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Retro Activity: MorphOS 1.0

An anonymous reader submites: "You can read it from their development page if you like to get the word from the horses mouth. 'The current version is 1.0. Feedback welcome.' Hey, if you can't revive a dead horse, whip it some more, yeah?" All the better to run programs on their "old Commodore(TM) A1000, A500, A2000, A1200, A3000(T) and A4000(T) systems as efficiently as possible." Everyone has different uses for time.

53 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. Great Day! by joyoflinux · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a great day...neither BeOS nor Amiga is dead! :-)

    1. Re:Great Day! by Longinus · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm gonna go find a story about OS/2. It will surely get accepted today!

    2. Re:Great Day! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      OS/2 isn't dead, it's just in really weird nitch places. I believe the interface of the new copy machine at the place I work actually uses OS/2. I hear many ATMs do also

    3. Re:Great Day! by Guppy06 · · Score: 2

      1.) OS/2 in general is not dead. We currently call Microsoft's hideous mutation of the original core "Windows XP" (we can call it "Microsoft OS/2 5.1" if you'd like).

      2.) OS/2 Warp is not dead. It's called eCommStation now, remember? :)

    4. Re:Great Day! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It used to be quite popular on ATMs and in other 'fat embedded' scenarios, when IBM was backing it. I've seen it used for process-control on wave-soldering equipment (where Warp's flexibility to run realtime scheduling no doubt came in handy), and on the item-pickup kiosk at Sears, where it was struggling sadly under the load, no doubt on a 486 of some sort, the taskswitcher forever popping to the foreground as the poor thing tried to keep up.*

      It's also quite common to see in Point-of-Sale environments, where the same vendor seems to be providing software for both NT or OS/2. I believe Schnucks supermarkets in IL were still running it, though I could be wrong; look for telltale UI widgets next time you buy milk.

      *I should note that, not unlike *NIX with XFree86, OS/2 has certain memory requirements that must be met before it'll fly. It came before its time; on a K6-2 with 128MB RAM, it flew with memory 80% free, but by then, it was too late, and NT- an even bigger ball of bloat, being at heart a reimplimentation of OS/2's C sources in C++- was reborn as Win2k about 4 years later.

    5. Re:Great Day! by dumbnose · · Score: 3, Informative
      and NT- an even bigger ball of bloat, being at heart a reimplimentation of OS/2's C sources in C++- was reborn as Win2k about 4 years later.


      NT is not written in C++, it is mostly C (with some assembly, obviously). It is also not a reimplementation of OS/2. As a matter of fact, it looks a helluva lot more like VMS than OS/2. Sure, the kernel and executive both handle objects, but not in the C++ sense. They are really just C structs that the kernel and executive keep track of and make sure don't leak (all get freed when an application terminates, if the app forgot to free them itself).

    6. Re:Great Day! by fusiongyro · · Score: 2

      While I was on a road trip over the summer we stopped in Oklahoma somewhere for gas. The ATM was "down," but I went over and played with it for a few minutes, found out that it was in fact running OS/2.

      It's freaking weird to see the OS/2 window decoration on an error message in amber on an ATM though! Especially when you know it's the kind of ATM that normally looks like a telnet connection (characters only).

      --
      Daniel

    7. Re:Great Day! by edgrale · · Score: 2

      And don't forget about BSD either. Today we could prove to all the trolls ones and for all that BSD isn't dead yet :D

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    8. Re:Great Day! by armb · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, Be did claim that it would be the "Amiga for the 90s".

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      rant
    9. Re:Great Day! by mav[LAG] · · Score: 2

      1) IBM Sold It, and IBM customers buy what they are told.
      2) CICS client
      3) Fairly low memory requirements.


      4) ????
      5) Prof... oh wait, hang on...

      --
      --- Hot Shot City is particularly good.
    10. Re:Great Day! by photon317 · · Score: 3, Informative


      It is based on OS/2 code though. Breifly and somewhat inaccurately - the history goes that IBM and Microsoft were originally jointly developing OS/2 as a next-generation graphical multitasking OS for the PC. I believe version 1.0 of OS/2 was actually called "Microsoft OS/2", but it didn't get much notice. Microsoft and IBM had a falling out - they split up, each retaining the rights to re-use the existing OS/2 code, but only IBM keeping the actual OS/2 name. From at least OS/2 1.3 onwards it was all IBM.

