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From: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Subject: Re: Amiga OS *IS* state of the art, but the NeXT is better
Message-ID: <1991Apr3.075121.18084@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
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Reply-To: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
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References: <.$2G0ysf1@cs.psu.edu> <1991Apr3.045757.24803@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <zs6G8pxf1@cs.psu.edu>
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1991 07:51:21 GMT

In article <zs6G8pxf1@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>
>In article <1991Apr3.045757.24803@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita) writes:
>
>
>   >Then again, you need a flicker fixer.  People might
>   >go for VGA machines instead.
>   >
>	   The A3000 has one built in and the cost of one is under $250.
>
>I know the A3000 has one built in, but that isn't Commodore's $1000
>machine.  People don't want to screw around with a flicker fixer, they
>want to pull the computer out of the box and start typing.  Besides,

	Wait, wait, wait. Aren't you saying that the NeXT is the
great machine? They don't even HAVE a model for the $1,000 area.
The flicker-fixer can be added to an A2000, i.e. anything but an
A500, and there is an adaptor for A500s made by third-parties (I
believe ICD?). And, as to it not being in the machine, if you
have a competent dealer they will install it for you.


>Isn't a Toaster being made for the Mac?  And don't forget to watch out
>for the NeXTDimension board from NeXT.
>
(I hate to this, but it is well deserved)

BZZZZZT    Wrong answer! But thank you for playing!
	NewTek is definitely not making a Toaster for the Mac.
While there are Apple companies who claim to be making similar
devices, that is to be expected. I have seen no price estimates,
and of course there is no hardware to SEE on the mac, just
advertisements. Lots of vapor.

>People aren't going to buy an Amiga(or NeXT) just because it has
>acceptable software, if they can get a Mac that does the same thing
>better.  Very competitive software is needed!
>
	That's why the Amiga has the best character generation
software and the best 3-D modeling software of anything in its
price range. Yes, a niche market, but that is how Apple started,
not so?

>Good to hear?  I hope it reads/write DOS diskettes.  What's their
>capacity?  Why didn't they just use the 2.88MB floppies like NeXT did,
>or the 1.44MB drives that have been around for a couple of years?
>
	The problem is that the standard Amiga disk-drive port
uses the Agnus for decoding the info. In order to get
high-density from Applied Engineering, they had the drive run at
half speed. I don't know what Commodore did. Not all Amiga's have
a SCSI port. The capacity is 1.76MB. And I'm sure that programs
like CrossDOS will be made to support them.

>	   Not if they've only sold 20,000 new machines! If, after
>   the initial burst of sales from the new machine launches, they've
>   only made that many sales, then they can never make a profit (nor
>   will Lotus or Word Perfect) and they will simply survive until
>   Steve Jobs runs out of money with which to fund the company.
>
>Of course!
>
>	   And, BTW, they've already made a mark. That doesn't mean
>   they'll be around in the long term. Commodore, however, will be,
>   as they are making a clear profit and their sales are growing.
>
>And that doesn't mean that Commodore will be around either.  They did
>go through some bad years a while back.
>
	Yes, but there were never really any good years for the
Amiga at that point. Now it has made its mark. Obviously the
Amiga won't last forever, but Commodore can be considered a sure
thing for the next 5-10 years, at least if stock-market analysts
are to be believed. They've rated Commodore a 'strong-buy' and
have said that it is a company to watch for in the 90s.

>-Mike


	-- Ethan

Q: How many Comp Sci majors does it take to change a lightbulb
A: None. It's a hardware problem.
