%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% CEI Conference on Portal %%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
[Amiga Report organized a conference with CEI, held on Portal, Tuesday,
September 27th. It was a considerable success, and AR would like to thank
CEI for attending and Portal, particularly Harv Laser, for allowing it to
take place. Extra-special credit goes to Katie Nelson, who spent hours
editing this into a presentable form.]
>This conference transcript is Copyright 1994, The Amiga Zone,
>all rights reserved.
>
>Amiga Report magazine is hereby granted exclusive non-commercial
>distribution rights.
>
>Commercial reprinting or redistribution of this transcript is
>expressly forbidden without permission. Write to "harv@cup.portal.com"
>if you are a commercial magazine who wishes to publish any or all
>of this transcript.
>
>Do not perform any further editing on this transcript without
>first obtaining written permission.
>
>These people attended the CEI Conference on Portal on 9/27/94.
>Each person is listed as "account name (chat handle)" and
>those whose names you might/will/should know are notated below.
>
>The conference lasted over two hours. Superfluous comments,
>hellos and g'byes, and other stuff have been edited out.
>
>
> Amiga2 (CEI-Alex) <-- our guest speaker, Alex Amor, Pres., CEI
> AmiGadget (AmiGadget) <-- Jay Gross, software publisher/book author
> Andrew Wallace Lyon (Andrew Wallace Lyon)
> Andy - Finkel (Andy - Finkel) <-- former Commodore engineer
> AVID (AVID) <-- Jim Plant, Publisher, VTU magazine
> CaptnBilly (CaptnBilly)
> CarmenR (CarmenR) <-- crazed artist
> Cine (Cine)
> CliffG (CliffG)
> Dale - Cozort (Dale - Cozort)
> DeckApe (DeckApe)
> Demon (Demon)
> DeVoid (DeVoid)
> Dpaint-Demon (Dpaint-Demon)
> DrTed (DrTed)
> Dsx (Dsx)
> dtiberio (dtiberio) <-- the "area 52" guy
> Ed - Vishoot (Ed - Vishoot)
> gsarff (gsarff)
> Harv (Harv) <-- Amiga Zone Sysop & Host
> hazy (hazy) <-- Dave Haynie, ex-CBM, now Scala
> HOWARD L GAZES (TheDuck)
> Izzy (Izzy)
> jcompton (jcompton) <-- Ed., Amiga Report & Co-host
> JeffW (FPW)
> Jeovane - Alonso (Jeo)
> John D Short (Jodash)
> jpawluk (jpawluk)
> jrcarey (jrcarey)
> Jumpdisk (Jumpdisk) <-- Contrib. Editors, JD Magazine
> Kenneth Christian Dyke (KenD) <-- ex-CBM, now Electronic Arts
> Kermit (Kermit) <-- Nova Design/ImageFX
> Kevin L Thomas (Kevin L Thomas)
> Kirk (Kirk)
> KyleW (KyleW)
> LadyHawke (LadyHawke) <-- Julie, Classic Concepts
> lance (lance)
> lbperez (Luis B.)
> LouDiMarco (LouDiMarco)
> LUIS (LUIS)
> Lyonking (Lyonking)
> M-S (M-S)
> Milestone (Milestone)
> MustangVR (MustangVR)
> NES-Bill (NAG)
> PKB (PKB)
> plav (plav)
> Prolific (Prolific) <-- Jeff Lindstrom, Prolific Inc.
> Rabel1 (Rabel1)
> rharbert (Russ)
> RickB (RickB)
> rjhanson (rjhanson)
> RJUHL (RJUHL)
> RLStockton (RLStockton) <-- Richard Stockton, Gramma Software
> Robert-CCN (Robert-DuGaue)
> Ron M Harper (Ron M Harper)
> Scheif (Scheif)
> shawnZm (shawnZm)
> SkyPilot (SkyPilot)
> soft-logik (soft-logik) <-- Kevin Davidson, S-L online support
> T-Water (T-Water)
> ted-c (ted-c)
> Teletran (Teletran)
> TimWalsh (TimWalsh) <-- Editor, Amiga World magazine
> Wizard0 (Wizard0)
> xeglon (xeglon)
> ZAPPER (ZAPPER)
Harv: WE ARE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT THE AMIGA'S FUTURE.
