mrios@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Rios) (04/21/89)
(...and then I'll work on GEOS for the Amiga...) First, let me thank everyone for giving advice to a true-blue new user. I have saved the output and will reread it over the weekend, adding to my wish list. Next, some questions and comments from a new kid on the block: - I'm getting sick of one drive. Swapping is getting on my nerves already. I'm also tired of error 103 appearing. What's more important to a happy system? Another drive (hard or floppy)? More memory (remember, this is a 500)? To make this question easier to answer, I'll say that this was originally meant to be a game machine for me, but will probably open out into a C development machine and a terminal to connect to work (Handshake is such a neat program!). Games will probably be really high on my list, though. - Is there any reason to even consider purchasing Commodore's modem over any other? Hayes compatable, right? - Who really needs CLI?? Maybe this attitude will change once I get the hang of it (and another drive?). Books and gurus seem to be the way to go here. Any good recommendations for a book geared towards the experienced UNIX hack on learing CLI? That's about all for now. Again, thanks to everyone for all their help. -- Michael Rios attih!ihlpb!mrios AT&T Secret Police 20231192189121297114420851912920825201522219494725185114479132125914208523125
disd@hubcap.clemson.edu (Gary Heffelfinger) (04/21/89)
From article <10272@ihlpb.ATT.COM>, by mrios@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Rios): > (...and then I'll work on GEOS for the Amiga...) > > First, let me thank everyone for giving advice to a true-blue new user. I > have saved the output and will reread it over the weekend, adding to my wish > list. > > Next, some questions and comments from a new kid on the block: > > - I'm getting sick of one drive. Swapping is getting on my nerves I don't blame you. :-) > already. I'm also tired of error 103 appearing. What's more > important to a happy system? Another drive (hard or floppy)? > More memory (remember, this is a 500)? If you can swing it, buy a hard disk. I've owned Amigas since Summer of '86 and I've loved them, but love took on a whole new meaning when I bought my hard disk earlier this year. For C programming, you just can't beat the fast access, and the "vast" space. I don't think I could go back to a floppy-only Amiga now. Having said that, let me also say that I don't know how easy it is to add a hard disk to a 500. I'm currently using a 2000, and it was painfully easy to add one. Floppies are considerably easier to add. > > To make this question easier to answer, I'll say that this was > originally meant to be a game machine for me, but will probably > open out into a C development machine and a terminal to connect > to work (Handshake is such a neat program!). Games will probably > be really high on my list, though. If games are high, then a floppy should be too. Many commerical games run better if you have a second drive. Precious few commercial games will allow you to install them on your HD. (Though that may be changing, slowly.) Most commercial games still run in 512K, so having a 3M Amiga isn't necessary for game playing. (There are PD/FD games that will run better in >1M, though. [Amiga Moria, for one.]) > > - Is there any reason to even consider purchasing Commodore's > modem over any other? Hayes compatable, right? No reason that I know of. We use a non-Hayes, DEC Scholar modem and life is fine. > > - Who really needs CLI?? Maybe this attitude will change once I You do, if you plan to program in C. I believe that some of the Amiga Modula-2 compilers will run from the WorkBench, but Manx and Lattice C do not. > get the hang of it (and another drive?). Books and gurus seem > to be the way to go here. Any good recommendations for a book > geared towards the experienced UNIX hack on learing CLI? Your attitude will probably change when you get another drive (hard or soft) and/or more RAM. I lived with 1 drive with my old 1000, for a year before I could afford another floppy drive. I know what a pain it was to use CLI. I used Matt Dillon's shell at that time so that I could keep my sanity. Now, as much as I respect Matt for his shell, I still wouldn't advocate it as a replacement for disk or RAM, but it was a great for a short while. CLI really isn't so bad. 1.3's Amiga Shell make CLI downright comfortable. Before the shell, I used William Hawes' Conman, but I'm using NEWCON now because I feel more comfortable using C= supported programs. Get the official Amiga DOS manual (it's name escapes me at the moment). I don't think there's a 1.3 version, but between the 1.2 version and the paperwork that comes in the 1.3 package you ought to be okay. Under normal circumstances I'd recommend that you use ARP (AmigaDOS Replacement Project, which replaces and enhances the CLI commands), but since ARP 1.3 is still fresh off the presses and, despite the excellent efforts of cheath and crew, still has a few bugs, you might want to cut your teeth with the Commodore stuff. Good luck. When the disk swaps get you down, take a deep breath, get out your check book, and write a check for a new drive. :-) Gary -- Gary R Heffelfinger - disd@hubcap.clemson.edu "If it should become necessary to fight, could you arrange to find me some rocks to throw at them?" W.T. Riker
