CompuServe Messages

Wayne, I don't think Commodore should have to pay attention to what they probably consider a non-standard, non-supported method of enhancing the Amiga. Believe me, I don't mean to attack the good quality people at DKB or any other hardware manufacturer for the Amiga, but it is my opinion that upgrades that require you to remove a chip and place a board in the chip socket are 'hacks'. I can't expect Commodore to support these types of upgrades throughout the life of the computer. Commodore built expansion slots to expand the Amiga computer. That is where they intend to allow hardware developers to expand the system. However, as we all know, some hardware additions like the DKB Megachip could not be done via a slot. It is to Commodore's advantage to seperate the product lines. The Amiga 500 has had an artificial life for a long long time because of third party 'hacks' to the motherboard. These hacks have caused most people to decide not to upgrade to the A2000 because they feel that the A500 will do everything that the A2000 will do. This is not good for dealerships that require a customer base that wishes to upgrade to make a profit. It requires dealerships to become familair with popular hacks so that they might sell something to the Amiga public. That of course, does not help Commodore, nor does it help us when we want to sell profitable Amiga computers. I think that one of the reasons that the A600/A600HD has surfaced mounted technology is to stem part of this upgrade a computer for life plan that has kept the current systems alive. Surface-mounted technology is a cheap way to decrease product life-time and product cost. It will force the A600 owner to consider an upgrade to another larger Amiga computer when the A600 owner feels cramped. This is good for the dealer, this is good for Commodore. The one thing that you have got to remember when it comes to Commodore. They are not in love with computers like you and I. They are in business [ MORE ]