OUR GUEST TONITE WILL HOPEFULLY HAVE SOME FRESH INFO FOR US.
HE IS A MAN WHO MAY VERY WELL END UP BEING THE MAKER OF AMIGAS.
SO WITHOUT ANY MORE OF THIS...
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU, PRES. OF CEI, MR. ALEX AMOR. WELCOME,
ALEX... IF THER ARE OTHERS WITH YOU, PLEASE INTRODUCE THEM TO US?
CEI-Alex: Thank you Harv!
Harv: NO INTROS?
CEI-Alex: No intros.
Harv: AS MODERATOR, I WILL ASK THE FIRST QUESTION.
ALEX - WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS "BIDDING" GOING
ON... INVOLVING YOUR COMPANY.... DAVID PLEASANCE OF C=UK....
AND OTHERS....
CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US EXACTLY WHER THINGS STAND RIGHT NOW,
HOW MANY BIDDERS THERE ARE AND IF YOU CAN SAY WHO THEY ARE?
CEI-Alex: To date I am aware of at least three parties who are
interested in acquiring the Amiga technology, they include the UK
management team, a German concern and ourselves.
lance: is there any truth to a card being mfg to pop into a pc?
CEI-Alex: No, there are a lot of rumors but nothing definite on a pc card.
lance: all i want is one simple answer did a deal go thru in favor of the
Amiga being continued?
CEI-Alex: NO, a final deal for the acquisition of C= is not complete...
the reality is that who ever buys c= will end up manufacturing Amigas..
It makes economic sense.
RLStockton: When do you expect to know who has made the winning bid?
CEI-Alex: Final negotiations are ongoing...a decision is expected towards
the end of October. I wish it could be completed sooner,but you know...
the lawyers.
Harv: [[ BRIEF INTERRUPTION, WELCOME TO KEN DYKE AND DAVE "HAZY"
HAYNIE, FORMER COMMODOR EENGINEERS! PLEASE WITHHOLD
HELLOS FOR NOW. THANK YOU ]]
RLStockton: isn't that the same thing we heard in August?
CEI-Alex: You didn't hear that from me.. we have no choice at times but
to laugh at the rumors.. I remember when Samsung had completed the deal
hehehe.
PKB: Alex... if you win... what are your plans for the loyal amiga users
and users groups?
CEI-Alex: Its' obvious that the core group of Amiga loyalist are a great
asset to who ever ends up owning the technology. Each and every Amiga
owner can become a salesperson for the Amiga. The new company needs to
dedicate resources to assist the owners and individuals who make up the
Amiga community.
Robert-DuGaue: First of all, Hi Alex! We all appreciate you taking the time
to chat with us! Ok, this will probably cover a lot of questions right
off. :-) Should CEI come out on top of the bidding, what are your plans
for the Amiga? Likewise, do you have backup plans should CEI come up
second?
CEI-Alex: The first item of business is to fill the huge gap left by C=,
this means restarting production of the A4000T (Yes T) and the A1200.
In addition it is extremely important to jump start the engineering
team and move the technology forward...things like 3D Risc and RTG are
crucial if the Amiga is to survive in the long term.
Kermit: Thanks for being here tonight Alex. My questions: could you outline
for us your future plans (hopes/dreams) for new Amiga technology, the
Amiga market, and for developer relation and support?
CEI-Alex: Your question is all encompassing.....
Kermit: (I do my best)
CEI-Alex: It's easy to look at C= and learn from their mistakes... The
following are important to being successful with the Amiga:
Engineering, User-support, Marketing, and a staff dedicated to a product
they believe in. Each of the above topics require hours of explanation.
dtiberio: Will you license/OEM the motherboards so that small developers
like myself can sell "clone" amigas? It is important to do it in a way
that machines can be built as easily as 486's are built now.
