Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!rex!ames!ames.arc.nasa.gov!mike
From: mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Mike Smithwick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: ATTENTION! regarding WB2.0
Keywords: 4 months, just, wait, chill, out
Message-ID: <48758@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
Date: 6 May 90 04:20:40 GMT
References: <9004292324.AA15635@jade.berkeley.edu>
Sender: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Organization: NASA - Ames Research Center
Lines: 79

In article <9004292324.AA15635@jade.berkeley.edu> C503719@UMCVMB.missouri.edu ("Baird McIntosh") writes:
<
<   - PR said 2.0 will not be out until September (FOUR whole months from now!)
<   - 3000s don't ship until sometime in July
<   - Current developer and dealer demo 3000s are running BETA 2.0
<        that is SetCPU'ed (roughly-speaking) into fast ram from the hddrive.

The A3000s currently are being supplied with beta 4 versions of 2.0. A
few details on the WB have been changed so it looks different than the
Byte photos or even the pix in the manuals. The OS is loaded off of the
harddrive to make updates real easy. And in order to let users make use of 
their machine right now CA gave us 1.3 by merely holding down both
mouse buttons when booting up. 

<   - 3000s shipped in July will have a more solid 3.0 (probably GAMMA)
<   - When 2.0 has been thoroughly debugged it will be put into ROM and
<        become available to the users in its *final* form.

Early A3000 owners will be getting free ROM upgrades when the final version
is out (from what I hear).

<
<Factors to consider regarding release of 2.0:
<
<   - Users want an OS that has been thoroughly tested and debugged.
<   - Users want their favorite applications to work with the new OS; thus,
<        developers must be given time to debug and update any of their
<        software.  Otherwise, users will get their greedy hands on the OS
<        and then start complaining when their favorite program won't run.
<        (I fully expect this complaining to occur no matter when 2.0 is
<         released.)
<   - Users want documentation; 2.0 manuals must be printed explaining the
<        most complicated, feature-rich OS in the Amiga's history.

The manuals that come with the box look quite finished. There is even
an AREXX manual.

<   - Commodore needs to get up to speed duplicating disks, manuals, etc.
<        once 2.0 is complete.
<
<And finally, **USERS MUST WAIT!!**  I mean give 'the Net' a break, people!
<When 2.0 becomes available, then you can worry about whether you can buy
<the 2000 enhancer if you have a 500, blahblahblah.  Noone will have the final
<release of 2.0 until September!  All releases prior to that will be beta or
<gamma versions.  Things.  Take.  Time.
<

About 6 weeks ago Commodore held a series of developers meetings across
the country showing us the '3000 (damn it was hard to not blab the details
across the net!). Even then some of the lib functions will still up in the
air. "Should we have routine to do such and such right? or fix the 
current one and break alot of software. . .". 

<I'd feel really good knowing that just 1 or 2 of you who were about to post
<a "Why isn't 2.0 available on my 500, etc. etc."-type question are now
<reconsidering.  If more than 10 people choose not to post, I'd be likely to
<believe I'm a miracle-worker.     Well, I've said my piece.  No more.
<
<| Baird McIntosh | c503719@umcvmb.missouri.edu <-or-> c503719@umcvmb.bitnet |

So the moral of the story is, the system must be stable before it ships so
avoid all of the bad press the 1.0 caused. People still say that the Amiga
sucks because of its unreliable OS, based on what they had heard about
1.0 at the introduction.

BTW. Neat discovery about 2.0 : The shell window buffers up enough text to
fill up the entire screen. That means that you can have a small shell
type in list or dir (which will scroll off of the screen) then resize the
window to fill up the entire screen. The lost text will magically appear
at the top to fill up the window!. Or if the window is narrow causing 
lines to wrap around, widening it will case the lines to redraw full length.
It's really cool!



                                                      *** mike smithwick ***
"This is a tale of sex, lies and junkfood" - Twin Peaks

[disclaimer : nope, I don't work for NASA, I take full blame for my ideas]