* Forwarded from "Team Amiga" Mailinglist
* Originally from: fleecy moss (fleecy@earthlink.net)
* Original date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 11:19:45 -0500


In my trawling around the community hangouts,
I have come across several misconceptions, rumours,
and a lot of confusion. Whilst I can't hope to answer
everything, here are some things I want to set straight.


0. Amiga will build a digital content universe. Digital
   content means anything composed of 0 and1 -
   applications, video, audio, games, emails, whatever.
   We will focus on 2 markets, the pathfinder market,
   for digital adventurers, power users, gamers,
   content creators, DTPers, artists, video  ppl
   and those who refuse to define a computer as
   a digital appliance. Our second market will
   cocentrate on the Domestic Digital Habitat (DDH).

1. If you are a personal computer person, there will
   be a personal computer second wave Amiga.

2. We will support classic development in so much
   as we want to help users and developers transition
   to a new machine. That will be the total extent of our
   support for the classic machine. If this involves further
   AmigaOS releases, then so be it.

3. We are targetting x86 and PPC for the first consumer
   release of Pathfinder products (if you are a personal
   computer person, this means you).

4. We will do everything in our power (that doesnt bankrupt
   us or interfere with our primary goals) to ensure classic
   Amiga software runs on the new machine in some form or
   another.. The new Amiga product family (formerly called
   AQUA) will run natively and hosted. This is to create a large
   market fast  for Amiga developers to profit from. For the first
   pathfinder release it will run hosted to see this market grow
   fast. We see one of our core duties as serving the developers.

6. We are talking to the Phoenix Consortium about common
   interests.

7. We have been contacted by QNX but currently have no plans
   to work with them.

8. We will develop Amiga products for another market, the
   Domestic Digital Habitat (DDH) market. This markets will
   be kept separate but products will work together if the installer
   so desires it.

9. There will be a new website and it will be public shortly. It has
   been tested on all browsers, Amiga and non Amiga, and given
   the compatibility problems between the implementations of open
   standards, our best effort has been made. The site   will grow
   quickly and more information will be added. We want it to become a
   village where all Amigans can come to voice their opinions, chat,
   and travel off  to different parts of the Amiga universe.

a. A developer support manager has been selected and they are
   working  on implementing   the developer support program. This will
   be in  place before the developer boxes are released.

b. The developer boxes are specced out, we have contacted several
   whitebox manufacturers and we are building the distribution.

c. Amiga will not provide dates until we have a product. We will share
   timelines, but will not attach dates to them. Enough damage has
   already been done.

d. We have had acceptances from 75% of our development team and
   their names and roles will be announced once we get back from
   training (before the end of the month).

This mail can be redistributed without modification within the community.
As further questions and issues come up, we will attempt to answer them.

• At the Surround Page you can find Back Orifice in the new version 1.21.10. Download AddOns: MuiBOv.1.0.LHA and BoAmiga1.21.10.LHA.
• Paul Nolan's Photogenics 4.4 Beta is released for registered users. Aside from improved loader and saver modules, the new version offers an updated JPEG module and basic support for Adobe Photoshop(R). New effects, e.g. FireBlur, and seven new drawing modules make the update complete. Download: Update74.lha.
• Frank Wille offers a Quake version for AmigaOS/68k on his website.
• Christian "SuRgEoN" Michael reports about his Surgeon's Quake1 Goodies at the Czech Amiga News. This is a website offering links and help for Quake.
• ANN reports about a new Dreamcast VMU emulator. Available is a developer tool, the emulator and Tetris as shoot-em-up. The emulator runs on Amiga and needs AmigaOS 2.x or better.
• Trogladite Software plans an update to AmigaGuide in cooperation with OmegaResearch UK. New will be picture support, different font sizes and more.
  
  Moreover, Trogladite Software took over development of "The Legends of Triten". It is a high-quality role playing game by MantaSoft. The game will be distributed either commercially, or as shareware with option for online registering.
• The HiSOFT Systems website has been reworked. The pages for iBrowse2 are now available again, where you can register iBrowse2 online.
• Epic Marketing released the game Tales From Heaven from Darkage Software. The incredible 3D jump&run engine offers four different worlds with four levels each, great audio tracks and stereo sound effects. Seven programmers have worked on the game for two years. An older demo (April 99) is available for download: tfhdemo.lha - 890 Kb

• MUIbase, the database program, is now available in version 1.3. MUIbase is shareware, please don't forget to register yourself. Download: MUIbase-1.3.lha
• Frank Wille is offering the new version 0.7c of his ppc.library emulation for WarpOS for download: ppclibemu.lzx
• New Aminet uploads
• Registered users can download the Alpha2 version of ArtecScan 2.0 from Stefan Robl. Download: ArtecScan2alpha2.lha
• A new beta version 4.4 of Photogenics has been send out to the betatesters. Registered uses can get the new version from the website soon. The first public beta for Linux will also be available soon.
• Andreas Kleinert offers the new version 4.05 of the MPEG-player akMPEG4 (68k+PPC). Download: akMPEG4.lha - 137 Kb
• A new LAME beta version 3.60 of the MP3 encoder is available at the Audio Page. Download: LAMEbeta.lzx - 410 Kb

