I finally took the plunge and installed Morphos 3.1 on the following PowerMac G4:
PM G4 500DP
1 Gig RAM
40 Gig OSX HD and a 20 Gig Morphos HD
ATI 9000 Video Card

I only have about 45 minutes total time into running Morphos so maybe some of the issues will be obvious after some more time with the OS. Also I have never really used an Amiga so some of these may be basic Amiga fare.

First off there appears to be no sound. Somewhere I read that you need a PM 3.5 or 3.6 for sound to work. When booting Morphos says I have a PM 3.3. Only issues besides no sound obviously is that if I run a program that requires sound it will lock Morphos up upon exiting the program. I don't know yet if Morphos has a 3 finger solute or other variation to kill an app. So I hard boot is in order.

Is there a Network browser or SAMBA available under Morphos? If so where is it located? If not then I guess I will get my old BeOS FTP/Web Server out of storage and fire that up to get apps on and off Morphos.

Reset works like in an Amiga:
CMD-CMD-CTRL

Hitting the reset-button on the case will have the same effect.

I don't know about older Powermacs, but I was never satisfied with the built in sound on my Quicksilver and installed a Soundblaster Live (which currently resides in my FW800).

Buy one, they're cheap.

Will any SoundBlaster Live PCI card will work or is there a Mac version?

as there never was a Sounblaster Live driver for the Mac).
Once you install the card you have to select it as your sound output, and it just works (much better then built in sound).

The only thing better is an Envy24 based card and I can't find one.

@fmh,
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If you have never used an Amiga in the past, do you mind me asking how you found out about MorphOS3.1? We don't often see new users of MorphOS3.1, or any other form of the Amiga experience (as I like to call all the different flavors of Amiga inspired computing that are now available), so when I see a new user who says he doesn't have prior experience with the Amiga, I am always curious about how they found out about the Amiga, and what brought them here.

What about the Amiga appeals to you and sparked your interest?

The answers to these questions might be useful to people like me and others who dedicate themselves to trying to find new users, so we can grow our tiny community and hopefully also find more programmers/developers, who will write new software for MorphOS3.1 (and maybe portable to all flavors of the Amiga experience), as the number of new software titles we see each month is less than I would like to see. Also, sometimes more programmers are needed for larger software projects that are just too big for one person to accomplish by themselves.

Quote:

These two questions have already been answered by others.

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Samba is available for MorphOS3.1, but I have not tried it. I always use a USB stick to move files, if I have something on one of my other computers and I want to transfer, or copy it to any of my MorphOS computers. That is only because I am uneducated regarding Samba and have not taken the time to learn how to use it yet. I also believe that there are other FTP tools that will allow you to connect and transfer files between your MorphOS3.1 computer and any other computer you have on your LAN. Look here and at the other MorphOS file repositories, or do a search of these forums and you will no doubt find lots of info you are looking for. Also I am sure that others will post to this thread with better answers than mine.

For new MorphOS users I strongly suggest downloading and installing the "Pack Ultimate", which includes many software programs already setup and ready to use. Another program that is one of my favorites is Grunch, which is a package manager and more. The thing I like about it the most is all the work that has gone into it to install / uninstall / update programs, including all file and library dependencies. A new version has just been released and personally I think it is a MUST HAVE program for all MorphOS newbies.

So, check the download section here at MorphZone.org, as well as other MorphOS file download sites, and the MorphOS section of Aminet, and you will see that although our software selection can't match Windows, MacOS, or Linux, we still have hundreds of useful and entertaining software titles to choose from.

Welcome to MorphZone.org and the world of Amiga users.

I have read about MorphOS for years on http://osnews.com/ Lack of a better term I am an OS Junkie. I have been using computers since the late 70s before the Apple 1. Ohio Scientific I believe was the first computer I used. Not sure of the OS but I believe it was CP/M. I have tried most flavors of Linux the past 10 years and have used Windows from version 2.0. I even have worked/programmed on Main Frames, Minis, Midrange Machines or whatever the current term for them are now. I was a computer consultant and programmed in may environments and industries for over 20 years. My main current machine is a last Generation Mac G5 dual core 2.0ghz with 3.5 Meg RAM running OSX 10.5.8. It still does what I need it to do so I haven't replaced it yet. I also have a Windows 7 machine that I use for Windows only needs. I have a pile of old X86 and Mac G4 machines available to mess with.

