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Editor's Note: The following text has been left largely unedited.
Subj: FAQ Date: 98-06-15 14:19:10 EDT From: Andreas_Kleinert@t-online.de (Andreas R. Kleinert) To: [recipient list deleted] A little FAQ with a personal point of view concerning the announced new Amiga system. -------------------- One man's thoughts about the NG Amiga a small FAQ by A.R.K. Q: Do you think, that this new machine will be successful ? A: Perhaps. Most likely the same way as e.g. current console machines are or the A500 was, back in the 80's. Q: Do you think, that many of the current Amiga developers will make the jump to the new platform ? A: Depends on which migration paths AInc will supply for these. If it gets too expensive or difficult, one perhaps can be happy if 30 percent of the current hobbyist and shareware developers will be able to stay (means: go for the 4.0 system). Could be more of the commercial developers (if they do survive the next 17 months or so). Q: Why ? A: One perhaps can expect, that it does not suffice to buy a PC and the Siamese-alike card. One needs to buy development tools, which usually are quite expensive. Most freeware/shareware developers didn't even buy a PPC card (which isn't as expensive). The NG machine perhaps may get a growing shareware scene once the proposed $500 machine is out, though. Q: What do you think will the majority of the existing PD/shareware scene do, then ? A: A guess is, that they will continue to support existing 68k and/or PPC machines (and further developments for these, as maybe a newer OS 3.x or any new PPC OS developments) and look for alternatives at the same time. Promising alternatives could be BeOS, Linux, MacOS X or even WindowsNT (a jump to a standard platform may justify or even help to avoid higher costs - depends). Q: So you think that they won't leave the Amiga as such, but maybe will avoid the NG Amiga, since one may consider it not to be an Amiga as such any longer (unless reducing it to a trademark or a "spirit") ? A: Yes and no. If a migration to the new system isn't possible in a smooth way, but only a "preparation" through OS 4.0, this may mean that they won't go for it. Q: No chance for a comeback ? A: As I said, this is the wrong term. Since no one actually will LEAVE - it's just, that many perhaps won't ENTER the new system, unless it's end of 1999 and a cheap starters machine might be available. Q: Why do you think, that such a starters machine may again attract hobbyist developers, students and so on ? A: If its cheap and again sets milestones as the A500 did, it may do that job as well. Q: If it's such a good concept, why wouldn't it attract current Amiga developers as well ? A: Take a look, how many people did not make the transition from C64 to Amiga - and how many people did leave the Amiga since 1994. "End of 1999" is still 17 months away. Q: So you think, that it's basically a good and promising approach but that it's maybe too early to cancel the Classic Amiga ? A: Absolutely. Since there's almost two years until the release of the new machine, one can't leave that classic one completely in the dark. Q: Another two years with OS 3.1 ? A: Of course not. There should be an OS 3.5 with RTG and AHI, plus the ability to simply recompile programs designed for it under the new OS 4.0/5.0. Q: Simple recompilation ? Wouldn't that restrict the new OS in some ways ? I mean, current AmigaOS doesn't even have memory protection... A: Not at all. Take a look, how AROS currently does interface with Linux, see http://aros.fh-konstanz.de/aros/ Replace Linux with Amiga OS 5.0 and that's it... Disclaimer: personal points of view. Author may refuse any comments on the FAQ, will even deny to ever have said things like that... All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. [ add more standard legal texts here ;) ]