Interview with Trevor Dickinson

[koaftder]

Excellent point!

That works out to like 3 guys @ 80k USD for 1 year. Could three guys port AOS 4 over to x86 in one year?

[AmigaHeretic]

That works out to like 3 guys @ 80k USD for 1 year. Could three guys port AOS 4 over to x86 in one year?

Yeah.

For $200,000.00 though Trevor could have bought 1000 of these motherboard/CPU combos for $89 each.  
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5567179&Sku=B69-4062

Given those 1000 boards for FREE to pretty much every member left in the Amiga community when they buy a copy of OS4.  He'd still have $110,000.00 left over just to give to Hyperion.

Hyperion gets $120,000 free + $160,000 in OS4 sales for a total of $280,000.00


But then we'd have 1000 active Amiga users running modern hardware.  Hyperion would then be selling their $160 OS with an $89 dongle instead of a $2000 one.  


No, I think the $200,000.00 is better spent to get Hyperion to waste another year of their time porting the OS to X1000 so 12 people already using OS4 can now run it on 4 year old hardware instead of 8 year old hardware.

[dammy]

That works out to like 3 guys @ 80k USD for 1 year. Could three guys port AOS 4 over to x86 in one year?

Well, it's OS4 Devs, who knows since it took six years to port to PPC.  Now if we are talking Dr. Schulz (AROS), I wouldn't think that would be a problem, in his spare time besides his work and family time.  Now if you had thee coders like Dr. Schulz working full time, I think they would have a reasonable chance of creating a next generation OS that would be x86_64 based within a year's time.

It's a massive shame that 200K GBP wasn't spent more wisely.

[the_leander]

I bet he could have got AmigaOS converted to x86 for 200000 quid!

/thread.

[cha05e90]

"...converted to x86 for 200000 quid!"

Maybe the idea is to get some return of invest through a rather expensive "special system" than from an x86 operating system sold without hardware. Even if you sell standard pc hardware with it - I don't see, how to achieve 200.000 bucks with this. Do you really think hundreds and thousands users will appear an pay for another x86 operating system?
I still don't get it - why not use AROS? It's (of course) free - you can't make real money in the x86 world - ask ClusterUK how much money he earns through his AROS systems and then ask him, if he were able to earn any money if he had actually to PAY the AROS developers....

[the_leander]

"...converted to x86 for 200000 quid!"

Maybe the idea is to get some return of invest through a rather expensive "special system" than from an x86 operating system sold without hardware.

Better 100% of 100 systems than 0.001% of a billion eh?

Even if you sell standard pc hardware with it - I don't see, how to achieve 200.000 bucks with this. Do you really think hundreds and thousands users will appear an pay for another x86 operating system?

Depends on the cost - Zeta (an ill fated BeOS derivative) for instance sold several thousand copies.

I still don't get it - why not use AROS? It's (of course) free - you can't make real money in the x86 world - ask ClusterUK how much money he earns through his AROS systems and then ask him, if he were able to earn any money if he had actually to PAY the AROS developers....

Tbh if AROS had had 200K injected into it you would be seeing a renaissance over there. Oh and as for paying developers, Hyperion doesn't exactly have a stellar track record of that itself.

[Andre.Siegel]

"...converted to x86 for 200000 quid!"

Maybe the idea is to get some return of invest through a rather expensive "special system" than from an x86 operating system sold without hardware. Even if you sell standard pc hardware with it - I don't see, how to achieve 200.000 bucks with this.

Within two years, the MorphOS development team has sold close to 1000 licenses, based on public reports from buyers on MorphZone, at 111.11 or 150 EUR (incl. 19% VAT) each. Within this period, the OS has been available for affordable Mac computers, which include free MacOS licenses, for just a mere 9 months.

Clearly, it is possible to generate revenue exceeding 100.000 EUR selling an "expensive" niche operating system that competes with free Linux, bundled MacOS, etc.

It is not overly far fetched to assume that if somebody invested 200.000 EUR to have a reasonably attractive PowerPC-based OS ported to selected x86 computers in exchange for receiving all software revenues until the investment is paid back, that person or organization might actually break even.

[dammy]

Better 100% of 100 systems than 0.001% of a billion eh?



Depends on the cost - Zeta (an ill fated BeOS derivative) for instance sold several thousand copies.



Tbh if AROS had had 200K injected into it you would be seeing a renaissance over there. Oh and as for paying developers, Hyperion doesn't exactly have a stellar track record of that itself.

Hyperion might have been able to pay the OS4 Devs if they had sold a decent "Amiga" keyboard and mouse over the past ten years.  Note I didn't say decent Amiga computer, if they just had sold what the market had wanted, Hyperion could have paid for the source code of OS4.

