Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!stanford.edu!agate!darkstar!bill!galpin From: galpin@bill.ucsc.edu (Daniel Abram Galpin) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future Keywords: Future, Amiga, etc. Message-ID: <16577@darkstar.ucsc.edu> Date: 4 Jun 91 04:39:47 GMT References: <1991Jun4.003619.3661@news.iastate.edu> <1991Jun4.023950.11286@ncsu.edu> Sender: usenet@darkstar.ucsc.edu Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz Open Access Computing Lines: 64 There has been talk about the future of the Amiga recently. The Amiga 3000 is fantastic. I have used them a great deal and have found them a joy to work with compared to the A500 and A1000 systems that I currently possess. However, I find myself doing things more often on the PC or MAC that just cannot be done as easily (or as nicely) on Amigas. The Amiga needs better printer support with built-in full Postscript support, scalable font technology, and a more dynamic printer driver system. The Mac System 7.0 and MS Windows 3.1 BOTH have TrueType and support TrueImage. The only program that I have used for the Amiga that produces truly fantastic Deskjet output is TeX. TeX is not for everyone. It is far more power then most people need, and the versions that I have seen barely run on a 1 meg Amiga 500.. which I consider to be the standard Amiga. In order to get copy that is comparable to the output from System 7.0 and Microsoft Word.. or JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER MAC PROGRAM, I would have to buy a dedicated desktop-publishing system such as PageStream or Professional Page. The Amiga just doesn't have enough processor power to handle many of the newer applications (and games..) There is no real midstream Amiga.. The A2000 just doesn't cut it anymore. How about an Amiga 500 that can run at 14Mhz with some small amount of cache memory, with a socket for a 68881 math co-processor and a bit more RAM expandability on board? The Amiga market is too sharply divided, with the high-end Amiga 3000 including just about everything and the 500's and 2000's including nothing. For most users, the 2000 is just not enough power anymore. How about a "segmented" system that allows users to add on options simply (as cartridges or something)? Video-enhancer here... RAM here... co-processor here... PC emulator here, etc... How about a built in SCSI interface on a low-cost Amiga, or an all-in-one low cost solution such as an Amiga 500 with a built in MIDI interface, SCSI interface, 68881 socket, and 8 megs of possible expansion on the motherboard, combined with a speed-switchable 68000? These kinds of options are available to Macintosh and PC people, and I cannot understand why C= is ignoring the pre-built Mid-Range market. Commodore should embrace one of the graphics expansion options for the Amiga, such as the Colorburst or HAM-E, and offer Workbench support. Both of these solutions are admittedly "hacks," but that hasn't stopped Commodore before (witness the A2024 monitor). How about a simple graphics device, or at least a Commodore graphics specification? If Commodore really wants to push Multimedia, give Amiga the power it needs to at LEAST rival LOW END Mac II or VGA graphics. An Amiga enhancement such as HAM-E or Colorburst would also work with CD-TV, and enable it to have better graphics realism as well... the "Graphics Enhancement Cartridge" from Commodore... Commodore should make CD-ROM available to ALL Amiga owners as soon as possible. A relatively low cost CD-ROM peripheral for the Amiga would be an excellent selling point. Finally, Commodore should do something similar to what it has done with CD-TV -- have a software division that can support the Amiga in areas where there is little software being produced. I guess it is time to step down from the pedistal. I love the Amiga and want it to continue, and feel that many of these options represent the BEST chance for the Amiga to survive and thrive far into the 90's. - Dan Galpin galpin@ucscb.ucsc.edu galpin@cats.ucsc.edu " Amiga - the computer sold before its time... which is why it still isn't well-aged. "