From: mykes@amiga0.SF-Bay.ORG (Mike Schwartz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: I am giving up on the Amiga
Distribution: world
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16f (beta) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith
Date: 30 Jul 92 18:54:48 PST
Organization: Amiga makes it possible

In article <torrie.712475249@Xenon.Stanford.EDU> torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan Torrie) writes:
> mykes@amiga0.SF-Bay.ORG (Mike Schwartz) writes:
>
> >3% is enough for Dell to make 4 oustanding computer systems.
> >Better than the Amiga 3000, and better than the quadra.
>
>   What makes you say they're better?

They have 32K colors on screen which is not quite as good as 24 bits,
but better than what STOCK quadras come with.  Correct me if I'm
wrong, but you need to add RAM to the quadra motherboard to get 24
bits...  The Dells also have localbus video and 32-bit data paths
to the frame buffers.  The Dells do 1024x768 in 256 colors out of
the box (at least as the stores sell them configured).  The Dells
go for < $3K with 8MB of RAM and 200Meg hard disk - 1/2 to 1/3 the
price of a quadra.  The Dell CPUs go at 50MHz, for what that's worth
(no, I don't want to argue this :).  The memory system design in the
Dells use 70ns interleaved burstable RAM to get 35ns effective access
time and less than 1 wait state.  And lastly, the Dells run much
higher quality software and are much less of a niche machine than
the quadras.

>
> >why anyone would buy a Macintosh anymore.  THe PC's on display there were
> >quite impressive and there is just so much more software and hardware options
> >for the PCs.  I asked a salesman, and he said that the Mac is still great for
> >people who are afraid of computers and benefit from the Mac's ease of setup.
> >That's the ONLY explaination that makes any sense to me at all...
>
>   You should try asking comp.sys.mac.misc, since everyone has their own
> reason as to why they bought a Mac.  I can only relate my reasons.
>   My reasons are that I love technology, and I think Apple is the most
> likely company out there to make a success of introducing innovative
> technology.  Microsoft just isn't innovative (read Accidental Empires),
> and it is Microsoft who is driving the PC world.
>

I disagree with your assessment of innovation and microsoft.  Windows is
the most radical change the PC environment could ever get.  And windows
NT gives them a bright forward growth path.  MS also works closely with
intel over the years to get the CPU design to conform to software growth
goals (i.e. to get around 640K limits, to allow CPU to do program switching
instead of software, etc.).

And microsoft is clearly answering the demands of Mac users - consistency
of user interface across all apps, etc.

>   Of course, I also think the Mac saves me money (where time equals
> money).  As must do a lot of other people.  Whenever I go to seminars
> at Xerox PARC, I walk in and see large numbers of people sitting
> there with Mac Powerbooks on their knee.  I certainly wouldn't
> term the people who attend these meetings computer-phobic.
>

Wow.  There are more people running windows now than Apple has
sold Macintoshes - since inception.

> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Evan Torrie.  Stanford University, Class of 199?       torrie@cs.stanford.edu
> Embrace rationalism, reject superstition.           Break away from the past.

--
Amiga programmer of: GRn, MailMinder, Budokan, Beyond Dark Castle, Dark Castle
Sega Genesis programmer of: Dick Tracy and Marble Madness.
Mike Schwartz  (ames!zorch!amiga0!mykes or mykes@amiga0.sf-bay.org)
1124 Fremont Ave.
Los Altos, CA 94024