Have you ever wondered,when you were reading an interview with one of
your favourite ST type people,whether they all shared the same views or
whether they all had totally different reasons for being involved in the
whole ST scene.Bearing in mind that people such as PD library owners or
Diskmag owners must put in a huge amount of hours for really very little
reward other than seeing their finished articles being enjoyed and
appreciated by ourselves,the users and readers of their respective end
products.
This had crossed my mind lately and so I have come up with the idea of
seeking out a few people who are involved heavily in the ST scene,and posing
the same set of questions to them.I thought that comparing their answers
would give a good indication of what makes up the dedicated Atari
enthusiast.Was this venture successful?
Answering the questions are -
Gary Simmons owner of Asciilum PDL
Keith Hunnybun owner of Bun PD
Fraser Blacklaws owner of the Atari User Group and PDL,(Scotland)
Mark Nobes owner of Stellar PD and onetime Stellar diskmag
Lennie Smales a.k.a. The Bionic Smurf,compiler of clipart and
packed utility disks.( Gone from the scene before this article
was completed unfortunately )
And asking them is Bob Kell -
SECTION 1,GETTING STARTED
=========================
QUESTION 1
==========
In what year and at what age did you receive your first computer,and what
type was it.
BUN - 1986 - Spectrum +
GARY - I'm not sure exactly what year I bought my Atari, I think it was about
5 years ago and that would have made me 38. I bought it for my daughter
to mess about with and to do her schoolwork on. It was a 520 STFM and I
tended to play around with it more than anyone.
MARK - Cor blimey o'Reilly! I think it was 1985 when I bought an Atari 800XL. What
a machine, it knocked the socks off the Speccy and Crummydore. I was about
17 at the time.
SMURF - IT WAS 1983/4 WHEN I BOUGHT MY FIRST COMPUTER AT THE
AGE OF 23/24 AND THEY WERE A (SPECTRUM ZX-81) & (SPECTRUM 48k).
FRASER - 1987 (approx.) and it was a Sinclair QL, the first 68000 based
machine.
QUESTION 2
==========
I would assume that game playing would be one of the main reasons that you
got hold of your first computer,but how long was it before you realised that
there was much more to it than that.
BUN - Games playing was always the only thing I did except for Art Studio èon
the
Spectrum.
When the ST came along games ❎Éwere ❎Éstill ❎Éa ❎Émajor part of life until 1990 èwhen I first discovered all the different utilities which made life so
much easier.
GARY - Yep! playing games was what it was used for and that was only once in
a while. About 3 years ago (it might be a bit more - but not much). I
started getting more interested in it and discovering there is a whole
world of Atari enthusiasts who are happy to pass knowledge and encourage
new users.
MARK - Virtually straight away! The first thing I did was to enter a small program
from the manual in basic. It printed my name on the screen in big letters,
I thought that I really had achieved something at the time. I've programmed
in Basic ever since! I have never really got to grips with machine code,
I wrote quite a few games on the old XL although most of them were crap!
I only ever wrote or played games, I never really used it for anything else.
SMURF - I BOUGHT IT FOR GAMES BUT SOON WENT ONTO TYPE IN SOME PROGRAMS
FROM SIMPLE BASIC BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY AFTER ABOUT 10 MONTHS TIME.
FRASER - I bought the QL not for game playing but for word processing. Even when I
bought my first Atari I bought the standard Explorer pack which only came
with one game.
QUESTION 3
==========
How long was it before you aquired your first Atari ST.
BUN - 1988 when I bought my FM from Silica, the year before I had travelled to
Silica from the Isle of Wight using Public Transport to buy an ST with a
mate and it took us 9 hours travelling there and back to be in the shop
for a massive 10 minutes to come home empty handed.
GARY - See question 1, I was one of the lucky people who fell straight into
the Atari scene.
MARK - Quite a while let me tell you! I think it was 1990 before I bought an STE
from Dixons. It was supposed to be an STFM and that's what it stated on
the box. When I opened it up I found an STE inside! I never did let on -
a true confession there readers!!
SMURF - I FIRST USED AN ATARI 520 STFM IN 1990 AND THEN WENT ONTO BUY MY
OWN IN THE SAME YEAR.
FRASER - Bought a 520 STFM in 1988.
QUESTION 4
==========
Right,we`ve established that you have now been bitten by the computer
bug,own some form or other of the ST,but what makes it special enough for
you to still have one and still be as enthusiastic about it.
BUN - The ST is an exceptional machine, it's easy to use and you don't need to
load some dodgy language to start playing games or playing around with
disks. I also spend many hours a day at my ST which I know I could never
do wih say a PC.
GARY - Two things really, and both are as important as the other.
Firstly the Atari itself as I believe ❎Éit ❎Éis ❎Éone of the most reliable and èuser friendly of any home ❎Écomputer. ❎ÉThe ❎ÉDesktop is clear, simple and èeasy to use and the graphics are ❎Éexcellent. ❎ÉOh!, ❎ÉI know that the PC has èmore capabilities and superior graphics but you must reme
ber that there is èa differance between a PC and what ❎Éthe Atari was designed for. The Atari èis a true 'home ❎Écomputer' ❎Éthat ❎Éis ❎Éwithin ❎Éeverybodys ❎Ébudget and can be èsafley used by any member of the family no matter how young or old.
Secondly is the people who use the ❎ÉAtari. ❎ÉI ❎Éhave never met a bunch of èpeople who are so open, friendly ❎Éand ❎Ésupportive. ❎ÉOf course running a PDL èyou do come across the odd ❎Éidiot ❎Éwho ❎Éseems to get a little pleasure ètrying to rip you off for a disk ❎Éof ❎ÉPD ❎É- but there
re not many of them è(thank goodness).
