News Common Mac Amiga CUCUG
The September 16 meeting will be one of CUCUG's occassional Social/Swap meetings. The laid back atmosphere, the sharing of good conversation and the exchange of the odd computer item or two should make for a very enjoyable evening.
We'd also like to welcome back returning members Robert K. Blair, Jeffrey N. Wright, Allen B. Reeves, and Larry McGahey.
We welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. Have a comment? Email any officer you like. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome to one of the best.
First, almost immediately after the release of our last newsletter, on August 16, a company called Iwin came out of nowhere (actually, Austria) offering the hope of Amiga compatible machines with updated technology for near ridiculously low prices AND using no Amiga intellectual property. After the July Linux decision, a platform to run the "classic" AmigaOS at modern speeds had become a desireable commodity. Most of the last month, many people in the Amiga community have been trying to nail down whether this is a hoax or not. With the preponderance of the evidence pointing to the former, it only remains to hope that the perpetrator be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. This kind of stunt is like walking into a cancer ward and screaming I have a miracle cure.
Then on August 27th, Amiga Inc. goes into what has been dubbed "stealth mode" stripping their web site of any information concerning future plans (including the infamous Technical Brief) and promising no more information until they have product to release. The newly inaugurated Amiga Advisory Council was not consulted, warned, or even contacted (still!) about that decision, or what was to come.
Once the curtain of silence was drawn, the slaughter began. First, Bill McEwen, who had developed a reputation of being a pro Amiga / pro Community spokesman within Amiga Inc., was let go. This was on August 30, effective the very next day. The mechanism used was non-renewal of his contract, but this came mere days after Bill had been speaking of his position taking on added responsibilities. To say it came as a surprise would be an understatement.
Also on August 30, there appeared the first patent submitted by Amiga Inc. Oddly it dealt with a multiprocessor scheme using Intel x86 chips - those CPUs that were not supposed to be in the new MCC, remember?
Then two days later, September 1, Jim Collas, President of Amiga Inc. resigns. This resignation had all the subtlety of a man being passed a pistol. No other explanation was given. Jim has left "to pursue other options." Don't lie to me, Pinocchio. Tom Schmidt, Amiga Inc.'s Chief Operating Officer, was named to succeed Mr. Collas.
September 2, a flood of 17 more patents from Amiga Inc. came concerning multimedia/digital convergence issues, with the Destination TV's fingerprints all over them. This was also the day news broke about Microsoft's new settop box game console. Would Gateway knuckle under to Microsoft? Would they not?
On September 6, the "No Comment" notice on the Executive Update page was replaced by a fatuous boiler plate message from the new Amiga Inc. president.
Then on September 10 an article appeared on the Business Week Online site saying that Gateway was going to scrapped the entire Amiga MCC project. It was also the day Amiga Inc. removed all of the names and profiles of their US staff from the Amiga Staff & Addresses web page and removed the Amiga Bulletin Boards from the Amiga web site.
According to Petro, we are to get a statement from Gateway on Tuesday, September 14, that will clarify the situation, but if it was in Braille I don't think it would be any clearer to this blind man. "You've got a friend in the business." - Bull....
Et tu, Brute
Kevin Hopkins, Editor
Fri, 10 Sep 1999 - They may be computing's closest-knit cult -- the several hundred thousand people who continue to use Amiga computers, even though the last one rolled off the assembly line in 1994. Commodore introduced the Amiga machine in 1985 but went ultimately went bankrupt. Then Escom, a German company, took over. But it, too, fell on hard times and shipped its last units in 1994. The machines excel in processing graphics and audio/video content, but they're increasingly hard to maintain and equip with software.
Still, the Amiga faithful have hung in there because Amiga's new owner, Gateway Inc., promised to resurrect the machine as a sleek Web cruiser by this Christmas. "The new Amiga is going to take the breath away from all computer users on the face of this earth," gushs Danish fan Michael Ljungstedt Andreasen. Such is the enthusiasm for Amigas.
Alas, it's not to be. Gateway has dropped plans to build the new machine. Instead, it will focus on creating a user-friendly interface that will link Internet appliances over home networks. "Amiga will be the Internet-appliance infrastructure company. We don't intend to build anything," says a source close to the company. Gateway declines to comment.
TVs and Toasters
For Gateway, which paid some $13 million for the rights to Amiga patents in 1997, the shift emboldens its strategy to diversify beyond low-margin PCs and derive 30% of its revenue, and nearly half its profits, from Internet services within three years. By early next year, Amiga hopes to have test versions of the new interface that will link wireless tablets with TVs, and toasters with phones. Built upon Sun Microsystem's Java and Jini technologies, and with the Linux operating system at its core, the interface will allow users to control devices or download content off the Web with simple touch or spoken commands.
The new strategy appears to have jelled in recent weeks. Until last month, Amiga had talked not only of its new "operating environment" but also of building a new Amiga multimedia computer. It even released sketches of sleek prototypes that looked like a cross between a set-top box and a game machine.
But on Sept. 1, Amiga President James Collas, who had maintained close ties to the Amiga faithful, was abruptly replaced by former Chief Operating Officer Thomas J. Schmidt. Now, Amiga has dropped plans to engage in manufacturing and appears to have broadened its ambitions by moving into the home-networking territory targeted by behemoths such as Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Sony. "There won't be a whole lot that relates to the Amiga name," says one insider.
Command Lines
Amiga's new direction may have been prompted by the input of recently hired high-profile scientists from Apple Computer, Xerox Parc, and Silicon Graphics. They'll work in a new research facility in San Jose, Calif. Further details regarding Amiga's new strategy, its technology partners, and investors in the project will be announced later this month, insiders say.
The primary goal is to develop a powerful and widely disseminated interface that will make it easier for people to access content on the Web. Consider the process of downloading music. Today a user must execute a complicated process to find a Web site and download music to be used on a special player. In contrast, Amiga's new software could be downloaded or embedded onto networked TVs, telephones, or personal digital assistants, and will allow users to get what they want through simple touch-screen or voice commands. "You'll be able to say, 'Show me the news or the weather' and you won't have to wait through the hassles of booting up a PC," one source says. Later, Amiga envisions a business selling software applications over the Internet that will add functionality to Net appliances.
"The idea is to enable an extra layer of processing on top of Sun's standard to connect devices, then license it to manufacturers. It's not a bad idea, but the competition will be a little tough," says David B. Haynie, a former senior designer at Amiga and cofounder of Met@box, a German maker of set-top boxes.
Living On Garbage
For the Amiga faithful, Amiga's new direction will be a disappointment. "We've been living on scraps out of the garbage since Commodore went bust," says Harv Laser, founder of the AmigaZone.com online service. "This hurts."
But not all is lost. Iwin Corp., a small German company outside Munich, plans to announce on Sept. 25 that it will assemble Amiga clones, sans monitors, for $239 to $499. Still, Iwin will need to license Amiga's operating system and find suppliers for custom graphics chips that rely on Amiga patents. "I'm pretty sure Amiga will license their new operating system," says Iwin President Martin Steinbach. If so, Amiga users can keep up their faith, but the flock is likely to dwindle even further.
By Steven V. Brull in Los Angeles
Edited by Douglas Harbrecht
[Source: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/sep1999/nf90910c.htm ]
3:00 a.m. 25.Aug.99.PDT A combination of fierce loyalty and anti-Microsoft sentiment that would make Linux and Mac users blush has Amiga users clinging to their aging computers. The prospect of new hardware is almost too much for the dedicated outcasts to handle.
They stick with the platform because it's stable, fast, and has an elegant OS that could multitask in only 512KB of memory fifteen years ago, back when Microsoft still thought DOS was the way to go.
No new hardware has been made for the Amiga since Commodore went under in 1993, with the exception of some third-party peripherals.
"And [now] there's tremendous hatred for Microsoft," said Harv Laser, founder of the AmigaZone, the oldest Amiga fan site online, with roots dating back to the mid-1980s. "A lot of people, myself included, don't want to give Bill Gates one penny."
So when a mysterious German computer company materialized last week announcing new computers based on the long-abandoned Amiga technology, there was much jubilation, along with some skepticism, on Amiga enthusiast sites.
"This sounds too good to be true," said Laser, who continues to work on a 50 MHz system that he purchased in 1989.
"If it's real, they're gonna sell a lot of machines. We have people who've been living with old Amigas for years."
After a few attempts to resuscitate the platform failed, PC maker Gateway stepped in and purchased the Amiga patent library in 1997. Gateway was shocked to receive a loud greeting of "We're saved!" from the few, the proud, the remaining Amiga faithful.
Because of the enthusiastic reception, Gateway decided to set up a subsidiary, Amiga Inc., to keep the technology alive. The plan was to go forward with new technology, not build new PCs based on the old designs.
The next generation Amiga is rumored to be a set-top console using the Linux kernel powered by super-secret chips being developed by Transmeta. The current release date for next-generation Amiga is the first quarter of 2000.
The announcement from IWin on 16 August of a pair of new "Amiga" computers, the A510 and A1010, shocked everyone, including Amiga Inc.
Jim Collas, president of Amiga Inc., posted a newsgroup message that day claiming it was the first he had heard of the company or its products.
"If they have attempted to contact Amiga, Inc. in the past, I am not aware of these attempts," said a Collas posting.
But IWin's, promises appear to be shadier than a 50-foot oak tree.
The company has no US retail presence, and there is no phone listing for its American office in Lewes, Delaware. The company did not respond to repeated requests for an interview made to their home office.
The Amiga computer used several proprietary chips that required special fabrication units to design, and even if IWin could copy the chips, Amiga, Inc. claims it would be a copyright violation.
Another reason for the suspicion is that the computers don't come with a copy of the Amiga operating system. Customers are told to get a copy of the OS from their local dealer, if they can find it. The prices are also remarkable -- the Amiga 1010 comes with a 68060 or PowerPC 604 CPU, 40MB of RAM, 8GB SCSI hard drive, DVD-ROM, ZIP drive, and 15-inch monitor for $799. The 510 comes with 32MB of RAM and without a DVD or ZIP drive, and it sells for $499.
Laser won't get too excited until the new box shows up on his doorstep.
"I'll believe it when I see it."
[Source: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/story/21418.html ]
"For the next several months, the Amiga staff will be focused on implementing our business and product plans. We will not be discussing or commenting on future company directions during this time."
"I was notified on August 30th, that August 31st was my last day," Bill said in a tersely worded email answering our request for a confirmation of the rumors which had spread on the Internet over the last 24 hours.
Only weeks before he was relieved of his duties, McEwen had strongly implied that his responsibilities might be changing and that he would be even more involved with Amiga community issues.
Today (one day after McEwen's last day) it was announced that Jim Collas, president of Gateway's Amiga division had resigned. It has not yet been answered whether the new president, Tom Schmidt made the decision not to retain McEwen. McEwen was a contracted employee of Amiga.
Many in the Amiga community have expressed grave reservations about Amiga's approach to the current user community. The company has shut off all communication about its projects and the two people who regularly shared information with Amiga enthusiasts world wide are no longer working for the company.
Late last year, Amiga fired another employee well-known for his involvement in the user community, Fleecy Moss. Moss continues to be active in the newsgroups and various distributed mailing lists.
[Source: Amiga News Index ( http://www.cucug.org/aminew.html ) of the Amiga Web Directory ( http://www.cucug.org/amiga.html ). ]
2. System for Combining Electronic Program Guide Data
3. Multichannel Conflict Resolver for Convergence System
4. Associating Web Sites to Television Programs
5. Scheduled Caching of In-band Data Services
6. Internet Source into TV Program Database
7. System for Invoking Channel and Event Functionality
8. System for Managing Favorite Channels
9. Multipurpose Channel Banner
10. Graphic Layout Controller for Television Environment
11. Individualized Parameter Control for Multiple Media Sources
12. Channel Tuner for Television (Convergence Devices)
13. Event Time Shifting for Convergence System
14. Channel Map Manager for Multiple Input Devices
15. Reminder System for Scheduled Recordings
16. Architecture for Convergence Systems
17. Displaying Layered Information Using Lenticular-Like Interfaces
18. Mutatably Transparent Displays
Ted Wugofski is the man behind the new Amiga Patents (2-18). This page talks about various HTML/TV info, all of which sound similar to the patents Amiga just filed. It also goes on to say that Ted is the chief engineer at 'Over the Moon Productions', a wholly owned subsidiary of Gateway. Wugofski is an active contributor to the ATSC T3/S17 specialist group defining digital television software environments; his latest contribution being a specification for Broadcast HTML.
Fabian Jimenez
ICOA website - http://icoa.amiga.org/
I've reviewed the patent documentation in it's entirity, and we're transcribing it to text form now. The entire document discusses a new implementation of an old idea. Multiple processors in a server have been in use for some time now. This patent submission is convoluted, but one thing stands out quite clearly.
Foul Language
The only CPU I see mentioned throughout the documentation with regards to this specific patent is the Pentium*Pro. They make occasional reference to "the x86 architecture". Let's call a a spade a spade. A Pentium*Pro is an x86. Until we have a chance to review printouts of this document, it's difficult to decipher all of the techno-babble. The printers are running as I type. There are 16 pages in all, and it's far too technical for my own interpretation. I will, however, cover the design in brief.
Something Stinks
We were told that the CPU/Architecture to be chosen "will not be x86", but according to this patent the fact is they're exploring it. Furthermore, the mere existence of this patent does suggest that they are contemplating an x86 architecture. Why do I say that?
The patent discusses the current multi-processor arrangements used with the x86 line of CPU's. The current Pentium*Pros have only two ID bits. That allows for a maximum of four ID's. This implies that extending a computer to more than four processors is either impossible, or at best, difficult. The rest of the patent describes how they've coupled two clusters of CPU's to allow 8 or more CPU's. The first cluster views the second cluster as a separate CPU, but only as a phantom CPU. Because of the ID issue mentioned above, the two clusters cannot be completely aware of each other. The addressing and interrupt scheme is the primary subject of this patent.
How they accomplish this is beyond my understanding at this point in time. I just know that I don't like the sound of it. Why are they even going here? My guess, cost...
Note the following quote from the patent:
"A software standard for clustered systems is in development. Currently referred to as Microsoft Windows Wolfpack, it would provide a means of harnessing the total processor power of clustered Window NT servers."
Microsoft is obviously already considering systems that will have more than 4 CPU's instead of looking to new architectures. They are so reliant on the existing architecture that such hackish designs are necessary. The fact that the Amiga is not mentioned at all in the entire document is comforting. Perhaps Amiga purchased the concept and design to make some cash flow? What is Amiga, Inc. really up to? This is an odd turn of events.
I have been assigned the daunting task of researching this and putting it into english. Look back over the next 24 hours for better coverage of the specifics.
