Amiga Choose Linux
Amiga Ditch QNX in favour of Linux

Welcome to the World Of Amiga evaluation of the Linux/QNX situation which happened in early July.

For those who don't know what's going on, on the 9th July 1999, it became public knowledge that Amiga had ditched QNX in favour of the Linux kernel for their next generation OS. They were going to keep the information with-held untl the technology brief was released, but QNX made various statements which caused Jim Collas of Amiga to make this statement.

This set the ball rolling, the Amiga public were predicting doom and gloom, and the death of the Amiga, etc. Magazine editors trying to calm people down (well, paper mags anyway).Here is the definitive WOA guide to the Linux decision, and what it means for you.

And it seemed that QNX had posted various pieces of information about their progress in the OS for the NG Amiga on to their site. You can read that here. Screenshots included.

After a day of speculation, which, it seemed, Jim Collas had been monitoring very closely, we finally got some feedback from him, which you can read here.

Afterwards, various people offered their own opinions on the subject, including this from Jim himself on the comp.sys.amiga.misc newgroup, where he was replying to someone supporting the Linux movement. We also have the opinion of Fleecy Moss who used to work for Amiga.

Collas posted numerous messages to comp.sys.amiga.misc during this saga including these postings...

A few days after all the drama had died down, we were treated to a view from Holger Kruse. Click < A HREF="#ho">here to see it.

Neils Opinion

QUOTES FROM WOA


















Holger's View

That is one reason, but not the only one. Actually, as far as networking goes: the networking part of the kernel is run both on the schedule of user processes and from interrupts, with locking whenever shared structures are accessed. This means some code runs outside of what could even be considered a process or a thread, so the term "multithreading" does not really apply. The networking code in the kernel IS reentrant, but requires mutual exclusion in many places to protect the very entangled data structures needed for networking. The networking code is certainly not singlethreaded in the same sense this term is used in filesystems (meaning that a chain of operations is executed successively, in a non-overlapping fashion). The networking code does support an arbitrary number of data transmissions in parallel, with mutual exclusion whenever shared data structures need to be modified.

A big problem is that the TCP/IP code in Linux is not BSD-derived, but adapted from some other experimental third-party implementation. Rumor has it Linus misinterpreted the BSD licensing conditions and decided not to use their code because of that.

As a result the TCP/IP code in Linux is by far the worst in the industry, worse even than the severely broken code in Win-NT/98. Its performance does not scale well, in particular under congestion, and bugs in the kernel are holding back the deployment of new Internet protocols because of interoperability problems, and are curbing performance on the Internet. See recent RFCs on "Known TCP implementation problems". They don't mention Linux there explicitly, but many of the problems listed ARE caused by Linux. Miami contains special code in four places only to work around known bugs in Linux and maintain interoperability. Add to that the various bugs in the Linux TCP/IP code typically caused by race conditions or unhandled errors (things like TCP connections remaining in CLOSE_WAIT indefinitely).

Plus with all of the new developments (6Bone, MBone, QBone, Internet-2, NGI etc.) Linux is more or less left out in the dark, because most of the code developed these days is for BSD and cannot be used with Linux. To some extent the Linux community tries to make up for that by reimplementing some stuff from scratch, from the specs, but the results are often too buggy, incomplete, and based on obsolete specs, because Linux people are not involved much in the IETF standards track process, and Linux is not embraced by the academic community in the same way as many of the BSD-derived stacks (e.g. Solaris), so their code is usually not engineered and tested as well. See the problems with the IPv6 code in Linux for instance.

Compare that to the stacks based on BSD (these days usually 4.4BSD-Lite2, FreeBSD 2.x/3.x or NetBSD). Those stacks are supported by most major players in the industry, and new developments are backed financially, e.g. in the KAME project (IPv6 and IPsec, backed by Toshiba, among others). The Linux people on the other hand cannot even get their current IPv4 TCP code to fully comply with specs. Still lots of open bugs. I very much doubt that they will have the resources to catch up with the quick development in BSD and Win-NT/98. Microsoft just rolled out a new IPv6 beta kernel which is supposed to be both Internet-2-ready and 6Bone-ready. KAME is releasing IPv6 kernel snapshots on a weekly basis.

