Crawly Crypt Collection 1/crawlyvol1.bin/magazine/misc/mtos_co/mtos__co.txt

Text File | 1993-03-09 | 41KB | 907 lines

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               Official Transcript - MTOS Formal Conference
                       DELPHI's Atari Advantage
                       Tuesday, March 9th, 1993


.Gordie>
    Welcome to DELPHI's Atari Advantage, and tonight's special Formal
    Conference.  The topic tonight is MultiTOS, and we have with us
    some Atari staffers who can tell us everything we want to know
    about MTOS.  I'd like to welcome John Townsend back to DELPHI
    after an absence of a couple years.  And, I'd like to welcome
    Eric Smith to our friendly little community for the first time.
    And, it's always nice to have Bob Brodie with us.

    For those of you who don't get out much, Eric is the author of
    MiNT, the basis for MultiTOS.  MiNT originally stood for MiNT
    is Not TOS, but has evolved into MiNT is Now TOS.  <G>  John is
    a longtime TOS programmer, and between the two of them, they
    know MTOS better than any other two people.  Maybe any other
    5 people...

    I want to remind everyone that this is a Formal Conference
    tonight, so you'll have to use the /q command to ask a question
    or make a comment.

    That said, let me turn things over to Bob, who will give us an
    overview of MTOS, and how it works.

    Bob?


.Bob @ Atari>
    Once again, I'm delighted to be here on Delphi!  It's been quite a
    while since COMDEX when I last participated in a formal live CO here!
    Our correspondent for Atari Explorer Online Magazine, Andreas
    Barbiero has been instrumental in encouraging us to arrange tonight's
    CO here on Delphi, along with Gordie Meyer of the Atari Advantage SIG.
    Thanks to both of you for your efforts at making this evening
    possible!!

    Tonight, I'm pleased to welcome two of the engineers from our
    software group, Eric Smith and John Townsend to join us online to
    discuss MultiTOS.  I know that you're all very anxious to hear as much
    as possible about the capabilities of MultiTOS, and Eric and John are
    well equipped to answer those questions about MultiTOS.  As many of
    your may know, Eric developed a program called MiNT (which stood for
    Mint is NOT TOS).  Originally, MiNT didn't multitask with GEM
    applications, but rather gave users a multi-tasking environment to
    operate TOS applications from.  MiNT is now incorporated into
    MultiTOS, and has changed dramatically since Eric first wrote it.
    Obviously, we were impressed enough with his efforts to offer him a
    position within Atari! <grin>  Tonight, Eric is using the Ataritech
    account here on Delphi.

    John Townsend has been with Atari over five years now, and has been
    an important member of the software engineering group during the last
    3 years of his tenure with us.  John has also been one of our
    stalwart online support people as well, and I know that he's excited
    to be here with us tonight on Delphi!!  John is using the AtariCorp
    account tonight!

    Before we begin with the MultiTOS portion of our CO, I'm sure that you
    are all very interested in the status of the delivery schedule for the
    Atari Falcon030 here in the US.  We have had a small setback in the
    manufacturing of the unit.  One of our suppliers is running about 10
    days behind in providing us with a couple of components that we need
    for the US machines.  This means that the machines will probably
    arrive in late March to early April.  We expect to be able to provide
    our dealers with demo units this month, and quickly follow that up
    with a better supply of units that can be sold to the public.  All of
    the units that we will have during the month of March will be
    configured with four megs of ram, and sixty-five megabyte hard disks.

    The reception that we've had for the machines has been nothing short
    of sensational!!  The phone has been ringing constantly, with many,
    many people interested in signing up as Atari dealers.  As you might
    expect, a significant amount of interest is coming from the music
    field, as few other computer systems can match the digital sound
    capabilities of the Atari Falcon030 right out of the box!!  We have
    enough orders in hand that we expect to be sold out quickly.

    This is the same type of reception that the Falcon030 has gotten in
    the rest of the world, for instance in Germany, where it was literally
    sold out in a matter of hours!!!

    Much of our efforts here in Sunnyvale over the course of the last
    month has revolved around finalizing plans for dealer agreements.  It
    is our hope that we'll be able to restore the value of an Atari
    dealership, and help the dealers be able to be more profitable.  We
    will be soon going over the new arrangements with all of our current
    dealers, as we release the pricing, and other sales related
    information to our current dealers.

