I`ve only used the WinUAE emulator lately. With the advent of Amiga OS 4, I`m thinking of trying to use the real thing (I`ve got an old AMIGA 500 OCS from my youth).
First you need to decide if you want to "use the real thing" or if you want to use OS4.
What sort of hardware do I need to get it running? Where can I purchase such hardware and where can I purchase the OS from?
To run OS4 you need either an AmigaOne, or some of the old PPC expansion equipment made back in the 90's listed on this page:
http://www.acube-systems.biz/compatibility/You can also purchase OS4 from that same site for the expansion cards. If you decide to go AmigaOne route then you'll need to hope it comes with a copy of OS4. Since neither type of equipment is made anymore your best bet is an auction site like Ebay.
I recommend researching the possible hardware related issues you're likely to encounter, many of them are documented on forums at places like amigaworld.net and amigans.net.
You should also decide if making the hardware investment necessary to run OS4 is something you really want to do, as it will very likely be over $1000 USD. OS4 will run most 68K applications through the use of an emulator, but there are a few native applications which you can review here:
http://os4depot.net/ I think it is about time, thinking of porting the OS to more generic hardware.
http://aros.sourceforge.net/
