Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!unisoft!bdt!david
From: david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: mx2v230 (in comp.binaries/sources.atari.st)
Message-ID: <471@bdt.UUCP>
Date: 3 Jan 89 16:43:53 GMT
References: <5860@saturn.ucsc.edu> <1280@atari.UUCP>
Reply-To: david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer)
Organization: Beckemeyer Development Tools, Oakland, CA
Lines: 31


Allan Pratt describes a fatal flaw in the above network software.

It seems very common that someone thinks a network for the ST is
easy and tries it.   I have looked at several (at least five)
supposed "networks" for the ST.  Some were supposed to eventually
be commercial  products.   I can't tell you how many times someone
has told me "Well Company X has a network for the ST - It will be
out in two weeks."

BEWARE! *NONE* of these networks have been even close to being real.

It is an extremely difficult task to make a useful general purpose
(i.e. remote file-system) network for the Atari ST.   You can make
something look like it works, good enough for a trade show, with
little difficulty.  You can also get special purpose networks running
like for transaction processing, or a controlled disk access (especially
read only), without too much work.   But if someone tells you they have
a LAN-type network for the ST (or they're going to to have one real soon),
be *very* cautious.

The first one I saw was announced in 1985.  It was never released.  Since
that time I have seen many announcements of Networks for the Atari ST.
I have also seen many PD attempts.  A lot of effort was put into everything
I saw, and I don't want to flame anybody who has tried it.  This is just
a warning to would-be "believers" - be wary of ST network claims.
-- 
David Beckemeyer (david@bdt.UUCP)	| "Lester Moore - Four slugs from a .44
Beckemeyer Development Tools		|  no Les, no more."
478 Santa Clara Ave. Oakland, CA 94610	|   - Headstone at Boot Hill
UUCP: {uunet,ucbvax}!unisoft!bdt!david	|     Tombstone, AZ