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- Info-Atari16 Digest Sun, 8 Dec 91 Volume 91 : Issue 646
-
- Today's Topics:
- Atari books
- Atari Chicago Show...if you want details Mail me.
- Atari Spirit
- Atari Sys 5 Unix- any owners out there? (2 msgs)
- Atari Unix vs. other vendors (was Re: Atari Sys 5 Unix- any owners out there?)
- CACHEXXX.PRG Where can I find it?
- DC?
- HELP: Mouse is flaky.
- Phasar Upgrade Contact Wanted
- ST Hard Drive for Sale
- TT prices Now
- Why ASV Is A Dead No Future Product (2 msgs)
-
- Welcome to the Info-Atari16 Digest. The configuration for the automatic
- cross-posting to/from Usenet is getting closer, but still getting thrashed
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-
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- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:51:40 GMT
- From:
- noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!yale.edu!spool.mu.edu!wupost!waikato
- .ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!Roger.Sheppard@arizona.edu (Roger Sheppard)
- Subject: Atari books
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <51340@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes:
- > Following up on the question someone asked about what Atari books are
- > still available, it turns out I was wrong about Compute! Books dropping
- > their entire Atari line. They've only dropped most of them.
- >
- > After playing phone tag with ABC Publications and Compute! Books,
- > I learned that they still have 5 Atari books listed as being available.
- >
- > These include the three-part Technical reference series by Sheldon
- > Leemon (VDI, AES and TOS), their Beginners' Machine Language book, and
- > one other that I didn't write down.
- >
- > If anyone's interested in obtaining any of these, the phone number I
- > ended up with is: (212) 496-6100
- >
- > BobR
-
-
- Some one else posted here about the TOS book and a 'C' book, with a phone
- No. to bye them from, I have tried to order from 'Compute' before with out
- any luck at all..
-
- Does any one know if the 'C' book is any good...?
- --
- *** Roger W. Sheppard * Roger.Sheppard@bbs.actrix.gen.nz ***
- *** 85 Donovan Rd * * GEnie. R.SHEPPARD5 ***
- *** Kapiti At least I don't Flicker, ***
- *** New Zealand.. * not like a dying light globe ***
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:56:28 GMT
- From:
- noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.pri
- mate.wisc.edu!doug.cae.wisc.edu!carter@arizona.edu (Gregory Carter)
- Subject: Atari Chicago Show...if you want details Mail me.
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <1991Dec7.225911.21484@gumby.cc.wmich.edu> obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
- (Mark O'Bryan) writes:
-
- >Aghast - definition: frightened, horrified.
- >
- >Why would seeing lots of Atari staffers scare you? Were you afraid
- >that if there was some disaster that a large portion of their man-
- >power would be eliminated?
- >
-
- No, I wasn't scared they would lose thier "man power". Its a surprising
- reaction to a company who doesn't have a history of strong support at
- this level...to see them at the show like this was not something I think
- anyone expected. I know most of the developers didn't who were there.
-
-
- >It was XFacemaker2, by a 3rd party, not "Atari's own version". One
- >weird thing about the Motif-based UI running on the Unix TTs that both
- >Charles Johnson and I noticed was the mouse tracking. It seemed both
- >sluggish and jumpy at the same time (even after disabling some running
- >processes). We didn't find out why, but it was definitely different
- >from normal GEM mouse tracking feel.
-
- Well, yes, thats a detail. Not a very important one either. Atari Will
- have the rights to the toolkit. It will be theirs once they get the
- thing sold. I didn't say THEY MADE IT now did I? I assume something is
- YOURS once you pay money for it. (i.e. rights)
-
- >
- >Regarding MultiGEM:
- >
- ..
- >
- >What is their upgrade policy that is second to none? I'm curious because
- >Paradigm has been putting out 3 updates a year to our Omni-Banker ST
- >universal MIDI librarian, since it was introduced in 1987. Support has
- >grown from 30 some instruments to over 280 devices (more than any other
- >librarian product, running on any computer), plus loads of new features,
- >and we've never charged anything more than a nominal shipping fee.
- >
-
- To the original owners of MultiGEM you get a very well done set of
- documentation, a very nice set of utilities, for $20 dollars I believe.
