I really can't understand how people are putting a negative spin on Bill McEwens answers.

Does the following make the situation seem more bleak or more hopeful than where we were last week?

The OS4/Hardware impass : Bill McE -' We are positively trying to secure (ideally) two hardware platforms.'

The Hyperion/OS4/Amiga Inc contract impass : Bill McE - ' We are trying to reach a settlement and are on friendly terms.'

Also Bill confirmed;

Fully committed to classic Amiga OS as a desktop OS.

Still has regard for the classic Amiga community despite the vitreolic and sub human personal abuse from a few mentally sick individuals.

Acknowledged mistakes such as the hopelessly optimistic schedules, coupons and other things.

Come on people - let's hear some of the positive conclusions we can draw from all of this!
Where are you, Mikey_C, Helgis?

@Colin_Camper

Quote:

Where are you, Mikey_C, Helgis?

Mikey_C is busy organizing BB4 and Helgis is banned...

You're right though, it was not the end of the world, some good news, some less good, but life will go on

_________________
Site admins are people too..pooff!

@Colin_Camper

Well, I'd have to say that I'm positive about the fact that he decided to communicate with the community, which was long overdue. I'm also positive that he's somewhat acknowledged AOS4, although he spends an awful lot of time tooting AOS5 in the Q&A, which we know nothing about at the moment, except that it will most likely not come for a very long time and doesn't sit on top of someone else's OS. However, what was surprising and downright depressing was their apparent legal entanglements, which appear to be related to Hyperion and which has now added yet another incredible convoluted twist to what was already an insanely messy legal situation. If there are indeed issues between Amiga Inc. and Hyperion, then we're in for a long and messy fight, and worse of all, a very long wait for ANY OS...and more VC/personal money diverted from R&D, marketting, etc...and into to the lawyers' pockets. If this is the case, then it just seems to be yet another bitter battle between corporate interests and big egos, splintering the community even more than it already is...which appears to be the history of Amiga for the past 15 or so years, and quite possibly it's final undoing. I certainly hope that this is not the case and that everything gets settled to everyone's satisfaction and soon, but I'm not holding my breath. It's things like these that make me want to support an open source and portable Amiga OS like AROS, which might one day finally put the Amiga's future truely in the community's hands, which might mean it might have a better chance to survive, IMHO.

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When swimming with sharks, make sure to bring lots of band-aids...

@Colin_Camper

No, you are not the only one. The naysayers are simply making a lot of noise.
I am personaly quite happy with the response by Bill.

Thanks Bill.
We should do a local Amiga gathering sometime. Pick a park where we can grill some salmon and/or steaks.

@Colin_Camper

Quote:

Am I the only person on AW to see the BillMcE Q&A as a positive

Nope.

@tomazkid

I agree that it was good to hear Bill answer these questions, and was exciting to hear it said that they are still in the AmigaOS arena. I think the biggest problem is that we are hearing of a few positive things like OS4 on the IBM PDA, which is tied up with legal issues with Hyperion.

I know that there are two sides to every story, but this seems to be the single thing that is causing the most concern. Maybe we will hear more positive news from the upcoming BB4 and Pianeta Amiga shows. Here's hoping anyway.

Not sure what to think... I am wary of feeling positive personally - felt like that before and had my hopes dashed..

From a professional point of view ... (why isnt there a smiley for a cautious banana dance?)

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Sven Harvey
Amiga Mart in Micro Mart, Geekology 4M@, and other places
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@Colin_Camper

Well, actually I was surprised (kind off). I think his answers were open minded and quiet direct. He knew about projects in the community (minimig, troika, etc). Even with a certain grain of salt (as usual) I think it was a good move.

I had the feeling he took the whole thing pretty serious and I got the impression, after some hard time, he tries to reach out for more again. Seems AI has some (financial) backing. That was actually the biggest surprise to me. I look forward to see real products from Amiga one day, until then I hope the OS4 path can be finished and even everybody involved in OS4 can be successfull, as well.

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AmigaOne XE G3/933/VIA/FM801/R200 (fixed),
G3SE/600/Voodoo3/Sil680/RTL8139/SBLive! (noiseless!)
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@Colin_Camper

I am absolutely, positively, without a doubt.... neutral at this time. I feel no worse about the Q&A and I'm pleased to have some new material to talk about. So over all that is a slight positive.

BTW, Helgis quit on his own this time. Probably right before being banned.
If he's not lurking, he's missed some of the most active material in a long time.

Plaz

@Colin_Camper

I am also somewhat positive after reading the Q&A stuff on amiga,org

It surprises me how many people are feeling negative about this, or that are not feeling very positive.

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"I love peacenicks, they're so easy to conquer." --Ivan J Ironfist, the Dictator

@Colin_Camper

I am very positive. It saddens me that so many loud critics are on these sites. Why are they still here if they see no hope? Seems kind of foolish.
I have an A1 G4 and it does everything I need and more everyday.
The problem we face in the community is that there are legal issues that can't be discussed publically and non-discloser agreements which are all part and parcel of business. We have to live with that and there is no use complaining.
As sad as I am about the critics they are still here because of their deeeep faith in Bill and Hyperion what else could it be.
Why did Bill come forward? Are there that many of us that we present a huge market potential? Duh! I think he did it cause he actually cares.
Sooner than L8r
John Paul

@Colin_Camper

The positive for me, as a guy not directly affected by any of this, is that it's another interesting chapter in the ongoing melodrama. Sorry to those who are still hanging on, hoping the powers that be will someday reward the would-be users' patience, but if anything McEwen's responses only provide more reason for skepticism, in my opinion.

