From: jerry@msi.com (Jerry Shekhel)
Subject: Re: CBM mention on 12/11/92 Computer Chronicles
Organization: Molecular Simulations, Inc.
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 16:57:21 GMT
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Robert Swan (roberts@g2syd.genasys.com.au) wrote:
:
: Device independent graphics is essential in the PC-Clone world, where
: `standards' abound, and getting software to run on all configurations
: without a standard device driver interface is a nightmare.  Having
: DIG allows the PC-Cloners to get nice graphics very cheaply.
:

Not just that.  DIG allows software to work on everything from dumb frame
buffers to advanced graphics coprocessors.  So you have your choice -- cheap
and slow, or expensive and fast.

:
: The Amiga world has had three standards - i.e. the three major releases
: of the chip-set.  And the interface is supported by C=.  Device
: independent graphics, beyond these standards, is not a concern to the
: many people who find C='s hardware adequate.  Moreover, Amiga users get
: faster graphics.  An average PC running Windows-III can't compete with an
: average Amiga for animation speed
:

I don't know about the average, but I can get a 486 PC, for less than the
price of an A4000, which will blow the A4000 away in terms of graphics.  A
graphics adapter with the S3 801 accelerator, for example, achieves X
performance close to that of the HP Snake.  Get the localbus version, and the
Amiga can't hold a candle to it.

:
: DIG is not something I'm itching for on the Amiga.  I find both
: resolution and colour to be adequate for my purposes.
:

What about speed?

:
: I assume good animation, and a minimalist, efficient OS are not what you
: are itching for on your PC.  Perhaps you're after the nice WP,
: spreadsheets etc.  that can be got for it.
:

I myself don't care too much about animation -- I believe a decent VGA
is good enough for games, and I don't do any video or other presentations.
As to having a small, efficient OS, I don't see how that can be reason
enough to get a computer.  On the other hand, I am interested in learning
more about OS's, which is why I'm thinking of switching from SVR4 to Linux -- 
Linux comes with source, is free, and is very small and efficient compared
to SVR4.

BTW, speaking about Linux, it seems to be quietly turning into the nicest
OS ever written!  I stopped following its development for a while, and was
shocked to find out last week how far it's progressed in less than a year!
It has networking, several different file systems, the complete GNU software
suite, and more device support than commercial UNIX.  Binaries are available
for TeX, Common LISP, X11R5, Ingres Database, and almost everything else I
can think of.  The kernel is still small -- about 250K.  Swap space can be
added on the fly.  It's efficient, too, able to use all free RAM for caching.
There is even a company distributing a complete Linux/X11/GNU OS on CD.

: Robert.
--
+-------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------+
| JERRY J. SHEKHEL  | Molecular Simulations Inc. | Time just fades the pages |
| Drummers do it... |     Burlington, MA USA     | in my book of memories.   |
|    ... In rhythm! |        jerry@msi.com       |         -- Guns N' Roses  |
+-------------------+----------------------------+---------------------------+
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy