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~ WELCOME TO GENIELAMP APPLE II! ~
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ ONE FOR THE ROAD: Last Call
~ REFRACTIONS: The Future Of Online Apple II Support
~ HOT NEWS, HOT FILES, HOT MESSAGES ~
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GenieLamp Apple II ~ A T/TalkNET Publication ~ Vol.6, Issue 68
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Editor...................................................Ryan M. Suenaga
Editor Emeritus................................................Doug Cuff
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~ GenieLamp IBM ~ GenieLamp ST ~ GenieLamp PowerPC ~
~ GenieLamp A2Pro ~ GenieLamp Macintosh ~ GenieLamp TX2 ~
~ GenieLamp Windows ~ GenieLamp A2 ~ LiveWire (ASCII) ~
~ Member Of The Digital Publishing Association ~
GE Mail: GENIELAMP Internet: genielamp@genie.com
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ October 15, 1997 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
REFRACTIONS ............. [RFR] ONE FOR THE ROAD ........ [OFR]
Facing Future. Last Call, by Doug Cuff.
LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
GenieLamp Information
[IDX]""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
READING GENIELAMP GenieLamp has incorporated a unique indexing system
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In the index you will find the following example:
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Genie Fun & Games.
To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If
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///////////////////////////////////////// Genie_QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ " Some college students in the U.S. might consider /
/ 'hurling' a sport. I know I did when I celebrated my /
/ 21st birthday. My favorite name for it was the /
/ 'Technicolor yawn.' " /
///////////////////////////////////////////////// A2.TONY //////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
[A2LAMP]
>>> THE HARDEST THING I HAVE TO SAY <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I remember turning in my last paper the first semester I was in
graduate school. I was so exhausted and drained that if the professor had
returned it asking me to change one word, I couldn't have done it.
I remember my last presentation in graduate school before graduation.
I had stayed up all night the night before, and I could barely stand, but I
delivered.
Now I face another last in my life: the last edition of
_GenieLamp A2_, the last of the _GenieLamp_ family of computing
publications. If the Apple II is indeed the Energizer Bunny of
computers--it keeps going and going and going and going--then
_GenieLamp A2_ is like the battery that powers it.
But, after more than five years of monthly production, the time has
come to close the door on another chapter of Apple II history. While I
definitely maintain the enthusiasm to continue this publication, Genie
itself, for reasons I've gone into in previous issues, is unable to support
a publication like this.
For months now, I've talked of Delphi and how the future of Apple II
support lies there. For all intents and purposes, the future is now. A
new, _GenieLamp A2_ like publication will rise from the ashes of this
ending.
[*][*][*]
As usual, I must say that I greatly appreciate the assist given by
Editor Emeritus Doug Cuff. While I offered him the opportunity to write
this editorial, as he is who I consider Mr. _GenieLamp A2_, he graciously
declined, and wrote a different article. I hope that Doug will help to
grace the electronic pages of our new Delphi publication, and wish him the
best whatever he does.
[*][*][*]
And speaking of the Apple II future, please remember: KansasFest 1998
is scheduled for July 22-26 1998 at Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri.
The last_GenieLamp A2_ editorial wouldn't be right without a KFest
Blatant Plug.
-- Ryan
Genie Mail: A2LAMP Internet: a2lamp@genie.com
__________________________________________________________
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| | |_ |/ _ \ '_ \| |/ _ \ | / _` | '_ ` _ \| '_ \ | _ | / /
| |__| | __/ | | | | __/ |___| (_| | | | | | | |_) | | | | |/ /_
\_____|\___|_| |_|_|\___|______\__,_|_| |_| |_| .__/ |_| |_|____|
| |
|_|
ASCII ART ENDS
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan Suenaga
[A2LAMP]
o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS
o A2 POT-POURRI
o HOT TOPICS
o WHAT'S NEW
o THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT 13, TOP 43 ....... The Drive For Fifty
[*] CAT 16, TOP 9 ....... Even More Hewlett Packard and IIgs
[*] CAT 19, TOP 4 ....... Doing The Impossible--MSDOS and IIgs
[*] CAT 28, TOP 27 ....... No SLIP Ups Setting Up Marinetti
>>> A2 POT-POURRI <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""
MORE HP AND IIGS INTERFACING I bought & installed Independence, along
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" with a Q-Print II card and an HP 340
printer. I can print from AppleWorks, but anything GS/OS seems to hang
indefinitely until I press OA-. There are no error messages... simply that
nothing happens, so I can't be very specific. Any help?
