🚀 go-pugleaf

	Okay.  This is my second-and-a-half review, sort of.  (Just wait,
it gets better!)  Really, this is a collection of news items and rumors that
I've uncovered, pursued, or just plain made up (just kidding).

	First, I saw a working version of Word Perfect 4.1 for the ST.
It was on a color monitor;  I didn't have a chance to see it run in mono.  All
I've got to say about it is, after having used it on an IBM PC AT, I think
the ST version is S..L..O..W.....!  Also, the GEM interface seems more like
it was added to facilitate their own interface.  I realize that this is so
users familiar with it can use it right off, and so that a use can avoid
having to use the mouse at all, but it really slows down the program.  Plus,
they chose to use some rather unusual colors;  to reflect a time-consuming
operation (I'm assuming that's what it was:  the disk started going and
never stopped until the salesman turned off the computer), they just changed
the screen colors.  Aside from that, I guess, if you're a real die-hard
WP fan, you'll probably like it.  If not, Word Writer ST, from what I hear,
and what I've seen, would be a better buy.  Oh yeah, WP comes with 7 disks.

	Blitter!  ROMs!  According to the salesman at this same store, the
blitter upgrade will be a motherboard swap for 520 owners.  It may be a
routine chip attachment for 1040s, but 520s HAVE to have the motherboard
exchanged.  Who knows?  Maybe this is true.  Also, according to one guy,
it's supposed to be in January;  the other one said February.

	In a magazine I picked up, called ST X-Press, they printed a copy
of Atari's manual for programming the blitter.  According to this, the
blitter is capable of the following:
		Area seed fill
		Rotation using recursive division (huh?)
		Slice and smear magnification
		Text effects (outlining, bold, etc.)
		Text scrolling
		Window updating (no, really?)
I can only swear that this was what I read.  I have no idea if it's true.

	I finally have pc-Ditto running, and it's really nice to see things
like Word Perfect 4.2 running.  It is just amazing what you can do with an
ST, slowing it down to 4.7 Mhz PC speed.  But, really, I am having fun with
it, and will report more on it when I have more to report.

	I saw two more CAD packages in the stores:  FirstCAD from Generic
Software, and Athena II, from I don't remember.  Both are supposed to be
two dimensional CAD programs, and Athena II is supposed to support colors
and all.  FirstCAD, though, is, well, pretty generic in its packaging.  I
don't know any more about these yet, but as I've a friend who may be getting
one soon, I should have something to report in the near future.

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Last known address: dorothy.Berkeley.EDU!c9c-eh  (I think)