@database Amiga Interactive Guide @Author "Gareth Knight" @© "Copyright 1997 Gareth Knight" @$VER: Amiga interactive Guide V1.6 @wordwrap @node MAIN "Welcome to Amiga!" @{fg shine} Welcome to the Amiga Interactive Guide V1.6!@{fg text} @{fg shine}© 1997 Gareth Knight, All Rights reserved@{fg text} This program is aimed solely at Workbench 3.0 and 3.1 users. If you are using previous versions then some sections may not be applicable to your machine. I can only recommend that you UPGRADE. @{" " link HELP_INTRO} Introduction to Amiga @{" " link HELP_AiG} Introduction to AiG @{" " link HELP_COMM} Every single Commodore machine EVER! @{" " link HELP_AMIGA} The Amiga series @{" " link HELP_WORKBENCH} Complete guide to Workbench @{" " link HELP_Problems} Problems solved @{" " link HELP_JARGON} Glossary @{" " link HELP_MISC} Miscellaneous @{" " SYSTEM "RUN <>NIL: SearchGuide HELP:English/Sys/AmigaGuide.Guide"} Search document @endnode @node HELP_WORKBENCH "AmigaOS Version 3" Welcome to the Workbench 3 guide. Click on any button for information. @{" " link HELP_OS} Basic description of each drawer @{" " link HELP_SYSTEM} The system @{" " link HELP_PREFS} Preferences @{" " link HELP_Utilities} Utilities @{" " link HELP_Tools} Tools @{" " link HELP_MENUS} Pull down menu @{" " link Help:English/Sys/AmigaGuide.OLD} Original Guide @{" " link HELP_Commands} Commands and explanations @{" " link HELP_SYSG} Description of the Amiga system files @{u} @{uu} You may need Hypertext Datatype installed on your system permanently. @{" " SYSTEM SYS:Tools/ShowConfig} What Amiga you are using @{" " SYSTEM MORE S:Startup-sequence} Your startup-sequence @{" " link SYS:AiGStart/} Guide Extensions @endnode @node HELP_INTRO "Introduction" @{b}Welcome to Workbench!@{ub} The Amiga uses a custom-designed operating system called Workbench, an immensely powerful multi-tasking operating system that, thanks to its efficient design allows it to run under very low memory restrictions. This means that even the lowly 512k A500 is able to multitask at a comparable rate to an 8MB 486. This can be attributed to the fact that the Amiga operating system is specially designed to run upon the hardware, and take full advantage of this system without being held back by the 20 year architecture of other operating systems. As standard the user can utilise the Amigas amazing multitasking capabilities allowing the user to run two or more programs at the same time. A feature which Windows 95 and Unix have only recently been able to include. As it is not held back by certain bugs in the system to retain compatibility it can use a file name capacity of up to 30 characters. In contrast Windows 3.11 only allows characters of 8 letters, followed by a 3 letter extension. The later Amiga systems also include an innovative script based programming language called AREXX. This allows programmes to communicate with each other, even when they are running. This means that you can have a greater control over your productivity than ever before! The Amiga is also instantly customisable, you will never find two Amigas that are the same. It can be configured to suit the users preferences with a large number of programs that give the user control over the hardware without resorting to difficult and annoying interface commands. However, if the user wishes to use the powerful Command Line Interface it is available to perform almost any task, giving maximum control from the desktop. This is the powerful, yet simple to use operating system that is Workbench. @{i}Only Amiga makes it possible!@{ui} @ENDNODE @node HELP_AIG "Welcome to Amiga Interactive Guide" @{b}@{fg shine}Amiga Interactive Guide!@{fg text}@{ub} @{b}@{fg shine}© 1997 Gareth Knight, All Rights reserved@{ub}@{fg text} @{" " link HELP_AIG1} About AiG @{" " link HELP_AIGA} How you can help @{" " link HELP_AiG2} All the things that made AIG possible @{" " link HELP_AIG3} My address @{" " link HELP_AIG4} AiG features @{" " LINK HELP_AiG6} Copyright warning @{" " link HELP_AiG7} Warranty and Requirements @{" " link HELP_AiG8} How to install to hard drive @{" " link HELP_AiG9} CH-CH-Changes @{" " link HELP_AiG10} Begging letter @{" " link HELP_AiG11} The Future @{" " link HELP_AiG12} What I would like to see in WB4.0 @{" " link HELP_AiG13} Big jubbly thanks @{" " link HELP_AiG14} WOW! Look at the size of that! @endnode @node HELP_AiG1 "About the Amiga Interactive Guide " Welcome to the @{i}Amiga Interactive Guide@{ui}, the new replacement system guide for Workbench 3. This guide was created to give the Amiga a decent help menu system using Amiga guide like the PC has. If you have properly installed it, then all you have to do is click on the HELP button at the top of the screen and the guide will appear in all its glory. @{b}Why create this guide?@{ub} Like many other programs this was created because I felt that the Amiga was lacking in online documentation which was not fulfilled by any other software. The Amiga may have Amiga guide but the file Commodore/Escom included with the machine is very basic, only explaining how to use Multiview. @{b}why call it@{i}Amiga Interactive Guide@{ub}@{ui} I wanted it to sound like it could have been included with the official Amiga Guide documentation, so a name that was as similar as possible was chosen. Besides, I didn't want to call it Magic Guide, or something like that, like everyone else @{b}Why have you got a small 'i' in AiG?@{ub} It gives the logo an elegant appearance signifying both a classic and futuristic feel. Erm.. No, sorry. That was the square. Actually it just makes it look cool and unique. Erm... Is that good enough for you? Damn! Next question. @{b}Will this be updated regularly?@{ub} Yes, it will be released every few months depending on what happens to the Amiga. If anyone wants to send me information to be included in the next release I will mention you in the documentation. This could be a contribution to the Questions and Answers, Glossary, a guide to accelerators or even an article on an old Amigas. I'm still trying to find someone who has ran OS/2 on their Amiga and anyone who actually has the unofficial A1500. @{b}What was the exact date that AiG was actually finished?@{ub} That's quite a weird question. You're obviously completely obsessed by AiG and wonder how you got by without it. Perhaps you should go and play in the sunshine or something. But anyway, to answer your question version 1.6 was completed on 25/06/97. @{b}What else are you doing@{ub} I'm producing a guide to CD³² compatibility and the Zappo CD-ROM drive and a compatibility list for the Apollo 1240 accelerator. I am also producing a "lite" version of AiG for users who may not have as much memory and a version exlusively for Workbench 2.x. @{b}Don't I know you from somewhere else?@{ub} You're right. I was the man standing by the grassy knoll when Kennedy was shot. Most people think that I was carrying a gun but it was actually a rare breed of Australian banana (sorry. Not funny). But seriously, I helped to design and test a database program called Huge Base. Incidentally, version 3 was promised to be out in December 1996. Well, due to circumstances beyond the authors control (he finally discovered women) it will never be released. It's a shame really, version 3 was shaping up to be quite good with the addition of drawing tools and other 'things'. Oh well. @endnode @node HELP_AiGA "How you can help" @{b}What can I do to help?@{ub} Well, you could send me information on the things covered. I'm looking for basic information on commands, storage mediums etc. I would also really like someone to tell me what other operating systems run on Amiga. Has anyone tried OS/2 on PC or Magic on the ST or Mac. @{b}Can I plug my product?@{ub} Yep! Information on your program will be included in this guide in future releases. It must contain some kind of information about the Amiga, such as explaining how it works, how it was made etc. If you would like to be included send a letter by snail mail to @{"me" link HELP_AIG3}. The letter must include: @{i}The name of the product The name of whoever produced it Where the user can get it from. Try to include a PD library or address, not just an internet page What it was written in, such as AmigaGuide What machines it runs on And general comments on what the program is about.@{ui} @endnode @node HELP_AiG2 "Pointless Wibble" @{b}This product could not have been completed without:@{ub} A keyboard, Alishas Attic, Amiga Computing, (Hey! Rainforest friendly) Amiga Format, (Happy Birthday!) Amiga Power, (I've got a bit of a haddock. Damn. Wrong mag) Amiga Shopper, (Fun with cross assembly compiling techy things) Amiga User International (R.I.P.ping sound) An Amiga, Blacks Editor- More features than Text Engine CU Amiga Magazine, (A magazine that says goodbye? Bit depressing.) Hands, Louise (formerly of Eternal) Maltesers- the chocolate of champions PC Answers- for doing a supplement ages ago about Windows 95 and giving me the idea. Even though I couldn't be bothered to start it for ages. Republica- WOW! Great album. Def Leppard- They're not deaf and they're not leppards, but they are pretty damn good. Text Engine 5 point one- So good I wrote most of AiG on it Iconian- Brilliant icon program PPaint- Fantastic paint program, on a CD that can't fit in my Zappo CD drive. Which incidently doesn't make that nice beeping noise anymore, or recognise white CD's, and locks up when an audio CD is played. @{b}This product would have been completed earlier if it hadn't been for:@{ub} Exams, especially A levels Theatre Studies which is INCREDIBLY difficult to pass. Friends- Darn good American sitcom, for a change. Louise (formerly of eternal). She wants to get naked apparently. My Animaniacs videos. Does anyone have volume 3 that they can send me? My bad shoulder. My fruitless attempts to tune in Channel 5. Ten pin bowling- I actually won... Twice.. Tessa, my dog, who's adopted a family of frogs. The female of the species. Damn your attractiveness. ED- Surely Gateway 2000 could give us a decent text editor? Incidently, my birthday is on 29th April, the day that Commodore went into liquidation in 1994. This has caused some obvious stress in my life, no really, like wondering if my favourite machine was going to die when I should have been eating my birthday cake, or something. I don't suppose the new Amiga International would like to compensate with an A4000T. Erm.. Please. @endnode @node HELP_AiG3 "Some useful information you should know" If you want to send any comments, bug reports, list of machines tried on or any other contributions then I can be contacted by sending a SAE to: GARETH KNIGHT 108 ST NICHOLAS AVENUE, NORTON, STOKE-ON-TRENT, STAFFS ST6 8LF @endnode @node HELP_AiG4 "AiG features" @{b}AiGStart@{ub} One of my favourite features of AiG was the extension feature. This allowed you to copy an AmigaGuide file to a drawer called AiGStart in your system drawer and access them directly from the help guide. It used the Directory Datatype to list the contents of that drawer. Unfortunately, I found that when I deinstalled the Hyperguide datatype it stopped working. In my opinion the HyperGuide/Text datatype is too unstable too be useful at the moment, as it regularly locks up my Amiga or does not load the online guide to programs such as Wordworth, displaying a blank guide screen. Although this isn't a problem it can be annoying. So I made the choice not to install the HyperText datatype again until these bugs have been ironed out. When this happens I will be more than happy to support the program in any way that I can. However, I know many Amiga owners who have got HyperGuide installed permanently and are having no problems with it. So, for them I have moved the AiGStart into 'the complete guide to Workbench' node. @{b}IX Guide@{ub} In a future release there will also be support for IX Guide. This is an AmigaGuide replacement which allows you to include animations and pictures actually on the screen whilst still retaining AmigaGuide compatibility. I hope to use the new features in future versions. It's shaping up really well and should definitely be included with any new version of Workbench. @{b}TO THE AUTHORS OF BOTH PROGRAMS. PLEASE SEND ME A COPY OF YOUR PROGRAMS SO THAT I CAN SUPPORT THEM IN THE FUTURE.@{ub} @{b}It speaks@{ub} AiG will also use the narrator.library and SAY in a future release to actually read the file to you. Unfortunately the Say utility is a bit, well crap really, so I'm looking at alternatives. To use this function you must have these files installed as they are copyrighted material. Here's an idea- why don't Amiga International freely distribute their OS on their web page and magazine CD's like Apple do. @endnode @node HELP_AiG6 "Copyright rules. READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO LIVE" @{b}COPYRIGHT@{ub} @{i}I recognise all copyright that the products in this guide entail. All I want to do is give the Amiga user the most information about the Amiga. If you do not want to be included just write to me. You are the one who will lose out, because people will not know about your product.@{ui} *All versions of AiG are freeware. I cannot see the point of charging someone for a simple guide, even though it took me months to design and create. *Amiga, Amiga Technologies, Amiga International etc are Copyright © 1997 Amiga International, a subsidary of GATEWAY 2000. All names mentioned are recognised as the copyright of their respective owners, where possible I have mentioned the manufacturer. @{b}SearchGuide by Gerard Cornu@{ub} He can be contacted through snail mail at: 11 Avenue Edovard Aynard 69130 ECULLY Or if you're on the Information Super ExpressWay, http://www.dtr.fr/homepage/gcorno SearchGuide uses ReqTools.Library ©Nico Francois and Magnus Holmgren and Locale.Library V38+. PLEASE NOTE. THIS VERSION IS NO LONGER LADIES UNDERWEAR, IT'S FREEWARE, QUITE FRANKLY MY MUM IS BECOMING INCREDIBLY WORRIED. IF YOU WANT TO SEND ME SOMETHING SEND ME SOME SOFTWARE (NOT VIRUSES). @{b}Copyright rules@{ub} Amiga Interactive Guide and AiG, are Copyright © 1997 Gareth Knight. It may be distributed as long as the following conditions are followed. These rules apply to all versions of AiG. * All of the files included should be kept together and remain unchanged, apart from the use of compression to fit on disk. @{" Files Included " link HELP_FILE} *If you want to convert AiG to another language contact @{"me" link HELP_AiG3} first. *The price of this file should only include the cost of the media it is recorded on. I will not have people profiting from my hard work. I will not be part of this CAPITALIST CONTROLLED society, let's rise up and take the means of production, etc. *If it is published on any magazine I would appreciate being sent a copy of the issue. *Amiga Interactive Guide MUST NOT be uploaded to any bulletin board, web site, or contained on ANY compilation where an individual claims copyright upon the data that it contains. I give my permission for it to be included on any Fred Fish CD, Aminet etc. *The user must give the complete software package (that includes all the distribution files) to at least 2 other people. *Do not even attempt to delete this node to break these rules. I know some very good lawyers. @endnode @node HELP_FILE "A list of files included" AMIGAGUIDE.GUIDE -The replacement guide INSTALL - The script installer README- Simple read Me document @endnode @node HELP_AiG7 "Warranty and Requirements" @{b}OH NO! MY AMIGA'S JUST EXPLODED WHEN I RAN AiG@{ub} This program is provided "AS IS". That means I cannot accept any responsibility for loss, damage or any other events however small or large that happen as a result of running AiG. However, if you have received a faulty disk from myself then I will replace it for you if you send the damaged one back. @{b}REQUIREMENTS@{ub} Amiga Interactive Guide requires the following: -Workbench 3.00 or higher. You can test it on anything lower but it is designed as a AmigaOS v3 guide so alot of it would not apply. -as much memory as possible, this will load the links much faster. -SearchGuide in the C: directory -A hard drive, running from disk requires an awful lot of assigns to be made. -The AMIGAGUIDE.GUIDE file has to be installed in the correct place for the search function to work. @endnode @node HELP_AiG8 "AiG in running from hard drive shocker!!!" @{b}How to install AiG to your hard drive@{ub} I don't know why I wrote this as it's probably installed to hard drive already, but here goes, Copy SearchGuide to your C: directory. Copy AmigaGuide.Guide to your HELP:/SYS/ So, if you are using a English machine it should appear- @{i}HELP:English/Sys/@{ui} This will ensure that the search function will work. @endnode @node HELP_AiG9 "Changes" V1.1 First version. V1.2 Got rid of IFF pictures of different machines as they broke copyright of the various companies mentioned. V1.3 Added more information on the new A/BOX, PowerAmiga and the next generation of OS. First public release. V1.4 Added a section on emulation. Altered the menu system slightly to put all machines made by Commodore-Amiga into one list. Previously seperated according to OCS, ECS and AGA chipset. Included the Amiga rumour mill and HP-RISC machines. Added this Changes file. V1.5 Added information on Motorola microprocessors, Amiga Facts section a few more Questions and Answers and some general tidying. Added magazine feature and the stuff on AROS and the Passport 4000. V1.6 Tidied things up, moved Amiga Comments, updated magazine guide, wrote section on A5000, Lorraine, A3000+ (thanks CU), more Q+A, compiled most of the complete Commodore guide, added FAQ section. @endnode @node HELP_AiG10 "Pleeeeaaaaseeeee" Please can someone produce some kind of patch file to make Zeewolf and Zeewolf 2 run on my A1200 fitted with Apollo 1240 accelerator. It's my favourite game and I haven't been able to run it in ages. I've tried every emulator available. The most successful were Tude which ran it for almost a minute before locking up and UAE which can run it in a little window on Workbench, but is obviously to slow to play. Oh, and if anyones got THE BIG 6 (a compilation of Dizzy games for CD³²) that they don't want, I know a good home it could go to. Incidently, couldn't someone write an hybrid Amiga-C64 emulator similar in design to the new C64 machines that have upgraded processors and memory, or even a C65 emulator. @endnode @node HELP_AiG11 "The future of AiG" @{i}Or, things I'm going to add when I have time.@{ui} *Support for HyperGuide and IX-Guide *Conversion to HTML *The story of Amiga (tell it to your kids). *Workbench Tutorials *Expand the commands list *Expand Glossary *Finish section on emulation *Do a complete guide to Escom and Gateway 2000 products not related to the Amiga, similar to the Commodore electronic guide. *Make some kind of "lite" version for people who may not have enough memory to run this *Update the machine guide when Gateway 2000 decide what they are going to do *Actually write a decent installer (anyone want to volunteer) *Do some kind of Amiga standards guide. I.e. default picture- ILBM *Expand FAQ section *Include information on the PowerPC processors *YOUR SUGGESTIONS (please write in) @endnode @node HELP_AIG12 " Workbench 4.0?" These are the programs that I think should be included in a new version of Workbench for an AGA based machine, in case anybody from Gateway 2000 is reading (some hope). An AGA or 020,030, or even 040 optimised version of Kickstart and Workbench. 24 bit DataTypes AiG- I had to say this didn't I? Voyager-NG CDxl 2 (for full screen anim+sound, or even YAFA animation formats ClassAct Directory Opus FastIPrefs Iconian An Installer Construction program IX-Guide (an Amiga Guide beater if ever I saw one) MCP MUI MultiCX NewIcons Personal Paint Some kind of 68000/68020 emulator Blacks Editor, or some other text editor ViewTek WBStartup+ @endnode @node HELP_AiG13 "Ta very much" @{b}Warm handshakes go to:@{ub} Philip Bartley, Jim Brain, Kevin Breward, Tim Cameron, Matthew Cartlidge, Jason Compton, Dan Elgaard, Sam Forster, Simon (N) Goodwin, Dr. Peter Kittel, Joseph Luk, @{b}And big hugs and kisses go to:@{ub} Vicky Gotham Can more women please contact me, preferably attractive ones. @endnode @node HELP_AIG14 "Its the size that counts" @{i}Or, "It's getting bigger all the time!" Or, "Blimey! That's a big 'un!"@{ui} Over the past few months AiG has grown quite considerably. Here is a list of when each version came out and the size of the main guide. @{b}Version Bytes Date@{ub} 1.1 107864 15/4/97 1.2 105418 16/4/97 1.3 109137 21/5/97 1.4 127455 29/5/97 1.5 150814 5/6/97 1.6 224239 25/6/97 @endnode @node HELP_DPAINT " Deluxe Paint" An art package released soon after the first Amiga by Electronic Arts which established itself as one of the standard software given away with the Amiga. The last version released was version 5 which came out in late 1994. @endnode @node HELP_PPAINT " Personal Paint" An Amiga art package developed by Cloanto, similar in design to @{"Deluxe Paint" link HELP_DPAINT}. It can do image processing and loads most image formats through built in support and use of the Amiga's datatype system. Unlike @{"DPaint" link HELP_DPAINT} it is still in development. @endnode @node HELP_MISC "Amiga Interactive Guide: Miscellaneous" @{" " link HELP_FACT} Strange facts @{" " link HELP_COMMENT} Amiga comments @{" " link HELP_TIPS} Helpful hints @{" " link HELP_ATIP} Amazing Tips @{" " link HELP_EQUIV} Amiga equivalent of.... @{" " link HELP_COM} Every single Commodore machine EVER! @{" " link HELP_MAGS} Amiga Magazine @{" " link HELP_SCENE} Amiga scene and Fanzines @{" " link HELP_MAMA} Multi-format mags featuring Amiga @{" " link HELP_CMAG} Commodore magazines- Past and present @{" " link HELP_AFAQ} Frequently Asked Questions @{" " link HELP_Problems} Questions and Answers @{" " link HELP_Jargon} Glossary @endnode @node HELP_FACT "Strange and bizarre facts" @{i}Or, things that can't be placed anywhere else.@{ui} @{b}The A1000@{ub} The A1000 casing featured the signatures of all the designers and the paw print of Jay Minor's dog moulded into the inside of the casing. When it was demonstrated at the CES show in 1984 it was just 4 breadboards cabled together. They were so fragile each board had its own seat on the plane to Chicago. According to rumour it was going to include a phone answeing maxhine built in, but Commodore decided it would be too expensive to fund. @{b}Hold And Modify@{ub} The HAM mode which gave the original Amiga it's 4,096 colour display was an experiment by Jay Minor after seeing flight simulators in action. He wanted it to be similar to virtual reality machines. @{b}General@{ub} According to the One Amiga magazine one in every twenty-two households in the UK in 1994 owned an Amiga. It was noticed by somebody on the internet that the owners of Amiga seem to be following a pattern. A- Amiga Inc C- Commodore E- Escom G- Gateway 2000 Hmmm. Now which computer company begins with an I? Even in its dying years the Amiga has caused controversy. At the end of 1996 a PD game called "Schoolyard Slaughter" attracted attention, because it was disrespectful of the Dunblane tragedy earlier in the year. The Amiga is Spanish for "Girlfriend" The new owners of the Amiga, Gateway 2000 have a cow fetish. David Pleasance still owes me 1 pence for a Amiga CD³² umbrella I bought at the World of Amiga '96 show, because he "didn't have any change". Tut tut. According to some old magazine from 1993 there are roughly 5 million Amigas world-wide: UK- 1.5 million Germany- 1.4 million Italy- 700,000 France- 275,000 Scandinavia- 90,000 Benelux- 45,000 Rest of Europe- 35,000 North America- 600,000 Rest of World- 400,000 Here are the latest statistics for 1997. UK- 1.5 Germany- 3 Rest of World- Ooooohhh at least 20 Apparently at one point the A1200 was selling at a rate of 60,000 a month. @{b}Commodore liquidation facts@{ub} The creditor that caused the liquidation was Banque Nationale de Paris, on April 25th, 1994 when they "made a formal demand upon CIL (Commodore International Ltd) for payment of its debts. Among the products for sale, There was a 2 page listing of what was not available. This included: -Commodore UK's trademark on "Maggot Mania" -Commodore France patent on a device for opening and closing fluidtight doors -Commodore's former patent on their digital thermometer and thermostat Commodore's intellectual property and their CDTV/CD³² software licences are valued at $12,000. Commodore has the CDTV trademarked five times in Japan. The only listed inventory of completed machines made by Commodore is about 3,300 CD32's valued at $22.50 each. @endnode @node HELP_COMMENT "Amiga Comments @{b}The future of the Amiga@{ub} In researching this replacement guide I got quite alot of information and images from Aminet Set 1, including a beginners guide to Amiga. This recommended that you should buy at least a 20 meg hard drive for the A500. When compared to the present Amiga range it is amazing how much the Amiga has changed in this time. Most Amiga owners can't run their machine without a hard drive and as for doing with 1mb (which the author of the article felt lucky to have) this is seen as being nothing. This shows how much the computing industry has been influenced by the PC and to a lesser extent the Mac by the fact that a computer has to have as much memory and hard drive space as possible to run the latest rehash of an old genre on their terrible inefficient machines. Recently I went into HMV and was surprised to find that MicroSoft had released a compilation of "classic" arcade games for Windows 95. A closer inspection of the case found that the requirements to run these classics were a 4mb 486, considering the original game fitted into 64k it is amazing how much wastage of memory this is. Surely the top programming bods at MicroSoft are skilled enough to programme more efficiently than this? Why am I telling you