I'm at that point where I'm starting to like MorphOS more than I do classic Amiga OS. It just seems like the obvious next step in the OS' evolution, even though it is not technically Amiga OS.
I just really like how it barrows heavily from Directory Opus 5.x, not to mention all the other extra bells and whistles they've packed in with it. Like classic Amiga, it can be configured to work pretty damn well how ever you please, but unlike classic Amiga OS, you do not need to install Dopus 5.x, ScalOS, or what ever to make the directories a bit more friendly when you are navigating your system.
AROS is cool and all, but Wanderer and a few other things really need fleshed out before I can take it too seriously, but it's getting there for sure, and if you consider the fact that is is FREE, well then you can't really go wrong there! It's certainly something that is fun to follow the progress of, and it does of course have a few apps and games that JUST WORK as they should, which is always a bonus considering that you no longer have to resort to Windows, Mac, or Linux to use or play them. DOSbox, and Quake III are but a couple examples.
OS 4 has always been too pricey for me to care about. Plus it just kind of looks like it is picking up almost exactly where Work Bench 3.x left off. Not that there are no new features, but... well just from all the videos and what not that I've seen, it just looks un-evolved in regards to how it works and all, though I'm sure there is plenty new underneath the hood. Also I've heard it is still slow in comparison to MorphOS and does not have the backwards compatibility down quite as well as MorphOS, though I could be wrong.
On the upside, should you want to try out OS 4.x, there is "supposed" to be a laptop out next year that is "supposed" to sell for between $300 and $500, which is something I think I'll invest in out of curiosity if nothing else.
Orrrrr.... if you just want to be lame, you can use WinUAE. Or if you want to be daring and try to find hardware that works...
Amithlon is a total pay off. It's the fastest Next Gen Amiga out there at the moment, in fact next to MorphOS and classic Amiga OS, it's my next favorite!
So many toys, so much to do, so many options to choose from!!! And all without the backing of major corporations!
If you are interested in running a "Next Generation" Amiga system, you can try AROS for free on most PC hardware, just download it, burn it to a CD and boot it up.
For MorphOS, find a friend who already has MorphOS installed and can show it to you and let you play with it for a while, or find a free, or very cheap supported G4 Mac model and download the free install ISO, burn it to a CD and install in on your supported G4 Mac to test it out in Demo Mode, which runs for 30 minutes at a time before slowing down and requiring a reboot.
For OS4, find a friend who has it already and will let you play around with it for a while to see if you like it. There is no other free way to check it out at this time and the hardware is all over $500 to $1,200 and up, so make sure it is what you want before buying.
All are excellent systems, but they are not for everyone.
All Next Generation systems are very different from using a original Amiga computer, so it is like comparing apples and bananas. All Next Generation systems can run the older Amiga software natively or through an emulator.
