Ideas for Aros Distributions

[OlafS3]

What could do done is to make some kind of "amithlon" system.

Take linux kernel and AROS hosted. Use an up to date Amiga 68k emulator with AROS 68 roms and system.
There you have a legal, ready set up Amiga 68k emulator.

The emulator boots into Amiga 68k workbench and from there it is possible from a menu to insert disks, adf files and change hardware configurations. Amiga 500, Amiga 4000, amount of fast ram, chip ram etc.

Pascal long ago did something like that. He used Knoppix and it booted in FS-UAE (from Stick). There are advantages and disadvantages compared to something like amithlon. The disadvantage is, it is slower than something like amithlon. On the other hand on PC it has the advantage to run on many configurations. MSchulz creates amithlone-like solution on RpI so it is for a specific system. I do not know if his project also works on different ARM-based hardware.

[nikos]

What could do done is to make some kind of "amithlon" system.

Take linux kernel and AROS hosted. Use an up to date Amiga 68k emulator with AROS 68 roms and system.
There you have a legal, ready set up Amiga 68k emulator.

The emulator boots into Amiga 68k workbench and from there it is possible from a menu to insert disks, adf files and change hardware configurations. Amiga 500, Amiga 4000, amount of fast ram, chip ram etc.

Pascal long ago did something like that. He used Knoppix and it booted in FS-UAE (from Stick)

Yes, he kind of did, but the emulator he used is the same as there always been for AROS. Way outdated! It is not FS-UAE, it is E-UAE.

http://rcdrummond.net/uae/

Last version is from 2007. It is not that bad, but people want something better like WinUAE or FS-UAE.

[OlafS3]

unfortunately outside winuae all emulators are outdated. Even FS-UAE is not updated for a long time (linux last updated 2018)

I just looked and am not sure... 3.0.3 is from 2020 but am not sure if all platforms are updated

[nikos]

unfortunately outside winuae all emulators are outdated. Even FS-UAE is not updated for a long time (linux last updated 2018)

That is true but FS-UAE is good enough I would say. It is based on a WinUAE version.

It is not like a lot happen from release to release.

o1i worked on a new version for Janus-UAE.
It is sad it never got finished. Janus-UAE is actually a very good program.

[OlafS3]

better than 2007 in any case

in my view 68k integration is the most important feature for amiga user

more important for aros than SMP or MP

[nikos]

better than 2007 in any case

in my view 68k integration is the most important feature for amiga user

more important for aros than SMP or MP

Most people do not even know what SMP or MP is

You are therefore 100% correct.

If we made a free very user friendly 68k emulator it would for sure be a success.
I think the best would be if it ran from a Icon on your Windows or Linux OS.
I understand people would say "why not just run FS-UAE or WinUAE then"
Well, it is cause they are difficult to set up. On top of that you have a very powerful hosted Amiga like system to play with.

[OlafS3]

better than 2007 in any case

in my view 68k integration is the most important feature for amiga user

more important for aros than SMP or MP

Most people do not even know what SMP or MP is

You are therefore 100% correct.

If we made a free very user friendly 68k emulator it would for sure be a success.
I think the best would be if it ran from a Icon on your Windows or Linux OS.
I understand people would say "why not just run FS-UAE or WinUAE then"
Well, it is cause they are difficult to set up. On top of that you have a very powerful hosted Amiga like system to play with.

To extend hosted would be a good idea indeed. It would solve the driver problems. Of course it would need extended support of the host system. But it would create interest in the other aros platforms. Aros 68k is now indeed used as main platform. There is no reason why the same should not happrn on other platforms. I remember when people asked why using aros when you have amigaos. And despite of that people are now using aros as main system on amiga. Perhaps it is possible to make that happen on other platforms too.

You can have X86 but the borders between 68k and X86 should be as small as possible

[nikos]

better than 2007 in any case

in my view 68k integration is the most important feature for amiga user

more important for aros than SMP or MP

Most people do not even know what SMP or MP is

You are therefore 100% correct.

