@Colin_Camper

Positive???

BMcE said he'd only entertain proposals from companies grossing >1/2 Million/year...

Amiga Inc are in a legal dispute for AmigaOS itself...

Who on earth (that is that successful) would even THINK about investing in a platform for an OS when the people they need to talk to to do it, can't even legally guarantee they OWN the thing???

I'm afraid ANY potential company with two bits of sense won't touch this thing with a bargepole untill after Amiga Inc and Hyperion can agree on who owns OS4. To do business with either company untill after this is resolved would be extremely risky and dumb.

Oh HELL, Amiga Inc haven't even sorted out ownership of *FREAKING AMIGAOS 3.9* with H&P YET!!! (which is why Hyperion and Amiga Inc had to use 3.1 sources)

I suspect this AmigaOS5 thing, is going to be based yet again, on AmigaOS3.1, while 3.5, 3.9, and 4.0 are left in legal stalemate. This would make #3 in a pattern.

Last edited by T_Bone on 15-Sep-2006 at 07:34 PM.
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Last edited by T_Bone on 15-Sep-2006 at 07:18 PM.

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@Wayne

Since you seem to be able to communicate freely with Bill, could you please ask him these questions and relay the answers back? I think the answers will clear up most of the questions we have and should not break any NDAs:

Regarding OS5, will I be able to:

1. Take source code for any OS-legal AmigaOS 3.x program (ie a program that follows the guidelines in the Amiga 2.x/3.x programming manuals), compile it with the appropriate tools and expect it to work?
2. Take an OS-legal AmigaOS 3.x program from Aminet and have a reasonable expectation of it working?

These two questions will tell us all we really want to know about OS5 (source and binary level compatibility). Anything else is just details.

@Thread:

Since one of the main interesting points hasn't been discussed at all, how about asking something about that PDA OS4 port, possibility of purchase,if it's going to be anytime soon as an end product?

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@Ami603

I thought he was only referring to that PPC405 reference PDA from IBM. The port that they did back in 2002/3. Since nothing came out of it when it was "new technology", why would they sell ancient 3 year old PDA's now?

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@polka.

People are waiting for OS4 for classics and i cannot ask for a pocket OS4?

on a serious note, if they wanted it just as a proof of concept or paid for it to be able to develop some other products we don't know.Also would be interesting to see if this item could made it to the distributors if there was enough interest.

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@Ami603

In contrast to OS4 for Classic PPC, a PDA-version of OS4 was never promised.
They have repeatedly stated that it was just a "proof of concept".

Quote:

Also would be interesting to see if this item could made it to the distributors if there was enough interest.

What do you mean exactly? That a PDA-manufacturer contacts Amiga Inc. and applies for a license? They could care less about 500 geek users and I don't see _any_ advantage of OS4 over already existing PDA-OS which would attract the mainstream. OS4 might run on some PDA's, but that doesn't automatically make it an OS that it makes sense on PDA's. Are there any PDA-specific apps? Who would invest for developing those apps? Some bedroom coders won't cut it.

Last edited by polka. on 15-Sep-2006 at 08:53 PM.

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@Colin_Camper

Nope, i'm extremely pleased with the answers as well, it all sounds pretty damn good to me! and i'm glad Bill seems to be positive about the whole thing too!

I've been suprised by the number of negative comments people have given as well, i really dont know much else Bill could have said that would have satisfied those people. Maybe some of them just need to get out more or something?.. I dont know.

I'm glad to hear that he's thinking big as well and that there is an OS 5 and 6 planned in the near future, i was quite suprised by that but definately very pleased! I know that if I was the owner of Amiga I would be thinking big too, I wouldn't be aiming for a niche market, the OS can easily be an alternative to Windows or Mac or Linux as far as i'm concerned.

Here's to the future!

@Rit

Firstly, welcome.

Secondly...
Quote:

i really dont know much else Bill could have said that would have satisfied those people

Well, he could have said something like..."Hyperion have a done a great job getting OS4 far past the original agreed specification, so we have come to an agreement that will allow them to continue developing AmigaOS4 PPC for as long as they like in whatever direction they like. From now on, all hardware licensing for AmigaOS4 PPC should be directed to them. Here at Amiga Inc, we will continue to work on AmigaDE/AmigaAnywhere and when the Amiga OS4 commuinity reaches 10,000, we will consider a port of all AmigaAnywhere software to AmigaOS4 PPC"

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@Herewegoagain

Quote:

That is most encouraging to think that Amiga have it in their sight (and the ability) to purchase other companies assets.

Good point, I kinda of missed the reality behind that message. Once you stop and think about Amiga actually buying some thing else instead of being bought it really has me scratching my head wondering about what those assets may be.

[humor on]
Things like a T-Shirt buy back program, Timothy Rue email archive, the remainder of Red's inventory.....
[/humor off]

Plaz

@Thread

This is a great thread and some interesting viewpoints - most of my threads are still-born or cause a big Brewhaha! No in between - except here!

Well I am glad I am not the only one to have 'walked away' from the answers Bill gave feeling more optimistic.

The biggest 'downers' mentioned can be interpreted in different ways;

The impass with Amiga Inc and Hyperion over additional payments. Yes you can spin this as being an OS4 show-stopper and a legal minefield - yet Bill was adamant that the OS4 developers would be compensated, the two parties are on friendly terms and the assumption here is that the only thing holding up OS4 is hardware. No mention of legal proceedings.....

