Amiga Inc answers your questions (updated)

[Will]

Re: Security certificate

Wow, talk about reading a lot into something. Most likely what happened is that Bill M got on the phone and said,

"Hi, it's Amiga Inc here, our security certificate has run out. Can you renew it please and send us the bill"

and Starfield said

"Yes, Bill, we'll do that right away"

and nobody remembered to mention that in legal terms the company had actually changed.

[ikir]

@Bill McEwen & Wayne

Thanks for this Q&A.

I think Amiga should employ Hyperion for their OS division.

[Turrican]

It is clear to me now that:

1. We will never see AmigaOS 4 in stores.
2. Hyperion is the big looser in either case (release or not).
3. Amiga Inc is moving forward with AOS 4 or not.
4. Troika won't get a licence.

The conclusion is that we are full of incompetent corporations (Amiga inc, Hyperion, Genesi) trying to sqeeze everything for their own greedy purposes. The only amiga future I see is the open future.

[humppa]

@Ikir

I think Amiga should employ Hyperion for their OS division.

Why would they want to do that? In order to activate the buy-back clause, they need to supply a substantially new version no later than 6 months after the release of OS 4.0.
If Hyperion would be contracted, they could just sit on their as*es and do nothing so that the ownership of AmigaOS won't be transferred to Amiga Inc.
Further to this, OS5 is planned for multiple CPU platforms, but Hyperion is allergic to anything other than PPC.

[cpfuture]

What a very, very disappointing set of answers. Vague promises and lots of hot air. This man is definitely not living in our reality. What serious company in their right mind would want to do business with companies like these?

[Fransexy_]

@humppa

You have stolen and modify my new avatar on amigaworld!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :-o  :-o  :-o

glad to see that all my avatars cause commotion  and creates school  :lol:  ;-)

[smithy]

@AmigaHeretic

Have I missed something?  Most of Bill's answers you quoted aren't actually there... have the answers been removed?  It seems there's more than just the OS5 questions been changed (deleted?)

These quotes don't exist in Bill's answers:

Very confused...

smithy

We have been working since last November on locating a hardware partner for new PowerPC based hardware and we have made some slow but successful progress. I hope that this Hyperion issue can be rectified so that we can get it completed, and then we can get the hardware ready to ship.

I have had conversations with the Freidens about this, and once we have the legal situation resolved then we can put that horse before the cart. If we can not do it with OS 4, then I am sure the FIVE can take care of that issue.

We have made offers to Hyperion to resolve this matter that we believe are fair, but we have been turned down on three separate occasions.

No it will not. We want to see OS 4 ship, but by the time we get everything worked out you may be running version 5. I should mention that while we have only talked about it once, OS 5 has been in development in Amiga by Amiga engineers and staff for over two years. We have made some amazing progress and we are pleased with the results to date.

Over the next 5 years you will see OS 4, 5, and version 6 in the market along with supporting builds and infrastructure across several digital devices.

[Fransexy_]

@smithy
 
you have noticed that there are three pages of Q & A??

[Turrican]

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the timing for this was not a coincidence. After years of silence, Amiga Inc talks now in a public forum all this previously private information (legal issues with Hyperion, OS5 in development since 2004, etc).

Their history has shown that they don't give a dime about the "community". I think they are using this forum for some reason. Maybe to send a warning to Hyperion?

[CLS2086]

With regard to the issue that you are talking about, we were notified by third parties that someone had manipulated and altered the ROM's. This is a violation of our IP and they were notified. We have since been told that it was not true and nothing was really done, that it was a manipulated video, not actual code that was changed.

Hum, not true for european people. Because such a try can be done for our own personnal "scientifics" researches, and mainly in France and Germany, if it's not commercialised...

What about USA ?

[smithy]

@Fransexy_

you have noticed that there are three pages of Q & A??

Erm.. I thought that was for the comments not the news item.  Sorry chaps, I'm an idiot sometimes ;-)

[humppa]

I think they are using this forum for some reason. Maybe a warning to Hyperion?

More likely a public mudslinging. So let's wait how the Frieden's react to this during the IRC session.
I think there will be many *cough* "interesting" questions you could ask them.
However, not sure if they would like to respond to all of them.

[Legerdemain]

I find it pretty hillarious that there is so much conpsiracy theores floating about. But, I guess that is what mostly kept the Amiga community alive for so long. I mean, at times, it feels like even finding a rock outside ones house, which sligtly reminds of a BoingBall, in some way could be related to the 'mysteries' of Amiga Inc.

As I have come to just look upon the Amiga as a fun hobby, my vision of the future was that OS4 was to be released and eventually getting the respect amongst the alternative OSes that it deserved. But, what I see when reading the answers from Bill McEven is a future I can't believe in. I just don't see the Amiga ever making the grand 'comeback'. If Amiga Inc. succeeds, well, then that's great, but... I'm pretty satisfied with things as they are now. I do have my old Amigas to play around with... and what the future brings doesn't matter to me, today, really. So, anything released in the future will be of interest to me, then... not now.

In whatever case, it was nice to read these answers. But, they were not really the answers I had been hoping for. I don't see things having changed the slightest the latest 5 years, or so. I don't believe they will the coming years, either. But, what the future brings I will get to see eventually. But, in the end, what I believe doesn't really matter, because what will be will be.

[jkirk]

As everybody can see if they visit https://www.amiga.com/shop/, the site does indeed have a new certificate, issued by Starfield Secure Certification Authority on August 29, 2006. But... just click on the lock symbol or equivalent, depending on your browser, to see who the company that requested and obtained the certificate is! It is Amiga, Inc. (Washington), and not Amiga, Inc. (Delaware)!

this does not suprise me in the least. i work for a company who changes names regularly. this is usually due to being bought out, renaming to use a common brand or realigning the naming throughout the corporate entity. now i still receive bills and references to our company from two names ago(approx 5 yrs ago.) since it is usually difficult to change the names without a long drawn out process it is easier to just continue using the old name in reference to the supplier or starting a new account. so i repeat i am not suprised with this.

[Trezzer]

My my, now that certainly was a disheartening Q&A-session. Pardon me for not buying into the dream. At all.

It seems there is a strong lack of perspective and sense of reality.

Despite the clarification I can't help but wonder how these things could be developed in parallel, when they are clearly so radically different yet still retain an upgrade path - and how Amiga Inc. intends to compete on *any* level whatsoever with the juggernauts. I just don't think they have what it takes.

[fjudde]

Turrican:

The more I think about it, the more I believe that the timing for this was not a coincidence. After years of silence, Amiga Inc talks now in a public forum all this previously private information (legal issues with Hyperion, OS5 in development since 2004, etc).

According to this:
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=46657
Wayne initiated the contact. Not Bill McEwen.