>You have to consider that Amiga restated their plans for Amiga DE and 4.x/5.0 a long time ago. They decided that DE would not make a great skeleton for future versions of the operating system, but that there would be an AmigaDE player that could be ported to the Amiga OS. The statements from KMOS do not necessarily change that; one cannot conclude from the above that an Amiga DE player couldn't be made for those who desire it. It seems to be more of a clarification, meant to help those who might have been confused by Genesi's rhetoric. The original plans for some sort of convergence in 5.0 are rather old, and the emergence of 5.0 seems too far ahead of us for any constructive contemplation.

I understood the situation the same way. The DE will be an 'add on application' to the OS. My question was not about is the "DE gone for sure from the OS" but "Is 4.0 the last version we will see". We really know nothing about KMOS and even less about their plans for our favorite OS. With Hyperion having already said there are still things they want to improve there is no sign from KMOS that it will be allowed or if development will continue at all after 4.0.

But, what is even more critical to me is the answer to my last question. MarryAnn or Ginger. It's of pivotal importance to the community at large. You can tell alot about a man depending on who he picks and i think its our right to know as Amigans. :)

Ivan

_________________
Q: How do you make an Amiga run?
A: Threaten to put in a Windows CD.

@Ivan

I can tell you sincerely that I would have picked Ginger.
What does that say about me?

Also what if he doesn't pick either one, isn't that even more telling?

@Ivan
Quote:

I can tell you sincerely that I would have picked Ginger.

Me, I'd go with Denise, or maybe Lisa even...I have no doubt which one Mr. Hare would opt for as his favourite...just not sure whether he'd go for Fat or old-school.

(Though I'm pretty certain that you aren't discussing custom chips...Spice Girls? Olsen siblings?)

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A1G4XE, OS4-pre

Comments made by Amiga, Inc. shortly after Amiga OS 4.0 was announced indicated that it was a product aimed at classic Amiga users and was going to be used as a "bridge" to bring them over to the PPC technology and that Amiga, Inc. would not heavily market to "new" users until version Amiga OS 5.0. Comments were also made that the level of documentation included in Amiga OS 4.0 would reflect this. (i.e. The documentation would not be aimed at first time users.)

With many people seeking an alternative to Windows and not finding satisfaction in Linux or Mac OS, is KMOS going to change it's marketing strategy and also seek customers who are "new" to Amiga OS?

Hello
I want to ask:
1. Are you aware of Amiga curse where the investors will go bankrupt?
2. Is there any plan to sell shares to the public/IPO?
3. Who is KMOS Chief Financial Officer?
4. How do you plan to compete with MS, Linux, Apple?
5. Do you plan to create advertising campaign for general public?
6. Do you have any other Q&A forum beside Amigaworld.net?

Edited by DaveP - Contain XOOPs bug reports to discussion threads like these here please do not spam other threads with it.

Thank you.

Quote:

The documentation would not be aimed at first time users

I'd think that we, existing Amiga users and developers, can do a pretty good job at documenting the platform for new comers, and even writing books covering everything from SW to HW, as was done by 3rd parties since the A1000.

As for KMOS buying the OS, to me it is a safe bet that they wouldn't have entered such a deal unless they saw some value in the OS, intended on pushing it forward and succeeding at it, and believed they had the ability to do so.

Note to Garry: I would encourage regular forum participation from you or any official KMOS representative, as it makes people feel better knowing that:
a) we matter,
b) KMOS is alive
c) communication is possible
d) KMOS is part of the community

Even if none of the discussions pertains to the future, products, etc. a lot can be discussed that would help retain and solidify the existing user base.
A lot of people are still waiting for the OS4 release before buying an A1 and need reassurance that such a significant investment is justified.

_________________
AlexC's free OS4 software collection

AmigaOne XE/X1000/X5000/UAE-PPC OS4 laptop/X-10 Home Automation

Quote:

I'd think that we, existing Amiga users and developers, can do a pretty good job at documenting the platform for new comers, and even writing books covering everything from SW to HW, as was done by 3rd parties since the A1000.

This may be true, but even if it does happen you're looking at a few problems right off the top.

#1 - Perception. Potential new customers looking at it and saying to themselves "It doesn't even come with documentation for me?"

#2 - Production of that documentation. How long are books and web pages going to take to get published and created? People want to be able to be up and running and use a product that contains the information they require included with it. If every time a new user has a question that they can't figure out just by messing around in the OS they have to hit the web to try and find it instead of being able to look it up in the product itself, I think that's a drawback.

Also, the documentation was just part of my question. The other was marketing. I still fail to understand how Amiga, Inc. felt it was going to move enough units to sustain the plafform when Eyetech is saying that they have estimated that there are only about 10,000 users worldwide still using the platform. Even if every one out there bought OS 4 I never saw that as being near enough units to survive.

@Sbaitso

There will be enough time between the pre-release and the final release of OS4 to get proper documentation on the CD. Hyperion might have that all planned already, I don't know, but I'll look into it. There's no question that proper documentation should be provided with the OS.

As for books, I'm thinking more along the line of titles such as "My first Amiga" or "Advanced Amiga Programming", they probably won't be available for sale at least several months following the official release but that's normal on any platform.
Hopefully there can be some concerted effort to avoid duplicated efforts in a market currently too small for competition.

I can't say how many people are still using the Amiga, how many have PPC boards, and how many of the existing Amiga users will buy the A1 or MicroA1, but there should be at least 2,000,000 ex-Amiga owners out there according to Commodore's final Amiga sales records.
Whether most of them can be convinced to return to the platform has yet to be seen, but it's a significant potential customer base which doesn't need a pitch to appreciate the potential of the platform. In most cases it's enough to let them know that a new Amiga is available, they'll do the rest.

People who are new to computers and those who want a friendlier alternative to Mac/Win/Linux represent a large market too but they're a bit harder to convince. They need to see the Amiga on store shelves, magazines, friends home, etc.

The biggest market segment of all? Women.
Department stores have figured out a long time ago how to appeal to women but the computer world continues to ignore them. This is a huge market that's up for grabs. All it takes is to let women design the case, GUI appearance, and pick the software that should come bundled with the OS. All these tasks are currently performed by men.
Apple almost got it right, but their OS just doesn't cut it.
I can only hope that Amiga/KMOS will take advantage of that opportunity and consult with women on the issue.

The market is definitely there, the real question is how well can we tap into it.
The current AmigaOne retail scenario of leaving everything up to the dealers doesn't work for me. Some Amiga-sponsored events, store displays, official computer cases, ads and dealer literature are an absolute requirement for the successful launch of the new Amiga.

By the time OS4 is ready for primetime, an homogeneous infrastructure and offering better be ready or potential customers will get a bad impression.
It's simple really. All web sites must be kept up to date (dealers/amiga/eyetech), motherboards, custom and especially official systems must be available. While Amiga Inc. doesn't want to dictate what dealers should sell, most people seem to agree on the Amiga forums that there should be an official case, even if the dealer offers alternatives.
We don't have to be as rigid as Apple, but it doesn't hurt to be as neat and organized.

_________________
AlexC's free OS4 software collection

AmigaOne XE/X1000/X5000/UAE-PPC OS4 laptop/X-10 Home Automation