make an offer to buy Amiga Inc.

[HenryCase]

number6 wrote:
Current "imaginary" valuation is said to be over 200 million USD.

If I had that kind of money I wouldn't bother buying Amiga, I'd hire a small but talented group of hardware and software engineers and have them design a new computing system, taking the best ideas from previous computer systems as well as some useful new ideas.

I hope Amiga Inc go bankrupt soon. Mobile platforms like Google Android will hopefully become successful soon and make it harder for Amiga Inc to compete.

[HenryCase]

swift240 wrote:
And I think right now there are to many people with a couldnt care less attitude, cant say as I blame them really, but it don't help.

I think you'll find people do care what happens to Amiga, but not to Amiga Inc.

IMHO, only a few things that Amiga Inc owns are of any major interest to the Amiga community. These are:

1. OS4
2. Kickstart
3. ECS & AGA (patent for OCS has already expired)

We already have ways to get around the problem of the three Amiga products/technologies being held hostage by Amiga Inc:

1. MorphOS & AROS (modern Amiga inspired operating systems)
2. Cloanto
3. Minimig, CloneA, NatAmi

So why worry about Amiga Inc?

[HenryCase]

ChuckT wrote:
I read that Gateway bought Amiga because Commodore held the patent to the two button mouse and they wanted it.

Xerox Star was released in 1981 and had a two button mouse, no Commodore computers before that time had a mouse AFAIK, so I think you've been misinformed.

ChuckT wrote:
I think if Amiga came out with a limited production run of any of the old models with the exception of the Pet and maybe the Vic-20, I t.hink they could still make money selling the C-64, C-128, Amiga 1200

I think you're getting confused between Commodore and Amiga. They are now two seperate companies. Amiga Inc do not own the rights to C64, C128, etc... I do agree there is a market for retro computing, so they could make money off releasing a device like the C64DTV:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C64_Direct-to-TV

I think the CloneA project will end up producing a C64DTV-like device, but I doubt Amiga Inc are interested in funding its development. It seems they are only interested in working with Microsoft products (Windows Mobile and .NET) and clearly do not care about the Amiga community (beyond getting complete control of OS4).

[HenryCase]

ChuckT wrote:
http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/gatepate.html
Two years after the purchase Carl Sassenrath revealed what had led Gateway to buy the Amiga. In an interview with Linux World he commented,
"The technology which was sold to Gateway was primarily a deal to buy the patent on the 2-button mouse... That is why Gateway bought Amiga -- but then they got... thousands of emails asking if they were going to relaunch the Amiga. So they figured, 'why not?'"

To put it bluntly, Carl Sassenrath (talented though he is) is talking out of his ar*e here. Take a look at the patent for yourself:
US Patent for multi-button mouse

According to the Internet, there were 47 patents relating to the Amiga (17 of which were in video). However, none of the sources I found listed these patents. Does anyone know where we can see a list?

[HenryCase]

@ematech
You have €35,000 for developing and €200,000 (1000 * 200) for manufacturing a new PPC accelerator?

Even if you don't have that kind of money, I admire that you are willing to fund an Amiga accelerator project.

[HenryCase]

@ematech
Did you design that board yourself? Kudos if you did. What major advantages does it have over Sam440ep (they have to be major advantages to make the new board worthwhile)?

huronking wrote:
The technology which was sold to Gateway was primarily a deal to buy the patent on the 2-button mouseI don't think he meant "two-button mouse" literally.

I think it was like one might use "kitchen sink" when describing the inclusion of ubiquitous items.

I know you're trying to stick up for an Amiga legend here, but you're wrong. Take a look at the statement again:

Carl Sassenrath said:
"The technology which was sold to Gateway was primarily a deal to buy the patent on the 2-button mouse..."

That isn't a wishy washy statement, it's crystal clear. Of course he meant two button mouse literally, I have never heard anyone being able to describe all computer hardware using the 'catch all phrase' of two-button mouse! F*cking ridiculous.

It's possible Mr Sassenrath meant to say about the 'usage of the two buttons to manipulate menus' that Piru mentioned. Hardly a big money spinner though is it.

[HenryCase]

huronking wrote:
You contradict yourself. If he literally meant two-button mouse why would he mean 'usage of the two buttons to manipulate menus'?

The Chinese whispers effect. If he overheard something about two button mice used in a certain way in a GUI, but then only picked up on the two button mice statement.

In other words, you're saying he had a clue. I'm saying he didn't have a clue but how he may have got to the wrong answer.

Any clearer?

@Fransexy
The Xerox Alto looks very impressive, especially for 1973.