UltimatePPC and everything else

[cv643d]

I take joy in X1000.,..  its only 3000 dollars, but hey, its at least a new Amiga! And it plays Hippo player better than any Amiga in the world!

[jj]

I think its a good idea to point the issues with a project.

[Piru]

You just had to point that out did not you?

Sometimes someone says something so stupid you just can't help yourself.

Usually I just leave totally incorrect and illogical "facts" alone, but this was just so mindbogglingly bullshaitty I couldn't do it.

Sorry.

[hbarcellos]

Sometimes someone says something so stupid you just can't help yourself.

Usually I just leave totally incorrect and illogical "facts" alone, but this was just so mindbogglingly bullshaitty I couldn't do it.

Sorry.

Can you please get BACK to MorphOS development?
I have a nice Powerbook just waiting for it....

If you have nothing else to do for 3.0, please work on the G5 version (for which you posted screenshots 2 or 4 years ago here).

OK? Leave the exotic HW guys alone or suggest them a better processor option, so they can achieve binary compatibility.

[AmigaClassicRule]

You just had to point that out did not you?

I mean there is a whole universe out there with things happening all around us but no, you just had to make a post where you explicitly had to point out that I was wrong about something and you where right about something.

Did it make you feel better?!

Actually I got a sadistic grin reading the above comment * grin * Can I point out another thing you said wrong?

Actually it is NOT "You just had to point that out did not you?" but "You just had to point that out did you not?"

[Piru]

Can you please get BACK to MorphOS development?
I have a nice Powerbook just waiting for it....

No need to get back to it really, I'm doing it all the time. Just couple of minutes ago I improved the file types detected by Ambient for instance (but that'll go to MorphOS 3.1).

Leave the exotic HW guys alone

Hmm. Just because I pointed some mistake in something completely irrelevant I'm now someone harassing "exotic HW guys"? Oh please. If you have something to nag about please be logical about it at least.

As to my other (on topic!) posts in this thread, I think they've been balanced and fair.

or suggest them a better processor option, so they can achieve binary compatibility.

As far as I can tell there are no cheap solutions that provide the necessary features. Even if there were, I doubt they'd be willing to change their design at this point as it'd require quite extensive redesign. Finally, I have no doubts about the technical qualifications of these guys, they clearly know their HW stuff well.

[hbarcellos]

No need to get back to it really, I'm doing it all the time. Just couple of minutes ago I improved the file types detected by Ambient for instance (but that'll go to MorphOS 3.1).

So, 3.0 is already in "Code Freeze"? If so, what's preventing the release?

As far as I can tell there are no cheap solutions that provide the necessary features. Even if there were, I doubt they'd be willing to change their design at this point as it'd require quite extensive redesign.

I know almost nothing about HW. But when I saw the design I thought it was a replacement for the old PPC-Blizzard-PPC-like accelerators. 100% compatible (including Binary compatibility for sure)  with new features added.
Isn't really possible to achieve that using a modern PPC processor? About CHEAP, what's cheap in the Amiga market nowadays?

[AJCopland]

I was talking about existing binaries of which you don't have source code for (for whatever reason) and thus cannot recompile.

Ah yeah, then we're screwed would patching be possible for the PowerPC side? I know people have tried with 68k code but that has complications due to it's mixing of code and data, not to mention self modifying code.

Think I got your original post mixed up about the two things you were talking about.

[commodorejohn]

Besides nobody plays MP3's anymore, streaming is the new MP3 hoarding so there is no need for PPC muscle and buggy NG Amiga OS that never leaves beta.

Haha what. *eyes the 52GB of MP3s sitting in c:\music*

And seriously, "muscle?" You can play MP3s on an 040 for God's sake. A G3 Mac can do high bitrates without breaking a sweat.

[Piru]

Linux

Are you using Linux to test the design? If so, which distro?

At least Debian appears to be somewhat akward to set up.

[psxphill]

I was talking about existing binaries of which you don't have source code for (for whatever reason) and thus cannot recompile.

You could solve that with dynamic recompiling, but then using a real PPC is not a requirement then. It could use either ARM or Intel depending on cost, heat, performance etc.
 
The e500mc (32bit+compatible fpu) or e5500 (64bit+double speed compatible fpu) may have been a better choice.
 
A QorIQ P5020 would be real ultimate.

[jkonstan]

The practical Embedded Linux choice for a Freescale PPC would be Freescale Embedded Linux (Ltib) since this would already have a BSP/Drivers for the Freescale QoriQ P1013.
 

Are you using Linux to test the design? If so, which distro?

At least Debian appears to be somewhat akward to set up.

[Heiroglyph]

I know almost nothing about HW. But when I saw the design I thought it was a replacement for the old PPC-Blizzard-PPC-like accelerators. 100% compatible (including Binary compatibility for sure)  with new features added.

The problems with making a CSPPC clone are many.  It was a super complex card with no documentation and the people who know exactly how it worked aren't telling.  Also CPU's have changed dramatically since then, the buses aren't even remotely as compatible with 68k as they were then those cards were produced.  External local bus masters as we know them are ancient history so it would be a major redesign with lessened compatibility.

Compound that with the fact that getting AOS or MorphOS ported to even a platform closely related to existing ones is pretty much out of the question actually makes alternative CPU's like this an option.

My suggestion would be to run it like a hyper fast 680x0 and forget native code.

The OS is already available.
The apps are available.
Apps designed for it would still run on other Amigas and emulators.
If faster, cheaper SOCs become available you can jump ship without breaking the OS and apps.
A vast number of Amiga users never had a PPC anyway, thus have no investment in compatibility.  They all have an investment in 68k.

A 500Mhz+ 68040 would be nothing to scoff at.  I'd certainly use one.

[hbarcellos]

A 500Mhz+ 68040 would be nothing to scoff at.  I'd certainly use one.

Just for curiosity, Winuae running on a modern i7 is "how fast"? Like how many MHZs when emulating a 040?

[Nostalgiac]

An 800MHz ARM running PowerPC software in emulation is going to outperform an actual PowerPC running at 1.1GHz? Hell, they even have the same speed memory, it's not like the PPC accelerator is going to be cache-starved or anything. (Admittedly, anything on the Zorro III bus is going to be a bottleneck, but I still can't see general execution speed being outperformed by a slower chip running an emulator.)

heh, I didn't say emulate, I said port Me bad, I should have been more complete tbh: I mean, port UAE + OS4 to the ARM on a PI, then run 68k emulated + newer code native and forget about the dead-end ppc.

More importantly, how many ££££ for the ppc versus ££ for the PI ? even people wanting to have a laugh could afford it.

TomUK

[Heiroglyph]

More importantly, how many ££££ for the ppc versus ££ for the PI ? even people wanting to have a laugh could afford it.

TomUK

I get your point, although I've been given several PC's faster than a PI for free.

If it was about $ per GHz or just plain GHz, I don't think anyone would be on this site, even for the absurdly expensive X1000.

I do find a certain appeal in making my good old Miggy run at hundreds of MHz even if my PC could still outpace it.  Love trumps sanity at times.

Edit: also note that the PI would have to emulate the chipset which would have a serious impact on performance.  A PPC card just needs to handle CPU duty.