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Amiga Update (1998-06-13)
======================================================================
_ __ _ <>_ __ _ ||
/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || A M I G A U P D A T E
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || -News and Rumors-
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_|| (An Occasional Newsletter)
KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING ||
======================================================================
AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Gateway, Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
980613
A I " F A Q " O N P L A N A N N O U C E M E N T
T H E L A T E S T F R O M A M I W E S T 9 8
Y A M A H A R E W R I T A B L E C D S S U P P O R T A M I G A
F O U N D A T I O N M A I L I N G L I S T F O U N D E D
I F Y O U D O N ' T W A N T W I N D O W S . . .
A M I G A Y E L L O W P A G E S P R E M I E R
E A S Y W R I T E R F R O M H A A G E & P A R T N E R
I C O A U S E R R E P E L E C T I O N , R O U N D T W O
D E M O O F G E N E T I C S P E C I E S A V A I L A B L E
N E W A M I G A M A G A Z I N E O N G A M E S
" M A G E " F O R P P C A M I G A S , O T H E R S
S O M E G O O D N E W S A B O U T Y U G O S L A V I A
Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:
We have a long one for you this time, because there's a lot of Amiga
news, and because we received a lot of mail from readers. We asked for
your thoughts about the Amiga's future in light of what's been
revealed of Amiga Incorporated's plans. This is the second issue with
letters on that topic, and we'll stop here for now. Thanks to all who
sent us mail. We wish we could have used them all, but we have
presented a balanced sample. Some letters were simply too large to use
without pretty much consuming the entire newsletter. If we hit or
exceed 60K bytes in size, some readers' mailboxes fail to accept the
newsletter.
We have some unusual items for you this time also. We hope you enjoy
them.
Brad Webb,
Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail to the E-ditor
=====================
A GRAPHICAL POINT OF VIEW
26 May 1998
Dear E-ditor, (I think that's cute),
Here are my reactions to the news about the FUTURE
* I'm excited. It sounds good to me.
* I have now come to the point where I am thinking about what my next
Amiga should look like. Should I get a BoXer, or Pre/Box?
* I want PPC. However, the question is: Will this NEW chip make PPC
useless? out of date? Should I stll invest in PPC anyway?
* Basically I want to get something that will last me a hell of a
long time (like my present Amiga). I don't care all that much about
philosophical debates on custom chips, x86, or competing with
MicroBorg.
* An Amiga by my definition has an efficient and elegant OS,
multitasks, and doesn't interfer with an artists mode of work. The
hardware is unimportant to me because the hardware can and should
change.
* To those that think EVERYBODY in the US has a PC sitting next to
their Amiga - think again. I don't and never will!!! Yes, I've used
PC's, Mac's, and Amigas at work (special effects) but those are not my
machines. I wouldn't spend my hard earned $$$ on a piece of crap. Only
Amiga for me.
* Win95 machine is a bloated OS trying to overcome basically old
technology. This is NOT what I want AI to sell us (Amiga users). I
don't think they will, but they should understand that we CHOOSE
Amigas, we don't settle for them.
* Have you noticed that Fleecy Moss speaks in run-on sentences?
* I'd love to make a movie and have one of the credits read:
computers used in the production of this film - AMIGA Now THAT would
be a kick in the pants to the gates-borg!
* while I suspect I will need some sort of Tower for now, I have
additional needs for the future. Like a laptop amiga (PPC) running
(what else) ImageFX and able to interface with a digital camera.
That's because I hope that I'll be wandering the Scottish hills
looking for film locations, snapping pics like crazy and manipulatin'
stuff in ImageFX.
* I like the energy involved in the OS. Good for them. Keep it up.
* If anyone wants to send me new hardware to test, I'll take the
challenge.
cecilia, Past, Present and Future Amiga user/owner
-------
Cecilia,
I suspect you speak for many Amigans, thanks for stating your
thoughts so well. And no, I really hadn't noticed that about Mr. Moss.
We'll be watching him more closely ... 8-)
Brad
-------
IS ANYTHING REALLY HAPPENING?
Mon, 25 May 1998
Dear Mr. Webb,
Gee, maybe something is happening out there. But I'll only believe it
when I see it.
In the meantime, what would be nice with a new machine is: the ease
of Amiga's OS to the user. Backward compatiblility be darned. I've got
an Amiga 500 OS 1.3 to run some really neat old stuff, and this Amiga
1200 OS 3.0 to run the more recent really neat stuff. The new machine
should be able to run the truly OS compliant stuff (only about 10% of
it, though, oh well), but even if it can't: who cares!! Lots of
colors, speed, easy to use Workbench AND easy to use CLI which work
really well and are easy to communicated with each other, Keep That,
please.
Anyway, that's my vote. Oh, and make it easy to convert if not run
the City loads of that other software that I'm managing to live
without but would prefer not to -- that would be nice, too.
That's my vote. Thanks for the neat publication, both via Email, and
your written version.
Best regards,
Mike Phebus
-------
Mike,
Appreciate your thoughts. Ease of use of the OS seems to be an
important item to many people. I know it is to me, also.
By "written version" I'm assuming you mean "The Amiga Informer".
While we have an informal association between "Amiga Update" and the
Informer, I should point out they are separate publications even
though I do write for the Informer.
Brad
-------
WE ASK FOR MAIL, WE GET MAIL ...
So, you want mail? I'll give you mail. (Perhaps the scarcity of mail
is because people have more questions than answers, and are waiting
for more information.)
First, I am relieved to learn that Gateway/AI are taking substantial,
intelligent steps to revive our beloved platform. This is a Good
Thing. However, I have
Questions:
Since the November 98 Bridge Amiga and 99 5.0 Amigas will have no
Zorro slots, what happens to Amiga companies that have made Zorro,
CPU-Slot, video cards?
