#The Atari Portfolio
21 messages in this thread
Charles,
It's command compatible, beyond that…it's not. The port is
supposedly fairly easy (from MS-DOS to the Portfolio)…but my memory tells
me that programs have to come on "program cards"…so even if it was MS-DOS
compatible…you couldn't load the software anyway.
I haven't seen one yet, I'm going from memory of reviews I've read
about it (which haven't been complimentary for the most part). I'll look
around to see if I can find one of those reviews and refresh my memory.
Don
Yeah, I was checking around through my collection of PC mags to see if I
could locate a review but had no success. Who knows, maybe it'll have 80%
CP/M compatibility before the year is out? Atari needs _something_ to keep
them afloat, lord knows their U.S. ST sales aren't doing it.
-Chas
From what I've seen over in the Atari Forums, people who have gotten the
Portfolio swear by it. And just because the programs come on ROM cards
doesn't mean it can't be loaded(Where do you think KickStart gets loaded
from?)In addition, the NEC UltraLight and Poquet PC also have non-standard
I/O devices, and they have been a success.
I've seen some of the reviews as well, and they come out mixed. Some
compare the $400 Portfolio with the $2000 Poquet, and rank the Poquet ahead
by a mile, even though the Port comes with a text editor, business
organizer, and lotus compatible spreadsheet.(Seeing as it costs $1600 more,
I can see that) However, some reviews have been comparing the Portfolio
with the $250 Casio BOSS, which is not in the same league as the Port.
So, the bottom line is that the portfolio is a so-so palmtop, but an
incredible personal organizer.
John
John,
I think some of the things that you're paying for in the Poqet are a full
80×25 character screen, as well as true MS-Dos compatibility. I forget
what the Portfolio's screen size is, but I know it isn't 80×25.
My first machine was an Atari 400, so I still have a soft spot in my heart
for Atari. I almost had myself talked into buying an ST, but ended up with
an Amiga instead. No regrets.
Robert
That's the problem with Atari. They make great systems, but are a
collective bunch of corporate idiots.
John
John,
True enough. They were like that even when they were owned by Warner
Communications. Warner did such a good job of running it that they
practically gave it to Jack Tramiel, it was losing so much money. I guess
the Tramiels are doing well enough over in Europe, but from what I gather
on the Atari forums the U.S. is a lost cause for Atari.
Robert
Robert,
The Portfolio has a screen size of 40 x 8 , I believe. Hardly a
"standard" among PC programs.
Lloyd
Lloyd,
40 x 8 sounds about right. It sounds like a neat toy, but I doubt if I'd
get much use out of one.
Robert
John,
I saw one last week. I went to the movies and the guy sitting next to me
had one and it was great. Keyboard's a bit small for my tates but it
definitely had a lot going for it.
…Dave
John,
That's true…everyone has a ROM burner sitting in their kitchen so
they can copy their current software over. Oh yea…they also have Atari's
ROM cards handy…right?
Seriously…even if the above were true…the Atari isn't MS-DOS
compatible…so even if you could copy software over…you couldn't run it.
The Ultralite and Poquet are MS-DOS compatible to the best of my
knowledge.
An organizer is no better than it's software, not owning, or having
seen an Atari Portfolio…I have no idea of it's quality as an organizer.
I've got a Sharp Wizard…and it suits me just fine…does
everything I want…and only cost me $200 at a discounter.
Don
Don,
"Copying software over…." – you forgot about MODIFYING it to run
properly with the 40 x 8 screen! I don't think there is very many programs
that would work well with that screen format.
Lloyd
Lloyd,
Isn't that what I said…even if you could copy it over…it
wouldn't run.
Don
The porting over isn't that difficult. The portfolio has a virtual 80X25
screen.
John
John,
Yes…that's my understanding…the porting is supposed to be easy,
but that's something for the publisher…not the user to do.
Don
I've got an old Sharp PC-5000 portable, which uses MS-DOS 2.11. It runs
some plain-vanilla software but anything that writes to the screen will
usually hang, since the screen is 80 characters by 8 lines. However, it
isn't hard to debug some software to account for the different screen.
Also there might be ways to use utilities that provide a virtual screen of
80X24, as the VSCREEN program provides on the Amiga. I haven't tried it on
the Sharp, and don't know if it would work on the Portfolio. BTW, the DOS
2.11 in the Sharp is circa 1983.
Ron,
I've never seen a Portfolio (other than in ads)…so certainly
anything I say isn't "fact"…I'm just reporting what I remember reading
about it.
Thus…those reports say it's not MS-DOS compatible (or my memory
of those reports says that). So the software won't run in any case. But
aside from that…Joe Average User shouldn't be expected to have those
utilities, nor have to use one to get the software to run if it were MS-DOS
compatible.
And then of course, there's the "software card" issue…even if all
software ran 'as-is'…there's still no way for Joe Average User to load
software onto the machine.
Don
It is supposed to be MS-DOS compatible, but it just doesn't have a
disk drive! That is the catch. My guess is that you will be able to add one
externally, but I have no idea.
— Ethan
Ethan,
The Portfolio is "MS-DOS *COMMAND* COMPATABLE". Note the semantics.
It *IS* a significant difference. (MY emphasis).
Lloyd
Ethan,
From EVERY review I've read, the Portfolio is NOT MS-DOS program
compatible…simply MS-DOS command compatible. That is, you use the same
command names (such as DIR) but they are not the same programs.
Don
I see. Well, I'm sure that Atari was hoping that people like me would
misunderstand and misinterpret their comments. It's the only way they'll
any.
— Ethan