Company<->User communication...Is it still a thing today?

@trixie

oh trixie, You must have a long white beard and be wearing a robe of hemp while sitting legs crossed on a bed of flowers. ;)

Not because You are old, but because you are such a wise voice of reason and always so calm.. Enviable! :))

@Amigo1

Irony aside - no, I'm tired and frustrated like everybody else. But I try to have an open mind and a positive approach because someone needs to play the good cop, to keep things in proportion :)

@amigakit

After installing Enhancer Software, I am having some difficulty determining where Hyperion's system software ends and where Enhancer Software begins.

For example Enhancer installs replacements for some existing stuff (clock, some datatypes, sound prefs, AmiPDF), as well as new programs and newer versions of some programs we may have obtained elsewhere.

Default installation goes to appropriate drawers on AmigaOS system partition. If these were truly "3rd party" additions, shouldn't they go somewhere else?

MultiEdit and Multiviewer are new programs. I get it.
TuneNet replaces an older version I downloaded years ago.
AmiDVD replaces an older version I downloaded years ago.
PartitionWizard replaces the borked version distributed with OS4.1. Thanks.

But why new versions of AmiPDF and SFS filesytem?

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redfox

@nbache

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Well said. Unfortunately, that is very frustrating for ordinary users like me.

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redfox

@redfox

With all the lawsuits going on and Hyperion's now infamous history of not releasing fixes I doubt that we will see any update ever.

Beta versions may very well be the last updates we'll ever see "officially".

I dont believe in anything anymore.
There are only talks and announcements of announcements, just look at this years amiwest.

...


We are at a crossroad right now, which decision will be the right one?
We'll see in a few years.
But actually I'm sure the wrong path was already chosen years ago...

@redfox

Well as for the newest TuneNet or AmiDVD, both AmiPDF and SFS are updated with some fixes and certain new features compared to the old versions bundled with AmigaOS 4.1 iso

AmiDVD, SFS, and PartitionWizard: AFAIK, the author created them to only run on the existing machine types, so when the X5000 came, they didn't run there. The new versions in the Enhancer pack were commissioned from the author to "un-ransom" them (my expression).

Best regards,

Niels

@eliyahu

This... "Clearly Hyperion is guilty of this behavior, but they aren't the only ones. And more and more people leave, usually silently, month after month as a result."

That is me... silently (well I guess mentioning now) just walking away and moving on. Tired of all this, saying nicely, silliness, and lack of.

I am a nobody in this community so no loss to anyone. Just a guy that saw AmigaOS and the platform to be really cool in 2009... latching on, spending hard earned $$ in support of dealers and such, but now going on 12 years later, seeing the same old same old.

One can only be slapped so many times before they say enough is enough, take a loss, and move on.

I still own my X5K but to be truthful, I have lost most all love of the platform at this point.

I only stay for friends I have made at Amiwest over the last 12 years and if not for them, I would have folded up my tent long ago.

I never really play on other Amiga forums now. Such vitriol and unfun they have become. I check here every now and then just to see what is going on.

But I have moved on and odds are to never spend my hard earned $$ on anything Amiga again.

Bummer.

TJ

@redfox

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AmiPDF is not owned by Hyperion and SFS2 is not either. In fact "3rd-party" components SFS2, AmiDVD, PartitionWizard should been removed from OS4.1 as the licence was not renewed for it. The Enhancer Software re-introduced them with updated versions.

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A-EON purchased TuneNet many years ago and fixed many problems in the Shoutcast streaming API amongst many other small updates to the program. I would not recommend using the old version which is not fully functional any longer.

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I have read some users writing about "3rd Party" components in a negative way and even refusing to install them for fear of "contaminating" their "official" system software. However the reality of the situation is that many essential/major components they are already using on the OS4.1 system are indeed "3rd Party" I.P. They just do not realise it.

For example, the ATIRadeon.chip (2D driver) and PCIgraphics.card were purchased directly from ForeFront Technologies by A-EON Technology Ltd some years ago.

OS4.1 has other major "3rd Party" components in MediaToolBox and Ringhio which are also owned by A-EON Technology Ltd.

Warp3D (Classic) is jointly owned by A-EON and is another example of "3rd Party" component.

So if you strip out components described as "3rd-party" from the OS4.1 distribution you have some major problems:

- Without A-EON's MediaToolbox, there is currently no hard disk prepping software - so users will not be able prep and format their hard disks.

- The only viable graphics drivers remaining are for the ancient Voodoo card because all of the Radeon R200, RadeonHD, RadeonRX drivers are third party.

OS4 project has historically been built and is fundamentally reliant on a collection of IP owned by third parties. This fact has not changed over the years. My advice: whether you perceive the updates to be third party or “official” don’t get too hung up on it, install them and enjoy using them. After all we are here to enjoy using our systems and updates of any variety make the experience better.

@amigakit
@nbache
@samo79

Thanks so much for the information. I have learned alot from you guys. I have a 2 GB SYS: partition, so there is plently of room available for the Enhancer software to go into the default drawers. I'll make sure I delete any older versions of TuneNet and AmiDVD from my other partitions.

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redfox

@AmigaSociety

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I'm very sorry to hear that! I've always given you as an example of a guy who jumped on the bandwagon without previous Amiga experience and who seemed to enjoy the platform despite its obvious limitations. But I understand there's a point where missed deadlines and unreleased products make you say "OK, I've had enough, the party's over for me".