      Microsoft used the OS/2 kernel to base NT off of. As late as NT4, and quite likely still in 2k and XP, if you search the binaries in winnt\system32\.... you can still find OS2 error messages embedded deep in some DLLs - so apparently the code is still in use to this day.

      I might, just for the record - that IBM released OS/2 2.1 (which had a Win95-level GUI and better-than-NT true protection and multitasking, and Win3.1 application compatibility) before Microsoft ever released Win95 or the first commercial NT. But Microsoft actually beat this released product into the ground with FUD about the upcoming offerings. Sure enough well down the road they did eventually release 95 with a decent GUI, and NT with a half-decent kernel. But at the time of OS/2 2.1, all they had to compete with was Win 3.1.

      I migh also add it took until NT4 years later for Microsoft to put a 95-style GUI into their NT kernel, and it took until the recent release of XP before an NT system was considered good enough for home/desktop use to replace the 95 line of products. OS/2 was always a good desktop OS.

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      11*43+456^2
    11. Re:Great Day! by photon317 · · Score: 2


      I only started using OS/2 in the 2.1 days, everything I know about 1.x is what I've read or heard somewhere. I'm pretty sure 1.0 had no GUI at all, and perhaps 1.3 had a very basic GUI similar to Windows 2.x/3.x. It wasn't until OS/2 2.x that they had a real PM as everyone came to know it (Win95-level GUI).

      I don't have any references on Microsoft having rights to the early kernels offhand, but I bet I can dredge up something or other, I'll reply back here in hopefully not too long :)

      --
      11*43+456^2
    12. Re:Great Day! by photon317 · · Score: 2

      Ok, I've gone and dug up some data. PM was there in 1.1 in some form or other. OS/2 was branded as "Microsoft OS/2" at least to version 1.1, and Microsoft was involved up to 1.3. Depending on who you believe Microsoft only worke don the GUI, or participated in the kernel as well. In either case when they split Microsoft did retain kernel code and used it in NT and 95. Lots of other interesting data too, here comes a cut and paste of data I gathered from an old book I had laying around and some net searching:

      "Vijay Mukhi's The 'C' Odyssey OS/2 & PM - Into Infinite Worlds"
      Tech Publications Pte Ltd
      First Edition 1992
      10, Jalan Besar, #B1-39 Sim Lim Tower, Singapore 0820
      ISBN 981-214-012-3

      Appears to hav emostly been written in 1990, with a final chapter called "Perspectives 1991", but actually published in '92.

      Pg 1, Prologue, 4th paragraph:

      "This gap that DOS's eventual demise is going to be filled by is none other than OS/2. The brainchild of Microsoft and IBM. And with backing like that can it go wrong?"

      Pg 340, Section 2, 5th paragraph:

      "... The PM is a combination of a protection mode multi-tasking OS with the application architecture and user interface of Microsoft Windows, plus a powerful graphics system from IBM. It is this graphics system from IBM that makes the PM far more sophisticated and cleaner than Windows. ..."

      Pg 341, 1st paragraph:

      "A hard fact: The PM requires machines that are based on the INTEL 80286 and upwards microprocessors. And it comes with OS/2 version 1.1 and above. Besides, it requires at least 4MB of RAM"

      "Microsoft Os/2 Programmer's Reference"
      Microsoft Press
      Sep 1, 1990
      ISBN 1556153457

      http://www.neonatology.org/rgd.cv.html
      Curricul um Vitae - Raymond Glenn Duncan, M.D.
      Invited Lectures, Symposia, and Workshops
      "LMI Forth for Microsoft OS/2," presented at the 1987 Rochester Forth Conference, June 12, 1987.

      http://www.quasarbbs.net/pido2/home/gamba/ADVOS2 .T XT
      Appears to be the full text of a book called "Advanced OS/2 Programming" by Microsoft Press, written by the sam Ray Duncan as the above CV link. ISBN 1556150458.

      First paragraph of Intro:

      "Operating System/2, Microsoft's protected mode operating system for
      80286-based and 80386-based microcomputers, provides programmers with a
      powerful new platform for application design. It also challenges them to
      assimilate a body of technical information whose size is unprecedented in
      the microcomputer world. The reference manuals for OS/2 and its extensions
      (such as the Presentation Manager and LAN Manager) already fill several
      shelves only a year after the system was first released and the
      Microsoft or IBM Programmer's Toolkit, along with the necessary
      development tools and libraries, can devour a sizable fixed disk."