MARK - I can't afford anything else! ❎ÉFor ❎Éthe ❎Émoney, the ST is the best èall round computer and ❎ÉI ❎Éhave ❎Ébuilt ❎Éup ❎Ésuch ❎Éa ❎Élarge collection of PD èsoftware that it would be ❎Écrazy ❎Éfor ❎Éme ❎Éto ❎Échange computers now. The ST èstill seems pretty much alive and ❎ÉI ❎Éthink ❎Éit
Éwill be around for a while èyet. I remember the 8-bit magazine ❎ÉPage ❎É6 ❎Éstill being produced well into èthe 1990's, in fact, it might ❎Éstill ❎Ébe ❎Égoing ❎Éfor ❎Éall I know?! The one èthing I really like is creating ❎Ésoundtracker ❎Émusic ❎Éand I am about to get èinto Midi too so I think
he Atari is ideal for this purpose.
SMURF - I WOULD NOT CALL MYSELF ENTHUSIASTIC WITH THE ATARI, ITS MORE OF
A CASE THAT ITS AFFORDABLE,EASY TO USE AND THAT I HAVE JUST ABOUT MOST OF
THE DECENT ST SOFTWARE THATS BEEN WORTH KEEPING. I WOULD BUY A PC TOMMORROW
IF MY BANK BALANCE LOOKED HEALTHIER, BUT WOULD STILL KEP USING MY ATARI AS
I TEND TO SPEND MOST OF MY TIME WITH ART, AND THE ST & PC COMPLIMENT EACH
OTHER WHERE ART IS CONCERNED.
FRASER - I've always liked the Atari since I first mastered the mouse and drop down
menus (like most newcomers to the ST)! I quickly moved on from the half meg
machine and upgraded to one meg and bought a SM 124 monitor and Star LC10
printer shortly afterwards. Even now, I've recently upgraded for the
umpteenth time through various STE's to the old Mega 4, a Mega STE 4 and now
to a TT030 with 10 meg of RAm, half gig H.D. etc. With the amount of money
I've invested in Atari equiptment I'm loathe to change to a new platform.
Anyway, my Atari systems can do anything that I want to do in terms of
computing so why change?
QUESTION 4
==========
How long before you decide to get involved in a contibutary way,either by
setting up a PD library,setting up a diskzine or any other form of
distributed disk.
BUN - I became unemployed in 1993 and was using my ST every day and all day to
relieve the boredom I suppose, when I realised I could and should be
putting something back. My first thought was PD because I already had
100+ disks and I saw so many libraries that were charging upto £2.50 for
each disk and thought what the hell is going on here, I could do that for
much less and so Bun PD was born named beacause for the last 15 years all
my mates have always called me BUN because of my surname.
GARY - Not sure really - time goes so quickly when your having fun - but it was
a few years I suppose.
MARK - The first thing I did in a contibutary way was the STellar diskzine. I did
3 issues back in the summer of 1992 I think. The first issue got a review
in a magzine called Public Domain which was produced by Future Publishing
(it only got to issue 8 or 9 before it finished!) and recieved 65%. It was
written in STOS and there was hardly anything to read. It had a few
animations though and looked quite impressive. It sold very few issues and
I doubt anyone has a copy now, I threw mine out! In October 1993 I set
up the STellar PD library with 50 disks (don't laugh!) and then had an
official launch in January '94 with issue 1 of the new STellar diskzine
being launched at the same time. Oh, I started producing music demos and
module disks in 1993 and sent them to New Age PDl, I now have 46 disks of
STellar demos and module disks and I'm still producing them. All of the
modules were produced on an ST by myself using Protracker or Noisetracker
and were not ripped from other sources. I'm waffling on a bit now aren't I?
SMURF - IT WAS BACK IN 1993 WHEN I FIRST SENT A DISK OF MY OWN ART WORK TO
A PDL BUT HAVE CONTINUED EVER SINCE, I DID HAVE A GO AT HELPING THE ATARI
USERS OUT WITH PRODUCING A FREE ATARI ADVERTISING MAGAZINE FOR BUYING OR
SELLING USED/NEW SOFTWARE/HARDWARE, BUT THE LACK OF RESPONSE FROM ST USERS
LED TO ITS TEMPORARY STOPPAGE.
FRASER - One of my first Atari interests was P.D, (because I had unlimited access to
the P.D. stocked by the shop I bought my STFM from) therefore I suppose I
was into P.D. right from day one. Once I'd amassed around 100 disks or so I
decided to start a P.D. library called Dunedin P.D.L.
QUESTION 5
==========
In the first stages of getting your respective projects started,was their
any time that you though,"sod it,this is too much like hard work".
BUN - I had a few problems at the beginning trying to set up a printed catalogue,
but only due to cash flow problems and in the end I just gave up on the
idea as I would have had to make a charge of £1.00 for it and I think
that you shouldn't have to pay for a catalogue.
GARY - Not in the early stages but I must admit there have been times when I
have thought about giving up. Not because I dont enjoy it but because
there are so many demands on my time. The odd customer has made me think
that perhaps I am too soft and should have a more business like attitude
to the way I work and the amount of attention I give individuals.
MARK - Yes, definately! Trying to build up a collection of disks was hard enough,
but trying to build up a collection of customers is even harder! Sheer
determination and enthusiasm won through in the end though. I am the type
of person who never gives in. Getting the diskmag ready on time is probably
the most difficult task!
SMURF - NO I NEVER THOUGHT SOD IT DUE TO HARD WORK, BUT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE
RECIEVED MORE SUPPORT FOR THE HELP I WAS TRYING TO PROVIDE WITH THE ADS MAG
EVEN AT MY OWN EXSPENSE.
