Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!yale!mintaka!wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu!rjc From: rjc@wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future Message-ID: <1991Jun10.071803.5533@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> Date: 10 Jun 91 07:18:03 GMT References: <1991Jun03.053144.3208@ariel.unm.edu> <1991Jun4.195056.1942@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> <1991Jun10.060044.20167@marlin.jcu.edu.au> Sender: news@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu Organization: The Internet Lines: 96 In article <1991Jun10.060044.20167@marlin.jcu.edu.au> cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Colin Adams) writes: >In article <1991Jun4.195056.1942@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> pab@po.CWRU.Edu (Pete Babic) writes: >> >>In a previous article, taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) says: >> >>> Time for a reality check. For 95% of the people in the Amiga community, >>>the Toaster is totally useless. The Toaster is not going to save the >>>Amiga, because it is a product intended for a very limited purpose. Few >>>Amiga owners have any need whatsoever for a special-effects box, and the >>>flickering display makes the Toaster unsuitable for other applications. >> >>95% ? Did you take a survey? Making such a statement is totally ridiculous. > >Come off it. 95% is an understatement. How many people on this net >have a toaster????? How many of the 500 owners (which is most of the >Amiga user base) in Europe who only use their machines for games and >are probably of average age ~17 are going to use a toaster?? I've >heard you need at least 9 megs to use some of the software with it >properly.... I put the figure more like 99.5 % of Amiga owners. I'm am going to attempt a logical arguement since rational ones don't seem to work with you. 1) The Toaster doesn't work in PAL, therefore this excludes about 2 million Amiga users from the survey 2) It doesn't work on the A500, this excludes another huge amount of Amiga's 3) From the amount of systems left, a majority of them are power user/power systems 4) a lot of the power Amigas are used for video stuff like ray-tracing and titling 5) the toaster is used for video So, out of the number of Amiga's that can even use the Toaster, it's safe to say more than 1% , or even 5% do. The problem with you're post, and with Marc's, is that you have no idea of the Toaster's sales record, nor do you represent the Amiga community at large, you simply pull data and statistics out of thin air and insist that it is common sense. Marc calls the Toaster a "special effects box", but it is much more than that. A large amount of Amiga users would want the Toaster just to use LightWave renderer. He also says the flickering display of the Toaster is not suitable for any other applications[like DUH! it's meant for Video use which is the Amiga's market.] The reason Marc is bashed sometimes isbecause of the totally rediculous statements he makes about C= Amiga, their motives, their future plans, and the software. Common examples of this are Marc's statement that the clipboard only handle's Ascii (flat wrong), that the new Denise is simply the old old one with the programmable registers now accessable (98% identicle to the old chip is what he stated), and that CBM cut R&D. (CBM's own employees and the 1.3 Autodocs refute these claims.) >Simplitied algorithm of typical Amiga owner reading comp.sys.amiga.XXX > >while letters remaining > read a post > if poster is Marc Barrett or poster is agreeing with Marc Barrett then > Flame him no matter what he is saying > else if I want to reply > Follow up >end Here's my version: while(letters_remaining) { if (essense_of_post(post)==CLUELESS) Respond(); GetNextPost(); } Respond() { if (author==MARC_BARRETT) grain_of_salt_post++; if (author==COLIN_ADAMS) rant_and_rave++; if (analyze(facts)==INCORRECT) correct(); if (analyse(facts)==TOTALLY_CLUELESS) flame(); if (grain_of_salt_post || rant_and_rave) { add_tangent(); warn_others_that_the_posters_facts_may_be_concocted_out_of_thin_air(); } } >>-- >>Pete Babic - pab@po.cwru.edu /// > > >-- >Colin Adams >Computer Science Department James Cook University >Internet : cpca@marlin.jcu.edu.au North Queensland >'And on the eighth day, God created Manchester' -- / INET:rjc@gnu.ai.mit.edu * // The opinions expressed here do not \ | INET:r_cromwe@upr2.clu.net | \X/ in any way reflect the views of my self.| \ UUCP:uunet!tnc!m0023 * /