I really wonder what Bill McEwen's reality is. After years of the company being almost completely inactive (as far as desktop computing is concerned, especially) Bill all of a sudden says "It is obvious to me . . . that we have done a very poor job in communicating about Amiga." Well, yeah. That's what happens when there is essentially no effort to communicate. (I guess the personal emails that come and go indicate he hasn't been entirely cut off, but I'd say they aren't really enough to show AI is trying to get the word out in any meaningful way.)

Does he think it's been a problem? You'd have to say no, since he made no effort to change the situation and start communicating. On the other hand, if in fact everything is bogged down in legal disputes, then there's not a lot that can be communicated.

The quickness of his replies makes sense when you see that it's mostly PR boilerplate which, when heated, doesn't take very long to extrude into an input box. The substantial bits, of which there are a few, are more worrying that reassuring, to me. It's fine to know AI is still trying to work things out with Hyperion. But it's a bit of a bombshell to know they are at a point where negotiating, lawyers, etc. would be necessary at all.

Like somebody said somewhere, it seems maybe he dropped the Troika bomb specifically because Troika has been closer to Hyperion (as one of the Friedens more or less vouched for Troika being legitimately on track as an AOS4 hardware project) and so Troika is on "the other side" in the "whose OS is it?" contest.

As for McEwen's statements about committments and future developments, talk is cheap, and I think he's clearly shown in the past that what he says doesn't necessarily have any connection with reality.

Be optimistic if you like -- really, that's the best way to live -- but temper that with a healthy dose of cold reality as best you can make it out. That'd be my advice.

-- gary_c

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zukakakina.com - themes.tikiwiki.org

@Colin_Camper

Well I don't like the fact that Amiga Inc. and Hyperion are in a fight over OS4.
Also on a side note, the official OS4 site has been down for a long time now.. Because of this?
Then the thing about OS5.. What is it? A follow up to OS4? Doubt it.

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/Harry

[SOLD] µA1-C - 750GX 800MHz - 512MB - Antec Aria case

Avatar by HNL_DK!

@cope

Quote:

It saddens me that so many loud critics are on these sites. Why are they still here if they see no hope? Seems kind of foolish.

That's a valid question, and my answer is that this is all very interesting from various standpoints, like how small businesses operate, specifically how tech businesses operate, how representatives of those businesses conduct themselves in public and what they say and so on, how people -- stakeholders, really, of one kind or another -- interpret what those representatives say and how they react to what is said, and so on.

So that's all on kind of an abstract level. The fact that it involves the Amiga computer platform then makes it personal, because that's how I started out with computers, what got me excited about them, and kind of framed my later perceptions of what computers were like and what they could do, and what computer user communities are all about.

But as has been said many times in the past, enthusiasm for the platform doesn't mean you have to be enthusiastic about the management of the companies involved, about the decisions they make or the personalities there and so on. So it's very easy to have warm feelings for the platform and still think the company management sucks. Unfortunately, that's been an ongoing problem for quite a while. As long as this site and the other sites are about the platform and not just kneejerk corporate fanboy sites, it's totally appropriate to come here and post negative as well as positive reactions to what somebody like Bill McEwen says.

-- gary_c

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zukakakina.com - themes.tikiwiki.org

I hope it is al true but I have difficulties believing something from Amiga Inc. before seeing it. I am sure a lot of people feel the same...
I honestly think he can be very happy for the fact that there are still people who give him after all his stunts the benefit of the doubt. But I am sure it's going to be the last time if he does that again. It would put moral in the community below zero... very far below zero.

_________________
- Proud Member Of The Belgian Amigaclub Since 2003 -

The Belgian Amiga Club on FACEBOOK !

The Belgian Amiga Club Website

@Plaz

Quote:

If he's not lurking, he's missed some of the most active material in a long time.

He is lurking

_________________
Site admins are people too..pooff!

@Plaz

BTW, Helgis quit on his own this time. Probably right before being banned.

Check his last login date...

As for the topic... Nothing chanced much. Some things cleared up leaving other questions.. And it's the same as with all (most) Q&A.. Maybe a bit less but the ammount of activity on the forums and most reactions are basicly the same as always. Almost kind of a remake.

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~
Everything you say will be misquoted and used against you..
~

@cope
Quote:

I am very positive. It saddens me that so many loud critics are on these sites. Why are they still here if they see no hope? Seems kind of foolish.

I am here because I like OS4. I would even like to use it for a commercial project. But, guess what, I cannot because there are legal issues which are not better specified and I don't know when these will be solved. Is this foolish?

Quote:

I have an A1 G4 and it does everything I need and more everyday.

Well, I don't have an A1 or any OS4-capable hardware and would like to, but I cannot for the reasons above.

@gdg

Quoting OSnews article:

"Apparently they've been maintaining development of AmigaDE (AmigaOS 5.0), while developing AmigaOS 4 as a fall-back."

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retired

@tomazkid

Quote:

tomazkid wrote: @Colin_Camper Mikey_C is busy organizing BB4....

*Cough* ... I wouldnt say he was busy.. more half ####d and now bricking it saying "OH #### WAS I SUPPOSED TO GET THAT SORTED! WE ONLY HAVE ONE DAY TO GO!! ARRGGGHHH"