Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
From: dnavas@oracle.uucp (David Navas)
Subject: Re: Why consider an Amiga?  [A stoned Mac user wants to know]
Organization: Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores CA
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 01:14:15 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.

In article <84082@ut-emx.uucp> ifbb657@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Douglas Floyd) writes:
>Here are a couple of questions (Flames OK)

[Friend, you'll have to do better than this to illicit a flame here :)]

>1:  What is the difference between programming on a Mac or an Amiga?

Well, the Amiga, IMHO, is a bunch easier to -endure- whilst programming it.
There's a slight switch in paradigm, preemptive versus cooperative mt,
command-line support as well as GUI support.  Flexibility of interface over
rigidity of interface seems to be a good place to start.

You don't have all that memory locking, handle double-dereferencing nonsense,
code doesn't get moved around behind your back, etc.  It also means you
don't have resource tracking.

There's been less work done defining an all-encompassing IAP interface, and
there's a lot of work left to be done on the UI side of the Amiga.  On the
other hand, the possibilities here are more interesting (or, perhaps,
consequently the possibilities...).

>2:  Will Apple's ButtKicker line (PowerPC) kill off the C= line?

I'll let you know when I see one come into existence :)

>3:  I heard the Amiga is the only computer out there with every
>    major app key-disk or hardware copy-protected.  It this true,
>    or crockery?

That one makes the big-beef crock pot.

>4:  How large is the C= presence in the US and worldwide?

Tiny, significant.
Europe makes the difference here.  It's a hacker/game machine over
there....

>4.5:  What are these freddie fish, or whatever thingies that are at
>      the local archive site?

Fred Fish is the name of a guy (I swear!) that collects freely distributable
software.

>5:  Is the Amiga considered a workstation? :-) (For people reading c.s.m.a)

I would consider the A3000 UX as a workstation, though underpowered it might
be.  The A4000 is as much a workstation as a low-end Quadra is....

>6:  Is there a UNIX that is runnable on the systems?

Only on 030 machines, sadly.  It's a full SysVR4 port.
A couple of folks are trying to hack up a Mach port.

>7:  Where can I find a C= dealer?  (These birds are as rare as
>    hen's teeth around Austin, TX)

There are several around here, dunno about TX, sorry.

>8:  What encryption proggies are there to secure hard disks or files?

Hmm, never run into the need for them, dunno.

>9:  Does C= sell TEMPEST spec Amigas?

Uh, pardon?

>10:  How crashworthy is the Amiga OS?

An Amiga will crash if your app does something stupid.
Under 1.3 it meant reboot, under 2.0, it often means a requester which you
ignore until it's convenient for you...

>11:  (The beeg question :-)  Why should I port stuff over to the
>     Amiga line?

More users == more users.
You'll increase your knowledge about other systems and generally understand
the various trade-offs that go into creating an OS.

You'll be able to flame Amigas indiscriminately due to vast programming
experience. :)  You'll be able to flame Macs indiscriminately due to the
same....

>PS:  Thanks in advance for any mail, and flames.

Sorry, I posted, hope that was okay.

David C. Navas						dnavas@oracle.com
Working for, but not speaking on behalf of, Oracle Corp.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy