Conference 7.286::atarist

91.0. "new toys" by BAGELS::BRANNON (Dave Brannon) Fri May 13 1988 18:47

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Path: decwrl!ucbvax!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!marque!uunet!mcvax!steven
Subject: Shiraz Shivji reveals future Atari plans
Posted: 10 May 88 12:56:11 GMT
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
 
Shiraz Shivji was interviewed at the Hannover Fair by the Dutch monthly
Atari ST News, and I thought net readers might be interested by some of
the things he said. What follows has been translated to Dutch by the paper,
and then back into English by me, so it might not reflect *exactly* what
he said.
 
"The ST will remain the most important product for Atari. For instance
[there is a world-wide shortage of memory chips]: all memory chips that
we can get go first to the ST range. Only then do we use them for the PC
range. [...] We will offer a path to connect ST's to the TT".
 
"In contrast to the past, when Atari was known for its 'vaporware', we are
going to be much more careful with announcements of new products. We want to
get rid of that bad image that we announce all sorts of things that are only
years later available, or even are never produced."
 
He then went on to talk about new Atari products:
 
- The EST (Enhanced ST) will be the next item in the ST range. 68000 processor
at 8MHz, but with higher resolution in both mono and colour, and more colours.
Improved VDI, upward compatible with the ST, with for example, horizontal 
and vertical scrolling. Expected availability: end 1988
 
- A removable hard-disk, the SR244. The disks have the size and form of a
compact-disk box, and will cost ~$120. Cost of the unit itself will be
little above the current hard-disk price. Capacity 44Mbytes per disk.
Access time 25 msec. (The SH205 has an access time of 65 msec, as a
comparison.) It shouldn't be long before there are 60 and 80 Mbyte disks
with 15msec access times. Expected availability: 3rd or 4th quarter of 1988.
 
- A number of new, non-exchangeable, hard-disks, with a much larger capacity
than the SH205. Available: in around three months time.
 
- The CD Rom is expected to be available everywhere in 2 or 3 months time.
Price: around $600.
 
- The TT computer: 68030 processor, 68882 floating-point co-processor, VME bus,
Unix V system 3.1, possibility to connect an ST to the DMA port. The ST will
then run X-windows. It may be possible that GEM will then run in one of the
windows. Price: around $5000. Available: end 1988.
 
- They have found a new manufacturer for the blitter chips and expect to catch
up on back-orders "in a few months".
 
- Atari has just been having high-level talks with Digital Research.
No information about what.
 
- A portable ST is being developed. No dates for availability.
 
On this last point, in the May Personal Computer World, a British magazine,
a reporter tells that Sam Tramiel assured him that the portable ST should
be available by Christmas, at around $1000. The machine, called the Stacey,
is being prototyped by Perihelion in Cambridge England (who are also doing
the Abaq, by the way). Planned is: 1Mbyte RAM, hard disk, floppy disk,
full-screen LCD screen, tracker ball instead of a mouse. Memory shortages may
mean that the first versions will have 512K of RAM. Pricing considerations
may mean that the hard disk will go.
 
Steven Pemberton, CWI, Amsterdam; [email protected] or mcvax!steven.uucp

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Path: decwrl!ucbvax!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!marque!gryphon!lakesys!rich
Subject: Re: Atari St ---> Amiga?
Posted: 11 May 88 05:21:56 GMT
Organization: Lake Systems - Milwaukee, WI
 
In article <[email protected]> [email protected] writes:
>Greetings net people.
>I am posting this to comp.sys.atari.st 'causen unfortunately our
>site no longer receives comp.sysng -
>Is there any truth to the rumour that there is forthcoming
>an Atari-St Emulator for the Amiga? This may be another in
>the longish line of 'Emulator Rumours' - but i'd like to know
>whether this has any substance. 
 
 
      I cannot say about an Amiga ST Emulator, but I can say that I have 
read on GEnie that David Small, creator of the Magic Sac cart, that will 
transform the ST into a Mac with 64K roms, is now working on an Amiga 
emulator for the ST.
 
      Perhaps you might have read or sean something backwards ????
 
 
rich.....
 
UUCP: {Ihnp4,uwvax}!uwmcsd1!lakesys!rich
 
 
-- 
 Disclaimer: The words, expressions posted here are my own.....
 Nothing is ever so bad that it can't be made worse by trying to fix it 
						   -- Law of the Hacker

> Unix V system 3.1, possibility to connect an ST to the DMA port. The ST will
> then run X-windows. It may be possible that GEM will then run in one of the
> windows. Price: around $5000. Available: end 1988.
  
    All right! Does this mean we're getting an X server module for the
    ST?? This could make my whole day!
    
>    - A portable ST is being developed. No dates for availability.

    Just when I had become resigned to finding some other solution to
    the portable computer situation...
    				- HBM