Public Release of MorphOS 2.5 & Introduction of eMac Support

[takemehomegrandma]

Either or.  Anything "pro" and at least G4 and preferrably G5.  It doesn't sound like the G5 is planned on being supported though.

Personally, I am *extremely* happy with my "silent upgrade" Mac Mini 1.5GHz G4. And I haven't even registered my MorphOS as of yet (but I will surely do so at the current discount price!)

The license being tied to the machine is the biggest issue.  This forces the issue if the old beater mac I picked up to run an OS that costs almost as much as Windows 7 goes south, I get to sink money into it for repair as opposed to go getting another cheap mac to replace it.

If your registered hardware dies, and you can prove it (you discuss this with the MorphOS team directly as your personal unique situation arises), you will get a new keyfile for your new hardware! A kind of "warranty". This has been discussed a lot over at MorphZone.org, look there if you don't believe me (I don't have any links, but you could always ask MZ's living webcrawler Andreas_Wolf about it ).

It's handled manually on a case to case basis, and so far I haven't heard of any problems whatsoever about this.

[Kronos]

The eMac support is great for me, since its a affordable choice for me to try the OS out
To bad it only supports the 1,25GHz revisions since a friend of mine could give me a 1,42 rev :/

Says who ? MorphOS does support these atleast by Apple's system-ID, so it will atleast boot.
MorphOS also supports Radeon9600s, just only as 2D.

So burn that CD, visit your friend and give it a try.....

[takemehomegrandma]

The eMac support is great for me, since its a affordable choice for me to try the OS out
To bad it only supports the 1,25GHz revisions since a friend of mine could give me a 1,42 rev :/

Says who ? MorphOS does support these atleast by Apple's system-ID, so it will atleast boot.
MorphOS also supports Radeon9600s, just only as 2D.

So burn that CD, visit your friend and give it a try.....

Indeed! Kronos definitely has a point here!

The MorphOS 2.5 release notes clearly says:

"eMac support for 1.25 GHz models (1.42 GHz eMac models have not been tested)"

This is probably just due to the fact that nobody had access to test it on such a system!

So I would really *encourage you* to follow Kronos' suggestion to burn a CD and try it out if you have access to one!

And then of course come back here and tell us all about how/if it worked!

[kolla]

If your registered hardware dies, and you can prove it ...

 As if that is any of their business. This hardware locking is pure nonsense and number one reason to not register. I do not see why I should have to chop up a perfectly functional macmini or sell it and reregister if I would want to run MorphOS on something else.

[XDelusion]

No.

The license is tied to the hardware, not to you.

You can however sell the hardware with the registered OS bundled, and recover money for a new registration that way.

YIKES!!!!

Ya, I think I'll be holding off for a Mac Mini in that case. WOW. This reminds me of something Microsoft would do, which I don't like, it makes me feel like my own purchased Software is in my power to use as a please.

[som99]

Either or.  Anything "pro" and at least G4 and preferrably G5.  It doesn't sound like the G5 is planned on being supported though.  The license being tied to the machine is the biggest issue.  This forces the issue if the old beater mac I picked up to run an OS that costs almost as much as Windows 7 goes south, I get to sink money into it for repair as opposed to go getting another cheap mac to replace it.

well I guess if the license was not tied to a single machine they would suffer alot from piracy mabe?
For MS etc they can live with it, but MorphOS as small userbase as they have it would hurt them alot?

Then if you like w7 then buy it, I would never spend a single penny on windows when I can get Linux for free and do whatever I like with the source.

Myself will buy MorphOS when I got time for a eMac, I think their hard work deserves support.

[kolla]

well I guess if the license was not tied to a single machine they would suffer alot from piracy mabe?

Yes, since the majority of MorphOS users are software pirates.

[som99]

Either or.  Anything "pro" and at least G4 and preferrably G5.  It doesn't sound like the G5 is planned on being supported though.  The license being tied to the machine is the biggest issue.  This forces the issue if the old beater mac I picked up to run an OS that costs almost as much as Windows 7 goes south, I get to sink money into it for repair as opposed to go getting another cheap mac to replace it.

well I guess if the license was not tied to a single machine they would suffer alot from piracy mabe?
For MS etc they can live with it, but MorphOS as small userbase as they have it would hurt them alot?

