I see computers nowadays like tools, nothing more. Since there is software I like to run I'm stuck with Windows and you have to keep it updated to have any hope of keeping hackers worms at bay. So even this willnot make me give up my windows desktop and laptop. I don't see No One Lives Forever 2 coming out for anything else. I don't see Jedi Knight II, Alice, Undying, Ghost Recon, Medal of Honor, RTCW, Dungeon Seige, etc coming out reliably or timely on another single OS. Windows and the MS patch roller coaster is a necessary evil for people who like to play the best games right now.
If you need a certain wrench to drive a certain bolt you can't get rid of that wrench no matter how much you dislike it.
MS, during the trial, tried to convince us all that the 80s were a horrinble time for computers. So many different, incompatible machines. But I was there and it was a lot more fun than now. For all the better computing power there is something gone from the computing industry. I suppose the same happens in all industries. When cars first were developed there were a lot of companies and indaviduals doing interesting things. Now you're stuck with the offerings from a few large companies who all offer things that start to look alike. You used to know who designed parts of the computer and OS. They would write articles in magazines and chat with users all the time and really seemed to enjoy what they were doing. It seemed, from a users perspective, that they were less like software or hardware engineers and more like artists. When Commodore died you could see that all was slipping away. For the joy of computing that we all used to feel I have my Commodore/Amiga collection with machines ranging from the PET all the way up to the Video Toaster 4000. Amiga Forever and various other emulators sit on my Windows boxes.
What this all means, though, is I have another reason to plunk down my $50 today and join the club. Why? Because the more Amiga 4.0/AmigaOne they sell the better chance these companies will write their software for it. If that happens, then maybe I can finally get rid of this annoying wrench and use the tools I like to use
Amiga is in the right place at the right time, I feel. Anti-MS sentiment grows with each security flaw and attempt to take away a persons freedom to run their computer how they want to. If they can strike while the iron is hot they have the best chance of success. Commodore had that chance and blew it when they had a computer better able to handle multimedia than the current Apple (Black and White Macs) and MS (Windows 3.1/MS-DOS) offerings. IBM had that chance and blew it when Windows 95 was delayed but OS/2 was already out and maturing. I won't even go into all the other chances companies are losing because they will not go on the offensive when these major flaws in MS software are revealed. I think they feel that it's better to stay under the radar to avoid being targetted by either the hackers or MS. They must still be reeling from the beat down that Netscape and Be took.
Don't get me wrong. I am not assuming Amiga can pull off the dethroning of MS. But their best chance of grabbing enough of the pie to be taken seriously is right now. At worst all I get for my trouble is a t-shirt and another Amiga to add to my collection.
Way too longwinded, I know. But this is something I want to be passionate about.
The bottom line is, if you love Amiga and hate MS I can't see a reason not to buy AmigaOne and/or Amiga OS4. Due to that I can't see any reason not to 'join the club'. You don't lose any money and you get a t-shirt on top of the OS4.0 you'd buy anyway. It's a win-win-win trifecta sending a message to Amiga, Microsoft and the software developers. (well, okay, you do lose the use of $50 for a little while)
Who knows...a bunch of years from now the PC Expo in New York might even be interesting again.
