Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: jfoust on March 16, 2010, 11:38:59 PM
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Bob Eller invited me to say hello... Yes, I'm still around!
I was an early Amiga developer. I have Amiga 1000 serial number 36 down in the basement. I had been working at a company that was developing music software for the Commodore 64, MIDI editing software for the PC, and a music synthesizer based on Atari's AMY music chip.
I started as a writer. I wrote for Amazing Computing, Amigaworld, Compute, INFO, AV Video, Byte and a number of other magazines. As part of Amazing Computing, I maintained the AMICUS floppy disk collection. I was their Bandito anonymous columnist for quite a while. As tech editor, I took all the plum assignments, so for a few years I was flying around to all the Amiga conventions and developer events, interviewing and rubbing elbows. I spent a lot of time online, on the early Internet, at the PeopleLink dial-up network, and was on Compuserve's Amiga forums and the BIX network.
Eventually I started a software company called Syndesis with a 3D conversion tool called InterChange, made a few CDROMs of 3D models, and released a port of DECnet for the Amiga for the X-11 market. I wrote some of the 3D and image conversion tools for NewTek's Video Toaster. I wrote the smoke-and-mirrors PS/2 PC version of the Toaster that won a COMDEX "Best New Product of the Show" award.
As the company grew, I ported InterChange to several other platforms (Windows, SGI, Mac, etc.) by 1995, and licensed it to several companies. In 1997, the technology was acquired by Viewpoint DataLabs, who you might recognize from the "Viewpoint Media Player" entry in the Add/Remove Programs list on your Windows XP machine, but who at that time was most well-known for selling 3D models and doing the 3D modeling for many movies. According to my records, the last copy of InterChange for Amiga was sold in Feb. 1998, a decade after its release!
I've been meaning to scan the collection of photographs that I took at various Amiga events back in the day. I also have a stack of mint Robocity posters from the 1986 developer's conference. I probably have a bunch of rare or unusual docs that should be scanned and preserved, too.
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Welcome to Amiga.org -- You'll never leave!!
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stay awhile, stay FOREVER!
someone HAD to say it so I took the bullet for you guys!
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Ah, I remember reading about DECnet for Amiga back in the days at univ (early/mid 90ies) when we still were using DECnet, VAX machines with VMS and Ultrix, LAT-servers (with quite a few amigas hooked up to them btw), DECstations, vt100/220/320, coax ethernet et al :)
It's very nice to see old time amiga developers like yourself showing up here lately, telling stories from the old times - very much appreciated.
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It's great to see some early developers drop in. I hope it's a trend. My fondest memories of using the Amiga are from the 80s and early 90s.
There were Amiga shows on the east coast back then (imagine!) - there was even one in Washington D.C.!
Loads of exciting new "stuff" being released...
So, you were the Bandito huh? I remember you from Amazing Computing. Odd, I was just re-reading an old article titled "is IFF realy a standard?" from an '87 issue when I logged on here.
That must have been a great job!
Would love to hear your slant on those days.
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Welcome! Great to have experts from the golden era here. AC and Info are two fantastic magazines - wonderful source of history and information. Thanks for your contributions.
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Where have all these oldschool amiga devs been coming from the past few days?
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There are at least two Amazing Computing Banditos, maybe more since John was the fist one and I was the last one.
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Hi, Bandito! Those were great columns and magazines, still have mine safe and dry. I hope you will put your skills to use in new projects. Innovative minds never stop innovating. I know you want to be up to something :) and these are the best of times!
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There are at least two Amazing Computing Banditos, maybe more since John was the fist one and I was the last one.
I never knew that. When was your reign?
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I never knew that. When was your reign?
Just before the magazine died. "Playing with NewTek" is one of my Bandito articles.
You learn something new about me all the time.
:)
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Welcome. It's always great to here from some one with interesting untolde CBM/Amiga history. I hope you're able to share some of your collection in pictures.
Plaz
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Plaz is right, seeing those pictures would be great.
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Welcome to Amiga.org! Put your feet up and enjoy your stay:)
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How about your sidekick Rick Wirch?
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Hi Mr. Foust.
Welcome back from limbo. So; who's going to be the lucky winner of your robocity poster?
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Welcome aboard :)
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Cheers
Gertsy
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Those documents and pictures are certainly of interest to us die hard Amiga users, please upload when you can, your efforts would be appreciated by many!
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Welcome!
According to my records, the last copy of InterChange for Amiga was sold in Feb. 1998, a decade after its release!
I of course have my copy of InterChange packed in the manual, but it may not be the latest version. Is there still any update offer? :)
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Very nice to hear from a real original Amigan. Thanks for the info and all the best.
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+1 Howdy and thanks for the contributions throughout the years. Of all the Amiga hardware and software in my collection, I especially treasure my 'zines and just about read a random one daily!
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Hey John!
Glad to see you found your log on! I've been busy the last couple of days and missed the original post!
Finally, the Bandito(s) are identified,at least two anyway! Although John never admitted it back then, I thought he might and fed him anything I could find! I never said anything, but it was hard to not recognize my feeds when they were published.
I do owe John a big thanks, he got my first Amiga writing gigs with Amazing doing reviews. The pay wasn't great but we had a good time!
Welcome, now to see if I can get some of the Digital Creations folks on line....
Bob
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What a blast from the past. I wonder where my fellow Amazing Computing writer went?