Earlier quoted context omitted.
perhaps with the passing of time and the state of AI, people might mistake it for an actual girl friend emulator! ;-)
I was always torn between Denise, Paula and Agnus.
As Agnus got older, she got thicc.
Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
11–20 of 39 posts
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#12WinUAE is the emulator used inside of Amiga Forever. I bought that, thinking I would do that instead of buying a A500 Mini. But then the A500 mini was on sale, so I bought one of those as well.
I hope the makers of Amiga Forever support WinUAE and also that they will bundle new versions like this in future Amiga Forever upgrades. I know there has been some controversy around the company behind Amiga Forever in the past. I never owned a real Amiga and I am not very familiar with what goes on in that community, so do not know any details. Any way as a frontend for (Win)UAE Amiga Forever is very nice. It comes bundled not only with some demos and games, but also a bunch of different pre-configured hard disk images to boot up virtual Amigas of different types with lots of pre-installed applications.
Unfortunately I do not know enough about how to use an Amiga to get any use out of those applications, and even less about how I would install other applications if I wanted to run other old software in those virtual machines.
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#13Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#14WinUAE is the emulator used inside of Amiga Forever. I bought that, thinking I would do that instead of buying a A500 Mini. But then the A500 mini was on sale, so I bought one of those as well. I hope the makers of Amiga Forever support WinUAE and also that they will bundle new versions like this in future Amiga Forever upgrades. I know there has been some controversy around the company behind Amiga Forever in the pa…
Commodore owned the rights to the Amiga's OS, which had a ROM-resident part named "Kickstart", the rest came on software disks and was called "Workbench" (also the name of the graphical "shell" the Amiga used). You generally should have both, but at minimum you need Kickstart ROMs to do anything [0]
When Commodore died, it sold rights to Amiga Inc, who then made these licensing deals:
* Cloanto got the right to sell Commodore's existing Kickstart ROM and Workbench (AmigaOS 3.1)
* Haage and Partner got the right to make a modern software-only version of Workbench that still ran on Kickstart 3.1 ROMs (AmigaOS 3.5, 3.9)
* Hyperion Entertainment got the right to make the future version of AmigaOS that also works on PPC processors (AmigaOS 4)... but they also released AmigaOS 3.1.4 and AmigaOS 3.2, which are incremental improvements over AmigaOS 3.1
At that point, Cloanto started worrying that people would buy Hyperion's AmigaOS 3.2 to boot emulators and they'd lose their market for selling legal 3.1 ROMs wrapped in Amiga Forever. There was a dispute between them and Hyperion... but there was also a dispute between Hyperion and Amiga Inc over AmigaOS 4, it's a complicated story.
How does this affect you? Well, you can use _any_ means you like to run an Amiga emulator.
* If you want to mainly play games, you can look for a variety of pre-built bundles of WHDLoad-installed games, or TOSEC disk images, and you can find frontends (like LaunchBox, Retropie) already set up to launch your choice of emulator (WinUAE, FS-UAE, Winfellow, UAE4ARM, Amiberry, etc.) and boot straight into those games. If you want to purchase a legal set of Kickstart ROMs, rather than just Google "amiga roms download", Cloanto will sell you Amiga Forever. You don't have to use their frontend if you don't like them, the ROM images you're buying (including the 1.3 ROMs for even older games) are lightly obfuscated but emulators can still use them independently of Amiga Forever.
* If you want to mainly run an Amiga desktop, you should consider getting any of the ROMs (3.1 or 3.2), and install the corresponding Workbench on a virtual hard disk... maybe even upgrade that to AmigaOS 3.9? It's very comfortable. You'll also want to ensure you install the Picasso96 graphics system, so that the Amiga can see your real machine's native screen resolutions. If you still like games, install WHDLoad and you can either use individual WHDLoad game installers to read disk images of games and put them on your HD, or you can find packs where people have already done that for you. You can then launch games from Workbench and drop back into Workbench when you press WHDLoad's quit key.
* As a further extension... if you want to see a totally tricked out Amiga that's full of alternative/replacement software, the sort of environment you'd have if you were a software junkie back in the 1990s and installed everything that looked cool on Aminet... then get AmiKit. Someone did that for you already. It's full of goodies but it's not "traditional", and personally I hate its alternative Workbench (ScalOS) with a passion, give me Workbench 3.9 any day...