What about the whole PPC upgrade path, and people who have already
spent a lot of money on expensive PPC cards?
I don't think that "screw them" is an acceptable answer if our Amiga
community, that Gateway claims to respect, is to thrive.
Is there anything I can do to make my Amiga run lots faster, better,
until the New, Windows-Free 99 Amiga is out?
I was planning to buy an "Alien Boxer" from AntiGravity. What do I do
now?
If I do wait for the 99 Amiga 5.0, will it run "Classic" Amiga
software?
Will it run that software more slowly than the 060 machines?
I don't think forcing Amiga users to throw out all their old software
is a good strategy.
Will waiting for the 99 Amiga 5.0 and not buying the "Bridge" mess up
The Plan, the future of the Amiga?
I've wanted better sound on the Amiga for many years. Will the
Boxer+ISA+vaporware drivers allow me to use PeeCee sound cards? What
about software?
Will the "Bridge" Amiga allow me to use PeeCee sound/MIDI cards? What
about software?
Do I have to wait two more years before I can get an Amiga with
modern sound, MIDI, and music tools? (Modern=features,
price/performance less than two years old).
What does the scrapping of 3.5 mean for the status of integral
AHI/Retargetable Sound?
Perhaps we will see some better answers developing to these questions
in a few weeks.
Comments:
I have no Microsoft Software in my house (mumble mumble ADOS 1.3
Amiga Basic mumble mumble). Not a cent to Bill.
I am quite happy with this state of affairs.
Windows sucks. This is a fact I never tire of pointing out to my
PeeCee-using peers, with a smug glee. They have been conditioned: a
raised eyebrow and a hint of a sneer is all I need these days.
I use a Windows 95 PII 233 at work on a daily basis. The better I
understand it, the worse it looks. When I run UAE on it, it sucks
less, but it still sucks.
It would be a difficult thing to bring a Windows/Bridge Amiga into my
house.
ramiro
PS Do whatever you feel is appropriate as far as editing, excerpting,
correcting the more egregious mistakes, etc., but please preserve the
sense of what I am saying. (I.E., don't you dare change a word. Not a
single letter, do you hear me?)
-------
Ramiro,
Printed EXACTLY as received, 'cept for one typo (just a small change,
honest!)
The mail picked up over time, as you suggest might be the case. And
as you letter shows, Amigans are giving the news from Amiga Inc. a
great deal of careful thought.
My understanding is Amiga Inc. is not counting on sales of the Bridge
Amiga, it's just there to get development going. However, for those
non-developers who want one, it will apparently be available.
Brad
-------
WANT ONE FOR SMALL BUSINESS USE
26 May 1998
HI Brad,
Thanks for your newsletter. Great job!!! I am one of "those" users
who only use an Amiga for word processing, E-Mail, spreadsheets, etc.
In fact, I run a small business out of my home using only my Amiga
1200, '040. I also have a big Pentium at work, but still prefer my
Amiga. When the dust settles, I hope to continue to use an Amiga. I
don't mind an interim solution until the great mystery chip appears. I
just want backwards comparability and a compact easy to use interface.
Dennis Bonner
-------
Dennis,
Another vote for a general purpose Amiga, which I think will be no
problem. Backwards compatibility? Only time will tell on that one.
Thanks for writing.
Brad
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A I " F A Q " O N P L A N A N N O U C E M E N T
Frequently Asked Questions About Announcement at World of Amiga and
Amiga Incorporated's answers:
Are you abandoning the Amiga?
No, we are focusing our efforts on the development of the next
generation architecture and operating system. We are working with
third parties to create an open architecture necessary to bring the
Amiga back for the future.
Isn't the new Amiga really just a PC with Amiga slapped into it?
While it is true that the next generation of Amiga will use the x.86
platform as a development system, this is meant to be used as a bridge
to take the Amiga to version 5.0. Amiga 5.0 is a brand new Amiga,
using the most evolutionary and revolutionary technology of software
and hardware architectures.
Why didn't you choose PowerPC for the next generation Amiga platform?
The Motorola roadmap does not match our vision for the future that we
have targeted for the Amiga. The Amiga Classic line will continue to
support PPC as an accelerator the current systems.
So do I just throw away all of my Amiga applications and start over?
No. The Amiga 4.0 will support most of your existing applications
through software emulation. We are working with another third party
hardware vendor to develop a hardware add-on (Amiga Classic Card) that
will make the bridge system backwards compatible.
Are you really abandoning the Amiga OS and licensing another OS?
We are NOT abandoning the Amiga OS. We are investigating the option
of leveraging a state of the art kernel of another OS to speed the
development process and decrease our time to market the next
generations of the Amiga OS.
Summary
We are focusing our energy on bringing the Amiga technology and the
community into the 21st century, ahead of the pack. We will target our
efforts on the operating system and an open architecture necessary to
truly be a leader in the multimedia, digital convergence marketplace.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
T H E L A T E S T F R O M A M I W E S T 9 8
12 Jun 1998
-------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
-------------------------------------
AmiWest98, the first Amiga West Coast computer show in over four
years, is proud to announce that Carl Sassenrath, Amiga pioneer and
developer of the REBOL language will be present to give a seminar on
REBOL and to be one of our banquet speakers. Carl was the Manager of
Operating Systems for Commodore Amiga, Inc. and designed and
implemented the Amiga OS.
Join us at the Ramada Inn in Sacramento, California on July 11th and
12th, 1998. This showcase of Amiga talent is being jointly sponsored
by the Sacramento Amiga Computer Club, the Redwood Empire Amiga Users
Group, and other West Coast user groups and is officially sanctioned
by Amiga, Inc. and the Industry Council Open Amiga (ICOA).
The entire Amiga, Inc. Management team will be present headed by
Managing Director Jeff Schindler. Amiga, Inc will have a new MAJOR
announcement on the future of the Amiga.
