Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!asuvax!mcdphx!hrc!force!covertr
From: covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: SLM804 from emulators...  Where the problem might lie.
Summary: You Are Still Missing My Point
Keywords: SLM804, Spectre128, SpectreGCR, PC Ditto, PC Speed, Emulators
Message-ID: <4602254a.14a1f@force.UUCP>
Date: 3 Oct 89 15:49:49 GMT
References: <880@per2.UUCP>
Organization: gte
Lines: 96

In article <880@per2.UUCP>, dag@per2.UUCP (Daniel A. Glasser) writes:
> Some people have gotten really angry over the lack of SLM804 support
> in the various emulators running on the ST.  Although I can simpathize
> with these people, I must take exception to the accusations that they
> are making about the developers of these emulators.

Daniel, you are still missing my point. My ONLY complaint with Dave Small,
and Gadgets By Small was when Dave Small kept promising 300 dpi QuickDraw
support of the SLM804. Dave made commitments to me as far back as September
1988. Now, I realize that writing the 300 dpi QuickDraw SLM804 driver has
proven to be a BIG task. And I do appreciate the fact that Dave Small spent
so much time and effort attempting to write a 300 dpi QD SLM804 driver. 
Unfortunately, it appears to have proven to be hard for even Dave and Dan
to accomplish and the latest news that I have is that the 144 dpi ImageWriter
Emulator is the currrent level of supprt for the SLM804. So, I do thank Dave
and Dan for spending so much time and effort on the SLM804. I just wish that
it had been easier to accomplish. I need to thank Atari for producing a
Laser Printer that can not be supported by third party vendors!!

> 
>
so stuff omitted
.
.
.
> David Small and the people at AG would probably be willing to integrate
> improved SLM804 support if someone were to offer them the required code
> at a reasonable price in a useable form.  The support would probably be
> limited to those machines with at least 2, and probably 4, megabytes.
> 

I don't know why Atari doesn't provide this support?? It would help immensely
for GBS and Avant-Garde to have a software base to wrok from. Atari is the
real guilty party in producing an unsupportable laser printer. As far as AG
ever producing a pc ditto ii based SLM804 printer driver, they should talk
to Dave and Dan at GBS. Maybe the two companies could work out a common set
of software to support the SLM804?? Who knows??

> Make whatever criterion you wish for your software selection.  Tell the
> world about those choices that you make.  State a desire for features in
> products that you find unusable because of the lack of those features.
>

Dan, as the only printer I have is the SLM804, and seeing as how it works fine
in the native ST mode, I see no reason to buy a dot matrix printer just to use 
the Spectre or the pc ditto ii emulators. So, untill and unless AG supports
the SLM804 at 300 dpi, I will pass on the pc ditto ii.
 
> Please don't keep whining about those "missing" features which were never
> promised by the developers in the first place.  Would it be better if the
> product were delayed by the additional months/years that it might take
> for a single programmer or a small team to add those features which could
> only be used by a small minority of what already is a small market?
>

Daniel, if it is whining to ask for a promised feature, then I am whining. I
have stopped 'whining' now that Dave Small has made it clear that the 144 dpi
ImageWriter Emulator is the released support of the SLM804. Now, that I know
what the situation is, I won't keep whining for the 300 dpi QuickDraw emulator
for the SLM804 printer. All I know is that, back in 1988, even before the Spectre
was released I called Dave Small and asked about the Spectre and the SLM804. Dave
was honest and said that the first release of the Spectre wouldn't support the
SLM804 l.p.. But, and here is the rub, Dave promised, to develop a QD 300 dpi
driver for the SLM804. A year has gone bye and it has proven to be next to impossible,
and Dave has released instead a 144 dpi ImageWriter emulator. so, the feature was
changed when it was proven to be impossible to develop a 300 dpi driver. That
is the way life is sometimes. 
 
> Maybe someone could develop a program that runs under MAC-OS specific
> to the ST which would do a 300dpi imagewriter (or DeskWriter) emulation
> on an SLM804 and sell this as a separate item.
> 

Yep, that would be nice, and I might be willing to pay some bucks for such a
program. So, any takers out there??


> If we, as a user community, could have a little more understanding of
> the technology that we demand and those who attempt to provide us with
> it, morale (which is VERY important in this business) would be much
> better.
> -- 
>

I have ALWAYS said that Spectre is a fine product. My ONLY complaint with Spectre
is the limited SLM804 printer support. That and the fact that Dave Small and I
fight like cats and dogs!!! But, I have nothing but the highest respect for Dave Small,
Dan Moore and the rest of the folks at Gadgets By Small.

  _____________________________________________________________________________
>     Daniel A. Glasser                           One of those things that goes
>     uwvax!per2!dag                              "BUMP!!!(ouch)" in the night. 
>  ---Persoft, Inc.---------465 Science Drive-------Madison, WI 53711-----------


Richard Covert at Large