amiga-news.de - Fortnightly Q&A's mit Fleecy Moss

26.Okt.2003
AmigaWorld (ANF) Fortnightly Q&A's mit Fleecy Moss - Runde 22
Das englischsprachige Online-Magazin AmigaWorld hat die Folge 22 der zweiwöchentlichen Fragen und Antworten an und von Fleecy Moss, CTO bei AMIGA, Inc., veröffentlicht (Update, 15.03.2012, cg: Meldung um das eigentliche Interview ergänzt, da das ursprüngliche Dokument nicht mehr verfügbar ist):

1) Geri: What features are planned for the graphics.library of OS4.1? Will it be something like the Quartz Extreme Engine of MacOSX that uses the GPU to render the GUI (GUI is build as a texture)?

Fleecy: For AmigaOS4.0, we will be merging the different 68k elements, graphics, P96, rtg libraries in order to remove the hackish nature of a separate component deployment, and then moving them to PPC. We conservatively estimate that this on its own will increase the current graphics speed by a factor of ten, and intend this to be completed in the next month or so.

At the same time the AG2 visual services project (Vega) will accelerate its development. It is Vega that will become the new visual services set for the AmigaOS. However, as with all things we are going to take our time and do it right. As a result, there may be some further development to the reconstructed graphics.library if Vega takes longer than expected or does not fit in with the AmigaOS4 product release cycle.

What we intend is to create Vega as a completely independent service set. Initially this means that trusted developers will have the ability to switch between the existing graphics.library/intuition/Workbench and the Vega environment (perhaps as a new screen type). This would temporarily mean separate graphic domains, with Vega aware applications running on their own with their own GUIs - games would be a good choice here rather than the UI heavy productivity applications.

Once Vega is mature enough, a graphics.library wrapper will be written, allowing anything using graphics.library to use Vega, and allowing us to retire graphics.library. Vega will then be available as the only visual services solution, and the new user environment system will be implemented on top of Vega.

I would love to talk about the feature set for Vega but that would spoil the fun. We recognise that the OSX graphics system is currently the most advanced in the market and we are watching the development of Longhorn with interest. However, Amiga isn't about imitation, it's about innovation. Rest assured that when we can show it off, we will.

2) Geri: Will there be support for a real Client-Server OS structure in future versions of the AmigaOS?

Fleecy: The future for the AmigaOS is a distributable matrix of resources and services. To achieve this, we have to build a foundation that moves from static libraries to dynamic components. In the AmigaDE we spent a lot of time prototyping various solutions, object and component and found both had advantages and disadvantages. As a result we have come up with something else which provides all the capabilities we require to eventually implement a distributable matrix. As client server is just a limited implementation of a distributable matrix, then the answer to your question is yes.

3) mjohnson: Somewhat along the lines of Mac-on-Linux, will it be possible to run "Linux-on-Workbench"?

Fleecy: We have no plans to do it ourselves.

4) jurassiccamper: How do you intend to get shops to start stocking Amiga again and how do you intend for them to take you seriously when you approach them?

Fleecy: The answer to this question is that same as that for getting new developers, hardware device support etc. Either we pay the third party lots of money or we convince/show them that there is business opportunity from supporting the Amiga. The key obviously is to get a chain to take the product but a chain is harder because they have to commit an entire support structure. However, our contacts to date indicate that there are possible opportunities because at the moment, these chains are finding it hard to distinguish themselves from their competitors - everyone is just selling hundreds of PCs running Windows. Hanging around in these big shops, you often find bigger crowds around the Macs even if they are PC people so an Amiga presence would be a definite draw, if only for curiosity sake.

5) jurassiccamper: How about offering A1's now with an OS4 beta so they have an idea of what the product is like and they can start planning promotions for it?

Fleecy: Everyone who has an AmigaOne at the moment will be given the opportunity to betatest AmigaOS4.0 when it is in a position to be betatested en masse. Certain developers and dealers already have access to the current state and are already creating their promotions and developing their products.

What we don't want to do is release a product too early and find ourselves innundated with support to the point where it pushes back the actual release.

6) drebben: Do you ever want to give up?

Fleecy: To paraphrase Churchill, "it's the worst job in the world, until you consider the alternatives". The biggest frustration has been the difficulty in getting the resources to move the company and projects forwards at the pace we want. If we didn't believe in our plans, or there weren't many people out there very interested in what we are trying to do, or the community wasn't out there sending us many mails each week urging us to keep going, or I wasn't on the OS4Dev list and could see the talent and passion of the developers then perhaps I may have thought about it, but life is too short to give up on something you really believe in.

7) alx: What is the current status of OS4's JIT emulation?

Fleecy: Extensive benchmarking, testing and profiling against applications going on against Petunia and they are currently tuning it up whilst also completing the FPU implementation.

8) alx: When the A1000 was revealed the most impressive aspect was the powerful hardware. Do you envisage a point when Amiga hardware (custom or generic) is again the most powerful available for home users - if so, when?

Fleecy: I disagree with your statement. People didn't look at the A1000 and think 'Ooo, what powerful hardware'. They looked at the screen or listened to the speakers and thought "WOW!!!" Yes it was the hardware that enabled this to happen but it is important to realise that it is final experience that counts. PCs for example have phenomenal hardware potential but many people still dont' feel that the experience has progressed to the same degree.

We intend to push Amiga technology as a solution for all digital uses so it is upto the OEMS to provide the hardware and for us to ensure that the AmigaOS makes the maximum use of that hardware. I can certainly see someone putting a few PPC processors into a box around a hypertransport bus with the latest graphics card but the question as always is what do people want at what price?

9) pjhutch: If AmigaOS 4 were to be announced, what will happen? Will it be announced in magazines, news papers, web sites? And how much promotion will be done?

Fleecy: As I have said before, the marketing strategy for AmigaOS4 is to push it into markets for which is provides a compelling solution. You only get one chance usually to impress and there is no point in trying to push into the mainstream market when we can't support the requirements of that market - for example a world class browser, mailer, content player etc.

Its first stage release will be to existing and recent Amigans as an open platform whilst we push it hard into the closed platform markets. As we and the third parties develop the applications necessary to enrich and empower the platform, then we will begin to promote it in other markets. We will make extensive use of the dealer and user group networks, using this as initial growth nodes to push out awareness of the product.

It won't be much longer either.

10) Asemoon: When AmigaOS4 is released how do you think the Amiga community could best help to spread the word?

Fleecy: Talking about their platform, demonstrating their platform, using Amiga applications to create art, music, publications, 3D models, getting into some online multi-platform games and representing their platform. In the end, a computer platform is a life choice, that people chose to do certain actvities using that particular platform.

(Copyright © 2003 Amigaworld.net. All rights reserved.
Originally available at http://amigaworld.net/modules/fleecymoss/index.php?cat_id=23
You may freely redistribute this article, providing that a URL is provided to the original source,
and the copyright notices remain intact) (cs)

[Meldung: 26. Okt. 2003, 10:18] [Kommentare: 23 - 27. Okt. 2003, 00:38]
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