- (Very much an opinion, you should take as being: A VERY GOOD DEAL.)
- (It was meant to be a shot at Paradigm)
-
- >[Also, Rimik Enterprises is not a "European Company", it's a US developer
- >(Richard Betson) who is importing a product from Germany, developed by
- >PAM Soft.]
-
- I should have said I was impressed with European developers, sorry about
- the confusion I caused with that statement. (Although you don't sound
- confused more irate I didn't say something akin about Paradigm.)
-
- >
- >I too am frequently (although not uniformly) impressed with German/UK
- >software developers. But are you implying that US developers are any
- >less hard working?
- >
-
- I am not infering US software designers are any less hardworking.
-
- I meant to convey that US software designers are just a little more thick
- headed. I don't say this out of spight either. I attend a University
- which posesses the worlds most advanced computer architecture to date, and
- from going through the Comp Sci program here, I am generalizing US people
- need more computing power to make up for less thought power. Mainly because
- proper Software Engineering methods aren't discussed here..(Most seniors
- don't have the Fogiest idea what a machine debugger is, or even a source
- debugger...they STILL insist on printf, recompile printf, recompile.
- Not the best way to build quality, production level software in the
- real world where people pay good money.)
-
- >
- >Once again, I'm confused. "Laughing all the way to the bank" generally
- >has a negative connotation to it. Do you feel that they were taking
- >advantage of people, or ripping them off in some way? Or have you just
- >not said what you meant (or meant what you said)?
-
- I didn't mean it too be negative. It was meant to convey how well they
- were doing. No people were not being takin advantage of.
- (Although, thats just my opinion, whats yours?)
-
- >
- >There was definitely strong Atari support, however, this was far from the
- >"first time" they have supplied lots of machines for developer booths.
-
- True, Atari has supplied developers in the past, but I am talking about
- a question of degree. If you needed hardware, and space. You got it.
- (Within reason of course.)
-
- In this way it really WAS the first time Atari REALLY did some support PR.
-
- >There were certainly more TTs and 19" monitors there than I've ever seen
- >in one place before. I remember going to the Toronto show back in May,
- >and being disappointed that there wasn't a single 19" monitor in sight.
- >An impressive showing. Hopefully, Atari will feel that it was worth the
- >effort.
-
- I hope they do. I personally felt Atari got a big face lift when they attended
- this show. I hope they do better in the future.
-
- >
- >--
- >Mark T. O'Bryan Internet: obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
- >Western Michigan University
- >Kalamazoo, MI 49008
-
- --Greg
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Employed: Computer Aided Engineering Center - University Wisconsin - Madison
- Major: Computer Science - Emphasis: System Design Tools, User Interfaces
- Phone Home: (608) 264-3622 - Work: (608) 262-5349
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:05:22 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!jonh.wims
- ey.bc.ca!jhenders@arizona.edu (John Henders)
- Subject: Atari Spirit
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In <1991Dec6.091009.1@lapis.labmed.umn.edu>, davidli@lapis.labmed.umn.edu
- writes:
- >
- >Bob isn't being quite truthful with you here, of course.
- >
-
- Another thing to note on STart's demise. As far as I'm concerned
- they committed editorial suicide several years before their actual
- demise by shifting focus from a magazine addressed to a relatively
- knowledgable user base, to one focused on a "gosh, wow" croud who
- were amazed to find you could use the reset button rather than turning
- the computer on and off.( STart Tip #23 )
- Classic example number 43, the STart issue dedicated to the ST in
- business, featuring a cover showing some guy using it to run a lemonade
- stand. Certainly would increase my respect for the ST as a business
- machine.
- St Log kept a focus on a more advanced user. and as was stated,
- was making a modest profit. However, when Larry Flint Publications
- bought them, modest profits weren't that interesting. Maybe they
- should have tried adding a centerfold.
- Here in Canada, the availability of the excellent ST World from
- England made me less likely to buy either U.S. publication, though
- I still check ST Log monthly to see if there was one or two articles
- worth reading.
- I still treasure issues from the first two years of STart's existance,
- when it featured things like the recently mention article by Dave Small
- " Probing the FDC " or Tom Hudson's RayTrace program, comnplete with
- source code. It seemed like STart allowed a reader survey to influence it's
- direction, and I guess the people who like the articles mentioned above
- don't fill out survey forms. Also, Antic had an exclusivity deal with
- Compu$erve for a long while, though GEnie was the Official Atari US
- support service and it's cheaper rates attracted us cheapskate Atari
- users.
