Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tektronix!tekig5!wayneck
From: wayneck@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Wayne Knapp)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amiga is NOT a multi-tasking computer system !!
Keywords: computer chronicles
Message-ID: <3179@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM>
Date: 24 Aug 88 16:07:36 GMT
References: <120@tityus.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.
Lines: 60

In article <120@tityus.UUCP>, jim@athsys.uucp (Jim Becker) writes:
> 
> This past weeks' Computer Chronicles show was all about 
> *MULTI-TASKING*, a new and different concept created with
> the advent of Unix and now proudly incorporated into IBM
> and Apple products.
> 
> There were displays of most all the upcoming platforms 
> that we have heard of from Big Blue and Apple. There was
> *zero* mention of the Amiga, which does a better job than
> all the others (from what I can tell).
> 
> How can the Amiga be skipped in this ?? Was CBM sleeping
> at the switch again ?? Three years after the Amiga made
> it's appearance and it still isn't noticed. Is something
> wrong going on ?? I haven't seen or heard of the Amiga
> outside of user groups for ages, maybe years...

Multitasking was around long before the Amiga.  Still most people don't use
multitasking that much.  For the most part 99.99% of the things that people
use multitasking for can be handled by desk accessories, which in fact is
a type (albeit, limited) of multitasking. 

I think the major point behind Apple Mac's and maybe the new OS/2 IBM stuff
is the fact that there is multitasking and EASY data interchange between
programs.  The Mac clipboard goes a long way towards changing the whole nature
of computing.  Of coarse this can also be done on the Amiga, IBM, ST etc., 
except no one else has made it so simple and built in as Apple has. 

Also remember that there are at least 4 or 5 Macs for every Amiga.  Lord only
knows how many IBM or clones.  So by just covering IBM and Apple they probably
cover over 90% of the viewers.  They have limited air time and I doult if
C= gives them much money.  So what would you show if you were being honest
with youself?  Maybe if very Amiga owner sent in $5 to the show things would
change.

> 
> Maybe this time next year Apple and IBM will introduce
> yet another new concept, Genlocked video !! We'll see..

Over the last 5 years I been in Japan at least 6 times, 3 of the times were
over two week stays.  The first long stay I had was around the end of 1984.
At that time there were a lot of home computers in the stores that had 
built in Genlocking.  More likely the computer could be locked on to an
external video source than a full genlock, but it was common to see a CRT
displaying TV with computer graphics overlaid on the TV broadcast.   

Now the Japanese have many video systems, not a lot of software but lots and
lots of hardware toys.  Maybe Amiga is just borrowing ideas from the Japanese.
Maybe "new concept" should be replaced with "Japanese concept".

> 
> "Can you say 'Manufacturer support', sure you can."
> 
Apple, IBM.  Yes

C=, Atari.   No   (And these are the machines I own)

                        Cheers,
                             Wayne Knapp