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ABsite ~ ab ~ Amiga
the spirit lives on...
Amiga links
The computer that would not die! Although the Amiga
has had a difficult 10 years, the spirit lives on and hardcore Amiga
fans are still using their old machines. Amigas are now available with
modern motherboards and PowerPC G3 and G4 processors like those found
in Macs. Amiga OS 4 is now available, as are the new AmigaOne systems.
Amiga people have been busy building a system to
provide the advantages of modern operating systems. For more
information see some of these links
My Amiga system is based around
an A1200, with 34Mb of RAM, 1Gb hard disk, CD-ROM drive
and an SVGA monitor. It's powered by an Apollo board with a 50MHz 68060
processor, and runs AmigaOS 3.5.
It's primarily used for word
processing using Final Writer 97 by
SoftWood. My other use is
the Internet, using
Voyager for web browsing
and YAM for email.
I have been using Amiga computers since 1991
and find them more reliable and friendlier
than PCs. That's not
to say I don't use PCs, but working on the Amiga is far more
satisfying. In late 2002, it suffered a hard disk failure, and was
replaced for day to day use by an
iMac G4, and in 2005 by a 12" PowerBook... Despite the hard disk
failure, it is now again in a usable condition with the original hard
disk, demonstrating the Amiga's outstanding self repair capabibilites
when it comes to its disks.
Although I like my Mac (see bramley apple),
and MacOS X is a fantastic operating system, it is incredibly
complex "under the bonnet". The Amiga, on the other hand, is a simpler
system and easier to tinker with, much like old cars being easier to
fix than new ones with their array of complex systems.
- Using a PC monitor on the Amiga
This is not as difficult as you may fear, in fact it's quite easy if
you are currently using a TV.
All you need is a VGA adaptor which converts the Amiga's 23 pin video
output to a 15 pin VGA plug.
Companies like Eyetech
sell these. Next, connect the TV and the (S)VGA monitor to the Amiga at
the same time. Then make sure the Multiscan driver is present
in your devs drawer, and
go to Screen Mode
preferences an change to the multiscan monitor - you'll usually be
using productivity (640x480 VGA)
resolution as the ECS and AGA chipsets can't handle much more without
resorting to an unacceptably low scan rate (ie extreme flicker). Next comes one of
those dead handy things that only the Amiga can do - the scan rates
for TVs and Amiga monitors are different, but the Amiga uses the scan
rate of the frontmost screen,
so all you need to do now is to run your other programs that open their
own screens (and don't
forget MUI's Public Screen Inspector). This feature is also
useful for letting you continue to
use programs like DPaint and all Workbench friendly games that don't
let you change screenmode, as
all you have to do is put the Workbench screen in front, drag it right
down, and then use the program
screen behind. I played SimCity 2000 like this for years...
Join Team AMIGA (I'll have to get back
with the address), and show everyone your allegiance
on your email signature.
© A.Boodoo, 17-Dec-05,
r1.6