this? Well the Amiga has largely ignored this trend to upgrade to run the latest software, largely expecting programmers to make decent games on a 512k A500. In my humble opinion this is what has killed the Amiga, not the shoddy management of Commodore (although that certainly did help) but the Amiga owners lack of vision towards upgrading. You want evidence of this? When Commodore were releasing the CD32, the A1200 CD console, Apple were preparing to release their PowerMac range. Result, the Mac is still competing with the PC whilst the Amiga is spiraling into a deep chasm. The Amiga community has to demand new, more exciting hardware. Not just rereleased A4000's but brand new PowerPC-based A\Box's or DEC Alpha Amiga workstations. The market has changed from the Amiga's heyday when people would buy the cheapest machine available. Joe Public is more than happy to pay over £1000 for their machines and as a result they have fallen in price dramatically- the price of a 16mb Pentium PC at 133MHz has recently fallen under £800, compared to this the standard A1200 looks a joke. As an Amiga enthusiast it would greatly sadden me to see my favourite machine die and be forced to buy into the dreaded MicroSoft/Intel duopoly. A message to all developers, programmers and users out there. Invest in the future of your Amiga. By faster hard drives, CD drives and accelerators, give back some of the pleasure it has given you. Upgrade or die, the choice is yours. Gareth Knight @endnode @node HELP_ATIP "Hints and tips for the more experienced user"" A collection of helpful hints to make your Amiga go that little bit faster, in the style of a quick fire round. @{b}Software tips@{ub} *If you are still using an Amiga with no hard drive cut down on disk changes by making certain commands resident (saved in the Amiga's memory). Simply enter into a Shell window: Resident C:Copy Resident C:List Resident C:Dir *Use the Amiga's clipboard to the full by cutting and pasting between programs. Press RIGHT AMIGA (next to Alt on the right of the keyboard) and X to cut, RIGHT AMIGA and C to copy and RIGHT AMIGA V to paste. *If you want to quit a program try pressing RIGHT AMIGA and Q. If that fails press CTRL and C. *Pressing up and down in a Shell window displays the last command/s that you typed. *To interrupt a script file (such as the Startup-Sequence) press CTRL and D. *Move to a different screen by pressing RIGHT AMIGA, M and N simultaneously. *To allow old programs to run try holding the two mouse buttons down when you switch on your machine. An EARLY STARTUP OPTIONS screen should be displayed. From here you can choose to disable CPU caches, the type of display and the chipset used. *To control the mouse pointer on Workbench using the keyboard hold the left Amiga key and any one of the arrow keys, left and right Alt keys emulate the mouse buttons, whilst shift allows the mouse to jump across the screen. *Select LEAVE OUT from the Icons menus and Snapshot the icon to allow you to easily access the program without hunting through drawers. *Get a screen saver to prevent static images being burnt upon your TV/monitor display. *Close windows on the Workbench screen to save memory. *In the Shell you can return to a previous directory by pressing backslash (/). *Use Format instead of Quick Format to ensure that any errors on the disk are fully erased. *Save memory by disabling external drives or partitions and booting with no startup-sequence in the Early Startup Menu. *To perform batch processing from the comfort of your own Workbench highlight all the icons to be processed and select the function to be carried out. *To set the Amiga's internal clock load the TIME program in the Prefs drawer. If you don't have a battery backed up clock then you can get a program which automatically sets the time when you load Workbench. *Bored of hunting through millions of drawers for the right program? Get a program such as Tools Daemon to add the programs into the Tools menu. *If you are advised to use a program called DiskDoctor immediately beat the person with a mallet. DiskDoctor was a disk recovery program that came with Workbench 1.3. It was dropped because it usually caused more damage than the virus, try a newer disk recovery utility such as DiskSalv instead. *Play animations directly from your hard drive using a utility called BigAnim. Useful for users with very little memory. *AGA owners, free memory by changing the screen to NTSC using Prefs/Screenmode. *If you use a DTP package (who doesn't nowadays), print an example of your fonts to save time choosing your favourite. *DTP users, use only two or three fonts on a page to get a more professional look. *Enhance the look and feel of your Workbench by installing either Magic Workbench for lovely grey icons, or NewIcons, for the multi -coloured borderless look. *Keep all disks write protected to prevent a virus destroying the data. @{b}Hardware tips@{ub} *Rather than reset the Amiga by the ON/OFF switch, press CTRL and the two Amiga keys together. *If the slide on a disk is damaged (the metal bit) in any way, immediately remove it from the disk and make a backup copy. This will save any data that may have been stored on the disk, and save you a hefty disk drive repair bill if it had gotten stuck in the drive. *When buying from mail order firms phone first to make sure the product is in stock, and stick to tried and tested firms, such as Weird Science. *If your Amiga has died, try another power pack to save money with repair bills. *If you get read/write errors on most of your disks try them with another drive. It could be your disk drive that is faulty. *Use a disk cleaning solution to keep your drive in top-top condition. *keep your Amiga away from direct sunlight, or any other heat source, extreme temperatures can affect the machine. *If you buy a new Amiga (if you can find any), save your old machine. It will allow you to retain compatibility with your favourite games and can network it to your new machine to share drives. *Connect your Amiga to a stereo and gasp in awe at what can be done in just four channels. *Apparently, you can use olive oil (no, not from Popeye) to lubricate your joystick and extend its life. *Keep disks away from magnetic fields, such as TV, radios and, surprisingly magnets. *To avoid damaging disks, check that the drive light is off before taking a disk out. *If the drive light stays on, listen to the drive carefully to see if it it is actually being accessed or if the drive light is simply stuck on. *When connecting up the Amiga, always connect the power cable last and when disconnecting take the lead out last. *Use a trackball instead of a mouse, it saves on desk space and creates less strain on the hands. *Clean your mouse regularly by removing the lock and ball underneath and scraping the tiny wheels inside with tissue. @endnode @node HELP_EQUIV "What is the Amiga equivalent of...?" This is for new Amiga users who have converted from the PC or Unix systems. It will provide a list of commands on the PC and their Amiga equivalent. @{b}PC Command Amiga Command@{ub} AUTOEXEC.BAT Startup-Sequence (stored in the S: drawer) A: B: DF0: DF1: DF2: DF3: (the Amiga can have up to 4 disk drives, compared to the PC's two. DF0: is the internal drive.) . "" (current directory) .. / (swap to the previous directory) If you want to use Unix commands from the Amiga environment get a program called UnixDir from Aminet or your local PD library. @endnode @node HELP_MAGS "Amiga magazines around the world" This is an attempt to collect information on every paper-based Amiga magazine ever available. It can also include fanzines, scene magazines and semi-professional ones such as EM. If you have any more to add to the list write to @{"me" link HELP_AiG3}. Disk and internet mags are included on another page. Title Country Last issue No. of Cover Type of released released issues Disk/CD Mag @{u} @{uu} Amiga Action UK Dec '96 89 Disk Game Amiga Animation ? ? ? Disk Tech Amiga CD32 Gamer UK Mar '96 21 CD Game Amiga Computing UK - - Disk/CD Both Amiga Dos Germany ? ? ? ? Amiga Format UK - - Disk/CD Both Amiga Format Special/Annual UK Dec '94 11 - Both Amiga Force UK Apr '94? 16 - Game Amiga Fun UK ? ? Disk Game? Amiga Game Zone USA ? ? Disk Game Amiga Magazine Germany ? ? ? ? Amiga Mart UK ? ? - ? Amiga News France ? ? ? ? Amiga Power UK Sept '96 65 Disk/CD Game Amiga Pro+ 32 UK Early '95 ? - Both Amiga Shopper UK Dec '96 71 Disk Tech Amiga User International UK May '97 ? Disk/CD Both Amiga World USA Apr '95 ? ? Both CU Amiga Mag UK - - Disk/CD Both CD³² Magazine UK 1994 2 CD Game Commodore Business and Amiga User UK Became AUI ? ? Both EM UK ? ? - Tech Just Amiga Monthly UK 1996? ? - tech The One Amiga UK Emap- June '95 ? Disk Game Maverick-July '96 Your Amiga UK? ? ? ? ? @{" " link HELP_MAG2} Magazine facts @{" " link HELP_MAG3} What each column means @endnode @node HELP_MAG2 "Magazine related facts" Just general points that may be of some interest to someone somewhere. *Amiga Action is now incorporated into Amiga Computing. *In case you're wondering the first four issues of Amiga Pro magazine came with a 32 page supplement called 32. This reviewed A1200 and CD³² games, as well as having some darn good interviews with programmers. *The One Amiga was incorporated into CU Amiga magazine for one month before being brought by Maverick. *The One Amiga shrunk to a tiny 16 pages with 1 disk and cost £3.99 on the last issue when Maverick owned it. *Amiga Action shrunk to 36 pages and 1 disk for £4.50. *Amiga CD32 Gamer, the only monthly Amiga CD³² magazine shrunk to 32 pages and 1 CD, costing £5.99. *Amiga Power and Shopper shrunk to 52 pages and cost £4.50 with one disk each. *Amiga User International (featuring Techno World) was 100 pages, with 2 disks for £3.99. Techno World covered anything vaguely computery. *Amiga User International began in 1987 as a free (very tiny) magazine in Commodore Computing International. It then became a subscription only magazine called Commodore Business and Amiga User, which then became a mainstream magazine. *If the CD³² market had taken off in 1994 Amiga User International would have spawned a subscription-only magazine called "Amiga CD!". *Amiga Power are renouned for giving games low marks, disproving the Marxist claim that the media is used by the ruling class to validate their rule, creating False Class Consciousness. In case you hadn't guessed I do Sociology. *Amiga Format Special was basically an issue of Amiga Format that contained articles on a specific subject. *Amiga Format was created after the metaphorial egg that was ST/Amiga Format split. This caused twin foetus' to be born- the lovely Amiga Format and the psychopathic ST Format. ST Format died in September 1996 after it's adopted children ST, TT, Falcon and Jaguar were disowned by their father, Atari in favour of a younger woman (who gave him a harddrive). Amiga Format is too distraught too comment at the moment. Amiga Formats' own problems appear to have been sorted with the recent settlement of the long custody battle with her former lover Escom. Her children A1200 and A4000 are said to be staying with their financially secure step father, Gateway 2000. *1996 was highlighted by bitter arguments between Amiga Power and almost every other Amiga magazine. This is a list of some of the accusations they made (that I can remember): @{b}Amiga Action@{ub} Accused them of reviewing incompleted copies of games, and even on one occasion the PC version. @{b}Amiga Format@{ub} They accused them of not reviewing a game properly because of a bug which prevented them from getting past level 3. @{b}Amiga Technologies@{ub} Amiga Power gave Pinball Mania and Whizz a low score, which were bundled with the Amiga Magic pack. So, Amiga Technologies accused them of trying to kill the Amiga. @{b}Amiga User International@{ub} For using exactly the same words, in the same order to describe a game. @{b}The One Amiga@{ub} Just giving brilliant scores to games they thought were crap. *The Mary Whitehouse Committee tried to have Cannon Fodder and Amiga Power issue 32 withdrawn from sale because it featured a poppy on the cover and claimed "war has never been so much fun!". It was even featured in the Daily Star! If you're wondering why there are so many references to Amiga Power, it is because AP was the only mag I brought EVERY SINGLE month since I got my Amiga, and now it's dead. Sob. @endnode @node HELP_MAG3 "What each section means" @{b}Title@{ub} The name of the magazine. @{b}Country@{ub} The country it is/was published in. This does not mean the country that it is imported to. Therefore Amiga Computing is a UK magazine, even though it is also found in the USA. @{b}Last issue released@{ub} The date MARKED upon the last issue, not the actual month it came out. @{b}Number of issues@{ub} The number of issues that there have been. This should be marked upon the cover. Do not try to guess it as many magazines may be released 13 times a year. Some magazines, such as CU Amiga magazine do not publish the issue number. Does anyone want to count how many there have been? @{b}CoverDisk/CD@{ub} Has it ever included a disk or CD on the cover for even one month? If so, then it will be included. In the UK only Amiga Format, CU Amiga magazine and the CD³² magazines have had CD's on the cover regularly. Amiga Computing had one on the cover in May 1995 and Amiga User International have included three during 1994. @{b}Type of magazine@{ub} Examines the type of coverage on Amiga matters it has/had. This is seperated into: Game- It's a magazines aimed solely at games. Tech- It covers technical matters and "serious" software. There are not many about due to the image of the Amiga as a games machine. The only newsstand one that I know is Amiga Shopper. Both- A magazine that examines both games and technical software. It is quite safe to say that all those in existance now cover these areas. @endnode @node HELP_SCENE "The Amiga magazine subculture" This is a list of as many disk and internet mags as possible that have, or still do exist for the Amiga. It is not a definitive list, so if anyone would like to send more imformation you are more than welcome. Title Media Status Designed Where Used using found @{u} @{uu} AGA Monthly Disk Alive? Text AGA Experience 1 Aliens Disk Alive? AmigaGuide AGA Experience 1 Amiga Addicts Internet Dead? AmigaGuide AGA Experience 1 Amiga Entertainment monthly Bulletin Dead AmigaGuide AGA Experience 1 Amiga Link Disk Alive AmigaGuide AGA Experience 1 AmigaMagazin Disk? Alive Text+Progs CDPD3 AmigaPD internet Dead? AmigaGuide AGA Experience 1 Amiga Report internet Alive AmigaGuide Internet Amiga Report Tech Journal Internet Alive? AmigaGuide Internet CD32bits Disk Dead? AmigaGuide AGA Experience 1 CD32 View Disk Dead? Text AGA Experience 1 Channel Z Disk Alive? ? AGA Experience 1 Dark Unicorn internet Alive ? Internet Dispatch ? ? ? ? Extreme AMOS Disk Alive ? ? Final Frontier Disk Alive Custom ? Guida ? ? AmigaGuide ? News Flash Disk Dead Text+Progs Utilities Pro 1-1500 NFA- The Word Disk Alive ? AGA Experience 1 Speed Internet? Alive Custom CUCD12? Legacy Video! Alive Video On a video! The Domain Disk Alive ? ? The Lair Internet Alive HTML Internet @{" " link HELP_MAG4} Magazine facts @{" " link HELP_MAG5} What each column means @endnode @node HELP_MAG4 "News from the Scene" I think that many of the fanzines mentioned are now dead. Please write to me to confirm this. @endnode @node HELP_MAG5 "What each section means" @{b}Title@{ub} The name of the magazine @{b}Media Used@{ub} How was the diskzine distributed, through disk, internet, or something else. @{b}Status@{ub} Is it still going, or it dead. @{b}Designed using@{ub} What was it designed on? Most 'zines were produced using AmigaGuide. @{b}Where found@{ub} Where can it be found? If you do not know if it was on the internet then write the CD or PD library it was from. Try to include both the internet address and the PD library, or snail mail address of the author. @endnode @node HELP_MAMA "Magazines that featured the Amiga" Title Country Last issue Status released with Amiga @{u} @{uu} ACE UK Last issue Dead Amazing Computing USA - Alive Computer Fun UK Last issue Dead Computer &Video Games UK 1995? Alive Computer Shopper UK - Alive EDGE UK 1995? Alive Games Machine UK Last issue Dead .Net UK 1996? Alive @{" " link HELP_MAMA1} Magazine facts @{" " link HELP_MAMA2} What each column means @endnode @node HELP_MAMA1 "Magazine facts" Erk. Don't have any. @endnode @node HELP_MAMA2 "What each column means" @{b}Title@{ub} The name of the magazine @{b}Country released@{ub} The country it was published in. @{b}Last issue with Amiga@{ub} What month did it stop reviewing Amiga software. This has nothing to do with retro reviews that some mags do. If it ceased publication, it will be classified "Last Issue". @{b}Status@{ub} Is it still in publication? @endnode @node HELP_AMIGA "Every Amiga-past, present and future" @{b}The Amiga Series@{ub} @{" " link HELP_CHRONO} Amiga Chronology @{" " link HELP_CAMIGA} The complete Commodore-Amiga list @{" " link HELP_AVER} AmigaOS Chronology @{" " link HELP_COMM} The Commodore files @{" " link HELP_M600} The 680x0 series of processors @{" " link HELP_OAS} The Commodore-Amiga series @{" " link HELP_NOT} Amigas that were never released @{" " link HELP_CLONE} Amiga clones @{" " link HELP_NGEN} Amiga- The Next Generation @{" " link HELP_AOS} AmigaOS descendants @{" " link HELP_EMUL} Other Operating Systems available @ENDNODE @node HELP_OAS "The original Commodore-Amiga" @{b}Amigas with the OCS chipset@{ub} @{" " link HELP_1000} The A1000 @{" " link HELP_A500} The A500 @{" " link HELP_2000} The A2000 @{" " link HELP_1500} The A1500 @{" " link HELP_CDTV} The CDTV @{b}Amigas with the ECS chipset@{ub} @{" " link HELP_3000} The A3000 @{" " link HELP_500+} The A500+ @{" " link HELP_A600} The A600 @{b}Amigas with the AGA chipset@{ub} @{" " link HELP_4000} The A4000 @{" " link HELP_1200} The A1200 @{" " link HELP_CD32} The CD³² @endnode @node HELP_AVER "Operating System" @{b}A Guide to the version number of each release of Workbench@{ub} @{u}Version OS version Machine@{uu} 31.x 1.1 A1000 33.x 1.2 A500, A2000, available for A1000 34.x 1.3 A500, A2500, A3000 (Kickrom), CDTV available for A1000 35.x 1.3 A special version of Kickstart 1.3 to support Commodore A2024 monitors 36.x 2.0-2.02 Early version of Kickstart 2 All Amigas 37.x 2.04/5 Release version of Kickstart 2, A500+, A600 38.x 2.1 Available for A500, A500+, A2000, A2500, A3000 39.x 3.0 A1200, A4000, 40.x 3.1 A1200, A4000, CD³², available for A500, A500+, A2000, A2500, A3000 43.x 3.2 Mindwalker (never released), part of the OS is available as a SetPatch file @endnode @node HELP_COMM "The AiG guide to Commodore" @{b}WARNING! THIS SECTION IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!@{ub} @{" " link HELP_COMINT} Introduction @{" " link HELP_COM} Every single Commodore machine EVER! @{" " link HELP_COM64} The Commodore 64 @{" " link HELP_COM65} The Commodore 65 @{" " link HELP_CMAG} Commodore magazines- Past and present @endnode @node HELP_COMINT "Commodore Guide" @{b}The COMPLETE guide to the Commodore 8-bit machines@{ub} After much thought I decided to expand the guide file to feature the entire range of Commodore machines. Although a guide of Commodore computers released 20 years ago may not matter to most new Amiga users, it is interesting to see where the Amiga came from. The famous all-in-one Amiga design, for example is largely based upon the casing of the VIC-20 and C64 machines. In time I hope to provide a detailed description of all the Commodore machines, as well as the descriptions in the canonical list. I must extend my thanks to Jim Brain who constructed this comprehensive list for the Commodore FAQ. As far as I know this list is not copyrighted in any way. But if anyone knows otherwise then it will be mentioned in the copyright section. If you want to find more info on the Commodore 8-bit range I suggest that you surf over to, @{i}http://www.msen.com/~brain/faqhome.html@{ui} @endnode @node HELP_COM64 "The Commodore 64" @{b}The C64@{ub} The C64 (or Commodore MAX as it was originally called) is one of the most successful eight bit machines ever. It was introduced in 1982 to follow the popular VIC-20 and provided many advancements of the technology, using a 1MHz 6510 with 64k paged DRAM, 1/2K static colour RAM, 8k PET basic ROM, a 4K character display ROM, and 8K system ROM. It also used a screen resolution of 160x200x4 to 320x200x2 colours and the 3 channel, mono sound using the famous SID chip. The C64 was probably the machine that most Amiga owners originally cut their fingers on, single-handedly creating the "music demo" which so many Amiga users love. Surprisingly there is still a loyal band of followers around the world who are dedicated to the C64 with games still being released for the machine. You can even get a 16MHz C64 with 16MB and a gigabyte hard drive if you wished. The C64 scene continues to thrive years after its commercial death and will continue for a long time to come. @endnode @node HELP_COM65 "The Commodore 65" @{b}The C65@{ub} The C65 can be traced back to mid-1984 where Commodore were developing a number of machines to cash in on the C64's popularity. The 364, as it was known was designed with voice synthesis and even more memory. The trail does not start again until 1988/9 where Commodore decided to fill the low-end market currently filled with the increasingly expensive C64 and 1541 disk drive. According to reports it was very similar in design to the Amiga, featuring a trap door for easy upgrade and a 3.5 inch disk drive mounted in a similar way to the Spectrum +3. It has a 3.5MHz custom 6502 processor, a DMA engine, 4 cursor keys, 128K ram as standard (up to 8MB with bank switching), dual SID's for stereo sound, a cartridge port, "user port", two types of serial ports, screen resolutions from 320x200x256 to 1280x400x2, and RGB, RF, and a slightly altered C64 video port, as well as C64 emulation mode. Development lasted until late-1991, and unlike many Commodore prototypes people have been able to buy a few. Either at warehouse clearances, or the Commodore US liquidation auction. Whatever reason for it being cancelled it looks as though this could have been the missing link between the Amiga and C64. @endnode @node HELP_CMAG "Commodore magazines- Past and present" Contrary to popular belief the Commodore 8-bit machines still have a cult following, and these magazines prove it. Although all commercial C64 mags are now bitting the bullet there are many underground mags that still cover your favourite Commodore machine, whether it is a C64 or a VIC-20. If you want to find out the address of the publications named then I suggest that you go to the Commodore FAQ at, http://www.msen.com/~brain/faqhome.html for more information. Title Media Used Status Type of mag @{u} @{uu} 64'er (German) Paper Alive Fanzine Ahoy! Paper Dead Fanzine Arizona Commodore User Group Paper Alive Newsletter Atta Bitar (8-bit) Paper Alive Fanzine Basic Bits Commodore Group Paper Alive Newsletter BCS Magazine Paper Alive Fanzine/newsletter Commander Paper Dead Fanzine Commodore Paper? Dead Fanzine? Commodore Business and Amiga User Paper Became AUI Commercial COMMODORE CEE Paper/Disk Alive Fanzine Commodore Computing International Paper Became CB&AU Commercial Commodore Force Paper Dead Commercial Commodore Format Paper Dead Commercial Commodore Hacking Online Internet Alive E-Zine Commodore Houston User's Group (CHUG) Paper Alive Newsletter Commodore Microcomputing -Power/Play Paper Dead Fanzine Commodore Network Paper Alive Fanzine Commodore User Paper now CU Amiga Commercial Commodore World Paper Alive Fanzine Commodore Zone Disk Alive? DiskZine COMPUTE! Paper Dead Commercial? COMPUTE'S Gazette Paper Dead Commercial? dieHard Paper Dead Fanzine Driven Disk Alive? DiskZine GEOJOURNAL Paper Dead Fanzine GeoNews Paper Alive Fanzine GeoVISION Paper Dead Fanzine GRASSROOTS Disk Alive DiskZine Illegal Paper Dead Fanzine Independent Computer Products User Group Paper Alive Fanzine Info 64 Paper Dead Fanzine Lansing Area Commodore Club Paper Alive Newsletter LOADSTAR 64 Monthly Disk Alive? DiskZine LOADSTAR 128 Quarterly Disk Alive? DiskZine LOADSTAR Letter Paper Alive Newsletter Lucky Line Magazine Paper Alive Newsletter Meeting 64/128 Users through the mail Paper Alive Newsletter Micro-Bytes (Original) Paper Dead Fanzine Micro-Bytes (Greg Noggle's Version) Paper Dead Fanzine New Mexico Commodore User's Group (NMCUG) Paper Alive Newsletter Optimizer 64 Paper Dead Fanzine Power User Newsletter Paper Alive Newsletter The Commodore GEOS Publication Paper Alive Fanzine The Northwest User's Guide Paper Dead Fanzine The Transactor Paper Dead Fanzine The Underground Paper Alive Fanzine TPUG (Toronto PET User Group) Magazine Paper Dead Fanzine Transactor Paper? Dead Fanzine Twin Cities 128/64 Paper Alive Fanzine Vision Disk Alive? DiskZine Random (64/128 Magazine) Paper Dead? Fanzine RUN Paper Dead Fanzine Your C64 Paper Dead Commercial Zzap! 64 Paper Dead Commercial The magazinee that feature the Commodore 8-bit are: -Historically Brewed -BBS Magazine I'm afraid I do not know much about these however. @{i}Due to the nature of the magazine business many of these may no longer be published. If you find mistakes in the spelling or status of the magazine (except dieHard which is spelt like that) then write to @{"me" link HELP_AIG3}.