Info-Atari16 Digest         Sat, 30 Mar 91       Volume 91 : Issue 179
 
Today's Topics:
                     "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari
            Basic hardware upgrade help / resources sought
                    Grey-scale multisync monitors
                       HELP! Mono monitor died
                       Help with atari.archive
                          Mercury Authorship
                            rant and rave
               Standardized GEM look and feel (2 msgs)
                             ST Pad specs
                Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT
                            Whoops, sorry
 
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Date: 30 Mar 91 04:30:08 GMT
From: o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mc4c+@pt.cs.cmu.edu (Mark Choi)
Subject: "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Warning: The following may be regarded as a complete waste of bandwidth.
Stop reading now or don't blame me.
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 29-Mar-91 Re: Response to Mr.
> Choi re.. Steve Yelvington@thelake (788)
 
> MARK: KNOCK IT OFF, MR. KNOW-IT-ALL COLLEGE BOY.
 
> A representative of Atari Corp. ought to be able to disclose information
> about a new machine here without being rudely berated.
 
YOU BIG BABY.
If you read my post, I find it hard to see how you can think anything I
say berated TRH, let alone rudely (can one do otherwise?).
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 29-Mar-91 Re: Response to Mr.
> Choi re.. Steve Yelvington@thelake (788)
 
> It doesn't help
> when you go out of your way to make Atari folks feel unwelcome when they
> do participate here. You're doing the longtime readers of this newsgroup
> a
> serious disservice.
I did nothing of the kind. I merely pointed out what I saw to be the
good points and bad points of this machine, based on a lot more than
just "let's compare it to the 520ST" attitude so many people have. I
have occasion to work with just about every major platform out there,
including the ST (Stacy4 and MEGA4, so don't say I do not have an
"interest in Atari", as TRH proposes!), Amiga 500 and 2500, 80x86 DOS
machines, DECstation 3100's, NeXTstations, every mac ever put out, from
the 128 to the IIfx, VAX under VMS, VAX under Unix, PDP xx's, sun
SPARCstations, and even a Silicon Graphics station and a LISP machine
from time to time. So what? I am not trying to show off my digital
omniscience? In fact most of the people on this net have more knowledge
about computers in their removed appendixes than I do! But I do know
what is out there, what has succeeded in the market, what has not, and I
have a pretty good track record in predictions in this regard. What is
Atari's track record? If it comes right down to it, the only success
they ever had was the 2600. That is not to say that their machines were
not fantastic, but they had no market share. And who the hell cares how
long you have been reading messages on this board? What the hell
difference does that make. Do you own it, due to your old-timer status?
And how am I doing anyone a disservice? They may disagree with me, but
am I stealing the food from their mouths, am I killing their first born,
give me a break. If you don't like what I say, then don't read it. Geez,
you'd think this was soc.women or something :~). Oh, so I suppose now,
because of what I said, Atari is going to cancel the notebook, and start
making PC-clones! My responses were amicable and polite in reference to
all individuals involved. If I insult Atari Corp., and that is a crime,
then most of the people on this board are criminals as well. Atari has
cried wolf way to often for me to just jump when they say so.
 
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
> re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
 
> Could it be, Mr. Choi, that you haven't the faintest idea
> what-in-the-fuck you are talking about?
 
> *stuff deleted*
 
> You talk about note-books equipped with hard-drives, floppies, ISA
> bus'es etc. How many NOTEBOOK (NOT laptop/luggables) machines any ALL of
> these,
> or even more than ONE of these... .
 
> We need to make an actual machine, not constantly change to
> add in the latest pipe-dream.
 
1) No this could not be :~). It was just an idle speculation, No need to
jump down my throat. It was hardly as large a leap of logic as you have
made.
 
