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From: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Atari TT030 vs. Amiga 3000
Message-ID: <1990Dec02.192017.6525@ecst.csuchico.edu>
Date: 2 Dec 90 19:20:17 GMT
References: <17900@netcom.UUCP>
Sender: news@ecst.csuchico.edu (USENET)
Organization: California State University, Chico
Lines: 106

rodent@netcom.UUCP (Richard Noah) writes:

- Last I checked, ST sales in the US were nearly dead, so I wasn't
- expecting much in the way of new development.

How could you check ST sales?  Atari has never released the figures, 
not even to developers.

- However, it appears they are as alive as ever in Europe, so they
- managed to produce this interesting machine, which is quite 
- obviously an attempt to duplicate the 3000:
 
The TT has been 'in development' since the days when the ST first 
came out.  Atari has always said that they were coming out with a 
68030-based machine.  I suppose if Commodore produces an Amiga 
laptop, you could say that it's "quite obviously an attempt to 
duplicate the Stacy."

- Atari TT030 specs
- -----------------
- 68030 @ 32 Mhz / 68882
- 2, 4, 6, or 8 MB RAM, expandable to 26 MB using 4Mbit chips
- Graphics: palette of 4096 colors
-  ST video modes plus: TT Low (320 x 480 x 256)
-                       TT Medium (640 x 480 x 16)
-                       TT High (1280 x 960 x 2) requires special monitor
- Ports: (this is where it gets really interesting)
-   Midi In, Midi Out
-   VME-compatible Eurocard slot
-   Monitor port (same VGA port as a 3000)
-   Parallel port
-   2 serial ports (labeled "VME" on the machine)
-   2 "fully configured" RS232 Modem ports
-   Floppy Disk port (include controller)
-   SCSI port
-   LAN interface
-   ACSI DMA port (10 megabits per second DMA transfer rate)
-   ROM Cartridge port (after all, it IS an Atari) (128K capacity)
-   Mouse/Joystick and Joystick ports
-    (thats what the manual says, but in reality the mouse plugs into the
-        keyboard (keyboard has a mouse/joystick port on each side!))
-   Stereo sound output
- And:
- Built-In hard disk (apparently available in 20, 40, 60, or 80 MB, 
-   but this is never stated directly anywhere)

The following information was posted in comp.sys.atari.st a couple of 
days ago.

-------------------------------
 I just got this information from my local Atari dealer (gosh, I 
actually have 2 of them!) from his new price list.

Atari TT (32MHz 68030,...we know the specs)
 (These are Suggested Retail Price)
  2megsRam/50megHD --- $2999.95
  4megsRam/50megHD --- $3499.95
  8megsRam/80megHD --- $4299.95

  TT color monitor --  $549.95
  (forgot to ask about the 2-page monitor)

  Yes, the TT does include a 68882 (not 881) FPU !! Yeah!
  Keyboard is included

  My dealer said he could lower the price quite a bit and still
make a good profit.  Expect street prices to be about 3/4 of MSRP.
---------------------------

rodent@netcom.UUCP (Richard Noah) continues:

- My impressions:
-  The first thing you notice is that the fan is extremely noisy.  
- The second is that TOS hasn't changed noticably in 6 years, still
- clumsy, ugly, lacking important things like multitasking or even a
- shell, and SLOW, even on a 68030 that supposedly at 32 Mhz (although
- half the documentation says it's 16Mhz).

If you want a very nice GUI, you get NeoDesk 3.0.  If you want a nice 
shell, you can get NeoDesk CLI or good PD ones like Gulam. 

If you want to see SLOW, look at ProWrite on a 3000 and Tempus on an 
ST.  ProWrite is like molasses.

- Conclusions:
-  The workstation market has nothing to fear from this machine, even 
- if Atari prices it at $1500 or some such ridiculously low Atari 
- price.  Frankly, the operating system is so horrid, puny and slow 
- that even with all the PD enhancements (most of which don't work on 
- an 030/latest TOS) the machine is unusable.
 
I will ignore your claims that it's 'horrid, puny, and slow' because
that's simply an opinion.  I think the Amiga OS is horrid, puny, and 
slow; that's why I have an STe.  But I'd like to know which PD 
enhancements won't work.  Did you go out of your way to find the
oldest, worst PD programs with the fewest features?

I thought about sending this via e-mail, but decided we could all 
benefit.  ;^(  If this develops into a long flame war, you can just 
say that he started it.

-- 
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu  FREENET: al661 
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