🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan11.211008.13488@bsu-ucs> 01mbmccabe@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu writes:
>Could you be more specific? 
>Tell me how I make the ST market suck, please? 

I thought I was being pretty specific, but here's a *really* specific
statement for you:

	1. You don't pay for software (because you have no money).
	2. ST developers don't make any money selling you software.
	3. Consider a market consiting of a million people like you.
	4. ST developers have to leave the market.

That's why YOU are part of the problem.  This is EXACTLY what the ST
market is like now.  How many people here have already said they stick
with their Atari's beause of all the freeware and "shareware" out
there?  What does that say about a commercial developer's chances?

>"PC people pay for software in enough numbers..."  Could you say 30%
>of the PC user market is onboard because of the fantastic piracy
>network?  I'm certain it dwarfs any such network Atari may/may have
>had.  Whatever.

You're really piquing my interest here.  Why don't you let me in on
your details of the vast pirate empire for the PC?  Be sure to
cite figures for the ST market that back up your assertion.  I
want BBS numbers too -- maybe I can get some RAD NU WAREZ D00D.  :)

>In a couple of years, when I intend on investing in a new system, and
>if I still have InterNet access, I'll let you know what I decide.
>You're probably right that it won't be a 68000 machine.  It'll probably
>be along the lines of a 68040 or whatever the price/perfomance ratio
>bears out from the market.

Given this thorougly intelligent closing statement, it's clear that you
have misinterpreted my defense of the PC as an attack on the ST.  I
have no problem with the idea that you are happy with your ST (except
to know that you are living with something that is slowing you down).
The point of this all was that RIGHT NOW, IF you were buying a NEW
machine, a clone would be a very intelligent choice, simply on a
price/performance basis.  If you look at the lingering title of this
message, you'll see that it's one Atarian's misguided assertion that
"PC's are bad because all the software is really huge." When I pointed
out that it's not that simple, you kicked into defensive mode and
started telling my why your ST was a wise purchase when you bought it
years ago.  I have no argument with that.  My ST was a wise purchase 7
years ago too.  (A clone would have been a wiser one, but I of course
had no way of knowing things would work out as they have.)

Dave Baggett
--
dmb@ai.mit.edu           MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory                  
ADVENTIONS: interactive fiction (text adventures) for the 90's!
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