CompuServe Thread

#NEW AMIGA!

71 messages in this thread
#118241From: Paul TylerOct 16, 1993 6:03 AM
ITS OFFICIAL, The new AAA chipset, RISC based, PC compatible Amiga is at first silicon, rated at 10 times faster than the Intel 586 Pentium offering `10-20 times better graphics than the AA chipset' cost around wait for it… Five thousand pounds! to be available around the middle of next year, Source:Amiga Format Magazine, interview with Commodores head honcho, Me personally I'll leave a couple of years, till they bring the prices down, but what a thought. This machine will stuff Mac Quadra 950's for breakfast and wash it down with the best that Intel can throw in, with Sega effecting immediate price cuts on their not so wonderful Mega? drive, who says commodore are going bust, NOT I *IcE*
#118259From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 16, 1993 7:25 AM
Do you have the name of the "head honcho" that gave the interview?
#118264From: Paul TylerOct 16, 1993 8:55 AM
I can never remeber his first name, PLEASANCE is his surname, (spelling may be slightly awry!) 🙂
#118289From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 16, 1993 1:07 PM
Yeah, I thought so. That guy has a really bad track record for making "announcements" like this. I wouldn't put too much stock in anything he says to any of the magazines.
#118338From: Paul TylerOct 16, 1993 5:10 PM
Yeah, its true that you can't believe all you read/hear but would this guy say these things if there was no hint of truth, later on the competition would crucify him! I guess we have to wait and see, I followed a `hunch' last time I was going to buy a 3000, but they said a new machine with the AA chipset was on the way, so I waited, I'm now the proud owner of a 4000.
#118400From: Black Belt SystemsOct 16, 1993 11:36 PM
What competition is that, Paul? Is there some company somewhere that cares what CBM does? If so, who? and, why?
#118516From: Paul TylerOct 17, 1993 3:38 PM
Yep you got a point there!
#118353From: Clint Woeltjen@VRLIOct 16, 1993 6:41 PM
The term "loose cannon" comes to mind. <grin> (Or maybe loose thermonuclear warhead?)
#118757From: SyndesisOct 18, 1993 10:13 PM
The term "loose cannon" implies that it should be fastened to a ship. Is there a ship?
#118801From: Clint Woeltjen@VRLIOct 19, 1993 1:06 AM
John: The Flying Dutchman? Naw… Commodore is still there, maybe down to rowboat size, but still afloat. (I didn't say anything about how many oars they had in the water. <grin>) I'm doing my best to help bail with my teacup. Don't know if it will do any good, but I'm stubborn and love lost causes. <grin> Clint <Chaocity>
#119662From: Steve GoddardOct 24, 1993 4:48 PM
They say that a Brit will always side with the underdog. Certainly my opinion is that the very fact that a company such as Microsoft is so big is the best reason I can think of to go somewhere else. Monopoly might be a good game, but it's a lousy way to run an industry. Steve the G. [BEDFORDSHIRE, UK]
#119716From: Clint Woeltjen@VRLIOct 25, 1993 3:37 AM
As a businessman, I don't really see the Amiga as being Commodore, rather I see it as being several million individuals attempting to meet their computing needs. Being a small company, I can come in contact with a few thousand of these individuals, and still provide the personal level of support and interaction that I want to be an earmark of my company. On a larger platform, I would get more business, but I would be swamped by the numbers, and I would have to become just another software house. Unfortunately, not all companies take that attitude, but I can't answer for them, I can only answer for me. <grin>
#118649From: Bob RyanOct 18, 1993 8:34 AM
Anyone who states that they have a chip that runs 10X faster than the Pentium has a credibility problem. The 200MHz Alpha is 1.65 times faster than the Pentium running SPECint 92 and 3.52 times faster running SPECfp92.
