[openbeos] Re: Haiku on G3/G4
- From: "Axel Dörfler" <axeld@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 15:00:18 +0100 CET
Cian Duffy <myob87@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > Sorry for dragging this topic up yet again, but are there any
> > > plans
> > > afoot for resuming the PowerPC port of Haiku before R1, or is it
> > > an R2 target/beyond only?
> > "Officially", PPC isn't really a target at all. The short version
> > of why is
> > that Apple doesn't want us there and doesn't tell us anything about
> > their (overpriced but very cool) hardware.
> That didn't stop Linux, OpenBSD or NetBSD did it :-)
> Surely Darwin has to be the best source of potential hardware info -
> I
> mean its what Apple base their own OS off...
Actually, that was Be's official reason not to support Apple hardware
anymore. Dunno why he's come up with that ;-)
We definitely have enough information to have Haiku on Apple hardware,
and it will definitely happen. I just can't say when, but I want to
have it ready for R1.
> > Having said that, NewOS came somewhat PPC ready and Axeld put
> > some effort into it. He has also received a Pegasos 1 to attempt
> > the port.
> > All of this has been put on the back burner so that he could
> > complete
> > the "rest" of the kernel - the stuff that is cross platform.
> Did the Pegasos1 not have the openfirmware-from-hell that meant that
> certain peices of hardware never worked? I remember OpenBSD having
> serious problems with it, and with Genesi
The firmware is really very flawed, although it doesn't affect any
hardware. Right now, I don't even have Apple hardware (but thanks to
Andrew I have an offer for it), and since the Pegasos has more standard
hardware in terms of an IBM PC, it'll be easier to support everything
there.
The problem is just that because of the firmware, current Apple models
are much better to develop on. Genesi also wanted to give me a Pegasos
2 board, and this one has an improved OpenFirmware implementation,
although I heard it's still far from perfect.
> > > How out-of-sync with the current tree is the PPC port? Would
> > > there be
> > > a huge amount of work required to drag it back into sync - other
> > > than
> > > writing something to load it from Apples OF, this is. Not
> > > something I ever envisioned doing myself, but I could take a hack
> > > at
> > > it if need be.
> > Even within the kernel, most of the code is pretty cross-platform.
> > I would
> > bet that only 10% or so, depending on how you measure it, of the
> > kernel
> > is arch specific.
> OK. I'll have a look when the iBook arrives. I'm still waiting for
> it,
> second day spent sitting by the postbox...
The first thing to do is to get the boot loader running again
completely - and that shouldn't be that hard, since I already had it
loading the kernel.
Bye,
Axel.
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