hase can do this

and more. With validation. simply

make a field one character in length and reject all input e\.cept "Y" or "No" If you already have data in dBASE for­mat. fret not. Supcrbasl' can convert it

BY RICH BREMER

for you. It can also convert certain spreadsheet files.

Indexing

A plus for dBASE III is it's indexing. An index is created on one or more fields so that record search is almost

instantaneous. The database creates the illusion that the file is in the order of the index. For example. an index

would be created on the last name (or business name). You can then scroll sequentially through the database

quickly and see records alphabetized

on the last name. With dBASE III. you can create indexes on one field or

more. or jUq a few characters in one field and a calculation of another. The possihilities are practically unlimited.

Superbase. alas. restricts indexes to

only one field. This is more of an

inconvenience than a restriction. If you need this kind of index. create an "index" field that contains all the data

) ou need to ilHiL'x on. Superhase allo\\ s up to l)9l) indexes on the first

Page 7

REVIEW

)l)9 ficlds. and ~orted output can bL' done :It lllultilevei. Some fielJ., L'an be 111 ascending order and some in de.scemling order. This can abn be d(lnl~ in dBASE III. hut you better haw ,0111e programming l'xperiellC<:

Programming

Superbase Pro. like L1BASE 1[1. i, completely progral1l11whk, With a 111-tie ,Iudy tillll~ you can Cllllll'lcte!y autllillate you ddlah:lse tasks, The pro­gr:lI11ming language is much I ikL' Bd"ic. :tnd if you do Ilot like the built­ill editor, all ASCII tiie' lrolll your L1VOI'l1C word processor will do, With a littie bit of prot'r:urtming, )llli can nell create your own pull down Illenus . .\ feature added to Superbase Pro .1,0 is that vour Superba.se pro­grdIl1S Cdn no\\ detect mouse clicks and k'L':ltiOll, (I'hi, is where I insert part of Illy \\ ish list. I would like to sec Precision produce a compiler or rUll­time l11odule, [ have an idea for a painter friend nf mine who would like tu inl'lude pall1t chips of his job:,- I "now it would knock his SOL'ks ofl. jlnlb:!bl" sell ,mother Amiga. and Ilukc a few hUl'k, for ll1yself.)

I), I not be put off hy all this power. Superha,e can be as ,illlPic as operat­ing a VCR, In fact. the huttons at the hottulll of the ,ueL'n look ju.,t IlkL' lho,e Oil a VCR. Fast forward. rewind

and pau~e huttons tu Ilallle ;\ kw. If lOll do not think you will hel\e need of pro­gramllling. beller stid \1 !til Superbase P[,hulla!. It II i II cost you less ;lI1d can !It: upgrackd iI ;,()u find it inadequate,

Forms and Reports

dIlASF Ius a prctt) ilift) rep( ,n generator. You call generatl' reporh with field, from different related clatab')';l'';. and den I'"

colull1lls of information hy Illailipulat­mg tl1o"e field, (adding l1lultiplying, etc, i, Supnh;l,e can, of Ullllse, dn these things. 'v'vant lour cOll1pany name in a different f(lllt'! How ahout a company graphic! You can certainly project a prolessional image with the '\Illiga and Supcrbase Pro.

Another area whL're Supcrhase Pro llutshine.s dBASE III is in the forms editor. One of Illy "Home" applica-t ions is a video L'ollection database. !\Jot only does my form show the tnt description of the video from an exter­nal text fi Ie. but a window sho\\s the number of stars (illY Llting) and an IFF graphic of the \ ideo's genre. Remem her t he~ Ii tt Ie haJIJlv /sad t heatri­cal masks' Try to do that wllh Ashton­Tate's ,oft 1\ are, II ! had I11U,IC fro III tho'l~ IIIO"il", SUJlerh~l,e could pLI\, it during the di,play,

Tll round out thi, product. PrccI\ion has ilKluded a lilllitcd. hut elleL'ti\L~. text t'ditor. With the editor. you can lTl'ate letter, for maiimcrges or other tnt projelh. This editur is identictl to the pnlgram editor. "1) you II ill 1l1lt have to ic;trn dllotll.:J '-,et Ill' cornllldmb. I prci'l'I' to lise other \\ on! pfllCL'ssing suftware and ,illlply export the Superhase ibLl til the lllergL', hut the L'tiilor is there If you need it.

Support

Precision"s biggest stumbl ing block and 1m only resenatllll1 is the ad\LT­

lisc.! support. I sent ill the regl stratiull card late ill .\Uglht tllr \Cr'-,I,lll 2.0," rill' pn1mi'l'd'llppon inliuti,d :Ilcess

HI thl' ()tlicial SllJ'lTI'd~e IlltOrtlWil()n '\el\\ilrf, I()SI"'). ,I plT"llnai ID Ilillil~ iln. IlO days Premiul1l ['edlllle'al Support anti, all upgrade l'!I"ibilit\ form, 'vVhcn I had not heard from thell i Iw (ktllhl'L I \\TUIL' ,I nice letter. In !\Jil\elllbel. I wrote a iclln and Includ cd a self dddrL'sscd. stamped l~II\'l'lopl', I finally called in December. but did not get an explanation :1' to what hal' penl~d with my letters, I wa.s Iltll'red the upgrade to version :i,O for another S5(U)(l. which I did purchase. (If y()U already have version 2.(). do not hesi· tate lp huy the upgralk',) ! !,pund out

that access to OS IN is through American Pellplelink.

Ollly recentlv ha, Preci.sioll \et up a I ,S, n{lice, SUjlerbasl' Pro and ()ther Precision produL'ts llri~'inall\ \~erc di,­tributed ill the l'nltl'd States by Progre"l vc Peripherah and Snftllare lIt Coinradu, [t might .lust he that ~llmcthing gut. lo:--t ill tr<lllsitIlln. COI\.\IL1erillg that SUjlerh;\\e Pro might jU\t he "TH\:" piece llt software fur the' .-\miga hu,inl'ss user. it dC'l.'1\es :tli till' support that Preci,ioll call Illllster.

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REVIEW

MicroFiche Filer PLUS

F or all of us that feel a little intimi­dated by most database programs, but still have a real need for the use of one, MicroFiche Filer by

Software Visions, Inc. does the job,

This is the first database design for "actual people," It is fast and has an easy-to-use graphic interface modeled after a microfiche reader. A magnification window presents a enhanced view of a second window repre­scnting the database (the ficheL and a third window \form list) contains all of the forms for changing the display and printing of the data. With the click of the mouse button the entire display can be rcfomlatted for redis­play or printing.

The original MicroFiche Filer (MFr) is out­standing program but lacks programmabili­ty. So cnters MicroFiche Filer PLUS (MFF+). a (you guessed) programmable ver­sion of MicroFiche Filer. The PLUS version includes many new features such as: full ARexx support: field calculation: sorting on any field; reading of all IFF picture formats. including HAM. brushe;, and overscan: stor-

Rollo Cily ;\Icws

BY MITCHELL F. LOPES

ing of pictures in fast RAM, and many more.

Two of the most noticeable improvements are window refreshes and load times. Opening MFF+ on a separate screen, rather than the Workbench improves window refreshes which are about 10 times faster then before. Thanks to improved memory allocation, load and save times arc faster, and also more data can be stored in the same space.

Formulas

In the form li~t window you will find the data definition bulton. This is used to create new fields. Each definition has a number to its left, this number is u~ed to reference the line for a calculation. Fonnulas can include numeric values and they can reference other fields hy their own field #. For example. you could define a formula to average the fields #2. #4 and #5 hy entering:

(#2+#4+#5)/:1

The results of the calculation can also be formatted al'cording to user specification,

"Th is is

the fi rst

database

designed for I actual

people. '"

Page l)

I I I I I I

'1/ : L

/IGary Sornad,

I •

tne presI-dent of Software Visions and author of MFF+ could write 'the book' on user inter­faces./I

Page 10

Macros

Macros and ARexx are hot subjects. this entire review cOlild easily encompass just this one topic. First. the ARexx language is. solei separately from MFF+ but is a worth while investment. With these two programs the door is open to a whole nel,\ world of possibilities: programs being ahle to talk to other programs all with ARo: \ There are now several other soft ware vl:lldors that have adorned the ARe\x interface for th,'lr prodliclS a1l(1 Commodore even seems to be thinking alollg the,e lines .

Printing

Printing is accomplished h:: first defining ~t

print form. After the print f\;r111 is complet­ed, then the print ofJtiolls mcnu is selected and the different printing attributes are defined. Then select print and you are olT

and running.

User Interface

Gary Samad. the president of Software Visions and author of MFF+. could write "the book" on user interfaces. MFF+ utilizes the Amiga Intuition interface so well that it should have a chapter to itself. No com­plaints here .

Conclusion

MicroFiche Filer PLUS with its easy to use. straight-forward graphic interface. fJowerful ARexx support and a well written manual is clearly my first choice in databases. The sample databases that accompany the MicroFiche Filer progra11l are very helpful for getting acquainted with MFF.

MicroFiche Filer PLUS

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Robo City News

EDUCATION

UnderScan

E ducation is a serious business, however, the people who are dedi­cated to the field of education can not help being, well, educators, These people are both pleased and

eager to share their knowledge. I intend to take full advantage of that fact and in future columns I will present interviews with some leading lights, hunt out and review any soft­ware that illuminates, and open space for your input. This time around I would like to tuck in some personal commentary.

The Invisible Teacher

A year of frequent work se~sions and intense observation of my daughter's interaction with the computer tweaked my curiosity when I found unexpected phenomena chal­lellging my ideas on how the computer "teaches" and what constitutes effective edu­cational software. Beneath the surface of hoth hardware and software there ~eems to he a qructure of invisible and painless aids tD It'arning. Sometimes it llppears that just usillg the computer is of therapeutic value regardless of a programs content. What is the secret of electronic learning?

Elementary, My Dear Watson!

Only a human saint could have the infinite patience of the computer. It will wait forever for your answer. It allows for success at the users pace. Not a sexist, not an ageist, never racist, it could care less about income or I.Q. It is totally non-judgmental, therefore the perfect teaching tool for the handicapped and those impressionable beings we call children.

Like a sugar coated pill, a new user accepts the implicit discipline of putting every comma in place, in correct sequence, or NO gratification. This is one humongous lesson, on par with the civilizing social skills emphasized in grammar school; lining up, taking turns, and putting the blocks away. Familiarity with the alphabet and spelling

Robo City News

BY SUE ALBERT

follow naturally when programs call for key­board entry. Sure, it won't teach touch typ­ing automatically, but repeated play does introduce the key positions and reduce key­board phobias.

Holistic-Ware?

The logic that builds the program is always there in a subliminal way. The "biological" branching and interconnections of program­ming are present behind the space ships, karate kicks, and talking bears. A program doesn't have to be either a hard lesson or a game to be educational, but it should be a good program. The power resident in the Amiga, augmented by sound, graphics, and animation, if used with tasteful skill, cre­ative insight. and human generosity, can give us unprecedented tools to educate our­selves and our children.

Things That Go Bump in the Mind

Does some of this tinkle your memory bells? One night last week, after preparing for this column, I woke suddenly at 3 a.m. and dis­tinctly heard the ghostly words 'The machine is the message." Yes, indeed! Haunted by the late Professor Marshall McLuhan, whose '60's fame has so faded that his famous books Understandin[? Media and The Media is the Massa[?e have gone out of print. Haunt a good used book store as I did the next day, and pick up a copy. He did not live to experience the glob­al tribe using computer networks, HyperCard"!, and telecommunications, but he made acute and stimulating observations of the preceding medias.

From the Top Down

My last order of business in this first column on education is to get my Commodore bash­ing out of the way. CBM does one thing consistently well. It builds a great computer. In the past few years Commodore Business Machines has not really fumbled the ball

IIOnlya

human saint

could have the patience

of the comput-

II

er.

Page 11

\1 h": I' ,-'('lilt', II'> nlucatl(lll, tl",'\ I l,'1 picf-c'd It L11" Periodic'a! i I ,: 1'1,:" I'ekll\" !, l\'lIed to ;\1111\'\111,,, .1 nell

1'0111\ \)1 \IT'l'l II'! 1!"pC' tries tl' ,'I

,'\lI1I" l\ 1111I'IlL I II ',tpidl) \\ ;::Ie\

'\()- 1111 '\ (; 1'I'[1l'I1\,

1\1a\ lil\ III\.\ had a \elil Ih\\\ to opell up the cllllllllc'l\ oj ,'OIl1l1ltlllicatioll and get the h,1I1 rulllllg irom the c'Xecutive c'Ill!. In an intc'nil'\\ in the Fehllldr\ 'XX I"ue of \!1icrotillles he spoke of tht' importance from a business angk of gelling the Amiga into ,chools and seeding classroom software develop­ment. lie promised invl'stillents would be made to those ends, I Ie' has made him~elf acces\ibk and personally initi­ated contact \\ith u,ers. but what has the trick k-down effect been on the compan) as a whole?

