Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucsd!hub.ucsb.edu!pear!dz
From: dz@pear.ucsb.edu (Daniel James Zerkle)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Lotsa general A3000 questions
Message-ID: <5665@hub.ucsb.edu>
Date: 5 Jun 90 07:27:22 GMT
Sender: news@hub.ucsb.edu
Reply-To: dz@cornu.ucsb.edu (Daniel James Zerkle)
Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara
Lines: 65

I'm seriously contemplating blowing my life savings on an A3000.  Just so
I don't have a conniption when I try to write the check, would some of you
knowledgeable souls answer a few questions?  I know a little about the
Amiga line from looking in magazines, but I've never really used one.

I'm going to be a Ph.D. student Real Soon Now (TM), so I will use the thing
for heavy development, telecommunications ('twould be nice to get a few
groups via UUCP), word processing, and (naturally) games.  Computer art
and desktop publishing are possible but in no way certain.  Setting up
a BBS is a remote but enticing possibility.

Next come the 29 questions (I counted).  Please don't feel obligated to answer
them all, but please do answer a few.  Respond via mail or post a response.

Is there a bridgeboard for the A3000 yet?  My dealer said "no" but I don't
trust her.  If not, when?  What are the relevant specs (probably want
AT-class, minimum)?  What's this I read in Byte about the thing using
EITHER an AT slot or a Zorro slot?

What's the situation like when I want to add 32-bit RAM?  Where do I get
ZIPs?  How much do they cost?  How much RAM would be reasonable for
multi-tasking two of the jobs I mentioned above?  Three?

What is the Unix situation?  It sounds like Amix is in beta.  It would be
very nice to have Unix at home, as everything that happens at the Universities
of California happens in Unix.  Any prospective information about features,
compatibility, cost, or release date?  It is clearly understood, as
Amix is not released, that any information is not official.  Just for ref-
erence, SCO Unix seems to run around $2000 for a complete set up, which is
too expensive.

How usable are the different resources in different modes?  Can the bridge-
board use all of the Amiga ports for I/O?  What kind of graphics modes are
supported by the bridgeboard?  If I got a VGA card, could the bridgeboard
drive a second monitor?  Can the bridgeboard and the main unit access each
other's file systems?  How well?  What about if I bought a non-SCSI (cheap)
drive for the bridgeboard?  Would the Amiga side be able to access it?  Would
it want to?  If I got an internal 2400 bps modem for the AT bus (cheap), would
an Amiga terminal program be able to use it?  If I had an external 2400 bps
modem hooked into the serial port, would the bridgeboard be able to use it?

Finally, if I get this 3000 right now, I will be one of the first.  First
models tend to have multitudinous problems, often corrected by ROM updates.
How good is Commodore at providing this sort of customer service to owners?
Past history with the company would not bode well, but there seems to be
a recent trend towards more quality support.  There is also a 1-year warranty,
now.  What would this sort of thing cover?

Is the 1950 just like any other multisync monitor, or is there something
special about it?

The A3000 has internal and external SCSI ports.  Does this mean that I can
just hop out and buy any old 3 1/2" SCSI drive, plug it in, and expect it
to work?  What kind of termination is required?

Rumors abound of of graphics modes with > 4096 colors.  What happens if I
later want to upgrade?  Do I plug in a card, or do I start prying out chips
with first names on them?

Many thanks in advance!

| Dan Zerkle home:(805) 968-4683 work:687-0110                        |
| dz@cornu.ucsb.edu dz%cornu@ucsbuxa.bitnet ...ucbvax!hub!cornu!dz    |
| Snailmail: 6681 Berkshire Terrace #5, Isla Vista, CA  93117         |
| Disclaimer: My fish are stupid.                                     |