• Amiga Arbeitsumgebung (Amiga OE) - eine verteilte Software-Architektur, die traditionelle Betriebssysteme dahingehend erweitert, dass sie eine große Biedienfreundlichkeit, durchgehende Vernetzung und ein System für portable Anwendungen bietet, die transparent auf Internet-Inhalte und -Angebote zugreifen können. Eine Untermenge des Amiga OE - die Amiga Informationsgeräte-Umgebung (Information Appliance Environment, Anm. des Üb.) - ist auf eine Veilzahl von Rechnern und Infomrationsgeräten portierbar.
  
  
• Amiga Multimedia Convergence Computer (Amiga MCC) - eine Hardware-/Software-Plattform, die speziell dafür entworfen wurde, um mehrere Merkmale in sich zu vereinen: eine außergewöhnlich hohe Performance im Multimedia-Bereich, eine neue Ebene der Benutzerfreundlichkeit, transparenten Zugang zum Internet und mittels Heim-Vernetzung, Zugriff auf eine wachsende Anzahl Amiga-kompatibler Geräte rund um die Wohnung. Der Amiga MCC wird in zwei Versionen vertrieben werden: ein integrierter Multimedia Convergence Computer und ein Standard-ATX-Motherboard. Beide bieten die Amiga OE, ein zugrundeliegendes Betreibssystem und Unterstützung für digitale Videos/DVD, 3D-Grafik, Surround Sound, und aufkommende Breitband- und Home Networking-Standards. Der Amiga MCC ist sowohl dazu vorgesehen als eine großartige Plattform für Multimedia-Anwendungen, wie beispielsweise 3D-Spiele und der Integration von digitalem Video, als auch als das Herzstück einer verteilten Home Computing-Umgebung der nächsten Generation zu dienen.

• AmigaObjects und die Amiga Arbeitsumgebung
  
  
• Das Amiga MCC-Betriebssystem
  
  
• Grafik-, Multimedia- und GUI-Systeme
  
  
• Durchgehende Vernetzung
  
  
• Software-BlockDiagramm
  
  
• Hardware-Architektur des Amiga MCC
  
  
• Entwicklungswerkzeuge und Anwendungen

• High-performance CPU der nächsten Generation
  
  
  • Hardware-Unterstützung für den Linux-Kernel, die Java VM und die Emulation der Classic Amigas
    
    
• 168-pin SDRAM DIMMs -- zukünftig Unterstützung für DDR SDRAM
  
  
• 32 MB System-RAM ausbaubar bis zu 288 MB (ATX-Zielkonfig. bis zu 1GB)

• Fortschrittlicher superskalar rendernder 2D & 3D-Hardware-Beschleuniger (unangekündigter next-generation ATI-Chipsatz - Specs sind noch unter non-disclosure):
  
  
  • 24-bit true color depth / pixel supporting 640x480 to 1920x1200 resolutions
    
    
  • Textur-Lighting & Compositing, Alpha-Blending, Vertex- & Table-basierter Nebel, Video-Texturen, Reflexionen, Schatten, Spotlichter, Bump-Mapping, LOD (Level of Detail: Objekte werden mit zunehmendem Abstand gröber, Anm. d. Üb.)-Biasing, Textur-Morphing, Hidden-Surface-Z-Buffering, Dithering, Kantenglättung, Gouraud- & Specular-geshadete Polygone, perspektivisch korrekte MIP (multum in parvo: es werden mehrere kleine, geglättete Versionen der ursprünglichen Textur bei weiteren Entfernungen verwendet, Anm. d. Üb.)-Map-Texturierung, Chroma-Keying, Bilineare & Trilineare Texturfilterung; zusätzliche Features werden noch bekanntgegeben wenn ATI seine next-generation Chip-Information veröffentlicht
    
    
• 32 MB 128-bit SDRAM-Framebuffer

• DVD-Laufwerk standardmäßig (DVD-RAM wenn verfügbar)
  
  
• DVD-Playback beinhaltet
  
  
  • Hardware-beschleunigte MPEG-2-Dekodierung: Motion Compensation & iDCT
    
    
  • Hardware-Halbbild-Dekoder mit interpolierendem Skalar- & Alpha-Compositor
    
    
• Echtzeit Videokompression inklusive MPEG-2
  
  
• Beschleungigte Aufzeichnung von Standbildern
  
  
• Analoges TV: NTSC-/PAL-/Secam-Eingabe, Digitalisierung und TV-Ausgabe
  
  
• S-Video & Composite-video E/A
  
  
• Vollkanal Fernseh-Tuner
  
  
• 44 kHz, 16-bit CD stereo Audio E/A
  
  
• AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 Kanal-Dekodierung
  
  
• S/PDIF Dolby Digital-Ausgabe
  
  
• FM Radio-Tuner in Erwägung gezogen
  
  

• 56Kb/s-Modem mit V.90
  
  
• 100/10Mb/s Ethernetanschluss
  
  
• HomePNA 2.0 10Mb/s Heim-Netzwerk
  
  
• Kabelloses 2.4GHz Digital-Netzwerk
  
  
• Breitband-Internet-Optionen
  
  
  • 1.5MB/s Kabelmodem
  • DSL-Modem
  • ISDN-Modem
  • Digitale Satelliten-Decoder

• 2 E-IDE UltraDMA Schnittstellen (Unterstützung für vier Laufwerke)
  
  
• Unterstützung für 2 Hochkapazitäts-Festplatten (ATX-Benutzerkonfiguration könnte mehr unterstützen)

• 2 PCI-Slots (ATX-Zielkonfig. 6 PCI slots)
  
  
• 3.5" offener Einschub für Zip/Jazz/120MB-Floppy oder andere Optionen

• Infrarot für Fernbedien-Geräte
  
  
• Mikrofon-Eingang
  
  
• Touch-Screen-Display Controller
  
  
• 7 Universal Serial Bus "USB" 10Mb/s Digital-Anschlüsse (2 vorne, für einfachen Anschluss)
  
  
• eine 1394 Option wird noch untersucht

FreedomC1.13.lha     comm/net   426K+Internet's Connections Manager V1.13
newscoaster.lha      comm/news  227K+Offline Newsreader Version 1.0 (MUI)
IRS-BRT.lha          demo/aga   502K+IRIS demo, second at SM99
wpz-frozen15.lha     demo/aga   698K+Frozen Pack#15 - Xenium Party Edition
MCC_Popph.lha        dev/mui     76K+Popup placeholder custom class (MUI)
die12.lha            game/2play 598K+Massive 2pl duel, major update
AlbrechtDuerer.lha   game/data  593K+AB cardset for klondike deluxe
Aliens.lha           game/data  430K+Aliens cardset for klondike deluxe
Animal.lha           game/data  659K+Animal cardset for klondike deluxe
Anthrax.lha          game/data  580K+Anthrax cardset for klondike deluxe
Dolls.lha            game/data  639K+Dolls cardset for klondike deluxe
Flowers.lha          game/data  669K+Flowers cardset for klondike deluxe
OSS_Camelot.lha      game/hint   17K+Conquests of Camelot Solve (German)
OSS_Dune2.lha        game/hint    5K+Dune 2 Solve (German)
OSS_Erben.lha        game/hint    7K+Erben der Erde Solve (German)
dmhd.lha             game/patch  15K+HD fix for Dungeon Master v3.6
WBPerplexity.lha     game/wb    280K+A really cool WB game from engine nine d
cnetdevice.lha       hard/drivr  84K+PCMCIA Network Card driver. V1.1
EP_JasonPageO.lha    mus/play     4K+EaglePlayer "Jason Page Old" external re
WBabkPlayer.lha      mus/play   130K+WB music player for AMOS -.abk modules
Hearts.jpg           pix/trace  225K+"Hearts" trace picture 800x600x24
CMQ060.lha           util/boot   12K+Patch CopyMem/Quick for 68060(040) v1.4
GetSize_dt.lha       util/cdity  13K+German catalog for GetSize v1.0

======================================================================
   _    __      _     <>_   __      _    ||
  /\\    |\    /||    ||   /  `    /\\   ||  A M I G A   U P D A T E
 /__\\   | \  / ||    ||  || ___  /__\\  ||     -News and Rumors-
/    \\_ |  \/  ||_  _||_  \__// /    \\_||   (An Occasional e-mail
         KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING         ||       Newsmagazine)
======================================================================
        AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga, Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
990716

   P R E S .   C O L L A S   I N T R O   T O   T E C H   B R I E F

             A M I G A   T E C H N O L O G Y   B R I E F

                 M O R E   O N   3 . 5   L A U N C H

                      T R O J A N S   F O U N D

                A M I G A F E S T   9 9   U P D A T E

                 A M I G A   S P E C I F I C   I S P

                  F X P A I N T   A N N O U N C E D

            P H A S E   5   G 3   B O A R D   U P D A T E

Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:
 As of today the cards are on the table! Below is the Amiga Technology
Brief we've been waiting for - some eagerly, some with fear- and a
good introduction from Jim Collas as well. Read it carefully - it's
the map to the future for Amiga. It's the first map to the future the
Amiga's had since, well, long before Commodore died. We've been
waiting for someone to lead the way since 1994 at least. Now we have a
roadmap. Some will probably not like it and leave the Amiga behind.
Others, the ones with vision I believe, will get behind this and push.
You'll find me there with you. As I re-read my words, I realize they
don't crackle with excitement. I think the controversy surrounding the
Linux/QNX kernel has drained some of the emotions from me and probably
the community as well. Maybe that's good - we can take a cooler and
more analytical look at what Amiga's doing. I expect the excitement to
grow over time, and only to really take off when there's actually a
product to look at.
 There's good news on that front too - by all indications, the
hardware design for the new models is proceding well and is nearing
completion.
 We look forward to what's bound to be a lively discussion of the
plan now being laid out. We've noticed in recent days more and more
of the Community taking a more careful consideration of the Linux
kernel decision. We hope the same sort of thoughtfulness will be used
in analyzing the Brief.
 Unfortunately, not everyone who can use a computer can also think,
even a little. Someone who insults Amigans by calling him or herself
one of us recently uploaded three trojan laced files - maybe more - to
Aminet. These files were designed to send obnoxious messages to Amiga,
apparently to President Jim Collas once activated in any Amiga where
they were installed. There's information below to help you avoid these
files. We're not sure what sort of creature would lower him/herself so
far, but whoever is involved has only one way to make a contribution
and that's by disappearing.
 Meanwhile, real Amigans can take a look at the information below and
start making intelligent decisions about the Amiga and the future.
 Best regards,
 Brad
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail to the E-ditor:

3 Jul 1999

HI brad a quick question maybe you know the answer.
 Can we use parallel port stuff on our 2000 ?? with a parallel card
maybe ? I am speaking about things like SparQ disks or zip drives ,
DO you think they might be avail for the NEW AMIGA coming down the
road??? Thanks I appreciate all the work you do and am also a
religious fanatic for the Amiga Unfortunately my 2000 has HD itis
right now and I am using the work laptop for this . sigh oh well soon
I hope it is fixed
 Dan

Dan,
 I really don't know how well the parallel items work with Amiga. I
use scsi for just about everything. Any experts in the reader
community who can give Dan some guidance?
 Brad
======

 IS THERE ANY REASON WHY GATEWAY-AMIGA WIL NOT ADVERTISE ON TV? OR DID
GATEWAY BUY AMIGA OUT TO MONITOR AND CONTROL AMIGA'S POPULARITY.ARE
THEY AFRAID AMIGA MIGHT OUTSELL GATEWAY? DIE-HARD AMIGA FAN.
 GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HEALTH-JIM

Jim,
 Nothing to advertise yet. However, read the items in this issue for a
sense of what can be advertised in the future. Also, there are many
indications in comments made on the Net that the hardware design for
the next generation models is just about done. Hang in there,
 Brad
----------------------------------------------------------------------

   P R E S .   C O L L A S   I N T R O   T O   T E C H   B R I E F

 · · OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY
---------------------------------
July 16, 1999

Dear Amigans,

 The next computer revolution is on the horizon. It is a revolution
that will unleash the full power of computers to the masses and
finally fulfill the promises of the information age. It will create a
new class of computing devices that combine power and simplicity to
make computers and the Internet a natural part of everyday life. They
will be exciting enough for the enthusiast and yet simple enough for
the common person. They will work seamlessly together in a highly
integrated operating environment encompassing the home, business, and
the world through the Internet. This is the future of computing and
the reason why we can't only develop an alternative computer platform.
Faster CPUs and faster graphics alone will not drive a revolutionary
new computer platform. They are important but not revolutionary.
Revolutionary thinking requires us to let go of past preferences and
envision a future that doesn't currently exist. It requires us to
develop technology and functions that enable this future vision. This
is the spirit of revolutionary innovation. The same spirit that drove
the original Amiga development team.

 We need the support of the Amiga community to drive this revolution.
The Amiga community is one of the most heroic, passionate, and
innovative communities left in the computer industry. We need these
attributes to succeed because we have charted a bold course. Like
heroic explorers in the past, we can't discover a new continent
without losing sight of the old one for a long period of time. This
makes some people very uncomfortable and anxious but it is a
prerequisite of discovery and innovation. Some of you will feel
compelled to jump ship and swim for familiar shores before we sail out
of site. Most of you will stay for the excitement of the journey and
the reward of discovery. For those of you who are staying with the
ship, tie down the hatches and get ready for the future.

 Before you read the technology brief there are a few concepts that
will help you put it in perspective. One is a high-level view of the
Amiga Operating Environment (OE). Instead of thinking of a single
computer with hardware and an operating system, I would like you to
start thinking about multiple computing devices integrated together
into a single large "virtual'' computer and an "operating
environment'' or OE to run this "virtual'' computer. The OE seamlessly
integrates multiple computing devices into a single, integrated, and
seamless operating environment. Like the OS for a large "virtual''
computer. The OE includes the OS for single computing devices but it
also runs the overall "virtual'' computer consisting of multiple
computing devices networked together. Every connected computing device
is both a building block and a window into this computing environment.

 The other concept to understand is AmigaObjectTM. The AmigaObject is
a powerful software structure used to access computing functions and
capabilities. AmigaObjects are the main structures used to implement
the Amiga OE. They enable easy integration of technology, distributed
computing, high-speed network transactions, and communication between
applications in the OE. They are powerful software building blocks
that will allow people to build impressive applications quickly.
AmigaObjects are portable and transferable across platforms allowing
AmigaObjects to proliferate throughout the network and the Internet.
Since AmigaObjects are transferable and accessible over the Internet,
you can easily extend the Amiga OE through the Internet. This will
become critical as broadband Internet access becomes more and more
prevalent in the future. AmigaObjects are implemented using Java and
Jini technology but are specifically optimized to implement the Amiga
OE. AmigaObjects will allow us to build our revolutionary computer
platform.

