AmigaOS 4
Encyclopedia
AmigaOS 4, is a line of Amiga
operating system
s which runs on PowerPC
microprocessors. It is mainly based on AmigaOS 3.1 source code
, and partially on version 3.9 developed by Haage & Partner
. "The Final Update" was released on 24 December 2006 (originally released in April 2004) after five years of development by the Belgian company Hyperion Entertainment
under license from Amiga, Inc. for AmigaOne registered users.
machines could download Pre-Release versions of AmigaOS 4.0 from Hyperion's repository as long as these were made available.
On 20 December 2006, Amiga, Inc abruptly terminated the contract with Hyperion Entertainment
to produce or sell AmigaOS 4. Nevertheless, AmigaOS 4.0 was released commercially for Amigas with PowerUP
accelerator cards in November 2007 (having been available only to developers and beta-testers until then). The Italian computer company ACube Systems has announced Sam440ep and Sam440ep-flex motherboards, which are AmigaOS 4 compatible. Also, a third party bootloader, known as the "Moana", was released on torrent sites; it allows installation of the Sam440ep version of OS4 to Mac Mini G4's. However this is both unofficial and unsupported as of today, and very incomplete, especially regarding drivers. During the judicial procedure (between Hyperion and Amiga, Inc), OS4 was still being developed and distributed.
On 30 September 2009, Hyperion Entertainment and Amiga, Inc reached a settlement agreement where Hyperion is granted an exclusive right to AmigaOS 3.1 and market AmigaOS 4 and subsequent versions of AmigaOS (including AmigaOS 5 without limitation). Hyperion has assured the Amiga community that it will continue the development and the distribution of AmigaOS 4.x (and beyond), as it has done since November 2001.
and the Kickstart
.
is the GUI of OS4, a graphical interface file manager and application launcher for the Operating System. It also includes some general purpose tools and utility programs such as a Notepad for typing text, MultiView for viewing images and Amigaguide
documents, Unarc for unpacking Archives, a PDF reader, a number of small preferences programs for changing settings of the GUI and OS etc., etc.
contains many of the core components of the OS. Prior to version 4 of AmigaOS the Kickstart had been released mostly on a ROM
(included with the computer). In OS4 the Kickstart is instead stored on the hard disk. It consists mainly of:
operating system (OS) during its three decades of history.
The first AmigaOS was introduced in 1985 and developed by Commodore International
. It was nicknamed Workbench
from the name of its Graphical user interface
(GUI), due to an error of Commodore Marketing and Sales Department, which labeled the OS disk just with the name "Workbench Disk" and not with the correct name "AmigaOS Disk (Workbench)". The first versions of AmigaOS (1.0 and up to 1.3) are here indicated with the name of their original disks to preserve original custom.
Workbench 2.0 improvements introduced a lot of major advances to the GUI of Amiga operating system. The blue and orange colour scheme was replaced with a grey and light blue with 3D aspect in the border of the windows. The Workbench was no longer tied to the 640×256 (PAL) or 640×200 (NTSC) display modes, and much of the system was improved with an eye to making future expansion easier. For the first time, a standardised "look and feel" was added. This was done by creating the Amiga Style Guide, and including libraries and software which assisted developers in making conformant software. Technologies included the GUI element creation library gadtools, the software installation scripting language Installer, and the AmigaGuide
hypertext help system.
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 Amiga's operating system. Rather than specifying "Kickstart" or "Workbench", the updates were most often referred to as simply "AmigaOS".
Whereas all previous OS releases ran on vanilla Amiga 500 with 68000 and 512 kB RAM, release 3.5 onwards required a 68020 or better and at least 4 MB fast ram.
native AmigaOS 4 from their previous AmigaOS 3.1 release. Unlike the previous versions which were based on the Motorola
68k
central processor, OS4 runs only on PowerPC computer systems. Amiga, Inc.'s (current Amiga trademark owners) distribution policies for AmigaOS 4.0 and any later versions required that OS4 must be bundled with all new third-party hardware "Amigas", with the sole exception of Amigas with Phase5
PowerPC accelerator boards, for which OS4 is sold separately. This requirement was overturned in the agreement reached between Amiga, Inc. and Hyperion in the settlement of a lawsuit over the ownership of AmigaOS 4.
motherboards:
. It contained HTML installation guide in English, German, French and Italian and the AmigaOS 4.0 SDK.
The AmigaOS 4.0 SDK allowed creation of new software and migration of existing AmigaOS versions 3.x source code to OS 4.0.
AmigaOS 4.0 Developer Pre-release Update came in the form of a full ISO image (≈33 MB) which needed to be burned on CD-R(W) by the user and was intended to replace the original AmigaOS 4.0 Developer Pre-release CD for installation and for rescue purposes.
Release date: 10 October 2004.
Among the features:
Release date: 27 December 2004.
Release date: 14 June 2005. The following is a non-exhaustive list of the features of update #3:
Release date: 8 February 2006.
The new features in this pre-release include:
On 24 December 2006, "The Final Update" was released. It came as an ISO image (≈45 MB) and had to be burned onto a CD. The CD is bootable and may be used as a standalone installation CD.
