What is 2.0?
18 messages in this thread
Hiof unlearning many narrow MS-DOS patterns of thinking. Well, this 2.0 ROM
release for the A500/A2000 has completely overwhelmed me, so I'm looking
for some resource or document or wise person to give an overview of what it
is, what it does, and why or why not I should get the upgrade. Practically
speaking, I realize eventually everything must move to this new version,
but is it downward compatible or do I really need the Multistart board to
protect my older software I've (inherited with the machine)?
If someone can give an overview or point me to a file that explains it all
I would be truly grateful.
Thanks!
Tim
Tim,
Nearly everything will work just as it has always worked, but you have a
new look and a lot of new abilities you did not have before. It is much,
much nicer. Many of the utilities that most of us have picked up from CIS
or other boards have been included as part of the operating system in 2.04.
There are only a very few programs that don't work with the new system
software, and most of those companies have upgrades available to give you
compatibility.
Betty
Thanks Betty!
Speaking of versions, I've always been puzzled by the version numbers I see
when I boot and load my A500. For example, when I turn it on with no disk,
that disk shows up with a 1.3 in it, which I understand is the ROM version
I have. Then I insert my Workbench diskette, which on the label says
version 1.2. As it boots however, I see another 1.3 and then another 1.2
as the startup-sequence runs.
If I don't go with 2.04 for now, do I need Workbench 1.3? Where can I get
it?
If I do go with 2.04, do I need a Multistart board– i.e. in your opinion
is it worth it to preserve the 1.3– (for old games, etc?).
Thanks again!
Tim
Tim,
There are a few games that won't work with 2.04, but not much else. I
could not give you a list of the games, because I haven't seen a list
anywhere. Almost everything seems to work just fine. I suspect that once
you begin to use 2.04, you won't want to go back to 1.3, which would make
the MultiStart a needless expense to you. If you've been using a 1.2
Workbench with 1.3 ROMs all along, you have missed out on some of the nicer
features of 1.3, but at this point, I would not worry about 1.3. Just get
2.04 and use it.
Betty
Betty,
Thanks for the advice– you've replied to several of my messages in the
past and you're a steady voice in what is often a confusing area for me so
far.
May your tribe increase!
Tim
Gee, Tim – thanks!
Betty
Just out of curiosity, will Workbench 1.3 boot and run properly with 2.0
ROMs ? Are the multi-ROM adapters all hype ? Or does a person who has a
favorite game which does not run on 2.0 have to use 1.3 ROMs ?
Yes, it does. We went to a great deal of trouble for this effect.
(ie 2.0 roms will boot a 1.3 Workbench disk)
andy
Any word on the availability of the 1.3 / 2.0 tower board for developers?
Also, who's in charge of 2.0 now? I'm obliged to write a follow-up to my
"hints and tips for 1.3" article that appeared in AmigaWorld a few short
months ago, advancing it to 2.0. Writing the 1.3 article made my eyes
bleed, but it turned out well, and I've heard good response to it from
readers.
John,
DKB's ROM board for the 500/2000 is available now, and it works
peachy-keen.
Paul,
I've been a little out of things for a few months due to serious illness in
my family, so I may not know all these answers. As best I understand it,
if a game will not run under 2.0, then you would have to use the 1.3 ROMS,
and a multi-ROM system would be required in order to run them if you have a
2.0 ROM in your system. There was a disk-based system for developers that
let us run 2.0 by kicking the ROM image into memory and accessing it from
there, but such a system has not been made generally available, and I don't
think it will be. The system we have been using was just for testing
purposes and was never intended to be used as a general day-to-day
operating system.
Just in general, though, 1.3 WB and nearly all of the 1.3 software will run
under 2.0 just fine.
Betty
paul, The rom switch devices work OK, but you have to be careful of how you
set up your hard drive. if you really want to boot you hard disk from 1.3,
you need to put the 2.0 filesystem onto your rigid disk block, so you can
have access to it from 2.0. Put 1.3 on the first partition as if you have
multiple bootable partitions, it takes the first one. In 2.0 you can hold
both mouse buttons and select another partition for to load workbench 2.0
from. Alternatively you can manually change partition bootability via a
tool like hdtoolbox (if you have a 3000 or 2091) before you switch.
Personally, I think you'll like 2.0 so much that it will be a real pain to
boot _and_use_ 1.3 after a short while.
-Greg
If your 1.3 needs are just to run games, then there are no drawbacks to the
ROM adapters except they extend the data and address busses which will add
some small but measurable noise to the system. 98% of the time this is no
problem.
I don't know of a book, or file that explains it all, but 2.0 is a definite
improvement over 1.3. As for what all changed, it's a pretty long list.
