Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!netsys!ames!ll-xn!oberon!nunki.usc.edu!castor.usc.edu!rjung
From: rjung@castor.usc.edu (Robert Jung)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Atari no-support?
Message-ID: <345@nunki.usc.edu>
Date: 28 Feb 88 04:53:43 GMT
References: <192@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU> <864@usl-pc.UUCP> <1003@its63b.ed.ac.uk> <3334@watcgl.waterloo.edu> <318@nunki.usc.edu> <153@bdt.UUCP>
Sender: news@nunki.usc.edu
Reply-To: rjung@castor.usc.edu (Robert Jung)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 75
Keywords: customer relations
Summary: A pipeline to the public!

In article <153@bdt.UUCP> david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer) writes:
>Becuase everytime we flame Atari, we are potentialy hurting ourselves.
>First, we get on Atari's bad side.  And when you're on their "black list"
>things get tough, believe me, I've been there (I may be heading there again).

  Are you saying CENSORSHIP? That's terrible!


>It takes some guts (and maybe stupidity) to speak up against Atari.  Also
>when the Atari market is already not so good, it doesn't help to have the
>major developers flaming; the developers' own business is affected.  That's
>why most developers just ride along, and keep to themselves about their
>gripes.  That's also why the ST magazines (so-called journalists) never
>flame Atari.  For one thing, some (like Antic) sell the damned products!
>They're sure as hell not going to flame their own wares!

  That's certainly true. However, there must be a line drawn between just
plain malicious flaming, and sincere wishes for improvements. The truth
hurts, and I wonder why Atari can't(?) take constructive criticism.


>And who at Atari is listening?  That's a good question.  But even better:
>what would they do about it anyway?
>
>To really discuss this, we need a new newsgroup:  comp.sys.atari.flame

  No, what we ALL need is what should have been there all along: A
*DIRECT* pipeline to Atari's top management.

  What I'd imagine could be very simple: How about a secretary and a
mailing address? The secretary's SOLE task is to read the mail, and scan the
nets/services, for Atari-oriented criticisms and comments. Then, this
ssecretary would make a report to top management (Jack?), who'd (hopefully)
take heed and do SOMEthing about the whole thing.

  We know Jack Tramiel can make things move when he really wants to; Putting
together a prototype 68000 machine in six months is an amazing task. Why
aren't we seeing such dynamic energies and deep concern for states now?

  My God, even a comic-book company listens to its readers. Apple must have
one truckload of a consumer-relations department. What does Atari have? I'm
not saying that a lot of money must be invested or anything; Just give us
SOMEwhere to air our views, with assurances that they will be heard.

  I dunno, maybe I'm just naieve about how big business works. But I've
always believed that, if you're running a PUBLIC service, you better listen
to your public -- Without them, you're nothing. I help run a local Atari
BBS, for instance, and we practically ENCOURAGE our users to fire away and
flame at what they don't like. Maybe not all of the arguments are valid, but
we DO listen. Why not Atari?


  Okay, enough negative flaming (boy I feel depressed again)...I want to
restate that I am one of the BIGGEST Atari fans around (grin). My idea of
fun is making Apple users turn green when my ST runs rings around their
hardware. All of us out here want to see Atari thrive, but to do so,
SOMEBODY must listen to us, and fix what's wrong. And if it must hurt,
to say that TOS has bugs, or that we don't like the "announce now, release
next decade" policy, or the keyboard of the ST isn't perfect -- Then
that's what the public wants, and something better be done.

  Is anyone listening?

						--R.J.
						B-)

P.S. When Jack Tramiel first bought atari from Warner, and turned everything
around almost overnight, we were all so happy, and had a sense that things
were being done. Is it me, or has the momentum slowed?

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