Workbench Disk Sets... What Would Be The Best Way To Obtain Them...

[Forcie]

The situation is actually worse than you guys describe it. The ROM:s and Workbench disks provided in the Amiga Forever package are licensed for emulation purposes only and according to Cloanto you are not allowed to use them in real Amigas.

Source:
http://www.amigaforever.com/kb/13-145

This leaves the few vendors still selling physical ROM:s and WB floppy disks as the sole legit way of getting hold of them. Truly ridiculous.

[Forcie]

The easiest way it purchase 1.3 and 3.1 is exactly how Transition as alluded to:
Step 1 buy Amiga Forever,
Step 2 buy a Catweasel Mk4 or Mk4+.........
In my opinion if you are a classic amiga user the Catweasel (on a PC) is worth every penny.

You seem to have missed that you only are legally allowed to use the WB disks and ROMs included in Amiga Forever for emulation purposes and not on a real Amiga. I even doubt that you are allowed to use the ROM image files for running WHDLoad or softkicking on a real Amiga.

http://www.amigaforever.com/kb/13-145

Edit: a few minutes late, drat

[Forcie]

Or you could use buy Amiga Forever 2011 and not share. If users want more features added like other versions of Workbench disks then ask for them. Software developers love to keep developing and upgrading great Virtual Machine software.

Do you actively ignore what people are writing?

This is NOT about getting "great Virtual Machine software".
This is about getting legal replacements for Workbench disks suitable for installation on REAL Amigas.
Using Amiga Forever contents for that purpose is illegal according to Cloanto.

What is unclear?

[Forcie]

I've also had a thought - I like the idea of NatAmi, so don't take this the wrong way - but how are NatAmi going to get along with software? It can run original OS, so are they going to release it with original OS and if not where do we get the copies?

We have sourced quite a few NOS Workbench 3.1 packages to supply with the Natami.

[Forcie]

It is going to be quite reasonably priced considering the production quantity and component costs.

We will announce the price of the Natami when we feel comfortable doing so considering the state of the project.

[Forcie]

Well my real amiga can't boot off adf's, only emulators can. So does it really come as a suprise that they would want to stop you distributing adf's?

Tools for writing ADF images to real floppies on a real Amiga have been around as long as the format has existed.

[Forcie]

The answer to the topic is: for real floppy disks buy NOS original sets from amigakit or second hand originals. For emulation in any guise (minimig, mcc216 & natami counts as emulation) then amiga forever.

If Minimig, MCC216 and Natami counts as emulation, then something like C64DTV counts as emulation too. The transistors and logic gates are just as real in a FPGA as they are in a industrially constructed ASIC.
If the C64DTV counts as emulation too, then basically every reconstruction of a certain chipset ever is going to count as emulation only, even if one made a carbon copy of an A1200.

I do not think that is going to hold up legally at all. Cloanto has gotten a license for providing software for UAE use only, and that is what they state in their FAQ.

[Forcie]

So, a recreation of an A1200 would not be an emulation, but as soon as you start to change or add something like a port or a graphics mode it starts becoming an emulation again? I do not agree.

But very well. No matter what your personal definition of emulation is, Cloanto only have a license to distribute software for use with UAE only and they clearly state that themselves. Therefore, your recommendation of using AmigaForever as a legal means to get operating system software for the aforementioned platforms is not a very good one.