@{ui} @{" " link HELP_CMAG1} Magazine Info @{" " link HELP_CMAG2} What each column means @endnode @node HELP_CMAG1 "Magazine Info" @{b}Magazines that changed their name@{ub} *COMMODORE CEE, used to be CEE-64 Alive! *Zzap! 64 changed its name to Commodore Force after issue 90, and then closed forever on issue 16. *Commodore Computing International became Commodore Business and Amiga User, which then became Amiga User International. This is an abstract from the CommodoreFAQ by Tim Brain. "In the June issue 1988 of Britain's largest Commodore magazine "Commodore User", Mike Pattenden wrote about "Illegal": "Basically it revels in its downright naughtiness, but at the same time it reaffirms the reasoning behind hacking". "Illegal" was beyond reasonable doubt the most popular underground European "cracker" fanzine of the 80's, and a cornerstone of European outlaw hacking. Editor Jeff Smart was busted in 1989 and was told never to publish a cracker fanzine again." Even ten years ago magazines were causing serious worry about the effects that they can have on people. @endnode @node HELP_CMAG2 "What each column means" @{b}Title@{ub} The name of the magazine @{b}Media Used@{ub} How was the magazine distributed, through disk, internet, or something else. @{b}Status@{ub} Is it still going, or has it died. @{b}Type of magazine@{ub} The magazine can be one of four categories -Commercial, a news-stand magazine, such as Commodore Format. -DiskZine, a magazine on a disk. -Fanzine, a 'Zine published by a Fan, basically. -NewsLetter, simply a small letter of less than 8 sides, usually photocopied. @endnode @node HELP_COM "The Canonical List of Commodore Produced Equipment"" @{" " link HELP_CTRA} The Trainer Series @{" " link HELP_CPET} The PET Series @{" " link HELP_CBM348} The CBM 3/4/8000 Series @{" " link HELP_CBMB} The CBM B Series @{" " link HELP_CBM567} The CBM 5/6/700 Series @{" " link HELP_CVIC} The VIC-20 Series @{" " link HELP_CBM64} The C64 Series @{" " link HELP_CBM128} The C128 Series @{" " link HELP_CBX64} The CBM X64 Series @{" " link HELP_CAMIGA} The Amiga Series @{" " link HELP_COPC} The Commodore PC Series @{" " link HELP_COMOTH} Miscellaneous Products @{" " link HELP_COMNEVER} Machines never released @endnode @node HELP_CTRA "The Trainer Series (even though there's only one)" KIM-1 Has hex keypad and LED readout @endnode @node HELP_CPET "The PET 2001 Series" @{b}PET 2000 Series@{ub} Renamed to CBM 20XX, XX = RAM, after Philips forbade PET use. PET 2001K-4 4kB, Chiclet Keys, Built-In Cassette, Black Trim. PET 2001K-8 8kB, Chiclet Keys, Built-In Cassette, Blue Trim, 9" screen PET 2001K-16 16kB, Chiclet Keys, Built-In Cassette, Blue Trim, 9" screen PET 2001K-32 32kB, Chiclet Keys, Built-In Cassette, Blue Trim, 9" screen PET 2001B-8 8kB, Business Style, no Graphics on Keys, 12" screen PET 2001B-16 16kB, Business Style, no Graphics on Keys, 12" screen PET 2001B-32 32kB, Business Style, no Graphics on Keys, 12" screen PET 2001N-8 8kB, Home Computer, Graphics on Keys, 12" screen, Num. Keys PET 2001N-16 16kB, Home Computer, Graphics on Keys, 12" screen, Num. Keys PET 2001N-32 32kB, Home Computer, Graphics on Keys, BASIC 4.0, Num. Keys. PET 2001NT Teacher's PET. Same as 2001N, just rebadged @{b}SuperPet@{ub} Sold in Germany as MMF (MicroMainFrame) 9000 CBM SP9000 Dual uP 6502/6809, 96kB RAM, business keyboard @{i}PET models were also named with CBM prefixes. i.e PET 4016 = CBM 4016.@{ui} @endnode @node HELP_CBM348 "The CBM 3/4/8000 Series" @{b}CBM 3000 Series@{ub} 40 Col. Screen, BASIC 2.0-2.3, Same Board as Thin 4000. 3001 series in Germany were just 2001's with big Keyboard. CBM 3008 8kB, 9" Screen CBM 3016 16kB CBM 3032 32kB @{b}CBM 4000 Thin Series@{ub} 9" Screen, 40 Column Only, Basic 4.0. @{b}CBM 4000 Fat Series@{ub} 12" Screen, Upgradeable to 80 Column, When upgrade to 80 Columns, the systems were 8000's. CBM 4008 8kB, One Piece CBM 4016 16kB, One Piece CBM 4032 32kB, One Piece CBM 4064 (Educator 64) BASIC 2.0, (This does not have Fat option) @{b}CBM 8000 Series@{ub} 12" Screen, 80 Column, BASIC 4.0, SK= SoftKey CBM 8008 8kB, One Piece CBM 8016 16kB, One Piece CBM 8032 32kB, One Piece CBM 8032 SK 32kB, Detached Keyboard, CBM 8096 96kB, 8032 with 64kB ram card CBM 8096 SK 96kB, Detached Keyboard CBM 8096d ? CBM 8296 96kB, Detached Keyboard, Brown like 64, LOS-96 OS CBM 8296d 8296 + 8250LP @endnode @node HELP_CBMB "The CBM B Series" @{b}CBM B Series@{ub} 6509 processor , 2MHz, 6545/6845 Video, 6526 CIA, 6581 SID, BASIC 4.5. CBM B128-80HP 128kB, Detached Keyboard, Cream CBM B128-80LP 128kB, One-Piece, Cream, New Keyboard CBM B256-80HP 256kB, Detached Keyboard, Cream CBM B256-80LP 256kB, One-Piece, Cream @endnode @node HELP_CBM567 "The CBM 5/6/700 Series" @{b}CBM 500 Series@{ub} 6509, 6567, 6581, 6551 CBM 505 64kB. CBM 510 128kB. @{b}CBM 600 Series@{ub} Same as B series LP CBM 610 B128-80 LP CBM 620 B256-80 LP @{b}CBM 700 Series@{ub} Same as B series CBM 700 B128-80 LP CBM 710 B128-80 HP CBM 720 B256-80 HP CBM 730 ? CBM 740 ? CBM 750 ? CBM 760 ? @endnode @node HELP_CVIC "The VIC-20 Series" @{b}VIC-20 Series@{ub} Cream Case, 22*23 screen, 5kB RAM 1 Square Letters on Keys, Two Prong PS adaptor 2 Square Letters on Keys 3 Round Letters on Keys 4 VIC with 2001K Keyboard 5 VIC-10: Japanese VIC with 2001K keyboard @endnode @node HELP_CBM64 "The CBM 64 Series" @{b}CBM-64 Series@{ub} 64kB, Brown Case, 40*25 screen 1 Square Letters on Keys, Off-White Case 2 Square Letters on Keys 3 Rounded Letters on Keys 4 Chiclet Keyboard sold in Japan. (Might be MAX Machine) SX-64 Portable 64 With 5" Color Screen, One 1541 Built-in CBM-64C Cream Sloping Case, Cream Keys Educator 64 64 Rev1 Kernal without monitor Educator 64 64 in PET 4000 Series Case with Green Monitor (Color) MAX 64 with 16kB, no Keyboard, just Exp. Port and Video Out. Unimax MAX Machine Ultimax MAX Machine CBM VC-10 C-64 with stripped down Basic 2.0, 2.5kB RAM, Ultimax CBM C64GS Game Console. @endnode @node HELP_CBM128 "The CBM 128 Series" @{b}C-128 Series@{ub} 128kB, Cream Case, 40*25 and 80*25 screen, 64 and CP/M emulator. C-128 One-Piece Unit, 16kB VDC C-128 One-Piece Unit, 64kB VDC C-128D Two-Piece,16K VDC, Internal 1571D, Plastic Case, Fan C-128D C128D with 64K VDC, Metal Case, No Fan C-128DCR C128D with 64K VDC, Metal Case, Cost Reduced, No Fan @endnode @node HELP_CBX64 "The CBM X64 Series" @{b}CBM X64 Series@{ub} Charcoal Grey Case, 40*25 screen Plus 4 New Keyboard and Case design, 64kB RAM C-16 64 Case and Keyboard Style, 16kB RAM C-116 C-16 with Chiclet keys and smaller case @endnode @node HELP_CAMIGA "The Amiga Series" @{b}Amiga Series@{ub} 680X0 processor, Off White Case A500 One piece, 68000, Off-White, 880K 3.5" Floppy A500+ A500 + 2MB Agnus, 1MB Chip Ram Expandable to 2 MB A600 One piece, 68000, White,ECS Chips,PCMCIA Slot,880K Floppy. A600HD A600 with 40 MB HD. A1000 Detached Keyboard, 68000, Cream, 256kB, 880K Floppy. A1000PAL Detached older style keyboard, 68000, no daughterboard A1000NTSC Has both daughter and motherboards A1200 White, 68EC020, PCMCIA slot,AGA graphics, one piece. A1200HD/40 A1200 with 40 MB HD. A1500 UK released A2000 with two drives A2000 detached keyboard, internal slots, 68000 processor card. A2000 A2000 with 68000 on MotherBoard A2000HD A2000 with installed 50 MB SCSI hard disk. A2500/20 A2000 with A2620(68020,68881,68851, 14.3MHz) processor card A2500/30 A2000 with A2630(68030,68882, 25 MHz) processor card A2500UX A2500 with UNIX and TapeDrive A3000/16 ECS graphics, 68030 and 68881, 16 MHz, SCSI hard drive A3000/25 ECS graphics, 68030 and 68882, 25 MHz, SCSI hard drive A3000T Tower Case with more slots A3000T/40 Tower Case with more slots and 68040 A3000UX A3000 with ATT Unix V.3/V.4 A4000/40 White, AGA graphics, 68040, IDE HD, 1.76 MB Floppy A4000/030 AGA graphics, 68EC030, IDE HD, 1.76 MB Floppy, no MMU A4000/040/120 A4000 with 68040 and 120 MB HD. A4000T Tower Case with More Slots. Amiga CD32 Based on A1200, double speed CD-ROM, no keyboard. CDTV Black case, based on A500 with CD-ROM, no keyboard. @endnode @node HELP_COPC "The Commodore PC Range" A1060 DOS/PC SideCar that connects to an A1000. A2088 8088 BridgeBoard for A2000 and higher (4.77 MHz). A2088D A2088 9.54 MHz. A2286/6 80286 6MHz BridgeCard. A2286/8 80286 8MHz BridgeCard. A2286/10 80286 10MHz BridgeCard. A2386/16 80386 16MHz BridgeCard. A2386/20 80386 20MHz BridgeCard. A2386/25 80386 25MHz BridgeCard. PC-1 8088 4.77 MHz, Non-expandable. PC-10 8088 4.77 MHz, 256kB RAM, 2 Floppies, Large Case, German. PC-10 HD PC-10 with 640kB RAM, 360kB 5.25" FD, 30 MB HD. PC-20 PC-10 with 1 Floppy/1 10MB HD PC-30 AT PC-40 80286 10 MHz, Large Case PC-50 80386SX 25MHz PC-60 80386DX 16 MHz, German PC-80 80386DX 16MHz, German PC-10 II PC-10 with "Combined Board", 640 KB RAM PC 20-II PC-10 II with 1 floppy, 10 MB HD, later 20 MB PC 10-III PC-10, small case, turbo mode 9.54 MHz, CGA + Hercules PC 20-III PC-10 III with 1 floppy, 20 MB HD PC 30-III cheaper variant of PC 40-III (EGA, smaller HD, etc.) PC 35-III between 30 and 40 model. PC 40-III AT with 80286, 12 MHz, HD floppy, 20 MB HD, VGA on board. PC 45-III a bit bigger HD PC 60-III AT 80386 25 MHz, 0-200 MB HD, 5.25" and 3.5" FD, Tower. PC Colt Hard Drive Controller is for Epson HD. SL 286 AT 80286 16 MHz, VGA, 2MB RAM, 40 MB HD, 3.5" FD, Slimline. SL 286 AT as above but with extra 5.25" FD, Slimline. SL 386 SX 80386SX 16 MHz, VGA, 2MB RAM, 40 MB HD, 3.5" FD. SL 386-SX25 80386SX 25 MHz, SVGA 2MB RAM, 80 MB HD. DT 386-25 80386DX 25 MHz, VGA, 1MB RAM, 40 MB HD, Desktop. DT 386-33 C 80386DX 33 MHz, SVGA, 4MB RAM, 80/100 MB HD. DT 486-33 C 80486DX 33 MHz, SVGA, 4MB RAM, 80-120 MB HD. DT 486SX-25 80486SX 25 MHz, SVGA, 4MB RAM, 80 MB HD. DT 486-25 C 80486DX 25 MHz, SVGA?, 4MB RAM, 100 MB HD. DT 486-25 C DT 486-25 C in Tower Case. T 486-50 C 80486DX 50 MHz, SVGA, 4MB RAM, 120 MB HD. C 286 LT 12 80286 12.5 MHz, 1MB RAM, 20 MB HD, 3.5" FD Notebook. C 386SX-20 80386SX 20 MHz, VGA, 2MB RAM, 40 MB HD Notebook. 4S3MPC 80486SX 33 MHz, VESA SVGA, 4MB RAM, 170 MB HD, *2 CD/Snd @endnode @node HELP_COMOTH "Other Products" @{" " link HELP_COMCA} Datassettes (Computer tape Decks) @{" " link HELP_COMDI} Disk Drives @{" " link HELP_COPR} Printers @{" " link HELP_COMO} Monitors @{" " link HELP_COMMOD} Modems @{" " link HELP_COMMOUSE} Mice @{" " link HELP_CORAM} RAM expansions @{" " link HELP_COMJOY} Joysticks @{" " link HELP_CONET} Networking @{" " link HELP_COMISC} Miscellaneous Products @endnode @node HELP_COPH "Official Commodore Peripherals" @node HELP_COMCA "The Commodore Cassette Range" @{b}Cassette Range@{ub} Took regular cassettes, non standard format data. CBM C2N Black, looks like regular tape recorder CBM C2N Cream, Looks like regular tape recorder CBM C2N Cream, Black counter digits on white CBM C2N Cream, White counter digits on black, snazzy bezel CBM 1530 Cream Colored, Vic Cassette Drive, plain bezel. CBM 1531 Charcoal Grey, Commodore 16/+4 Cassette Drive CBM Load-It LED Readout, Adjustment Screw @endnode @node HELP_COMDI "The Commodore Disk Drive Range" @{b}Disk Drive Range@{ub} Amiga 1010 Single 3.5" 880K, offered for Amiga 1000, AmigaSerial. Amiga 1011 Single 3.5" 880K, offered for Amiga 500 & 2000, AmigaSerial Amiga 1020 Single 5.25", 440K Amiga, 360K MS-DOS, In 1571 Case Amiga 2010 Single 3.5", 880K Internal for A2000/2500, AmigaSerial. Amiga 3010 Single 3.5", 1.76M Dual Speed, internal. CBM 1541C Single 5.25" 170K, updated 1541, Brown, Turn-Down,Serial. CBM 1541C Single 5.25" 170K, updated 1541, Cream, Turn-Down,Serial CBM 1541C Single 5.25" 170K, updated 1541, Cream, Push-Down,Serial CBM 1541 II Single 5.25" 170K, Cream, Sep. PS, Direct Drive, Serial CBM 1541 II Single 5.25" 170K, Cream, Sep. PS, Belt Drive, Serial. CBM 1542 Single 5.25" 170K, Charcoal Grey, Serial. CBM 1551 1541, Push-Down Closure, Chacoal Grey, TED Parellel. CBM 1570 Single 5.25" SS Version of 1571, Cream in 1541 case. CBM 1571 Single 5.25" 340K(128),170K(64),CPM,Cream,Alps Mech,Serial CBM 1571 Single 5.25" 340K(128),170K(64),CPM,Cream,NewT Mech,Serial CBM 1572 Dual 1571, Cream color, 5000 made, side-by-side device 8&9 CBM 1581 Single 3.5" 800K, Cream, Serial. CBM 2031 Single 5.25" 170K, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 2031 LP Single 5.25" 170K, DOS2.6, Off-White, 1541 Case,IEEE-488 CBM 2031 LP Single 5.25" 170K, DOS2.6, Tan, 1541 Case,IEEE-488 CBM 2040 Dual 5.25" 170K, DOS1.2, Off-White, No Rel Files, IEEE-488 CBM 2041 Single 5.25" 170K, DOS1.2,Off-White,No Rel Files,IEEE-488 CBM 3040 2040. CBM 4031 HP 2031. (Has 4040 Mechanism) CBM 4031 LP 2031 LP CBM 4040 Dual 5.25" 170K, DOS2.1, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 8050 Dual 5.25" 512K, DOS2.5, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 8050 Dual 5.25" 512K, DOS2.7, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 8060 Dual 8", 750K, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 8061 Dual 8", 1.5M, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 8250 Dual 5.25" 1MB, DOS2.7, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM 8250 LP Dual 5.25" 1MB, DOS2.7, Off-White, Half Height, IEEE-488 CBM 8280 Dual 8" 1MB, DOS3.0, Off-White, Read IBM disks, Slimline CBM D9060 5 MB Hard Drive, DOS3.0, Off-White, IEEE-488. CBM D9065 7.5 MB Hard Drive CBM D9090 7.5 MB Hard Drive, DOS3.0, Off-White, IEEE-488. SFD 1001 Single 5.25" 1MB, In 1541 Case, DOS2.7, Brown, IEEE-488. SFS 481 CBM 1551. (This was its first number, then they renamed it) VIC 1540 Single 5.25" 170K, Off-White, Xfer spd > 1541, Serial. VIC 1541 Single 5.25" 170K, Push-Down Closure, Off-White, Serial VIC 1541 Single 5.25" 170K, Push-Down Closure, Brown, Serial. VIC 1541 Single 5.25" 170K, Turn-Down Closure, Brown, Serial. @endnode @node HELP_COPR "The Commodore Printer Range" CBM 1526 80 Col. 8.5" Wide 8*8 Matrix No GFX, Brown, Serial. CBM 2020 ? CBM 2021 80 Col. Matrix Electrosatic (Thermal) Printer, GFX. CBM 2022 80 Col. 8.5" Wide 7*6 Matrix No GFX, Off-White, IEEE-48 CBM 2023 Friction-Only 2022. CBM 3022 2022 for PET 3000, IEEE-488. SL CBM 3023 2023 for PET 3000, IEEE-488. CBM 4022 80 Col, 10" Wide 8*6 Matrix No GFX, Epson MX-80, IEEE-488 CBM 4022p Bidirectional 4022, Epson MX-70?, IEEE-488. CBM 4023 80 Col. 10" Wide 8*8 Matrix No GFX, NLQ, Brown, IEEE-488 CBM 6400 C.Itoh Starwriter F10-40, Centronics or IEEE-488 CBM 8022 ? CBM 8023 80 Col. 14" Wide 8*8 Matrix No GFX, Off White, IEEE-488 CBM 8023P 136-250 Col. 15" Wide 8*6 Matrix, GFX, IEEE-488. CBM 8024 132 Col. Mannesman Tally, 7*7, Upgrade to 7*9, Cream, IEEE. CBM 8024 132 Col. Mannesman Tally, 9*7. CBM 8024L 8024 Multi-Pass NLQ Printer, IEEE-488. CBM 8026 OLYMPIA ESW-103, TypeWriter Printer, IEEE-488. CBM 8026b 8026 Extended.? CBM 8027 8026 without Keys, IEEE-488. CBM 8028 132 Col. 15" Type-Wheel, (Robotron), Cent./IEEE-488 CBM 8075 Plotter, available in 1 and 8 pen variety, IEEE-488 CBM 8229 8028 with Single-Sheet Feeder, 16kB print buffer. CBM 8300P Diablo 630, Daisy Wheel, Cream, IEEE-488. DPS 1101 132 Col. Juki 6100, Serial. DPS 1120 116-175 Col. 14.5" wide Daisy, Black, Serial.(Olympia) LPS 2000 Laser Printer, Centronics (Possibly German Only) MCS 801 Color Printer MPC 801 Juki Color Printer MPP 1361 8023P. MPS 801 80 Col. 8.5" Wide 7*6 Matrix GFX, Brown, Serial. MPS 802 1526. MPS 803 80 Col. 8.5" Wide 7*6 Matrix GFX, Charcoal Grey, Serial MPS 810 Okimate 10 ? MPS 820 Okimate 20 ? MPS 1000 Epson HomeWriter, US Version. MPS 1000 Epson HomeWriter, Intl. version with switchable charsets. MPS 1000 Seikosha 1000. MPS 1200 Citizen 120D MPS 1224C 24 pin Color Printer, MT Printer, Serial. MPS 1230 Citizen MPS 1250 Citizen, Serial/Centronics. MPS 1270 Ink Jet Printer, uses Kodak Diconix Cartridges, Centronics. MPS 1550C 9 pin color Printer, Serial, Centronics. MPS 2000 NEC P6 MPS 2000C NEC P6 Color MPS 2010 NEC P7 MPS 1224 C Mannesmann Tally, wide Tractor, color VIC 1515 80 Col. 7.5" Wide 6*7 Matrix GFX, Off White, Serial. VIC 1520 80 Col. 4.0" Wide Plotter, GFX, Off White, Serial VIC 1525 80 Col. 8.5" Wide 7*6 Matrix GFX, Off-White, Serial. @endnode @node HELP_COMO "The Commodore Monitor Range" CBM 1070 Dig&Analog RGBI. CBM 1080 13" Comp. Sep, Dig&Analog RGB CBM 1081 1987 German Amiga Monitor CBM 1084 1080 with squarer case CBM 1084S 13" Comp, Sep, Dig&Analog RGBI, 1080 case, Stereo. CBM 1084S 13" 1084 Case, Stereo. CBM 1085S 14" ??? CBM 1402 13" CBM 1403 13" CBM 1701 13" Comp, Sep, Came with 5 pin DIN adaptor CBM 1702 13" Comp, Sep, Came with 8 pin DIN adaptor. CBM 1703 Repackaged 1702 for X64 series, Was Charcoal Grey. CBM 1801 ? CBM 1802 13" Comp, Sep, Mono, Grey, one big knob in front. CBM 1802 13" Comp, Sep, Mono, Grey, Two small knobs in front. CBM 1802 13" Comp, Sep, Mono, Cream, Tilted screen. CBM 1802C 13" Comp, Sep, Mono, Cream, Straight screen. CBM 1901 European 128 Monitor (Thomson) CBM 1902 13" Comp, Sep, Digital RGBI, has a 9 pin RGB plug. BM 1902A 13" Comp, Sep, Digital RGBI, Looks like 1084, DIN RGB plug CBM 1903 13" EGA CBM 1904 13" EGA CBM 1930 14" VGA .31mm dot pitch. CBM 1935-II 14" SVGA, .28mm dot pitch, MPR-II low radiation. CBM 1936 14" SVGA .28mm dot pitch. CBM 1944 13" EGA Low Radiation CBM 1940 Amiga Monitor CBM 1942 Amiga Monitor CBM 1950 13" MultiScan CBM 1960 13" MultiScan CBM 2002 13" Comp, Sep, Dig&Analog RGBI, High Persistance? CBM 2024 15" Grey scale 1024*1024? CBM 2080 CBM 1080 with High Persistence Phosphors. CBM CM141 13" Comp, Sep., Grey. CBM DM-10 12" CGA monochrone text monitor for PC-10. Viking Moniterm: 19" Grey Scale 1024*1024, Made by Moniterm/CBM. @endnode @node HELP_COMMOD "The Commodore Modem Range" @{b}Modem Range@{ub} Direct Connect (8010 is aucoustic) Amiga RS1200 0-1200 bps, Hayes Compatible Btx-Modul I Cartridge IC to display CEPT GFX (BTX = German CIS) Btx-Modul II Upgraded version of Btx-Modul I. CBM 1650 0-300 bps, Pulse Dial CBM 1660 0-300 bps, Pulse Dial, Tone Dial with 64, CBM 1670 0-1200 bps, Hayes Compatible, ATS0=0 turns off Auto-Answer CBM 1670 1670 with DIP switches to turn off default auto-answer CBM 1680 1670 with true RS-232 for Amiga CBM 8010 0-300 bps, US & Euro Versions, IEEE-488 Compunet plugged into Exp. Port, Cream case. VIC 1600 0-300 bps, No dial. @endnode @node HELP_COMMOUSE "The Commodore Mice!?" @{b}Mouse Range@{ub} CBM 1350 Emulates Joystick only CBM 1351 Does both Joystick and Real Mouse Movements CBM 1352 Amiga Mouse, will work with PC-III models. 313254-01 2 button Amiga mouse. 313255-01 3 button Amiga mouse. @endnode @node HELP_CORAM "Commodore RAM Expansion" 8032099 64kB RAM for 8032. A510 512kB for Amiga 500 A1050 256kB for Amiga 1000 (Under Front Cover) CBM 1700 128kB. CBM 1750 512kB. CBM 1764 256kB. VIC 1110 8kB for VIC-20 VIC 1111 16kB for VIC-20 VIC 1210 3kB for VIC-20 @endnode @node HELP_COMJOY "Commodore Joysticks" VIC 1311 VIC Joystick VIC 1312 VIC Paddles T-1341 Plus 4 Joystick @endnode @node HELP_CONET "Networking" Amiga 560 ARCNET for Amiga 500. Amiga 570 CD-ROM for Amiga 500, CDTV compatible. Amiga 590 2091 and XT for A500 Amiga 2060 ARCNET for A2000 for star topology Amiga 2060 ARCNET for A2000 for bus topology Amiga 2065 Ethernet for A2000 Amiga 2090 SCSI and ST506 (MFM) Amiga 2090A Autoboot A2090 Amiga 2091 SCSI Controller, RAM Expansion. Amiga 2620 68020 and 68881 @ 14.3 MHz for A2000 Amiga 2630 68030 and 68882 @ 25 MHz for A2000 with 4MB RAM Amiga 3091 Internal SCSI Controller for A3000. Amiga 4091 SCSI-2 Controller for Zorro III Slot. MBS 100 Mehr-Benutzer-System (Multi-User-System) Mother Unit with one D-25 and 1 IEEE-488. Basically a badly designed peripheral-sharing system MBS 150 Daughter Unit, had two D-25's and one IEEE-488 MBS 150 MBS 150 with extra plug to connect 8032SK MBS-CP MBS System for Commodore 64. @endnode @node HELP_COMISC "Miscellaneous Stuff" Amiga 10 Stereo MultiMedia Speakers, Cream. Amiga 520 RF Modulator Channel 3-4, Audio In, Video Out, RF Out Amiga 3070 150.250 MB Tape Drive, uses 1/4" tape, Cream, SCSI. CBM 4270 I/O Controller for CBM PET series. CBM 8072 Graphics Tablet, IEEE-488? Amiga 570 CDTV add-on for A500. Tractor Feed for MPS 803 Amiga 1300 Amiga Genlock for Amiga 1000 only. Amiga 1310 Amiga Genlock HiRes Graphics for PET 4000/8000. Amiga 3406 Amiga RF Modulator. CBM 4010 Voice Response Unit made by Votrax for PETs. CBM 64850 Magic Voice Module for Commodore 64. VIC 1011A RS-232 Interface, Outputted True RS-232 Voltages VIC 1112 IEEE-488 Interface. VIC 1211A VIC SuperExpander with 3kB RAM Expansion. (for VIC-20) VIC 1212 VIC Programmer's Aid. (for VIC-20) VIC 1213 VIC Machine Language Monitor. (for VIC-20) CBM 606480 Commodore 64 CP/M Cartridge. VIC 19XX VIC Games. @{b}Have no idea what these are@{ub} P500 B-series with 6509, 6567, 6581, and 64K of RAM @endnode @node HELP_COMNEVER "Commodore models that were never marketed" Someone once said that the road to computer heaven is lined with dead parts. If that's true then we definitely know where Commodore is right now. Take a look at some of their castoffs. @{" " link HELP_COMCOM} Computer systems @{" " link HELP_COMDRV} Disk Drives @{" " link HELP_COMNMIS} Miscellaneous products @{" " link HELP_COMNAME} Systems that have changed their name @endnode @node HELP_COMCOM "Computer Systems" CBM 464 C900 CBM 4032-P Portable 4032 Prototype. Had 4032, 4040, and Datasette. CBM 8033 Color 8032. CBM CV364 Plus 4 with Numeric Keypad CBM CLCD Commodore Portable with LCD screen. 1MHz 65C102, BASIC 3.6, 32 kB RAM, 96 kB ROM, 80x16 text display, 480x128 graphics, RS-232-C, Centronics, and H-P Bar Coder Ports, Plus-4 type keyboard, no SID, no sprites, ML Monitor in ROM. @{"CBM C65" link HELP_COM65} Commodore 64 DX Machine CBM C900 Prototype UNIX System, dropped after Amiga acquisition Z8000 uP, Called Z 8000 also, Two versions: LoRes (80*24 Text, Max 6 Serial Lines) HiRes (1024*800 Graphics 2 Serial Lines) Runs Coherent 0.7.3, UNIX 7 clone, Built-In Floppy, HD, IEEE-488. CBM DX-64 SX-64 with two drives. CBM P128 P-500 CBM SX-64-1 Prototype for SX-64. Hyperion XT portable with 7" monitor and two drives. CBM SX-64-2 Prototype for SX-64. Kaypro II style with room for 3 drives. CBM SX-100 Predecessor of the SX-64, had B&W monitor. PETREGISTER (CBMREGISTER) Cash register PET VIC-20TV Vic-20 with built in 2" TV @endnode @node HELP_COMDRV "Commodore Disk Drives" CBM 1571 II 1571 with external PS CBM 4040 LP Dual 5.25" 170K, Off-White, Half Height, IEEE-488 CBM D9062 Dual D9065. @endnode @node HELP_COMNMIS "Miscellaneous Products" Amiga 2630 68030 and 68882 33 MHz for A2000 with 4MB RAM VIC-1011B RS-232 20mA Current Loop. VIC 1020 Expansion Chassis for VIC @endnode @node HELP_COMNAME "Commdore Rumour Mill" Commodore have called their system many things. This is a list of just a few of them. @{b}Name Actual@{ub} C-164 Commodore 16 C-264 Commodore 16 +4 C364 @{"C65" link HELP_COM65} @endnode @node HELP_1000 "The Amiga 1000" @{b}A1000@{ub} The first Amiga system called the A1000 was released in 1985, retailing at around £1,500 it was seen as completely out of reach of the general public at the time. The A1000 came with a 68000 processor, 256k ram and the OCS chipset. Unfortunately like many PC's and MACS of the time it was not shipped with a hard drive, only one 839k disk drive and the entire operating system had to be booted from disk before you could run anything. @{" Amiga Facts " link HELP_FACT} @{" The Amiga Chronology" link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_A500 "The Amiga 500" @{B}A500@{ub} In 1987 Commodore released the A500, a cheaper version of the A1000 which came in the "distinct" Commodore box. The basic system still used the 68000 processor, 512k ram and OCS chipset but had got rid of the ZORRO slots in favour of a DMA slot at the side of the machine. The operating system had been upgraded to version 1.3 which included the Amiga Command Line Interface (Shell) allowing the user more functionality. Unfortunately Commodore forgot to include a modulator to plug it into a TV, so many companies stepped into fill this market creating Wobbly Modulator Syndrome (WMS) characterised by the user crying in a very high voice "Oh my God! I've just got killed on the last level of Super Rug Boy (TM)" and jumping on their computers in anger. This is the machine that kicked the entire Amiga world into focus and brought more people to the Amiga than has been done since. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_2000 "The Amiga 2000" @{b}Amiga 2000@{ub} In 1987 the A2000 was launched. This was basically the same as the A500 except it came in a case, had 1Mb of memory and some expansion slots. It was the first Amiga to come with a hard drive asstandard. It was also the machine that NewTek's Video Toaster was designed for. @{" The Amiga Chronology" link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_1500 "The Amiga 1500" @{b}A1500 @{ub} Released to compete with an unofficial Amiga based upon the A2000 called the A1500. It was basically the same as the A2000 except it had two floppy drives. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_CDTV "The CDTV" @{b}CDTV@{ub} In 1990 Commodore released a machine as ground-breaking as the original Amiga, the CDTV. This was basically an A500 in a black video-style case without the keyboard or disk drive and a CD-ROM drive stuck on. Unfortunately Commodore insisted on preventing companies from putting it anywhere near other computers, hailing it as THE MULTIMEDIA COMPUTER. This led to mass confusion as computer people did not buy it because "it wasn't a computer" whilst non-computer people said it was "too much like a computer". It only sold in small numbers but did introduce the Amiga to the advantages of CD as a storage method. @endnode @node HELP_3000 "The Amiga 3000" @{b}Amiga 3000@{ub} This was the first Amiga to come with Workbench 2. It was intended to be a high-end graphics workstation and was used by W Industries to turn them into Virtuality machines. It included the new Zorro III slots and was based around the faster 68030 processor. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_500+ "The Amiga 500+" @{b}A500+@{ub} This is widely known as the shortest-lived Amiga ever, lasting only 6 months until it was phased out by the A600. This was yet another of Commodores secrets with many people opening their Amigas at Christmas expecting to find a A500 only to find something much better. It looked physically similar to the A500, but updated it with 1mb of ram, Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) and Workbench 2.0 which turned the horrible blue interface of workbench 1.3 into a much more lovely grey and blue. It also allowed the user to see files that did not have icons without resorting to the CLI and put among other things the FastFileSystem into ROM (Kickstart) allowing you to boot from FFS disks containing 880k of data. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_A600 "The Amiga 600" @{b}A600@{ub} The smallest Amiga ever was released in the summer of 1992 as a replacement to the A500+. It did not add much to the operating system with 1mb of memory, ECS and Workbench 2.05. It did away with the numeric keypad and was largely aimed at the would-be console owners. It did, however introduce the PCMCIA slot at the side of machine allowing the use of ram cards, CD drives and disks that fitted into this port. It is also one of the biggest secrets in the Amiga world as it was launched before anyone actually knew about it. How Commodore did this is beyond me but they could teach the FBI alot about how to keep a secret. This was yet another attempt by Commodore to aim the Amiga towards the console market by selling it as a games machine with a keyboard, which didn't work. The numeric keypad was sorely missed by most Amigans who would not touch it with a bargepole. Whatever the reasons Commodore chose to produce it it was the last of the 16 bit Amigas and was the closest we have had to a laptop yet. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_4000 "The Amiga 4000" @{b}A4000@{ub} In 1992 Commodore launched the most advanced Amiga yet. The A4000 used the AGA chipset to allow it to show 256,000 colours on screen from a palette of 16.8 million, as well as the new Workbench 3 which introduced the concept of among other things datatypes. It was sold in two versions- the A4000/030 25Mhz and the A4000/040 25Mhz which both had 6mb, 1.76mb High Density disk drive and a hard drive as standard. The 32bit architecture allowed the Amiga to once again run circles around its competitors and is still seen as the machine of choice for many professionals. @{b}A4000-second time around@{ub} After ESCOM bought Commodore in 1995 they reintroduced the A1200 and the A4000. Unfortunately due to Escom's increasing difficulties they could not launch the A4000 until after the early stages of 1996. It contained a slight update to the A4000T, the tower based system that Commodore designed before they went into liquidation. It still had the standard 6mb ram, but also included 1 Gigabyte Hard Drive and the 68060 processor running at 50Mhz. However, due to Escom's increasing financial difficulties it was not advertised, or even displayed in their shops and is rumoured to have sold an estimated 2000 machines worldwide. @{b}A4000T- the new QuikPak version@{ub} Exactly the same as the A4000T except for the addition of a IDE Atapi CD-ROM drive and 2 gigabyte hard drive. @{" The A4000 blueprints " link HELP_2200} @{" The A4000TE " link HELP_E400} @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_1200 "The Amiga 1200" @{b}A1200@{ub} In October 1992 the A1200 was launched. This took the A500 approach to computing with the "distinct" Commodore case, but including the AGA chipset present in the A4000, 2mb ram and the PCMCIA slot from the A600. At the price of £399 it sold like hot cakes and is seen as one of the best Amigas to date. It appears to have been rushed to launch for the Christmas period with manuals claiming to give you the opportunity to upgrade from 1mb to 2mb chip ram with FPU. It is however, a darn fine machine that can be easily upgraded for most of your needs. @{" The A1200TE " link HELP_E120} @{" Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_CD32 "The Amiga CD³²" @{b}CD32@{ub} This was Commodores second attempt at the console market. It was exactly the same as the A1200 but with a double speed CD-ROM and missing the keyboard. Until Commodore went bust in April 1994 it still had the largest share of the growing CD market, even beating PC CD-ROM. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_E400 "The Eagle 4000TE" The Eagle series of Amigas are officially licenced systems by Amiga Technologies that allow the user to tailor their system to their hardware requirements. The pre-configured A4000 systems are: @{b}Eagle 4000TE@{ub} An AT motherboard in a Xenon tower with 2Mb chip ram and 4Mb fast. @{b}Eagle 4000TE- 40/40@{ub} An A4000 in a Xenon tower including a Cyberstorm 68040 40MHz CPU. It has 2Mb chip ram, 4Mb fast ram and a 1Gb SCSI hard drive as standard. @{b}Eagle 40000TE-60@{ub} same as above, but with a 68060 CPU. @endnode @node HELP_E120 "The Eagle 1200" @{b}Eagle 1200TE@{ub} Standard @{"Amiga 1200" link HELP_1200} in a tower. @{b}Eagle 1200TE-40@{ub} An A1200 in a tower, featuring a 68040 40MHz CPU and 2 Mb chip ram. @{b}Eagle 1200@{ub} An A1200 in a tower, featuring a 68060 50MHz CPU and 2 Mb chip ram. @endnode @node HELP_4040 "The Amiga 4040L" @{b}A4040L@{ub} This is the new Amiga "luggable system" based upon the A4000T. This basically means that it will be like an A4000T, but will contain a Hi-resolution LCD display. @{b}Model 1@{ub} Model 1 contains a 68040 CPU running at 25Mhz with 2mb chip ram and 16mb fast ram. @{b}Model 2@{ub} Same as above but will also contain the Video Toaster and Video Toaster flyer from NewTek. @{"The Amiga Chronology" link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_4060 "The Amiga 4060L" @{b}A4060L@{ub} The new A4060L is very similar to the A4040L mentioned. Like the A4040L it is based upon the "Amiga Luggable system", containing a Hi-resolution LCD display, which allows you to use to it even whilst on the move. @{b}A4060L-model 1@{ub} Includes a 68060 CPU running at 50Mhz with 2mb chip ram and 16mb fast. It also features a 2 gigabyte hard drive and 6 speed CD-ROM. It is expected to cost about $4,995. @{b}A4060L- model 2@{ub} Basically the same as above, except it includes a Video Toaster and Video Toaster Flyer from NewTek. It will cost about $9,995. @{b}A4060T- model 1@{ub} This is one of the new official Amigas being released by QuikPak. According to their web site this will feature a 68060 CPU running at 50 Mhz and a "SYS-RISC hybrid processor" and includes a IDE Atapi CD-ROM drive. It will cost about $2699. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_SOON "Coming soon" @{b}A5050T@{ub} Details are sketchy at the moment but it is said to combine the A4000T with the Pentium processor through the flexibility of the Siamese system to create a render farm. @{b}A1630LD@{ub} Have no idea. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_NOT "Never released" @{" " link HELP_LORR} The Amiga Lorraine @{" " link HELP_2200} The Amiga 3000+ designs @{" " link HELP_1400} The Amiga 1400 @{" " link HELP_AF90} The mythical A9000 @{" " link HELP_5000} The OFFICIAL A5000 rumour mill @{" " link HELP_HPAM} The Commodore RISC Amiga @{" " link HELP_WALK} The Mind Walker @{" " link HELP_AMED} The Amiga ED @{" " link HELP_ADEC} The Amiga DEC ALPHA @{" " link HELP_COMA} The Commodore rumour mill @endnode @node HELP_LORR "The Lorraine" @{b}Lorraine@{ub} This was the first Amiga machine developed by Hi-Toro (or Amiga Inc as they changed it to), codenamed Lorraine (after the wife of Hi-Toro's president) to keep the designs secret. It can be traced back to 1982 when a group of dentists wanted to get into the computer market, with $7 million. In true Amiga trend it was designed as a games machine, but when the games market died in 1983 it became a "proper" computer spawning a keyboard, disk drive, and even a modem and PC emulator. Unfortunately the Amiga team were running out of money fast, so they sought help from companies such as Silicon Graphics (who wanted the chips). At one point the Amiga was going to be brought by Atari but at the last moment Commodore snapped it up and immediately got them to change the Lorraine into the Amiga 1000.The modem disappeared due to the cost, as did resource tracking, memory changed from 128k to 256k and double-sided disk drives as standard. @endnode @node HELP_2200 "All the A4000 based machines" @{b}The A2200 and A2400@{ub} These were designed to replace the A2000. Both were mid-range machines fitting between the A500 and A3000. The A2200 would have had two Zorro slots, and the A2400 had four. With the advent of AGA these machines were upgraded to, @{b}The A3200 and A3400@{ub} These machines were only ever intended as a testing model for developers, not for release. This was good as they were riddled with bugs, memory couldn't be accessed at full speed, there was no SCSI, and the IDE interface heavily used the CPU for accessing drives. @{b}The A3000+@{ub} The fact that neither of these machines didn't work properly was unimportant, as they were only production models. These were just the rough designs for the next Amiga- the A3000+. The A3000+ was an enhamced A3000 with AGA, DSP chips(for audio), fast SCSI, proper networking as standard and a modem. However, development was stopped due to the cost, leaving Commodore with only the Amiga 3400 prototype to release, or A4000 as it became known as. @endnode @node HELP_COMA "The Commodore rumour mill" Commodore are renouned for their "security problems" which allowed almost every single Amiga magazine to find out about the latest Amiga's even before the staff did. Who could forget Commodores denial of the existance of the A3000 30 minutes before it was launched. They have also called their Amiga's a great many things. This is a list of just a few of them. The A2500 - the A3000 (officially became the American version) The A550 - the @{"A600" link HELP_A600} The A1000 Classic - the @{"A1200" link HELP_1200} The A2200 - A @{"ECS middle-range Amiga" link HELP_2200} The A2400 - A @{"ECS middle-range Amiga" link HELP_2200} The A3000+ - A @{"high-end A4000" link HELP_2200} The A900 - the A1200 (maybe) The A3500 - A4000 A rumour started on the internet, based upon the American name for the A3000 The A7000 -@{"Power Amiga" link HELP_PAMI} @{b}And now those that never actually became anything.@{ub} The American A2000- An A2000 designed by the original Amiga team. It was dumped in favour of the cheaper, less well designed German version. Amiga-Live -Actually was made by Commodore, possibly for TV production. It was capable of 16FPS or 8/9 HAM FPS in real time. It featured Kickstart 1.2. The A1300 -@{"the Mind Walker" link HELP_WALK} The A1400 -Mythical A1200 with a CD-ROM on the side CD64 -A rumour started on the internet. A 64 bit based console. A5000 -the @{"HP-RISC based Amiga" link HELP_HPAM} @{b}The Amiga's with no name@{ub} These rumours were started in a PC magazine after Commodore went into liquidation. There is probably no truth to the story but they are preserved here for posterity. An AGA based A600- An 1mb A600 with the AGA chipset. An A4000 with a 486 processor and an Amiga on a card. @{" " link HELP_5000} The OFFICIAL A5000 rumour mill @endnode @node HELP_5000 "The Commodore designs for the Amiga 5000" @{b}The A5000?@{ub} The following information came from the "World of Commodore" conference, held on Saturday April 3rd 1993 regarding the official Amiga machines. I may have mentioned much of this elsewhere, but you probably won't read that bit anyway. *The Amiga chipset was to be divided into high-end and low-end. *The low-end chipsets would have been "8 times faster than ECS" and support 800x600 at 72hz in 24 bit. *The high-end would be made up of 4 custom chips that support DMA and ASYNC clock. They were alleged to have been 10-20 times faster than ECS. *The gate array was going to be addressed to applications (eh?) *The Amiga sound rate was going to be upgraded to 72Hz, DSP chips and better than CD-quality sound was to be used. *All 32-bit machines would include, or have an official upgrade for a CD-ROM drive, which would be 99% CDTV (and probably CD³²) compatible *Support for voice recognition. They were apparently having problems with MultiLingual support. *Support for up to 16MB of memory and finally allowing the user to defineif it was chip, fast or a mixture of both. *It was due for release late in 1994. *RTG support was promised in future versions of Kickstart. *MPEG card upgrade for the A4000 was displayed. *Commodore announced they were releasing a middle-range machine with a 030 processor. @{b}Some rumours on the Amiga@{ub} *Low-end AA+ chipset would be hardware compatible with AGA. *High-end chipset hardware compatible with ECS and software compatible with AGA (I know that doesn't really make any sense, but it is just a rumour). *AA+ would be for A1200, whilst AAA would be an A4000 upgrade. @{b}"Official" news on the A5000 (ahem).@{ub} I'm only including it because I want to create a 100MB Amiga Guide file to force people to buy a CD-ROM drive. *The case would be a desktop unit similar to the A2000. The front design would have room for two 3.5 drives (one as standard) and two 5.25 (one for CD-ROM drive). *It would include the 68060 processor, as well as two 68040 processors. The 060 was clocked at 35MHz+ and the 040's were 25MHz. The 040 processors would be fitted on the actual motherboard, whilst the 060 would be on a seperate card in the CPU slot. *Kickstart/Workbench 4.0 will come as standard allowing the 040 to be asssigned to different tasks. One may handle all screen and sound, whilst the other handles I/O devices. Kickstart would be a 1mb chip that would be sold on its own card (?), or on the hard drive (??). It will also allow the user to choose which Kickstart they want to use to maximise compatibility. *The A5000 should be capable of operating in all screenmodes using a palette of 512. The maximum screen resolution is 4096x4096 with over 32 million colours on screen (obviously someone will have to invent a few more!). The chipset will be able to swap to previous chipsets through looking at the most suitable for the Kickstart version. *The new machine would include 16MB chip ram (expandable to 64Mb) and 16Mb fast ram (expandable to 1024Mb). *A 210Mb SCSI hard drive will be included, as well as a High Density disk drive and CD-drive. *16-bit sound, eight Zorro III slots and 3 PC slots. There is no CPU slot (where would the 060 fit). *PRICE- about $3499 with AMAX V3 Mac emulator and Golden Gate IBM emulator- $3999 This information is from a VERY, VERY old issue of Amiga Report. They claim that this has been confirmed by Commodore. @{" " link HELP_COMA} The Commodore rumour mill @endnode @node HELP_HPAM "The Commodore RISC Amiga" @{b}The RISC Amiga. Part 1@{ub} According to reports by Commodore staff this was basically THE super Amiga. It used the HP-RISC processor and featured the AAA chipset that was capable of HAM10, a pseudo-24 bit mode. As with previous models the custom chips were named after women. After much research I can reveal that the names of the AAA chipset were: Andrea- System control chip Mary- 8 channel audio Monica- Video display chip Mysteriously, the prototype seen on the "Deathbed Vigil" video disappeared. If the person responsible could deliver it to Gateway 2000 I'm sure they could find a use for it. @{b}The HP-RISC Amiga. Part 2@{ub} Information on the HP-RISC Amiga was revealed in a French Amiga magazine in 1995, and from interviews with Dave Haynie over the internet. He claims this is what Commodore were designing just before they went into liquidation. The RISC Amiga used a custom built PA7150 running at 125MHz with the Hombre chipset, which would fit on a PCI card. This included various parts of the AAA chipset on TWO chips. These were- @{b}The system control chip@{ub} This was the equivalent of Agnus/Alice/Andrea @{b}The video display chips@{ub} The same idea as Denise/Lisa/Monica It would also have used an 8 channel subsystem based upon either the Mary(AAA) chip, DSP or an of the shelf audio card. However, AmigaOS was never intended to be ported to the new processor, but obviously Commodore could not afford to redevelop the system at that point. Their first aim was to develop a "next generation CD32" based upon the HP-RISC, with no software compatibility. This goes to show that Commodore never learn, even attempting to sell one of the most advanced processors (behind DEC-Alpha) as a games machine! @{" " link HELP_5000} The OFFICIAL Commodore rumour mill @endnode @node HELP_AF90 "The Amiga 9000" @{b}The A9000@{ub} This was based upon a load of ideas on the internet and "Amiga Format Special" to suggest what could be in the next Amiga. It was originally featured in the Annual '94 edition which came out at the end of 1993 and was later updated by Amiga Format magazine into "the Dream Amiga". This is included to show what the Commodore RISC Amiga may have featured. It represents what enthusiasts at the time imagined what the Amiga would become before it became lost in a sea of financial ruin. They thought it should include: -At least 8 channel sound or 16 bit DSP audio chip. -A 24-bit display was not prioritised that much because the human eye can only see 16.8 million colours. However, the graphics should definitely be updated to allow it to move around faster. -A RISC processor. The favourite was the RISC4400. -Hardware emulation of the Mac and PC. -The hardware and Operating System should support ReTargetable Graphics (RTG) to allow the Amiga to drive several monitors at once. -High Density disk drive. -A Double Density CD-ROM drive allowing the storage of twice as much data as conventional CD's. -Static RAM (S-RAM). -It would also feature a keyboard similar to MicroSoft's "Natural" keyboard. @{i}Amiga Format and Amiga Format Special are © Copyright Future Publishing. These designs represented the views of the Amiga's future by the general Amiga-owning community at the time.@{ui} @endnode @node HELP_1400 "The Amiga 1400" @{b}The A1400@{ub} This is the second time I've had to write this as Workbench has just locked up on me, so I'm going to have to explain all about the A1400 from memory. This information is reputed to have come from a hardware beta tester at Commodore who was actually testing the machine out. It was intended to be launched in November 1993 and retail at £100 more than the A1200 (about £500), but obviously with Commodores funding problems this was not possible. The machine was based upon a 68020 processor running at 25 or 28MHz and used the AGA chipset. Unlike the A1200 it would have came in some kind of desktop unit with an external Amiga keyboard, and would have included 2MB chip ram and 2MB fast ram, as well as an 80MB hard drive and high density drive as standard. It would have also used the PCMCIA slot found in the A1200. In my opinion this sounds like a low-end @{"Walker" link HELP_WALK} machine. It's possible that Escom simply used some of Commodores designs in its production, whilst updating the power and expandibility of the machine. @endnode @node HELP_WALK "The Amiga Walker" @{b}The Amiga Walker@{ub} This was Escom's attempt at a mid-end machine which was revealed in April 1996. It may have been partly based upon a middle-range 030 machine called the @{"A1400 link HELP_1400} that Commodore announced in 1993. It was powered by a 68030EC processor and included Workbench 3.2, a high density disk drive, and a 500mb hard drive as standard. It also included a ZORRO/PCI slot allowing the expansion of cheap PC or Amiga plug-in boards. Unfortunately Escom went overboard in the design department creating a machine resembling a cross between K9 (from Dr Who) and a hoover. Escom went into liquidation ending this machine and Amiga International say they will not resurrect it. @endnode @node HELP_AMED "The Amiga ED internet machine" @{b}The Amiga ED@{ub} This was VisCorp's attempt at an Amiga Internet Computer, or set-top device as they called it. It is alleged to have included a 020 processor, 2mb chip ram and 4mb fast ram. It promised multimedia features such as telephone management, you can actually read who it is that is calling you on the TV screen using the built-in database and answer with the remote control, and internet access. A magnetic card stripe reader would also be included for banking services, as well as connection to a voice "bulletin board", support for multi-player games across the internet in real time, e-mail and fax. The ED would also use software similar to Java to run programs from a main server on the computer. VisCorp were intending to distribute their system by licencing it to manufacturers and distributors, including Pioneer, zenith, Toshiba and freedom Star. This would have made the ED and the Amiga as a whole a standard internet system instead of playing catch up all of the time. Unfortunately, it is extremely doubtful that this will now be launched, due to VisCorp's difficulties. @ENDNODE @node HELP_ADEC "The DEC-ALPHA Amiga" @{b}The DEC-ALPHA based Amiga@{ub} Quikpak announced that, if they brought the Amiga then they would develop it into a high end DEC ALPHA based operating system. They haven't so they won't. They may still licence the Amiga OS from Amiga International though. @endnode @node HELP_AOS "The AmigaOS flag bearers" There has been a number of attempts to recreate the functionality and ease of use of the Amiga interface. These applications attempt to update the Amiga philosophy with brand new features for the 21st Century. @{" " link HELP_UAE} Ultimate Amiga Emulator @{" " link HELP_POS} The proDAD Operating System (pOS) @{" " link HELP_REBOL} The Amiga Rebol @{" " link HELP_MBENCH} MBench @{" " link HELP_AROS} AROS @endnode @node HELP_UAE " The Ultimate Amiga Emulator" @{b}UAE@{ub} This is not actually an Amiga operating system, but an A500 emulator that enables the user to run Workbench on any processor they wish, such as the DEC ALPHA or INTEL platforms. Thus ensuring that computers will still be running Amiga software well into the next century. However, as it is only a software emulator it runs very, very slowly needing at least a P150 to run at a decent speed on PC, and taking over 10 minutes to boot on an Amiga equipped with 68040. @{"The Amiga Chronology" link HELP_CHRONO} @endnode @node HELP_POS "pOS- The Next Generation Workbench" @{b}pOS@{ub} This new operating system is ProDAD's attempt at a Workbench clone for PPC and 680x0 systems. They state that it will run on all Amiga and PowerPC based platforms, and that software from AmigaOS will only need very slight rewriting to run under pOS. ProDAD claim that pOS will run on 68020 processors with 2MB, and above. It will be bundled with the @{"PIOS" link HELP_PIOS} systems. @endnode @node HELP_REBOL "The Rebol" @{b}The Rebol@{ub} A new programming language by the creator of the Amiga 'EXEC', Carl Sassenrath. It is intended to be a "small, flexible language for sharing content (documents, databases, programs, multimedia) between people, computers, processors and networks." He claims that Rebol (pronounced Rebel) is a "distributed, object language which interprets symbolic, dynamically-scooped, relational environments." It should be able to run on all computers, especially the Amiga.. To find out more go to @{i}http://www.sassenrath.com@{ui} on the information super-highway. @endnode @node HELP_MBENCH "MBench- the Workbench replacement" @{b}MBench@{ub} A replacement for the Amiga GUI. It offers many enhancements over Workbench, such as the ability to multitask internally (which Workbench CANNOT do). This allows the user to do something else while they are, for example copying a disk. It also creates a START MENU and icons in the menus in a similar fashion to Windows 95. At present it is too unstable to consider as a Workbench replacement as it has problems running certain programs, such as NewIcons. @endnode @node HELP_AROS "Amiga replacement Operating System" @{b}AROS@{ub} I'm not exactly sure what is going on with AROS. It was set up by Amiga enthusiasts to update the Amiga Operating System with new functions, such as memory protection and workgroups. It also aimed to make their own AmigaOS to port to create a platform native version that runs all Amiga software. Although what appears to be part of the source code is on the Aminet I'm not sure exactly what is happening. Only that there was strong support from many industry figures, including David Pleasance who was going to include it with the Amiga if the management buyout had been successful. @endnode @node HELP_CLONE "Amiga clones" @{b}Amiga Clones@{ub} These have only just started to appear in the last two or so years as Commodore never allowed anyone else to manufacture them, threatening hefty lawsuits when it happened. @{" " link HELP_DRAC} The DraCo @{" " link HELP_PAMI} The Power Amiga @{" " link HELP_SX32} The SX32 @{" " link HELP_P400}The Passport 4000 @{b}Official Amiga licenced machines@{ub} @{" " link HELP_E400} The A4000TE @{" " link HELP_E120} The A1200TE @{b}The new AGA Amiga system coming soon from QuikPak@{ub} @{" " link HELP_4040} The A4040L @{" " link HELP_4060} The A4060L @{" " link HELP_SOON} Coming Soon @endnode @node HELP_DRAC "The DraCo" @{b}DraCo@{ub} The first Amiga clone to come out was the DraCo. This is aimed at the video market and got around Commodores copyright by not using the Amiga chipset, meaning it cannot actually run games or utilities that require the custom chipset without patching the software. In many ways it was an improvement on the Amiga as it has been shipped with realistic hardware, even though the price clearly puts it out of the reach of most Amiga enthusiasts costing $14,995. It was also the first Amiga not to rely upon chip ram as it used a unified memory system similar to that used in the Mac. It is capable of up to 3:1 M-JPEG compression and includes DAT quality stereo audio capable of sampling in 16 bit/ 48Hz. It uses the 68060 CPU running at 50Mhz, the same as the A4000T and 24Mb ram. It can also brought with an optional DEC-Alpha co-processor running at 233MHZ to help with rendering. Unfortunately it is out of the reach of most Amiga enthusiasts costing $14,995. @endnode @node HELP_PAMI "The Power Amiga" @{b}Power Amiga MK1@{ub} According to Direct software their new Amiga will be based upon the A1200T. It will include, seven Zorro and two video slots a 68060 CPU, 22 Mb fast ram a Picasso IV graphics card 1Gb hard drive