CompuServe Messages

John, No, I don't use AutoCad at all. We used to be a dealer for it 4-5 years ago, but we lacked the people to train and support customers so we let our dealership drop. Another gentleman left a message here saying that version of AutoCad prior to version 10 did not require the math chip. However I'd still recommend getting the math chip as you will see a considerable speed improvement. I'd say the 1MB of RAM that comes with the 80286 BridgeBoard will be a good starting point because when/if your son finds that he needs more RAM, then you can just go by a RAM board, plug it in, and go. One of the reasons that AutoCad is such a popular package is that they have device drivers available for a huge number of plotters/printers, etc. I would, if I were you, get an HPGL compatible plotter as the HPGL format seems to be the "standard" command format for plotters. If you do buy an Amiga 3000 and add the BridgeBoard, keep in mind that Commodore is still shipping the BridgeBoard with a 5.25" drive for the IBM side. There is not any room in the A3000 for a 5.25" drive, so make some arangement with your dealer to see if he will swap you a 3.5" High Density Drive. -John ps. John, that other gentleman I spoke of earlier had what I thought was a good idea. Your son could forego getting the BridgeBoard altogether by buying one of the excellent Amiga CAD programs that can read/write DXF format files (X-CAD Professional does this and it's a gorgeous CAD program). This would allow your son to work with AutoCad in the classroom, and bring his work back to the dormitory and use it with X-CAD Professional on his Amiga. This may actually be better as he will learn how to implement the _concepts_ that he's taught in two _different_ CAD programs.