I posted this in a previous thread, but it got no reaction... and dammit, I want a reaction!
Here are just a few thoughts/ideas if the Amiga WERE to be redesigned, re-introduced hardware and software-wise:
1) The Amiga should be a graphical powerhouse. It's an old idea, but it's amazing how much attention is paid to the machine with the best graphics--Hell, it's how the Amiga really made a name for itself (among other things, of course).
Modern graphics cards are designed to be optimal for typical 32-bit floating point (matrices and such) math.
The Amiga graphics chips (preferably on a card) could optimize for
real-time ray-tracing. It's not a fantasy by any means; it's already being done on the PC, but it's limited and requires massive hardware. The Amiga, if designed with the bottlenecks of doing this in mind, could possibly bring this market and exploit it as its own.
The Amiga graphics chips could optimize for Quaternions which are much better than matrices (especially for rotations).
It's amazing what graphics will do to get your platform some attention. Remember the first time you saw the Amiga screenshots of
Defender of the Crown?
2) Support your software developers. A good machine has to be supported by good software. Good software has to be made with by developers and publishers who think they can make a profit. On a new platform, help from the manufacturer is a must.
Reusable code is in that equation. It's time to move past assembly code and support a higher level language like C++ with libraries. This means a
real compiler that supports serious debugging and a optimized machine language generation. Professional code-bases are huge, and require easier to read code.
3) Have a multimedia solution like no other. The Microsoft Windows PC has come a long way with multimedia integration, but in my mind it has never taken the next step nor done it right. The Amiga could have additional inputs for things like HDMI and optical audio.
The Amiga could have DVR and video editing capabilities. Make people who own a video camera feel they
need an Amiga to make (semi-)professional video of their ugly kids.
;-)
4) Provide a modular approach. Being able to upgrade your computer is a good. Computer manufacturers aren't always keen on this idea--they'd rather you buy a new system. At least on your higher end system, it's a good thing. You need to not be limited by your motherboard with what you can do with your system--especially graphics.
Like I stated in a previous post, this is really a pipe dream, but it's fun to ponder what would be if the Amiga has a serious investment.
:-D
