Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!philmtl!atha!rwa
From: rwa@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Ross Alexander)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Anti-Atari Bashing Flame (long - sorry)
Message-ID: <1253@atha.AthabascaU.CA>
Date: 19 Nov 89 22:54:56 GMT
References: <8911140141.AA02948@NARNIA.SAIC.COM>
Organization: Athabasca University
Lines: 43

steveg@SAIC.COM (Stephen Harold Goldstein) writes:
>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!

Good idea.  I think I'll buy a PS/2 - then I can keep my software
investment intact, right ?  Or less tersely, many of us feel Atari is
holding us hostage because although we could afford (easily) to go to
another vendor for a hardware platform, we're trapped by our current
software and data.  I for one have easily $2,500 tied up in packages
which work well, and with which I am happy, except that the hardware
platform has been completely outstripped.  I can't put a value on the
data I have lying around at all - ghods know how many hours I have
tied up in that.

So I'm pretty well committed to going with Atari again.
Unfortunately, Atari appears to think that this gives them the
opportunity to ignore me, and to slant their market offerings to
buyers at the low end, without losing the sale, and with no loss to
themselves.  I don't like that very much - I feel I'm simply being
taken for granted.  Anyone else out there feel like a captive too ?
If I'd gone with Big Blue (ugh) I could get a real powerhouse clone
now from any number of vendors and keep my software.  This would be
nice.

As for Greg Lindahl, yourself, and the rest of the cheerleaders:
what's _your_ investment in ST-line equipment?  In software?  In data
that only makes sense in relation to the afore-mentioned software?  In
hours spent learning the twisties of programming in the AES/VDI/GDOS
environment?  I'm on the hook for quite a few $$$'s, and many, many
hours.  I've got a 1040, 85 meg drive, two monitors, jato board,
memory upgrade, tons of other stuff, magic sack, I can't even keep
track of it all.  Have you noticed that many people expressing
unhappiness w/Atari have similar large investments?  I do not consider
myself a casual complainer.  Hell, I'm even a registered developer!

I want to buy a real high-end cpu/video section.  I don't see it yet;
the tt/p comes close but lacks expansion.  The tt/x may be it, but
it's a little too far away to bank on.  I see _lots_ of high end stuff
from other vendors that I can't buy because I've already spent my
money.  Where's my upgrade path, d*mnit?

	Ross