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AMReport International Online Magazine Volume 1.04
*---== AM REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Online Magazine of Choice!"
from
STR Publishing Inc.
""""""""""""""""""
July 27, 1991 Volume 1.04
==========================================================================
AMReport International Online Magazine
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__________________________________________________________________
> 07/27/91: AMReport #1.04 The Online Magazine of Choice!
-------------------------
-The Editor's Desk -Media Watch -Stock Watch
-The Non-Comm Club -New in the Libs
-PIXAR & DISNEY -SUN & AMIGA -CRAY OFFERS STOCK
-BBS IP 5.0 UPDATE -NEWTEK NUDE DANCING -AMIGAS IN DISNEY
-COMPUTER/BUSINESSLAND -PROFIT & LOSS -IBM CUTS PRICES
-CDROM FOR AMIGA
-* Power Over Proposal *-
-* Super Graphics Boards *-
==========================================================================
AMREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
The _Number One_ Online Magazine
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"UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Hot Tips, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
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AM and related systems are welcome and invited to actively participate.
==========================================================================
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TODAY'S NEWS ..TODAY!
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> AMReport's Staff The regulars and this week's contributors!
================
Publisher - Editor
------------------
Ralph F. Mariano
PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION
----------- -------------- ------------
Robert Retelle Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON
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EDITORIAL
---------
Issue number four is ready for uploading, though it is a bit earlier
than usual. This weekend is AmigaWorld Expo at the Stouffer Resort
in Orlando, Florida and I wanted to get the weeks issue of AM-Report
out the door so I could concentrate on the show. Luckily (for me)
the show is in my home town, so I will be there all three days (just
to annoy my wife). AM-Report will have a special supplemental issue
released on Monday evening that covers the Expo.
One rumor has it that Commodore will release the 2.0 ROMs at the
upcoming show. Talking to a local dealer, I've come across another
rumor -- that Commodore will NOT release them at the Expo because
they are miffed at AmigaWorld for running the article on the A3000T
when they were explicitly told to WAIT. Either way, we will all find
out on Monday.
This week's issue was supposed to contain part two of the DIG series
that I started last week, but with hectec schedule my guest prof has
in conjunction with Amiga World Expo this weekend, things got pushed
back. Look for part two next week.
A pre-review of the Digital Micronics Resolver graphics coprocessor
for the Amiga is also in this issue. While I don't have physical
access to the board, I have the spec sheets (including developer's
pricing) and have talked with DMI people in California.
I have filed all the paperwork for getting logged on the Delphi and
GEnie (I refuse to use credit cards for non-essential purposes, so
these things take longer). I am also looking into Portal and the
AmigaZone which was formerly found on American/PeopleLink.
As usual, AM-Report is looking for interesting articles on the Amiga.
If you use, or know of someone who uses, their Amiga in an unusual
manner (paper-weights don't count!) or in business or anything that
would be of interest to other Amiga users, send me a message and
I'll put it in print.
Next week, a review on Commodore's AmigaDOS Manual 3rd Edition put
out on the Bantam Amiga Library label. The book covers all AmigaDOS
through 2.04.
Enough chit-chat...on with the news!
-Chas
======================================================================
NEWS & VIEWS
------------
NEWTEK NUDE DANCING
-------------------
A message posted to FidoNet transcribed part of a news article in the
July 19th issue of the Wichita Eagle newspaper (Wichita, KS). The
article was about how Shawnee County's Board of Commissioners voted
2-1 to reject a ban on nude dancing in unincorporated parts of the
county. What does this have to do with the Amiga? The following
quote will explain:
"Tim Jenison president of a Topeka computer company that had
fought the ban, called the commission's vote a victory for
personal freedom. His company, NewTek, organized rallies
against the nude-dancing ban and spent about $14,000 on an
opinion poll and a newspaper, radio and television adver-
tising blitz denouncing the ban as unconstitutional."
And I thought Mac users had cornered the market on political
activity! I wonder what Laura Longfellow had to say about all this...