    This means that we will be speaking to every one of our existing
    dealers, either directly ourselves or via one of our rep firms.  Among
    the very firm requirements that we will have is that the dealer must
    have a storefront in order to sell the Atari Falcon030.

    Now, we'd like to tell you a little bit about MultiTOS! After all,
    that's the main thrust of our visit tonight here on Delphi is to
    discuss MultiTOS with you!

    MultiTOS provides your Atari computer with multitasking, the ability
    to run more than one application at a time. Since your computer spends
    much of its time waiting for user input, multitasking makes more
    efficient use of processing power--when one application, say, your
    word processor, is waiting for input, the rest of your computer's
    attention is turned to other tasks.

    MultiTOS includes several important features that make multitasking
    reliable and efficient. Adaptive prioritization gives the most
    processing power to the most important program running-- the word
    processor you're typing into receives higher priority than the
    processor-hungry compression program running simultaneously in the
    background. Memory protection prevents one program from interfering
    with another active program's data in memory. And if one program quits
    unexpectedly or "crashes," MultiTOS protects other applications, which
    continue to run; only in the most extreme circumstances will you need
    to restart your computer.

    MultiTOS runs existing, correctly-written TOS programs--as many as
    your computer's memory allows. Some programs are already being
    upgraded to take advantage of MultiTOS features, and more programs
    written especially for MultiTOS are on their way, from Atari and
    third-party companies.

    MultiTOS can run as many programs simultaneously as will fit in
    memory; GEM programs, Desk Accessories, and TOS programs can all
    peacefully coexist under MultiTOS. You can move from one to the other,
    using whichever you need. When one program is busy, you can set it
    aside and work on something else until it's done. When you finish with
    a program and exit it, the memory it occupied is freed for other
    tasks.

    All running programs share the screen, each putting up its own
    windows; with several programs running, windows may overlap or be
    hidden altogether by one another. The application that receives input,
    like keystrokes, from you is called the foreground or topped
    application, and other programs running simultaneously are background,
    or untopped applications.

    Unlike TOS, MultiTOS allows you to operate any window's gadgets to
    move, resize, or scroll the window, even if the window is not topped.
    When you click within a window (but not on its gadgets), that window
    is topped, and so is the application that owns it. The topped
    application's menu bar is displayed, unless it doesn't have a menu
    bar--in that case, the menu bar is unchanged.

    Running GEM programs under MultiTOS is straightforward: simply
    double-click the program's icon. The MultiTOS Distribution Kit
    includes two simple GEM programs, "Clock" and "Lines." Double-click
    on CLOCK.APP, and an analog clock appears in a window, but the
    Desktop's icons and menu bar are still visible. Double-click on
    LINES.APP, and a graphics demonstration appears in a window.  Resize
    the Lines window so that you can see the clock and some of the
    Desktop. Both programs and the Desktop are running simultaneously!
    From here, you can run still other programs, or perform Desktop
    operations like file copies.

    As with TOS, you can access your Desk Accessories from the "Desk"
    menu. Unlike TOS, MultiTOS can load Desk Accessories as you need them.
    Double-click on a ".ACC" file to run it, just as you would another GEM
    application.  You may want to keep only the essential Accessories
    loaded at all times, and load others when needed. You can do this by
    putting your ".ACC" files in a directory other than the root of drive
    C:\.

    TOS programs present a special problem for multitasking, because they
    usually assume they are the only programs running, and that they have
    the whole screen to themselves. Since TOS programs don't know how to
    share the screen, MultiTOS does it for them, by giving them their own
    "screen," within a window. When you double-click a ".TOS" or ".TTP"
    program, MultiTOS runs another program, "MINIWIN," which sets up a
    window in which the TOS program runs.  MINIWIN lets you select the
    size of the window TOS programs are given, and the font they use.  You
    can change this information by choosing "Configure..." in the leftmost
    menu when running a TOS program. Note: TOS programs assume they're
    using a "monospaced" font, where all characters are the same width.
    MINIWIN allows you to choose "proportionally spaced" fonts, where a
    "w" is wider than an "i," for example. If you choose a proportionally
    spaced font, the program may look strange, but is otherwise fine.

    When several applications are running, the topped application presents
    its menu bar and receives your keystrokes. The others are in the
    background, where you can still move and resize their windows, but you
    can't click on their menus or give them keyboard commands.  MultiTOS
    provides several ways to manage all the applications you may have
    running, and to choose which of them is topped.

