Amiga OS 4.0 on Laptop

[takemehomegrandma]

Hi can i get Amiga OS 4.0 to run on my laptop? It is an Acer and has Windows 7

OS4 doesn't support *any* laptop. It doesn't support no x86 machines either.

These are your options if you want OS4:

• X1000 (costs ~$3,000+ and can have up to a half year of delivery time after you succeed in making a pre-order of one). Drivers/support for key features of the motherboard isn't there yet.
• Sam 460 system/Amigaone 500 (ends up at about ~$1,500 including peripherals like case, HDD, etc, taxes and shipping). It performs like a Pegasos 2 (or slightly below), it has some oddities to its expansion options, and the driver situation still isn't 100% in all areas.
• Sam 440 system (ends up at about ~$1,100 including peripherals like case, HDD, etc, taxes and shipping). It's too slow to be meaningful in a modern context (watching todays video's, browsing complex web pages, etc)
• Pegasos 2 G4 (can only be bought second hand). Probably your best option, but can be difficult to find; it's great quality HW, performance is decent, and driver support is possibly best compared to the rest above.
• Amiga PowerUP boards. Obsolete. For masochists only.

If you want "Amiga NG" with Laptop support, your best option is MorphOS on a Mac PowerBook (PPC). MorphOS also runs on PPC PowerMac's, Mac Mini's etc, all easily available as second hand, at prices ranging between $50-$250, and their top level versions perform at the same level or better than the $3,000+ X1000 mentioned above. MorphOS per se also gives huge benefits over OS4, if you are interested in knowing about that you can ask by starting a new thread with that topic! ;)

There! Hopes that helps!

:)

[takemehomegrandma]

TMHG, the guy asked a simple question.

...and I gave him a simple answer covering all his OS4 options, followed by a brief addendum covering his best Amiga NG Laptop option. So everything was properly covered, and his simple question was fully answered!

Interesting what will happen first, support for this built-in PowerBook WiFi in MorphOS, or support for any built-in WiFi in any AmigaOS 4 compatible hardware (assuming such hardware, having built-in WiFi, will ever emerge).

Good point! :lol:

If they made OS 4.0 so it could be used on all Computers, i think they will sell a lot more i think :-) of course i like the Original Amigas best, but it could be cool if OS 4.0 could run on all newer Computers

I think that is a great idea, that would definitely be the best thing, wouldn't it? You should tell them this!

[takemehomegrandma]

You didn't answer my question though, TMHG.

Krashan did, in the post following right after yours, so why should I?

If you want "Amiga NG" with Laptop support, your best option is MorphOS on a Mac PowerBook (PPC).

Or AROS of course

Yes of course, AROS on a virtual machine. However, while similar in some ways (most prominently the 3.1 legacy background and API), AROS is something different than what both OS4 and MorphOS is today and aims to be, not only philosophically, but also technologically; it doesn't play in the same league! Please note that I'm not saying it's bad/worse or anything like that, not at all, I'm not saying you can't have fun with AROS, not at all (so please don't try to make it like I would be flaming AROS here, that's not what it's about), just that there are fundamental differences, and if you are talking about "Best option for Amiga NG with Laptop support in the context of what OS4 is [hence also MorphOS but not AROS]" (which kind of is what you commented on above, as well as the OP question), then the answer can *only* be MorphOS on a PowerBook! And that's even before you start considering the actual features of the various OS's; OS4 simply lacks all kind of laptop support and AROS doesn't qualify the conditions of the quote(*). Then of course, if you start comparing the actual features of the OS's, the "your best option" only becomes more obvious!



(* = Edited for clarity)

Yes that helps, many thanks

Glad I could help, good luck!

[takemehomegrandma]

I really hate to say this, TMHG, but you need to read better.

So do you, or more specifically you need to pay attention to following the comments in the discussion as it evolves, since your comment would suit the OP but not as a comment to my post:  

Hi can i get Amiga OS 4.0 to run on my laptop?

OS4 doesn't support *any* laptop. It doesn't support no x86 machines either.

Best option for Amiga NG with Laptop support in the context of what OS4 is

OS4 ~ MorphOS != AROS

[takemehomegrandma]

@EDanaII

Just as a follow-up:

Re-reading the OP once again, I guess you can have two points of view/focuses for interest:

• Hardware focus:
  - The most important thing to you is x86 hardware, preferably HW you already own
  - The OS must be free of charge
  - The OS must be open source
  - The OS is of less importance, but an OS that in some way resembles the Amiga instead of being just another Linux distro would be nice
  
  - Then the answer can *only* be AROS, and you install your virtual machine hosted AROS distro!
  .
  
• Amiga (NG) focus:
  - The most important thing is the OS (like the level of Amiga compatibility, features, what Amiga standards/API's it includes (CGX, MUI, Poseidon, etc), the user environment (Ambient), stability, evolution, old/new application symbiosis, etc)
  - It is of less importance whether your hobby costs some money
  - It is of less importance whether it's closed source
  
  - Then the answer can *only* be MorphOS, and you start here to write a shopping list, then head over here to shop.
  

If you choose to pay more attention to the second part of the OP post, then you have a x86 HW focus. You did that.
If you choose to pay more attention to the first part of the OP post, then you have an Amiga/OS focus. I did that.

Both can of course be "right for you", it's a matter of Point of View and what's most important to you.

[takemehomegrandma]

@TMHG

"OS4 ~ MorphOS != AROS"

Yes you are right. Aros runs natively on classic hardware without needing additional PPC or used Macs so Aros is different to OS4 and MorphOS :razz:

I guess you tried to make some kind of point there (not sure about what exactly though), but it still doesn't change the fact that OS4 ~ MorphOS != AROS. Not saying that AROS is bad or worse than OS4/MorphOS in any way, just that the two former has philosophical and technological features and ambitions that are similar, and that fundamentally differs from the latter. For this reason, the former two can (in a sense) be "grouped together", and they kind of compete about the same target audience. The latter doesn't. So when someone asks about whether there is some kind of laptop for OS4, it's not technically wrong to say "unfortunately no" but hint about the fact that MorphOS offers exactly that. Of course you (and everyone else) is free to hint about AROS on virtual machines as well (as has been done many times already in this thread), but chances are actually kind of big that this isn't at all what the OP cares about!

[takemehomegrandma]

Or AmigaOS 4.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Well, the *only* way the answer could *ever* be "OS4" is if you have the third (unmentioned above) focus: The Boing Ball (TM) focus! :p :lol:

Sorry, couldn't resist.

but saying it's *only* MorphOS - well, even you must admit that that's not true!

Eeh, Really?

The MorphOS laptops are here!

Where can I find an OS4 laptop?

:confused: