Amiga Inc. and the World Amiga Culture:
A New Model of Computing Enterprise - Part 1

By Giorgio Gomelsky - Edited by Steve Bowie

The World Cup of Computing

Amigans - wow! Talk about 'devotion' personified! A world class team with lion hearts. No trainers, no manager, no stadium ... not even a ball, but they're ready to play!

Who has the ball, and the keys to the stadium? Amiga Inc. of course. The OS is the ball - but do they have faith in the Amiga team? Do they think it can win? Will they open the stadium, invite the fans, outfit the cheerleaders? Are they real enthusiasts who live the game, or is the team just a sideshow? If they're going to take home the trophy, they'll really have to participate. Winning owners play many indispensable roles: parent and police officer; promoter and talent scout; judge, jury and visionary!

Why Amiga?

You can't even cross the road without staking your life - yet even the timid take the plunge! The law is enshrined in the truism 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' Indeed, and what could appear riskier to conventional thinking than the Amiga? Raunchy and ribald, ahead of its time, badly neglected yet inexplicably seductive - how does this collection of chips, screws and transistors impassion it's mad-cap designers and bratty, cheeky users. Wait, though! No 'effect' without a 'cause' right?

There must then really be some motive power, an ethereal energizing spirit embodied in the Amiga design. The truth of this in design terms lies outside the scope of this essay, but is undeniable given the evidence. The important point to note is that this 'je ne sais quoi' is also a competitive advantage! There isn't anything else like the Amiga in the computing world. To find a parallel you have to look elsewhere - the AC Shelby Cobra, colors by Monet, words by John Donne, optics by Carl Zeiss, photos by Ansel Adams.

Jason Compton (Amiga Report #315 - August 1995):

"Nowhere else in the world is there anything quite like the Amiga, a machine and a culture* that has literally stood on the cutting edge-and-the-brink since its existence, able to change so many minds yet be dismissed out of hand by so many others. But the ride, for those who stay and work with it, is unparalleled."

Amigans in the Petri Dish?

Culture - definition:

"The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought, considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population."

Amigans surely qualify then. We have a 'behavior pattern' of activism. Our thoughts and aspirations have resounded all over this planet (far louder than might be expected given our numbers!) since Jay Miner's days. Orphaned more times we care to remember, we are still here, still looking for a true parent.

Does Amiga Inc. really want to be parent to this culture, a real owner of the team? Will they give us the ball, let us play, show the world? Does the 'culture' represent an entity of value (to them)? Do they recognize its tremendous kinetic energy, unattained potential? Can they envision new heights of excellence, adventure, profit (monetary and otherwise)?

Who's on First?

Let's talk about culture ... corporate culture. Let's get our noses out of the spreadsheet and look at what's going on out there in 'ComputerLand.' The future belongs to the next guy with a great idea. Who's generating new ideas, covering new ground? A number are, as it turns out.

What's Your Point?

How does this apply to Amiga? Currently, negative murmuring revolves around the perception of inactivity. People are really losing heart. Their beloved platform seems stuck in the never-ending mire of the Sargasso Sea! This is an R&D period you say? Fine, lets take advantage of this lull to 'pull a People Soft!' Patience is never found in the computing world - yet Amigans have borne their woes patiently. It is well nigh miraculous! This is a valuable asset, sitting on the ledger sheet! It is not accruing interest - rather it is allowed to depreciate, and the devaluation is accelerating!

Instead of trying to rally morale with portentous nonevents, lets do something meaningful, worthwhile - make an inexpensive investment in the 'culture' that has great potential for reward! In our case, 'turning the expertise inwards' means weaving a system of communication which includes the community. Inclusion is the future of successful business.

Tear Down the Walls - Build Something

There's more. Research shows these 'avant-garde' companies disdain hierarchical, bureaucratic bullshit. "When you get rid of the BS, it's amazing how much work you can get done" says Duffield. Let's go to war with our own BS!