AmigaOS 4.0 Final Update introduced a new memory system based on a slab allocator.
Features of AmigaOS 4.0, among others:
Improvements of AmigaOS 4.0 July 2007 Update are:
, Amiga 3000
(T) and Amiga 4000
(T) series of computers equipped with Phase5 PowerUP PowerPC accelerator cards was put on sale in November 2007. The feature set was equal to the July 2007 update with drivers for Amiga expansion cards and devices and some minor improvements (e.g. AmigaInput).
Release date: 23 February 2008.
AmigaOS 4.1 was presented to the public on 11 July 2008, and was put on sale in September 2008.
This is a new version and not just a simple update as it features, among others:
Features include:
Features:
On 17 May 2011, AmigaOS 4.1 for Commodore Amigas with PowerUP accelerators was released.
Update 3 for AmigaOS 4.1 for AmigaOne, SAM440EP, SAM 460, Classic Amigas with PPC cards and Pegasos II for registered users
Final bugfixes and updates for AmigaOS 4.1, new features are reserved for OS 4.2
project, which Hyperion Entertainment
has undertaken in partnership with A-Eon Technology. These goals include the introduction of a multiprocessing solution to make full use of the X1000's dual core processor, and may include special support for the Xena
customisable co-processor. Other goals in the long term include Java support and improvements to the graphics subsystem to overcome documented limitations in the AmigaOS and its 3D capabilities.
show, AmiWest, AmigaOS 4's future and anticipated features were planned/discussed and/or announced including:
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s which runs on PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
microprocessors. It is mainly based on AmigaOS 3.1 source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
, and partially on version 3.9 developed by Haage & Partner
Haage & Partner
Haage & Partner is a German company established in 1995. They distribute software products where they usually are the exclusive distributor. Products are aimed at Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. The primary destination countries are Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.Other areas include translations...
. "The Final Update" was released on 24 December 2006 (originally released in April 2004) after five years of development by the Belgian company Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment CVBA is a Belgian software company which in its early years focused in porting Windows games to Amiga, Linux and Macintosh. Later on, they were contracted by Amiga Incorporated to develop AmigaOS 4 and retired from the gaming business...
under license from Amiga, Inc. for AmigaOne registered users.
History
During the five years of development, purchasers of AmigaOneAmigaOne
AmigaOne is a series of computers intended to run AmigaOS 4 developed by Hyperion Entertainment. Earlier models were produced by Eyetech, and were based on the Teron series of PowerPC POP mainboards...
machines could download Pre-Release versions of AmigaOS 4.0 from Hyperion's repository as long as these were made available.
On 20 December 2006, Amiga, Inc abruptly terminated the contract with Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment CVBA is a Belgian software company which in its early years focused in porting Windows games to Amiga, Linux and Macintosh. Later on, they were contracted by Amiga Incorporated to develop AmigaOS 4 and retired from the gaming business...
to produce or sell AmigaOS 4. Nevertheless, AmigaOS 4.0 was released commercially for Amigas with PowerUP
PowerUP (accelerator)
PowerUP boards were dual-processor 68k–PowerPC accelerator boards designed by Phase5 Digital Products for Amiga computers. They had two different processors working in parallel, sharing the complete address space of the Amiga computer system.-History:...
accelerator cards in November 2007 (having been available only to developers and beta-testers until then). The Italian computer company ACube Systems has announced Sam440ep and Sam440ep-flex motherboards, which are AmigaOS 4 compatible. Also, a third party bootloader, known as the "Moana", was released on torrent sites; it allows installation of the Sam440ep version of OS4 to Mac Mini G4's. However this is both unofficial and unsupported as of today, and very incomplete, especially regarding drivers. During the judicial procedure (between Hyperion and Amiga, Inc), OS4 was still being developed and distributed.
On 30 September 2009, Hyperion Entertainment and Amiga, Inc reached a settlement agreement where Hyperion is granted an exclusive right to AmigaOS 3.1 and market AmigaOS 4 and subsequent versions of AmigaOS (including AmigaOS 5 without limitation). Hyperion has assured the Amiga community that it will continue the development and the distribution of AmigaOS 4.x (and beyond), as it has done since November 2001.
Description
AmigaOS 4 can be divided into two parts; the WorkbenchWorkbench (AmigaOS)
-Overview:Commodore named their Amiga computer's first operating system Workbench 1.0 and continued with the Workbench name until version 3.1, when it was changed to AmigaOS, prompted by Apple renaming their propriety OS from "System" to "MacOS"...
and the Kickstart
Kickstart (Amiga)
Kickstart is a commonly used term for the bootstrap firmware of the Amiga computers developed by Commodore.Most Amiga models were shipped with the Kickstart firmware stored on ROM chips...
.
