Commodore USA's Final Challenge to the Community

[ShapeShifter]

I can understand the anger and frustration here, but it's based on the fact that Commodore USA haven't delivered on what the community want, correct? So, leaving aside the past for a second, I have to commend the fact CUSA at least are asking the question, and seem to be indicating that if it's something they're able to do, they will do it.  So whether it'll happen or not, I'm just going to post what I'm looking for as a 'dream system' and what I  think a lot of others are looking for, too.

@ BigBenAussie
Take something like the FPGA Replay, with full 68K + AGA chipset support in hardware (not emulation), and put this inside a stylish case, with an Amiga 4000 style keyboard (perhaps in black?).  On the SD card/hard disk, install a heavily enhanced AmigaOS 3.9 with all the trimmings (with AmigaSYS, or AmiKit etc. installed.)

For added brownie points, work with a skilled engineer like Mike Johnson, or the NatAmi team, and see if you can design a 'Super Amiga' which can meld the Classic and NG Amiga systems together.  My dream machine would have a fully 68K-compatble CPU onboard (soft core) operating at speeds far exceeding what an 040/060 could achieve.  It would have ECS/AGA chipset support in softcore too so that it's able to run Amiga software of the past at maximum velocity.

Then, get an OS4 license and work with the Hyperion team to fully support your new system; add a PowerPC CPU capable of running OS4/apps to the board (you could work with MikeJ or Jakub/Yacubed to design a PPC CPU expansion for the Replay's daughterboard.)  Then, in time, the Hyperion guys could enhance OS4, so that it would utilise the classic HW plus PPC, and all applications - whether 68K or PPC - would simply run as a native application, all within the same environment - no UAE/emulation.  The user wouldn't know the difference.  

Quite simply, everything would run, and would run as fast as it's possible to run - either 68K/ECS/AGA or PPC/RTG -  from the oldest Amiga program to the latest PowerPC release, all from the same OS environment, with no emulation.  That would be my goal; could you work with the players to make all that happen..? THAT would excite a lot of people, I'm sure!

[ShapeShifter]

Well, it's as much that they've been openly snide and hostile towards anybody who doesn't agree with their direction - Leo has sneered about how "this is the new future of Commodore, and you just need to get over it," and Barry has...well, you can take your pick of things Barry's said. Even people who come in with honest questions and no axe to grind have gotten this treatment.

Ah, yeah.  I can see how that would rather 'rub people the wrong way'.  

My suggestion remains however.  The Amiga world still needs somebody to put out a modern machine with modern features which nonetheless brings it's history along with it in a seamless fashion.  A machine capable of outperforming any classic model Amiga whilst running classic apps, and yet also capable of running the latest and greatest software via modern CPUs.

I'd like to see a Workbench/OS4 which seamlessly executes classic software alongside NG software without the need for any JIT or UAE emulation.  Double-click an icon, and whether it's a 68K or PPC app, it opens and runs the same - the user can't tell the difference.  The only difference which should be noticeable from e.g. running the same app on an A4000 is that it's running in OS4, and that it's running a lot faster than the fastest 68K classic Amiga.

[ShapeShifter]

Natami (and other FPGA-Projects) are not using the old circuits and just  add a little, they reimplement the behavior. From the view of OS and  Applications there is no difference, but in reality it is complete new.

FPGA implementation is also a bridge to the future.  It allows us to take the older technology (68K/AGA), enhance it (faster blitter ops, better speeds, more CHIP RAM, etc), and implement this onto a motherboard with more modern technology.  This is the whole appeal to me.  We aren't dumping the past to embrace the future, or living in the past by ignoring the future.  

Take a Replay, implement a 060+ speed 68K CPU with AGA+ and RTG fully implemented in soft core.  Now add to that the latest PPC CPU.  Then speak to Hyperion and get them to add support for the Replay soft core, so that OS4 can run legacy programs as native apps under OS4.  

Bingo! You have a modern machine, with a modern CPU, capable of running legacy apps natively (no emulation) at speeds hitherto undreamt of.  Classic Amigans get the best 68K-style 'real' Amiga possible, and everyone gets the latest technology.