nd-exf99.lha         mods/neuro 297K+OSS "Exploding Fist" conversion
CrazySueII_mus.lha   mods/pro   306K+Music from Crazy Sue II game
CrazySue_mus.lha     mods/pro   305K+Music from Crazy Sue game
handsom.lha          mods/roz   140K+Sum house by Roz/RNO^Fit^pJz
orchest.lha          mods/roz   448K+Asm99 entry by Roz/RNO^Fit^pJz
phatkhem.lha         mods/roz   394K+Weird breakbeat stuff by Roz/RNO^Fit^pJz
junokit02.lha        mods/smpl  414K+Juno-106 sample kit vol 2
SparDas.lha          mods/techn  66K+Techno like mod using Assampler sounds
onesmallst.lha       mods/tranc 150K+Space-Trance by Eraser/Sector B
Assampler.lha        mus/edit   626K+Object oriented sound processor program
AssamplerDebug.lha   mus/edit   329K+Debug version of Assampler
AssamplerExtra.lha   mus/edit   178K+Some extravagances for Assampler
ahipre.lha           mus/misc   506K+Prerelease of AHI-PPC,binary files
ahisrc.lha           mus/misc   432K+Prerelease of AHI-PPC,source files
LAMEbeta.lha         mus/misc   298K+The best MP3 encoder for 040/060/PPC v3.
MP3TEDv25.lha        mus/misc   160K+MP3-TagEditor v2.5 - (Free Keyfile)
Eclipse99.jpg        pix/astro   59K+An AMIGA created montage of my recent so
AF-Eclipse1.jpg      pix/boot   184K+Colorful image of the sky w/ sun and ref
WolfB_IGfx.lha       pix/icon    79K+Misc beautiful Icons in IconoGfx-Design
EnterpIncident.jpg   pix/mark   284K+Enterprise meets Romulans
Enterprise.jpg       pix/mark   284K+Classic Enterprise in Deep Space
saku99k1.lha         pix/misc   3.5M+Pics from Saku 99, Finnish Amiga event.
saku99k2.lha         pix/misc   1.3M+More Saku 99 pics (Finnish Amiga event).
ToyBox.mpg           pix/mpg    3.5M+Toy Box Animation
SJI-Aurora-Pre.lha   pix/nicon  654K+SadJesterIcons Aurora Set Prerelease 3. 
LAW_01.lha           pix/sport  1.0M+Ladies Arm Wrestling pics - Archive 1
LAW_02A.lha          pix/sport  1.2M+Ladies Arm Wrestling pics - Archive 2 (1
LAW_02B.lha          pix/sport  1.2M+Ladies Arm Wrestling pics - Archive 2 (2
ATWB.lha             pix/wb     160K+Pics from my nice WB
eraserwb.lha         pix/wb      70K+Eraser's 16col "Trekkie-Workbench"
ThinpazB.lha         text/bfont   3K+Great thin font for use with Workbench!
Amitex_3.19.lha      text/edit  281K+Text editor (French and english versions
BAH.lha              text/edit   93K+Adds configurable toolbars to BED. V3.6
rSrT.lha             text/misc    3K+Repeated Search/Replace in Textfile(s)
WordConverter.lha    text/misc   89K+Converts Word 2,4,5,6,7,8 files to text,
prtman39.lha         text/print 169K+Printmanager for AmigaOS3 (39.28)
EvenMore.lha         text/show  252K+V0.54 - A nice textviewer
appxtrakt.lha        util/arc    28K+Little tool to extract Lha,Lzx & Zip fil
bootstartupv2.lha    util/batch   6K+Programmable boot menu script v2
CovertBoot.lha       util/boot   45K+Covert Bootup for Syspic 4.00
RemAPollo.lha        util/boot   30K+A1200 040\060 MMU Apollo Turboboard Rema
EsperantoCX.lha      util/cdity  90K+Esperanto Commodity - Easy Access to Sup
MCXPrefs.lha         util/cdity 108K+Gadtools GUI for MultiCX 2.80 (FREEWARE)
GatewayTools.lha     util/cli   840K+Various tools for use in CLI
RunFromWB.lha        util/cli    11K+Runs file in WB way
StarDate.lha         util/cli   106K+StarDate-Clock (CLI) for free use
VersCheck.lha        util/cli   418K+Check your libs,MUI,devs,dtypes,classes,
akNAIL-dt.lha        util/dtype  91K+AkNAIL-dt V44.4 (NAIL, 68000-060)
russian.hash.lha     util/gnu   762K+* iSpell Russian Dictionary (Ami1251) v1
GatewayLibrary.lha   util/libs   78K+Shared Library with many functions
mpega_library.lha    util/libs  346K+MPEG Audio decoder library V2.4 (68020+)
ButtonBar.lha        util/misc   77K+Button launching interface.
bws_progs.lha        util/misc   22K+Various Wanted Commands and GUI's
DelfInit.lha         util/misc   14K+Initialization utility for Delfina sound
loto99.lha           util/misc  104K+National Lottery & Thunderball checker
loto99a.lha          util/misc  104K+National Lottery & Thunderball checker
mvslink.lha          util/misc  133K+Splitting utilities with gui. v.1.4  
ReqAttack.lha        util/misc  515K+V1.1 Cool new requester improver (animat
StripHunks.lha       util/misc    9K+V1.7 CLI tool to strip useless hunks
agf.lha              util/pack   20K+AGF V0.9 - n*8-bit Sample Pre-Packing Pr
agf_030fpu.lha       util/pack   11K+AGF - n*8-bit Sample Pre-Packing Process
xpk_Develop.lha      util/pack  106K+V5.2 Compression package, developer cut
xpk_Source.lha       util/pack  176K+V5.2 Compression package, source files
xpk_User.lha         util/pack  225K+V5.2 Compression package, user edition
Homebanking.lha      util/rexx   29K+Homebanking mit ADM und Multitermkit (Ge
MergePacScores.lha   util/rexx    7K+ARexx script for merging two PACMAN.HISC
Yamtoguide.lha       util/rexx    5K+Converts Yam Folders to AmigaGuide.
InstallerNG.lha      util/sys   251K+C= Installer compatible replacement
JoinReplace.lha      util/sys    16K+V1.19 powerful Join replacement
AT.lha               util/time  101K+New database and reminder (german only)
CyberClock.lha       util/time   21K+Digital clock w/ changeable digits
SetDST.lha           util/time   52K+Adjusts time for Daylight Saving Time
FileShield.lha       util/virus  28K+Protect Your executables against linkvir
Safe.lha             util/virus  23K+Best new linkviruses detector
VirusExecutor.lha    util/virus  98K+VirusExecutor v1.82f
VTDocsEng.lha        util/virus  46K+English translation of VTx.yz docs
IconType.lha         util/wb     25K+IconType converts the type of an icon
UpBR.lha             util/wb    101K+Portugues-BRASIL v1.6 upgrade kit for Am
WBWelcome.lha        util/wb    313K+Random Workbench greeter
Hingis.lha           biz/dbase  194K+Martina Hingis tennis singles matches in
OpusGIbar.lha        biz/dopus  159K++120 Nice GlowIcons for your DOpus Toolb
MPackMUI.lha         comm/misc   36K+V1.0 MUI interface for MPack V1.5
PalmBackup.lha       comm/misc  163K+1.7 - Backup/Restore/Install for PalmPil
IPScanner.lha        comm/tcp    21K+Shows open TCP/IP Port from a given doma
aipw.lha             comm/www    26K+MUI IP Watcher. Shows your IP+HostName. 
AWebResume.lha       comm/www    61K+Integrate FTP and HTTP resume support in
gng.lha              comm/www   753K+GNU Internet mirroring tool with interfa
