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From: akw@osupyr.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: The Future of the ST (long)
Message-ID: <45@osupyr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Feb-87 11:55:10 EST
Article-I.D.: osupyr.45
Posted: Fri Feb 27 11:55:10 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Mar-87 11:46:20 EST
Reply-To: akw@.UUCP (Andrew K Weaver)
Organization: The Ohio State University
Lines: 90
Keywords: Tramiel, future, ST

OK.  So we have seen the Amiga 2000.  (Or at least heard about it on the
net or read about it in Byte. :-)  Yes, it is quite an awesome machine.
Yes, it runs 100% (proportedly) IBM software and runs all Amiga software.
I guess according to some disgruntled engineers much of the add-on third-
party hardware is not compatible with the A1000.

But:  we are not here to deliberate on the Amiga (or at least I am not.)
What we have here is this:  many people who have purchased an ST seem to
at first been totally enthused with the machine and many (to the delight
of the rest of us) have gone out of there way to write some professional
quality PD software for the machine.  This is in addition to the same,
professional level (in most cases) commercial software that has been written
for the machine since its arrival in July of '85.

Now some (note I said *some*) of these same people are now disgruntled.
Why?  Because Atari is supposedly 'abandoning' the ST line like they 'did'
with the 8-bit line.

Why are these people so disgrunted?  "Lack of support!" "No upgrades!"
"40 folder limit!" etc.  True, there are a few problems with the ST.
I will give in to that.  But, can we look at some of the cold, hard facts
that there are in the world?

I.  Atari is a young, *small* company.

Even though the name 'Atari' has been used since Nolan Bushnell founded 
the company back in the Dark Ages of Pong, the current 'Atari Corp' dates
back to July 3, 1984 when Mr. Jack Tramiel basically bought the rights,
inventory, and *debts* from Warner Communications.  He purged the company
of many (and in some cases inefficient) employees, services and buildings.
He took the ST project, already in research, and had it completed almost
a year later to the day after he bought the company.

Yes, in some cases the 'old' Atari company was easier to reach because of
800 numbers, etc. but even so this made the company much more inefficient,
having numerous divisions and agencies.  In fact, clearly the most idiotic
part of the 'old' Atari was being split into three divisions:  Home Enter-
tainment (2600, 5200, 7800), Home Computers (400, 800, XL) and Coin-op
games (etc.)  This made for many wonderful blunders (like the add-on
'computer' for the 2600 which was totally incompatible with the other home
computers), the 5200 (which was a 400/800 w/o keyboard and quite rearranged
internally.)

This system was inefficient; thus Mr. Tramiel purged it into computer hell.

OK, one might say, but now it has been going on three years since he bought
the company.  Shouldn't he be supporting the ST line to the hilt?  Yes, he
should.  But in many ways, there is one thing that the ST is not doing, at
least on this side of the Atlantic.

Generating (enough) capital, baby.  If Atari had enough ST and XE sales they
wouldn't have to go into the PC-clone business.  But they must not, so they
are going to.

2. The ST computers will be with us for a long time (or at least 8
   more years)

To the contrary of many reports, the XL/XEs are not dead.  (Read
comp.sys.atari.8bit lately?)  They were introduced back in 1977.  In fact,
here in Columbus the computer/game outlets probably sell more XE and 2600
software than ST and Amiga software combined.  Unless you haven't heard,
Atari sold 100,000 2600 units with *no* advertising.

Now the STs have been out since '85 and will most likely make it to '95
barring rain, sleet, EMP or stock market crash.  Right now there are more
word processing/business apps for the ST than the Mac relative to its
evolutionary scale or the Amiga at any point (no fair including IBM stuff
on the Amiga!)

There is already the Mac emulation for the ST as well as software MS-DOS
emulation (with hardware to follow presently.)  The blitter chip will
be available soon, the TT will be out in some form and the Megas as well.

Now, if you don't like your ST:  sell it!  There is sure to be someone 
who is disgruntled with their present computer or someone who knows a
good deal when they see one.  Sell it if you don' like it.  I am not 
saying don't flame Atari on the net; on the contrary, flame away. That
way at least Neil, Landon et. al. will hear something.  Call/write Atari.
Flame 'em on the net.  But *don't* put your ST in the closet or use it
as a doorstop.  If you feel the need to do these things, send your unit
postage due to the address below (and I will be *more* than happy to take
care of it. :-)

Ranting and raving...

	|					Andy Weaver
      --+-- 					akw@osupyr.UUCP
	|   					The Ohio State University
	| Proverbs 25.25			1774 College Rd Cols, OH 43210
	|