 The attached technology brief gives you some more detail on the next
generation Amiga. Before you read it, I have to strongly emphasize
that we have not released some of the most strategic parts of our
vision and technology. The vision of how our technology unleashes the
power of computing in the future is compelling. Unfortunately,
communicating the complete vision at this time would jeopardize our
competitive advantage and business success, especially if we released
this information on our web site. I hope you can understand how
important it is for us to keep certain strategic information from our
competitors. I can only say that all of the few people who have seen
our full vision have been extremely impressed. It is compelling and
will drive the future of computing. I look forward to sharing more
strategic details on the vision in the months to come starting at WoA
and AmiWest.

 Sincerely,

Jim Collas
President, Amiga
----------------------------------------------------------------------

           A M I G A   T E C H N O L O G Y   B R I E F

Amiga Product/Technology Brief

July 16, 1999


Introduction

 The vision and mission of Amiga is to make computers and the Internet
a natural part of everyday life, by creating an industry-standard
operating environment for current and future consumer computing
devices that enables a wide range of innovative Internet services. We
use the term "operating environment" purposely, as this software
infrastructure extends the traditional operating system to provide a
host environment for a new class of portable applications -
applications that exist in a pervasive networked computing
environment, and provide transparent access to Internet content and
services. In essence, we are defining a new distributed home computing
environment that enables a user experience that is much more
accessible than today's personal computer experience. This environment
will tie together personal computers, information appliances, set-top
boxes, next-generation multimedia convergence computers and game
machines, and a host of other computing devices to define the next
phase in the evolution (revolution!) of computing.

The products under development at Amiga include:

 o Amiga Operating Environment (Amiga OE) - a distributed software
architecture that extends traditional operating systems to provide a
rich user experience, support for pervasive networking, and a
framework for portable applications that transparently access Internet
content and services. A subset of the Amiga OE - the Amiga Information
Appliance Environment - is portable to a wide range of computing
devices and information appliances.

 o Amiga Multimedia Convergence Computer (Amiga MCC) - a
hardware/software platform specifically designed to meld outstanding
multimedia performance, a new level of ease of use, transparent access
to the Internet and, through home networking, access to a growing
family of Amiga-compatible devices around the home. The Amiga MCC will
be distributed in two formats: an integrated multimedia convergence
computer, and a standard ATX motherboard. Both include the Amiga OE,
an underlying OS, and support for digital video/DVD, 3D graphics,
surround sound, and emerging broadband and home networking standards.
TheAmiga MCC is intended to serve as both a great platform for
multimedia applications such as 3D gaming and digital video
integration, and as the hub for a next-generation distributed home
computing environment.

Technology Philosophy and Overview

 Amiga's long-term business success calls for a combination of
technology innovation, and technology integration. We are integrating
underlying technology components such as next-generation CPU's,
micro-kernel operating systems, graphics and GUI libraries and
frameworks, graphics/video/communications chipsets, wired and wireless
home networking subsystems, and object-based development environments,
in order to focus our resources on technologies that add unique value
to the Amiga Operating Environment. These value-added technologies
include: user interaction paradigms that are far simpler, and much
more intelligent, than today's personal computer paradigms; a "virtual
appliance" model that allows software applications to easily migrate
to multiple hardware configurations; support for pervasive and
transparent networking and Internet connectivity; and the underlying
AmigaObject architecture that implements and exposes all of the above.

 This short technology brief is intended to provide a very high-level
overview of the development direction and technology choices being
made by Amiga, and will be supported by more in-depth whitepapers and
product documentation as the new Amiga products are introduced in the
marketplace. In this document, we overview:

   o AmigaObjects and the Amiga Operating Environment

   o Amiga MCC Operating System

   o Graphics, Multimedia and GUI Frameworks

   o Pervasive Networking

   o Software Block Diagram

   o Amiga MCC Hardware Architecture

   o Development Tools and Applications



AmigaObjectsTM and the Amiga Operating Environment

 AmigaObjectsTM are the foundation on which all Amiga Operating
Environment services are built. AmigaObjects provide powerful
component building blocks that allow developers to rapidly create
impressive and powerful Amiga applications. AmigaObjects furthermore
enable integration of a wide variety of different technologies under
one umbrella. Networking is intrinsic to AmigaObjects, which means
that AmigaObjects are free to move around on the network or use
network resources. The AmigaObject architecture by virtue of this
flexibility enables a new class of "net-aware" applications where
there is no clear boundary between a device and the network.

 We have chosen Java (TM Sun Microsystems) as our primary programming
language for portable applications based on AmigaObjects (of course, C
and C++ will also be supported for native MCC applications). With Java
technologies such as kJava, pJava, Java2 and Java Enterprise Edition,
AmigaObject technology can be embedded in devices as small as
hand-held computers and scale all the way to large servers. This is a
truly revolutionary approach to computing; an approach we believe will
change the face of computing.

 The AmigaObject technology serves as the foundation for all objects
in the Amiga Operating Environment. The power and flexibility of the
AmigaObject naturally extends to all other objects in the environment,
thereby giving all objects in the system network transparency and the
ability to proliferate across the network.

 As mentioned above, AmigaObjects also integrate other technologies
into our framework. In particular, we make extensive use of as 3rd
party technologies where appropriate. Examples include Java, Jini,
OpenGL and several audio and video codec's. This enables Amiga to
focus its engineering efforts on the AmigaObjects and the Operating
Environment and less on creating technologies that already exist.


Amiga MCC Operating System

 One of our convictions is that modern operating systems are just one
component of the new age in computing. The value proposition is no
longer just the traditional OS, but an overall environment providing
intelligent power and transparent services for the end user. While the
information appliance portion of the Amiga Operating Environment is
portable, and will be ported to a number of operating systems by Amiga
and Amiga's OEM partners over time, we needed to make an OS foundation
decision for the Amiga MCC.

 There are a number of very interesting OS choices in the marketplace,
and it is fair to say that we have evaluated them all over the past
year. From traditional RTOS vendors such as Wind River and QNX, to
BeOS from Be Systems, to Sun's JavaOS built on Chorus, to Linux. As
has been previously announced, we had been working for some months
with QNX Software Systems to try to adapt the QNX RTOS to the needs of
a next-generation multimedia convergence computer. At the same time,
we had also been working with key members of the Linux community to
evaluate the pros and cons of Linux. As we focused on building a
successful business proposition, it became apparent to us that more
and more of our technology partners and software vendors were
encouraging us to focus on Linux as our underlying OS kernel. While we
were impressed with some of the technology elements in QNX (and BeOS
and Chorus, for that matter), we felt that it will be difficult for a
proprietary operating system to attract the broad industry support
required to be successful over the coming years.

 Linux has been picking up substantial momentum over the past year as
a viable, open alternative to Windows in the marketplace. Over the
past year, Linux usage has more than tripled, with both large vendors
and start-ups adopting Linux as their OS foundation. The growing
commitment to Linux applications from a wide variety of software
vendors, and the growing development and availability of Linux device
drivers from hardware and peripheral suppliers, make it a compelling
choice. Also, as we ported our higher level operating environment and
AmigaObject architecture to Linux, we discovered significant
performance advantages in the Linux kernel in areas such as
distributed object invocation. And, no small advantage, Linux is
probably the most stable operating system available in the market.

For all of these reasons, we have decided to build the next-generation Amiga
MCC platform on top of a Linux OS foundation. We would be remiss in not
acknowledging that there are issues to overcome with Linux, as there were
with all of the other OS choices we evaluated. For example, there were
concerns with TCP/IP performance, which are being resolved, and concerns
about the required disk and memory footprint. As anyone knows who has looked
at Linux, the overall system is quite large. However, as we build our OS
foundation, we are subsetting Linux to meet our needs, and are now confident
that disk and memory requirements are quite reasonable (Linux is starting to
appear in a wide variety of information appliance devices, and there is even
a version of Linux that runs on the Palm Pilot!). There are also various
other performance issues with Linux that we are attacking - as with the
original Amiga, we are tightly binding the OS kernel to a specialized,
high-performance hardware architecture that resolves many of the concerns
that we, and the Amiga community, have had with existing Linux
implementations. The momentum building behind Linux, and the resources
around the world being applied towards fixing various issues, gives us
confidence that this will turn out in the end to be the right choice.


Graphics, Multimedia and GUI Frameworks

 The technology strategy for graphics involves developing key
partnerships with companies currently producing state-of-the-art
component products. Amiga leverages the development efforts of these
organizations to deliver the product capabilities to Amiga customers.
For example Amiga is working with ATI to incorporate next-generation
3D rendering technology into the MCC (see the Hardware Architecture
section).

 The widespread acceptance and momentum of OpenGL makes it the solid
choice as a 3D API to exploit hardware rendering capability. In
addition, the latest Java 2 releases have extended capabilities for 3D
scene manipulation, advanced imaging, and overall media coordination.
AmigaObjects are being developed to give users device-independent
control of these various media through Java objects which in turn
access graphics hardware acceleration through OpenGL whenever possible
or appropriate. It is important to understand that, when discussing
AmigaObject or Java access to hardware-accelerated API's such as
OpenGL, care is being taken to ensure that the higher level software
does not "get in the way'' when accessing the underlying hardware. As
with the original Amiga, it is the tight integration of software and
hardware that provides overall system performance.

 The technology strategy for multimedia is essentially analogous to
that for graphics. The hardware delivery system for digital multimedia
may be a 3D graphics engine, a DVD decoder including MPEG 2 and AC-3
digital surround sound, or broadband Internet. For a complete
solution, the underlying hardware must be powerful enough to both
capture and play back audio/video streams. To accomplish this, Amiga
is developing partnerships with the leading hardware manufacturers of
these technologies. AmigaObjects are being developed to give
developers device-independent control through Java. The Java-based
AmigaObjects invoke methods to access appropriate levels of special
hardware assistance and acceleration. In cases where there is not a
widely accepted API such as OpenGL, Amiga and partners are writing a
number of these methods in native code as necessary. As with 3D, a
tight integration of software and hardware will provide outstanding
support for streaming media.

 The Information Appliance portion of the Amiga Operating Environment
will be hosted on a wide range of devices, and the interactional
natures of these devices can be expected to differ widely. It would be
foolish to try to design a single interface for a palm-sized device
with a small, touch-sensitive, grayscale display and a relatively slow
wireless network connection; a set-top box with remote control and TV
display; and a traditional, multimedia desktop computer with full
keyboard, mouse, high-resolution monitor, and broadband networking -
it is doubtful that any single design could meet the needs of the
users of all these devices. Instead, we are implementing a design
environment that will insure a clear sense of consistency of
interaction across devices, while respecting the physical constraints
of the device on which a particular interface appears. We will also
minimize the effort to which developers must go to create virtual
appliances able to run on a wide range of products.

 With regard to windowing environments on the Amiga MCC, we are
leveraging a combination of technologies from Linux and Java. At the
lowest level (managing the bits on the screen), we are using the
latest Linux X Windows window system. Most users and developers will
never see X Windows directly (unlike older UNIX systems, when X
Windows was somewhat cumbersome). However, the use of X Windows will
allow both new applications and standard Linux applications to run
seamlessly on the MCC. Sitting above X Windows are a growing number of
window managers that will be available on the MCC, and Java developers
will have access to the portable Java Swing GUI classes that hide the
underlying windowing complexity under a modern programming model.
Finally, there will be a suite of end-user workspaces, including a new
Amiga Workbench being designed at Amiga. There are already a number of
interesting desktop environments available for Linux, and it is our
intent to contribute the Amiga workbench to the open source movement,
and encourage the creative Amiga and Linux communities to modify,
enhance, replace, and generally get creative when it comes to
next-generation desktop environments (we believe that one of the
disadvantages of today's Windows and Macintosh personal computers is
the "closed'' nature of their desktop environments).


Pervasive Networking

 The near future will bring more high-speed broadband Internet service
to homes via cable modems, xDLS and other new technologies. The
industry is standardizing on technologies for home networking, giving
consumers the ability to connect products throughout the home using
standard home wiring and wireless digital high-speed options.

 Amiga-enabled products will support these standards and seamlessly
connect to each other while leveraging the entire home through our
distributed object technology. We are integrating emerging standards
such as HomePNA by Broadcom/Epigram into the Amiga Operating
Environment, using standard phone lines in North America homes.
Several initiatives are also being pursued in Europe and Asia, which
we continue to monitor. We are also investigating the front-running
technologies for digital wireless networks for the home environment.
Most regions of the world will standardize on a form of 2.4Ghz digital
wireless networking like that of Proxim's which we will support as
they become adopted by the industry. With the new Amiga object
technology and integration of these standards, the home will become
"the computer,'' including seamless high-speed connection to the
Internet.

 With AmigaObjects being the foundation for all object services and
supporting distributive processing in the Amiga Operating Environment,
networking naturally becomes pervasive. There is no distinction
between devices (e.g. hard disks) found local to a computing element
or an equivalent device found somewhere on the network. The JiniTM
technology from Sun Microsystems addresses many of these problems with
an architecture that enables instant connectivity of devices to the
network such as disk drives, printers, scanners, cameras, etc. We are
encapsulating Jini technology for the types of devices where it works
well, and are providing complete AmigaObject solutions for services
not supported effectively by Jini. We'll provide more details on the
pervasiveness of network services at a later time.

 The actual choice of transport is unimportant to the software and
application architecture. We expect to support most of the popular
networking standards, such as Ethernet, modem, HomePNA, HomeRF, IEEE
1394 and other digital high speed networking over time. The only real
issue is one of bandwidth: lower bandwidth connectivity tends to limit
the quality of services that can be offered. As you can see from the
hardware section, we're actively working on providing high-bandwidth
networking in our base system, thereby enabling a new generation of
net-aware applications and products.


Software Block Diagram


 ---  ---------------------------------------
| D ||  COMMERCIAL AND CUSTOM APPLICATIONS   |
|   ||    Java/Amiga Object Applications     |
| E ||  MCC/Linux/Amiga Native Applications  |
|   | ---------------------------------------
| V | =======================================
|   ||    * AMIGA OPERATING ENVIRONMENT *    |
| E ||                                       |
|   || ------------------------------------- |
| L |||       * User Environments *         ||
|   |||Info Appliance Env   Amiga Workbench ||
| O |||       Amiga Classic Emulator        ||
|   || ------------------------------------- |
| P |||     * Software Library Level *      ||
|   |||     Java Classes Amiga Objects      ||
| M |||        Amiga Window Manager         ||
|   || ------------------------------------- |
| E |||    * Software Interface Level *     ||
|   |||        Java Virtual Machine         ||
| N |||         Multimedia Services         ||
|   |||        Industry-Standard APIs       ||
| T || ------------------------------------- |
|   ||| Operating System: Linux (Full MCC), ||
|   ||| RTOSs, (Info Appliance Environment) ||
|   || ------------------------------------- |
| T | =======================================
|   | ---------------------------------------
| O ||Hardware Platform (processor, graphics,|
|   ||            audio, I/O, ...)           |
| O ||---------------------------------------
|   |
| L |
|   |
| S |
|   |
 ---

Amiga MCC Hardware Architecture

 The Amiga MCC is being designed to support state-of-the-art
multimedia while leaving the PC legacy baggage behind. The MCC will
have DVD, high-performance 3D, Ethernet-based home networking, digital
and traditional analog video and audio, and USB ports for digital
peripherals. It will have room for at least 2 hard drives, 2 PCI
slots, 7 USB ports and an open drive bay for enthusiast options such
as Zip and Jazz drives.

