1 What is Workbench? Workbench (or Amiga Workbench)(recently renamed Amiga OS for version 3.5 and newer), is the operating system software used by the.
Hello Amiga fans, I have been very interested in getting into the Amiga scene, but I have
had some problems and wanted to ask for some guidance. When I first learned
of Amiga emulation I got very excited, because I always wanted to have an
amiga, but I couldn't afford one back when they were popular. One website
'Amiga Emulation Zone' that used to be run by Shane Monroe, really sold me
onto the Cloanto 'Amiga Forever' software package. This package was supposed
to let me run an emulated Amiga legally and I was all for that. Since I
never had an amiga before, I really did not know how to use it and pretty
much stopped messing with it after a month. I couldn't get deluxe galaga to
work (which I really wanted to play) and had no idea what commands to run
from the command prompt. So I had paid for something that I could not use
(It was only $19.95, so no big deal) Well recently I tried to use the Amiga
in a box software enhancement which supposedly can help amiga newbies
actually use the amiga, but it has a requirement that says I need the 3.1
Workbench ADF file. Well it turns out that Amiga forever only provides an
adf file for workbench 1.3, and the workbench 3.1 is pre-installed (I guess
that means it's an hard disk image). I think the 4.0 upgrade of amiga
forever might have the adf I need, but I feel the $19.95 upgrade price is a
little high, especially if it does not help me run the Amiga in a box
upgrade. Is there a way for me to convert the workbench 3.1 files provided
by amiga forever into an adf file? I feel that cloanto is trying to rip me
off (I mean they want me to pay full price for an upgrade of software I
purchased 6 months prior to the upgrade?). I am sorry if I posted an off
topic question to this newsgroup.
- Workbench 3.1 was the last Amiga OS version released by Commodore/Amiga, and the release by Cloanto aims to celebrate this version trying to be as true to the original as possible without compromising functionality. This is unlike the Workbench 3.X.
- For my ‘new’ Amiga 1200 I decided I wanted to have the latest Workbench running on it so I ordered myself a copy of AmigaOS 3.1.4. The ADF files over I.
- The Workbench is the Amiga's User Interface to manage files and start application programs and from v1.0 to 3.1 it is supplied on Floppy disk which must be converted to.
Eric
--
From Classicamiga
What is Workbench?
Workbench (or Amiga Workbench)(recently renamed Amiga OS for version 3.5 and newer), is the operating system software used by the Amiga range of computers.Some of the operating system is built in to the ROM (known as the Kickstart ROM) and some of it is on floppy disk (or CD for later versions).There were lots of different versions, some of which were quite basic and did very little (like 1.0), but all stuck to a similar design. Newer versions are backwardly compatible with older software, but poorly written software may fail on some later version due to software developers not sticking to the Workbench guidelines and coding directly to the system.Workbench can be run from floppy disks or installed to hard drive, either manually or by using the scripts and programs on the install disks.
Workbench versions summary
| Workbench version | Workbench revisions | Kickstart version Required | Distributed with Amiga models | Media set | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 30.00 | 1.0 | A1000 | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Very buggy early version of Workbench. No version information on files. |
| 1.1 | 31.334 | 1.1 | A1000 | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Still quite buggy. You can drag drawers into drawers and mess up the files on the disk. |
| 1.2 | 33.46 33.47 33.56 33.59 33.61 | 1.2 | A1000, A500, A2000 | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Some bugs fixed. Several releases, Addition of: SetMap, GraphicDump, Expansion drawer (& BindDrivers) |
| 1.3 | 34.20 | 1.3 | A1000, A500, A2000, some A1500s | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Popular version! Autoboot from any media, Addition of Shell and NEWCON: device |
