Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: ilgulamc on August 16, 2007, 01:54:27 PM
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Hello everybody,
I still remember like it was yesterday when Collas took over the Amiga and the excitement, things really looked like they where going to change.
Then all of a sudden he left and then was the chaos, Gateway promoted Tom Schmidt to fill the vacant place as vice President and COO, but even those days it was obvious that this was a move to sell Amiga or to just let it go off.
Now, many years have gone by, and I'm sure that something important (and that was kept confidential) happened for Jim Collas to leave Amiga. Did they fired him, did he leave because he got in a fight with Ted Waitt? Did he see the dot com revolution real direction and left because that was the only way to sell his stock options at a reasonable price. Do you know something more?
Here you can find a short article about him leaving.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-515585.html
I’m curious to know your opinions.
Thanks
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Conspiracy theorists have it M$ told Waitt to put an end to Collas' Amiga dream. Who knows for sure?
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A tale of XBox plans and threats of loss of cheap OEM Windows 98 licences scuppered Amiga.
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is there any thruth in that?!
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cv643d wrote:
is there any truth in that?!
No. But folks here repeat it often enough and so someone will likely pop it up onto Wikipedia and a few other sites, then others will point to these sites as proof and make it into a "truth."
The real truth behind Gateway's actions may or may not have been revealed, but if you follow this industry, you can take a good guess:
1) Gateway was getting into set-top boxes and multimedia living room devices at this time.
2) Lots of others were getting into this too. Some were further along.
3) Patent Law makes innovation really difficult. It's hard to make a device that pulls together multiple ideas without having some of those ideas be patented. Once you release your product, the patent holders come out of the woodwork to get their share of your hard work.
4) Companies like Dell and Microsoft brag that their real value is in their massive backlog of patents. Consider this: You are Microsoft. You make a whizz-bang app or device, but a company comes and sues you showing that they had patented a part of the idea you at MS made into a product. Time to pay up, right?
Well, how about this: Microsoft's Lawyers discover that the company suing them also builds MP3 players, and these players use the FAT file management process. FAT is ubiquitous but is MS property and patented. So, as MS, you make a deal. Drop the patent lawsuit and grant us rights to use the technology, and we will grant you the right to use FAT, rather than countersuing! Problem solved!
5) Commodore-Amiga had patents on lots of little bits and parts of manufacturing and video display that predate similar patents from many other companies. If you are Gateway and you want to be somewhat protected from other patent holders while having some patent ammo in your back pocket, the asking price for Commodore-Amiga's IP would have been a bargain.
6) Amiga was still somewhat viable when Gateway bought it, they naturally would have given some thought to continuing Amiga itself, but this would have been secondary to the real goal of obtaining the patents.
7) Amiga's value was in the patents, not the computer business. Frankly, Gateway would probably love to have a scapegoat to blame for axing the company: "Hey! We tried but MS/the Mafia/UFOs/Karl Rove/etc. bullied us!"
As it stands today, they got off pretty easy without too much backlash for personally putting the final coffin nail in the hopes of Amiga.
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@all:
Ok, this explains why Gateway did what they did with amiga. But my question was not about Gateway, it was about JIM COLLAS, a man who worked for many years as a top manager for Gateway and all of a sudden left the company.
Not only, Gateway licensed the amiga name to amino, but even though Collas looked very positive about the amiga/linux solution, when he left he didn't turn back to amino.
Now, I seem to remember something like McEwen or Fleecy beeing fired by Gateway, during or before the Collas era, and this could be the reason why Collas didn't want to get in business with them.
What do you think? (about Collas, not Gateway!)
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Collas was gonna kill AmigaOS and use Linux. A lot of Amiga users lost in that time, still remember the heated discussions on forums.
Good thing that he left.
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Collas opened/runs/whatever a venture capital firm. www.ideaedge.com
interesting graphic on this page:
http://www.ideaedge.com/website/edge/index.htm
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Collas slept with one of the Annex girls at the show before he was fired, Ted Waite and he got in a fight about his married president of Amiga Inc sleeping with what was basically an employee of gateway at the show. Collas left.
