compt.sys.editor.desk

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    compt.sys.editor.desk                          By:  Jason Compton 
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February is lumbering its way to a conclusion that can come only too soon.
Not only is the weather miserable, but the Amiga ownership question has
been hanging in the air for some time now.

The question is out of my hands, and out of yours as well, I'm afraid.
It's in the hands of Mr. Hembach, Escom's trustee, his lawyer in the US by
the name of David Robinson, and the parties bidding for the Amiga, only one
of which (QuikPak) has actually stepped forward and publicly announced
their intentions.

I had a talk with Mr. Robinson a short while ago.  He was willing to
confirm QuikPak's bid but unwilling to speculate or reveal the identities
of whatever bidders there might be.  (I wasn't really expecting him to, but
these things are worth trying once.)  Various rumors abound, of course,
and have been given shreds of credibility by various Amiga luminaries.  But
if I've learned anything, it's not to put any stock in these things until
someone is willing to face the music and own up to their actions, it's not
worth worrying about.  Mr. Hembach has set a goal of a purchase resolution
by the end of February, but he has made no promise to that effect.

Meanwhile, the rest of Escom is being sold off.  Notable in the outcome is
the formation of "Commodore" in the Netherlands, by none other than our
friend from the Commodore auction, Bernard "Ja, ja" van Tienen.  Mr. van
Tienen has formed a group which purchased Escom NL and a portion of Escom's
properties, including the Commodore trade name for their PC clone line.
Just a further indignity for the name which once stood for computing
innovation.

As I survey the Amiga landscape, I see quite a bit that makes me proud.
That so many have stuck with each other through difficult times is truly
encouraging.  We've had a good deal of help along the way from companies
who recognize the market waiting to be amazed.  And while everyone has
been told they need to wait "just a bit longer", that saying applies even
today.

Wait for what?  That's the question, of course.  The successor technologies
seem to be moving along (PIOS, A/Box, etc.) and it seems reasonable to
assume that the Amiga properties would likely only be valuable to someone
who would make something productive out of them.  (A reliable source
indicated to me that a clearance warehouse put in a bid for the Amiga
assets, but since their primary interest was the value of the merchandise,
their bid was too low for Hembach and thus was rejected.)  But unless
you've got tens of millions of dollars, you will have to wait with the rest
of us to see how this situation is resolved.

Until that happens, relax and enjoy this, the second issue of AR's fifth
year of publication.  As ever, we'll keep you up to date, and immediately
release a special issue when we have confirmation of the Amiga's latest
ownership destination.

-Jason

PS: comp.sys.amiga.announce finally has a new moderator (Thanks to Stuart
Tomlinson!) which has certainly caused a large flow of news to Amiga
Report.  Things should settle back to normal as he gets caught up.

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