- Just another perspective.
-
-
- --
- John Henders jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca
- Vancouver,B.C
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 16:58:49 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!darwin.sura.net!Siriu
- s.dfn.de!rusmv1!ttinfo@arizona.edu (Markus Wenzel)
- Subject: Atari Sys 5 Unix- any owners out there?
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <1mtq-nm@rpi.edu> borres@aix.rpi.edu (Steven D. Borrelli) writes:
- >I think that Atari should think carefully about entering the UNIX
- >market, which is starting to get competitive. UNIX of ome form is
- >already available on Mac, Amigas, and PC's, and those systems are
- >really challenged by the likes of SUN and NeXT. Atari needs something
- >to make it's UNIX machine special, or it won't do very well, (Like the
- >Amiga Unix configuartion.)
- >
- >Of course, you could reverse my logic and say that Atari needs to come out
- >with one if it expects to compete with everyone else. Then again, what do I
- >know?
- You hit the nail. Unix is the only OS with a real future for the next decade.
- I don't think that _any_ computer corporation can ignore this, so you simply
- have to bring out a Unix machine. If they offer special features, great, but
- for serious users it is more important to have a stable OS and a cheap but
- efficient hardware configuration. If Ataris ASV can compete with future
- products - I dont't know. Wait and see.
-
- >borres@rpi.edu (NeXTmail accepted)
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lucky man ;-)
-
-
- * /dev/ Markus Wenzel, University of Stuttgart *
- * /usr/spool/mail/ wenzel@rus.uni-stuttgart.de *
- * /usr/voice/private/ +49 (0)7159 18201 *
- * /bin/ps -l TT admin on rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de *
- * /etc/motd >> We'll meet in /dev/null ...8-) << *
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 18:26:46 GMT
- From: mcsun!news.funet.fi!sunic!ugle.unit.no!lise.unit.no!stigvi@uunet.uu.net
- (Stig Vidar Hovland)
- Subject: Atari Sys 5 Unix- any owners out there?
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <691682643.3314@minster.york.ac.uk>, mjl-b@minster.york.ac.uk writes:
- |> And I suggest that you read a book / take a course on 68K-based computer
- |> design.
- |>
-
- I have already designed/made a 68K-based computer. (And it works.....)
-
-
- |> Repeat after me: Data transfer speed is limited to RAM response time
-
- Yes, of course it is limited to Ram response time and _not_ because of any slow
- bus
- somewhere in the computer.
- As I have understand it, the Atari TT can read 4 longwords in 5 clockperiods and
- write 1 longword in 4 clockperiods. (1 waitstate) This is with the Atari-made
- ram card. There are other cards on the market which is faster than this.
-
- Stig Vidar Hovland - stigvi@lise.unit.no
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:14:43 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!m.cs.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso
- .uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.edu!jppg9764@arizona.edu (John Paul Pietrzak)
- Subject: Atari Unix vs. other vendors (was Re: Atari Sys 5 Unix- any owners out
- there?)
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <1mtq-nm@rpi.edu> borres@aix.rpi.edu (Steven D. Borrelli) writes:
- >
- >I think that Atari should think carefully about entering the UNIX
- >market, which is starting to get competitive. UNIX of ome form is
- >already available on Mac, Amigas, and PC's, and those systems are
- >really challenged by the likes of SUN and NeXT. Atari needs something
- >to make it's UNIX machine special, or it won't do very well, (Like the
- >Amiga Unix configuartion.)
-
- That's probably true. I think Atari probably won't be able to keep up
- with the hardware and software advances being made by the likes of NeXT
- or Sun, where megabucks are being put into R&D. However, Atari has always
- been able to come up with inexpensive machines. Currently, I cannot
- afford to personally own a Unix workstation; and I know people who have
- put together their own IBM clone--Unix systems only because they wanted
- to use Unix, but couldn't afford anything else. If Atari could come out
- with a no-frills Unix box, instead of do-it-all machines like NeXT makes,
- and sell them at their traditional low cost, I think they could do some
- buisness.