#118437From: Dominick J. FontanaOct 17, 1993 4:22 AM
I won't believe it (about the new Amiga) until I see it. Also, at that price, it can no longer be considered a home computer. For about that price, you can get a Silicon Graphics Iris Indigo right now, which runs rings around the Amiga. What makes you think that anything put out by CBM that has the name Amiga on it is necessarily the best?
#118509From: Tim LloydOct 17, 1993 2:36 PM
Thats for a base Iris Indigo… don't forget the massive amounts of RAM & large hardrives needed. Oh then there is that little thing called software… the Amiga has a huge range of software. FAR more than anything on a Silicon Graphics, which is by all intents and purposes a specialist machine. I have a local user here who uses them…. I think he told me that a single user license for Wavefront was something like THIRTY THOUSAND POUNDS ! not so cheap and useful now is it……yes it's a superb machine, but it's certainly not the be all and end all. It's more of a niche machine than even the Amiga, and will never be considered as mainstream. Can you imagine doing your home accounts or Comms on an Indigo…. NO, so nuff said. P.S. Amiga 4000 + Toaster (Lightwave) + Screamer…. and who's running the rings now. On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
#118562From: Paul HigginbottomOct 17, 1993 10:04 PM
First, Silicon Graphics is bigger than Commodore. Second, the Screamer uses SILICON GRAPHICS processors (MIPS R4400's). Third, the original price quoted for this mythical Amiga was 5000 pounds, which is about 7500 dollars. For that amount you can get much more than a base Indy which is only 4995 dollars. Fourth, while software may be expensive for Silicon Graphics machines, I bet their developer base is growing much faster than Commodore's. Plus, Windows NT now runs on Silicon Graphics machines, so they've got the zillion cheap Windows programs to run now, also. I've already seen shrink-wrapped Intel/Windows software running unchanged on a new RISC box (not from Silicon Graphics) which was using a MIPS processor. Fifth, It would be a mistake to ignore Silicon Graphics as a niche player. Having said that, I will grant you that the size of the Amiga installed base is 20 times that of Silicon Graphics! But obviously a lot of what Silicon Graphics sells are the big expensive (30,000 dollar and up) boxes. Sixth and last, if you read the financial reports of Commodore and Silicon Graphics, you will see that one of the company is overflowing with "vision" while the other makes excuses about unfriendly exchange rates adversely affecting performance.
#118604From: Jonathan BlackwellOct 18, 1993 1:21 AM
Silicon Graphics doesn't own the MIPS processor. Sorry, just had to make the correction. More than just SGI use that same processor.
#118661From: Tim LloydOct 18, 1993 9:23 AM
>First, Silicon Graphics is bigger than Commodore. So? You could argue the point that Commodore has many more machines out there then SG (and I'm not just talking the Amiga here)… it still ends up a pointless argument >Second, the Screamer uses SILICON GRAPHICS processors (MIPS R4400's). >Unfortunatly it's not a "Silicon Graphics" processor, it's an independent >processor… thats like saying the Intel 486 is an "IBM" processor, it >isn't…. >Third, the original price quoted for this mythical Amiga was 5000 pounds, >which is about 7500 dollars. For that amount you can get much more than >a base Indy which is only 4995 dollars. And what are you going to do with this "base" machine… very little from what I have been told, an SG users out here tells me that for the machine to REALLY be useful it needs 64megs of RAM… this is taking into account what you would be doing on the machine… of then there is the monitors the Hardrives….. >Fourth, while software may be expensive for Silicon Graphics machines, I >bet their developer base is growing much faster than Commodore's. Plus, >Windows NT now runs on Silicon Graphics machines, so they've got the >zillion cheap Windows programs to run now, also. I've already seen >shrink-wrapped Intel/Windows software running unchanged on a new RISC box >(not from Silicon Graphics) which was using a MIPS processor. EXPENSIVE !!!!!!!!! thats an understatement if ever I saw one !! fine having a $5000 box if you can't affored the other $50,000+ for the software. >Fifth, It would be a mistake to ignore Silicon Graphics as a niche >player. Having said that, I will grant you that the size of the Amiga >installed base is 20 times that of Silicon Graphics! But obviously a lot >of what Silicon Graphics sells are the big expensive (30,000 dollar and >up) boxes. I'm not saying that we can't ignore the SG, yeah it's got it's place in the market, and no doubt it will always have it's devotee's just as the Amiga has. >Sixth and last, if you read the financial reports of Commodore and >Silicon Graphics, you will see that one of the company is overflowing >with "vision" while the other makes excuses about unfriendly exchange >rates adversely affecting performance. This has no relevence at all… so Commodore have a bad year, big deal, how can you equate financial results to "overflowing vision" ! Sorry I'm not trying to put down the SG or lay any claim to this non existant Amiga…. but end of the day each computer has it's own market, and lets leave it at that. Tim On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
