The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group

The Status Register - September, 1998


This newsletter will never appear on CUCUG.ORG before the monthly CUCUG meeting it is intended to announce. This is in deference to actual CUCUG members. They get each edition hot off the presses. If you'd like to join our group, you can get the pertinent facts by looking in the "Information About CUCUG" page. If you'd care to look at prior editions of the newsletter, they may be found via the Status Register Newsletter page.

September 1998


To move quickly to an article of your choice, use the search feature of your reader or the hypertext directory above. Enjoy.

September News:

The September Meeting

The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of the month: Thursday, September 17th, at 7:00 pm, at the Bresnan Community Center.

The September 17 meeting will be one of CUCUG's social/swap meetings. You are encouraged to bring in any hardware/software you'd like to sell or trade. You're also encouraged to bring yourself and any questions or comments you'd like to share. The meeting will be informal and informative. Come and join the fun.

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Welcome New Members

We'd like to welcome our newest members, joining us in the last month: Larry Miller (C64/C128, A500/600/1000/1200/2000/3000, Powerbook), Stan Stalter (A600/1200/2000/3000/4000, Mac Clone, PC Clone), Robert C. Ehrhardt (A1200), John T. Nichols (A500/4000, ClonePC), Luca Diana (C64, A1200), Kevin Crable (C64, A500/1200, ClonePC), Bob Dashiell (A4000), Lois Garcia (A1000/2000), Michael Kolk (Powerbook G3), Grellan Larkin (A500/1200/2000, ClonePC), William Davies (C64/128, A500/2000), Art McCloud (Amiga 3000, Mac 68K, PC Clone), N. J. Hartman (A2000), Albert M. Bartlett (A1000), Joseph Marinaccio (A500/1200/2000/3000, Amiga Clone), Cameron McLaren (A500/1200), Dan Wyble (NEW) #2433 A500/1200), and Paul Sundberg (Power Mac 7100/80AV).

We'd also like to welcome back returning member David Misner.

We welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. Have a comment? Email any officer you like. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome to the best.

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IBM enters the copper age

By Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 1, 1998, 1 p.m. PT
URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,25939,00.html

IBM's new copper chip marks the computing giant's bid for glory in the microprocessor world.

All other major chipmakers, including Intel, Sun Microsystems, and Compaq Computer through its Alpha partners, have said they will move to copper in one or two processor generations. But with shipments that began today, IBM has crossed the metallic Rubicon, becoming the first company to release a copper-based processor.

Running at 400 MHz, IBM's Power PC 740/750 released today differs from other microprocessors in that the wires are made of copper, rather than aluminum. Copper conducts electricity better and is expected to lead to more powerful processors that consume less energy and take up less space than their aluminum counterparts.

Although the processors may not find their way into computers until next year, all future versions of the PowerPC chip from IBM will be based around copper. Future chips will allow IBM to boost speeds to 1,000 MHz and beyond.

Adding to its appeal, the switch to copper isn't particularly expensive. The 32-bit 400-MHz PowerPC 750 will sell for $605 in quantities of 1,000, according to IBM spokesman Bill O'Leary, barely more than the $589 400-MHz Pentium II.

Apple Computer is expected to incorporate the chip into its computers by early 1999. Meanwhile, prototypes of a 64-bit Power chip based around copper will begin to appear later this year while servers, mainframes, and workstations adopting the 64-bit copper chips will appear in 1999. A number of other companies will adopt IBM's copper technology for specially designed ASIC chips as well.

For the next few chip generations, copper will only provide a incremental boost of performance over aluminum, according to many analysts. The difference in metals, however, will become pronounced when chips start to get manufactured on a very advanced "0.13-micron" manufacturing process.

The micron measurement refers to the distance between circuits a microprocessor. The smaller the number, the faster, and more powerful the processor can be.

"You really need 0.13," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at Dataquest. "It's like city traffic with traffic lights on every corner. With 0.18, you get to the traffic light a lot faster, but you spend a lot more time waiting at the light. When you get to 0.13, the traffic lights start getting shorter."

The chips released by IBM today are actually based on a 0.22-micron manufacturing process. While IBM admits that copper only makes a minor difference now, the experience the company gains now will relieve it of future development tasks.

"The copper process is behind us," O'Leary said. "Other people will be moving to both at the same time, a generation of [manufacturing] technology and a new metallization process."

Although today's release is heralded as a breakthrough, IBM has been manufacturing chips based around aluminum designs with copper, O'Leary admitted. The current 333-MHz and 366-MHz PowerPC chips from IBM are made with copper circuitry. On those chips, there has been a mere substitution of metals. The 400-MHz chip released today is tweaked to take advantage of copper.

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The Genesis Towerhawk

from Thom Mills (thom@randomize.com)

On Sept. 1, 1998 Randomize, Inc. of Toronto, ON, Canada announced the Towerhawk, a completely expandable Zorro-based Amiga from their Genesis division. Providing a features list, Randomize emphasized the Towerhawk's speed and flexibilty.

When 060 simply isn't enough and you need real speed with the PPC.

Add a Mac to your Amiga for complete flexibility!

Randomize also is offering an Amiga monitor solution, the MultiVision Scan Doubler / Flicker Fixer. For further details see http://www.randomize.com/multivision.html.

Randomize announced that the Genesis line up will be on display at the Midwest Amiga Expo Oct 2-4.

Genesis, a division of
Randomize, Inc.
R.R. #2
Tottenham, Ontario Canada
L0G 1W0

Orders: 1 888 RANDOMIZE (1 888 726-3664)

Technical: (905) 939-8371
Fax: (905) 939-8745
Sales e-mail: sales@randomize.com
Support e-mail: support@randomize.com
WWW: http://www.randomize.com/

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Free games from Factor 5

12 Sep 98 - Although Factor 5 no longer develops Amiga software, they have been kind enough to post copies of their old Amiga titles on their download page. The commercial game Katakis is available free and the games R-Type, BC Kid, and Turrican 1, 2, and 3 are available for download. These are supplied as ZIP'd ADF files for use under Amiga emulators, but can be transfered back to real floppies with the proper software.

http://www.factor5.com/download.htm

[Source: Amiga News Index of the Amiga Web Directory.]