-Ken
(KEN.GAGNE, CAT16, TOP9, MSG:8/M645;1)
>>>>> If you are using Independence with a parallel card, you need a
""""" parallel card port driver that is compatible with your Q-Print II.
I am not familiar with that particular card, but you might try the
Parallel.Card driver that comes with System 6.01. If that doesn't work,
look here in the A2 library. There were some parallel card drivers
uploaded awhile back.
- Don
(D.ZAHNISER, CAT16, TOP9, MSG:10/M645;1)
>>>>> Since it wasn't explicitly stated:
"""""
Independence does not ship with any parallel card drivers. It comes with a
high-speed serial driver that could be used with DeskWriters, and it will
work with serial DeskJets that accept a 9600 or 19200 baud rate. As Ken
found out, the parallel card drivers that ship with Harmonie will work fine
with Independence. Some of these parallel card drivers are here in the A2
library (see my previous post).
FWIW - I have Harmonie, and purchased Independence also. I find that I
switch back and forth depending on the program I am using. In general, I
use Independence for my more critical work, because I have found that in
_some_ circumstances, it delivers a more accurate image of what is on
screen. In particular, this applies to landscape printing with page layout
programs (AWGS PL or GraphicWriter). I do a quarterly report for our
church bulletin in AWGS PL, in landscape half-page format (a la GS-Booklet
from SoftDisk G-S). I find that often Harmonie will misplace the text in
the frame and cut off the last character or so of words, while Independence
prints it accurately. This is using 'DeskJet Best' in Harmonie, and
100%/100% Horizontal/Vertical Scaling in Independence, so I think I am
comparing apples to apples. OTOH, I use Harmonie for all of my general
purpose printing for its speed (external rendering) and flexibility. I use
UtilityLaunch, which allows me to specify which driver to use with which
program. A great convenience.
Don V. Zahniser
Delivered by:
CoPilot 2.5.6 and ANSITerm v2.13b
(D.ZAHNISER, CAT16, TOP9, MSG:15/M645;1)
>>>>> I haven't owned Independence, but I have several Seven Hills
""""" products and love 'em dearly. I do have Harmonie, and it's great.
One major difference: Harmonie does color, Independence does not. Both are
great, and are coming from vendors we know and love.
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT16, TOP9, MSG:16/M645;1)
HOW MUCH GS DOES SPECTRUM NEED? I know this must already have been asked
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" and answered, but what are the
recommended software & hardware requirements for Spectrum? Does one need 4
or 8 MB RAM and a hard disk? If a hard disk, how large? Is an accelerator
recommended? Under which version of GS/OS will it run?
In so far as Spectrum Internet Suite is concerned, everrything I've read
indicates that one should have an accelerator, but these seem impossible to
come by these days.
Thanks,
Jim O'Reilly
(J.OREILLY3, CAT16, TOP15, MSG:172/M645;1)
>>>>> I believe Spectrum's requirements are an Apple IIgs running System
""""" 6.0.1--minimally, two megabytes of memory ought to do it.
OTOH, I can't even imagine trying to run it without four megs of memory and
a hard drive, and running without an accelerator sounds like an exercise in
pain. . .
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT16, TOP15, MSG:174/M645;1)
>>>>> For all intents and purposes, a hard drive is required for System
""""" 6.0.1. You can run a very minimal system without one, but only if
you don't mind doing some serious floppy shuffling and you can live with
the associated speed penalty. Since Spectrum 2.1 requires System 6.0.1, a
hard drive is pretty much required. How big? Well, even a small one (20-40
MB) will help.
Theoretically, I think you can run System 6.0.1 with as little as 1.25 MB
RAM. Realistically, you want at least 2 MB. With 4 MB you will be happy.
Anything more than that is icing on the cake.
If you are used to the speed of your IIGS without an accelerator (yikes!)
then you can probably live without one for Spectrum/SIS. It will be slow.
