PowerPC Reference Platform: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:53, 7 January 2025

Latest revision as of 16:54, 7 January 2025

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'''PowerPC Reference Platform''' ('''PReP''') was a standard [[system architecture]] for [[PowerPC]]-based computer systems (as well as a [[reference implementation]]) developed at the same time as the PowerPC processor architecture. Published by [[IBM]] in 1994, it allowed hardware vendors to build a machine that could run various operating systems, including [[Windows NT]], [[OS/2]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], [[Taligent]] and [[IBM AIX|AIX]].

One of the stated goals of the PReP specification was to leverage standard PC hardware. [[Apple ComputerInc.|Apple]], wishing to seamlessly transition its [[MacintoshMac (computer)|Macintosh]] computers to PowerPC, found this to be particularly problematic. As it appeared no one was particularly happy with PReP, a new standard, the [[Common Hardware Reference Platform]] (CHRP), was developed and published in late 1995, incorporating the elements of both PReP and the [[Power Macintosh]] architecture. Key to CHRP was the requirement for [[Open Firmware]] (also required in PReP-compliant systems delivered after June 1, 1995), which gave vendors greatly improved support during the boot process, allowing the hardware to be far more varied.

PReP systems were never popular.{{Clarify|reason=vague|date=January 2016}} Finding current, readily available operating systems for old PReP hardware can be difficult. [[Debian]] and [[NetBSD]] still maintain their respective ports to this architecture, although developer and user activity is extremely low.{{Clarify|reason=vague|date=January 2016}} The [[RTEMS]] real-time operating system provides a board support package for PReP which can be run utilizing the [[QEMU]] PReP emulator. This provides a convenient development environment for PowerPC-based real-time, embedded systems.