Dual 1.42GHz G4 Power Macs seem to be selling for about the same price as single 1.42GHz G4 Mac Mini's and have much greater expansion capability. I wonder if MorphOS could ever be made to run on THIS.

[ Edited by amigadave on 2008/12/14 18:04 ]

[ Edited by amigadave on 2008/12/14 18:04 ]

Basically, there's no reason it couldn't work, if you have someone motivated to work on it. That said, the second G4 would probably totally useless for us.

Anyway, the first step is to support correctly a first MAC platform, which is the macmini for now. Supporting only one model is already quite time consuming. Once it's done, other models can be considered. I don't think it was said the macmini would be the only model that would be supported, only that it's the one that is being worked on at the moment.

[ Edited by Fab on 2008/12/15 2:09 ]

And even then I would first consider an Ibook-port first once the macmini port is done.
Considering how many are moaning for an amiga laptop now and in the past ... I am sure it would be a port that is going to pay off to the MorphOSteam. And the more money they get, the better for future support and development.

MorphOS as an NextGen amiga operating system would then be working on the fastest machine and also on a portable ... 2 obvious steps ahead of the OS4-community. Being ahead means: more users, more development, more money, ... nothing but good things.

During the demonstration of the MacMini port bigfoot mentioned that the ibook is quite identical to the mac mini (when it has radeon gfx) and will probably be supported next.

I own an ibook myself and would like to have it supported, too.

Just be patient. Additional work is needed here for power management, display control and Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) which connects touch pad and keyboard.

Geit

Don't worry, how longer we have to wait, how cheaper the supported hardware is getting and it will be still "new" and faster hardware to a MorphOS-user

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I second this but I really hope the macmini port will be done very soon. It is undeniably and strongly needed ASAP by the MorphOS platform...

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Ok, that sounds quite promosing, that someday there is a pci capable machine,
so that i can migrate my scsi drives :)

I would say "can't a Pegasos"... but you would probably answer with " I want a new machine and I do not wan't a Peg bacause, ... "

Afaik Bigfoot is waiting for a PowerBook so we can expect a PowerBook Port.
And Afair his next goal will be a PowerBook/IBook Port.

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Yes, of course all work on the MacMini port must be completed before work on any other Macs can proceed, and I understand that it is very time consuming, probably given that there is no documentation released by Apple to help make the work easier.

I realize that the second G4 CPU would not be used by MorphOS (at least not now, and no time in the near future, but who knows about some day far in the future, maybe), but many of us using MorphOS on any kind of Mac will most likely also keep a partition, or if capable (like in a Power Mac) a second hard drive, with MacOS installed on it that will take advantage of the second G4 CPU.

I agree with many other members here that the next Mac to target after the Mini port is done, should be a laptop. The G4 iBook and/or PowerBook with Radeon graphics should be the logical next step. I personally have a Titanium PowerBook, the 1GHz model, which was the last Titanium model made before they moved to using Aluminum for the PowerBook cases. It has the 64mb Radeon mobility 9200 graphics card, so I have hope that it will get the attention of the MorphOS team before too long. Then it will be time for me to get it repaired, as it is not functional at the moment.

I wonder if I will still be able to get a battery for it by that time?

Regardless of the port status of the Mac Mini, is it really a good business model to tie an OS to hardware you can only buy on eBay or as refurbished from 3rd party suppliers?

No.

By the time you get a port to the PowerMac G4 or an official Mac Mini version, Genesi will probably have an MPC8610 or MPC8640D system for you, and that is still a LONG way away compared to clicking Buy Now.

Let's leave the MorphOS developers alone and they can get on with what they want to get on with. In the event some hardware comes along that is ~$500 from Genesi, it will kick the backside of anything you'll find on eBay, and you won't regret waiting for it (and it will come with a warranty :)

Pretty moot point, unless it/they will run MorphOS

[ Edited by Stevo on 2008/12/16 23:13 ]

Sure, a correctly spec'ed machine that would be a Pegasos2 successor would be great. Feel free to deliver, and I'm sure MorphOS team can consider that option as seriously as the macmini port. :)

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Not in the long run and not for "outside" customers, of course not, but it will certainly serve its purpose as a developers machine or a power user machine for community morphers, it will be cheap and quite powerful, easily available, and will be here as soon as the OS is ready for it. The Pegasos was discontinued in November 2006 and there hasn't been anything comparable performance wise from Genesi to fill the gap.

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I've heard that the Mac Mini version could possibly be released towards Easter 2009.

Race On!

(BTW - go for the 8640! )

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That's cool and all, but in the event *it doesn't*, there will always be the Mac Mini.

Anyway, of course it would be nice with new hardware, with warranty, etc.

And it will be interesting to see in what shape or form it will come. Personally, I'd like a desktop kind of motherboard, with proper expansion options. A laptop would be cool too, for other reasons. Or a netbook. At least something that could be used as a *computer*. At least if it's supposed to "compete" with the Mac Mini. I mean, surely the LimePC concepts are all very cool for mass market, and devices like that is what could bring MorphOS to a broader audience, the consumer mass market. But they don't compare to a Mac Mini or a mac laptop for a traditional Amiga nerd's needs.

