Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!esseye!jdbbs!wybbs!therip!FredMail From: Rod.Fulk@f24.n228.z1.FidoNet.Org (Rod Fulk) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Amiga is better then what??? Message-ID: <678091803.2@therip.FidoNet> Date: 28 Jun 91 05:04:36 GMT Sender: FredMail@p0.f24.n228.z1.FidoNet.Org Lines: 58 DRL> DRL> >Since the ST uses standard parts it is easy to get most of the items... DRL> DRL> Eh? Standard parts? Like the standard SCSI drive inside my Amiga, the DRL> standard memory chips, the standard printer connected to my standard DRL> parrallel DRL> port right next to the standard serial port which talks to my standard DRL> modem? I said standard parts... Such as the RF modulator.. (RS part) the drive controler (RS part) the sound chip (RS part) very ver properitory (sp?) chips in the ST. DRL> I can use all the memory in my system too. I just have to keep DRL> graphics & DRL> sound data in the 1st 2 megs. Why do you say the Amiga has to waste DRL> memory to DRL> do d.b. graphics & sound? Having to keep it in a limited section of DRL> memory DRL> only constitutes a limitation, not a waste. 2 meg? You must have a 3000 cause the others are limited to 1meg and the old 500's to 512k. Any time you must load the data into the upper memory and copy it down into lower memory to be used is wasting memory.. (Ie having it in two places at the same time..) Not to mention the slowdown while copying the memory around.. (ST's have a four meg limit.. That should make a BIG difference when the bigger graphics displays become common.) DRL> On the subject of memory, what exactly is the difference between "ST DRL> memory" and "TT memory" on the TT? Is ST mem 16 bits wide? No, the ST memory is limited to 4 meg... (Same as chip memory as opposed to fast memory.. The TT uses the same type of setup memory wise as the Amiga.. CPU ram is VERY fast and is unlimited in theory.) DRL> Oh? On what do you base this assumption? I really don't know what DRL> business software is available for the ST other than PageStream (is DRL> 2.1 out yet for the ST? I've been using it for a while, & am looking With the St you have a rock solid display that except for the Ami 3000 you can not get at all... You can get close to the mono screen but you cant quite get there... (The TT's high mode is 1280x960... The TT's lowest TT mode is 256 colors out of 4096 in a 320x480 screen and the mid screen is 640x480 with 16 colors These match very well with the Amigas graphics... Not "quite" as good but close enough your not likely to tell real easily.) Since the St uses a double speed buss split between the DMA chips and the CPU I believe the support chips can access the memory when the CPU doesnt.. When IT accesses the memory i believe it might be in 16 bit mode.... When the CPU has its share it will access the ST memory with a true 32bit access. I could be wrong there but that was my impression. (Ie in a normal ST the buss is a 16mhz buss and everything runs on alternate buss cycles so the CPU doesnt load the coprocessors down AT ALL...) The stuff Atari is comming out with now is very good. Unfortunetly at present they are about a year and ahalf behind. (ALthough they are catching up quickly hardware wise..) It shouldnt be too long before Atari is in the front runners again... Although I don't know if it will at that time be solely a "german" computer.... BTW, if your GUI was so great why use a CLI? The Newer STe's and newer have powerful enough GUI's that CLI's are not necissary for anything except specialized jobs... (Software wise the ST has a slighlty better selection of bussiness programs.. Such as data bases, spreedsheets and that stuff... ) * Origin: The R.I.P. (616)235-2313 [HST] (1:228/24)