Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cbmvax!daveh From: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: CBM & AMIGA Keywords: CBM AMIGA Message-ID: <22767@cbmvax.commodore.com> Date: 28 Jun 91 07:34:42 GMT References: <2326@tekig7.MAP.TEK.COM> Reply-To: daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA Lines: 84 In article <2326@tekig7.MAP.TEK.COM> danielh@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Daniel Hartman) writes: >ULTRA BAD BUSINESS DECISIONS: (by CBM) >1. Making the 500 look like a C128 (no comments necessary) Hey, we sold 3 million C128s. The A500 should be so lucky (ok, it won't be that much longer...). Point here is, any cheap computer winds up looking something like a C128 or a C64. That has alot to do with how they get that cheap. Heck, even Tandy has made a few PClones that look like C128s, for exactly the same reasons. >2. Not putting a 68020 in the 2000 when it was introduced. (Might have stopped > companies from making incompatible software (with the accelerated proc.) from > the beginning. That would have been nice, but unfortunately, it wasn't done that way. The A2000 would have been better with a 68020, sure. There really aren't that many compatibility problems, mainly due to the fact that we told developers the proper do's and don'ts from the start. >4. (When they do it), putting 2.0 on ROMs for the 3000. It takes about 1 > second to load in the operating system from the harddrive, PLUS, its > automaticly put in faster RAM. Far as I know, ROM for the A3000 is an option. Well, actually, it always will be in any case; even if you have ROM, you can always load it into 32 bit fast memory. However, with the 32 bit wide ROMs on the A3000, you're not going that much slower running out of ROM, the real difference between ROM and some kind of MMU setup is on A2500-class machines, where you have a 16 bit ROM and a slower memory cycle to get to it. The A2000 ROM cycle is 560ns. The A3000 ROM cycle is probably around 240ns-280ns (I don't recall exactly, but it's rather adjustable on the motherboard), and the RAM cycle is 200ns (faster with burst on). So ROM on the 3000 is roughly 4x faster than on the A2000 if you're dealing with a 32 bit processor on the 2000. >6. Not advertising. I don't mean televison commercials (how many people go, gee > I think I'll buy a PS/1 because I saw a TV commercial ?!?!?!?) What about > nice advertisments in general computer magazines, or the mac strategy - put > ads in PC Magazine and other popular PC magazines. They do advertise in magazines, though not the PClone rags. I guess they have some clue as to where the advertising dollar will achieve its best return. I wouldn't want to be the one to guess. >7. CDTV. I'd personally rather see better graphics capabilities, 68040 boards, > etc. You shouldn't make the mistake of think one precludes the other. Each of the things you mention above would consume different resources (eg, low-end systems guy, chip guy, high end systems guy). Commodore's main reason for being is to make money. I personally hope that coincides with the creation of lots of high end goodies, since that's what I work on. But realize that Commodore's strength has been at the low end, and probably will be for some time to come. >No, its the high end users with 386s and 486s who 'control' the direction. It's the companies that control the direction, software generally more than hardware. Users only control things to the extent that they vote with their checkbook. >Dump CDTV and put some R&D where it belongs - with the amiga. Do you have any idea what you're talking about here? CDTV was pretty much made from "off the shelf" A500 parts. It was hardly a hog of hardware engineering resources (in fact, it was mainly done outside of engineering proper here in West Chester). >Enough complaints for now. Some of your other points were valid. Like I said, I'm happier than a pig in shit when I see C= try to push further into the high end. It means my job will be more fun in the future. But don't expect it to happen overnight. C= is still trying to figure out what it is we're building at the high end and how to sell it. I think they're getting better at it, but a drop at a time, when everyone in the "Commodore Critique" business wants a flood. >Dan Hartman -- 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.