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Amiga Update (1997-10-03)
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_ __ _ <>_ __ _ ||
/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || A M I G A U P D A T E
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || -News and Rumors-
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_|| (An Occasional Newsletter)
BACK FOR THE FUTURE ||
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AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Gateway 2000, Inc.
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971003
A M I G A I N T E R N A T I O N A L ' S L I S L E S P E A K S
G A T E W A Y L A Y O F F S I N P R O C E S S
S H O R T N O T I C E ! - S H O W I N W A S H I N G T O N
F L Y E R M A S T E R G U I D E S C H E D U L E
F R E E N E W T E K P A S S E S
A U S T R A L I A N A M I G A A N N U A L L A U N C H E D
A M I G A I N F O R M E R I S S U E 1 0
A N O T H E R A M I G A P R O M O D I S T R I B U T O R
A 4 0 0 0 T C L O N E S T O B E M A D E
G L O O M 3 Z O M B I E E D I T I O N
N E W I C O N S V E R S I O N 4 . 0
M A G I C W B 2 . 1 P
P H A S E 5 A 1 2 0 0 P O W E R U P N E W S
P I O S W A R P U P F O R P P C
SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL
T H E H I S T O R Y O F T H E A M I G A Part Three
Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:
Wow! There's so much news coming out for Amiga right now that this
issue is huge, even though we sent one your way not that long ago.
It's a real joy to see so much activity.
We have news from Gateway, publications, and new products. We also
wrap up our excellent three part history of the Amiga from author
Philip S. Moore. A few readers have wondered about the sequence of
events in the history. Keep in mind the author used a flashback
technique, so the story intentionally jumps from current to past.
I'm keeping my notes short because of the length of this issue. Just
one thing - yes, we do have a story on layoffs of Gateway 2000. No, we
don't want to hear any tired old nonsense about a "curse of Amiga".
Note the total employment figures in our story, and keep in mind that
Amiga International is hiring. Better to give more thought to the
first story, on a speech by AI's Darreck Lisle.
Enjoy this issue!
Brad Webb,
Editor
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A M I G A I N T E R N A T I O N A L ' S L I S L E S P E A K S
Amiga Inc.'s Darreck Lisle Addresses Amiga User Group
{The following was reprinted with permission from the Amiga Users of
the Heartland. Thank you AUoH! Brad}
AUoH Meeting - September 16, 1997
Mr. Lisle started off by telling the club how he got his job at
Amiga, Inc. Basically, he got the job by continually offering his
services until Gateway 2000 finally gave in.
He stated he has an Amiga 1200 on his desk for work purposes, and an
Amiga 4000T for home use. The A4000T at home has an 060 card, a
Catweasel controller with two HD floppies, and additional expansion
equipment.
He also talked about why we haven't heard any press releases from
Amiga, Inc.License disputes and liquidator disputes need to be
resolved before a press release can be approved.The Vice President
hiring process is nearing completion, so barring any further delays,
we should be hearing a press release soon.
Darreck then went on to talk about Amiga, Inc.'s approach to
marketing. Open licensing will be utilized to speed up development
while Amiga, Inc. completes its start-up cycle. One application for
this open licensing could be in the area of Consumer Electronics where
a small, highly-stable OS is critical. Some applications he speculated
on include a palmtop Amiga, an Amiga-based security system,
Amiga-based smart homes and Amiga-based cable TV boxes. A comment was
made how it would be bad for the system running your house to crash
because you would have to reboot your house.
Companies are coming to Amiga, Inc. with requests to receive licenses
so they may pursue development on Amiga-based consumer electronics
applications. It is Darreck's opinion that Amiga has a bright future
because Amiga International and Amiga, Inc. are starting a cycle of
slowly gaining momentum which will build in the upcoming months.
Another possible use of the Amiga technology may be into the existing
Gateway Destination market. This technology incorporates a TV into the
computer so regular TV viewing is done on a 31" screen, but as a task
on the computer. The current use of PCs for this task has led to many
families having to reboot their TV often due to crashes.
Cooperation with third-party developers is also a priority as they
are the driving force behind research and development at the present
time.
Darreck also said that he thinks the time frame for the release of
AmigaOS 3.5 will be sometime within the next six months. AmigaOS 4.0
should be available before this time next year. AmigaOS 3.5 will use
the existing 3.1 ROMs.
