From: jerry@connection.prospect.com (Jerry Shekhel)
Subject: Re: Amiga 4000/Atari Falcon
Organization: Molecular Simulations, Inc.
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 16:10:36 GMT
X-Posted-From: connection.prospect.com
X-Posted-Through: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <BtM61A.Bs@starnine.com> mikeh@starnine.com (Mike Haas) writes:
>>
>>[OS/2 2.0]
>>That's funny.  I run it at work on a 20MHz 386 (PS/2 80), and it's damn fast.
>>With Procomm downloading at 2400 bps in the background, characters typed in a
>>DOS text editor appear instantaneously.
>
>Big deal.  An Amiga 500 does the same.  How about with a ray trace
>happening in the background?
>

Never tried it.  Have you?  Didn't think so.

>
>And 1.2 - 1.3 was relatively stable.  Many used it successfully for years.
>How do you think all the products were developed before 2.0?  Yep, 2.0
>is better, but as far as stability, 1.2/1.3 wasn't that bad.
>
>AND... OS/2 has the might of IBM behind it.  Still can't get the
>bugs out, eh?
>

OS/2 itself is solid.  There are bugs in the WPS, but the WPS is brand new
software -- and very sophisticated software at that.

>
>>Don't compare OS/2 2.0 to AmigaDOS -- AmigaDOS
>>isn't even close in terms of functionality,
>
>Of course it is... pre-emptive multitasking, GUI based system.  Probably
>better than OS/2 in real-time response.  Addresses 1.8 GIG of memory.
>Multi-media capable... make that natural.
>

It still isn't even close to OS/2 in terms of functionality.

>
>Less buggy (by your own
>admission above...
>

I said that OS/2 has bugs; I never said it was *less* buggy than AmigaDOS.
Quit putting words in my mouth.

>
>YOU compared it to pre-1.3 AmigaDOS).  Full
>Command-Line capability (WITHOUT the great "design goal" of being
>DOS compatible).
>

Like I said, if you don't like the OS/2 command line, get the free 4OS2 or
GNU bash.

>
>Actually, DOS capability (including Windows :-() is only an emulator
>or BridgeBoard away (for the masochists in the crowd).
>

How much for one of those BridgeBoards?  What's on it, a 286?  If you think
a BridgeBoard is comparable to having a PC, you're sadly mistaken.

>
>>so it shouldn't take Sherlock
>>Homes to figure out that it requires less hardware.
>
>Yeah.  I have both 2.04 AND 1.3 installed on my hard disk in less than
>8 meg (my 2.04 partition is 6 meg and has 3 meg free).
>
>From what I understand, OS/2 needs something over 30 meg, minimum?
>'Zat right?
>

'Zat's wrong.

>>
>>More bullshit .advocacy whining.  Intel-based PC's now have cheap EISA,
>>blazing fast local-bus video, inexpensive sound cards, and more support than
>>you could shake an A500 power cord at.
>
>All kludged in.  All Intel byte-swapped garbage.  Specialized CPU registers
>(how many general purpose ones?).  No sound or video-support out of the
>box.
>

Mike, you're full of shit.  No video support out of the box?!  What box?
Find me a clone vendor that doeesn't sell complete systems.

Kludged in?!  You mean, kind of like your built-in flicker-fixer, Mike?
As for your comments about byte swapping and x86 CPUs -- if you can't
deal with the fact that there are different CPU architectures out there,
do yourself a favor and get out of the industry.

>
>I have yet to
>install a single driver in my A3000, and I had one of the first.
>

And that's a good thing, right?

Why would you need drivers for an OS that's so chained to specific hardware?
If you were just a little less ignorant, you'd know that there's no need for
drivers in a system that doesn't support device independence.
--
+-------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------------+
| Jerry J. Shekhel  | Molecular Simulations | Time just fades the pages      |
| Drummers do it... | Inc.  Waltham, MA USA | in my book of memories.        |
|    ... In rhythm! |     (617) 890-2888    |              -- Guns N' Roses  |
+-------------------+-----------------------+--------------------------------+
|           ...! [ princeton mit-eddie bu sunne ] !polygen!jerry             |
|                            jerry@polygen.com                               |
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy