Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ogicse!blake!ramsiri
From: ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu (Enartloc Nhoj)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: FLAMES and SUPPORT IN THE MINUS REALM
Message-ID: <4905@blake.acs.washington.edu>
Date: 13 Dec 89 14:53:03 GMT
References: <2352@pkmab.se> <1830@atari.UUCP> <2370@pkmab.se> <1854@atari.UUCP> <874@lzaz.ATT.COM> <1864@atari.UUCP> <2369@cuphub.cup.edu> <6983@chaph.usc.edu> <2391@pkmab.se>
Reply-To: ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu (Enartloc Nhoj)
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 49

In article <2391@pkmab.se> daniel@pkmab.se (Daniel Deimert) writes:
>In article <6983@chaph.usc.edu> jjung@sal-sun10.usc.edu (John Jung) writes:
>>In article <2369@cuphub.cup.edu> kar7481@cuphub.cup.edu (Dan Karbowsky;AtariEliteOfPghPa bbs412-384-5609) writes:
>>>In article <1864@atari.UUCP>, kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes:
>>>> I'm not way off base. I may be wrong in your case, and in fact I may be
>>>> wrong in the case of every person who reads comp.sys.atari.st!...
>[a lot of text deleted]
>>> BUT HAVEN'T YOU REALIZED THAT THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF PERSONS ON THIS
>>> NEWSGROUP SEEM TO BE ***QUITE PISSED OFF*** AT ATARI FOR NOT GIVING
>>> ANY REALISTIC SUPPORT IN ANY WAY TO ANY ST USERS/PROGRAMMERS/WHATEVERS
>>
>>  But why should Atari support the end-users/public domain programmers? Most
>>people who own computers have absolutely no desire whatsoever to program it.
>>They just want to _use_ it and possibly play games one it. _THAT'S_ it. They
>
>One of the most common _uses_ for any kind of computer IS programming!
>
>And the reason for supporting is _very_,_very_ simple:  WE, THE END-USERS
>>  However, I do wish Atari would make some of the ST's technical specs
>>available for any end-user who wants it, but doesn't have the money to get the
>> developer' package.


When I first ORDERED my 1040ST back in march of '86,  
I never thought of buying programs.  I was feverishly
reading forth and LISP and waiting anxiously for 
my box to arrive at my dealer's.  It didn't occur
to me that i would BUY software... i figured i was
buying a computer that would allow me to write 
programs for myself.  I was very fascinated with
the computer's potential and I wanted to learn how
to program the thing.  Needless to say, I was shocked
at how little information was provided when I opened my
box.  

I am certainly NOT the only "end-user" interested in
programming the ST.. virtually every person I know who has
purchased an ST (or any computer) has expressed a strong
interest in programming.  I am talking about "end-users".
You don't have to have visions of developing commercial or
PD software to want to program the ST.  I think it would
be a great benefit to the ATARI community if ATARI would
provide a much improved manual with their systems as well
as a package priced reasonably that could be purchased by
an "end-user" that would give a clear and accurate image
of what's inside the plastic casing.

-kevin
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu