AmigaOS 4.0 July 2007 Update

[tomazkid]

Leuven, Belgium - 18. July, 2007

Hyperion Entertainment VOF is pleased to announce the immediate availability for download for registered customers of another service update of Amiga OS 4.0 which addresses some outstanding issues and introduces substantial new functionality.



The new functionality includes:

    * A new ExecSG kernel. The new kernel includes, among other things:
          o Support for guard-page protected stacks. Stacks will have guard pages at their bottom to prevent programs to write over innocent memory
          o A new semaphore-type called Mutex that is Forbid-Free.
          o Support for the new pthreads-module
    * A new library that supports most of the POSIX thread (pthreads) API
    * A new ELF library that implements UN*X-type shared objects and dynamic linking. Shared objects are files that are loaded during runtime of a program and become part of the program's memory image. They have access to symbols and procedures of the main program as well as any other shared object loaded.
    * Amiga Python 2.5.1 is a brand-new port of the Python language interpreter. This port is implemented as a shared object, so other programs can easily interface with it. See the Python homepage.
    * The latest version of the Sirion USB stack
    * Numerous bug fixes. Please consult the included documentation for more details.

We once again wish to take this opportunity to reassure our customers that development of Amiga OS 4.x continues apace on a number of platforms.[/i]


Python homepage

From:http://www.hyperion-entertainment.biz:8080/news/2007-07-18

[stopthegop]

Okaaay..., does that mean we can actually BUY it now?

[Matt_H]

I'm rather concerned about the direction OS4 development is going in regards to the general design of the system. I worry that the new SObjs directory will only further encourage lazy programming tactics and more quick 'n dirty Unix ports. In fact, the whole system is becoming very Unix-y. Loads of things are getting statically linked and will never benefit from improvements to the underlying lib. Shared objects might change that, but it seems like they'll only further discourage programmers from properly porting things as a .library.

It seems like half the OS4 software I use is actually just an IconX script that increases the stack to 1000000 and runs a shell-based program. Where are the Amiga features? Where are the tooltypes, the Workbench usage, the pulldown menus, the AppIcons?

The time for quick and dirty ports has passed. It's time for some more mature software. Please?

[Methuselas]

@ Matt_H,


Are you not surprised? The goal is two-fold. They want to bring programmers in from the *nix world, hoping to cache in on the already abundant programs available on it and it makes porting games, that much more simple.

I'm afraid to say that the days of Amiga, as we once knew it, are over.

To me, this is a show of force; a re-assurance. I have a feeling that they think they've hit the basket, at the buzzer. It's *STILL* not available for mass consumption. There's no hardware available. It does no good for us, except the paltry 2000 or so of us, lucky enough to be able to run it.

Disappointing....  :roll:

[Waccoon]

UNIX is a good core design, but everything tries to turn into UNIX.  What steps are being taken to improve upon it?

[XDelusion]

Somehow I knew the final release wasn't the final release.

So where is my Mac Mini/Efika port?

[mattabat]

Buying this would somehow make it seem real.

I had no idea that it was turning this Unixy until I read this thread.

Why would I want to buy a fake UNIX for expensive rare hardware when I can go obtain real UNIX for cheap, commonly available hardware?

[AmigaMance]

The time for quick and dirty ports has passed. It's time for some more mature software. Please?

 I thought it is the other way around: The time for good, optimized and authentic Amiga programs has passed and it's time for some quick and dirty linux ports.
 Look around you! MOS, AOS3, OS4. Everybody does it. I know.. you are doing wishful thinking.

[Hans_]

I had no idea that it was turning this Unixy until I read this thread.

The base system isn't Unixy at all. The shared-object thing is there to assist porting, which is the most realistic way of getting a reasonable amount of software available on Amiga OS. It's far from ideal, but how long would it take to write a complete office suite from scratch as a spare time project? Don't forget that the office suite will need compatibility with MS Office. Who would even take on such a project?

Hans

[Kaminari]

Ixemul has been around for years and nobody has complained so far. Actually you *could* complain that there hasn't been that many Unix ports to the Amiga. I sure wish there were dedicated Amiga developments like we used to have in the past, but if Unix support means getting Firefox instead of iBrowse, man I'm all for it.

[Matt_H]

@ Kaminari

The thing is, ixemul was cleanly implemented as an Amiga library and I don't believe much of this current generation of ports even uses ixemul.

[EDIT] Actually, I recant some of that - a lot of ixemul stuff was kind of messy now that I think about it. I shudder at the thought of needing ETC: and LIB: assigns. [/EDIT]

I don't want to take this news item too far off topic so I'll start a new thread on the matter.

[Dr_Righteous]

I'm just happy to see they're still working on stuff, not just letting it collect dust.

[Nautilus]

"... Amiga OS 4.x continues apace on a number of platforms."

I am intrigued with it...

[B00tDisk]

hoping to cache in on the already abundant

"cash"

/pedantic

[jorkany]

We once again wish to take this opportunity to reassure our customers that development of Amiga OS 4.x continues apace on a number of platforms.

Well yes, one is a number.