Anyway, I'm not holding my breath for anything anymore. I'm hoping for a MorphOS 2.2 release in a near future, and that doesn't seem unrealistic in any way. And Pegasos 2's are still available as second hand for those who wish...

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The MorphOS development team's decision to start such a port in no way prevents them from working on other ports, or mean that they have tied MorphOS to "hardware you can only buy on eBay or as refurbished from 3rd party suppliers", Doing such a port does not describe their entire business model, or limit them from bigger and better projects. On the contrary, it most likely will provide additional funds to go forward with future ports/projects.

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I am sure all of us would love to have new hardware for MorphOS from Genesi. If it arrives before any port to the MacMini, many of us will be surprised, as no mention of any work other than the work on the MacMini port has been mentioned, but I understand that NDA's may be why no other news has been released. It is prudent advice that you give to those that might be buying used MacMini's with the hope that MorphOS will soon be released for it, when everyone has been warning that it will likely take a long time before any such release will happen.

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I did not realize that anyone was preventing them from doing what they want to "get on with"? They do what they want, and what they think they can make money from doing. It appears that they think they can make money from doing a port to the MacMini, or they are doing it just for their own enjoyment until they have another hardware design that catches their attention and interest. If they indeed have another project to port MorphOS to a MPC8610 or MPC8640D system, and all the attention being focused on the MacMini port is taking away valuable coding time, I can see Genesi's dismay at all the hoopla around the MacMini rumors.

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Hmmm, I wonder if there is a (very thinly) hidden messages in that statement? But as you wrote earlier above, what ever it might be, it is a "LONG way away".

But in the mean time, the MorphOS team appears to already be doing what they want to, and that appears to be a port to the MacMini with some hints/rumors that a little extra work could yield a MorphOS laptop.

If/when the MOS development team should release a port to any hardware which is more powerful than the Peg2, and available in great numbers at a reasonable cost (such as almost any PPC Mac hardware), it would be a good thing for the development team to make money from and only a part of their business model.

I can see that it is a double edged sword to port MorphOS to any existing hardware, such as the MacMini, as purchases of those used systems will not help Genesi at all, and in fact might hurt the sales of any future systems currently being considered, or worked on by Genesi as well as possibly taking valuable coding time away from current project(s) if there are any.

But if there are no current project boards being worked on yet, MorphOS running on any "Mainstream" computer will bring the possibility of users and developers that have not previously been interested enough to buy proprietary hardware which is useless to them otherwise, an incentive to try it out that would probably otherwise not bother. If they already have the Mac PPC hardware it cost them nothing to run a demo of MorphOS to see if they like it, and if they don't have the hardware yet, the cost is low to obtain it, and if they are still not interested in continuing to run MorphOS, they have the opportunity to run a mainstream OS at a useful speed, or run a Linux variant, also at a decent speed. This could possibly lead to a dozen or two new MorphOS users willing to pay for a registered license, maybe even a couple of new MorphOS developers. It is very likely many more AmigaOS users that have been sitting on the fence regarding choosing between MorphOS2.x, or AmigaOS4.x, will at least take a look and give stronger consideration towards becoming MorphOS users and lastly many MorphOS users might be willing to pay new license fees to register MorphOS to have the fastest way to run MorphOS, until something better arrives.

As you say, it will be "a LONG way" until Genesi to produces a new MPC8610 or MPC8640D system. There are some that want something now and may not be able to find a used Peg2, and don't want an EFIKA, for one reason or another.

It is probably misleading, but if MorphOS for the MacMini is as close to being done as it seems to be, it will make many people happy and generate some new license sales.

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Yes, by the time you get MorphOS for Mac Mini, you will have had a Mac Mini you bought from eBay for nearly 6 months - if it arrives according to "rumors". Remember the rumors about how MorphOS 1.5 was going to be released in 2007? :)

You're going to wait anyway. Why not wait for it to be released first? Then buy your Mac Mini. But let's not delay anything with new ports to everything you CAN find on eBay. In the event we get a new system out with specific intention to run MorphOS on it, it will probably be better anyway. By then, perhaps your Mac Mini will have died and you will have no recourse but to spend more money on a Genesi system. I would not complain :D

Save your money until you actually have MorphOS for Mac Mini in your hand. Then buy a Mac Mini if it's the best option for you. It's barely even worth discussion right now.

[ Edited by Neko on 2008/12/17 5:52 ]

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All very good points and I agree that buying a MacMini, or any PPC Mac just to hold on to it hoping to run MorphOS if/when it is finally released for it is kind of silly. If on the other hand you can make good use of it in another way, perhaps as an entertainment server in your living room, your bedroom, or a guest room, then go ahead and get one if that is what you really want NOW. It was probably a mistake to have any information about MorphOS for the MacMini discussed until it was much further along and close to being released, even though the team member who wrote about it did stress that it would be a long time before it was finished AND that there was other work that needed to be done before it could even be worked on, AS A TEAM. Personally I hope that work is still continuing on MorphOS2.x for the EFIKA and that the next release will resolve the USB lockup problem and if possible improve USB transfer speed.

