Re: TOS platform (Re: Opera)

[Konrad Kokoszkiewicz <draco@mi.com.pl>]

> > 2) active ST users who would like to get a better Atari, but have no
> >    money. They mostly end-up with a PC, but some of them get second
> >    hand Falcons or TTs instead. Our rule would be to convince them to
> >    stay in the Atari world. Of course, we can do nothing about prices
> >    :) but we can make the Falcon/TT platform more attractive.
> 
> This is the main target, not even the loud-mouthed Amiga-people has
> managed to convert Wintel-addicts :-) This is also a large group of
> people, and the ones most likely to invest in new TOS-hardware.

Amiga machines have one big disadvantage: they produce crap display on
SuperVGA monitors. Additionally, most of the software is designed to work
on broadcast display and won't run or will run only on a limited extent on
a SVGA, in high resolution. Furthermore, Amiga hardware is somehow
dependent on the monitor you're using - so far, that even sound hardware
changes its parameters (base sampling frequencies for example) if you use
SVGA instead of a broadcast monitor. At the other hand, graphic cards are
damn good, but damn expensive. This makes Amiga less attractive in
comparison with a modern PC or Falcon, where people (again - including
Amiga users) are immediately captivated by the sharp, high resolution and
colour display these computers produce on SVGA. 

> If the Milan actually works and the price is as estimated it will be a
> huge success. This can be the break for MiNTOS! Does anybody feel
> competent to start assembling a new distribution?

Perhaps it worth mailing Falke Verlag about the current stage of the
Milan. If it really works and costs 1400DM as they promised, I would get
this tomorrow.

> A PC-emulator would require extra hardware, a Mac-emulator is far more
> interesting. Has anybody looked at the Shapeshifter-sources? It should
> be perfectly possible to port it to MiNT.

Shapeshifter sources... well, I tried to get them from the author. No
answer. Amiga people say that he even left the Amiworld.

> > 5) New memory management for the MiNT kernel (mainly to avoid the annoying
> >    memory fragmentation effect).
> 
> Yes! I suggest (like I've done a million times) that we page all
> alternate RAM, that should be sufficient. Are there any good reason
> *not* to page TT/fastRAM?

Not any I could see ATM.

Konrad M.Kokoszkiewicz
mail: draco@mi.com.pl
http://www.orient.uw.edu.pl/~conradus/
http://www.obta.uw.edu.pl/~draco/

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** aut servit humiliter, aut superbe dominatur (Liv. XXIV,25)
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