wade@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) (11/14/89)
As long as everyone seems to be making all these suggestions as to what
Commodore should do, here is mine...
I think Commodore should look to the future now and start planning a machine
for the '90s. It should take advantage of the Amiga's strengths and avoid
being trapped by its weaknesses. On that note, I'd like to see a 68040
machine using a TI-34020 (or whatever is out then), with the TI graphics
processor replacing the special chips (actually, they should still be included
along with a compatibility mode).
My reasoning is as follows. What makes the Amiga a great machine is the OS.
It is the only multi-tasking enviorment which really fits on a PC. Recently,
I've been forced to target code to an IBM platform, but I still do all my
coding on my Amiga. Multi-tasking is addictive :^). The Amigas graphics are
lagging, and the new "productivity" modes will do little to alieviate the
problem. By switching to the TI graphics co-processors, a future upgrade path
will be assured.
Yes, I realize this would be painful to many of us, but in the end I'd rather
buy a new generation Amiga than have to switch to a 486 based machine running
half-OS (ie: OS/2 :^)). Many programs would have to be rewritten, but with
the proper system level work by Commodore this could be made as painless as
possible. Publishers would be able to sell a major upgrade, so they shouldn't
complain too much.
Multi-Tasking in the wee
hours of the night,
Wade.
UUCP: {nosc ucsd hplabs!hp-sdd}!crash!pnet01!wade
ARPA: crash!pnet01!wade@nosc.mil
INET: wade@pnet01.cts.comjeff@cpoint.UUCP (Jeffrey J. Griglack) (11/15/89)
In article <705@crash.cts.com> wade@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) writes: >being trapped by its weaknesses. On that note, I'd like to see a 68040 >machine using a TI-34020 (or whatever is out then), with the TI graphics >processor replacing the special chips (actually, they should still be included >along with a compatibility mode). >coding on my Amiga. Multi-tasking is addictive :^). The Amigas graphics are >lagging, and the new "productivity" modes will do little to alieviate the >problem. By switching to the TI graphics co-processors, a future upgrade path >will be assured. > I agree with you here. The Amiga needs to do something about its graphics and bus speed. It has been almost 5 years since its release and the machines being shipped today have the same capabilities as the first shipped (okay, today's have expansion slots). If the IBM machines and the clones had done that, the Amiga would have taken over the market the way some were predicting back at the start. The custom graphics chips are and were a good idea, but they have also held back the rest of the machine. I am not sure the old chips should be included. Including them would add to the expense of the machine. Direct fiddling with the custom chips is a damn shame and was frowned upon from the beginning. I think its time to bite the bullet and loose some of the software that takes over the machine and does direct access to the custom chips. Maybe one of the Gurus out there could think of a software way to fool the programs into thinking the custom chips are still there. It would slow things down, but on a faster machine, who cares. >Yes, I realize this would be painful to many of us, but in the end I'd rather >buy a new generation Amiga than have to switch to a 486 based machine running >half-OS (ie: OS/2 :^)). Many programs would have to be rewritten, but with >the proper system level work by Commodore this could be made as painless as >possible. Publishers would be able to sell a major upgrade, so they shouldn't >complain too much. > > Multi-Tasking in the wee > hours of the night, > > Wade. > -- ============================================================================= Now I quess I'll have to tell 'em, that I've got no cerebellum - The Ramones Jeff Griglack {decvax, cybbax0, mirror}!frog!cpoint!jeff =============================================================================