@thread
Don't let Tigger scare you. The microA1 "C" hardware features _do_ indeed work with OS4. USB/DMA/IDE/Ethernet/on-board graphics/sound, etc...
For that matter, even the older ones aren't as "flawed" as the opposition originally tried to claim, and still trie to portray. The onboard AC97 sound on my A1XE is working quite nicely now. I had it running concurrently with Thor, AWeb PPC and DNET working on OGR25. THere was no sound breakup, no loss of throughput on web sites or email downloads/uploads. So I'm not sure what the problem might be with either TCP/IP, ethernet port or sound. Maybe I just lucked out on every periphral I've purcvhased for my A1 so far. They all work. (oops, OK, the Catweasel doesn't do anything useful yet bevause Jens hasn't written any floppy drivers for OS4. But that's not an A1 hardware issue is it then?)
DMA? Sure, there is a "problem" there. It's fixable for about $30 with shipping and handling included. But I've been anjoying my A1 too much to take it apart and send it in. I just bought a Sii DMA 133 card and run my main drives from there. Besides, this also helps get areound the problem of having the ability to connect only four devices. I was used to my 4000 with its Phase5 SCSI plus onboard IDE. Lots of devices!
So what do we have? We have some early hardware (sorry Tigger, but you're wrong here, too. I ordered my XE when it was still being called a "developer" board. Actually, I ordered the SE, because that's all there was when I ordered. But the XE's came out just in the nick of time so I could change my order to an XE. But it was still beofre the "EARLYBIRD" era.)
Everything you so conveniently blame on the Articia isn't even because of the Articia. THe sound has been traced to a problem in the Via southbridge and is now fixed in AHI.
But cheer up, Tig. I'lll agree with you on one thing. The A1's are expensive. On the other hand, you're claim that there will be no more manufactured is rumour and conjecture, like so much else that you write.
Disclaimer: I do not have an electronics laboratory of my own like Tigger apparently has. I do not possess several Articia chips. (just the one that's been working in my A1 for a couple years nnow without problem.) I am not trained in electronics engeneering. Nor am I tied in any way to a computer baord manufacturing company.
But I do know this: As a complet Linux newbie, I had my A1 up and running and taking care of my email and web surfing from day one. I played around a litle with GIMP and Abiword. I think it took about four months from delivery before OS4 pre1 was released. I didn't know I was suposed to turn off DMA until about the last three weeks of Linux use. I didn't have any trouble even with DMA on. . . Not even while I was online.
So, after all this long rambling, I can only say that Tigger is taking some known flaws and making mountains out of molehills. Tkae his rant with a grain of salt.
Hey, Tig, ya' know what. My Windoze box at work (fairly old now) has an Asus motherboard with a Via chipset. I wouldn't do sound at all until I downloaded new firmare and isntalled it.
Paul
