Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpcea!hpfcdc!hpfclq!cunniff
From: cunniff@hpfclq.HP.COM (Ross Cunniff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Let's help Jerry's kids
Message-ID: <4230014@hpfclq.HP.COM>
Date: 28 Jan 88 21:55:41 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
Lines: 48

No, this is not an advertisement for a Muscular Dystrophy telethon.
The Jerry to whom I refer is your friend and mine, Jerry Pournelle.
It seems, for some reason, that he has taken a dislike to the Amiga
(Firepower notwithstanding) and never passes up an opportunity to
drop a snide remark or an outright insult about our beloved Amy.

WHAT IF... (you can tell I work for Hewlett-Packard, can't you :->)
some well-intentioned person or group of people decided to try to cure
Jerry's disease with a donation of a high-end Amiga 2000.  The system
configuration would include:

		Amiga 2000			$1750	(???)
		J. Random Multiscan monitor	  600
		Microway FlickerFixer		  595
		40 MB ST251 hard disc		  395
		A2090 controller		  395
		2MB RAM expansion		  395
		-------------------------------------
		Total				$3830

Now, a system is useless without some good software; we would need to
pick the latest and greatest version of software which does the following:

		Word Processor
		Desktop publishing
		Paint program (Deluxe Paint II?? DigiPaint?? Other??)
		CAD program (???)
		Music composition (MIDI or otherwise)
		Games (Marble Madness, Arkanoid, Defender of the Crown, etc.)
		Spreadsheet (??? I'm not sure this is a good idea :->)

We would make sure that each can be run with the others running at the
same time (to demonstrate the multitasking Exec) and also make sure that
they don't have a tendancy to Guru.  This can all be had for $1000-$1500.

So, for a total cost of $5000-$6000, Jerry could have a top-of-the-line
expandible (with more memory, 68020 processor, 80x86 bridge card, 1024x600
4 grayscale monitor, etc.) personal workstation with fairly high-res graphics,
stunning sound, and a quickly growing software base, all available *NOW*
and affordable enough for the small business.  What do you think he and
his camp followers would have to say about that?

Now all we have to do is find somebody to pay for all of this... :-)


				Ross Cunniff
				Hewlett-Packard System Software Operation
				...{ucbvax,hplabs}!hpda!cunniff
				cunniff%hpda@hplabs.ARPA