From: papo@pyuxf.uucp (25241-anaya)
Subject: Conversations with my buddy. 
Organization: Bellcore, Piscataway, NJ
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 14:54:47 GMT
Summary: Boy I feel bad... 
Keywords: Amiga Windows PC  

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...

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

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..." 

* 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??   

* 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??? 

* 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".

* 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.  

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 :-) ).

* 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.

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..).

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.


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      
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy