Old dog, new tech - possible?

[Iggy]

If you mainly want to use all the classic games from a500 and a1200 days I would steer clear of any OS4 hardware. Its extortionately priced and you'll gain nothing (in fact you'll lose things like performance and compatibility) vs a 10 year old junk PC).
OS4 euae is based on the very, very old version of uae called euae.
The double click an adf icon thing is very, very easy to implement on any other system.

Your latest signature seems very apt.
When running legacy apps under OS4, the hosting OS looks, feels, and has similar controls to the OS that the legacy app ran under.
That is not the case in a Windows environment.

[Rob]

If you mainly want to use all the classic games from a500 and a1200 days I would steer clear of any OS4 hardware. Its extortionately priced and you'll gain nothing (in fact you'll lose things like performance and compatibility) vs a 10 year old junk PC).
OS4 euae is based on the very, very old version of uae called euae.
The double click an adf icon thing is very, very easy to implement on any other system.

I think the reason why he's experimenting with running O4.1 under emulation is to determine whether the hardware is suitable for his purposes before committing his money.  It's a better strategy than blindly believing that it either will or won't be suitable.

All the options have been explained so if it doesn't fit his needs there is still plenty of other systems to choose from that will.

[fishy_fiz]

@iggy

My latest signature?
Its the only one I've ever used and has been in use for years.

And I was simply being honest. If a persons interest lay specifically in custom chip set hitting software then OS4 hardware is the last thing I'd suggest to them.
I'd rather be honest than try to convince someone to make such an expensive purchase only to find its (compared to other options) a pretty average experience.
A decade old pc (ie. something that can be had for nothing, or next to) will be a better option than the thousands a person needs to spend on OS4 hardware. AROS is a great choice there (faster, better version of UAE), and so would be an old Mac with MorphOS. Granted UAE isn't as good there, but its good enough, plus you can do it cheaply.

Its simply about providing facts, and not misleading someone hoping they'll join a particular "camp", which is the tone the thread was taking.

[Iggy]

And conversely, if someone wants to run both AmigaOS 3.1 and 4.1 software on the same machine, a PC isn't an ideal choice as you are forced to run the emulation as legacy hardware supplemented by a PPC add on card of limited power (with a 603 or 604 cpu).

So, if you're running PPC software, an PC is a poor choice, AND while some PPC systems ARE a pricey option, they do provide a more authentic look and feel and certainly ARE capable of running both legacy and NG code.

Its all up to what you value and how much you are willing to spend.
And, as I've mentioned a few too many times, that means I'm buying an X5000 system and running a triple boot MorphOS, OS4.1, Linux system.

I've had AmigaForever for about a decade, and I own legacy hardware, but when I want to run Amiga software these days, I ever use my CD32 or an NG system.
I don't use a PC.

[liamwhyoung]

Again thanks for all the advice guys.  At the moment I am experimenting with AmigaOS 4.1 FE on hardware which I already own before potentially moving forwards.  I like the look of AmigaOS 4.1 FE - it certainly feels like a modern take on WB which is what I was after.  Now I just want everything to run under it so I'm not flicking in and out of the OS.  Once I crack that part I will look at hardware, though I have to say the nackered Surface Pro 2 is doing a grand job.  I have some spare PS3 controllers too so am also thinking about hooking those up.  Either way, I will try and post a screen dump of my config tonight so you can see where I'm at.  As it stands I just can't mount any Windows storage devices.

[Iggy]

Again thanks for all the advice guys.  At the moment I am experimenting with AmigaOS 4.1 FE on hardware which I already own before potentially moving forwards.  I like the look of AmigaOS 4.1 FE - it certainly feels like a modern take on WB which is what I was after.  Now I just want everything to run under it so I'm not flicking in and out of the OS.  Once I crack that part I will look at hardware, though I have to say the nackered Surface Pro 2 is doing a grand job.  I have some spare PS3 controllers too so am also thinking about hooking those up.  Either way, I will try and post a screen dump of my config tonight so you can see where I'm at.  As it stands I just can't mount any Windows storage devices.

Cool. Look forward to see it as I haven't explored that option.

