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AMReport International Online Magazine Volume 1.01
*---== AM REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Online Magazine of Choice!"
from
STR Publishing Inc.
""""""""""""""""""
July 7, 1991 Premier Issue
==========================================================================
AMReport International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32205-6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST
BBS: 904-786-4176 USR/HST DUAL STANDARD
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST
-----------------------------------------
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ALL issues of AMReport International Online Magazine
are available along with
A worldwide list of private bbs systems carrying AMReport
__________________________________________________________________
> 06/28/91: AMReport #1.01 The Online Magazine of Choice!
-------------------------
-The Editor's Desk -POWER UP CONTINUED! -EDUCATION "WINDFALL"
-SAS/C AMIGA JOB SWAP -New Uploads -IBM/APPLE MAKE DEAL
-MS TAKES BEATING -AMIGA/MENSA SIG -PROGRAMMERS WANTED
-* Amiga User Interface Style Guide *-
-* What IBM/Apple Deal Means to Amiga *-
(part 1)
==========================================================================
AMREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
The _Number One_ Online Magazine
-* FEATURING *-
"UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Hot Tips, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
AMReport's support BBS, NODE 350, encourages BBS systems, worldwide, to
participate in the Fido/F-Net Mail Network. Or, call Node 350 direct at
904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information relative
to the AM arena through an excellent International AM Mail Network. All
AM and related systems are welcome and invited to actively participate.
==========================================================================
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON: GENIE ~ CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ F-NET
==========================================================================
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
The Editor's Podium
-------------------
Hello, and welcome to the premier issue of AM-Report (henceforth known
as AMR). AMR is an online magazine dedicated to serving the Amiga
community by providing interesting information, accurate coverage of
Amiga related events, and general assistance in the way of news, reviews
and answers for common questions; all much faster than the normal
print magazines.
AMR is based off of ST-Report, the "Online Magazine of Choice!" for
the Atari-ST community. Publisher and founder is Ralph F. Mariano,
who runs the show at ST-Report (STR). Ralph is an authorized Atari
dealer in Jacksonville, FL (see the ad for ABCO Computers at the end
of every STR and AMR issue) and has provided a big hand in getting
AMR off of the ground. Ralph also deals (authorized) in Clones,
Macs and Amigas.
Currently Ralph's addresses, both physical and electronic, will be
used for AMR since he has access to many services (Delphi, GEnie,
CIS, FidoNET and others) that I do not. This will soon correct
itself, as I do have an active account on CompuServe (mostly active
in the AmigaTech and AmigaUser forums); a dormant account on GEnie;
and access to FidoNET locally. A home BBS with FidoNET links will
be announced in next week's issue. Yes, this issues contents are
slanted towards CompuServe since that is really my only active
account but this will soon change.
AMR is a weekly publication, being released every Sunday morning.
(Hopefully!)
AMR is looking for roving reporters. The job doesn't pay, has no
material benefits, and can be time consuming. On the other hand,
there is no heavy labor involved and you'll get to see your name in
print. Mostly we are looking for articles on the Amiga in niche
trade publications (such as Publish! magazine or Camcorder) that
are not regularly seen by the general Amiga telecommuting populace.
Major industry news or stories about Amigas in professional or
industrial/scientific settings are good, also.
This issue will probably be smaller than normal. All AMR issues
will be compressed with LHArc to save space and d/l time.
Future issues will include the NonCom Club, a section for reviews
on non-commercial software found on the major networks; Media Watch,
a section dedicated to spotting the Amiga in non-Amiga specific
media (TV, magazines, movies, etc); and finally Stock Watch, a
column reporting the weekly and daily prices of the four "name"
computer stocks: IBM, Apple, Commodore and Atari.
Read, enjoy, and then write and let me know what you think. Comments
are always welcome. For right now, I can be reached through Ralph's
BBS (see the header), on CompuServe or AmiComp BBS [1-407-895-3505].
-Chas
Charles E. Hill
76370,3045
IMPORTANT NOTICE
================
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve.................... 70007,4454/76370,3045
GEnie......................... ST.REPORT
Delphi........................ RMARIANO
BIX........................... RMARIANO
FIDONET....................... 112/35
FNET.......................... NODE 350
NEST.......................... 90:19/350.0
***********************************************************************
: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
***********************************************************************
WHAT'S NEW IN THE AMIGA LIBRARIES
---------------------------------
CIS/AmigaTech....................Nothing!