CEI-Alex: I would not rule out licensing the technology and the Amiga...
Commodore's mistake (one of many) was to keep the technology almost
behind closed doors. The more users the merry.
Harv: TIM (ED. OF AMIGA WORLD) WELCOME! YOUR TURN.
TimWalsh: Alex, some rough numbers please on the inventory that exists...
CD32, A4000, A1200, monitors, 8-bit stuff.
CEI-Alex: TIM, does the word ZIP mean anything to you? There are some
CD32 around the world mostly PAL, but that's it.
jcompton: There are so many things...ok, I'll pick one. Right now, I've
got a CD32 streaming tunes out on my stereo. You didn't really say
anything much about them. Do I and thousands of others around the world
get stuck with $400 CD players?
CEI-Alex: No Jason, far from that, the CD32 still remains a viable product.
as you are probably aware there were over 100k units sold without proper
support or accessories. There remains a strong demand for the MPEG unit
which should go into production fairly quickly...once positive movement
is seen within the developers we expect to see a number of new CD based
products.
lance: the questions here around the beltway in DC is this...Laptops,
timeliness of risc tech, friendliness in marketing, software support
from current and future publishers and finally is there any real hope
to believe in the Amiga?
CEI-Alex: The bottom line is the Amiga technology still makes sense. What
was the last time someone played with Windows? There are a number of
opportunities for the existing Amigas and new products in the futures...
NO PC can deliver the perfomance on an Amiga 1200 or CD32 for anywhere
near the price. And on the other side of the spectrum can you imagine
doing video on a PC?
lance: WHAT ABOUT A LAPTOP?
CEI-Alex: With the current technology (according to the engineers), it is
unreasonable to release a laptop without a car battery attached. The
new technology which is inhouse at C= will allow for the production of
laptops in the future.
soft-logik: [I'd settle for a laptop with a 120v AC cord]
hazy: Comment: With RTG in place, you could make a laptop using OTS
parts, sacrifice non-RTG compliant SW.
Dpaint-Demon: Alex, I know one of the most frustrating things being an
Amiga owner is to tell people of the technology and have them ask Omega?
What's that a Clone? What avenues will you take in advertising. TV,
Radio, the such, and what sort of reservses in advertising are we
talking?
CEI-Alex: I know how fustrating that is. The only way around that is to
let the general public know what Amigas are all about... That's usually
accomplished through the magic M word... MARKETING!
To start AGGRESSIVE campaigns in tradeshows, and printads....
slowly develop the market and exploit the niches... what was the last
time you saw Commodore advertise in VIDEO or VIDEOGRAPHY?
Or even AW?
DeckApe: Alex: a two-parter:
1) Money: C= lost millions. Does CEI have the financial horsepower to
first BUY C= then RUN it without hocking all of grandma's jewelry?
2) CEI itself: a publicly held corporation? Is stock available for
purchase? (I know my C= stock is worthless except as a collector
item, but...) If CEI DOES end up owning C=, is there a way I can once
again "own a piece of the rock"?
CEI-Alex: C= was profitable, but those who operated made in unprofitable...
CEI has acquired the financial backing (read partners and investors)
not only to purchase C= but also to fully funds marketing, engineering
and new products.
Part Two: CEI is currently a privately held company. The investors view
a public stock offering two years down the road if we are succesful. By
the way C= stock make wonderful wall paper especially in bathrooms.
Izzy: what kind of restrictions will be placed on you from the creditors if
you win the bid? (or is it an outright purchase of technology?) What,
if any, side deals do you have planned? (ie. C= UK, Newtek, Scala...)
CEI-Alex: The creditors have no control over anything. This deal will be
similar to a chapter 7 us bankrupcty. The assets of C= will be sold to
the highest bidder and there is no need to look back....
As "side deals" are concerned we view that the more people who are
willing to utilize the technology the better. We have excellent
relationships with both Newtek and Scala and look forward to
working with them in the future.
