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Operating System Specific Discussions => Amiga OS => Amiga OS 4.x (future) Hardware Compatibility Discussions => Topic started by: Iggy on January 27, 2014, 12:40:45 AM
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OK, an naive question here.
If Hyperion has the right to use OS 3.1 source, why doesn't OS 4.1 have better legacy compatibility (at least as good or better than say a PC running Amiga Forever)?
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A lot of legacy apps do run on OS4.X
This site was created just for the express purpose to show which legacy apps have been tested under OS4.X
http://www.intuitionbase.com/ossoftware.php
As far as Amiga Forever goes, it doesn't emulate OS4.X
Also, there's no way anyone is going to rewrite a majority of the legacy apps to run native under OS4.X
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@ Iggy
I'm guessing the issue has something to do with the particular way they re-implemented and expanded the APIs on the OS4-native versions of the libraries (dos.library springs to mind as being particularly full of changes). They also had to convert a lot of code from assembler (and possibly some BCPL) to C, so there could be some margin for error there. Another possible factor is that the Petunia 68K JIT isn't perfect. There is the Compatibility prefs editor to help with older software, but it's almost impossible to use - I had to do all my edits in a text editor instead (and then I'm not sure it actually made a difference).
The unspoken question here is why 68K compatibility is better under MorphOS. A few factors that could be involved there are: the project got started much earlier than OS4, so more time to work out bugs; more consistent project management and project team, so fewer loose ends of components left hanging; and more experienced developers - Ralph Schmidt, the CGX guys, and many others had years of deep hardware/software knowledge of the Amiga before getting into MorphOS. I think fewer of the OS4 devs have that level of experience.
@ all
That being said, let's not have this devolve into another OS4/MOS flamefest, okay? I think we can have a nice, adult conversation about software compatibility...
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@Iggy
Do you have any particular software in mind that doesn't run and how the hell can you think that compatiblity should be higher than under emulation in winuae?
If some old software isn't working in os4, just let it be started from uae. So compatiblity is probably the best in any amigaos ever since you can run both amigaos4 exes & classic executables.
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Octamed Sound Studio doesn't work on MorphOS, so that's one stick in the eye that OS4 has over it when it comes to compatibility with 68k apps.
It's a pretty major Amiga app too.
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OK, an naive question here.
If Hyperion has the right to use OS 3.1 source, why doesn't OS 4.1 have better legacy compatibility (at least as good or better than say a PC running Amiga Forever)?
The MorphOS team consists of some of the creme de la creme of Amiga developers from back in the day.
I'm not saying the OS4 devs are sh1t but they are not of the same calibre. Not even close.
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@Iggy
Do you have any particular software in mind that doesn't run and how the hell can you think that compatiblity should be higher than under emulation in winuae?
If some old software isn't working in os4, just let it be started from uae. So compatiblity is probably the best in any amigaos ever since you can run both amigaos4 exes & classic executables.
MorphOS runs 68k, PowerUP, WarpOS/WarpUP, OS4 and MorphOS binaries.
OS4 runs 68k, WarpOS/WarpUP and OS4 binaries.
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OK, an naive question here.
If Hyperion has the right to use OS 3.1 source, why doesn't OS 4.1 have better legacy compatibility (at least as good or better than say a PC running Amiga Forever)?
I have tested quite many 68k apps and most of them run perfectly under OS4
I have to admit that I haven't tested any music apps.
There is a huge difference how UEA and Petunia handle emulation. UEA emulates whole Computer, wich means speed drop. Petunia emulates only cpu, it uses PPC native libraries etc if they are availlable, so when you start app, it is possible that only exe, runs under emulation, libraries etc are runned in native.
Some system friendly games are running under petunia, Graphics are done with native PPC drivers and sound is done with PPC native AHI. UEA emulates all of them.
When it is possible to use Petunia performance is very good, it is like no emulation at all.
With RunInUEA it possible to run whdload games etc direcly from icon.
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OK, an naive question here.
If Hyperion has the right to use OS 3.1 source, why doesn't OS 4.1 have better legacy compatibility (at least as good or better than say a PC running Amiga Forever)?
Stating the obvious but when running Amiga forever you are emulating the complete systems so if you're running 3.x then pretty much everything written for it runs.
With OS4.x or MorphOS you'll find that most apps that don't work fail because a particular piece of hardware isn't present. If you ever ran Amithlon you'd have found the same problems even though there were no changes to the API and feature set like with 4.x and MorphOS.
On OS4.x you have the P96 fake native modes and there are some little third party utils called CIAgent and Blitzen which may help some software to run. There maybe be similar stuff on MorphOS but I haven't used it extensively and sold my Efika on a long time ago.
Having said that, as someone who went from using a 3.x system to 4.x system for everyday computing I don't recall anything significant that I could no longer use.
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OK, like I said, naive on my part as I have not had a lot of opportunity to work with OS4.
Hey Nik, what gives you the idea we can run OS4 binaries?
I haven't had a lot of luck with that.
And Octamed is significant (did anyone ever suspect I'd be making the OS4 argument?)
As to the differences inherent in 3.1 vs 4.1 system calls, if necessary the entire body of 3.1 could be incorporated and interpreted.
And UAEs hardware emulation?
Why not go that route?
When MorphOS was introduced, the hardware didn't have the power to consider that option, but what we are running our OS' on now certainly does.
And why not do it better than X86 based UAE?
There are obvious advantages.
For one, UAE can't run the PPC binaries.
Ideally, an NG OS would run legacy apps and NG apps concurrently, seamlessly as if everything was native.
At that point, the arguments against transition evaporate.
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http://amigazeux.net/os4emu/
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http://amigazeux.net/os4emu/
Yes, I have seen that wrapper, I just have not been able to get it to do anything useful.
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Yes, I have seen that wrapper, I just have not been able to get it to do anything useful.
Well it runs x amount of programs from OS4 (mostly demos in my experience), which is x more programs than OS4 runs from MorphOS.
Even without that MorphOS is still compatible with more programs than OS4 making smf's claim an outright lie.
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I wouldn't listen to Nic. He smells.....
REALLY *BAD*. :p:D
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I wouldn't listen to Nic. He smells.....
REALLY *BAD*. :p:D
Indeed and because of that I'm not entitled to an opinion on any subject matter whatsoever in case others may convert to smelling really bad too. ;)