The patent issues, the iWin issues, and any other issues seem a little insignificant now. All of the speculation about what Jim Collas will do next is moot. Today, apparently amid pressure from partners, and a power struggle, Jim Collas resigned.
Amiga, Inc. isn't saying much about what happened. We're back to a different level of speculation. Everything from the simple to the wild has been suggested as reasons for his departure. We have to believe it boils down to the simple. As so often happens in the corporate world -- too many chefs, not enough cooks.
Only nine months into his stint with Amiga, Jim Collas decides to go his own way. The way the announcement was made they want you to think he's moved on to his own pursuits. I have to believe that a strong man like Collas doesn't just up and leave after speaking so confidently about his plans for Amiga. It seems to me a more viable reason would be significant ego-bumping, and positioning was going on. His own openess with the Amiga community and the press may have led to the abrasion.
Perhaps we'll have some answers soon. Or maybe, we'll just never know? Do you know what Irving Gould and Medhi Ali are doing these days?
It was learned today that there was a lot of jockying for position at Amiga, Inc. The development staff appears to get along just fine, but the executives on the business side were constantly grinding at each other. Our request for an interview was denied, leaving us with only the token response, "we do not wish to comment further on the resignation of James Collas."
However, one of our associates was able to elicit a response from someone at Gateway. Apparently Jim Collas did resign, but not without some influence. It seems Jim's authority was undermined on countless occasions, including going over his head for several small disagreements. According to our source, Collas grew tired of it, and sensed that the parent company was getting more and more involved because he was losing ground with his own staff. Instead of jeopardizing the progress that had been made, he resigned.
This would suggest that Jim is somewhat of a martyr. We're not going to quote the response we received in full until we can confirm the details. The only problem now is getting them to speak a bit more openly. We will submit the response, in full, to Mirada Innovations once we have more information.
September 2, 1999 - In a world exclusive report in its October issue (due on stands next week), Next Generation magazine has revealed that Microsoft is working on a set-top games playing console, code named X-Box.
While a Microsoft spokesperson quoted in the article called the story "wishful thinking," several independent sources have confirmed that X-Box has been in development for several months. Contacted today, a Microsoft spokesperson repeatedly stated, "This is a rumor. It is Microsoft's policy not to comment on rumors."
According to the story, X-Box will feature a 500 MHz processor by Intel (note: according to a follow up story in the forthcoming November issue of Next Generation Magazine, an AMD Athlon powered version is also planned), nVidia's NV-10 graphics technology (recently renamed GeForce), and a modified version of the WinCE operating system. According to the story, this will make X-Box capable of PlayStation 2-level performance.
Design for the system will come from Microsoft, but it will probably be built and sold by multiple manufacturers (Dell and Gateway are mentioned in the story), and it seems that multiple CPU/graphics technologies are possible in different X-Box variants.
According to sources quoted in the article, Microsoft has kept quiet about X-Box so as not to affect the launch of partner Sega's Dreamcast, which can also use Windows CE technology, but it will be released in Fall 2000 for under $300. The article speculates that based on Microsoft's history and business strategies, the machine will probably be an open platform, like the PC, allowing anyone to develop for it without having to become a Microsoft licensee. It is also possible that X-Box games will run on PCs without further modification.
For the full story, check out the October issue of Next Generation magazine. To find out what else is in the October issue, click here.
[Source: http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/news/7540.html]
I wanted to make sure everyone knew that Jim Collas has chosen to leave Amiga to pursue other interests and opportunities. I would like to personally thank Jim for the leadership and vision he brought to Amiga and the entire Amiga community over the past eight months. We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.
I have been with Amiga since April of this year as the Chief Operating Officer and I continue to be extremely excited about the plans and strategies we have been working very hard on the past several months. Those plans will continue with a great business and technology leadership team focused on the emerging Internet Appliance market space. As we finalize our plans in this area, we will communicate those to the community.
I would also like to thank Bill McEwen for his many contributions to the Amiga community and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Bill has been a steady and calming voice to the community.
Regards,
Thomas J. Schmidt
President
Randomize (http://www.randomize.com) provides pre-order discount offer for new Phase5 G4 Accelerators. 5% discount for those pre-ordering and a 10% discount for those pre-paying (pre-paid orders will have highest shipping priority). Based on the recent announcment from Phase5 to go directly to the new G4 CPU, Randomize changed Genesis Odyssey specs. Genesis Odyssey G4 should be fastest Amigas ever made using the G4 at 350Mhz and 400Mhz.
The BoXeR range of computers offers the next step in Amiga systems.
Not only is the BoXeR 100% Amiga compatible (utilising all your old software), but it is equipped to deliver the performance you require for the future.
We have addressed the problems of high cost peripherals by integrating active PCI slots to enable the support of standard PCI cards such as state of the art Graphics, Ethernet, Sound Cards, Modems and more.
The optional Zorro III adaptor board is available if you wish to use your existing Amiga cards.
The all-new leading-edge design uses a single chip chip-set with AGA feature and register compatibility, but has completely new logic to achieve the highest performance and most flexible design.
Our Processor connector supports low cost PowerPC upgrades. This expansion allows the on-board 680x0 to remain in place or be removed when using appropriate emulation software for a PPC only systems. Both G3 and G4 accelerators are planned.
The BoXeR FlashROM allows software and hardware upgrades for future system enhancements.
Specification:
* 100% Amiga compatible.
* Motorola 68040 or 68060 at 25-75MHz supported in a
single processor socket.
* Integrated chip chip-set, AGA compatible but with
performance enhancements.
* Most peripherals support high speed DMA transfers,
increasing throughput while reducing processor
overhead.
* No CHIP RAM limits.
* 2 x 64-bit DIMM sockets (low cost) for combined use
as FAST/CHIP.
* Dual IDE Hard disk interface, supports fast IDE
modes, including UDMA.
* Flash ROM 2Mb, 32 bit wide. Provides kickstart ROM's
and resident modules.
* High Density floppy disk drive interface, operating
as DF0:
* CD-ROM audio input connector and mixer.
* Real Time Clock.
