Exec SG is shaping up very nicely indeed, and it seems the efficiency of the original Exec has been preserved. Ben from Hyperion was quoting context switch times that are pretty damn quick - rivalling that of the realtime QNX Neutrino, another efficient and portable kernel that nearly took Exec's place a few years ago. You can rest assured that AmigaOS 4 is going to fly, and not just with native code because the 68k emulation is coming up with excellent results. 68060 performance on one of the old PowerPC 603e cards anyone?
But how much longer do we have to wait until AmigaOS 4? Well, it's 90% complete (or maybe 99%, depending on who you ask) with the remaining modules due to be completed in the next few weeks. I'm assuming this doesn't include testing of a more public kind, though the modules completed so far have been undergoing beta testing with good results. With Exec SG running on the AmigaOne, I can't honestly see it being too much longer though I would have to say that a proper release this year is unlikely but not beyond the realms of impossibility.
In the meantime, Eyetech have now announced the availability of both AmigaOne SE (G3 @ 600 MHz) and XE (G4 @ 800 MHz) systems which will be shipped before Christmas. Eyetech (and also bPlan) have had some problems with the chipsets which have now been corrected. Coupled with the PPCBoot update, the boards are now ready to go into production. Without OS 4, the machines are being sold bare or bundled with LinuxPPC and UAE but fully ready to use OS 4 when released. Yes, OS 4 will be shipped as a free upgrade, as long as the machine is ordered before 31st December or when OS 4 is launched - whichever comes first.
Lastly, the big announcement from Amiga. This had the potential to be taken completely the wrong way by some, but the response was good. In fact, very good. The deal announced will result in a major distribution of the AmigaDE and DE software, initially across the USA but later internationally. And the
