Hyperion completes the AmigaOne firmware based on the GPL’ed PPCBoot project.

[LordArthur]

@Todd

I wouldn't worry too much about the drivers only in the OS problem per se.  From what I understand, the kernal/ROM/kickstart will be on HD/disk and not in the BIOS rom.  But don't dispair over this fact.  To a certain extent, that is true even now.  Let me explain.

Unless you have a bootable floppy or a bootable HD on a current amiga, you can't get to a CLI prompt or really do anything.  This is because there is Boot code on the floppy which enables the different sections of the kickstart ROM itself.  This can also be custom boot code like one might see on a demo floppy or a game floppy.  This also true with RDB boot blocks.  The actual filing system code is effectively embedded in the RDB.  That is why a PFS drive can be pulled from one amiga to another without the second amiga having ever heard of PFS.

So what does this mean?  Well, more than likely, they will embed the entire kickstart rom on a boot sector/RDB level.  Or at least to get it up and running enough to go to something more complex.  You are doing this right now, so I wouldn't worry about it.  It just will be more code.  About the only thing you will have extra is a PCish text boot screen until it hits the HDs and loads the ROM.  And technically, in later revisions, there shouldn't be a problem (not that I have anything to do with hyperion) to have a splash screen covering up the text boot process.  I say that because I have seen that done commonly on Dell, Gateway, and many other name brand machine's BIOS.  If that is done, you wouldn't even know the difference between the new A1 bios boot up and the older "classic" amigas at that point booting up.

Does that help any?

[anarchic_teapot]

Retarded_Fury wrote:

Does anyone know if it boots Graphicaly or does it have that PC bios boot look? Please let it be graphical!!!

Oh please no, no, NO. I hate eye-candy and I like fast boot sequences.

[yssing]

I have to agree with anarchic_teapot on this one.
Let it boot fast, then, once booted, you can add all the eyecandy you like..

[Bifford]

Hey cool!

Does this mean we might actually have a Working a1 (and linux or even an early version of os4.0) running at the WOAse show!???

Please say yes! It is after all not far from the Christmas "Deadline" so I would expect them to be able to show at least Something off!!!

TTFN
Bifford

[Hombre]

Lord@Arthur

Excuse me, but i think you're wrong !

'Classic' Amigas have a boot chip (the ROM) in which stand the early boot code and the kernel. It's this code that is used to display the "Early boot menu" when you power on tha Amiga while pressing on both mouse buttons. Hard-disk or floppy disk aren't active yet at that moment. What you're talking about is the Boot code to load a system (effectively present on the RDB), and not that one that initialise the mother board.

This early boot code can be compared to the BIOS Setup, excepted that Amiga's one has a better interface, i.e. mouse and icons ! This is what i'm looking for on any real Amiga (but with even better looking interface :-D), and not that ugly text interface of the PEECEE BIOS.

My concern is about the boot process ! Will it be :

1. Power ON
2. Executing AmigaROM with System kernel and BIOS Functionnality included
3. Booting on a device (local or networked)

or will it be :

1. Power ON
2. Executing classic (ugly) New PPC BIOS
3. Loading/Executing Amiga Early Boot code (i read somewhere that it will remain)
4. Booting on a device (local or networked)

Anyway, it's GOOD NEWS  !!!  :-P

[whabang]

It'll be the later *AFAIK...

[Oli_hd]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it boots Graphicaly or does it have that PC bios boot look?

Well the Amigaone at the show went to an MSDos style command promt, It may not be using the new BIOS or the GUI may just be restricted to the setup screen..

[System]

anarchic_teapot wrote:

Oh please no, no, NO. I hate eye-candy and I like fast boot sequences.

I agree that it should be FAST booting.  Just because it isnt graphical doesnt mean it will be fast booting.  I have worked with many-a-pc that boot slow even with that crappy looking MSDOS'ish looking BIOS.  Plus I dont think that adding a simple graphic to cover over the tests and inits would slow the boot process down (most DELLs do this).  There is no real reason why I should have to watch the POST test on a daily basis or for that matter the complete "Newbie" doesnt want to see it either.  It scares them away!   Yes there should be a way to disable the graphic for diagnostics and setup but I think it is time for all of these BIOS's to get with the times.  

The Amiga has always had that "completed" look from bootup to shut down (flick the switch off). Why cant it still look like that and not sacrifice speed (for any computer for that matter)?

Plus part of the original draw for the Amiga was that EYE CANDY......It was all eye-candy back in the 80's compared to the PC.  Thats what drew most of us to it...Eye candy...ear candy...ease of use candy...my candy...your candy!!!!!
Just my opinion though, Retarded as it may seem!

[theTAO]

@anarchic_teapot

>Oh please no, no, NO. I hate eye-candy and I like fast boot
>sequences.

Who said anything about eye candy?  I just want an early-boot interface that isn't any dumpier than the current OS3.x screen.  If Amiga technology isn't moving forward as much as I'd like, at least I want to know it's not moving *backward* to 20-year-old text interfaces.  And the Kickstart 1.x "hand holding a floppy" and the Kickstart 2.x and 3.x "floppy into floppy drive" animation didn't exactly hog the processor...

Todd

[KennyR]

Don't worry about the booting. With no memory bottlenecks, a G3 CPU, and UDMA hard drive, an A1 will very likely boot in under ten seconds even with a very rich graphical interface. Don't look to the Windows world for comparisons - Windows and Linux totally squander the power of their machines. AmigaOS4 won't.

[zudobug]

Seems like the people who ordered the Developer machine will get it pretty soon.

Cool  :-)

This could be excellent news for Mr Coder  :-D

I hope they ship soon.

-zudo

[jj]

win2kpro covers all the ####ty bios startup, apart from the video card bios and the bit telling u what drives are attached, and it doesn't boot any slower.

I personally like the bios stuff coming up, looks all hi-techa and stuff.

[anarchic_teapot]

Plus part of the original draw for the Amiga was that EYE CANDY......It was all eye-candy back in the 80's compared to the PC.

Eye candy is what for you? To me it's the unnecessarily lavish - sometimes to the point of seriously slowing the system - use of graphics to hide the creative poverty of the app/OS underneath.

What attracted you to the Amiga might well be the pretty pictures. What attracted me was 4-voice sound (and such quality! I forget how many arrangements I did using DMCS), multitasking, yes and the graphical capabilities (given that in 1985 no other computer had a colour GUI that came with the OS). Having a GUI made basic file management so much easier. Having colour made graphic design work, DTP etc so much easier.

Hardly superfluous.

[jr_bAz]

Hi,

Some PeeCees have a "graphical" boot... just "blinding" the BIOS messages with the stupid iPentium screen...

...the adventaje it´s that you can touch BIOS, pressing a key. Disadventaje is that you MUST touch BIOS to get your PeeCee works properly  :-D

A great new... and now... What about OS4?

[hnl_dk]

Now it's even on the AmigaOS website :-D

info about the AmigaOne firmware

[Opi-Poi]

@anarchic_teapot

I don't think Retarded_Fury meant a startup like MacOS or XP.

I think he means (correct me if i'm wrong Retarded_Fury)
the Early Start-up Sequence boot screen when you click
both mouse buttons.I don't know if that's the proper name
even,as I havn't needed it recently.

If I remember correctly Ben Hermans did say that they
would smarten it up if not add graphics to it.But I'm not sure?
Perhaps they hav't had time?I think they said it was low priority.
I got an interview on mp3.I'l listen to it tonight.

Any other guys remember that.