Recently when one educational soft­ware dCleioper called CBM requestin!,!

.I Ii,t iJi ('1111;!1l!;111 \ch()o! '\\tem' Ihlll,~ \llli~2;t. 11,,-' \\ ;l\ l{ lid 11 \'. ,.!\ d~dl!!\1

,--U!np~1l1~ I d;~" l;-! :"':1\<,' '-lut ih:.ll liJl\il

l11atll:!: iii' rq)l~ \\a\ ,\1'" \Illi

('R\/)'"

(;oodll\l' Cruel World!

Ilk' malll <Ir?ll1l1ll'lll lI?ldllhl Iii,' ,\/111,:.',1

i' tklt it has 11I)t c',uhii,hl'd II sollwarl' hase, II I it ere j, an Allllga 111 the CLlssro01l1, \oft\\ are must follow, Teachcrs need to kno\1 what is a\ai!­abk, Good ,ntt\\are nol only edUL'ale's. it ,ells computl'r~, II Ilich broaden" the marf-et for \(lftwarL', l'll', & etc, & etc, A C()mpan) \dl()sl' P()III'il'\ hamper Ih,' connectIOn of software to machines L'ould he called, , ,ouch!, , ,suicidal.

So, Max, itOI' about ,orne ,tron!,! poll­\')' lllelllOS Ihal will open ear" Illind'l. and the purse ,tring' there at ('RI\!" SOllle real actioll, An 1,X()() III I II iOIl l'or-

Ih 1i',dl'111 ,Il .• [ild t'" abit' ill

I'II,~, I", 1!!l1d thl'ir 1'/,'" II'k.I'l" \\, ! [1-1\ l~lkl' in thl' \\!i,.-', '- ~! 11 lh~-

,\lni~i.I. ;tnd J!l lht' l'tnl'r~!r1 )-, ,;

t lOll,

('oming :\('\1 ISSIIl'

,\11 Illt,'!1 inl \\!llt ,'.!lllllt,,!" ,'\IL10rdl­

n;llrl' ,lit. lI\\ald L ,h"II\c'l1. presidL'llt ill1d CO-ll\1 nl'r 1)1 \1Icrol:d,

Sill' ,\I/ll'iI il II I(,~III(/,. ('Ollllllllll! (,'I

NO/I(I ( 'i!\' .\n1.l ((I 1 'crill!.; Ihe II.\(' Iltc

,\IIII~" III I '(/i/('(/(ioll , lIerlll(c/'('.I1 III

C,/I/«ill(l1I dcril'l's/rolll 1t('l/}('!',IIJIW/ (' 1/'/'I,{(,Il(1' ofscltoo/.I (/Ild ((/rillg

([hOIiI ell/ldr!'1I ill' (/ 1}(lrCIlI (/lId~"(/lld-1'(/1'(,111, Tlti.1 illl('!('si is ill/gll/cltlcd hI'

II I'c({r ({S (illI/l)[{lCr-liided ICllclt­

cr!(lieU/IJi.lIIO It('/' ,I(/II,~/Ilcr dllrillg

Iter j'('('i!1CI"\' /i'OIIi " (crtl'rlll Itell/or­rl/(/[:c ({lid IICIII'(I,llIr~CI\. Site lI1.l{)

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Video for the Rest of Us

Thought for the Day: "If it was good enough for my grand­parents, then it was good enough for my grandparenh."

Greetings from thc Epicenter of Video. In this month's column I will talk about Arniga computers and video sys­tems that are .iu~l around the cornC'f (hopdully), and about some important mecting' dfoot here in the Midwest. 111 a I1l'\\ ,(clion, cntitled "Crumbs" I will introduce new facts ahnut the upcom­ing Video Tnaslt:r and It'! I sorn ... of the unusual Toaster Tail'S til;!! I have come across, and in Outtakes we will look at \\ hal's new ~Iild cool in the laSe"!" disk w(,rld

The Amiga lOOOHD and Amiga 2500

Commodore 1I1IrodUl"c'c! two IlC\\ J'\ll1iga computers at Fa!! Comdex in Las VL'gas in Nmcl1Ibcr: The .2.000HO an,l till' 2'>()O. Both the 2000HD and 2,,()() COllll' with a ..j.() MByte auto­hOll!l i Ii.' hard di ',i.; dri vc (v"ith vcrs ion 1.3 of \Vorkbenlli) Thc .2.5()(I also adds a 1.:1 .. 1 MlII hX().2.0 microproces­sor along with it h:-;XX I co-pr()ccssor and (lxx51 memory management unit in the CPU slot. and a standard ., \lhvtes ul.'2hil RAM. The pric,-'" for thl'\C machines arc $29Y9.00 and \-+600.00 rcspectivci~.

What!? $4600.0() dollar, tor an Arni'2~I" This price seems far too hitCh for thc increase in performance whtch is provided, and a'2ainst the Amiga philosophy of a n;mputer with n~ore '"hang for the huck."

A Dream Amiga

If you could design the next generation Amiga (to appear within thl' next 1 years), what features would vou want to include? Would you implement a

Robo City Ncws

full 32-bit custom chip set'.' What about the microproccssor? Would you pick Motorola's hrand new 68040, a chip whose minimum clock speed is reportedly 50MHz? How about the graphic'"' Would your next-generation Amiga\ video he fully compatible with the newly chosen HDTV televi­sion standard? If you answered yes to these qucstions then you are thinking about the same kind of Amiga that I hope to see in the ncxt fcw years.

Silicon Fields 3D Conference

As this column goes to press, NewTek has just concludcd the first annual Silicon Fields 3D Confcrcl1l'c. This conference was attended h\ such lumi­naries :1S Allen Hastings, J~)hn Foust and mailY othcrs prominent in the field ()f 3D graphics. Although the detail, of the conference will not he puhlic knowledgc for somc time, its purpose was tu hei:in the process of devising software and hardware for the Amiga tilat will forcver change the way hro;\dcast computer graphics are done, and secondly to make the Amiga the hit of the SIGGRAPH Film and Video Show within the next .2. years.

The SIGGRAPH Film and Video ShO\, is an annual event in which computer graphics from allover world are assemhled and shown in the form of a video pre~elltation, The hest entries are generated on anything from Cray supercomputers to Pixar worksta­tion-; to networked Macintosh lis (read: they cost lots of money to do). If the Silicon Fields Conference has its way, a creative person with an Amiga 500 and the right hardware and soft­ware will soon he able to do computer graphics at homc that wi II be every hi t as good as anything done on network television or at SIGGRAPH, for very

BY RUBERT BLACKWELL

little money. Silicon Fields Forever!

Video Still Camera

One of the year's most interesting new products is the video still camera. Sony will soon release the MVC-C 1 Mavica (MAgnetic VIdeo CAmera). This camera weighs less than 2 pounds and contains a 280,000 clement CCD imager. electronic shutter and built-in !lash. The camera can store 50 video snapshots on a 2-inch internal floppy drive and can deliver 30() lines of sti II video to any standard TV set through its playhack adapter. Planned support products include a color thermal print­er and telecolllmunications adapter for sending color snapshots over telephone I incs.

Crumbs

The Video Toaster wa~ first introduced (after a fashion) to the world as the Laser Toaster. in the rumors column of a prominent Amiga magazine. It was reported that this device would be used by ritzy hotels to etch their logos ,)J1

thc toast they served to their guests. All kinds of interesting features abollt the Laser Toaqcr were revealed: IFF· compatible loaf animation, an astound­ing 300 crumbs-per-inch resolution, 4096 color '"HAM on toast" mode with the Jelly-Jet option and even stranger features. The Video Toaster was subse­quently announced and people realized that the Laser Toaster was just a cover up. That is most people. It turns out that a company in Washington that happens to work with lasers and Amiga computers has actually manu­factured a prototype of a functional laser toaster (no pun or cover-up intended). With stories like this, who needs fiction ') (Continued on Page 22)

Page 13

~) R (~) c; R ,AJV\/V\ I r'~ G r--------------------------~--------·--------

Beyond the Mandelbrot Set • r- r

G ettlllg bored with the \lan­delhrot Set? Here are a COll­

pie of nc\\ fractal ulllvcrses to nplore with )()ur Amiga.

One of the main reasons I houe'ht my Amiga two years ago was tll,' iI1LTl",ii· hie graphics capabilitie, available with it for stich a low "rice. Allhat tillle I had just read Benoit Mandelhmt\ h()ok. The F'mc!u/ Gen/lle!rY or ,y<l!III(,. I was hlown <may by til<' j~lIl­

tastic l'(llor illustrations of fractal land­... cape ... in Manddhrol \ book Jnd I h,l\e been tinkering 'With fractals. Julia sets and Mandelbrot sets (which arc specific forms of Julia sets) ever since,

I It )und that I could program my Ailliga 10 produce high quality images of fractals that ri\'althose in i\landdhrot"s book. Ho'Wever. after;1 while I began to tire of the Mandelbrot set and turned m:- interests to other type, of fractals using the transCl'nden­tal functions: complex sine. complex cosine <llld complex exponential. These functions are standard library junctions in thl' Absoft ,\C/Fortr~l1l that I use on my Amiga.

My article on benchmarking the Amiga.which appeared in Robo City Ne\\,. Volume IV Issue 2 introduced one of these fractal sets. namelv the complex sinc set. but unfortun,;telv the picture of what that set looks like :.vas ollllttL'd. This SL't i~ reprodUlL'd in the first figure in this article.

Oh ~o, Complex Numbers!

Fractals are a hot topic in thL' \cil'l1tific cOlllmunity the", days. Artn \1andelhrot"s insights brought together a number oj' Ob'Ulrl' and e,utcriL" mathematical works to form fractal geometry. people began to notice that everywhere) ou look you find fractals, Cuastline,. trees. mountain range,. galactic clusters. eiectric disch,{rgl" the I ist goes Oil and on. For thm; of you who are not familiar with fractals and/or complex algebra I will givc a brief review,

A fractal i ... an object \\ ith fractional dimensiol1-it does not quill' fill the space it occupic" Also fractals exhihit a property kn()wn as self-similarity, The fractal looks. qualitatively. the same over orders of magnitudes of

si;:es or length ,cales. The c!a\,ic l'\amplc of this is a rocky coastlinc. It looh., l'qually rougiI llJ" jag.ged over scaks ranging from thOlh,lIhb of llliles to a I'l"l feCi The \1allllelhrot Sl't does nut quite' filllhe 1\\ (j dllllensJ(ln,ti ]1 I ,lI1l' and it nhihih "'l'l! Simi·" I:illl) and thel\'lor,' quail 1Il".IS a frall~t!, But \lllat is it n;\cliy')

The i\1andelbf(., ,et !'.:I rnap or a re~'i()n ()f the' compll'.\ plane Ulllkl till'

iteral ion ()f the function 1* I. plus a constanL where / and the constant are complex numbers of the form x + iv, COlllpln numhers consist of a "rea'I" part and an "imaginarv"' part. The term, real ant! Imaginary are not to be taken too Ii terallv--lllatilematil'1ans coined till' terms ~l'ars ago in response to certain propnties exhibited b\ each type of number \\ hen L'l Hnpared"to the other. Titus \Ie IU\L' the rwtural num­ber., ( I. 2. "\. '",' etc,l. the "hole IWIll

her, ("' __ -2. -I. (), 1.2. ," __ etl',). the ratiol1alnumhers (whole numbers and fractions. technically. any llumbn With a repeating decimal expansion i. itTa· ti(Jn~i1l1umber' (those numhers that do not h.l\'e a repeating decimalexpan­sion. such as the square root of 2). anti finall) the real numbers (all r;ltion;ti and irrationalnulllbers taken together. The "real"' part means that every real number can be associated with a point 011 a line and vice versa. even point has a number. This is not true lor the "illl;lginary" !lumbers, In the expres­~i()n ;: = x + iy . .\ is the real part 01 tlte comple\ lllllllher /. and v i, the illlagl' nary part. ''j"" is the symhol giwn to' the 'quare mot of -I. That is. thl' "rod­uct of i tillies i <:tjl1:lIs - I. (An ob\ioL1s­Iy absunl result to carly malilem<1ti­cialh as the pllldlict of two neg:ltive !lumhers is "al\la\ .;' pilsitlve, i\()t s()

witli th,.' 111ldt'llldl) "i,") Tlli, proper11 llldke" c()mpll'\ nllllJl1l'l's ,01lJ<;;\\ hat ddlcl\'t11 than ol"dilwr\ lIumhc!s. Here i, all c.\dmplc (lllOrnpln mu!tiph t Ion:

i \ + i \ I' (II + i \ ; -- ( \ ;, U \ .. \ ,

I I) II +.\ \

'\()lill' iirell tit,' jliiltiuct III 1\ 1\ I' -

) "v, I h~I\l' ;t\,o i'l'Ouped th~' term" 1111<.

reId ,lllel Illry p;lrts, III ,"et1\'l~iI.

opl'rlltiull' illll,h in:: (TI111I'I:.\ lllllllhn',

;th, d)' c ,In he' t:r,luped int,) Il'al dill!