Harv: Alex I have a two part semi-unrelated question for you and it goes
like this.. (1) rumor has it some former employees of the C= philippines
plant are "pirating" amigas on the production line. what do you know
about this if you can say and... (2) is it all or nothing for you and
Pleasance (C=UK bidder) or is there any chance you will split the prize,
e taking uk/europe, you north america?
CEI-Alex: Unfortunately, the rumor of the Philippines is not true. The
banks that currently control the plant do not let individual in or out..
As far as UK's team I have always kept an open door for any proposals
that make sense and assists in the continuation of the Amiga.
Jumpdisk: Does your bid include the entire Amiga line (1200, 4000, cd32)
and how does it differ from C=UK?
CEI-Alex: The bidding process is a closed one. I do not know what the C=UK
is bidding. But, as far as the CEI bid it includes all technologies,
current and past, products, licenses, etc.
Rabel1: The current WB3.1 is being sold for $100-$150 at a few outlets..Any
plan on distributing WB3.1 at a more reasonible rate to more outlets?
CEI-Alex: Currently, the 3.1WB is basically a pirated copy... since the C=
infrastructure fell apart many individuals have violated certain
copyrights and patents. Part of the plan is to introduce a new version
of the operating system properly and price it reasonably....in order to
avoid confusion it could be release as 3.2. This of course would be one
of the first products to hit the stores.
Harv: Alex - if I may jump in here, are you saying that the 3.1 being sold
by Expert Services is illegal? I think they would beg to differ with you.
CEI-Alex: No, I'm not pointing the finger to Expert.. there are a number of
sources selling copies of the diskettes and ROMs with xerox manuals.
Harv: Alex, okay thanks because Expert warned of pirated 3.1s themselves.
Wizard0: Alex,thanks for coming and good luck with your bid. Dave Pleasance
has stated that if C= UK wins, they will be unable to release AAA. What
is your view on this, and do think AAA is still viable? Also any truth
to the rumored 3D-RISC C= was working on? Will we ever see something
better then AGA?
CEI-Alex: I spent sometime with the C= engineers and can tell you that I
don't believe AAA will make the light of day the technology is old and
obsolete (circa 1991)....C= engineers have been working on 3DRISC which
appears to be a winner.. Our efforts will concentrate on this technolgy.
Luis B.: saludos Alex. What are your plans for distributing the Amigas
besides US? And how are you going to distribute the Amiga in Puerto
Rico? I hope you do not do what C= did. NO support, cheaper to mail
ordered them than buy them locally, but then, no warranty.. I am not
talking $300.00 difference, we are talking $1000.00 diference.
Harv: (Luis is in Puerto Rico, if that's not obvious :)
CEI-Alex: In order to sell our investment package to wallstreet we created a
world wide distribution system based on independent distributors
throughout Europe and the Far East. To date we have received over 50
applications from companies interested in distributing, marketing and
supporting the Amiga from around the world. PR will receive the support
and service which its Amiga's customer's deserve.
hazy: I just had a question or two to call on the AAA vs. RISC issue.
One might wonder if the current engineers' recommendations against
AAA is based on the fact that no one involved with AAA is actually left
at C=, rather than its suitability versus a RISC project that is [a] not
Amiga compatible in the least, and [b] not yet in silicon. The RISC
project certainly makes a better CD32. I don't necessarily believe it
makes a better A4000, at least not yet.
CEI-Alex: Hazy, as always we will keep an open mind.. I fully believe that
we need to bring back talent from the past and take a close look at
the future.. Having one or two new products in the four years never made
sense to us... Determining the next step for the Amiga is important.. I
would like to see RTG, faster machines, more slots and all the goodies..
Remember, I not only sell Amigas, I use them too. The processor issue
has to be addressed and I would rather due it sooner than later.
hazy: There's also some question about the RISC project as a game machine,
when compared to Sony Playstation or Nintendo Project Reality.
KenD: [3DRISC is]better, but not good enough - IMHO
Harv: KEN DYKE, ANY OTHER COMMENTS AS A FORMER C= ENGINEER? GA.
