Amiga
1980
226101510
2008-07-16T20:49:01Z
Wgungfu
294569
Tense corrections
{{otheruses4|the family of home computers}}
[[Image:Amiga Logo.jpg|right|265px|The former Amiga logo, as used by [[Commodore Business Machines]]]]
[[Image:Amiga1k.jpg|thumb|255px|The [[Amiga 1000]] (1985), the first model released]]
The '''Amiga''' is a family of [[personal computer]]s originally developed by [[Amiga Corporation]]. Development on the Amiga began in 1982 with [[Jay Miner]] as the principal hardware designer. [[Commodore International]] bought Amiga Corporation and introduced the machine to the market in 1985. The name ''Amiga'' was chosen by the developers specifically from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] word for a female friend,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/ahistory.html | title=The Twists and Turns of the Amiga Saga | work=Amiga History Guide | author=Gareth Knight | accessdate=2008-04-21}}</ref><!--NB yes there are several other languages that use the same word, but the Amiga developers only knew Spanish and so that's the derivation. Please don't add a list of other languages here --> and because it occurred before [[Apple Inc|Apple]] and [[Atari]] alphabetically.<ref>DeMaria and Wilson (2003) ""High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games" p.109 ISBN 0-072-23172-6</ref>
Based on the [[Motorola 68k]] series of [[microprocessor]]s, the machine sports a [[original Amiga chipset|custom chipset]] with advanced graphics and sound capabilities, and a [[pre-emptive multitasking]] [[operating system]] (now known as [[AmigaOS]]). While the M68k is a [[32-bit]] processor, the version originally used in the Amiga, the 68000, has a [[16-bit]] external [[data bus]] (that transfers 32 bit of data in two consecutive steps, a technique called [[multiplexing]] -- all this transparent to the software, which is 32-bit from the beginning), and the original machine (along with its contemporary, the [[Atari ST]]) was generally referred to in the [[print media|press]] as a 16-bit computer;<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/oneamiga1.html | title = The One for 16-bit Games | accessdate = 2007-07-17 | first = Gareth | last = Knight | work = Amiga History Guide }}</ref> later models sported fully 32-bit designs. The Amiga provided a significant upgrade from 8-bit computers such as the [[Commodore 64]], and the Amiga quickly grew in popularity among computer enthusiasts, especially in [[Europe]], and sold approximately 6 million units.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/total-share.ars | title=Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures | author=Jeremy Reimer | work=Ars Technica | accessdate=2008-04-21}}</ref>
It also found a prominent role in the [[desktop video]] / [[video production]] and [[show control]] business, and was a less-expensive alternative to the [[Apple Macintosh]] and [[IBM-PC]]. The Amiga was most commercially successful as a [[home computer]], although early Commodore advertisements attempted to place the Amiga into several different markets at the same time.<ref>[http://youtube.com/watch?v=PsJ0ZZMuEQs] Youtube video Commodore advert 1987 - ''Celebrities''</ref><ref>[http://youtube.com/watch?v=ludrX2s1ZuM] Youtube video Commodore advert 1987 - TV spot version of 20 minute presentation</ref>
Since the demise of Commodore, various groups have marketed successors to the original Amiga line. [[Eyetech]] sold Amiga hardware under the [[AmigaOne]] brand from 2002 to 2005.
== History ==
{{main|History of the Amiga}}
The Amiga was originally designed by a small company called [[Amiga Corporation]], and initially intended to be a next generation [[video game]] machine, but was later redesigned into a general purpose computer.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.amigau.com/aig/prototypes/lorraine.html | title=Amiga Lorraine | work=Amiga History Guide | author=Gareth Knight | accessdate=2008-04-21}}</ref><ref>[http://www.amigaforever.com/games/ Amiga Forever - Amiga Games<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Before the machine was released into the market the company was purchased by [[Commodore International|Commodore]]. The first model was released in 1985 as simply "The Amiga from Commodore", later to be retroactively dubbed the [[Amiga 1000]]. The following year the Amiga product line was expanded with the introduction of two new models; the [[Amiga 2000]] for high-end graphics and business use, and the [[Amiga 500]] was for home use. Commodore later released several new Amiga models, both for low-end gaming use and high-end productivity use. Throughout the 1980s, the Amiga's combination of hardware and operating system software offered great value, but by the mid-nineties other platforms, most successfully the [[PC compatible|PC]] running [[Microsoft Windows]], reduced this advantage.
In 1994, Commodore filed for bankruptcy and its assets were purchased by [[Escom (computer corp)|Escom]], a German PC manufacturer, who created the [[subsidiary]] company [[Amiga Technologies]]. They re-released the A1200 and A4000T, and introduced a new [[68060]] version of the A4000T.
However, Escom in turn went bankrupt in 1997. The Amiga brand was then sold to another PC manufacturer, [[Gateway 2000]], which had announced grand plans for it. However, in 2000, Gateway sold the Amiga brand.
[[Image:Most Recent Amiga Logo.gif|right|265px|The Most Recent Amiga Logo.]]
