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[News] Bill McEwen interviewANN.lu
Posted on 09-Sep-2000 13:56 GMT by Teemu I. Yliselä28 comments
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Amiga-news.de have a transcript of an interesting interview with Bill McEwen, made by Coyote Flux. The original in MP3-format can be downloaded here.

Bill McEwen interview : Comment 1 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by B. van der Meer on 08-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
At the end of the interview Bill says that Coyote flux has the best opertunity
to make a port of the AmigaOS to PPC. As Amiga Inc. has talked to H&P about this
I wonder what big plan Coyote flux has to present, as they are relatively new to
the AmigaScene with their products.
Do they have the expertice to do something like that ? You don't do a port in a
holiday vacation.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 2 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by szutoman on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Interesting Interview(-: MMMmmmmm
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 3 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by James Carroll on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
[interview snippet]
ME: No, I don't see that, because you'll be able to run your Amiga Classic on the new system!
CF: Aha, I see, but surely the speed will not be as fast as an original chipset...
ME: Actually it will be FASTER with what we're doing - we're not doing it through emulation.
CF: OK, cause now it's with the Virtual Processor I suppose?
ME: U-huh
[end snippet]
I'm curious. How is classic amiga software going to run on the new AmigaOE, given that its not run by emulation? I take it this is going to remain one of their little secrets until the AmigaOE is released, as they havent *really* been that forthcoming with details when they've mentioned it before.
Also, they say it will be faster.. faster than what? An 060 50mhz? What sort of speeds are we talking about here? And another thing (and most importantly), will the AmigaOE be able to run graphics demos and games, or just OS 3.1 compilant software?
One last thing, will they release the AmigaOE for PPC Amigas? If they do so, and the AmigaOE is able to run all/most classic software, then I dont really see a need for a PPC AmigaOS 3.5 (or updated).
I'm really surprised no ones asked these questions yet. I'd LOVE to know the answers to them.
Any Amiga news sites wanna interview Bill again and put these questions to him?
I dont really want to email him, I'm sure he gets hundreds of emails a day asking all sorts of questions or making suggestions..
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 4 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Carl Mohlin on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
I think the most interesting part is that Bill himself doesn't think that the Boxer ever will ship :-)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 5 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Teemu I. Yliselä on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 4 (Carl Mohlin):
Who does? :)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 6 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Kojak on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
LOL! *whipes tears away out of laughter and sadness*
If the BoXer is never going to be released, we sure have to honour Mick Tinker for his incredible vision. Well, at least he has created a tangible BoXer PCB and released the Access computer, that's more than Amiga Inc. has ever made so far besides that vacuum cleaner thing...lol :)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 7 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Björn Hagström on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 6 (Kojak):
The current Amiga Inc has nothing to do with the vacuum cleaner. That
was made by totally different people. It's a new company now with new
people remember. The company has changes ownership and leaders several
times since then.
/Björn
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 8 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Kojak on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Yes, you are right, I withdraw that comment :)...
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 9 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by nOM on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Dutch people canNOT speak english ;)
I know ... cause i am one :-)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 10 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Carl Mohlin on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 5 (Teemu I. Yliselä):
Not me, but Bill is supporting it =)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 11 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by STRICQ on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Didn't ANYONE catch Bill's comment at AmiWest'00 about how BOOPSI is ALREADY running
on the new OS? He also mentioned that many other 'parts' of the classic OS are
already working under the new OS. As Bill himself said, this is not emulation. There
were many comments of this type made by Bill himself at AmiWest, I guess most of
them were not picked up by those doing show reports. Go back and listen to the
banquet speech, and the interview done by the UGN. Then piece together his tidbits. I heard
several other times in passing.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 12 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Anonymous on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 11 (STRICQ):
Y'know, all those who spent lots of money with its near-useless
PPC boards simply can't stand the fact that their "investments"
will be "past" in a few months time... so what do they do? Piss
off AInc for not supporting classic Amigas anymore... :)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 13 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Mark Olsen on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 12 (Anonymous):
> Y'know, all those who spent lots of money with its near-useless
How do you define "near-useless" ?
My PPC board has served me well, enabling me to do a lot of things my 030 couldn't.
> PPC boards simply can't stand the fact that their "investments"
> will be "past" in a few months time... so what do they do? Piss
> off AInc for not supporting classic Amigas anymore... :)
Why will it be "past" in a few months ? Will they all explode on the same day ?
And about being pissed off, we have tried the thing before with no company backing us up, we can handle it, I think.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 14 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Amifan on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 12 (Anonymous):
I don't care about a PPC OS.....If it comes out i'll buy it, if not...i don't care.....
I use my PowerPC very often......Games, datatypes. music players, 3d render etc...so it's not quite useless...what extra will a ppc OS bring on current HW? context switches remain unless the 68K is emulated. Well,68k will be emulated on any other PPC sollution too (Amijoe). Actually you will be able to run the "next amiga"on the amijoe aswell (please don't start the discussion if it's vaporware or not).