PROGRAMMING - ,.,-------_._._----------

i!.,\[,()' \ !ldCLt! dr:l\\ l'\],l'!,k ]'("Iiw Ah,]>\, ;!l~ ... '~-L\c',-' tIl 111l' .-\tll!~_:l\ I-UJ\l fOlll!lh.'" ['hi ... \'l~r .... i{)ii Lhl'"

'ap Illtllilin[l \\-tild(l\\.

pr(l~l-,ll:; ~'\'\p\Jil

illlpi !1I1 n\l,),: illl..-'illd,: l'\'-'I...' :~\I..

ill~_-Ill(k' ;:.:r~\pILil\l

Ilh lutk inlUil ii-i,

Ulillpk\ I.L]'II,I In 1"4 \ III I!! . \ Ill: n., Itk. \Stl' p,y ,>tCfl. \1,.:'( 1 i.\ ! ~I)()! '!ltL't'l'I'") DFPTILWIDTH,HI [(illf

l'!ll:lllll'll'l !\VIDTlk,:2(11 1'c1I:lllll'll'Il HEI<illT=.:'(IO 1

il1kger*-l i.1 i .j,llill !~;).Iuc .coll)L \ il'\\ port ~ \\ (lrh: ins \'driahk"i

IJlll~~C(T'"") Ilk'ilIl! I ~) dl:llaclcr"'7 nll'nL! Iilk intcgl'r":2 III I I ! 171.l1li2( 171 inlet','r) il 1(:;1.11:2(51 d1arclclu' mil litL-.IIll> lilk

Irltl'gl'r 1IIC"":.ll:l?

!1ltL'~.ll'l' l'LI'-,'" : ill) ('Ll-"~

1~:k2:.!l'r l'ddc : inl_J'{\dl~

] WlIlr\U\\ t II Ie­

~ till' IIICllU I nll'llulilk ~ 111l'!1Ll ill'lllS

] illenu IIcm Intuition']'''''1 ! Il)CnU ilLlll Iltks

] 111111ill(\Il!\k\\:t,"e

:III<'['l'I''+ rl'dill:.' 11.!2ll'C'Il(Oi II.hlll,'(():31 ).Ill,lpl():l).'i1 1II!,'~'L'r \\'lIldl'" '1'(JlIlIn 1(1 '\VlIldn"" '1IllL'llIrl'

illlc'gcf Sne]'11 'polllll'r I]' "SeTeen" slructllfL'

,i:(la Illl'llli.l!1I i .lr(L.'.III.it~ 1 'i'(),17().17'().5 "(IS II

d:lta rL'd 10.1 'i,1 :;.1'.1 :'i,1 :;.1 :i. I :;.1 :;.1' I '.1 ~,I :;.15.1.'.11. I (I. () J 1,( 1.1 1.1 Ul.( I.II( U 1,1 ),(1.1 )11.( II

daLI C:1\'c:1l /iI.IIA,.'i.6:,Q,I(I.! I.L',U,I'+,I:;.I'i,15.1.'i. I 'i, I 'i. I ,'. I 'i, I :;. I :; , I.'. I .~ . I 2, ! I . I (I, l) );.7. 'i!

dala hili,' 'il.O.().().().(I.II.!11 1,().II.(I.II,II,O.O,(),O.I.7 .1).

+ I 1.1~.I:;.I'\,I'i.i'i.I:;.I:;.I'i.I.'i.I:;/

i L\I YHRITF lPlp, I1LlJl

,LII:llllap/l ~.'.L'i.().7.X.li.I().11.12.I,\.14.1'i,16. 1- 1 X.llI,..'!).' 1'.' . .'3.24,2:'i.26 . ..'7.2:-:.2l).'(I,.' 1.6,.1,'

+ hI 1'\ X,:'i(,.:;.+ ' ;, >, I .:;() .,+(>.f 'i. 4, A I . ,l) ,'7.1'i, I ,~i.+,' .h.: ." .'1, I ! I, I I .1:2. U. 11. I 'i. I h. 17.1 :-:,1 1).,'11.21,22.2 i.2'+.2.'i . .'h . ..'- .'\.2'U(U l.h,'.h2.

1,1 IS, '\(,.'1,)\,:,\_',:; 1'1 l.fhA'i·HA i ,\'),:'7.3.'i

1\ PI' 1'cl[l'I \111111,\ lIi:ILlIld kngth dlTl'pl ,\111111.\ l11 i ".,itk t\Jle ". TIlLI ll'i'll'ic,\ l't'I)"lanl . !,~ '.'(' !'l! l·\)Il" I

:ill :Uli

II' I (' ill Ib I ()pl.t1.~':l 11' \\ idl!;

c (I

II ;~I i

I I IIIIIIIUILlih"I\'

illiagilldr) parts. It also tUrib (lut that each conlpir:x numbcr can be associated in a one­t(Hlllt' correspondence \\'ith the poinh on a plan,' surrace,

Complex algcbra get considerably morc complicated when applied to trigon(\lllctric functions such as sint', l'(lsine, hyperholic ,ine ami hyperholic U)\l11e. I will not go into thl' dt,tail, as it rcally is nut necessary when programming in Fortran: the c(lmplex func­tions are availahle as standard library func­tions, C programmers will need to expand the complex fUlll,tions into real and imagi­nary parts and operatc on each part individually, Consult a h()ok of mathemati­cal tahles <lnd equations such as "Schaum"s Mathematical Handhook"" for morl' illforma­tion Oil l'Oll1pleX funl,tiol]',.

The I\Ltndelbrot set is implemcnted in a p,scudo·code as:

let .\ range from xmin to xmax

let y range from ymin to ymClx

sct I. equ;d til lero

sct color equal to lefO

l'I1Oose a value for x. and y in the COI11-

plex pLtne

replace I \1 ith /"1 + constant

check the ,ill' of I hv taking it's magni­tude (C:\BS(z) in F()rtran m .x*.x - y*y. \\ here x and yare the new real and imagi­nary parts 01 II

I t' the magnitude oj I. I, greatl'l than 2.0 write pixd at location cOITc,'pllilding to the initial .\ and y with c(llor

otherwise Incrcment color hy onc

if '_(lIm is greater than limit wrilL' pixel at !llcation corresponding to the initial x and \ with color

loop back ttl hq,:inning

In this pseudo·code example the valtlc:'s ot \1ll111. Xlllax, Yillin. ymax ami limit .Ill' u,er dL'lIIUhle, The u,cr can IOOIll in Oil tlllIerent r,',C'ioll' h\ \arying \ :lIld \' boullds i1ndset thc <l1110U11I of detail in th,' pillt b\ incrcasin)2 the vallll' of limit. Do Ililt worn ahout il"I)2l1ing a co 1m grl'ater than ,~2 ,illLl' :hl' \Illlg;l II ill allt()lll<1tilitl!l uh' tile' color

"A fractal IS an

object with frac­

tional dimen­

sion-it does not quite fill

the space it

occu-II

pies.

PROGRAMMING

"The accom­

panying program presents another Julio set to explore (i n Fortran. )

Page 16

modulo 16, 32, or 64 depending on whether your in hi-res interlaced, low-res, or Extra­Hallbrite modes, respectively, I usually keep the limit below I no to keep program execu­tIon to a reasonable length of time.

What is happening here is that each point is assigned a color corresponding to how quickly it diverges from its initial starting pomt under the iteration of the function z*z. The resulting map of colors is not too much different from a plot of electric or magnetic field lines or atmospheric pressure and in a sense conveys the same kind of infomlation as a contour plot of equipotentials or isobars.

"Where no one has gone before .. ,"

As I mentioned above, I gave the algorithm for the Julia set corresponding to the com­plex sine function in a previous Roho Citv News issue. You can take that algorithm' together with the Fortran program in this ~rticle to get different looking sets by vary­mg the complex constant. In fact I have gen­erated a sequence of 3 10 frames for the complex sine function for complex constant values ranging from 1.0 + O.Oi to 1.0 + I.Oi. I have animated the frames to give an appearance of eddies in a fluid or the evolu­tion of a spiral galaxy.

The accompanying program presents anoth er Julia set to explore (in Fortran). It was written for Amiga computers equipped with Extra Haltbrite graphics capability and uti­lizes a color map that I find attractive for displaying the Julia set. If you do not have Extra Haltbrite, delete the map array and use color instead of map(color) in the SetAPen statement.

=13 ns._DctaiIPcn I1S lJlockPen 11S_ View \Iodl" ns_ lype

~ EXTRA [·l,.\LFBRITE = CUSTOl\1SCREEN

IlS Funt Ils_DclTitk ns. Gadgets I1S._ (uSI BitMap

"" JoclTc.\lAltri =(j

=0 =- I)

Screcll "" amiga( OpenSclcl:n.'\C\\ ScreCll) if (Screcll=()) slnp '''OpcnScrccn' failed"

" open the wind()\-\

= "CEXPO'//char(O) =-ll =()

= 320 =- 200 =2 =10 = loc(\\ otic)

w_title nw_LeftEdgc 11W_ TopEdgc nw _ Width nw.Jkight nw_DetailPcn nw_BlockPcn nw_Title nw._Flags = BORDERLESS .or, ACTIVATE nw _IDCMPFlags nw_Typc

= CLOSEWINDOW ,or, MENUPICK = CUSTOMSCREEN

nw _Fin,tGdgt nw_CheckMark 11\\'_Scrccn nw._BiIMap nw_MinWidth nw_MinHeight nw_MaxWidth nw _MaxHeight

=0 =0 = Screen =0 = 100 = 2S = 320 = 200

Window = amiga(OpenWindow,Ne\\ Window) if (Window=()) stop "'OpenWindow' failed"

, - set up the custom color map

viewport=amiga(Vicw PortAddress, Window) do li=IU I) call amiga(SetRGB4.viewporl.i,red(i ),green(i ),hluc(i)) repeat

* - budd the menu strip, All array elements not explICitly " dctilled here were defined III the ahove DATA staternl'nt

menu _title = "statu., "//c han 0)

menu(S) =HO menu(6) = 10 menuOJ = MENUENABLED call setadd(mcnu(H),menu title) call sctacld(menu( I O),mi I)

mi I_title it 1(4)

= "quit"//char(O) I IntuiText = loc(mi I_title) ! link to next menu item

call sctadd(mi I ,mi2) mil(S) =SO mii(6) =10 mi I OJ = ITEM TEXT .or. ITEMENABLED

+ .or, HIGHCOMP call setadd(mi 1(10).iti)

mi2_title = "dummy"//char(O) it2(4) = loc(mi2_title) mi2(4) = 10 mi2(S) =50 mi2(6) = 10

Robo City News

+ = ITEMTEXT .or. ITE\lENABLED .or. HIGHCOMP

call setadd(llli2( IO).1l2) call allliga( SetMenuStrip,Windm\ .menu)

* update \\ imlow width and height

xslL'p = sideIWIDTf I ystep = side/HEIGHT do 120 i = O.flEIG HT-I

y(i) = ymin+ystep*i 120 continue

do U0.l = O.WIDTIl-xU) = xlllin+xstep;j

l.i() continue do ISO i = O.HEIGHT­do 1)0 j = O.WIDTII- f

* determine if any events are waiting

message = ,lImga( CietMsg.!ong(Window+wd_ UscrPort)) if (messagc<>O) then

class = long(mcssagc+illl_Class) code = word(message+im_Codc) call amiga(ReplyMsg,messagc) if (class = CLOSEWINDOW) exit

if (code <> z'ffff) then ii =anllga( ItemAddress.menu,code) if (ii=IOl'(ll1i 1)) then

go to 1000 else clidif

end if end if color = 0

1= cmplx(xU).y(i)) 1.+) I. = const*cexp(z

if(cabs(z).gl.l 00.) go to 149 c(llor=color+ 1 if(c()lor-95) 145,145.1)0

149 call amiga(SetAPen,long( Window+wd_RPort ),map(color)) call amiga(WritePixeLiongl Window+\nU{Port),j.i)

ISO continue

* - wait until the window i.s closed

1000 call all1iga(Waiu,hi rtf I.hyte( long + IWlIldow+wd_LScrPort)+MP _SIGBIT)))

call amiga(ClearMenuStnp,Window) l'all amigal Close Window. WlIlciow) call amiga(CloseScrcCll,Screcn)

end

" - routlI1e lor stashing the address 0/ an argument in a variable, " particularly handy when the variable is actually an array whose * elements are other than four bytes long

suhroutine set,lddrl arg l.arg2 integer arg I ,arg~,l\lc arg I = loc( arg2) end

Roh() City News

PROGRAMMING

The program example uses the Fortran COI11-

plex exponential function CEXP. Take xmin = -2.5, ymin = 5.0 and length = 5.0. Interesting things start to happen if constant is set near 1.0 + 1.0i. This can be seen in the accompanying picture. Try varying the real and imaginary parts of constant a little bit at a time up or down to see what happens. You can vary xmin, ymin and length to explore other regions. If the program is taking too long to finish a plot or you do not see any activity. hold the right mouse button down and click on quit to exit thc program. Some values of constant will not work well and others will. You will have to experiment a bit to scc. Also, it is a good idea to start with a large view, say xmin and ymin equal to -50.0 and lcngth equal to 100.0 to get your bearings in your new universe.

