Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!rice!uw-beaver!sumax!amc-gw!sigma!flash!klg From: klg@flash.UUCP (Kevin L. Gross) Newsgroups: alt.sources.amiga Subject: Re: Amiga Blues Message-ID: <1045@flash.UUCP> Date: 8 Aug 90 23:13:55 GMT References: <20260001@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com> <1037@flash.UUCP> <13697@cbmvax.commodore.com> Reply-To: klg@flash.UUCP (Kevin L. Gross) Organization: Summation Inc, Kirkland WA Lines: 119 In article <13697@cbmvax.commodore.com> daveh@cbmvax (Dave Haynie) writes: >In article <1037@flash.UUCP> klg@flash.UUCP (Kevin L. Gross) writes: > >>Because IMHO, the people that make the Amiga lie through their teeth when >>it comes to supporting the hardware and living up to their claims of >>expandability. > >What are you on, acid or something? Is the Amiga the only computer you've >ever had experience with? Care to site just one case of where you have been >lied to? Uh, no, I don't drink cola. No, the amiga isn't the only computer, in fact I have run more different kinds of systems than I can even remember, but that's not the point. I say they lie because they make promises that never come true....at least, not without buying/upgrading another system. 1000 -> 2000 -> 3000 -> 4000. Basically, I was told the Amiga 1000 would be a true, expandable, multi-user system. The fact that the expansions do not work unless they are the last one on the bus, and I have to reboot to run most of the programs that really use graphics, means that they lied. More importantly, they tried to cover up the fact that they promised more than they could deliver and then tried to blame it on everyone but themselves. >>I'm not real crazy about buying any more Amiga equipment so that I can >>be told things like: >> 1. We don't support that hardware any more. > >Computers are eventually out of date. The A1000 is not made anymore, though >you can still get most of the parts. Have you tried IBM for support on the >original PC lately? How about Apple on the Apple I or the original Apple II? >Tandy on the TRS-80 model 1? DEC on the PDP-8? Sun on the Sun-2? No computer >lasts for ever. But I bought a product that SHOULD last more than 2 years. As soon as the 2000 came out, the support for the 1000 dropped like eagle full of rocks. My friends on their AT's still can buy equipment for them, and some people are STILL selling those things. Your point is not lost on me, but I had problems from the beginning. I have NEVER gotten FULL use of this GREAT machine due to fights between Commodore and its vendors and the and lack of hardware and lack of a large customer base like the IBM and Apple (which I don't use anyway, and just FYI, I am using a Sun2-50 to write this message, ;-), I also have UNIX running on a VAX 11-750, so why not? I mean, I'm still playing Rocket Ranger on my A1000, I just have to reboot the thing to play the game on a multi-tasking system. Don't seem right, somehow. >Still, the A1000 can be upgraded to do much of what an A2000 does by way of >third party add-ons, especially an internal device called "the Rejuvenator", >which gives the A1000 extra Chip memory, 512K ROMs, and a video slot. >All software is required to be upward compatible. And it should exit >gracefully if it requires hardware of software revisions not present. And >it's illegal to take over the machine. All developers know these things. But they do it anyway...and they all say its due to those requirements that it doesn't work. Some of them MUST be telling the truth. I have heard of the Rejuvenator, but not until I told myself I wouldn't buy any more hardware for a computer that has no support. I suppose I owe it to myself to investigate this possibility. >But Commodore-Amiga can no more force developers to do things than IBM >or Microsoft can under MS-DOS or Apple can under MacOS. You'll the same >story on any other platform -- good companies upgrade their software, >especially if failures are due to their own programming mistakes or dirty >tricks. Bad companies often don't upgrade their software. The Amiga's >overall probably got more programs that survive OS upgrades than most >systems. Ever notice how many MS-DOS 4.0 users keep copies of 3.3 or 2.x >handy? Or how many different versions of Finder the typical Mac owner >keeps around? This is a problem, and it's up to all of us to badmouth >the companies that refuse to upgrade their software. I do, I do. One of my favorite things to do in the world is point out bugs to software vendors....usually, it becomes real obvious who is good and who ain't by the way they handle the information. >> 6. Our hardware has to be the last on the expansion slot. > >That's completely illegal, and anyone claiming that will likely fail on >the Amiga 3000's backplane and be forced to fix their mistakes rather >than burden the user with them. And you do find this kind of thing on >the ISA (PC/AT) bus as well. But I have an A1000 that was DESIGNED to do this, and it don't work. Illegal or not, they still do it. Allegra for one, and they are the ones charging me an arm/leg for the extra memory and then saying it may or may not work. >> 7. Normally, memory chips are $100/MB, but for you, an Amiga >> owner, its $700-800 to upgrade from 1MB to 2MB RAM. > >Just like with any computer, once you're out of on-board memory, you >need to add a memory board, not simply another chip. Zorro II memory >boards for the 2000 can be had for under $300 for 2 Megs boards, under >$800 for 8 meg boards, which in fact does happen to work out to $100/Meg. >A1000 memory boards in their own case go for more like $400 for 2 megs. 8 meg for a Intel 386 machine is $700.00 RETAIL! I'm mad cause Allegra, (who owns the Amiga division I'm told?!?!?) wants to charge me over $400 for ONE LOUSY MEG. This ain't right, chillun. >> 8. Guru crashes are [NOT] (sic) the fault of the Amiga, they are >> caused by vendors who don't write software the way Commodore wants. > >So the Amiga tells you of a failure, where the >Mac or PC might simply freeze up. I'm used to UNIX, I'll take your word for this one. Don't get me wrong, I like the Amiga alot. But several years of frustration came out in my last message, and it had to come from somewhere over the Amiga rainbow. All I want is the graphics and sound of the Amiga combined with the speed, power and functionality of UNIX along with the expandibility of a mainframe on my desk at home. But I can't afford a Silicon Graphics machine. -- -Kevin L. Gross Systems Mgr. klg@Summation.WA.COM As long as the systems are up, my employers don't care what I think "Obviously, I am dealing with inferior mentalities." - Daffy Duck