From 1999 to about 2001 I was a heavy BeOS user on PPC Macs. For s stretch of time that was my main machine. I loved BeOS even on that old hardware it worked great. So I am able to work through most issues and can make things work productively on non mainstream OSes. Hence my comment on firing up an FTP server. That was my easiest answer with BeoS and Mac OS9 machines on the network at the time. Just type in ftp://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx to the Web Browser and if needed a User ID and Password and I had directories setup for Windows, Mac, BeOS, or client software. Just point to the proper directory on the FTP Server and rebuilding/setting up a new machine was easy. Every TCP/IP capable OS can do FTP. So that is the lowest common denominator.

What got me interested in Morphos was that one of the few machines I have never owned or used was an Amiga. I did purchase Amiga Forever 3.0 in 1999 and the experience was awful. The UAE Emulators for Windows and Mac were pretty bad back then. Getting back on track OSnews.com a couple of years ago had a post that Morphos was ported to select Apple Mac G4 machines. At the time I had only Nvidia video cards in my old Macs. I tried booting and it failed. I forgot about Morphos until Lowend Mac had their article on OSnews.com in July 2012 about version 3.1. I was getting rid of machines and had a couple being retired from production that on paper should run Morphos. I tried boot it on the G4-500DP and it booted as it did on the G4 Cube. I figured I would have a better luck with hardware on the tower over the Cube so I went with that. I figured I can get answers easier on this forum instead of me spending time searching or messing with issues for right now. That's how I ended up here.

I did install the Ultimate Pack and did run Grunch. That was pretty cool. I didn't like some of the UI changes that the Ultimate Pack did though. OWB was configured pretty strange after the Ultimate Pack install and a couple of other things strange happened for me at the desktop level. Most annoying though was OWB. I am going to have to wipe out my install of Morphos and start over. During the install it setup a 2GB and not 20GB System drive. I read it wrong and said OK so I have about 18GB wasted on the 20GB drive. Not a big deal. Just mess with what I have currently and then start over at a future time.

Uh, David.
I never touched Amiga equiptment myself till it was years from production.
In the '80s I was working for a company that built 68K based OS-9 systems.

I just like microkernels and how well MorphOS works.

There's no perfectly working task manager to wipe out hanging tasks because of OS limitations, but there is the ikill command for the console that can kill a lot of stuff.

As for sharing files via network, SMB works, but is not too easy to set up. I use ftp to share files over the network (RCFTPd as ftp server on MorphOS).

About your OWB settings, I guess reinstaling OWB itself should set back all settings, no need to set up the entire OS. For your not used 18GB harddisk space, go to sys:tools/hdconfig - there you can make a/some partition(s) of your yet unused diskspace. I prefer a separate partitiotion for the OS anyway. It's pretty clean.
For some reason I like three partitions best: One for the system, one for applications, one for data.

> Mac G5 dual core 2.0ghz with 3.5 Meg RAM running OSX 10.5.8

Sounds like a largely stripped-down version of the OS ;-)

@Jim,

Yes, I remember reading your story about how/when you got started with Amiga systems, or MorphOS. Did my post make you think that I was implying that the OP of this thread was the only new user who had not come from the Amiga community of the 1980's, or early 1990's? I don't understand your "Uh David" opening to you post.

I like to know where new MorphOS users come from and I am glad to read that OSnews.com and the recent LowEndMac article has attracted a new MorphOS user. I think that we can get even more new MorphOS users from owners of G4 PPC Macs that are MorphOS capable, as the ones who are keeping these quite old systems and are interested in still using them, are not computer users who are drones that only follow the mainstream practices of the masses.

When MorphOS2.0 was first released there were more people still using their G4 Mac computers, but I would guess that most of those have had plenty of time to replace their G4 Mac's with something newer, so people who still want to use a G4 computer are probably more open to looking at MorphOS, than the same percentage of G4 owners were a few years ago. Of course there are many fewer G4 owners and users than there were a few years ago as well.

