AROS has no chance in the future if...

[iamaboringperson]

*It doesn't use memory protection.
*It doesn't take advantage of SMP.
*It isn't multi-user.
*It doesn't go 64-bit eventually

It would also be nice if it had a half-decent web-browser and office suite.

[AmigaEd]

AROS has no chance in the future for what?

It seems to me that AROS is (or has surpassed)mostly what it was suppposed to be.

So ,I'm just not sure that I'm buying what you are saying above. My A1000, A2000, A500, A1200, A600 doesn't have these features and yet I am still using them as are others. I also find AROS to be interesting and useful (although not in a Windows XP kind of way).

So please clarify your perspective on what you think the AROS is supposed to be. I just don't want to come away feeling that you'll be telling me that Commodore is going to shut their doors and never build another computer ;-)

Regards,
AmigaEd

[dammy]

*It doesn't use memory protection.

Michal is currently working on that for his x86_64 kernel.

*It doesn't go 64-bit eventually

Michal is working on it currently.  I hope to see him commit it to the AROS SVN within 60 days.  The bounty he is work on can be viewed here.

*It doesn't take advantage of SMP.

x86_64 kernel first, SMP can wait a bit longer (that and if Michal is willing, got to get a Athlon-64 2X CPU for him to develope on).  Good news is, the modular x86_64 kernel will be a major step towards SMP.

*It isn't multi-user.

Some basic steps have started on this issue.  I really don't see this moving forward until after Michal's x86_64 kernel is released and backported to x86 kernel.  There are issues of those wanting multi-user enviroment (I'm one of those) and those who want single user enviroment so it's going to be a compromise between the two at the end of the day.  Fortunetly for AROS, it has some very clever developers who can find that compromise.  :-)

Dammy
TeamAROS

[iamaboringperson]

@AmigaEd

You're a preexisting user.

What I mean is, AROS in comptetion, and AROS gaining new users.
I can't say that AROS has a definite future (in the computing world), when I'm only considering current AmigaOS, MorphOS, and AROS users.

Remember back when the Amiga had all sorts of music, television, and movie industry users?

That doesn't seem to be something that's going to happen again.

It's not going to win over any new users. In other words, it's strictly an Amiga/Alternative OS hobbiest(sp?) OS.

And that's how it will probably remain.

[iamaboringperson]

Some basic steps have started on this issue. I really don't see this moving forward until after Michal's x86_64 kernel is released and backported to x86 kernel. There are issues of those wanting multi-user enviroment (I'm one of those) and those who want single user enviroment so it's going to be a compromise between the two at the end of the day. Fortunetly for AROS, it has some very clever developers who can find that compromise.

I've been thinking about that part for years.

I wouldn't mind getting involved in the MU stuff in the future. :-)

[AmigaEd]

@iamaboringperson

You're a preexisting user.

Aha, I'd been trying to figure out my species for sometime now. :lol:

more seriously, O.k. now I know where you are comming from on tyour post and I agree with what you said above... Sadly, it probably is how it will remain.

Regards
AmigaEd

[nagaflas]

iamaboringperson wrote:

*It doesn't use memory protection.
*It doesn't take advantage of SMP.
*It isn't multi-user.
*It doesn't go 64-bit eventually

It would also be nice if it had a half-decent web-browser and office suite.

You can add to that list:

*It does not integrate 68k/full Kickstart emulation.

Using original programs within UAE just does not cut it for me.

I'd like to run my old programs without having to track down the source code, rewriting portions of that code and crossing my fingers as it recompiles in hopes that it will work under AROS.

This is the main reason why I have stayed away from it (no offense, I've used AROS and think it's great, but if it can't run legacy software in its original binary form, then its inability to exploit the Amiga's vast software library really makes it unattractive to me).

I'm in the "wait n see" stage right now concerning AROS.

[dammy]

UAE<->AROS Bounty and kickstart phase 1 and 2 are open to either (old or new) developers or cash.  Unlike the other alternatives Amiga-like OSs, AROS isn't going to sell you squat.  AROS is a front loaded community support, there is no back loading (ie you pay after the product is ready) via computers and OS that you MUST buy to use AROS.