The only non-BSD TCP/IP implementation (besides integrated ones like Cisco), that is backed well financially and has a clear future is the one by Microsoft, of course. I would prefer that over Linux, in spite of its bugs, because at least Microsoft is showing some commitment in this area (trying to become an even more major player in networking over the next decade).

At the moment these differences and problems are not very noticable in everyday operation, because people can still get along with older IPv4 implementations on the current "old Internet". However that will change soon. With the transition to ADSL/cable modems and digital video across IP, and with the transition to IPv6 and IPv4-based QoS there will be a break in compatibility. Old stacks will still be able to use current services (www etc.), but new services will require new stacks. The first ISPs are now already offering IPv6 access, most router manufacturers are offering it as upgrades, and my guess is that the release of Windows-2000 will start an avalanche of changes in Internet protocols (including QoS, high-bandwidth video-streaming and IPv6), that may very well cut non-BSD and non-Microsoft stacks (and unmaintained stacks) off from new Internet features, in much the same way this happened when a few years ago "intelligent PPP login" with PAP/CHAP and DHCP (for ADSL/cable modems) became required features. All of this will probably happen within the next 2-3 years, i.e. in a time frame that will be very crucial for the success of the AmigaNG.

It is unclear how/if Linux fits into these changes. They are way behind at the moment, and the Linux people seem to concentrate more on the "here and now" (writing drivers for new boards etc.) and on marketing than on research, protocol design and interoperability testing of future standards and features. For BSD it is quite clear though: INRIA and KAME have been testing these features for quite a while, both projects will converge soon, and all BSD-based stacks will most likely be ready quite quickly. That includes the stack used in QNX (4.4BSD-Lite2), btw.

My major objection to Linux (in addition to all of the valid objections Dave already mentioned, of course) is: For the kind of multimedia convergence box that attempts to integrate high-performance networking and audio/video, the TCP/IP kernel is one of the most crucial parts of the kernel, and at the same time one of the most complicated and fragile parts. It cannot be replaced later, so the choice of a kernel is also very much the choice of an TCP/IP implementation (except with extremely modular kernels like QNX or even AmigaOS, where you can just "plug in" a new stack at any later time).

Given that, why did Amiga Inc. choose the ONLY kernel in the market that has a rather bad TCP/IP implementation AND lacks professional support for it ? If they really want to use a big macrokernel (which I still think is a huge mistake), then they should have at least gone with one of the free BSD kernels. At least they would get decent TCP/IP code with it which is properly documented, tested and extensible, plus at the kernel level they would basically get all the features and functionality Linux offers.

--
Holger Kruse kruse@nordicglobal.com
http://www.nordicglobal.com
NO COMMERCIAL SOLICITATION !
comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Stop Attacking Jim Collas Personally
From: Aram Iskenderian

Gentlemen,

This is really annoying, we have the man who makes decisions at Amiga talking here with us, listening to our ideas, he's didn't do anything to deserve this pathetic and childish insulting, can we keep it simple and civil?

I for one am annoyed, angry, but I cannot see anything that justifies insulting Jim to this level which shows that we are only a bunch of uncivilized retards and fanatics.

Please, everyone is entitled to his opinion, but when you write try to express yourself and your opinion with some clean language.

All these f**K Jim, and f**k Collas threads are going nowhere, and if you need to reply to someone please consider renaming the thread.

Thanks to all the people who already did that.

The decision has been made, and blasting Amiga or insulting Jim will do nothing but make us all look bad.

And those who are posting the usual(I'm off to another platform), I'm sorry that you are making such a decision, but please do not hang your decision on the latest announcement, we've been in this situation for years.

I am waiting for the technology breif, and I suggest that everyone also does.

Thank you all.

-- Aram Iskenderian. Please note the new email address. **********@************.earthlink.net Enjoying the speed of ADSL....

Read Reply

comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Stop Attacking Jim Collas Personally
rom: Fleecy Moss

Well said. From the times I have chatted to him, and met with him, Jim has always been a courteous person. We owe him at least the same respect.

