SURFING THE WEB WITH STE OR A MEGA 4?

[JPK]

Good morning.

 

I bought my first Atari computer when the 400/800's came out in the US. Since that time I have aquired several different machines. 2600/Jaguar/400/800/520st/1040st/mega 4's.

I just recently moved to a home where I can actually set these machines up for game play. I used to dial into BBS's back in the 80's, infact had one running for several years.

My question is can I surf the web using any of these machines as easily as with my Windows/xp PC? If so what will I need both hard/software wise? If this info is located somewhere just post a link.

I havn't played with the Atari's in years but I'm sure it will come back to me. I would love to be able to surf the web in my all Atari Room.

Any help would be great.

JPK

[krupkaj]

it is possible but not so easy. I am not sure how it will work with only 4 MB. You need some tcp/ip stack - stik, mint-net, magic-net. As browser you can use CAB or HighWire. It works nice, but do not expect things like Java applets.

[JPK]

Good afternoon krupkaj

 

it is possible but not so easy. I am not sure how it will work with only 4 MB. You need some tcp/ip stack - stik, mint-net, magic-net. As browser you can use CAB or HighWire. It works nice, but do not expect things like Java applets.

938869[/snapback]

 

Thanks for the quick reply. It doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles that my PC has. I was just wondering what the possibilites of browsing the web with one of the ataris.

JPK

[Paolo]

I can tell you this:

I was browsing with CAB waaaaay earlier than IExplorer.

At that time, using Windoze for connectiong was a huge mess: you had to correctly set the 'Trumpet' TCP/IP socket for windows, using a third party dialer, and then hoping that everything was set up and working. It usually was dome by a technician from the ISP.

With CAB, I just had to launch the setup, copy the right OVL depending on what stack was I using (I first had STiK, then my provider dropped the SLIP protocol, and I had to go PPP and used ASH/CAB own dilaer) and I was ready.

 

Mind you, I did this first with a 1024 STFm, and later with my MEGA4 STE.

 

It was a superfast browser, fully compliant with the standards at that time (HTML 3.x and partial 4.x + frames and other stuff)

It miss JAVA, Javascript, PNG images and FLASH.

It is still fully usable.

It also have some unique features that you CANNOT FIND in the current browsers' lineup:

Integrated OFFLINE browsing ability (first download, then browse)

Integrated STEGANOGRAPHY

OLGA support (try editing a page in Notepad and view the changes in IE...)

NO VIRUS PROBLEMS

and other.

 

So, if you know that your browsing needs don't include flashy stuff or javascript-driven contents, you will not regret using CAB, that mind you, is a 10 YEARS OLD program (more than 10 actually).

 

Also consider that highwire is on its way, and I can't wait...

[jens]

Also consider that highwire is on its way, and I can't wait...

939780[/snapback]

Highwire is on a very good way. It's no problem to use a lot of atari forums with it.

Four megs of ram are not comforting but sufficient.

 

Additional software you need:

Speedo Gdos or Nvdi >=3

Sting or Stik as TSP/IP stack

Under plain TOS Wdialog

I'd recommend MagiC as it is a very fast multitasking system

 

Additional hardware you should have:

A harddisk (cache on a floppy? - lol)

A modem or better an ethernet adopter as the ethernec (romport) or ethernea (acsi port)

 

If ethernet: a little bit of knowledge about your network.

[Goochman]

Ive got a Mega 2ST with one of those cartidge based NE2000 ethernet adaptors - I have a HD (when it runs )

 

Any hope for me?

 

Any easy 4meg RAM upgrades for this machine or easier to try and find a working Mega 4 or Mega 4 STE?

[krupkaj]

I am not sure, but last version of CAB has png plugin. But I must check it.

[Paolo]

what is last version? I've got 2.5 registered English.

[krupkaj]

I have 2.71

[Paolo]

Oh, My!

Where do I get that?

[krupkaj]

I have just found out that on my TT I had version 2.8E

I bought it from ASH long time ago.

