Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!mcdphx!hrc!force!covertr
From: covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: STs and Colleges: A Proposal
Keywords: st, universities, colleges, minix,unix
Message-ID: <481784b3.14a1f@force.UUCP>
Date: 17 Jan 90 17:11:01 GMT
Organization: gte
Lines: 46


	I have proposed this idea to John Townsend on GEnie
and both he and an Atari employee named Elizabeth Shook have
responded to it. But I thought that I would like to bounce it across
the USENET hoping that someone might pick it up and run with it.

Anyway, there is a lot of interest in UNIX and C at most colleges and
univeristies today. Most schools which teach Computer Science (comp sci)
also teach UNIX and C. And what is really needed is a Cheap, Hackable
UNIX machine. I have asked John Townsend @ Atari why Atari doesn't
bundle a Mega ST2 with a 65 meg drive, a monochrome monitor, and MINIX.
This package could be sold to college students across the USA at under
$2500. this would be the cheapest UNIX development system available. 

MINIX has been ported to the ST, and you get full source code to MINIX.
Most, if not all, of GNU programs have been ported to the ST, and you get
full source code to them. So, for under $2500 the students would get an
excellent computer to do UNIX and C development, with one of the best
monochrome monitors ever made, and an adequate harddrive.

Atari would get name recognition in an important market. And would get to sell
a lot of Mega ST computers (before the STes make them obsolete :-) ).

John Townsend replied that Atari doesn't have a sales force to handle
sells to colleges and universities. John also said that GNU software can
not be SOLD with a computer. But, I thought that if Atari *GAVE* the GNU
packages, with complete source code and instructions on how to contact
the Free Software Foundation, that GNU could be packaged with the MINIX/Mega
package.

John Townsend did say that Atari would work with any VAR who would like to
start such a program. 

So, what is the general USENET concensus on this idea?? Would it fly??
Would it allow poor ($$) college student to buy a UNIX development
system cheaply?? Could GNU be bundled with such a system?? Does GNU
work under MINIX?

I think that the Mega ST would make an excellent UNIX hacking tool for
college students.

-- 
 Richard E. Covert, Lead Engineer of Software Tools Group
 AG Communications Systems, Phoenix AZ   (602) - 581-4652
 TCP/IP: covertr@gtephx
 UUCP: {ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att}!gtephx!covertr