The current owner of the trademark, [[Amiga, Inc.]], has licensed the rights to make hardware using the Amiga brand to a UK computer vendor, [http://www.eyetech.co.uk Eyetech Group, Ltd], which was founded by some former UK employees of [[Commodore International]]. They are currently selling the [[AmigaOne]] via an international dealer network. The AmigaOne is a [[PowerPC]] computer designed to run the latest version of [[AmigaOS]], which was itself licensed to a Belgian-German company, Hyperion Entertainment.<ref>[http://www.hyperion-entertainment.biz Hyperion Entertainment]</ref>
==Hardware==
At its core, the Amiga features custom designed [[coprocessor]]s, useful for handling tasks such as audio, video, encoding and animation. This freed up the Amiga's central processor for other tasks (given that the coprocessors could keep up with the central processor's demands) and gave the Amiga an edge on its competitors in many situations.
The platform also introduced other innovations. The [[CDTV|Amiga CDTV]], for example, was the first computer to feature a [[CD-ROM]] drive as standard, as well as being one of the earlier computers to no longer include a floppy drive in the standard configuration. The Amiga was also one of the first computers for which inexpensive sound sampling and video digitization accessories were available.
Although it was once regarded as "unemulatable,"<ref>{{cite web | url=http://emulation.victoly.com/amiga | title=Amiga Emulators | publisher=emulation.net | accessdate=2008-04-21}}</ref> since around 2000, hardware has developed to a point where many different platforms have [[Amiga emulation]] programs available that reproduce the Amiga's hardware functions in software. This allows users to run Amiga software without the need for an actual Amiga computer.
===Central processing unit===
[[Image:Motorola PowerPC 604e 233MHz.jpg|75px|thumb|left|<small>[[PowerPC]] processor.</small>]]
All Commodore Amiga models make use of Motorola Central Processing Units ([[CPU]]s) based on the Motorola 68k architecture. In desktop-style Amiga models, the CPU was fitted on a [[daughterboard]] (except the A2000) called a CPU card. Low-cost Amiga models come with CPUs either socketed or soldered onto the motherboard. On all Amiga models the CPU can be upgraded through an expansion card or direct CPU replacement. CPU cards were provided by both Commodore and third-party manufacturers. These cards often come with on-board memory slots and [[hard drive]] interfaces, alleviating those tasks from the base Amiga.
The Amiga is not limited to solely the 68k CPU architecture; although Commodore never shipped one, it is possible to install a [[PowerPC]] coprocessor that can be used by PowerPC-aware software and libraries,<ref>The Big Book of Amiga Hardware [http://amigahardware.mariomisic.de/cgi-bin/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=154] [http://amigahardware.mariomisic.de/cgi-bin/showhardware.cgi?HARDID=225]</ref> and later the AmigaOne used a PowerPC CPU instead of a 68k CPU.
===Custom chipset===
There are three generations of chipsets used in the various Amiga models. The first is the [[Original Amiga chipset|OCS]], followed by the [[Enhanced Chip Set|ECS]] and finally the [[Advanced Graphics Architecture|AGA]]. What all these chipsets have in common is that they handle [[raster graphics]], digital audio and communication between various peripherals (e.g., CPU, memory and floppy disks) in the Amiga.
==== Graphics ====
[[Image:HAM6example.png|right|352px|A 4,096 color HAM picture from 1989]]
All Amiga systems can display full-screen animated graphics with 32, 64 ([[Halfbrite mode|EHB Mode]]) or 4096 colors ([[Hold And Modify|HAM Mode]]). Models with the AGA chipset (A1200 and A4000) also have 128, 256 and 262,144 ([[Hold And Modify|HAM Mode]]) color modes and a palette expanded from 4096 to [[Color depth#Truecolor|16.8 million colors]].
<!-- Something about retargetable graphic hardware here -->
The Amiga chipset can ''[[genlock]]'' — adjust its own screen refresh timing to match an NTSC or PAL video signal. When combined with setting transparency, this allows an Amiga to overlay an external video source with graphics. This ability made the Amiga popular for many applications, and provides the ability to do [[Character generator|character generation]] and [[CGI]] effects far more cheaply than earlier systems. Some frequent users of this ability included wedding videographers, [[television station|TV stations]] and their [[weather forecasting]] divisions (for weather graphics and radar), advertising channels, music video production, and 'desktop video'. The [[NewTek]] [[Video Toaster]] was made possible by the genlock ability of the Amiga.
==== Sound ====
The sound chip, named Paula, supports four sound channels (two for the left speaker and two for the right) with 8-bit resolution for each channel and a 6-bit volume control per channel. The analog output is connected to a low-pass filter, which filters out high-frequency aliases when the Amiga is using a lower sampling rate (see [[Nyquist limit]]). The brightness of the Amiga's power LED is used to indicate the status of the Amiga’s low-pass filter. The filter is active when the LED is at normal brightness, and deactivated when dimmed (or off on older A500 Amigas). On Amiga 1000, the power LED had no relation to the filter's status, you had to manually solder a wire between pins on the sound chip to disable the filter. Paula can read directly from the system's [[RAM]], using direct memory access (DMA), making sound playback without CPU intervention possible.
Although the hardware is limited to four separate sound channels, software such as ''[[OctaMED]]'' uses software mixing to allow eight or more virtual channels, and it was possible for software to mix two hardware channels to achieve a single 14-bit resolution channel by playing with the volumes of the channels in such a way that one of the source channels contributes the most significant bits and the other the least ones.
