@ackcontrls

Quote:

It must be the North American "can do" attitude that enables us to accomplish goals that others believe impossible.

Did you really say "accomplish"? I've almost spilled my coffee...

POWERVIXXEN LT/TL

23-Dec-2004
http://www.amiga.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4457
"Products are presently in prototype form running Linux and will be available in Q1 2005."

-->No products were available in Q1 2005

01-Dec-2005
http://www.amiga.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6519

28-Dec-2005
http://os4.exec.pl/IRC/amigaos4pl_28122005
"[22:22:53] ackcontrols: The PowerVixxen LT has gone to production, docs are being polished up.
[22:46:02] ackcontrols: End of january give or take."

-->PV LT never went into production and wasn't released end of january.

18-May-2006
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3097
"[01:46:56] AmigaBlitter: I rewrite the questions: When you plan to demo the board for the public?
[01:47:32] ackcontrols: AmigaBlitter: End of June."
[01:52:13] AmigaBlitter: availability? end of June?
[01:52:32] ackcontrols: July time frame for availability.
[01:55:09] ackcontrols: PowerVixxen LT
[02:02:56] jahc: when is the high end board going to come out?
[02:03:55] ackcontrols: Goal is to have several products available for AmiRevival show."

-->Board was never demo'ed end of june, wasn't available in july, not a single product was available when AmiRevival was supposed to be held (canceled)

11-Jun-2006
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3144
"Barring any unforseen issues, I'm expecting to have the PV LT at the AmiRevival show."
"I've never done a DPaint mockup, but will release pictures by Tuesday."
"A fully licensed Tsi109 based board running OS4 will be at the AmiRevival show."

-->The PV LT or Adam didn't appear on AmiRevival
-->No pictures were released on tuesday
-->No fully licensed Tsi109 based board running OS4 was demonstrated when AmiRevival was supposed to be held (canceled)

CPU MODULES

23-Apr-2006
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3047
"Prototype modules will be demonstrated May 22/2006."
"Estimated Availability June 19/2006"

-->No prototypes were demonstrated May 22/2006
-->No modules were available on June 19/2006 (and are still not available)

22-May-2006
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3104
"AmigaOne CPU Module Demonstration Rescheduled to Saturday, June 10th, 2006"

-->Demonstration on June 10th, 2006 was canceled

10-Jun-2006
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3142
"CPU demo has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled at this time"

AMIGA, INC. & ACK BOARDS

03-May-2007
http://os4.exec.pl/IRC/IRC-amigaworld-ACK_org.txt
"Developer systems will be ready to ship to the select devs mid May'ish."

-->No developer systems were shipped in May

OTHER

Jens Schoenfeld reports to have sent "numerous connector samples" to Adam, who never paid them, neither returned them.

AmigaAbbatoir reported to have sent Adam a board for repairs in November 2004 and prepaid $575 for the repairs, but Adam still hasn't returned the board or the money.
Update: AmigaAbattoir finally received his mainboard in working order on 20 July 2007.

Ivan reports that he is still waiting for a board that he sent to Adam in July 2006.

Chip reports that Adam fixed his A1 in 2005, but that he had to "wait a lot for it."

KneeDeep is still waiting for Adam to return his board.

Terminator3 reports about his experience with ACK Software Controls.

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@takemehomegrandma

???

The amiga OS is fundamentally multitasking, every one of its major components is a separate process. Ask anyone who knows what they're talking about and they'll tell you that the ideal number of CPUs for a multitasking system is one CPU per task, anything else is cheating to save the end user money. Any task that is not waiting for IO to complete should be doing useful work, not sitting in a queue waiting to get it's 12.5ms worth of CPU time. The more CPUs you have, the fewer tasks will be in that state.

@CodeSmith

Quote:

Ask anyone who knows what they're talking about

I suggest you do the same.

@takemehomegrandma

Zing! nice rebuttal

Ohh great :)

But just one question, just how long will we have to wait to see that this will never materialize??

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@CodeSmith

Quote:

I'm fairly certain that OS4 can be tweaked to run on this CPU,

Thank you, for the intel! This is very reassuring to know!

_________________
If you're going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

@CodeSmith

Sure if you got an OS designed to give each task it's CPU, and more importantly if you got apps that "know" other task are running at the very same time.


Wake me when you worked out those 2.

_________________
- We don't need good ideas, we haven't run out on bad ones yet
- blame Canada

@takemehomegrandma

Its a lot of horsepower to be sure! Maybe 3-D rendering, emulation and Linux can soak up some of that power...

In college I remember my Amiga printing REALLY SLOW with Final Copy! Was that due to bitmap fonts or something? It was awful & I bought a Mac for printing lengthy term papers. I hope that is something addressed in OS4. I'm not certain it was a CPU power issue.

NEED SOME MODERN APPS TO DRAG RACE THIS BABY AROUND!!!!!!!

_________________
If you're going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

@debrun

Interesting, do you think it would run OS4 faster than AROS running my FX60 setup?

I guess I would have to buy one to find out...

Wizz.

_________________
Rev 1D3 Amiga 1200, Apollo 1240 (40Mhz '040, 64MB RAM), Indivision MKII, Fast ATA MK V, Rapid Road USB, PCMCIA WIFI & OS 3.14

@hatschi

Oompf !!! LOL! Hate to say it, but that was well deserved.

@ACKControls

Shouldn't have boasted & stirred up our comrades across the pond! I think we will ALL remember this:

It must be the North American "can do" attitude that enables us to accomplish goals that others believe impossible.

Dude, if this turns out to be hype & spin.... I will have to move to Germany and drink all their delicious beer to forget this happened. Hmmm... summer vacation...

_________________
If you're going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

@Wizzard_o

Please do! Maybe a thousand Amiga NG users may start some development (IF this all pans out.)

_________________
If you're going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

@Returner
Quote:

How many layers does your board(s) have ?

lol! How many do you want?

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Here for the whimpering end

@takemehomegrandma

Quote:

takemehomegrandma wrote: @herewegoagain I don't agree. OS4 is a non-MP 32-bit OS, and even if you manage to get it run on *one* of the two cores somehow (thus ignoring the other), you would end up paying 100% of $1500 for a machine that you will use to 50% of its potential. I fail to see how this could be "the best CPU option"... But wasn't there a single-core version also?

Yes, there is suppose to be a single core version as well. The dual cores could also be useful immediately for anyone who also wants to run a Linux variant along side of AmigaOS, so I still think it's the best PPC option. It's the only one that currently provides a next gen 64-bit CPU core, along with PCI-e 16X and all of the other bells and whistles in a single package. The low wattage power consumption of the entire chipset and CPU is 25W with both cores and all chips maxed (worse case senario). That should make for some quiet running systems.

But nobody will ever be able to come up with anything for this market that won't be criticized heavily by someone or the other. This chair is too too big... this chair is too small. This porridge is too hot... this porridge is too cold. This bed is too hard... this bed is too soft. For those who think this machine is too much, buy the $490 version. Simple really.

Personally, I would rather pay $1500 for a complete branded machine based on the PASemi chip, than $1000 for just a motherboard that is based on years old flakey technology.

@CodeSmith

OK, let's try this analogy as a pedagogic example:

Look at this picture...



Do you see the round shaped hole? That is Amiga.

Do you see the green square block to the right? That's Multi Processing; running an OS on more than one core and/or more than one CPU.

What you are suggesting is putting that green square block through the round hole. What I am suggesting is that it won't be possible, since it won't fit. This is end of discussion really, or at least it should be.

*Maybe* it would be possible to jig-saw a square shape out of that round hole, and then *continue* calling it "round shaped hole" (since you are in the "round shape business", and this is what we in this "round shape community" is interested in, the "round shape" is what we all are here for after all). But why on earth would one want to do that? It *won't be* a round hole anymore, only by name! None of my round blocks I have come to love throughout the years would be usable anymore, I would have to wait for someone to build up a new stack of square applications since everything round was killed in the process, and then what´s the point? I *already run* several square OS's (that each has a huge library of very professional square applications available already, applications that are industry standard unlike those apps that todays hobby programmers in this round community could achieve even in a ten year development time). In my world it's not an option to destroy that beautiful round shaped hole. And making it square but insisting in calling it round, does *not* make it a round shaped hole.

