10.10.2000

Statement to the Milan II
Weeks and months it was quite calm almost around the Milan II. Last large appearance and associated, official messages took place on the Atari fair in June in Neuss.

Meanwhile many Milan fans are however in unrest guessed/advised, because they do not receive acknowledgements for the well-known erscheinungstermine of the Milan. Long time lasted it, until we could take position from the company Milan officially for current situation. However the reason is that we did not want to publish wrong information, up to the day of yesterday (09.10.2000) no unique decision had met.

The Milan II
The targets of the Milan system were clearly outlined: It had a new board Design on base of the Milan I ago, which continues proven items in addition, brings substantial improvements with itself. So e.g. a AGP port or also the support of SDRAMs.

In the spring this yearly was again revised when desired the selling partner, which always transmitted an estimation market chances of the Milan to the computer enterprise, the concept. In order to go to any dependencies on driver manufacturers for diagram cards and sound cards out of the way and besides the Milan II in a compact housing to under-receive be able, became decided, to integrate the components for diagram and sound on the Motherboard.

A first prototype of the Milan 060 was to be seen on the fair in Neuss.

Against expecting technical problems in-crept again and again, for whose purpose even additional hardware designers were engaged. The integration in particular the AGP port, in addition, the SDRAMs prepared hardware-technically under-waited difficulties, which could be solved however after viscous advancing in the late summer 2000. Just in this moment occurred what had to occur:

The manufacturer one of the two important log IC chips of the Milan (he takes over the complete emulation of the not existing Atari hardware) was adjusted despite contrary promises on the part of the manufacturer and is available neither in smaller numbers of items than remainder nor in large numbers of items than special production.

A shock for the Milan team, because a scarce year work was in this chip. An adequate, counterpart existed at the market, which can be adapted fast, dezeit not or could not be found yet.

Together with the selling company AXRO the situation in the late summer 2000 was discussed. Together with our distribution and interlocutor it came to the result that a small computer company, which does not manufacture quantities in hundred-out one hundred and abverkauft this problem could flower on a long-term basis again and again. And first considerations for adjustment the project were discussed in addition, put fast again ad acta!

The new OS
In this moment a project was drawn from the developer drawer, which Uwe cutter, Ali Goukassian, Michael rockers and Thomas Goettsch had already prepared in November 1999 and had conceptionally held. It should be implemented actually only in one of the future stages of hardware production, in order to save time.

The speech is of a new operating system concept, some Atari TOS or. MagiC Milan thereby to make almost hardware independent could.

The new Milan OS, which differs technically far from the Atari TOS, because many areas of programming were structured new, is simply expressed structured as follows:

It consists of a depending on hardware and an independent layer. This step had to be carried out, in order to bring Atari programs on the new Milan hardware to running.

While the independent layer takes up the instruction e.g. for the access to sound, diagram or fixed disk, this instruction is interpreted and the depending on hardware layer, which transfers the actual access then transferred.

Thus it should be ensured that easy modifications in the hardware (Milan I - > Milan II) at few expenditure to be adapted can.

MagiC Milan again was changed so much opposite the standard designs the fact that it does not make any own access more on the Milan hardware but its " transfers " desires to the hardware to the Milan TOS. This step made the MagiC Millan development again independent of the Milan hardware.

The new operating system concept designates now a step, that already in similar courses of Apple with the new MacOS X or of Amiga Inc.. for the new Betriebssytem (project name Elate) one initiated:

Depending on hardware sections of the operating system Milan TOS by our developers against a Linux core one exchanges at present. This part of the operating system is not under any circumstances Atari typsch, but serves excluding the interpretation of the hardware accesses on the part of the operating system or the software.

Linux, a Unix derivative, is Freeware and by hundred-from one hundred of programmers is as well known developed further.

And Linux is today so far established that drivers for the access to US B interfaces, fixed disks, Firewire interfaces, network cards etc.. always briefly after appearance of the respective hardware or hardware standard available are.

For the Milan crew it had meant in the past to develop drivers e.g. at all for responding the Milan USB port.

Owing to the new concept the Linux core is embodied however with the independent part of the Milan TOS. Places the Milan TOS or the software, which runs under it, a request of an interface, this is transferred over a standardized interpreter to the Linux core, which is at the edge mentioned also only a few KB large. This again already has all necessary drivers, which are world-wide freely available, in order to tie up any modern hardware (- standard) to the TOS.

Perspectives
The perspectives look today on the one hand well, on the other hand disappointing: The Milan II was put on ice. Months-long work, which swallowed thousands of D-mark is likewise triumphs, like the hope of many Atari users to be able to call a fast Milan II already soon their own. This is to be charged primarily to technical problems. In addition, beyond that the months-long is tried to also draw venture Capital societies (holding companies) from Germany in the boat in order to supplement the capital clearly, failed. In this country ones become at present primarily Internet air things, which do not create anything within shortest time from that a fictitious million-value, which falls mostly however evenly so fast again into the depths, supported and from the baptism elevated. One that really few enterprises, which has to offer computer know-how and its own, small and operating system equipped with much software, however unfortunately saves the large risk, costs for the investors by materials production (Main board etc..) to cause.

