3..0->3.1... Worth the effort?

[mepmepmep]

Is it worth upgrading my A1200 030/33 from AOS3.0 to AOS3.1.. Do I need a kickstart update in that case?
OS3.5 and 3.9 is out of the question since I cant afford the software or the hardware upgrades needed! So what's you'r opinion on 3.0 vs. 3.1?

[Linchpin]

Why not get OS4 like i use? Its far superior to the other OS's.

[Jope]

No reason not to, unless you can't afford the 3.1 diskset..

It isn't really that big an effort imho - just backup your config before you install it.

[alx]

@mepmepmep

You'd need a new kickstart.  The biggest reason to upgrade to 3.1 seems to be that it's needed for 3.5 and 3.9 (although it fixes some things like the way a hard drive won't boot the 1st time as it isn't given long enough to spin up)

[downix]

@kevin

Ahem, what did I mention in the Hatfield/McCoy thread?

There is no plans in the works for AOS 4.0 to run on the 68k CPU, so why are you bothering this man with such trivials. He's already said he cannot afford the software/hardware updates needed for even AOS 3.5.  

@all

3.1 does a lot of fixing, and is worth the upgrade cost.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

@mepmepmep

You'll not see any difference between 3.0 and 3.1, but if you've already got an 030/33, what other hardware do you think you'll need to upgrade to OS3.9?  I'm in the process of doing that same upgrade on one of my machines, and my total cost has only been as follows:

3.1 ROM set, $42.95, Software Hut

030/882@33MHz processor board with 4 megs fast ram, $26, Ebay

4xEIDE interface, $54.95, Software Hut (this was to ensure the CD-ROM would work)

24x IBM CD-ROM drive, free (a buddy was throwing a bunch of them away)

20 gig WD Cavier drive, $65 from some surplus store by my house.  No sense getting bigger than this, because to set it up under 3.0 means 5 partitions <4gb, and could you imagine a 100 gig drive split up into 4gig partitions?  ;-)  Or if you already have a HD, do the 3.9 upgrade, then install a bigger drive.

Internal Scan Magic deinterlacer, $129.95, Software Hut (I didn't really need this for the upgrade, but boy do my eyes appreciate going from a 1084 to a 19" ViewSonic - And 3.9 will look great on it!)

So add on the 3.9 CD, another $50 or so, and the total plus tax still comes up somewhere under $400.  Not bad for a nice-running Miggy!

Best,
Mike

[Im>bE]

>No reason not to,

there is atleast one reason not to.

-less A500 games will work if you try to run them unemulated.

[tonyw]

Linchpin may or may not be a betatester really running OS4 on his 68k, but he omitted to mention that the 68k bits that will run on 68k are "not the full quid". To get the full experience, you have to have the new Exec and Intuition, which are available only in PPC.

And anyway, it's all installed on top of OS3.9, so you STILL need the OS3.1 ROMS.

I agree with Nate, it's worth the expense.

As for fewer old games working, I don't know, but since the differences are mainly in datatypes and bug fixes, I don't think it would affect them.

tony

[Lando]

_LinchpiN_ wrote:
Why not get OS4 like i use? Its far superior to the other OS's.

You really think it will work on his A1200 with an 030/33?  :-)

[iamaboringperson]

OS3.1 adds many enhancements, some more obvious to the general user than others. I can't say I've ever had 3.0, however upgrading from 2.04 to 3.1 gave my Amiga the biggest speed boost It's ever had - In many ways.

Weather you should upgrade depends on what you do, and what hardware you have.
Do you use a graphics card? If you, I would say it is a definate must.

Do you only play some old games, and nothing else? Then it's probably not worth it.

If you tend to use more serious software, it probably is worth the upgrade.

If you use quite modern software, I would say it is pretty much necessary.

Some developers will eventually start to produce software for newer versions of AmigaOS, and MorphOS, and for that reason, if you intend on running newer software, I would suggest you buy the latest you can afford and use.

:-)

[xyth]

My advice is to do what I did:

Don't bother with OS3.1 until you can afford to upgrade to 3.5 or 3.9.  3.1 does have a number of bugfixes but they are mainly 'behind the scenes' and you probably won't notice them.

Buying 3.1 and later 3.5/3.9 will probably prove more expensive in the long run as you can often find package deals of 3.5 bundled with the 3.1 ROMS (3.1 comes on the 3.5 CD anyway and there's definitely no point in buying it twice!)

I'm not sure about 3.9 as I don't have it, but I imagine it's the same as with 3.5.  Confirmation anyone?

If, as I'm guessing, the real issue is that you don't have a CD Drive, don't worry.  Do what I did and transfer everything via a friend's PC linked by a Parallel cable (using PC2Amiga from Aminet).

You will need a reasonably sized HD for this though.  I had a 0.5 GB at the time and that was plenty.  The only other essential is memory.  As always the more the better, but I had 16MB at the time and that was enough.  Your accelerator should be okay.

There are plenty of great patches available on Aminet that help get 'low-end' systems like ours running efficiently.  I particularly recommend FBlit.

So basically my advice is don't bother with 3.1 now, save your money for 3.5 or 3.9.  They are worth it.  

[Linchpin]

Lol i was only joking!!!

Me has - standard e1200 with 3.1 roms.

apologies... :cry:

-edit

where i said "far superior to other os's, i meant AOS;'s lol :-)

This wasnt really the response i was aiming at, but oh well :-p

[Jope]

Im>bE wrote:
>No reason not to,

there is atleast one reason not to.

-less A500 games will work if you try to run them unemulated.

In my experience, 3.1 actually runs more old stuff than 3.0

[amiga1260]

OS 3.1 has some bugfixes like support for graphics card drivers Picasso 96 and Cybergrapx. Kickstart 3.1 lets the HD waits a little longer to boot up, this is need it for slow spinup HD's.

You also get more datatypes and a free cdfilesystem too. The CDfilesystem has some flaws, not every Amiga CD-ROM could be read.

You can also run wb 31. on kickstart 3.0.