Workbench 5 renamed Commodore OS

[WolfToTheMoon]

See, this is the bit I still don't understand. A new, custom OS is great, it means it might actually be Amiga-like in the same way that AROS is... But what software will it run? If it's not based on Linux or something similar, how will it run OpenOffice, Firefox or any of the creativity software the new "Amiga" is supposed to be created for? Or is the CUSA development team going to develop the whole OS *and* port all these huge apps and all their dependencies? If they don't port the apps it'll be in a worse state than AROS is for launch. And that's not going to make them significant money either.

Look at Haiku: Several years in the making, it's only at Alpha 2 release, it has an out-of-date browser which has just been replaced by a newer, sometimes unstable one, and an unusably unstable office suite. I know it's largely a volunteers project, but do CUSA really have the developers to pull that off?

It is a big problem, but it is not impossible to make it run Linux apps out of the box, something like MOS does with the ABox for the Amiga PPC.

[WolfToTheMoon]

Ummm, so they'll build an emulation of a Linux kernel, X server, desktop etc. in a sandbox with full API pass-throughs to their new OS? Wow, now I'm *really* interested in how they'll manage to write all that from scratch. Or will it be Linux in a virtual machine?

I guess if they keep the applications with their own desktop environment separate from the actual OS desktop it wouldn't be that hard, but then it's more like AmiCygnix than ABox. That'll work (it does on AmigaOS4), but it certainly won't feel integrated or professional doing it that way.

Mind you, that was just me saying one of the ways of incorporating Linux. It doesn't mean they'll do it that way.

I often find myself wondering one very important question. If it is not better, if it's not offering something new, why bother with reinventing the wheel? Just to be different? ahh... it works for hobby, but not on the serious market.

[WolfToTheMoon]

Yep, that's what many of us have been trying to figure out. Having emulation layers to support non-native software in place of native software isn't better, it isn't new and it certainly won't fly in the serious market. So it looks like: a) it'll just be Linux with a more thorough skinning than the one on the C64x, maybe a new desktop at a push, b) a totally new OS with emulation to replace the lack of native software and modern features, which will be a marketing disaster, or c) CUSA have the funds to bankroll dozens of developers for several years to come up with a genuinely viable OS and ecosystem, and the marketing, support and distribution of it all.

Place your bets now please.

I wasn't aiming at that... I was more speaking of Linux, more specifically Linux kernel and why would one need to write a new one.

If you go any other route than Linux, then you're bound to end up in a porting hell just like AOS, Syllable, Haiku and similar OSes are doing.
Very few native developments, mostly software ported from Linux/Windows.

In that situation, one musk oneself. Do I really need to invest and make a completely new OS just to run mostly the same apps/games that I'd do on Linux, but more buggy and slower? Obvious answer is obvious.

Naturally, if you're doing it for fun and hobby, why not. I'd do it. If you wanna be serious, UNIX/Linux is what is needed today.

I can't think of any major, successful OS(including desktop and mobile) in recent years that wasn't based on UNIX/Linux or wasn't POSIX, besides Windows. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[WolfToTheMoon]

Until a new business model emerges, they will still be subject to criticism they are receiving now. And, honestly, I can't think of any model in this day and age that can. I doubt, for example, that Barry's funds are any where near that of Google's.

we'll see once the sales start.

I think C-64x and VIC-Book will do very fine.

New business model isn't needed because the current one hasn't yet been tested.