No Commodore but real USA
Yes, its old, its 31March 2012, but its rare AmigaOS 4 developers give public interviews 🙂
To the surprise of many, the Amiga operating system endures, with developers continuing to eye new features for the venerable OS. We caught up with AmigaOS 4’s lead developer to talk about the system’s survival.
The Cult of Apple is well known. People are not shocked to see massive lines outside Apple stores in the lead-up to the latest iDevice launch. But before that there was the Cult of Apple, back when the company was still Apple Computer Inc. there was the Cult of Mac, whose members, in the face of overwhelming Wintel dominance, doggedly refused to let go of what was then considered a doomed platform.
The Cult of Mac’s birth can be traced to the release of the first Macintosh in 1984. With its fancy GUI, it was a revolutionary computer. But it wasn’t the only historically significant personal computer released during the ’80s. Nor was it the only one to evoke fierce loyalty among its fans. The 1980s also witnessed the birth of the Cult of Amiga, with the first Amiga system — the Amiga 1000 — released in 1985. Like the Macintosh, it was a revolutionary personal computer.
And amazingly, like the Macintosh, the Amiga endures — at least in a form. The Amiga operating system continues to be developed by Belgian software company Hyperion Entertainment, and an ecosystem of vendors are still creating hardware for the system.
The Amiga was originally produced by Commodore, which went bankrupt in the mid-1990s. A series of legal twists and turns culminated in 2009, when a settlement was reached between Amiga Inc. and Hyperion Entertainment. „I am not a lawyer but my understanding is that Amiga inc. retains ownership of AmigaOS 3.1 and earlier while Hyperion owns the changes it has made since,“ says AmigaOS 4 lead developer Steven Solie.
Some may notice that AmigaOS 3.5 and 3.9 are left out. Those releases were done by a contractor named Haage and Partner which is still in business today. The sources to those releases remain with H&P… Hyperion had to rewrite any of the components it wanted from those releases for the 4.x series.“
The reason Amiga has managed to endure is simple: It’s „purely because of the fans“, says Solie. „Without them, the commercial investment would have already dried up. There are commercial companies still investing in AmigaOS such as ACube Systems, A-EON Technology and Hyperion Entertainment itself.“
Image: Amigaos.net
Hyperion Entertainment has two full time developers dedicated to the OS, with other developers being either contractors or volunteers. „The Open Amiga organisation has many examples of projects being developed outside the core team for possible inclusion in the OS itself.“
„It is a true the vast majority of companies have long left the platform. But the core group of fans is what still keeps things going,“ says Solie.
Although Hyperion has been using serial numbers for copies of AmigaOS since 4.0, it won’t reveal sales numbers. Solie’s „personal guess“ is that the system has 2000-5000 users.
„If you include all the various Amiga clones and emulators we would probably be talking about around 10,000 users [in] total,“ he adds. „It is really difficult to judge because a majority of the users are rather quiet.
„That said, I think there are still tens of thousands that still remember the Amiga in general. The brand itself is still quite strong to this day. So if you are talking about potential users, we are still looking at quite a large pool.“
AmigaOS 4.0, which was released in October 2004 (AmigaOS 4.1 Update 4 was released in December 2011), is based off the 3.1 source code. Unlike the original version of the OS it runs on the PowerPC architecture; Amigas originally used Motorola 68k CPUs.
„The good news [with building off the 3.1 source] is you don’t have to waste time cloning and reverse engineering everything — that’s just a vast waste of time,“ Solie says. „The bad news is some of that code is 68k assembly and is in no shape to run on a modern PowerPC hardware platform.
Image: Amigaos.net
„New hardware models are currently made by ACube Systems. Their models include the AmigaOne 500 (Sam460ex based), Sam440ep and Sam440ep-flex. I use an AmigaOne 500 as my primary system and it is quite capable.
