· ·TECHNOLOGY
BRIEF
July 16, 1999
Dear Amigans,
The next computer revolution is on the horizon. It is a
revolution thatwill unleash the full power of computers to the
masses and finally fulfillthe promises of the information age. It
will create a new class of computingdevices that combine power and
simplicity to make computers and the Interneta natural part of
everyday life. They will be exciting enough for the enthusiastand
yet simple enough for the common person. They will work
seamlesslytogether in a highly integrated operating environment
encompassing thehome, business, and the world through the Internet.
This is the futureof computing and the reason why we can't only
develop an alternative computerplatform. Faster CPUs and faster
graphics alone will not drive a revolutionarynew computer platform.
They are important but not revolutionary. Revolutionarythinking
requires us to let go of past preferences and envision a futurethat
doesn't currently exist. It requires us to develop technology
andfunctions that enable this future vision. This is the spirit of
revolutionaryinnovation. The same spirit that drove the original
Amiga development team.
We need the support of the Amiga community to drive this
revolution.The Amiga community is one of the most heroic,
passionate, and innovativecommunities left in the computer
industry. We need these attributes tosucceed because we have
charted a bold course. Like heroic explorers inthe past, we can't
discover a new continent without losing sight of theold one for a
long period of time. This makes some people very uncomfortableand
anxious but it is a prerequisite of discovery and innovation.
Someof you will feel compelled to jump ship and swim for familiar
shores beforewe sail out of site. Most of you will stay for the
excitement of the journeyand the reward of discovery. For those of
you who are staying with theship, tie down the hatches and get
ready for the future.
Before you read the technology brief there are a few concepts
that willhelp you put it in perspective. One is a high-level view
of the Amiga OperatingEnvironment (OE). Instead of thinking of a
single computer with hardwareand an operating system, I would like
you to start thinking about multiplecomputing devices integrated
together into a single large "virtual” computerand an
"operating environment” or OE to run this "virtual”
computer. TheOE seamlessly integrates multiple computing devices
into a single, integrated,and seamless operating environment. Like
the OS for a large "virtual” computer.The OE includes the OS
for single computing devices but it also runs theoverall
"virtual” computer consisting of multiple computing devices
networkedtogether. Every connected computing device is both a
building block anda window into this computing environment.
The other concept to understand is AmigaObject™. The
AmigaObject isa powerful software structure used to access
computing functions and capabilities.AmigaObjects are the main
structures used to implement the Amiga OE. Theyenable easy
integration of technology, distributed computing, high-speednetwork
transactions, and communication between applications in the OE.They
are powerful software building blocks that will allow people to
buildimpressive applications quickly. AmigaObjects are portable and
transferableacross platforms allowing AmigaObjects to proliferate
throughout the networkand the Internet. Since AmigaObjects are
transferable and accessible overthe Internet, you can easily extend
the Amiga OE through the Internet.This will become critical as
broadband Internet access becomes more andmore prevalent in the
future. AmigaObjects are implemented using Java andJini technology
but are specifically optimized to implement the Amiga
OE.AmigaObjects will allow us to build our revolutionary computer
platform.
The attached technology brief gives you some more detail on the
nextgeneration Amiga. Before you read it, I have to strongly
emphasize thatwe have not released some of the most strategic parts
of our vision andtechnology. The vision of how our technology
unleashes the power of computingin the future is compelling.
Unfortunately, communicating the completevision at this time would
jeopardize our competitive advantage and businesssuccess,
especially if we released this information on our web site. Ihope
you can understand how important it is for us to keep certain
strategicinformation from our competitors. I can only say that all
of the few peoplewho have seen our full vision have been extremely
impressed. It is compellingand will drive the future of computing.
I look forward to sharing morestrategic details on the vision in
the months to come starting at WoA andAmiWest.
Sincerely,
Jim Collas
President, Amiga
Click hereto read the
Technology Brief
|