Which OS Would Be The Best Amiga Way Forward...

[Franko]

I am wondering just which OS would prove better for the future of the Amiga instead of having to rely solely on the original Amiga roms and the original Amiga Workbench... (especially with things like the NatAmi coming up)

There are only 3 possible contenders that I can see but there may be more that I don't know about, these are AROS, MorphOS and OS4.X

AROS, While I understand a bit about AROS and what it's trying to achieve but have never had the opportunity to actually try it out myself. I personally think this would be the most obvious and best way for the Amiga to go in the long term but have to wonder will it ever be completed...

OS4.x, While I've had bad experiences of using version 4.0 of this but at least this seems to be continually developed and is closer to a real Workbench experience than from what I understand and have seen of the others, the only problem I have with OS4.x is that to me personally it seems to be a bit bloated for lack of a better term and wonder if it could ever be re-written to run say on just an 060 based Amiga or even PPC based Amiga without the need for a GFX/RTG card of some kind which would make it more available to a wider user base...

MorphOS, I've only ever experienced this on a very old version on a real Amiga with a PPC board. I have to say it was just awful and totally useless, from what I know of it now and have seen and read on various sites it's actually even worse now than the old version I tried and seems to me personally to be of little value or use in regard to having a new OS that at least give you that feeling that you're still using an Amiga. So for me I reckon MorphOS is best consigned to the dustbin...

There may be more that I haven't heard about but as I've only ever heard of these 3 then I just wonder which of these really would be the best way forward and why... :

[Franko]

Loved MorphOS 0.4 on my BPPC quite lot even if it was little slow.

Btw you could have included OS3 option to the poll.

As much as Im really only a fan of OS3.x, After all the hoo ha about copyrights etc.. it would seem OS3 will never get out of the legal minefield it's mired in so I left it out...

This is more about the upcoming things like the NatAmi or X1000 then leaving aside OS3.x due to all the legal stuff, out of the other choices for an OS which of these would be the best way forward for any type of future Amiga...

I myself voted for AROS as from what I can gather about it, the 68K version is really the most compatible for me in Amiga hardware terms, though the one question I really have about AROS is will it only exist as a sort of ROM image file or can it actually be burned to a physical ROM and plugged into say an A1200 for example if someone had the ability to create such a physical ROM...

I suppose if you really want to vote OS3.x you could choose other but for the reasons I've given above it doesn't seem to fit into this particular poll/question...

[Franko]

Nice troll.

Thank you... I thought so myself...

But it's actually better than that, I killed two birds with one stone with this thread...

[Franko]

@ Bloodline

Even though I voted for AROS before your first post in this thread where you clarified for me about "burning it to a ROM", I have to say after reading all the post here that I am now a true believer in AROS being the way forward for future Amiga platforms...

Still prefer the 68k side of things but with the likes of NatAmi hopefully around the corner then I believe AROS would be easier to implement on such a machine and would indeed be the best option for it...

As for MorphOS, still say it sux big time, looks far too much like these Crapple Macs I'm using and they suck big time too... (sorry just couldn't resist that wee dig)...

[Franko]

Aghh, that's just the eye candy. I'm not a big fan of it either so I turn it off unless I'm showing it off to a friend that depends on Eye candy in order to enjoy their OS experience. It makes me feel like I'm treating MorphOS like a cheap whore. :/

Guess I'm not really being fair on MorphOS with some of my comments about it (but then who said anything in life is fair)...

I think, no in fact I KNOW my views about MorphOS have been tainted by that broken down android made from abandoned PC parts they call Piru who's about as humourless as being asked to step into the showers at Belsen...

So I'll lay off dissing MorphOS as I have said my only experience of it was a very old version that runs on my A1200 & BlizzardPPC and that put me off it right from the start but Piru just put me of it for being Piru...

[Franko]

Not many MorphOS users visit here, not as many as the OS4.x crowd.

Edit:  Plus, even though I think that MorphOS is the best choice for now and the near future, I voted for AROS as the best way for a long term future.  Maybe some other MorphOS users did the same, instead of making this just another popular vote contest.

I didn't think of it being just a popular vote and from most of the reply's it would seem folk have given their reasons for the way they voted...

It would be kinda interesting to know between this poll and Amigadave's poll of "How long you have been using Amiga computers" just if peoples age or length of time being an Amiga user affects just how they voted for whichever OS in this poll...

As Amigadaves poll shows so far that around 68% of voters have been using Amigas for over 20 years and 50% of voters in this poll have so far voted AROS...

