Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!dcl-cs!gdt!exspes
From: exspes@bath.ac.uk (P E Smee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: SIMMs for the STE
Keywords: SIMM, STE,
Message-ID: <1990Mar8.115647.29313@bath.ac.uk>
Date: 8 Mar 90 11:56:47 GMT
References: <2703@erix.ericsson.se> <2069@atari.UUCP> <2668@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: University of Bristol c/o University of Bath
Lines: 40

In article <2668@castle.ed.ac.uk> aimd@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Davidson) writes:
>In article <2069@atari.UUCP> apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt) writes:
>>The SIMMs are there mainly for the cost and space savings on the PC
>>board, not so you can add memory to your machine.  Sometimes we use
>>SIPs, not SIMMs, and they're soldered right into the board! Don't rush
>>out and buy a 520STe expecting to be able to upgrade it.
>
>Obviously Atari never bothered to tell UK magazines that the SIMMS
>weren't a feature of the machine so when they opened the machine SIMMS
>were what they found - can you blame them for assuming this to be a
>'feature' of the machine (rather like the square 68000 being a 'feature')?

I'd second the notion that 'easy upgradability' would be well worth
preserving.  I think that's probably even proven by the success of
3rd-party memory upgrades for the ST's (and Megas?).

However, more to the point, from today's Popular Computing Weekly (a UK
'home computing' rag -- issue 402, Mar 8-14):  'The 499 (pound) STE is
seen by Atari UK boss Bob Gleadow as a more professional machine, with
its SIMM sockets for memory upgrades, ...'.  This statement is farily
typical of local press reports, and it appears to carry a strong
implication that Atari UK have 'announced' the SIMM sockets as a
feature (which might, of course, be incorrect).

Looks to me like either (a) Atari HQ had better have some words with
its international subsidiaries; or (b) the international subsidiaries
better have some strong words with their local computer journalists; or
(c) UK (at least) STEs had better have SIMM sockets.  I'd prefer option
(c).  In a 500 pound (about 800 dollar) machine, your profit margin
would certainly not be greatly harmed by spending 50 cents on a couple
of extra SIMM sockets.  Would probably be more than offset by eliminating
phone calls and letters to Atari(UK) asking where they are.

(As an aside, I'm not sure where that price came from.  From the ads,
it looks like that probably would get you a 1040 STE + mono monitor, or
a 1040 STE + 'business software pack' + 1/2 the monitor.  But then,
no-one actuallys sells anything at the recommended price any more.)
-- 
Paul Smee, Computing Service, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UD, UK
 Smee@bristol.ac.uk  -  ..!uunet!ukc!bsmail!smee  -  Tel +44 272 303132