plouff@levers.enet.dec.com (11/23/89)
Some recent postings here have lamented the lack of general recognition for the Amiga name. Some others have suggested taking part in Apple's 'Test Drive' program with the express intent of returning the systems, thereby distorting the program's effectiveness. This got me to thinking... Browse through almost any large-circulation computer or technical magazine, and there will be the latest yuppie treats, offers of free demo disks. I see something I'd like for the Amiga about once every week or two, only to be confronted with the depressing choice of [ ] IBM PC 5-1/4" [ ] IBM PC 3-1/2" [ ] Macintosh 800K Some recent examples are automobile 'test drive' demos, image processing software and (yeah, the guy's got no taste) free starter kits for Prodigy. Lately I've started sending the postage paid cards back with the choice [X] Amiga 3-1/2" penned in. Nobody has called back yet, but when they do, they will hear things like, "Amiga has such good graphics performance, I'm surprised it wasn't your first or second choice," or, "such cost effective performance," or, "such a flexible environment..." You get the idea. So I am advocating that readers of this newsgroup do the same. Send back cards and coupons for demos of things you would really buy for the Amiga, or for yourself, with choice of disk format marked as Amiga. Then reply to "We don't support that computer" statements with mild disbelief that the people who are trying to sell you something could overlook such an obvious choice. Who knows? A little positive action may go a long way in creating the appearance of a vital Amiga community worth spending advertising dollars to woo. And in advertising, appearance is reality. Wes Plouff -- Wes Plouff, Digital Equipment Corp, Littleton, Mass. plouff%levers.enet.dec@decwrl.dec.com Networking bibliography: _Islands in the Net_, by Bruce Sterling _The Matrix_, by John S. Quarterman
LadyHawke@cup.portal.com (Classic - Concepts) (11/24/89)
Well, I vote 3 thumbs down on the idea of exploiting the Mac try-out program with no intent to buy and planning to take the machine back. People's ethics (or lack thereof) continue to amaze me. However, the types of things you suggest (and which I've been doing for sometime), I don't consider mischief at all--such as filling in the name of my system (AMIGA) on surveys, questionnaires, reader service inquiries, registration cards, etc. I also make a point to ASK for Amiga products when I visit stores that don't seem to have any. Either I'm pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprised when they get pulled out of a dark corner, or at least the store KNOWS there are Amiga customers coming in and being disappointed and going away again without purchasing. And better yet, writing to Editors (did you see the line-up in Computer Graphics World--completely devoted to the Amiga on the editor's page?) and insisting that they have a responsibility to provide information relating to your system--especially graphics magazines. And then make sure the information is correct (both yours and theirs). We have a right to accurate reporting, too.
lsr@Apple.COM (Larry Rosenstein) (11/28/89)
In article <24430@cup.portal.com> LadyHawke@cup.portal.com (Classic - Concepts) writes: > Well, I vote 3 thumbs down on the idea of exploiting the Mac try-out > program with no intent to buy and planning to take the machine back. > People's ethics (or lack thereof) continue to amaze me. Plus, consider the situation from the other point of view. What would happen if a bunch of Macintosh people started calling Commodore's 800 number and ordering Amiga information? It seems to me that Commodore would end up the loser in this kind of stunt.