-Tig
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lol
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Jose wrote:
Collas was gonna kill AmigaOS and use Linux. A lot of Amiga users lost in that time, still remember the heated discussions on forums.
Good thing that he left.
No, he was planning to base the new AmigaOS around the Linux Kernal rather than the QNX Kernal.
Seeing how a similar plan worked out for Apple (and as long as the user facing stuff was Amiga-like) it was a shame that it never came about.
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Tigger wrote:
Collas slept with one of the Annex girls at the show before he was fired, Ted Waite and he got in a fight about his married president of Amiga Inc sleeping with what was basically an employee of gateway at the show. Collas left.
Bloody hell. I've been exposed to so much shenanigans in the Amiga world, I actually can't work out if you are joking or not. :-o
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uncharted wrote:
Tigger wrote:
Collas slept with one of the Annex girls at the show before he was fired, Ted Waite and he got in a fight about his married president of Amiga Inc sleeping with what was basically an employee of gateway at the show. Collas left.
Bloody hell. I've been exposed to so much shenanigans in the Amiga world, I actually can't work out if you are joking or not. :-o
Read Moobunny from the time he left, its not like it was a secret.
-Tig
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Tigger wrote:
Collas slept with one of the Annex girls at the show before he was fired,[...]
Which one? Was she HOT?
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Photos anywhere? ofcourse about the girls, not Collas ;)
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[edit]
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I'm here to second Tigger's post. For those of us who were at the Amiga show, it was common knowledge within a week. No secret, no joke.
Regards,
Ltstanfo
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oh please.. having sex with an employee constituted him getting fired and not imcompetence at his job?
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TheMagicM wrote:
oh please.. having sex with an employee constituted him getting fired and not imcompetence at his job?
First of all I dont think Collas was incompetant, and lets be serious we about fired our president for lying about having sex with an employee.
-Tig
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TheMagicM wrote:
oh please.. having sex with an employee constituted him getting fired and not imcompetence at his job?
Actually Collas was probably one of the few competant people at that time in the Gateway "Amiga" community (such as it was). I remember him speaking to us in the developer session and actually making sense. Were you there?
Sorry but Jim's demise was not for incompetance. I'm not trying to speak for Wayne or drag him into this topic but he will confirm our comments as well.
Regards,
Ltstanfo
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i'd be surprised if it was for just messin around w/a woman. Maybe Gateway was going to go in a different direction? I dont necessarily think its incompetence I'd just be surprised if its for s3x. lol
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Damn! I never heard about this before, this comes as a shock to me!
It looks like the real truth about Collas leaving the scene is comming out.
What about him fireing Fleecy? do anybody remember about that?
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I dont understand.
Wow he had sex with a woman he's a grown man ffs he can do what he wants, he's perfectly able to make his own mistakes.
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ltstanfo wrote:
Sorry but Jim's demise was not for incompetence. I'm not trying to speak for Wayne or drag him into this topic but he will confirm our comments as well.
I can confirm that it was a widely held rumor on the show floor when "it" happened. The scuttlebutt (and remember, there were once those at Amiga that loved to talk and the Annex kids weren't too subtle either) was that Jim did the deed, and somehow it got back to Ted (maybe Jim's wife raising a ruckus), then the two got into a "professional disagreement" about what type of image this projects, for a married VP to be publicly diddling the help and Jim was "bought out" (effectively fired) and therein lies the end of Gateway's involvement with the Amiga.
Fact? Dunno. I wasn't "there" (or I would have gotten pictures). I will attest that it was widely accepted as fact at the time it happened. Absolutely true. Especially for those of us who attended the show and were close to AI's then-current staff.
Wayne
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Wow he had sex with a woman he's a grown man ffs he can do what he wants, he's perfectly able to make his own mistakes.
Which would have lead to really juicey law suits against Gateway by her. It would have probably been different if Collas didn't cop an attitude with his boss withe story being swept under the rug and paid her off.
Dammy
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swoslover wrote:
I dont understand.
Wow he had sex with a woman he's a grown man ffs he can do what he wants, he's perfectly able to make his own mistakes.
