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From: rooijen@rulcvx.LeidenUniv.nl (A.J. van Rooijen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Future of 500 (was help on installing 1meg agnus)
Message-ID: <1007@rulcvx.LeidenUniv.nl>
Date: 23 Oct 90 09:32:22 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> <83.2722f559@vger.nsu.edu>
Organization: Leiden University, the Netherlands.
Lines: 69

In article <83.2722f559@vger.nsu.edu> manes@vger.nsu.edu writes:
>
>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!

I have worked at one of the largest computer company in Holland. They sell
for 90% IBM. The PS/2 Model 30 is part of their program. All these computers
are used in the office. So I think it is a professional computer. They
don't sell Amiga because of the lack of good 'office' software.

>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.

The quality is just the point I am trying to make. Potentially is the
Amiga a great computer for business. But the software is staying
behind. Take Word Perfect for example. The Amiga version does not
live up to the standard of the one running on a (beast of a) IBM
model 30. Some features are just not implemented! This is often the
result of making a quick conversion, leaving the difficult things 
out. This makes the Amiga looking bad. (Many games are also quick and
bad conversions from the Atari St). SuperBase is indeed a great
program. Only it is using a stupid dongle. I don't know any large
company who will be prepared to use dongles to run a datebase.
I already have said that the graphic programs of the Amiga are
professional but that is not enough to ensure a place in the
business market. Another important business area is DeskTop
Publishing. I have read an article of a man who is making a
living with designing graphics. (This was is one of the last
dutch amiga magazines) He confirmed in the story that the
current DeskTop Publishing programs are not good enough to be
compared with the ones running on IBM and MAC. I hope therefore
that the rumour about the release of PageMaker in may 1991 is
true.

>Perhaps you need to define your idea of Professional.
>
>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.

I think I know a lot about the A500. I have build accelerator boards for
my A500 and written many programs in assembly and C. My personal
opinion about the A3000 is that the difference is not very much with
the A500/A2000 range. OK, it is running a M68030 and Workbench 2.0. 
The graphics are basicly the same. The resolution of the A3000 has been
increased but the number of colors not. For professional use are the
number of colors very important, much more important than the number
of pixels. I am studying astronomy and I need colors, at least 256
greyscales, which the A3000 does not provide. For calculations is
the A3000 still slow even with a M68030 running on 25 Mhz. Sound
has not been improved. I am afraid that the graphics and sound,
once the reason I bought the A500, is now becoming the bottle
neck of the A3000. The software situation for the A3000 is the
same as for the A500/A3000. The main advantage of an A3000 over
an A500/A2000 is speed.  With PageMaker, a full conversion of
WordPerfect and DBaseIV the A3000 can be a good alternative for
the IBM and MAC range. But Commodore has got to make his moves
right now because the competition is catching up in prices and
multitasking abilities.
This is the last thing I am saying about this subject.

Greetings,

Erwin van Breemen
The Orega Programming Group Holland