From: barham@qut.edu.au
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: EGGPLANT, IMPLANT, EMPATH, BLAZEPLANT...
Date: 18 Nov 92 13:53:50 EST
Organization: Queensland University of Technology

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To:           tim@cbe.qut.edu.au (Timothy Allan Barham)
From:         "Tim Barham"  <TIM@cbe.qut.edu.au>
Date:         18 Nov 92 13:50:52 GMT+1000
Subject:      Re: EGGPLANT, IMPLANT, EMPATH, BLAZEPLANT...
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jess@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Jess M Holle) writes:
> dtiberio@csws19.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) writes:
> >jess@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Jess M Holle) writes:
>
> Does an A3000 have a 25 MHz 040, like the Quadra 700???

An A3000T 040 does.  But what does IT cost now the A4000 is out?

> No one has as of yet answerered this question.  If it does not, then it
> is not in the same league as the Quadra, regardless of whether it has
> all the other features of a Quadra, which I gather it doesn't.

True, they are not in the same league.  Who would want a Quadra
(or a Mac of ANY sort) when you could have an Amiga? %^)

> How much does it cost to take a 25 MHz 040 Amiga system (is this
> the A4000?), add Emplant, and the other essentials for using Mac
> software?

What other essentials?  Oh, you mean Mac ROMs and stuff?  Silly, you
don't BUY these, you STEAL 'EM!

> Then add Ethernet, add 24-bit accelerated color (which most Amiga
> programs don't even support, as I understand), 3 NuBUS 90 slots,
> and sound input.  THIS would then be a Quadra competitor (though
> perhaps not equal, depending on compatibility, support, etc).

But the Quadra can't even talk! (though it seems the same can be said
of the A4000 if everything we hear is true %^(.  Ok, we can get
Ethernet easily enough.  As for the 24bit support (and this is my
opinion only), who really needs it (flame away)?  You CERTAINLY don't
need to run your main GUI interface on it (I think even 256 colours
is overkill here, but it does look nice %^).  Certainly there are
certain applications that need it, and if you are using one of those
applications on the Amiga (video work, etc), you will find the
application will probably support most of the common 24bit cards.  I
agree that this is not the best solution and RTG will be a wonderful
thing when it comes (point to the Macs here certainly).  NuBUS slots -
who needs em?  Oh?  You wanna add Mac peripherals?  Why on earth?  As
for sound input, $100 should do it for you.

> First, who in the hell makes cards for Zorro slots, I've never even heard
> of Zorro slots.  Can you get National Instruments boards for Zorro slots,
> for instance?  I don't think so.

Well, you don't know much about Amigas if you don't know about Zorro
slots.  Zorro slots (particularly Zorro III slots) are our brilliant
expansion slots courtesy Dave Haynie (Our Dave who art at
Commodore..).  Zorro II is the 16bit slot in A2000's and Zorro III is
the 32bit slot in A3000's (backwardly compatible with Zorro II of
course).  So, you can't get the card you want for your Zorro slot?
Ok, get a PC one instead and plug it in your PC slot...

> Second, who wants PC-AT slots.

Yes, but you wanted to know about availability of cards...

> Given that we are talking about a machine in the same league as
> the Quadra 700 (supposedly),

Supposedly my foot!

> PC-AT slots would be a horribly bottleneck in the system.  The
> throughput could not compare with the Quadra's 20 MHz NuBUS.

True, true - nor could it compare with Zorro III slots %^).  BUT
PC/AT's have lived with them for years and it certainly provides a
large base of expansion cards!

> I don't believe that ACCELERATED 24-bit graphics boards cost as little
> as $400, however.

Yes, tis true.

> The Quadra has a 24-bit accelerated graphics card.

Yes, it needs it, doesn't it %^)

> Why would it have IBM slots in it??

As above.

> There are LOTS of companies that make cards for the Mac (including
> National Instruments, from above example).

Of course there are, but not as many as for PCs (silly companies).

> Yes, the average PC card is SOMEWHAT (not all that much) cheaper

BLAH - they cost pittance compared to Mac cards!

> and there are more of them out there, but I've had enough headaches
> with IRQ's, etc. on the PC for several lifetimes.

You and me both - give me Amigas, Zorro III, auto-config and
everything else and I'm happy as Larry...

> Printers and monitors are both available from 3rd party sources at
> lower prices than those charged by Apple.

True.  Apple overcharge for EVERYTHING!

> >it have an accelerator slot? Does it support the Video Toaster?

> I could care less about the Video Toaster, personally, or built-in VCR/TV
> output.  I want a workstation, not something to make videos with. Video
> creation, etc. is Amiga's strongest niche, but I don't think that this
> area is really all that important to the average user.

How many "average users" will be using a Quadra or an A4000+Emplant?

> Joystick ports are of no interest as well.  You don't get a
> machine of this level to play games on.  That's silly.

This is ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!  Of course you don't BUY the machine to
play games on, but how many can resist the sweet urge to check out
the smoothness of hames with such power (on the Amiga, of course %^)
behind them?


> Besides, I find the mouse and keyboard perfectly adequate.
> Joysticks belong on Nintendos.

Nah - Nintendos belong in the rubbish bin.  Joysticks belong firmly
planted beside my computer for those moments of light relief...

> >Does the software cost under $500? Does the hardware cost the same as
> >IBM compatible hardware? Does it have true pre-emptive multitasking?
>
> Depends which software.  All of mine does.  At least it has a wide variety
> of QUALITY software.  No, the hardware does not cost the same as an IBM
> compatible, but then again, neither does the Amiga's as far as I know.
>
> For the mere $500 that you mentioned, the Mac can be pre-emptively
> multitasking under A/UX.  For the average user, pre-emptive multitasking
> is a non-issue.  For the workstation user, it is one, BUT a wide variety
> of quality, multi-platform, high-end software is arguably more important.

I don't think he meant $500 to pre-emptively multitask - we get that
for free (heh heh).

> Jess Holle

Regards Jess, and don't take a WORD of it personally.  You can't help
it if you advocate an overpriced whimped out kludge that just happens
to come in an Ok looking box %^)


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Barham              |  Queensland University of Technology
Applications Programmer |  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
t.barham@qut.edu.au     |  Beautiful one day, perfect the next
----------------------------------------------------------------------