The computer industry in general started out very simple and blossomed quickly in Dallas, TX.  In this article, we will show how much of the technical and economic success of Dallas can be largely attributed to the InfoMart.      To give a good example we will follow the user groups of the Atari computer.      At first a group of enthusiasts known as Dal-ACE, (Dallas Atari Computer Enthusiasts) started meeting around 1979 in the Plano area at a Lyon's Club meeting building.  The place was packed with people trading parts and software.  Many products that were demonstrated were by local companies.      Similar to this group, there were many groups scattered around Dallas.  Many small companies, many great ideas.
			Roughly 1982 would usher in the era of the InfoMart, a beautiful seven story building that was all steel, wood and glass patterned after the Ice Palce that was in Europe.  The InfoMart would open it's doors to technology and development, and once a month provided free meeting rooms for user groups.         Practically all user groups, from Commodore, to Apple, to PC, TRS-80, Timex, if it had a user group, it was more than likely at the Infomart.  And of course, on the seventh floor, high top all this activity, the growing business of computers, and at the time Atari, grew along with Dal-ACE.   A room to seat five hundred would continue to be packed month after month.   During this time, David Young and Bill Williams would write their own version of DOS, and create the Omnimon.  Countless video games would be made, and in time the Genie disk magazine would be released in Atari 400/800, Atari ST, and Amiga formats.   This was a drop in the bucket for the truth is Atari in the Dallas area was considered to be as big as it was in California.   However, the success was not isolated to Atari.        What made the boom of success possible?  The InfoMart providing a place to meet.      In September of 1985, the ST special interest group of Dal-ACE moved forth to seek its own identity.  The  AUNT (The Atari Users of North Texas) would create a following with the new ST and Mega ST platform as the Atari XL/XE twinkled off into the starlight.  Dal-ACE closed it's meeting doors in 1991.
					For sixteen years the InfoMart was the place to go for learning anything technical in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Bill Gates and Steve Jobs along with many CEO's gave presentations at the InfoMart..        There were so many levels of activities that could be accomplished at the InfoMart.  If someone was done with the particular meeting they had arrived for, they could step into another meeting.  Many groups received a cross pollinating of people and ideas this way.       If someone needed a computer component or software, those could be bought in the basement.  A lot of changing of equipment and money took place in the basement of the infoMart.       In 1998 the Infomart, now under new management, gave all user groups roughly a three month notice to move out.  December 1998 marked the end of the InfoMart era, and continues to be missed.        Much of the computer groups moved to Big Town Mall in Mesquite while other groups, like AUNT, would have to find their own place to meet.        At this time this article was written, there are computer groups that still meet, such as the Apple Corp, The PC User Group, the Linux group, and the list goes on.  However, like before the great pooling of resources at a mecha like the InfoMart, Dallas finds it's resources and talents scattered.         Many today thank the InfoMart for all the good times and more importantly the business in the computer industry that the Infomart made possible.  It is a hope, if not even a suggestion, that Dallas realize that by providing a meeting place for technical commerce and meetings, like the Infomart, that made Dallas it's true success.  Let's hope we can learn history and the InfoMart's example.         To read reviews and memories of Dal-ACE.  (1979-1991)         To read reviews and memories of AUNT.    (1985-2000) [Last Updated Feb 23, 2006]