I DO HAVE LOTS OF ART/PICTURE DISKS IN THE P.D. SECTOR AND MORE ARE BEING
REQUESTED ON A REGULAR BASIS.
FRASER - Not really. I was very interested in seeing the P.D. stuff for my own
benefits and the library was never run as a business. As long as it paid for
itself I wasn't really bothered. I did reach a stage where all my non
working time (I work full time as a lift engineer 8.00 to 5.00) was being
taken up by the processing of P.D. orders and I has serious thoughts about
scaling down the P.D. library then but I diversified into the user group
scene, disk mags and so on and me enthusiasm for sleepless nights was
reborn!
QUESTION 6
==========
Okay,you are all now established in your own rights in your own field of
interest.What do you get from it,how much of your time does it take up,and
is it worth it.
BUN - Since late 1993 my catalogue has gone from 100 disks to roughly 450 disks.
For the first 6 years of computing experience the only other people that
I communicated with were a couple of mates that had the same machines as
me, now I have people writing to me nearly every day and I love it, I
have now also got about 20 very regular ST contacts who I swap PD with
which I would much rather do and I think over the last year or so I have
become very good friends with most of them.
GARY - What do I get from it?
A sense of satisfaction, a lot of disappiontments, a feeling of
belonging in my own field, a terrific hobby, a load of PD, people who
want to correspond with me - and a good way to spend my waking hours.
How much time does it take?
Quite a lot. It is common for me to spend a quick half hour on the Atari
before I leave for work and I normally leave at 6:45am. Obviously most
evenings I am banging away on the Atari and all weekend.
Is it worth it?
Of course I think it is otherwise I would'nt do it - but only for the
reasons above. Financially it is most definatly a bad idea but as I dont
drink in pubs or have other expensive tastes or hobbies my wife doesnt
mind too much. She moans a bit when I put an ad in ST Format (thats why
I have'nt done one for 3 months!) as they never pay for themselves and
she reckons spending money like that is exessive.
MARK - I get the thrill of seeing my adverts in ST Format. Plus I get to see all
of the latest PD software for free. I spend roughly 2-3 hours per day on
the ST but at weekends it can be more. It depends how much work there is to
do around the house! There is very little in the way of profit to be made,
but I still think it's worth it as it gets me away from the TV - just sitting
watching programmes isn't very fulfilling is it?
SMURF - YES I SUPPOSE MY ART BEING REVIEWED TWICE NOW IN ST FORMAT DOES GET
ME ESTABLISHED TO A POINT, AND IT TAKES UP MOST OF MY COMPUTER TIME ALONG
WITH REVIEWS AND ATRICLES THAT I PRODUCE FOR VARIOUS DISK MAGS. YES I THINK
ITS WORTH IT.
FRASER - Until I was married two years ago I devoted most of my spare time to various
ST aspects (P.D. library, disk mag, user group, contacts etc.) but since
then I have devoted less amd less time. I mainly keep the user group ticking
over and the updating of the library has taken a back seat. With the arrival
of my first son in July this year, time has been at even more of a premium
and most non essential ST tasks have taken a back seat.
QUESTION 7
==========
If you could make one sweeping change to the whole ST scene,what would it be
and why.
BUN - That's a difficult one.
Ok here goes.
1. The existing ST owners need to support the companies and libraries
that are trying to keep the Atari alive.
2. Some of the PDL's need to sort themselves out, I've seen quite a few
different catalogues recently ( and I'm talking about the big boys ) and
their lists contain disks which they describe as being brand new to the
ST scene and I've had the disks for a couple of years.
3. PDL prices need to change drastically, some of them are still asking
for £1.50 to £2.50 for PD and then they have the nerve to say they make no
profit whatsoever, no of course they don't, someone give them £2.50 for
a disk and how is it split? 20p maximum for the blank disk, 25p for the
stamp and maybe 10p for the envelope, which leaves £1.95 for the use of
maybe 3 minutes of electricity, that's what I call ripping off the public
especially when you get your disks back and for your £2.50 you get maybe
200K of stuff on each disk. ( OK enough moaning )
4. Finally, Atari ( bless 'em ) are doing their best to kill off a
machine that's kept them all in cash for the last 10 years or so.
GARY - Awareness! I feel sure that if the public was aware of the capabilities
of the ST it would have a massive boost. So many people get a PC who
only use it for the odd bit of DTP or WP or for the kids to do thier
homework on. The massive memory, technology and cost is wasted. All they
really need is a 'Home Computer' - all they need is an ST.
MARK - Sack everyone at Atari and start again! They just don't know how to promote
there hardware and they could do with a kick up the arse! The Jaguar should
be the best selling console by now and the ST should still be in production.
SMURF - I DONT KNOW IF I WOULD WANT TO CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE ST SCENE,
BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THE SOFTWARE WRITERS COME BACK TO US.
FRASER - Get a third party company to completely take over the entire range of Atari
hardware (and software if there are any decent titles left to support) and
relaunch a range of ST home computers at affordable prices to compete with
the games consoles and for these machines to be sold as family
education/entertainment centres rather than as "games" machines. I'd like to
see many other changes but space is no doubt at a premium!
QUESTION 8
==========
If you were fortunate enough to win a state of the art,top of the
range,everything included,money no object PC,would you still carry on with
your ST with the same enthusiasm as you do at present.
BUN - Nice one this, one of my favorite subjects.
If I had a top of the range PC, my ST would by far and away be used more!