I know it isn't accurate by a long shot but from these results you could draw the conclusion that it seems to be long time Amiga users that favour AROS and that those newer to the Amiga scene (if you can call users of less than 20 years newbies) more in favour of OS4.X or MorphOS...

Don't suppose there is any real way one could draw any accurate figures from both polls to reflect this, perhaps someone could come up with a better poll that could combine the two and see if age & length of time being an Amiga user has an effect on which OS system a person would choose...

I dunno why but I've always had the idea that older and long term users would have chosen MorphOS and newer and younger users would have chosen AROS or OS4.X...

[Franko]

@Kesa

I think the answer is in what I wrote, that is honestly my experience. There can be a threat about something OS 4 related and out of nowhere comes some MOS user and starts trolling and start a flame war.

Also I can tell you that you're diging your own grave by behaving like that. If a new user visits a site like this and all they read are desperate and cocky comments about how superior MOS is compared to everything else do you REALLY think that they will buy MOS? I would emidiatly wonder why people behaves like that because it sounds like you're trying to trick people into buying something. It doesn't sound very serious at all. Those who act like that can't be very secure.

Also I can actually understan if someone from the OS 4 side gets tired and write something insulting because it's really easy to insult you. Say one bad thing about MOS, even if it's true and there will be like 10 people going nuts, and I mean completely nuts. That's what I've seen. It sounds like they would hur you bad if they could. Now I have NEVER seen that behaviour anywhere else, be it OS 4 users, AROS users, classic users, Windblows users, Linux users or even Mac users.

And no I really don't think that is sane at all.

Have to say I agree with you 100% on those sentiments, especially folk like Piru who seem to think that any criticism of MorphOS should be met with an obnoxious and just plain ignorant reply...

Though I seriously doubt any of them could fight their way out of a wet paper bag let alone "hurt you bad"...

To me it's seems to be a case of over inflated ego's thinking that everyone in Amigaland should respect them and pat their ego's even if MorphOS is what you would consider nothing to do with your own choice of an Amiga OS...

[Franko]

I use OS 4.1.  I use MorphOS.  Neither can do anything that my cell phone or tablet cannot do, sorry.  If you are looking to raise Christ in Amiga form and find a cross, blue or red - you're 20 years too late.  Many of you taking sides have not done yourself the favor of trying everything available.  I use an OS4/Morph/AROS machine daily, that being said.

We are hobby folks, using said OS's for fun.  I like both Morph and OS4, but I am not delusional enough to think that they are "next gen" and are going to storm the market.  No one buys a SAM to replace a Mac or PC, and same goes for MorphOS/legacy Macs.  You use the things cause they "take you back", and they are fun.  Quit pissing and moaning and picking nits.  I own a SAM, a Mac mini running Morph, and an AROS box.  End result - when I want to watch a youtube video quick, or check gmail - I grab my tablet.  The market has shifted.  The computers we grew up on, held dear and were extremely proud to know inside and out have been replaced by "appliance devices".  People grab the best tool for the job.

A mantra, whether it be Amiga OS's variants or mac/win/linux stuff.

Use what you like.  Use all you can.  Know what works best for you, and also know that what works best for you likely doesn't work the best for the next guy.  Have fun, and try and let the modern computer folks know that we didn't all wake up one day with 3ghz PC's.  Respect your roots, and the roots of others.

While I can see your point of view on what you have just said, I always have to take issue with things like "hobby folks" & "People grab the best tool for the job"...

You see the Amiga is the only computer I need (and always has been and always will be) for all aspects of computing from DTP to Games, from Audio to Programming and every other aspect for which I require a computer...

I (and maybe I'm the only one but I doubt it) don't require a modern computer or "appliance device" for any computing tasks. So the issue I have with statements such as yours is the way it alludes to everyone fitting into your bracket of requiring such things (a bit like people being under the illusion that EVERYONE uses a mobile phone)...

There are believe it or not still folk on this planet who through choice don't need nor want these "modern devices" and are perfectly happy with what in computer terms is ancient technology. So try to bear that in mind please when making such sweeping statements...

[Franko]

@ Duce

Don't get me wrong I wasn't disagreeing with everything you said, just pointing out that there are some folk still for whom the Amiga and older technology suit their needs just fine...

Where I'm in full agreement with you is that were all in the same boat and we're not only drilling huge holes in it, it would seem some folk are firing torpedoes at it from all sides...

