Carl Sassenrath Departs VIScorp in Flames

[I, too, have recently departed from the ranks of VIScorp, although on
somewhat more subdued terms.  This message was originally posted to Usenet.
Carl was VIScorp's Director of Software and was instrumental in the
original Amiga OS.  -Jason]


Dear Amigans,


Many of you have been wondering what's happening with VIScorp, the Amiga,
and why my name is no longer on the vistv web site.

I hope this is not too long-winded for you, but here is a brief summary of
my story:

I joined VIScorp about a year ago as a consultant to help them create new
system software for the Amiga.  I believed at that time that they had the
ability to take the Amiga into several new, huge markets around the world.
They made many promises to me in order to get me to join the project.

In March 1996 VIScorp informed me that they planned to buy Amiga
Technologies.  The reason was simple: for the vast quantities of Amigas
that they planned, it was cheaper to buy AT then to pay the royalty.  It
seemed to me that this could work, if they could come up with the money.

Over the months that followed, I made numerous suggestions to VIScorp
regarding what they needed to do to support and further improve the Amiga.
I even proposed a business plan centered around the Amiga, as it seemed to
me that you CAN have an ALTERNATE computer for people who don't want PCs. 
After all, what would our cars be like if only one company produced them? 
The Amiga offered us a choice.

VIScorp never responded to my suggestions.  Not once.  In fact, they kept
me totally in the dark as to what they were doing and what progress had
been made on the AT deal.  I never knew from day to day what was going to
happen next.

By August I was starting to tire of VIScorp and its unkept promises to all
of us.  They were 110 days behind in paying me, and I was very disappointed
in the whole mess that they had brought on the Amiga community, developers
and dealers, and myself.  It had become clear to me that VIScorp was not
competent.  I took a couple weeks off and went to Florida.

In September I tried to recruit RJ Mical to join the team.  I put a lot of
energy into it, as RJ was skeptical of VIScorp.  I finally succeeded!
Then, VIScorp blew him off.  RJ and I couldn't believe it.  What were they
doing?

Finally, I decided to focus 100% on what they had originally hired me for:
to create a TV set-top Amiga.  Perhaps if we could build a good demo,
VIScorp could convince one of its investors to contribute extra cash.  By
the end of September, Don, Steve, Jim, and I had finished a dazzling
prototype of such an STB.  In my opinion, it really showed off what the
Amiga could do as a STB.  The software for it was entirely written by Jim
and I, because VIScorp had not been paying any of the other contractors.

After delivering the prototype, I never heard a word back.  VIScorp was
again far behind in payments.  What were they doing?  What had gone wrong?
What was next?

Whatever it was, I didn't want to be part of it any longer.  I've never
seen such an idiotic, screwed-up, incompetent company (and I am saying it
mildly).  VIScorp was worse than Commodore, and I never thought that was
possible.  I took my name off the web site, vowing not to be a part of this
lunacy.

So what can I say?  Please don't flame me for doing this.  I refuse to be
part of such a sloppy situation, regardless of my love for the Amiga.  Over
the last 10 months I have heard from many of you, and have sent nearly 1500
personal email replies to you.  All I can say is that I am sorry that I
could not do more for you and our Amiga Computer.

I am unsure what the future holds for the Amiga.  Perhaps VIScorp or some
other company will scrape together enough cash to make the AT purchase.  We
can only hope.

As for my future, I am going to return to what I do best: operating systems
and languages.  You have not heard the last from me.  I can imagine a
system much better than the Amiga....  now to create it.  Truely, only time
will tell.

Stay in touch my friends.

Sincerely yours,

Carl Sassenrath
Ex-VIScorp OS Guy
carl@sassenrath.com


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