From: boberg@lysator.liu.se (Stefan Boberg)
Subject: Re: Boston Computer Society shows Falcon 030
Organization: Lysator Academic Computer Society, Linkoping University, Sweden
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 23:31:59 GMT

steiner@jupiter.cse.utoledo.edu (jason "Think!" steiner) writes:

>boberg@lysator.liu.se (Stefan Boberg) writes:

>it's already been discussed. and the bus is fast enough to handle
>640X400X16bits -without- slowing the rest of the machine down.

  I'm sorry if this has been covered before, but I haven't read this
group until now. I still don't understand how the graphics chips
can possibly fetch 30MB/sec (I assume the above mode is 60Hz and
non-interlaced) without slowing the 68030 down one bit... I've been
told that the Falcon graphics chips live on the main processor bus so
that just don't make any sense at all!

  Maybe it's just more of that Sam Tramiel magic :-)

>> >  - a 19.2K bps modem is now being implemented for the Falcon
>>        ^^^^^
>> What standard? There is no 19.2Kbps standard yet! It may be good
>> for connecting two Falcons but no more.

>9600/14.4 w/ compression. are you dumb or just acting like it?
>if you're going to find something wrong with the Falcon (and i'm
>sure there are a few things) you'll have to try harder than this...

  But that's hardly what you would call a 19200 bps modem. If it
implements V32bis it's 14400 bps, and if it's V32 it's 9600 bps,
but there is no 19200 bps standard that I know of yet. V42"
compression doesn't increase the transfer rate modem<->modem.

  So again: Which standard is it?

>>   You got to be kidding! Whoever said that should get a clue. 
>>   There's no way a puny little Falcon can pull off the tricks the 
>>   Toaster can. Wake up and get a grip on reality.

>and why not? you keep ask for "facts" about the Falcon, yet don't offer
>any in return. why shouldn't it be able to do the same stuff the
>Toaster does? everyone's pretty much admitted that the Toaster's magic
>lies in the software.

  If that is the case, why is it that no-one has produced the required
hardware and software for the Atari ST? The hardware is simple you say,
so why not? And why isn't there an equivalent for PCs or MACs ? If it 
was easy someone would have made the Toaster for PC-machines long ago
and be multi-millionaires by now. No, the secret lies in the combination 
CBM Video Hardware + Toaster HW + Toaster SW + CBM System Software.

>if the Falcon provides most of the same hardware
>there's -nothing- keeping it from having software that does the
>same stuff the Toaster does. 

  Can you be a little more specific? What hardware components in the
Falcon replaces the Toaster? Does it output 24-bit video? Does it
have video inputs? Can it mix video signals? Can it produce
broadcast quality output? Does it have ASICs to create custom 
dissolves/wipes etc? Character generators? Chroma keying?

>jeezus. if this is the way Amiga owners are supposed to act i'm selling
>mine. what an ass.

  I'm just giving you my view of the Falcon. Sorry if it doesn't fit
in with yours. If you think I'm an ass, then I can show you some pretty
ridiculous posts from Falcon fanatics in comp.sys.amiga.advocacy ...

>jason "an amy person who knows a good computer when he sees it" steiner

  And I know a crippled & over-hyped system when I see one. I think 
Falcon is one of them (right up there with the Mac IILC and family).

  Good luck with your Falcon!

>`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,` steiner@jupiter.cse.utoledo.edu `,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`,`


--
Stefan Boberg - AP & EE student at Linkoping Institute of Technology, Sweden
 Author of LhA, ArjA and LhArcA. Co-author of Alien Breed, Project X ...
  EMail: boberg@lysator.liu.se, lha@augs.se           FIDO: 2:204/404.7
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