I would have thought that all that kind of BS was well and truly in past but since going online just last summer I was amazed to find it was still going on and seems to be even worse these days...

Still at the end of the day one can easily walk away from the internet at anytime and leave all this nonsense behind for it to continue forever by those who for whatever reason choose to do so. It's a great shame to me that what is the best home computer system ever conceived should have it's legacy continually turned into a laughing stock to the rest of the computing world by folk who's only tenuous connection to it these days seem to be nothing more than putting it down at every chance they get...

Strange place Amigaland and I guess that will never change, but being an optimist I still hold a glimmer of hope that one day, maybe just one day it may just change for the better...

[Franko]

When criticized, or stupid polls come up asking which system is better, I state my opinion and the facts that back up my opinion.   I stand up for myself when attacked or ridiculed, but otherwise I try to promote cooperation between users and developers.

I find it odd that you've always considered other folks polls as stupid as you always liked to point out to me last year when I posted a number of polls that strangely enough basically covered the same topics which your current polls are based on...

I know you wont be reading this as I am on your ignore list but pray tell why do you regard other folks polls as stupid (especially on the same subject as yours) yet your polls are not... :confused:

[Franko]

This whole thread's gotten quite inane.

And you've only just noticed that...

[Franko]

We don't need Emumiga to be able to run every legal m68k Amiga app - the only reason to do that would be just to say you can -, just ones already in existence. We don't need Emumiga to even be able to run all of the ones in existence, only the ones that people want to be able to run regularly on AROS with tight integration.

For apps that people rarely if ever run or want to run other than the occasional trip for nostalgia and/or that doesn't need any form of integration (like most games and demos), there's no point - Janus UAE is sufficient.
There are "only" about 30000 m68k archives on Aminet that are even *potential* candidates (when you've excluded MOD's, demos etc.). Beyond that there are a few thousand commercial applications at most. I don't know how many of those are still interesting enough to care.  Games (barring possible "workbench games") are outside the scope of Emumiga.

My guess is that 5000 packages that would be even worthwhile for Emumiga to target would be seriously overestimating it, given that a ton of those 30000 either won't be code, will be various old versions, utilities that plain doesn't make any sense anymore, apps that nobody uses, apps that are open source and better handled by porting/recompiling for AROS etc., or apps that have already been ported.

Hmm... not sure why you think that no-one still uses all these old apps anymore, I do, every day...

I very rarely play games on the Amiga and use it on daily basis for everything I need computing wise gfx, DTP, audio etc...

So I'm not sure if what your saying is that AROS can't handle such basic things as all these old apps or are simply saying that they would be better re-written or re-compiled to run under AROS. In which case I'm back to doubting if AROS in it's 68K form would indeed be the best way forward...:confused:

[Franko]

@ Bloodline

Thanks for clearing that up, that other post left me wondering (again) if AROS 68k would not be able to run a lot of stuff and then what would be the point of it, I'll take your word for it though over anyone else's...cheers...

[Franko]

Read up on this some more. UAE and Emumiga are both solutions for running 68k software on a foreign CPU. Like AROS running on x86 PC:s.

AROS-68k, on the other hand, runs 68k software natively, since it runs the software on the 68k CPU. Just in the same way all other Amiga software is run in for example OS3.1.

Little things that seem obvious to some can get lost in the discussions.

Cheers Forcie, Bloodline has already answered that question for me...

It would be a wee bit more helpful though to us AROS dummies if folk when talking about the technical side would bear in mind that not all of us who are interested in AROS are technical experts on this subject...

[Franko]

@ Vidarth

I'm not disagreeing with you over just how many "real" apps there are on AmiNet, as to be honest it's been many years since I downloaded anything from there...

Everything I run on a daily basis on my Amiga's are years old and do the jobs required of them and if I can't find something to do a job I simply write my own in 68K Assembly...

My main interest in AROS is that it will finally put an end to all the BS over the "legality" of obtaining Kickstart images. I don't have need to be able to run modern day apps that folk use on PC's or Mac's or have versions of them ported to the Amiga, for me everything that I need for computing has already been written for the Amiga a long time ago... :

It's like the NatAmi, I want to buy one but I'm not looking for it to be some new miracle all singing all dancing machine that will allow me to run the type of things folk use on PC's and Mac's. I see the NatAmi as a way of having new hardware that does all that the Amiga has always done but instead of relying on eBay and the likes to find old hardware at crazy prices, I would be able to purchase a brand new NatAmi instead...