Well, excuse me, but I would like to remind those who are urging Amiga Technologies to follow this path that the Amiga is not IBM compatible. The Amiga's OS and chipset, and the integration of the two, while left to stagnate over the past year and a half, are fundamentally superior to the make-shift 'architectures' of other lesser computers.
The Amiga's OS is unique in desktop PCs in that it is a multi-processor OS. The whole point of the Amiga's custom chipset was primarily that it takes most of the audio video and I/O work away from the CPU (not merely accelerates graphics as with recent PC blitters). Yet many Amigans have fallen into the trap of believing that technological achievement in computers comes from implementing the approach of developing computers with faster and faster CPUs in the hope that the sheer speed of the thing will eventually overcome the inherent flaws. From the very beginning, the Amiga bypassed this problem, yet many Amigans would willingly abandon all this for greater compatibility with the 'mainstream' of computing.
The following questions must be addressed with an implementation of a PC chipset.
Jay Miner would be turning in his grave with the idea of ditching all that makes the Amiga special. The future PowerAmigas should further the concept of moving away from relying on the CPU. Bandwidth and breaking the 'bandwidth barrier' is the future of computing. Only the Amiga has the basics required for the future of computing if AT doesn't screw it up!
The DMA should be used for everything: from the blitter to the copper, audio video and I/O. The bandwidth of this DMA would well and truly exceed the 500MB/s limit and would leave the CPU virtually free to merely assign tasks. Slow-down would not be experienced with this bandwidth (even in bitplane modes), and the video should allow a combination of chunky and bitplane on the same screen. There should be greater modularity than the current machines, but with a broad bandwidth future upgrade paths would be assured. I agree with Ben Vost's other OS and hardware suggestions in the January '96 issue. (Make the OS more object-oriented however, datatypes are a good start and generally, further integrate the OS with the hardware, not move it away.)
From what I have read, the successor to AAA (known as Project Hombre) had reached software simulation stage. Surely this could be geared to the PowerPC processors? AT should do it right or not at all. The Amiga is only an Amiga if it retains that which makes it special. I, for one, will not be replacing my A4000 if AT develops some 'half-baked' Amiga.
Grant Regan, Penrith, NSW Australia
I guess Ben had better reply to this one, as he has all the other hardware/OS letters we have received after our January '96 issue. Perhaps we should think about running a design competition for a new Amiga? Tell us what you think...
Okay. Here's the real problem when it comes to developing the Amiga further. Are you aware that Amiga Technologies doesn't exactly have hundreds of staff to throw at hardware development? Unlike the PC graphics cards manufacturers who can chuck a hundred people at a problem until they overcome it, AT has a very limited personnel budget. This means that perhaps it is time to think about offering a standardised solution when it comes to graphics. There are VGA chips out there that can be programmed for PAL or NTSC compatibility, and there are also chips that can manipulate 3D graphics in the same way the Amiga can handle 2D ones. At the present time, we, as Amiga users, are not using a chipset that has been "...left to stagnate over the past year and a half...", nothing has been done with it for over four years! That is an incredibly long time in the computer industry, and it is a tribute to the Amiga's abilities that it didn't fail a long time ago with that kind of attitude to R&D.
So what can AT do (especially under new ownership)? For a start it should really concentrate on developing the OS, which is already further advanced than others in a lot of respects. OS development isn't cheap, but it's certainly a lot cheaper than hardware development. If AT could concentrate on developing graphics routines for these new breed VGA chips to provide decent 3D and 2D graphics, then we would have a great machine for graphics again. If these libraries were also designed to work on any chipset, given a driver, then any graphics card could be integrated into the system, allowing for a low-end one for cheap Amigas to a 64- or even 128-bit version for high end machines.
The other benefit to using standardised parts is, of course, their cost, which would be a lot cheaper than a new Amiga chipset. In principle, I agree that at some point in the future AT (or whoever) should create a stunning new chipset that all Amigans can be proud of, but in the short term, unless machines can be sold, there won't be any Amigas for a new chipset to go into. The libraries idea could also be extended into areas other than graphics, with a similar approach to Apple's, where even text handling can be managed by the system. This way users who felt they wanted them could have 16-bit soundcards, DSPs, high-end graphics, all integrated perfectly into the system software.
My original reservations about Escom still hold good. Amiga Technologies might, at last, be showing signs of some action, but it still seems to me (and I hope that I am not being too patronising when I say that I wholeheartedly agree with the views expressed in your magazine on this matter) that it is all too little and too late.