Yeah you don't understand (no disrespect to you intended). You cannot do behavior that the company disapproves of or puts the company in a bad (public) light. Ted (Gateway) has always fostered a "family atmosphere" in his company and such a scandal is simply not tolerated...especially for someone who is married and quite high up in his company.
Likewise, as someone else here has already posted, such activities invite legal actions and it's far easier to get rid of the problem than to (attempt to) fix the problem.
I am actually quite surprised that this story is returning. It was common knowledge in the AMIGA community at the time of Collas's dismissal. This was never a secret so how is it that so many here seem to not know anything about it? Or is this the younger generation of Amigans just now catching up (those that did not get to attend the shows / were not around at the time)?
EDIT: HERE (http://www.perez.de/annex/idindex2.htm) is a link to the ANNEX page. If you scroll down on the news page, you will see a couple of links to the various shows / tours that ANNEX performed at. There is a link to the Amiga 99 (Gateway Amiga Show) show that *MAY* have been the event in question. It's been so long ago that I really don't remember (nearly 10 years). As for which girl, again time has dimmed some memory cells but if you check the group photos page I want to think it was the redhead but I AM NOT SURE.
Regards,
Ltstanfo
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If it was the redhead or brunette.. HOW CAN YOU PASS THAT UP???? LOLOLOL!!!!
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@ltstanfo
I am actually quite surprised that this story is returning. It was common knowledge in the AMIGA community at the time of Collas's dismissal. This was never a secret so how is it that so many here seem to not know anything about it? Or is this the younger generation of Amigans just now catching up (those that did not get to attend the shows / were not around at the time)?
You've got to remember that many users would not have had internet access at the time and were mainly only in contact with other users in their local area.
I knew many other Amiga users in my local area around 91-94, by 97 in knew only 4 or so people that still used an Amiga. I didn't get my own internet connection until 99 and was the first of my friends to get internet access.
Prior to that our only source of information was from the magazines we bought, which also wanted to present a family image and so didn't publish such stories.
I think it should be easy to understand why so many people are unaware of this part of the Amiga's history.
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http://www.perez.de/annex/idmlelia.htm
so it was the girl called "LELIA"..... ok now we know... anyone got a picture of Jim Collas wife, so we can compare?
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she's hawt
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anyone got a picture of Jim Collas wife, so we can compare?
Not that this thread is a paragon of virtue, but that's just catty.
Wayne
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Wayne wrote:
anyone got a picture of Jim Collas wife, so we can compare?
Not that this thread is a paragon of virtue, but that's just catty.
Wayne
Male Amiga users have always had a "thing" for "HOT" woman!
:-D :-o
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ltstanfo wrote:
I am actually quite surprised that this story is returning. It was common knowledge in the AMIGA community at the time of Collas's dismissal. This was never a secret so how is it that so many here seem to not know anything about it? Or is this the younger generation of Amigans just now catching up (those that did not get to attend the shows / were not around at the time)?
I didn't know about this, even though I've been reading and writing on these forums daily at those times.. It is true that I never attended a show and probably that is the reason i didn't know about it.
I am quite sure that "truth" never came out on the forums before, and if I can tell you I am quite shocked about that too..
Well in France when something goes wrong they say "Cherchez la famme!" that translates as "Look for the woman, if something went wrong there must be a woman somewhere that has something to do about it..."
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dammy wrote:
Wow he had sex with a woman he's a grown man ffs he can do what he wants, he's perfectly able to make his own mistakes.
Which would have lead to really juicey law suits against Gateway by her. It would have probably been different if Collas didn't cop an attitude with his boss withe story being swept under the rug and paid her off.
Dammy
But why can she start a law suit, she wasnt raped she entered into it willingly I am assuming.
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ltstanfo wrote:
Yeah you don't understand (no disrespect to you intended). You cannot do behavior that the company disapproves of or puts the company in a bad (public) light. Ted (Gateway) has always fostered a "family atmosphere" in his company and such a scandal is simply not tolerated...especially for someone who is married and quite high up in his company.
