INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed,  1 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 593
 
Today's Topics:
                                (none)
                    386's, TT's, a machine I want
                       atari-bashing/vaporware
             Naive Question : ST & IBM Disk Compatibility
                        sm124 flyback problems
                       TT's VME-slots (2 msgs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Nov 89 05:45:41 GMT
From: mailrus!um-math!hyc@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Howard Chu)
Subject: (none)
 
In article <8911012037.AA03897@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> JOHNMAR@IITVAX.BITNET
 writes:
>ftp and binaries
>To:       INFO-ATARI16@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL
>X-Original-To:  INFO-ATARI16@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL, JOHNMAR
>
>I've been trying to get binaries off of terminator.cc.umich.edu using ftp.  I'm
>using a vax and downloading from it.  Is the code getting scrambled or some-
>thing?  Is what I'm trying possible?  Do I need another kind of unarchiver?
>I couldn't even use the arc.ttp from there.  What am I doing wrong?
>Mark J
 
How do you download from the Vax - using Kermit? I presume you're setting
binary filetype when you ftp, so that's not the problem. However, if you're
using Vax-Kermit, also known as Kermit-32, you should "set filetype fixed"
on the Vax, not "binary" - but still use binary on the ST Kermit...
--
 -=- PrayerMail: Send 100Mbits to holyghost@father.son[127.0.0.1]
 and You Too can have a Personal Electronic Relationship with God!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Nov 89 05:33:37 GMT
From: mailrus!um-math!hyc@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Howard Chu)
Subject: 386's, TT's, a machine I want
 
In article <1200@atha.AthabascaU.CA> rwa@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Ross Alexander)
 writes:
>Point b:  I'm not planning on buying into all that missed'em 5 grief
>  ;-), the machine's got a 68030 in it so the MACH port ought to be
>  pretty straightforward.  I sincerely hope so, anyway.  I'll run minix
>  until it gets done - at least I'll have source.  Physician, heal thyself!
 
Good idea. I've got BSD 4.3 source here (Tahoe) that I plan to get running
on this NeXT at some point. (It's called MACH, but whatever it is the NeXT
runs, it's *too slow*... And it doesn't come with sources. What an utter
drag.) Will probably try the same for the TT whenever it's available...
--
 -=- PrayerMail: Send 100Mbits to holyghost@father.son[127.0.0.1]
 and You Too can have a Personal Electronic Relationship with God!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 1 Nov 89 20:55:26 GMT
From: asuvax!hrc!force!covertr@handies.ucar.edu  (Richard E. Covert)
Subject: atari-bashing/vaporware
 
In article <00114@citasim.sf-bay.org, red_wiz@citasim.sf-bay.org (Jason
 Herfurth) writes:
> let me just say two things. i am really getting annoyed with all the
> "atari doesnt support me so i am going to buy another computer" and "dont
> you all know that X computer is much better than atari" messages. im
> mean really,this is the comp.sys.atari.st group. how about a
> comp.flame.atari.st conference? then we wouldnt have to read this garbage
> if we didnt want to.
> two,i have noticed quite a few people talking about the STACY/STE/TT
> et al. as being "vaporware" because they cannot see it. look,vaporware
> means it does not exist,is all hype. or a prototype exists in a primitive
> form (this is stretching the term). all three DO exist and have been
> shown,used,seen,touched by REAL people in the US and in Europe,etc. if
> you cant see it,that doesnt mean its vaporware. this is an extremely
> narrow form of mind and it scares me to see ST users thinking this way.
> it is like an infant whose world consists of only what he/she can see.
> if something is hidden or in another room,there is no such thing. oh
> well,just my $.02 worth.
> ---
> "...in the spirit of hobbyist computing"        ...apple!spies!citasim!%s
>
> Spies in the Wire, PUBLIC ACCESS UNIX                      (408) 867-7400
 
Well, people saw, and touched the Atari CD-ROM drive years ago, and everybody
would agree that it is VaporWare.
 
People saw and touched the 1400XL 6 years ago (back in the old 8 bit days) and
everybody would agree that it is VaporWare.
 
Atari has a long history of VaporWare. Remember the ST that was going to use
the 68020 cpu?? It never came out either.
 
And all of the products mentioned here are just being shown as prototypes,
not production runs!! So, they too are VaporWare. Maybe when Atari starts
SELLING products they we can change them from VaporWare to HardWare.
 
And as far as selling them in Europe, they are still VaporWare here in the
United States. I understand that Atari has been selling IBM PC clones in
Germany for some time now. But now here in the States. So, those machines
are VaporWare to me.
 
But, maybe I should fly to Germany to buy an Atari computer??
With all of the US dealers dropping Atari it may not be long before
you have to fly to Germany to buy an Atari computer!!
 
I still say that a product that can't be purchased MONTHS or YEARS after
it was announced is VAPORWARE. And the STacy, the Lynx,the 1040STE, and the
TT/P are all 100% VaporWare!!
 
Or do you know where I can buy one of them today??
 
Rich Covert
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 1 Nov 89 23:26:45 GMT
From: agate!codon3.berkeley.edu!ladasky@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU  (John Ladasky;1021
 Solano No. 2;528-8666)
Subject: Naive Question : ST & IBM Disk Compatibility
 
        I have a program for my ST that writes PostScript files, but my only
access to a laser printer is through this here UN*X computer account.  I did
a ten-page project last semester, transferring each page by modem.  It was
painfully slow, and when I found errors in the printouts, I had to go back
to square one.
 
        My local ST retailer told me that Atari disks were compatible with
3.5" IBM drives.  He gave me a program called FSFORMAT which initializes the
disk in a format that is readable by both TOS and MS-DOS... or so he said.
I was able to see that it woked on two systems that he had set up in his store,
but when I went to the PC on campus that is hooked in to the network, it
wouldn't read it!
 
        Now there's a new PS/2 lab on campus which is hooked in to the net.
Does anyone know if this is a workable solution to my problem?  Furhtermore,
does anyone know of specific PC/XT/AT/OS2 configurations which will NOT read
ST disks?
 
        Thanks in advance.
 
T CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS POLICE LINE DO NOT CR
_______________________________________________________________________________
"Do unto others as you would like                      - John J. Ladasky ("ii")
 to do unto them. " Richard Bach                  (ladasky@enzyme.berkeley.edu)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Wed, 1 Nov 89 18:10 PST
From: <DETECTOR%TRIUMFER.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: sm124 flyback problems
 
Has anyone had any problems with sm124 monitors dying due to flyback problems?
We have had a flurry of deaths recently, around 6 or 8% of our 100 or so units
on site. Most of these had manufacturing dates around New Year '88. I've
scanned our archive of this mailing and found only two references to this,
neither recent. We generally have our 1040's running 24 hours a day, so if
this is a bad batch problem, it may take a while to show up on less exercised
systems. I'd be interested in any feedback about monitor lifetimes, as we are
debating the virtue of modding a more rugged monitor such as little Panasonic
general purpose units (assuming this is possible) which typically last around
10 years at 24 hrs a day. Thanx.
                                     Pete Vincent,
                                     TRIUMF, Vancouver
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 1 Nov 89 20:42:28 GMT
From: asuvax!hrc!force!covertr@handies.ucar.edu  (Richard E. Covert)
Subject: TT's VME-slots
 
In article <2195@hudson.acc.virginia.edu>, gl8f@astsun8.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg
 Lindahl) writes:
> In article <468ef7cd.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
>
> > My main point is that having ONLY one slot guarantees that no vendor will
> > design hardware for that slot.
>
> See, for example, the Mac SE, for which you can buy all sorts of interesting
> cards. Vendors build cards for machines which lack features and which
> have profit potential.
 
Well, that's the answer then. The MEga lacks "profit potential"> I wondered
why no cards are being marketed for the Mega ST.
 
> The TT comes with most of what you'd ordinarily put into slots. Serial I/O.
> High-performance video. A place to plug RAM SIMMs.
 
Ethernet controller?? Nope.
Tape backup controller?? Nope.
Internal high speed modem?? Nope.
 
You see there are lots of potential internal addons for the TT.
 
>
> The marketing trade-off is this: the average user don't need 5 cards. If
> he does, he buys the more expensive machine TT. The PC wasn't that way -- it
> lacked so many features that you needed a bunch of cards.
 
That's my point:
        You can't just go out and buy the more expensive Atari computer.
Because Atari introduces a new computer every two years, and if you don't
like it you are stuck. You can't enhance it and you can't buy a more powerful
computer. So, you are stuck.
 
> Greg Lindahl
 
Richard Covert
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Nov 89 02:20:37 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!uvaarpa!hudson!asts
un.astro.Virginia.EDU!gl8f@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Greg Lindahl)
Subject: TT's VME-slots
 
In article <4695035f.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
 
>Well, that's the answer then. The MEga lacks "profit potential"> I wondered
>why no cards are being marketed for the Mega ST.
 
There are cards for the Mega.
 
>> The TT comes with most of what you'd ordinarily put into slots. Serial I/O.
>> High-performance video. A place to plug RAM SIMMs.
>
>Ethernet controller?? Nope.
 
Can hang off SCSI a la Mac, or internal.
 
>Tape backup controller?? Nope.
 
SCSI.
 
>Internal high speed modem?? Nope.
 
Why internal? Get it on RS232 and then it doesn't have to be VME or TT
specific.
 
>You see there are lots of potential internal addons for the TT.
 
Yes, things like D/A boards. But many conventional type devices ought
NOT go in an internal slot, especially when you can take a product and
sell it for the Mac *AND* ST *AND* TT because it interfaces to SCSI.
 
You can continue to loudly claim that you have the right answers. But you
have no proof, and you make little sense.
 
------
Greg Lindahl
gl8f@virginia.edu                                             I'm not the NRA.
 
------------------------------
 
End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #593
*****************************************
=========================================================================