Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!aplcen!haven!uvaarpa!hudson!astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU!gl8f
From: gl8f@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Anti-Atari Bashing Flame (long - sorry)
Message-ID: <2303@hudson.acc.virginia.edu>
Date: 20 Nov 89 05:56:50 GMT
References: <8911140141.AA02948@NARNIA.SAIC.COM> <1253@atha.AthabascaU.CA>
Sender: news@hudson.acc.virginia.edu
Reply-To: gl8f@astsun.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Organization: Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia
Lines: 44

In article <1253@atha.AthabascaU.CA> rwa@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Ross Alexander) writes:

[ describes how Atari had what he wanted a while ago, but that it hasn't
  kept up with what other companies have been doing... ]

Well, this is a problem everywhere. Talk to all the science types who
bought VAXes in 1980 only to have to convert to Unix because DEC wouldn't
sell them fast boxes. And then DEC starts making fast VMS boxes again.

>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.

Er, the TT isn't really much of a "low end machine" in any configuration.
You can't sell millions of home computers if they cost over $2,000. So you
have a curious definition of "low end".

>As for Greg Lindahl, yourself, and the rest of the cheerleaders:
>what's _your_ investment in ST-line equipment?  In software?

Well, first off, I'm hardly a cheerleader. I've NEVER said that I think
the ST is a price/performance winner. And I've never said I thought
Atari's marketing policy was good. I've only been playing devil's
advocate and pointing out obvious flaws, hoping that the flame war
will end.

And, yes, I have a big investment: about 1/3 of my total material
possessions is my ST. However, most of the software I use (terminal
emulation, LaTeX, Maple, Fortran) is portable elsewhere. I've spent
some time understanding GEM programming, but that is useful when I
program on other windowing systems. I got what I paid for in the first
place.

>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.

Wait until you see one. Then you'll know enough to make this statement.


------
Greg Lindahl
gl8f@virginia.edu                                  Astrophysicists for Choice.