So many other people seem to think now that AT and Escom are lovely for the minuscule morsels of comfort that they have offered so far, that I feel I am going out on a limb when I say I think they are up the proverbial creek without a paddle. This new gadget they are slotting into the program - you referred to it as the 'Walker' - as the new up-market version of the A1200 - what an abortion! Who do they think is going to pay all that money for what can at best be described as an interim measure? To be more specific, it has the economy version of the 68030 chip, too small a drive to be useful to the high end user, and no real possibility of proper expansion. I refrain from commenting on it's appearance!
The 'lower' end of the market, by which I mean the people who only have a very limited budget and are looking for 'starter' entry to the home computer, are already catered for in the Amiga market by the many good offers on the 1200 packs currently available. If you start talking in the £500-£800 range as the entry point for a standalone machine, it doesn't take a genius to see that beginners will naturally be drawn to an 'all-in-one' PC with a Pentium processor, monitor and around 8Mb RAM running Windows95 and with a very much reduced upgrade path for the future. Faced with that kind of a choice, if I was just starting I would certainly choose the PC.
If they want to attract the already large and dedicated Amiga community to continue spending money on things Amiga, they should be looking to find a way that existing users with both A1200s and A4000s can upgrade and cross the divide to the PC and Mac. I would suggest they start by designing a new replacement motherboard incorporating all that is best in the existing Amiga, but with expansion slots like one finds on a PC motherboard, to enable the high-end user to transfer all their existing peripherals and memory to make the new Amiga what it always was: the best home computer on the market
Ian Aisbitt, Bedale, N. Yorks.
It's always nice to hear from you Ian, and Ben thanks you for your kind (unprinted) comments on his ascendancy to editorship. We both hope you will continue to favour us with your pointed letters. How many other people reading would buy an Amiga as a first computer now, if they didn't know anything about the respective merits of the different platforms?
In Ben Vost's editorial, 'Killing ourselves', in the May 96 issue (that's issue 10 for the American version), he makes a number of points that I feel need commenting on.
He complains that by 'giving away all this nice software' the Amiga purchaser is discouraged from buying 'anything else'. Apart from the fact that even the current Magic Pack contains only nine software titles (and therefore a minuscule amount compared to what is in the average Amiga owner's collection), they are not necessarily the best or preferred choice for Amiga owners. Thus, far from taking away 'their incentive to go and spend some more money', this selection of software will encourage new owners to either upgrade or look for an alternative and explore other areas not covered in the Magic Pack.
While bundling software with any computer is a marketing ploy, one should not forget the inextricable link between hardware and software. The debate between the Amiga and PC is quickly ended if you take away all the software - both are useless (although the disks can be used as coasters).
As to his comments over the 'seemingly endless stream of full product coverdisks' that negate any further sales, I think he ignores two significant factors. Firstly, they introduce the end user to an area that previously might have been considered technically prohibitive, and therefore not worth risking hard-earned cash on (better to buy yet another shoot-'em-up, the manual only contains one instruction - kill everything in sight). Secondly, familiarity with just one piece of serious software breeds confidence, and confidence (coupled with some knowledge) is essential when using any computer. All too often the games side of computing dominates because of the frustrating lack of knowledge to do anything else (see the advice pages of any computer magazine).
I was initiated into the world of serious software through the give-away of PageSetter 1 (on another magazine, although you did, in fact, put out a demo of PageSetter 2 in October 1990). I then purchased Gold Disk's Office and familiarity with its suite of WP, DTP, spreadsheet and database, coupled with my expanding knowledge, led me to understand my needs better and the limitations of the software. Subsequently, I have moved onwards and upwards in these areas (although not as far as databases go, the Office one still does everything I require). Indeed, it could even be said that the full product coverdisks have been rather limited in their use, some deliberately so by being lite versions, others by a timed obsolescence (the most sensible option - a demo is restrictive and therefore runs the risk of being casually discarded), and some by a far too optimistic expectation of average machine specifications, but they do serve a need.
Having owned an Amiga since December 1989, I know what areas of the computer interest me and what software will fulfil my needs (although SoftWood will no doubt convince me that Final Writer 5/6/7... is infinitely superior to my now marginalised version 4). Nevertheless, there are plenty of new Amiga owners out there who are not so sure and these disks do provide a window on what can be a very inaccessible and confusing world. Furthermore, it could be argued that these coverdisks stimulate the market and that the very existence of the Amiga is proof of that in what has been some very troubled times. There has been a distinct lack of corporate confidence in the Amiga for some time and while it is not a sinking ship (just listing badly), Ben Vost appears to expect the passengers to do the bailing out while the Captain and crew take to the lifeboats.
