AmigaOne DMA Problem

[KimmoK]

itix wrote:

All I know is that I can view tv (yes, before you ask, with sound) on my A1 under Linux.

It indicates Articia used on Peg1 and A1 is buggy.

 :-D

Makes me wonder what it would indicate if TV viewing would not work.

[KimmoK]

captainmoomoo wrote:
everything i read seems to make me lean towards a pegasos2 rather than an amigaone.

Buying amigaone you would support AmigaOS platform. Buying pegasos2 you support MOS or at least Genesi & Mr Buck.
Today, peg2 might give you more Amiga"fun", though.

but then i also read somewhere that MorphOS might be released for the Mac,

IIRC, genesi has not said they will release MOS for Mac.

MOS is developed by a HW company to help to sell pegasos HW.
What ever some Genesi head says, releasing MOS for Mac would hurt pegasos2 sales. (a little bit like releasing it for CSPPC/BPPC)

IIRC, Buck has said that there could be CD's with some MOS runtime to run some MOS application/game (from that CD) on Mac HW.


On the other hand... AmigaOS4 is being developed by a SW company. Their plan/strategy is to get it running on several third party HW platforms, as long as it makes market sense in general (more in the KMOS interview). Untill AOS4 has matured a year or two I do not think we will see AOS running on other platforms than A1 and classic PPC equipped Amigas.


Check through the alternatives, listen to your conscience etc... and then get the best HW for you.

If you want to use Linux, most likely neither A1 or Pegasos is the best option (and especially not A1).
If you want to use  AOS4.x, A1 would be the only option currently.
If you want to use MOS, Peg2 would be the only option...


About the DMA problem. It seems that it's not a problem for AOS4.
Only time will tell if the "SW cache coherency" affects AOS performance. So far AOS4 DMA drivers have not been released outside beta tester group (betatesters indicate that it works well), so it's too early to tell.

Looking outside AOS world: MAI really messed up. They have pretty much lost all their Linux market possibilities for ArtisiaS equipped HW.

[KimmoK]

@KennyR
"How is buying an AmigaONE going to support anything?"

According to AlanRedhouse. AOS4 licence is being paid to AOS4 developers for every sold AmigaOne.

"I really don't see how buying an A1 supports the 'Amiga platform'"

See above.
And I was talking about AmigaOS platform.

" any more than buying a Pegasos "

Buying Pegasos supports the competition of AOS4 and funds the court actions of Genesi trying to get the hold of AOS4. (in the end Genesi would have no reason to let AOS4 live to help the sale of competing HW)

OK that came from my perhaps biased twisted mind ... or pehaps I'm just too DISGUSTED from BBRV actions.

"or a copy of Amiga Forever,"

That is supporting AmigaOS. (kind of, especially if licence money go to right address)

"or downloading AROS."

That is not supporting AOS.

[KimmoK]

@takemehomegrandma

"then the Pegasos is an EXCELLENT choice! All major Linux distros runs fine, and it's only getting better all the time!"

So is the x86 competition, I think.

But yes someone might choose Peg2 for that low power consumption but rich media / powerfull telecom use.

[KimmoK]

@Piru

"Marvell is over 100% faster with HD DMA than ArticiaS. Same southbridge, same HD."

But different motherboard, different HW glues / fixes.

And if one compares peg1 to A1:
Different motherboard, different HW glues / fixes, different drivers, (different OS), different southbridge.

"I am no expert, but to me it seems as if Articia was seriously crippled."

It could be.

IIRC: genesi did not try to get ArtisiaS weirdnesses fixed by SW, because it would have been against their strategy.

I have understood that Pegasos1 does not have drivers that can do reliable DMA without April chip's help.


It will be very interesting to compare (A1, Peg1, Peg2) HDD performance with CPU usage when there exist AOS4 with DMA.