and a 8x speed CD-ROM drive a monitor as standard @{i}Price £1,499@{ui} @{b}Power Amiga MK2@{ub} The next step in the Amigas evolution. It will use the Phase 5 PowerUp board to provide the Motorola PowerPC 603e chip, in conjunction with a 68030/040/60 processor to retain compatibility. The Picasso IV board may also be dropped in favour of Phase 5's PPC CyberVision board. @endnode @node HELP_SX32 "The CD³²/SX32 combination" @{b}CD³²/SX32@{ub} It really shouldn't be classed as a clone, due to the fact that all the CD³² parts are official Commodore ones left over from before they went into liquidation. But, it is being sold as an expanded Amiga by Eyetech without the involvement of the official owners. It contains a number improvements to the design by turning the CD³² into a "proper" Amiga. This is achieved through the SX32 expansion board installed inside the machine. The machine comes in a number of varieties. All of them come with a CD featuring Workbench 3.0 and 600MB of utilities and games, plus an Amiga keyboard. @{b}CD³²/SX32@{ub} The vanilla 68020EC CD³² with the SX32 installed for the connection of "serious" stuff such as printers and disk drives. It has been upgraded with 6MB of memory (2MB chip and 4MB fast ram), as well as a real-time battery backed clock and a minimum of a 21MB IDE hard drive. @{b}CD³²/SX32Pro 25@{ub} An enhanced version of the CD³² and SX32 combo. It contains the 6MB memory, clock and hard drive found in the previous specifications, as well as a 25MHz 68030 processor and Memory Management Unit. @{b}CD³²/SX32Pro 50@{ub} Basically, the same as the SX32Pro 25 with the addition of a 68030 running at 50MHz. @endnode @node HELP_P400 "The Passport 4000" @{b}The P4000/Video Toaster@{ub} The Passport 4000 is the merging of the A4000 system with the power of the Video Toaster to provide the ultimate video editing system. In the USA this system is used to produce most of the best SCI-FI programs, like Babylon 5, Star Trek, Jurassic Park, and more! It was converted to work with PAL systems at the end of 1994 and has acclaimed as one of the best systems for TV production, and is considerably cheaper than a Silicon Graphics machine costing £5,000. This may sound expensive but for professional TV it is VERY cheap. UK SUPPLIER: Ramiga International @endnode @node HELP_NGEN "Amiga- The Next Generation" The latest Amiga based machines aim to take the operating system far beyond the Motorola 680x0 series into PowerPC and beyond. @{" " link HELP_ABOX} The A\Box @{" " link HELP_PIOS} The PIOS machine @endnode @node HELP_ABOX "The A\Box- the next generation Amiga" @{b}A\BOX@{ub} The most advanced Amiga based computer yet! Unlike the PIOS machine it will not simply use off the shelf parts and operating system, but will have a completely new graphics processor and run an incredibly advanced Amiga compatible operating system based around the PowerPC 603e processor, and contain a new chipset called Caipirinha similar to the CyberVision graphic card. Like the DraCo it will operate with a unified memory system, so will not be as restrictive as the Amiga's graphic libraries. The OS will combine AmigaOS features such as shared libraries and devices with many UNIX qualities such as memory handling, multi-user, multi-processor support and object orientation, whilst still keeping the Amigas' look and feel for maximum easability(TM)(ease of use and maximum computer ability). It will also include an Amiga 680x0 emulator to ensure maximum compatibility. There will also be a PowerUp upgrade available for Amiga owners consisting of a PPC accelerator card and a 68030/40/60 processor. @endnode @node HELP_PIOS "PIOS- Two for the price of one!" @{b}PIOS@{ub} This is a new computer being launched that intends to carry the Amiga flag into the next century. The company was formed from former Amiga Technologies employees and will combine two operating systems, one of which was planned to be a PPC version of AmigaOS. However, due to the problems caused by Escom's bankruptcy they have had to include {"pOS"link HELP_POS}, Linux and BeOS with their first batch of machines, titled PIOS 1- TransAM. @{" " link HELP_PSEC} TransAM specifications @endnode @node HELP_PSEC "PIOS 1- TransAM system" @{b}Specifications@{ub} PPC603e 133MHz or 200MHz with 512k level 2 cache 16MB of DIMM memory Seagate 2.1Gb E-IDE Hard Drive 8 Speed CD-ROM drive Trio S3 PCI graphics card, 2MB VRAM @{i}SYSTEM@{ui} ATX sized motherboard CPU board slot for a number of CPU's 3 PCI slots 3 ISA slots @{i}AUDIO@{ui} 44.1KHz stereo audio 16 bit MIDI ports Internal sound input for CD and AUX @{i}INTERFACES@{ui} 2 x RS232 high speed serial interfaces 2 x RS442 "geoport" interface Bidirectional Parallel port PS/2 mouse port Maxxtrem: Apple desktop bus port PS/2 keyboard port 2 x gameport (for joysticks etc) 2 x ultra high speed universal serial bus ports HD floppy drive controller EIDE hard drive interface SCSI-2 host adapter CPU board @{b} @{i}Price £978@{ub} @{ui} @endnode @node HELP_EMUL "Emulation" The Amiga also allows you to run operating systems designed for other computers through emulation. Here are just a small selection of those available. To find out more read the@{" Emulation Guide " link AEMU} @{b}IBM-PC@{ub} @{" " link HELP_MDOS} MS-DOS @{" " link HELP_MWIN} Windows @{b}Apple MAC@{ub} @{" " link HELP_ASYS} MacOS @{b}Atari ST@{ub} @{" " link HELP_ATST} Atari TOS and GEM @{b}Unix@{ub} @{" " link HELP_UNIX} NetBSD @{b}Sinclair QL@{ub} @{" " link HELP_QDOS} Amiga QDOS @endnode @node AEMU "Emulation on the Amiga" @{b}Amiga Emulation@{ub} The Amiga is a very powerful machine that has a large number of emulation programs available, allowing the user to run software not designed for their machine. I have only included the operating systems that work in a similar way to the Amiga. These may be based upon emulation of a particular processor, such as the Intel family used by MS-DOS and Windows, or a conversion to run on the Amiga's hardware, as in the case of QDOS. Due to the constant changes in emulation software it would be impossible to evaluate the pros and cons of every emulator. If you want to find out which emulator is best for your needs buy a magazine or check out their web pages for the necessary article. @{b}Why emulate?@{ub} There are a number of reasons to emulate. As mentioned it allows the Amiga to run software designed for another machine which may not be available for the Amiga. The next reason is that it ensures compatibility with other machines. On my expanded A1200 the only way I can run games such as Road Rash is to emulate a Kickstart 1.3 machine, warts and all. The A1200 beat the technically superior Atari Falcon because it still ran the large number of 16 bit titles available. Result, the Amiga still has software written for it to take advantage of the AGA chipset. The next generation of Amiga will rely on emulation to stay compatible with the past and allow the user to run some old software on their machine, whilst programs that use the new hardware is being written. As the Amiga finally moves away from the 680x0 series on to PowerPC and DEC Alpha the only it will hold onto to its Amiga legacy is through emulation. @endnode @node HELP_MDOS "MS-DOS" @{b}MS-DOS@{ub} he standard for PC operating system before Windows 95. It uses a very simple Command Line Interface to enter commands which are read from disk. Like most Microsoft stuff it is incredibly buggy and prone to crashing. It can be run on even a 512k 68000 A500, although the faster machine you have the better the emulation. @endnode @node HELP_MWIN "MS Windows" @{b}MS WINDOWS@{ub} The graphical interface for The PC that attempts to make it appear even mildly friendly. It is quite memory hungry needing 4 MEG just to run. So, as mentioned in the MS-DOS descriptor the faster the machine the better the emulation. The best version that the Amiga user should get is version 3.0- 3.11 as this is the most stable version available. Do not get Windows 95 as it will not work at all. @endnode @node HELP_ASYS "MacOS" @{b}The Apple MacOS@{ub} The machine most similar to the Amiga, using the Motorola family of processors. To run software you must have an equivalent system to the Mac, therefore the faster the machine the more software you can run. To run a basic MAC you require at least a 68020 with 4 MB. Like the Amiga it stores part of its operating system in rom. This must be copied to disk and transferred to Amiga using the supplied program with the emulator. This allows you to run System 7, a single tasking operating system that is surprisingly friendly to use. It is restricted to black and white unless you have a graphics card in which case you can run almost any Mac software, including Netscape. Remember,to run the emulation legally you must OWN a Mac, and you can not run it at the same time as the emulation. @endnode @node HELP_ATST "Atari ST" @{b}The Atari ST@{ub} Up until a few years ago the ST was being called an Amiga beater until the public realised the Amiga was better. To emulate the ST you must have a copy of the ROM image and some software to run on it. The ST will actually boot into GEM automatically without needing a disk inserted, although you will not be able to do much. Like the early MAC and PC, GEM had a very basic GUI with a bizarre fetish for green. The emulation runs surprisingly fast, even on a 1MB A500. However, you will not be able to use games or MIDI software as they access the hardware directly. @endnode @node HELP_UNIX "NetBSD" @{b}NetBSD@{ub} Quite probably the most powerful operating system available. Unix on Amiga is predominantly a black and white text based affair that allows you to run simple software such as text editors or graphic convertors. However, it is still too slow for the Amiga, requiring a graphics card and a very fast processor to run at a decent rate. You should only run it if you have a minimum of a 68030, although 68040 is preferable and if you want to run the Unix GUI (called X-Windows) then you have to have at least a 68040 with 8MB. What you do get for all the hassle of installing the thing is alot of free software, mostly educational that would never be found on Amiga. It even allows you to run all the things that people buy expensive PC's for, namely multi-user and network support. Something that the Amiga's OS desperately needs. It even allows you to emulate other computer platforms, including the Amiga itself. @endnode @node HELP_QDOS "Amiga QDOS" @{b}QDOS@{ub} QDOS was the first multitasking operating system designed for home computers, and was specifically designed for the old Sinclair QL released in 1984. Over the last few years it has grown to take advantage of other machines. The Amiga version is probably the best implementation, taking full advantage of the Amiga serial and parallel ports, but unfortunately does not include any way of using your hard drive (such as a hard file or partition) to store QL software. The best thing about QDOS is that any Amiga can run it, even a 512k A500 allowing you to run software not available for any other system. @endnode @node HELP_M600 "The Motorola 680x0 microprocessor series" @{b}68000@{ub} The internal processor was 32--bit, but externally it used a 16-bit interface. It could address up to 16MB of RAM and execute almost 1 Million Instructions Per Second (MIPS) on a 8MHz machine. @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} @{" A500 " link HELP_A500} @{" A500+" link HELP_500+} @{" A600 " link HELP_A600} @{b}68008@{ub} A cheaper version of the 68000 chip, as used in the Sinclair QL. It has a 16-bit CPU, but only a 8-bit data bus. @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} @{"Sinclair QL" link HELP_QDOS} @{b}68010@{ub} A special version of the 68000 chip designed to multitask. The processor acts as if it were a number of 68000 processors for each program running. It was also slightly faster than the 68000 due to slight modifications. @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} Available as an upgrade for A500 owners @{b}68012@{ub} Fixed a few bugs in the design. @{b}68020@{ub} A full 32-bit version of the 68000 chip. The full 68020 version can use up to 4 gigabytes of memory, whilst the EC (Embedded Controller) version can only use 16MB of RAM. The EC version found in the A1200 was chosen because it was slightly cheaper as it did not contain cache memory. Motorola originally designed it to be used in video and washing machines! @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} @{"A1200" link HELP_1200} Some A500, A500+ and A600 accelerators @{b}68030@{ub} An upgraded 68020 chip with a larger cache memory. It also added a Memory Management Unit (MMU) and Floating Point Unit (FPU). This allows the computer to use virtual memory. @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} @{" A3000 " link HELP_3000} @{" A4000/030 " link HELP_4000} Some A500, A500+, A600 CD³² and A1200 accelerators @{b}68040@{ub} A vast improvement in speed over the 68030. It contained MMU, FPU and larger caches built in. Some A4000 came with a cut down version which did not contain the FPU which saved Commodore about 80p in design cost. @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} @{"A4000/040" link HELP_4000} Some A500, A500+, A1200, A3000 and A4000 accelerators @{b}68060@{ub} The last in the 680x0 series. This was almost 100 times faster than the 68000 and three times as fast as the 68040. It had a number of advancements over the 68040 such as the fully static design which switched off individual parts of the processor when it was not in use, saving power and creating less heat. @{b}Machines that used it@{ub} @{"A4000/60" link HELP_4000} Some A1200, A4000 accelerators @{b}68070@{ub} Not the next generation of processor, but one even slower than the 68000. Although it is compatible with the 68000 it was made by Philips not Motorola. The SCC68070 features two serial ports, a Memory Management Unit (MMU) and a Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller. The only machine to use it is Philips CDi machine. @endnode @node HELP_CHRONO "Chronology" @{b}CHRONOLOGY@{ub}- A List of OFFICIAL Amiga machines. @{u} Year Machine Memory Price Processor Details@{uu} 1985 A1000 256K £1700 68000 Kickstart loaded from disk OCS chipset, @{u} @{uu} 1987 A500 512K £599 68000 First low-end Amiga OCS chipset, DMA expansion slot, Kickstart 1.2/1.3 @{u} @{uu} 1987 A2000 1MB £2000 68000 hard drive as standard, Zorro II slots, OCS/ECS chipset, Kickstart 1.2-2.04 @{u} @{uu} 1990 A1500 1MB ? 68000 A2000 with 2 disk drives @{u} @{uu} 1990 A3000 1MB £3000 68030 Kickstart 2, Zorro III slots, ECS chipset @{u} @{uu} 1991 A500+ 1MB £399 68000 ECS chipset, Kickstart 2 Workbench 2.04 @{u} @{uu} 1991 CDTV 1MB £599 68000 A500 with CD-ROM + 1.3 ROM @{u} @{uu} 1992 A600 1MB £399 68000 smaller A500+ without a numeric keypad, PCMCIA slot @{u} @{uu} 1992 A4000/040 6MB £2466 68040 Workbench/kickstart 3, 1992 A4000/030 6MB ? 68030 AGA chipset @{u} @{uu} 1992 A1200 2MB £399 68020EC First low-end 32 bit Amiga, AGA chipset. PCMCIA slot @{u} @{uu} 1993 CD³² 2MB £399 68020EC A1200 without a keyboard +double speed CD drive.. Kickstart 3.1 @{u} @{uu} 1996 A4000/060 6MB £2000 68060 A4000 with 68060 @endnode @node HELP_SYSG "System Guide" @{" " link HELP_DEV1} What are Devices? @{" " link HELP_FISY} What are FileSystems? @{" " link HELP_HAND} What are Handlers? @{" " link HELP_LIBS} What are Libraries? @endnode @node HELP_DEV1 "Devices" @{b}What are Devices?@{ub} Devices are standard driver software used to run certain hard or software. These are usually stored in DEVS: and allow a programmer to access part of the hardware (such as the printer port) without writing any extra code. Devs: also contains a number of subdirectories that store various devices for a specific purpose. @{b}Datatypes@{ub} Contains various files that allow a program that supports Datatypes too load the Picture, sound or text formats included without needing to support them directly. @{b}DOSDrivers@{ub} Contain script files that allow the operating system and other software to access drives not supported in the Rom, such as PC or Apple Mac disks. @{b}Keymaps@{ub} Small files that alter the keyboard configuration to a particular country. It is configured using the "Input" program stored in the Prefs drawer. @{b}Monitors@{ub} Driver software that configures the display on your monitor or TV to give the best display. This is controlled using the "Overscan" program in Prefs. @{b}Printers@{ub} The directory most people will be familiar with. This contains driver software specifically designed for a printer. The standard Workbench drivers are fairly basic so when possible get a PD or commercial driver (such as TurboPrint) to get the best out of your printer. @endnode @node HELP_FISY "File System" @{b}What are File Systems?@{ub} A number of files stored in the ROM or on disk that allows the Amiga to access certain storage mediums. As standard the Amiga supports the Amiga File System in ROM allowing it to read OFS and FFS disks by default. Other file systems that the Amiga can support through additional software are PC disks (standard with AmigaOS V3+), Zip drives, CD drives etc. The FileSystem software is divided into the "Handler" file, stored in the L: directory on your boot disk, and the main file stored in DEVS:DOSDrivers/ @{" More Info " link HELP_FSIN} @endnode @node HELP_FSIN "More info on File Systems" @{b}Old File System@{ub} The file system supplied as standard with early Amiga's. It was slow and only allowed 488 bytes to be stored on each track. There were three versions released which corrected bugs in the previous release. DOS0: The original file system DOS2: The international version that corrected a bug with the storage of foreign letters so they were no longer case-sensitive. DOS4: The directory caching edition which speeded up access to directories. @{b}Fast File System@{ub} A replacement for the Old File System that allowed more to be stored on a disk. On Kickstart 1.3 this was stored on disk meaning that it was impossible to boot directly from FFS disks, but since Kickstart 2.04 it has been stored in Rom since version 2. DOS1: The original Fast File System found in 2.0 DOS3: The International version. Available as upgrade in OS2.1 DOS5: The Directory Caching version. Available in OS3.0+. Previous versions cannot read this. A number of file systems have become available that push the Amiga disk drive to its limit, including Professional File System, Ami-File Safe and DiskSpare. To find out more information read the "SystemGuide" by Dan Elgaard. @endnode @node HELP_HAND "Handlers" @{b}What are Handlers?@{ub} There is no simple way of explaining handlers so I'm going to go for a very rudimentary explanation. Handlers are the files that allow the software to access different devices by interpreting the messages sent to it. As I mentioned, if you want to find out more about it read "SystemGuide" by Dan Elgaard. @endnode @node HELP_LIBS "Libraries" @{b}What are Libraries?@{ub} Libraries are stored in the LIBS: drawer. It is a set of program commands that are constantly used so that a programmer does not have to repeatedly write the same code. An example of this is the standard file requester which is accessed through the ReqTools.Library. This means that every requester can remain the same making its use entirely intuitive for a user (which Bill Gates wanted to do with Windows in 1990). @endnode @node HELP_JARGON "Amiga Glossary" Click on the button to get information on a particular word. @{"Numbers" link HELP_NUM} @{" A " link HELP_A} @{" N " link HELP_N} @{" B " link HELP_B} @{" O " link HELP_O} @{" C " link HELP_C} @{" P " link HELP_P} @{" D " link HELP_D} @{" Q " link HELP_Q} @{" E " link HELP_E} @{" R " link HELP_R} @{" F " link HELP_F} @{" S " link HELP_S} @{" G " link HELP_G} @{" T " link HELP_T} @{" H " link HELP_H} @{" U " link HELP_U} @{" I " link HELP_I} @{" V " link HELP_V} @{" J " link HELP_J} @{" W " link HELP_W} @{" K " link HELP_K} @{" X " link HELP_X} @{" L " link HELP_L} @{" Y " link HELP_Y} @{" M " link HELP_M} @{" Z " link HELP_Z} @endnode @node HELP_NUM "Numbers" @{b}680x0 family@{ub}- The shorthand for the family of processors by Motorola that are present in the Amiga and Apple Mac systems. @{" The Amiga Chronology " link HELP_CHRONO} @{b}8SVX@{ub}- The Amiga's standard audio sample format @{b}16/32/64 Bit@{ub}- The amount of information that the Amiga can handle at a time. The 16 bit A500 can only handle 16 bits, whilst the 32 bit A1200 can handle 32. @endnode @node HELP_A "A" @{b}A570@{ub}- The CD-ROM drive released by Commodore for the A500. @{b}Accelerator@{ub}- An expansion that replaces your Amigas' CPU with a faster, better one. @{b}AGA@{ub}- Advanced Graphics Array, as well as Advanced Graphical Architecture. @{b}AGNUS@{ub}- One of the early Amiga custom chips responsible for graphics. There have been different versions released called, Fat Agnus, Fatter Agnus and Super Fat Agnus. @{b}AKIKO@{ub}- The chip present in a CD³² that allowed 'Doom-style' games to run at a fast speed. It has so far been used very little, although it has been useful in Apple Mac emulation. @{b}AMIGA@{ub}- A powerful multitasking Operating System. It is also the Spanish name for Girlfriend. @{b}AMIGADOS@{ub}- This stands for Amiga Disk Operating System. It gives you control over hidden parts of your Amiga that cannot be accessed graphically through the Command Line Interface (CLI). @{b}ANIM@{ub}- A standard of storing animations on the Amiga, made popular by Electronic Arts @{"DPaint" link HELP_DPAINT} @{b}ANTI-ALIASING@{ub}- A technique used by art packages to smooth jagged edges in images by mixing it with colours from the background. @{b}ARCHIVING@{ub}- A system that saves files in a compressed state. @{b}ASCII@{ub}- American Standard Code for Information Interchange. @endnode @node HELP_B "B" @{b}.Backdrop@{ub}- A file found in the root directory of a device which contains information of all files left out on the workbench screen. @{b}BASIC@{ub}- Beginners' All Symbolic Instruction Code. @{b}BAUD@{ub}- A measurement of the speed of a modem connection. Also known as Bits Per Second (BPS). @{b}BBS@{ub}- Bulletin Board System- Another machine linked to a phone line from which can be downloaded software and send/recieve messages. @{b}BITS@{ub}- The smallest classification of the size of a file. There are 8 bits stored in a byte. @{b}BLITTER@{ub}- This is mostly used to create large graphics in software. In slower Amigas (sub-68030) this is used to display most graphics, but is alot slower than using the CPU to display graphics in higher models. @{b}BROWSER@{ub}- The application that allows you to access the internet using the World Wide Web. The most popular browsers on Amiga are Voyager-NG, IBrowse and AWeb. @{b}BRUSH@{ub}- A section of a picture that can be picked up and moved around with an art package. @{b}BUBBLE JET PRINTER@{ub}- This works in a similar way to Ink Jet printers, but instead heat the ink in the nozzle which forms bubbles and force the ink out on to the page. @{b}BUFFER@{ub}- A memory cache that your Amiga uses to remember the contents of disks and hard drives to speed up access to them. To increase this you can use a PD utility such as PowerCache or put a line in your startup-sequence. By default the device DF0: is set to 15 on boot up. @{b}BUMP MAPPING@{ub}- A process that shades a 2D object to make it look 3D. @{b}BYTES@{ub}- This is used to describe the size of a file. There are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, 1024 kilobytes in a megabyte, 1024 megabytes in a gigabytes etc. Computers work according to binary maths (base two). @endnode @node HELP_C "C" @{b}CAD@{ub}- computer Aided Design. A process of storing images mathematically, as used in technical drawing. @{b}CBM@{ub}- Commodore Business Machines @{b}CD-ROM@{ub}-Compact Disc read Only Memory. This means that it is on CD and it cannot be written to. One CD can store the equivalent of 640 Amiga 880K disks. @{b}CDTV@{ub}- Stands for Commodore Dynamic Total Vision. It was basically an A500 with a CD-Rom drive instead of a disk drive and an infra-red controller. @{b}CENTRAL PROCESSOR@{ub}- The CPU on an Amiga is one of the 680x0 family. The @{"A500" link HELP_A500} has a 68000 processor, whilst PCs use the 80x86 family and the Pentium. @{b}CHIP RAM@{ub}- This is also known as graphics memory as it is used to display whatever is on the screen, such as an image. It is memory allocated to the custom chips. At present it is limited to 2mb as seen in the A1200 And A4000. @{b}CHROMA KEY@{ub}- With one of these you can replace a colour on a TV/video with a computer image, such as a weather map. @{b}CISC@{ub}- Complex Instruction Set Chips. As used by the Motorola 680x0 and Intel 80x86 family. @{b}CLI@{ub}- Command Line Interface. A program that allows you to type in commands. @{b}COMMAND@{ub}- An instruction to tell the Amiga to do something. These can be entered into the AmigaShell (CLI). E.g. @{b}LIST DF0:@{ub} @{b}COMPOSITE VIDEO@{ub}- The combination of black and white video and colour into one signal. @{b}CPS@{ub}- Characters Per Second. A measure of the speed of a printer. @{b}CPU@{ub}- Central Processing Unit. @{b}CROSSDOS@{ub}- The last remains of a software emulator for the Amiga called Cross-PC. It enables you to read and write to disks formatted on other machines, such as the PC, MAC and ST.. @{b}CUSTOM CHIPS@{ub}- These are the Amiga's co-processor that handled various sections of the machine, such as sound. These are called Agnus, Denise, Paula and Gary. @endnode @node HELP_D "D" @{b}DAISY CHAIN@{ub}- The ability to link parts of your machine to other parts, such as the disk drive to other drives. @{b}DATABASE@{ub}- A program that stores records of information. @{b}DENISE@{ub}- One of the Amiga's custom chips that handles video output. @{b}DEVICE@{ub}- All the drives in your Amiga are devices, eg CD drive, disk drive or hard drive. These are