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Offline PMC

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Re: Would you support this project? -please read-
« on: January 27, 2004, 12:04:51 PM »
It's a great idea IMHO, but although Coldfire would be a great upgrade solution for classic users, it doesn't make any sense now that we're migrating to PPC.  Nor can I see the point of resurrecting AAA after over a decade.  Such technologies would be viewed as an anachronism today and an expensive one at that.

I'd personally like to see something a little more imaginative and radical than the existing ATX PPC designs, preferably with industry standard interfaces (eg ATX, PCI etc) but with a thorough rethink more in line with the traditional Amiga way of doing things (for example, I don't want to see an ugly BIOS screen when starting my machine).  The point made earlier about it not necessarily being about how powerful the hardware is but how it's used is valid and I believe there's space in the market for such a solution today, provided it can compete on cost grounds.  

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Offline PMC

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Re: Would you support this project? -please read-
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2004, 12:51:25 PM »
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Well, what I am talking about. I a next generation 2D/3D custom graphic chipset. Based on how AGA was made, but offcourse fully 32bit+


But AGA was comparatively expensive to make.  A bespoke chipset is a great idea in theory, but will cost the earth to design, engineer and manufacture.  This in turn drives up the cost.  Who'd buy a 220Mhz, bespoke  AAA system in 2004 for a not inconsiderable cost penalty when you can buy a high end PC for under £500?  

An off the shelf chipset with custom drivers is a much more cost effective solution.  Unless we're talking about selling our Amiga in PS2 volumes of course...  That way development costs are spread over a large production run.
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Re: Would you support this project? -please read-
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2004, 01:57:43 PM »
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1. Getting financial support from Motorola


...who have discussed offloading their semi-conductor operation in the past, and who are preferential to Apple who have a much larger market...

Don't mean to whizz on anyone's parade, but it's a topic up for discussion and that was my opinion.

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2. Getting Shiftec to contribute with A4000T alike case


Now that's a great idea...  I like the sound of a range of bespoke, official Amiga cases to fit new and existing hardware.  Plus a proper Amiga keyboard too.

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3. Talking with those hardware people with NuOS and Oliver


I liked the look of that OS, plus Oliver's Coldfire project deserves success.  It's just that it simply doesn't make sense as a flagship CPU when there's the much more powerful and supported PPC around.  However, if a Coldfire based Accelerator card was available for my A1200 I'd buy one tomorrow :-D

Hardware people?  How about ATI?  A supported chipset which is already having Amiga native 3d drivers written would give a head start, plus ATI are very 3rd party friendly and open with their documentation.

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4. Intergrate some sort of MediatorPCI technology into this, + adding SD-RAM and AGP


If there's AGP then there's no need for an onboard chipset except for a lead-in base model with limited expansion capabilities.

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5. Getting OS support from Hyperion in the end


Which would be far easier with a PPC based solution...

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Offline PMC

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Re: Would you support this project? -please read-
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2004, 03:54:16 PM »
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Why "like" the PS2's chipset? Sony sells the chipset independently ya know.


That PS2 was an example I was going to use....  So they sell it independently?  Hmmmmmm....

:-)
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Re: Would you support this project? -please read-
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2004, 04:31:23 PM »
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Pinky, are you thinking what I'm thinking?


As in wouldn't it be great to license the PS2 chipset so we have a ready made competitive GFX / Audio solution that can cope with being connected to both VGA and standard SCART TVs?????

My God man!  You're telepathic!
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Re: Would you support this project? -please read-
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2004, 10:12:19 AM »
"The main reason for this project, is to get the Amiga feeling back."

As massive a step forward as Pegasos/AOne both are, they do lack the distinct 'Amiganess' with which we all identify.  It's more than having an Amiga-like OS, it's down to the machine's character.  Somehow an ATX mobo with PPC and BIOS doesn't hit the spot for me personally, but they deserve success all the same.

"I see a splitted community as I've got lots of mails supporting me, and here and also people wich dosent believe in such project and talks about dreaming. Yes, it is a dream, and it is a big dream for most of Amigans, to get the thing we all had before back."

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea.  However, I see the realities being insurmountable.  In an ideal world of course we'd all have our dream machine that kicks ass and happens to have a Boing Ball logo on it somewhere...  :-D

"PS2 is a good example on how Amiga could envolve yes. "

Agreed.  

"Come up with ideas and I write them down,.. I also understand those wich thinks this idea is totally waste of time. "

There's nothing wrong with dreaming, but everyone has their own point of view.  What surprised me is how many realists there are out there who continue to support this platform.

"There is Amigans out there with knowledge of this things. Oliver, ApexSoftware, ELBOX, ++ "

Designing add on hardware is a whole different anvenue to designing a complete system and bespoke OS to go with it.  

"A 3D-AGA chip like in PS2 in the new Amiga would boost it. .. all this new AGP gfx cards allways comes in new shapes. They give programers new standards and this results in more bugs in programs. "

A PS2 style graphics chipset would be nice.  However why not stick with someone like ATI to ensure some legacy compatability?  

"I'll give this going to Monday 09.00cet. Then starts working on this project for real. Getting companies interested. It wont be a easy task/job, but I love my Amiga 4000 and I would love to see a new Amiga. I will offcourse support AmigaOne, but its not the "real thing". It misses something... and Amiga Inc' dosent have any Amiga spirit left."

This is the sort of thing we need here, so I say good luck to you with all sincerety.  :-)
Cecilia for President