phoenix@ms.uky.edu (R'ykandar Korra'ti) (04/21/89)
In article <10272@ihlpb.ATT.COM> you write: >(...and then I'll work on GEOS for the Amiga...) Otay! My day has been made! P-) > - I'm getting sick of one drive. Swapping is getting on my nerves > already. I'm also tired of error 103 appearing. What's more > important to a happy system? Another drive (hard or floppy)? > More memory (remember, this is a 500)? I'm also a 500 owner (the term "user" gives me the screaming heebie jeebies, for some reason), and I was in the same situation as you are. I went for the memory first, and still think it was the better idea. The BEST idea is to get both, as I now have. However, the extra RAM will allow you to set up a reasonable RAM:C directory (added to your path of course) wherein you couild copy your commonly used CLI commands, and whatever else you felt like putting in there. Also, a few games are beginning to require one meg of RAM. > - Is there any reason to even consider purchasing Commodore's > modem over any other? Hayes compatable, right? Not that I've seen. I bought a Mitsuba a while ago and have been perfectly happy with it - actually, I'm on my second; the first got fried by a power surge on the telephone line, but that's not its fault. > - Who really needs CLI?? Maybe this attitude will change once I > get the hang of it (and another drive?). Books and gurus seem > to be the way to go here. Any good recommendations for a book > geared towards the experienced UNIX hack on learing CLI? Everybody needs CLI eventually, unless they're sticking with things like pre-packaged software. You do telecom; you'll find that most of the things (if not everything!) that you download will be ARCed or ZIPped or whatever, and that's best done from CLI. Since not all files have icons (unlike in GEOS, wherein every file automatically as at least SOME sort of icon, even if it's that silly "C64" thing), you can't see them all from workbench. Again, this is particularlly true (in my experience) with public domain stuff. Anyway, hope all this helps. - R'ykandar. -- | "Signature, hell! I can barely print!" | phoenix@ukma.bitnet | Plink: | | "Who let him in here?" - Tom Smith | CIS: 72406,370 | Skywise | | "Yes, that IS my real name. No, I'm NOT joking." | QLink: Bearclaw |
dmg@ssc-vax.UUCP (David Geary) (04/22/89)
In article <10272@ihlpb.ATT.COM>, Michael Rios writes:
. First, let me thank everyone for giving advice to a true-blue new user. I
. have saved the output and will reread it over the weekend, adding to my wish
. list.
.
. Next, some questions and comments from a new kid on the block:
.
. - I'm getting sick of one drive. Swapping is getting on my nerves
. already. I'm also tired of error 103 appearing. What's more
I got sick of one drive after having a 256K Amiga + one drive for
about 30 minutes. The day I bought it, I went back and got 256K more
memory and a second drive!
. important to a happy system? Another drive (hard or floppy)?
. More memory (remember, this is a 500)?
Well, it depends upon what you'll use the Amiga for. Oh, look below!
.
. To make this question easier to answer, I'll say that this was
. originally meant to be a game machine for me, but will probably
. open out into a C development machine and a terminal to connect
. to work (Handshake is such a neat program!). Games will probably
. be really high on my list, though.
Ah, that's better ;-). Hey, that's exactly what my Amiga gets to do.
When it's not the rainy season around here (see .sig below...),
I like to fool around with C on my machine, and I use a modem to connect
to Usenet at work. Also, I've always been a video game addict.
So, I'd recommend more memory. Like 2.5 M more, minimum. With 2.5M,
I can load Lattice C 5.02, along with selected utilities like CodeProbe,
grep, make, etc. and have plenty of room for source code and compiled
executables. (Or, I can load all of SideWinder into RAM, and not
have to wait for disk access between levels ;-)
.
. - Is there any reason to even consider purchasing Commodore's
. modem over any other? Hayes compatable, right?
????? I have an Avatex, or something like that.
.
. - Who really needs CLI?? Maybe this attitude will change once I
. get the hang of it (and another drive?). Books and gurus seem
I can't imagine any Amiga whose owner considers his machine a
"C development machine" that uses workbench all the time.
. to be the way to go here. Any good recommendations for a book
. geared towards the experienced UNIX hack on learing CLI?
Well, it depends upon what you mean by gurus ;-). Really, you should
check out a PD shell that is somewhat csh compatible. I use the Cshell
written by Matt Dillon, and enhanced by numerous others. When I use
the csh on the Amiga, I can pretend I'm at work on my Sun 3/60.
--
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~ David Geary, Boeing Aerospace, Seattle ~
~ "I wish I lived where it *only* rains 364 days a year" ~
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