From what I've seen of the PC ( my mate's had one for a year and given
up on his STE ) the machine is very powerful but no one knows how to put
it to good use. The games are all the same! Ok so Doom II is an
excellent game but the graphics are so bloody blocky, the other games are
the same every time you play them, like the flight sims, the strategy
games and even the shoot 'em ups, everything happens at the same time
each time you play it, it's like the PC has no "random" feature. I have
completed all his PC software so far and he can't understand why.
MY ST WILL LIVE FOR EVER AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED!!!!!!!!!
GARY - Yes! If I had one of these 'megabeasts' I would entertain myself with
it but would'nt know what else to do with it. For involvment in a
computer scene the ST would still be my first love.
MARK - Erm, to tell you the truth probably not but I wouldn't give up the ST. I have
too many good customers, contacts and disks to just give it all up. As long
as there are ST owners then I'll continue on my ST. It's unlikely that I
would win a PC anyway!
SMURF - AS I STATED EALIER, YES I WOULD KEEP MY STE BECAUSE I USE AND NOW
CONVERT A LOT OF PICTURES TO AND FROM THE PC TO THE ATARI.
FRASER - I'd probably sell it and buy the best Medusa or Eagle clone I could or
perhaps I'd keep the PC and get the latest version of GEMulator so that I
could use IT as an ST!!
SECTION 2,HARDWARE
==================
QUESTION 1
==========
What set-up are you now using at home.
BUN - Atari STM
TOS 1.00 ( no don't laugh )
2 Floppy Drives
1 Meg Upgrade
But I have access to the following at any time:
4 Meg Falcon with Hard Drive
1 Meg STE with 2 Drives
4 Meg PC with CD Rom and Hard Drive
and at least 2 other STFM machines with 1 Meg
GARY - ST, second drive, monitor, modem - basic stuff but that is the beauty
of the ST. Anything is possible with the minimum of equipment.
MARK - Very basic. A 1 meg STFM (my STE blew-up!), an Amstrad TV, Epson LQ100
printer, Mastersound 2 sampling cartridge plus a CD midi hi-fi. That's it!
SMURF - MY SET UP CONSISTS OF A..... 520 STE TOS 1.62 WITH BLITTER, A GREY
SCALE HAND SCANNER, RIPPER CARTRIDGE, MIDI KEYBOARD, EXTERNAL DRIVE, SPEED
MOUSE, PRINTER AND SAMPLER CARTRIDGE ALONG WITH LOADS OF GOOD SOFTWARE.
FRASER - Two main systems. Main: TT030 with 8 meg fastRAM and 2 meg ST RAM; internal
540 Meg H.D.; 14" SVGA colour monitor; SLM605 laser printer; internal and
external H.D. drives; Toshiba CD ROM; Golden Image hand scanner plus a few
choice software titles.
Second system: one meg STE, SC 1435 colour monitor; external D.S.D.D. drive;
Pioneer portable CD with loads of decent heavt/hard rock CD's!!
QUESTION 2
==========
If you received a voucher for £1000 that you had to spend on ST
equipment,what would you buy and why.
BUN - Easy!
4 Meg Upgrade ( £99 ) Just to be greedy really.
CD Rom unit ( £250 ) For all the good CD's that are now available.
Zip Drive ( £200 ) Removeable 100 Meg Disks, excellent idea.
Tos 2.06 ( £60 ) Coz everyone says it's excellent.
BJ 200 ( £200 ) Bloody brilliant printer ( black and white ).
Hard Drive ( £200 ) One of the best inventions ever.
GARY - 28800 baud modem, 2nd hand STE, Quad speed CD ROM, New hard drive and
have plenty of change!
MARK - A hand scanner, a laser printer and a hard drive for extra speed and
efficiency.
SMURF - I WOULD BUY ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, A COLOUR A4
SCANNER, COLOUR PRINTER (ink jet), THE NEW (ZIP PERIPHERAL) SCSI HARD DRIVE
AND MAYBE EVEN REGISTER A FEW OF THE STILL ONGOING SHAREWARE PACKAGES.
FRASER - 19" colour or multisync monitor to support the Crazy Dots graphics card I
hope to get up-and-running one day (still waiting after 8 weeks to hear from
Carl Brandt at System Solutions on whether or not he can find the time to
look at it for possiblilty of carrying out a repair)! I'd probably spend
what's left on upgrading the TT with extra memory, accelerator etc.
QUESTION 3
==========
Other than your actual ST,what part of your system would you miss most if it
went bang.
BUN - My second drive. Couldn't go back to one drive, it would be painful.
GARY - Most definatly the second drive (not counting the monitor).
MARK - My STE did go bang back in February! My TV - probably the next most important
thing. I wouldn't be able to watch the X-Files without it!
SMURF - MY HAND SCANNER OR RIPPER CARTRIDGE WOULD MOSTLY BE MISSED AS THEY
GET THE MOST USE.
FRASER - The hard drive! I've lost a H.D. before and trying to run software from
floppies again was an absolute nightmare!!
QUESTION 4
==========
If you could go back in time and install or correct one thing inside the ST
before it went into production what would you do and why.
BUN - I would have had just one really good TOS version and left it at that, I
think it causes so many problems even with PD I have stuff that won't
work on anything other than TOS 1.00.
GARY - The most obvious answer is those bloody awful joystick ports - so I wont
mention them! What I would change are all those differant TOS versions.
MARK - A decent sound chip. It could still be as popular as the Amiga if it had a
decent sound chip.
SMURF - I GUESS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN A BUILT IN HARD DRIVE OR AT
LEAST A MORE AFFORABLE WAY TO CONTROL ONE.
FRASER - Fit a SCSI port as standard.
QUESTION 5
==========
In the words of many a competition,in 30 words or less,state why you use the
Atari ST.
BUN - I use the ST because it is and always will be the best machine available
for people with little or no computer knowledge.
