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Where can I get an Amiga?
Judg3 asks
" I was just curious, I've seen all the talk on Amiga these days and did a little research. Looks to me like a fine system, and Id love to give it a try, but, I cant seem to find anyplace that sells em anymore... Know of a place I can look into buying one? "
Check out http://www.winuae.com In some applications, my PII 450 emulating the Amiga runs circles around an A4000.
Because the Amiga version of Lemmings beats the arse off the the PC version, even when running on a old "Rock Lobster" A500.
Most garbage in my town goes there.
This: " PII 450 emulating the Amiga runs circles around an A4000." is bullshit. There are many different configurations of A4000, for example A4000/040/25Mhz with only chip RAM is almost as slow as 7Mhz A500. But A4000/060/66Mhz/604e/266Mhz/128MbFAST-RAM/CVPPC8Mb is completely different kind of beast. So, PII450 may emulate Amiga faster than the basic A500 (that happens with non-linear speed = sucks), but A4000 is faster (even the basic configuration with FAST-RAM). -bbuilder
G3 & Lightwave -> a Mac? So you can't do anything else during that 10 minutes... ;)
The ease of animating is the key on Amiga, it is much more difficult to make an animation on PC(or Mac). Also DTV is easier, video plays out more smoothly.
And if someone is going to make 3D animations on the Amiga, a (3D) displaycard and the minimum of 68060 CPU is strongly recommended.
Then you can (for example) use 1024x768 resolution while editing the animation and play it directly to videotape with 262144/16M colors.
And the basic 8-bit Amiga audio beats the sh*t out of standard 16bit PC cards. Also the 16/20 bit Amiga sound cards provide higher quality than PC cards.
-bbuilder (I'm going to upgrade the 060 to dual G4)
>Are they better for Sound/graphics?
;D
They are much simpler to use.
Sound quality is very high.(higher than in your d.pent2 with basic 16 bit card)
Graphics quality:
-video frequencies available as standard
-30fps full screen video as standard
-with AGA: up to 1444x580, 262144/16M colors
- etc...
>Can I hook them up to my TV esaier?
Yes!
But more difficult to a VGA monitor...
>I just want to know what an amiga can do my current dual pent.2 can't.
Well... it does things in a different (usually easier and faster) way.
Some nice features:
-plug&play that works
-asynchronous CPU slot (supports any kind of CPU)
-up to 11 32-bit expansion slots
-smooth/fluent multitasking
-efficient & FAST OS
-"almost" realtime OS
- UNLIMITED!
...
Check it out by yourself!!!
(hopefully you can find a usergroup that can give some help (http://www.cucug.org/usergroups.html))
-bbuilder
***** What other people think: (from http://www.byte.com/nntp/monitor)
...
Well, I could not agree with you more. I bought every new card and expansion there is and I am waiting for G4 this October. I work in PC repair centre and believe me, I cna not wait to come home and sit in front of REAL OS, made for human and not for machine.
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The reason why the Amiga has lasted so long and through so much adversity is simply because it is a better personal computer than any other in the market place. It is easy to use and maintain and it can do virtually anything that Wintel and Mac boxes can do for a much lower overhead. All that was lacking of late was the software and there were signs of renewed interest from developers after the Gateway purchase. Unfortunately the new owners appear to be so wedded to the vested interests in Silicon valley that killing the machine off is seen as a more acceptable option than redeveloping it, investing in a proper marketing effort and going out to compete in the open market. Heaven forbid a successful alternative to the present monopoly. Thanks for nothing Gateway.
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I have to agree, I don't mind using a "dead" platform as long as it gives me the means to do things I couldn't and/or rather wouldn't do with my dusty PII/266-Win95 system.
For example, the programming for my website (www.wunschliste.de/an interactive wishlist for tv-series and miniseries shown on german tv) was all done using the ARexx-programming language which is built-into the Amiga OS and virtually every Amiga software product. So I had no need to buy expensive website-managing tools or office products for my PC which all have a different philosophy and scripting language depending on their manufacturer.
The only disadvantage in using the Amiga-set up is that it takes more and more time and money to keep this system up-to-date and working.
But compared with the cost and nerves I have to spend doing this on my PC, naaah...
I'll stick with my Amiga.
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A computer platform with such a cult following as the Amiga has simply cannot just disappear. In one form or another the Amiga will still live on for decades. Remember the C64? There are still a lot of people using C64s and new software is coming out for it all the time. Every once in a while such computer platforms emerge that can, for one reason or another, capture people's imagination like nothing else. Such platforms live forever.
Not that the Amiga would live only through its cult. It's still expandable to a level on par and above the most modern PCs on the market. New, professional quality software is constantly released for it. A reasonably healthy market for Amiga products still exists. That's amazing considering the machine's been out of development for 5 years. I mean, if Apple would have gone bankrupt 5 years ago, I bet the Mac would be dead as a stone today.
It's true the "new Amiga" for Gateway-Amiga has nothing to do with the real Amiga. But that doesn't remove the fact that it could as well prove to be an interesting technology. The "better way" they are talking about is not "the same better way" as with the real Amiga. It's only what it means, "a better way". The AmigaObjects technology is set to enable you (yes, I mean you:)) to take much more out of your current computer system than you are taking now. Yes, it may sound a little ugly that they use the name Amiga, but they are entitled to it, and at least they openly admit that the new and the old Amiga have nothing to do with each other.
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Great to hear that someone is a relatively new Amiga user. The point is, many people only know Windows, have heard about mac and linux, but don't even wanna think about leaving Window's. Still the problem with Windows is that it not a good technical product, too big too slow too crash sensitive etc. the only really good thing about windows is it's marketing. Linux is tecnically superior but is not as easy to use and maintain by end-users. The mac (well actually no experience with mac's) should be better. The amiga is/was hower technically very good (micro kernel architecture, multitasking from ground up, build for video and sound handling etc.) and easy to use for computer starters. If development wouldn't have stopped, it would be the killer platform of today. Instead of that it will now be based on linux, and probably will be as slow, big and sluggish as linux.