Then if you like w7 then buy it, I would never spend a single penny on windows when I can get Linux for free and do whatever I like with the source.

Myself will buy MorphOS when I got time for a eMac, I think their hard work deserves support.

[yakumo9275]

Says who ? MorphOS does support these atleast by Apple's system-ID, so it will atleast boot.
MorphOS also supports Radeon9600s, just only as 2D.

So burn that CD, visit your friend and give it a try.....

according to http://www.morphos-team.net/hardware.html

radeon 9600's are not listed. If they ARE supported the documentation needs updating...

[redrumloa]

Yes, since the majority of MorphOS users are software pirates.

According to this poll, about 80% are or at least were in the past.
 
http://www.amiga.org/forums/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=28
 
The sad reality is it would get pirated. If nothing else some people would buy it and install it on multiple of their own computers and maybe their friends' computers locally.
 
Like it or not, and I am not crazy about it, the price is for a single user, single computer license. I thoroughly dislike the licensing scheme, just as I disliked Hyperion's licensing scheme in the past. Will it stop me from registering? It sure contributed when the cost of the OS was over $220(USD). With the sale and the decline of the Euro, it is a somewhat easier pill to swallow.

[takemehomegrandma]

@kolla

Well, this has been discussed a great deal over at MZ.org ever since the policy was revealed two years(!) ago. And for the record, before reading any further, you should know that I haven't been the greatest supporter of the policy myself...

But there is a flip side to every coin. Like this:

Hyperion is worrying to death that their OS4 for a certain platform will be pirated. They worry to *such a degree*, that they lock in the OS into some combo with obscure hardware so that nobody can get a hold it without buying the HW at the same time. The downside of this is that the only OS4 available HW is obscure, rare, untried (compared to *mainstream* Mac HW), and most of all *extremely expensive* for the performance it offers.

And this is the main reason to why OS4 isn't available for cheap, powerful, well-tried and proved Mac PPC HW. Because of their chosen licensing scheme! There was some "Moana" project going (I have the files here, like so many others), it was very promising (as proven today by MorphOS), but they never went ahead with it. "It would only get pirated..."

The MorphOS team however, offers free download of the *full* OS. Heck, they would probably *be glad* if someone would bother to make a .torrent out of it, since that would offload their servers/bandwith a bit. Spread it freely! Try it out for free! On *any* PPC Mac Hardware (soon)! PPC Mac HW is available everywhere! And it's a *full* version of the OS, you can use it without *any other* limitation than it slows down to an un-usable level after about 30 minutes. To prevent this single one limitation, you purchase a license for your machine of choice!

While I recognize the same down sides as you do kolla, I must say that the MorphOS way (with Mac HW support and free download) beats the OS4 way by a magnitude.

My biggest objection to the MorphOS licensing scheme is that there aren't any discounts for multiple licenses. I have 4 machines that are perfectly able to run MorphOS 2.5. And there is a reason to why I have only one keyfile for one of my Pegasos2's. I will get one for my Mac Mini though. That's for sure!

As if that is any of their business.

It will be "their business" if you want to take advantage of the "warranty" built into the licensing scheme. If your HW breaks down, you discuss this with the MorphOS team, and you will get a new key file for your new HW.

This hardware locking is pure nonsense and number one reason to not register.

Well, it's the way they have chosen to build their system. I'm not going to argue with you about it; take it or leave it (and it's the same for myself and everyone else). The reason to why I took it (for my only registered machine so far) is because:

MorphOS is the fastest NG OS.
MorphOS is the most Amiga compatible NG OS.
MorphOS has the best NG features and functionality of the NG OS's; it's the most competent OS, period!
MorphOS currently runs on the fastest PPC hardware that any Amiga Program has come in contact with. *Mainstream* and readily available hardware!
MorphOS runs on the *best priced* hardware, and definitely with the best bang-for-the-buck ratio! This will be true even if some undefined "X1000" hardware would materialize.

Simply put: "MorphOS is Amiga done right! "

And you can try it for free!

[kolla]

The price is a non-issue for me, it is the hardware locking that keeps me from registering. And piracy? Copying to friends computer? Get real, it might have been a problem 10 years ago, these days hardly anyone _want_ MorphOS in the first place, it's an oddity, like anything Amiga these days. Anyways, I suspect it wont be long before the need to register vanishes entirely, I doubt very much there will that many new registrations with 2.5 (on worse hardware) and reduced price.

