@Franco
Hey there fellow Scotlander!
Have you got the right point or what!
For me - absolutely, the whole thing about retro computing is about what we can do with the original hardware and OS's but also what we can do through hardware emulation to keep the whole thing alive (like Minimig and Natami etc)
Lets face it, Amiga hardware is up to 25 years old now and getting accelerators and expansions is difficult. Individual computers is helping that with their new generation of decently priced expansions for the A1200 and the A600 recently but without that the chances of keeping our beloved machines in tip top form and expanding them to do other things is a big challenge.
I could care less about the other stuff like Aros and OS4 etc. I do like the idea of it but it's not for me. I want my Amiga to run the Apps and Games it could always run but if possible do it quicker with new apps and games lol
I have an A600 and a Minimig. the latter of the two I exhibited at R3Play in Blackpool just recently and I could not believe the interest it generated. For me, yes, keep the original machines running for as long as possible because we love them but the future is all about coming up with something that runs on modern hardware and emulates the Amiga models perfectly (at a hardware level) - then the dream is still alive!
As for the back biting visceral decrying of the new development amiga's (like Natami and also what the Minimig received) - this needs to stop. These people who are doing this are dedicated to doing something for the community we all belong to and whether it is a success or not we should support them. It's not like they are going to get rich from it and have relaunched the Commodore name by producing crap PC clones. They're doing a shed more for this community than many of the ney-sayers on here and other forums and at least have the vision to try and push the barriers. After all was that not what the premise of the Amiga was the first place?
Anyhoo - rant over - the Amiga for me personally is in one a nostalgic return to my youth when the "scene" meant more to me than breathing and every weekend saw me visiting my mates stall in the Barras (Glasgow) to discuss the latest developments and to participate in that weekends Kick Off and Sensi Tournaments but it also it was the platform I learned 3D modelling, animation and Desk Top publishing on which from that platform I got my MCSE, Novell Master CNE, (defunct) Compaq system builder, ItIL Manger accreditations and I'm now an exec IT Manager for a big national company and doing pretty well in comparison and this is all down to early exposure of a machine that could challenge me to do more.
Cheers
John
