What if?

[bhoggett]

The disqualifier was whether or not a device was reliant on mechanical devices to work; Computers were not- that is, the storing, the analyzing, and the calculating could all be done electronically.  If it required mechanical parts to operate then, by definition, it was not a computer.    

So, can you run your Vista box without a mechanical hard drive?  My A1200 can.        :-P

Who came up with that piece of crass stupidity?

Just how useful is you A1200 without hard drive or floppy? How useful is a C64 without a disk drive or tape deck? Or indeed without a joystick as well?

To be honest, this is the real reason why the Amiga was never revived - incompetence and corruption notwithstanding. Too many amongst the Amiga die-hards are just not capable of thinking progressively and just live in some rose-tinted view of the past.

Personally, I think the Amigs should now be allowed to rest in honour. The name and brand have been dragged through the mud for long enough by people who claimed to have the community at heart but in fact just served their own inflated egos.

[Jupp3]

So, can you run your Vista box without a mechanical hard drive? My A1200 can.

Sure. Just get one of those IDE flashdisks, for example. Also most new systems can boot from USB flashdrives aswell. But honestly, I can't see why ANYONE would want to do "just becouse I can", of course there are some sensible reasons aswell.

Also I can't see why you have "Vista" in that sentence, when talking about features of computer hardware (being able to boot from non-mechanical drive), operating system is highly irrelevant. Just pick one you like. On X86 it could be Vista (as you said), almost any Linux distro, AROS, QNX or whatever, the list goes on... Way beyond "just Vista"

[bobamu]

hahahaha

[deddly]

stopthegop wrote:
PC pushers have been incredibly adept over the years at using language to frustrate -and ultimately eradicate- competitors, including the Amiga.  To 99.999% of all people, when they make reference to a "computer" they are talking about a PC, and nothing else. Most people would be suprised to learn that "computer" and "PC" are anything but synonomous and totally interchangeable.

As far as I know, "PC" stands for "Personal Computer" so it's actually US that got the terminology wrong, we think PC means a box that runs windows. Not so - any computer is a PC, an Amiga is a PC, so is a Mac etc..

[swift240]

If you look at the new style case of the Commodore 64 then it has on the bottom right a label and it says "Personal Computer"

So is the Commodore 64 a "PC" ?
Its all American wording that every one else in the world thinks that the word "PC" means a Microsoft compatible computer.
And almost every one in the world does not think of the Amiga as a "PC" the word "PC" is exactly what it is a Personal Computer  a Commodore 64 is a Personal Computer so is a 48K ZX Spectrum it is the word "P" that makes it a "Personal" and "C" that makes it a "Computer"  So when will the Ignorant get that Idea into there Ignorant heads the word "PC" does not mean its Just and ONLY a Microsoft (Windows version) computer.

Or is this something else that the most people alter the true meaning of a word to suit them selvs because they just don`t know the differance?  or that it is more simple for them to understand.

Ok I shall now get ready for the flak.

But no matter how it is, the word "PC" is "Personal Computer"  and now how most of the world now see`s the word.

[bhoggett]

The term "PC" has nothing to do with any plot to undermine other platforms, nor is it anything to do with Americanism per se. It's simply a natural progression "IBM Personal Computer" -> "IMB PC" -> "IMB PC Compatible" -> "PC Compatible" -> "PC". It's really that simple. Machines like the C64 were also "Personal Computers", though they more often got referred to as "Home Computers" as a distinction from the business orientated models. The Commodore PET was classed as a "Personal Computer" too.

However, through colloquial use the terms "PC" has for a long time meant machines descended in a direct and compatible line from the original IMB PC Compatibles and their design. Moaning that people should not assume an x86 Windows compatible system when someone says "PC" is just being anal.

Macs are PCs too but no one is going to refer to them that way. It's either "my computer" or "my Mac" etc.

[trekiej]

A note to self:

Dang it! You did it again!
You went and started something.
 :-D

I was not trying though.
I just wanted to know if the community was ready for new hardware, software, etc.