    The leftmost menu in the menu bar is called the "Desk" menu, because
    that's what it's called when the Desktop is topped.  When another
    MultiTOS-friendly application is run, and the application has its own
    menu bar, the application's name replaces "Desk" in the menu bar--this
    is one way to tell which program is topped.  Some older applications
    will not do this, but will otherwise work fine.

    The Desk menu contains the names of all installed Desk Accessories and
    below, the names of all applications currently running, with the
    topped application indicated by a checkmark. You can top another
    program by clicking on its name in this menu; its windows (if it has
    any) spring to the front, and its menu bar (if it has one) appears.

    You can run as many programs as your available memory allows, but
    there are reasons why you may not want to. Often, there is very little
    difference in system performance with several programs running, since
    many of these programs are just waiting for input.  When programs are
    actively processing, or reading and writing data on a disk, they
    consume more of your Atari's processing power. You may be tempted to
    leave things running in the background because it's so easy, but if
    they make too many demands on the system, performance will suffer.
    It's best to shut down any programs you're not planning to use, just
    as you would exit them in TOS.  This makes the most memory and
    "computing horsepower" available for the programs you really need.
    Experiment, and see what combinations of programs work well together.

    Shut programs down with MultiTOS the same way you would with TOS:
    save whatever you're working on, then select "Quit," click the "close"
    gadget on a window, type "exit," or whatever. This gives the program a
    chance to save and close any files it has open and exit cleanly,
    returning your computer to its normal state. As always, it's best to
    save your work and exit from all running applications before
    restarting or turning your computer off.

    Occasionally, a program may "hang" in a state where it is no longer
    running correctly, but does not exit. When this happens, you can shut
    the program down from the Desktop.  Select "Install Devices" under the
    "Options" menu, then open drive U:\, and then the "PROC" folder.  This
    folder contains "files" that represent all the programs currently
    running under MultiTOS, along with parts of MultiTOS itself. To stop
    or "kill" a program, simply drag it to the trash.  Be very careful with
    this technique. Kill only programs which have not responded otherwise,
    or are otherwise behaving incorrectly. Be careful what you throw away,
    because it is possible to shut down a part of MultiTOS itself, after
    which it can be difficult to recover without restarting.  If you aren't
    sure what something is, don't kill it.

    Although Atari has made every effort to accomodate even ill-behaved
    TOS programs, you may occasionally encounter programs that are not
    compatible with MultiTOS. These programs may "crash," (exit
    unexpectedly) or "hang," (keep running without accepting input,
    refusing to exit). Usually when this happens, MultiTOS continues
    unharmed, along with any other programs running at the time of the
    crash. Sometimes, if a program crashes in an especially spectacular
    way, it can interfere with other parts of MultiTOS operation, or other
    programs. If you see error messages on your screen, or if you notice
    peculiar behavior from other programs, save your work and reboot your
    computer. Try to isolate the problem to the particular program and
    action that caused the crash, and report the problem to the program's
    authors or publisher.

    When you encounter a program which doesn't run under MultiTOS under
    any circumstances but you need to run nevertheless, you can
    temporarily disable MultiTOS, and restart your computer with TOS.  To
    do this, save any work in progress, shut down any running
    applications, and restart your computer. You can use the Reset button,
    or hold down <Control> and <Alternate> and press <Delete>.
    Immediately after restarting, hold down the left <Shift> key. You will
    be asked, "Load MultiTOS?  (y)es  (n)o." Press the <n> key, and your
    computer will start up without MultiTOS.

    With the power of MultiTOS comes responsibility. Since some older
    programs expect to be the only thing running, they may not guard
    against some things which can happen "when their backs are turned."
    You can avoid these problems by not using one program or the Desktop
    to interfere with another active program. For example, don't move
    configuration or open document files for your word processor while
    it's running; the program may assume the files are in their original
    place, and behave unpredictably. Similarly, be careful with programs
    that manipulate disk data directly; don't run a hard disk
    defragmentation program in the background and save a file to the same
    disk, or the results could be unpleasant. As more MultiTOS-aware
    programs become available, these problems will be minimized.

