Direct3D isn't a major issue; most all of the porting houses have developed special libraries that can translate Direct3D calls to OpenGL. The most difficult part of porting comes from endian issues. X86 chips are little endian, while PowerPC chips are big endian. Porters have to be sure to flip the bits when necessary.
Direct3D isn't a major issue; most all of the porting houses have developed special libraries that can translate Direct3D calls to OpenGL. The most difficult part of porting comes from endian issues. X86 chips are little endian, while PowerPC chips are big endian. Porters have to be sure to flip the bits when necessary.
Agreed. But the game structure also affects the time required to port it. Other OpenGL games have taken far longer to port because of this.
Nothinman
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Of course, the game has to be designed with portability in mind otherwise it'll be a huge hassle. I believe I read somewhere that id developers work on Linux and then port to Windows and OS X which makes the porting job much simpler, that would seem to be confirmed by the fact that the first Q3A test releases were Linux, OS X, then Windows.
Perhaps, but from your own link:
" Many mainframe computers, particularly IBM mainframes, use a big-endian architecture. Most modern computers, including PCs, use the little-endian system. The PowerPC system is bi-endian because it can understand both systems."
The chip can do both, but the os has to pick one or the other, and the Mac OS uses big endian. The G5 however, is big-endian only.
That's not a huge issue. I am running Linux on PowerPC right now and many C programs that were never tested to run on my computer will compile fine.
It used to be a big deal about PPC vs x86, but it's not critical. Hell in old-fasioned terms the AMD64 and Pentium Pro/3/4 proccessors would be considured "RISC" proccessors with some complex instructions added on with a layer of hardware-based emulation to make them backward compatable with the old "CISC" pentiums.
Quake3 was portable because the people who made it were superior programmers. You'd be suprised about the number of games that don't actually use Direct3d for the actual game, but use DirectX for menus and such and thus have the requirement. Often they use their own in house OpenGL-based engines, hell Id is still selling Quake3 engines for modern games...
It's not impossible to port things either, from DirectX. Unreal Tournament 2004 is a DirectX game, and somebody working mostly on the side ported it to use LibSDL and OpenAL libraries to make it cross-platform and run it in Linux natively.
Lots of game manufacturers, for better or worse, work with people like Transgaming to make there Windows games run well in Cedega (WineX). For example as soon as Halflife2 was released for Windows, Transgaming announced support for Steam and Halflife2 for Linux. Stuff like this won't work at all on a PowerPC machine, though.
It just takes the desire on part of the Game makers to do it. I just wish more would take the time to avoid locking themselves and their customers into one platform.
Plus you don't have to go with bigname games all the time. I have learned that smaller games are fun, too, and cheaper. Plus the people that run them are less likely to be a-holes.
garagegames.com is a decent example. They bought the "Tribe" engine a while back and resell the code for independant gamers to make games with. They have several good games on their website and most of them run in Windows, Linux, and OS X. Personally I have bought "Gish", "Bridge Constructor Set" (funner then it looks), and Marble Blast Gold came with my OS X box, plus I bought it on a seperate occasion long ago. They have Demos aviable for most games...
They don't have versions aviable for all platforms, but they usually do. They allow you to download and install multiple times on multiple computers, your allowed to install for your family members, too. I figure this is superior to stuff like halflife and Steam, not because it's better games, but because its just about having fun. Fun little things you don't have to make big issues about.
there are things like this independant games awards to help you find good games. Screw MS and EA.
It used to be a big deal about PPC vs x86, but it's not critical. Hell in old-fasioned terms the AMD64 and Pentium Pro/3/4 proccessors would be considured "RISC" proccessors with some complex instructions added on with a layer of hardware-based emulation to make them backward compatable with the old "CISC" pentiums.
Quake3 was portable because the people who made it were superior programmers. You'd be suprised about the number of games that don't actually use Direct3d for the actual game, but use DirectX for menus and such and thus have the requirement. Often they use their own in house OpenGL-based engines, hell Id is still selling Quake3 engines for modern games...
