Facebook
Britain's News Portal
Around The Clock
BREAKING
Loading latest headlines…

AROS, the open-source AmigaOS recreation, now runs on Raspberry Pi

AROS, a free and open-source re-implementation of AmigaOS, can now boot and run natively on Raspberry Pi hardware, including the Pi 3. The project's nightly builds include images for both 64-bit and 32-bit Arm devices.

  • AROS nightly builds now include native images for 64-bit Raspberry Pi hardware, including the Pi 3 and Pi Zero, and for older ARMv6-based devices.
  • The initial build boots to the Workbench desktop in about five seconds, but is described as a prototype that is incomplete and may not be very stable.
  • The Pi version of AROS does not yet have 680x0 emulation, so it cannot run classic Amiga applications.

AROS, the all-FOSS re-implementation of AmigaOS, now supports Arm hardware, with nightly builds available for both 32-bit and 64-bit Raspberry Pi devices, particularly the Pi 3.

The nightly images include raspi-aarch64-system for 64-bit capable hardware and raspi-armhf-system for older ARMv6-based devices. The install images are just over 100 MB, with an additional gigabyte of compressed files containing apps, demos and tools available in separate contrib files.

This marks a step forward as AROS can now boot and run on bare metal, rather than hosted on top of another Arm OS such as Linux. The initial build boots to the Workbench desktop in about five seconds.

However, the Pi version is described as a prototype: it is incomplete, may not be very stable, and lacks 680x0 emulation, meaning it cannot run classic Amiga apps. Pi 4 support is also lagging, with no sound or networking.

Separately, THEA1200 has been officially recognised as an Amiga product. RGL announced on Facebook that it has reached an agreement with Mike Battilana and Amiga Corp, which refers to Cloanto, the company that owns the Amiga trademarks and the rights to the original 680x0 AmigaOS. This deal could allow RGL to bundle the genuine original AmigaOS with THEA1200.

Why this matters: The Raspberry Pi's narrow hardware range makes it easier for a small experimental OS like AROS to offer complete support, potentially providing a cheap way to experience an Amiga-like environment.

What this means for you: Owners of a Raspberry Pi 3 or Pi Zero can try the experimental AROS nightly builds, though they should expect an incomplete and potentially unstable system that cannot yet run classic Amiga software.

Related Articles

Get the news that matters.

Join thousands of readers getting the best of British news straight to their inbox.