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