    It was hoped that we would be able to simply upload MultiTOS to the
    online networks, and "allow nature to take it's course."  During the
    course of that discussion, it was pointed out that we have an
    arrangement that requires the payment of a royalty for each copy of
    GEM that we sell, which makes the uploading of MultiTOS impossible to
    do.  Pricing on MultiTOS hasn't been set, but it would not be
    unreasonable for you to expect it to be selling at a suggested list
    price of $75 US.

    At this point, we're ready to take on all your questions about
    MultiTOS, or any other Atari specific topic that you might want to
    ask about.


.Gordie>
    Okay, I've got about 4 questions up already, so if anyone else has
    one, use the /q to get it in.

    Bill has a question about pricing...

.Bill in ATL>
    Thanks Bob, I am indeed excited about the MultiTos as everyone
    else.  And was curious as to whether the dealers would be the first
    or would that be strictly a distributorship handling affair.  ga

.Bob @ Atari>
    The first people that we will be dealing with is the dealers.
    We are crafting a separate agreement with the distributors. ga

.Bill in ATL>
    Thanks, and I hope to be one of those shortly.

.Gordie>
    Next is a question from Hudson about TOS versions...

.Hudson>
    Will Multi_TOS work with all versions of TOS?

.Eric @ Atari>
    It should work, but we haven't tested it with TOS 1.0. We strongly
    recommend that users upgrade if they're still using such an old version
    of TOS. ga

.Gordie>
    Joseph has a question about recruiting converts to MTOS...

.Joseph T.@ATA>
    Would you consider supporting the idea of, if necessary, helping ensure
    that MultiTOS can work on an Atari emulator running on an Amiga?

    I'm certain that if it was done, there'd be plenty of "Workbench's"
    ditched in favor of a better OS and more powerful computer, I know
    this because the SysOp of a local Amiga BBS seems very interested
    in the Falcon, particularly the DSP and the MultiTOS operating
    system....<It's nice I CoSysop both a 486/33 and Amiga 2000 BBS,
    this gives me access to many potential new customers!!!!>

    I love my ORPHANe, STill!!!!  >>>

.Towns @ Atari>
    I don't think so ;-)

.Joseph T.@ATA>
    Why not?

.Bob @ Atari>
    I don't think so either,...

.Joseph T.@ATA>
    Think of it, stick 'em with something they can't touch unless
    they get the real thing!!!!

.Towns @ Atari>
    Why should we bother supporting Hardware that we don't sell?

.Joseph T.@ATA>
    And, couldn't you sell MultiTOS in a way that it'd be an upgrade
    of GEM, and perhaps bypass royalties?  ga

.Towns @ Atari>
    Royalties isn't the issue. It's licensing. Atari can't just give
    away other people's property on an online service.

.Gordie>
    Next up is a question from Dana.  If it'll go through after he left...

.Gordie>
    Okay, it didn't go.  I'll ask it.  What are the minimum requirements to
    run MTOS, and what's the maximum number of programs that can be run?

.Eric @ Atari>
    MultiTOS will run on any ST, STe, TT, or Falcon. We suggest that
    users have at least 2 megabytes of memory and a hard disk, but it
    will run on a 1 megabyte system with a floppy disk.  You can run as
    many programs as memory will hold.  ga

.Gordie>
    Thanks, Eric.  Next is a question from Nick about disk space...

.Nick>
    I understand that MultiTOS is disk-based.  How much space will it
    occupy on a hard drive (approximately)?

.Eric @ Atari>
    It takes up about 800K or so. (Actually a bit less; it will fit
    on a double sided floppy.)  ga

.Nick>
    Does MultiTOS work equally well with programs whose flag bits are set
    to load and/or allocate from ST RAM (on a TT), as with those set to
    use TT RAM?

.Eric @ Atari>
    Yes.  ga

.Gordie>
    Sam has a question about an expansion buss.

SSINCLAIR>
    emulation.  I would like to know what other options are or will be
    available this year that you might be able to disscuss.

.Bob @ Atari>
    I didn't see that entire question, but I take it that you're
    asking about what emulation modes will be available for the
    Atari Falcon030.  There is a firm commitment from one of our
    developers in Holland, COMPO, to produce a 486SX PC Board to go
    into the Direct Parallel Processor slot on the Atari Falcon030.
    As well as our good friend, David Small, who is hard at work
    on his version of a Mac emulator to go into the same slot.
    ga

SSINCLAIR>
    I am not interested in emulation,what other options  ga

.Bob @ Atari>
    I'm afraid that your question is not coming across clearly,
    I think it would be best if you sent me email on the subject,
    and outline your question clearly.  I'll be happy to respond to
    it in email, in extensive detail. ga

.Gordie>
    Okay, how about Hudson with a question about software...

