Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Everblue on May 21, 2007, 03:25:38 PM
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Where can I buy one in the EU? It seems all the usual places are still selling them at more than twice that :(
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when did this happen?
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http://bbrv.blogspot.com/2007/05/99-efika-on-road-to-mobility.html
and
https://www.pegasosppc.com/store.php?category=19
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awesome, at least!!!!!!
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Now now... if they release Morhpos 2.0, it Efika might even be useful :D
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Now that's one El Cheapo little Linux machine :-)
Too bad it doesn't run MorphOS yet...
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Maybe Amigakit will now tell us when they will start selling them at €75 :)
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McVenco wrote:
Now that's one El Cheapo little Linux machine :-)
Too bad it doesn't run MorphOS yet...
It's only a matter of time ;)
After all these years of flying the "red flag", I can't believe that I'm (most probably) going to end up running MorphOS on my Efika before getting a chance to run OS4.
I wonder what sort of reception I'll get on "Blue" sites? :-o
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Everblue wrote:
Where can I buy one in the EU? It seems all the usual places are still selling them at more than twice that :(
I want one too! :-P
I just dropped Vesalia a mail if they can already tell me when they'll lower the price. I'll inform you as soon as they reply.
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Hmmm..very interesting for a mediaplayerbox. Anyone know how well it plays DVDs/DVD rips? Does it have enough power for that?
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Porting AROS to EFIKA bounty is still open (http://thenostromo.com/teamaros2/?number=46) to donations.
Dammy
TeamAROS (http://www.teamaros.org)
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odin wrote:
Hmmm..very interesting for a mediaplayerbox. Anyone know how well it plays DVDs/DVD rips? Does it have enough power for that?
Based on performance of such apps on my Pegasos, I'd guess that MorphOS would be able to handle it but Linux might have trouble, depending on how well optimized it is. I was really shocked to discover just exactly how much more efficient MorphOS is - files that would sputter and choke under Ubuntu played smoothly without problems on MOS.
The Efika is getting harder and harder to resist. I was going to wait for the MOS release, but I may jump the gun and get one sooner. If only the prices of complete systems would drop as well...
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from what I've heard on Morphzone, the Efika is really bad performance-wise when an ATAPI cd rom drive is attached to it. Dunno the reason though. Best option is to share the cd rom drive of another computer over the network. Anywayz I'm buying an Efika system (complete, pre-configured) as soon as MOS 2.0 is released for it. :-)
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Love him or hate him, Buck just delivered on another promise.
Why the red side, all sides of the red side, refuses to use cheap, available, working hardware even to this day is beyond me :crazy:
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It's supposed to run MorphOS 2.0 when it's released. See this link:
http://www.osnews.com/story.php/17951/MorphOS-2.0-on-Its-Way
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Why the red side, all sides of the red side, refuses to use cheap, available, working hardware even to this day is beyond me
I know. I remeber dreaming of an 030, then an 040 running at 50mhz!! Then the 060 came out. I never even new what GHZ was. That would have been just a sci-fi joke if I ever heared some one talking about it.
Now I have a multi-core multi GHZ monster machine. You can find them for nothing these days and everyone is moving to quad core and to 8 core it seems.
Yes, red side please wake up and move to cheap fast available hardware! :-)
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ferrellsl wrote:
It's supposed to run MorphOS 2.0 when it's released. See this link:
http://www.osnews.com/story.php/17951/MorphOS-2.0-on-Its-Way
There's a picture available that shows a monitor plugged into a silver box the size of an external 3.5" Hard Drive enclosure and it appears to be running MorphOS. Could that be an Efika?! :-o
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Very nice and positive news!
Will get one when MorphOS is relased :)
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I wish there was some reseller here in Norway..
Seems like Datakompaniet is stocking them.. But of course they want the naive amigans to pay for 4 boards while they only recieve one.. *sigh*
Efika 5K2, system-på-chip PowerPC 400MHz MPC5200B 2495,-
Which is 305euros according to todays exchange rates.