What I'm wondering now is A-EON-Hyperion only planning to build 100+ Dev systems and 250 retail systems for the elite Devs and rich end users, what was the point of the A1X1K project in the first place?  To sell less then 400 systems @ year in this economy?  I can't figure out what the point of this 200K GBP investment is.

[dammy]

It is not overly far fetched to assume that if somebody invested 200.000 EUR to have a reasonably attractive PowerPC-based OS ported to selected x86 computers in exchange for receiving all software revenues until the investment is paid back, that person or organization might actually break even.

Problem for Hyperion for porting to another arch, unless things have changed from the time of the final court paperwork, they don't own OS4's source code, just binary rights.  Less their contract with the OS4 Devs says they have the right to port to another arch of Hyperion's choosing, how can they do so without paying the OS4 Devs off first?

[yoodoo]

I can't figure out what the point of this 200K GBP investment is.

To create a more powerful (PPC) board than the others that run AmigaOS4?

Trevor has stated several times that he is not necessarily expecting a massive return - he would like to break even. That suggests that he is in effect supporting his hobby in the hope it lasts a few more years.

[dammy]

To create a more powerful (PPC) board than the others that run AmigaOS4?

Trevor has stated several times that he is not necessarily expecting a massive return - he would like to break even. That suggests that he is in effect supporting his hobby in the hope it lasts a few more years.

Doesn't make sense to spend that type of money on so few possible sales.   Apple apparently only guaranteed production for three to five years and that was in 08.  Unless someone pays Apple big money for PA6T license, it's EOL in the not too distant future.  How anyone can generate a ROI in such a short time and so few sales without raping the customer is beyond me.

[persia]

PA Semi is destined to fit into Apple's supply chain, making chips for iPod, iPads, iPhones and iWhatevers.....

I'm an Apple fanboi and I wouldn't trust Apple's word that they'll keep making chips outside of their own consumption.  I mean let's face it, Apple sells more than 350 devices in a good day in Torquay alone, they aren't likely to make decisions based on small change.  Apple's plan of controlling the processor in their devices makes it harder to clone them.  It also makes it harder to compare specs.

Off course at A-Eon's prices they could probably just buy an iPad, rip the processor out, dump the rest and still meet their price point....

[mongo]

PA Semi is destined to fit into Apple's supply chain, making chips for iPod, iPads, iPhones and iWhatevers.....

I'm an Apple fanboi and I wouldn't trust Apple's word that they'll keep making chips outside of their own consumption.  I mean let's face it, Apple sells more than 350 devices in a good day in Torquay alone, they aren't likely to make decisions based on small change.  Apple's plan of controlling the processor in their devices makes it harder to clone them.  It also makes it harder to compare specs.

Off course at A-Eon's prices they could probably just buy an iPad, rip the processor out, dump the rest and still meet their price point....

PA Semi doesn't make anything. They are (or were) a fabless semiconductor company. Manufacturing was done by another company (most likely TI).

PA Semi also most likely had nothing to do with the A4 used in the iPad.

[runequester]

Every time people talk about porting OS4 to x86, it always makes me wonder if I am the only person in the world who know about AROS ?

Heck, they even sell it pre installed on brand new computers these days.

What other amiga flavour can you get for 300 pounds or less on a brand new machine?

[HammerD]

I've always longed for native X86 AmigaOS.  AROS is a great step in that direction.  I just wish it had more official support and resources to move quicker on it's development.

If the MorphOS team or the OS4 team had decided from the get-go to go totally X86, all of us would be running on very fast X86 and cheap boxes right now.  Sure it would have taken many painful years, but we would be there, now.

I hope AROS will progress as it gives another choice and a way to run newly compiled Amiga apps on fast, cheap, X86 hardware.

[ffastback]

Yeah.

For $200,000.00 though Trevor could have bought 1000 of these motherboard/CPU combos for $89 each.  
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5567179&Sku=B69-4062

Given those 1000 boards for FREE to pretty much every member left in the Amiga community when they buy a copy of OS4.  He'd still have $110,000.00 left over just to give to Hyperion.

Hyperion gets $120,000 free + $160,000 in OS4 sales for a total of $280,000.00


But then we'd have 1000 active Amiga users running modern hardware.  Hyperion would then be selling their $160 OS with an $89 dongle instead of a $2000 one.  


No, I think the $200,000.00 is better spent to get Hyperion to waste another year of their time porting the OS to X1000 so 12 people already using OS4 can now run it on 4 year old hardware instead of 8 year old hardware.

And what does A-Eon get out of your imaginary deal here?

And BTW its $245160 USD at current exchange rates.  The article said 200,000 EURO.

I think we all know A-Eon has about a snowball's chance in hell to "break even" on $245160 USD (and counting).  But whats the point about imagining about them giving the money away on purpose?

And why such a slave to the brand?  Run AROS if you want x86.