Workbench
The WorkbenchWorkbench (AmigaOS)
-Overview:Commodore named their Amiga computer's first operating system Workbench 1.0 and continued with the Workbench name until version 3.1, when it was changed to AmigaOS, prompted by Apple renaming their propriety OS from "System" to "MacOS"...
is the GUI of OS4, a graphical interface file manager and application launcher for the Operating System. It also includes some general purpose tools and utility programs such as a Notepad for typing text, MultiView for viewing images and Amigaguide
Amigaguide
AmigaGuide is a hypertext document file format designed for the Amiga, files are stored in ASCII so it is possible to read and edit a file without the need for special software.Since Workbench 2.1 an Amiga Guide system for O.S...
documents, Unarc for unpacking Archives, a PDF reader, a number of small preferences programs for changing settings of the GUI and OS etc., etc.
Kickstart
The KickstartKickstart (Amiga)
Kickstart is a commonly used term for the bootstrap firmware of the Amiga computers developed by Commodore.Most Amiga models were shipped with the Kickstart firmware stored on ROM chips...
contains many of the core components of the OS. Prior to version 4 of AmigaOS the Kickstart had been released mostly on a ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
(included with the computer). In OS4 the Kickstart is instead stored on the hard disk. It consists mainly of:
- ExecExec (Amiga)Exec is the object-oriented multi-tasking kernel of AmigaOS. It enabled pre-emptive multitasking in as little as 256k of memory ....
, a preemptive multitasking kernel. - IntuitionIntuition (Amiga)Intuition is the windowing system and user interface engine of AmigaOS. It was developed almost entirely by RJ Mical. Intuition should not be confused with Workbench, the AmigaOS spatial file manager, which relies on Intuition for handling windows and input events.Users may remember the initial...
, a windowing system API. - AmigaDOSAmigaDOSAmigaDOS is the disk operating system of the AmigaOS, which includes file systems, file and directory manipulation, the command-line interface, and file redirection....
and AmigaShell, the AmigaDOS is the disk operating system for the OS, whereas the Shell is the integrated Command Line Interface (CLI). The CLI and the GUI complement each other and share the same privileges. - Petunia, a Motorola 68020 processor emulator with dynamic recompilation, also called just-in-time compilation (JITJust-in-time compilationIn computing, just-in-time compilation , also known as dynamic translation, is a method to improve the runtime performance of computer programs. Historically, computer programs had two modes of runtime operation, either interpreted or static compilation...
compilation), for PowerPC based Amigas. It gives OS4 backward compatibility to some extent, it will only run system friendly (following the OS3.x API without communicating directly with the classic Amigas' custom chipset) AmigaOS 3.x programs. For the programs that Petunia can't handle, such as most "bang the hardware" (which uses legacy Amiga hardware directly) Amiga gamesAmiga gamesAmiga games are computer games compatible with the Commodore Amiga.The Amiga was an important platform for games in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Of all the 16-bit home computers, it was the one to gain the greatest success as a games machine due to its graphic and sound subsystems, which were...
and demosAmiga demosAmiga demos are demos created for the Commodore Amiga home computer.A "demo" is a demonstration of the multimedia capabilities of a computer . There was intense rivalry during the 1990s among the best programmers, graphic artists and computer musicians to continually outdo each other's demos...
, UAE can be used which can emulate different Amiga chipsets (OCS, ECS, AGA) as well.
Development process
There have been many different versions of the AmigaOSAmigaOS
AmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
operating system (OS) during its three decades of history.
Versions 1.0 to 1.3
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
. It was nicknamed Workbench
Workbench (AmigaOS)
-Overview:Commodore named their Amiga computer's first operating system Workbench 1.0 and continued with the Workbench name until version 3.1, when it was changed to AmigaOS, prompted by Apple renaming their propriety OS from "System" to "MacOS"...
from the name of its Graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
(GUI), due to an error of Commodore Marketing and Sales Department, which labeled the OS disk just with the name "Workbench Disk" and not with the correct name "AmigaOS Disk (Workbench)". The first versions of AmigaOS (1.0 and up to 1.3) are here indicated with the name of their original disks to preserve original custom.
Versions 2.0 to 3.1
Amigaguide
AmigaGuide is a hypertext document file format designed for the Amiga, files are stored in ASCII so it is possible to read and edit a file without the need for special software.Since Workbench 2.1 an Amiga Guide system for O.S...
hypertext help system.
Versions 3.5 and 3.9
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
, the later owners of the Amiga trademark granted a license to a German company called Haage & Partner
Haage & Partner
Haage & Partner is a German company established in 1995. They distribute software products where they usually are the exclusive distributor. Products are aimed at Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. The primary destination countries are Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.Other areas include translations...
to update the Amiga's operating system. Along with this update came a change in the way people referred to the Amiga's operating system. Rather than specifying "Kickstart" or "Workbench", the updates were most often referred to as simply "AmigaOS".
Whereas all previous OS releases ran on vanilla Amiga 500 with 68000 and 512 kB RAM, release 3.5 onwards required a 68020 or better and at least 4 MB fast ram.
