Surprise Amiga Workbench 3.1 Update, 20 Years Later

[intric8]

It’s fair to say that this was an update most of us never expected to see. Hyperion has released some bug fixes for Workbench, which can be used in emulation or classic hardware. The fixes are relatively minor, realistically speaking, but intriguing nevertheless.

They also include a free copy of Workbench 1.3.3 as a “bonus” for anyone who wants or needs it as an added bonus.

Workbench 3.1 (40.43)

Bug fixes include:

• Compatible with A4000T
• Installer fixed to use proper assigns to allow installation from other media than 6 floppy disks
  Workbench 1.3.3
• C/SetClock v34.3 by Olaf Barthel, which fixes Y2K issues and also works on newer Kickstart versions. The old SetClock command got renamed and left on disk for reference
• Deactivated "FF" program in Startup-Sequence to prevent problems on 68020/030 processors

Hyperion also released an update to Kickstart.

Kickstart 3.1 (40.72).

Changes include:
exec.library 40.12

• Updated the copyright information text
• Fixed a small bug in the memory pools code which mirrors the same bug fix in the same code that was used in amiga.lib.
  strap 40.3
• The Boingball logo replaces the rainbow-coloured checkmark logo. Slightly brighter background colour.
  workbench.library 40.6
• Rebuilt with SAS/C 6.59 in order to free up more ROM space because the copyright text in the updated exec.library. No other functional changes.
  scsi.device 40.21 for A600
• Small bug fix to the IDE task initialization, which now makes it possible to use it on the A600. Older Kickstart ROMs would use scsi.device version 39, because unlike version 40, it did not crash on the A600.
  scsi.device 40.21 for A1200
• Same binary as used for the A600

Nothing earth shattering here, but pretty cool nevertheless! The two updates, along with the freebies and a small discount, will run you about $20 US. Burning them onto your EPROMs, well...

The question is, though, should we expect more updates in the future? And will any vendors sell the licensed EPROMs for those of us on classic hardware?

[amigo]

Looks like you were easy prey for this Hype-rion "news"!

Cloanto had the same news two years ago (but I've personally had their "3.X" ROMs, with similar improvements, for at least 10 years):

• https://www.amigaforever.com/news-event ... pport-3-1/
  https://www.amigaforever.com/media/
  Amiga Forever Workbench 3.1 Improvements
  Amiga Forever 3.X ROM Improvements
  Cloanto confirms transfers of Commodore/Amiga copyrights

Hyperion merely copied a small subset of the improvements that were already applied by Cloanto, which was an official update in agreement with Amiga Inc. (as explained in the above).

You also write that Hyperion's release may be used in emulation. I think it may not, as Cloanto holds an exclusive license for emulation.

If you read the Hyperion-Amiga settlement agreement, you will see that Hyperion is merely a licensee of AmigaOS 3.1, which license was granted in order for Hyperion to create AmigaOS 4. They do not own these copyrights. Adding their name as the copyright owner in the new Kickstart is well beyond what they are allowed to do under the settlement agreement.

Could it be that Hyperion is as foolish as it is desperate for money? My bet is that within 30 days somebody will make them discontinue this release.

[intric8]

@amigo

First off, welcome!

Not sure if you work for Cloanto or are just very well-versed in their copyright.

You also write that Hyperion's release may be used in emulation. I think it may not, as Cloanto holds an exclusive license for emulation.

I'm simply writing what Hyperion wrote themselves on their website. And at least for now, what they've written is technically true. Whether it is legal or not is another question - a question I'd not considered, personally. To that end I have no idea what their economic pressures might be these days.

While I felt the update was personally underwhelming, I was encouraged by something being done, by anyone. Therefore, I felt their announcement was remarkable in and of itself.

EDIT: The links to Amiga Forever you post aren't the same files as what Hyperion is offering. Hyperion's files (which have to be burned onto EPROMs) are supposed to be updates above and beyond the final 3.1 ROMs from back in the day, which have been frozen in time since the demise of the Amiga (and before).

[amigo]

Not sure if you work for Cloanto or are just very well-versed in their copyright.

Looks like I have way too much time to waste, as in addition to your site I read things like:

https://sites.google.com/site/amigadocuments/

Do you work for Hyperion?

If Amiga journalists knew what they are writing about and always double-checked "press releases", this community would perhaps be more critical and careful itself. I've seen way too many Amiga-related scams

The links to Amiga Forever you post aren't the same files as what Hyperion is offering.

You mean the disk image packs, or the Kickstarts? Did you actually read those pages? Cloanto has not only been offering the downloads for Classic Amiga, but also actual floppy disks and EPROMs.

Hyperion's files (which have to be burned onto EPROMs) are supposed to be updates above and beyond the final 3.1 ROMs from back in the day, which have been frozen in time since the demise of the Amiga (and before).

Frozen in time? Not true. Cloanto has been updating these since 1997. Perhaps you need more time, to more carefully read the links I provided

[intric8]

So... I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot here. First off, I'm by no means a professional journalist. I'm a passionate fan. Like you, I think. And when I see news - any kind of news I find relevant and worth sharing - that's what I do.

