From: jbw@ponder.csci.unt.edu (WEST JASON BRUCE)
Subject: Re: Don't let the Amiga Die (Part II)!!!
Organization: University of North Texas, Denton
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 05:55:15 GMT

In article <1992Dec25.143454.18410@usl.edu> das9674@usl.edu (Stephenson Daniel A) writes:
>You are terribly mistaken if you think an Amiga with 512K, much 
>less 512k,  can multitask useful apps.  Terribly mistaken.

    Well, I think he was refering to *ancient* history.  In the olden days with
the olden apps and the olden OS it was possible.  But even 1 meg is a 
breakthrough compared to IBM.  What can an IBM do with 1 meg?  Run MS-DOS, 
sorta.  An Amiga with 1 meg can run an awesome multitasking OS and atleast
2 really cool apps.
    And there are several ways to use VM on 1 meg Amigas - giving every 
program you multitask the couple megs it could possibly need.  And it is
very stable and nice.

>Well, a tthe time nobody wanted an Amiga because it didn't DO any of the
>things businesses wanted.  Hasn't this fact been belabored enough?

    You missed the point totally.  First, in 1985, Businesses were FIRST
getting into computers (PCs anyway).  Amiga did have WordPerfect and all that
good stuff. The question is - WHY didn't US developers want to make wares for
such an awesome machine. [And you MUST admit that at the time, the Amiga DID
blow everything away].
    And how do you explain the OVERWHELMING software support for a little
black and white, non-multitasking box called a Mac?  Also, in 1985, my 
Apple ][+ had AppleWorks - that was the "big" thing to have.  Many schools
and businesses ate them up.  Why didn't schools want a CHEAPER and better
and faster machine?
    The answer is simple and the same:  Fear of the new and unknown. 

>And the extreme popularity of this fancy electric typewriter is what gets us
>all the great software Amigas cannot get.  Amigas are game machines?  Not
>the games *I* play.  Check my .sig.

   What software is this?  I'm talking about PCs - PERSONAL COMPUTERS, for
PERSONAL USE!  Who *really* uses serious spreadsheets?  That is the *only*
thing the Amiga is lacking in.  It beats the IBM in DTP, WP, 3D raytracing,
Modeling, Multitasking, Animation, Multimedia, and Sound!
   And others - but I won't get into that.

>As long as there are Amigans like you, they won't be any acceptance of Amigas.
>As soon as some people *really* advocate the Amiga and try to get it to
>be 'acceptable' to a plurality, people like you yell in their face
>'oh my, but we're _special_ people, with a _special_ computer, we don't want
>mainstream applications vendors, we want to be _different_.'

    I don't mean to break your heart - but computer people don't think like you
(thank god).  If they did there would be no Mac, no NeXT, no Iris Indigo, and
many many more.  These machines are created on the *premise* of how can WE
be different (and better).  Not how can we be the same and main stream - but
for cheaper (the IBM clone motto).

>Dan Stephenson                                         das9674@usl.edu  
>"Yes Dan, I have heard of Ultima Underworld.  From my point of view it
> appears to be a rather large stick which you seem to be using to beat
> everbody in this group with." -Mark Steyn, comp.sys.amiga.advocacy

Ciao....




                                                      - Jason