Virtio GPU, QEMU, KVM, etc.

@sofistisoftware

This 3 years old thread, not sure I understand, the context of your comment, I agreed to comment 21, did not respond to comment 30, my comment on 34 was about not being able to capture the market, ending up with a small part of the market, Hans did quite agree on what direction to take.

@smarkusg

done

@derfs
Thank you.

I am firmly convinced that emulation is not a threat, but rather the most realistic and powerful catalyst we have to significantly grow the AmigaOS 4 user base. Right now, the high entry barrier, dictated by expensive, niche, and often delayed dedicated hardware, is precisely what keeps potential new users and developers away.
Emulation removes this barrier overnight, allowing anyone with modern, powerful hardware to run and appreciate OS4. However, to make this experience truly viable, engaging, and modern, we cannot treat emulation as a mere second-class fallback: we need a fast, highly optimized emulated environment.
Developing a standardized suite of VirtIO drivers for AmigaOS 4 (GPU/display, block storage, network, input, and audio) is the exact missing link. By offloading hardware complexity and maintenance to the host hypervisor, we solve our chronic driver bottlenecks and grant OS4 immediate access to modern performance and peripherals without reinventing the wheel every time a new chipset appears.
A streamlined, highly responsive virtualized OS4 would immediately attract enthusiasts, developers, and returning Amigans. Growing the user base through accessible, rock-solid virtual machines is the only practical prerequisite to creating the critical mass needed to fund and sustain any future native hardware projects.
VirtIO is definitely the way forward, and focusing development efforts there would benefit the entire ecosystem.

+1
And also a dedicated and optimized version of the OS