=============================================================================  The Ultimate Amiga Workstation Platform ============================================================================= By Kenneth L. Mays, International Connections Sit down. Relax. Stretch. The commands are basic, simple, yet informative. A workstation should be designed to be simple. Powerful enough to accomplish any task. Simple enough to be used by a child. Many of you know of the Silicon Graphics IRIS Indigo, NextStation Turbo Color, Macintosh Quadra 900, the Sun SparcStation 2GX, and the latest IBM 486DX2 clones. These workstations were built for a specific audience in mind. The IBM computer is for the common business user. Silicon Graphic's workstations specializes in 3-D CAD/CAM, molecular modeling, film animations (like 'Beauty and the Beast'), satellite mapping, and hard-core graphic intensive work. The Macintosh is the low end graphics computer for desktop publishing, static 24-bit graphic work, and now multimedia presentations. Steve Jobs' NeXT computer is also making the claim for desktop publishing and multimedia. All of these workstations are nice but for a real computer user - only the IBM PC is the most realistic decision for everyday common use. What about the Amiga? Think about it. What does the Amiga need to fill the gap? 24-bit color is available but not STANDARD. You may think having DCTV, Ham-E (now discontinued), ColorBurst, Harlequinn, Toaster, or any other 24-bit color card solves your 24-bit color problem but examine the market. How many applications are available that give you the same quality and performance you would expect on the Macintosh? Surely any software developer with a brain knows about the Commodore Amiga. As I write, there are replacements for the Denise chip enabling users to use 24-bit color - but this isn't a worldwide standard. The Macintosh 32-bit QuickDraw (its 24-bit color system code) is a standard part of the operating system. Most applications that demand color from the Macintosh can rely on this standard being there. The Amiga is plagued with several 24-bit color cards that aren't fully compatible with each other. In simple terms, creating a 24-bit color game using the Amiga/DCTV scheme doesn't mean it will work using an Amiga/Colorburst setup without a few modifications. An Amiga workstation user should consider this dilema. You run out to buy Impulse's Imagine V2.0 (a ray tracing application). The manual is badly written, the program isn't optimized for 68040 users or 68030/68882 users (in some cases you have to buy a separate version), you have to insure it works 100% with OS V2.04/2.1 (or OS V1.3.3 (V34.34)), and if you use 24-bit color you have to insure it will be compatible with not only your color card - but 24 IFF graphic files. The you have the great "512K/1MB/2MB Chip Mem to 0-infinity Fast Mem" dilema. Simplify Amiga program docs. Application document should be easy to read, understand, and written in a tutorial manner (if applicable). How many times have you heard, "Great program - poor documentation"? Its like, "Great graphics - crappy sound effects and music". A workstation is used by computer professionals and NON-COMPUTER professionals. Sometimes have a teenager read the manual for your software. I mean a teenager who doesn't use computers as a hobby. Did they find the manual easy to understand? Can they use the program without reading the manual? Sometimes a program fails because a user wants to just load the program, read a few pages on how to use the program without having to read a novel, and have a template for progams with a lot of keyboard command. A tutorial lesson plan to guide a user through the program is VERY handy for many complex applications. You, the user, should ask yourself what your workstation must do for you. Why own a Macintosh when you mainly use your computer for typing letters, writting essays, some spreadsheet/database work, and playing games? While owning any workstation can be justified, you EVERYDAY usage of a workstation is what becomes important. Find out what you want to gain from using your computer and then find those applications that can meet your requirements. I wrote this article for both developers and users. Having an a 28-MHZ 68040 Amiga 3000 proves useless when there is no application software to support it. I'm talking about programs optimized to run under the 68030/68882 or 68040 environment and with OS 2.xx. People are buying the Amiga but want applications that can easily show them that they don't have to buy an expensive Macintosh or go the "IBM standard" route to do EVERYDAY office and home productivity work. Sit down with a friend. Sit down with your family. Applications on the IBM can be ported to the Amiga (ESPECIALLY the PD software), while UNIX software can be ported to the Amiga, and also Macintosh and a whole slew of other applications. Take the time to write companies. Ask them if they have device drivers letting you use your IBM/Macintosh scanners on the Amiga. What about a Laserjet III printer driver? What about a progam like Electronic Art's Studio/32 on the Macintosh. Could it be written for the Amiga? How many CAD users would like to see AutoCad for the Amiga? A crazy article but it should put thought bubbles around your head. People who own an Amiga 500 Plus need to write companies to help support their machines. People with Amiga 3000s should write companies who create software for Macintosh, IBM, Sun, NeXT, and even ask Silicon Graphics and ask what do they think about the Amiga. Are they PLANNING on supporting it - you spent $300-$3000 for your workstation so you should be wondering who will support you in the future. Its nice to have the ultimate workstation, but without the ultimate software you are just licking the yellow stains off the fire hydrants. Period. =============================================================================  The Ultimate Amiga Workstation Platform =============================================================================