Top 5 reasons for persisting with Amiga

[nbarnes]

All, I need some reasons other than nostalgia for obtaining OS3,4 or whatever. What's unique about it?
Somebody sell it to me (I haven't used anything since a500 days). I WANT to use it (for reasons that escape me) but I don't know if it's going to be worth the effort.
In short, is OS4 (or 3.9) any good or not?
Could somebody summarize it's good points?

[Varthall]

Easy, just check these two pages, they summarize Amiga's strenghts quite well:

The 20 Features of OS4:
http://www.amigaos4.com/index.php%3Foption=content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=.html

The 20 Reasons to use OS4:
http://www.amigaos4.com/index.php%3Foption=content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=.html

Varthall

[stopthegop]

1. You command it, not the other way around.  
2. Small, lightweight and efficient.
3. No DRM bs.
4. No irritating nags.
5. Doesn't "require" a gig of RAM just to run it.
6. Doesn't "require" massive HW upgrades to "handle it".  
7. No byzantine registration procedures.  Just load and go.
8. Can easily use bootable drive on any another Amiga.
9. Doesn't leave fingerprints all over the net like windoze
10. No registry.  
11. Don't need any kind of "training" or "certification"
12. Bootable ROM.
13. Minimal if non-existant virus or spyware threat.
14. OS and most apps. are small in size and very fast.
15. True multitasking.
16. Much faster boot times.  
17. Instantly responsive to user input.
18. Installs in 5 minutes, not 2 hrs.
19. You don't have to call and ask permission to use it.  
20. Won't appear to "get slower" as you install more apps
21. Doesn't "require" massive vmem partition just to run.
22. Totally modular.
23. Documentation is comprehensive and easy to obtain.
24. Very easy to get custom look and feel.
25. Fast, even on very modest hardware.    

[keropi]

I was wondering, can you do a simple task in OS4 , like watching a YouTube video? (simple and nothing special on a windows pc, but can OS4 do it?)

[bloodline]

I can't really think of 5 reasons, but I still use my Amigas for music production...All my early work is on Amiga formatted drives and needs Amiga software to view... And I stay with AROS because it's fun and that's where my history is, I grew up with Amiga OS, it was my main system for 10 years. It's nice to remember why I got into computers, and it's nice to see how far they've come!

nbarnes wrote:
All, I need some reasons other than nostalgia for obtaining OS3,4 or whatever. What's unique about it?
Somebody sell it to me (I haven't used anything since a500 days). I WANT to use it (for reasons that escape me) but I don't know if it's going to be worth the effort.
In short, is OS4 (or 3.9) any good or not?
Could somebody summarize it's good points?

I had 2 very interesting conversations recently. One with a man who used to repair and service all sorts of Commodore computers including the Amiga for just about 20 years. The other with a man I met 15 years ago who's running a 3D creation business and still using the Amiga 4000.

Our conclusion was that the Amiga democratised the ability to produce TV and movie quality graphics.

It brought to the public at large the ability to produce quality material previosuly reserved to a very wealthy corporate elite.

Windows came along afterwards and continued the trend but the starting point for publicly available multimedia production capability was the Amiga. Most people doing this sort of work on the PC today used to have Amigas at some point in the past.

That is why the Amiga platform is the most "experienced" environment for multimedia production.

[stopthegop]

Keropi:

Depends of the type of file.  I am able to view .avi, .qt, .mov, or .mpg on my big box with OS3.9 without any problem.  I can't do .wmv or .mp4 files, but that is not because of a hardware limitation or a limitation of the OS.  If someone wrote a program to interpert these files, then I'm sure it would work.    

[Colani1200]

keropi wrote:
I was wondering, can you do a simple task in OS4 , like watching a YouTube video? (simple and nothing special on a windows pc, but can OS4 do it?)

You're mixing up the OS itself and applications installed on top of it (the same mistake Microsoft continuously makes with every new version of their Windows crap). So, if you could convince Adobe to port their flash plugin to OS4, you'd be able to watch youtube videos as well.

[Varthall]

keropi wrote:
I was wondering, can you do a simple task in OS4 , like watching a YouTube video? (simple and nothing special on a windows pc, but can OS4 do it?)

Yes: http://os4depot.net/index.php?function=showfile&file=network/browser/ib_youtube.lha

Varthall

[James]

Amiga doesn't do anything that can't be done faster, easier and better on other platforms at the moment. So no, there are no reasons to persist.

I love the classic amiga and I still use it (professionally if you can believe that) every day. But all this 0S4 nonsense is a joke. With Windows, OSX, Linux, NetBSD and many others available to you for the x86, plus the fact that the hardware is available pretty much anywhere for very few dollars, why bother?

And also, the company is run by people who couldn't deliver a toast on time if you cooked the bread for them.

Top 5 reasons to get OS4:
1- You are tech-oriented and would like to fiddle with a new toy and contribute little snippets of code to try to bring the OS up to par with the rest.
2- errr.. that's it.

As much as I would like to use a modern Amiga... there is none in existence. The latest incarnation of the OS is designed to run on dated hardware, that costs an arm and a leg to buy because there is so little demand for it. I love the OS structure, and how simple and efficient it is for the task it is able to perform, but I just can't see it cope with the increasing complexity of modern computer usage.

[redrumloa]

To be different for the sake of being different?

No but seriously, in 2007 I cannot tink of a valid arguement to using the Amiga as a primary computer :-( If you don't mean as a primary computer, sure there are reasons to use the Amiga. The Amiga is still the Amiga, it can be pleasant to use as a retro/hobbyist system.

[nbarnes]

I think James has hit the nail on the head there.

For people to come "back" to Amiga is going to require something a bit special and from what I can see...OS4 isn't special enough.

I think, sadly, Amiga is dead.

[TheWizard]

James wrote:
Amiga doesn't do anything that can't be done faster, easier and better on other platforms at the moment. So no, there are no reasons to persist.

Well...I agree that one should not use the Amiga as their main system at the moment, it's just the "easier and better" part I don't agree with.:-(

The Wizard

[keropi]

totally agree with James...

[cv643d]

Yeah,,,  time will tell if OS4 and the new hardware can capture the same magic that classic Amiga have.

I have been playing with the idea of having an OS4 machine. Would I use it seriously?

No, not at all sadly :lol:

But it would be cool to see Workbench on a faster CPU. I just wonder if you will be able to run MWB on it. It seems soon the PPC port for classic Amiga will be ready and I will try it out then :-)