@MarkTime:
Interesting responce. So if we admit that it's unrealistic to have a traditional, custom chip based Amiga computer these days, why would you say we're still chaining the Amiga OS to the PPC? Isn't that similarly unrealistic? If it makes a hell of a lot of sense to leverage the video and sound card market established by the PC, why affirmatively hamper your hardware by insisting on what's become a niche CPU that's underpowered and overpriced in comparison to more mainstream choices? I mean if one's irrational hatred of the Wintel market is just THAT extreme, why not an AMD Athlon? It'd still be inexpensive and powerful, and coupled with an efficient OS like the Amiga OS, you'd have a scorchingly fast PC!
If the OS is truly the difference, why worry about the hardware at all? Of course there should be a "reference platform" spec for the OS (BTW, no different than any other OS out there), and for the die-hards who simply can't bring themselves to buying a computer that doesn't have the official Amiga seal of approval, perhaps authorizing Amiga-branded hardware solutions that conform to that reference platform. But beyond that, let the entire hardware solution be a commodity, not just the bits and pieces that make it up. Let the OS go free and challenge the status quo on equal footing. It'll be cheaper for all and bring a lot of Amiga ex-patriates back into the fold for not a lot ot money. And that, I think, is the key to EVER expanding the Amiga OS userbase beyond the narrow confines of today.
