Reader Mail

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                               Reader Mail
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Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 00:31:26 -0600 (MDT)
From: James Weckler <James.Weckler@m.cc.utah.edu>
Subject: amigas in the news

Hi.

I have some info you might/might not be interested in:

#1--In the June 24, 1996 issue of "MicroTimes: Northern California's
Computer Magazine", on p.264, there is, in the section devoted to
"Multimedia and Beyond", an article entitled: "Using Amigas On The Tonight
Show: An Interview With Mac McAlpin." The article was written by Douglas J.
Nakakihara.

#2--In the August 19, 1996 issue of "Electronic Engineering Times", on p.1,
there is an article entitled: "Hola, Amiga: rebirth of a platform --
Set-top maker buys rights to PC world's grande dame." The article was
written by Craig Matsumoto.  Interestingly, since the article is continued
on p.146, there is a second title/headline on p.146 which reads: "Amiga
platform gets a shot at revival -- Viscorp plans a future for the computer
that won't die."


Just thought I'd share what I'd read.  BTW, both articles were sent to me
by family members who at first thought I was extremely flaky because I own
2 A500s, but who are slowly learning about and becoming interested in the
Amiga.

paz

jrw
james.weckler@m.cc.utah.edu


p.s.--Thank you for Amiga Report--It and Amazing Computing and the WWW are
my surest sources for information about my favorite computer.  :-)

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Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 09:50:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tim Boland <tboland@premier1.net>
Subject: TTR

Dear Jason,

First of all, like many Amiga owners, I appreciate the news and updates I
find in Amiga Report.

I'm writing today because I purchased a floptical drive a few years ago
from Todd Butson of TTR.  As you probably know, he gave up his business a
couple of years ago.  He was located in Madison, WI as I recall.

I have an A 3000 and hope to upgrade from 2.0 to 3.1 soon, but wonder if in
doing so a small program Todd wrote called "ttrsense" will be compatible. 
I have a large number of files on floptical and don't want to lose the
compatibility!

Do you have a recent address and/or phone number for him.  It's likely he
has an upgrade for "ttrsense" if I can just find him?  If you don't know,
would you please post this in Amiga Report in hopes that someone can help.

Thanks.

Tim Boland
tboland@premier1.net

PS.  I'd also like to know about compatibility of WordPerfect 4.1.12
(Wordperfect's last Amiga release) with 3.1 OS, not only to read/write
files but also to print them.  Any help greatly appreciated!

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Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 09:28:53 -0700
From: GreyFox <jude@p3.enzian.com>
Subject: No Amiga Computers at Disney

Dear Jason,

My name is Jude Anthony.  I became an Amiga owner when I bought my A3000,
and later started working for an Amiga store in Orlando, FL.  The store
went under due to the mail-order mentality of most of Orlando's Amiga
users, but that's not why I'm writing to you.

I've known about Disney's use of Amigas for a while, and tried to tell
people about it.  I've seen the ones at MGM's Indiana Jones Stunt
Spectacular, and I know they are in use at other attractions.  I was
working at the store when Universal Studios ordered an A2000 and the
Richmond control system for their Rocky & Bullwinkle show.  I had always
wondered why no one would talk to me about the Amigas at attractions, and I
was soon to find out.

When I rang up the sale, I had to bill the Amiga as a "control device."
Disney and other attractions have exclusive contracts with Big Blue to use
only IBM computers.  I can only hope that the Amiga becomes as impressive
as it used to be before the contracts are ready for review; perhaps VisCorp
could steal the exclusive away!

I just thought you might like to know that Amigas Are Out There.  The
companies that use them just have to Deny Everything. 

Keep up the good work with AR.  

Later,
Jude Anthony
jude@p3.enzian.com

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From: TEdelma1@vines.etn.com
Date:       23 AUG 96 11:08:09 EDT
Subject:    Amiga Report Letter to the Editor

If anyone asks, the Amiga computer is dead.  I sincerely doubt that VIScorp
will be able to offer a competitively priced, modern desktop Amiga.  
VIScorp should concentrate their efforts on producing their set-top box.  
(You know, the one that 's *not* first to market and probably won't be a
market success.  Wow!  Emerson...  that name sure evokes quality.)

I've been a loyal Amiga user and have held numerous offices in more than
one Amiga users group since I bought my first Amiga, an A1000, shortly
after it was introduced.  I later bought an A2000 shortly after its
introduction.  I didn't buy an A3000 or an A4000 because the "improvements"
did not represent a significant value to me, especially at those prices.  I
have two A2000s now.  They're both aging, and all the add-ons (A2630,
RapidFire SCSI, EMPLANT, Spectrum EGS Video, Cybergraphix, MagicWB,
AmigaDOS 3.1) I've bought over the years to try to keep them up to date
just aren't reliable.  I'm going to buy a new computer in the next 12
months and I can guarantee that it won't be an A4000T.  Like the majority
of [former] Amiga users, I'm looking at Macintosh and "WINTEL" PCs.  The
Macs are most appealing to me, of course.  In the price range of the A4000T
is a brand new computer from Apple, the Macintosh Performa 6400/200.  It
looks like an excellent value.  It's a tower case model with a 200 MHz 603e
PowerPC processor, 40MHz 64-bit bus, and lots of features (28.8 FAX/MODEM,
8X CD-ROM, 16MB RAM, 2.4GB HD, 800x600 16-bit color, SCSI, 16-bit stereo,
surround sound, sub-woofer, and a great bundle of pre-loaded software) .  
If VIScorp were to introduce an Amiga with the same hardware, I might be
willing to pay a $300-500 premium for the Amiga's co-processing and
multi-tasking advantages.  I really don't think the now obsolete AmigaDOS
3.1 and co-processor features increase the intrinsic value of the A4000 to
the level of modern PowerPC and Pentium powered machines.  They don't have
co-processors, but they have nearly enough muscle to be considered similar
performing machines.  My A1000 could multitask in 256K, but memory isn't
expensive anymore.  [When's the last time you priced a 16 or 32MB SIMM?]
The Amiga's co-processing advantage is very quickly being narrowed.

Given what ESCOM and VIScorp have said in the past, I sincerely doubt if
VIScorp, or anyone else for that matter, could sell an Amiga desktop
computer with modern hardware at a competitive price in the near future.  
It is time to close the curtain on the Amiga desktop computer and move on.

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