Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (somewhat lengthy and hot stuff)
Summary: Amigas are NOT ARCADE GAMES.  Keepa you fingers off my machine's capabilities!
Message-ID: <2411@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 9 Dec 88 16:14:54 GMT
References: <5866@louie.udel.EDU>  <1341@leah.Albany.Edu>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM(Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Mundelein, IL
Lines: 64

In article <1341@leah.Albany.Edu> jac423@leah.Albany.Edu (Julius A Cisek) writes:
>In article , mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi) writes:
>> The operating system is there for a reason.  I won't use any piece of software
>> that is so arrogant it thinks it owns the machine, and I'm sure most of the
>> readers of this group feel the same way.  Perhaps you should learn to program
>> efficiently using the resources the operating system provides.
>
>I  have  to  disagree.   Some  programs  simply couldn't be made without
>by-passing the OS routines. I really doubt that anything in the Amiga OS
>could  draw the shapes in Starglider II fast enough. I know this is true
>on the ST and have no reason to think its different on the Amy.

I agree with jac423; what you claim, Michael, may be true for an A1000, but
how about the new Amiga 3000s?

Are you going to try to tell me that with something like 4-6 times the
original machine's power, that the OS routines aren't "good enough" to
perform the job?

Probably not -- but the FTL (and Starglider) people HAVE told me that even
though I spent all this money, and have 8M of memory in the machine, and
could easily waste a few cycles on a compile (the game doesn't need them
all).....I can't do it.  (If they are also using cycle-time dependant timing
loops, they are _really_ showing a lack of programming skill!)

Furthermore, I have to reset/power down to get out.  Rediculous!  If the 
hardware can't handle the load, then _if you must_ disable multitasking -- 
but fer cripes sakes, gimme back my machine INTACT when you are asked to 
quit running!

Lastly, if I spill coffee on my floppy, or (heaven forbid) my fixed disk
crashes, I should be able to go to the safe, retrieve the master disk, and
MAKE ANOTHER WORKING COPY.

Games and other software that thinks the hardware is an ARCADE PIECE
perpetuate the myth that the Amiga IS an arcade game and not a serious
system.  Commodore might want to address that by making future versions of
the Amy more difficult to set up copy-protection on (ie: kickstart ROM
returns "no disk in device" if the boot block is non-standard)..... or 
include some kind of a "bit copying" (ie: nibbler) device in Intuition ;-)
The second might be the best route, as it's "passive" but makes all those
nasty CP mechanisms immediately useless.

At least one game publisher forces you to exit a game with a power cycle
because their game doesn't release all it's memory (or perhaps doesn't
release any of it?) back to ADOS before it exits.  So now we have "reboot to
exit because our programmers are not skilled enough (or too lazy) to give 
back resources to the system before exiting."  

Publishers want _money_ for this trash?!

Also along this line (bad design and/or unacceptable packaging and
engineering) - Commodore, do your current Ami's have that same silly
restriction on power cycling (ie: must wait  seconds or some unspecified
damage may occur) that the A1000 did?  That was one of the silliest things
I had ever heard of, especially for a non-fixed disk system.  While it's not
advisable to quickly cycle power on a PC-style system (it may not boot if
the PWR_GOOD line doesn't fall; usually the result of a cheap power supply), 
it certainly won't physically hurt it to do so....

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, ddsw1!karl)
Data: [+1 312 566-8912], Voice: [+1 312 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.    	"Quality solutions at a fair price"