MorphOS 2.4 - First Release with Mac mini Support

[Piru]

The MorphOS development team is proud to announce the public release of MorphOS 2.4, the first ever public version to install on Mac mini G4 machines. In addition to the extended hardware support, existing users will benefit from various bug fixes and a few new features. For an overview of the included changes, please read our release notes.

We strongly urge owners of Mac mini G4 computers to carefully read our installation and troubleshoot guides before they attempt to install MorphOS for the first time. Existing users can upgrade via the familiar procedure but are encouraged to read the guides as well. MorphOS 2.4 is available for download in our files section.

In related news, MorphOS 2.4 will be demonstrated at the upcoming Amiga Meeting in Bad Bramstedt. Interested users will be able to pay and register MorphOS at the event.

[spihunter]

Damn! I wish I would have bought a mini in advance! I highly advise folks in the US to check your local Craiglist first before hitting fleabay...

[Piru]

Here's the unofficial "MorphOS and OSX dual boot installation guide for Mac Mini" by jacadcaps:

http://dreamolers.binaryriot.org/dualboot.pdf

[TNovosel]

Great news!!!! Thank you MorphOs Team!!!

[cicero790]

Sisu never fails Piru  Great news.

[Duce]

How compatible is MorphOS with old 68k Amiga software?

I bought a SAM and OS 4.1 to run an old school telnet BBS and was rather disappointed with the compatibility.

[takemehomegrandma]

How compatible is MorphOS with old 68k Amiga software?

I bought a SAM and OS 4.1 to run an old school telnet BBS and was rather disappointed with the compatibility.

MorphOS offers noticeably better Amiga compatibility than OS4 (it's a prioritized area for the MorphOS developers, while OS4 devs happily modifies and introduces new things into the Amiga space that doubtlessly affects compatibility), but it's not a 68k HW emulator, so don't expect miracles with stuff that is *very* "old school" (if that means HW banging, system unfriendly software). Then you should buy a real Amiga, or use WinUEA or such.

[itix]

How compatible is MorphOS with old 68k Amiga software?

RTG/AHI compatible applications should run but there are always exceptions.

[spihunter]

You guys should submit this as news to Mac Mini specific sites like 123MacMini.com
You never know how many people still have G4 Mini's lying around that might want to try a new OS for it?

[x56h34]

Congratulations on this release! Very well done, MorphOS team!

Question: Can you install MorphOS alongside of an existing OSX installation? The dual-boot guide seems to cover installation from scratch (e.g. install OSX and MorphOS from scratch and have them co-exist)? Thanks.

[Piru]

Question: Can you install MorphOS alongside of an existing OSX installation? The dual-boot guide seems to cover installation from scratch (e.g. install OSX and MorphOS from scratch and have them co-exist)? Thanks.

If you want to do that you need to resize your existing Mac OS X partition (unless of course you have unpartitioned area on the HDD, in which case you can just continue adding the partitions needed by MorphOS and skip installing Mac OS X).

The resize should be possible by booting off the Mac OS X Leopard install DVD, or if you don't have that, by using Ubuntu.

Once you have enough storage for the MorphOS and MorphOS boot partitions (as described by the pdf) you should be able to proceed to create the partitions needed. Just skip the part where you install Mac OS X (as it already is installed, obviously).

Warning: Resizing a partition is always a hazardous trick. Be sure you've backed up all data you can't afford to lose in case the excrement hits the fan.


If this all sounds too complicated you can always back up all data (Time Machine), boot off the install DVD, repartition and restore the backup.

[Jose]

Great accomplishment, congratulations!!

[Lando]

You guys should submit this as news to Mac Mini specific sites like 123MacMini.com
You never know how many people still have G4 Mini's lying around that might want to try a new OS for it?

I agree.  There also seems to be quite a bit of a crossover in Amiga (or ex-Amiga) users and Mac users, as evidenced in this gallery pic and the comments thereof http://www.123macmini.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=2&pos=177.  A new, non-Linux based OS to run on PPC Macs is not something that happens every day!

[redfox]

Congratulations to the MorphOS development team.

---
redfox

[x56h34]

If you want to do that you need to resize your existing Mac OS X partition (unless of course you have unpartitioned area on the HDD, in which case you can just continue adding the partitions needed by MorphOS and skip installing Mac OS X).

The resize should be possible by booting off the Mac OS X Leopard install DVD, or if you don't have that, by using Ubuntu.

Once you have enough storage for the MorphOS and MorphOS boot partitions (as described by the pdf) you should be able to proceed to create the partitions needed. Just skip the part where you install Mac OS X (as it already is installed, obviously).

Warning: Resizing a partition is always a hazardous trick. Be sure you've backed up all data you can't afford to lose in case the excrement hits the fan.


If this all sounds too complicated you can always back up all data (Time Machine), boot off the install DVD, repartition and restore the backup.

Thanks Piru. I appreciate the advice. I will give it a try.