Also present will be Petro Tyschtschenko, President of Amiga
International, Inc. Petro will be coming all the way from Germany and
will have on sale the now famous Amiga theme CD, "Back for the
Future".
ICOA, the official developer arm for the Amiga, will be hosting a
three day Developer's Conference at the show. The main events will be
held on July 11th and 12th with seminars and developer sessions
spanning the three days between Friday, July 10th and Sunday, July
12th.
Admission to the event is as follows:
$8 (One day Pass - Paid by July 1, 1998)
$10 (One day Pass - Paid at the door)
$12 (Two day pass - Paid by July 1, 1998)
$15 (Two day pass - Paid at the door)
The buffet banquet on Saturday evening, July 11th will feature both
Jeff Schindler and Carl Sassenrath as guest speakers. Banquet tickets
are $25 per plate and MUST be paid in advance. Seating is limited and
tickets for the banquet are available on a first come, first served
basis.
For more information contact either Alan Crandall at
alanwall@sonic.net or John Zacharias at jzachar@calweb.com or write to
us at:
AmiWest98
c/o Sacramento Amiga Computer Club
P.O. Box 19784
Sacramento, CA 95819-0784
Come visit us at our web site:
http://www.sacc.org/amiwest/
Our fax number is 1-916-369-7232.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Y A M A H A R E W R I T A B L E C D S S U P P O R T A M I G A
SAN JOSE, Calif.-- The new generation Yamaha CRW2216E with 2X write,
2X rewrite and 16X read speeds and the CRW4216S with 4X write, 2X
rewrite, and 16X read will be shown at PC Expo in New York in the
Yamaha Systems Technology Inc. Booth No. 4587.
The two new drives represent the fastest read speeds of any CD-RW
drive on the market, and boast the same high reliability of the
previous members of the award-winning Yamaha Multifunction CD-RW
drives. Both are available for the retail and OEM markets.
The CRW2216E will be shown with an ATAPI (IDE) interface; the
CRW4216S will be shown with a SCSI interface. (Both will be available
later, with both interfaces.) All of the features of the earlier CD-RW
drives from Yamaha are incorporated as well, in the same half-height,
5-1/4 inch space.
In a related announcement, Yamaha Japan has completed a higher
capacity production line for the CD-RW products, to meet the
ever-growing demands of the CD-RW drive marketplace. The new
production line is up and running.
"These announcements reflect Yamaha's continuing response to the
needs of the market," said Dean Quarnstrom, CDR Sales Manager for the
Yamaha CD-RW product line. "The consumer looking for a lower priced
CD-RW with 2X write speed will love the high quality and fast read
speed of the CRW2216E. The high end market, which traditionally wants
more speed in their write function, will choose the CRW4216S. This new
product pair spans the spectrum of user needs, with many new
enhancements."
The CRW4216S writing speed, using standard CD-R media is 4X normal
speed. Using CD-RW media, rewriting speed is 2X. Both can be read at
16X. The CRW2216E writing speed is 2X normal speed with 2X rewrite and
16X read speeds. The new drives conform to standard Orange Book Part
II and Part III.
The CDs produced by the CDR function of the drives can be read on
ordinary CD-ROM drives, CDR drives and Multi-Read CD/DVD drives. Media
produced by the CD-RW function of the two new drives can be read on
Multi-Read CD/DVD drives.
CRW2216 and CRW4216 Features
The new CRW2216 and CRW4216 include all of the features of the
previous CD-R and CD-RW drives, as well as the new, advanced 16X read
speed. Some of these features include:
-- 2MB data buffer on the CRW4216 to eliminate buffer underrun.
-- 1MB data buffer on the CRW2216 to eliminate buffer underrun.
-- RapidLinked(TM) Packet Writing for higher performance data
transfer.
-- SCSI models support synchronous data transfer for high-end
duplication.
-- Flash ROM for simple downloading of firmware upgrades.
-- Packet writing, track-at-once, disc-at-once/session-at-once and
multisession modes.
-- Eight standard formats supported including CD-Digital Audio,
CD-ROM, CD-ROMXA (both Photo and Video CD), CD-I, CD-G (karaoke),
CD-Extra and Video CD.
-- Running Optimum Power Control (ROPC) for maximized media writing
integrity.
-- Support of all major platforms including Windows '95, Windows
'98, Windows NT, OS2, UNIX, Sun, Macintosh, Novell, NLS, HP9000.
DOS, DEC, Amiga and AIX.
Price and Availability
Volume shipments of the Yamaha CRW2216E will begin in August 1998.
Volume shipments of the Yamaha CRW4216S will begin in September 1998.
Pricing has not been determined.
Yamaha CD-RW drives are available through distributors: Law Cypress
Distributing Company, Optical Laser, Consan Storage Solutions,
Advanced Optical Distribution, Applied Storage Products and Yamaha of
Canada. A retail version, bundled with software is available through
Yamaha Corp. of America, Consumer Products Division.
Yamaha Systems Technology Inc. was founded to manufacture and market
integrated circuits, board level products and complete systems to OEMs
and Distributors. The product line includes multimedia audio, graphics
and communications products, as well as custom and semicustom ASICs,
and CD Recorder products. http://www.yamahayst.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
F O U N D A T I O N M A I L I N G L I S T F O U N D E D
27 May 1998
The official Foundation mailinglist is now open. For all those who
don't know, ive been working closely with Paul for just over 6 months
on this project, and now the game has begun to go on sale (First
copies are to be sold at the WOA, where Paul will be attending on the
Sadeness stand) it now seems appropriate to go public with the email
address.
The software used to run the mailinglist is my own, and will be
available directly from F1 Software in the next 2 months or so.