GARY - Coz I love it!
MARK - It's cheap to run and a brilliant all-round computer. The software is cheap
and it's easy to use too!
SMURF - I LIKE A GOOD INTERVIEW BUT HATE TO SEE REPEATED QUESTIONS, BUT TO
GIVE AN ANSWER IN LESS THAN 30 WORDS.....I USE IT FOR ARTWORK MOSTLY.
FRASER - I've spent a small fortune and wouldn't like to start from scratch on a new
platform. Also, is there another platform worth spending any cash on? I
think not!!
SECTION 3,SOFTWARE
==================
QUESTION 1
==========
Roughly how many full priced items of software did you buy before you
realised all that PD was out there.
BUN - About 150 full price commercial titles and 100 or so budget priced games
which I deeply regret now as I can't get rid of them and desperatly need
the space that they take up.
Over the last 2 years I've bought 4 commercial games in total.
GARY - None! I found PD at the same time that I started getting interested in
messing about with a computer, in fact it was PD from a cover disk that
stimulated my interest.
MARK - About 10 - I was a member of The Home Computer Club and bought quite a few
games. I'm trying to sell them all now! Are you interested Bob?
SMURF - NONE, THE FIRST PROGRAM I BOUGHT FOR THE ST WAS FROM THE PUBLIC
DOMAIN WHICH WAS A DISK OF ART CONVERTORS. I HAVE BOUGHT QUITE FEW FULL
PRICED PACKAGES SINCE THEN AND AM VERY HAPPY WITH ALL OF THEM.
FRASER - Zero. I started out with P.D. software apart from the few titles that came
with the Explorer pack.
QUESTION 2
==========
If a widget was introduced to floppy disks tomorrow that made it totally
impossible,no way,no how,to copy full priced software,would you back it 100%
given the cost of the commercial stuff had to remain as it is.
BUN - If commercial software was going to come down in price then I'd be behind
it all the way, but I don't buy games now because I'm still out of work
and just cannot justify spending £30 on a game and whilst I don't agree
with piracy in some cases I can see why it happens.
GARY - YES! We have a massive amount of PD to suit every need If you cant
afford commercial software then you should use PD.
MARK - No, commercial software could be cheaper if this was introduced. The only
reason for software prices being high is because of pirates. ST software
is reasonably priced as it is but PC software is a rip-off!
SMURF - THERE IS NO POINT TO SUCH A PROGRAM BEING BROUGHT OUT NOW FOR THE
ATARI, AND I RESENT THIS TYPE OF SNEAKY PRYING QUESTION. IF YOU WANT TO
KNOW IF I AGREE WITH PIRACY, THEN JUST ASK. THE ANSWER IS NO.
FRASER - Yes. I'm totally against software piracy and I firmly believe that piracy
led to the premature demise of the ST. Admittedly, like the majority of
newcomers to computing I did swap pirated software initially ("contacts
wanted. Send your list for mine" type of thing). But when I bought my first
original title (Degas Elite, I think) I realised what I was missing with
pirated stuff.
QUESTION 3
==========
Come up with an idea that would give shareware authors more money for their
efforts than they get now.
BUN - Most shareware authors ask far too much for what they have actually
created, I've seen some really dreadful games over the years and the
author has been asking between £10 and £20 for it which people just will
not support. Take David Cobbledick for instance, he asked too much and
got nothing, he got the hump and bought a PC and disappeared.
On the up side of this, I recently saw some shareware where the author
was asking for a fiver but if you couldn't afford the fiver he was quite
happy if you sent him some disks of PD instead.
If they want the support they need to do something like this!
GARY - I did once - but nobody bothered so it flopped.
The idea was I intended to start a shareware pool so when people sent in
their orders if they could only afford a couple of quid to register then
they sent that to me with a note of who they wanted the registration to
go to. I would then keep a list and every month send the accumalated
money to the authors on the list. I obviously needed the authors
permission for this as well but I have not had any response to this at
all.
MARK - Send a reply to everyone who send them a donation and some freebies. It's
suprising how many Shareware authors don't keep in touch with there
customers.
SMURF - DO THEY WANT MORE MONEY.....WHERE ARE THEY NOW.
FRASER - If I had such an idea I would have shared it before now! Shareware CAN work.
Just look at Jeff Minter with Llamatron as an example. Part of the problem
may be that there are too many similar titles. If there was a totally new
idea released as Shareware that many ST users had a use for then it would
probably work as a Shareware title. However, if another Shareware word
processor is released which doesn't improve on existing titles then why
should it succeed? Alternatively, if a super douper word processor did
appear would the majority of people still using First Word really have
enough incentive to "upgrade" and pay a registration fee? if all you want is
to write a few letters then why buy a document processor? There are many
great Shareware titles available but I believe that many users stick with
older and more familiar equivalent titles even though they are far less
featured packed. Unfortunate but realistic I'm afraid.
QUESTION 4
==========
If I read a review in a glossy mag on a piece of new software that I think
is great,but costs £25,and the next day buy a box of mixed disks at a car
boot sale and find a pirate of that disk in the box.How much harm am I doing
if I keep it.
BUN - That depends on your own morals really.
Some would say " it's only one disk ", but I would say yes but there's
probably hundreds of them being sold.
The ST isn't dying due to piracy, and the commercial producers that use
this as their excuse are talking bollocks, they just will not support a
machine where the gamers will not pay £60 for one game, like the console
owners, I mean how do you justify that price tag for one game. The only
console I know of that gives you the value for money is the Jaguar and
the games that come out are just a few compared with say Sega but at
least the software has been worked on until is is ready.
GARY - In practice you should blank it - but this is the real world and I think
this situation comes down to conscience.