 There is significant momentum for USB (Universal Serial Bus) in the
industry. USB is a digital 2-way interface that supports up to 10Mb/s.
This allows game controllers to support high-speed interactivity,
including features such as force feedback so when you are driving the
car the wheel will push back on you. It allows hot detection of
devices such as keyboards, printers, scanners, cameras, game
controllers, storage devices, etc. In fact, the USB standard supports
up to 127 peripherals on a single port. For this reason we do not
intend to support the legacy serial, parallel, PS/2 or analog game
ports. You can always add USB hubs for more devices, and there are
converters to the old buses (e.g. USB to parallel) for your legacy
peripherals that you might not want to get rid of for a while. There
are even efforts under way to make the next version of USB work up to
100Mb/s. The industrial design for the MCC has been done by Pentagram,
a leading worldwide industrial design firm. Several concept sketches
(out of approximately 12 that were considered) have been previously
released, and the final industrial design will be shown at the
upcoming World of Amiga and AmiWest shows.

 As the foundation and hub for the Amiga computing revolution, the
Amiga MCC will be delivered in two formats: an integrated computing
system with an attractive industrial design and separate monitor
option; and a standard size ATX format motherboard for systems
vendors, software developers and enthusiasts who want access to MCC
functionality in other configurations with greater expandability.

 We have selected a very exciting CPU for the MCC, which is at the
heart of a next-generation processing subsystem. The CPU subsystem
will provide more than just traditional central processing services -
having chosen Linux and Java as two of our fundamental software
building blocks, we wanted a CPU subsystem that could be highly tuned
for a Linux/Java software base, while also running classic Amiga
applications. We are still under strict confidentiality constraints,
and cannot disclose information about the CPU at this time. However,
we believe the selection of this technology will give us a unique
advantage for the Amiga.

 As mentioned earlier, the MCC will include a very high-performance 3D
graphics subsystem, support for streaming media integration, and
support for the emerging home networking standards that will become
pervasive over the next two years. Following is a partial list of
features under development in the MCC hardware architecture:

Processing Subsystem:

 o High-performance next generation CPU

  o Hardware assist for Linux kernel, Java VM, and classic Amiga
   emulation

  o 168-pin SDRAM DIMMs -- future support for DDR SDRAM

  o 32MB System RAM expandable to 288MB (ATX goal to be expandable to
   1GB)

Graphics Subsystem:

 o Advanced SuperScalar rendering 2D & 3D hardware accelerator
  (unannounced next-generation ATI chipset - specs still under
  non-disclosure):

  o 24-bit true color depth / pixel supporting 640x480 to 1920x1200
   resolutions

  o Texture lighting & compositing, alpha blending, vertex- &
table-based fog, video textures, reflections, shadows, spotlighting,
bump mapping, LOD biasing, texture morphing, hidden surface
Z-buffering, dithering, anti-aliasing, gouraud- & specular-shaded
ploygons, perspective correct mip-mapping texturing, chroma-key,
bilinear & trilinear texture filtering; additional features to be
announced when ATI releases next-generation chip information

   o 32MB 128-bit SDRAM frame buffer

Audio / Video:

 o DVD drive standard (DVD-RAM when available)

 o DVD playback including

  o MPEG-2 hardware decode acceleration: motion compensation & iDCT

  o Hardware subpicture decoder with interpolating scalar & alpha
        compositor

 o Real-time video compression including MPEG-2

 o Still image capture acceleration

 o Analog TV: NTSC/PAL/Secam input, digitization and TV outputs

 o S-Video & composite video I/O

 o Full channel TV tuner

 o 44 kHz, 16-bit CD stereo audio I/O

 o AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 channel decode

 o S/PDIF Dolby Digital output

 o FM radio tuner under consideration

Communication Options (in development):

 o V.90 56Kb/s modem

 o 100/10Mb/s Ethernet

 o HomePNA 2.0 10Mb/s home networking

 o Wireless 2.4GHz digital networking

 o Broadband Internet options

      o 1.5MB/s cable modem

      o DSL modem

      o ISDN modem

      o Digital satellite decoders

Mass Storage:

 o Two E-IDE UltraDMA interfaces (support for four drives)

 o Support two high capacity hard drives (ATX user configurations
could support more)

Internal expansion:

 o 2 PCI slots (ATX target is 6 PCI slots)

 o 3.5" open bay for Zip/Jazz/120MB floppy or other options

I/O:

 o Infrared for remote control devices

 o Microphone input

 o Display touch screen controller

 o 7 Universal Serial Bus "USB'' 10Mb/s digital ports (2 in front for
easy access)

 o Investigating 1394 option

 Note: Full software support for these features and more will happen
over time.


Development Tools and Applications

 We are working with several leading development tool and applications
software suppliers to ensure that there are great tools and
applications for the Amiga OE and the Amiga MCC. One of the key
reasons that we chose Linux for the underlying operating system of the
MCC is the tremendous growth in Linux-based tools and applications,
many of which will be available for the Amiga MCC. Similarly, our
choice of Java for the Amiga OE was partly driven by the fact that
there are some very powerful Linux-based Java development environments
that are either already shipping, or will be shipping over the coming
months. The Amiga MCC will instantly be one of the best-selling
Linux-based systems in the marketplace, and it is the intent of Amiga
and its partners to ensure that these tools are available on the MCC.

 Obviously, we are not at liberty to disclose the release plans of
other companies. As we move closer to the Amiga OE and Amiga MCC ship
dates, companies developing applications and tools for the new Amigas
will announce their own plans to release software for the Amiga.

Summary

 We believe that the Amiga Operating Environment will power a wide
range of next-generation computing devices. The Amiga MCC as the
foundation, will set the standard for multimedia convergence computers
in the emerging home computing environment.

 This brief in no way documents all that is happening at Amiga. We
have several exciting things in development that we would like to
disclose to the community and will as our partners will allow. The
decisions that are being made are focused on the future while keeping
our eyes on today and yesterday. Hopefully this brief has given you an
insight to our direction.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

             M O R E   O N   3 . 5   L A U N C H

28 Jun 1999

San Diego, CA - OS 3.5 Launch to be held at Amiga Down Under '99

 With the imminent release of OS 3.5 for the Amiga Classic systems
available soon, the Amiga Down Under show scheduled for August 21, 22
will be the host event for the official launch of 3.5.

 OS 3.5 is the first new product for the Amiga in over 5 years, and it
includes the integration of the most requested features by Amiga
users. "When I took over the management of Amiga, one of my first
decisions was to get 3.5 moving and get it shipping. Now with the
release of the external beta, and the imminent release of the shipping
version of 3.5, I am pleased to say that we are beginning to ship
product", said Jim Collas "This is only the beginning of the New
Amiga."

 "This has been a very exciting project for us, and we know that this
is going to be a great product for the Amiga Community" said Juergen
Haage of Haage and Partner - the development partner working with
Amiga to release 3.5. "We look forward to the party in Australia to
celebrate its release."

 OS 3.5 is available through your local Amiga dealer or retailer, and
pre-orders are being accepted by most dealers. For those who have
pre-ordered 3.5, it will begin shipping as soon as it is released. We
are using the Amiga Down Under show as our celebration party.

 OS 3.5 features include easy Internet access, support for hard disks
greater than 4GB, a modern Graphical User Interface (GUI), extensive
CD-ROM support, support for current printers, PowerPC support, HTML
Online Documentation, bug fixes, and other product enhancements.
Please visit http://www.amiga.com/amigaos35/index-e.html for more
details.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   T R O J A N S   F O U N D

13 Jul 1999

 TRIPLE TROJAN ALERT. Files util/boot/CMQ060.lha
util/boot/FastIPrefs4037.lha and util/sys/PoolMem.lha are trojans.
These files were uploaded to AmiNet with filenames and paths as shown.
No known damage code except unauthorized sending of flames to
president@amiga.com . Removing the files should leave no damage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

            A M I G A F E S T   9 9   U P D A T E

AmigaFest 99 -The Show within a Show at Dayton Computerfest

 Things are happening in the Amiga Community! A lot of announcements
are expected at World of Amiga and AmiWest, along with the first
public display of mock-ups of the next generation machines. O.S. 3.5
is to be introduced in Australia and a lot of other new products to
support the Classic Amiga or in anticipation of the next generation
machines will be introduced at these shows. AmigaFest 99, the show
within a show, at the Dayton Computerfest®, will be the first
opportunity to see and purchase a lot of these new products in the
eastern part of North America. Computerfest®,one of the country's
largest computer shows, will be held at Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio on
28 & 29 August. The admission is $10, which is for both days and may
be reduced for those that only come the second day.

 O.S. 3.5 will be formally released the weekend before AmigaFest 99 in
Australia and will go on sale in North America at the same time.
AmigaFest 99 will be the first Show where it will be available. So
don't miss your chance to get it. AmigaFest 99 will be the first
opportunity for the users to see and purchase a lot of new products
being announced now and for the developers and manufacturers to
display them in the eastern half of the country. Don't miss this
opportunity!

 This show is being fully supported by Amiga and we are negotiating
for a more significant presence. They have kindly supplied prizes to
be given away. We have two Amiga 1200s and several other items to give
away. Don't miss this opportunity either. The participation of Amiga
executives is being considered.

AmigaFest 99 is a unique opportunity for Amiga Users:

 1. It will provide you an opportunity to see and purchase all of the
new Amiga products.

 2. It will provide you access to a concentration of Amiga Vendors so
you can get the Amiga gear you need/want, often at special show
prices.

 3. It will provide you access to an incredible selection of general
 computer equipment such as drives, storage media, printers, etc., at
 incredible prices.

 4. As with all Amiga Shows, the opportunity to spend time socializing
with fellow Amiga Users and Luminaries.

 An Amiga Get Together off-site is in the planning stages for Saturday
night. It will be informal at a facility where we can dine together
with a social time following. It will be pay as you go, order your own
meals and other refreshments. No formal presentations, unless we have
visitors from Amiga, who would be welcome to speak to the gathering.

 We have scheduled two, two hour Amiga forums in the seminar rooms,
one for Saturday and one for Sunday. If Amiga executives are present
these forums will be turned over to them. Additional Amiga
presentations are welcome, in fact we are looking for more, however,
we must commit the rooms before others do. Anyone desiring to give a
presentation at the show please contact Ron Schwartz as soon as
possible so we can reserve the rooms.

 The exhibitors that are currently committed to AmigaFest 99 include:

Compuquick Media Center
FWD Computers
Dan's Deals
E. S. Productions
AmigaCafe
AmiTech-Dayton
AMICON

 Tentative exhibitors:

 Nova Design

 We have also had initial contact from other vendors, some individuals
considering a table to sell some of their old gear, and several User
Groups. Vendors, Developers, User Groups and individuals considering
exhibiting, demonstrating, or selling, there is no better place than
AmigaFest 99/Computerfest®. Cost is only $60 per table and that gives
you access to 30,000 attendees. It is surprising too, how many of
those are Amiga Users who are not in the mainstream and do not get the
magazines or go to the Amiga shows, but come here to get the bargain
equipment. It is also amazing how many people with little money find
what they can afford in a PC is useless, but an old Amiga, for cheap,
is still capable of doing amazing things.

 AmigaFest 99 at Computerfest® is a unique opportunity both for the
user as well as the vendors and other exhibitors. Don't miss it. For
more information, contact: Ron Schwartz, phone 937-434-2144, email
schwartr@gemair.com or Leonard Carsner,phone 937-773-4520, email
nard@erinet.com.

SEE YOU IN DAYTON!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                 A M I G A   S P E C I F I C   I S P

28 June, 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMIGAOnline.NET - The only Amiga-Centric Internet Service Provider

 We proudly introduce AMIGAOnline.NET. The first internet service
provider dedicated to the Amiga community. You'll find all the
services you'd expect in an ISP like email, unlimited access and
technical support. But that is only a beginning. At AMIGAOnline.NET
you'll find dynamic chat rooms, monitored by fellow Amigans, Amazing
Amiga Stories, a timeline that chronicles the history of the Amiga and
technical information supported by Amiga experts.

 As a subscriber, you can suggest features and services. If your
fellow subscribers show an interest, AMIGAOnline.NET will provide it
if possible. The service will grow with its members.

 AMIGAOnline.NET can begin service in the Continental United States
with 1,000 subscribers. For $19.95 per month, plus an initial $25.00
set-up fee, you receive unlimited access, and email.

 Canadian service begins with 5,000 subscribers. Monthly service costs
$24.95 with an initial $25.00 set-up fee, for unlimited access and
email. Simply visit the AmigaOnLine.NET website to establish your
account online.

 YOU WILL NOT BE BILLED UNTIL THE SERVICE BEGINS! SIGN UP NOW! Become
one of the first 1,000 and make Amiga history.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                 F X P A I N T   A N N O U N C E D

7 July, 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT IS FXPAINT ?

 fxPAINT is a new, revolutional image processiong software for the
AMIGA, that will make use of the latest hard- and software existing
for the AMIGA. It`s planned to release a first, full release on CD
within this year (1999).

MAIN FEATURES

 fxPAINT is a strongly extended image processing software for the
AMIGA. It contains the usual painting tools, but also offers a lot
more. E.g. it`s possible to mark whole areas by a simple mouseclick.
Gradients can be added by a simple dragging, too. fxPAINT allows you
the usage of several, natural pens like chalk, pencil, the so called
"Artist Pen" or simply with pens, that were cut from another picture
before. As you might already have thought, when reading fxPAINT`s
name, fxPAINT is not limit to painting with colors or cutted pens, but
offers you a great palette of high-quality effects. This includes, but
isn`t limited to: Standards-effects like changing of brightness,
contrast or gamma. Special-effects like light-sources or bumpmapped
surfaces, glow- and shadow-effects, waves, explosive supernovas,
distortions, etc. You`ll also find professional tools like
Gradtion-curves or matrix operations. This opens up a great number of
posibilities to create and design pictures. Another special feature is
fxPAINT`s realtime-mode, that shows changes to the effect-settings
immediately after they were made. E.g. Light-sources can be dragged
over the pictures - in realtime and full quality!! fxPAINT basically
is similiar to a layer-based image processing package, but it isn`t
directly equal to it. You can paint with effects while the
Alpha-Channel (that can have full 24bit- depth) is fully used, if
active. Painting-mistakes can be fixed easily by the undo and
redo-function. Of course fxPAINT is not only very usable for changing
and manipulating images but also for creating them. E.g. fire,
fractals, screenshots, videodigitizes, etc. can be made directly from
within fxPAINT by some simple clicks.