Amiga, Inc. is currently trying to collect all pertinent Amiga
archives and technology. They are also attempting to assemble a
comprehensive Amiga library of Amiga books, service manuals, technical
manuals, and any other writings pertinent to the Amiga's technology.
Amiga International is the marketing arm of Amiga and is based in
Germany. Amiga, Inc. is the R&D arm of Amiga and is based in North
Sioux City, South Dakota.
Interaction with user groups is moving along. A user group network is
in the works. (Editor's note: Just today I received an email from an
Amiga user group coordination effort. They plan on compiling
information on all Amiga user group meetings and asking Amiga
resellers to include a flyer with each package shipped.)
The purpose of the Developer Network is to assemble and motivate
developers. The Amiga, Inc. sponsored Developer Network should be
getting underway sometime around March or April of 1998. Backward
compatibility to 3.0, 2.0 and 1.3 (if possible) is a priority for new
software, as is standardization on a set of issues. Autoconfiguration
and plug-and-play software is also a priority.
Question and Answer Session
The Q's and A's are not word-for-word, but are taken from my notes.
One of the people who had just purchased AmigaOS 3.1 (it was being
installed during the club meeting) asked the following: Q: Should we
buy AmigaOS 3.1?
A: Yes--you will need the ROMs for the updated AmigaOS anyway.
Q: Is Amiga, Inc. interested in the educational software market?
A: Yes--we feel the Amiga is ideally suited to educational uses.
Q: Is graphics card compatibility going to be built into the next OS
release?
A: Yes--some type of RTG standard should be included as well as an
AHI-type of standard.
Q: How long should we expect to wait before we see new systems?
A: Probably around a year.
Q: How many old Commodore employees are working for Amiga, Inc.?
A: A rough estimate would be around 15 to 20. However, no former
Commodore employee has turned us down and has said they will contract
out to Amiga, Inc. if necessary to keep their present positions.
Q: Are there any other enhancements to the Amiga you foresee?
A: Possibly support for the Universal Serial Bus (USB).
Q: Do you know how much Gateway 2000 bought the Amiga for?
A: I wish I did, but I have no clue.
Q: What is Amiga, Inc.'s position on UAE, the Amiga emulator
available for Microsoft and UNIX?
A: The current practice of pirating Amiga ROMs will be cracked down
on shortly.
Q: Will Amiga, Inc. use UAE to sway Microsoft and UNIX users to the
Amiga?
A: Probably not--the speed of the emulation on even the fastest
Pentiums is only roughly equivalent to an unexpanded Amiga 500.
Q: What does Amiga, Inc. think about Java?
A: We would like to see Java in the next OS, but there is still a lot
to be done in this area.
Q: Is Amiga, Inc. considering a "Power Up" style program like they
had when the A3000 was released?
A: That will most likely fall into the hands of the licensed
Amiga-compatible makers to decide, but there are many uses for older
Amiga systems. For instance, many technical schools modify Amiga
systems for test equipment. Also, many cable channels use Amigas for
the Prevue Guide and also Public Service stations.
Q: Are we going to see any of the current operating system hacks,
such as MUI, built into a future AmigaOS?
A: Possibly--however, MUI is too large and bulky to consider making
it an integral part of the OS. A TCP stack is a definite possibility,
though. Using Shareware and Public Domain OS software which is
currently available is probably not an option, because programmers of
competing software may claim Amiga, Inc. is showing favoritism by
their choices. For instance, Amiga, Inc. currently buys most of its
test equipment from many different Amiga mail-order houses for this
very reason.
Q: Will the prices of existing systems be dropped, like say $1000 off
the existing A4000T prices?
A: Yes--Amiga motherboards are quite simple in design so cost should
reduce, especially after improvements are made to the current design,
such as optimization of the existing custom chip set. Today's
technology allows chip makers to reduce the size of the Amiga's custom
chips.
Q: Is Amiga, Inc. investigating the possibility of giving the Amiga
the ability to run software written for other OSes?
A: Yes--I believe there is some work involving making the Amiga a
multi-platform machine. There is also the possibility of an
Amiga-on-a-card which would effectively take over the processing of an
industry-standard system making it essentially an Amiga.
Q: Has Amiga, Inc. discovered a lot of reverse engineering of the
Amiga technology?
A: Yes--especially overseas.