.Hudson>
    Since software sells hardware, maybe you can give a little insight
    on the players (Microsoft, NeXT) that you've rounded up to produce
    some high profile software for the Falcon and other Atari Computers.
    Thanx in advance ga.


.Bob @ Atari>
    We presently don't have anything in the queue with MicroSoft,
    or NeXT.  We do have some other very interesting discussions
    underway with other developers, especially on the game side of
    things.  However, since those products are still in development,
    in wouldn't be prudent to mention those names at this time. ga

.Gordie>
    Can you comment on rumors about video manipulation software
    (Toaster-type) from anyone?  <g>  ga

.Bob @ Atari>
    Are you referring to the post from the German non devs in Germany
    that was on Usenet a couple of weeks ago?

.Gordie>
    I was thinking about someone a little closer to home, actually...
    Lexicor?

.Bob @ Atari>
    Ah, gotcha!  Lexicor has a number of very interesting products
    in line for the Falcon030.  For example, Phoenix Render...which
    looks very fast, and is very, very fast!  I've heard that Lee
    Seilor has plans for a product (working title of Toaster Roaster)
    which should blow the doors off of the Video Toaster.  GA

.Gordie>
    LOL!  I asked because that kind of thing would fit in perfectly with
    the concept of Personal Integrated Media that Atari has developed.  ga
    (Which, by the way, is a big enough subject for a whole other CO...)

.Bob @ Atari>
    Which we'll be happy to do at another time with Lexicor.

.Gordie>
    How about one from Paul about the MTOS manual...

.Paul>
    What type of manual will accompany MultiTOS?  Will it be just a user's
    guide, or will it have some meat in it?  I.E. technical/programming
    info?

.Eric @ Atari>
    The guide that comes with MultiTOS is for users (it's similar to
    the manuals that come with other Atari products). We will have
    extensive documentation for developers.  ga

.Paul>
    Great. Thanks.

.Gordie>
    Now, one from Bill on support...

.Bill in ATL>
    Bob, What type of support can the new user to the Atari platform
    reasonably expect Atari Support via an 800 number?

.Bob @ Atari>
    Bill, I think I have the gist of your question now.  We have
    had discussions about adding an 800 number for customer support.
    At this point, the dealer is still going to need to be the
    forefront of the support effort, and as business improves, we'll
    be able to add additional support mechanisms, like 800 numbers.
    ga

.Gordie>
    That seems to fit in with the requirement that dealers have a
    storefront.

.Bob @ Atari>
    Exactly, Gordie.  We're very set on that requirement, too.  ga

.Gordie>
    Okay, Chris has a question about the expansion bus...

CMILLAR>
    You mentioned that the expansion bus is a "Direct Parallel Processor"
    slot.  Does this mean that a 486 emulation card would allow DOS and
    TOS apps to be run concurrently?

.Bob @ Atari>
    To be honest, Chris, I don't see anything to prevent it.  But
    I have only seen it demo'ed with one or the other running.
    You sure started a discussion here in the office with that one.
    <grin>  I have seen the PC Card, as did Gordie, at COMDEX.
    ga

.Towns @ Atari>
    The slot wouldn't prevent such a thing, but the emulator software
    would have to support it. That's up to Compo.  ga

.Gordie>
    Next up...  Andre with a question on multiple resolutions at the same
    time...

AMWILLIAMS>
    Can programs needing to be run in different resolutions be run at
    the same time?

.Towns @ Atari>
    Sorry.. When you are running programs under MultiTOS, they must
    all be running in the same resolution.
    Does that answer your question?

AMWILLIAMS>
    yes


.Towns @ Atari>
    Atari encourages its developers to make their applications work
    in any resolution  ;-)

.Gordie>
    Run in, or be launched from?

.Towns @ Atari>
    same thing, Gordie.  ga

.Gordie>
    Next is Richard with a question about larger IDE drives...

BONDSERVANT>
    Will larger IDE drives w/software be available from Atari or
    Dealers later?  Thanks for coming here @ Delphi tonight.

