#our own opinion
6 messages in this thread
Paul,
The PCI-2 specification allows for drivers to be onboard the cards in rom. If a
manufacturer wants to support more than one platform that supports PCI slots
(and, within a year, it WILL be the standard) all they have to do is supply the
onboard drivers … the computer will query the device and use the correct
driver. The PCI-2 spec also allows for the placing of CPUs onboard … that
could make things interesting.
I personally think that, from a user standpoint, the Mac is inferior to a C-64
running GeoWorks (and as a former Atari 8 bit user, C-64s are trash). Having
had a Mac (an 8100) on my desk for the last 6 weeks or so, having to use it and
program it, I've come to realize how lucky I was to have never broken down and
purchased one when the Mac hype was so great — it's still all hype with little
substance. The perfect place for the Mac is in a window of its own on an Amiga
screen.
-sja
Steve-
That's a pretty harsh indictment! In any event, I'll soon get plenty of Mac
experience if I can get my Emplant working. Actually, I'd rather see the Mac
on its own Amiga screen. Better performance that way. <G> I do agree that
the basic command-line-free philosophy is pretty pathetic. And cooperative
multitasking sucks. All Amigans are spoiled that way. But I don't see that
Win3.1 is any better at quote-unquote multitasking, although I do have much
more experience using Windoze than the Mac. The big thing that attracts me to
the Mac is Fractal Design Painter. (And better word processors.) I doubt I'll
ever like an OS as much as I like the Amiga's, at least not any time soon.
I hadn't heard much about PCI-2, either. That sounds cool, very cool, as long
as the ROMs are flashable. I hope they support the Mac *and* OS/2. Win96 will
get more than its share of support I'm sure. Will PCI-2 be faster than PCI-1,
or just more robust? I'd rather have a standard come from somewhere *other*
than Intel, all else being equal, but at least this one isn't brain-dead from
birth, like the x86 architecture, and VLB was just pathetic.
Mr. Zombie
PCI-2 is faster and more robost than the original Intel design. PCI-2 is not
from Intel but is committee designed — Apple has been one of the development
partners for quite a while. Dave Haynie stated a couple of years ago that the
fabled Amiga A5000 would use PCI.
BTW, before I got the PowerMac 8100 that now sits on my desk I was using a IIci
with a 33mHz '040 board. I've got an Amiga 3000 ('030) and a 4000 (with 4040
Warp Engine). The IIci with the '040 felt incredibly slow. Just form a
performance standpoint of opening windows, moving them, drawing controls (ie.,
gadgets), it had the feel of a 68k based A500.
Yah, I do find it funny that the PowerMac 8100/100 that I played with a little
at the store felt about as responsive, GUI-wise, as my RetinaZ3-equipped
WarpEngine 3040 A3000, maybe a little less. But then PowerMac video sucks, at
this point. They made a couple unfortunate compromises.
Mr. Zombie
>>Yah, I do find it funny that the PowerMac 8100/100 that I played with a
>>little at the store felt about as responsive, GUI-wise, as my
>>RetinaZ3-equipped WarpEngine 3040 A3000..
I found this too.. my pal has a 8100/80 AV PowerMac, I was -stunned- at
how long it takes to boot (as long as my Emplant MacIIfx does..) and how
sluggish the GUI is.. Of course having spent close on 6000 POUNDS
(Including 20" monitor) on this heap my pal insists its the best compuetr
on the planet.. dream on.
Steve
Steve:
Macs must have a way of "wearing out" for Amiga users. The more I use mine,
the less I like it. I also think System 8 (Copeland [SP?]) will be too little,
too late.
Oh well. At least on my "Macintosh," Left-Amiga M lets me return to a real OS.
Real Macs have no such option. <VBG>
Wayne (Team OS/2)