Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!bullwinkle!rochester!kodak!elmgate!jdg From: jdg@elmgate.UUCP (Jeff Gortatowsky) Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga Subject: Re: incompetent executives Message-ID: <448@elmgate.UUCP> Date: Fri, 30-May-86 07:52:51 EDT Article-I.D.: elmgate.448 Posted: Fri May 30 07:52:51 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 31-May-86 15:59:52 EDT References: <260@usl-pc.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY Lines: 87 Summary: Comments (yea/nay) To Mr. Greens remarks This time I'm not siding with C-A I hacked quite a bit off the original..... In article <260@usl-pc.UUCP>, jpdres10@usl-pc.UUCP (Green Eric Lee) writes: > -*-text-*- > > OK. Granted, the Amiga is a great computer. And, I'm getting me one of > those suckers, because it's simply a better computer than an IBM > PEE-BRAIN or whatever else is in that price range. > > HOWEVER: > > What's a great computer like the Amiga doing being marketed by a bunch > of clowns like Commodore?? > > Suggestions: > a) The Amiga dealer network is being destroyed by local reps favoring > stereo/electronics stores over "real" computer stores. The > requirements that all Amiga stores have on-site repair facilities and > a technical support person should be adhered to, instead of being > waived for every Federated Video that comes along. > b) The hardware people should be working on low-cost hard disk drives and > RAM expansions, not modems, or should be helping 3rd parties who do > plan to bring out low-cost hard disk drives and RAM expansions (there > are none now). Now here is the first good point Eric brings up. As I posted once before, how does CBM-Amiga expect to gain confidence in the Amiga if they won't/can't support the Amiga with a reasonable hard disk and memory exapansion. Have they looked at the size of the code generated by their officially supported compilers? The present 68000 based compilers are memory pigs (with an exception here or there). Indeed the 68k family are memory pigs. I love the CPU, but it's a mem hog. 512k for the Amiga is like 256k for the Pee Cee, BARE MINIMUM. Are you listening CBM? Sure software is high on the priority list, but remember to develop software and remain sane at the sane time a developer needs a hardware environment that does constantly get in THE BLOODY WAY!! > c) In conjunction with b) above, price the expansion bus addition VERY > reasonably. > They should, but they wouldn't. > Symptoms of the problems: > 1) a deal with CRAY for Amigas is being held up because of a feud > between the dealer who got CRAY interested and the local distributor > for CBM, who's mad at that dealer because the dealer got a > grey-marketer shut down and hurt the distributor's volume. > Apple or IBM would have given the dealer a medal. Well C-A? True or false or "we don't comment on that sort of thing"? > b) cheap mungo RAM so you can calculate spreadsheets that would make > IBM folk green with envy. Wonder if they realize that a very cheap 2-8meg (lotsa empty RAM sockets) expansion coupled with Itelligent disk caching could make up for the lack of a decent hard disk? > Neither I or most others care a single twit about Yet Another Modem > (even if it's a particularly good one) or Show Off The Graphics. We The Amiga DOES suffer from to many YAM's. But that's all anyones figured out how to do with the present RAM/storage limitations (coupled with compiler technology). With decent expansion options (that people can afford) you can let the compiler/programmer go nuts, with little to no regard for size , and consequently not worry about your task stopping other from running due to lack of available memory. That goes double for a multitasking machine with no paged virtual memory system. > 4) The CBM advertising campaign has been simply dismal. First they > try marketing the Amiga like they marketed the C-64, now they have > some silly "your supercharged multi-tasking speed demon" or something > like that, which would be a decent thing to point out, but not in such > a hokey unprofessional manner. Where did CBM get their ad people from, > Des Moines, Iowa? Agreed, 'nuff said? > 6) A "hacker" mentality at Commodore-Amiga (e.g. "GURU MEDITATION" > instead of "SYSTEM CRASH") doesn't help CBM's professionalism image. > Well it's better than IBM's keyboard beeping at you when it locks up 8-)