#118583From: GREG TEEGARDENOct 18, 1993 12:07 AM
PMJI here, but SGI certainly has it's act together, while CBM dosen't. Yes it's true that software for an SGI is CONSIDERABLY more expensive than Amiga apps, the prices of the stuff is falling fast. Last year, a full blown version of Alias Power Animator cost over $50,000! You can get an even better version now for around $20,000, and while that's still too expensive for the average user, the point is that prices for the stuff is falling fast. When you can by a base Indy for under five grand, the application prices will follow suit. THey have to, as the *low* end is catching up to the *high*, and we'll all see a meeting of the two very soon. What CBM has to is adopt a RISC based achitecture, and soon, if it wants to be able to run the type of software that people will demand. The one thing about the Amiga that always blows my mind is how awfull most of the software for it is, while SGI stuff shines. -GT
#118638From: Michael ClarkeOct 18, 1993 8:13 AM
What's so awful about Amiga software? I have yet to come across a commercial product I really don't like, either games or apps. I haven't seen too much PC comms software, but if anybody can show me something to match Term3.1, I'd be surprised. And how about DPaint IV? You won't get anything that cheap, sophisticated and functional on the PC. zzzzz….. The Sandman…..
#118662From: Tim LloydOct 18, 1993 9:23 AM
>blown version of Alias Power Animator cost over $50,000! You can get an >even better version now for around $20,000, and while that's still too >expensive for the average user, the point is that prices for the stuff is >falling fast. When you can by a base Indy for under five grand, the Thing is how far are they willing to drop it… and do you know what make people drop prices… competition… who's the competition ? The Amiga of course, hey Lightwave is starting to get some infuential people noticing (Mr. Spielberg springs to mind), considering the total cost of the toaster package it can do some amazing things. >The one thing about the Amiga that always blows my mind is how awfull >most of the software for it is, while SGI stuff shines. In what way is it bad? I have many applications, they all do what I need, but then again if you compare to top end software on other systems then yes, some of the stuff is lacking the polish… but then again who is willing to pay thos premium prices? I can still do many things on my Amiga without all the bells and whistles of alot of these overpriced packages.
#118624From: Dominick J. FontanaOct 18, 1993 3:33 AM
Tim, > yes it's a superb machine, but it's certainly not the be all and end all. It's more of a niche machine than even the Amiga, and will never be considered as mainstream. I never said the Iris Indigo was the be all and end all. What I'm saying is that the Amiga is NOT the be all and end all either. Also, the Amiga will never be considered mainstream either. It's funny how the PC has vastly more software than the Amiga, but for some reason that doesn't count with certain Amiga users. They still say the Amiga is better than a PC. Mention a Mac, and they say it's overpriced. Mention an Atari and they sneer. But mention a new Amiga that's supposed to cost more than a Mac and all of a sudden price doesn't matter anymore. Mention the Iris Indigo, which is certainly more powerful than any current Amiga and all of a sudden the amount of available software and the price does matter. I think some people are brainwashed. Mention anything with the Amiga name and all of a sudden it's automatically the best computer of all time. Gee, we must really be geniuses for being one of the select few who had the foresight to buy the only good computer out there, right? 😎 It just bothers me when people leave messages to ALL, where they assume that we're all a bunch of brainless dyed-in-the-wool Amiga fanatics, who are all in some sort of Amiga club together, when the reality is that we probably have very little in common with each other, except for the fact that we all own a variation of the same appliance; namely the Amiga. What prompted my last message was that someone said the alleged new Amiga will eat the Mac Quadra for breakfast. Aw, come on! Is that what this is all about, trying to say the Amiga is a better computer than the Mac? That's sophomoric kid stuff. Then again, maybe the person who left the message was a kid; but I don't know. But I do want that person to know that there are many adults here that don't believe in the "Amiga is the only computer worth owning" myth. It's similar to the old adage about baseball. No team is ever as good as they appear when they're winning, nor as bad as they appear when they're losing. The Amiga is not as good a computer as some people here would have you believe, nor are the other computers as bad as some people here would have you believe.