„A-EON Technology recently starting shipping its flagship model the AmigaOne X1000. The X1000 currently runs a preliminary version of AmigaOS. Demand for the X1000 was so great that A-EON needed it shipped as soon as possible. If all goes well, the X1000 will be the first Amiga system ever to support multiple cores as well.“
In October Hyperion Entertainment announced an AmigaOS-based netbook. „Nothing much has been heard since then regarding the netbook but we do know it already runs AmigaOS.“
„There are all sorts of rumours of additional hardware platforms and form factors from these companies,“ Solie says. „Hyperion is always on the lookout to increase its user base of course so any new hardware platforms that come along are seriously considered.
„You can still purchase brand new hardware and software from a small network on dealers. Most dealers deal with both the original Amiga hardware as well as the new stuff.
„It is a pretty tight community of users, dealers and developers.“
The process for companies wanting to develop Amiga-friendly hardware normally involves a vendor contacting Hyperion when they have a new idea and negotiating an agreement to have AmigaOS ported. „The hardware providers usually provide the firmware; Hyperion provides the HAL [hardware abstraction layer] and of course the OS itself,“ Solie says. „Hardware drivers are written by either side of the equation or even third party contractors and volunteers.
„Hyperion’s developers have provided input into new hardware developments in the past. Ultimately, it is up to the hardware developers to do what they think is best of course.“
Although the system remains closed source, since Solie took the role of AmigaOS Development Team Lead back in late 2010 he has made an effort to build a sense of community around the project, increasing communication between the AmigaOS team, the system’s user base and other developers.
„Up until recently, all communication was rather one way, with community websites picking up the slack,“ he says. „Now, we have a development blog, informational website, a support forum and a documentation wiki.“ These resources are primarily maintained by volunteers, but Hyperion provides servers and bandwidth. „The Amiga community is what keeps AmigaOS alive and kicking,“ Solie says.
There „have been plans“ to move to a semi-open or open source model for development. „However, given the complex history of source code ownership this isn’t something you can rush into,“ Solie says.
„In the meantime, I have been trying hard to increase the number of developers and their involvement any way I can,“ he adds. „For example, some third party developers are given special access to the development team for questions and support.“
Solie’s first Amiga was the Amiga 1000. It was the first Amiga released by Commodore; it debuted in 1985, running a Motorola 68000 processor. „My last 68k-based Amiga was an A3000 which I used while earning my bachelor’s degree,“ he says. „For my final project I actually developed an OSI-based protocol stack which ran on two Amiga 3000s and used Ethernet. I remember the Ethernet cards costing a fortune back then.“
„My first PowerPC-based Amiga system was an AmigaOne-XE by Eyetech. I was asked to join the beta testing team by Amiga Inc. back in the day. Over time, I took on more responsibility and had the chance to work on the OS source code itself.
„I was then asked by Hyperion to become the ‘AmigaOS Development Team Lead’ (a title I made up) to herd the cats if you will. I don’t get a lot of time to code these days but I am still enjoying the experience.“
Solie has heard of „pockets“ of people using AmigaOS 4 for commercial work, but these days Amigas are primarily used by hobbyists. „It used to be that production studios used Amiga systems to create cutting edge graphics. Those days are long gone. This is purely for the fun of it now.“
„I find primarily long-term fans still invest in AmigaOS and the Amiga hobby in general,“ he adds. „We also see some new customers returning to try out AmigaOS on the brand new PowerPC hardware platforms which are still available. Since the launch of the AmigaOS website, there have been a lot of people poking around and some go so far as to invest in some hardware.
„Once in a while we also see a brand new customer. Somebody completely new to the AmigaOS, i.e. young, and looking for something different. Since AmigaOS lacks applications, new guys can create a few applications and be treated like a rock star.
„There is a bit of money to be made as well in terms of donations and bounties. I think it is the instant fame and attention new user and developers receive is what convinces them to stay — again, the fans.
