From: mikeh@starnine.com (Mike Haas)
Subject: Re: A4000
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 02:35:32 GMT
Organization: StarNine Technologies, Inc.

In article <1992Sep23.043036.8448@tronsbox.xei.com> bleys@tronsbox.xei.com (Bill Cavanaugh) writes:
>In article <1992Sep22.142859.16151@ra.msstate.edu> skip@tacky.cs.olemiss.edu (Skip Sauls) writes:
>>
>>The people doing the most complaining are A3000 owners.  C= never promised
>>that a new chipset would plug into the A3000 and Dave Haynie has explained
>>the reasons why numerous times.  The fact that the A3000 is no longer the
>>king of the hill seems to piss people off more than anything else.
>>
>
>Skip, the people with the A3000s who're complaining the loudest are
>the ones who bought a $3-5 thousand dollar machine based on promises
>that it would be upgradable.  Promises dating to its release that
>while the graphics hadn't been updated yet, they were being worked on.
>Those people are now being told by Commodore that they have to seek a
>third-party solution;  that there will not be a way through Commodore
>to upgrade the graphics on the A3000 from the 1985 technology they've
>got.
>
>That's got people just a bit peeved.
>
>bill

I have to agree with Bill.  While I'll power-up or whatever, I'm
somewhat disappointed that The Path for the 3000 wasn't co-developed
for such an important feature as the improved graphics modes.
Bill is right that the 3000 seemed to be touted as the gateway to
the future, with it's CPU-slot and 32-bit internal paths and NOT
"bringing it along" into the future makes C= look like a company
that can't plan past it's next model.

It seems that it is possible to upgrade the machine to AGA, since the
CPU/FAST ram paths are 32 bit (no hope for any other Amiga), so
hopefully, some 3rd party will get that going, but after plunking down
over $3000 2 years ago (w/ 1950 mtr.), developer price, I didn't think
the machine would be so seriously outmoded so soon.  The other Amigas
yes, but not the flagship (at least until this month).

And I don't give a hoot that the 3000 isn't "king of the hill"
anymore (to use Skip's words).  I'm ECSTATIC that a newer faster Amiga
is coming out.  Pure HOORAY!  And I don' t think C= has any
responsibility to make older machines state-of-the-art.

But it appears as though C= has summarily dismissed the idea of not
upgrading the 3000, without anyone actually researching how
difficult that is.  Maybe that's an incorrect conclusion, but I
base it on hearing C= engineers using words like "probably" when
they discuss the issue.

C='s only responsibility is to it's shareholders, and to a lesser
degree, it's employees.  But I think that by providing an upgrade
path for the 3000's, they could establish some important PR that
Fortune 500 companies care about (I think they take notice when
a company fails to upgrade a 25 MHz, 32-bit 68030 machine).  I mean,
what is to establish in consumer's eyes that the A4000 won't be
seriously outmoded in 2 years?

Will C= develop true 24-bit coprocessors next year, but A4000's
won't be upgradable?  After all, it DOES have some obvious areas
that can be improved...SCSI?, 16-bit sound?

Aw hell, the Amiga is way too cool...there is no way I'm NOT going
to eventually move up.  (I know... double negative, but it seemed to
more accurately state my feelings).  But I'm wondering if it is worth it to
wait a year or so and see what else comes out.  Maybe the
A4000+ or A5000 is just around the corner with SCSI-II, full 24bit gfx,
16 bit sound, a coffee pot... etc.