NetNews Offline 2/NetNews Offline Volume 2.iso/news/comp/sys/amiga/misc-part1/7893

Internet Message Format | 1996-08-05 | 7.4 KB

Path: sdrc.com!sgiis4!crkuntz
From: [e-mail] (Shane Kuntz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.datacomm,comp.sys.amiga.advocacy,comp.sys.amiga.misc,comp.sys.amiga.networking
Subject: Re: New Press Release!
Date: 12 Mar 1996 23:54:23 GMT
Organization: SDRC
Sender: crkuntz@sgiis4 (Shane Kuntz)
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <4i52rf$[e-mail]>
References: <4hvl3t$[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: sgiis4.sdrc.com

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Reg Martin) writes:
|> Shane Kuntz ([e-mail]) wrote:
|> : In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Reg Martin) writes:
|> : |> Shane Kuntz ([e-mail]) wrote:
|> : |> : In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Reg Martin) writes:
|> :
|> :     With the PPC capable of running NT/Mac and soon Amiga (any others?) why
|> :     do you think the pentium would win for quantity?
|>
|> Yes, the PPC can run NT, but that doesn't mean that it can run all (any?)
|> x86 DOS/Windows software.  That is why I asked about the Pentium emulation.
|> I've heard a lot of different answers on that question, and I would
|> genuinely like to know the truth...  I don't think that you can go downtown,
|> pick up a copy of Magic Carpet and expect it to run under NT on your PPC.
|> Somebody correct me if you know I'm wrong...
|>
    I'll have to dig up the article on NT/PPC.  Hopefully no one has ripped
  off the mag from the company library!  :)

|> : |> PPC is fine, but it certainly doesn't make more sense "from just about
|> : |> any standpoint".  How about from the standpoint of the average home
|> : |> user of today.  They'd be kooky to buy a PPC today (if they could even
|> : |> find one).  (Unless of course they are an upgrading Mac user)
|> :
|> :    Why would a PPC be so hard to find?
|>
|> Have YOU ever seen one?  The only PPC machines I've ever seen are
|> PowerMacs.  Pentiums OTOH, are everywhere you look, and are so cheap
|> that they are practically being given away in CrackerJack boxes...
|>
    PowerMacs don't count?  :)   Since NT has been ported to PPC I think they
   will be used to some extent.  Especially if they get a nice multiprocessor
   setup with 620/630.   But who knows.

|> : |> Secondly, I wouldn't get too excited about a PPC Amiga just yet...
|> :
|> : After the Commodore liquidation, losing many developers, seeing amiga software
|> : disappear from store shelves, having overpriced machines (having them at all
|> : is a good thing however), etc..  I *will* get excited about the chance
|> : for some new hardware to breathe life back into my choice in computing.
|>
|> Okay, then don't get *over*excited. :)  I just have a feeling that you're
|> setting yourself up for a let-down...
|>
    Perhaps.  Even if AT doesn't come through  I think Phase5 will.  A let-down?
   With all the above I've mentioned it would be just another drop in the bucket.

|> : |> Nobody knows much about these machines yet (seeing as how they don't
|> : |> exist, and there havn't been any serious reports on their specs), and even
|> : |> if they DO arrive (Yes, I said "IF") I have some pretty serious doubts
|> : |> about their compatability with 680x0 based Amiga software...  I think that
|> :
|> :     With the Macs compatibility from 68K to PPC I think a bulk of the serious
|> :   Apps will survive the transition.  Also with the prospect of having many
|> :   developers offer PPC versions is even more exciting.  :)
|>
|> I'm sure that a bulk of the serious apps will survive too...  However,
|> there is a LOT more to most Amiga owners software collection than
|> "serious apps".  Considering the small amount of "serious apps" the
|> Amiga has, it would barely be worthwhile to emulate if that was all

   I guess that depends on the definition of "serious" and "small amount".  :)

  Personally,  I've found everything I need and of good quality.

|> you were going to get...  Just because the Mac was able to do it doesn't
|> mean that the Amiga will.  Mac software in general is a helluva lot more
|> abstracted from the hardware than Amiga software.
|>
     Since the Mac was successful in porting 68K code to PPC,  AT can use
    their knowledge (if a deal is struck) to help them port.
     I agree that Mac software will make the transition better than Amiga
   software unless the port has an excellent emulation mode.

|> : |> PowerAmigas ought to stay out of advocacy discussions until somebody at
|> : |> least knows exactly what they are going to be, and preferably not until
|> : |> we hear that AmigaTech has "Shadow of the Beast" running in a window on
|> : |> Workbench4.0PPC.
|> :
|> :    Shadow of the Beast?  Probably not.  Not that I would care at all.
|> :    ImageFx?  Lightwave? Imagine? Scala?  and other biggies?  Those I *do*
|> :    care about.  :)
|>
|> Hmm...  I'd even be impressed if they got Scala or Lightwave to run.
|> My point is that we have no way of knowing what the PPC machines are
|> going to be, so IMO they don't really have much of a place in a serious
|> argument just yet...  Ideally they should stay out of the discussion
|> until they are actually available, but I think at the very least you're
|> going to need something more substantial than hopes and dreams about
|> the PowerAmigas in order to advocate them.

   If you can get everyone else that speaks of prerelease material to quit
  I will gladly oblige.  How many posts did I see for prerelease Win95?  MANY.
  Copland? truckloads.  other vapor,etc?  a slew.
  I don't need anything more substantial than the announcement from AT and
  the board from Phase5 to talk about PPC.  Advocate?  not yet..

|>
|> :    AmigaTech has stuck to their word so far.  They brought back the machines,
|> :   have developed a new OS version, a Surfer pack, and have a revamped 1200
|> :   on the way.  With Phase V working with amigatech and them having a PPC
|> :   prototype board already. I think the prospects of a PPC Amiga are *very*
|> :   good indeed.   I'd give up talking about it but I heard plenty about Win95
|> :   before it's release and Copland now.  Why should I?  Hell, I may even make
|> :   up some good vapor hardware just to piss people off.
|>
|> Granted they've done everything that they said they would (so far), but
|> IMO they havn't said or done enough, and some of what they said and
|> did, they did wrong IMO...  You can hardly compare the Win95 hooplah to
|> the PowerAmiga hooplah.  I don't think that there was ever any question
|> that a company like MicroSoft would come through eventually.  AmigaTech
|> just isn't in that same situation though...
|>
    Wow.. you're comparing MS to AT?  Definately not the same situation.

   I don't think we'd have seen a lot of Win95 hoopla if they stopped making
  X86 machines for a couple of years and MS bought the broken bones of a
  liquidated company 2 years before Win95's release.  :)

   I think AT has done a remarkable job so far.  They've put machines back on
  the shelf within 6 months of purchasing C=, developed an internet package,
  made plans/development for the jump to a new chip, revamping the 1200 with
  a bit more horsepower/expandibility,  had press releases and showed up at
  many conventions.

  How much more would you have them do in the year that they have actually
  owned the rights to C=????

   Just the mess C= left behind had to take quite some time to sort through!

Shane


|> Reg Martin