Eyetech CEO Clarifies AmigaOne/OS4.0 Announcement

[Argo]

okay, i should have read not skimmed. But bassically what I thought. Still a well phased question to the right person might help make things abit more clearer.

Ever catch any of the educational programs on Voice of America (short wave)?  The do educational programs in science, math, english, etc. broadcast to third world and non engish speaking counties. they us a verion of english call simple english IE. no big words, I don't think they us more than 2 or 3 syllable words and talk in a slow meter. I think announcements to the "Amiga Community" should be done this way. It might actually help.

[Argo]

selling short?

Stand, Walk, Run..  We haven't even got to stand yet.... though in a month or so we should be walking abit.

[Argo]

Why should people read? When they can take out all the verbs, nouns, and adjetives and make up their own MadLib announoucement.

[Argo]

Without approved hardware how will you know if it will work on the hardware you choose. Are you willing the be the first to waste the money to prove that some piece of hardware will or will not work with the OS? How many PPC motherboards are there out on the market to buy? (not including Mac, though I bet some one will try)

No, but the Spirit dies with out it. I think it lives in the "Amiga Community" members. Where would the platform (software) be with out users?

[Allen]

Seehund...easy mister!

You do have a point.  But maybe Amiga should walk before it can run...by that I mean we all (almost) agree that the hardware of the AmigaG3 is dated...

What company would want to be seen to make dated hardware?

We know that the hardware must have a ROM chip licensed from Amiga Inc.

What company would want to make proprietry hardware?

We know the market for this item is tiny...

What company would want a piece of this small market?

Who really cares about/is interested in/is investing in the Amiga OS 4.0/G3 anyhow..?  Anyone from outside the community..?

I agree with you in that being able to install Amiga OS on any avaliable hardware would be cool...but who given all the points above would make it?

Give Amiga Inc some more time and wait for OS5.0

Allen

[Argo]

That's because Microsoft expects hardware to be made to run Windows, thus no need to certify the hardware as the hardware vendors are doing it themselves. Ah, the wonderful market dynamics of a monoploy.

[Argo]

And a piece of the puzzle falls in place.

Wonderful, finally someone I can agree with.

[Chathurawind]

We are prepared to pay for Amiga OS. Hell, it's my highest wish (when it comes to somputer related wishes anyway...). I am NOT prepared to have what's supposed to be a software company (Amiga Inc) tell me what hardware I can and can't use.

You'll still have a great choice of hardware in the comming months/years and at present.

Why do some people seem to assume that there will never be any other Amiga OS compatible PPC hardware than the AmigaOne G3-SE?

My point exactly, there will be so much hardware we wont know what to do with it! That is on thing the Amiga Community has. That is, a lot of copmanies/persons in the hardware industry that are sticking behind the platform, such as Eyetech/Merlancia/Elbox/KDH, just to name a few...

It would be good to see a motherboard from Merlancia and Elbox in a few more years just not computer addons :}...

And bplan, if they ever decide that AmigaOS running on their machiens is a good thing ... All looks good.

Yeah, LOL. I can't see the end of the line of queuing potential licencees, fighting over an Amiga approval. :-P
It's nice that in addition to a familiar OS, we'll also experience that cosy feeling of little choice among hardware, hardware manufacturers ignoring Amiga OS and overpriced hardware due to nonexistant competition that we've been enjoying ever since C= died.

These conditions are totaly different to the conditions of use of the classic Amiga hardware.. That is, Anyone can make an Amiga now, it justhas to be certified and their company has to be approved once, they have gone through an Amiga Inc Auditing so that Amiga Inc may assure quality!

Its not as if the only hardware we're going to have is the AmigaOne. More will come, and i know this is a rather large assumption, but i beleive with the amountof hardware companies (AmiBorn) that are still backing the Amiga, their will be more motherboards/configurations to come!

It seems like to me your comparing the current clarifications to the old classic hardware, which isnt fair, because the restrictions are practicaly non existant in this case.

------------------------
Rodney McDonell
Doh! - forgot to log in!

So why did i even bother talking above? You  seem to understand where im coming from, maybe i missunderstood your comment?

[Chathurawind]

Commodore had no choice in bundling an os with the Amiga and Amiga users had no choice but to use that os simply because there were no alternatives at the time. These days, however, there are plenty of alternatives. So where do Eyetech/Amiga Inc get off making people pay for something they don't necessarily want (ie. os4)?
That's one issue. Another is - why is a dongled rom necessary if the os is packaged with the m'board?

You can buy an A1-G3-SE with the OpenPPC Bios isntalled, that way, you can run anything compatible witht he board, except AmigaOS4 - So if you dont want, OS4... Ask for a "Special A1-G3-SE"

[Rodney]

Redone for your viewing pleasure
------------------------------

We are prepared to pay for Amiga OS. Hell, it's my highest wish (when it comes to somputer related wishes anyway...). I am NOT prepared to have what's supposed to be a software company (Amiga Inc) tell me what hardware I can and can't use.

You'll still have a great choice of hardware in the comming months/years and at present.

Why do some people seem to assume that there will never be any other Amiga OS compatible PPC hardware than the AmigaOne G3-SE?