KenD: Sure. As some advice to CEI, I strongly suggest that they take a
close look at some of the other soon-to-be-released game platforms
before betting the farm on 3D RISC. I know what 3D RISC was supposed to
be capable of, and my current position lets me play with many of the new
machines on the way. Let's just say that I have my doubts as to the
viability of 3D RISCespecially given that it is not yet in silicon. The
upside of course is that it can still have design work done on it. I
would rather see that stuff in a computer than in a console, anyway.
CEI-Alex: Yes... The major market for the Amigas is the low end personal
computer and the high end video. I certaintly would not bet the farm on
the CD32... This is what Mehdi did and we have all seen what happen...
I think we should move towards a more powerful desktop and perfect our
low end home computers... The CD32 is an important multimedia delivery
platform.
Harv: ANDY FINKEL (ALSO EX-C=) HAS A COMMENT. GO AHEAD ANDY?
Andy - Finkel: Thanks. One comment...the Amiga OS will certainly port
faster to the AAA than to a non Amiga chipset... and the OS is part of
what makes a computer an Amiga.
CarmenR: Alex: If push came to shove in the bidding game, would you
consider joining with C=UK to prevent the technology from going to a
bidder who doesn't want to continue the Amiga line? And what do you
think the odds are of 'push coming to shove' ?
CEI-Alex: Carmenr, we have always left the door open to working jointly
other interested parties. After having some discussions in the early
part of the game they left me with the feeling that they wanted all or
nothing... For this reason we have worked indenpendtly.
jcompton: MODERATOR INTERJECT: For clarity, Alex, who currently holds the
top bid, and as of when is the information?
CEI-Alex: My understanding that as of two weeks ago CEI had the top bid..
At the same time C= was not able to deliver all the goods and we have
been asked to resubmit a new bid for the deliverables.
TheDuck: i never see any mention of the 3000, regardless of the direction
that you take, will it include the inclusion of the 3000? ie: AGA
compatibility etc? thanks
CEI-Alex: Duck, The best way to address compatibility with older Amigas is
to offer an aggressive upgrade program that makes sense to all.... The
small number of 3000s on the market do not make it feasible.
RLStockton: First, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us.
1. Will there be Amigas on sale this Xmas season? 2. Good luck with
your bid!
CEI-Alex:I know you dont want to hear this, but at this time the likelihood
of Amigas being in store shelves by Christmas is none. Our current
schedule calls for machines in Late Feb 95.
Harv: :(
jcompton: Just in time for St. Patrick's Day.
TimWalsh: Alex, you've mentioned DevCons. When ?
CEI-Alex: Tim, Devcons will be held almost immediately after acquisition
both in the US and in Europe. Getting developers back on line is one of
our most important missions!
RLStockton: excellent news!
DeckApe: Good to hear!
jcompton: Back to backwards compatibility. Anyway, any Amiga user doing
just about any sort of OS or chipset upgrade runs into problems, but
with 3DRISC under your command, what sort of loss are we looking at?
Total? Partial? That, and when is the Amiga VIP dinner going to be held
if you win? :)
CEI-Alex: Jason, its too early to tell. Our first goal is to bring back
the current Amigas and to start working towards the next step (68060),
increase performance and fix up some of the problems of the 4000. After
that we'll get old and new engineers and determine the new path.
KenD- Software would be a total loss, I'm afraid. Different chipset,
different CPU.
CEI-Alex: Jason, to follow up... The processor issue will have to be dealt
with.... I do not know what the answer is.
dtiberio: First, are you working with Samsung on the CBM bid?
CEI-Alex: Dave, Samsung appears to be out of the running...
dtiberio: If you get the bid, will you work with 3rd party developers such
as NewTek in order to INTEGRATE newer technologies in the Amiga
(is that a pun)?
CEI-Alex: Yes on the Newtek question. We will work and support all third
party developers. Even people who make help systems hehehe.
Dale - Cozort: The Uk group says that they can get A4000s and A1200s out
by end of November. Care to Comment?
CEI-Alex: If you believe that I have property in the Everglades and a
bridge in Brooklyn I like to sell you.
Dale - Cozort: May I follow up?
