Message-ID: <3600003@uokvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 27-Nov-84 11:45:00 EST
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Posted: Tue Nov 27 11:45:00 1984
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Nf-From: uokvax!emjej    Nov 27 10:45:00 1984

Perhaps this should go in net.rumor, but it's more of a query: anyone know
anything definite about the rumored Commodore Amiga? Properties mentioned
in this month's *Creative Computing*:

	8 MHz 68000
	three custom chips to deal sound (four channels, in stereo),
		graphics, and I/O
	128K RAM comes by default, expandable to 1 Mbyte
	one 5" floppy comes by default

Evidently Atari was doing this machine, and Commodore snarfed it. The fellow
in *CC* says "the most impressive consumer graphics and sound machine I have
ever seen" about it.

I, of course, want one running OS-9/68000. (Drool, drool. Maybe we don't have
to flail at Fujitsu until they start selling FM-11 and FM-77 here.)

						James Jones

Message-ID: <105@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 12:17:35 EST
Article-I.D.: vax2.105
Posted: Mon Dec  3 12:17:35 1984
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Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, WA
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The interesting things about the Amiga I have heard in the press are:

68000 based.
designed for under $1000 market
bunch of memory (128K?)
built-in disk drive
640x200 graphics mode, 80 column text mode
4096 colors (perhaps in only some modes)
MOST IMPORTANT:  A special video circuit which attempts to compensate for
bandwidth limitations of TV's.  It distorts the signal in a way inverse to
the distortion in TVs with the result that images look sharp on a TV.  The
goal is to produce readable 80 columns on a conventional color TV.
(Naturally there are limitations to this but even if it is only better than
what you get now it would be really exciting.)

A company named Amiga had constructed a hardware prototype of this machine
around a patent on the video hardware.  They were peddling it to home
computer makers including both Atari and Commodore.  Traniel/Atari is
currently sueing Commodore claiming Atari has prior rights to buy Amiga and
the computer (perhaps code named Lorraine at Commodore).  

Sources:
EE Times (various issues this summer) seems a reasonable source
Compute! Commodore Gazette (various issues this fall) who knows

I sure hope legal hassles don't prevent this product from reaching the market.
-- 
Kurt Guntheroth
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
{uw-beaver,decvax!microsof,ucbvax!lbl-csam,allegra,ssc-vax}!fluke!kurt

Message-ID: <3533@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 22:48:01 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.3533
Posted: Mon Dec  3 22:48:01 1984
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x
The Amiga is for real. A prototype was shown behind closed doors at the summer
Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago last June and had more or less the
features you descibe. It reportedly has gone through a few changes since then,
but I don't know what they are. It supposedly will support a Macintosh-like
environment and will be very friendly to 68000 software developed on the Mac.
Meanwhile, Atari is aggressively pushing ahead with its own version of the Amiga
, but it will not use the 68000.

James Calloway
The News and Observer
Box 191
Raleigh, N.C. 27560
(919) 829-4570
{akgua,decvax}!mcnc!ecsvax!calway

Message-ID: <319@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 21:20:43 EST
Article-I.D.: cadovax.319
Posted: Mon Dec  3 21:20:43 1984
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Organization: Contel Cado, Torrance, CA
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re: Commodore Amiga:

>Evidently Atari was doing this machine, and Commodore snarfed it. The fellow
>in *CC* says "the most impressive consumer graphics and sound machine I have
>ever seen" about it.

>						James Jones

I heard that Tramiel (Atari's new boss) turned around and hired the
genius behind the Amiga.  I also heard that this same genius was that
behind the Atari's proprietary graphics chips.

Message-ID: <329@tymix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Dec-84 18:59:06 EST
Article-I.D.: tymix.329
Posted: Fri Dec  7 18:59:06 1984
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Reply-To: granvold@tymix.UUCP (Tom Granvold)
Distribution: net.micro.cbm
Organization: Tymnet Inc., Cupertino CA
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-
     This should probably also go to net.rumour, but the orginal article was
here. Can anyone confirm or refute the following rumour regarding the Amgia?
Word has it that Amiga (Inc.,Co.,Corp.?) had a contract with Atari to develope
either a new machine called the Lorrane or some sound and graphics chips to be
used in the same. When Tramel bought Atari, Amgia came to him asking about this
contract. Tramel told them that he was not interested, so Amiga felt free to
sell what they had to Commodore. Now there is talk about Tramel filing a suit
to stop Amiga from selling the machine to Commodore. Whether or not the suit
wins, it would delay the release of the Lorrane untill well after Tramel can
introduce his own new machine.
     In general, that is the rumour that I have heard. Is there any truth to
this? Does anyone on the net know anything about this?

Tom Granvold
decvax!ucbvax!oliveb!tymix!granvold

Message-ID: <220@terak.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 14:54:28 EST
Article-I.D.: terak.220
Posted: Mon Dec 10 14:54:28 1984
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Distribution: net.micro.cbm
Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
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> Can anyone confirm or refute the following rumour regarding the Amgia?
> Word has it that Amiga (Inc.,Co.,Corp.?) had a contract with Atari to develope
> either a new machine called the Lorrane or some sound and graphics chips to be
> used in the same. When Tramel bought Atari, Amgia came to him asking about this
> contract. Tramel told them that he was not interested, so Amiga felt free to
> sell what they had to Commodore. Now there is talk about Tramel filing a suit
> to stop Amiga from selling the machine to Commodore.

I followed this story on Dow Jones News Service for a while.  The
following is from memory, so there may be a few boo-boos.

Atari had provided Amiga with the bucks to develop some new state-
of-the-art graphics and sound chips.  After Kindly Uncle Jack
Tramiel left Commodore and bought Atari, Amiga came back to Atari
and said "Sorry, we can't get the chips to work, so here's your
money back."  Then Amiga sold a computer design to Commodore.

Atari maintains that this new computer design utilizes the chips
that Atari had covered development costs on, and that Amiga was
trying to work both sides of the street by, in effect, selling
to the highest bidder (Commodore) chip designs which didn't
belong to them, and then trying to reimburse the actual owner
(Atari) without even so much as 1% interest.  Amiga (and Commodore)
maintain that the chips in the new computer are NOT EITHER the
ones that Atari underwrote the development costs on.

As you can imagine, temporary restraining orders, injunctions, and
lawsuits have been filed by everybody against everybody else.
I wish I was a corporate lawyer right now !!! $$$ !!!

Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug