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Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga Events => Topic started by: System on August 14, 2002, 07:27:46 PM
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From today, the 14th of August, the AONE Gothenburg 2002 Fall Event site is online.
Visit www.amigbg.com now and then for latest news about the activitites that will occur during the AONE event in Gothenburg on the 21st of September.
Welcome to Gothenburg in September to see the first new Amiga computer in ten years. Free entrance!
:-D
/ Sharakmir
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I hope you guys are lucky enough to see OS4 running on the A1!!!
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redrumloa wrote:
I hope you guys are lucky enough to see OS4 running on the A1!!!
One can only hope. But I'm afraid the planned schedule (http://www.amigbg.com/aonegbg/default.asp?sid=what) mentions nothing about AmigaOS - so far.
Apart from the "developer version" of the "AmigaOne" motherboard, they also write about something they call "the new Amiga computer"!? I thought they would only show this POP motherboard as distributed by a licensee?
I hope it's a misprint or just Eyetech's confusing marketing that somehow would have sneaked its way in there, and that Amiga Inc. hasn't gone totally insane and fscked things up again by trying to build Amigas again. Wow, THAT would be a step backwards even from the current compulsory licensing idiocy.
:- P
Go away 1980s, you're dead, we don't want you back, the computing world has moved on!
Oh well, if AmigaOS isn't there it's still "free entrance" :D , so maybe they've got some sandwiches or something, and I haven't tried out the latest Debian Woody yet. :)
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No OS4 running there, period.
Coder
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Oh well, if AmigaOS isn't there it's still "free entrance" :D , so maybe they've got some sandwiches or something, and I haven't tried out the latest Debian Woody yet. :)
HOLY CRAP!
There will be some *new* hardware shown after all:
Gunne Steen, GGS-Data on Ann.lu:
" This is a first announcement of the first showplace of the Pegasos-computer in Sweden and in Scandinavia.
Pegasos Gothenburg Show 2002 will be held on Sunday 22 September. On the show you will se Pegasos demonstrated and working for the first time here. Pegasos is a dual G3/G4/G5 MicroATX computer. At the moment it is possible to run either MorphOS or Linux operatingsystem on it. Organizer of the event is GGS-Data in co-operation with Thendic-France and betatesters of Pegasos from Sweden. Thendic as well as other important persons behind the Pegasos will join the show. More information will follow soon. Welcome ! Gunne Steen for GGS-Data"
I'll go just to see the fist-fight between Alan Redhouse and whoever will come from Thendic! :D
Oh yeah MorphOS will be demoed as well according to the comments on ANN (expect a flamewar because of the M-word). OK, personally I don't think a SuSE/Debian demo would have been all that exciting, but sheeit, this will be interesting!
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I'll go just to see the fist-fight between Alan Redhouse and whoever will come from Thendic! :D
My money is on Alan. Put me down for 50 Euro that Alan has them on the ground in 5 minutes.
Coder
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My money is on Alan.
Mine too. He shows the finesse of Mike Tyson when he addresses his potential customers in public. :)
But who am I to speak, I'm just one of the trolls, pirates and whiners or whatever we are today... ;)
I hope the similarly PR-talented Bill Buck will be in the other ring corner - a struggle of true giants! :D
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@ Seehund
There will be some *new* hardware shown after all:
At what point is the Pegasos newer compared to the A1?
Newer cpu? Nah, the A1-XE can take the same CPU as the Pegasos (and I havnt seen any working CPU-module to the Pegasos other than the one with the G3.)
Newer design? No, cant see anything here. A1 designed by MAI, Pegasos designed by Bplan and they are both targeting the same kind of CPU. A1 is following the POP specification but I'm not sure if Pegasos does (cant fint anything about on Bplans site).
Newer what?!? Can you please enlighten me?
/W
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At what point is the Pegasos newer compared to the A1?