We can, and will have our opinions about his, Amiga Inc's or Gateway's decision, and I have always had my doubts about whether they really understand the community or where it wants to go, as opposed to where its parent company wants to go, but that is another matter.

Defend, attack or ponder on the decisions and the strategy, not the messenger.

comp.sys.amiga.mis
Subject: Some clarification from Amiga
From: Jim Collas

As you can imagine, I have been following the newsgroups closely as you discuss the Linux decision. The personal attacks on me are discouraging but I can't blame some people for being very angry. It's understandable given what the Amiga community has been through in the last few years and the way this situation unfolded. I wish I could have managed this situation better but I have been traveling a lot and QNX blindsided us with their announcement. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were planning to communicate the Linux decision along with our technical brief. I don't want to argue the Linux decision here because you need to understand the full picture first and the technical brief should help this. I would like to address a few misunderstandings that I am seeing in the postings. Whether you agree with the Linux decision or not, misinformation and inaccurate speculation will only confuse the situation. I would like you to understand the following:

There have been multiple comments about how Amiga led QNX on and then dumped them. Some of these comments imply a lack of ethics on our part. These comments aren't accurately portaying the situation. I am very ethical and won't tolerate unethical behavior at Amiga. We delt with QNX ethically and above the table. People shouldn't assume that the Amiga/QNX deal died solely because of Amiga. There were differences of opinion on strategy, implementation, and licensing terms that we spent months and months trying to negotiate. I stepped into the middle of this and was personally involved in the negotiations for over four months. Linux started as our back-up plan, just in case we couldn't reach an agreement, and it ended up as the preferred choice. I can't go into details but remember that things aren't as simple as they seem from the outside.

The comments that bother me the most are the ones questioning my ethics and motivations. With Amiga, I inherited a situation that has been mismanaged for years and a community that has justifiably lost its patience. It is frustrating that people associate me with all of the mistakes and delays of the past. This gives me very little room for errors and corrections. I have been president of Amiga for five months and this Linux decision is the only major shift I have made. In hindsight, I could have better managed the communication on this situation but there is an incredible amount going on and I am only human. I will screw some things up. The surprise from QNX didn't help. I have been open and straight with the community in every situation. Amiga has made more progress in the last five months than had been made in the last five years. Remember that we aren't just developing a product. We are building a substantial company to compete in this aggressive industry. This in itself is no small task. In summary, give me a break. Please.

There are many inaccurate perceptions about the size, stability, and performance of the Linux OS. I initially ruled out Linux because I had the same perceptions. There are so many options and configurations with Linux that it is difficult for people to get a handle on it. This is why we spent months evaluating it before making any conclusions. The core Linux OS is better than people think it is. QNX is better at a few things and Linux is better at others. Try not to make assumptions about the current state of Linux without details. I have asked Allan Havemose to summarize our Linux evaluation for you.

I hope this will help clear up some of the inaccurate statements. I expect that some people will continue to slam me and our decision. I understand that this level of frustration doesn't go away over night. All I ask is for people to take the time to read and understand our technology brief when it comes out.

Sincerely,
Jim

comp.sys.amiga.misc

Subject: QNX announcement is unclear
From: Jim Collas

I am not very happy with the QNX announcement. This announcement was neither reviewed nor approved by Amiga. Several weeks ago we made a decision to use the Linux OS kernel instead of QNX. We were planning to communicate this decision to the Amiga community in the technology brief to be released in the next few days. I know this is a shock to many people given the previous announcements and activities relative to QNX. I apologize for the way this is being communicated but I have been put in an awkward position. The formal announcement will be on the Amiga web site within 12 hours. Please read this for more information.

After months of research and in-depth discussions with our technology partners we decided to use Linux as our OS kernel for the new Amiga Operating Environment (OE). This was a very complicated and difficult decision to make and I assure you that I didn't make the decision without a significant amount of research and deliberation. We have been researching Linux as an alternative for several months now but a final decision wasn't made until a few weeks ago. Once you understand the reason for the decision, I think that you will agree that it is a good decision.

Linux has picked up a significant amount of momentum in the last year as an viable alternative OS. In talking to the key component suppliers it was clear that they were all putting resources on supporting Linux. It was difficult to convince them to support yet another OS kernel. Using the Linux kernel allows us to leverage a significant amount of software from the Linux community.

