ST - DIVIDING THE COMMUNITY?
I have mixed thoughts about the
ST. On the one hand it is an Atari and will certainly be of great
interest to many of our readers who for the past couple of years
have been trying to stretch their 800's or XL's beyond what most
uninformed people thought possible. On the other hand there is a
danger that the machine will drift off into the heavy business end
to become the preserve of businessmen who have no interest in computing
as such. This side was graphically represented by a gentleman on
the Atari stand at the PCW show who looked down his nose in disdain
when I introduced myself as the publisher of an Atari Users magazine.
'We only produce products for business men' he said.
As I sit and write I have an ST
lying idle beside me. Idle because there is no software available
and, much to my regret, I won't have the time to explore it in the
same way as I did my old 800. I am afraid that programming for myself
has had to go by the board since I started PAGE 6. I bought it for
several reasons. I want to run all of the business and subscription
side of PAGE 6 on an Atari machine. I have been proud of the fact
that every single facet of PAGE 6 has been accomplished using Atari
equipment from the beginning but I have to admit that at times it
has been a struggle! The 520ST will provide all the power that
I will ever need to continue and improve PAGE 6. I also want to
keep in touch with all the different types of software that will
become available. I must admit that I was not looking forward to
the machine with the same excitement as when I just had to have
that 400 all those years ago, but now that I have played a little
with it, all the old excitement has come back. I want to know what's
inside, I am eagerly awaiting the first books, dying to get hold
of software and longing to explore all over again.
The 520ST (and the
260ST) has immense
power and an excitement for all users and it would be a tragedy
if it becomes a business only machine. I am sure that won't happen
but I would love to know your views. Will you buy one? What will
you use it for? Why not write and tell me?
PIRACY
I have said my piece. You all know
where PAGE 6 stands and I don't intend to bore you by publishing
any more on this subject but something was brought to my attention
at the PCW show that must be aired.
The message is obviously getting
home and Atari users are finally getting better recognition from
the software companies but there is one sick individual out there
who could set us all back a couple of years. Ken Ward of the Norwich
User Group has always been an outspoken advocate of Atari and has
criticised both piracy and software companies for charging high
prices. The software companies are slowly responding but Ken showed
me a number of items he had received from an aggrieved pirate which
contained fabrications about him and even included myself in its
sick diatribe. Now if it were just a private campaign I would not
bother but this individual is distributing pirated disks and copies
of DOS which state that they are pirated by Ken and the Norwich
Users Group. My name has also been mentioned and if (when) these
get into the hands of an unsuspecting software house all the work
we have done on your behalf over the past couple of years will be
gone.
If you see any disks or publications
of this sort, ignore them, or better still destroy them. If anybody
knows who is responsible put him right. You will be the one to lose
in the long run. A number of individuals have worked hard over the
past couple of years to promote Atari for the benefit of all genuine
users and Ken Ward is one of them.
top
