Piru: (G5) is not going to happen for some time.
Not with Apple in the way, that's for sure. It cracks me up to hear people complaining about x86 and competition from Microsoft, when x86 chips run more operating systems than any other CPU in the world. No matter what hardware you use, you'll have to compete with SOMEONE. That's business.
Downix: Can it all of you. We need to stop acting like children here.
Aw, c'mon. You know Internet forums aren't a place for serious discussion. :-)
Argo: I don't think anyone outside of Eyetech would know anything about the "AmigaTwo". It's probably far in the future, computer timewise.
God, it still amazes me that people bought Amiga hardware so long before any software was available. OS 4 on AmigaTwo is a scary thought. Even an OS 3.95 would have been welcome!
Admit it, how many people would have turned down the opportunity to buy OS 3.95? Instead, we got $50 coupons...
On the other hand, if MAI can get the new chipset out bug free, it could possibly be used for the Pegasos III!!!!
OK, I haven't followed up on this, but wasn't the bug related to the VIA southbridge and not the MIA northbridge? Besides, I thought the southbridge was responsible for handling DMA, timers, and the hard drive controller.
Any way you slice it, somebody is denying responsibility... and VIA is still crap hardware (and I speak from plenty of experience).
But lets be realistic (or overly optimistic if we look at the delays round ArticiaS/P).
MAI has just licenced those techs, and it will take atleast a year to get a minimal
working chip. Another 6 months to get a eval-board ready and cure the chips from
it's major flaws (and those will be there as they have have 0 experience in fast busses
and DDR-interfaces). 6 months for developing a retail-ready version of said eval-board
and to get OS4.x working on it.
And remember, this was all done to make sure the Amiga had a supirior platform to the PC, because those evil x86 guys know nothing about making a good computer!
OS developers and Microsoft bashers should take notes...
reflect: I'm a little surprised by the negativity here.
Four years under the rule of Amiga Inc... and no products... will tend to do that.
The offical "Amiga" technology is now generations behind the leading edge. Had the orginal machines been in such a position I would never have bought one.
The original Amigas were fully working systems with both hardware and an OS ready at the same time. Just think what would've happened if you had to run a C64-type system on the Amiga 1000 a year before Workbench 1.0 arrived.
Nobody buys computers in parts. People want prebuilt systems. For every do-it-yourself computer built in the world today, how many Dells, Compaqs, and Gateways are sold?
DrFloppy: I think that Eyetech should make a new stand and new policy to get concentrate to the latest technology that is still in development if they do that hardware wouldn't be out of date.
The closest thing they can offer is a trade-in deal.
Given that the AmigaOne was shipped with a ROM, and not a flashable EEPROM, I think that should say something about the support commitment of Amiga companies these days.
Amiga hardware should be more modulised.
Try hiring someone to build such a machine, and you'll get quite a sticker shock. For years, companies have been working towards integrated systems. Now that many CPU engineers are putting northbridges into the CPU core, I wonder how long it will be before it becomes common practice to solder the CPU into the motherboard, therefore "matching" a CPU to a chipset and thus offering a "guarentee" for the best possible performance.
See? Amiga isn't as backwards as you might think! :-)
there should be flash disks to be used as bootable devices and Amiga would be operational in les than few seconds
The reason computers take so long to boot up is because of hardware tests and verification. So long as a system has to check to see if you've swapped your video card since the last time you boot up, systems will always take a minute or so to start. Instant boot times are possible only on highly integrated systems where the hardware configuration never changes and bootup times are absolutely critical, such as PDA's and cell phones. Desktop computers will probably always use sleep mode instead of an instant-on feature.
Finicky licenses and piracy concerns will probably cease any ability to boot from removable media. It's not really a technology issue.
For those who haven't figured it out, marketing and personal issues usually trump technology issues... even on Linux!
PS - I tried Gentoo Linux today, and I can't get it to boot. I boot from the CD, hit enter to start the kernel, and it locks up immediately with no feedback. This is the *NINTH* distro I've tried to install and run into a problem.
Any advice? :-?