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- Info-Atari16 Digest Sat, 30 Mar 91 Volume 91 : Issue 179
-
- Today's Topics:
- "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari
- Basic hardware upgrade help / resources sought
- Grey-scale multisync monitors
- HELP! Mono monitor died
- Help with atari.archive
- Mercury Authorship
- rant and rave
- Standardized GEM look and feel (2 msgs)
- ST Pad specs
- Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT
- Whoops, sorry
-
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- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Mar 91 04:30:08 GMT
- From: o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mc4c+@pt.cs.cmu.edu (Mark Choi)
- Subject: "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- Warning: The following may be regarded as a complete waste of bandwidth.
- Stop reading now or don't blame me.
- > Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 29-Mar-91 Re: Response to Mr.
- > Choi re.. Steve Yelvington@thelake (788)
-
- > MARK: KNOCK IT OFF, MR. KNOW-IT-ALL COLLEGE BOY.
-
- > A representative of Atari Corp. ought to be able to disclose information
- > about a new machine here without being rudely berated.
-
- YOU BIG BABY.
- If you read my post, I find it hard to see how you can think anything I
- say berated TRH, let alone rudely (can one do otherwise?).
- > Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 29-Mar-91 Re: Response to Mr.
- > Choi re.. Steve Yelvington@thelake (788)
-
- > It doesn't help
- > when you go out of your way to make Atari folks feel unwelcome when they
- > do participate here. You're doing the longtime readers of this newsgroup
- > a
- > serious disservice.
- I did nothing of the kind. I merely pointed out what I saw to be the
- good points and bad points of this machine, based on a lot more than
- just "let's compare it to the 520ST" attitude so many people have. I
- have occasion to work with just about every major platform out there,
- including the ST (Stacy4 and MEGA4, so don't say I do not have an
- "interest in Atari", as TRH proposes!), Amiga 500 and 2500, 80x86 DOS
- machines, DECstation 3100's, NeXTstations, every mac ever put out, from
- the 128 to the IIfx, VAX under VMS, VAX under Unix, PDP xx's, sun
- SPARCstations, and even a Silicon Graphics station and a LISP machine
- from time to time. So what? I am not trying to show off my digital
- omniscience? In fact most of the people on this net have more knowledge
- about computers in their removed appendixes than I do! But I do know
- what is out there, what has succeeded in the market, what has not, and I
- have a pretty good track record in predictions in this regard. What is
- Atari's track record? If it comes right down to it, the only success
- they ever had was the 2600. That is not to say that their machines were
- not fantastic, but they had no market share. And who the hell cares how
- long you have been reading messages on this board? What the hell
- difference does that make. Do you own it, due to your old-timer status?
- And how am I doing anyone a disservice? They may disagree with me, but
- am I stealing the food from their mouths, am I killing their first born,
- give me a break. If you don't like what I say, then don't read it. Geez,
- you'd think this was soc.women or something :~). Oh, so I suppose now,
- because of what I said, Atari is going to cancel the notebook, and start
- making PC-clones! My responses were amicable and polite in reference to
- all individuals involved. If I insult Atari Corp., and that is a crime,
- then most of the people on this board are criminals as well. Atari has
- cried wolf way to often for me to just jump when they say so.
-
- > Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
- > re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
-
- > Could it be, Mr. Choi, that you haven't the faintest idea
- > what-in-the-fuck you are talking about?
-
- > *stuff deleted*
-
- > You talk about note-books equipped with hard-drives, floppies, ISA
- > bus'es etc. How many NOTEBOOK (NOT laptop/luggables) machines any ALL of
- > these,
- > or even more than ONE of these... .
-
- > We need to make an actual machine, not constantly change to
- > add in the latest pipe-dream.
-
- 1) No this could not be :~). It was just an idle speculation, No need to
- jump down my throat. It was hardly as large a leap of logic as you have
- made.
-
- 2)Look at the adds in Computer Shopper, babe. The VAST majority of
- notebooks (which means smaller that 10x15, usually much so, less than
- 8x10, and weighing less than 6 or 7 pounds) do have 1.44 meg floppy
- drives, 20 meg hard disks, AND external VGA support. Some even have an
- ISA slot. Granted, they have a battery life of only 3.5 - 4 hours, but
- they DO have these things. These *are* actual machines. Your above
- contentions are both misinformed, and misinforming. I expected better.
- And you think you know the market. You scare me.
- > Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
- > re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
-
- > G) US availablility
- > This machine was ALWAYS designed for the US market. It was NOT
- > designed to REPLACE a desktop machine; it is designed to COMPLEMENT a
- > desktop
- > machine, for most people. Circuitry, layout, housing are all being
- > designed to
- > help with FCC regulations.
-
- This is what they said about every single machine they have ever put
- out. How many were actually released in the US first? Is the Stacy
- debacle all that far behind us. Remember that TT thing?
- > Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
- > re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
-
-
- > In case you haven't guessed, I am REALLY annoyed with Mr. Choi's
- > whinings. He doesn't take the time to find out what the machine actually
- > is,
- > yet is prepared to tear apart it's design. He doesn't take time to even
- > understand our market, yet is prepared to tear apart HIS SUPPOSITIONS of
- > our
- > marketing strategy.
-
- > Mr. Choi, if you know so much about what would be the perfect machine
- > (as you appear to think) GO AHEAD, MAKE IT, AND MAKE LOTS OF MONEY. I
- > ENCOURAGE IT. IT IS THE WAY CAPITALISM WORKS.
-
- Where did I make one incorrect statement about the machines designs? You
- have not yet pointed to one error I made in this regard. I disagree with
- parts of the concept. This is not the same thing. I did take time to
- find out what the machine was. Why else did I post you looking for more
- info? I did not tear apart it's design, only aspects thereof. And you
- claim I do not understand your market. Where is your proof of this.
- Meanwhile I could find pooploads of evidence that Atari and the Tramiels
- do not understand the computer market. As far as your last barrage is
- concerned, I am a socialist so there :~). Actually, this is very
- annoying. It is the same stupid argument made by bad actors to defend
- against bad reviews. If the critic could act, (s)he would be acting,
- (s)he would not be a critic. I do not need to have the necessary
- background in engineering or the capital to start a entrepreneurial
- venture to be able to use a machine, or to suggest improvements thereto.
- IS THIS NOT WHAT THE ST WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT, ON BOTH COUNTS.
- I also do not need to be able to build a machine to know what this
- machine would have to be. Are you offering me a job in you R&D think
- tank? I, along with a number of other *frequent* posters here COULD make
- you a machine that would sell, IMHO.
- > .Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
- > re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
-
- > Otherwise, why not be a reasonable human being, and make CONSTRUCTIVE
- > criticism, based on (gasp!) actual knowledge? This does NOT mean "say
- > only
- > nice things", be as critical as you like, but do so to try to improve the
- > product.
-
- How was what I said non-constructive? Are you a bit to emotionally
- involved to get an objective view, here? If you look at my posts, it is
- obvious that what I said was to improve the product, I even stated as
- much. This last little bit seems more like a burst of hot air to make
- you seem more open minded than you are, than a real response to anything
- I wrote.
- > Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
- > re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
-
- > Maybe you just enjoy being nasty?
-
- Who was nasty? Read YOUR post.
- I just legitimately believe that the machine would be a huge success,
- both in the Atari world and without, if the things I suggested were
- done. Without them, I think it will be a small fish in a very small
- pond, and not live up to it's potential. You disagree, fine. This is
- Usenet, and we are entitled to our thoughts and opinions. You, however,
- seem to think that you are more entitled to yours than I am to mine.