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Upgrade for Siamese System v2.1

from Stephen Jones (steve@siamese.co.uk)
Managing Director, Siamese Systems Ltd.

It has been brought to my attention recently that the original v2.1 software would not connect over the serial port on about 10-15% of set ups. This seems to a comm port or BIOS problem, made worse with our heavy use of the DTR line. It works on the majority of machines, however we obviously want it to work on all, hence this update notice.

Therefore we have now tracked down what we believe is the problem and it seems to have cured the problem that people were having and we have two new files. They are the PC server "sisys.exe" and "sisys.ini" files. Replacing the existing versions with these appears to fix the connection problem, so please advise your readers that they can email me for a replacement archive.

Sorry it took so long but we could never duplicate this problem on any of our machines.

[Source: Amiga News Index of the Amiga Web Directory.]

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Pagestream 3.4 & 4.0 Upgrades

from SoftLogik

SoftLogik has several projects in the works for the Amiga. We thought we'd outline our upcoming plans, while some dates on these projects are sketchy, we wanted you to know we are still committed to supporting the Amiga for a long time to come.

PageStream 3.4

This will be the last version of PageStream3 Amiga. This version fixes a few obscure but difficult to fix bugs, and adds a couple much needed features. Testing will be open to all 3.3 owners and the releases will be posted in the PageStream3 Amiga secure ftp site. Updates will be made available as we go. Initial release will be up September 4, 1998. This version will be available for free to all registered 3.3 users.

The 3.4 features include:

PageStream 4.0

With all the work going on internally for the PageStream Windows final release, we realize that getting 4.0 finished is a top priority. PageStream4.0 is the first major update to PageStream in over 3 years. We have been saving your feature requests, looking at the current industry "leaders" (we use that term loosely around here!), and thinking of ways to improve an already great product. Obviously, the trick has been to try and deliver the features needed and still keep the same easy of use that puts us heads above the rest.

Features such as indexing, table of contents, complex page numbers, and figure numbering make long documents a snap. Editable kerning pairs, tracking tables, and hanging punctuation make PageStream's typographic capabilities even more outstanding. Doing color work? Then you'll be impressed with the color trapping of objects and text. Trying to generate both print and online materials? Let PDF and HTML export help you. PageStream4 has something new to offer in every step of creating anything from color pages to technical drawings to newsletters to books.

How close to final is it? Can I use it?

This release, and PageStream 3.4, is based on the existing code with modifications in those areas needed to add the new features. Those features which have not been changed are still as reliable as before. Still, if you can't afford to loose any time, you are best to wait until the final release. However, that being said, you should still be able to sit down and be productive. Just remember, save early, save often, and you should be able to use it in everyday work. We won't go to "final" until the end of December, but we already have enough going to make the product well worth the upgrade price.

Testing will be open to all 4.0 advance purchasers and each release will be posted in the PageStream4 Amiga secure ftp site. The first version will be up September 4, 1998.

What makes you so sure it won't take 2 years, like 3.0 did, to get it "right"?

Unlike PageStream3.0, we are building upon the core code. PageStream3.0 was a complete rewrite from the ground up. Every line of code was rewritten. On the other hand, PageStream4.0 is built on top of the PageStream3 code. We laid a solid foundation in PageStream3. We are building on to it.

OK, I'm sold. How much?

For existing owners of PageStream3.3, the upgrade price to 4.0 is $75. PageStream3.1 and 3.2 registered owners can upgrade to 4.0 for $95. This includes the program on CD-ROM, full online help, and a new manual. Orders can be placed via phone (800 829 8608 / 314 828 5121), fax (314 828 5121), email (sales@softlogik.com), or mail. Include your name, address, email address, registration number, method of payment (Visa/Mastercard/American Express/Discover credit card number and expiration date or check/money order if ordering by mail) and daytime number where you can be reached. Place your order today!

PageStream 4.0 new features include:

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QuickCam Moves to Logitech

from TidBITS#444/24-Aug-98

In a move designed to focus the company on Macintosh, PC, and Internet utilities, Connectix Corporation has sold their hardware division, including the QuickCam and QuickClip products, to Logitech SA for $25 million. Although Connectix was a pioneer in the low-cost video camera field with the QuickCam (and recently sold their one millionth unit), the money and resources freed up by the sale should enable the company to continue releasing innovating utilities along the lines of RAM Doubler, Virtual PC, and SurfExpress. [ACE]

http://www.connectix.com/html/PressReleases/aug/cntx.98.pr.html
http://www.logitech.com/

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Jobs maps Mac's future

By Jim Davis Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 1, 1998, 12:20 p.m. PT
URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,25936,00.html

SAN FRANCISCO - Addressing the Seybold publishing conference here, interim CEO Steve Jobs detailed Apple Computer's strategy for the Mac OS 8.5 and upcoming OS X operating systems.

Jobs also offered some concrete examples of support for the company's direction: an unannounced program from Adobe Systems running on Mac OS 8.5, which will also run on Mac OS X when that becomes available in the fall of 1999.

What a difference a year makes. In 1997, Jobs addressed the same conference, trying to convince the audience that Apple wasn't going to die. Today, after three straight profitable quarters, such concerns have largely given way to more mundane - and comfortable - questions about technologies.

After 20 minutes of Apple's most recent commercials and marketing materials, Jobs disclosed that the next version of the Mac OS, formerly referred to as Allegro and now called OS 8.5, would ship in October. Industry sources say customers should expect a mid-October launch timed around Apple's quarterly financial results.

Jobs maintained that the upgrade from OS 8.0 will be a "must-have" piece of software because it will feature vastly improved performance when saving files over the network - up to three times faster, according to Apple--and improved file and Internet search functions. The upgrade was first scheduled for release in July, but its ship date was subsequently pushed back to September and then to October.

Turning to the longer term, Jobs demonstrated Apple's next-generation operating system, dubbed OS X. Three key players in the publishing market, including Adobe, Quark, andMacromedia, showed slightly modified versions of current products already running on OS X. The programs were able to take advantage of features such as preemptive multitasking and protected memory, which allow for efficient and reliable software performance, respectively.

Apple has been promising for years that these two critical technologies would appear in the "next" Apple OS - first with its Copland OS and then Rhapsody - but has yet to deliver. Those attending today's presentation cheered the demonstrations, taking them as a good sign that the technology will actually ship as planned in fall of 1999.

In fact, Adobe demonstrated a new page layout program in development, code-named "K2," that will be able to run on either OS 8.5 or OS X. The program has twofold significance: It could pose a competitive threat to programs such as Quark's Xpress but, more significant, Jobs said it represents Adobe's commitment to programming for the Macintosh. The company's efforts to bring new software first to the Mac rather than the Windows platform has waned in recent years along with Apple's financial difficulties, but now appears to be back on track.

In other news for publishers, Jobs said the version of ColorSync that ships with OS 8.5 comes with software from Agfa and Imation that offers publishers a wider range of new color management options. ColorSync is a software technology that allows exact replication in a printout, video, or Web site of what users see on their screen, an area where the Macintosh excels over the Windows platform.

In March at Seybold New York, Jobs had said the company would offer a version of its ColorSync color management software for Windows in 1998. That is now apparently being pushed back until early 1999, based on information Jobs gave in today's speech. Jobs also demonstrated to an appreciative audience fully native PowerPC AppleScript that automates simple tasks or complex workflow operations - such as networking, printing, file exchange, and ColorSync management.

As expected, Jobs rolled out new PowerBook notebooks.

The new G3 notebooks will include new 300- and 266-MHz processors and come with 14.1-inch screens as standard equipment in all models. Apple is offering the floppy disk drive as an option in a move that could prove somewhat controversial. (Click here for detailed specifications of the new G3 PowerBook.)

Apple also unveiled workgroup server computers based on a Power Mac G3 with 333-MHz G3 PowerPC chip, while cutting prices almost 35 percent for 300-MHz models. The new G3 Server system is priced at $4,599 and the 300-MHz server has been reduced to $2,999.

"The biggest news is that the PowerBooks don't have floppies. I think Apple is leaning toward the future and pushing people towards the future, just like with the iMac," said Tony Violanti, vice president of ComputerTown. "Initially we will have people complain about it," Violanti expects, but with a hot-swappable bay that can accept the standard CD-ROM or a Zip drive, most users will find they can forgo the floppy, he said.

Apologizing for Apple's inability to fill demand for certain older PowerBook configurations, Jobs today said, "We've got the manufacturing turned up full blast to catch up with demand," and expressed hope that the company would fulfill demand "in the next three to four weeks."

Availability of the new high-end notebooks will likely be constrained as well, but Apple will try to stir up demand for its low-end configurations by offering a 233-MHz PowerPC 750 that will now include plenty of high-speed cache memory.

Also, a high-end 300-MHz G3 PowerBook will be offered with a DVD-ROM drive for $4,999.

Most dealers who talked to CNET News.com expect that any back orders of the 250-and 292-MHz will be supplied with the limited number of 266- and 300-MHz notebooks that are being made available to them.

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Common Ground:

Compaq, IBM, HP hop on the PCI-X bus spec

By Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 4, 1998, 12:50 p.m. PT
URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,26077,00.html

IBM, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard are floating a computer design specification that, if implemented, would wrest some control over the internal structure of PCs and servers from Intel.

The PCI-X specification, as the proposal is called, reflects a growing frustration among server vendors with the slow pace of innovation around how data moves inside a computer, according to sources. Intel boosts the speed of microprocessors on roughly a quarterly basis. However, when it comes to boosting the speed at which data can be shuttled around from the microprocessor to other components in a computer, change has been glacial.

In fact, the chip giant has resisted changes in the current architecture, which it developed, and is said to be working on its own proposal.

The new PCI-X specification would quadruple the speed of the system bus - or the data path between the processor and the rest of the computer - to 133 MHz. The processor connects to the hard drive, networking cards, and other computer components through the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The fastest PCI bus currently runs at 66 MHz and can pass up to 64 bits of information per clock cycle.

However, these are recent innovations. The vast majority of desktop computers and lower-end and midrange servers continue to use the 33-MHz PCI bus with a 32-bit gate developed by Intel that was released in 1993.

The PCI-X specification proposes a 133-MHz PCI bus that can handle up to 64 bits of data per clock cycle, sources close to the companies said. In addition, Compaq, IBM, and HP are expected to present the specification to the PCI Special Interest Group, which sets the standards for PCI technologies, sources close to Big Blue noted.

Something like the PCI-X specification is long overdue, according to Peter Glaskowsky, an analyst with MicroDesign Resources.

"Intel is late in getting a successor to the PCI bus. It is almost full and they need to introduce something fast," he said. "The bottleneck right now is the system bus." Intel has been working on a successor to the 33-MHz bus, but few details have emerged, Glaskowsky added.

The circumstances surrounding the development of the proposal seem to indicate that tensions between Intel and the computer server vendors exist. An Intel spokesman admitted that the company only learned of the proposal recently. "We have it now and we are studying it," he said.

The spokesman further pointed out that server vendors and Intel differed on the boost of the PCI bus to 66 MHz. Intel resisted the change, but the server vendors pushed for it.

Although differences exist, Glaskowsky said that cooperation will be the likely result. The PCI bus is embedded in the chipset and Intel is the largest vendor of chipsets. Therefore, its support is necessary.

At the same time, kowtowing to the server vendors will likely not take away revenue opportunities for Intel. PCI technology has become a standard throughout the industry because it comes fairly cheap. Members of the special interest group get a license for PCI technology royalty-free. Right now, Intel does not gain royalties from PCI specifications submitted to the group. If submitted, the PCI-X proponents would not earn royalties either.

