🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4528@bnr-rsc.UUCP> Net writes:
>In article <ccAl5B600Uzx83AuIs@andrew.cmu.edu>, mg20+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Paul Greelish) writes:
>|> ...  Atari may not go bankrupt,
>|> but it'll take a miracle for it to get back anything like the market
>|> share it once had.
>|> 
>|> I remember the golden years. I was twelve years old when I got my 48K
>|> Atari 800 and tape drive. I was seventeen when I got my 1040ST. 
>|> Atari used to have good products at great prices. No more.
>|> 
>In the past dozen or so years, (yah, I know, it's not really the same
>company), Atari seems to have had fits of brilliance followed by... nothing.
>
>When the VCS came out, it was a great innovation. A CARTRIDGE based video
>game, an unlimited number of games in the same machine.  The 400/800 was 
>another bold stroke.  It had sound and graphics as good as it got in the 
>home computer arena.  Then, Atari twiddled it's corporate thumbs and sat on
>it's Warner-Owned corporate butt and coasted into the Great Video Crash of
>the early eighties.  They relied on their older technology far too long, and
>it nearly killed them.  (The 600XL and 800XL were cheaper versions of the 
>tank-like 400/800.  I think the 1200XL had an extra function key. :-(
>But I still cherish my full-colour spec sheet for the 1450XLD! )
>
>Atari crashed, was bought out, and in an astonishingly short time, had
>announced the Atari ST.  (In 130 and 520 flavours, I think)  This time, the
>computer was positioned differently.  The ST was a lean, mean computing 
>machine. (Tm)  The other upstart, Amiga, had more bells and whistles, but
>cost a lot more.  IBMs had credibility, but cost a lot more.  The 
>'Jackintosh' had virtually everything the Mac had, and lots more, for much
>less money.  The 'game machine' company was playing in the big leagues again.
>
>Then Atari followed the example of the pre-Tramiel Atari, and did diddly.
>The Mega ST got an onboard clock, a blitter, and a detached keyboard.  Yay.
>
>MacIntosh got bigger and faster.  Amiga got faster and lots of third party
>add-ons.  Most importantly, IBMs and clones got MUCH faster, and MUCH cheaper.
>
>As Apple introduced 68020/30 Macs at 16, then 20, then 25Mhz, where was Atari?
>As 8088s gave way to 80286s, then 80386s. what were they doing?
>When did the 68020 Amiga come out?  Where were the competing STs?
>
>Atari was spending it's time and energy building clones and transputers.
>The flagship machine was allowed to stagnate at 8Mhz and 4MB.  Capable, sure.
>But not very glamourous, or inspirational.  Why should a third-party 
>developer work on a machine that the manufacturer doesn't seem to want to 
>support anymore?  Why would a neophyte user buy a computer with no real
>upgrade path?  It's my feeling that even OFFERING a top-of-the-line machine
>increases a companies ability to sell the LOW-end ones.  (As the car companies
>say: Race on Sunday - Sell on Monday)  (But what about the transputer, you 
>ask.  Surely that was a high end machine!  But how many people have actually
>SEEN one?)
>
>Now, perhaps, the situation is changing.  Atari seems to have dumped the
>clones, and the lethargy of the past few years.  A TOS upgrade eventually made
>it out the door.  They FINALLY produced a 16Mhz ST, and the semi-33Mhz TT.
>The 1280x960 monochrome looks as good to me today as the 640x400 did in 1985.
>(Which was fantastic for the time)   With Unix on the way, the TT may find 
>itself back in the pack in terms of technology.  (Most certainly not ahead of
>it, unfortunately.  Why a stupid 720k drive?)  The Lynx is an amazing little
>beast, too.
>
>It seems to me that PRICE is more of a problem now.  At the low end, I can 
>get a 1040STE/mono/no HD (since the price cut) for just a little less than 
>I can get a 286-12/mono/40MB HD clone.  (Alternately, the 1040 is about half
>of what a Mac classic with no HD is.)
>
>At the high end, a 386-33/SVGA/100MB HD clone is considerably less than what
>Atari wants for a TT with 50MB HD and no monitor.  Products like Windows 
>largely hide the brain-deadness of the DOS machines, too.  Games are even
>playable.
>
>Atari may find itself confined to dangerous niche markets, unless it can
>produce another POWER WITHOUT THE PRICE trump card.  It has to offer benefits
>that outweigh the risks people take buying an offstream machine.  
>
>How about a TT040?  If NeXt can do it for $5K, Atari should be able to do
>it for considerably less.  Even better, a cheaper TT030. (Which I want)
>
>Some creative marketing would be nice.  Bundle in a bunch of first-rate 
>programs, in packages like they've had in Europe for years.  Cuts piracy, 
>helps the software companies, and gives the consumer a better deal.
>Package a Lynx with the MegaSTE and TT.  (Isn't the most money made from 
>the software?)  Go for the throat.  Give'm both barrels.
>
>Atari has at least one more kick at the cat.  (Just remember, I won't buy
>any Atari that doesn't have a cartridge port!)
>
>Geez, what a tirade.  Hope nobody minded...
>-- 
>*****************************************************************************
>Scott Miller, in the bowels of Bell-Northern Research    Voice:(613) 763-2992 
>                               P.O. Box 3511, Station C
>.signature USES DISCLAIMER;    Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1Y 4H7
>*****************************************************************************


I tend to agree!  I think you hit the nail on the head.  But I have a slightly
different view.

I think Atari will survive if they gradually enable their machines to run
MAC software at least more easily, so Dave doesn't have to work so hard :).
The MEGA STE with the LAN ports for AppleTalk sure helps

I can tell everyone right now.  They only reason why I bought an atari was:

1) Turbo C 2.0 (I have several personal projects going)
2) Mac Emulation (Which takes care of the serious side of computing)

Thats its.  I HATE ST application software, except for Turbo C, probably the 
most ingenious piece of software I have seen for the ST.

GEM, God, did anybody preview what kind of REAL DOG MULTI-GEM is?  Atari
I HOPE will look elsewhere, you people REALLY don't want this, I would take
a UNIX command line over MULTI GEM!  Hopefully atari will be realistic and
go the UNIX/MOTIF route.

GEM is brain dead, it never will amount to anything.  I wish I could reclaim
my ROM space IMMEDIATELY.

THANK GOD for Dave Small.  I would kiss his hiney if he was here, as I finally 
managed to pick up a Spectre GCR.

All praise Gadgets by Small.  

Now Dave, I WANT a 68030/040 option for my VME equipped MEGA STE!!!

I also want it less than $1000 please.

--Gregory