From: davidme@qdpii.comp.qdpi.oz.au (David Meiklejohn)
Subject: Re: Eyecatching Titles, LTD.
Keywords: Life, Amigas, and Everything Else
Organization: Qld Dept Primary Industries
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 04:59:21 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.220057.8379@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> kws1x@cyclops.micr.Virginia.EDU (Kenneth W. Smith) writes:

>     Fellow Netters and Amigoids,

G'day.

>     Pandemonium is reigning in comp.sys.amiga.whining, er, uh, advocacy.

That's only to be expected in the run-up to the release of new machines.
Whether or not things improve depends on what is released when, and for how
much.  Argument will continue, of course (would we want it any other way?  :-),
but I expect the quality to improve greatly once we get real facts to argue
with...

So, let's wait a couple of months before writing off .advocacy, ok?

>     I'm not calling for advocacy's eradication.  It serves a positive
>function, IMHO.

Great entertainment value, IMNSHO.  Reading here isn't compulsory, you know.

>But even those things positive need perspective, and that is
>difficult to achieve given the myriad of personalities and opinions that
>flood the nets every day!

Actually, given the size of Usenet, there are suprisingly few participants
here - it tends to always be the same dozen or so.

>     Honest question:  How do you guys afford to buy system after system, and
>still look to the future, saying, "Yup, if this A4000 comes out, I'll shell
>out the money to get it."

Easy, really.  You just earn reasonable money while remaining single.  My
biggest expense is my car repayments...

>     Huh?  What?  I'll explain.  Every 20th posting or so (fact not
>verified...see, I'm covered :) a soul from OUTSIDE of the US posts and gently
>(or not) reminds readers that things are different where they live.

The point though, is that the Amiga's success in Europe doesn't help the US
user that much, except for guaranteeing an ongoing software supply (yes,
Europeans do write some serious programs, as well as the ubiquitous "kill the
OS" games).

Note that I'm outside the US myself, but the American Amiga experience seems
remarkably similar to how things are here - although things don't seem to be
quite so far gone (you'd have to *really* live in the middle of nowhere to
have a 2-hour drive to the nearest Amiga dealer!)

>     "C='s lack of standardization has doomed the Amiga."  People ask me if
>my "Omega" is IBM compatible, and I answer them with, "Thank God, no.  But it
>can be if I really need it."  Perplexing looks all around.  "Standards" and
>preferences don't always go hand in hand.  In the September issue of Amazing
>Amiga on page 20, (Look, everybody, a reference!), the review of Co-Tronics
>Engineering's KB-Talker begins with:
>     "Commodore doesn't have the greatest reputation within the computer
>industry.  Its tendency to avoid industry standards has frustrated more than
>a few people...The A2000/A3000 keyboard is much closer to the AT 101-key
>industry standard, but again Commodore misses the mark."  (Reprinted without permission.)

In my opinion, it's the AT keyboard that's non-standard.  Any fool knows that
the Ctrl key belongs above Shift, and below Tab.  Even the Sun I'm typing on
now has that much right...

>     My Amiga is right for me.  If C= drops it tomorrow, it'll still last me
>an extra, EXtra, EXTRA long time.

I plan on never selling my old A1000, even if I abandon the A2000 and buy a
486.  It may not get used much, though.


-- 

David Meiklejohn                  | Internet : davidme@qdpii.comp.qdpi.oz.au
Computer Systems Officer, QDPI    | Fax      : +61 70 92 3593
Mareeba, Australia                | Voice    : +61 70 92 1555
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,comp.sys.amiga.misc