Dammy

[DonnyEMU]

Okay, it has several things going for it..


1) It's FREE to download

2) It's FREE to download

3) I am not getting charged for things it doesn't have

4) Did I mention it's free??

5) See the logo by my name, it runs great on that CPU and faster than Windows or an Intel Mac (and seems to crash less)

6) Wait did I say it's free to download ;-)

When are the Amiga folk here gonna part with their software from the 1980s?? If I bought an Amiga today it still can't directly run most classic software without UAE because they don't have the custom chips... Run UAE and anything runs decently.. That's true of current "Amiga" hardware too, same problem..

No memory protection I generally don't need it, AROS stuff doesn't crash like the 68K amiga did in general..

Oh this is my favorite one, it doesn't support symetric multiprocessing, well let's see if I run it HOSTED from Windows or LINUX  with QEMU or Virtual PC or heaven for bid the 64 bit implementation of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 (a free download right now at microsoft.com), I can assign either CPU to the virtual machine and it's still speedy, and it's like having TWO Amy's in front of me (but much more current and faster)..

I have a 64-bit processor (actually I have a few of them ;-) and I still love aros, it is floppy bootable, it just runs. Yeah the software is skimpy but complaining it doesn't have a good web browser is LAUGHABLE because I can't find one on the platform anyway (but I digress typing this entry in 64-bit IE 7)..

Office suite? Word Processor before printer drivers I suppose :-) Anyway, on x86 hardware you can boot any OS and run free Open office even from a live CD.. Or heaven forbid Office 2007 in free beta right now.  Gotta love that..

68K emulation is a waste of time when everything runs from within UAE anyway and it's not that much of a pain to set up or use once you have floppys moved to disk image. I had to do it but I don't even use a FLOPPY anymore so it doesn't matter..

I have a great number of Amiga library programs that work great inside of AROS and any machine running UAE.. I would rather put my old machine away than let it die in use..

The reality of this is x86 hardware is cheap. You can have a fully functional aros box and monitor for a couple hundred dollars right now. I guarantee it's faster than your old machine and when you move your old floppies over to images they work so much faster stored on a hard drive or memory stick...

I think you should reconsider how much fun you'd have with old and new software especially running it on ultra cool cheap hardware with sound and graphics processing that you can't touch with your old hardware..

So much of the software library from the public domain has already been ported to AROS that it just doesn't make sense to say you are gonna have to sit and recompile especially from the end user perspective.

-Don





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


iamaboringperson wrote:

*It doesn't use memory protection.
*It doesn't take advantage of SMP.
*It isn't multi-user.
*It doesn't go 64-bit eventually

It would also be nice if it had a half-decent web-browser and office suite.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


You can add to that list:

*It does not integrate 68k/full Kickstart emulation.

Using original programs within UAE just does not cut it for me.

I'd like to run my old programs without having to track down the source code, rewriting portions of that code and crossing my fingers as it recompiles in hopes that it will work under AROS.

This is the main reason why I have stayed away from it (no offense, I've used AROS and think it's great, but if it can't run legacy software in its original binary form, then its inability to exploit the Amiga's vast software library really makes it unattractive to me).

I'm in the "wait n see" stage right now concerning AROS.

[uncharted]

AROS needs to

* Slice
* Dice
* Juice
* Purée
* Remove tough and stubborn stains
* Make my hair lush with it's patented conditioning technology

Without these I'm not going to even think about touching AROS.

[kd7ota]

I think I am going to go give AROS a shot.  Heard about it awhile, and its great that someone is working on it.  I dont have high expectations and can careless if it runs older Amiga software.  Thats why its best to own hardware which games are meant to run under.  :-)

[bloodline]

nagaflas wrote:

iamaboringperson wrote:

*It doesn't use memory protection.
*It doesn't take advantage of SMP.
*It isn't multi-user.
*It doesn't go 64-bit eventually

It would also be nice if it had a half-decent web-browser and office suite.

You can add to that list:

*It does not integrate 68k/full Kickstart emulation.

