I doubt we'll see OpenCL support under MorphOS because of the GPU requirements. Even once G5 support is released, the majority of Powermac G5s have an AGP video slot.
That is one advantage the X1000 running AmigaOS4 will have over a G5 Mac running MorphOS.
I understand that a driver for the R700 is already under development for AmigaOS. So, you might stand a chance of getting OpenCL support.
It likely that when the G5 is supported a lot of users are going to choose a Radeon 9600 video card. Their cheap, faster than current cards supported by MorphOS and a 9600 was shown at Essen running in a G4 Powermac.
While that GPU is somewhat dated, it still should provide a nice boost compared to something like my current Radeon 9250 (especially when paired with a much more powerful processor).
So, while we've spent so much time focusing on the relative merits of each others future top processors, each sysyem will differ in other areas and each system will offer specific advantages..
I believe MorphOS on a G5 Mac will offer good value in a powerful Amiga like PPC computer. In fact with up to four cores and 8gigs of memory, its got more power than MorphOS can use. Also, while AmigaOS user hate to hear us repeat this, MorphOS as a slightly more mature product performs many operations quicker than AmigaOS. It will give our diehard fanatic MorphOS users (the people who wouldn't use anything else) a product that won't leave them with X1000 envy.
The X1000 is completely new. While MorphOS focuses on supporting hardware that is primarily second hand, in the future the majority of
the platforms available to buy to run AmigaOS4 will be brand new. Also, featuring a more modern expansion bus the X1000 will be able to utilize expansion cards that won't be available to MorphOS users as well as more modern video cards. For people willing to pay the premium, this system will offer features unavailable elsewhere.
Its going to be interesting, but I'd be willing to bet that when these systems become available to the users we're going to find that they perform somewhat on par with each other and are more similar than they are dissimilar.
If there some contention between both camp, so be it. One thing I think we can all agree on is that its nice to see so many new developments in our market. Especially the new high power systems. Whether you're blue or red, these new introductions are bound to be good news (even if you're of the opinion, as many of us are, that it still makes more sense to move to a mainstream system).
Hey Amigans are stubborn, opinionated and a little bit fanatical. Even if you're sure that we'll never climb out of our current hobby machine status (something I myself am unsure about) ain't it cool that our community is still here and new products are being introduced?
And, you know, the thing that amazes me most is that virtually everything that has survived and continues to advance was developed by and for the people who have supported and maintained our community after long years of failures and broken promises by multiple companies.
Hey! Pat yourself on the back Amiga mutant. In the long run, even without a major backer, current developments prove your faith in your beliefs was not misplaced.
Finally, as has been pointed out, we are now poised to move from hardware that is entirely adequate to new systems that have more power than we need.
If my past experience with other systems over more than 30 years is any indication, once we have this hardware we'll find applications for the extra power.