Given the momentum, we decided to do an in-depth technical analysis of Linux. As we ported parts of our higher level OE and AmigaObject architecture to Linux for testing, we discovered some significant performance advantages in the Linux kernel in areas such as distributed object messaging across a network (up to 10X the performance of Windows NT). This is a strategic performance advantage for our new environment. Although Linux configurations can be very large, the core Linux kernel and services are actually quite small and efficient. We have also identified hardware components that are being optimized for Linux. I am convinced that we can build an incredibly impressive next generation Amiga based on the Linux OS kernel.

We are integrating a significnant amount of technology to make the Amiga unique yet we will still be able to leverage drivers and also some applications. In many ways, it's the best of both worlds.

Our soon to be released technology brief will further explain our architecture and plans for integrating all of the selected technology. Once you read it I am confident that you will understand the revolutionary nature of the next Amiga and the reason why we have a great opportunity to drive the next computer revolution.

As for QNX, I can assume that they aren't happy that they didn't get the Amiga opportunity and they decided to confuse the issue. Regardless of what QNX announces, the Linux OS is much more mature and supported. It's unfortunate and I apologize again for how this got communicated.

I look forward to getting feedback on our technology brief. I also look forward to sharing more of our plans at WoA and AmiWest and seeing some of you there in person.

Jim

comp.sys.amiga.mis comp.sys.amiga.misc

Aram Iskenderian Stop Attacking Jim Collas Personally
Fleecy Moss Re: Stop Attacking Jim Collas Personally
Jim Collas Some clarifications from Amiga
Jim Collas QNX announcement is misleading

Fleecy's View

To go from the heights of ecstasy to the pits of dispair far deeper than even Schindler's valley, and all in 24 hrs. The slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune really seem to like the Amiga community, but when they are fired from our own supposed masters, then it just freaks me out.

If you don't know, follow these simple instructions

1 - http://www.qnx.com/amiga/
2 - read Collas's latest on the Amiga website
3 - get a big bottle of Vodka and go out shooting rocks

The first good news in years from QNX, that they have had 40 ppl working on adding enhancements to their cutting edge RTOS to make it more consumer friendly, that they will launch a full featured developer support program, that they want the community to come over and develop for it. Most importantly, that they will have product to ship.

And then Amiga Inc pulls the rug out from under them. QNX will no longer be the partner. Linux is a better alternative. Give me a break. The community has spent the last 9 months tearing the QNX site apart, gobbling up its data, demos, and manuals, learning all about the company, characters, partners and projects. We like QNX. It is very amiga like, very advanced. The company is friendly and fun, and most of all they care about their community and their technology.

And now Amiga Inc has shafted them.

Technically, they are just plain wrong. Morally, I find it repugnant that they would do this, not just to another company, but to the community. Leading us along for 2 years, telling us wonderful things as no products were forthcoming, and then telling us we are going to Linux.

What a farce.

Amiga Inc may have the name of our platform, but they do not have our hearts or even our best interests at heart. We have always suspected they wanted to dumbsize the Amiga, so that Ma and Pa kettle could buy beans over their TV, but this is the final straw for me. I am signing up for the QNX developer program, and I hope many others will as well.

We are a community, and as such we have some pride, and some value. Amiga Inc had their chance with us and this announcement is the final straw. I see in QNX maybe a new way forwards - a full featured, advanced OS that, whilst rough, can grow to meet the community as the community grows to meet it.

In six months time, we could have community products, shareware, PD running on our new boxes, stuff from World Foundry, Delsyd, Digital, Paul Nolan, Tornado, Cloanto, Nova, A.C.T, and maybe even running on PPC boxes, if we could persuade QNX to go that direction. Hell, we could be like a real platform again.

Sorry Jim, but that was your last shot. Hello Dan, tell us what you've got.

Fleecy Moss

Neil's Comment

What Fleecy (ex employee of Amiga) says is true, in part. The Linux announcement was delivered in the most abysmal way, ditching QNX so close to the finalisation of the product. But Jim does care about the Amiga community. Why else would be waste precious time writing these announcements and things. Bear in mind that this was written before the Technology Brief, so when we have the technology brief, that'll also be commented on.

