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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Targhan on February 25, 2003, 10:59:20 PM
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Ok, I'm throwing down a thought on the SharkPPC from Elbox...
While most of us will be looking for a completly new system (re: A1
peggy war), I can't help but to be heavily tempted by the Shark from
Elbox. If there is any way I can afford two of the PPC things,
one of them will be the Shark. There is just a coolness factor in
saying, "look at what my 10+ year old Amiga can do!"
So, what do you guys think?
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Yeah im with ya on that 1 mate i myself am not really interested in the a1 or pegasos i would of been if never spent a load of time and moey over the last year on my 1200.So im going for the shark:)woohhoooo come on i want it now:)
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Same goes for me!
But not just because of coolness factor(which is one of
my reasons too)! I don't want to sell it! My Amiga is
to valuable to me!
I will swim in dangerous G3/G4 waters :-D
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We will have to wait and see if it will actually arrive. I believe it will cos Elbox have a rather good track record of actually delivering promised products.
It would be rather cool to buy one for the old A-1200 but I guess I will spend my money on an A1 or maybe a Pegasos(2 maybe). Depends on pricing, when OS4 is available.
Still I think there is a market for the Shark. The Mediator have sold very well and I think a lot of the owners will want to keep there classic and upgrade it with a G3/4 PPC.
Maybe Rogue or HyperionMP could tell us when/if it will be supported in OS4?
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I was originally opting for the Shark, as it seemed the most economical solution for a Mediator owner, but a couple of things changed my opinion:
1. Elbox didn't send a card to Hyperion. Instead they just claimed that it would run the AmigaOne version of OS4 through compatibility. This makes the Shark "not officially supported", and I really can't be arsed with that.
2. Hardware has a limited lifetime, and having lots of really ancient components in my system won't improve reliability.
I'll get my AmigaOne, and keep my A1200 for old incompatible software (at least until Hyperion gets a proper transparent AGA emulation working;-)). Possibly I'll downgrade it a bit.
I *might* consider a Pegasos 2 or 3 in the future, if it can run AmigaOS then.
Kay
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I feel ya' there! My A1200 has been with me a long time, and I still
love the old girl.
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@Kay
I can't really argue with your logic, as there is a definate amount of
time left in the old computers, and I remember the bit between
Hyperion / Elbox.
Still, for me... I really want one, irregardless of other decisions on
AOne or Pegasos. I haven't looked at their pricing in a while, is the
card still cheaper than buying a new M/B?
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Elbox makes money selling products to upgrade the classic Amiga computer, and the shark announcement was a key ingredient in getting people to invest in the old computer.
I don't think Elbox has any reason to announce that Shark development has stopped, and every reason not to make such an announcement.
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on a Shark. Hey, I like the Elbox products, but until a product is shipping, its not part of my thinking. Non shipping products have a way of never shipping.
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Here in the U.S. of A. for those of us who use Video Toasters the Shark would mean more power and extended life for our systems.
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@Erwin-K
I hadn't thought of the VideoToaster guys! You know another possible answer for the toaster folks would be the ColdFire project, which would allow you to continue to use OS3.1 ;-)
I'm not sure of the link anymore, or I would have posted it...
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> Still, for me... I really want one, irregardless of other decisions on AOne or
> Pegasos.
I can understand that. It does have a certain geek factor.
> I haven't looked at their pricing in a while, is the card still cheaper than buying a new M/B?
Well...the price is listed as TBA on their website. Waaaaay back in October 2000 they stated in an announcement that their prices would 390EUR for the G3@400 model, and 520EUR for the G4@550. I suspect both the price and the specs are outdated by now, though.
I have every reason to believe that if it is ever released, the Shark probably will be the most economical solution. It is not a full motherboard, and you will not have to buy any extra components (except RAM), as you will already have a complete system. Too bad they didn't release it 2 years ago. Even with only WarpOS support, it would propably have sold pretty well. Now I doubt they have much of a chance competing with the AmigaOne.
