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Report From The Summer
Consumer Electronics Show
 

(Continued, page 3 of 3)   Besides the CD-ROM, Atari announced two new variations of its 520ST, the 260ST and 260STD. They're identical to the 520ST except for three features: 256K RAM instead of 512K; a built-in RF modulator so they can be plugged into an ordinary TV set as well as color or monochrome monitors; and the operating system GEM (Graphics Environment Manager) in ROM in stead of in RAM. Also, the 260STD has a built-in 31/2-inch floppy disk drive. They are scheduled for release this fall for $399 and $499, respectively.       Atari says it plans to sell the 260ST and 260STD through mass market channels, such as discount stores, while restricting the 520ST to specialty dealers, such as computer shops. This is a reversal of Atari's original plan to sell the 520ST through all types of outlets.       Atari also has been wavering back and forth on whether the operating system and GEM will ever be in ROM on the 520ST. When the 520ST was first announced in January, Atari said all the system software would be in ROM. But delays in debugging the operating system prompted Atari to release it on disk with initial shipments of the computer. Then there were conflicting statements about whether early 520ST owners would be able to upgrade to a ROM-based operating system later. (A RAM-based operating system takes longer to boot up, but is easier to revise; a ROM based system boots up instantly, but can be upgraded only by replacing the ROM chips.)       At CES, Atari President Sam Tramiel told COMPUTE! that the operating system will be transferred to ROM for the 260ST/260STD, and then made available at "minimal cost" for 520ST owners with RAM based systems. "These 18 guys back in Sunnyvale [at Atari's software department] are right now crunching the code to get it into the ROM size [192K]," said Tramiel. "TOS [Tramiel Operating System] now I think is 205K, or something like that. We feel it's not a big problem, but we've got to get it done fast."       … (the rest of the article, dealing with Commodore announcements, has been omitted)

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see also: Monster Memory
 
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