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QNX partnering w/Phase 5 to make PowerPC computer
Emission writes "Canada based QSSL, which formerly were supposed to deliver the kernel for the next generation Amigas, with their QNX Neutrino kernel, today announced that they will instead partner with Phase 5 in order to port the Neutrino OS to Amigas equipped with Phase 5's PowerPC based PowerUP cards. Phase 5 has also announced a new quad CPU computer, the AmiRage K2, which will run Neutrino as its native OS. See the partnering announcement for details.
This is apparently targetted at the many Amigans who are less than satisfied with Amiga Inc's decision to base the Amiga OE on the Linux kernel. " Erg-I can barely keep up with the changes that's going on. My head hurts.
QNX Neutrino & Photon GUI is SMP. It is finished for x86.
A demo has been available for download for some time. It fits on a
single 1.44mb floppy. Neutrino, Photon GUI, TCP stack and browser. Yo
can get on the net with ONE floppy.
Less than 1/10 of the kernel/OS is cpu dependent so is entirely
portable. AND the kernel is tiny.
Alan Day - Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK
Am I the only one who's noticed that SlashDot is completely dominated by corporate news these days? Look at the articles posted here today, for example:
1) QNX
2) NSI
3) AOL/Sun/Netscape
4) Game Consoles (Sony/Nintendo,...)
5) AOL
6) Telstra
7) Westwood
8) USPS
9) Perl (finally!)
10) WalMart
Boring.
One, or arguably 2 articles out of 10 dealing with something *other* than what the corporations are up to. What I want to know about is what *our* community is doing -- where are the stories about the latest developments in free software projects like GNOME or KDE, etc. I'm sick of seeing stories about the latest IPO from some tech-related corporation. I want "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", not news for businessmen.
A disgruntled long-time fan of Slashdot.
Because many in the Amiga community have a (somewhat understandable) loathing of the x86 platform. Look at all the criticism and discontent at even just the initial deelopment platform for the AmigaNG being x86 based.
This clearly should not go under the Amiga icon. We need a QNX icon, or a QNX vs. Amiga icon, or just a good vaporware icon.
Or why not just put them all under the Penguin? Eventually the PR for any manufacturer will claim their system is Linux based.
Phase5 isn't exactly known for shipping products on time, or shipping them at all in some cases. (Pre/Box and A/box come to mind). However, to their credit, they have shipped accelerators for the amiga and have some of the better ones around. They also have created some of the best videocards you can get for the amiga. (too bad everything is at a pretty steep price, but what do you expect with low quantities?) When you think about it, what has Amiga Inc. Actually *done* for the amiga community lately? Alot of promises, and perhaps an update to the OS, but beyond that they've mostly just spun PR around. I think Phase5 deserves a bit more credit than what has been shown on here. They've tried and failed just like amiga has, but who knows, maybe they'll actually be able to use what they learned from the A/box and Pre/box mistakes and do it right this time. I am somewhat skeptical that either will actually come out with a product, or atleast, that it will live up to the hype, but maybe they will prove me wrong. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. It should be interesting!
I think he ment the excellent sound editor / HD recording software CoolEdit Pro.. Not the text editor (cooledit texteditor is by the way a linux program)...
yesterday there was a web page at QSSL with the list of drivers for NTO/Amiga, here's a link to read it as it has been removed from the site but was in my cache.
--
http://www.beroute.tzo.com
"Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking
I guess there's no difference.
don't bitch at someone for being ignorent, when you yourself are no better, the only relation java and javascript have is there name (and the coding style they share with c, c++, perl, python, etc)
_
"Subtle mind control? Why do all these HTML buttons say 'Submit' ?"
ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
Linux may not be very special from a design standpoint
Thank you, someone who's prepared to say that. And this is the big ptoblem for us. Yes, the kernel's not the interesting bit, but if we're stuck with the wrong kernel it's a big problem. Linux just isn't the right product for trying to build a new BeOS, in effect. Sorry, but for this to work there needs to be a compelling reason to move, and this announcement makes that very unlikely.
Greg
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
the amiga was never dead!
i dont know why so many think it is
phase5 were the guys talking a couple of years ago about an Amiga-style computer called the A\Box, which never saw the light of day. They were also planning a multi-processor Amiga-compat called the pre\Box, which also never happened. With this track record, I'm a bit sceptical. It'd be nice if it did happen, though. phase5's hardware is (in my experience) very good.
