andyc@hplsla.HP.COM (Andy Cassino) (07/27/90)
Re: Time for a New Computer... I myself, was wondering whether it was time to bail on Atari and get something different. The one and only reason for this concern was future compatibility. Some day I'll want new hardware, and when that day comes, what will I do with my data bases, drawings, documents, etc???? You see, I'm not a member of the program-a-month club: I don't need new/wizzy programs every week to keep me happy. I do need solid applications with a guaranteed future. After some rational thought, I find the Atari still satisfies, for the programs I need. Here's a list: * For drawing technical diagrams and construction plans, I use EasyDraw by Migraph. It's a great program, I really like it! Migraph is porting EasyDraw to the PC. I suspect it will be ported to the Mac someday as well. I also guess that TouchUp will not be far behind. BTW, an update for the Atari is in the works, according to Migraph's last newsletter. * As I recently posted, I am starting to use SuperBase Personal II. It seems to be a fine database (still learning it) and it's available for the PC, the Mac, and the Amiga! It is also capable of many import/export formats, including dBase and Lotus. * For spreadsheets, I use LDW Power. It is compatible with Lotus and I have ported spreadsheets back and forth between a PC and my Atari with minimal pain. When used in conjunction with Turbo ST 1.8, LDW is quite snappy! * For word processing, well, I still use First Word Plus. I don't think is compatible with anything else, but I can always reduce a FWP doc to an ASCII file. I plan to get WordPerfect sometime soon, as I understand they support other the Atari well and the program is available on the PC. That's it for my applications. Everything I'm interested has good upgrade potential to other platforms. No need to panic and change computers; I'm covered! PS: these applications cost me considerably less than equivalents on the PC or Mac would have! As for games: I'm not a big gamer, but I have fun with Flight Simulator II and Dungeon Master. If I ever finish DM, There's Chaos Strikes Back :-). I dunno, I don't have an insatiable appetite for new games and it seems to me that anyone but the most avid gamer can keep busy for a long time with existing titles. Then, there's ease of use. I find that Neodesk, UIS III, and G+Plus (all accelerated by Turbo ST) make for a GREAT user environment. After using a UNIX machine all day long at work, this is a very refreshing environment! These utilities continue to receive solid support. And hey, by the way: I also find that Mark Williams C is a decent C-compiler, especially when teamed with Gulam and Micro-Emacs 1.10. The MWC docs are good enough so I can putz around without becoming a developer. I intend to get GCC one of these days and give it a whirl. Not to mention that there's some decent telecomm programs (Interlink for one) and back-up utilities (DiamondBack for one). Jeez, I have more stuff on my Atari than I have time to use. These are my personal opinions. I'm not connected with any of the companies or productds mentioned, other than being a satisfied customer! Andy Cassino