Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!umix!umich!mibte!gamma!ulysses!terminus!oberlin!blandy
From: blandy@oberlin.UUCP (isjimblandy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Why are you selling your Amiga??
Message-ID: <702@oberlin.UUCP>
Date: 14 Mar 88 17:48:13 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Program, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio
Lines: 86


I almost feel compelled to include "bigtrouble" and "argumentbrewing"
in the keywords line... :-)

I've recently put my Amiga up for sale on misc.forsale; I'm going to
get a Mac II, which I can get at an educational discount.  I think
the reasons behind the choice are interesting.  After all, I think
almost anyone will agree that, in theory, there's nothing a Mac can
do an Amiga can't do better.  With a superb architecture, an I/O
system well-matched with the operating system, and other similar
things, why would one want to switch to a simpler, more conventional
machine?  

*flaming, I'm afraid.*

Take a look at the software.  For the Mac, every WP supports
multiple fonts, onscreen text attributes, proportional fonts, and
they're usually almost WYSIWYG.  And this is expected.

On the Amiga, we've had TEXTCRAFT??!?  Scribble!?!?  The thing had
dot commands, for God's sake!  What are we, troff afficandos?
Mewling and puking and trying to be Wordstar?  Aren't we past that
era?  Why did Scribble!  win an award from Amigaworld (I think)?  Why
is this acceptable?  

Why did it take ten minutes (I'm exaggerating) to list a directory
under 1.1?  Why was 1.2 better, but still awful compared to any PC
clone?  Come on - when I know my machine could scream past them,  why
is anything less than wonderful acceptable?

Deluxe paint.  Suppose you want to do some hardcopy, like posters?
Maps?  diagrams or charts for a homework paper or presentation?  Why
can't the thing conveniently work with an image larger than the
screen like, say, the size of A PIECE OF PAPER????  Oh, sorry, I'll
do it SIDEWAYS.  Right.  Even MacPaint lets you work on a page at a
time.  And MacPaint has been topped since.  Why is this acceptable?  

Oh, we have a printer driver that will support graphics and offers
standard escape codes.  Sorry, boys-  a bitmap dump routine does not a
printer driver make.  And the fool thing won't handle accented
characters correctly.  Why is this acceptable?

It's frustrating knowing that your computer isn't living up to a
fraction of its potential.

*okay, no more flaming*

I'd also like to observe something about new computers.  I'm not
talking about PC clones, born into a world of compatible software,
printers, and cards.  I'm talking about the Mac when it was new, the
Amiga when it was new, and probably IBM's "new" PS/2.  The first few
software packages available (and the things bundled with it
especially) have an amazing impact on the character and quality of
the software for the lifetime of the computer.  

For the IBM - (as I recall - I was 13) we had Wordstar, Visicalc,
and Microsoft BASIC.  The new windowy stuff is influence from the
Mac, and the new generation of fast compilers is Borland.  But other
than that, not much change.

For the Amiga (and I think this is really telling), we had a WHOLE
SLEW of snazzy graphic demos.  And LOUSY word processing.  Now we
have amazing snazzy graphics, and still mediocre word processors.
(Vizawrite is okay, but fatally flawed, I hear Word Perfect is buggy)

For the Mac, we had MacWrite and MacPaint.  It's kind of hard to see
change in the Mac field, because they want all programs to look the
same.  But in general, I think, the stuff for the Mac has made more
people say, "Wow!  I didn't know a computer could do that!"  and then
sit down and make use of it.  This is what computers are for.  

So since things seem so stable, I'm guessing that the Amiga stuff
isn't going to improve radically.  From my point of view, the Mac is
the place to go.  Mac users seem to expect excellence and useful
innovation, and from what I've seen, they seem to get it.

I guess what I'm saying here is something about the nature of
computers.  So if you think I'm just saying "mine's better than
yours," do the wise thing - ignore me.  It's not worth the net.  But
if you think I'm saying something new,  post something, and let's
argue. :-)
-- 
Jim Blandy                       /oo\      "Insects were insects when
OCMR Box 265, Oberlin OH 44074  /`--'\      man was just a burbling
sjb1392@oberlin.bitnet          \_][_/      whatsit."  - archy
...ihnp4!oberlin!blandy