The TeronCX which is the little changed basis for the board Eyetech is buying was sold in its first version in August 2001, and developed before that.
The Pegasos is a newly designed piece of kit, never released to the market in any version.
(And no, I don't want to take part in some stupid flamewar over trademarks. Those who feel the need to belong to and fight for a "camp" based on such things can stuff it. It's just hardware. Buy what you want).
Edit: Oh, you mentioned the A1-XE (currently known as Mai TeronPX). Yeah, I suppose that's contemporary to the Pegasos. But AFAI can see no TeronPX will be in Gothenburg, and I was talking about what will be shown here.
Edit 2: I see that even this news item labels one motherboard as "the new Amiga", so together with the "AmigaOne" trademark it's easy to understand why there's confusion.
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@Wittgenstein
The Pegasos is "newer" (not really in age) because they took
the TeronCX-design, and changed it nearly 100% to get the max. out
of the chips, while the A1 is just a slighly updated version of
the TeronCX.
The A1 is NOT a PoP-board as Hyperion plan to remove the OF-BIOS
(whicj was extremly buggy) and replace it with OpenBoot (sp),
which makes the whole board non-PoP.
The Pegasos is a PoP-baord with a self-developed OF-BIOS which
includes support for FFS-partitions (to boot from) and
"Disk_on_Chip" devices (probraly the 1st step to the eclipsis).
Oh and yes Pegsos+G4 is a reality, but only with the ZIF-carrier
and a G4-ZIF atm.
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@ Seehund
The TeronCX which is the little changed basis for the board Eyetech is buying was sold in its first version in August 2001, and developed before that.
Hmm, but that means that even the predecessor to the A1 (which is in fact a evaluation board from the make of the chipset, i.e. no product for the masses, only potential buyers of their chips like Bplan and Eyetech) is newer than the Pegasos since Bplan released (http://www.bplan.gmbh.de/news/news02_e.html) the pegasos Feb 2001.
Ok, enough nitpicking, but do you think the pegasos design is _NEW_? Do you think that Bplan only made Pegasos on ideas based by their own staff? Both the A1 and the Pegaos are based on _old_ tech and _old_ ideas and a release of one platform x month before the other one doesnt make it old. A1 and Pegasos can only be called new relative to the oldgen Amigas.
I also have a question about your petition. Your petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/amigaos/) says that
To us, the undersigned, it seems like you are overlooking the fact that you don't design or sell any hardware of your own, like e.g. Apple. Independent hardware designers and distributors naturally have no reason to get themselves and their products licensed and bundled with another company's OS, unless that OS is as dominating as Windows. Just look at the recent bplan GmbH Pegasos(TM) debacle for one concrete example of what could have been avoided if the compulsory licensing and OS/hardware bundling hadn't existed. Instead, we who wish to buy and use AmigaOS just lost a hardware option, the bplan company lost the entire AmigaOS market and you lost the Pegasos market to competing PPC operating systems.
My questions are:
1. You say that Amiga stops the possibility to run AOS4 on other hardware platforms (likte other POP-card). You cant just move the binaries and runt it. The "porting" may be easy but the bugtesting will take a lot of time and resources. Who are going to write the drivers for those POP-boards (Bplan, Barbie,...)? When will it be done? Before or after the realease of AOS4 to the A1? If it is after, how do you know that Ainc isnt planing this?
2. You compare the A1 to the Pegasos. But since the Pegasos is a closed platform (it might follow the POP-specification but it is still closed), I dont see how we can excpect them to support it. Any comment about this?
3. Name one POP-compatible platform that is open, available and realistic for AOS4.
I ask this questions since I must find your petition sound to sign it (the biggest logic flaw is point three which fails to be constructive). The way it is stated now, it is much the same as asking Ainc to stop the time.
/W
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@Wittgenstein
>2....
The Pegasos is uses the same northbridge as the A1, on the southbrigde
is a standard VIA-model (one generation ahead of the one use in the A1).
