We just posted this on another thread, but it seems relevant here too.
...we are thinking that the whole "value" proposition is changing. With the emphasis on the speed of the CPU and the size of the memory, the computer became an end in itself and not a means to an end. While being a “fashion statement” could also be enviable (we actually saw a 50+ year old wearing a mobile in a designer case on a colorful cord around her neck recently), to the market we are targeting this is not yet our ambition. G3 or G4? Who cares! What can you do is the issue (G-Force does not sound too bad though). How about a “G”bit Ethernet channel (or three in the northbridge)?
Seriously, the domination of Windows and the “personal computer” itself have pushed the average user away from understanding what is really “under the hood.” Most computer users have a superficial knowledge of what makes what they do work and the relationship between “man and machine” ends at the GUI. OK, someday we need to deliver exactly that “simplicity” to the market, but today, we have to focus on niches. For example, there will not be memory protection in MorphOS for some time, but we are not targeting MorphOS at either the server or the desktop for the mass-market, so while this will come in the QBox, it is not a feature and consequently they are not markets we are focused on (for MorphOS). On the other hand, Debian and Gentoo users like the Pegasos very much and have different aspirations for the platform. We are hoping that the OpenBSD port attracts plenty of interest too. Our first strike in the market is toward “techies” and “geeks,” who know what they are getting into and want something different NOW. They are the artist/creator/engineer types that can write their own programs and still know how to make a computer, a television or a stereo do what they want it to do (at home with a soldiering iron if necessary!). Ultimately, it will be those people that help us carry the message to the masses, because they will have helped us create it.
And, one more thing about MorphOS...until we feel MorphOS has all the features in needs to be sold, it will not be. Anyone who buys a Pegasos will get it along free upgrades until then. When we feel it is ready, we will release it to a broader market. Will we do our best to provide "retro-support" too, but we cannot do everything at once and we are focused on the Pegasos for the moment. ;-)
Best regards,
Raquel and Bill :-)