Questions for you (amiga-project)

[voxel]

well :-)

1. atx and why not a direct replacement form factor for A1200 and A4000?

2. AmigaOS v4!

3. PCI + Zorro III / IV slots

4. connectors for ZipStick compatibility and Amiga mouse comp.?
Yes, BTW what is zipstick? (sorry for dumb question ;-)

5. USB and A4000 like

6. exactly the same as ever, 96 keys Amiga but usb, I hate PeeCee keyboards (even with rebadged win keys)

7. go for the best, it's price will drop.
BTW if the vr2 is pin/commands compatible with the other, prototyping would cost less with the older one ;-)

8. personally, I love the A3K and A4K tower styles, but why not a new custom one ? with plenty room in it!

BTW, we need a cheap A1200 shaped replacement too ...

9. around 250 (A12K style) and 5-600 Euros (A4K style)

10. Amiga 1200+ and Amiga 5000 and up :-) or PowerAmiga :-?

11.›VERY BAD!

12. Would definitelly appeal some compagny :-)
About dreamcast compatibility : no.
About paddles, perhaps.

13 : another important ports to have on board : serial/parallel (at least one of each), UWSCSI and ATA, amiga mouse/joystick, RVB 50/60 Hz video outpout, firewire.

[Effy]

1. ATX
2.MorphOS or AmigaOS4 doesn´t make much difference if zou don´t have any hardware yet ...
3.Zorro slots ?? If Elbox can make a Mediator that creates pci slots from Zorro slots, then why can´t anybody create a Zorro slot from a standard pci slot
4. the more connectors the better but also the more expensive ...
5.a pc keyboard connector to drop the price ... usb will also do ...
6.pc keyboard with Amiga logo on Windows key
7.Power VR2 or 3 Both are good, but what is the least expensive
8.ATX pc towers, lower price
9.price ?? What can it do ?? How fast
10. the name is not important yet if you don´t have anything ready yet
11.Next: bad name ... boring name ...
12.why include DreamCast compatibility if they don´t make them anymore Only for the existing games ??

[ChaosLord]

11.
Is Amiga NeXT a bad or good name for this project?

Bad, VERY bad and quite stupid.

NeXT sucked.

NeXT still sucks.

Don't use words with negative connotations.

How about Dreamcast game compatibility?

Uhhh... dude, ur on drugs.  It uses the wrong processor.

[Kronos]

1. MikroATX, FlexATX, MiniITX, make mine a small one mommy  ;-)

2. Put an OF on it, and refuse to bundle ANY commercial OS (we''ll see where thats gonna head)

3. No.

4. Better make a simple USB-9PIN-adapter that you could also sell outside the A5k.

5. USB, or REAL PS/2

6. Again something you could sell outside the A5k if you make it standard USB or PS/2 one.

(actually I would even advice that you do these before you embark into the big project,
just like the Amiga-JoyBoard).

7. Start with a PCI or AGP-card for the proto.

8. None, towers (escpecially big ones) suck. An A3000D-case with internal
CD-ROM ...............

9. Fivepence ?  :-D  I would spend up to 800Euro for a (full) usefull system, and up to
400 for something like the C=One.

10. Names are just farts in the wind, get something going before you start thinking about that.

11. Next idea please  :-P

12. Only suicidal companies would be interested in such a project, unless you allready
got $$$$$$$$$$ (and I am serious bout it). The DC-design was available for use in
STBs or similar shortly after it was pulled by Nintendo, but I somehow doubt that it would
be sensible to incoperate it in a PC-like system.

[that_punk_guy]

xeron wrote:

bloodline wrote:

So what are you trying to say?

...that i'm very bored right now :-)

*Sigh* all my wasted effort. Here was my attempt ;-)

[bloodline]

:-x Why does everybody have more time than me?

[that_punk_guy]

bloodline wrote:
:-x Why does everybody have more time than me?

We don't, we just have a lot of things we're putting off... ;-)

[NicoPPC]

Hi !

Just a comment/question:
Where do you find the money and the people to do that

Bye

[bloodline]

NicoPPC wrote:
Hi !

Just a comment/question:
Where do you find the money and the people to do that

Bye

Carefull Now that is a negative question, AmiDelf doesn't answer those...

[cybereye]

1: I don't know. I bet it all depend on the OS that will support the PowerVR. If it doesn't. then what point of doing it. If it does. I would says go for it. as long I'll able to add other gfx card down the road with out messing up the system.

2: At this point. it shouild work with all amiga OS that comming out. If it had to be one at a time on OS for this system. Just pick what ever is ready and less buggy. You can't sell if very buggy system.

3 Life must go on and price have to come down. So add another non-standard just add up the cost and may not be used.

4 I'm not so sure about it. Forget about the amiga mouse. Newer mouse are better and price are dropping as time go by.

5 Just use the USB and PS/2. Forget about the amiga 4000 connector. Keyboard are cheap.

6 If your thinking about building the whole system, not just the motherboard. I says what ever you can find to keep the price down. I don't mean you rebuilt the keysboard If something are already done.

7 If the OS support the PowerVR 2 or PowerVR 3, I would says go for the PowerVR 3 to be on par with times when it ready to release. If the OS doesn't then don't bother. Keep the price down.

8 Many user are mostly customs case. I'm sure many rather just get the motherboard it-self. For me, keep the price down and use the standard lay out to fix in standard case.

