Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!uxc!iuvax!rutgers!att!chinet!saj
From: saj@chinet.chi.il.us (Stephen Jacobs)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: What an Atarian is
Summary: Power without the price is no lie (on main box)
Message-ID: <8048@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 28 Mar 89 15:31:19 GMT
References: <22152@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <10156@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago, Ill.
Lines: 19

In article <10156@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>, mars@athena.mit.edu (Anita) writes:
> I'd like to know what the average Atari ST user is like.  The Atari ST
....
> justification.  Why would any of you buy the ST when the IBM has more
> support, the Apple has more innovation, and the Amiga more power?

When I bought my 1040 ST the price was VERY attractive (maybe $750 or so
mail order).  The performance has consistently been comparable to a PC AT.
Disks are readily exchanged with PS-2 s.  At the time, Commodore looked like
an even bet to go bust.  Even now, I'm not certain that the Amiga offers an
amateur programmer more than the ST does.  As far as innovation from Apple,
they don't seem to be innovating in any direction I want to go.  Anyway, th
Mac is a nightmare to BEGIN programming on (people tell me you get used
to it).  And of course, ST software is less expensive on average than IBM
or Apple.
   So as the original article stated, we ST people who talk on the net aren't
exactly the biggest segment of the computer market.  I view the ST as an
'amateurized' PDP [8 or 11], and as such it's still a wonderful hacking
station, capable of worthwhile practical use.