State of the Amiga Address (March 27, 1998) by Joe Tracy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My fellow Amiga owners, friends, and interested parties. For the past several years the Amiga computer has faced criticisms, attacks, and an uncertain future. It has endured constant bashings from many fronts and the abandonment of many companies. It has been bounced around from company to company and has seen its share of ownership bankruptcies. I'm here today to tell you that some of those criticisms are true, some of the attacks are justified, and even some of the bashings are factual. But I'm also here to tell you that all of those are obstacles and obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal. Thanks to the continued support of the Amiga community, there stands before us a powerful system waiting for the right person to unleash its full potential. Has that person - that knight in shining armor - arrived? A History Lesson  The Amiga was originally conceived as a games machine, in 1982, to compete against the leading game machine at the time, Atari. Meaning "girlfriend" in Spanish, Amiga became much more than a "gaming computer" within a few short years. The Amiga was very much advanced for its time, in the mid-80's, when the first  Amiga 1000 units began shipping to customers. Its closest  competitor was a  286 PC, which cost a couple of thousand dollars more! Commodore was the first major company to purchase the Amiga. It lasted for nine fairly strong years, even endeavoring the extreme lack of marketing and the ignorance of Commodore. NewTek's introduction of the Video Toaster in the early 1990s led to many new sales of the Amiga and brought a huge recognition to a platform that relatively few people still new about. But the lack of proper marketing of the Amiga led to the demise of Commodore, in 1994, when it was forced to liquidate its assets. Commodore had failed. Perhaps this was the most critical part in the history of the Amiga. The platform was still in good shape with features that competitors could only dream about (like dual-stream video, broadcast quality signal standards, multitasking, etc.). The next purchaser would determine the direction that the computer would take. Many companies showed an interest in taking over the Amiga technology. There were companies like Samsung, Philips, Amstrad, and even Commodore UK, fighting for the Amiga rights. But ultimately (one year later), a company called Escom won out. It looked like the Amiga was in the clear even though it had taken a major downfall over the course of its stagnant year during the "battle of who-would-be-owner." Try as they might, Escom was forced about nine months later, because of bankruptcy, to try and sell off their Amiga assets. VIScorp looked like the leading candidate, but months of legal wranglings left the door wide open.  QuikPak jumped into the picture and it  looked like they might have it sealed up when news of a "surprise" bidder, Gateway 2000 surfaced (March 27, 1997). It was a matter of a week or so before Gateway 2000 had the deal sealed and shortly thereafter took control of the possessions. That brings us a year later to today. The Knights of the Round Table  The Amiga today is made up of many companies and people that represent "The Knights of the Round Table" (figuratively speaking). These are groups that have the strength, intelligence, and wisdom to make the Amiga a strong force throughout the land. These are companies like QuikPak, Phase 5, Amiga, Inc. and Amiga International. At the head of the table sits King Arthur, represented by Gateway 2000. In this situation, the goal of King Arthur seems to be to spend a long time devising a strategy while the attacks around him continue. Yet if you sit around too long devising strategies, instead of joining the battle, your kingdom will be quickly overcome. Yes, there is a such thing as waiting too long. If you are not on the battle field leading the battle then you are not helping the cause. Your soldiers will soon tire of the inability to be effective and many allies will be lost. With the acquisition of the Amiga, by Gateway 2000, reaching a year and no new hardware (or even a new O/S) introduced, the journey is starting to seem very long. Some of the knights, like Vulcan Software, have had to move on to other units (greener pastures) because the delays in commitments by Gateway  2000 crippled their ability to be productive. Can other knights be far behind? Let's be very direct here: An excellent strategy implemented too late is much worse than an average or good strategy implemented in a timely fashion. Strategies implemented too late almost always fail because it is just that - too late! Is the Battle Lost? It seems like I'm receiving an email virtually every day from someone saying that they have given up on the Amiga and changed platforms. This is not good news! Every day Gateway 2000 waits, more users are lost and the community loses more allies. Gateway 2000 needs to take a serious look today (not tomorrow, but today) at what their strategies are and implement those strategies! They cannot afford to lose more allies because for every ally they lose, the "enemy" gains one. My life in video productions has always been built around the Amiga. Simply put, there is not a better editing system than the Video Toaster and Video Toaster Flyer. The Amiga is part of the reason that the Flyer is so good. Yet for animation, the Amiga was surpassed a few years ago and now I find myself doing the majority of my LightWave 3D work on a 233MHz Pentium. All of my business applications, accounting calculations, and desktop publishing  is done on the same Pentium. Why? Because it is a better machine for those needs. Why should I hamper my business by doing work on a system that is inferior in applications that mean the most to my success? That is why I still use an Amiga for video - it still reigns as a superior system and product (the Video Toaster Flyer, thanks to NewTek). But what happens if Gateway 2000 doesn't make commitments to the Amiga and companies like NewTek abandon it? The answer is that I abandon it too, and as others also abandon it, the "system that couldn't die" will die. It's a sad thought, but the simple fact is that the future of the Amiga computer is in the hands of Gateway 2000 and if all the allies and knights are forced to leave King Arthur then no one will be left to defend Camelot! The battle is today, not tomorrow. Reassure Camelot! So what is the answer? 1) Gateway 2000 must reassure the community that it has a battle plan, is following it, and is taking daily action (including allocation of money). This reassurance must be sincere! 2) Gateway 2000 needs to tell the Amiga community what it is doing to help promote the Amiga and to get companies lost back on board (and/or new ones).  3) A standard system needs to be developed that other companies can build upon. Until there is a standard system, it is not profitable for companies (and even users) to come back. This is just a start. Gateway 2000 must address the users as King Arthur would address his knights and troops! We must hear a solid battle plan from the head of Gateway 2000 so that we can have our faith restored and double our support. In this quest it is important to remember that Gateway 2000, like King Arthur, is strategically smart. Gateway 2000 is a very successful company based on strategies, marketing, and implementation of ideas. If it is serious about the Amiga platform, then the platform will grow by leaps and bounds, which is something that Commodore couldn't do with a system ahead of its time and ready to take on the world. A year ago the big announcement was made about Gateway 2000's successful bid for the Amiga technology. A year later we are not much further than before. Hopefully Gateway 2000's strategy accounts for this fact. While Phase 5, QuikPak, and others have been busy trying to advance the system, the subsidiaries of Gateway 2000 have done little outside of licensing announcements. Yet, without Gateway 2000 being directly involved, Camelot will be lost!  Is there an Excalibur? It is my sincere hope that Gateway 2000 realizes what it has in its possession. The Amiga, contrary to what some may say, is not (and never was) a toy. It is responsible for the success of thousands of users in graphics, video, animation, and many other fields. In fact, it was just a few short years ago that LightWave 3D on the Amiga was being used for many network TV shows! It was being used to help launch NASA rockets and to propel thousands of careers to new heights! And now the opportunity presents itself one last time. It is my understanding that the subsidiaries of Gateway 2000 (Amiga, Inc. and Amiga International) will soon (1-3 months) address the Amiga user community. Gateway 2000 must establish a goal - one major goal - for the Amiga, then focus on that goal and move forward full steam. I know many successful people and companies that all have one thing in common - when they see a goal, they let nothing stand in their way to reach the goal for "obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal." I have a hope that Gateway 2000 will come through with some big plans and I know that if those plans are implemented soon that the Amiga will stand a very good chance. And who knows...one day I may no longer be using a PC for animation, a PC for business applications, and a PC for desktop publishing. Maybe I'll be using an Amiga. It could happen if the Amiga once again  becomes a superior system! So, Gateway 2000, raise the Excalibur high into the air and let the battles begin!