Q: Will Amiga, Inc. be coordinating with third parties?
A: Yes--that is one of the main goals of Amiga, Inc.
Darreck said his goodbyes around 9:00 as he had to be up for a 7:00am
appointment, and he had two hours of driving ahead of him.
Here is information on how to contact Mr. Lisle:
Darreck Lisle
Public Relations and Events Coordinator
Amiga Inc.
1-888-23-AMIGA
1-888-252-6442 Voice
1-605-232-6442 Voice
1-605-235-1002 Fax
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G A T E W A Y L A Y O F F S I N P R O C E S S
Gateway says it will lay off, reassign 300
A September 30 story by John Dodge of PC Week Online and Charles
Cooper, ZDNN online, reports a layoff and reassigning of up to 300
Gateway 2000 employees. The article goes on to state As part of an
"ongoing global restructuring," Gateway 2000 Inc. officials announced
today it will either reassign or lay off approximately 300 employees.
"The North Sioux City, S.D., company said it expects to end the year
with the current workforce level of more than 12,000."
At the same time, Gateway announced it intends to keep hiring in some
areas to "support its anticipated sales volume."
Later reports on ZDNN stated actual layoffs may have affected 500
employees with up to another 500 possible. Supposedly, the affected
employees have "performance issues". Gateway, while still highly
profitable, has reported lower than expected earnings in the third
quarter.
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S H O R T N O T I C E ! - S H O W I N W A S H I N G T O N
1 Oct 1997
Christopher Maland
I know it is late but we just found out about this show. It is mostly
PCs but we will be there and we are working on a couple of other local
Amiga dealers.
It is Oct. 11, 1997, in Kent, Washington. Setup is at 7am. The show
starts at 9am. Tables are still available. Call (206) 874-8711 for
more info. or email zipware@nwlink.com
The website is www.maland.com/zip/computershow.html.
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F L Y E R M A S T E R G U I D E S C H E D U L E
Flyer Mastery Guide publishing schedule
29 September, 1997
From the Video Toaster Mailing List (VTML) for all you Flyer users
out there:
Here's our current {Flyer Master Guide} publishing schedule:
Flyer Mastery Guide Version 2.0 ($129 new, $59 upgrade) - December 8,
1997 LightWave Mastery Guide for Flyer Owners ($129 new) - Early
April, 1998 Flyer Training Guide for Students (price TBA) - late June,
1998
Full details of the above and what they include will be outlined in
future press releases. It should be noted that the Flyer Mastery Guide
Version 2.0 is a major upgrade and therefore will come in a new binder
with printing on both sides so that the content (old and new) can fit
in the manual. It will also include a special Flyer Mastery Guide
CD-ROM that we are putting the final touches on now. Press releases
and detailed information on the new version will be available at
NewTek Expo 1997 at the Flyer Mastery Guide booth. The book, however,
will not be ready until December 8.
Sincerely,
Joe Tracy, author
Flyer Mastery Guide
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F R E E N E W T E K P A S S E S
30 September, 1997
Richmond, VA - Nova Design, Inc. in cooperation with Visual
Inspirations is pleased to announce the immediate availability of FREE
passes to the upcoming Newtek Expo that will be held in Universal City
in Hollywood, California on October 21st and 22nd.!
The passes come in sets of two and normally these passes cost $50.00
in advance or $75.00 at the door. We making available about 500 sets
of passes, which are available on first come, first serve basis. We
can't promise a pass for everyone, just the first 500 to send us a
SASE!
To get your free passes send a self addressed stamped envelope (one
set of passes per envelope only!) to:
Free Tickets
c/o Nova Design, Inc.
1910 Byrd Avenue, Suite 204
Richmond, VA 23230
USA
We can't promise the mail will get these to you in time, but we'll
send these back as fast as we can since as of today there are only
three weeks before the show! You are welcome to use express mail or
UPS. We have daily pickups for both of these. We can't accept a FedEx
return envelope, as we don't have daily FedEx pickup at our location.
Please, do not call to order tickets. Neither our sales department
nor order line personnel will be equipped to supply Expo passes to
callers. You can ONLY get the free passes by sending the SASE to the
above address.
I speak for Visual Inspirations and Nova Design, Inc. when I say
we're excited to be able to offer these free passes and we look
forward to seeing everyone at the Newtek Expo!
