Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    
    The Software Shop in Worcester is an Amiga-exclusive store.  They
    started out as mail order, but business really took off, and they
    recently relocated for the second time to gain more space.
    
    They are currently in the MidTown Mall, lower level.  If you can
    find your way to City Hall, they are directly across the street
    (Front Street).  Their phone number is (508) 756-6452.
    
    Make sure you tell them you're a DEC employee and you might get
    a little special treatment.
    
    The Memory Location is also an Amiga only shop.  They are right
    on Rt 16 in Wellesley MA, a block from the Playhouse Theatre.  Don
    and Roy are fantastic guys.  I used to shop there exclusively until
    the Worcester place opened (it's a lot closer).
    
    We're really lucky to have some good shops in the Mass area.  I
    read on PLINK of people that have to drive 300 miles to find an
    Amiga dealer.
    
    Ed.

    See note 1576.4 for more detail.  September AmigaWorld ad has 22
    Front Street as address.  Heard that old location has a sign directing
    to new location.  Although a mail-order house, Saturday is a good
    walk-in trade day.  There is a music section, Business accounting
    section, Database section and a game section.  Don't be shy about
    asking about items not on selfs... usually its' in the back room
    and new items appear weekly before ads can catch-up.
    

    re: .1---The Memory Location isn't All-amiga.  They also sell the
    Commodore 64 and 128.
        John Sauter

Re: .3

Despite the fact that the Memory Location carries C-64, C-128, and the
Commodore clone I still consider them to be an "Amiga-only" shop.  They
do far more Amiga business than "other" business, and none of the staff
are less expert on the Amiga than the other machines.  Its obvious that
the Amiga is their love.

    time for me to put a plug in for OmniTek in beautiful semi-downtown
    Tewksbury (Rt 38).  They also have a Salem, NH store.
    
    They have an Amiga flag in the window, and an Amiga section, but
    they don't seem to be as rabid Amiga as the Memory Location or the
    Software Shop.  But they seem to be a lot more flexible on hardware
    prices than the Memory Location, and they are a lot closer to Lowell.
    
    -Dave
    

                           -< don't forget OmniTek >-

> They also have a Salem, NH store.

This store is on main street, close to the intersection with Broadway (Rt.
28). Driving north on 93, take exit 2 towards Salem. Follow this street
(it's Main Street) until it starts down a hill with a light at the bottom,
where it crosses Broadway. On your right will be public parking just
before an old hotel (?). Park there, and Omnitek is one of the storefronts
in the hotel.

If you start from Lowell, on 495, this may be closer than either Worcester or
Wellesley.

They're not as dedicated or complete as Memory Location, but good prices,
I thought. I got my 2000 there, mostly because of the rabid phobia I share
with many native New Hampshirites of the dreaded MassTax.

John O.

    Directions to Memory Location:
    
    From Lowell, take Rte. 3 south then Rte. 128 south.  Exit on Rte.
    9 west towards Wellesley.  About 2-3 miles along you go over the
    top of a hill, then exit at Rte. 16.  Turn left at top of exit.
    
    Go about one mile west on Rte. 16, past a couple of stoplights and
    a commuter train stop on your right.  Memory Location is on the
    left just past the next stoplight.  You will probably have to turn
    around to park.
    
    If you get into an exclusively residential area, or into Wellesley
    Center, turn around.

    Re: .last few
    
    Memory Location has a "buyers' club."  For $20 or so you get a
    permanent 10% discount on everything.  Boston Computer Society members
    also get the discount.  Software Shop has better prices but no support.

    Re .7:
    
    The Memory Location has a parking lot behind it.  Using the directions
    in .7, turn left at the light (the former Wellesley Playhouse is on
    your left and a clock shop is facing you on the far corner) and enter
    the first driveway on your right (past Emack & Bolio's).

    
         You people are really great!  I ask a question in other
    conferences and never hear a reply.  Thanks for the info.
    
         I have another question.  I've seen hard_drive/memory addons
    for the A500.  Since this type of setup would be great for my needs,
    is there any other reason (other than the detachable keyboard) to 
    consider_the_A2000/not_consider_the_A500.  My bank account is not 
    *quite* big enough to afford an A2000, so I'll probably pick up
    a A500, however if it's not as reliable, etc...  I could save the
    extra bucks in a few weeks.
    
         Any comments... or am I needlessly concerned?

    Steve

    It depends on what you are looking for.  The A2000 is cheaper to
    expand than the A500, but the basic box costs more.  If you want
    to start with 3MB of memory and a hard disk, then the A2000 probably
    costs less.  I suggest you compare the configuration you want, based
    on both the A500 and the A2000, then buy the cheaper one.
    
    P.S.  Don't buy futures!  If the store can't configure the complete
    system, today, to your specifications, and let you try it, then
    it doesn't exist.
    
    P.P.S.  I understand the MS-DOS feature is available only for the
    A2000.  If you want that, the A2000 is the only choice.
        John Sauter

    Well, there's the IBM 8-bit and 16-bit slots in the A2000.  If you
    want or need an 8088 or 80286 board, the A2000 is the only way to
    go.  The A2000 also has a special video slot and a coprocessor slot
    for adding a 68020 or 68030 with high speed 32 bit ram.  If your're
    ever going to need workstation performance, the A2000 is the best
    upwards growth path...
    
