Even if the used hardware gets cheaper and cheaper, the booze does not. Gotta fuel the programming somehow...

Quote:

Not this argument again... Jeez. Go drop thousands of dollars on a compatible system and then get back to us how you only dropped $34 on the OS. Once you try updating the OS you will find that $34 is not really $34. OS4 updates are now handled by A-Eonkit, a 3rd party. The most recent update is $80 and future updates will probably cost you $80+ a clip. You also have to pay for firmware updates and just about everything else.

After emptying your bank account you will find your OS4 computer is nowhere near as functional or powerful as a cheap Power Mac with MorphOS license.

[ Edited by redrumloa 07.06.2016 - 11:18 ]

@Andreas_Wolf

Cononical pay their programmers, yes.

> You also have to pay for firmware updates

While this has been the case with ACube, A-Eon provided the firmware update for the X1000 for free.

>>> Ubuntu [...], and a lot of popular distros are made out of that codebase,
>>> by paid developers.

>> Are you sure that the official Ubuntu-based distributions are done by paid people?
>> I only found that Kubuntu is contributed to also by corporate programmers,
>> but not for the other distros.

> Cononical pay their programmers, yes.

Canonical does not contribute to all 12 listed official Ubuntu-based distros, hence my question. Looking deeper, I find that the following ones are apparently contributed to by Canonical: Edubuntu, Ubuntu Touch, Ubuntu TV, Ubuntu Server. The following are contributed to by other corporations: Kubuntu (Blue Systems), Ubuntu Kylin (Chinese military). For the remaining 6 official Ubuntu-based distros (Ubuntu Gnome, Ubuntu Mate, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Studio) there's no corporate contributor mentioned.

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So MorphOS is less expensive on a system that is limited in use? So a Powerbook laptop with get more use then a Mac Mini desktop and that's why it costs more? Don't see the logic to that or at least that's how I'm understanding the pricing goes...

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IMO I see more benefit on ARM processors (aka Raspberry Pi). The x86/x64 have too many OS options IMO.

Quote:

:P

@connor
Understood, thanks!

@jPV
Understood, thanks!

Like to thank everyone here for the civilized replies!
:)


[ Edited by FerociousAmiga 07.06.2016 - 16:27 ]

@FerociousAmiga

The Mac Mini version used to cost 150 Euro even, before dropping to 111 before dropping to 79. Some models have become cheaper with age.

The laptop support are much newer and took a lot of work, hence the price.

>> I think it's only fair that MorphOS for systems with limited use (e.g. Efika 5200B)
>> is available for a lower price.

> So MorphOS is less expensive on a system that is limited in use? So a Powerbook
> laptop with get more use then a Mac Mini desktop and that's why it costs more?
> Don't see the logic to that or at least that's how I'm understanding the pricing goes...

Seems language barrier at work here. I should have better written "limited usability" instead of "limited use". The Efika 5200B has a 400 MHz CPU and 128 MiB RAM. This should sufficiently illustrate the "limited usability".
The iBook and the PowerBook are the only mobile devices supported by MorphOS, and the PowerMac G5 is the fastest machine supported by MorphOS, so that's why MorphOS for them is in the most expensive category. At least that's my personal explanation, and I don't speak for the MorphOS team.

@Andreas_Wolf

Quote:

No, of course not. But they have paid programmers who write stuff for Ubuntu, which the other distributions also use.

> they have paid programmers who write stuff for Ubuntu,
> which the other distributions also use.

I've been thinking your statement in question ("Ubuntu makes their money out of server services, and a lot of popular distros are made out of that codebase, by paid developers.") was saying who makes Ubuntu-based distros, not who makes Ubuntu (= "that codebase"). If not, I've apparently misunderstood the meaning of that sentence.

Talking prices is kind of useless.

The MorphOSTeam defines the amount of money it takes to register and the user deceides to pay or not to pay. End of story.

In fact thats how it works for all products. e.g. Apple is selling their ipads for around 800 euro, while other companies are selling tabletts with the same size for far less. Well, people buy their ipads as they want them and they think the product is worth the price.

Of course apple could reduce prices by 40-50% to increase the number of sales, but - well - they don´ t want their product compete/handled as cheap. Their decision. And since a product sales well, the price is not to high.

Same goes for MorphOS. The OS contains many hours of work of multiple developers. There is no reason to reduce prices. Most "classic" NG (peg1+2,efika,mini) hardware or hardware which the Team did not expect much sales from, is already handled at reduced price.

e.g. the Sam460. No clue how many sam460 licences were sold, but I guess not even close to 10 by now, even so people wanted "hardware supported that is actually for sale with proper warranty". A wish the MorphOS Team fullfilled even with a reduced price, which at the end was not worth it, as the developing was for sure more expensive than the 500 euro gained if 10 licences where actually sold.

