[varmintman]

I thought it was obvious enough I was using “shut down” as a figure of speech. Again what the journals were reporting was that Apple hauled representatives of Atari and DRI into their offices in Cupertino and demanded a longish list of crippling changes to both the 520 and GEM or they (Apple) would simply tie the ST up in courts for ten years and nobody would ever make a dime with it and, again as it was being reported at the time, Atari caved.

[Swordmaker]

I thought it was obvious enough I was using “shut down” as a figure of speech. Again what the journals were reporting was that Apple hauled representatives of Atari and DRI into their offices in Cupertino and demanded a longish list of crippling changes to both the 520 and GEM or they (Apple) would simply tie the ST up in courts for ten years and nobody would ever make a dime with it and, again as it was being reported at the time, Atari caved.

That did NOT happen either. These claims are FUD... You used SHUT DOWN as you meant it to be... and the Atari sold millions. YOU stated they got out of the computer business when nothing could be farther from the truth. Quit dancing, trying to change what you said. There were no "crippling" changes to either GEM or the Atari ST 520. If there had been, Apple would have done FAR more to the Commodore Amiga... they did not.

Apple DID require that Digital Research make minor User Interface changes to GEM... to make it look less like the Apple Macintosh user interface. It's original interface was almost identical to the Apple Macintosh interface and violated their copyrights... and Apple had several rulings in their favor on this. This was in accordance with copyright laws. Apple had to make these demands to keep its copyrights.

Original GEM screen

Original Mac screen

Revised GEM screen AFTER the changes required
by Apple to not infringe their copyrights

Apple and DR met amicably to settle the differences across a conference table, not a courtroom, DR made cosmetic changes which Apple approved—It had NO effect on Atari—and the changes to GEM were completed by October of 1985, GEM was made available on multiple platforms, and Atari went on to sell millions of Atari 520s and 1040s, so your complaint is specious.

You will note the changes are not too substantial...