Hyperion bankrupt?

[ferrellsl]

That's your opinion.  Many would disagree.  

I think it is worth the price tag and so I bought one.

The reason I didn't buy a cheap PC to run Linux is because I don't want to run Linux, I want to run OS4 so that is the selling point that counts.

Your argument is like telling someone who paid $30,000 for a Harley Davidson that he should have bout at $15,000 Kia because the Car has 4 wheels and airbags.  You're missing the point that the guy wanted a motorbike.  

Sorry, but I have to agree with LionHeart.  There's nothing compelling enough about an outdated operating system such as OS4 that would make me pay $3K USD for hardware to run it on.  A few years back (2008) I was able to purchase one of the last PegII systems produced and I bought a copy of OS4 and MorphOS to go with it.  My total investment was less than $850 USD but even then all I had was a moderately expensive paperweight. The X1000 hardware performs on the level of PC system from 10 years ago, there's barely any 3D GPU support and no OS4 productivity software. Sad that nothing has really changed in the 7+ years that I made my PegII/OS4 purchase except for the price of the hardware and its availability.  I realize that Amigas are your hobby but you'll have a hard time convincing anyone of the merits of OS4 and the X1000, especially if they don't have as much disposable income as you.

[ferrellsl]

Yeah, but Apple make the hardware and own their own brand name.

Apple doesn't manufacture anything other than smoke and mirrors.  They get their hardware from the same Pacific Rim manufacturers as Dell, HP, etc...

[ferrellsl]

Isn't that still a secret tease-only project?

I tend to ignore stuff like that (Natami, various FPGA projects) until I have the potential to actually try them myself.

Not that I'm not interested, but it's vaporware until it's available.

Yes, it's vaporware.  Not sure why the devs haven't shown any progress other than they decided that there are already too many AROS-on-Linux variants.  I can say that Arix is another "AROS hosted on a Linux" distro with all the other Linux bits stripped away, no package manager, no Gnome/KDE, etc.

[ferrellsl]

Something like amithlon then in concept ?

Just asking as I have a hard time getting into the sentiment of Amithlon being a good AmigaOS and hosted AROS just being a Linux distro.
Amithlon is also just a Linux distro with everything thrown out and some m68k emulation put on top.

Yep, that about sums it up.  This is why I too am not interested in Arix.  Arix is a great concept if you're an AROS application developer who doesn't care what's underneath the hood.  But native AROS/IcarosDesktop is much more appealing to me because it isn't Linux underneath.  If I wanted to run Linux, I'd just download and install one of the various Linux distros....and I have used Linux in the past but it's a real pain the @ass to use, especially if you upgrade your hardware periodically or use non-opensource video drivers.

There's also a performance hit when running AROS hosted on Linux.  All the AROS API calls have to be translated into Linux API calls first, so it adds another layer of complexity and overhead which again I don't find appealing.

[ferrellsl]

ah, so arix is freely available for download? didnt know that. gitorious branch doesnt seem very active. outta interest, is it possible do boot it from an usb thumb to see what gives? i think if people got in touch whats up, you could get some actual interest, feedback and therefore some current and even contributors?

If you want to know how ARIX performs, just grab one of the other AROS hosted on Linux distros and give that a spin.  The only significant difference is that ARIX has most of the Linux non-essential bits removed such as the package manager, Gnome/KDE desktop manager, etc.

[ferrellsl]

It's over. They are not bankrupt. Info here: " http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=39913&forum=14&start=1300&viewmode=flat&order=0 "

Chris

That is incorrect.  They are bankrupt as declared by the court.  Here's the translation:

 Insolvency Hyperion Entertainment Cvba

On 27-01-2015 was Hyperion Entertainment Cvba in Sint-Agatha-Berchem (Brussel) declared by the court in Brussels bankrupt. As a liquidator is appointed Bert Dehandschutter. The company number is 466380552nd

[ferrellsl]

The Hyperion web site is so reassuring.    They say they weren't bankrupt but they have so much debt that they're opening up their shareholdership and reorganizing.  That's double speak for, "We're in so much debt that we're hoping someone with a lot of cash steps in, pays our debts and takes control of the company".  And apparently the legal issues haven't been all resolved either:  "More details on that will follow when all legal formalities are behind us."

It's doubtful that anyone other than Trevor would want to rescue Hyperion.  There aren't many people who'd invest in Hyperion unless Hyperion can convince them that the company can turn a profit with an infusion of cash and a reorganization.  Hyperion obviously hasn't been making a profit for a while now or they wouldn't be in this position to begin with.  I honestly hope Hyperion survives but it'll take some groundbreaking changes in both OS4 and within the company itself to survive.  Is it me or does the NG Amiga scene appear to be just one very long train wreck?

[ferrellsl]

At least the COMMERCIAL one does...

True that!  LOL!  

It's too bad that A-Eon still seems headed down the dead-end road of PPC processors.  Apple deliberated the switch to x86 years ago for the very same reasons found in the Amiga scene.  They didn't want to alienate their hardcore PPC supporters.  I wish A-Eon would make the jump to another architecture just as Apple did.  It worked for Apple and it will work for Hyperion/A-Eon.  Just as Amiga classics hit the end of their lifecycle and moved on to PPC Amigas, it's now time to park the PPC Amigas and move forward once again.  What better time to do it?  Sure, the hardcore PPC fanatics will whine and moan, but they're obviously not a large enough factor to even keep Hyperion afloat any more.

Continuing to stay the course just to satisfy a shrinking and fanatical PPC customer base is a road to disaster.  That's what we're seeing right now with Hyperion.  Propping up Hyperion without any real changes in the OS and the hardware will only prolong the inevitable.

A-Eon would be better served to just drop OS4 altogether and go with a flavor of AROS.  They could use AROS for the X5000 until a move to another non-PPC architecture is initiated.  Having used OS4 on a PegII for a couple years only served to show me what a mess OS4 has become.  OS4 is a "Frankenstein's Monster of an OS" and newer features such as USB support seemed to be just quick and bug-filled hacks.  And OS4 is also lacking the very basics needed for most businesses to even consider adopting it.  There's absolutely no security nor multi-user capabilities.

I'm an IT professional who values his reputation and if I recommended that any of my clients buy an Amiga/OS4, I'd quickly lose that client if I wasn't jeered out of the room first.  There's absolutely nothing about OS4 that I can recommend to them, especially when it's tied to a PPC architecture. Even if I argued that they could run Linux on an X1000/X5000, they wouldn't be willing to pay such an exorbitant price for hardware that questionably matches x86 performance from 10 years ago.

[ferrellsl]

Profit is overrated, you just need enough to pay your bills and salaries. If every spare bit of cash goes to the owners salary/bonus then you never make a profit.

Most investors are more interested in turnover than profit. It's unlikely that their turnover is that impressive, even with all the upgrades they have been selling. However it might be enough and some people are optimistic about the future anyway (or are just living the dream as long as they can).
 
 Even strategic losses can be ok. It all depends on how others perceive you.

You're joking or you're extremely out of touch.  Profits are what pays those salaries and bills that you're referring to.  Profits are what investors and shareholders expect, and when there's no profit, they take their money elsewhere and the company gets sold or shut down.  Do you think anyone will just send Hyperion free money to play with and expect a zero return?  

Owners, CFOs, and CEOs have to worry about perception too.  Their shareholders don't give a rat's ass about anything other than results.  Your comments make me think that you're the guy who has really been at Hyperion's helm the past few years.