======================================================================
AMIGAS IN DISNEY
----------------
An article which was originally posted on Usenet and later taken over
to FidoNet gives graphic examples of the Amiga's reliability in a
professional environment. The original article was written by an
employee of Commodore Germany, but has the standard disclaimer about
personal opinions/messages. I edited the message part below the
header and above the reply because there were quoted replys nested
four deep and it was CONFUSING! The response is to a message claiming
a null pointer reference bug (among other things) makes the Amiga
unsuitable for process control work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Article 3497 (11 more) in comp.sys.amiga.advocacy:
From: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Subject: Amiga at Disney (Was: Re: Memory Protection)
Message-ID: <1500@cbmger.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jul 91 07:01:59 GMT
References: <5397@orbit.cts.com> <1991Jul15.123140.11645@Sugar.NeoSoft.com>
Reply-To: peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY)
Organiz: Commodore Bueromaschinen GmbH, West Germany
Lines: 79
You should ask the people at Disney Studios: "We have shows here that
run 40 times a day since 2 years and are controlled by Amiga computers.
NOT ONE SINGLE show was abandoned due to a computer error. 20,000 shows
without a crash justify Disney's choice and this computer concept."
(This is re-translated from a translation into German.)
This was in a computer show in German TV (BR-III, Computer-Treff,
13.7.91, 17.05). They reported about all the computer controlling
at Disney in Florida, at Disney/MGM-Studios, at Epcot and in Disney
World (or is it DisneyLand?). Here some more scenes from that show:
Indiana Jones show
Moderator: "Which costly computer system is used here to control all
those sound effects?"
Disney speaker: "Normal Amigas. We chose them for their multitasking
capability. That was 4 or 5 years ago. At that time it was the
only computer with which you could do this. In the meantime there
were many computers announced that are able to do the same, but
they are still much more expensive. We could today place a $10,000
computer here that can do the same, but it makes no sense, for the
Amigas are working wonderfully. ... We only have problems with the
environment, humidity and dust. (Action scene shown with fire and
smoke, Amiga directly besides this, then they show heavy rain in
Florida.) Real mud gets onto the computer boards. But the computers
do stand this, you just have to open them every few months, clean
them and perhaps change boards, then they work reliably."
Moderator: "This is the most important in the film studios where
George Lucas was among to define the concept: The same procedure
has to run without problems, dozens of times a day, year for year."
Disney studios, 3D MuppetVision
Moderator: "Also this show would be unthinkable without computer:
3D characters (Mickey Mouse) on the movie screen interact with
live actors (Kermit) on the stage. Light, sound and Special Effects
are controlled and synchronized by an Amiga. (Follows the above
mentioned 20,000 show statement.)"
Disney World, fireworks in the evening
Moderator: "You may have a nice fireworks, as it lights the sky
every evening. And guess who stands behind that colorful magic?"
Disney Speaker: "During this fireworks we control all 3 parts of the
show with the Amiga:
1. Sound. The computer takes the input signal, music from a digital
audio tape. Special software processes it in the computer to
prepare it for different hardware configurations outside, levels
are adjusted, and the result is fed to 4 or 5 separated loudspeaker
towers that are distributed in the park. ... Only with the computer
we can divide the main signal from tape into the correct sub-signals
and synchroneously send it to the right places.
2. We also control the pyrotechnics that is established on the roofs.
We have 6 locations from where we start fireworks. ... During this
we absolutely need perfect timing, as the fireworks is very tightly
choreographed with the music of the show, and we want to provide
the same result every evening. A precise result can only be
achieved with the Amiga control computer.
3. The 3rd system controlled by the computer is the light. It consists
of six 5 kW spots that are controlled individually in their
precise intensity."
So far excerpts from this TV show. Please apologize my English, I only
hope I didn't lose an important fact or misunderstood one.
It was amazing. They very often not only talked about "computer". No,
they explicitly said "Amiga computer" again and again.
We must address that TV station to get a good tape from it :-).
It's heartwarming.
--
Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel // E-Mail to \\ Only my personal
opinions...
Commodore Frankfurt, Germany \X/
{uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk
========================================================================
DISNEY & PIXAR
--------------
Pixar and Walt Disney have signed an agreement which has Pixar making
one or more feature-length animated films to be distributed by Buena
Vista Pictures Distribution.