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Yup. Sounds about right to me! Thanks for working on MorphOS!!

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I expected bad, but good to get confirmation just how bad.

All that bluster from a few posters about users wanting "new" systems for nothing.

> since a product sales well, the price is not to high.
> Same goes for MorphOS. [...] There is no reason to reduce prices.

Good to know the MorphOS team is content with the MorphOS sales numbers :-)

> peg1+2,efika,mini [...] or hardware which the Team did not expect
> much sales from, is already handled at reduced price.

Thanks for clarifying how the decision to have different price categories has come about.

> No clue how many sam460 licences were sold, but I guess not even close to 10 by now

Pity, but this may have played a role:
http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?forum=11&topic_id=11137&start=126

Recent example:
http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=41093&forum=33&start=120#783358


Edit: added link to example

[ Edited by Andreas_Wolf 09.06.2016 - 17:35 ]

Quote:

Probably has more to do with the fact it costs $1,000+ and gets smoked by a $25 Raspberry Pi, or any supported ancient Power Mac found out by the curb.

[ Edited by redrumloa 08.06.2016 - 12:04 ]

> it costs $1,000+

According to the ACube webstore, the Sam460cr mainboard starts at US$525 and full systems at US$839 (may be incl. VAT).

> and gets smoked by a $25 Raspberry Pi

No, it doesn't. You'd need at least a US$35 Raspberry Pi 2 for smoking the Sam460, and even then the Sam460 would win in most single-threaded tasks. To safely smoke the Sam460 also in single-threaded tasks, a US$35 Raspberry Pi 3 is required.

> or any supported ancient Power Mac

Not taking 3rd party accelerators into account, it would have to be at least a QuickSilver model.

@geit
@Andreas_Wolf
-Thanks for clarifying the cost and hardware.

-I did a fresh install of OSX Leopard and then MorphOS for duel booting. Working great. A bit more testing and at this rate I'm going to take the plunge for my PowerBook G4.

Don't want to deviate from the subject but...

@redrumloa
Maybe a $35 RPi2 (ARM Cortex-A7 quad-core). Here are some benchmarks Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) w/ 2 CPUs vs iPad3,2 A7 dual-core.
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/compare/583223/583189

Also just noticed a paid version of AROS (AEROS) for the Raspberry Pi. Who knows how stable.

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It is beat handily by a Sawtooth 500Mhz G4.


lame_benchmark.png

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It is a hosted on Linux version of AROS, so I don't see why it wouldn't be stable. It should be as stable as the Linux distro it is hosted on top of, which I would guess is very stable, since Linux has been running on the Raspberry Pi (original and later versions) for a long time.

I have been meaning to install and try AEROS on my RPi2 for the past year, but seem to always put off the installation in favor of doing something else instead. Maybe this month will be the month I get off my ass and get it installed, so I can see how far along AEROS has come, and how useful it would be for me to use as a media player on my big screen TV, as well as playing an occasional Amiga game via UAE, and a bit of web browsing from the living room couch, instead of turning on my Windows laptop.

If the performance is adequate (in my eyes), I think I will use it often, as I like the ideas and principles behind AEROS, meaning the combined ability to run an Amiga-Like (hate that term) OS, and also be able to run much more software (Linux content), seamlessly via the Linux OS hiding just under the skin of AEROS.

I understand that the idea of AEROS is repulsive to many long time Amiga users, but to each their own.

[ Edited by amigadave 08.06.2016 - 11:42 ]

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Isnt that how it always goes?

"IF we had X, man I would buy this or that! Well, I wont buy X because hardware is too old. Support something new! I'll buy it! Oh man, the OS is too expensive for outdated hardware! "

So whats wrong about asking why the cost seems illogically high? And getting the logical explanation why it's justified for the hardware. If this bothers both of you then STFU don't answer cause you are not the ones developing the OS and interested in paying for my copy and anyone else asking the same.

Quote:



[ Edited by FerociousAmiga 08.06.2016 - 16:20 ]

@ FerociousAmiga

TheMagicM was referring to people who had previously made fun of MorphOS for supporting only "smelly old used computers" and implied that the OS would be much more interesting if it ran on (more expensive) hardware that was new (but does not offer major performance gains compared to pre-owned Apple hardware, hence seems "outdated" to some).

>>> or any supported ancient Power Mac

>> Not taking 3rd party accelerators into account, it would have to be at least
>> a QuickSilver model.

> It is beat handily by a Sawtooth 500Mhz G4.
> lame_benchmark.png

I should have mentioned that I'm referring to non-SIMD code, of course.

LOL! Thats a ferocious reply.

> iPad3,2 A7 dual-core.

The A5X SoC of the iPad3,2 has Cortex-A9 cores, not Cortex-A7.