CIS/AmigaArts....................Nothing!
CIS/AmigaVendor
---------------
INOVAtronics
~~~~~~~~~~~~
DUKHNT.LZH 108018 The CanDo Duck Hunt, by James Palmer
CIS/AmigaUser
-------------
DETIMG.LZH 29727 Imagine Detail Editor Hits and Tips
FORIMG.LZH 56388 Imagine Forms Editor Hits and Tips
TIPIMG.LZH 29937 The Imagine Compendium
KDIKE.LZH 47360 A very full featured Solitaire/Klondike card game
AGSRS2.LZH 35515 Records BIG IFF sound samples direct to disk
BANECS.LZH 5893 Bane of Cosmic Forge Printable Character Sheet
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
NEWS QUICKIES
=============
POWER UP CONTINUED
------------------
June 28, 1991
Attention Commodore owners:
Thank you for the overwhelming response to the A3000 POWER UP program.
Thanks to you and the efforts of our dealers and sales staff we are
having the best quarter ever for the A3000.
However, you demand has outstripped our forecast which has resulted in
a backorder situation for our dealers. As you are likely aware, the
program officially ends on June 30, 1991. Since our dealers have not
yet received all the their backordered equipment, but soon will, we
are allowing our dealers to offer the POWER UP pricing to you through
August 26, 1991.
Hopefully, this will answer the many questions we are getting from
people with machines on backorder concerned about receiving their
machines before the deadline and also help those people who are
working for the summer and can't afford to purchase a new machine
until August.
David Archambault
Director Business Marketing
POWER UP PROBLEMS
-----------------
The Power Up program offered by Commodore rewards the faithful by
giving big discounts on Amige 3000s to those who currently own a
Commodore or Amiga computer.
The program has been so successful that many dealers and users are
complaining about extensive waits for machines. One dealer in
Orlando, FL said that a wait of upto a month was not uncommon, and
that waits were longer for the 16 MHz machine since it was the
least expensive model.
Other reports by users indicate that the wait may be longer in
some cases. One CompuServe user in Hawaii reports of waiting
almost two months and still no A3000!
There is no doubt that the A3000 is a hot commodity, as it is
getting hard to find.
EDUCATIONAL "WINDFALL"
----------------------
As reported in the June issue of Computer Graphics World, Commodore
has launched operation "Windfall", a new marketing program aimed at
educational dealers and VARs that have been dropped or mistreated by
Apple.
SAS/C JOB SWAP
--------------
Message posted to CIS at the express request of Jim Cooper of SAS:
Msg: #2144 [Announcements] 19 lines [1 Reply]
24-Jun-91 10:01
From: Doug Walker
To: All
Subj: SAS/C Management Change
This is a copy of a message I posted on BIX Friday (June 21):
Effective Wednesday, June 26, 1991, I will assume project management
responsibility for the SAS/C Development System for AmigaDOS. I am
replacing John Toebes, who has accepted a position at another company.
For those of you who are not very familiar with this conference, I have
been a member of the compiler development team for AmigaDOS since it
was formed here at SAS Institute in 1989. I have been an Amiga developer
for six years, and as a founding member of the Software Distillery I have
worked on such Amiga projects as Hack, the Blink linker, and the NET:
file system for DNET, parnet, and (more recently) ethernet. I'm looking
forward to the new challenges of directing the efforts to produce version
6.0.
John Toebes will remain active in the Amiga community as the coordinator
of the Software Distillery. We hope you will join us in wishing John the
best in all his future endeavors.
--Doug Walker
End of requested posting.
AMIGA-MENSA SIG
---------------
The Amiga Users SIG, a special interest group of American Mensa (the
High IQ Society) has received official recognition from the American
Mensa SIGs officer. The Amiga Users SIG is a national Amiga user group.
The SIG will have a nationally distributed newsletter, a library of
freely distributable software (copies will be available to all members),
a library of demonstration videotapes (copies will be available to all
members) and much more. SIG members will also receive access to the SIG
BBS, when it opens. The BBS will contain all of the the files in the
SIG's disk library and the Fred Fish disk library on CD-ROM. The BBS
will have two 9600 baud lines for long distance access. I plan to open
the BBS as soon as I have enough money to purchase dedicated hardware.
BBS access will be available to SIG members only. Associate membership
will be available to non-Mensans, but membership dues will be less
expensive for regular (Mensan) membership. If you would like additional
information on Mensa and/or the Amiga Users SIG, please send your name
and address (via e-mail) to me here or mail the information to me at P.O.
Box 275, Slingerlands, NY 12159. Please be sure to specify which
information packet(s) you want -- American Mensa and/or The Amiga Users
SIG. If you respond via US Mail, a self addressed, stamped (52 cents)
envelope or a 52 cent stamp would be appreciated, but is not required.
Also, you can send e-mail to me here (type "GO MAIL"), but it may take
longer. Please don't post a message here.
Matthew Grossman
Coordinator,
The Amiga Users SIG
(73367,3051)
PROGRAMMERS WANTED
------------------
(from internet)
Computer Programmers:
We are a growing technology based company in the greater Nashville area.
With the right team of programmers we intend to penetrate a relatively
new billion dollar market. For this exciting opportunity the experience
requirements are as follows:
Approximately - 2 years experience on AMIGA, 2 years "C", and 2 years
graphics. We are offering up to 60K with competitive benefits. Thank
you for your interest.
Send resume to: Personnel, 3026 Owen Dr., Suite 107, Antioch TN 37013
IBM/APPLE DEAL
--------------
NEW YORK (JULY 3) UPI - International Business Machines Corp. and
Apple Computer Inc. said Wednesday the two computer giants have
signed a letter of intent to jointly create new software products.
IBM and Apple said they will develop and market new technologies that
both companies will put into existing and future products as well as
offer for use on other manufacturers' computers.
The companies said letter of intent covers four areas of understanding:
-The companies will work on a joint venture to create software applicable
from laptop to large computers.
-IBM and Apple will work to integrate Apple's Macintosh into IBM's
system. The companies said they will also develop and market an
advanced operating system combining the best of IBM and Macintosh.
-Apple plans to adopt use of IBM's microprocessor in future Macintosh
personal computers. Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola Inc. and IBM will
design and manufacture a new family of chips.
-The companies will have common platforms for the industry, working
to create and license software that will stimulate widespread industry
development of this new technology.
NEW YORK (JULY 4) AP - The Associated Press compiled this list of the
effects of the IBM/APPLE deal.
-:- Computer industry cooperation: "The deal marked the most
extensive collaboration yet announced between large rival
US computer companies, which are under pressure because
of lower profits and customer demands for more uniform
standards in machines and software. Cooperation by IBM
and Apple could force others to adopt similar standards,
making products more interchangeable and simpler to use."
-:- Consumer products: "The companies say products resulting
from the alliance are expected within the next few years.
Industry analysts say the first result is likely to be a
new software that can be used by both IBM and Apple
machines. Many expect the first beneficiaries of the
cooperation to be users of workstations, which are
powerful desktop machines used mainly by technical
companies. But the benefits eventually could spread and
result in fancier, speedier personal computers that will
appeal to a broader array of customers."
-:- Antitrust implications: "Apple and IBM account for 40
percent of the personal computer market and their
combined muscle led to speculation that other manufac-
turers would object to the technology-sharing agreement
on antitrust grounds. The Justice Department was
reviewing the pact, but some industry experts said they
didn't believe it would be challenged."
-:- Possible loser: "The agreement directly challenges Micro-
soft Corp., the dominant provider of software for IBM and
Apple, by potentially removing an enormous market for
that company. The agreement also challenges the
competitive strength of leading chipmaker Intel Corp.,
workstation manufacturer Sun Microsystems Inc., and
personal computer maker Compaq Computer Corp., which have
been influential in trying to set standards that others
must follow to sell their products."
MICROSOFT TAKES BEATING
-----------------------
Microsoft Corp. took a beating on the stock market when IBM and
Apple announced they had signed a letter of intent to share future
technology and to develop new products. The agreement includes
developing operating system software through a new company to be
jointly owned and independently managed.
The software will run on major industry hardware systems based on
a fast new breed of computer chips that relies on reduced-instruction
set computing, or RISC, technology.
IBM and Motorola Inc. also will make a new family of computer chips
for IBM's RISC-6000 POWER system, with Apple to adopt the chips'
architecture in future versions of its Macintosh computers.