For more information see the Newtek Expo site at;
http://www.newtekexpo.com or the Nova Design, Inc. site at;
http://www.novadesign.com or Visual Inspirations site at;
http://www.vionline.com
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A U S T R A L I A N A M I G A A N N U A L L A U N C H E D
JP Media announces AAA '98
An Australian-published Amiga magazine, Australian Amiga Annual 1998
will appear in newsagents around the nation in the second quarter of
1998. The 48 page, full-colour magazine will be published by J P
Media.
"Sales of UK-based Amiga magazines are still strong around
Australia," says publisher, John Pospisil.
"Australian Amiga owners are being let down because the Amiga does
not have a presence in their local newsagency. Getting the Australian
Amiga Annual'98 into newsgents much surely be the Amiga community's
number one priority if we are to generate mainstream awareness of the
Amiga in this country."
"We believe that an Amiga annual is a viable proposition as long as
we can convince Amiga players in Australia and around the world that
it's in their interest to support it."
The magazine will be printed in full-colour on glossy paper.
J P Media is currently talking to companies and individuals in
Australia and overseas. It is also interested in hearing from any
parties interested in supporting the project. Email J P Media
jpmedia@writeme.com for a quick response.
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A M I G A I N F O R M E R I S S U E 1 0
30 Sep 1997
Issue 10 of The Amiga Informer is at the printer and is expected to
become available by October 17. We packed all 48 pages with the latest
information to keep you in the know on what's happening in the Amiga
world. I won't bore you with all the details, but here's a brief
outline of what it contains.
* We have 8 pages of unique news, including a behind the scene look
at Gateway, a noteworthy piece by NewTekniques editor Joe Tracy, an
exclusive story about a new Amiga product called Playable Television,
and the first part of a series on Networking your Amiga.
* You'll find our regular columns detail the facts of anonymous email
remailers, the powerful SuperView Libraries, a useful directory search
utility and a look at the various Kickstart ROM's. Ask Dr. Amiga
covers questions on Zip drives, PC Monitors, printing trouble,
validating drives, and LHA compression.
* This issues reviews cover programs of interest to a wide range of
users and include detailed evaluations of ArtEffect 2.0, Picture Man-
ager Pro v4.1, AEMail v 1.21 and VoyagerNG 2.88.
* The Game Zone reviews, previews and summarizes Capitol Pun-
ishment, Alien Formula One, PGA Tour Golf and Dawn Patrol.
* And you'll find all our usual announcements, news bytes, tips, mar-
ketplace classified ads, and contacts. You will also find several new
specials offered only to our subscribers, so check out the specials
section of our website for more details.
The Informer is getting set to introduce a new web-based sweep-
stakes called Amiga University. In several weeks all the details on
this exiting event will be released to the Amiga Community. Stay tuned
to our website and the various Amiga news sources for all the
information on how you can enter to win great prizes.
There are several ways you can get your hands on Issue 10 of The
Amiga Informer. You can purchase it at the cover price from one of our
many retailers, or hope to get lucky and receive an issue when you buy
a product from one of a few distributors. However, it's quite likely
you've already seen an issue of The Informer and are ready to
subscribe! If so, we offer a number of convenient ways to do so:
* You can call toll free 1-888-88-AMIGA to subscribe by Visa or
Mastercard.
* You can use our secure on-line subscription form and subscribe from
our website http://www.mich.com/~twalling/informer/subscribe_s.cgi
* You can download an order form from our website and mail us a
check. You can also request that an order form be emailed to you by
sending your request to informer@mhv.net
* You can fill out the on-line, no-risk no-obligation "bill me" form
at http://www.amigainformer.com/subscribe.cgi (available only to US
and Canadian addresses).
Either way, you'll find The Informer to be a great source of useful
information and insights. We've been producing issues for over 20
months and plan to continue doing so well into the future. I hope
you'll give us a try. See why the Amiga World is reading The Amiga
Informer.
Thanks for your support,
Fletcher Haug, Editor
The Amiga Informer Magazine
eldritch@mhv.net
http://www.amigainformer.com
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A N O T H E R A M I G A P R O M O D I S T R I B U T O R
September 27th, 1997
ICP licensed to distribute AMIGA promotional products
ICP GmbH & Co. KG, Nuernberg, Germany (publisher of the German
magazine AMIGA PLUS), is licensed by AMIGA International, Inc. to
distribute AMIGA promotional products such as T-Shirts, baseball caps,
pens, posters etc.
Contact:
ICP - Innovativ Computer Presse GmbH & Co. KG
Innere Cramer-Klett-Str. 6
90403 Nuernberg, Germany
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A 4 0 0 0 T C L O N E S T O B E M A D E
September 30th, 1997
Nova Sector Engineering, Inc. licensed to manufacture AMIGA based
computers
AMIGA International, Inc. licensed Nova Sector Engineering, Inc.,
USA, to manufacture A4000T workstations in own cases with A4000T
motherboards and the original OS 3.1.
For further information:
Phone: +1 (616) 361-0806
Fax: +1 (616) 365- 9596
Mail: rbertram@iserv.net
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G L O O M 3 Z O M B I E E D I T I O N
Alpha Software present Gloom 3 Zombie Edition by Gareth Murfin
Gloom 3 - Zombie Edition is a new game by Gareth Murfin with
fantastic artwork by James Caygill and Jason Jordache. For those of
you who havent played Gloom its a fast paced and furious doom game
which will have you hooked in minutes. This new version of the game is
set on a zombie infested planet which you must conquer in order to
succeed. Lurking in the dark shadows of each stage are hoards of flesh
eating zombies who crave warm human flesh. These undead creatures come
in many shapes and sizes and are always out to get YOU. Armed with
your blaster you must battle you way through an amazing 50 stages in
order to get to the reactors and plant a thermo nuclear device to
detonate the planet....
These are the 8 stages in Gloom 3. There are 7 main stages each with
seven levels, these 49 levels of blood splattering action are joined
by the final stage, The Gallery which is where you will face the most
horrific zombie of all....
The Gloom 3 Story The Gloom 3 Spec
Features of Gloom 3 Zombie Edition
10 NEW Horrific Zombie Enemies
50 NEW fast paced, gory Levels
All new SFX & GFX
Full Speech Rendered game Intro
21 NEW scarey 2 player combat levels with Zombies!
Tougher, Better and MUCH more scarey!
CD-ROM only title
Support for all 68k processors
More modems supported for linkup play!
2 Player split screen and its still fast!
Faster with more colours than all previous Glooms!
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N E W I C O N S V E R S I O N 4 . 0
September 27, 1997 -- Team NewIcons is proud to announce the latest
release of their revolutionary GUI icon enhancement system, NewIcons
version 4.0. The NewIcons system transparently allows up to 256 color
icons on the Amiga Workbench, and is supported by several Workbench
enhancements such as Scalos and Directory Opus Magellan. Included with
this release is a stunning new set of 32 color icons, as well as
remarkable improvements in NewIcons' speed and functionality.
The NewIcons package includes the DefIcons utility, which transforms
all those iconless files on your hard drive into visually identifiable
virtual icons on the fly as they load into an opening Workbench
window. Deficons recognizes over a hundred different filetypes and
identifies them almost instantly during loading.
Most notably, the NewIcons System has the following new features:
- Large speed increases with icon loading/rendering
- Optionally shadowed or outlined icon text for easy legibility on
all
Workbench backdrops.
- Transparent icons (no more ugly borders) that remain transparent
when you
drag them.
- New Utilities to convert all drawers in a directory or partition to
a user
selected image.
- Beautiful 32-color icon set and palette, which is backwards
compatible with
prior icon releases -- a Workbench pen saving feature.
- and much, much more.
NewIcons is directly supported in many commercial products, including
Cloanto's Personal Paint 7, GPSoft's Directory Opus Magellan, and
dozens of other commercial, shareware and freeware packages. Team
NewIcons is also proud to announce that NewIcons comes preinstalled on
all Micronik tower systems sold by Blittersoft.
Team NewIcons releases this software free of charge, a freeware gift
with our thanks to the Amiga community. We look forward to the future
of the Amiga Operating System, with our hope that palette independent
icons will be included as a default standard with future versions of
AmigaOS.
The NewIcons System can be obtained from the Official NewIcons
Support Site at
http://www.amiganet.org/NewIcons/
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M A G I C W B 2 . 1 P
SASG International Announces MagicWB 2.1p Released for Free Download
Following popular demand, MagicWB 2 (which was previously only
available through prior registration) is now for the first time
publically available as fully installable shareware version. Get it if
you still have the old and outdated MagicWB 1.2p running on your
system or if you haven't yet installed MagicWB...