    However, the aftermarket people are clever.  There are a few 68020
    boards and even an 8 MByte RAM board that fit into the A500.  
    
    If your main uses will be games, music, a little art and some word
    processing or home finance, the A500 is perfectly adequate.  It
    is and surely will be the ultimate home computer for years to come.
    
    Also remember that any additional peripherals for the A500, such
    as hard drives, genlocks, etc, will always need their own power
    supply and enclosure, so they will be more expensive than their
    A2000 counterparts.
    
    Ed.

    Expansion out the side of the A500 involves connecting to the edge
    of your motherboard.  Not a very flexible connection.  Something
    to consider if you have small children who like to take things apart.
    
    A500 Internal expansion is limited due to space.  Either you get
    memory or you get turbo board, etc.
    
    The justification for the A2000 I used: add the price of an expansion
    box to the price of the A500.  Then ask yourself how many 3rd party
    folks will checkout their boards in the A2000 and also in your expansion
    box.
    
    -dave

    My basic rule is "Do it Right the First Time".  An A500 cannot grow
    up to be an A2000.  If you can honestly say that you'll NEVER need
    one or another of the A2000's features, then get the A500 and save
    the money; if you can reasonably expect that you WILL need such
    a feature, then bite the bullet and get the A2000 from the outset.
    
    Certainly, you could buy an A500 and later sell it and buy an A2000.
    It will cost you a few hundred Dollars (lost value on the A500 plus any
    A500-specific upgrades) to postpone the serious investment.  I don't
    recommend this course.
    
    It all comes down to what you will need in the long run.  Once you
    know THAT, then the path to get there is a lot more obvious.

    Pacific Peripherals advertizes the Subsystem 500 for the Amiga 500.
    It claims bridgeboard support and I saw a mail order ad that indicated
    it cost $199. [The bare box/power-supply that is]
    
    A hard drive and at least two plus meg requirement seems to make the
    A500 too bounded.  On the otherhand, the isolation the Subsystem
    offers gives one enough isolation to really add moderate price AT
    peripherals.
     [Read the Sept. Amigaworld review of the "The Wedge"]
    
    Others dislike the packaging and wish the 500 was placed in a box
    like the 1000 with the hide-away keyboard slot.  Most if not all
    mix-and-match activity centers on the 2000.
    
    So... Unless your handy or belong to a club... I would recommend
    a 2000 if expansion/MSDOS-386 is in your future.

         I will be using my Amiga for some game playing, word processing - 
    but mainly for software development.  I'd really only be interested in
    the Bridgeboard in order to add a lower cost hard drive.  I can't
    rule out adding a more powerful processor/co-processor setup in
    the future.  Especially if I delve into hard-core graphics/math,
    as I plan to.
        This points me towards the A2000.  Hmnnn... perhaps I can find
    a good, used machine.  But then again, why would anyone ever sell
    theirs... (^;
    
    Thanks again,      
    
    Steve

>        This points me towards the A2000.  Hmnnn... perhaps I can find
>    a good, used machine.  But then again, why would anyone ever sell
>    theirs... (^;
    
I saw one in the Want Advertiser this week.  Take a look.

			Dean Cromack

    At the last Computer Show & Fleamarket in Boxboro, Mass., there
    was a new Amiga dealer.  He was demoing Capone with the light
    guns on a A500, had A2000 & Bridgeboard, etc.  All in the middle
    of a pc clone show.
    
    Soft Designs Inc.
    20 Brookline St.
    Watertown, MA 02162
    (617) 489-4056
    
    I've never been there.  He didn't seem to be rabid, but hey, it
    takes a lot of guts to take on pc clones like that.  The only other
    Amiga dealer was from Comp-u-save.
    
    -Dave

Hello, 
           
	I recieved a call from a person who is opening an AMIGA/c64 store on
Route 101a in Nashua in October.  He would like to get copies of all the Public
Domain Software that the group has.  In return he would provide space for us to 
sell our Best of Public Domain Series of Disks with our SNHAUG Logo on them,
Give us a 5% discount on all software (This is only to club members,and is
in addition to the 10% off he is giving everybody else.), he will let us sell
our used software (only original and all docs) and hardware on consignment 
minus 10% for him.  He is very interested in knowing what we need in an 
AMIGA store and would like and sugestions.  He is going to Westchester PA,
for courses on becomming an Authorized C= repair center.  This is your chance
to Help us have a good local Store.  If you have any good sugestions E-Mail
them to me and I will pass them along, He is unable to come to the Meeting 
in Sept, he will be in PA, but should be at the next if he is not at the 
Store, Maybe we will have that meeting at the store.  It seems AMIGA
    stores are poping up everywhere, things are looking good for the
    AMIGA now, with the best time of the year to come.
    
				Sincerly,
				Dave Nye -- S.N.H.A.U.G.
					     President

>    I was thumbing thru the Sears Wish Book which arrived this weekend when 

Saw this at my mothers this weekend. Did you read the desription? Not
too impressive, but then again it's only Sears :-)

John

    re: Sears
    
    Isn't Sears considered a "mass retailer"?  The very thing that gets
    dealers upset when they hear that you can buy something they sell
    at a mass retailer.  Maybe it's not a threatening as Toys'R Us,
    or Kmart carrying it, but didn't CBM claim No mass retailing of
    the Amiga as part of the effort to build up the dealer network?
    
    Just curious,
    -Dave