The quality of the Amiga's sound output, and the fact that the hardware is ubiquitous and easily addressed by software, were standout features of Amiga hardware unavailable on PC platforms for years. Third-party sound cards exist that provide DSP functions, multi-track direct-to-disk recording, multiple hardware sound channels and 16-bit and beyond resolutions. A retargetable sound API called AHI was developed allowing these cards to be used transparently by the OS and software.
=== ROM ===
The classic Amiga Operating System consists of [[Kickstart (Amiga)|Kickstart]] (including System API) and [[Workbench (Amiga)|Workbench]]. In the Amiga 1000 model, Kickstart is first loaded from a floppy disk, followed by Workbench, or other bootable disk. Later models hold Kickstart (and system API) on a ROM, improving start-up times. Models can be upgraded by changing the ROM.
The early ROMs are generally known as "Kickstart" and start with version 1.0 (A1000 floppy) and end with Kickstart 3.1. There are hardware and software packages that can "shadow" Kickstart into memory. This resulted in faster operation for functions dependent on the ROM, at the cost of system memory to store the ROM data.
=== Three finger salute ===
The Amiga's [[three-finger salute (computing)|three-finger salute]] (CTRL plus the two "Amiga" keys), which reboots the system (but does not erase or reload the Kickstart software), is actually implemented in hardware common to the [[Apple II]] (CTRL-Open Apple-Reset), but unlike the IBM PC (whose Ctrl-Alt-Del is implemented in software). Another kind of three-finger salute (CTRL plus the two "Alt" keys) was introduced with AmigaOS 4.0 which resets the machine entirely, forcing a reload of the Kickstart.
===Third party hardware===
Many expansion boards were produced for Amiga computers to improve the performance and capability of the hardware, such as memory expansions, [[SCSI]] controllers, CPU boards, and graphics boards. Other upgrades include genlocks, ethernet cards, modems, sound cards and samplers, video digitizers, USB cards, extra serial ports, and IDE controllers.
The most popular upgrades were memory, SCSI controllers and CPU accelerator cards. These were sometimes combined into the one device, particularly on big-box Amigas like the A2000, A3000 and A4000.
Early CPU accelerator cards feature full 32-bit CPUs of the 68000 family such as the [[Motorola 68020]] and [[Motorola 68030]], almost always with 32-bit memory and usually with [[floating point unit|FPU]]s and [[Memory management unit|MMU]]s or the facility to add them. Later designs feature the [[Motorola 68040]] and [[Motorola 68060]]. Both CPUs feature integrated FPUs and MMUs. Many CPU accelerator cards also had integrated SCSI controllers.
Phase5 designed the PowerUp boards (BlizzardPPC and CyberstormPPC) featuring both a 68k (a 68040 or 68060) and a PPC (603 or 604) CPU, which are able to run the two CPUs at the same time (and share the system memory). The PPC CPU on PowerUp boards is usually used as a coprocessor for heavy computations (a powerful CPU is needed to run for example [[MAME]], but even decoding [[JPEG]] pictures and [[MP3]] audio was considered heavy computation in those years). It is also possible to ignore the 68k CPU and run [[Linux]] on the PPC (project Linux APUS), but a PPC-native Amiga OS was not available when the PPC boards first appeared.
24-bit graphics cards and video cards were also available. Graphics cards are designed primarily for 2D artwork production, workstation use, and later, gaming. Video cards are designed for inputting and outputting video signals, and processing and manipulating video.
Perhaps the most famous video card in the North American market was the NewTek [[Video Toaster]]. This was a powerful video effects board which turned the Amiga into an affordable video processing computer which found its way into many professional video environments. Due to its NTSC-only design it did not find a market in countries that used the PAL standard, such as in Europe. In PAL countries the OpalVision card was popular, although less featured and supported than the Video Toaster. Low-cost [[Timebase correction|time base correctors (TBCs)]] specifically designed to work with the Toaster quickly came to market, most of which were designed as standard Amiga bus cards.
Various manufacturers started producing PCI busboards for the A1200 and A4000, allowing standard Amiga computers to use PCI cards such as Voodoo graphic cards, [[Sound Blaster]] sound cards, 10/100 ethernet cards, and TV tuner cards.
PowerPC upgrades with Wide SCSI controllers, PCI busboards with ethernet, sound and 3D graphics cards, and tower cases allowed the A1200 and A4000 to survive well into the late nineties.
Expansion boards were made by [[Richmond Sound Design]] that allow their [[show control]] and [[sound design]] software to communicate with their custom hardware frames either by ribbon cable or fiber optic cable for long distances, allowing the Amiga to control up to eight million digitally controlled external audio, lighting, automation, relay and voltage control channels spread around a large theme park, for example. See [[Amiga software]] for more information on these applications.
