Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!grahamt From: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham Thomas) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Life with Atari Message-ID: <1456@syma.sussex.ac.uk> Date: 25 Oct 89 11:38:43 GMT References: <466bd5b7.14a1f@force.UUCP> Organization: SPRU, Univ. of Sussex, Brighton, UK Lines: 59 From article <466bd5b7.14a1f@force.UUCP>, by covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert): > > Yes, the SLM804 is a CHEAP laser printer. And that is it only marketable > feature. NOTHING has been done by Atari to support the SLM804 in over 18 > months. No new Diablo 630 Emulator, no Epson Emulator, no new GDOS driver, > no new anything. And don't bring up UltraScript because that wasn't written > by Atari. US was written by Imagen, bless them!! > I agree that Atari should have done more to support the SLM804. We still can't get the Diablo emulator to install the 'bold italic' typestyle for the main ATTP10LS font. It's not for want of trying, but maybe it's for want of documentation. There again, maybe not. We installed the WordPerfect printer driver for that font (see below) and configured the Diablo emulator just like the WP docs told us to, and we still can't get bold italics. There is now an Epson emulator available in the UK (marketed by Atari UK who of course sat on it for months then released it with an obsolete First Word Plus printer driver with comments in German!), and it's not bad, though far from perfect. I don't have time to create a proper condensed font for it, for instance, and the default font set doesn't contain one. Still, I'm sure some kind soul in PD-land will put together a good font set soon. > Ah, Word Perfect. Did you know that WP dropped development of the ST version > of WP because of non-existant support from Atari?? Did you know that the > Atari FANASTIC CHEAP SLM804 laser printer in NOT a supported printer by > WP?? that's because of all of the bugs in the SLM804's Diablo Emulator, > which of course hasn't been updated in over 18 months!! So, WP dropped > the SLM804. And it looks like Atari has also!! > Hold on Richard - that's not quite correct. A month ago I might have agreed with most of what you said, but we just received (had to hassle for it, mind) the August 1989 version of WordPerfect ST, and it has TWO drivers for the SLM804/Diablo and one for the SLM804/Epson emulator (called by its original German name, Laserbrain, in the WP printer definition file). The new readme file also states that WP Corp are continuing to work on WP ST, and that users should send in requests for new features. Don't get too excited - I believe there's only one programmer assigned to the ST (his name is James Marshburn, according to Larry Rymal, who writes on this net and probably has more details) and I don't expect to see WordPerfect v5 for the ST. However, WP ST is not dead yet. Apologies if I've been talking about some things that are not available in all places where STs are sold. International software distribution is one of the great mysteries of life. Despite the fact that I've said some rude things about Atari UK recently, I still like using the ST. It's just a shame that it's never really lived up to its potential - development has been just too little, too late. Graham -- Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, U of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK JANET: grahamt@uk.ac.sussex.syma EARN/BITNET: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk ARPA: grahamt%syma.sussex.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk UUCP: grahamt@syma.uucp Phone: +44 273 686758