It's not impossible to port things either, from DirectX. Unreal Tournament 2004 is a DirectX game, and somebody working mostly on the side ported it to use LibSDL and OpenAL libraries to make it cross-platform and run it in Linux natively.
Lots of game manufacturers, for better or worse, work with people like Transgaming to make there Windows games run well in Cedega (WineX). For example as soon as Halflife2 was released for Windows, Transgaming announced support for Steam and Halflife2 for Linux. Stuff like this won't work at all on a PowerPC machine, though.
It just takes the desire on part of the Game makers to do it. I just wish more would take the time to avoid locking themselves and their customers into one platform.
Plus you don't have to go with bigname games all the time. I have learned that smaller games are fun, too, and cheaper. Plus the people that run them are less likely to be a-holes.
garagegames.com is a decent example. They bought the "Tribe" engine a while back and resell the code for independant gamers to make games with. They have several good games on their website and most of them run in Windows, Linux, and OS X. Personally I have bought "Gish", "Bridge Constructor Set" (funner then it looks), and Marble Blast Gold came with my OS X box, plus I bought it on a seperate occasion long ago. They have Demos aviable for most games...
They don't have versions aviable for all platforms, but they usually do. They allow you to download and install multiple times on multiple computers, your allowed to install for your family members, too. I figure this is superior to stuff like halflife and Steam, not because it's better games, but because its just about having fun. Fun little things you don't have to make big issues about.
there are things like this independant games awards to help you find good games. Screw MS and EA.
I was thinking about four hours ago, 'this thread sure has some coincidental timing, doesn't it?'
That mac mini looks pretty decent. I have almost the exact same specs in my Ibook laptop:
1.20ghz, 60gig harddrive (upgraded at apple), ATI 9200 mobile.
I upgraded my ram to 1280MB from a gig of ram i bought from newegg...
Plenty fast for normal office stuff, watching movies and such. I do 3d stuff in Blender and that works just fine. I dual boot Ubuntu and OS X, and both operating systems are fine. The build quality is better then my old Gateway, definately. I wouldn't recommend buying a Powerbook, though, unless you have expensive mac-only applications you need it to run on.
That Mac mini would be great for people that don't game a whole lot and need something for e-mail and other corrispondence. Perfect for Office enviroments and you can run MS Office on it, too. (if that's what you realy want. Prefer O
rg personally.)
1.20ghz, 60gig harddrive (upgraded at apple), ATI 9200 mobile.
I upgraded my ram to 1280MB from a gig of ram i bought from newegg...
Plenty fast for normal office stuff, watching movies and such. I do 3d stuff in Blender and that works just fine. I dual boot Ubuntu and OS X, and both operating systems are fine. The build quality is better then my old Gateway, definately. I wouldn't recommend buying a Powerbook, though, unless you have expensive mac-only applications you need it to run on.
That Mac mini would be great for people that don't game a whole lot and need something for e-mail and other corrispondence. Perfect for Office enviroments and you can run MS Office on it, too. (if that's what you realy want. Prefer O
rg personally.)Originally posted by: drag
That mac mini looks pretty decent. I have almost the exact same specs in my Ibook laptop:
1.20ghz, 60gig harddrive (upgraded at apple), ATI 9200 mobile.
I upgraded my ram to 1280MB from a gig of ram i bought from newegg...
Plenty fast for normal office stuff, watching movies and such. I do 3d stuff in Blender and that works just fine. I dual boot Ubuntu and OS X, and both operating systems are fine. The build quality is better then my old Gateway, definately. I wouldn't recommend buying a Powerbook, though, unless you have expensive mac-only applications you need it to run on.
