poweramiga2002 wrote:
not knowing is worse than having a date even if the date is out by a few weeks, so at least bolster us up a little and give us some positive news ppl
Eyetech simply has no way of knowing any better than anybody else when the Teron PX will be finished (in a state suitable for shipping to end-customers - fully tested, with finished firmware, FCC-approved... Oh yeah, AInc's rigorous QA testing too... Heh), and Hyperion luckily don't want to promise anything beyond "when it's ready" regarding AmigaOS4.
So I have to say that your comment looks an awful lot like "please tell us some more nonsense dates made up on the spot AGAIN, because we're happier to be told lies as usual than you simply saying 'we don't know'".
I don't remember if it was on Moo Bunny or ANN or here that I saw a good post on "spoiling" as a marketing method:
"Product X will be ready on YYYY-MM, honest."
"Wait, it'll be ready on YYYY-MM +x, no need to look at the competition... On schedule and rocking!"
"Just hold on, it'll be ready on YYYY-MM +x+y, and we have decided to add this great feature. It's a bonus, folks!"
"Don't go anywhere! It'll be out on YYYY-MM +x+y+z, cross my heart! And just look at these new features we have written on this list!"
Et cetera.
Personally I prefer the Hyperion way ("when it's ready") over what I think it looks like you're suggesting. I'm sure that no efforts will be spared to announce a slightly more accurate release date prediction once it's actually possible to do such a thing. As far as we have been told they're still "beta testing" separate components and still adding and developing new ones.
OTOH, I hope that Hyperion themselves, internally, at least have set goals and are at least closing in on or at long last have completed a feature freeze, even if they don't dare to disclose those goals to the public (for fear of breaking them, like with most software products, and the inevitable scorn for doing so).