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Silicon Times Report Issue 0110
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
_______________________________
October 20, 1989 Vol III No.110
=======================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine ½
__________________________
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32205 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
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> Issue: #110 STReport¿ The Online Magazine of Choice!
-------------------
- The Editors' Podium - CPU REPORT
- KILLER QUAKE - SPA Convention Report
- Forbes 400 & J.T. - VIVA La Revolution!
- PAGESTREAM 1.8 Notes - ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
---===*** ATARI ST LINE GOES MAIL ORDER! ***===---
---====**** NEW VP & SALES MANAGER APPOINTED! ****====---
=======================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX
=======================================================================
> The Editor's Podium¿
Most of those folks attending the WAACE show felt that the message
from Atari was honest and positive in many respects. But... the bottom
line is performance. And performance is certainly not Atari's forte. For
the past three years Atari has had one excuse or another to offer it's
userbase in this country concerning the conspicuous scarcity of real
National Advertising. They "excused themselves" because of the lack of
Dram, the lack of machines (European Sales) and finally this year the
excuse is the lack of distribution points. It certainly appears that the
first item on the agenda is to properly promote the product. Consequently,
distribution points will follow quite strongly on their own. If however,
one tries to wait for the distribution outlets to simply "have a
happening" as a result of the merits of the product, it would be
inexhaustibly more appropriate to enlist the aid of "Peter Pan" or "the
tooth fairy".
Atari must leave "dreamsville" and establish a firm foundation in
marketing and advertising. We all know by their past performance that
they; Sam, Lenny, Gary, Augie and subordinates feel they "know-it-all" and
have the entire marketing scheme in the USA "figured out". And so folks,
as a result, we head into another of the "wait 'till next year
situations".
This Holiday season will see an ad campaign from CBM (Commodore
Business Machines) the likes of which the USA has never seen, and what do
we see as either a parallel or counter effort on the part of Atari?
Nothing, absolutely nothing. Well, not quite, we hear of them threatening
certain of their more outspoken dealers with "paybacks" and we find
certain developers being conveniently passed over when they sent out the
notices for the Portfolio developer kits and now, we are starting to hear
the "Wait 'till next year" statements again.
Are we going to be told that 1990 will be the year of Atari? Yup!
How guilty we, at STReport, feel having been part of the 1989 fairy tale,
where we too told of this year being Atari's year and of Atari being back.
They are back alright, back to their old tricks of "wait 'till next year,
we'll knock your socks off". Hmmm it appears that the dealers etc.. can't
afford (literally) to wait any longer. Many are almost barefoot now!
Coupled with the old, familiar 'behind the scenes' threats and innuendo
they have fallen back to many of their baffle 'em with BS routines once
again.
We are told of the STE and the Stacy and they are 'supposed' to be
here for 1989 and God knows we want these goodies on the dealer's shelves,
but where are they? Oh sure, the Portfolio is on sale here and thankfully
so, it is creating a positive stir. The STE and Stacy are on sale in
Europe even though we were promised explicitly by Sam, "the new products
would be sold in the US marketplace first". So much for another broken
promise. When will we see, "the eloquently fantastic daydream," of the
Atari "Aircraft Carrier" that's been turning into the wind for the last
four months and is now about to "launch it's planes" (new products).
Unfortunately, somebody forgot to pull up the ANCHOR! When we were first
told this metaphor we thought it was a bit far fetched. Now, with the
inevitable passage of time, we are convinced it's simply another light
headed fantasy.
With the retirement of Sig Hartmann comes the end of an era of solid
cooperation and good information exchange. For example, as recently as
the WAACE show, there were certain accords and friendships made that
seemed to pave the way for a positive effort on all our parts to rekindle
the spark of enthusiasm for Atari. Now, unfortunately, we appear to be
facing a new era of "vendettas, golden assurances" and carrot chasing".
Sig will be missed along with most of the time honored, professional
dedication that will be and/or has been cast aside by the "young turks".
Considering the quarter we are in, the year has almost gone by and we
really have nothing to show but an opportunity to rehash scenarios that
are all too similar to those in the past. Why is it that Apple,
Commodore, IBM etc., manage to continually get product to the market.
While Atari renders to it's "resurgence" and "aggressive" penetration of
the US Market relatively little but excuses! And a comical display of
executive hirings, resignations and firings.
Hopefully, after hearing the results of the recent SPA Convention, we
can perhaps tell ourselves that there is a remote possibility that Atari
will be here stronger than ever next year. Frankly, as far as we are
concerned, after all the repeatedly broken promises, assurances and
release dates, we simply must adopt a rather optimistic but positive
attitude that they (Atari) will do the right thing for the beginning of a
new decade. The 1990's...
Thank you for your support
Ralph....
Errata: In Issue # 109, Jeff Williams and Sandy Wilson were inadvertently
referred to as Mr. & Mrs. Williams. ..Cupid, STReport will never be!
Sorry folks.
**********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
To sign up for GEnie service: Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN.
The system will prompt you for your information.
THE GENIE ATARI ST ROUNDTABLE - AN OVERVIEW
___________________________________________
The Roundtable is an area of GEnie specifically set aside for owners and
users of Atari ST computers, although all are welcome to participate.
There are three main sections to the Roundtable: the Bulletin Board, the
Software Library and the Real Time Conference area.
The Bulletin Board contains messages from Roundtable members on a variety
of Topics, organized under several Categories. These messages are all
Open and available for all to read (GEnie Mail should be used for private
messages).
If you have a question, comment, hot rumor or an answer to someone else's
question, the Bulletin Board is the place to share it.
The Software Library is where we keep the Public Domain software files
that are available to all Roundtable members. You can 'download' any of
these files to your own computer system by using a Terminal Program which
uses the 'XMODEM' file-transfer method. You can also share your favorite
Public Domain programs and files with other Roundtable members by
'uploading' them to the Software Library. Uploading on GEnie is FREE, so
you are encouraged to participate and help your Roundtable grow.
The Real Time Conference is an area where two or more Roundtable members
may get together and 'talk' in 'real-time'. You can participate in
organized conferences with special guests, drop in on our weekly Open
COnference, or simply join in on an impromptu chat session. Unlike
posting messages or Mail for other members to read at some later time,
everyone in the Conference area can see what you type immediately, and can
respond to you right away, in an 'electronic conversation'.
**********************************************************************
> CPU REPORT¿
==========
Issue # 37
----------
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
Steve Wozniak, after surviving a plane crash in 1981, left Apple to go
back to college, and organize the Us Generation Festival of music and
Technology, and when, two years later in 1983, having lost $20 Million on
the Festival, he went back to Apple to help work on the Macintosh?
