I would love to see a group formed that is interested in creating what the Amiga should have evolved into over the years. A new computer design that uses the latest hardware components available at the moment the group chooses to finalize the design specification.
It should do High Definition TV, so new 3rd party add-on hardware that interfaces with the new TV standard(s) can be invented and run on this new computer just like the Video Toaster did in the A2000 at first. It has to hookup to new TVs, DVD players and HD-DVD/BlueRay DVD players with ease. Genlocking with those new TV standard pieces of equipment should be standard.
Any of today's top of the line graphic cards will provide more than enough processing power for games and applications for years to come, IF the same efficient principles that created the original Amiga are used to design the new system.
Use AmigaOS4 or MorphOS2.x as a base model of our beloved original AmigaOS and build on that to create the OS for the new computer I will call MorMiga just for fun in the rest of this post. Keep the principals that make these two examples different than all the other OSes, keep them small and efficient, true multitasking, but move the bar all the way to the top and be the first OS that truly takes advantage of Quad or Octuple Core CPUs. If we can keep the compatibility that is currently available in AmigaOS4 and/or MorphOS, great! If not create emulation that is as good or better than what is currently available with WinUAE. Keeping compatible so most or all of the legacy Amiga software can be used and enjoyed is key to success until new applications, tools, utilities and games are created for the MorMiga. Design the new MorMigaOS so that almost anyone that has the desire to be creative, can produce their own applications and games for MorMiga, this will bring back the glory days when there were thousands of people developing on the Amiga. A toolkit should be provided with the MorMigaOS that is easy enough that a 10 year old could use it.
Invent a new sound chip like the SuperPaula that I have seen discussed on these forums, or choose a current top of the line sound card to handle all MorMiga sound duties.
Write driver(s) for at least one DVD writer, or better yet, make that a BluRay writer/reader/player.
The Graphics and Sound cards should act exactly like the original Amigas custom chips did, only providing the fantastic performance difference that is available today.
It would be nice to include a 880kb/1.76mb floppy drive and build adf reading/writing software into the MorMigaOS. Yes, floppy disks and drives are DEAD, but they are a big part of the MorMiga's past, and with the intent to provide the best ever emulation and/or legacy compatibility, including the floppy drive and software make sense.
There is much more to add, but I will stop here and just say that I am sure I am not alone in dreaming of a new computer that would be a worthy successor to the Amiga line of computers. Something that should have been, IF ONLY ....... (fill in the rest of the sentence with what ever you have always thought concerning the sad direction the Amiga was taken, instead of what should have been). Who knows what might have been, if Microsoft had not dominated the market the way that they did so soon, or if Commodore had not trashed the chances the Amiga ever had, because of poor, or non-existant marketing, late and hobbled by cost concerns development decisions, too much "IN" fighting, inside Commodore, etc.
All a dream, yes, probably. Where would the money come from and who would do all the development work? It is my hope that the remaining Amiga community would join together and do this for themselves, for it is surely never going to happen by anyone else's hand! If we are going to dream, why not dream BIG! With the current state of the Amiga community, recent developments of MiniMig, NatAmi, CloneA, and the increased interest created by them all, I think that this highly improbable proposal could be remarkable possibility. Only Amiga made it possible in the past. Only the Amiga community makes it possible in the future.
AmigaDave
Amiga ENTHUSIAST!