- Tony
(A2.TONY, CAT16, TOP15, MSG:175/M645;1)
GODZILLA REVIEWS KFEST Even if you attended KFest you can't be everywhere
"""""""""""""""""""""" all the time. Ergo, I also enjoyed the summary:)
There is another "plus" when subscribing to our periodicals - at least for
me. I just don't have time to explore everything I'd like to as deeply as
I'd like to. Our outstanding publications help to keep me aware of what is
happening and sometimes reminds me to "follow up" on things that have
somehow been put on the "back burner".
Time is a universal problem nowadays and I'm elated when I see quality
replacing quantity! I think we are quite fortunate that our publications
are worthy of the USDA 100% "Fat-Free" label:)
A special thanks to all our superb publishers/editors!
"Godzilla"
(MAC.BB, CAT13, TOP43, MSG:111/M645;1)
MORE PI!4 WITH HUGH I'll check again on the status of what I had thought
""""""""""""""""""" was the pending PublishIt!4 important announcement.
Several months have passed without any announcement.
If the 'deal' has fallen through, I'll go ahead and 'package' my patches
and work-arounds to the library here.
I've even made a few more mods to the Laserprep file that really help. I
also think we can come up with a patch so that we can print PI postscript
documents from PI through the parallel card, which will help with all those
new PostScript laser printers that lack a serial port.
AppleWorks 5.1 also helps in processing the PI postscript files. More
later.
Hugh...
(H.HOOD, CAT8, TOP18, MSG:171/M645;1)
<<<<< Apparently the possibility still exists (vague enough?<g>) that
""""" there will be an important PI!4 announcement. I'll hold off a while
longer with my hacks, I suppose.
Margot, if you are still around, please accept my thanks for all your
PostScript font uploads.
I never really looked into them before because, since they were from the
Mac's forked file format, they required the IIGS-specific Laserbeam in
order to be sent to the printer from the Apple II. Merely separating the
parts with the 8-bit A2FX or HFSLink did not yield an ASCII text file with
a usable hex image font description.
But, I recently bought a fairly complete set of GS+ mags and disks from a
guy leaving the GS world [poor soul], and found Laserbeam plus the docs.
I noticed that by turning on Laserbeam's 'Debug' mode, you could save the
results of a Mac format PostScript font download in ASCII text format. A
font file in this format can be sent even by a IIe (or IIGS) via
AppleWorks, ProTerm, or directly by PublishIt! by adding it to the
Laserprep file.
If you decide to upload any more fonts, you might consider adding the ASCII
text file version of the font so that folks without Laserbeam can also use
the fonts, as-is.
Thanks again. I've hacked together an internal PostScript font substitution
scheme for PI, but it needs a little more polishing before I release it.
Also, as you have posted, it seems that Pointless does a good job of
turning an equivalent TrueType font into a bitfont font for PI!4's screen
display. If my substitution scheme works out, this will be an important
part of how we can use just about any PostScript font we want (with certain
size limitations) within PI!4.
Hugh...
(H.HOOD, CAT8, TOP18, MSG:173/M645;1)
WHITHER TIMEOUT STATISTICS I'm currently taking a Statistics course at a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" local college, and am wondering:
Is there available a shareware or freeware statistics package for AW5.1?
Or is there a commercial one? If so, where should I look for it? I seem
to remember reading somewhere about one, but it's been a while, and I don't
remember where or what :)
Thanks.
_________
| homas
(T.COMPTER, CAT2, TOP4, MSG:197/645;1)
>>>>> There is a commercial package called Timeout Statistics which is
""""" (was) produced by Office Productivity Software (Doug Gum). Diz was
selling it; not sure how you'd get it now.
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT2, TOP4, MSG:198/M645;1)
>>> HOT TOPICS <<<
""""""""""""""""""
THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT The September issue of GenieLamp A2 is ready to
""""""""""""""""""""""""" go, pending a really stupid error on my part
and a couple of permissions. Ought to be uploaded by Monday morning.
A pre-announcement announcement: this info will be included in the
September 'Lamp, but is released here first for Genie subscribers:
It is no secret that I have discussed ending the run of GenieLamp A2 here
and moving the show to Delphi. The time has come to make such a move.
The October 1997 GenieLamp A2 will be the last. How much longer I will
remain on Genie following that is unknown.ame can be said about the
management here.
