When are AOS4 released?

[Rogue]

I thought it was the same version of AOS4?

It is. The kernel is slightly different, and some of the low-level device drivers, but that's about it. Things like e.g. Intuition, DOS, Graphics, are identical.

Any change in the AmigaOne kernel is also done in the classic kernel.

[Rogue]

you can only get OS4 by buying an uA1.
it's not sold separately.

Almost :-) The classic version will be sold separately.

[nicomen]

If you holding on for the BlizzardPPC version i fear you will be let down! i DOUBT you will see a version for classic Amigas anytime soon if ever (especialy the BlizzardPPC).

LOL, How would you know anything about that? I thought spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt was below your standards.

[Karlos]

Q: When are AOS4 released?

A: When all your base are belong to us...

[Karlos]

4pLaY wrote:
If you holding on for the BlizzardPPC version i fear you will be let down! i DOUBT you will see a version for classic Amigas anytime soon if ever (especialy the BlizzardPPC).

Sure. It must all have been a figment of my imagination, then...

[Argo]

Almost  The classic version will be sold separately.

* Batteries not Included

[Jethro_Tull]

Thanks Mr.Freiden for your quick and clear reply.  Thanks to you I've made up my mind to upgrade my A1200 to be able to run OS4.  I'll be the first in line to buy what will surely be an excellent product and a breath of fresh air for the Amiga community!  

One last question, to dispell any remaining rumours about OS4, will it require a hardware dongle or special ROM chips to run on classic Amigas?  Will Kickstart 3.0 suffice?  I'm also asking this to make things clear for ALL classic Amiga owners who are still in doubt and confused, thanks to all rumours flying around!   Hopefully the release of OS4 will encourage those with a suitable machine to dust it down and experience fun, hassle free computing once again.  It'll also, hopefully, spearhead the release (or re-release) of PPC accelerators for classic Amigas.

Thanks again, it's definitly a unique experience to have the author in person of your favourite operating system answer your querries on-line!

Cheers,
Jethro Tull

[Rogue]

will it require a hardware dongle or special ROM chips to run on classic Amigas? Will Kickstart 3.0 suffice?

No, nothing like that is planned, or at least nothing that I know of. Kickstart 3.0 will be sufficient, as well as a PPC card (obviously ;-))

It'll also, hopefully, spearhead the release (or re-release) of PPC accelerators for classic Amigas.

At least one new accelerator has been announced already to run with OS 4, the one by ACK.

[ikir]

This one
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45781
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1961

[Jethro_Tull]

Thanks for the links Ikir.  I already knew about this though.  Don't you think the timing of ACK's news submission was quite peculiar though, right after the Dragon ColdFire busboard / Accelerator was announced.  

The last thing I want to do is spread FUD.  But claiming you've got a prototype running Linux BUT fail to post any photos and detailed specs is suspicious to say the least.

If I'd manage to build such a board, I would be over the moon and post photos, regular bulletins and more all over the Amiga forums.  Oliver, the DIY Coldfire guy, has posted photos of ALL his boards thoughout various prototyping stages, even though they're still 'work-in-progress'.

On the other hand, ACK supposedly has a board at a much more advanced stage, running Linux and all, but just submits a dry announcement and after drumming up tremendous enthusiasm in the community, fails to follow it up with anything for weeks!

In my opinion, I think this ACK bloke acts in bona-fede and posted the news to counter the Dragon Cold-Fire board announcement, that could've damaged OS4 and A1 sales.  Having said that, it seems ACK has a very good reputation in the Amiga community while on the other hand the Dragon guys (Elbox) are known to advertise vapourware which fails to materialise for years and years (Yes Duke Nukem Forever is being developed exclusivly for the Shark PPC).  So I know who of the two I'd rather beleive!  

Please don't misunderstand me, I wish that ACK's products exist!  The specifications are simply an Amiga 1200 owner's wildest dreams come true!  I'd buy one in a heartbeat if they're resonably priced!  

I'm not counting on it, but I'd be gladly proven wrong on this one.

Jethro Tull

[Kronos]

My guess mon the ack-boards (and yes it's only a guess, but I do have a tendency to be right on spot with these):

- the small one is based on a reference design for a microcontroller
- the big one is still in a planning (aka non-working) state

So back to the small one  :-o

- ack did transport that design onto a card in the right format for the A1200 trapdoor

- he also added a GFX-core and other things

- he did test the Linux that came with the original reference design

- A1200 slot ? not tested

- GFX-core ? not tested (only terminal over serial)

- IDE-controller ? not sure (netboot or similar should be possible with the reference design)

And I'm quite sure we would have heard if I were wrong on any of these points  :-(

[bloodline]

I too do not expect to ever see OS4 for my blizzard PPC... Won't happen, not in a billion years*



*I will keep saying that until someone sends me a copy, free :lol: :-P


I agree with Kronos.

[Jethro_Tull]

Your point about Linux is very interesting Kronos.  I imagined the reference to Linux to be a regular PPC distro booting on an A1200 with graphics front-end and all.  So I pictured the board as being almost ready.

However you put this in a whole new perspective.  

Of course an embedded bare-bones Linux compiled just for that microcontroller, sans GUI front-end, would be orders of magnitude easier to run, and would say nothing about the state of the A1200 board.  While I hope you're wrong, I fear you're very close to the truth here.

Can anyone who knows ACK, or better still ACK himself, come out and be honest (brutally honest if need be) about this.  The least we need is another Elbox & Co. taking Amgans for ride.

Finally, I'm guilty of deviating this thread from it's main subject, which is OS4 being released for classic Amigas with PPC boards.  

And indeed it's a very positive thread since Rogue himself just confirmed that OS4 for classic Amigas will be released at about the same time as the A1 version! He also confirmed that all that's needed is a PPC board!  And OS4 beta testers with hands-on experience stated that the classic Amiga version already runs very well on a lowly A1200 with 166MHz Blizzard PPC. :-D

So, I'm now busy scavenging for a PPC card to run OS4, and enjoy a better, faster Amiga and maybe even develop some cool applications. :angel:

Jethro Tull

[Rogue]

My guess mon the ack-boards (and yes it's only a guess, but I do have a tendency to be right on spot with these):

Yeah, we all know your prophetic talent, and your general subscription to Truth and Knowledge.

[Rogue]

I too do not expect to ever see OS4 for my blizzard PPC... Won't happen, not in a billion years*

Yeah, lemme guess, all those beta testers that actually have it are lying, right?

[bloodline]

Rogue wrote:

I too do not expect to ever see OS4 for my blizzard PPC... Won't happen, not in a billion years*

Yeah, lemme guess, all those beta testers that actually have it are lying, right?

Follow the star...  :-D