potential PPC Amiga REAL CHEAP

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

Ah, so you own a gamecube (2 even) and not an A1...imagine that and how many other Amigas own GC's and not A1's...

What does that matter?  20 million GCN owners aren't wishing they had OS4 or an A1.  The count is just one, you.

The Q is way overpriced.  A GC is $99, a DVD player is $40, a Q - $3XX.  Insane.

When I got the Q a few years ago, GCN's were $199 and DVD players were $100.  Of course, back then the Q was ~$450.  But, I got it because it's a neat looking box and a good collectors item.  However, even with it's added capability I still wouldn't think it was a computer.

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

billt wrote:

A lot of companies already do. But those are for things running on PC hardware. Look at Sony, they used to sell a Linux kit for PSX2 but they stopped. Why? Maybe it didn't pay off in the case of a games console.

Well, we all know Sony is trying to get US Customs to consider the PS line as computers in order to pay less tariffs on importing them.

Not at all.  This was a follow on to the successful Net Yaroze homebrew development system for the PS.

It's fine to release a Linux kit, but what could anyone do with it?  Did it include a PS2 optimized gcc compiler?  No apps = no sales.  I don't care for the PS2 and for all I know, the people who bought the Linux kit are surfing the web with their PS2's.

There is/was quite a scene for PS2 Linux.  I've seen a UAE port, ported emulators, games, etc.  After all, it's more of a computer (ie. USB, Firewire, 40GB HDD, 100Mbit NIC, VGA output).

To answer your questions, yes it did have PS2 gcc, headers, etc.  I don't know what apps you're refering to.  It's a dev kit for homebrews, so apps are there in the community, or you can write your own.  Surfing the web?  Not sure what to think about that.  Is that a good or bad thing?

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:
debunks some myths like the 10 MBit limit and 1.4GB limit on DVDs

The great part about this is the speed as I successfully backed up an image with an average of 650 K/B per second. Another big {bleep} you to all the people that said the Cube could only go at 10MBPS no matter if you used PSO or not.

This myth?  Hate to break it to this guy, but 650KB/s is less than 10Mb/s speeds.  

The facts are that the bus is limited to 27Mb/s and it's shared with other components.  You'll never be able to get 100Mb/s transmissions on the GCN.

[adolescent]

The peak I've seen using UDP was about ~1600KB/s (~900KB/s with TCP) which has the hardware configured for 100MB/s but like I said, you can't get full speed transfers due to the bus speed.  These are probably the max because this was a very streamlined transfer protocol and client/server application.  Normal overhead will chop these numbers down quite a bit.  This might be okay for web browsing, and casual file transfers, but for running the system it's very slow.

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:
Quit the bullpoo.

Don't know where this comes from.

10Mb/s is 178 times faster than a 56K modem.
The average broadband internet connectio is 20-50 times faster than 56K.

Both irrelevant.  You wouldn't mount a filesystem over a 56k modem or broadband would you?  I said it was good for web browsing, which you seem to agree with here.

Stop your trolling.
The only thing you are succeeding in doing is stopping an uninformed noob from gaining any interest in the possibility of AROS or OS4 on GC.

I'm simply offering technical information,, and corrections to incorrect information posted by others (including you).  If you think my specs are wrong, then please offer counter information (with sources), instead of just calling me a troll.

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

I don't want a Gamecube for a computer, I want AOS4 on cheap hardware and that's the cheapest.  Only buy being affordable can the community grow.  It's also easy to program for.  The whole 'unknown' and 'propriety' issue is dead.  The homebrew people have documented this hardware very well.   How else would Linux, emulators, media players and even a gcc compiler be able to run on this system ALREADY.

The GCN (with gc-linux) ISN'T AFFORDABLE after you add in all the stuff you need (BBA, Mod chip, case, keyboard/mouse adapter, extra PC, etc.).

If cost is the main factor, then a Powermac G3 (Beige or B&W) would be a better choice since it's a real computer.

Ideally, I'd like to see Hyperion, Eyetech and Amiga come together and get a Gamecube license and port OS4 completely and have Eyetech produce a device like the planned IBM Gamecube hard drive adapter...that way Eyetech isn't out of the loop and no bridges are burned.

Have you talked to Hyperion, Eyetech and Amiga, Inc. yet?  (I know this has been asked dozens of times in this thread, but it's the logical place to start...)  Or was this thread just a big troll?

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:
IBM proved that you can have a mini-hard drive in the parallel port expansion.  Toshiba makes an 80GB 1.8" HD.  Heck they got a .85" HD that will hold 20GB.  This could come as a future expansion.

In your words, "bullpoo".  IBM has never had a HD developed or in development for the GCN.  Add this to the many rumors of zip drives, HDs, and other removable expansions for the GCN.  

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:
I posted a link a few pages back to a planetgamecube.com page announcing that the product was in development.

Even the planetgamecube.com people later said it was phoney.  (keep in mind this is years old now, but at least you could do a minute or two of research before posting nonsense).

F.Y.I: the GBA player for the GC is jut a fancy data I/O device that specifically reads GBA roms and writes to them as well.  The included disc is the actual emulator that reads and writes to the hi-speed parralel port.

Totally incorrect.  The disc is not an emulator at all.  The Gameboy Player contains the complete GBA hardware, except for I/O (which is handled by the GCN). The disc is simply there to boot the GCN, setup the hardware, etc.  There is no software emulation or rom transfer to the GCNs memory.  

BTW, what color troll are you again?

If supplying correct technical information makes me a troll then I'll let you pick my color.  

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:



Tell you what, open up yours and show me the GBA cpu+gpu+spu in there and I'll retract my trolling statements.