I certainly hope to see you all on Delphi.
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT1, TOP31, MSG:319/M645;1)
READING MSDOS FLOPPIES ON A IIGS--HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE There are four
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ways in hardware
to do MFM style floppies on a II:
1) PC Transporter floppy drives.
2) Bluedisk.
3) SuperDrive (or equivalent) with SuperDrive controller.
4) Floptical.
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT19, TOP4, MSG:271/M645;1)
>>>>> Just before Kfest, Peter Watson sent me MUG! in order to demo the
""""" program during my session. But, the very first time I ran it, I
discovered a horrible bug that brought my IIGS to a crashing halt.
Peter fixed that bug in a matter of minutes, but I suggested to him that we
have an extended beta test so that any other bugs could be squashed before
release.
Since I participated in both the LemminGS and SIS beta tests earlier this
year, I recommended to Peter a couple of hot-shot beta testers that had
been on one or both of those other beta teams, and after they beat up on
MUG! for more than a month and found no more problems, it was finally
declared "final".
I do have that final version, but I don't yet have Peter's updated
documentation. As soon as I do, I'll upload MUG!
MUG! has the exact same hardware requirements as the MS-DOS FST. If you can
read the PC disk from the IIGS Finder with the MS-DOS FST, then you can
write to the PC disk using MUG!
Not to beat a dead horse or anything like that, but "They said it couldn't
be done on a IIGS..." ;-)
Joe
(JOE.KOHN, CAT19, TOP4, MSG:274/M645;1)
MARINETTI SLIP-PROOF SET UP I have a question on getting my connect
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" script working for my ISP.
>pm-1.24 login> gjb.slip
>Password:
These two were no problem (and neither was getting rid of the service
question for SLIP...it's taken care of in my login.)
>SL/IP session from (206.146.145.253) to 206.146.145.17 beginning....
Now, for the part that waits for 'Your address is' what should I have in my
script...the 206.146.145.253 is usually the IP I'm connected to, and the
other IP number is actually my IP address.
I guess I'm a little unclear as to whether Marinetti is waiting to get the
number from the address that comes up, or if it's just a convenient wait to
get the IP address.
It seems like Marinetti connects, but when I try to Telnet, I don't get any
response in the Telnet program. I have tried using the IP address to both
my ISP's shell and to my local freenet (IP numbers retrieved courtesy of
Mac TCP Watcher).
Greg B.
(G.BUCHNER1, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:54/M645;1)
>>>>> Assuming that the '206.146.145.17' is the address allocated for
""""" your computer, the script should look like this:
wait 600 ') to '
getip 300
The Idea is that the 'wait' should take you to the point where the next
thing to arrive is a dotted IP address. 'getip' gets an IP address and
expects the address that has been allocated to your computer, not the
address of the ISP you are using. The '300' is just a wait time...
Ewen (Speccie)
Delivered by: CoPilot v2.5.5 and Spectrum 2.1
(E.WANNOP, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:55/M645;1)
>>>>> Greg,
"""""
> SL/IP session from (206.146.145.253) to 206.146.145.17 beginning....
That's exactly what my logon message looks like. My script looks just like
what Ewen suggested:
> wait 600 ') to '
> getip 300
> end
- Tony
(A2.TONY, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:56/M645;1)
>>> WHAT'S NEW <<<
""""""""""""""""""
ANOTHER SERVING OF JUICED Announcing ...
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
===== Juiced.GS, Volume 2, Issue 3 =====
The Summer 1997 edition of Juiced.GS, the Apple II world's premier
IIGS-specific magazine, is now arriving in subscriber mail boxes in the
U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other points around the world.
This issue is being mailed to 295 paid subscribers in 43 states and 10
foreign countries.
Here's what you'll find in this issue:
============
FEATURES
Cover Story: Complete coverage of Kfest '97, the event that produced the
unveiling of Marinetti, the TCP/IP stack for the IIGS. Juiced.GS was on
hand for the festival and presents all the day-by-day coverage, plus
photographs of many of the famous Apple II personalities who attended.
Review: An in-depth look at Hyper Quarterly, the new HyperCard GS on-disk
publication produced by Apple Blossom Publishing.
