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Next G5 Multitasks Operating Systems

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the little-bit-of-this-a-little-bit-of-that dept.

squiggleslash writes "IBM has big plans for the 970, Apple's so-called "G5". The CPU will support partitioning, similar to IBM's mainframe systems, allowing multiple operating systems to run at the same time on a single CPU. A Mac built around this chip could theoretically run OS X, GNU/Linux, Mac OS 9, and the PowerPC version of Windows NT, all simultaneously and independently."

4 of 449 comments (clear)

  1. Except on an XServe... by NeoBeans · · Score: 0, Troll
    ....I'm not sure this would be a particularly useful feature for the typical Mac user.. OS 9 is drying up... Yellow Dog Linux can actually co-exist at runtime with Mac OS X. With Fink, I can do an apt-get and pull whatever I need, Debian-style. So... I'm not sure running multiple OSes concurrently is all that big of a deal since I've already picked *one*.

    Speeding up the multitasking of apps under that one OS would be a nice artifact, though!

    1. Re:Except on an XServe... by feldsteins · · Score: 0, Troll

      There's no reason to be running OS 9, no reason to be running LInux (on a Mac) and no reason to be running some aged NT version, either. I think the guy above had it right: this is so Apple can have multiple versions of OS X Server running on an X-Serve for redundancy and uptime. There are no other reasons that seem viable to me.

      --
      You like your Macintosh better than me, don't you Dave? Dave? Can you hear me Dave?
  2. One button mouse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    But parallel operating systems?

    Maybe Mac users should get accustomed to the complexity of a two button mouse first...

  3. Re:great by mrchapp · · Score: 0, Troll
    so now I can crash at least five systems at the same time?
    Yes, but only if Windows XP is one of the installed operating systems and you're using either SP1 or SP2 (or maybe none.)