🚀 go-pugleaf

Bear with me and you will see why this article is in the Atari ST sig.

It seems to me that the new 80386 machines that are hitting
the market are redefining the concept of "power without the price".
Radio shack is offering one for $2599 and it is possible
to get some closer to the $2000 range. Cheetah is supposed to
come out with a `386 machine that will be extremely attractive
in the power/price category. In less than a year I think you
will be able to get a decent `386 box for less than $1500 and
Microsoft Windows 386 will be available. These affordable computers
offer an incredible amount of power but won't be very appealing
to the hobbyists because of lack of sound and graphics.

Intel is marketing a graphics coprocessor for the 8**86 line, the
82786. TI also markets a graphics processor chip, the TMS34010.

If someone could come up with an EGA graphics/sound board around
one of these graphics chips and an appropriate sound chip. I think
that such a machine would take the hobbyist market by storm.  This
board would have to become a defacto standard, but that could happen
easily if the board was priced right and powerful enough.

The higher priced Mega STs are going to have a hard time competing
with these cheaper `386 computers. What does an ST have that a
`386 machine running windows (not DOS) have. Remember, the power/
price ratio is dwindling. 

I think that Atari or a company like Atari is the best candidate
to come out with a board like this. After all, they have a lot of
experience in graphics hardware. The technology I have discussed
is already available. 

						R.T. Bradstrum