HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mrosen@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Michael David Rosen)
Subject: Amiga 4000
Originator: mrosen@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 20:07:06 GMT

With the announcement of the Amiga 4000, the inevitable disappointment about
missing features, upgradeability and compatibility have sprouted. I have an 
A3000 so I'm feeling the pinch of non-upgradeability, too.

I think the problem is really one of marketing rather than poor judgement. 

While the Amiga is a great computer, it just isn't selling well in the USA.
Unfortunately, the high-end market for the Amiga is probably North America, so
the A2500, A3000, A4000 and any $2,500+ model is only going to sell primarily
in USA/Canada.

The A3000 apparently has not been a marketing giant, and it's pretty likely
that the majority of A3000 sales have been made to previous Amiga owners buying
up to the new model.

Keeping this in mind, how can Commodore possibly release an A4000 whose features
can be cheaply/easily retro-fitted into an A3000. WHO WILL BUY THE NEW COMPUTER?
Even the highest-end market (Television production) will not be looking to the
A4000 unless the "Video Toaster" becomes compatible with it.

It's a tough market, and relatively few buyers of Amigas are the necessary "new customer" that would create profits for the A4000. 

If Commodore does implement a true modular design into future Amigas, they might
end up being a parts supplier more than a computer maker. 

So, go ahead and yell, but C= can't survive if Amiga owners don't continue to 
purchase newer, bigger models as they arrive on the scene.


From: Simon.Palmer@f361.n633.z3.fidonet.org (Simon Palmer)
Sender: acsnet@csource.oz.au
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: DOS ERROR 286
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1992 22:04:03 +1000

MARK !
               ANY THEORYS ON THAT &^%$*&^ DOS ERROR 286 ??? MY OLD MAN IS
 STARTING TO SWEAT ! YOUR HELP IS APPRECIATED !

                                          SIMON...............


 * Origin: Ability BBS, The Friendler BBS 03 807 0743 (3:633/361)
From: Jamie_Krutz@a68k.denver.CO.US (Jamie Krutz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: 4000
Date: 15 Sep 92 13:11:42 GMT
Organization: The Arvada 68K BBS- Westminster, CO

Ralph Writes:
>Funny.  My ProAudio Spectrum 16 does 16 bit 44 KHz audio with 16 channels.
I
>can upgrade
>it to 32 channels.

Does your card come wth the ability to sync to SMPTE time code?  Have
digital i/o?  Multitask with a MIDI sequencer for simultaneous MIDI/digital
audio recording/playback?  Do stereo recording/playback?  How many analog
i/o jacks? How many tracks can you play back at once from a single hard
drive?  How many hard drives do you have to have to play back 16 tracks? 
32 tracks?

Just curious.  Thanks.
-Jamie


-- Via DLG Pro v0.995
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: copes@cs.curtin.edu.au (Simon Cope)
Subject: Re: AA or AGA in A3000 
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 01:31:58 GMT

chet@netcom.com (Eric Chet) writes:

>In article <1992Sep12.222804.8743@usage.csd.unsw.OZ.AU> 8800529@hydra.maths.unsw.EDU.AU () writes:
>>	Any body in the know. The net should flud with info from the show
>>Question ... How do I get AA (AGA) in the AMiga 3000. 
>>	George
>>PS: David H. or anybody from CBM will be my pleed for sanity.
>>
>>

>Simple you can't.  new chips, design, motherboard.

It would be perfectly possible for a third party to design a daughter board 
with the new chips on it, as well as some faster chip ram, thus giving the 
higher bandwidth required.  Basically just use the A3000 as the base system.
People also said you couldn't put 2 meg ECS agnusses into the A1000, and 
someone came out with a hack/board for it.

Don't believe it till you see it, don't disbelieve it till you don't.

However, if C= oz introduces a Power UP deal, I will trade up.  It would be 
cheaper than buying an 040 and an upgrade board.

>-- 
>~
>/**************************************************************************
> * Eric Chet       | Amiga does it better
> * chet@netcom.com | Ray Tracing and other graphics techniques 
> * BIX: chet       | "Use what is useful, simply to simplify"
> */

--
copes@cs.curtin.edu.au

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: copes@cs.curtin.edu.au (Simon Cope)
Subject: Re: 4000 (A hack?!)
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 05:42:54 GMT

gowen@sevmsa.cs.msstate.edu writes:

>>>  Is the processor *IN* the processor slot, or is it mounted like the
>>>Tandem (On a replacable card?)?
>> 
>> It uses the processor slot, so when a new processor comes out 68060, RISC.
>> It's just plug and go.  From this machine you can see it's a modular design,
>> AA and 4x chip bandwidth was the main drive for the base system.
>> 
>"Just plug and go"?  If you change architectures (i.e., move from an '060 to
>an incompatable RISC chip), you cannot just plug and go.  All the software
>that currently uses the Motorola '0x0 architecture will not run because the
>instruction set is different not compatable.  You would need a compatable

The RISC card would likely be for Unix.

>Always curious,

>Lon

>-- 
>Lon D. Gowen, PhD; Office:  (601) 323-7508; Fax:  (601) 325-8997

--
copes@cs.curtin.edu.au

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: engb@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Ben Eng)
Subject: Re: NEC 3D and a Microway flicker fixer.
Organization: Jet Penguin Lavatories
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 12:55:41 GMT

In <1992Sep8.111600.18@bra.isnet.inmos.co.uk> tscarpenter@bra.isnet.inmos.co.uk writes:

>  Can anyone tell me if theMicroway flicker fixer will work with a 
>  NEC 3D multisync monitor, and if so what screen modes will work.

I have a Microway FlickerFixer and a NEC 3D and everything works just
dandy.  The only problem I've had is that the fuse in the 3D has
blown twice, and another time the monitor fried requiring a full
replacement.  I'm starting to suspect some funny electrical
characteristics either of the FF or of the supply in my apartment,
or that the NEC 3D does not have adequate protection.

>  Also I am confused as to why productivity mode will not work on
>  my multisync I thought it would sync upto 31,  But when I try and
>  run productivity the screen starts wrapping round like a sync problem.

Umm... The FlickerFixer has a maximum horizontal overscan capability.
I think it is something like 704 (or 720?) pixels across.  But the
ECS Denise was released way after the FlickerFixer's release, so
most likely the FF is at fault.

Ben
-- 
e-mail: engb@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca or ben@jetpen.gts.org (Ben Eng)
UofT EngSci 9T2                   ``We are all masochists here.''
Home: (416)-979-8761, (416)-979-7885
From: hans@castlerock.East.Sun.COM (Hans Hrasna)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: A2090 and Adaptec
Date: 15 Sep 92 20:38:10 GMT
Reply-To: hans@castlerock.East.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: castlerock.east.sun.com

In article qVg4qB1w165w@infopls.chi.il.us, dduff@infopls.chi.il.us (Dennis Duffner) writes:
>I'm anticipating reciept of an A2090 controller which I'll use with a
>Adaptec 4000 MFM->SCSI board on my 1000.  (As soon as I get the
>Slingshot in that is!  ;)  )

	Why would you do that? The A2090 has an MFM controller as well as a SCSI
controller on board 8^)
	It seems to me it would be easier and more reliable to connect the MFM drive
directly to the A2090...
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: txxs@beta.lanl.gov (Thomas E Smith)
Subject: GVP Series II w/ST3283N
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 22:00:32 GMT

From: dwg@hpqmolw.sqf.hp.com (David Grieve)
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 15:30:44 GMT
Subject: Zorro 2/3 Extender Card?
Organization: HP,Queensferry Microwave Division, UK
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware

                               HELP!

Does anybody know of a Company or any other source of an extender card
for the Amiga Zorro II/Zorro III expansion bus.  I don't think my knuckles
can take much more of this... :-)

David Grieve
Hewlett Packard
Queensferry Microwave Division
South Queensferry
EH30 9TG
Scotland

Phone: +44 383 747 468
E-mail: dwg@hpsqf.sqf.hp.com
From: galetti@uservx.plk.af.mil
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Zorro II/III termination question
Date: 10 Sep 92 10:34:15 GMT
Organization: Phillips Laboratory - Kirtland AFB

Which signals should be terminated on a Zorro II/III card?  I'm planning on
using the termination specified in the Zorro III spec for cards that would work
in either a Zorro II or III backplane.  Since each Zorro III termination burns
about 9 mA, I'd like to minimize the number of signals I terminate.

