U43610@uicvm.uic.edu (05/25/91)
I have been considering several peoples' offer for atari 540 ST computer system
s.. (With a monitor and mouse).. I do have question, however, before I actual
ly buy one.. -
1) How is the graphics? I am a mini-man.. I never owned a computer that did
graphics.. (except VT100 linedraw and Tektronics TekGraphics). What is the s
resolution? What is the color capibilities? How easy is to program graphics
via computer programs that I'd write?
2) Is there a CAD system available for Atari ST units? How GOOD is it?
Will it support a line-Plotter?
3) How good is the mouse system on the unit? Is a shitty piece of plastic,
or is it a precision unit.. (Is it better than macintosh mice?)
4) How available is software? Is it expensive? Is is widly pirated?
5) What storage devices are available? Is there a floppy drive built in?
What is its capacity? Is it fast (For a floppy. I'm not asking for a
Jesus box.. just a pretty fast floppy)..
6)Is there telecommunications available for the unit? Is there a serial port
on the Unit? Would I be able to Network it to my Minicomputer network?
7) Finally, is $400 a good price for a unit and a monitor (a 540St + mouse)
-
R{ REALLY appreciate any answers..
-
Kenmforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) (05/28/91)
U43610@uicvm.uic.edu writes: > 1) How are the graphics? The graphics are good. 640 X 400 in Monochrome, 640 X 200 in Medium Resolution w/ 4 Colors and 320 X 200 in Low Resolution w/ 16 Colors. Programs like Spectrum allow you to draw pictures with as many as 512 colors on screen at once in Low Resolution. The Monochrome display is crisp and enjoyable to use. There are many graphics programs available to use. 2) Is there a CAD system available for the Atari ST units? How GOOD is it? There are several CAD programs, although I have never used them. CAD 3D 2.0 is supposed to be impressive, as are other CAD programs. I do not know the production status of these products, but if they are not being sold anymore you may be able to purchase them used{ > 3) How good is the mouse system on the unit? The mouse isn't bad at all. It has two buttons, and looks fairly good. It is a nice mouse, but there are third party mice available if you don't like it. The Atari mouse is FAR BETTER than the Mac mouse, which I have to use at school. It has a better response and moves faster. > 4) How available is software? Is it expensive? Is is widly pirated? There are many software packages available for the Atari ST, but not nearly as many as the IBM systems. Atari is a smaller company, and has a smaller share of the market. The programs are of excellent quality in most cases, with a few exceptions. Software usually sells{for prices between $70-$100, except in the case of Word Processors which are between $120 (Word Writer W/ Dictionary & Spell Checker) and $200 (Word Perfect and the others{). > 5) What storage devices are available? Is there a floppy dbuilt in? Yes, there is a 720K floppy drive built in. The older systems had 360K floppies, but the newer ones don't. It is fairly fast, but don't expect miracles. It seems faster than the IBM counterparts, though. There are also the usual assortment of Hard Drives available. I haven't seen any CD-Roms yet or Optical Drives yet, though. There are removable Hard Drive cartridge systems and 10 MEG floppies, though. > 6) Is there a telecommunications package for the Atari ST? Yes. There is also a serial (and parallel) port on the machine. The be best communications package I have seen is Interlink, which pretty much covers all the bases. Th9e only thing it doesn't have is Zmodem, which is supplied by another (PD) program. > Ken << ---------------------------------- >> << ersys!mforget@nro.cs.athabascau.ca >> << mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca >> << Michel Forget >> << ---------------------------------- >>
spa@fct.unl.pt (Salvador Pinto Abreu) (05/28/91)
on 28 May 91 05:43:31 GMT, mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) said: [stuff deleted] >> 3) How good is the mouse system on the unit? > The mouse isn't bad at all. It has two buttons, and looks fairly good. > It is a nice mouse, but there are third party mice available if you don't > like it. The Atari mouse is FAR BETTER than the Mac mouse, which I have > to use at school. It has a better response and moves faster. I wonder which Atari mouse you're talking about. All Atari mice I've used are the most dreadful rodents I've ever come across, second to none, not even the "original" VAXstation-100 mouse (ever seen one of these?) feels as bad. Finding a replacement mouse seems to me one of the first priorities of an Atari owner. I recently ordered a Naksha mouse, and await it eagerly. I'm saying this based on the general slowness of the mouse (a mouse accelerator is a possible way around this particular problem), the unbelievable way it resists being effectively cleaned (the metal rollers inside seem to get corroded or something, and will tend to stick, for instance my mouse has this tendency to not go left), and the number of times you have to press the buttons (and the strength you have to apply too) before it considers your gesture as a click. [stuff deleted] > << ---------------------------------- >> > << ersys!mforget@nro.cs.athabascau.ca >> > << mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca >> > << Michel Forget >> > << ---------------------------------- >> -- -- Salvador Pinto Abreu spa@fct.unl.pt Universidade Nova de Lisboa, PORTUGAL
csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) (05/28/91)
mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) writes: >Yes, there is a 720K floppy drive built in. The older systems had 360K >floppies, but the newer ones don't. It is fairly fast, but don't expect >miracles. It seems faster than the IBM counterparts, though. There are >also the usual assortment of Hard Drives available. I haven't seen any >CD-Roms yet or Optical Drives yet, though. There are removable Hard >Drive cartridge systems and 10 MEG floppies, though. Atari sells two kind of CD-ROMs. The CDAR504 has a ACSI port, the CDAR505 is a SCSI device. There is also a MOD from Sony. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Claus Brod, Am Felsenkeller 2, Things. Take. Time. D-8772 Marktheidenfeld, Germany (Piet Hein) csbrod@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de Claus_Brod@wue.maus.de ----------------------------------------------------------------------
takem_b@mammoth.unr.edu (Brian Takemoto) (05/29/91)
In article <SPA.91May28102551@alfa.fct.unl.pt> spa@fct.unl.pt (Salvador Pinto Abreu) writes: >on 28 May 91 05:43:31 GMT, >mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) said: > >>> 3) How good is the mouse system on the unit? > >> The mouse isn't bad at all. It has two buttons, and looks fairly good. >> It is a nice mouse, but there are third party mice available if you don't [stuff deleted] >I wonder which Atari mouse you're talking about. All Atari mice I've >used are the most dreadful rodents I've ever come across, second to >none, not even the "original" VAXstation-100 mouse (ever seen one of >these?) feels as bad. > [ more stuff deleted] I've seen good mice from Atari and still own (and swear by) my original Atari mouse which is at least a couple years old and has been HEAVILY used and abused by my brother playing Dungeon Master I and II. Keep in mind that this mouse was made in Japan and not country XYZZY. I do swear by MY mouse, but I have also seen others that were "most dreadful rodents"... I've found that the Japan mice keep good tracking, button touch, and feel with standard care and cleaning... I cannot say the same for most others. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- takem_b@mammoth.unr.edu (or ?) ucbvax.berkley.edu!mammoth.unr.edu!takem_b #include <signature.h> /* unfriendly control codes with ascii self portrate */ Anything that can go wrona@x3%se Pnews: segmentation violation. core dumped.
schultzd@kira.uucp (Count Zero ... Interrupt) (05/29/91)
An important note: A 520ST is by definition an older machine. IT DOES NOT HAVE A DRIVE BUILT IN. If someone is selling you a 520ST find out if it is an STf (f for FLOPPY). Those are newer and have the built in drive. Some of the last 520STf's (before they were discontinued) used 1040 motherboards. So, to upgrade to 1meg cost only price of a few chips (a friend did it for $30 in about 3hrs. Takes some soldering though. I DON'T HAVE DETAILS, so don't ask me how he did it.) Good Luck with your ST. I love mine.... So, glad I dumped my Compaq Luggable... -- ||| David W. Schultz ||| ||| uunet[!rutgers!mailrus]!frith!schultzd ||| / | \ Work Phone: (517)-353-8891 / | \ / | \ "All I see Pornographitti, All I hear Pornographitti..." / | \
mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) (05/30/91)
csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) writes: > mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) writes: > > >Yes, there is a 720K floppy drive built in. The older systems had 360K > >floppies, but the newer ones don't. It is fairly fast, but don't expect > >miracles. It seems faster than the IBM counterparts, though. There are > >also the usual assortment of Hard Drives available. I haven't seen any > >CD-Roms yet or Optical Drives yet, though. There are removable Hard > >Drive cartridge systems and 10 MEG floppies, though. > > Atari sells two kind of CD-ROMs. The CDAR504 has a ACSI port, the CDAR505 > is a SCSI device. There is also a MOD from Sony. Really? Could someone tell me about these devices? Price, capacity, and type of software available would be of particular interest? << ---------------------------------- >> << ersys!mforget@nro.cs.athabascau.ca >> << mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca >> << Michel Forget >> << ---------------------------------- >>
mc4c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) (05/31/91)
> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-May-91 Re: Atari 540ST > Questions Michel Forget@ersys.edmo (2672) > > 3) How good is the mouse system on the unit? > The mouse isn't bad at all. It has two buttons, and looks fairly good. > It is a nice mouse, but there are third party mice available if you don't > like it. The Atari mouse is FAR BETTER than the Mac mouse, which I have Are you kidding? You must be kidding!
