Re: [MiNT] New MiNT distribution is n.. ..pro

[Johan Klockars <rand@cd.chalmers.se>]

> Such a PCI PPC-card already exists. For example, look at:
> 
> http://joecard.com/

:-)

> This one is very expensive, by the way... Any way, it will be adapted to

I thought the prices for the <300MHz versions were rather reasonable.
Might even consider buying one (once I get a better paying job ;-).

>  JK> But would it really be worth all the (major) extra trouble just to not
...
> Yes, it's worth the trouble. Even if you close your eyes, an emulator will 
> still be nothing more than an emulator, not a computer.

I really don't understand this point of view.
'Nothing more than an emulator'? 'Not a computer'?

I don't hear millions of Mac people complaining, and until recently major
parts of their OS (as well as all pre-PPC software, obviously) was emulated.
Transmeta doesn't seem to worry that people will dislike their new chip
just because it emulates the x86 architecture in software.
It's even likely that later versions of Intel's IA-64 (Itanium/Merced)
architecture will be emulating the x86 in software.

> The best way we can go, IMHO, is to "open" our MiNT system in order to use
> the Linux GPL drivers recompiled in 680x0 code. That will solve the problem
> of the support of any new piece of hardware (at least partially, because

Unfortunately, Linux is often not a top priority for PCI card manufacturers.
My current graphics card (a GeForce) is the first one (out of three) I've
had for my PC that actually got usable Linux drivers before I upgraded, and
not very many cards support 3D acceleration under Linux.
My year and a half old soundcard only recently got Linux support...

> And among the new pieces of hardware, we may introduce a PCI PPC-card and
> begin to port everything and write new software in PPC native code.

Since people in the Atari market seem to get by just fine on the very slow
hardware we have, why don't we just port everything to Java?
(That's not entirely ment as a joke.)

> Well, if only Milan GmbH had adopted the PPC for the Milan 2... But they 
> refused Motorola's offer who wanted to give them the 680x0 emulator _for
> free._ (Don't ask how I know; I'll even deny having said anything.) In that
> case, we wouldn't be here, still arguing about what our future could be.

Oh, but I think we would.
At least I would most definitely not want our future to depend on some
relatively expensive machine from one very small company.
IMO, the only reasonable thing to do for the longer term is to make use
of something that already exists and that has a large market outside the
(regrettably) very small Atari community.

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