- I do not like to rant and rave on the net over personal affronts, but
- too many misstatements and assinine remarks were made in both the Steve
- Yelvington and TRHall letters to let slide. I am sorry for this
- bandwidth explosion, but that is going to happen every now and then on a
- pseudo free net. In closing I would like to remind Steve Y. and TRHall,
- assuming they ever even read all of what I wrote, that I said repeatedly
- that I liked this machine and that I wanted one. I just wished it were a
- bit more functional, and useful. How many people do you really believe
- are going to plop down 2 grand for this baby, and another $700-$2000 for
- another desk machine, with a lot of duplicated functionality. You seem
- to claim that one can not get a desk machine into a notebook, but the
- editors of various PC mags seem to disagree with you, putting out a
- large amount of articles about how notebooks now can be your only
- machine, are as powerful as desktops, etc.. If you wish to make personal
- disparaging remarks, shoot them with all due haste into me e-mailbox. If
- you want to make constructive comments, post to the net. Why do you have
- to vent your personal poop in front of an audience? TRHall, if your
- attitude is exemplary of the rest of Atari engineering, and management,
- then I think I may have made a bad purchase 5 years ago when I got my
- ST, a bad purchase 3 years ago when I got my MEGA 4, and the biggest
- blunder of a life time, when I mortgaged my soul to get a STacy 4. I
- should have waited, put my money in bonds, and used the earnings from
- everything I put into Atari to get a NeXT. If your attitude, and you
- crass display of emotionalism is a reflection of the company for which
- you work, then you suck, and deserve every loss in market share you have
- gotten, and will get. If not, I wish Atari all the luck in the world. I
- will stay loyal till I am told by enough of those in Atari such as
- yourself to go ahead and leave. Then, anyone want a STacy? This is
- supposed to be a good stance for a computer company to take to its
- users? No wonder your marketing stinks!
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 29 Mar 91 19:17:17 GMT
- From: mcrware!mwca!bill@uunet.uu.net (Bill Sheppard)
- Subject: Basic hardware upgrade help / resources sought
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <1991Mar26.174120.47166@cc.usu.edu> slp9m@cc.usu.edu writes:
- >...Here are the most urgent issues:
- >...
- >4. Mouse alternatives. I hate the switches in my original Atari
- >mouse. Are there other mice that work?
-
- For those of you who aren't aware, Logitech has come out with the "Logitech
- ST" mouse - I know that B&C Computervisions in Santa Clara has it ($59.95),
- and Microtyme advertised it recently in one of the magazines. The Logitech
- mice for the PC are well-regarded, I have no reason to believe the ST mouse
- isn't equally nice. It's good to see a major company jumping into the ST
- marketplace...
- --
- ##############################################################################
- # Bill Sheppard -- bills@microware.com --
- # Microware Systems Corporation --- OS-9: Seven generations beyond OS/2!! #
- ######Opinions expressed are my own, though you'd be wise to adopt them!######
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Mar 91 01:14:22 GMT
- From: uhccux!uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu!kiki@ames.arpa
- Subject: Grey-scale multisync monitors
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- Some people were interested in multisyncing grey-scale VGA monitors which
- might be adaptable to the ST computers. A list of specs follows:
-
-
- Manufacturer phone number
- model horiz scan vert scan list (typical) price
- ============================================================================
- Princeton Graphic Systems (call local info in Norcross, Ga for phone)
-
- Max-15 15-36Khz 45-120Hz $389 ($240)
-
- o autosynchronous; capable of 1024x768 interlaced
- o TTL/RGB analog inputs, sub-mini DB-15 cable supplied
- o display size 230mm x 173mm (optimal)
- o 90-132V AC switchable to 200-264V AC, 46-61Hz
- o Warranty: 1 year labor, 2 years parts
-
- Comments: currently unavailable for about 10 weeks, until a
- new manufacturing facility is completed. based in
- Georgia. warranty service in Georgia.
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- TVM Professional Monitor Corp 800 822-8168, (714) 985-4788
-
- MG-11 15-38Khz 45-90Hz $349 ($225)
-
- o autosync; capable of 1024x768 interlaced
- o TTL/RGB analog inputs, sub-mini DB-15 cable adaptor supplied
- o display size 250mm x 180mm (optimal)
- o distortion: linearity <= 5%, pincushion <= 2.0mm
- o user controls:
- side - brightness, contrast, power switch
- rear - horiz and vert pos, horiz and vert size, horiz sync
- rear - TTL/analog switch, TTL mode dipswitches (4)
- front - screen background invert switch
- o 100-125V AC switchable to 200-240V AC, 50/60 Hz, 65 Watts max.
