Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: amigakit on July 02, 2004, 06:27:08 PM
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AmigaKit.com has been going for almost a month now. It has generated lots of interest from the Community. Now we need to know what you would like to see in the shop?
Please consider what do you expect from an online Amiga store and what do you wish we stocked?
Please give feedback on AmigaKit.com and make suggestions for improvement.
Many thanks.
www.amigakit.com
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Uhm....I'd expect an Amiga shop to stock Amiga hardware, that means more than just a refurbished A600/A1200 floppy drive :-)
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All the hardware can be used on the Amiga!
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All the hardware can be used on the Amiga!
Sure, but I can get this stuff at my local PC shop.. Why order it from you (except supporting an Amiga Shop)..
Some Amiga only hardware would be nice, perhaps AmigaOne and Pegasos mobo's and things likethat..
Don't get me wrong, you're doing something nice for the Amiga community.. You just need to get some non mainstream stuff in it..
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Because your local PC shop doesn't have a clue about modern Amigas and cant advise on compatibility and how to get things working on the Amiga.
How many times have you walked into a PC shop being unable to get service from the staff because no one knows anything about the Amiga- you probably wont even ask for help for fear of being looked at strangely.
We test kit on the Amiga before selling it so you can be assured that it works and you dont run the risk of buying incompatible hardware.
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How many times have you walked into a PC shop being unable to get service from the staff because no one knows anything about the Amiga- you probably wont even ask for help for fear of being looked at strangely.
Erm.. Never.. Don't need the expertise of a so called expert salesman... I ubderstand the point, but luckily it doesn't aply to me.
Please consider what do you expect from an online Amiga store and what do you wish we stocked?
But why ask if you don't want any input ? Your reaction seems like you're a bit offended by odin's suggestion.
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amigakit wrote:
Because your local PC shop doesn't have a clue about modern Amigas and cant advise on compatibility and how to get things working on the Amiga.
How many times have you walked into a PC shop being unable to get service from the staff because no one knows anything about the Amiga- you probably wont even ask for help for fear of being looked at strangely.
We test kit on the Amiga before selling it so you can be assured that it works and you dont run the risk of buying incompatible hardware.
Well, now i can goto your website, see whats compatable with my amiga, and then goto my local pc shop and buy that. :lol:
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I think that what you need in stock are some genuine Amiga products. When you narrow it all down, it turns out that you've basically slapped the Amiga name to a bunch of universal products that can be used by any computer with an IDE port or network card.
Where are the accelerator cards?
Where are the Zorro cards?
Where are the PCI busboards?
Where are the SCSI controllers?
Where are the tower cases?
Where are the systems?
Where are the memory simms/chips?
Where are the kickstart roms?
Where are the replacement custom chips?
Where are the AmigaOne/Pegasos boards?
Where are the PCI cards for Amiga PCI Busboards?
Where are the scan-doublers?
Where are the REAL amiga cables (like RGB cables and such)?
...see where this is going?
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What I honestly would like to see??
Many, many Amiga 4000 computers for around $100
Many Cyberstorm/Blizzard or whatever PPC accelerator $50 cards
Commodore 64 hardware such as action replays, SuperCPU, etc..
:-D :-D :-D
THATS what I want to see in the store. :-)
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To try and be helpful, how about things like Permedia and Voodoo PCI 3D graphics cards, the good SB128s, low profile AGP cards that work with A1/Peg, some cases that definately fit A1/Peg boards.
A complete Amiga to PC transfer kit would be a best seller if questions on the board are anything to go by (ie. supplied with an Amiga floppy and cable), and maybe trying to become a US reseller of AF6 or something?
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I wish to see...
Amiga computers - starting from low end desktop A1200 configurations, to AmigaOne and Pegasos computers and motherboards.
Software including copies of the Amiga operating systems. Perhaps 3.1 disk set upwards wouldnt be overkill.
3.1 ROMs.
Accelerator boards.
Amiga compatible printers and scanneres, with driver software.
Creative and business software packages.
Copies of Total Amiga magazine.
Monitors.
Amiga modified tower cases.
Basic things such as blank floppy disks; both Double Density and High Density, keyboard and monitor covers, games!
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Just the basics I guess, although products should have good instructions and be easy to use as not everyone here has always been an Amigan :-)
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Hopper - much of what you asked for isn't being made new any more, or would only be of interest to a retro market. These guys need to turn a profit, the days of having a whole bunch of real classic Amiga software and hardware are over.
I guess extra Amiga-specific instructions would be handy. Maybe a bundle of registered CD burning software with a CD-R drive or Turboprint with a good printer would be handy too.
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I have no affiliation with amigakit.com, but even I see where he's going. He's trying to specifically sell for the future Amiga platform (which is made of mostly generic PC hardware) and fill a niche by providing Amiga-related expertise and advice.
A dealer CANNOT support the antique Amiga doorstop and hope to survive. You can't BUY new replacement custom chips, or new Amiga monitor cables, or new Zorro cards, or PCI Busboards (well, I believe you could a couple, but you'd have to have the initial money to pay for stock, which I'm sure he hasn't). Tower cases are generic, systems will come when possible, I'm sure. Kickstart ROMs are all gone, and A1/Pegasos boards are very difficult to come by without a {bleep}load of startup capital.
If you want old {bleep}, go to ebay.
All in all, I believe that Amigakit.com is well worth supporting. If you can't understand what he's trying to do, then this community doesn't deserve ANY dealers.
Kudos to them for at least TRYING to support a defeatist market.
Wayne
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Thanks Wayne for your words of support and to everyone for the ideas expressed so far.
I think that future Amiga support is essential and this means PCI / AGP gfx cards, SDRAM, big HDDs. However all these items such come with Amiga instructions, specific Amiga support and Amiga compatibility guarantees.
However there is so much more from the general computing world that Amiga owners never try because they dont realise it works. These products can be promoted through AmigaKit.com
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I know we are looking at the future of amiga and all that but it was also nice to see items that work on my 1200..
Nice site
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actually just a thought that wouldn't break the bank for amigakit, how about dealing in CDs for the amiga with games and things, and copies of OS 3.9? Surely things like that aren't too expensive and not very hard to come by?
Robert
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A dealer CANNOT support the antique Amiga doorstop and hope to survive.
Indeed, but if the dealers sells things I can get at my local dealer why buy it from him ? He's probably a little more expensive because he buys in low volumes.
Note that I always did buy stuff from Amiga Shops when my A4000 was still alive like memory and harddrives just to support them. However I can fully understand why a consumer would rather go to his local store and save at least on P&P.
Kudos to them for at least TRYING to support a defeatist market.
Yes, he does provide a nice service, but I think he would hve more luck if he could things like PCI busboards and more choice in the selection he is allready offering.. Perhaps he can try to contact Red and talk about some kind of deal.
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I think that future Amiga support is essential and this means PCI / AGP gfx cards, SDRAM, big HDDs. However all these items such come with Amiga instructions, specific Amiga support and Amiga compatibility guarantees.
Yes, that's the way, and I hope you can make it in this market and hopefully someday if/when the market has grown you're a big shop..
Are you also going to support the Pegasos market ?
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Look at for instance ComputerCity and see what a REAL Amiga shop is. THEY got hardware for as well as classic Amiga, AmigaONE and Pegasos.
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You cant survive on just future amiga stuff or just classic stuff, you need to cater for both.
The market is too small to split it into one or the other for a shop
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well amigakit is in england isn't it? So I guess it is my local amiga dealer lol not sure if power computing or eyetech have shops, besides neither of them stock very much these days by the looks of their websites.
Robert
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Robert17 wrote:
well amigakit is in england isn't it? So I guess it is my local amiga dealer lol not sure if power computing or eyetech have shops, besides neither of them stock very much these days by the looks of their websites.
Robert
another thing is that Power and Eyetech cater for other platforms now as well, not making them strictly amiga dealers.
Amigakit (as far as I'm aware) is Amiga only, so yeah its my local Amiga dealer too :-D
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I hope it goes well for you. judging by your site you are not in to raping the Amiga users like Eyetech, so i wish you well.
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Many thanks for your encouragement: it makes it all seem worthwhile :-)
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Well Im not in merry ol England but If I could order from you I would say all the little parts its so damn hard to come by, like disk drives, ram, case parts, mice, keyboards and keyboard adaptors and finally the Amiga One.
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You are right when you say most PC shops dont have a clue about the Amiga, I went to a local PC store and asked for a IDE lead a CD Writer and a 30 Gig HD for an Amiga, I was told "Sorry sir but the Amiga computer does not have IDE or HD support, in fact we do not stock any thing to do with the Amiga range of computers, the A500 is only a games machine anyway" (who said anything about a 500?) So after I told him of other Amiga computers like 1200 and so on, then onto the Mediator and its use and a 15" monitor that I use switching in between a Microvitec, I got a hidden smile (the one that says, yes sir of course sir anything you say sir)
So with that attitude its good to have amigakit running, actualy anything to do with the Amiga it takes all sorts to want many things to do with the Amiga computer. The more the better for all of us. There are many PC shops here and there but not many Amiga places in comparison.
Mike.... :-) :-)
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Ive been in the same situation, it's very frustrating- the world needs educating. PC retailers are sometimes arrogant with their responses to alternative computer owners, especially us Amigans!