Pixar was originally formed in 1979 as the Lucas Film Computer Graphics
Division. Steve Jobs acquired Pixar in 1986. Pixar has won several
awards for its computer-generated animated films, including an Academy
Award (The Baby) in 1988.
======================================================================
CRAY STOCK
----------
Cray Computer Corp. of Colorado Springs, CO has announced a public
stock offering. 4.5 million shares of common stock are being offered
for $12.50 per share. Net proceeds are to be used for general corporate
purposes and capital expenditures.
======================================================================
SUN & AMIGA
-----------
The SunExpo91 is bieng held in San Jose (23 -25 July) and includes a
session entitled "Enhancing your Multimedia Environment with Amiga-Sun"
presented by Norman L. Reynolds, University of Delaware.
======================================================================
BLACK BELT UPGRADES IP
----------------------
Black Belt Systems has released version 5.0 of Image Professional.
5.0 is a major upgrade. There are many, many new features and
capabilities; here are some of the most significant:
- Added multiple region select Intersect, add and Exclude.
- You can now use ALL operations in "Exact Image" mode.
- Loads 8, 64, 512, 4k, 32k, 262k, 2m, 16m color, BITMAPPED IFF images.
- Loads 2-256 color, COLORMAPPED IFF images (1 - 8 bitplanes).
- Loads specialty modes: "Half-Bright", HAM and GIF images.
- Load, "De-Zipperize" and then display DCTV - better than composite!
- Added lots and lots of new fill and draw modes, including
many chroma and luma types of modes, rubthrus, etc.
- There are now several basic transparency modes, the original one,
plus new "additive mode", and "edge mode".
- There are several new transparency blend graph shapes.
- You can use *any* buffer as a transparency map.
- You can generate buffers from blend maps and then modify them.
from there - this is a _wonderful_ transparency tool.
- There is an anti-aliased composition tool, especially good for
placing text brushes (colorfonts or normal).
- Added numerous new Process operators, upgraded several types.
- Speeded up many Process operations.
- Redrawing is much faster, selective redraw implemented across
the entire program.
- Added Emboss and Punch composition tools.
- Select regions by color (and nearness).
- New, more flexible basic shape creation tools.
- New wet brush mode, wet up, then dry out.
- All the bugs we could find (with your help, thank you!) we fixed.
All of these upgraded capabilities will be appearing in Imagemaster F/c
within a very short time period; registered Imagemaster F/c users will
recieve the upgraded software and the appropriate docs at that time, no
charge made and no action need be taken.
Black Belt Systems would like to thank you for your support.
Ben Williams
======================================================================
COMPUTERLAND TARGETS BUSINESSLAND
---------------------------------
The nation's largest computer retailer, ComputerLand, has tendered an
offer to Busniessland, the financially strapped retailer. Businessland
directors have recommended against ComputerLand's offer of issuance of
ComputerLand common stock in exchange for Businessland common stock at
a value of $1 per share.
Businessland currently has an offer from New York based JWP, Inc. which
expires on midnight, July 26th.
ComputerLand has stated that it will consider paying cash for some of
Businessland's assets.
======================================================================
COMPUTER PROFITS AND LOSSES
---------------------------
Microsoft Corp. has reported net incomr for 4Q91 rose 73.2 percent to
$138.4 million over 4Q90. Fiscal 1991 net income rose 65.7 percent to
$462.7 million; revenues increased 55.8 percent to $1.8 billion.
Digital Communications Associates, Inc. (DCA) reported that its fourth
quarter earnings are down 79 percent from 4Q90. DCA is known for the
PC terminal program, Crosstalk XVI.
An analyst with Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrett lowered his second
quarter and 1991 earnings estimates for Borland International, Inc.
helping drive the stock down 2 1/8 in heavy trading on Thursday.
AST Research, Inc. has announced record earnings and sales for 4Q91.
DEC reported that it lost $871.3 million in 4Q91. While DEC had
positive revenue growth, it had a $1.1 billion restructuring charge
which could not be totally absorbed.