== Models and variants ==
{{main|Amiga models and variants}}
[[Image:Amiga500 system.jpg|thumb|255px|The [[Amiga 500]] (1987) was the most popular variant of the Amiga.<ref>[http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/sales.html]</ref>]]
The "classic Amiga" models<ref>{{Citation
|last =Knight
|first =Gareth
|author-link =
|last2 =
|first2 =
|author2-link =
|title =Amiga history guide
|date =
|year =1997-2003
|url =http://www.amigau.com/aig/comamiga.html
|accessdate =2007-09-29 }}</ref> were produced from 1985 to 1996. They are, in order of appearance: [[Amiga 1000|1000]], [[Amiga 2000|2000]], [[Amiga 500|500]], [[Amiga 1500|1500]], [[Amiga 2500|2500]], [[Amiga 3000|3000]], [[Amiga 3000UX|3000UX]], [[Amiga 500+|500+]], [[Amiga 3000T|3000T]], [[Amiga CDTV|CDTV]], [[Amiga 600|600]], [[Amiga 4000|4000]], [[Amiga 1200|1200]], [[Amiga CD32|CD32]], and [[Amiga 4000T|4000T]]. The PowerPC based [[AmigaOne]] was later produced from 2002 to 2005. Some companies have also released Amiga [[Clone (computer science)|clones]].
The [[Amiga 500]] was Commodore’s best-selling Amiga model. Early units, at least, had the words "B52/ROCK LOBSTER"<ref>[http://www.rollerfink.de/wp-content/rollerfink.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/img_1518.JPG]</ref> [[Printed circuit board#Manufacturing|silk-screen printed]] onto their [[printed circuit board]], a reference to the popular [[Rock Lobster|song]] by the [[rock music|rock]] band [[the B-52's]]. Commodore's two subsequent console style models also carried a reference to the same band on their motherboards - the [[Amiga 600]] had "JUNE BUG" and the [[Amiga 1200]] had "CHANNEL Z"<ref>{{Citation
|last =Knight
|first =Gareth
|author-link =
|last2 =
|first2 =
|author2-link =
|title =References to B52 songs on Amiga Motherboards
|date =
|year =1997-2006
|url =http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/b52board.html
|accessdate =2008-05-20 }}</ref>.
The [[Amiga 500+]] was the shortest lived model, replacing the Amiga 500 and lasting only six months until it was phased out and replaced by the [[Amiga 600]].<ref>[http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/a500plus.html Commodore Amiga 500+]</ref>
Commodore released three significant upgrades: the [[Amiga 2000]] in 1987, the [[Amiga 3000]] in 1990, and the [[Amiga 4000]] in 1992. These upgrades improved the platform's graphical abilities, allowing for more colors and different display modes, and added expansion slots and ports. The best selling models, however, were the much cheaper but still versatile console models - the [[Amiga 500]] (1987) and the [[Amiga 1200]] (1992).
In 2006, [[PC World (magazine)|PC World]] rated the [[Amiga 1000]] as the seventh greatest PC of all time, stating "''Years ahead of its time, the Amiga was the world's first multimedia, multitasking personal computer''".<ref>[http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,126692-page,8-c,systems/article.html PC World, The 25 Greatest PCs of All Time]</ref>
=== AmigaOS 4 systems ===
AmigaOS 4 is designed for PowerPC Amiga systems and currently runs on both Amigas equipped with CyberstormPPC or BlizzardPPC accelerator boards, and on the PPC Teron series based [[AmigaOne]] computers built by [[Eyetech]] under license by Amiga Inc. AmigaOS 4.0 had been available only in developer pre-releases for numerous years until the final update was 'released' in December 2006. Due to the nature of some provisions of the contract between Amiga Inc. and [[Hyperion Entertainment]] the Belgian-German firm which is developing the OS, the commercial AmigaOS had only been available licensed to buyers of AmigaOne motherboards.
AmigaOS 4.0 for Classic Amigas equipped with PPC (Cyberstorm PPC or BlizzardPPC) accelerator boards was released commercially in November 2007, prior to this it was available only to developers and beta-testers.
There have been no major changes or feature enhancements to Amiga OS 4.0 since December, 2006, and no new hardware released since the AmigaOne, despite rumors of several PowerPC-based motherboards.
=== Amiga hardware clones ===
Long-time Amiga developer MacroSystems entered the Amiga-clone market with their DraCo [[Non-linear editing system|nonlinear video edit]] system. It appears in two versions, initially a tower model and later a cube. DraCo expanded upon and combined a number of earlier expansion cards developed for Amiga (VLabMotion, Toccata, WarpEngine, RetinaIII) into a true Amiga-clone powered by Motorola's [[Motorola 68060|68060]] processor. The DraCo can run AmigaOS 3.1 up through AmigaOS 3.9. It is the only Amiga-based system to support [[FireWire]] for video I/O. DraCo also offers an Amiga-compatible [[Amiga Zorro II|ZORRO-II]] expansion bus and introduced a faster custom DraCoBus, capable of 30 MB/sec transfer rates (faster than Commodore's [[Amiga Zorro III|ZORRO-III]]). The technology was later used in the Casablanca system, a set-top-box also designed for non-linear video editing.
In 1998, [[Index Information]] released the Access, an Amiga-clone similar to the [[Amiga 1200|A1200]], but on a motherboard which could fit into a standard [[Drive bay#5.25"|5 1/4" drive bay]]. It features either a [[Motorola 68020|68020]] or [[Motorola 68030|68030]] CPU, with a redesigned [[Amiga Advanced Graphics Architecture|AGA]] chipset, and runs [[AmigaOS]] 3.1.