.Bob @ Atari>
    Hi Richard, there will be larger drives available from Atari,
    as well as many other PC vendors that sell standard IDE 2.5"
    mechanisms.  We're planning on getting 80, 120, 200 meg units.
    and they will come with Speedo GDOS, and MultiTOS on each of the
    drives that we will be selling here at Atari, to add an incentive
    to purchase the drives from us. :)  Thanks for the welcome...
    I enjoy being online here, and only wish that there was more time
    to be online.  :)

.Gordie>
    If the hypothetical 2 piece cased Falcon were to come out, would it
    still be restricted to a 2.5" drive?  Hypothetically?  <g>

.Bob @ Atari>
    Gordie, sorry...we can't comment on non-existent product.

.Gordie>
    Somehow, I had a feeling you'd say that...  <G>
    Next is JJ with a question about Falcon numbers...

.**JJ**>
    In light of the recent second shipment of falcons to gemrnay that is
    bouncing around the internet, what kind of nuimbers can we expect to
    see on the first shipment to the US?

.Towns @ Atari>
    Shipments of Falcon's bouncing around the internet? Wow! ;-)

.Bob @ Atari>
    Hi JJ, first of all, I doubt that the Falcons are on the Internet
    although the idea of it is really interesting...<grin>

.Gordie>
    Think of the money you'd save...

.Bob @ Atari>
    Second, we're not confirming or denying how many shipments we
    have made to any of the countries that we do business with.
    Our initial shipment for Falcons in North America will be for
    dealer units and perhaps some review units, or perhaps even some
    support people ( Hello, Gordie! ).  After that, there will be a
    good supply of units going out for sale.  Overall, we're really
    pleased with the amount of demand that we are getting for the
    product, and very pleased that there is good press as well. ga

.**JJ**>
    ok, thanks. done

.Gordie>
    And now one from Hudson on advertising...

.Hudson>
    What is Atari planning planning for advertisement (Print as well as
    TV, etc.) to help hype the US debut (selling debut at least:))?

.Eric @ Atari>
    Just a sec...

.Bob @ Atari>
    OK, I ran out to check with Garry Tramiel our GM for the US to
    make sure that I had everything down right for this answer, and
    apologize for the delay in responding.  At this point, as we
    have started re-signing our dealers, we are making arrangements
    er...that should be provisions for advertising plans by our
    dealers via a market development fund.  Then, as production
    continues to ramp up, and we can supply the demand that we will
    create with the advertisements, we will be doing print ads on a
    national basis.  I don't forsee TV at this point, it's a truly
    extraordinary expense.  Although via the market development fund
    program, we'd be pleased to do things like local cable TV ads,
    which can be done in some areas of the country for a very, very
    reasonable amount of money. ga

.Gordie>
    Aw, gee.  I was hoping to see Atari Falcon030 ads on ST:TNG, ST: DS9
    and B5...  <g>

.Bob @ Atari>
    I'm hoping to still see B5, Gordie! :)

.Gordie>
    Next is one from Joseph, on a pause mode in MTOS...

.Joseph T.@ATA>
    You mention that tasks should be turned off if unused, is there a
    feature that allows you to "turn off" a program, yet it still be
    ready and waiting to resume, sorta like a pause mode?

.Eric @ Atari>
    Joseph: You can just "ignore" a program. Every program has its
    windows on the same screen, so you can very easily switch between
    programs.  They're all ready and available all the time. If the
    program isn't doing anything, it won't take up any processor time.
    Does that answer your question?  ga

.Joseph T.@ATA>
    I think so, but can MTOS pause or shut it down and leave it intact
    while doing nothing, with MTOS in control?  ga

.Eric @ Atari>
    The MultiTOS desktop is always available, so in some sense MTOS is
    always "in control". The Desk menu has a list of all accessories and
    applications, and you can switch to a different application by
    selecting it from the menu (or by clicking on one of its windows).
    ga

.Gordie>
    Andreas had a question...

.Andreas@AEO>
    Eric, I was wondering if you could expound on the need for an 030 to
    run MTOS and the less-than-stellar results that can happen from
    running MTOS on a 68000.  GA

.Eric @ Atari>
    On a 68000 based machine (like an ST or STe) there will be no memory
    protection (since the 68000 doesn't provide this feature). On a 68030
    (a Falcon or TT) programs can be protected from one another.

