Amiga questions you've always been too embarrassed to ask

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Pat the Cat

And it doesn't do sliced HAM. Proprietary Newtek format. But you wouldn't see a difference with a low res pic, so not an issue.

Sliced HAM was not a Newtek thing only. The NewTek variant was ILBM.CTBL and DYCP. I think they referred to it as Newtek Dynamic HAM color.

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[appiah4]

Why is the expansion called Zorro?

[TroyWilkins]

Originally Posted by appiah4

Why is the expansion called Zorro?

Good question, I would like to know too, if anyone does know why that is?

[nogginthenog]

Doesn't seem to be a B52s reference for once!

[eXeler0]

Google has no obvious answer to this. Probably burried in one of those long Amiwest videos.
But finding it is like finding a Needle in a Hay(nie) stack ;-)

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[Anakirob]

The original company was called Hi-Torro before it became Amiga, Zorro is a Spanish folk hero, it seems they were going with a Spanish theme.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by nogginthenog

Doesn't seem to be a B52s reference for once!

The B52s thing happened only after the Amiga came to Commodore and work on the A500 started. :-)

I seem to remember reading the story of how Zorro was named, but I've since forgotten how it went.

[eXeler0]

After som more Googling I found this:
http://amigadev.elowar.com/read/ADCD.../node028E.html

Last paragraph kind of / almost explains it.

Edit: Adding searchable phrase / quote:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Q:"Why was the Amiga expansion bus named Zorro?"
A:"The original "Zorro" name comes from the code name of one of the A1000 prototype boards. The "Zorro" board was the one that followed the "Lorraine," and was the board in the works when much of the expansion specifications were worked up. Since everyone uses the "Zorro" name, and no one's suggested a better name, we've stuck with it."
---------------------------------------------------------------

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[volvo_0ne]

Why didn't anyone create a good & reliable Amiga<->PC networking system (Like Parnet)

Surely it wouldn't be that difficult, or would it?

[demolition]

Originally Posted by volvo_0ne

Why didn't anyone create a good & reliable Amiga<->PC networking system (Like Parnet)

Plipbox?
http://lallafa.de/blog/amiga-projects/plipbox/
Works with any Amiga.

PCMCIA NICs can also work reliably and fast with A600 and A1200.

[appiah4]

Why did Commodore not go for ISA standard expansion slots? PCMCIA on a desktop was the weirdest thing ever..

[volvo_0ne]

Originally Posted by demolition

Plipbox?
http://lallafa.de/blog/amiga-projects/plipbox/
Works with any Amiga.

PCMCIA NICs can also work reliably and fast with A600 and A1200.

Looks great!

But I meant something a lot less complex (IE a cable & software solution) which would work even on low end machines as PARNET/SERNET did?

[volvo_0ne]

Originally Posted by appiah4

Why did Commodore not go for ISA standard expansion slots? PCMCIA on a desktop was the weirdest thing ever..

I think that C= thought that PCMCIA was going to be the next big thing in small port communications (EG in Laptops etc)

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by appiah4

Why did Commodore not go for ISA standard expansion slots?

Zorro was so much nicer than ISA. PNP didn't exist yet in 1985, the Amiga had auto configure.

Originally Posted by volvo_0ne

I think that C= thought that PCMCIA was going to be the next big thing in small port communications (EG in Laptops etc)

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

It was the main way to get ethernet and modems to laptops for the most part of the 90s. I'd say PCMCIA and Cardbus were quite successful and had a good run.

[Locutus]

There were some other small form factor desktop machines from that era which used PCMCIA.

My favourite one is the DEC Multia (such a horrible little beast) :-)

[EugeneNine]

ISA timing is also based around the x86 CPU which is a bit different than 68k. But on a slim desktop like the A1200/600 an ISA slot would have made the case a lot bigger. So a smaller interface like pcmcia made sense there, as the 1200/600 were close to laptop (of the day) size.

And yes, pcmcia was the standard. I still have a couple laptops with pcmcia slots and I have a pair of wifi cards and a CF adapter left in a box somewhere.

[Locutus]

Mind that PCMCIA is not much more then ISA on a strange connector and some additional identification bits.

[McTrinsic]

Originally Posted by volvo_0ne

Looks great!



But I meant something a lot less complex (IE a cable & software solution) which would work even on low end machines as PARNET/SERNET did?

You do have AmigaExplorer, though.

Cheers,
McTrinsic

[idrougge]

Originally Posted by appiah4

Why did Commodore not go for ISA standard expansion slots? PCMCIA on a desktop was the weirdest thing ever..

Because ISA was worthless.

[EugeneNine]

And timing. I worked at a PC shop in 1995 and remember PCI slots coming out, I remember the long VLB cards just before that and EISA before that so by the time of the 600/1200 ISA was on its way out.