Re: Getting that Amiga Advocacy FAQ going.....

On 13 Mar 2006 11:58:15 -0800, "jorkany" wrote:

amiga guy wrote:
[...snip...]

Which Frequenty Asked Questions are you responding to with this "faq"
of yours?

Admittedly there are not many being asked at the moment. But, for
the purposes of an answer I would suggest a little history of the
Amiga, its users and so on would be handy for anyone who wanders
by and is intrigued by the goings on. Perhaps also a score card
of who's who so that the players can be indentified.

I am happy to be in my Amiga "micro niche". That is where I exist
and it is a reality despite what the trolls would wish everyone to
believe. It is part and parcel of the real world despite the short
shrift Amiga has gotten in the overall history and contribution to
the world of computing.

I don't think anyone has denied that you enjoy living in the past.

That's all we are left with in the end, our memories of the good times.
For me, they are not yet over as I have both new hardware and a
new version of my OS which allows me to continue forward.

As for living in the past what are all of those users doing running
linux on antique PII, PIII and low MHz PIV processors, it seems to
be a similar situation to mine of having an "older" processor running
a new version OS.

What can you tell me about all those W$ customers that still use
Windows 98, NT, 2000 on their older hardware? Are you secretly
venting over that as well?

Having had this pre-emptive multitasking work environment for 18+
years the advantages both subtle and overt can't be explained in a
few short paragraphs.

Apparently it can't be explained over the course of several years of
usenet postings either, as you've never been able to provide any
real-world examples of these "advantages both subtle and overt".

I have explained it time and again. The fact that you can continue
to "miss" it is beyond me. Perhaps you are not meant to learn via
the written language and must have things actively demonstrated
to you in person.

It was an entirely individual choice. Is running classic legacy
software at 10X the fastest 68K speeds a reason?

If you're stuck in a rut or if running outdated software appeals to you
for other reasons, it probably is.

Outdated software is a relative term. It still does what it set out to
do.
Wordprocessing has changed has it? There are new ways to bring
documents to print? I use a text editor and a desktop publisher. It
seems that TeX does the same thing still and is enjoyed by many
for the same purpose.

You should clearly be offering some examples instead of looking
like a whiny troll.

Is having a small
efficient and understandable OS a reason?

Maybe, if you can overlook the fact in this case that there is no
support or development on the horizon. But, if you're content to run
15-year-old 68K apps very fast, that apparently isn't an issue.

My apps are more recently updated than their original releases.
Using familiar tools is comforting for a great many reasons not the
least of which is a mastery of their abilities. You might find many
trades and professional types nodding in agreement.

Is the community that
surrounds the Amiga a reason?

What "community"?

You've made yourself a loner if my observations are correct.

Is new Amiga hardware a reason?

Are you referring to the buggy, outdated, overpriced AmigaOne? The
hardware that hasn't been made in nearly a year? That would be a good
reason to steer clear of anything AmigaNG altogether, so no.

I seem to have ended up with reliable kit. It meets my needs and many
other's needs as well. Is there some sort of envy at the base of your
bitterness?

Is an alternative to Windows a reason?

That would be a good reason to skip over AmigaOS4 as there are plenty
of robust alternatives to Windows which are actively supported and have
active developers. Some of those developers are even former Amiga users
who realized that beating a dead horse wasn't exactly advancing the
state of computing, and so moved on.

Advancement of the state of computing is a noble pursuit. Why it must be
the Amiga's is beyond me. Perhaps you are simply creating a strawman
argument here to bolster your viewpoint. My software investment
continues
to be valuable and usable. Combined with many years of use it is an easy
and familiar set of tools for me.

Or compared to Windows? No, not compared to Windows but then
no one is compared to Windows.

Except other OSes ARE compared to Windows are even considered strong
competition.

Strong competition? You mean technically, right? Because no one else, on
proprietary hardware or using the same hardware holds more than a single
digit percentage market share. In terms of dollars or number of users
there
is nothing out there that can be considered competition.

Not OS4 of course, but as you know that was never a design
goal of OS4. OS4 was designed from the ground up for embedded
applications - or at least that's what Hyperion's marketing bull***
says.

We will have to see where that ends up. Hyperion has certainly held
up their end of things with OS4 pre. It makes a fine desktop much like
linux makes a fine headless server app. Perhaps you should do some
research on what an "embedded OS" might actually encompass and
get back to us.

ps. anyone who wants to help with firsts, uniqueness, tales and so
on is welcome to jump in.

<crickets....>

Wasn't it Lemmings? The best platform to run it on was AOS.

After all there are things from pre-emptive
multitasking, common everywhere now, to Video Toaster/Flyer
boards and software, NLE being available on many other platforms
now as well all the way to Transputers and Medical Imaging software.

Yup, all old hat years ago, and now left behind in the dust.

Actually multitasking for the masses is now the standard.
Specialty apps and uses defined the various Amiga firsts.

pps. KPD just dropped in and it seems almost like an omen for this
venture to chronicle past days and events in this newsgroup.

Translation: circle jerk time!

Too bad you aren't old enough to enjoy such events.

Terry



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