new AmigaOS feature requests

[DonnyEMU]

Things I want to see in a new AmigaOS..

1) a new unified driver model that supports 64bit and 128 bit OS..

2) Amiga Update online (like Windows Update) keep up to date with stuff..

3) Better 3D support (not just openGL) but a 3d UI and up-to-date 3d cards..

4) driver roll back model (one touch rollback) and system rollback.

5) Software add remove from prefs.. A unified place to uninstall software

what new would you like to see?

[DonnyEMU]

As President Reagan used to say.. "There you go again"..

I used to work for an Amiga dealer and I can think of hundreds of examples where some special library wasn't installed or some device wasn't functional because they installed a bad driver (Supra Hard Drives and C'Ltd.) were the worst for this. Even with Autoconfig some memory expansions and accelerators required more than addmem and the 68040 library to get working again..  

That was when you coud walk in to a store buy new hardware not thru mail order or on e-bay and have a dealer to support you.

There is a whole site full of just Amiga install disk sets out there with the latest drivers etc. there.

 I know several folks out there who couldn't get their Amiga USB or ethernet card working because they had out of date libraries (ARP, ARQ, or how about missing MCC files)..

You don't have to be brain dead to realize that the need for an enhanced installer that keeps a record of all files that have been changed and could roll you back to the previous configuration (returning your OS startup sequence to the way it was Not just an Uninstall, but an archive) might be a good thing..  Especially supporting high resolution graphics cards.  Here's a did you know, I was at Microsoft Meltdown 2003 and listening to the QA staff of LucasArts giving a presentation. One of the facts they quoted is they have to support over 41 major graphics cards that are PCI right now with different capabilities per each card. If the AmigaOne is PCI you guys will be in that same mess ;-)

My tech support hell I remember when I was the manager of an Amiga dealer was talking someone over the phone how to use ED and the CLI..

If you think Amiga's just have "one file" that needs to be changed or replaced back, then there is some history that you need to be filled in on.. I am sure that this kinda thing doesn't change in the future. Plus how many people have "aminet" replacements for commands etc. in their system that have minor incompatibilities etc.  

If the Amiga is to come back and have "new" users that are not intimate with the system OS at the command line level, which we are all hoping for, then there needs to be some sort of enhancement like I talked about, or some "safe mode" that users can fall back to if their drivers fail to work etc.

I am all for an "Amiga Update" online as better versions of what you have on your machine is available they are smart enough to get placed in your machine automatically. For my work machine I'd never go back to not having "automatic updates"
of my virus checker brain files, my OS libs etc..

There needs to be one place that will install these automatically. And that's not rocket science.. In fact I think Innovatronics long ago announced something like "amiga washer" or something like that..

Having online updating is not there because you have crappy coders or a flawed OS.. it's there so that you can keep up-to-date without thinking about it.

How silly thinking a release code product is bug free or will never need changes.. I would like to see the number of bugs hyperion has on the "bug testing database" that they actually release OS 4 with. I would bet you that it's higher than anyone will actually admit to. There are always a certain number of bugs in any software project that are unavoidable and low priority fixes.

 I also have been using an Amiga since V27.3 Kickstart, and I well remember the OS swallowing memory and not giving it back, and "Amiga_Fireworks_Mode", which was pretty spectacular. You can't program without oddities and quirks appearing.. If you tell me that, you aren't a good developer. You can keep them down however.

If Hyperion were smart they'd set up "Amiga Update" on a website (with an automatic script) and charge yearly membership to updates and open it to the entire development community who might wanna offer updates and patches online..

What an idea, and it makes money after the fact.. Hmm... Could I be on to something?

[DonnyEMU]

If you think about the diversity of hardware that windows update runs on and the mix and match of the hardware etc, it's actually great. I will also defend this in saying that most folks in the USA are on cable/DSL which makes windows update mostly instantaneous.

Windows update is there to me for the most serious architecture problems. The service pack release downloads are available and HOTFIXES work great..

You really need to be on a non-dial up system like most US computer users to see the speed and beauty of windows update or even symantec's live update.  Sorry you are stuck with Dial-in.. I guess we are pretty lucky here.. If it makes you feel any better I doubt an "Amiga Update" would have as many problems due to code size differences etc, or take as long to download.

With windows having to support everything in the world and a bazillion pc makers, it's much more difficult to claim all bugs are fixed or that manufacturers coming out with other stuff wont introduce more with new products. If you think about how many hardware folks are in the ball game it's a wonder that anything runs at all..

But I have had flawless updating with windows updates.

[DonnyEMU]

Ooh you mentioned Multi-cast.. Set my router afire and call Cisco for a firmware update.  I used to work for MediaOne, a US-based Cable Internet provider. I was their regional webmaster. Yeah they don't exist anymore (swallowed up att-comcast), but they basically were one of the innovators behind cable internet delivery. We set up multi-cast  on-demand delivery of hockey games and other local programming very early on as test of the technology.  It was generation one streaming and yes it wasn't the best but it worked..

Now you talk to someone about multi-cast and network admins start locking down routers etc.. It's a sad world we live in where you can't even do regional delivery like this, due to corporate worries of  1) Litigation 2) profit model still not proven 3) Admins worried about bandwidth suckage 4) Admins being very selective with their routings.

The reality is that it's there, but the big companies of television (and their cohorts the cable companies) won't do it because they are worried what that might do to Television as MP3s and DivX and VCD/MPEGs have done to movies.

Imagine people watching tv on their computer screens and not on their TVs.. Someone's out money, plus interactive programming.. Scarey new world huh... On demand programming from the source eliminating the need for TV stations, a program could be found at a website for the download (or streaming)