EXTERNAL DEVICES AND MODULES

 The support of scanners and videodigitizers and an open, documented
Plugin-API will make you feel, that other programs aren`t needed any
more. To guarantee brilliant printings, optimized routines for the
printer.device and TurboPrint are available within fxPAINT. fxPAINT
keeps the internal multitasking. You can work even while scanning!

INTERNAL MODULES

 Maybe you are one of those (like me, too), that don`t make great
efforts to sort the graphics on HD in order to keep an overview over
them. That`s why you might like the inbuilt picture database called
fxALBUM. Editing a picture is very easy then, as you only have to
click on the image and on another button in order to have the picture
loaded in fxPAINT. If you want to, you can print overviews over your
pictures as well. For fast conversions between the file formats, the
module fxCONV is available. It allows you automated conversion of
several directories and/or files full of pictures into another format
easily. If you want to create graphics for the WWW and want to make
use of so called HTML-Imagemaps, fxIMAGEMAP might be your tool,
allowing you easy creation of ImageMaps within minutes!

THE GUI-SYTEM

 fxPAINT has internal BOOPSI-classes of its own, that ideally adapt to
the used hardware. No matter what hardware is used, the fxPAINT-GUI is
full of images, what makes fxPAINT more usable and effective. Of
course, a bubble-help-system is available describing the most
important buttons, so you needn`t guess, what this or that button
might be for. On truecolor-screens, fxPAINT`s GUI is most impressing,
because it then uses 24bit-gradients, that give it an even more modern
and unique look. fxPAINT offers you the ability to adapt to your
already existing knowledge by offering three modes for novices,
average users and experts.

PREORDERS

 Ordering now saves you a lot of money and gives you a lot of
advantages:

 - Preorder-price: 66 USD/50 EURO (YOU SAVE 27 USD/20 EURO!!)

 - including one free update via internet

 - You`ll be one of the first people to enjoy full PPC-power while
painting

 - You motivate us to put even more functions into the final first
release.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND SCREENSHOTS
 .. can be found on our completly redesigned website at
    http://www.innovative-web.de/
EMail: info@innovative-web.de
WWW: http://www.innovative-web.de/
Phone: +(0)049 (0)9132/3400
----------------------------------------------------------------------

          P H A S E   5   G 3   B O A R D   U P D A T E

 Update on the Next Generation G3 Product for the AMIGA from phase 5
digital products

 July 6, 1999: The recently announced G3/G4 project is now already in
it's finalization stage. During the past six weeks, we have reviewed
the overwhelming response of the Amiga community, and the large number
of requests from many users in regards to design features. At the same
time, we have been checking the latest developments in the industry,
which have opened up some new opportunities. Based on these new
possibilitites, we have made some conceptual changes to the design of
the CYBERSTORM G3/G4 and the BLIZZARD G3/G4 boards which we will
outline hereafter.

 A major change of the design of both boards is that we have decided
not to integrate SCSI and IEEE-1394 on the products as standard, and
therefore reduce the base prices of the products (we will make add-ons
available, and have also added other features, as you can read below).
We have decided to do this, as we found out that many customers have
very different demands. For example, many have been asking for
implementation of the U2W SCSI interface - even for the BLIZZARD G3/G4
board - which is more expensive and would later also cause significant
additional cost to the user in respect to cabling and adaptors. On the
other hand, other customers may only want to connect some older legacy
SCSI devices and would be happy with a cheap 8-Bit SCSI port. Some
other may not need SCSI at all, but want to pay the lowest possible
price for the step into the G3/G4 generation. Consequently, we have
decided to offer base boards without specialized I/O functionality,
but with the option for customized configurations.

 The good news is, that the CYBERSTORM G3/G4 as well as the BLIZZARD
G3/G4 will both have PCI slots already on board, which will allow to
connect PCI add-ons directly. In order to make the boards fit into the
same Amiga systems as the earlier CYBERSTORM PPC and BLIZZARD 603
boards, we will be using Mini-PCI connectors, on which PCI modules in
the new Mini-PCI standard can be installed. This design allows the
users to connect Mini-PCI add-on cards directly to the CYBERSTORM
G3/G4 as well as the BLIZZARD G3/G4, without the need to spend money
for a PCI bus expansion or to worry about mechanical integration of
such a board. Developers, as well, can easily use either common
Mini-PCI cards and write drivers for those, or quickly design new
Mini-PCI cards with standard PCI chips.

 Another change is the usage of standard SO-DIMMs (SDRAM) as they can
be found on modern notebooks, which also allow to design the boards in
very compact form factors, thus making the CYBERSTORM G3/G4 fit into
all A3000 and A4000 desktop and tower models (with fully installed
memory and Mini-PCI cards), and make the BLIZZARD G3/G4 fit into most
A1200 tower cases on the market and in use. As an integrated standard
I/O port, the CYBERSTORM G3/G4 as well as the BLIZZARD G3/G4 will also
have two USB ports to connect a fast growing number of inexpensive
devices.

 phase 5 digital products will also be offering some cost-effective
MiniPCI add-on modules. We have a number of options which add-on
boards for I/O purposes may be developed by us, and which will be
quickly realized depending on the actual demand. It may be noted that
these options include those functions which were originally considered
to be on-board, and are now simply moved to an optional MiniPCI card.
The currently planned, optionally available modules include:

 o An U2W SCSI controller w/ internal 68pin port and active
termination, for a net retail price of EURO 150 or US$160

 o An Ultra SCSI controller w/ internal 50pin port and active
termination, for a net retail price of EURO 80 or US$90

 o An Ultra-DMA IDE/ATA controller 66MHz with 2 ports (to support 4
 devices) for a net retail price of EURO 80 or US$90

 o An IEEE-1394 Controller with 2 ports at 400Mbps, for a net retail
price of EURO 100 or US$110

 For any of these modules, a minimum order quantity of 250 units must
be reached, in order to justify the software and hardware realization.
If for any of these modules this quantity can not be reached, we will
inform all customers who have ordered this option. Customers can now -
in the updated ordering form - order these boards to be shipped with
their BLIZZARD G3/G4 or CYBERSTORM G3/G4 board.

 A word on G4 versions:

 It seems today that with the initial release of the BLIZZARD and
CYBERSTORM G3/G4 boards, the G4 processors may not be shipping in
quantities. But it is even more important that support of the improved
features of the G4 processor by Amiga software applications,
developers and tools will take time, and it is very unlikely that
wider support of these features - which the Amiga users would benefit
from - will be realized before early next year. Because of this reason
(and yet undetermined pricing and available frequencies), we have
decided to remove the G4 offer from the product list right now. We
believe that the time for the G4 will come in the year 2000, after
Amiga developers have implemented G4 support into software
applications, and availability and pricing of the G4 processors makes
them an even more attractive choice than in the very near future.
Remember, both the BLIZZARD and the CYBERSTORM G3/G4 have a socketed
processor module, which will allow for easy upgrading - and phase 5
digital products will offer attractively priced G4 modules as soon as
the G4 processors are shipping in quantities.

The release is getting closer any day!

 The development is currently right on track, and we plan to start
shipping the preordered BLIZZARD and CYBERSTORM G3/G4 boards in early
September. If you have not yet placed an order for one of these
stunning new products, please keep in mind that the preorder discount
will only be granted to all orders which we receive until August 10,
1999. If you had placed an order already, please renew your order with
the updated order form and the new options, and mail or fax it to us
(all customers who have placed an initial order by email will also
receive a notification to do so; please note that - due to the many
changes in the products and prices - all orders which were placed by
email prior to July 8, 1999, are void).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amiga Update on the net:
 All back issues available at:
    http://www.globaldialog.com/~amigaupdate/index.html
    {Note new address!}
Stop by and check out our archive!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1999 by Brad Webb.    Freely distributable, if not modified.
======================================================================
                 _    __      _     <>_   __      _
   A M I G A    /\\    |\    /||    ||   /  `    /\\      A M I G A
  U P D A T E  /__\\   | \  / ||    ||  || ___  /__\\    U P D A T E
              /    \\_ |  \/  ||_  _||_  \__// /    \\_
                    amigaupdate@globaldialog.com
======================================================================

• Adventure im LucasArts-Stil
• AGA-Unterstützung(ausschließlich AGA)
• Hintergründe per Raytracing erzeugt
• Bis zu 5 Ansichten pro Raum
• 1200+ Bilder für den Hauptcharakter
• 500+ Bilder für die anderen Charaktere
• Aktion-Sequenzen
• Gespräche in Videosequenzen(englisch mit englischen, deutschen oder französischen Untertiteln)
• Horror- und Shock-Effekte
• Viele, per Raytracing erzeugte, Videosequenzen.
• Iconleiste kann entfernt werden -> Homecinema-Effekt

• Amiga
• CPU: 68030(läuft wohl auch ab 68020)
• Grafik: AGA
• Chip-RAM: 2MB
• Fast-RAM: 16MB
• CD-ROM: 2-fach
• Festplatte: 5MB frei
• Monitor für PAL-Modus

• Martin Sahlén (ACG - AAA Awards)
• Michael C. Battilana (Cloanto)
• Petro Tyschtschenko (AMIGA)
• Fleecy Moss (KOSH)
• Paul Nolan (Paul Nolan Ltd)
• Daniel Schulz + female surprise (Annex)
• Tim Corringham (Ramjam Consultants Ltd)
• Kermit Woodall (Nova Design, Inc.)
• Olaf Barthel
• Andrew Korn + Mark Hinton (Amigactive, WoA)
• Tony Mees (UGN (Europe))
• Chris Wiles + Simone Tellini + Oliver Wagner (Active Technologies)
• Laurent Tissier or Mathieu Lagier (Atéo Concepts)
• Eine weitere Überraschung

• linux.tc3net.com
• linux.us.amiganet.org
• stayfree.uk.amiganet.org
• whiterose.us.amiganet.org
• kth.se.amiganet.org

• Samstag, den 24. Juli 1999: 9.30 - 17.40h (GMT, London)
• Sonntag, den 25. Juli 1999: 9.30 - 16.00h (GMT, London)

• Auf dem Amiga am UGN-Stand
• Auf der UGN-Website: http://ugn.amiga.org/events/woa99-journalism.shtml
• Über den IRC-Dateiserver(s.o.)

• Active Technologies(AmIRC 3 und 1 interne ISDN-Karte)
• AMIGA
• Haage&Partner GmbH(2 PCMCIA Ethernet Karten)

• Christophe Heereman, "Press release: UGN at WoA; different projects planned!", comp.sys.amiga.misc, 15-Jul-1999, Msg-ID: 931991296.441463@smtp.xs4all.be

• "Exodus Multimedia", Exodus Multimedia, 10-Jul-1999, http://www.exodusmm.com/amiga/

• 2kB FIFO Cache mit einem schnellen, synchronen Datentransfer(keine Waitstates) über den Zorro-II-Bus.
• Crystal Semiconductor Sound Codec 4231A
• Multilayer-Platine mit EMI-Filterung
• Qualitativ hochwertiger Analog-Teil
• 14 Samplingraten von 5.51 bis 48kHz darunter 11.025, 22.05, 32, 44.1 kHz, und bis zu 64khz.
• Die Hardware unterstützt folgende Codecs: ALaw, uLaw, 16Bit, 8Bit, ADPCM.
• Stereo-Buchse zum Anschluß einer Hifi-Anlage oder eines Aktiv-Lautsprechers.
• 4 Buchsen für Stereo-Eingabe: LINE, AUX1, AUX2 und MIC mit Pre-Amplifier.
• Interne Anschlüße für Amiga-Audio, CD-ROM-Audio, Lautsprecher.
• AHI Unterstützung

• Thomas Wenzel, "Arpeggiator", 14-Jul-1999, http://www.act-net.com/wenzel/PrlExpansions_d.html
• "ACT - Prelude ZII 16bit Soundcard", A.C.T., 14-Jul-1999, http://act-net.com/Prelude/preludez2e.html

• Unterstützung von vorhandener Hardware
  • Scanner (über ScanQuix)
  • VLab und evtl. auch andere Video-Digitizer
• Erzeugung neuer Bilder und Texturen als Grundfunktion
  • Fraktale
  • Feuer
  • Screengrabber
• Volle PPC-Unterstützung
  • PPC-Unterstützung wurde von Anfang an berücksichtigt
  • Unterstützung von WarpUP und PowerUP (ppc.lib)
  • Offene PPC-Unterstützung ermöglicht theoretisch Unterstützung jedes (auch evtl. neuer) PPC-Treibersystems
• Optimierte Druckfunktionen
  • Unterstützung von TurboPrint
  • Unterstützung der gewöhnlichen OS3.0-Treiber
  • Unterstützung der neuen API von AmigaOS 3.5
• 24 Bit-Alpha-Kanal
  • Einfache Zuschaltung und Auswahl
  • Volle Kontrolle über Transparenzeffekte
  • Getrennte Manipulation der Rot-, Grün- und Blau-Anteile
• Offene und öffentlich dokumentierte Plugin-Schnittstelle fxPLUGIN für
  • Lade-Module
  • Speicher-Module
  • Effekt-Module
  • Module für zusätzliche Funktionalität
• Umfangreiche Effekte und Spezialeffekte(Auszug)
  • Effekte werden in Echtzeit berechnet und angezeigt
  • Effekte sind in Kategorien geordnet (-> Schnelles Finden möglich)
  • Mosaik (ein Bild durch mehrere andere Bilder ersetzen)
  • Bumpmapper mit umfangreichen Optionen (für Effekte wie in 'Candy Factory')
  • Lichteffekte (Lensflares, Explosionen, Supernovas)
  • Verzerrungen (Seite knicken, Lightspeed, Erdbeben, Wellen)
  • Durchrubbeln von Bildern
  • Zeichnen auf Oberflächen
  • Glüh- und Schatteneffekte
  • Umfangreiche Möglichkeiten zur Bildretusche
  • Umfangreiche Funktionen zur Nachbearbeitung von gescannten Bildern
  • Öl-Gemälde, Button-Rand (für 3D-Buttons)
  • Matrix-Operationen (Konvolution, Emboss)
  • Gradationskurven zur optimalen Regelung von Helligkeits-Verteilungen
  • MinMax - verwandeln Sie blasse Bilder in Bilder mit leuchtenden Farben
  • Posterisieren, Farbe ersetzen (auch graduell), RGB-Verschiebungen
  • Einfärben, Explosionseffekt
  • Collage-Funktion mit Maskierung und Glüh- und Schatteneffekten
  • Interlace und Deinterlace zur Videonachbearbeitung
  • Invertieren und logische Funktionen
  • Spiegelungen, Pixelise, Zerstreuen, Zersprühen, Rauschen, isolierte Pixel entfernen
  • Weichzeichnen, Median, Zoom-Weichzeichner
  • Selektiver Gauss-Weichzeichner (zur professionellen Nachbearbeitung von digitalisierten Videobildern)
  • Anti "rote Augen", Antik, Schwarzweiß
  • Kontrast-, Helligkeits, Gamma-, Rot-, Grün-, Blau-Korrektur
  • 14 unterschiedliche Dithering- und Farbreduktions-Verfahren für alle Lebenslagen
  • ...
• Umfangreiche Zeichenwerkzeuge
  • Zauberstab(Magic Stick/Pantograph)-Funktion
  • Farbverläufe als Grundzeichenwerkzeug
  • Verschmierungs- und Verwischungs-Werkzeug
  • übliche Grundwerkzeuge
• Integrierte Bildverwaltung fxALBUM
  • Schnelle Katalogisierung von Bildbeständen
  • Direkte Verwebung mit fxPAINT und somit optimale Bearbeitungsmöglichkeiten
  • Drucken von Übersichten
  • Organisation in Katalogen
• Integrierter Miniconvert fxCONV
  • Konvertierung von mehreren Verzeichnissen voll von Bildern möglich
  • Konvertierung von einem zu einem beliebigen Format, daß von fxPAINT unterstützt wird
• Komplett neue Bibliothek von Lade- und Speichermodulen
  • Hochoptimiert
  • Lesen/schreiben von Formaten, wie etwa ILBM, PCX, BMP, TARGA, JPEG, YUVN, PCD, LJPG, PNM, RGB8, ...
• PhotoCD(tm)-kompatibel
  • Verwalten, ansehen, katalogisieren von PhotoCDs via fxALBUM
  • Hochoptimierter, schneller Loader
• Eigenes Oberflächen-System
  • Realisierung als systemkonforme BOOPSI-Objekte
  • 24Bit Oberflächen-Elemente und Farbverläufe
  • Oberfläche durchgehend "bebildert"
  • Bubble-Help für einfache Erlernung
  • Drei unterschiedliche Erfahrungsgrade, nach denen sich fxPAINT richtet
  • Automatisches Fixieren von Fensterpositionen
  • Keine Hacks, Patches, etc.
• ARexx-Unterstützung