[KimmoK]

@KennyR
"Even if every single A1 owner, potential or present, had bought a Pegasos, there would probably only be about 1500 more sales"

A lot of people chose Pegasos pecause it's cheaper than A1. (I could giv a lot of names)

"That's just not worth the expense."

Still Genesi made heavy push to get Amiga developers and users.

"MorphOS is a toy OS in the world of computing and Genesi know that as well as anyone. Genesi's ambition is far bigger than MOS. As the slogan goes, MOS is a free gift. Smearing a tiny outfit like the A1 for the sake of a tiny OS like MOS is a total waste of effort."

That is something for MorphOS users and AmigaOS fans to think about.

If pegasos prices some miraculously way cover the cost of niche (about 1000 units per board) HW R&D and production, how are the MOS R&D costs covered?

[KimmoK]

@KennyR

"Hyperion got the permissing to use this miraculous name,"

Affect of the blue pill I assume.
Hyperion made a deal to continue AmigaOS development.
AmigaOS4 is based on AmigaOS code.

"but the OS is becoming very unlike OS3 in the way its being designed"

It's more like OS3 than how MOS is, especially the design.

(I agree there are things that make wonder how the end result will work, time will tell if the Amiga-like feeling is lost, so far it seems to function OK (according to those who have tried it), same for MOS. )

"and the A1 is just a Teron."

(nothing to do with the AmigaOS platform, but)
And peg is just a CHRP / POP ?

"I'm afraid to me supporting it alone is only supporting the marginilisation of the amiga platform - and marginalised in its own niche!"

Well, people are ofcourse free to support what ever they want. (I was planning to, but I'm not sure I will get peg+mos any more, not untill some changes are made @ Genesi)

I've heard that some have bought M$ products even.




>Buying Pegasos supports the competition of AOS4 and funds the court actions of Genesi trying to get the hold of AOS4. (in the end Genesi would have no reason to let AOS4 live to help the sale of competing HW)

"Well, even if it was, so? You'd rather have shadow companies owning this OS? KMOS the mysterious don't-know-anyone-except-GarryHaretheCEO could-be-a-IP-laundering tool?"

KMOS does not have any reason to kill AmigaOS (or to kill the multi-HW strategy).    ( again fully personal opinnion after applying my common sense )

"No... I'd rather have a company that can actually deliver hardware, who I know works for it, and I can speak to anyone on its ranks."

I rather have companies that can deliver hardware and a company that deliver AmigaOS.

"KMOS are not that. KMOS, for all I can see, have all the flaws of Amiga Inc, and I will never support such a company on faith ever again."

To me KMOS does not have the flaws of Amiga Inc. But it neither has any merits either. It's pretty neutral. Perhaps the CEO seems too sane for Amiga market. (no, wait, I forgot the business card grazyness)

"They sell stuff with good prices, I buy it."

They also say cow meat from UK is cheap. I do not buy it.


"If AROS users want to call it AOS, who's to stop them? Amiga Inc?"

No. KMOS has that option. They already acted when the threat against AOS became apparent in the thendic-Amiga court issue.

"Seeing the difference from supporting the platform proper and just from supporting name-leeching companies is the first step in actually being able to really support it."

I think helping AOS4 in any way is the best way to help to keep AOS alive.
Other than that, supporting MOS (without supporting Genesi, if possible), AROS, Amiga SW/HW developers is far better thing to do than supporting Amiga.Inc.


yet one update...
btw. "supporting name-leeching companies" made me build the following reminder of who might get money when one buys A1/AOS4:
- KMOS: AOS defence in court & something else that is not visible yet
- Hyperion: AOS development
- Eyetech: the first company to arrange new AOS4 compatible desktop HW

IMHO: it is better option for Amiga OS fan than the main alternative ( why support AOS imitator OS that is planned to be "something else" if the "original" is also there, why support "other than AOS HW platform" rather than the existing AOS HW platform etc. )  

Anyway... I have my opinnion, I let people have theirs. (correction:  I try to let people have theirs, sometimes I fail. Sorry for that.) :-(