jimomura@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) (05/31/91)
In article <8cFHkWi00VIB1iHeZd@andrew.cmu.edu> mc4c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) writes: >> Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.atari.st: 28-May-91 Re: Atari 540ST >> Questions Michel Forget@ersys.edmo (2672) > >> > 3) How good is the mouse system on the unit? > >> The mouse isn't bad at all. It has two buttons, and looks fairly good. >> It is a nice mouse, but there are third party mice available if you don't >> like it. The Atari mouse is FAR BETTER than the Mac mouse, which I have > >Are you kidding? You must be kidding! Time for a few "mouse basics". I can believe that Michel is very happy with his mouse. I'm very happy with my own mouse too. I think you seem to be saying that you were not happy with yours. Well, first, not all Atari mice are the same. For the record, mine is a "Made in Japan", serial number P1595168339. I've been told that this was the best series of mice that Atari ever used. I clean it periodically and it keeps on working fine. It is perfectly even in response and the click response is fine in most situations, subject to proper adjustment via the Control Panel. I don't need a mouse accelerator for my work. Now, some of the later mice had various problems. At least 1 series of mice would not respond evenly in all directions. The classic is when you find the cursor doesn't move left as fast as it moves right. Others are apparently flimsy and don't last. Furthermore, if you work on a monochrome screen (and particularly the larger Moniterms) you will find that my mouse would suddenly feel too slow. That's because the system software doesn't adjust the response to act proportionally in that manner, so even though my mouse is fine for me, I could give you my mouse and you'd still not be happy for that reason. A variable speed mouse accelerator tends to be a better solution for this than a new mouse though. At least for some people this is true. And then there's the surface you work on. I don't use a "mouse pad". I've tried some and they didn't feel very good. What I do use is a sheet of old paper to run the mouse on. It allows the ball to grip well enough without affecting the overall feel. And then again, even aside from all that, you might not like my mouse and I might not like one that you like. That's just taste. -- Jim Omura, 2A King George's Drive, Toronto, (416) 652-3880 lsuc!jimomura Byte Information eXchange: jimomura
cs180sbg@sdcc5.ucsd.edu (05/31/91)
In article <426@equinox.unr.edu> takem_b@mammoth.unr.edu (Brian Takemoto) writes: >>I wonder which Atari mouse you're talking about. All Atari mice I've >>used are the most dreadful rodents I've ever come across, second to >>none, not even the "original" VAXstation-100 mouse (ever seen one of >>these?) feels as bad. >I've seen good mice from Atari and still own (and swear by) my original >Atari mouse which is at least a couple years old and has been HEAVILY used >and abused by my brother playing Dungeon Master I and II. Keep in mind that >this mouse was made in Japan and not country XYZZY. I do swear by MY mouse, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What country is this? >but I have also seen others that were "most dreadful rodents"... I've found >that the Japan mice keep good tracking, button touch, and feel with standard >care and cleaning... I cannot say the same for most others. > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >takem_b@mammoth.unr.edu (or ?) ucbvax.berkley.edu!mammoth.unr.edu!takem_b
sytang@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Shoou-yu tang) (05/31/91)
In article <qPcq34w164w@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca> mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) writes: >> mforget@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) writes: >> >also the usual assortment of Hard Drives available. I haven't seen any >> >CD-Roms yet or Optical Drives yet, though. There are removable Hard >> Atari sells two kind of CD-ROMs. The CDAR504 has a ACSI port, the CDAR505 >> is a SCSI device. There is also a MOD from Sony. > >Really? Could someone tell me about these devices? Price, capacity, and >type of software available would be of particular interest? > > Yes, they do. However, the CDAR504 was never offered to public and has been discountinued. The 505 was reported been shown in computer show and suppose to be release to public soon. You can find more about 505 in various ST magazines that has detail report on the past CeBiT (hope I spelled it right) show.( Like the free ATARI USER magaize, the Znet on-line). Maybe Alan or Atari willing to shine some more light on the specifications and possible CD-ROM titles for 505? Tang sytang@lamar.colostate.edu
Metalist@cup.portal.com (Bryan Jones Woodworth) (06/01/91)
-- Salvador Pinto Abreu spa@fct.unl.pt says: >I wonder which Atari mouse you're talking about. All Atari mice I've >used are the most dreadful rodents I've ever come across, second to >none, not even the "original" VAXstation-100 mouse (ever seen one of >these?) feels as bad. >Finding a replacement mouse seems to me one of the first priorities of >an Atari owner. I recently ordered a Naksha mouse, and await it >eagerly. I have to disagree. You must have been supplied witha faulty mouse. The Atari mouse is lightweight and easy to use. The mouse never moved too slow for me. Like you said, a mouse accelerator is easily obtained if the mouse moves exceedingly slow for you. I cannot understand what you don't like about the Atari mouse! let me say that I am by no means a mouse connoisseur, for I have only fondled two mice: Macintosh and Atari ST. Macintosh, in my opinion, are heavy and unresponsive. I click, but I get no confirmation onscreen. I despise the recessed single button. The Atari ST is easy to move, responsive, and suits my needs. I have felt no urge to get a replacement mouse. Bryan_Jones_Woodworth@cup.portal.com