• AmigaOS 3.0+
• 68020
• 6 MB RAM
• 10 MB Festplatte

• AmigaOS 3.0+
• 68040/060
• 16 MB RAM
• 10 MB Festplatte

• AmigaOS 3.0+
• 68040/060 und PPC
• 32 MB RAM oder mehr
• 20 MB Festplatte

• "fxPAINT - Beschreibung", Innovative, 06-Jun-1999, http://www.innovative-web.de/fxpaint/desc_d.html
• "Features von fxPAINT", Innovative, 20-Jun-1999, http://www.innovative-web.de/fxpaint/feat_d.html

poolmemdec     eor $D00D
00000000: 62736473 6f636b65 742e6c69 62726172 bsdsocket.librar
00000010: 79001002 0019c38f 38460000 00000000 y.......8F......
00000020: 00010000 001e4845 4c4f0a00 4d41494c ......HELO..MAIL
00000030: 2046524f 4d3a203c 583e0a00 52435054  FROM: <X>..RCPT
00000040: 20544f3a 203c7072 65736964 656e7440  TO: <president@
00000050: 616d6967 612e636f 6d3e0a00 44415441 amiga.com>..DATA
00000060: 0a004672 6f6d3a20 416d6967 61204c6f ..From: Amiga Lo
00000070: 76657220 3c3e0a00 5375626a 6563743a ver <>..Subject:
00000080: 2046494c 54485920 43554e54 210a0a00  FILTHY CUNT!...
00000090: 4655434b 2055204e 415a4920 43554e54 FUCK U NAZI CUNT
000000a0: 202d2044 49452041 4e442042 55524e20  - DIE AND BURN
000000b0: 494e2048 454c4c20 414d4947 41204b49 IN HELL AMIGA KI
000000c0: 4c4c494e 47205748 4f524521 0a000a0a LLING WHORE!....
000000d0: 2e0a0051 5549540a 00008000 03eb0000 ...QUIT.........
000000e0: 00008000 03f40000 00000000 00007a61 ..............za
000000f0: 6b617069 6f720000 00000000 000003ec kapior..........

-----------------------------------------------------------
                     Marc Albrecht
  ----------------------------------------------------
 //Hard- and Software Developer  //  A.C.T. Germany //
-----------------------------------------------------
   http://www.act-net.com/staff/Marc_Albrecht.html
   Fido:   2:241/205
   S-Mail: M. Albrecht - Seth 2 - 21769 Lamstedt
           Germany
   Tel.  : +49-4773-8910-73  Fax: +49-4773-8910-72
-----------------------------------------------------
\\http://www.act-net.com        \\ Amiga and more   \\
 ------------------------------------------------------ 

PP71B_68020.lha      biz/cloan  227K+68020-optimized version of PPaint 7.1b
golded612.lha        biz/demo   2.4M+GoldED Studio 6 Demo
DOpus58_SP.lha       biz/dopus   27K+DOpus v5.8 spanish catalogs
Mo-Stuff1.lha        comm/amiex 140K+Collection of /X doors and utilities (AR
HydraBBS.lha         comm/bbs   2.2M+HydraBBS, Fantastic new BBS System
HydraBBSu4.lha       comm/bbs   459K+HydraBBS. Update V1.03 to V1.04
YAM20.lha            comm/mail  658K+MUI Internet mailer V2.0 (basic installa
YAM20cpu.lha         comm/mail  488K+MUI Internet mailer V2.0 (optimized for 
yam20_hu.lha         comm/mail   23K+Unofficial hungarian YAM2.0 translation
DragonDaemon.lha     comm/misc  236K+Dialer and more for SpeedDragon and Powe
MLocator.lha         comm/misc   24K+HAM grid locator <-> latitude/longtitude
bind-4.9.2.lha       comm/tcp    90K+Bind4 nameserver for AmiTCP v1.0 beta
AmiURLReq20.lha      comm/www    31K+*Never again slow downloads!* Get every 
dimensions.lha       demo/aga   819K+Dimensions by ROLE (1998)
PPC680x0.lha         dev/asm     73K+Use your PPC as the ultimate 68k! New Pr
md5.lha              dev/c        4K+MD5 message-digest algorithm + test prog
UGNFrance.txt        docs/anno    3K+UGN France is Back!
aMiGaPoWeR.lha       docs/hyper  68K+AMiGa=PoWeR French Amiga Magazine
3DWorldFAQ.lha       docs/misc    9K+FAQ for the 3D World Mailing List
F1GP_1999.lha        game/data    9K+1999 F1 season data for F1GP-Ed (11 July
WHDShdWarriors.lha   game/patch  22K+HD Installer for Shadow Warriors
WHDSupremacy.lha     game/patch  24K+HD Installer for Supremacy
Z2Install.lha        game/patch  37K+Zeewolf 2 Hard Drive Installer
Crazy8.lha           game/think 627K+Card game  you vs. computer
CrazyAGA.upd.lha     game/think 252K+Update Crazy8 to v2.93
ExtraPower.lha       hard/hack    6K+Ext.PSU.A1200.More power.DIY.
Electrostatic.lha    misc/emu    94K+Translates Atari 2600 games to Amiga. V1
LocaleCS_cats.lha    misc/misc  1.0M+Czech and Slovak Locale - catalogs
lotolib.lha          misc/misc   21K+Lotolib for LOTO v2.3+ (1976 au 10-juill
RealityChecker.lha   misc/misc   14K+Reality Checker for Lucid Dreaming
SWERates.lha         misc/misc    2K+Swedish rates for Phonebill (990711)
ExtraLife.mpg        mods/boray 1.0M+Sample from the music CD "Boray Level 2"
ay-colly9.lha        mods/chip   53K+Collection of the best AY musics for DT.
divert3.lha          mods/midi   31K+Divertimento3, GM song by Stefano Regatt
AmigaAMP.lha         mus/play   371K+MPEG audio player with GUI (68k/PPC)
NoLinuxKernel.jpg    pix/art     87K+No Linux kernel for AmigaOS [800x600x24]
GlowIcons2Comp.lha   pix/icon   196K+GlowIcons2 preview set completed (not of
UglyPot.jpg          pix/mark   292K+Excelsior and Enterprise in Spacedock
X-Wings.jpg          pix/mark   370K+Star Wars: Two X-Wings in attack mode
LETO-myWB.gif        pix/wb      64K+Leto's Workbench 7.99
xadmaster.lha        util/arc   138K+V2.1 Powerful unarchiving system
BinHex.lha           util/cli    17K+V1.19 edit HEX data in your ASCII editor
getdate.lha          util/cli     1K+Prints "big-endian" date
JazTools.lha         util/cli    14K+Iomega JAZ tools
VersCheck.lha        util/cli   389K+Check your libs,MUI,devs,dtypes,classes,
bprefs.lha           util/misc   42K+MUI Preference program for Birdie [1.3]
HTML-Creator.lha     util/misc  101K+Package to create HTML pages for CD-ROMs
ReqAttack.lha        util/misc  451K+V0.9 Cool new requester improver (animat
TestCard.lha         util/misc  119K+Testcard generator for all PAL systems.
ShowMem.lha          util/moni   13K+Shows memory fragmentation via gfx
PoolMem.lha          util/sys    66K+Memory defragmentizer/AllocP superset
MagicBar.lha         util/wb    460K+Workbench program launcher from engine n

• Jedem Menüeintrag kann ein beliebiges Tastenkürzel zugewiesen werden.
• Vorhandene Kürzel können geändert oder gelöscht werden.
• Die Breite der Menüs und Menüeinträge wird automatisch angepaßt.
• Die Veränderungen bleiben bis zum Beenden des Programmes erhalten.

• AmigaOS 3.0
• util/libs/ReqTools-Library (readme)

• "StarGATE Software Homepage (Info: PatchMenu)", StarGATE Software, 12-Jul-1999, http://software.webset.de/caveman/preview/info_patchmenu.html

SithTheme.lha        biz/dopus  1.0M+StarWars theme for Magellan II
fwml9906.lha         biz/swood   35K+Messages about FW during June 1999
CLMailList.lha       comm/bbs    20K+Connectline Mailinglist Server (german) 
BlackIRC.lha         comm/irc   451K+V1.1: NEW IRC-Client for AmigaOS, many e
YAM20loc.lha         comm/mail  541K+MUI Internet mailer V2.0 (foreign langua
FrillyCDPro.lha      comm/maxs   63K+CD,ZIP,H/Drive Door for Max BBS
atomic2_0_3.lha      comm/misc   15K+Amiga Worldwide Atomic Clock Synchronize
statickyupdate.lha   comm/misc    2K+Client for Staticky's dyndns service
newscoaster.lha      comm/news  227K+Offline Newsreader Version 1.0
haracz10.lha         comm/tcp    45K+V1.0, Analizes Miami logfiles (Polish)(T
NameServer.lha       comm/tcp    28K+Dump Caching Name Server for Miami/AmiTC
sci-smad.lha         demo/ecs   159K+SCICCO presents: a small adventure in 3D
thr_otti.lha         demo/ecs   304K+Thrust Ottifanten-Intro Collection
OBEdit_src.lha       dev/e        6K+Source code for OBEdit - UFO/X-COM weapo
WinBackIII.lha       disk/bakup  17K+Restores Windows95 backups
IdentCDR.lha         disk/cdrom  14K+Identifies CD-R media (brand, capacity)
Haracz.lha           disk/moni   45K+V1.0, Analizes Miami logfiles (Polish)(T
AIOphone.lha         docs/anno    3K+Amiga/AIO competition phoneline, 0906 61
amiuserlist.lha      docs/lists  18K+German Amiga User List V3.02
StarMag19.lha        docs/mags  336K+Ultimate German Diskmag, DECRUNCH IT!
OBEdit.lha           game/misc   20K+UFO/X-COM weapons editor
WormWars.lha         game/misc  571K+WormWars 4.1: Advanced snake game
ReLock.lha           game/patch   4K+Makes MuFS (+ others) accept weird locks
ZInstall.lha         game/patch  37K+Zeewolf Hard Drive Installer
RTGoesWarpOS.lha     gfx/board   12K+PPC/WarpOS c2p for rtgmaster
VE-Extras.lha        gfx/edit   113K+Visual Eng. - External files v1.72
VE-gausedge.lha      gfx/edit     2K+Visual Eng. - Gaussian edge v1.56
VE-primcolors.lha    gfx/edit     2K+Visual Eng. - Primary colors v1.82
VE-shadow.lha        gfx/edit     4K+Visual Eng. - Shadow v3.31
SkinCrop08.lha       gfx/ifx      9K+Easy xxxAMPxxx Skin creation script for 
imdbDiff990702.lha   misc/imdb  1.6M+Diffs for the Internet MovieDatabase
scatter.lha          misc/sci    43K+A program for creating Scatter Graphs  
BJC6kUtil.lha        text/print   3K+Setup utility for Canon BJC6000
cliutils_mra.lha     util/cli    50K+(useful) CLI programs
WDelta.lha           util/cli    25K+Scompare/spatch replacement
riktnummer10.lha     util/misc   15K+Associates telephone-prefixes <-> cities
TNM.lha              util/misc   13K+MUI Make ThumbNails and HTML files.
year2.lha            util/rexx    2K+Year.rexx - Simple ARexx script to print
ABeat.lha            util/time   10K+Simple Swatch-Beat clock.
RMVPrefs.lha         util/wb     25K+Bitmap set for VisualPrefs V1.2

• Jim Collas, "Some clarifications from Amiga", comp.sys.amiga.misc, 11-Jul-1999, Msg-ID: 7m962q$l59$1@nnrp1.deja.com

======================================================================
   _    __      _     <>_   __      _    ||
  /\\    |\    /||    ||   /  `    /\\   ||  A M I G A   U P D A T E
 /__\\   | \  / ||    ||  || ___  /__\\  ||     -News and Rumors-
/    \\_ |  \/  ||_  _||_  \__// /    \\_||   (An Occasional e-mail
         KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING         ||       Newsmagazine)
======================================================================
        AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga, Inc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
990710

                      N O W   I T ' S   L I N U X

          J I M   C O L L A S   O N   L I N U X   K E R N A L

              Q N X   R E P O R T S   T O   A M I G A N S

               Q N X   R E S P O N D S   T O   A M I G A

        T H I S   M O R N I N G   F R O M   M R .   C O L L A S

            T H E   L I N U X   W O R L D   R E S P O N D S

        O P E N   L E T T E R   T O   T H E   C O M M U N I T Y

 U P D A T E   O N   M A J O R   A C T I V I T I E S   B Y   A M I G A

               A M I G A   H I R E S   D R .   L I P E S

                     A M I G A   2 0 0 0   S H O W

                    A M I W E S T 9 9   U P D A T E

                    S A K U   9 9   W E B   S I T E

         E A S T   A N G L I A N   G R O U P   L A U N C H E D

        A M I C O L A   A N D   . . .   U N D E R S H O R T S ?

                   Y A M   2 . 0   A T   L A S T   !

