What will drive the New Amiga?

[Hammer]

>Later, just as Gateway was looking to purchase
>Amiga, Microsoft was taking over in the office
>with Microsoft Office and Windows, which helped
>it invade the work place with great success.

Before MS Office there was Lotus and Word Perfect for the PC...

>Give away a lot of full systems. As Genesi is
>now discovering, this method doesn't
>automatically mean that the recipients will
>actually produce things for your platform.

Middleware could an issue, e.g. MONO dotNET would be ideal.

Genesi may have to assess the type of software vendors e.g. targeting CRM/MIS vendors (i.e. software companies that actually solving business problems and has access to real business rules).

For example, we use HP PCs for value adding our custom MIS/Knowbased Systems/Accounting software.

[Hammer]

>Windows is so ubiquitous that it is very easy
>to hack

It's about the same as with Linux/GNU/KDE distros. Except, one doesn’t have the media exposure as Windows. (hint: use google to search for Linux/GNU/KDE).

Note that a Lindows(budget Walmart PCs)(Linux distro) has duplicate Windows XP (non-SP2) style security).  

>or have infected by spyware or viruses.

Security by obscurity is flawed.

With WinXP SP2(recalling)
1. NX instructions(ATM only with AMD64 CPUs) in  will reduce the buffer overflow issues.  
2. Apply memory protection for Window's network infrastructure. Other device drivers remains as non-memory protected(for speed issues).
3. Apply Java VM style for MS's Active scripts.

>I doubt the markets for dedicated computing
>devices where sensitive information is made
>available would go to a Windows client or
>server.

Plenty of small business is currently using MS Windows 2003 ‘Small Business Server’ Edition as their mission critical server OS.
 
> Medical systems - hospital devices, home care
> medical devices, financial systems - ATM, cash
> registers, POS systems, automation systems -
> robotics, vending machines.

Note that there are Windows based system for ATM(i.e. did you miss The Inquirer’s BSOD ATM screen shots?), Train time table displays(Aussie state of NSW's RTA), Guided Missile Frigates(US Navy), POS systems(my local shoe shop has serveral of them) and 'etc'. Also note that there are mission critical MIS systems that runs on Windows system.

[Hammer]

@Dammy

Well, Linux has a corporate backing e.g. Red Hat, Novell, SUN, IBM, ‘etc’.

[Hammer]

Granted, but neither really had the "market cornering impact" of Office, much the same as there were browsers before IE, but IE is taking over the browser market.

Note that Netscape use to have a dominate position (Netscape 6 didn't help thier cause).

I honestly believe that either KMOS, or Genesi could wing their way into the "Middleware" market,

An example of "middleware" is
Oracle i.e. plenty of MIS/CRM vendors builds thier products and services around this middleware. MS/MONO.NET is another middleware infrastructure for application programmers to build on and provide RAD(rapid application development) products and services.  The same thing is true for Java.

[Hammer]

@stefcep  

Note that, mainstream Linux/GNU/KDE/Grome distros(e.g. Red Hat 9, SUSE 9, Mandrake 9.1, Lindows 4.5 and ‘etc’) is pretty bloated.
 
Like Linux, Windows XP(NT 5.1) comes in several edition e.g. Windows XP Embedded Edition.

[Hammer]

My wishlist for features that could be done from an enhanced front end, like DVD menus would be.
* The ability to Play or Burn DVDs and CDs.
* The ability to play the latest game on demand. (Even old games through UAE)
* Cable (HDTV) ready built in.
* The ability to record programs to HD or DVD like Tivo.
* The ability to browse the internet and access e-mail.
* The ability to easily sync ipod and pdas.

Erm, Windows XP Media Centre 2004 PCs already has most of the mentioned features today. Australia has (nearly) always been late in obtaining the latest products.

You would automatically be able to download and play the latest music or music videos on demand.

Such activities are already has been done (legality is another issue) via P2P networks today. Then again, there's iTune for legal music download.

PS; I envy your optimism in relation to AOS based solution.

[Hammer]

The old Amigas were portable (A500 A600 a1200 cd32), you could throw em in a bag and walk over to your mates place and have a ball. They are not laptops, though they would compete with them but you could do it at a lower price point as you can have a larger case, and hence the cheaper components. You could even add a power supply if you really wanted for say 90 minutes.This could be an optional extra.

This target market could have a chance...

Threats are;
1. Sony's Playstation 2 with Linux kit (i.e. yet another (but *crippled*) Linux distro; not in the level of Lindows).
2. High performance SFF PCs(with MCE compliant video cards).