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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.i-amiga
Date:         Mon, 5 Oct 1992 20:12:00 EDT
From:         "The Large Guy with Buckwheat's Hair." <LANDAS88@SNYPOTVA.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Bridgeboards

Date sent:

>        Does anyone know how good an emulator the 386 and 486 bridgeboards
>that were advertised in the October AmigaWorld are? Nyle, I read your reply
>to Fabian, so maybe you could tell me more about it?
>        Specifically, I was wondering:
>
>        What else would I need to add on  (ex. additional monitor, HD, SVGA
>card etc?)
>        How good an emulator is it? Or would I be better off buying a 486
>33Mhz compatible instead of a Amiga 3000 or 4000 with a bridgeboard?

    I have not worked with the new 386 or 486 BridgeBoards, but I have with the
8088, and 286.  The 8088 and 286 boards are 100% compatible that is I have used
a lot of software on them, and programmed a lot of software on them and never
run into a problem.  The 8088 and 286 Bridgeboards emulate color CGA graphics
and mono graphics.  To get VGA you'll need to add a VGA card and monitor.  You
can use your Amiga HD as an IBM HD.  That is to say that a partition on the
Amiga side can be set to boot as an IBM HardDrive.  Or an IBM HD p[laced in the
slots on the IBM side can be partitioned and a partition used on the AMIGA
side.

    The only speed difference btn the Bridgboards and an actual machine would
occur because of the Amiga bus, at least on the 2000, being slower than the bus
that is installed in most 386, 486 compatibles.  At least from my working
knowledge it is slower. :)  And I plan to purchase the 486 BridgeBoard after I
get out of school.

   Currently I am running my Amiga (w/ Flicker Fixer), and My IBM VGA board
into a switchiung box and then into my SVGA monitor.  The same could be
accomplished on a 3000.  Attach the Amiga 3000 output to the switching box, the
bridgeboard in the chasis, the SVGA card in the IBM side, and the SVGA card's
output into the switchbox.  Then run the switch box to the SVGA monitor.  That
way you can purchase only one monitor.  And with a good size harddrive, only
one hardrive (through the use of partitions.)

I would tend to believe that the 386 and 486 versions would be as good if not
better than the original Commodore BridgeBoards *8088,286).  You should get in
touch with the 3rd party dealers who are manufacturing them and get some specs.
If you find out any bad news let me know.  Also if anything I have said is not
clear, please feel free to ask more. :)

Later,
Nyle

________________________________________________________________________________
|    Nyle F. Landas      |     LANDAS88@SNYPOTVA        |   SPOTVB::LANDAS88   |
|______________________________________________________________________________|
|  C= Amiga  For creative power.                                               |
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|                                        CC     CCC    AMIGA                   |
|     Potsdam, N.Y.                      CC                                    |
|                                        CC     CCC    AMIGA                   |
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