* 4 x Active PCI slots
* Amiga Video slot
* Expansion connector to support 2 x Zorro 3 slots
* Connector for full 64-bit PowerPC expansion card Connectors
* Printer port (buffered with DMA transfers). * RGB video. * PS/2 Keyboard. * PS/2 Mouse * Serial port (buffered with DMA transfers) * Amiga Joystick port * Amiga Mouse port * Stereo audio * IDE - 40 pin (Dual) header * Floppy drive DF0:/DF1: header
Features
* Choice of colour Tower (call for plain system) * 64Mb RAM * 6.4Gb UDMA Hard drive * Keyboard and Mouse (PS/2) * 68040/40 MHz CPU (Upgradable to PPC) * KickStart 3.1 * OS 3.5 * Multimedia Speakers
Bare BonesSoftware has released BBEdit Lite 4.6, the latest version of its long-standing free text editor (discussed in TidBITS many times over the years). Version 4.6 adds numerous interface and performance enhancements, plus extensions to its pattern-based grep search and replace feature and customizable key equivalents for any menu command. As always, BBEdit Lite 4.6 is a svelte application with small disk and memory requirements, and its features can be extended through plug-ins, some of which are included. BBEdit Lite remains a great way to start with advanced text processing, such as managing a Web site or searching collections of text documents. If you find that BBEdit Lite is not enough, registered users can upgrade to the commercial version of BBEdit at a discount. BBEdit Lite 4.6 is a 1.7 MB download, and requires System 7.0 or higher (System 7.5 or higher recommended). [GD]
http://web.barebones.com/free/bbedit_lite.html
http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive/Archive/text/bbe/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbtxt=BBEdit%20Lite
Mac users looking for a Swiss Army Knife of graphics programs can download GraphicConverter 3.7, an update to Lemke Software's tool for viewing nearly 120 graphic file formats. (One use for GraphicConverter recently mentioned in TidBITS is reading faxes sent over the Internet; see "Facts about Internet Faxing" in TidBITS-484_.) The new version adds numerous features and bug fixes, including the capability to drag & drop images onto the application's icon, a command for slicing images into rectangular sections, plus numerous file format tweaks and export improvements. GraphicConverter 3.7 is available in English and German versions as either a 3.1 MB download for the full program, or a 900K updater from version 3.6.2. Registering the program is $30 for European residents; otherwise, GraphicConverter is $35. Owners of previous versions of can upgrade for free. [JLC]
http://www.lemkesoft.com/
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05428
Trexar Technologies has released MacTuner 2.1, adding performance and interface improvements to its utility for connecting to radio and television stations over the Internet. If you're wondering what music is playing in London, or want to hear Moscow news in Russian, MacTuner makes it easy to connect to online radio and television broadcasts from around the world. MacTuner 2.1 features improved continent maps, which can be zoomed to a larger size to better locate countries and enhanced support for proxy servers using Internet Config or Internet control panel settings. A demo of MacTuner is available as a 2.2 MB download; you can purchase a license (which removes the demo's 20-day limitation) for $23. [JLC]
Adobe is shipping InDesign, its next-generation design software that replaces the aging PageMaker as the company's flagship page layout program. Developed from the ground up as a modern competitor to QuarkXPress, InDesign's modular architecture allows third-party developers to add functionality to the core application. For design and prepress users, InDesign includes several advanced layout and typographical features, such as optical kerning, a multi-line text composer, optical margin alignment, unlimited undo, and zooming from 5 to 4,000 percent. (For a great overview on many of these features, check out Olav Martin Kvern's article "We've Come a Long Way" in Adobe Magazine, available as a 407K PDF file.) InDesign also includes built-in support for PDF files and can open PageMaker and QuarkXPress documents directly. InDesign's street price should be $700 (Adobe's list price is $739); owners of Photoshop, Illustrator, PageMaker, or QuarkXPress can take advantage of a special upgrade price of $300 until 31-Dec-99. InDesign requires a Mac with a PowerPC 604 or better processor, Mac OS 8.5 or later, 48 MB RAM (128 MB recommended), and 120 MB of hard disk space. [JLC]
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/indesign/
http://www.adobe.com/publications/adobemag/archive/PDFS/99spdsok.pdf
http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/indesign/price.html
Casady & Greene has released SoundJam 1.1, a free update to their $40 MP3 player and encoder. The primary improvement to SoundJam 1.1 is support for the new Power Mac G4's Velocity Engine (previously known as AltiVec). Support for the Velocity Engine increases file conversion speed by two to four times on 450 MHz and 500 MHz Power Mac G4s. You can now enter your own genre information, specify the ID3 tag version SoundJam uses to store meta-information within MP3 files, and see ID3 information in the file information windows. Low-level improvements include better MP3 conversion sound quality, enhanced AppleScript support, better overall stability, better support for playing songs from an AppleShare server, and various minor bug fixes. SoundJam 1.1 is a 1.5 MB download. [ACE]
The future of the PowerPC chips has recently lain in quiet, murky waters between IBM and Motorola, the chips' manufacturers. A little over a year ago, the companies disagreed over the forthcoming PowerPC G4 processors - specifically, whether to include the AltiVec vector processing unit - and parted ways, with Motorola keeping AltiVec and taking over the primary PowerPC design facility, and IBM focussing on developing PowerPC chips for use in embedded systems and its server products. Two developments in recent weeks have made the PowerPC's waters more turbulent, but no clearer: IBM plans to release free motherboard designs for PowerPC-based computers, and Motorola announced plans to buy Metrowerks, the leading maker of development tools for the Mac OS and PowerPC processors.
On Board with IBM
At this month's LinuxWorld conference in San Jose, IBM engineers announced that manufacturers could freely build computers using an IBM motherboard design based on the PowerPC 750 processor (known in the Macintosh world as the PowerPC G3). The design derives from the now-defunct Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP) specification, requires no novel parts, and has no proprietary or legal barriers to immediate production. IBM apparently does not intend to build products based on the design, but other manufacturers could use it as-is, or add additional options. The idea is that other computer manufacturers could produce PowerPC-based systems running Linux, which would offer significant performance gains over other Linux systems (especially in floating point operations, often used in rendering and graphics processing). A strong market for PowerPC-based Linux systems would, in turn, allow IBM to sell more PowerPC chips.
It's too early to say what impact PowerPC systems running Linux might have on the Macintosh world, or whether Apple would allow the Mac OS or the Unix-based Mac OS X to run on third-party hardware. (It seems unlikely, given Apple's negative stance toward Macintosh clones since Steve Jobs's return.) In any case, the availability of inexpensive, high-performance PowerPC Linux systems should boost the profile of the PowerPC, which could indirectly be good for Apple. It's unlikely Apple would lose many Macintosh customers to PowerPC Linux boxes: comparatively few people buy new Macs explicitly to run Linux. More interesting is the possibility that Darwin, Apple's open source initiative surrounding the foundation layers of Mac OS X, could be modified by the open source community to run on these PowerPC-based machines.
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=04119
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05318
Motorola Buying Metrowerks
Motorola recently announced that its Semiconductor Products Sector plans to buy Metrowerks for approximately $95 million in cash, pending shareholder and regulatory approval. Metrowerks develops the CodeWarrior product line of programming tools; CodeWarrior is the leading development environment for the Mac OS, but versions are also available for various flavors of Linux, Microsoft Windows, Solaris, Java, Palm devices, game consoles, and more. According to Motorola, Metrowerks products and technology will help form the software backbone of Motorola's DigitalDNA initiative for embedded systems, ranging from cell phones and digital television to communications and automotive systems.
http://www.mot-sps.com/
http://www.metrowerks.com/news/index.taf?function=PR&rowid=225
http://digitaldna.com/
However, Metrowerks will be operated as a stand-alone subsidiary with its current management, so CodeWarrior products for desktop operating systems (including the Mac OS) will probably continue to be developed and enhanced. Motorola's move may have complex implications for Apple, since Motorola will both supply PowerPC CPU chips used in Macintosh products and own the most widely used software development environment for the Macintosh.
[Source: TidBITS #495 / 30-Aug-99. TidBITS address is http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/default.html .]
