New Upgrade Policy from CSS
    Bob Puff of Computer Software Services (see the CSS ad elsewhere in this issue) recently announced a general policy regarding upgrades of their software products and firmware ROMs. They will upgrade any software/firmware to the latest revision if you return your original disk or ROM along with a $5 payment. Since removal of a ROM will render your hardware inactive, contact CSS first to make arrangements if your needs are so critical you can't do without the ROM for awhile. We also recommend you contact CSS prior to sending away for upgrades to determine if you already have the latest upgade, or even whether you really need it. Especially in the case of firmware ROMs, most upgrades lately just fix obscure bugs that only pertain to unusual applications or environments. In general, if you're already using a CSS firmware product (Black Box, Floppy Board, EPROM Burner, XF551 Upgrade, etc.) and haven't experienced any problems, then you probably don't need an upgrade.

GEnie Lowers Rates
    Good news for daytime GEnie users, GEnie recently lowered its PrimeTime hourly rate from $18 to $12.50/hour. (Seems to us the arithmetic would have been simpler if they could have made it an even $12.00.) We aren't sure whether this has anything to do with the recent rate reductions announced on CompuServe (see the April '93 AC, p. 30), but it sure is a step in the right direction! Now, if only we could get some really motivated Classic Atari enthusiasts to take charge of the Atari8 RoundTable over on GEnie *sigh*. Hello Darlah, are you listening?

AC Editor Takes Charge At Delphi
    We are pleased to announce that AC's recently acquired Exchange Editor, James King, has also signed on with Delphi as their Atari 8-Bit Manager. This places Jim in an ideal position to maintain contact with the Atari 8-bit usergroup community in his capacity as AC's usergroup liaison officer. Jim is gradually working his way through the usergroup list published on our June Software Disk and will presently let us know how many groups still exist and still support Classic Atari SIG's. It's also interesting to mention that Jini's boss over on Delphi is Clayton Walnum, formerly of Analog Computing. Who knows, maybe Jim will woo Clay away from his ST, back to the trusty 8-bit?
    The addition of Jim to the Delphi staff now gives AC a representative voice on two of the three major North American commercial networks (AC Staff members Bob Puff and Don LeBow are already well-known sysops in the Atari 8-Bit Forum on CompuServe). Now, if only ACcould get a foothold on GEnie....

Another Vendor Bites The Dust
    On page 232 of their "Addendum To Catalog No. 36", DynaComp Software, has announced a clearance of all its 8-bit software: Atari, TRS-80, and Commodore. What's that, you never heard of DynaComp? Not surprising. This is another one of those companies that hasn't advertised since 1985 and can't figure out why their 8-bit sales rolled off the table. A major software source in the early '80s, this company lost interest in the Atari market some years ago. They seem unaware of the trends in our market, have failed to upgrade their software to accomodate improvements in later hardware, and have failed to revise their price structures in accordance with market trends. In short, a classic case of "Roll Over And Die". They're going over now to the "easy" market: IBM. Grrrrrrrrr!!!
    They're offering 8-bitters a software "grab-bag" deal: ten titles for $19.95. Sorry, you don't get to pick which ten titles you want, they do it for you. (Weird way to sell software.) Their Addendum states all Atari software comes on 5.25" disks in DOS 3.3 format (whatever the heck that is; surely it doesn't mean MS-DOS 3.3?). It's a long list of titles, here goes:

Player Piano Math Whiz Quiz Matt The Cat Math I Chancellor of the Exchequer Ohm's Law Mount St. Helen's Frog Master Stockaid Small Business System Family Budget Budget Model Analyzer Mail Master Disk Inventory System Bowler's Database Phone Directory Smart Keyboard Screen Master Turnkey & Menu P-M Player Editor Flip Sketch Crystals Starship Landing Party Go Fish Forest Fire Midway Gomoko II Casino Craps Sea War Waterloo 1815 Battlefield Yacht Race Typout Crazy Chase Space Trap Final Assembly Diggerbonk Locomotion Dragonblast Super Tank Attack Golf Pro Diamond Hunter

Body Basics Botany Fruit Key Matt The Cat Phonics Fun 'n' Games Typing I Solar SyIstem Geometry Review NY Index Shopping List Loan Arranger Hiscore Database Golfer's Database Data Aid Your First Atari Disk Hearts 2.0 Atari Utilities Intelink Dfile P-M Toolkit Video Titler Valley of the Kings Euchre Baccarat Space Lanes Master Match Computhello Super Sub Chase Leipzig 1813 Shiloh 1862 Threat Force Space Evacuation Alvin Rings of the Empire Moon Probe Cactus Leage Baseball The Bean Machine Hopper Nebs Doodle Drawer Paper Boy Cosmos