Jim's Comeback"

Jim's Response on comp.sys.amiga.misc

Taken from comp.sys.amiga.misc. Written by Jim Collas, replying to someone's support for the Linux decisio

I don't blame people for being upset about this decision. The frustration is understandable given all that the Amiga community has been through. It's unfortunate that I inherited a situation that has been mismanaged for so long and a community that has justifiably lost it's patience. It gives me very little room for error and corrections. It is frustrating that people associate me with all of the mistakes and delays of the past. This is the first major change I have made in my 5 months as president. It is also frustrating that people think that we led QNX along and then dumped them. People shouldn't assume that the Amiga/QNX deal died solely because of Amiga. There were differences of opinion on strategy and implementation and we spent months trying to negotiate an agreement. Linux started as our back-up plan just in case and ended up as the preferred choice. The Linux decision is a good decision for many reasons that I can't fully go into. I think people will see this in time. Meanwhile, I will just keep focused on getting to the next generation.

Sincerely,
Jim

Jim's Comeback

As you can imagine, I have been following the newsgroups closely as you discuss the Linux decision. The personal attacks on me are discouraging but I can't blame some people for being very angry. It's understandable given what the Amiga community has been through in the last few years and the way this situation unfolded. I wish I could have managed this situation better but I have been traveling a lot and QNX blindsided us with their announcement. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were planning to communicate the Linux decision along with our technical brief. I don't want to argue the Linux decision here because you need to understand the full picture first and the technical brief should help this. I would like to address a few misunderstandings that I am seeing in the postings. Whether you agree with the Linux decision or not, misinformation and inaccurate speculation will only confuse the situation. I would like you to understand the following:

1) There have been multiple comments about how Amiga led QNX on and then dumped them. Some of these comments imply a lack of ethics on our part. These comments aren't accurately portaying the situation. I am very ethical and won't tolerate unethical behavior at Amiga. We delt with QNX ethically and above the table. People shouldn't assume that the Amiga/QNX deal died solely because of Amiga. There were differences of opinion on strategy, implementation, and licensing terms that we spent months and months trying to negotiate. I stepped into the middle of this and was personally involved in the negotiations for over four months. Linux started as our back-up plan, just in case we couldn't reach an agreement, and it ended up as the preferred choice. I can't go into details but remember that things aren't as simple as they seem from the outside.

2) The comments that bother me the most are the ones questioning my ethics and motivations. With Amiga, I inherited a situation that has been mismanaged for years and a community that has justifiably lost its patience. It is frustrating that people associate me with all of the mistakes and delays of the past. This gives me very little room for errors and corrections. I have been president of Amiga for five months and this Linux decision is the only major shift I have made. In hindsight, I could have better managed the communication on this situation but there is an incredible amount going on and I am only human. I will screw some things up. The surprise from QNX didn't help. I have been open and straight with the community in every situation. Amiga has made more progress in the last five months than had been made in the last five years. Remember that we aren't just developing a product. We are building a substantial company to compete in this aggressive industry. This in itself is no small task. In summary, give me a break. Please.

3) There are many inaccurate perceptions about the size, stability, and performance of the Linux OS. I initially ruled out Linux because I had the same perceptions. There are so many options and configurations with Linux that it is difficult for people to get a handle on it. This is why we spent months evaluating it before making any conclusions. The core Linux OS is better than people think it is. QNX is better at a few things and Linux is better at others. Try not to make assumptions about the current state of Linux without details. I have asked Allan Havemose to summarize our Linux evaluation for you.

I hope this will help clear up some of the inaccurate statements. I expect that some people will continue to slam me and our decision. I understand that this level of frustration doesn't go away over night. All I ask is for people to take the time to read and understand our technology brief when it comes out.

Sincerely,
Jim

Neil's Comment

I have to agree, the personal attacks on Collas are not only discouraging, but disgusting. The Amiga public are used to let downs, but this isn't an excuse for the comments made about Jim. Nor is the decision a 'let down'.




