Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
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From: taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett)
Subject: Re: The Amiga's Future
Message-ID: <1991Jun15.115010.17684@news.iastate.edu>
Sender: news@news.iastate.edu (USENET News System)
Reply-To: taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
References: <Alex_Topic.3428@tvbbs.UUCP>,<1991Jun15.112510.17324@news.iastate.edu>
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1991 11:50:10 GMT
Lines: 48

In article <1991Jun15.112510.17324@news.iastate.edu>, taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) writes:
>   Based on my enourmous disappointment with the graphics and color 
>capabilities of the A3000, I am seriously expecting the 32-bit chipset
>to also be extremely disappointing.  If that chipset comes out in 
>summer 1992, more than *SEVEN YEARS* would have passed between the 
>introduction of the original chipset and the introduction of the first
>chipset with actual improvements.  For this much of a time lag to be
>justified, the 32-bit chipset will have to be extremely powerful indeed.
>Given what Commodore has done in the past, I am very justified in my
>doubts that it will be.  
>
>   Amiga -- Yesterday's technology, forever.

   Reading my message again, I realize that I was a bit too harsh, 
especially in a group that is read by so many Commodore development
and support people.  I would like to add some followup thoughts, then.

   The people in the software and hardware R&D departments at Commodore 
are a collection of perhaps some of the finest people in the computer
industry, period.  These people work long hours for practically nothing,
and are rewarded with constant flames from both myself and others about
the state of the Amiga's graphics and color capabilities.

   There is absolutely nothing wrong with these people.  They are doing
a very, very good job, and the Amiga would not even exist now without 
their efforts.  The problem lies much higher up, in Commodore's management.
Commodore just does not have enough of these people, and the few that
they do have are being forced to work longer hours to make up for 
Commodore lack of a sufficiently large develop staff for what they
are trying to do.  The result is that projects (like the 32-bit chipset)
take much longer to complete than they ever should.

   In summary, I would like to stress that I mean nothing negative to the
Commodore R&D and support people who read Usenet.  I really wish the
management people read Usenet, as all of my Commodore flames are directed
at this management, which refuses to hire enough development people to
get projects like the chipset done in a more reasonable amount of time.
If I had my way, I would have Commodore invest enough in R&D to double
the salaries of the people Commodore already has, and hire enough more
people to significantly ease the workload on everyone in the department.
      
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