🚀 go-pugleaf

Well, it's my turn...  I do have a serious commitment to the Atari
computers but not the company.  The first Atari I owned was the 2600 (I
remember when that was the highest form of technology).  I then
purchased a 1200XL (I had always watched the 800/400's and almost
purchased one a few times, then when Atari released the XL's, I bought).
I remember always having to defend the computer because it was termed a
games machine.  I suppose that helped increase my loyalty.  I did some
programming in basic, and purchased some games, but that was all.  I
never had time to read all of those manuals (whenever I wanted to load
something from disk, I had to look up the syntax in a manual).  Then one
day my dad brought home a Mac from work.  Suddenly the whole world of
computing was only a mouse-click away (with a mouse interface, there was
no need to spend my all important time reading manuals).  I started
getting into computers then (especially DTP).  Then the first news of
the ST I heard was an ad my dad ripped out of an airline mag.  It was an
ad by some company that sold the STs through the mail.  The ST it
described was the 260ST (if I remember).  It compared it to the Mac and
Amiga, and as I read it, my old Atari blood started circulating.  I
decided I MUST have that computer, It sounded perfect!  After a lot of
pleading, and reminding my parents how soon my birthday was coming (and
finding a local Atari store) I got my dad (who would do the purchasing)
to go with me to the store.  We learned that the 260 had been dropped,
and were introduced to the features, software, etc.  of the ST.  I was
able to get a 1040ST a few weeks later.  I still have to defend the
Atari a lot, and I do get sick of it.  I feel the ST is by far the best
computer out there in its price range including the Mac SE and many IBM.
I realize that you can get 33MHz IBM clones, but by the time you get
that performance, you have left the ST's price range, and you still have
to deal with manuals larger than the deficit, and a people-hating user
interface (and I don't consider a mouse slammed into an expansion port
and a hack or a huge windowing system running on top of DOS a good
replacement for GEM!)  The Mac II just isn't on the same price level as
the ST (and I haven't decided whether it is actually better, I've used
it a little and heard much good and much bad about it).
      What do I use the computer for?  No, I'm no hardware hacker.  I am
working on using a Tandy bar code wand with the ST, and had to make an
adapter cable, but that about stretched to the limits of my
hardware-ability.  I taught myself basic back on my 1200XL, so I was
defenitly a hacker.  My programs looked like a group of 100 people after
partaking in a nuclear reaction.  GFA Basic on the ST (my main
programming language now) fixed that up, becuase it makes you program
and think in a more structured way.  I am also taking a Pascal course,
and that is filling any voids as far as no-sloppy-coding-knoweledge is
concerned.  I program games (I now have STOS for that) and I programmed
and address book.  Right now I am working on a Bar Code decoding program
in GFA Basic, and slowly working on a Defender type game in STOS.  I
also use my ST for simple word processing.  I like writing, and when I
am doing something informal, or small I use the ST (because my dad has
access to laser printers for the mac, I use that for my DTP).  I also
have some Cyber stuff, and have fooled with that (I'd like to do more
CAD 3-D stuff, but never get the time).  I also fool around a little
with MIDI (with Music Construction Set), and audio digitizing (I have
Replay4).  I also like to do some art whenever necessary.  I have a
color inkjet printer that does nice output for report covers etc.  I
plan on getting into DTP on the ST (I do a lot on the Mac) when (in
about a year) I can get my parents to buy me a Deskjet.
       I do have one thing to say, and that is that I don't feel that
the ST software is pirated more than the IBMs or Macs.  I know many IBM
pirate BBSs here locally(I know of no pirate BBSs for the ST), and
everyone trades Mac stuff at school (I don't know anyone who doesn't
have Super Paint except for the people who don't want it).  I don't
pirate software!  Many other people do.  I have a feeling that the
reason many Atarians feel the ST is pirated so much, is because they are
close to the ST community.  Pirating is a big part of any computer
community, and I think that if you look at a user/pirated software
percentage, you would find the ST is in the norm.


Aric Friesen

Addresses:

Genie:  A.FRIESEN

ARPA:  Friesen%PCO@BCO-MULTICS.ARPA

"Hypnotism; the programming language for people."