Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!think!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!texbell!sugar!karl
From: karl@sugar.hackercorp.com (Karl Lehenbauer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Whither Amiga?
Message-ID: <5470@sugar.hackercorp.com>
Date: 28 Mar 90 01:42:01 GMT
References: <15134@snow-white.udel.EDU>
Reply-To: karl@sugar.hackercorp.com (Karl Lehenbauer)
Organization: Sugar Land Unix - Houston
Lines: 60

In article <15134@snow-white.udel.EDU> BARRETT%FOREST.ECIL.IASTATE.EDU@cunyvm.cuny.edu (Marc Barrett) writes:
>  I have been pointing out, for some time, the fact that the Amiga is
>no longer a serious force in the computer industry.  ...

Yes, and quite tediously and repetitively as well.

>   Since 1985, Apple has improved the MAC by leaps and bounds,
>but Commodore has hardly improved the Amiga at all.  

Yes, and, to quote Chuck McManis, Apple will get multitasking just as soon
as Jean Louis Gasse invents it.  And, oh yes, there's no difference between
my original 1.0-based 512K A1000 and my A2000 with 68020, 7 MB RAM, 11 ms
105 MB SCSI, Sculpt, Texture, Aztec 5.0, 300-odd Fred Fish disks, etc, etc.

>And yet, NeXT has
>managed to muster a R&D budget larger than Commodore's, and
>produce more truly innovative products than Commodore.

They're losing money, bud.  $550, $550, $550, $550.  $10000.  $10000.  $10000.
See any difference?  How long 'til Next sells a million machines?  Wanna bet?

>   In order to aviod being relegated to the home computer market,
>Commodore must find a way to produce a video card for the Amiga
>with the ability to display millions of colors at once.  

Mimetics frame buffer.  Palette of 16 million colors on a per-pixel basis.
$549.95.  NTSC standard output.  Accepts 24-bit output from Sculpt and Silver.

Video Toaster.  Granted, it's a running joke because of its vaporware status,
but, Jesus, if they ever ship, it's revolutionary.  24 bitplanes.  seven
channel production switcher with realtime dissolves and wipes and realtime
digital video effects.  Realtime video capture.  24-bit paint program.
Accepts 24-bit files from Sculpt and Silver.  Broadcast-quality NTSC.  When
it does come out, will you post continually to comp.sys.mac saying that Apple
has lost it, APple has lost it, aPpLe hAs LOst iT?

Living Color Frame Buffer.  16-million-color paint capability.

THAT'S THREE, D00D!

>I have
>already outlined [in previous messages] a way to do precisely
>this: by modifying the Lowell board to turn the two overlay bit-
>planes into control planes for a HAM mode.  If Commodore's
>engineers cannot do this, then they should contact Jay Minor and
>the original designers of the Lowell video card.  

Yes, and thank you very much, thank you very much, thank you very much.  
If their heads implode, I'll have them call you.

>      AMIGA : Yesterday's Technology, FOREVER!!!!!

Marc Barret Amiga flames:  yesterday, tomorrow, FOREVER!!!

Apology to c.s.a readers who find all this tedious:  I'm sorry, four flames
from this guy in two days -- I just couldn't help it.
-- 
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