#Get an Amiga?
15 messages in this thread
Hi, I have been 'lurking' around this forum off and on for a while keeping
up on the Amiga. I was a few years out of Tech School when I first heard
of the A1000. I thought it was the BEST thing to come down the pike for
personal computing. I could not afford one at the time but thought after a
year or so on the market the price would come down because with all those
great features it be the desktop computer of choice for business (you know
WOW multi-tasking just like the mainframe at work PLUS all that color AND
_sound_!!!!) . . . Well, so much for my crystal ball in to the
future. (taught me to stay out of the stock market too) 😉
The point to all of this is: Should I get an A1200
OR get a used A2000 and miss out on the
advancements
[Personal background]- I am a mainframe COBOL program for an insurance
company with limited work on the company IBM PC's. About 4 years ago I
bought a dual floppy laptop (NEC MultiSpeed) from DAK to do my word
processing and telecommunications. Things like CompuServe and to fix
problems at work at night. I have done some PC COBOL development with
MicroFocus COBOL-2, for a friends business. I also sometimes bring home
things from work to learn how they work, like Lotus 123 v2.2. I have
learned how to create ".wk1" files from mainframe reports.
Over this time I have become the PC fix it guy. Putting in memory,
installing boards, fixing other peoples problems … like … "why can I
use COM1 and COM3 at the same time???" (well, you just can't!).
Well now I want to upgrade my home computer and the A1200 sounds like the
machine to go to. Assuming that there is Amiga software to replace my
basic needs:
1. Communications Program as powerful as Procomm Plus.
2. Word processor like WordStar 7.0
(when typing I do not want to reach for a mouse).
3. Something that will work with Lotus 123 files.
I am willing to keep using my XT compatible for a while in hopes of a good
"bridge" for at least a 386sx down the road. Does this look favorable? I
am open for all comments and suggestions.
Craig <-
On the Amiga side, the software I would send you toward are:
VLT for a terminal package. It is an excellent VT100/TEX4105 emulator with
extremely good AREXX control.
For editors, you have a number of choices. FinalCopy is an excellent one,
but I haven't had much personal experience with it.
Thanks for you reply. The FinalCopy is part of the PowerUp promo if I am
not misstaken.
BTW: I can have a 2.5" IDE drive (80 Meg) from my boss. We goofed on an
order and cannot return it. Would it be hard to put this drive in the
A1200?
And is there a good Bible Program for Amiga. Maybe with Maps and Graphics?
Craig <-
Craig,
I would recommend the purchase of an A4000. It gives you the features you
need (including the ability to make it IBM compatible) and the speed you
are used too on the PCs.
I love the A1200, but to get it to the point you are talking about would
consume a serious amount of cash, and even then you would not have the
bridgecard as an option.
Just my two cents.
-mark=
Thankx for your "two cents". Yes the A4000 _is_ and impressive machine,
but I can't afford one at this time. I think I will go ahead with the
A1200 and play around with it to see what I have been missing out on and to
sharpen my creative skills. Maybe I can sell the A1200 and move on up to
an A4000 if I need more power. Thanks, Craig <-
Some software thoughts,,
I use PROCALC rev. 1.05, and read 123 files all of the time
(both WKS and WK1).
Both WORDPERFECT 4.1 and ProWrite 3.31 can be used without ever
touching a mouse, although I prefer ProWrite.
I use ATalk III for comm, and find it comparable to ProComm and
other PC stuff.
And, the one basic you didn't mention DBMS is also available. I use
SuperbasePro4 at home on Amigas and at work on both Amigas and PCs.
I'm sure you noticed that a 1200 has a built-in IDE "port" and you can plug
in an off-the-shelf 2 1/2" drive from your local, friendly PC
superstore….
Paul
p.s. ATalk III includes script to allow FULL remote access.
Very handy for home-office file sharing..!!
Paul, thanks for the info on the software. You are the first person to
mention even working with spreadsheets or data base software! I had not
realized that the Amiga was so far removed from the "routine" work
enviornment.
Craig <-
Just to put my two cents in. The 1200 sounds like a good machine but don't
get it. If you buy an Amiga you will want it to have as much expansion
capabilities as possible. The reason why I say this is because Amigas seem
to maintain their usefulness far longer than other computers. Most Amigans
I know still have their original Amigas. If you have an Amiga which has
Zorro III slots it is a good bet you will be able to hang on to that baby
for sometime without much loss in productivity. What will you do with a
1200 when the next killer app comes along? I have a 1000 and it still runs
anything I want but it is a big stretch. If I had bought a 2000 I would
still be very much in the thick of things. The moral of this story is get
an Amiga but get slots. You will be much happier in the long run.
Michael
I figure the 1200 is at least as expandable as the 500–and that can be
expanded a lot.
Jim,
It is NOT. the 500 is expandable because of the expansion slot on the left
which is missing on th 1200. PCMCIA slot might jump in there, though.
Plus the 500 has lots of expansions (processor boards, flicker fixers…)
that go between the chips and their sockets. the only chip in the 1200
that is not surface mounted is the Kickstart ROM, so forget about those.
Tom / Amiga Imagineer from Switzerland with AutoPilot engaged
Tom,
The Expansion slot inside the A1200 is MUCH more powerful than the one on
the side of the A500. It's a full 32-bit slot.
The "between the sockets" expansions are probably best left in the past,
really, due to all the problems they can cause…
Denny,
past, really, due to all the problems they can cause…
My 68030/50MHz board (in an A2000) strongly disagrees with you ;^).
Tom / Amiga Imagineer from Switzerland with AutoPilot engaged
Tom,
Oh, I realize that some work fine. I had a an A1000 with a Rejuvenator,
AdSpeed, and FlickerFixer–that's a lot of boards crammed onto a
motherboard not designed for them! But I also heard lots of horror stories
about poorly designed boards and about people who had no business with a
screwdriver messing up their machines trying to install ATonce boards and
such….
First things first, skip the A2000. Unless you can find a fantastic deal
it really doesn't offer you much. Instead make your choice between the
A3000 and the A1200/4000.
What it really comes down to at this point is how important the new
graphics are to you. If they are important to you choose between the
A1200 and A4000. For me personally, I would not buy a machine that did
not have a hard drive either from the factory or as an add-on.
If the new grapics are not that important, and from your requirement list
they don't appear to be, then I would say get the A3000. It is a very
capable machine (minus the new graphics, but the old graphics aren't that
bad) and currently it is very inexpensive. Some mail order houses are
selling them for around $1400, if any are left.
As far as software goes, there are several communications programs that
fit the bill and most are shareware or even free! There are word
processors that are similar to WordStar, but why get a graphics based
computer and use a text based word processor? There are several word
processors available that make use of the amigas strengths and I think
that once you got used to them you would forget about WordStar. The
problem area is spreadsheets. This is a weakness in the amiga market.
There are a few spreadsheet programs out there, but I don't know the
details of the products. Someone else will though.
Good luck
Bill
Bill, Thanks for your input. I had forgoten about the A3000 and never
gotten much inof. on that unit. Your point on the word processer is also
well taken. Craig <-