Atari Falcon
> DELPHI ONLINE! STR FOCUS! Atari's Sam Tramiel on Delphi
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Transcript of Formal Conference
August 13, 1992
Special Guest: Sam Tramiel
(copyright 1992, DELPHI's ST Advantage)
BIBLINSKI:Gordie>
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight's formal
Conference. Our very special guest this evening is Sam Tramiel,
president of Atari Corporation. This is Sam's first visit to
DELPHI, and he's here to make an official announcement to us
DELPHI members about Atari's newest 68030 based computer.
Hopefully, he'll like it so much here, that he'll be back for some
future Conferences. <g>
I'd like to remind everyone that we are formal tonight (not in
dress, but in behavior), so our format is a little more
structured than usual. Sam will have some opening remarks,
after which he will take questions about those remarks, and
answer when he can. He can't talk about everything, yet, but
we should be able to get a fairly good feel for what the new
machine is like.
Because formal COs tend to take a bit longer than our regular
informal ones, we'd like to try to limit the questions to
tonight's topic, so we don't end up with a marathon session.
So, please don't stray too far from the topic at hand.
To ask questions when the time comes, you need to use the
/queue command. You'll be prompted for your question, then for
a brief description of the question. To provide as many people
as possible with a chance to ask questions, we won't take
direct follow-ups tonight. So, try to ask your question in
such a way as to be as complete as possible. I'll be keeping a
list of who has questions and will be trying to let as many
people as possible ask them.
Remember, too, that Atari will be formally debuting the new
machine in Dusseldorf, Germany, next week. And they want to
keep some secrets for that event!
.Gordie>
With that done, and everyone digesting it, <g> I'd like to
thank Sam for taking a little time this evening to join us
here.
Sam, the floor is yours.
.Sam>
Good evening, all. I'm very pleased to be here on DELPHI in
the Atari ST Advantage area for the very first time! We're
excited to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Atari
Corporation this year. We're especially excited because this
is a time that we can introduce another milestone product to
the world.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize some people that
have been close allies of Atari Corporation. The entire staff
of the Atari areas on Delphi, under the direction of Clayton
Walnum and Gordie Meyer have been providing stellar support to
our customers for many years now. As most of you know, the
roots of the Delphi area were established in the days of
A.N.A.L.O.G. Magazine. Delphi has long been a supporter of
Atari products. Thank you Clay, Gordie, and the rest of the ST
Advantage staff for your support of our mutual customers.
Tonight, we're pleased to be able to finally announce the Atari
Falcon 030 Computer. This computer will be unveiled to the
buying public at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next
week. The Falcon is a machine that we're very excited about.
We think that it places us back in the forefront of the "Power
without the Price" place in the market.
Here's the specs on the Atari Falcon 030:
CPU: Motorola 68030 running at 16 Mhz
32-bit Bus
Optional 68881 or 68882 FPU
RAM: 1,4, or 14 megs
Standard Atari Cartridge Port
Motorola 56001 DSP chip
Expansion Bus:
Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emulation, or other
coprocessor
Graphics:
Super VGA graphics: 640x480 with 256 colors
True color 16 bit mode allowing a display of up to 65,536 colors
Accepts external video sync signal to allow high quality genlocking
Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
Overscan on TV's and ST Color monitors
262,144 possible colors
hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
BLiTTER graphics co-processor
Sound features:
Eight 16 bit audio DMA record and playback channels
Stereo 16 bit digital DMA input
Stereo 16 bit DMA audio output
SDMA sound/DMA Coprocessor
Standard Ports
SCSI II port with DMA
High speed LocalTalk compatible LAN
Connector for analog RGB color (ST or VGA) or composite video
RS232C serial port
Bidirectional parallel port
MIDI IN/MIDI OUT
Stereo microphone input, miniature stereo plug
Stereo audio out, miniature stereo plug
Two joystick connectors
Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors
Data Storage
1.44 Mbyte floppy disk drive
Optional internal IDE Hard Disk
System software
Pre-emptive Multitasking with adaptive prioritzation (MultiTOS)
Inter process communication
NewDesk desktop and eXtensible control panel
Multiple window user interface; number of windows limited
only by memory or software in use.
