NZ Amiga Users Group (Wgtn), c/- Tony Wills, 156-C Queens Drive, Lyall Bay, Wellington 3. Ph (04)877-258 (home) (04)850-559x743 (work) ~Editorial :` Should we introduce a rule requiring all members to make at least one submission to the newsdisk or newsletter each year! Come on you guys and gal*1 submitt or else*2! In reply to last months query, I am told that the later Amiga 1000's do have different disk drives, ones that tend to fall to pieces internally! A couple of notes relating to the transcribed and annotated version of the Auckland NZAUG January Newsletter on the January Newsdisk : The full VIP Professional review can be found in AmigaWorld Nov/Dec 1986 - author Ted Salamone. I disputed Roger's*3 assertion that the Amiga 1081 monitor was a PAL monitor - well it is, but then it is also an NTSC monitor, and an RGB monitor. Having aquired a source of PAL video signal I can confirm that the monitor displays PAL signals perfectly - my earlier problems in displaying PAL signals were due to having the Amiga switched on and feeding into the RGB port at the same time - the RGB sync appears to override the 'CVBS' input sync - hence no lock! So in conclusion you have a very clever monitor that can accept RGB, RGBI, NTSC, and PAL signals (automatically determines whether composite signal is NTSC or PAL - probably looks at colour burst frequency) - this should satisfy everybody except the French! (they don't use PAL/NTSC). Another thing that I checked was that you can record the NTSC signal (from NTSC Amigas of course!) on PAL video recorders - but you only get black and white pictures back - not surprising. What I find surprising is that it records at all - are the NTSC Amigas, that are being driven off 50Hz mains power, actually putting out NTSC at 50Hz (rather than 60Hz?) - if so that would certainly explain why it should be possible to convert the NTSC machines to PAL by only switching the RGB to NTSC/PAL encoder - because the frame rate is already correct, determined by the mains. *1 Welcome to Marijke Conway *2 This technique is known as cowering the membership into submission!! *3 Roger Manson is the editor (amongst other things) of the Auckland based NZ Amiga User's Group. ~News :` News of the Amiga 2000 arrived just before I sent out the last newsletter, so I only managed to included a copy of it's technical specifications. Following is a slightly more detailed analysis of the Amiga 2000's features (for more information see items in BYTE Mar '87, Amiga World March/April '87, and other March/April publications). But first is a quote from a letter to Commodore (NZ) that I wrote on the 9th May 1986 on behalf of the first NZ Amiga Users Group (I had to do something while waiting for my Amiga to arrive) : "Now if you're wondering what to do next, to improve your wonderful creation - Here is what we expect the next revision of the Amiga to contain ! : 1) One megabyte (at least) of memory on board by using the up and coming one megabyte ram chips. 2) Battery backed-up on-board clock (come on, its only another couple of chips plus battery! ) 3) Capacity (eg upgrade power supply?) to allow fitting of another internal 3.5 inch drive, perhaps replacing the panel that now houses the memory expansion pack. We realise the above are available as plug in expansions from third parties, and are not suggesting that these added features be standard as that would no doubt just push the basic price up. But we think the basic machine should be upgradable onboard to this level, only requiring external modules for really significant upgrades (eg hard disk, and 8 Mbytes of RAM) In line with the Amigas development from the concept of the ultimate games machine to what approaches the ultimate personal computer, we expect the next generation from Commodore-Amiga will incorporate a 68020, have the expansion format of an IBM-PC type machine (ie internal expansion slots), room for an internal hard disk (or two!), room for at least two 3.5" disk drives, tons of onboard memory (when used as a ram disk you can never have too much!), and graphics to surpass even the Amiga! (some of us are never satisfied)". Basically the 2000 is a 1000 repackaged with no innovative enhancements. But if this was the machine that Commodore launched in 1985 the Amiga would be in a much stronger position today. I will only discuss the changes from the standard Amiga 1000 : ~Motherboard :` Now contains battery backed up clock (hurray!), 1Meg of RAM (bravo!), kickstart 1.2 in ROM and Amiga, IBM-PC, IBM-AT expansion slots. If you are going to date-stamp files, you must supply a battery backed up clock, users quickly tire of entering the date and time (especially in an illogical American format, it's as bad as Aussy cricket scoring!). Putting the kickstart code into ROM, where it was always meant to be, is a mixed blessing. I don't think the Amiga operating system is quite perfect yet, and if improvements/fixes require modification to the ROM kernal code (ie kickststart) it will be more expensive to upgrade. On the other hand developers now have a stable operating system to work with. There are 5 Amiga expansion slots, two IBM-PC slots and two IBM-AT slots, the latter are aligned with two of the Amiga slots so that a board containing an 8088 or 80286 etc processor can join the Amiga buss to the IBM slots allowing the two to communicate to provide IBM compatibility (It is not IBM-PC compatible by default). Additionally there is a CPU connector for expanding to say, a 68010/68020 processor and 68881 maths coprocessor. ~Case :` Now made of metal and enlarged to contain a large (200 Watt) power supply, room for internal expansion boards, two internal 3.5 inch disk drives and one 5.25 or slimline harddisk. The case doesn't appear to have a nice 'flip-top' lid (get out your screw driver) - but I could be wrong. The new power supply should be able to handle anything, hope it hasn't got a noisy fan - ever tried sleeping in the same room as an IBM-PC? The 2000 comes with only 1 drive as standard, but ,as everyone except computer manufacturers, know, a PC must have at least two drives. Now you can put them all inside, even a 5.25 inch drive for PC compatibility, or a hard disk for the rich. Keyboards and mice plug in the front, everthing else plugs in the back, and to aid in the war against multiple trailing cables it appears to have a power socket (for the monitor) on the back as well. I can't be certian but it looks as though the power switch is on the back too - a retrograde step. ~Keyboard :` Now has 94 keys (rather than 89), the additional keys being + * / ( ) keys on the keypad. In a concession to sense, it now plugs into the front of the machine. More significantly the layout has been changed to look like the enhanced IBM-PC keyboards that you find on all the 'Better than IBM' PC clones. Although the numeric keyboard keys are annotated to reflect their function on an IBM-PC, I think that they really shouldn't have followed IBMs idiocy, but should have added seperate INSERT, PAGEUP, PAGEDOWN, HOME, and END keys, not for IBM-PC compatibility but simply because these are commonly used functions, and it makes for a more consistent user interface if such functions can be assigned to standard keys, across all programs. Well that is certainly more than I asked for, encompasing most of my 'next revision' and 'next generation' suggestions, and I would love to have one (or two!) of these 'as the Amiga should have been' machines - might even get one direct from the States (or Germany). Anyway I am, of course, not satisfied with these improvements (even if it contained a 'Cray I (or II) on a chip' had a full colour 3-d holographic display, gigabytes of memory and picosecond clock speed, I think I could think of one or two improvements) - now I trust that those guys developing the Amiga, that must have read my last letter, will read this letter more carefully and make sure they include a faster processor and real high-res graphics in the next version (they'll get it right if I keep at them). Well it is about a year latter now and so my list of improvements has expanded, we now expect : 1) New software selectable graphics modes that provide for something like 1000 by 1000 pixels (I think 1000*700 is rumoured to be in the pipeline). (People keep complaining that nothing has been done to reduce interlace flicker, the problem is the TV standard not the Amiga) The Amiga should keep the TV standard modes, but also allow for higher resolution modes which would require high-res monitors that run at a faster scan rate, and have a much greater number of vertical scan lines - to produce 'professional' quality graphics. 2) The 68000 is ancient (circa 1979), the 68010, and 68020 are becoming more common, but what a real computer needs is a 68030 processor. The new generation will be competing with 80386 machines, so you can't afford to just keep up by adding a 68020. 