CompuServe Messages

#SIDECAR

#: 44701 S11/HardwareForum unknown
    19-Dec-86 23:32:13
Sb: #44620-#SIDECAR
Fm: RON TROY 76064,252
To: Dave Haynie/C128 Land 76703,2047

This message turned up in search, but its forum couldn’t be identified from the original transcript, so it may not be linked into its thread.

Dave, Simile send cbm a fully 1.2 compatible version in June 1986. I've seen it working and it's fine both with 1.2 and in taking advantage of external ram. There have been many disagreements over what the 'amiga rules' were when the product was first created, but CA apparently decided to release an unfinished product and didn't even want it finished, because (even before the machine had come out) they had apparently decided on Sidecar – it was potentially very profitable, unlike transformer. They also reneged on 'Accelerator' which CA was to provide to handle the speed problem, and they told (or so I understand) Simile not to finish the color and graphics, though I further understand that was only a few months away. Well now we're stuck with limited software emulation and trouble causing hardware emulation (blocking the expansion port), so in effect we've got nothing very usable. I'm assuming that PCET will never make the market. I still think that if only for public relations reasons CA should buy a full blown transformer from Simile and SELL it at a very reasonable price – not to make money, just recover the costs of buying and distributing it. Ron