.Andreas@AEO>
    Just so no-one has any doubts or misunderstandings.

.Eric @ Atari>
    That generally means that badly behaved applications will crash only
    themselves on a 68030 machines, whereas on a 68000 they can cause
    trouble for other applications that are running at the same time
    (or even crash the system). Plus, if you have several applications
    running at the same time, the extra speed of the 68030 will really
    help :-).

.Andreas@AEO>
    On my Mega STe, programs would run nicely together several times
    in a row, and then when a spurious bit of data would be encountered...
    blammo!  It was STILL a REALLY nice experience to have several
    programs ALIVE at once, and have those Atari Falcon030 icons around.
    I know all the hackers out there will be happy to run it on their
    venerable STs!!!

.Eric @ Atari>
    ATARIPOWER7: There is no "pause" feature such as you describe built
    into the desktop, but the OS could support this if a 3rd party
    supplied it.

.Bob @ Atari>
    Thanks for your comments, Andreas... the icons ARE really neat.

.Gordie>
    Okay, Andre has a question about MTOS and the SST...

AMWILLIAMS>
    I hear that its better to run MultiTOS on a 68030 rather than a
    68000.  If this is true do you know of any problems with using
    MultiTOS with the SST board ( P.S. I love my Mega St ).

.Eric @ Atari>
    MultiTOS should work fine on 68030 boards. I don't know about the
    SST specifically, but I'm sure it would be OK. (I know that some of
    our developers were running MultiTOS on 68030 equipped ST's.)  ga

.Gordie>
    Bob T. has a question about Atari & the KCAC show...

.BobT>
    DONE

.Gordie>
    <g>

.Bob @ Atari>
    Well Bob...<ahem>
    We're really excited about the amount of interest that has been
    exhibited by our user groups for the show schedule this coming
    summer.  KCAC is planning on having a terrific show, as our many
    other groups throughout the US.  At this point, because our plans
    for CES are unclear, it's difficult to project what our exact
    participation will be at ALL the shows upcoming this summer. In
    particular, June looks to be a VERY busy month, with events in
    Indy, Asheville, and Kansas City.  From time to time, I do like
    to spend a weekend at home (and my family still likes it, too),
    so we'll see what happens.  I certainly want to take this
    opportunity to encourage everyone to get out to as many of these
    events as they possibly can...in particular the KC Show, as it
    is their very first effort at a show.  I wish you every success!
    ga

.Gordie>
    And don't forget to bring lots of money!  The developers can use it!
    (End of unabashed plug)  The Georgia Catfish has a question about
    DELPHI support...

.Bill in ATL>
    Bob, as director of Communications would it be impractical to ask
    for a more frequent presence here on DELPHI even though The "G" is
    the Official Atari Online service?

.Gordie>
    And no, I didn't prompt him to ask that...  <g>

.Bob @ Atari>
    Actually, it's not unreasonable to ask, but at this point I
    cannot commit to it.  With the workload of the dealer agreements
    and dealing with the press, I actually haven't been posting on
    any of the online services very much at all.  Part of the reason
    that we have obtained the extra accounts for use on Delphi is
    to have another group of people that we can send online to
    provide you with the support that you deserve.  We certainly
    enjoy being on Delphi...but you are also correct when you note
    that GEnie is our number one online service.  I expect our
    arrangement with GEnie to remain a VERY long term one, but will
    make every effort to be on Delphi as much as time permits.  At
    this point, the ATARIMUSIC account has been assigned to one of
    the Music staff, and Mike Fulton from Developer support will be
    using the AtariTech account here.  So, we are TRYING...but one of
    the more precious commodities that we have here at Atari right
    now is PEOPLE, and TIME.  We must be certain that we use both of
    them as wisely as possible. ga

.Gordie>
    Wimp has a question about the Falcon market...

WIMP>
    What do you see as the demographics of the Falcon market?  And what
    platforms do you see as competition for the Falcon?

.Eric @ Atari>
    There really is no competition <grin>

.Bob @ Atari>
    The intent of the Falcon is to finally penetrate the home
    market with a machine that brings the promise of multimedia to
    the home user, and provides them FINALLY with a reason for them
    to purchase a computer.  Many thousands of people (unlike you and
    I) still fail to find a compelling reason to purchase a computer.
    We believe that the Falcon030 will give those people a new reason
    to consider purchasing a computer. In addition, there are some
    compelling professional applications that will make people that
    have specific professional needs (like MUSIC) that will place
    the Atari Computer line in the limelight of the computing world.