Companies have tried to charge for bus technology in the past. IBM, for instance, tried to popularize a technology they called Micro Channel in the early 90s. Micro Channel came with royalty fees and it failed.

Some have theorized that Intel is challenging the PCI-X specification because it plans to change royalties on its own standard. Such a move, however, would likely fail. Some of the vendors that would have to license such a technology are making parts that sell for $5, according to Glaskowsky. A licensing fee would be prohibitive.

"If Intel is thinking of doing something proprietary, the effort is doomed," he said.

The Intel spokesman added that the company often provides technological standards free of charge to gain industry acceptance. Intel, for example, gives the intellectual property underlying the AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), a bus for graphics chips the company released last year, royalty-free to vendors.

Intel is an investor in CNET: The Computer Network.

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The Macintosh Section:

iMac Connection Guide

by Adam C. Engst (ace@tidbits.com)

The iMac is out, and retailers are reporting record demand, including sell-outs and orders for more iMacs. Feedback has begun to trickle in, and seems positive (one TidBITS Talk participant, who shall remain nameless, claims to have tattooed a tiny iMac on his rump - we won't ask for proof). Service technicians have grumbled at the amount of time needed to add memory to the iMac (20 minutes or so), which is the most common modification. The question on everyone's mind is how to connect the iMac to other Macs and existing peripherals, so we thought we'd summarize the main choices. For additional information, check out Apple's iMac Connectivity Guide and iMac Support Page, plus MacFixit's iMac Page and MacInTouch's iMac FAQ.

http://support.info.apple.com/support/imac/connectivity/connectivity.taf
http://support.info.apple.com/support/imac/
http://www.macfixit.com/imac/
http://www.macintouch.com/imacfaq.html

File Transfer

Anyone upgrading from an older Mac probably needs to move files to the iMac. Possibilities vary, depending on the older Mac's configuration and the hardware at your disposal. Also, some resellers are offering a file transfer service for iMac customers, and I'd encourage user groups to offer a similar service, perhaps as a membership incentive.

Connecting Printers

The next major iMac question involves printers. Again the possibilities vary widely.

Connecting Other Stuff

Although most people have wondered about connecting Macs and printers, other devices come up as well.

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The Amiga Section:

Fleecy hath spoken!

Recently on BeyondIRC Net, Fleecy Moss [of Amiga Inc.] held an IRC conference on the #team*amiga channel. Questions were thrown to him which he was only too pleased to answer. Top Amiga figures were present at the conference, such as Gary Peake (Worldwide Team Amiga co-ordinator), Alan Crandall (AmiWest organizer), Asha DeVelder (the first lady of Amiga), Christian Kemp (webmaster, Amiga News Network), Harv Laser (webmaster, AmigaZone), and of course, your Amiga Universe reporter, Agima. Over 40 people were present at peak attendance, and a transcript of the Q&A follows:

TA: What is the optimum for a developer box?
Fleecy: For OS5Dev, any x86 box will serve as a base (233+ [MHz]). But, since we intend to be on it for as short a time as possible, we will only write drivers for one or two cards, so that will be your problem if you don't go with the AInc solution. We hope to offer a low end and a high end solution.

phoe: Will Joe Torre's departure affect development of the new machine? and when can we expect to see the new machine (or proper specs)?
Fleecy: Joe's departure will affect it in as much as we'll miss the little bugger. He was working closely with the GW2K staff to get the dev box done, but I think most of the design work was done. I work from the home and not the office so I don't know. The specs should be out by or at Cologne. As for seeing it, as I explained in csa.misc, the bits are coming together but we are not sure whether ALL the bits will be ready by Cologne. We will show it but it might not be available for sale by then. GW2K are getting 3000 orders a day more than they can fill, so we may have to look elsewhere.

Yoshi: Why all this paranoia with having to sign up for news at the Amiga Inc. site? Is it just a clever plot to collect email addresses? :)
Fleecy: As Bill explained at Sacramento, we want to stay under the Radar for as long as possible, not just for us, but also for our partners, who are MS partners and have no desire to be EX MS partners before we have proved ourselves. I know it seems paranoid, but many of them have been bitten once too often by MS and their henchmen.

SlamDunk: What language are we going to be using? I assume 'C' but will it be Gcc? We need to spend this time before the release of the Dev system learning the language NOW.
Fleecy: C++ first and foremost, then Java. We are talking and the ICOA is working on a model to bring more languages as quickly as possible. I hope so because I HATE C++.

DrJekyl: How close are you working with the "third party" hardware developers? And, how many 3rd parties are there?
Fleecy: HW developers - I have spoken to Pios, DKB, P5, Index and A.C.T. They are all very keen BUT they want to see specs. Since the MMC company is more shy than a virgin at a bachelor party, this is pissing them off. As soon as the MMC company opens up, we will get them in there for a first look, but I don't see this being until next year...another reason for the OS5Dev step.

Cryto: Are the new MMC chips coming along on time? Also, any new info on them? Also, what will be the new CPU? Or has that not been decided yet? Also, any preliminary OS features that are gonna be in the new OS? (Resource tracking, Multi-processing/Threading, etc.)
Fleecy: OK, the last time we spoke to the company, they were on time. However, that was THEIR word. We are supposed to be going up there to check on this, but we have to be our chopsticks first ;-) Info on them will only become available when they let us, I'm afraid. Intel would crucify them if they found out. OS features - SMP, MP, MT, VM - all the advanced OS features you would expect a kernal to have.

phoe: How many major developers have actually indicated an interest in the platform - enough to make the platform viable once more? Any 'killer apps' on the horizon?
Fleecy: Developers - I have spoken to as many of the commercial developers as I can and they are a) looking forwards to developing for OS5 b) wondering how they are going to stay alive long enough to get there. We have plans to help them on both accounts. Non-Amiga developers ;-) Oh yes, there are plenty of them. Bill lives up in Seattle and he has more lunch invites than you can shake a hairy stick at.