2)Look at the adds in Computer Shopper, babe. The VAST majority of
notebooks (which means smaller that 10x15, usually much so, less than
8x10, and weighing less than 6 or 7 pounds) do have 1.44 meg floppy
drives, 20 meg hard disks, AND external VGA support. Some even have an
ISA slot. Granted, they have a battery life of only 3.5 - 4 hours, but
they DO have these things. These *are* actual machines. Your above
contentions are both misinformed, and misinforming. I expected better.
And you think you know the market. You scare me.
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
> re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
 
> G) US availablility
>       This machine was ALWAYS designed for the US market. It was NOT
> designed to REPLACE a desktop machine; it is designed to COMPLEMENT a
> desktop
> machine, for most people. Circuitry, layout, housing are all being
> designed to
> help with FCC regulations.
 
This is what they said about every single machine they have ever put
out. How many were actually released in the US first? Is the Stacy
debacle all that far behind us. Remember that TT thing?
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
> re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
 
 
>       In case you haven't guessed, I am REALLY annoyed with Mr. Choi's
> whinings. He doesn't take the time to find out what the machine actually
> is,
> yet is prepared to tear apart it's design. He doesn't take time to even
> understand our market, yet is prepared to tear apart HIS SUPPOSITIONS of
> our
> marketing strategy.
 
>       Mr. Choi, if you know so much about what would be the perfect machine
> (as you appear to think) GO AHEAD, MAKE IT, AND MAKE LOTS OF MONEY. I
> ENCOURAGE IT. IT IS THE WAY CAPITALISM WORKS.
 
Where did I make one incorrect statement about the machines designs? You
have not yet pointed to one error I made in this regard. I disagree with
parts of the concept. This is not the same thing. I did take time to
find out what the machine was. Why else did I post you looking for more
info? I did not tear apart it's design, only aspects thereof. And you
claim I do not understand your market. Where is your proof of this.
Meanwhile I could find pooploads of evidence that Atari and the Tramiels
do not understand the computer market. As far as your last barrage is
concerned, I am a socialist so there :~). Actually, this is very
annoying. It is the same stupid argument made by bad actors to defend
against bad reviews. If the critic could act, (s)he would be acting,
(s)he would not be a critic. I do not need to have the necessary
background in engineering or the capital to start a entrepreneurial
venture to be able to use a machine, or to suggest improvements thereto.
        IS THIS NOT WHAT THE ST WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT, ON BOTH COUNTS.
        I also do not need to be able to build a machine to know what this
machine would have to be. Are you offering me a job in you R&D think
tank? I, along with a number of other *frequent* posters here COULD make
you a machine that would sell, IMHO.
> .Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
> re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
 
> Otherwise, why not be a reasonable human being, and make CONSTRUCTIVE
> criticism, based on (gasp!) actual knowledge?  This does NOT mean "say
> only
> nice things", be as critical as you like, but do so to try to improve the
> product.
 
How was what I said non-constructive? Are you a bit to emotionally
involved to get an objective view, here? If you look at my posts, it is
obvious that what I said was to improve the product, I even stated as
much. This last little bit seems more like a burst of hot air to make
you seem more open minded than you are, than a real response to anything
I wrote.
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-Mar-91 Response to Mr. Choi
> re: No.. T R Hall@atari.UUCP (4289)
 
> Maybe you just enjoy being nasty?
 
