Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!lll-winken!taurus!aldebaran!schweige From: schweige@aldebaran.cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Re: Amiga OS *IS* state of the art Message-ID: <2091@aldebaran.cs.nps.navy.mil> Date: 13 Apr 91 23:27:21 GMT References: <1003@cbmger.UUCP> <7827@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <8806@gollum.twg.com> <3058@tpki.toppoint.de> <3075@tpki.toppoint.de> <1044@cbmger.UUCP> Reply-To: schweige@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger) Organization: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA Lines: 73 In article dhansen@amiganet.chi.il.us (Dave Hansen) writes: >>In article <3075@tpki.toppoint.de> kris@tpki.toppoint.de (Kristian Koehntopp) w >>rites: >>> >>>I had a talk with a friend (He is an A3000 owner) on Amiga and its future. >>>Being more the suit type than me, he said "What is going to hurt future Amiga >>>sales more than a lack of 1280 * 1024 in true color is the lack of 320 * 200 >>>in 256 colors." The availability of this video graphics mode makes it easy >>>to port VGA games to the amiga without having the entire graphics repainted >>>by an artist. >> >>That shouldn't be a big problem. There exists decent software to transform > >Well, if you carry that statement over to the A3000UX, it is no longer true. >What will continue to hurt A3000UX sales is the lack of 1280x1024, 24-bit >color. SUN, Apollo, Silicon Graphics, and IBM all have it in their Unix >systems. To ship a 640x440 monochrome only A3000UX system does not help >Commodore's presence in the commercial arena. And I wouldn't expect that >Commodore is banking on the home users to flock to the Unix systems due to the >increased cost. The trailing edge of video graphics is not going to work. > >voice: (708)691-4747 Internet:dhansen@amiganet.chi.il.us I don't have information on the release/shipping on the A2410 Hires graphics card, but here's some information taken from an old posting by Scott Hood of Commodore: "The A2410 Hires graphics card has a TI34010 on it and ... uses the TIGA software. The display is programmable and the most likely off the self resolutions that will be available are: 1024x768: 256 on screen colors out of a palette of 16.8 million (24-bit) 1024x1024: " " " " " " 800x600: " " " " " 640x480 (interlaced NTSC): " " " " "Note that the A2410 also can have three overlay planes on top of the 256 on-screen colors for three more on-screen colors. The UNIX software can directly use this board for color X-windows applications which makes for a very nice display. You can use this card with the 1950 monitor but only with the 800x600 or lower display resolutions. The other higher resolutions require something like a NEC 4D or 5D monitor." --------------------- Regarding comments on Sun, Silicon Graphics, etc.: Silicon Graphics Iris 4D workstations are high end color graphics machines, and are in a completely different class of machines. They are impressive and do their job well. In general, they also cost a great deal more than Amigas, and are not general purpose Unix boxes. Suns (SPARCs these days as Sun doesn't market the Sun 3's and 386i's anymore). have color as an option, and 24 bit color as a _high_end_ option. We have around 50 SPARCStations and compatibles (Solbourne S4000's) (We also have a number of Sun 3's and 386i's) in the department and most of them are monochrome. Of those that are color, it's normally 8-bit color. Not everyone who buys Unix requires 24-bit color on the workstation. Does the Amiga need the option of a 24-bit color graphics board? Yes, but as an option, but the lack of one being readily available hardly spells immediate, impending doom. (IMHO, of course). Jeff Schweiger -- ******************************************************************************* Jeff Schweiger Standard Disclaimer CompuServe: 74236,1645 Internet (Milnet): schweige@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil *******************************************************************************