#118639From: Michael ClarkeOct 18, 1993 8:13 AM
Techinically, the Amiga, whilst slow, is years ahead of any Intel-based machine. Sure, the '040 might only do 40mHz, but you get a lot more out of that 40 mHz. I'm not brainwashed, either. I own both a PC and an A1200HD, after owning an A500. The PC is great for uni, and has a bigger variety of software available, but there is no way I would choose Windoze over Workbench. Mind you, this is all my opinion, you may think differently. BTW, just because a machine is the most popular, does not mean it is the best.
#118663From: Tim LloydOct 18, 1993 9:24 AM
>It's funny how the PC has vastly more software than the Amiga, but for >some reason that doesn't count with certain Amiga users. They still say >the Amiga is better than a PC. Mention a Mac, and they say it's >overpriced. Mention an Atari and they sneer. But mention a new Amiga >that's supposed to cost more than a Mac and all of a sudden price doesn't >matter anymore. Mention the Iris Indigo, which is certainly more powerful >than any current Amiga and all of a sudden the amount of available >software and the price does matter. I think some people are brainwashed. >Mention anything with the Amiga name and all of a sudden it's >automatically the best computer of all time. Gee, we must really be >geniuses for being one of the select few who had the foresight to buy the >only good computer out there, right? 😎 End of the day I always say pick the computer that most suits your needs, for me, only the Amiga can do that for me…. hey the Clone world might have loads of software, it still does nothing for me… problem is in the clone world the hardware is like a big white Albatross… I could go on and on, unfortunatly computing has always been a minefield… there is no right or wrong just compromise. I know one thing for sure I do not want back my Apple IIe ! ;^) > It just bothers me when people leave messages to ALL, where they assume >that we're all a bunch of brainless dyed-in-the-wool Amiga fanatics, who >are all in some sort of Amiga club together, when the reality is that we >probably have very little in common with each other, except for the fact >that we all own a variation of the same appliance; namely the Amiga. What Good point. I made a point in the Amiga International echo recently that went something along the lines of it's only the ignorant or the jealous that think the Amiga is a toy. >prompted my last message was that someone said the alleged new Amiga will >eat the Mac Quadra for breakfast. Aw, come on! Is that what this is all >about, trying to say the Amiga is a better computer than the Mac? That's >sophomoric kid stuff. Then again, maybe the person who left the message >was a kid; but I don't know. But I do want that person to know that there >are many adults here that don't believe in the "Amiga is the only >computer worth owning" myth. Yeah it is kinda childish when people do that…. To me all systems have there place… for some that place is in history… god rest that original Apple II that I started out on :^) Each computer has to be rated on it's merits for that time in history, just think in a few years time the computers we are using will be total dinosaurs.
#118496From: Denny Atkin [COMPUTE/AmiOct 17, 1993 1:54 PM
I read that article. I know it was an interview with David Pleasance, but I've checked my sources and he was in a strange state of fantasy existence when he started talking about that. It certainly caused a few laughs in West Chester. I have NO idea what possessed him to say that stuff about an NT Amiga, but the machine he outlined is fantasy.