@amigakit

I think this thread has clearly shown that official release schedules and user expectations are at cross purposes. Do you think you could do something about it? IMO not releasing a tangible product at AmiWest would be a major disappointment, because there are only so many announcements and all-being-wells we can take.

@AmigaSociety

I hope the situation will get better one day! Please keep hold of you X5K and check in now and then.

@Templario

I wouldn't mind even paying for updates, but unfortanely there are none (or sorry - there might be some MUI updates, but what we need is updates for OS and OS4 software and as an example components that enable working and relatively modern browser).

Maybe during this weekend I'll have time to check my old MorphOS installation on my G5, for some reason it doesn't feel like Amiga (for me that is), but maybe it's time to check it again...

I wonder why people responsible try to do everything - bring up new stuff for Classic Amiga's and also announce for example Enhancer 68k - when all the work should be concentrated to other tasks. I mean - what an earth you're thinking about when announcing 'new scart cables' for Classic Amigas (this weeks' news). If OS4 and NG is not something that you believe in - do you really expect us to carry on...

And sorry this might sound harsh, but *trust me* I've really enjoyed my x5000 so far, I've waited and waited to get updates and something new, but when I now open the OS4.1 - the first thing to start is irc, the very same software that works on my old A4000 and A2000 too. I cannot go and check Facebook or Youtube, I cannot check gmail or cannot use modern office tools...

I really believed that we'll get for example OpenOffice, but since we haven't got anything else ...

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Do you have Updater tool installed? There have been a few updates recently to download

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This is our full time employment. Classic Amiga's pay the bills and puts food on the table for our families. OS4 is such a small market that it is not possible to earn a living from it- in fact most projects run at a loss, subsidised by other parts of the business (Classic).

@amigakit

Thank you for honest and quick response.

I understand making living out from Amiga business might be almost impossible. But if you feel like you have enough time to do everything - then why, for example, AmiStore and its content is not updated at all lately?

Is there something new coming that you'll announce shortly or do you just leave it dying...

And yes - ofcourse I have Updater installed - I tried it yesterday without any updates available, maybe I'll give it a go today

@Tohe
My post has been removed.
But, Yes, there is to pay for updates not for change a little things and sell it like new, and examples here there are too many, the more easy to pay for AmigaOS4.1 F.E., instead of to pay for the announced 4.2, this is a clear example, is like to pay for Windows 98 and again to pay for Windows 98 second edition, the same product with little improvements,
this frustate to users, besides of eternal promises, other example Timberwolf, the project raised more funds in one AmigaOS4 bounty, and instead to have this browser 100% operative the only option in AmigaOS4 is someone makes the port from Wayfarer, something difficult because the work is from jacadcaps and he works in th MOS core to can run this browser, I think that AmigaOS4 owners don't leave someone touch his code to run this new browser or other.

About the OpenOffice, in AmigaOS4 we have the AmiCygnix and it works very fine with the programs.

"Maybe during this weekend I'll have time to check my old MorphOS installation on my G5, for some reason it doesn't feel like Amiga (for me that is), but maybe it's time to check it again... "
Well, the only difference is the Workbench style, the OS4 more like OS3, but you can put some skin for this.

@amigakit

This is our full time employment. Classic Amiga's pay the bills and puts food on the table for our families. OS4 is such a small market that it is not possible to earn a living from it - in fact most projects run at a loss, subsidised by other parts of the business (Classic).

So why continue this? Maybe it's time for opensource? Open the GitHub / Bitbucket project for ES and forget it. OS4 community will be happy, You will have time to earn "classic" money.

@SZAMAN

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Because they've sunk a ton of money and time into the AOS4 software and I'm sure they'd like to earn revenue from it once released, which is both reasonable and fair.

The issue in this thread is communication, not ownership or other business decisions. It demonstrates how many can easily understand delays, changes in plans, etc., if only there were regular communications from the various parties, e.g., Hyperion and A-EON, to their customers. That's really all that's needed to keep people around while things work out.

That, and the occasional bug fix release.

-- eliyahu

@SZAMAN
I can open a pandora, but IMHO any opensource of any "big" amiga (and not only ?) project almost all the time mean death of project or incompatible forks,creating an unstructured and chaotic mess. We have AROS as good example of how community handle it: everyone do what he want, no plan, no lead.

Besides, Mattew & Trevor pay for work developers do. At least warp3dnova, ogles2 and bunch of other stuff will be not here and forgotten if no one pay for. The big things we use like modern radeons, nova and ogles (i just count what imho really important) will be not on the stage they are now if it goes opensource and no one pay for.

Problem is communication, updates about plans, things in progress, etc. There should be adeqate spokeman, who know details and share them 1 time in a month on regular basis, and does not matter good or bad, just users will know what going on.

I think eliyahu and kas1e, on their last posts, clarify it pretty well. This discussion is not if anyone will open the source of programs or what happened with Timberwolf. Let's do not derail the topic.

The topic is clearly for the communication of the companies to the remaining OS4 users and developers. Which I think, we succeeded our voice to reach already our targets, since at least Matthew already answered here a couple of times. Hope Hyperion read it as well. We just need now to wait and see the announcements next week and what A-Eon, AmigaKit and Hyperion will do from now on.

Everything else it would be better to be discussed in other threads, in my opinion.