AEROS - AROS/Linux distro status update

[nicholas]

I just don't find it that interesting when what is ostensibly a distinct OS is actually just a user process on an entirely different and unrelated OS.

This is exactly what MorphOS (Quark microkernel) and Amithlon (Linux kernel) do.

If someone did the same with AROS but hosted on Haiku then I would use it.

[Rodomoc]

I am just coming up to speed on this OS. As I understand it, a basic linux system is at the core. Aros is running on top. Native Linux programs appear to run. Native Aros programs also run? And any other emulated OS is possible including Amiga68K via Aros Janus engine.
 
It is the Aros running on top of the Linux sub-system that intrigues me the most. Reminiscent of Amithlon, or X-Amiga in ways. Also reminds me of the goals of the Anubis OS. I see some interesting use of video drivers (Gallium). Not sure how it works exactly. Is it an Aros Gallium on one side talking straight to the Mesa on the Linux side? What about the other basic hardware? (audio, usb, ethernet, blah blah). How do the Aros subsystems like network stack, usb, etc... interact with Linux?
 
This one took me by surprise. Any more info would be great. Thanks.

[Mrs Beanbag]

This is awesome.  Now with the right hardware for it to run on -
Natami + ARM board plus new build Amiga style case...

Any chance of some kind of limited functionality "instant on" a-la ASUS Express Gate?

[nicholas]

@PhoenixConsole,

May I suggest that AEROS has the Aranym virtual machine so people can run Atari ST/Falcon software too?

[vidarh]

Native Aros programs also run?

 
AROS is AROS. Hosted and native run the same programs (as long as they're compiled for the right CPU, with the caveat that at the moment a lot of stuff is being reworked)

It is the Aros running on top of the Linux sub-system that intrigues me the most. Reminiscent of Amithlon, or X-Amiga in ways.

AROS-hosted is a "standard" part of AROS - you can run all the AROS distributions as AROS hosted with varying degrees of difficulty (you need to replace a few files). Quite a few of us use it as our main way of running AROS, since it's convenient especially for development.  

The innovative part of AEROS is  the increased integration to allow Linux applications to be started from the AROS side, combined with running AROS hosted in full screen mode under X without a Linux desktop environment underneath it.

Is it an Aros Gallium on one side talking straight to the Mesa on the Linux side?

AFAIK, the 3D acceleration for AROS hosted is based on a reasonably new driver called HostGL that forwards the requests to the Linux side. I don't think Gallium is involved on hosted, but I haven't really kept up with the structure of the 3D support.

 What about the other basic hardware? (audio, usb, ethernet, blah blah). How do the Aros subsystems like network stack, usb, etc... interact with Linux?

 
If compiled the right way, the AROS code can access Linux API's when running on AROS hosted. The drivers make use of that to talk to Linux (and that's also how the execution of the Linux apps happens, I presume).

The network stack uses a tap driver that talks to the Linux tap interface, so effectively AROS and Linux see each other as separate hosts on a virtual networking interface.

Similarly for most other things there are drivers that essentially convert calls to the appropriate Linux API's instead of talking to hardware. AROS hosted mostly doesn't touch any actual hardware, as it effectively is a Linux application.

This means that for things like filesystems, AROS hosted normally use the Linux filesystem (and so you can access the same files from both the Linux and AROS side).

NOTE: I haven't specifically used AEROS - just regular AROS hosted.

[phoenixkonsole]

I will try Aranym.

About Gallium... nope on Linux-side you just need a 3D driver which interacts with X ... can be nouveau, original nvidia, ATI, Intel whatever..

But you should really look here:
http://www.power2people.org/projects/profile/60

@Mrs Beanbag
"Instant on" equals to my AROSbios. This is based on Corebios and Floppy-Version of native AROS..quite old from late 2009/early 2010 and works only with AresOne 2009 and larger replacement EEPROM.

I am now working on a "Supervizor" which is Corebios + a bit payload in form of a GUI where you can choose the OS to boot or for example a PPC emulator. So you will have a Instant-on launcher for native stuff and or Emulated stuff. The Payload is smaller this time because most stuff will be loaded from HD. But it is still "instantly".

[Mrs Beanbag]

@Mrs Beanbag
"Instant on" equals to my AROSbios. This is based on Corebios and Floppy-Version of native AROS..quite old from late 2009/early 2010 and works only with AresOne 2009 and larger replacement EEPROM.

I am now working on a "Supervizor" which is Corebios + a bit payload in form of a GUI where you can choose the OS to boot or for example a PPC emulator. So you will have a Instant-on launcher for native stuff and or Emulated stuff. The Payload is smaller this time because most stuff will be loaded from HD. But it is still "instantly".

Coooooool.  All I'd really like to see from an Instant On OS is the ability to run a media player, so I don't have to wait for a full OS to load just to play a DVD or a CD.  I mentioned this elsewhere and someone said something about licensing/copy protection issues.

[phoenixkonsole]

hmm.. maybe they mixed the official bios? It is not allowed to "hack" this but you can replace it entirely which is legal.

Coreboot is free and was also known as Linuxbios.
If you have enough space in your EEPROM (where the Bios is located) you could  put everything there you like.

But having the kernel including most drivers is enough. Large EEPROM's are expensive.

http://www.coreboot.org/Welcome_to_coreboot

EDIT: DVD-playback is a "legal"-problem because you need to pay royalty for to the DVD mpeg2 consortium.