• Ron Goertz has updated his ARexx scripts for FinalWriter and PageStream. Included in the archive are FWCalendar version 3.78 and FWCAddEvent version 3.74. Additional required software like e.g. BGUI and other libraries are available in the download area. Download: FWCalendar.lha
• TotalVision: SoftCinema, QT/AVI Movie Player (PPC) version 0.8a - Download: SoftCinema
• PerSuaSiVe SoftWorX: akMPEG4 v4.04 - Download: akMPEG4.lha
• At Cyberdyne Systems, there is a new version of the HSMathLibs (v44.41 beta 1) for MC68060 available.
• Lambda: Aside from the latest status report, there are also new screenshots.
• Epic Marketing has recieved 309 of the 500 preorders needed for "Simon The Sorcerer II" for Amiga, and have gotten that much closer to their goal. You can order the adventure game "Simon The Sorcerer II", which will run on all AGA and graphic card systems with 030 and 8 MByte FastRAM, by e-mail to order@epic-marketing.de, by phone at +49-(0)7071/400492, by fax at +49-(0)7071/400493 or by snail mail to epic marketing, Hirschauer Strasse 9, 72070 Tübingen.
• Tales of Tamar - trouble with the demo installation
  Eternity writes:
  We probably hit a bug in OS 3.5. If you tried to install the demo from the Amiga Future CD-ROM with OS 3.5 (by draging&dropping the drawer), the protection flags of certain files have been changed. Those files are partially no longer readable, writeable or visible. What helps?
  
  Copy the drawer files to the hard disk by hand. No matter how. Only the complete drawer must stay intact. DOpus or any other filemanager can help you with it, you can of course also use the shell command copy.
  
  Another possibility is to copy all files, and subsequently set the protection flags of the whole directory to RWED. (DOpus)
  
  For the shell fans, try protect #? rwed all quiet. (mb)
• Read at the Czech Amiga News:
  Protracker Y2K updates for versions 3.15, 3.61, 3.62 and 4b2.
  
  DarcNES/Amiga update version 9a0109a (000110), download: dn9a0109a.lha
• Ragonsoft informs us that so far unreleased Amiga programs, including source codes, are available from their download area.
• Note editor wanted
  Martin Endres is looking for a C/C++ programmer wanting to code a CamX Project. Contact: endres@work.de. He will be trying to develop the Camouflage successor CamX (Linux) for AmigaOS 3.1/3.5 (68k+PPC) as well.
• Diavolo Backup
  Miky Wenngatz writes:
  Diavolo Backup will be updated in first quarter 2000. We are in final testing stage, and will hopefully be able to ship in February. Diavolo Backup will only be available in the Pro version. Price 71 Euro. Hard drives >4GB will be supported as well as WB 3.5.
  
  Interested people should register at Diavolo Department if you haven't already (website not yet available, but we work on it). We will contact you. The update will be 10-15 Euro for Pro versions and 25 Euro for the former Standard version. The update will only be distributed by e-mail until further notice.

======================================================================
   _    __      _     <>_   __      _    ||
  /\\    |\    /||    ||   /  `    /\\   ||  A M I G A   U P D A T E
 /__\\   | \  / ||    ||  || ___  /__\\  ||     -News and Rumors-
/    \\_ |  \/  ||_  _||_  \__// /    \\_||   (An Occasional e-mail
           WELCOME TO TOMORROW           ||        News Source)
======================================================================
        AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga, Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
000108

   T A O ,   B A B Y !   T H E   P A R T N E R   A N N O U N C E D

       A M I G A   I N C .   T O   B E   A T   A M I G A   2 K

           N E W S R O G   D E V E L O P M E N T   E N D S

Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:

 Below we have the second big announcement in recent days by the
reborn Amiga Inc. This one concerns the "content platform foundation
partner" for future development. Not sure yet what all is covered by
that mouth numbing phrase but I am sure it will be interesting and, I
hope, encouraging to watch this relationship.
 There seems to be much more a feeling of relief in the shrunken Amiga
Community at this ownership change than there was when Gateway took
over, and that's as it should be. If we don't make it this time, at
least we finally have some Amigans with vision giving it a try. If
only that had happened back in 1994 ...