Kyle: What is AI's opinion and "stance" regarding the closure of CU Amiga?
Fleecy: I am very distressed. I talked to Tony and Andy over the past two days (Bruce as well). Both wished us their best. I have bought CU for 4 years and I shall miss it. We are planning something special for CU's final issue, so make sure you buy it.

Locutus: Exactly how many software/OS people work at AInc? As far as I know, there's only Havemose at the moment?
Fleecy: Well, I am a project manager/system architect of no mean repute myself. However, you are correct. Until we get all our ducks in a row then, we have most of our staff as contractors. No one wants to live in South Dakota (ask Joe!!!), including me.

Yoshi: I don't really understand how the AmigaOS5dev machine can be out before the MMC is revealed? I always thought the OS5dev machine would already emulate it.
Fleecy: When you design a chip, you do it in SW first and create emulations for it. This is WHY we have to use x86, despite P5 wanting us to use PPC. Plus you can design an OS on another platform first and then port it - remember the Amiga was designed on Suns first.

NdK: This may sound a bit negative, but I am a "seeing-is-believing" kinda person. You just told us that the team that is designing OS5 is pretty small. Why do you think you (and your team) can create a complete new OS in so little time? I mean, BeOS (for example) had a lot more developers for a longer time..... And even if it could be done, why do you think it will be better than other OSes?
Fleecy: As a PM of some ten years experience, I can tell you that small teams ARE the best - always. They maintain focus and consistency in a design. Once the design is completed, then you can bring more programmers in on the job. Why do I think it will be better? Because of Allan, and the people he is bringing into this? These people are top in their fields and once we take them on board and announce them, you will see that. These are people who want to be the next great thing and who feel stymied in existing companies. They have found a home with us. Time is a concern, as always - but we have lots of Jolt.

SlamDunk: OK, it's going to be C++ and Java. Tell me about the ICOA and other languages! As an aside, JForth has been downloaded over 700 times. Things are heating up. E-mail me!
Fleecy: Send me a mail and I will tell you.

Barnes: What do you see as the main selling point of OS5 over rival OSes of the future? I mean, Linux will be awesome by the time it is released (with the support which is growing for it at the moment). So, what will it offer to make it better?
Fleecy: Linux is a lovely OS, but that is all it is. It is for techies who love editing with VI. The Digital Convergence market is much, much bigger than anything that exist so far, but it requires an OS that ALL people can use. The same way Be started from scratch with its assumptions, so we started with us. Luckily for us, the Amiga OS was already half way there. We are just taking the next step, and moving onto faster hardware.

Eyesy: Yeah, er, well, what's the plan with PPC? A lot of people are not buying PPCs, not only because of their hackish nature, but also because of the announcement. What do you plan on doing with it? AltiVec sounds like it will be excellent. Are you going to give a firm announcement on what you plan on doing with it?
Fleecy: PPC is a very nice processor family. Altivec will show the world, yet again, how something should be done. However, it is a standalone CPU. Add all the extras you need to turn it into a computer (a la iMac) and you still have a price. The MMC delivers what we need, high price/performance all across the spectrum.

Agima: How aggressively has the OS5Dev machine been marketed, and how aggressively do you plan to market both OS5Dev and the OS5 machine in the near / far future?
Fleecy: OS5Dev is and will be marketed back channel. Our PC inflicted partners and the Amiga community will be in on the secret, so that when we go public, we will give the world one hell of a surprise. People think the Year2000 problem refers to time. It is going to refer to a new Amiga that kicks PCs all over the face of the new millennium.

DrJekyl: How far [along] is the OS4 dev software and when is it estimated to go to beta?
Fleecy: OK, first, we boobed with OS4 - stupid name, stupid idea. What we are doing is skipping OS4 altogether, since many people associate it with a PPC classic OS. Instead we are calling it OS5Dev and OS5Prod.

phoe: Should we be worried about GW2K's stock market problems? What would stop Bill Gates buying GW2K out, and shelving all opposition to his 'evil empire' ?
Fleecy: Errr, nothing at the moment 8-( That is one reason for looking for partners. Many partners holding minority interests would give us much better protection. The DoJ might have something to say, as well, and Ken Starr would probably get involved somehow ;-)

Multiview: If Amiga chooses another CPU (PPC or other), the big Question is will my software work with the new OS? I hear it all the time.
Fleecy: For OS5Dev there will be a classic card - it will be an Amiga on a PCI card and will give you complete compatibility - it is an Amiga after all. For OS5Prod, we are not producing the machines. I presume the third parties, if they see a market advantage will provide compatibility, perhaps through Siamese, perhaps through the OS5Dev cards, perhaps through AROS or UAE.

Yoshi: Are there any plans to update the Amiga.com website more regularly? A site that changes every two months doesn't make a very good impression on future (1999) customers, IMHO.
Fleecy: I know - it is an eyesore and we are working on doing something that will provide a great deal more information. It will take a month or so to get it up and running. I do apologize for this. If everything had panned out the way we expected at WoA, there would be a lot more news on it by now.

Harv: (a) What's up with the 4060t situation? and (b) Give us ONE news "headline" - something NEW we can take away from this.
Fleecy: The 4000 situation is gunged up with lawyers, screwy contracts and a lot of other stuff. We are doing all we can BUT it is out of our hands at the moment. WE can't even get machines...... Something new??? Clinton is innocent ;-) I'm afraid there isn't anything - we are trying to give CU Amiga an exclusive BUT that depends on another partner... Sorry Harv, have to disappoint you (again).

JamesC: My question is similar to Multiview's. If I spend money purchasing a second hand A4000/060 with PPC card now, will I be able to make use of it still when the new OS5Prod comes out?
Fleecy: Sure. It will still run all the apps that are there now, and which are coming out over the next 12 months, without tying up your new machine, and as with the C64 and Amiga 1000, it will be 6 months to a year before there is a decent amount of software out. I know I am going to get a Boxer when it comes out. We are also planning something for the classic Amiga that should make all those accelerators, cards and whatnot worth their money - how about that, Harv?