A cornerstone: "Everyone should know everything." Fun, egalitarianism, agility. This is a big program - it requires open-mindedness, 'blue- sky' thinking. There's that word 'open' again. To contribute, people need have access to everything - good and bad, news, problems, solutions, difficulties, victories. Innovations will appear where old methods fail. Harness the community's legendary enthusiasm and talent.

Duffield: "The challenge isn't to keep an eye on competitors. It's to pay attention to the innovators..."

Question: How open an 'Infomocracy' can one create in AmigaLand?

A huge one, IMHO - easily, and without sacrificing 'secrets.' Create discretionary niches of information, even at seemingly trivial levels - what happened in the office, who said what on a 'private' mailing list (like ICOA) this week? Who presented what argument, who can poke holes in the position (better us than the marketplace!) Humanize the entire process... if you can't give hard-fact news, give human interest.

Les Nessman Lives

Developers will shudder at the idea of techno-peasants muddling about in their stratosphere. 'Trade secrets!' they'll shout ... 'Time-wasting!' they'll warn. Humbug - the sheer novelty of the scheme, working with the accelerated pace provided by a few thousand enthusiastic participants compensate easily. The rapid flow also prevents outside interests taking advantage of 'open secrets' in timely fashion. Besides, much of the technology couldn't be applied anywhere but on an Amiga.

Rethink NDAs. For the most part, they are ineffective - Les Nessman's walls, more of a status symbol than real security. Sure, protect the code, but what else can anyone pinch that isn't already out there somewhere? Custom chips? Be serious....

What Do You Want?

'Group Intelligence' is a formidable weapon. Set a table for it, offering a 'banquet' of information. You'll waste more energy trying to protect it than it takes to 'serve it up' anyway, and with no potential return! If you don't give it out, seek it. We're talking 'pot luck' here, everyone brings something. Ask the community to tell you what's happening, and what's needed in their part of the world. What problems do they need solved, which have they conquered?

Parcel out tasks. The Amiga culture is rife with artists, musicians, animators, writers. Keep 'em busy. Run competitions; give away a few prizes - a week in South Dakota, or will it be San Diego? (Woohoo! Two weeks for the runner up?) Open a virtual Amiga 'Community College.' Start an archive - put every bit of info on this anecdote-rich culture and computer in it. Sponsor logo design, theme music, whatever. While waiting for the big 'revelations' keep the community busy, create some fun, include tehm!

In a million years you won't find better proselytizers and salesclerks than Amiga owners. Give them the tools - invest a few bucks. Above all, give them Internet connectability. Give away (or radically discount) 2.04 and 3.1 for those still laboring with 1.3. Jeezes, start a program to find out once and for all how many practicing Amigans there still are out there. Found scholarships (great goodwill generators that cost peanuts). Invent 'working groups' outside the technical ICOA realm. Let these rethink everything, including PR and marketing ideas (much more about these latter in Part 2). Usergroups could become 'regional resource centers.' Start 'Radio Amiga International'... it goes on and on, and needn't cost a fortune!

You don't Have All the Time in the World!

To lose the remaining user-base would not merely be wasteful, it would be profligate! Time is running out, though - Amiga journalists Ben Vost and Thomas Svenson are right. So, gather your users around you Amiga Inc., and start now so when you're ready to go there will still be someone who cares!

'Inclusion' is the key word. This implies a very shrewd understanding of the new forces at work in the corporate sector. It demands imagination from the 'corporate mind' (Is that an oxymoron? Not in an inclusive 'group intelligence' model) Difficult times need intelligent, well-informed, courageous and dynamic leadership. The AMIGA community is the perfect growth medium for such a leader. The ICOA has demonstrated that plenty of leadership ability, talent and commitment exist in our community. The trick is in unleashing and coordinating it. Amiga Inc. can do this, staking a claim in the forefront of future computing. The ball is in your hands ... C'mon, toss it out here!

Copyright © 1998 Giorgio Gomelsky - Edited by Steve Bowie