Many thanks in advance,

-Ralph Galetti

-- 
  ___________________________________________________________________________
 /   Ralph Galetti                  Internet:   galetti@uservx.plk.af.mil    \
|    PL/LTT                         Interests:  computers, music, computers   |
|    Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-6008                and music, golf, sleep.       |
 \"What's he like?  It's not important--Particle Man." - They Might Be Giants/
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: fuzzy@netcom.com (Fuzzy Fox)
Subject: Re: Ways to double hard drive capacity???
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 05:58:19 GMT
Organization: Foxes 'R' Us - Seven locations to serve you

kevinm@ocf.berkeley.edu (Kevin Miller) writes:

>This is no flame, but a serious question.  How does stacker handle the 
>possibility of system crashes during the time that it takes to compress a file?

This is one of the main concerns people have about Stacker, and I'm not
sure why.  I could ask a similar question:  How does AmigaDOS handle the
possibility of system crashes during the time that it takes to write a
file?

The answer to both is:  Very well.  My system has crashed many times
while using Stacker (as PC's are likely to do), and I have lost no more
data than I would under standard MS-DOS.  My Amiga has crashed many
times while writing files as well, and I lose no more data that way than
I do under MS-DOS or Stacker.

>With multi-tasking systems, it seems entirely possible that at some point the
>system will crash while the on-the-fly compression program is still compressing
>a file (especially if the compressed file is large).  

Stacker does no compress the entire file at a time.  Instead, each
sector in the file is compressed separately.  Thus the smallest amount
of lost data is one sector.

>Is the program simply lost?  What about the structure of the stacker-type disk
>setup?  Is it affected?

Stacker uses internal semaphores to keep its consistency information.
If during reboot it detects that there was a rash while writing, it
rebuilds the allocation map.  Essentially validating the disk upon
mount.

Good enough?

-- 
#ifdef TRUE         | Fuzzy Fox                  fuzzy@netcom.com
#define  TRUE   0   | a.k.a. David DeSimone      an207@cleveland.freenet.edu
#define  FALSE  1   |
#endif              |     How's my posting?  Call 1-800-ALT-FLAME
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: jgrimm@TorreyPinesCA.ncr.com (Jeffrey Grimmett 9999)
Subject: Re: Adding a 2nd SCSI hard disk - pitfalls?
Organization: NCR (Torrey Pines Development Center)
Disclaimer: This posting does not neccessarily reflect the opinions of NCR.
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 14:58:03 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.160651.24497@city.cs> lionel@cs.city.ac.uk (Lionel Tun) writes:

>I have an A2000HD which has an A2091 with 40Mb Quantum. I am planning
>on adding another SCSI drive (130Mb Fujitsu) via the external SCSI
>connector, and taking an extension from a spare 4-pin internal plug for
>the power. Is this the done thing? What do I have to know about the
>drive? I am getting it 2nd hand and there is no documentation.

Sounds like a good start.  One thing to look out for is to make sure your
new drive isn't the same SCSI address as the existing one.  Before starting,
run HDToolbox to find out which SCSI address your existing device is.

If your Fuji is like my 105, the address jumpers are on the end closest to
the SCSI connector, on the side opposite it.  Make sure, also, that you
terminate the SCSI chain properly -- did it come with the DIP terminators?

>I heard someone having problems with Mountlist entries for an unknown
>drive, and I am suddenly getting worried.

I think I know the thread to which you refer.  That gent had a 2090, not a
2091.  The 2091 does not require a mountlist, as its SCSI port is "slicker"
than the 2090's.  Provided the hardware is connecte properly, it's all
point-and-click.

Good luck, and feel free to email me for more detailed info.  I have the
Fujitsu manual for the 105, and I daresay the jumpers are the same.

-- 

*******************************************************************************
Jeff Grimmett [SuperBitMap BBS]        | fido!1:202/1401.0 [619-460-7290]
NCR -- Torrey Pines Development Center | Jeffrey.Grimmett@TorreyPinesCA.ncr.com
==========    "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."   =============
*******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: lmsobier@csws18.ic.sunysb.edu (Linette Sobierajski)
Subject: Re: Multiport IO, what are my options?
Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 21:29:50 GMT

In article <drew.030m@bootrom.MtRoyal.AB.CA> drew@bootrom.MtRoyal.AB.CA (Steve Drew) writes:
>In article <18cl11INN63m@matt.ksu.ksu.edu> strat@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Steve Davis) writes:
>> I need at least two parallel ports and two serial ports IN ADDITION to
>> the ports on my stock Amiga 3000.  What are my options?
>> 
>Me Too. (an others I know of). A board with 2 serial & 2 parallel ports would
>be a real hot seller. Why can't someone realize this and make one. If there
>is such a beast please let us know.
>
>-- 
>-Steve


	What ever happened to the multi IO expansion project from the
	Puzzle Factory.  I have a huge archive with parts list, drivers,
	and schematics...but I heard they are no longer producing the
	boards...does anyone know of another supplier of these boards?

