Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!ames!decwrl!sun!quintus!pds
From: pds@quintus.uucp (Peter Schachte)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: upgrading graphics on only the HIGH END machines
Summary: As long as it's software compatible
Message-ID: <150@quintus.UUCP>
Date: 2 Jul 88 00:17:01 GMT
References: <3174@louie.udel.EDU> <58591@sun.uucp>
Sender: news@quintus.UUCP
Reply-To: pds@quintus.UUCP (Peter Schachte)
Organization: Quintus Computer Systems, Inc.
Lines: 28

In article <58591@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes:
>In a previous article I wrote :
>>lets get more colors even if it is only in the 'high end' machines.
>In article <3174@louie.udel.EDU> jedi@clark-emh.arpa commented:
>> Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the amiga??
>And the answer in my opinion is no. 
>There is a fundamental tradeoff in the industry between features/price.

[Chuck goes on to list lots of good reasons for wanting better hardware
 for high-end purchasers]

The problem with having different capabilities on different machines is
software.  Graphics programs will have to know about the greater number
of colors available and use them.  If the colors aren't available,
programs had better not count on them.  The OS should make it as easy as
possible to write programs that'll make the most of either
configuration.  The last thing we want is to divide the Amiga software
market into two camps:  programs written for the fancy high-end hardware
that won't run on cheaper machines, and programs written for low-end
machines that don't know how to take advantage of the high-end features.

I know it can be done.  Lots of IBM software runs on several different
graphics boards.  But it should be done with great care.  The IBM
software market is big enough to survive a little fragmentation; the
Amiga market is not.
-Peter Schachte
pds@quintus.uucp
..!sun!quintus!pds