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| Posted by: on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 23:22 Submitted by ironfist |
| | | | Yesterday we had a little unofficial PUGS-meeting at Gunne's place. As the owner of GGS-Data he had OS4 Developer Pre-release at his home installed on one of his AmigaONEs..
Click 'Read more'.
We were all excited about OS4Pre and had high expectations (as probably everyone else) of it. Everyone has waited along time for this one. Just like new Star Wars-movies, nothing on Earth can live up to such expectations. Would the OS4 Developer Pre-release also be an example of this?
Workbench:
When we got there the machine was already set up with default OS4-install. It was an AmigaONE G4XE with 256MB SDRAM. We first moved the windows around to check the window refresh rate and that was slow. Real slow. We didn't expect otherwise since the graphics engine in the Pre-release is still 68k. When the final OS4 is released this should not be any problem, anymore. Workbench itself in default looks - more or less - just like AmigaOS 3.9. You may of cause modify it as you like.
TCP/IP:
After that we checked out Roadshow, the PPC-native TCP-stack. The Configuration Wizard was very well made and my Mom could, more or less, set up an ethernet connection. We started up IBrowse and got our first real dissapointment. IBrowse was a simple demoversion. The same version you download from their website. At least I understood from the Feature-lists that OS4 would come with a fully registered IBrowse. Maybe the final OS4 will contain the real IBrowse.
IBrowse worked just as fine as it always do. The speed seemed OK. Just don't try changing any settings. Everytime we tried to start the Settings-window IBrowse crashed. This problem exists in many OS4 Pre-installations and lacks in many. We never figured out why it crashed. This will probably be fixed real soon. IBrowse is and remains the Number One webbrowser for both the Amiga and MorphOS-market.
The 68k JIT-emulation Petunia is not finished. We noticed that when we tried some good old 68k applications like AmiTradeCenter, AmFTP and DNetC. AmiTradeCenter lacked some MUI-classes and Kozz managed to start it later. AmFTP (demoversion from AmiNET, 1.91) ran fine, except the speed and we had trouble connecting to some FTPs. This was probably because the lack of PASV-mode. We managed to get about 0.5 MB/s over the 100Mbit LAN with AmFTP. This is definately because of Petunia not finished. On my Pegasos-II G3 I get 6-8 times that figure. When Petunia is finished I see no reasons why the AmigaONE won't come to these figures (3-4MB/s). Using OS4Pre you emulate a 68020 CPU at the moment for all 68k applications.
Benchmarking:
DNetC_68k was very slow. On the G4XE-machine with 256MB RAM we got ~44000 keys/sec. On the Pegasos-II G4 1GHZ (also with 256MB RAM) we got ~66000 keys/sec - with Trance shut off - and ~2.5 million keys/sec with Trance running. The AmigaONE ran at 800MHZ and the Pegasos at 1GHZ. The CPU was in real numbers 25% faster on the Pegasos and DNetC_68k was 50% faster. The main reason is probably that when you turn off Trance you emulate a 68060 CPU in MorphOS. Just like the case with FTP-transfers OS4 will get a real speed kick in the butt when Petunia is finished.
Graphics:
For graphics rendering we installed Cinema4D to render a GGS-Data logo. Also here we missed Petunia alot. The included 68k-emulator really is slow. For all types of rendering we really urge you to use (if it exists) the OS4/PPC-version of it. Your old A1200-060 renders pictures faster than OS4 without JIT. When Petunia is done, however, you can kiss your classic Amiga goodbye. :)
MicroA1:
Finally we tried to install OS4 on Gunne's MicroA1. The Uboot had to be updated using a EPROM-burner, but after the update OS4 booted up just fine. The G3 CPU is clocked at 733MHZ but this one runs alot faster than the G4-XE. Gunne said he got about 55000 keys/sec with DNetC_68k on the MicroA1.
Final Words:
This is a Developer Pre-release. This is not the final OS4 release and must not be compared to what it will be. Also, OS4Pre lacks too many features from the final feature list to be usable as a main platform. MUI, P96 and parts of the TCP-stack is still 68k. I, personally, think Hyperion should have kept this one for a little while longer. The package and the PR is way wrong. The packaging is very professional (from a DTP perspective) and it may give the wrong signals to outsiders. It really looks to good to be true.
When OS4 is done it surely will be a kick-ass Amiga Operating System. No doubts in that. Petunia will be a very nice addition to the Pre-release of today. I am no coder at all, but I suppose all JIT's work more or less the same way, which would mean it will be comparable to Amithlon and Trance.
Giving up MUI in favour of Reaction I really cannot understand why. Nearly all new GUI-applications of today are coded in MUI. Will coders just head over to Reaction? Maybe - Maybe not. I am not the person to predict it.
OS4 is made by just a few men and they really do a great job. Porting a complete multitasking Operating System from 68k to PPC is no easy task. They really deserve credit for it. However, they should have kept this one internally for just a little longer. I heard people saying that P96 is almost completely ported to PPC. Maybe they should have waited for that one..
/Ironfist of PUGS.
PUGS Attendees:
Gullden
Gunne
Ironfist
Kozz
>> Pictures
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PUGS: OS4 Presentation Report with Picture Gallery | Log-in or register a new user account | 5 Comments |
| Comments are statements made by the person that posted them. They do not necessarily represent the opinions of the site editor. |
Re: PUGS: OS4 Presentation Report with Picture Gallery
(Score: 1)
by dholm on Jun 14, 2004 - 23:43 (User information | Send a message http://dev.gentoo.org/dholm/)
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The only advantage AOS4 has over MOS at this time is probably a working GCC 3.x and GDB, although I've heard that there are problems with the versions supplied with the CD.
Could someone with programming experience provide us with some information on the supplied GCC? Maybe a couple of dhrystone and whetstone benchmarks with AltiVec optimisations? *drool*
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Re: PUGS: OS4 Presentation Report with Picture Gallery
(Score: 1)
by ikir on Jun 15, 2004 - 10:23 (User information | Send a message http://www.iksnet.it)
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Nice review. But it is trange that you got a slow tcp transfer, with my A1 i browse very fast and also the ftp works fast :-O
Other thing is that Picasso is already PPC, and also MUI, the ide device have a full working UDMA mode, there is also the Altivec support. Sadly all this thing didn't come in the pre-release. Wait a little longer? No much people were attacking Hyperion for the delay and also a lot of trolls were spreading fud and false information. So Hyperion release this. Infact as you stated, it is a prerelease only a gift :-)
Nice review, see you :-)
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Re: PUGS: OS4 Presentation Report with Picture Gallery
(Score: 1)
by skeb on Jun 15, 2004 - 11:51 (User information | Send a message
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Nice review indeed! :)
I think it's nice to see a AmigaONE/AmigaOS4.0 review on a Pegasos site!
Personally I've chosen for the AmigaONE+AmigaOS4.0 as system that I want, but I also liked the Pegasos+MorphOS when I used it on a show.
I think both 'sides' should stop their, sorry to say it, pathetic shitty flaming to eachother :)
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