Using original programs within UAE just does not cut it for me.

I'd like to run my old programs without having to track down the source code, rewriting portions of that code and crossing my fingers as it recompiles in hopes that it will work under AROS.

This is the main reason why I have stayed away from it (no offense, I've used AROS and think it's great, but if it can't run legacy software in its original binary form, then its inability to exploit the Amiga's vast software library really makes it unattractive to me).

I'm in the "wait n see" stage right now concerning AROS.

Iama was refering to AROS having a future, not about it's ability to live in the past... The concerns he raised were legitimate, since these are standard features of a medern operating sytem.

It's now well over a decade since any serious software was made for the Amiga platform, and any software that I might want to use hits the hardware... in which case I would use UAE or a real Amiga anyway. If the software doesn't hit the hardware, the chances are that the source code is in C and still exists in the hands of an active developer... who would do well to compile it for AROS.

[dandelion]

Just going to add my two pence. I tried an AROS live CD for the first time on Monday and was quite frankly blown away. I see AROS at the moment as at a similar stage to Linux in the early days: a growing band of loyal supporters and developers, a desire to make a better use of all this abundant, cheap and fast hardware, a lot of work still to be done but for those in the know a growing excitement about the possibilities it has for the future. We need more developers on board, more publicity, more ports. I urge you all, at the very least, to try the live CD.

I'm becoming more and more convinced this is the very best opportunity the Amiga has. Out of the hands of business, into the hands of the users and fans.

[bhoggett]

uncharted wrote:
AROS needs to

* Slice
* Dice
* Juice
* Purée
* Remove tough and stubborn stains
* Make my hair lush with it's patented conditioning technology

Without these I'm not going to even think about touching AROS.

Probably not what you intended, but it does rather sum up the situation. From a user's PoV - as opposed to someone who wants to develop for AROS - AROS is still where it was several years ago. It doesn't really want to be part of a legacy bridge from an emulated system to a native one, but at the same time it is too primitive and unsupported to stand up as an OS in its own right. Every few months I'll take a look at it, play with it for 5-10 minutes, run our of things to do, and forget about it for another six months.

I mean how many people use AROS as their primary OS? How many people who are not in some way connected with developing something or other for it use it at all?

I've never quite understood what AROS is trying to be. Is it just a "Research Project"? If so, it has probably exceeded its goals because it was never supposed to be of any interest to anyone except the researchers. OTOH, if it has pretentions of being a general purpose OS aimed at users, it does fall rather a long way short and isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as AmigaOS4 or MorphOS. I can't help but notice that the things AROS needs to support before poeple are (rightly) willing to treat it seriously is growing faster than the actual development can keep up with, thus giving the impression that AROS development is treading water at best.

I want to like AROS, I really do, yet I can't shake off the feeling that it's just a geek's toy gizmo - one of those things you play around with fascinated for a few minutes before you realise it serves no purpose and forget about it. It's like AROS, as a project, is afraid to set itself any overall practical goals in case it fails to reach them. If you have no aims, no schedule, no roadmap, make no promises and state no concrete purpose you can't fail, right? Unfortunately it also means you can't succeed and you end up just drifting aimlessly while patting yourself on the back for not letting anyone down.

Despite all this I still harbour a secret hope that one day, preferably before I'm too old and senile to notice, AROS will manage to break that 10-minute barrier in holding my attention span. At the moment, that day seems no closer.

[nadoom]

Once AROS has more applications it will easily break the 10 minute barrier, i know this will happen but the more people who get involved the better.

One of AROS's strengths is the fact it isnt owned by amiga inc. with aros everyone is free to contribute and use it, its very refreshing considering Amiga OS 4 being so tied down to licenceing crap.

AROS has been around for years, since the dark days of commodores bankrupcy, i do recall reading it was once called Amiga Replacement Operating System. maybe once it has reached an even greater level of maturity the R can be changed to another R word.

Most amiga software is nearly 10 years old! and very few applications are being developed at the moment, so i see no reason why some sort of binary compatability is a must, aros was never intended to work as such, Its Amiga OS for a new world.