[comp.sys.atari.st] COMDEX

UD140469@NDSUVM1.BITNET (10/22/87)

and my $$$ are waiting eagerly to hear what is coming from Atari (I wonder if
they'll just show the X Machines to a 'select few,' like they did with the
Megas at last fall's Comdex, or if they're really going to unveil it to the
world...?)--although, it is getting hard to resist a hard drive and some more
memory...
     
         Scott Udell
         UD140469@NDSUVM1.BITNET
x

lean@sbcs (Lean L. Loh) (11/06/87)

  What follows is my summary of what Neil uploaded to GEnie.
----------------------------------------------------------------
  Atari unveiled the Abaq, an ultra-high-performance workstation with blazing
speed and dazzling graphics.  It outruns a 68020 with math processor and about
10 times the speed of PC/AT technology. Configured to attach to the MegaST
through DMA port and also as a stand-alone.
  Also announced was a new CD player capable of reading CD-ROM disks and
of playing musical CD disks.  The CD-ROM is supported by a Mega and ST-
compatible DMA interface, and will retail in early 1988 for under
$600. A LAN was also announced - supposed compatible with the NETBIOS
standard used by IBM and Novell. Communicates data at 1 megabit-per-sec.
The Atari laser printer was also shown.
  Software-wise, Word Perfect, Microsoft Write were running at the show.
Others include IDRIS, professional CAD program, desktop publishing, etc.
  Besides PC1, Atari also announced PC2 and PC4 (AT compatible)

-- 
CSNET: lean@sbcs.csnet
ARPA: lean%suny-sb.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
UUCP: {allegra, hocsd, philabs, ogcvax}!sbcs!lean

kemp@unsvax.UUCP (John G. Kemp) (11/07/87)

 	This is a test....

	If you made it to COMDEX than you know that ATARI is doing
	alright.  I checked out WORDPERFECT for the ST and it truly
	is an awesome piece of software.  WORDPERFECT itself probably
	had the most memorable set-up at COMDEX.

	COMMODORE was there this year.  Glad to see they could make it.
	Their absence in the past was probably a big reason more 
	AMIGA'S didn't sell than could have.

	More news later on this same station...

			kemp@unsvax

pa1132@sdcc15.ucsd.edu (pa1132) (11/18/88)

Does anyone know if Atari announces any thing new in Comdex?  What
really happens there?

sbrown@bgsuvax.UUCP (Scott F. Brown) (01/11/89)

	Since everyone seems to be asking about Comdex but no one is answering
I will pass on some information from the STinformer.  I don't have it with me
right now but if there is enough demand I will give a more complete report 
along with subscription info for the newspaper.

	* Atari was using the largest room at Comdex called the Gold Room.

	* Fleetwood Mac gave a one hour MIDI concert for Atari.

	* The Transputer has been shipped to developers in England.

	* The PC-clone got almost no attention by dealers at Comdex.

	* Atari has PROMISED that the U.S. market will finally get a lot
	of attention. This is different because Atari almost never promises.

	* Atari has signed a contract to insure the supply of DRAMs

	* New STs will be shipped with 1 megabit chips.

	* Atari got a lot of attention with the Fleetwood Mac concert.

	* No new machines were shown other than the Transputer.

	* An ST laptop was shown. (Don't hold your breath.  It was a hand
	assembled prototype but it did work.)

	If anyone out there wants more info just request it. I'm late for class
so I've got to run.

						- Scott F. Brown

P.S. I've changed my mind.  I'll post subscription info to the net for the ST  
Informer. It is very unbiased and gets info out much faster than any magazine.

jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz) (01/11/89)

In article <3390@bgsuvax.UUCP> sbrown@bgsuvax.UUCP (Scott F. Brown) writes:
)
)	Since everyone seems to be asking about Comdex but no one is answering
)I will pass on some information from the STinformer. 

)	* Fleetwood Mac gave a one hour MIDI concert for Atari.

Sounds cool.

)	* Atari has PROMISED that the U.S. market will finally get a lot
)	of attention. This is different because Atari almost never promises.

nyuck nyuck nyuck.  Tell it to Moses.

)	* No new machines were shown other than the Transputer.
)	* An ST laptop was shown. (Don't hold your breath.  It was a hand
)	assembled prototype but it did work.)

From which we can conclude that Socrates was not a machine?

