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| Warp3D for RadeonHD unlikely? |
But now i'm here again, and it's time to write a new blog again.
What really has bothered me, and surely many others, is the Warp3D for RadeonHD we have been promised since December 31th of 2012. Yes, that is almost a year and the driver is still not available, AFAIK. What's going on?
We are not going to use names or even nicknames, because we are following the rules of privacy. What i can say is that, as i have understood, A-EON Technology hired the author of Warp3D as an independent contractor to work on certain projects where one of these were Warp3D for RadeonHD.
Work on Warp3D for RadeonHD has said to be a lot more complicated than anticipiated, mostly due to the complex nature of the RadeonHD cards vs the old R200 chipset. The RadeonHD cards are understandable far more advanced in technology than the old R200 chipset.
At the same time, the author was working on AmigaOS 4.2 core elements, where one of them were the new Gallium3D/OpenGL Mesa implementation, which has also proven complicated, but a complication that has paid off, which speeded up the development of AmigaOS 4.2. These are really fortunate news for us!
All is not just good news, though. As most of us came to know, the author appeared in hospital again a short while ago. He is now at home recovering nicely, spending time with his family and people he loves otherwise.
His condition was so serious that he could have died. It's not the first time he was in hospital, but i can count about 3 times in one year. These are one of the reasons for many delays of the Warp3D. The reason is logical, as health is very important, but it also leaves a question of what will happen forward.
I'm personally very happy and relieved that the author survived the critical condition at hospital and is recovering nicely. Risking your own life and health for the sake of certain projects at the same time, can only be valued as a crazy suicide. It's not a situation anybody want. That's why the author should accept other, more capable developers to take over his projects in his name and place.
That's not a bad thing at all. It could be a great honour to have other, more capable developers to work on the projects in the name of the original author. Further on, such would be a great gift for the Amiga community!
All of you might know that i sometimes have had "waved" (not always heated) conversations with the author of Warp3D. While i can truly understand his problems, as both he and I have experienced much the same in life, I can't really understand why the author believes that everybody in the Amiga community are bad-ass, only caring about what we want to have, and not people behind different projects. Many might be bad-ass, but not everybody. Not me, for once.
I was told from one of many conversations that i were too obsessed with having Warp3D for RadeonHD, or 3D at all, with fullscreen video hardware acceleration.
Is it wrong to have a passion for a burning interest like the Amiga? Isn't that why Amiga has survived for nearly 29 years? Because of love and passion from the community that are us? It's easy to forget, but the fact is clearly there.
If the author doesn't have the belief and passion for Amiga, then why bother?
I'm certainly not more obsessed than any other die-hard Amiga fans and users, who want great things for the Amiga to happen. I love the Amiga because it has always been unique, simple, fast and stable to use, and still is today. The belief in the Amiga remains very strong, even after nearly 29 years! You never see such loyality, love, passion, belief and support for other platforms but the Amiga!
The future is very uncertain. I have been in many difficult, some rather very unpleasant situations in term of Amiga. All of you know that I got permanently banned from using the forums of AmigaWorld and Amigans.net, which are mostly dominated by trolls and bad attitude anyway. All that because of my somehow overwhelming passion for the Amiga. When I was trying to express certain problems in term of the Amiga, where all are true, along with my overwhelming passion, i became permanently banned from AW and Amigans.net. Not necessarily because i was rude now and then, but probably because my overwhelming enthusiasm and passion became "too much" for them to handle. So as a consequence, i was permanently banned. I became the biggest, uggliest troll of them all, thrown to the wolves just like that, with no right to defend myself, and with no right to defend the truth, whatever it was.
Because of all the problems i have faced when being enthusiastic and passionate for the Amiga, in form of bans and critics, and because i get older, i have in fact deeply considered leaving the Amiga, probably for GOOD this time.
Two things that are holding me from doing so, are a new dual-core SAM system ACube seems to be working at. Of course, the A-EON's Cyrus+ is more interesting, but would probably be MORE expensive than what a SAM system usually costs. I have to be economical-friendly with my choices.
The other reason is of course AmigaOS 4.2. Seeing the consequences of the many delays of Warp3D for RadeonHD, it seems unlikely it will happen. I rather thing we might get AmigaOS 4.2 earlier than what we all expect.
There has also been much confusion for what reasons are the delays of Warp3D. One is clearly the health problems the author had, which brought him to hospital about 3 times a year, which could almost have killed him! Thanks God that he is alive and well today!
It's very strange that in the beginning of the announcement for the Warp3D RadeonHD project, it seemed that the author was hired by A-EON to do the project. Now it's told that the author was an independent contractor, and not hired by either A-EON or Hyperion Entertainment. I therefore realize that the work on such projects is a sparetime-project, where you as a developer come and go as you please. It's also a way to save money when the budget is low.
Yes, there have been certain misunderstandings, as they have turnt out. Hopefully, the companies will work on a suitable solution that suits everybody.
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| Me and my Amiga |
What will be my choice now, you wonder? Will i stay or leave the Amiga? I would probably regreed it greatly if i left the Amiga now that anything interesting will happen. So no, i will not leave, but something is changed for me.
I will probably have a more passive role, not being so visible anymore in term of leaving comments related to Amiga or writing about it. I feel something died with me after i got all my previous problems smashed in my face over and over again. You therefore face a line where you feel that you have had enough, and that you are tired. We get older, not younger. It's another reality we have to accept in life.
While i am standing true to most of my love, passion and belief for the Amiga, i can't help feel that there might be a point in what others have complained about my enthusiasm for Amiga. Perhaps it HAS been too overwhelming, and to some point, unrealistic. Maybe i have been expecting too much? I don't know...
Ending this blog, i will wait carefully and passively what the future will bring for the Amiga. My mouth will be more silent, and my Amiga writing less aggressive.
This will of course not be my last blog, but only until new great things happen.
Instead you will see more personal blogs from me where i write about events happening in my life, and other important things i care about. That way, people who have doubted me in person, will realize that i care for many other things than just the Amiga, and that way, people will learn to know me better.
That will be all for now. Thank you for reading, as always. Have faith, and remember, we care because we love the Amiga. That's why Amiga is so unique. Amiga has managed to survive for nearly 29 years, because of us as community. Because of our love, passion and belief for the Amiga. Do never forget that!
Written by
Helge Kvalheim, Norway
