Me and My Husband's ST by Merry Iverson (FACCS)
NOTICE: This article originally appeared in the February issue of Atari Interface Magazine and may be freely distributed or reprinted in non-profit User Group publications as long as the article's author and Atari Interface Magazine are credited AND this notice is reprinted with the article. All other publications must obtain written permission from Unicorn Publications, 3487 Braeburn Circle, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Phone: (313) 973-8825 before using this article.
Me and My Husband's ST by Merry Iverson (FACCS)
Since becoming the FACCS editor, I have been trying to learn how to use the ST -- my husband's computer. I thought I should read the manuals, but Norman said it's easy to use so you don't need the books.
Doing November's newsletter was the first time I had used the ST all by myself. In the past Norman always loaded in the program and had it all set up and ready for me to type in my articles. Then, when I was done, he would come and save it to the disk for me. All I had to do was send it to the editor, but this time it was different.
I ran into my first problem when I tried to load in the word processor -- on my XE you just load the disk in and it's ready to use -- not so on the ST. When you put the word processor disk in the ST drive and turn on the ST you are only loading in the menu. [Ed. Note: "Loading in the menu" = booting to the ST desktop.] This is where the challenge began -- I had to guess which file I needed by looking at the abbreviated file names on the disk. When I found the one that sounded closest to what I needed, I didn't know how to load it in.
That's when I first used the MOUSE. It was just terrible -- I had one problem after another trying to get that program loaded in. (I think I would rather have been playing with a real mouse -- they're easier to get along with.) It was very difficult for me to move my finger fast enough for the double click needed to load in programs, and when I finally did click fast enough the mouse had moved and I loaded in the wrong program. Norman just sat there trying to tell me what I was doing wrong, laughing every time something went wrong. By the time I had finished the newsletter I still could not use the mouse very well. (I think I spent more time trying to load in programs and saving articles than I did typing in the articles.) I just couldn't seem to get the hang of it -- or my fingers couldn't.
I was very thankful Norman did the publishing program. I told him where to place the articles and he set up the publishing program and placed the articles where I told him. We did have a couple of problems, but Norman was able to resolve them.
The next problem came about when we went to print the newsletter. We just bought a new Panasonic wide carriage 24-pin printer. We thought it would make it easier with the wide carriage to print the newsletter. But, the program did not have a printer driver for our printer and it did not allow for a wide carriage printer, only a narrow one. Fortunately, last summer we were also able to purchase a Panasonic 1124 printer, and by doing landscape, the printer was able to print the newsletter sideways. This surprised me, as my Gemini 10x would never have been able to do that. I had never seen a printer print sideways like that.
As you know, we did finally get it finished and mailed, but personally I prefer my little XE. It's what I am use to, and I enjoy using it. I started with an old 800 and worked up to an XE. All these machines were basically the same, they all ran the same programs more or less.
I find it real hard to change, and the ST is a new and completely different computer. I could have been using an IBM or MAC and not have known the difference. My nerves would have been just as shot.
I'll use the ST for the newsletter because the publishing programs on the ST are far superior to those on the 8-bit side, but for everything else I think I would just as soon stick to my 130XE. I'm comfortable with it and it does everything I enjoy doing on my computer very well.
My 14-year-old son bought an ST with his own money saved from doing his paper route because he likes the games on the ST. But he still has his old 800 set up to play the games he likes in the 8-bit section. He has also bought a Nintendo for the games he likes that are not available on either of the Ataris. My point is that every person who buys an Atari -- 8-bit or 16-bit -- does so for their own reasons, and I do not think that one machine is any better than the next. It just depends on what the computer was going to be used for. This is the only reason one is picked over another. As long as the computer you are using does what you need it to do, that is all that is important. I do not care for the grudge matches I have seen and heard, where everyone says "my computer is better than yours," when a computer is only as good as the person using it.
I wrote this article about my trials and tribulations on the ST so other first time users don't get frustrated when it seems that nothing is going right with that new computer you just bought. You go the user group in your area and everyone there seems to know how to do everything on the computer and you might get intimidated. But just stop and think, they were first time users once. Practice and asking questions is the best way to learn more about your computer...don't be afraid to ask. No matter how dumb you feel about asking questions, this is the only way to improve your skills and uses of your machine. Who knows, in a year or so the person you asked the questions of may be asking you the questions. Learn all you can or need about your computer. Only you can set the limits on yourself.
