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A propos d'Obligement
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David Brunet
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Interview with Simon Neumann
(Interview conducted by David Brunet - January 2025)
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Here's an interview with Simon Neumann, an active Amiga user since years and who is well known for being the
managing director of Alinea Computer, an Amiga software/hardware reseller, developer and manufacturer from Germany.
 Hello Simon.
Can you introduce yourself?
I am 45 years old and live in Giessen, which is in central Hesse. That's a federal state in the centre of Germany.
I am the managing director of Alinea Computer and one of the partners
of Look Behind You Verlag. The two together
make up my job, which I do every day. My hobbies are badminton, salsa dancing and skiing.
What was your
first computer?
My brother and I got a C64 in the 1980s, but my first own computer was an Amiga 500 and I was very proud of it. :)
When and how
did you discover the Amiga?
I discovered the Amiga at my uncle Wolfram's house. One day he showed my cousin and me Hybris on it and I was
totally fascinated.
Before launching
Alinea Computer, what had you done on the Amiga scene?
Oh, all sorts of things. I worked at Haage & Partner between 2000 and 2002 and also worked on various game projects
during my studies in media informatics. For example, many of the rendered graphics and the cover image for
Crossfire 2 are mine.
But I also did a lot with Ricco Clemens back then, like new Payback levels or graphics with Cinema4D, which
I then uploaded to Aminet.
When and how
was Alinea Computer created?
It really started in 2004 and in 2005 the company was founded with Ricco Clemens. In 2010, Ricco left
the company for personal reasons and Torsten Hees replaced him.
Is Alinea Computer
your only activity or do you have a job on the side to support yourself?
Before 2023, I always had a main job and Alinea Computer was just a side job. But thanks to the
coronavirus crisis, sales were so good that I was finally able to work full-time for Alinea Computer
from 1 January 2023. At the same time, I also founded the publishing house, Look Behind You, with Nico Barbat.
So my dream came true and I was finally able to make a living from the Amiga business.
Do you plan
to expand or take on new staff?
We currently have certain freelancers, so no permanent employees. But if the Amiga market were to grow a little
more, or if the volume were to increase a little more, then I would certainly have to hire people.
Do you use
the Amiga (all variants) in your professional activity in Alinea Computer? If so, for what purpose and with
what hardware/software?
Yes, I use an AmigaOne X1000 to administer the shop, to write and print invoices and also to answer e-mails.
I also use various classic Amigas to test the hardware, such as an A1200, A600, a CD32 and an A3000D.
I use the Odyssey Web Browser for all activities around the shop and to answer emails I still use YAM 2.4 on AmigaOS 4.1.
A traditional
question for a reseller: which Amiga products sell best? And those that are having trouble finding takers?
AmigaOS 3.2 is certainly the best-selling product so far, but also the ArcadeR joysticks or the A1200.NET
Amiga 1200 cases ran quite well. At the moment, it is not so difficult to find buyers as there is a high demand
for Amiga articles.
AmigaOS 3.2, a best selling product
Can you tell
us about Octodapter? Is it available? Which developers have shown an interest in supporting this hardware?
The Octodapter is a multiplayer adapter to connect 8 additional joysticks/joypads to the Amiga. The latest
version even supports wireless gamepads via its own power supply. So a total of 10 players are possible.
We don't have a release date yet, although the hardware is completely ready. However, we would like to
include our own game and unfortunately this is still a long way off. But it's possible that we'll release
the hardware before then. We'll just have to see. I can only promise that the Octodapter will definitely
be released in 2025.
The following games are currently supported: TheGrid by Frank Röger and TankX by K.P. Kljonen. We are
also developing a Bomberman clone.
In terms of
Amiga NG, ACube Systems has relaunched the Sam460. Is there really a market for this computer, or are we at
the end of the road?
There are certainly one or two people who would still buy a Sam460, but I think we need stronger and even
cheaper AmigaOS 4.1 hardware.
