Like many others I was interested in the idea of Amiga DE, a reported true write once run all environment. Technologies like C and Java had been around but each had their own challenges to being a successful true cross platform language.
Editors note: The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily express the opinions of Amiga.org or it's staff members..Everyone knows C is one of the most popular and most power programming languages around, and if it had not left so much up to the OS vendors to fill in might have achieved the goal of running virtually unchanged code just recompiled for the target. Reality is, so much is platform dependant the efforts to make cross compiling apps work is in the OS platform them selves, the GNU world has been good about providing a common set of libraries and tools to allow a wide degree of portability across unix and fringe systems. The amiga is a fringe system in this case, see geek gadgets.
The problems with Java seam to have been mostly growing pains and sloppy application coding. I’ve seen some Java apps that rock and some that are bloated memory sucking productivity killers. The idea is great and platforms like J2ME really show off it’s ability. But there is a hole, Java was designed to provide a generic computing environment in a virtual machine, all things to all people. In this it has seam to failed. There is a need for a strong platform geared toward extreme portability and “Multimedia” applications (read games).
Enter Mophun (
http://www.mophun.com/), err I meant AppForge (
http://www.appforge.com), err I really meant AACE (
http://www.amiga.com). So what the hell am I talking about? Both AppForge and Mophun provide developers with IDE’s that create content which runs on their “players”. Port the player to a new platform and the content (read games) will magically run. Currently AppForge supports Pocket PC, Palm and Symbian UIQ (Sony Ericsson (SE) P800 for now), mophun supports several SE models including Symbian based phones and Nokia Symbian phones. What’s Symbian? It’s an operating system born from Psion’s Epoc OS designed to run on devices like phones and PDA’s (
http://www.symbian.com). In comparison the Amiga AACE is available for Windows, Linux and Pocket PC (In the form of “game cards” which may or may not allow other content to be played, don’t know cause no one is talking about these “game cards”). Looking at the AppForge page they have some 60 titles from home finance to Golf scorecard keepers. The Mophun people promote what looks like 30 titles on their site. Amiga has about 25 titles on their site. Both AppForge and Mophun have announced supporting new platforms in the last 3 months. In the last 3 months Amiga We’ve seen a news letter, an apology, message about AmiWest, and two articles, no new content, no updates (for over a year), no new platforms.
If Amiga plans to do anything with Amiga DE or AACE in providing leading content to the mobile market they better step up and start generating some noise. The time is perfect to release for Symbian, over two million units sold in 3 quarters and that number is going no where but up. Get off your ass Amiga Inc and do something! Oh I forgot, they are already standing since their chairs are being sold.
Bill “tekmage” Borsari
PS I’ll buy OS 4 and the Amiga One when they are available together, I will continue to support Amiga by purchasing whatever they produce. I’m still very loyal to the Amiga, just frustrated by Amiga Inc.
