Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!marque!nic
From: nic@marque.mu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amazing's Amiga Ad Campaign Report
Message-ID: <9639@marque.mu.edu>
Date: 16 Jan 90 02:03:03 GMT
References: <1014@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca>
Sender: usenet@marque.mu.edu
Reply-To: nic@marque.mu.edu (Nic Bernstein)
Organization: Marquette University - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Lines: 60
Approved: usenet@marque.mu.edu

In article <1014@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes:
>In <25888@cup.portal.com>, Classic_-_Concepts@cup.portal.com writes:
>>The local book store puts Mac and IBM journals
>>on the main rack and the Amiga ones on the back of a revolving rack.
>
>Yes, I think the Amiga is definitely downplayed Julie, but I  really wonder how
>a magazine can be placed on the back of a revolving rack. ;-)
>
>-larry
>

   The idea that the Amiga is downplayed is one that seems to crop up from
time to time, often accompanied by complaints of collusion  on the part of
booksellers and retailers.  This strikes me as (and I'm sure I'll get flamed
for this) a sort of victimization response, but, who are the victims here?
We all made the decision to buy our favorite machines because we saw in them
some benefit over the others in the marketplace, we demonstrated free will.
Contrast that to those poor folk that purchased MACs or IBMs because they 
had to for their jobs or classes.

   I, for one, am proud and glad that I  purchased my first Amiga back in 
October of '85.  Within three months of delivery I had installed it in an 
access control application at a client's facility, where it has been 
humming away 24 hours a day, ever since.  The built in support for speech 
and menu driven data entry systems made it a  shoo-in for the task.  And,
when friends in the business ask me why I chose  Amiga, I need simply to 
point to the bottom line!

   When I go to my local Software Etc. store, I find a large rack of Amiga
magazines (more than I would ever want to read), placed right at eye level
on the first rack in the store, IBM gets the bottom shelf and MAC is on the
back.  What bothers me more is that most of the software they carry is 
games, but then they are responding to the market.  They had a Lattice C
compiler in once, it sat there for 4 months (I would have bought it, but I
allready own Manx).  If you complain about your local dealers, let me ask
a simple question: Where do you buy your hardware and software? Do you 
get it at your local dealer, ore ask him to order it for you?  Or, do you
order it mailorder, because it's cheaper?

   Any of these businesses are just that, Businesses.  They're in it for
the money, just like Commodore, or Haitex or Micro-Illusions, etc.  If
you want them to serve you, you must let them know that you are willing
to spend your money there.  A number of developers were burnt by C= in
the early days, so were alot of users (I even felt that way sometimes, 
remember the promises of GraphiCraft, or Excell?) The last thing that
retailers want is another C-64 community, which begs for support and then
runs to the cheapest mailorder seller.  A supportive users community can
make or break the success of any machine, IBM users demanded quality, and
demonstrated a willingness to pay the price when the bill came due.  It
would serve us well to do likewise.

   I apologise if I've offended anyone out there.  It's just that I've
been with this machine since the start, and I get a little tired of this
whining every once in a while.  I demand very little from Commodore, the
third parties, or my dealers.  I haven't even bought a piece of software
or hardware in almost a year (no, I DO NOT pirate, nor support it!).  I
know, however, that when I am ready to make a demand upon these people,
there will be support, somewhere, and I will find it and reward it.

								-Nic