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From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: upgrades and standards, this time without the flames
Message-ID: <2731@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Nov-87 14:54:44 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2731
Posted: Wed Nov 11 14:54:44 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Nov-87 04:42:23 EST
References: <1014@cadnetix.UUCP>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 54

in article <1014@cadnetix.UUCP>, childs@cadnetix.UUCP (David Childs) says:

> [Deleted my anti-SOTS raves]

> In other words:
>      "If this is true, why does the Amiga 500 have a side connector?"

For expansion.  BUT, and here's the BUT, that expansion should take one of
two forms.  EITHER a single powered SOTS box, or a real, powered, full Zorro 
II spec expansion box.  A single SOTS box is OK, it's self contained, works
by itself.  So maybe a meg or two of RAM and SCSI, in a single box.  Or 
something along those lines.  If the SOTS box looks at the 86 pin connector
like a Zorro box, I don't care what magic goes on inside.  BUT daisy
chaining SOTS boxes is a very bad idea; that's what's caused all the trouble
on the A1000, and why the idea should have been discouraged on the A1000.
Due to the mechanicals of the A500, chained SOTS boxes are going to be much
more difficult, and that's a good thing.  Real expansion boxes are going to
be a bit more difficult, too, but not unrealistic.  Like, there's already 
a 3rd party two slot box out that fits underneath the A500.

> Look, I don't really mind.  I would much rather have SOTS than no SOTS.  
> It just seems like you didn't prevent the same problem from happening with 
> the 500 as with the A1000.  

In the above context, so would I.  But not in other situations.  Like when
I want more than one thing added.  I currently have 1 Amiga and 2 PC slots
left on my A2000 here at work.  That's 1 hard disk, 1 Bridge, and 2 x 2 meg
RAM cards, and everything works like a champ.  Even with a 68020 card in
the Coprocessor slot.  You'll NEVER get that from an arrangement of SOTS
boxes, much less such an arrangement that actually works, and I only need one
power cord for the whole thing.  A500 edge signals ARE much more stable
than A1000, now that everything's in LSI.  But daisy-chained SOTS are something
I'm never going to like.  If they work for you, more power to ya.

> I already have, a SupraDrive and a Megaboard 2,
> so where am I going to put my Magic Sac when it is available?

Floppy disk sounds like a good place for me, at least providing that the
copyright laws that allow you to make one backup for archival purposes also
apply to software in ROM as well as software on magnetic media.  And also
providing that the Mac OS can run from a place that you've got RAM.  However,
I've been led to believe that the Mac OS wants to see contiguous RAM starting
at $000000 and going as high as you like.  If that's true, your Megaboard 2
isn't going to be all that useful to you in Mac mode, unless you either add
an MMU to your Amiga or write some kind of RAM disk driver for it.  But I
digress.

> 
> David Childs  Cadnetix Corp. (303) 444-8075 childs@cadnetix.UUCP

-- 
Dave Haynie     Commodore-Amiga    Usenet: {ihnp4|caip|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh
   "The B2000 Guy"              PLINK : D-DAVE H             BIX   : hazy
    "Computers are what happen when you give up sleeping" - Iggy the Cat