I was surprised by the $500,00K 'test' but if Amiga can apply this and still get their two hardware platforms who are we to disagree?

The other 'downer' that is being spun is that most of the answers were woolly and full of BS. The first thing that struck me was the mature, considered and direct way Bill answered those questions. It really looks like he has been on a journey these last few years and it's unfair to pretend that this effort is all #### just because you feel comfortable with the pigeonhole you put these guys in back in the day (2000-2003).

This mature, reflective and direct talk, more than anything, made me optimistic about things ahead.

For the first time in 2 years I wish those guys the best of luck and best wishes. The difference between now and then is that I also am rooting for Genesi, MOS and AROS!

@Colin_Camper

I'm sorry that I didn't respond to your thread yesterday. Yes, I was pleasantly surprised at McEwen's writing style, it was not like the marketing-speak that we have heard in the past.

Like most here, I was not aware that an attempt to implement the "buy-back" had been made. That the two parties have not come to a final agreement on the value of the work done by Hyperion and how much AI ought to pay for it, should not be a surprise to anyone. It certainly does not suggest a "dispute" or court proceedings, as some doomsayers have claimed.

Although I'm reluctant to speculate, I would assume (in the absence of any other information) that AI got hold of an early version of OS4 source code (or perhaps have not got past 3.1) and have managed to build that on a multi-platform HAL, so that it runs on PPC and x86. That platform independence alone would form the basis of an "OS5", as they described many years ago. It does not have to be a "new" or "re-written" OS at all.

Otherwise, I came away cautiously optimistic. Naturally, the Genesi zombies will do all they can to keep pessimistic and "anti-" threads at the top of the front page.

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@tonyw

Quote:

I was pleasantly surprised at McEwen's writing style, it was not like the marketing-speak that we have heard in the past.

Umm.. yes it was. Maybe you should re-read it.

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...wait... what?

Quote:

tonyw wrote: Naturally, the Genesi zombies will do all they can to keep pessimistic and "anti-" threads at the top of the front page.

Do consider yourself a Genesi zombie?

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Quote:

Colin_Camper wrote: @Thread most of my threads .. cause a big Brewhaha!

Brewhaha's will happen as long as there is lots of beer!

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@tonyw

Quote:

It ["OS5"] does not have to be a "new" or "re-written" OS at all.

What makes you think all plans for "OS5" have been discarded and replaced by something completely different for which the sources of AmigaOS 3.x or 4.0 could be used?

@joerg

Quote:

What makes you think all plans for "OS5" have been discarded and replaced by something completely different for which the sources of AmigaOS 3.x or 4.0 could be used?

Nothing at all, and I didn't even suggest that. I merely suggested that a port of OS3.1 or even OS4 to a multi-platform HAL *could* be regarded as an early step towards the "run-anywhere" OS5. It could be described as "work done towards OS5".

But, of course, I am only guessing.

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tony

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@yoodoo2
Quote:

Well, he could have said something like..."Hyperion have a done a great job getting OS4 far past the original agreed specification, so we have come to an agreement that will allow them to continue developing AmigaOS4 PPC for as long as they like in whatever direction they like. From now on, all hardware licensing for AmigaOS4 PPC should be directed to them. Here at Amiga Inc, we will continue to work on AmigaDE/AmigaAnywhere and when the Amiga OS4 commuinity reaches 10,000, we will consider a port of all AmigaAnywhere software to AmigaOS4 PPC"

WOW!
Seriously, just reading your statement makes me feel like alice in wonderland and belive in AMIGA once more!

I'm not beeing sarcastic!!!!

I vote you for president!

Last edited by Amigo1 on 16-Sep-2006 at 09:37 AM.

Positive?

Troika in TotalAmiga #22 one year ago - Quote:

Will Amy'05 be licenced to run OS 4? We designed Amy'05 from the start to run OS 4. Just less than a year ago we contacted all the parties involved in the OS 4 process and went to work on our project.

Bill McEwen interview - Quote:

We are in current discussions with three companies, and I believe that two of them have product and offerings that offer a competitive opportunity for the Amiga community. We are striving to get these deals complete, and until they are signed I am not at liberty to discuss them. I will say that Troika is not one of them, contrary to what is rumbling out there.

@quenthal

The Troika quote just says that they had discussions. This is also what Bill said.

Presumably Troika has been confident all along that their product will be licensed when it is ready to ship. It sounds like Bill cannot be so definite on this.

This also, presumably, still leaves the Italians and ACK. Obviously they are all in the same boat as unlicensed. However Troika are at a disadvantage because Bill is not convinced by Troikas' case. At the end of the day Bill stated that he wanted, ideally, two hardware partners.
This still does not rule out Troika even if the Italians and ACK get their licenses first.

How can this situation be worse than a week ago when we thought that Amiga.Inc were belligerent towards OS4, didn't much want any hardware partners and were in a stony impass with Hyperion and in a state of frozen rigor mortis.

He's still here after 6 or so years!

That's pretty good staying power... and suggests that he's serious and not going away any time real soon.

Stuff has been going on in the background.

I can only see the positives in this announcement.