CompuServe Messages

Rick, That has been true since the days of P.T. Barnum. JT doesn't have to please the dealers and/or suppliers, he only has to have a product that will sell. Look at his initial moves while with both companies. JT's computer products were moved into Computer stores where thru various sales pitches, he convinced them that JT had a better mousetrap. When the dealers discovered he did have a saleable product, and started to order more. JT started to make outrageous demands, and dealers that didn't follow the demands had to put up with incessant rumors of the machines moving into the Mass Market where they would lose their "golden egg". Didn't matter, JT moved them there anyway. By that time, the suppliers were getting "Jacked" around but he had such large orders, for mostly startup-companies, they had to put up with his nonsense. By the time everyone caught on to his tricks, it was too late. JT makes great noise about little things. Example, he hasn't denied the stories that the ST was "created in 6 months from an idea to a product at January CES". While it is true that JT took over Atari, and 6 months later showed the ST (a working model)….the fact is that when JT left Commodore, he formed Tramiel Technology, and TT was working on the ST long before Atari was given to JT. Atari just gave him a base to market the product from. Look at the Operating System. GEM, while a good interface, was brand new. The ST is the first computer to use it as the OS, it is a product of DRI. Once a big name in the computer field, it was rapidly losing ground to MicroSoft. Both DRI and Atari needed something "new" to make the dealer's believe in both companies and JT again. GEM was it. The ST is the testbed for GEM. Fact is, it is all a matter of timing. JT happen to be (or manuvered himself to be) in the right place at the right time. Warner was in big trouble with Atari, DRI needed someone to pick up GEM as the standard OS for their computer, RAM and CPU prices were the lowest they had been in years, dealers needed a boost out of the computer slump, suppliers were in the same shape as the dealers, JT had no company. It was almost a no-lose situation and JT took advantage of it very skillfully. JT is no slouch, he has great business sense and the ability to make money….let's give him credit where credit is due. He creates a perceived need, then fills it. He just doesn't make many friends along the way. As far as JT buying Commodore back….no way, at least not now. He won't have the money after the public offering. He will get somewhere around 45 Million with the public offering. That will be just about enough to pay off the debt and leave him less than a Million in operating capital (albeit he will also have no debt). Commodore _WILL_ report (or already has) a 2nd consecutive profitable quarter, their stock is up on the market 50% over what it was 6 months ago and still climbing. The Amiga has outsold the ST in the US and will soon be available in large quanities in Europe. The Amiga OS is a lot more solid now and the software base (of _released_ software) is about equal. Commodore is committed to the Amiga (as is Atari to the ST) and with the improved financial picture….I can't see any situation where Atari will buy Commodore. NOTE: This is NOT a comparison of the 2 machines! Just comments on JT and the companies in general. Let's not start another ST vs Amiga war! Don