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Amiga Sale #3:

Quick Background:
The Amiga was originally a company in it's own right, developed in Silicon Valley with an advanced set of video and audio coprocessor chips by Jay Miner. Atari was loaning Amiga the money to stay afloat, extremely pleased with it's development. Amiga began marketing it's system as the first 16bit arcade machine in order to generate cashflow, but left it's computer capabilities intact.

Commodore got wind of the Amiga machine's performance and loaned Amiga more money. Then Commodore bought the company out from under Atari's nose. They paid Atari dearly for it in a court settlement, since the Amiga was supposed to be an Atari assett. Commodore intended to develop a succesor to the c64 based on this new technology, but Commodore's "Amiga 1000" was selling well through word-of-mouth without a marketing campaign. After the Amiga 2000, the low-cost Amiga 500 was developed as a compromise, even though Commodore wasn't committed to the 16bit platform. This unit sold very well because it offered advanced graphics and stereo sound in a (still unmatched) true preemptive multitasking enviroment and a simple television set could be used as the monitor (this video compatibility continues to keep the Amiga in the forefront of lowcost professional broadcast television editing, NLE, and CG videographics today). Apple coined the term "multitasking", but the Amiga invented it. But Commodore sat on it's laurels instead of developing the platform further than the AGA chipset and perfecting the OS, never upgrading the 8bit 4 voice (channel) stereo audio. It continued to rely on word-of-mouth sales instead of marketing the platform. Additionally, Commodore never took the PC threat seriously and simply mismanaged itself out of existence.

Commodore had made PCs in an effort to capitalize on that market, and introduced them to Europe through it's distribution system. However, again Commodore failed to make a real effort at marketing this platform. They farmed-out the manufacture of PCs under it's own brand name to ESCOM. This German company turned the endevour around into a great money machine and became the largest manufacturer of PCs in Europe. When Commodore went bankrupt, many of ESCOM's engineers were previous Commodore people and knew the potential of the Amiga platform, so when ESCOM went to bid on retaining the Commodore chiken lips logo for their pentiums, they also grabbed the rest of Commodore for a song.

Gateway 2000, as well as others, then introduced pentiums manufactured in Germany and obliterated ESCOM's domination in Europe. ESCOM couldn't compete because it had so much invested in ramping-up the Amiga which it's own dealers refused to sell. Nevertheless, the Amiga was still ESCOM's bread-winner, as it continued to show a profit while it's pentium market was being decimated. Hence, again there was no further development to the platform due to ESCOM's financial difficulties. ESCOM finally went bankrupt. Amiga Technologies remains it's only capital producing, marketable asset and is awaiting sale.

The Amiga platform is getting old, but still outshines all other home platforms in many ways. It produced the first multitasking16bit home workstation/OS solution (the 1000 which also introduced stereo 4 channel audio that could be piped through a stereo), made the first advanced consumer system to effectively reduce the cost of ownership (the 500 which incorporated cpu and keyboard and could display 4,096 colors on a home color television), the first 16bit games platform (the CDTV), hosted the first affordable professional broadcast quality video editor (the 2000 equipped with a NewTek Video Toaster card), produced the first 32bit workstation/OS solution (the 3000), introduced the first 32bit games machine (the CD32), and more. Though a bit more expensive to produce and purchase due to it's custom chips, the platform remains viable and is one of the favorites of dedicated developers (for it's ease of programming, it's unrivaled multitasking in a home workstation, it's intelligent use of shared libraries, it's nondemanding nature of resources, it's great internet performance, and it's awesome animation and video capabilities). Additionally, Amiga software is alternatively one third the cost (or less), of it's rival PC and Mac platforms with competitively comparable (or better) software and features, thereby offering an excellent alternative to users who need to arm themselves with more serious programs (word processors, internet software, painting, Disney style animation, image processing, multimedia, scanning, professional/amatuer videography, databases, spreadsheets, business applications, scientific, 2D & 3D games, etc...). This enables the end user to do more for a higher total hardware and software investment value. As an added bonus, since it was always a grassroots movement (NEVER having any sort of serious marketing campaign), the platform now sports the largest single public domain, freeware, shareware and demo file archive resource available on the internet, offering many great quality programs and utilities for free or next to nothing.

OK, so here comes Gateway..

  • Gateway 2000's hopefully big and bold announcement is due mid-May. Gateway stands to gain a great deal. The PPC is supposed to go to 500mhz, the Pentium is being phased out, (by the end of the year the P2 will be obselete, due to intel's engineering for upgrade policy), Windows `95 still doesn't work, the MacOS is a crashing singletasking peice of junk with some big brand names on it, and the Amiga does web graphics better than anything, networks like a dream, is capable of running the neatest games (YTZPro, for one) and noone does video or mulimedia better, at this stage of it's underpowered life. Will things happen? If Gateway uses the Amiga to move in on the European by selling Gateways alongside Amigas, they will just use it and throw it away. If they are as serious about the Amiga as I hope they are, they will give the old stock to the colleges and schools and roll out the Walker with a promise that they are supportting the CHRP platform. Motorola could sell affordable Amigas based on the Macs it has been shipping. Unfortunately, they use crappy EIDE drives. I think Gateway already has a really cool PCI ultraSCSI. This could be the end of a nightmare. Having to use junk OS's because the AmigaOS and special chips (notice that intel decided they needed a multimedia coprocessor?) are only available on ONE brand. The best home computer on the market. Now let's get SERIOUS.. I want an Amiga PPC running Adobe and Netscape! Well, for starters, anyways. Then, MORE.. much more!
  • They wanted it..

