From: ewong@ucs.ubc.ca (Eldon Wong)
Subject: Re: Conversations with my buddy.
Keywords: Amiga Windows PC
Organization: University of B.C. Computing Services
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 17:09:30 GMT

In article <1992Sep29.145447.6880@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> papo@pyuxf.uucp (25241-anaya) writes:
>Hi *
>
>I was talking with my friend Rafa yesterday night and, well it was
>an interesting conversation.  He was actually bragging about his
>computer, a 486, 4 Meg's, Big Hard Drive and, of course Windows.
>However these were the major points of his bragging against my 
>Amiga.
>
>* Resolution:
>
>SVGA is better screen than the Amiga one.  
>
>True with the old models, however when I mentioned to him about the new
>Amiga 4000, he could'nt say anything.  I have not seen the Amiga with
>the AGA chip so I left him the benefit of the doubt in this issue.
>... I know.. 24 bits graphics can be added to Amiga...

Exactly.  Any 24 bit board added can make the screen "better".

>I also told him about the toaster.  He did'nt have any idea
>about what was that.

Unfortunately, a lot of computer users don't pay attention to the industry
but only to what is relevent to their platform only.  Case in point is that
I know lots of PC clone users that still have never heard of a NeXT computer.

>He also bragged about a presentation that he did using Power Point,
>and a normal camara.  How the professor was just looking to the side
>asking himself "How this guy did that presentation".  
>When the prof. asked him he just replied "with Windows..." 

I don't think he did the presentation with just Windows and PowerPoint.  He
would have needed some sort of capture software and interface to get the 
pictures into his presentation.  It's not as simple as he makes it sound.

>* Desk Top Publishing
>
>This part hurted a lot when he was explaining to me how he did 
>a project about Database Integrity with Xdraw (sp?) and MS-Word. 
>The quality of the typesetting in the Laser Printer he was using 
>(VAX/VMS Laser Printer connected to a PCMA (sp?) Network, PC in network
>use VAX's services) was suberb, "booklike one".  However he said that
>the printing quality of an Amiga DTP package was "blocky" because
>the way the Amiga recreate the letters on the paper. 
>I have heard marvels about PageStream (I have version 1.something) specially
>that has one of the best outputs in the Amiga platform.  Can anybody
>care to comment??   

Has your friend ever heard of Postscript?  Postscript is computer independent
and the output is the same from Macs, PCs, Amigas, UNIX boxes, etc.  It is
a page description language and all output comes out "smooth".  Also, there is
Compugraphic fonts (used by Pagestream and Pro Page) which will print out
relatively "jaggie-free" output to any printer whether it is a laser printer
or dot-matrix printer.  Pagestream also uses another font technology (can't
remember who is belongs to) to do the same thing as Compugraphic fonts.  Thus,
no more "blocky" text.

>* Sound
>
>This is something I really urge to CBM's engineers to do something about
>it.  Sound Blaster Pro can play 11 voices at the same time (mono, stereo
>click, unclick, it does'nt matter, 11 voices at the same time sound great 
>on any computer).  How he was able to play MIDI scripts via Jukebox
>on Windows.  Is there a better sound card for the Amiga??? May I know
>at what price??? 

I read in a past AmigaWorld about 12-bit and possible 16-bit cards available.
I can't remember who made them though.

>* Power Features
>
>He just told me about how many times he opened two DOS sessions and 
>compiled a C++ program and a Pascal program at the same time.  How
>his friends just marveled about  and asked him "How can you do that?".  
>He just answered "I did it with Windows".  That can be done in an Amiga. 
>I know and he could not really brag it over the Amiga.  
>He also admitted that Windows freezes when is doing a disk access.
>He just replied "I am waiting for Windows/NT".

Then he better get more memory than 4 MB of RAM.  From what I have heard, he
is going to need at least 8 MB of RAM.  And judging from Microsoft's past
history with minimum memory requirements, he will probably need a lot more.
Remember when Windows came out and the minimum requirement was 1 MB of RAM.
It didn't take very long for the "useable" minimum to jump to 4 MB.
 
>* Price and Availability
>
>I was reading in C. O. M. B. the other day and they were selling a
>486 computer with SVGA monitor, 2 Megs and Drive for $1900 dollars,
>or $1700 with a computer trade in, any make, model and condition.
>Windows, Word and Excel have been top seller products since its introduction
>and the Sound Blaster Pro is just an $100 dollars add on.  This means
>that you can have an operating environment that _might perform or 
>outperform_ an Amiga computer in terms of Punch/Price ratio.  

Clones are a dime a dozen.  Every Joe with any electronics knowledge can buy
the components and hack one together for next to nothing.  Because there are
no Amiga clones, the pricing is dictated by Commodore and a little by market
prices.  Look at IBM.  Why are they not selling for as cheap as ABC clone
computers are?  Comparing price with clones will always make the Amiga, Mac
and every other name brand seem a lot more expensive.

>An Amiga 3000 with 24 bit card and maybe a MIDI interface just does not
>cut it.  Also the software base for the Amiga does not compare for the
>price (unlike Macintoshes).  (Bridgeboard and AMAXX does not count.. 
>that's cheating :-) ).

Why not?  Isn't that one of the features of the Amiga?

>* Things over the table.
>
>He also said about how "plug and play" the PEE CEE's are, compared to UNIX
>boxes and other things.  However Mac's are the king in the plug and play
>market.  PEE CEE's are getting increasingly improving in this arena. 
>He just installed a computer network in the Mechanical Engineering
>Department in 5 days (including hardware, wiring, setting up, connecting
>testing and bringing it up).  Amiga introduced its network products too late
>IMO, let's see how it goes in the future.

Ever try connecting different SCSI devices before.  Until recently, the SCSI
standard on PC's was disgusting.  All the cards were SCSI, but were proprietary.

>Apple does'nt consider the Amiga as a competitor, neither the Pee Cee 
>community.  Element of suprise could be used in an effective marketing
>strategy.  I realized this after reading an Apple's newsletter 
>(I have a Mac and I use a PS/50 everyday running windows... so what..
>I have an Amiga too and I love the machine..).

I also use a Mac at work everyday, as well as a PC, a NeXT and a SUN on 
occassion.  I use my Amiga and the Bridgeboard at home.  I use to use one
at work connected to the internet, until the local Commodore office took it
back. :-(  It was on evaluation.

>The survival in the past years for the Amiga has been, as we well know,
>the Amiga 500.  In the next 10 years, the A600 might not be an effective
>lifesaver because the Pee Cee's can now be used as an "upscale Console 
>Game System that my father could use to do work at home and I can do my 
>neato homework to impress the babes/hunks in high school so I can get a date."  
>Midrange to uprange computers would be the solution for CBM
>in the next 10 years if they know how to market them.
>
>The software base for the Amiga besides video needs to be improved badly.
>How?  I do not know :-(.  Othwerwise the Pee Cee's are getting
>increasingly attractive and I do not like it (I like my Amiga...). 
>
>Just my opinion,  please do not flame me....  Any sensible and
>intelligent discusion is entirely welcome.
>
Nice seeing a posting that doesn't have a ranting, raving fanatic at the end.
This goes for both PC and Amiga users. 

>Regards,
>
>
>
> __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      


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