 P R E C O N F I G U R E D   T I M I D I T Y   T O   A M I N E T   . .

                      A 2 0 0 0 H D S   F O U N D !

Editor's Thoughts and Introduction:
 Now what in the name of Jay Miner is going on? In the last couple of
days, QNX posted information about the upcoming Amiga OS and their
work on the kernal, complete with information about developer support.
That was followed by President Collas of Amiga saying no, the QNX post
is misleading and furthermore, QNX will NOT be the kernal for new OS.
Instead, it'll be the Linux kernal (not the whole Linux OS, just the
kernal). This little exchange has caused as much or more confusion and
consternation as the events right after Commodore's bankruptcy.
 We certainly don't know what's behind all this, and wonder if anyone
else has the full picture, either in or out of Amiga? We do know there
is supposed to be a technology brief released by Amiga soon, which
should contain some answers. We'll bring that information to you in a
special issue if that's the best way.
 As we reflect on the events of the last few days, it looks very much
like someone was "blindsided". It's hard to believe QNX was caught
unawares, unless Amiga management is totally incompetent and didn't
keep them posted. However, it's also hard to believe QNX would post
what they did knowing the information was misleading at best. Yet one
or the other of these cases almost has to be true. The problem is,
either case would be unprofessional. The least frightening for Amigans
is that QNX posted "bad" information, hoping to force Amiga's hand.
 One thing is certain. Linux has become a powerful force in the
computer world, and the reasons mentioned in the letter from Mr.
Collas below are real. We've got mixed feeling about all this of
course. Whatever happened resulted in a very ugly situation. However,
an alliance with the Linux world could well turn out to be a very good
thing for Amiga. As Amigans we need to see where all this leads before
making any final decisions, especially harsh ones.

 ---

 One bit of housekeeping information I have to mention. Due to some
technical problems with our current ISP, we are considering moving the
"Update" elsewhere, perhaps to something like One List. This would not
affect you noticeably, except there would be a small advertisement
which we could not control on the bottom of each issue. If you have
concerns about this, please let us know. I'll have more information on
this in the next issue.

 Brad Webb,
 Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail to the E-ditor:
 Due to the length of this issue, we're holding our e-mail replies
till next time. Brad
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                    N O W   I T ' S   L I N U X

 Amiga selects Linux as their Next Generation OS Kernel


 July 9, 1999 - San Diego, California. Amiga has selected Linux as the
OS kernel for the new Amiga Operating Environment that is scheduled
for release later this year. Amiga is selecting Linux after several
months of evaluating the technical progress of the OS and the
tremendous industry support that Linux has gained.

 The development community has given Linux a major endorsement and the
momentum that Linux now enjoys is having a significant impact on the
computer industry. There are a large number of hardware device drivers
and software applications written for Linux already and this number is
growing daily.

 "Our strategy for implementing the new Amiga is to integrate the best
technology in the industry into a new, efficient, exciting and
revolutionary computer platform focused on the future'' said Jim
Collas, President and CEO of Amiga. "Using Linux as our OS kernel is
only one component of the overall Amiga Operating Environment.''

 Look for more information on the choice of Linux as part of the
overall Amiga Operating Environment in the Executive Update section of
our {Amiga's} web site.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

          J I M   C O L L A S   O N   L I N U X   K E R N A L

{This is the "more information" mentioned in the previous item. Brad}

Dear Amigans,

 After months of research and in-depth discussions with all of our
technology partners we have decided to use Linux as the primary OS
kernel for the new Amiga Operating Environment (OE). I know this
decision is a shock to many of you given the previous announcements
and activities relative to QNX. This was a very complicated and
difficult decision to make and I assure you that I didn't make this
decision without a significant amount of research and deliberation. We
have been researching Linux since February but didn't finalized our
decision until several weeks ago. We were planning to communicate it
to the Amiga community in the technology brief that will be released
in the next few days.

 I am pressed to communicate the Linux decision before the technology
brief because of information released by QNX in the last few days.
This information had not been reviewed or approved for release by
Amiga. In light of our Linux decision, this information is confusing
and misleading so I would like to take the time to clarify the
situation. I can't disclose any details of the Amiga/QNX discussions
because of legally binding confidentiality agreements but I can talk
to you about our decision to use the Linux kernel. I think that you
will agree that this is the right decision once you understand the
reasons for this decision.

 Before I continue, I should mention that our technology decision does
not reflect negatively on QNX. I believe that QNX is a good company
with great technology. I just believe that Linux gives us a better
chance of executing our plans successfully.

 The decision to use QNX as our OS partner on our next generation
multimedia convergence computer (MCC) was made late last year. When I
took over as president of Amiga in February of this year, I initiated
an in-depth review of existing Amiga plans and decisions. As president
of Amiga I had to make sure that we were defining a strategy and an
execution plan that would allow Amiga and the Amiga community to be
successful. We reviewed our strategy, architecture decisions,
technology partners, and execution plans. During this review period we
also added a number of very talented and experienced people to help us
finalize our technology and product decisions. I am confident that we
now have a solid and exciting plan that people can have confidence in.

 Linux has been picking up substantial momentum over the past year as
a viable, open OS alternative in the marketplace. This momentum, the
growing commitment to Linux applications from a wide variety of
software vendors, and the growing availability of Linux device drivers
from hardware vendors, makes it a compelling candidate. Additionally,
with all of the significant component suppliers putting resources on
writing drivers for Linux it was difficult to get them to port to yet
another operating system. Using the Linux OS as a foundation for our
Amiga OE allows us to leverage a significant amount of available
software drivers and utilities. This allows us to quickly support
multiple graphics cards and other peripherals.

 Given the above-mentioned advantages, we decided to do an in-depth
technical analysis of Linux to determine if it was a suitable OS
kernel for our new Amiga operating environment (OE). As we ported
parts of our higher level operating environment and AmigaObjectTM
architecture to Linux, we discovered some significant performance
advantages in the Linux kernel in areas such as distributed object
messaging across a network (up to 10X the performance of Windows NT).
Although Linux configurations can be very large in size, the core
pieces of the Linux kernel are actually very small and efficient. In
considering hardware requirements we also found companies working on
hardware components that were optimized for the Linux kernel.
Additionally, Linux is probably the most stable operating system
available in the market. After months of in-depth research we were
confident that we could build an extremely exciting next generation
Amiga based on the Linux OS kernel.

 Does this mean that the next generation Amiga will not be unique?
Absolutely not! Remember that the OS kernel is only one component of
the new Amiga OE and the hardware is unique. The revolutionary nature
of the Amiga OE is in the way it extends the traditional operating
system to provide a host environment for a new class of portable
applications - applications that exist in a pervasive networked
computing environment. We will be integrating multiple technologies
including an efficient windowing environment and a unique user
interface.

 In summary, we decided to use Linux because of the incredible
momentum and the fact that it is solid technology and a good
foundation for our new Amiga OE. Additionally, the Linux community is
an impressive force that we should be aligned with. We share many
common values and objectives with the Linux community. Using Linux as
our OS kernel allows us to build a unique and revolutionary operating
environment while leveraging the enormous momentum of Linux.

 The soon to be released technology brief will further explain our
architecture and plans for integrating all of the selected technology.
Once you read it, I am confident that you will understand the
revolutionary nature of the next generation Amiga. I assure you that
Amiga and the Amiga community will be a driving force behind the next
computer revolution.

Sincerely,
Jim Collas
President, Amiga
----------------------------------------------------------------------

           Q N X   R E P O R T S   T O   A M I G A N S

 {This is the information from the QNX website which forced the
premature statement about the Linux kernal by Mr. Collas. Slightly
edited for better readability in our newsletter. Go to
http://www.qnx.com/amiga/ for the original. Brad}

Delivering on Our Promise to the Amiga Community

Dan Dodge
CTO, QNX Software Systems

 Last November at Computer 98 in Cologne I promised to deliver an
advanced operating system that would once again put Amigans at the
forefront of technology. Over the past 7 months we have had a team of
over 40 engineers working towards making that promise and vision a
reality. We are now in the final stages of development and are poised
to put these new technologies into the hands of thousands of serious,
enthusiastic developers like yourself.

 QNX is often compared to UNIX, LINUX and BSD. We do share the same
POSIX APIs, and most code written for these systems ports easily to
QNX, but the resemblance ends there. Based on 20 years of OS
experience, QNX has a radically more advanced architecture. It's a
massively scalable, multi-threaded, fault-tolerant, realtime OS
designed for devices and computers of any type or size. QNX provides a
unique network architecture where large full-service protocol stacks
aren't required on each computer and devices plugged into the network
are simply "discovered" automatically by other devices - all services
and peripherals of the new device can then be used by any other device
in the network. QNX is also the only self-hosted RTOS where the
development environment and the runtime target environment are the
same. And though we're not open source, we adopt an "open source"
policy for hardware-specific drivers. This allows us to continually
support the latest hardware advances, while still maintaining control
of core technology. More importantly, it ensures QNX has a focused
vision for the future.

 If you haven't visited our web site before, I invite you to look at
the QNX Realtime OS and Photon microGUI®. If you'd like to dig a
little deeper, we've included some screen shots of the exciting new
look-and-feel for Photon below. We've also put the new QNX Neutrino
System Architecture manual online.

 In a nutshell, QNX is the core and Photon the graphical environment
for our new OS foundation:

 QNX - Supports POSIX thread services, MMU protected memory for all
applications and drivers, variety of file systems (QNX, flash, DOS,
CD/DVD-ROM, etc.), TCP/IP stack, transparent distributed networking,
and development libraries.

 Photon microGUI - Complete windowing system with full Unicode support
for integrated internationalization. Also includes visual application
builder (PhABTM), powerful development environment (layered libraries,
over 50 widgets, built-in image support, online documentation, etc.),
web browser, multimedia player, 3D graphics, and gaming support.

 Although Photon represents a unique new graphical environment, it
works seamlessly with existing windowing systems. You can, for
example, connect to a Photon desktop from a Windows desktop or connect
to a Windows desktop from a Photon desktop. And because a large number
of existing source bases use the X Window System, we allow developers
to compile an application for X and then run the application under
Photon.

 QNX Developers Network for Amigans

 To deliver this technology to Amiga developers, we're creating the
QNX Developers Network for Amigans. Qualified Amiga developers will
receive, at no charge, a complete beta development package that
includes the QNX Realtime OS, a suite of state-of-the-art multimedia
technologies, the unique network-distributed Photon microGUI, and a
self-hosted development environment. We will also create a dedicated
online newsgroup, as well as a web site to provide technology updates
and previews.

 Initially, we're looking for beta sites interested in porting
existing applications or writing new applications. Companies and
individual developers are both invited to join - the only thing we ask
is commitment. We want active beta testers, not tire kickers, who will
promise to provide valuable feedback.

 Of course, commitment goes both ways. So in addition to starting this
program, we will, as of now, become active and vocal in all the
appropriate newsgroups and magazines. We're looking forward to being a
fully active member of the Amiga community, and to working closely
with Amigans to create the next revolution in multimedia computing.

 Initial Release

 Our initial beta release will be for x86 PCs. While this hardware
platform may, at first, seem undesirable to some of you, remember that
most QNX applications and device drivers are source-identical across
CPUs and boards. As a result, any work done on x86 will migrate easily
to any other supported platform. We chose x86 because it's the
hardware solution most widely available at low cost in the time frame
that we wish to release the first beta - this Fall.

 Are You Interested?

 If you're interested in joining the QNX Developers Network for
Amigans, please click here to fill out the application form. If you
have any questions, email us at amiga@qnx.com.

 If your company already has an application you wish to port, you're
also invited to contact the Department of Strategic Alliances at QNX
Software Systems. Email: amiga-ports@qnx.com Tel: +1 613 591-0931.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

            Q N X   R E S P O N D S   T O   A M I G A

{... and this is a response by QNX to the statements made by Amiga.
Brad}

9 July, 1999

 Eight months ago we were chosen by Amiga as their foundation OS
partner. Our development group was thrilled to be part of the rebirth
of such an innovative product. To meet the challenge we knew it would
take a tremendous effort on our part. We had a team of people in place
working on our part of the Amiga NG soon after the alliance was
announced. Over the next few months we involved more and more of our
engineering resouces towards making QNX an advanced multi-media
platform. Our investment so far has been significant. These are costs
we have born ourselves.

 It is clear today from Jim's letter that we were not chosen for the
next generation Amiga. Naturally we're disappointed. So, where do we
stand now? It is not our intent to confuse the Amiga community. We are
proud of what we have accomplished and want to include Amigans in what
we've achieved. I did make a promise to deliver an operating system
and I intend on keeping that promise. I don't want to split the
community, nor do I wish to engage in a war of words. I don't ask you
to "trust" me or to take me at my word. Both QNX and Amiga have
promised to deliver technology into your hands in the very near
future. I ask only that your assessment of QNX be based on what we do
and what we deliver.

 Thanks for the overwhelming support we have received so far.

Dan Dodge
CTO, QNX Software Systems
----------------------------------------------------------------------

      T H I S   M O R N I N G   F R O M   M R .   C O L L A S

{And finally, this posted just a few minutes before we mailed this
issue, form Amiga's President Jim Collas. Brad}

10 July, 1999

Response to Linux feedback

Dear Amigans,

 I have read many of the comments from the Amiga community regarding
our Linux decision. The key observation I would make about the
feedback I have received is that people don't have a good
understanding of our plans for the next generation Amiga. This is my
fault and we are working to rectify this with the upcoming technology
brief. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not to judge the Linux decision until
you have a chance to read the technology brief.

 The foundation OS is just one component of our new operating
environment. In addition to the OS, there are many components of
hardware and software technology being integrated into the final
product. The underlying OS is not what makes the next generation Amiga
revolutionary. You will more clearly understand this once we have
released the "technical brief'' in the next few days. Whether we use
QNX or Linux, the new Amiga will be exciting, elegant, easy to use,
incredibly efficient and yes, truly revolutionary!

 I should mention that I was adamantly against Linux when it was first
suggested in March. It took several months of intense research to
convince me that it was the right decision. I can assure you that the
decision was not made without a significant amount of deliberation. I
would not have made the Linux decision if I didn't believe it offers
us a better overall solution while significantly increasing our
probability of success. Please read this letter in detail to get a
better understanding of the factors that drove this decision.

 I would like to further explain the Linux decision starting with the
concept of revolutionary:

 rev·o·lu·tion·ary ("re-v&-'lü-sh&-"ner-E): adjective; 1 c:
constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change in the
way of thinking about or visualizing something: a change of paradigm
<a revolutionary new product>

 The key driving objective of our plans is to come out with a truly
revolutionary product that can drive the next computer revolution. By
definition, revolutionary ideas are not easy to visualize and are
difficult to communicate. The upcoming technology brief will help you
understand why the next generation Amiga is revolutionary. You need to
keep an open mind because revolutionary products ALWAYS challenge the
norm and most people think in terms of the norm. Once you understand
what makes the next generation Amiga unique and revolutionary you will
understand why picking Linux over QNX isn't a critical technology
decision.