[fishy_fiz]

@iggy

Yeah, that may be the case for someone who is interested in NG stuff, but I was writing in the context of someone interested in classic, chip set hitting stuff, which is what the OP here said and implied multiple times, and why I kept saying that.

I was answering the actual question, not hypothetical scenarios infused with my own interests.

[Iggy]

@iggy

Yeah, that may be the case for someone who is interested in NG stuff, but I was writing in the context of someone interested in classic, chip set hitting stuff, which is what the OP here said and implied multiple times, and why I kept saying that.

I was answering the actual question, not hypothetical scenarios infused with my own interests.

Sure you were because he has repeatedly said he wanted to explore a modern equivalent of Workbench AND run legacy apps, and you apparently have ignored the fact that he's already using Amiga Forever and OS4.1.
WHICH is a good solution to explore the option of running both OS3.1 and OS4.1, but like all PC based solutions is NOT ideal.
I use PCs everyday, but not to run Amiga software.
And we aren't discussing hypothetical situations, like settling on continuing to use PCs.
We're discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the direction HE wants to explore.

[fishy_fiz]

To be fair, I probably jumped the gun a little.
The OPs focus has been custom chipset hitting software and whdload.
These are the things I've been responding to. I did mostly disregard the few mentions made in regards to Workbench.

Can't say I agree about PCs not being an ideal vehicle for Amiga use though.
My 4ghz i5, dopus mag based AROS box running the best version of the best amiga-oid browser, wookiechat irc client, Audio Evolution and a bunch of other Amiga software, the ability to run 68k Amiga software by double clicking their icons, etc, etc sure seems a pretty nice experience to me (and I say that as someone who also uses both os3.x and 4.x).
Ditto my Amithlon system.

[Iggy]

To be fair, I probably jumped the gun a little.
The OPs focus has been custom chipset hitting software and whdload.
These are the things I've been responding to. I did mostly disregard the few mentions made in regards to Workbench.

Can't say I agree about PCs not being an ideal vehicle for Amiga use though.
My 4ghz i5, dopus mag based AROS box running the best version of the best amiga-oid browser, wookiechat irc client, Audio Evolution and a bunch of other Amiga software, the ability to run 68k Amiga software by double clicking their icons, etc, etc sure seems a pretty nice experience to me (and I say that as someone who also uses both os3.x and 4.x).
Ditto my Amithlon system.

I envy your possession of an Amithlon system, its a pity the drivers for those are so dated.
I do have WinUAE and FS-UAE installed on the i7 laptop I'm typing on right now, and the AM3+ FX8300 based system I have at my desk.
Further, I'm seriously consider AMD's new Ryzen processor, if its performance comes even close to the i7 6900K that AMD has been comparing it to.

SO...I do agree with you on the direction we are headed, AND what generally works well in a typical productivity system.
Amiga's however...still linger a bit behind.
Should UAE emulation ever support full PPC emulation, that will eliminate one of my complaints.
Then there's the hope of running an X64 derivative of MorphOS as a primary OS or in a virtual box.

But that's the future.

So right now, again, I'm buy a last PPC system. :bitch:

[liamwhyoung]

As promised, here are the screen shots of my config.  Whenever I mount a directory to try and get files into AmigaOS 4.1 FE the OS fails to boot and gets stuck on an Amiga DOS screen.
 
 http://host.guide-to.net/misc/ebay_images/1.jpg
 
 http://host.guide-to.net/misc/ebay_images/2.jpg

[liamwhyoung]

Had to give up on this - think AOS4.1 FE shuts down 68k compatibility thus preventing host drives from being accessible. Got around it in the end by enabling Internet access in AOS4.1 and downloading files directly from online sources via http.

[Pat the Cat]

Well, thanks for trying. It's helped me make my mind up on getting all my Amiga apps back into useful service.

Rather than go the emulator route to begin with, I'll use an A1200 with a network card for the non-games apps, old school A500 for the legacy stuff and parnet to the A1200. Archive what I have first.

THEN I'll worry about getting the apps to work on modern hardware, once it is off magnetic media and onto something more reliable, in an accessible form. 98% of it I can download, I know.

I would like to rackmount a big stack of old hardware, with some modern additions, but I better start with a secure software and hardware base.

"Secure" being a relative term in these rather hectic "internet superhighway with bad guys everwhere" times.