From: don@chopin.udel.edu (Donald R Lloyd)
Subject: Re: Byte's Amiga 4000 review...
Organization: University of Delaware
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 03:59:24 GMT

 papresco@cantor.math.uwaterloo.ca (Paul Prescod) writes:
>
>People could always use OS/2 comfortably.  It's the DOS suppor that
>sucked.  In fact, OS/2 v1.x was one of the most stable operating
>systems for any microcomputer.  It used to be *MORE* stable then it is
>now.
 
     Stable unless, of course, you're trying to run Communications
Manager to manage the connection for a mainframe<-> PC Lan database
gateway using Banyan netbios... but I won't get into that here...

>Windows has full, "true" multitasking.  It does not have preemptive
>multitasking, which is a subset of "true" multitasking.  If the
>computer can make the user feel like he is doing two things at once he
>is multitasking.  You can't change the definition every few years.
>Windows NT and OS/2 3.0 will have even "truer"
>multitasking...multiprocessing.  SCO does now, and so does the Mac,
>(with an add-on).

     If you're referring to the Radius Rocket which has its own 
dedicated memory and simply runs another copy of the OS & shares
I/O with the host machine... I can plug in an XT bridgeboard and do
similar multiprocessing.  :-)


>The companies are Austin, Compudyne, Micro Express and Aplus, all
>popular, stable companies.  Besides, when I can get a 486DX-33 for less
>tehn $1000.00, I tend to not care where it came from, as long as it
>works when I get it, and for a month after that, the company is welcome
>to go out of business...I've got my money's worth :).

     Really?  You'd be perfectly willing to buy and configure a replacement
machine or wait for repairs on a monthly basis?

>You neglected to mention that for $200.00 more then the 386sx you get
>about 10 times the machine...4MB RAm, 170 MB hard drive, Local BUS hard
>drive, accelerated SVGA, and too applications.  Microsoft
>works...$170.00, free with the system.  What does Amiga have in that
>price/power range?

     A used 256K A1000 running OS 1.2, bundled with  "Platinum Works".

     Slightly more seriously: 
     Amiga 1200 w/ Final Copy & DPaint AGA, a monitor, and hard drive,
for about the same price?

     That 4 megs of memory will be useable under DOS as 640K + EMS + XMS,
or under Windows as a barely adequate minimum.  If you want to be able to
pre-emptively multitask on that machine like you can on the 1200, you'll need
to buy OS/2 and at least 4 more megs of memory, and that drive will seem a bit
smaller.
     As for Jokel Bus... the 1200's IDE controller is on the motherboard.
Can't get much more local than that.  Accelerated VGA generally means
"our dumb frame buffer has a blitter and is optimized to do really well
on those GUI benchmarks".

>Those that haven't invested so much into the Amiga don't have as much
>incentive as you to stay with it.  That's why they are leaving in
>droves.

      Odd that, with the release of the AGA machines, I don't notice those
defecting droves any more.  In fact, I've noticed a renewed interest in the
Amiga both from former/current Amigans and from "outsiders".
 


-- 
Don Lloyd                / "No, I just think that a computer grafted on top of \
don@chopin.udel.edu      | another computer is a kludge.  It has nothing to do |
GeNIE: D.LLOYD7          \ with the Intel CPU"  - Jerry Shekhel                /
BIX: DRL