Personal Amiga renaissance - should I buy an Amiga 1500?

[zylesea]

Hi:

This is my first post on this site. I am an avid Amiga fan having owned an A500, A600 and A1200 whilst growing up in the 90s.

I am looking at getting an A1500 to re-live my computing youth and there appears to be a good offer on one at the moment - system, monitor and tonnes of software for £100.

My idea is that I will buy this, junk/sell on the original monitor and connect it to my flat screen with an adaptor.

My questions relate to the technical limitations of the A1500 - I know it is an old machine yet that it was marketed as a business machine also, thus whilst it will not run AGA games, is it feasible that I could update the kickstart rom, install a HD, possibly even a CD drive, more RAM etc piece-meal or not really?

Can these be networked via a suitable ethenet adaptor for the internet?

Yes I know that I should buy an A4000 but I cannot justify the expense for something that is basically going to be a toy.

100GBP for the lot seems to be a fair price, but you should consider whether your main interest is the computer itself or the old games. For the latter I think (Win)UAE is the way more convenient solution - you can play virtually everything more or less everywhere.
But if you mainly like to tinker around with the old gear I'd say go for it.

[Graham1982]

Hi:

Yes I have used win UAE, there is just osmething about old machines that I like - I know it is both messy and annoying but for me there is nothing quite like using old gear.

Thanks

Graham

[zylesea]

Hi:

Could someone paraphrase the recent Amiga developments for me please? I am still going to get the 1500 but am I right in suggesting that any new Amiga is a machine that effectively emulates an Amiga like how you can run windows on Macs now?

Thanks

Graham

- UAE: software emulator for Commodore 68k Amiga (runs virtually everywhere and everything) (free, but you need ROM files)

- AROS: x86 (and 68k, ARM, ppc) operating system featuring a reimplemenation and extension to the Commodore AmigaOS API. Not binary compatible to 68k applications itself, but comes with a tight UAE intergartion (free)

- MorphOS: ppc operating system featuring a reimplemenation and extension to the Commodore AmigaOS API. Binary compatible to 68k Amiga applications (as long as they don't hit the custom chips). Improved in many ways over Commodre Amiga OS 3.x Runs on many G4 Macs and some other ppc boards. Demo is free, registration is 111 EUR.

- OS4 by Hyperion: ppc operating system featuring a reimplemenation/recompilation and extension to the Commodore AmigaOS API. Binary compatible to 68k Amiga applications (as long as they don't hit the custom chips). Requires custom hardware. No demo available, costs about 150 EUR.

Edit: forgot the fpga solutions, see next post for that.

[commodorejohn]

I think if you have a 68040 or 68060 they can have 128MB RAM on them.

The  actual memory expansion capacity depends on the specific accelerator  card, but even an 020 or 030 is capable of addressing more than the  Zorro II maximum.

Could someone paraphrase the recent Amiga developments for me please? I am still going to get the 1500 but am I right in suggesting that any new Amiga is a machine that effectively emulates an Amiga like how you can run windows on Macs now?

To paraphrase recent Amiga developments: GRARRR SNARL SNEER FLAME.

To be a little more specific about it, there's a number of different camps all doing their own thing, each with a number of loony zealot followers that spend a lot of time bickering about which one is the True Amiga. Specifically, they are:

• The "FPGA-based reconstruction" camp with the Minimig and NatAmi projects, which focus on building new (and, in NatAmi's case, upgraded) hardware that's compatible with the oldschool 680x0-based Amigas. Can run 68k Amiga software natively.
• The PowerPC camp, which focuses on running Amiga-based modern operating systems on PPC-based hardware like pre-Intel Macs and the upcoming X1000 board. Due to the nature of the PPC, 68k Amiga code can run natively, but as zylesea noted, it has to play nice and not do low-level hardware manipulation (as the Amiga hardware is not actually present.) For stuff that doesn't follow those rules (various games and demos, mostly) you'd have to use an emulator.
• The x86 camp, which focuses on running Amiga-based modern operating systems on standard Intel PC hardware. Cannot run 68k Amiga software natively.
• Commodore USA, the current (claimed) owners of the Amiga name, who are developing an x86-based PC on which they plan to run a Linux distro that's re-skinned to look like Workbench. Cannot run 68k Amiga software natively.

