Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!rutgers!cbmvax!daveh From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future Keywords: Future, Amiga, etc. Message-ID: <22163@cbmvax.commodore.com> Date: 4 Jun 91 20:14:08 GMT References: <1991Jun4.003619.3661@news.iastate.edu> <1991Jun4.023950.11286@ncsu.edu> <16577@darkstar.ucsc.edu> Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA Lines: 53 In article <16577@darkstar.ucsc.edu> galpin@bill.ucsc.edu (Daniel Abram Galpin) writes: >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. The point of the A2000 is, it makes add-ins cheap. You can get whatever power you would like, when you can afford it. It may not be the ideal middle line system, I agree it could use a bit more base power (well, it is four years old) but it's a very good starting point. >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... Adding to the A2000 is simple enough. Whaddya want, 10 different special purpose interfaces? That's not going to cut costs any, since these add-ins would be machine-specific. Except for coprocessors, whatever goes in your A2000 could go in your A3000 or any other slotted Amiga that comes along. >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. Huh? No Macs are available with built in MIDI. No speed switchable 68000s either. They do have a more expensive machine with built-in SCSI, but last I checked, you could get an A2000 SCSI card for under $100, and not too much more for an A500's SCSI. Point being, you pay for expansion up front when you buy an A2000. At least Macs these days is trying a hybrid scheme, where you don't get any slots with it, but for $200 or so you can get a slot. That's not really any different than the A500 approach. An A2000HD comes with SCSI and room for 2MB of extra memory. Some 3rd party solutions in the same price range give you 4MB-8MB of RAM, along with SCSI. As long as it's not more expensive, it doesn't much matter where the extra memory is physically located, does it? >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. Anyone can offer a CD-ROM player, doesn't have to be Commodore. One 3rd party has one out already. You need a SCSI interfaced CD-ROM, and you need the ISO filesystem. That's pretty much it. >- Dan Galpin -- Dave Haynie Commodore-Amiga (Amiga 3000) "The Crew That Never Rests" {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh PLINK: hazy BIX: hazy "This is my mistake. Let me make it good." -R.E.M.