#Amazing Amiga
30 messages in this thread
September? Great, last one I have is July. But I can see their point very
clearly. I just walked down the computer isle in a major office supply
store today and tried out the computers. While Amigas were not there (of
course) I was very unimpressed with the windows 486/33mhz boxes which had
me reclicking the icons thinking the idiot didn't know I had pressed the
mouse button they were so slow. No competition here for my Amiga.
On the next isle however was a Mac Performa 450 with similar specs to my
own 2000/GVP3001/8mb machine. We are talking 68030/25mhz/4mb/120mbHD. We
are talking 256 color, with keyboard, with microphone, with vga quality
640×480 monitor, and with fax modem. We are talking a snappy and
responsive machine too, not a slug. We are talking a suite of business
software included, from WP works and amer her. dict to checkfree and
touchbase (you could run a small business) and we are talking a total
price of $1467.00!!!!
If CBM doesn't get on their giddy up and get to work the competiton is
going to eat them for breakfast. It is getting bad out there folks.
Tom
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
I just looked at the same type of store. I too was not impressed with
the 486/33 with Windows machines. While I did look at the Performa,
and like the hardware, the OS that is on the Mac was not overly
impressive. To me the operating system is what sets the Amiga above
the Mac and PCs.
I do agree that unless CBM gets their corporate heads out of the sand,
they are going to get them chopped off.
Richard -> via the Amiga 1000 AutoPilot
Yes, the 7.1 OS, all 2mb of it, is not that impressive compared to Ados,
but what is impressive is the savvy they showed in putting a full suite of
business programs bundled with it. That is marketing, what CBM does not
have unfortunately.
Tom
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
I agree with you there, Apple is very good on marketing.
Richard -> via the Amiga 1000 AutoPilot
…and now NT is rumored to require 30 MB main memory and 200 meg of HD.
The competition keeps handing CBM a marketting angle on the proverbial
golden platter, but CBM marketers are too stupid or too timid to do battle
with the ammo MicroSoft and Apple place in thei laps!
wmc – via Autopilot!
NT is very big, but there is no need to lie …
NT doesn't require anywhere near 30 MB of memory or 200 MB of disk.
Early versions supported 16 MB and 100 MB, every version has lowered the
memory and disk requirements.
Steve Peters
You mean every version since they went from 8 to 16.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Steve,
This is information given to me by an NT developer/tester who, admittedly,
is unimpressed with it. It may be that it will boot into 16 but needs at
least 30 to do anything useful. When O/S-2 came out they actually said it
required 2 meg to run. But that was the only thing that could run.
Wanted to run an application? Had to get at least 2 more meg.
The other comment made was, "..it'll turn a screaming '486 into a
whimpering mutt…
wmc – via Autopilot!
Right and I notice Byte magazine this month is screaming out against the
"fatware" on PC clones that just gets bigger and bigger and requires ever
faster machines with ever more storage. They ain't seen nuttin yet.
I believe Microsoft has talked about versions fo NT for all sizes of
machines though, Bill Gates spoke recently about versions planned even for
palmtops. This is a major interest to all computer businesses now since
they see Newton type personal pocket computers that can update their files
from any node or PC they pass( via radio links) as the wave of the future.
I am sure I remember Gates mentioning that too.
Personally I hope the personal communicator and the universal O/S comes to
pass in my lifetime, it would be fantastic. Unhappily it was not the
100mph+ Stanley Steamer but the lowly cheap Model T that won the horseless
buggy race. The same could happen to the universal O/S. I have watched
some great PC's go that way already. Remember the "Torch" and the
"Sinclair QL" from England that predicted the Amiga? The very best rarely
is the long term winner in technology.
Tom
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
>Sinclair QL
Now THAT is a blast from the past! 160k floppy tape drives, networking, and
windowing BASIC built in. I remember when Lattice was working on the C compiler
for that little beastie. It was a fun machine.
Tom,
I have the same installation as yourself, and I was not impressed with
the Preforma 450 at all. I kept wondering why the mouse seemed to have a
lag in it as well as the slow load time of the applications. The overall
responsiveness of the programs themselves was poor, at best.
Guess I'm stuck with the Amiga, or a high-end workstation, 'cause I
can't stand a machine that doesn't stand up and scream.
Brian
Brian
Quite right, I think after going down a row of MsDos windows machines
the Performa 450 looked a lot better to me. If there had been a 4000 after
that the Performa would have been the cheaper but not the best…except
for the software bundled with it. Would CBM ever (1) get a BizMart type
store to carry their machine or (2) be able to offer a 4000/30 bundled
with WP/DB/Spreadsheet/telecom/desktop util package for $1300 including
the monitor and modem? Yes, they could, but they likely never will.
Tom
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
I'd love to see a face-off between a Quadra and an A4000 equipped with an
Emplant.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Not quite, the Quadra can meet and maybe exceed a 4000/40 on it's own
turf. Now we could make the 4000/30 look good against a Performa 450 I
think.
Tom
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
You put an A4000 against a Mac Quadra, both with exactly the same CPU, and
the A4000 will eat the Quadra's lunch.