CEI-Alex: Yes.
Dale - Cozort: What are the obstacles to that happening? The long pole?
CEI-Alex: Three things...procurement...procurement....procurement....
Parts are simply not available and many require long time periods.
RickB: How long can this bidding last. When do you think it will be final?
and What city will Amiga Inc. be located if you WIN? Good luck!!!
CEI-Alex: I believe we are in the final stages of the bid process, remember
Samsung, Phillips, etc. have all dropped out. The new Amiga technology
company would be based out of the Philadelphia area. There is a good
group of dedicated individuals that understand the Amiga and where it
should go.
Harv: ALEX - WILL IT BE "AMIGA INC." OR DO YOU WANT TO SAY? OR WILL
MFG BE DONE UNDER THE NAME "CEI"? WHAT WILL THE NAMEPLATE/
CARTON SAY?
CEI-Alex: Harv, the working name is currently Amiga Technolgies
International, but as you know this can change.
Prolific: I read on Usenet that Commodore's Westchester assets have been
sold. Does your financing plan include acquisition of the CAD systems
necessary to physically design new hardware?
CEI-Alex: The assets that are necessary to restart engineering operations
currently reside in the Norristown facility. Our bid covers these items.
Prolific: I thought they had been sold.
CEI-Alex: No, the items which were recently sold at the West Chester
facilities were old engineering duplicates and obsolete equipment.
hazy: Comment: All the good engineering equipment went with the
engineers to Norristown.
jcompton: REWARD FOR ANYONE WITH INFORMATION LEADING TO THE PURCHASER
OF THE FLOOR SCRUBBER.
Izzy: 1: What kind of timeline do you see for implementation of your plans
if it's not settled until end of Oct? 2: If so, what would be the
priorities? (ie. 4000T's 1st, 1200's 2nd, new WB 3rd, etc...) 3: Also,
what size of staff can you start off with? (and from where?) 4: How
about packaging a coupon for a free mental stress reduction program with
new Amigas?
CEI-Alex: The new WB almost immediately, the A4000T and 1200
simultenously these should be hitting the store shelve new St Pattys
day (in green of course)..
Private from jcompton to CEI-Alex- Stole my idea, did you?
Izzy: Any chance to get Lucky Charms mascot for Amy? :)
CEI-Alex: As staff is concerned we expect to restart operations with a
coregroup of approximately 70. CEI ran advertisements in the
Philadelphia area for employees and received over 1500 resumes.
I believe we have a good pool to pick from.
KenD: Comment: I think the biggest problem CEI will have is a lack of
senior engineers to help bring new people up to speed on the system.
xeglon: Ok! 1st) Thanks for the bid! (HAIL! HAIL!) 2nd) What kind of
marketing can we look forward to for the amiga platform?? I.e. focus,
US projects, etc.. Any scoop?
CEI-Alex: Our first year of US marketing expenditures are $20M with the
majority being implemented once the product line is complete and
backlogs have been filled... Marketing will be directed towards the
niches, let us become stronger in our markets with slow penetration
into the general markets.
soft-logik: What kind of pricing strategy do you see for high-end Amigas?
Will the 4000 ever be price competitive with 486 clones?
CEI-Alex: The price of the 4000 needs to be decrease while its
performance increased...The A4000 will never be as inexpensive as
the 486s, we should always win when it comes to cost versus
performance.
Luis B.: In a world of PCs/Macs price wars, how competitive the Amiga is
going to become? Are we going to see Amigas '040 for less than
$1000.00?? And what is going to happen once Motorola decides that
the 68xxx line is going to be closed?
CEI-Alex: As I mentioned the Amiga will have to adopt another processor
soon.... The sooner the better. This decision will have to be made by
engineers who fully understand the Amiga.
Luis B.: Are you going to let the engeneers dictate the future of the Amiga
or like old C=, marketing is going to say so???
CEI-Alex: I believe it has to be a cooperative venture between customers,
engineers, marketing, and third party developers.
Harv: ALEX... LEMME KNOW IF YOU FEEL LIKE PASSING OUT. AND WE'LL END IT.