There are 2 sides of the mailinglist, a digest side, and a regular
posting side. If you subscribe to the Digest part of the list, you can
still make postings etc. and will receive one large email a day, with
all the previous day's postings compiled into an easy-to-read list for
your convinience. If you join the regular list, then you will simply
receive lot's of seperate mails. It is possible to join both of the
lists if you wish.
To join the mailinglist, simply send a blank email with the subject
as SUBSCRIBE DIGEST (if you want to join as a Digest member) or
SUBSCRIBE (on it's own will place you on the regular list) to
mushypd-foundation@redrose.net where it will be processed
automatically. Please allow for time to process your mails, especially
if the list is experiencing a lot of traffic. Digest's are compiled at
Midnight EST time, and can take as much as 2 hours to distribute it to
everyone. Please be patient.
I would also like to ask people not to make any kind of postings to
the list until they have received confirmation that they have been
joined to the list. The list is moderated by myself to ensure nothing
spam-wise get's through, and when a SUBSCRIBE/SUBSCRIBE DIGEST command
comes in, an authentication process must occur before you will be
added. If you try and post before you receive the final conformation,
there is a good chance your mail will not make it onto the list.
For those who are interested in seeing what the list is all about,
you can send a mail to the same address with the subject as FAQ and
information will be mailed to you, without placing you on the
mailinglist. Note, that the FAQ and INFO files will be majorly updated
as soon as Paul returns from WOA. Which takes us onto the next part of
the message.
Paul Burkey is on the mailinglist, so please don't heckle him with
lot's of stupid questions that are already answered in the FAQ files.
Paul already receives lot's of mail about Foundation, so please give
him time to read and reply to mails.
Thank-you for your time and patience. Enjoy the game, and now enjoy
the mailinglist!
Email: Andy Kellett <mushypd@redrose.net>
Foundation Mailinglist Moderator - Send mail to
mushypd-foundation@redrose.net
with subject as SUBSCRIBE DIGEST / SUBSCRIBE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I F Y O U D O N ' T W A N T W I N D O W S . . .
{This story was sent to us by a reader. We have NOT verified it
independently. Gateway was included in the study. Brad}
June 3, 1998
David Chun, a student from UCLA, called a dozen PC manufacturers
asking if he could buy a PC without buying Microsoft Windows.
None would. This is his report. jl
Exclusive Agreements with PC Manufacturers and Microsoft
regarding Operating System software.
My name is David Chun. I am an undergraduate student at UCLA,
where I am in the UCLA Center for American Public Policy and
Politics. I am working this spring as an intern at the Consumer
Project on Technology. On May 25, 1998 through June 3, 1998, I
called 12 computer manufacturers, known in the industry as
original equipment manufactures (OEMs), attempting to buy
computers without a Microsoft Windows operating systems.
These included major brand OEMs Gateway2000, Dell, Micron, IBM,
Packard Bell, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, NEC and Sony, plus three
less known brands, Unicent, Umax and Quantex. In each case I told
the salespersons that I wanted to purchase a Pentium computer,
and I asked the following questions:
---------------begin questions----------
1. Do you offer any other operating systems?
2. Can I buy computers, any models, without buying Windows?
3. If not, why?
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund?
---------------end questions----------
OEMs were asked if they would offer such systems as Linux,
FreeBSD, BeOS, Rhaposdy or IBM's OS2. Since no OEM would sell a
PC with another operating system, I asked if they would sell a PC
"naked," that is, the computer without any OS. In these
conversations, I said I was interested in buying a single
computer for personal use.
Of the twelve OEMs contacted, none would sell a computer without
Microsoft Windows, and none would offer a discount if I returned
Windows and asked for a refund. IBM owns OS2, but required
consumers to by a Microsoft Windows license, even if the consumer
was also purchasing an OS2 license at the same time. [Gateway
2000 owns the rights to the Amiga OS, and when I asked about the
availability of the Amiga OS, I was told that it might be
available in November 1998.] Several OEMs said their contract
with Microsoft required that they sell Windows with each
computer. However, some OEMs indicated that if I would place a
much larger order, it might be possible to buy PCs without an OS
or with a different OS. But this would not be the case for
smaller orders.
The following are notes from my calls:
Date: 5/25/98
Vendor: SONY
Salesman: Cam
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No, we do not. The
only operating systems we offer are Windows 95 and Windows NT
2. Can I buy computers, any models, without buying Windows? No,
you cannot. We do not sell computers without an operating system.
You cannot buy computers without a Microsoft Windows O/S.
3. If not, why? SONY cannot alter or customize O/S. We are under
contract with Microsoft.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, there is no refund
if you do not want Windows 95.
Date: 6/3/98
Vendor: DELL
Salesman: Ariel
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? Only Windows 95 and
Windows NT
2. Can I buy computers, any models, without buying Windows? No,
only with a Microsoft OS.
3. If not, why? I believe we have a contract with Microsoft.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No. There is no refund
if you refuse to sign the Windows license and return the Windows
software.
Date: 5/25/98
Vendor: NEC
Salesman: Tom
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No, we only offer
Microsoft products. We don't offer any dual boot systems, either.
2. Can I buy computers, any models, without buying Windows? No,
you cannot.
3. If not, why? Because, when NEC tests computers they check
Windows 95 to see if there is anything wrong with the computer.
We don't have contracts with other O/S manufacturers.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, we don't give
refunds on Windows' product that come with the computer.
Date: 5/25/98
Vendor: MICRON
Salesman: Sean
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? Only Windows 95 and
NT, we don't have other O/S.
2. Can I buy computers, any models, without buying Windows? No,
cannot buy computer without Windows product. Can't sell computer
without any OS either.
3. If not, why? Micron is under contract with Microsoft.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, this is not
allowed. Windows comes with the computer and not as a option.