3) And one last thing - a lower price tag would be nice! ~Amiga 500:` The 500 is again a repackaged Amiga 1000, and surprisingly it seems to have practically everything the Amiga 1000 presently contains, all squeezed into a machine more the size of a Commodore 128. They have maintained the features, and lowered the price by squeezing everthing into fewer chips, taking the power supply out, and building the keyboard in. All the graphics, sound etc are the same as the 1000, and it is software compatible with all Amiga software that works under version 1.2 of the operating system. It also retains the same expansion buss, but coming out the other side of the computer, and will require an adapter to accomodate current peripherals. ~A few things to note about the 500 and 2000 :` 1) The extra 512k in the 2000 is not the fast RAM that you would expect, ie it is not installed into the 8 meg RAM expansion address space, but above the 'CHIP' RAM address space (a German version of the 2000 has the extra RAM as fast RAM). 2) Peripherals that plug into the Amiga 1000 expansion port will be rather difficult to use on the 500 or 2000. 3) The printer and serial connectors have been swapped to conform to the 'industry standard', ie they now take the same cables as IBM-PC's. This has a few side effects - eg things like digiview can't be plugged in without some sort of adapter. 4) The 500 has RGB and monochrome outputs but no composite colour output. 5) A long persistance monitor is now available for the Amiga. 6) Proposed costs : Amiga 500 : $US650 (without monitor) Amiga 2000 : $US1499 (without monitor) Amiga 1000 will be phased out. **IBM is the trade mark of some little known company - International Business Machines, I think they produce mechanical calculators or something similar, that were familiar in Charlie Chaplins era. ~Letters to the Editor :` Dear Tony, I like your idea about Commodore paying us $1000 to trade in our Amigas for the new 2000. Don't think Commodore (NZ) would be very enthusiastic even though they did make $346,000 profit in the last 6 months of '86. Why trade in? It would seem that we (present Amiga owners) can upgrade our machines to the equivalent of a 2000 by buying an expansion box and extra RAM. True we don't have kickstart v1.2 in ROM but that is more an advantage than a disadvantage. An Amiga 2000 will not be able to run software that only runs under 1.1 And what about the future? Are Commodore so sure that 1.2 is the last word in kickstarts? Even if they are not going to develop it further there are others that will. An example is THE MIRROR Hacker Package which can modify a kickstart disk so that a reset will dump the contents of chip memory into expansion RAM where it can be examined with a disassember. The stated price of US$1500 (without monitor) probably means a system cost of NZ$6000-$7000 with a PAL high persistance monitor, thus it is really aimed at the business market rather than hobbyists. I would expect Commodore to lower the price on the current machine when they introduce the 2000. It is not suprising that the 8088 board is an option, they are probably developing a 80286 board to run AT programs. I see the Hard disk controller card runs ST506 drives as well as SCSI. I know about SCSI but have never heard of ST506. What about RAM cards that are designed for the right hand side 86 pin slot of the 1000 (I have ordered a Comspec 2MB board) I can't see that fitting inside a 2000. Why is the 1010 external 3.5" drive listed in that article as "Price not available?" They cost NZ$795. Anyhow the local dealer reckons that the 2000 will not be released in NZ until early '88. Yours sincerely Ross Deeley Strangly enough I doubt that Commodore will take up that suggestion. Sure you can upgrade the 1000 to something like a 2000, the only real difference is the packaging - I would much prefer the 2000 packaging - ie expandable internally, the way it should have been from the start (no doubt the original packaging was dictated by cost considerations). The 2000 is not compatible with the 1000 expansion buss. - ed John Veldthuis (Taranaki) reports a few problems with the assembler on AmigaLibDisk # (Fred Fish) - It doesn't seem to handle ASCII literals properly e.g. dc.b 'gdtd' and asciz 'gdf' additionally using the disassembler from disk # he found instances where a addq.l had assembeld to a subq.b !! (Well it could be an optimising assembler!!). I have not used a 68000 assembler, but I suppose that it is possible that this assembler uses a nonstandard syntax for specifing ASCII literals, and that the dissassembler was wrong. Has anyone else tried that assembler? Alan Groves (Wellington) wants to know if anyone can tell him how to