[comp.sys.atari.st] What is Atari afraid of? A Non-semi-proprietary OS?

exodus@uop.edu (G.Onufer) (02/25/88)

setenv FLAME on

ATTN: Atari Corp.

What is the deal?  I can understand the reluctance to design and test a 
MMU for the ST series.  But when one has been SUPPLIED to you by a
company who has gambled on your machine for quite some time...  I
have been talking to a programmer at Mark Williams Company, in fact,
yesterday I was on the phone for two hours with him.  They have ported
Coherent to the ST's in-house (not recently either).  They have a MMU
they supplied you...  and you said it was being considered.  And still
being considered.  And still beign considered.  Why not just install
the thing on new machines.  Lack of a MMU us going to kill the ST for any
_real_ Operating Systems!  Take a chance.  Call ol' Jack up and tell him
to get his ass in gear.  But please do not cripple the ST's any longer.

unsetenv FLAME

PS.  I may be missing a few facts, but this is what I have heard !

Any responses?  Neil? Allan? JACK?

dale@slovax.UUCP (Dale Thomas) (02/27/88)

> setenv FLAME on
> 
> ATTN: Atari Corp.
> 
> What is the deal?  I can understand the reluctance to design and test a 
> MMU for the ST series.  But when one has been SUPPLIED to you by a
> company who has gambled on your machine for quite some time...  I
> have been talking to a programmer at Mark Williams Company, in fact,
> yesterday I was on the phone for two hours with him.  They have ported
> Coherent to the ST's in-house (not recently either).  They have a MMU
> they supplied you...  and you said it was being considered.  And still
> being considered.  And still beign considered.  Why not just install
> the thing on new machines.  Lack of a MMU us going to kill the ST for any
> _real_ Operating Systems!  Take a chance.  Call ol' Jack up and tell him
> to get his ass in gear.  But please do not cripple the ST's any longer.
> 
> unsetenv FLAME
> 
> PS.  I may be missing a few facts, but this is what I have heard !
> 
> Any responses?  Neil? Allan? JACK?

I have to disagree a little about the lack of an MMU and a _real_ operating
system. If you want a real operating system on the ST look into getting IDRIS.
It is a very nice Unix environment that does not require an MMU. It has a
good C compiler available, a Pascal compiler (actually a Pascal to C trans-
lator), and a source level debugger (cdb), along with a lot of the standard
Unix utilitys. I wish more people would look into it. It is by far a giant
leap above TOS.


environment 
-- 
{psivax,ism780}!logico!slovax!dale    :   {hplsla,uw-beaver}!tikal!slovax!dale
Dale Thomas R & D Associates,3625 Perkins Lane SW,Tacoma,Wa 98499,206-581-1322

mpsimon@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (M. Patrick Simon) (02/27/88)

In article <1136@uop.edu> exodus@uop.edu (G.Onufer) writes:
>setenv FLAME on
>
>ATTN: Atari Corp.
>
> ......
>
>unsetenv FLAME
>
>PS.  I may be missing a few facts, but this is what I have heard !
>
>Any responses?  Neil? Allan? JACK?

I think your note would have been better if you would have tried to
inform the rest of us in netland as to exactly why you are so peeved.

As to flaming Atari Corp., the only purpose that serves is to drive down
morale. If you have a beef that really deserves attention, write a
letter to Atari customer relations and/or management and/or the main
stockholders. Nothing like applying pressure at the top. (Actually, I
am not sure of Atari's corporate structure. How difficult would it be
to send a letter to Leonard Tramiel, for example, and any chance he would
read it? Same question for main stockholders.)

--Patrick Simon   mpsimon@phoenix.princeton.edu
2/26/88

disclaimer: ain't nobody responsible for nothin'