HTTPResume_Slo.lha   comm/www     3K+Slovenian localization for HTTPResume v1
MiamiOnline2.lha     comm/www     2K+Load FreePhone Number If Weekend (Miami)
MWI-SDV20.lha        demo/mag   1.2M+SAVE DA VINYL #20 - packmag by Madwizard
adv-ita.lha          dev/amos    77K+Italian adventures creator for AMOSPro
modifile.lha         dev/amos    67K+File modifier written by AMOSPro
SineWriter.lha       dev/asm      5K+Generate fixed point sine/cosine/hybrid 
PureBasic.lha        dev/basic  421K+V1.02 - Brand new powerful programming l
GED_Scripts.lha      dev/c       18K+Useful ARexx Scripts for C Programming
2b_Brush2eMui.lha    dev/e       42K+Changes brushes to E src for MUI
2b_CreativE.lha      dev/e       69K+New AmigaE compiler
TearOff13.3_E.lha    dev/e        8K+E Modules for TearOff MUI classes
jikes-diffs.lha      dev/lang    12K+IBM's fast Java compiler, v1.04 (diffs)
jikes.lha            dev/lang   568K+IBM's fast Java compiler, v1.04 (source)
jikes000.lha         dev/lang   545K+Fast Java compiler, v1.04 (68000 binary)
jikes020-060.lha     dev/lang   539K+Fast Java compiler,v1.04 (68020-060,FPU)
S3DC.lha             dev/mui      4K+Simple MUI example source to compile wit
CDCat-AmiNet32.lha   disk/cdrom 1.7M+CDCat Index Of AmiNet 3-32
FlashROM.lha         disk/cdrom  17K+Amiga tool to change the flash ROM of Pl
GetCDDB.lha          disk/cdrom  46K+Easy download of CD disc id files
MakeCDsvenskaC.lha   disk/cdrom  35K+Swedish catalog for MakeCD V3.2
2b_HfMounterNG.lha   disk/misc   18K+Manager for 'fmsdisk.device' units.
PFSDefragTry.lha     disk/optim   6K+Tries to defrag PFS partitions (37.4), w
musiccharts.txt      docs/anno    0K+Announcment regarding.....
aMiGaPoWeR.lha       docs/hyper  68K+AMiGa=PoWeR French Amiga Magazine
bruce_dickinso.lha   docs/hyper  51K+Bruce Dickinson Guide V1.0
iron_maiden.lha      docs/hyper 135K+Iron Maiden Guide V2.5
AO_0101.lha          docs/mags    9K+AO newsletter - volume 1, issue 1 - 3 Se
AO_0102.lha          docs/mags    9K+AO newsletter - volume 1, issue 2 - 13 S
AO_0103.lha          docs/mags   11K+AO newsletter - volume 1, issue 3 - 17 S
sol_dt.lha           game/board  62K+*Inofficial* German exe for Solitaire v1
Lekis_XTR_Trac.lha   game/data   78K+Tracks for Xtreme Racing
malicemod.lha        game/patch 240K+Malice (Quake TC) bot-mod & fpsbooster
YAGACFix.lha         game/role  197K+Graphic adventure creator (Balrog Soft)F
YAGACFix2.lha        game/role  193K+Graphic adventure creator (Balrog Soft)F
stefadv.lha          game/text   22K+Little italian text adventure
stefadv2.lha         game/text   65K+2nd little italian text adventure
startrekprg.lha      game/think 1.3M+-Star Trek-, Fixes all known bugs
VE-ReadMe.lha        gfx/edit     5K+Visual Eng. - Registeration & Readme
VE-shadow.lha        gfx/edit     5K+Visual Eng. - Shadow v3.34
MakeWebPic.lha       gfx/misc    18K+ARexx-Packet to work with Pic-Archiv
akMPEG2.lha          gfx/show   122K+MPEG player for CyberGfx/AGA V3.01 (68k/
AMP.lha              gfx/show   246K+MPEG1/2, FLI/FLC, AVI, QT player for War
SoftCinema.lha       gfx/show   223K+Ultimate Movie Player (PPC)
