[comp.sys.amiga] C128-Amiga

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (12/15/89)

In <1555@rodan.acs.syr.edu>, jacurtis@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Jeff Curtis) writes:
>   1)  Does anyone have any serious complaints about either hardware 
>       or the operating system?

No. Each revision of the OS has fixed bugs or anomalies, and we are more in a
mode of thinking about improvements for revisions to come. The earliest OS revs
were best described as 'unstable', but the ideas werre there, and the furtue
was planned for in many ways.

>   2)  Since I have tons of 64 software and I know that there is a
>       64 emulation, I plan at least for awhile to use some of it.
>       Since all of it is on 5.25" disks is there a 5.25" floppy 
>       disk drive available and how is the 64 Emulator and will it
>       work with GEOS?

I haven't actually used any of the C64 emulators, but there aren't a lot of
rave reviews of them forthcoming. I moved from a C64 and C128 to the Amiga, and
kept the 128 around for the same reason you want to run the emulators. As it
turned out, the only thing I ran on the 128 was a telecom program, and did that
only because at the time, there were no telecom programs at all available for
the Amiga. The 128 was a good machine, but the Amiga so far overshadowed it
that I ended up giving it to a niece and nephew. That was in late '85, so as
you can imagine, the software situation is _much_ better now (nearly 300 disks
in the Fred Fish collection now). I would recommend saving the money you would
spend on the 64 emulator and buy Disk2Disk to bring over your data files if you
have a lot of them, and spend the rest on....

>   3)  I love MS-Word for the Macintosh. Is there any word processing
>       program that is similar to MS-Word for the Mac?  Which word
>       processing and Desktop publishing programs would you recommend?

... Amax, the Mac emulator. I don't know for sure, but I think it will run
Word. There are quite a few word processors available that run native on the
Amiga as well, and you should probably check them out too, but if Word is your
favourite, you can probably have it.

>   4)  What is a good modem and telecommunications program for the 
>       Amiga (at least 1200 bps)

Pick a modem, any modem. Supra makes a nice little 2400 BPS Hayes compatible
that can be had for perhaps $150 (they are about $230 in Canada. Your mileage
may vary).

For terminal software, there are a number of choices, in freeware, shareware, and
commercial offerings.

Stay away from (in my opinion)
  Diga!
  Online!
  Amigaterm

Worth looking at:

   Commercial:
      Atalk

   Shareware:
      Access!
      CoComm
      JRComm

   Freeware:
      Aterm

   Unknown, but either shareware or free:
      VLT
      Handshake
      Comm

I have left out a number of terminal programs due to unfamiliarity with them.

-larry

--
" All I ask of my body is that it carry around my head."
         - Thomas Alva Edison -
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|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
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jacurtis@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Jeff Curtis) (12/16/89)

I have finally grown out of my (ugh) Commodore 128 and am considering 
purchasing an Amiga 500.  However I have a few questions before I plan
on spending at least $500 for it.

	1)  Does anyone have any serious complaints about either hardware 
	    or the operating system?

	2)  Since I have tons of 64 software and I know that there is a
	    64 emulation, I plan at least for awhile to use some of it.
	    Since all of it is on 5.25" disks is there a 5.25" floppy 
	    disk drive available and how is the 64 Emulator and will it
	    work with GEOS?

	3)  I love MS-Word for the Macintosh. Is there any word processing
	    program that is similar to MS-Word for the Mac?  Which word
	    processing and Desktop publishing programs would you recommend?

	4)  What is a good modem and telecommunications program for the 
	    Amiga (at least 1200 bps)

Thanks for any help anyone can qive me.  You may either post your responses
or E-mail them to me.

Jeff

Internet jacurtis@rodan.acs.syr.edu