Amiga.org
The "Not Quite Amiga but still computer related category" => Alternative Operating Systems => Topic started by: Cyberus on January 06, 2004, 10:51:17 PM
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As you might have read, I'm thinking of going travelling soon. And I want to leave one of my computers in the hands of a friend. Before I go I want to install BeOS, to see what its like and to let him play around with it. I want to install it on my Power Mac clone, since OS8.5 has done my head in.
Any experts out there give me some pointers, and I mean BASIC ones? I've looked at openbeos.org, but am still none the wiser as to how I go about installing.
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Ive only ever run it on a pc but it is fast and very efficent i loved playing mp3 songs backwards with songplayer i think it was .
I think this site has the info for mac installation beos for powermac (http://www.beatjapan.org/mirror/www.be.com/support/qandas/powermac.html) :-)
For software try here http://www.bebits.com/ (http://www.bebits.com/)
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Hey.
I hate to be the barer of bad news, but I did a quick search on bebits.com (THE repository for BeOS software) and it apears that Be dropped support for PPC processors almost entirely quite early on in BeOS's lifetime. The only version to still support it is the version 5 Pro (version is the latest version Be officially did however), which you'll have to download illegally or find somewhere to buy it :-/
And even then it apparently won't work on G3, G4 or G5, processors, only older PPC processors are supported.
I got this from the following comments thread;
here (http://bebits.bebits.com/talkback/2680)
Look down near the bottom of the page.
So it looks like a dead-end route. Sorry. That is, unless you fancy trying to port it to more recent processors :lol:
EDIT: openBeOS is a GPL re-implementation of BeOS r5. It's currently unusable on it's own owing to the lack of an underlying GUI.
However, in the future that shuld run on PPC. I believe they are trying to have it work on PPC if I remember right...
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so its CLOSE Beos then? ...
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George is right, the only usable BeOS's around atm are:
BeOS R5 Personal Edition - the 'home' version of the last version of the BeOS to come out of Be Inc. It is available as a free (and legal) download from Bebits (http://www.bebits.com), however, it is x86-only.
Yellowtab's Zeta (BeOS R6) - not quite finished yet, but a release candidate has just been released, with an upgrade offer for when the final version is finished, x86-only too.
BeOS Exp/Dano (R5.1) - leaked developer version, legal status doubtful, x86-only.
BeOS R5 Pro Edition - same as PE, but with some additional stuff, x86-only ... however, on the cd there's also the R4.5 for PPC, which, to my knowledge is the last version for PPC, but as George said, only for the earlier CPU's, no G3's, G4's.
This version can still be found (with a bit of luck) for purchase, don't ask me where, though.
+ some other distros that for the most part consist of R5 PE bundled with patches and apps, that are also available on Bebits.
So, if your Mac has a 60x series CPU, your best (and only) bet is to find R5 Pro ED for sale somewhere, but be prepared for a lack of apps compiled for PPC.
(Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm in no way an expert on the BeOS)
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This is the best for x86 its free download and fully legal beosmax. (http://www.beosmax.org/main.php) :-)
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Openbeos FAQ says: Currently no OpenBEOS except on x86.
It says there's NewOS, will will be someday for iMac, but in no way the PPC is mentioned.
It all was ready to read on openbeos.org.
[edit: PowerMAc instead of PPC: Still the same as I said above for OpenBEOS. And POwerMac: Don't know if that is G3/G4. NewOS will someday be on G2/G4, they say. But not now.]
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OpenBeOS is just now being ported to PowerPC. The port's being done on a Pegasos, by the way. But even on x86 it's not useable yet. The NewOS author, Travis Geiselbrecht, and Axel Dörfler, who coded OpenBFS and is doing the Pegasos port, are both Phoenix Developer Consortium members via their work with the Pegasos. Also, the 18 Oct 2003 OpenBeOS newsletter (http://open-beos.sourceforge.net/nsl.php?mode=display&id=49#173.php) mentions discussions between Genesi and OBOS about OpenBeOS on the Pegasos.
For Macs and Mac clones, if you can get ahold of an earlier version, like BeOS 4.5, it'd do the trick. But, as mentioned, it requires a cpu earlier than G3.
In the year or so after BeOS was ported to x86, there was a slow decline in applications being written for PPC BeOS. The problem wasn't that Be didn't support PowerPC anymore, just that very quickly the majority of BeOS developers were on x86 and didn't even have a Mac or BeBox around to test their code on. So now, as mentioned, there isn't much software to run on a PPC BeOS.
The question would be what the computer would be used for. If it's just to have fun with, then it'd be fine with limited apps. Actually BeOS on a Mac boots from within the Mac environment so it's easy to have a dual-platform machine. Just put BeOS on a separate drive, if possible. When I started with BeOS, I ran it from a Zip disk plugged into the external SCSI port.
-- gary_c
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Right, first off, OpenBeOS isn't out yet in any shape or form, and even though its progress is good, its still probably 7 years away from being where the original R5 was in terms of functionality.
For macs, BeOS only supports vanilla machines, ie, pre iMac. Anything newer and it wont run
The Mac edition of BeOS R5 is available on the same cd as R5pro for x86.
A few caveats however: Installing BeOS or indeed, any OS other than MacOS in one of these older macs is difficult, and two, Most BeOS software was x86 only, ppc stuff is few and far between.
tbh for a newbie, I'd say get an old PC and install it on that, and the best free distro around atm is vaspers "MaxEdition" which has just recently released its third edition distrobution. Its BeOS personal edition with tonnes of third party apps and drivers.
BeOS Max Edition (http://www.beosmax.org/main.php)
There is also Zeta, which was based on BeOS R5.1d0 or Dano, which was a beta edtion of BeOS that was never released for public consumption due to Be Inc's bankrupcy. Zeta is a licenced version of this but its expensive at 100euro +P&P
Zeta is X86 only as ppc support was officially dropped with R5pro.
Right... anything else I should be remembering... Oh yes
frizbe.net (http://www.frizbe.net/hardware/) go here to check to see if your hardware is supported, basically if it isn't listed in there, then chances are your hardware isn't supported at all. BeOS's achilies heal was its hardware support...
If there are any questions regarding any of this, then don't hesitate to private message me
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Thanks very much guys, helpful replies as usual.
The Mac clone I'm running is a 604/132.
I will bookmark the links you've posted and see how I get on. I suppose I should keep an eye on ebay? As to lack of apps...hmm, perhaps you guys are right. I just wanted to run something instead of MacOS on the machine, perhaps I might look into Linux and think about BeOS on a PC (I only own this PII laptop and I don't like to mess with it tho')
Warm regards
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Thanks very much guys, helpful replies as usual.
The Mac clone I'm running is a 604/132.
I never tried PPC myself but it should work on that machine. The software is limited but these days it's hobby developers and porting should consist of a re-compile. You could ask some devs if they'd be willing to do a port.
Right, first off, OpenBeOS isn't out yet in any shape or form, and even though its progress is good, its still probably 7 years away from being where the original R5 was in terms of functionality.
I doubt given their progress it'll take anywhere near that long, I'd say a couple more years maybe for a full release. They are not developing a new OS, it's based on an existing one and that saves a lot of time.
Zeta is X86 only as ppc support was officially dropped with R5pro.
There's more than a distict possibility of a Pegasos port of Zeta, Genesi and Yellowtab have already had discussions about it.
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(I only own this PII laptop and I don't like to mess with it tho'
My pentium 2 366 dell laptop now has suse linux 8 on it and it works fine even got sound.
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It's the fact that this is my internet machine and I don't like to 'fuck with it, as I NEED the internet :-)