Well I spent a good hour reading through this post and all I really got out of it was how Windows sucks. IMHO, that should be a given since we all still love our Miggies. I am actually running a P3 1 GHZ Dell I just bought and I also run a Macintosh Mini (first version) with MacOS X (10.4.x). My favorite Linux distro is SuSE and I do run SuSE 10 in a virtual machine on my Windows box.
Is this all important? Not Really -- My Amiga is an A1200 that I am planning to use to mainly play the games I miss from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I think the Miggie is a great machine and we AMI folk got the short end of the stick when C= went under. I think if Amiga had been in production solidly (ie Commodore had not folded and the whole chain of events that we know as history) then they too would have a "modern" OS that would be as widely used as Windows or Linux are.
I am fairly opinionated towards my PC... but I would love to run Linux full time on this platform and I do love my Macintosh (with OS X.. wasn't too fond of classic MacOS).
My point is this: I (personally) need Windows to make my living... but at the same time, if I could make as much money in Open Source software, I would do it in a heartbeat!
The Amiga community has a right to be proud (in my opinion) because they remain (in my mind) a shining example of not giving up even when the going got gone! I like to think the community is still about "Users helping Users" even as I watch eagerly what happens with OS 4. I am ready for a viable alternative to Windows and believe it not, the only reason Windows (XP) is installed on my Dell P3 is for these two applications:
1: TextPad 4 (on the Macintosh it is BBEDIT)
2: iTunes
If Linux had all functionality available, Windows would be gone from my machine!!!
Before someone says it: I know there are apps "like" these on Linux... but I guess I am looking for exact functionality in them and I can't expect programmers to want to develop for that platfrom if they can't get paid... the whole root of the issue -- Windows Development pays nicely... Open Source or non-supported OS development is a labor of love and not normally prioritized.
Anyhow... this is purely my opinion and I hope AmigaOS 4 makes a great comeback. I think it is time to have REAL alternatives to Microsoft Empire!
One last point: Regarding Word Processors -- if the software does what you need it to do (assuming you don't need to email Word formatted documents -- I do often) then once printed, it is a document and serves it purpose. Use what you like as long as it works for you!
Personally, I use Open Office 2 on my windows, Mac and Linux boxen and since it is open source, if you have the time and the knowledge... port it to AMI... I am sure that would not be trivial however.
Just really my .02 worth. Remember that this is my opinion and that I believe that all opinions are important, so if you disagree, please feel free. I like to think I am open-minded enough to listen to your Point of View.
Have a great night all ( it is night here).