DrJekyl: Erm... OK. How far [along] is the OS5dev software and when is it estimated to go to beta?
Fleecy: OS5Dev is in progress - that's all I can say.

Hesido: What does Gateway expect with Amiga? Will they see her as an important portion of their business and advertise on CNN media report etc. or do business on a smaller scale, much less ambitious?
Fleecy: GW2k has a tightrope to walk. It NEEDS a very close relationship with MS or it is screwed so it will keep us at arms length (hence the "under the radar" bit) - but we can leverage off of it in private in ways that Commodore could only dream of.

Eyesy: Maybe a silly question, but I have read that you hope to have Amigas out for $500. How would you be able to manage to sell a product like this at such a low low price? (And, do you mean just the motherboard for $500 or HD, CD, Monitor etc.?) How can GW be willing to fund such a high risk project at such low profit margins? Are they planning on dumping the PC for the SuperAmiga?
Fleecy: Have you looked at the Dreamcast specs and price, the Project X? Hardware technology is coming together, and the MMC adds several new twists to it. Will GW2k abandon PCs - not until we have proved we make them redundant ;-)

Agima: The iMac has sold (I believe) 150,000+ since it's launch. How confident are you of similar early sales figures for OS5Dev/OS5Prod?
Fleecy: OS5Dev is a developer machine. We will be delighted if users buy it but we see it as a seed. OS5Prod is a different matter. It will be sold hidden in products and out in the open. The launch and marketing strategy is still being worked out with the partners, but it should make the iMac one look like a Christmas party at an old people's home.

Darwinz: Any plans for a laptop Amiga? and will ARexx still be part of future AmigaOSes? (updated maybe?)
Fleecy: As I said before, the MMC can work perfectly well in a laptop if Pios or P5 or someone wants to make one then it will be fine with us. Arexx? Allan likes it, I like it.

AU Editor's view: Lots of good points arose from the conference. Hints that ARexx would stay, and a near guarantee of an aggressive advertising campaign (at last :), gave me back a lot of confidence lost after CU Amiga's demise. The idea that the OS5Prod (as it's now known) launch will far and above surpass that of the iMac (and maybe the DreamCast) was welcomed here at least. Overall, good fun was had by all, and I can't wait to see what Fleecy hinted at when he said something was planned for the Classic Amiga. If AI can keep their promises, the future's bright, it's red and white.

[Source: Amiga Universe News at http://www.amigauni.u-net.com/news/200898-1.html ]

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Pagemode RAM and Accelerators on the A3000

From: Dave Haynie (dhaynie@jersey.net)

Erik V. Petersen (erikvp@spots.ab.ca):

I was in Vancouver when I started to get scary email: "The Power-Up board does not tolerate native RAM! Nor the native SCSI chain!"

Kolbjorn Barmen (kolla@nvg.org):

So much for local knowledge. Still, I'm told that 3000s vary widely in their tolerances. Maybe Haynie could confirm that. Word is that many machines need pagemode RAM in the first block for any accelerator to work.

Dave Haynie (dhaynie@jersey.net):

No, the pagemode RAM was the easiest workaround for a fairly complex problem. The original RAMSEY (Rev 4) has a feature called "page-detect" mode, which works in conjunction with static column memory, in addition to its burst mode. In this mode, RAMSEY keeps a memory "page" open between cycles, running a 3-clock cycle if the subsequent access is on the same page, a 7-clock cycle if it's not (normal is 5 clocks, all at 25MHz). This was tested and found to be no general help with the '030, but a definite help with the '040. So in 2.04, it's only enabled for '040s.

After the 2.04 ROM went into production, Joanne Dow, as I recall, was experimenting with an A3000 and discovered an interaction between disc activity and page-detect mode (the actual bug: sometimes, you could get a RAS precharge time of 40ns rather than 80ns, which could cause memory failure). This was fixed in the Rev 7 RAMSEY, which is in all A4000s. Also, OS 3.0 on don't set page-detect mode automatically. So you need one of "no SCDRAM", ">= OS3.0", "Rev 7 RAMSEY", or "68030" for proper operation.

There are also some design problems in accelerator boards that can account for problems on the motherboard. For one, we found way too much STERM* loading (a CPU board gets one load, most take two or three), which led to driver changes in RAMSEY 7 and Buster 11, but wasn't addressed before that because they did previously meet OUR specs. This is the most common reason accelerator people say you need RAMSEY 7/DMAC 4 or Buster 11. There's also a "bug" or "system quirk", depending on how you reckon it (we called it a bug, then specified it as required to make it become a system quirk): in the Rev 2 DMAC, the DMAC is using some BYTE lanes that are illegal, but driven as it expects by the '030. This means accelerators need one extra 8-bit buffer, to drive this properly to the motherboard (Berlin fixed this with the ground-up redesign of the DMAC done for Rev 3/4). If they don't do this, the card won't work properly with the DMAC on A3000s.

Dave Haynie | V.P. Technology, PIOS Computer | http://www.pios.de
Be Dev #2024 | NB851 Powered! | Amiga 2000, 3000, 4000, PIOS One

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The CUCUG Section:

August General Meeting

reported by Kevin Hopkins

The August 21st meeting was not our usual kind of affair. First of all, due to a scheduling conflict, we were unable to get our usual third Thursday meeting date, so we took the next evening: Friday night. The problem was that the Park District people forgot to have someone there to let is in, so we spent until 7:20 pm trying to get someone to unlock the door. Once inside, things ran more according to form. However, the change of day seems to have effected our attendance, which was way down, so there was a very informal air to the festivities. President Jim Lewis dispensed with giving the traditional intro of CUCUG officers since everyone there knew everyone else.