My last example is a variation on the Mandelbrot theme. Simply take the pseudo­code example above and fix the value of the constant while varying x and y, The imple­mentation in the Fortran source code exam­ple would be to replace the statement: z = cexp(z)*constant with z = z*z + constant. Different values for the complex constant will open up different windows into the Mandelhrot universe'

Gee whiz, Mr. Science!

A word of warning: it is not unusual for these programs to take hours to generate a picture on a standard Amiga. Be prepared to set up a problem and walk away from it for a while. I have got a 68020 CPU and 68881 FPU in my Amiga so most plots take less than an hour on my machine, Also a good screen grahher is a must. I use Grabbit™ from Discovery Software, but there are many good public domain screen grabbers out there.

There are other functions and algorithms for generating fractals and Julia sets. I will introduce a few more in upcoming articles. For now you should he able to roam around in these new mathematical spaces to your heart's content.

('raig Wuest is a regll/ar ("OlllrilJ/ltcr to R(lho City NCH'S cOI'crillg fII,l/hclIlatics alld !Jmgrammillg Oil /he Amiga.

"It is not unusual

for these programs

to toke hours to genrate

a picture on a

standard Amigo."

Page 17

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BULLITEN BOARD

BBS Sampler COMPILED BY TIM AVERY

"On try­ing to execute a backup of my Supra 20MB HD, I was rudely confront­ed with a

" guru.

H ere we are with another batch of interesting messages and tips from Amiga users from all over the world. To reach FAUG BBS,

call (415) 595-2479 and join in the discus­sIOns.

DigiView Gold, Mitsubishi HS SOU VCR, and Digitizing from VCRs

Has anyone bought the "OigiView Gold?" (ed. OigiView Gold is a OigiView made specifically for the Amiga 500 and 2000.) H.T. Electronics has a color splitter that will allow one to digitize from videotape; has anyone tried that?

*1 hear that the OigiView "GOLD" will ship in 7 -10 days. Hope we have some for the "SHOW." The color splitter will allow video tape capture if you have good freeze frame machine. At least that's my understanding. If you have the FRAME GRABBER, you can digitize without any color wheel or splitter (with a color camera) or you can use a wheel/splitter with a B/W camera.

*1 have the Mitsubishi HS 80U VCR, about the best you can buy. I think the best method with the color splitter would be to digitally freeze the picture on the VCR, and capture the frozen image.

*Too bad you couldn't just suck the bits out of the VCR's memory. Is the HS-UXO a VHS unit?

*Yes, a VHS unit. I wanted the Sony EOV-9500 Beta machine, but it lists for $3300.00. As good as it is, I couldn't see $1500.00 worth of difference.

*Can you "reliably" record one frame at a time on the HS-UX(l".)

*No.

An Aside on the "'ladntosh in the Office

\Vc ha\c t\\O sy'tellh running A/l:X: it's

kinda brain-damaged. though. Sheesh, my 3B 1 systems run circles around the Mac" running A/UX. A simple test: use GNU Emacs (v I X.50 comes with A/UX, though I have 1 X.52 on the 3B I.). The C compiler accompanying A/UX is a real joke: fixed symbol table sizes, slow, etc.

Speaking of "Brain Damaged'

How about some TecMar HOs for the Amiga? That MicroForge "chassis" is more properly referred to as an "expansion desk" (just bolt on 4 legs and ... )

*You want TECMAR? We got that too!. We'll have the 'T-CARO" with Ram includ­ed on sale too. We have a guy hot for the MF (Micro Forge) but he's a little short on cash. That surprised me. Thought I'd have to pay HIM to take it.

*"Hee hee hee" ... I have an old "Amiga World" with those Tecmar boxes advertised. "Snicker,snicker." They were mock-ups made by the advertising guys from the engi­neer specs. If ya look close you can see some crudeness. Yep, I always wanted a hard drive to stick on my parallel port.

Backup Problems'?

I recently obtained the latest (2.2) release of Quarterback. On trying to execute a backup of my Supra 20 MB liD, I was rudely con­fronted with a guru. On attempting to run the older version of the program, the same thing happened at the same time (just before inserting the backup floppies into the drives). I don't seem to be able to figure out what changes I may have made since I last backed up the HD. I tried some obvious pos­sibilities (enlarging the stack, etc.) but this had no effect. This is very strange. I have never had any problems with the earlier ver­sion and now neither one works' I hope it isn't a recurrence of the PAL problems I had when I first got the 110 hefore I grounded

Roho Citl 1'il'\\\

BULLITEN BOARD

(luI lor hel1l'llJllarking, ,0 linall) I.lu<.,[ \\eI11 hack t(llhe trll,t) 6XOOO, ,\n) hody wal1na huy a ,Iightl)-u,ed '() I O?

,. Probably no ,peedup at all. Sculpt ami Silver (Sculptmure ,0) only 'itart to really haul ass when you have a ()XXX I, and the program 1I,es it. The 6XO I () buys you almost nothing in terms of performance, and abo gi ves you a couple of headaches with regard to privilege violations,

SCA

Though I have pulled a lot of pranJ...s (re: computers) in my time, I cannot respect SCA for the notoriety of their virus, Your statement "'the SCA doesn't destroy disks" is patently FALSE since the SCA virus altered the critical bootblock, rendering many commercial products (mostly games) useless, Don't get me wrong: I firmly believe that anyone pushing for copy protection can simply go to hell, But that does not alter the fact the SCA virus DID injure a lot of people (by rendering their $$$ software unu~­able). AND (and this is important) the presence of a product such as SPACE SPUDS proves the lie of the European groups that one MUST take over the machine in order to have stunning graphics and sounds. It is MY belief the European groups simply are not bright enough to understand multitask­ing and the Amiga's operating system: i.e. there is NO excuse TODAY to be taking over the machine. To be fair: getting proper documentation HAS been difficult. but for the past 2 year, the info has been readily available.

*First I deny that I have said I admire the SCA for their VIRUS. only for a lot of other things they do on the Amiga, like the new Kickstart or the Hunkwizard (a vcry lIseful tool). Second. the SeA VIRl is only writes to the hoothlock where usually no important thing, arc located. If a user I, stupid enough to remme the \\ rill' protection from his original di~ks. it', hi, own fault. Abo. b: the tiIllC the VIRUS was made, at thc beginning oj

Page 22

'X7, no programs using the b()otblock were on the market and thereforc nobody was harmed.

"First, I dOIl't intend to stereotypt' Europeans. and tilt'reforc classi fy you into some sort of a category, but I think you arc out to lunch in your defense of the SeA, The SC A Illay do many good things, but that is not the issue. They created a virus, which Illay have been meant to be a harmless prank, but it wasn't harmless. To ,ay that anyone harmed by the virus was stupid because they didn't do some­thing is really reaching! Also, in 19X7 there were many programs (in this country at least) which did usc the boot block. Although I criticize those companies for using the bootblock, that does not justify the "'innocent" prank.

I frankly do not know the history of the SCA virus. but it is unimportant! I am put at risk because of it. and through no fault of my own, and that is not right. and should not be condoned. Other than my inference of your defense of the SCA regarding the virus, I enjoy reading your contribu­tions to this BBS and I do like to hear what is happening in computing in other parts of the world. I tend to think we have it all here. but you are show­ing that that is not true. Thanks for that.

;, Beg to disagree about SC A. Lot~, of people have had commercial disks ruined because of it. It has spawned some new viruses by giving others ideas. We have had up to IO() of our PD disb at our storc infected. The SC A is a curse and alway, will bc \\ ith me.

"Nothing from SeA is ever going to run on Ill) systems, Period. Your "own" German games. \\ ith custom bootblods, are among the things de'itro)ed by the SeA Vinls, Such stupid games often require thc disk to bt' \\ rite enabled for thc high-"core stull. etc, 19X7 \\ as only a yelr ago: I cannot chcck my records quickly, but I alll ,ure there were a LOT oj program,

u\ing custUIll boothlllCb back then. and people \\erl' distraught ahout the damage to their product" A number of Gcrman thieves and scum are pre~ent­Iy writing Ille';..,ages on u,end re: tak­ing over the machine. dcfeating copy protection, etc .. ~o I am not going to rehash all that materiallespccially since they are getting. a 'OUIHi thrash­ing from other people l.

Well. on that cheery note, I would just like to say I will set' you nt'xt month.

Tilll A\'en ;.1 c/iailled /(1 Ihe fiHH; BBS w/iere 11'(' call kCl'Jl (Ill ere {JII

h illl,

Video for the Rest of lls (CollliIlIlCilji'(lf1/ Page 13)

Outtakes

IDTV: This holiday season should SeC the shipping. of the first of the Improved Definition Television (IDTV) sets. IDTV sets improve the picture by de-intt'rlacing the NTSC video signal and displaying the entire 525-line frame in 1/6()th of a second (the Flicker fixer for tht' Amiga works in much the same way). These high-quality TVs will set you back around $2000.()O.

Laser Disks: Thc hottest format in video this season is definitely laser disks, After ten years the format is fillally achieving the success it deserves. with over :WOO titles avai 1-abk and morc on the way all the time. One particularly intere~ting disk is "State of the Art of Computer Animation" by Image Entertainment. Thi~ disk is a showcase of 'iOll1e of the greatest computer animation cver done and includes the incredihlc Benson and Hedges commercials done by Rohert Abel and ;\s'iociatt's. Stanky and SIClla. and ,Ollle of Pixar's be,t ... Michael Kcaton ,I'i

Batman'.' Jack Nichol,on as the Joke!".'

Ilroll hu\,(' UIlY 1llIl'Slio/l,l, (,(111111/('11/.1,

{lj' ;1I1('rI'Slillg 1I/J/J/icali(!1I1 rclulillg /(1

\'le/eo. I\'ril(' II//' ill: ,Vl'Il'Il'/." 1111' .. 1 /5 W ('/'(/1/(' .\lrl'l'l, lil/Jc!.:a, KS (J()()()3,

,I/{CI/: Nolien Blul'f,,\\c11.

Robo Cit\ New,

the PAL chips. At that time. I was get­ting weird but consistent gurus (when­ever I attempted to de-ARC a program. I gurued. for example). If you have any suggestion~. I would be glad to hear them. I get worried when I can't backup my HD.

*Have you changed anything that stores file/dir lists in buffers since you last did hack ups? Like Faccll. BlitzDisk. AddBuffcrs 1.3? Maybe. just maybe. there is a conflict in what QuarterBack stores while it is doing the backup.

*Sorry, there is no reason for Quarterback (per se) to guru your machine like that; I use QB all the time and have no problems at all. Try this (assuming your hard disk's device ID is "DHO:"): CLI> dir DHO: opt all ... and see if it also gurus.