In some cultures, there's a difference between your private life and your business life, and core family values have very little to do with work. That's how it works here (sweden) at least. I find it very difficult to understand why anyone would get fired for someting like that..
-- Peter
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But why can she start a law suit, she wasnt raped she entered into it willingly I am assuming.
If they were both equals within the corp, it wouldn't be an issue. When one is a highier level within the corp, then the other can say he/she felt if she didn't, she wouldn't get an advancement or some other job security issue. That's sexual harassment and there are laws (US Title VII and typically state have their own laws for corps under 15 people) governing it which civil courts will address.
I don't know how the EU is handling it, but it's a very serious issue in the US.
Dammy
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I cant believe some woman can be rewarded for being a slut.
I hope the uk doesnt become as litigation happy as the us.
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oh come on. Thats a lame excuse to give for sleeping with somone. I can understand how people think it will give them advancement but not that they will suffer if they dont. most peple no what they are doing.
It just reminds me of te compenstation culture of the sates, which unfortunately is becoming more prevelant over here in the UK.
I get the impression that stupidty in rewarded in the USA
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dammy wrote:
But why can she start a law suit, she wasnt raped she entered into it willingly I am assuming.
If they were both equals within the corp, it wouldn't be an issue. When one is a highier level within the corp, then the other can say he/she felt if she didn't, she wouldn't get an advancement or some other job security issue. That's sexual harassment and there are laws (US Title VII and typically state have their own laws for corps under 15 people) governing it which civil courts will address.
I don't know how the EU is handling it, but it's a very serious issue in the US.
Dammy
So basically she screwed the guy hoping to get a better position in the company. When she didn't, she took him to court and called it sexual harrasment.
Neat. She really can't loose.
-- Peter
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Tigger wrote:
[...] and lets be serious we about fired our president for lying about having sex with an employee.
-Tig
I think, technically, Jim had sex with a contractor.
Bill had sex with one of YOUR employees.
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You're right Fluffy. But, while I was at Amiga in Snoqualmie there was a very interesting talk about this Collas deal one day. "cocaine' and 'not the first time' were also mentioned-the rumor was at that time that Collas' personal life was kind of a shambles. Which is a shame-I met him once and genuinely liked him. Sometimes personal demons get the best of any man..
But it seems not too uncommon among the power elite. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. But (looking at the pic of the Annex girl) it also rocks absolutely ;-)
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Please dammy... when HARASSMENT actually happens... and those times they actually lay under?
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shoggoth wrote:
So basically she screwed the guy hoping to get a better position in the company. When she didn't, she took him to court and called it sexual harrasment.
Neat. She really can't loose.
-- Peter
I don't know where ANY of this came from, since none of the people who were there have indicated ANY SUCH THING. She was not with Gateway (Annex were brought there under contract as paid performers), she did not hope to advance, there was ZERO court case. Geez people. It's starting to sound like b*tchbunny around here with all the rampant speculation...
Jim slept with her (purportedly by several second-hand sources), it got back to the boss, they argued because it did not help put Gateway in a good light (there were rumors of other personal problems). Jim was sent packing. End of story.
Wayne
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Sow, this is the first I've heard about this, and I've been logged on since '98. Its amazing the things that crawl out of the woodwork sometimes!
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Jim sounds like the hippest guy that was ever running Amiga!
I mean he managed to pick up hot chicks at an Amiga conference. Do you understand how difficult that is? I mean he did import them, but non-the-less! Then on top this guy may have been snorting some coke. Shame on Gateway, he should have been promoted! I mean that. He may have been able to close some deals.
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Please dammy... when HARASSMENT actually happens... and those times they actually lay under?
Wow, your employer has actually spent the money and time to send you to classes to cover this American law? I can't tell you how many classes and videos I've had to endure over the years on this very subject. How many classes has your employer(s) required you to attend to cover other US laws that includes Americans with Disabilities Act and other American civil rights acts?
Dammy
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Wayne wrote:
shoggoth wrote:
So .... yada yada... harrasment.
Neat. She really can't loose.