	For anyone who never heard...this project supplies 2 or 4 more
	serial AND parallel ports...with device support and test progs.
	with complete instructions...

	What do you think?


	lmsobier@ic.sunysb.edu
	lmsobier@SBCCVM
	lmsobier@ccvm.sunysb.edu

	lmsobier%ic.sunysb.edu@sunysb.edu

	One of them should work...
	
--
From: gb03@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (GEORGE PHILIP BLUHM)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: High Density drive for the Amiga??? AKA My machine is
Date: 7 Sep 92 18:55:07 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

In article <1992Sep7.011519.1150@msus1.msus.edu>, lkoop@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU
(LaMonte Koop) writes:
>In article <1992Sep7.050410.23512@newshost.unh.edu>, ggg@kepler.unh.edu (Gregor
y G Greene) writes:
>>>   Well, there's a reason why alot of us don't read comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
>>>   the big reason is that we read these groups to learn about new amiga stuff
>>>  and more things about the hardware and software already out and comming for
>>> it. I am ABSOLUTELY SICK and tired of going through these newsgroups just to
>>> hear about OH IBM
>>>   is this and Atari ius that and can your amiga do that? And all the flames
>>>    on this great machine from all sorts of people who have
>>>    never used the thing. I absolutely hate comp.sys.amiga.advocacy now.
>>>    It sucks rocks because it has been taken over by everybody except
>>>   amiga owners who just come right along saying, your machine sucks.
>>
>>      Am I reading the same group as you?  I see plenty of Amiga owners
>>   bashing PC's as well.
>>
>>
>>>  Don't they have anything better to do? I don't see a bunch of amihga
>>>  owners going to comp.sys.ibmpc or something and flame them. What's the
>>
>>      You should have read one of the pc.misc groups about a month ago,
>>   a couple of Amigadroids did just this.  So don't go claiming that Amiga
>>   owners are innocent of starting flame wars in other groups.
>>
>>                                                      G.Greene
>
>    This is true, and it is quite unfortunate.  However, it is getting a bit ol
d
>to see the derogatory, and quite childish term 'Amigadroid' being used these
>days.  Such terms are usually found in high-school to pre-high-school
>surroundings, and do nothing to possibly ebb the unneeded hostility which tends
>to float around this newsgroup.
>
>                 ----------------------------------------
>           LaMonte Koop -- SCSU Electrical/Computer Engineering
> Internet: lkoop@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu -OR- f00012@kanga.stcloud.msus.edu
>              "You mean you want MORE lights on this thing???"
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
My machine is bigger than your machine..   nya nya nya!!!!!!

Phyl Thee McNasty
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: copes@cs.curtin.edu.au (Simon Cope)
Subject: Re: Beyond the A4000
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 05:22:25 GMT

tsm2124@ritvax.isc.rit.edu writes:

>Ok, now we have two kinds of Amigas (besides the old ones)  the A600
>seriea which will have 2.1 and die soon and the ones based on the A4000

A600 will be around for some time, as a very low end machine.

>with 020's and 030's (when and if they ship).  But Commodore is 

The 020 machine will be above the A600, around $1000

>spewing out information on a new low end (2 chip) and high end (4 chip)
>chip sets that will be out (The low end is awesome let alone the high
>end).  So, will the A4000 be able to be upgraded to use these new chip
>sets?  It doesn't seem that way right now considering the Alice and
>Lisa chips are surface mounted and the highend chips are four in number.
>This seems very strange if they are again killing off an as of yet
>unreleaseed line of machines.

I wonder on this as well.  The future chipsets will be on a graphics card,
ala SG machines.  I doubt the A4000 will be able to use them.

>	Also, since 3.x and up seem to be for the higher end machines

3.0 if for ALL machines, once it is finished (nearly ready now)

>I don't see a problem putting in memory protectiona and VM since
>those Amigas will have MMU's.  Can't wait to see 4.0, maybe it will
>have resource tracking, vm, mp, and easily programmable menus so that

Not yet.  MP, resource tracking will break most, if not all software at
present.  3.0 and 4.0 will have new functions to prevent this in future OS 
releases, to get programmers to change over to safe coding techniques.