- o Warranty: 2 years
-
- Comments: fresh shipment just arrived to distributors. new US
- facility in Ontario, California to be completed in '92.
- able to fax spec sheets. warranty service in California.
- branch office in Vancouver.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tatung Company of America 800 827-2850 ext. 213, (213) 979-7055
-
- MM-1295/1495 15-35/38Khz 50-70Hz $349/369 ($225/???)
-
- o CRT size 12" for MM-1295, 14" for MM-1495
- o autosync; capable of 800x600
- o display area 210mm x 160mm (MM-1295), 240mm x 180mm (MM-1495)
- o TTL/RGB analog inputs
- o User controls:
- side - brightness, contrast, power
- rear - horiz and vert center, horiz and vert size, vert hold
- rear - TTL/analog switch
- o 90-132V AC switchable to 180-260V AC, 50/60 Hz, 70 Watts max
- o Warranty: 1 year
-
- Comments: only MM-1295 in stock. other models may not be imported to
- to US because of lack of demand. warranty service in Cali-
- fornia.
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 3Lynx 800 243-5969
-
- Intellisync 15" MonoVGA (specs unknown)
-
- Comments: sales rep can't provide specs.
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Other monitors by NEC (GS2A) and Goldstar (1405+) scan on discrete freqs and
- may not be able to properly sync to all the ST/TT video modes. Monitors listed
- above are of paper-white (grey-scale) color, although particular H17/H31 phos-
- phor used was unspecified.
-
- All information should be checked and corroborated before making any purchase
- decision.
-
-
- Jack
-
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Mar 91 01:00:41 GMT
- From:
- arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!orion.oac.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ct
- r.columbia.edu!emory!ogicse!usenet!prism!vovut@arizona.edu
- Subject: HELP! Mono monitor died
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- My SM124 died a few days ago. I was typing a paper and the screen suddenly
- went blank. The power light went off, too. I replaced a blown fuse, but
- every fuse blows out.
-
- Can someone help? Please?
-
- vovut@prism.cs.orst.edu
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 29 Mar 91 14:42:36 GMT
- From:
- noao!asuvax!ukma!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!peregrine!c
- cicpg!unix!paulm@arizona.edu (Owner and User)
- Subject: Help with atari.archive
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <1991Mar27.161655.15195@santra.uucp>, s37837k@saha.hut.fi (Jari
- Lehto) writes:
- [...]
- >
- > The complete address for atari.archive is atari.archive.umich.edu
- > and all you have to do is:
- >
- > ftp atari.archive.umich.edu <ret>
- [...]
-
- I here that BART is back on line but I have yet to get some response from
- it. Could some one please post the UUCP address of atari.archive.umich.edu.
-
- I can get to uunet so an address relitive to that would be great. I have
- sent 3 requests for help but have not even received any bounced mail. That
- must mean that I'm getting somewhere but the requests are falling in the
- 'bit bucket'.
- Thanx in Advance,
- Paul Moreau
- -----
- UUCP: ..!ccicpg!unix!paulm
- ~~~~
- BTW: my machine will soon have a real name not just unix.
- -----
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Mar 91 04:40:42 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio
- -state.edu!linac!att!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!ns!ns!logajan@a
- rizona.edu (John Logajan)
- Subject: Mercury Authorship
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- jimomura@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes:
- >as I look at this Mercury package,
- >something strange stands out. There are NO credits given to ANYBODY
- >else. The author claims FULL ORIGINALITY of his code. But when I
- >looked at a couple of the files, some of the code looked sort of
- >familiar.
-
- >So here's my question: Does anybody feel that the author of
- >Mercury has "illegitimately" removed credits of other peoples work?
-
- Part of Mercury UUCP (the outcalling version of UUCICO) was orginally
- written by me in GFA Basic and published in the public domain. Thus
- the Mercury author was within his full rights to use it as he saw fit.
-
- In fact, he contacted me beforehand, and I specifically suggested that
- he could do as he pleased with it, *INCLUDING* take my name off it.
-
- However, my name was still in the Mercury code I saw several months ago
- even though the new author had improved it by (using reverse engineering)
- adding the complicated code to allow incoming calls and probably other
- functional improvements.