CPU Systems Roundup XII¿
=======================
Dream Computer Systems IV: Is RISC worth the Reward?
-----------------------------------------------------
Part II
In Part I of this Series, I showed a list of the most powerful Dream
Systems that could be configured from both the microcomputer industry, and
the growing crop of low-end workstations. While there were probably newer
computers and peripherals that could have been included, the list was
generally accurate. Now I will compare the Dream Systems, their various
features being stacked against each other to determine which ones you
could safely consider the "best".
However, the cost of these Dream Systems, which is admittedly out of
the reach of the majority of computer users, may cause some to believe
that configuring such a list is useless. But analyzing how far current
computers can truly go with current peripherals not only helps in
realizing the capabilities of our machines, but can be useful in both
setting priorities for the level of price/performance in our systems, and
in defining more clearly what we should demand from our computers....
Here is a Graph of the features of each Dream System:
Dream Systems List:
(Comparison of each Systems' Optimal Features)
_________________________________________________________________________
Dream |Main Chips,|MHZ Rate|Mass |Expansion|Graphics Displays/ |
System |Megs of RAM| & MIPS |Storage | Slots |Best Resolution(s) |
-----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
IBM 486 |Intel 80486| 25 MHZ |1 Gigabyte| Seven |800*600*16 Colors |
System |Eight Megs |17 MIPS |Tape Drive| AT Bus |1024*768*256 Colors|
-----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
Mac IIci |68030/68882| 25 MHZ |650 Meg | Three |640*400*256 Colors |
System |Eight Megs |4 MIPS |Tape Drive|NuBus |1024*768*16 Million|
-----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
SG Personal|R3000/R3010| 20 MHZ |170 Meg |Currently|1024*768*16 Million|
Iris System|Eight Megs |16 MIPS |Hard Drive| Unknown | |
-----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
NeXT |68030/68882| 25 MHZ |256MB Tape| Three |1120*832 w/Monochr.|
System |Eight Megs |5 MIPS |670 MB- HD|NuBus |(Color in future) |
-----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
SPARCStat. |SPARC/W3170| 20 MHZ |650 Meg | Three |1152*900*256 Colors|
System | 16 Megs |12 MIPS |Hard Drive|S-Bus | |
-----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
ATW | 10 T-800s | 20 MHZ |300 Meg | Four |512*480*16 Million |
System | 13 Megs |100 MIPS|Hard Drive|Abaq |1280*960*16 Colors |
-----------'-------------------------------------------------------------'
In the Mass Storage column, Tape stands for removable storage, and HD
stands for fixed, or hard disk storage. Also, while there are many
measurements to determine the number of MIPS (Million Instructions Per
Second) that a system can do, in this case, one MIPS is equal to the
ability to compute approximately 1500 Dhrystones per second....
Based on both this graph, and the System Descriptions, I have determined
these Standings:
IBM 386 Dream System: Third Place
The IBM Dream System is truly a good example of a Dream System,
providing powerful capabilities, and being very well rounded in features
which are superb in themselves. The IBM Dream System's capabilities have
increased steadily, and now, with the 80486's blazing speed, there are
virtually NO weaknesses apparent in this system. Resulting in that the
IBM Dream System dominated many of the Dream System Comparisons. But the
ATW's great speed, and the Personal Iris' graphics capabilities managed to
stave off the IBM's ascension into First Place....
Mac IIci Comparison: The IBM is superior to the Mac IIci in the
number of Expansion Slots, amount of mass storage, and processing speed,
is equal in the amount of RAM, and is inferior only in graphics
capabilities. Therefore, the IBM scores higher than the Mac IIci....
Iris Comparison: The IBM is superior to the Personal Iris in its
amount of Mass Storage, is roughly equal in the amount of RAM and
processing speed, and is inferior in graphics capabilities. So, if you
can live with the Iris' small amount of mass storage, then the Personal
Iris scores higher than the IBM....
NeXT Comparison: The IBM is superior to the NeXT in processing speed,
graphics capabilites, and # of Expansion slots, is equal in the amount of
RAM, and is inferior only in the amount of mass storage. But since it is
inferior by only a slight degree, the IBM scores much higher than the
NeXT....
SPARCStation Comparison: The IBM is superior in the amount of Mass
Storage, # of expansion Slots, and processing speed, is equal in graphics
capabilities, and is inferior only in the amount of RAM. Therefore, if
you can afford more RAM in the future, the IBM scores much higher than the
SPARCStation....
ATW Comparison: The IBM is superior in the # of Expansion Slots, and
Mass Storage, and is inferior in the amount of RAM, processing speed, and
graphics capabilities. So if you can wait for an ST/ATW Compatible
Magneto-Optical drive, and can bear having 4 Expansion Slots, then the ATW
scores higher than the IBM....
Macintosh IIci Dream System: Tied for Fifth Place
With the Macintosh IIci, the Mac Dream System has not only been able
to keep most of its processing capabilities, as well as all of its other
features, but is now drastically reduced in price. It is well balanced in
features, and has a nearly unbeatable lead in the graphics arena. But it
seems that the reason it placed so poorly, given its capabilities, is that
the system speed of the other systems have increased dramatically. The
increased speed caused by RISC technology (both in the RISC workstations,
and the 80486 system) just surpassed the Mac's 68030 chip, and ultimately
became the deciding factors in a VERY tough set of comparisons....
Iris Comparison: The Mac is superior in the amount of Mass Storage,
and is equal in its amount of RAM. Since it is inferior in system speed
and graphics capabilities, which are more important than inherent Mass
Storage, then the Personal Iris scores MUCH higher than the Mac IIci.
NeXT Comparison: The Mac is superior in graphics, is roughly equal
in the amount of RAM and expansion slots, and is slightly inferior in the
amount of Mass Storage and processing speed. But while the NeXT scores
higher than the Mac IIci, since its listed advantages could be considered
equal to the Mac's features, then the main tiebreaker is the NeXT's lower
price....
SPARCStation Comparison: The Mac is superior in its graphics
capabilities, is equal in the amount of Mass Storage, and Expansion Slots,
and is inferior in system speed and amount of RAM. So, as always, if you
consider system speed more important than graphics, then the SPARCStation
scores higher than the Mac IIci. However, this is also a difficult
decision....
ATW Comparison: The Mac IIci is superior in Mass Storage, graphics
capabilities, and price, and is inferior in system speed, its # of
expansion slots, and its standard amount of RAM. Since both of their
lists of advantages have the same number of items, one has to consider
which list of advantages is more important. However since, while the Mac
IIci System's advantages are VERY important, the ATW's list has some
equally important items, the ATW and Mac IIci are tied in this Essay....
