My evening with Commodore USA, LLC

[brownb2]

"Why does it have to be innovative?"  
 
Because this is what sells, not packaging a PC...

That's not to say they can't do both.

Going down the road Commodore USA is following will only end in a dead end.  There is no future in the past...  Companies don't have to be Microsoft sized to be innovative... I want Commodore and Amiga to have a future and that is why I posted under this topic...

I've built my own for years too (as I type I'm still on an 2.2Ghz Athlon XP "2700+") but that hasn't stopped me getting a Dell laptop and my better half getting a Dell PC. Some people just don't want to roll their own or want the support. As it stands currently any official Commodore company has no future at all because they aren't selling anything so any company is better than no company or vapourware.

I realise this is getting a bit heated this is not my intention. I just want to state that the Commodore / the Amiga needs a future, any future just as long as it starts the ball rolling and is not a set top box

[jorkany]

"Why does it have to be innovative?"  
 
Because this is what sells,

I take it you weren't really involved much with computing in the late 80s thru mid 90s?

[r06ue1]

"I hope you appreciate the irony of an alienware customer complaining about overpriced PCs in gimmick cases."  
 
Haha, if I have to run my online games on a PC, I may as well do it in style.  

[desiv]

It seems to me, some people are confusing Commodore and Amiga.
I've seen complaints about not being "innovative", and then talking about Commodore..

Amiga was innovative..  
Commodore wasn't really.  (Not that I can think of right now..)
If you believe Dave Hanie's interviews, one of the possible future's for Commodore Amiga hardware was to run Windows NT...

I don't really see any problems with calling PCs in Amiga-look-a-like cases Commodore Amiga's anymore...

It might not be a "real Amiga" to me, but technically, that died with the A1000.
I love my A1200, but that was a Commodore Amiga, and it was apparent what Commodore was doing to the Amiga by then...

Would I prefer a true "new machine" that is a direct decendant to the Amiga?  Sure.
Is it going to happen in large scale?  I don't see how..
Would I buy a PC that looked like an Amiga running some Workbench looking Linux OS?
No, and I am a Linux guy.  ;-)
But, I don't think I'd buy any PC anymore.  I use my Amiga's and I use the laptop.  Almost never turn on the PC anymore..
(To be fair, I work on PC's and Servers all day, so it's not like I never use them.)

But, if someone with the Commodore name wants to market something that's basically a PC with the Amiga name on it?
Doesn't bother me..  

It sounds very Commodore to me...

desiv

[mbrantley]

I hope you appreciate the irony of an alienware customer complaining about overpriced PCs in gimmick cases.

Nah... I got the overpriced gimmick case covered, not r06ue1. I just built a PC in a Antec LanBoy air that's full of blue neon. ;-)

But my Sam440 is in something more down to earth.

[mbrantley]

Amiga was innovative..  
Commodore wasn't really.  (Not that I can think of right now..)

You have to go back to an earlier period for Commodore innovation, to the days of men like Peddle and Tramiel. Later, you are right: It was Commodore getting in the way of innovation by men like Haynie.

[r06ue1]

"I take it you weren't really involved much with computing in the late 80s thru mid 90s? "  
 
Actually I was, and the reason I bought a Amiga in the first place was because it could do more than any other computer on the market at that time.  Commodore's bad marketing and a very stupid user community is what killed it.  I believe users have gotten much smarter and have learned to think for themselves today (look at what Apple has accomplished with the iPhone as an example) and if you give them something that does it better and faster and what others cannot do, they will buy it.  
 
Here is my dream scenario:  
 
Commodore USA, Hyperion, AROS, MorphOS and the community all worked together on a new OS for the future.  Does not have to be tied to x86 (I would love to see a ARM based version if Nvidia can produce one that competes with x86) but should support running on many different platforms.  Open it up!  Open source is the route to take.  Let anyone develop for it and people will!

[brownb2]

 I believe users have gotten much smarter and have learned to think for themselves today (look at what Apple has accomplished with the iPhone as an example) and if you give them something that does it better and faster and what others cannot do, they will buy it.  

That's very arguable -  their products are expensive and often under powered compared to competitors' and while Apple sometimes innovate (ipod wheel, Aqua - anything else?) they just advertise MUCH better.  I can't think of Apple without some black dancing silhouettes and a white ipod - how "cool". That says to me its attempted brain washing and what I (respectfully) think when I see words like "better and faster and what others cannot do" with the word "Apple". Perhaps I am wrong and it is true that others cannot do what they do because Apple patent everything!