Compaq Computer Corp.'s second quarter profits dropped 81 percent and
warned that the third quarter could be worse if the economy didn't
pick up. Analysts state that Compaq's cost structure is way out of
line and they see Compaq doing nothing to correct the situation.
======================================================================
IBM CUTS LT PRICE
-----------------
IBM cut the price of its PS/2 L40 SX laptop computer by over 12 percent
to $5,245. The price of 80ns RAM for the system was cut by up to 45%.
======================================================================
CD ON THE AMIGA
---------------
The following CD compatibility chart was posted on FidoNet's Amiga
National echo by David Sigman.
The following CD drives have been tested with the following host
adapters.
COMMODORE
---------
CONTROLLER FIRMWARE DRIVE ROM
A590 scsi.device 4.6 HITACHI CDR-3650 0006
A2091 scsi.device 4.6/6.1 HITACHI CDR-3650 0006
A3000 scsi.device 36.68 HITACHI CDR-3650 0006
A590 scsi.device 4.6 NEC CDR-77,80,72,82 000
A2091 scsi.device 4.6/6.1 NEC CDR-77,80,72,82 000
A3000 NOT SUPPORTED NEC CDR-77,80,72,82 000
A590 scsi.device 4.6 PIONEER DRM-600 0801
A2091 scsi.device 4.6/6.1 PIONEER DRM-600 0801
A3000 scsi.device 36.68 PIONEER DRM-600 0801
A590 scsi.device 4.6 SONY CDU-541/6211 2.6a
A2091 scsi.device 4.6/6.1 SONY CDU-541/6211 2.6a
A3000 NOT SUPPORTED SONY CDU-541/6211 2.6a
A590 scsi.device 4.6 TOSHIBA XM-3201B 3232
A2091 scsi.device 4.6/6.1 TOSHIBA XM-3201B 3232
A3000 scsi.device 36.68 TOSHIBA XM-3201B 3232
MICROBOTICS
-----------
CONTROLlER FIRMWARE DRIVE ROM
HardFrame scsi.device 1.8 HITACHI CDR-3650 0006
HardFrame scsi.device 1.8 NEC CDR-77,80,72,82 000
HardFrame scsi.device 1.8 PIONEER DRM-600 0801
HardFrame scsi.device 1.8 SONY CDU-541 2.6a
HardFrame scsi.device 1.8 TOSHIBA XM-3201B 3232
NOTES: Firmware deficiencies on the NEC and CHINON drives may cause
these drives to be UNUSEABLE on newer versions of Commodore's
"scsi.device" driver and/or with newer versions of the Amiga's
operating system software.
The following drives are known not to work with the Amiga and/or
CDROM-FS at this time.
CHINON Any Drive Any Amiga
HITACHI CDR-1553 A3000
NEC Any Drive A3000
PANASONIC Any Drive Any Amiga
SONY CDU-541/6211 A3000
======================================================================
The Non-Comm Club
-----------------
Non-Commercial Software Reviews by Charles Hill
WANDA
~~~~~
Wanda is a PD screen hack done by Paul Leach. It puts fish on your
WorkBench screen which swim around looking for windows. The fish
blow bubbles, will follow the mouse pointer and generally be a
nuisance.
The codes is done in 100% assembler, and is very small. The fish and
bubbles are sprites 2-7 updated on the vertical blanking interrupt, so
it is very smooth. Wanda is, however, processor intensive and tends
to drag other processes down. The graphics aren't upto the "Aquarium"
screen-blanker on MS-DOS/VGA, but hey! these are sprites. It is cute
and a short d/l. If you collect screen hacks, this is one to have.
AmigaUtil II Update
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found the docs to AmigaUtil II, the program I reviewed last week and
they answered most of my questions. The address (Quebec, Canada) and
shareware fee ($20) were listed along with a host of restrictions on
redistribution. The docs accompanied version 1.0 which is buggy and
crashes (1.84 is fine) but the author's request that the archive not
be broken up, so...
The docs are thorough, and explain all the options of AmigaUtil. They
were written by a French language native, so the English is a little
stilted in places, it is quite readable and clear.