Finally, if you do buy the A500 mini, it's ready for you to put more games on it via an SD card... it expects WHDLoad-installed games: https://amiga500mini.com/GetMoreGames
[0] WinUAE also bundles an AROS ROM; AROS is the Amiga Research OS, it's a portable implementation of the Amiga 3.1 APIs so should be able to run existing Amiga software... but games are tricksy and depend on various OS internals that AROS doesn't promise to repeat, so whether you can play games using AROS as the ROM depends on the game
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#15WinUAE is an outstanding emulator. Amiga is already such a complicated machine before you even consider that there are ~10 official models, hundreds of peripherals, and thousands of different configurations.
Toni Wilen has been involved with WinUAE since the late 90s and has been the lead developer for ~20 years [1]. It's one thing that he's still at it now, but it's crazy to think that he first got involved at a time when Amiga was still a fairly widely-used and supported platform (by third-parties; Commodore kicked the bucket in 1994).
It's unfortunate that WinUAE is Windows-only (hence the name). There are cross-platform ports (the leading one is FS-UAE), but maybe this fragmented development is a symptom of the project being almost 30 years old at this point.
As a somewhat hardcore enthusiast, I'm thrilled by HN's continued interest in Amiga hardware and software.
[1] http://obligement.free.fr/articles_traduction/itwwillen_en.p...
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#16WinUAE is the emulator used inside of Amiga Forever. I bought that, thinking I would do that instead of buying a A500 Mini. But then the A500 mini was on sale, so I bought one of those as well. I hope the makers of Amiga Forever support WinUAE and also that they will bundle new versions like this in future Amiga Forever upgrades. I know there has been some controversy around the company behind Amiga Forever in the pa…
Commodore owned the rights to the Amiga's OS, which had a ROM-resident part named "Kickstart", the rest came on software disks and was called "Workbench" (also the name of the graphical "shell" the Amiga used). You generally should have both, but at minimum you need Kickstart ROMs to do anything [0] When Commodore died, it sold rights to Amiga Inc, who then made these licensing deals: * Cloanto got the right to sell…
The situation surrounding Amiga's legacy and its preservation is significantly more complex than it appears at first glance. Cloanto, holding a sincere desire for the Amiga's continuity, possesses the rights for the emulation of version 3.1. On the other hand, Hyperion Entertainment, which holds the rights to AmigaOS 4, opted for the PowerPC architecture over x86 to protect its niche in game porting, fearing that a transition to x86 would jeopardise this sector. Importantly, Hyperion does not hold rights to any version prior to OS 4. Indeed, Hyperion had a hand the death of AmigaOSXL / Amithlon.
A year or so ago, Mike Battilana of Cloanto, along with associates, has acquired the remnants of Amiga, establishing a new entity distinct from Cloanto itself.
Despite financial challenges, Hyperion is being financially supported by an undisclosed backer, aiming to initiate spurious legal action against Cloanto.
It's important to clarify that neither AmigaOS 4 nor AROS was ever at risk amidst these disputes. Mike Battilana has expressed a strong desire to see an end to these conflicts. He is firmly against the idea of undermining any Amiga-related initiatives. He said to me in passing that he would love to provide enhanced support for projects like AROS, so AROS can, if it wishes, call itself Amiga Research Operating System again.
Mike's actions and intentions throughout this ordeal have demonstrated a level of integrity and commitment to the Amiga community that stands out, marking him as a notably principled figure in the ongoing saga of Amiga.
He's a good guy.
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#17WinUAE is the emulator used inside of Amiga Forever. I bought that, thinking I would do that instead of buying a A500 Mini. But then the A500 mini was on sale, so I bought one of those as well. I hope the makers of Amiga Forever support WinUAE and also that they will bundle new versions like this in future Amiga Forever upgrades. I know there has been some controversy around the company behind Amiga Forever in the pa…
Commodore owned the rights to the Amiga's OS, which had a ROM-resident part named "Kickstart", the rest came on software disks and was called "Workbench" (also the name of the graphical "shell" the Amiga used). You generally should have both, but at minimum you need Kickstart ROMs to do anything [0] When Commodore died, it sold rights to Amiga Inc, who then made these licensing deals: * Cloanto got the right to sell…
> At that point, Cloanto started worrying that people would buy Hyperion's AmigaOS 3.2 to boot emulators and they'd lose their market for selling legal 3.1 ROMs wrapped in Amiga Forever
This sort of glosses over the main point, which is that Amiga Inc., later Cloanto, repeatedly took Hyperion to court in an attempt to stop them from developing and selling updated Amiga software (and I believe hardware too, in some cases). I think this has been happening in some form or another for 20 years.