SGI Personal Iris Dream System: Second Place
The Personal Iris made a strong introduction into the Dream Systems
list, with processing speed and graphics capabilities rivalling or
surpassing the best of the rest. However, while it is superb in many
areas, its worst weakness, its relatively mediocre amount of Mass Storage,
combined with the ATW's overwhelming speed advantage, kept it from getting
First Place....
NeXT Comparison: The Iris is superior in processing speed, graphics
capabilities, amount of RAM, and color graphics, while it is inferior in
the amount of Mass Storage. So if you can wait for better mass storage,
then the Personal Iris scores MUCH higher than the NeXT....
SPARCStation Comparison: The Iris is superior in processing speed and
graphics capabilities, and is inferior in the amount of Mass Storage and
RAM. However, while both lists are tied, the Personal Iris' advantages
are more important. As such, the Personal Iris scores higher than the
SPARCStation....
ATW Comparison: The Personal Iris is superior in graphics
capabilities and Mass Storage, and is inferior in processing speed and its
amount of RAM. Since the ATW's advantages are probably more important,
the ATW scores higher than the Personal Iris....
NeXT Dream System: Tied for Fifth Place
The NeXT system is extremely well balanced in features, and has an
excellent set of options. However, in processing speed and graphics
ability, the main areas by which most workstations are judged today, the
NeXT has not improved at all, and got stormed. But while it scored higher
than the Mac IIci, since its defeats were more clear-cut than the Mac's,
it ended up being tied. Since NeXT Inc. is developing both a color board,
and a 68040 upgrade for the NeXT, its current ranking may only be
temporary....
SPARCStation Comparison: The NeXT is superior in the amount of Mass
Storage and price, is equal in the # of expansion slots, and is inferior
in system speed, amount of RAM, and graphics capabilities. If you can do
without a Magneto-Optical drive for it, the SPARCStation scores higher
than the NeXT.
ATW Comparison: The NeXT is vastly superior in Mass Storage, and is
inferior in everything else, including graphics, # of expansion slots,
amount of RAM, and system speed. So if you can wait for an ST Compatible
Magneto-Optical drive, then the ATW scores MUCH higher than the NeXT....
SPARCStation Dream System: Fourth Place
The SPARCStation 1 is a superb Dream System, being well balanced in
features that are VERY powerful in themselves, and with capabilities that
are very good. But not good enough. Unfortunately, many of its features
are surpassed by the competition (often by a VERY small margin). It
hasn't stood up against other systems using RISC technology, like the
Personal Iris and ATW, and while it has excellent merits on its own, its
loss of several "photo finishes" causes the SPARCStation Dream System to
be ranked lower....
ATW Comparison: The SPARCStation is superior to the ATW in its amount
of Mass Storage and standard RAM, is roughly equal in high resolution
graphics, and # of expansion slots, and is inferior in system speed and
low/middle resolution graphics. Since both are tied in items, one must
consider which items are more important. Since CPU Report considers
system speed and virtual superiority in graphics to be more important than
the amount of RAM and expansion slots, then if you can wait for a larger
Hard Drive for it, then the ATW scores higher than the SPARCStation.
ATW Dream System: First Place
- The Best System Currently Available -
With its parallel processing and graphics capabilities, the ATW has
managed to maintain a level of performance above the rest of the Dream
Systems. While some of its advantages have declined in superiority, by
virtue of the RISC systems' improved speed, or the increased graphics
abilities of some systems, the ATW has kept a considerable edge. Also,
while it is well-rounded in many ways, several of its weaknesses, such as
the amount of Mass Storage, can be improved easily enough for them not to
be crippling. But the competition has gotten much rougher for the ATW,
though it doesn't seem that it will be able to dethrone its First Place
ranking....
The ATW has great potential in the workstation market, as it could
set a new level of price/performance for many profitable aspects of the
industry. However, with such supercomputer-like speed, the ATW Dream
System's ideal market could be the emerging market for minisupercomputers,
or systems that achieve speed slightly below true supercomputers, but with
a fraction of their cost. Given that minisupercomputers with capabilities
equal to the ATW Dream System now cost from $250,000 to a million or more
dollars, the ATW could end up becoming a leader in the low-end part of
that market. But ONLY if Software Development for the ATW is supported
STRONGLY, and if Atari's efforts to make the ATW accepted as a worldwide
standard are MUCH better than its previous efforts to make the Atari ST
popular in the US....
So as to account for future developments, I have included a list of
Upcoming Dream Systems, so accurate comparisons can be made between
present and future computers meeting the "Dream System" status. Some of
these are merely improvements on old systems, but others are completely
new systems which show excellent potential....
Upcoming Systems' Features:
_________________________________________________________________________
Dream |Main Chips,|MainChip|Mass |Expansion|Graphics Displays/ |
System |Megs of RAM|Speed |Storage |Slots |Best Resolution(s) |
----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|--------------------|
Atari |68030/68882| 16 MHZ | 80 Meg |Five |640*400*16 Colors |
TT030/6 |Six Megs | |Hard Drive|VME Bus |1280*960 w/Monochr. |
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+--------------------|
Amiga 3000|68030/68882| 25 MHZ | 80 Meg | Seven |320*200*16 Million |
System |Eight Megs | |Hard Drive|Zorro III|1024*768 w/16 Colors|
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+--------------------|
Sun 3/80 |68030/68882| 20 MHZ |650 Meg | One |1152*900*16 Million |
System | 16 Megs | |Tape Drive| P4 Bus | |
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+--------------------|
Mega 4 ST |68030/68882| 16 MHZ | 500 Meg | One |640*200 w/4 Colors |
System |Four Megs | |Hard Drive|Mega Bus |1024*768 w/16 Colors|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------'
(Note: Keep in mind that some of these specs are not final, and that the
actual systems will probably differ in some way from the systems that are
shown.)
System #7, the Atari TT030/6, has a 16 MHZ 68030 chip with a 16 MHZ 68882
Math Chip, Six Megs of RAM and an 80 Megabyte Hard Drive as standard, as
well as a VME Expansion Bus with five slots. Cost: $4000 dollars.
Resolutions: 320*200 with 256 Colors out of 4096
640*400 with 16 Colors out of 4096
1280*960 with Monochrome Resolution
Comparisons with Other Systems: Many of the features of the TT030/6,
such as speed and amount of RAM, have already been surpassed by current
systems. However, while its graphics capabilities are comparatively
mediocre, they are suitable for its price range. Given this, it seems
that the 68030 TT will make its niche in the price/performance area of the
market, in which it stands an excellent chance of success. But ONLY if one
is able to easily replace its 16 MHZ 68030 with 20 and 25 MHZ processors,
and if VME Graphics Boards come out for it....
