Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!bagate!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: amiga users future...
Message-ID: <22033@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 30 May 91 05:32:29 GMT
References: <1991May27.210910.24220@cdc835.cdc.polimi.it> <1991May27.215527.16909@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1991May28.064746.23548@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <11685@hub.ucsb.edu>
Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 35

In article <11685@hub.ucsb.edu> 6600dmx@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Richard A. Boyd) writes:

>Remember though that the C128 had horrible sales 

True, they only sold about 3 million of the fool things...

>and virtually no support for its extended features.  

That's reasonably true.  Mainly just "productivity" applications appeared 
that would take advantage of the C128, generally upgraded versions of something
C64ish.  Most companies didn't want to limit the market for something by 
making it C128-only, and didn't want to spend the time to offer special C128
versions of things that didn't absolutely have to be C128 to function.

The main problem with the C128 was that we didn't get the necessary chip
design resources to "do it right".  So the resulting system wasn't that much
cheaper to make than something like an A500.  

>I was wise, in my opinion, to discontinue that machine.

It is wise to discontinue any machine that doesn't sell.  I suspect when the 
C128 sales dropped below a certain level, they decided it wasn't worth making
them anymore.  

Still, it was a great project to work on, back then, and the C128 still has
one of the all-time great hidden messages in it.  Made all that much greater
because the "Engineerin QA" group at the time was told to look for hidden names 
in the system.  The software guys put decoy names in.  Not only didn't the QA 
group find the encrypted screen, they missed the decoys as well.


-- 
Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: hazy     BIX: hazy
      "That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight" -R.E.M.