First up, John Lynn spoke about a little experiment he wanted to run this evening. He wanted to find out if he could take advantage of the much better video on his 17" monitor to display his Video Toaster control software, by running it through the Picasso IV video card. He and Ed Serbe played around with this later in the evening and were able to render the Toaster output to the NTSC composite video device it requires (in this case, the club's TIMM monitor), while displaying the Toaster controls on the 17" monitor in a resolution that made the details much more discernible.

The treat for the evening was the new iMac Macintosh that Emil Cobb brought in for everyone to take a look at. Kevin Hisel made the suggestion that we not break into SIGs since the iMac holds interest for everyone. He said, in light of what's happening with Amiga Inc., "Speaking for the Amiga people, the iMac is a logical 'side' grade, considering the price." It could be a great interim machine.

Jim Lewis asked Kevin to then give an update on Amiga news. Kevin stated that Amiga Inc. seems to be allowing Fleecy Moss to dribble out information in small doses. He reported that the security measures instituted by Bill McEwen to view the slideshow of Amiga future plans has been perceived pretty much as a joke. Kevin stated that Amiga Inc. is renaming the OS version 4 to OS5dev and the finished version will be called OS5prod. He informed everyone that Joe Torre has left Amiga Inc. ostensibly because there is no hardware to do, since the company's stated goal is to be a software company. Kevin said that some in the Amiga community are beginning to suspect Amiga Inc. of being less than meets the eye. There is little or no news of substance; it appears nothing is being produced; and, "Who is actually there and doing anything?" While Kevin played his own opinions very close to the vest, those hearing such incidents were left with a sense of unease. Amiga Inc. may not realize it, but they have a serious credibility problem growing in the grassroots.

Turning to events closer to home, Kevin reported that CUCUG is doing an A4000/Toaster raffle. Details of the machine can be found on the web site or in the August newsletter. Mike Latinovich reported that ticket reservations so far stand at between 160-180. Kevin Hopkins reported that we have actually received about 10 letters in the first week the raffle has been running.

Mike Latinovich reported that CUCUG will be going to AmiCon in Columbus, Ohio, on October 2, 3 and 4.

Richard Rollins was then asked to give an update of the Macintosh news. Richard cheerfully noted that Emil Cobb had brought in an iMac and this turned into an impromptu demo of the machine. Richard noted that the iMac weighed in at a luggable 38 lbs. He then set a Mac SE beside the iMac for a old/new before/after visual, noting "the old one has a floppy on it." The iMac comes standard with 16MB of memory, but almost everybody is selling them with 32 MB. There were 150,000 pre-orders, 100,000 sent to stores and they have all already sold out. Richard stated that the iMac is the hottest selling machine ever. They are selling as fast as Apple can make them. iMac is American assembled. Apple's stock is higher than in 1994.

When asked about the scarcity of G3 Powerbooks, Richard said the new G3 Powerbooks are hard to get because Apple is switching the line over to the newer versions of the processor.

Richard echoed what Steve Jobs said at the Seybold conference that there are really only 4 Macintosh styles left (the professional desktop and notebook, and the consumer desktop and notebook).

Richard then covered the reported drawbacks of the iMac. The keyboard is smaller than your average keyboard. The function keys real small ("But then, on a Mac, who uses the function keys anyway?"). People don't like the round mouse. (The mouse bi-colored; even the ball is bi-colored.) Richard noted there is already a Logitech replacement mouse available if it bothers you that much.

There is no floppy drive. Richard said almost all software comes on CD anymore, but others present saw this as a real oversight. Richard said the Imation SuperDisk works with the iMac on its USB port, but it would be an added expense. The SuperDisk is advertised for around $170. A USB version of the Iomega ZIP drive is also in the works.

There was then a discussion of the USB, or Universal Serial Bus. Richard noted that you can have as many as 127 devices, plus one controller, on the bus.

There followed a review of the jacks on the iMac. There are two USB ports. The keyboard has two: one for the mouse and one for a pass-through. There are two head phone jacks on the front of the iMac and a microphone jack. It has SRS stereo and a 24x CDROM in front. It has an Ethernet connector: 10 Base T and 100 Base T. The iMac has a phone jack for the internal 56K modem. Richard veered inside the machine momentarily. He said there is a User memory slot and an Apple memory slot which uses SDRAM. There was originally an 128MB maximum for the machine, but now it is up to over 200MB. He noted that Apple didn't put the connector in for a floppy drive on the motherboard, but you can wire one in. The iMac is billed as not expandable, ut it has a mezzanine slot, a defacto standard in Europe for expansion.

Edwin Hadley reported that there will be an iMac demo at the Commons at Granger Library on August 26th.

Returning to the peculiarities of this unusual machine, it was pointed out that the iMac comes with Quicken 98, but with no floppy, you can't back-up your data.

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The Macintosh SIG:

reported by Kevin Hopkins

The first thing Richard did was show how to hook up Eudora for Netscape as its mail client for those that missed it last month.

He then installed Netprint, an extension, that works in Netscape, Explorer, BBEdit, the Desktop, etc.

During a discussion about servicing a Mac, it was said that Gary Warren (gwarren@sprynet.com) is an Authorised Apple Dealer in Mahomet. He used to work at Beautronics Unlimited (217-359-8106).

Richard showed Early Bird 1.1, a program that checks for the three new worms and disposes of them ("The early bird gets the worm."). Harold Ravlin reported that the first Java virus had been found. Applets aren't infectable, but the program can be.

The night ended with members talking about Emil's Quick Take camera and other digital cameras.

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August Board Meeting

reported by Kevin Hopkins

The August meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, August 25, 1998, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are both in the book). Present at the meeting were Jim Lewis, John Lynn, Mark Landman, Kevin Hopkins, Jim Huls,Kevin Hisel, Richard Rollins (via phone) and Emil Cobb.

Jim Lewis: Jim began by expressing dissatisfaction with the problem we had of getting into the meeting room on Friday. He said he would be drafting a letter to the Park District to express that dissatisfaction.

