MorphOS - YOU should try it too

[LoadWB]

The point of the MorphOS license fee is not that of paying the value of the product, it's more like an entrance fee to a cry party
The devs are more or less developing MorphOS for their own pleasure, they're really not that interested in growing a new plattform or gaining more users, as that requires lots of work and resources that are not available.

I never quite got the MorphOS bashing.  From my perspective, as a user and AmigaOS enthusiast, MorphOS has everything I need, and supports plenty of software both native PPC and via 68k emulation.  I have yet to see anything which represents a stumbling block to me doing what I want, and it targets a number of machines which are easy to obtain inexpensively.  While it may be an unintended side-effect of their work, that represents value to me.

Yeah yeah, the argument about cheap Atom machines, ARM, etc.  There's always AROS for x86.  Classic PPC machines?  OS4.1 Classic.  Several different approaches toward the same end.

I have no issue with the MorphOS team wants to protect their investments into the operating system.  I see it as a niche product with a currently limited user-base -- limited only by the growing list of supported hardware -- but a user-base nonetheless.  A user-base in which many openly and brazenly express the desire, wont, and fully justified penchant for piracy.

Additionally, you can get a fully operational product to try all you want in 30-minute stints before it goes into a low-performance mode.  But it still performs.  So it is not 30 days of full operation before whacking out, but still an operational trial period.  Just another angle on try-before-you-buy.

And the argument that anything can be cracked is facile at best.  You can kick in my French doors, but I still lock them.  I do not begrudge anyone the ability to ensure that the product of their labor is not abused.

So to not be understood, I get your point about the "cry party" and this is not meant as an attack on you.

[dfreniche]

I'm one of the proud registered users of MorphOS. I bought the 2.6 license. I'm quite happy with my Mac Mini, and think the OS*Developers need our support.

Yes, you can dream of MorphOS (or an Amiga-like) OS running inside an iMac 27" or a Mac Pro. But in a little machine like a Mini it really performs.

Let's help our developers get some beer. Don't piss them off :-)

[Heiroglyph]

As a commercial developer for Windows, I understand the corporate reason for registration, however for this use I can't agree.

1. Makes life harder for end users
2. Waste of time for the developers, doesn't actually improve the OS
3. When development stops, your OS is dead when that machine breaks

I was keeping an eye out for a cheap Mac to run it on, but I have to say that this puts the nail in the MorphOS coffin for me.

Who knows when it will be unregisterable, it's not like they have Microsofts staying power or the will/legal standing to release a key generator when they eventually go away.

[yogiofvm]

hi all ! how are you so

i particulary own a peg1 with morphos 1.4.5 and 2.7 by multiboot

i'm happy to own it (80 euros cost for main board and the same for
relec amiga box ) by ba cheaper way and as i feel concerned to begin to
make C code by moprhos 2.7, i soon will have the licence and then just try
a "hello world" first coding thing

in my eyes amiga os is not as good as morphos even if such good stability

and i rather prefer morphos dzign to amiga os


in the same time i do make movie animated films under linux (gimp+xsane+blender+synfigstudio and audacity) and then linux is for me too a right choice !

but i still have vista suxx because of modo , premiere and toon boom

will break it when found the way to make it under linux wine



regards to you all





steff:afro::afro::afro::afro::afro:

[LoadWB]

1. Makes life harder for end users

Minor inconvenience?

2. Waste of time for the developers, doesn't actually improve the OS

Which is the greater waste of time: protecting your investment or having it taken from you?

3. When development stops, your OS is dead when that machine breaks

Please give independent developers a little credit.  While it is true that some developers just drop their projects and ignore potential users (like Holger Kruse), many Amiga developers released a universal key when development of a product stopped.  Others have released a universal key or un-protected version in later years when asked.

I was keeping an eye out for a cheap Mac to run it on, but I have to say that this puts the nail in the MorphOS coffin for me.[/qoute]

Then you might not be the target demographic.  Why not find a cheap MacMini and just give it a try?  It won't kill you, I promise, and you could probably resell the MacMini if you aren't happy.

Who knows when it will be unregisterable, it's not like they have Microsofts staying power or the will/legal standing to release a key generator when they eventually go away.

