| Re: .0
> ...if this one will work correctly with the flicker fixer. The NEC
>unit is a model "APC-H437 multisync IT" monitor and is VGA compatable.
I've talked to the designer of the FlickerFixer. He told me that it
outputs a VGA compatible signal. There was a bit of luck in that:
He had made prototypes that worked with the Amiga 1000 (although
with fewer colors) and was getting ready to do the design for the
Amiga 2000 video slot. Almost simultaneously two important pieces
of information fell into his lap: Commodore released information
about the new improved video slot for the Amiga 2000 model B, and
IBM released the specs for VGA.
He designed the board to fit the improved video slot (and thus work
with the full Amiga color palette) and to use the VCG scan rates
(to work with VCG compatible monitors).
Of course, it wouldn't hurt to call up someone selling FlickerFixers
and ask them specifically about your model of monitor.
> 2. What are pro's/con's of purchasing a system before 1.3 is available.
It probably isn't worth waiting to get a system with 1.3 installed. The
only Kickstart change is to allow booting from other than floppy, and
you don't need 1.3 Kickstart to use all of the neat new stuff on the
1.3 Workbench disk.
Booting off a floppy isn't too bad. It takes about 5 seconds for my
boot floppy to transfer control to my hard disk, and after that, the
floppy is never touched again.
> Any adea what the upgrade might cost?
Hard to say. The 1.1 upgrade was free. The 1.2 upgrade was $15. I
would expect the disk based 1.3 upgrade to be about the same. If you
have a 500 or 2000, getting the ROMs updated to 1.3 might be more
expensive, but it is hard to say how much. Since there is only one
new feature in the 1.3 Kickstart, it may not be worth upgrading to.
>I assume that if I buy after it's available, it will come with my system?
I expect that the 1.3 upgrade will be made available first through upgrade
kits before systems show up with it included. In the past, Commodore has
stated that they plan a rolling upgrade where all the machines manufactured
after they run out of the old chips will use the new chips. It might take
time before the machines in the delivery pipeline to be exhausted. (But
then, it seems that Commodore is being pretty successful in moving a lot
of machines lately. In the last year they four or five times the number
of Amigas that they sold in the previous two years.)
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