You have to consider that many Amiga users are dying to just have a little bit of new hardware despite where Amiga Inc's plans are going in the long run.
Look what we had done with 3.1 before we got 3.5/3.9. In many ways those releases are the culmination of the work of the people and the community. Of course some outstanding bugs were addressed but that was just the icing.
I look at it like this. *If* OS4.0 is released we have made the next major milestone in the Amiga community. We have a platform that finally uses AGP, PCI, USB etc.. We'll have a platform that can really run a lot things that weren't worth porting to the Amiga in its other forms. It will be enough to sustain community for quite some time to come. If further updates continue to come in from AInc then the more the better.
If on the other hand, and many people are scared of this happening more than anything, OS 4.0 doesn't get released then we have nothing to show for the future of Amiga other than custom and slightly outdated PowerPC motherboard. The community is like a candle flickering due to lack of oxygen. Once OS4.0 hits the scene the flame will have every oppurtunity to blossom into something greater. Without it we are stuck and many who have bought the boards already will be in the hole once again based solely on false promises.
In a lot of ways the masses are more than justified to wait for OS4.0. Although we need those of you who are brave enough and financially sound enough to purchase the hardware in its current state to keep AInc interested I understand why others, like me, cannot afford to take that risk right now.
On a side note I feel that it is extremely foolish for Amiga Inc to not support MacOS hardware. It is advancing at a much faster pace then what AInc can afford and they should leverage it. Perhaps even offering a USB dongle device or something to prevent piracy. This would be a much better idea then requiring existing AOne boards. It would also not cost them anything since the AOne boards are much cheaper than Mac hardware and thusly have a market on their own.
