LETTERS


End of the road?

Sadly the days when most peripherals could be connected to our machines and used together with drivers supplied with applications seems to be coming to an end. We already accept the need for HDDriver and ExtenDOS Pro to access the latest hard drives and CD-ROMs and we can see the same pattern emerging with ScanX software required to access scanners. The advent of Windows only printers, supplied without manuals detailing the control codes couldn't have been envisaged when our machines were designed and is obviously proving a formidable obstacle. Companies like PARX in France have signposted one way forward. They have developed driver software and a modified cable to connect the CASIO digital cameras to a Falcon which they offer as a complete solution. To say that I have been impressed by your attention, courtesy and service would be an understatement - your phone call to me in Australia was a delightful surprise!

As an Atari user from "day one" with my treasured 800, followed by various ST/STe machines and now two Falcons, one of which is a Mark X, I have supported Atari more than most and I am saddened by the slow demise of this remarkable computer. This has not been assisted by the declining service standards from the firms we depend on. I've experienced lack of interest, poor response times and lack of knowledgeable assistance all of which don't encourage me to continue to support the Atari platform.

For example I cannot obtain any satisfactory response as to why the quality of colour picture printing from Papyrus is so poor - it is dull, dark and lifeless - quite unacceptable.

NVDI seemed to offer a solution but I have spent countless hours over many months trying to get it to print at an acceptable speed, for while its colour prints are superior to Papyrus (but still far short of the magnificent Imagecopy) it is so slow as to be unusable. Surely I'm not the only one to complain about its incredibly slow printing speed?

Now I've bought an Epson GT9000 scanner my experiences trying to set this up would fill a book!

It seems I have reached the stage where no matter how much expense I am prepared to commit there simply isn't a solution and the urge to change platforms is growing.

In the meantime Atari Computing plays an essential role of my Atari existence, it's my only lifeline to what's happening in the world of Atari computing, and I write this letter as a big thank you for the remarkable dedication you have shown getting this far.

Rod Jenkins, Kedron, Australia

Thanks for the praise Rod, it's much appreciated. We've heard colour output from most Windows and Mac applications are not in the same league as Imagecopy which makes it a tough act to follow on any platform! We'll have to wait and see how NVDI 5 performs.


[Imagecopy screenshot]


Sadly the days when most peripherals could be connected to our machines and used together with drivers supplied with applications seems to be coming to an end. We already accept the need for HDDriver and ExtenDOS Pro to access the latest hard drives and CD-ROMs and we can see the same pattern emerging with ScanX software required to access scanners. The advent of Windows only printers, supplied without manuals detailing the control codes couldn't have been envisaged when our machines were designed and is obviously proving a formidable obstacle. Companies like PARX in France have signposted one way forward. They have developed driver software and a modified cable to connect the CASIO digital cameras to a Falcon which they offer as a complete solution.

Horses for courses

Congratulations on the magazine so far. I have just renewed my subscription and have only one complaint. I find the Edith Pro word-processor without doubt the most user unfriendly program I have ever used!

I've been an Atari enthusiast for nearly twelve years starting off with an 800XL and I currently have an STe. I have tried everything I can think of to get this program to output to a Lexmark 1020 inkjet using the Hewlett Packard driver but Edith crashes - even outputting to disk. Would it be possible to print a short set of instructions in a future edition so that subscribers could get the best out of this program.

C.Ayres, London

Your letter follows on the theme started in the previous letter! Isn't the Lexmark inkjet one of those Windows only printers I was talking about? It seems likely to me this is more likely to be the source of your problems rather than any general problem Edith Pro has with inkjets... Our Edith Pro offer has been very popular and the excellent printed manual explains Edith is a text editor rather than a word processor - it only sends ASCII text to the printer. Why not save the text normally and try printing using IdeaList which offers near total control over printers and offers a choice of fonts and layout for your text? Let us know how you get on...


[IdeaList screenshot]


TUS Praise

I'm writing to extol the virtues of The Upgrade Shop. Last week my MiniS hard drive suffered the culmination of a series of crashes/corruptions - I'd spent a week or more re-partitioning it every time I booted up until finally even the formatting software gave up and refused to recognise the drive existed.

I gave up hope of using the machine for some time then remembered I planned to visit friends near TUS. I took my machine and drive to them and the problem was diagnosed as DMA chip problem - despite having used a hard drive with it for several years!

While it was being repaired I decided to have the serial port upgraded and an internal IDE drive fitted. Because I'd travelled up from Cornwall and had to return the next day Dave made an exception and worked his day off! I arrived to collect my machine and watched as he fitted and tested the last components.

This was fantastic service well beyond the call of duty and it's great to find an Atari specialist providing such an excellent service. I hope, if you print this letter, TUS will get the credit they deserve and my conscience for disturbing Dave's weekend will be eased!

John Cloke, Bodmin


[] Please send letters and editorial contributions on disk to:
Atari Computing
65 Mill Road
Colchester
Essex
CO4 5LJ
England
Or by email to: editor@ataricomputing.com
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