Some explanations of this blog

Greetings everybody. This blog is different from the other Amiga blogs here, so i want to explain to the readers what this blog really is about and what is the purpose of this blog to better understand why i am having this blog.

What i have done recently is to remove the ability to write comments into the Amiga blog. I have decided to do so because this is NOT to be another forum or a debate site where we talk about Windows vs AmigaOS, MacOS vs AmigaOS, Linux vs AmigaOS, PC vs Amiga, Mac vs Amiga. This is NOT what this blog is for! This blog is for reading about different experiences with different Amiga systems and versions of AmigaOS, as in this case the latest AmigaOS 4.1.5 on AmigaOne 500, also known as SAM460ex. In a forseable future, the blog will focus more on a Mid-range AmigaOne X model running a 32 bit Quad-Core Freescale PPC CPU at 1.5Ghz!

I'm really tired of hearing and reading about people talking so "nicely" about Windows, Linux or even MacOS (even that MacOS is very similar to AmigaOS in almost every way the OS works), because that is completely irrelevant for an Amiga-ONLY blog like this! Sure, Windows and MacOS are much more modern than
even the most modern AmigaOS today, that is AmigaOS 4.1.5, despite missing some very important key elements like JAVA, Flash, Multicore CPU support (SMP),
OpenGL and a couple more, but AmigaOS 4.1.5 is far more modern than the classic AmigaOS most of us have been so familiar with. A lot has changed since then.

In the previous blog, i wrote about pre-emptive multitasking and security. As for multitasking, the Amiga was bornt with pre-emptive multitasking back in 1985 first introduced to the market with Amiga 1000, then to the home market in 1987 with the successor Amiga 500. It took Windows and MacOS 10 years later to have the possibility to multitask. Even today in latest Windows and MacOS X, multitasking doesn't appear as native and "smooth" as in the AmigaOS, because AmigaOS has always managed to do it. It's quite a difference. As long as you have enough power and memory in your Amiga, you can run several programs and tasks at once without slowdown! In Windows and MacOS, there will be a slowndown with high propability. So Windows and MacOS might not be as perfect as one wants to believe. No system is perfect. Every system has their advances and disadvances, but they all have a common fact: They are all improving in their own way!

As for security, latest AmigaOS doesn't yet have such security as you find in Windows and MacOS. Not even Cloud protection, but as the world is moving on and new danger appears every day, it's only logical that AmigaOS too will have such protection in future AmigaOS. Allow me to tell you a story we have experienced.

My brother has a PC with Windows. Several, actually, and not long ago, he was attacked by a hacker who managed to gain FULL control of both his PCs and mobiles, no matter how highly secured the PCs and mobiles where. The hacker managed to take full control of his systems, preventing him to gain control of his systems again and even remove the hacker! It went so far to contacting police and several experts to help eliminate the hacker problem! So even the most advanced Windows or MacOS X is not fully secured, but vulnerable. Especially Windows appear more and more vulnerable, as it is the most commercial, available product and bought by almost everybody today, but a change is happening these days.

Several are moving away from Windows for different reasons. One reason is that they are tired of all the attacks that are happening mostly on Windows, the second reason that Windows is far too "traditional" a system and these people want other solutions, like MacOS X, Linux or even AmigaOS. Alternative OSes are becoming more and more popular as a solution over Windows. You could call it a "great escape" from traditional systems. Why do you think that Microsoft struggles to keep Windows as popular as it always used to be? Why do they fear alternative systems like Linux? Because they know Windows is not perfect. Because they know that Windows is not as cool or exciting as it used to be. Because they realize they are not the only player in the global mass IT market. There are many other too.

You might think "Where does Amiga come in all this?". It's actually very simple. We know that AmigaOS 4.2 is heavily under development by the AmigaOS Development Team in Hyperion Entertainment, and that AmigaOS 4.2 is going to have a lot of changes in features. Features like Multi-core CPU support through SMP, OpenGL hardware acceleration graphic system with Gallium3D and Mesa (possible with Warp3D support/compatibility), brand new Intuition, more than 2GB RAM support, Full memory protection, possible Internet Security with Cloud Protection, New Audio system, brand new Printer system, JAVA and a lot more. Don't expect all these to be intergrated immerdiately into the first release of AmigaOS 4.2, but these are definitely on the To-Do-List for the future of AmigaOS. We are moving on!