„The main draw is simplicity. AmigaOS is simple enough to be understandable and controllable without having to resort to experts all the time.“
„What we have done is take the original designs and extend them where it makes sense. For example, the original Amiga shared library system is quite functional but also totally incompatible with everything else out there. Platforms like Windows can get away with this because they have a huge army of coders willing to do the necessary work to convert everything over to their systems.
„Instead, AmigaOS introduced a new shared object [.so] system which allows for the direct compilation of shared object libraries which are quite common. Of course, we would prefer developers use Amiga shared libraries but when you are the underdog, you sometimes need to bend the rules a bit to keep developers productive. Life is too short to rewrite libraries again and again just because your OS of choice is too stubborn to adapt.“
The original systems for AmigaOS 4.0 were sold by Eyetech, and Solie said used models, such as the AmigaOne-XE and MicroA1-C, are still available. „There is also the Pegasos 2 created by bplan out of Germany which can run AmigaOS 4.1,“ he says.
Solie says the AmigaOS team is happy to borrow ideas from other operating systems. „For example, the memory subsystem borrowed the idea of slab allocation for memory management. The integration of Python into the operating system was also a borrowed idea.“
Other operating systems can also learn from AmigaOS, he says. Primarily, „keep things simple and respond when the user clicks on something. One reason I keep returning to AmigaOS is because it is relatively simple.
„As more features are added it is difficult to keep things simple and efficient, but so far so good.“
Solie can envisage a future where AmigaOS 4 shifted away from PowerPC to another platform. „However, there is also a lot of life left in PowerPC,“ he says, and switching hardware platforms is no guarantee of success for the system.
„I think a successful system is a combination of functionality, applications, operating system and supporting hardware all for an acceptable cost. If your target market is the hobbyist market then perhaps PPC isn’t as bad as people think. It really depends on the fans and what they will accept.“
Image: Amigaos.net
One gap he identifies in AmigaOS as it is now is good support for printing. PostScript printers are fine — but otherwise „you are in for a world of hurt“. A system like CUPS, which made printing on Linux systems a less daunting prospect, would be great, he says.
Hyperion is currently working on AmigaOS 4.1 Update 5 is in the works now. „AmigaOS 4.2 will come later on which will introduce hardware accelerated 3D support, a vastly improved file system API and many other features,“ Solie says. The list of features that Solie would like to see added is „endless“. A modern file system is one feature, and multi-core support, which is currently being worked on, is another.
„I don’t imagine AmigaOS will ever become mainstream again,“ he says. „It is not that I am being defeatist. I’m just trying to be realistic. There are dozens of operating systems out there that are not mainstream and never will be.
Image: Amigaos.net
„There isn’t a huge amount of new hardware coming out to run AmigaOS but it is a steady flow. Keep your eye on ACube and A-EON because I don’t think they are stopping any time soon.
„So for me at least, as long as AmigaOS remains fun to use I will continue to use it. It is a nice break from the grind of business where Unix and Windows rule.“
As to whether an AmigaOS 5.0 will ever be released, „it all depends on the fans.“
Rohan Pearce is the editor of Techworld Australia. Contact him at rohan_pearce at idg.com.au.
Commodores Amiga?
Sven Harvey Micromart UK takes a look at new CommodoreUSA Amiga Mini
The new Commodore in the USA is now the only Commodore after its taken control over the brand.
It`s also licenced Amiga brand from Amiga Inc., and it has been working on uniting the brands for quite a while.
The product that was to be the first „Commodore Amiga“ since 1994 has gone true lot of changes since the agreement was reached between the two companies, while Hyperion Entertaiment quite rightly challenged the agreement following the settlement that awarded it an exclusive perpetual worldwide right to the brand, at least in some form.
Commodore had planned on doing new Amiga 1000, 2000, 3000 and so on, but the first product to break cover and become available to order is in a 7,5 x 7,5″ mini-ITX case.
The Commodore Amiga Mini will be available in silver or black and is distinctive in that it features a molded-in Commodore „chickenhead“ logo on the top of the casing, while and embossed Amiga logo (in the original form) adorns the front of the casing along with the silver Commodore Amiga case badge very much in the traditional style.
