Amiga vs. Hyperion - Any updates?

[Nlandas]

I was reading the page dedicated to this case. The last on there is that they entered settlement negotiations and an extension to Dec 2008 for a reply from Amiga, Inc.

Was a settlement reached or is the case still on? I've been watching for this to finish before I consider getting a new board and AmigaOS version.

-Nyl

[Nlandas]

It's just suprising to have regular updates on this and then nothing. Says they are in negotiations, whatever that means. Perhaps, Amiga, inc. finally realized that Hyperion is the only group who can keep developing the OS or they are willing to let them sell some OS 4.1 in exchange for the code base so that they can do what they will with it.

It would be nice it one or the other party would talk a little bit.

[Nlandas]

One purchase, or even 100 (which is about all the sales left in this community) does not a "commercially viable" product make.

People still buy C64's and Jeri's Joysticks.  Doesn't make them commercially viable either.  

Makes it a hobby niche computer at best.  I truly wish I still felt the internal need to own one, but my money is better spent on the bike.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,

Didn't Jeri sell like over a  million of those C64 Joysticks on QVC? I think we might all be surprised the number of lurkers that hold Amiga fondly in their hearts who would buy a new computer if it was released. A lot of it depends on price point that they can achieve and if they can get a modern web browser on it. Why is porting Firefox so hard?

-Nyle

[Nlandas]

An Amiga in a joystick might sell.  
It used to be fun when the Amiga was cutting edge, but it isn't, to borrow from another thread, the whole idea of snapshots in 2009 is a bit like film cameras.  In order to build apps for the Amiga you have to start from scratch, iPhone gives you all the tools, if I want to add a browser bit to my App calls to the Safari  api are right there.  And the OS doesn't help you and without memory protection it actually fights you at times.

Sorry about the rant...

Wasn't someone working on an IDE for Amiga? I thought I read something about it being good and that Amiga, Inc. hired him to continue developing it. He seemed like a really good guy.

With a quality IDE for new new AmigaOS it might be easier to port/develop applications for it. No?

[Nlandas]

It was some good number, but you're forgetting one very important point.

Jeri didn't build a computer.  She built a way to play all your old favorite C64 games in a joystick form.  

True but it could also be used as a computer with some modifications. Hi-Toro originally was tasked with building a game machine and Jay Minor had the vision to say, let's make it a computer that plays games.

Unless that machine is comparable to what is currently available in the PC and/or Mac world both on a price and performance level, then I'm afraid you'd be in for a bit of disappointment.

Most people cannot fathom paying $2k (or even 1k)+ for a desktop machine with an unsupported OS that runs slower than their $399 laptop from Dell.  Dedicated hobbyists, sure, but they're not "normal" where the average computer buyer is concerned.

Why does it have to cost $2K. If they'd use off the shelf components they could certainly get the cost down significantly.

Build the Amiga on a joystick, add in the top 50 games and/or a way to import them off of SD memory card and yeah, it'd sell a few hundred thousand at best, but that's still not enough, because it's sales/impact would be a short-lived event and there's not much to follow that up with...

I agree, don't make an Amiga joystick - make a modern computer with AmigaOS. With a full IDE and get developers to port software.

Everyone these days wants real computers, or wants popular and expandable game consoles (XBox PS3, Wii, etc) but no one wants an underpowered, overpriced desktop solution with zero software support.

I'll have to disagree that any Amiga solution by nature has to be over priced and underpowered. Firstly, AmigaOS is hardly as bloated as other leading OSs. It doesn't require as much horse power to run to begin with. Besides, if they can use readily available off the shelf components why does it have to be overpriced, underpowered, etc.

I think we've all become really jaded. I'd love to see a new complete system with IDE. I'd be happy to have AmigaOS running Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice. Then I'd work towards other applications on it. The bottom line is, I've never been happy with any other Operating System and I've used a lot of them.

Sorry to be so brutal, and yes, you'd think as "the Amiga.org guy" I'd be a little more supportive, but I've been fighting this fight to no avail for 15 years now and still no one (except maybe Dammy and AROS) "gets it".

I understand being tired. I understand it's not easy to enter into a saturated market where PC hardware is now a commodity. I certainly understand how you feel. I know it's an Amiga comeback would be nigh imossible but you know what.

I am still interested. Bring it on, show me something new - Show me an OS that looks good but is still streamilined and it doesn't feel like the machine is designed to run the OS, the OS is just there as part of the machine to run the software.

I'm ready, if it actually happens - I'm there and I know that many other old time Amiga fans are still watching, waiting and hoping for something concrete.

[Nlandas]

I can't disagree with any of that.

I guess my major concern is that some folks simply cannot get past "Amiga is the next big thing and will totally pwn Microsoft". It's offputting to people interested in trying it out as a retro system.

Who said it had to "pwn" Microsoft. I still think there is room for a niche platform with an innovative that's marketed well and spans several niche areas. Yes, the current OS still needs development. Yes, it would require investment. I understand Amiga, Inc. has taken us no where. I also understand that many people don't want to develop software for free. Although, there were certainly a lot of people like that back in the day. There still are in the Open Source community - so I find it hard to "be realistic" and give up.

Hyperion has at least tried to continue developing the OS. It would be nice to not see all of the Amiga legacy be only a retro hobby computer. It would be nice to see it even as a minor Alternative platform. Do I trust Amiga, Inc. to do it - not by a long shot but it's amazing to me that so many people don't want to even dream anymore.

Is Linux(UNIX)/BSD(Mac OSX) and Windows really the best the OS world has to offer. If so, it doesn't look like I'll see an innovative OS again in my lifetime and that is truly sad.

...and how in the world does someone dreaming of seeing an AmigaOS based OS running on new hardware keep anyone from getting into retro Amiga? OI!

Oh, well - I didn't start this thread to have so many depressing discussions. I was only curious if anyone had heard any news on the lawsuit. Apparently, other than that they are in negotiations - no one has anything concrete on the subject.