The Good 01' Days

Sigh ... the good 01' days. I remember picking up my Amiga in October '85 and zooming home with 256K of memory. Crashed two or three times that night. I played RoboCity for HOURS. Then I got the 256K upgrade a few days later and I was sailing! It was neat calling the local BBS's and only crashing a couple of times (MaxiComm ... yuck!). Sigh ... "sniff. sniff."

*MaxiComm'! Oh, yes. The Terminal Package From Hell. It barely worked right, but that was okay, because no one understood how the serial.device worked back then, anyhow. And even if they did, it was so full of bugs that it wouldn't have worked anyway. Still, I got it to work long enough that I could transfer stuff in .and out of it.

RAD:

Can someone explain why an A500 with the extra internal memory expan­sion of 5I2K should not not able to handle a RAD: of 512K? When I cre­ate such an animal, all of the CHIP RAM is utilized (except 4K) while I still have lots of FAST Ram left. The manual indicates that normal proce-

Robo City News

dure is for COOOOOOOO to be used first, then Fast Ram and finally Chip Ram ... but this doesn't seem to to be happen­ing. Any fixes? Suggestions?

*Check the bufmemtype field in your mountlist against what is recommend­ed. If RAD: has problems living across gaps in the memory list. there's your answer, since there's obviously some system lists in the lower reaches of both fast and chip memory. I haven't experienced your problems yet, and won't. since with a hard disk, the memory saved by llsing a minimal RAD: is worth more than the time paid reading from HD rather than RAD:.

A Consumer Warning

I would like to advise anyone contem­plating a disk purchase from (ed. company name withheld due 10 possi­hie legal implications) to think about it first. I ordered 25-3 1/2" disks and have had nothing but problems with read and write errors! When I called the main office I was given the run around for over half an hour. I was then told by an employee, that the manufacturer they bought their disks from had a meeting with the company, admitted that they had shipped a bad batch of disks, and the "whole ware­house" was full of them! I'm sure that it was a slip of the tongue on her part. I am in the process of salvaging "ALL" the transfers that r made to this mess. The idea that they knowingly shipped out these defective disks, perhaps hop­ing that the law of averages would pre- . vail, is more than I can accept, and is inexcusable. If you see disks at prices too good to be true, ask questions first.

Unwanted Icons

This may be a dumb question, but I would like the answer to: "How do you get rid of all the disk icons that accumulate on Work Bench?" After a session of reading text, transferring files, etc., I sometimes have as many as 8 disk icons on the screen. Some of the Icons release after I "Pull" the disks, others "stay!" Is it something I am doing in error or is it "the nature of

BULLITEN BOARD

the beast?"

*If ADOS still thinks the disk is "mounted" it keeps the disk icon on Work Bench. What actual criteria ADOS uses is beyond me. cause I have noted the same as you: some icons just will not go away! Usually if you read a doc fi Ie and do not cd back out but remove the disk the icon will stay. Icons may stay if you run a communi­cations program, quit, but still have the serial driver in memory. Stuff like that.

Autoboot is Up and Running

Well, I am up and running on my 2000 with autobooting GYP hard disk. This is slick. All FFS, no old AmigaDOS file partition. Installation is simple. The only tricky bit was that I had set up the hard disk before I got the auto­boot ROMs. To incorporate the auto­boot feature you must reformat the hard disk. This was the only thing that was not entirely clear. Matt Dillon's Backup made storing offloaded data from the drive pretty easy. After doing the GYP autoboot installation proce­dure, I restored with Matt's program to DHl: and then copied to DHO:. Editing the startup-sequence files, some REXX scripts, and deleting everything on DH I: was all there was to it. Booting up with DMouse, Conman, REXXMast, WShell, numer­ous assigns and aliases, resi's, mounts of other devices, executing a REXX script all takes about 20 seconds! 27 seconds from powerup.

Benefits from a 68010?

I just got a 68010 for my A 1000. What can I expect in speedup of renderings with Scuplt3D and TurboSilver, if any? Are there problems with using it with non-game programs? What major games do not run with it? I probably would only be interested in running Battle Chess.

*Every time I have benchmarked a 680 I 0 with stock software, I got a 3% speed increase. Except for True BASIC, which actually ran slower (calling DeciGel in a loop, I suppose). I kept having to swap the '010 in and

Page 21

Amiga 2000 Specials! A2000, Color Monitor $1995

A2000, Mitsubishi Monitor with Flicker Fixer & Cable

$2678

".' M...,n," ~ .Fri, 10,.6 ~M Saturday 10-5 PM

Polariod Palette & Liquid Light Make slides and photos from your disks.

Kurta Drawing Tablets

Sumagraphics Tablets

Xerox 4020 Ink Jet Printer It is the best color graphics printer, by farl

Amlga Llve!2000 is here! Ask for a demo of the new features of this internal frame grabber from A-Squared.

Great Valley Products in stock nowl ALSO Quantum drives.

At Computer Showcase you can see what the Amiga can do and get the training you need to get you started.

We carry the latest in video hardware and software and you can get information about video editing and production from Jerry.

We also carry the latest in music appli cations. Rob has his midi studio here in the store so if you need info about music see Rob.

Judy is usually busy working with the NEC890 and making ads like this. Ask for Judy if you want to see desk- top publishing programs.

I Amlga is a registered trademark of Cornmodore-Arnlga Inc

Computer Showcase 2739 Geary Blvd. (at Masonic)

San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 563-1953

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REVIEW

Mitsubishi HS-U80 VCR BY TIM AVERY

"Video and the Arniga go together like hom and

/I

eggs.

Page 24

V ideo and the Amiga go together like ham and eggs. Most Amiga owners I know are also interest­ed in high-end video gear, and

the Mitsubishi HS-U80 certainly qualifies. The following is a report on this affordable full-featured S-YHS unit.

Features

The HS-U80 is the result of almo:-.( two years of product evolution in the S-YHS for­mat. The HS-U80 has a full compliment of features, including digital and analog effects, and digital video noise reduction.

Digital effects include digital free/t:. picture­in-a-picture. strobe. 9-windov. multi-channel preview. and the ability to divide the :icreen into JOO (') sub-screens. You can even digi­tize frames from different programs on a sin­gle tape. then record tho.'oe images at the beginning of said tape lor a visual '"table of contents". Ail analog dlecls you would expect on a top-of-the-line VCR arc also included. including perfect freeze frame. frame by frame advance. and variable slow motion. Both analog and digital features can be controlled from the remote. A, you would imagine on a deck of this caliher. a flying erase head is standard.

NEC has incorporated digital noise reduc­tion in their top-of-the-line dccb demon­strating its effectiveness. Mihllbishi has a different system: unlike the NEe. there arc no user adjustments. The result is one of thl' best signal to noise ratios of any S-YHS deck.

Editing Features

The HS-UXO makes a fine editing deck. It is equipped with a jog/shuttle wheel, a nice feature that has finally migrated from the Beta camp to S-YHS machines. It is easy to que up the exact frame you want with the jog/shuttle wheel. Another great editing fea-

turc on the HS-U80 is digital in nature: in the record mode. when the pause feature is activated. a window appears showing the last frame that \Va~ recorded. This lets you choose just the right transition for the nex.t scene. There are also facilities on the machine for easy insert editing.

Inputs and Outputs

The HS-UXO is designed for the videophile. lr has two sets each of video connectors (5-

YHS type and standard RCA) and two sets of stereo inputs. One set of inputs is IOl'ated in front. the other set in back. This configu­ration should fit ill well with anyolle\ sys­tem.

Performance

In the two months l'v(: ()wl1t:d this dClk. it has performed thwkssly. The pictiirl' ljllali­ty is superb. and all tUllctions alld effect. work as adverti'ed. The lIS-USn docs not record one frame at a time. but neither dOl'S Sony\ EDY-9500. and that machine cosh S 1.500 more than the HS-l]XU.

Prices

The Mitsubishi HS- US() retails fl)! S I H;l5. The only "consurm:r" VCR on the market that can claim to he hctter is Sony's EDY-9500. at S3.300. If you buy mail order (Ioh of ads in the back of the video magazines) you can buy at a substantial discount. from 15% to Yilt off, depending on the supply and demand situation.

If you are in the market for a high-end VCR. I heartily recommend this Mitsubishi. Until true High Definition video gear hits the mar­ket. you arc not going to do better for per­sonal or low-end commercial usc.

Mitsubishi HS-U80 Video Recorder

Suggested Retail Price: $ 1,695.

Robo City News

"Now I can add animation to my home videos."

"If you ever created an animation in the margin of your Jr. High Math book, you will intuitively understand this program."

"Simply the easiest-to-use integrated graphics, talking text, and animation program on any computer."

"I can't wait to see The Talking Animator contest winner."

EASY TO USE - FOR ALL AGES Talking help available

PAGE FLIPPING ANIMATION Even single step forward or reverse

MIX TEXT AND GRAPHICS ON ANY PAGE Edit any page anytime

TEXT TALKS Great for creative cartoons and stories

COLORS ADJUSTABLE Each page can have its own palette

PRINT ANY PAGE With text and color graphics

ONLY 512K REQUIRED Limited only by total RAM or Disk

DEMOS INCLUDED

"It's so easy to use."

"The animation program for the rest of us."

"Only Amiga makes it possible."

Designed to be easy to use for a very broad age range. For the very young Amiga user, or the adult new to computer animation, the ease of use will be appreciated. The advanced animator will find advanced tools like page image ghosting (blueing), coordinates, and unlimited color selectioin.

$49.95 Watch for review in the next Roba City News

JMH Software of Minnesota Inc. 7200 Hemlock Lane • Maple Grove MN 55369 • 612-424-5464

HUMOR

AlDigaDrek: The Next Generation 3.0 BY MIKE SMITHWICK

Just when you thought it was safe to read Robo City News again, comes ...

"Revenge of the Marketroids. Part 3: The Final Battle"

In our last neuron numbing episode our (mostly) fearless crew had been captured by the evil Lord of Marketroids. Cleneralissimo Aker,. ruler of Businesslandia. Here they learned of his low-level plan to con­vert the entire universe into miniolls 01 "Oh-Oh-S-2," the "Operating System of the BrainDead." Nl~xt he created clones of Captain Dale and entire crew, (complete with Look and Feel of the originals). and quickly dispatched them in real-time to the DevCon bcing held at MouseFleet Academy.

Chapter 0

It was a gala event. glitter, excitement and M&Ms were in abundance. Searchlights pierced the sky. scanning back and forth and playing hide-and­seek with each other.

The official Mow,eFlcet punk band ("The Trashed Registers" playing their hit single "You May Have Misaligned Words, but I Have an Offset for You") welcomed bank after bank of delegates from here and abroad. Eagcr journal­ists from Blazing Computing. Amiga Whirl and other such rags jostled each other for the best posture behind the barricades. Then there was the fren­zied throng of groupies. curiosity seek­ers and autograph hunters hoping for the chance to catch a mere glimlN~ of greatness.

One by one the stretch limos pulleduj1

Page 26

at the entrance and one by one the celebrities stepped out to be greeted by a blinding explosion of flashes from the paparazzi.

"There's J (Jan Dow!!" screamed an excited software groupie. Flashes from the cameras followed the enigmatic Wizardess as she darted into the hall.

·'O!!: l.(lok! There \ Kd\Van Pcjooh. and no. it can't he. Fred Fish?" shouted one k"c'rish groupie. Paul:!. I ler har, ried friend. Denise. jumped up and do\\ n. cLIpping her hands together, "Oh. 11t'\ soooo cute'"

Fred waved cheerfully to the mob.

Stillmore limos DMAed people to the palace. Finally. after what seemed like forever. appeared the one mall\ had come to see.

(cd. Here the f1/o/)ji'en::y /)('1'(1111(' so cxtrcme thilt the editorial stiljfllild to take exception. We hm'e pllt the delet­ed segllleni ililhe ('lid, hut the rei/ding is lI(it/i)r rlie/clint lI(heart.)

Once they recovered the young women turned their attention back to the rest of the activity.

"Who's that')" asked Denise.

"Uh. I think it's Randy Spencer."

"Oh."

And still the pantheon of immortality continued to scroll through the evening.

There was Jim Goodnovv the 7.2x J()fl23th. Guy 'Tm always" Wright and Tim Geniusson Lord of NewTekia with his band of cool guys.

Next came the delegation from C­(un)Ltd, followed by groups from Nerd Perfect (the one's who brought you the combination Word-Food Processor), A-Cubed, MicroDellusions and many others.

And the rabble nearly went Berserk.

Finally. the real \lars arrived, the crew of the StarChip ElllerBoing ...

