The problem with AROS is that it's trying to clone what OS3.1 did and improve it. That's OK if you want to port old Amiga software to new hardware, but there's not an overwhelming amount of open-source Amiga software to go around, and few people know (or like) to work with and around the Amiga's old limitations.
The only realistic solution is to start with a brand new OS and make it work like an Amiga.
Unfortunately, everything I've seen so far is either too dependent on Linux (bash and X-Windows are the first things running), or they are too focused on technology and not function, so the whole graphics system may be rewritten, but all the shell commands and GUI menus work like a Linux system. Linux people know nothing about proper interface design.
Isn't anyone really interested in experimenting, anymore? Don't people want to fix major limitations with existing OSes, like the lack of standard text encoding and filesystem-based networking, so we no longer need FTP? The Amiga desktop philosophy is largely distant from all these technical quibbles.
Syllable looks promising as far as an Amiga clone is concerned, but the GUI is pretty awful, and their design goals are unabashedly indescript. They're trying too hard to make it simple and they're not focused on solving real problems -- much like AROS and OS4.
Edit: Oh yeah, I just tried the latest LiveCD of Syllable. I still won't boot even in SAFE MODE. All I get is a Blue Screen of Perpetual Loading, constantly barfing out heap expansion errors. I guess it's a good thing it's hard-coded in x86 assembler, huh?