Win95MapGB.lha       hard/drivr   8K+Win95 British keymap, CTRL+\ support.
APPE1_2.lha          hard/hack   82K+Use any PlayStation Pad in your Amiga
A4KTower.lha         hard/misc  608K+How to towerise your A4K easily! 
AmiOS35amp.lha       misc/emu    20K+Skin for WinAMP with the Amiga-look
Electrostatic.lha    misc/emu   101K+Atari 2600 emulator/translator. V2.1
warpsnes.lha         misc/emu   359K+SNES Emulator for PowerPC (WarpUP) V4.1
imdbDiff990910.lha   misc/imdb  2.0M+Diffs for the Internet MovieDatabase
TotalCalc1_23.lha    misc/math   48K+Calculator with interesting features
distract.lha         mods/k4k   313K+"Distracted" trance-song by Kure/RNO^WPZ
martys.lha           mods/k4k   262K+"Martysbear" trance-song by Kure/RNO^WPZ
rNO-L004.lha         mods/misc  792K+RNO-LABEL release nO.4
RussianONE.lha       mods/symph 1.3M+Simphonie music module
CDMix10demo.lha      mus/edit    11K+Prog to mix a number of CDDA files. DEMO
sox-12.16-base.lha   mus/edit   267K+Multiformat sound converter (src)
sox-12.16-bin.lha    mus/edit   194K+Multiformat sound converter (bin)
ataruita.lha         mus/midi    20K+Urusei Yatsura italian song
divert12.lha         mus/midi    56K+Divertimento12, GM song by Stefano Regat
divert3.lha          mus/midi    31K+Divertimento3, GM song by Stefano Regatt
felicida.lha         mus/midi    19K+Felicidad, GM song by Stefano Regattin
AmigaOS_bootpi.lha   pix/boot   301K+AmigaOS - BootPicture and cgxbootpic.lib
A4000T_Kosh.jpg      pix/wb     208K+K.O.S.H. Workbench in 16bit
Printout.lha         text/print  15K+Print Zweckform Labels NO. 4738/4739
appxtrakt.lha        util/arc    30K+Little tool to extract Lha,Lzx & Zip fil
Archiver.lha         util/arc   275K+A very good MUIGui for Lha, Lzx...etc.V2
AutoExt.lha          util/arc     3K+Auto Extract Archives (Lzx, Lha, Rar...)
1TouchMac2.lha       util/boot   99K+Boot others startup files with mouse
alba.lha             util/boot   45K+Lock your Amiga with a password 
Rainboot2_67.lha     util/boot  997K+The Ultimate Multimedia Boot v2.67
MirrorCopy.lha       util/cli    20K+Create/maintain exact copy of dir (V1.3)
VersCheck.lha        util/cli   414K+Check your libs,MUI,devs,dtypes,classes,
muitoolkit.lha       util/libs   42K+1.0 - The MUI Toolkit library (FREE)
PortugueseAcce.lha   util/libs    2K+Portuguese accent for translator lib.
bprefs.lha           util/misc   42K+MUI Preference program for Birdie [1.31]
ProPassWord.lha      util/misc  163K+PPW is a FOF securty System 0.17b2
TNM.lha              util/misc   19K+MUI Make ThumbNails and HTML files.
FWCalendar.lha       util/rexx  108K+THE calendar creator for FW & Pagestream
Scion2html.lha       util/rexx   32K+WWW browser HTML's from Scion Genealogy 
AlarmClock.lha       util/time    9K+Alarms by playing a MP3 at a specified t
Millenium.lha        util/time    8K+Millenium-Countdown
vhtvb220.lha         util/virus  62K+Version 2.20 of Virus_Checker II brainfi
VirusExecutor.lha    util/virus 117K+VirusExecutor v1.83
count.lha            util/wb     15K+Recursivly counts the size of files/dirs
JoyTest1_04.lha      util/wb     24K+Test operation of joystick