Who was nasty? Read YOUR post.
I just legitimately believe that the machine would be a huge success,
both in the Atari world and without, if the things I suggested were
done. Without them, I think it will be a small fish in a very small
pond, and not live up to it's potential. You disagree, fine. This is
Usenet, and we are entitled to our thoughts and opinions. You, however,
seem to think that you are more entitled to yours than I am to mine.
        I do not like to rant and rave on the net over personal affronts, but
too many misstatements and assinine remarks were made in both the Steve
Yelvington and TRHall letters to let slide. I am sorry for this
bandwidth explosion, but that is going to happen every now and then on a
pseudo free net. In closing I would like to remind Steve Y. and TRHall,
assuming they ever even read all of what I wrote, that I said repeatedly
that I liked this machine and that I wanted one. I just wished it were a
bit more functional, and useful. How many people do you really believe
are going to plop down 2 grand for this baby, and another $700-$2000 for
another desk machine, with a lot of duplicated functionality. You seem
to claim that one can not get a desk machine into a notebook, but the
editors of various PC mags seem to disagree with you, putting out a
large amount of articles about how notebooks now can be your only
machine, are as powerful as desktops, etc.. If you wish to make personal
disparaging remarks, shoot them with all due haste into me e-mailbox. If
you want to make constructive comments, post to the net. Why do you have
to vent your personal poop in front of an audience? TRHall, if your
attitude is exemplary of the rest of Atari engineering, and management,
then I think I may have made a bad purchase 5 years ago when I got my
ST, a bad purchase 3 years ago when I got my MEGA 4, and the biggest
blunder of a life time, when I mortgaged my soul to get a STacy 4. I
should have waited, put my money in bonds, and used the earnings from
everything I put into Atari to get a NeXT. If your attitude, and you
crass display of emotionalism is a reflection of the company for which
you work, then you suck, and deserve every loss in market share you have
gotten, and will get. If not, I wish Atari all the luck in the world. I
will stay loyal till I am told by enough of those in Atari such as
yourself to go ahead and leave. Then, anyone want a STacy? This is
supposed to be a good stance for a computer company to take to its
users? No wonder your marketing stinks!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 29 Mar 91 19:17:17 GMT
From: mcrware!mwca!bill@uunet.uu.net (Bill Sheppard)
Subject: Basic hardware upgrade help / resources sought
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Mar26.174120.47166@cc.usu.edu> slp9m@cc.usu.edu writes:
>...Here are the most urgent issues:
>...
>4. Mouse alternatives.  I hate the switches in my original Atari
>mouse.  Are there other mice that work?
 
For those of you who aren't aware, Logitech has come out with the "Logitech
ST" mouse - I know that B&C Computervisions in Santa Clara has it ($59.95),
and Microtyme advertised it recently in one of the magazines.  The Logitech
mice for the PC are well-regarded, I have no reason to believe the ST mouse
isn't equally nice.  It's good to see a major company jumping into the ST
marketplace...
--
 ##############################################################################
 # Bill Sheppard  --  bills@microware.com  --  
 # Microware Systems Corporation  ---  OS-9: Seven generations beyond OS/2!!  #
 ######Opinions expressed are my own, though you'd be wise to adopt them!######
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Mar 91 01:14:22 GMT
From: uhccux!uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu!kiki@ames.arpa
Subject: Grey-scale multisync monitors
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Some people were interested in multisyncing grey-scale VGA monitors which
might be adaptable to the ST computers.  A list of specs follows:
 
 
Manufacturer            phone number
 model          horiz scan      vert scan       list (typical) price
============================================================================
Princeton Graphic Systems (call local info in Norcross, Ga for phone)
 
 Max-15         15-36Khz        45-120Hz        $389 ($240)
 
        o autosynchronous; capable of 1024x768 interlaced
        o TTL/RGB analog inputs, sub-mini DB-15 cable supplied
        o display size 230mm x 173mm (optimal)
        o 90-132V AC switchable to 200-264V AC, 46-61Hz
        o Warranty: 1 year labor, 2 years parts
 
          Comments: currently unavailable for about 10 weeks, until a
                    new manufacturing facility is completed.  based in
                    Georgia. warranty service in Georgia.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TVM Professional Monitor Corp  800 822-8168, (714) 985-4788
 
 MG-11          15-38Khz        45-90Hz         $349 ($225)
 
        o autosync; capable of 1024x768 interlaced
        o TTL/RGB analog inputs, sub-mini DB-15 cable adaptor supplied
        o display size 250mm x 180mm (optimal)
        o distortion: linearity <= 5%, pincushion <= 2.0mm
        o user controls:
             side  - brightness, contrast, power switch
             rear  - horiz and vert pos, horiz and vert size, horiz sync
             rear  - TTL/analog switch, TTL mode dipswitches (4)
             front - screen background invert switch
        o 100-125V AC switchable to 200-240V AC, 50/60 Hz, 65 Watts max.
        o Warranty: 2 years
 
          Comments: fresh shipment just arrived to distributors. new US
                    facility in Ontario, California to be completed in '92.
                    able to fax spec sheets.  warranty service in California.
                    branch office in Vancouver.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tatung Company of America  800 827-2850 ext. 213, (213) 979-7055
 
 MM-1295/1495   15-35/38Khz     50-70Hz         $349/369 ($225/???)
 
        o CRT size 12" for MM-1295, 14" for MM-1495
        o autosync; capable of 800x600
        o display area 210mm x 160mm (MM-1295), 240mm x 180mm (MM-1495)
        o TTL/RGB analog inputs
        o User controls:
             side  - brightness, contrast, power
             rear  - horiz and vert center, horiz and vert size, vert hold
             rear  - TTL/analog switch
        o 90-132V AC switchable to 180-260V AC, 50/60 Hz, 70 Watts max
        o Warranty: 1 year
 
          Comments: only MM-1295 in stock. other models may not be imported to
                    to US because of lack of demand. warranty service in Cali-
                    fornia.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3Lynx  800 243-5969
 
 Intellisync 15" MonoVGA (specs unknown)
 
           Comments: sales rep can't provide specs.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Other monitors by NEC (GS2A) and Goldstar (1405+) scan on discrete freqs and
may not be able to properly sync to all the ST/TT video modes.  Monitors listed
above are of paper-white (grey-scale) color, although particular H17/H31 phos-
phor used was unspecified.
 
All information should be checked and corroborated before making any purchase
decision.
 
 
Jack
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Mar 91 01:00:41 GMT
From:
 arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!orion.oac.uci.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ct
 r.columbia.edu!emory!ogicse!usenet!prism!vovut@arizona.edu
Subject: HELP! Mono monitor died
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
My SM124 died a few days ago.  I was typing a paper and the screen suddenly
went blank.  The power light went off, too.  I replaced a blown fuse, but
every fuse blows out.
 
Can someone help?  Please?
 
vovut@prism.cs.orst.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 29 Mar 91 14:42:36 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!ukma!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!peregrine!c
 cicpg!unix!paulm@arizona.edu (Owner and User)
Subject: Help with atari.archive
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Mar27.161655.15195@santra.uucp>, s37837k@saha.hut.fi (Jari
 Lehto) writes:
[...]
>
> The complete address for atari.archive is atari.archive.umich.edu
> and all you have to do is:
>
> ftp atari.archive.umich.edu <ret>
[...]
 
  I here that BART is back on line but I have yet to get some response from
  it.   Could some one please post the UUCP address of atari.archive.umich.edu.
 
  I can get to uunet so an address relitive to that would be great.   I have
  sent 3 requests for help but have not even received any bounced mail.  That
  must mean that I'm getting somewhere but the requests are falling in the
  'bit bucket'.
  Thanx in Advance,
     Paul Moreau
-----
UUCP: ..!ccicpg!unix!paulm
                ~~~~
   BTW: my machine will soon have a real name not just unix.
-----
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Mar 91 04:40:42 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio
 -state.edu!linac!att!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!ns!ns!logajan@a
 rizona.edu (John Logajan)
Subject: Mercury Authorship
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
jimomura@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes:
>as I look at this Mercury package,
>something strange stands out.  There are NO credits given to ANYBODY
>else.  The author claims FULL ORIGINALITY of his code.  But when I
>looked at a couple of the files, some of the code looked sort of
>familiar.
 
>So here's my question:  Does anybody feel that the author of
>Mercury has "illegitimately" removed credits of other peoples work?
 
Part of Mercury UUCP (the outcalling version of UUCICO) was orginally
written by me in GFA Basic and published in the public domain.  Thus
the Mercury author was within his full rights to use it as he saw fit.
 
In fact, he contacted me beforehand, and I specifically suggested that
he could do as he pleased with it, *INCLUDING* take my name off it.
 
However, my name was still in the Mercury code I saw several months ago
even though the new author had improved it by (using reverse engineering)
adding the complicated code to allow incoming calls and probably other
functional improvements.
 
