It's about the money, dummies! Put vanilla AmigaOS on x86, and it will cost $299.00 + Genuine AmigaOS. MS Windows = $299.00 + Genuine Windows. The reason MAC went to x86 is the built in security in the new Intel chip. MAC/OS will be $299.00 + Genuine MAC. There's no getting around the new breed of OS. Amiga is way too far behind on this simple philosophy - SECURITY). To be competitive, the industry says "you must sell at $299.00. But Amiga, plus an attractor (something special - but with all the industry standard stuff), could make money. Price point to buyer. AmigaOS could sell cheaper than MS or MAC; a lot cheaper on x86 if they wanted to. But they would also need to make money. They would, by providing an OS at a reasonable price with APPS and games. That's what made Amiga so great in the first place. Industry support. Especially in the game arena. They need to allow for 3rd party support at a good price point. Or, even free... like OpenOffice.
Now, what Dave is saying is x86 hardware is dirt cheap. No custom hardware. Does it do what you want? YUP! It's about the money!
Now, IMHO, "Genuine" anything (when I say Genuine I mean - "you are NOT going to use it with out paying") is going to kill off the average consumer if SOMEONE doesn't come up with a way to deliver the OS and the APPS at a reasonable price. That's what Linux is all about. It's about the money! Amiga, or anyone for that fact, has an opportunity to, RIGHT NOW, fill the market with what Linux is trying to do; take the market away from MS and MAC. Linux will NEVER do that. But someone could if they just would come up with a great OS at a great price, with APPS!
Someone could make a killing in the market just by stopping the price creep and give it to the masses with app support! A lot of software developers would come back too. 3rd party developers don't care about any particular OS. They want to sell their wares, period. MAC tried, but had the stupid idea that they had to make their OS "SPECIAL". That failed! They are now on the MONEY bandwagon. OS/X was a great leap for MAC. Then they jumped ship on IBM. They got a business plan!
Dave is saying - "do the same thing!" Seriously, AmigaOS needs to be ported to x86! FAST! Intel has already done the hard part for any OS developer - "built in security!"
Let Intel worry about Security! They want to sell chips! If the industry can't use Intel with the existing MS and MAC OS's, MS and MAC would bail too! But, Intel got their sh*t together and is now perfectly poised for the next 5 years! That's why MAC bailed on IBM! It's about the money!
Amiga has a great opportunity here... they just can't see it. Jump on x86. There's plenty of room in the market for another "commercially supported OS". It would take right off, I gaurantee it. Especially true "Amiga" flavored (not a MAC clone). Oh, and "MARKET" it! :-o That's what used to make all the old magazines great. I go right to sleep whenever I read PC magazine anymore.
OK, done..... :-P