Out stepped ('"ptain Dale. and all hell broke loose furcing thc riot police to call for reinforcements. Immediately behind him \\as Ensigns Jimm. Dave. Bryce. followed hy Lord Leo. But wait!! All was not right in Amiga, land. They were all wearing. gulp.

»> TIE S «< '

All at once a lllurIllur rippled through the crowd like the shockwave from a small nucle;lI.device.

Chapter I

Even as the delegates were seg-Illading up on the conference documentation. disks and Commodore Toy secret decoder rings. roomers began to spreadsheet around of an impending announcement. Some ne\\ vaporous­ware perllaps'? The release of the long awaited 6502 daughter board') Would Manx announce their support for dou­ble-precision characters needed for those pesky extraterrestrial alphabets?

Quickly enough the technical ses~ions began and everyone scatter-loaded into different meeting rooms. Topics such as "You and the BlitterCritter." "Assembly Made Easy in 15911 Single­Steps." "How to Market your Bad Ideas," "Crappy Software: The

Robo City News

Ultimatc Copy Protection!" and "Effective Use of the Trashdisk dcvice."

However, the highest priority event was expected to be at the general ses­sions, where all eagcrly awaited to see Leo's "Latcst Screen Hack."

"What would it be')" they eagerly asked themsel\'(?~. "A ball juggling unicycles"! A unicycle .iuggling ball<! A unicycle juggling unicydes'.)·· A hll~h wafted through the roOI1l \\ hCll the Lco c1ol1e entercd.

"T1:a, fcd til'. it still dOCSll't 1001.. rlgill on him:' they all tll')light synchrollous, ly at thL' .,;lIlll' IlmL'. II Ilud(' him 'l'l'lll Iil..e a picture \\hich \\,\S jlht slight!\ Iillc'd. Leo [001.. his seat.

.. Hey! Let'" sec a screen hack! We' re die'n hack here!" The crowd was get­ting ugly.

The Leo-clone looked up. "Huh'! Screen wha ... Oops, ahh, so sorry sir. I'm just too busy working on impor­tant 'stuff like 'office solutions ... '

A collective gasp of horror went up from the gathering.

Later that nite a couple of representa­tives from RSN Software and Regressive Peripherals were chatting at a classy nearby restaurant ahout unusual evcnts.

"So anyway, I saw Captain Dale play­ing with SuperDeluxe Paint-hy­Numbcrs and the Flicker FixerUpper. "

"Your pull-down menu sir," interrupt­ed the waiter, double-clicking his shoes.

"Thanks" replied the RSN delegate. nihbling on a rolL Byte-hy-Byte. "Well, anyway, the system GURU'ed, and Dale said to himself 'What's a GURU,!', I tell ya, I sense a parity error here .. "

Chapter 2

In the darkness of their cell-block,

Robo City News

Captain Dale and his crew remained Locked up in hash-chains. Stripped of their hacker-blasters there was little they could do.

"Oh darn!" said Leo, "if only there as a way to call Display Alerl() to tell people we're here."

An agitated Jimm jumpcd in, "Pipe: down you dipswitch! They'll never find us!"

All of a suduen. a hlinding light appeared in the room. Therc stood a poweri"uliy built figure. hands on hip,. wearing hlue tighh. A bri lliant cape danced hehind him. On his chest was a hand~llllll' ra)·traccd "R."

"Oh illY'" Dale bur,t oUl. ·'It's »> RENDER MAN «<!!!"

"You're so right oh shaggy one" Rendennan decreed.

"What a groovy cape, where'd you get it'!" Leo inquired.

"In 'Capetown.' ha! ha! ha! I always ""anted to say that!"

Dale broke in, "What are you doing here Rendcrman'!"

"Well, I was on my way to Pixaria, when I sensed that this little story needed serious help."

"Boy does it Renderman" the shapely Lauren exclaimed. "We hafta get on to our next and most exciting episode yet, to go were no pun has gone before ... "

"Here are your blaster thingies. And now, off with your chains." With one mighty sweep of his hand, the locks were XORed. and magically vanished from their wrists. "Ta ta gang:' and faster than a screen-refresh, Renderman vanished.

The crew hurried out the cell. blasters drawn, and scuttled down the darkened passageway.

Chapter 3

Now, in it's second day, the delegates

-. ,~-"~~., .. -.~-,-~-- -

filed into the mainO hall. A note of anticipation hung in the air. On the long symbol-table in the front were a number of veiled boxes. The Dale­clone stepped up to the podium, wisps of vapor trailing close to his heels. Not only was he wearing a tie, but a fine Italian 3 piece suit. The picture was severly tilted now. Cuddled under his arm was a stack of viewgraphs.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he started, motIOning for the crowd to become quiet.

"Over the past years. wc've been intensely developing something to help YOLI developers. Something you have all been -:Iamoring for. We've listened, and we care. Therefore, I am here to announce the development of A New Operating System."

The delegates looked at each other with eager faces.

"Quiet please, quiet. We've heard your cries. Yes, we've gotten rid of BCPL."

The audience applauded enthusiasti­cally.

"We've added memory management!"

They jumped up cheering.

"It has advanced IPC!!"

The crowd was now standing on their seats.

"It's four times bigger, and is MS­DOG compatible!!"

Silence.

"Uh, well. , ., I introduce Oh-Oh-S/2!"

With that, Dale yanked off the covers over the mysterious boxes.

The audience dropped their collective jaw, for there stood some unimpressive small units, each showing a simple A: prompt.

The delegates stared with a blank OpenLook,

Dale continued on, "Uh, of course

Page 27

HUMOR

those window thingies will come when the' Presentation Damager' is released, uh, one of these days in the near future real soon now."

By now some of the attendees began to huddle around the machines, poking and probing every connector or on-off switch. One however spotted some­thing odd on the back.

"Hey, all of the Serial Numbers begin with '666! '"

Chapter 4

Sneaking around the comer, the crew spotted a couple of marketroid sen­tries. Realizing they needed a disguise. they formulated some quick algo­rithms ...

limm emerged from the shadows and headed straight towards the guard,

armed with a request no marketroid could resist.

"Excuse me guys, could you explain to me, ah, ahem, 'power-user,' and, ah, 'office-solutions to fit my needs?'"

"You bet!" they replied in eager uni­son.

One marketroid immediately pulled out a stack of viewgraphs and dough­nuts from his hriefcase.

With their victims distracted. Dale and Carolyn snuck out of the darkness and clobbered them with a compatihilily­box. knocking them out like a cold­reset. Kodiak and Dave \cooped up the briefcases, and removed their power­ties.

Within minutes, evervone was suitably outfitted, and on thei~ way to ~

Generalissimo Aker's office.

"Do you have an appointment')" yawned the secretary.

"No, but we'll be just a minute" replied Lauren. With that. they coaly raised their blasters and fired at the door.

Chapter 5

"GET THEM!! THEy'RE IMPOS­TORS!" shouted an angry Randy Spencer.

The clImes, fear filling their eyes. dashed out of the room and scram hIed down the hallway The frenzied horde thundered close behind.

Fred Fish. heading the pack, launched disk after disk towards the clones like so many tiny frisbee~. The Lauren

HT ELECTRONICS The Amiga Specialists

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Ore~~ Vall~y Seagate ST 138N PaCIfIC Penpherals Seagate ST157N Trump Card Seagate ST277N

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lilt's four

times big­ger, and is

MS-DOG compati­ble!!! /I

Brown clone '\CIS the fir,t to fall. fullO\\ed hy the Jim1l1 clolle. Both were disassemhled imlllediately Thc Dale L'lone tripped over a bUllch of hunk-he~lders scattned in the hall­"a\. alld \\~Icl--Ld hi, RO\1 ()Il the filHl!.

Tht' renlallllllC' l'I"ll,'S sClIrric'd aruund thc l'()mcr. barely "lit of real'll from the ,Ia\er­ing Illoh, Hand., gr~l,pcd for their lll'S. Directly in front of thl~1ll at the end of the hall stood an enonnous menacll1g \\orn~ln. \Vith her arms LTossed shc stood squarcly In

the way of the elevator.

"Oh no'" shouted the Leo cione. "It's fat­

Agnus!"

Surrounded, the clones gave up their resource,s ane! wnc lead off to judgmcnt.

Chapter 6

Generalissimo Akers didn't know what hit him. Kodiak hlasted away with a liberal dose of RGB rays, Aker's flesh became strangely rubber-like. causing his legs to fall out from under his frame.

Next. Dale synced his beam. and coolly fired off a ,cries of killer demos.

The Lord of Markctroids crashed to the floor. Da\e knelt down to the bodv and looked into it', eye,. "lie's BrainDead Jim."

"I IA. 1\;\, !lA, I always wanted to ,ay that'"

Chapter 7

They're duty l'ompleted in Businl'sslandia.

the crl'W "as now facl'd \\ith the task (or IS

it . process!" ) of .eelling hOllle.

"Hey, hi .eu)s!" came an unlikely. but lalllil~ iar Chicago accent from off the ,c't.

"'RJ)"

'"lih. yeah. Boy. you gU\\ ',eelll like )()u

rc;i1h nceded ,llllle llL'lp {aloll!:, with this

'-Ion I So. I !:'ut Ill\' "'lTc'! Ill'\\ StarChip {lut

bad,.

"( 10\\ did you knO\\ we \\cre herl . .""

inquired Carolyn.

"Oh.let·sjus! say that I uscd Ill: ·Intultion·. lIa! Ha' Ha! I always wanted tll sa:: Ihat""

"So let's go'" ,houted Leo.

Rohu Cit v Nl'\\',

"'Not so fast. you'I1lw\c to si"n thesc non disclosure forms first. then we'lI he on our way. on a ,Journey of. hch. hell .. Epyx' pro­portions.

After filling \lut exact 1\ I ':>7 pieces of papl'!". ami :mswcring questions suL'll as "'\\ hat am't your favorite colors" and "hone,tiy. hale you really playl'll all Zork games all the \Ia:­through without cheating?'" they were out the door. Soon enough. RJ and the CIT\\

\\erc e,caping Blhine"landia is his as yL'l unreleased II technical descriptions olthis vehicle have been removed to avoid possible legal complicationsii that will blO\\ your ,ncb off'!

Chapter S

"Captain \ log, Boingdate: 2(}() I ~2()~20. After our harrowing adventure and subse­quent escape from the hands of the lTaled marketroids, I thought Illy men deserved a link R&R. So we've set course for the plan­et of NewTekia. Now, NewTekia is a bounti­

ful garden paradise. perfect in every way, except for one tiny lillie problem ... "

Jimm stared at the ~cintillatin!:, globe they werc approaching.

"Message comin.e in Captain" reported

Bryce.

"Put itlln the screen ensign."

On the forward DigiViewer appeared the most majestically beautiful woman anyone ha~ evCf seen. Her eyes darted like lillie fires, her hair radiant as hurnished gold.

"WOWEE Z()WEE, GETTA LOAD OF THAT STACKWARE'" hooted Jilll.

Bryce added. "yeah, dig that form-factor!"

"I only hope she\; USCf friendly'" cautioned

Da\e.

"Hi'"' said the woman. "wel-wel-welcoll\e I\) .. lIi' \\CicOIllC-COll1e to N-N-Ne\l -New .. . Hi' \lcl-welcollle «Ho \:-NewTcl--ia'"

"Captain. sOlllethlng appears lu he wrong with our receiver."

"''\!oc'llSign. that's the way they normalh tal~."

