A lot of hardware-related news today, but this one will probably mean the most to us alternative OS fans: it seems AmigaOS 4 has found hardware to actually run on. The board will have an IBM 750GL at 800 MHz with 1MB of L2 cache, and will support processors up to 1Ghz. Also: “One of the biggest changes to the Amy05 design from our first released specification is the addition of the AMD Geode CS5536 companion device. For Project Prometheus/Amy’05 this becomes Amy’s Southbridge.” The current board is is a development board, and will be made available in a limited quantity for hardware testing/OS4 development.
Seems to me it would be easier to port the software to x86 than to find some barely existant hardware.
But, perhaps this is just me.
Until these are actually available to buy or one is demonstrated in public. I’m dubious. When I first about Amy’05 back in 2005, I actually wow a cheap ppc board great. Now I’m not sure but anything over £200 is a bit steep for what is essentially a very outdated piece of kit.
No amount of benchmark manipulation (that apple and by some people ) can make ppc look fast compared to a decent x86-64 chip. I know these are entry level boards, so I’m eating my words a bit. But five years ago? Yes please. After years of using one what do I notice? My Athlon 750 is seems faster than my G4 733. Should that be? Don’t know.
Edited 2006-09-13 16:52
Connects to a story about a game. Link should be corrected to storyid=3297.
I would _honestly_ like to know if any OS News readers actually use an Amiga as their main box. I have a soft spot for the ‘classic’ Amiga, but things have moved on so much since the ‘glory days’ that I honestly can’t see the point.
I agree with MORB. I won’t be surprised if an x86 box will run the OS faster under emulation. I’m also under the impression that PPC was/is a fine CPU that was scuppered by generally poor glue logic.
The OS is also prolly underpowered for a modern PDA these days…
Nezumi: they wouldn’t even need an emulation. Just recompile the damn thing to x86.
So yes, the three or so existing PPC apps wouldn’t work anymore. It’s not like they couldn’t be recompiled by their authors either.
I’m running UAE on my main PC running AOS 3.9, using a mix of amikit and amiga forever.
Supports 1920×1200 on my 24 inch LCD, smooth as silk, and plays mods, movies, internet apps work.
Seems to run fine emulated on x86 hardware, and then there are x86 emu ports, AmigaXL and Amigalon(sp?)
You’re missing the point.
This article isn’t about the old amiga OS running on legacy amiga hardware (which is what UAE emulates), it’s about AmigaOS4 which has been rewritten (and is still currently in development as far as I know).
It’s being developed right now, it’s in C, and it runs for inexplicable reasons only on PowerPC based hardware, which has to be custom built by obscure companies who have a very hard time finding components such as northbridges because the PowerPC is now completely out of the desktop market.
Basically they’re replacing the old legacy amiga hardware which is obsolete, underpowered, and rare with NEW obsolete, underpowered and rare hardware.
It just doesn’t make sense. They are obsessed with the PowerPC for no rational reason.
Edited 2006-09-13 20:35
It’s being developed right now, it’s in C, and it runs for inexplicable reasons only on PowerPC based hardware…
The reasons have been explained, repeatedly, and by the head of Hyperion himself. So, they’re certainly not inexplicable. Perhaps you mean that you find his reasoning laughable, which is another matter entirely, but you have a lot of company in that regard.
Someone else asked about porting it to Apple. I agree, that would be a good idea. But for, ah, “inexplicable” reasons, it can’t be done 😉
how would it be a good idea to port it to Apple G3/G4 PPC hardware?
That hardware is also obsolete as Apple has abandoned PPC.
Porting it to _any_ PPC hardware is foolish and will only end badly.
The only chance Amiga has to ever become more than a very niche hobby OS for pretty much only the developers themselves, is to port it to the good ol’ regular x86 hardware.
Then, just maybe, Amiga will once again rise to see the sun.
As it is now, I wouldn’t be surprised if even SkyOS has more users than AmigaOS4, and that OS is by far younger…
I used to love Amiga, but Hyperion sooo has the wrong idea here..
I come home from my Windows network Administration to a nice OS4 world. The web Browsers aint pretty, but it’s usable as an OS for you basic stuff…
Port the OS4 to existing G3/G4 Apple machines..
Someone else asked about porting it to Apple. I agree, that would be a good idea. But for, ah, “inexplicable” reasons, it can’t be done 😉
Bit pointless anyway, considering Apple has dropped PPC to go over to x86
Basically they’re replacing the old legacy amiga hardware which is obsolete, underpowered, and rare with NEW obsolete, underpowered and rare hardware.
The new hardware is underpowered how? If you mean that by the time the OS has loaded the system has barely any computing power left ovder for apps, then please remember you’re talking modular AmigaOS4 here, not monolithic Windows or MacOS. Clearly you haven’t seen it running.
As for obsolescence and rarity, it’s a small company (and I MEAN small) project. Don’t insult your own intelligence by expecting them to have to bottomless pockets of a multinational!
The new hardware is underpowered how? If you mean that by the time the OS has loaded the system has barely any computing power left ovder for apps, then please remember you’re talking modular AmigaOS4 here, not monolithic Windows or MacOS.
Duh. I do know all about the footprint and whatnot of amigaos4. I know people involved in its development, and people who used to work for hyperion. You know that the amiga community has shrinked dramatically when several of your amiga enthusiast friends are now involved either in its development or in the development of morphos :p
But nonetheless, the hardware is underpowered. It might not be a problem for day to day usage, but some applications use a lot of CPU. Graphic programs, compilers, etc… So it doesn’t seem to make sense to pay for expensive hardware that is less powerful than commodity hardware.
As for obsolescence and rarity, it’s a small company (and I MEAN small) project. Don’t insult your own intelligence by expecting them to have to bottomless pockets of a multinational!
Yeah, it’s really smart to make your own hardware when you don’t have money