System #8, the Amiga 3000 System, is an Amiga 3000 with a 25 MHZ 68030 and
a 68882 math chip, 8 Megs of RAM and an 80 Meg Hard Drive as standard,
and 7 Zorro III 32-bit Expansion Slots. Cost: Around $8000 dollars....
Normal Resolutions: (Compatible with Amiga 500/1000/2000 computers)
320*200 with 32 colors out of 4096
320*200 with 64 colors out of 4096 (Extra Half-Brite)
320*200 with 4096 colors at the same time (HAM Mode)
640*200 with 4 to 32 colors
640*400 with 2 to 16 colors (interlaced)
A3000 Resolutions: (specific to Amiga 3000)
320*200 with 16 Million Colors at the Same Time
640*400 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million
1024*768 with 16 Colors out of 16 Million
Comparisons with Other Systems: With its superb graphics resolution
and processing speed equalling that of many current systems, the Amiga
3000 Dream System shows superb workstation-class capabilities. However,
with its price boosting it into the low-end workstation market, where it
faces products made by much larger companies with a better reputation in
the workstation field, it may not fare as well as the Atari TT030/6, which
ironically is noticeably less powerful....
System #9, the Sun 3/80 System, is a Sun 3/80 with 8 Megs of RAM, a 20 MHZ
68030 chip, a 20 MHZ 68882 Math Chip, and 1 expansion slot. Added to this
are Pinnacle Micro's 650 Meg Magneto-Optical Drive, and two Sun Memory
Expansion Kits, with 4 Megs of RAM Each. Cost: 25,500 dollars.... Sun
3/80 Resolution: 1152*900 with 16 Million Colors at the same time..
Comparisons with other Systems: The Sun 3/80 System provides an
awesome set of Dream System capabilities, including 24-bit color graphics,
a Magneto-Optical Drive, and large amounts of RAM. While its speed isn't
at the caliber of the current Dream Systems, the Sun 3/80 promises to be a
VERY good contender in the low-end workstation area....
System #10, the Mega 4 ST System, is a Mega 4 ST with 4 Megs of RAM and 1
Expansion Slot. Added to this are FAST Technologies' upcoming add-on for
Turbo 16, which uses a 16 MHZ 68030, and a Multisync 4D Color Monitor for
Image Systems' Video Card for the Mega ST, with a 1024*768 resolution, and
a 16 MHZ 68882 math chip to go in the Video Card's math chip socket, as
well as a 500 Meg Hard Drive from ABCO Inc. Cost: $9000.00 dollars.
Mega ST Resolutions: 320*200 with 16 Colors out of 512
640*200 with 4 Colors out of 512
640*400 with Monochrome Resolution
Image Systems' Card: 1024*768 with 16 Colors out of 4096
Comparisons with other Systems: With these extensions, the Mega 4
System gains capabilities worthy of many workstation-class systems, with a
state of price/performance rivalling the Amiga 3000 and Atari TT030/6.
Given that this type of power is available now for the Mega, it seems that
the ST Userbase will have little to worry about in the area of good Mega
ST Expansion Options in the future....
It seems, though, that the state of the Workstation Market, as
exemplified in the array of Dream Systems, has grown considerably in power
over the past several months. With competition for First Place more
fierce than ever before, it seems that performance alone may not win the
battle for the Low-End Workstation market. With there being no clear
leader in the vital area of processing ability, around which the whole
concept of RISC chips is based, low-end Workstations will have to find
other advantages, such as graphics, in order to become more popular in
this industry....
These Dream Systems also indicate certain future trends which will
occur with microcomputers. Megapixel displays (screens with 1024*1024 or
better resolution), will become the main targets in the graphics arena,
while 8 - 24 bit color displays (showing 256 to 16 Million colors) will
quickly be a necessity. Also, with the advent of 4 Meg SIMM RAMs, 4 Megs
of RAM will soon become standard. However, this Dream Systems essay gives
little indication as to the chip architecture, whether it be CISC or RISC,
that will end the RISC Wars, the current struggle to become the dominant
RISC chip standard....
But ponder, if you will, these questions:
1) In what areas are single-processor systems more suitable for computing
tasks than parallel processing systems?
2) With the capabilities of current low-end workstations, it seems
probable that upping the TT's speed to 20-25 MHZ won't make an impact
in the workstation market. Given that an inexpensive 68040 system
would not only be easier to design, but could revolutionize the
industry, would it be best for Atari to concentrate on developing a
68040-based Atari TT, or an Atari TT040, and drop plans for another
68030 TT?
---===**===---
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
Tokyo, Japan The Japanese Fair Trade Commission (or FTC), has
------------ confiscated evidence in a continuing investigation of
charges that Apple Computer Japan and its sales agents
broke Japan's Antimonopoly Act, by engaging in price
fixing for Macintosh computers.
This investigation is centered on charges that Apple
Japan tried to force independent Dealers who imported
Macs to sell their systems at a set price. There is
also evidence that Apple Japan may have obstructed
sales and maintenance efforts of these dealers. If
Apple Japan is found guilty, it would be interesting
to see if the public outrage would hurt the Mac more
than the resulting actions in the business world....
Morristown, NJ AT&T has recently released AT&T Unix V Release 4.0,
-------------- their new version of Unix. It features compatibility
with Microsoft Xenix and Berkeley Unix BSD 4.3, two
popular versions of Unix, Sun's new Open Look GUI
(graphical user interface) for Unix, and their Network
File System, and other new abilities. The Source Code
for AT&T's new Unix will cost $100,000, which is
actually less than it charged in the past.
Given that the OSF, or Open Software Foundation, only
charged $1000 for the OSF Motif GUI for Unix, it will
be interesting how the OSF will price OSF/1, their
upcoming version of Unix, to be competitive....
Sunnyvale, CA MIPS Computer Systems has now licensed its MIPS Rx000
------------- RISC chip architecture to Sony, just after licensing
it to NEC. Sony will release versions of its News
Workstation using the MIPS R3000 chip, and has said it
will use ECL (emitter-coupled logic) technology, more
commonly used in mainframe circuitry, to develop a
100 MIPS version of the R3000 chip. This follows a
move by Bipolar Technologies to develop an ECL version
of the SPARC chip.
However, Fujitsu is now licensing Sun's SPARC RISC
chip, and several Japanese computer companies are
licensing RISC chips from other US Companies. Given
these companies' battle to defeat NEC's dominance of
the Japanese computer industry, it seems that the
Japanese workstation market is in for VERY interesting
times....