Snap Shot: The Life and Times of AppleWorks GS, a thorough and compelling
history of perhaps the most famous IIGS-specific program ever made.
Reported and written by Gareth Jones.
COLUMNS
My Home Page: Home from Kfest ... Juiced.GS editor and publisher Max Jones
shares memories of his trek to Kansas City, Missouri, and gives a status
report on how his traveling companion handled the trip.
II Be Named Later: Our columnist, Ryan Suenaga, beckons Apple II users
everywhere to answer the call and come online
DEPARTMENTS
Shareware Spotlight: SlixSecurity, shareware from Bret Victor, is the
featured program in the spotlight this issue.
DumplinGS: Delphi opens its forums, including the Apple II forums, to free
Web access. But if the Web's not your bag, Crock O' Gold makes life on
Delphi a whole lot easier for Spectrum users.
Letters from the Land of Rom ... Juiced.GS readers ask questions, get
answers, and tell us what's on their minds.
============
Juiced.GS is a quarterly, printed publication available by subscription
only.
A subscription for 1997 is $14 in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, $20
elsewhere. To subscribe, send a check or money order U.S. funds to:
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
2217 Lakeview Drive
Sullivan, IN 47882
Makes checks or money orders payable to Max Jones. Sorry, no credit cards
or purchase orders can be accepted.
A complete set of 1996 issues is also available for $14. If you would like
to purchase only a specific single copy (or copies) of 1996 issues, they
are available for $4 each. An index and brief description of articles
published in 1996 are available on the Juiced.GS web site. See URL below.
Apple II Forever!
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
Genie: M.JONES145 -- Delphi: JuicedGS
Internet: m.jones145@genie.com -or- juicedgs@delphi.com
World Wide Web: http://users.ids.net/~kerwood/juiced.gs
(M.JONES145, CAT13, TOP43, MSG:92/M645;1)
>>> THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ZIP CHIP STILL AVAILABLE Does anyone know if the "Zip Chip" for the //e
"""""""""""""""""""""""" is still being sold? And by who? And for how
much?
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
Honeybee
(J.SHAVER, CAT4, TOP31, MSG:269/M645;1)
>>>>> Alltech should still have these, but I don't know how much they're
""""" selling for.
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT4, TOP31, MSG:270/M645;1)
BUT NOT ZIP GSX? As per Tony Diaz, Alltech has either one or no ZipGSX
"""""""""""""""" accelerators left. EGO Systems is no longer in the
Apple II business, and I know of no one else who's been selling Zips as of
late. MCTA, ne'e Zip Technology, has apparently run out of a custom part
needed for continued manufacturing of the Zip GSX, and the investment to
get the part made again is substantial.
So, it appears there will be no more new accelerators for the Apple IIgs
available. Hold onto those you have tight.
Ryan
(A2LAMP, CAT16, TOP15, MSG:178/M645;1)
THIS MONTH'S BLATANT TEASER Talk about teasers... ;-)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Watch this space for an impending announcement about how _you_ can qualify
to win a brand new, fully populated 8 Megabyte Sirius II RAM card for the
IIGS!
Joe
(JOE.KOHN, CAT19, TOP4, MSG:287/M645;1)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Category 2, Topic 3
Message 121 Fri Sep 26, 1997
MAC.LIB.RON [Cap'n Ron] at 22:06 EDT
To everything there is a season.....
A time to go Online, and a time to leave. Well, not quite, but close
enough. I shall be leaving Genie effective Oct 1st. I am basically moving
myself over to Delphi, and will be working and playing in the POWER forum
over there.
But I started my online experience here, in A2. And here is where I say
goodbye. It's been a trip, I've learned so much and met and talked with so
many wonderful people. I've downloaded what must be thousands of files,
some of which were actually useful to me, and many that were not, but hey,
it's fun to download, y'know?
And I got asked one day to become a Staff member, and boy was I proud. I
did the best I could in the RTC's, and had a really good time. I wish more
of you had dropped by, but it makes no difference, really. That fact that
you were _here_ was, and is, important.
The Apple II was the first real computer I ever owned, and I wouldn't ever
have another, unless it was an Apple computer. I own two Apple II's, and a
Mac, and probably soon will be getting another Mac. I've been to Kfest, at
least twice, and I remember most of both times. I've met Apple II Lovers
from all over the world, and of all ages. These last few years have been an
absolute gas!