I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm quite happy with the way Mercury
was developed and published
 
--
- John Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428
- logajan@ns.network.com, 612-424-4888, Fax 612-424-2853
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Mar 91 05:39:03 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!news.cs.ind
 iana.edu!maytag!watmath!ljdickey@arizona.edu (L.J.Dickey)
Subject: rant and rave
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
I notice a couple of noisy kids have joined our group recently.
 
I have found that my level of satisfaction with this group is
higher if I get more "information" and less bickering.
 
For those who don't know, it is possible on my mailer, and maybe
yours too, to exclude postings from certain individuals with a
line like this added to your KILL file.
 
   /noisy@somewhere.edu/h:j
   /noisy@somewhere.com/h:j
 
The "h" at the end means hunt through the header for the string,
and the "j" means to junk the message.  You can go further, by
 
   /noisy@somewhere.edu/a:j
   /noisy@somewhere.com/a:j
 
 
and any message that contains the string Anywhere in the message
will be junked.
 
 
--
Prof L.J. Dickey, Faculty of Mathematics, U of Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1
        Internet:       ljdickey@watmath.waterloo.edu
        UUCP:           ljdickey@watmath.UUCP   ..!uunet!watmath!ljdickey
        X.400:          ljdickey@watmath.UWaterloo.ca
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 29 Mar 91 21:08:12 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!m.cs.u
 iuc.edu!ibma0.cs.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!mrcnext!chuck@arizona.edu (charles
 bridgeland)
Subject: Standardized GEM look and feel
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
mathew@mwowm.mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
 
>>                         there is no real GUI standard like there is in
>>the mac world or even the PC/windows world, i suppose. there is no what
>>i would consider "look and feel" standard for gem applications, IMHO.
 
>There are Look and Feel guidelines in the standard GEM Programmer's
>Reference Manuals from Digital Research.
 
>What do you expect?  Look-and-feel Police to strap you down and force you
>to RTFM?
 
 
>mathew
-----------------------------------------------------
one of the things I _like_ about the ST is that I can make it look like
about anything I want.  There's no fascist lockstep on the user interface.
I can fire up gulam and make a imitation unix machine.  Pcommand will act
like msdos, as if I ever would want that (can you say "boring"?).  There
are all sorts of nifty GEM add-ins, and no silly little wall at 640K.
 
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
chuck bridgeland---anarchoRepublican
        --don't forget, we surround _them_, not the other way around"
chuck@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu     hire me so I can quit this pit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 29 Mar 91 13:50:55 GMT
From:
 deccrl!bloom-beacon!eru!kth.se!sunic!mcsun!ukc!axion!tharr!steveh@decwrl.dec.co
 m (Steve Hamley)
Subject: Standardized GEM look and feel
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <A0b2wzfm@mwowm.mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk writes:
>In <1991Mar21.100227.13538@convex.com>, William Rosencranz writes:
>>                         there is no real GUI standard like there is in
>>the mac world or even the PC/windows world, i suppose. there is no what
>>i would consider "look and feel" standard for gem applications, IMHO.
>
>There are Look and Feel guidelines in the standard GEM Programmer's
>Reference Manuals from Digital Research.
>
>What do you expect?  Look-and-feel Police to strap you down and force you
>to RTFM?
 
Unfortunately the guidelines aren't as far reaching as those of Apple's in
their Inside... series. (If you want to write a good GEM application, get
yourself a copy of them and adapt their rules to GEM.
 
Look and feel police wouldn't be such a bad idea either. An accreditation
scheme for software that 'This product has been certified user friendly
and conforms to Atari guidelines' perhaps? Unfortunately, I think GEM has
wandered off on its own for a bit too long...
 
 
Steve.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 28 Mar 91 21:30:49 GMT
From:
 arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!bu.edu
 !polygen!jerry@arizona.edu (Jerry Sheckel)
Subject: ST Pad specs
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) writes:
>
>They've been working on Windows for most of a decade and still
>haven't got the technology straightened out.
>
 
Just because they keep improving it doesn't mean they can't straighten
out the technology.  What does that phrase mean, anyway?  Is GEM
technology "straightened out"?
 
