Excitement about NatAmi

[arnljot]

Did you not here of an event called Amiwest?

It was also commented on aw.net before amiwest. The message was "yes the x1000 is multicore, no OS4.x won't be till release, but it will come later".

It's no big secret, what is a big secret however is when it'll be released. It's classified at the highest level: "When it's ready".

I guess only wikileaks really knows.

[Louis Dias]

For AROS68K, I completely and fully agree with you.  3.1 should be a priority to be completed.  

But for AROS x86/ARM, what good is this going to do?  Original concept was for AOS code to do a simple recompile to AROS x86 but that was 15 years ago when AOS apps/games were still relevent.  Fast forward it today, tell me what apps/games that have AOS source code available that is so critical for AROS x86/ARM future that it has to be native and not run in seemless emulation?  I think it was about 2002 or so when Adam put together the current road map.  Lot has changed since then in Amiga land not to mention what technology evolution has taken hold.

If anything, Linuxland is where the code for ports is coming from, not 15-20 year AOS old code that is either lost or will never be released for free.  Again, AROS68K, needs 1.0, but x86/ARM versions need to evolve their APIs to match the modern world of high performance multi core CPUs.

But then you have forks...then you can't complile for all supported platforms.
Gunnar has mentioned putting multiple cpu cores on the fpga so there is hope yet the OS will be tweaked to take advantage of it someday.  Hopefully those changes make it to AROS.  Don't know if it will be AMP or SMP though...

[Louis Dias]

It was also commented on aw.net before amiwest. The message was "yes the x1000 is multicore, no OS4.x won't be till release, but it will come later".

It's no big secret, what is a big secret however is when it'll be released. It's classified at the highest level: "When it's ready".

I guess only wikileaks really knows.

I believe it was Trevor's presentation where it was formally announced as in-progress.  The videos are all available for everyone's viewing pleasure.

[dammy]

But then you have forks...then you can't complile for all supported platforms.
Gunnar has mentioned putting multiple cpu cores on the fpga so there is hope yet the OS will be tweaked to take advantage of it someday.  Hopefully those changes make it to AROS.  Don't know if it will be AMP or SMP though...

It would have to be AMP, SMP would break 3.1 API.

[nicholas]

I seem to be a little nieve in this area.

It's spelt "Niamh" but the custom chips were Paula, Agnus, Denise, Lisa etc, there was never a Niamh.

[Belial6]

Could someone explain what benefit there is in SMP over AMP.  It has always seem to me that AMP would be a far superior system.  AMP allows for the processors to be mismatched in both speed and architecture.  That seems like a huge benefit.

[orb85750]

Are they ? Have you got a source for this ?

First maybe you can state your source for your earlier comment about Natami costing as much as SAM?

[Karlos]

Could someone explain what benefit there is in SMP over AMP.  It has always seem to me that AMP would be a far superior system.  AMP allows for the processors to be mismatched in both speed and architecture.  That seems like a huge benefit.

Benefit to whom? Most multiprocessing hardware you are likely to see is geared towards SMP. Having identical processor cores, preferably all on the same die, helps simplify everything from hardware cache coherency up to software kernel design.

[Louis Dias]

Benefit to whom? Most multiprocessing hardware you are likely to see is geared towards SMP. Having identical processor cores, preferably all on the same die, helps simplify everything from hardware cache coherency up to software kernel design.

Side note:

I think Intel has some new tech that will scale performance of cores based on workload.
For instance, if you are running a single-cored game, it will over-clock 1 core to some insane GHz and shut down the other cores...and vice versa.  Sorta a best of both worlds system.

[SamuraiCrow]

Benefit to whom? Most multiprocessing hardware you are likely to see is geared towards SMP. Having identical processor cores, preferably all on the same die, helps simplify everything from hardware cache coherency up to software kernel design.

There was at one time an effort to create a "Robin" core for the NatAmi.  It was to be a 4-threaded RISC machine with 64-bit SIMD clocked at 200 MHz (50 MHz per thread).  We were expecting to be able to use this core for audio mixing and vector processing.

Since we've switched from the LX to the MX design for the mainboard an alternative sidekick core will likely be more conventional and symmetric than first expected due to the capacity of the Cyclone IV being greater and allowing us to reuse some code from the main CPU design.  It won't be pure SMP but will be a more conventional ASMP core than the Robin core was slated to be.  We won't know how to build it until the initial N68050 tests are run on the MX prototypes.

[jj]

First maybe you can state your source for your earlier comment about Natami costing as much as SAM?

 
I don't think it was an offical source, was in a thread on here, might have even bee this one.  Really can't be arsed to check.
 
But I would have thought it would cost at least that

[ElPolloDiabl]

I don't think it was an offical source, was in a thread on here, might have even bee this one.  Really can't be arsed to check.
 
But I would have thought it would cost at least that

One of the non-team members made the claim it would be $800 on the Natami forum.
So... Could that have originated from a team member though?

[jj]

That might be where I read it, thanks.  The cost would seem about right.  But as I said I didnt think was an offical source

[dammy]

Side note:

I think Intel has some new tech that will scale performance of cores based on workload.
For instance, if you are running a single-cored game, it will over-clock 1 core to some insane GHz and shut down the other cores...and vice versa.  Sorta a best of both worlds system.

Did some Google searches, surprised to see one of my games, "Warhammer" (or "Wowhammer";-) has multi core support.  Once the consoles go multi core, I think that is when you will see the last of the new games coming out without being designed for multi core.  Unreal Engine 4 is for the day when we have "massively multi-core processor" according to Epic's Mark Rein.

Anyone remember the days Amiga folks use to rag on Window users for not using a multi tasking OS?  My, how times have changed as hardware evolved.  I know, just use Linux and be happy it can do the grunt work in a SMP environment.

[Louis Dias]

Did some Google searches, surprised to see one of my games, "Warhammer" (or "Wowhammer";-) has multi core support.  Once the consoles go multi core, I think that is when you will see the last of the new games coming out without being designed for multi core.  Unreal Engine 4 is for the day when we have "massively multi-core processor" according to Epic's Mark Rein.

Anyone remember the days Amiga folks use to rag on Window users for not using a multi tasking OS?  My, how times have changed as hardware evolved.  I know, just use Linux and be happy it can do the grunt work in a SMP environment.

Hmmm...Cataclysm launched today.  If AROS got a WoW client then I really wouldn't "need" Windows any more.
No, I don't consider Mac OS X.x superior to Windows 7 so that will not be an option.  Yes, the times have indeed changed!

[jj]

Did some Google searches, surprised to see one of my games, "Warhammer" (or "Wowhammer";-) has multi core support. Once the consoles go multi core, I think that is when you will see the last of the new games coming out without being designed for multi core. Unreal Engine 4 is for the day when we have "massively multi-core processor" according to Epic's Mark Rein.
 
Anyone remember the days Amiga folks use to rag on Window users for not using a multi tasking OS? My, how times have changed as hardware evolved. I know, just use Linux and be happy it can do the grunt work in a SMP environment.

 
I thought both the 360 and PS3 were multi-core ?