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From: grunau_b@husc4.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Upgrading a 1040 to 4 Megs
Message-ID: <1315@husc6.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Feb-87 23:44:56 EST
Article-I.D.: husc6.1315
Posted: Fri Feb 27 23:44:56 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Mar-87 14:44:14 EST
References: <8702051433.AA26615@inria.UUCP> <555@atari.UUCP> <2086@ptsfa.UUCP> <2425@sunybcs.UUCP> <448@maccs.UUCP>
Sender: news@husc6.UUCP
Reply-To: grunau_b@husc4.UUCP (Justin J. M. Grunau)
Organization: Harvard Univ. Science Center
Lines: 66

In article <448@maccs.UUCP> gordan@maccs.UUCP (Gordan Palameta) writes:
>In article <2425@sunybcs.UUCP> leo@gort.UUCP (Leo Wilson) writes:
... [he quotes a particularly virulent recent article] ...
>Come on folks, let's not get carried away.  Please make an effort to keep
>comments addressed to Atari civil and constructive; the latest round of
>nasty attacks certainly won't accomplish anything, except make the folks
>at Atari turn a deaf ear (notice we haven't heard much from Allan Pratt,
>Landon Dyer, or Neil Harris lately, and I don't think Alex Leavens has
>posted at all).
...
>Probably some of the recent dissatisfaction is caused by the perception that
>Atari is standing still while other computer manufacturers are not (Amiga
>has dropped in price and has a new version of the OS, PC clones keep getting
>cheaper).  But let's wait a while yet before passing judgement.
...
>It's up to us to encourage Atari, to point out that in the long term (and
>maybe not so long term) they cannot afford to stand still or be perceived
>as standing still.  Although the complaints voiced here may not represent
>the concerns of Joe Average potential computer buyer, a growing discontent
>among the type of user that the posters in this newsgroup represent could
>have a disproportionate negative influence.
>
>However, shouting won't accomplish anything...
>-- 


I'm sorry, but I disagree.  I think there are times when shouting is the ONLY
thing that will accomplish something.

I also, and this is why I consider it important enough to respond to your
article, think that you have not caught onto the actual thread of the discus-
sion, here.  I don't think people are really angry because Atari is not doing a
good enough job of competing against Commodore/Amiga (or Apple, or whoever).
You can't really blame anybody for being out-produced by someone else!

Rather, the reason people are shouting, and in my opinion SHOULD be shouting,
is certain attitudes that we have been getting from the people at Atari -- the
kinds of attitudes summed up by Mr. Tramiel's remarks concerning Ferrari's.

It is not even so much that anybody expects a wonderful upgrade policy that will
cost next to nothing.  I think we all realized the closed-box STs were of
limited upgradability, just as for instance the closed Macs will never be
upgradable to either of the two new Macs.  It is more just the attitude of
arrogance -- in particular, the "feigned naivete" represented by Tramiel's
remark:  "oh, I'm _surprised_ you would expect something like an upgrade".
Right.  No, I think Atari is handling their PR very poorly at the moment, and
indeed the recent silence of Neil Harris et al. is just a part of it (compare
the constant involvement of Commodore technical help in comp.sys.amiga).  If
they do not do some damage control SOON, they are going to lose a lot of very
valuable recommendations from past customers.

									JJMG
grunau@husc4.UUCP

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