AmigaUtil supports superbitmap images (one is supplied); renames files
when moving them on the same volume; was written in a combination of C
and ASM and can be started in iconify mode. For more than that, read
my review in AM-Report 1.03.
======================================================================
STOCK WATCH
-----------
Stock Watch is a weekly feature of AM-Report that lists the previous
weeks securities activities for the four "name" computer companies:
Apple, Atari, Commodore & IBM. The two numbers listed are the CLOSE
and CHANGE values for the stock. Commodore & IBM are traded on the
NYSE; Apple on the NASDAQ and Atari on the AMEX.
MON TUE WED THUR
------------------------------------------------------------
Apple 46 Unch 45 -1 45 Unch 45¼ +¼
Atari 2 3/8 +1/8 2 3/8 Unch 2¼ -1/8 2¼ Unch
CBM 12¼ -½ 12 5/8 +3/8 12½ -1/8 12¾ +¼
IBM 102 +1½ 100 5/8 -1 3/8 100¾ +1/8 100½ -¼
FRI SYMBOL START FINISH CHANGE
----------------------------------------------------------
Apple 44 7/8 -3/8 (AAPL) 46 44 7/8 -1 1/8
Atari 2 1/8 -1/8 (ATC) 2¼ 2 1/8 - 1/8
CBM 12 7/8 +1/8 (CBU) 12¾ 12 7/8 + 1/8
IBM 100½ Unch (IBM) 100½ 100½ Unch
======================================================================
Super Graphics for the Amiga
----------------------------
Amiga graphics haven't changed much since 1985 and they are starting to
show their age. Modifications to the Denise chip have given forth such
wizardry as Extra Half Brite and 1280 x 400 interlaced screens (yawn!).
The last year has seen an explosion of third party graphics adaptors
for the Amiga, though none of them bring SVGA type resolution s and
graphics to the Amiga.
HAM-E by Black Belt Systems and Colorburst by M.A.S.T. bring psuedo-
24-bit color to current Amiga resolutions, making for some fantastic
graphics. The Video Toaster, while able to handle 24-bit graphics, is
an NTSC device and thus limited to the resolutions and palette of NTSC.
DCTV has limitations along the same line as the Toaster; framebuffers
such as those from Mimetics display only still pictures. The FC/24 by
Impulse comes closest to offering hires with 24-bit graphics, but is
limited in the vertical resolution to about 512 pixels.
Enter the next generation of graphics for the Amiga.
The University of Lowell board by Commodore has been shown at a number
of shows, but so far only running under Unix -- not AmigaDOS. The UoL
board is an 8-bit display (256 colors) with (I believe) a 3 color
overlay from a palette of 16.7 million colors. Resolution is reported
to be 1024x768, but that is uncomfirmed (by me, at least). Still,
this is a step in the right direction.
Preferred Technologies has a product called the Spectrum 24 for the
Amiga, which is supposed to ship in about four weeks. The Spectrum
is a 24-bit framegrabber with its own RAM. BNC connectors provide in
and out video connections and software provides control over real-time
frame grabs, variable format saves, frame-buffered 24-bit displays,
etc. Retail price is listed by Preferred Technologies as $699 and PT
boasts "Firecracker 24 compatibility". Still, this is an NTSC device
and while it is great for video work, CAD/CAM and hires presentation
work means RGB at *high* resolutions.
Enter the DMI Resolver.
Currently there are two models of the Resolver, with only one shipping
now -- the other is set to ship before year's end. There are eight
versions of each model, configured according to the RAM onboard.
The DMI-010 is an 8-bit graphic card (256 active colors from a palette
of 16.7 million) based off the the TI34010 graphics coprocessor. It
can have a maximum of 4 Mb of display video RAM; 1 Mb of overlay video
RAM and 8 Mb of DRAM. It provides a programmable dot clock for custom
resolutions upto 1280 x 1024 with a 16-color overlay. The Resolver
is compatible with AmigaDOS and Unix including X-Windows and works
with the A2000 or A3000. The cpu is clocked out at 60 MHz and DMI
claims that with a double-buffering option enabled, the Resolver can
animate at upto 60 frames per second!
