The importance of well known programs for the A\Box.
Can the A\Box become an big success without already well known programs ? Can it survive on the programs that have been the flagships on the Amiga ? (Lightwave, ImageFX, Photogenics, Imagine, Final Writer etc..etc) Or will it need to bring in the really big developers ? (Adobe, Macromedia, Microsoft, Borland, Netscape etc..etc..)
To create something like the A\Box is brave. They are creating a new computer platform, and depends that people will buy it. Even when it's not compatible with the pc-platform. I think that this risk is high enough. If they really intend to create this computer and not offer well known programs on it. It would make the A\Box marketed for a very small group of people. The buyers of the A\Box would have to be highly knowledged about computers (to understand why the hardware of the A\Box is superior). And they would probably already own a computer, that they are not satisfied with.(why else buy a new computer ? ) They would be willing to take the risk of buying a computer that use programs most people never have heard of. And without proper marketing from Phase 5, they could find themselves sitting quite alone with an A\Box. To buy an completely new computer platform, is a big step. The step gets even bigger if the new computer platform can't offer the programs that is used by their previous platform.
With proper demonstration of the unknown programs, they could sell more easily. But the well known programs have been in the market for years, and tested before. Some programs even have own magazines. This massive support makes the well known programs a much safer buy. Even if they could be more productive and the unknown programs were simply better, most people want the industrial standards. People learn the industrial standard programs at schools. To prepare them for their future work. If they start a company they will choose the programs they know. Or if they are employed in a company, they will have to know the industrial standard programs, not some better or cheaper program. Maybe they want to go to evening courses, or download some plug-ins from internet to their program. Most small unknown programs would take years to get to this level. While the well known programs already can offer this. To convince someone to go for an A\Box instead of an PC, would be a lot easier if the A\BOx could run the same programs. And run them faster. I know a lot of you people who are reading this, wants to see the old well known Amiga programs on the A\Box. Imagine that you couldn't get any of these programs, and had to buy new and completely unknown programs for the A\Box. Would you buy them, or stick to your old Amiga ? This question will many old PC owners ask themselves, if they start looking at the A\Box, and can't find the programs that they used to run on the PC. Even if the programs were crap !
The people who will leave the Amiga for the A\Box is not a huge market. The A\Box needs a huge market to become a success. So we need both the well known programs for the Amiga and the other platforms. The well known programs for the Amiga will get the Amiga people over to the A\Box. ( in bigger herdes ) but the well known programs for the PC will get the much bigger pc-freak herdes over to the A\Box. We would experience competitions between programs like Adobe Photoshop and Photogenics. This could benefit the unknown programs like Photogenics when they are compared to Photoshop, and make Adobe aware that they have new competition. Increased competition gives us better products.
As an example we can look at the most known web-browser in the world. Netscape have almost becomed synonymous with the World Wide Web. And buying a program like Netscape Navigator is 'safe'. It's like you don't take any risk if you buy Netscape Navigator, because millions of people already have it. Buying a new unknown web-browser will seem risky.
So why can't the A\Box just live like the Amiga, and just use these unknown but great programs ? Because we all see where the Amiga is going now. And that isn't only because the hardware is outdated. The hardware of the Amiga is still very good for many purposes. But software-piracy played a big role in killing the Amiga platform. I fear that without being able to sell the A\Box to companies and other markets that usually buy their software instead of pirate it, the A\Box will get the same fate as the Amiga. A great computer without enough software support. I'm not saying that every single Amiga owner pirate all their programs, but I think that the amount of pirated software on the Amiga is awful high, compared to what is being sold. The PC can tolerate the software-piracy, because the market is so much bigger. The Amiga and the A\Box, can't !
What about games for the A\Box ? One of the reasons to why the
Amiga 500 was such an huge success, can be explained by how easy the games
was to load (and copy), and its capabilities in graphics was miles ahead
the other competitors. You could just push a floppy into the diskdrive
and turn on the computer. You got an game instantly. Just like an Nintendo
or Playstation. Everyone who have installed many pc-games, know what a
nightmare this can be. Even for experienced users. But the PC have becomed
the new platform for computer games. Because it's hardware have developed
into the multimedia areas. The PC's are faster, and can have lots of fancy
colors in their games. But the A\Box can do anything the PC can do....better
!
I think we will see a lot of shareware games for the A\Box, but not
many commercial games before it's confirmed that the A\Box is a success,
and a lot of A\Boxes are out in the market. But one exception could change
this. If a game that was too demanding for the PC, could be runned smoothly
for the A\Box. We might get a situation that is similar too what happened
when Doom was released for the PC. There is no doubt that the 3D-Doom clone
games, was the one of the biggest reasons to why the people who had been
playing games on the Amiga, bought a PC instead. The hardware of the PC
deals with these games better than the Amiga. The Amiga took over the games
market of the C64. And the PC took over the games market from the Amiga.
To see the A\Box take over the games market from the PC, would be really..really..really..nice.
But.... haaaaaaard. : )
How can we do something to get these programs and games developed for the A\Box ? First of all, I want to beg everyone to NOT pirate any of the software of the A\Box. That could strangle the newborn A\Box right away. The sales for programs for the A\Box would increase, and the big developers could see that there is an market for their programs on the A\Box. I would also beg the developers of the programs to be reasonable with their prices. I don't expect normal people to buy Lightwave for 1.200 £. Some companies would maybe do that. But people who just want to play around with 3D graphics will NOT pay that extremely high price. But even if they only want to play around, they want a great program to get better results. So they pirate the program instead. Lightwave is a good example of a program that almost everyone wants but few wants to pay for. But anyway... don't copy it, it will only cause the developers of Lightwave to leave the A\Box platform. Get an demo instead, or stick to a cheaper program. When the developers of Lightwave realize that this platform can't have PC program prices, the price will hopefully drop to a much lower level.
What should Phase 5 do to prevent lack of programs for the A\Box ? It's simple.. support the developers ! The better support the better programs, and the better chance that the A\Box will succeed. And in some way, they really should try to convince the big actors in the computer world, the people behind the really well known programs, to release their stuff to the A\Box. They need to give them really good reasons, because these programs are already making money. But a really good reason would be if their program would run smoother on an A\Box. The earliest developers could also be interested in getting a monopoly on this new platform, until new developers arrive. A graphics suit would be really nice for the A\Box. And the Adobe graphics suit, would be excellent !
Microsoft programs for the A\Box ? Microsoft have without doubt the most well known programs in the world. If there is anyone out there that haven't heard about Windows, then he must be blind and deaf, or an indian living deep into some jungle...somewhere. So..wouldn't it be great to get these programs to the A\Box ? The opinions about this is divided. Microsoft have in my opinion a much better rumour than they deserve. And I know that many people agree with me in this area. But with Microsoft programs, people who really likes their programs can get the A\Box. One of the biggest reasons to why Microsoft programs suck on a PC, is because the hardware of the PC is built for calculating spreadsheets in the late 70's. It's not an multimedia computer ! ( it tries hard ! ). To make it an multimedia computer it will require major changes in the hardware, and it would no longer be backwards-compatible. So maybe the demanding Microsoft would suit better on a computer with the hardware that is built for tough challenges. ? They are welcome for me, as long as they don't attempt the "OS-monopoly = Software monopoly" trick again. It destroys the free software market. Give us MS Office, but please... no MS Windows !
So what it's all about, is to move people from the Mac and Pc market over to the A\Box. The easiest way to do this. Is to show them, that the programs that they already are using on their Macs and PC's goes faster and better on an A\Box. If this happens, I'm convinced that the A\Box WILL be an success.
John Lysfjord May 97