But, now it's time to move on, to weigh the anchor of the Good Ship Apple
II, and head for a different port, one which is getting busier and busier
every day. I want to wish all of you the very best. With people like you,
the Apple II WILL live forever! The Dream never dies, folks.
Bless you all.
Cap'n Ron
[*][*][*]
While on Genie, do you spend most of your time downloading files?
If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin
Board area. The messages listed above only scratch the surface of
what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area.
If you are serious about your Apple II, the GenieLamp staff strongly
urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally
thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the
world.
[EOA]
[RFR]//////////////////////////////
REFRACTIONS /
/////////////////////////////////
The Future of Online Support for the Apple II
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
[A2LAMP]
>>> FACING FUTURE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""
In this final issue of _GenieLamp A2_, my responsibility as editor is
to point to the future as well as celebrate the past. While Genie (and
GEnie before it) has traditionally been the center of the online Apple II
universe, both the change and, intriguingly, the lack of change that has
been seen on the online service make it questionable at best to continue
there into the future. So where do we go from here?
Many of the Genie faithful cling steadfastly to the venerable online
service, just as the Apple II faithful cling to our Apple IIs. Genieites
do this despite the rapid loss of members, the slowdown of activity in the
Genie A2 Bulletin Board, Library, and Real Time Conference, and the harsh
reality that it is the most expensive online service in the world. Aside
from a brief fling with the aptly named Genie Lite, Genie management has
not shown any interest in offering varied pricing for their users, and
access by telnet or the World Wide Web has been promised, but not
delivered. To their credit, Genie members are comfortable where they are,
with what they have, and they mean to keep it. The general setup of Genie
has remained unchanged for years, and while the new owners have indicated a
facelift is coming, it is not here yet. Genie's general appearance may
inspire several different thoughts, from utilitarian to retro to timeless
to classic to aged to dated, but it allows the classic computist--for
instance, the Apple II user--access without compromise.
Conversely, Delphi, where the same people who brought you the A2 and
A2Pro RoundTables on Genie are now also bringing you the A2 and A2Pro
Forums, is the new kid on the block. Delphi has a wide variety of pricing
plans, and more means of access than Genie did. Those who already have
World Wide Web or telnet access can access Delphi for less than $40 a year.
Even for free, if they have the proper browsers that support certain
features. The owners of the venerable, although relatively tiny online
service have shown they are progressive and looking to the future of online
telecommunications in implementing such varied pricing and access plans,
while keeping an eye to the future by ensuring that all of the text context
remains in place. This is where Delphi differs considerably from America
Online or Compuserve, for instance, who have progressed with the times with
new features and a graphical interface, but have left their classic
computing customers in the virtual dust.
Apple II users are survivors, particularly in the late 1990s, when the
siren call of cloned computers is strong and prices are the lowest they
have ever been. I have no doubt that as long as Genie itself exists, there
will be Apple II users who will steadfastly remain there, feeling no need
to go elsewhere. But in the hands of new ownership, I also believe that
Genie will step forward without keeping an eye to its past, just as America
Online and Compuserve have done. Delphi has gone out of its way to offer a
variety of pricing plans, access methods, and to make the same material
available to the newest and oldest of computers. Many of the Apple II
faithful have found a new home there, and I fully believe that it is the
online service of choice for those who still use the Apple II. The future
is now.
Keep the faith. The candle burns on Delphi.
[EOA]
[OFR]//////////////////////////////
ONE FOR THE ROAD /
/////////////////////////////////
by Douglas Cuff
[D.CUFF]
>>> LAST CALL <<<
"""""""""""""""""
This is the last issue of GenieLamp. You'll have to forgive me if I
remain dry-eyed. The fact is, GenieLamp has been dead--to the same extent
that the Apple II has been "dead"--for over a year now.
Genie's new management formally abandoned GenieLamp in July 1996 when
its home, the DigiPub RoundTable, was closed forever. The man who began it
all, GenieLamp publisher John Peters, closed his Genie account in April
1997.
You may not have noticed either of these milesstones. That's because
we--first me and then the final editor, Ryan--kept GenieLamp A2 arriving,
month after month. We've been "all alone" out there for awhile now. We
didn't much care that we didn't have a home. We didn't let the fact that
we didn't have a staff stop us. We kept bringing out the magazine every
month.
All the other editions stopped in June 1996, but not GenieLamp A2. It
kept going, to the last man standing. We Apple II folk have had a lot of
experience at this sort of thing. We know how to keep going while the
fickle majority withdraw--editor Ryan Suenaga particularly so.
The fact is, for almost a year, Ryan has been producing GenieLamp A2
all by himself, and Ryan isn't finished, not by a long way. He's simply
moving to Delphi, and taking his one-man online magazine with him to
Delphi. It'll have a different name there, and perhaps Ryan can scare up
some semi-regular staff there. I'm hopeful that he will--people like to be
in on a fresh start.
That's why I'm not shedding any tears. This final issue of GenieLamp
A2 may turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to it.
It's getting a rebirth over on Delphi. We all hope to see you over there.
//////////////////////////////////////// Genie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ " Reading the KFest summary made it seem just like I was /
/ there. /
/ /
/ Wait a minute. I was there." /
///////////////////////////////////////////// A2LAMP /////////
[EOA]
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
/////////////////////////////////
GenieLamp Information
"""""""""""""""""""""
o COMMENTS: Contacting GenieLamp
o GenieLamp STAFF: Who Are We?
GenieLamp Information GenieLamp A2 is published on the first of every
""""""""""""""""""""" month in library 55 of Genie's A2 RoundTable (page
45;3). GenieLamp is also distributed on CrossNet and commercial BBS
systems worldwide.
o To reach GenieLamp on Internet send mail to genielamp@genie.com or to
reach GenieLamp _A2_, send mail to a2lamp@genie.com
o Back issues of GenieLamp A2 are available in the A2 RoundTable
Library #55 on page 645 (m645;3).
o We welcome and respond to all E-mail. To leave comments, suggestions
or just to say hi, you can contact me in the A2 RoundTable (Category
3, Topic 3) or send GenieMail to Ryan Suenaga at [A2LAMP] on page 200.
>>> GENIELAMP STAFF <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""
GenieLamp o John Peters [GENIELAMP] Publisher
""""""""" o Mike White [MWHITE] Managing Editor
APPLE II o Ryan M. Suenaga [A2LAMP] Editor
"""""""" o Doug Cuff [D.CUFF] Editor Emeritus
o Peter C. Brickell [P.BRICKELL] A2 Staff Writer
o Max Jones [M.JONES145] A2 Staff Writer
A2Pro o Tim Buchheim [A2PRO.GELAMP] Editor
"""""
ATARI o Sheldon H. Winick [GELAMP.ST] Editor
"""""
IBM o Sharon Molnar [SHARON.LAMP] Editor
"""
MACINTOSH o Richard Vega [GELAMP.MAC] Editor
"""""""""
POWER PC o Ben Soulon [BEN.GELAMP] Editor
""""""""
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do
not necessarily represent the opinions of Genie Online Services,
Yovelle Renaissance Corp., GenieLamp Online Magazines, or T/TalkNet
Online Publishing. Bulletin board messages are reprinted verbatim and
are included in this publication with permission from Genie Online
Services and the source RoundTable. Genie Online Services, GenieLamp
Online Magazines, and T/TalkNet Publishing do not guarantee the
accuracy or suitability of any information included herein. We reserve
the right to edit all letters and copy.
Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the fol-
lowing terms only. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted,
to registered computer user groups and not for profit publications.
All articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and
author at the top of each article reprinted. Please include the fol-
lowing at the end of all reprints:
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////////////////
The preceding article is reprinted courtesy of GenieLamp Online
Magazine. (c) Copyright 1996 T/TalkNET Publishing and Genie Online
Services. To join Genie, set your modem to half duplex (local echo).
Have your modem dial 1-800-638-8369 in the United States or
1-800-387-8330 in Canada. When you get a CONNECT message, wait for
the U#= prompt, type: JOINGENIE and hit the RETURN key. Genie will
then prompt you for your signup information. If the signup server
is unavailable, call (voice) 1-800-638-9636 for more information.
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
[EOF]
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