It Was The Best of Times...
From the AmiTech-Dayton Gazette -- August, 2002
If you've been reading the new sites lately you've noticed that Microsoft doesn't seem to have as many friends as they once did. The Xbox is still a sluggish seller despite the recent price reduction. The U.S. government is looking into open source software despite M$ repeated claims that open source is a national security risk. Each week brings a new virus or weakness in a M$ product. Their attempt to release the source code to some of their products was seen as a weak effort to save off harsh government regulations (it didn't work). The Justice Department wants to examine the M$ books, looking for the same creative method of accounting used by WorldCom, Enron, and a couple of other companies. And even long-dependent Apple is making noises like they want to take the Big Guy down a notch or two.
So what does this have to do with Amiga? Plenty. In a recent survey, a staggering 42% of people polled said they were looking for an alternative to the WindowsOS. Numbers like this have to be sending a shock wave over Redmond. People are tired of bugs, viruses, lack of security, restrictive licensing agreements, and in general an operating system that controls YOU instead of you controlling IT. Governments worldwide are turning to Linux as their choice to run important government installations, China being the most prominent. Apple's switchers advertising campaign is actually making a difference as a number of converts have already made the change. Walmart sells computers with the Lindows system on their web site. And Open Office, a office suite of programs that offers near 100% compatibility with M$ Office is making a lot of people stop and think. With people being so receptive to change, in numbers never seen before, now is the prime time for Amiga to stage its comeback. Bring back a simpler OS from a simpler time --- one that works with you, not against you. An OS that can handle everything from the most mundane task to the most complex business software. Something strong enough to chew through the most intensive audio and video work and still play a good game of chess. This was what Amiga was at one time, and it was one of the best. If these same qualities can be brought to market in a modern OS the people who are looking for alternatives will take notice. And maybe, just maybe, those people will make the new OS a force to be reckoned with.
It is possible. But we have to wonder if Amiga can overcome years of corporate mismanagement and bungling. The Amiga recently marked an anniversary --- being seventeen years since the introduction of the A1000, the first Amiga. If you take into consideration that Commodore filed for bankruptcy in 1994, the Amiga has been dead nearly as long as it has been alive. With the current atmosphere surrounding Al, H+P, Hyperion, BPIan, MorphOS, Amithlon, and other current characters who have the best intentions of the Amiga in mind, it remains questionable whether they are truly interested in producing product or in legal wrangling and lawsuits.
The novel A Tale of Two Cities starts with the line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Surely no better description fits the history of the Amiga. It is up to the powers that be to determine if we will once again have the best of times or if we will continue in the worst of times.