Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!emory!hubcap!ddyer From: ddyer@hubcap.clemson.edu (Doug Dyer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Macs are great...but Message-ID: <12697@hubcap.clemson.edu> Date: 20 Jan 91 07:09:44 GMT References: <1991Jan18.162701.21713@newcastle.ac.uk> <1991Jan19.040432.21738@cs.dal.ca> <1991Jan20.014343.13242@cs.dal.ca> Organization: Clemson University, Clemson, SC Lines: 86 chapman@ug.cs.dal.ca (Paul Chapman) writes: >In article <1991Jan19.040432.21738@cs.dal.ca> graham@ug.cs.dal.ca (Michael Graham) writes: >>I've had a Mac Plus for almost 5 yrs now and Iove it. I have 4 megs >>of RAM and 65 megs of HD space. >>Anyway - some of my friends have Amigas - one has an Amiga >>3000. They keep extolling the virtues of their machines and the >>inadiquacies of mine - all the way up to the IIfx. >>I am getting VERY sick of this and want to put them in their place. Hi, Im an Amiga owner (no, don't worry, no flames here). Ill just try to help clarify some things. As for why they are teasing you, who knows. Amiga is the underdog? >>true multitasking > Works well, the only disadvantage I can see is that it seems to >crash a bit too easily. This flaw is found in the Multifinder too, though. The Amiga multitasking is great in how you interface with it. An application can grab a screen if it wants, and you can slide screens down and manage the applications in an easy straighforward manner. The multitasking hasnt yet caused a crash (Im using 2.02, not 1.3) >>faster operation?? > Beware of people telling you that computer A is 1.5% faster than >computer B. Minor speed differences really don't matter. Amiga graphics >are faster than 68000 Mac graphics, but the SE/30 seems to be just as good. Amiga graphics provide up to 60fps. You really need $$ for that. an SE/30 would never approach 12-bit color overscan animation. That is why Disney and other big names make exclusive animation packages for the Amiga line (and use them). On top of that, these actions leave the CPU free. >>video stuff - like the video toaster and dedicated graphics chips > As I mentioned above, the graphics chips allow cheap Amigas to >outstrip cheap Macs in graphic speed, but as you throw money at the machines >the differences blur. I have no clear idea what the video toaster is, so I >can't comment on it. So far as I can tell, the Amiga doesn't support very >high resolution or 24 bit colour. This may have changed by now, though. If The toaster is a 24-bit real-time video board w/other stuff. There are about 8 24-bit boards ranging from $300 - $2000 some for video, some for high resolution work. The one by C= is 1024*1024 w/24-bit (but a 256 look up table) There are coming boards that do up to 32-bit double buffered, xxx polygons/sec and blah blah... But for my $$$, Ill go for colourburst or DCTV. I don't think expensive macs can outperform graphics chips (as far as performance, not color & resolution). >>good, cheap emulation software > To emulate a Mac? The primary disadvantage of the A-Max board as >far as I can gather is that it uses the 128k ROMs, and so you're locked out >of colour QuickDraw and flexible monitor support. You also have to find the >things, and I understand Apple is trying to make it as hard as possible to >do this. What Apple might succeed in doing is forcing people to pirate them >instead. Well, what does the flexible monitor support mean? The resolution is programmable (using the chips) you can have 640*480, 1008*800, ... all lightning fast, and rock solid (these windows MOVE). You may also have a virtual screen and slide the screen around real time with the other mouse button. AMAX did a good job. The problem is it is too fast (on a 3000, its ridiculous). You can easily get a package deal (AMAX-II with roms) for ~ $350, but only get it if you need compatibility with work. There are other emmulations such as IBM, Atari ST, C-64, and lots of 8-bit machines I can't remember. Well, just mentioning some things. Don't let them get to ya! Macs are ok, anything but DOS, right? :) Amiga has its problems like any other machine, the owners (like mac and ibm owners) just grow immune! If I came on too harsh, I appologise. Im just trying to shed some light on the machine. Bye, Doug -- "I/O's revenge is at hand." - Hennessy & Patterson