Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!news.iastate.edu!vaxf.iastate.edu!TAAB5 From: taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future Message-ID: <1991Jun7.233654.24493@news.iastate.edu> Date: 7 Jun 91 23:36:54 GMT References: <5068@orbit.cts.com> <16647@darkstar.ucsc.edu>,<1308@cbmger.UUCP> <1991Jun7.064750.5770@news.iastate.edu>, Sender: news@news.iastate.edu (USENET News System) Reply-To: taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Lines: 48 In article , mjr@uther.calvin.edu (Matt Ranney) writes: >taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes: >>> >>>Well, I admit that the clipboard concept on the Amiga is not, err, >>>very successfull. > >> That is a vast understatement! Even under AmigaOS 2.0, the clipboard >>is terrible. It is not only broken, but practically non-existant. Most >>Amiga users don't even know that the Amiga even has a clipboard, because >>nothing supports it, even for text (let alone graphics!). > >Well, there's always snap. I use it all the time, but as much as I >hate to say it, you're right. We need programs that take more >advantage of the clipboard themselves, but how much of an OS >shortcoming is that instead of a programming shortcoming? If the >programs were written differently, how much different is the Amiga's >current clipboard compared to the Mac's. It is very different. The Amiga's clipboard was originally intended only for transferring straight ASCII text between applications. It was never intended to even be used to transfer graphics. The clipboard on the Mac, however, is very sophisticated. It transfers text and graphics flawlessly between applications, and nearly all applications support the clipboard. So, even if all Amiga applications supported the clipboard (a very big IF!), the Amiga's clipboard would still not compare at all to the clipboard on the Macintosh. The MAC's clipboard is as far above the Amiga's clipboard as the Amiga's multitasking is above the MAC's multitasking. The Amiga's clipboard cannot be fixed, as it is too unsupported and weak to be fixed. The clipboard needs to be totally replaced by something that supports transferring of graphic images from one application to another, independent of resolution or color format. However, even if this were done, and the clipboard was replaced by something far better, it would stile pale compared to the clipboard of the Macintosh simply because the MAC's clipboard is supported by nearly all applications. >-- >Matt Ranney -- mjr@uther.calvin.edu >sendmail: error reading file /home/mjr/.signature (core dumped) ------------------------------------------------------------- / Marc Barrett -MB- | BITNET: XGR39@ISUVAX.BITNET / / ISU COM S Student | Internet: XGR39@CCVAX.IASTATE.EDU / ------------------------------------------------------------ \ The great thing about standards is that / \ there are so many of them to choose from. / -------------------------------------------------------