EDITORIAL
The Atari ST has been on the market for three years now, and in our feature article this issue, Three Years With the ST, Jeffrey Daniels traces its development and gives you a never-before-published look at Atari from the inside. Whether you just bought your ST or were among the first to buy developer's systems (as Antic Publishing was), you'll be fascinated by Daniels's report.
START has been a part of the ST world for two of those three years. As we've published more and more issues, their value to you as a reference source has grown--but so too has the problem of finding what you need quickly. To solve this problem, we've provided a complete index to date of START and Antic's ST Resource in both ASCII and database format. Plus, START's Programs Editor Heidi Brumbaugh has written a nifty little utility to convert the database format index file into CardSTak--or almost any other format. Use your own favorite DB manager to locate that one article you've been looking for. It's all on your START disk this month.
As ST ownership has expanded, some readers have asked us for broad coverage of the ST world and articles to help them learn ST basics. Other readers want in depth coverage of specific ST interests. To help give you what you need, we're beginning four new columns this issue.
Small Tools, written by Dave Small, is for all of us who have ever needed to solve a problem on our STs. Small, the iconoclastic designer of the Magic Sac, has revised his Twister disk formatting program to operate with the new TOS ROMs. In Small Tools, he tells why and how. James Pierson-Perry kicks off our Mac and PC on the ST column with "The Perfect Spreadsheet?" We also begin in-depth coverage of Programming in BASIC this issue with the first part of John L. Hutchinson's lucid explanation of GEM Resource files. Finally, yours truly begins The Cyber corner for those who use--or want to use--the Cyber Studio and related graphics programs.
And don't miss this issue's START disk! Not only do you get the START Index, Mega Twister and a Cyber Control program for automatic object scaling, you also get The Traveler to help you plan your vacation; Creation!, Tom Hudson's tour-de-force fractal landscape generator; Igor, a wonderful desk accessory that allows you to create your own custom Help Screens; and START Klondike Solitaire, the best darned solitaire game ever on any computer, anywhere!
As Frank Hayes, START's Senior Editor, reports in News, Notes & Quotes, most of Atari's current ST production is sold in Europe. If you would like to see Atari turn its attention back to the U.S. market, write Jack Tramiel and tell him directly. No nasty letters, now--just tell him what computer stores in your area you would like to see carry Atari products and what it would take for you to buy more from Atari. Send your letters to Mr. Jack Tramiel, Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, with a copy to us here at START.
So long and enjoy your summer computing. Oh, and the red six goes on the black seven!
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ANDREW REESE |