 Our design philosophy was to find a good solution for the traditional
pieces of the OS and build our revolutionary elements on top of this.
It's that simple. QNX is a good technical solution for the OS
components but poses a significant market and industry challenge.
Linux is sucking up the mind share and resources of most of the major
component manufacturers and technology suppliers. I simply don't
believe we can gain enough momentum without tapping into the Linux
momentum. Linux will give us continuous access to new technology and
components as they are released. With QNX we could get out a new
platform but I don't believe we would keep up with the rapid
technology changes in the computer industry. At Gateway, I was one of
the leading product executives in this industry and I have in-depth
experience in this area. IT WAS MY ASSESSMENT THAT WE WOULD FAIL ON
THIS PATH. Please take note of this statement. How could I NOT make
the Linux decision if I truly believe this? How could we continue on a
path that I think will have us fail? Who will benefit if we fail?

 Let's also talk about the Linux technology itself. Some people view
Linux as a stable but large and inefficient OS. I had this concern
also when Linux was first suggested so we spent a significant amount
of time understanding Linux, its strengths and weaknesses. We have
even discussed our Linux evaluation in-depth with Linus Torvalds to
better understand the pros and cons. Linux is evolving at a very rapid
pace and I was satisfied that it could comfortably meet our technology
requirements. Part of the reason Linux is large and inefficient is
because there are so many options and different configurations. Amiga
will define a clean and efficient Linux configuration as a standard
part of our operating environment.

 An additional advantage of Linux is the fact that there are companies
working on hardware components optimized for the Linux kernel. This
will allow us to gain efficiencies and increased performance on the
MCC through tight integration of hardware and software components. The
MCC hardware will be highly optimized for both the Linux kernel and
Java. In addition to the unique Amiga OE, the MCC will run Linux and
Java better than any other computer in the world. This is worth some
market momentum and will significantly increase our probability of
success. We should expect to sell many Amiga computers into the Linux
community and this is a good thing. We won't be successful unless we
can increase the size of the Amiga community.

 I can understand the caution that many of you have on this
announcement and will work aggressively to alleviate your concerns. I
want to emphasize that it was not my intention to mislead the Amiga
community in any way. I have been working hard to put together the
best plan possible for Amiga to drive the next computer revolution. I
believe that the Linux decision is consistent with this objective.
Maybe I should have communicated this decision as soon as it was made
several weeks ago but I was hoping to get out more information on the
overall architecture first. I apologize for not doing a better job
planning the communication on this. I am making dozens of key
decisions a day and some of them aren't ideal. There are some people
that will use the confusion caused by this situation to fuel a
negative community reaction in order to split the community. It is
critical that we stand united as a community or all will be lost.
Please be patient, strive to understand, and have confidence. It's
been a long and turbulent ride but I promise you that the wait will be
worth it.

Sincerely,
Jim Collas
President, Amiga
----------------------------------------------------------------------

          T H E   L I N U X   W O R L D   R E S P O N D S

 {Following are just two posts to the "Linux World" site on the web.
You can find these and more at
http://linuxtoday.com/stories/7523.html. Brad}

Subject: Two of the best things in IT history packed
together (Jul 9th, 08:51:36 )

 I think I speak for every one, When I say that Commodore pionered the
PC market. I must admit I never had a Amiga my self I sticked with the
C 64 and then went to the XT but I always loved the machine powered by
the 68000 (a very fast and reliable 16 but CPU) that out performed the
Intels in a long shot. And they still do nowadays.

 Linux is one of the best things that happend for the consumer/techy
OS market. And now both the advanced graphics,sound and motorola and
Linux in one box. I can't hardly wait and I will buy my first Amiga! I
missed out 10 years ago but I won't mis out now.

Raymond


Subject: This is Wonderful!!! - 2 of the best! (Jul 9th, 10:23:38 )

 I never imagined this day would come.. but I'm glad it's here. I
think this is finally a step in the right direction for the Amiga.
Now, it is quite possible for Amiga to finally get the recognition
that it deserves. Lets just hope the new Amiga hardware takes a
similar step in the right direction.

Peter
----------------------------------------------------------------------

     O P E N   L E T T E R   T O   T H E   C O M M U N I T Y

{This letter was written before the great QNX/Linux Kernal uproar
started. Brad}

From Jim Collas

June/July 1999

Dear Amigans,

 I apologize for posting my June (now June/July) letter so late. I was
ready to post it last week, but decided to scrap it and re-write it
this past weekend for several reasons. One reason is feedback I
received from the Amiga community. To better understand the desires of
the Amiga community, I have been following many of the Amiga public
forums (in addition to reading the thousands of emails sent to me). I
have posted in a few of the forums when I felt it was important to
clarify information relative to Amiga's plans. In the
"comp.sys.amiga.misc'' forum I posted a message requesting feedback on
our strategy and plans. The post is in the thread titled "Collas and
LeFaivre - thanks for talking''. I received many good insights and
suggestions in response to my post, but while reading these responses
one thing was clear: I haven't given the Amiga community enough
information to clearly understand our plans. The community still
doesn't have a clear understanding of our product plans, and what we
mean by the term "operating environment.'' This is obviously not the
fault of the community but mine in not communicating enough
information. This is why I decided to scrap my original letter and
address this issue.

 In the past several months, I have attempted to disclose as much as
possible to the Amiga community without disclosing too much to our
competition or violating confidentiality agreements with our
technology partners. I don't think I have been effective at striking
the right balance in this regard, so I just initiated an activity to
disclose more of our plans. We are putting together a five to seven
page product strategy and technology brief that will be released to
the Amiga community within the next week. This brief will help you
better understand our overall plans by giving you more details on our
new Amiga Operating Environment (OE) and Multimedia Convergence
Computer (MCC). The technology brief will also talk about new and
exciting Amiga technology. I will talk a bit more about some of this
technology later in this letter.

 This brief will also disclose some of our 3rd party technology
choices. We have spent the last four months evaluating technology and
defining the next generation hardware architecture and software
structure. We have now finalized the architecture and structure. We
have also finalized all of our major technology and partner choices. A
significant amount of effort and resources went into the evaluation of
3rd party technology - you may be surprised at a few of the decisions
but I am confident you will agree that they are the correct choices.

 Before you read the brief you should understand that we are still not
at liberty to disclose all of the details of our plans. I don't want
to disclose too much to potential competitors and we are under
confidentiality agreements with our key technology partners. Within
those boundaries we will disclose as much as we can. The difficult
part about not being able to disclose everything is that some
decisions don't seem to make sense unless you have all of the
information. We have no choice but to work around this for now.

 As background information for the technology brief I would also like
to discuss the concept of revolutionary products and our strategy for
implementing the next generation Amiga.

 REVOLUTIONARY PRODUCTS:

 rev·o·lu·tion·ary ("re-v&-'lü-sh&-"ner-E): adjective; 1 c:
constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change in the
way of thinking about or visualizing something: a change of paradigm
<a revolutionary new product>

 The original Amiga was revolutionary because it drove a fundamental
change in computer graphics performance, capabilities, and overall
value. It allowed people to do things that couldn't be done with other
systems at the time. It moved computers a big step into the future by
fundamentally changing the way people viewed and used computers. The
next generation Amiga must do the same but in the context of the
present computer industry. Faster CPUs and faster graphics alone will
not drive a revolutionary new computer platform. They are important
but not revolutionary. Revolutionary thinking requires us to let go of
past preferences and envision a future that doesn't currently exist.
It requires us to develop technology and functions that enable this
future vision. This is the spirit of revolutionary innovation. The
same spirit that drove the original Amiga development team.

 The problem is that revolutionary paradigm shifts are difficult to
envision before they occur. Let me give you an example. When I was in
college, I had a job as a software developer programming video games
for the Atari 2600, Commodore64, and Apple II (This was before the
first Amiga came out). At the current time, all video games were
programmed in assembly language. This was great at the time because it
gave you complete control of the hardware. I couldn't imagine
programming a game in a high-level language such as C++ because it
would be so incredible inefficient. It just seemed like an unrealistic
proposition. Well, the world changed. You can't manage the complexity
or extravagance of today's games in assembly. You need sophisticated
tools and a high-level language like C++. This was a revolutionary
paradigm shift that was hard to envision years before it happened.

 Keep this section in mind as you read the technology brief that will
be released. It is not enough to bring out an incremental product. It
must be revolutionary in order for all of us to succeed. You must
think in a different dimension to understand the revolutionary nature
of the next generation Amiga environment. The technology brief will
help you understand this future vision - I look forward to getting
your continuing feedback on our directions.

 PRODUCT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY:

 Our strategy for implementing the new Amiga is to integrate the best
technology in the industry into a new, efficient, exciting, and
revolutionary computer platform focused on the future. It is important
to understand this strategy so that you can better understand some of
our decisions. The computer industry today is much different than it
was when the first Amiga was designed. The initial Amiga was designed
when the computer industry was at its infancy. The computer industry
has now matured and the dynamics have changed significantly. The
industry is replete with companies developing and supplying great
technology and components. As an example, there are many excellent
companies offering sophisticated high-performance 3D graphics chips.
All of these companies have one goal in mind: to develop and ship the
best 3D graphics solution. These graphics companies have many
world-class engineers. Trust me, I know these companies well. To think
that we could design our own 3D graphics chip that was better is not
reasonable. This is why all leading computer companies (IBM, Compaq,
Gateway, Apple, et al.) now depend on 3rd party graphics companies. It
was clear to them that internal resources couldn't compete with
companies specialized in this area. This is the normal cycle of a
maturing industry and is the reason why we can't think in the past
when creating a revolutionary product for the future.

 Does this mean that the Amiga won't be unique or lead in performance?
Absolutely not! Firstly, you shouldn't define performance by
exclusively using narrow benchmarks of today's industry. We need to
focus on addressing the next computer revolution rather than competing
with the last one. Secondly, an extremely efficient architecture will
make the most out of commonly used components like 3D graphics chips.
We can get remarkably impressive performance by coupling an industry
leading PCI/AGP graphics chip to the extremely efficient architecture
of the new Amiga. On the CPU side we have selected a CPU that will
bring exciting new capabilities to the Amiga. I can't disclose what
instruction set it uses at this time because of confidentiality
agreements. I can tell you that it's very exciting and NOT an x86
architecture processor. Our plan is to disclose the CPU in several
weeks at the World of Amiga and AmiWest shows. At this time I hope to
disclose all of our technology choices and partners.

 In order to pull this great technology together and develop our
next-generation platform, we are also developing our own technology in
key strategic areas. This technology will allow us to make the product
unique, integrate 3rd party technology and create the final
revolutionary product. For example...

 A TEASER:

 The technology brief will also include the description of new Amiga
technology that I think is particularly exciting. It is an
object-oriented technology developed by Amiga called the
AmigaObjectTM. The AmigaObjectTM is a powerful software structure that
enables easy integration of technology, distributed computing,
high-speed network transactions, and communication between
applications. They are also powerful software building blocks that
will allow people to build impressive applications quickly.
AmigaObjectsTM are portable and transferable across platforms allowing
AmigaObjectsTM to proliferate throughout the network, the Internet and
the world. Do I have your attention yet? This is just one piece of the
new Amiga operating environment. It is this type of technology that
will allow us to build a revolutionary computer platform. We can
discuss this technology because we have now filed patent disclosures
giving us some protection against competitors. More on this in the
technology brief.

 IN SUMMARY:

 The upcoming technology brief will be released early next week. While
it will of necessity be at a fairly high level, it will still be the
most comprehensive description to date of the new Amiga product and
operating environment. I think it will go a long way in helping you
understand Amiga's future and the new products. I am very excited
about releasing this information and getting your response. After you
read it, I think you will agree that Amiga and the Amiga community has
a chance of driving the next computer revolution.

Sincerely,

Jim Collas President, Amiga
----------------------------------------------------------------------

 U P D A T E   O N   M A J O R   A C T I V I T I E S   B Y   A M I G A

{This was also posted before the QNX/Linux situation developed. Brad}

June/July 1999


Operations/Planning:

 1) We have identified an office building for our operations in San
Diego. We will be moving out of the Gateway building into a separate
building in order to accommodate the expansion in Amiga's staff.

New Management Staff:

 1) We hired Dave Curtis as director of object technology and
transaction services. Dave will be responsible for developing our
transactional object technology. Dave was one of the original
architects of CORBA and has worked for Inprise (Borland), the Object
Management Group (OMG), and other organizations focused on object
oriented technology. Dave's expertise will help us implement
transactional object technology in the Amiga Operating Environment.

 2) We hired Dr. Jim Miller as director of user experience. Jim will
be responsible for all user interface design and software development.
Jim has worked in the human interaction groups of both Hewlett Packard
and Apple Computers. Jim is highly respected and well known in the
national and international user interaction (UI) community.

Major Development Programs:

 1) O/S 3.5 - The target final release is August 21st at the Amiga
Downunder show in Australia. We are talking to Amiga hardware
development companies to qualify hardware products targeted at the O/S
3.5 release. We plan to come out with a recommended hardware
configuration and list of qualified Amiga hardware products for the
O/S 3.5 release.

 2) AmigaSoftTM Operating Environment (OE) - We are developing our
next generation operating environment including operating system, user
interface, and some revolutionary software structures to be disclosed
at a later date. Target beta version is late 3Q99 with final in late
4Q99. We are also looking at the possibility of porting this new
AmigaSoftTM OE to the O/S 3.5 recommended hardware configurations. If
we can accomplish this it will allow people to run the new OE on
specific Amiga configurations with PowerPC boards.

 3) AmigaSoftTM development system - This is planned in late 3Q99
along with the beta release of the new AmigaSoftTM Operating
Environment.

 4) Amiga Multimedia Convergence Computer (MCC):

 - We have finalized our industrial design and created foam models.

 - The next mechanical design step is hard models. These will be
available for WoA and AmiWest.

 - We have initiated final schematics of the system board design.

Shows and Community Activities:

 1) We held a telephone conference with the Amiga press to bring them
up to speed on our plans.

 2) We received all of the nominations for Amiga Advisory Council
(AAC) members. We will be notifying the top nominated members for
approval in the next week. First AAC conference call should occur
within two weeks.

 3) We initiated multiple Amiga hosted forums accessible though our
Amiga website.

 4) We will sponsor and participate in the 1999 London World of Amiga
show in late July.

 5) We are also planning to support the AmiWest show in late July.

 6) We are planning for the Cologne and Las Vegas shows in November.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

             A M I G A   H I R E S   D R .   L I P E S

Director of Multimedia Services

 Dr. Richard Lipes, Director of Multimedia Services, is responsible
for delivering 2D and 3D graphics, audio and video streams, and
special graphics effects for Amiga's products. He has over 20 years
experience in high performance computation on graphics, vector, and
parallel computer architectures, gained in large organizations as well
as three startups.

