Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Thomas_E_Zerucha
From: Thomas_E_Zerucha@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Wait a Sec... (was Re: Atari fair at Duesseldorf (West Germ
Message-ID: <9184@cup.portal.com>
Date: 17 Sep 88 03:36:03 GMT
References: <8809061721.AA27884@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <379@bdt.UUCP> <5618@p
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
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XPortal-User-Id: 1.1001.3273


There are a few things which may be missing here.  First, last I heard,
Atari Corporation are selling ST's of all makes as fast as they can make
them - which many businesses would probabaly like to be in.

From a consumer's point of view, the ST is a bargain.  It isn't very
expensive, and is very sophisticated hardware (It even runs Mac software
better than a real Mac - thank you Dave Small!).  The programs are priced
very competitive (the <$100 word processors blow away most of the things
for the Mac and PC I have seen - at least in either price or performance).

The problem is for the *DEVELOPERS*.  It isn't that hard to write ST
software, and there is a lot of quality PD stuff out.  Atari has not been
very supportive (I realize that there is a new "push" at Atari, but it has
not really materialized for the most part).  I don't know how many are
working for the European market, put that is apparently where at least
half of the ST's are.  And here, games seems to be a larger segement of
the market than common business programs, much less esoteric utilities.

I don't know what Atari can do about this either - their logo is not one
that most purchasers or managers recognize, or if they do, "Isn't that a
game machine?" is usually the response.  And with the DRAM shortage and
such, they couldn't provide them in numbers anyway.  I really liked the
ad in that desktop publishing magazine, and hope to see more, but it is
likely to require more.  And part of the problem is to get these larger
volume customers who are likely to buy site licenses and a lot more software
(at least things other than games).

I would also perhaps appreciate some more recognition on the part of Atari
that Software is a part of what sells the machine, and in some cases a large
part - and not the software Atari writes.  Perhaps Atari should consider
aiding some of the developers in Atari's targeted ads by simply mentioning
that such software is available from..., which they have done in their MIDI
ads.  I don't think the ST is dead or dying now, but it has to do something
soon since the software supply will dry up otherwise (much as your doctor
might tell you to quit smoking or lose weight - you won't die tomorrow, but
you won't stay healthy indefinitely while indulging).