Where Are They Now?

[MiAmigo]

Also there's no reason to believe that Motorola wouldn't have been able to evolve their line of processors just as Intel did - had they had the reason and the opportunity. We'd then have 3 major processors on the market, instead of just the two.

[Iggy]

I'm not sure I care.
Especaially about Dave Haynie since the guy is a egotistical dork.
 
Beside, Haynie hasn't done anything significant (sucessful) since his Amiga days and he's quick to denegrate actiities in our community.

[Vlabguy1]

I wonder if the Amiga was the "High Point" in the careers of most of them, or if most of them went on to bigger and better projects?

It was probably the "fun" point in their careers.. It would be good to get them in a room just to chat discuss etc.

Rich

[Pentad]

R.I.P

Jay Miner
Dave Morris
Rob Peck

[ChuckT]

I'm not sure I care.

There were some people in the community who got attention for themselves.  Where are they now that the Amiga community needs them?

I think some things should have been open sourced.

[vidarh]

Its quite possible Linux wouldn't even exist, had the Amiga survived, and evolved.

Highly unlikely. Linux is too different from AmigaOS. To re-architect AmigaOS to a point where it could supplant Linux would take a massive effort - you'd need to add memory protection, multi-user support, reduce the GUI dependency, and provide a full Unix-compatible API, as all of these are stuff that the vast majority of uses of Linux *depends* heavily on.

Keep in mind that while there are millions of people using Linux on the desktop, that's still a miniscule niche for Linux compared to use on servers and embedded devices where the features that appeal are often extremely different from user-interface heavy devices.

Also, Linux started in '91. By the time of the demise of Commodore, Linux was already starting to get serious traction on the server side but nobody were really targeting Linux at the desktop side at all.

[MiAmigo]

Seems to be a little bit of misinterpretation of what I meant on a few levels. I was speaking of 'then' not now, in so far as the AmigaOS being fully established and a main player in that (past) time.

Also, I was not referring to the current AmigaOS being re-engineered to supplant today's Linux - again, I was speaking of a 'what if' of back then, not now.

In general, I was hypothesizing on something many of us do: What if the OS had been allowed to evolve to the point of say, Windows, to a fully mature, fully realized product, used by millions?

That would certainly make it a little more difficult for any third or fourth party OS to be introduced into the mix - much as it is difficult for one to be introduced now. That's all I was really referring to - 'then' not 'now'.

My approach to creating a new OS for the Amiga would be to start from scratch, as if neither Windows or Linux existed. (And also, still keeping in mind what most modern computer users expect in the least from their computers - what I'll call the 'common courtesies'.)

But to me, neither Windows nor Linux are the 'be all' and 'end all' of OSes. Personally, I prefer command line interfaces, but I realize the general public requires GUIs. I don't swear by either of them, although I often do swear at them!

[amigadave]

Highly unlikely. Linux is too different from AmigaOS. To re-architect AmigaOS to a point where it could supplant Linux would take a massive effort - you'd need to add memory protection, multi-user support, reduce the GUI dependency, and provide a full Unix-compatible API, as all of these are stuff that the vast majority of uses of Linux *depends* heavily on.

Did MS-DOS, or Windows1.0 have any of those features you mention would be required for AmigaOS to have possibly prevent Linux from ever being created? (I am too lazy and have better things to do, than to look it up)

I am not saying that Linux would never have been created, or some other Open Source equivalent, but it is impossible to tell what would have happened in our alternate Universe, where the Amiga had become the dominant choice and marketing monopoly that Windows eventually evolved into.  But with the money that Microsoft made on MS-DOS and Windows applied to the Amiga during the first years after the Amiga was released, almost anything could have been possible.  What Jay and his merry band of geniuses would have actually done with that much money and the freedom to do anything they wanted is an entirely different question, that we will never know the answer to.

Keep in mind that while there are millions of people using Linux on the desktop, that's still a miniscule niche for Linux compared to use on servers and embedded devices where the features that appeal are often extremely different from user-interface heavy devices.

Also, Linux started in '91. By the time of the demise of Commodore, Linux was already starting to get serious traction on the server side but nobody were really targeting Linux at the desktop side at all.

We are not talking about what Commodore could have done in 1991, or even in 1989.  I was referring to what maybe could have happened if Jay and the whole Los Gatos team could have accomplished if given 100% freedom and unlimited funds at the beginning of 1986, which is when they should have started moving past OCS to ECS, or even AGA maybe.  Then on to dedicated third party video and sound cards well before any IBM compatible system had a chance to even catch up to the graphic and sound capabilities of AmigaOS1.0

Enough of my fantasy about what could have been, or should have been, or might have been.  We are lucky that we still have any community left after so many greedy, stupid, idiots, have done their best to kill the Amiga for so many years.

It is amazing that we have so many choices in both hardware and operating systems that are descended from, or patterned after the original Commodore Amiga computer line and AmigaOS.  Plus there are still hundreds of people who still use their original Commodore Amiga computers and a few people still making hardware accessories and accelerators for them over 20 years after they were first introduced.

[amigadave]

R.I.P

Jay Miner
Dave Morris
Rob Peck

I think it was spelled Dave Morse, not "Dave Morris", check the signatures on the inside of your A1000 case, if you still have one.

I am still alive (well, sort of alive, but go by David, not Dave, and I am not a member of the Los Gatos team that invented the Amiga).

[Cammy]

[youtube]uJocssCeK0g[/youtube]

R.J. is in his hot tub!

[itix]

I wonder if the Amiga was the "High Point" in the careers of most of them, or if most of them went on to bigger and better projects?

I would guess that the Amiga was a once in a lifetime experience for all of them and they remember that time when they were creating the Amiga under the supervision of Jay, as the best time of their careers and the most fun they ever have had creating something new and exciting.

I am sure it was to some. However, at the same time many Amiga developers had already left before 90s and to some Amiga was only a foundation to build something better.