Kay
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I've got an A3000D just sitting here, waiting to see if the Shark does come out. Then I'll buy a Mediator to go with it and the Shark, put the whole shebang in a tower. Bingo! I'll have as much FUN with it as I have with my A2000 '060. Yeah, I guess you could say I'm hooked on the "Classic" boxes. :crazy:
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Yeah, I guess you could say I'm hooked on the "Classic" boxes.
Welcome to the club!
I just built my second towered PPC amiga. My friends think I'm quite mad. :crazy::-D
Oh yeah.. I'll definately be wanting a Shark for at least one of them, if and when they do come out.
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Targhan wrote:
@Erwin-K
I hadn't thought of the VideoToaster guys! You know another possible answer for the toaster folks would be the ColdFire project, which would allow you to continue to use OS3.1 ;-)
I'm not sure of the link anymore, or I would have posted it...
Does the Coldfire project include the good ol' 2000?
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On the elbox online shop they say the shark will begin production as soon os4.0 is out for the a1.
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Bodie wrote:
Does the Coldfire project include the good ol' 2000?
Nevermind, I just read a FAQ on it.
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Elbox is in fact one of the best ever Amiga companies. They might have been doing wrong things, but theyre not giving up. Their support is nice too and they came out with the first PCI sollution for Amiga and now theyre still on the marked. DCE is fading away and Promtheus? That one needs a facelift or a bigger company helping the promotions or something.
Go Elbox! When AmigaOS4 is out, SharkPPC will also be out...
I will get a SharkPPC for sure!
Regards,
Michal Bergseth, editor of Amitopia
url: www.amitopia.tk
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Well, for a long time I was definately going the Shark route, but now I'm not going to. I've got an AmigaONE on order.
The main reasons for the change of heart are:
1) As much as I love using it, my A4000 tower is starting to creak around the edges. It only boots from cold 3 out of 4 times (the processor doesn't even attempt to run the kickstart code to the point where the audio filter is switched off).
2) Elbox's ludicrous comments about the AmigaONE version of OS4 just running on the Shark. This is just unbelievable, imho. Also, they would still have to send a card to Amiga to obtain a license to sell that version of OS4, so why don't they just do it now?!
3) The whole RDB killer incident. I know, i know, its been done to death, and its claimed that they no longer put that code in their drivers. Its just that the incident seriously dented my trust of Elbox.
These 3 things have made me decide to stop upgrading my A4000 (it currently has Cyberstorm MkIII 060, Mediator 4000, Voodoo 3, WinTV card, Repulse, PowerFlyer Gold etc. etc.). I'll still keep and use it, but once I have OS4 on my AmigaONE, it'll become a second machine.
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I'd like a Mediator for my A3000, last time I looked at Elbox's
site, the 7 Zorro 3 and 5 PCI slots looked good. I'd like to be able
to add a couple more Z3 cards (VLabMotion, USB, Catweasel/Budda), I'd
add a CS060/604 card to replace my CS060 so even if the Shark does not
arrive OS4 should still run. If the Shark is made and runs OS4 the
CS3's 060/604/memory/UWSCSI can still be used, that's a lot of
expansion potential for a 13 year old "classic" aand a lot of "grunt".
I want to keep using my A3000!
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Elbox is like Commodore once was, many thinks its a good idea, but i guess its just a big simmilarity to the amiga userbase...anyway i think elbox have done alot of good stuff but they done some bad stuff aswell and that has put me behind the train for a while...
I have ordered an A1XE and when that arrives i will wait for os4 , but the shark will always be an option for me, as thats for my classic setup.
Since Elbox have no plans of sending hyperion the shark means it might not even be supported, but
i think it will be supported pretty fast if something happens (a PPC based os hits the Beta Stage)
Anyway what beats me to hell is why havent the shark got released yet? , we have always had the possibility to run linuxppc and now later on morhos , i mean its not logical of elbox to not support this like NOW! , instead of watching all the customers fly to a1 and pegasos right away (and selling their old setups).
i guess elbox doesnt have a working card and still works on the bandwidth issues (speculation ONLY) and still after 3+ years nothing has been made to even make it look like its working on a classic amiga (the card works in a mac so... The orginal)
the SHark+ even shares more of theese questions,
its a mobo and it could have sold alot more than a normal shark... but i guess the same story apply for this.
