Even cooler is the use of an almost unmodified Amiga as an mp3 player in a Suzuki, that has gone through several revisions since it was first created. Whilst this one may not have (yet) have the large LCD screen of the one mentioned, this one is a total DIY job:)
The player can be found here (http://amimpc.world3.net/)
Whilst I would like to call myself an experienced computer user (maybe I'm not...), I do understand the point of Lindows, regardless of whether it works or not.
Aside from the usual M$-related monopoly arguments, there does seem to be a real hope to replace Win* on the desktop - whether it is a valid attempt or not is another matter though...
About two years ago I installed Mandrake 7.0 on my then-new machine, with Win98 on a separate partition. After over a week of trying to make the two co-exist (well, Win98 didn't want to let Mandrake live), I succeeded. Linux was to be the main OS, and for a while, it was. I used StarOffice, Netscape 4.7*, and so on. Then something broke. Netscape started to fail, as did my email client. I suddenly found myself in the purgatory of root access without the faintest idea how to fix it. Given everything else that happened at the time in my life, I was forced to give up on Linux for Win98, which I knew how to fix.
Since then, Linux has not been on my machine, but there is not a single day that goes by that I don't long for its return (and for the return of the Amiga ahead of Linux, but that's another story...), and to be able to dump Win* for good. So what, I lose a few games, but I cannot remember the last time I loaded one anyway. I see that Mandrake 8.2 is much improved, Open Office works great on Win98 and Opera is now on Linux to boot (you don't think I use IE, do you?)
Despite all this, I don't dare risk Linux at the moment, given that I cannot afford the downtime on my machine. Lindows looks promising, and the idea of buying a machine with a pre-installed version of Linux that has at least *some* Win* compatibility is a start.
Cut Lindows some slack. Sure, maybe there are a few GPL issues that need examining, and maybe it does not work perfectly yet. And the $99 download fee does not appeal either. Whether it is Lindows, Red Hat or Mandrake, surely the important issue is replacing Win* on pre-built systems, rather than the (whilst nice, ultimately technical) minor points of those outlined at the start of this paragraph?
About the only genre I can think of that is assisted by the sales of used books is Holocaust denial literature/propaganda. Many so-called 'classic' texts are out of print, and the only way to get them is secondhand. Furthermore, many of them provide their works free of charge on their web pages, so the sale of secondhand denial tracts won't hurt their sales in that regard, either.
In addition, as far as Holocaust deniers go, any publicity is good publicity, and anybody who buys a piece of Holocaust denial propaganda - whether new or secondhand - is an additional 'convert' to the cause - as far as deniers are concerned, most don't care whether one believes them or not - a new reader is potentially a new supporter... also, deniers cite often that anybody interested in their stuff must be positively inclined towards it - just check out what they write about their web page hits...
With the greatest respect to all/.ers out there, I think a few have missed a couple of elements about the latest Amiga announcements.
1. The x86 version is, for the time being, going to be an emulated version, using a Linux kernel as its basis, so AmigaOS can be cold booted, with no underlying desktop OS, like other emulators. The advantage of this is speed: apparently the few benchmarks (on a Celeron 500) made public ran up to 1118x quicker than on the fastest 68060 'Classic' Amigas, and boot time on a Celeron 500 was about seven seconds, or so it has been said. Another advantage of this approach is hardware support (by relying on Linux drivers). Another is compatibility. Also there is the short time until release. Nobody was expecting this anouncement, and until it sinks in, I expect there will be some misunderstandings.
2. x86-AmigaOS apparently will be based on 3.9, and on the same day, OS 4.0 will be released for PPC (AmigaOne hardware) - ie - the latest release. The main purpose, as far as I can tell, of the x86 release is to attract former Amig owners back into the fold, without them having to shell out on a whole new system, until they are ready to so do. It is also another step towards the hardware independence scheduled for OS5.0. AmigaOS and AmigaDE will be combined, as will platform-specific versions. Another advantage is simply revenue: for little outlay, it has the potential to boost Amiga's income substantially.
3. Other important announcements were news of AmigaDE on three Sharp devices, including a mobile phone, AmigaDE on Psion's NetBook, a possible GameBoy Advance-type machine before Christmas, other content providers deals to be announced soon, and a deal with one of the world's largest wireless carriers. Place the emphasis where you choose, but it's generally good news nonetheless. There's other stuff as well, so have a look at Amiga.org for a start.