======================================================================
   _    __      _     <>_   __      _    ||
  /\\    |\    /||    ||   /  `    /\\   ||  A M I G A   U P D A T E
 /__\\   | \  / ||    ||  || ___  /__\\  ||     -News and Rumors-
/    \\_ |  \/  ||_  _||_  \__// /    \\_||   (An Occasional e-mail
         KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING         ||       Newsmagazine)
======================================================================
        AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga, Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
990914

      H E ' S   D E A D ,   J I M   C O L L A S . . . M A Y B E
               {See Editor's Thoughts and Introduction}

            T H E   P R E S I D E N T   S P E A K S . . .

                    A N   A L T E R N A T I V E ?

Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:

 We present the much anticipated statement from the new President of
Amiga below. Frankly, we're not sure what to make of it and will
withhold most of our comments for a few days to think it over. Our
first thought, in all honesty, is a question: if the Amiga isn't a
"box" or an operating system, what, exactly, is left? Clearly, this
statement tells us there will not be a computer from Amiga. We never
expected them to make many, but we did expect them at least to control
hardware specs for a new machine, based on recent developments. An
Internet Appliance server for the home if nothing else. Also, we
expected the same control for an operating system, not just something
to run on top of other operating systems (Windoze? NT? Mac? Solaris?)
also based on recent developments. Our second thought is another
question: what is the cost of a good Dell computer running Linux? Our
third thought: are we being too hasty in seeing only negatives here?
Is there a real vision spelled out here which could, in fact, be the
next real Amiga? That IS a possibility ... I think ...
 We like to give everyone a fair chance. So, you'll get a real
editorial in the near future, after we digest this, but not tonight.
However, we bring you a second story that may be of interest to some.
 Nothing seems to come easily for us, does it?
 Brad Webb,
 Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------

            T H E   P R E S I D E N T   S P E A K S . . .

September 14, 1999


TO: THE AMIGA COMMUNITY

 Thanks for your notes and comments about our plans for Amiga. In the
past couple weeks, we've received hundreds -- if not thousands -- of
emails and messages from loyal Amigans worldwide, many of you
expressing a concern about Amiga's future based on recent reports in
the media and in numerous chat rooms. I am so impressed with the
spirit and passion of this great community and I wanted to make sure I
told you that.

 The fact is... to borrow from Mark Twain... the reports of Amiga's
death have been greatly exaggerated. To that end, I wanted to provide
a little more detail about our plans for Amiga... both as a product
and as a company, and hopefully clear up any confusion that exists.

 First, I hope you'd agree that Amiga was never about a box. It was
never about an operating system either. Sure those things were part of
what made the original Amiga great, but at its heart, Amiga was simply
about a better way. Amiga was ahead of its time. Amiga promised to
change the world. It ran against conventional wisdom and was better
than anything out there at the time. In fact, we could all argue that
it's still better than anything out there.

 The ideals and spirit of that original Amiga are alive and well
today. But to limit Amiga to just one box, one product, one OS, is to
keep Amiga from ever seeing its full potential. Think about it.... The
original Amiga never did really reach its full potential despite its
technical advantages and its cost and ease of use advantages. Why?
Because it never became ubiquitous. The company's early vision was
probably too limited for the vast potential that Amiga offered.

 The original Amiga was all about multi-media, so why not have Amiga
running on every type of device imaginable, on top of every other OS
out there? That's the beauty of Amiga and where we are as an industry.
We're in the midst of a revolution unlike anything the world has seen,
and Amiga has never been better positioned to change that world and
make a bigger impact. Limiting Amiga to just one box and one OS at
this point would be like offering the world a better horse and
carriage at the dawn of the automotive age. Amiga and its
revolutionary spirit deserve better than that. Amiga is going to
produce software technology that will enable Internet services on an
emerging category of products commonly referred to as "Information
Appliances". It is an exciting new mega trend in the industry and we
are excited about being at the forefront of this next great wave in
computing history. In addition, we have decided to work with business
partners who will deliver our software technology on their systems,
rather than enter the hardware business directly.

 So long live Amiga, but if you think that Amiga was just a box,
you've missed the point. Amiga is about a better way. In the coming
weeks and months, we promise to keep you posted on progress against
our plans for Amiga, and we thank you for your continued support.
Let's work together to enable Amiga to revolutionize the industry and
change the world!

