Conference hydra::amiga_v1

>   Hi. I've got a beginners question. Feel free to move this note and to
>    point me to the appropriate notes.
>    
>    I'm looking for a system that has the following:
>    
>    Runs some version of >unix.
Amiga 3000 UX, or Amiga 500 or Amiga 2000 with Minix (baby UNIX at 
	the bookstore)
>    Runs X windows (and less importantly, Motif)
I know so for AmigaDOS, assume so for AMIGA UX.
>    Has a good c development/debugging environment available
I use one under AmigaDOS, I presume they exist under U**X.
>    Can be used to do video (camcorder) editing stuff
define in more detail.  The Amiga can be interface to TV, but you imply
editing functions.  Maybe you want advanced products.
>    Has a midi port/card available
Don't need a card, just convert RS232 to current-loop with a $50 box
or even less.    
    
>    I want to write my own X windows based midi applications as well as do
>    some video work.
    
>    Current machines in the running:
>    Some PC clone -- not sure what 
You'd have to be a systems analyst and figure it out piece by piece, vendor
by vendor.
>    Some type of Mac (very expensive)
>    some future atari workstation
really? Is there one?
>    some kind of amiga
    
>    I know next to nothing about amigas. Can anyone offer some assistance??
    
>    THanks,
>    Jim
    

Re: .0

The Amiga definitely can meet your needs.

If you really want UNIX, there is the Amiga 3000UX: A 68030, 25 Mhz,
100meg or 200 meg disk.  It runs the latest version of ATT UNIX (the first
port to a 680x0 family platform, by the way).  The Amiga 3000UX got a
very favorable review in Byte.

However, AmigaDOS itself has a sort of UNIX-y feel to it, as far as
software development goes.  There is a commercial X implementation
for AmigaDOS that optionally comes with Xlib.  If you look into it,
you may find that UNIX is not an absolute requirement for you to be
happy writing your stuff.

The main advantage of going with the straight AmigaDOS box rather than
an Amiga with UNIX is that you can get buy with a smaller, cheaper system.

One thing you should be careful of: most X implementations for personal
computers are only (display) server implementations.  They do not allow
you to write client software that runs on the pc itself.  The Amiga X
implementation was the first personal computer version that supported
clients.

Also, by the way, the X mapped on the Amiga graphics architecture very
directly, and this helped it perform well.  The 68000 Amiga has X drawing
speed equal or greater than Sun's old 68020 workstations.

An Amiga sounds like it would fit your needs very nicely.  I assume
that you would drive the Midi hardware using the serial/parallel port. (?)
What advantage would there be to an X interface, over a "native"
GUI?  It seems like that type of Midi functionality would be difficult
to distribute. 

I ran X on my Amiga, when it was here at the office, (for a long time)
and was very happy with it.  The "native" development environment is
very nice (SAS C), and I have heard very good things about DICE, etc.

It would certainly be a nice X/Motif development environment, and would
allow you to use some of the really excellent video tools.  If you're
interested in video, go watch the "Toaster Video" at any Amiga store.

An Amiga seems to cover all the bases.  What about a NeXT?    

Steve

    Yea, for video I was thinking of the "toaster". Everyone talks about it
    but I've never seen one. 
    
    I want to run unix and X because I don't want to have to learn yet
    another OS and windowing system. I currently have an Atari ST. I wrote
    a midi application once for it. I've since forgotten most of its
    windowing system. I'm not really looking to distribute anything I write
    for X, but a goal would be to make it work on systems at work as well.
    
    I knew there were rs-232 to midi converters out there but never really
    considered them an option. I don't know why, I guess I didn't think
    they would work well enough, or that they were more of a quick
    afterthought of a hack than a usable piece of hardware. I'll have to
    re-think that one. It would actually widen the choice of hardware to
    include some of the cheap workstations from DEC and SUN.
    
    Atari has a workstation in the pipes that will ship with unix and X windows
    as its native os and display software. The folks in the atari
    conference should have more details.
    
    Keep the info comming,
    Thanks,
    Jim

    The mixture of X Windows with MIDI and video is rather confusing.  The
    kind of system where you'd find this environment is a full-size
    workstation, such as a DECstation with the DEC multimedia hardware and
    software just announced.
    
    If you can steel yourself to learn Yet Another Windowing System, or
    live with available tools (such as Powerwindows) which generate code
    from your specs, then you will find that the Amiga Intuition/DOS
    environment is very UNIX-like.
    
    Although Amiga video and MIDI hardware is quite compatible with the
    A3000UX, I doubt you will find UNIX device drivers available.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Wes

	I have written MIDI software under AmigaDOS Intuition windowing system,
	have made computer graphics presentations for live performance
	and local cable TV on the Amiga, have written my scripts on the 
	Amiga under WordPerfect, and so on.  

	It works for me.
Tom