Sorry guys, yet another post not really related to MorphOS.

I had some new hardware arrive this week (yet another example of my fiscal irresponsibility).

Old Sun hardware? Damned cool stuff (and really cheap).

Coldfire? Interesting architecture, but some of the worst tools I have ever seen (which is baffling considering this line's relationship to the 68000). And the available operating systems, also really dreadful.

Maybe it was just the comparison between the two, the former being able to run Linux, Free BSD, and Solaris and the later, not really much of anything (I am not exaggerating here, even the Linux BSP from Freescale simply refuses to run on this device).

What does any of this have to do with MorphOS?
Not much, but it reminds me that its nice to have an operating system that works right out of the box without fiddling with it.
Thanks again guys.

Funny post, I was always curious about those old Sun machines.

There's at least one other MorphOS user that's into Sun gear - http://sun.hasenbraten.de/

Well, since its become fairly cheap (as in only a few hundred for a dual core 1.6 to 1.8 GHz system) I wanted to check it out.
I'm actually quite impressed.
It is wholly subjective at this point, but it seem like this stuff can handle threaded code better.
That could be, in part, the operating systems I've been trying.
After all, until recently all my Windows hardware ran WinXP and that OS is absolutely terrible at handling SMP and properly allocating resources to multiple processes.
Its one area that Win7 really did improve.

Still, I wouldn't mind trying an 8 core UltraSparc T1 or T2 system now.
The major disadvantage to the older hardware is the ridiculous amount of power it draws.
I won't kid you about seeing the lights dim when powering this stuff on, but it can draw as much electricity as a blow dryer which is pretty excessive.

The T1 and T2 based systems should be better at this.

And Coldfire?
I have no idea how that ISA has lived as long it has without better tools and operating systems being developed for. Obviously, virtually all Coldfire processors go into embedded uses. But you would think more 68K software would have made the jump (and you'd be wrong).
I can't even get the OS I used to use on our 68k systems for the Coldfire (I can get it for PPCs and X86 processors, just not for the processor that supposedly inherited the 68Ks legacy - very strange).

That being said, Sparc has been a neat ISA to explore, and with SUN opening development to the older V1 and V2 cores, it might actually be here for awhile longer.

Sparc, PPC, ARM - hey there is some life in RISC after all.

Interesting, have you got links with info or videos on those systems?

So you mention two different machines I suppose, the Sun hardware and the coldfire one. Right?

[ Edited by CountRaven 17.11.2013 - 05:47 ]

> SUN opening development to the older V1 and V2 cores

Do you have a link on that?

> Sparc, PPC, ARM - hey there is some life in RISC after all.

Don't forget MIPS:
http://imgtec.com/news/press-release/imagination-reveals-first-mips-warrior-p-class-cpu-core/
http://imgtec.com/mips/warrior/p-class-p5600-multiprocessor-core/
http://www.broadcom.com/press/release.php?id=s770827
http://www.broadcom.com/products/Processors/Enterprise/XLP900-Series
http://www.cavium.com/newsevents_Cavium_Unveils_48-core_OCTEON-III_MIPS64_Processor.html
http://www.cavium.com/newsevents_Cavium_OCTEON_III_Imagination_Technologies_MIPSr5_architecture.html
http://www.cavium.com/OCTEON-III_CN7XXX.html

...and SuperH:
http://www.renesas.com/products/mpumcu/superh/sh7780/

...and Alpha:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShenWei
Edit: As has been established meanwhile, ShenWei does not use Alpha ISA.

[ Edited by Andreas_Wolf 09.05.2021 - 12:15 ]

Alpha I had not really thought about recently.

But MIPS, well its quite alive and I have been thinking of using PIC32 mcus because they feature that instruction set, they are cheap, and they can be had at speeds up to 100MHz.

SuperH, I have not followed what Renesas has done with that, but I always was a big fan of Hitachi products (I have a few HD63C09E cpus sitting on my desk right now).

Screenshots Chris? Sorry, I never even thought above that (I some way I am a real flat earther).

Heck, I just had someone ask me yesterday if I had a Skype account and i responded that I did not see the point since Verizon gives me Nationwide calling (I never thought about video).

OpenSparc? That is mentioned in the Sparc wiki:

"In March 2006 the complete design of Sun's UltraSPARC T1 microprocessor was released in open-source form at OpenSPARC.net and named the OpenSPARC T1. In 2007 the design of Sun's UltraSPARC T2 microprocessor was also released in open-source form as OpenSPARC T2"

Old news.

I think the Chinese have already used this info to make a T1 clone, but they will not admit it which is a little weird as its now open for anybody to use.

Of course there are several cores that Sun has created since the T2, but that is still a really nice 8 core processor.

I was they were easier to use, the T1 and T2 chips are available all over the place.
But the boards are complex and the only place you see these being used is Sun's own hardware.

>So you mention two different machines I suppose, the Sun hardware and the coldfire one. Right?

Yep, I have wanted to experiment with Coldfire for awhile, and now that the ISA is winding down developer boards are popping up for re-sale at really good prices.
But like I said, the tools to use them are awful.

>>> SUN opening development to the older V1 and V2 cores

>> Do you have a link on that?

> That is mentioned in the Sparc wiki: "In March 2006 the complete design of Sun's
> UltraSPARC T1 microprocessor was released in open-source form at OpenSPARC.net
> and named the OpenSPARC T1. In 2007 the design of Sun's UltraSPARC T2
> microprocessor was also released in open-source form as OpenSPARC T2"
> Old news.

I see, with "V1" and "V2" you referred to the T1 and T2. I might have guessed.

> I think the Chinese have already used this info to make a T1 clone, but they will not admit
> it which is a little weird as its now open for anybody to use.

Not so weird given that the OpenSPARC license is the GPL which means that any derivative work must be opened in the same way.

> the only place you see these being used is Sun's own hardware.

"Sun also licensed the T2 processor to Themis Computer, which introduced the first non-Sun T2-based servers in 2008: Themis T2BC Blade Server, which supports the entire family IBM BladeCenter chassis"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UltraSPARC_T2#T2_Systems

"Sight Systems will sell Themis’ new UltraSPARC T2-based T2VPX OpenVPX computer, and T2BC blade server for use in the entire family of IBM BladeCenter."
http://www.themis.com/blog/press-releases/themis-computer-names-uk-distributor-to-expand-its-european-presence-for-systems-and-embedded-computing-solutions

http://web.archive.org/web/20090123024859/http://themis.com/prod/t2bc.htm

>I see, with "V1" and "V2" you referred to the T1 and T2. I might have guessed.


Yes, you very well might have.
Did I ever mention how much better you are at organizing your thought and communicating in my native language (than I am), Andreas?

And as to they Chinese T1, why not admit your source was Sun's freely open info?

>>> I think the Chinese have already used this info to make a T1 clone, but they will not
>>> admit it which is a little weird as its now open for anybody to use.

>> Not so weird given that the OpenSPARC license is the GPL which means that any
>> derivative work must be opened in the same way.

> as to they Chinese T1, why not admit your source was Sun's freely open info?

As I said, because it's not free as in "free beer", so they'd have to completely open their derivative work in order to comply with the license, which they probably seek to avoid. This is just guessing, though. Does this sound implausible to you?

>Does this sound implausible to you?

That sounds exactly like what has likely happened.

You know, the company that built that CPU is the one I suspect has been receiving information from a Taiwanese ally.