Long live Amiga,


Thomas J. Schmidt
President & C.E.O.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     A N   A L T E R N A T I V E ?

14 Sept., 1999

              == THE PHOENIX PLATFORM CONSORTIUM ==

 We are pleased to announce the acceptance of provisional charter for
the Phoenix Platform Consortium.

 Phoenix signatories believe it is time to place our destiny back in
the hands of folks who understand what the Amiga is all about. You
will notice members of the original Jay Miner team within our ranks.

 Unlike other new entities we will not field questions from
newsgroups, mailing lists, or in email, nor will we be erecting a
marketing facade to false hopes. Results and honest direction are our
mandate.

 The Phoenix Platform Consortium will assume responsibility for aid
and recommendation for reference platforms for the Amiga users who
wish to upgrade their present Amigas, as we establish an open
migration path to a new platform. That platform will in spirit and in
feel be a new Amiga experience while incorporating and surpassing the
features found on the desktop elsewhere today.

 More information will be posted when we have facts to present. Please
do NOT email the participants in curiosity. We ask for your patience
in this matter. Please respect the wishes of the participants named
below. There is much to do and we have just begun.

 As information becomes available it will be posted on mailing lists,
newsgroups, and at the following website: http://owlnet.net/phoenix/
which will be up shortly. This announcement is freely repostable.

 Thanks, from the Phoenix Platform Consortium, currently:

    Alan Crandall       JMS
    Alan Swithenbank    Stanford Comp Systems Lab
    Albert Bailey       Flying Mice
    Andy Finkel         Met@box
    Aron Digulla        AROS
    Bart G Colbert      BG Colbert
    Berardino Baratta   MetroWerks
    Bill Bull           QNX
    Bill McEwen         Amino
    Bohdan Lechnowsky   REBOL
    Bruce Ellsworth     AmiTrace/ACSVideo
    Carl Sassenrath     REBOL
    Christian Kemp      ANN
    Clash Bowley        Flying Mice
    Dan Dodge           QNX
    Daryl Low           QNX Internship
    Dave Cook           GuruMeditationError
    Dave Haynie         Met@box
    dinglis             QNX
    Don Cox             Don Cox Computer Productions
    Drew S Tarmey       IAT Manufacturing
    Dr Greg Perry       GPSoftware
    Ed MacKenty         MacKenty Software Services
    Eric Herget         Ki Networks
    Fleecy Moss         Amino
    Frank Friesacher    QNX
    Fred Wright         The Wright Solution
    Gary Peake          Team AMIGA/OwlNet
    Geert Bevin         Thunderstorms/The Leaf
    Giorgio Gomelsky    JMS
    Glenn Davidson      Cloud Media
    G'o'tz Ohnesorge
    greenboy            Phoenix
    Hal Greenlee        HardDrivers
    Holger Kruse        Nordic Global
    Igor Kovalenko      Motorola iDEN
    Joanne Dow          Wizardess Designs
    Joe Gulizia         SCOLA
    Johan Rönnblom
    John Shepard
    Kevin Lowe          BrainDrops
    Kevin Tiernan       Elfnet
    Marc Albrecht       A.C.T.
    Mario Charest       Zinformatic
    Mario Saitti        Phoenix
    Marko Seppänen      Visual Engineer
    Martin McKenzie     CADTech
    Matt Sealey         U of Leicester
    Michael Battilana   Cloanto
    Mick Tinker         Access
    Odd H Sandvick
    Olaf Barthel        logical line GmbH
    Paul Lesurf         Blittersoft
    Paul May            Phoenix
    Paul Nolan          Paul Nolan Ltd
    Ray Akey            HMetalsoft/ZenMetal
    RJ Mical            Mical.org
    Robert Krten        PARSE/Cisco
    Ron Liechty         MetroWerks
    Rudi Chiarito       Magrathea Development
    Samuel A Falvo II   Dolphin
    Shaun Sauve         QNX
    Stephane Desrosiers
    Stephen Jones       Siamese Systems
    Steve Tomkins       QNX
    Tobias Abt          Picasso 96
    Vegard Berget
    Wolf Dietrich       phase 5


