phoenix@ms.uky.edu (R'ykandar Korra'ti) (11/15/89)
This is just a list I felt like putting together of steps Atari could
take, I think reasonably cheaply (at least the higher-priority suggestions),
to win back a lot of friends. Please skip if you're not interested.
The Atari Suggesion List - V1 and only.
1) Official upgrade paths which do _not_ consist of "buy a new machine."
Even on things like the 520ST. I'm not talking about new graphics modes, but
I _do_ demand things like official RAM upgrade paths.
2) Customer Support. By this I mean several things: TOS upgrades at cost.
Acknowledgement of bugs in the system, and sincere attempts to repair them.
Improvements in GEM. Things like that.
Basically, you can get your owner base to advertise for you, if they
believe in the machine and the company. You've had loyalty; reinforce it, and
use it to generate sales.
3) Dealer Support. The only Atari ST dealer here has no machines
out right now. He's waiting for the STE, and getting annoyed with it. He
used to love the ST. Now he seems to use Amigas for everything. Friends of
mine in Conneticut say they've never even _seen_ an Atari ST dealer.
4) Hardware Support. Get your third-party developers working again, too.
Get a development machine in as many hands as you can. Yes, it costs, but yes,
it can pay off, if you convince them that you're really interested in your
own machines. Right now, word on the street that _I_ get is that Atari intends
to become a clone manufacturer. That may have nothing to do with reality, but
it _is_ the perception I'm picking up.
4a) Hardware fixes for the ST and Mega to use multiple resolution modes
on the same monitor. Bi-sync monitors are not _that_ expensive to make, and you
should _not_ have to reboot to change modes. (This is high on my "my, how
goofy" list. This also turns a _lot_ of people off).
5) Software Support. Fix the operating system, and support developers.
Stop insulting them with photocopies of manuals packaged into old Atari 800
boxes. If they don't programme for your machine, you don't sell machines.
Take care of all these things first. THEN:
1) Once you've patched things over with your developers, start nudging
them in the way of new and better applications. Strong-arm them into obeying
the operating system rules (which will lead to a following suggestion)...
2) Now that you've got a solid system: advertise, advertise, advertise.
The system will now not actively turn people off through its deficiencies, and
you've only got to let them know about it.
3) SHIP a working high-end machine. It doesn't have to be cheap; it just
has to be there. Even if nobody buys it at first, it should be available so
that people know "there's a future with Atari. They are looking ahead." Also,
don't announce shipping dates unless you _know_ you can meet them. Saying
that you're working on something and that it'll look like X is great; but
do _not_ say it will be in the stores on day M when you're not sure it
will be.
4) Longer-term plan: multitasking TOS. Even "co-operative" tasking OS
would be alright (if Apple can do it, so can you guys.) It should be possible
to come out with a version of TOS wherein all well-behaved programmes will
run in a co-operative multi-switching environment, and if you've been pushing
people, it won't be your fault that the programme breaks. (Leave a single
tasking mode, of course, for those programmes which DO break. That way, all
bases will be covered, and users can - justifiably - get annoyed at the
software makers.)
5) Longer-term plan: higher-level graphics standards. Right now, Atari
is not at too bad a level. Count the number of Monochrome Display Adaptors
still running and see if you don't believe me; or, look at the number of 16-
color 640*200 displays Tandy ships to the home users. Despite the press,
most Cloners do _not_ own VGA systems and multisyncs, and Atari's monochrome
resolution is higher than that of any Mac below the II level.
Anyway; enough of this; it's too long already. I know it's a big
list and would take a lot of money to implement, but it would be nice to see
it happen.
Please route flames to /dev/null.
- R'ykandar.
--
| R'ykandar Korra'ti, Editor, LOW ORBIT | phoenix@ms.uky.edu | CIS 72406,370 |
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