Dan Dodge's Announcement
Dan Dodge
CTO, QNX Software Systems

Last November at Computer 98 in Cologne I promised to deliver an advanced operating system that would once again put Amigans at the forefront of technology. Over the past 7 months we have had a team of over 40 engineers working towards making that promise and vision a reality. We are now in the final stages of development and are poised to put these new technologies into the hands of thousands of serious, enthusiastic developers like yourself.

QNX is often compared to UNIX, LINUX and BSD. We do share the same POSIX APIs, and most code written for these systems ports easily to QNX, but the resemblance ends there. Based on 20 years of OS experience, QNX has a radically more advanced architecture. It's a massively scalable, multi- threaded, fault-tolerant, realtime OS designed for devices and computers of any type or size. QNX provides a unique network architecture where large full-service protocol stacks aren't required on each computer and devices plugged into the network are simply "discovered" automatically by other devices - all services and peripherals of the new device can then be used by any other device in the network. QNX is also the only self-hosted RTOS where the development environment and the runtime target environment are the same. And though we're not open source, we adopt an "open source" policy for hardware-specific drivers. This allows us to continually support the latest hardware advances, while still maintaining control of core technology. More importantly, it ensures QNX has a focused vision for the future.

If you haven't visited our web site before, I invite you to look at the QNX Realtime OS and Photon microGUIŽ. If you'd like to dig a little deeper, we've included some screen shots of the exciting new look-and-feel for Photon below (click on the image to expand). We've also put the new QNX Neutrino System Architecture manual online.

In a nutshell, QNX is the core and Photon the graphical environment for our new OS foundation:

QNX - Supports POSIX thread services, MMU protected memory for all applications and drivers, variety of file systems (QNX, flash, DOS, CD/DVD-ROM, etc.), TCP/IP stack, transparent distributed networking, and development libraries.

Photon microGUI - Complete windowing system with full Unicode support for integrated internationalization. Also includes visual application builder (PhABTM), powerful development environment (layered libraries, over 50 widgets, built-in image support, online documentation, etc.), web browser, multimedia player, 3D graphics, and gaming support.

Although Photon represents a unique new graphical environment, it works seamlessly with existing windowing systems. You can, for example, connect to a Photon desktop from a Windows desktop or connect to a Windows desktop from a Photon desktop. And because a large number of existing source bases use the X Window System, we allow developers to compile an application for X and then run the application under Photon.

QNX Developers Network for Amigans
To deliver this technology to Amiga developers, we're creating the QNX Developers Network for Amigans. Qualified Amiga developers will receive, at no charge, a complete beta development package that includes the QNX Realtime OS, a suite of state-of-the-art multimedia technologies, the unique network-distributed Photon microGUI, and a self-hosted development environment. We will also create a dedicated online newsgroup, as well as a web site to provide technology updates and previews.

Initially, we're looking for beta sites interested in porting existing applications or writing new applications. Companies and individual developers are both invited to join - the only thing we ask is commitment. We want active beta testers, not tire kickers, who will promise to provide valuable feedback.

Of course, commitment goes both ways. So in addition to starting this program, we will, as of now, become active and vocal in all the appropriate newsgroups and magazines. We're looking forward to being a fully active member of the Amiga community, and to working closely with Amigans to create the next revolution in multimedia computing.

Initial Release
Our initial beta release will be for x86 PCs. While this hardware platform may, at first, seem undesirable to some of you, remember that most QNX applications and device drivers are source-identical across CPUs and boards. As a result, any work done on x86 will migrate easily to any other supported platform. We chose x86 because it's the hardware solution most widely available at low cost in the time frame that we wish to release the first beta - this Fall.

World Of Amiga Linux Evaluation

What this all means

You probably know by now that Amiga have sensationally ditched QNX for what seems to be a very bad reason. The Amiga public discussed nothing more for days after the event. Many thought it was a bad move, and since Amiga Inc. seem to have no strong reasoning behind the move, I'm inclined to agree with them. Mr Collas has already been called 'killer of the Amiga' by various members of the Amiga community because of this decision.

So, their apparent lack of reason behind the change to Linux technology could spell the end for the Amiga? Or could it. Consider this. Linux is well established in the computing world, indeed threatening Microsoft's Windows line of Operating Systems. It is well supported, free and includes lots of good features. And no doubt it will include extra bells and whistles from Amiga themselves. So where's the difference between this and QNX?

There really isn't one when you look into it. You can already get Linux for the Amiga, which makes it seem a bit pointless. Although, as mentioned, the official Amiga version should have extra Amiga specific bits added to it.

"We really do need the OS to be significantly different from other platforms to make it interesting... and QNX filled that spot nicely. QNX allowed simple porting of Linux software as it was.... So how the hell are the going to be able to get the OS out for the new hardware in time?" - Ashley Scott. Satanic Dreams Software

I agree with that point. It's something I put to Mr Collas in an email I sent to him. Whether he will reply or not is a totally different matter. No doubt that he'll have thousands of Emails to reply to about the subject once it became public knowledge on the 9th July 1999.

"Amiga were saying at Cologne that the QNX system would be revolutionary, a real time OS that would really be real-time, perfect for multimedia. With all the bells and whistles that will be added to Linux it is still not something as new and special as the QNX based OS could be." - John Hart - Amiga User

Agreed. Linux IS being used, and offers the same things as QNX would have, but Linux doesn't have the same appeal or as many things that could really have been extra-special. However, I've just received the news from QNX that they still intend to go ahead with their realtime operating environment for the Amiga. "QNX developer pleas for Amiga community support" was on the QNX website just a few short hours after the announcement.

However, those who can afford the massive one and a half thousand pound price tag for the development software will no doubt be plased, but that kind of excludes the rest of us. It's an extra 200 quid if you want manuals!!! The QNX beta will, apparently, ship in the autumn, initially on the x86 platform, "the hardware solution most widely available at low cost in the time frame that we wish to release the beta." So at least the PC users get a decent OS out of all this.

"We did what we said we'd do, Dodge appears to be saying, but Amiga has still turned away from us -- everyone in the Amiga community should make sure it doesn't get away with it." - Daniel Thornton. This is very true. Everyone seemed to be getting excited about the forthcoming release of the new software and hardware, only to be told by Jim Collas that they're ditching the QNX technology, which must have been nearing completion, in favour of Linux! A move that will surely delay the new computers by at least 6 months.

"This is bad... very bad... because it is going to undermine the whole NG project andthe credibility of Amiga & Gateway and completely destroy the little confidence in Amiga that is left..." - Alan Day - Amiga User. The Amiga users which have voiced their opinions in various forums seem to be speaking of this event as a bad thing, when infact, when you look at it, isn't.

For a start, we're going to land up with two new seperate OS's. QNX are still making theirs for the Amiga, and we'll get this Linux variant. Secondly, remember than this Linux variant ISN'T Linux. It's the kernel, but not the operating system. Finally, perhaps all the hype and hysteria generated by this will make Amiga realise they need to keep their communication channels open with the public.

One very strange, and some may suggest, very consipirative, happened the day the news was broken. The Amiga.com and Amiga.de websites went down. They're back up now, but for one moment there, some of the more dramatic people in the Amiga world thought the end of the Amiga had come. Not true, I must add.

"One advantage of Linux over QNX: A lot of people already use Linux in the real world - aren't the general public going to accept a machine with an existing, well established OS rather than a relatiely unknown? People go with what they know - that's why the PC has been so successful; it could do the same for the Amiga." - Rob Marris - IBM UK. This is possibly the most sensible approach so far. Indeed, lots of people use Linus as opposed to Windows, which ideally could be the saviour of the Amiga. If the Amiga comes back with a Linux based OS, rather than something no-one has used before, maybe there'll be more sales, and more new users.

Anyway, after a day, most people are now comfortable with the idea. There's not a lot they can do about it anyway. It's a case of like it or lump it. And most people have seen the light and see that Linux could do just as well as QNX. It's really just Amiga's timing which cocks the whole thing up.

QUOTES FROM WOA

I'm in disbelief. I don't think Linux is a bad choice, but I wonder if the 40 full-time QNX engineers were working on the kernel specifically for the new Amiga, or if they were just doing their own development anyway, and Amiga was along for the ride. I think the QNX graphical model (QNX Photon) is very interesting, and they make a great RTOS. I just got contacted for being a beta tester, so I wonder what to do now.

