w-edwinh@microsoft.UUCP (Edwin Hoogerbeets) (11/23/89)
In article <32321@auc.UUCP> rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) writes: >In article <3932@nigel.udel.EDU> WDV91@ccvax.iastate.edu (NetMonster) writes: >> Yes, the Amiga's image is fading. But Commodore can resurrect the Amiga's >> image very easily. Here is what Commodore needs to do: IT IS TIME FOR >> COMMODORE TO TOTALLY ABANDON THE 68000 MICROPROCESSOR, FOR ALL MODELS >> OF THE AMIGA. >Yeah, right. Watch most games break, and many other programs, and prices >shoot throught the ceiling. Most software should not break. This is the great beauty of the Amiga's OS! If you did not do any dirty and *unsupported* tricks, then everything is guaranteed to work on the next version of the OS. The interface does not change, merely the implementation or the CPU underneath it. And Commodore will worry about that for you. For example, one of the earliest games for the Amiga was MindWalker. It works under 1.0 to 1.3 (and, I bet, under 1.4) with hard disk support, multitasking and fast RAM support right from the beginning. Why? Because it followed the rules. Games that are not as well behaved as MindWalker must have some kludges in them in the first place. So, building new machines with 68020's or better should not be a problem. Of course, the 68000's will also get cheaper, so why switch for older machines? This is what C= is doing, in fact. The 3000 will have a newer CPU and the older machines won't, and everything will be compatible. And everyone will live happily ever after. (well, in theory at least ;-) IMHO, for these and many other reasons the Amiga's OS is one of the most well designed OS's you can buy. (yes, including the DOS part -- try doing "crossdos" like things as easily on any other OS) enough ranting Edwin