Linux does run on that board.
When Hyperion (are able to) buy a Pegasos, they have the full spec of
the main chips, and an open-source OS to look at.
Thats more than they have on the CS-PPC.
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@ Kronos
The Pegasos is "newer" (not really in age) because they took
the TeronCX-design, and changed it nearly 100% to get the max. out
of the chips, while the A1 is just a slighly updated version of
the TeronCX.
Or as a A1-supporter would say:
A1 is "newer" (not really in age) because MAI took the TeronCX-design and optimized it to get max of the chips, while the peagsos is just a modified version of TeronCX.
I want facts Kronos. Do you have a benchmark that sais where A1 is behind the Pegasos? Why would the maker of the chip create bottlenecks where the guys at Bplan doesnt?
The A1 is NOT a PoP-board as Hyperion plan to remove the OF-BIOS
(whicj was extremly buggy) and replace it with OpenBoot (sp),
which makes the whole board non-PoP.
Strange, the POP-specifications I have worked with (1.0, 0.1) doesnt say anything about the BIOS. Maybe you are confusing it with the CHRP (aka PPCP) which does (there are lots of stuff from Apple in CHRP and the Open Firmware is one of them).
The Pegasos is a PoP-baord with a self-developed OF-BIOS which
includes support for FFS-partitions (to boot from) and
"Disk_on_Chip" devices (probraly the 1st step to the eclipsis).
Nice, but why are they shy when they talk about the chipset and their hardware solutions?
The Pegasos is a PoP-baord with a self-developed OF-BIOS which
includes support for FFS-partitions (to boot from) and
"Disk_on_Chip" devices (probraly the 1st step to the eclipsis).
This is nice. Only flaw is that the Open Firmware specifications is a little bit old. I dont think much has happend since Apple left CHRP and POP was borned but I might be wrong.
Oh and yes Pegsos+G4 is a reality, but only with the ZIF-carrier and a G4-ZIF atm.
Yes, but our definition of reality isnt the same. I dont think Bplan can get any G4s (not in large quantities) since even Apple still has problem getting them so Pegasos+G4 is as much reality as the A1-XE.
/W
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When Hyperion (are able to) buy a Pegasos, they have the full spec of
the main chips, and an open-source OS to look at.
Thats more than they have on the CS-PPC.
Ok, thanks. This clarifies the second point.
/W
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Wittgenstein:
Hmm, but that means that even the predecessor to the A1 (which is in fact a evaluation board from the make of the chipset, i.e. no product for the masses, only potential buyers of their chips like Bplan and Eyetech) is newer than the Pegasos since Bplan released the pegasos Feb 2001.
Nope, anyone could buy a TeronCX in August 01.
From your URL: "bplan GmbH announces that the first Pegasos prototypes are now available. The current prototypes will be used for internal testing and verification of system software, and are not for public release."
Photos and specs of those prototypes (or maybe they were later prototypes, can't remember now) have been shown and they were quite different from what we see today.
Ok, enough nitpicking, but do you think the pegasos design is _NEW_?
No, only in comparison to the Teron/A1 boards, and that they have not been commercially available for sale yet.
Both the A1 and the Pegaos are based on _old_ tech and _old_ ideas and a release of one platform x month before the other one doesnt make it old.
Yeah, there might be nothing new (as in: not seen in other hardware or specs before) or revolutionary about either mobo, but chronologically the Pegasos implementation of existing standards is newer than that of the TeronCX/A1G3SE, and it does use more modern components. Anyway, I'm interested to see it (especially running a new... ahem... ;) ...an OS that I haven't used) and maybe get to talk to some people who are involved in the project.
Oooh, a petition-thread! ;)
1: Primarily it would be AI's/Hyperion's responsibility to port their product to as much hardware as possible, it would be in their interest, third party hardware vendors won't care about AmigaOS (or MorphOS for that matter, before some trademarkist starts shouting "MorphOS troll" or something).