Shearson Lehman Brothers on Wednesday downgraded its rating of
Microsoft stock from a "strong" to a "weak" buy. Shearson analyst
David Readerman said the recommendation was made before the Apple-IBM
announcement but was based on a growing number of IBM alliances that
could hurt Microsoft.
In a memo leaked to the press last month, Microsoft founder and
chairman Bill Gates said his company's relationship with IBM "may
be fairly cold" over the next two years.
Apple and Microsoft are involved in an increasingly acrimonious
lawsuit over whether an early version of Windows violated copyrights
on Apple's Macintosh computer. Both Windows and the Macintosh make
extensive use of screen graphics rather than typed commands to
operate programs.
Microsoft's stock closed Wednesday at $64, down $4.125.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
As a reader of AMReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to
take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. For only $29.95 ($20
off the standard membership price!), you will receive a lifetime subscrip-
tion to DELPHI, a copy of the 500-page DELPHI: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE and over
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SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN -- DELPHI
--------------
1. Dial 617-576-0862 with any terminal or AM and modem (at 2400 bps,
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2. At the Username prompt, type JOINDELPHI.
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For more information call:
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or
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DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
--------------------
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for just $20 a month! The $20 is a monthly fee that covers your first 20
hours online via direct dial into one of DELPHI's two direct-access lines,
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on DELPHI as part of the Advantage Perks.
Other telecom services may have additional charges. Canadian Tymnet users
have an additional telecom charge. Office Time access (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
weekdays) may have an additional charge. And of course, other restric-
tions may apply. But this is still an amazing deal!
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
As a reader of AMReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to
take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. DELPHI has waived the
sign-up fee! For a limited time, you can join the World's Premier Online
Service for FREE! Members can access DELPHI worldwide through hundreds of
local access lines.
For more information please contact:
DELPHI at 1-800-544-4005 and ask for Member Services.
DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
FEATURE
-------
AMIGA® User Interface Style Guide
by Charles Hill
Last weekend I walked into my local monster-sized bookstore at the request
of my wife, who was dead set on getting me a book entitled "How to Pamper
Your Wife". Upon entering, we went through our normal bookstore routine:
I wandered to the computer/technical section and she went somewhere else.
Being the Amiga fanatic I am, I can recognize the cover illustrations
and formats of almost all of the Amiga specific books on the market at
a distance of about 25 feet. This day, I was in for a surprise...
The AMIGA® User Interface Style Guide (AUISG) is the next manual in the
Amiga Technical Reference Series, published by Addison-Wesley and written
by the good folks at Commodore-Amiga, Inc. In essence, it is really the
first manual in the third series and not the fourth in the second. (Got
that?)
The first series was for OS 1.1, and was colored white and gold (often
referred to as "golden oldies" now). The second series is the one
currently in wide use, covering OS 1.3 in three manuals and is colored
blue. The third series consists so far of one manual which is colored
a charcoal grey. The fourth paragraph in the Preface says it all:
"This book was written with Release 2 of the Amiga
operating system in mind. All functions, examples
and elements herein refer to Release 2."
The manual was written by Dan Baker, Mark Green and David Junod with
twenty-two other contributers listed including William Hawes (ARexx)
and Andy Finkel (Amiga). First publication date was February 1991
and the Library of Congress data lists it as part of a series. The
book was done an an A2500.
# OF PAGES...........................................206
# OF CHAPTERS.........................................12
SUGGESTED PRICE (US)..............................$21.95
SUGGESTED PRICE (CAN).............................$28.95
ISBN.......................................0-201-57757-7
The main emphasis of the AUISG is consisteacy. The authors state that
what they preach is an easier learning curve for the user through
familiarity. It is not easy to figure out that this manual is based
off of the same idea that Apple has used so successfully with their
Macintosh guidelines, except that Apple enforced the guidelines with
an iron fist and Commodore takes a more capitalistic attitude towards
the whole situation, for example:
A user is in a store comparing Program A to Program B.
Looking at the menus, the user sees that Program A has
the same basic menu structure as Program C, which the
user uses most often while Program B bears no
resemblance. Program A uses the say key shortcuts
as C, whereas B uses its own method. In the five or
ten minutes the users plays with each program he finds
that he can do more with Program A (OPEN, SAVE, PRINT,
CUT, COPY, UNDO, etc.) than with Program B simply
because the interface is similar to the standard, also
used by Program C. User purchases Program A, even
though B has comparable features and is similar in
price. Thus the economic reasons for consistency.