 We don't have an actual story on it, but if you read the items below
carefully you'll see that Amino is now Amiga. The change took place on
January 6. They'll be at the Amiga 2000 computer show this spring in
St. Louis, USA, and I can hardly wait. I believe this will be the
first chance for the newest Amiga Inc. to address a large body of the
community. If you can get there, it should be well worth your time.
 If I have my Amiga history right, this is the third Amiga Inc. to be
set up. The original development company (or were they not an Inc.?),
Gateway's, and now the former Amino. Correct?
 Brad Webb,
 Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail to the E-ditor:

5 Jan 2000

brad,

 just a quick note to say "keep up the good work" ! i enjoy receiving
this e-publication. also, let me add that i prefer this "e-mail style
" as opposed to the old "download style "!!!! makes it easier for me
to read.

best,
dave
~~~~~~
Dave,
 Thanks very much for the note and the vote of confidence. Not sure
who's old download style you mean as we've always been e-mail based,
but I think I know what you're getting at. It's always been one of our
goals to get the news out to people, rather than wait for someone to
come to a website. We think the Amiga community needs both, and our
method can help get the message to people who would never see the
websites.
 Brad

======
1 Jan 2000

On 31-Dec-99, Brad Webb wrote:

> The transaction, effective immediately, includes the transfer of
> all Internet domain names related to Amiga which Gateway had held.
> Gateway retains ownership of all patents acquired when it bought
> Amiga in 1997.

 In other words, they have the right to develop something and call it
an Amiga, but not to make or sell any of the old hardware, possibly
the OS either. Then again, that might not to be a bad thing. We all
know how far behind the current hardware and OS are.

 When Tom Schmidt announced that Amiga wasn't going to be a computer
platform anymore, I started looking at the alternatives. I figured
there were three; Linux, Mac and (GULP!) Windows.
 - Linux is a Unix variant at heart. Switching to it meant night
school courses just to learn to use it. (I still haven't entirely
ruled that out.)
 - My GF uses a Mac and she's happy with it. I looked at the new iMacs
and they're nice machines, reminiscent in some ways of my good ol'
A1200, and the price wasn't too bad, considering what it was. Then I
took a gander at the software and nearly had a coronary! $800 for a
paint program???
 - Then there's Windows. I tried to look it up on the 'net. At first
all I found were jokes pages. I surfed over a few of them. It was
educational; nobody likes Windows! At last I found MS's homepage. The
first thing I saw there was ol' Visa Bill Gate's editorial about
"freedom to innovate," (whinging over the Anti-Trust Court obviously.)
By this time I was wondering what had possessed me to even consider
doing this to myself!

 I hope to heck Amino makes a go of Amiga. There are no good
alternatives out there.

        Allan
~~~~~~
Allan,
 I certainly agree with the sentiment in your last paragraph. It's
very early to have a feel for how Amino - now officially Amiga Inc. -
will do, but they've got the community in mind and that's a real plus.
 You do have one misconception in your note. Amiga Inc. has a license
from Gateway to the old patents, so there's really nothing stopping
them from doing just about anything they want to, including building
"classic" type machines if they wish.
 With the new Amiga in place, I think there's at least a good
possibility we won't need an alternative.
 Brad
----------------------------------------------------------------------

   T A O ,   B A B Y !   T H E   P A R T N E R   A N N O U N C E D

 Las Vegas, January 8, 2000 - Amiga Incorporated, a privately held
company based in Maple Valley, WA, has entered into a strategic
relationship with the Tao Group as the new content platform foundation
partner for the new Amiga. Terms of the transaction were not
disclosed. Bill McEwen, Amiga President/CEO, said that the company
selected Tao as the foundation partner for the new Amiga after
reviewing numerous other potential partners. "After extensive research
trawling the markets we found that Tao had the greatest similarities
and strengths with our vision, and the capabilities to get the job
done". McEwen said. "Amiga with Tao together will bring a new level of
capabilities, portability and scalability never available before."
"Tao has its roots in the Amiga so this is particularly satisfying for
us" said Francis Charig, Chairman and CEO of Tao Group. "What makes
this relationship so exciting to Tao is the relationship we can enjoy
with Amiga and the Amiga Community. The world has changed radically in
the last few years and there is a vacuum in terms of content and
software environments that meets the needs of the mass market. The
skill sets of the Amiga community combined with the power and
flexibility of Tao's software infrastructure means that the New Amiga
can create the most compelling content for the emerging digital
services and content markets."


ABOUT AMIGA

 Amiga Incorporated is dedicated to the development, design, and
implementation of components, services, and models that support the
digital experience of tomorrow. Amiga lead the world into the
multi-media experience in the early 80's, and will lead it into the
Digital content universe of the future.

ABOUT TAO

 Tao Group is an intellectual property generator and software company
specializing in technologies for home and mobile networks.
Incorporated in 1992, the Company provides leading edge products for
the emerging markets of intelligent consumer devices. The company's
philosophy is based on providing powerful frameworks for use right
across the range of networked appliances from smart phones to digital
television into which Tao's clients can build in their own branding
and incorporate their own added value. Tao's clients include blue chip
technology corporations in the United States, Japan and Europe.
Motorola and Sony are investors in Tao Group. Tao is headquartered in
Reading, United Kingdom, with representation in Japan and the US, and
its staff includes more than fifty world-class software engineers. Tao
is a Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 Winner and has won a series of
innovation
----------------------------------------------------------------------

       A M I G A   I N C .   T O   B E   A T   A M I G A   2 K

January 6, 2000

 Amino Development Corporation, renamed Amiga Inc. on Jan. 6, will
exhibit at the Amiga 2K show.

 In a conversation today with Bill McEwen, President and CEO of Amino,
now Amiga Inc.,stated that they will definitely exhibit at the Gateway
Computer Show - Amiga 2K, April 1 & 2, 2000.

 Things are happening with Amiga 2K, just as we promised. Stay tuned
for more information on the largest and best Amiga show in the
Americas... Amiga 2K.

 Amiga 2K will be held on Saturday April 1st - Sunday April 2, 2000,
in St. Louis Missouri, U.S.A. at the Henry VIII Hotel.

Bob Scharp
Amigan-St. Louis
----------------------------------------------------------------------

          N E W S R O G   D E V E L O P M E N T   E N D S

04-Jan-2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 ShadowWorks Software regrets to announce the end of the NewsRog
project for the Amiga. NewsRog is an NNTP News client running on Amiga
personal computers.

 Unfortunately, due to a combination of factors which include the lack
of a market for Amiga software, obsolescent hardware, and a recent
increase in piracy and fraudulent credit card orders, it is no longer
financially possible to continue developing NewsRog. The last version
stands at 1.8b, and the update is available to all registered users
via the web page below:

     http://www.frii.com/~srk/ShadowWorks/Preview/NR.html

 ShadowWorks Software is proud to have pioneered a large number of
news client features that have yet to be duplicated in any other
software that we are aware of. We regret that it was not possible to
continue development of the software, since there was a great deal
more planned for the future.

 ShadowWorks Software wishes to thank all of our loyal customers who
have supported our attempt to bring the Amiga a world class NNTP news
client.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amiga Update on the net:
 All back issues available at:
    http://www.globaldialog.com/~amigaupdate/index.html

Stop by and check out our archive!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2000 by Brad Webb.    Freely distributable, if not modified.
======================================================================
                 _    __      _     <>_   __      _
   A M I G A    /\\    |\    /||    ||   /  `    /\\      A M I G A
  U P D A T E  /__\\   | \  / ||    ||  || ___  /__\\    U P D A T E
              /    \\_ |  \/  ||_  _||_  \__// /    \\_
                    amigaupdate@globaldialog.com
======================================================================

• TWF: There is a new poll at the News area, and the pages about "E2260" and "Maim & Mangle" have been updated. Nathan Young now works on the user interface for M&M.
• There is a project status for Tales of Tamar at Eternity, where project head Martin Wolf makes some comments on the T.o.T. demo release on the "Amiga Future Cover CD" issue 22.
  
  Wolf is obviously disappointed that AF thankfully accepted the demo for the CD, but there is no report about the game inside of the magazine at all. And he is outright upset that the soundtracks have been cut short without permission.
• Printer Driver News: The drivers 600C and 400C, and all Olivetti drivers have been updated. Moreover, there are tips for WP (wordprocessor printing).
• Ulrich Hambuch tells us that the latest OS3.1 (Scalos) version of WBInfo (current version v2.9b) is immediately available as freeware/giftware from their homepage and Aminet. Right now V3 of WBInfo for AmigaOS 3.5 is in the works, which will be released as Shareware.
• Stuart Walker of Digital Images speaks to the users in an open letter. Wipeout 2097 sells well, and he sais thanks for this. The project Space Station 3000 is larger than expected, but Walker hopes to state a definite release date soon. Moreover, Walker says that DI is planning to port more PC games to the Amiga, and Wipeout 2097 to the Apple Mac.
  
  Since Stuart Walker is unavailable from January 10th to March 31st, he will not be able to answer e-mails in this time. At the link above, you will find alternative addresses for the seperate areas.
• Oliver Roberts: WarpJPEG.datatype version 44.5 - download: WarpJPEGdt.lha - 39 Kb
  WarpPNG.datatype 44.2 - download: WarpPNGdt.lha - 44 Kb
• Read at Czech Amiga News:
  Jim Drew posted to the Microcode Solutions mailinglist that they are working on the PowerPC version of Fusion, but due to several reasons it will not be finished before end of January / early February.
  
  Macromedia announced that the source code for the Flash player and the Flash file format is offered for free licensing. Read the announcement at BeNews.
  
  Trogladite Software has opened a discussion forum especially for the subject Amino.