Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!oberon!nunki.usc.edu!sal1.usc.edu!rjung
From: rjung@sal1.usc.edu (Robert  allen Jung)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: This "Dying ST" nonsense
Message-ID: <1398@nunki.usc.edu>
Date: 16 Sep 88 14:55:58 GMT
References: <8809061721.AA27884@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <379@bdt.UUCP> <1364@percival.UUCP>
Sender: news@nunki.usc.edu
Reply-To: rjung@sal1.usc.edu (Robert  allen Jung)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 52

In article <1364@percival.UUCP> actor@percival.UUCP (Clif Swinford) writes:
>I don't know where this "The ST is a dying computer" bull is coming from,
>but it certainly isn't the case around here. Our ST sales are as brisk as
>ever, hampered only by the fact that we can't get enough 1040's to meet the
>demand!

  Nice to hear, especially from a dealer. Now let's get Atari to crank up
that distribution/advertising shortfall in the US, eh?

>David Beckemeyer claims that ST sales are now only 20% of BDT's business.
>I submit that that's because, powerful as they are, BDT's products are a 
>pain in the gluteus maximus to use.

  Good point! I hope BDT doesn't go crazy at me for saying this, but I had
to get an ST word processor over the summer. After looking at everything out
there (especially at WordPerfect for the ST, what with all the "big software
house making ST titles" hoopla), I settled on ... WORDUP!

  Maybe this is just a sign that (currently) the majority of the Joe ST-user 
public does not _want_ or _need_ all the features of WordPerfect (especially
at the price). Forget piracy, forget "dying ST" theories, people will buy what
they NEED. And if they don't need WordPerfect, well...

>Atari has found their market. The great silent majority. The same folks
>who voted for Reagan, read The Enquirer, and made The Gong Show a hit.
>There's a lot of them out there...

  Silent majority, yes (all of us who keep harrassing stuck-up Apple dealers
can relate). Voting for Reagan, no  B-). The Gong Show, definetely!

>(Sorry if I sound bitter, I just get tired of working with the brain-dead.)

  'sokay, I can relate.


						--R.J.
						B-)

P.S. And if I haven't already, let me give an unsolicited endorsement to
Neocept's WORDUP. A very good GEM-based word processor, with _lots_ of
potential to do even better (is it true that Neocept is currently doing a
total rewrite of the program?). Fun to use, even if it is GDOS-based (all
that RAM for fonts!), and the multiple fonts and graphics make it just like
those fancy-dang overpriced Macintosh WPs.
  (If only this was released two years ago -- YOW!)

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  Disclaimer: These are my views, and mine alone.
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