Otherwise it could be anyone really, if AI/Hyperion feels it wouldn't be worth their (Hyperion's) while.
There's a thread on MooBunny right now about this where I have tried to elaborate on this. Follow this link (http://flyingmice.com/squid/cgi/moobunnythread.pl/amiga?flat=76801), it's too much to copy and paste out of its context.
2: See Kronos' reply. And someone who sells an OS of their own is even less likely to apply for a license for the privilege of bundling somebody else's OS than "independent" hardware vendors are (and they are not likely to do it either).
3: First of all, this is not just about POP or "open hardware", it's about any hardware that AmigaOS could be made to run on with reasonable effort from Hyperion or a third party. Old, current and future.
But OK then, as for currently available POP hardware: Pegasos, TeronCX and its derivative, Inguard's Phoenix. But, again, this is not just about POP hardware, and it's not just about currently available such either, so question 3 isn't all that interesting IMO. I used the Pegasos as one current, concrete example in the petition. In retrospect maybe I should have left that out, but sometimes you have to spell things out for some of your readers.
(the biggest logic flaw is point three which fails to be constructive). The way it is stated now, it is much the same as asking Ainc to stop the time.
How so? I'm not saying that "at the day of release of AmigaOS 4.0 you must provide versions for AmigaOnes, PowerMacs, PowerBooks, Pegasoses, Terons, Phoenixes, Barbies, Xs, Ys, Zs...".
Basically I'm saying "Don't exclude any viable hardware option by default for no technical reason, AmigaOS needs all the hardware it can get, leave the field open and by all means go ahead with licensing - but don't make it compulsory and a prerequisite for AmigaOS to ever have even a chance to be considered to be ported to any hardware option".
Have you read the stuff at http://amigapop.8bit.co.uk ? More details and attempts at explanations of my reasoning there.
(ยค#%&!!! The Portland monkeys seem to have fscked up things over there again. Hope it'll be back to normal soon.)
Edit: Doh! Forgot the MooBunny link.
Edit 2: A mirror site (http://amiga.medicinareberget.studenthem.gu.se:8080/amiga/petition/) of amigapop.8bit.co.uk.
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No OS4 running there, period.
How do you know? :-o
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@Elektro
How do you know?
Hyperion allready said that on that Italian Amiga show there will be no OS4. My conclusion is also not on this one.
Coder
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@ Seehund
Nope, anyone could buy a TeronCX in August 01.
The prize was 3000$ or something like that and there were no working OS (maybe Linux booted). This wasnt meant for the normal user, it was ment as an evaluation board. I think the A1 has a better chans to be free from bugs since it is based on this and not made from scratch. This is based on personal experience.
Yeah, there might be nothing new (as in: not seen in other hardware or specs before) or revolutionary about either mobo, but chronologically the Pegasos implementation of existing standards is newer than that of the TeronCX/A1G3SE, and it does use more modern components.
What components are more modern? And again what is _newer_ with the design of the Pegasos(except that you claim that it was completed after the A1).
And now to the petitionstuff. I still dont get it how you can think that I will sign a petition that complains about isues that are so far in the future. Again my first point: How do you know that Ainc/Hyperion wont support more hardware than A1? I havent seen anything from Ainc/Hyperion which say that they dont will support anything more than the A1. In fact, Hyprion sounded possitive to a port to the PMG4 (if they could get Apples permision ofcourse). The problems and difficulties about not supporting enough hardware is so far in the future that anything could happned on the way.
Basically I'm saying "Don't exclude any viable hardware option by default for no technical reason, AmigaOS needs all the hardware it can get, leave the field open and by all means go ahead with licensing - but don't make it compulsory and a prerequisite for AmigaOS to ever have even a chance to be considered to be ported to any hardware option".
