🚀 go-pugleaf

>I seriously doubt that the _majority_ of people who buy Atari
>computers, or any other computers for that matter, have the slightest
>desire to program their machines.  The simple fact is, most people who
>buy computers want to _use_ their computers.  They don't want to be
>bothered with "programming" the things.  Where a computer company
>will lose is if there is no software available for the computers.  It
>is important to make sure that professional programmers know how to
>program the computers, not end users.

Ken,
   Not to dispute your argument about the reason most people buy their
Atari ST's (to use pre-written code), but I bought my ST in my senior
year of high school to learn how to program.  I came from a back ground
of an Epson QX-10 using CP/M and I basically had to write any software
that I wanted to use (uncluding a word processor, network printer server,
music composer programs - all in CP/M using a variety of high level languages:
C and Pascal).  
 
   When I first got my Atari, I was greatly disappointed at the availability
of software (mainly due to my location) also in the general desgin of the
ST (I have a 1040ST and the keys are a little akward and the 9 pin ports
are in a stange spot.)  
 
  My point is, for home users like me (maybe 10%) the thrill in having the
computer is programming to solve problems, and have a lot of fun in doing
it.  And, in my programming of this machine that I have low expectations
of, I have really learned to like it allot.  In fact, since I had low
expecatations, the ST has done nothing but impress my since I bought it.
Maybe this is just my view point, but I bet there are allot of other
people out their that also have allot of fun just programming their ST to
solve problems or solve mathematical puzzles, and sometimes that means 
knowing how to interface with the operating system.
 
  Maybe Atari could offer a smaller public version of operating system
technical references for people like me.  (This is not a complaint, I
like my ST and Atari.)  Sorry for making this sooooo long.
 
Mark Lehmann
bigtex!rpp386.cactus.org!mark

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| Mark Lehmann                       |                                   |
| mark@rpp386.cactus.org             |                                   |
| {bigtex|texbell}!rpp386!mark       |                                   |