Palo Alto, CA Hewlett Packard has announced the PaintJet XL, a new
------------- version of its color printer line which can print 2-3
times faster than the HP PaintJet. The PaintJet line
is able to display over 16 million colors at 180 dpi
resolution. It can do this on normal printer paper,
by using the same inkjet technology used in its
DeskJet printers. Cost: HP PaintJet - $1400.00, and
HP PaintJet XL - $2500.00. For more information, call
1-800-752-0900....
______________________________________________________________
> KILLER QUAKE STR Feature¿ A natural disaster brings reality into focus.
========================
RUDE AWAKENINGS
===============
by R.F. Mariano
The human condition dictates that we become so involved in our own
little worlds, ie., ours is Atari and it's relations with the userbase
(Developers, Dealers and Users). And as a result, we soon loose grasp of
the big picture. Then, mother nature comes along and demonstrates just
how frail man really is. This earthquake 1989, has dramatically shown
it's devastating power. In just under 16 seconds it immobilized more
territory and communities than any Army did in all of WWII. We thank the
good Lord above that he spared as many folks as he did, especially our
friends at Atari in Sunnyvale.
You now start to ask, why is this in STReport? Easy, we have been
involved with Atari and it's decision makers for some time now, usually
scrutinizing their every move and being a GPA. In reflecting on these
activities and the responses from Atari via Sam, Leonard, Gary, Augie and
Antonio, we find that the entire matter is really minuscule compared to
the enormity of the earthquake's murderous devastation. As a result, we
at STReport have reconsidered our position and have come to the conclusion
that life is simply too short to devote the majority of our time and
effort to a cause that is not really a cause but a disaster unto itself.
The bottom line is, we will not be devoting much attention to the
shortcomings of Atari's inept leadership. Instead, we desire that the
users and the marketplace to experience the constant flow of flawed
decisions for themselves and if they, (the marketplace and users) feel all
is fine, then so be it.
At this point, I respectfully request that my developer status be
rescinded. Effective 10/01/89. And of course, with it all "agreements,
benefits, privileges and access to the developer areas incorporated in the
online services". It is with a heavy hand that I voluntarily ask that
this be done, for I fully believe the Atari ST computer is an excellent
machine, but I will not tolerate any attempts, no matter how indirect or
subtle, at censoring the information or news contained in STReport.
In our future issues, we are going to devote the better part of our
efforts in singing the praises earned by those firms and developers who
support the excellent ST computer equipment. To point out one major
fact, we have never found fault with the ST line, the concept is fabulous,
our loudest objection was directed toward the handling or, should we say
the mis-handling of what could have been the most successful computer line
in the history of the home computer business. We, along with most of the
userbase, are very enthusiastic and quite positive concerning the ST
family of computers. And at the same time, find the company's present
unprofessional leadership dismal. One point that is exceedingly
aggravating; a certain Atari "braintrust" passionately wishes to establish
that Atari's computers are 'inexpensive' enough to be tossed in the trash
when broken and another be purchased. A disposable computer!
Ah yes, the BIC lighter of the computer world. (hysterical laughter)
We have heard most all the stories of temper tantrums, indecision,
vicious vindictiveness and bland accusation that seem to permeate the top
floors in Sunnyvale. It becomes quite pathetic when certain of the top
executives are 'afraid' to present information to the very top for fear of
being insulted, screamed at and/or belittled. After a number lengthy
sessions of enlightenment in the past few weeks, we now clearly see 'the
why and wherefore' of the majority of baffling and rather unsatisfactory
decisions emanating for those 'hallowed halls'.
In contrast, 99 and 9/10ths percent of the folks working at Atari are,
without a doubt, among the very best to be found in the industry. The
authenticity of this statement is easily seen if one considers this; If
these folks were not the very best ..then where would Atari be with it's
present leadership? It sort of sounds like the old story in the military,
no matter how many officers and academy 'whiz kid' grads are 'in charge',
it's the Chiefs, Sergeant Majors, LDO's and the Mustangs who really get
the job done and done right. Atari has some of the very best people in
the business in those positions. Thank God!
_________________________________________________________________
> PAGESTREAM 1.8 STReport InfoFile¿ Right around the corner....
================================
Preliminary Notes on PageStream's Improvements from Mike Kazmaier.
This message was posted on the Soft-Logik BBS in the general category.
Hi, I thought I would take some time today and answer some commonly asked
questions around S/L:
1) When will the bugs be fixed?
Most of the ones we know about will be fixed with the next release. There
are some pseudo bugs/limitations that may not be fixed/improved with the
next release. It is our intent to fix anything that causes the program to
crash and to fix any features that are not working. The problem gets to be
in definition of what is working and ultimately there will be a trade-off
between how severe the limitation is and how long it will take to improve
it and how many users it affects, and how hard it is to work around, and
how much better the version is than what is in release.
2) How long will that take?
It is hard to tell. As you can see there are many factors to weigh when
trying to decide if you are finished. Actually as long as we support the
program we will never be finished, and we plan on supporting the program
for a long time. The question then becomes is it better than what folks
have now and should we keep it from them to work on it more. What we have
in beta testing now is getting to be better than what you all have now so
I think we can't be too far from releasing the next version.
3) How will I get the next version?
You will get a newsletter in the next few weeks if you are a registered
owner, and it will explain how you get it!
4) When will I get the newsletter?
Half of the S/L Review Newsletters are back from the printer, we should
get the rest of them next week. BUT we can't send the newsletter out until
the upgraded versions are ready or us or the dealers will be swamped for
requests of 'non-existing' S/W.
5) What will the next version specifically?
The next version is 1.8 on both machines and will contain bug fixes and
the following improved features:
a) Speed improvement: graphic import and manipulation, printing,
bootup.
b) Font manager for manipulation of font paths with unlimited numbers
of fonts possible, and saving of the fontlist to save bootup time.
c) IFF import module now supports HAM, imports pictures as objects,
imports 24bit ASDG color images, can specify x,y dpi.
d) PostScript printing now supports crop and registration marks,
tiling pages are labeled, can change screen angle and frequency,
can send unlimited downloadable PS fonts regardless of printer
memory.
e) Many improved printer drivers and import modules.
f) Arc/ellipses now draw from the middle and are more intuitive.
g) Program quits properly even with multiple documents.
h) Column outline is now dashed line.
Mike Kazmaier
______________________________________________________________
> LASERBRAIN STR FOCUS¿ Laserbrain and other Mysteriously missing prgs.
====================
Whatever became of Laserbrain 1.5? That fine piece of software from
Europe that we keep reading about in the European magazines? (UK ST WORLD
AUG 1989 #42) From our little birdie we are told that this program (fully
translated) found it's way into the USA and Sunnyvale for evaluation.