If you catched the previous AmiWest 2012 show, you will happen to know that there are several very exciting things going to happen, especially in 2013!

The first to appear before the end of 2012 is Warp3D (3D-support) for RadeonHD, which will be a stop-gap solution until AmigaOS 4.2 with Gallium3D and Mesa is completed. As i understand it myself, AmigaOS 4.2 is still several months away from completion, so Warp3D will be a very nice stop-gap solution, supporting Serie 5, 6 and later 7 of the RadeonHD cards before we have AmigaOS 4.2.

The Friedens brothers who are working closely with Hyperion Entertainment, are also working on porting Libre Office to AmigaOS4. This is going to be a commercial product, and probably sold with other software. I suppose the goal is to bundle this office package with other software to use in the upcoming AmigaOS 4.2 when released. This is very promising, and finally AmigaOS4 will also have a serious office bundle, and people will realize that Amiga is far more than a game system! This was actually the mistake Commodore did back in the 80-ies. Commodore made the mistake of marketing the Amiga as a game system, while it actually proved to be a lot more! We are not to do this mistake again! We are marketing the Amiga as a much more serious product, doing what Commodore never managed to do!

The most exciting news is in term of upcoming AmigaOne X hardwares to be released around 2013/2014. The man behind A-EON Technology, Robert Trevor Dickinson, made a very nice presentation of a promising roadmap for the future of AmigaOne X hardware! Future AmigaOne X models are going to use Freescale Multicore PPC CPUs! Freescale is actually Motorola with a new name and brand new style, so this is like a very happy reunion with a CPU company that was part of our classic Amiga hardwares, and will again be part of the new AmigaOne X hardwares!

The AmigaOne X models were divided into at least 3 different models, all based on a new motherboard dubbed "Cyrus". A name i really think is cool, but should probably not be mistaked with the beautiful girl named Miley Cyrus. Having her to promote the Cyrus motherboard of the new AmigaOne X models would be a nice idea, hehe!

Back to the point: These 3 AmigaOne X models are as following:

Mid-End AmigaOne X: Based on a 1.5Ghz 32 bit Quad Core Freescale PPC CPU and the Cyrus motherboard. Little is known of this model, but will most likely be a cost-effective stationary complete computer system running AmigaOS 4.2, but might as well also appear as a laptop model. Might be shipped with 4GB memory and a 1TB harddrive pre-installed with AmigaOS 4.2 when released. Believed to be released around 2013, closer to 2014. (This is the model i'm saving for, so i am very excited!)

High-End AmigaOne X: Based on a 2.2Ghz 64 bit Dual Core Freescale PPC CPU. Might be a bit cheaper than the X1000, so remain to be seen. Believed to be a complete stationary computer system running AmigaOS 4.2. Release date might be around 2013, close to 2014.

Further AmigaOne X model: The third model (which might appear in 2014, realistic though, is to have a 64 bit multicore Freescale PPC CPU with Altivec. This model might be the most powerful one, but probably not cheap. Also believed to be running AmigaOS 4.2. That's all we know.

That's all we know will happen in the forthcoming future. So you see the Amiga is now going through a lot of important changes for the future, as it is catching up!

That means that the x86 CPU is not the only choice out there. Now Apple are again moving away from x86, probably in favour of ARM. ARM is a new CPU player on the market, becoming more and more popular. Even the next XBox console is to have both PPC and ARM, having the best from both worlds! PPC and ARM seem to have a great potensial future in term of advanced multicore technology, and THAT's the way we are moving, and where the Amiga is also moving, following the technology!

If you thought the Amiga or PPC is dead, you will have to think again. The edvidences are clear! Amiga is greatly moving on, and a company like Freescale is proving that PPC still has great potensial for the future, with advanced multicore technology, speed and power, as well as being cost-effective! PPC is therefore an excellent alternative to the x86, as well as ARM. In a long yet-unknown future, Amiga might as well also be using ARM. Perhaps supporting both PPC and ARM? Only time will tell, and this completes this blog for now.

This is many reasons why i have removed the ability to comment on this Amiga blog. Because this is an Amiga-ONLY blog. If you got something to say, then send an email or find me at Facebook and send a private P.M or debate in an Amiga group where i am available, like the one i lead in Facebook called AmigaOS.

Written by:
Helge Kvalheim, Norway