Why Linear Tracking never took off?

I gave up on my Sony psx 800 some time ago. When you push the start button instead of going to the edge of the record and setting the arm down it just keeps on moving the arm til it's all the way across the record. You can get it to play by hitting the on button and then immediately hitting the stop and then manually cueing it to the record. The light that shines up through the slots in the table to sense record size failed as well and I thought the bulb must have burned out. Replaced the bulb and it still didn't light. The whole thing made me suspicious enough about the table that I stopped using it. I'm a bit surprised by all the buzz here regarding this table. I found it's sound disappointing by comparison to the Rabco I had owned previously.

Now I have a Goldmund Studio with the T3 arm.

By the way I think the "correct" term is tangential tracking.

Just as an fyi... The terms "tangential tracking" and "linear tracking" both are acceptable. Of the manufacturers of these arms over the years, B&O, Rabco, Marantz and others used the term "tangential tracking" and Eminent Technology, Air Tangent, Walker Audio, Clearaudio, Kuzma and others used the term "linear tracking." All the rest of us (and most reviewers) just used the terms interchangeably.
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"Just as an fyi... The terms "tangential tracking" and "linear tracking" both are acceptable. Of the manufacturers of these arms over the years, B&O, Rabco, Marantz and others used the term "tangential tracking" and Eminent Technology, Air Tangent, Walker Audio, Clearaudio, Kuzma and others used the term "linear tracking." All the rest of us (and most reviewers) just used the terms interchangeably."

Be that as it may and regardless of who used what, conceptually these arms are attempting to maintain a proper tangential relationship to the groove all the way across the record rather than at just two points. Michael Fremer mentioned this in one of his recent articles. In his opinion and mine, linear is a misnomer. YMMV

Willster...Your PS X800 is obviously broken. This happens to the best of equipment after 25 years. How it sounds probably has more to do with the pickup used. Most of the time mine was used with a Shure V15MR, and that particular pickup never sounded, or tracked, better. If you have given up on this TT you should sell it. You might be surprised what they sell for.

Willster -

Lets not get too caught up in semantics. 'Linear Tracking' is the right term, as well as 'tangential tracking'. With a linear tracking arm, the cartridge follows a linear motion from the edge of the record to the center, as opposed to the arc of a pivoted tonearm. Hence - Linear.