** 2 pages letters / 1901 words **

As we expected following our closure announcement in AC#14 our mailbag has swelled so we have 2 pages of news this time and more to come next time...

Multiverses

Atari was always a fun name to me. As a elementary student, I played the Atari 2600. As a junior high and high school student I fought alongside other Atarians with my modified Atari 400 in the great Atari/Commodore War on the BBS's. Entering college, the 8-bit scene died away, and in America the ST didn't appear to go anywhere, so I bought a Macintosh, and later a Newton. Through the years the Mac proved to be a fine machine, but it never had the games and the fun feel of my Atari days. Nine years passed.

Through time I found myself returning to my old stomping grounds of computer geekdom at the Dallas Infomart. The faces were all different, and the computers where the standard PC and Mac, but it was good to be back. The exchange of computer equipment, and charismatically challenged people made me feel at home. Then I looked at the schedule of user meetings projected on a wall in the DFW/Exchange vendor room.

"Atari Users of North Texas... what!?!" On the seventh floor, just like it had been a decade before. "Incredible!" With my wife to be accompanying we entered the swift moving glass elevator. The beautiful scenery of the "Crystal Palace" environment of wood panelling, glass, and neon green lights rushed by us, and soon we were there, the seventh level. We walked to the place where DAL-ACE had been, but the large meeting room capable of seating three hundred only met me with a rush of air conditioned sterile air. "Over here love!" I heard my lady call. I walked to where she was, and found a heart warming scene compared to the hustle and bustle of the business oriented user group I had left thirteen years before.

Stepping into the room, we found an old man with a beard leaning against a folding table in front of an assortment of about nine other people sitting in chairs listening. Little did I realize it, I had entered a years long AUNT tradition of the grand sermon of Dave Acklam! "Aha! Welcome... a new member!" "A new / old member actually. I'm from the days of DAL-ACE!" "Oh my gosh! You are old. Have a seat, welcome back!"

I introduced myself as an Atari 8-bit User. The group was astonished, and many had been 8-bit users turned ST users through time. It became quickly apparent that these people, while good natured, actually seemed to see their computer as little more than just fun hobby machines, though that could also be said.

As Dave preached on, my lady and I sat back in sheer bliss to see such a charming group of people ranging from their late twenties to their sixties. The later was more the case. "Here we have the newest edition of the Pacesetter from our die hard 8-bit user friends in Florida. Amazing how those guys keep plugging away on their 8-bit Ataris and meet and have fun in their retirement community they seem to have there. But isn't that what the Atari stuff is all about? Just having fun seeing what these old computers are still capable of doing.
Speaking of which, I recently got the newest issue of Atari Computing number ten, which is to the best of my knowledge, the only professionally produced English language Atari magazine in the world."

What was this? Had I fallen asleep? A computer platform with a magazine? I had heard that Amiga had a fanatical following, but Atari? The next meeting, Kent Kordes from Systems For Tomorrow came to our meeting to sell his Atari merchandise while Dave Acklam displayed importing files from digital cameras on a Falcon, and Micheal White displayed internet browsing with STIK. It was then I shelled out the money and bought that magazine for my lady since it had a X-Files theme to the cover.

Later I would thumb through the pages of the magazine. I was amazed to see a magazine that had produced such a startling magazine with current fandom material like X-Files to have been produced by an Atari Computer. The magazine had a new book smell. It advertised the new Milan computer, talked about shows in Europe, and possibilities of continuing the Atari era through other platforms like a Macintosh. Then there was talk about hardware hacks for existing Atari computers, pictures, adds, and articles. An initial impression was that Atari had a very fun and creative community eager to show what the world what their machines could still do, in sometimes a different way, and sometimes better a way.

Years ago there was a comic book released with Atari games called "Atari Force" and in that series, the crew of a starship, complete with "ATR 8000" onboard computer by the way, travelled through "Multiverses" or realms of other possibilities of what could have been. As I flipped through the pages of that magazine with the X-Files cover, I stepped out of a world with a dominate PC computer with an lesser Macintosh tag along to a multiverse where Atari computers were kept alive and well by it's users and vendors. I had returned to the world of computing that I knew, and I intend to stay. Many thanks to the staff of Atari Computing for being that portal to a multiverse that I may not have found otherwise.

