Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!samsung!umich!umeecs!msi-s0.msi.umn.edu!cs.umn.edu!simvax.labmed.umn.edu!davidli
From: davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Time for a New Computer: Should it be an Atari ST? (long)
Message-ID: <1990Jul27.081021.1@simvax.labmed.umn.edu>
Date: 27 Jul 90 08:10:21 GMT
References: <13836@shlump.nac.dec.com> <32058@cup.portal.com> <1990Jul25.195625.18597@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> <1990Jul26.235749.11235@sisd.kodak.com>
Sender: brsmith@cs.umn.edu (Brian R. Smith)
Organization: Flying Taoist Graphics
Lines: 32

In article <1990Jul26.235749.11235@sisd.kodak.com>, rg@sisd.kodak.com (Rich Gortatowsky) writes:

> How true. I developed on the ST from day one. My mis-fortune. ...
> model 1. Bad software Maybe? No, try Deskcart! (rated as the best add on
> product for the ST on multiple occasions in multiple publications).

Ever think that the market wasn't there?  I believe I speak for quite a large
number of people when I say that I never considered purchasing Deskcart because
it didn't meet any need that I had at the time.  That's a fact of the software
business which I've found many companies unable to accept -- people didn't want
to purchase their software because it didn't meet their needs.

> Another program I wrote, PRINT-IT! never went
> to market, and, in alpha/beta testing was on pirate BBS's. I'm impressed!

This says more about your ability to pick alpha/beta testers than anything
else.  I must be part of the 50-60% of ST users who never saw PRINT-IT!.  Of
course you have to realize that well over 60% of ST users -don't- have a modem.
I haven't come across any pirate boards in the 8 years I've had a modem (on my
Apple II+/e and then for my Atari ST).
  
> The bottom line of the whole mish-mosh is should we again buy atari?

In your case, no.  I'd suggest you purchase a nice 386 machine and go bother
the folks on comp.sys.ibm.pc.  Perhaps you could even write programs like your
friend and make bundles of money.  As for selling your ST -- it's a fact of
life that you'll never get as much as you'd like from the sale, regardless of
your machine.  There are plenty of Mac 512K-e owners who are in the same boat.

-- 

David Paschall-Zimbel		davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu