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From: cleland@sdbio2.ucsd.edu (Thomas Cleland)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Surely A Iifx Blows An Amiga 3
Message-ID: <13460@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Date: 22 Oct 90 09:13:27 GMT
References: <7876.271B9F29@fidogate.FIDONET.ORG>
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Reply-To: cleland@sdbio2.ucsd.edu (Thomas Cleland)
Organization: University of California, San Diego
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To: Sonny.Shrivastava@f555.n161.z1.FIDONET.ORG
Subject: Re: Surely A Iifx Blows An Amiga 3
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
In-Reply-To: <7876.271B9F29@fidogate.FIDONET.ORG>
Organization: University of California, San Diego
Cc: 
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In article <7876.271B9F29@fidogate.FIDONET.ORG> you write:
>Of course, the Amax-II only runs on 128k Mac ROMs, and only in monochrome. 
>So any performance test done on a Mac should be done in monochrome mode.  I 
>have a IIci and will post results from Speedometer shortly.  Amax-II is 
>silly, in my opinion - it's just there in name to give the Amiga supposed 
>Macintosh compatibility.
>        
>Tell me, what can you do with a black/white 640x400 INTERLACED flickering 
>screen display?  Next to nothing.  All new Macs will have 512k 32-bit clean 
>ROMs.  That will render newly written software practically useless on the 
>Amax.  I think your Amiga friend is suffering from Mac envy, even though 
>he'll never admit it.
>
>--  
>Sonny Shrivastava - via FidoNet node 1:125/777
>    UUCP: ...!uunet!hoptoad!fidogate!161!555!Sonny.Shrivastava
>INTERNET: Sonny.Shrivastava@f555.n161.z1.FIDONET.ORG

Whoop whoop, watch that there, let's talk reality:

Amax II.  Good product.  There's a lot of little programs,
particularly short scientific programs and niche stuff like
that, that simply aren't on the Amiga yet.  And some serious
software, like Mathematica  (we have Maple, but that's one level
below Mathematica).  Amax II brings that to the person who needs
Amiga power but also needs software that isn't yet out for
Amiga.  I'm impressed with Amax II's speed, very impressed
indeed.  It's largely a software product and as such really
ought to be quite slow, ROM chips notwithstanding.  It has no
business standing up to Mac IIci's and IIfx's, though the fact
that it matches the former is testimony to good developers.  But
Amax II isn't Mac II, even on a 3000.  It's a bloody Mac Plus
emulator.  Stuff designed for Mac II only can be competed with
on the Amiga proper; contrary to Sonny, though, I think that
most software will continue to be compatible with Mac Classic et
al machines and the user base of Pluses and SEs.  Just to fill
in the cracks until Amiga's been around as long as Mac.  Amax is
quite good compatibility, you should try it sometime.  I eagerly
await the results of Apple's Amiga 500 emulator  ;'}

Oh, BTW, flicker is way old news.  And don't knock interlace,
that's why we can do such screaming video work.  The 3000 has
no-flicker built in, and similar products are there for all
Amiga models now.  Me?  I'm in hi-res on a lowly 500 from years
ago without even a new Agnus chip, looking through a $19 screen
filter onto a high-contrast screen.  I detect no flicker.

Jeez, why don't we take on IBM.  How's that Micro Channel for a
bus, eh?  The bus that even the clone makers wouldn't emulate.

Thom


p.s. I'd be curious why one can't do anything on a B/W screen
display, just like a regular mac's except with more resolution.
Many people I know are quite happy with compact Macs.

Mac envy?  Ain't no such varmint.