From 1985 to the early 1990s, a popular home computer system was known as the Atari ST. Originally released in 1985, Atari ST featured a Motorola 68000, which had a 16 bit bus and for the internals it featured a 32-bit design.
When originally released, the Atari ST came with 512 KB RAM, a 3.5" floppy disk drive and was contemporarily similar to the Apple II. The Apple II, was the first computer to have a GUI, but the Atari ST was the first computer to have that GUI fully bitmapped. The reason for this was the fact that the graphics chip share the internal memory, and the clock cycle with the 68000 processor.
This system was designed to be competition against not only the Apple II, but the Commodore Amiga as well. Although the Commodore was designed for the game scene, the Atari ST's lower price and faster CPU made it a good competitor.
It was also to be the Atari ST that would include a MIDI port, which would become popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s dance scene. These computers were also great for use by architects and engineers since it was highly proficient in working with AutoCAD.
The Atari TT, along with the Atari Falcon, would mark the end of the Atari ST's stronghold in the CAD and desktop publishing industries.
Original Authors: Gobel Team (Nick)
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 21/05/2008