      First paragraph of chapter one:

      OS/2 is the Microsoft multitasking, virtual memory, single-user operating
      system for personal computers based on the Intel 80286 and 80386
      microprocessors. It is the first software product to be brought to market
      as a result of the Joint Development Agreement signed by IBM and Microsoft
      in August 1985.

      Shortly down from that, there's a text/graphical table that makes mention of both "MS OS/2 1.0" and "MS OS/2 1.1".

      http://www.os2bbs.com/os2news/OS2Warp.html
      Very interesting info, although it itself has no references to back it up. Among it's relevant claims, it says IBM and Microsoft joint ventured OS/2 up to version 1.3, and that Microsoft mainly did GUI work while IBM mainly did kernel work. It also mentions that Windows 3.0 re-used some GUI "elements" from OS/2, and that "The Windows NT kernel was partially based on the OS/2 kernel that they created with IBM, and Windows 95 also borrows heavily from this code.", and "When Windows 95 was released in August, 1995, resellers reported record sales on OS/2, as many people saw how Microsoft's hack of the OS/2 kernel didn't quite cut it for real-world, mission-critical usage."

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      11*43+456^2
    13. Re:Great Day! by Archfeld · · Score: 2

      actually they are quite knowledgeable and usually way moredependable than a commercial news outlet for anything the least bit technical.

      --
      errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
  2. I'm speechless by Kwelstr · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am without speech! The Comodore is back baby! ;-)

    Don't be so open-minded your brains will fall out.

    --


    ~~~Please pass the salt, I hate unsalted MD5s :-/
  3. Its not for C64 by ageitgey · · Score: 5, Informative

    Unlike the post says, this isn't an OS for the old Commodore computers. This is a reimplementation of that old OS for PowerPC machines. They are trying to maintain API compatibility so you can run the old programs right on a PowerPC box.

    From the website:
    "Under the Quark kernel a PowerPC(TM) native reimplementation of the OS we know from the Commodore(TM) A1000, A500, A2000, A1200, A3000(T) and A4000(T) systems runs as a mixture of a virtual emulation and a driver. We call this OS driver from now on the A-Box."

    --
    Uninnovate - Only the finest in engineering.
    1. Re:Its not for C64 by fod · · Score: 5, Informative
      Unlike the post says, this isn't an OS for the old Commodore computers. This is a reimplementation of that old OS for PowerPC machines. They are trying to maintain API compatibility so you can run the old programs right on a PowerPC box.


      Actually, it does run on Amigas with PowerPC CPUs too.

      http://www.morphos.de/support.php3
      Platform: Pegasos, A4000(T), A3000(T), A1200
    2. Re:Its not for C64 by He+Was+Gamecubed · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Actually, it does run on Amigas with PowerPC CPUs too."

      Last time i checked, no programs run on Amiga. Some walk, but most crawl.

      -Q

    3. Re:Its not for C64 by operagost · · Score: 3, Informative

      I'd have to disagree, considering that I saw both 2-D animation and fairly nice (dunno, maybe a hundred polygons) 3-D models running at 60 fps on an A1200 in 1994. That was a 68020 at 12 MHz, mind you! Blame it on the custom chips.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  4. Where? by jagapen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    All I see on that page is version 1.0 of the "MorphOS Development Reference Manual," but nowhere on the site do I see anything about a 1.0 release of the OS itself.
    Furthermore, the site says that the purpose of MorphOS is to run Amiga programs FREE OF the old Amiga hardware.

    1. Re:Where? by subuni · · Score: 5, Informative

      The closest I can find to an announcement is at http://www.morphos-news.de. v1.0 will be released on Oct 14 to "betatesters".

  5. Morphos screenshots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    OSNews had an informative article a few days ago about Morphos. Check the article and 2 screenshots of the OS here:

    http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=1897

  6. Interesting.. by grub · · Score: 2, Insightful



    So all these ancient Commodore systems are growing in popularity but *BSD is dying, eh?

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  7. Try again.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's basically a OS that runs on a new system, but also supports Amiga 3000's, 1200's, and 4000's with PPC Accelerator boards in it.

    It also is competing with Amiga OS 4.0 which will run on the same accelerated Amiga's AND the new Amiga One.

    1. Re:Try again.... by Seehund · · Score: 2, Informative

      "New Amiga One"? Is there a NEW Amiga?