-
- I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm quite happy with the way Mercury
- was developed and published
-
- --
- - John Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428
- - logajan@ns.network.com, 612-424-4888, Fax 612-424-2853
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Mar 91 05:39:03 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!news.cs.ind
- iana.edu!maytag!watmath!ljdickey@arizona.edu (L.J.Dickey)
- Subject: rant and rave
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- I notice a couple of noisy kids have joined our group recently.
-
- I have found that my level of satisfaction with this group is
- higher if I get more "information" and less bickering.
-
- For those who don't know, it is possible on my mailer, and maybe
- yours too, to exclude postings from certain individuals with a
- line like this added to your KILL file.
-
- /noisy@somewhere.edu/h:j
- /noisy@somewhere.com/h:j
-
- The "h" at the end means hunt through the header for the string,
- and the "j" means to junk the message. You can go further, by
-
- /noisy@somewhere.edu/a:j
- /noisy@somewhere.com/a:j
-
-
- and any message that contains the string Anywhere in the message
- will be junked.
-
-
- --
- Prof L.J. Dickey, Faculty of Mathematics, U of Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1
- Internet: ljdickey@watmath.waterloo.edu
- UUCP: ljdickey@watmath.UUCP ..!uunet!watmath!ljdickey
- X.400: ljdickey@watmath.UWaterloo.ca
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 29 Mar 91 21:08:12 GMT
- From:
- noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!m.cs.u
- iuc.edu!ibma0.cs.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!mrcnext!chuck@arizona.edu (charles
- bridgeland)
- Subject: Standardized GEM look and feel
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- mathew@mwowm.mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
-
- >> there is no real GUI standard like there is in
- >>the mac world or even the PC/windows world, i suppose. there is no what
- >>i would consider "look and feel" standard for gem applications, IMHO.
-
- >There are Look and Feel guidelines in the standard GEM Programmer's
- >Reference Manuals from Digital Research.
-
- >What do you expect? Look-and-feel Police to strap you down and force you
- >to RTFM?
-
-
- >mathew
- -----------------------------------------------------
- one of the things I _like_ about the ST is that I can make it look like
- about anything I want. There's no fascist lockstep on the user interface.
- I can fire up gulam and make a imitation unix machine. Pcommand will act
- like msdos, as if I ever would want that (can you say "boring"?). There
- are all sorts of nifty GEM add-ins, and no silly little wall at 640K.
-
- --
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- chuck bridgeland---anarchoRepublican
- --don't forget, we surround _them_, not the other way around"
- chuck@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu hire me so I can quit this pit.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 29 Mar 91 13:50:55 GMT
- From:
- deccrl!bloom-beacon!eru!kth.se!sunic!mcsun!ukc!axion!tharr!steveh@decwrl.dec.co
- m (Steve Hamley)
- Subject: Standardized GEM look and feel
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In article <A0b2wzfm@mwowm.mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk writes:
- >In <1991Mar21.100227.13538@convex.com>, William Rosencranz writes:
- >> there is no real GUI standard like there is in
- >>the mac world or even the PC/windows world, i suppose. there is no what
- >>i would consider "look and feel" standard for gem applications, IMHO.
- >
- >There are Look and Feel guidelines in the standard GEM Programmer's
- >Reference Manuals from Digital Research.
- >
- >What do you expect? Look-and-feel Police to strap you down and force you
- >to RTFM?
-
- Unfortunately the guidelines aren't as far reaching as those of Apple's in
- their Inside... series. (If you want to write a good GEM application, get
- yourself a copy of them and adapt their rules to GEM.
-
- Look and feel police wouldn't be such a bad idea either. An accreditation
- scheme for software that 'This product has been certified user friendly
- and conforms to Atari guidelines' perhaps? Unfortunately, I think GEM has
- wandered off on its own for a bit too long...
-
-
- Steve.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 28 Mar 91 21:30:49 GMT
- From:
- arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!bu.edu
- !polygen!jerry@arizona.edu (Jerry Sheckel)
- Subject: ST Pad specs
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) writes:
- >
- >They've been working on Windows for most of a decade and still
- >haven't got the technology straightened out.