#118510From: Tim LloydOct 17, 1993 2:36 PM
Thing is Denny, if it's all untrue, why would Commodore in the US allow him to even make statements like that… I thought he worked for them. Seems kinda strange to me, unless David was closer to the bone that Commodore wanted to let on ??? Only time will tell I suppose. Tim On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
#118577From: Don Curtis/SYSOPOct 17, 1993 11:43 PM
"Commodore in the US.." is simply a marketing company. They are not the controlling organization. That organization is Commodore International, headquartered in the Bahamas.
#118511From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 17, 1993 3:02 PM
I think the real answer is that if he didn't make up stuff like that, the magazines would have no reason to even talk to him.
#118702From: Greg MalcangiOct 18, 1993 6:55 PM
That statement about Dave Pleasance just isn't true. The UK is the biggest market for C= with about one and a half million Amigas sold. There are about 6 or 7 magazines dedicated to the Amigan with Amiga Format being in the top fifty most popular magazines (of any sort). I know many of the reporters in those magazines and how much they value an interview with Dave. I remember many months ago being laughed at when I mentioned the Amiga32 console, although at the time of my posting it's actual name hadn't been decided. I also posted about this new "AAA" Amiga about three months ago and was again derided. Time will tell.
#118705From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 18, 1993 7:16 PM
Considering his previous track record, I stand by my statement. And further, he has no business announcing anything. That should come from CBM in the US where development is done. "Announcing" things this far in advance does nothing more than keep people from buying machines now. And even worse, it disappoints people when it doesn't come true.
#118828From: Dale LarsonOct 19, 1993 4:31 AM
CBM isn't where development is done, so why should they be in charge of announcing things. CBM happens to be located in the same building as CIL (Commodore International Limited) and CISCO (Commodore International Services Corporation — the company Engineering works for), but so what?
#118869From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 19, 1993 5:02 PM
I simply meant that announcements should come from official sources in Commodore, not some guy shooting his mouth off trying to look important to a magazine.
#119001From: Dale LarsonOct 20, 1993 7:27 AM
The president of any given Commodore subsidiary seems like about as "official" as any source gets. It's not like Commodore has any global marketing or PR department which could be any more "official." Of course, without such a mechanism, you probably want to place more credence in unofficial statements of people in the know then in any "official" announcements 🙂
#119084From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 20, 1993 5:28 PM
Well, given his track record, I give him 0 credence. 🙂 Steve
#119153From: Tim LloydOct 21, 1993 12:07 AM
>Well, given his track record, I give him 0 credence. 🙂 Strange, what track record?, he's only just taken over from Kelly Sumner who was the previous head of Commodore UK. David has yet to have a track record, and lets also add at how well Commodore UK is doing, they are certainly doing something right in the UK. Tim On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
#119233From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 21, 1993 5:45 PM
I was refering to his track record of "announcing" things like this, which was discussed to death here the last time he "announced" something. I base my opinion on that and it was reinforced by what others have already said here in other messages. If you believe that a new Amiga running on a new processor running Windows NT that'll be aimed at business will still be able to run the Amiga software that's out today…. Well, that's up to you. To me it sounds more like a PC with some of the Amiga graphics chips in it. It wouldn't be an Amiga at all.
#119215From: Michael RyanOct 21, 1993 1:53 PM
And that may be one of Commodore's problems… Considering the company's global market (as small as it may be getting…) there should be a global PR manager. AND they should be active! (Why is it that I still haven't seen a single Commodore ad, in any media, about the CD32? And its supposed to challenge Sega???)
#119230From: Dale LarsonOct 21, 1993 4:31 PM
>Why is it that I still haven't seen a single Commodore ad, in any media, >about the CD32? Because you are in a market (the US) where CD32 is not available. Why advertise something to someone who can't buy it? BTW, a PR person wouldn't be responsible for advertising anyway. That would be a Marketing person. Dale Larson – An Amiga Software Engineer with less and less time on his hands.
