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News   News : Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
   posted by DiscreetFX on 20-Nov-2009 2:23:32 (38904 reads)
Chicago, Illinois November 19th, 2009



For Immediate Release


It's with great sadness that we must announce the end of the AmiZilla Booty. The former Netscape Executive has been concerned with the length of the contest for some time and now no longer wishes to participant. Listed below is a statement in his own words about why the contest is over.


"Today I wish to end the AmiZilla Contest, this project has gone on way too long with no project updates from any coders that might have been involved. Some that never even donated to the contest have tried to use it to cast DiscreetFX and myself in a bad light. Rumors were spread that the funds were being used for other things. I take this as a personal insult myself since I am in control of the funds and am of high ethical character. AmiZilla was always about helping the Amiga, AROS & MorphOS community get a modern browser. It was a contest though and without a clear winner the contest was not helping it's sponsors, mainly DiscreetFX and myself.

Many times I was going to increase my contribution to the bounty considerably but I did not because of rumor spreading and in-fighting. I advise everyone in the Amiga community to do more and talk less in the future. I officially withdraw my AmiZilla funds and hopefully make the Amiga community wiser for it. Actions speak louder than words, this is my action. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel though. The developers of Amiga OS 4.1 have taken it upon themselves to actually do the hard work of porting Firefox to AmigaOS. They would have made the programming team from Netscape proud."

That's the end of his statement. He did say the CD is maturing and all the funds minus his contribution will be transferred back to DiscreetFX. Listed below are the options that those that donated have.

1. Transfer your donation to Timberwolf to help that Firefox bounty succeed.

2. Request a refund and have it processed through our accounting department. Your donation was always safe with DiscreetFX. We have never done any type of coupon scams or anything else unethical in the history of the company.

3. Transfer donation to Open Video Toaster. This effort to bring video editing and effects to Amiga OS 4.x, AROS and MorphOS is in need of more donations to make it thrive. AmigaOS, MorphOS & AROS have no video editing applications anywhere near the quality of the Amiga Video Toaster. What they do have is the rare opportunity of the complete source code to this classic best selling system. Use that opportunity wisely!

4. Receive the equivalent of your donation in DFX products.

5. Request your donation goes to Charity Water. Many people in the world are suffering because they don't have clean water. Help them by transferring your AmiZilla Booty donation to this great charity.

Sorry for the bad news but AmiZilla's key backer has spoken.


Best regards

DiscreetFX Team
    

STORYID: 5159
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PosterThread
Ants 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 8:29:12
#161 ]
Member
Joined: 28-Jun-2005
Posts: 75
From: Auckland, New Zealand

@qwertz
Quote:
So bounty rule no. 3 is totally hilarious. And from my point of view, bounty rule no. 3 was installed so that the bounty would never be reaped because no coder who does the initial port would ever be satisfied with getting only a laughable 25% of the bounty for the huge work he has done.

That is only a recent thing- under 6 months ago, and was discussed thoroughly in a Forum here- the majority of people agreed to it, as it was a last-ditch attempt to try and get the AmiZilla bounty to work. As the AmiZilla Team coordinator, I also agreed to it, as it made things much easier for us to complete the Bounty (which had to be all 4 OSes!), as the MOS and OS4 port would have been difficult for us, hardware-wise.

And just because someone did the first port, even though it was open-source code, someone else couldn't have just come along and used that code to get the bounty for another OS- they would have had to negotiate with the AmiZilla Team on a % split.


Ants
AmiZilla Coordinator


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Ants 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 8:35:54
#162 ]
Member
Joined: 28-Jun-2005
Posts: 75
From: Auckland, New Zealand

@ Troels

Yeah I agree, it probably should have been cancelled a couple of years ago. What you say is true about OS4, but there really wasn't anything definite about the other 3 OSes, so I suppose it's for the best really.

Ps: Thanks for all your support and encouragement on this bounty Troels!


Ants
AmiZilla Coordinator


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DAX 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 8:50:21
#163 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 30-Sep-2009
Posts: 2790
From: Italy

Quote:
Anyway, I tink it was about time to get rid of Amizilla, the browser situation changed a lot recently. Mozilla is not the überbrowser anylonger (webkit did a strike).

I don't see any changes in the browsers scene actually: IE8 is the usual, Chrome keeps giving me errors and incompatibility, FF keeps improving its speed and feature set all the time (it is almost becoming a software development platform instead of a mere HTML renderer, not to mention that the latest release gained a ton of speed compared to 3.0 and earlier versions) and Opera 10 keeps being the best (but it is not an open source project, so no point in asking for it).