- >
-
- Just because they keep improving it doesn't mean they can't straighten
- out the technology. What does that phrase mean, anyway? Is GEM
- technology "straightened out"?
-
- >
- >Just what I *don't* want in a
- >Dynabook: a buggy, ugly, crash-prone user interface that runs on top of
- >MessyDos and requires at least a '386 running at 20mHz to be tolerably
- >fast.
- >
-
- Buggy? And I suppose you think that GEM on the ST is beautiful, bug-free, and
- ultra efficient. Crash-prone? I've been using Windows 3.0 since it was
- released, and it hasn't crashed yet. Requires a 20MHz 386 to be tolerably
- fast? Bullsh*t. Ugly? Well, that's a matter of opinion, and IMHO GEM is the
- ugliest GUI of the bunch.
-
- As far as the OS is concerned, you shouldn't feel this need to bash on MS-DOS.
- After all, TOS and DOS are practically the same OS, ported to different
- machines. Just look at the major system calls for both OSes -- exactly the
- same.
-
- >
- > Steve Yelvington / P. O. Box 38 / Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 USA
- >
- --
- +-------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------+
- | JERRY J. SHEKHEL | POLYGEN CORPORATION | When I was young, I had to walk |
- | Drummers do it... | Waltham, MA USA | to school and back every day -- |
- | ... In rhythm! | (617) 890-2175 | 20 miles, uphill both ways. |
- +-------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------+
- | ...! [ princeton mit-eddie bu sunne ] !polygen!jerry |
- | jerry@polygen.com |
- +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 29 Mar 91 15:06:06 GMT
- From: chinet!saj@gargoyle.uchicago.edu (Stephen Jacobs)
- Subject: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- In this discussion, I somehow haven't picked up whether that wonderful
- expansion connector is going to be driven by light-duty things, the way the
- Mega connector is, or by drivers with some fan-out (and isolation) capability.
- The way discussion has gone, I fear the former (but don't know). And it has
- been mentionsd several times in the past that the 'weakness' of the Mega port
- made it hard for people to connect things to it. (come to think of it,
- likewise the parallel port, but that's not the point here).
-
- One thing that I think would make a big difference in sales of these machines
- is software that would allow a connection to a PC such that the laptop
- could act as a remote keyboard for the PC, and also transfer files both
- ways quickly. Preferably built in to the laptop, and preferably able to
- install anything needed on the PC end itself. I'm thinking of Laplink here,
- and rather than inventing it again, Atari might not do badly to see if something
- could be worked out with the Laplink people.
-
- I care very much about the sales of ST-compatible laptops; I have a rather
- nice application written for such machines. I'll join the chorus of "There
- has to be a cheap & easy way to put software into it". That just doesn't
- apply as strongly to PC-compatible ultra-lights, where there's probably
- already a machine that runs essentially the same programs to dock it to. You
- can take along a travelling copy of software from the 'home base' machine.
- Doesn't work for a non-PC-compatible, and will CERTAINLY be seen as a negative.
- Try to get into the mind of someone who has to load the ST version of Word
- Perfect onto his '386 box in order to transfer it to a laptop so he can play
- with a report while he's on a trip. Sure he'd only have to do it once, but
- I don't think he'd be thinking pro-Atari thoughts as he did. One entirely
- plausible idea is to have a floppy as part of a 'base unit' that would tend
- to stay home, as long as it was standard equipment.
-
- How's this: a combination power brick, floppy drive and external video
- adapter, that plugs in to the expansion connector?
-
- Don't anyone get too excited; these are just some ramblings. And by the way,
- who's the magic person who has to say 'this will happen' and make these
- officially-announced future Atari products? And has that person said that?
- Steve saj@chinet.chi.il.us
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: 30 Mar 91 04:45:35 GMT
- From:
- arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!@arizona.ed
- u (Mark Choi)
- Subject: Whoops, sorry
- To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
-
- Sorry about that double post, paste, and post are awfully close on
- these Andrew menus!
- While I'm here, obligatory Atari related post:
- Does anyone out there have any opinions on the parsec graphics adapter
- for the ST?
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of Info-Atari16 Digest
- ******************************