====================================================================== _ __ _ <>_ __ _ || /\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || A M I G A U P D A T E /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || -News and Rumors- / \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_|| (An Occasional Newsletter) BACK FOR THE FUTURE || ====================================================================== AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga Technologies, GmbH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 961231 P R O D A D & P I O S ' S C H R I S T M A S S U R P R I S E C O M M E N T S O N Q U I K P A K B I D S O M E P L A C E S T O G E T S U P P O R T Editor's thoughts and introduction: We seem to finishing the year with holiday issues. Actually, there was some additional news for Amigans about Christmas time, though it isn't quite as directly related as the QuikPak story in our 961225 issue. On December 23, PIOS and proDAD announced their cooperation in a computing effort that should be of interest to Amigans. We have stories below from them on their cooperation and on the PIOS ONE computer system which will be one beneficiary of this effort. We also picked up an interesting exchange of thoughts on the matter of QuikPak, between Jason Compton and others in the Amiga Newsgroups on the net. We thought we'd pass that along. We suggest you consider the source when you read this posting - keeping in mind that, in this case at least, the source is quite credible. Remember that Compton was until recently the VIScorp Amiga information manager. While we're mentioning Jason, we should point out for any not aware that he is the Editor of the well regarded "Amiga Report" magazine, available free on the Net. We'd like to encourage our readers who are using Amigas and have AmigaQuide or Multiview to check out "Amiga Report" and support it if you can. See Jason's post for on line addresses for the magazine. Finally, we found a list of on-line support sites for various Amiga programs. We've had to edit the list some, as our particular copy came without headings for some of the columns in the original post. We've left the program name, version and address. Note that not all these sites are American and English may or may not be appropriate. Also, we haven't tested any of these, so we can't vouch for them. We hope you enjoy this issue and wish you a Safe and Happy New Year's celebration! Brad Webb, Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- P I O S A N D P R O D A D C O O P E R A T I V E E F F O R T PIOS ONE and pOS Innovation over Emulation, Cooperation over Confrontation! Two companies, one motto, to the advantage of developers and users: PIOS Computer AG and proDAD Software Borsigstr. 5 Feldelestr. 24 D-31135 Hildesheim D-78194 Immendingen Germany Germany Our Christmas Surprise OFFICIAL COOPERATION ANNOUNCEMENT The companies PIOS Computer AG, hardware producer and distributor, and the software producer proDAD Software herewith announce officially to cooperate in creating a new PowerPC-based computer system, called PIOS ONE, and its combination and shipment with the pOS operating system. The goal of this strategic alliance is to create with united forces an optimal combination of powerful but inexpensive hardware with an innovative operating system which bases on a future-proof concept.To achieve this, engineering geniuses like Andy Finkel, Dave Haynie (both PIOS), and Holger Burkarth work hand in hand. Their experience in the field, together with their sense for future and innovation, lead to a user friendly, priceworthy, and modern device which will fit all situations. THE COMPONENTS The hardware impresses by its modular concept, which improves the performance compared to existing AMIGA systems to new heights due to up-to-date RISC technology.The motherboard contains the base units of the computer, the three PCI and two ISA slots, as well as the audio part and all I/O, in proven standard technology, as it's used reliably and inexpensively in industry standard devices. Graphics is provided by a PCI bus card. The CPU module plugs on the motherboard and contains besides the CPU chip also the system RAM (in standard DIMM sockets) and cache RAM (also socketed, optional) as well as the control circuitry for all this. This way, maximum performance is assured also with faster CPUs. CPUs of the PowerPC 603 family are used, with clock frequencies of currently 133 to 200 MHz. In future, also CPU modules with several CPUs for multiprocessor operation are possible. The operating system pOS counts as its strengths among others preemptive multitasking, multiprocessor support, JAVA, RTG, STG, as well as unbeatable compactness and consequentially speed. Already ported or currently being ported applications to pOS guarantee a broad offering of software in all thinkable areas from the start of distribution. THE PHILOSOPHY: PRODUCTIVE INTEGRATION Through pOS, the portable OS, which runs also on AMIGA 68k and AMIGA PPC as well as other systems, it becomes possible to integrate the new PIOS ONE hardware into an existing world of powerful applications. By this, the AMIGA market is opened, revived, and expanded, software developments become profitable again, and thus this is pOSitive activity for the market and of course for its usership. An advantage which multiplies with every new