MorphOS

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MorphOS
MorphOS logo
Website http://www.morphos-team.net
OS family Amiga OS-like
Source model Closed source
Latest stable release 1.4.5 / February 23, 2006
Supported platforms Pegasos, some models of Amiga, EFIKA
Kernel type Micro/pico [1]
License Mixed proprietary and open source
Working state Current

MorphOS is an operating system. It is a mixed proprietary and open source platform produced for the Pegasos PowerPC (PPC)-processor-based computer, most models of PPC-accelerated classic Amiga computers, and a series of Freescale development boards that use the Genesi Firmware, including the EFIKA and mobileGT. The core, based on the Quark microkernel, is proprietary, although several libraries and other parts are open source, such as Ambient (the desktop interface).

Contents

[edit] Characteristics and versions

Developed for PowerPC processors by Freescale and IBM while supporting the original AmigaOS MC680x0 applications via proprietary task-based emulation, and most AmigaOS/PPC applications via API wrappers. It is API-compatible with AmigaOS 3.1 and has a GUI based on MUI.

Besides the Pegasos version of MorphOS, there is a "PowerUP" version for Amiga computers equipped with PPC accelerator cards produced by Phase5. This version is free, although it does slow down after each two hour session if it has not been registered. Registration is free. PowerUP MorphOS was most recently updated on 23 February 2006, however it does not exceed the feature set or advancement of the Pegasos release.[2][3]

A version of MorphOS for the EFIKA, a very small mainboard based on the ultra-low wattage MPC5200B PPC processor from Freescale, has been shown at exhibitions and user-gatherings in Germany.[4] The next release of MorphOS will support the EFIKA.

[edit] Components

MorphOS components:

[edit] Status

Being a closed source project, and its core team devoted to programming, instead of public relations, obtaining information about MorphOS status is not easy. Most public discussions come in form of threads in the MorphZone forums, where there is one called "MorphOS 2.0 status", which compiles bits of information from other threads, grouped together in updates posted by user "jcmarcos". This updates are posted regularly, but only after some significant amount of new information is retrieved. The thread is not exclusively for updates, so it is fairly long, containing comments from other MorphZone users.

[edit] History

The project started in 1999, based on the Quark microkernel. The earliest versions of MorphOS ran only via PPC accelerator cards on the classic 68K Amiga computers, and required portions of Amiga OS to fully function. A collaborative effort between the companies bPlan (of which the lead MorphOS developer is a partner) and Thendic-France in 2002 resulted in the first regular, non-prototype production of bPlan-engineered Pegasos computers that run MorphOS. A busy promotional year followed in 2003, with appearances at conventions and exhibitions in several places around the world, including CES in Las Vegas. Thendic-France had financial problems and folded, however the collaboration continued under the new banner of "Genesi".

After some bitter disagreements within the MorphOS development team in 2003 and 2004 culminating with accusations by a MorphOS developer that he and others had not been paid,[5] the Ambient desktop system was released under GPL and is now actively developed by the Ambient development team. An alternative MorphOS desktop system is Scalos.[6] MorphOS is currently under development, with the latest Pegasos user release being 1.4.5 (30 April 2005). There is a user community that supports the OS as well as a number of developers.

Two past key deficiencies of MorphOS have been the absences of a bundled native TCP/IP stack and a web-browser with modern capabilities (most notably, support for Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS). However the user community is remedying this through the use of bounties[7] that have so far resulted in MOSNet, a free TCP/IP stack, and "Sputnik," a port of KHTML browser, based on S60 WebKit. The first Sputnik version was released on November 11, 2006, and the most recent updated release on August 9, 2007. Sputnik is free.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Basic Kernel Information. MorphOS Home Page. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  2. ^ Piru (February 23, 2006). Announcements : Updated MorphOS for PowerUP Users. Amiga.org. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  3. ^ Thom Holwerda (August 24, 2005). MorphOS 1.4.5 Released for Classic Amiga. OSNews. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  4. ^ Thom Holwerda (October 17, 2006). MorphOS 1.5 Running on EFIKA to Be Shown. OSNews. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  5. ^ MorphOS - the end of an era
  6. ^ Chris Haynes (March 21, 2007). Scalos - The Amiga Desktop Replacement. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  7. ^ Morph Bounties. MorphZone. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.

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