Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: srg86 on September 09, 2004, 11:21:55 AM
-
I don't want to open a can of worms here (so delete this if neccessary) but why is the Amiga community so fractured? It's all about one line of machines isn't it?
srg
-
I don't want to open a can of worms here (so delete this if neccessary) but why is the Amiga community so fractured?
Simple. In 2000 Amiga Inc announced that AmigaOS was "effectively dead as a platform". MorphOS then appeared, and later Amiga Inc changed their minds. But it was too late and the damage was already done.
This was well before Bill Buck was on the scene, btw. In fact, in those days Ralph Schmidt (MOS lead programmer?) occupied the position of Evil Bogeyman that Bill Buck does today. People seem to have forgotten about that though.
-
IC, I havn't been following the Amiga since 1997 so most of this is all news to me.
So OS wise the Amiga is split into AmigaOS and MorphOS camps then? Does MorphOS run on Classic Amiga's BTW.
Who is Bill Buck and why is he soooo hated then?
So the MorphOS group are like a splinter group then.
srg
-
So OS wise the Amiga is split into AmigaOS and MorphOS camps then? Does MorphOS run on Classic Amiga's BTW.
Yup - that's basically the dividing lines. MOS only runs on the Pegasos. There was a version that ran on PowerUp years ago, but I think they were just using the classic machines as a temporary development machines until the Pegasos was ready (please correct me if I'm wrong someone!).
Who is Bill Buck and why is he soooo hated then?
He's the current public figurehead of the "blue" (MOS) camp, so most of the hatred is directed towards him. Before Bill, it was Ralph who got all the flack.
The split was unfixable before Bill Buck came onto the scene. He can't be blamed for that. Personally, I blame the decision to kill off AmigaOS made by McEwen, Fleecy & co. If it wasn't for that, MorphOS wouldn't have any legitimacy and would probably only have a fraction of the following it has today.
-
So OS wise the Amiga is split into AmigaOS and MorphOS camps then?
Infact, it is split into 3 different camps. AmigaOS4 camp, MorphOS camp and classic Amiga camp.
-
+Amithlon/UAE +AROS
-
Does MorphOS run on Classic Amiga's BTW.
Yes. A1200 + BlizzardPPC and A3000/A4000 + Cyberstorm PPC.
Who is Bill Buck
Head of Genesi (http://www.genesi.lu).
-
arrr! my head my head!!!!
Right, I know about AROS, a "Porta-AmigaOS". I've heard that Amithalon was dead?
AmigaOS 4 will run on Classic Amiga's with PPC expansion boards right? Or is it just for the AmigaOne???
then there's the poor classic Amiga camp - "long live Alace, lisa, Paula and OS3.9!"
Oh and what's all this red and blue stuff??
This is not good :-(
srg
-
Both, MorphOS and AmigaOS4, are also running on PPC-equipped Commodore Amigas, but neither of them are publicly available, just for developers / betatesters.
Bill Buck is the CEO of Genesi, a company combining him and his wife with bplan, the company which developed the Pegasos mainboard (PegasosPPC.com). Also a member of bplan is Ralph Schmidt, main developer of MorphOS (MorphOS.net).
Saying MorphOS would be a splinter group is a dangerous statement here and could start another flame war. The opinions differ. Indeed AmigaOS4 has the official licence, i.e. it uses the name Amiga and the AmigaOS 3.1 sources could be used for its development.
On the other hand, as has been already mentioned here, MorphOS started earlier, at a time AmigaOS had officially been declared dead by those who acquired Amiga from Gateway and were running the current Amiga Inc. Also, bplan consists of ex-employees of phase 5, which you do certainly still remember, especially from the PPC-boards for Commodore Amigas you mentioned. The graphics system of MorphOS is CyberGFX, Frank Mariak actually is part of the MorphOS team. Another integral part of MorphOS is MUI from Stefan Stuntz. So one can certainly say that MorphOS also does incorporate much of Amiga spirit.
Therefore, it's up to each user individually which of both efforts he considers the most legitimate and which the "splinter". After all, I'd always recommend to simply visit a local Amiga show and compare both systems oneself - some people the one suits more, some the other.
After all, both have the same roots, the users of both do basically like the same features, i.e. simply the Amiga way of computing, and therefore we shouldn't be hostile towards each other, IMHO, but rather stay the friends we've been before and just enjoy our common hobby and memories of the good, old 80s and early 90s.
-
Piru wrote:
Does MorphOS run on Classic Amiga's BTW.
Yes. A1200 + BlizzardPPC and A3000/A4000 + Cyberstorm PPC.
Who is Bill Buck
Head of Genesi (http://www.genesi.lu).
Really, are Genesi mad!! Starting a new machine architechture in this day and age, it's suicide surly?
Anyway, so is the classic amiga community in trouble?
OK so splinter group is the wrong word, it seems that the amiga has dissolved into lots of different derivatives, that's my looking from the outside (I suppose being away so long I am an outsider) oppinion.
srg
srg
-
This is not good
It could be worse. Some users dont like MorphOS, some users dont like AmigaOS4 and original Amigas are aging.
-
@Piru:
I think I would kill for running MorphOS in my CS-PPC ;-)
Can you give us any hint about when will it be released and which version will be released?
I wouldn't mind paying for it (even if it was an unsupported (or very limited support) version)
-
I suppose this is what happends when there is no central driving force (like Commodore) behind it. Although as you said , it was caused by some dodgy descisions.
srg
-
Anyway, so is the classic amiga community in trouble?
Should they be? Other than degrading old hardware, less and less support from hardware & software makers and game companies, not really.
Personally I've moved on to Pegasos fully, my A1200 is resting in pieces now (all parts are in working order, though).
-
@Crumb
Currently public Classic Amiga MorphOS is limited to MorphOS 0.4 beta. I don't know when new classic version will be released.
Sorry. :-)
-
Well generally I'm still a PC user.
There are things though that I want to do with an Amiga, so I'm getting one. That's MHO.
srg
-
I'm just waiting to see who comes out w/better software or more software... so for now, I just bought a A4000D/040 and then another A4000D w/toaster/2 tbc's and a few other goodies. Should be fun!!
-
There are things though that I want to do with an Amiga, so I'm getting one.
So what kind are you going to buy? A1, Peg or Classic?
-
It's a classic, an A1200. Just waiting for it to be delivered. I'm not interested in the A1 or Peg.
srg
-
@Piru
:_(
I tried that demo but couldn't make it boot... :-(
-
srg86 wrote:
I don't want to open a can of worms here (so delete this if neccessary) but why is the Amiga community so fractured?
srg
Those are stress fractures. As the community has shrunk over time many moderates and pragmatists moved on, but the zealots always are the last to go, and being the holders of the true knowledge, are the most cliquey.
Well, that and the huge time when there was no clear owner of the Amiga legacy (isn't that still the case?) has allowed competing solutions to emerge. MorphOS on PPC, various emulated ClassicOS solutions on x86 and AROS. Now finally OS4 on PPC and the new "Amiga" hardware. All of these projects have taken much time and resources so it's natural that no-one involved wants to just dump their solution.
It's possible that all these streams could be merged back to something common, but everyone has their own (very good) reasons for not wanting to do that.