HELP

LIST ASSISTER

There is a slight problem with the program List Assister (page 93, July 1983 ANTIC). As written, the program cannot handle a program line containing only three characters (not including the line number) that is not a REM statement (e.g. X = 2). To remedy this, delete the space after REM in line 60, as

R$="REM"

Also, change line 200 to read:

200 IF A$(N+1,N+3)<>R$ THEN RF = 1

Also, change the word OR in line 665 to AND to allow the program to properly read the INPUT filename.

PANIC

In your article in the July ANTIC describing the new Atari XL line, you state that "the old ATARI 400 and 800 'II be discontinued. computers wi Help! I am the avid owner of an ATARI 800 and would appreciate it if you could inform those of us who are panicking of what this discontinuation will mean to the future of the ATARI 400 and 800.

Erik Macki
Midland, MI

Don't panic. the ATARI 400 and 800 should continue to be well-supported and useful machines for many years. Atari is committed in principle to upward compatibility, which means that programs now legally working on your machine will work on new machines probably until fundamental design changes require a radically different machine. Downward compatibility is another matter-new programs for the XL line may not work on your 800 because of new features in the Operating System. Therefore, make sure to verify compatibility before purchase. Most vendors will want to maintain downward compatibility in order to sell their products to the million or so owners of 400s and 800s. -ANTIC ED

SMALL STUFF

There's a programming error in Stunt Clown (ANTIC, July 1983, p. 69) that causes the picture to bounce up and down when the program is run on a 16K cassette system. To remedy this, change the 29 in line 990 to a 28.

Several typographical errors found their way into the Computer Quiz in the July 1983 ANTIC, page 120. In question #5, choice (d) should be zero, not one. Also, the correct answer to #5 was e, not d. Our apologies to those readers who were confused. -ANTIC ED

ROLLING HUMBAR'S DISEASE

Jeff Danley's problem (HELP!, ANTIC, July 1983) could be caused by breakdown of the mylar capacitors C203 and C206 on the power supply board. The fix is described on page 5-19 of the Service Manual, and can be done by owner, or by Service Center.

Robert A. Carr
Grand Forks AFB, ND

Could be, or possibly it is failure of another capacitor, any of which threaten further damage to power supply. First try RF switcbbox substitution. If this fails, Service Center diagnosis and repair is advised. -ANTIC ED

MYOTIS NUMBER

An incorrect telephone number was given in the review of the Myotis Robot Arm (p. 110, ANTIC, July 1983). The correct number for Myotis Systems is (602) 747-9509.

DRAGONSMOKE

There is an error in Dragonsmoke in July 1983 ANTIC. In the program in the upper right hand corner of page 45, line 520 should read:

520 U=X-10*T

NO EASMD

Your review of our product BASIC A+ states erroneously that it "comes with EASMD at no extra cost." This is not true. BASIC A+ and OS/A+ are both included, however.

Bill Wilkinson
Optimized Systems Software
Cupertino, CA

Bill further states that OSS has a new product, BASIC-XL, in cartridge form, that is compatible with, but more powerful than ATARI BASIC. -ANTIC ED