Apple's announcement of the Power Mac G4 at last week's Seybold San Francisco 99 took many by surprise - after all, the blue and white Power Mac G3 had been out for only nine months and rumors put more faith in the possibility of an enhanced iMac. But that ignores the massive influence of Apple's interim CEO Steve Jobs, who loves to pull rabbit after PowerPC-based rabbit out of his hat at keynote addresses. Instead of sticking with the expected, Jobs wowed the audience with the snazzy silver and graphite Power Mac G4 and the stunning 22-inch LCD Apple Cinema Display. His timing was brilliant, given that he was largely talking to the design industry (the traditional Seybold audience), who especially appreciate Apple's industrial design and who are known to buy the fastest Macs Apple releases immediately, since speed increases in applications like Photoshop translate directly to improved productivity.
http://www.apple.com/powermac/
The PowerPC G4
The first Power Macintosh G4 systems start at speeds of 400 MHz, with upcoming models set to run at 450 MHz and 500 MHz. Overall, the G4 systems claim some performance specs nearly three times faster than 600 MHz Pentium III CPUs. The new systems are driven by the PowerPC G4 processor, which Apple is billing as the first supercomputer on a chip because it can theoretically offer sustained performance of more than a billion floating point operations per second - a spec called a "gigaflop." The PowerPC G4's spectacular performance stems in part from its 128-bit "Velocity Engine" - formerly known as AltiVec. The G4's Velocity Engine can perform multiple operations during a single clock cycle in parallel with traditional processor operations and has special capabilities for handling streaming media and transforming data. As with previous innovations in the PowerPC line, programs do not need to be recompiled to run on PowerPC G4 processors; however, programs _will_ need to be recompiled to take specific advantage of the G4's Velocity Engine. So, a typical application might see a 15 to 20 percent performance improvement running on a G4 system compared to a comparatively clocked G3- based Macintosh, but some applications recompiled for the Velocity Engine could perform some functions 2 to 8 times faster. A number of developers have announced support for G4 systems, including Macromedia, Adobe, Terran Interactive, Casady & Greene, and Bungie Software.
http://www.apple.com/powermac/processor.html
http://www.mot.com/SPS/PowerPC/AltiVec/
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/1999/aug/31developer.html
PCI versus AGP
The specifications for the Power Mac G4 systems aren't anything to sneeze at either, offering a 100 MHz system bus, 1 MB of Level 2 backside cache, 64 to 256 MB of RAM, three 64-bit PCI slots, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, 10 to 27 GB hard disks, 32x CD-ROM or DVD drive options, an ATI RAGE 128 video card with 16 MB of VRAM, FireWire, and two USB ports. Like Apple's blue and white Power Mac G3s, the Power Mac G4 systems come in minitower cases with easy internal access and do not include a floppy disk drive; however, the G4 systems lack the blue and white's ADB port and come in a more muted translucent white and graphite color scheme, perhaps responding to many Macintosh users' concerns over the comparative gaudiness of the iMac color palette.
http://www.apple.com/powermac/specs.html
Unfortunately, once you digest those specifications, the confusion begins. Apple has developed two versions of the Power Macintosh G4, dubbed "PCI Graphics" and "AGP Graphics" - AGP stands for Advanced Graphics Port. The PCI Graphics G4 is essentially a souped-up version of the existing blue and white Power Macintosh G3 architecture, minus the ADB port but adding a 100 MHz system bus and the PowerPC G4 processor. The PCI Graphics G4s will ship in 400 and 450 MHz configurations; the 400 MHz versions are available immediately, with the 450 MHz versions to follow in October. Using the existing motherboard design enabled Apple to ship PowerPC G4-based systems at low prices - right now, 400 MHz PCI Graphics G4s currently start at $1,600, the same price as the 400 MHz G3 systems they replace.
The AGP Graphics G4's, codenamed Sawtooth, are built on a redesigned motherboard which offers a host of improvements over the "Yosemite" motherboard architecture introduced with the blue and white Power Macintosh G3s. Key enhancements include:
* 128-bit internal memory data paths * Support for Ultra ATA/66 hard drives (about 50 percent faster than PCI Ultra ATA/33 drives in earlier systems) * Separate 12 Mbps USB controllers for each USB port, rather than having both ports share a single 12 Mbps controller - making more USB bandwidth available to peripherals * A new Open Host Controller Interface (OpenHCI) chip controlling the FireWire subsystems, offering more efficient performance and larger data buffers * Enhanced PCI bus performance (up to 50 percent faster than earlier designs) * Optional support for AirPort wireless networking * Optional digital video input * DVD decoding in software (rather than in hardware) * The standard ATI RAGE 128 video card ships in an AGP 2x video slot, rather than in a modified PCI slot.
AGP is a graphics standard from the PC world: Intel developed it from PCI, and PCs with AGP slots began to appear in 1997. AGP caters to the high-throughput demands of 3D graphics, and enables 3D textures to be stored in the computer's main memory rather than in video memory. AGP Graphics G4s include an AGP 2x slot, which can theoretically deliver 533 megabytes per second (MBps) throughput to the screen. AGP 4x is faster still, pushing just over 1 gigabyte per second (GBps) to the screen. AGP is particularly interesting to developers bringing graphics-intensive applications to the Macintosh using OpenGL.
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05394
Still with us? Hold on tight: the differences between PCI Graphics G4s and AGP Graphics G4s don't stop there. AGP Graphics systems can optionally include a unique 56 Kbps modem with the DSP card on the system's motherboard, but with the Digital to Analog (D to A) converter connected to the rear case. If a system doesn't ship with a modem, it won't have the DSP card on the motherboard, but will still have a D to A converter on the rear case, mounted so the phone jack doesn't show.
In addition, AGP Graphics G4s sport a PowerBook-style sleep mode which turns off the PCI cards and the computer's fan - a welcome addition to a desktop Mac. When asleep, the AGP Graphics G4s consume just 6 watts of electricity - less than a typical night- light. Considering that computers typically consume 3 to 5 watts of power even when they're turned off (trickle-feeding their batteries, etc.), there's almost no need to shut down an AGP Graphics G4 except to add or remove internal hardware - especially since USB and FireWire external devices are hot-swappable. To support this feature, PCI boards must support Apple's Power Manager 2.0 (software built into the Mac OS). If a board doesn't support Power Manager 2.0, the system will still go to sleep but will have to leave the fan on to cool the PCI board, thus consuming more power.
Just one more thing: a special version of Power Mac G4 will be available from the online Apple Store that ships with a digital video connector specifically for use with the just-announced (and pricey) Apple Cinema Display (see below). If you were thinking about using the Apple Cinema Display with a different computer, think again, since you can't.
If you're excited about these new AGP Graphics G4 systems, don't work yourself into a lather yet: while the systems are set to ship with 450 and 500 MHz G4 processors, they aren't expected to be available from Apple until November at prices ranging from a bare-bones $2,400 all the way to $6,500 for a 450 MHz system with the new Apple Cinema Display.
Riddle Me This
One dark spot in the otherwise glowing details about the Power Mac G4 is the name - Apple is shipping two radically different computers and calling them the same thing. Adding to the trouble, the machines will have nearly identical appearances: if you want to tell the difference between a PCI Graphics G4 and an AGP Graphics G4, you may have to get down on your hands an knees and crawl under your desk. The only visible difference is on the back panel: PCI Graphics G4s orient sound and video input jacks horizontally; AGP Graphics G4s orient them vertically.
http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n58418
This naming insanity reportedly comes directly from Steve Jobs, and although it's a good marketing move, it is causing problems for tech support staffs and for consumers trying to purchase appropriate upgrades and peripherals. Our suggestion of a coherent version numbering scheme outside of the marketing name would address the naming confusion without diluting the marketing force of a single name, and we continue to encourage Apple to adopt this or a similar naming scheme (see "Macintosh Model Implosion: What's in a Name?" in TidBITS-485_).
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05436
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=697
Blue & White G4s?
If you're thinking about upgrading a recently purchased blue and white Power Macintosh G3 to a G4 processor, you might have to wait a while. Although vendors such as XLR8, Sonnet, and Newer Technology have already announced G4 upgrades for a variety of PCI-based systems and "beige" G3s, Apple's G3 Firmware Update 1.1 for blue and white Power Mac G3s (announced as improving PCI performance) also included a change which prevents the machines from starting up if a G4 processor is installed. Apple has never advertised any G3 system as being CPU upgradable, but Apple's unannounced decision to disable G4 processors in blue and white G3s has angered a number of customers. Apple may have made the firmware change for quality- control purposes or to avoid having its thunder being stolen by third-party upgrade vendors, but it's also important to remember that Apple's recent financial recovery has been fueled by new hardware sales, not by CPU upgrades to older machines. Enterprising CPU upgrade vendors may well work around Apple's firmware restriction, however.
http://www.newertech.com/
http://www.sonnettech.com
http://www.xlr8.com/
http://asu.info.apple.com/swupdates.nsf/artnum/n11361
Power Mac G4 Colors
In "A Case for Color" in TidBITS-492_, we wrote, "If Apple wants to gain the good graces of the business market, they'll have to figure out a Macintosh design compromise that fits in while standing out, much as wearing an expensive Italian suit might do for an individual." The Power Mac G4, with its polished silver and graphite colors applied to the curvy case introduced by the blue and white Power Mac G3, would seem to meet the needs of the business world while maintaining its individuality.
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05501
Whether or not the community actually uses the canonical color name of "graphite" remains to be seen. Although it's certainly easier to say "gray," graphite connotes drawing pencils, and thus a nod to traditional art and design. Of course, before the blue and white Power Mac G3, Apple officially referred to its desktop machines as "platinum," whereas everyone knew them as "beige."
Apple has updated the plastics on the Apple Studio Display monitors to match the Power Mac G4's graphite color scheme, and the Apple Cinema Display sports a clear enclosure that goes with the new Power Mac G4 look. Users upgrade monitors much less frequently than computers, so it would make sense for Apple to move towards a more neutral look that would match both the current blue and white Power Mac G3 and the new Power Mac G4.
AirPort Support
When we wrote about the iBook and Apple's AirPort wireless networking (which has yet to ship) back in "iBook: An iMac to Go" in TidBITS-490_, we commented "that within a year, we'll see AirPort antennas available across Apple's entire line." The announcement of the optional AirPort wireless networking support in the Power Mac AGP Graphics G4 models points to Apple's commitment to including AirPort across the line. In Apple's four-cell product matrix, the remaining cells whose machines lack AirPort support are the consumer desktop iMac and the professional portable PowerBook G3, so look for the next releases of those machines to include the necessary circuitry to add AirPort networking.
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05487
Apple Cinema Display Packs in the Pixels
Last, but certainly not least, Apple also announced the Apple Cinema Display, a ground-breaking 22-inch thin film transistor (TFT) active-matrix LCD display. The all-digital monitor, which Apple claims is the largest LCD display to reach market, has an active viewing area equivalent to a 24-inch CRT monitor, with a native resolution of 1,600 by 1,024 pixels at 16.7 million colors, enough to display two full pages of text or full-screen DVD movies without letterboxing. Not surprisingly, Apple expects supplies of the hard-to-manufacture display to be extremely limited when it ships in October or November (depending on which Apple Store page you believe), so at least initially it will be available only through the Apple Store and only with a 450 MHz Power Macintosh G4 (and its ATI RAGE 128 Pro graphics card) for $6,500. Considering its price tag of $4,000 if sold separately ($2,500 more than Apple's 21-inch CRT-based Apple Studio Display), the Apple Cinema Display is not yet a display for the rest of us, though it has a tremendously high lust factor.
The prices on the Power Mac G4, though, make it difficult for those of us who often wait until the end of a product's lifespan to buy so as to pick up the most performance at the lowest price. Although we haven't seen an official statement, it seems the entire Power Mac G3 line has been replaced by the Power Mac G4. However, Apple's dramatically improved inventory control means that there probably aren't many Power Mac G3s available after the current bunch in the channel sell out. And the low pricing on the Power Mac G4 means that it may be more worthwhile to buy into new technology rather than looking for a deal on yesterday's Macs.
[Source: TidBITS #496 / 06-Sep-99. TidBITS address is http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/default.html .]
Guys? Gals? Please calm down... After reading a few things, and re-reading the BusinessWeek article, I am fairly convinced that it's total bull-puckey. Why? Well, for one, they directly quote a LOT of people (such as Dave Haynie) from other sources and they've put them together in a story with their own ending.
True, I personally have no information that says the MCC/ATX are still on
the boards, but the fact is that they quoted Haynie directly from the last
Newtekniques magazine. They quoted the Iwin guy directly from a CSAM post
from three weeks ago (when Iwin is pretty much a confirmed hoax according to
a source that I trust inside Gateway
Once again, relax folks. Put your negativity away and wait for the
promised update from Amiga. After all, even if the article were true, the
ONLY thing it tells us that's any different or new is the supposed
"confirmation" that the ATX/MCC was scrapped. "Information Appliance" (1997
announcement) isn't new, "Not interested in competing on the desktop" (1998
Sacramento speech)isn't new, so why is everyone so absolutely in a rush to
get upset and start flinging insults and tears? (As usual). Even the idea
of scrapping the ATX motherboard doesn't really make sense. What else would
we program for the Transmeta on?
The fact is, Amiga is in stealth mode. Because of that, and because of
the fact that they have such a high visibility in the press right now, the
press will do anything, and I mean anything, to make a story. BusinessWeek
won't be the last. It's just up to the people who actually get to talk to
them (if they bother) to tell them the truth, and not a personal opinion
(which appears to be taken as gospel in the news media).
To qualify, in the near future, Amiga may put out an announcement. They
may not. I sincerely hope, to the good Lord above that the ATX isn't
cancelled, but it might be. I'm simply not going to take the word of a
completely "fertilized" article which can't even get it's own quotes or
research its' own facts.
Don't feel sorry. I'm not the only voice of reason, I'm just apparently
the only one that doesn't see any reason to revolt, start their own little
community, or yell at Amiga for the news media's blatant stupidity. It also
helps that I don't care that people consider me a "puppet", or more
entertainingly, "the antichrist" because I stand up to call a spade a spade.
;-)
Don't hold it against them. These supposed stories are getting really
hard not to believe, especially with Amiga being quiet. I even bought into
this one until I started putting the quotes together and found some serious
problems with it. Some people are just more apt to use these "events" as yet
another reason to stand up and beat the war drum for their own cause.
My question to those people is simple: If you're so damned preoccupied
with hating Amiga Inc, their plans, and everything to come, why are you
still here?
Bingo... Ding, ding, ding. Give that man a cigar...
Let me give you my personal view on the Amiga. Contrary to popular
opinion with certain members of our community, I'm not blindly following
Amiga Inc, or any other organization. I love the future plans, I sincerely
crave having one of these beasts on my desk, in my living room, or wherever
it may end up. I love the Amiga. It's "ethos", it's history, it's design,
and it's philosophy. As such, I thrive on standing and supporting the
current machines while chomping at the bit for the new ones.
If the new ones come and it's what I like, I'll buy several (devices) I'm
sure. If it never arrives, or it's not what I want? I'll be in absolutely
no different shape than I am now. Not better, nor worse, so who cares?
Gateway bought the patents in 1997 and gave us hope. It gave us a reason
to continue believing in the Amiga philosophy of design. How can that be
viewed as bad? If no one (or a lesser company) had ever bought the patents,
I sincerely think we would have gone the way of the Atari crowd long ago.
Likewise, if Amiga never comes out with a machine, or follows through on
another promise, we'll simply move on and hopefully find each other running
with other crowds (be they Linux, Be, or even OS/2). No drama necessary.