pOS-supported computer - an advantage which can only be offered by powerful hardware cooperating with a powerful OS! At the same time, it is possible on this purely PowerPC-based computer to run the operating system and the applications natively and thus much faster than on 68k computers or an emulation of them. The appreciated AMIGA feeling is returning. Overtuned systems with bloated operating systems now can be considered horrors of the past. THE TIME AND COST PLAN The operating system pOS already exists, as it was also officially confirmed and was recognized in the market with considerable resonance.The PIOS ONE hardware will be completed already at the begin of January. The completed system will be shown for the first time at CeBIT 97 and be available probably from May/June 1997. The total price for the entry model will be around US$ 1000! THE DISTRIBUTION will be handled through world-wide distribution centers and existing as well as newly acquired dealer networks. More information available from [http://www.pios.de] PIOS Computer AG [http://www.prodad.de] ProDAD Software Think pOSitive with PIOS ONE! Hildesheim and Immendingen, in December 1996 gev. Stefan Domeyer, GF PIOS gev. Andreas Huber, GF proDAD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- P I O S O N E I N D E T A I L PIOS Computer AG PIOS ONE - The Creative Concept The PIOS ONE is entering the scene as a computer which provides newest technology with up-to-date performance characteristics and oeconomic use of resources. This computer is affordable by everyone and will make it fun again to use a computer, following the motto No RISC - no fun Hardware The Hardware impresses by its modular concept, which covers the performance spectrum from home use up to workstations. A later upgrade of the entry model to the top model is possible without problems and at no bigger expenses. The PIOS ONE uses the PowerPC family of microprocessors from companies Motorola, IBM, and Apple.The high engineering capacity of these companies assures these products a future with permanent progress and adaptation to all coming demands.This technology promises the full bandwidth of performance and a secure future with well defined development paths for the coming years, and all this at reasonable prices. Generally, RISC processors define the state of art in microprocessor technology. RISC stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer. These processors don't offer the programmer as many commands as older CISC processors (Complex Instruction Set Computer), but thus the hardware of these processors becomes so much simpler that you can achieve much more speed and thus computing performance compared to a CISC processor at comparable hardware costs.Further typical characteristics of RISC processors are terms like superscalarity and pipelined architecture. Particularly the PowerPC processors are available in a whole family of versions. Thus you can find the optimal processor model for every kind of application. Also the processors are easily exchangeable among each other, so that it's easy to build an upgradable computer which can be equipped with a more powerful processor model later. For the PowerPC family, there exist concrete plans for the next years for their further development. Especially optimized versions for Multimedia applications and for extremely high computing power are announced. Software The user will be able to choose among several alternatives for the Operating System Software, which all will be part of the normal shipment: BeOS pOS Linux BeOS by company Be Inc.is a new, innovative operating system, which supports up-to-date concepts like Multithreading and Multiprocessing. In "Multithreading", each application program is separated into several parallel running "threads" on their own. Thus the software can make optimal use of "Multiprocessing", which means that several microprocessors run simultaneously in a computer independently. More info about PIOS ONE and BeOS pOS by company proDADis an operating system, which builds the bridge to the AMIGA world.Thus it is an extremely fast, compact, and efficient operating system which promises to get the maximum performance out of the up-to-date RISC hardware. More info about PIOS ONE and pOS Linux is a platform independent operating system for highest demands, for experts. {NOTE: Linux is an excellent version of the Unix operating system. Brad} Developer Program Especially for the PIOS ONE, but also for purchasers of the BeBox, PIOS offers Developer Support.Besides getting newest and most detailed informationen, you can also purchase computers directly. In the case of the PIOS ONE, registered developers can already order devices of the Null Series. Availability At first the device will be built in a Null Series for developers. Orders can already be placed. The completed system will be shown for the first time at CeBIT 97 and be available probably from May/June 1997. The total price for the entry model will be around US$ 1000! Distribution will be handled through world wide distribution centers and existing or newly acquired dealer networks. More detailed information is available from [http://www.pios.de] PIOS Computer AG [http://www.be.de] Be Inc. [http://www.prodad.de] ProDAD Software ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Q U I K P A K B I D F O R A M I G A D I S C U S S E D 30 