From: darling@cellar.org (Thomas Darling)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: 500 Pound Atari Falcon?  Re: Sydnes is gone?!!
Date: 16 Aug 92 14:13:34 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block) writes:

> : DSP56001
> : 	8 channel 16 bit digital DMA, sampling up to 50KHz
> : 	4 channel stereo with recording and playback
> 
> Anyone notice there's no ST-compatible audio mode here??

Not in the quoted text, but ST (and STe) audio is supported.  No, I don't
know the specifics.
 
> : 262,144 colour palette
> : Max res 640x480 16 bit mode (65,536 colours on screen)
> : SVGA modes up to 256 colours on screen
> : Overscan mode (no black border)
> : 15bit overlay mode for video titling etc.
> 
> (None of which usable by available ST software, and how are they
> handling palette translation?  The ST had a 512-color palette, the STe
> a 4096-color palette.  Backwards-compatible screenmodes aren't listed
> either.  What will this do to ST/STe software?  Try to fudge the
> palette?)

Well, since Calamus SL, PageStream, WordFlair II, STalker 3.0, STeno, and
Arabesque all work unmodified on the Falcon, I guess they've figured it
out, haven't they?

> And if the max res is 640x480, SVGA goes at least 800x600...  But
> they can say that, as there's no standard SVGA, so there's really
> noone to dispute.

This is true, and kind of a pisser, if you ask me.
 
> Anyone noticed how that's supposed to work?  1, 4, or _14_?

Sam Tramiel (who I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw him, but seems to
know about this stuff) says that those top 2 megs of standard 16 meg ram
have to be masked out in order to preserve ST/STe compatability.
 
> : Optional 68882 
> : Expansion slot for 386PC emulators or JPEG and MPEG data compressors
> 
> (Might as well just say "Expansion slot", because none of the boards
> for it exist.

Well, you're wrong.  "A few" are being demonstrated along with the machine
at Atari Messe in Germany.

> : 	stereo microphone
> 
> It'll come with a little cheesy mike.

No, it won't.  It will come with stereo mike PORTS.

> : 	monitor
> 
> What kind isn't mentioned.  I'd imagine it would be a VGA-style, as
> the specs for video look like a wish-me TSENG.

Tramiel says you can use either a standard VGA monitor or one of Atari's
colour monitors with it.
 
> : 	midi
> 
> Naturally, it's Atari's trademark.  Let's hope old midi software
> doesn't break when trying to access the possibly relocated ports, I
> don't imagine they'd be that stupid though.

Cubase 3.0 and C-Lab's new Notator Logic both work on it, apparently.

> And lets hope this time they gave proper ports.  Anyone remember the
> hacks for an ST to have MIDI-THRU ports?  I sure do.

This is the kind of gripe you only see non-MIDI users haul out.  There is
no, I repeat NO reason to have a MIDI THRU on your computer.  In every
sequencing or patch-editing application you'd care to use, you want incoming
MIDI auto-chanellized to the sound source you're dealing with at the time.

I imagine some of you folks also think The Connection Machine sucks because
it has no joystick ports.
 
> : 	hi speed LAN (no they don't say what)
> 
> It's been said that it's LAN through the joystick ports...  I HOPE
> that's not it.  It also may not have good software support.  I don't
> expect it to be AppleTalk-like invisibility, but it may not even be
> usable, who knows.

The spec sheet reads "High speed LocalTalk compatible LAN," for whatever
it's worth.  Personally, I'll be amazed if anyone uses it. 

> And again, the OS is up in the air with support for that feature.
> Sounds like Atari isn't even done with it, to be honest.
> 
> : 	Joystick & analog joystick
> 
> Again, I'd hope so.  And a question:  How many?  Is it one digital
> joystick port and one analog joystick port?  Is it two digital, one
> analog, or did they do it right and give you two ports that support
> digital and analog?

Again, the spec sheet:

      Two joystick connectors
      Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors

> : 	printer port ``more industry standard''
> 
> "more" industry standard?  Either you are, or you're not.  Centronics
> or RS-232 compliant would be good, but I wouldn't expect either from
> Atari, to be honest, they've got a tradition with that.

It's RS-232C.

> Why release it with an ugly case design if they're going to put out a
> system with the same features and a new case later?  Sounds kind of
> tacky.

Clearly, to save money and get the thing out the door.  Although if they had
to use an existing case design, they could've gone with the Mega's box.

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