Greg Goodwin aka Doctor Clu, via Email
New ST User and editor of AUNT BYTES
http://www.atariusers.com/AUNT


Bye-bye Atari Computing

I am deeply saddened by the closure of AC (I'd just re-subscribed as well!), at least no one will be out of pocket, unlike AW! I have just sent off a cheque for a ZIP drive, finally deciding to ignore all those PC HP offers on the high street, and kick-start my ST into life, starting by backing up my HD, and a high res monitor. I hope all goes well Joe, see you at ACC'99, I've booked THE WEEKEND off to be there.

James Aubrey, via CIX ataricomputing conference

Thanks James, I've already seen postings in the newsgroups about how I've deserted the Atari scene already but I'll still be around and using Atari software for the foreseeable future - and that goes for the entire editorial team. See you at ACC'99!


Wonderful CD!

Just thought I would drop by and voice my praise for this wonderful renegade CD. I only received it yesterday, but the content has to be the best of any CD I have perused. I am currently in the process of downloading the programs onto floppies (I use a PC at work to read the CD), and I have to say that the two programs I have actually transferred and tried are excellent. Kandinsky v2.51 is exactly what I needed for doing diagrams for my latest project - anyone still using Easydraw should change over now.
Thought is another program that I had always glanced at but never reckoned I would need, but since trying out the demo on the CD, I am beginning to get some ideas. It would be a great way of organising and maintaining websites for instance. Please keep them coming. What's the latest evolution number of the CD?
 Gaz, via the CIX ataricomputing conference

Evolution 2 remains current with 3 in progress. It's possible the renegade CD may survive the closure of Atari Computing/Renegade Publishing Ltd if there's enough interest. Who knows, it could even evolve into a CD based HTML format magazine...


No Surprise

Sorry to hear the closure - it's not a complete surprise. The US is down to a few barebones dealers. I had hoped the Milan would provide a revival. Oddly enough, Atari games lives on through Hasbro, Midway/Atari, etc. Classic gaming magazine is very successful. Windows only leaves the need for an alternative platform. Linux, Mac, whatever... There is a market out there and I am part of it. Thank you and the staff for keeping the magazine going as long as you have. Atari computing continues to live on!

Tony Cesnik, ABACUS (Atari Bay Area Computer Users Society), San Francisco, by email



Show Teaser

** AC01MINI.GIF here **

It was with regret I find the best Atari magazine is closing down. I think the team have done a grand job over the last three years and I've been a subscriber since AC#1.

Since I retired I have been spending my time buying and restoring ancient computers and now have a collection of 35 - half of them Atari's from a 400 up to a Mega STe all in perfect condition. I have made many friends including a lad who is trying to create a RAM memory board capable of boosting both the memory and CPU and so far he's managed to upgrade a 1Mb Mega ST to 4Mb but there's still lots of development work to do. He's working from the circuit diagrams I've zipped up and sent you.

Could you please publish all the remaining user groups or contacts in the final issue - unfortunately there doesn't seem to be one in north London so all my contacts are by letter.

One beneficial side-effect of PC dominance is loads of good stuff being sold at amazingly low prices. I recently got hold of a 1Mb STFM, SC1224 colour monitor, SM125 mono monitor, 30Mb hard drive, hand scanner, monitor switcher, optical mouse, Panasonic KX-P1081 printer, software and manuals for œ15!

I'll still be looking forward to receiving AC#15 and AC#16 and would like to register my ONE complaint. It seems subscribers will have to wait for AC#16 until after ACC'99 where visitors will be able to collect their copies.

Charlie Ayres, Wood Green, London

We're especially pleased many subscribers have stuck with us since AC#1 and it's good to hear you're still making good use of your Atari systems. Thanks for the circuit diagrams - sadly they appear to be (c) Atari Corp so we can't share them with our readers.

Mike Kerslake originated The Contact Files which first appeared in AC#14 on page 52 but the response has been disappointing BUT if there are any user groups, BBS's etc who would like to be included in the final list please do get in touch.

You mention there's no user group near you in North London which is the ideal location from which to attend Cheshunt Computer Club meetings which are held around a mile north from junction 25 on the M25 and, as we've pointed out relentlessly, internet access is now so cheap there's really no reason for any Atarian to be isolated. Write to Derryck Croker at 196 Coates Way, Garston, Watford, Herts, WD2 6PE for more details.

** ACC99LOG.JPG here **

Although we're trying very hard to get AC#16 ready for collection from ACC'99 it is our January 2000 issue and everyone should get it before then. There's still a chance we won't have AC#16 ready in time for ACC'99 and if we took time out to send magazines out before the show something else wouldn't get done. So come along to ACC'99, enjoy our Millennium Party, pick up some bargains and collect your copy, or wait - the choice is yours!