referred to under names such as DF0: (internal disk drive), CD0: (CD drive) etc. @{b}DIGITISER@{ub}- A device that grabs images or animations from a chosen source, such as a TV or video and imports them into the computer. @{b}DIRECTORY@{ub}- A drawer which can hold files inside, making your hard/disk drive appear more organised. @{b}DMA@{ub}- Direct Memory Access. @{b}DOS@{ub}- Disk Operating System. @{b}DOT MATRIX PRINTER@{ub}- These work by a group of pins which strike the paper through an inked ribbon. @{b}DOWNLOAD@{ub}- The copying of a file from another machine to your own. @{b}DPA@{ub}- Data Protection Act. @{b}DPI@{ub}- Dots Per Inch. This measures the quality of the printers resolution by the number of dots per inch that it can print. @{b}DRAM@{ub}- Dynamic Random Access Memory. @{b}DRAWER@{ub}- The Amiga's name for a directory. @{b}DSP@{ub}- digital Sound Processor. @{b}D-to-A@{ub}- Digital to Analogue @{b}DTP@{ub}- Desk Top Publishing. @endnode @node HELP_E "E" @{b}ECS@{ub}-Enhanced Chip Set. @{b}EHB@{ub}- Extra Half-Brite. A screen mode used in graphics software. @{b}E-MAIL@{ub}- Electronic Mail. @{b}EMULATOR@{ub}- A program that allows you to run programs designed for a different computer. A spectrum Emulator would allow you to run Spectrum games. @{b}EPS@{ub}- Encapsullated PostScript. A file format for savoing graphics. @{b}EXTRANET@{ub}- A closed network using the HTML standards to link an external company to your intranet. @endnode @node HELP_F "F" @{b}FAST RAM@{ub}- This is used for programs, the main processor and the storage of files to be loaded into chip ram.. Recently programs which use the CPU and fast ram to manipulate images have become available by rewriting the graphics library. @{b}FAST@{ub}- Federation Against Software Piracy. A group that attempts to stop piracy by making it difficult to copy software and prosecting pirates. @{b}FOLDER@{ub}- Another name for drawer or directory. @{b}FORMAT@{ub}- A program located in the system drawer which "wipes" a disk by erasing all data on it. @{b}FPU@{ub}- Floating Point Unit. This is a maths co-processor with does mathematical calculations that would otherwise be done by the CPU. This can make some software, particularly 3D and Doom clones to run faster. @{b}FPS@{ub}- Frames Per Second. A measurement of how fast an image, such as an animation changes. Animations usually run at 24-35 frames per second convincing the brain that it is fluid action. @{b}FRACTAL@{ub}- Fractional Dimension. A mathematical concept that is based upon the principle that there are an infinite number of dimensions. @{b}FRAME GRABBER@{ub}- This is similar to a digitiser as it "grabs" images from a TV or video. @endnode @node HELP_G "G" @{b}GADGETS@{ub}- The parts around a window on the Workbench that allow you to close it, resize or scroll across. @{b}GARY@{ub}- One of the amiga's custom chips which handles memory management. @{b}GENLOCK@{ub}- GENerating LOCK. A video device that allows you to place computer graphics over a video image. @{b}GIF@{ub}- Graphic Interchangable Format. An image format by CompuServe widely used on the internet. Due to a patent on the LZW compression format used in this standard any use of the GIF system will require registration to UniSys. @{b}GIGO@{ub}- Garbage In Garbage out. @{b}GUI@{ub}- Graphical User Interface. A visually-orientated system that allows you to do things on your computer visually through the mouse. It is based upon the WIMP system. @endnode @node HELP_H "H" @{b}HAM@{ub}- Hold And Modify. This enables your Amiga to display more colours. On OCS/ECS machines it showed 4096 colours whilst AGA machines such as the A1200, CD³² and A4000 used the more advanced HAM8 to show 256,000 colours at once. @{b}INFO@{ub}- This is short for INFORMATION (natch!) and is located in the ICONS pulldown menu. This is also present in C: and gives you information on the devices, virtual and physical on your Amiga. @{b}HARD DRIVE@{ub}- A large disk that stores information usually inside the computer. @{b}HFS@{ub}- Heirarchical Filing System. Apple's custom CD-ROM filing system. @{b}HSF@{ub}- High Sierra Format. The original CD-ROM format, named after the hotel where the standard was discussed. It later evolved into ISO9660. @{b}HTML@{ub}- Hyper Text Markup Language. A language used to create web pages, similar to AmigaGuide. @endnode @node HELP_I "I" @{b}ICON@{ub}- A pictorial representation of something on your machine, such as an art package. @{b}IDE@{ub}- Integrated Drive Electronics. A standard used by Amigas, PC's and some Atari ST's. The A1200 comes as standard with a 2.5 IDE interface inside to which can be connected hard drives, ATAPI CD_ROM drives and removable media, such as the IDE version of the ZIP drive. @{b}IFF@{ub}- Interchangable File Format. A standard developed by Commodore for files on the Amiga. These are more generally used to describe ILBM images created by programs such as @{"DPAINT" link HELP_DPAINT} and sound samples (8SVX) etc. @{b}ILBM@{ub}- InterLeaved BitMap. The standard Amiga picture format made popular by Electronic Arts 'Deluxe Paint'. @{b}.INFO@{ub}- This is a small file attached to most programs or files to allow you to run a program from Workbench. It can also contain vital information for the running of the file. In the NewIcon system this is used to save the icons palette and image. In Workbench 1.3 if you typed @{b}LIST RAM:@{ub} it would appear empty. However, if you opened the window, closed it and typed @{b}LIST RAM:@{ub} again you would see a file called @{i}.info.@{ui} This is apparently the windows "file-marker", although it seems pretty useless to me. @{b}INKJET PRINTER@{ub}- Sprays ink on to the page through small nozzles. @{b}INTERLACE@{ub}- The way that a TV picture swaps between a number of odd and even lines to make an image every 50th of a second, making it appear to flicker. @{b}INTERNET@{ub}- The global network of computers linked by the phone network. @{b}INTRANET@{ub}- An internal network that uses HTML standards, used as a closed medium for a company. @{b}I/O@{ub}- Input Output. @{b}ISO@{ub}- International Standards Organisation. @endnode @node HELP_J "J" @{b}JAVA@{ub}- A language invented by Sun MicroSystems to enable applications to run a program on different systems. It enables the program to be run from a net server on a dumb terminal machine. @{b}JPEG@{ub}- Joint Photographic Expert Group. An image standard which has a high compression rate. @endnode @node HELP_K "K" @{b}Kickstart@{ub}-Part of the operating system that is stored in the 512k ROM. @{b}KILOBYTE@{ub}- 1024 bytes. @endnode @node HELP_L "L" @{b}LASER PRINTER@{ub}- It creates the image by firing a charge a charge at a photosensitive drum, which then attracts the toner to it. The image is then transferred from the drum to the paper. @{b}LCD@{ub}- Liquid Crystal Display. @endnode @node HELP_M "M" @{b}MIDI@{ub}- Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A standard that allows computers and instrument to communicate with each other. @{b}MIPS@{ub}- Millions of Instructions Per Second. @{b}MMU@{ub}- Memory Management Unit. This is a chip that comes with 68030,040 and 060 processors which among other things,allows the use of Virtual Memory. @{b}MODEM@{ub}- MODulator DEModulator. A device that allow you to connect to other machine over a telephone line and get onto the internet. @{b}MODULATOR@{ub}- A device that converted the Amiga's RGB and audio signal into either RF (Radio Frequency) or television and seperate audio signals. This had to be brought separately for the A500, but came built in with the A600 and A1200. @{b}MPEG@{ub}- Motion Picture Expert Group. A standard for animations which contain an image and then the changes made to that image. This means that it is alot smaller than other animation formats. You need a very fast machine to run MPEG through software, or some kind of MPEG cartridge. @endnode @node HELP_N "N" @{b}NET COMPUTER@{ub}- A diskless computer that can be set up easily that uses JAVA to run programs from a main server. @{b}NET PC@{ub}- A very basic PC that runs the internet standard, with a new version of Windows running in the background. @{b}NTSC@{ub}- National Television Standards Council. A TV standard used by American televisions and computers. @endnode @node HELP_O "O" @{b}OVERSCAN@{ub}- This displays a picture slightly bigger than the TV screen, such as 768x576. @endnode @node HELP_P "P" @{b}PAL@{ub}- Phase Alteration Line. The Tv system used in the UK and many other countries that displays 625 lines on the screen, updating at a rate of 25 frames per second. @{b}PAULA@{ub}- One of the Amiga's custom chips, which handles sound and disk management. @{b}PCB@{ub}- Printed Circuit Board. The surface of the circuit board where everything is mounted. @{b}PCMCIA@{ub}- Stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. A company that is attempting to regulate the use of the PCM (Personal Memory Card), as featured on the A600 and A1200. The Amiga does not use it for much except for storage of files and memory. But it has proven too slow for common use in this area. Most Amiga owners use it for CD-Drive, hard drive or SCSI interface. @{b}PD@{ub}- Public Domain. When programmers give up copyright of their software code allowing it to be copied and used in other programs. Also used in a general term to describe any freely copied software. @{b}PGA@{ub}- Pin Gate Array. A method of mounting complex chips on to a PCB. @{b}PHOTO CD@{ub}- A standard set by Kodak to store photos on CD-ROM and manipulate them in your computer. @{b}PIXEL@{ub}- PIX (picture) ELement. A single square on the computer screen that when combined with other pixels make an image. @{b}PLCC@{ub}- PLastic Leadless Chip Carrier. A way of fitting chips with a number of connections onto a circuit board. @{b}PNG@{ub}- Portable Network Graphics. A standard graphics format by Cloanto (@{"PPaint" link HELP_PPAINT}), designed to replace the GIF format. @{b}PROJECT@{ub}- A file that needs to be run through a particular program, such as pictures, sound samples or text. @{b}PULL DOWN MENUS@{ub}- The list of programs that are available from the title bar, activated by pressing the right mouse button. @endnode @node HELP_Q "Q" @{b}QWERTY@{ub}- The standard design of keyboard where the first row of letters begins Q,W,E,R,T,Y. This style was designed around 75-100 years ago to combat the problem of the letter pins on typewriters getting stuck. @endnode @node HELP_R "R" @{b}RAD DISK@{ub}- A recoverable RAM drive that acts like a disk and survives a soft reset. @{b}RAM@{ub}- Random Access Memory. Memory that can be altered and is used to store files. See CHIP RAM and FAST RAM. @{b}RAM DISK@{ub}- Part of the Amiga's memory that behaves as if it was a virtual disk. Unlike the RAD DISK it expands to suit the size of the file copied into it, within memory limitations and does not survive a reboot. @{b}RESOLUTION@{ub}- The number of pixels that make up a screen. The more pixels there are the higher the resolution. @{b}RF@{ub}- Radio Frequency. The method used to transfer a combined audio and video signal. @{b}RGB@{ub}- This is a standard for video signals made up of three separate signals for Red, Green and Blue. @{b}RISC@{ub}- Reduced Instruction Set Chips, such as Motorola's PowerPC chip that will be used in the A\BOX. @{b}ROM@{ub}- Read Only Memory. This cannot be altered and is used to store part of the operating system, known as Kickstart. @{b}RTF@{ub}- Rich Text Format. A descendant of the ASCII standard which also saves information of fonts etc. @endnode @node HELP_S "S" @{b}SCANNER@{ub}- A device that converts pictures or text from the surface of an object (such as the print on a newspaper) into a computer image. @{b}SCART@{ub}- A 21-pin connector that sends video, audio and RGB in one socket. @{b}SCRIPT@{ub}- A text file that, when run executes a number of commands or programs. Also known on PC's as a batch file. @{b}SCSI@{ub}- Small Computer System Interface. A standard form of interface used by the Amiga, Machintosh, Atari ST and PC for connecting devices, such as hard drives and CD-ROM. It is technically better than than the IDE standard, although this is rapidly changing. @{b}SHELL@{ub}- Also called the CLI. This is a program that allows you to type commands into the keyboard. @{b}SMPTE@{ub}- Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. @{b}SOUND SAMPLER@{ub}- A device that turns an audio signal into a computer waveform. @endnode @node HELP_T "T" @{b}TOOL@{ub}- A program that runs itself, such as MultiView. @{b}TRACTOR FEED@{ub}- A mechanism for pulling continuous printer paper into a printer. This is mostly used by Dot Matrix printers. @endnode @node HELP_U "U" NOTHING HERE @endnode @node HELP_V "V" @{b}VDU@{ub}- Video Display Unit. @{b}VGA@{ub}- Video Graphics Array. A standard display used by Pc monitors which can be emulated on the Amiga using Monitor Drivers. @{b}VLSI@{ub}- Very Large Scale Integration. This means there are alot of semi-conductor connections. @endnode @node HELP_W "W" @{b}WIMP@{ub}- Windows Icon Menus and Pointers. A method of using the mouse to control the software on a computer. Also known as GUI. @{b}WORKBENCH@{ub}- The Amiga's system operating system, based upon the WIMP system to provide an easy to use environment to work in. @{b}WYSIWYG@{ub}- What You See Is What You Get (pronounced Wizzie-Wig). A program that gives you a graphical representation of exactly how the display will appear when it is printed. @endnode @node HELP_X "X" NOTHING HERE @endnode @node HELP_Y "Y" @{b}Y/C VIDEO@{ub}- An output that seperates the Luminance (Y) and the Chrominance (C) video output to give a better video quality. @endnode @node HELP_Z "Z" @{b}ZORRO@{ub}- One of the names for the prototype Amiga 1000. It is now used to describe the expansion boards present in big-box Amigas. @endnode @node HELP_COMMANDS "Commands" @{b}ADDBUFFERS@{ub} Allocates a certain amount of memory to a particular device to speed up access of the drive. @{i}ADDBUFFERS DF0: 22@{ui}. @{b}ADDDATATYPES@{ub} Updates the DataTypes drawer after a new datatype has been installed. @{b}ASSIGN@{ub} Assign is possibly one of the best ideas that Commodore had when designing the Amiga, forcing the Amiga to look for a file on your hard drive instead of on the floppy it was designed to run off. For example, @{i}Assign "CHEESE CAKE:" DH2:GAMES/CHEESE@{ui} This would allow to run far more games from hard drive than previously and allows you too "jump" to a particular place on your hard drive without going through loads of sub-directories. If this doesn't work then you could try a file editor, such as NewZap to alter all references to the drive to the hard drive. @{b}AVAIL@{ub} Displays the amount of free ram and the amount of total ram on your system. @{b}ALIAS@{ub} This allows you to alter file names to your own specifications. @{i}ALIAS a DIR DH0:@{ui} @{b}BINDDRIVERS@{ub} Makes or updates the list of all physically mounted drives @{b}BREAK@{ub} Halts a script, process or commodity exchange program. @{i}Break PROCESS/A/N ALL/S C/S D/S E/S F/S@{ui} @{i}@{b}Process Process Name affected@{ui}@{ub} ALL Send all break codes C Halt a process D Halt a script file E Halt a Commodity F Unused @{b}CD@{ub} Short for Change Directory, this move you to a different directory without going to the root drawer and then going into the directory from there. Typing "CD DH0:SYSTEM" immediately places you in that directory. @{b}CHANGETASKPRI@{ub} Alters the priority of a program. The higher the priority the more CPU time it is given. @{b}COPY@{ub} Copies a file where you specify a different name and destination. Type "ALL" to copy all files and directories. @{b}CPU@{ub} Displays the CPU and FPU used. @{b}DATE@{ub} Displays the date. @{b}DELETE@{ub} Deletes specified files. It can be used to delete files with a certain extension by typing DELETE #?.IFF. This deletes all files with the extension .IFF. @{b}DIR@{ub} Lists the contents of a particular directory. @{b}DISKCHANGE@{ub} Informs AmigaDos that a disk has been inserted. @{b}ECHO@{ub} This prints text in a window written by the user, such as providing information about what a program is doing. It is similar to the old print command on old 8 bit machines. @{b}ED@{ub} A very basic text editor which stores its preferences in the file S:ED-STARTUP. Delete this file to get many more options such as a search option and more. @{" Tutorial " link HELP_ED} @{b}EDIT@{ub} Some kind file editor @{b}ELSE@{ub} Used mostly in script files to give the Amiga a number of options. This can be used to check if something is there such as a disk in the drive and either does something or ignores it. In my startup-sequence this is used to load workbench from hard drive instead of the CD drive if the left mouse button is not pressed. @{b}ENDCLI@{ub} This is present in kickstart and closes the CLI/Shell window. @{b}EXECUTE@{ub} Typing this and then a filename runs that particular program. @{b}FILENOTE@{ub} Attaches a comment to a file @{i}FILENOTE S:USER-STARTUP "Created on 3/4/97"@{ui} @{b}FAILAT@{ub} Sets or displays the criteria that a script will be terminated. @{b}ICONX@{ub} The default tool to run script files @{b}INFO@{ub} Gives basic information about the devices connected to your Amiga. @{b}INSTALL@{ub} When used in conjunction with a device name this makes the disk bootable e.g. INSTALL DF0: @{b}IPREFS@{ub} Executes the settings saved by the programs in Prefs, such as font and screenmode. @{b}JOIN@{ub} Combines files, mostly for text together. This can be a bit dodgy so do not trust your precious files with it unless you have a backup. Type "JOIN (file1) (file2) AS (file3) @{b}LIST@{ub} Lists all the files in a directory. @{b}LOADWB@{ub} The command to load the Amiga's GUI, Workbench. @{b}LOCK@{ub} Ensures that a FFS device cannot be written to, such as a hard disk. @{i}LOCK C: ON LOCK C: OFF@{ui} @{b}MAKEDIR@{ub} Creates a directory, but unfortunately not the .Info file to it. There are many PD replacements for this. @{b}MOUNT@{ub} Adds new devices to the Amiga, both virtual and physical, such as CD-ROM drive or a PC drive. @{b}NEWCLI@{ub} Opens a command line interface window. @{b}PATH@{ub} The Amiga uses path to search for files it requires, such as CLI commands or DosDrivers. To find out the paths already set type PATH in a CLI window. This means that you can simply enter a name of a file in one of the directory paths and it will immediately load. @{b}PROMPT@{ub} Changes the ">" sign to show the directory in use. @{b}PROTECT@{ub} Allows the user to set the protection flags of a file. @{i} PROTECT RAM:SCRIPT +A@{ui} A=Archive, E=Executable, R=Readable, W=Writable @{b}RELABEL@{ub} Relabels selected devices according to another name @{i}RELABEL DF0: CHEEESE@{ui} @{b}REMRAD@{ub} Dismounts the RAD drive without rebooting. @{b}RENAME@{ub} This renames a specified file.. @{b}REQUESTCHOICE@{ub} Allows the user to call up a file requester. @{b}RUN@{ub} Executes a process that will not be tied to current CLI program. @{b}SEARCH@{ub} Searches for files according to their name and/or the first line of their file. @{b}SETCLOCK@{ub} sets the battery backed up clock, if you have one. @{b}SETDATE@{ub} This sets the date, it is easier to do this from the Fonts preferences programs in PREFS @{b}SETFONT@{ub} This sets the font, it is easier to do this from the Fonts preferences programs in PREFS @{b}SETKEYBOARD@{ub} Also known as SETMAP. This sets the language of the keyboard. @{b}SETPATCH@{ub} Corrects errors in the ROM. @{b}SORT@{ub} Orders textfiles alphabetically. To execute type: SORT (file1) to (file2) @{b}STATUS@{ub} Provides a basic list of CLI tasks in operation. @{b}TYPE@{ub} Displays text in a CLI/Shell window. @{b}VERSION@{ub} This finds the internal version of a program, but usually does it completely wrong. @{b}WAIT@{ub} Pauses the CLI tasks for a set time period. @{b}WHY@{ub} Gives feedback on errors. This is very old and not very exact. @{b}WHICH@{ub} Gives the user options on the parts of a script to execute. @endnode @node HELP_ED "ED Tutorial" Common commands: Press ESC then the letter to activate their function. T - Top of file B - Bottom of file BS - Block Start BE - Block End IB - Insert Block DB - Delete Block CS - move Cursor to Start of line CE - move Cursor to End of line WB - Write Block to new file IF - Insert a different File into this file F - finds keyword (case-sensitive) D - Delete line Q - Quit Ed without saving X - save file SA - save without exiting (Refresh the file) If you want to MOVE the block, make sure you Delete Block RIGHT after you've Inserted Block. You can also scroll the text with the ctrl-U and ctrl-D commands. @{b}Tip@{ub} ED only just gives you 76 characters across, to get an extra one (may be useful for something) put a character in "front" on the cursor before you get to the end of the line. That'll shift the margin out rather than giving you a "carriage return", so you can type in the 77th character, then delete the extra character. @endnode @node HELP_MENUS "Amiga Interactive Guide:Menus Select any button to find out about information about what they can do. @{" " link HELP_WB} Workbench @{" " link HELP_Window} Window @{" " link HELP_Icons} Icons @{" " link HELP_PTools} Tools @{" " link HELP_Short} Keyboard shortcuts @endnode @NODE HELP_WB "Amiga Interactive Guide:Workbench" @{b}BACKDROP@{ub} This simply adds or removes the border around the Workbench window and is possibly the most useless option ever. @{b}EXECUTE COMMAND@{ub} Now, this is possibly the most useful option there is. This allows you to enter individual commands without cluttering up the screen with the AmigaShell. It is mostly used on my system for executing programs such as Multiview and IconEdit. @{b}REDRAW ALL@{ub} If the screen appears corrupted then this will refresh it. It is very similar to RESETWB in the Tools menu. @{b}UPDATE ALL@{ub} This rereads all the open drawers updating its contents which is especially useful in viewing a newly created file. @{b}LAST MESSAGE@{ub} Simply displays the last message shown at the top of the screen, such as "Attempting to load IconEdit" @{b}ABOUT@{ub} Highlighting this brings up an information screen displaying the kickstart and workbench version, as well as exactly who owns the Amiga, which is very useful if you suddenly get confused. According to the last setpatch released, version 43.3 the Amiga is copyright 1985-1996, Amiga Technologies GmbH. @{b}QUIT@{ub} This simply quits workbench displaying an almost completely grey screen. There is no actual way of doing anything with this so you are forced to reboot anyway. Attempting to quit whilst something is running brings up a message telling you how many programs are open. @endnode @node HELP_WINDOW "Amiga Interactive Guide: Window @{b}NEW DRAWER@{ub} Highlighting an open window and then clicking on this creates a new drawer. The default name is "UNNAMED1" which the Amiga will ask you to change. @{b}OPEN PARENT@{ub} This opens the window that you opened previously to load the program. E.g. highlighting the system window and selecting open parent will open the Workbench3.0 directory displaying all the main files. @{b}CLOSE@{ub} This closes the currently selected window. @{b}UPDATE@{ub} This rereads the highlighted window and updates the display to show newly created files/drawers etc. @{b}SELECT CONTENTS@{ub} This simply highlights all the icons in the selected window. @{b}CLEAN UP@{ub} Do you have loads of overlapping icons that look incredibly messy and horrible? Well, clean up reorganises them creating a far more tidy workbench. @{b}SNAPSHOT@{ub} @{i}-WINDOW@{ui} Snapshot the highlighted window to stay in the same place every time you open it. @{i}-ALL@{ui} Snapshots the highlighted window and all the icons inside it. @{b}SHOW@{ub} @{i}-ONLY ICONS@{ui} Only show files that have an icon attached to it. The icon files have an .info extension to the filename and can be created in IconEdit. @{i}-ALL FILES@{ui} This shows all files by giving all those which don't have an icon one depending upon their tooltype (project,tool etc). @{b}VIEW BY@{ub} @{i}-ICON@{ui} This is the default setting giving the user a graphical image of the icons in use. @{i}-NAME@{ui} This presents a list of names of all the files in the chosen directory in alphabetical order. This allows the user to find a particular program quickly and easily. @{i}-DATE@{ui} Same as above, but list in the order of date. @{i}-SIZE@{ui} Again, same as above, but listed in the order of smallest first. @endnode @node HELP_ICONS "Amiga Interactive Guide: Icons" @{b}Open@{ub} This opens the window of the icon that is highlighted, allowing you to view its contents. @{b}COPY@{ub} Highlight an icon then clicking on COPY copies that file (natch) renaming it "Copy_of_WHATEVER". When highlighting a disk a message will pop up asking to insert a source disk and destination disk. Highlighting this will bring up a menu asking you to: @{" DiskCopy Request " link NO} | | | Insert disk to copy from (SOURCE disk) | | in device DF0: | | | | @{" Continue " link HELP_CONT} @{" Cancel " link HELP_DCANCEL} | --------------------------------------------------------- The source and destination disk must be the same length (eg 100mb) for it to copy properly. The internal disk drive is an exception to this as it can copy OFS, FFS etc disks and change the size of the destination to the same type, such as OFS to AFS etc. A diskcopy can also be carried out by dragging the source disk icon over the destination disk icon, which will automatically load diskcopy. @{b}RENAME@{ub} This is a bit obvious. It simply renames the icon/s that are highlighted. A menu will pop up asking you to enter a new name for the files. @{b}INFORMATION@{ub} Highlighting an icon and clicking on INFOMATION brings up information about the file, such as the tooltype (Tool, project etc). As well as showing any comments, the date it was created and any preferences that