My point exactly, there will be so much hardware we wont know what to do with it! That is on thing the Amiga Community has. That is, a lot of copmanies/persons in the hardware industry that are sticking behind the platform, such as Eyetech/Merlancia/Elbox/KDH, just to name a few...

It would be good to see a motherboard from Merlancia and Elbox in a few more years just not computer addons :}...

And bplan, if they ever decide that AmigaOS running on their machiens is a good thing ... All looks good.

Yeah, LOL. I can't see the end of the line of queuing potential licencees, fighting over an Amiga approval.
It's nice that in addition to a familiar OS, we'll also experience that cosy feeling of little choice among hardware, hardware manufacturers ignoring Amiga OS and overpriced hardware due to nonexistant competition that we've been enjoying ever since C= died.

These conditions are totaly different to the conditions of use of the classic Amiga hardware.. That is, Anyone can make an Amiga now, it justhas to be certified and their company has to be approved once, they have gone through an Amiga Inc Auditing so that Amiga Inc may assure quality!

Its not as if the only hardware we're going to have is the AmigaOne. More will come, and i know this is a rather large assumption, but i beleive with the amountof hardware companies (AmiBorn) that are still backing the Amiga, their will be more motherboards/configurations to come!

It seems like to me your comparing the current clarifications to the old classic hardware, which isnt fair, because the restrictions are practicaly non existant in this case.

[Rodney]

Redone for your viewing pleasure
-----------------------------------------------

Commodore had no choice in bundling an os with the Amiga and Amiga users had no choice but to use that os simply because there were no alternatives at the time. These days, however, there are plenty of alternatives. So where do Eyetech/Amiga Inc get off making people pay for something they don't necessarily want (ie. os4)?
That's one issue. Another is - why is a dongled rom necessary if the os is packaged with the m'board?

You can buy an A1-G3-SE with the OpenPPC Bios isntalled, that way, you can run anything compatible witht he board, except AmigaOS4 - So if you dont want, OS4... Ask for a "Special A1-G3-SE"

[SlimJim]

Those of you not already there should really start reading the (public) archives on the AmigaONE mailing list at Yahoo! Groups. Alan clarifies and clarifies and clarifies time after time over there ;-)
 There really isn't much more to wonder about.
.
SlimJim

[Chathurawind]

But very interested in the future of amiga,
and always following the news.
But the amount of idiots on these forums makes me sad,
why can't you people (apart from the ones actually making really good posts) THINK for a minute?
You all get upset about having to buy a new motherboard for each OS.
Where did you get THAT idea from? There can be plenty of solutions to get AOS copy protection to work.
The ROM on the motherboard is one way. A ROM on a peripherial card (PCI? USB?) could be another way.
Quit whining, this looks very promising, and I'm interested in getting my first amiga ever.
That has to be a good thing, right?

[Chathurawind]

I agree completely with Wayne... why is it a  problem selling the Amiga  OS separately,  or the  hardware  separately? So people might want to run  Linux on it; big deal?

I'm still baffled by those in the Amiga community  who, from time to time, claim to want to make money but who invariably set themselves at a disadvantage in doing so. I guess they just want to be the big fish in the niche market of a dying niche market..?

And Amiga acting like certain other companies who only recently got into trouble for doing so...will do Amiga no good at all.

I don't have  a problem buying Amiga OS--was hoping to. I'm not buying it with PPC hardware, I'm waiting  for the version that McEwen said will run  natively on x86 (as he said they are  porting it to that architecture). As far as piracy protections, great--no prob there.

--EyeAm

[System]

I dont get it Wayne, why do you still have this idea about not selling the Amiga OS seeperately?

To quote: "As a result, AmigaOS4 and all future versions will ship only on those hardware products to which Amiga Inc has specifically granted a license after reviewing the capabilities of both the solution provider and their product."

I'm not imagining things, nor am I "reading too much into it".  It says, in no uncertain terms that AmigaOS4 and all future versions will ONLY SHIP WITH HARDWARE.  

You don't. Just pull the chip and replace it with the new version of the rom (as with moving from 2.1 to 3.0). or maybe the 4.2/4.x will use the same rom as 4.0 (as with 3.1 to 3.5+9. Another idea you are missinterpreting Wayne.

How do you get the updated ROM chip if it is only shipped with hardware?  I didn't read this wrong, I didn't read too much into it.  They said SPECIFICALLY that OS4 and ALL UPDATES would only ship with hardware that they've been paid for the rights to produce.

Like I said, in regards to mis-interpreting what was said, I did not.  What has happened here is that once again, Amiga Inc exercised their uncanny ability to speak without thinking.  

For the fourth straight time, they have demonstrated their desperate need for a community-savvy PR person by opening their mouths and having to have someone (most recently Alan) come behind them to "clarify" what they said.  

Bill McEwen (though like others, I do respect him a great deal for his accomplishments) probably has the soggiest foot on the planet from being kept in his mouth for so long.

[Chathurawind]

Poster: Seehund Date: 2002/4/15 23:47:32

Gnnnnnnnn... Which new ROM? You have to buy a computer or motherboard to get that.

Seehund before you blow a gasket, reread the message

- To put this in hard-coded, socketed ROM at a specific address in the PPC memory map, rather than in Flash ROM, which could easily be pirated/updated

Sounds to me like a socketed rom.
 :-o