From: danaf@bray1b.its.rpi.edu (Frank R. Dana Jr.)
Subject: Re: MAC, PC or Amiga?
Reply-To: danaf@rpi.edu
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 08:20:10 GMT

In article <gel212.727641426@rigaud>, gel212@gel.ulaval.ca (gif19268 Systemes numeriques avances) writes:
|> 
|> 
|>     Hi everybody! Help me with this difficult (but classical) decision:
|> 
|>     MAC, PC or keep my Amiga?
|> 
|>     Here is a resume of what I personnally think are the strengths and
|>     weaknesses of each of these three platforms:

[Loooong comparison deleted...]

Well, after reading that, I'd say that you have all of the tools needed to
make a very, VERY informed choice. I can't agree with a couple of your 
opinions (MAC GUI best in the world - GAG!), but it looks like all of your
facts were right on, and there was little (if anything...) that you left out.
Whatever computer you choose, I cannot possible fault you for it - it will
definitely be the right one for you.

That being said, I think the fact that you're not sure about which machine to
buy says something: you're not really sure about what YOU want out of a 
computer. You have all of the information you need on what each platform can
give you - now, what do you WANT???

Just as an example, here's what I wanted out of a computer - I chose an Amiga
because of this, but the same logic (different opinions...) could have just as
easily led me to the PC/MAC camps...



When it was time for me to buy a computer, I bought an Amiga. It just seemed
like the logical choice, and in over 5 years I've never regretted it for more
than a few seconds. 

To me, software support/availability (which EVERYONE will agree is the Amiga's
biggest problem) was never really an issue. I'm not the sort person who needs
the latest whiz-bang type of ANYTHING. I did NOT buy the Amiga as a games
machine, and only rarely use it as such. The only game that really gets played
religiously is Speedball II, the Greatest Game Ever Made(tr). I'm a CS major,
so more and more I'm writing my own software to do what I want - and I'm 
much happier now. 

Summary #1: If you're the sort of person who likes to fiddle with the machine,
	who writes software just to see what it will do, who isn't too involved
	in peering over the fence to see what the other guy's got, then you 
	want an Amiga. If, on the other hand, you need to have the latest and
	greatest of everything, who can't deal with badly-written programs
	(especially games) that won't hard-drive install and sometimes won't
	even RUN on your machine no matter what you do, stay farrr away. The
	MAC will at least give you the software reliability, if not variety.
	Your best bet is probably a PC/clone.

I've always been the sort of person who never bought a computer FOR something.
My computer is "for" everything. I've played with just about every possible
application of computing - some of it I found interesting, some of it was as
dull as dirt. But I love to just "fiddle" with my computer - I own DMCS even
tho I can't write a note of music, DPaint even tho I can't draw for sh*t, and
Imagine... well, I'm getting better there. True, software support is NICE, but
for most programs it would be a waste of time - I could never justify spending
$300 to upgrade Imagine each time a new version showed up (as I have with Pro-
Page) because I only rarely use it, and never for anything "productive". I
play with it.

Summary #2: In all honesty and seriousness, the Amiga is the most "fun" machine
	on the market. It has a great wealth of software - not the best or
	most powerful, but some of the most diverse - and people use it for
	just about everything. It's the computer for the non-professional, the
	"amateur everything" who likes to just buy the basic program he needs
	to have to try something new - without spending $600. If you need a
	computer for any professional work outside the rather fuzzy "multi-
	media" and video fields, look elsewhere. For print work, head for a
	MAC, and for just about anything else, you'll find the most useful
	and varied software on the clones.

Well, it's getting really late, and this message is getting REALLY long, so 
I'll leave you with just those two cases. Just remember: I'm 100% convinced
that you know which computer you should buy - all you need to figure out is
which computer you want. Whatever you buy, you will be buying the right 
machine for you, if you only take your time and do this right.

Happy hunting!

|> +===================================================================+
|> |   Eric Gailloux, gel212@gel.ulaval.ca,                            |
|> |   Department of electrical and computer engineering,              |
|> |   Laval University, Quebec, Canada                                |
|> |                                                                   |
|> |   ONLY AMIGA MADE IT POSSIBLE...          (in 1985)               |
|> +===================================================================+

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=======Amiuser============Frank R. Dana, Jr.============Doc Ami=======     
--------My opinions rarely reflect those of any sane person,----------
	   living, dead, or undead... that's gonna CHANGE.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy