Be friends! Please!... Amiga and Genesi! I love you both!, but...

[Damion]

@BigBenAussie

Except name recognition "in itself" guarantees absolutely nothing...

What is amiga remembered as, anyway, amongst those even old enough
to remember it? An 80's gamez platform?? Toaster 2000"s? Random
vaporware awards? I'm going to say most amiga owners didn't
even assosiate 'amiga' with "OS"...that is, how many A500 owners
(which were likely the majority 'out there') even did anything with
the OS to remember it by, other than boot up cracked xcopy?

And you expect these same individuals to get excited enough to
buy $800 sub-1GHz G4 boards, for completely different reasons even??
When they can play UT2004 at half the price for a complete system??

I think "either" OS has advantages/disadvantages purely in regard
to their names...one has practically no recognition in the
mainstream, yet has "hip" labelling and a "catchy" desktop, whilst
the other DOES have limited outside recognition, but could be viewed
as yesterday's throwaway/dinosaur. So I'd say the tables are pretty much
even in those respects...

So if we were to consider that the majority of the market eventually needed
to sustain either platform likely has never even heard of "either"
name, which one has a better advantage, from that angle? Hmmm...I can
hear it now...

"'Omegas', WTF is that, dog?? Oh, Amiga? Is it from Mexico? But whoa, check this
out...MorphOS...Ambient..Trance..etc...hey, that sounds pretty cool"

(this scenario is totally made up BTW...and probably not realistic)

Anyways, getting emotional over a name is something I can't even relate
with...I buy (and bought) computers based primarily upon technical and
economic merits, "hobbies" are dead last, and always the most difficult
to justify financially. Few are those who will pay ridiculous prices
for outdated hardware bearing "the name" of a defunct 80's games platform.
   
To  wrap  it  up, this whole idea that the throngs are going to exclaim
"OMG WTF" and purchase millions of 800 MHz Eyetech boards just
to run OS4 (and it's overwhelming apps base) is not only downright
ludicrous...but possibly even a little "kooky".

At this stage though this discussion is basically pointless...'BOTH" platforms
are going to have to innovate well beyond their currrent status in order to
gain marketshare, no retarded-ass "product label" is going to do it for them.
 

[Damion]

@BigBenAussie

OK, I see your point now...and I do agree, image sells. I don't however
believe (at this stage) that one has any major advantage over the other
in this department, but whichever can market themselves as a "progressive"
alternative and offer a reasonable featureset could stand a decent chance.

Part of that image (since they've gone the effort aready) is going to
be for both to finish the job, and start selling complete, factory
branded systems at a realistic price. Boards are OK for the extreme
hobbyist, but the average "alternative" buyer probably is going to want to
feel as though they're buying into "something more".

Its the platform and the name and if that is not the case with you, then go buy a peg.
I'm not stopping you.

I did, and I don't regret it one bit. I put a lot of time and thought into
how I was going to piece it together...and it sort of allows you somewhat
the feeling of creating *your own* image, everything from the case configuration
and some components, to the extreme customization abilities of the interface thanks
to MUI. But for the mainstream, you're 100% correct. Most people want to purchase
into a type of ideal, while feeling as though they've excercised in the process
some virtue of "choice" or "freedom". Something a little more pre-packaged (and
polished) is probably necessary, and that's not at all a bad thing, it's likely
the only way (outside of landing major contracts as hardware providers) that
either can succeed, at least with the routes they've chosen.