Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:51736 comp.sys.amiga:53222 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!jkt100 From: JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu (JKT) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Amiga mentality Message-ID: <90088.165537JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu> Date: 29 Mar 90 21:55:37 GMT References: <29Mar1990202523130@BLEKUL11.BITNET> Organization: Penn State University Lines: 131 In article <29Mar1990@BLEKUL11.BITNET>, (Potti Karl) says: > >No , I'm not about to participate in the discussion which computer is better: >mac or amiga. Funny - you did a pretty good job of Amiga bashing; mostly because you are horribly mis-informed. Before I go further, my response honestly isn't going to bash anyone (possibly except the previous poster)... I use both Macs and Amigas daily, and I happen to like them both. Thus endeth my credentials. >Let me start off by an example: we had to write a paper for a >university project, and we always gathered at the place of an amiga user. >The paper involved mixing graphics and text. ... The Amiga user >reverted to this: all text was typed in an editor !!!, every >paragraph was typed on one continuous horizontal line. After that, >the text was transported to a (very powerful) DTP program. >Another Amiga user claimed he would use the same procedure for writing >his thesis. Please don't assume all Amiga users do this... This person was really being very ignorant about how to enter text. His actions were silly enough to be compared to a Mac user typing an entire paper directly into the Clipboard or Scrapbook. He certainly did have other, much better options. By the way, it's a pretty poor editor that keeps all text on one long line - there are plenty to choose from that do better... Public domain too. >I think this example gives a pretty good idea of the mentality of an Amiga >user: unprofessionalism. No PC or Mac user would ever think of using an >editor for word processing. Nope. MANY MANY PC owners use KEDIT to enter their text. I'm talking professional writers here. (example: One of my English prof's wrote his articles in KEDIT. We're talking Popular Science cover articles here.) Some writers don't like to be burdened with formatting the text until the raw entry is complete. It's simply a matter of their personal preference. >O.K. except for the video display, the hardware concept of an Amiga is >probably much more modern and efficient than that of a Mac. But Amiga >users really seem to be fixed onto their hardware, while Mac users seem >to be more concerned by a consistent software concept. >A small example is the Clipboard Mechanism. This allows almost all software >ever written on the mac, to behave as one large integrated system. True. The Clipboard concept on the Mac is a joy. However, do not be fooled into thinking the Amiga can't transfer files between applications, because it most certainly can. All text files, for example, are saved in a standard IFF format and can be loaded into other applications without problem. >If you program the Mac, you have to obey very strickt rules on >interfacing to the user. >As a consequence , Mac programmers will hardly ever 'hack' or program >directly to the hardware. This is simply not true at all. Yes, MOST Mac programmers don't do direct hardware calls, but it's not that hard to find a program that does. >Amiga programmers will say 'that's no fun'. What >are we concerned about: fun or hardware independant software ? Oh come on now. I can easily prove you're off base here. If an Amiga programmer does an direct hardware call, the program either breaks under newer WB versions or CPU upgrades, or won't multitask. In the Amiga world, such programs are just as common as Mac programs with hardware calls -- They're few and far-between. By the way, how do I know which Mac software misbehaves? I own A-Max, the Mac emulator for Amiga, and it works beautifully...until an application does a naughty hardware call. Granted, this usually only happens with games, but the same applies to Amiga software too. >Well, I've never even seen a flicker fixer live, so I certainly don'tw >know anybody who uses one. And I have no time for vapourware-talk. Vaporware???? I assure you the flicker fixer most certainly does exist. We have one here in an A2500 in PSU's video lab. Nice picture too. >Finally: Amiga users only seem to feel 'good' about their computer if >they can put another computer down. Mac users don't have this urge, >because they don't need to. Is it perhaps because Amiga users have a >bit of an inferiority complex ? All I have to say is if this is true, then why are you Amiga bashing here? >A lot of the money you pay for a Mac covers professional support by >dealers. Amigas are sold in super-markets. Since when? This is a blatent lie. Amigas, just like Macs, are only sold by authorized Amiga Dealers and Service Centers. >Sorry this document is very unstructured. I just typed what came to mind, >and this IBM mainframe doesn't allow very extensive editing. Aha - I think this is the real point. You get out of a computer what you put into it. Your mainframe (just like ours) allows pretty decent editing...IF YOU LEARN HOW TO USE IT. The Mac is great because it is easy to use. It has a friendly interface and is wonderful for the introductory computer user who doesn't want to learn many commands and type everything in. I recommend Macs to folks who need a friendly machine. I use a Mac for most word processing applications. However, I find that the friendliness of the Mac gets in the way when I want raw power. I miss a CLI on the Mac for such things as unarcing, terminal emulation, file maintenance, raw text entry, etc. This is why I sometimes I'd like to "turn off" the GUI and get more into the guts of the machine. Every computer has its advantages and disadvantages. I see little need for posts like this that claim the Mac is the answer to all computer needs - it isn't. Neither is the Amiga, nor any PC, or the NeXT, or ANY computer. Ideally, we'd have access to many computers and be able to use whichever one suits specific needs best. This is why I own an Amiga and have A-Max ready for those applications which best befit a Mac. Kurt -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- || Kurt Tappe (814) 862-8630 || Japan has almost no lawyers. Is it || || 600 E. Pollock Rd., #5705 || any wonder we're getting beat out?? || || State College, PA 16801 --------------------------------------|| || jkt100@psuvm.bitnet or jkt100@psuvm.psu.edu || || or jkt100%psuvm.bitnet@psuvax1 QLink: KurtTappe || ----------------------------------------------------------------------