Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!cornell!rochester!udel!mmdf
From: JESSE%SLUVCA.BITNET@cornellc.ccs.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: I am considering buying a amiga, a few questions
Message-ID: <2657@louie.udel.EDU>
Date: 20 May 88 19:32:08 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 36

I am considering buying an amiga.  I have a few questions, I hope someone
will take a few minutes and answer them.  Please no arguments of little ol
me.

1) some say buy the a500, its the best computer for the money.  When you
   need to exapnd it, accept the fact that perferials cost more.

   others say but the a2000, pay more up front but save on expansion perferials.
   one person said to also buy an IBM AT to do the development (programming) on.
   I would appriciate comments on all three possibilities.

2) the a2000 comes with a serial & parallel port.  What is availiable in the
   way of expansion ports?  I always seem to have need of another serial port.

3) Can a program open the serial device is such a manner that no other currently
   running program can access it?

4) Looking at different books, the Amiga looks very complex to program the
   video interface, sound and speach.  Are there functions included with C
   that simplify any of the system calls?  Mainly for standard needs, like
   put a window at (x,y) of size (x,y) titled "..." let all of the other
   stuff default.

5) One of my interests is in writting programs that deal with the MIDI interface
   but I cant find any system calls for the MIDI.  When I buy a midi board,
   where does it plug in at?  Can I still use the port for what it was intended
   for?  Does a subroutine package come with the midi hardware?  Who makes a
   GOOD midi board?

Thanks ahead of time,

Jesse Tutterrow                         JESSE@SLUVCA.bitnet
St Louis Univ
3694 W. Pine
St Louis, Mo. 63108
(314)658-2560