are saved there. If it is classed as a PROJECT then it will also include the default tool that it loads when viewing the file. @{b}SNAPSHOT@{ub} This is the same as the snapshot in the windows menu by making a record of exactly where the icon is. @{b}UNSNAPSHOT@{ub} If you realise that you didn't want to snapshot an icon this reverses the damage. @{b}LEAVE OUT@{ub} Highlighting an icon, then selecting LEAVE OUT will leave the icon out on the main workbench screen. This allows you to access it easily without going through millions of subdirectories. To snapshot this highlight WINDOW/SNAPSHOT/ALL to remember its position for when you reboot and it will be in the same place as before. @{b}PUT AWAY@{ub} Any icon that you have left out can be put back from where it originated from by highlighting this. The icon can then be snapshotted to remember its position. @{b}DELETE@{ub} A bit self explanatory, this one. Highlighting an icon then selecting this will delete that file. @{b}FORMAT DISK@{ub} Highlight a disk icon to bring up a menu on format preferences. These are: @{" Format-DH0: " link Device} Current Information: Device 'DH0' Volume 'Workbench' 100M capacity, 50% used New Volume Name: @{" EMPTY " link HELP_VNAME} Put Trashcan: @{" " link HELP_TRASH} Fast File System: @{" " link HELP_FFS} International Mode: @{" " link HELP_INTERNATIONAL} Directory Cache: @{" " link HELP_DCACHE} @{" Format " link HELP_SFORMAT} @{" Quick Format " link HELP_QFORMAT} @{" Cancel " link HELP_FCANCEL} @endnode @node DEVICE "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" This reminds you of the device that you are formatting, in case you forgot. @endnode @node NO "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" This tells you that you are copying a disk. @endnode @node HELP_CONT "Amiga Interactive Guide" If you click on this then it will start the diskcopy process. @endnode @node HELP_DCANCEL "Amiga Interactive Guide" This quits the program without copying anything. @endnode @node HELP_Device "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" This shows the name of the device to be formatted. In this case it is DH0: @endnode @node HELP_VNAME "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" New Volume Name: (Default is "EMPTY") @endnode @node HELP_TRASH "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}Trashcan@{ub}: Do you want to include a trashcan on disk @endnode @node HELP_FFS "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}Fast File System@{ub}: This adds an extra 30k to a double density disk, increasing it to 879k. However, by default these cannot be booted by Kickstart 1.3 or below so if you want compatibility with all Amigas don't highlight this. @endnode @node HELP_INTERNATIONAL "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}International mode@{ub}: Corrects a bug in using foreign letters in disk names. @endnode @node HELP_DCACHE "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}Directory Cache:@{ub} This speeds up the access to a disk but is incompatible with Workbench 2.1 and under. Do not use this if you wish for maximum compatibility. @endnode @node HELP_SFORMAT "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}FORMAT@{ub} Wipe all files on a particular device off it so that they cannot be retrieved. @endnode @node HELP_QFORMAT "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}QUICK FORMAT@{ub} Wipes all the files, but these can be retrieved with any file utility. As the name suggests it is also quicker to format using this. To format a disk from the CLI enter: @{i}FORMAT DRIVE DF0: NAME CHEESE NOICONS@{ui} This tells it format drive DF0:, calling the disk CHEESE and without a trashcan. @endnode @node HELP_FCANCEL "Amiga Interactive Guide:FORMAT" @{b}CANCEL@{ub} Quit format @endnode @{b}EMPTY TRASH@{ub} If there is a trashcan located on the disk this will empty it. These files cannot be retrieved without a retrieval utility once you have deleted it. @endnode @node HELP_SHORT "Amiga Interactive Guide: Shortcuts" @{b}HOT KEY FUNCTION@{ub} Amiga-A Select contents of window Amiga-B Toggles workbench window on/off Amiga-C Makes a copy of the selected icon Amiga-E Opens the "Execute Command" window Amiga-I Displays information about the currently selected icon Amiga-K Close currently opened window Amiga-L Leave out icon on the workbench Amiga-N Creates new drawer in selected window Amiga-O Opens selected icon Amiga-P Puts away previously left out item Amiga-Q Quit Workbench Amiga-R Renames currently selected file Amiga-S Snapshot the position of selected icon/s Amiga-U Unsnapshot slected icon/s Amiga-? Displays the Amiga About screen Amiga-. Organises selected window @endnode @node HELP_PTOOLS "Amiga Interactive Guide: Tools" @{b}RESETWB@{ub} Refreshes the screen tidying up any screen corruption that may have happened. @endnode @node HELP_TIPS "Amiga Interactive Guide:Tips" After three years of owning an Amiga I have learnt a number of techniques to make my Amiga even more versatile. This file is an attempt to catalogue all of these and will be regularly updated through each release. The first came by my attempt to catologue files on my hard drive and print it out and was achieved by typing @{i}DIR > PAR: DH0: opt a@{ui} This copied a list of names of the root directory of DH0: to the printer. If you do not have the paper saving DIR command you can always type LIST instead. If this does not work properly try @{i}DIR > PRT: DH0: opt a@{ui} Another tip to remember is if you can't copy an AmigaDos disk to hard drive then try to copy it too another disk and then copy that copy onto hard drive. Its worked on my machine at least once. Another excuse games use not to run is by demanding to be run from the root directory, so try writing a script file to copy it there whilst it is loading and delete when you finish. THIS MUST NOT BE USED TO PIRATE GAMES AND I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOU ENDING UP IN PRISON ON A SOFTWARE PIRACY CHARGE, OR ANYTHING. DO YOU HEAR ME? @{b}How to make your own file finder@{ub} Imagine that you are looking for a number of files on your hard drive called BOB1, BOB2 and BOB3, but for some reason you want to find it from the CLI. Just type, @{i}LIST DH0:(#?/#?BOB#?)@{ui} This will produce of all the files that include these letters. You can also print the file list out to disk by typing: @{i}LIST >PRT: DH0:(#?/#?BOB#?)@{ui} You can even save it to a text file by typing: @{i}LIST >RAM:TextFile DH0:(#?/#?BOB#?)@{ui} It's also considerably faster than many of the Graphical file finders available for the Amiga. @{b}How to make a list of your files@{ub} Most people know how to list all of the files on their hard drive. But I'm sure there are many who do not know how NOT to list certain files. Confused? Then let me explain. Imagine you want a list of all the files on your hard drive, then you would type, @{i}LIST DH0:@{ui} This would list all the files, including the .info files that contain all the icon information. However, you want to suppress these files as they are of no use to you. So you could simply type, @{i}LIST ~(.info)@{ui} to get a list of all the files in the current directory without the .info extensions. In case you are looking for it, the Tilde (~) is created by pressing SHIFT (below CTRL) and the key next to 1 with the ' symbol. @{b}Hey! This is a heading for a brilliant tip!@{ub} If you have owned your Amiga for a while you will know about the Shell History which allows you to view previous commands entered by pressing the up and down arrows. Well, you can use also find a particular command by typing the first few letters, such as dir. Now, if you hold the Shift and Up key it will immediately find and display the previous line which included that command. Who said the Amiga can't do file completion? @{b}How to list icons in alphabetical order@{ub} Select all the icons in your selected window (Right Amiga-A) and select UnSnapshot from the menu, then select update and the icons will be ALPHETICAL! All you have to do now is select Shanshot Window for the icons to order theirself in the window. @endnode @node HELP_TOOLS "Amiga Interactive Guide:Tools" @{b}CALCULATOR@{ub} This is a simple calculator. @{b}CMD@{ub} Redirect printer outpur from the parallel port to a file stored in RAM:. To change this highlight the icon and click on INFORMATION from the menu. @{b}GRAPHICS DUMP@{ub} Prints out a picture of the currently opened screen. @{b}HDBACKUP@{ub} A program to back up/restore your hard drive to/from disk. @{b}HDTOOLBOX@{ub} This allows you to format and partition a hard drive. @{b}ICONEDIT@{ub} This allows you to load icons/images, manipulate them and save as icons. @{" How to get more from IconEdit" link HELP_ICONEX} @{b}INITPRINTER@{ub} Initialises the printer @{b}KEYSHOW@{ub} Shows a graphical representation of your keyboard. @{b}LACER@{ub} Turns the video interlace on/off, for use with Genlock. @{b}MEMACS@{ub} A port of the Unix text editor EMACS. It has been included with the Amiga as standard since 1986, when it was plucked from the PD market because of its popularity. @{b}PREPCARD@{ub} Allows you to control the PCMCIA card, such as use it memory or as storage. @{b}PRINTFILES@{ub} Allegedly prints files, but it doesn't work. This drawer also contains a number of Commodities for use with Workbench which alter its behaviour @{" Commodities " link HELP_COMMODITIES} @ENDNODE @node HELP_ICONEX "how to get more from IconEdit" If you highlight your icon and select INFORMATION from the pull-down menus a window will appear showing, among other things a picture of the icon and its size. Select NEW from the ToolTypes section and a line will be added. By adding a number of things in this line various functions will be activated. To tell the Amiga how long you want a script window to be open you type @{i}DELAY=@{ui}. After the = sign type in a number, which is measured in fiftieths of a second. If you type @{i}DELAY=0@{ui} the window will not close until you press CONTROL C. You can also control the size of the ScriptFile window by typing the following in the ToolTypes list: @{i}WINDOW=CON:0/150/500/300/ScriptFile Window@{ui} This will open a window 500 pixels wide and 300 pixels high at coordinates 150 down and 0 across. The window will be called ScriptFile Window. If you don't want your script file to open a window simply type: @{i}WINDOW=NIL:@{ui} @endnode @node HELP_COMMODITIES "The Commodities drawer" @{b}AUTOPOINT@{ub} Automatically highlights the window underneath the mouse pointer. @{b}BLANKER@{ub} Makes the screen go blank if there has been user input for a specified amount of time. @{b}CLICKTOFRONT@{ub} Brings a window to the front by double-clicking on the title bar. @{b}NOCAPSLOCK@{ub} Disables the Caps Lock key. @{b}CROSSDOS@{ub} Utility for different file systems that alters the way text is translated from other machines. @{b}FKEY@{ub} Assigns certain functions to the F keys. @{b}MOUSE BLANKER@{ub} Makes the mouse disappear whilst you are typing. @{b}EXCHANGE@{ub} Allows you to configure and control other Commodities. @endnode @node HELP_PREFS "Amiga Interactive Guide: Prefs" There are a number of preferences in SYS:PREFS. These are: @{b}FONT@{ub} This enables you to select the font that you use on your workbench from the FONTS: drawer.These are seperated into: Workbench Icon Text- The font used by icons System Default Font- The font used in windows Screen Text- The font used in by menus, requesters etc. @{b}ICONTROL@{ub} This allows you to elect how your Amiga basically operates, such as the choice to use the keyboard to move and drag screens. @{b}INPUT@{ub} This sets the keyboard to the language of your choice (provided you have the language stored in SYS:Devs/Keymaps and includes such features as mouse speed and acceleration. As well as keyboard speed and delay. @{b}LOCALE@{ub} This is used to tell your Amiga where it is in the world by locating it on a map. It enables a localisation feature which means that if the program supports it, it will display in the language of your choice. @{b}OVERSCAN@{ub} Alters the borders of your screen to suit your TV or monitor. @{b}PALETTE@{ub} This allows you to change the colour of such things as the border or menus. @{b}POINTER@{ub} This allows you to edit your mouse pointer. @{b}PRINTER@{ub} This is the printer control program controlling such features as the source of the printout and the size, as well as the printer type. @{" What each function means " link HELP_PRINT} @{b}PRINTERGFX@{ub} This is another printer control program for graphics. It is responsible for the type of printout (black and white, colour etc). The density of the ink and dithering to allow the impression of more colours than the printer is capable of. @{" What each function means " link HELP_GPRINT} @{b}PRINTERPS@{ub} This is for PostScript laser printers. @{b}SCREENMODE@{ub} This is used to change the resolution, size and number of colours of your Workbench screen. @{b}SERIAL@{ub} This can be used to select to tailor alot of the serial ports functions to your needs, such as the speed and parity. @{b}SOUND@{ub} Every time you make a mistake the Amiga will flash and play a sound sample or beep. This allows you to edit this feature. @{b}TIME@{ub} Use this to set the time and date of your Amiga, which is useful for, among other things data stamping of your files. You will have to alter your clock or use a PD program if you want it to change for Daylight summer time. @{b}WBPATTERN@{ub} This allows you to put a pretty picture in the background of Workbench, screen or Window. To display the image properly it have the same resolution, size and number of colours as Workbench. @endnode @NODE HELP_PRINT "What each function means" @{i}How to set up the printer preferences@{ui} @{b}PRINTER TYPE@{ub} This shows all the printer drivers stored in DEVS:PRINTERS/. If your printer driver does not shoe up then you will have to copy it to your boot disk. @{b}PRINTER PORT@{ub} Selects where the computer prints to: parallel or serial. @{b}PRINT PITCH@{ub} THe spacing of the characters. It is measured in Characters Per Inch (CPI). @{b}PRINT SPACING@{ub} How many lines of text is printed per inch on the page. @{b}PRINT QUALITY@{ub} A choice between draft quality,which has the advantage of being faster and Letter which looks neater. @{b}PAPER TYPE@{ub} Choose if the paper is continuous, which has the holes on both sides, or just single sheets. @{b}PAPER FORMAT@{ub} Allows you to choose the size of your paper printouts, such as A4. @{b}PAPER LENGTH@{ub} How many lines of text fit on to a page. @{b}LEFT/RIGHT MARGINS@{ub} The amount of space left blank on the left and right side of the paper. @endnode @node HELP_GPRINT "The functions of the graphic printer" What each function of the graphics printer is DITHERING: You can choose between -ORDERED Prints a square block for each pixel shown on screen -HALF TONE Changes the size of the pixel according to its darkness -FLOYD-STEINBERG Dithers the Amiga to make the printout look like it uses more colours SCALING: There are two options that you can choose from -FRACTION Will use the page size that is defined by the width and height -INTEGER Prints the image in a square shape, but it may not fit on the page. IMAGE: Can be set to -POSITIVE This will make it look like your picture -NEGATIVE All the colours/shades are reversed, so black turns into white etc. ASPECT: You can choose from -HORIZONTAL Prints out the image facing up on the page. -VERTICAL Prints the image "on its side". Useful if you want to print in A5. SHADE: -BLACK AND WHITE Prints in black and white -GREY SCALE 1 Converts colour to different shades of grey -GREY SCALE 2 Uses only four shades of grey -COLOUR Obviously, prints in colour. THRESHOLD: This sets how dark a colour is before it is printed as black. Only of use to black and white printers. DENSITY: How close together the graphics are printed out at- a higher density means more detail. The higher the density the longer it takes to print. SMOOTHING: In art packages it is known as anti-aliasing. This attempts to make jagged edges smooth. CENTER PICTURE: Prints in the middle of the page. COLOUR CORRECTION: Reduces the number of colours that the colour printer has to interpret. This can help make the image look slightly better. LEFT EDGE: How much space is left for the left margin. LIMITS: -IGNORE Does not use any limit to the image. -BOUNDED Turns on the limits to the image. Anything that goes outside this limit is not printed -ABSOLUTE Allows you to print small pictures. -PIXELS Prints image of an unusual size that are larger than can be displayed. -MULTIPLY Useful for printing on a wide carriage printer. It expands the picture to fill the limit. WIDTH AND HEIGHT Sets the size of the paper limits. @endnode @node HELP_SYSTEM "Amiga Interactive Guide: System" @{b}SHELL@{ub} The Command Line Interface for the Amiga where all commands are entered. @{"Internal Commands" link HELP_SHELL} @{b}NOFASTMEM@{ub} This kills all your fast memory to allow more software (mostly games) to run. @{b}FORMAT@{ub} Click on this to format disk. It allows you to select certain options such as Directory Caching to speed up the reading of your disk etc @{b}REXXMAST@{ub} This is the Amiga's batch file processor. It was added in Workbench 2.0 and allows programs too communicate with each other and is one of the Amiga's strong points. The IBM Operating System uses a similar system called REXX, but the Amiga version is better. @{b}INTELLIFONT@{ub} This checks all fonts are installed properly so programs can access them. It handles structured fonts, such as Intellifonts which allows the smooth resizing of fonts in DTP packages such as WordWorth, Final Writer, PageStream etc. @{b}FIXFONTS@{ub} This does the same as Intellifont, but for bitmap fonts used in most art packages such as DPaint, PPaint, Photogenics etc. These fonts have a fixed size, so if you attempt to alter them they will appear jagged. @endnode @node HELP_SHELL "Internal Shell shortcuts" @{b}Action Result@{ub} Ctrl A Move to start of line Ctrl Z Move to end of line Ctrl K Delete from cursor to end of line Ctrl U Delete from cursor to start of line Ctrl X Delete entire line Ctrl H Delete character to the left of cursor @{b}Only work with enhanced Shell systems such as KingCon@{ub} Ctrl T Insert space Ctrl L Clear screen Esc C Clear screen Tab Filename completion @endnode @node HELP_Utilities "Amiga Interactive Guide:Utilities" @{b}CLOCK@{ub} Tells you the time and the date, obviously. @{b}MORE@{ub} More is a limited text document displayer which is located in SYS:Utilities/. It has been superceded by utilities such as PPMORE,MUCHMORE etc. @{b}MULTIVIEW@{ub} Multiview is a powerful object orientated program capable of displaying almost any type of text, sound or graphics you desire. It operates through the use of @{b}DataTypes@{ub} meaning if you have the necessary datatype then you could load, for example a JPEG through the same process as loading an IFF picture. The DataType files are located on your Workbench disk or boot partition in DEVS:DATATYPES and Classes/Datatypes. However, the datatype system is restricted to 8 bit (256 colours). All programs that support Datatypes can load pictures which they did not originally take into account and is mostly used in art packages such as @{"PPAINT" link HELP_PPAINT}. @endnode @node HELP_OS "Amiga Interactive Guide: Operating System" @{b}The Amiga Operating system Guide@{ub} This is an explanation of how the Amiga stores the essential files for the OS. The C: drawer- This contains commands essential for files to be loaded. These can be entered through the CLI. Classes- Contains files needed to load datatypes files and gadgets for object-orientated programs DEVS- This contains DosDrivers, Datatypes, Keymaps, monitor and Printer drivers that are either mounted whilst booting or needed for preferences. In the main part is devices for among other things the parallel and serial port. EXPANSION- By default this is empty. It is a left over from the Kickstart 1.3 days when it did much the same as DEVS:. It is alleged to store certain drivers for graphic cards or other expansions. The L drawer- Stores all the handlers for file systems. These enable you to access among others PC and MAC disks. LIBS- Stores all the libraries essential for running programs LOCALE- Contains the HELP guides as well as information on each country and the language needed for it. Prefs- This contains a number of programs designed to do certain things, such as set the time or the font. It also stores preference files essential for loading certain programs. Rexxc- Contains the AREXX server. Arexx is an Amiga port of Rexx, the batch processing language that allows different programs to communicate with each other. The S: drawer- This contains the Startup-Sequence, like the AUTOEXEC.BAT on the PC. It is essential to load files from disk. It also stores some configuration files for certain programs. Storage- Stores any DosDrivers, DataTypes, Keymaps, Monitor or printer drivers that you do not need need installed in DEVS:. System- This has some basic utilities for Workbench. To find out more go to the information screen. The T: drawer- This stores temporary files on disk that programs may make to log certain actions. Many web browers use this to store images in if it can't load them to memory. If you find anything in here after rebooting then you can probably delete them as they will not be needed. Tools- Contains basic utilities, such as an icon editor and a calculator. In a sub-directory are stored a few commodities which alter the behaviour of Workbench. Utilities- This contains text/graphic displayers and a clock. WBStartup- Any files placed in here will be executed when the Amiga boots up. @{b}RAM DISK@{ub} Clipboard- Allows certain programs to cut and paste into each other by storing the file here. Env- Stores preferences files to allow Workbench and other programs to allow the Amiga to access them quickly. T- Stores files temporary in memory. This is usually lost when you reboot. @endnode @node HELP_AFAQ "Frequently Asked Questions" @{" " link HELP_MUI} What is MUI? @{" " link HELP_DOBF} What is Double Buffering? @{" " link HELP_POST} What is PostScript and how do I use it? @{" " link HELP_HD23} What's the difference between 2.5 and 3.5 inch hard drives? @{" " link HELP_DEMO} How come most games and demos don't show up on the Workbench? @{" " link HELP_MENUS} What do the pull-down menus do on Workbench? @{" " link HELP_AIG1} What is AiG? @{" " link HELP_SYSG} The Amiga system guide @{" " link HELP_SLOW} Why is the Amiga so slow? @{" " link HELP_AREXX} What is ARexx? @{" " link HELP_FISY} What is a file system? @{" " link HELP_PCCD} Can I use PC CD-ROMs? @{" " link HELP_HARD} Why should I get a hard drive? @{" " link HELP_SCSIDE} Which is better, SCSI or IDE? @{" " link HELP_AMEM} Why is some memory faster? @{" " link HELP_VMEM} What is Virtual Memory? @{" " link HELP_BIST} What's the difference between Bitmap and Structured image? @{" " link HELP_ZORR} What's the difference between Zorro II and Zorro III interfaces? @{" " link HELP_AECS} Can I upgrade my OCS/ECS Amiga to AGA? @{" " link HELP_FASTPC} How fast is my Amiga compared to PC and Apple Macintosh? @{" " link HELP_NET} Can I network my Amiga with another Amiga or PC? @{" " link HELP_QUAE} Can I emulate an Amiga on my PC? @{" " link HELP_MEMPROBS} Can I use an accelerator/memory card and a PCMCIA product together? @endnode @node HELP_MUI "What is MUI" MUI stands for Magic User Interface. It is a set of shared libraries which allow the user to customise the program in almost any way possible. The system is much simpler to use for a programmer than GadTools. However, it is much slower requiring at least an AGA Amiga with 2MB too even go at a decent speed. @endnode @node HELP_DOBF "What is Double Buffering?" This is a bit difficult to explain. Basically the system will access two images in memory at a time- the first is displayed on screen, and the second is loaded into memory. The machine will then swap the image so the one that has just be loaded will be displayed, while the Amiga loads the next image. This allows the computer to display much smother animations. @endnode @node HELP_POST "What is postscript and how can I use it?" Postscript is a programming language to improve the quality of printing. Many printers are now available with built-in PostScript interpreters. The advantage of this is that these printers are resolution independent meaning you can print out the highest resolution supported with very little memory. However, most do not directly support the Amiga, so a software interpreter is needed. One of the most prominant is the shared library, unsurprisingly called Post.Library. This allows programs such as AmigaTeX to incorporate PostScript images and documents. @endnode @node HELP_HD23 "2.5 and 3.5 hard drives" About one inch. The 3.5 inch drives are cheaper and faster, but require a conversion cable to work on the A600 and A1200. The 2.5 inch hard drives are used with laptops because of their small size. @endnode @node HELP_DEMO "Disks not showing up on the Workbench" Most games and demos use their own custom disk format, stored in the boot block that is only executed when booted from. They allow the game or demo to start almost immediately, as well as preventing them from being easily copied. @endnode @node HELP_SLOW "Why is the Amiga so slow?" The Amiga isn't slow. It's just that it has always been sold with the minimum specification possible, so very few of the low-end models (A500, A1200) had hard drives or fast processors. This has changed recently as more Amiga users have upgraded their machines. You can speed up your Amiga in general by making the most used commands resident in memory, cutting down on disk swapping. You can make your Amiga go faster in a number of ways: @{b}Get a hard drive.