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redrumloa wrote:
Love him or hate him, Buck just delivered on another promise.
Why the red side, all sides of the red side, refuses to use cheap, available, working hardware even to this day is beyond me :crazy:
Why do you have to bring the Red/Blue bollocks into it?
I'm wondering what else MOS2.0 delivers, that makes it 2.0 rather than 1.5. All I've seen mentioned is transparent windows. There must be more than that. Is there some info embargo or something?
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Why the red side, all sides of the red side, refuses to use cheap, available, working hardware even to this day is beyond me
You seem to live in the past. It is only a very small minority who is a so called red zealot these days. I myself do indeed still prefer OS4 over MorphOS, but i will definitely get the efika once MorphOS has been released for it.
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Cool!
I am quite interested in MorphOS and if this means I can pick up cheap hardware to run it I'm all for it.
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Darrin wrote:
There's a picture available that shows a monitor plugged into a silver box the size of an external 3.5" Hard Drive enclosure and it appears to be running MorphOS. Could that be an Efika?! :-o
Yes it is, MorphOS already runs on the EFIKA. BUT MOS for EFIKA has not been released, like the working MOS 1.5 Kernel has not been released since uhm 2? years. So all please do yourself a favour and only buy it if your OS of choice is available.
Darrin wrote:
I wonder what sort of reception I'll get on "Blue" sites?
That probably depends on how you handled the blue ones in the past, and how you are going to treat them now ...normally MorphZone is a real nice place.
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Donar wrote:
Yes it is, MorphOS already runs on the EFIKA. BUT MOS for EFIKA has not been released, like the working MOS 1.5 Kernel has not been released since uhm 2? years. So all please do yourself a favour and only buy it if your OS of choice is available.
Excellent news. Thanks for the info. I already have an Efika board. I was hoping that creating a user-base might help convince certain parties that porting a certain OS might be a good idea, plus I fancied playing with Linux. Well, I'm no linux fan, but I am looking forward to being able to install and run MorphOS on it.
That probably depends on how you handled the blue ones in the past, and how you are going to treat them now ...normally MorphZone is a real nice place.
I've never been on one of the "blue" sites before as I don't see the point of walking into someone else's house just to point out that you don't like the furniture. However, I have been quite vocal in my "support" for OS4 on other sites. ;-)
These days, I look back on the whole Thendic/Amiga and MorphOS/OS4 battles as a complete waste of time and effort. I just want to see a real OS running on real hardware and I don't care who provides it, just as long as they do.
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uncharted wrote:
Why do you have to bring the Red/Blue bollocks into it?
I don't know about bullocks. When I said "red side", obviously I meant the companies involved. I'm sure in 2007 most "red users" would love to have cheap, available, working hardware. What would sell more OS4? Efika or no hardware?
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Tomas wrote:
Why the red side, all sides of the red side, refuses to use cheap, available, working hardware even to this day is beyond me
You seem to live in the past. It is only a very small minority who is a so called red zealot these days. I myself do indeed still prefer OS4 over MorphOS, but i will definitely get the efika once MorphOS has been released for it.
Yeesh, calm down people :lol: There are no camps left, for the most part. I said "red side" refering to the companies involved. OS4 on Efika should be a no brainer...
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There's a picture available that shows a monitor plugged into a silver box the size of an external 3.5" Hard Drive enclosure and it appears to be running MorphOS. Could that be an Efika?! :-o
On this picture (http://www.ppa.pl/party/fotki/PICT7516.JPG) that's showing the MorphOS network configuration window, you see a blurry text at the top that say: "mpc52xx_eth.device". As you know, MPC5200 is the CPU in the Efika. :-)
It's coming! (http://www.ppa.pl/party/fotki/index.php?p=DSC02665.JPG&pg=0) :-)
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takemehomegrandma wrote:
It's coming![/url] :-)
Yeah, but so is old age. :-D
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uncharted wrote:
I'm wondering what else MOS2.0 delivers, that makes it 2.0 rather than 1.5.