MARK - A great deal! That person who sold you the disk needs prosecuting now. This
is the quickest way to shorten the life of the ST. Why should anyone want to
spend months or even years producing a new software title, only to have it
copied and sold by some pathetic little pirate who can't program for toffee?
SMURF - I THINK THAT THIS INTEVIEW WAS WELL THOUGHT OUT BEFORE HAND OR THIS
TYPE OF QUESTION WOULD NOT BE GETTING ASKED OVER AND OVER LIKE IN EACH MAG
LETTERS SECTION EVERY MONTH. THE ANSWER IS, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN
DECIDE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE THAT COULD BE DONE.
FRASER - The original software publishers will receive no imcome; they'll have to
sell their homes, cars and get the dog put down; their wives will leave them
and their old neighbours will pee on them in the street when they try to
sell them the Big Issue. Other than that, no harm will be done at all!!
QUESTION 5
==========
If money was no object,what item of software would you choose for yourself.
BUN - At this moment in time, I think it would have to be " Hollywood Hustler "
the poker game. Not much in cash terms I know but in software terms it
has to be my current choice.
GARY - I have never really hungered after any commercial software so this is a
hard one. If money was no object I would want everything ST Format has
reviewed in the last 2 years.
MARK - If money was no object then I'd be somewhere in the bahamas right now!
SMURF - IMAGECOPY 4 WOULD BE A GOOD ADDITION TO MY COLLCTION.
FRASER - Can't think of anything I desperately want that is especially expensive. A
more reliable multitasking system would be nice perhaps.
QUESTION 6
==========
People either love or hate demos,which category are you in.
BUN - It depends, I like a demo that is easy to watch and really shows off the
ST, I have demos that do things in just a few K of memory that I
have seen the PC need a couple of meg to do.
I don't like demos that have bad menu systems or have too many screens in
them as they tend to be very similar.
For instance the Blood Demo from Holocaust comes on two disks and is
one of my best demos, but the Japtro demo from Holocaust comes on 4 disks
and whilst it is very good it soon becomes very boring!
GARY - In the begining I found them fasinating, then I thought they were just
clever but silly the way the coders slagged each other off, and then I
started copying them which made me dislike them. Why do coders make a
good piece of entertaining free software but then make it so hard to
copy them?
MARK - I hate most of them and I don't seem to sell many. They are so unoriginal,
there are one or two mindblowing ones though such as the famous Grotesque
demo for the STE.
SMURF - I DONT HATE DEMO's, BUT ONCE SEEN, I THEN GO OVER IT AS I FIND ALL
NON PRODUCTIVE SOFTWARE A WASTE OF DISK SPACE.
FRASER - I like the better demos although they have very limited interest for me; one
or two watches and they've had it.
SECTION 3,THE WAY FORWARD
=========================
QUESTION 1
==========
Why did the ST not take off as much as the Amiga in this country,and is
there anything that can be done at this late stage to redress the balance.
BUN - The Amiga only really started to sell and be poular when Atari started to
go downhill, as far as I am concerned before that time the ST was a major
competitor, Amiga games were always said to be better but when you look
back they were also at least a fiver more than the ST versions.
You cannot redress this now that the ST is out of production but I think,
well I know that ST owners are sticking with their STs and Amiga owners
are buying PCs or consoles because they are mainly games players.
GARY - No! Atari had a golden opportunity but messed it up. We are now too far
into PC's and the days of the 'Home computer are limited. It is now
only the fortunate few who already have an Atari and enjoy the Atari
scene that will get much from it.
MARK - Atari themselves can take some of the blame for that. The ST was the best
selling computer for a while but piracy and a lack of advertising put a stop
to that. Atari should relaunch the STE at a very low price and advertise it
like crazy! £79.99 would be a good price.
SMURF - I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT NEVER TOOK OF LIKE THE AMIGA, I SUPPOSE
MORE PEOPLE WANTED A GAMES MACHINE WITH A KEYBOARD. WHERES THE AMIGA NOW?.
FRASER - One word; Atari! They couldn't market the ST from day one amd they still
couldn't market the Falcon when it first appeared. Talk about dropping a hot
potato! At this stage the ST will not be revived. It will continue as a
minority machine for (hopefully) as long as the Spectrum, QL etc. has.
QUESTION 2
==========
If there is someone who wants to get into computers reading this,why would
you suggest the ST to him/her and why.
BUN - Since I have been running my PDL I have already convinced 2 people to buy
the ST. The arguments for and against in both cases came down to price
of computer, hardware ( have you seen the price of PC hardware? ) and
software. One of my best mates has been using my own ST for years and
was thinking about buying a machine, one of our others mates has
abandoned his ST for a PC which so far he has spent £2000+ on in about a
year, I haven;t spent that much on my ST in the last 5 years! So after
using the PC for about a year the choice was buy an ST or a PC my own
arguments for the ST hammered the PCs good points.
GARY - It is amazingly user friendly, considering you can buy a second hand
STFM for be ween £60 - £80 it is amazingly cheap, there is an amazing
amount of PD around that covers everything you can think of, the users
are amazingly friendly and helpful, in short it is an AMAZING MACHINE!
MARK - To save a lot of money and to learn quickly about computers. There is a
massive range of software out there at very low prices and ST's can be
picked up for under £100 which is a hell of a lot cheaper than a PC.
SMURF - I WOULD ONLY ADVISE THE ST AS A STARTER COMPUTER TO THOSE WITH CASH
TO MOVE UPTO BETTER MACHINES, WHY? I SUPPOSE DUE TO THE EASY USE OF THE ST.
FRASER - Secondhand ST's are cheap and there is a great range of old and new software
available at reasonable prices which can be used to accomplish anything that
you could achieve using a vastly more expensive PC or MAC setup.
