Re: [ql-users] Hardware platforms

[Phoebus Dokos]

At 12:26 �� 29/10/2002, you wrote:

I must have missed your previous message.  Are you suggesting the acquisition
of an Amiga and QDOS Classic as a good alternative to Qlay?  How does this
relate to the PC filesystem?

What is "UAE"?

Stephen

Hi Stephen,
UAE means "Unix Amiga Emulator" (An old term as UAE runs on practically everything that has a hard drive ;-) eg. Unix/Linux, BeOS, DOS, Windows, AROS, Acorn etc.

Then there is QDOS Classic for Amiga which comes in two flavours: One as a kickstart ROM (which substitutes the ROM under the UAE emulator (I am not sure if you can burn it on a regular ROM and use it on a regular Amiga but Mark can probably clarify this) and one as a regular Software package for the Amiga which works either on regular Amigas -or- the emulated Amiga system (UAE).

When using it as a ROM file only you can only read Amiga Disk image files (more on that on a different email ) (Mark and Simon are working on a workaround) but when using it under a fully emulated -or- regular Amiga System you have access to PC disks.

The advantages of using the UAE-Amiga / QDOS Classic solution are many:

1. If you want to use REAL 68K hardware you can get it dirt cheap (Amigas can be bought for as low as 10 UKP on eBay)
2. You get a full 68040 either way (Emulation or real Amiga -depends of course if you HAVE an 68040 installed in your Amiga but in the emulator you have an option to use 68000, 68010, 68EC020, 68020 + FPU, 68030 and 68040)
3. Full SSS support
4. It's free :-) (Not if you use UAE as a full Amiga emulator in which case you need to have the ROMS which have to be either bought or extracted from a legal Amiga.... *cough*
5. it's fast
6. It works everywhere... so if you're for example into Macs you don't have to spend a fortune buying both QPC and Virtual PC/Windows

The disadvantages
1. Does not run SMSQ/E
2. Does not support high colour
3. It's not fpu optimized (Ask Marcel for details, but his FPU routines are pretty darn good ;-)
4. If your PC is not fast you eat QPC's dust ;-)
5. It cannot (yet) directly read QDOS disks (only when running on a real Amiga)
6. You cannot have support for networked drives as in QPC

I hope I answered your questions


Phoebus