 Prior to joining Amiga, Dr. Lipes was director of software
development at ARK Logic, responsible for design, development, and
maintenance of all software for 2D and 3D graphics accelerators. The
accelerator drivers supported both OpenGL and DirectX technologies. He
was previously at Silicon Graphics where he worked on Project Reality,
which produced the highly successful Nintendo 64 Gaming system and on
Magic Carpet, a project for delivering MPEG-2 audio and video, AC3
audio, and 3D graphics to set-top boxes and network computers.
Earlier, as director of imaging software at Kubota Pacific, he was
responsible for medical imaging software that supported 2D and
volumetric rendering of key medical modalities.

 Dr. Lipes received his S.B. from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and his Ph.D. from Caltech, both in physics. He is a member
of the Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE. He has served
on the board of directors of the Caltech Alumni Association.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   A M I G A   2 0 0 0   S H O W

Randomize Announces International Amiga 2000

International Amiga 2000...The Amiga Showcase to the World

 We would like to announce that the previously announced International
Amiga show in Toronto, Canada will not happen this year. Rather, we
have decided to to postpone International Amiga to early 2000.

 As many that attended International Amiga 98 will know, we were
successful in a number of our objectives including:

 o Bring developers and manufactures together to show new products
 o Bring European based manufactures to North America providing
exposure and sales of their products
 o Provide an great sales opportunity for all exhibitors and great
deals for users
 o Hosting the most professional Amiga show in North America since
 Commodore

So why are we postponing? Quite simply so that:

 o we can co-ordinate IAY2K with the release of AmigaSoftTM Systems
and AmigaSoftTM Operating Environment
 o we will show new systems, not announce them the Amiga market has an
opportunity to recover based on the release of AmigaSoftTM Systems
 o We have the time to make IAY2K even better than IA98

International Amiga 2000 (IAY2K) will expand on the success of IA98 by:

 o working very closely with Amiga, Inc.
 o attracting North American and European developers and manufactures
of both Classic Amiga and AmigaSoftTM environment products
 o providing a venue to the world for all things Amiga

If you have thoughts, or constructive input please email thom@randomize.com

Randomize, Inc.
R.R. #2 Tottenham
Ontario Canada L0G 1W0

Telephone: (905) 939-8371
Fax: (905) 939-8745
Orders: 1 888 RANDOMIZE (1 888 726-3664)

Sales e-mail: sales@randomize.com
Support e-mail: support@randomize.com
web: http://www.randomize.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                     A M I W E S T 9 9   U P D A T E

8 Jul 1999
                          AmiWest99 Update #4

 AMIGA has annouced that Dr, Allan Havemose, Vice President of
Engineering, will be present at AmiWest'99 along with two members of
his staff, Richard Lipes, Director of Multimedia Services, and Jim
Miller, Director of User Experience.

 Dr. Havemose has a long history with the Amiga. He was the European
Technical Support Manager for Amiga - building the European Amiga
developers program at Commodore ESCO, Manager Amiga Software
Development and Director of Systems software for OS 2.1 to 3.1 at
Commodore International in the US.

 Dr. Havemose will be presenting a technological update on the New
Generation Amigas at the show and also conducting a question and
answer round table discussion as one of the seminars.

 Mockups of the new Next Generation Amigas are expected to be shown at
the show. We also expect a presentation on the new Amiga 3.5 OS for
the Classic Amigas at the show.

 Another Amiga pioneer, Carl Sassenrath, will also be present at
AmiWest to present seminars on his well known Rebol language. Carl was
the Manager of Operating Systems for Commodore Amiga, Inc. and
designed and implemented the original Amiga OS.

 AMIGA has also donated two Amiga 1200HDs with Magic Packs which will
be given away as grand prizes at the end of the show days on both
Saturday and Sunday.

 Hourly raffles will be held on both Saturday and Sunday where prizes,
donated by the vendors and other sources, will be given away. These
can include hardware as well as software. You must be present at the
raffle to obtain your prize. We will not ship prizes.

 AMIGA has also provided an assortment of the round Amiga mouse pads
and the "Back for the Future" CDs which will be given away during the
hourly raffles. Among the other prizes so far donated by vendors are
Directory Opus Megellan from GPSoftware, four packs of the Magic
Software Bundle from Compuquick, and various prizes from Software Hut.

 Remember, AmiWest99 is being held on Friday through Sunday, July
23-25, at the Holiday Inn, Sacramento NorthEast, in Sacramento, CA.
Classes and seminars will be held Friday through Sunday with the
exhibit hall being open on Saturday, July 24th from 10 A.M. - 5 P.M
and Sunday, July 25th 10 A.M. - 4 P.M.

 Specially priced tickets for AmiWest99 are available in advance by
mail. Prices are: two day admission tickets, $12 and one day admission
ticket, $8. If you elect to purchase tickets at the door, the prices
are: two day ticket at the door, $15 and One day ticket at the door,
$10. If you are ordering a one day ticket by mail, please specify
which day (Saturday or Sunday) you are attending.

 There will be a banquet dinner on Saturday evening, July 24th. Price
is $35 per plate. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance. They
will NOT be sold on Friday nor Saturday due to the hotel needing
attendance figures for planning the banquet.

 You can mail your requests for advanced admission and banquet tickets
to:

      AmiWest99
      c/o Sacramento Amiga Computer Club
      P.O. Box 19784
      Sacramento, CA 95819-0784

Make checks payable to "AmiWest".

 Special hotel room rates are available at the Holiday Inn for those
attending AmiWest99. Room rates are $ 79 (Single) and $ 89 (double) if
reservations are made by July 1. You must mention that you are
attending AmiWest to get the special rate. You can phone the Holiday
Inn at 1-916-338-5800, 1-800-388-9284 (Tool Free - Hotel directly) or
1-800-465-8329 (Toll Free - Holiday Inn Reservation Number) to make
hotel reservations.

Hope to see you at AmiWest99 on July 23-24, 1999,
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   S A K U   9 9   W E B   S I T E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Finnish Amiga Users Group Announces Saku 99 Web Site

 ESPOO, FINLAND - June 29, 1999 - Finnish Amiga Users Group is pleased
to announce that the Web site for its third annual Amiga event, Saku
99, is now open. The Web site features highlights, directions and
other vital information for interested visitors and exhibitors from
Finland and abroad. We are also planning a Saku 99 webcam and an IRC
channel.

 Saku 99 will be the biggest Amiga event in Finland this year.
Following the success of Saku 98, which was visited by some 500 Amiga
enthusiasts, Saku 99 is aimed to be bigger and better than the
previous events. Mr. Petro Tyschtschenko of Amiga has already
confirmed his presence and other great highlights are planned. Saku 99
will be held on Saturday September 4th 1999 at the Science Centre
Heureka in Vantaa, near Helsinki.

 Please visit http://batman.jytol.fi/~saku/english/ or our mirror site
http://tzimmola.tky.hut.fi/saku/english/, for further information.
E-mail inquiries may be sent to Janne Sirén (siren@mikrobitti.fi).

 About Finnish Amiga Users Group

 Finnish Amiga Users Group (Suomen Amiga-käyttäjät ry.) is a
non-profit organization for promoting Amiga computing and helping
Amiga users in Finland. Also known as Saku, after its disk magazine,
the group is trying to accomplish its goals by organizing meetings and
by publishing a disk magazine. Since 1993 the Finnish Amiga Users
Group and it's predecessors have released over thirty issues of the
disk magazine and held several public gatherings. Other
accomplishments include the Web site and Sakunet, a national Fidonet
style network of Amiga related bulletin board systems.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

        E A S T   A N G L I A N   G R O U P   L A U N C H E D

                               About The...

                        East Anglian Amiga User Group

                             ___________________

WELCOME!

 Welcome to the East Anglian Amiga User Group. We are a brand new user
group based in Lowestoft, Suffolk but have an anticipated member list
of The World! We were set up by two very keen Amiga users Nigel
Holland and Michael Parker, to provide to Amiga user with all the
latest news, reviews and events etc. at a cost marginal to a
commercial magazine, yet providing the same accuracy and quality you,
as an Amiga user expect.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

 We do this by providing our users with a 8-weekly newsletter and
e-mail (were available) for important events in between issues. We DO
NOT hold meetings as we believe this to be unfair to users outside a
travelable distance.

 In addition to this you will receive special disks (at least two a
year) with the latest Utilities, Games, Patches, Shareware and PD
around for the Amiga! Users will also get a Membership Card each and
every year.

WHEN IS THE NEWSLETTER DUE?

 Distribution of the newsletter begins in August 1st 1999 so, if you
want to receive the first copy be sure to send your application off
well before then so we can cope with the demand. Then, after the first
issue is released the next one will be published and distributed two
months later, and so on!

HOW MUCH IS IT?

 A years membership is just £10 (UK) -that's £1.20 an issue! Plus you
receive a membership card and at least two disks a year, not to
mention the newsletter is not filled with 100's of ads. PLUS: Every
issue is delivered ON TIME to your own doorstep!

WHAT CAN I DO?

 You to can write for us, about anything Amiga! You could even end up
with you own column in every issue! If you don't fancy writing about
anything, why not tell us what you have in the way of Amiga equipment
and become our set-up of the month! Got something to sell? Want a
piece of Amiga hardware/software? Put it in our classifieds for all
members to read- and possibly buy!

E-mail the User Group (eaaug@eaaug.freeserve.co.uk)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

      A M I C O L A   A N D   . . .   U N D E R S H O R T S ?

2 July, 1999

{Directly from the Amiga web sites. Brad.}

 New Promotional Products Available Soon

 New promotional products will be available at the World of Amiga on
July 24th and 25th.

 There will be the cool drink for all AMIGA freaks: AmiCola

 Also available soon: AMIGA shorts (sizes S, M, L, XL, und XXL, colors
white and black), and socks carrying the AMIGA logo
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                  Y A M   2 . 0   A T   L A S T  !

 July 6, 1999

 YAM 2.0 final has been released! It can be downloaded from the YAM
support site and - in a few days - from any Aminet mirror.

                                    REQUIREMENTS

 - Amiga Computer with an 68020 cpu or higher

 - at least 4 MB of RAM

 - AmigaOS/Workbench 3.0 or higher

 - MUI 3.8 or higher

 - bsdsocket.library compatible TCP/IP software like Miami, AmiTCP,
Genesis or TermiteTCP - PGP 2.6.x or 5.x (required only for composing
or reading encrypted mail)

 - XPK libraries (required only for compressed folders)

 - Internet provider who supports POP3 and SMTP services

                                     FEATURES

 - Basic functions: read, write, delete, reply, forward or bounce mail

 - Four folders for incoming, outgoing, sent and deleted mail plus an
unlimited
 number of folders for archived mail

 - Folders can be compressed and/or protected with a password

 - Support for multiple users. Optionally, addressbooks and other
config files  can be shared

 - Searchable address book supporting groups and distribution lists

 - Built-in POP3/APOP client to check for mail on startup, on demand
or at regular time intervals

 - Check up to 16 POP3 accounts in a single step

 - Message pre-selection: browse message headers before downloading
large mails

 - Write or reply your messages offline and send them to the mail
server using  the built-in SMTP client

 - Extract sender information from message headers and create an
address book entry with a simple mouseclick; a picture of the sender
is automatically downloaded and displayed

 - Built-in support for UUencode and MIME to send and receive binary
files

 - Co-operation with web browsers: send mail from your browser, pass
an URL to  a browser

 - Handle return receipts and read confirmation

 - Support for anonymous remailers and mailing lists

 - PGP/MIME support: encrypt and/or sign outgoing messages, check
signatures, decrypt messages. Works with PGP 2.6 and PGP 5.

 - Fast internal editor that offers WYSIWYG textstyles and spell
checking

 - Search your folders for messages (including full text search in
header fields or message body)

 - Up to 100 filters to automatically process new or sent messages

 - Comprehensive ARexx interface that allows other programs to control
YAM

 - The graphical user interface of YAM (including toolbars and status
images)  is fully user configurable

 - YAM runs either on the Workbench screen or on any other custom
screen

 - Context related online help through help bubbles and AmigaGuide

 - Includes catalog files for many different languages

 - Easy installation with the Installer

 - Much, much more...

                                      CONTACT

World Wide Web:  http://www.yam.ch
E-mail        :  support@yam.ch
----------------------------------------------------------------------

 P R E C O N F I G U R E D   T I M I D I T Y   T O   A M I N E T   . .

9 July, 1999

{The Timidity midi player has been on Aminet for a short while.
Recently, we learned that Giordio Signori was working on a (large!)
set of archives that would provide a pre-configured Timidity you could
download and use. Here's what he has to say on the subject. Brad}

 I am going to upload on Aminet a ready-to-go preconfigured Timidity
archive with all the patches (be ready to download some megs ;-) so
you will not have to get crazy configuring Timidity.

 It's not really a "product", as it's 100% free, since Timidity is
under GNU Public License. I thought that on Amiga we missed a very
good MIDI player with a good quality. So I've been searching for the
best samples usable with this great piece of software (that, note, is
not ported by me) and spent some days configuring the whole thing to
make it easier to use. I am impressed by the quality that it can
reach. The drawback is that the LHA archive is 15 megs, but with ftp
resume or HTTPResume it's not a problem to download in some days. To
be true, the archive for Aminet is ready, sitting here in my hard
disk. But I have been unlucky... yesterday I was uploading it, but
when I arrived at 14 megs out of 15, the line dropped!! So I have to
retry... maybe I will split the archive to make it easier to upload
and download. But once you downloaded it, you can be sure it's worth
the time you spent, as you can finally listan to MIDI files with an
astonishing quality. Just to comprare, the Star Wars soundtrack in
MIDI format, played with Timidity with this set of patches is nearly
identical to the CD one played by the orchestra, only good hears will
notice the difference! And all this is for free, what do you want
more? ;-)

Giorgio Signori
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                   A 2 0 0 0 H D S   F O U N D !

Intrepid Communications Announces Supply of A2000HD Amigas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Intrepid Communications, Inc. announces the discovery of a cache of
new in-the-box and excellent condition used classic A2000HD computers.
All include: original keyboards and mice, internal 880K floppy drive,
A2091 SCSI controller with hard drive (most are 52MB) and Kickstart
and Workbench 1.3 or above. They are also equipped with an ASDG
multi-port serial board.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

New A2000HD (US) $400 plus shipping and handling.
Used A2000HD (US) $250 plus shipping and handling.

 Orders may be placed by telephone by calling: (US) 1-407-678-6999

Credit card (Master Card/VISA) or pre-paid orders only.

As of 7/1/1999:

     80 new units are available.
     70 used units are available.

 Intrepid can also upgrade and customize these machines to meet
specific needs.

 Contact Lori Brown at the number above for further information or
e-mail sales@intrepidcomm.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amiga Update on the net:
 All back issues available at:
    http://www.globaldialog.com/~amigaupdate/index.html
    {Note new address!}
Stop by and check out our archive!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1999 by Brad Webb.    Freely distributable, if not modified.
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