#119293From: charlie badalatiOct 22, 1993 1:42 AM
I've seen a CD32 advert on German TV. It was weak. It showed no screen shots of running software, just some robots head exploding as he plays a game on it. I've seen it only once. In the mean time I've seen SEGA CD and INTENDO adverts constantly on both German and Dutch TV. If that is the way C= plans to push CD32 over here, I'm selling my stock. Charlie…
#119426From: Christopher LapriseOct 23, 1993 2:11 AM
"I've seen a CD32 advert on German TV. It was weak. It showed no screen shots of running software, …" Hey, remember when C= used to have all those great V20 and C64 ads in all those magazines with a couple-dozen screen shots of all different software? That's one of the examples of how they used to do it right.
#119421From: Jonathan BlackwellOct 23, 1993 1:18 AM
Michael- They are advertising in Europe (especially the UK) where it is currently available. I am sure we will see _something_ when it is released in the states. Around January…. -Jonathan // Amiga online via Autopilot \\// MAC Quadra 700 & 486 emulation via Amiga!
#119512From: Brian BartlettOct 23, 1993 8:34 PM
Jonathan, January is too late, imho. Video game machines have their peak sales during the Christmas season. These sales easily drown out the sales occuring during the rest of the year. If C= is hoping that a January release will allow them to develop a market presence such that it enhances the following Christmas' sales, I think they have another think coming. By Christmas '94, it will be too late as the other machines will almost certainly have captured the market with their larger advertising budgets.
#119044From: Tim LloydOct 20, 1993 12:54 PM
So the Head of Commodore UK is not an official source ?? if he isn't, then who the hell is ?? I doubt very much David needs to look imprortant to anyone, why should he.
#119102From: Mark D. ManesOct 20, 1993 7:34 PM
Tim, Do you really want (need?) to believe this A5000 story? It can't be true. IT simply can't be. -mark= Otto Pilot Engaged..
#119127From: Robert ComerOct 20, 1993 10:10 PM
Why can't it be true? I see nothing in there that isn't possible with current hardware technology. I'd bet a higher price, but a lot of Akiko type chips in there could lower the cost considerably. Bob Comer — Flying high and fast with my A1200HD'030 on Autopilot! From Cheyenne, Wyoming U.S.A.
#119192From: Dale LarsonOct 21, 1993 9:23 AM
Presumably by "Akiko type chips" you mean ASIC (Application-Specific IC's — kinda like a mondo gate array). The whole point of such a chip is to reduce parts counts by integrating a few general-purpose chips into one. Having "a lot" of them doesn't make sense. Akiko saves a few dollars in a very price-critical system. It helps a system sell for $399 that might otherwise sell for $450 or something (I don't know exact numbers and would produce them if I did). It could make a high-end system sell for $1999 instead of $2099 — if you were lucky. See, Akiko works in CD32 because CD32 doesn't have all the standard computer ports, so you don't need the full functionality of two 8520's, etc. By integrating what would otherwise be a gate array or two, two 8520's and other miscelany into a fairly small package, you get a big win. This small package doesn't have as many pins as all the other packages combined, because they aren't all needed in CD32. If you had to have all the lines from the 8520s, for example, the expense of the ASIC packaging (with the extra size and pins) might offset any savings in the reduced chip count. It'll probably happen anyway because there are reasons to do it other than parts cost, but it isn't going to drastically reduce the price of systems. That issue aside, there isn't much else left to put in a second ASIC anyway. You could get a hybrid chip to integrate a bunch of the analog circuitry, but I don't think the EE types call that an ASIC. The custom chips aren't a candidate for integration. The AA and any future Amiga custom chips have a high transistor count. You can't integrate them much further because there aren't economical processes (if any at all) to manufacture the resulting monster chip. Look at what an 040 or 486dx or pentium or 060 cost… Dale Larson – An Amiga Software Engineer with less and less time on his hands.
