Amiga OS 4.0. Does it run on other hardware,too?

[Legerdemain]

OS4 currently officially runs on Classic PPC (only released to betatesters) and AmigaOne. Unoficcially it is said to run on other hardware aswell as reported by quite some people (not in its original released form, though, and not neccesarily legally). Running under PearPC it is so far not yet proven to do although there are rumours of some people having done that very thing.

If you are waiting for an official X86 release you will probably have to wait a VERY long time (if not forever), and since OS4 is locked to the AmigaOne hardware at the moment you won't be able to run it under PearPC unless hacking the OS.

So... to answer your question... possible? Yes, but no. Depending on how you look upon it.

EDIT: Typoo.

[Legerdemain]

Hyperion REALLY should see too that it get an official beta release for Classic PPC since they have got nothing to lose. If not only to get some more people developing for OS4, but of course it would be a nice gesture towards the community aswell. I would be surprised if there were more AmigaOnes out there than Classic PPC accelerator cards.

No logical answer whatsoever has been given to as of why Hyperion haven't released OS4 beta for Classic PPC yet. If they are worried about having to give support they could just get someone to write an guide on how to install the OS on Classic PCC and from that point distance themselves from any further support. If they are worried about disturbing their planned Amiga 'comeback' a Classic PPC release wouldn't do much of a difference since the OS already is out there for the AmigaOne owners to use.

No logic, whatsoever. Extremely annoying. But one has gotten quite used to not so logical decisions being made when it comes to the Amiga scene in general. Not saying that Hyperion doesn't do a god job otherwise, but anyways.

[Legerdemain]

Framiga:

On certain points I don't agree with you. I don't see OS4 an a commercial product as of yet since only betas have been released. But, yes, when the final is released commercially it will of course be a commercial product.

Betas are supposed to be buggy (or at least, bugs are expected to be found). If a beta is released with someone, preferably someone outside of Hyperion since Hyperion obviosly doesn't want to have the 68k version of the OS consuming their time, having compiled some information on how to install the OS and Hyperion also very CLEARLY states that the beta is nothing but AS IS software wihtout any further support from them being available at the moment... I think people trying out the beta would know pretty much what to expect (and thus wouldn't be dissapointed to such a high extent concerning what the OS would lack at the moment).

The main point here, however, is that I think a beta release  would not only give people in the community something to play around with for a while (while waiting for the final product, which, as I see it, could be years away since Hyperion isn't exactly developing the OS only to please the community but also is hoping for some kind of attention from people outside the community. I mean, it is not people in general that feels like the OS has a deadline, because they don't know about the OS at all and anytime released would be something 'new' to them. But the community however feels like the release is having a deadline which must be set sometime in the near future) but also give more people the chance of developing software for the OS. Which is ESSENTIAL is OS4 ever will be released as a commercial product.

But, then again, if the Classic PPC version of the OS is pretty much unusable and can't be used for developing software for the OS, well, then it wouldn't be of much use for software developers.

So, I do see your point, but I can't agree with it completely.

[Legerdemain]

There are many days I ask myself why couldn't Hyperion produce an Amiga OS4 for the x86 platform, or for ppc Mac. With an x86 version of AOS4 many of us who own or owned a classic Amiga and now are sitting in front of an Windows or Linux system would be run to the next dealer around the corner to catch one package of AOS4. And I believe that this market would be a much bigger one than the 1000 or less Amiga Ones they've bought until today.

I'm pretty confident that this is something being heavily considered by Hyperion. Frankly, you don't spend a couple of years developing software that won't be able to be run on any hardware. My guess would be that they have tried running the OS on some different hardware platforms, and are hoping to find a way of releasing the OS while not having to be tied to the Amiga One motherboards (because, let's face it, the Amiga Ones are scarce already and a couple of machines dies of every year). Would anyone in their right mind continue developing such extensive software for a platform that, as of today (might of course change if some new hardware will be released), has no future whatsoever (and now I am not talking about all those people developing software for OS4, but the OS in itself)?

Hyperion is probably not aiming at pleasing only the community. Like someone said elsewhere: the community might feel there is a deadline for the 'return of Amiga'. People in general don't have that deadline, because to them Amiga has been dead since ages, and it won't matter if it will make a return in 1,2 or 5 years time.

The major problem, according to me, is that people that want to develop software for the OS isn't able to do so as of today. According to me, if they want software, they should aim at releasing the OS4 beta for classic PPC as soon as possible (relasing it as is, of course, and only if it is in such a shape that it is possible to use it for developing software for the OS).

Then there is also the problem of communication. Which is one of the major problems with some of the software and hardware developers still developing for the Amiga. Elbox, Hyperion, ACK, and many many others... they simply can't do good communication with the community. And, in the end, we all know what happens... people will start to doubt... there will be flaming... god knows what... and in some extreme cases the developers will be so upset by this (oh, it should really come as a surprise to them, no?) that they just quit doing what they are doing.

Heh.

I lost my focus. Sorry if this post makes no sense whatsoever.

It is, in the end, pretty ridicilous that the one thing that makes me not bothering about anything annouced for the Amiga today... (until it actually is released)... is bad communication. You don't announce things that you don't know for sure that you can deliver, you don't set deadlines which you can't keep, you don't promise things over and over again just to over and over again let the people you promised this and that down...

It isn't really strange that things look the way they do. With so much anger, hatred and doubt... in the community as of today... but, whatever, I am not really part of that any longer. I'm happy with the software/hardware I've got... and I will be happy with it for many years to come... so, if there will be no new hardware I won't be disappointed, and if OS4 won't be commercially released I won't be disappointed... but if... just if... I will of course be happy. But it will be a bonus... and not something that I've expected or eagerly awaited... and, thus, I feel rather well with one of my hobbies, the Amiga.