Why?  I've already seen pics of the circuit board, it's up to you to back up your insane claims.  But, to solidify things, how about some quotes from the creator of the GB Player himself.

IGNpocket: Did any of the assets from the development kits like the AGB Capture, or the Wide Boy, work their way into the Game Boy Player project?

Sashmoto: The hardware technology is essentially just the Game Boy Advance hardware. As far as the image processing goes, it's using the GameCube hardware. So it's a different project than the AGB Capture and the Wide Boy.

...

IGNpocket: Why did you go the route of requiring a boot disc for the Game Boy Player?

Sashmoto: For security purposes, the GameCube absolutely has to have a disc to start. So it was necessary.

IGNpocket: Does the disc have any code on it that's specific to the Game Boy Player, other than to boot it up?

Sashmoto: The boot disc has the image processing software as well as the security software. It's possible to update the disc to improve certain aspects of the Game Boy Player, if needed.

...

IGNpocket: Are there any undocumented features of the Game Boy Player that nobody's really stumbled upon yet?

Sashmoto: (laughs) It's just a Game Boy Advance system that you can play on your television. That's pretty much it. So, no secrets.

...

IGNpocket: Pokemon Box on the Game Boy Advance gives players the ability to play Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire on the GameCube without the need for a Game Boy Player. So why do we need the Game Boy Player if this is possible?

Sashmoto: Yes, that's true, but that uses software emulation. And when you think about all the hundreds and thousands of Game Boy games on the market, making the emulator compatible with all of these games wouldn't be efficient or cost effective. That's where the Game Boy Player comes in, since the system is essentially the Game Boy Advance hardware. Compatibility isn't a problem

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

adolescent wrote:

Sashmoto: The boot disc has the image processing software as well as the security software. It's possible to update the disc to improve certain aspects of the Game Boy Player, if needed.

What does that tell you?  It's not 100% GBA hardware.

I never said it was 100% GBA hardware.  Obviously the Gameboy Player doesn't have a LCD, speaker, controls, battery holder, etc.  Of course, you just do not want to admit, yet again, that you are wrong.  But, we all know you are, yet again.

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:
seeing as how image processing is 80% of a video game and that's sent to the GC, I don't feel any need to retract any statements.

Your statements were wrong.  Wether you choose to retract them is up to you.  

As bloodline pointed out, an old 8/16-bit cpu costs pennies to throw in there to get the game code to run on time and properly, the bulk of the work is done on the GC...

You of all people should know that the GBA has a 32bit CPU.  And, once again, you miss the point.  The "bulk" of the work isn't being done on the GC, it's being done on the ARM (GBA) or Z80/8080 (CGB) CPUs.

hence applying some of those Super Sai video modes that the PC emulators have could have always bumped up the image quality to 640x480...  hence the patch comment to improve the player.  If it's already 100% GBA CPU+GPU+SPU, what could a software patch improve upon? - fancier borders around the 256x224 image?

Sure.  Also improved/fixed scaling, Gameboy Player exclusive content, etc.  But, note that an update disc has never been released so it's really moot.  The disc isn't an emulator, period.  

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:
Oh and the latest Linux build supports hot swapping memory cards and 1GB SD cards using the SD Gecko or a home made adapter.  Enough memory for you yet?  www.gc-linux.org for anyone who is interested.

SD/MMC cards are block devices, not RAM (which is of course still limited to 24MB + 16MB).  Also, the memory card slots are also on the EXI bus so they have the same speed limitations.

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

...now that is everything...

now what was that again about the GC not being a sound Amiga PPC platform?

24MB RAM...  <-- All I need to say.

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

adolescent wrote:

24MB RAM...  <-- All I need to say.

Gamecube has 24MB main ram and 16MB of secondary ram used as swap space by developers like a ram disk.

Yes, 24MB of RAM, just like I said.  Since you can't use the  extra 16MB of swap as contiguous RAM for applications, etc.

memory footprint of your average OS once it's "booted" and running: 256k

Average 1990 Amiga OS?  You're not talking about modern usable operating systems are you?  Are you seriously comparing something like OS4 to Workbench 2.0?

most memory that ever came with a real Amiga: 2MB

Wrong.  We'll just leave it at that.  

most classic Amiga application run on a system with 512K, floppy drive speeds were the main issue before HD's became common place.

HDs have been commonplace for 10+ years, even in Amigas.  Again, where's the connection.  Do you have 26MB of RAM in your PC?  It's not possible.

a $15 adapter gives you access to SD memory cards currently up to 2GB.  Applications can boot off of SD card or DVD.

As storage, not RAM.  There's nothing, currently, that can be done about the lack of RAM.  As such, and I've been saying this for months now, the GCN is not a good candidate for anything other than a game system.

People will always say something can't be done until someone comes along and does it.

That's typically how things work.  I'd never expect to see a flying car that can travel back in time, but you never know.

[adolescent]

[adolescent]

lou_dias wrote:

I find it interesting that none of you are OS4 developers but Hyperion says they can run it on a cell phone but you people say it can't run on the Gamecube.

Next some troll will tell me that cellphones have had 256MB of memory for years...

Actually, some do.  But, that's beside the point.

The experience of running "OS4" on the mobile phone wouldn't be the same as running it on a full fledged computer.  Just like your running of Internet Explorer on a PDA isn't the same as running it on a real PC.  

You're comparing apples to oranges here.  If you want to run a PDA/smart phone type OS and apps on your GCN then the 24MB just might work (although, it would be even more limited than current PDAs/smart phones).  But, if you want to run the real desktop OS then you'll be very short of memeory.