@{ub} They are very cheap now and you will actually be able to use more Amiga games and utilities. To find out more click -> @{" " link HELP_HARD} @{b}Get a CD-ROM drive.@{ub} Many games are now only coming out on CD, and you can get a cheap double speed model for less than £20. @{b}Get an accelerator.@{ub} Many games, especially Doom clones, need a minimum specification of a 68030 processor and 6MB ram. These cost less than £100 and make your machine MUCH faster. @{b}Get a Zorro breakout board.@{ub} This will allow you to take advantage of graphics cards, Ethernet cards and sound cards. @endnode @node HELP_AREXX "What is ARexx?" ARexx stands for Amiga Rexx, a programming language that allows the user to perform certain tasks automatically without loading the program, such as converting images to a different format. It can also be used to allow programs to communicate with each other whilst they are still running, passing information to each other without saving it first. @endnode @node HELP_PCCD "Can I read PC CD-ROMS on my Amiga?" The simple answer to this is YES, probably. The PC uses the ISO-9660 standard, the same {"FileSystem" link HELP_FISY} as the Amiga. You will need to get the AmiCDROM package from a PD library or the internet. The Amiga will then be able to read, not just PC CDs, but MAC CDs as well. If you have the Archos Zappo CD drive or the Squirrel SCSI interface ou will be able to read these CDs with the software supplied. Please remember that you will not be able to run PC software, just view pictures and text files. @endnode @node HELP_HARD "Why should I get a hard drive?" A hard drive will allow your Amiga to run much faster than you thought possible. It will cut down on the annoying disk swapping and allows you to store your entire Workbench set-up. Your Amiga will also boot much faster (less than 30 seconds), and you will be able to actually run most of the new games and technical software available. @endnode @node HELP_SCSIDE "Which is better, SCSI or IDE?" It really depends exactly what you need the interface for. If you are just after cheap storage methods, such as hard drives, PC floppy drives or CD drives then go for the IDE option. Its cheap, and with an interface you can plug four IDE units in at the same time. SCSI on the other hand is more expensive, but it is considerably faster and there is a greater range of peripherals available. @endnode @node HELP_AMEM "Why is some memory faster than others?" There are two types of memory on the Amiga- chip and fast. Chip memory is shared between the CPU, graphics and sound hardware, making it considerably slower. Fast ram on the other hand is only used by the CPU for storage, and so is alot faster. At present the Amiga only has 2Mb of chip ram to use which is has to use for display. Any graphical data has to be moveed into chip ram for it to be displayed as the graphics processor cannot access fast ram. If you want to use more than the 2MB limit for graphics you will either need to buy a graphics card (only for Amiga users with Zorro slots), or buy one of the new art packages, such as @{"Personal Paint" link HELP_PPAINT} which has a custom routine to load from fast memory. @endnode @node HELP_VMEM "What is Virtual Memory?" Virtual memory is based upon a program that fools your Amiga into thinking it has more memory than is actually physically present. It does this by creating a file on your hard drive which is then used to swap data. To use virtual memory you will need to have an a minimum of a 68030 processor with a Memory Management Unit (MMU), and either VMM or GigaMem (available from a PD library). Some programs directly support virtual memory, and so do not require any special hardware, such as @{"PPaint" link HELP_PPAINT}. @endnode @node HELP_BIST "What's the difference between structured and bitmap?" Bitmap images created in paint packages such as Deluxe Paint and Personal Paint store images as a number of individually coloured pixels. Structured images on the other hand store information about the image, such as the colour used on a particular part of a picture. This allows the image file to be slightly smaller and can be easily resized without making the image appear jagged. @endnode @node HELP_ZORR "What's the difference between Zorro II and III?" The Zorro III slot is alot faster than Zorro II. It was designed to use a 32 bit bus compared to the Zorro II's 16 bit. This means that it can send and receive twice as much data in a constant stream. @endnode @node HELP_AECS "Can I upgrade my OCS/ECS machine to AGA?" It had to be here somewhere. The question that dogged every Amiga magazine for at least two years is now definitively answered here. The answer is a resounding NO! Did you hear that NO, NATTA, ZIP, ZERO, NO CHANCE. Ahem. If you have a Zorro board you can upgrade your machine by adding a graphics card. This will give even better results than the AGA chip, allowing you to emulate the Apple Macintosh in FULL COLOUR! @endnode @node HELP_FASTPC "How fast is my Amiga compared to thw PC?" This is a bit difficult. The PC uses a completely different family of processors that behave in a completely different manner and obviously with the modular graphical capabilities of the PC it depends upon the graphics card in use. Here is a rough estimation: @{b}AMIGA PROCESSOR PC PROCESSOR@{ub} 68000 based Amiga Slow 386 68020 based Amiga 386 68030 based Amiga Slow 486 68040 based Amiga Average 486 68060 based Amiga Pentium PowerPC 603 based Amiga Fastest Pentium Pro/II To find out what type of processor your Amiga uses go to @{"chronology" link HELP_CHRONO}. @endnode @node HELP_NET "Can I network my Amiga to another Amiga or PC?" Yes, there are a number of ways to get your Amiga talking to another machine. @{b}PARNET@{ub} This creates an Amiga-Amiga connection through the Parallel port using a DIY cable. This mounts a new drive upon the Workbench called NET: where you can read the drives of the machine connected. @{b}SERNET@{ub} The same as above but with a Serial cable. @{b}ETHERNET@{ub} Only for bigbox Amigas such as the A4000, and A1200 with the PCMCIA slot free. This can be connected to another Amiga, PC, Mac or even the new PIOS system. @{b}NETWORK PC@{ub} A recent development that connects to the Amigas parallel port mounting all of the PCs drives upon the Workbench screen. @{b}INTERSERVER@{ub} You can run a PC emulation to use MS-DOS and a null-modem cable to communicate with the PC. This is useful if the emulation allows you to access the Amiga drives from the PC side, allowing you to copy files across. @endnode @node HELP_QUAE "Can I emulate an Amiga on my PC?" Surprisingly yes. A new emulator called UAE has appeared that emulates an A500, it is available for most platforms, including the Mac, MS-DOS, Unix, Sun and even the Amiga itself. To find out more click the button on the right -> @{" " link HELP_UAE} @endnode @node HELP_MEMPROBS "Memory and PCMCIA problems" The PCMCIA port is mapped into the same area of memory as some accelerators. The only way to find out beforehand is to telephone the company selling the accelerator and ask if it is PCMCIA compatible. If you already have an accelerator but are worried that PCMCIA peripherals will not work then load SHOWCONFIG in the Tools drawer. If it tells you that the expansion starts at $2000000 you will have a problem, so you will not be able to add more than 4MB of fast ram. If the accelerator is mapped into $1f00000 then you are fine to add more memory. @endnode @node HELP_Problems "Question and Answers" Here are a few problems that you could experience with your Amiga and how to solve it. @{" " link HELP_SPLIT} How do I split large files? @{" " link HELP_KEY} I have a problem installing a keymap on my Amiga. What do I do? @{" " link HELP_BAC1} How do I display pictures in the background on Workbench 3? @{" " link HELP_BAC2} I can display a picture in the background but two copies are shown and the colours are wrong. @{" " link HELP_TEXT} How do I view text documents from Workbench? @{" " link HELP_HD01} My hard drive doesn't boot when I switch it on. @{" " link HELP_ERM1} The graphics on my favourite game appear corrupt when I load it from hard drive even though it had an installer. @{" " link HELP_CDOS} How do I read and write PC disks? @{" " link HELP_RAD1} How do I create a RAD disk? @{" " link HELP_SCRIPT} How do I create a script file? @{" " link HELP_FREQUEST} How do I use those incredibly difficult file requesters? @{" " link HELP_NUTS} When my Amiga crashes the hard drive will go crazy attempting to boot and the hard drive light will sometimes stay on for up to 20 minutes. What can I do to stop this? @{" " link HELP_ABAS} Can I get AmigaBasic working on my A1200? @{" " link HELP_RAMICON} How do I create my own ram disk icons? @{" " link HELP_AUNIX} Can I run UNIX on my Amiga? @{" " link HELP_AX11} Can I use my Amiga as an X11 terminal? @{" " link HELP_SKICK} Can I run another Kickstart on my Amiga? @endnode @node HELP_RAMICON "Ram Icon creation" You may have noticed that every time you reboot you loose the lovely icon that you spent days creating from the ram disk. All you need to do is create the icon in IconEdit or a similar program and save it in your S: directory. Yes, the drawer that stores your Startup-Sequence inside. Then edit your Startup-Sequence. If this is already confusing I'll explain in these easy to use steps. 1)Load IconEdit in your Tools drawer. 2)Create a pretty icon. 3)Select and highlight "SAVE AS" from the pull down menus. 4)A requester menu should now appear. Click on the box next to DRAWER, type @{i}S:@{ui} and press the enter key. 5)Now select the box underneath by FILE and type in a name that want to call the icon, such as @{i}RAM.INFO@{ui}. Press enter and the Amiga will save the icon 6)Quit IconEdit and open a Shell window by clicking on the Shell icon in the System drawer. 7)In the Shell window type @{i}ED S:USER-STARTUP@{ui} and press enter. 8)The ED program will now load and you will see a blank window (if you haven't got a user startup already). Simply type in this window @{i}COPY S:RAM.INFO RAM:DISK.INFO@{ui} and select SAVE AS from the pull down menus. 9)A requester will now appear. Enter @{i}S:@{ui} into the box next to DRAWER as before and press enter. Now click on the box below, by FILE and type @{i}USER-STARTUP@{ui}. Now click press enter to save the file. 10)Reboot the Amiga and worship the customised icon that you have created. @endnode @node HELP_SPLIT "How do I split large files?" To split large files for transfer on disk you will need a program such as Splitter by Martin Schlodder, available on Aminet. @endnode @node HELP_KEY "Installing Keymaps" The first thing that you have to do is copy the keymap for your country, such as GB for the United Kingdom. This is located on your LOCALE disk, in the keymaps drawer. You have to copy this file to the DEVS:KEYMAPS/ drawer on your Amiga. THis can be done using the mouse to choose the file and dragging into the drawer, or it can be done on the keyboard by entering something like: COPY LOCALE:KEYMAPS/# WORKBENCH3.0:DEVS/KEYMAPS/ Where # is you need to replicate it for the name of your chosen keymap. If your disk is not called "Workbench3.0" then you need to replace it with the name of your disk. The next part is to set the INPUT program located in your PREFS drawer to use the British keymap by selecting it form the list, and telling the Amiga exactly where you are by loading LOCALE, which is also in PREFS and clicking exactly where you are in the world. CLICK ON SAVE AFTER YOU HAVE DONE THIS FOR THE AMIGA TO REMEMBER IT AFTER YOU REBOOT. @endnode @node HELP_BAC1 "Problems with Backdrops" To display a backdrop you have to load the WBPattern program located in your PREFS drawer, click on the pattern button which will change to picture. Now click on SELECT PICTURE and choose where you want the picture loaded from. @endnode @node HELP_BAC2 "Problems with Backdrops" The problem you are having is that Workbench puts the image in the background, but the image is much smaller than the picture so it is repeated. This can be fixed by resizing the image to be the same size as your workbench screen in a art package such as PPAINT or DPAINT. Your problem with corrupt colours stems from the fact that Workbench is not using enough colours to display the image properly so it has to be remapped in the palette that you are using. To fix this you need to load the SCREENMODE program located in your PREFS drawer and change the number of colours by dragging the bar to the right, which should give you 256 colours. This has the disadvantage of slowing your machine down quite noticeably if you only have 2 meg memory. @endnode @node HELP_TEXT "How to display a text document" This can only be used if the file is a text (ASCII) document. If it has been created in a DTP package such as WordWorth or Final Writer then you will have to use the export function to change it into ASCII code> If you are using a text Editor such as ED which saves the document automatically as text you do not have to bother. Follow these steps: 1) If the file does not have an icon load ICONEDIT located in the Tools directory and draw one. 2) Press the right mouse button and highlight the TYPE menu at the top of the screen. Whilst still holding your finger on the right mouse go down to and highlight PROJECT. Alternatively, you can press the RIGHT AMIGA KEY (The letter A at the bottom right-hand side of the keyboard) and press 4. 3) Save your icon by holding the right Amiga key and the letter A. Select your text document from the list and click on save. You can now close IconEdit. 4) In Workbench highlight your text document and click on INFORMATION from the pull-down menus. An information screen should appear showing a picture of the icon. 5) Click on the line marked DEFAULT TOOL: and type in MORE. Now click on save at the bottom-left of the screen. 6) Double-click the icon and the text will appear on the screen. Well done you have now used a text displayer to show your work. @endnode @node HELP_HD01 "Hard Disk problems" You probably have a hard drive that takes a while to get up to speed when it is just switched on. There is no way of actually stopping this but if you leave it for about a minute and then do a soft reset by pressing control (CTRL) and the two Amiga keys it will begin to boot. @endnode @node HELP_ERM1 "Problems loading from Hard Drive" This could be any number of problems. It may be the Max Transfer Rate, which can be adjusted by running HDToolBox in your Tools drawer. Select PARTITION, press ADVANCED OPTIONS and click on CHANGE. A screen will appear showing the Max Transfer Rate gadget. If you gradually make this HEX number smaller, by deleting the first F then you will probably get it working. If not, carry on reducing it until it does work. @endnode @node HELP_RAD1 "How to create a RAD disk" This can be activated by moving the RAD icon from STORAGE/DOSDRIVERS into the DEVS:DOSDRIVERS drawer and rebooting. Or simply double- clicking on the icon. To copy the RAD icon from storage to the DosDrivers drawer on a floppy based system through the Shell type: @{i}COPY LOCALE:DOSDRIVERS/RAD#? Workbench3.0:DEVS/DOSDrivers/@{ui} This will copy both the RAD file and its accompanying .info file to the destination. To copy on a hard drive system type: @{i}COPY SYS:Storage/DOSDrivers/RAD#? DEVS:DOSDrivers/@{ui} A new disk will appear on the Workbench called "RAM_0", which can be formatted an copied to as if it was a real disk. @endnode @node HELP_CDOS "How to copy from and to PC disks" THIS DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO RUN PC SOFTWARE ON YOUR AMIGA JUST READ THE DISKS. IF YOU WANT TO RUN SOFTWARE YOU WILL HAVE TO GET A PC EMULATOR SUCH AS PC TASK. IF YOU HAVE A DOUBLE DENSITY DRIVE WHICH ONLY READS 880K THEN YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO READ/WRITE HIGH DENSITY DISKS, ONLY 720K ONES. Drag the PC0 icon from the DOSDrivers drawer in the Storage drawer on your hard drive or your Locale3.0 disk and move it to the DOSDrivers drawer in DEVS on your boot disk. To do all this on a floppy based system from the Shell type: @{i}COPY Locale3.0:DOSDrivers/PC0#? DEVS:DOSDrivers/@{ui} Or, if you are using a hard drive type. @{i}COPY SYS:Storage/DOSDrivers/PC0#? DEVS:DOSDrivers/ It will now be active every time you reboot, so you can insert a PC disk and it will show up as an icon on Workbench. @{b}TO ACTIVATE PC0: WITHOUT REBOOTING@{ub} After you have installed the PC0 dosdriver you can use it instantly without rebooting. This may be useful if you want to save some work to PC disk that you do not wish to save to your hard drive, or you want to save time (although rebooting is faster). Open a shell (CLI) window and type: @{i}MOUNT PC0:@{ui} If you now insert a disk two icons should appear. One with the name of the disk, and the other with the name of the device plus four question marks after it, such as PC0:???? or DF0:????. If this does not happen then type: @{i}DISKCHANGE PC0:{ui} Two icons should definitely appear now. If it does not check that you copied the PC0 file and icon across properly and that you actually have a disk in the drive. If, after all this it still does not show up reboot the machine. @endnode @node HELP_POST "Problems with PostScript files" Although it is unlikely that you have a laser printer you may have access to one. Many of theses only accept postscript files. So, this tutorial tells you how to print out the work you did on your Amiga on it. 1) Set your printer driver (located in PREFS) to PostScript. If you cannot find it then you will have to copy it from your LOCALE disk into the printers drawer in DEVS:. 2) Find the CMD program in the Tools drawer and double-click it. This will redirect all printer output to a file. If you do not have much memory then you will have to redirect the output to a disk by selecting information and changing the line @{i}FILE=ram:CMD_File@{ui} to something like @{i}FILE=PC0:CMD_FILE@{ui} Now click on save. This will redirect it to a PC disk in DF0. 3) Load your chosen program, such as DPAINT or PPAINT. Load the image you want and select print. The file will now write to the disk. 4)Take your disk to a PC and print the image out using a package that supports PostScript or try a DOS command to send the file directly to the printer. @endnode @node HELP_SCRIPT "How to create script files" The script file is simply a text file that include a number of commands that are executed. The PC calls them batch files, but they are basically the same thing. This covers a basic tutorial of what you could do. The first thing you have to do is load a text editor such as ED by opening a CLI window and typing @{i}ED RAM:SCRIPTFILE@{ui} the program will now load. In the ED window type: @{i}Echo "Hello this is a script file that lists all the assigns that have been made." Assign Echo "That's it."@{ui} ENDCLI Now select SAVE from the pull-down menus. The file should now be save to ram. If you type the following into a CLI window then your script file can be executed. @{i}EXECUTE RAM:SCRIPTFILE@{ui} @{b}How do I get the script file to load when I double-click on it?@{ub} Once you have created the file above, load ICONEDIT located in the Tools drawer or by typing ICONEDIT in a CLI window. Draw an icon and make sure it is a PROJECT icon by pressing right-Amiga and 4. Select SAVE AS from the menus, or press right-Amiga and A. Double-click on the file that you wish to save and exit the program. Now, click once on the scriptfile icon in RAM and select INFORMATION from the pull-down menus. A screen should appear showing the icon in a little window. Click on default Tool and type in @{i}ICONX@{ui} in the space provided. Now save the file and double-click on the icon. You will find that it will now be executed without going through the Shell. Well done you have now created a script file. @{b} How do I turn my script file into a command?@{ub} Type in a Shell window: @{i}Protect RAM:SCRIPTFILE +s@{ui} This will add what is called a protection flag. Now when you enter SCRIPTFILE from the Shell you will get a list of all the assigns that you have. Don't forget to copy this command to the C: drawer on your system disk. @endnode @node HELP_FREQUEST "How to use file requesters" This explains what each bit of the file requester means. This is only of use for programs that use the standard ASL requester as Custom requesters may vary slightly. @{" Select file " link HELP_NAME} @{" " link HELP_LIST} @{"#" link HELP_LIST} @{" " link HELP_LIST} @{"#" link HELP_LIST} @{" " link HELP_LIST} @{"#" link HELP_LIST} @{" CHEESE.MOD " link HELP_LIST} @{" " link HELP_LIST @{"<" link HELP_ARR1} @{" " link HELP_LI @{">" link HELP_ARR1} @{" " link HELP_LIST} DRAWER @{" DH3:MusicModules/ " link HELP_PATHNAME} FILE @{" CHEESE.MOD " link HELP_FILENAME} @{" OK " link O}@{" Disks " link D}@{" Parent " link P}@{" Cancel " link C} @endnode @node HELP_NAME "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" The name of the file requester. This usually tells you exactly what you are doing, such as telling you to select a picture. @endnode @node HELP_LIST "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" This shows the list of all the files in the current directory. @endnode @node HELP_ARR1 "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" There is no actual up or down arrow on the Amiga keyboard so I had to substitute it for an arrow going left and right. The up and down arrows scroll the directory up or down, allowing you to see more files. @endnode @node HELP_PATHNAME "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" This is the pathname. It shows the name of a disk followed by a colon (:) then any directories, seperated by a slash (/). @endnode @node HELP_FILENAME "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" The filename currently selected, in this case CHEESE.MOD. @endnode @node O "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" Instead of double-clicking the filename you can select it and then click on this to load. @endnode @node D "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" This brings up a list of all the devices and assigns available to you. This allows you to select files from a separate disk. @endnode @node P "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" This takes you back to the previous directory. @endnode @node C "Amiga Interactive Guide: File Requesters" This aborts the requester so nothing is selected. @endnode @node HELP_NUTS "Amiga crashes and problems with the hard drive" There is very little you could do to prevent this. The Amiga has probably crashed whilst it is writing to, or reading from the hard drive meaning the information it was using has probably been "placed" on the wrong "section" of the hard drive. Unlike the PC the Amiga will usually repair the damage automatically, it just takes time. The only way that you can actually shorten the time it takes to repair itself is by holding down both mouse buttons when it has reset nd go into the Early Startup Menu, from here you can select to boot with no startup-sequence. This will allow the Amiga to sort itself out without having to attempt to boot Workbench at the same time. @endnode @node HELP_ABAS "Can I get AmigaBasic working on my A1200?" To run AmigaBasic on the A1200 and A4000 you need to follow these steps: 1) Disable sound output in the SoundPrefs editor in PREFS. This will prevent it from conflicting with the sound AmigaBasic produces. 2)If you have fast ram, run the NoFastMem program in your System drawer. 3)Avoid SUBS and use GOSUB instead to retain compatibility with higher processors. @{i}Thanks to Dr. Peter Kittel for this information@{ui} @endnode @node HELP_AUNIX "Can I run Unix on my Amiga?" Yes, there are a number of renditions of the Unix OS on Amiga. Most of these are very basic or require specialist hardware. Commodore offered a System V Unix with the A3000 in the past. It contained TCP/IP, X11 and other software, but a streamer is needed to use it as it came on tape. Another Unix OS, or at least a demo of, is Minix. This is still available from many PD libraries and Aminet. It can also run on almost any Amiga, and unlike other UNIX clones claims compatibility with the 68000 processor. The best of the lot however, is definitely @{"NETBSD" link HELP_UNIX}. This is well supported and well documented and is very stable. To run it you will need a 030 processor with MMU, a CD-ROM drive and aboyt 150MB of free hard drive space. @endnode @node HELP_AX11 "Can I use my Amiga as an X11 terminal?" There are two packages available that I know that do this. GfxBase, a commercial package that offers different window managers and clients is available. The demo may still be available on Aminet. If you can't afford that then try the freely distributable DaggeX. It is not completely finished yet and may be available on Aminet and your local PD library. Alternatively you can run a Mac or PC emulator to run a terminal emulation program from there. @endnode @node HELP_SKICK "Can I run another Kickstart on my Amiga?" There are quite a number of softkickers available to do the job. These require a ROM image which will be copied into memory and then reboot. The best of the lot is probably SKickPro, which allows you to load different Kickstart versions in from a menu screen. Alternatively there is ReloKICK, which only works with Kickstart 1.3 images, and Tude that doesn't need a ROM image at all and comes with a number of configurations to get certain games working. For those with a faster processor there is Ultimate Amiga Emulator (UAE), a Unix port of the famous Amiga emulator. It offers a numbet of features, such as loading games in a window. However, it is a bit to slow on anything less than a PowerPC processor, running at an average of two frames per second. If you have a Blizzard accelerator board you can also get a Kickstart emulator that uses the MMU to emulate a Kickstart. This runs quite well and can be use with a number of configurations. @endnode