Yes I understand what you are saying but I am saying that you create a senario that doesnt exist. It can exist in the future and then I'll sign but now this is speculation. Why not wait and see? The licensing has not hurt anyone yet (the MOS-Ainc war has roots way back and it is not a consequence of the licensing).
/W
/W
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The Pegasos is uses the same northbridge as the A1, is a standard VIA-model (one generation ahead of the one use in the A1).
Why is it "ahead"?
You wouldn't even survive a x86 mobo debate war IF this is your level evidence.
What is the difference between A1's VIA southbridge and Pegasos's VIA southbridge in term of feature set?
Is Pegasos's VIA southbridge on par with the mainstream VIA based x86 mobos*?
*i.e. just using it as a point of reference since I do know "VT82C686B" and "VT8233A" feature set.
Please present the factual data to support your statements.
http://www.bplan-gmbh.de/gfx/pegasos/side.jpg
According to this web site
http://www.hesbynett.no/hagen/amiga1.html
http://www.hesbynett.no/hagen/a1img/000006.jpg
This prototype AmigaOne mobo seems to befitted with the "VT82C686A".
==========================================
According to this web site;
http://www.bplan-gmbh.de/gfx/pegasos/side.jpg
This Pegasos mobo seems to befitted with the VIA "VT8231"(picture quality is a bit fuzzy).
Should I continue?
I'll make more observation later.
Refer to VIA's web site for the feature set
http://61.13.32.110/gaiscgi/IDGetfile.exe?database=www.via.com.tw&pid=62691&lineno=36&recordline=1136&
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Let's set some things straight :-)
The northbridge is the same in Pegasos and A1 since AFAIK it is the only northbridge available for PPC.
Pegasos southbridge is a little bit better (or newer) than the one in A1 but I personally don't see any big differences between the two.
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The northbridge is the same in Pegasos and A1 since AFAIK it is the only northbridge available for PPC.
Did you forget Escena's custom northbridge?
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Did you forget Escena's custom northbridge?
That's nowhere to be seen.
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That's nowhere to be seen?
It was evaluated by Eyetech.
The northbridge is the same in Pegasos and A1 since AFAIK it is the only northbridge available for PPC.
Refer to http://www.totalimpact.com/briQ.html
=========================================
Hardware Specifications
CPU: PowerPC 750 (G3) or 7400 (G4) - Upgradable CPU module
Chipsets: Northbridge - IBM CPC710-100+, Southbridge - Winbond W83C553
Memory: Two 168 DIMM sites, support for up to 512Mb of SDRAM, 3.3V, unbuffered PC-100 SDRAM
Local Bus: Local 60X bus speed: 100MHz 64-bit
BootROM/BIOS: Open Firmware, supports remote boot
Storage: IDE - 44 pin, 2mm connector, up to 40GB internal hard drive
Serial: 16550C UART (w/FIFO), RS-232 interface, DE-9 connector
Network: 10/100Base TX Ethernet
Power Consumption: 15 to 30 Watts
Expansion: 64-bit, 66MHz PCI connector (custom)
Front Panel Display: Programmable Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD), 2 X 20 characters Two push button switches, bi-color LED
Debug and Development: PCPLD ISP, BDM/COP, JTAG
Dimensions: 5.74 X 1.625 X 8.9 inches
Weight: From 1.85 pounds
Software Specifications
Operating System: PowerPC Linux - Yellow Dog Linux Pre-installed
Development Environment: GNU C/C++ compiler, Text Editors, Debuggers
Warranty: One year parts and labor.
Ordering Information
briQ w/PowerPC G3 (750) 500MHz, 256MB SDRAM, 10GB HDD - $1,499
briQ w/PowerPC G4 (7400) 500MHz, 512MB SDRAM, 20GB HDD - $1,999
==========================================
Refer to
http://mcg.motorola.com/cfm/templates/category.cfm?subCatID=34
(Motorola's PowerPC mobos)
What any more PPC based PCs?