I notice they quickly dropped the "Think different" slogan as soon as the mass market caught on with tons of advertising they do. Somebody who thinks different wouldn't buy Apple as they are the new Microsoft imho.

[runequester]

That's very arguable - their products are expensive and often under powered compared to competitors' and while Apple sometimes innovate (ipod wheel, Aqua - anything else?) they just advertise MUCH better. I can't think of Apple without some black dancing silhouettes and a white ipod - how "cool". That says to me its attempted brain washing and what I (respectfully) think when I see words like "better and faster and what others cannot do" with the word "Apple". Perhaps I am wrong and it is true that others cannot do what they do because Apple patent everything!
 
I notice they quickly dropped the "Think different" slogan as soon as the mass market caught on with tons of advertising they do. Somebody who thinks different wouldn't buy Apple as they are the new Microsoft imho.

Given that ipods account for something like 75% of the MP3 player market, I think its a safe bet that most people don't give a hoot.
 
To be fair, if people actually cared about this stuff, microsoft would be out of business just the same as apple.

[brownb2]

Given that ipods account for something like 75% of the MP3 player market, I think its a safe bet that most people don't give a hoot.
 
To be fair, if people actually cared about this stuff, microsoft would be out of business just the same as apple.

Best thing is Apple nearly went bust in 1997 until Microsoft bought $150mil of their shares.

[Digiman]

My point being with Apple they changed the OS to Unix and IIRC they emulate the PowerPC for backwards compatibility. AFAICS that situation is not too different. We could use a custom Ubuntu + UAE file type integration to fire up an integrated emulator that shares the same disks.



Why wouldn't it run Amiga apps? You could even throw in a Catweasel device or an Amiga floppy as an optional extra when you buy the hardware? Apple added their propriety UI on top of Darwin, for the most part the inners are raw Unix and the pretty Aqua UI is what the Apple guys define as owning an Apple now. The same could be said for Ubuntu + dedicated propriety Amiga OS window manager (which is probably do-able in around 6 months for a small team of well versed developers). A good window manager can do a lot of magical Amiga only things, it's not necessarily a theme. Having said that I'd want to work on one myself now

You are describing OS4/MOS/AROS not any kind of x86 Linux + UAE that's ever been built/distributed let alone coded by C=USA. And they only use emuation for OCS/ECS/AGA functions so not even close anyway. They can run professional apps for RTG screens WITH NO EMULATION. Hence they're known as next gen Amigas.

[TheBilgeRat]

Well, since nobody asked for my opinion, here is MY dream scenario:

Microsoft suddenly has a change of heart and invests all their profit into CUSA and Workbench 5.  CUSA buys out any and all who claim to have dominion over the Amiga/commodore name.  The software side (MS) discards all previous OS efforts to include their server side software to focus on Workbench 5, snatches up MorphOS, AOS4, and sues Aros out of existence a la SCO.  CUSA buys Intel and Nvidia, makes "AmigaBox720", a set-top gaming box with optional keyboard sporting the newest best Nvidia Chip called AAAAAAAAAkikko.  Its 100% backwards compatible with all existing Amiga software natively with the special backwards bridge made out of bullshittium.  It can come in 32 different shapes and color schemes to fit your nostalgic tastes.  This new power block can then buy influence in the EU and America so that they can legally draw and quarter all Apple users.  As we all stand around the bloody hipster chunks we can sing Kumbaiyah and have ice cream.

[Fats]

and sues Aros out of existence a la SCO.

Aros is not a company and in the case of SCO it was the party who sued who died

greets,
Staf.

[Digiman]

A branded linux computer would be interesting, calling it an Amiga would probably get a few sales from people who have an attachment to the name. Similar to how the AmigaOS4 machines did. They only had a tenuous link to the old days & all they have ended up with is expensive hardware and a much more limited OS (because they are limiting themselves to how commodore might have done it).

OS4 runs PPC Wipeout 2097 in ascalable proportional window on the desktop, Linux + UAE / WIN7 + UAE doesn't. Says it all really that even Win7/Vista/XP can't do that with x86 PC version of Wipeout.

OS4 is fine, hardware sold to run it is not.

[kedawa]

I'm actually a little less peeved than i was a few months ago, but still highly skeptical of CUSA.  I'm looking forward to seeing them get something into the market, regardless of whether it succeeds or fails.  I really just want to see what happens next.
I'll gladly give CUSA's pseudo-amiga OS a spin on my own hardware if they ever actually create such a thing.

[TheBilgeRat]

Aros is not a company and in the case of SCO it was the party who sued who died

greets,
Staf.

I keep forgetting Europeans have no developed sense of sarcasm.  I though the ice cream line gave it away entirely