A15 support

If there is a board avaliable is there likely to be a port soon?
What would it require?
A bounty for boards for the developers? I’d be happy to donate.

Something like this:

http://www.cnx-software.com/2012/03/07/samsung-exynos-5250-dual-core-cortex-a15-and-gaia-smdk-development-board/

Can’t seem to find anywhere to buy one yet though…

You’ll find it’s currently way off. There’s still the BB’s OMAP port AND the R-pi. Neither of which are anywhere near completion. So the “next board” will just have to wait

I guess the BB and PB are nearly “good enough”, so getting RISC OS to run on the “next board”, even if only rudimentary initially, would be very valuable. For RISC OS to survive, it is very important to get it running on as many platforms as possible. Obviously, it is also important to get it running in a near-perfect fashion on selected platforms.

Amazing power from this board. However, RISC OS needs more up-to-date software rather than funky hardware to run on.

Hasn’t it been the case that all the recent ports to new hardware have been started by individuals, who just fancied a go? The more platforms available and the more powerful they are, is more likely to encourage development of the OS and applications.

Indeed, if you’d like a port to chip X or board Y or an app to do Z, just get on with it. If you need advice, there’s plenty of that available. I think existing developers are spread thinly enough so, by getting on with it, you’re providing more of the resource that’s in shortest supply. I realise not everyone has the skills to do this, but this is the more constructive way forward IMHO.

By the way, that dev board looks expensive. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was $500+.

I wish I had the time to spend learning it, but I’m trying to wrap my head around using toolbox. Last time I used RISC OS I used the SWI/SYS calls directly for everything, that was around 20 years ago!
Once/If I manage to get to grips with toolbox, and write a couple of applications I would love to attempt a port.
I figure the board would be around that price range at the moment, IMHO the 15’s are going to be next year before they get to a reasonable price, but with sata a nice SSD etc. it would run like stink!
Here’s hoping that with the little time I have I make some good progress and stick with it!

The A15 does look good. A port to the A15 core might be worthwhile, without putting lots of effort into targeting a particular SoC – it remains to be seen which SoCs will have sensible boards. No point targeting something that only ends up in phones. That makes it easier for folks interested in a particular platform to pick it up. Looking at the list of A15 SoCs announced I’d guess the TI OMAP 5 would be most amenable, but we’ll have to wait and see.

I note the A15 core technical manual is available if anyone wants to do some advance reading.

The more platforms available and the more powerful they are, is more likely to encourage development of the OS and applications.

Interestingly however, what’s the real world situation at the moment? Without doubt the PandaBoard is the most powerful, BeagleBoard well supported and yet the humble RaspberryPi seems to steal the show.
Of course I agree that the A15 looks very desirable and ultimately it’s what I want but without affordable hardware it’s not going to happen anytime soon. All IMHO of course!

Well the Pi might be stealing the show. But I suspect that is due to the huge numbers of them being produced, as well as having a low cost of entry. There are also hopes of reviving the educational presence of RISC OS. So no the situation is not really surprising, It does however provide choice for those who want more power!

It’s a little like choosing between an A3000 and an A540!

More ports should welcomed and encouraged