Versions 4.0 and 4.1
In 2001 Amiga Inc. signed a contract with Hyperion Entertainment to develop the PowerPCPowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
native AmigaOS 4 from their previous AmigaOS 3.1 release. Unlike the previous versions which were based on the Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
68k
68k
The Motorola 680x0/m68000/68000 is a family of 32-bit CISC microprocessors. During the 1980s and early 1990s, they were popular in personal computers and workstations and were the primary competitors of Intel's x86 microprocessors...
central processor, OS4 runs only on PowerPC computer systems. Amiga, Inc.'s (current Amiga trademark owners) distribution policies for AmigaOS 4.0 and any later versions required that OS4 must be bundled with all new third-party hardware "Amigas", with the sole exception of Amigas with Phase5
Phase5
Phase5 Digital Products was a computer hardware manufacturer that made boards for the Amiga computer. Their best known products were accelerator boards which replaced the CPU with a faster model...
PowerPC accelerator boards, for which OS4 is sold separately. This requirement was overturned in the agreement reached between Amiga, Inc. and Hyperion in the settlement of a lawsuit over the ownership of AmigaOS 4.
AmigaOS 4 prominent features
Prominent features compared to other operating systems or previous versions of AmigaOS:General
- Instant off / fast reboot: An oft-touted feature is that AmigaOS can be switched off in an instant by just hitting the off switch (if the filesystem is not writing to a disk, which could corrupt entire system).
Appearance
- Screens: You can have as many different screens as you like for any purpose, each with its own application on it. Or you can open a "public screen" which several applications can share. Switching between different screens takes an instant, and you can come back to an application and find it exactly how you left it. It is even possible to drag the current screen down to reveal another screen behind it (even with a different screen resolution), so that you can view two screens simultaneously, or even drag and drop files and other content from one screen to another.
- Menuing: The menu bar appears at the top of the screen when pressed down the right mouse button, and disappears when it is not needed, thus reducing screen clutter and giving more room to work.
File handling
- Descriptive file structure: Operating system files are divided up into clearly labelled drawers (folders). For example, all libraries are stored in "Libs:" standard virtual device and absolute path finder for "Libs" directory, Fonts are all in "Fonts:" absolute locator, the files for language localization are all stored in "Locale:" and so on.
- RAM diskRAM diskA RAM disk or RAM drive is a block of RAM that a computer's software is treating as if the memory were a disk drive...
: A virtual hard drive, it acts like any other disk, and stores files and data in memory rather than on your actual hard drive. The RAM disk is dynamically resizable and takes up only as much of your memory as it needs to. It can be used as a temporary store for your own purposes or as a place for software installers to put temporary files, and is cleared out at reboot so you won't be cluttering up your computer with thousands of unnecessary files that bog down your system. Additionally there is an optional RAD disk, a recoverable version of the RAM disk, which preserves contents after a reboot. - Datatypes: Recognises and handles file types: displaying a picture, playing a music file, decoding a video file, rendering a web page etc. Any application can access Datatypes transparently, and thus have the ability to use any file that you have a Datatype for.
- Icon handling: A file can have a default icon representing the type of file or a custom icon specific to the individual file. Additionally icons can store extra commands and metadataMetadataThe term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
about the associated file — which program to open it in, for example. - Assigning devices: Instead of assigning drives (devices) a letter or fixed label, each drive can be given a name. Drives can be given more than one name so the system always knows where things are, if it is the system boot drive it is also known as "Sys:". Areas of hard drive can be assigned a label as if they were a virtual disk. For example, it is possible to mount MP3 players as "MP3:" and external networked resources as logical devices.
Other
- Live CD: The OS4 installation CD can be used as a Live CDLive CDA live CD, live DVD, or live disc is a CD or DVD containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive...
. - Dockies: It is a fully configurable docking bar for icons, allowing quick access to most used applications. These dock bar icons, "Dockies", are fully dynamic, which means they can show real-time content and act as useful micro tools. A Docky might act as a magnifying glass, display the time, or show you the latest weather forecast or stock market information direct from the Internet.
- Scripting: Implemented scripting as a fundamental feature. Using the AREXXARexxARexx is an implementation of the REXX language for the Amiga, written in 1987 by William S. Hawes, with a number of Amiga-specific features beyond standard REXX facilities. Like most REXX implementations, ARexx is an interpreted language...
scripting language and PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
it is possible to automate, integrate and remote control almost every application and function of the computer. Function sets and tools from several applications can be brought together into a single, integrated interface to allow the most complex jobs to be performed with the utmost simplicity.
- The Grim ReaperGuru MeditationGuru Meditation is an error notice displayed by early versions of the Commodore Amiga computer when they crashed. It is analogous to the "Blue Screen Of Death" in Microsoft Windows operating systems.- Description :...
: The "Guru MeditationGuru MeditationGuru Meditation is an error notice displayed by early versions of the Commodore Amiga computer when they crashed. It is analogous to the "Blue Screen Of Death" in Microsoft Windows operating systems.- Description :...
