Author: Brian Van Tilborg (cr386603-a.brntfd1.on.wave.home.com)
Date: 05-30-2001 00:21
Hi Mill
Just some basics before you get into things.
It is easy to connect an Atari to the internet.
You must decide what you want to do. Since you want to web browse I recommend that you megaste aquire a hard drive if you don't have one. I would also recommend you get two more 1meg simms and bump it up to four meg.
That said, here is a list of software you will need from the public domain scene.
Software:
XcontrolPanel: Yes it came with your mega, so unlike lots of ST users who dig their old machines out of the closet, they may not have this program.
HSMODEM7: This goes in your auto folder and allows for high speed modem access on your megaste.
STING: This is the PPP internet connection and software and dialer.
or
STik 2: This version of stik now allows for PPP internet connections.
All software listed requiring the STIK TCP-IP Stack work with STing and STik 2.
CAB 1.5: THis is a FREEWARE browser that is now quite dated. It requires less memory, and works with all TOS Versions from 1.0 and up.
or
CAB 2.7/2.8 demo
Fully working demo, with hotlist (Bookmarks, favourites) disabled. You can save the hotlist in 1.5 and transfer to the demo version and it will work. 2.7 requires a little more memory, and is much faster with tables, as well as it handles frames.
CABOVERLAY: Cab was originally designed for off line reading of webpages. However the overlay is designed to work with STIK/STing.
There are two versions of the Sting/stik cab over lay. One made by Dan Ackerman, the current developer of Stik 2.The other made by Oliver Booklage.
You can use either.
NEWsie.96: This is a pretty versatile package. It handles, Email, Newsgroups (like comp.sys.atari.st) , FTP for getting files off Ftp sites, and it also has a primitive text based browser. Version .96 works in just over 1meg, and if you don't have a hard drive for your mega, this is your best overall option. Earlier versions of NEWsie, such as .84 which works very well, will work on a 1meg machine.
AIRC: This in an Atari Internet Relay client (Chat) .
FRAC2: Also an Internet Relay Client.
mICQ: A terminal ICQ client.
aICQ: A graphical ICQ client. Works excellent.
There is plenty more Stik/STing clients, but this is just to give you an idea.
All these work in a Single Tos Environment. CAB can launch as many plug ins and clients as you have memory. Such as MPLAYERSTE, an avi movie player and more.
They also work excellent in a Magic or Geneva multitasking environment.
That said, the commercial route has a few more options, I will start with the best.
ICONNECT: This comes with the Commercial version of CAB and has its own PPP stack and its own CAB overlay. It is designed to work with MAGIC, and WILL NOT work in a single tos or geneva environment. It comes with CAB 2.8
IT has its own Clients, such as Fiffi (FTP), ASH EMAILER, (A very slick looking package) and Chatter, and IRC client.
Lots of ram and a harddrive is recommended as well as NVDI for the screen fonts.
All of the links to this software can be found from the Atari Org links section.
Otherwise, I would list them;-).
I hope this helps. I dragged out my 520ST 4 years ago after a 7 year dust gathering environment. It surfs just fine, with graphics off.
Now if you want to get silly, Mario Becroft has a nice colour card for the megaSTe that will greatly enhance web browsing. Otherwise, you will have a very monochrome looking perspective.
Even a megaste will want to surf with graphics off. You can get the graphics if you need them, but downloading a page takes time. Later after getting the page, I load the graphics into gemview, convert them to targa, and view them in photochrome4.
Picture quality rivals the falcon.
Later Brian.
hth
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