Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!chinet!saj
From: saj@chinet.chi.il.us (Stephen Jacobs)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Atari Stock (now: what good is Atari?)
Summary: Maybe there are some good points too
Keywords: Atari computers market piracy
Message-ID: <1990Aug25.135955.24781@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 25 Aug 90 13:59:55 GMT
References: <1990Aug23.181723.19210@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1990Aug24.061358.28487@chinet.chi.il.us> <1990Aug24.234729.7504@sisd.kodak.com>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 34

Jeff Gortatowsky (apologies if I spelled the name wrong) chose to re-open some
serious issues in a follow-up to one of my postings.  I may as well make some
comments too.
   First: a PC-compatible running Windows (or presumably a lower-priced Mac,
after the announcements Apple is expected to make shortly) gives the user
everything worth having in the ST, for less money, and with better support.
True or false?
   Still false, I think, but getting closer to true by the day.  Let's say the
standard ST today is an STe with a meg of memory; sale price about $750 (I'm
kinda splitting the difference between color and mono).  Stack it up against
a 12 MHz 80286 with something that can handle graphics: That's at least $100
more.  Performance on text-based applications is comparable.  I'm told, though,
that the 80286 won't run Windows usefully.  Add another $70 for a Meg of RAM.
Maybe $40 for a copy of Windows.  Even now, the STe is faster on graphics.
Add a hard disk: the clone takes an internal disk, the ST takes an external
one.  For basic performance, you pay about $200 less for the clone's disk.  But
the ST's disk is a bit more than twice as fast in typical operations.  Correct-
able, but that's another $100 into the clone.  And if you like those removable
platter hard drives, there's no contest: about $400 less to put one on the ST
than on the clone.
   Every Atari follower knows how dangerous it is to compare real and imaginary
machines.  Last I heard, the low-cost Macs expected from Apple were going to
be priced more than the above clone and have no more than a meg of RAM.
   Piracy: I'm sure it hurts plenty to be the victim.  But if you think the
ST is bad, I suggest you contact the author of Mean 18.  Or of X-tree.  The
money being made is in a few blockbuster games, and in programs for the corp-
orate market.  A few people are making some money on utility programs (both
PC and ST markets) but for each one of them, there's a story: why he makes
money while the other guys with near-equivalent stuff don't.  Programming is
fun, and if you're good, it follows that you'll write good programs.  Selling
software is agonizing, and if you do everything right, sometimes it still
doesn't work.
     This note is much too long already.  Next person's comments----
                                 Steve J.