(('oliliIiIlCd (Ill Page .'..j)

HUMOR

Page 2lJ

REVIEV\j

O nl' of the Arni~a L'OJl1P,lItt:r" principal attractioJl', lor g-rapilic ani,\., i, il, ahility lu depict extra()rLiin:uily

Icaiistil' ,l'l'IW, <llhLll','1l with ;1 ,illlUI­Llne'OUS -1.(il)6 L,>lm,' \" a rCell1: III

th!, uniquc (in 1(\\\ -prIc'\'d PC\) Ceil'i' hilit\ 11)1' suhtIL- ,il,ILiint2 :Ind colorin:.:, lhre,',illlleibiunid 13D) P'I"ielIIL2 ",lid illlll11:1li()!l lULl' hcc,)mc p(lpul:d' \l11i~':1 iIPl'ill,'.ltions, ('ommcn::,1

:lpriICClII(lll' l'lI!Tellth :1\ ailahlc In rhi, C:tle"(lJ'\ IIKllide \lliclhl':lpe ,ID, SCllipt.\nil11ak'U and -1.l), Turho S!lYCL hnills in I'light. and;1 specl:11 hi)!h Lju,dity llutput formill :,uppurtcd h\ Ci()ssel! GraphiC"

SI)lllL' of the'l' program, Illciudc,' \1 IIT­framL' onjcct editors lor "Tc-iiting'l\) ()bjCL'1\ 111 Ilhich all vcrtlL'c" and ,'dgc, in the ohject arl' shm\ 11. This can CllI,e confusion when \ll)lling on cOlTlpln ohIL'Ch, a, it can be hard to distingui,h \\hether:l particular point is on the 1!'OIlt or balk ill' an object. ThL' (lilly Ilay to 'l:C thL' ollJcct a, a '(liid is to relll.ic'IIL ,\hich call take 110m a lell sel'<lIld, (rareh jill sC\eralminutcs, hour" or C\ c.'11 days,

Fllftunall'iy, there is nl)\1 a solution for harriL'd 3D :Irli,[s '1110 neler hale ellllugh time for hoth lreatin)! and rL'Il­dl'l'i ng ohJel'h, ,'- Dl'lill 1n frolll !'.1111lL'tic, Corp()ration i, the first Allli:,'a "I) oblel't LTeatiun prllgralll th:lt \\llrk, in \lliid 1110l1l'IIllOdc, Til" i, a "iJlddL'll-line" mode ill \Ihidl tilt' llh,ic'dl, ,11'pi:IYc'd :1' !':Icded, nol ,Ill(luthc.'ll, I'llt II ith all) 1:ll'L" hidden hehll](illtlll'h not ,h()\\J), With trlll' 11C1c;pectil (', TI1l1," Y Ull ",et a llluch hc.,t­tcr idea ()f the ()hie'er'" fined :lppe:lr­allee 1\I1l'l1 rcndl'I't,'d III the target pi'll

;,ram III additJllIl, the abilit\ til 11l:tllql

3-Demon

uldte solid obll~cts inter­<ll'tiveil givc\ \ (lU the kind of cOlltrol lackin:,' III

thl' eOlllllh:rci:d rendering l'ad.:I~e\, The oniltrack­"tl!, 'peed--ITc,tkula­tlOIl ,;J complc\ ohlL'CI' iii

",Itel lI10de rellLllrL'd tel! n'LltiU1L PI)!]1! lnanipula Ill'l1, al~d rr:lIlSlallOIL ('em hi' kll~:II1\, (Imillelltall\', ',hik tile progranl ,', hU\1

lc'l'alL-ul:lIing, I'OU arc kept l'tHcrtai ned hy :ill :lIlillldted weight liller icul1,) lkar in mind that ;-DCIllUIl i, not a rL'!Ilkr-IIl~c tool !\ I, ior creating uh!cch tn be ,avec! ill a particular fortl]'l!. then Il':Jded Illtll the :lppropria\L' larget pI'< 1-

~Idm ,uch a, Sculpt-,\nimatl' ,~[)- :111 of til,' abovl'named arl' "upported,

Objet'! DispIa~

Ylllir chtljc:e in ,ulid-Illodel mo(k i, whc,tiwr to (lJspla~ the, lhjccl \; (ruc culors ialllwu,,1: a ma\illlllill uf "111\ eight colors call he shown at once I or (0 shu\\' it a, ,haded hy l\\o fixed lighl suurce" IISlIlg:1ll ei:,'ht-Icvcl t2re) 'cale, III solid vil'l\ lIlolk YOUlan chan,Ue thl' per,pL'cti\t', \ie\\\'r posi­tion, and screcn pmiti"ll. which deline, Ihe di,[anl'c.' of the SLTecn unto which thc perspcc,ti\ e I ie\1 is "projel1 L'lL" YOII call aho di,pl~11 (lbll'CiS in \\irc-fr;\I11C III ode , \Ihich 'peed, lip rL'L:ticlilalion tr,'I1ll'ndOlhlv, Finalh, the ;tilt'l'n:ttih' 1-1:11 ViL'I\s dl,pi:Jy ,,111)\1, IIL'II per,pccti\ c wir,' tramL' liews pi I ill' uhjcct from thL' iront and lOp a:,'aillst el grid hClLk:,'rtlund, .til<m ill;': ,~lTt'at preciSIOn in ()bject ll1anq)[iI~l­tlon,

the ,LTt'ell in thl' "I) vic'\\ is 1I,cd to rlllate uh!l'\'!\ on\lTL'c'n, There i1re hut, tolh for r(lt:ttlll:,' ohject' up, dtl\\ IL ri~ht, left. c.'lock wi,c.' and coullter­lllle"\\ i,e in .+5-degrL'" increll1ents, and (lile 111 thl' middk for Il'turnillg thl' nhJect til its orit2inal positloll There are ah(l mund kll()b, for rotating "bleCI\ by any incrc.'lllcnt from I t() (1)9 degrc.'e" bill tiwir ,mall "Ill' lllakl'" ~'reat preci,i()n ditlicult. A final pair III hulll)ll\ leh : IllI Illcmoril.c a po'iitlon :tIllIITturli to it Cit wilL

Object Creation Tools

\\liile ,'-Demon call Illad lind meillipu-1:l\l' l'\1,tin)! ohll'Ch in VidL'(lscapl' 3D and .sc.lllpt~D/-1.D Iml1l:th, It j, ideall) ',lilted tt'r creatin)! ohlCCh fnllll ,natch, Y"Ll ,tart out ill ,nlid IlHldel Illode, \'iCII !ll~ y()ur ,Ill work 'P:ICL' trom the fr()llt ill ~I largL' 1\ indOlI, \Iilll a smaller \ Il'l\ [r"lll the lOP in the upper right corner of the "Teen II hidl can hc lllrlll'd otl tor fll,ter rc,'l,'aiclli:l­ti()Il, The top view IIlLlwks a "Dr:lg R~lll;':c' Slidn" used Illr '1'C.'l'I/lin" p(lillh III he 1ll:llliplilated II ithlll a

R"h() Cit\ ".,'11'

"One of 3-Demon's

malor strengths is that you con recol­

or objects

face by face and see the results immedi­

ately.

depth range-points outside the range can­not be moved.

The initial object creation mode is Add Triangle, in which you create triangles sim­ply by clicking at any three points on the screen. Triangles can be independent or can share points. There is also an Add Polygon mode for easy creation of odd-shaped poly­gons composed of triangles. You are always adding new points in a vertical plane defined by a gadget in the overhead view called the Distance Slider, which you can reposition at any time. An optional requester continuous­ly displays the mouse's X, Y, and Z position in one of three different coordinate systems; World, Object, or View.

Besides the point-by-point and face-by-face methods, you can create spun or extruded objects. To create an object with a lathed appearance such as a wine glass, define a "half-cutaway" outline with the mouse, repositioning points if necessary, then spin the outline around the axis defined by the first and last points. You can create smoother or more angular objects by speci­fying more or less ~ides, but objects must be spun 360 degrees.

Extruded objects, which 3-Demon's author calls Sliced objects, also begin with an out­line which you specify by clicking at various points on the screen. You can use any num­ber of ~Iices, moving points or rotating the object as you go for unusual effects. This tool is useful for creating 3D text as well as objects such as bananas or heads.

Object Editing

One of the program's more spectacular edit­ing features lets you move objects or parts of objects interactively. You can also create hierarchies of objects for group manipula­tion and combine and duplicate objects. The Resolve Points command removes any duplicate points that can slow rendering times, and Divide lets you add detail to objects' surfaces by subdividing single trian­gles into three. You can apply quantization to objects and parts of objects, in which ver­tices are aligned to a 3D grid whose resolu­tion you set-the grid can be aligned to the "world" (fixed), the object, or the current view. Useful options let you display view and object grids as well as object coordinate

Robo City News

axes. Quantization is ideal for creating pre­cise, rectilinear objects.

Transformations

Object transformations available are Rotate, Move, and Scale. There is a Center com­mand to simplify rotating an object about its own axis. You also can apply a list of trans­formations to an object which do not actual­ly alter the object. The reason for this unique feature is that an object's basic shape can be altered drastically by extreme transforma­tions, so by not making permanent changes, you can easily recover from applied trans­formations. Using a discrete list of transfor­mations applied to an object is particularly advantageous since 3-Demon does not have an Undo command. Since the list can be edited and saved and loaded from disk, you can easily experiment and apply the same set of transformations to different objects. 3-Demon also has a Convert command to apply the list of transformations permanent­ly to an object and initialize its transforma­tions list. When you save an object in a spe­cific target-program format, you have the option to apply the transformation list or not.

Formats

3-Demon makes an interesting compromise between the object formats of Sculpt 3D and Videoscape 3D. First of all, like Sculpt, 3-Demon uses only triangles to create objects. However, like Videoscapc, but unlike Sculpt, 3-Demon does not display back faces. When you load Sculpt objects, which may not have all faces facing outward, you are given the opportunity to add back faces so the object appears normal, or you can simply instruct 3-Demon to display the back faces. Then when you save objects in Sculpt format, you can have the added back faces removed. The Flip command, which lets you reverse the direction in which a face faces, is convenient for converting objects from Sculpt to Videoscape format. 3-Demon can also save, but not load, objects in Silver, Forms in Flight, and Gossett Graphics for­mats. (Incidentally, you can also optionally scale and center loaded Sculpt objects.)

Color Shading

One of 3-Demon's major strengths is that you can recolor objects face by face and see (Continued on Page 36)

REVIEW

Page 31

REVIEW

Comic Setter BY KAYVAN PEJOOH

J ust about everyone at one time or another has read or collected comic books. For some of us "'comics" mean heros such as

Batman, Superman, Spidemlan and other such super powerful characters. For others, it may mean Garfield and other such Sunday-paper comic-strip characters, or even maybe the "Garbage Pail Kids!"

No matter which character we associ­ate with the word "comics," for one reason or the other we all enjoy read­ing them, Mayhe we like to put our­selves in their places and do things we are not capable of doing, or just like to laugh at them. One thing is for sure, we never seem to outgrow them, Hollywood has made a living of that fact by making four SlIll£TfIIlllI movies in the last few years and Who Fral1lcd Roger Rahhi(! is the largest grossing movie of 1988, Not to he left ouL Gold Di~k software company, is now trying to also tap that market with their release of a new Amiga program, Comic Setter.

The hest way to descrihe how Comic Setter works is to say that it is a com­bination of Deluxe Paint and

Professional Page. They have taken some of the features of Deluxe Paint such as: fill, smear, nip, color palette, box tool, draw tool, line tool, undo. Also some of the features of Professional Page such as: scaling, grouping, send to front, send to hack, grids, fit in window dis­play, 5()(k display, 20()ck display, cropping, bezier curves, and fast move. Taken together these tools provide all the necessary options needed by the comic artist to create vir­tually any style and complexity of comic strip,

Comic Setter works hoth in medium and high re~olutions. but it docs not work with the HAM (hold and modify) modes, This means that you can not import HAM pictures into Comic Setter; however you can import bitmap pictures, or even draw and paint them within Comic Seiter. One can even digitize images and import them, but if you do not have the time to do any of the ahove, Comic Setter come, with

many background~, male and female hody parts,

COtHcSette •• 1.8 Docunent: Unlitled 2 (2,62, 1.81> props, special ctfccts. and sound effech. You then can put together hits from eal'h kind of clip art and create y()ur 0\\ n comie. It dOCSIl't sound \,cr\ diffi­cult. docs it"

I foulld the manual \ el'\ \\cll dOIlC, B) the time you arc dOlll" you kIlO\\' enough to experiment on your OWIl, which is S01lle­thing most computcr users like to do, It first takes you throu!2h the tool

palette, and then right into a tutorial. This tut()rial takes you through creat­ing a comic panel. They have even given some pointers on how to make your comic strips follow better frame­hy-frame.

To really take advantage of this pro­gram, one needs to have a color print­er. Comics look so much more appeal­inl! in color. This part could I!et a bit expensive. The next best thing is to use "'Grey Scale" and "'Halftone" features from the Print Document window which shows all of the print ~election~ that arc nom1ally in the Graphics I and Graphics2 of the Preferences. This combination ,eelllS to I!ivc thc best rcsults (the re,ulh may differ depend­ing on the rc,olution of )(lur printer).

To show you IHJ\\ casy It is to Illah' a cartpon. I have put onc to!2cthcr. hut )OU ha\L' to prolllisL' not to lau!2h, I mean, you havc to prolllisc to lau!!h: hut onl) at thc cOl11il', That is, \\h~lt's ill thc comic Or somL,thin!2 like that.

Comic Setter

The Gold Di,k 2 17l) Dum\ in Dr. #6 Mi"i"au!2~1. On!. Canada L)L I X2

Roho Cit) Nl'\\.s

.Join the ilion

n

~. 'U'· t, "t', t tl " iJ,n L·' tht.

_'\Iniga space/time

Inatrix. Find out wh~' Hoho

City News is the

magazine for the Amiga enthusiast

that demands and gets more out of

their personal (·omputer.

Stay up to date on what is happening in

the Amiga universe

with Robo City's late hreaking news.

Keep up with the

latest hardware and software.

I I I I I I

ROB8CITY Yeo., ••• I want an t:'l.J)editioll inlo the unkncm n.

Sign me up for '\\('l\e month, at the Surface Hale of'ii2.t.UO.

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Sign me up for twehe months at th(' Surfal'e Hate (If $2 .... 00.

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Mail Subscription to: Roho City News c/o Quatre. 1475 S. Bascom Ave .. Suite 204A. Camphell. CA l)500X

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Sign me up for twelve months at the Surface Rate of $24.00.

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\ 1'-+"

AmigaDrek: The "ext (;ener,ltion .to (CUII/illlll'd li{ln! Fe {,;( .:9)

Chapter 9

Choosing "Illity mcr Ill,,\. the EnkrBoing continued past NcwTekia. and sailed tu the ()uter reaches oj 1l()J'l11ali/cli-vcctor "lace 111

search of future g,lg',

\leanwllik thc surviving clnl1l's werc sen­tenccd to r>(Ur>6 years in "marketing hell" where they were forced to ,ell Commodore Plus Fours. C- J hs and B J 2r>, to bank man­agers in ['vledford. OrqWIl. (Who says that there', no justicc'»)

Glossary:

Open Look . A hoped for windowing stall' danl being peddled hy Sun Micros\stems. It definc, the appearance of windows. melliI'>. use oj sliders. etc.

Renderman . a cLlrioLlsl\ named 3·D rc'ndcr· ing standard developed hy Pi xar.

Mike 'i'mitIzH'/C/... i,l /lie (flltho/' ()((;u!t1c(I 2, (alld (;"fifco I, cOllie (o Ilzillk (l11I) (/Ild /){I/1 lillll :lmigu ///(/\('11,

Appendix (his, not ours.)

("Oil!!!!!",,',,!!' THERE HE IS!,,',,!!!!!Ii!!!" shouled Paula il\slericalh, . . "THl:RE'S MIKE SMITHWI(·K'I!I!!""'I. !!!! , .. They .IuIlllll"\. Irantilall) wa\ IIlg their hands to catch his attelll ion,

''I'll ,ay. ~lI1d I h",ll' it won an award .it the

Cltic;lgo CO!],Ull1l" Electronic, Shu\\. lpn,"

:\likc, nC\l'r (jill' to spurn the rccngnilioll he \\l richly dcsef\c'd. swept into the' Cl(m d iil ,hake hands. sign copi,'., ul' his Jward-\\ inn i Ilg. rad program. "I."> hablcs. and debug cllde people had hrouglil. lIand, thrust (lut frolll thc lTO\\ li. tnllll 'pectat<.)js walltHll! (lnly to touch 11Illl, Be.llltifui \\lIm\.'I) fainted at his kd,

Remember Joe User!

s fl'!\' ill \\a\ '" id !l1hJi.h,"iili~ \\ ill; llll...'

L'\\Illjllilt..~r hal,' d' ,'\i,tu! ~,hk' h\ '~idL III :In ~in~\i>\ di!l:lf;;'~ .. ". t!I\'

\\'urkhc'ik!' ,I:!d llll' ( 'lilllldl,,1 t

II! tIll' pit'l lim,'v :',1<1r.,. 1.11 :(h! IllUlil ('II,)r!

h,I' hl'l'll d,'",kd to tlk ('I I and tlnl!c:', thai 'l!lh ,,:1,,'(1 ('LIth, I'lli, ,11,',(1\', ,I proh kill, 111 i.lL't. I, II !",k ·.dllt l'll)hk:lh. I,ll l!i,'

11\ l'r,t~c IX'hilIl WiJ1l11Uc:1i1 Llli),ttin bli\ \JI~ and u'lng :,111 ,\lIligllcOlllputer· ·lel·, ci,tli hill! (or Ill'll .11K' liscr.

110\1 d, ),:, till' CI,I ;t/kct Joe l ',c'r',' l infOrlllnCltelv. all the timl', T()o llI:lm tillle".

" . \I hc'n Joe a,h.s how to do ,olllething. thl' an\wer is. "Use the CLI."

There arc hidden directories and files on the Workbench disk. They are visible from the CU, of course. but not from the Workbench. becall';e they have no icons. These files play impLJrtant rules in the system. yet the inqui, itive \Vorkbench user can find no way to change them. The answcr is, "Use the CLI." Joe User may rarely need to access these files. but he should not be forced to the eLI to get at them.

Without the CLI, users have no method of moving a printer driver from one boot disk to another. Without the CLI. u,ers have no method of changing which fonts were stored in the ~y~tcm font directory. In the simplest word processor, you might want to change fonts or huy a disk of supplemcntary fonts at a dcaler. How can Joe l),er install them"

If the fonts arc completely different from the Systl'lll fonts. you ,'an use the eLi "makedir" and "copy" commands to in'itall the new fonts. To do so. you will need to Ul1lkr'iland the concepts of "cd" and directories in i'en­eral. including file naIlle cOI1\,'ntil)Jls and dri\ l' n~Ulles. DOing ;til this Oil a nne dri\l' s) stem make, it all Illore ditlicull.

If the fonh illclude \;Irgcr ,ifeS of ordinary 'y,ll'lll 1()l1h. ,ul'h ~I' a -+0 P(\lIit Sapphire'

It.-'lll fill>, i ,·d h'j hl'!lf \l'd to k,t dl;. -,\-", ..

ll:ill ktlil"I, ,d)()LH ,! rh. I~lil~'

I'

})ll_)~~rallh flut ,~,)U p~in-\~. IU ~dl~_>\ j,lt~' 1~1l'''l~

i)J()hkIllS ()!Ih,'!", 1"lllIl!!\. 1'\l'l1 all1\lil~: lill ii1il1~~" th~it \\l'rl~ inlr'n)\('1l1t~!lr' 1)" rn:!c\

(If thlT) lequire 111()(lcrak i,'.,llllk,d ",pc!'I!"'" tll ill',i.dl. Cham':li~' !hl' "1I1('lil!I'I,I" rill' :',' Idlect a 1Ilstllllli/l'd hl;!'J diSh. seHlp c'~111 he ,I

dliUlltil1i' til'h. to a compute'! neWU111ll'r {and C\'('!l tp "~_)!nc ·'(·td !Jd[1d~" ,!

Ilhllillation pnKl'dulc" fur Ill'\\ ,ort\\ .trl' hring several of the,e j1J(lhlems togcthn at once. For example. Joe Usn may have pre­pared one Workhench disk With all his pre­ferred printer drivel',. system fonts. and Preferences setlings. How can he or she move all this accumulated effort to a new disk') What if the application needs to copy certain libraries or fOllts to the boot disk'.' What if the application require, addition, to the startup-sequence'? What if the program wants the USCI' to reboot on thc provided disk')

When things go wrong, what happens? What if a certain font is required by a program. but it cannot be found? What if a certain library is not present on a boot disk') S()me of the'l~ questions bring to light the fact that Amiga programs are not very consistelll in the way they operate. One program may crash. while another may ask for a disk with the missing file and then copy it to the current system disk. while another may present a cryptic reque,ter.

SUp[1(h,'dly. AmigaDOS I A will II1clude It

revamped Workbench. and perhaps these problems will he addressed. One illlprove­ment clluld be a "text-only" mode for thl' Wmh.hl'nch. similar {() a text mode available­on the Macintosh. Instead 0\ inHls, each fde would be r,'prcsented hy a single line of text. Illllch like what you ,ec from the eLi "Iist" cOllimalid !lOW. I:acil file. \Vlll'llic'[' it has ~11l

t~,n I I 1'-'

post three

years, for too much

effort has

been

devoted

to the CLI and

th i ngs

that only

affect Cli /I

users.

BETWEEN BYTES

icon or not. is visible in the Ii,t. The si/e and date stamp of the file is listed. You can still double-click on the line of text to start the program, or drag the text to another window to copy the file. This would at least provide a sim­pler method of moving files that would not require a knO\vledge of "cd" and pathnames.

Other improvements will require the active cooperatiun of the the entire developer community. Developers need to be more concerned with mak­ing things easier for novice users, and less concerned with neat hacks and obscure improvements to the lowest levels of the operating system. Ifs funny. Amiga developers are so quick to condemn the IBM PC, yet they readily cling to the one thing in the Amiga that most resembles the IBM PC: the CLI!

Eventually, developers will realize that making the Amiga easier to use will generate Amiga sales. The road to a simpler Amiga will require extra effort on the part of developers. They will need to talk more, and use their cre­ative skills to find simple solutions to the complex problems faced by Joe User.

So how did we get into this situation in the first place? Because too many peo­ple who have Commodore's ear begged for those kinds of changes. Also. there were few people within Commodore willing to push the techies in the right direction. towards building a reputation of simplicity for the Amiga.

This is not a diatribe against Commodore or its hard-working employees. We are all aware that Commodore has limited resources, in money and number of employees. They cannot afford to do everything at once. No one can. Instead, they try to direct their efforts. for both hardware and software. at certain targets. These targets are generally chosen in response to what Commodore per­ceives as "genuine needs." A genuine need is a desire that someone yells loud enough and long enough about for someone else to pay attention. in this case Commodore.

Page 36

Commodore has shown itself to be responsive to the requests of the peo­ple it ulks to---currently this means mostly developers and enlightened hackers. I contend that this same group accounts for a significant--hut not a majority--of Amiga owners. at least here in the United States. It may be different in Europe. The proportion of advanced users may be smaller there. I have heard a West Gemlan distributor claim 8.'1'.';; of the machines there an: "ASOO~ with I meg and a joystick." This docs not sound like a develop­ment system to me.

The rest of the Amiga owners-the clear majority, I believe-are not pro­grammers and do not w,e the CLI. They may have bought the Amiga for the graphics and sound, like many of the hackers, but they are not attracted to the computer-science aspects of the machine. For these people the reign of the CLl needs to be ended, and Workbench needs to be king.

The Amiga is different than other com­puters, in tenns of the way it is pro­moted by its parent company. I sin­cerely believe that Amiga owners have propelled the Amiga to its present sue· cess. So many Amiga computers are sold by word-of-mouth. This is not necessarily a bad thing! But if the Amiga is to move into even wider acceptance, it must convince the aver­age computer user-Joe User-that it is easy to use. One of the former Amiga corporate people often tells the story that he wanted to make a com­puter that his younger brother could use. Did he succeed? Or does the CLI really still stand in the way? (Not to mention younger sisters.)

If you are a Joe User. make your opin­ions and gripes known. Tell your Amiga dealer. Write a letter to the developer of a program that bugs you. Write a letter to Commodore. They dn listen. but so far, the more technical squeaky wheels have been gcttlIlg the grease. Release 1.4 is in the planning now. so your suggestions can affect what you will be using next year.

john Foust is (j regular (·"lunIllis( in Roho Citl" News. He c(lrers topicai and (('cillli, 'ul (/'Ih'cts (it the :\I11/ga.

3·Demon (COlllillucliti'o/!! Pogc 31 )

the results immediately. ;\ clitlerent kind of list is used for (hi.s purpose. In .'I-Demon. a surface is a set of characteristics including color. reflec­tivity. transparency. refraction. metal­licity. specular and ,liffuse ref1edion. and ambient light. Not all of these charactcriqics work \vith every render­i ng program, of course. YUli can create a list as long as you like of different surfaces. then clrply any surface to objects face by face. line by line, or point by point. depending Oil how the target rendering program recognizes the information. You can edit and save and load the surface list just like the transformation list. If you have been tearing your hall out trying to an'l!' rately create multi-color objects. this is the only way to go.

Summary

3-Demon is the only solid-view 3D object creation program available today. It is relatively fast and easy to use for making 3D objects, but it is capahle of great precision as well. The lack of an Undo command is annoy­ing. but if you have saved your work you can always reload it--a RAM disk comes in handy here. I highly recom­mend 3-Demon for 3D Amiga artists. especially those \\/hn find wire-frame views confusing.

3-Demon

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