We see this computer as exceeding all of the multimedia
expectations of the computer buying public. As well as being
an exceptional value as a home computer system.
Extensive testing with the Falcon has already been done on
existing software. We are very pleased with the high degree of
compatibility. For instance, PowerNet, a increasingly popular
LocalTalk networking solution works fine with no modifications.
Calamus SL, PageStream, WordFlair II, Cubase 3.0, STalker 3.0,
STeno, Arabesque, and many other well written applications will
work perfectly.
I'm taking the liberty tonight of responding to some questions
that have already been submitted by the Delphi Staff, in order
that we might conserve some time:
What monitors will work with the Falcon?
The Atari Falcon030 will work with any VGA, or Atari ST
Color Monitor...SC1224 or SC1435
Suggested retail price?
Sorry, tonight we will not be giving out the suggested retail
price of the Atari Falcon030. That information will be
announced at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next week.
Will there be a trade in plan?
It is not our practice to offer a trade in plan directly from
Atari. This is something that is up to the discretion of our
dealers.
Will there be a LAN?
Yes, there is a LocalTalk port on the Atari Falcon030. It is
fully compatible with the Atari Mega STE and Atari TT030.
PowerNet from DragonWare Software works fine with it.
Will there be a method to connect to a mainframe via ethernet?
No, there is no ethernet connector on the Atari Falcon030
Why no detachable keyboard?
We felt that offering the unit in this configuration was the
most cost effective. Also, using the 1040STE case allowed us
to save on design costs, as it is the only unit (until the
Atari Falcon030) that has analog joy sticks in it.
Will the DEKA work with it?
We do have a new keyboard controller in the Atari Falcon030.
We've not checked a DEKA unit with it yet. We'll have to get
back to you on that.
Have we hired a good technical writer, to document system
interconnectivity, and add ons?
Our developer documentation for the Atari Falcon030 has met
with rave reviews from all of the developers that are in
possession of an Atari Falcon030. YES, the documentation is
greatly improved.
MultiTOS- how is it configured, ram or rom, and what software
will run on it?
MultiTOS is a combination of rom and disk based software. Most
well written applications seem to work fine. We've made
certain that our developers have been closely involved in the
enhancements of MultiTOS. I'm confident that it will be HIGHLY
compatible with your software library.
Is there anything being done with multimedia, and/or speech
recognition software?
Yes, Multimedia is one of the key area for the Atari Falcon030.
However, I cannot go into specifics at this time. We do expect
to see a lot of exciting applications at the Duesseldorf Atari
Messe next week, though!
Will it be advertised? How big is the budget, is there an
agency, will it be in mainstream media, or specialty
publications?
Sorry, we're not going to enter into those kinds of specifics
tonight. We'll be making announcements on all of those things
either at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe, or shortly after it.
Any dealer incentive programs?
Again, we will not discuss the marketing issues tonight. That
will be something that we'll pick up after the Duesseldorf
Atari Messe.
Any bundled software with the Falcon?
Yes, there will be a number of things packaged with the Atari
Falcon030. There will be a couple of games written especially
for the Atari Falcon030...LandMines, and a BreakOut kind of
game. We will also have a Rolodex type of application called
Cal/Apt, a calculator application called ProCalc, and a Talking
Clock desk accessory.
Is there a lease/purchase plan?
We already have such an arrangement in place for our products.
However it is more orientated toward business purchases than
home users.
That's it from us for now, we're ready to take questions from
the audience.
Gordie>
Okay, folks. Sorry for the delay. There's a lot of buffer to
search through for questions. Hang on a sec.