-
-
- John "Right now, I could use a low-cost Unix system" Pietrzak
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:06:22 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!jonh.wims
- ey.bc.ca!jhenders@arizona.edu (John Henders)
- Subject: CACHEXXX.PRG Where can I find it?
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In <1991Dec06.103922.18134@cs.ruu.nl>, Piet van Oostrum writes:
- >I have CACHE050.PRG in my AUTO folder and found a problem with accessing
- >the floppy drive under Gulam. When I change the floppy, some of the
- >information from the old floppy is still in the cache. directory listings
- >are mostly correct, i.e. from the new floppy, but when I ask for the free
- >space (df a) I get the amount from the previous floppy. Does anybody know a
- >way around this. I.e. is there a way to flush the cache on a disk swap.
- >Ideally cache.prg should detect this automatically.
-
- I think it does, as this has never happened to me. Are you sure you
- don't have one of the mega's which had a drive which didn't return
- the disk changed message? If you're using TOS 1.4, it was fixed to
- always force a media change from the desktop, but alternative desktops
- and shell programs still didn't get a disk change message. Atari US
- never acknowledged these defective drives and I think the FMC hack in
- 1.4 was done so it would be less noticable, but it's still a problem.
- There's a pd program, probably available on atari.archive, called
- fmc which is a tsr that will fix the problem, but it doesn't use xbra,
- and is fussy about auto folder order. Gulam also may be using a semi
- legal method of reading the drive, as it did to get free memory.
- Gulam broke several rules it really didn't need to.
- --
- John Henders jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca
- Vancouver,B.C
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 18:27:24 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.
- cis.pitt.edu!slsst11@arizona.edu (Sharon L Skwara)
- Subject: DC?
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- Is DC software still doing their programs a week, or is that over? If
- they're still doing it, here's an idea. How about an ACC that pops open
- a window (say 4 characters high) and shows all the available characters
- (from ASCII 0 to ASCII 255) - and if you click on the character, it will act
- as if you typed it. This way, one could use the ST and NEVER need to touch
- the keyboard - type with the mouse. What do you think?
-
- slsst11@unix.cis.pitt.edu
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:41:49 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-
- state.edu!paperboy.micro.umn.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!tdkt!FredGate@arizona.edu
- (Chuck Grimsby)
- Subject: HELP: Mouse is flaky.
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In a message of <Dec 05 04:47>, Corey Liu (1:282/31) writes:
- >From: cliu@jarthur.claremont.edu (Corey Liu)
- >Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
-
- >My original ST mouse (1988) is acting flaky. The
- >pointer will only move down when I direct it upwards
- >or downward. Right/left motion is fine.
- >I've noticed a gradual decay of its behavior over the
- >past week where it would move the pointer only down
- >sometimes, but now it seems stuck in the downwards
- >mode.
- >Is anybody familiar with this problem? Is it just the
- >untimely death of my ST mouse? Is it a virus?
-
- I had this problem a while back. It wasn't a virus, just a dirty mouse.
-
- Turn your mouse over on it's side with the connecting cable pointed away from
- you. Open the door that's on the bottom by sliding in towards you. Remove
- the door. Pop out the mouse 'ball' by rotating the mouse right side up and
- letting it fall out. Rotate the mouse back on it's back again. If you look
- inside you'll see two shiny metal 'rolling pins', one's at the top, the other
- on the left side. More then likely, there'll be something 'wraped' around the
- upper 'rooling pin' that's blocking it from moving. Remove it with a tweezer,
- drop the ball back in, replace the door, flip the mouse over and give it a
- try. If this doesn't work, you may have to open the case of the mouse and
- remove dirt/dust/lint from there.
-
- If that doesn't fix the mouse, you may have a broken wire, which means it's
- time to buy a new one. <sigh>
-
-
- * Origin: FlightLine PointNet (1:282/47.1)
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 16:58:20 GMT
- From:
- noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.ed
- u!osiris!ddavis@arizona.edu (dave davis)
- Subject: Phasar Upgrade Contact Wanted
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- I recall seeing a recent post about problems with some of the earlier versions
- of Phasar 4.xx. I have one of these programs and am looking for a contact to
- get a later version without bugs. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
- What is the cost (if any) to upgrade from 4.01 to the current version?