My thoughts about possibly purchasing a Power Mac that could possibly run MorphOS "Some Day" were very much created by my frustration with my Dell system that I have noted in another thread.

I started this thread more as an idle conversation starter than a serious inquiry, and with just a fraction of intent to actually purchase the dual G4 @ 1.42GHz cpu's that I linked to, to use as my main desktop and run MacOS 10.5.5 on it until I sold my Dell XPS630i and could purchase a better, more modern Intel iMac. I would then use the dual G4 Power Mac as a entertainment server like described above, or stick it in a closet until it was clear that it would not be a good choice for MorphOS at any later date (years from now) in the future.

I sincerely hope that a desktop alternative to the used Peg2's and G4 MacMini's will be available within the next 6-12 months, but realize that it will probably be closer to the next 12-24 months before a new board design is running MorphOS, unless it is already in the works and substantially completed (like the work shown for the MacMini). Christmas 2009 would be great, if not sooner. Something better and faster than both the Peg2 and the MacMini, as a true desktop Peg2 replacement, not a thin client, with limited capabilities.

I will not ask for any info regarding possible future plans, release dates, or board designs being considered, as I do not wish to be one of the usual whiners that are always begging for information before it is ready to be released.

Edit: What Genesi and the MorphOS dev team really need are more MorphOS users and developers. If any increase of money is going to be made, the number of users just has to go up, as the same group of a few hundred users cannot purchase enough hardware, software, or OS upgrades to make any company, or group a decent income. Anything that will increase the number of users and/or developers should be encouraged in every way, today, tomorrow and next year. There has been way too many years where there has been more potential users, but not enough hardware available to run both AmigaOS4.x and MorphOS1.x and 2.x. It is my personal opinion that having MorphOS released for any readily available hardware (including PPC Mac's) will lead to more users and maybe more developers, but that is just MY opinion.

[ Edited by amigadave on 2008/12/17 1:08 ]

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That's a sensible advice. All these things take time, there's no point in spending money now for something that might work in the future... Unless there's fear for supply shortage. Who knows, perhaps we can be responsible for an unprecedent price rise in second hand hardware!
Remember the time when amigans used to scavenge scrap from the PC world, in order to upgrade their aging computers? it was Genesi who put that era to an end, providing new shiny replacements for those brave old computers. Who would have figured that we would be going back to the scrapyard again...

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Number one sport among amigans!

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Matt, do you serioulsy expect this crew behave in a logical manner?

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Well said. Anyway, the MorphOS Team will just do what they want. That would include porting to the MPC8610, as a development board exists since many months. But it's expensive and, most of all, it's not a product people can buy... Yet!

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Of course it will be better! The only advantage of used hardware is that it's available now. Genesi, give us hardware!
It's a pity that there's problems with the southbridge sourcing right now, as the MPC8610 needs one in order to make a regular computer with it.

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I agree.

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I, somewhat, agree... but, on the other hand, I think the MorphOS Team is "a little" too much confidential...

With that level of "secrecy", one can also fear their projects are "a bit" dead...

I think at least some information on the level of dev's motivation and the amount of work being done, could be quite beneficial for MorphOS...

I would remind you all, the effect of the OS4.1 "pre-announcement" made (almost) only to battle the increasing interest on the MorphOS platform after the release of the version 2...



[ Edited by ZB on 2008/12/17 20:03 ]

I bought a MacMini, partly because of the possibilty of an Amiga OS running on, but mostly cuz it was cheap.


I hate to say this, but MacOS X although sluggish is actually very good, and not having to reboot to kill a crashed program before it takes the system out, is it must be said, a bonus...

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They have shown and admitted to working on the MacMini (haven't they?), so we know they are working on something. The only other thing I would ask them to reveal is a simple answer of yes/no to the question;

Are the MorphOS team members working on any other ports to other design boards?

It would be nice to know if they have another project going or not, without having to know all the details of what that other project might be, as long as it is another port of MorphOS.

Again, that "LonelyWild" has posted a video showing the new "RedTail" MPC8610 board, developed at NEC System Technologies.
Again, it looks like a demo (no operating system behind), showing four different 512x384 MPEG4 videos, plus a flash animation, with alpha blending. There's no additional video hardware in the board, all that is pushed out with the internal display unit (DIU), which has no 3D (or 2D, for the matter) acceleration.



[ Edited by jcmarcos on 2008/12/18 10:16 ]

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Yes, sure they have... and it is on the official site.

But, every now and then, I would like to know if MorphOS is still alive (in their hearts and in their efforts, at least) and kicking...

This could also be beneficial on the fact that all the remaining undecided amiga users/followers could go the amigaos4.x way.

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It seems not, as the developer "forces" are extremely small, also for the mac(mini) port only.

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Actually it was more of a pre-announcement of an announcement!

@ZB
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Now that is paranoid. There was no "pre-announcement" made to battle interest in some totally unrelated OS platform like MorphOS or any other. The war is long over so put away your weapons and go home.