In 2006, two new Amiga-clones were announced. The [[Minimig]] is a personal project of Dutch engineer Dennis van Weeren. Minimig replicates the Amiga [[Amiga Original chipset|OCS]] custom chipset inside an [[FPGA]]. The original model was built on a [[Xilinx]] Spartan 3 development board, but now a dedicated board has been demonstrated. The design for Minimig was released as Open Source on [[July 25]], [[2007]]. In December, 2007, an Italian company [[Acube Systems]] announced plans to commercially produce the original Minimig. In February 2008 Acube began selling Minimig boards.
[[Individual Computers]] has announced development of the Clone-A system. As of mid 2007 it has been shown in its development form, with FPGA-based boards replacing the custom chips in an Amiga 500.
==Operating systems==
===AmigaOS===
{{main|AmigaOS}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:AmigaOS 3 9 Workbench.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Amiga OS 3.9]] -->
At the time of release AmigaOS put an OS that was well ahead of its time into the hands of the average consumer. It was the first commercially available consumer [[operating system]] for personal computers to implement [[Preemption (computing)|preemptive]] [[Computer multitasking|multitasking]]<ref>http://www.amiga.com/amigaos/</ref>. Other features included combining a [[graphical user interface]] with a [[command-line interface]], allowing long [[filename]]s permitting [[Whitespace (computer science)|whitespace]] and not requiring a [[file extension]] and the use of information files associated with other files to store [[Icon (computer)|icon]]s, launch and other [[computer desktop|desktop]] data.
[[John C. Dvorak]] stated in 1996 that AmigaOS ''"remains one of the great operating systems of the past 20 years, incorporating a small kernel and tremendous [[multitasking]] capabilities the likes of which have only recently been developed in [[OS/2]] and [[Windows NT]]. The biggest difference is that the AmigaOS could operate fully and multitask in as little as {{nowrap|250 K}} of address space."''<ref>From PC Magazine, [[October 22]], [[1996]]
Inside Track By John C. Dvorak</ref>
Like other operating systems of the time, the OS lacks [[memory protection]]. This is necessary also because the [[Motorola 68000|68000]] [[CPU]] of the first Amiga computers does not include a [[memory management unit]], and because there is no way of enforcing use of flags indicating memory to be shared.<ref name=”google.groups.com (Memory Protection)”>{{cite web|url = http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.amiga.advocacy/msg/7d0bf445a2c22d67?hl=en&|title= Adding Memory Protection (MP) to the Amiga|work = groups.google.com|accessmonthday = December 30|accessyear = 2006}}</ref> Although it eases [[interapplication communication]] (programs can communicate by simply passing a [[pointer]] back and forth), the lack of memory protection made the Amiga OS more vulnerable to [[Crash (computing)|crashes]] from badly behaving [[Computer program|programs]], and fundamentally incapable of enforcing any form of security model since any program had full access to the system. Later this memory protection feature was implemented in Amiga OS 4.
The problem was somewhat exacerbated by Commodore's initial decision to release documentation relating not only to the OS's underlying software routines, but also to the hardware itself, enabling intrepid programmers who cut their teeth on the Commodore 64 to [[Peek and Poke|POKE]] the hardware directly, as was done on the older platform. While the decision to release the documentation was a popular one and allowed the creation of fast, sophisticated sound and graphics routines in games and demos, it also contributed to system instability as some programmers lacked the expertise to program at this level. For this reason, when the new [[Advanced Graphics Architecture|AGA]] chipset was released, [[Commodore International|Commodore]] declined to release documentation for it, forcing most programmers to adopt the approved software routines.
Following Commodore's bankruptcy, two main clones of AmigaOS were developed: [[MorphOS]], which runs on Amiga and [[Pegasos]] machines, and the [[free software]] [[AROS]] project.
=== Unix and Unix-like systems ===
Commodore-Amiga produced [[Amiga Unix]], informally known as Amix, based on AT&T [[UNIX System V|SVR4]]. It supports the [[Amiga 2500]] and Amiga 3000 and was included with the [[Amiga 3000UX]]. Among other unusual features of Amix is a hardware-accelerated windowing system which can scroll windows without copying data. Amix is not supported on the later Amiga systems based on [[Motorola 68040|68040]] or [[Motorola 68060|68060]] processors.
Other, still maintained, operating systems are available for the classic Amiga platform, including Linux and [[NetBSD]]. Both require a CPU with MMU such as the [[Motorola 68020|68020]] with [[Motorola 68851|68851]] or full versions of the [[Motorola 68030|68030]], [[Motorola 68040|68040]] or [[Motorola 68060|68060]]. There is also a version of Linux for Amigas with PowerPC accelerator cards. [[Debian]] and [[Yellow Dog Linux]] can run on the AmigaOne.
