Ubuntu user here, looking at getting in to Amiga

[DiskDoctor]

I used to love my Amiga 600. It was the best machine I ever had, it was constantly full of new surprises. I remember laughing at people who had PC's at the time, now look how it has all panned out.

Currently using Ubuntu Linux. I accidently bumped in to some screenshots of Amiga os4.1. I might be interested in getting back in to Amiga in one way or another a bit later on.

Can I ask some really annoying questions that probably get asked all the time.

1) How viable is Amiga os4.1 to use as a main machine?
2) I read somewhere that Firefox is available for Amiga os4.1, is this correct?
3) Does this handle flash as well?

One thing I am not 100% sure on. I use Dreamweaver and Photoshop using Wine in Ubuntu. Is there anything similar in Amiga OS4.1 that allows you to accasionally run a Windows app.

Finally what sort of hardware is required, to get back in to Amiga.
What is performance like?

Thank you in advance

Hi there,

I'll try to respond.

1) as a Kunbuntu user too (but not only) I can say AmigaOS or MorphOS can be, depending on the tasks' scope, 60-90% capable of becoming a main machine (to me it's roughly 80%)

2) firefox recently started being developed, could be a bounty, I'm not sure.  But you can expect it in a short time, hopefully, because talented programmers code it

3) no flash yet, no java etc.  But there's Python :lol:

4) there is a Cygwin/Wine-like environment for AmigaOS, but rather aimed at launching linux apps, but as far as I know it also requires some additional porting or building.  But No windows apps support!!  Of course you could always try to launch wine under amicygnix :lol: :lol:  Anyway forget about Photoshop-class software support under AOS (I mean under amicygnix)

Remember that those platforms aren't as mature as linux yet, this is the time of milestone applications development right now (see: firefox). Maybe you would join?

[DiskDoctor]

Expensive underpowered PPC boards that are approved to run it, you can't run it on a cheap used PPC Mac.  These are essentially lite versions of a G3 running at 756 MHz, think mobile phone.  OS4 is light on resources so it runs fine on this kind of equipment.

Just to refine:

- to get most recent (4.1) AmigaOS working,
-  -  the only hardware in production is Sam, costing 400-500 Eur as a motherboard, 700-800 MHz, low spec in general
-  -  other hardware is used, expensive and practically impossible-to-get Pegasos 2, AmigaOne, microA1

- to get most recent (2.3/2.4 coming) MorphOS working,
-  -  key-performance and cheap hardware is Mac Mini PPC, the said 2.4 version is to be released shortly
-  -  other used hardware difficult to get is Pegasos 2 (Peg1 not sure if supports 2.3)
-  -  also the discontinued Efika PPC, low-specs but cheap, hard to get

To summarize - best option for AmigaOS4.1 is Sam (there are variants), for MorphOS2.4 is Mac Mini PPC (various specs as well), but this version is announced yet not available.

[DiskDoctor]

One more.

1) How viable is Amiga os4.1 to use as a main machine?
2) I read somewhere that Firefox is available for Amiga os4.1, is this correct?

Please read through the news that AmigaOS is to become AAMP so xAMP family, just like the Linux (I mean Apache, MySql, PHP) :lol: So it's pretty important if you are a web app coder.

[DiskDoctor]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but what the heck.

To expand on Jorkany's post, no existing amiga/amiga-like operating system can replace linux as a main OS unless you are prepared to give up a great deal of what you probably take for granted right now. However, they are great as hobbyist OS.

It really, really depends what you do, pal.  Linux is good for C-coders (love that term).  But if you use your computer for other work, you're fried in any case equally.