[som99]

Says who ? MorphOS does support these atleast by Apple's system-ID, so it will atleast boot.
MorphOS also supports Radeon9600s, just only as 2D.

So burn that CD, visit your friend and give it a try.....

Well just because hes my friend dosent mean we live close by, so the shipping of an eMac would be atleast half its value and thats more then im willing to pay just to try it out before I get a green light that it works on a Radeon 9600 ^^ where I live I can get a supported eMac for nearly nothing and I wont have to pay shipping since a few sellers live close enough

So I rather buy a supported and working eMac then gammble with the 1,42GHz one.

but still I have to wait untill my TC project is done and a few other minor projects so I have space for it My wife and I have a deal that I have to finnish my projects before starting on new ones since I allready take up tons of space in our small house ^^

[kolla]

While I recognize the same down sides as you do kolla, I must say that the MorphOS way (with Mac HW support and free download) beats the OS4 way by a magnitude.

I dont see the point in comparing OS4 and MorphOS, that is not the issue here.

It will be "their business" if you want to take advantage of the "warranty" built into the licensing scheme. If your HW breaks down, you discuss this with the MorphOS team, and you will get a new key file for your new HW.

Again, this is not the issue here. I would typically not have the hardware break down, but it would be very likely that I would want to for example rather run MorphOS on a 1.5GHz mini than the 1.42GHz one I have now, if I found one, and let the old run linux full time. MorphOS devs say I would have to go through all the hassle it is to find someone willing to buy the old one, pay the extra price to make up for the morphos license, and then buy yet another one to replace it. This is utter nonsense.

I'm not going to argue with you about it; take it or leave it (and it's the same for myself and everyone else).

Right, and I will leave it, or perhaps buy a license if there comes way to go around the locking.

MorphOS is the fastest NG OS.

Still a heck lot slower than UAE on modern PC, and doesnt really offer much over it either.

MorphOS is the most Amiga compatible NG OS.

Which is why I feel comfortable calling it a glorified emulator.

MorphOS has the best NG features and functionality of the NG OS's; it's the most competent OS, period!

It still is mostly stuck in the 90ies in terms of usability and features.

MorphOS currently runs on the fastest PPC hardware that any Amiga Program has come in contact with. *Mainstream* and readily available hardware!

Why is it important that it is PPC? Not like there is so much relevant amiga software that requires PPC.

MorphOS runs on the *best priced* hardware, and definitely with the best bang-for-the-buck ratio! This will be true even if some undefined "X1000" hardware would materialize.

You seem to live under the assumption that OS4 and MorphOS are the only options out there, and all your comparison is always against OS4. That is flawed.

Simply put: "MorphOS is Amiga done right! "

And you can try it for free!

There is lots of stuff in MorphOS that I don't like, so called "modern" interface choices that I find totally bogus, various shortcomings like the lack of proper arexx (where the official solution is to "pirate" from OS3.x), TCP stack that is like a 15+ year old artifact, a very limited desktop, rather crappy i18n and l10n etc.

Almost nothing Amiga has been "done right" since the fall of Commodore.

[TheBilgeRat]

If your registered hardware dies, and you can prove it (you discuss this with the MorphOS team directly as your personal unique situation arises), you will get a new keyfile for your new hardware! A kind of "warranty". This has been discussed a lot over at MorphZone.org, look there if you don't believe me (I don't have any links, but you could always ask MZ's living webcrawler Andreas_Wolf about it ).

Well, that is cool!  So, once it gets on a Mac that's brushed aluminum I am so there

[itix]

And piracy? Copying to friends computer?

Nobodt have to copy MorphOS to friends computer. Everyone can download the latest version from the MorphOS website.

In old times when MorphOS 1.5 was leaked there apparently were mysterious "MorphOS betatesters" running MorphOS 1.5 they downloaded for free from somewhere. If you talked to right persons you could get image via /dcc on #morphos as well as on #aros or #amigaworld. Cant blame people when MorphOS was in such obscure state in those days, tho.

Almost nothing Amiga has been "done right" since the fall of Commodore.

Amiga was never done right at Commodore. Perhaps not since the fall of Commodore either but such is life.