Opinion Article : Amiga DE a Good Idea, Poor Execution

[downix]

I would disagree with you Alix...

but only about it being a "unique" idea.  

I pointed out that the same business plan that Amiga persued was done
before, and by companies with tens of millions to burn on R&D costs
alone.

Don't forget the Ada companies from the 80's that promiced "this
technology will reshape the world."  or the companies that hit upon
Java with the gusto of a grade school musical play.  They all forgot
one fundimental problem:

TECHNOLOGY DOES NOT MAKE A COMPANY.

A business needs business-ideas and business-applications to survive.
These are transparent to whatever technology you use to win your
market share.  Amiga came along with Tao's technology and went "we
wave the magic wand and poof, market will be created." So, when it
didn't... they failed.  

The "service-oriented" business that they tried to model themselves on
is the TOUGHEST one out there, as any restauranteer could tell you.
The easiest businesses are the ones with physical product, the
producers and manufacturers, as there is always something physical to
see.

THey took the hardest approach to business, and trusted to the tornado
to make them succeed.

[downix]

@samdu

That's the arguement given for every time someone comes up with a
"write once, run everywhere" idea.  The thing hasn't flown in the 30+
years of people pushing for it.

As for Windows NT/2k/XP kernel, it's actually based on OS/2's kernel.
If I recall, there was an article that showed an almost 80%
compatability between NT 3.1's kernel and OS/2's 2.5 kernel.

[downix]

Hey Wayne, seen Tao's latest partner?

Midway games

Tao's Intent is at the core of Defender 2003.

[downix]

@Francis

Saw the Intent logo on that new Defender game from Midway.  Way to go
guys.

PS, tell JT hi for me.

[downix]

@JohnHarris

The idea behind Intent is good, but blaming the crash of the tech
sector is improper.  Intent is good, in it's place.  There are certain
things it should not and could not do.  Francis will agree with me
there that using Intent as, say a Server OS is highly risky and rather
suspect.

A good approach for Amiga, using Intent, would have been to focus more
on delivering a new platform for Intent, rather than trying to turn
Intent into a new platform.  Porting Intent to a PPC-native AmigaOS,
say by working with the MorphOS crew, could have solved many issues
with Intent.  Running a seperate copy of Intent in each program would
have allowed for MP while keeping VP, just produce a lower-level IPC
framework (ARexx-port replacement) for all programs to take advantage
of, and viola, you've got a virtual-processor MP situation.  (I know,
it's more complex than that, but it can be done like thus)

But that didn't happen, did it?  As is, Intent is still a nice
technology looking for it's chamption.