Apparently, it was not up to "standards." Having never seen the program
ourselves, we are left only with the opinions of others. Since having
been told, in an overseas interview, "it is high quality Epson Emulation
and is very solid", this would give us cause to believe that perhaps it's
time to allow us, (the users), to make the decision as to it's quality and
not shelve these things for months on end. The open marketplace is the
best test of a program's quality. Remember Microsoft Write?
As part of an ongoing "looksee" we request that those of our readers
who have submitted software or know of someone who has submitted software,
let us know, it seems there has been quite a bit of unreleased software
sent to Atari that has "fallen into deep crevices, never to be seen or
heard from again".... Hmmm, you wonder where the programs went? We have
heard from the rumor mill that most of the programs have gone to the same
person who was given the responsibility to effectively bring the CD ROM to
market in a timely fashion. A long, long, time ago...........
____________________________________________________________________
> Atari Stock ~ STReport¿
======================
THE TICKERTAPE
==============
by Glenn Gorman
Atari stock dropped 1/8 of a point on Monday, 1/8 on Tuesday and 3/4 on
Wednesday. On Thursday it rose 1/8. And on Friday it dropped 7/8.
Finishing up the week at 9 3/4 points. Down 1 3/4 of a point from last
week.
During the past week, the whole stock market took a plunge.
+---------------------+
| ATARI STOCK WATCH |
| Week 10-09 to 10-13 |
+=======+==========+===========+=============+============+=============+
| | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Sales | 948 | 692 | 5205 | 1274 | 2089 |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Last | 11 3/8 | 11 1/4 | 10 1/2 | 10 5/8 | 9 3/4 |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Chg. | - 1/8 | - 1/8 | - 3/4 | + 1/8 | - 7/8 |
+=======+==========+===========+=============+============+=============+
| From > THE CAVE ST BBS <> 609-882-9195 <> 300/14400 HST <> F-NET #351 |
+=======================================================================+
___________________________________________________________________
> REVOLUTION! STR Feature¿ The time has come for ALL voices to be heard!
========================
INTRODUCTION
------------
There is a war going on in the United States and, if you are an Atari
computer user, you are a part of it. The allies are the manufacturers,
publishers and users of Atari computers. They are the front line people
doing what they can to see that the system survives. They, as you, are
the people who face the ridicule from the universe of IBM, Amiga and
Macintosh proponents to support a conviction in the really best computer
value available.
To proclaim a war, there must be a cause... essential basic values
worth fighting for. In this case, these values hinge on the need to
expand our family of Atari owners and users. We must face the reality that
our family of Atari users is not growing in the United States... it's
shrinking. This fact should be disturbing to you. The passion you have
for your computer will likely crumple to disgruntled aggravation as fewer
companies support your investment and more and more users switch to a more
popular system.
Many of us have been waiting for Atari to fight this war for us. We
have listened to commitments to run advertising and support users' groups
and trade shows. We have also been exposed to Jack Tramiel's philosophy
that "Business Is War". In many instances, Atari has made admirable
efforts to strengthen their domestic position. For instance, over $67
million dollars was poured into a chain of retail electronics stores
known as the Federated Group. The theory was that by owning a significant
retail outlet, they could dictate the amount of shelf space and customer
assistance dedicated to Atari computers and games. While the theory was
sound, they were not prepared to invest the added millions of dollars it
would take to salvage the risk. Atari has also supported the user shows
with their presence and dealer support by loaning equipment for the show
and providing seminars.
Atari's dilemma is that the return on invested dollars is best paying
off overseas right now. Prices are higher there, piracy is a lesser
threat, and the consumer can view the Atari line of computers without a
tainted prejudice for another system which is not as well established.
Yes, it appears Atari can not get a fix on what needs to be done for the
U.S., but there is already enough work keeping up with European demand.
"Business Is War" means exactly that and Jack Tramiel is going to fight
for businesses' primal need... PROFITABILITY.
Looking into the crystal ball, Atari will certainly find some success
with the Portfolio and other attempts to approach the PC market. They may
see their domestic cash flow swell when they do. As a result, an
increasing PC consumer base will be supporting the Atari name which will
drown out our cries for support with our XL, XE, ST and MEGA machines.
Already, the Atari magazines have covered the Portfolio.
Artisan Software believes that there is a hidden army of Atari users
who realize that, if anyone is going to fight this war, we must do it
ourselves. Since Atari Corp. and third party developers are simply profit
machines, they are always going to spend as little as possible to sell
their products. After all, that's what business is all about. Yet, if
someone were to mastermind an ultimate attack to enhance United States
sales of Atari computers, Atari would support its' success.
Artisan Software is asking you to join in on the ultimate user-based
campaign to attract an expanding universe of Atari owners and users. You
may participate as intensely as you wish, but your every effort will go a
long way by reading this material and doing whatever you can.
The campaign is called "THE REVOLUTION". It will be in effect
throughout 1990 and scheduled to continue through the 90's. The premise
will be to optimize the power of "word-of-mouth" advertising. This form
of advertising is the least expensive and the most effective.
Concentration will be on a calendar of projects which will strike targets
in cumulative force. You will find participation fun and easy.
No one appears to have a firm idea how many Atari users there are in
the U.S., many say there about 100,000 ST compatible machines out there,
but that can not be verified. Atari, understandably, keeps this a secret
so they do not scare away potential developers. Regardless how many there
are of us, we have the potential to exercise a lot of power. If united,
we can not be ignored.
The benefits you reap from this project are plentiful. First of all,
you will see Atari users band together as a nation for the very first
time. You will witness significant news coverage and experience the
growth of new companies emerging to support your system. You will also
discover it increasingly easier to find friends and colleagues using an
Atari computer. Best of all, you will have fun.
Respectfully,
Donald A. Thomas, Jr. President,
Artisan Software
___________________________________________________________________
> TOS 1.4 STReport OnLine¿ A partial listing of features....
=======================
ctsy CIS
Read action !
#: 11956 S9
17-Oct-89 06:13:28
Sb: #11946-Why won't it work?
Fm: Ed Waldorph 73637,42
There are several utilities plus a couple of fixes in an ARC file in
ATARIPRO. I think the file is TOSFIX.ARC.
There have been several messages on the subject and there is a file
in LIB 8 called NEWTOS.TXT that lists some of the changes.
Warm and cold boot from the keyboard
(Cntl/Alt/Del and Cntl/Alt/RShft/Del)
Move files by holding 'Control'
Copy, Move, Delete interrupted by 'Undo'
Time/Date stamp unchanged during Copy/Move
Autoboot GEM applications
Possible to change destination name during Copy/Move if conflict
Skip available during multiple Copy/Move
400 file limit in desktop window removed
Folders can be renamed
Single-disk copies require fewer swaps
File Selector redone
40 Folder bug essentially fixed
Directory damage will not result from error
Fat search routine optimized Disk caching allowed
Duplicate filenames no longer allowed
Archive attribute bit now works
Program Fastload implemented
So far, this is all the user available features that have been
published. Many of the changes are visible only to programmers.