This is a poor comparison.  Like Microsoft has EVER released any of its major products for free, or for that matter any key generators, at the end of a commercial product life-cycle.  See my comment above.  Sadly, a lot of FOSS developers follow the same route; there is a particular module for Apache I would love to have but the developer stopped developing it several version ago, is uninterested in updating the patch, and only commercial Linux releases have continued working on it.

In any case, I can't see that disparaging comments like yours motivate such a release.

[pVC]

1. Makes life harder for end users

In genereal I won't believe that's an issue. Pick up your preferred machine and register it. In all probability it will last long enough to be paid off.

Buying is much easier than going for online shopping on separate pages, for physical production or similar. It hardly couldn't be easier or faster. You get the keyfile quickly, usually the same day. And once you've got the keyfile, you can do reinstalls etc without further actions.

In practise it's not that Amiga users are going to switch computers that constantly. When you get a good system you will keep it long time or forever. I've registered my Mac mini 1.5GHz two years ago, it's still top-notch system in the Amiga world and I have no plans to part it in years, probably ever. In any case, ~100e is well spent during that time in my opinion. That money could have gone for far worse options too. Many people will waste that kind of money for really useless things in just couple of days. This is for years hobby, compare it to other hobbies. Really, think about it.

[XDelusion]

I was happy to support the MophOS team by purchasing a copy of MorphOS. Considering the cost of that and my Mac together, I just bought my self a damn cheap Amiga!

Thank you MorphOS team! I know you guys are not making a lot of money off this, but the end product shows the fruits of your love for Amiga, so thank you!

[smerf]

Hi,

Even though I hate anything MAC, I am still keeping an eye on this OS.

but now another nail in the MorphOS coffin,

The license is good for only one Computer install.

I want to get rid of Windows because of its install license of only 5.

Morphos 1 install, Oh well guess I will really stop my hunt for an Mini MAC g4 POS now.

So let me see someone at some time said that there was a SUCKER born every day, so how many do we have at Amiga.org, who got fished into this, buying an old out of date computer to install an OS that can only be installed once, and then it has no major software companies supporting it, just a bunch of hobbyist that work when they darn well please, and you get all this for what was it again a $100. So now I will have a total investment of $350 for an old archaic computer, with an unsupported OS that won't even play 1080p movies, and you guys rant and rave over how good it is.

I hate to tell you this but I have a couple of those computers now, but they are called real or Classic Amiga's, not emulation clones.

smerf

[XDelusion]

From what I recall, if you prove that your Mac died, you can transfer your license to another one.

I suppose you can always use AROS. It ain't MorphOS, but it is coming along, slowly but surely. It's certainly fun to tinker with that's something I'm coming to find. It ain't perfect, but then again it is free.


If you want something that is rock solid, well then show a little love back to the Amiga community and register this puppy and give it a roll on a Mac, they don't cost much. I mean it's only 300 or less total for a cheap Amiga (MorphOS included), what more could we ask for?

As for hardware dying...

...who's going to replace your classic Amiga when it dies? It's the name of the game in the Amiga scene, we're not dominated by corporate domination. We're Corporation free here my friend, only small time businesses at most, other than that a small community of users who do what they can in their own way to keep the dream alive.

[Heiroglyph]

I'm not downing the OS or begging for easy warez, just giving my reasoning.

The OS looks really good, it just doesn't run on hardware I currently own and registration locked software in this tiny, fragile, sometimes childish market scares me.

[XDelusion]

And that's perfectly cool with me! Love Amiga in your own way!

[spirantho]

Just my 3 cents (that's inflation for you)...

I don't get the point of registration. It's a turn-off for me too, and part of why I didn't buy MorphOS.

For an OS like Windows, it makes sense - there's millions of bits commodity hardware out there that can run Windows. Piracy is rife.
Note, of course, one thing: how many people here have seen pirate copies of Windows? Exactly - they're all over the net. It didn't work for Microsoft either, it's a cinch to download a pirate copy if you want to.

Secondly, I don't want to have to prove anything to someone once I've bought software from them. I bought the license, now asking me to prove myself is a bit of a cheek.