LMCCLURE>
Will the Falcon retain that name after it's release? If not,
what will it be called?
.Sam>
Yes, the name is the Atari Falcon030.
BRITFLASH:Brit>
Will there be support for the future release of Apple/IBM OS
"Pink"?
.Sam>
When we see it, we'll answer you. It's still in development.
ga
PWRIGHT:PaulW>
Will it be able to run other operating system and which ones?
.Sam>
With plugging in optional third party coprocessor boards, you
will be able to run PC type software, and maybe even MacIntosh
software. ga
PIZZA_THIEF>
Is some sort of direct-to-disk recording/edit package under
development (or slated for released concurrent with) the
falcon? With the D/A converters it is reported to possess,
this should be relatively easy to write.
.Sam>
Yes, there are several direct to disk recording systems under
development. And we expect at least a few of them to be
debuted next week at the Atari Duesseldorf Messe.
ATARIO:Steve>
Will memory upgrades be through SIMMs?
.Sam>
Memory upgrades will be through a "Atari Falcon" ram board.
RMARIANO:Ralph@STReport>
Sam, congratulations on the Falcon its quite the promising NEW
product. I understand 500 are to reach Europe within two weeks.
What is the time table for North America and the States in
particular?
.Sam>
I'm happy that you have information on what is going to Europe.
But, you're wrong, the plans are for North America to have
machines by mid to late October.
BRYEDEWAARD:MegaRob>
What kind of keyboard will the Falcon come with? The old mushy
ST-style version, or the newer Mega ST/Mega STE/TT one?
.Sam>
The Atari Falcon030 keyboard is the same wonderful keyboard
that you can find on a 1040STE.
MERICKSON:Miles>
I noticed that the standard ACSI DMA port wasn't on your list
of "standard ports." Does this mean that the Atari laser
printer will not work with the Falcon, or will a new controller
be made available for use with the Falcon?
.Sam>
There are a number of fine third party developers that are
working on a SCSI to ACSI converter box. ga
DAVIDNIELD:David Nield>
Sam, Thank you for coming. The introductory information was
great. I would like to know what kind of digital recording the
Falcon030 is capable of: Will the 16 bit digital recording be
useful for direct to disk recording or 'simply' as a sound
source for midi manipulative sounds? Any light you can shed on
that aspect would be helpful.
.Sam>
Yes, you can use the Atari Falcon030 for direct to disk
recording with appropriate software. Just plug a microphone
into the microphone input.
HOWBAR>
Will the microphone input sounds directly, like the mac?
.Sam>
Yes.
CHUNK>
What kind of speed enhancements for the 030?
.Sam>
I don't understand the question...it is using a 68030.
.Gordie>
Chunk, did you want to clarify your question? <no response>
I'd guess he wonders about using a faster 68030.
.Sam>
The design and supporting chips is for a 16Mhz 68030, and 32
Mhz bus, which gives you a dynamite machine. Terrific
performance! ga
TRIX:Trix>
Will there be a port of Microware's OS-9 Operating system for
the Falcon030?
.Sam>
We're in regular contact with Microware, and OS/9 works for the
most part just fine under the Atari Falcon030.
JBWHIT:JB>
When will development tools that support the 68030, math
coprocessors and DSP56001 be available?
.Sam>
The developer machines that have been shipping to select
developers for the past few months, have all the tools. A
complete 56000 debugger will begin shipping next Thursday.
.Ron <ym>
You stated memory of 1, 4, or 14 Meg. Why 14 Meg? What's
wrong with 16?
.Sam>
2 megabytes of RAM are masked out for backward compatibility
with ST I/O space. We pride ourselves on maintaining downward
compatibility with all of our products.