Configurations can be upgraded by adding DRAM, but this must be done
by DMI or an authorized representative.
A developer kit can be purchased from DMI which includes the board,
DMI Linked Library software interface to the TS340 Graphics Library,
Technical Specs, Technical Docs on the software, a license agreement
and a non-disclosure agreement. DMI has available (for $1,200) a
"Texas Instruments TMS340 Family Code Generation Tools v5.01" kit
which includes a linker, a ssembler and C compiler for the IBM PC.
This kit is also available from TI for $1,500. DMI claims that CBM
has a 2.0 version of the tools, but as of yet, they only run under
version 1.3 of the OS.
DMI plans to advertise starting in the September issue of Amiga World
and future ads will contain lists of DMI compatible software.
The price list I have is a developer's price list, so I can only
estimate what the retail prices will be. It looks like the Resolver
will range in price from $1,595 to $2,500 for a fully maxed out board.
The model to be release later has the exact same specs except that it
will use the TI34020 processor instead of the TI34010 and it will be
able to display (and animate!) full 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
instead of 8-bits. The price will accordingly be higher.
Besides graphics boards for the Amiga, DMI makes RAM and peripherals
for the HP/Apollo workstations. Drop them a line at the following
address if you want developer info:
Digital Micronics, Inc.
5674-P El Camino Real
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(619) 431-8301
(The information above was compiled from the developers brochure
package sent to me by DMI and from telephone converstaions with DMI
employees.)
======================================================================
Media Watch
-----------
The Amiga was mentioned in a couple of prominent magazines recently:
Time and MacUser.
The August 1991 issue of MacUser has a feature article on Mac DTV
(desktop video) and six products that helped move the Mac toward
this goal.
"We found six products for the Mac that accomplish
this task and compared them with the reigning
champion of DTV, the NewTek Video Toaster -- a
card that turns the much maligned Commodore Amiga
into a surprisingly powerful studio-in-a-box."
There is also a sidebar titled "A Toast to the Toaster" which
says (among other things) the following:
"Although we found that no Mac DTV product is yet
reday for prime time, we did discover a non-Mac
video product that is: the NewTek Video Toaster.
The Toaster comes in two flavors: the original
card, which turns a Commodore Amiga 2000 or 2500
computer into a desktop-video-production studio,
and a new stand-alone Video Toaster computer
based on an Amiga motherboard. Both offer the
same impressive list of features."
...
"With either setup, you can bypass the Amiga
operating system and deal directly with the
Toaster interface. Although the Toaster's inter-
face is less friendly than the Mac's, it is
straightforward and the manuals are complete and
instructive, unlike the manuals we've seen from
some of the Mac video companies."
...
"The Video Toaster computer - an Amiga motherboard,
5 megabyts of memory, and a 52-megabyte hard-disk
drive -- includes new software that can also read
Mac PICT and EPS files and convert them into
video."
...
"...nothing we've heard of can match the Toaster's
price and performance. We can only hope that
developers will someday combine the powers of a
Mac and the Toaster and give users the ultimate
in DTV."
Elsewhere in the article...
(re: overall image quality)
"We compared each product with the Commodore Amiga-
based NewTek Video Toaster -- a DTV product that
easily outperformed the best Mac card, the
Truevision NuVista+."
(re: broadvast quality)
"None of the Mac products comes close to matching
the NTSC's tight voltage and timing requirements.
The NewTek Video Toaster, however, shows that you
can get broadcast-quality video from an inexpensive
desktop computer."
(re: image accuracy)
"The NewTek Video Toaster shows how little error a
broadcast quality DTV product adds to the conv-
version."
And on, and on, and on, etc. ad infinitum.
MacUser even went as far as to RECCOMEND the Toaster for "out-of-
the-box" DTV "good enough for video producers to drool over".
The article closes with the following statement: "Although the
Mac is the best thing since sliced bread as personal computers go,
for DTV it's a mere crumb compared with the Toaster."
As far as the Mac was concerned, the review wasn't a pretty sight.
Elsewhere in MacUser there was a column on home video and some
anticipation about Apple's rumored answer to CDTV. CDTV is
mentioned and while praise/criticism is not given, it is briefly
described and called "flexible". Commodore is mentioned a few
times, basically stating that it is in a good position to capture
a big market.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time mentioned the Video toaster as "the big news at the moment"
that is a "plug-in board that attaches to Commodore's video-
friendly Amiga computer.
======================================================================
POWER OVER
----------
Power Over is my proposal to Commodore for a modification to the
current Power Up! program which has proved so popular. While this
may seem arrogant to some people (an end user proposing a marketing
strategy), I have met with some success in the past in dealing with
Commodore "higher-ups" in this fashion. Let me know what you, the
users, developers and dealers think of my idea -- where are the
holes and how can they be patched.
Power Up is a program by which a current Commodore owner can get a
big discount on an A3000 or an A500 by providing the serial number
and original manual cover from his or her other CBM machine. This
is a great way to reward loyal users, pump sales, and get the A3000
a decent installed base of software. The program has been so
successful that A3000s are massivly backordered and Commodore has
extended the program duration from its initial ending date of 6/30
well into August. (Don't believe that malarky about problems with
backordered machines extending sales past the final date...CBM has
a good thing going and is extending the ride!)
How do you improve on this concept? By allowing owners of other
machines to trade up to an A3000.
Why doesn't CBM just cut prices to begin with and forego a Power
Over program? Well, price cuts are good, but gimicks are much
better for selling a product. The right gimick combined with a
price cut can sell many more items than a price cut alone.
Instead of taking serial numbers, with no way of verifying them, a
dealer could take the entire machine -- a Mac, PC clone or ST. The
discount amount would be based on the list price of the A3000 model
preferred less a set amount depending on the type and configuration
of the machine traded in.
PCs that were traded in would most likely result in an increased
sale of Bridgecards (so the masses could keep their precious PC
software). Macs could be stripped of their ROMs and AMAX II boxes
could be sold with the A3000s for Mac compatibility. The actual
machines (including ROM-less Macs) could be sold on the Boston
Computer Exchange to offset losses. Profits from the sale of the
machines could be split between the dealer and Commodore (since the
dealer doesn't make much profit on a Power Up machine as is). ROM-
less Mac could be sold, as you CAN buy ROMs if you bring an actual
machine into an Apple dealer and have them installed. The resale
value is less, but it is still worth something.
Discounts would be based on the weeks BoCoEx Index for the specific
machine being Powered Over. Granted, fluxuations might cause end-
user annoyance (discount amounts would vary slightly each week),
but in the end it would work out (as long as the procedure is
explained beforehand!)
Yes, it is a gimmick. It, however, has the potential to be more
profitable for Commodore than the current project as they do not
resell the machines upgraded now. Granted, the market for used STs
isn't what I would call big, the market for used PCs and Macs is
tremendous! With the recession, Fortune 500 companies have been
seen making the rounds at the BoCoEx recently!
I though of this when I used my serial number (A2000) to get my dad
to sell his PC clone and get an Amiga. Now I can't Power Up 'cause
I have only one serial number (threw out all the old C64 ones long
ago!) Oh, well! I am a student so there is recourse other than
full retail available for me still!
Comments, criticism, etc. are always welcome.
-Chas
======================================================================
WHAT'S NEW IN THE AMIGA FORUMS
------------------------------
CIS/Amiga User
--------------
HAMFIN.LZH/B 12K 24-Jul-91 Find HAM info on your BuckMaster CD ROM
AUII10.LZH/B 84K 24-Jul-91 AmigUtil II DOCUMENTATION
AMR103.LZH/B 21K 24-Jul-91 Issue 1.03 of AMReport dated 07/20/91
ATCOPY.LZH/B 154K 24-Jul-91 Bridgeboard - Amiga transfer utility
LATESC.LZH/B 9K 24-Jul-91 Mounts Syquest when no cartridge is present.
