Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
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From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger)
Subject: Re: It's really tough to debate with ignorant...
In-Reply-To: gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu's message of 4 May 91 19:57:35 GMT
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Organization: Penn State Computer Science
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Date: Sat, 4 May 91 21:56:22 GMT
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In article <11772@uwm.edu> gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block) writes:

   > I'm just repeating what Amiga zealots have told me.  Word processing
   > is weak on the Amiga.

   Then you were told wrong, and based your "facts" on hearsay.  Sounds
   like a convincing case, your honor.

No, I'm basing my facts on people who I know that own Amigas.  They'll
be glad to though that they can get better word processors.

   > How many apps have your purchased for your Amiga?  The smallest HD
   > that NeXT ships with there machines is 105MB, of which you have
   > 20-40MB free.  NeXT sells 105MB, 200MB, 400MB, and 600MB systems, if
   > you want more disk space.

   Yes, 20-40mb free, but it doesn't have enough space for everything.
   Why not just go all the way, and get a few 1.2 gb hard drives???  I
   imagine that the 20-40 mb is excluding swap-space for vm?

Everything is a lot of stuff.  I filled up two optical disks(233MB
each) with everything.  There is always more to get if you want it.

   > Of course, the NeXT has IPC.  What do you consider to be a large
   > amount of software?  How much good productivity software can you get
   > for the Amiga?

   Name the application type, and someone can probably name two or three
   good packages.  Can you say the same?

Taxes, accounting, CAD, spreadsheets.  NeXT only has two strong
contenders in one of these(spreadsheets).  The rest are void.  How
many top rated applications exist for the Amiga that are rated as good
as the ones for other computers?

   > 
   > Ok, am I missing something or am I arguing with an idiot?  The Amiga

   Not unless you're talking to yourself again.

Are you the goof who doesn't know how many colors the Amiga has?

   > 500 and friends(A3000 is better...) have 4096 colors which is the same
   > as the NeXTstation color.  2^12 = 4096.  It's pretty bad when a user
   > of a different brand of computer has to give you the facts about your
   > machine.

   No kidding.  Of course, the NEXTSTATION COLOR has that.  And that's
   more money, and then you need a huge hard drive to hold the software,
   and that's more money....  and more ram, and that's more money...

17" color monitors cost a lot.  At a million pixels, how many colors
does the Amiga have?  It is expensive, and I won't be buying one I admit.
It's mono. for me.

   I could slap you for that one.  What do you mean, the average user
   won't need man pages?  Have you lost your mind???  I even sometimes
   need them.  I needed them when I started using workstations.  I use
   them for references, sometimes.  What about all of the other nifty
   software?  And how's about all that workspace that's left???  I think
   maybe 105 mb wouldn't be enough given the things I like to do.  I
   think maybe 650 might fill it nicely.  I do a lot of graphics work.
   And that takes up space on a hard drive.

Then you will have to buy a bigger hard disk or get another computer.
What do you use for a reference on the Amiga?  Do you really thing
everyone needs the man page for fopen() online?

   > leave them off so the machine doesn't cost as much.

   Fooling the user into thinking he can have it all, and then realizing
   he needs more space to really sink his teeth into a nExt.

NeXT publishes what is included on both the small release and the
Extended release of the softare.  I don't see how they're misleading
anyone.

   > I think some of you guys should be required to take a written test
   > before you are allowed on the net.  I'm not saying that all Amiga
   > people are ignorant, but some of you guys definitely are.

   And I think maybe you should know more about what you talk about than
   just what you hear from other users...

I will listen with more caution if that person owns an Amiga.

   > God, I just wasted 15 minutes arguing with someone who doesn't know
   > how many colors his computer has.  What a time sucker?

   I don't remember saying I don't know how many colors my computer has.
   If you can't realize that, you have problems.  I was referring to the
   average NeXT buyer, and his mono system...

You said the A500 had 24 bit color!  You were wrong!

-Mike

