X-Amiga beta release is available now!

[Bloodwych]

I've been waiting for this for ages!

http://xamiga.net/index.html

X-Amiga has been released - a BETA download of an emulated Classic Amiga environment for standard PCs, all thanks to Amir Ansari (Fractallyte) who put the pack together in an easy-to-install ISO image.

Why is it special? Well, this is a very lite Linux distribution that only contains the required files to boot a PC directly into an emulated Amiga and Workbench environment (default is AmigaSYS I think).

Of course, this isn't the first of these kinds of packs, but this one sounds like it's building up to be the best.

I haven't tried it yet, but just imagine being able to use cheap PC hardware to boot directly into a Classic Amiga environment, with classic games and software compatibility. You can turn your aging PC into a nice Classic Amiga!

The main downside will be how mature the Linux version of UAE is, as it's bound to not be as polished or easy to use as WinUAE. Still, I hold high hopes for this project moving forwards. :)

[Tiago]

This is really great news!! ;)

[Harrison]

This does look like a very interesting project. I'm going to test this beta later and see how good it is.

I've also now added this to the news section on the main site as it will be of great interest to a lot of classic Amiga fans. Most have an old spare PC they could use for this.

I may even be tempted to buy a CatWeasel controller if the support for it proves to work well with this project. Can you test this out DC and let us know?

[Demon Cleaner]

Hm, seems like a lot of work. I would also have to partition my HD which is only 2GB. And as that PC is well configured to work with the Catweasel, I don't want to screw everything up.

[Harrison]

What about using a Virtual Machine such as VirtualBox to test it out? You only need a 40MB virtual HD to get it working.

[Demon Cleaner]

You never let lose, I should know that. Perhaps I'll try it next week, as I don't have the patience to test this after 22h this week.

So if I'm right, you boot directly in an Amiga environment and you use your Catweasel as Amiga floppy drive?

And I don't know if Virtual Box supports the Catweasel drivers.

[Harrison]

:lol: Well, not when you are the only one here with a CatWeasel ;)

I think Virtual Box has direct hardware access to all hardware in the host PC so it should work.

[Harrison]

Hmm... I've just been trying to get X-Amiga to work but so far no luck.

I didn't want to install it on a real PC until the final version is out, so just to give it a try I setup a new virtual machine using VirtualBox. The install ISO booted fine and I gave the GUI environment on the disc a try which is very nicely done as it has the look and feel of Workbench, but with Linux tools. And I proceeded with the X-Amiga install. I partitioned the virtual HD, setup everything and proceeded with the install. This all seemed to go smoothly, but then I got stuck. It completed the install and then asked if I wished to setup the Amiga files, which I did. But it wouldn't accept any of the kickstart roms I tried to load in.

This is therefore where I've got to at the moment. I will try some more later.

[Tiago]

In the FAQ:
Why is the display flickering?

It's a 'feature' ;-) The refresh rate is hard-set to 60Hz, so X-Amiga is currently suitable only for LCD monitors.


??:mad: ??

[Harrison]

Yeah, I noticed that one too. Maybe he just hasn't got around to that part of the development yet. Would be quite annoying for any CRT monitor owners though, although it does add a certain extra "retro" element to the package. ;)

[Bloodwych]

Hmmm, seems to be a few issues...

Won't have chance to test this myself anytime soon, but reading through the site and looking at the size of the ISO it can't have a Workbench (like AmigaSYS, AmiKit, ClassicWB etc) environment included, so I wonder what exactly does it boot into once installed?

Is it just a light Linux install that has a Workbench theme, with EUAE available for use? Or will it boot or can be made to boot directly into a EUAE environment without user intervention, like I initially thought?

I'll have to do some more research to find out. :)

[Harrison]

That is actually exactly what I need to know.

The point I've reached in the installation and setup of X-Amiga is that I've gone through the whole setup process, added the Amiga files (kickstart roms), and then it asks if I would like to load any existing OS setups into the installation, and then any adf file images. I skipped both of those steps without doing anything to see what the default package would do, and the installation said it was complete. I therefore reset the system and it booted to a completely blank screen with a cursor in the corner, but it wasn't flashing and I couldn't do anything. :unsure:

So does this mean we have to setup and load our own Workbench environment while we are installed X-Amiga? I'm now at a lose.

There definitely needs to be more detail in the installation guide too as it is very vague. At the moment I don't thing many people would even get to the installer if they haven't used a commandline or Linux before.

