From: barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N. Barrett)
Subject: Re: DataTax will be out in Jan (U.S. version)
Keywords: DataTax Datamax Tax Software 
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 20:18:57 GMT

>Mark Barrett
>David Sopuch
>Datamax Research corp
>RE: dataTAX
>
>  Mark, Thank you for you comment lamenting the disappearance? of dataTAX.  
>You will be happy to know that even though we are no longer producing the
>product OXXI will be sending update letters to all registered users in
>early January.
>
>  You made the comment or question "can't the Amiga support one good
>tax prep program".   The answer is  NO.
>
>  During the past year the amiga user base in the USA increased very little.
>Most sales were power up sales to existing users.  Unfortunately 
>new users that buy software after purchasing their machine are required.
>Most existing users buy very little software or find 'other' sources for it.
>
>Even the new A1200 which is a fine machine I believe is targetted at the
>current user base of A500 and A1000 owners. (I hope I am wrong).
>What is needed is hardware that can bring in commodores traditional
>market.  The new computer user.   Because of the current state of the
>market and because Commodore is focusing on the videography and kiosk
>and graphics market which are very narrow, we have had to reluctantly
>move on to a different platform.
>
>We are coming out with 'LaserTAX' a windows 3.1 CDROM based tax prep
>program that includes every federal irs form, publication, and
>instruction available to be printed at 300dpi.  LaserTAX not only prints
>perfect forms, but it also displays scanned images at 800x600 on an
>svga monitor.
>
>We would like to offer an amiga product, but first we need from
>Commodore a computer with 4 meg of ram, cdrom drive, AA chip set,
>and a 800x600 (minimum) display (non interlaced).

   I agree.  Many products would be possible for the Amiga if only Commodore
would make more progress in marketing CD-ROM drives for all Amigas and new
Amigas with CD-ROM drives as standard hardware.  But with products like the
Tandy Sensation stealing Commodore's thunder before Commodore can act, I 
wonder how much good it will do if and when Commodore ever does start getting
serious with getting the Amiga into the CD-ROM mulimedia market.

   It is sad, but currently all of Commodore's CD-ROM development efforts have
been concentrated exclusively with the CDTV.  A few weeks ago, Commodore even
tried fixing the lack of CD-ROM drives for Amigas by pushing a crazy hack
involving connecting a CDTV to an Amiga with a parallel cable.  Commodore saw
that this hack was not worth it, and rightly cancelled the program not long
after starting it, but they have never done anything to fix the real problem:
the lack of Amiga CD-ROM drives from Commodore for the A3000 and A4000 systems.

   Third parties are currently trying to make up for Commodore's non-existant
efforts in this market, but they will not be able to do it.  Amiga owners do
not want to purchase third-party CD-ROM drives for fear of ending up with a
white elephant if and when Commodore ever does release a CD-ROM drive for their
system.  And while people put off buying a CD-ROM drive until Commodore
develops one, Commodore puts off developing one.  The Amiga CD-ROM software 
markets gets caught right in the middle.  You can see the results with the 
diversity of CD-ROM software for the Amiga [sarcasm].  

   CDTV titles will not cut it as Amiga CD-ROM software.  CDTV titles are 
expressly written for a low-resolution TV screen and a system with 1M of RAM,
the ECS, AmigaOS 1.3, and a slow 68000 CPU.  CDTV titles never take advantage
of the capabilities of an Amiga with more RAM, a fast CPU, a high-resolution
screen, AmigaOS 2.0 or 3.0, and the AGA chipset.  For the Amiga to compete 
in the CD-ROM mulitmedia market, it must have CD-ROM software that takes 
advantage of all of these capabilities.

   So far, it has seemed like I am the only one who can see that the Amiga is
falling desperately behind in a market that it could control.  Hopefully the
oppinions of an ex-Amiga-developer will allow Commodore to see what needs to
be done.

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| Marc Barrett -MB-  |  email: barrett@iastate.edu
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.applications