In the past,
Alinea Computer has developed its own software (AmiWebView, AmiPhoto, WB Super Games, Alinearis 2...). Are you
satisfied with the quality of these products? And their sales?
Yes, unfortunately Ricco Clemens was the main developer of this software and that's why very little
work has been done on it since 2010. We are satisfied with the quality, but the sales were just too
bad to make it worthwhile to invest much time in it. We are therefore currently concentrating on Amiga
hardware for the classic Amiga.
AmiPhoto 1.21
Do you plan
to develop software again in the future? Perhaps also for the Amiga Classic or MorphOS?
I don't think so. We are only available as a distributor for developers. We are currently working together
with Steffen Häusser as you can see with Quake 2 for AmigaOS 4.1 and AmigaOS 3.x.
Together with
Nico Barbat, you have set up a new publishing house called "Look Behind You". What does it currently offer and
at are your plans for the future?
There are many plans. At the moment, however, we first have to sell our books for the Amiga, such as the
AmigaOS 3.2 manual in German and English. We are not yet satisfied with the sales figures there.
Why didn't
you merge Look Behind You with Alinea Computer?
Because the companies focus on completely different products and I manage the companies with two
different people.
Was the AmigaOS 3.2
Reference Manual difficult to write? Are you satisfied with the sales?
Yes, it was a mammoth project that we worked on for several years. Unfortunately, we didn't have the
authors and we were forced to do a lot of the writing ourselves. Nico Barbat did the lion's share of
the work on this project and really worked his arse off. We really have to thank him for that.
AmigaOS 3.2 Reference Manual
Unfortunately, we are currently not satisfied with the sales figures. The original German edition in
particular is falling short of expectations.
In September 2000,
you were recruited by Haage Partners. What was your role and what did you actually do for the company?
Yes, I worked for Haage & Partner for some time directly before my studies and had many tasks. For example,
I was involved in the AmigaOS 3.9 project. There, for example, I created the GUI for the CD player and
also tested many components. I was also the author of the AmigaOS 3.9 book.
In 2006,
Alinea Computer took over the distribution of all Haage & Partner's Amiga software. Can you tell us more
about this transaction?
I can't really say much about that. Haage & Partner wanted to get out of the Amiga market at that time
and we took over the products because Jürgen Haage had asked us. We had also developed StormC5ED on
our own. We also had a lot of plans for ArtEffect, but the code was so bad that the four developers who
had worked on it one after the other gave up at some point, annoyed.
Have you
heard from Jürgen Haage (the head of Haage Partner)? Do you know if he still keeps up with Amiga scene?
I haven't heard from him for a long time. Unfortunately, as far as I know, he no longer has anything to
do with the Amiga scene.
Has the
acquisition in 2019 of the Amiga intellectual property by Amiga Corporation changed anything (however small)
in your Amiga business? Do you collaborate with Mike Battilana (Amiga's CEO) or do you plan to do so in the future?
I can't judge, but I would say the Corona crisis and THEA500 Mini had a more positive impact. Yes, we
know Mike, but unfortunately there have been no business relationships so far. Nothing is planned so far.
What do your
opinion about the relaunch of the development of AmigaOS 3.x? What features would you like to see in the next
version of AmigaOS 3.x?
Phew, there are a lot of things. A new file system and a TCP/IP stack are certainly very important. But other
components such as a browser or USB would also be important.
You are an
AmigaOS 4 reseller, but are you (personally) also interested in other systems such as AROS and MorphOS?
We are only interested in AmigaOS. 3.x and AmigaOS 4.1. We were never really interested in AROS and MorphOS.
What anecdotes
can you tell us about your Amiga business?
Phew, good question. I can't think of anything at the moment, but I think this interview has already
become quite long.
Is there a
question I haven't asked you that you'd like to answer?
No. ;)
A last message
for the Amiga community?
Stay loyal to the Amiga, because it's worth it. ;)
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