More news in AmigaLand?

First of all, this newspage is different in look and form to the previous ones. Why? Is this something new we're trying out at the Ripper?

No! Some simple reasons! I've had some real bad luck myself with my computer, loosing all data and computer in one blow. Second, I hardly had any time at all to look for news this time. Third, and you won't believe this, there's just to much news this time to cope with!

New software releases

Traditionally, software writers came "just in time" for the home electronics show in Cologne, with new releases. Some of the real big ones, where everybody and his dog have been waiting for:
NETCONNECT 3: This compilation of internet software by well known Vapor authors, promises to be even better than NetConnect 2. It came so "just in time", that I found Jürgen Haage, boss of the German distributors for NetConnect3, sticking the labels with serial numbers in the CD-covers at the back of the Haage&Partner stand, with the partners selling the software to the customers. The release apparantly was so just in time, that a special mail delivery of the CD-R's arrived in Germany two days before the show, and the serial numbers actually arrived by UPS on the morning of the first day of the show! You can read in this very same mag if it is really the release we've all been waiting for.

OS3.5: Not "brand new" for the show, but still the runner of the show. What can be said about it that has not already been said? Actually, a lot, and you can read it in our review in this mag. Petro was telling everybody that "we need to sell more of OS3.5", and that the users needed to show their support in this way. Actual sales numbers are kept a secret, but according to Jürgen Haage they match their expectations, and sales are still continuing.

PAGESTREAM 4: Actually still in a beta stage, SoftLogik decided this version stable enough to warrant a release on CD, which made it, again, just in time for the show. And again, a review can be found somewhere in this mag. Since the show the first update already appeared, and SoftLogik is working on the next update (which will of course be free for registered users), which should contain a printed manual! :)) Not only the printed manual is kind of a novelty these days in Amiga Software land, what's even more impressive: PageStream 4 comes in three flavours: Mac, Windows and Amiga. Yep, you read it right. You can now work on the PC at work, take your work home, continue working on your Amiga on the same program, not getting the overtime paid!

ImageFX 4: Nova Design came with ImageFX version 4, which builds on their premium software ImageFX. New are, among others, an animation module. At the same time, they announced that as of directly Haage&Partner computer GmbH will be distributors for NOVA design in Germany. Looks like mr. Haage is slowly becoming the Bill Gates of Amiga. Comment from Jürgen Haage when I asked him if he felt like the Bill Gates of Amiga: "If I would have 1 percent of his income, I could save the Amiga" :)

Tornado3D 3: After a long delay, this 3D rendering software appeared. It's still early days though, and I can't honoustly comment on how well it performs. Rather than making software that runs on your bog standard A1200, PPC and Graphics card are required to make some use of this software. The owner of EyeLight, who publishes this software, reckons that anyone serious about 3D work should also have the hardware to use it.

IBrowse 2: IBrowse is taking up the battle of the browsers, in their long awaited version 2 (.1). Look for a review in this issue of the Ripper!
 

New hardware releases

Come on, get real. Nothing to get excited about. No boxer, no IWin, certainly no Amiga. But an IBM PPC could be seen running AmigaOS. And Petro said that his hopes for the year 2000 are that an AmigaOS 4 would be written that would run natively on such a machine. Speculations are of course running high on who will be writing such an OS 4, and Petro has been talking to one of Germanys leading software developers about it. Alas I am told not to say anything more about who this might be, let alone mention release dates or something like that, but you will read about it in the Ripper first. Better still, subscribe to the mailing list, and you will here any news b4 anybody else will hear it.
 

Last show?

It has been said that this will be the last show of it's kind in Cologne. Next year should probably see an Amiga only show in Bonn, Germany. Main reason for this is the prizes asked by the Cologne people, and the dropping amount of visitors of the show.
 

Rumours


Rumours have it that Active Technology (of NetConnect and STFax fame) have stopped trading, and that Eyetech now sell the NetConnect bundle. Active is said to concentrate on development only, which looks kind of funny to me, since they never developed anything, they only sold what other people (Vapor) made? As you see from the heading, this is a rumour. Chris Wiles, managing director and actually all staff of Active, has been unavailable for comment. Fact is that they haven't advertised in the two only printed mags anymore, and that Chris hasn't answered any questions on this subject on the NetConnect mailing list.

On the games front things are starting to look brighter again. Games are again converted to Amiga, such as Simon the Sorcerer 2. Let's hope this is not a one time rumour. Of course, rumours immediately got out that SettlersII and a couple of other games will also be converted to Amiga, but even the companies who should be converting them either don't answer to questions, or contradict their own words the very next time I talk to them.
 

Well, that's it for this time. Only thing left is to wish you a good X-mas, and see you in the next year!