(BTW, you tell me to "Ask anyone who knows what they're talking about"; I suppose that would be the same clever people that believes that the triangular blocks (Memory Protection) will be a perfect match to the round shape holes as well? )

Last edited by takemehomegrandma on 06-May-2007 at 06:14 PM.

@herewegoagain

I'm not saying that this is a bad CPU in any way. I think it's the most interesting thing that has happened in POWER computing world in many years. I welcome PA Semi and their chips.

I only objected to your comment that this would be a perfect match in an OS4 context. I think it won't be, since OS4 cannot use this to its fullest potential.

But maybe you could "virtualize" the system and run OS4 on one core and Linux on another?

Quote:

It's the only one that currently provides a next gen 64-bit CPU core, along with PCI-e 16X and all of the other bells and whistles in a single package.

Don't want to sound like Hammer (), but note that a 970MP system provides pretty much the same thing, although not in a single package and not below 25W. However, AFAIK the 970 has some kind of 32-bit mode, which would be welcome in an Amiga context (although the multi cores and multi CPU's are just as redundant in this case as in the PA Semi case).

@takemehomegrandma

Quote:

But maybe you could "virtualize" the system and run OS4 on one core and Linux on another?

That would be kinda cool... but for me not necessary. However, if it was easy to implement, then sure, do it!


Quote:

Don't want to sound like Hammer (), but note that a 970MP system provides pretty much the same thing, although not in a single package and not below 25W. However, AFAIK the 970 has some kind of 32-bit mode, which would be welcome in an Amiga context (although the multi cores and multi CPU's are just as redundant in this case as in the PA Semi case).

I understand what you are saying about the extra core, but would there be a big price difference dropping back to a single core version?

And the part about being in a single package and running at 25W vs 100W for the 970MP (just for the CPU cores alone) is part of the my point. Also with the 970, you have the NB which will add even more power consumption. So I stand by the point that it's the only next gen CPU that offers so much into one really power efficient processor.

@debrun

I'm just getting tired at the claims that it's not possible. My lack of performance on previously announced products has a lot to do with the information on the situation that has recently become public. There are also a lot of other issues, some financial and some personal, that are not public knowledge.

Regardless, this hardware is becoming a reality, and Amiga Inc. has been the major factor in it. I can only make some people happy, some of the time. In the high end product, I have chosen a CPU that will scale above and beyond the dual 970MPs @ 2.5GHz at a significantly lower power dissipation. Considerations for versions of the Amiga OS beyond 4.0 have also been taken into consideration. Similarly, many users want to be able to run Linux, already running SMP and 64bit on the PowerPC architecture.

In one breath, people are claiming the entry level board is too low end, in a second breath, the same people are saying OS4.0 can't use the power of the high end board so why bother? When I can use a different chip to double the CPU performance on the same motherboard, why wouldn't I use it. Also, knowing that a more than 4x jump will be possible with a slight re-design, why wouldn't I choose it?

Reality is that the IT world has gone 64bit and multicore. Is the PWRficient chip an embedded chip? Present marketting is being directed that way. Guess what? More CPUs are used in automobiles than desktop and laptop computers combined. Pretty big market I would say. Was it intended to be an embedded chip? Good question. Only the folks at P. A. Semi can answer that one completely, but I suspect they were going after Apple for a slice of the PowerPC pie that Freescale and IBM had when Apple made PPC machines.

I am also of the strong oppinion that the flexibility Apple has always had with their "fat" binaries is going to allow them to leverage the best of both the Intel and PowerPC worlds where it makes sense from a business perspective. At the moment PowerPC is out and Intel is the new kid on the block at Apple, but I'm sure their goal is to create products based on CPUs that give them a performance and/or cost advantage.

Adam

@ackcontrls

So, what about a mid range system ? A single core version of the high end model if you will. Just a thought.

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Everything you say will be misquoted and used against you..
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@ackcontrls

Thanks for your efforts Adam.

If the high end board is based on the PASemi chip, I think you have gone the correct route. It's a much more future oriented CPU than anything we've seen in this market so far. I'm looking forward to the press release tomorrow.

@takemehomegrandma

Care to rewrite post [ #103 ] ?

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Everything you say will be misquoted and used against you..
~