      No, there isn't. There will be no more Amigas, instead future versions of AmigaOS will run on third party hardware (and on Amigas with PPC accelerators). Mai Logic's Teron CX POP motherboard is one such piece of hardware, although AmigaOS will only be allowed to run on this board when it's renamed "AmigaOne G3SE" and distributed by Eyetech Ltd.. Hardware must be licensed, provide a hardware-license verification mechanism (known as "anti-piracy measures" in the marketing waffle) and be sold by a licensed distributor in order to be allowed to run AmigaOS, and AmigaOS will only be available bundled with such hardware.

      This hardware licensing scheme was designed by Amiga Inc. with "consultation" from Eyetech, and it's hardly surprising that Eyetech is the only hardware distributor that has acquired such a license.

      There was once upon a time going to be newly designed, proprietary Amiga hardware, back when Eyetech was a "hardware partner" of Amiga Inc. These "AmigaOne 1200/4000" boards never appeared, and instead third party hardware is to be used (although the advantages of getting rid of "Amiga" hardware are negated with this compulsory licensing madness).

      Read more about it here.

      --
      Help savingAmigaOS and a free PowerPC market
  8. Apple PPC's? by trans_err · · Score: 2, Insightful

    so what are the chances on using MorphOS on consumer Apple PPC's? Seems like a great alternative for old hardware and would certainly be a positive move for the MorphOS.

    1. Re:Apple PPC's? by Seehund · · Score: 2, Informative

      highly unlikely.

      For starters, they're fundamentally different architectures.


      What the article fails to mention is that MorphOS will be shipped on (together with Yellow Dog Linux) an in-house designed POP-based OpenFirmware-equipped motherboard called Pegasos. While different from a New World PowerMac, it's not "fundamentally different architectures". This board already runs OSX with Mac-On-Linux. MorphOS on (reasonably modern) Mac hardware is quite likely, though not in its initial release.

      --
      Help savingAmigaOS and a free PowerPC market
  9. Lets see..... by sheepab · · Score: 4, Funny

    hal.rom, kernel.rom, now all we need is cluster.com so we can set up a beowulf clu....er....nevermind.

  10. MorphOS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    This OS is made in the "spirit" of the AmigaOS, but with all the stuff a modern os should have, plus it runs Amiga programs through a combination of 68k emulation and the AmigaOS api ported to PowerPC. There is also a PowerPC motherboard being made especially for the os, called Pegasos, Thendic France is the main distributor. MorphOS just got bumped to release version 1.0 and both the motherboard and OS are available for sale.

    This motherboard also comes with a version of linux for PPC. Besides that MorphOS will also run on Amigas equiped with a PPC cpu and rumour goes a PowerMac version could be released one day.

  11. Intended hardware. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    MorphOS is intended for the POP-compliant Pegasos PowerPC board from bPlan. Note that while a Realtek PHYceiver is listed, that's just the PHY; the ethernet controller itself is a Via Rhine derivative embedded in the southbridge. Pictures here. It can also run on classic Amigas with appropriate PowerPC accellerators; NetBSD is also being readied for the bPlan hardware.

    AmigaOS 4 is the 'name-brand' product, being produced under contract by Germany's Hyperion Software. It's intended for Eyetech's AmigaOne G3SE and XE products, and Elbox's SharkPPC accellerator in classic hardware with suitable PCI busboards. Hardware dongling of the AmigaOne (with respect to AmigaOS; Linux and *BSD will run unhindered), and continuing intellectual-property disputes may or may not effect the chances of OS4 support for the Pegasos.

    All three new PowerPC boards use MAI's PowerPC chipsets, also seen on the Linux-friendly Barbie.

    Nor should we forget 'AmigaDE' or 'Amiga-Anywhere,' a crossplatform system based on Tao's Intent runtime + media libs, which is really quite cool even if they've just redesigned their site opaquely. the CEO of Gentoo provides a good writeup here.

  12. Unfortunately... by distributed.karma · · Score: 4, Funny

    no one can be told what MorphOS is. You have to see it for yourself.

    --

    --
    If you moderate this, then your children will be next.

    1. Re:Unfortunately... by DarklordJonnyDigital · · Score: 2, Funny

      I took the red and white chequered pill.

  13. Different uses of time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Everyone has different uses for time.

    Well, some like to play with old innovative OS:es, some like to play with old rebuild monolithic Unix:es, trying to use slow X servers as desktop enviroments.

    I leave it as an exercise for the reader, trying figuring out which one of those two options I find more attractive.

  14. In other news... by ekephart · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Therefore we are doing an API compatible PPC reimplementation of the OS using our own and AROS' technology, which we call A-Box. The goal is to extend the A-Box with new functionalities which it painfully needs and also work on a new OS layer using Quark functionality called Q-Box."

    In other news Microsoft is suing MorphOS in 47 states and in federal court for copyright infringement. A company spokeman said, "This is an obvious attempt to capitalize on Microsoft's patents and copyrights. We are committed to protecting consumers worldwide from themselves. MorphOS's blatant attacks on innovation in the industry will not be tolerated."

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    sig
  15. Slashdotted... by Stonent1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh wait... No it's not. Damn those Amigas are cool... They can survive a slashdotting!

    1. Re:Slashdotted... by P0lyh34) · · Score: 2, Insightful

      errrr.. i'm pretty sure the site is run on a FreeBSD box ;)

      --
      -Polyhead-
    2. Re:Slashdotted... by darien · · Score: 2

      Don't be silly. Of course the site's running on AmigaOS. BSD is dead!

  16. The Amiga A1000 was the greatest PC of it's time by hillct · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Amiga A1000 was perhaps the most advanced piece of personal computing hardware of it's time. It ushered in the age of computer generated effects for television in the '80s as well as provided extraordinary graphical capabilities unmatched by any personal computer until the early 1990s. It was a horrible failure of the marketplace that this hardware platform did not find a sufficiently large customer base and it's wonderful to see that some groups seek to prolong the usefulness of this platform, regardless of the financial benefit. Consider it a service to the memory of evolutionary hallmarks of the computer industry.

    --CTH

    --

    --Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
  17. Re:What is its license? by P0lyh34) · · Score: 2, Insightful

    commercial In its early stages it was notheing more than intuition ported to PPC native and intended to be used with Phase5 PPC accelerator cards. Its much more now, its its own OS pretty much, now pairing up with the b-plan boards which will be distrubuted by thendic under the pegasos name plate. Looks to be a nice lil single user workstation OS

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    -Polyhead-
  18. It's Over Man by Lord+Apathy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I know what it's like when a loved one passes away. How it feels to find that you most loved piece of hardware has passed away. For 7 years my only computer was my trusty old Amiga 500. Even when CBM went up in flames I still went out and imported a A3000 from Canida. So I feel your pain.

    It's time to let go man. Just drop it and walk away, don't look back. I said, don't look back.

    If you still believe you must have all the benfits of the Amiga, get your self a nice linux box. Shoot, a nice Mac will help go through the loss.

    Trust me, it's for the best

    --

    Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification

    1. Re:It's Over Man by kasperd · · Score: 2

      If you still believe you must have all the benfits of the Amiga, get your self a nice linux box.

      Linux certainly is a nice OS. But no matter how nice an OS you install, crappy hardware remains crappy. Where is the computer that will allow Linux to implement removable media handling like AmigaOS had? Where is the computer capable of perfect syncronisation between screen updates, screen refreshes, and sound? Where is the computer capable of moving pictures on the screen smoothly by just changing a few registers instead of copying it all to the new location? And where is the computer with the two nice mouse controllers like in my Amiga?

      --

      Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
  19. OS/2 by Tumbleweed · · Score: 5, Funny

    OS/2 isn't dead...it just smells that way. :)

    1. Re:OS/2 by Tumbleweed · · Score: 2, Funny

      > Shut up and stop re-using deadold stupid jokes.

      Anonymous Cowards aren't dead, they just smell that way!

  20. Re:Atari 800 - better by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2

    Up until 3 years ago, the company I work for was still using a bank of Atari 800's for video display.

    I could probably still find the rotting hulks in a closet somewhere.

  21. Re:Yeah, But can I get Duke Nukem Forever for it? by CoolVibe · · Score: 2
    Right... Now we have to wait _ANOTHER_ year because they have to port it to the MorphOS first.

    Thanks a lot buddy! *grmbl*

    ;)

  22. All your Boing are belong to us, NOT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sorry!

    Unless this is an Amiga Inc. story, It shouldnt run with the Amiga Boing Ball Logo (i.e. The Origional 1985, 8 x 8 checker pattern).

    MorphOS has a great logo: so thier stories should use the propper butterfly. Its a really nice logo too... . . . .

