[comp.sys.atari.st] Neodesk on Rom?

selick@bucsf.bu.edu (Steven Selick) (11/07/90)

Wouldn't it be nice to put neodesk on roms? Is it possible to burn
compatible st roms with neodesk? That way, it wouldn't be taking up
precious ram in a 1040st.
-steve
selick@bucsf.bu.edu

rg@sisd.kodak.com (Rich Gortatowsky) (11/08/90)

In article <67981@bu.edu.bu.edu> selick@bucsf.bu.edu (Steven Selick) writes:
>Wouldn't it be nice to put neodesk on roms? Is it possible to burn
>compatible st roms with neodesk? That way, it wouldn't be taking up
>precious ram in a 1040st.
>-steve
>selick@bucsf.bu.edu

I fuddled with Neodesk at a local atari store and was thoroughly un-impressed.
The Mac is far far far nicer in this area, as is windows... I use both.
In fact, the lack of desktop alternatives that are decent are almost non-
existant... DC desktop... Nope. NeoDesk. Nope. Gemini... The best by a long
shot, and its shareware. It irked me so much I designed my own desktop
replacemnt (In deskcart ie: cartridge tradition) and decided that it would be
highly un-wise to waste my time on a complex product that would net me less
than a avg. janitor makes in like time. You may think thats BS. But it's not.
Trust me here... I've tried on SEVERAL occasions to make a decent living
on codin' ST software.... It just doesnt work. I've been contacted by a few
software development houses to code on the Amiga... I havent decided yet.
MacShareware pay's better than ST commercialware... Why?... We've discussed
it many time and I wont waste bandwidth/breath on it again. Anyway... Look
into Gemini desktop, you'll be pleastly surprised.


--
Jeff Gortatowsky       {seismo,allegra}!rochester!kodak!elmgate!jdg
Eastman Kodak Company  
These comments are mine alone and not Eastman Kodak's. How's that for a
simple and complete disclaimer? 

grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham Thomas) (11/09/90)

From article <1990Nov8.020506.26053@sisd.kodak.com>, by rg@sisd.kodak.com (Rich Gortatowsky):
> 
> I fuddled with Neodesk at a local atari store and was thoroughly un-impressed.
> The Mac is far far far nicer in this area, as is windows... I use both.
> In fact, the lack of desktop alternatives that are decent are almost non-
> existant... DC desktop... Nope. NeoDesk. Nope. Gemini... The best by a long
> shot, and its shareware. It irked me so much I designed my own desktop
> replacemnt (In deskcart ie: cartridge tradition) and decided that it would be
> highly un-wise to waste my time on a complex product that would net me less
> than a avg. janitor makes in like time. You may think thats BS. But it's not.
> 
> --
> Jeff Gortatowsky       {seismo,allegra}!rochester!kodak!elmgate!jdg

Well, Jeff's entitled to his opinion here, but the fact remains that
NeoDesk's a pretty popular program.  I don't know what the average
janitor makes in Hadley, Mass., but judging from the time it's taking
Gribnif to send me my NeoDesk upgrade, they're shipping a goodly number
of copies and are probably making enough to get by.

If the ST had had as much time & money put into its desktop as the Mac,
no doubt it would be faster, smoother, more fully-featured, etc.  But it
would all have to be paid for somehow.

(I agree that with better management Atari could have got a lot further,
though.)

If NeoDesk were in ROM/EPROM/Cartridge format, wouldn't it have the same
upgrade problems as the built-in desktop?

Graham

-- 
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bill@mwca.UUCP (Bill Sheppard) (11/10/90)

In article <1990Nov8.020506.26053@sisd.kodak.com> rg@sisd.kodak.com (Rich Gortatowsky) writes:
>I fuddled with Neodesk at a local atari store and was thoroughly un-impressed.
>...
>In fact, the lack of desktop alternatives that are decent are almost non-
>existant... DC desktop... Nope. NeoDesk. Nope. Gemini... The best by a long
>shot, and its shareware...
>...
>Jeff Gortatowsky       {seismo,allegra}!rochester!kodak!elmgate!jdg

Personally, I don't think 'fuddling with' will give you a proper feel for an
alternative desktop's value - it's the sort of product that you make judgements
on after weeks of using and finding what works well and what seems poorly
implemented.

After a couple of months with Neodesk 3 (sorry to those of you still waiting on
upgrades!) I feel that it is an excellent operating environment. I used Gemini
predominately before Neodesk 3 and was impressed, but Neodesk has implemented
most of Gemini's features (except built-in CLI and 'small' icons, but the CLI
accessory makes up some of the difference, and the icons in Neodesk are more
easily edited).

Gemini simply took up to much memory (I have 1 meg), and GDOS was incompatible
with too many programs.

Do you have any specifics of the Windows or Mac desktops that you think Neodesk
lacks?


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#######Opinions expressed are my own, though you'd be wise to adopt them!#######