There is an official, older version of [[OpenBSD]]. The last Amiga release is 3.2. [[Minix]] 1.5.10 also runs on Amiga.<ref>[http://www.compwisdom.com/topics/Minix Minix] ''Comp Wisdon''</ref>
===Emulating other systems===
{{main|Emulation on the Amiga}}
The Amiga is able to emulate other computer platforms ranging from many 8-bit systems such as the [[ZX Spectrum]], Commodore 64, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, [[Apple II]] and the [[TRS-80]], to platforms such as the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh. [[MAME]] (the arcade machine emulator) is also available for Amiga systems with PPC accelerator card upgrades.
== Amiga software ==
{{main|Amiga software}}
The Amiga was a primary target for productivity and game development during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Software was often developed for the Amiga and the [[Atari ST]] simultaneously, since the ST shared a similar architecture.
<!-- Technical trivialities, like how many bytes that is moved across the bus, is not all that interesting (so what, it's still facts!). And try to keep AmigaOS stuff to the AmigaOS article -->
Much of the freely available software was available on [[Aminet]]. Until around 1996, Aminet was the largest public archive of software for any platform.
=== Bootblock ===
[[Image:Amiga kick34.5 askforwb1.3.png|right|frame|If an Amiga 500 is rebooted or powered without a floppy this screen is displayed. The displayed OS is [[AmigaOS#Kickstart|Kickstart]] 34.5 (AmigaOS 1.3), included in the Amiga 500 ROM.]]
When an Amiga is reset, the ''Kickstart'' code selects a boot device (floppy or hard drive), loads the first two sectors of the disk or partition (the ''bootblock''), and passes control to it. Normally this code passes control back to the OS, continuing to boot from the device or partition it was loaded from. The first production Amiga, the Amiga 1000, needed to load Kickstart from floppy disk into 256 [[kilobyte]]s of RAM reserved for this purpose, but subsequent Amigas held Kickstart in [[Read-only memory|ROM]]. Some games and demos for the A1000 (notably ''[[Dragon's Lair]]'') provided an alternative code-base in order to use the extra 256 kilobytes of RAM for data.
A floppy disk or hard drive partition bootblock normally contains code to load the 'dos.library' (AmigaDOS) and then exit to it, invoking the GUI. Any such disk, no matter what the other contents of the disk, was referred to as a "Boot disk", "bootable disk" or "Workbench disk". (A bootblock could be added to a disk by use of the "install" command.)
Some entertainment software contains custom bootblocks. The game or [[Demo (computer programming)|demo]] then takes control of memory and resources to suit itself, effectively disabling AmigaOS and the Amiga GUI.
The bootblock became an obvious target for [[Computer virus|virus]] writers. Some games or demos that used a custom bootblock would not work if infected with a bootblock virus, as the virus's code replaced the original. The first such virus was the [[SCA virus]]. [[Anti-virus software|Anti-virus]] attempts included custom bootblocks. These amended bootblock advertised the presence of the virus checker while checking the system for tell-tale signs of memory resident viruses and then passed control back to the system. Unfortunately these could not be used on disks that already relied on a custom bootblock, but did alert users of potential trouble. Several of them also replicated themselves across other disks, becoming little more than viruses in their own right.
== Boing Ball ==
The Boing Ball<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ga41edXw3A YouTube video of Boing Ball demo], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Amiga-Boing-Ball-Icosahedron.png Boing ball projected on Icosahedron for handicrafts]</ref> has been synonymous with Amiga since its public release in 1985. It has been a popular theme in computer [[demo effect]]s since the 1950s, when a bouncing ball demo was released for [[Whirlwind]] computers. [[Commodore International|Commodore]] released a bouncing ball demo at the 1978 [[Consumer Electronics Show]], to illustrate the capabilities of the VIC chip. A similar theme was used to demonstrate the capabilities of the Amiga computer at the 1984 Consumer Electronics Show. It was a real-time [[animation]] showing a red-and-white balloon bouncing forth and back off the edges of the screen, as a deep 'boing!' sound played on each impact. Since then, the Boing Ball became one of the most well-known symbols for Amiga and compatible computers. Within the context of this tradition of bouncing ball demos at the Consumer Electronics Show, CBS Electronics also showed a Bouncing Ball demo for the Atari VCS/2600, with a spinning and bouncing ball, at the same event.
The 1984 Boing Ball demo was one of the very first demos shown on the Amiga. It was specifically designed to take advantage of the Amiga's custom graphics and sound hardware, achieving a level of speed and smoothness not previously seen on a home computer. This demo operated in an [[Intuition (Amiga)|Intuition]] Screen, allowing the higher resolution Amiga Workbench screen to be dragged down to make the Boing Ball visible from behind, bouncing up above the Workbench while the Workbench remained fully active. Since the Boing Ball used almost no CPU time, this made a particularly impressive demonstration of multitasking at the time.
Despite its popularity in the Amiga community, the Boing Ball itself was never officially adopted as a [[trademark]] by [[Commodore International|Commodore]]. The official Amiga trademark was a [[rainbow]]-colored double [[checkmark]]. After the bankruptcy of Commodore, the Boing Ball remained in use as one of the symbols for Amiga-related systems on hundreds of web sites and products by different companies and individuals.