AOS fans should be pleased however for the fact that they are poised to get the best of both worlds (Both Webkit based OWB and ultra fully featured FF ).

Last edited by DAX on 23-Nov-2009 at 08:57 AM.


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 9:27:09
#164 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

Quote:
As a sign of good intentions the Frieden brothers might as well release all their code...


@pixie, qertz and others.


Would you please leave our names and Timberwolf out of this witch hunt? We did not have anything to do with Amizilla and the end of it, so there is no reason to brandish it for one side or the other in this "conflict".

Thank you very much.


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 9:30:49
#165 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

@pixie

Quote:
He wont release since it was never their intention, after all if your intention is to release source why would you start by spreading it to be closed?


Yadda yadda. It was the intention from the very start to give the source code away to Amizilla; after all, we already given the source code of an earlier port of NSPR to Amizilla as well as to afxgroup for his port, so please shut up if you don't know what you are talking about.

If you want to know, people like you are the reason Timberwolf is going to be closed source. People that make claims without knowing anything, people that badmouth others for the sake of furthering their own agenda. Unfortunately, this so called "community" is full of people like that.


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 9:33:22
#166 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

@ChrisH

Quote:
BTW, Rogue said they had been CONSIDERING it. I am going to take him at his word, since there doesn't seem any reason to accuse him of lying.


Note that after the announcement of it being closed source, there hasn't been a single query about re-considering the decision and make it open source. No one tried to appeal or convince us. The amount of bullcrapping, however, was staggering, and it only enforced in us the idea that making it AmigaOS 4.1 only was a good idea.


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 9:42:46
#167 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

@pixie

Quote:
I would expect whoever that abides by your logic who would want to collect the full bounty to do so, if their ego don't allow them to who's to blame? The conditions are there from the start.


Our Ego is not at stake here, and I ask everybody again to leave us the hell out of this.

If you would use your brain for a second, you would know that there might be more than just ego that prevents me from doing MorphOS development, like for example

- Lack of MorphOS.
- Lack of Interest in the latter
- Lack of knowledge in the latter
- Differences between AmigaOS and MorphOS.

There are enough reasons I might not want to do this, yet you HAVE to suggest it is ego because it serves your fraking point.

THAT is what disgusts me the most with you camp boys, regardless of what side you are on. You pick soemthing and present it as if some ill intend on our side is the only possible explanation.

To re-iterate, the source code of Mozilla has been out for ages, and there is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING stopping anybody from picking it up and porting it to their platform of choice, be that AmigaOS, AmigaOS 3.x, AROS or MorphOS. However, you rather play sulking and point fingers at the only people that actually did pick up the source code, just because they don't do it for YOUR platform.

So, to reiterate, leave our names and Timberwolf out of this.


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pixie 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 11:32:30
#168 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 10-Mar-2003
Posts: 3123
From: Figueira da Foz - Portugal

Quote:
If you want to know, people like you are the reason Timberwolf is going to be closed source. People that make claims without knowing anything, people that badmouth others for the sake of furthering their own agenda. Unfortunately, this so called "community" is full of people like that.


Please don't belittle your own work, don't make you look that you care more at the opinion of those who badmouth it then you have for those who actual enjoy it, because when you say something like this you make it seems that what its really important is the way people talk about it, not the actual project in itself.

You see, my 'agenda' would be having Timberwolf out in the open, as it seems once you were part of this 'agenda' of mine, since then you've shifted your goals, as it seems they weren't that much important, having it as open as possible is less important then what 'we' say, 'we' who badmouth your work.

Quote:
Quote:
I would expect whoever that abides by your logic who would want to collect the full bounty to do so, if their ego don't allow them to who's to blame? The conditions are there from the start.
Our Ego is not at stake here, and I ask everybody again to leave us the hell out of this.

If you would use your brain for a second, you would know that there might be more than just ego that prevents me from doing MorphOS development, like for example

- Lack of MorphOS.
- Lack of Interest in the latter
- Lack of knowledge in the latter
- Differences between AmigaOS and MorphOS.

There are enough reasons I might not want to do this, yet you HAVE to suggest it is ego because it serves your fraking point.


Let's get things straight, I explicitly said that 'whoever that abides by your logic' I never said it to be you, as for the reasons not to do for MorphOS, AmigaOS, AROS whatever... there was nothing stopping you from making arrangements so that these builds were done, the work paid according to the % of work done and having you collecting all the bounty, now there was? There's lots of ways of skinning a cat, what you can't have is cut a cake and eating it to as the qwertz logic seemed to imply.