get past the dragon in The Pawn? ~NewsDisk :` All newsdisks are available for the cost of a blank disk ($6.30). These disks are set up to be bootable workbench disks, and may not give the desired results if viewed from CLI, or after booting from another disk. The fourth NZAmigaUG newsdisk contains the following : Yep, thats right, it doesn't exist yet - how about a few submissions? - I will have to scrounge together the few bits that wouldn't fit on the last disk! With a bit of luck it will include an updated price list of currently advertised Amiga software and hardware, an updated list of the public domain library contents, and extracts from the Australian Amiga Users Association newsletter, and perhaps the Auckland NZAUG newsletter (if someone will send me one). ~Public Domain Software :` Currently we've got : Aegis Draw Demo, Boing!, (Including multispeed version) CCC Multitasking Demo, Delux Video Demo, Digiview (Australia) Slideshow, Dynamic CAD slideshow, EA IFF 85 Standard, Sept 19, 1986 FAUG Disk #ll, (Anyone got their address?) Fractal Art 1, (From Captain ROM and Co of Titirangi) Future Sound Dukebox Demo, Hippy Art, (From Captain ROM and Co of Titirangi) Musicraft V0.99 Demo, (Three different sets of examples) NZAmigaUG #1.02, (Newsdisk) NZAmigaUG #2.02, NZAmigaUG #3.00, Robocity, Slide Demo, Superbase Demo, WB_THD/DEMO (Molecules). If any of that lot isn't freely distributable, please let us know! If you have other such demos send us a copy - a few that spring to mind are the dancing ballerina, and crying/flying bird demos seen on the video of the Amiga launch, and where is the Aquisition database demo ? Also available are AMICUS disks 1..6,8,9,10 and disks 1..58 of the AmigaLibDisk series assembled by Fred Fish in the States (Fred must spend a lot of time assembling these disks, and has been kind enough to supply us directly (at a small charge) with his disks. I hope you guys (and gals!) appreciate all the voluntary hard work done by the authors of the public domain software, don't take it for granted, try to repay these people by contributing something yourself. And remember, if you like and use any of the shareware products you are expected to send a donation (ussually specified!) to the programs author - this often entitles you to a manual and later updates. If you've got any contributions or requests then send us a disk. (or money to purchase a box of disks, and specifications as to their contents) ~Group Meetings :` Auckland: The next Auckland group meeting ? Contact : Roger Manson, 22 Ellice Road, Glenfield, Auckland. ph. 444-4044. Christchurch : A group should have been formed by the time you read this, hopefully more information will be forth coming. Nelson : Nelson Amiga Users Group meets informally, as a subgroup of the Nelson Commodore Users Group, on the third Thursday of each month, at 7:30pm, in the Stoke Primary School In-service training rooms, Main Road, Stoke. Contact : Gary Walker, ph. Nelson 85494 (home). Wellington : The 'next' local Wellington group meeting is sometime in April at 7:30pm in the Royal Society Building, Turnbull Street, Thorndon, Wellington. Contact : Tony Wills, 156-C Queens Drive, Lyall Bay, Wellington 3. ph. 877-258. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Membership fee is $12 with a surcharge for local (Wellington) members of $8 to cover room rental for local meetings. Would 'out of town' members indicate whether they would like to be local contacts for other Amiga owners in their area. Name : _________________________________________ Address : ______________________________________ : ______________________________________ : ______________________________________ : ______________________________________ Home Phone : _________________ Work Phone : ___________________ Any areas of expertise that you can share (eg C language programmer, experienced VIP-planner {Lotus 123} user, hardware hacker etc) : :________________________________________________ :________________________________________________ Any specific areas of interest (eg Graphics/Animation, Music/Sound, Accounting/Business, Publishing/Wordprocessing etc) : :_______________________________________________ :_______________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Annual subscription fee (for following 12 months) : $12.00 ______ Local Meeting Levy : $8.00 ______ TOTAL : ====== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- _ _ Interested in a Newsdisk |_| Local user group contact |_|. 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