QUESTION 3
==========
What can the average user do to help keep the ST alive and kicking,if he
can`t program or can`t afford to pay out £10,£20 or more for the better
shareware and commercial software.
BUN - It's all going to come down to supporting the people that are keeping it
going like the librarians and the diskzine writers, software is getting
cheaper and cheaper and now there are so many private software writers
that had left the ST and have now returned that things are starting to
look up again.
GARY - Stay visible. What I mean is there are individuals, like disk mag
editors for instance, who do things for the ST for nothing other than
feedback. So why dont we give them that feedback so the editors stay
interested. The same applies to shareware authors. If you see a program
that has had a lot of time and effort invested in it BUT you never use
it so it is not worth registering - why dont you send them a short note
saying 'well done'. but telling them the sort of program you would
register. This encourages authors and helps them produce the right
program for todays market.
The other thing we should all do is to buy every ST magazine that is
produced every month. If the readership of ST Format and ST World keeps
going down the way it is they will stop producing them. If they stop
producing a glossy magazine then there will be nowhere the software and
hardware houses can advertise products,and if they cannot advertise
thier stuff they wont be able to sell it and if they can`t sell it they
wont produce it. If they are not producing then the support for the
existing stuff will cease.
So, the equation goes something like this:
Glossy mag readership down = no glossy mag,
No glossy mag = no advertising available,
No advertising = no new products,
No new products = support for existing products ceases,
No support for existing products = no interest in the Atari,
No interest in the Atari = NO ATARI.
MARK - Write to the STellar Diskzine! This is a very good way of keeping people
in touch with each other using the letters column. Diskzines are vital to
keep the ST scene alive.
SMURF - DONT TRY TO SUPPORT ALL THE TIME, JUST ENJOY THE ST IS MY ADVICE.
FRASER - Keep his ST and save up for longer than those users who CAN afford the
latest Shareware/commercial releases or sell his gear to a new enthusiast
who will perhaps support the machine to a greater extent. Being realistic,
using a computer means that you have to buy some items of software at some
time. I know many titles are expensive but many are not and Shareware
programmers would be just as happy to receive £5.00 instead of £10.00 if the
option is to receive nothing at all.
QUESTION 4
==========
How many users of the Atari ST would you say were out there in the country.
BUN - I was once told that there were 300,000 ST units in use in Great Britain,
but all I can say is if that is the case where the hell are they all ?
GARY - Thats a difficult one but if you assume that at any one time about one
third of constant users are interested enough to buy an Atari magazine
and the sales of the most popular magazine is about 20000 a month, then
I reckon it is 60,000 maximum. In fact this may be a little high.
MARK - God knows! Why ask me?!
SMURF - YOU TELL ME HOW MANY, I DONT THINK ANY ONE COULD TELL US THAT.
FRASER - There must still be a good few hundred thousand machines around from the
heyday back in the late eighties so there must be an equivalent number of
users. The ST is very reliable and many original ST's and STM' are still in
use.
QUESTION 5
==========
If new ST`s are no longer on sale,how can new users be pointed in the
direction of the Atari.
BUN - All you have to do is buy Micro Mart, it's only 70p and most weeks it's
full of sad lonely people who have decided to sell theit STs.
GARY - Only by recommendation I'm afraid. Atari Corp has abandoned the ST to
the market place.
MARK - Put a headband on, grab a machine gun, walk into your nearest Dixons and
blast the shit out of anyone who buys a PC!
SMURF - LOOK IN THE CLASSFIED ADS IN PAPERS/MAGAZINES FOR WHATEVER YOU
WANT, BUT BE AWARE OF RUBBISH. ALL SECOND HAND BUYING IS A RISKY BUSINESS
AND CAN TAKE LONG CAREFULL TIME GETTING HOLD OF THE REQUIRED ITEMS.
ALWAYS TAKE SOME ONE WITH YOU WHO KNOWS A LITTLE ABOUT THE ITEMS AND NEVER
BUY BEFORE TRYING. TAKE YOUR TIME AND LESS MISTAKES ARE MADE.
FRASER - The basic machine is still good by today's standards eventhough it is not at
the cutting edge of technology. However, if you are desperate for
performance then souped up ST's can be bought or even basic machines can be
upgraded using third party add-ons.
SECTION 4,PERSONAL FAVOURITES
=============================
QUESTION 1
==========
What is your favourite ST game.
BUN - At the moment it's Sqaure Off by Dave Munsie, who I think deserves an
award for his work with the Atari group of machines.
GARY - I go through phases, but the ones that spring to mind are;
Coarse Angler, Starball, LLamatron, Cybernetix.
MARK - Cruise for a Corpse - so much atmosphere!
SMURF - ALL LEMMINGS AND NOW OBSESSION(pinball).
FRASER - I've never been into games to any great extent. However, I like basic old
arcade clones such as Battlezone or Galaxians.
QUESTION 2
==========
What utility has been the most effective at making your life easier.
BUN - Probably FastCopy in all it's different forms, running a PDL you need an
excellent disk copier and it's one of the best around.
GARY - Fastcopy 3
MARK - Fatcopy 3 and Fastcopy pro. I couldn't run the library without them.
SMURF - I WOULD HAVE TO SAY PICSWITCH 7 (Art convertor).
FRASER - UIS III when it came out was great. NVDI is superb and Fastcopy Pro. is a
must.
QUESTION 3
==========
Have there been any items of full priced software that you`ve bought and
thought,"I`d have paid £10 extra for that it`s so good".
BUN - NO!
GARY - Only ever bought one and as that was an impulse buy I now regret it. I
am a true believer in PD.
