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[asian1]

Hi
Is it possible to port AmigaOS 4 or MorphOS to this new Marvell PowerPC 970 board (end of 2005):

http://www.embeddedplanet.com/products/ep970.asp

The EP970I CompactPCI single board computer takes advantage of the IBM 970FX PowerPC processor. By integrating all of the features of the PowerPC into a production ready embedded development system, the EP970I reduces Time-To-Market and increases product reliability for Communications, Military/Aerospace, Medical, and Industrial applications.

[billt]

Technologically it's possible. So is a port to Nintendo Gamecube or an Apple iBook or Mac tower/desktop, or any other PowerPC based embedded-systems thingamy.

That's not the problem though, and isn't even the right question. The problem is who and why, and the correct question is why, basically business politics and financial things.

Who, as in who is going to sponsor development of the OS for these, who is going to pay the licensing fees, who is going to take responsibility.

Why, as in what purpose will it be used for. Will it be used by us consumers in place of an AmigaOne or PC or Mac desktop? Will it be used as a set-top box, medical device, aerospace, etc. Why would AmigaOS running in this device be a good idea and a successful product? Will sales make it worth Hyperion's while to do the work? Will sales fall short of your expectations and make the sponsoring company then unable to pay the licensing fees it is obligated to?

Hyperion should not be asked to take on the financial burden themselves every time someone here would like to see AmigaOS running on a particular hardware widget. If you believe it can be successful, then draw up a business plan, present it, and be ready to pay for the licensing. As with the Gamecube idea, if you don't believe in it enough to do put up some money and take claim to your fair share of any profits from the end product, then why would you expect Hyperion or anyone else would be willing to do so? Eyetech paid for the AmigaOne hardware, anyone wanting AmigaOS on a new bit of hardware should be willing to do the same, or have a respectable business plan to present to a company.


My own comment on the thingamy you mention is the lack of graphics. Looks like you could add a PCI graphics chip via an addon board, but remember that today we're looking at other platforms using AGP or PCI-Express for graphics... I myself would like to keep up with the times and current standards. I've thought about the 8541, 8555, and the newer 8548 as well as the 8641. They all seem like pretty cool chips, and the board you found could be a cool thing running AmigaOS, but be sure to be able to answer questions that would get asked, and there can be a number of very detailed things to explain before anyone else jumps on your bandwagon. Once you have a good "why", you should find the "who" and the money issues to be much easier to sort out.