Mac PPCs and Amiga PPCs - OS compatibility?

[Samuar]

In the age of Linux, is there any chance that Macs and Amigas could share an operating system, given that they both use similar processors?

It would open up the market for the AmigaOS product if old and new Macs were supported. Anyone have any ideas or knowledge related to this?

I had an A500+ Cartoon Special Edition yonks ago, and now own lots and lots of new and old, x86 and Macs.

Samuar

[iamaboringperson]

[Samuar]

"share same OS":

Use the same operating system with little or no modifications. Say, get AmigaOS working on both an Apple Mac and AmigaOne from the same CD?

Or get a version of linux that runs on both?

Without emulation.

[Piru]

get AmigaOS working on both an Apple Mac and AmigaOne from the same CD?

No.

Or get a version of linux that runs on both?

Yes, as long as you have some way to launch the installer you can use the same distribution CDs. How well this works depends on the distribution.

[bloodline]

Samuar wrote:
"share same OS":

Use the same operating system with little or no modifications. Say, get AmigaOS working on both an Apple Mac and AmigaOne from the same CD?

Or get a version of linux that runs on both?

Without emulation.

AMIGAOS that can run on Macs, Amigas... PCs.. Palms... sounds like you want AROS  :-)

[Samuar]

I'll explain my interest:
Development of amiga hardware is, compared to that of x86 and MacPPC systems, trivially slow. If it doesnt get sorted, it will be the downfall of Amiga [again].
Since we don't have the rights to take on development and produce a new 'amiga', is there a way to open the door to more hardware that AmigaOS [and therefore the support for all our old Apps and Games] can run on.
First port of call, on my check list, was systems with similar processors - hence the Apple Macintosh range.
I have some LC475 systems (good old 68K) and some PowerMacs (7200, 8550 etc loads!) - and wanted to know if AmigaOS could be put onto those.

Emulation is not the answer, for Amiga to continue.

I've looked at Pegasos (http://www.pegasosppc.com) and its interesting - but it means purchasing an expensive new system that doesnt have a lot of support. Recycling old systems should provide a large number of new interested people. Hopefully.

There are plenty of people throwing A1200s into tower cases, but this does not provide a good solution: support for this hardware is dwindling - based on your geographical location: West Yorkshire, U.K. appears to have pitiful support.

What do you lot think?

[uncharted]

bloodline wrote:

AMIGAOS that can run on Macs, Amigas... PCs.. Palms... sounds like you want AROS  :-)

You never miss an opportunity to plug AROS do you? :-D

Feel free to reply to this comment with a plug about how insanely great recent AROS snapshots have been.  D'Oh! You got me doing it now :lol:

[Russ]

We have run Mac OS 9.1 on one of our AmigaOne G4xe's
yesterday. We ran a number of Mac programs including
Internet Explorer. God only knows why anyone would want
IE but it worked.

[jeffimix]

@Samuar

Old 68K Macs and Ataris WILL NOT run AmigaOS, don't bother, don't try. The classic amigas use a range of unique chips that don't reside in either of those machines for example the copper chip, Denise, Agnus, Paula, Gary, Buster, the Kickstart. Running AmigaOS on a mac is simply a matter of porting it (same for MorphOS), but then we go the route of BeOS.

[Samuar]

"but then we go the route of BeOS."

I think it is important that Amiga offers such a port to the PowerMacs - because the number of machines then capable of running AmigaOS would increase by a figure of at least 100000x and maybe a lot more. Thats a lot of new customers. If they sold the software dirt cheap, a large percentage of those older Mac owners might be tempted.

Surely, in the porting stage, they're cant be too much work to be done? perhaps just the bootloader? afterall, most of the system hardware is similar. What isnt similar, should be fixed by some clever driver writing?

[FAC]

I must say that I totally agree. I once owned a A1200 and i still have fun memories of that computer, but I will not buy a new AmigaOne when there is no new and updated Office suite or no new games.

I would buy AmigaOne if it was realistic that this would happen.
I hope for this to happen. But I don't think it will when you have to buy both new hardware and software.

So from my point of view the best thing for the Amiga would be AmigaOS 5.0 on x86!!!

I know you all read Merely curious and thinks this is just somebody trying to spread uncertenty, but just how big is the Amiga Community? how many people have attended the AmigaOS tour so far? I don't know but my guess is that it is not enough to make Corel or maybe Microsoft even try to consider porting a Office suite, or EA to realse FIFA2004 or FIFA2005 to AmigaOS. :-(  :-(  :-(  :-(

[Damion]

It would certainly open up the market...I know
a few Mac users myself who would probably buy
a copy of AOS if it was available. I don't
think it would be a huge technical challenge,
and I'm sure A-Inc and Hyperion could stand to
make a few bucks from the extra sales.

 

[strobe]

D, the problem is they are head-strong on the licensing issue. They don't want to sell AOS4. They want to sell dongled computers, not Apple Macs.

As we're on this topic it ought to be possible to port Darwin/PPC to the Pegasos or Pegasos II. Although by the time that happens you may be able to get a used Mac for less.

It would also be possible, although difficult, to execute Darwin binaries on Quark much like you can run Linux/x86 binaries on NetBSD. IOKit (or some parts of it) would have to be ported to Quark.

[Terminills]

since mdma isn't around I'll ask .... is there anything else you'd like in the openamiga forums?  

www.openamiga.org/forums/

[bloodline]

So from my point of view the best thing for the Amiga would be AmigaOS 5.0 on x86!!!

Then use AROS!!!!


oh, and um... yes, I'll hype AROS to all who will listen... and since it's free, and runs on the most common, most powerfull and cheapest hardware avaiable for the desktop... I see no harm in what I do  :-D