Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga community support ideas => Topic started by: Amiga1200User on April 11, 2010, 09:24:01 PM
-
Maybe I'll get flamed to hell for this, but it seems to me that a lot of old Mac PPC hardware is floating around. I just pulled a Performa 5200CDS out of my garage. It has a built in CD, Floppy, monitor, 32MB of ram, a PPC 603 cpu and a ethernet interface. I HATE Mac OS 8 or 9. It would be FANTASTIC to load Amiga OS on this. Why has no one made a port? It would open up the available hardware for Amiga OS and breathe new life into old hardware. I'd much rather load Amiga OS on it.
Just a rant and a thought!
-
I hate all MAC Operating Systems.
I think the main problem with your suggestion is that in order to make a port to new (old) hardware, an investment is required in terms of programming resources. Hyperion will probably only invest that time for platforms that will likely see widespread use amongst Amiga users. A port to an old MAC system like the one you describe would be cool for you, but how many other people would it be cool for? Plus, the more systems they port to, the more problematic and time consuming it becomes to support all those systems. So they have to be careful and sensible about the hardware they decide to port AmigaOS to.
Hyperion are still debating whether or not to continue support for classic Amiga systems, of which there is still quite a widespread use amongst the Amiga community. So, if the classics support is in jeopardy, I think the likelihood of support for old MAC systems like the one you've described is slim to none.
But you're right, it would be cool to breathe new life into that old hardware! :)
Apple Hammer
-
MorphOS (http://www.morphos-team.net/) is available for all G4 based MacMinis.
It has been announced for EMac and PowerMac-G4 (some details need to be cleared here).
It has been been demoed on some PowerBook, but it has been not confirmed that this version will ever be released.
Porting to even older (and completly obsolote) G3 or slower Macs is not planed.
-
There's not enough bang for the buck on pre-OSX Mac hardware. The machines that the MorphOS team are targeting are more available, more powerful, more cost-effective, and more likely to have replacement parts readily available for the forseeable future.
And unlike the Cyberstorm and Blizzard PPC boards, there isn't already a large (relatively speaking) installed base of likely users for Mac classic hardware.
-
Hyperion have a license for 3.1, Amiga Inc actually own it, although they seem to be pining for the Fjords of Norway nowadays....
I hate all MAC Operating Systems.
Hyperion are still debating whether or not to continue support for classic Amiga systems, of which there is still quite a widespread use amongst the Amiga community. So, if the classics support is in jeopardy, I think the likelihood of support for old MAC systems like the one you've described is slim to none.
But you're right, it would be cool to breathe new life into that old hardware! :)
Apple Hammer
-
Initially it seems like a good idea. The problem I see is the lack of Amiga software that can take advantage of PowerPC.
If you just want a browser and paint program you could buy a Netbook with Linux and GIMP (free) for same price as a 2nd hand Mac.
I also have issues with memory limits of older hardware.
-
As has been stated in this thread, MorphOS already runs on Mac minis and other models such as PowerMac G4 has been announced. If you are not familiar with MorphOS, you could say it started as an AmigaOS close and has matured from there. MorphOS is highly compatible with AmigaOS 3.x applications. Pretty much anything system friendly will run. Old school games bang the hardware so they would require emulation (UAE).
-
I agree but that still nly makes a few thousand of us who can see the obvious potential;it just isn't enough for somebody to make money !
There is an enormous amount of G3 Mac hardware sitting idle that can be had for very little;so who ,having spent $20 for the old Mac will spend $200 for MorphOS ?
What we who are willing to use the old G3 hardware want is a cheap OS.
You(we)(I) have three basic choices and one far-out: run MacOS and Mac programs,run MacOs with E-UAE for Amiga ,run one of the PPC Linux distros even if it isn't the latest(neither is the G3)..or IF you are a super programmer willing to donate your work (or at least expect no more than pizza and beer money) try your hand at porting MorphOs or AmigaOS and then try to get the blessings of the OS owners to allow its release.
-
porting MorphOs or AmigaOS and then try to get the blessings of the OS owners to allow its release.
just curious: how are you porting anything if you don't have access to the source code?
-
...so who ,having spent $20 for the old Mac will spend $200 for MorphOS ? /QUOTE]
MorphOS is a bit overpriced, but it soon should be able to run on a $20.00 computer, literally. I paid <$20 for a G4 Powermac. I had 768MB of PC133 memory sitting around unused, as well as a Soundblaster Live card. I bought a <$5 USB2.0 card (NEC based). It's made for a PC, but works fine in the Mac. I then modified an ATI 9250 (with 256MB of memory) to work in the Mac.
I've got under $50.00 invested in this (if you don't count the hardware I had on hand). Its relatively fast (as MorphOS or AmigaOS platforms go).
Parts are available, cheap, and reliable.
A new motherboard for AmigaOS 4.1 (like the Sam440) costs at least $600 and MorphOS outperforms AmigaOS.
So, with what I've saved, I can invest 150 euros in an OS. AmigaOS 4.1 isn't free either.
If you want free, build an X86 based AROS system.
-
A loss of time port anything to use on performas and this kind of macs, the best option is g4 macs, any amigaOS or morphOS can user better the hardware than osx.
-
Hyperion have a license for 3.1, Amiga Inc actually own it, although they seem to be pining for the Fjords of Norway nowadays....
I'll let you known when I see them.
-
I was under the impression that MorphOS 2 was "tuned" for G4 and Altivec. If so, I can understand the lack of interest in targeting older architectures.
-
Maybe I'll get flamed to hell for this, but it seems to me that a lot of old Mac PPC hardware is floating around. I just pulled a Performa 5200CDS out of my garage. It has a built in CD, Floppy, monitor, 32MB of ram, a PPC 603 cpu and a ethernet interface. I HATE Mac OS 8 or 9. It would be FANTASTIC to load Amiga OS on this. Why has no one made a port? It would open up the available hardware for Amiga OS and breathe new life into old hardware. I'd much rather load Amiga OS on it.
Just a rant and a thought!
As others already stated such 60x stuff is too outdated given the fact that G4 hardware is realy very cheap (the mini costs a bit still, but the others are really, really cheap). And while MorphOS on a low end ppc is fun already, the joy is even greater with some serious horse power(there are *demading* tasks available for MorphOS). Mac mini, Powermac G4 and eMac are pretty good choices. The powerbook port will be the icing on top.
-
I sold my old MAC's to retro MAC fans (clever me).
I you like Amiga classic OS, look on ebay or buy a Minimig (Minimig deserves support IMHO) or maybe go for emulation via your PC, MAC, XBox, PSP, etc...
Natami is showing progress too if it's classic OS with more power that you need.
If OS4 is more your your thing, then hardware is blossoming around us by the day, SAM440, Flex, 460 etc.. and soon(ish) X1000.
Why the hell would you bother developing Amiga OS for old MACS when now is the time of so much new activity on the scene? That would be pure wasted man hours as sure as eggs is eggs. Manpower better spent on OS4 apps for example.
-
"Old Mac" hardware any older than, say, 2004ish is going to be cripplingly slow. A Performa 5200 (widely regarded as the worst powermac made) runs at about the speed of a Pentium 100.
The best use for Apple hardware that old is, in order: recycling common parts (drives, RAM, PCI cards), stripping out the 603 CPUs for BPPC/CS repair ;) and flogging the remains off on eBay.
-
Hello everyone, I am not a MAC expert but I have been trying to look around for a suitable one to possibly install MorphOS on it. I came across someone who is selling an Apple Quicksilver Power Mac G4 with 867 MHz and has 1.128 GB RAM. OS X 10.5 a DVD burner. Is this a good machine for $75? Less? What's it worth? Is it good for MorphOS?
-
Piru:
I haven't the slightest;I suppose reverse engineering?
Notice I never suggested that I have the knowledge ,expertise,or anything to do ports.
There are a few who go to extremes just to prove older hardware CAN do tasks either not envisioned or not implemented during the time such computers were new.
Sure commercial developers get to play with the new hardware months before it hits the stores but the hobbyist programmers had to wait,and often learn new tricks in programming;the dedicated hobbyist seldom counts the time spent in finding how to push performance,while his counterpart who is being paid must justify hours spent.
Owners of pre-G4 Mac might as well simply use the latest available MacOS release that works on their computer (or the latest linux available) and the best programs released for that computer during its commercially useful life-those programs that cost $500 to run on that $3500 Mac can both be found for pennies on the $ now.
Some people dumped classic Amiga hardware when it became commercially obsolete : as in the truckload of Amiga 4000s and Video Toasters I missed out on by minutes about 10 years ago.Seller accepted $100 just to get rid of that old stuff.
Businessmen depriciate the equipment and move on; it is only the hobbyists who see value in old cars,old computers,cancelled stamps,etc.
-
Hello everyone, I am not a MAC expert but I have been trying to look around for a suitable one to possibly install MorphOS on it. I came across someone who is selling an Apple Quicksilver Power Mac G4 with 867 MHz and has 1.128 GB RAM. OS X 10.5 a DVD burner. Is this a good machine for $75? Less? What's it worth? Is it good for MorphOS?
The price seems fine for me - there's plenty RAM and OS X 10.5. MorphOS will probably run nice on that maschine, but the current release comes with support for Mac mini G4 only. The cpu speed would be fine for most things.
It is not confirmed when the release with support for the PowerMac G4 actually will arrive.
According thread on morphzone.org.
http://www.morphzone.org/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?forum=11&topic_id=6684&sortname=&sortorder=&sortdays=&viewmode=flat&order=1&start=200
-
I'm not sure this can be done with an older mac, but... On an older pc
I installed windows xp, then did some work to remove the windows logon and logoff screens and so on. I replaced the windows shell with winuae.
Essentially when you turn it on,the machine appears to boot straight into amiga os3.9.
Perhaps you could do something similar, have mac os boot straight into eau and amiga os3.9? I'm not a mac person so I don't know if this is possible. If someone wants to send me an older mac, I can give it a a
try and report my results.
Steven
-
If our friends at Cloanto could make an Amiga Forever for Apple that works as well as their AF for Windows ,I think it would sell .
If someone was going to use an older Mac as their Amiga emulator or stand-in then also it might make sense to "freeze" the MacOS enviroment ;that is specify EXACTLY which version of MacOS be running in order to limit the programming variables.
Maybe Hyperion and Acube should contact the Chinese factories that made some of the last Commodore and Amiga hardware?
Wonder what it would cost for a new run of A1200s ? Might want to leave out the floppy drive to cut costs and just use ADF.Think yhe would sell a 1000 ?
-
Maybe Hyperion and Acube should contact the Chinese factories that made some of the last Commodore and Amiga hardware?
Reality check: It was 15 years ago. The factories are long gone. Not to mention the chip production methods no longer being used at all.
-
Check out the Minimig with AGA thread if you want a new A1200. It looks like he is going to offer all the extras to make it A1200 replacement with networking and floppy disk option. See if he is still taking preorders.