The demo was once ported to the [[Atari 2600]] under the title ''Boing''.<ref>[http://www.kudla.org/raindog/games/ Old Videogames<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The porter impressed himself so much that he added a little Easter Egg, which he referred to as lame (When you hold down the game reset switch, the checkered ball turns into a message that says ''HAPPY XMAS 1999!-----FROM ROB KUDLA'' and ''Jingle Bells'' starts playing. You also won't hear the bounce sound effect. Releasing the switch stops the music, turns the message back into the checkered ball, and the boing sound effect is played again when the ball bounces).
==Amiga community==
When Commodore went bankrupt in 1994, there was still a very active Amiga community, and it continued to support the platform long after mainstream commercial vendors abandoned it. The most popular Amiga magazine, ''[[Amiga Format]]'', continued to publish editions until 2000, some six years after Commodore filed for bankruptcy. Another magazine, ''[[Amiga Active]]'', was launched in 1999 and was published until 2001. Interest in the platform is high enough to sustain a specialist column in the UK weekly magazine [[Micro Mart]].
As of mid-2006, there was enough demand for Amiga expansion hardware to keep some small scale manufacturers in business.
== Notable historic uses ==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Chartshoworiginal.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Amiga graphics as seen on ''[[The Chart Show]]'' in 1987]] -->
<!-- Do not add unreferenced material in this section. This is not a trivia section, please see WP:TRIVIA for more information -->
The Amiga series of computers found a place in early computer graphic design and television presentation. Below are some examples of notable uses and users.
*Early episodes of the television series ''[[Babylon 5]]'' were rendered on Amigas running [[Video Toaster]]s.<ref>[http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/effects.html The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5]</ref> Other television series using Amigas for special effects included ''[[SeaQuest DSV]]''<ref>[http://www.newtek-europe.com/uk/community/lightwave/gorner/1.html Interview with Matt Gorner]</ref> and ''[[Max Headroom (TV series)|Max Headroom]]''.<ref>[http://www.g4tv.com/techtvvault/features/37823/Max_Headroom_on_TechTV.html 'Max Headroom' on TechTV]</ref>
*Director [[Steven Spielberg]] used Amigas in ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' for pre-visualization, in the ''[[seaQuest DSV]]'' TV series for special effects and rendering of underwater craft, and in the TV cartoon ''[[Animaniacs]]''.
*The Amiga 1000 & 2000 computers appeared multiple times on the Miami Vice TV series (Seasons 4 & 5). The Amiga 1000 was shown the most residing in the Miami PD, whilst another was used in several office settings. The 2000 was shown once in a separate household.
*[[Richmond Sound Design]] (RSD) created both [[show control]] (a.k.a. MSC or "[[MIDI Show Control]]") and theater [[sound design]] software which was used extensively in the theater, theme park, display, exhibit, [[Stage Manager|stage managing]], show and themed entertainment industries in the 1980s and 1990s and at one point in the mid 90s, there were many high profile shows at major theme parks around the world being controlled by Amigas through software simply called [[Stage Manager]] which then evolved into its Microsoft Windows version called [[ShowMan]]. There were dozens at [[Walt Disney World]] alone and more at all other [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[Universal Studios]], [[Six Flags]] and [[Madame Tussauds]] properties as well as in many venues in Las Vegas including [[The Mirage]] hotel Volcano and [[Siegfried and Roy]] show, the [[MGM Grand]] EFX show, [[Broadway theater]], London's [[West End theater|West End]], the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]'s many venues, most of [[Branson, Missouri]]'s theaters, and scores of theaters on cruise ships, amongst hundreds of others. RSD purchased used Amigas on the web and reconditioned them to provide enough systems for all the shows that specified them and only stopped providing new Amiga installations in 2000. There are still an unknown number of shows on cruise ships and in themed venues being run by Amigas.
In addition, many other celebrities and notable individuals have made use of the Amiga:<ref>For other notable users see [http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/fau/main.html Famous Amiga Users at AmigaHistory].</ref>
*[[Andy Warhol]], the famous pop artist, was an early user of the Amiga and appeared at the launch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artnode.org/text/andywarhol/index.html|title=Amiga Andy article|work=Artnode online}}</ref> Warhol used the Amiga to create a new style of art made with computers, and he was the author of a multimedia opera called ''"you are the one"'' which represents an animated sequence featuring images of actress [[Marilyn Monroe]] assembled in a short movie with soundtrack. The video was discovered on two old Amiga floppies in a drawer in Warhol's studio and repaired in 2006 by the [[Detroit Museum Of New Art]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=18091|title=Artdaily article about the discover and repair of "you are the one"|work=Artdaily|accessdate=2007-01-07}}</ref> The pop artist also stated: ''"The thing I like most about doing this kind of work on the Amiga is that it looks like my work in other media."''<ref>{{cite web|work=Amiga World Magazine|url=http://www.artnode.org/text/andywarhol/amigandy.pdf|title=Interview with Andy Warhol|accessdate=2007-01-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=Art Journal, Vol 49 No 3, Computers and Art: Issues of Content (Autumn, 1990) pp. 248-252|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0004-3249%28199023%2949%3A3%3C248%3ATDRAIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V&size=LARGE|title=The Digital Revolution: Art in the Computer Age|author=Cynthia Goodman|accessdate=2007-01-07}}</ref>
*[[Laurence Gartel]] who is considered a pioneer of the [[Digital Art]] movement, was the artist who physically taught Andy Warhol how to use Amiga<ref>[http://www.galleriiizu.com/currentexhibition.html galleriiizu<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> at its best, due to the fact he was one of the pioneers using and enjoying Amiga.