This version is fully installable and usable, hence you can very much
evaluate if you like MagicWB or not and if it's worth to register it.
By installing this version you are also updating to the new MagicWB
color-allocation scheme which makes you compatible with other
applications using MWB. After this installation no graphics, icons
etc. should appear in the wrong colors again. And the icon build-up
and general workbench performance will be much faster than before:
What is MagicWB?
The definite WB-Enhancer no Amiga can do without. MagicWB is a full
replacement for the graphic user interface of the Workbench and has
become the standard on the Amiga. MagicWB 2.x is completely
restructured on a new color-allocation scheme which more than doubles
the speed of the WB and reduces chip-consumption to only a third
compared with all previous versions and also features a highly
improved color palette. MWB 2.x introduces a never-before-seen
standard for over four dozen of new image-drawers to achieve a more
diversified look on your WB. More icons, dock-brushes, a dozen of new
patterns, fonts and a AA-support complete this special product.
Note: If you already are a registered user of MagicWB 2, don't
install this shareware version but read the "About MagicWB" readme
first and copy the udpated MagicWB fonts over your old fonts. That's
all.
Contact: http://www.sasg.com/index.html - SASG International
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P H A S E 5 A 1 2 0 0 P O W E R U P N E W S
New PowerUP models for Amiga 1200
There will be several changes to the PowerUp accelerator board
product series for Amiga 1200 compared to the announced products.
phase 5 digital products decided, based on the strong demands from the
customers, to expand the product palette and to offer different
processor clock rates. The following products will be offered BLIZZARD
603e+ Power Board This board will be the first one of the series
available for the Amiga 1200 user and delivery will start at the
Cologne Amiga Show. It requires a 68040 at 25, 33 or 40 MHz or a 68060
at 50 MHz as companion CPU. It is the best choice for an upgrade from
a Blzzard 1240T/ERC or a BLIZZARD 1260.The BLIZZARD 603e+ will be -
contrary to the announcement - equipped with two SIMM sockets. A Fast
SCSI-II controller is implemented on the board.As a special additional
feature a graphics board direct slot is also implemented, enabling the
customer to use the high end graphics adaptor BVisionPPC without the
need of an additional bus backplane. By using the direct slot,
bypassing the limitations of the Zorro bus system, the BVisionPPC
graphics board speed will beat any known graphics board. The BLIZZARD
603e+ will be available with PowerPC 603e CPUs running at 160, 200 and
250 MHz.BLIZZARD 603e Power Board This board will be the second member
of the A1200 accelerator board family and will be delivered before
Christmas. It requires a 68030 at 50 MHz as companion CPU and is
therefor the choice for upgrading from the BLIZZARD 1230 board series
(model II, III, IV).The additional features are nearly identical to
the BLIZZARD 603e+ Power Board series, as there are two SIMM sockets,
the intgrated Fast SCSI-II controller and the graphics board direct
slot. Also the different versions concerning clock rates of the
PowerPC 603e CPU are the same as with the BLIZZARD 603e+ Power Boards
and will be available at 160, 200 and 250 MHz
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P I O S W A R P U P F O R P P C
The real speed is warp speed!
A high-speed kernel for PowerUP
Finally the Amiga has its PowerPC. Everyone of us owes Phase 5 a lot
of gratitude for that. Because it was them who steered the
CPU-discussion into the right direction. Through their PowerUP¨-boards
they ensure that the Amiga will regain its rightful position at the
top of technology.
The PowerPC-technology offers a maximum of technological security for
the future. Under the banner of their motto NO RISC NO FUN", Motorola
have already taken the first step that Intel processors have yet to
make.Due to this decision, CPUs with a clock speed of up to 350 MHz
are now available. And a limit to this is not in sight.
Hardware-development is only one side of the coin in this respect.
Without the appropriate software even the very best hardware is not
really worth much. Therefore the biggest burden is currently carried
by software developers all over this world. They are pondering the
question whether porting their software to the PPC will pay off.
Switching to a new CPU involves porting and maintaining the software
for two different kinds of CPU. It is due to this fact that many
software developers (despite promising announcements) still sit back
and watch the market before starting the effort of doing a port.