Introducing MorphOS3.1 to Mac users who still own and want to use their G4 Mac's without running into negative reactions is a hit and miss proposition, as some of them can get agitated, if the introduction to MorphOS3.1 is done without tact and patience, when the Mac owner you are trying to introduce MorphOS3.1 to has not asked for such an introduction and may not have any interest in small niche operating systems.

In my desire to spread information about MorphOS to new users, I have found a few Mac users who can be very negative when I am too verbose with the sharing of my information to someone who is not necessarily interested in what I have to share.

Although difficult to recuit new MorphOS3.1 users, I still think we all should try, as the long term benefits of increasing the number of MorphOS3.1 users and programmers is well worth the effort required to gain a few new users.

[ Edited by amigadave 09.09.2012 - 20:07 ]

Absolutely agree that new recruits should be encouraged.
What occasionally baffles me is why people think that only former Amiga users are potential recruits.
There are a lot of peoplke interested in alternative OS'.
AND MorphOS perform better on a G4 Mac then OSX does.

So, why not consider the larger picture?

[ Edited by Jim 10.09.2012 - 04:13 ]

Will any SoundBlaster Live PCI card will work or is there a Mac version?

Yes. I have exactly the same PowerMac model (PowerMac 3,3 500 MHz dual processor) and SoundBlaster Live! PCI works just fine. I've put it in the lowest PCI slot. It is 64-bit, but 32-bit cards work too. Of course there is no need for any special Mac version. My card is taken out from some PC. After the card is in place you should check, and if needed tweak audio settings. Run system preferences (from screen menu Settings->System and then Audio) and verify that "Music Unit" and "Unit 0" have SBLive 16 bit stereo++ mode.

[ Edited by Krashan 10.09.2012 - 07:02 ]

In my pile of computer parts I actually had a Sound Blaster Live Model CT4760. I'll have to give that a try.

Also my complaint with OWB was a User Issue (Me). The way the Bookmark Tabs were placed on top after the Ultimate Pack looked like they were open tabs at first. OWB is working fine I wasn't...

Yeah, tht the fun part. You may have something you need layng around.
In my case i sold my Soundblaster and R300 equipment before adopting MorphOS and had to re-aquire so stuff

fmh

Welcome to your new family :)
Be sure to register morphos :)

Once I figured out which one of the 4 audio outputs to use I now have sound with the SoundBlaster Live card.

BTW, I have a Powermac,3.6 (MDD) and I can't get any sound out of the inboard soundchip. Not just "not satisfying" sound, nothing at all.
Is that normal or amI just plain unlucky?

Good question Sergio.
Frankly, even if you've got a Mac with MorphOS sound support, my advice would still be the same.
Built in sound on my Quicksilver was dreadful.
And Soundblaster cards are cheap.

Ask Redrumloa. I sold him one for $4 or $5.

I have a quicksilver and when I first installed MOS on it I had no sound untill I plugged headphones and then the internal speaker started to work now I can't turn it off

Annoying, tinny little thing, isn't it?
You should be able to defeat it by picking something else in the Sound preferences.

I must stand corrected. The room was so noisy here (micro-Alchmie) that I couldn't hear the extremely faint sound coming from the speaker.
The sound is so low that I have to turn up the speakers at the top to hear something. for the record, AHI volume and gain are both set at the max value for all AHI units.
About using a Soundblaster, my Powermac is a dual-system box (OSX and MOS). I would like to keep it that way, so does anyone here know if there is support for Soundblaster in OSX 10.5 PPC or as 3rd prty software?
[EDIT]
BTW, does anyone know where I can find the Envy24 dirver for MOS?

[ Edited by Sergio 14.10.2012 - 09:14 ]

> does anyone here know if there is support for Soundblaster in OSX 10.5 PPC
> or as 3rd prty software?

There isn't.

https://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7564&forum=3&start=4

> does anyone know where I can find the Envy24 dirver for MOS?

https://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7104&forum=32&start=156

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I was kind of expecting that. Thanks for the confirmation.