Quote:
However, you rather play sulking and point fingers at the only people that actually did pick up the source code, just because they don't do it for YOUR platform.

What saddens me it's that you pick an open source project and close it up, what saddens me is duplication of efforts, and while I do salute you for actually get out something where most had failed miserably, I think it could suit you better to have it open.

My platform already has Firefox, having it in the Open in the Amiga platform would be quite a thing I do tell you, instead we have this, a compromise...


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Arko 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 12:26:57
#169 ]
Super Member
Joined: 17-Jan-2007
Posts: 1989
From: Unknown

Someone who has a Pegasos could use MorphOS 1.4.5 so this:
Quote:

If you would use your brain for a second, you would know that there might be more than just ego that prevents me from doing MorphOS development, like for example

- Lack of MorphOS.


Seems not to be correct.


_________________
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I borrowed this comments from here (#27 & #28):
http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=38873&forum=2&start=20&order=0

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ikir 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 12:32:46
#170 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 18-Dec-2002
Posts: 5647
From: Italy

I want my (little) money back so i can transfer them to Timberwolf and OWB.


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EntilZha 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 12:45:19
#171 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 27-Aug-2003
Posts: 1679
From: The Jedi Academy, Yavin 4

@ pixie

Can you stop the slander, please ? Thanks.

I would also appreciate if people would not "blame" us for the closing of AmiZilla. We had nothing to do with it, really.

Last edited by EntilZha on 23-Nov-2009 at 12:52 PM.
Last edited by EntilZha on 23-Nov-2009 at 12:48 PM.


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All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Hyperion Entertainment

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EntilZha 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 12:55:31
#172 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 27-Aug-2003
Posts: 1679
From: The Jedi Academy, Yavin 4

@ arko

Quote:
Seems not to be correct.


I can assure you that there is no MorphOS on this Pegasos in question. Just because it is available doesn't mean we've got it.


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All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Hyperion Entertainment

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fairlanefastback 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 13:36:47
#173 ]
Team Member
Joined: 22-Jun-2005
Posts: 4886
From: MA, USA

@Ants

Quote:
Well, firstly, I don't blame this guy at all for pulling out- the treatment he got recently for putting $5000 into a open-source project to help the Amiga platforms is absolutely abysmal!


Lets be very clear on the *actual* sequence of events here. The anonymous donor was known only as that for SIX YEARS. He was considered a good, kind-hearted soul for SIX YEARS. I *never* saw a disparaging word about the anonymous donor because he was nothing but revered (that I ever saw anyway).

So I see it as bullcrap that he got ill treatment to make him want to get out. That is not a reasonable reason whatsoever, because no one had a bone to pick with him. No one derided him. No one said anything negative about him that I ever saw before this press release. (If I am wrong on this someone please show me something to the contrary.)

No one can think guy X is a bad guy mishandling money when everyone thought guy Y held the money all this time over the entire six years.

When people questioned DFX's handling of the money that is who they were questioning because thats who they were LEAD TO BELIEVE had the money. Folks are not psychic. No one could divine the anonymous donor instead held all donor money. And so anything said about the perceived handling of the money by DFX did not apply to him, because it was based on a presentation of how the situation was (with DFX saying they managed the bounty) that was untrue.

Additionally some folks in this thread don't believe he exists, and hence they aren't even negatively addressing him either because they believe him to be a fabrication by DFX. Again, thats nothing on him as a person or his reputation.

Now, if he is buddies with DFX, fine get all ####ed at what you see as the poor treatment of your friend. But you are not helping things by getting upset that everyone was bashing you when that was not occuring at all. The press release talks about people questioning his character. But its simply not the case. Everybody thought he was just a generous, nice, donor.


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polka. 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 13:51:04
#174 ]
Super Member
Joined: 13-Oct-2005
Posts: 1820
From: Tortuga

@EntilZha

Quote:
@pixie
I would also appreciate if people would not "blame" us for the closing of AmiZilla. We had nothing to do with it, really.


Could you give references, please? I have also followed this thread, but fail to see any occurences where people have blamed you for the closing of Amizilla.


