New ppc board by Acube/A-Eon: A1222 "Tabor"

[Spectre660]

You could always ask what programs works and what do not under the regular ppc32 Linux with the FPU instructions emulated to get an idea .

Working include
Webrowsers Qupzilla and Midori .
Libreoffice

Trapping direct FPU instructions would be a fraction of the speed of direct FPU support. Using the IEEE math libraries would be much faster (maybe half the speed of direct FPU use). Are developers going to compile for an incompatible FPU? It is sad that A-Eon is this desperate to keep PPC alive and affordable. Now PPC will not only be incompatible with the 68k and Amiga custom chips but also the existing PPC platform. The new board is too weak and incompatible to appeal to the classes and too incompatible and expensive to appeal to the masses. Full speed ahead with incompatible embedded PPC processors though .

[Spectre660]

I am referring to what runs under normal Linux PPC32 (Ubuntu 12.04) on the Tabor board.
Not the Debian 8 powerpcSPE.
So many of the regular powerpc32 binaries work with emulated FPU handled by the kernel without having to be recompiled .
The ones that do not would include Firefox and Mplayer.
Iceweasel work under Debian 8 powerpc32 .
So  one could expect many AmigaOS powrepc binaries might also work
once the emulation was implemented.

IF you were posting on a Linux forum, this would be valid.
So, the question then becomes, what programs will run under Amiga OS and its derivatives without re-compilation?

[Spectre660]

Just booted AROS powerpc hosted under Debian 8 PPCSPE on Tabor.

[Spectre660]

Linux is the only OS that I can speak about .
You need to forgive yourself for being so sure that the CPU would from the T series. If you need to bang your head against something find a wall not another person .

You really want to push the Linux argument, but AROS is the only NG OS that can run under a Linux kernel and FPU trapping/emulation under OS4 will still incur a performance penalty (on an already relatively slow cpu).

[Spectre660]

I thought that you had already decided to get an X5000.
If that was the case then the Tabor should not bother you.
It being good,bad or indifferent should not affect your original plans.

If you have a problem with me disagreeing with you, you're not going to get far with that kind of argument.
The board has a poorly chosen processor.
No one said a T10XX was essential, just better (for about the same price).

I'm not banging my head against anything except your obdurate nature.
And while I might consider the rather high priced X5000, I'm not buying this piece of crap.

[Spectre660]

In reality if Hyperion and co cant get AmigaOS 4.x working with an acceptable performance with the majority of existing software do you think that the Tabor will go into production for the AmigaOS 4.x market ?

Since the deficiencies of the e500v2 core have been repeatedly discussed, I'd say everyone knew.
Apparently, they thought they could sell everyone on it anyway.

I guess they weren't counting on a knowledgeable customer base.

[Spectre660]

Thanks.

for the 4.x market not, at least not in big batches. Acube is selling embedded PPC devices so for them it might make sense even when AmigaOS software not runs acceptable.

[Spectre660]

I am totally confused now.
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showpost.php?p=797215&postcount=12

[Spectre660]

No official price for Tabor has been announced.
Figure quoted is not correct.


http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=40622&forum=2&start=300&viewmode=flat&order=0#770615

[Spectre660]

Comment from Hyperion .

http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=40622&forum=2&start=460&viewmode=flat&order=0#770947

[Spectre660]

The P1022 core should be about 30% faster than the 460ex in single core integer performance . The Mplayer decode benchmarks single core results under Linux are Tabor (SPE) 214s . Sam460ex 469s .
By the way Trever did confirm in his Amiwest 2015 presentation the the T series cpus were not available when the Tabor design was started.

Well that wasn't completely unexpected, otherwise they could have shown it running at AmiWest.

It DOES take time to do the porting work.

We will have to wait and see how this compares to the SAM460.

But remember, even though this only has a 100MHz advantage, it could turn out that even with the disadvantage of having to trap and emulate fpu instructions that the Freescale cpu is still more powerful than the Applied Micro cpu used in the SAM.

Yes, I still maintain the e500v2 is not the best choice, but it may not be the worst either.

[Spectre660]

@matthey

I already have a Tabor and I am enjoying it.

[Spectre660]

I have run AmigOS 4.1 update6 on Sam440ep-Flex,FE on Sam460ex.
Linux on both Sams and the Tabor.
I have run Both the Special FPE Debian on the Tabor and the regular
Debian with the emulated floating point on the Tabor.
The Tabor is much faster than the Sams under Linux .

@Spectre660    

Ignoring all the indepth discussion about pros and cons;

I guess you have had expirience with SAM440 or 460.
How do you feel (subjectivly) about the performance of Tabor vs the SAM lineup?

[Spectre660]

Unfortunately the regular Debian Mplayer powerpc32 wont run.
Would have to try to compile a non-altivec version but
I suspect that  other components may also causes  problems .
Same issue on the Sam460ex but I compiled a non-altivec version some time ago and that works.Interestingly the regular Mplayer version in Ubuntu-mate 15.10 works ok on the Sam460ex . Tabor does not work with X windows stuff under Lubuntu 15.10. I can experiment and see if I can get a regular Debian benchmark by some means .
 

What are the Prometheus Trailer benchmark results running mplayer on regular Debian with the emulated floating point?

[Spectre660]

Interesting paper of floating point emulation.
http://www.ll.mit.edu/HPEC/agendas/proc08/Day1/11-Day1-PosterDemoA-Spetka-abstract.pdf