Actually I'm very happy with my setup. I think that most amiga owners are disappointed that not much PPC software appeared. This does not mean that there's more quality 68k released so far. The best games are even PPC only or PPC compatible. Sorry Playing GlQuake,Heretic2, Wipeout2097 and soon shogo and SIN on a 060?? Hahaha this must be a joke. Playing MP3 files on a 060 with my AHI soundcard?? Erm yeah possible...but I want to surf the internet and use a wordporcessor too at the same time.....FAST! So I use AmigaAMP (warpOS) Amigawriter2 (WarpOS) and IBrowse2 with no slowdowns. Maybe encoding a MP3 in the background?....all possible at more then reasonable speeds.
OK, the Amiga hardware is outdated but I bypassed almost every part of it. The original chipset is only used for booting. Next thing is the mediator. HereticII needs a fast gfx card. Not a permedia2 which is slower then software render. MPEGII card, PCI soundcard, maybe even a PCI PPC card?
Why?? I can hear you say "There's almost no PPC software! Waste of money" Erm...true if you compare it with the ammount of 68K software. But it's still more then for the AmigaNG.
I could wait and buy an AmigaOne(until date there's no compagny willing to make that thing) but what if the AmigaNG fails?? Then I have some x86 HW and a good for nothing OS. Run windows, linux?? No way!! I know what I have right now. The AmigaOne is currently in the same situation as the boxer, only GOD knows if it will see the daylight (I and don't even believe in him :) ).
About the boosi thing...This is quite useless for current amiga software. You can't run amiga progs on TAO without porting it to the VP. This can only be done when the amiga is emulated like some form of UAE (this is where Brian King fits into the story)
Bill keeps saying that backward compatibility is not created by emulation.....huh? You can only emulate (create a virtual chip which behaves like the original custom chip) the hardware if it doesn't exsists.
I guess Bill is meaning something like a VA (Virtual Alica) V68k, or VPl (Virtual Paula) next to the Virtual Processor.
Coyote Flux, port the damn OS!!! :)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 15 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by XDelusion on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
First off I hvae not been using my Amiga much lately, waiting to decide how to upgrade it, so I
am afraid I have no clue as to what Boopsi is, can someone tell me?!?!
Also as far as classic softs not being emulated!??!!? Well if you look at it, the whole A
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 16 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by XDelusion on 09-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
First off I hvae not been using my Amiga much lately, waiting to decide how to upgrade it, so I
am afraid I have no clue as to what Boopsi is, can someone tell me?!?!
Also as far as classic softs not being emulated!??!!? Well if you look at it, the new OS looks like
one giant emulation to me, I mean weather or not Bill wants to call it that, that is what it is as far as
I am concerned, but to me it really don't matter, if it can operate with un-noticable speed loss, then GREAT!
That is all matters. Though if you got old softs running in the new OS, then how about a pic of YAM or AMSTER running
in it?!?!
One last thing, didn't Bill sound moody in that interview? :)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 17 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by XDelusion on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
One other thing, in that interview, Bill was saying how the new OS will run classic apps with only a 2% hit, but he
was also saying that everything will be handled by the hardware, and it the hardware is not available, then it will be done
via software, now what I think he is saying here is that either A, classic software has to potential to run on the new OS
at lightning fast speeds if the hardware is present, but if not then it will be a slower process sice the translation will
have to be handled by the software, or...
Or is he talking about an Amiga on a PCI board!?!? :) Ya I wish.
Oh yea, I am pretty well convinced this is emulation, cause he really does not seem to like it when you call it emulation
so that makes me think that that is what it is, he just prefers for it not to be refered to in that way so as not to lose
a croud over it. I mean if it really was not an emulation he would just shrug and say,"wait and see".
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 18 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Sharwin & Rakesh Raghoebardayal on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to comment 1: Perhaps it would be better if you would first approach us (Coyote Flux) before suggesting anything about what we are planning to do. As said in the interview we are not going to do an AmigaOS PPC port on our own. If there will be a license for the port, companies such as Haage&Partner will be responsible for parts of the project. We will focus on porting assembly-programs such as graphics.library.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 19 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by StormLord on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Come on guys just face it: Amiga is JUST for FUN.
If you want NOT to waste your money you know what machine you must buy.....
ALL OF US WE ARE AMIGA FANS and we better be that way...
We MUST support any develop for the current machine because it is the only we have for now.
Why we all have to take so personal what Amiga Inc will do ?
We know what we have and we can find ways to make it better..
Most of us don't want to buy a PC even if it runs classic amiga software faster than current machines..
So I think Amiga Inc if they want to succed and get ALL of us to support them they have to SUPPORT the current machine with their OS.
Because the Amiga was and is the MACHINE, and YOU, the fans.
The Amiga IS NOT a company it is ideology, IT'S US, And NOONE can tell us what an amiga is or what will be.
LONG LIVE AMIGA, Amigos.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 20 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by StormLord on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
a MAC was and IS a MAC
A PC was and IS a PC
why Amiga must be a PC or MAC ?
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 21 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by XDelusion on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 20 (StormLord):
Uhhh because Windows was the only OS available for cheap hardware back in the early 90's when computers really
started to take off, and people started taking them more serious. And because Microsoft did not give Amiga money
like they did to Apple, in exchange for the right to produce software for that platform. Also Apple has been
releaseing new Macs through out the years, and Amiga has not, though I must point out that Mac has become PC,
if you did not notice, Mac now has PCI, and should I mention that the new OS is being written for the x86 as well
as the PPC? Besides, we all know at this point that trying to get the world to change to our standard of platform is
never going to happen, you can tell a person 1 million times that if they buy an Amiga it will last 10/20 + years, but
a PC on the other hand, well you may be lucky to get 10, REAL lucky!!!
I am sorry, the consumer market is dominated not by people who care about quality, but about saving dollers, as the past
20 years has proved.
Now if only Amiga could have dropped a couple thousand off the price tag not to many years ago, then Amiga OS, would be the
one claiming the fame to Multi-Tasking, and User Friendlyness, 10 years before Windows, even began to emulate those options with
its Shared time, and blue screens of death, hell maybe even by now Amiga OS could be CRASH FREE!
But nope... :/
Anyhow it is like you said, we are all in this for phun! File formats have gotten too big for me to play MP3's and mutliple
sessions of Doom on even an old 50Mhz 060. And to be frank, I will never buy into a G4 for my 1200 unless it is only going to
cost me $300 or less, and will support all my current apps (I am sure I can dis-able it if I really wanted to sit around and watch those
old demos and classic games all day. So lets not worry about those and just be realistic.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 22 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Gil Knutson on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
I know it is much too much to expect, but my thougth is that IF anyone is at
all interested in keeping the Amiga alive via PPC, then ALL the people who
are involved simply have to work together. It sounds like there are two
people interested... HP and this CF, however, with our resources spread so
f%^&*()ing thin at the moment, and getting thinner every day, we need these
interested people to stick together and make THE absolute best compromises
between them so that everyones BEST ideas fit together smoothly.
Just my 2cents worth, and I know programmers egos are usually too big, but
I can hope that from the strength of everyones interest that they will create
THE ULTIMATE Classic AmigaOS in PPC!
Gil
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 23 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Karajorma on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 17 (XDelusion):
I get the feeling that when Bill says that classic apps won`t run in emulation he simply means that you won`t have to run UAE and then run OS3.5 on it and then run the app. Instead the OE (DE, OS whatever they`re calling it today) will run the application using the new version of Boopsi. If I`m right Bill is wrong to say that isn`t emulation (Only Amiga on a card or some other method of actually using AGA chips wouldn`t be emulation) but I can understand why he say that it isn`t to diffrenciate between what they are doing and UAE/Fellow.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 24 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by XDelusion on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Speaking of Emulation, have any of you tried the latest WinUAE?!!? I would have done the Linux distro, but my Mouse would not work in UAE under it, and I could not get any help. Anyhow I installed the latest WinUAE, and ran Doom which was a wee bit slow, but over all playable, I was impressed!!!! If they keep up this kind of work, I may end up some day, happy with a fake Amiga, though of ocurse I would need to be running it on another OS than Winblows to clear my concious, and fear of crashes! :)
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 25 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by Anonymous on 10-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 12 (Anonymous):
>Y'know, all those who spent lots of money with its near-useless
>PPC boards simply can't stand the fact that their "investments"
>will be "past" in a few months time... so what do they do? Piss
>off AInc for not supporting classic Amigas anymore... :)
Your comments wasn't based on facts. Look after before you whine.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 26 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by stricq on 11-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 23 (Karajorma):
Ah yes, someone who gets the point.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 27 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by ElfKing on 11-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
In reply to Comment 23 (Karajorma):
> I get the feeling that when Bill says that classic apps won`t run in emulation
> he simply means that you won`t have to run UAE and then run OS3.5 on it and
> then run the app. Instead the OE (DE, OS whatever they`re calling
Could be something like WINE under Linux. Maybe more to the heart of the code
translation since Brian King has Amiga Inc. backing and all that comes with
the old kernel/OS that Amiga Inc. can supply. Therefore BOOPSI is only one
part of it, and maybe worth mentioning. You know what the WINE people say about
WINE.... Wine Is Not an Emulator.
Bill McEwen interview : Comment 28 of 28ANN.lu
Posted by XDelusion on 11-Sep-2000 22:00 GMT
Yes, the Wine concept is more than likely what we are looking at here, and
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