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From: daryl@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Daryl Monge)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: 8 and 16 bit atari - some thoughts
Message-ID: <1726@ihlpe.ATT.COM>
Date: Mon, 4-May-87 22:29:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpe.1726
Posted: Mon May  4 22:29:38 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 6-May-87 05:23:01 EDT
Organization: Engineering Design Process Department, AT&T Bell Labs
Lines: 52
Keywords: xl xe st atari
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.atari.8bit:493 comp.sys.atari.st:3245


I wanted to share some of my thoughts on where the 8 vs 16 bit atari
machines is going.

I have owned an atari 8 bit machine since 1980 and have loved every minute
of it.  I am now at a crossroads, however, in upgrading.  As background, I
have an 130XE, 810 drive, monitor, and an MX80 printer.  Consider the
following data (near best price from magazines):

Upgrading the XE:			ATARI ST (new):
SpartaDOS 3.2		$40		1040ST/mono		$820
RTIME8 (clock)		$50		Clock/cal		$50
MIO (1meg) +20Meg HD	$970		(ATARI) 20 Meg HD	$650
MIDI (Hybrid Arts)	$200		(midi built in)
			-----					-----
			$1360					$1520

(Mono ST vs. Color XE is not totally fair, but read on)

I simply cannot bring myself to spending like that on a dead end machine.
However, after giving it some thought, I concluded that the 8 bit machines
ARE NOT DEAD.  Why?  They still do many things very well.  Also I have
noticed that a lot of 8 bit software is VERY CHEAP!

So here is where I think things are going based on my needs as a model (ha)

Keep the 8 bit machine.  Let my child use it sometimes (he is currently 3).
I went out and bought a second disk drive for it (a $130 1050) to eliminate
the disk swapping head aches.  I will continue to buy software for it since
that is usually priced below the new machines.  For example, recently I got
	ARCHON II <$10
	Miner 2049 <$5
	Millipede $2.50
Can't beat that.

Get an ST.  I intend on using it for synthesizer control and a genealogy
data base project.  If ATARI gets its TT act together, who knows?  A sun
(near) equivalent machine at home!

I leave you with this summary.  The 8 bit machines are NOT dead, but the
future holds limited interest and growth.  The machine prices are getting so
low that you cannot significantly expand an 8 bit for much less than an ST.

Comments are indeed welcome.  I am not spending any money on these things
yet until I have a chance to think about this for a while.

8 bits forever,
16 bits for the future too.

Daryl Monge				UUCP:	...!ihnp4!iheds!dlm
AT&T					CIS:	72717,65
Bell Labs, Naperville, Ill		AT&T	312-979-3603