The Amiga Monitor, one of the most successful and prestigious online magazines published during the history of the Amiga personal computer platform to date, is currently not being published. It has not been cancelled.
However, its future is questionable because the one person most instrumental in creating and maintaining AM, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Mike Webb, currently does not wish to assume the responsibility anymore.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm still interested in the Amiga platform. My A4000T is my primary machine, and in its current state (which includes a 50-MHz 68060, a most awesome Picasso IV, 82 MB RAM, and an Ariadne ethernet card), it's still what I prefer by far over any Mac or PC out there.
"But other things have changed. My life is far different now from the way it was when AM was first created. I was, what, 16 or 17 at the time? I've since spent two years at Cornell University in Ithaca NY; I'm 20 now, and a totally different person. Computers don't have as high a priority in my life as they once did. I've been through so many changes it's mind-boggling."
While Mike's "platform affiliation" hasn't changed, his views on life have.
"What it comes down to is that I still use an Amiga and maintain a vague interest in the future of the platform, but I disagree with Amiga Inc.'s direction as much as I ever did, and plain and simply don't have the interest or desire to keep publishing; The Amiga Monitor used an inconceivable amount of my time and resources, especially for something that was done in my "free time." Don't get me wrong; it was once a labor of love. But that time has gone, and nothing related to computers -- not just the Amiga itself -- matters enough to me anymore for me to put that much of myself into it."
As his life has changed, Webb has moved on to other things.
"My real passion in life is music. It's kind of been that way for a few years now, but in the past year and a half my seriousness and love for it have just exploded. I'm putting a lot of energy into pursuing music as a composer and performer, while still pursuing an Engineering curriculum. I'm not certain just what major I really want, although I'm still headed towards Computer Science. I may go for a dual-degree with CS and Music. Or I may just do music. I don't really know; I'll just figure things out at my own pace.
"But when it comes to battles, and crusades, and passionate dedication to a cause, I've found something new; something that, unlike computers, really affects people in deep, personal ways; and something that ultimately is the arbiter of my true happiness. I've really begun to discover myself, and now I see where my dedication and energy really must go."
"Catch me online at the current location of The Webb Site, at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/mrw11/, or e-mail me at mrw11@cornell.edu. Oh, and if you want to contact my A4000T directly, feel free to check out The Webb Server! (Availability subject to conditions including Cornell network status, and whether my computer is here, running, and not in the process of booting or crashing.)
"And if we don't cross paths again, let me say thanks for helping my dream become reality. The Amiga Monitor was my inspiration and brainchild, and though I was always the primary person behind it, it couldn't have worked without the support of readers, writers, and web site administrators everywhere. It's been real, guys."
Even though AM is not currently being published, we intend to bring the archives back online for anybody wishing to read any of our issues, from the first in August of 1996 until the last, as of today, in August of 1998. Although it may be over forever, we're proud of our two-year run, and intend to continue to exist as part of the legacy buried and etched indelibly in the archives of Amiga's history.
When possible, we will reassemble an online database of all past issues. This is not elementary because the size requirements may exceed our current online storage space. It's a matter of deciding whether to remove some possibly "redundant" (say, both LhA and ZIP archives of a given issue) archives, or look for more web or ftp space. We will carry this out in due time.
In the meantime, archives of all the issues should still be available on Aminet in the "docs/mags" directory (all names beginning with "am"), and as of this writing, The Amiga Monitor is available in online-readable format on the Amiga Web Directory on their Amiga Monitor page. The AWD was our first mirror site and has remained an invaluable partner throughout AM's run, and even now. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
Last Updated June 19, 1999