The success of the Apple Macintosh has proved that this works.
The book is divided into twelve chapter, each concentrating on a
specific part of the interface with the exception of Chapter 1,
which is the Introduction and extolls the benefits of consistant
user interfaces; and Chapter 2, which is general information.
The remaining chapters cover the following topics: Screens, Windows
and Requesters, Gadgets, Menus, Workbench, the Shell, ARexx, the
Keyboard, Data Sharing, and Preferences. A glossary of terms, index
and table of contents are also included as well as the addresses of
Commodore in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.A., & Germany.
The manual is easy to read, as the body text is set in a simple serif
font and double-spaced. The titles are in a bold sans-serif font.
Margin notes in a small type (@ 6 point), sans-serif font accompany
most pages, summarizing important ideas. Chapters begin with quotes
from various sources ranging from Bertrand Russell to Robert Heinlein
to Frank Zappa.
The only typographical error I found was on page V and VI. The last
line of page V is the first line of page VI. Granted, I wasn't looking
for any -- that one just stood out. Since I am still running v1.3 of the
Amiga OS, I really can't comment about factual errors. Everything seemed
to jibe with what I have seen of the A3000 and Release 2.
Heavy stress is put on making programs international aware by support for
alternate keymaps and international formats (date, time, decimal, etc.).
Stress is also placed on making program with palettes that are usable on
monochrome systems. (Rumor has it that there is no Amiga laptop as CBM
cannot imagine a monochrome Amiga [color screens being priced what they
are]. With this book emphasizing allowance for monochrome and the default
system colors for Release 2 (grey shades), attitudes may be changing!)
AUISG is heavily illustrated with both the "proper" way to do things, and
how NOT to do things. System resources are touted as the best way to
program for consistency. Detailed (by in English, not Technoese)
descriptions are given for all system attributes such as gadgets,
slider, text-input windows, requestors, windows, etc. Illustrations
accompany almost every example.
Suggestions are given for standard menu titles, standard keyboard
shortcuts, standard ARexx commands to support, etc. Chapter 11 explains
data sharing through the Clipboard and ARexx and even gives general
descriptions of IFF and how it is defined (ultimate definition is left to
the IFF Specification from CATS). Cavaets are given for how IPC (inter-
process communication) and ENV variables are handled in a network
environments.
Overall the book is very well written and easy to understand. It provides
a consise guide to a standard interface for the Amiga which can be quite
useful. A consistant, quality appearance is necessary to be considered
"professional".
Andre Agassi is right, image IS everything.
***********************************************************************
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THE AMIGA LAPTOP QUESTION
-------------------------
There has been a bit of discussion about a possible Amiga laptop on
CompuServe lately, and of what happen the the German 3rd party laptop
that was shown in CeBitt oh so long ago.
Here is what I remember as happening as well as my opinion as to how
to go about it in the future.
A German company called GigaTron said, back in 1988 that they were
working on an Amiga laptop. In 1989 it was reported that GigaTron
had shown two models at CeBitt Fair in Munich: one with a gas-plasma
display and one with an LCD display -- both a 16 shade monochrome.
The company announced that the displays were capable of rendering
every Amiga screen, though HAM wasn't the best and neither was
half-brite. They stated that they screens were developed with the
direct assistance of Commodore U.K., who had expressed utter
amazement that anyone other than CBM could make an Amiga motherboard.
Price was set at $3000 for the LCD model and $3500 for the gas-plasma.
Nothing further came out for over a year. The machine was a 68000
based but with two special slots, one for a modem or fax/modem and
one for an accelerator.
Finally, one of the major publications (AmigaWorld, I think) printed
in its rumors column that Commodore had killed the project with
threatened lawsuits over the motherboard. That they didn't want
the competition. No confirmation of this has ever been obtained, and
that is where it stands today.
Is a laptop Amiga feasable? Well, everyone else has one: IBM, Apple
(who is reported to have three more in the works -- one pen based),
and Atari (who is reported to have two more in the works -- one pen
based) all have working laptops. Commodore makes a notebook 286 PC
with a 386 in the final stages of testing. Why no Amiga LT?
