PPC installation

[lurkist]

Hi,

Soon I will be joining the elite ranks of Blizzard PPC users (woohoo!)

Just wondered if anyone could give me any hints on installation.  Presumably I can't just whip out my previous card, chuck the PPC in and hey presto.  I'm assuming I'll need a complete fresh workbench install.  But what order should I do things in?  Something like this?

1 - Remove all cards, install WB 3.1
2 - Install CD-Rom s/w (PPC software seems to be on CD)
3 - Put Blizzard PPC card in
4 - Install PPC s/w
5 - Install WB 3.9
5 - Install everything else.

About right?

Cheers

[doctorq]

In fact you can :-) After the boot up with PPC card in, just install WarpUP software, and everything should be ok.

However, with Mediator in there as well, it might be better just to install from scratch. Just install OS3.1, the libraries for te 68k CPU and you can continue from there.

-EDIT-

Oops, saw you didn't have a Mediator afterall, so just plug the card in, boot the computer and install WarpUP, and start replacing libraries, datatypes and whatever with PPC ones.

[lurkist]

I don't have a Mediator (yet, hehe!)
I thought Warp-Up was a totally different OS, like MorphOS or something.
If it's only the libs I need I might be OK, I'm just worried it won't boot at all with my 060-based s/w.
Almost everything I installed asked what processor I was using, I'll be going from an 060 to an 040 based PPC so re-installation may be a better option.
If so, have I got the order right?

Cheers

[doctorq]

Yep, the order is right; at least it is a working approach :-)

[x56h34]

Hmmmm, this will feel more like a downgrade once you set everything up. 68k is pretty much always incharge of the OS, so going from 060 to 040 will not be too pretty.

Don't forget to install BPPCFix or if you are running BlizKick then BPPCFix module, as you must terminate the built-in powerup library that conflicts with WarpOS.

[lurkist]

@ x56h34

I was worried about this, but I figure if I get PPC versions of most of the stuff I use regularly I'll be OK.

What's all this Warp-OS lark?

My card is coming from where you are!  (it's not you is it??!)

[x56h34]

Nope, not me. :-) I think that you bought the card from a fellow in Ottawa, IIRC of the last local PPC auctions that I've spotted.

[lurkist]

Oh yeah, you're right.  You eagle-eyed PPC-spotter, you!

Also I'm remembering all the PPC-only software I've come across, so the downgrade issue is a minor one I hope.

So WarpOS, just a preference in 3.9, right??!

[x56h34]

;-)

BPPC card comes with a built in PPC library in its flashrom. This library is called PowerUP. Phase 5 originally pushed it as the PPC solution for OS3.x, however there was an alternative solution available shortly after, called WarpUP (or WarpOS). In order to make it difficult for the competition to succeed, I guess Phase 5 decided to make the library built-in, so that WarpUP wouldn't work if you tried to install it. A solution like BPPCFix kills the built-in PowerUP kernel and let's you install WarpUP as your PPC choice. WarpUP seems to be more popular than PowerUP and I believe it's the official OS3.9 PPC kernel.

[lurkist]

Cool, so it's not instead of AmigaOS, it's as well as (sort of).  Judging by Aminet, this is another world of software opening up for me!

I used Blizzmagic rather that Blizkick, it was just that little bit more stable for me, and it flew with this installed, so I'll definitely be using BPPCfix.

Thanks for the responses guys, no doubt I'll have more stoopid questions when it arrives in a couple of weeks.

Cheers!

[AmigaMance]

 The OS will be slower with a 68040 BPPC since about 99% of it is 68k coded. But when OS4 comes out, everything will be much faster than the fastest 68060.
 Also, MorphOS is PPC native and is already available for the classic Amigas.

[lurkist]

OK, so it arrived and it _seems_ fine on the 68k side.  Much slower than I'm used to as predicted.  Is there a nice simple way to test the PPC?  I tried the latest Quake1 port, but it tells me  it can't open an AGA screen.  96MB of ram available, also it jumps back to NTSC when I choose PAL.
Cheers

[Piru]

@x56h34

In order to make it difficult for the competition to succeed, I guess Phase 5 decided to make the library built-in, so that WarpUP wouldn't work if you tried to install it.

As pointed out numerous times before, this wasn't the reason.

The reason was to avoid having to install any disk based libraries. The HW was 'plug and go', suitable for beginners aswell. (It was thought that most of the A1200 systems were more of a hobby systems, and that A3000/A4000 systems were for more serious, professional use. Yes, this is debatable :-))

There is 100% clean and valid way to stop the flash libraries from functioning, that is to replace the ROMTag with higher pri dummy one that does nothing. Whatever propaganda WOS authors wanted to spread, it was quite obviously to aid their own goals.

Funnily, as it turned out, WOS was the dead-end and the design nightmare. It is the most obscure and the hardest to support (via wrapper libs) of the "PPC OSes".

[x56h34]

@Piru:

Thanks for the info. Always useful to read some insider info from a quality programmer such as yourself. :pint:

One thing is for sure though, there were a lot of Usenet wars between PUP and WOS supporters, back in the day, and those fights were pretty much to the same extent similar to the more recent OS4.0 and MOS bickerings. :-)

[Piru]

@x56h34

And for the most parts people are the same. Funny that... :-)











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