Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!van-bc!dscheidt
From: dscheidt@van-bc.UUCP (Daniel Scheidt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Portfolio
Keywords: I got one...
Message-ID: <12@van-bc.UUCP>
Date: 2 Oct 89 02:23:13 GMT
Organization: Wimsey Associates, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lines: 34


  I was able to buy one here in Vancouver last Friday ($550 Canadian -
so much for Free Trade).  I got one of two left after the salespeople
grabbed them all up.  So far it's great.  It conforms to the article
in the October STart, except it's not MS-DOS it's DIP-DOS which appears
to be much the same thing.  I thought I would be the last person to buy
an MS-DOS compatible machine, but fortunately ram-disk based .BAT files
work almost like an alias file - I have ls, rm, cp, pwd, etc. now so I
feel more at home.  
  Yes, the keyboard is small (as is the whole machine - fits in the breast
pocket of a suit jacket) but it is just fine for my 4 fingers+thumb style
of typing.  The space bar seems low due to a ridge around the edge of the
keyboard, but I can live with that.
  The good part is the ROM-based applications - they provide a completely
integrated environment with text editor, calculator, spreadsheet, database
and appointment calendar.  The user interface includes windows, menues,
and single-stroke command keys - all on an 40x8 screen.  It's really quite 
remarkable for such a tiny machine. 
  And, if you can believe it, ATARI actually provides a complete and
comprehensive manual (249 pages).
  So... why did I buy it?  Now I can finally get my address book "on-line"
where I can back it up - no more fear of loosing that precious little black
book.  And now I have a calender and appointment book that doesn't end
at the end of December (at least not until December 2049).  These may seem
like trivial reasons (I still working on convincing my wife that they are
not), but I expect I will use this little box every day for the next few
years at least.
  And it really does come with batteries included...

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Daniel Scheidt                                      Computed Music Systems
  djs@scheidt.wimsey.bc.ca                          Vancouver, BC, Canada       
  ...uunet!van-bc!scheidt!djs
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