-- Peter
I don't ... yada yada. End of story.
Wayne
Ah :) Never mind then. Anyway I like the idea myself, and I'll try it out as soon as I get a female boss.
No, I'm not a sexist!
-- Peter
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Wow so one of Petro's circus performers brought down the Amiga, bizarre!! (although noted that it takes 2 to tango)
I had never heard about this and ive been following the Amiga scene closely for about 17 years! Most likely because it was always through magazines rather than the net.
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don't know where ANY of this came from, since none of the people who were there have indicated ANY SUCH THING. She was not with Gateway (Annex were brought there under contract as paid performers), she did not hope to advance, there was ZERO court case.
Even as a contract worker, she still could have filed a law suit. She could have easily stated she was pressed into doing it to keep her company in a good light with a married Gateway executive. She was an imported talent, correct? That could easily be playied up as Collas as a preditor praying on a vulnerable young woman in a strange land. If Collas was just a janitor, I would agree with you there was no case. He was in a precieved position of power as a GW Exec who could open many doors for her, or shut the her out of future GW contracts.
I doubt it would be a huge money maker for her but I could easily see Gateway paying hush money to keep it out of the courts. If he's done this once, he probably did it multiple times before getting caught. A law suit by contractor would probably spur actual GW employees to come forth with their stories and litigation. Collas' attitude was probably just the icing on the cake.
Dammy
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sigh... I want Collas back!
Since you're all so informed, can anybody explain me why they fired Fleecy back in the days?
Thanks.
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ilgulamc wrote:
sigh... I want Collas back!
Since you're all so informed, can anybody explain me why they fired Fleecy back in the days?
Thanks.
Coz he is a useless tw@t.
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Is it just me or does anyone else think the Annex girl looks like a poor man's Gisele Bundchen?
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dammy wrote:
Even as a contract worker, she still could have {snip}
"could" being the only relevant part of that. My point was that contrary to the direction of the thread, there were no lawsuits, there was no "hoping to advance", there was no sexual harrassment or anything else that some in this thread seem desperate to tangent out upon.
Truth to tell, ALL of this is speculative, because NONE of us were actually in that room at that time. We can only relay what was widely regarded as fact at the time.
We have zero *proof* that Collas actually got laid. We only have the memory of second-hand rumor (from certain GW employees as well as the Annex group's loose-lipped gossip) We have zero proof of the conversation between Ted and Collas.
We're only speculating, but there's a difference between speculation on known "facts" and going on and on, making {bleep} up about lawsuits, harassment charges, and other things that had absolutely zero to do with this urban legend.
So far, the story of Jim's conquest is sounding like the story of the guy who accidentally bumped into the school bully in the hallway only to have it repeated back to him 5 years later as it becomes this huge legend about how the guy beat the bully to a violently bloody death in front of all the teachers and his girlfriend then walked away without any consequence..
Jim got laid. Jim was let go. End of story. Actually, I wish I were that lucky. As I recall, Collas' stock options with Gateway when cashed in were worth millions.
Wayne
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ilgulamc wrote:
Since you're all so informed, can anybody explain me why they fired Fleecy back in the days?
Couldn't add numbers together.
-Tig
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ltstanfo wrote:
swoslover wrote:
I dont understand.
Wow he had sex with a woman he's a grown man ffs he can do what he wants, he's perfectly able to make his own mistakes.
Yeah you don't understand (no disrespect to you intended). You cannot do behavior that the company disapproves of or puts the company in a bad (public) light.
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Yeah - shame on Jim Collas!
He dares to have sex with one (?) of the Annex girls without inviting us...
:madashell: :pissed:
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Dandy wrote:
Yeah - shame on Jim Collas!
He dares to have sex with one (?) of the Annex girls without inviting us...
Gateway spent lots of money to fly Annex to a show, the President of the division which spent that money then sleeps with one of the Annex girls, do you understand how as a stockholder for Gateway you might wonder whether Gateway needed to fly Annex to the show instead of say hiring another couple of programmers to work on new Amiga stuff, its almost like trying to name a convention site for the company without a product :lol:
-Tig