I guess they're trying to recoup whatever investment they made on Neutrino. Still, I really have to wonder if this OS is good enough to sell lots of boxes. I mean gee, didn't Be Inc go public just a couple of days ago? And are we not in agreement that even though BeOS is Wicked Cool(tm), Be Inc realistically doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell? Why is this different?
This is just the next sequel in Amiga soap opera.
Nothing will ever come out of this.
//Pingo
--- Linux or FreeBSD, it's like blondes or brunettes. I like both. ---
Phase 5: Fighting Vaporware with Vaporware since 1995!
Phase 5: If we don't ship it, you didn't want it.
Phase 5: One of three promises actually ships, it's six months late and 150% it's original budget, but when you finally get it, it's GOOOOOD...
Phase 5: If this don't work out, you can always try out Mac accelerators instead!
Phase 5: Cooperation, shmooperation - just don't piss us off, okay?
~ radiographite: art by john shepard
What's the motivation to switch from a free OS like Linux then?
There isn't? I don't know what market they're after, but I doubt the Linux community is it. More likely, they'll be going after set-top boxes and entry level computers, taking users away from MS, not Linux.
Look ma! I'm a pundit! ;)
--Mark
Phase 5 have never really been happy with AInc. Amiga blew them off by first announcing that the new AmigaOS would be PPC, then changing their minds, leaving Phase5's powerUp business rather dead in the water.
I believe that they haven't managed to get any guarantees about being able to manufacture NG Amiga hardware either, so I suppose this is logical for them.
They are rather burning their bridges with Amiga Inc, however.
And they are utterly notorious for product slippage.
As the PPC add on boards are almost as expensive as a budget PC I can't quite see how they can make an entire computer to this spec for as cheap as they seem to be implying.
I wonder why Be has failed already? They've just gone public with a pretty decent showing and the OS is stronger than ever.
Did I miss some big news that Be's out of business?
I think that is exactly what Amiga Inc intends to attempt. There's a lot of money to be made there. Might be going after BeOS's check too; hard to tell.
Not sure what QNX Neutrino and Phase 5 going for. It looks like they are going for the hobbyists who find the free Unixes to be boring. Maybe they'll also go after the mindless droids too, but it's hard to tell at this point. (I wish QNX would speak up!!) And keep in mind that QNX also does imbedded systems that can stealthily creep into everyone's lives without them even knowing it. Who knows, your car/toaster/router might be running their stuff.
BTW, you are wrong about MacOS.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
We use QNX version 4 and 6 at work. It is solid -- does not crash, but really retarded when it comes to hardware.
Will not run on Celeron, AMD, Cyrix, Pentium III or Xeon!!!
Will not run on x/100 clocked Proccesors ( no 100s , 200s, 300s) usualy this means that you just need to jumper or switch the speed down.
Now I have seen the new demos and was really impressed... but not that much. Any browser with no java is prety pointless.
yesterday there was at www.qnx.com/amiga/drivers.html a full list of driver supported by NTO, it has dissapear!
--
http://www.beroute.tzo.com
"Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking
| That's just what they need now - a split in the
| community. Sure, fragment that user base even
| more!
At this point, should either "Amiga" developer really give a rat's ass about fragmenting the community? There just aren't enough die-hard "I will buy anything with the Amiga badge on it" Amigans left to make a financial dent these days.
If any company pusing a new "Amiga" is to survive, IMO they've got to shed the ashes of the Amiga's former life and reach out to a whole bunch of *new* blood.
-- Rick
Great... Phase5 is probably the largest vapourware company in the
world (percentage-wise - number of products they announce, relative to
number that actually ship,) and has the _WORST_ tech-support -
even worse than Microsoft...
I guess this puts an end to QNX's interest in the Amiga market..
Hmm.. interesting theory - what if QNX is aware of Phase5's
shortcomings, and is doing this to save face? (We couldn't carry
through with our promises because the hardware company we partnered
with dropped the ball...)
This may be slightly off-topic, but I think I can see all the company's logic. This makes my head hurt too - I was a staunch and loyal member of the Amiga community for a very long time. Most would be simply overjoyed to have a new Amiga come out - any Amiga. Now there will be TWO?
.]
Anyway, Phase 5 has been cut out of the loop for a very long time. They are still trying to work with the old Amiga architecture and update it (even with the A/box and pre/Box projects that fizzled). To their credit they have been very good and very didicated.