  23. It's not the same without the Amiga by myov · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Even though I'm typing this from a TiBook, stories like this remind me how much I miss using the Amiga. My A3000 sits on a shelf just above my BSD machine, and I still have my A500 downstairs (or A0.5K as some people liked to call it :) My 3000 (one of the few softboots) was having some hardware problems, and I just haven't had the time to really work at it. At the same time, I just can't seem to find a good use for it - Linux, BSD and MacOS X now take care of my needs.

    IMHO, the Amiga made using computers fun. It wasn't *what* you were doing, but *how* you were doing it (except for those ^#@! guru's) Now that Windows has taken over virtually everything, computers have become just a tool for getting work done, and it's become too routine. Linux and to an extent, MacOS X, have captured a lot of the spirit of the Amiga, and features that I had on my Amiga years ago are starting to make their return (I missed my CLI on my desktop machine!). Yet, it just isn't the same.

    Off topic, SASG still appears to be active. Looking at some of the MUI screenshots, it's interesting to see how similar parts of MacOS X are - back in 1995!

    --
    I use Macs to up my productivity, so up yours Microsoft!
    1. Re:It's not the same without the Amiga by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 2

      I have an Amiga 3000 too - its pretty nice. It still boots, but its got hardware problems as well. For instance disks keep mounting/unmounting on it. Filter keeps turning on and off.

      I replaced the cia's, but that really didn't fix anything. I bought an upgrade chipset, but they were out of dmac 4's - so I have a buster and a ramsey sitting in a box somewhere just waiting.

      I heard that nmos chips - the kind of chips every amiga used minus the A1200 and the A4000 degrade after a certian amount of years. Certianly seems the case. Then again the A3000 was a HOT computer - I melted more then one set of rubber feet off the bottom.

  24. Why is this modded up??? by Tord · · Score: 2

    Come on moderators, +5 for a personal, non-subjective praising of the old Amiga 1000!?

    Also, don't blame Amiga's failure on the marketplace, Commodore screwed things up badly time after time. Shifting of market focus, failure to deliver, low quality components (high return rate for substantial amounts of time), economical extravaganzas, do I need to go on?

    And if you think that average corporate offices should have chosen Amigas instead of PCs or Macs, then you obviously don't understand the corporate needs of the 80's. What the hell would an office computer do with advanced graphics, advanced sound, flickery colorscreens (either interlace or way to expensive monitors), an immature platform with a seriously buggy OS and hardly any software support (we're talking about A1000, right?)??? Not to speak about the dependence the company would get on one single, small supplier.

    Sure, I also regret how things turned out, but put the blame on those who deserves it. As far as I see it Atari Mega STs would have fit the corporate desktop much better (more user friendly GUI, cheaper hardware and a rock solid B/W screen), but I don't blame them for not choosing that either. Atari also screwed up a lot and was also a too small single supplier.

    1. Re:Why is this modded up??? by g4dget · · Score: 2
      Atari also screwed up a lot and was also a too small single supplier.

      As opposed to Microsoft, which not only was a small supplier and had inferior technology? Microsoft was clearly a poor and irrational choice for companies. In fact, the technically and economically sensible thing for corporations in the 1980s would have been to deploy thin X-based clients and UNIX servers. PCs and Macs were, and still are, a waste of money and an IT nightmare in any corporate environment.

      However, I suppose it is good that all that wasted money has driven hardware costs way down so that the people who really need it now can get $1000 supercomputers on their desks. It's kind of silly that the beancounters at various businesses didn't figure it out; the same people wasting 90% of their IT budget on junk would have screamed bloody murder if their taxes had gone up by as much as 1% to support R&D in information technologies. Go figure.

  25. Re:And don't forget... by darien · · Score: 2

    Commodore's legendary bog-awful marketing. You can find the adverts on the web, they were bad. The failed to push the Amiga platform towards anything much other than gamers.

    They made the opposite mistake with the A500 in the UK. They pushed it as a business machine for about two years, allowing the 520ST to consolidate its early foothold. If they'd properly set out to compete directly for the home gaming/productivity market, they could have killed the ST in two years and owned UK home computing for half a decade. But hey, they didn't, so who knows how that might have worked out.

  26. Re:Atari 800 - better by operagost · · Score: 2

    Probably obsoleted because of Y2K right? Despite their lack of a real-time calendar?

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  27. Re:Mod parent up? by operagost · · Score: 2

    That doesn't make sense... the TV output of the non-color Apple II only had a luminance signal by definition. You couldn't determine what color it would be. Indeed, it would be white.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.