Speaking of the 4000/40, this just in from those breathless folks at
Motorola (via the Executive News Service here on CIS; I read it before
replying to your message and clipboarded it here):
AUSTIN, TEXAS (JULY 29) PR NEWSWIRE – Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) High
Performance Microprocessor Division today announced that its 68040
microprocessors provide the processing power for Apple(R) Computer Inc.'s
(NASDAQ: AAPL) newest Macintosh(R) personal computers, the Macintosh
Quadra(tm) 840AV and Macintosh Centris(tm) 660 AV. The new Macintosh
offerings unite telecommunications, video and speech technologies on a
desktop computer for the first time. [PERSONAL NOTE: OH, REALLY?] The
inclusion of the Motorola 68040 significantly boosts the performance
levels of these new Apple systems.
"With the 40-MHz 68040, Motorola continues to provide high performance
options that allow Apple to expand its product lines with consideration
for high performance and low cost," said Jack Browne, vice president and
director, M68000 high-performance marketing. "By incorporating the robust
40-MHz 68040 into Apple's new systems, Apple is providing their customers
access to impressive processing speeds at a reasonable price."
[…blah, blah, blah etc.]
Intriguing that Motorola sees the need to hype the 40mhz '040 as a Mac
innovation, but not as an Amiga feature. Methinks Apple wrote this for
them. I can just see the next Motorola PR Newswire release: "Motorola
today announced it could give a rat's ass about the Amiga…"
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
Yeah, OH REALLY. Last I checked, the Amiga didn't come with a DSP or
networking and software to use them (software like teleconferencing) *out
of the box*. These new AV systems are way cool, especially since they are
supposed to cost the same or less than equivalent non-AV Macs!
I'm 90% sure that Motorola put out the same type of press announcements
when Commodore shipped the A3000 and the A4000.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Ron, I won't be around to see the rest of this thread, but let me assure you,
these new Macs ARE a big deal. First of all, no Amiga has a 40MHz 040.
Second, the speech, telecommunications, and video processing are made possible
by the inclusion of an AT&T DSP3210 on the motherboard. This is a first for a
personal computer (not including NeXT) and just what Apple needs to
differentiate itself from the endless lines of PCs. The DSP should be able to
provide all kinds of neat capabilities.
Don't be so hasty in assuming every new development is something that's already
been done on an Amiga. It isn't.
Paul.
.
Tis a shame too, Commodore has talked publically of a DSP for the A4000.
Where the heck is it?
Vaporland.
-mark=
Otto Pilot Engaged..
I believe DSP chips are also in all current Silicon Graphics machines.
Early
Paul,
It's no big deal — other than Apple getting it to market. What was it?
Denver Devcon in '91 that Commodore showed the 3000Plus that included on
motherboard DSP (the same ATT/Western Electric unit as the one Apple is
using) and built-in network? It was "6 months away from dealer shelves".
Commodore, again, blew it.
-sja
Even if it had been released, it wouldn't have been bundled with the very
cool software.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Dale,
True — but it's now 2 years later — that "very cool" software would more than
likely be available. It did have some nice software for the telecomm Codex.
The Atari Falcon030 has a DSP on it's motherboard too.I don't think its the
AT&T one though.
-Rob
It's basically an audio-only DSP, in part because it is fixed-point.
Dale Larson
– An Amiga Software Engineer with some time on his hands.
Ron: the new AV series Macs are very cool. The Caspar voice recognition
software sounds very neat.
Michael @ Soft-Logik Publishing Corp.
I guess it is to be expected that Mot would be in bed with Apple when they
are part of the "keiretsu" IBM, Motorola, and Apple are trying to form. I
think it is time for Sun, Dec, CBM, and a few others to form their own
block and include Motorola in it too. Seems to be the way to go right now,
even the GM's and IBM's are doing it.
Speaking of Apple speech, wonder if CBM is working on a new speech module
to work with the DSP as a replacement for speak-handler?
Tom
Okie from dang near everywhere.
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
Novell (which acquired Digital Research) is trying to form a block too. DR
had a deal going with Berkeley Softworks, maker of GEOWorks. DR DOS has
hooks into GEOWorks or vice versa.
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)
I like the sound of that merger, Ron, you can't find two better companies.
I can just see a few of these highly motivated little companies ganging up
and waiting for signs of old age from Microsoft so they can dash in and
stomp on her eggs. GeoWorks and DrDos are both better than MS.
BTW some guy is selling GeoWorks packages on the fidonet computersale echo
for $10.00 each with docs in shrinkwrap. Not the crippled sampler either,
or so he claims. Says he has hundreds.
Tom
AGA means "Amiga is Going Again"
{ Internet: jonest@hfsi.com 1:147/2020.5@fidonet }
My aging A2400 runs the Spliner screenblanker about twice as fast as what
I've seen on of 486s at the stores — the difference, of course, is that
my A2500 is usually also multitasking something at the time! <g>
— Ron Legro, Milwaukee
via AUTOPILOT (the only way to fly)