STGUEST:Oliver>
Sam, it was reported that Atari is going to introduce a new
software packet called ST-Sutra at the Duesseldorf show next
week (source: Atari Journal, Germany). Could you give us some
details (features, price, availability...) Another software-
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Transcript of Formal Conference
August 13, 1992
Special Guest: Sam Tramiel
(copyright 1992, DELPHI's ST Advantage)
BIBLINSKI:Gordie>
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight's formal
Conference. Our very special guest this evening is Sam Tramiel,
president of Atari Corporation. This is Sam's first visit to
DELPHI, and he's here to make an official announcement to us
DELPHI members about Atari's newest 68030 based computer.
Hopefully, he'll like it so much here, that he'll be back for some
future Conferences. <g>
I'd like to remind everyone that we are formal tonight (not in
dress, but in behavior), so our format is a little more
structured than usual. Sam will have some opening remarks,
after which he will take questions about those remarks, and
answer when he can. He can't talk about everything, yet, but
we should be able to get a fairly good feel for what the new
machine is like.
Because formal COs tend to take a bit longer than our regular
informal ones, we'd like to try to limit the questions to
tonight's topic, so we don't end up with a marathon session.
So, please don't stray too far from the topic at hand.
To ask questions when the time comes, you need to use the
/queue command. You'll be prompted for your question, then for
a brief description of the question. To provide as many people
as possible with a chance to ask questions, we won't take
direct follow-ups tonight. So, try to ask your question in
such a way as to be as complete as possible. I'll be keeping a
list of who has questions and will be trying to let as many
people as possible ask them.
Remember, too, that Atari will be formally debuting the new
machine in Dusseldorf, Germany, next week. And they want to
keep some secrets for that event!
.Gordie>
With that done, and everyone digesting it, <g> I'd like to
thank Sam for taking a little time this evening to join us
here.
Sam, the floor is yours.
.Sam>
Good evening, all. I'm very pleased to be here on DELPHI in
the Atari ST Advantage area for the very first time! We're
excited to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Atari
Corporation this year. We're especially excited because this
is a time that we can introduce another milestone product to
the world.
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize some people that
have been close allies of Atari Corporation. The entire staff
of the Atari areas on Delphi, under the direction of Clayton
Walnum and Gordie Meyer have been providing stellar support to
our customers for many years now. As most of you know, the
roots of the Delphi area were established in the days of
A.N.A.L.O.G. Magazine. Delphi has long been a supporter of
Atari products. Thank you Clay, Gordie, and the rest of the ST
Advantage staff for your support of our mutual customers.
Tonight, we're pleased to be able to finally announce the Atari
Falcon 030 Computer. This computer will be unveiled to the
buying public at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next
week. The Falcon is a machine that we're very excited about.
We think that it places us back in the forefront of the "Power
without the Price" place in the market.
Here's the specs on the Atari Falcon 030:
CPU: Motorola 68030 running at 16 Mhz
32-bit Bus
Optional 68881 or 68882 FPU
RAM: 1,4, or 14 megs
Standard Atari Cartridge Port
Motorola 56001 DSP chip
Expansion Bus:
Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emulation, or other
coprocessor
Graphics:
Super VGA graphics: 640x480 with 256 colors
True color 16 bit mode allowing a display of up to 65,536 colors
Accepts external video sync signal to allow high quality genlocking
Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
Overscan on TV's and ST Color monitors
262,144 possible colors
hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
BLiTTER graphics co-processor
Sound features:
Eight 16 bit audio DMA record and playback channels
Stereo 16 bit digital DMA input
Stereo 16 bit DMA audio output
SDMA sound/DMA Coprocessor
Standard Ports
SCSI II port with DMA
High speed LocalTalk compatible LAN
Connector for analog RGB color (ST or VGA) or composite video
RS232C serial port
Bidirectional parallel port
MIDI IN/MIDI OUT
Stereo microphone input, miniature stereo plug
Stereo audio out, miniature stereo plug
Two joystick connectors
Two enhanced digital/analog controller/light pen connectors
Data Storage
1.44 Mbyte floppy disk drive
Optional internal IDE Hard Disk
System software
Pre-emptive Multitasking with adaptive prioritzation (MultiTOS)
Inter process communication
NewDesk desktop and eXtensible control panel
Multiple window user interface; number of windows limited
only by memory or software in use.
We see this computer as exceeding all of the multimedia
expectations of the computer buying public. As well as being
an exceptional value as a home computer system.
Extensive testing with the Falcon has already been done on
existing software. We are very pleased with the high degree of
compatibility. For instance, PowerNet, a increasingly popular
LocalTalk networking solution works fine with no modifications.
Calamus SL, PageStream, WordFlair II, Cubase 3.0, STalker 3.0,
STeno, Arabesque, and many other well written applications will
work perfectly.
I'm taking the liberty tonight of responding to some questions
that have already been submitted by the Delphi Staff, in order
that we might conserve some time:
What monitors will work with the Falcon?
The Atari Falcon030 will work with any VGA, or Atari ST
Color Monitor...SC1224 or SC1435
Suggested retail price?
Sorry, tonight we will not be giving out the suggested retail
price of the Atari Falcon030. That information will be
announced at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe in Germany next week.
Will there be a trade in plan?
It is not our practice to offer a trade in plan directly from
Atari. This is something that is up to the discretion of our
dealers.
Will there be a LAN?
Yes, there is a LocalTalk port on the Atari Falcon030. It is
fully compatible with the Atari Mega STE and Atari TT030.
PowerNet from DragonWare Software works fine with it.
Will there be a method to connect to a mainframe via ethernet?
No, there is no ethernet connector on the Atari Falcon030
Why no detachable keyboard?
We felt that offering the unit in this configuration was the
most cost effective. Also, using the 1040STE case allowed us
to save on design costs, as it is the only unit (until the
Atari Falcon030) that has analog joy sticks in it.
Will the DEKA work with it?
We do have a new keyboard controller in the Atari Falcon030.
We've not checked a DEKA unit with it yet. We'll have to get
back to you on that.
Have we hired a good technical writer, to document system
interconnectivity, and add ons?
Our developer documentation for the Atari Falcon030 has met
with rave reviews from all of the developers that are in
possession of an Atari Falcon030. YES, the documentation is
greatly improved.
MultiTOS- how is it configured, ram or rom, and what software
will run on it?
MultiTOS is a combination of rom and disk based software. Most
well written applications seem to work fine. We've made
certain that our developers have been closely involved in the
enhancements of MultiTOS. I'm confident that it will be HIGHLY
compatible with your software library.
Is there anything being done with multimedia, and/or speech
recognition software?
Yes, Multimedia is one of the key area for the Atari Falcon030.
However, I cannot go into specifics at this time. We do expect
to see a lot of exciting applications at the Duesseldorf Atari
Messe next week, though!
Will it be advertised? How big is the budget, is there an
agency, will it be in mainstream media, or specialty
publications?
Sorry, we're not going to enter into those kinds of specifics
tonight. We'll be making announcements on all of those things
either at the Duesseldorf Atari Messe, or shortly after it.
Any dealer incentive programs?
Again, we will not discuss the marketing issues tonight. That
will be something that we'll pick up after the Duesseldorf
Atari Messe.
Any bundled software with the Falcon?
Yes, there will be a number of things packaged with the Atari
Falcon030. There will be a couple of games written especially
for the Atari Falcon030...LandMines, and a BreakOut kind of
game. We will also have a Rolodex type of application called
Cal/Apt, a calculator application called ProCalc, and a Talking
Clock desk accessory.
Is there a lease/purchase plan?
We already have such an arrangement in place for our products.
However it is more orientated toward business purchases than
home users.
That's it from us for now, we're ready to take questions from
the audience.
Gordie>
Okay, folks. Sorry for the delay. There's a lot of buffer to
search through for questions. Hang on a sec.
