AmigaOS
AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga. It was originally based on a Tripos port by MetaComCo written in BCPL.
It has:
- Preemptive Unix-like multitasking without 'nice' priorities
- Microkernel architecture
- Programmable real-time interrupts with very low latencies
- No memory protection
- 32-bit design
- Programmable filesystem devices
- Interprocess scripting language (ARexx) included as standard
- Incredibly efficient interprocess messaging
It came always divided in two parts:
- Kickstart (The ROM part: it had the bootstrap, the kernel and some libraries) This was actually loaded from disk on the original Amiga, but all subsequent models had Kickstart in ROM.
- Workbench (The disk-based part: it had a desktop environment, libraries, patches and some utilities to complement the Kickstart)
The Workbench environment is not required for the machine to function, therefore a lot of games boot directly from Kickstart, without loading it. Without Workbench there is more RAM available, however the application will lose the ability to multitask with other applications. In this circumstance, the machine must be rebooted.
AmigaOS versions:
- Kickstart/Workbench 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
- This is the original implementation of AmigaOS. It had a distinctive blue and orange colourscheme. Versions after 1.0 consisted mostly of bug fixes. 1.x shipped with the A1000, A500, A1500, CDTV and A2000.
- Kickstart/Workbench 1.4
- This was a beta version of the upcoming 2.0 update, but was released in very small quantities with early Amiga 3000 computers.
- Kickstart/Workbench 2.0, 2.05, 2.1
- 2.0 introduced a lot of major advances to the Amiga operating system. Gone was the harsh blue and orange colourscheme, replaced with a much easier on the eye grey and light blue. The Workbench was no longer tied to the 640x256 (PAL) or 640x200 (NTSC) display modes, and much of the system was improved with an eye making future expansion easier.
- Unfortunately, 2.x introduced some incompatibilities with old, badly written software, and so a lot of people were upset with this update.
- 2.x shipped with the A500+, A600 and A3000.
- Kickstart/Workbench 3.0, 3.1
- 3.x was another major update. Updates included:
- A universal data system, known as datatypes, that allowed programs to load pictures, sound and text in formats they didn't understand directly, through the use of standard plugs
- CD filesystem support as standard
- PCMCIA card support
- Colour remapping for low-colour display modes
- Improved visual appearance
- Better support for background images
- 3.x shipped with the CD32, A1200, and A4000.
- AmigaOS 3.5, 3.9
- After the demise of Commodore, the later owners of the Amiga trademark granted a license to a German company called Haage & Partner to update the Amiga's operating system. Along with this update came a change in the way people referred to the Amigas operating system. Rather than specifying "Kickstart" or "Workbench", the updates were most often referred to as simply "AmigaOS".
- Updates included:
- Distributed on CD instead of floppy disk
- Supplied with TCP/IP stack, web browser, and e-mail client.
- Improved GUI, called "ReAction"
- AVI/MPEG movie player
- Support for hard disks larger than 4Gb (a limitation from 1.x)
- HTML documentation
- MP3 and CD audio player (OS3.9)
- Dock program
- Improved workbench
- AmigaOS 4
- A new version of AmigaOS 4 is being developed by Hyperion Entertainment under license for Amiga, Inc. It is a major update, comparable to the leap from Windows 3.1 to 95, or MacOS 9 to X.
- The new version will be PowerPC native instead of 680x0, and feature many updates.
- AmigaOS 4 will run on Amiga 4000 computers with PowerPC upgrade boards, and the new AmigaOne systems.
External Links
- The Workbench Nostalgia Page - Very detailed information on all known versions of AmigaOS.
- Amiga, Inc.