Interested developers may contact greenboy [greenboy@bigsky.net]
 with a post titled

   Dev Database «your name»

and with the following information in the body

1. Name
2. Company
3. Email@
4. Developer Category
     A. Hardware
     B. Software
     C. Beta tester
     D. Marketing/Support Functions
     E. Internet-oriented development
5. Development Description (ie specialties - video, office suite, etc)
     A. Current Projects
     B. Past Projects
6. Platforms currently involved
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 1999 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
======================================================================

From:             Martin Baute solar@baud.de
To:               team@amiga-news.de
Date:             Tue, 14 Sep 1999 20:12:43 +0200
Subject:          Open Letter to Tom Schmidt
Voller Name:      Martin Baute
Homepage:         http://www.baud.de/public/members/solar.html

Dear Sir,

we are the Amiga community. We are a community of people brought together
by a very different kind of computing, which survived despite the gravest
of circumstances, beyond bancrupty, beyond despair, beyond obsoletion.

The community survived because there was hope, and little alternative.

We look at the market of home, personal, and office computing, and we see
bloated, inefficient, unreliable systems that offer little "feeling" to
the power user, and much irritation to the beginner.

So we dared to hope, that one day there would be a computing alternative
available again to the masses, one that made computing fun again for
everyone, not only for the elusive few who actually like to modify arcane
registry entries or .rc lines.

And our hopes, for long, and sometimes very dark years, were on the brand
named "Amiga", because this brand - rather, the philosophy and spirit it
stood for - embodied what we liked in computing.

We have seen many changes at the helm, even more changes in direction.

And every time again, ever since EsCom times up to the latest ongoings at
Amiga Inc., whenever there was a change at helm or a change in direction,
we feared.

Our fear always was the same. Will there be an Amiga computer we can
buy, to sit on our desks at home or in the office?

There has always been talk about Set-Top-Boxes. In more recent times,
there is talk about "information appliances".

But what the community anxiously waits for, always has waited for when
the winds of change were blowing, is not about Set-Top-Boxes, not about
"information appliances". I do not want to critizise, to the contrary.
There are evolving markets out there waiting to be explored, and it is
a good feeling that Amiga might be among the spearhead of explorers to
this market.

However, for us, the existing, living, starving community scattered all
around the world, for the distributors, developers, vendors, users, for
us, it is the desktop we most anxiously wait for.

Yes, there certainly is a mass market for Set-Top-Boxes and information
appliances, and the Amiga Inc. concept for a pervasive home network is
a nice one for sure. But all this is not what the brand "Amiga" promises
to us.

To make a long story short, to ask the question so vital for motivation,
faith, and hope for many of us, I ask you:



- Do the plans at Amiga Inc., which you told us will be followed
  through, still include a home/personal computer product range similar
  or at least alike to the "Multimedia Convergence Computer" previously
  presented by Amiga Inc.?
  Manufactured by Amiga Inc. itself, or by third party manufacturers?

  (Means, will we see hardware as revolutionary as your software
  technology, or will we share the fate of BeOS, fine OS without
  own plattform?)

- And will it be presented anywhere near to the original time scale
  (1st quarter 2000)?



A question so simple, but of utmost importance for those who look at
Amiga Inc. today. Those looking at Amiga tomorrow might be satisfied
by Set-Top-Boxes and "information appliances".

We are not. Scatter our fears.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

With kindest regards,
--
    Martin Baute          /// Amiga A1200 Towerhawk - PowerPC 603e / MC68060
 => solar@baud.de <=     /// Newsmaster - English:  http://www.amiga-news.de
Member of Team AMIGA \\\/// Member of the Bielefeld Amiga Users & Developers
100% Microsoft free!  \XX/ Maintainer of Version Watch: http://www.vwatch.de

Amiga - The Last Line of Defense.
-- www.baud.de



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