- Thanks.
-
- dave
- ddavis@aeha1.apgea.army.mil
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 16:39:15 GMT
- From:
- noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!ol
- ivea!isc-br!michaela@arizona.edu (Michael Albo)
- Subject: ST Hard Drive for Sale
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- HERE IS WHAT IS LEFT:
-
-
- - Supra 30 Meg Hard Drive
- This has a 3.5" SCSI drive in it. $300 OR BEST OFFER
- This is a nice drive with only about 100
- hours on it. Full Documentation and close
- to the latest formatting software.
-
-
-
- - Software:
- - 1st Word Plus 3.14
- - Dac Easy Accounting
- - Printmaster
- - 2 Printmaster Libraries
- - Degas
- - Regent Spell
- - ST Copy
- - Raid (debugger)
- - ST Color Book
- - Backup (hard drive backup from Michtron)
- - Fleet Street Publisher Version 1.1
- - a few games (OutRun, Crimson Crown etc.)
-
- $40 FOR ALL OF THE
- REMAINING SOFTWARE
-
-
- Terms are C.O.D. and the buyer must pay shipping.
-
-
-
- Michael Albo
-
- michaela@ft-a.isc-br.com (ISC-Bunker Ramo Corp.)
-
- (509) 928-8009 (home)
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:00:36 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!yale.edu!think.com!zaphod.mps.o
- hio-state.edu!van-bc!jonh.wimsey.bc.ca!jhenders@arizona.edu (John Henders)
- Subject: TT prices Now
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In <9990@cactus.org>, Richard Covert writes:
- >
- >
- >Knut, your points support my position that many things are possible
- >for the STe/TT, but they aren't always available here in the Third
- >World Country called America!!
- >
- And later on in the same message writes:
- >
- >Now you lucky German folks can read German so Turbo C might be
- >great for you. But it is yet another example of why the STe/TT
- >are failing here in America.
- >
-
- Yes, how clever the Germans are. Even the children can speak
- and read German ;-}.
- Perhaps, Richard, you'd encounter less hostility on the net
- if you used the distribution line to limit your postings to the
- U.S.A. I won't insult a Unix programmer with so much experience
- by explaining how this is done.
-
-
- --
- John Henders jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca
- Vancouver,B.C
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 15:40:20 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
- !jppg9764@arizona.edu (John Paul Pietrzak)
- Subject: Why ASV Is A Dead No Future Product
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <10014@cactus.org> covert@cactus.org (Richard Covert) writes:
- >
- >You can add upto 30 megs of RAM to the Mac IIci just by adding the SIMM
- >chips.
-
- Now, Richard, you were comparing Atari and Apple machines at the same
- price level. If you start adding SIMMs and HD space to the Apple, the
- Apple becomes more expensive...
-
- >>Hmm, perhaps you could get by with TeX? GhostScript? PSfig? Nroff/troff/
- >>eqn/tbl/etc. ? Although not nearly as nice and graphical as PageStream
- >>or Calamus, they can get the job done. And, you can always boot the
- >>machine up in TOS mode if you really need to.
- >>
- >>John "Don't sneeze at Unix (ah.. Ah.. AH-CHOOO :)" Pietrzak
- >
- >But John you don't have to buy a TT to run these programs. Buy any
- >80386/80486 and add Dell's UNIX or SCO Xenix and you can run these
- >programs. Or buy a SPARC or a Mac with A/UX. the presence of these
- >programs on the TT/ASV does not justify buying the TT/ASV system!!
-
- 1) I personally have a bias against 80x86 systems. Although the price is
- right, the Unix you get usually isn't quite BSD or AT&T compatible; and
- the systems often have an emphasis towards buisness rather than development,
- so (for example) multi-user databases will more often be part of the
- package you get, rather than compiler, interface, and other development
- tools.
-
- 2) Sparcs and Macs cost more than a TT. An important difference. :)
-
-
- >Its funny how people can accept the unacceptable whenever it comes to
- >Atari computers. I mean, if someone said that the ONLY sw available
- >for a specific computer was some obscure PD stuff, would you rush
- >out to buy that computer?