Well, the Macintosh is basically a monochrome system, so there is no
conflict since color is an add-on. MS-DOS machines have numerous
monochrome setups, the most prolific being Herculese and VGA mono.
The Atari has a couple of monochrome settings, too -- so that really
isn't a problem. The Amiga, on the other hand, has no basic monochrome
setting (except for the dual-paged A2024 display for DTP). The Amiga
touts color and animation as major features. Can you see a monochrome
Amiga? Yes, if you look hard enough.
The Amiga does have support for some super-hires monochrome screens
(Viking & A2024 moniters) aimed at DTP. How many are out there and
how many programs support them? Not many programs other than DTP
itself support mono Amiga. High persistance phosphors and matrix
displays make animation impossible. Other modes are best used with
color...or are they.
The newest Amiga operating system, Release 2 comes with the A3000 and
has default colors in the grey scale. The 3-D embossed look is great
and easily obtainable with a grey scale pallete. Is this a "buffer"
step, to ease the transition to possible monochrome Amigas?
The newest manual, the Amiga® User Interface Style Guild (see article)
stresses the ability of programs to look good on monochrome screens.
What is Commodore up to?
Is monochrome necessary for a laptop?
Current color LT technology is getting better. There are both VGA color
(16 colors on a 640 x 480 screen) and better (4096 at once) currently
available in quantity. Even better screens (one touted in a major PC
pub as equal to or better than a regular monitor) are on the way. The
barrier is price. Screen with case start at about $2500, not including
computer -- and that is rock bottom (in quantity, too). Expect to pay
between $3500 and $4500 rock bottom for a color Amiga LT (68000 based)
with 16 color hires. Prices of $4500 to $5500 for full color Amigas
would be the norm. Expect introductory and list prices to be about $1000
above those numbers -- if one were produced in today's market.
Is color necessary?
All laptops I have seen include an external monitor plug. I cannot see
doing color intense art on a laptop. I CAN see finalizing a multimedia
script using the Director or AmigaVision, word processing, recalcing a
spreadsheet, etc. while on a plane/train/automobile. Art work is so
time consuming that trying to cram it in on the plane before the big
meeting is asking for trouble. No doubt I will get lots of mail
telling me how people would need color in places where a LT is necessary.
<shrug> Then take the Trump Shuttle and plug in to the monitors in the
lounge. A monochrome Amiga LT would be useful, and darned right powerful
with an external video jack.
What processor?
Not the 68000, that's for sure. An Amiga LT should include a 16 MHz
68030/68881 combination to ensure that it can run Unix V.4. The 030
would be better than the 020 'cause Unix requires a PMMU which is
built into the 030 and separate with the 020 (68851 to be exact).
Price may be a bit higher, but power consumption would be much better.
CMOS is necessary in order to lengthen the battery life.
Ideal machine?
My ideal (but realistic) Amiga LT would consist of the following:
A 16 MHz 68030/68881 based machine shipped with 1 Mb chip RAM (DIPs
for second meg) and 1 Mb fast RAM (with inline ZIP sockets for upto
16 Mb of fast RAM -- same as the A3000). I don't consider a built-in
floppy necessary (I almost NEVER use mine on my A2000), so an external
connecter would be fine. A choice of 40/60/80 meg hard drive (2.5")
built-in is mandatory. A choice of paper-white VGA screen or color
for the rich people and fanatics. VGA, small parallel, SCSI and audio
out (Y-split necessary for stereo) on the back. Dedicated socket for
a modem card and a single Zorro II slot. The keyboard should be based
off of the Mac Portable or the IBM LT with a side jack for an external
keyboard. A single joy/mouse port and clock. Bring it in under 5 pounds
(so I'm dreaming) and a battery life no shorter than 3 hours, 2 with
intense hard disk activity. Price it at $3000 for the 40 Mb mono and
$4500 for the 40 Mb color (list). Modem card for $99, fax/modem for $199.
Hopefully Commodore willlook favorably on the idea of a laptop Amiga, or
at least encourage a third party to develop one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
What the IBM/Apple Deal Means to Amiga
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(part 1)
The deal struck between the two largest computer makers in North
America, IBM and Apple, has the potential for being the major
computer news issue of the early 1990s. The media will be full
of speculation as to just what the partnership will accomplish,
the effect it will have on the computer industry and the affect
it will have on IBM and Apple themselves.