But this means the end of the project with nieces. Milan computer system will offer, to all that, which would like today a Milan further the Milan I with 040er-Prozessor. And also the Upgrade card on the 060-Prozessor are to be had further and meanwhile. In fact at present thus nothing stands to the possession of a Milan with 060-Prozessor in the way.

The step, which is now done, is to be looked toward Milan III. And but at present two scenarios are to the selection, which build all together on the fact that the Milan TOS (and thus the essay MagiC Milan) already soon it is almost hardware independent could:

1. One decides for an Linux core adjustment on e.g. AMD hardware (Athlon, Duron) and standard board peripheral device. In the course its is selected a board, which imports only in this country be acquired must. Conditions are fulfilled like a large Flash EPROM. This can be still a TOS based computer, which starts directly from the chip. The arithmetic performance would grow with this solution proportionally to the assigned processor and with a 400MHz-Chip the performance of a 060-Prozessors very far would already exceed.
    
2. One begins (if necessary own) a PPC G3/G4-Board, which is still closer to the 68060-Prozessor, so that starting from 350 mc/s more than one doubling of the arithmetic performance was achieved here.

So that the TOS runs also under these processors, a 68k-Interpreter is integrated, which runs differently than Windows or MacOS based emulation, independently natively and a high arithmetic performance enabled.

For version b) a license partner was opened at present, which would sell 2001 maximummodern G3-PPC-Boards toward start to manufacture and as OEM product at Milan. Here it would be ensured that the computer altogether approximately 1700, - DM would cost. The negotiations run at present. The partner would not like to be called before contract drawing. Clear it is however that specifications were likewise kept such as diagram and sound on a min in OTHER board, like now even the binding of a network adapter and a bus clock of 100MHz.

The perspectives, which would offer one from the NOT already promptly transferred to implementing, are enormous:

The entire operating system will be still smaller approximately 2 MB and could be operated on processors such as AMD, Intel, PPC in addition, RISC, Aplha and Thosiba at a comparatively small expenditure.

Thus the Milan TOS with MagiC Milan becomes in nu one of the smallest, portable operating systems, with which the software (differently than e.g. with Windows CE) does not have again to be compiled, in order to run on different processors.

First versions of this new operating system symbiosis already had to be seen in October.

Result
Their confidence, dear customers, surely shrank in the course of the time, because you had to wait for a long time for an not appearing device. But a reproach, which one cannot make for Milan of computer system is that that in this house the things were not finished. Because as only manufacturers Milan of computer system succeeded in bringing an executable 040/060-Computer to the price eligible for financing in circulation. With this step Milan succeeded in proving that here uncoordinated technique Freaks at working is not only, but that concepts and clear lines can be transferred also up to ready for the market ones.

Herein the enterprise differs from numerous companies, which let intelligent and talentierte headings operate senselessly for many years, without supplying results.

The Linux core idea, which trusted to transfer itself the team not promptly to be in order not to stop the Milan II according to schedule, seems the only load-carrying solution. It nevertheless gave always considers, whether could succeed, a 80MHz-Computer to intersperse and also whether it would be enough to use a main processor become outdated technologically hopelessly as the 68060.

These concerns are extinguished with an impact. The Milan could live on already soon on efficient platforms and let the operating system on competitive hardware, loved by us, continue.

In particular the perspective to receive G3/G4-Boards wakes nevertheless many hopes, because such a computer would not only underline the breath of the non-standard one - it would arouse world-wide much interest.

And this way seems also economical to be more lucrative, because nevertheless now no hardware production connected with high risks must be carried. The developers can itself on an area - which operating system - concentrate. And so it is only one question of the time, until the new Milan III can be on our desks.

This 1. to 2 would know realistic estimates to the consequence. Quarter 2001 the case its. But as said: Then as super modern hardware.

And up to then there are the Milan I - 060 for all those, which would not like to do already today without speed.

We ask for your understanding for the fact that we decided us not to produce an outdated hardware standard in the long run but the expenditure on capital assets amounts to some million German Marks. And even if you, dear Atari fans and we know that 80MHz are sufficient, in order Atari software with highest speed to operate - one will be able to put this not close to the mass of the computer people.

If one intersperses the Milan TOS (project name TOS 6) in the future however as " Easy Computing " Environment - thus a working environment for simple computers which can be served -, in which it runs on some platforms. Additionally now also still another its own reference hardware on base of a non-standard power PC system offers, then one has a real chance by the world public of the computer-interested users and media to be considered. We could learn that in the course of the passed months.

In the future we will inform you - there we now the route of march of the Milan know - again regularly about the events both in the Internet and about the publications.

Its Ali Goukassian and the Milan team