Sven Harvey returns with some x86ness
Back in 1995 a project was started to
create an open source implementation of Amiga OS 3.1 and the project has been
ongoing ever since.
Ares
Now known as the litigation avoiding
recursive moniker of the AROS Research Operating System (you can be forgiven
for assuming it was Amiga Replacement Operating System), and even though it is
still in development by the open source community, the OS is reasonably stable
and for the last few years specially built PC hardware has been arriving with
which to use AROS.
The goals of the AROS project as stated on
the main source forge AROS page are:
·
Is as compatible as possible with Amiga OS 3.1
·
Can be ported to different kinds of hardware
architectures and processors, such as x86, PowerPC, Alpha, Sparc, HPPA and
other.
·
Should be binary compatible on Amiga and source
compatible on any other hardware
·
Can run as a standalone version which boots
directly from hard disk and as an emulation which opens a window on an existing
OS to develop software and run Amiga and native applications at the same time
·
Improves upon the functionality of Amiga OS
There are various AROS implementations
running around but the most attractive ones are probably Icarus desktop - a
preconfigured bootable-from-media distribution - and the more recently
introduced AEROS
AresOne
2012 wit AEROS r3 directors cut
As mentioned previously in Amiga Mart,
AEROS is a very clever hosted version of AROS which uses AROS as a Linux
desktop environment and manages to be the fastest WIMP for Linux in the
process, while also offering all the extra features and benefits of an Amiga
compatible operating system. Or, looking at it from the other way around, it’s
a fast AROS implementation offering a whole load of extra drivers thanks to
Linux!
However an OS is always at its most
efficient when run on hardware assembled specifically for it and that's where
the AresOne comes in. Well, strictly speaking it’s the AresOne 2012 as there
have been three predecessors from the German retailer, Vesalia, as well as home
grown efforts in the form of iMica from Cluster UK.
The new AresOne is based on an AM3
motherboard and is base specified as follows:
·
µATX AM3+ board w/ 2 memory sockets, Radeon
HD3000 graphics and high definition audio onboard
·
AMD Athlon II X2 3.2 GHz
·
2 GB RAM (DDR3 1333)
·
500 GB SATA HDD
·
MS-TECH LC-10 case incl. 430W power supply
It comes with AROS (obviously) though it
isn't clear which version, but AROS Broadway is the likely candidate though
clearly a version of AEROS is on the cards.
Alongside the AROS installation the AresOne
also comes with a software package including Cinnamon Writer (word processor)
and a license key for Frying Pan (DVD burning software).
Also included is a special OEM edition of
Amiga Forever, which provides the Kickstart and Workbench images for version
1,3 and 3.x as well as 50 games and 50 demos which can be used with the AROS
version of the UAE classic Amiga emulator. A license for the AMC (Amiga Media
Centre) software package is also included to provide video, music and photo
playback in a home cinema type environment.
“Sven Harvey has been our Amiga specialist
for over 12 years, drawing on his vast computing knowledge which is itself the
result of 21 years of retailing computer and video games”
