[Coco] Re: Nick's Survey results

[Robert Gault]

Gaultware if correct is a coincidence but take a look at my web pages.
http://home.att.net/~robert.gault/

Mo wrote:
> Mr. Gault has a very valid point. I still enjoy the Coco more as a Time
> filler than a primary workhorse. I mainly hang on to mine because of their
> gothic apperance with all the bells and whistles plugged in. I also do a lot
> of technical mumbo jumbo with mine. I never really got into games on these
> machines 'cause I just hated that sick green color that all of the games
> used liberally. I don't have a coco3 but I like the colors I've seen those
> do a lot better. I think if you want to create a real masterpiece, I would
> design either a port of some powerful programming language like LISP or APL
> or maybe create your own, new language that you could sell and market. That
> to me might be worth spending a few bucks on. These machines are so often
> undersold because of their cartridge port, they have powerful processors and
> plenty of RAM- it's nice to see them use it once in a while.
> Just Rambling,
> Mo
> 
> BTW, I seem to remember seeing an ad in a magazine somewhere for software
> written by Gaultware? Is my memory fuzzy or am I on target?
> 
> 
> 
> "Robert Gault" <robert.gault at worldnet.att.net> wrote
> in message news:3FC527E1.2010705 at worldnet.att.net...
> 
>>As one of those "mature adults" who still support the Coco, I have to
>>say the power of modern computers have so greatly exceeded that of the
>>Coco, I do all of my word processing, spreadsheet, internet activity,
>>and games non-Coco with few exceptions. I use the Coco for tinkering and
>>support of the Coco community and not much else.
>>
>>Frankly the Coco has always been for me, a chance to prove Tandy wrong
>>in some fashion, by making the Coco do something Tandy thought
>>impossible. I still buy many adventure games but for the PC. While there
>>were some games sold by Tandy that still hold their own against the
>>current crop, nostalgia probably plays a large part.
>>
>>We have got to be realistic folks. Much as we like the Coco, and it is
>>the perfect tool for hardware tinkering and programming, it is not going
>>to take the world by storm no matter what we do with it. There just is
>>not much of a Coco market left.
>>
>>What this means to anyone who wants to create software for the Coco
>>community is don't create end products like games and expect to sell
>>much. Create tools so users can produce their own projects. That is why
>>the emulators, Portal9, and the like or hardware sold by Cloud-9 have at
>>least a limited market. These items enable user creativity.
>>
>>Nickolas Marentes wrote:
>>
>>
>>>The survey so far isn't a raging success with only 6 responses so far. I
>>>guess it's still early to call but I am getting some data about the
> 
> current
> 
>>>CoCo market and community.
>>>
>>>The results so far are of no surprise. Here is my summary, adding in
> 
> some of
> 
>>>my own personal observations from the list.
>>>
>>>My purpose for the survey is to ascertain the viability of me spending
> 
> the
> 
>>>next 6-12 months of my precious little spare time to develop another
> 
> CoCo3
> 
>>>game. I like developing games for the CoCo but the enjoyment falls a bit
>>>flat if there are few people to appreciate the effort.
>>>
>>>I see the CoCo community as a mature group of adults who are past the
> 
> games
> 
>>>stage and primarily interested in communicating with one another and are
>>>fond of OS9.
>>>
>>>While there are over 100 users on this list, the number of "active
> 
> users"
> 
>>>appears far less, probably 20-25 with the majority taking a "back seat
>>>observers post". Correct me if I'm wrong on this.
>>>
>>>As for active developers of saleable/commercial level products, this
> 
> number
> 
>>>falls even further with people such as Mark Marlett and Curtis Boyle as
> 
> the
> 
>>>main ones that I can see at this point. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>I have a few questions to ask.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>1) Has anyone developed a new (and better!) gui for OS-9?
>>>
>>>It's probably a bit late to suggest this but I feel OS-9 really needs an
>>>injection of user friendliness that may attract other less OS-9 centric
>>>people to OS-9. I know I've tried 3 times in my lifetime and each time I
>>>threw it across the room in discust with it's unfriendliness, slowness
> 
> and
> 
>>>bugginess. This was in the early days of CoCo OS-9 when there were bug
> 
> lists
> 
>>>for OS-9 spanning several pages. I understand the Nitros9 is far better
> 
> but
> 
>>>has anything been developed to utilize this added power of Nitros9?
>>>
>>>2) It seems to me that what the CoCo needs a central website that all
> 
> CoCo
> 
>>>users can look at to keep up with what's going on in the CoCo world.
> 
> Back in
> 
>>>the "good-old-days" we had the CoCo magazines as a way of keeping up to
>>>date. Later, there was ???? (forgot his name) website that was kept
>>>up-to-date with CoCo developments. Now it seems all that is lost. Apart
> 
> from
> 
>>>this CoCoList (thanks Dennis!) We need a site were we can look and see
> 
> what
> 
>>>products are in development by others, read up on the latest CoCo news
> 
> and
> 
>>>going on's (Fests etc).
>>>
>>>3) Anyone interested in a good pinball game for the CoCo? What about an
>>>arcade perfect version of Defender? A new CoCo3 update of Zaxxon, like
> 
> Z'89
> 
>>>only faster and extended gameplay?
>>>
>>>4) And lastly, has anyone been able to find out more info about this
>>>mystical 256 color mode of the GIME? Does it or does it not exist? I'm
> 
> still
> 
>>>looking for the author of the book, "Super Extended Color Basic
> 
> Unravelled".
> 
>>>Does anyone know where I can contact someone from Spectral Associates?
> 
> These
> 
>>>guys worked closely with Radio Shack during those CoCo3 development days
> 
> and
> 
>>>may have some answers.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Ok, off my soap box now before the tomatoes start to fly!
>>>
>>>Nickolas Marentes
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>-- 
>>Coco mailing list
>>Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
> 
> 
> 
> 
>