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From: wrd@tekigm2.UUCP (Bill Dippert)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari8,net.micro.atari16,net.micro
Subject: Atari At Work
Message-ID: <1157@tekigm2.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Oct-86 12:16:16 EST
Article-I.D.: tekigm2.1157
Posted: Wed Oct 29 12:16:16 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Oct-86 22:42:24 EST
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.
Lines: 36
Keywords: Omniview, XEP80
Xref: mnetor net.micro.atari8:534 net.micro.atari16:2824 net.micro:6334

I was called to task for not mentioning OMNIVIEW.  OMNIVIEW has been available
for a couple of years and works with 3 wordprocessors: Atariwriter Plus,
OmniWriter and Letter Perfect and a database:  Data Perfect and a new
communications program:  OmniCom.  OMNIVIEW is distributed by CDY (David Young)
and is a true 80 column adaptation for the Atari 8 bit machines.  Furthermore I
was informed that John Scrutch of Atari has made the statement that the XEP80
Atari 80 column board/device will not make it out by Christmas  (apparently
when originally announced last June, they stated it would be out by October).
This last sounds strange to me (would Neil @ Atari care to comment?) as I saw a
working model at the Atari exhibition here in Portland earlier this month.  The
indications that I had then was that it would be out soon.  Not being able to
take the box apart, I was not able to see the state of the circuit board, it
may have been an early prototype.  The mechanical aspect of it was production
quality (case, cables, etc.).

Secondly, before I get many more blasts, I use both my Atari 8 bit machines and
my IBM XT primarily for wordprocessing, secondarily for telecommunications and
thirdly for spreadsheets.  For both wordprocessing and telecommunications, the
Atari is equal to or better than the XT.  For the amount of spreadsheets that I
use, the Atari is just as good as the XT, but I don't create spreadsheets nine
yards wide with an infinite amount of forulas, etc.  I still maintain that for
general office type work (i.e. wordprocessing and light spreadsheeting) that
the Atari 8 bit is as good as the XT.  (Have you ever looked at the lettering
that a color monitor IBM gives out?  Huge letters with many layers of bland
pixels!)  The letters that Atarwriter Plus may be a little crude, but they are
as readable as the XT, IN MY OPINION!  I have not personally seen OMNIVIEW
letters so cannot comment, I have seen Letter Perfect and PaperClip and they
are all as legible or better then the XT color letters.

If you are extensively into programming (in c or other) then probably most of
the comments that I hear are correct, the ST outperforms both IBM and Atari 8
bit machines.  Certainly the ST is superior to the 8 bit for CAD.  If we are
going to get into a general micro discussion, however, I agree that we should
switch to net.micro.

--Bill Dippert--