There is a few PPC vendors out there, I wonder IF AmigaInc/Hyperion has directly approached them in regards to building more AmigaOS/PPC based PC clones.
What PPC needs is a software overlord to guide this leaderless clone army.
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It was evaluated by Eyetech.
AFAIK there wasn't even a working prototype.
Anyway my statement was a bit exaggerated but still MAI seem to have the best PPC northbridge with a reasonable price. Apple has their own but that's another story. Anyway what's the point of this debate?
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Wittgenstein:
The prize was 3000$ or something like that and there were no working OS (maybe Linux booted). This wasnt meant for the normal user, it was ment as an evaluation board.
I don't know what the price was when it was first introduced, but in February a "commercial" board was "less than" USD $300, sans CPU. And, yes, it was delivered with a Linux distro (TurboLinux IIRC).
No, the Teron was not meant for Joe Blow to use as a personal desktop computer for AOL + games, but nobody has stopped Joe Blow from buying one, and now one distributor is even targeting a home desktop market, us, with a slightly updated and relabelled version of it.
From: "Marketing Department" marketing@mai.com
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 11:18:45 -0800
Thanks for your interest in Mai Logic products. The Teron CX evaluation
board is priced at US $3,900 ( technical suppport is also included in the
price). However, we also sell commercial Teron CX boards that include bare
board without CPU and SDRAM for less than US $300. We will provide the CPU
of your choice at the current market price seperately.
What components are more modern? And again what is _newer_ with the design of the Pegasos(except that you claim that it was completed after the A1).
What fuss over one word! But then again I'd expect the Meaning of a word to be particularly important to a Wittgenstein. ;)
The southbridge is newer, and design-wise the board is obviously made with more modern methods than the TeronCX, which a quick glance at photos of the two instantly shows. Tighter traces, more effective use of space on a micro-ATX format, yet it has more features (IEEE1394, IrDA, SP-DIF, CPU-module slot). The Teron/A1 does actually look rather "primitive" so to speak in comparison.
*** OT ***
I still dont get it how you can think that I will sign a petition that complains about isues that are so far in the future.
Because the presented distribution policies are to govern "all future versions" of AmigaOS, and they need to be changed right now, before they are allowed to harm any version of AmigaOS. For example, it might be too late to replenish lost market attractiveness with a later change of distribution policies if AmigaOS by then is already known from the outset as "that weird little OS that must be sold with and run on special versions of hardware from special vendors". AmigaOS needs access to an as wide range of hardware as possible as soon as possible. It can't afford to be limited by artificial licensing obstacles against even *beginning* the work of porting it to another piece of hardware. Naturally competition between AmigaOS-compatible hardware vendors must be encouraged and unrestricted from the beginning. The future of AmigaOS is dependent on hardware, not vice versa. This needs to be done right from the beginning, and I don't think that is happening right now.
Yes I understand what you are saying but I am saying that you create a senario that doesnt exist. It can exist in the future and then I'll sign but now this is speculation. Why not wait and see? The licensing has not hurt anyone yet
Why wait until the damage is done? Why not remove at least this risk of failure and total ostracism of AmigaOS before it can happen? It's not a good idea to gamble on a future for AmigaOS by giving it the worst possible conditions for at least a moderate success even on the "enthusiast" market, hoping that hardware vendors will come flocking to get an Amiga Inc. license. The first step is to make your product popular on a market, and when you have the popularity you can start hoping that people will want to license your product.
And yes, the compulsory licensing has hurt someone already. Us. Us who want to buy AmigaOS, and us who want technical issues to set the limitations for what hardware we buy and from whom we buy it. AmigaOS could have been running on the Pegasos by the time it's released, but *only* because of the compulsory licensing/bundling/dongling requirement this is not possible. Now there's just one piece of hardware sold by one distributor, and even if that hardware would have been the best on the planet, it's still in effect a monopoly and that's not good for anyone, not even necessarily for the monopolist in this case with this small market and in the long run.