What's New in MorphOS 3

Originally published at: http://jpv.wmhost.com/morphos/morphos3/

Author: jPV/RNO

Preface

This small article is about what is new in MorphOS 3 compared to MorphOS 2 and especially to my review of it. I'll try to gather the most visible new features to users while not going too deep underneath. More detailed update information can be found from the official release notes: 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6. Full list of currently supported hardware is found on the official compatibility page.

Updating to MorphOS 3 is free of charge for registered MorphOS 2.x users and the price has been dropped noticeably for others.

Laptop Support

MorphOS runs now on a wide selection of laptops. All Radeon equipped G4 Aluminum PowerBooks and all G4 iBooks are supported. Titanium G4 PowerBooks with Radeon do also work to some degree, but for example audio is missing on certain models.

Laptops work on native resolution by default, but MorphOS also offers few virtual modes for compatibility with fixed resolution programs and games. There's also a possibility to create new modes if needed. External monitors aren't supported yet, but external connector outputs laptop's native resolution image on VGA, which might or might not work on an external display. You might also try to use laptop on external monitor with lid closed.

MorphOS supports wireless networking with drivers for Apple's AirPort Extreme and AirForce One 54g. It means that internal WLAN adapters found in laptops and Mac minis will work for example. External Atheros 5000 based PCMCIA and PCI cards are supported too.