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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!nather
From: nather@utastro.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: AST Monographics+ Card
Message-ID: <220@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 14-Jul-84 19:21:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.220
Posted: Sat Jul 14 19:21:31 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Jul-84 06:38:15 EDT
Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 34

[]
AST has announced, and is delivering, a monochrome graphics/text card for
the IBM PC that includes a serial port, a parallel port, and a clock-
calendar. It goes for $429 at a local discount store.  The AST ads speak
highly of it.

BE WARNED!

They offer *no* graphics support whatsoever -- they don't even tell you
how the board works, how to address a pixel -- the graphics option is hardly
even mentioned in the manual.  They supply *no* software of any kind, demos
or otherwise, to even show the graphics work.

A call to the factory was less than satisfactory -- 

"It runs Lotus 1-2-3."
"But I don't WANT to run Lotus 1-2-3."
"Well, that's what the board is for...we offer no support for graphics besides
 what's in the manual."
"There's *nothing* in the manual."
"I know that.  It runs Lotus 1-2-3."

Experiment shows it also runs HBASIC -- the modification of BASICA supplied
with the Hercules graphics card -- and probably is a Hercules clone.  If you
buy one you can have a lot of fun guessing how it works -- AST won't tell
you a damn thing.  And the discount house won't take it back.

Emptors had damn well better caveat.

-- 

                                 Ed Nather
                                 {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!nather
                                 Astronomy Dept., U. of Texas, Austin