" is replaced by "The Grim Reaper", a crash handling system that attempts to catch crashes and attempts to stop them from getting out of control. It can provide complete information about the crash and optionally kill the offending task and free some of the resources it was using. - AmiUpdate: Is an updating system designed purely for the latest incarnation of the AmigaOS 4. It is capable to update OS files and also all Amiga programs which are registered to use the same update program that is standard for Amiga. Updating AmigaOS requires only few libraries to be put in standard OS location "Libs:", "Fonts:" etc. This leaves Amiga users with a minimal knowledge of the system almost free to perform by hand the update of the system files.
Amiga
Released for Amigas:- Blizzard PPC equipped Amiga 1200Amiga 1200The Amiga 1200, or A1200 , was Commodore International's third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market...
- Blizzard 2604e (prototype card) equipped Amiga 2000Amiga 2000The Amiga 2000, or A2000, is a personal computer released by Commodore in 1986. It is the successor to the Amiga 1000.-Features:Aimed at the high-end market, the original Europe-only model adds a Zorro II backplane, implemented in programmable logic, to the custom Amiga chipset used in the Amiga 1000...
- CyberStorm PPC equipped Amiga 3000Amiga 3000The Commodore Amiga 3000, or A3000, was the third major release in the Amiga computer family. Released in June 1990, it features improved processing speed, improved rendering of graphics, and a new revision of the operating system...
or Amiga 4000Amiga 4000The Commodore Amiga 4000, or A4000, is the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. There are two models, the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030....
AmigaOne
Released for AmigaOneAmigaOne
AmigaOne is a series of computers intended to run AmigaOS 4 developed by Hyperion Entertainment. Earlier models were produced by Eyetech, and were based on the Teron series of PowerPC POP mainboards...
motherboards:
- AmigaOne-SE (A1-SE)
- AmigaOne-XE (A1-XE)
- Micro-AmigaOne (Micro-A1)
- AmigaOne X1000AmigaOne X1000AmigaOne X1000 is a PowerPC based computer intended as a high-end platform for AmigaOS 4. It was announced by A-Eon Technology CVBA in partnership with Hyperion Entertainment and is expected in late 2011...
(A1X1K), a new AmigaOne computer has been announced by a company called A-Eon. The board will be available before the end of year 2011. - AmigaOne 500, an AmigaOne computer based upon Sam460exSam460exSam460ex is a line of modular motherboards produced by the Italian company ACube Systems Srl. The machine was released in October 2010 and can run AmigaOS 4 or Debian GNU/Linux....
board introduced by Acube Systems.
Mac Mini G4
Unofficial port using Moana Bootloader. Can boot and run limited applications under 4.0.AmigaOS 4.0 (Developer Pre-release)
The developer pre-release version was a snapshot of AmigaOS 4.0 for AmigaOneAmigaOne
AmigaOne is a series of computers intended to run AmigaOS 4 developed by Hyperion Entertainment. Earlier models were produced by Eyetech, and were based on the Teron series of PowerPC POP mainboards...
. It contained HTML installation guide in English, German, French and Italian and the AmigaOS 4.0 SDK.
The AmigaOS 4.0 SDK allowed creation of new software and migration of existing AmigaOS versions 3.x source code to OS 4.0.
AmigaOS 4.0 (Developer Pre-release Update)
Release date: 10 October 2004.
Among the features:
- AltiVec support
- Improved compatibility and speed of 68k emulation (JIT not included yet)
- PowerPC-native Picasso96 graphics system
- PowerPC-native MUI
- USB support for input devices
- Drivers for AmigaOne serial and parallel ports
- Drivers for the SiI0680 IDE adaptor
- Printing support
- Improved audio hardware support, including new drivers
- Comprehensive bug fixes, speed improvements, added features and functionality across all system components
AmigaOS 4.0 (Developer Pre-release Update 2)
AmigaOS 4.0 Developer Pre-release Update came in the form of a free download for registered users. The update featured a USB stack update (i.e. mass storage support) and numerous bug fixes and enhancements to core components of the system.Release date: 27 December 2004.
AmigaOS 4.0 (Developer Pre-release Update 3)
The third pre-release update required at least AmigaOS 4.0 (update 1).Release date: 14 June 2005. The following is a non-exhaustive list of the features of update #3:
- New kernel. The new kernel includes numerous enhancements, fixes and new features. It can now run a special variety of ixemul.libraryIxemul.libraryThe ixemul.library is a software source-code compatibility library for Amiga. It allows software for Unix-like platforms to be easily compiled on Amiga systems with minimal source code modification.-Description:...
and thus run ixemul software. - New IDE devices. IDE drivers are included for the VIA 686B on-board and Silicon Images 0680 parallel ATA controllers, and the Silicon Images SiI3112, SiI3512 and SiI3114 Serial ATA controllers.
- New Picasso96 graphics and monitor drivers. Limited gamma support is available in the Voodoo driver.
- PowerPC native Warp3D including new drivers for the Voodoo 3 (Avenger), Voodoo 4/5 (Napalm) and the Radeon 7x00 series of graphics cards. New drivers include single-cycle multitexture support (two simultaneous units on the Voodoos, three on the Radeon) with simplified and extended combiner modes, interleaved vertex arrays, up to 8-bit stencil buffer support (where supported by hardware), and more.
