#20 Questions
17 messages in this thread
Here are some questions from my dealer:
When does C= plan to fulfill its initial promise to allow Chip RAM on the
A4000 beyond the factory installed 2 meg?
What is happening with the production of current C= products such as
monitors – i.e. why can't dealers get them through distributors?
Why doesn't C= take advantage of the airing of SeaQuest and Babylon 5 to
promote the Amiga?
Why has C= abandoned the dealers as far as tech support goes, leaving
it SMG, which charges dealers $325 a year plus $20 a phone call?
Here are some questions from me:
Why have we not seen the DSP board or a derivative thereof if C=
liscensed the technology approx. a year ago, and how will the
liscensing of this and other technologies to 3d party companies
affect their inclusion in future Amigas?
How about donating a few dozen fully loaded A4000Ts – with
cooperation from NewTek, ASDG, SunRize, and so on – to several of the
top liberal arts colleges in the country, such as Williams, Amherst,
and others, in order to stir up interest and business?
Does C= expect to have the capital to market the next Amiga in such a
way that will assure sales beyond the current core base of Amiga
owners?
When will WB3.1 be available, and will it be a universal upgrade?
This is very important to insure that future software supports the
full capabilities of the Amiga.
I'll put these questions on the list–but here is my guess to their
response based on several COs and my discussions with Commodore.
1. Commodore has never announced a machine with more than 2MB chip
memory–so what promise is this?
2. It costs a lot of money to advertise. They don't have it.
3. I am not sure what they did was 'abandoned'. It is not uncommon
to have to pay for some support services with other distributors. I
grant that once someting is given–taking it a way gives a feeling of
abandonment. SMG had several support programs–there was one that
didn't have a call charge if I remember correctly. This whole
situation is a 'lack of cash' problem. We can't expect SMG to work
for free can we?
4. The DSP board (according to the Haynie conference) will be made
available to a third party developer. Commodore reserves the right to
use the technology of this hardware in any future machine.
5. A4000Ts cost money. Commodore can't afford to give them away with
the hopes of eventually making somethng on them.
6. A lot depends on CD32.
7. WB3.1 is done. I don't know when it will be available.
———
Those are my answers–just for conversation sake. 🙂
I will your questions to the list. It would be interesting to see how
many of the questions I answered correctly. 🙂
-mark=
Otto Pilot Engaged..
Mark-
(Sorry I mailed them to the wrong guy; address book screw up.)
On question #1 I can say this – according to my dealer, who asked the
question, C= _did_ say, firmly, that the 4000 would later be upgradeable
to more than 2megs Chip RAM. His words, not mine.
And sure, I really doubt that C= will give away any 4000Ts, but think
of the results! Several leading liberal arts colleges with
state-of-the-art Amiga computer labs? If RTG was thrown in, even the
screen res and so on would be fine. And theoretically C= would not be the
only donors. I know Ben would throw in stuff, I'm sure NewTek would, and
Perry. I mean think of the interest this could arouse – resulting in
potentially enormous benefits to C= in the slightly longer term,
ESPECIALLY if the 4000Ts really were upgradeable towards AAA.
Well, we'll see anyway.
Paul
Could always buy a Picasso board. Isn't the idea of the retargetable graphics
stuff so you won't be limited to 2 Meg Chip ?
Paul,
I seem to remember someone on the forum asking about a jumper on the 4000
motherboard for 2MB or 8MB chip RAM. If I didn't image it, then that would
seem to be a firm enough 'promise'. <g>
Pete Jones, flying on AutoPilot from Brussels, Belgium
Peter-
I think there actually IS such a jumper, though I don't have a 4000 yet
so I can't check. From what I hear it's useless. Sure would be nice if
it worked, though!
Paul
There is such a jumper, but it switches between a4000 with 2 megs of chip
ram, and an a4000 with a jumper saying 8M CHIP which doesn't run.
Arnie,
Yes. I just checked. J213. The mere fact that it is there could be used as
an argument that Commodore "promised" more chip RAM.
Pete Jones, flying on AutoPilot from Brussels, Belgium
Paul,
Well no one at Commodore promised us anything more than 2MB chip memory.
🙂
As someone that used to work for a university–Academic Computing in
particular-I don't think you would get the result you had hoped for by
donating the machines. Oh, I am sure the schools would take them. The
problem is the lack of prestige the machine and the company has.
In order for that to work there would have to be an orchestrated effort on
the part of Commodore to get that University in the press in a positive
light. Commodore would also have to be a respected industry leader.
Right now I don't think Commodore could pull it off. I might also go as
far to say that with Commodore dumping UNIX and doing it so non-gracefully
it will be a long time before anyone in education will pay any attention
to anything Commodore says, does, or even donates.
Once again–point to the lack of vision in management.
-mark=
Otto Pilot Engaged..
Well, you have a point about Unix. That was a pretty gruesome debacle.
As to the 2 or more meg thing, I was just quoting my dealer on the
promise, and he usually is pretty much on top of things. So I'll ask what
he meant specifically. Btw, when are you submitting the questions, and
how are you choosing?
Cheers
Paul
Paul,
Right now the decision has not been made as to how the choice will be
made. Not sure I want to go through what it will take to tabulate what
everyone wants.
I think we will let the thread run for the rest of the week.
-mark=
Otto Pilot Engaged..
Thanks for your answers, Mark.
I was told by my dealer that the A4000 motherboard has a place and some
reference to 8 Meg of chip ram. Is that true? I don't know that I've ever
seen or heard C= say any thing about more Chip ram but a reference on the
motherboard would certainly lead one to beleive that they are thinking about
it.
Thanks
Matt
Yes,
There is a jumper there–but it doesn't do anything. I don't know a soul
who hsan't tried to make it work either. 😉
-mark=
Otto Pilot Engaged..
Aren't you an Amiga Dealer? Would you like to try for us all!??!?!
Those are all excellent questions. I really like the idea of
advertising on B5 and seaQuest DSV.