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From: mroddy@enmasse.UUCP (Mark Roddy)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari
Subject: Re: 520ST questions
Message-ID: <443@enmasse.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Jul-85 12:05:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: enmasse.443
Posted: Thu Jul 25 12:05:39 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Jul-85 00:31:54 EDT
References: <1807@amdahl.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Enmasse Computer Corp., Acton, Mass.
Lines: 55

[re anyone seen an st?]
Yeah I have one at home.

[What came with it?]
Essentially nothing. What you get is the hardware package (computer,
monitor, ssdd 3.5 driver,) and GEM/TOS, and LOGO (or is it NO GO :-})

Gem seems to have a few bugs, i.e. it is possible to confuse it as
to which windows are where.

TOS is okay so far (the machine has been running for three days-
one crash so far.)

The printer interface is not configurable from the desktop.

The real time clock isn't battery backed up, and the start-up doesn't
require you to set it. (Bummer if you have a hard disk and want to
do incremental backups.)

The documentation is worse than horrible. The TOS guide is totally
superficial, and the LOGO manual is actually the worst users manual
I have ever seen.

A lot of retailers have returned units as DOA. But it appears that there
were two production QA flaws: loose chips and too long pins on some of
the pc boards (shorting onto the case or something.)

There is absolutely no mention of Basic or ROMTOS upgrades- although
Canadian buyers insist that they received coupons for Basic, and Atari
has claimed that TOS proms will be available (free?) to package purchasers.

The VT52 emulator is somewhat flakey about cursor addressing, and has
absolutely zero file transfer capability. 

There is no software available for developers except through Atari,
and the procedure for obtaining development software from Atari is
less than straight-forward.

But all of this aside, the damn thing is cute! It clearly outperforms the
MAC, and the desktop is an excellent environment. (Word of warning, this
machine is better suited as a workstation than the ultimate game machine.
If you want stereo 3D graphic animation, buy an Amiga when it materializes.)

Best advice: if you want to do development for the ST, go get one now and
badger atari for the development software, if you want to use the thing,
wait till september.

Happy HACKING.

-- 
						Mark Roddy
						Net working,
						Just reading the news.

					(harvard!talcott!panda!enmasse!mroddy)