What makes the right decision easier is a software-interface to the
hardware which guarantees that future hardware-developments can be
utilised by the software without changing it (it does not matter
whether this hardware will be a new PowerPC-board from a third-party
manufacturer or a PowerPC-Amiga from Amiga International Inc.).
Exactly this functionality is offered by WarpOS which was developed on
the Phase 5 dual-processor boards by our authors Sam Jordan, Michael
Rock and Jochen Becher.
WarpUP forms a so-called hardware-abstraction-layer (HAL) between the
hardware and software-applications. This HAL guarantees the proper
function of these applications on different PowerPC-concepts. To every
software-developer this offers a risk-free start into a new era of
software-development for the Amiga.
WarpUP forms the interface between the 68K-, PowerPC-hardware, the
68K-operating system software and the software-applications. The
premier issue is of course to optimally exploit the speed provided by
the PowerPC-CPU while at the same time making applications as easy to
port as possible. For the first time on the Amiga, WarpUP allows using
native PowerPC-applications as well as applications and shared
libraries in mixed- and fat-binary form.
The StormC C/C++ developer system offers the possibility to compile
an AmigaOS-application as a native PowerPC application by simply
setting a compiler option. The necessary switching between the
68K-AmigaOS and the PowerPC- functions is handled by the WarpOS-kernel
within WarpUP. This is a valuable advantage for the software
developer. The reason for this is that even a direct port of the
software achieves a sufficient performance increase. Conceptual
changes to the software only become necessary if even the last bit is
too be squeezed out of the system.
WarpUP offers the following advantages:
* Highspeed communication-interface between the 68K- and PowerPC-CPU.
* Entirely native multitasking, native memory management, semaphores,
list-/tag-management, signalling, message handling.
* Facultative memory protection: tasks are given the option of
allocating protected memory areas.
* Virtual signals, i.e. signals are CPU-shared and are always
redirected to the correct CPU.
* Inter-CPU message-system: messages can be passed between the CPUs
* Optimal use of the PPC-MMU and the PPC-Cache
* MMU/Exception-handling support for applications
* PowerSave-function that shuts down the PPC if no applications use
it
* PowerPC-Enforcer (protects the first page)
* Detailed crash-requester that optimally aids the developer in
finding errors
* Integrated debugging system to make bug-tracking easier.
* Special support for highly optimized software such as games and
demos.
* Support for Amiga-compliant applications.
* PowerPC native, mixed- and fat-binary applications and
shared-libraries.
* Also usable for alternative developer systems such as Modula- or
E-compilers with PowerPC-support because objects are not mandatorily
created in ELF; instead the tried and tested Amiga-compliant
hunk-format can be used as well.
* Easy installation
* Hardware-independent
* Optimal future prospects
We save the best for last, of course: WarpUP can be obtained free of
charge from HAAGE&PARTNER! You only have to pay your phone costs.
Download!
This is our contribution towards a brighter Amiga-future.
Further information can be obtained from:
HAAGE&PARTNER Computer GmbH
PO. Box 80
D 61188 Rosbach
Germany
Tel.: ++49 6007 930050
Fax: ++49 6007 7543
E-Mail: warpup@haage-partner.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL
T H E H I S T O R Y O F T H E A M I G A Part Three
The following "Amiga Update" Special Feature is presented by
permission of the author. It was originally published in "Computer
Bits magazine".
Uncontrolled Execution: The strange saga of the Amiga
Uncontrolled Execution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The strange saga of the Amiga ... by Philip S. Moore
... continued ...
Within days of Commodore's 1994 announcement, the company employees
dispersed and the remaining assets were in the hands of the creditors.
This should have been the end of the story, but a strange thing
started to happen -- peripheral and software producers began to come
forward, vowing their continued support for the platform.
First a handful, then dozens -- enough to keep the Amiga alive, at
least for the time being. Instead of a quick death, it became a
protracted waiting game, with everyone watching to see what the
bankruptcy agreement would indicate for the future.
If the assets were auctioned piecemeal, then the chances that the
Amiga would return were remote. If the company remained a single
entity, then the story wasn't over.
Almost immediately, former Commodore staff members were hired by
companies interested in acquiring the Amiga or its technology. As the
companies indicated their interest in the Amiga, the creditors of
Commodore began to see an opportunity to sell the company, not in
pieces, but as a single package.