- WarpUp support. The new 3rd party powerpc.library emulates loading and execution of WarpUp binaries.
- New Shell and updated shell commands
- Updated ReAction GUIReAction GUIReAction GUI it is the name of the widget toolkit engine that is used in AmigaOS 3.5-4.1.It is an evolution of ClassACT, which is an object oriented system of classes that enhanced the aspect of the Workbench 2.0 GUI of AmigaOS.- History :...
classes and new Intuition - New Roadshow TCP/IP stack and updated eth3com.device
- All new version of the Sirion USB stack and usbprinter.device
- Updated datatypes and localization
- Updated Preferences programs
AmigaOS 4.0 (Developer Pre-release Update 4)
The most prominent features of the fourth AmigaOS 4.0 Developer Pre-release Update were the return of the screen dragging ability and the Petunia just-in-time 68k emulator.Release date: 8 February 2006.
The new features in this pre-release include:
- New Warp3D with support for Voodoo 3/4/5 and ATI Radeon models 7000, 7200, 7500, 9000, 9200 and 9250.
- Petunia just-in-time 68k emulator.
- New Intuition with advanced features like flicker-free window redraw and new screen dragging features (among other things, screens can be dragged freely in any direction and will reveal other screens beneath even if dragged sideways)
- Updated ExecSG kernel and most of the system components
- New Input System allows the use of mouse wheels and the use of multimedia keyboards (with keys like volume control, play/pause etc.)
AmigaOS 4.0 (The Final Update)
AmigaOS 4.0 Final Update introduced a new memory system based on a slab allocator.
Features of AmigaOS 4.0, among others:
- Fully skinnable GUI
- Improved 680x0 emulator
- Implemented JITJust-in-time compilationIn computing, just-in-time compilation , also known as dynamic translation, is a method to improve the runtime performance of computer programs. Historically, computer programs had two modes of runtime operation, either interpreted or static compilation...
and improved compatibility - Optimized, 10% to 50% faster
- Implemented JIT
- Screenblanker system which supports external plug-ins as new blanker modules
- Removed TRIPOSTRIPOSTRIPOS is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 and it originally ran on a PDP-11. Later it was ported to the Computer Automation LSI4 and the...
(BCPLBCPLBCPL is a procedural, imperative, and structured computer programming language designed by Martin Richards of the University of Cambridge in 1966.- Design :...
) legacy support - Improved TCP/IP stack, including firewall capabilities
- Virtualized memory
- Co-operative memory protection
- CD–DVD writer support, including Mt. RainierMount Rainier (packet writing)Mount Rainier is a format for writable optical discs which provides the packet writing and defect management. Its goal is the replacement of the floppy disk...
- Integrated debugger
- Integrated viewer for PDF and other document formats
- Enhanced shared library model
- Improved input device support
- Support for modern hardware devices
- New USB stack
- New PCI stack
- Co-operative resource tracking
- Faster memory allocation system, similar to what is used on Solaris
- Support for files larger than 2 GB
- New version of AmiDock with plug-in support
- New CDFilesystem with Joliet and HFS support, DVDRW support
- HDToolbox replacement and new HD recovery tool
- Added support for Truetype and Postscript fonts, with optional anti-aliasing
AmigaOS 4.0 (July 2007 Update)
Release date: 18 July 2007.Improvements of AmigaOS 4.0 July 2007 Update are:
- New ExecSG kernel. The new kernel includes, among other things:
- Guard page protected stacks. Stacks will have guard pages at their bottoms preventing stack underflow
- A new semaphore type called Mutex
- Support for the new pthreads module
- A new library that supports most of the POSIXPOSIXPOSIX , an acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface", is a family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems...
threads (pthreads) API - A new ELF library that implements UN*X-type shared objects and dynamic linking. Shared objects are files that are loaded during runtime of a program and become part of the program's memory image. They have access to symbols and procedures of the main program as well as any other shared object loaded.
- PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
2.5.1.
AmigaOS 4.0 for Classic Amiga (with PPC accelerator card)
AmigaOS 4.0 for Amiga 1200Amiga 1200
The Amiga 1200, or A1200 , was Commodore International's third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market...
, Amiga 3000
Amiga 3000
The Commodore Amiga 3000, or A3000, was the third major release in the Amiga computer family. Released in June 1990, it features improved processing speed, improved rendering of graphics, and a new revision of the operating system...
(T) and Amiga 4000
Amiga 4000
The Commodore Amiga 4000, or A4000, is the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. There are two models, the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030....
(T) series of computers equipped with Phase5 PowerUP PowerPC accelerator cards was put on sale in November 2007. The feature set was equal to the July 2007 update with drivers for Amiga expansion cards and devices and some minor improvements (e.g. AmigaInput).
AmigaOS 4.0 February 2008 update for CyberStormPPC and BlizzardPPC
Update of AmigaOS 4.0 for classic Amiga computers addressed some issues and compatibility problems.Release date: 23 February 2008.
