chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (06/09/85)
Here is the latest info I've seen on the Atari ST. This is from the Sunday
June 9 computer section of the San Jose Mecury News:
So much for software. Even if the Atari "Jackintosh" ST makes it out on
its revised ship date, July 8, there probably won't be much of a
software selection for it immediately.
Although Atari VP James Copland said in February that 20 to 30 packages
would be ready for the ST when it was released (at that time it was
supposed to ship in April), it looks like the total will be, at best, a
fraction of that.
Here's a quick update on a few ST software projects:
o Haba Systems of Van Nuys says that its version of CheckMinder, a
personal finance program, should be out around the July time frame, if
the ST is. Haba faces a slight dilemma, though. "How do you beta test
software for a machine nobody has?" wonders Haba VP Doug Redding.
o Spinnaker Software of Cambridge, Mass. is writing software for the ST.
But Spinnaker isn't writing for GEM, the operating environment that
makes the ST interface look like Apple's Macintosh.
"We would have written for GEM if it had been adopted by many of our
target machines." says Spinnaker president David Seuss. He doesn't rule
out writing for GEM when it's picked up by more hardware vendors,
thought.
Spinnaker expects its Atari software to be done in September or October,
Seuss says.
o Matrix Software, also of Cambridge, is said to have dropped its ST
project -- an integrated program.
o Stoneware of San Rafael recently announced support for the ST and
GEM, but doesn't expect to have its filing program for the machine
ready any time soon.
o Rising Star of Torrance, Calif., plans to move its Valdocs
applications programs over to the ST and GEM. The first of these may be
ready for demonstration in July.
o Activision of Mountain View is workint on ST software that it hopes
will be out in time for Christmas, says VP of product development Ken
Coleman.
--- end of SJMN article, beginning of editorial ---
I really don't think a continuing argument on the ST belongs in a group
about the Macintosh. I posted this mainly because I wanted to shed some
facts on the discussion. The facts are that the ST seems to be highly
publiciszed, but very slow out of development. I won't call it vaporware,
but I haven't seen a lot to make me believe that it'll be a great shake
when it gets here, and I don't see a lot of the people in the industry who
believe that it will be a success, or we'd see people admitting to software
development for it. Despite what Atari says, it looks like serious major
software developers are few and far between.
Personally, I don't care if the ST is the best thing to come out since
sliced bread. If nobody can get their hands on it (and I think the chances
of seeing it in July are infinitely small. Christmas sounds iffy.) then it
isn't worth a lot. If all you can do is balance your checkbook, it won't be
very competitive with the C64, much less the Mac.
Now, can we kindly quit arguing about the ST? Until the world actually sees
the things in their stores (whichever stores they'll be sold in this week)
this is all speculation, and with the regularity that I've seen the ST
specifications change, rather useless speculation at that. I'd rather be
doing what this group is about -- talking about how to make the Macintosh
do what you want it to do.
chuq
--
:From the misfiring synapses of: Chuq Von Rospach
{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA
The offices were very nice, and the clients were only raping the land, and
then, of course, there was the money...