Amiga.org
Amiga.org specific forums => New User Introductions => Topic started by: Avatar on March 28, 2007, 03:43:04 AM
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Hi I'm am new here and I have to to say I die a little more inside each time I see the amiga name, and think about what could have been. The present should be a very different reality.
History has proven time and time again small decision can ultimately effect the lives of all those on the planet. The marketing and strategy commodore used when selling the Amiga has now touched almost everyone on the planet. It's sad to think the most advanced personal computer of the 80s and one with features that have only now been replicated more than 20 years later, died such a quick mainstream death. I wish it had been Apple, in fact it might well have been apple and MS that were wiped off the face of the earth ... it just goes to show you, the best and most advanced does not always win. It's just a pity business didn't really see the importance of what the Amiga had to offer and stagnated on plans which saw the situation worsen.
There is still something inside me that one day hopes, through some revolution, the amiga raises itself like the firely pheonix to reclaim its position at the top of personal computers. We could all be so much further advanced in computing if the Amiga had penetrated the right markets and sales and marketing has been directed correctly.
I have several Amiga computers and started using them when i was in school to play games on, later I used them professional within an organisation for graphics, video, rendering, programming and design work. After teh Amiga were phased out I managed to score 4 A1200s and 3 Amiga A3000s, including my own A3000 with 24-bit EGS Graphics board, CD-Rom and expanded RAM.
Anyway here is a 3D visualisation for a next generation Amiga, the Amiga 8k. The mouse is not quite what i want yet, still looks a bit Atari St like. The keyboard is also PC styled, with more function keys etc.
(http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8089/amiga06bgw3.jpg)
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Well the Amiga might have been the first in all things technological, but I'm sorry there are too many Amiga and Apple dreamers out there. It's just that the Apple follower had more then enough money, and the company didn't get a chance to get buried that far into the ground. Ah yes, I guess if you are going to bleed a company dry, do it as well as Commodore .
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I agree too many dreamers and not enough people with the cash or business sence to push the computer where it needed to go. It's just unfortunate better business sence didn't prevail after commodore's collaspe. The Amiga was saleable and could have been effectively maintained with better vision and additional funds.
Apple has had a rough time too and I think they have alot to thank for the development of the ipod, which otherwise might have seen trouble for apple computing divisions in more recent years. Popularity in apple products has been spured along through the Ipod and itunes to some extent.
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Welcome, and that's a very nice concept system you have there. What's that thing on the left side? Modem? Because we all know that the entire computer is contained in that nice flat keyboard on the A8000 model. That other box must be the portable frig. :-)
Plaz
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Im surprised nobody whipped out the dead horse smiley yet
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The keyboard is less than 10mm thick but yes it would be nice to think it could be stored in the keyboard.
As for the box, well all those custom chips must go somewhere and the big-arse Amiga branding.
Maybe an Amiga 5000 would follow in the vein of the A500, computer and case integrated. I never liked the A500 and A1200 all-in-one design, i opted for the A2000 right from the start for this very reason.
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That rough time was caused by John Sculley blunders, Michael Spindler later incompetence, then Gil Amelio basically got kicked out.
It wasn't the iPod, it was the iMac that brought back that good time feeling of January 22, 1984. Yes Steve Jobs, the ever good feeling man.
Well things really got good with the Amiga vs Atari ST fight, didn't they? Oh well, let the dead rest I guess. :horse: :horse:
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DEAD HORSES!!! w00t w00t!
@Avatar:
Don't take it bad.. I posted the same kinda thing at first and got served the same old "drop it already" crap that is a staple of the miggy community since.. well since forever now. The best thing to happen to the amiga in ages is the minimig, look it up!
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@James
Reminiscing and wishful thinking are fine. Avatar didn't roll in with one of those typical "Let's save Amiga!" speeches. Another thread like that would definitely deserve a horse beating. :-)
@Avatar
As for the box, well all those custom chips must go somewhere and the big-arse Amiga branding.
Sure it could all fit in the keyboard, custom chips and all. Because you could have all the custom chips and a 39 core CPU on one die. The box on the side could definitly represent the power supply to run the beast. And the heat sink for such a chip would be a killer. :-D. Of course we would only be using 32 cores, but having 39 would make us much cooler that the mac or pc.
And BTW, don't mind me. I'm typically a smart alec and wannabe humorist, though not every one appreciates it. :-)
Plaz
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LOL I am not deluded, I know we missed the boat and it's a case of too little too late. LOL but aint it kicking a dead horse, that guy looks like he has a light sabre, we only want to kick the dead horse, not cut it up!
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I must say that Avatar did do something, other than just another thread, he gave us a pretty rendering! Do some more :-) I've always loved NeXT Cubes (along with my Amigas), so perhaps an Amiga in a cube desing? :-)
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James wrote:
DEAD HORSES!!! w00t w00t!
@Avatar:
Don't take it bad.. I posted the same kinda thing at first and got served the same old "drop it already" crap that is a staple of the miggy community since.. well since forever now. The best thing to happen to the amiga in ages is the minimig, look it up!
Right, an actual product as opposed to the thousandth forum newbie who things (s)he has all the answers, and that if we just e-mail enough people the entire business world will re-adopt a platform that lacks even basic security features.
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@Avatar
The base unit kinda looks like the Freedom Tower mockups. Not sure if you've been watching current trends but as the CRT has died there's less justification for the monolithic PC tower and people seem to be turning to Shuttle/cube/mini type form factors these days. For the first time since the 80s, when everyone just used their home TV as a monitor anyway, base unit design is starting to matter again.
The keyboard looks horribly cramped for a workstation.
The positioning of the branding is very slapdash and the logo itself too awkwardly retro. Remember the class the original Amiga had with its italicised serif?
Finally, who wants a square screen...?
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LOL much of it is based on my preferences - it's not intended to be wholly serious or based on market trends. It's what I might have if given the option of choice. This is really only an evening of me being bored and deciding I feel like playing around with some designs. I cant say I really thought much about any of it. :)
The keyboard is based on the current IBM Ultra/Nav it works extremely well, best keyboard I have ever had. It combines Track point, numeric pad and thermal touch pointer - indentical to the thinkpad keyboards. means I can have my Desktop match my notebooks in every way. I love that. I much prefer the the half height laptop keys.
I have seen a preference for smaller form factor and shuttle designs, specifically respective of the home entertainment environment and matching aesthetics - as people start to incorporate computers as part of the entertainment systems. Of course this system is more workstation less personal computer.
Personally i am not a fan of widescreen monitors and have always perfered the standard aspect ratio that was popular before widecreen started showing up in computing. Widecreen is clumsy in publishing and design but better for video etc.
As for the branding, well it was really a five minute job, but i'd never use serif based characters on a computer. Serif now align themselves far too much the past, in 1986 is was more acceptable, if rather stick with streamlined sans-serif fonts or very narrow weight simple typefaces like helvetica neue, I do like the open A though and I think it has room for incorporation into a possible more polished CI idea.
David Childs really made a mess of freedom tower IMO, which version of the freedom tower are we talking? There are literally about 5 that were at any one time ... getting built. Daniel's designs I think were better and more integrated but we will have to wait and see whether the Childs/Silverstein inspired vision getting built looks any good. Still some of the treatments for the podiums look quite interesting.
Here's a very rough concept Notebook called the Amiga Attache, the keyboard width would make it a a 18' screen abouts. It's a big'un.
(http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9849/laptop02pa9.jpg)
:-P
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Good to see a fellow Sydney sider here . Im part of the save Amiga foundation . Ive learnt very quickly that posting here will not achieve anything , it just turns into a bit of a shaitfight . I preach my Amiga religion to everyone around me ! The main thing that will bring the Amiga back is people . It was the peoples computer and shall remain so . Im looking forward to having a nice big fat pay cheque shortly to buy a complete system from Amiga kit shortly :-D .
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Avatar wrote:
David Childs really made a mess of freedom tower IMO, which version of the freedom tower are we talking? There are literally about 5 that were at any one time ... getting built. Daniel's designs I think were better and more integrated but we will have to wait and see whether the Childs/Silverstein inspired vision getting built looks any good. Still some of the treatments for the podiums look quite interesting.
I'm thinking of the one with the main tower as a twisted obelisk shape that looks like one of the old WTC towers if you view it from the right angle. The concept images were ridiculously shiny!
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Yeah cool, I can see the twisting obelisk thing you mention, it probably has to do more with the reflectivtity of renderings though, I have a habit of overdoing things with mirrored surfaces, The 'box' is actually a combination of polished metal and transparent highly reflective purple plastics.
I modified the notebooks and I have some new ones that include workstations, desktops, notebooks and a supercomputer housing. I am on a bit of a computer styling mission atm. I'll post em later. Thanks for the feedback.
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Just to say those are amazing pictures you have done. :-o
I love the mouse, looks very Amiga like (A500 Amiga like)
and the thin laptop looks great, very modern.
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Why can't computers look as nice as that?!