#119151From: Tim LloydOct 21, 1993 12:06 AM
>Do you really want (need?) to believe this A5000 story? It can't be >true. IT simply can't be. Well you can see my other reply to you on this matter, but to be honest you are reading the article too "literally". As for how true to what the configuration of the machine will finally be, only Commodore themselves know that. I'll see you back in here in a years time to discuss this further… we should know alot more about it then. Tim On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
#119170From: Wayne ColeOct 21, 1993 1:29 AM
Dale, Does your closing indicate rehire? Or are you finding work with another company? If you want to move south, RGB is hiring and looking for a director of technical projects. Maybe you could straighten them out – they need it! wmc – via Autopilot!
#119189From: Dale LarsonOct 21, 1993 8:27 AM
I haven't been rehired at Commodore and haven't accepted a position with another company — I'm keeping busy with my own projects. I should have something more to say about that in the near future… What is RGB other than Red/Green/Blue, and why do they need straightening out and how far south are they? Dale Larson – An Amiga Software Engineer with less and less time on his hands.
#119301From: Wayne ColeOct 22, 1993 2:31 AM
Dale, RGB is the companytha puts out AmiLink. Its an Amiga based VLAN (video local area network – RS422, really) driver package with a fairly nice user interface for linear editing. Unfortunately they are suffering from prima donna programmer disease. The programmer may know Amiga software, but he knows little about editing. So he implements little items like edit list ripple the way he wants, not the way the industry/users want. His manager is apparently not strong enough to deal with the recalcitrant behaviour. Meanwhile the user interface gets convoluted and hacked so the programmer can save his ego while the users are beginning to fume. The company is in Riviera Beach FL which, I believe is in North Dade county near West Palm Beach. You can live pretty cheap in FL – like rent a 3br 2bath house foraroune $500-$700 a month. Out here you can't touch a studio for that!
#119322From: Dale LarsonOct 22, 1993 6:44 AM
Sounds neat, but I'm not a video guy.
#118939From: Tim LloydOct 19, 1993 10:58 PM
Why shouldn't Commodore UK announce things ? After all the UK IS the biggest Amiga market… if your statment was true, then why wasn't the CD32 launched in the US first ? …. says something about which market they think is most important. As for annoucing machines far in advance, we all know that Commodore has changed the way they do announcments… hell we have known about the AAA chip set for ages. To be honest announcing early has the added benefit of letting people know which direction the company is heading, and at least people KNOW that continuing work is being done. The only people who dismiss it right out of hand are those that DON'T want to believe that Commodore might actually be moving on to bigger and better things, I know *I* would rather listen to Dave Pleasance then to someone who is a friend of a friend of an employee who "thinks" it's all bull. Surely the fact that David Pleasance is the Head of Commodore UK stands for something ?
#119091From: Marlene Zenker/SYSOPOct 20, 1993 6:55 PM
I don't think that someone that's talking about what may or may not happen in the future should be talking about it. It can only hurt the platform if the promised features don't come about. Look at the article where Pleasance talks about this stuff. He says this machine is going to be an "Amiga Power-Pentium". I've heard of Power-PC, and Pentium…. What's a "Power-Pentium"? This is the sort of thing that I mean when I said he doesn't know what he's talking about. Steve
#119149From: Tim LloydOct 21, 1993 12:05 AM
>Look at the article where Pleasance talks about this stuff. He says this >machine is going to be an "Amiga Power-Pentium". I've heard of Power-PC, >and Pentium…. What's a "Power-Pentium"? This is the sort of thing >that I mean when I said he doesn't know what he's talking about. You haven't read the article very clearly have you. It was Amiga Format who said, and I quote, …. "So what your talking about is an Amiga Power-Pentium [RISC based PC] machine?" to which David response was, YES. This does not MEAN that it WILL be a "power-pentium", it was a round about way of saying it will be based on RISC technology. You have to read a little into what was being said… don't take what was being printed at face value…. what was happening here was that Amiga Format were "fishing" for information, all that David implied with this response, was that YES Commodore are going to be moving to some sort of RISC based computer at some point in the future. It's as simple as that. This might not change your opinion on him, but I feel you have misinterpreted what was being said. Tim On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
#119214From: Michael RyanOct 21, 1993 1:48 PM
You're right about the perils of announcing too far ahead of delivery, but damned if Microsoft doesn't get away with it! <g> –MR
#118827From: Dale LarsonOct 19, 1993 4:31 AM
Who was laughing at you? It sure wasn't me, since I was involved with development of the Akiko chip in CD32, and with early prototype system testing.