Dec 1996 R. Eveland (reveland@uoguelph.ca) wrote: "Well if AT/Escom had not paid for the inventory then of course Quikpak would not release it. If they did it is quite possible they would never see their money. And can you blame them for actively selling the inventory? I think any company would do that in order to re-coup their investment... Anyway at least they now have a bid in for AT. 99% of Amiga users I think have lost confidence in VIScorp getting AT. I think if that was going to happen it would have by now. AT least in the context that most amiga users wnated it to happen anyway. They may still walk away with some piece of the technology that will allow them to produce set top boxes." I understand what QuikPak's view is. But do you understand that QuikPak's refusal to release the inventory caused a serious break in ANYBODY's ability to purchase the technology? The trustee says "Yes, I can secure that inventory for you" and the inventory's warehouser (QuikPak) says "No, you can't." So, what is VIScorp or anybody else to do? Here are their options: Don't bid on the inventory, thereby making their offer look low to the trustee, or bid for it with the knowledge that QuikPak says they won't release it. It's a losing proposition both ways. Your argument, Darren, is indicative of so much short-sightedness in the Amiga market. There is a real big picture out there, one where if the numbers don't add up, the money doesn't move. If I learned one thing during my "time on the inside", it was that. QuikPak was a rather large numerical anomaly. They could have played by the rules and taken their recourse with the bankruptcy like all of the rest of Escom's creditors. What if the whole world acted this way? Nobody seemed very pleased about the reports of the Philipines Commodore warehouse being raided by those Commodore owed money to. Yes, QuikPak got burned by the Escom bankruptcy. Nobody forced QuikPak to get in business with Escom. Yes, QuikPak has an interest in self-survival, so to them, keeping and selling the Escom inventory is "fair." To anybody bidding for the Escom properties, who sees the A4000T stuff as belonging to Escom and wants to buy it from the trustee, it is a major roadblock. Christ, people, painting everyone save Hembach, VIScorp, and Bill Gates as a saint is not the truth of the matter. Lots of people are looking out for their own self-interest and trying to get by, and that unfortunately means that toes are being stepped on. PIOS blames VIScorp for not taking their plans, VIScorp blames QuikPak for creating an inventory dispute, QuikPak may blame someone in Escom for something or other. Phase5 blames AT for the Walker taking up too much of their time. AT probably blames someone else for something. Do you begin to see why I'm not buying the "consortium of companies buying the Amiga" idea? -- Jason Compton jcompton@xnet.com Editor-in-Chief, Amiga Report Magazine (847) 741-0689 FAX AR on Aminet - docs/mags/ar???.lha WWW - http://www.cucug.org/ar/ 'I said, "You wouldn't understand." Take what's yours, be damned.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- S O M E S O U R C E S O F O N - L I N E S U P P O R T 23 Dec 1996 Amiga Replac.OS 1.10 http://aros.fh-konstanz.de/~digulla/ FinalCalc 1.05 Fax: +1 602-431-8361 lighty@goodnet.com Pagestream 3.2 US:support@softlogik.com TWIST 3.0 support@hisoft.co.uk PersonalPaint 7.0 info@cloanto.it Reflections 4.0 carstenl@rbg.informatik.th-darmstadt.de Cinema4D 4.0 webmaster@maxon-computer.com QuickCam x a036888t@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us Cocktel x adver@prodad.de Monument Designer3.0 adver@prodad.de Audio Thunder 1.0 info@asimware.com DiskSalv 4.0 info@iam.com AWeb 2.1 support@amitrix.com IEdit 2.30 wiz@pragmanet.it GoldED 4.4.1 dietmar@tomate.oche.de AirMail 3.9 + toysoft@connect.ab.ca ZEUS 1.1.3 http://www.csosl.co.uk/zeus/ MRBackup Pro 2.5 (1Q97 v3.0) mrbackup@iam.com http://www.iam.com/amiga/mrbackup.html Image Engineer 3.3 sbe@yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au SuperView 5.70 Andreas_Kleinert@t-online.de Visage 39.11 cmh@lls.se ArtStudio 2.0 MotionStudios@mail.netwave.de Xfig 1.14 + terjepe@login.eunet.no ScanTek 2.7 wzoehner@nuernberg.netsurf.de PictDT 43.757 laire@mises.uni-paderborn.de CyberShow Pro 8.1 hhoff@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de PhotoAlbum 2.5 hhoff@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de EGSPhotoAlbum 7.1 hhoff@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de EGSTV 7.1 hhoff@pool.informatik.rwth-aachen.de ShapeShifter 3.7 bauec002@goofy.zdv.uni-mainz.de ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Amiga Update on the net: some issues available at: http://www.sharbor.com/amiga/news/ (in html format) http://www.amigacom.com (in ASCII text) All back issues available (in ASCII text) at: http://www.globaldialog.com/AdventureCentral/AU.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1996 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified. ====================================================================== _ __ _ <>_ __ _ || /\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || Brad Webb/AmigaUpdate /__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || bandr@globaldialog.com / \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ || ======================================================================