We live in a world where Apple—Apple!—released the source code for Apple Lisa OS, yet Amiga Kickstart ROMs are closed-source and cost money to download.
I'm sure Cloanto has done good work, but in any other retro community, this stuff would be open-source community projects.
Likewise, Hyperion could probably open-source AmigaOS 3.2, etc. without putting a dent in their revenue if they chose the correct open-source license. I don't know if they would, but the fact is that they can't even try, because they only have the right to release AmigaOS updates (which they also had to fight in court for years), and not to distribute source code.
I haven't been around for as long as many Amiga enthusiasts, so let me know if I got any details wrong here.
edit: See Gorilla1000kg's replies for some good information as well. I've met Mike, and he seems like a good guy and truly cares about Amiga. I don't know much about Hyperion, but they clearly do amazing work on AmigaOS. It just sucks that these beloved classic platforms are so intertwined with business interests.
For what it's worth, I haven't really seen any infighting about this in the Amiga community. We get excited when we hear about new releases. When there is news about some lawsuit over Amiga assets, the sentiment is just "We're tired of this bullshit".
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Commodore owned the rights to the Amiga's OS, which had a ROM-resident part named "Kickstart", the rest came on software disks and was called "Workbench" (also the name of the graphical "shell" the Amiga used). You generally should have both, but at minimum you need Kickstart ROMs to do anything [0] When Commodore died, it sold rights to Amiga Inc, who then made these licensing deals: * Cloanto got the right to sell…
> At that point, Cloanto started worrying that people would buy Hyperion's AmigaOS 3.2 to boot emulators and they'd lose their market for selling legal 3.1 ROMs wrapped in Amiga Forever This sort of glosses over the main point, which is that Amiga Inc., later Cloanto, repeatedly took Hyperion to court in an attempt to stop them from developing and selling updated Amiga software (and I believe hardware too, in some ca…
You have it wrong -
The assertion that Cloanto harbored concerns over potential market loss to Hyperion's AmigaOS 3.2 for use in emulators doesn't hold up when considering Cloanto offers ROM images at a nominal cost—essentially a dollar—whereas AmigaOS 3.2 is priced significantly higher, making the former a more accessible option for enthusiasts looking to legally emulate.
It's important to correct a misconception here: the developers behind AmigaOS 3.2 volunteered their time; they weren't financially compensated. This fact shifts the narrative considerably, especially in light of the ongoing legal battles, which, contrary to some perceptions, have predominantly been instigated by Hyperion. Given that Hyperion's management includes legal professionals, their propensity for litigation isn't surprising. Moreover, there are rumors suggesting Hyperion's litigation efforts are financially supported by an entity with a direct interest in Cloanto's failure to retain rights—a speculation that adds another layer of complexity to the dispute.
My experience in the Amiga community spans back to its golden years, allowing me a unique perspective on its evolution. Throughout this time, it has become evident that the situation is far from straightforward, entangled in a web of legal, financial, and emotional factors. The narrative isn't just about one entity's actions over another; it's about a passionate community caught in the midst of corporate and legal maneuverings, each with its own implications for the future of Amiga.
Re: Amiga Emulator: WinUAE 5.2.0
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
> At that point, Cloanto started worrying that people would buy Hyperion's AmigaOS 3.2 to boot emulators and they'd lose their market for selling legal 3.1 ROMs wrapped in Amiga Forever This sort of glosses over the main point, which is that Amiga Inc., later Cloanto, repeatedly took Hyperion to court in an attempt to stop them from developing and selling updated Amiga software (and I believe hardware too, in some ca…
You have it wrong - The assertion that Cloanto harbored concerns over potential market loss to Hyperion's AmigaOS 3.2 for use in emulators doesn't hold up when considering Cloanto offers ROM images at a nominal cost—essentially a dollar—whereas AmigaOS 3.2 is priced significantly higher, making the former a more accessible option for enthusiasts looking to legally emulate. It's important to correct a misconception he…
Thanks for your insight, you are more knowledgable on this than I am. I guess it speaks for itself that I don't tend to see the Amiga community strictly taking sides, and most are just tired of seeing this happen at all.