#118541From: Marion J DelandOct 17, 1993 7:16 PM
Denny… It's possible, isn't it, that West Chester wouldn't know anything about it? Hey–I keep hoping! Marion CROSSINGS Newsletter for PC/Mac emulation
#118692From: Denny Atkin [COMPUTE/AmiOct 18, 1993 5:54 PM
Trust me — it's bogus. It doesn't even make any sense… It doesn't address any of Commodore's current markets, it doesn't makes sense in the NT market, etc. Pleasance has often shown he knows very little about the technical aspects of the products he's selling. The best I can figure is that he took Eggebrecht's pie-in-the-sky potential futures, combined the ideas, and thought that would be the next product. West Chester would have to know — that's where all of Commodore's hardware development takes place. If this is indeed the next machine, somebody had probably better tell the engineers about it soon so they can get started on developing it. <g>
#119092From: Marion J DelandOct 20, 1993 6:56 PM
Denny… Good point! Marion
#118650From: Dale LarsonOct 18, 1993 8:40 AM
We got tired of laughing a long time ago. Now we just shake our heads. Dale Larson – An Amiga Software Engineer with less and less time on his hands.
#118680From: Michael RyanOct 18, 1993 3:45 PM
Amen, brother…
#118686From: James RoathOct 18, 1993 4:51 PM
I have noticed that your "by line" has changed… Does this indicate some new movement at commodore ? I hope I hope I hope…
#118871From: Ron LegroOct 19, 1993 5:08 PM
Yeah, I shake my head at Commodore now and again. Also, at IBM, Apple, Microsoft…
#119315From: Peter M. D'AngeloOct 22, 1993 5:02 AM
Dale, Why did you change the way you sign your name? Are you back at Commodore or working somewhere else? Peter D'Angelo
#119323From: Dale LarsonOct 22, 1993 6:44 AM
Nope, I just get more and more busy all the time…
#118693From: Pete MilesOct 18, 1993 5:56 PM
Strewth Paul ! I I beleived everything in Amiga Format pigs could fly 🙂 however, on the basus it may be just a tiny bit true I will start saving now.
#118814From: Peter CookeOct 19, 1993 1:44 AM
10 times "faster"? Is this in terms of clock speed (if so, there is no way it can be possibly be certified Class B, too much RF noise) or actual throughput (MFLOPS, MIPS)?
#118854From: Paul TylerOct 19, 1993 1:29 PM
Your guess is as good as mine peter, I only quoted the magazine, and judging by the responces, maybe I shouldn't have bothered. Hey I like being an optimist, its gotta happen one day, why not the middle of next year for the next big step, maybe some clever guy from sony, worked out a way to deal with the RF problem, but when they start talking 64bit Risc systems, you only have to look back to see how far we've come in such a short time, hell I remember programming the 1K sinclair ZX81! *IcE*
#118945From: jeff HolinskiOct 19, 1993 11:32 PM
So you're another ZX81 user. :^) I remember when I got my 16K memory expansion and people considered me a power user. ;^) Sure did take a long time to load those bigger programs from the cassette though.
#119050From: steve pondOct 20, 1993 1:18 PM
So the phrase "RAM Wobble" brings you out in a cold sweat too huh? 🙂
#119138From: jeff HolinskiOct 20, 1993 11:10 PM
Not any more. ;^)