CEI-Alex: Harv, lets do another 15 mins or so, if its ok with u.
TheDuck: Alex, not to harp, but on the subject of upward compatibility,
will the 4000 be compatible with new technology or will it be suplanted
by yet another machine?... i think you just answered that one... but as
my 1000 was quickly suplanted by the 2000, and as my 3000 was quickly
suplanted by the 4000, im a little leary of what to buy...
Harv: THAT'S PROGRESS, DUCK.
CEI-Alex: Its important for the developers and user to try to maintain as
much compatibility as possible.. but remember in order to end up with
the most powerful machine possible at some point in time we will have
to migrate to another processor.
Harv: GO BUY A 1995 CAR WITH THE COMFORTABLE KNOWLEDGE THAT
THEY'RE ALREADY DESIGNING THE 1999 MODELS
KenD: Harv: Yes, but 1999 cars will still run on gasoline and can use
existing roads. :)
TheDuck: unfortunately not always so, remember unleaded gasoline? :>
LUIS: 1. What could possibly be in OS 3.2 thatit has to be released so
soon? 2. As a non engineer who has been waiting for two years for
AAA, lets have it, AGA is no better than IBMs. 3. If you do make a
new machine, how about more slots and possibly a tower version
release at the same time as the desktop model?
CEI-Alex: Number One, releasing the new WB will demonstrate that this
is a new company with new goals, it is also an enhancement over the
3.0 with better printer support, better command sets and a small step
towards RTG.... On the second count, take a look at a 486 based PC
running animations and then compare it with the Amiga 4000 even
after so many years... there is no comparison.... As with the third
question, more slots, more slots.. more slots... we have prototypes of
the Amiga 4000T and boy what a nice machine.
Harv: ALEX I HAVE ONE COMMENT: AN AMIGA WITHOUT EVEN A SMALL HARD
DRIVE IS HELL. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND FOR THE 1200 STRATEGY.
FLOPPY-ONLY SYSTEMS JUST AREN'T TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY COMPUTER
SHOPPERS. (OFF SOAP BOX)
jcompton: Hmm. That means it's my turn.
CEI-Alex: Jason, I do not know who got the floor sweeper.
jcompton: Ok, Alex, two parts since it's my last shot of the night. 1...
jcompton: Are there any major (or, hell, even minor) US electronics/
computer retailers that you've got interested? Software, Etc. was ready
to sell CD32s, so I was told by employees, but then C= blew up...
places like that seem fairly important...
CEI-Alex: Jason, all kidding aside, I have been working on opening up
new avenues for the Amigas. An agreement is in place to sell CD32s
in 12,000 outlets if we are succesful.
DeckApe: Drool.
hazy: Comment: Many deals were made to get Amiga into new markets.
Ali managed to kill them all. THERE IS A MARKET!
jcompton: 2. As for the operating system: When we talked last week,
you fairly enigmatically mentioned "AmigaDOS 5.0", and the chance of
an outside OS...so what, exactly, does all of that mean?
CEI-Alex: As for question number 2, we need to move the operating
unto new platforms... the actual name nor number are really important.
As you know if we can implement RTG and better cross platform
compatibility it would enhance our products.
jcompton: Followup coming: Lots of people on Usenet want to know
if Windows NT is under consideration.
CEI-Alex: Jason, remember I'm not an engineer. To date not to my
knowledge. NT Not Today... Not Tommorrow, Maybe Next Time.
RLStockton: If you can say, what were the parts of the deal that CBM was
"unable" to deliver that forced you to redo your bid? ....and will you
come back here in 60 days or so and talk to us again? ;-)
CEI-Alex: The Phillipine inventory remains under the possesion of the
creditors.
CEI-Alex: Love to come back and make an announcement.
DeckApe: <We'll even buy ya the valium for the next visit! LOL!>
CEI-Alex: Thanks, I need it.
CaptnBilly: Will parts for 2000's etc. be available soon?
CEI-Alex: CEI currently has a large inventory of A2000 parts. Call your
local dealer and let them know.