Good question. Rumors say that many fundamental changes "under the hood" has taken place. I don't know what that may be. MUI4 is a major new thing, and I guess the Ambient ("Workbench") has traveled pretty far. TCP/IP stack, maybe even with support for the Pegasos gigabit ethernet, who knows? It looks like the HD Toolbox has become what it should have been from the beginning. Quite a lot has happened to the USB stack since the 1.4 release. It looks like Reggae will be an integral part?
All I've seen mentioned is transparent windows.
AFAIK, the big news there is not the transparency itself, but the fact that the GUI is rendered by the GFX hardware(?). If so, then it's kind of big I guess... ;-)
There must be more than that. Is there some info embargo or something?
A valid question IMHO! :roll:
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Darrin wrote:
It's coming! :-)
Yeah, but so is old age. :-D
:lol:
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gimme gimme gimme!!!!!
efike will only sell well if it has MOS!
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Hmm.. i think that i still wait and see what A.inc got to offer.. :roll:
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Great news. I'm looking forward to playing with MorphOS again. It will be interesting to see how far things have progressed since I sold my Pegasos. (1.3 days IIRC.)
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Darrin wrote:
After all these years of flying the "red flag", I can't believe that I'm (most probably) going to end up running MorphOS on my Efika before getting a chance to run OS4.
What do you mean? You've had a chance, Mr. Flying The Red Flag.
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Iggy_Drougge wrote:
What do you mean? You've had a chance, Mr. Flying The Red Flag.
Really? When exactly was that? Was it when I pre-ordered the AmigaOne XE only to eventually cancel my order when it was delayed and Alan stated that only developers should order an earlybird due to the limited production run?
What is when limited numbers of the Micro-A1 shipped with a still beta OS4?
No, by then I was waiting for a mass produced motherboard with a final release of OS4. Well, Mr. Rant From The Sidelines, the OS is here, but where's the fricking hardware? I'll tell you where the hardware is, it's at Freescale and it's been there for months.
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If anybody has any questions about what the Efika is capable of then perhaps this link will help:
http://www.powerdeveloper.org/efika_demo.php
There's an interesting video presentation covering the functionality of the board, possible configurations and possible (and existing) operating systems.
It's certainly worth a visit.
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Well I can only hope that this will finaly kill the a-inc imposters.
Will the real amiga please stand up!
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if MOS 2.0 runs on it, I'll buy it. I dont care what 2.0 vs. 1.5 brings as long as it runs on the EFIKA. No more linux mobos.. I have too many of those.
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Heh. A couple of Genesi's friends have been posting about Efika at this price in various forums for a long time. It finally happened, that's pretty cool. Guess I'll have to follow through pretty soon and buy one, as I said I would if this price ever actually became real. :) At least this has finally reached a point where I can consider it as an impulse buy item and not feel too bad if I end up not using it. Hopefully MorphOS ships for the thing so I can see it, the CSPPC MorphOS seemed pretty limited and useless in comparison to the Peg version and I never bothered with it.
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Seems I don't have to wait on a New Amiga anymore. Price is right, OS sounds good, can't wait to get paid so I can order one!
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@billt
Yep. As far as I'm concerned it's a race between the MorphOS team and the AmigaInc/Hyperion lawyers :-) Whoever finishes first gets my dough.
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@billt:
I wouldnt mind having one but after thinkin about it, I dont need a linux box.. I have a duo core linux box.. I've regretted getting rid of my Peg I because nothing since then has been able to run MOS. :- |
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I'm not worried about any race or who wins. If ACK's high-end board ships, I'll probably buy that, regardless of who is first or whatever. I don't even know what I'd use an Efika for, but for $99 I don't need to care. Now, where do I get an IDE buffer to have both HD and CDROM on it?
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If only the A1 had shipped at this price...
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billt wrote:
...the CSPPC MorphOS seemed pretty limited and useless in comparison to the Peg version and I never bothered with it.
