Amiga vs Windows

[MigaTech]

@Gilloo, Interesting!

@Daedalus, which is better, Shapeshifter or Fusion?

[rare_j]

Here's your windows 10 'bridgeboard'. For £100 you can sellotape this to you amiga case, load it up with vnc server, and remote control it from you amiga.
And at a quarter of the price of that 486 bridgeboard.

[MigaTech]

Originally Posted by rare_j

Here's your windows 10 'bridgeboard'. For £100 you can sellotape this to you amiga case, load it up with vnc server, and remote control it from you amiga.
And at a quarter of the price of that 486 bridgeboard.

Very funny rare_j, although this happens to be something I was thinking of using for an all new EZPC system!

[Daedalus]

They're both pretty good, I tended to use Shapeshifter more because of IIRC some graphical glitches when running Sim City 2000 under Fusion (possibly to do with the particular drivers I used), but overall both very capable.

[Thorham]

Originally Posted by meynaf

Then you weren't using the right software. My A1230 could play 320kbit mp3 without a fault (but, ok, with halve frequency and mono).

They're using the wrong format. Use WAV. Much better, because no time is spent on decoding relatively heavy formats.

Originally Posted by meynaf

- A few formats like pdf (but these take ages to open regardless of the machine ).

Use SumatraPDF. Is very fast on even my low end AMD A4 3400 APU (your I7 is a lot faster than that).

Originally Posted by meynaf

- The keyboard

Amiga keyboards suck In PC land there are much higher quality keyboards available.

Originally Posted by meynaf

Maybe it is. Three dead keys after only 3 years usage. One dead pixel on screen after just 6 months.

That sucks, but it might be an idea to use an external monitor, mouse and keyboard. Should be a better experience.

Originally Posted by Akira

Sure yeah I can probably play 320KBit MP3 on a C64. At 4 bits, mono and 8Khz maybe?

With just the CPU? Not a chance. The 1230 meynaf used as an example is probably more than 50 times as fast as a 6510.

Originally Posted by Akira

You can build your own PC.

Building a PC isn't hacking

Originally Posted by Akira

AmigaOS is far from friendly and intuitive. We just know it inside-out because we are long-time users.

You got that right, although it's easier to mess with the AOS internals which is useful sometimes.

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Thorham

They're using the wrong format. Use WAV. Much better, because no time is spent on decoding relatively heavy formats.

You're using the wrong format as well. On the Amiga, use AIFF -- as it's big endian and therefore you spare an otherwise useless conversion.

Originally Posted by Thorham

Use SumatraPDF. Is very fast on even my low end AMD A4 3400 APU (your I7 is a lot faster than that).

I'm not using pdf enough to make installing new software worth the time.
It would take a few minutes to get a few seconds back...

Originally Posted by Thorham

Amiga keyboards suck In PC land there are much higher quality keyboards available.

I was speaking about the keyboard layout and despite what you say here, even mitsumi A1200 keyboard can work during years without failure.
Note : i've been told A2000 keyboards are very good.

I still can't stand these misplaced and wrong sized caps lock / shift / ctrl, the useless insert, this horrible numlock, these too complicated start/end/pageup/pagedown. But aside of this, it's ok

Originally Posted by Thorham

That sucks, but it might be an idea to use an external monitor, mouse and keyboard. Should be a better experience.

Already have the mouse ; i wouldn't live with just a stupid touchpad
External keyboard gives a space problem on the desk.
And i won't get a monitor for just a single pixel whose green component is dead...

[Thorham]

Originally Posted by meynaf

You're using the wrong format as well. On the Amiga, use AIFF -- as it's big endian and therefore you spare an otherwise useless conversion.

Yeah, I keep forgetting about that format for some reason.

Originally Posted by meynaf

I was speaking about the keyboard layout

Personal things like that are understandable.

Originally Posted by meynaf

and despite what you say here, even mitsumi A1200 keyboard can work during years without failure.

I just like the mechanical switches in the more expensive keyboards.

Originally Posted by meynaf

the useless insert

I actually use that.

Originally Posted by meynaf

Already have the mouse ; i wouldn't live with just a stupid touchpad

Yeah, horrible.

Originally Posted by meynaf

External keyboard gives a space problem on the desk.

Get a bigger desk

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Thorham

I just like the mechanical switches in the more expensive keyboards.

What i like the most is a keyboard that works without failures and on which i don't constantly hit the wrong key while typing. More than that is luxury

Originally Posted by Thorham

I actually use that.

Oh yeah ? Strange things happen in our world

Originally Posted by Thorham

Get a bigger desk

Yeah, and a bigger home for it

[shotgunfacelift]

Originally Posted by meynaf

I'm not using pdf enough to make installing new software worth the time.
It would take a few minutes to get a few seconds back...

Sounds like an SSD would be the better option anyway if you have an HDD

I was speaking about the keyboard layout and despite what you say here, even mitsumi A1200 keyboard can work during years without failure.
Note : i've been told A2000 keyboards are very good.

