Arca Noae progress report: ArcaOS on UEFI-only hardware

[Jan-Erik Lärka]

It was Arca Noae that started the development of Arca Noae Package Manager (ANPM) and they offer it free of charge. It's a product that we may take for granted or wish has more features built in, but it provides you and me as end users (and devlopers) with a point and click application to install and update software components and libraries. Some of you have started to explore how to create packages for it,something that is great, wow. OS2World or Voice shuld host a repository of those packages to select from.

Lewis himself is involved in the community and work as treasurer of the Warpstock board:
http://www.warpstock.org/staticpages/index.php?page=directors
sometimes just passive reader while at other times take part in discussions.

We've always had to choose the hardware with care and Audio and WiFi is no different. This cheap laptop I write this on, came with an Atheros WiFi chip that I wish there where a driver for.
Arca Noae am aware of my need for a driver for this specific chip, just as with each of you and at the same time look at the bigger picture to see that they need to continue to resolve more things, but in another order that I can see or would choose from my perspective. The development resources are limited but they have a plan that they re(de)fine as time progress.

Am quite fund of the idea to develop new unified (qt-)libraries and routines to port drivers and software as it should allow us to get modern, stable and tested drivers and software that we otherwise never can expect. It may take some more time to get there, but we've seen many useful solutions that share common parts on OS/2.

More details:

The Linux way to develop, alter a lot of the core with each update, instead of keeping a stable mature core/interface. It affect projects like UniAud and Multimac etc.

* It seem as if they've modified so much in the kernel sources now that it's no longer possible to recompile the Linux ALSA code on OS/2. They have therefore started to work on a new Audio driver.
( Listen to the video URL below )

* WiFi has been delayed as the Linux kernel sources, that is the base for the Multimac library, change so much with each update.
( Listen to the video URL below )

Information has been obtained from this video url below and other Warpstock presentations made by David Azarewicz:
https://youtu.be/yr0dKX3YMdU?list=PL4pjffCdj7wQ1sMlO0j-gbGSUEnibfxwc
From about 30:00 you will hear David say it himself: He has spent time fixing boot issues on new hardware and resources are limited.

While I want WiFi and Audio drivers as well I think it's a bit to far to say that Arca Noae has the community set to the lowest priority.
It's just that they are very busy and working very hard. One adjustment to the video driver Panorama improved the performance for most systems but caused some (like mine) to not boot to desktop. Arca Noae resolved that issue very professionally and Panorama now handle many more (some even obscure) systems after that.

Regards,
//Jan-Erik

[Doug Bissett]

No matter what anyone says, the use of OS/2/ArcaOS is going to end-up on the ability to actually install it on modern hardware and that includes AMD processors because of the people in industry having been bitten by the Intel meltdown and spectre CPU bugs.

FWIW, I have been using AMD processors for a number of years, with no problems. The Intel problems are irrelevant, since there doesn't seem to be any way to deliver the payload to cause problems (that could be wrong, but I, personally, agree with that assessment)

I understand your concern about AMD Ryzen processors (which I don't have), however, from what I have heard, Arca Noae has probably got that one solved. I am not sure when it will be available. USB 3 seems to be well on the way. As announced recently, they are making progress with UEFI machines, that do not have the CSS module. Language support is getting closer. Other things are in the works. The bottom line is, that Arca Noae is working, very hard, on the problems. If you insist that they should waste time in these forums, rather than work on the problems, it will take longer.

[Lars]

Will "UEFI only" systems be the end of Panorama ?
Panorama uses VESA BIOS services. I wonder in how far that will work if you have no conventional BIOS any more.

[David Graser]

Arca Noae am aware of my need for a driver for this specific chip, just as with each of you and at the same time look at the bigger picture to see that they need to continue to resolve more things, but in another order that I can see or would choose from my perspective. The development resources are limited but they have a plan that they re(de)fine as time progress.

Am quite fund of the idea to develop new unified (qt-)libraries and routines to port drivers and software as it should allow us to get modern, stable and tested drivers and software that we otherwise never can expect. It may take some more time to get there, but we've seen many useful solutions that share common parts on OS/2.

//Jan-Erik

Over 8 years ago, my wife told me to remove my computer from the bedroom.  To use it elsewhere required WIFI.  To use elsewhere required 20 feet of ethernet cable.  Then my wife complained about the cable running across the floor.

I was then reduced to using Windows for too long.  When I heard that ArcaOS was continuing development of the OS/2 platform, I was thrilled and decided to purchase knowing that WIFI drivers might be eventually coming.  I ran the cable again and listened to my wife complain about the unsightly cable.  I endured because I have always enjoyed using the OS/2 platform.  Although Windows is more stable, it tracks everything you do.  This I do not care for. 

With the OS/4 kernel, the FFSandyBridge, and the AVX libs, I now have reliable internet.  Not one trap in almost 2 weeks.

With the Tp-Link ac750 which was recommended by others on this forum, I now have WIFI for my laptop.  Yes, it is not built into the computer.  That does not matter to me.

Another contributor to this forum gave info on how to use all my USB ports, including USB3.  Turn USB3 off in the bios and all USB ports now work as USB2.  Instead of one usable USB port, I now have three.

I have had to re-educate myself on the OS/2 platform because I had forgotten so much.  The sad part is that I once could write HLP and INF files.  I forgot how and at this point have not tried to relearn.

ArcaOS is a breath of fresh air for me.  I contribute monthly to the QT project because of its importance and because with daughter married, I have some extra money.

I am pleased with what ArcaOS has accomplished so far.  An OS/2 drought has taught me patience and I excitedly wait for the new features or improvements.

[Sandra Asja Eickel]

I know this is a really old topic, but I think it's worth refreshing with a new link to Arca Noae about exactly this theme:

https://www.arcanoae.com/what-arca-noaes-upcoming-uefi-support-means-for-arcaos/

In other threads, I've written more about this topic and USB 3 (XHCI) support.

Greetings,
Sandra-Asja