-
- <gasp> Are you slighting the name of such programs as TeX or GNU freeware? :)
- (I have to defend the honor of TeX, my boss did some work with Leslie
- Lamport of LaTeX fame. (How about that for name-dropping? :) ))
- No, I would not rush out to buy a computer for PD software which is
- available on almost any machine. But I would rush out to purchase a
- low cost Unix workstation. I like Unix; I wouldn't mind having it
- at home!
-
- John "Aw, Richard, please just go back to your RS/6000 and ignore Atari;
- you can probably afford better, unlike me" Pietrzak
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 8 Dec 91 16:39:02 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!darwin.sura.net!Sirius.dfn.de!rusmv1!ttin
- fo@arizona.edu (Markus Wenzel)
- Subject: Why ASV Is A Dead No Future Product
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <9999@cactus.org> covert@cactus.org (Richard Covert) writes:
- >Atari always seems to have an Ace up their sleeve when you get
- >disillushioned about their current products. It is funny how the
- >"Next Atari computer' is going to be the Wonder Of The Century.
- I must admit that this is not entirely untrue...
-
- >But then when it comes out, if it comes out, it is years late,
- >and behind the others in tehcnology. The TT's color graphics are
- >at least 2 years behind those on a decent PC clone. and the TT's
- The OS of a decent PC clone is decades behind anything else!
-
- >dual bandwidth (is it 16Mhz or is it 32MHz) shows that Atari really
- >didn't know how to design a FAST CPU in the first place. The TT
- >was originally designed to run at 16MHZ, including all of the PALSs
- >and ASICs. But by the time the TT was ready to be released, once
- >again years late, even Atari realized that a 16MHz TT wouldn't sell
- >at the TT's project prices. So they did a quick patch and doubled
- >the CPU's clock rate. But Atari didn't want to delay the TT any longer,
- >so they didn't change the rest of the TT. Hence, part of the TT runs
- >at 32MHz and part at 16MHz.
- However, I cannot complain about the speed of programs working in Fast RAM,
- and all programs with much computing (e.g. TeX) _work_ in Fast RAM. In my
- opinion, they could have left out ST RAM at all, but for some applications
- the upgrade compatibility is quite useful (Spectre...Hey Dave, when will
- YOU get Fast RAM going ? :-)
-
- >A real prefession design? Huh? Nope, just another Atari kludge!
- Do you think this is a serious problem?
-
- >
- >So Atari is always promising the next machine ass a solution to the
- >bugs in the current machines. Atari's policy on upgrades is to dump the
- >current buggy machine and buy their next buggy machine. Real clever
- >marketing that!!
- I cannot find anything buggy on my TT. I never worked with a more stable OS,
- in fact. It is not the most comfortable, but not the least, either. If they
- bring out a multitasking TOS next year, I have no more wishes.
-
- >>>3) The TT030 is overpriced.
- >>
- >>Look at mac prices and shut up.
- >
- >You can buy a new Mac IIci with A/UX for the same price as a TT030
- >with say 20 megs of ram and their ASV package. And with the Mac IICi
- >you can run A/UX in color. Try that with the TT030/ASV combo. Of course,
- >these prices are USA prices. I don't know what the relative costs
- >are in Europe.
- Vice versa. Look at 'Re: TT prices' for further details.
- Germany seems to be the TT Mekka.
-
- >>>TT030 is just a fancy games machine !!).
- >>
- >>No comment to that ...
- >>
- > The above comment was meant as a tease against folks who take their
- >TTs too seriously. I guess no one understood that though!! Poor joke,
- >I guess. But everyone knows that Atari are just game machines!!
- And everbody knows by now your attitude concerning TTs and ASV. I think,
- there will be many users out there using ASV very seriously. And don't
- forget: "/games - the real reason we buy computers!"
-
- >>>sincerely yours for the flaming
- >>No problem, we all know you, Richard!! :-)
- There's nothing to add.
-
-
- * /dev/ Markus Wenzel, University of Stuttgart *
- * /usr/spool/mail/ wenzel@rus.uni-stuttgart.de *
- * /usr/voice/private/ +49 (0)7159 18201 *
- * /bin/ps -l TT admin on rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de *
- * /etc/motd >> We'll meet in /dev/null ...8-) << *
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of Info-Atari16 Digest
- ******************************
-