MARK - Mastersound 2. I use this program all of the time for my sampling and to
create intros and demos. It's indespensible and I'd be lost without it.
SMURF - NO, I WILL ONLY PAY WHAT I HAVE TO.
FRASER - Can't think of any if truth be told although programmes such as Calamus,
NVDI, X-Boot etc. are worth their weight in gold to me.
QUESTION 4
==========
Is there an item of pure PD that you use all of the time.
BUN - Fastcopy III.
GARY - Fastcopy and Revenge and Autosort,
MARK - Oh there's too many too list but the most used programs have to be
Fastcopy 3 and Everest 3.3 at the moment.
SMURF - YES, EVEREST (text editor).
FRASER - No one particular title. I use a lot of P.D. from time to time as the fancy
takes me.
QUESTION 5
==========
What`s your favourite word processor.
BUN - Tempus 2.
GARY - First word.
MARK - Protext, it's a dream to use and so quick!
SMURF - NEVER USE ONE.
FRASER - Protext. I've used it for years and I'm loathe to change to anything new
now.
QUESTION 6
==========
What`s your favourite art program.
BUN - Degas Elite.
GARY - Neochrome (commercial but came with the ST), Paintpot.
MARK - Neochrome Master because it's easy to get on with. I suppose I've just
got used to it.
SMURF - CRACKART
FRASER - Still use Degas Elite now and then although I like some of the better
P.D./Shareware mono graphic packages.
QUESTION 7
==========
How many diskzines do you read on a regular,every issue,never miss one
basis.(I won`t ask your favourite)
BUN - POWER.
GARY - I really do read all that I get, so well done Maggie, Stellar,
Power, Warp, Sci-Fi.
MARK - 1 and I edit it!
SMURF - TWO MAIN ONES AND A FEW OTHERS NOW & THEN AS THEY COME OUT.
FRASER - None.
QUESTION 8
==========
What`s your favourite film.
BUN - Couldn't pick a best film, I like so many!
GARY - All the Star Wars films.
MARK - Aliens, The Emerald Forest and anything with Arnie in.
SMURF - NO FAVOURITE BUT I LIKE HORROR MOSTLY.
FRASER - Hard to say. I liked The Exorcist the first time I saw it although many of
the newer action packed films with great stunts are also to my liking.
QUESTION 9
==========
What`s your favourite TV show.
BUN - M*A*S*H
GARY - X-Files,
MARK - The X files
SMURF - I DONT WATCH ENOUGH TV TO HAVE A FAVOURITE.
FRASER - Don't watch anything on a regular basis other than films on satellite t.v.
QUESTION 10
===========
What`s your favourite choccy bar.
BUN - Galaxy.
GARY - Bounty.
MARK - Crunchie & Dairy Milk - can't decide which!
SMURF - YORKIE, GALAXY, WHISPA AND TWIRLS.
FRASER - Probably Mars bar.
QUESTION 11
===========
Who`s your favourite babe.
BUN - Ulrika Johnnson
GARY - Rita Simmons (corny but she's got a lot going for her!)
MARK - That's a tough one! There are so many! Pamela Anderson or the the girl
in my office at work. Can't decide.
SMURF - ANY ONE OF THE FEW GIRLFRIENDS THAT I SEE.
FRASER - Better say my wife (although don't tell her I consider her to be a "babe")!
QUESTION 12
===========
Final question.From say,6 `o `clock ,what would be your absolutely
ideal,perfect in every way,evening.
BUN - Out drinking with my best mates, playing pool,having a laugh and talking
Atari, and then giving Ulrika a bloody good seeing to afterwards.
( Well you did say perfect in every way ).
GARY - 6pm to 7.30pm - open post to find every one has a tenner in it but no
order so I spend the time playing Starball.
7.30 to 9pm - eating a chinese meal infront of the telly watching a new
Mad Max film.
9pm - film finishes and Rita walks in carrying 2 large glasses of
Southern Comfort and Lemonade with lots of ice and she is only wearing
suspenders and stockings.
10pm to 11.30pm - having proved I am the worlds greatest stud (with a
little help from Rita) watch a new Star Wars film whilst getting p****d
on more Southern Comfort.
11.30 to 12 - censured.
12 midnight - sleep.
If there is a God, please let this happen!!!!!
MARK - To be watching the X files and sharing a crunchie with Pamela Anderson
whilst lying in bed together and sha..er, making love at the same time!
Bliss!
SMURF - I FIND THIS TOO PERSONAL TO ANSWER. PLUS I WOULD NOT WANT UNDER
16's TO READ IT.
FRASER - Assuming I was actually home from work by six I like nothing better than to
sit around with my 2 month old son and my wife and just let the evening go
by. As soon as he's old enough to work an ST I'll have him dealing with some
of the user group mail though!!
Well there it is,quite a ❎Évariety ❎Éof opinions there really.Without knowing èbeforehand that Lennie Smales was about ❎Éto ❎Édepart from the ST,reading his èanswers now there certainly seems ❎Éto ❎Ébe ❎Éan ❎Éundercurrent of unrest there èwith him.Still,I think in the main ❎Éthat ❎Éthe ❎Érest ❎Éo
the guys seem to be èvery happy with the Atari and the future for all of us that are involved is èmaybe a bit brighter and more ❎Ésecure ❎Éthan ❎Éthe doom-mongers would have us èbelieve.
I would be keen to hear from ❎Éanyone ❎Éon future subjects to hold individual èinterviews with,anyone that you ❎Éconsider ❎Éto ❎Ébe ❎Éworthy ❎Éof sharing their èviews and opinions with all of us,if ❎Éyou know of someone,contact me at the èKelstar address.( Bob Kell )
