Enlight'97 :( (Amishniks got it...)

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╓─
║ Area : Netmail.My (Forwarded by Michael Markowsky using timEd 1.10)
║ From : Andrew Savichev (2:5020/400)
║ To : Michael Markowsky (2:5020/378)
║ Date : Sat Aug 23, 18:52
╙─

To: fido7-zx...@fido7.ru
From: "Andrew Savichev" <mas...@satan.spb.su>

Hi, All!
With “hot” news from St. Petersburg...I went to subj for the first time...Lots of
impressions. It was a sunny day here, I would say hot.
The mood of the people at the entrance was upbeat and joyful. The majority
of guys were from 16 to 22 the appearance, hairstyles and styles are very different. The girls flash here and there and almost all of them immediately took the best seats in the hall... how right they were :-) The hall is large, with 500-600 “chairs” (the “chairs” are hard, the walls
shabby (repairs will apparently be completed by the beginning of the school year), the acoustics of the hall are so-so, but the equipment seemed to be okay. What it sucked because they were ordinary 15
inch monitors (they would have needed at least 19 inches for an international
festival), but thanks to the organizers, the festival still took place, although as Pyotr Sobolev noted, at the last moment some of the “sponsors” refused the previously offered help (among those who remained"Spline", "Deltacode" and someone
third, "Voenmekh" the former, did not seem to take anything from the festival), but I
was distracted. At the time of the grand opening, about
four hundred people had gathered in the hall. When they invited the participants of the competition to "turn in floppy disks"
about two hundred came up. Among the total crowd, the "Amiga team" stood out:
all as one in white T-shirts, "Amiga" on the chest, "Intel outside" on the back.
I counted about twenty of those wearing T-shirts. Maybe there was someone else from this clan
because there were about a hundred and fifty other participants.
The delivery of the software stretched from half past twelve to three o'clock. Then suddenly
the lights were turned off and I left a little stunned by what I saw and heard.
But about everyone in order. When the delivery of the software began, on all monitors
across the hall (seven in number) the Spectrum 128 screensaver simultaneously flashed, which
was greeted with approving cries of dozens of voices “rulez foreva” and
approving exclamations of other Spectrumists.
Apparently, there were about two hundred and fifty-three hundred out of four hundred.
Next they released the best demos of 1996, and since I saw and heard them for the first time,
I was simply blown away (I liked X-TRADE and SEAMANS more than the others).
Mouzon was especially cool, but GFX was also amazing. There was also RUSHand
CODEBUSTERS.
Then the general director "Peters" took the floor. He spoke and introduced Sprinter.
On the screen there was a cloudy sky (not similar to Mastday's, but it is associated -
this is a mistake N1) and the inscription Sprinter'97 (again association: are they kidding me?
There is no way to draw a starry sky or the sun setting in the sea (although that was already all there (the St. Petersburg shooter would have been busy with the Gulf of Finland) - in a word, they were looking for a bad screensaver: (and “ours” didn’t work out).
By that time, everyone had been given information sheets with Sprinter
technical characteristics. Sweet-voiced speeches about the Sprinter were illustrated
with a demonstration of graphic capabilities. Particularly impressive was the spinning
tank (I don’t know from which game), at first it rotated reluctantly, then (when transitioning into the turbo process and turbo video) it spun like a top. But the approving roar of the crowd accompanied the interceptor that appeared in the picture, either Mig or Phantom
you’ll forgive my dullness. In general, the graphics really make an impression with their resolution, color and speed. Everything “bitter pills”
were saved for last. At first, for reasons beyond the company’s control, the cool capabilities of the sound were not
demonstrated, but I really wanted to listen :(
Then it turned out that the existing operating system was “far from perfect.”
They were utteredwords that it is possible to work in both TR-DOS and IS-DOS, but Mr. General Director assured the public that the operating system can be easily reinstalled from the distribution flop (we must assume that Sprinter has software flash).
Yes, there were also assurances that users, if desired, can easily emulate
any Spectrum-line computer (it’s just not clear automatically in style
"express installation" or handles in the style of "discriminating user" ;-) )
Personally, I liked the screen scrolling and the ability to "slide" the screen across the "virtual screen" in the "Next" and "Atari" style. By the way, the sound is promised,
but not shown, 8-voice 16-bit. The start of sales with a demonstration is promised
in October of this year, it is also promised to send a set of boards to other cities
(prepayment? not clear). And finally, the last, most burning question.
Here it is... it’s a grenade! the cost of the finished board is 14MHz z84c15 4Mb RAM and everything
(except the case, screw, flops, (keyboards and mice?)) 690 sput. Personally, I was hoping for half a lemon. Alas! However, quite a few people, as Mr. general director)
expressed bewilderment to him about such a low price. “And a normal price is a guarantee of the stability of the company and the further development of the company.” Well, if he talked with people and their children who can easily afford stump-166, then
then the price is certainly very, very reasonable.
But let’s return to the further course of the “festival”. Unexpectedly, the monitor on the left, which I was looking at, burned out :(, before that it kept disconnecting from time to time for something. After that, next to it with their monitor, I noticed representatives of “Scorpio” who were doing their job without loud speeches, advising people
and distributing diagrams and assembly instructions for free. They put on nondescript demos
PETSE. Occasionally, a mastday that skipped by was accompanied by whistling and shouts
of course, “Mastday!” Why then call them to Inlight, if you put them in conditions where they “cannot
unfurl in all their glory” - it’s unclear. Then they turned on Extrem’s demos
for
Amiga. Here I don’t have them. words to express what a thrill it is! But one thing I didn’t understand: fresh or last year. Well, okay, others will explain it to you. At first I thought: “this is a computer!” But then they let in something like that for so long that people went to the buffet, to smoke, or wherever, and I sat and thought, “Oh my God, when did all this happen?” will end"
and
when the music fell silent and the monitors went off, maybe someone gnawed the wires :) so as not to hear or see this burdensome thing? ;-), those remaining in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.
And I thought “if God didn’t reward people with talent, then let them write for
Irisha, which has long been dead anyway...”
And since as a result of “playing onnerves" I had a terribly headache,
then I had to retreat from Inlight :-(...thank you people in white
T-shirts, thanks to you I didn’t see anything new...
Wait for news from the most persistent.... and if you filter next time
demos, then first of all the Amish ones, and it’s better to let them in with the special forces another
day, mutual joy is very weak, and if any of the Spectrumists wants
thrilling and very dubious sensations, let them come the next day.

Good luck to everyone m@s