[persia]

You could run an entire Amiga with all the apps out of a 20 buck 4GB SD card.  SD cards are the floppies of the 21st Century!  Look at the Minimig, absolutely brilliant.

[itix]

Commodore 64 is PC ;-)

[scuzzb494]

Hi

>If the Amiga was to come back, how many of us would be >ready to make apps for it?

>Also, how many companies do you think could respond as >well?

Big SMILEY guys before I start.

Let me think.... Guessing... er 13 and 2
The Amiga would have to be as good as a PC,
even though technically it is a PC, though
in the eyes of the guy in the street it
probably isn`t perceived as a PC, or a viable
alternative to a PC, all be it that technically
it is a PC. Even to the 13 who would make the
apps they probably would aim to impress the 2
that would be responsible for the hardware and
stuff ( technical term ). The Amiga would need
backing in terms of more than say 2 developers
before the banks or money men would part with
cash to take on Microsoft, who technically don`t
make PC's. The XBOX doesn`t count cus thats a
console and its also technically crap.
Maybe we could get a PC manufacturer to make
an Amiga PC, by simply taking an Amiga motherboard
and putting it in a PC case, all be it the Amiga
is a PC, or not. Then we could develop another,
later version of the Amiga OS to work only on
a PC styleee motherboard, though not support
all the earlier software and hardware, so that
we could start with a clean slate. We could call
this Amiga-2 or Amiga-Two or Amiga-2 PC. If you
could get it to run Vista then you are really
onto a winner, though I never really saw the
fascination in that particular piece of Amiga
software...

Sorry for that...'What if ' applies to absolutley
every other form of OS and computer competing
with MS. The only real hope is that the giant
falls over on its own... I'll keep my Amiga
running till then.

Just a bit of fun...

scuzz :-D

[deddly]

As for if we're ready to buy new stuff, I think most of us would buy the OS if it came out for some standard hardware that we already own.

I think most of us are far too cautious (and rightly so) to invest in new hardware.

An OS that runs on x86 and Mac would actually have a chance of becoming popular.

If it needs custom hardware it's only current users who would buy it, let's be honest. (with one or two exeptions)

[stefcep]

If I could get a web browser that was almost as good as opera or firefox i would happily revert to my 060 A4000. ( Sorry the latest Ibrowse doesn't cut it yet)  Other than web surfing I can do averything that i wnat on it and it feels snappier than my Athlon X2 3800+ with 2g ram. i really don't know why people use a PC to do things that dedicated appliances do better( but admittedly amiga's don't do well)eg i don't want to watch DVD's on my pc because my $50 dvd player does a better job of it and my 42" plasma display is far better for this than ANY LCD monitor on a PC.  If I want to play music my stereo sounds better than any PC sound card, and if I want to listen to an mp3 while mobile my $49 mp3 player with 1G Sd card carries more than enough songs than can be easily managed.
bhoggett wrote:
I've moved on - can't see myself switching back to AmigaOS now. Lack of applications and the additionsl expense, not to mention that I would have no interest at all in a custom piece of hardware that would be obsoleted as soon as their manufacturer went out of business. It wouldn't matter if it was a $99 computer - it's too late.

Six years ago it might have been a different story, but even then I wasn't keen on a new hardware platform. It didn't make any sense then and it doesn't now.[/quote]

[scuzzb494]

Hi

In addition to my many Amigas, I have a Mac and a Win98 machine. The Win98 machine which I am using now has a Pentium 550, and 256K RAM IE5.5. The Mac runs in tandem with the Amigas in the workshop and I have two other Amigas networked to the Win98 machine. I conceded Christmas and went from dial-up to broadband.. Still not seen any great benefit for me. I also use my other more suitable kit i.e. TV and DVD player for relaxing and watching films. I don`t spend loads of moronic hours downloading very poor quality video clips from YouTube and music from some pirate broadcaster, or what ever they are called. Suffice to say I am very happy, and find absolutely no restrictions with what I have, even though Ebay keep telling me to upgrade my browser, and BT keep nagging about BT Help software which I refuse to install. I still use the Amiga for genuine computing fun, and I gotta say that what people want to use computers for today, is as an entertainment centre, not as a computer. I get by with notepad on the Win98 machine for all my webpages. I don`t have any Office products or Messenger etc etc. The Mac is the most advanced tool I have, and here this is just a G4. I don`t want for anything to be honest. I really have far too much too play with. And as I say I don`t sit downloading none stop in an effort to fill hard drive after hard drive... I mean what is the point.

