MorphOS for AmigaONE

[Warface]

Eyetech and Hyperion have to pay license fees + expenses, while Genesi only has to deal with expenses. Money wise Genesi is the winner, however Eyetech and Hyperion has a name, which cannot be underestimated.

I see both OS-es only slighly different solutions of the same goal.

There are some questions though.

If it wasn't for AmigaOS4, would anyone purchase the AmigaONE just because the Amiga name? I doubt that. Eyetech depends on Hyperion not to make AmigaOS4 available for the Pegasos.

Having AmigaOS4 and MorphOS available on both platform with the current pricing - someone is deep in the water. Why all this won't happen? It's because Amiga Inc - to whom (I presume) a major part of license fees go.

Concerning MorphOS we have to face 2 important facts (both sides): circumstances given, in case of an agreement, it could have been _the_ new AmigaOS. That is one important fact to note. The other, not less important fact to note is: regardless of that, it isn't.

Having MorphOS for the AmigaONE means more MorphOS users, and less Pegasos users. Pegasos sales mean money to Genesi. Free MorphOS sales are not.

The only way I see it as a viable solution: having a commercial version of MorphOS available for AmigaONE owners for a specified price. (Something close to OS4 prices)

One question remains though - will it be enough compensation for them being generous and sharing their product (the major selling point for the Pegasos) with the "other" side?

Genesi is majorly a hardware company. The question is almost the same as for Eyetech - (putting Amiga Inc aside for a moment) - would Eyetech agree with having a commercial version of OS4 available for the Pegasos? I doubt that.

I am not CEO of any of the entities above. So reality check may show the problem can be solved - or not, we will see.

Sorry for the long post and my english :-)

[Warface]

I also think Genesi missed the boat by not licensing AmigaOS for the Pegasos boards. Hyperion does not really care who they make the OS for. They just want to sell copies of the OS.

I recall some troubles with the HW protection scheme (and exclusivity?) and some other maybe.

However, given the circumstances changed (Amiga Inc is in desperate need of income), if say dynamic piece USB dongled agreement can be reached with Amiga Inc/Hyperion and payment can be arranged so, that Genesi only pays after sold OS4 copies, and the license fee could be included in the "OS4 for Pegasos" price.... Now that'd be a solution.

Or even better, leaving Genesi partly out of the business: what about Hyperion setting a number, the number of guaranteed sales they'd develop a Pegasos version for. Then either Genesi or a 3rd person organizing a preorder campaign, with no money involved untill the Pegasos version of OS4 is available, yet guaranteeing the sales when it will be available.

That way only those users (sufficient or not) will be involved who would like to have OS4 as one of the many operating systems on their Pegasos. No ridiculous hassle and prepayment for Genesi, fix income for Hyperion for a little work (modification of the HAL)

Any objections to that from either parties? I bet, unless the number is intentionally irrational, it can be met.

[Warface]

Sorry for replying to my own post, but I left out something, which may save Eyetech - having a Pegasos OS4 version you will have two options.

Running AmigaOS4 on a say... err... what's that name... Yeah, Pegasos.

Running AmigaOS4 on an AmigaONE.

I bet the latter will be sufficient reason for many to pay a little more, for a machine bearing THE name.

[Warface]

Again, you should know, shouldn't you?

Nothing against you personally, but I'm pretty fed up with "answers" like that. This comes from all triarchy "officials" to serious questions. Something progressive instead?

[Warface]

As things are now (rather different from the situation even months or years ago):

- AFAIK Amiga Inc is short on money
- there are already Pegasos machines out there, demanding a motherboard modification is ridiculous

Question is:

As the return of the cost of an USB dongle for each copy and the cost of development can be guaranteed with a preorder scheme (involving no money untill the product is ready) (at least as methinks), is it a possible alternative?

Some reaction from those involved? Or prepayment is essential?

[Warface]

/me waves! :-)

Hello! Instead of blaming the users for their not-so-well-informedness, some answers to my questions? :-)

[Warface]

The Pegasos I is a discontinued product which has no future and a permanently fixed userbase.

Let's talk about Pegasos then, not Pegasos I.

"Only 600"

Given the number of AmigaONE's sold (of which I have no information, but I doubt that it's many times more than 600) - you are developing for it nevertheless. There will be future Pegasos users as well. An answer please? What number is needed for a port if 600 is not sufficient?

EDIT

A little more progressive answers - instead of reasons why we won't it'd be nicer to hear the conditions you can say yes to.

Untill that it's all about "We won't, and let that be enough". I'm pretty sure if you ask you will receive documentation for the Pegasos.

[Warface]

But I won't be commenting on that until such time as the hardware is actually commercially released.

Thank you for the answer :-) May I re-ask it then when either OS4 or the Pegasos II is released?

[Warface]

bbrv wrote:
@all interested

If there is a broad desire to have MorphOS running on the A1 we can organize the production of a free demonstration MorphOS CD.

Please send us an email to bbrv@genesi.lu if you have an interest.

Alternately, the tools could be provided for those that wish to flash back and forth at their own risk.  We have had at least two very capable developers suggest they are ready to do this.

Sincerely,
Raquel and Bill  :-)

Now that's what I call an answer...

-EDIT-

And I have to admit, the idea of a free demonstration version is better than each I have came up with. Please Hyperion, can we have a similar demoversion of OS4 for the Pegasos too?

It's the best way to show the users of the other side what they are missing out.

[Warface]

Waste of time and money if you ask me.

I disagree with. Polls are just polls. Many ignore the polls, some may vote multiple times, whatever - polls are mostly unreliable.

And such a demonstration compilation can be used on a variety of PPC systems - I think not even Apple will mind/can do nothing about a "Buy a Pegasos because we have this" MorphOS demonstration CD.

[Warface]

They are useless if only a small amount of people cast vote, just like in real life political polls.

In real life polls it's unlikely that you can cast your vote twice :-)

However, I respect Genesi for the opportunity, and I hope that there will be many AmigaONE users asking them so, and a demo version of MorphOS for the AmigaONE will born soon.

It will cost them nothing but an email, and a bit of open mindedness.

[Warface]

I haven't seen the AmigaONE boot, yet I think the boot handling part is a "the less I see it the better" thing.

So it has absolutely no interest of the user, unless something gone way wrong. If you can then fix it, then good. If not, then bad bad bad.

[Warface]

olegil wrote:
@Warface:

I think Frodon means that since HE doesn't like to have a GUI, _I_ shouldn't be allowed to type "menu" if I want to move IRQs or change the boot arguments or something. Quite normal in the Amiga "community". See it all the time.

"We don't want configurable options, we want MY preferred settings burned into the ROM!!!"

Yep, that's the attitude ;-)

At first I think that was Frodon's own opinion. Maybe he likes OF better because he uses that. And you like UBoot better because you use that.

In my opinion (as an Amiga user) VGA character screens suxx. I'd like to haveAmiga like graphical GUI's - but I bet it's a dream given the circumstances, just like having a custom graphic chip architecture.

[Warface]

And here we go to the schizophrenia part of the story as some people of the MorpOS side claim how great their system is and on the other hand blame Hyperion for not porting OS4 to their system.

No, it's not a contradiction. Yet I see, many OS4 ppl has the "one machine one OS" approach, which is about to change with the AmigaONE/Pegasos. I already use 3 different OS - depending on what I'd like to do, and which is best for the purpose.

OS4 is among many, and Pegasos users would like to see it beside MorphOS (and the rest) and not instead of it.