JOHNBARNES@ENH.NIST.GOV (01/10/90)
There has been enough traffic from the "loneliness...." message thread to raise the following issues: 1). What are the factors that retard the movement of the wonderful software that we hear of in Europe, the true home of the Atari ST, across the Atlantic to the underdeveloped reaches of the USA and Canada? 2). How many different kinds of ST's are there? This may seem naive but are German ST's, English ST's, French ST's, Canadian ST's etc... that different from each other and from those in the USA? If so, Why? If this is true of ST's is it also true of PC Clones and Macintoshes? 3). What barriers exist to the migration of software and hardware into Europe? What obstacles other than his own simple ignorance would an outside developer face if he tried to market in Europe? 4). We often hear that ST's are taken more seriously for professional, academic, and scientific use in Europe. Is this still true? 5). Problems with RFI suppression have been cited as the most frequent cause of delays for the introduction of new products into the US market. Are these standards different in Europe and the US? If so what are the differences? Is there a common standard that could serve as the benchamrk for RFI suppression engineering? I am sure that others can think of other questions in a similar vein. I have offered this topic in the spirit of initiating a dialog which could, if the outcome were taken to heart, lead to a more unified approach to the Atari marketplace to replace the fragmented approach we see today. While it is difficult to separate institutional factors from technical issues, it would be desirable to be as objective as possible in this discussion. Isolated personal experiences should be eschewed in favor of globally valid descriptions. It might also be possible to identify areas of possible transatlantic collaboration in such areas as translation of documentation, standards development, and software testing that could help to break the ice. This may just be another gasp from a superannuated Candide, but I am seriously interested in seeing improved computing on both sides of the pond.