    May all your dreams come true.
	jimm
-- 
Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing	   	"Like you said when we crawled down
{cbmvax,well,oliveb}!amiga!jimm          from the trees: We're in transition."
							- Gang of Four
Opinions are my own.  Comments are not to be taken as Commodore official policy.

david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer) (01/12/89)

In article <3390@bgsuvax.UUCP> sbrown@bgsuvax.UUCP (Scott F. Brown) writes:
>	* Atari has PROMISED that the U.S. market will finally get a lot
>	of attention. This is different because Atari almost never promises.

I guess Scott left off the thousand or so smiley faces that go with this
remark.

He can't be serious, can he?   Nah!!
-- 
David Beckemeyer (david@bdt.UUCP)	| "Lester Moore - Four slugs from a .44
Beckemeyer Development Tools		|  no Les, no more."
478 Santa Clara Ave. Oakland, CA 94610	|   - Headstone at Boot Hill
UUCP: {uunet,ucbvax}!unisoft!bdt!david	|     Tombstone, AZ

sbrown@bgsuvax.UUCP (Scott F. Brown) (01/13/89)

In article <478@bdt.UUCP>, david@bdt.UUCP (David Beckemeyer) writes:
> In article <3390@bgsuvax.UUCP> sbrown@bgsuvax.UUCP (Scott F. Brown) writes:
> >	* Atari has PROMISED that the U.S. market will finally get a lot
> >	of attention. This is different because Atari almost never promises.
> 
> I guess Scott left off the thousand or so smiley faces that go with this
> remark.
> 
> He can't be serious, can he?   Nah!!
> --

	Whoops! I made a mistake. I should clarify myself a little better.

	1. I feal the way most Atarians do.  Atari is >>>> VERY <<<< unreliable
	when it comes to the future.  They almost never deliver.
	2. I should have expanded a bit on the statement.  Atari promised to   
	tackle the U.S. market.  They never use the word promise.  It is always
	something like: "If things proceed on schedule...", or "As long as there
	is not a change of plans...", or "We expect to...".  Hopefully this is
	the beginning of a change but I'm not holding my breath.
	3. I did forget the smiley faces.

						- Scott F. Brown

nims@accuvax.nwu.edu (Chris Nims) (04/14/89)

Greetings all:

I just returned from the Comdex show...a short report:

Nothing really amazing & new, however, Atari WAS showing their ST
laptop which has been dubbed "STacy" ... It looks pretty nice :-)

Also, WordPerfect was there for the ST & for all of you talking about
the versions & updates, the version they had at the show was, I believe
March 29 1989. :-)

-Chris Nims
Northwestern University
Networking Operations

nims@accuvax.nwu.edu

ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu (Enartloc Nhoj) (11/18/89)

I went to my local dealer minutes ago to get a 
laser printout.  

While waiting, the owners of the store called from Las Vegas,
having spent the last several days taking in the new products.


The TT?  The owners said that Atari made a very bad
move by displaying DESKSET II (?)... in their words,
it was "dogmeat"... "very slow".  They said it didn't make
a good impression, obviously.  

Furthermore, ATARI would NOT give a release date.  All they would
say was: "It's available in Canada and in Europe."  

Another vote for Dave Small and Jim Allen! DO IT !

And Greg L,  you're right, all the bashing in the world
won't change a thing.. particularly when dealing with ATARI..
they really don't give a damn.


-kevin
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu

ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu (Enartloc Nhoj) (11/18/89)

Forgot to mention in last post...
Dealer says the TT/2 lists for 3K.
Seems strange to have a list price for
something that isn't available.


-kevin
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu

uace0@uhnix2.uh.edu (Michael B. Vederman) (11/18/89)

Well, I just got back from COMDEX, and all I can say is that things look really
good for Atari in 1990.

I just read Dave Beckemeyer's post, and he pretty accurately described was
displayed in the Atari area. (I wish I would have known Dave was there so I
could have met him...)

However, I was extremely impressed by what I saw. The TT is *real* altho not
many exist right now. It is blindingly fast in disk access, the screen redraw
looked as if Turbo ST were installed, but of course that doesn't work on the TT.
The graphics demos they showed were cutesy - a 'monocle' program that showed a
digitized picture of Dave Staugas with a mignifyong glass going over portions
of the picture magnifying it as it passed over. Cyber Sculpt was running on it
and apparently had no problems. It ran very fast.

The graphics modes looked really nice, and the resolution really added to the
perceived colors. I poked around on the hard disk connected to the TT, and
found a fractals program. This baby flew! Fractal geometry is inherently slow,
but this thing really zipped along!

