Most liked posts in thread: Amiga...uncool? Discuss.

Probably Dominik used to live and still lives in a parallel universe, where the Amiga was and is considered "uncool". Not my opinion, it's everybody's opinion that the Amiga 1000 is still considered the coolest and most elegant piece of plastic ever appeared on a desktop. And just look at the prices in auction sites. Every model of Amiga is sold at absurd prices if compared to other retrocomputers. Even the accessories and peripherals Commodore-branded are put on sale at astronomical prices. Why?? Not only because Amiga was a very cool computer (probably the coolest in the 80s and 90s) with its innovative hardware, but also because it was widely LOVED by its users and owners and damn desired by those who couldn't afford it or already owned an ST, QL, even PCs.

The Amiga was widely loved by programmers and coders because it was great fun to use the 68000 and the custom chips to achieve results in developing games, programs, demos, intros, etc. From 1985 to 1995 the Amiga led the way with graphics, colors, GUI, hardware, multi-tasking, and games. The Amiga 500 was totally cool, not "gray" or "uncool" - this so-called journalist must have been diverted in his mind by dozens of purchases of Apple-designed objects. And the guy is wrong even when he tries to compliment the Amiga series as being robust, reliable and solid. What? Never breaking? Games always loading? Solid peripherals? Again, this is the demonstration that the theory of strings is true. Dominik used to live in another galaxy, probably Cloud 9. Ever heard about Guru Meditation? What about memory protection? VARTA batteries? Chinon cheap floppy disk drives? Unreliable mice?

As you already said, that article is only a clickbait piece of digital sh*t and an old-fashioned way to raise the discussions between readers the way old magazines used to do in the Mail section.

Oh, and last but not least, how can you write an article about Amiga quoting Sensible Soccer and not mention Kick Off by Dino Dini/ANCO Software? If there is one game that enhances the hardware features (Blitter & co.) of the Commodore jewel, it is Kick Off with all its incarnations.

 

You can mention Kick Off, but most folk still prefer Sensi, myself included. Kick Off was more football where Sensi was more Arcady fun, both great games, unlike Dino's next game, Tip Off.(dear oh dear).

As for Mr Diamond, where I joke about him being hated at the various shows, it actually true. I think Al said Dom had written a book about his backstory and admitted that his nature was unliked by many, sadly he seems to not have learned a thing. The story I've told about Martyn Brown and Team 17 calling him a w*nker as he sauntered past is 100% true, I was stood on the spot talking to Martyn at the time. Sure, they were a bit pished up, but I can't fault their judgement of his character

The way he treated the young contestants on the TV show was so condescending..As you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of the bloke..

 

Yes, I think Mr Diamond is just calling that so he can write an article. Even to an ST owner like me the Amiga was always the cooler machine to own. The ST was still the better computer though....

 

Pure click bait by Mr Diamond, pretty typical of his style of presentation. If there's anything uncool here, it's Dominik himself. Sure, he is professing his love of the Amiga, but while making the usual snide remarks, again A typical of him. You just have to look at the retro communities to see just how loved the Amiga was and still is. Like all computers back then, it had a headline limelight and then faded, all our home computers had the same. The PC survives by constantly upgrading itself, are we all still using 286's, nope, it's all i9 and Ryzen chips.

I do like his love of the Amiga and some of the stuff said is true, BUT his snide manner, like the comment about marriage, said in a way like he's getting one over the wife as she's just a simple wife, is rude and distasteful.

As Al says, just a way to get a pay cheque, he's the same pillock all the devs hated at the shows, and told him to his face.

 

Never really understood why Sir Patrick Moore did that show, it was so far away from his character, as you can imagine. Mr Moore getting down with a Spectrum, I really don't see it. But yes, fantastic astronomer, I'd be sat in front of the TV at 11.20pm (or there about) watching and listening to all things universe as I was a keen planet watcher back then. The Sky at Night was a firm fave of mine.

 

Yes, Paul, Sensible was more arcade-style. And that's why, being a sports simulation fan, I always preferred Kick Off series... My point anyway was that the bird-eye view of the pitch in Kick Off, which Dini managed to render so fast and convincing, is just one example, maybe the first one so revolutionary and noticeable, where you can appreciate the superiority of the Amiga graphics hardware (for that time).

Otherwise, I take your word for it. I don't know the good Dominik, nor his journalistic or television accomplishments, but the world is full of idiots who think they know everything as soon as they learn to put two and two together (usually they get five, and so they cry out for a miracle!). Or even imbeciles who think they are clever or seek fame by purposely going against the grain or asserting false stories just to raise a fuss. I wouldn't be surprised if Dominik would use the same technique to make people talk about him.

 

This post is certainly generating a passionate response!

Thanks, guys - I enjoy reading all the opinions and reactions expressed here.

For Alex's/Daz's curiosity, Paul has seen this Dominik guy at close quarters and he used to feature in Gamesmaster a UK terrestrial computer games shows back in the 1990s... here we go and a chance for Alex to check the bespectacled bozo barsteward up close (but don't get too close!), oh and see if you can spot the most famous astronomer this country ever produced in his cameo role as some kind of games guru god!



and if you've got a better clip of this tosser, then by all means...

LET US HAVE IT!

 

So to add my tuppence to this convo. Mr Diamond is, or seems to be a Marmite figure. Personally I never liked him on Gamesmaster but it was one of the few video game shows on TV so you had to put up with him. I was quite pleased when he left. I think in this case he has been huffing his own farts and is off his tit's on Hydrogen Sulphide writing this nonsense or he is just skint.
I am not an Amiga fanboy by any stretch as my main 16 Bit computer was the Atari 520ST but the Amiga was the computer to own once the A500 came out and it got cheaper. I know once my brother go one I was quite jealous of the sound on the Amiga as I was always mad into computer music. The only comeback I had was the ST was faster at polygons as it ran at 8Mhz... So the ST went and did it's DTP/MIDI music thing and some games were released but as a pure games machine I think the A500 was "cooler" than the ST largely due to it's better graphics and sound capabilities. The larger models like the A2000 were fantastic proper computers that could also play games as well. It's already been pointed out that Amiga's sell for crazy money on eBay, and I know that even with the price of all the older computers going up in value/price the Amiga commands a premium that some other's just don't. I just don't see how you class the Amiga range as uncool by any sensible metric. I would say it's a clickbait article but realistically how many Amiga users are going to read The Guardian?
As I said earlier he has probably just put out a word salad article to get some money as the whole retro thing is trendy and the Editor of said paper doesn't know any different, also If he treats his wife like that in real life then that's quite sad, who knows if it's real or not but I hope he doesn't.

As an aside Sir Patrick had a Astronomy program out on the C64 in a big clamshell cassette box. I very much doubt he wrote it, but I can imagine him being onboard promoting it as anything that got kids into Astronomy was worth doing.

 

Very very nice comments about the lovely late Sir Patrick from both Paul and Rich.

Bev got me a signed photograph of the great, modest, coolest astronomer this country ever produced and I will always cherish it as like you guys mentioned, did anyone do more to get us "mere mortals" interested in the playground of the gods and actually look up in awe at the night sky filled with such wonders?

If they did, I'd like to know who...

God bless Sir Patrick and up yours DominIK - agreed, clickbait article, you Dik



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