Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!auvm!giampal From: GIAMPAL@auvm.auvm.edu Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Amiga Owners, whatta bunch... Message-ID: <90301.172407GIAMPAL@auvm.auvm.edu> Date: 28 Oct 90 22:24:07 GMT Organization: The American University - University Computing Center Lines: 164 As we all know, Amiga computer owners are different from the owners of other computers. The differences are many, but this _humorous_ little story tries to harp on a few. Lord knows I've been through each of these stages, so please don't take offense. --dominic giampaolo uunet!chopin!nick -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Psychological Development of an Amiga Owner There has been great interest in finding out what makes Amiga owners tick. Many people are at a loss to explain their sometimes odd, evangelical, and abusive behavior. We have undertaken a study, and have been able to split the development process into three (3) distinct stages. The first stage we refer to as "Religious Ferver and Zeal", this is followed by "Temperement and Depression", and the final stage is "Computer User, not Whiner". We'll try to cover each of the key points that distinguish the individual stages, and the reasons for progression. Religious Ferver and Zeal The first stage of the Amiga owner is the most amusing to watch. Typically, the person will just have been introduced to the world of computers, and by some stroke of (bad ?) luck, has discovered this wonderful computer called the Amiga. The person is continually amazed at its capabilities, and is stunned at what it costs. They spare no effort in making sure _everyone_ they know is aware of this fantastic machine called the Amiga and how inexpensive it is. This stage is marked by the individual ranting, often at length, about the virtues of the Amiga. They simply cannot comprehend that anyone in the world being so stupid as to purchase any other computer. They are quite ignorant of the computer industry, and tend to believe that the Amiga was the first to have accomplished anything. Other features of this stage of development are that friends avoid talking about computers with the person as they know it will only degenerate into a discussion about how fantastic the Amiga is. For particularly acute cases, friends will begin to avoid this person because all the person wants to do is talk about the Amiga computer. It is also somewhat intriguing to note that in most cases the person in question will never have actually done any multi-media projects, own only a single program (obviating the need for multi-tasking), and will have lots of AmigaWorld magazines. In addition, at this stage the person immediatly begins to notice the lack of advertising about the Amiga. Feeling responsible for this they will make sure that everyone they know, knows about the Amiga (even other Amiga owners) and how cheap it is. They often feel that if they don't push the Amiga, no one will, and it will die an obscure death. They cannot believe the bumblings and failures of Amiga advertising, and wonder how anyone in an advertising department could be so stupid. They often will begin to think they should go into business selling Amiga's since that is all they do anyway. The person at this point feels it is their responsibility to make sure the Amiga succeeds. For some unknown reason, they cannot comprehend that Commodore Business Machines is a multi-national corporation which will not go out of business by next week unless everyone goes out and buys and Amiga right this instant. Temperement and Depression This is the second stage of development, and is usually triggered by a sophistication of the person. They will begin to purchase more general computer magazines, and will become more cognizant of the computer industry as a whole instead of just Commodore-Amiga. At this point, the person begins to see that the Amiga really isn't the end all be all of computers. They become depressed, sometimes severely, at learning this, and seek to be reassured that the Amiga is still #1. They will often begin to talk more about other computers, and how the Amiga really still is better. Their arguments tend to be laughable, but all they really want is someone who appears to be technical to say "I still like the Amiga because it has the best hardware around". This then transfers into the fact that the Amiga is the only computer capable of certain things. This feeling of superiority will last only until the next issue of MacWorld or MacWeek in which Apple announces yet another Macintosh. Again the person will become depressed and seek solace by trying to find some other reason why the Amiga is still the best. This stage is the most sad to watch, as the person will often have such great mood swings as to become almost manic depressive. You will see them sneaking use on other computers just so they can find some insignificant feature they dislike. This transfers into unbelievable stories of how the other computer is terribly bug-ridden and unusable. Things will often appear hopeless to the person in this stage. They will begin to wonder how the Amiga will retain its dominance in the market place, and what is necessary to accomplish this. They will often dream of wild fantasies about what the Amiga 4000 will be, and how as soon as it comes out everyone in the world will dump their current computer to get an Amiga 4000. This comforts them and allows them to sleep easily at night. Some people in this second stage will find it necessary to point out each of the Amiga's failings and decry that they must be fixed or else the Amiga is a doomed machine. Often they will speak of such things as 24-bit color, RISC cpu's, faster custom chips, or some equally "hot" topic which they know absolutely nothing about. It can be quite humorous to see a person without a single minute of technical training try to explain how you can put 24-bit color in the Amiga. Real techies try to explain things, but to no avail, the person just knows that if the Amiga doesn't have 24-bit color by the end of next week, Commodore might as well just close its doors and go out of business. These type of people are generally more concerned with having the fastest and best machine as opposed to worrying about how to accomplish a project. They will even blatantly say this, however their childlike behavior goes unnoticed. Computer User, not Whiner The third and final stage is when the Amiga owner finally reaches the point where they actually use their computer instead of worrying about whether it is number one. This is generally caused by a need to actually do something with their computer instead of playing demos and music they have gotten from NewTek or downloaded from their local BBS. The person at this stage will have realized that the Amiga is still a usable computer even if the MacIIfx is running at 40mhz or whatever it is. This final stage in the Amiga users development is perhaps the most fulfilling to watch. The person has come to the conclusion that all types of computers are needed in the world, and yes, even the Amiga has a place in that. They now will actually be heard muttering terms such as "interactive multi-media", MIDI, Cel-Animation, and Ray tracing. However the distinguishing feature is that these phrases are used in sentences with "I am doing", instead of "With the Amiga you can do". People who once avoided the person from stage 1 (Religous Ferver and Zeal), now are interested in what the person is doing. Others will often begin to ask, "Hey what kind of computer is that", instead of saying "Oh god, there goes John on one of his Amiga kicks again". The person in this stage will still be quick to note that the Amiga has been capable of doing things for quite some time that others are claiming to be innovations. This is an artifact of the previous stages, however it has become more muted and does not scare people away. It is even possible to have a rational discussion about computers with a person in this stage. The person in this final stage will usually be involved in trying to put together various projects using the Amiga. They will appear to be visionary to their friends who can't imagine putting together a presentation with music, animation, and text all on a single computer. This is gratifying to see as it indicates that the person has reached the culmination of what all of their previous rantings had been about. Conclusions It has certainly been an adventure observing these Amiga owners. They are an interesting bunch, and the diversity of the stages of development indicates a true maturation as time progresses. While it is very annoying to have to deal with people stuck in the first two stages, the final stage more than makes up for the other stages. We are currently looking into ways of eliminating the first two stages through the use of systematic desensitization and other behavior shaping techniques. We have a program where we simply put the patient into a room with the last 3 years of MacWorld and 500 IBM Technical System's Journal. After a week or so of this we then move the patient into a lab containing Amiga's that are being used for various projects. The results have been promising and we have a 75% success rate so far. We will continue our work with these Amiga owners, and will hopefully have more interesting news to present in the future.