Date: 5/25/98
Vendor: GATEWAY 2000
Salesman: Jeremy
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No, we don't have
LINUX, but you could get Windows NT if you pay $99. [Note, in a
subsequent call, I was told that Gateway 2000 would release a new
version of the Amiga software in November 1998].
2. Can I buy computers, any models, without buying Windows? No,
we can't do it because we only offer computers with Windows O/S.
3. If not, why? We are under contract with Microsoft, can't offer
any other O/S.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, we can't do that
either. Windows is not an option, therefore, you can't return it
for a refund.
Date: 6/3/98
Vendor: Unicent
Salesman: Jamie
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? We offer Windows 95
or Window NT. If you were going to order a whole network, we
would consider a different OS, but certainly not for a single
computer.
2. Can I buy a computer, any model, without buying Windows? No.
3. If not, why? We have a contract with Microsoft.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No. Even if you refuse
to sign the Windows license and return the software, you must pay
for it. However, if you buy 5 or more computers, we might be able
to do something.
Date: 5/28/98
Vendor: Umax
Salesman: No name
What I tried to buy: 233 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? Just Windows 95.
2. Can I buy a computer, any model, without buying Windows? No,
we don't offer computers without an OS.
3. If not, why? Everything is pre-configured and doesn't change.
We can't customize for operating systems.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, Windows 95 is part
of the package and we just don't offer refunds on the Windows O/S
that comes with the computer.
Date: 5/28/98
Vendor: Quantex
Salesman: Frank
What I tried to buy: 233 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No, we don't. Only
Windows 95 or Windows NT
2. Can I buy a computer, any model, without buying Windows? No,
you can't. we don't offer computers naked (without an OS) either.
3. If not, why? In order to test the computer before we ship it
out we need a O/S system to see if the computers run. We put
Windows O/S in to check it out. We don't take it back out.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, we don't offer any
refunds for the O/S that comes with the computer.
Date: June 3, 1998
Vendor: IBM
Salesman: Janet
What I tried to buy: Aptiva 266 AMD desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No, we only sell the
computer with Windows 95. You can buy a copy of OS2, for $199,
but the computer comes with Windows 95 in any case, even if you
are being OS2.
2. Can I buy a computer, any model, without buying Windows? No,
you must buy Microsoft Windows 95. You can buy a copy of OS2, but
this is in addition to Windows 95, not as a substitute. Except,
however, if you are a big corporate account, and then you could
try to negotiate a purchase without buying Microsoft Windows.
3. If not, why? That's just the way it is.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, we don't give
refunds on Windows 95, even if you don't want it or don't use it.
It comes pre-installed as part of the computer, and you have to
pay for it.
Date: 5/28/98
Vendor: COMP USA PC
Salesman: William
What I tried to buy: 233 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No company does.
This the standard for computers at any other company.
2. Can I buy a computer, any model, without buying Windows? No,
we don't offer other computers without Windows. We don't sell
naked computers.
3. If not, why? Anything above and beyond Windows O/S is personal
and would have to be the owner's decision to customize his own
computer after he purchases it. It is against our policy.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No, you cannot. We
don't offer any refunds on OEM loads.
June 3, 1998
Vendor: Packard Bell
Salesman: Jill, with PC Factory Outlet.
What I tried to buy: 266 Pentium II, desktop
1. Do you offer any other operating systems? No we don't. We
don't. All we have is Windows 95, that is the only one.
2. Can I buy a computer, any model, without buying Windows? No.
Windows 95 has to be included.
3. If not, why? We don't specify systems to customers needs.
4. Can I return Windows and get a refund? No. If you refuse to
sign the Windows license, and return the software, you still have
to pay for the Windows license.
David Chun
June 3, 1998
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A M I G A Y E L L O W P A G E S P R E M I E R
8 Jun 1998
Amiga Yellow Pages.
Launched Sunday 7 June 1998.
Amiga Yellow Pages is like any other Yellow Pages - but dedicated to
the Amiga.
Everything appears as a classified listing From Amiga International
(A) through (b) books (Amiga), Games developers, Hardware Developers,
Internet Service Providers etc etc,
The big difference unlike other web classified pages is that small
companies
without their own internet web site can have a large display box
(AYP is non profit making).
For example, one of the companies featured Fore-Matt home computing
(a small company hoping to breakthrough in the Amiga scene) have a
large display box which includes their phone number.
It is really these type of small business that AYP was setup for.
However any one can have a link as long as they are Amiga related.
from large companies i.e. Phase 5 through to Bedroom programmers, user
groups etc.
See for yourself at:
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/michael.carrillo
AYP is also looking for Shops around the World which stock Amiga
Products, If you know of any such retailers please email me at:
michael.carrillo@ukonline.co.uk
Please Help Amiga Yellow Pages to Help the Amiga Community.
Thanks
Regards, Mikey C
Member: Team AMIGA.
&
M.I.B.
Protecting The Amiga user from the Scum of The PC universe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E A S Y W R I T E R F R O M H A A G E & P A R T N E R
Writing, processing and designing of text will always be a standard
task for computers. The same goes with the Amiga. Although there are
more and more voice recognition systems being used only typing the
text with the keyboard will be skipped. Layouting, correcting and
printing will continue to need the features of a excellent word
processor.
The concept of EW is based on boxes. Those boxes can have any
contents. Platform independent standards EasyWriter will be the first
word processor developed on Amiga that uses concepts and technologies
of standard text systems from other platforms. The flexible
expandability of a typical Amiga application will also be used in
EasyWriter and allows to extend the functionality of it externally.
Commercial-, shareware- and freeware-developers will add new loaders
and savers for different text and image formats and expand EasyWriter
with features being superior to the standard applications on other
platforms. Ease of use It will be incredibly easy with
EasyWriter to do easy tasks like selecting a new font or defining the
actual screen resolution. You wont have to search in badly designed
requesters, no big mouse movements necessary to select paragraph
formats. Working together with experienced users we worked out a
superb graphic user interface concept that our developers implemented
consequently. Things like WYSIWIG when editing notes - be they at the
end of the actual page, chapter or document - will be standard, of
course.