Thirdly, what if your MOS machine doesn't break? What about if you buy a Mac Mini and run MOS on it for a year, then get hold of a full G4? You want to pension the Mac Mini off to run Linux or OS X, and use the G4 for MOS... do you have to take a sledgehammer to the Mini and destroy it to transfer the license, even though you have no intention of using a Mac Mini any more for MOS? It's impossible to prove that you're not going to continue using the Mini.

Fourthly, it makes no sense. The only people who are seriously going to be interested in running MOS are hobbyists, and will respect the developers. The kind of person who pirates such a minority OS is very unlikely to give anything back to the community anyway, they're going to look at it, get bored, and go back to OS X or Windows. You need to be a hobbyist to run Amiga-like OSes these days, and I think any true hobbyist will fork out the cash needed.

Lastly, I think the logic is flawed: success of an OS is dependent on number of users, not the amount of licenses sold. It's much better to sell 500 licenses and have 5,000 users than it is to sell 1,000 licenses and have 1,000 users....

 I personally suspect that MOS has lost more users than it has gained with its over-restrictive policy on license keys.

For what it's worth I legally own all my software, including OSes. I don't pirate anything (I'm no thief).

Right, that's enough of my 3cents, normal service can resume now.

[XDelusion]

Thirdly, what if your MOS machine doesn't break? What about if you buy a Mac Mini and run MOS on it for a year, then get hold of a full G4? You want to pension the Mac Mini off to run Linux or OS X, and use the G4 for MOS... do you have to take a sledgehammer to the Mini and destroy it to transfer the license, even though you have no intention of using a Mac Mini any more for MOS? It's impossible to prove that you're not going to continue using the Mini.


Fourthly, it makes no sense. The only people who are seriously going to be interested in running MOS are hobbyists, and will respect the developers. The kind of person who pirates such a minority OS is very unlikely to give anything back to the community anyway, they're going to look at it, get bored, and go back to OS X or Windows. You need to be a hobbyist to run Amiga-like OSes these days, and I think any true hobbyist will fork out the cash needed.

Lastly, I think the logic is flawed: success of an OS is dependent on number of users, not the amount of licenses sold. It's much better to sell 500 licenses and have 5,000 users than it is to sell 1,000 licenses and have 1,000 users....

 I personally suspect that MOS has lost more users than it has gained with its over-restrictive policy on license keys.

For what it's worth I legally own all my software, including OSes. I don't pirate anything (I'm no thief).

Right, that's enough of my 3cents, normal service can resume now.

I can not argue with any of this, I see your logic totally.

[Matt_H]

Despite the unpopularity of the MorphOS keyfile arrangement (I personally have no problem with it), I think a lot of people overlook the fact that MorphOS has one of the most liberal "demo" modes available for a commercial OS: fully functional, no 30-day lockouts, no "give-us-your-email-address-and-we'll-let-you-download" schemes.

The only restriction is a 30-minute session (and it reboots in 10 seconds) - not too shabby.

And if you want to upgrade your hardware, just make sure to sell your licensed machine to someone in the Amiga community and price it accordingly. I don't think a single MorphOS-licensed Mac has yet gone unsold.

[Iggy]

Yes, but I'm not hearing any better alternative being suggested.

Good Harry, you just keep going in the direction that you guys intend to.
I can play back most 720p content with my system.
I'm looking for a 15" 1.67 Ghz G4 Powerbook.
And I'm arranging with Amigadave to buy a G5 (yes I know that's premature).
But then I've also got an R400 based video card that will work on a G4 or G5 too.

At present, the system runs great. And the future looks very promising. Thanks for all the good work.

[kolla]

So I have this macmini 1.42GHz that currently has OSX, NetBSD, Linux and MorphOS on it. If I get a MorphOS license, and then find some cooler hardware to run MorphOS on, I am supposed to sell off my current mini and never mind the other systems I also have on the system. Not what I'd be interested in doing, I'd want to keep the mini with OSX/Linux/NetBSD, and just move over MorphOS to the next hardware. OTOH, it's been months since I last booted MorphOS on it, and that was only to see what was new in the latest update - not much. Also the thirty minutes is plenty, since I'd typically have the system locked and ready for hard reset long before thirty minutes anyhow.