I also am a customer of Cloanto - like you. And no, I don't work for Hyperion (I'm a UI/UX designer in Seattle). If you think Hyperion is selling a scam, that's probably news in and of itself, if true. The Google doc you provided is fascinating to say the least. But I wouldn't pretend to follow every convolution in the legalities of who owns what. Good luck with that. I never read an explicit line about anyone owning emulation this or that, either - and frankly I don't really care. That's not the point of this at all (yet?). If someone out there is trying to support the dead Amiga platform I still love to use, I find that fascinating. Will Hyperion get in trouble for it? Don't know! I guess I'll stay tuned and see.

Regarding my "frozen in time" comment - OK yes, Cloanto has released 2 small patches (I think) in the past 10 years. You got me. Count Hyperion's as the third for fun - but I think it's a totally different "branch", so to speak. If it's a direct copy, and somehow stripped down and repackaged... well, that won't go very far, will it? If Hyperion's update is literally an edited and subtracted list of updates made by Cloanto from 2 years ago, that strikes me as baffling. And when I compare Cloanto's 2014 own list of tweaks to Hyperion's recent announcement, they don't sound the same to me at all. Do any of the updates from either source sound particularly exciting? No. But updates they are.

And yet I wonder if anyone is releasing any "official" patches for Atari OSes? Or Coleco? Or ZX Spectrums? Or Apple IIGSes or even black-and-white Macs on mac OS 6 (or even mac OS 9 - that would be awesome)? If they did, I might post that here, too, simply out of jealousy and shock. See where I'm coming from, amigo? Take it down a notch.

At the end of the day, I recognize that you see yourself as a knight in shining armor - some sort of protector from "the hype" but you're chasing the wrong windmill. I think you might want to contact Hyperion directly - the source. You'd make more progress over time, I think. I've got no skin in this game except for often misguided and probably clinical fandom surrounded by jaded experts.

Peace

[terriblefire]

@amigo

I think this is great. Anything new in the Amiga field is to be celebrated. Although i'd have preferred it if Hyperion just open-sourced the code (opened, not made free) and charged me for a copy of that.

[intric8]

@amigo
Although i'd have preferred it if Hyperion just open-sourced the code (opened, not made free) and charged me for a copy of that.

Totally agree - I realize the Linux movement was born with the help of many Amigans looking for a viable system to invest in back in the day. But had the AmigaOS moved in the direction of, say, RedHat, that would have been amazing.

It still could, perhaps. I suppose that would be a dream come true. As much as I've appreciated Cloanto's efforts, a more dynamic approach like an open-sourced code would be ideal, IMO. And Cloanto could always go that route, but I figure they're way too invested in their current model to even see the benefits such a move would make.

[intric8]

As mentioned on Hacker News about this very same topic:

Such an amazing contrast between the Amiga and the Atari ST community.

In the Amiga community, which is larger and more fanatical in general, it seems like people figure they're going to get rich or famous. So there's a bunch of balkanized not-profitable companies creating bizarre ventures and trying to claim the Amiga name or lineage. And so here we have a company owning the OS assets and trying to sell them 20 years later.

The Atari ST by contrast has a completely open source operating system stack now in EmuTOS [which strives to be a 100% compatible native OS, not "next-gen"], unlike AROS. While it's not directly from the original Atari sources it is based on the GPL'd sources of the original GEM/GEMDOS from Digital Research and then modified until it is super compatible with the original OS. On top of that there is MiNT, a Unix-like multitasking OS extension, open source since its creation in the late 80s. And open source desktops, task managers, terminals, etc. And the Firebee, new hardware which implements the Atari ST/TT platform over the Freescale Coldfire, and while the hardware is expensive the design is open and the VHDL etc in it is open source. Oh, and there's open source VHDL implementations of the whole original Atari ST design.

I couldn't agree more.

[terriblefire]

Someone needs to run a kickstarter to buy and open source the Amiga-OS for all time.

As mentioned on Hacker News about this very same topic:

Such an amazing contrast between the Amiga and the Atari ST community.

In the Amiga community, which is larger and more fanatical in general, it seems like people figure they're going to get rich or famous. So there's a bunch of balkanized not-profitable companies creating bizarre ventures and trying to claim the Amiga name or lineage. And so here we have a company owning the OS assets and trying to sell them 20 years later.

The Atari ST by contrast has a completely open source operating system stack now in EmuTOS [which strives to be a 100% compatible native OS, not "next-gen"], unlike AROS. While it's not directly from the original Atari sources it is based on the GPL'd sources of the original GEM/GEMDOS from Digital Research and then modified until it is super compatible with the original OS. On top of that there is MiNT, a Unix-like multitasking OS extension, open source since its creation in the late 80s. And open source desktops, task managers, terminals, etc. And the Firebee, new hardware which implements the Atari ST/TT platform over the Freescale Coldfire, and while the hardware is expensive the design is open and the VHDL etc in it is open source. Oh, and there's open source VHDL implementations of the whole original Atari ST design.

I couldn't agree more.

[marky1200]

While I felt the update was personally underwhelming, I was encouraged by something being done, by anyone. Therefore, I felt their announcement was remarkable in and of itself.

My first post here, as someone who had a fair swedge of admiration for what was the Amiga, its good to hear news that there is still ongoing work with respect to the OS in a number of avenues. Sweet news