Anyway get the hw out , then i buy it.....after that i try to run sw on it! (seen tooooooo much hw beeing vapor....)
cheers
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Since I want to continue to use my existing hardware, even if it is old, I"m seriously considering the Shark. I ahve two A3000Ds and frankly it would be coold to show them off with newer hardware. If the Shark doesn't happen, then maybe I'll get an A1 and modify the A3000D case to fit the A1 motherboard.
:-D
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I don't know if the sharkPPC will work with normal 1200 mediators... why the Terratec sound card doesn't work? It's strange...
I hope they release it and that it works in every mediator model...
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lempkee wrote:
Anyway what beats me to hell is why havent the shark got released yet? , we have always had the possibility to run linuxppc and now later on morhos , i mean its not logical of elbox to not support this like NOW! , instead of watching all the customers fly to a1 and pegasos right away (and selling their old setups).
i guess elbox doesnt have a working card and still works on the bandwidth issues (speculation ONLY) and still after 3+ years nothing has been made to even make it look like its working on a classic amiga (the card works in a mac so... The orginal)
The shark in a mediator environment will be anything but commonplace. There must be an OS specially supporting it IMHO. Tweaking linux to work even on the Peg/AOne took time both for Genesi and Hyperion as well. As to MOS, I can imagine that they haven't asked Genesi for a port, and as well that they've tried that but Genesi would like to support GRex instead, or supporting Shark is a pretty low priority for them. (They have to finalise the Pegasos version, release it for the CPPC, BlizzPPC, GRex, maybe even an AmigaONE/Mac version would be ahead of a Shark version.) There are just no Shark users out there - because there is no software for it. But because there is no software for it, there will be no Shark users out there.
We will see what happens, when OS4 gets released.
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I realise that in my current state Im a suspicious bastard but I cant
help feeling that Elbox promised the Shark for Mediator owners
so that people bought Mediators now ( knowing that an upgrade no
matter how much jam tomorrow that was ) thinking that they could
remain current.
Now there is some doubt ( whether FUD or real ) that Mediator 1200
can actually have a SharkPPC addon and Elbox is pushing the
new Mediators as having resolved some bugs ( not detailed what they
are btw ) Im unconvinced.
Too much jam tommorrow in my opinion. G4 Jam Tomorrow from Genesi
with Pegasos 2, Shark Jam Tomorrow from Elbox and AOS4 Jam Tomorrow
from Hyperion.
:-o
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I would buy a Shark if elbox will sell they....
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May I ask if SharkPPC can be inserted in my A4000/040 desktop? (without putting her in a new tower)
If yes then what else should I buy? (Mediator?)
What will be the price of all the package?
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Dagon wrote:
May I ask if SharkPPC can be inserted in my A4000/040 desktop? (without putting her in a new tower)
If yes then what else should I buy? (Mediator?)
What will be the price of all the package?
There is a Mediator 4000D that fits into the standard desktop case, although you get only 3 PCI slots instead of 5. It should, in theory, accept a SharkPPC. I say in theory because nobody has ever seen one working :-D
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Shark was promised ages ago ('99?) and was orignally going to work with OS3.x and have WarpOS compatibility and a 68k emulation courtesy of H&P! But then OS4.0 was announced...
So I think the actual SharkPPC hardware is finished and working (after all, they've had four years, and its supposedly based on proven working Mac PCI processor card design so there wasnt much real R&D work to do)
Its just a matter of whether OS4 will run on it. and for that we have to ask Hyperion (but Hyperion say they first need a SharkPPC from Elbox) so nobody seems to know although Elbox is adament that OS4 will run on the Shark with little or no extra work from Hyperion.