@mdwh2
Actually, you claimed I had proposed nothing which UAE does not already do. I pointed out a couple of things that in fact show this is not so. One is arguablt trivial (though not to less technical users) and the other less so (truly cycle exact hardware emulation). To point out that my emulator does not exist is rather superfluous when we are discussing features that are to be present, as well. And your fixation on it as a rival to UAE is a bit hard for me to grasp, since they are coming from totally different angles. Especially with what I am going to say below..
@Hammer
Yes, 2003 Server will retain all the same API calls, so MS lead me to believe. Thus applications written for 2000 or XP should run with no modification on it. It is also going to include (out of the box) version 1.1 at least of the infamous .Net so if I chose to write for .Net instead of the native (to previous Windows versions at least) API that would also work. I won't be at this though. Yes, I have heard of Winfellow but not used it. As regards "hush pattern" support, I am taking it under advisement :¬)
@mesagl
Because it will be OO, it will almost by definition be an SDK of sorts. This is because each of my "Virtual Custom Chip" objects is going to need to present an interface to other objects wishing to address it. It's likely that only very specific objects will actually be allowed to do so, but the "look" from the point of view of a programmer will be of an extension to the well known API paradigm. As for separate branches, not necessarily.. at least not that separate, but as you say, identical interface, except where a one is a superset. Differing implementation as needed, at the core level.
Now.. the (?) exciting bit.. I have decided that a major, possibly THE major thrust of the project is going to be total integration with AROS. That is to say I shall be joining other developers on the AROS project, specifically to implement "Seamless Legacy Amiga Emulation" in AROS. Matt emailed me and expressed an entirely similar vision of how this ought to behave:
"OS legal" emulation will happen within windows which are treated exactly like any other in AROS, i.e. same colour borders, etc, etc. "OS legal" means that the application only makes legitimate calls to AOS, no attempts at directly talking to the hardware (incidentally, though I am sure most are aware of this, it is that which makes most games 'broken' on simple emulators and ports of AOS).
"Hardware Emulation mode" will be fullscreen, require high thread priority and a lot more resources, but given the power of the likely platforms, the efficiency of AROS and the relatively undemanding nature (by comparison with today's software) of most programmes that will need it, performance should not be an issue at all. It just might not "play nice" if you want to run other tasks. In as much as, you may get the standard Windows approach of "Close all other applications, etc, etc"
I have received several requests for PPC emulation and this is also under advisement.
John
