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The Amiga Future 167 was released on the March 5th.

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Interview with Martin Elsner

Description: 5.7.2001

Categories: [EN] Eng_Interviews

Link to this article: Select all

[url=https://www.amigafuture.de/app.php/kb/viewarticle?a=275&sid=7a3b127fbe1df36a628e032c81d3dfea]Artikeldatenbank - Interview with Martin Elsner[/url]

Interview with Martin Reiner Elsner.

Editor: Andreas Magerl










What's your name?

My name is Martin Reiner Elsner.

Since when are you working on Amiga?

In the reason almost for 10 years, but my big projects startet last year.

Do you co-operate with other group/companies?

No, but with other Users in the whole world who are supporting me - - particularly with the graphics and translations.

Which software do you program?

Everything you can find in Aminet under wb/utils - this means Tools, which make the life with workbench easier.

Since when are you an Amiga-User?

Approximately since 1990, at that time with an A500, since a few years with an A1200.

Why did you decide to use an Amiga?

At that time the Amiga was the best computer. If I remember, what a deplorable operating system the Windows 3.11-PC had which I bought 4 years later, I only could decide for the Amiga.

What will be/is your actual title, what things are you planning for the future?

I put the major part of my work in ClassAction for the moment, the ultimate Filemanager. New projects will have to wait, my time is totally planned out.

Please tell us about ClassAction. What is it?

ClassAction is a multi Filemanager which looks like WindowsCommander and contains some elements from well-known programs like XLent and DOpus. With the help of two directorylists the user is able to copy, delete, rename and whatever he wants; at the time the left one is the source and the right the destination, but perhaps it will change in the future. The name ClassAction comes from the definition of Fileclasses, known from DefIcons or DOpus. The allocation of a list of actions defining each class makes life more easier! The program is some years well-known and was already developed by Salim Gasmi. I took it over and changed it from MUI to Reaction. That's why you need OS 3.5 for my programs.

What program will be published soon?

ClassAction version 4.2 will be published soon - with many more improvements. I inserted almost everything, which the user requires. Configurable icons is only a part of the new improvements, ClassAction is now more easier to configure.

What are your favourite games for the Amiga?

The classic strategy games: I've played The Settlers for a long time, Civilization and Colonization too, then there was Pirates and Railroad Tycoon. In former times there were real Bundesliga-Manager sessions, today I play Oldtimer from time to time. Unfortunately I have no time for playing at the moment.

Which game do you still want to play on the Amiga?

Theoretically something like "Age of Empires" or something like that, when they will run at an appropriate speed - not like Napalm. The demo is only playable in the lowest resolution, but then I can't see anything because everything is unclearly.

Do you make Amiga programs full-time or is it just a hobby. What's your full-time job?

My programs are unfortunately free of charge, I can't live from this. In my full-time job I am programming for a logisticscompany which is developing optimizing-software for another company - naturally (?) for Windows. That way I have little time for my hobby...

What are you missing for the Amiga?

That's hard to say - sometimes a browser which is able to show all internet-pages, sometimes a really good Office-package. On the other hand I - as programmer - know the problems which prevent such products.

What do you think are the problems?

Hm, on one side there are the costs: who wants to develop programs for the Amiga market when no one wants to buy them? On the other side there is the work and the abilities which are neccessary: everyone who has the abilities is working on projects for Windows - and everyone who has enough time and motivation doesn't own the possibilities and abilities to port Java, Netscape or StarOffice to the Amiga - what shouldn't be done by one programmer... only hundreds of programmers should do this...

For what kind of Amiga do develop more programs, 68k or PPC?

Since I only own an 68060 and doesn't plan to buy any expansions, I want to use the 68k in the future too - my programs doesn't need large arithmetic performance.

Do you plan to develop for the AmigaNG in the future or do you still work on such a project? If yes, please tell us.

I thought about it, but time and money are two reasons against it; I will have to give up all my currently projects. I will have to invest in a new computer including the SDK and I am sure that the development area won't be as good as the one I own at the moment. I will have to wait, perhaps I will start developing when the AmigaNG is a success.

Will you support the Classic Amiga even when the AmigaNG is released?

Yes. If I have enough time.

Do you plan a conversion of a PC game to the Amiga? Please explain us exactly!

No. I haven't that much time.

Do you plan to develop your programs on other platforms too?

I thought about it too, but my programs are very Workbench oriented and they have very good competitors on the other platforms - eg. the Windows Commander or the KDE Controloffice, thus no particularly good prerequisites for a platform-change.

How do you comment the actual situation of the Amiga?

Moderately. The user has everything he needs, but at the moment time is working against the Amiga. Every day it gets harder to keep up working in the internet or in the job with an Amiga.

In which reference?

Hm, once I wanted to show the website of my Health Insurance - doesn't work. Or the website from Quelle - nothing. Or most chat sites which are based on Java - forgot it. Then you get documents in Word format at work or executables or something else - a few will work with AmigaWriter but the most won't. You can grumble on the world how much you want, it's a standard an can't be eliminated.

Are you the opinion, that OS3.9 was the right step or do you think that the Classic Amigas should have stopped with OS3.5, or if DE should have been the next step?

I am very happy and I work with OS3.9 gladly, the others have to make the decisions. It wasn't more work to do for Amiga, the development won't be delayed.

What do you think about the AmigaOS 4.0?

I don't know much about it. If the improvements are only PPC-support I think everything is a big joke. If there will be a big step in a combination of DE and OS, everything is fine.

What do you think about the latest news of the AmigaOne?

No notion. I don't know if you should buy the "new" Amiga or a normal PC later, on which the new OS will run without any modifications.

Do you think Amiga games - unconsidered the size - should be published on CD-ROM and do you think DVD has a chance on Amiga in the future?

I'm not a big gamer, but most Amigans have a CD drive, so why not? DVD on Classic Amigas is stupid, in connection with AmigaDE that's no question.

What kind of computer do you use?

Next to two A500, which are resting in the corner of my room, and a Windows-PC (AMD 350MHz), only used for scanning and burning CDs, I use my A1200 in a towercase with Blizzard1260, CyberVision64/3D and some other nice expansions.

What do you think of the SDK?

I can't say something because I didn't know much about it.

Does the new AmigaOS have a chance against the PC?

Perhaps - with a good marketing, the perfect partners and of course good ideas and good programming.

What kind of marketing do you expect?

An offensive marketing at the right place - Amiga has to realize which customers will buy Amigas. Then the should try to "contact" these customers via advertisements in several medias and computermagazines - with a clear memorandum to Windows, telling the positive aspects of the new Amiga system. How do you want to tell someone not to use Windows? But I think there's not enough money to finance such a marketing.

What partners do you mean?

At first place software companies. If someone can present an Officepakage and an actual browser, the first step is done. I won't name concrete companies, Amiga has to choose them; they shouldn't think about new hardware, they should use standard products - not make the same failure as many years ago. Microsoft is also specialized on software.

Will the AmigaOne harm the Classic Amiga?

No, more the other way round - if the whole Amiga-world will concentrate on the AmigaOne, perhaps the AmigaOne will have a chance. But the current Amiga users are mostly people who are proud to own a computer which is still supported with software despite his age.

What's your personal opinion about the Amiga future?

He should support standard-hardware and present a compact, fast and easy-to-use operating-system that won't crash and will be configurable in every parameter. He should combine the positive things of all existing operating-systems - but never forget the ideas from the founders of the Amiga. But I don't have exact ideas! :-)

Do you think, the Classic Amiga will be that successful as at it's beginning?

Surely not, this times are over.

Do you think, the AmigaNG will be that successful as the Classic Amiga at the time of it's publication? Nevertheless now there is substantially more high performance competition.

That's right, today it is much harder to make yourself a name in the Amiga market - Apple got many problems, although they have a better history than Amiga. A prerequisite is a good marketing and a really good operating-system.

Do you have an own Homepage? What is the URL?

http://www.martin-elsner.de there's also information about my programs and of course me.

How can we contact you via e-mail and snailmail?

e-mails should be sent to email@martin-elsner.de If someone will send something via snailmail: Martin R. Elsner - Müsener Str. 46 - 57223 Kreuztal

What do you think about Amiga Future?

Hm, as a programmer I get not much informations from it - but we should be proud to have a magazine like this!

What's your opinion about the insolvency-proceed from phase 5?

It's no surprise, but I am worried. I am surprised everytime a hardware-developer can survive on this small market.

What are your hobbies?

Except programming: model railway, reading, bicycling,...

What is your favourite movie?

Hunt for Red October - Sean Connery is my favourite actor, perhaps Harrison Ford achieves this too.

Will you visit the coming Amiga-Fair in Cologne in september?

If nothing happens and I have enough sparetime, why not. I hope that there won't be presented a new operating-system ;-)

What do you think of such long and annoyingly interviews? :)

If it doesn't happen each week, I will make such interviews gladly ;)

What do you want to tell piracy-copiers?

There's nothing to say - on the Amiga system they produce more damage than they can imagine. There are existing many freeware products!

Some final words?

I am proud to own an Amiga and develop programs for it. I hope that I can help others to use their Amiga computer with much fun!