There's no doubt other stuff I haven't mentioned, but these are just a few thoughts that have occurred to me having read the news.
Amiga itself will have material available publicly by Wednesday.
All in all, a good day for Amiga news, IMO. I shall be buying x86-AmigaOS when it is available, as an interim step towards new hardware in the future.
Slashdot Mirror
The player can be found here (http://amimpc.world3.net/)
Whilst I would like to call myself an experienced computer user (maybe I'm not...), I do understand the point of Lindows, regardless of whether it works or not.
Aside from the usual M$-related monopoly arguments, there does seem to be a real hope to replace Win* on the desktop - whether it is a valid attempt or not is another matter though...
About two years ago I installed Mandrake 7.0 on my then-new machine, with Win98 on a separate partition. After over a week of trying to make the two co-exist (well, Win98 didn't want to let Mandrake live), I succeeded. Linux was to be the main OS, and for a while, it was. I used StarOffice, Netscape 4.7*, and so on. Then something broke. Netscape started to fail, as did my email client. I suddenly found myself in the purgatory of root access without the faintest idea how to fix it. Given everything else that happened at the time in my life, I was forced to give up on Linux for Win98, which I knew how to fix.
Since then, Linux has not been on my machine, but there is not a single day that goes by that I don't long for its return (and for the return of the Amiga ahead of Linux, but that's another story...), and to be able to dump Win* for good. So what, I lose a few games, but I cannot remember the last time I loaded one anyway. I see that Mandrake 8.2 is much improved, Open Office works great on Win98 and Opera is now on Linux to boot (you don't think I use IE, do you?)
Despite all this, I don't dare risk Linux at the moment, given that I cannot afford the downtime on my machine. Lindows looks promising, and the idea of buying a machine with a pre-installed version of Linux that has at least *some* Win* compatibility is a start.
Cut Lindows some slack. Sure, maybe there are a few GPL issues that need examining, and maybe it does not work perfectly yet. And the $99 download fee does not appeal either. Whether it is Lindows, Red Hat or Mandrake, surely the important issue is replacing Win* on pre-built systems, rather than the (whilst nice, ultimately technical) minor points of those outlined at the start of this paragraph?
In addition, as far as Holocaust deniers go, any publicity is good publicity, and anybody who buys a piece of Holocaust denial propaganda - whether new or secondhand - is an additional 'convert' to the cause - as far as deniers are concerned, most don't care whether one believes them or not - a new reader is potentially a new supporter... also, deniers cite often that anybody interested in their stuff must be positively inclined towards it - just check out what they write about their web page hits...
1. The x86 version is, for the time being, going to be an emulated version, using a Linux kernel as its basis, so AmigaOS can be cold booted, with no underlying desktop OS, like other emulators. The advantage of this is speed: apparently the few benchmarks (on a Celeron 500) made public ran up to 1118x quicker than on the fastest 68060 'Classic' Amigas, and boot time on a Celeron 500 was about seven seconds, or so it has been said. Another advantage of this approach is hardware support (by relying on Linux drivers). Another is compatibility. Also there is the short time until release. Nobody was expecting this anouncement, and until it sinks in, I expect there will be some misunderstandings.
2. x86-AmigaOS apparently will be based on 3.9, and on the same day, OS 4.0 will be released for PPC (AmigaOne hardware) - ie - the latest release. The main purpose, as far as I can tell, of the x86 release is to attract former Amig owners back into the fold, without them having to shell out on a whole new system, until they are ready to so do. It is also another step towards the hardware independence scheduled for OS5.0. AmigaOS and AmigaDE will be combined, as will platform-specific versions. Another advantage is simply revenue: for little outlay, it has the potential to boost Amiga's income substantially.
3. Other important announcements were news of AmigaDE on three Sharp devices, including a mobile phone, AmigaDE on Psion's NetBook, a possible GameBoy Advance-type machine before Christmas, other content providers deals to be announced soon, and a deal with one of the world's largest wireless carriers. Place the emphasis where you choose, but it's generally good news nonetheless. There's other stuff as well, so have a look at Amiga.org for a start.
There's no doubt other stuff I haven't mentioned, but these are just a few thoughts that have occurred to me having read the news.
Amiga itself will have material available publicly by Wednesday.
All in all, a good day for Amiga news, IMO. I shall be buying x86-AmigaOS when it is available, as an interim step towards new hardware in the future.