What still makes Amiga superior today?

[Roj]

Most Amiga users are tech-savvy, and it takes a lot more effort to hide sneak-ware that makes the computer do things the user doesn't want their computer doing. This is also true of Linux, but there it is just the same.

Simplicity can be a feature can't it? Come to think of it, I sorta miss my TRS-80.

[Roj]

Without drivers, add-on cards like CyberGraphics would be useless.

Yeah, but Windows doesn't know the hardware is installed until the driver is available. Actually, Windows knows "something" is there. It just doesn't know what it is until it has a driver. Autoconfig lets the system be fully aware of the hardware without requiring additional software to enable it.

Application software will almost always be necessary regardless of the OS. App software and drivers are two different things.

IRQ is not an issue in modern X86 PC hardware and OS.

It shouldn't be, and usually isn't a problem. Depending on certain factors, though, IRQs can still cause problems.

In X86 PC land, increasing main memory capacity and installing faster hard disk benefits more than installing faster CPU.

For good or bad, Amigas don't exhibit this behavior. Increasing memory by itself won't make the applications run any faster. It just reduces that particular system's limitations.

[Roj]

Despite the in-fighting and animosity, i'd say one of the very few things that make the amiga "superior" is its userbase.

I don't remember ever talking directly to the actual author of software I use on Windows. They hide pretty well behind "Customer Support." For the most part, Amiga programmers are much more accessible.

[Roj]

What happens if I wipe out P96 drivers? Can you still use the graphics device?

Well, the FF/SD would be able to function without drivers. It wouldn't be completely dead in the water without drivers if that counts. But, admittedly, that's due to the video slot, rather than having anything to do with Autoconfig.

I'd think a better example would be a SCSI controller, like the A4091. Full SCSI access with no drivers. Haven't tried SCSI on a PC yet, but the IDE cards I've connected require some form of driver to be installed. Sometimes Windows could find the drivers on its own, sometimes it needed a little help. But it did need them before the cards would function.