Microsoft need not apply.
Hey, wait a minute... we could take over the other groups by subversion.
;D
For all those interested, Bill is STILL with us!!
<soapbox on so delete at will!>
For me this is yet another strike against good management at AI. How many
strikes before they are out? Maybe we can not influence Gateway directly
with our "hoards of rabble", but the WORST possible advertising is always
BAD advertising. And AI seems adept at this all by themselves, yet I have
had this burning urge for about "18 months" now to help them out in their
quest for self destruction.
The politics, the last minute changes almost monthly, the open door
policy which gets slammed shut ... is looking more and more like someone at
Gateway is actually pulling the strings and that whomever that someone is
cares diddly about us Amigans.
It's time to circle the wagons and let them "do unto themselves" instead
of "doing unto us". I said this once when fleecy suddenly was midnight
massacred.
"How many good people will it take before we see the light?" Notice who
hangs on? Darreck Lisle ... makes one wonder. Question ... how far will this
go before we say "enough is enough"? Remember in big corporations, politics
is everything ... spirit, leadership, good will mean crap.
Just for instance, I am on the AAC and have not had one single email from
AI proper, nor can I even access the AAC message board ... something about
'security problems' again?
I have never said this and this won't get the person found, but I have a
friend fairly high up at Gateway (just a coincidence, I might add that this
friend works in a 'delicate' position) who has been adamant that "it isn't
what it all seems to be Gary, be careful". I have been hearing this (and
other choice bits) for a long time now.
Now the goat hunters at Gateway can go out and try to find this "friend",
but I doubt seriously they will be successful. There is absolutely no
apparent connection. Just luck of the draw at meeting someone a long time
ago. Maybe it's time for some public questions to be put forth and see if we
get answers or if AI hopes they just 'go away'?
"How long ... will we keep holdin' on" are some words from a famous song
that we need to take to heart. It's time ...
<now back to your regularly scheduled programming>
Welcome Bill! Good luck in whatever you decide to do!
--
Mario Saitti (saittim@cytanet.com.cy): I do hope it is because he received a
much better job offer. What is it with these silence bouts that make them
so malevolent?
"fleecy moss" (fleecy@netreach.net): Bill isn't that kind of guy (unless it
is a really, really big offer). Although not from an Amiga background, he
quickly grew to see the richness and potential of the community and the
vision.....apparently that has been his undoing.
Unfortunately we will probably never know why he left, or didn't have his
contract renewed - options include
1. clash of wills
Since he was the community bridge, and the AAC seems not to have been
told anything about the blackout, plus Collas has disappeared from public
life, I can only see it as being a change in emphasis away from the
community - in which case the prediction I made 18 months ago that
Gateway/Amiga didn't need the community to complete their plans seems to be
coming true. Digital Convergence, OEM toolkits, STBs. Nothing wrong with
that, and the power of these future products will be on a par with the most
powerful machines today ... but is it a community future, and how long do we
sit quietly in the cone of silence to find out?
Sorry to see you go Bill - we should have done it ourselves.
On Allan Havemose:
Allan never had much respect for or understanding of the Amiga community.
In part this helped, in forcing Schindler and Collas to forget about a lot
of the baggage that many in the community wished to bring forwards, but it
also made it obvious, pretty quickly, that the potential of the community
would not be realised, and that at best, it would just be another consumer
market.
I did try to warn the community when I was getting the strap pretty
tightly applied to my mouth, by saying that Amiga didn't need the community
to move forwards with its plans, but instead of motivating the community to
do something, I just got a slagging for it ... Unfortunately, whilst the
community didn't get what I was trying to say, certain not very friendly
scumbag lizards understood it exactly, and used it against me.
Allan is a competent development head - he knows project management,
timescales, technology, and how to drive a project. A visionary he ain't
though, but for that job, sometimes a visionary is the last thing you need.
That was why Collas brought in a CTO...unfortunately, it was Lefaivre...
On Rick LeFaivre:
Vidar Langberget (vlangber@grm.hia.no): What is wrong with LeFaivre?
"fleecy moss" (fleecy@netreach.net): From my knowledge of him, and of
talking to people at Inprise, he is not highly regarded. He is seen as a
windbag with a massive ego but little talent. One of the few things he does
have is an impressive contact list, which is considered important in certain
circles.
On Tom Schmidt:
Schmidt is a marble counter. That's why Collas hired him. The even
scarier thought is that Lefaivre might be the technical mind behind it
all...Havemose might finally go nuts after all.
The August 20, 1999 General meeting began with President Lewis addressing
an issue that has been simmering behind the scenes in CUCUG locally - that
being the inclusion of the WinSIG into the formal organization of CUCUG.
WinSIG has been a semi-formal group of former and current CUCUG members who
have moved on to the PC as their principle platform. Mac SIG Chairman
Richard Rollins voiced the strongest challenge to the move. While Richard
felt he could not oppose the inclusion of the WinSIG, he wanted to make
absolutely sure the SIG would be self-sufficient and self sustaining, which
were the stipulations to be met by the Mac SIG when it was created. Amiga
SIG Chairman and newsletter editor Kevin Hopkins asked who would handle the
PC content for the newsletter, as he would not take on that burden.
President Lewis addressed the WinSIG's officer structure and the newsletter
concerns. He discussed his desire to grow local membership. After much
discussion, the vote was taken and the motion approved. Both Richard Rollins
and Kevin Hopkins were among those who abstained. President Lewis stated
that the WinSIG would begin officially in October.
Turning to Macintosh news, Richard Rollins reported that Apple stock is
now up over $60 a share, up $10 since our last meeting. He noted that OS8.7
is real close to release. Apple has sued Emachine for their sale of PC
"iMac" clones. Richard said the iBook, Apple's consumer laptop, has been
released but is hard to get. He also spoke about the AirPort. It's a very
cool base station for wireless computing but it's having manufacturing and
FCC approval problems.
Kevin Hisel then reported on Amiga news. The most recent wrinkle has been
the emergence of a company called Iwin which is claiming to be ready to
product Amiga compatible machines while not using any Amiga patented
technologies. They contacted the AWD on August 16th. Kevin said, "If it's
real, it's super cool." It would be the upgrade to new hardware technologies
Amigans have been looking for. They profess to be offering an 060 based
machine for around $800. Iwin is also supposedly in negotiations with Tulip
Computers in Holland to obtain rights to the old Commodore name. However,
Kevin cautioned, if you are thinking of buying one of these machines, follow
this basic guideline: "Don't pre-pay for anything in the Amiga market."
The meeting then recessed before the SIG meetings.
With the presence of Jim Lewis, Kevin Hisel, Mike Latinovich, Dave Witt,
Anderson Yau, and Bill Zwicky, the Amiga SIG meeting this month basically
became the first unofficial meeting of the WinSIG within CUCUG proper. Kevin
Hopkins and Jerry Feltner stood as the Amiga stalwarts. Jim Lewis wanted it
known that the WinSIG members were not giving up their pro-Amiga sentiments.
They were not going to become Microsoft advocates. They all freely admitted
that Windows sucks. It's just that Windows 95 sucks less and the speed of
the hardware overcomes many of their previous objections.
Mike Latinovich stated that, as the Amiga once was, "It's cheap and where
it is. Cool stuff is coming out daily." Former CUCUG Librarian Kevin Hisel
noted that the shareware and freeware quality is high. Kevin said the clone
world is very Amiga-ish in the freeware/shareware area. Netscape is what
drove Kevin to the PC. Initially, he bought a 386 Bridgeboard for his A3000.