Ed
Editor Note: It is sad that the this version of TOS has been around and
in use since last year and still, there is NO formal list of it's
functions provided by Atari. Oh! yes, there has been promises of a list
and there is supposed to be an extensive listing available for programmers
but alas it is at least another four to six weeks away... It seems
somebody is economizing and is going to incorporate this listing in with
the "new" programmer's newsletter from Atari. Seems it would be the right
the thing to do if they simply placed the list out in the open for all to
see, especially since anyone who has purchased the chips since being
released to the users in general has gotten zero documentation. But then,
all one need do is consider who is making the decisions to keep the
mushroom patch alive and well.
CTSY GEnie RT
Category 14, Topic 28
Message 200 Wed Oct 18, 1989
W.MCGUIRE at 21:43 EDT
The Atari Portfolio is a lovely, revolutionary little machine. How
sad it is to report that I've discovered what may be a major bug in it
which will make it useless to most users.
I have an address file of about 10k and 300 cards that I frequently
load and save. I've found that the Portfolio regularly scrambles the data
in a few cards every few loads or saves. What is most common is that the
first line in a card is chopped off. Since I can't afford to lose or
scramble even a digit in this file, the machine is worthless to me, even
dangerous. I will have to return it.
Can anyone else confirm that this bug exists?
I would like to think that Atari could fix the problem, but my
experience with an ST over the last few years has taught me to be
extremely wary of the company. For a long time I suffered the loss of
text buffers on the ST, before learning from a number of reliable sources
that the "ghost typist" bug was the result of a flaw in TOS. Atari
continually refused to admit the bug existed (even though it was
well-known to knowledgeable developers, like Jeff Wilson at WordPerfect),
and failed to take care of the problem for me. Atari has acquired a
well-earned reputation of treating its dealers, developers and users like
dirt.
Buyers, beware. It may well be worth waiting a few weeks for the
Poqet, and paying more money for a palmtop machine that will be bug-free
and well-supported.
________________________________________________________________
> The Crystal Ball STR Spotlight¿ "Play it again Sam...."
==============================
A SPECIAL REPORT
from
The SPA (Software Publishers Assn) fall convention.
Attending this convention was reported to be a very uplifting
experience. Amiga had excellent representation in attendance, (a large
delegation). Atari had Sam Tramiel and Antonio Salerno (first time Atari
has attended in 2 years). Both companies made some rather astonishing
announcements.
One was that Amiga did a brand awareness study (product recognition).
They showed people the names of 4 computers, 1 fictitious computer name,
and of course, the Amiga name. They then asked them which computer they
had heard of or, had knowledge of. More people said they heard of the
fictitious name! It's a sure bet that the same would be true of the ST.
Atari's President, Sam Tramiel, speaking about new technology at the
Conference, told the developers that Atari was going back to what it knew
best! He pondered about the "good old days" when they made 400,000 C-64's
a month. He said that Atari wanted to 'seize' the home computer market.
And that to do that they would have to aggressively market the 520ST, and
hopefully, price it at under $300. Sam said this campaign would begin
late this year or early next year. (looks like the year of Atari is
really going to be 1990!)
Antonio Salerno reported that he has been promoted to Vice President
of software and is directly responsible to Sam Tramiel. Antonio has two
main responsibilities, getting developers to write applications for the
Portfolio and to re-establish the ST developers. He mentioned that Atari
was making many changes in the way they deal with developers. New people
are being hired to insure the timely publishing of a newsletter and to
expedite other developer services.
Antonio Salerno mentioned that Atari was really 'starting over' again.
- They have New Management
- A New Engineering Team
- New Goals
And.. they are going to spend the money necessary to make it all work.
Atari is aggressively advertising the Portfolio and is beginning to plan
the campaign to seize the home market. Atari is going to battle Nintendo
and Tandy and try to take the home market by force.
Amiga has announced that they are going to spend around $20 million
advertising the Amiga this Christmas season. At the Conference they
showed their new advertising. The print advertising was OK but the TV
commercials were OUTSTANDING. They will attract lots and lots of
attention. Amiga is planning on doubling the size of their support
staffs. They are hiring more people as you read this.
It appears both companies have come to the realization that they can
not just design an outstanding product and say here it is. They are now
going to start -* MARKETING *- their products.
___________________________________________________________________
> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿ "Sayin' it like it is...."
======================
- Los Angeles, CA. **** LUCASFILM PUTS AMIGA'S BEST FOOT FORWARD! ****
----------------
Lucasfilm's new ad division launches its first Major National
Campaign today for Commodore Business Machine's Amiga personal computers.
The $20 million campaign features three spots centering around a computer
whiz named Stevie who uses his personal computer to levitate his house (on
the screen) and to trick the girls next door into thinking he's appearing
on a rock music award show.
One spot features celebrities such as Los Angeles Dodgers Manager
Tommy LaSorda; former House Speaker Tip O'Neill; composer Burt Bacharach
and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. All of whom come to Stevie the computer
wonder's room for help on various projects.
Lucasfilm produced the ads for Commodore's agency. Special effects
such as the levitating house were done by Industrial Light and Magic, the
same team that worked on such Lucas films as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and
"Star Wars." -- This is the Year of Atari? --
- Sunnyvale, CA. ***** ATARI REJECTS EFFORTS OF "WONDER AGENCY"! *****
--------------
According to our informed sources, the "PREMIER" advertising agency
with the proven track record that reportedly "put the MAC on the map", has
met with stiff resistance concerning it's planned ads for Atari Corp.
Additionally, it is reported that the entire ad campaign alluded to at the
time this agency's appointment was made known, is now all but history. Oh
well, this was going to be the year Atari re-entered the US market with a
vengeance.., Or was it last year? No, maybe the year before. Wrong it
WAS this year! Don't worry Bunky, they'll do it next year..... Sam
"promised"...
- Chicago IL. **** ATARI CD ROM STILL A MYSTERY! ****
-----------
Back at the beginning of July, 1989 we were told all about the coming
of the CD ROM we quote; "Actually, the hardware is finished and has been
for a while. The current version plays both Audio and CD-ROM formats.
The current hold-up is that we are waiting on a release until several
companies that are working on applications for the CD-ROM
player are ready
to release them. A CD-ROM player without software isn't of much use.
Currently, CD-ROM units are shipping in limited quantities to Developers.