An agreement was reached for settlement of claims and a date was set
for receiving offers for the entire assets of Commodore, including the
Amiga. On that day, April 21, 1995, the offers were opened, and the
winner was a German computer and electronics retailer, Escom A.G. The
company looked like a perfect match.
The Commodore creditors were, if not happy, at least satisfied. The
Amiga's community of users and suppliers thought the crisis was over,
and the future looked assured.
------
North Sioux City, South Dakota is about as far from Germany as you
can get, in miles, topography and mentality. Yet, in the executive
offices of a giant South Dakota company, the future of Amiga was being
decided.
Quikpak, despite its good intentions, cannot raise the purchase price
by the deadline and again Amiga is heading toward the brink.
Time is running out for Escom's creditors and the the receiver. If
the status of Amiga Technologies cannot be resolved in the immediate
future, there will be no choice. The company will be shut down and the
assets auctioned to the highest bidder.
This scenario is the subject of the discussions in the offices of
Gateway 2000, the world's largest direct marketer of personal
computers. It has become the topic of interest because Ted Waitt,
co-founder and president of this Fortune 500 company, has decided that
Gateway 2000 may want to reach beyond its traditional business of
making well-liked but unremarkable IBM-compatible machines and acquire
Amiga Technologies.
There is no question that Gateway 2000 has the money -- but does it
make sense to spend it on the Amiga? Waitt thinks it does.
At first, all he wanted were the patents. The Amiga's multimedia
capability is still an industry leader and combining that with
Gateway's new entry into the set-top box market offers tempting
technical opportunities.
However, the more he looks, the more Waitt believes that there is a
future for the Amiga itself. "Amiga has some fantastic technology," he
commented in an interview with Boot magazine. "But there might be a
lot more than just a set of patents. There's the tremendous enthusiasm
of the folks in the Amiga user environment."
On top of that, there is a company operating as a small but
profitable concern and an overseas market that is gaining, not losing,
ground.
For a man who decided that he could make computers in the middle of
the Great Plains, in a town where the largest existing employer was a
hog slaughterhouse, it all looks too tempting.
The tortured saga of the Amiga reached a sudden and surprising end on
March 27, 1997 when Gateway 2000 announced its intention to purchase
Amiga Technologies GmbH.
This happy turn of events startled everyone, including Amiga
loyalists who had become more accustomed to bad than good news. They
could not question Gateway's ability to meet the price, now down to
about $16 million, but they wondered whether the company planned to
close the company, take the patents, and move on.
It took only a few days for Gateway to put their fears to rest. On
May 18, at a news conference prior to the opening of the World of
Amiga Conference in London, Gateway announced the renamed Amiga
International Inc., and vowed its commitment to the future of the
Amiga computer.
On the platform was Jim Taylor, Gateway's senior vice president for
global marketing, who noted, "It's exciting to know how much support
Amiga continues to enjoy."
Joined by Tyschschenko, who remained president of the renamed
subsidiary, Taylor vowed to support the Amiga community. "Every Amiga
customer should know that we share their belief in this product and we
believe that it has a strong role in our multimedia computing world."
Since then, Gateway has made good on its promises, agreeing to
license Amiga's technology broadly and assist in developing new
products based on an open standard. By expanding the number of
companies in the Amiga business, even potential competitors, Gateway
sees the opportunity to make the Amiga cheaper to produce, faster to
develop and easier to upgrade.
Mostly, Gateway 2000 is offering the Amiga a chance to remake
history. From a long, tortured path littered with mistakes and near
success, the company now has the stability and credibility to fulfill
its potential. For once, Amiga's enthusiasts promise, it's a chance
that will not be missed.
About the Author
Philip S. Moore is a Camas, WA-based public relations consultant and
computer hobbiest. E-mail to philip758@delphi.com.
This article was originally published in the September 1997 issue of
Computer Bits magazine, and is copyright (C) 1997 by Bitwise
Productions, Inc., Forest Grove, OR, (503) 359-9107. All rights
reserved.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amiga Update on the net: some issues available at:
http://www.sharbor.com/amiga/news/ (in html format)
Australian Mirror Site: http://www.comcen.com.au/~paulm/index.html
All back issues available (in ASCII text) at:
http://www.globaldialog.com/AdventureCentral/AU/index.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1997 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified.
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