I still use my Amiga a lot and like it a lot, it's fast, efficient easy to use and easy to maintain.
*******************
I have an A2000(model B) and an A4000, and have just purchased a CD32 (what you might call a "set-top" box that can play CDs, games, etc), and I am very happy with this setup. I do own two PCs, both running Linux so I see no reason to use Windows in any form. I am constantly still emailing friends all over the world regarding the Amiga (articles, news, etc) and we get along fine - this community is really amazing! I never have a shortage of software or hardware, just it's expensive. I wholeheartedly believe that this machine is now a collector's item and will soon go down in history, whether the PC world likes it or not, as the computer which really started the Multimedia Revolution.
If you compare the Amiga to a person, the Amiga would be the computer equivalent of a genius. It is said that truly brilliant people are never appreciated in their own time, only after their deaths are they recognised for the contribution they have made.
Same thing will happen with the Amiga, the only difference being that some of us appreciate it NOW instead of when it is too late.
There was a dealer in Clackamas Oregon, called
Clackamas Computers. They were in business as
of 6 months ago. Haven't been by lately.
Two words:
Speedball 2
"Be nice, veer left, and never stop thinking" Iain Banks - Walking On Glass
Try ebay or Y ahoo auctions. Given that Slashdot has some resources for adding new features, Rob could start Slashdot Auctions: Junk only nerds could love.
the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
I just want to know what an amiga can do my current dual pent.2 can't.
According to another poster, be picked up for $20. I like my Amiga, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone as a new machine unless they had a specific use in mind for it. For some types and budgets of video work it might still be better than a PC.
rant
From MECO's Misc Category; "Amiga 3000 CPU, with 100M SCSI Disk, 16M ram." for $250. Me, I want the Paragon XP/E listed just below it.
Never dealt with the guy, he's been helpful, polite, and informed in the conversations I've had with him.
> No flame here just to note yes both graphics and sound are better than a > Pentium anything PC. Especially if you are trying to do 3d rendering or > animation. At 7.5hz my 500 still does things that my pc or mac dream of
(Yes, I know this's a troll, but dammit, I can't stand non-objectiveness)
Don't get me wrong, I love Amigas, I have a souped-up 500 sitting in my bedroom that I'm preparing to either run DNS or a webserver off of, but I can say without a doubt that the graphics and sound are far below that of a new computer, any brand make or model. *Especially* in animation and 3d rendering. Lightwave on my Amiga takes hours to render a complex scene at 320x240... the same scene on my G3 can be rendered in Lightwave at 1024x768 in under 10 minutes.
The Amiga is great, but you have to face the facts that the hardware is *old*.
-- sudo.ca
Go to www.nationalamiga.com
They have techspecs on all the models, and many of the peripherals. They sell them out of Canada, but they have an automatic price converter built into their online catalogue so you can see right away what it'll cost you in US dollars.
-- sudo.ca
sorry to be off topic but ...
Why would I want to get an amiga?
Are they better for Sound/graphics?
Can I hook them up to my TV esaier?
I don't mean to start any flame wars. I just want to know what an amiga can do my current dual pent.2 can't.
===
Leknor
http://Leknor.com
"So many idiots, so few comets"
At thrift stores. Yep, I'm a thrift store shopper (Faster than ebay, cheaper than online stores, and cleaner than the dump), and I have in fact seen several amigas at thrift stores. The prices tend to vary widely from place to place because the people marking the prices usally know nothing about a computer.. the logic is either "Wow! It's a computer! It must be worth a lot of money!" or "Gee, this is so old, it can't be worth anything to anyone, let's mark it down a lot to get rid of the thing"
CyberSwap often has a lot of Amiga stuff up there.
Sig broken, watch for
go to http://www.cucug.org/amiga.html they have a list of the dealers who are still selling Amigas
"All those, moments will be lost, in time, like tears, in rain. Time to die." Roy Batty
Sorry, to bust in like this, but I see a lot of people knowing were to get old hardware. I still can use a Atari 1050 Diskdrive (using the true floppy disks). Any clues?
/* This code does everyting */
#include "whatever.h"
#include "whatever.h"
I purchased my A1200, larger HD, M68060 and nic at:
CompuQuick
http://www.infinet.com/~comquick
comquick@infinet.com
614 235 1180
I'm not employed by them; I just like their stuff.
-Ouija- poke 53280,11:poke 53281,12
I happen to know a guy who loves Amigas, and he says that the best place to get them is at flea markets. You can get a good Amiga 2000 for about $20 US.
Hope that helps...
I have seen a lot of people posting urls/adresses in the US and/or Canada. I was wondering, are there similar services in Europe? ...
I am an old hardware fan, and i would love to get a m68k based computer that fits into my rather tight student budget
Pathman, Free (as in GPL) 3D Pac Man
Thought I would tell you that I have a Amiga 500 that I would love to get rid of. The 500 is a low-end Amiga (all-in-one unit) with 500K of RAM expanded to 1MB. You will need a monitor (or a TV to hook it up to with the special adapter I have.) I have the systems disks and some games for it. I am sure you can find more info about it on the web. It is a cute machine in the original box (a bit of nostalgia if you are into Amiga's) and I will let it got for $55. I live in New York City and if you want to make arrangements to come pick it up that would be fine. Otherwise, if you send me a shipping label/box/filler/money I will get it out to also. Feel free to ask me any questions, Jeff Jeffg@aetvn.com nitejeff@aol.com