It progressed from there.
There was a discussion of Windows versus Amiga issues. This lead into
"war stories" about the good old days, like using a C64 to price parts in a
million dollar business, SID music, and playing "Daisy" on the 1541 disk
drive. A general air of reminiscence pervaded the scene.
Kevin Hopkins spoke about some of the reasons he has not made the move.
He said he was loathed to make the PC move on "religious" grounds, and the
Macintosh is still too "fragile." He related a story of how, just recently,
the simple act of closing a program locked up the Mac he was using and
trashed the directory of the ZIP disk he had in the drive. This lead to a
discussion of ZIP disks and the PC folks noted that at GRC.com there was a
Windows program for recovering ZIP disks.
The discussion turned to Linux, the Amiga, and the recent announcement
that Star Office would be made available for free. Mike Latinovich stated
that Star Office for Linux whips Corel's butt.
It seems the PC people miss the Amiga's requesters more than anything
else.
No reporter, so no report available.
The August meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday,
August 24, 1999, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to
attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are
both in the book). Present at the meeting were Jim Lewis, Dave Witt, Emil
Cobb, Richard Hall, Anderson Yau, Jack Melby, John Lynn, Kevin Hopkins,
Kevin Hisel, and Richard Rollins.
Jim Lewis: Jim reported that the WinSIG had been voted in. He stated that
it would be 60 days before this would become effective.
Jim said we should probably book the room for all of next year. Rich Hall
will take care of this.
Dave Witt: Dave said, "Iwin looks like vapor to me. For the price they're
quoting on their new Amiga compatible, anywhere else you would get a
schematic and a parts list."
Dave reported that the Macintosh's Airport is made and shipping, but
can't be sold yet because it hasn't received FCC approval.
Emil Cobb: Emil reported that we had average attendance at our last
meeting.
Richard Hall: Rich gave his Treasurer's report. President Lewis and Rich
discussed our tax situation.
Anderson Yau: Anderson said he had nothing this evening.
Jack Melby: Jack told us about the new 450MHz G3 he just bought. He
filled us in on all the particulars and features it has. It's very nice.
Apple is bumping their G3s to 500MHz next week.
John Lynn: John said he missed the last meeting. He reported that Video
Toaster NT is now out. In discussing the PC, John said Windows 2000 is NT.
(Someone asked him if that was really Windows 1901 - Y2K joke.) John also
reported that the guys on the Video Toaster mailing list have expressed
concern that NewTek isn't supporting Amiga.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin delivered the mail and an updated copy of the
database to Kevin Hisel, for his and the President's use.
Kevin reported that for the first time he had produced two separate
versions of the newsletter: Amiga and Mac. The August issues had club
related material in common, but news and article content had been targeted.
By using the machine owned section of each member's database entry, Kevin
had delivered issues to the appropriate audience. Ninety members got both
email editions. Only five postal members got both, of which Kevin was one
himself, so the expense was minimal. When the newsletter was posted to the
web site both editions were combined into a single issue.
Kevin said with the advent of the WinSIG, the separate targeted mailing
list model might work well. Dave Witt will be doing the PC newsletter.
Whether Kevin will provide a mailing list for Dave to make delivery or
whether Kevin will see to the deliver is yet to be worked out.
Kevin then requested that CUCUG purchase a copy of the new OS 3.5. for
the club machine. Kevin made the suggestion both to support the Amiga and as
a possible Amiga SIG program. This motion was met with some reticence by
several Board members. The request was tabled to see how the future
develops.
Kevin then presented a topic for discussion of how allowing PCs into the
club will effect our membership. Jim Lewis said he didn't think that it'll
do much. Others concurred. Jim said, "WinSIG thinks Windows and Microsoft
suck and that won't change until the facts change."
Richard Rollins: Richard gave a favorable review to the Mac SIG's
meeting. They did networking, Internet stuff and FTP. Richard said Emil and
Harold Ravlin will be doing a presentation on games in an upcoming meeting.
With regards to the WinSIG coming into CUCUG, Richard said he was neither
for it nor against it.
Richard closed by saying he may not be running the Mac SIG next year. It
has become too much of the "Richard and Emil pony show" and Richard feels he
has served long enough.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin reported that they had talked about the Iwin situation
at the last WinSIG meeting.
Kevin reported that AWD web traffic has been steady. When asked about ad
revenue, Kevin said the Amiga market is gone. Richard Rollins offered the
observation that "current news" magazines have been effected by the
Internet, but informational magazines, niche magazines are surviving. Kevin
said he was in awe of the way Don Hicks has been able to keep Amazing
Computing alive.
Kevin then made the motion that the paper edition of the newsletter be
eliminated. He said he even had a slogan for it: "Postage away in Y2K."
Kevin Hopkins argued that there were still some members that did not have
email accounts to receive an email version. It was suggested that they could
get hotmail accounts. The consensus of the Board supported the motion so as
of December 31, 1999 the print version of the newsletter will be ended. As
this came as a surprise to the Editor, how this will effect the newsletter
itself will have to be worked out.
Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the
Bresnan Meeting Center in the Champaign Park District Headquarters
(398-2550). The Center is located at 706 Kenwood, 1/2 block south of the
corner of Kenwood and John Street, in west Champaign. Kenwood is the fourth
north-south street off of John as you are going west, after crossing Mattis.
The Center is in the northwest corner of Centennial Park, northwest of
Centennial High School.
Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid
year.
Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by the postal
service or email at the member's choice. All recent editions are available
on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your
newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an
exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.
This newsletter was prepared with PageStream 2.22 on an Amiga 3000 25/100
and output to an HP Laserjet IIP plus. Pagestream was donated to CUCUG by
Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or
contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
Surf our web site:
Mark Wilson (tecnobab@stayfree.co.uk): I feel so sorry for you Wayne you
seem to be the only voice of reason on this list. I was on the Team Amiga
List, and to be honest, that list scared me with the ideas of moving away
from the Amiga and creating their own community.
Mark: I agree with you, its a shame that other news propaganda sites like
Czech Amiga News and Amiga Network News seem to constantly add fuel to the
fires of these 'news stories'.
Mark: I don't think that Amiga have to prove anything to us. If the new
Amiga happens (which I feel it will) then good, great!, but if it don't, Oh
well, We still have other good OS's out there like BeOS, Linux and QNX.
On the sacking of Bill McEwen
From: Gary Peake (gpeake@texas.net)
Gary Peake
http://www.OwlNet.Net
Team AMIGA
TAC/OwlNet
--
2. change of focus
3. hiring budget cut
4. he was crap
5. clueless company The CUCUG Section:
August General Meeting
reported by Kevin Hopkins The Amiga SIG
reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu) The Mac SIG:
August Board Meeting
reported by Kevin Hopkins The Back Page:
The CUCUG is a not-for-profit corporation, originally organized in 1983
to support and advance the knowledge of area Commodore computer users.
We've grown since then.
President: Jim Lewis 359-1342 NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com
Vice-President: Emil Cobb 398-0149 e-cobb@uiuc.edu
Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 kh2@uiuc.edu
Treasurer: Richard Hall 344-8687 rjhall1@uiuc.edu
Corporate Agent: Jim Lewis 359-1342 NOSPAMlewis_j_e@yahoo.com
Advisor & Mac SIG: Richard Rollins 469-2616
Webmaster: Kevin Hisel 406-948-1999 khisel @ cucug.org
912 Stratford Dr.
Champaign, IL
61821