PCKEY.LZH/B 24K 24-Jul-91 Keymap for German keyboard and Bridgeboard
WANDA.LZH/B 4K 24-Jul-91 Turn your workbench into a fisktank!
CIS/Amiga Arts
--------------
ACOUST.LZH/B 114K 22-Jul-91 MOD file called Acoustic
CAPITO.LZH/B 89K 22-Jul-91 SHAM mode picture of the U.S. Capitol building
MCE021.LZH/B 60K 22-Jul-91 SHAM mode picture of an M. C. Escher painting
OCTAME.LZH/B 76K 22-Jul-91 OctaMed Player program and sample music
SIMPSN.LZH/B 53K 22-Jul-91 Three digitized sound samples from the Simpsons
TRACKE.LZH/B 15K 22-Jul-91 Textfile about various soundtracker players
ADAM.LZH/B 106K 21-Jul-91 Automated DCTV Animation Maker
SNDTOY.LZH/B 52K 20-Jul-91 Spectrogram & Audioscope - Audio analysis tools
DWING.LZH/B 4K 20-Jul-91 Delta Wing fighter object for Imagine/Turbo Silver
SWORD.LZH/B 11K 20-Jul-91 Ninja-To (Sword) object for Imaging/Turbo Silver
AXEL.LZH/B 62K 20-Jul-91 Mod file AXEL.F for Intuitracker, etc.
HARPAT.LZH/B 50K 20-Jul-91 Editor for data for Harpoon game
CIS/Amiga Arts (NUDES)
----------------------
BRITTA.LZH/B 82K 25-Jul-91 Brittany York
***********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
To sign up for GEnie service: Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
**** SIGN UP FEE WAIVED ****
The system will now prompt you for your information.
-> NOW! GENIE BASIC STAR SERVICE IS IN EFFECT!! <-
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
***********************************************************************
> Hard Disks STR InfoFile ***** ABCO PRICE CHANGES! *****
=======================
** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! **
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
_________________________________________
All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
*-ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE-*
(you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
(all cables and connectors installed)
* ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
* ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED *
* SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
Deluxe 2 bay Cabinet w/65w auto-switching PS
Model Description Autopark Price
==================================================
SGN4951 51Mb 28ms 3.5" Y 479.00
SGN1096 85Mb 24ms 5.25" Y 549.00
SGN2055 105mb 17ms 3.5" Y QUANTUM 699.00
SGN6277 120Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 789.00
SGN1296 168Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 1019.00
==================================================
FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00
ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250w PS
PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only!
CPU ACCELERATOR & MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED
If you don't see what you want listed here, call us.
Odds are we have it or, can get it for you!
AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE!
"We service what we sell. (when necessary)"
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ADSCSI PLUS H/A
- ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
--->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 645.00__ <<---
**** SCSI UNITS -> ONLY $585.00 ****
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN!
Cart and Utility Software Included!
EXTRA CARTS: $ 74.50
DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 349.95
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
* TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1019.00 **
Includes TWO cartridges!
* SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
- Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
50mb SQG51 $ 819.00 85mb SQG96 $ 1019.00
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
*>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<*
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets -
* MOST Replacement Toner Cartridge Kits $42.95 *
* Toner Starter Kits $49.95 *
* Replacement Drums $183.95 *
>> MANY other COMPUTER related products STOCKED <<
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
-* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
please, call for details
Personal and Company Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319
Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service
9am - 8pm EDT
Tues thru Sat
ABCO is EXPANDING!! CALL FOR INFORMATION!
____________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"
==================
"ONE MAN'S 'MAGIC' IS ANOTHER MAN'S ENGINEERING.
'SUPERNATURAL' IS A NULL WORD."
....ROBERT A. HEINLEIN
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
AMReport International Online Magazine
Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
AMReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" July 27, 1991
16/32bit Magazine copyright 1991 Volume 1.04
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors/staff, PCReport, STReport, AMReport, MCReport. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Each reprint
must include the name of the publication, date, issue # and the author's
name. The entire publication and/or portions therein may not be edited in
any way without prior written permission. The entire contents, at the
time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors,
contributors and/or staff are not responsible for the use/misuse of infor-
mation contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