That Mac mini would be great for people that don't game a whole lot and need something for e-mail and other corrispondence. Perfect for Office enviroments and you can run MS Office on it, too. (if that's what you realy want. Prefer O
OOo is painful (at best) on Mac OS X. Word is sweet.
i use pearpc to run osx on my pc. it only took 20 minutes to install osx.
version 0.4pre gives a great speed boost to the emulator over version 0.2 , but it was still very choppy and unuseable.
the funny thing is, after updating to osx 10.3.7, the system is very useable now. the update gave it a huge speed boost!!
so i have to thank apple for helping me use osx on my pc!!!
osx detects my athlon xp 2550mhz pc as a 1.25ghz g4 mac.
version 0.4pre gives a great speed boost to the emulator over version 0.2 , but it was still very choppy and unuseable.
the funny thing is, after updating to osx 10.3.7, the system is very useable now. the update gave it a huge speed boost!!
so i have to thank apple for helping me use osx on my pc!!!
osx detects my athlon xp 2550mhz pc as a 1.25ghz g4 mac.
Sounds good. Apple has a habit of making OS X faster with every update. It's also good that PearPC is faster now.
I hope you're using a purchased copy of OS X (I'd say legal but there is something about using it only on Apple hardware in the license, what a load of crap).
it's a debate whether emulating osx on a pc is illegal or not. according to this http://forums.pearpc.net/viewt...order=asc&start=30
some people think it is, some people think it isnt. since apple hasnt sued pearpc, they must not think anything of it.
but if the Mac OSX EULA says that "it only must be installed "onto an Apple-labelled or Apple-licenced computer." then does the label on my ipod count?
some people think it is, some people think it isnt. since apple hasnt sued pearpc, they must not think anything of it.
but if the Mac OSX EULA says that "it only must be installed "onto an Apple-labelled or Apple-licenced computer." then does the label on my ipod count?
If it is illegal, I think it's crap and everyone should ignore that. But I do think they should purchase their copy of OS X.
OS X doesn't even cost as much as Windows anyway.
I don't think Apple really cares about PearPC tho because it's still not very usable.
I don't think Apple really cares about PearPC tho because it's still not very usable.
That's exactly what I'll be doing. I have wanted to "play with" OS X for forever now and have never been able to afford it. The Mac Mini announcement was great though. Just ordered a new KVM (to replace my 2-machine unit) in anticipation.
Originally posted by: MGMorden
That's exactly what I'll be doing. I have wanted to "play with" OS X for forever now and have never been able to afford it. The Mac Mini announcement was great though. Just ordered a new KVM (to replace my 2-machine unit) in anticipation.
I'm planning on picking one or two up myself. And a zaurus.
I might get one for my grandmother. We stole her IBM Aptiva and gave her a crappier one back, so I think this might be nice for her.
If you get one I'd like to here about it.
I figured they are the same as my Ibook, just with desktop sized memory and harddrive as well as a different form factor. One thing that suprised me about my Ibook was how easy it is to install the memory. Much easier then my last x86 laptop. It doesn't even void the warrentee or anything. (I think).
If the miniMac is the same way then it should be a good thing to buy. It would make a good Linux small form factor PC. Hell it's 9200 video card is well supported by free drivers, even good 3d acceleration. It would make a great little MythTV frontend (if you can get TV out on the thing, or hook it up to a HDTV thru the DVI connector (?? or is DVI for HDTV different from DVI for computers?))
I figured they are the same as my Ibook, just with desktop sized memory and harddrive as well as a different form factor. One thing that suprised me about my Ibook was how easy it is to install the memory. Much easier then my last x86 laptop. It doesn't even void the warrentee or anything. (I think).
If the miniMac is the same way then it should be a good thing to buy. It would make a good Linux small form factor PC. Hell it's 9200 video card is well supported by free drivers, even good 3d acceleration. It would make a great little MythTV frontend (if you can get TV out on the thing, or hook it up to a HDTV thru the DVI connector (?? or is DVI for HDTV different from DVI for computers?))
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