Steve_Godun@rubbs1.UUCP (Steve Godun) (05/11/88)
Bill...
Having done some private and public domain programming, my Ataris (stock 800XL, 256K 800XL, color 1040ST) have come through with hardly a hint of trouble. The only major trouble I've had came about recently with the 800XL and the two US Doubler-enhanced 1050's I have. The case and keyboard on the XL is looking pretty shoddy (hey, I've only taken it apart a couple of hundred times -- there's the 256K upgrade, the coldstart button, the function key kit, etc) so I had to order and install a replacement, and
the two 1050's have finally hit their limits (after all, the 800XL is only one of the first 50 XL's ever produced, and the 1050's are ONLY about 5 years old) and are getting repaired. The only time I've seen a piece of Atari hardware really and honestly all-out fail was at a computer store when the salesperson DROPPED the disk drive and it wouldn't read. Granted, the "new" Atari IS a bit thrifty when it comes to workmanship, but Atari has always had a reliable service record and I think you were a littl
e harsh in your comments.
By the way, the Astra System HD+ is, as you say, built rock solid. I know someone who uses one constantly and has had it dropped, kicked, banged, and generally abused and it has run without a hitch.
-STeve