From: chang@ADELPHI-ASSB01.ARMY.MIL
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: I've seen the Falcon and Dave Small is way cool
Date: 15 Oct 92 18:34:23 GMT
Article-I.D.: adelphi-.9210151834.AA09128
Reply-To: chang@ADELPHI-ASSB01.ARMY.MIL


	Funny, seems no other csas netfolk attended the WAACE
atarifest (Hutch doesn't count coz he's a vendor ) or if they did,
they just didn't choose to write about it.  Well.... I went on
the first day with basically 3 things in mind, 

	1) Shop for stuff at a good price
	2) Check out the midi
	3) Catch a glimpse of the Falcon.

	Well lets see how I did.

	1) Picked up some knicks and knacks.  SOme utilities and
instructional stuff.  No games coz I bought a REAL game machine the
Super NES since my unfortunate addiction to Street Fighter II.  I've
been holding back as I want to save up for Falcon specific
software/hardware.  Unlike those who voice their opinions, I don't
really care that much about running ST software on the Falcon, I want
something that uses the ability of the Falcon.  It's this backwards
compatabilty stuff that has crippled the intel family --- I've got a
33 Mhz 486 that runs my 8088 (sic) program...  So as long as cool
animation/graphics/video (I hope lexicor is hot on this), midi/direct
to disk stuff, come out I'm definitely going to pick one up.  Games
will off course exist as it is an ideal games engine (it's even packaged
like one), and the gnu/MiNT/unix conversion stuff all have source code
and the falcon will do everything I want it to.

	2) Midi.  For a computer that is toughted as the a big player
in the midi market (one of my main concerns when buying my original
ST), it sure had a small showing, IMHO.  Not much new happening here,
which is unfortunate.  At least it's good to know that Steinberg Jones
claims to be an Atari Company 1st and foremost.  I speculate that this
may change as the Windows version of Cubase is selling like hotcakes.
I attribute this to 2 factors  1) DOS/Windows sequencers still suck
2) Cubase for WIndows is ~ $200 (US) less than the ST version.  Hopefully
the falcon will make a dent and spearhead affordable midi with digital
sound recording systems.  But remember, midi people will often want
to use their comptuters for something else besides midi.  DOS/WIndows
sequencers sell coz many people already have PC's (for whatever uses)
and may like to dabble in midi, so they pick up a sequencer and a midi
card and they're playing vs. picking up another computer and the software.

	3) THere were a few falcons around, but the man of the hour, as
is often the case is Dave Small.  He had his booth outside the main room
over where the users groups usually have booths and he was demoing his
falcon constantly.  I figure his reasoning was that since Atari wasn't
going to do it, it was up to him to show off the falcon.  I didn't see
any off his products (did see a sign up sheet for the chromax video board)
and any trying to sell anything, just him CONSTANTLY showing his falcon
out.  What altruistic man...

	So then, my impressions.  Mind you, just impressions.  Some of
these are shallow remarks, but I am giving you my _impression_ (no
flames please)

	1) Nice graphics.  He had the falcon with a toadfile HD hooked into
a commodore 1084S monitor (yes the very same amiga one).  Colors are nice
and fast.

	2) Flicker mode is annoying.  To quote Dave, "Bery Bad" (two octaves
lower than his normal voice).  Pictures look nice, but the desktop is 
quite painful.  Looks a lot like my friends souped up amiga with the
Firecracker 24 bit board that interlaces on a C 1084 monitor.

	3) Default colors hideous.  THe old black letters on white,
with a green background was pretty bad, but the new ones are even uglier.
They do have 3D buttons and sliders, that look kinda strange with the
old colors.

	4) Some resolutions look unprofessional.  I've always hated the
look of the medium res vertically enlongated look.  The falcon has
corresponding modes, more colors and pixels, but the same enlongated
look.  The color macs aren't enlongated and as much as I hate macs,
they look better.  I was hoping for a resolution that had the same
proportions as mono mode but with colors (like Mac II and ilk).  Maybe
it's there and I didn't see it.

	5) Too many resolutions == problems for users.  Dave was showing
various demos and 7 times out of 10 in the wrong resolution.  The 
was resolutions are picked is you bring down a menu that has things like,
# of columns, # colors, interlace/no interlace.  THe demos run whether or
not the resolution is correct.  Dave had a lot of funny looking stuff
and hit the reset button a lot of times.  If programs can't set the
resolution themselves, then there will be a lot of problems like this.

	6)  Sound, cute.  I'm one of those waiting for the 8 track
direct to disk software/hardware.  Dave showed quite few sound demos,
mostly using the sound manager (or something like that) that binds any
sound to all kinds of events, system crash, opening and closing windows,
bootup, etc.  He demonstrated the built in sampling.  Cute, but not
too much functional value.

	7) Case very ugly. 1040STe case, but dark brown keys and ugly
name play with yellow print.  When I get one, I will do what Brett
Maraldo ( I think it was him) did to his ST, paint it black.  NO names,
just black.  I'll need to find some white keyboard decals first tho.


	Lotta bank for the buck.  If my previous desires for the
software are met.  I'll buy one.  As for support, I've been supportless
(not including csas) ever since I've owned one and expected it.  I'll
have what I want, and that will be enough

	Fo