Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!uvaarpa!vger.nsu.edu!manes
From: manes@vger.nsu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Future of 500 (was help on installing 1meg agnus)
Message-ID: <83.2722f559@vger.nsu.edu>
Date: 22 Oct 90 17:34:17 GMT
References: <1990Oct13.035003.3737@isis.cs.du.edu> <90286.132554DXB132@psuvm.psu.edu> <62.2719a8e6@vger.nsu.edu> <1990Oct22.020502.7545@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu> <1004@rulcvx.LeidenUniv.nl>
Lines: 91

I redirected this to comp.sys.amiga, where I should have posted in 
the beginning!

In article <1004@rulcvx.LeidenUniv.nl>, rooijen@rulcvx.LeidenUniv.nl (A.J. van Rooijen) writes:
>>|#1 - Seperate the product line a500 and a2xxx.
>>|     Simple to do:  Don't allow the 1 meg agnus and don't upgrade
>>|                     A500s to 2.0.
>>| [Lots of Brilliant Statements made by ME, deleted! :-)]
> 
> I think that you have forgotten one thing: a computer is professional
> by the software it is using. Look at the IBM computer, although there
> are certain hardware limitations you can run Ventura, Pagemaker, DBaseIV,
> WordPerfect 5.1. All these programs make the IBM a professional. So I

Err, are you sure you want to say that?  I do not consider the PS/2 Model
30 nor the PS/1 as a "professional" machine no matter what software runs
on the beast!

> think it is not wise to suppose that a few slots more (for $700 more) makes
> the A2000 suddenly a professional computer. I am a happy user of an

You are making my point!

It is the slots and the box that makes the difference to the "buying"
market, and most certainly the "business man".  Most people think if it
looks like a toy it is a toy.  Whether you appreicate the fact that the
2000 has slots or comes in a traditional PC case is irrelevant.  You made
the pruchasing decision to buy a 500 becasue you were technically minded
enough to KNOW the difference.  

There needs to be a REAL difference, and one of them is the amount of
chip memory, availability of the bridgeboard / AT slots and Amiga slots.

> A500 with 2MB memory and a SCSI-harddisk. It is the A500 which has made
> the success of the Amiga possible. Most people don't have large amounts

I agree that the 500 has helped the Amiga market greatly.  However it has
hurt the image of Commodore.  The *reason* that (in my opinion) the high
end folks are not porting software is that 70% of the Amigas in the world
are 500s!  If the 500 was a clear consumer machine and the 2xxx machine
was a clear professional machine (and Commodore pushed advertising for the
2000) the software situation might be much different.

Right now most people think of the Amiga has a hi-end C64.  Not because
of specs, but because of 'looks'.

> of money to buy an A2000/A3000. This is also the reason why there are
> no really professional programs (except for graphics and AmigaTeX).

As far as most people go, them there 386 boxes are sure selling well.

I dispute the "are no really professional programs".  I consider AmigaVision,
CEDPro, Imagine, 3d Professional, Word Perfect and Superbase to be 
equal or greater than the equivalents on the other platforms.  However that
is another subject.

> I am getting tired of people stating their A2000 is so professional.

Perhaps you need to define your idea of Professional.

> If I want to do calculations or do graphics I use a DEC workstation(
> 40 MIPS, 1024*1024 pixels 16 million colors). If I want to play,
> write music or make a drawing I use my A500. I just use the right
> computer for the right job.

Now you see why there needs to be a seperate machine for the seperate
individual who thinks this way.  Perhaps you need to get know your
Amiga 500 a bit more.  Then look at a 3000, then come back and talk
to me about a professional.

BTW:  Why is it that people like to compare the Amiga to the Workstations, 
and yet they never compare the PC to them?

> 
> I hope I have not offended anybody
> 

You did not offend me!  

> greetings
> Erwin van Breemen
> The Orega Programming Group Holland

 -mark=
     
 +--------+   ==================================================          
 | \/     |   Mark D. Manes                    "Mr. AmigaVision" 
 | /\  \/ |   manes@vger.nsu.edu                                        
 |     /  |   (804) 683-2532    "Make up your own mind! - AMIGA"
 +--------+   ==================================================