  • Quick Pak US Amiga 4000 Tower manufacturer and distributer of the North American Amiga product line including the Amiga 4060 accelerator. Developer of the possible upcoming Amiga Laptop. Will they continue to make Amigas for Gateway IF Gateway is successful?
  • So did these guys..

  • VIScorp reniged on the deal to purchase Amiga Technologies. It remains in the running for the purchase, but is NOT the front runner. Cancelling the deal may cost VIScorp it's Amiga Technology Licensing, though the new owner would probably relicense VIScorp. VIScorp's competition has not yet been named. Check out what's happening to their stock... VISCORP (VICP) StockWatch.
  • Dell wanted to look at it and these guys developed it..

  • Phase 5 Developers of Cybervision, a superior 24 bit graphics display card, and fast Amiga accelerators such as the Cyberstorm `060 may very well be the next Amiga owners, however this is undisclosed. Nevertheless, Phase 5 may not be interested in the remnants of Amiga Techologies. They have already announced that development of an Amiga compatible PPC, the A\BOX with advanced graphics and 3D engine technology at a reasonable price tag will be released in 1997.
  • These guys want to develop an alternative for it..

  • pios Computer AG Have officially released Mac OS RISC machine and is interested in licensing the rights for the Amiga OS, or so they say. They have also talked about developing and releasing a successor to the Amiga OS 3.1. They are have a staff full of ExAmiga heads and engineers, are an income producing computer manufacturer, and hold great love for the Amiga.
  • And this guy may just do it..

  • Sassenrath Carl Sassenrath, "Ex-VIScorp OS Guy" has announced that he has already started work on a freindlier, easier to use, and more efficeint OS REBOL (say, "rebel"). Is this new contender for the future?
  • Conjecture:

    My thoughts?
    The whole thing is getting yawsome. I have a resume at Gateway, but they don't seem to be offering Graphic Design positions in this area, and if I move, it better be somewhere warm. The fact is, I'd love to shape the Amiga's future. What's funny is that Brad is going some webpage work for them. Ah, but have to use one computer? A professional needs at least 4 Macs, or an AlphaN/T, a Video Flyer, SGI, or a SUN. Notice that Windows `95 is really a toy. They MADE IT SO YOU CAN PLAY GAMES ON IT and still be capabable of running the money dogs' software. Would they make me use a PC (dread & shudder)?

    I tell you what I predict, Microsoft will plumette because it is pushing all the wrong buttons. Bill Gates will always be rich, but he can't own the net like he wants. Have you seen the disco intel commercials? Trying to make you think you should feel good about buying a PC? Man, it takes marketing power to put a peice of crap commercial out on the network and make it work, I woulda sold my stock. The whole trouble with computers today is that they are so stupid. The Mac can't do any more than display several programs at once, and it crashes constantly. You time your reboots so that you don't lose your work. That is stupid (you WILL lose your work). The Pentium's lifespan is up, at the end of it it was able to do animation, kinda (not really).

    When will people grow up and buy decent computers? Probably when somebody makes them.

    My prediction? Someday I will own the Amiga, but I'm not ever going to get such a deal as what Gateway's getting it for. I'll have to pay a mint. Then I'll becone the next Bill Gates while he retires (about time, guy). Hey, don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but he's marketing garbage to the masses. The fact that he can do it is real power. But I don't sell garbage. OK, I'm dreaming, but I'll never give up this dream, I like it.

    Of course that all depends on whether or not Gateway recognizes the Amiga as an engineering company. The May 16th announcement was for me, a letdown. There has been no concrete word on anything. I expected to hear that they have hired some of the original or PPC engineers and are clearing the way to put the Amiga on a PPC, possibly exhibiting a signed contract for production of the Walker.

    Will there be any investment into development? Will the Amiga be promoted or will Gateway's funky cow design (yuck!) team windup spitting out a couple of quick ads on Pentiums? Will salesmen be trying to push Gateways instead of Amigas because of the higher commission dollars?

    Don'tcha just LOVE IT?

    The Amiga, that is.

    We WILL survive!


     

    Amiga Programmer's Challenge:

    Will someone PLEASE develop a little application that watches ibrowse and/or AWeb for:

    <BODY BACKGROUND="Anims/StarTrek_StarScroll.anim">

    and allows it to work, even with resizing and scrolling? These static backgrounds only go so far and I want to feel virtual, like I have control again. PC's and Macs can't! Plus, if they could they would make so much noise recopyiong the animation pages from HD to RAM that it wouldn't be worth the effort. Until the PPCs are available, instead of saying where do we want to be tomarrow, let's say, "Can you do that?" We have so much over the other home computer platforms it's ridiculous! A simple DSP sound player chip would be inexpensive and offer CD quality sound. The Amiga LOVES the internet. Developers, get busy, let's show `em!

    I've heard it can't be done, and since I'm not a programmer, I can't say for sure. But I doubt that it can't be done on an Amiga. The animation doesn't have to resize, just show the viewable area according to the window size available. Small anim brushes could be tiled. In fact, we need to throw in frame timming/delays into the IFF brush format.

    How would I do this? In the case of an unitelligent (nonrandom) 'scrolling-at-ya' Star Trek starfield, I'd allow a simple 800x600 (one frame) IFF to be displayed in the background WITH it's colorcycling intact. This is the very simplest form of animation. But yes, I want to actually throw in a full-fledged Animation for a background as well. Is the only way to do this with 3D VRML (then requiring user input to animate)?


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    © 1997, dp. Update: May 20th

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