From: dmacphee@nyx.cs.du.edu (Don mac phee)
Subject: Re: Avoid the Amiga 4000
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Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 03:34:45 GMT

In article <35757@cbmvax.commodore.com> grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins) writes:
>This especially comes across in the flaming about the IDE drive.  Nobody
>seems to want to really talk about how well it works or doesn't, just that
>SCSI is what they think it should have and *everyone* should pay for.

 This is an issue I have to side with Marc on. (Oh, god.... I'm doomed.)
IDE is an excellent interface for a limited expansion machine. IBM's
have gotten away with it for YEARS without worry because they had a
large backplane to attach devices to. Apple used the ADB and SCSI and
the NuBus expansion. Which machine do you see having a perceived
robust expansion? If you said Macintosh, I'll give you a cookie.

 Expansion is an uppermost consideration in a lot of purchasers minds.
I personally LIKE knowing I'm not going to be crippled after adding
one or two boards, or having to worry about purchasing multi-function
boards to save on space in the backplane. My uses may (have, and probably
will again) alter and I don't want to purchase yet another box to 
accomplish my future, unnamed tasks.

>Just about everyone needs a hard disk to make effective use of a machine
>like this.  Not many really care about the interface, only is it big enough
>and can you get/attach a larger or second drive.

Agreed. It is about time C= upped the standard (A600HD, A3000, A4000)
there is nothing but applause here. Please do NOT consider making 
another machine without a default mass-storage option.

> Nowhere near as many
>folks as should have have SCSI attached backup devices.

RULE 1: Back it up.
RULE 2: If you didn't back it up, you didn't really need it.

 Archives are a MAJOR consideration in ANY mass-storage solution. To 
blithely write off this requirement is moronic. Do *YOU* have back-ups?
Have you ever USED them to recover your machine? Do you feel SAFER
knowing that the backups are there? 

 Now go back and replace the word user with you. You just might notice
a worldwide sense of relief when you do. :)

 What you have is users NOT making backups because they have a 1.76M
drive that is as slow as gravy at the local greasy spoon. The SCSI
solution was a good one in the A3000. I'm sorry it was taken out.

>  All the A4000 does
>is say that folks with special needs have to pay some increment over the
>base model to address those needs.

 This is *NOT* a problem. I've always been fond of base machines that
have robust expansion options. The 2000 I purchased was for that
very reason. However, you at C= snuck off and made a machine offering
all the expansion options I was going to implement cheaper than I 
could do it on my machine. Pity, it looks like a 2000 might be up for
sale or trade as soon as I see a trade-up. Sigh.

>George Robbins - now working for,     work:   to be avoided at all costs...
>Commodore, Engineering Department     domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com

 My question to you, if you read this far is the following:

 The Alice has a 2M-8M jumper, yet every user on the face of the .net
has been told to keep their mitts off of it. Me, I see that as tossing
a raw sirloin steak in front of the dog pound. One of those puppys are
going to EAT that steak. So please tell us, What does that jumper do?

Naptime.

--
Amiga ///   Donald Mac Phee  \\\ agimA How many people remember that an 
2000 /// Rpg104@Uriacc.Bitnet \\\ 0002 MPC was the first PC clone on the
 \\\/// dmacphee@Nyx.Cs.Du.Edu \\\///  market? Get an A4000 and find out 
  \XX/ Personal_09@Ecl1.Uri.Edu \XX/   what Multimedia REALLY is. $2699!