Boxes are very flexible. The color of the border and the background
can also be set.
You are able to adjust the screen geometry. Amiga like The interface
makes proper and consequent use of the Amiga multitasking ability. So
nearly every requester is non-modal, that means you can leave it open
while working on the document or with other requesters and preferences
windows. You can see this especially in the paragraph format dialog.
You can set tabulators by typing their values into a requester or by
clicking into the horizontal ruler of the document while leaving the
requester opened. Not everywhere you will have both ways at the same
time. Fast loading and saving of documents also is a feature that is
mostly only seen on Amiga. Full paragraph control The paragraph
requester will satisfy (nearly) all your wishes. Special features are:
Connected chapter and page format and huge amount of options to set
tabulators. You can create a paragraph format and set a chapter format
for it. That eases formatting of floating text greatly. By applying
the paragraph format you can not only change font settings and text
alignment but also the look of the actual chapter. There is no easier
automation than this one.
The paragraph formats are the basis for many powerful functions.
You can have more than one master pages. Page formats and chapter
management With EasyWriter you can create more than one page format -
a feature not seen on many word processors. A page format can even be
linked to a paragraph. You can use this for the chapters of a book to
set different layout and text formatting options for them. You can set
a page format in the paragraph format for beginning a chapter that can
be different from the page format used for the list of contents.
Open for different image formats Embedding and printing graphics is no
longer a unique feature of desktop publishing programs, too.
EasyWriter uses a flexible import interface. It can load graphics in
the IFF and JPEG formats. But it is also able to use AmigaOS
datatypes. So you can place pictures of the most exotic format in the
text. You will get used to EasyWriter immediately! You can learn to
use it very easily. When you are used to work with other word
processors you will have no problems at all.
The flexible page numbering makes is good for any type of documents.
Price: 149,- DM Special Introduction Price until 31.8.98 (89,-
US$) Update to version 2.0 will be free! Later EasyWriter will cost
198,- DM (119 US$).
Available in July 1998
http://www.haage-partner.com
Feature list
------------
Easy learning
You will learn to use EasyWriter and its requesters very fast, cause
it is similar but not limited to standard word processors. You wont
have to look up the documentation very often.
Fonts Support for Amiga's font handling. You can use all bitmap- and
CompuGraphic-fonts as well as fonts of other font engines installed
(for example: TrueType, Postscript, ...). Footnotes, end notes, marks:
Footnotes
Chapter end notes
Document end notes
List of contents
Format requester
paragraph format requester and catalog character format requester and
catalog
page format requester and catalog (with master pages)
chapter format requester and catalog
paragraph format, font type and size accessible directly by a popup
menu
Huge variety of paragraph settings
text alignment
indentation
next format after paragraph end
insert in list of contents
create new page
create new page with new chapter format (master page)
date and time formats per paragraph
Outstanding flexible tabulator settings
tabulator interval, for example from 3 to 15 inch all 0,5 inch a tab
decimal tabulator with definable alignment sign
definable tabulator filling character
Many font manipulation options
Width, italicization and uppercase writing
Super- and subscript settings
font attributes (upper and lower script, bold, italic, underlined,
double underlined, strike-through, capitals)
electronic variation of size, width, italicization / inclination,
uppercase writing
color selection for text and underlining
preview of text attributes and colors
paragraph and character formats keyboard accessible
Box- or frame options
invisible or gray show box contents
invisible print contents
lock position and size
set position and size using measurement in mm, cm, inch and pt
set distance between text and box
set boldness and color the frame line and its background color
set if text of underlying boxes should be floating around the box
set box to the background or foreground of other boxes
Chapter options
adjustable page format for double-sided and single-sided documents
page numbering adjustable per chapter
Page format options
set number of columns
set printing margins
set header and footer lines
set page numbering for header and footer lines
Text formats
EasyWriter (default)
RTF
Text (ASCII)
expandable by plugins
Image formats
Amiga IFF
JPEG
PNG
Datatypes
System requirements
Amiga with at least a 25 MHz 68030 processor 8 MByte RAM harddisc
AmigaOS3.0 or higher
New features in version 2.0*
index generator
Postscript fontengine
TrueType fontengine
spell checking
printed manual
* Those features are subject to change.
Already announced 3rd-party products
formula editor
table editor
image editor
thesaurus
MS-WORD import module
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I C O A U S E R R E P E L E C T I O N , R O U N D T W O
6 Jun 1998
Candidates announced for User Representative election
The Jay Miner Society (JMS) today released the official list of
candidates for the forthcoming election of a User Representative to
the Steering Committee of the Industry Council of the Open Amiga
(ICOA). Voting began immediately.
The User Representative will have a full voting seat on the Steering
Committee for a period of one year, alongside the four seats for those
elected by ICOA members and a permanent non-voting veto seat occupied
by an Amiga Inc representative. This position has been created to
ensure that the ICOA makes decisions that not only satisfy programmers
and manufacturers, but benefit Amiga users in general. It combines the
roles of consumer advocate, opinion-gatherer, strategist and community
liaison. The JMS and other user organizations will provide support for
this demanding job.
The candidates are:
Bill Borsari <tekmage@wam.umd.edu>
Craig Delahoy <craigd@ansonic.com.au>
Harv Laser <harv@amigazone.com>
Voters can submit their votes at the JMS election web site
<URL:http://www.jms.org/election/> or by e-mail. Forms for voting by
e-mail can be obtained by writing to <jms@cnct.com> with the Subject
line "send english voting-form".