I never used PowerUP MOS, but what is different to the Peg version so that it is useless for you. If you mean the slowdown after a time - just get registered. :-?
Hopefully the registration server is up... :-)
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Does anybody know if the Q/box memory protected environment is still on schedule for Morphos. There seemed to quite a lot of buzz on that matter four years ago.
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I never used PowerUP MOS, but what is different to the Peg version so that it is useless for you.
I was lead to believe by people in the forums that the 3d support wasn't really usable on classic rigs, and one or two other things which I can't remember anymore. Maybe the CVPPC was supported but I didn't have one, but the PCI stuff wasn't going to work. (I have both a Prometheus and a Mediator 3000) OK, well, if I can't do stuff, then there's no point.
That could very well have changed since then, this was just when the 3d stuff came out for MorphOS. I just haven't had time to keep up with all the Amiga-alike OSes and had to choose the one I could use.
Yesterday my supervisor at work talked to me about our new project. I'm supposed to put 100% of my time into this thing, and I'm also supposed to put 100% of my time into supporting the project we're finishing up. Doesn't leave much time for tinkering or hobbies... :crazy:
Anyway, if MorphOS ships for Efika I hope to play with it at some point. If it doesn't, then my Efika will probably rot on a shelf, because like others I don't need yet another linux box. I've got a PC that is far more useful to me running Linux than Efika would be due to performance and software compatibility for things only available on x86. But for $100 I can afford to let it go unused. For previous pricing I wouldn't go for that.
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odin wrote:
Hmmm..very interesting for a mediaplayerbox. Anyone know how well it plays DVDs/DVD rips? Does it have enough power for that?
Unless the video card has some hardware MPEG-2 acceleration I doubt it. The MPC5200 has a 400MHz 603e core which I doubt can handle MPEG-2 at typical DVD bitrates. The demo video did have "DVD resolution video" but that's not quite the same as actual DVD video (could be a less intensive codec, lower-bitrate, etc.).
Still at 75 Euro it is kind of tempting.
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Darrin wrote:
Iggy_Drougge wrote:
What do you mean? You've had a chance, Mr. Flying The Red Flag.
Really? When exactly was that? Was it when I pre-ordered the AmigaOne XE only to eventually cancel my order when it was delayed and Alan stated that only developers should order an earlybird due to the limited production run?
What is when limited numbers of the Micro-A1 shipped with a still beta OS4?
Yes, yes, yes. Waiting and flying the red flag don't mix.
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When I heard that they had dropped these to $99 My first instinct was to just go ahead and buy it. After I thought about it for a bit, I'd have to agree with alot of folks here that its pretty much useless to me without MorphOS.
These will sell like hotcakes when its bundled with MorphOS though. I bet even alot of folks outside the Amiga community will get one just as a hobby/alt-OS machine.
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Iggy_Drougge wrote:Yes, yes, yes. Waiting and flying the red flag don't mix.
Can we at least agree that I had it at "half mast"?
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Mmmmm fika. I have the strangest urge to eat skorpa...
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For that price I'd probably get one too:)
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What does it actually run besides Linux? The long list of (potential) OSes becomes rather short when you follow the links and look for something appropriate to download / buy...
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I'm just happy to have a Tangible Amiga that you can actually order, and I have faith that MorphOS 2 is on it's way soon since it is after all not an Amiga Inc. product! ;)
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Does anyone have an idea of the cost of an actual system with MOS2 would be? It's all well and good going on about the motherboard, but I'm only interested in a computer.
Basically, I'm talking about a box I can plug into a Monitor and keyboard and be using MOS immediately.
Genesi have some complete systems, but they're industrial (with armour plated cases or something) and hence rather pricey - and Linux only.
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:bump:
Anyone have an idea?
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99 dollar efika? Cool. I'll buy it when MOS is out for it. Like others said, I don't need another linux box, I have many, much more capable. The efika board is out, i'm sure the MOS software will come around, I'll most likely end up with one. I doubt this Amiga stuff will ever materialize.