- A new kernel that fixes outstanding issues with the Mediator 1200/Voodoo combination as well as some other minor bug fixes
- Support for all Mediator models, including the new Mediator 1200 TX
- Updated Intuition and Layers modules that fix a rare occurrence of graphics trashing
- Fixed queue-handler
- Two AREXXARexxARexx is an implementation of the REXX language for the Amiga, written in 1987 by William S. Hawes, with a number of Amiga-specific features beyond standard REXX facilities. Like most REXX implementations, ARexx is an interpreted language...
libraries that had been missing in the original release - Updated RealTek 8029 network driver that fixes a lockup problem.
- A new version of DvPlayer SE.
AmigaOS 4.1
This is a new version and not just a simple update as it features, among others:
- Memory pagingPagingIn computer operating systems, paging is one of the memory-management schemes by which a computer can store and retrieve data from secondary storage for use in main memory. In the paging memory-management scheme, the operating system retrieves data from secondary storage in same-size blocks called...
with software virtual memory scheme - JXFS filesystem with the support for drives and partitions of multiple terabyte size
- New and improved DOS functionality (full 64-bit support, universal notification support, automatic expunge and reload of updated disk resources)
- Improved 3D hardware-accelerated screen dragging
- Hardware compositing engine (RadeonRadeonRadeon is a brand of graphics processing units and random access memory produced by Advanced Micro Devices , first launched in 2000 by ATI Technologies, which was acquired by AMD in 2006. Radeon is the successor to the Rage line. There are four different groups, which can be differentiated by...
R1xx and R2xx family) - Implementation of the CairoCairo (graphics)cairo is a software library used to provide a vector graphics-based, device-independent API for software developers. It is designed to provide primitives for 2-dimensional drawing across a number of different backends...
device-independent 2D rendering library - Improved WorkbenchWorkbench (AmigaOS)-Overview:Commodore named their Amiga computer's first operating system Workbench 1.0 and continued with the Workbench name until version 3.1, when it was changed to AmigaOS, prompted by Apple renaming their propriety OS from "System" to "MacOS"...
functionality - Reworked Warp3D Radeon drivers with new functionality
- Reworked AmiDock with true transparency
AmigaOS 4.1 Quick Fix
On 21 June 2009, Hyperion Entertainment announced the immediate availability of a "Quick Fix" package for AmigaOne, SAM/SAM Flex and Pegasos II.Features include:
- Improved overall system stability
- Fixed shared object handling
- Fixed Radeon Warp3D graphics drivers
- Increased performance of IDE drivers
- Fixed JXFileSystem issues with file scanning
- Fixed Sam440ep Ethernet driver to work with hubs and Envoy.
AmigaOS 4.1 Update 1
On 14 January 2010, Hyperion Entertainment announced the immediate availability of AmigaOS 4.1 Update 1, the first full update to AmigaOS 4.1. Its features include upgrades to the following:- Kernel – Offers more stability on Sam440Sam440Sam440, also known by Sam or its codename Samantha, is a line of modular motherboards produced by the Italian company ACube Systems Srl. The Sam440ep version is a Power Architecture motherboard based on the PowerPC 440EP system-on-a-chip processor which includes a double-precision FPU. It is made...
, a more reliable and efficient memory management system and improved memory paging to and from hard disk.
- DOS – A new mechanism for launching preset programs for specific tasks, such as email clients and web-browsers (URLopen). Application tracking for ease of program location (AppDir: handler). Improved shared object support with significantly decreased loading times.
- Intuition – Improved window support, fading and rendering – including drop shadowDrop shadowIn computer graphics, a drop shadow is a visual effect consisting of drawing that looks like the shadow of an object, giving the impression that the object is raised above the objects behind it. The drop shadow is often used for elements of a graphical user interface such as windows or menus, and...
s. Reduced video memory consumption due to improved screen handling. New internal methods for better system "theme" support.
- System – Updated ASL requesters and imagery for a fresh new look. New notification system. Enhanced automatic detection of installed hardware (including DDCDisplay Data ChannelThe Display Data Channel or DDC is a collection of digital communication protocols between a computer display and a graphics adapter that enables the display to communicate its supported display modes to the adapter and to enable the computer host to adjust monitor parameters, such as brightness...
support). Improved support for external USB devices. Updated sound.datatype and wav.datatype. New screenblankers. Improved calculator with extended mode.
- Workbench – The new Startup preferences means no more copying files to WBStartup. A brand new icon set to complement higher screen resolutions. New window themes offering enhanced visual feedback. Scalable icons. Workbench auto-update feature.
- PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
– Tested with the regression suite. Enhanced distutils module for easy installation of Python packages. New Amiga modules including catalog and icon. New OS module methods.
- MiniGL V2.2
AmigaOS 4.1 Update 2
On 30 April 2010, Hyperion Entertainment announced the immediate availability of Update 2 for AmigaOS 4.1 for AmigaOne, SAM440EP and Pegasos II for registered users.Features:
- Updated Python.
- New Cairo 1.8.10 with partial hardware acceleration.
- Updated Ringhio notification system.