Should you wish to mail your form in, please use the same form as the
email voting method, print it out, and send it to:
The Jay Miner Society
90 Farr Crescent
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
N3C 1R6
For further information about the election, please contact Andrew
Bienhaus <accolon@ionline.net> of the Jay Miner Society, Ben Hutchings
<worc0223@sable.ox.ac.uk> of the Jay Miner Society, or Fleecy Moss
<fleecy@netreach.net> of the Industry Council of the Open Amiga.
---
The ICOA <URL:http://www.amiganet.org/icoa/> is a non-profit
organization which develops and promotes standards, and provides
support for Amiga developers. It has been chosen by Amiga Inc to
provide the official developer support program for the Amiga in
future.
The JMS <URL:http://www.jms.org> is a non-profit international user
group devoted to empowering Amiga users and fostering the spirit of
the Amiga. It created the ICOA initiative and launched it in May 1997.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
D E M O O F G E N E T I C S P E C I E S A V A I L A B L E
12 Jun 1998
Vulcan Software Ltd Press Release
---------------------------------
Youve heard the hype!
Youve read the reviews!
Youve seen the screenshots!
Youve ate the pie!
Now you can see what all the fuss is about and experience a fraction
of this awesome piece of brilliance called Genetic Species!
The final DEMO version of Genetic Species is now available from:
Vulcans Website www.vulcan.co.uk
Marble-Eyes Website www.marble-eyes.dk
All Aminet sites
Live Long & Prosper!
Vulcan Software Limited
Commercial: www.vulcan.co.uk
Promotional: www.vul-soft.demon.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------
N E W A M I G A M A G A Z I N E O N G A M E S
Crystal Software International Announces New Amiga Magazine
Hello Friends!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Robert Iveson, and I'm the
Managing Director of the Amiga Publishing Department of Crystal
Software International. I'm also the editor & writer of a brand new,
forthcoming magazine entitled Amiga Survivor.
This new 'zine is, of course, 100% dedicated to the future of the
Amiga, and will include nothing but coverage of Amiga games.
Published by the world-wide company, Crystal Software International
(who has offices based in the Netherlands, the U.S, the U.K, Australia
and Japan) this new publication will be distributed on a worldwide
scale, informing Amiga fans of the planet what's happening on the
Amiga games scene.
Like yourself, who are devoted to the future of the Amiga, I thought
it was about time a dedicated Amiga games magazine was produced. It's
good to know that after a troublesome three years, the Amiga is
finally remaking a name for itself in the computer-user community. And
it's even better to know that many producers of new games, both small
groups of Amiga fans, as well as larger development companies are
creating more and more landmark games that are equal to those produced
on today's top PCs and consoles. So Amiga Survivor is here to bring
news, previews and reviews of all the forthcoming commercial,
freeware, shareware and licenceware titles.
Amiga Survivor has emerged from a popular small-press fanzine
entitled 'the domain' - the only Amiga PD and Shareware Magazine.
After a year of good sales, Crystal Software snapped up the rights to
distribute it worldwide, and due to its popular welcome, we have
decided to make the magazine much more commercialised and incorporate
commercial reviews and previews, hence *Amiga Survivor*.
The first issue is set to be released at the end of June / early
July, it will include regular articles such as 'Website of the Month',
The Fifth Column (a general rant about the world of computers), The
Trashcan (Software to be avoided!), Aminet Ramble (a monthly dig into
the recent Aminet postings), Magnetic Fiction - (A collection of short
stories from Andy Campbell), Joe and Ami - (An Amiga related exclusive
comic strip), there'll be a letters page, a hints and tips page and a
page for readers to submit their own ideas for games. And, to sound
like a stereotypical advert....lots LOTS more! But of course the main
part of the mag will feature news, previews and reviews of all the
latest games - whether they're commercial or free/shareware.
Already supported by many of the Amiga's games developers, (including
ClickBoom who have supplied review titles of Quake and Myst, Vulcan
Software Ltd who have provided a review copy of Genetic Species for
the first issue, APC&TCP, Islona, The Real Ologram... to name but a
few) not to mention already have a decent subscriber base from readers
of 'the domain', Amiga Survivor is set to play a major part in the
Amiga games scene.
In case you are not familiar with Crystal Software International,
then I'll introduce them to you. They are a multi-platform supporting
company, who have an in-house group of programmers working on many
utilities and games as well as educational titles. They have recently
developed a part of their company for the production of new Amiga
titles, both low and high spec. Some titles currently in development
are Gilbert Goodmate & the Mushroom of Phungoria, Goblin Tanks,
Arcangel and Space Patrol. They also have a publication division who
distribute many magazines for many different platforms (such as Atari,
PC, Playstation & M-Crystal)
Crystal Software also have the power to sign up titles from small
developing groups, their most recent being from Suomi-Peli, with their
game 'Damage - The Sadistic Butchery of Humanity' (www.sci.fi/~damage)
So if you have a small game in development that requires a publisher -
then contact us! (Details below!)
The first issue of Amiga Survivor is set for release at the end of
June, and can be purchased direct from me, the editor, Robert Iveson
at the below address.
UK Residents can send a cheque or postal order made payable to
'Robert Iveson' for 2.95, which includes postage and packing. Overseas
customers would be better contacting EPIC MARKETING
(epicmarketing@dialin.net) to place their order via credit card.
Each issue will be in A5 format, complete with a colour cover. The
first issue will have an exclusive review of Vulcan's Genetic Species,
plus a report of the recent World of Amiga Show held in London, as
well as a review of 'the Amiga Anthem', not to mention pages of News,
Previews and Reviews, and a whole host of Amiga related articles!
To contact Amiga Survivor, then you can do so by directly e-mailing:
thedomain@enterprise.net
You can write to me, at:
Robert Iveson,
Amiga Survivor,
41 Wellstone Garth,
Swinnow,
Leeds,
West Yorks,
LS13 4EJ.