There are few confusion on the Commodore website regarding the specifications. In one place it seems to suggests 16GB RAM comes as standard whereas elsewhere it sais 4GB. Filtering the pages it seems the standard specification was originally going to be what is now the highest end, but reaction to the pricing has resulting in lower specs being available.
The motherboard is of mini-ITX form factor and comes with 1GB (DDR3) nVIDIA GT430 GPU board as standard. From there you can choose processor, either a dual core i3-2130 at 3,4Ghz, quad core i5-2500K, or the quad core i7-2600K. Memory can be configured as 4,8 or 16GB, while blue ray slot loading optical drive (with DVD R/RW) comes as standard. A 1TB hard disk is the default option, while 2 SSD options are available.
The machines comes with CommodoreOS Vision – a customized Linux distribution based on MINT and Debian with bunch of pre-installed software.
Sounds all very PC doesn`t it? There is a reason for that. This is no more an Amiga then HP laptop from TESCO. The name is on it, but no Amiga-related technology resides within the hardware nor the software. Amiga Forever isn`t even bundled, thou it is suggestion on Commodores site that machine can run 16-bit and 32-bit Amiga software. The question is how because without Amiga Forever package, it cannot legally include the Amiga kickstart ROM code …
With pricing ranging from USD 1 500 up to nearly 3 000$ including 600GB SSD option, its a good job. The casing is available as barebones (thou this included the blue-rays sloat loading drive) at 345 USD.
The question is, without AmigaOS, should it have the name at all?
Find out more at http://www.commodoreusa.net
AmigaOne X1000
Following the complete sell out of the AmigaOne X1000 first contact systems, A-EON has commissioned further run of initial systems, so if you are happy to spend the money and get sonething really different running the AmigaOS 4.1 (and soon 4.2) you might want to keep an eye on www.amigakit.leamancomputing.com/x1000/
Sven Harvey has been our Amiga specialist for over 12 years, drawing on his vast computing knowledge which is itself the result of 21 years of retailing computer and video games.
Original text in Italian
http://www.commodorecomputerblog.com/p/controinformazione.html
30/06/2012
Oggi mi sono reso conto di quanto grave sia il disagio psichico di alcuni esponenti della scena amiga. Si tratta di veri e propri psicolabili irrimediabilmente alterati nella loro capacità di giudizio dalla sconsiderata azione di alcune ridicole aziende, nonché siti e forum ad esse vicini, che hanno condotto un iniziale gruppo di irriducibili amighisti oltre il punto di non ritorno di un’estinzione ormai pressoché certa…e taluni persino oltre la stessa sanità mentale.
Alcuni individui di questo spurgo d’integralisti, seguaci del dogma informatico AmigaOS, sono arrivati persino a stilare delle Black List in cui segnalare (agli altri pochissimi fanatici della stessa staffa…) utenti e persone critiche con OS4 e/o vicine a C=USABenché sia legittimo aprire un sito o un blog critico contro chicchessia, l’azione fascista dei sedicenti amighisti talebani, volta ad intimorire persone comuni anziché limitarsi a criticare l’operato delle aziende ritenute avverse, ben dipingel’ignobile essenza di un’intera scena sprofondata negli inferi della cieca follia.
English Google Translate
Today I realized how serious the mental illness of some members of the amiga scene. It is true psychically irreparably altered in their ability to judge the reckless actions of some ridiculous companies, as well as sites and forums to them neighbors, who conducted an initial group of diehard Amiga beyond the point of no return now to extinction pretty sure … and some even beyond sanity.
Some individuals of this purge of fundamentalists, followers of the dogma computer AmigaOS, even came to draw up the Black List where indicated (with a few other fanatics in the same bracket …) OS4 users and people with critical and / or close to C = USA
https://anticusa.wordpress.com/commodoreusa-fanboys-n-spammers-list-block-em/
Although it is legitimate to open a website or blog critic against anybody, the action of self-styled fascist Taliban Amiga, designed to intimidate ordinary people rather than simply criticize the companies considered adverse, dipingel’ignobile very essence of an entire scene sunk the underworld of blind madness.So what we gonna answer with music, love and style
One must notice I do attack company, fan trolling and company announcements and policies, but beside well deserved troll label I don`t attack personal properties of personnas. That is big difference.
Also, anyone listed is free to contact I at rasvoja@gmail.com and explain himself,change etc. and will be removed from what I observe as current troll / propaganda list.
Update
A nice 3D animated tribute has been posted on 27.10.2012. as video response to famous
Animated Amiga Tribute by Eric Schwartz
Its well concepted, retro, cyberpunk and steampunk, nicely done
But description is missleading twice:
3D Art against the fascism of Amiga OS4 fanatics:https://anticusa.wordpress.com/ (Nazi’s Black List Blog)
No 3D art can be against I, this is not OS4 fanatics blog and isn`t fascist for sure. Yes, it does host troll list.
http://www.commodorecomputerblog.com/
By Real C=Amiga fan (Italian Language)
Amig4Be is Commodore USA fan that only abuses Commodore and Amiga brands to promote them.
See his blog.
The AresOne 2012, just like its predecessors AresOne, AresOne 2010, and AresOne 2011, is a complete PC system specifically assembled to be used with AROS. The hardware components were selected to get the most out of the current AROS version, and to be ready for future improvements. The AresOne 2012 is suitable for Amiga enthusiasts, friends of light HTPC systems, and experienced users, it is not intended for the average Windows user (please keep in mind that AROS, albeit progressing nicely, is still in development).
The AROS Research Operating System is a lightweight, efficient and flexible desktop operating system, designed to help you make the most of your computer. It’s an independent, portable and free project, aiming at being compatible with Amiga OS at the API level, while improving on it in many areas.
Additionally to AROS, the AresOne can be pre-installed with Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu or Windows, if you wish.
(BUT WHY ? NOW WITH AEROS THERE IS NO NEED)We also include a special OEM version of Amiga Forever with the package. The latter is useful for UAE since it contains the required Kickstart and Workbench images (1.3 and 3.x) for UAE plus 50 games and 50 demos. If you need more Amiga Forever, you can also purchase the full version at a reduced price. Every AresOne customer gets a licence for the AMC software package, the program is available for download on the AMC website
A portion of the AresOne profits will be used to fund AROS projects, especially driver development and licensed application software.
So the new system is still AROS native compatible.
So you will get AEROS + you AROS distribution of choiceWe have decided to add a Geforce to the base system (please check configurator for more options). This way you can use 3D acceleration in AROS native and AEROS straight away.
http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6457
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saDOKF2-FBU&feature
http://www.vesalia.de/e_aresone.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AROS_Research_Operating_System
http://www.youtube.com/user/AresComputer1?feature=watch
eur 300 + options
Lets remember how C=USA abuses AROS
https://anticusa.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/commodoreos-beta-9-uses-aros-kickstart/
1) Fake Commodore Amiga domain owned by CommodoreUSA
Nothing to do with real Amigas, AmigaOS, MorphOS and AROS with extreme censorship
Every criticism or anything Amiga related get deleted and users get banned for it
Other faked Amiga resources owned by CUSA
All under EXTREME censorship!
2) DiscreetFX hosts Barron interview where everything Amiga is sipitted on, all the brave ideas of innovation
3) AmigaWorld.net has Amiga Inc discussions in basement and tolerates their promo
4) CommodoreUSA Wiki page we fight for less propaganda (also: Talk page, COS page)
5) Amiga4be fake Amigan pages You Tube and Blog
6) Example of CUSA threating people that expose the truth
7) List of C=USA promoters that rarely do help AROS, MorphOS, AmigaOS and yet claiming to be Amigans
8) Barry Tweets
As opposed to Real Amiga resources
On the Edge: Spectacular rise and fall of C=USA 