I think bplan are not much into MorphOS either.
Why should they, it for sure will not be an overly successfull product.
But this is what is needed to make money. That they could do by supporting AmigaOS4.
Now, there is a slight chance, that, when phase5 went bust and some of its survivors
founded bplan that somehow a talented young programmer was taking part on this party.
This was R. Schmidt. At these days, nothing was clear. MorphOS could have been the
new AmigaOS. They pokered but failed (this one game). Then, still, with MorphOS they
would have some nice niche product, most probably of above average quality. For sure something
you do not want to drop just so....
But - trying to hold their little OS (and Ralph), they need to show sharp edges:
No AmigaOS on Pegasos (I am pretty sure we will not see it on Pegasos within the next two years)
Deciding that Pegasos would run AmigaOS would be like falling into Ralphs back.
So, Amiga market has gone for bplan.
MorphOS market will stay a hobbyists market, some true believers around the Vapor and
CyberGraphics crowd (all very talented, but too few to build up critical mass).
So, no money from the Amiga market (but maybe a law suit), no money in the MorphOS
market (selling a few thousand boards every two years won't help them).
So, what is left ? From the very beginning bplan was into another business:
The industry. Their product is extremly (!) promising !!!!! It is actually the
only _interesting_ and solid PPC board on the free (non Apple) market.
I dunno how this industrial market looks like (except, that custom solutions
are always a high need), but they are mostly either wall mountable, atm or SBC.
None are desktop like....
One advantage of the Pegasos is that it is an EU product, and not only EU, it
is a product in Germany. Germany (nation of engeneers) has always been very open
to new and alternative "devices". (Amiga, SuSe, Schneider CPC, big Linux crowd, CCC).
Just as the British (Amstrad, Tandy, Amiga etc.) There will be some market for Pegasos/MorphOS,
I am pretty sure. But will it be enough ? Enough to keep a company running ?
I'd say: Their big market would be the industry, but probably without MorphOS.
Or probably a whole niche market (with industrial applications) will raise on MorphOS.
Who knows...!? But it won't be *our* market and I am pretty sure, the once Amiga
crowd, who now hopes for MorphOS will consist out of a few programmers, who prefer
to earn money (writing stuff for the industry) instead of 'using' the machines.
Or - none of all this happens and bplan proves again:
Big talent buried within small and tight egocentric minded personalities.
Remember how they wanted to create the SuperComputer ? (Carpiranha or so ?)
How they thought, that a little niche market company will lead the Amiga into the future ?
This is the main problem with those guys:
They are sort of a garage company, by means of their size. Excellent engeneers !
Excellent craftsman !
But they want to change the world, dominate the market with their innovation/invention.
They wanted to do so back in phase5 days now they want to do so with bplan.
Why I think that ?
Well, every Sane Brain(tm) would GO! for AmigaOS now. That is much more a market,
with a relative chance to grow ! But they are not sane, they are megalomanic.
And since they can't go BIG!(tm) now they prefer to sit in the corner and say:
"Boooh, we can be alone without you, we can go our own way...."
And mabe they end up at the same point as phase5.
No Pegasos pre-orders for me. Either I get stuff that is in-stock or not.
Oh, and just if some bplan member reads this:
I WANT a Pegasos. And probably I will buy one, even without AmigaOS4 (though, the chances
have halfed, if OS4 would run on Pegasos I would buy one for *sure*).
I will use it for a niche solution I plan to do, but it will definatly run Linux,
simply because all the programs I need are already available only on Linux.
The only reason for me to buy a Pegasos is, that I do not know of any other
mobo, that has a comparable size, runs probably fanless at similare CPU power
and connectivity. |