The hotel reservations at the Hyatt in Columbus have been made for the AmiCon show there in October. Jim Lewis, Mike Latinovich, John Lynn, Jason Radford and Mark Landman (possibly) will be attending.

John Lynn: Will the Picasso interface with the Toaster? Yes. 800 x 600 was beautiful. Using two monitors.

John said Mark Landman had originally been scheduled for the August Amiga SIG, but when reminded of the meeting date change, he had a scheduling conflict and couldn't do it. The September meeting is a social/swap meeting, so Mark will be rescheduled for October. He will be showing Real 3D and Morph Plus.

John closed his segment by recommending we sell the club's 1084 monitor.

Mark Landman: Mark began, saying "Sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting."

Mark answered some questions about the club's savings CD, reported on our balance, and after some discussion, agreed to look into constructing a staggered ladder of maturing CDs to better handle club funds.

Kevin Hopkins: Kevin distributed the mail to the appropriate Board members. He reported on the raffle receipts that have come in so far.

Kevin related that the problem he'd been having with the Post Office, after a month's hiatus, was back again this month. He wished to express his apologies to those members who's printed newsletter got cut down to made the "required" weight. Kevin said he thought the speed of delivery at the standard expense was more important than pristine edges. Some newsletters actually got returned twice, necessitating Kevin to make phone calls to a couple of members in order to make sure they didn't show up on the wrong day.

This postal problem spawned a discussion of the newsletter in general. There was a proposal that we break the linkage between the content of the print and online versions of the newsletter, letting the email version contain "bonus" material. There was even a proposal that the print version be discontinued entirely at the end of this year and go with the email version only. Kevin commented that the production of the print version kept a natural limit on the size of the email version. For the time being, we will have to pull the newsletter back to 10 pages to keep it from teetering over the 1 ounce precipice.

John Lynn asked that we have some newsletters produced to take to the AmiCon show in October. It was decided to make 30 extra for this purpose.

Talk of the show lead to a discussion of the signs we'll need for the booth and how to get them produced. Emil Cobb made some valuable suggestions to that effect.

Kevin then raised a problem that has occurred as a result of our prorating of membership dues mid-year. So far, nine members have sent in $20 for membership when $10 was all that was required. We could either cut refund checks, extend membership to mid-year next year (which would be a pain to keep track of for so small a number), or we could send out a notice to those in this class, at the end of the year, that for $10 we will renew them for the entire new year. The latter option was decided to be the appropriate course.

Kevin then presented a problem his wife is having with Word 6.01. She created a new document, using an old one as a template. There was alternating bold and normal sections of text in the document. Everything appeared correct on the screen and in print preview, but when the document was printed it came out entirely bold. Kevin related a few things he'd tried to correct the situation; nothing worked. Some suggestions offered were to check Page Setup, Paste as plain text, or Save As Text and redo the styles.

Kevin closed by reporting that club membership now stands at 581. He had to have more membership cards produced.

Jim Huls: Jim said, "I haven't been around. I haven't got anything to say." However, later Jim did report that he had a hard drive crash and that he had loss all of the Computer Fair info he had. The data had been backed up on a ZIP disk, but that disk, too, went bad. Jim Lewis suggested using a data recovery service, such as On Track.

Kevin Hisel: Kevin reported that disk sales went about as expected at the last meeting [inside joke - our disk library has been dormant for years.]

Kevin reported on the state of bidding on the Flyer offered for sale on the web site.

Kevin stated that the A4000/Toaster raffle notices have gone up on the web site. He noted receipts have been coming in. There was a discussion of some secondary marketing strategies that might be employed.

Kevin reported that web site usage is down somewhat: 80,000 hits a day or so, although we had 140,000 hits on Tuesday, for some inexplicable reason.

In an attempt to finesse the credit card issue, Kevin will explore the possibility of using the Kagi service for credit card memberships. Jim Lewis said he though Kevin should pursue this idea vigorously.

Richard Rollins (by phone): Meeting was great. iMac is a great idea. Should I pick up doughnuts, cookies, or cupcakes for next month's social. There was a pretty big vote for cupcakes.

Emil Cobb: Emil reported that we had 17 members at the last meeting.

Kevin Hisel noted that the iMac was cool.

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For a giggle at the iMac's expense, check out: http://www.dce.utah.edu/network/lks/seperated/slimac.htm

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The Back Page:

The CUCUG is a not-for-profit corporation, originally organized in 1983 to support and advance the knowledge of area Commodore computer users. We've grown since then.

Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Bresnan Meeting Center in the Champaign Park District Headquarters (398-2550). The Center is located at 706 Kenwood, 1/2 block south of the corner of Kenwood and John Street, in west Champaign. Kenwood is the fourth north-south street off of John as you are going west, after crossing Mattis. The Center is in the northwest corner of Centennial Park, northwest of Centennial High School.

Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid year.

Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by the postal service or email at the member's choice. All recent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.

This newsletter was prepared with PageStream 2.22 on an Amiga 3000 25/100 and output to an HP Laserjet IIP plus. Pagestream was donated to CUCUG by Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation.

For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):

President:         Jim Lewis           359-1342              NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com
Vice-President:    Emil Cobb           398-0149               e-cobb@uiuc.edu
Secretary/Editor:  Kevin Hopkins       356-5026                  kh2@uiuc.edu
Treasurer:         Mark Landman        398-2910        mlandman@earthlink.net
Corporate Agent:   Jim Lewis           359-1342              NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com
Advisor & Mac SIG: Richard Rollins     469-2616
Webmaster:         Kevin Hisel         406-948-1999              khisel @ cucug.org
Amiga SIG:         John Lynn           586-3555              jlvideo@pdnt.com

Surf our web site:

CUCUG Home Page

Amiga Web Directory

Macintosh Web Directory

To get on the net free, call Prairienet at (217) 255-9000. Login as "visitor". Once you're on, just type "go cucug" for a good place to start.

CUCUG
912 Stratford Dr.
Champaign, IL
61821

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