@lou_dias
>As the developer of the ATI drivers for OS4, you obviously
>stand to benefit from the OS in it's current design...
I'm not sure what you mean by that. I stand to "benefit" to a SMALL extent from sales including the Radeon driver I'm involved with, yes, but I don't see what the OS's current design has to do with that. I also do not expect to see returns that will completely pay for the hardware I've personally purchased for this venture, there's a good bit of charity in there from a lot of people that merely wanted something enough to pay so much for it, like I've paid so much so that I can have better than a Voodoo3 card in my own Amiga. Not everyone is in the charity business though, and real companies like ATI will need convinced that they will show some profit from the venture before they'll allow me or you to grant our own money on something not profitable to ourselves.
Also realize that anyone can write graphics drivers for OS4 in its current design. You could even get documentation from ATI or reverse-engineer the Linux driver code if you like and directly compete with our Radeon driver if you like. Nothing exists that makes our driver "exclusive" or anything...
>What I did is put an idea out there. A feasible one if you
>ask me since the hardware actually exists and is in the hands
>of 18.8 million people. It is up to Hyperion and maybe even
>you to ge a license and really see what can be done and if
>it's worth doing.
The number of people owning the hardware isn't what's important, the number of people that would buy AmigaOS for Gamecube is important. You've used web browsing as one example for using AmigaOS on Gamecube. How many Gamecube owners want that capability, and of those how many are willing to pay for it?
>So I ask you, if a HAL was written that supplied the
>established Amiga OS 4 API for the Gamecube, could the
>Gamecube not launch Amiga OS compliant applications that
>also run on an A1?
That's what a HAL does, it fits between the specific hardware and the defined common API the apps use, yes. The problem is, who will make this HAL for Gamecube? Apparently no one in this forum is doing it. No one is going to do it because you want it to be done. You have to convince enough people that they will get something out of it in return, including Nintendo, KMOS, Hyperion, and perhaps ATI and IBM though I think any Gecko or Flipper documentation would more likely be requested from Nintendo than them, simply as the chips are customized to Nintendo's specifications, they probably hold the rights to it.
Who all do you need licenses from to allow you to make this HAL?
How much do they cost?
How much do the development kits cost?
How much will you have to pay the programmers to do it?
Is the Gamecube dev kit adequate for porting AmigaOS? (It may not be, if you believe it is be prepared to explain why in great detail...)
If not, what additional information is required? (Gecko/Flipper programming models/register descriptions, etc.?)
Who do you get that from? (Does Gecko/Flipper documentation come from ATI/IBM or from Nintendo? My guess is Nintendo.)
>Wouldn't just being able to run IBrowse(bundled with the GC
>version) on the GC be a selling point?
A selling point from who's perspective? The Gamecube users won't want to pay for such an outdated browser, it can't even do hotmail these days, ebay is awkward, etc. with it. That's not the web browsing experience Gamecube users want. Tha's not the browsing experience *I* want, so I mostly use Firefox on my PC instead these days. You'll need Java, Shockwave, Flash, Mpeg, Quicktime, Real, and Windows Media playback capability for these users to be willing to pay for it, as if any site they like doesn't work, they ain't gonna buy your AmigaOS/IBrowse kit for the Gamecube... Besides, they'll have to buy extra hardware such as the kayboard, mouse, and perhaps the Action Replay or whatever cartridge you mentioned, and perhaps a hard drive kit in addition to the software package. Are enough Gamecube owners willing to go to THAT expense to browse the web or do other things you have in mind on their Gamecube, or are they more likely to just walk over to their PC for such things instead of buying all the Gamecube stuff?
From Nintendo's perspective, how will it grow their revenues? Do they hand out dev kits to just anyone able to pay for the fee for it? Or might they be somewhat selective about who they think can make a viable business able to pay any recurring costs, licenses per copy sold, or whatever else they might require?
From ATI's or IBM's perspective, Is this even their stuff to worry about, or are they simply a component supplier selling chips partially designed by Nintendo to Nintendo?
From KMOS's/Hyperion's perspective, how and how much money can they actually make from this in the really real world? Do you have a way to accaptably appease their concerns about piracy or other problems as seen by them?
> It is up to Hyperion and maybe even you to ge a license
> and really see what can be done and if it's worth doing.
Dude, how did this become MY responsibility to make your idea come true? Don't work that way... You need to get the licenses together yourself, including the AmigaOS license. If you think this is a truely viable business model, write up a respectable proposal and present it to the proper people, who include managment at KMOS, Hyperion, Nintendo, and perhaps ATI and IBM though I'm not as certain about those two. Arguing with users in this forum is the wrong place, the wrong presentation method, and us readers/users are the wrong people to convince. If you want your idea to go anywhere, it will be YOUR responsibility to develop the business around it. The other companies will of course be part of such a business if you can do it, but it's not their responsibility to develop YOUR business plan and execute it for you.
I'd like a few things to happen as well, but no one else is doing them. It's no one else's responsibility to do so. If I want them to happen, it's MY responsibility to make it possible, same as your responsibility for your idea here. You may be right about real potential in your idea, but get out of this forum and present it properly to the proper people, and make it so. You've seen that no one in this forum is going to do it for you, so it's back on your shoulders where it never even moved from... If it's not worth it to you who wants it done to go out and do this, then why should businessmen who need convincing do it for you? Besides, it's your idea, you should be involved in its implementation if one is ever made.