*Actor [[Dick Van Dyke]] is a self-described "rabid" user of the Amiga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2004/08/11/443.aspx|title=Dick van Dyke at SIGGRAPH|accessdate=2007-01-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Katie Hafner|url=http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/circuits/articles/22amig.html?oref=login|title=The Return of a Desktop Cult Classic (No, Not the Mac)]|publisher=New York Times|date=2000-06-22|accessdate=2007-01-07}}</ref>
*Amigas were used in various [[NASA]] laboratories to keep track of multiple low orbiting satellites, and were still used up to 2003/04 (dismissed and sold in 2006). This is another example of long lifetime reliability of Amiga hardware, as well as professional use. Amigas were also used at Kennedy Space Center to run strip-chart recorders, to format and display data, and control stations of platforms for Delta rocket launches.<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://obligement.free.fr/articles/amiganasa.php|title=Reportage: l'Amiga à la NASA|Publisher=obligement.free.fr }}</ref>
*Artist [[Jean Giraud|Jean "Moebius" Giraud]] credits the Amiga he bought for his son as a bridge to learning about "using paint box programs".<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.01/moebius.html|title=Moebius|Publisher=Wired }}</ref> He uploaded some of his early experiments to the file sharing forums on [[CompuServe]].
*[[Tom Fulp]] is noted as saying he used the Amiga as his first computer for creating cartoons and animations.<ref>[http://www.gamedev.net/columns/interviews/tomfulp.asp Tol Fulp interview]</ref>
*[[London Transport Museum]] developed their own interactive multi-media software for the CD32. The software included a walkthrough of various exhibits and a virtual tour of the museum.<ref>[http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/press/indexcd32.html CD32: The Hyper-Museum Project<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*The [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] film ''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]'' contains a spoof of the computer-animated video of the [[Dire Straits]] song "[[Money for Nothing]]." According to the DVD commentary track, this spoof was created on an Amiga home computer.<ref>''UHF'' DVD commentary track</ref>
*Rolf Harris used an Amiga to digitize his hand-drawn art work for animation on his television series, Rolf's Cartoon Club.
* Todd Rundgren's video "Change Myself" was produced with Toaster and Lightwave
* An Amiga 1000 can be seen in the movie [[Disorderlies]] in the background running a heart animation.
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
== Further reading ==
*[http://wigilius.se/amiga/ Famous Amiga Uses]
*[http://www.amiga.com/ Amiga, Inc.]
*[http://amiga.resource.cx/ Amiga Hardware Database] - details of Amiga hardware
*[http://obligement.free.fr/articles/listejeuxamiga.php Amiga Games List] - all games released on the Amiga platform
*[http://hardware.amigafuture.de/ Big Book of Amiga Hardware] - Big Book of Amiga Hardware
*[http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n4/150_Amiga_Lorraine_finally_.php ''Amiga Lorraine: finally, the next generation Atari?''] [[John J. Anderson]], ''[[Creative Computing]]'', April 1984
*[http://www.thule.no/haynie/research/a3000p/docs/a3000p.pdf ''The Amiga A3000+ System Specification''] [[Dave Haynie]], 1991 DevCon Release, [[July 17]], [[1991]]
*[http://wkrweb.blogspot.com/2006/09/book-review-on-edge-spectacular-rise.html On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore] Bagnall, Brian (2005), Variant Press, ISBN 0-9738649-0-7.
*[http://www.amigahistory.co.uk/ Amiga History]
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2275466889579052313 Amiga History Video]
*[http://emulation.victoly.com/amiga/ Amiga emulators at emulation.net]
== See also ==
{{commonscat|Commodore Amiga}}
*[[Amiga games]]
*[[Minimig]]
*[[Amiga Hold-and-Modify]]
*[[AROS]] - open source implementation of AmigaOS for various hardware platforms
*[[Mindset computer]] - an [[Intel]] [[80186]] based contemporary of the Amiga 1000's with similar design philosophy.
{{CBM computers}}
{{AmigaOS}}
[[Category:Home computers]]
[[Category:Personal computers]]
[[Category:Commodore Amiga|*Amiga]]
[[Category:CBM hardware]]
[[Category:1985 introductions]]
[[ca:Amiga]]
[[cs:Amiga]]
[[da:Commodore Amiga]]
[[de:Amiga]]
[[es:Commodore Amiga]]
[[eo:Amiga]]
[[fr:Amiga]]
[[gl:Amiga]]
[[ko:아미가]]
[[hr:Amiga]]
[[id:Amiga]]
[[it:Amiga]]
[[hu:Amiga]]
[[nl:Amiga]]
[[ja:Amiga]]
[[no:Amiga]]
[[nn:Amiga]]
[[pl:Amiga]]
[[pt:Amiga]]
[[ru:Amiga]]
[[sk:Amiga]]
[[sr:Амига]]
[[fi:Amiga]]
[[sv:Amiga]]
[[tr:Amiga]]
[[zh:Amiga]]