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Weird no one is selling Efika for €75 yet... except BBRV himself.
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Darrin wrote:
After all these years of flying the "red flag", I can't believe that I'm (most probably) going to end up running MorphOS on my Efika before getting a chance to run OS4.
I wonder what sort of reception I'll get on "Blue" sites? :-o
Warm and kind? ;-)
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Perhaps I am not aware of all the features of the Efika that make it a desirable product. Yes, the price is not too high, but the performance is not too good to match the low price. Am I mistaken, or would it not be better to buy a used G4 1gHz PegII than a brand new Efika, to run MorphOS on? I know that MorphOS is the "Lightning" OS and does not need much resources to run on, but I don't think the Efika is the best solution, just the only new solution (when they finish the port of MOS to it).
Some one with more knowledge about the Efika and MorphOS please explain all the pros and cons of this choice.
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If you can find a used peg 2 for £50 let me know and I will buy it :-)
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While are all EU sites selling the Efika for €200 when it costs 99 bucks :(
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Everblue wrote:
While are all EU sites selling the Efika for €200 when it costs 99 bucks :(
I think they just haven't updated their prices yet. Can't you order directly from Genesi on their website?
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Thats outside EU. Import taxes + high postage (especially if they use courier) would make it expensive. Anyway I emailed Vesalia and Amigakit asking when they are going to adjust their prices. The first to do so well get my custom.
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Update:
(from amigakit)
Unfortunately we cannot reduce the price to match the US price. If we did this, we would make a large loss on every Efika. We are reviewing the situation though.
Meh...
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They ask $70 for P&P to Germany - I don't understand why they don't offer more options. Adding postage and taxes to the great price makes it rather uninteresting. I've asked Genesi about this and they said they're 'looking into further possibilities of distribution". I guess the candidates for that are stocked with old price Efikas and are not willing to order more. :(
If you are from the EU and willing to order for ~100€, please post here or PM me. I hope we can setup a collective order.
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@Everblue
Unfortunately we cannot reduce the price to match the US price.
They probably bought a batch to the "old" price, and didn't get rid of it before the price drop?
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(from amigakit)
Unfortunately we cannot reduce the price to match the US price. If we did this, we would make a large loss on every Efika. We are reviewing the situation though.
Can't they just ask for a refund from Genesi? I mean, they let the price drop while they must have known that there were some shops selling it still at old prices.
But I guess that's how doing business works....
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Two quick updates:
1. I talked to Vesalia, they said they cannot drop the price (just like amigakit)
2. I tried to buy an Efika from the PegasosPPC store, and the shipping to Malta is US$150 :D - that means that once I get it I would have to pay an extra 18% VAT on top :( - no thanks.
So hopefully we can make a big order or something for EU members.
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What good is Efika at the moment? Running PPC Linux? It does not yet run AmigaOS 4 or MorphOS 1.4, or 1.5, right? It is significantly slower than the Pegasos I or Pegasos II, right?
I just don't understand the advantages of buying it now or in the future, even if it does eventually run AmigaOS 4, or MorphOS.
Maybe someone can enlighten me about its advantages and highlights that make it a desirable platform and what uses it is good for.
I am not trying to talk it down, I just have not seen anything about it that seems exciting or new and must admit that I have not taken the time to research the Efika's specifications and advantages (if any).
I have more than enough computers and need a reason to buy another. What can the Efika do that my other computers can't, or what can it do better and faster than the computers that I already have?
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1. I talked to Vesalia, they said they cannot drop the price (just like amigakit)
Fair enough. If they weren't informed of the price-drop in advance, nobody can blame them for not selling the Efika below wholesale price.
What I just don't understand is why the Efika case is not available as a completely separate item? You can only buy a complete bundle with everything or just the board.
And no, I don't want to order just the case from the States.
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takemehomegrandma wrote:
They probably bought a batch to the "old" price, and didn't get rid of it before the price drop?
Well, they never will unless they drop the price too, I guess...!?
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What good is Efika at the moment? It does not yet run AmigaOS 4 or MorphOS 1.4, or 1.5, right?
It runs MorphOS 2.0, it's just not available yet (only developing stage atm)
It is significantly slower than the Pegasos I or Pegasos II, right?
True.
Maybe someone can enlighten me about its advantages and highlights that make it a desirable platform and what uses it is good for.
It's very small. It's very cheap. You will have a factory new board, instead of used ones that are several years old (Peg & A1). It's versatile (as soon as it runs more OSes than just Linux).
True, it's also limited (no RAM to be added, only one PCI slot etc.) and slow (compared to Peg and A1 boards), but if you don't think of it as a high-end end-user machine you'll see it's worth while (imho).
What can the Efika do that my other computers can't, or what can it do better and faster than the computers that I already have?
Probably nothing. It's either the geek factor to have one, or to have a serious use for it (some embedded small form factor system running a specific task).
And like I said 2 lines above here: don't see it as the new high-end (or low-end even) Amiga or Pegasos. It's a pretty nice board to do embedded stuff, just like the SAM board. And if you are looking for a non-mainstream board to do little nifty things, it just might be the system for you :-)
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AROS is also coming to EFIKA (http://thenostromo.com/teamaros2/?number=46).
Dammy
TeamAROS (http://www.teamaros.org)
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the same old story! resellers have been "forced" to purchase "batches" of Efikas paid in advance (and Pegs in the past as well) of 10-20 pcs (don't remember now the exact amount) and obviously now that the price is dropped, they have that mobos laying around purchased at full price.... how to blame them?
Do you wanna some brand new Peg2 G4@1Ghz at 600 Eur each?
same old story :-/
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Sorry folks,
I was trying to assemble a larger Efika order to compensate for the extreme shipping charges or even relay it through a US address but:
- US shipping charges are ridiculous as well
- each additional board adds $10 shipping
- ordering a completely assembled client package costs less[/i] P&P than a single Efika board - what the ....???
So it's obvious Bill is trying to hook us with a nice price and then rip us off when actually trying to order. I'm not gonna fall for that, so ordering is cancelled unless this is sorted out - probably indefinitely.
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@Zac67
I don't understand, isn't the Efika produced at DCE in Germany? So shouldn't it be cheaper for you or other Euro-citizens :-?
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Yeah they should ship directly from Germany! We should enforce an embargo on Efika until they start shipping them from Germany at a normal postage price, with cheap shipping options such as airmail. Paying for an expensive courier service for something as small,light and cheap as the efika i ridiculous.
CD32Freak wrote:
@Zac67
I don't understand, isn't the Efika produced at DCE in Germany? So shouldn't it be cheaper for you or other Euro-citizens :-?
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The Efika was developed by German bplan - I don't think it's produced here though (too high costs). I'll try contacting bplan directly, maybe they can give a hint.
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efikas are produced in china.
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Well, if you watch their video How to build the machine - Reloaded (http://www.bplan-gmbh.de/news/news13.html) at the bplan website, you'll see they are produced at DCE Computer Service GmbH in Oberhausen :-)
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Why the red side, all sides of the red side, refuses to use cheap, available, working hardware even to this day is beyond me
Keep in mind that not "all sides" of the red camp are "refusing" to use cheap available working hardware. If it's not available, then it's not refusing for many. I simply cannot do a very good job of doing the impossible and using the kind of hardware you speak of. That's not a great situation either, but there's red people willing but completely unable to run OS4 on Efika.
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CD32Freak wrote:
Well, if you watch their video How to build the machine - Reloaded (http://www.bplan-gmbh.de/news/news13.html) at the bplan website, you'll see they are produced at DCE Computer Service GmbH in Oberhausen :-)
I think they WERE produced at DCE, but current production runs are done elsewhere.
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What a bloody con... €75 but where? Nowhere..
Yeah, did you hear you can buy an Xbox360 for €49 .. just not on Planet Earth!