Harv: alex, my local dealer is frank "creative" khulusi
CarmenR: Alex.... Do you have plans to/will you be able to mention the
smash success of programs like Babylon5 and SeaQuest in your marketing?
CEI-Alex: Good question Carmen, I don't know.. We'll have to let the
marketing types check into that.
Wizard0: Will there be faster version of the A4000 released? 25Mhz just
doesn't cut it. (I'd also like to buy a cheap and fast new cpu card :)
Also, is networking built into 3.2?
KenD: Comment: Maybe CEI should license the Warp Engine. They rock. :)
CEI-Alex: It makes sense to introduce a number of faster versions of the
A4000.... First the 40Mhz followed by a 68060 when it becomes available.
3.2 does not have networking built in. We fully understand the
importance of networking and plan to persue those avenues unlike C=.
Dsx: -- 1. From your perspective, please name say 3 pros and cons for
CEI's involvement over C= UK...and... -- 2. (last question) If you were
*JUST* an amiga enthusiast in the US, who would you prefer getting it
CEI or C=UK? And Why?
CEI-Alex: THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION.....
Dsx: Thanks.
Harv: DSX - #2 SHOULD BE OBVIOUS. C=UK HAS FLATLY STATED THEIR PLANS
TO CONCENTRATE ON THE UK MARKET FIRST AND FOREMOST.
CEI-Alex: When wearing a politician hat I cannot make negative comments
about our competition.... but I can tell you that we have developed a
market. in the past few years, I understand the mistakes of C= and
understand the Power of the Amiga. I not only sell the computers, I
use them too!
DeckApe: "I'm not only the Hair Club President, I'm a client too" (sorry)
hazy: Comment: The last C= manager known to use an Amiga at all was
Henri Rubin, who was replaced by Bill Sydnes. Strangely enough, the
problems started around then...
Harv: (I remember an interview in MicroTimes with former C= President Tom
Rattigan wherein he proudly said "I don't even have a computer in my
office.")
CEI-Alex: If CEI is succesful I can assure you that the US market will not
be ignored. I firmly believe that you must be succesful in the market
to be sucessful in the world.
dtiberio: Will you OEM future Amiga motherboards? You didn't answer
last time :)... Second, what is your relationship with Paravision as far
as the bid goes?
CEI-Alex: Yes, motherboard will be available through an OEM program....
DeckApe: YES!
CEI-Alex: In regards to Paravision we do not have a bid relationship
with them... we simply purchase and distribute their products.
Dale - Cozort: Do the liquidators appear to have any concept of how
much the last five months has decreased the value of what they
are trying to sell? Is there any sense of urgency on their parts?
CEI-Alex: IMHO No,No. Remember, they have no interest in the Amiga
or its users, only paperwork.
jcompton: That does it.
RLStockton: Alex: We hope to talk to you here in a few weeks with good
news for all of us. Thanks again for your time.
dtiberio: Will you hire Dan Barrett to do your print ads?!
Harv: ALEX.. WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR GIVING US TWO HOURS OF
YOU VALUABLE TIME.
jcompton: I'd like to personally thank everyone for coming...particularly
Alex Amor, for flagrantly violating his bedtime to be here with us
answering slews of questions...
Harv: --------------------END OF FORMAL CHAT MODE------------------
[For those of you who made it this far, you may enjoy the bathroom break,
edited out of the main body of the conference:]
CEI-Alex: One Second PLEASE...Nature Calls!!! :)
Harv: [BRIEF INTERMISSION]
Izzy: HoooT! HoooT!
DeckApe: WIZZ BREAK!!!
PKB: good info!!!!
jcompton: I'll join Alex in the virtual men's room...
Harv: [BRIEF INTERMISSION]
SkyPilot: COOL STUFF!
CaptnBilly: Queque Pasa?
DeckApe: <As toilets flush worldwide!>
Izzy: Alex either gots looong arms or a computer in his bathroom!
CEI-Alex: I'm quick..............:)
converted with guide2html by Kochtopf