User wants (from "Call for Amiga Developers from A-EON Technology")

[matthey]

That is not how computer systems evolve, constantly trying to refine old hardware platforms.

Instead new ideas are added in that improve the product.

Look at the Mac, not 68K based, not PPC based, now X64 based.

PPC was not capable enough for the Mac but it is a better evolution for the Amiga? Is Mac ending up back with CISC a new idea? If the Amiga breaks enough compatibility by switching processors, will it have more development after than before? Do we have enough resources to create a whole new AmigaOS with SMP and 64 bit addressing like Mac while breaking compatibility? Is the path forward always easier than the path backward, even while leaving everything you started with behind?

Further, the 68K and the Amiga chipset are both so dated that no matter how much you try to supplement them they will still be somewhat archaic.

How old are the x86 and ARM? The 68k can evolve easier than both of these processors. The 68k support is what is dated but this is due to lack of popular new 68k hardware. The 68k is a loved processor because it is simple and unique. The Amiga custom hardware is simple and flexible which can be expanded. The new Amiga FPGA hardware already shows how fast the Amiga's simple logic can be using more modern technology. Standard integrated hardware which allows for efficient software could close some of the gap in performance with commodity hardware. Consoles are usually not as far behind in performance as would be expected by their hardware for this reason. Jay Miner created a game computer which was more expandable than the game console which the investors expected. A retro game computer is what I would target as well. The market is missing good retro hardware which is more expandable than the Raspberry Pi and more open than the modern consoles with a price in between the two.

AND some of those people you have mentioned have strung the community along for years.
When is the Natami going to be released?
Probably at the same time as the SharkPPC and the new improved version of WarpOS.

Finally, do you really think that new ASICs are going to be created to carry on the legacy of...well legacy hardware?

It is difficult for individuals to create a Natami. I believe the Natami concept was close though. The Amiga PPC boards are lucky to sell a few thousand boards while the Natami bringup thread has 730792 views.

http://www.natami.net/knowledge.php?b=1¬e=33366

This makes me think that the AmigaNG PPC is the wrong computer niche. The Natami was gaining interest by developers and ex-Amiga programmers as can be seen in Natami forum posts (developers were asking instead of being asked). It was generating Amiga excitement not seen since the collapse of C=.

Why not follow Apple's lead and forego custom designed chips and buy 'off the rack'?

Apple would be the world's 3rd largest MPU manufacturer in the world (behind Intel and Qualcomm but ahead of AMD and Freescale) although the statistics often combine Apple with Samsung who provides the foundry services. These are Apple custom designed SoC processors by the way.

[matthey]

When you get to something like Natami, let me know, because it will have added capabilities.
The current run of "a little faster than an A1200"  FPGA systems don't hold much interest in me either.

Its what I can use or create that governs my decision.
And a stock AGA doesn't cut, an enhanced Amiga is to expensive and has a limited market, and an FPGA only offers slight advantages.

Wake me up when legacy has really improved graphics and sound.

The FPGA Arcade and Mist are already significantly faster than a stock 1200 in both CPU power and AGA graphics speed even though their focus is extreme compatibility. They only use the TG68 core which gives fast 68030 speeds where the Apollo core has exceeded the 68060 in many benchmarks but requires a little bigger FPGA for maximum performance. AGA performance is several times the pitiful C= AGA performance primarily due to much better memory bandwidths. The FPGA Arcade has (chunky) RTG built in. These retro hardware simulator FPGA devices use generic Amiga simulation and only give a taste of what is possible with a FPGA Amiga.

It's not that I preferred OCS over RTG, but I preferred the idea of Amiga-specific graphics/sound hardware, especially early on when it was so much more powerful than the competition.  So I guess it was like a religion for me.  Of course I wanted a nice, fast 256+ color workbench at a high resolution, but I wanted it done the "Amiga way" and not just by slapping in a PC graphics card.

I would choose integrated standard fast enhanced graphics rather than reverse engineering drivers for PCIe cards. These reverse engineered drivers are often less than optimal and have incomplete support. There is also increased latency going through the PCIe bus.

That's the religion part of things.  Do cars need heart?  If not, tell that to all the Mazda RX-7 fanatics out there who love their Wankel Rotary Engines.  

Cars can invoke human emotions.



I recently had a kid walk up a long driveway to look at my dirty silver 1993 RX-7. He ended up coming back to look at it again when I wasn't there and asked my family if it was for sale. I get crazy emotional reactions like this while some people think it is no more than a Ford Probe .

[matthey]

Hah!  I had a 94 RX-7 Red Touring about 10 years back.  I live in Massachusetts, purchased it form a seller on Ohio.  I flew down and drove it back home.  Best 11 hour drive of my life!  I miss that car.

My first car love was when I was in high school, the 93 Silver Touring (with no spoiler) that was in the Mazda brochure.

Is your Silver 93 for sale???  

My RX-7 is a silver base model with R1 front lip, no spoiler in the back and a black Border Racing hood. The pic was a later model Spirit R but it was a good size and a very clean picture.

And those later model RX-7s had some interesting, if failure prone, hardware like active suspension components.

The 3rd gen RX-7 never had "active suspension components". It is a pure driving machine with non-adjustable shocks, linear springs and no traction control. They did all have anti-lock brakes though. Some of the other sports cars of the time like the Mitsubishi GT3000 VR-4 and Toyota Supra were getting higher tech driving aids. The sequential turbo system of the RX-7 was complex and failure prone though. I simplified mine while retaining the sequential turbo operation and haven't had problems. The Wankel engines themselves are short lived under boost but I would never replace the heart, soul and unique feel of the RX-7.

Not exactly a "low priced performance car", but my favourite car since LeMans 1966 (I was 9 back then):

I've never been a big fan of Ford sports cars but the Ford GT(40) is an exception. I like that the Ford GT look is so close to the original but I wish they had brought the price down for the masses even if the performance would have been less. The 3rd gen RX-7 was getting a little expensive for the time as well. My favorite affordable sports car concept today would be something like the Lotus Elise/Exige (a fun lightweight driving machine). There are parallels in my mind with the Amiga and sports cars as well. The original Amiga was a computer for the masses with a great driving experience which put the user in control. The new Amigas are computers for the (elite) classes which few will experience and some of the changes are not improvements.