If you are a registered developer and are interested in a developer unit,
give Gail Johnson a call at Atari. BTW, we also have hired a person (his
name is Rick Meyers and he is overseeing the CD-ROM project. Any other
questions?" -- John
It appears that the only thing the CD Rom can do so far is play music,
as it does on various desktops around Sunnyvale. Since we have touched on
music, how about... MIDI and musicians, have you seen the new multi
paged, full color, glossy brochures that Commodore is sending its dealers
advertising the Amiga? It features B.B. King promoting the Amiga as the
'foremost' computer for music and music composition. Oddly enough, he was
saying that about the ST series of Atari computers just a short while ago!
Of course, in the advertising business, you go where the money is. Has
anyone noticed that Amiga software is now exhibited in non-computer stores
such as Walden Books, etc. ST software hardly exists outside of ATARI
computer stores, why? Also, since Commodore has begun it's opulent
marketing pageant, it appears that ATARI has 'till about the end of the
first quarter of 1990 to counter this immense drive or they could very
possibly lose significant ground to the Amiga in the US home computer
marketplace. Also, the "newest" rumor is rather interesting. Seems that
Microsoft made mention that, if Commodore sells 100,000 units by the end
of the year, they will port their software to the AMIGA ... Also, as for
the STEs and TTs, they are tantalizing, but first.. what happened to
STACY and especially the * HOTZ Box * that was plastered all over the
place at Anaheim's World of Atari Show? Anybody know?
- Sunnyvale, CA. ***** NEW NATIONAL SALES MANAGER APPOINTED! *****
--------------
Mike Morand, Atari Corp. announced the appointment of Bill Crouch to
Vice President of Sales on 10/16/89. Crouch will bring a great deal of
marketing experience with him to Atari Corp. Most recently of Televideo
Corp. , Bill has been successful in marketing Apricot Inc, TTX Computer,
ACTRX Corp. and was Director of Sales & Marketing for Commodore,
overseeing the sales and marketing of the VIC 20 and C-64. We wish to
extend our best wishes and success to Bill.
- New York City, NY *** FORBES 8TH ANNUAL REPORT LOOKS AT J. TRAMIEL ***
-----------------
The Forbes 400 - October 23, 1989: Jack Tramiel
Atari Corp. Zephyr Cove, NEV. and Saratoga, CA. 61, married, 3 sons
all in business. Polish born Kaufman Idek Tramielski, survived Auschwitz.
Army, odd jobs after US arrival 1947. Sold used typewriters Bronx, set up
Commodore Portable Typewriter 1954. Major Canadian financial scandal
sullied reputation; avoided bankruptcy with equity from investor Irving
Gould. Fierce cost cutter; Commodore became feared microcomputer power.
Dispute with Gould; Tramiel out in 1984. Picked up moribund Atari same
year, cut staff deeply. Brutally demanding boss: "Our generals are in
the trenches, so more of them get killed." Atari success puts Tramiel's
wealth to $370 million.
- New York City, NY **** ATARI PRODUCTS GO FULL MAIL ORDER! ****
-----------------
The Christmas 1989, catalog from J&R Music World lists the following
items for sale via mail order:
- ATARI 520ST-fm $399.95 - ATARI 1040ST $579.95
- ATARI SM124 $159.95 - ATARI SC1224 $319.95
- ATARI MEGA2 $1099.95 - ATARI MEGA4 $1499.95
- ATARI SF314 $159.95 - ATARI DTP SYS -CALL-
Well now, the resurrection of mail order seems to be for real. We
received the catalog just two days ago direct from J&R, and there is our
'favorite computer company' listed there right along with Commodore,
Amiga, NEC, Zenith, Epson Toshiba and many more. At least they are in
good company. For what it's worth, it may be just in time to see Atari
BACK in the mail order world before we are not seeing them at all. It is
rumored that they are at an alarming all time low in having active ST
dealers nationwide. The entire line of Atari ST computers and accessories
were pictured with excellent product descriptions accompanying each
picture. And they were listed in the "Home Computer Systems" area. J&R
1-800-221-8180 Bad part is... No service!
- Sacramento, CA ***** DEALERS VERY UNHAPPY AGAIN! *****
--------------
In yesterday's Sacramento Bee, ATARI ran a full page ad for the
Portfolio. Great, huh? ...Wrong. ATARI just shot themselves in the foot
again, and substantially enraged the local dealers. No where in the ad
does it say "For more information see your local dealer", or "For names of
a local dealer in your area call...", Instead, ATARI inserts it's 800
number and says "To order call Atari directly"!
We only have 2 ATARI dealers in the greater Sacramento area which has
a population of over a million people and is the California State Capital
and BOTH dealers are close to not carrying any products from ATARI.
DS
Editor Note;
Atari has stated it would use direct sales for the Portfolio, but one
would think that IF dealer(s) in a given area are stocking the product,
then it would be in Atari's best interests to promote sales in that area
through it's dealer(s). "Such Wreckxpert marketing!"
_____________________________________________________________________
> Hard Drive List STReport InfoFile¿ Affordable mass storage.....
=================================
NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
============================
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
_____________________________________
All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE
(you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
(all cables and connectors installed)
SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS ONLY!
ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED
EXCLUSIVELY
* OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
*** CALL FOR PRE-HOLIDAY SPECIALS! ***
32mb #SG32238 539.00 42mb #SG44710 595.00
51mb #SGN4951 629.00 65mb #SG60101 679.00
80mb #SGN296 709.00 100mb #SG84011D 969.00
130mb #SG1244D 1099.00 145mb #SG3A4210 989.00
170mb #SGT41776 1389.00 260mb #SG1244Q 2169.00
320mb #SGN7788Q 3295.00
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
*** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***
ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> MAGIC SAC - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
LARGER units are available - (special order only)
* Removable Media Devices Available (44mb) Syquest 555 *
*** Available for ST - Amiga - IBM ***
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets -
TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
12 month FULL Guarantee
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
Quantity & Usergroup Discounts Available!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
Personal Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOURS TODAY!
904-783-3319 9am - 8pm EDT
_______________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"¿
=================
"WHEN A BUSINESS FORGETS THAT CUSTOMERS PAY THE BILLS....
THE BUSINESS IS SOON FORGOTTEN!"
excerpt from: Lenbo's Flippiant Follies
"ATARI IS BACK?"
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ST-REPORT½ Issue #110 "Your Independent News Source" October 20, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1989
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Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors, staff, ST Report ½ or CPU Report½. Reprint permission is
hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. All reprints must include ST
Report or CPU Report and the author's name. All information presented
herein is believed correct, STReport or CPU Report, it's editors and staff
are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained herein.
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