OS4 moves to x86. What happens next?

[the_leander]

After OS3.9 we had Amithlon, which was and to this day remains a great achievement technically. If we were to have gone to x86 it would have had to have been then.

Sure you could do a port of OS4 and make an x86 native version I suppose. But what would it realistically offer that wouldn't be better supported with a lightweight linux running UAE?

And this is where we're at now. Sure, PPC, it's cute and at the time it might have been justifiable. But it got the community nowhere.

I have to say that at this late stage in the game. The only realistic options left on the table are UAE and classic68k / Minimig.

Natami might become one if and when it's released.

I just don't think there is the resource there now to do anything else except fall back to the pure retro scene. AmigaNG, regardless of which side of the red/blue divide you're on, has been an utter disaster for the community as a whole.

[the_leander]

Specifying even one exact x86 hardware configuration is still easier for users than specifying four proprietary PPC configurations.

I always figured the best way to go about it would be to pick something like the mini-itx systems by VIA and more recently Intel/nVidia.

Limited hardware differences, all well documented and quite a few cool features.

As for what they'd offer over other things in the market, that really is the $64,000 question, isn't it?

[the_leander]

The mainboards would be outdated and unavailable before the OS is even released. Seriously, if you are into this kind of stuff - look at AROS. It won´t get any better than this if you are on x86.

This wouldn't be a problem if you picked a niche such as the mini-itx market. The hardware there is fairly stable and quite limited. Also there is OSS code that one could leverage.

[the_leander]

But, I think it's too late for that. AROS is too strong today

This isn't the first time I've read this, recently in fact I've seen it repeated. I don't know if it is true.

What I will say is that I never honestly expected to see the day when AROS would be pointed at as being complete enough that it warranted the attention it's getting.

I'm glad I was wrong. Well played folks.

[the_leander]

Well, compared to MorphOS or AOS4 it is still probably "crude" in some areas, but then again, in some it is ahead. But with a new GUI(planned) and some serious beta testing to iron out some bugs, I think few would opt to pay for a very similar OS just for the sake of The Name.

Even to get to this stage... Heh it blows me away. Good luck with the testing

[the_leander]

Amstrad CPC range, best 8bit ever

Nay, C65 beast 8bit (we're not counting if it reached full production, right?).

Nope, both wrong: Sam Coupe, bitches :p

Back to topic. If I read the posts after my last post correctly, Hyperion would have pay their developers not just for an X86 port, but they would alspo have to pay again for the right to use the source codes of AOS4 for the port? Or wouls any product resulting from AOS4.X source code still be covered?

They don't own the source code - the developers do - Hyperion is effectively a shell company, all developers are effectively contractors. The only have a licence to sell the binaries, which they would need to renegotiate with the devs to recompile for x86. They would have to pay off their devs in order to get the source, which I seriously doubt they have the cash to do.

Also, afaik they're only licensed to produce OS4 for PPC. They would need to re-negotiate with Amiga.Inc for that.

Effectively, they're stuck.

[the_leander]

I thought that might ne the case. Wow, now that's a realy f'd up position for the Amiga market.

Indeed, and if there is any way of making this situation worse, I can't think of it.

Hyperion is allowed to use the terms mentioned before. AInc. can't use AmigaOS, but retains all rights including the right to the Amiga name and the copanyy they license the use of the Amiga name to isn't interested in AROS or AOS (and according to my converation with Barry he actually approached the MOS team, who told him the same thing that we've all heard - no X86 port for the foreseeable future).

The problem is that the court ruling specifically prohibits Amiga.Inc from going into competition with Hyperion. If Barry were to start selling a rebadged AROS as AmigaOS5, both Barry and Amiga.inc could well be landed in it.

That's not to say Barry can't sell Amiga brand PCs, just not with AROS or any other Amiga-like installed on it.

This entire sistuation is only going to confuse the average consumer and make it even more impossible to create a renewed interest in the Amiga brand.

Welcome to the Amiga community.

Now do you guys understand why I don't care if MOS or AROS carry an Amiga brand?
What was done in the past is cool, but it can be run on almost any platform.
What's to come in the future has to stand on its own merits (against some really well backed competitors that all offer OS' with a solid foundation and much bigger markets to draw developers).

Thing is, it's gone past that, Amiga's one and only selling point now is nostalgia, for the reasons you point to. And thanks to the hinky legal situation, the name cannot go forward at this point either.

I've said it before, Hyperion product acts to attract developers to the PPC

Hyperion has attracted nothing but flack (a lot of it well deserved) for being little more than a pariah. Under it's stewardship, the Amiga community has shrunk to around a tenth of it's size in ~2000.

I'm sorry, but I simply cannot agree to the above statement.

[the_leander]

Or, you know, you could be adult about it and either hit the report button, or add him to your ignore list.

[the_leander]

I know the PS3 uses 3 Cell processors. What I'm not sure of is are they full general CPUs or are they specific in function or somewhere inbetween?

From what people using linux on PS3 have said, it's dog slow - considerably slower than the G5's it is often compared against.

Something about it being an in order processor verses the G5's out of order execution. Also the SPEs are virtually useless outside of a few very specific purposes and they require quite a bit of hand tuning to get any real performance out of...

Anyway, great in principle, but in practice... At least with Linux not so much.

[the_leander]

I know some of you out there would still complain about being locked in to only the supported hardware, just like now, but the cost of purchasing a system would be so much cheaper.

Mini-itx/EPIA. As platforms go, they're fairly consistent and pretty cost effective.