AmigaOS 4.1 just didn't let me in. It's like being invited by a friend to a party where you don't know any of the people there. Your friend promises to remain by your side and ease you into the group, but once you arrive, your friend wanders off into the crowd, leaving you by the sidelines. And the group of people have known each other for 30 years. And they're catching up to 30 years of shared history. And they really aren't interested in newcomers - this is a reunion, not a party.

AmigaOS 4.1 seems to cater too much to the past, instead of looking forward. The developers are catering to the ever shrinking group of classic Amiga users, instead of trying to capitalise on the strengths of the platform to try and bring in new people like myself. I simply don't get the idea that the developers are trying to advance the platform.

So, to get back to my original question: is the Amiga platform worth its hefty admission fee? It will completely depend on what kind of person you are. If you're a long-time Amiga user, or you have very fond memories of the platform, it's certainly a good investment and you won't be disappointed.

However, are you a geek like myself, with a more general interest in operating systems and software, then it becomes really hard to justify spending all this money to get an operating system that is by no means modern, and which - it pains me to say - will be nothing more than a very expensive toy. Consequently, I have to add that if money is no issue for you, my point becomes moot.