Introducing the AmigaOS Documentation Wiki
The AmigaOS Documentation Wiki is now available.
This new wiki is meant to fill a gap which we have been struggling with since the launch of the AmigaOS 4.0 project: proper user and developer documentation.
This wiki is using the most up to date, original AmigaOS documentation we could obtain permission to use as a baseline. It is true some of the information is rather dated and/or obsolete. But a majority of the information still applies to AmigaOS 4.0 and beyond. In my opinion, it is better to start with something rather than be staring at a mostly blank wiki.
We are also seeking to reestablish AmigaOS related standards and registries. The official SANA-II standard can now be found here. The IFF FORM and chunk registry is now here. The classic Amiga Manufacturer ID registry is here. Special thanks to Neil Cafferkey for the SANA-II wireless extension and James Jacobs for taking care of the registries all these years.
Editing rights to the wiki are currently limited to registered users only. We are looking for volunteers from the Amiga community to help out. If you would like to contribute in any way, please contact us using the contact form on the AmigaOS web site. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Steven Solie
AmigaOS Development Team Lead
AmigaOne X1000 AmigaOS Update
The first update to AmigaOS for the AmigaOne X1000 is now available.
This update adds the following features:
- serial.device for the serial ports
- sb600ide.device for hooking up PATA devices
Registered customers can download the update directly from Hyperion Entertainment in the downloads area.
Customer support is available via Hyperion Entertainment's support forum at support.amigaos.net
Customers can expect more AmigaOS updates for the X1000 to become available in the future.
Debian Linux for AmigaOne X1000
Debian Linux is now available for AmigaOne X1000 First Contact customers.
Debian has support for both cores of the PWRficient PA6T CPU and can also access more than 4 GB of RAM.
Debian requires some know how to install and use. A special installation guide has been prepared which explains everything you need to know.
A special thanks goes out to Varisys for the initial kernel, A-EON Technology for the firmware changes and all the volunteers that have made this possible.
Registered customers can download the required installation guide and kernel directly from Hyperion Entertainment in the downloads area. Registration enables customers to also download future AmigaOS updates and gain access to the support forum.
AmigaOS Beta Testers
AmigaOS beta testers are not often acknowledged for the important work they do.
A fresh list of AmigaOS beta testers has now been posted on the AmigaOS web site.
This list is not 100% complete in that it only includes those beta testers that worked on version 4.0 of the Amiga's operating system and up.
Beta testers are not paid for their work and they are expected to pay for their own hardware as well as software licenses. Beta testing is truly a labour of love so hats off to all the volunteers.
Again, special thanks to Olaf Barthel who is the keeper of this kind of historical information.
Steven Solie
AmigaOS Development Team Lead
AmigaOne X1000 Now Shipping
A-EON Technology is now shipping AmigaOne X1000 systems to a select group of "First Contact" customers. Instead of waiting until AmigaOS 4.2 was completed, A-EON decided to do a limited production run of X1000 systems for the general public. These systems are shipping with a special version of AmigaOS 4.1 Update 5 only for X1000 users.
All "First Contact" customers will be provided with their own unique AmigaOS 4.2 serial number via email. This serial number entitles them to free support via Hyperion's support forum as well as access to any new drivers and updates via the main site.
Given the rushed nature of this AmigaOS 4.1 Update 5 release, there are still some bugs and a few rough edges. Remember, the X1000 was originally planned to be released only with AmigaOS 4.2 installed. Also please keep in mind most of the X1000 system is still unoptimized. This is truly the most powerful Amiga Operating System hardware platform ever released and we plan to utilize this hardware to its full potential in due course.
The development and beta testing teams we will do their best to help manage any issues as we march towards the final 4.2 product release!
Steven Solie
AmigaOS Development Team Lead
Where Credit is Due
The Amiga's Operating System (AmigaOS) has been around a long time and dates back to the release of the Amiga 1000 in 1985.
Many people have contributed to AmigaOS and you can see a (hopefully) complete list of those individuals here.
Special thanks goes out to Olaf Barthel for providing the initial list based on the actual source code commits. Recent contributions have come in from Robert "RJ" Mical and Bryce Nesbitt.
A lot of the source code has been changed and/or replaced over the years but many components and their original designs still live on in AmigaOS 4.1 to this day. Expect this list of credits to keep on growing.
AmigaOS 4.1 Update 4 Released
AmigaOS 4.1 Update 4 has now been released.
More details and a place to download the update can be found at Hyperion's main web site.
This update introduces a special bonus for AmigaOS 68K emulation fans: official AmigaOS 3.x ROMs and Workbench files. We plan to keep adding more files and helping to improve the emulation experience further in future releases.
Don't forget, for direct customer support please go to Hyperion's support forum.
Beta Tester Saturation
There are some nasty rumours going around about AmigaOS beta testing I would like to address.
First of all, we added a lot of new beta testers when the AmigaOne X1000 project began. Second, we added a lot of new beta testers when the AmigaOS 4.1 Classic release began. We still have plenty of beta testers from the Sam projects as well as original beta testers from the Eyetech days.
In short, there is simply no need for any additional beta testers at this time.
Once we have shippped AmigaOS 4.1 Update 5, I need to revisit the beta testing team and see where we might need some changes. The march towards AmigaOS 4.2 is an exciting one and we will need the best beta testing team we can get.
Steven Solie
AmigaOS Development Team Lead
New AmigaOS Web Site Launched
The new AmigaOS web site is now ready for browsing.
Check out the new web site here.
A big thanks goes out to George Sokianos and his team for this fantastic effort!
Steven Solie
AmigaOS Development Team Lead
AmigaOS 4.1 Update 4
Just a quick note to say the development and testing teams are working on AmigaOS 4.1 Update 4 right now.
Several issues identified in Update 3 and earlier are being addressed thanks to direct customer feedback via Hyperion's support forum. A huge thanks to all those that have taken the time to register and post your bug reports! AmigaOS can only get better with direct customer feedback so keep it coming.
Along with the usual assortment of bug fixes, there may well be a surprise or two as well.
Steven Solie
AmigaOS Development Team Lead