Happy with my Amiga and DOpus and mucking around in C and creating web pages from scratch. As for gaming I have a PS2 along with pretty well every other platform. And can still squeeze hours of pleasure out of a C64. I really don`t understand what the fuss is with modern computing. I'm always glad to get away from XP at work ( which is set up as Win98 classic ) Modern computing really isn`t computing at all... Boring as f. Sorry.

2GB RAM... What ever. Its not size or speed, its what you do with it.

scuzz
http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com

[deddly]

scuzzb494 wrote:
Suffice to say I am very happy, and find absolutely no restrictions with what I have, even though Ebay keep telling me to upgrade my browser, and BT keep nagging about BT Help software which I refuse to install. I still use the Amiga for genuine computing fun, and I gotta say that what people want to use computers for today, is as an entertainment centre, not as a computer. I get by with notepad on the Win98 machine for all my webpages. I don`t have any Office products or Messenger etc etc. The Mac is the most advanced tool I have, and here this is just a G4. I don`t want for anything to be honest. I really have far too much too play with. And as I say I don`t sit downloading none stop in an effort to fill hard drive after hard drive... I mean what is the point.

Happy with my Amiga and DOpus and mucking around in C and creating web pages from scratch. As for gaming I have a PS2 along with pretty well every other platform. And can still squeeze hours of pleasure out of a C64. I really don`t understand what the fuss is with modern computing. I'm always glad to get away from XP at work ( which is set up as Win98 classic ) Modern computing really isn`t computing at all... Boring as f. Sorry.

2GB RAM... What ever. Its not size or speed, its what you do with it.

:cheers:
That is the most sensible post I have ever read, I agree with you whole-heartedly. I'm tired of people telling me I need to upgrade because my machine "is from the stoneage." I only recently "upgraded" to Windows XP because I needed some USB compatibility for en external DVD drive that was lazily produced with no drivers. Seriously I was content with '98. Why have more computer than you need? If I don't use it to play mega 3D games or 3D rendering, why should I get a newer machine?

I never had any complaints from Ebay about my browser, you can just run Firefox, Opera or a newer version of IE, all perfectly happy on Win98. As for not noticing any big difference with broadband, I suggest that's something to do with BT, try changing to UKOnline (www.ukonline.co.uk).

I'm using 256k broadband and it's as fast as my friend's 24Mbit broadband for general surfing (seriously) and MUCH MUCH MUCH faster than dialup.

[scuzzb494]

Hi

I will not tolerate XP or I guess Vista, because of internet dependency. Windows really does need to keep checking over its shoulder all the time to see if what its doing is OK with the broader issues of legitimate usage of software and the eternal update. Take a simple issue of searching for a file. I use Autocad at work and obviously in loading drawings I need to access a folder full of drawings. Very often I am on the phone to a client and I have to apologise while the computer pauses before I can scroll down the list... Why ? I dunno why. I notice all these pauses each time I fire up software, scroll through files, run Photoshop and worse try to access PDF files. I am guessing its a verification process where handshaking is going on between software and sites. Amazing, that I can open a file on my Amiga scrolling through images in DPaint quicker than I can with XP at work. ... By the way, I don`t get the same problem with Windows98.. Its much faster at opening files, folders,applications etc etc.

MS can have their latest apps and OS's, as I say they need to talk to mother too often for my liking, and it really is only gonna get worse. You can survive with the older platforms. It really is a load of bull that newer means better these days.... Not so.

scuzz