Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!alchemy!ptavoly From: ptavoly@cs.ruu.nl (Peter Tavoly) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: Amiga in the Workforce Message-ID: <1991May23.083717.1055@cs.ruu.nl> Date: 23 May 91 08:37:17 GMT Article-I.D.: cs.1991May23.083717.1055 References: <1991May22.211703.22445@leland.Stanford.EDU> <1991May22.222801.4049@convex.com> <1991May23.012705.24776@leland.Stanford.EDU> Organization: Utrecht University, Dept. of Computer Science Lines: 76 In <1991May23.012705.24776@leland.Stanford.EDU> bard@jessica.stanford.edu (David Hopper) writes: >In article <1991May22.222801.4049@convex.com> swarren@convex.com (Steve Warren) writes: >>In article <1991May22.211703.22445@leland.Stanford.EDU> bard@jessica.stanford.edu (David Hopper) writes: >> [...] >>>formats. Regardless of how good the Amiga's business software gets, it >>>will always have this roadblock. Company A, if they went all Amiga, >>>would have no way of transferring files with Company B, who would be >>>all-IBM or all-Mac. One way is all it would go. >> >>This is not true. It is quite easy to transfer files back and forth between >>the Amiga and Macs or IBMs. There are many easy-to-use utilities that do >>this. This is not a problem. > >Since when? I know of *no* IFF viewers/soundplayers or converters for >the Mac. Pictures must be converted to GIF on the Amy to be viewed by a >Mac (I don't know about the IBM). Is there an Amiga file manager on the >Mac or the IBM, like Mac2DOS or MessyFileSystem on the Amy? As far as I >know, it's a one-way trip. Alternate file formats must be managed by >the Amiga. [ There is a product for the Macintosh that can convert/edit/whatever IFF graphics (plus a dozen others like GIF, PIC, Targa etc.), it was tested in a recent issue of the Personal Computer Magazine (the Dutch equivalent of Byte), and was praised like the Messiah. (Sort of like The Art Department Professional) ] In what serious workforce (except graphics/video firms) do the employees play sounds and view GIFs all day? The important files are 1-2-3, WP, DBaseIII+/IV and CAD applications. Since most of these programs do not exist on the Amiga yet (WP-Amiga is not up to par, but there are some good CAD programs), the problem is really simple: Why on earth would I want to use an Amiga instead of a PC if I do not need it? Technically speaking, the problem is twofold anyway: 1. How do I get those files over there? 2. How do I get those files in the format I want? The answer to problem 1 is easy: Use one of the various (good) programs like CrossDos. Mac2Dos etc. The answer to problem 2 is more difficult (your GIF example illustrates this, though I have an IFF <-> GIF converter for the Amiga; sound is utterly unimportant except maybe in advanced research fields like speech recognition). Now you could add 'problem 0.': 'Serious' companies use 'serious' software, not 'creative' software. As it stands now, I would rather label the Amiga creative than serious. (This does most certainly NOT mean that the Amiga is not *suited* for serious software). BTW, the 'Valkieser groep' is a professional video production studio here in Holland. They make graphics for Dutch TV, and have a small studio to shoot small commercials. They use three systems: The Silicon Graphics Iris, Cubicon (it is an orphaned product, but there are still software updates for it), and, (by now you should have guessed it :) the Amiga. They use it mainly for interfacing video/genlocking with bigger systems, but some graphics has been used as well (Like on the programs Einstein, Lingo and Boggle. Though all gameshows, the graphics are pro!) > >> _. >>--Steve ._||__ >> Warren v\ *| >> V > >Dave Hopper | /// Anthro Creep | Academic Info Resources, Stanford > |__ /// . . | and NeXT Campus Consultant >bard@jessica. |\\\/// Ia! Ia! | -- Just remember: love is life, and > Stanford.EDU | \XX/ Shub-Niggurath! | hate is living death. :Black Sabbath -ThomasT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ Thomas Tavoly, Commercial Computer Science - HEAO Utrecht, NL. / / / "Whoever talks too much, has no time to think." - Peter Tavoly. AMIGA / Favourite quote: "The Mac OS is amazingly complex, ____ / / / .sig v3.0e given how little it does." - Peter da Silva \ \ \/ / / ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>> ptavoly@praxis.cs.ruu.nl <<~~~~~~~~~ \_\_\/_/