Okay, I read the petition. Why does it seem like it doesn't have a rhetorical leg to stand on? The update makes it plain that what AInc wants is a quality user experience for OS 4 users from stem to stern, something that hasn't existed since C= went tits up.
[Some might say that it didn't exist even when C= was still on its feet, but that's another story! :-) ]
I think that's a laudable goal and it doesn't seem like they're asking anything either extreme or exhorbitant from the hardware folks to meet that goal. Piracy is a vailid concern, and although folks like M$ have Net/software ways around that, AInc may just not be able to do that kind of thing. . . yet! :-D
In fact, close examination of the petition shows that it partially misrepresents AInc policy. AInc only wants the hardware manufacturer to stand behind and support THEIR product, not OS 4. And the sale of OS 4 by that hardware company look to be restricted to only those products that are intended to RUN OS 4. If they want to strip out the hardware "dongle" and sell the thing as a PPC box, they seem to be more than welcome to do so, so long as it's not promoted as an "Amiga compatible" box.
Quite frankly, this nascent PPC market is NONE of AInc's concern, and there's no good reason it should be. They're trying to make money off of THEIR products, and not facilitate the development of a market in which they may or may not have a stake. Yes, a more liberal distributon policy for OS 4 might make it an attractive alternative for current PPC users. Then again, why stop there? Why not unify the best of OS 4 and AA, allow everyone to put it on the computer they ALREADY have and make it an attractive alternative to everyone? Seehund has encouraged us to look beyond the Amiga market infighting to see his petition clearly. I wonder if he's ever looked beyond the tiny Amiga and PPC markets to see the current state of the entire computer marketplace clearly.
MY only big concern is that judging by the update, it seems like Bill Mc. & Co. are concentrating TOO much on the OS 4/hardware solution! Granted, OS 5, if it does turn out to be the happy marriage of AA and OS 4, could have Win XP-style activation to foil piracy and STILL be hardware independant. But the update seems to imply that they've put a lot on the A1/OS 4 thing, and if too much is invested in that path they may be reticent to pursue AA to its best and most logical extent.