9 I really can't say. I prefer try to keep the price like the Peg and A1. but keep try to keep it low as possable.

10 I really don't care about the name. I just want a working system.

11 Look at number 10

12 I really dont know what your planning in the market. that would depend what your plainning to do.

[Cymric]

bloodline wrote:
While I have similar feelings, I think you should give serious answeres to this thread. If nothing else it will allow us to disscuss the relative merits of each others thoughts :-)

Yeah, true. But it all feels very silly, doesn't it? Nevertheless, since AmiDelf insists on serious answers, I'll present him with mine in my next post.

[kvasarnomad]

1.
Should this project go for a normal ATX PPC motherboard with PowerVR gfx custom chips or its own motherboard?

ATX or Mini-Itx

2.
Should this new so-called Amiga, use AmigaOS v4 or MorphOS?

AmigaOS 4

3.
Should this new Amiga have Zorro slots, or not?

No

4.
Would you like to see Amiga connectors for ZipStick compatibility and Amiga mouse comp.?

No

5.
What sort of Amiga keyboard connector is the best sollution? USB only support? PS/2 alike connector like on Amiga 4000? PS/2 connector?

PS/2 and USB

6.
How should this Amiga keyboard be? 96 keys like before, or PC alike form?

Don't mind

7.
Should we go for PowerVR 2 or PowerVR 3 for the prototype?

?

8.
What sort of tower sollutions should we use? We want to continue Amiga 4000 T design and go further with this. Is this bad, or good?

BAD! make it nice and simple to look at

9.
What price would you give for such Amiga?

Motherboard: less than 300£
System: less than pegasos 2

10.
We've come up with Amiga 5200, Amiga 5600 and even Amiga 6000. What should the name be of this new Amiga?

a number is not bad

11.
Is Amiga NeXT a bad or good name for this project?

Bad

12.
How about Dreamcast game compatibility? The option to use DC controllers for this "new" entertaining Amiga?

Forget it

[Cymric]

Keeping in mind that I have no idea as to what the 'new Amiga' is supposed to be good or excel at, here is my own serious reply:

1. Given the choice between the two, I'd probably go for ATX + custom PowerVR graphics chipset. It's less complex to design, and has well-known form factors. Personally I'd want a micro-ATX form factor. Small, lean and mean.

2. For now, AOS4, by a small margin. Personally, I'd opt for AROS: the project is community-driven meaning that the use of closed-source, proprietary software would be difficult to say the least.

3. No Zorro-slots, not even as an option. Zorro is woefully inadequate and outdated. It served its purpose at the time, and should now be allowed an honorable retirement.

4. No special-purpose connectors whatsoever for common input peripherals. I want to use stuff which doesn't give me RSI, and I want to have a healthy choice in models too.

5. PS/2 and USB. PS/2 is considered to be 'legacy' but I can live with such a small connector (or two).

6. No special-purpose input peripherals whatsoever, save for, perhaps, a game pad or game controller. Stuff breaks down, and there's a far better choice in PC-style keyboards (My mouse and keyboard are wireless, for example. That's bliss---no more cables messing up my desktop.)

7. I don't know what the merits of each chip are, so I'm going to pass. Personally, I feel that a graphics chip(set) should be backed by a manufacturer who doesn't require you to sign an NDA in order to get developer documents. This is not because I'm an open software proponent; it's just far less hassle in a community project.

8. Puh-lease. The Real Next Amiga is going to be fitted in the custom designed shell of an Imperial Destroyer (see here) or, for those with less time on their hands (like poor Bloodline) a Millennium Falcon (see here). Now that is a case I'd love to have on my desk!

9. 500 dollars max.

10. You can't use the name 'Amiga' for obvious legal reasons. That's a sad fact of life. So instead choose something new and snazzy. I don't know a good alternative, but let me ponder for a while.

11. Bad idea, see 10.

12. The kind of company with way too much cash to spare, a soft spot for the old Amiga, and a desire to do something completely whacky.

[downix]

7. Go for the most modern chip. Design time is long and when you finish the prototype prices of the powervr3 (does it exist?) will have come down. Who knows a powervr4 may have appeared.

Um... PowerVR 3 came out in 2000, that's what the Kyro/Kyro II are.  PowerVR 4 was canned and PowerVR have focused efforts on their embedded designs, like MBX.

[Neo]

Actually I you like to go for a tower, I think you should consider a simple motherboard with minimal amount of peripherals as these can be added via cheap PCI boards. As for the graphics add a AGP slot instead. Instead concentrate on the CPU(s) and the memory bus. Make the board attractive for the Linux people that want to build their own killer machine.

What you need is a short lead time from idea to product, since what you consider hot today will be old fasioned next year. And that means to use minimal amount of integrated hardware.

As for keyboards and mouse. Amiga style USB devices would be nice. They should preferably also work on a PC system.

[TheMagicM]

Not negative....just asking a few questions which may sound like it.

#2: Using AOS or MOS...

What is the purpose of using MOS ?  The Pegasos IMHO would be a better choice of hardware.   Why use OS4? Are you trying to make a cheaper alternative to the A1?

I still do not understand the purpose of this new system.  The Pegasos I, II and A1 are truly great pieces of hardware.

Why not be a software development group?  Port a web browser, some games  etc?