INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed, 15 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 658
 
Today's Topics:
                        Atari TT Block Diagram
                                STacy
                               ST Mouse
                       TT's VME-slots (2 msgs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 19:50:51 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!shadooby!sharkey!math.lsa.umich.edu!hyc@tut.cis.
ohio-state.edu  (Howard Chu)
Subject: Atari TT Block Diagram
 
Ah-hah! So, the WD1772/2793 is the magic part number, eh? What'll it
take to put one of these in an ST for 1.4MB floppy capability? Does
anyone here have access to Western Digital folks for pinouts & other
specs for this chip?
--
 -=- PrayerMail: Send 100Mbits to holyghost@father.son[127.0.0.1]
 and You Too can have a Personal Electronic Relationship with God!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 00:15:37 GMT
From: rochester!rit!ultb!rcc9885@pt.cs.cmu.edu  (R.C. Costello)
Subject: STacy
 
In article <4435@blake.acs.washington.edu> ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu
 (Enartloc Nhoj) writes:
>Would be nice to have a little truth emanate from the
>mouths of ATARI.
>
>Yes, this is another BASH!  Does Atari deserve anymore?
>
>This morning I learn from a developer friend of mine
>that Atari can't promise him his STacy now until "late December
>or early January".. was supposed to be "end of October".
>
>I got to thinking.. well, if they can't even supply their
>developers with the dang things... only God knows when/if the
>consumer will ever see one.
>
This isn't true.  Last weekend I was bored, so a couple of friends and I
drove up to Toronto, Canada (from Rochester, NY) to go to the Ontario Science
Center.  To our surprise, they were having somekind of midi demonstration going
on, and many local computer dealers were there.  Two different Atari dealers HAD
PRODUCTION STaceys and told us we would be able to have one by the end of the
year (this included all the back orders).  I used one for about an hour, and
this is a truely amazing machine.  The backlit LCD is perfect, and I like
the trackball/mouse more than the ST mouse.  The keyboard is BETTER than
the Mega's keyboard, and when I get all my Christmas money, I will be selling
my Mega!!!  They were offering a STacey 4 (that's a 4 meg STacey with a 40
meg HD) for $2200.  NO ONE can tell me this product isn't real, I've used
it, and I LIKE IT! (And I'm not even anyone important!)
 
Anyways, I really think ALOT of people are getting all excited about nothing.
I really think Atari has changed for the better, and maybe the days of
vaporware are over!  I know I have already ordered my LYNX from the
Sears Catalog, it will be here December 1st!  Now all I have to do
is decide if I want a TT/p or a STacey!!!
 
I've had an Apple once (and even worked for a dealer), never again.
I use MeSsy DOS a work (on a 386 no less), no thanks, I'll pass.
The Amiga is nice, but I really don't have any complaint's about
my ST.  It's probably got the most computer literate userbase (although
this may not be from choice :))
 
If you have a complaint/question about the ST, maybe you should try asking
someone NICELY.  There are several people from Atari who read the net, and
I have yet to see them atleast try and answer someones HONEST question. I
know I appreciate this service (Thanks guys, your great!) and I bet they
would even be MORE helpful if they felt a little more appreciated! So
lets have some informative conversation (yeah, like this one!), my
w key hasn't been used in quite a while!!!
 
Thanks!
 
 
>
>-kevin
>ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu
 
 
+-----------------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Where Am I?   |X| "Of course I made a backup copy, actually I made two, the_|
+-----------------+--------+ first one was too light." - typical IBM user   |X|
| rcc9885@ultb.isc.rit.edu +--------------------------------------------------+
| rcc9885@ultb.edu        _|  | | |   Atari ST: The BIGGEST and FASTEST and   |
| rcc9885@ritvax.BITNET  |X|  | | |   most POWERFUL computer in the whole    _|
+--------------------------+ /  |  \  entire ...  Well, um, I still like it.|X|
| I don't work for anyone, +-------------------------------------------+------+
| so, it doesn' matter    _|  NOTE: Now if I could only have this many_|
| what I think.          |X|  windows open under GEM!                |X|
+--------------------------+-------------------------------------------+
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Nov 89 18:16:06 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!jhunix!wcg_c077@tut.cis.o
hio-state.edu  (Stdnt077)
Subject: ST Mouse
 
In article <684@winnie.fit.edu> dcs60222@zach.UUCP ( Mark Enriquez) writes:
>My ST mouse recently bit the big one and I have been investagating
>the idea of investing in a higher quality version.  The question is
>advTHANKSance,
>
>    Mark Enriquez
>
>    dcs60222@zach.uucp
Well to my knowledge you can get your atari mouse replaced for 25 dollars thru
 the exchange program, if you can wiait an extended period of time.  My Atari
mouse is fine but I bought a mouse put out by BEST electronics, very ergonomic
and the buttons are really well put together(No pounding on the left one).
 Another one to consider is the Rio/Datel one, cant say anything about this
 except it
looks like a rehashed old logitech two button mouse.  Finally there is the
expensive Practical SOlution remote mouse, whic works without a tail.
SO in effect you have four mice to choose from in the US, god knows there must
be hundreds in europe.
The BEST and RIO/Datel mice go for about 40-45 dollars
PS remote mouse in the area of a 100 dollars.
hope this is enough info.
 -Ajay
(using a friends account)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 10 Nov 89 15:30:42 GMT
From: mcgill-vision!quiche!calvin!depeche@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Sam Alan EZUST)
Subject: TT's VME-slots
 