On the back were the plethora of ports, SCSI, ASCI, CENTRONICS, SERIAL, monitor,disk drive. On the left side were the cartridge port, midi, and the SEC (low
speed LAN) port (which was in the shape of the Apple serial connector). I can
only assume that it was connected to the SEC chip (as the Apple has), but
Antonio Salerno (VP of product/developer support) wouldn't comment on it. He
just said that when we get ours, we should hook it up and see what happens...
(When we will get ours, we don't know yet...)

I liked the TT, and the case wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought, even after
seeing pictures of it in verious mags...

I want one, and it is a very nice machine! $3K would include the hard disk,
which is (according to Charles Cherry) is designed to be able to 'pop out' and
be replaced with another. The cover over it apparently pops open some how. We
couldn't get it open, but we didn't try very hard.

The STe was there. Nice display, and very nice stereo sound. It only had a
game running on it, and when I was looking at it, Dave Staugas came over to
put a new one there... It looked the same as a 1040, except that it had two
jacks on the back for right and left stereo sound, and two additional joystick
ports on the left side. How many colors were being displayed in the game?
I don't know, but the sound was very excellent.

STacy looked good. Several of them there. DeskSet II was being shown, and
apparently is a finished project. According to Elizabeth Shook (who displayed
DeskSet last year at COMDEX) it was a pet project of Leonard Tramiel, and is
quite done. They had a real box and everything there...

The IBP industrial mega component system was extremely impressive. It features
plug in boards (one board is a complete mega) that fits into a chasis that has
VME, EUROBUS compatibilty. The system is named the 190ST. I was extremely
impressed by this system. It looked very respectable and industrial.

The Atari booth was very very nice. Much better than last years display in
the Gold Room. As soon as you walked into the West hall, you saw Atari, and
couldn't help but see the Spectre GCR. The overall feel was much better than
last year, and very professional feeling. As far as the overall feel of Atari
at the show. I had no way to judge that. People already associated with Atari
had the usual remarks.

The LYNX was not displayed because it was not a computer system (sob sob), but
I did get to see it at the developer's party Wednesday night. Sam Tramiel had
one in a bag he was carrying, and just as he was showing it to some press
people, I walked up to get some food (sneaky, I know). Actually, I didn't
know he was showing it, but found out when I got up there. The LYNX is a really
neat gadget! The color is great, the sound is great, and he was playing it
like a pro. He said that 100,000 were going to ship at the end of the month to
New York, and it would retail for $169. I'd like to get one, but it has no
real merit for me. He did say they expect to have millions made next year.

The new person at Atari that will be helping developers is Charles Cherry, a
loooonng standing veteran of the Atari world. Charles has been using and
programming Ataris for at least 10 years (since the 400 came out). I have
had dealings with Charles when he worked at Antic (until the beginning of this
month in fact). He is quite a guy, and very competent. He is the right
person to be in charge of developer support. I had the chance to talk at
length with Charles Wednesday, and he really made me believe that good things
were happening at Atari. Frankly, I believe him. He has always done me right
with my dealings with him at Antic.

Among the things announced for registered developers was all Atari hardware
for 50% off! This is significant. He also said that he hopes to coordinate
developer efforts, and get them in contact with companies that could help
them along. He also plans on having a monthly newsletter that the developers
themsleves can use to write and discuss issues in. Also promised were the
complete userbase listing for Atari registered owners for specific direct
mailings.

This is a few things promised to help the US developers. Charles had been
refusing the job for well over a year before he finally accepted it. He said
things were finally to the point that he wanted to go there. Everything sounds
excellent to me, and I believe it will all come about. Albeit, things will be
slow at first, and it will take the sincere effort of developers to help out,
but in my opinion (and I have never been really impressed by Atari's past
promises or efforts) 1990 is going to be the year for Atari. I predict a
strong surge in the US market, but of course, this depends on their getting the
STacy, TT, and (leastly) the LYNX to market.

At the party Wednesday, Sam said honestly, that both were being held up by the
FCC. This I can believe.

Overall impressions of COMDEX 1989 for Atari: I'm not gonna sell my ST, I'm
gonna get a TT, and start developing new stuff for it. Atari is finally serious
and finally has competent people in the right places.

I also got to meet Ken Badertscher and John Townsend. Both fine fellows!

After last years COMDEX where I didn't feel any strong good feelings about
Atari, this year I am enthused once again! Atari is gonna come back (I hope).

- mike vederman

The opinions expressed are my own (but the other people that went with me
were equally impressed!) and do not necessarily reflect any other persons
feelings, dead or alive.