#BridgeBrd Advice
6 messages in this thread
Hi. I need some advice.
I have an A3000 that I want to add an IBM bridgeboard for. I have no idea
which might be best (providing there are more than one). I like to stay with
Amiga products where possible, but it isn't very important.
I want to be able to:
-Run the majority of popular IBM programs.
-Program in 'C' for IBM (compatibles) with my A3000.
All advice towards getting me set up right would be really appreciated. Some
say get a board, some say I might as well get an IBM, but I think he just
<sigh> wanted to sell me another computer. I'm wondering if the bridge-board
can run IBM Windows? To avoid a hopefully long thread of thank- you notes, I
want to thank you now for the information.
Regards, Henry
The CBM 386 BB is probably your best bet. They are going for about $200
now.
-Jonathan
Henry,
At the risk of sounding like your dealer … You can get an A2386sx
bridgeboard for the Amiga. You will, however, also need to get a special
multifunction I/O card in order to have both VGA support and an IDE hard drive
interface, since the A3000 only has two BB slots and the BB uses one of them.
The multifunction card is available through Elite Micro Computers for $200. If
you order a BB from EMC you will pay $265 if you hurry up and take advantage of
CBM's recent clearance sale. You can also order one from Safe Harbor for $200,
but they will be backordered. This is a good price because normally they sell
for $500 or so. This will get you a 386sx at 25 Mhz, which is tolerable for
windows. If you need more horsepower you can have EMC upgrade the BB to a
486SLC for another $650. Adding memory up to 8 meg, which is essential for
windows, will run you another $256. Thus, for a 386 system you are talking
about spending about $700 without hard drive and about $1,000 with a hard
drive. For a 486 level you are talking around $1,700. This is absent a
monitor. You can use a VGA or multisync monitor such as the 1950/60 monitor.
If you already have one for the A3000, then you can buy a switchbox to use that
monitor on the PC side. This will run you about $50 with the cables.
A little judicious shopping should find you a standalone 486 clone with
monitor, memory, drive, etc. and more slots for not a lot more than what you
would spend for the BB setups. Unless you really don't want two computers, I
think your dealer may have a good idea about just buying a separate clone box.
A separate clone box gives you more for about the same dollars, in my opinion.
Hi Steven.
I really appreciated your thorough advice re: bridge-board info. Now I'm
hoping you happen to know about IBM's as I'm considering your advice here.
Are you familiar with their new OS2 multi-tasking system? Is it a safe buy or
are there still many bugs in the system? Will regular IBM software run on it,
or would I have to wait for a whole new series to come out?
I'm also wondering if I will need Windows if I simply want to program on an
IBM compatible. Needing 8 MEGS (whow!) to run Windows compared to Amiga
Workbench on a 500K machine sounds like they have some major work to do yet.
Thanks again Steven. Regards,
Henry
Henry,
OS/2 2.0 is supposedly a pretty stable product, from what I've read,
but I have no direct familiarity with it. OS/2 is supposed to be able to run
both DOS and Windows applications. OS/2 is a complete operating system, so
MSDOS is not used. It is NOT a shell, as is Windows. OS/2 is large requiring
about 20 meg of disk space according to what I've read. Windows typically
requires about 12 meg of disk space plus the 2 or 3 meg required for MSDOS.
DOS applications can also be run from within Windows. Presently, there are
quite a large number of Windows applications, but very few OS/2-specific
applications.
You don't need Windows to work in DOS nor to do DOS programming, but
almost all of the new applications and those that will come out in the future
will be for Windows. You need a minimum of 2 meg of RAM for Windows or for
OS/2, but a lot more disk space.
Although the Amiga can run some programs in 1/2 meg of RAM, the bigger
Amiga apps need at least 1 meg or more of RAM and you certainly need a lot of
disk space for Amiga programs. However, because the Amiga OS is more compact
and was designed to multi-task, that's not the case for Windows. Hence the
need for more RAM and disk space for Windows. A lot of MAJOR work has already
gone into Windows 3.1 which is a stable product. It won't get any smaller.
Although Windows is not a pre-emptive multi-tasking OS, as is the Amiga OS,
OS/2 is a true pre-emptive multi-tasker as is the Amiga.
Both Windows and OS/2 fully support 24-bit color without the need for
expensive video cards, whereas the Amiga does not unless you are using the new
AGA machines. I would suggest you find someone with Windows installed and see
what it looks like. Contrary to what you may believe, the RAM and disk space
requirements are not that much greater than for an equivalently powered Amiga.
Furthermore, you will find that Windows applications are generally better than
Amiga equivalents, where there is an Amiga equivalent. There are many more
productivity programs available for Windows. Only the graphic programs on the
Amiga are generally competitive with Windows equivalents.
Re: Info on OS/2 system and windows. Thanks Steven I get the message.
Henry