Let's look at some of the details and history of the companies
involved and do some speculation of our own...
1) Relationships
To say that IBM and Apple have never been best of friends would
be like saying that Sony dabbles a bit in the electronics markets.
When the Macintosh was first introduced the advertising was
targeted directly at Big Blue. Apple spared no expense to make
itself different from IBM and drove that point home with a media
blitz that protrayed MS-DOS users as button-down zombies with
no enthusiasm, creativity or initiative. IBM didn't even blink.
After all, the Macintosh had available two, count 'em, two pieces
of software available at release: MacDraw and MacWrite.
My how times change. Today, IBM still holds the edge in the
mainframe market, though not as much as it did in the early 80s;
and its personal computers are beset on all sides from cheap
clones that are getting better, cheaper and faster all the time.
Instead of the once mighty 80% market share, IBM is down to about
31%.
Apple sold a lot of people on their computer-cultural revolution.
The Macintosh has evolved nicely, but Apple has maintained a strangle-
hold on the market -- vigorously suing the pants off of anyone who
tries to make any form of clone. Currently, the only clones of the
Mac require that a person remove the Apple ROMs from a Macintosh and
place them in the clone. One company claims to have completly
reverse-engineered the ROMs and produced a suit-proof clone, but no
units have shipped as of yet.
The question of whether Apple and IBM can actually work together and
do something without Apple suing is the $64,000 question. Previous
Apple partners, Hewlett-Packard and MicroSoft are feeling the Wrath
of Jobs (actually Wozinak, but Jobs sounded better) in the form of
lawsuits over the look and feel of HPs New Wave and MicroSoft's
Windows. Apple profits are down, even though sales are up. Apple is
being sued by a group of stockholders over misrepresentation of the
stock's value and potential (Commodore knows that feeling!) Apple
margins are slimming down and users are mad about Apple's deathgrip
on the ROMs, not to mention the introduction of the Classic (at $1000
less than the SE -- whose owners are feeling betrayed).
The vision and drive Apple hade left with Steve Jobs, and is evident in
the NeXT. Bottom line drove Wozinak to make a deal with Apple's chief
rival -- a move many feel is a sell out.
2) Affected Markets
Assuming that Hell freezes and the Cubs win the World Series by
beating the Indians in seven night games, then Apple and IBM may
do something productive without name-calling and legal posturing.
The first market to feel the effects would not be the personal
computer market, but the workstation market. IBM and Apple are
looking at setting up compatible machines using the RISC 6000
architecture of IBM. The odds are slim and none (and Slim is headed
for the train) that any future machine would be compatible with
current PCs of Macs without a stopgap like the Amiga Bridgecard.
Microsoft will feel the heat, because the new OS will be developed
jointly by Apple-IBM, and not them. The majority of Microsoft's sales
are the operating system MS-DOS and Windows.
Intel will feel the heat because the new chips will be developed
jointly by IBM and Motorola. The majority of Intel processing chips
go to IBM compatibles.
The current IBM RISC 6000 based machine is a workstation, that is
most likely the target area. Neither Apple nor IBM are widely known
for their user-friendly pricing structures, so the odds are that
PCs will be PCs and workstations will be workstations for some time
yet to come.
The workstation market is already in chaos. Sun dominates, but a
consortium of big names (Microsoft, Dec, Sony, Compaq, SCO, Mips, NEC,
CDC, Wang, Siemens Nexdorf, Acer and others) has formed ACE, the
Advanced Computing Environment to compete with Sun and the SPARC chipset.
IBM-Apple will be a third player in that market.
NEXT WEEK -- Direct affects on the PC market and what it means for the
Amiga.
==========================================================================
> Hard Disks AMR 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 $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250w PS
PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only!
If you don't see what you want listed here, call us.
Odds are we have it or, can get it for you!
AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE!
"We service what we sell. (when necessary)"
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
--->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 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)
LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations)
*>> 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"
====================
"IN AN OTHERWISE EQUAL CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL,
EVIL WILL ALWAYS WIN...SINCE EVIL IS NOT ABOVE CHEATING"
....Unknown
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AMReport International Online Magazine
Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide!
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AMReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" July 7, 1991
16/32bit Magazine Copyright ©1991 Premier Issue
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
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mation contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
