Questions for you (amiga-project)

[Cymric]

AmiDelf wrote:
Only seriouse answeres will be taken. Please answere. Negative responces to this will be ignored. [... questions snipped ...] We hope to get good answers. All negative sugestions against this project, will be ignored. We want to know what you want. We want to know how this project should go on.

How nice. I'm sure the project is in good hands with an attitude like that.

I think that this is the first time ever, when a community tougether makes a new Amiga. I know that AmigaOne and PegasosII will be good alternatives. But this project aim is to give Amigans what they allways wanted. The NeXT Amiga!

If you could explain in somewhat greater detail what this 'NeXT Amiga' is supposed to do, or why the AmigaOne or Pegasos II are not 'NeXT Amigas', I can write down serious and non-negative answers to your questionnaire. Unfortunately I have a nagging feeling I am not going to get an answer, ever. I should probably stop responding altogether.

[Cymric]

bloodline wrote:
While I have similar feelings, I think you should give serious answeres to this thread. If nothing else it will allow us to disscuss the relative merits of each others thoughts :-)

Yeah, true. But it all feels very silly, doesn't it? Nevertheless, since AmiDelf insists on serious answers, I'll present him with mine in my next post.

[Cymric]

Keeping in mind that I have no idea as to what the 'new Amiga' is supposed to be good or excel at, here is my own serious reply:

1. Given the choice between the two, I'd probably go for ATX + custom PowerVR graphics chipset. It's less complex to design, and has well-known form factors. Personally I'd want a micro-ATX form factor. Small, lean and mean.

2. For now, AOS4, by a small margin. Personally, I'd opt for AROS: the project is community-driven meaning that the use of closed-source, proprietary software would be difficult to say the least.

3. No Zorro-slots, not even as an option. Zorro is woefully inadequate and outdated. It served its purpose at the time, and should now be allowed an honorable retirement.

4. No special-purpose connectors whatsoever for common input peripherals. I want to use stuff which doesn't give me RSI, and I want to have a healthy choice in models too.

5. PS/2 and USB. PS/2 is considered to be 'legacy' but I can live with such a small connector (or two).

6. No special-purpose input peripherals whatsoever, save for, perhaps, a game pad or game controller. Stuff breaks down, and there's a far better choice in PC-style keyboards (My mouse and keyboard are wireless, for example. That's bliss---no more cables messing up my desktop.)

7. I don't know what the merits of each chip are, so I'm going to pass. Personally, I feel that a graphics chip(set) should be backed by a manufacturer who doesn't require you to sign an NDA in order to get developer documents. This is not because I'm an open software proponent; it's just far less hassle in a community project.

8. Puh-lease. The Real Next Amiga is going to be fitted in the custom designed shell of an Imperial Destroyer (see here) or, for those with less time on their hands (like poor Bloodline) a Millennium Falcon (see here). Now that is a case I'd love to have on my desk!

9. 500 dollars max.

10. You can't use the name 'Amiga' for obvious legal reasons. That's a sad fact of life. So instead choose something new and snazzy. I don't know a good alternative, but let me ponder for a while.

11. Bad idea, see 10.

12. The kind of company with way too much cash to spare, a soft spot for the old Amiga, and a desire to do something completely whacky.

[Cymric]

After reading through all the answers given in this thread I have come to the conclusion that the 'NeXT Amiga' AmiDelf is looking for is in fact an AmigaOne or Pegasos with a PowerVR-based graphics card. All given answers are remarkably similar; differences are easily resolved.

Privately, I think that the whole idea was about creating a machine which allowed people to take explicit control of the hardware again. I would consider that experience part of the vaunted 'Amiga feeling' which was supposed to be recreated. The funny thing is that it is still possible: nothing is stopping you from hacking up your own fully customised OS on stock PC hardware, and 'taking over the machine' whenever you feel like doing so. It would mean you learn i386- or PPC-assembly (which in my opinion look quirky compared to m68k-code), but that is a small price to pay. Of course, much of the hardware would be undocumented, but that never stopped demo and game programmers from mucking about with AGA.