🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4140@ukma.UUCP> sean@ukma.UUCP (Sean Casey) writes:
>
>I'm going to buy a computer near the end of this year,  and  I'd  like
>your  recommendations  on  the  Atari ST's.  I've been programming for
>about 8 years and I've been doing systems programming in C  for  about
>two years.  I want to have:
>
>1.   A machine with a good C compiler, possibly running a  Unix  vari-
>     ant, for doing development work.
>
>2.   A terminal emulator, so I can do my mainframe work from home.
>
>3.   A game machine - It's been too long since I've had access to good
>     computer games!
>
>Anyone who answers any of my questions would have my sincere apprecia-
>tion.   There are a LOT of questions here, but if you could answer any
>that would be great.
>
>- Sean
>
>
>GENERAL OPINION
>     What do you think of it?  Is it a toy or a serious machine?   How
>     does the keyboard feel?  Have yours had any problems?
>
>
>PRICING
I can speak only of Canadian prices, and I haven't seen 1040 prices recently.
>
>
>MONITORS
>     I see a lot of ads for "520 ST with color monitor".   Does  Atari
>     make  a  "standard"  monitor  or are dealers pushing the cheapest
>     color monitor they can find?  I'm going to be buying a good  Sony
>     27  inch television about the same time I get this computer.  Can
>     such a beast work with this computer?  If I bought a nice Prince-
>     ton  Graphics, Amdek, Taxan, etc., would it look much better than
>     the one(s) the dealers refer to?
>
The system includes an Atari-made colour monitor which is of very reasonable
quality.  It is a little difficult to hook up other monitors, and the Atari one
is plenty good.  It was designed to go with the computer, and so the two go 
together very well.

>
>C COMPILERS
>
Sorry, I can't comment on this since I don't have one.
>
>UNIX IMPLEMENTATIONS
>     I've heard that OS9 has been ported to the thing, but  the  price
>     for  the  OS and C compiler is about the same as a complete Atari
>     system!  Who's going to buy it?  Not me!  Perhaps you know if the
>     price of the thing is coming down or maybe you've heard of a dif-
>     ferent Unix port.  Please let me know.   BTW,  I  saw  an  ad  in
>     August  Byte  for  a  complete SysV port for the IBM AT for about
>     $450.  Not a bad price for a real SysV port with pcc, ftn77, text
>     formatters, and manuals.
>
All I can say is that I hope that OS9 comes down in price.  Unix has not (yet?)
been ported.
>
>CD ROMS
>     Anyone making an interface for these buggers?  The idea of having
>     an  online  encyclopedia or dictionary or other various databases
>     is very attractive to me.  For the things to work, you've got  to
>     have  DMA, ethernet, or some other very high speed data transfer.
>     This means you've got to have hardware support.  Is it there?  Is
>     anyone working on this?
>
The hardware support does exist.  Atari has demonstrated the Activenture system
at least twice.  They have stated that they plan to sell CDROMs... but... not
yet.  They are looking for the cost (of the players) to come down so that they
can market them in quantity.  So, whenever players get nice and cheap, you can
expect to see Atari selling them.  (This is not unreasonable.  Atari needs to 
sell an awful lot of them to be able to make a profit.  If they have to sell
them at $1200, they won't sell very many.).
>
>                             * SOAPBOX TIME *
>
>     I saw an ad in Byte for a CD of public domain software that  con-
>     tained  the  equivalent of 400 or so floppy disks.  Sounded great
>     till I saw the price: $195.  HOLY RIPOFFS, BATMAN!  I'm sure that
>     the  media costs less than twenty dollars.  They invent a fantas-
>     tic new media for mass storage, one  that  brings  possible  vast
>     software libraries to the average person at low cost, and instead
>     of using it to place this software in the hands of  users,  these
>     people jack up the price way out of proportion to the media cost.
>     This stuff is public domain!  Somebody ought to sue  their  asses
>     for making a profit from it.
>
>                           * DOWN FROM SOAPBOX *
It is not necessarily unethical.  There was a major discussion on net.micro on
the sales of PD software, and the general conclusion was that a company which
chooses to make software available should not be denied a profit.  NO ONE is
going to advertise in BYTE (at at least hundreds of dollars a crack, if not 
thousands) and compile, copy (onto whatever medium), and mail out software
for free.  In this case, MEDIA cost may be insignifigant when compared to 
such things as mastering (making the original CD), the time spent merely 
putting together the library (how long does it take to copy 400 disks, weeding
out anything useless, adding documentation where possible, organizing
directories, etc.).  Remember here that $195 is pretty cheap.  Compare that to
the cost of 400 floppy disks.  We're talking 50 cents per disk.
     Next, comes the part about suing.  They cannot be sued for selling public
domain software.  They can be sued for selling copyrighted software without 
permission (big difference).  GNU (the 'public domain' UNIX clone) cannot
legally be sold for a profit, because it is copyrighted.  It can be distributed
free of charge (or, I think, with a minimal copying fee - you'll have to pay for
the tape/disks you get it on) but not sold.  Uncopyrighted works, such as
many public domain programs can be sold for a profit by anyone who finds someone
willing to buy them.  It is unlikely that they will be sued for it, given that 
they have been reasonably careful as to how they have done the job.  Is it 
unethical?  To some (yourself included) it is.  To others it is not.  Please 
remember that anyone who does not want to pay $195 for the CD of public domain
software is not forced to do so.  I'm not buying it - but mostly because I have 
no use for it.  If I had a CDROM player, and the right computer, I might find it
very worthwhile to purchase the CD at $195.
>
>STAR RAIDERS
>     It's been at least three years since I last played Star  Raiders,
>     probably  more.   If it were released today it would still be one
>     of the greatest games around.  Is anyone planning on porting  the
>     thing  to  the  ST series?  It would be stupendously awesome with
>     higher-res graphics and sound.  I was even thinking of writing  a
>     simple version for the Adage 3000!
>
Atari is working on a version for the ST, and I have heard of some demos
floating about.  I hear that it is in fact very stupendously awesome.  It
certainly will be one of the greatest games around as soon as it comes out.
When that is, I am not sure (When is it NEIL?!?!?).
>
>Thanks for answering any or all of this.  I've been involved with com-
>puters for a long time.  Some of them cost more than I'll ever make in
>my lifetime.  And yet I've never owned  one.   This  is  an  important
>decision for me and I appreciate any and all help.
>
>Sean
>
>-- 
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Sean Casey                UUCP:  cbosgd!ukma!sean        CSNET:  sean@uky.csnet
>University of Kentucky    ARPA:  ukma!sean@anl-mcs.arpa
>Lexington, Kentucky     BITNET:  sean@ukma.bitnet

                         Christopher Browne
                         University of Waterloo