ENGLAND.
If you would like to contact Crystal Software International regarding the publication, then the man to write to is:
Alex de Vries,
Crystal Software International,
Leemveld 158,
9407 GE Assen,
The Netherlands.
E-Mail: CrystalSoftware@hotmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
" M A G E " F O R P P C A M I G A S , O T H E R S
Eyelight Announces a New Age In 3D Computer Graphics
What is "'Mage."?
"'Mage." is a complete, modular 3D graphics package that allows to
easily model, animate and render at blazing speed on Risc based
computers and workstations.
Why Risc-only?
Because Risc architecture is perfectly suited to 3D computer
graphics. Both the PowerPC and Mips R5K architectures provide the
invaluable MACC (Multiply and Accumulate) all-in-one instructions that
easily account for 80% of processor operations during preview or
rendering.
Is "'Mage." Tornado3D with another name?
No, it is an entirely different product, that builds on the expertise
acquired developing Tornado3D. "'Mage." however is even more oriented
towards the professional market and platform independance. "'Mage."
targets the TV and hi-end video-game special effects production
houses.
Does this mean Tornado3D is dead? Are you leaving the Amiga?
No, not at all. Tornado3D development continues, we are already
working to define V3.0 features. "'Mage." already runs on PPC Amigas
and will presumably run on "Future Amigas". Tornado3D and "'Mage." are
two different products, managed by different development teams and
oriented towards different markets. What's more, "'Mage."'s 100%
PowerPC technology and industry standard user interface are likely to
be integrated into future releases of Tornado3D as well.
How much does "'Mage." cost? When will it be available?
"'Mage." is tentatively priced at 1299,00 USD for first promotional
release. This first release distribution is scheduled to begin in
october 1998, with a massive marketing campaign to follow in first
quarter 1999.
Will there be some kind of cross-grade from Tornado3D to "'Mage."?
Yes, Tornado3D users will be entitled to cross-grade to "'Mage."
should they want to. As per Eyelight's policy, long time Tornado3D
users will be entitled to more convenient upgrades. "First Buyers"
(users that bought T3D before T3D's DEMO version was released) will
even be able to cross-grade to "'Mage." for free.
Any hint about "'Mage."'s features? Do Tornado3D's features apply?
Tornado3D and "'Mage." share some features, but they are different
products. Where Tornado3D is a "swiss army knife" of 3D graphics,
offering something to everyone, "'Mage." has a smaller and more
specialized feature set. A new web site devoted to "'Mage." is under
construction and will hold all the "'Mage." specific issues.
Supported platforms
Amiga
PowerPC-based Amiga ("'Mage." runs 100% PowerPC native)
3D accelerated 15bit+ graphics card
OS 3.0 or higher
64 MB ram
Hard disk, CD-Rom
Apple Macintosh
PowerPC-based Macintosh (G3 recommended)
3D accelerated 15bit+ graphics card RAVE compliant
MacOS 8 or higher
64 MB ram
Hard disk, CD-Rom
Silicon Graphics
Mips R5000+ SGI ws
IRIX 6.2 or higher
HW texture mapping recommended
64 MB ram
Hard disk, CD-Rom
Eyelight
Via del Serafico 64
00142 Rome Italy
Tel:(+39) 6-519-0222
"'Mage." and the "'Mage." logo are trademarks of Eyelight undergoing
registration. PowerPC is a trademark of Motorola Inc. MIPS, IRIX and
Silicon Graphics are trademarks of Silicon Graphics Inc. Apple
Macintosh, MacOS and RAVE are trademarks of Apple Computers Inc. Amiga
is a trademark of Amiga Inc. DraCo is a trademark of MacroSystems
Gmbh. All other trademark and brand names are property of their
owners.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
S O M E G O O D N E W S A B O U T Y U G O S L A V I A
AMIGA is Back in Yugoslavia
{From Amiga International web site. Brad}
From June 7 - 12, the JISA Congress (Yugoslavian Alliance for
Information Technologies) was held in Montenegran town of Herceg
Noviin Montenegro/Yugoslavia for the third year in succession. JISA is
the association of the most eminent Yugoslavian IT experts, namely,
the representatives of all associations and organisations within IT
sector, science, universities, suppliers and users of IT equipment.
Companies like Apple, Agfa, Canon, Bell Howell, Fujitsu, VeriFone and,
for the first time, AMIGA International, Inc. attended the Congress.
JISA was opened on Sunday, June 7, by the President of Democratic
Party of Montenegro. Petro Tyschtschenko had the chance to talk about
the past and future of the AMIGA at that opening where also our
Yugosalvian distributor Meridian from Beograd was introduced.
Mr. Dukic, General Manager of Meridian, enabled AMIGA International,
Inc. to demonstrate the A1200 and A4000 T with PPC-Board at their own
booth and Mr. Dukic also contributed to the expenses by 50% proving
his interest and trust in AMIGA. The new AMIGA-Song "Back for the
future" has been presented successfully, too.
In reports about the congress, "TV Beograd" and "TV Montenegro"
reported about AMIGA's activities several times. There was also an
interview with Petro Tyschtschenko on "TV Politika". On Moday, June 8,
Petro took the chance to give a more detailed AMIGA presentation to a
wide congress audience. JISA Congress was held until June 12, 1998.
AMIGA is back in Yugoslavia!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amiga Update on the net: some issues available at:
http://www.sharbor.com/amiga/news/ (in html format)
Australian Mirror Site: http://www.comcen.com.au/~paulm/index.html
All back issues available (in ASCII text) at:
http://www.globaldialog.com/AdventureCentral/AU/index.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1998 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified.
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U P D A T E /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ U P D A T E
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_
amigaupdate@globaldialog.com
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