Joe Solinsky

Linux Annoucement

Dear Amigans,

After months of research and in-depth discussions with all of our technology partners we have decided to use Linux as the primary OS kernel for the new Amiga Operating Environment (OE). I know this decision is a shock to many of you given the previous announcements and activities relative to QNX. This was a very complicated and difficult decision to make and I assure you that I didn't make this decision without a significant amount of research and deliberation. We have been researching Linux since February but didn't finalized our decision until several weeks ago. We were planning to communicate it to the Amiga community in the technology brief that will be released in the next few days.

I am pressed to communicate the Linux decision before the technology brief because of information released by QNX in the last few days. This information had not been reviewed or approved for release by Amiga. In light of our Linux decision, this information is confusing and misleading so I would like to take the time to clarify the situation. I can't disclose any details of the Amiga/QNX discussions because of legally binding confidentiality agreements but I can talk to you about our decision to use the Linux kernel. I think that you will agree that this is the right decision once you understand the reasons for this decision.

Before I continue, I should mention that our technology decision does not reflect negatively on QNX. I believe that QNX is a good company with great technology. I just believe that Linux gives us a better chance of executing our plans successfully.

The decision to use QNX as our OS partner on our next generation multimedia convergence computer (MCC) was made late last year. When I took over as president of Amiga in February of this year, I initiated an in-depth review of existing Amiga plans and decisions. As president of Amiga I had to make sure that we were defining a strategy and an execution plan that would allow Amiga and the Amiga community to be successful. We reviewed our strategy, architecture decisions, technology partners, and execution plans. During this review period we also added a number of very talented and experienced people to help us finalize our technology and product decisions. I am confident that we now have a solid and exciting plan that people can have confidence in.

Linux has been picking up substantial momentum over the past year as a viable, open OS alternative in the marketplace. This momentum, the growing commitment to Linux applications from a wide variety of software vendors, and the growing availability of Linux device drivers from hardware vendors, makes it a compelling candidate. Additionally, with all of the significant component suppliers putting resources on writing drivers for Linux it was difficult to get them to port to yet another operating system. Using the Linux OS as a foundation for our Amiga OE allows us to leverage a significant amount of available software drivers and utilities. This allows us to quickly support multiple graphics cards and other peripherals.

Given the above-mentioned advantages, we decided to do an in-depth technical analysis of Linux to determine if it was a suitable OS kernel for our new Amiga operating environment (OE). As we ported parts of our higher level operating environment and AmigaObjectTM architecture to Linux, we discovered some significant performance advantages in the Linux kernel in areas such as distributed object messaging across a network (up to 10X the performance of Windows NT). Although Linux configurations can be very large in size, the core pieces of the Linux kernel are actually very small and efficient. In considering hardware requirements we also found companies working on hardware components that were optimized for the Linux kernel. Additionally, Linux is probably the most stable operating system available in the market. After months of in-depth research we were confident that we could build an extremely exciting next generation Amiga based on the Linux OS kernel.

Does this mean that the next generation Amiga will not be unique? Absolutely not! Remember that the OS kernel is only one component of the new Amiga OE and the hardware is unique. The revolutionary nature of the Amiga OE is in the way it extends the traditional operating system to provide a host environment for a new class of portable applications applications that exist in a pervasive networked computing environment. We will be integrating multiple technologies including an efficient windowing environment and a unique user interface.

In summary, we decided to use Linux because of the incredible momentum and the fact that it is solid technology and a good foundation for our new Amiga OE. Additionally, the Linux community is an impressive force that we should be aligned with. We share many common values and objectives with the Linux community. Using Linux as our OS kernel allows us to build a unique and revolutionary operating environment while leveraging the enormous momentum of Linux.

The soon to be released technology brief will further explain our architecture and plans for integrating all of the selected technology. Once you read it, I am confident that you will understand the revolutionary nature of the next generation Amiga. I assure you that Amiga and the Amiga community will be a driving force behind the next computer revolution.

Sincerely,
Jim Collas
President, Amiga