| 1.3.2 | 34.28 | 1.3 | A1000, A500, A2000, some A1500s | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Available as an upgrade, but distributed with some Amigas. |
| 1.3.3* | 34.34 | 1.3 | UPGRADE ONLY | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Only available as an upgrade! AmigaBASIC was dropped from the Extras disk. |
| 1.3.4 | 34.?? | 1.3 | A1000, A500, A2000, some A1500s | 2 disks Workbench and Extras | Late rare version distributed with some Amigas. Some bug fixes, but documentation cannot be found to verify this |
| A2024* | 34.1 (34.20) | 1.3 | A2024 monitors | 2 disks 1.3 Jumpstart and Extras | Contains a utility RamKick which loads Kickstart and A2024 monitor driver. This release contained some 1.4 Beta code |
| 2.0 | 36.68 | 2.0 | Early A3000s | 3 disks Install, Workbench and Extras | New 3D look & feel, Early Startup Control added (hold both mouse buttons at boot), FFS, New style WB menus |
| 2.04 | 37.67 | 2.0 | A500 Plus, A2000, A3000, A1500, some A500s | 5 disks Install, Workbench, Extras, Fonts, A3000 Kickstart | Reliability improvements, ARexx, enhanced boot menu (both mouse buttons at boot), Outline Fonts |
| 2.05 | 37.71 37.72 | 2.0 | A600 and A600HD | 4 disks Install, Workbench, Extras, Fonts | Support for Internal IDE HD, Support for CC0: (PCMCIA Card Slot), Addition of PrepCard on Extras disk |
| 2.1* | 38.36 | 2.0 | UPGRADE ONLY | 5 disks Install, Workbench, Extras, Fonts, Locale | Faster asl.library, New DEVS structure, CrossDOS, New Prefs editors, no Say utility |
| 3.0 | 39.29 | 3.0 | A1200, A1200HD, A4000, A4000T | 6 disks Install, Workbench, Extras, Fonts, Storage, Locale | AGA Support, Enhanced Early Startup Control (Enable/Disable CPU caches), Datatypes and Multiview added. |
| 3.1 | 40.42 | 3.0 | A1200, A1200HD, A4000, A4000T | 6 disks Install, Workbench, Extras, Fonts, Storage, Locale | Supports CD32's Akiko chip, bug fixes to 3.0 |
| 3.5* | 44.2 44.4 44.5 | 3.1 | UPGRADE ONLY | 1 CD-ROM | Internet/Network support added, Supports HDs larger than 4GB, PowerPC support, enhanced CD-ROM support, GlowIcons |
| 3.9* | 45.1 45.2 45.3 | 3.1 | UPGRADE ONLY | 1 CD-ROM | Multimedia programs added (can now play MP3s), Integrated unpacker, Updated AWeb, Better Shell |
* Only available as an upgrade to an existing Workbench version
Alpha and Beta versions
Commodore had an odd policy on Alphas and Betas. Although not for public release, developers could get these quite easily, and sometimes these beta versions ended up on hardware tucked away somewhere. Examples of this are the 0.7/0.9 files hidden away on the A1000 kickstart disks (usually hidden on 1.0 and 1.1 disks) and the 1.4 Alpha ROM on the A3000.
| Workbench version | Workbench revisions | Kickstart version Required | Media set | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7 0.9 | 27.3 27.5 29.2 | 0.7 beta or 0.9 beta | 1 disk AmigaDOS 27.5 Beta | Contains some odd utilities used internally by Commodore Amiga. AmigaDOS only, no LoadWB or workbench.library no default assignments (only SYS:), files can be recovered from some A1000 kickstart disks with DiskDoctor or DiskSalv. |
| 1.4 alpha | 36.1 36.16 36.8 36.993 36.1123 36.1228 | 1.4 alpha | 4 disk Workbench, Extras, Includes and Autodocs | An interim between 1.3 and 2.0. Later releases have SOME of the 3D look, but it is unfinished 1.4 is used on early A3000s as ROM and softkicked 1.3 or 2.0 from bootmenu. Icons now on left, Zoom gadget now added, Fuel-Gauge gone Some of the Commodities from 2.0 are on the 1.4 extras disk! |
| 2.0 - 2.03 | 36.00 | 2.0 | 4 disks A3000 Kickstart, Install, Workbench, Extras | Used full 3D look, No outline fonts yet!, WBConfig in Prefs (replaced by ClickToFront utility and Backdrop menu item) |
| 2.1 | ? | 2.0 | ? | New layout for Say utility with GadTools interface Fonts editor has Bold, Italic & Underline for icon text |
| 3.2 4.0 | 43.1B 43.1 | 3.2 beta (43.1B) | ? | Designed as ROM/Workbench for new Walker model but then abandoned. CDFS completly revamped for Walker chipset and E-IDE interface, Removal of FFS 2GB partition limit, 1MB Kickstart ROM Sometimes referred to 4.0 internally by developers. |
Screenshots
Workbench 1.3.2 | Workbench 2.04 | Workbench 3.1 |