Amiga Inc has decided to start over (and as we read in CatB, you have to be prepared to "start over, at least once"). I sincerely hope that Amiga Inc's "magical mystery chip" is Transmeta's and that it turns out to be worth the secrecy and hype.
FWIW, I think Amiga Inc. is right and Phase 5 is wrong. Embracing the Linux kernel is the only chance Amiga really has of creating a place for itself. I've been thinking about this a lot since the Linux for Amiga announcement. This might be the perfect opportunity for LFTM. Phase 5 and QNX will be just another bit player, and will end up like the old Amiga - lost in the shuffle, with little hope of getting into the mainstream. [I know, I know - it saddens me too, but there comes a point you have to cut the cord and move on
Think about Amiga Inc's vision. A new Amiga - which has some (very specialized) name recognition, "running Linux" (you know that's how the press will talk about it), using the newest, greatest powerhouse CPU from the mysterious Transmeta. This will have Linux binary compatability (read: large application base), ONE desktop, ONE look and feel (with the option to add more later, but having ONE at first is a key point for LFTM), plug and play hardware (if they are lucky), ONE video system (already configured for X-windows and 3D), ONE sound system (really key, and still painful for Linux in general). This could be THE saving grace for Linux For The Masses - somewhere everyone can start. For 75%, that will be it. The rest will add and play a little at a time (read: progressive disclosure - another user interface point for LFTM). No sysadmin duties, no configuration worries, plug it in and run. Period. It could be "the Linux box any grandmother can use".
I whish BeOS ran on That Baby .....
But the baby isn't out Yet
Reminds Me Pios who said they would release the Pios One in 6 month and 6 month later said in 6 month and so on until they just drop the idea of making a PPC machine.
But if this baby ever comes out, linux Will rock on it (especially since Motorola gave the egcs project evrything for altivec support).
none Yet.
In my book the three killer apps for me under Linux would be Lightwave, Cool Edit Pro, and Eudora.
Lightwave is on a bunch of platforms, and seems to generate its own UI widgets, I wonder what would be involved in Newtek actually doing a Linux port? Eudora is probably pretty portable too.
E-mail campaign anyone?
Cool Edit Pro seems very tied to the Windows system, so there's not much chance there. Its a shame there's not anything comparable that actually works right now.
ok QNX was based on the same o/s that sits in your router (if you have a good one)
so for that reason it does not do SMP uh huh
its a real time OS ideal for embeding into products what they are trying to achive here I dont know this comes far to fast on the heals of amiga's PR on linux
what do thy hope to achive maybe they want to licence it to others but this seems the wrong way to go about it !
all that work and they dont realise what its for !!!
john jones
a poor student @ bournemouth uni in the UK (a deltic so please dont moan about spelling but the content)
>2) Didn't the company that produced Amiga, go out of business.
Yes
>3) Are these "new" guys
Never heard of Gateway then ?
I really hope, this could lead to inexpensive PowerPC-based PCs, even cheaper then some of Apple's cheap machines-- (the iMac [at us$1299] and the iBook [at us$1599]).
:-( This is too bad, since the PowerPC platform is well designed and put together, even if it has some faults.
Other PowerPC hardware is much more expensive.
Today really is pretty heavy on the business stuff, it's true.
...
But it's not really possible to neatly cleave business news from technical news: technical products are sold, after all, and the companies that make them and employ their designers grow, shrink, go new directions, make missteps
Also, as Linux becomes better known and more successful among non-Uebergeek users (I fit somewhere in the slime-mold sequence of computer users;) so I know we're out here!), the fact is that more things which are undeniably Business will be significant to slashdotters. If a big hardware company is even a smidgeon more open about their design to Open Sourcerers, it's a big deal.
Also, since now many businesses are (figuratively) scratching their chins and mumbling about Free OS alternatives to the perpetually baited hook of MS Upgrade, it makes sense that business coverage is more and more relevant.
Just some thoughts,
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Phase5 announced the A/box when Amiga had no owner (after Escom went
bust) and put it on hold once Gateway bought Amiga.
They have QNX neutrino OS and the hardware is off-the-shelf so it
should be easy/quick to produce. I have a few phase5 cards -they re
all he best in their respective catagories, well designed and
manufacture and reliable
Alan Day - Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK
Neutrino does SMP and works on x86, PPC, SH3, SH4, Arm, StrongArm, and others
10% of the kernel (which is 40Kb) is CPU dependant, after written this 4Kb assembly or other, you just have to recompile the OS and that's it
--
http://www.beroute.tzo.com
"Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking