Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!agate!ig!uwmcsd1!lakesys!joe
From: joe@lakesys.UUCP (Joe Pantuso)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: My Amiga has a retarded brother...
Message-ID: <601@lakesys.UUCP>
Date: 21 Apr 88 05:28:28 GMT
References: <263@vedge.UUCP>
Reply-To: joe@lakesys.UUCP (Joe Pantuso)
Organization: Lake Systems - Milwaukee, WI
Lines: 43
Keywords: Amiga VIC-20 marriage

In article <263@vedge.UUCP> lurch@vedge.UUCP (Lurch) writes:
>Many years ago, I bought a VIC-20 (I was young and naive). I have now
>matured to the point where I own an A500 (512K, single floppy drive).
>

Commodore was young and naive too then.  But don't feel bad, look at how many
folks still use C-64 (and look at how many FOOLS buy C-128 systems for the
same cost as an A500, figure that one...)


>The VIC just sits in my parents attic collecting dust (at last, something
>the VIC does well!). My question is this: what can I do with my VIC?

Old hardware is always good at collecting dust. It would make a really
terrific door stop, but I would think it classier to use it as a bookend or
perhaps as a planter.

>
>A friend suggested using it as a file server, but it only has a tape drive,
>no floppy.  I have considered using it to make tape backups of disks, but
>there must be SOMETHING a little more useful it can do.

Even if it DID have floppies it would be horrifically S-L-O-W and the storage
space minute to the extreme.

>
>I dont mind doing a little hardware hacking. In fact, I'm taking a course
>this summer in micro-processor hardware hacking and I need a course project.
>Being new to Amiga's and computer architecture, I have little grasp of what
>the Mongoloid might be used for.  Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thnx.
>|  Jeff Smith  Visual Edge Software, Montreal, Quebec                         |

Concider how little speed and memory the VIC has. Just waiting for it, and
tieing up a port on your machine, far outweighs any benifits it could provide.
The Amiga would probably bench at 1-200 times faster than the VIC, ack.

If you need a hardware hack for your course though there is always somthing...
Off the top of my head I would say try setting it up as a secondary screen.
It has a very low text resolution though, wich limits it's possibilities.

I have *no* knowledge about the hardware specifics of the machine, so I have
no concrete possibilities.

-Joe@lakesys.UUCP