LMCCLURE>
Will the Falcon retain that name after it's release? If not,
what will it be called?
.Sam>
Yes, the name is the Atari Falcon030.
BRITFLASH:Brit>
Will there be support for the future release of Apple/IBM OS
"Pink"?
.Sam>
When we see it, we'll answer you. It's still in development.
ga
PWRIGHT:PaulW>
Will it be able to run other operating system and which ones?
.Sam>
With plugging in optional third party coprocessor boards, you
will be able to run PC type software, and maybe even MacIntosh
software. ga
PIZZA_THIEF>
Is some sort of direct-to-disk recording/edit package under
development (or slated for released concurrent with) the
falcon? With the D/A converters it is reported to possess,
this should be relatively easy to write.
.Sam>
Yes, there are several direct to disk recording systems under
development. And we expect at least a few of them to be
debuted next week at the Atari Duesseldorf Messe.
ATARIO:Steve>
Will memory upgrades be through SIMMs?
.Sam>
Memory upgrades will be through a "Atari Falcon" ram board.
RMARIANO:Ralph@STReport>
Sam, congratulations on the Falcon its quite the promising NEW
product. I understand 500 are to reach Europe within two weeks.
What is the time table for North America and the States in
particular?
.Sam>
I'm happy that you have information on what is going to Europe.
But, you're wrong, the plans are for North America to have
machines by mid to late October.
BRYEDEWAARD:MegaRob>
What kind of keyboard will the Falcon come with? The old mushy
ST-style version, or the newer Mega ST/Mega STE/TT one?
.Sam>
The Atari Falcon030 keyboard is the same wonderful keyboard
that you can find on a 1040STE.
MERICKSON:Miles>
I noticed that the standard ACSI DMA port wasn't on your list
of "standard ports." Does this mean that the Atari laser
printer will not work with the Falcon, or will a new controller
be made available for use with the Falcon?
.Sam>
There are a number of fine third party developers that are
working on a SCSI to ACSI converter box. ga
DAVIDNIELD:David Nield>
Sam, Thank you for coming. The introductory information was
great. I would like to know what kind of digital recording the
Falcon030 is capable of: Will the 16 bit digital recording be
useful for direct to disk recording or 'simply' as a sound
source for midi manipulative sounds? Any light you can shed on
that aspect would be helpful.
.Sam>
Yes, you can use the Atari Falcon030 for direct to disk
recording with appropriate software. Just plug a microphone
into the microphone input.
HOWBAR>
Will the microphone input sounds directly, like the mac?
.Sam>
Yes.
CHUNK>
What kind of speed enhancements for the 030?
.Sam>
I don't understand the question...it is using a 68030.
.Gordie>
Chunk, did you want to clarify your question? <no response>
I'd guess he wonders about using a faster 68030.
.Sam>
The design and supporting chips is for a 16Mhz 68030, and 32
Mhz bus, which gives you a dynamite machine. Terrific
performance! ga
TRIX:Trix>
Will there be a port of Microware's OS-9 Operating system for
the Falcon030?
.Sam>
We're in regular contact with Microware, and OS/9 works for the
most part just fine under the Atari Falcon030.
JBWHIT:JB>
When will development tools that support the 68030, math
coprocessors and DSP56001 be available?
.Sam>
The developer machines that have been shipping to select
developers for the past few months, have all the tools. A
complete 56000 debugger will begin shipping next Thursday.
.Ron <ym>
You stated memory of 1, 4, or 14 Meg. Why 14 Meg? What's
wrong with 16?
.Sam>
2 megabytes of RAM are masked out for backward compatibility
with ST I/O space. We pride ourselves on maintaining downward
compatibility with all of our products.
STGUEST:Oliver>
Sam, it was reported that Atari is going to introduce a new
software packet called ST-Sutra at the Duesseldorf show next
week (source: Atari Journal, Germany). Could you give us some
details (features, price, availability...) Another software-
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