Personally, because I have all that I need, I prefer coverdisks that contain utilities (one small program that sits in your WBStartup drawer is better than a full program that sits in the bottom of your computer desk). Nevertheless, not everyone has had an Amiga as long as I have (and I intend to take advantage of Escom's trade-in offer and stay with the Amiga), and these coverdisks do provide, for some, a semblance of stability in unstable times.
Finally, the rise in the cover price of magazines seems to be in inverse proportion to their size. Your magazine provides the exception. The October 1990 issue (with PageSetter 2 demo on the cover) cost £2.95 and contained 116 pages. The May 1996 issue shows a 50 per cent increase in price (not too bad for an extra disk, six years and a hefty rise in paper prices) and contains 124 pages.
Stephen Edwards, Norwich
A well-reasoned argument - so you get the prize - but some points need issue. Firstly, putting full price software on coverdisks may not have been too bad in the past when mags could only put one or two floppies on the cover, but now, with more and more magazines offering a CD-ROM version - where there are certainly no size restrictions - the full programs will be just that, with on-line documentation and all the features they had originally. Not only that, but if mags only gave away demos, then just think of the market that could be there for budget versions of serious software in much the same way as games are sold. That way the publisher would still be able to sell their product, shops would stock it, and people who missed out on a particular issue of a magazine would still be able to buy the software, a situation not possible once you have devalued the program to zero. The problem is that there is no incentive to continue to buy software if it's going to be available for free in a few month's time, and there are still an awful lot of people out there who stick with the coverdisk versions given away.
Secondly, giving software away with computers negates the need for a shop to stock software and peripherals. They can sell the Amiga as a complete solution and never see its new owners ever again. Putting the software that was in the bundle into shops (along with competing products) will ensure that punters will be able to see the choice available to them and pick and choose the titles they want to concentrate on. These same shops could also carry demo versions of the software they sell which could be sold for a nominal sum, refundable on the purchase of the full product. But instead it becomes harder and harder to find a shop stocking Amiga software (and the hardware's not so easy to find either) and the situation won't get any better if there is no new software to sell because its authors have bunged it all onto the covers of magazines.
Month after month you are asked the same questions by those who claim to be regular readers of the magazine, but obviously never absorb the information contained within. Month after month you publish letters from many who claim to be committed Amigans who delight in running Amiga Technologies down for their lack of commitment and marketing.
Please bear with me while I make the following observations:
Don't let your readership and other loyal Amigans be fooled or blinkered into thinking that a high spend on advertising will guarantee high sales - personal recommendation could well be the best way forward. If only 10 per cent of Amiga users in Britain convinced a friend that the Amiga was the best all-round computer, that alone would guarantee a bumper and prosperous year for AT.
Tom Porter, Torquay
You're right about not being able to ride on the back of others' advertising. In fact, the Amiga has never been able to ride on the back of any other platform - the price for being unique, I guess. But I wonder about that 10 per cent. Unfortunately, I'm finding increasing evidence to suggest that there are one time Amiga users who now own PCs that are doing precisely what you suggest, but in the wrong direction. Ah well, we'll have to wait and see what VIScorp have to say about the situation.
However certain magazines have started to become stagnant in their originality and because of this I rarely buy them any more, unless there is something essential on the coverdisk.
Amiga Computing was one of the magazines I rarely bought, but over the last couple of months I've been eagerly awaiting its release. Your articles have been interesting and refreshing to read, particularly the Future Investigations issue.
Your writers seem to have a more professional and mature attitude to the Amiga which is lacking from other magazines who have an annoying tendency to put jovial quips all over what are supposed to be 'serious' articles, and I can't help feeling they don't use the Amiga professionally.
Coverdisks are another strong point - in particular issue 98. There wasn't one program I haven't installed on my hard drive, and the Breathless patch was a god send because I don't have a modem yet (you do now though, don't you Matt? - ed), so I can't download patches from the Internet. Even the Capital Punishment demo was welcomed, and I rarely play games (with the exception of Breathless, of course).
All in all, your magazine offers the widest variety, the most professional approach, and the most informative news and reviews. You have a unique formula. Whatever you are doing, don't change!
Matt Gorner, Coventry
Ta very much Matt
One question: why don't you put some of the features and reviews you do online to join the news, etc.
No, sorry, I have two questions. I noticed that you did have the Walker pictures up, but when you went to the June update you lost them. Please put them back up, they were really handy!
David Gould, Cold Christmas, Bucks
Phew! I thought someone didn't like our site for a second there! You probably already know that we have the Walker page back online again - it's in our new category 'Stuff!'. As for the reasoning behind us not putting complete features and reviews online, well, someday, son, it might happen. But for the time being, we are still a print magazine first and foremost and what we want you to do is buy the collection of perfect bound pages we put out every month.
© 1996 IDG Media