Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!mailer.cc.fsu.edu!nu!boyd From: boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Question: Pascal for the ST? Message-ID: <1991May5.214847.19224@mailer.cc.fsu.edu> Date: 6 May 91 01:48:47 GMT References: <1991May5.124501.14339@mailer.cc.fsu.edu> <1991May05.231723.656@ecst.csuchico.edu> Reply-To: boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) Organization: Florida State University Computer Science Department Lines: 98 In article <1991May05.231723.656@ecst.csuchico.edu>, ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes: > >Geez, Mickey. What publications do you read for ST information?! STart? >I wouldn't even use the magazine to line the bottom of my bird cage. I >wouldn't miss STart if it was gone tomorrow. There are much better magazines >to read in the US for ST information, such as ST Informer, Current Notes, >Atari Interface, but I know you've heard this before. I read ST Informer, Current Notes, and occasionally STart (but I don't buy STart!!). >Simply because STart is going downhill, which they attribute to the lame >ST market, doesn't mean the ST market is going with them. They're going >downhill because theirr magazine sucks. They are going down hill because they are not making money. >>I see neat new hardware/software being offered, with large full color ads. >>In the US, I keep getting "Sorry, we do not support the Atari ST" over the >>phone (if the phone number still exists, that is). Just a couple off the >>top of my head: >> >> Mark Williams C - no more support, working on Coherent > >This isn't new. It's been like this for a while. And a call to MWC has confirmed that it is still like this. Why? Hmmmm . . . >BTW, what about Turbo C >and all the other compilers? Because one company bails on the ST market >doesn't mean the US market is doomed. Turbo C is a German product. Borland would not produce an ST compiler. Borland also recently "took away" their name from the product (according to a recent post to c.s.a.st). > >> Wordup 3.0 - Company bankrupt > >Who's going to buy a buggy, slow program? You? Me? That's why the >company's bankrupt. BTW, I've heard Atari picked up WordUp 3.0. Me. I just bought a used copy of the last upgrade. I find it to be a fine program, with the most usable dictionary/thesaurus I have used. I feel that this product was headed for greatness before the company got hacked. >What about all the other word processor support? WordPerfect? Goldleaf >and Wordflair? DTP: Pagestream? They're all US companies and are doing >pretty well in the ST arena. However, I'll agree that the ST is lacking >a good word processor, on the lines of Word for the Mac. We'll see what >happens with Wordflair II. Anyone want to post a demo of it at atari.archive? > Wordperfect - have you glanced at the PC version lately? I would not call what WP has been providing the ST version "support". A few bug fixes every 2 years is what I would call it . . . Pagestream - a fine product, which I own and use (I didn't say it was all bad, sheesh :-). MS Word for the Mac - the closest thing I have seen is Wordup 3.0 (In it's last update). As a matter of fact, I prefer Wordup. Wordflair II - I could be totally mistaken, but I believe Goldleaf is a British company. Ok, flame off. Perhaps my prose gave the impression of ST doom in the US. This is not exactly true. I just think that the ST will never have a huge user base in the states. Atari has blew it too many times for this. However, it does have a small user base, the best PD software quality I have seen for any system, a few niches (music, small DTP stuff, PIP Copy Centers), some great graphic demoes (with more every day), some of the best games known to man, and does have a selection of robust powerful applications. Call me weird, but I kind of like it this way. Less stuff to wade through, and the gems are easier to find. However, the "robust powerful applications" I am referring to get that way through company support. What I suggested in my previous post is that a european company (producing a professional product for the ST) would be more likely to be around for the duration. May I point to MWC as an example? It was/is considered one of the better C offerings for the ST in the states. Why then was it taken off the update list? I bet Prospero sells more copies of their compiler in europe than MWC does here. That is why I will buy Prospero C instead of MWC. I still recommend that anyone getting ready to put $80-$100 in a compiler to purchase Prospero, or Turbo, or Lattice, or any of the other european compilers over Laser, MWC, Personal Pascal, etc. I happen to like upgrades and updates :-). Of course, if an American product is better, and looks to already be stable, and does not inherently require lots of company support, I will buy it (mom, apple pie, etc). Just trying to protect my $$$$$. The above and the previous post was IMHO. Have a nice day. -- ---------------------------------+------------------------------------- Mickey R. Boyd | "Kirk to Enterprise. All clear FSU Computer Science | down here. Beam down Technical Support Group | yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ." email: boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu | ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------