In article <2207@hudson.acc.virginia.edu> gl8f@astsun8.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg
 Lindahl) writes:
>In article <4699f8e3.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
>
>>> >Internal high speed modem?? Nope.
>>>
>>> Why internal? Get it on RS232 and then it doesn't have to be VME or TT
>>> specific.
>>
>>Because internal IBM modem cards are cheaper then external modems. Just
>>price them yourself.
>
>A VME slot isn't like a PC-BUS slot. It's faster and more expensive. You
>put quite different things in them.
>
>> Furthermore, wouldn't it be nice for Atari to sell a truly open
>> system and let the Marketplace decide what to add to it.
>
To Richard E. Covert and others of your philosophy:
 
Expansion cards in computers were quite popular back in the early 80s
for computers such as the IBM and the APPLE. Expansion was a desirable thing
because a computer without any cards in it was USELESS!
 
you needed a focking expansion slot in your computer to run your bloddy
disk drive. Serial port? Buy a card! Parallel port? What kind? There ain't
no standard (with the Apple's anyway).
 
one card isn't really that bad anymore - we already have enough ports
built-in, and that was the primary purpose of one of these interface
cards anyway - for simple i/o.
 
Any analog-digital converter SHOULD be designed to plug into a DMA, SCSI
or some other fast port. This way, it won't be computer specific.
 
In general, computer specific hardware addons will be a thing of the past.
I mean, shit - if we have a DMA port which can transfer data at 10
megabits per second on our old clunking 1040sts, guess how obsolete a
card slot which works with IBMs will be (I wish I had some numbers, but
I bet that those card slots in the IBMs aren't much faster if they are at
all).
 
The only things we would need slots for nowadays is for accelerators,
graphics enhanceors, and perhaps emulators. But maybe even these won't
need to take up a VME slot if the computer is designed well enough.
Taking up a VME slot for a stupid graphics enhancer is like using a steam
roller to kill a spider...
 
--
 S. Alan Ezust aka "Depeche Modem"       depeche@calvin.cs.mcgill.ca
 McGill University Computer Science      Disclaimer: I claim everything!
 Montreal, Quebec, Canada                (je pense que.... ) je me souviens
       "This kind of pornography is a matter of artistic creativity"
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 10 Nov 89 19:03:33 GMT
From: mcgill-vision!quiche!calvin!depeche@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Sam Alan EZUST)
Subject: TT's VME-slots
 
In article <2207@hudson.acc.virginia.edu> gl8f@astsun8.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg
 Lindahl) writes:
>In article <4699f8e3.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
>
>>> >Internal high speed modem?? Nope.
>>>
>>> Why internal? Get it on RS232 and then it doesn't have to be VME or TT
>>> specific.
>>
>>Because internal IBM modem cards are cheaper then external modems. Just
>>price them yourself.
>
>A VME slot isn't like a PC-BUS slot. It's faster and more expensive. You
>put quite different things in them.
>
>> Furthermore, wouldn't it be nice for Atari to sell a truly open
>> system and let the Marketplace decide what to add to it.
>
To Richard E. Covert and others of your philosophy:
 
Expansion cards in computers were quite popular back in the early 80s
for computers such as the IBM and the APPLE. Expansion was a desirable thing
because a computer without any cards in it was USELESS!
 
You needed a expansion slot in your computer to run your bloddy
disk drive. Serial port? Buy a card! Parallel port? What kind? There ain't
no standard (with the Apple's anyway).
 
one card isn't really that bad anymore - we already have enough ports
built-in, and that was the primary purpose of one of these interface
cards anyway - for simple i/o.
 
Any analog-digital converter SHOULD be designed to plug into a DMA, SCSI
or some other fast port. This way, it won't be computer specific.
 
In general, computer specific hardware addons will be a thing of the past.
I mean, shit - if we have a DMA port which can transfer data at 10
megabits per second on our old clunking 1040sts, guess how obsolete a
card slot which works with IBMs will be (I wish I had some numbers, but
I bet that those card slots in the IBMs aren't much faster if they are at
all) when the TT comes out?
 
The only things we would need slots for nowadays is for accelerators,
graphics enhanceors, and perhaps emulators. But maybe even these won't
need to take up a VME slot if the computer is designed well enough.
Taking up a VME slot for a stupid graphics enhancer is like using a steam
roller to kill a spider...
 
 S. Alan Ezust aka "Depeche Modem"       depeche@calvin.cs.mcgill.ca
 McGill University Computer Science      Disclaimer: I claim everything!
 Montreal, Quebec, Canada                (je pense que.... ) je me souviens
       "This kind of pornography is a matter of artistic creativity"
--
 S. Alan Ezust aka "Depeche Modem"       depeche@calvin.cs.mcgill.ca
 McGill University Computer Science      Disclaimer: I claim everything!
 Montreal, Quebec, Canada                (je pense que.... ) je me souviens
       "This kind of pornography is a matter of artistic creativity"
 
------------------------------
 
End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #658
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