[Tiago]

I try to install in VMPlayer (virtual machine):

http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0255980901/commodore_amiga/images/x-Amiga-1.jpg
http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0255980901/commodore_amiga/images/x-Amiga-2.jpg
http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0255980901/commodore_amiga/images/x-Amiga-3.jpg
http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0255980901/commodore_amiga/images/x-Amiga-4.jpg

After installation, he said it was ok, i wass not able to do nothing.... the same screen as before instalation, and if i reboot, linux just say that i dont have a Operating system.

He said before install that i must format hd in mode 83.... ?! What is mode 83????
I try to format in many different ways... ext2/ext3/ntfs/ all of them the result was the same....

Harrison was it same with you?

[Harrison]

Yes, very similar to what happened when I tried.

But I used the CLI installer rather than the GUI installer because when I tried that it didn't start the installation. With the CLI installer it lets me partition the virtual HD, then it installs the system files, and finally asks me for a CD or USB drive with the kickstart files on. It then says the installation has finished. So I then rebooted but I just get a blank screen as though there isn't anything installed on the HD, although the virtual machine doesn't show the NO SYSTEM DISK error so I think GRUB must have installed correctly, but it can't find a Linux OS to boot.

As for the mode 83, if you try the installation from the CLI (type "xa-installer" to start it), when you get to the partition HD step it allows you to pick a file system to format the HD. Mode 83 is one of the options found within the listed options.

Not sure what else to try. Maybe we need to wait until the developer is back (he said he will be away for a week) and then we can ask for advice and help.

[Tiago]

I will try to install from CLI to see what happends....

[Bloodwych]

Amir Ansari (Fractallyte) just posted this in order to better explain X-Amiga.

It works exactly as I hoped, so I'm really supportive of this project moving forward. Hopefully now the beta is out, he'll have a chance to tackle the install issues.


My first post - I can't resist clarifying a few things...

X-Amiga is a custom Linux, built from scratch - not a repackaged or cut-down distro. I mention Gentoo in the 'About' page because that's what I used to build it! However, apart from the kernel, nothing else is inherited from that distribution.

It's as 'un-bloated' as possible. ~40MB may seem excessive, but half of that is taken up by the kernel, some by the splash graphics and the rest by mostly essential packages. It has networking, CPU frequency adjustment, USB access, security... Not too bad. I still intend to cut it down further!

A large kernel has no impact on speed. Very few services are started up, and the kernel itself is optimised for running one program well (E-UAE).

The one screenshot I've posted on the site is of the installer. It's just Linux, on a bootable CD. The window manager is called AmiWM - it mimics the look and feel of the Amiga. There's also an OS1.x mouse pointer theme. The shell is just a customised ATerm, and the familiar-looking file manager is Worker, a DOpus clone. No emulation is used here, it's all just Linux.

The installer (a GTK dialog script) copies a suite of packages to the destination, together with the kernel and some scripts. And E-UAE, of course. Again, this part is all Linux. The only Amiga files to be copied are your legally-acquired ROM(s), and a pre-installed operating system (whichever one you want to use: from 1.x to 3.x).

It won't overwrite any existing data partitions unless you tell it to! I was extremely careful about this. The summary screen warns which partitions will be deleted; the user has an opportunity to change the destination or abort installation, and only at the end - when pressing the 'Install' button - do the changes become irrevocable.

I suppose X-Amiga could be considered a Linux distro in its own right. In any case, all the installed packages exist only as infrastructure for E-UAE. And while E-UAE might not be as far along as WinUAE, it runs on an Open Source operating system: Linux. That's good enough.

The main reason in creating this was to provide as seamless an 'Amiga experience' as possible. So there's no scrolling text, no configuration screens, no icons to click-to-start. It boots as rapidly as it can into a genuine Amiga workbench. When you exit, it shuts down the computer.

I know Amithlon is better. I can claim only that X-Amiga is also a good solution. Naturally, I'd welcome technical input from users. I'm documenting everything; it's all wide open to peruse and hack!

Anyway, I'd better get back to updating it... Sorry about the boot problems!

Amir

[Harrison]

Yep, he emailed me to thank classicamiga for our support of the project and to let me know that he is now working on all the reported bugs. So good news. :)

[Tiago]

Did he saw this post?

[Harrison]

No, I emailed him offering our support for the project, and also posted a news article on the main site which he saw.