From: awdorn@primenet.com (Alexander W. Dorn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: To PPC or not PPC?
Date: 25 Jul 1997 15:14:02 -0700
Organization: Primenet
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References: <869874180mnewsmeikled@zeta.org.au>
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meikled@zeta.org.au (David Meiklejohn) wrote:

| Like many Amigans at present, I don't know which way to jump.

> > > S N I P < < <

| I liked the Amiga (and the 68k) because it was a fresh design.  The only
| design constraint was to build as good a system as possible, with no
| concern for compatibility.  That approach included a brand-new OS, which
| is still me favourite to use, even today.

| But now my Amy is resembling the sort of kludge I've always hated.

> > > S N I P < < <

| And now I'm considering adding a PowerPC processor.  An extra CPU on the
| side, which will hopefully become used by an increasing number of apps.
| But face it, it's a kludge!  The supposed 0.1s delay in calling 68k
| functions from the PPC side is not real nice.

> > > S N I P < < <

| I can't really like this solution, but it seems to be the only way out
| at present.  Ideally I'd like to get a whole new PPC computer, designed
| "right" from the ground up.  A PIOS TransAM would fit the bill, but then
| I wouldn't be running AmigaOS anymore.

| I'd like to be able to continue with the Amiga.  The community is great.
| The shareware is superb.  Wonderful feel to the OS.  I've been into Amigas
| for 11 years, so why stop now?

| Any thoughts anyone?

Well, first off, to defend the Amiga a little, sort of, on the Kludge
arguement--Yes, it is a bit of a Kludge, with patch over patch on the
Operating System, and RTG setups like CyberGraphx and Picasso96,
perhaps nicer than EGS, but still potential problems when running
Amiga software, but you must realize that they exist not as engineered
additions to the Amiga, but as third-party add-ons, which were
concieved and brought to life while the Amiga was trapped in
Bankruptsy Purgatory.

Unlike the "Kludge" you site on other systems, on the Amiga, it was a
means of taking a machine that was not being advanced, and taking it
farther than most probably would have imagined, capability wise.  The
fact that Amiga Software, not written to use SVGA-Type cards, can run
at SVGA resolutions, today, is increadable!  But, yes, more or less,
it is a large series of hacks and patches that make it possible.

On to business:

	To PPC, or not to PPC, that was the question (was it not?)

	Weather 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer the	slow processing speeds
	of a 68k Processor;

	or to Take On the task of switching to another platform;

	and in so doing, abandon Amiga...


	To Switch, to Switch per chance for speed!

	Eye, there's the rub, for in that speed of PPC, what programs may
	come, when we have shuffled off this AmigaOS.

	For what OS should we bear?

	To that Undiscoverd Country from whose borders the Amiga
	may not return.


Please excuse me for going into a little Shakesphere Rant, but
remember, you started it with they way you phrased your question  :)

Seriously, though, unless you have any projects immediately pending
that have a great need for speed, I would suggest waiting a little
longer.

As the Phase5 boards come out, and we get a few reviews of how well
they work; and if they are reported to work well, it will very likely
cause an increase in sales of the units; and when PPC Processors are
within the casings of more and more Amigas, I expect that a great
number of programs will be ported to use the PPC Processor, and,
hopefully, GW2k/A.Intl will have released their intentions towards a
PPC version of AmigaOS.

Of course, if GW2k/A.Intl decide on a CHRP/PowerUP version of their
OS, then the TransAM from PIOS, with a SiemeseSystem, may be another
route worth considering.

Hopefully, such a version of the AmigaOS will do away with the
"Kludge" that you mentioned, as, hopefully, Amiga International will
be able to catch up with and include in it's design the likes of MCP
and CyberGraphx and such in the next AmigaOS.

The truth is, unless you are really desprate for the speed, My
reccomendation is to wait; wait and see what happens.

The Pios ONE/TransAM is supposed to be out in August, I think, and the
PowerUP boards are due now.  With one or both of these options
available to the Amiga community, I think that the news of a
Next-Generation PPC Amiga/AmigaOS will be soon to follow.
---
Thank you for your time

Alexander W. Dorn