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From: mwm@VIOLET.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike  Meyer, Take a giant step outside your min)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: Mac vs. Amiga
Message-ID: <8701210852.AA06243@violet.berkeley.edu>
Date: Wed, 21-Jan-87 03:52:12 EST
Article-I.D.: violet.8701210852.AA06243
Posted: Wed Jan 21 03:52:12 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 21-Jan-87 22:11:41 EST
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[Begin Flame:]

I can't let this bilge pass uncommented on:

>> Get an Atari ST! Like 1/2 the price of the amiga and essentially the
>> same features. OK, the amiga has a little better graphics,

Right. Better resolution in both directions, and 4096 colors on-screen
vs 16 (or is it 8?).

It's also got better sound (if that's what you're into).

>> but then the ST has a better OS

Well, the ST OS may be better than MS-DOS. The interesting question
about the AmigaDOS is whether it's better than Unix for a single-user
workstation. It's definitely got features that Unix could use. That
you can put TCP/IP and NFS on the Amiga without mangling the guts of
the OS is one of them. Ditto for pipes.

Does Atari have a multitasking OS for the ST yet? Or are you still
stuck with CP/M-68K?

>>..... Also, you can get higher memory models
>> of the ST cheaper still (1040 K ST is < $1000, including monitor, disc
>> drive) 

Whereas the Amiga can be bought for < $1400 in that configuration.
What computer did you use to figure that $1400/$1000 is < 1/2?

Even more important, I can put together a 4.5Meg Amiga for $2400 or
so (getting expansion memory beyond the first 2Meg gets expensive; you
need a second power supply + cardcage) so. Care to quote the price for
a similarly configured ST?

[End Flame]

Ok, now down to something serious. When someone says "Should I buy an
<X> computer?", the correct answer is *NOT* "yes," "no," or "Buy a <Y>
instead." The correct answer is "What are you going to do with it?"

Anyone who's trying to decide between an Amiga and a Mac should look
at an ST. It may be just what they want, and they can save money
buying it. Likewise, anybody thinking about an ST should look at the
Amiga and the Mac. The extra software currently available for the Mac,
or the extra capabilities in the Amiga, may make the difference
between an expensive doorstop and a usefull tool. But without knowing
what's going to be done with it, you can't say either way. They may
even want to go look at boxes out of the MicroToy (tm Erik the Fair, I
think) class, if they can afford them.

The person asking this question seemed to know what they were looking
for, so I sent off a list of why I like the Amiga. On the other hand,
if they hadn't had that appearance, I wouldn't have answered. It is
*far* more important that some non-computer person looking for a micro
get something that does what they want than that manufacturer <X>
sells another machine (unless you're manufacturer <X>, of course :-).
If they get sold a box they can't use, then they'll wind up with a bad
opinion of micros, which they will probably spread to others. If they
get what they want, they'll have a good opinion, which means they're
more likely to buy a second machines, and tell their friends that
having a micro is a good thing, and those people may purchase a
machine. These second-order purchases may not be the original machine;
in fact, you may wind up with more sales by *not* selling someone a
doorstop than by selling them one (ok, so it's unlikely).

And yes, I actually practice what I preach. I recommended an IBM-PC
(well, I recommended a clone, actually) to a professional writer, even
though I think that every one of those creatures sold is a blow to
computing. Just because I *knew* he would be happy with one (he'd had
a loaner for a while), and was fairly sure that he wouldn't be happy
with an Amiga (he came by to look at mine).

Last time someone made such a nitwit blanket statement about micros, I
posted a summary of "uses -> what to buy." Since I don't follow the
IBM-PC and clone market at all, I can't do that correctly this time.
Maybe someone who remembers that posting could post something similar
for the current micro market?

	<mike