[Khephren]

Hi:

Could someone paraphrase the recent Amiga developments for me please? I am still going to get the 1500 but am I right in suggesting that any new Amiga is a machine that effectively emulates an Amiga like how you can run windows on Macs now?

Thanks

Graham

Old Amigans run old software on the original 'Classic' machines. Some upgrade their machines with new processor/RAM/HDD (or compact flash) CD-ROM for demanding software/games.

MorphOS
 Users use a heavily inspired by AmigaOS system, that uses emulation for older software. There is dedicated hardware available, and it will run on some old powermacs.

AmigaOS 4
 is the official AmigaOS. It too is PowerPC based, it  It runs on dedicated hardware,
and Emulates classic hardware. A version is available for classic machines with PowerPC upgrade cards.

WinUAE/UAE
is the main emulator for for running 'classic' (68000 based) Amiga software on many platforms.

AROS
is an OS based on Workbench 3.1, but all code is written from scratch, it's open, and runs on several platforms. It runs classic software through Emulation.

Worthy mentions:

NATami:
not out yet, but will be a new (fairly?) compatible machine, but with upgraded specs, and upgraded Amiga chips.  will run 'classic' Amiga software, and software written for it.

MiniMig:
Like the above, but not as powerfull, but available now, and not that expensive. Runs 'classic' software.

I've probably missed stuff, but i'm sure i'll get corrected soon...!

[DCAmiga]

To be a little more specific about it, there's a number of different camps all doing their own thing, each with a number of loony zealot followers that spend a lot of time bickering about which one is the True Amiga. Specifically, they are:
 

Need to insert that OS4, AROS, MorphOS chart to give you an idea of how the camps view each other ... :laughing:
 
I would but i cant find it

[klx300r]

Need to insert that OS4, AROS, MorphOS chart to give you an idea of how the camps view each other ... :laughing:
 
I would but i cant find it

here it is;)..hilarious..love the big brother, little brother analogy..."i told you Mikey..you can't touch MY stuff"

[Graham1982]

Hi:

Rather than create a new thread - didn't get 1500 it was too difficult to transport (I don't drive).

Is all of the above still true for an Amiga 2000 - I have the opportunity to buy one of these, is it worth it better/worse than 1500.

pros/cons

Graham

[TCMSLP]

I'm sure the 2000 is a 1500 only with a HD (probably SCSI).   If available for a similar figure I'd grab it.

Everyone else: Do 2000's have onboard batteries?  If so - worth checking it hasn't leaked and corroded the motherboard.

[tone007]

Everyone else: Do 2000's have onboard batteries?  If so - worth checking it hasn't leaked and corroded the motherboard.

Yes, and the majority I've opened over the past 3 years have leaked.

[persia]

Yes, pretty much the same.  The 1500 would have had more bragging rights since it's far rarer, but from a user perspective there's no difference.

Hi:

Rather than create a new thread - didn't get 1500 it was too difficult to transport (I don't drive).

Is all of the above still true for an Amiga 2000 - I have the opportunity to buy one of these, is it worth it better/worse than 1500.

pros/cons

Graham

[runequester]

The 1500 is just a 2000 configured slightly differently so it'd be awesome too

[scuzzb494]

You will like this... My Amiga 1500 called Graham. Seriously

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz222.htm

There really is no difference other than the twin floppies. The machine was created, some say, in response to the A1500 Checkmate and only I believe for the UK market.

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz20.htm

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz109.htm

Amiga 2000HD

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz181.htm

Checkmate

http://www.commodore-amiga-retro.com/amiga/amiga_scuzz86.htm

Personally I would get an Amiga 1200.

[Graham1982]

Hi:

I can't wait to get hold of the 2000 now and those pictures look really good and will be helpful in the setup of my system.

I imagine that as I do not have an AGA chipset in a 2000 and will not therefore be playing top end games such as Gloom etc, loads of RAM is not necessary?

[commodorejohn]

Probably not, unless you're looking to do power-user type stuff. I'd bet that 1MB chip + 1-2MB fast RAM should suffice.

[runequester]

I cant imagine anything that'd require more than 8 megs of fast RAM, and you could probably get by fine with 4