lcs@remus.rutgers.edu (Lyle C. Seplowitz) (01/05/91)
If this is posted twice, I appologize. I tried to cancel the first. If you read that one, then disregard this message as it is generally the same except for the last paragraph (which has been deleted). lncjb@cc.nu.oz.au writes: >I was down at the newsagents not long ago, wondering where the hell > COMPUTE!64 had disappeared to (has it gone under?) when I notice > one of the British computing game magazines had a feature on the > 'Commodore GC' - a game console based on the 64. I was in a > state of shock for the next 5 minutes,,, the historic CBM64 > being offically declared a 'games machine' :-X To give you some good news first, COMPUTE!'s Gazette is still alive. It merged with COMPUTE! when Omni Magazine took over the company. I have bought the last two issues and have been generally impressed. While it is still MS-DOS based, there is decent coverage of the Amiga and the C64/128. In fact, those are the only computers the magazine covers. The December issue did offer 8 pages to the Mac, but that disappeared in the January issue. Anyway, the C64/128 coverage isn't bad, although I would like to see more reviews. As before, they publish a number of programs (which seem to be of good quality). To get back to the bad news, in the January issue of COMPUTE!, I read something that is really discouraging. In the Amiga column, "Abstractions" by Arlan Levitah, he discusses the disordered state of Commodore. Now, most of us are probably use to this news. However, lately Commodore seems to be trying really hard to turn things around. At least I thought they were. Aparently they let things fall apart--in other words, from what Levitah writes, Commodore is blowing it. CDTV, an excellent idea, was not released on time and now is delayed, maybe even indefinetly. The Amiga line is falling to its competition for failure of Commodore to keep the machine up to date. Even Amiga UNIX is in trouble, possible like CDTV, never to see the light of day. To top it off, Levitah writes, "Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, Commodore has released a computer in game-machine clothing...With no CDTV's to ship, Commodore has come up with a plan to empty those warehouses chock-full of Commodore 64s that can't be given away for love nor money. Those crazy Brits have unleased the 64GS, a mutated, keyboardless C64 with a cartridge slot and joystick ports. Commodore is packing four games into each cartridge in an effort to fend off increasing sales of game machines in England and Western Europe." All of this is making me question if Commodore is really worth the effort. I was seriously considering buying an Amiga before the end of 1991. Now I am seriously considering looking elsewhere. I have owned only Commodore computers, from the Vic 20, to the 64, and now the 128. Although the Amiga has almost everything I want in a computer, I also want a company to support it. After having the campus here (Rutgers, New Brunswick) littered with flyers advertising the Amiga 3000, I thought Commodore was finally trying to turn around. However, they may have made the biggest blunder that could ruin the company. I'm only giving my feelings after reading that article, I'm not saying that Commodore is doomed--I certainly hope not! WHAT'S GOING ON COMMODORE? GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER...while your owners are willing to forgive, would-be customers aren't so nice. If anyone has any additional information, please post it.