WIMP>
    so you think the Falcon can compete with the Mac and PC clones on
    their turf?

.Bob @ Atari>
    Re Competition...the part of me that is the company man says
    there is no competition...we have the superior product!  On the
    other hand, the realist in me says that the competition is the
    PC Clones....and they are not doing anything that is in any form
    technically innovation in their hardware.  All of the innovation
    is coming in software.  This is where we have an advantage...we
    have innovative hardware, and compelling software applications as
    well! ga.

.Gordie>
    Richard has another question, this time about prices...

BONDSERVANT>
    any news on prices on the various Falcons concidering the market
    changes since fall?:-)

.Bob @ Atari>
    The MSRP for the Falcon is unchanged since fall, with the
    exception of the additonal pricing for two models:  The Atari
    Falcon030 with four megs of ram, and no hard disk will retail for
    $999, and the 14 meg with 65 meg hard disk will retail for $1899.
    We have also expanded the accessory line to include things like
    SCSI-II cables, hard disk drives, and added a composite video
    adapter for people (like G44!) to use with their monitors. ga

.Gordie>
    Glenn has a question about the Falcon as a Studio in a Box...

.Glenn>
    I read an article about how you can plug a guitar in and use it as a
    de facto multi effects machine, and record direct to disk and master
    to DAT.  What kind of software is complete for this type of
    application and what is planned?

    For comparison, the SGX-2000, the top of the line guitar processor,
    is nearly as much as what the Falcon costs, and it is not a full
    fledged computer.  By touting the Falcon's ability to be a "studio in
    the box" it would certainly get people to buy, me included, since
    as long as the applications are there, conforming to some MS-DOS or
    MAC standard (a business concern) is not important.

.Bob @ Atari>
    Glenn, thank you for your question!  You're referring I believe
    to the article in BYTE Magazine, where Tom Halfhill of BYTE
    described plugging his electric guitar directly into the Atari
    Falcon030, and using Musicomm, from COMPO Software to do all of
    the special effects that he did.  BTW, Musicomm's list price is
    just $69!  In addition to Musicomm, you can probably do similar
    effects with things like the Audio Fun Machine, which is one of
    the eight software titles that we bundle together with the
    Atari Falcon030.  ga

.Glenn>
    Is the Falcon capable of multitrack recording without an interface?
    What is needed?

.Bob @ Atari>
    Yes, it can record two tracks out of the box.  For more than
    two tracks, you need an external box connected to the DSP port,
    like the product that Singular Solutions is offering.  The
    Atari Falcon030 ships with a product called FalconD2D that will
    allow you to do direct to disk hard disk recording.  With the
    addition of the external boxes, you can do up to eight tracks at
    the present, although technically it is possible to do 16 tracks.
    One of the limitations on the number of tracks is the speed of
    the hard disk (actually, the access time of the HD).  As the HDs
    get faster, it will be easier for our developers to create more
    tracks to be recorded at once. ga

.Gordie>
    Okay, we've been going for almost 2 1/2 hours.  Time to wrap it up.
    I'd like to thank John, Eric and Bob for their time tonight.  I
    learned a few things, I know, and I hope they enjoyed themselves as
    much as I did.

    Closing comments, guys?

.Bob @ Atari>
    We're very excited to have been here with all of you here tonight
    and look forward to the opportunity to come back again in a few
    months to discuss things with you.  I hope to be online more
    often, and if there is anything that you wanted to ask tonight
    and didn't have a chance to, please send EMAIL to me.  Eric is
    just using the AtariTech account for the night...and I will be
    happy to forward any of your questions on to him for his review.
    Thanks again for coming....and good night!

.Towns @ Atari>
    Good Night everyone!

.Eric @ Atari>
    Thanks for having us here!

.Gordie>
    This party is over!

*************************************************************************
Some minor editing of the transcript was done to facilitate readability,
and correct minor spelling and grammar errors.  Portions were omitted to
enhance readability, and to cover up any glitches DELPHI was having.  <g>
                                              -- Gordie Meyer <BIBLINSKI>
*************************************************************************