I don't own an Amiga anymore but yeah their keyboards were certainly a lot better than what can be found in modern laptops that cost less than a top notch smartphone. You get what you pay for. Broken AC connector is another common failure on laptops. When you see that the connector is hold to the case inside by a piece of plastic as thin as 1 hair you know it's not obsolescence, you ve been ripped off by rogue engeneering.

I still can't stand these misplaced and wrong sized caps lock / shift / ctrl, the useless insert, this horrible numlock, these too complicated start/end/pageup/pagedown. But aside of this, it's ok

I fix a lot of laptops. Some models have a keyboard layout like desktops, with numeric keypad and all.
A piece of hardware that you're supposed to hit, failing on a user is very frustrating.
In most cases it needs invasive investigation.
And can be fixed with just a screwdriver as a tool
Or a leafblower
I've even seen a laptop keyboard I had given up fixing suddenly reworking 'on its own', although I suspect electric shock.

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by shotgunfacelift

Sounds like an SSD would be the better option anyway if you have an HDD

That's very possible.

Originally Posted by shotgunfacelift

I don't own an Amiga anymore but yeah their keyboards were certainly a lot better than what can be found in modern laptops that cost less than a top notch smartphone. You get what you pay for. Broken AC connector is another common failure on laptops. When you see that the connector is hold to the case inside by a piece of plastic as thin as 1 hair you know it's not obsolescence, you ve been ripped off by rogue engeneering.

Seems that nothing today has any good build quality, even if you pay dearly for it...
I didn't expect it to last several decades, but 3 dead keys after just 3 years makes a real bad feeling. And i'm not brutal with the hardware at all (even though i use it nearly every day).

Originally Posted by shotgunfacelift

I fix a lot of laptops. Some models have a keyboard layout like desktops, with numeric keypad and all.
A piece of hardware that you're supposed to hit, failing on a user is very frustrating.
In most cases it needs invasive investigation.
And can be fixed with just a screwdriver as a tool
Or a leafblower
I've even seen a laptop keyboard I had given up fixing suddenly reworking 'on its own', although I suspect electric shock.

If i attempt to fix it myself it would most certainly make things worse

[MigaTech]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

They're both pretty good, I tended to use Shapeshifter more because of IIRC some graphical glitches when running Sim City 2000 under Fusion (possibly to do with the particular drivers I used), but overall both very capable.

Thanks Daedalus, Shall try both of them once I find them in my massive collection of Amiga software.

[malko]

Originally Posted by meynaf

Seems that nothing today has any good build quality, even if you pay dearly for it...
I didn't expect it to last several decades, but 3 dead keys after just 3 years makes a real bad feeling. And i'm not brutal with the hardware at all (even though i use it nearly every day).

So true...

Originally Posted by meynaf

If i attempt to fix it myself it would most certainly make things worse

It's worth the try. I was able to carefully take to pieces two laptops and fixing them by following youtube video . The hardest part is *only* not to loose the really small screws .

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by malko

The hardest part is *only* not to loose the really small screws .

Indeed, especially with many laptops using different length screws, sometimes different by less than 1mm... I use lots of weighboats to collect the screws removed along the way, moving onto a new weighboat each time I remove a different size or move onto another part. It's a technique I used many years ago while working on medical instruments and has served me well since.

[Vousti]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

Indeed, especially with many laptops using different length screws, sometimes different by less than 1mm... I use lots of weighboats to collect the screws removed along the way, moving onto a new weighboat each time I remove a different size or move onto another part. It's a technique I used many years ago while working on medical instruments and has served me well since.

If you're fixing laptops frequently, just buy a laptop screw kit.

[Daedalus]

I fix laptops fairly frequently, but I don't see what advantage a laptop screw kit would give me, unless it also comes with details of which screws fit a particular position on a particular model. On the odd occasion when I need that information, it's usually available in the laptop's service manual.

[Vousti]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

I fix laptops fairly frequently, but I don't see what advantage a laptop screw kit would give me, unless it also comes with details of which screws fit a particular position on a particular model. On the odd occasion when I need that information, it's usually available in the laptop's service manual.

Well, spare parts. For example, someone would give you a laptop with missing screws.

What's that medical thing you mentioned? Have you done medical operations on people? I don't see any difference which container someone uses to collect screws.

[Daedalus]

Ha, sorry, I see what you're saying. I have a fair collection of old screws from scrapped laptops for that very purpose There's no difference between containers other than those are what I had easy access to, and so I have dozens of them at home

No, I don't do operations on people, but I'm occasionally present in theatre as operations are carried out. The devices I was working on were automated blood analysers as used in large hospital labs. A nice combination of custom hardware, firmware and software.

[Vousti]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

Ha, sorry, I see what you're saying. I have a fair collection of old screws from scrapped laptops for that very purpose There's no difference between containers other than those are what I had easy access to, and so I have dozens of them at home

No, I don't do operations on people, but I'm occasionally present in theatre as operations are carried out. The devices I was working on were automated blood analysers as used in large hospital labs. A nice combination of custom hardware, firmware and software.

Oh, it's called a theatre. Popcorn and live splatter!