I felt that Amiga retailers generally only stock the status quo but never are brave enough to stock modern spec kit. That forces people to shop at PC stores and take a risk buying stuff that may not work satisfactorily with their Amiga. Once products have been purchased, Amiga owners are marginalised with the service and support they get, because the PC retailer knows nothing about the Amiga platform. It makes us Amigans seem like second rate consumers.
The ethos behind AmigaKit.com is to test interesting products on the Amiga and stock the ones that work well with the Amiga. In addition products have Amiga specific installation guides, Amiga drivers or are prepared for Amiga use before despatch .... oh and we have good prices... this month we have an 80GB Amiga formatted hard disk for £49.99 + shipping
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Well AmigaOne accessories do look like the next logical kit to have in the shop. What are people finding hard to get for their A1?
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Aside from the A1, how about Pegs?
Pegasos.co.uk only seem to sell boards, but 2 companies in Germany are selling complete systems. I'm not looking for a ready made one, but I can image it putting some people off!
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Someone should make cheap readily built Pegasos machines in the VCR cases. They would sell my the hundred I'm sure.
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Hi
my suggestion, is some useful accessories for overclocking/customiz. (good for Amiga and for pc too).
Fans, heat-sinks (all sizes), thermal paste, all the stuff required for customization-OC.
. . . and if you are able to find some 68060@66 Mhz, oscillators and so. . . you could do the difference ;-)
Ciao
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Thermal paste and oscillators are definately an idea!
How does the community feel about PS2 keyboards with the Windows keycaps replaced with "A"? Could be good for the AmigaOne owners.
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How does the community feel about PS2 keyboards with the Windows keycaps replaced with "A"? Could be good for the AmigaOne owners.
Go for it.. (I believe it's expensive tho, ask computer City (http://www.compcity.nl/) for some info, they allready do/did that, maye you can work together?)
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Yes, but is there a real market for it? Or are people just happy to use M$ Windows keyboards with their Amigas?
The type of keyboards that are worth doing are the excellent Logitech wireless and elite range, but they are premium priced...
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yes, but is there a real market for it? Or are people just happy to use M$ Windows keyboards with their Amigas?
Depends.. Maybe ask for a poll here..
IIRC Computer City used Cherrie keyboards..
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Amiga Software Development Kits and application dev software, which is the first thing I thought of when I saw the URL.
How about software bundles/kits such as game kits, application kits, media kits, etc.
Also, how about a section of Amiga systems designed for particular tasks such as Multimedia Amiga Kit, Application Development Amiga Kit, Database Admin/Dev kit, Basic Home Computer Kit, Media Center Amiga Kit, etc.
When I see "kit," I think of a collection of tools that has a function or purpose.
David
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Amiga Software Development Kits and application dev software, which is the first thing I thought of when I saw the URL.
Hmm.. Interesting idea.. Maybe an hardware bundle as well, tho that should perhaps wait...
How about software bundles/kits such as game kits, application kits, media kits, etc.
What would be the real difference then ? Are you thinking in normal programming languages or stuff like SEUCK ? Or did I misunderstand you completely now..
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I would rather saw off my hands than use Windows keys on a non-MS machine of any sort. I was planning to get one of the 'boing' Cherry keyboards, though they only come in beige :-(
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You wish is my command...
Thermal paste makes an appearance in the store. Thermal pads and heat sinks will materialise this week too.
Hope this helps!
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Thermal pads and heat sinks will materialise this week too.
Will these be small enough for a PPC? (apparently chipset coolers are the right size, IIRC).
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Forgive the intrusion, but might perhaps be the best time to promote the idea of advertising on Amiga.org??
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Absolutely Wayne, a banner ad is being created for such a task :-D
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Yes we are strictly Amiga-only.
This is because we are more technically specialised in Amiga-only kit and don't want that expertise "diluted" by other platforms.
I feel users get better customer service from specialists too.
Anyway atm we have our Summer Sale on and new batch of products have been added.
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Sub 4gb capacity 2.5inch hard drives for use inside stock a1200's etc
ATI Radeon cards that have been tested as working in A1's to stop all the nonsense with 3rd party firmware screwing things up.
Catweasel's.
Joypads and mice for classic amiga's without using funny adaptors.
Oh and NO tacky amiga branded/boing ball merchandise(mousemats, mugs, t-shirts etc).
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Radeon cards are already stocked for A1.
It is very difficult to get small 2.5" hdds but Ill try and Ill keep you posted
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Thanks to everyone who has the last few days suggested products to stock and amendments to the website.
AmigaKit.com now been updated with lots of new Amiga products and has new features added to the site such as live support.
Sale prices end on the 30th July.
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Great news: AmigaKit.com has been now updated with international shipping so we can take worldwide orders.