- New version of AmiDock with icon scaling.
- Several fixed system libraries.
- New version of the Python-scriptable installation utility.
- Some updated shared object files compiled and linked with the new V2 SObjs ABI.
On 17 May 2011, AmigaOS 4.1 for Commodore Amigas with PowerUP accelerators was released.
Amiga OS 4.1 Update 3
On August 29 2011 Hyperion Entertainment made availabileUpdate 3 for AmigaOS 4.1 for AmigaOne, SAM440EP, SAM 460, Classic Amigas with PPC cards and Pegasos II for registered users
Final bugfixes and updates for AmigaOS 4.1, new features are reserved for OS 4.2
- Updated Installer
- Updated PATA and SATA drivers.
- Improved DOS stability and speed.
- Fixed shared object handling.
- Support for AmigaOne keyboards
- Updated Intuition and GUI components.
- Updated Finnish keyboard support.
- Updated AmiSSL certificates.
- Updated USB stack with USB 2.0 (EHCI) support.
- Improved Sam460ex support including sound driver.
- I2C support for the Sam440ep and Sam460ex platforms.
- Updated and improved Warp3D.
- Faster 2D graphics.
- Kernel fixes to increase stability.
- Updated MUI with many new features to make porting MUI 4 applications easier.
- Improved notifications support.
Future
For the future beyond the recent update to AmigaOS 4.1, Hyperion Entertainment will be working on improving USB support and on improving tools such as the Shell. Some of these new features and improvements will become available in further updates once testing is complete. Such ongoing improvements will continue alongside specific working goals linked to the recently revealed AmigaOne X1000AmigaOne X1000
AmigaOne X1000 is a PowerPC based computer intended as a high-end platform for AmigaOS 4. It was announced by A-Eon Technology CVBA in partnership with Hyperion Entertainment and is expected in late 2011...
project, which Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment
Hyperion Entertainment CVBA is a Belgian software company which in its early years focused in porting Windows games to Amiga, Linux and Macintosh. Later on, they were contracted by Amiga Incorporated to develop AmigaOS 4 and retired from the gaming business...
has undertaken in partnership with A-Eon Technology. These goals include the introduction of a multiprocessing solution to make full use of the X1000's dual core processor, and may include special support for the Xena
XCore XS1-L1
The XS1-L1is a processor designed by XMOS. It is a 32-bit processor, that runs up to 8 concurrent threads. It was available as of June 2009 running at 400 MHz. As of April 2010 500 Mhz versions are available. Each thread can run at up to 125 MHz; four threads follow each other through...
customisable co-processor. Other goals in the long term include Java support and improvements to the graphics subsystem to overcome documented limitations in the AmigaOS and its 3D capabilities.
Discussions at AmiWest 2010
In October 2010, at the yearly AmigaAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
show, AmiWest, AmigaOS 4's future and anticipated features were planned/discussed and/or announced including:
- Multiple core support (SMPSymmetric multiprocessingIn computing, symmetric multiprocessing involves a multiprocessor computer hardware architecture where two or more identical processors are connected to a single shared main memory and are controlled by a single OS instance. Most common multiprocessor systems today use an SMP architecture...
) - New ExecExec (Amiga)Exec is the object-oriented multi-tasking kernel of AmigaOS. It enabled pre-emptive multitasking in as little as 256k of memory ....
scheduler- Selectable policy for scheduling (may include per task)
- Scheduling of task groups with internal scheduling of tasks within that group
- Scheduling of tasks across multiple CPU cores (may include core affinity)
- Support for real-time scheduling
- Graphics and Gallium3D
- Enables access to full OpenGL implementations like Mesa
- Compositing may be done via Gallium3DGallium3DGallium3D is a free software library for 3D graphics device drivers being developed by VMware, after they acquired Tungsten Graphics – the original authors....
- Opens the door to replacing the entire graphics subsystem
- multi-header support
- USB 2 support
- Support for more than 2 GB of RAM
See also
- AmigaAmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
- AmigaOSAmigaOSAmigaOS is the default native operating system of the Amiga personal computer. It was developed first by Commodore International, and initially introduced in 1985 with the Amiga 1000...
- MorphOSMorphOSMorphOS is an Amiga-compatible computer operating system. It is a mixed proprietary and open source OS produced for the Pegasos PowerPC processor based computer, PowerUP accelerator equipped Amiga computers, and a series of Freescale development boards that use the Genesi firmware, including the...
- AROSArosAros may refer to:*Aros , a river in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium*AROS Research Operating System, a free software implementation of AmigaOS* Aros, the original Viking name of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark...
- AmigaOS versionsAmigaOS versionsThere have been many different versions of the AmigaOS operating system during its two decades of history.Initially the Amiga operating system had no strong name and branding, as it was seen as an integral part of the Amiga system as a whole. Early names used for the Amiga operating system included...
- History of the AmigaHistory of the AmigaThe following history of the Amiga documents the development and commercial history of the Amiga, a home computer product line manufactured from the middle 1980s up to today.- Amiga Corporation :...