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DiscreetFX 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 14:07:30
#175 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 12-Feb-2003
Posts: 2495
From: Chicago, IL

I too wish the witch hunt would stop. I had no control over the closing of AmiZilla and tried to stop it in fact. The best thing that could of happened would be Timberwolf being completed then the code being released and a team effort wins the AmiZilla booty too. That's what I would have love to see happen. I would hope that all the things that I have done over many years for the Amiga community. contest giveaways, contributing to other bounties, promoting the Amiga and still mentioning it on my company website. Defending Amiga, MorphOS & AROS to naysayers. And many other things would be taken in to consideration by some. I have had some Windows users make fun of the fact that Amiga is still mentioned on the DiscreetFX website. I bet that is why many ex-Amiga developers have wiped the slate clean and no longer even mention the Amiga in their company history. I have not done that and don't want to. Thanks for the support many have shown DiscreetFX by the way, you will be remembered.

@fairlanefastback

Your information is not correct, our friend the former Netscape executive and DiscreetFX have been questioned over the years many times over AmiZilla. Maybe not by you but by others.I have thick skin so it did not bother me as much as it did him. I think when you reach a certain level in your life where money is no longer a problem your personal reputation becomes even more important. This is my opinion and I don't have such a financial position myself.

Last edited by DiscreetFX on 23-Nov-2009 at 02:16 PM.


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 14:10:00
#176 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

Quote:
You see, my 'agenda' would be having Timberwolf out in the open, as it seems once you were part of this 'agenda' of mine, since then you've shifted your goals, as it seems they weren't that much important, having it as open as possible is less important then what 'we' say, 'we' who badmouth your work.


Your agenda is to have it for MorphOS, and you don't care about the rest. Don't tell me you care all about "making it open", because I don't believe you.

This is also not about badmouthing my work. It is about badmouthing ME, as a person.

Quote:
What saddens me it's that you pick an open source project and close it up, what saddens me is duplication of efforts, and while I do salute you for actually get out something where most had failed miserably, I think it could suit you better to have it open.


I don't. It's not like we ask money for it. We don't close anything up that isn't already there. We just reserve the right, as per the MPL, to keep our own code.

That "open source project and close it up" is nothing but self-righteous indignation. As I said, there is nothing stopping YOU or anybody else from porting it to MorphOS or any other OS you like. We chose this path, and we have the full right to chose this path


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 14:11:41
#177 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

@Arko

Quote:
Seems not to be correct.


I have a Pegasos, and the only OS on it is AmigaOS. No MorphOS. I could get it of course, I could even go and BUY MorphOS 2.0, but that does not invalidate the fact that I don't have it. And I don't have any plans to get it.


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Manu 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 14:11:51
#178 ]
Super Member
Joined: 4-Feb-2004
Posts: 1561
From: Unknown

@fairlainefastback

Good last post, I agree. It's like somebody woke you up in the middle of the night
slapped you in the face. I just don't get any of this. On the contrary it starts to make your mind boggle. What was REALLY the reason for this to happen ? Why is it so important that MOS and AROS don't get anything from that bounty ? I don't want to speculate, but it just makes you wonder. Because the picture I had of DFX was that they where the company that cared for all platforms, today I am not sure what to think. I guess they'll have to prove it again somehow for me to believe they are still serious towards ALL.

This quote is from this news item
Quote:

Rumors were spread that the funds were being used for other things. I take this as a personal insult myself since I am in control of the funds and am of high ethical character.

I have never in my life heard about any of those rumors before reading about it in this very news item. Either I am not hanging out in the right forums or the right IRC channels because that qoute is like from an alternative reality.

I would just like to pronounce a big "SIGH" to all of this.

When this newsitem drops from the frontpage of AW then I won't think about it anymore, I will look at all other good things that happens in our communitys and be gratefult to that.


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Rogue 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 14:13:33
#179 ]
OS4 Core Developer
Joined: 14-Jul-2003
Posts: 3999
From: Unknown

Quote:
Could you give references, please? I have also followed this thread, but fail to see any occurences where people have blamed you for the closing of Amizilla.


I think qwertz story qualifies. You could argue about the meaning, but it draws a direct connection.


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pixie 
Re: Former Netscape Executive Ends AmiZilla Booty
Posted on 23-Nov-2009 14:26:53
#180 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 10-Mar-2003
Posts: 3123
From: Figueira da Foz - Portugal

@Rogue:
Quote:
I think qwertz story qualifies. You could argue about the meaning, but it draws a direct connection.


I can only see here some sort of conspiracy plot to why the investor went away, in the sense that wether it was timberwolf or anyone else the result would be the sam, not actually blamming timberwolf for doing it.


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