If we made a free very user friendly 68k emulator it would for sure be a success.
I think the best would be if it ran from a Icon on your Windows or Linux OS.
I understand people would say "why not just run FS-UAE or WinUAE then"
Well, it is cause they are difficult to set up. On top of that you have a very powerful hosted Amiga like system to play with.

To extend hosted would be a good idea indeed. It would solve the driver problems. Of course it would need extended support of the host system. But it would create interest in the other aros platforms. Aros 68k is now indeed used as main platform. There is no reason why the same should not happrn on other platforms. I remember when people asked why using aros when you have amigaos. And despite of that people are now using aros as main system on amiga. Perhaps it is possible to make that happen on other platforms too.

AROS 68k is used on powerful 68k hardware. It is to slow for A500 or A1200.

[OlafS3]

Aros is of course more demanding as amigaos on limited hardware like A500 or A1200

I see no problem there. But it is a nice option for new hardware like vampire. The current growing market (real hardware) on 68k is vampire-related. We talk of several thousands of users there currently.

The basic question is where you see the future. Do you see it as a retro platform running on different hardware or as platform competing with windows or linux. Depending on that your requirements are different. I see it as a retro platform.

[nikos]

Aros is of course more demanding as amigaos on limited hardware like A500 or A1200

I see no problem there. But it is a nice option for new hardware like vampire. The current growing market (real hardware) on 68k is vampire-related. We talk of several thousands of users there currently

Let's hope they stick with AROS 68k. I never tried Vampire, but it is looking good from what I have seen. Not my cup of tea, as I like the original Amiga hardware and for more powerful Amiga systems I rather use AROS.

[OlafS3]

Aros is of course more demanding as amigaos on limited hardware like A500 or A1200

I see no problem there. But it is a nice option for new hardware like vampire. The current growing market (real hardware) on 68k is vampire-related. We talk of several thousands of users there currently

Let's hope they stick with AROS 68k. I never tried Vampire, but it is looking good from what I have seen. Not my cup of tea, as I like the original Amiga hardware and for more powerful Amiga systems I rather use AROS.

Aros is very responsive on Vampire. Aros is fast enough on it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q40DrZ3iziE&t=55s

[nikos]

Yes, looking fast.
I never doubt AROS to be fast on more powerful hardware. You will not notice the slowdown that is with original Amiga hardware. Lot of the code in original AmigaOS is assembler and they have optimised gfx drivers.
It is no point to target the original hardware.

[OlafS3]

The growing market is vampire. So there is indeed no point tasrgetting standard amigas

In my view the focus should be on Vampire + UAE

And transfer it to more powerful hardware like X86 or ARM

I think Aros has left the image of being a "research OS" useless for end users but still has to go some way there

[paolone]

1. imho it would be more productive if users just could use one of those many pen-drive tools that allows them to install a .iso to it and be able to boot from it. That i am able to abuses hosted for it, is one thing but i do not expect a noob to be able do that.


2. Other than that, i like the idea about checking configurations. Paolone already did such a thing by allowing people to report their (supported) hardware. Since i have never heard of it again (good or bad), i can only assume that was a dead-end ?

1. +1, but I may say +2, +100 or +1000. I can't count how many times I had to delude people who tried to turn Icaros ISOs into USB pendrives using uNetbootin, Rufus and similar tools. There is a quite simple procedure to create an AROS installation pendrive, and I even made it even simplier with the "Create USB installation pendrive" script in the root of Icaros DVDs, but giving the damn ISO to a Rufus-like tool would be faaaaaar simplier.


2. It's still inside the guts of Icaros Desktop and I am quite sure it is still working today. It's a pity no one reads the documentation and every day people repeat the same questions like parrots.


Just look to this thread, with people asking things Icaros is doing for a decade.

[OlafS3]

sorry but why it is not on the same level as AOS4 or MorphOS?

People accepted Aros on 68k buit as you indiate why not on X86 if it is perfect there already