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From: steveg@SAIC.COM (Stephen Harold Goldstein)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Anti-Atari Bashing Flame (long - sorry)
Message-ID: <8911140141.AA02948@NARNIA.SAIC.COM>
Date: 14 Nov 89 01:41:28 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 56

Sorry to waste the bandwidth but, I can't keep quiet anymore.
I'm sick and tired of all the TT flames and Atari bashing going on.
It solves nothing and probably only serves to scare away anyone 
thinking about buying an ST.  If you must continue with this practice, 
perhaps we can get a comp.sys.atari.st.bash area going.  So far
Greg Lindahl has been just about the only voice of reason here, and now
he gets flamed.  Shheeesh!  (I'm with you Greg!)

I've been an Atari owner since November of 1980 when I got my
trusty Atari 800 (which I just reluctantly sold to finance another
hard drive for my ST).  I bought a 1040 in February of '88 and 
UPGRADED (my DEALER gave me a trade in allowance) to a Mega 4 with
the Atari Laser this past June.  I made a careful decision about what
I was getting for my money.  I knew Atari's reputation for support
(or lack thereof), and factored that in.  I also knew Atari's 
reputation for building solid, quality hardware.  I have *NEVER*
had any hardware problems with any of my Atari equipment.  I now have
a postscript capable system that can (and does) run ST, Mac, and
IBM software for less than most postscript printers cost.  I could
complain it doesn't run at 100MIPS, but that's not what I expected
or paid for.

Seems to me the people bitching at Atari have no one to blame but
themselves for not making a more careful decision before buying.  If
the TT isn't what you want, DON'T BUY ONE!  Come on, it's like you're
bitching at Ford because they won't sell you a Corvette (a product
they don't make), or because your Escort can't outrun a Ferrari (do
something you should know it can't).  Find another manufacturer and
leave us alone.  I've gotten what I've wanted/paid for out of every
Atari machine I've owned.  This is NOT blind loyalty mind you.  I
think there's a WORLD of things Atari management could do to get the
ST more exposure and more widely accepted, but that's not my job.
Historically, Atari has always made neat hardware and botched the
marketing.  But as Greg said, they ARE making money selling computers
- maybe not in the U.S., but that just means I'll have European sales
to thank for keeping the company around long enough for me think about
them the next time I'm looking for a computer.  And if it's a TT, I
*DO* have a choice about slots - if I don't want/plan to expand, I can
save a little money with a TT/P (why pay for slots I won't use?).  If
I want slots there's the TT/x which costs more, but nothing in life is
free.  That sounds right to me.  TT/x cost too much?  Not quite what
you want?  BUY SOMETHING ELSE!  Buy a Mac or PC and go bitch in some
other newsgroup!  

                       <*heavy sigh of relief*>

Alternate proposal:  How about comp.sys.atari.tech for serious technical 
                     discussions and exchanges of information in a 
                     civilized manner?

Please send all flames to alt.flames where I'll be happy to ignore them.
Constructive criticisms and discussion always welcome.

Stephen Goldstein     steveg@saic.com
My first Atari system? A 24K Atari 800, Rev. A ROMS, C(not G)TIA graphics
Disclaimer:  That's not what I said.