Thom reviewed A rough draft of the future by Jimmy Maher (Platform studies)
Review of 'A rough draft of the future' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Originally ahead of its time, this multimedia machine didn't grow with the market. This book focuses on the software far more than the hardware, including a chapter on the cracker and demo "scene". I wanted more about the customer chips that defined and ultimately limited this PC.
That hardware and some of the software was pretty amazing for the time. This book also details how Commodore did next to nothing for the platform, which eventually couldn't compete with CD-ROM, 3D graphics and an open architecture. The machine was far more popular in Europe than the US. Of the many software chapters, I was glad to see the OS and then Cinemaware and Psygnosis highlighted.
The amount of time spent on the first demo (the juggler) was also good, but the book really bogged down talking about deluxe paint and other demos. Some editing would have helped, along with a few …
Originally ahead of its time, this multimedia machine didn't grow with the market. This book focuses on the software far more than the hardware, including a chapter on the cracker and demo "scene". I wanted more about the customer chips that defined and ultimately limited this PC.
That hardware and some of the software was pretty amazing for the time. This book also details how Commodore did next to nothing for the platform, which eventually couldn't compete with CD-ROM, 3D graphics and an open architecture. The machine was far more popular in Europe than the US. Of the many software chapters, I was glad to see the OS and then Cinemaware and Psygnosis highlighted.
The amount of time spent on the first demo (the juggler) was also good, but the book really bogged down talking about deluxe paint and other demos. Some editing would have helped, along with a few color plates - this was a multimedia PC! The author has a website with visuals and downloadable options for the UAE emulator, but the moving visuals mostly require Flash animation, disabled by default on modern browsers. Those images and movies are all in the Amiga resolution also - quite small on a modern laptop.
Recommended if you were an Amiga fan or if you want completeness - there are chapters worth reading here.