There are new functions, a new look, and a lot of enhancements to older
items. ie. Compugraphic scalable fonts are supported by workbench, Arexx
is built in, ED is useable now, the options for ICONX are more varied, the
little fuel gauge for the disk windows is gone, and replaced by numeric
data across the top, there is an embossed look to icons somewhat similar to
the next, you can still crash the system, but if it isn't real bad, you can
recover without rebooting, there is lots more and too much to really cover
in a message. One of the things I like, is the fact that if you so desire
you can see all files in a window, rather than just the ones with icons,
and you can snapshot everything at once without having to go through the
Shift-Click routine to get them all. As for multistart, older software may
require 1.3. Most of the new productivity stuff will handle 2.0. When
Commodore starts shipping 2.0 in the machines, authors will have to support
2.0 if they want to sell very much. However, if you have an older game you
treasure, that won't run under 2.0, you might decide the multistart board
is worth it.
Personally, I find 2.0 to be a lot more desireable than 1.3. My 2.0 is on
my 3000, so I really can't say all compatability problems stem from the 2.0
alone. Some is probably because there is a 68030 under the hood.
– via Whap!
Alex,
Thanks for the great info. I think I'll soon be taking the plunge with my
A500. Maybe my dealer will let me test my older programs to see what
happens.
(I bought my A500 used this spring with lots of older software and so I
have much to catch up on with how the Amiga works…)
Tim
I just recently converted from V1.3 to V2.04 and purchased the Multistart
II board because I was afraid of lack of software compatibility with my
good sized software library. I also wanted to be able to get back to V1.3
if I ever decided to develop some software where I wanted to verify its
compatibility with V1.3.
The Multistart II board is not very expensive and is easy to install, but
you may not wish to use it. Most software is runnable under V2.x, though
there have been reports here and there that some versions of some software
won't run under V2.x. I tried all of my PD and commercial games,
productivity, and application programs after going to V2.04 and found only
a few games that had minor quirks (one crashed upon exit, SimCity fails to
save a game after three previous save, but the game still plays, etc;
etc.). One application, OnLine!Platinum (telecommunications) displays its
custom screen skewed in relation to the V2.04 Workbench screen, but
otherwise works OK.
Depending upon your software versions and the size of your software
library, it may be a relatively cheap "insurance" to make use of the
Multistart II. If you have or can get access to an Amiga running V2.x you
might be able to test out your software and see if everything will work for
you. If so, then you won't need the Multistart II. You could also just
"brave it" and go to V2.04 without the Multistart and if anything isn't
kosher, wait for a new software release, but depending upon the popularity
of the particular software, there could be a long wait.
– via Whap!
The new version of AmigaDOS runs faster than V1.3 (you will really notice
it in screen "setup time"). A technical difference between V1.3 ROM and
V2.04 ROM is their size: 256K then versus 512K now. It appears that most
software packages that make use of Workbench screens are more uniform in
appearance (or maybe, just better appearance) than under V1.3. The
"forward/backward" gadgets have been combined into one which makes screen
switching MUCH nicer and easier. The newer version screens are also more
crisp and "professional" in appearance. More of the AmigaDOS commands are
now "internal" and are not loaded from disk anymore, making the system more
efficient.
If you do not already have ARexx, then V2.04 is important since ARexx is
now a part of AmigaDOS (V2.x). If you have ARexx, then V2.04 AmigaDOS will
provide you with an upgrade to ARexx.
There are a slew of other minor to major changes, additions, and deletions
such as expanded environment variable utilization, the FastFileSystem is
now in ROM and uses less space on a formatted disk, AmigaBasic is no longer
a part of the base operating system – it is now "available seperately".
The simplest reasons for going to V2.04 are to remain compatible with the
advanced wave of Amiga-ites and programs written to make use of or which
specifically require V2.x, and the great look of everything. This is a
MAJOR upgrade which puts the Amiga and its GUI in a good competitive
position with the NeXT's, MacII's. While the messy-dos "world" has
imitation GUI's (eg; Windows), they leave a LOT to be desired.
You can stay at V1.x probably for quite some time yet, but eventually you
may be forced to change. It is NOT an expensive upgrade (especially when
you look at the other hardware platforms), and IS easy to do/have done.
– via Whap!
Johnabout upgrading and taking my chances. I also have a good dealer nearby
that would probably let me test whatever I want to.
So, as soon as a little change piles up, I'll probably get it.
By the way, my dealer is selling the kit for $99.95. Is that about what
you paid? I figure they would have a basic price Commodore suggests but I
have no idea really.
Thanks again!
Tim
Yes, I paid around $99 for the V2.04 upgrade through a mail order place,
but a "somewhat local" dealer (75 miles) was going to offer it for a little
less. I went with the mail order since they also had several other items
that I wanted. Otherwise, I would have gone with the dealer (though I would
have had to either take a trip or pay more for shipping).
Having a real local dealer is a plus in many ways, not the least of which
is having a possible "test bed" for your existing software.
When you migrate, be SURE to follow the instructions in the package, and if
you have a hard disk, BE SURE you back it up before starting. Once you get
to V2.04, you will not want to go back to V1.3. The new version is faster
and nicer in too many ways to put into a short note. The new manual is
HUGE, and very nicely done (is most of the weight in the package).
– via Whap!