>Tool Manager (by Stefan Becker) can use system bar dividers and
>refresh the menus.  Also how about pop up menus exactlly like 
>Silicon Menus and an animated busy pointer where you can edit
>the # of frames and the frames themselves.

3.0 has animated wait pointers.  Pop up menus can be coded already, if you are
patient enough (remember powerwindows?).  They will probably appear as a 
standard class.  If you want an animated wait pointer now, get nicprefs.

>	I find it strange that all the suuden Commodore is
>releasing details on 3.1,4.0,hinting at RISC, and talking about
>new chip sets.  Hopefully they won't screw over A4000 owners.
>Alos, how do they expect to sell any A3000T/040's with all this new info.
>I was going to start saving for an A4000, but I'll wait for the DSP,
>onboard SCSI, and maybe the newer chipsets.

The A3000T/040 is an attempt to get rid of stock, and pay for the 040 board.
C= seem to have taken a hint from people (at last) and are prereleasing info
now.
The DSP is not going to do most people any good, just add to the price of the 
machine.  It will probably only be an option.  C= got quite a reaction to the
IDE drive on board, the next revision may change back to a SCSI-II controller.
The future chipsets will be more expensive than the A4000.  The machine will
basically be a graphics workstation, with a price to match, but cheaper than 
most.

>			Waiting for now,
>			Todd Major

Who isn't?

--
copes@cs.curtin.edu.au
From: joeles@cup.portal.com (Joel Edward Swan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: Re: 4000
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 23:42:13 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <1992Sep12.004219.1688@sbcs.sunysb.edu>

>In article <1992Sep11.201954.256@Rapnet.Sanders.Lockheed.Com> msnider@Rapnet.S
a
>nders.Lockheed.Com (Marc A. Snider x0193) writes:
>>
>>Well, for what it's worth, I just got this info from a local dealer.  He
>>had just received the info via fax (circa 2:30pm eastern time).
>
>Yes, we got the same thing.  I have it here in front of me.  There are a few
>additions and correctons I'd like to make.
>
>>      - '040 running at 25mhz
>
>The '040 is not on the main mother board, it's on a "removable processor
>module."  It's probably in the 200 pin CPU slot, but they did not say.
>Kinda like what DEC does with some of it's workstations.  That means CBM can
>have a whole line of machines based on one mother board.

(other stuff delete)

Unfortunately CBM left an equally important half of the "MultiMedia"
equation off their list.  The new machines still do only crappy 8 bit audio.
Worthless for any real professional applications.

Really a shame.


>>M. Snider
>>msnider@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com
>
>- Mike
>  mrubino%csws1.ic.sunysb.edu@sunysb.edu  <-- use this address for email
>

-Joel
-------
   ========================================================================
  / Joel E. Swan....Pres./...Media Specialties, Ltd., Oak Forest, IL.USA  /
 / & Senior Producer..../...Moody Broadcasting Network, Chicago, IL. USA /
/ Portal ID: joeles..../...joeles@cup.portal.com                        /
========================================================================
***** PORTAL NOW SUPPORTS TELNET, IRC AND FTP ACCESS TO ITS USERS! *****
     ALL FISH DISKS, LARGEST AMIGA SOFTWARE BASE, NIGHTLY CONFERENCES!
                   FOR <$2/HOUR AT 9600BPS! (w/PCPursuit)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: papo@pyuxf.uucp (25241-anaya)
Subject: Re: 500 Towers
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 20:59:43 GMT

In article <BuKuxw.61@fiu.edu> xnybpf01@serss0 (Brian P Feeny) writes:
>
>	I am looking to make my A500 into a tower.  I have seen the Hi-Q 
>Tower and it looks GREAT!  Except that it costs around $600 dollars.  Is
>there any hack out there to build a A500 into a normal Tower case, but have 
>it look GOOD.  I dont want it to look like a cheap hack.  Also, as far as commercial, is the Hi-Q my only option?
>
>							Brian
>-- 
>Brian Feeny - Systems Programmer - UNIX System Security Specialist

Hmmmm.... and continuing under this same subject, Can you make a A1000 a
tower system??? Just a though.



Cheers,



 __o__
(_____)   Luis Roberto Anaya-Rivera         papo@pyuxf.cc.bellcore.com
|     |__ This message comes from an OVERWORKED, OVERLOOKED and OVERDRAWN
| []  |_| but still basically fun person.
|_____|______
(_____)   
   o