>
>Just what I *don't* want in a
>Dynabook: a buggy, ugly, crash-prone user interface that runs on top of
>MessyDos and requires at least a '386 running at 20mHz to be tolerably
>fast.
>
 
Buggy?  And I suppose you think that GEM on the ST is beautiful, bug-free, and
ultra efficient.  Crash-prone?  I've been using Windows 3.0 since it was
released, and it hasn't crashed yet.  Requires a 20MHz 386 to be tolerably
fast?  Bullsh*t.  Ugly?  Well, that's a matter of opinion, and IMHO GEM is the
ugliest GUI of the bunch.
 
As far as the OS is concerned, you shouldn't feel this need to bash on MS-DOS.
After all, TOS and DOS are practically the same OS, ported to different
machines.  Just look at the major system calls for both OSes -- exactly the
same.
 
>
>  Steve Yelvington / P. O. Box 38 / Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047 USA
>
--
+-------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------+
| JERRY J. SHEKHEL  | POLYGEN CORPORATION  | When I was young, I had to walk |
| Drummers do it... | Waltham, MA USA      | to school and back every day -- |
|    ... In rhythm! | (617) 890-2175       | 20 miles, uphill both ways.     |
+-------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------+
|           ...! [ princeton mit-eddie bu sunne ] !polygen!jerry             |
|                            jerry@polygen.com                               |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 29 Mar 91 15:06:06 GMT
From: chinet!saj@gargoyle.uchicago.edu (Stephen Jacobs)
Subject: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In this discussion, I somehow haven't picked up whether that wonderful
expansion connector is going to be driven by light-duty things, the way the
Mega connector is, or by drivers with some fan-out (and isolation) capability.
The way discussion has gone, I fear the former (but don't know).  And it has
been mentionsd several times in the past that the 'weakness' of the Mega port
made it hard for people to connect things to it.  (come to think of it,
likewise the parallel port, but that's not the point here).
 
One thing that I think would make a big difference in sales of these machines
is software that would allow a connection to a PC such that the laptop
could act as a remote keyboard for the PC, and also transfer files both
ways quickly.  Preferably built in to the laptop, and preferably able to
install anything needed on the PC end itself.  I'm thinking of Laplink here,
and rather than inventing it again, Atari might not do badly to see if something
could be worked out with the Laplink people.
 
I care very much about the sales of ST-compatible laptops; I have a rather
nice application written for such machines.  I'll join the chorus of "There
has to be a cheap & easy way to put software into it".  That just doesn't
apply as strongly to PC-compatible ultra-lights, where there's probably
already a machine that runs essentially the same programs to dock it to.  You
can take along a travelling copy of software from the 'home base' machine.
Doesn't work for a non-PC-compatible, and will CERTAINLY be seen as a negative.
Try to get into the mind of someone who has to load the ST version of Word
Perfect onto his '386 box in order to transfer it to a laptop so he can play
with a report while he's on a trip.  Sure he'd only have to do it once, but
I don't think he'd be thinking pro-Atari thoughts as he did.  One entirely
plausible idea is to have a floppy as part of a 'base unit' that would tend
to stay home, as long as it was standard equipment.
 
How's this: a combination power brick, floppy drive and external video
adapter, that plugs in to the expansion connector?
 
Don't anyone get too excited; these are just some ramblings.  And by the way,
who's the magic person who has to say 'this will happen' and make these
officially-announced future Atari products?  And has that person said that?
                                 Steve        saj@chinet.chi.il.us
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Mar 91 04:45:35 GMT
From:
 arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!@arizona.ed
 u (Mark Choi)
Subject: Whoops, sorry
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
        Sorry about that double post, paste, and post are awfully close on
these Andrew menus!
        While I'm here, obligatory Atari related post:
Does anyone out there have any opinions on the parsec graphics adapter
for the ST?
 
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End of Info-Atari16 Digest
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