From: eas3714@ultb.isc.rit.edu (E.A. Story)
Subject: Re: Top 10 reasons why ...
Originator: eas3714@ultb
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 07:48:20 GMT

In glens@natinst.com (Glen Sescila) writes:
> In skip@tacky.cs.olemiss.edu (Skip Sauls) writes:
>
> >The fact is, none of these can be found on the Falcon either because the
> >Falcon cannot be found.  It is still vaporware, while the A4000 and A1200
> >are both shipping.  Atari continues to practice its policy of announcing
> >machines long before anything actually ships.
>
>       Funny, I can't find a 1200 OR 4000, and I HAVE been looking.  Besides,
> even if I could find a 1200 I am not so impatient that I couldn't wait another
> 2 months to be able to compare it to the Falcon before making my decision.

Doesn't matter.  Fact is, Falcon hasn't been released, both the A1200 & A4000
have been.  Its been a short while since the release of the AGA machines
anyhow.  You think you'll have an easier time finding a Falcon when it's
released? Even 6 months after release?  I think I can safely say... NO WAY
DUDE!

> >Wasted on the average user.
>
>       This does not hold up when the 2 systems being compared are similarly
> priced.  (Why not get more features if it is free?)

Are they?  What is the price for the Falcon?  The A1200 will sell for $799 with
a 40MB hard drive in the states.  Last I heard, the falcon might be selling
for over $1200 when it's released.

> >Oh boy, LocalTalk!  Hold me back, I need a Falcon now!  Get a clue, have
> >you ever used a bunch of Macs on a LocalTalk network?  Slow as molasses.
>
>       I use Macs and LocalTalk every mon-fri and let me tell you, it is
> a much better solution than sneaker-net!

BIG question.  What Sysadmin is gonna get Falcon's to hook up to his or her
Localtalk network with macs?  Lets get a grip on reality here.  The localtalk
in a falcon is basically a neato gadget for home users, or perhaps an odd
professional user here or there.  Ethernet would be a damn sight MORE useful
than this localtalk garbage.... and even that should be an extra option.

> >I've heard of Codecs, but I don't have any idea what a "CD Codec" is.
>
>       That would be one of the CODECs that is used in CD players. duuhhh..

So which CD players?  What makes it better than a "normal" CODEC?

> >Don't worry, the SCSI-II from C= will blow away whatever the Falcon has
> >to offer.  I'd be surprised if the Falcon could even keep up with the
> >SCSI-I in my A3000.
>
>       Where can I plug my CD-ROM drive into the 1200?

You can afford a CD-ROM drive, good.  BUY a SCSI controller for your A1200.


> >Ugly ST case again, sheesh!  Guess they had two many screwed-up function
> >key caps to change the design.
>
>       Oh yeah, the A500 case is a real work of art.

chuckle... true... true... hehe.

> >Oh yeah, all the serious audiophiles are going to love the silly little
> >mini-stereo plugs for both input and output.  What a joke.
>
>       Again, how am I to do samples on a 1200?

A sampler of course.  If you have enough money for a CD-ROM drive, you
should have no problem with a $40 sampler box, either.  Even with a
SCSI controller as well, I'll bet the A1200 will cost less than a Falcon
will when released.

> >Ever heard of a hard drive?  I've got an 880k floppy on my A3000, but I only
> >have to use it if I'm installing new software.  Of course, having an Ethernet
> >board in my A3000 helps, something you may have trouble adding to the Falcon.
>
>       This makes an 880K drive better than a 1.4M drive?  Please explain.

No, it makes drive size a noncritical factor in the purchase, unless you have
some special application where you absolutely need 1.44MB disks.  It would
be nice, but its not like they took out the monitor output or something...
You can live with it.

> >Crippled by a single bus and 24 bit expansion port.  Given those limitations,
> >Atari would have been better off using a 68EC020 and saving themselves a bit
> >of money.  Given the sum of its parts, the Falcon is not going to have the
> >greatest profit margins.
>
>       As I understand it, the 1200 is shipped with chip-RAM only.  The
> duel bus architecture doesn't do any good if this is the case.

But it can be expanded with FAST ram, on a 32 bit bus.. too bad the falcon
can't do that. (duh..to the extreme).

-- 
"THAT is a DRY turtle.  That turtle is NOT moist!"
Ezra Story, a student at RIT, and
eas3714@ultb.isc.rit.edu, his trusty(?) mailing address.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy