AmigaOne 500

[amigadave]

@commodorejohn
As for this particular machine - if you don't like it, don't buy it. Run MorphOS or AROS on your dual G5 Mac and be happy with that. That's obviously not the market Hyperion want, and at the end of the day it's their decision. Let them at it, if they fail because of it, they fail. It's not like the MorphOS fans will be affected by that in any way, so why do they really care?

I have seen this argument too many times to ignore it any longer.

Hyperion's OS4.x and MorphOS2.x (soon to be 3.x) are in direct competition for the same user base, ex-Classic Amiga users.  MorphOS users are interested in what happens with OS4 in the same way that most OS4 users are interested in what the MorphOS developers are doing.

Granted, some OS4 users seem to have given up being interested in any kind of comparison between OS4.x and MorphOS2.x.  They appear to be retreating into a shell and don't care (or don't want to be reminded anymore) about the differences between the two similar Amiga based PPC OSes.

It is a sad fact that most of the interest in the opposite camp is critical in nature, and is only natural to want to show superiority for one's OS of choice to help promote the use of it and the growth of it's user base.

So, although I do try to limit my criticism of OS4.x and the hardware it runs on to help preserve some kind of communication open, I do occasionally compare the two PPC Amiga choices in hopes to promote more use of and development for, MorphOS2.x.

[amigadave]

Yes, there is a certain amount of competition for users that way, but they're not really on the same turf. Apart from the Peg2 they don't run on the same hardware, and neither set of developers is going to change that. New (returning) users have the choice of which OS they want to use, but it's not an equal comparison since there's a vast rift between the hardware bases. So they can choose to spend a heap of money on new hardware and AmigaOS4, or far less money on 2nd hand hardware and MorphOS, or less money again on AROS. Different people in different situations are going to go for different approaches depending on what they need or want, and seeing as there's so little overlap between the different systems, I'm sure most potential customers would end up falling into one or other system almost automatically.

Perhaps those OS4 users you say are retreating into a shell are sick and tired of being told that they made the wrong choice, that they've wasted their money, and so on. What's the point in that? I'm well aware of the differences between MOS and OS4, and I get quite fed up with it. I enjoy my hobby and don't want to be constantly given reasons again and again why I shouldn't be partaking in the way I do, why doing it the MOS way is better, cheaper and faster. I don't care, though I wouldn't consider myself having retreated into a shell. I'm just ignoring the criticisms that float my direction so I can enjoy my hobby as *I* want.

Good answer.

I don't understand the choice to use AmigaOS4.x instead of using MorphOS2.x, but I never try to convince anyone to switch if they don't want to for personal, or emotional reasons.  I only try to point out the technical strong points and advantages of MorphOS2.x and let people make their own choices.  (at least that is what I try to keep to.  sometimes I admit to being sucked into senseless arguments, but I am getting better at avoiding them as I get older)

Since OS4 has the advantage of the name "AmigaOS", MorphOS users need to counter that advantage with regular dispersal of information about the capabilities and differences between the two competing OSes, to those returning (and some current, but uninformed) Amiga users.  I don't mean to intentionally push this info down the throats of OS4 users that have already made their choice.

I think all the variety of Amiga choices are good to have around in some ways, as different people want different Amiga-Like systems now, but it does make it harder for any company to make enough money to stay making Amiga-Like OSes and software.  It would be better if OS4, MorphOS and AROS could grow closer together and share more code than they already do (mostly just AROS & MorphOS at this moment in time).