[Paolo]

ASH, that's where I bought it.

probably before you

Edited September 29, 2005 by Paolo

[krupkaj]

Any easy 4meg RAM upgrades for this machine or easier to try and find a working Mega 4 or Mega 4 STE?

939836[/snapback]

Unfortunately you have to solder lot in case you want upgrade ST RAM.

 

But there is easy to install TT RAM upgrade. It is called MAGNUM from Woller & Link from Germany. Sometimes they appears on ebay. But be carefull there are different versions for ST, MEGA ST and MEGA STe.

[+doctorclu]

I have surfed the internet on a 1040STfm, 1040 STE, and TT030.

 

All had a minimum of 4 megs of ram.

 

All with Cab 2.7 and in 1999.

 

All and all, I didn't have ethernet working, but I did have dialup working, and all and all the browser was fairly good for a handfull of colors and 8 mhz to 33 mhz.

 

I stopped using the ST for web browsing when I couldn't get STiK to work with the local dialup protocals they were just changed one day. But aside from that, the web browsing was not half bad.

[Paolo]

Hey, doctorclu!

It happened to me as well, when my ISP dropped SLIP protocol. I had no luck with STiNG, and started using PPPConnect (that forced me to go with eraly versions of MultiTOS...). I never succeeded again in using the new Stik or Sting versions.

 

PS: how it comes that everybody here has version> 2.5? Is there a free upgrade to 2.whatever? Or will I just wait for Highwire, since my Falcon main task isn't browsing right now

Edited September 29, 2005 by Paolo

[krupkaj]

I have never used something else than MiNT-net. Actually I have never seen STIK and the others running

[Paolo]

Well, I don't even know what to do with MiNT net, since MiNT is what I have now, but no ethernet (yet).

How do I proceed?

[krupkaj]

First you must have kernel network modules installed in your /c/mint directory.

 

If you want to use ethernet for conecting to inet just watch article in MyAtari

 

If you want to use modem connection you have to configure ppp in /etc/ppp directory. There is tool which can do it for you. It is available here.

[jens]

Update:

 

Highwire does't like plain TOS except for FalconTOS as I just read on the Highwire forum.

So for people trying to make do with two megs Cab is the only way.

[krupkaj]

Maybe it is possible to use MagiC. But I do not know as I have not it.

[Sikor]

Hmm...

Cab

Draconis Internet Packet

Higwire

Wensuite

Try it.

[Gunstar]

I have a Mega4 STE, so I don't have the memory problem as far as Highwire goes, but will it work with MINT? I have recently gotten the ATari Compendium and Suzy B's Atari software treasury CDs and they both have the MINT operating system on them as well as Cab&all other internet software to go with it. I was going to install MINT and CAB, but if Highwire is newer&better, and works with MINT, then I'll go with it instead.

[Gunstar]

I have never used something else than MiNT-net. Actually I have never seen STIK and the others running

940387[/snapback]

 

What is MiNT-net like? I bet it's included in all my MiNT files on my CD's. If it's capable, it makes sense to use it if I'm using MiNT...

 

Anyone know anythign about NetBSD? NetBSD OS is also on the Atari Compendium CD.

Edited October 6, 2005 by Gunstar

[krupkaj]

MiNT-net is unix like networking environment. It use all of these pppd, ifconfig, route and so.

Do not use old MiNT v1.12. Todays MiNT is very different from the old one which was on Compendium CD. Just go to Sparemint site and watch what I mean.

 

I tried to install NetBSD some times ago but was unsuccessful. I have just downloaded new version of it. Unfortunately I have not enough free sources for next attempt. Since I have Linux and HPUX box here, I don't need another unix like OS on my Ataris.

Edited October 6, 2005 by krupkaj

[jens]

Well - Cab 2.8 supports png's if you buy it. You can also use the demo which doesn't know png's.

Highwire in my eyes is better than Cab except for the download manager that Cab has. For plain surfing - no question.

MagiC or MiNT will make anything possible as far as one has enough ram.